ABC/Fred LeePanic! at the Disco's new album Pray for the Wicked arrives this Friday but if you need something to tide you over during the wait, Brendon Urie and company have shared a new song. The track is called "King of the Clouds," and it's available now for digital download. "King of the Clouds" is the fourth Pray for the Wicked track Panic! has shared, following "High Hopes," "(F*** a) Silver Lining," and lead single "Say Amen (Saturday Night)." Panic! will embark on a North American tour in support of Pray for the Wicked July 11 in Minneapolis. They'll launch a second U.S. leg in January. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon carries a developmental test version of Norway's Joint Strike Missile to its release point above the Utah Test and Training Range west of Salt Lake City. Photo: USAF EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA (BNS): The US Air Force's F-16 fighter has completed "a large phase testing" of the Joint Strike Missile (JSM). The development testing of the weapon built in partnership with Norway was carried out by a team of US Air Force engineers, test pilots, and Norwegian government and industry personnel at the Utah Test and Training Range in the Salt Lake City. The JSM is Norway's advanced anti-surface warfare missile designed for the new F-35A Lighting II stealth fighter aircrafts internal weapons bay. The missile can be employed against sea- and land-based targets. Before proceeding with integration testing on the F-35A, the JSM was tested at Edwards Air Force base on F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 416th Flight Test Squadron, the US Air Force said in a statement. "The F-16 is a much more proven and mature platform in terms of technology development," said Collin Drake, 416th FLTS JSM project engineer. "The F-35 is still undergoing its own technology development and design iterations, which brings its own challenges. It made it a lot more efficient and effective to use F-16s to be able to test, mid-cycle, a new type of weapon." The weapon's development programme started at the Edwards AFB in 2015. The JSM missile system was matured and proven with ground testing, captive carriage testing (flight test missions to ensure the weapon would perform its designed functions prior to being released from the aircraft), and live-drop testing to verify the JSM's ability to safely release from the aircraft and perform its autonomous functions. The next step is for the Norwegians to integrate the JSM on to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and then on to further weapons and integration testing. Church of the Brethren Newsline June 18, 2018 Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele is recommending to the Church of the Brethren a blogpost from Office of Peacebuilding and Policy associate Victoria Bateman. The post, dated Friday, June 15, reaffirms the longstanding stance of the Church of the Brethren on immigration, outlined in 1982 Annual Conference statement on Undocumented Persons and Refugees in the United States (www.brethren.org/ac/statements/1982refugees.html), and the biblical basis for extending welcome to refugees and immigrants. Following is the full text of the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy post (also online at https://www.brethren.org/testblog/2018/welcoming-the-stranger-a-call-for-just-immigration-reform): The Church of the Brethren has long acknowledged the Bibles call for justice in immigration policy. Matthew 25:35 says, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, reminding us that our response to the least of these is just as important as the manner in which we would choose to treat Christ. As people of faith, it is essential that we respond to Gods call to welcome strangers, extend hospitality, and recognize the inherent dignity of each human being. Yesterday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited the Bible in an attempt to justify the separation of children from their parents at the border as they flee violence, poverty, and oppression in their home countries. Once separated from their parents, these children are held in detention centers. Over 500 children have been detained under this policy, putting them at risk for emotional trauma and abuse. This past spring, the world watched as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was rescinded, leaving hundreds of thousands of students and community members not knowing the future of their immigration statusdespite having grown up in the United States. Erick, a Church of the Brethren member, shared his own story with us here: https://www.brethren.org/testblog/2017/daca-story-erick. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs, which gave legal residence to people from nations facing violence or natural disaster, have also been cut. Some TPS holders have been in the country for decades, starting families and businesses, and will be forced to return to their original country if a pathway to citizenship is not created. The Haitian Church of the Brethren in Miami, Florida has been impacted by these policies, and you can read about the March for TPS they held here: https://www.brethren.org/testblog/2018/reflections-on-the-march-for-tps. The uncertainty, fear, and danger faced by immigrants impacted by these broken US immigration policies is not acceptable. Our 1982 Annual Conference statement on Undocumented Persons and Refugees in the United States (www.brethren.org/ac/statements/1982refugees.html) calls for the United States government to adopt legislation and policies which welcome and promote the welfare of immigrants and refugees, and to bring about a general amnesty for those people who once entered the United States as undocumented aliens but have settled peacefully among their neighbors. As people of faith, we urge the United States government to fix its broken immigration system. US policies must be compassionate and just, and recognize the importance of strong families and communities. The Bible condemns those who exploit immigrants (Ezekiel 22:7), and instead calls for us to love those who are foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19). Immigrants continue to make valuable contributions to the country, and each human being who enters the United States deserves to be treated with compassion. Find out more about the ministry of the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy at www.brethren.org/peacebuilding. Go to www.brethren.org/Newsline to subscribe to the Church of the Brethren Newsline free e-mail news service and receive church news every week. A new exhibition will go on display in Bristol later this month celebrating the history and legacy of one of the citys most famous and iconic events, the St Pauls Carnival, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. Artival 2018 combines an exciting range of projects by the Bristol-based artist Michele Curtis and will take place at the University of Bristols Beacon House in Queens Avenue from Tuesday, June 26 to Saturday, June 30. It will be officially opened by Bristols Deputy Mayor, Cllr Asher Craig. At the heart of the exhibition is Micheles The Seven Saints of St Pauls evocative black and white charcoal and graphite portraits with accompanying biographies of the founders of the carnival who came to Bristol as part of the Windrush Generation and made significant political and social strides for change. The seven humble heroes include the honourable Owen Henry, as featured on the mural welcoming those coming into St Pauls on Ashley Road. Others include Roy Hackett, Audley Evans, Clifford Drummond, Carmen Beckford MBE, Barbara Dettering and Delores Campbell. Also featured will be Micheles Bristol Beats and Bass exhibition, which explores and celebrates how carnival has impacted the Bristol music scene including genres such as trip-hop and the legendary Bristol Sound. Michele says she is particularly excited to debut The St Pauls Carnival Collective which has never been seen before and includes portraits of members of the local community who have selflessly contributed to carnival over the past 50 years. She said: This exhibition encapsulates the inspiring stories and missions of Bristols unsung heroes who have contributed toward the achievements of the African Caribbean Diaspora and Bristols cultural identity. It is an education and insight into how the Caribbean-style carnival has impacted Britain by exploring the cross-cultural effects of community, identity and what it means to be British. It bridges traditional British and African Caribbean culture to inform what we view as contemporary British culture today. Carnival has promoted unity of international relationships and has provided a platform for the celebration of diversity. The exhibition is accompanied by a series of films also to be aired on BBC Points West in the lead-up to the much anticipated 2018 carnival, starting on Wednesday, June 27. The films features The Saints and key figures from the International African Caribbean Community. On Saturday, June 30 at 5pm, all the films will be screened at a special event hosted by Sabet Choudhury from BBC Points West. This will include a Q&A with Michele Curtis, Bristols first Poet Laureate Miles Chambers, and other special guests. The exhibition will be closed by Bristols Lord Mayor Cllr Cleo Lake. Tickets are free but booking is required via: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/iconic-black-bristolians-film-screening-and-panel-discussion-tickets-46863024568 His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, High Commissioner for Jamaica, has given his official backing to the exhibition and Micheles work. He said: It is with great pleasure that I endorse Micheles work which encapsulates the spirit, vision and values of Jamaica. Her work is a valuable contribution to the documentation of the positive role played by Jamaicans to the development of British Society. By mapping the achievements of the African Caribbean community in Bristol, Michele is also raising the profile of Jamaicans in the United Kingdom. Her work shares inspirational narratives of how African Caribbean people have continued to fight against indifference, oppression and discrimination, whilst striving to promote unity, integration and equality. It is encouraging to see Michele educating young people, inspiring them to be the next generation of role models, whilst being an inspiration in her own right. Michele celebrates and promotes the recognition of empowering stories and achievements that encourage a sense of national pride that will continue to strengthen ties with Jamaica for generations to come. Rebecca Scott, Chair of the University of Bristols Black and Ethnic Staff Advisory Group, said: The University is delighted and very proud to host and partner this exhibition. Positive contributions from our black communities are often not given a platform, to share, as they deserve. This is a great way to share a few of our achievements over the years. Artival 2018 is open Tuesday, June 26 to Friday, June 29 from 12noon-7pm. On Saturday, June 30, it is open from 10am to 1pm and will resume opening at 5pm for the film screening. Please attain a free ticket at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/iconic-black-bristolians-artival-2018-exhibition-tickets-46861191084 for admission. Plans for a controversial new development of 130 homes in Highbridge are set to go on show at a public consultation event in the town today (Monday). As first reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com here, local property developer Toni Hammick plans to transform a publicly-owned field into a new development of affordable homes on land between Lakeside and the Isleport Business Park. The consultation event, which is open to all, will be held at Highbridge Community Centre from 3-6pm when the developer will be on hand to answer questions, discuss the proposals and hear feedback on the scheme. Denzil Clarke, pictured above, is leading a group of residents called the Lakeside Residents Public Open Space Committee to ensure their views are properly considered in the planning process. Many of the 30 residents will be attending todays meeting. Local residents have already been expressing their concerns about the scheme during recent days on Burnham-On-Sea.coms Facebook page. Brenda Leman said: The A38 is congested every evening. This development would only add to the problem. Tina Gregory added: I live in Lakeside and will absolutely go to the meeting. Dont agree with the development at all and will make my feelings completely clear. It should be left to the wildlife and the pathways cleared so people can actually enjoy a bit of wildlife in the middle of an already overbuilt area. Charlie Tillam said: I will fight this all the way I will get Greenpeace down. Anything to stop this going through, its long over due that the residents have the rights not the planners. Karen Clarke added: Leave it as it is! Before long our wildlife will be extinct and it will become a concrete jungle. It comes amid concern at the poor condition of a public footpath running alongside the proposed development site which residents believe is being deliberately run down to strengthen the argument for the new development. Local property developer Toni Hammick, pictured, recently revealed her concept plans for the site in March. The development of affordable homes is on land between Lakeside and Isleport. She admitted the scheme may be controversial due to the proposed loss of a publicly-owned field. The site is owned by five owners, one of whom is Sedgemoor District Council. The loss of any public open space is always a very sensitive issue, but if we can provide quality open space then the reduction may be acceptable she added, explaining that a fitness trail and childrens play area would be provided alongside the new homes. The field is under-used at the moment and is usually kept locked by Sedgemoor District Council to prevent anti-social behaviour, said Toni. We are not proposing to put more boxes here, but a bespoke development of affordable housing to fully suit the towns needs. Items seized by Military in Ekona Facebook Sunday June 17, 2018 was one of the bloodiest days in the close to now 8 months old arms struggle in Anglophone Cameroon. Never has the military met face-to-face with Ambazonia fighters like the event in Ekona town on Sunday. Casualties of the confrontations are enormous. The tension started when Military decided to gather its arsenals and descend on Ekona after Ambazonia fighters had bloke the road linking Buea-Kumba for over 48 hours paralyzing circulation. In a series of videos circulated on social media, Pro-Independence fighters swore that they no longer live in bushes and that they are waiting on the military for a battle. Mobile units of the fighters projected their prowess with some mounting sandbags for protection. The military on Sunday therefore Ekona by storm but the battle was not an easy one as they met with strong resistance from the fighters in a gun battle which lasted for almost the whole day. The rattle and rumbling of machine guns left inhabitants in total fear, shock and consternation; many ran into bushes for their life while others who could not make their way out remains indoors. A witness recounts that, In my area everyone ran into the bushes but since I am not feeling fine, I remained home, I could not run. I heard sounds of gunshots which got me frightened but my elder brother later came and took me to the hospital on his motorbike. Five civilians were shot, some died while on their way to the hospital. While the locals recount that several military trucks were seen with bodies heading to the Buea regional hospital annex, while one Ambazonia fighter was killed but the exact casualties are not however known. Military Frees Muea Police Commissioner Cameroons Defense forces have allegedly freed Tazisong Christopher, the Police boss of Buea 3rd district Police Station in Muea and three others in an operation which was carried out early Monday. According to information, they also seized guns from the fighters and killed one. | BY Ricki Green | Aden Ridgeway (left), partner at Cox Inall Ridgeway, is representing Australia on the Cannes PR Lions jury. Ridgeway , along with most of the other Australian and NZ jurors writes for CB. Yes, we Cannes! Over 2000 entries, 10 jurors, 11 hours. Day #1 as a juror at Cannes Lions for PR has been epic and its only Sunday. For the past fortnight back in Australia Ive been viewing and judging a significant portion of the entries as a member of the global jury. Now Im here in Cannes as one of 10 on the award jury. Its up to us to decide the shortlist as well as the winners for PR in Cannes Lions 2018. Ahead, lies the mammoth task of choosing which entries make the cut. Our job is to reduce the entries to 10-15%, all the while considering the following four criteria: Idea, Strategy, Execution and Impact and Reach. This year at Cannes Lions there are nine tracks and PR is covered under the Reach track. Reach is defined as, The insight, strategy and planning enabling brands to effectively engage consumers, at scale, and be heard amid the ongoing battle for attention. The entries within PR cover a range of sub-categories varying wildly from food and drink, to public affairs and lobbying, not-for-profit, leisure and use of technology, to name a few. The issues covered in the entries are current and hard-hitting. They represent what people care about, reacting against and wanting to change. Issues like climate change, saving the whales, getting rid of plastic bags, gun control, gender equality or violence against woman. They are issues that we are all talking about. Inside the jury room The gender division in the the PR jury room is equal: five men, five women. My fellow jurors represent the major regions in the world from Latin America, to Asia, to northern Europe and the US. Im the only Australian. Certainly, Im impressed by the caliber of the other jurors. They all display a deep professional commitment and everyone takes their role seriously. We all know the importance of judging and want to ensure we identify what represents best practice in the creative industry right now. Short breaks are taken on the terrace with a view over Promenade de la Croisette. Preparation for the rest of the festival is in full swing. Along Cannes beach the flags of Google and Facebook are flying, vans are unloading flowers and PA systems, and delegates walk with their blue passes flapping in the balmy afternoon breeze. Back in the PR jury room, the atmosphere is focused, collegiate and collaborative. Its not just the process that matters, its also the discussion and debate which will allow us to work towards a consensus. As I sift through the entries with my jury colleagues, Im cognisant that the process is not only to find what is the best standard for the creativity industry but also that each of the entries need to take you on a journey, have dynamic impact and encourage you to think about an issue in a different way. The entries must ignite and then sustain the conversation. This is what makes them compelling. First-time to Cannes Lions Yesterday, as my plane ducked beneath the clouds, I was struck by the built-up coastline of the French Riveria like the Gold Coast meets Miami. Once driving from Nice airport to Cannes, it is more spacious. Tall cypress trees are dotted in between Mediterranean blocks of flats. Cannes itself is a fascinating place and I can see why its chosen to host this festival of creativity. It lends itself to the expression of creative freedom. The centre of the town is smaller than you might think. All the action is, unsurprisingly, on the beach which is a more exotic version of Manly. My personal approach Im looking for projects that are authentic and meaningful, that convey something that is not just a passing thought but offers true connection. This reflects my Indigenous way of seeing. I think more and more people want real, values-based experiences and PR needs to reflect this. Its a great honour to be chosen as a juror. As Jose Papa, the managing director of Cannes Lions said, The job of the Cannes Lions jury is to act as the custodians of creativity and celebrate work that demonstrates the value of creativity in all its forms. | BY Kim Shaw | Campaign Brief together with the generous support of Sydney-Auckland-Los Angeles based production company Photoplay, boutique Design and VFX house Fin, based in Sydney and Shanghai, and global music licensing company Audio Network hosted a Welcome Cocktail party last night for several hundred Aussie and Kiwi delegates at Le Grande Hotel in Cannes. | BY Ricki Green | Haystac, part of the BWM Dentsu Group, has rounded out its senior leadership team with the appointment of Hien Pham as head of social. Reflecting Haystacs continued evolution and client growth, Phams extensive experience will add further firepower to the agencys integrated credentials. This appointment strengthens Haystacs position as one of Australias most strategic communications agencies. Former head of social at TBWA Melbourne, Pham is credited with building out the agencys social division and bringing to life the networks cultural disruption tool, D-Live. He has since worked extensively with Deepend Melbourne, helping them launch Australias first enterprise Voice Experience agency, Versa. In his new leadership role with Haystac, Pham will oversee the social and digital strategies for clients nationally. He will play an integral role in ensuring that Haystac campaigns are optimised for social media while meeting clients objectives and bringing their messages to life in the most shareable ways. Says Pham: Haystac has an incredibly strong team with a foundation of high profile clients. They are nimble, on the pulse of culture and understand how social and PR can be used strategically to drive brands. Im excited to join the team, be a part of the broader BWM Dentsu Group, and connect the network of talent across Australia as a unified social business team. Says Georgia Bainbridge, general manager of content, Haystac: We are thrilled to have Hien join the team. With a national team of 15 social strategists and account managers, we have a strong foundation in delivering integrated campaigns for our clients across social and digital. Im looking forward to working closely with Hien to bring our capabilities to the next level. | BY Ricki Green | Jim Ingram (left), co-founder and creative director at Thinkerbell, is representing Australia on the Cannes Direct Lions jury. Ingram, along with most of the other Australian and NZ jurors writes exclusively for CB. Problem: With over 2,000 individual entries submitted into the Cannes Direct Lions category, with at least a 2minute case study per entry, this equates to over 100+hours of submissions explaining how twitter exploded, crypto-currency can do everything, and that pop-up restaurants are the answer to the worlds biggest problems. How could one Jury get through all these entries? Solution: Using the power of the internet, each Jury member had been asked to pre-judge up to 300 individual entries before arriving at Cannes. Idea: All killer, no filler. With a pre-determined long, shortlist the Jury was able to quickly get into ranking the remaining entries and begin discussing the virtues of the best work. Results: | BY Ricki Green | Kim Bartowski (right), creative director and associate partner at IBM iX is representing Australia on the Cannes Creative Data Lions jury. Bartowski, along with most of the other Australian and NZ jurors writes exclusively for CB. The automation or self-acting machines tool has within itself an almost creative power there is no operation of the human hand that it does not imitate. William Fairbairn, 1861 On my long trip from Sydney to Cannes, I spent some time in Europe with my husband visiting friends and family before I arrived at the Palais. We toured Berlin, Malta and Gozo, much of the UK, Guernsey and the Isle of White, and Brussels. The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, UK held my attention and thats when I wrote this quote down. This isnt the first time weve had a technology revolution in business that has shaken our reality of whats achievable. The 19th century catapulted us into a livable future of sci-fi and mixed reality unlike any wed ever seen. Hugh mechanical beasts worked alongside men and women in factories that produced engines, cotton mills and new modes of transportation. These new machines helped to increase jobs and required skilled labor, giving humankind the ability to take a mental leap forward in business and in home life, creating household items of the future like the electric steam iron. The iron produced steam the magic needed to flatten a crease creating an effortless effect for the housewife. In fact, the chore was so easy she could sit down will doing it, as if the iron would do all the work itself. Its been almost two centuries after the industrial revolution ushered in a new reality, and were still writing advertising copy to help convince us the machines are going to do the work for us. The quick and easy magic button we can all press to give us more machine-enabled-free-time. I reviewed over 450 creative cases in the last 4 weeks for the Creative Data Lions, where creative teams have tried to give dreams more substance with the added benefit of data, science and technology in much the same grand way as the steam iron improved the experience for its chore. Some took the road of mass producing creative ideas, where the machines assisted in the creative assembly process, achieving huge volumes at speed and scale. Other teams sought to remove fear and doubt from our daily lives: super powering our human senses, giving us the ability to stay awake while we drive, or identify the perfect gift for a loved one based on the smell of a memory. A few courageous creative visionaries tried their hands at building alternate realities for us to live in that no longer require a headset and head phones to navigate. They exist in our current state of reality, life-like personalities of politicians and gangsters that are so real you might consider voting for them as your next president. The variety of creativity and ideas was of high caliber and it was an honor to be a part of the jury team for one of Cannes more innovative categories. In watching and reading about all the work submitted, I was struck with an odd thought. Many of the creative projects probably took a similar amount of time, effort, and money to build. But would it last? Technology lets us accomplish enormous tasks with breakneck speed. But will the idea last? Is it worthy of transcending today and still being relevant for many tomorrows? Is it innovation that matters for the world? Do we need more ways to produce more stuff in mass, or are people desiring for brands to bring us new experiences that engage our minds with all this new-machine-enabled-free-time we have on our hands? | BY Ricki Green | SKYN, Australias best-selling condom has announces its new global marketing campaign set to Save Intimacy via Sid Lee Paris. Premium condom and lubricants brand SKYNs Save Intimacy campaign is about celebrating technology that brings people together. The campaign rolls out with a brand film that transports audiences to an imagined, yet not so distant future a future in which a universal dependence on smartphones, tabs, VR and technological innovations threatens fundamental human connection. With love-making rates already going down, the brand of intimacy, SKYN has something to say about that. Save Intimacy is also a creative way to introduce SKYNFEEL technology, SKYNs innovative ultra-soft and thin, non-latex material for condoms. A technological revolution welcome in the bedroom one designed to make couples feel everything and get closer to their partner. Says Marta Toth, head of strategic planning global marketing, on why this one technological revolution is welcome in the bedroom: Our aim was to strengthen SKYNs brand territory by putting sexuality at the heart of both the social and sensual discussion. SKYN needed to shift away from a functional speech to speak to a target that didnt want to choose between safe sex and great sex. The Save Intimacy campaign follows SKYNs highly successful Places of Intimacy campaign, a nine-month, multimillion-dollar global PR and marketing campaign celebrating all things intimacy. Thousands of couples Australia-wide and in the United States, Brazil, Poland, Italy and France entered the Places of Intimacy consumer competition via an intimacy compatibility test to win all-expenses paid trips to rate the best places to get intimate. Insights from the trip featured in SKYNs first Intimacy Guide highlighting some of the worlds best locations to get it on, generating viral press coverage across digital media reaching more than 90 million consumers worldwide. An integrated mix of influencers, product giveaways, experiential and outdoor activations, product sampling, in-store point of sale, digital and print advertising and social media amplification also drove the campaign. The Australian arm of SKYNs Save Intimacy campaign will launch in second half 2018. Client: SKYN Chief Executive Officer: Jeyan Heper Vice President Global Marketing: Matthew Groskorth Head of Strategic Planning- Global Marketing: Marta Toth Global Brand Marketing Manager: Nicolas Woussen Agency: Sid Lee Paris Chairman & Executive Creative Director: Sylvain Thirache President: Johan Delpuech Creative Directors: Celine & Clement Mornet-Landa Managing Director: Mehdi Benali Copywriter: Max Harrington Art Director: Ludovic Gontrand Account Director: Heloise Marchal Account Manager: Trisha Mitra Head of Production: Thomas Laget TV Producer: Marine Redon Production: Insurrection Director: Terence Neale Director of Photography: Zack Spiger Executive Producer: Mounia Mebarki Line Producer: Elsa Rodach Production Services: Family Post-Production: Mathematic Post-Producer: Julie Lagadec Editor: Adriana Legay | BY Lynchy | Established in Q3 2017, Lion & Lions new office in Taiwan is the youngest of six in the region. Alexandra Pao (pictured left) heads operations as Managing Director, bringing expertise and knowledge from Dentsu Aegis Network, Ogilvy & Mather, Yahoo and Leo Burnett, complementing the line-up of entrepreneurs and ex-consultants in Lion & Lions senior management across the region. In the past nine months, Lion & Lions clientele in Taiwan has grown to comprise well-known brands including Marilyn, Acer Global, La Prairie, Sinyi Japan, and most recently Cathay Pacific Airlines and Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). Pao believes that the rapid growth and success of Lion & Lion in Taiwan is due to to the clients ROI as a key goal, and a continuous focus on working with clients as partners. By aiming well, moving beyond traditional communication KPIs and by being forward thinking together with our clients, we have been able to meet expectations delivering high quality, and at the same time build strong relations with our clients, explains Pao. Taiwanese shapewear brand Marilyn and Lion & Lion have been working together since the end of 2017, with the objective of helping Marilyn overcome the challenges of operating in highly competitive and niche market. Previously, Marilyn focused on traditional media investments and brand awareness and was struggling to increase sales overall. Together with Lion & Lion, Marilyn moved successfully into digital advertising, and handed over the responsibility of driving social media and social listening to Lion & Lion. As a result, Marilyn have gained an increase in interested consumers on their social media platforms, gained more knowledge on factors that can influence their consumers decisions through social listening, and increased overall sales by collecting contact details on potential customers and strategically plan promotional deals. Lion & Lions key focus in Taiwan for 2018 is to provide and leverage Lion & Lions cross regional resources and portfolio work, and to deliver tailored-to-fit digital solutions for both current clients and those to come. Our biggest strength and opportunity is to build strong showcases and relationships with clients and partners. I am confident our work with clients will help establish Lion & Lion as a high quality and strategic digital agency and partner, said Pao. Earlier this year, Lion & Lion restructured its internal operations to a centralised one-agency model, which today, is made up of more than 180 employees across six regional offices. The Centre of Excellence in Kuala Lumpur utilises an innovative approach, differing to that of a traditional network, enabling full regional coverage while maintaining core values around transparency and consistency. Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 4:38PM Leica adds a bit of style to the long-zoom, compact camera market with the introduction of the new C-Lux camera. Whats essentially a reskinned Panasonic Lumix ZS200, it features a 24-360mm F3.3-6.4 15x zoom lens, a 1-inch, 20.1-megapixel sensor, 49-point autofocus, 10 frames per second continuous shooting, 4K video recording capability (up to 30fps at a max of 100Mbps) with a 15-minute time limit. The C-Lux also comes with a 3-inch touchscreen and a viewfinder with 2.33 million-dot resolution. This camera also has support for both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Getting one of these will set you back US$1,050 (around CA$1,380). What will this US$250 markup get you? Two new color options: Light Gold (as seen above) and Midnight Blue. Source: SlashGear Monday, June 18, 2018 at 2:22PM Microsoft announced they have acquired Flipgrid Inc., the leading social learning platform used by more than 20 million Pre-K to PhD educators, students and families in 180 countries. Like Office 365 Education software, Microsoft will also be making Flipgrid free for schools so its easy for any school to utilize the software. Customers who purchased a subscription from Flipgrid will receive a prorated refund. Flipgrid was created by Dr. Charlie Miller (Chief Design Officer), who joined Jim Leslie (CEO) and Phil Soran (Board Director) to co-found the company in 2015. Flipgrids mission is to empower educators as they help students define their voices, share their voices and respect the diverse voices of others. We're thrilled to see the impact Flipgrid has had in social learning thus far and look forward to helping them continue to thrive as part of the Microsoft family, said Eran Megiddo, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft. Were diligently committed to making sure their platform and products continue to work across the Microsoft, Google and partner ecosystems to benefit students and teachers everywhere. Microsoft which aims to empower every student on the planet to achieve more sees Flipgrid as an ideal way to help teachers and students build social emotional skills beyond traditional curricula. In collaboration with McKinsey & Company, Microsoft recently conducted a global research study which explores the key skills the Class of 2030 will need, and the study confirms that 30 to 40 percent of the fastest-growing occupations will require explicit social-emotional skills. Flipgrid has enabled all of my students to shine, showing me their true level of understanding and empowering them to learn from each other," said Paul Watkins, a teacher from Neath Port Talbot, Wales. In joining Microsoft, Flipgrid will retain its distinct brand, culture, and team focused on amplifying the voices of all students. Expanding Flipgrid's accessibility across the global educator community, the company will also align with Microsoft's GDPR, FERPA and COPPA compliant privacy architecture to ensure Flipgrid continues to be a safe, secure place for students and teachers to communicate. "Flipgrid has always been about the educator community. They are the source of our innovation and impact, said Leslie. Now as a part of Microsoft, we have the opportunity to scale so we can support every educator across the globe as they empower student voice." Both companies see growth of the Flipgrid community and the social learning movement as a move that will have a lasting impact on society as students become responsible, confident digital citizens, and teachers using Flipgrid are seeing this firsthand in their classrooms today. Flipgrid helps my students develop their communication skills, increase self-awareness and grow from failure, setting them up to contribute positively to the world, said Lucretia Anton, a teacher in the Arcadia Unified School District in California. New Flipgrid updates will launch and be livestreamed from Minneapolis on August 1 at Flipgrid's annual educator conference, #FlipgridLIVE, an event with more than 800 educators in attendance and a global online audience. "It's an honor and a privilege to work with educators around the world as they empower and amplify students' voices, said Miller. The Microsoft Education team has shown unparalleled enthusiasm and support of our mission, and were excited for this new chapter for the Flipgrid community." To learn more about refunds for Flipgrid classroom, visit blog.Flipgrid.com/refund. 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. Photo: Contributed Microsoft Word has a habit of letting you know just how hard its working for you all the time. You can customize the heck out of that behaviour. Turn off the start screen in Office 2016 Theres a lot to like about Office 2016, but that doggone start screen can be annoying. When I open a Word document, 99 per cent of the time I just want to get to work. I dont need to see every conceivable template. You can disable all that and go straight to your Word document or Excel spreadsheet, just like we did in previous versions of Office. Its easy, and it works in Office 2013, too. Start by opening a Word document, either an existing one or a new one; it doesnt matter. Click on File | Options Click on the General tab if youre not there already Near the bottom of that tab, clear the check mark next to Show the Start screen when this application starts Click on OK Thats it! Now, repeat the process for Excel and PowerPoint if you want to get right into those programs, too. Next time you open one of them, youll go right to your document, spreadsheet, or presentation. If ever you need the templates again, click on File |New and youll be right back there at the start screen. Change your Office Background and Theme While youre at it, you can change the appearance of your Office programs. Lets start with Word. Open any Word document, or open a new, blank one Click on File | Options Under Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office click on the dropdown arrows next to Office Background and Office Theme to select the background and theme you like. Click on OK These settings will apply to every Office program on your computer. That is, if you do this in Word, the settings will carry over to Excel, PowerPoint, and whatever Office programs youre using on that computer. If you subscribe to Office 365, you can make those settings apply to every Office program on every computer connected with your Office account. Save your stuff to your computer by default, not to OneDrive Sometimes I save my documents and spreadsheets and presentations to OneDrive, Microsofts secure cloud storage. But most of the time I dont. And Ive noticed that on quite a few of the new computers Ive set up for customers, the first choice for Save location is OneDrive. Sure, you can override that choice every time you want to save something, but it would be much easier to change the setting so your computer is the default choice. Heres how: Click on File | Options | Save | Save Documents Place a check mark in the box for Save to Computer by default Click on OK Check these settings in Excel and PowerPoint as well! Bypass Protected View Do you find it annoying that every Word document you get from the cloud or as an email attachment opens in Protected View? You have to click three times to edit the doggone thing. Well, first of all, that feature is there for your protection, so you wont be tricked into opening an infected Word document. But if you want to live dangerously, you can turn off this feature. Open a Word document Click on File | Options | Trust Center Click on Trust Center Settings | Protected View Under Protected View remove the check marks where you dont want Word to protect you Click on OK Be extra careful, now, with documents you download and open as attachments! Ride Dont Hide Its just about a week now till The Payton & Dillon Budd Memorial Ride (Ride Dont Hide Kelowna) for the Canadian Mental Health Association. You can still sponsor my ride as I join hundreds of people in Canada raising funds for mental health programs and services in our community. The money raised helps people of all ages access the support and programs they need to live their best lives. Please sponsor my ride by clicking here to make your secure, online donation: https://goo.gl/WnnSd3. Any amount is appreciated! Cate Eales will retire June 29, 2018 from running Computer Care Kelowna a mobile service helping home users and businesses get along with their computers. She welcomes your comments and suggestions for future column topics, good fishing spots, epic bike rides, and songs to learn on the ukulele. Send email to [email protected]. 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. Photo: Contributed UPDATE: 9:40 p.m. Castanet readers sending in tips indicate the smoke has receded. The fire appears to be contained. ORIGINAL: 6:40 p.m. Castanet has received multiple tips from readers that indicate a fire has started in the forest above West Kelowna. Reports indicate a brush and grass fire has begun in the Smith Creek area, just north of Coventry Crescent. Several fire engines are alleged to have been deployed. Castanet has not been able to reach West Kelowna fire crews as of yet, but will update as more information becomes available. Any readers with information can reach a Castanet reporter at 778-531-5443. Photo: Colin Dacre Construction crews at work at the Penticton airport Construction crews are making progress on a major renovation of the Penticton airport. Started in March, the first phase of the 20-month project is complete with the removal of the Sky High Diner to make way for a temporary arrivals hall, and the relocation of both car rental kiosks. Ledcor was awarded the $6.4M project earlier this year, which will reconfigure the main concourse and create space for an expanded arrivals hall, baggage area and new food service area. New airline check-in counters, offices, car-rental kiosks and washrooms will also be added. The security area, hold room and baggage storage areas will be expanded. Construction crews are currently in the process of preparing to expand the building north, which will involve knocking out existing walls. Additional expansions on the main terminal will follow. Transport Canada would like to express its gratitude to the airlines, tenants and public for their cooperation and understanding while the department makes changes to provide a better travelling experience at the Penticton Airport, the agency said in a brief statement. Photo: The Canadian Press Damage to a door of a mosque in Edson, Alta. is shown in a handout photo. RCMP in Alberta say they're investigating an arson at a mosque in a community west of Edmonton. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Jocelyn Pettitt MANDATORY CREDIT RCMP in Alberta say they're investigating an arson at a mosque in a community west of Edmonton. Police say damage to the Edson Mosque on Saturday night was minor and that no one was injured. But Toufik Baterdouk, vice-president of Islamic Society of Edson and Masjid, says the case is disturbing because several members of the mosque had just finished prayers and were still in the parking lot when the flames broke out. Baterdouk says the fire damaged the front door and some siding, and there was an odour of gasoline around the door afterward. He says security footage appears to show someone with a bag walking away from the mosque just moments after the fire began. Baterdouk says the mosque in Edson has been open for about five years and there have never been problems before. "I grew up here, my kids were born here, three generations of my family live here," Baterdouk said. "This is a great town and we've never really had any issues." Police said they're seeking the public's help identifying whoever is responsible. The fire happened in the middle of the three days when members of the mosque were celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the holiday which marks the end of Ramadan. Baterdouk said the mosque members who were in the parking lot phoned the fire department, and he said firefighters arrived quickly, which helped minimize the damage. He said some children are frightened by the fire and that he hadn't yet told his own kids, who are four and eight "Each parent is trying to find the best way to explain why something like this might happen," Baterdouk said. Baterdouk said that when they were building the mosque, there was a lot of help and support from the town. And when they hold open houses, he said they're attended by MPs, members of the legislature and the mayor. "This is a great town and a great community to live in and to be a part of it," he said. "So the acts of this individual or couple of individuals, whatever may be the case, we do not want that to reflect badly on our town." Photo: Contributed The B.C. Country Music Association is putting together a concert in support of flood relief in Grand Forks, which will take place in Kelowna. On June 21, for a minimum $15 donation, concert-goers can check out the lineup at the OK Corral and support flood victims. "We did the fire relief fundraiser last year for the folks in Boston Bar," said B.C. Country Music Association president Linda Corscadden. "We wanted to help again." All proceeds from the event will be going toward Grand Forks flood cleanup efforts.The artists have agreed to perform for free to support this movement. "They are fantastic artists. The talent that is coming out of B.C. right now is fantastic, and I'm happy that these artists stepped up to perform for free in support of this," Corscadden said. The lineup includes Aaron Halliday, Son of John, The Hillside Outlaws, Beamer Wigley and Michael Daniels. Silent auction donations are also welcome, which can be coordinated with local organizer Aaron Halliday at 250 212 9356. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. June 21. Photo: The Canadian Press A man walks past Loughborough Junction railway station in south London, Monday June 18, 2018. Three people have died after being struck by a train in south London, British Transport Police said Monday. Police said they were trying to determine details about the deaths at the Loughborough Junction station, on a busy commuter line into the city centre. Police said the three were pronounced dead at the scene. Detective Superintendent Gary Richard his team was "now working hard to understand what happened and how these three people came to lose their life on the railway." He said the deaths are being treated as "unexplained." The bodies were found at about 7:30 a.m. Monday near the start of the morning rush hour. Police asked anyone who was in the area and observed something that might be related to the deaths to contact them immediately. Transport police were on the scene working to identify the victims and notify their families. Train services in the area were being delayed during the investigation. Photo: Contributed Residents in western Japan were cleaning up debris Monday evening after a powerful earthquake hit the area around Osaka, the country's second-largest city, killing four people and injuring hundreds while knocking over walls and setting off fires. The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck the area early Monday damaged buildings and left many homes without water or gas. The quake also grounded flights in and out of Osaka and paralyzed traffic and commuter trains most of the day. By evening, bullet trains and some local trains had resumed operation, and stations were swollen with commuters trying to get home, many of them waiting in long lines. An exodus of commuters who chose to walk home filled sidewalks and bridges. Some commuters took refuge in nearby shelters instead of going home. NHK public television showed dozens of men wearing ties and carrying briefcases sitting on gym mats at a junior high school gymnasium in Ibaraki city, where some families also gathered. Takatsuki city confirmed another victim late Monday, as the death toll rose to four. City officials didn't have details of the victim, but NHK and Kyodo News reported that an 81-year-old woman was found dead underneath a wardrobe that fell on her at her home in Takatsuki. Also in Takatsuki, a concrete wall at an elementary school fell onto the street, killing 9-year-old Rina Miyake as she walked to the school. NHK showed the collapsed upper half of the high wall, which was painted cheerfully with flowers, trees and blue sky and surrounded the school swimming pool. Mayor Takeshi Hamada apologized over her death because of the wall's collapse. The city acknowledged that the wall did not meet building safety codes. The structure was old and made of concrete blocks a known risk in earthquakes. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga ordered the Education Ministry to conduct nationwide safety checks of concrete block structures at public schools. More than 1,000 schools were closed in Osaka and nearby prefectures, Kyodo News reported. Wall cracks and other minor damage were found at several schools. A man in his 80s died in the collapse of a concrete wall in Osaka city. An 85-year-old man in nearby Ibaraki died after a bookcase fell on top of him at home, according to the disaster management agency. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 307 people were treated for injuries at hospitals. Most of the injured were in Osaka. Osaka officials did not give details, but the injuries reported in Kyoto and three other neighbouring prefectures were all minor. The quake struck shortly before 8 a.m. north of Osaka at a depth of about 13 kilometres, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The strongest shaking was north of Osaka, but the quake rattled large parts of western Japan, including Kyoto, the agency said. Dozens of domestic flights in and out of Osaka were grounded, while train and subway service in the Osaka area, including bullet trains, was suspended to check for damage. Passengers exited trains on the tracks between stations. Some subway service resumed in the afternoon, but stations remained crowded with passengers waiting for trains to restart, many of them sitting on the floor. Long lines of people waited to board bullet trains as they resumed operation. The quake knocked over walls, broke windows and set off scattered building fires. It toppled furniture in homes and goods onto shop floors. It also cracked roads and broke water pipes, leaving homes without water. Many homes and buildings, including a major hospital, were temporarily without power, though electricity was restored at most places by midafternoon. Due to damage to underground gas lines, 110,000 homes in Takatsuki and Ibaraki cities were without gas, and repairs are expected to take as long as two weeks, according to Osaka Gas Co. More building damage was found in the afternoon as disaster and relief workers inspected and cleaned up the affected areas. Roofs and roof tiles at homes and at least one temple fell to the ground in Osaka. At a shrine in Kyoto, stone lanterns broke and collapsed to the ground. Photo: The Canadian Press Cedar George-Parker remembers the moment he decided to devote his life to defending Indigenous people and their traditional territories. It was the one-year anniversary of a shooting at his high school that killed four of his classmates in Marysville, Wash. "I dropped to my knees and I said, 'I'm going to make a change in the world,'" he recalled. George-Parker is among the Indigenous protesters in Washington state promising to fight the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. Activists call the project the Standing Rock of the north, comparing it to the fierce Standing Rock Sioux protests that stalled the Dakota Access Pipeline for months. The Trans Mountain expansion recently bought by Canada for $4.5 billion doesn't only affect Canadian waters or land. The project will increase tanker traffic seven-fold in the Salish Sea, which borders British Columbia and Washington, and Kinder Morgan has noted the expansion potential of a connected 111-kilometre pipeline that runs from B.C.'s Fraser Valley to Washington refineries. Many Indigenous activists trace their roots to both sides of the border. George-Parker's father is from North Vancouver's Tsleil-Waututh Nation and his mother is from Washington's Tulalip Tribes. He travels to B.C. often and in April disrupted a speech by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Vancouver. "Our people never had borders," he said. "We still try not to let borders separate us." Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has criticized Trudeau's government for buying the pipeline project, calling it a "major step backward" in the climate change fight. Canada's $1.5-billion oceans protection plan includes $7.2 million to increase the use of technologies that monitor underwater noise. It has also announced other steps to support the recovery of the endangered southern resident killer whale population, which lives in B.C. and Washington waters. The Canadian government often touts its oceans protection plan as "world-leading," but as recently as May 2017, officials in Washington raised questions about Canada's preparedness for an oil spill. Washington required Kinder Morgan to conduct a worst-case scenario exercise. The company simulated a spill of 3,024 barrels of heavy synthetic crude oil in the Sumas River, which runs from B.C.'s Fraser Valley to Whatcom County, Wash. In a report following the exercise, state ecology department staff wrote that Kinder Morgan brought together a skilled spill management team including staff from U.S., Canadian, B.C. and Washington government agencies. But the report also said non-floating oil tactics planned on the Washington side were not planned on the B.C. side, and Canada did not discuss the type of equipment it would use to clean up a major spill. The exercise was conducted to meet U.S. regulatory requirements and was not focused on the Canadian response, said James Stevenson, a spokesman for the National Energy Board. A joint U.S.-Canadian plan to respond to cross-border spills exists but was not activated during the May 2017 exercise, he said. Canada's purchase of the project includes the Puget Sound pipeline, a 111-kilometre line that diverts from the existing Trans Mountain pipeline in B.C. and carries oil to four Washington refineries. Environmental groups now fear an expansion to the Puget Sound line, citing 2017 financial disclosure documents in which Kinder Morgan touted the potential for increasing capacity. "That is definitely a big concern," said Rebecca Ponzio, campaign director for Stand Up to Oil, a coalition of U.S. groups that oppose new oil terminals and coastal exports. "That pipeline will never go through," said Paul Wagner, a member of the Saanich First Nation who lives in Redmond, Wash., and goes by the traditional name Cheoketen. Photo: CTV Facing a rising tide of outrage from Democrats and some Republicans over the forced separation of migrant children and parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Donald Trump dug in Monday, again falsely blaming Democrats in the escalating political crisis. Democrats have turned up the pressure over the policy and some Republicans have joined the chorus of criticism. Former first lady Laura Bush has called the policy "cruel" and "immoral" while GOP Sen. Susan Collins expressed concern about it and a former adviser to Trump questioned using the policy to pressure Democrats on immigration legislation. White House officials have tried to distance themselves from the policy, although the administration put it in place and could easily end it after it has led to a spike in cases of split and distraught families. Trump tweeted Monday: "Why don't the Democrats give us the votes to fix the world's worst immigration laws? Where is the outcry for the killings and crime being caused by gangs and thugs, including MS-13, coming into our country illegally?" In a guest column for the Washington Post Sunday, Mrs. Bush made some of the strongest comments yet about the policy from the Republican side of the aisle. "I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," she wrote. 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." Underscoring the emotional tension, First Lady Melania Trump, who has tended to stay out of contentious policy debates, waded into the issue. Her spokeswoman said 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. 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 signs of splintering GOP support come after longtime Trump ally, the Rev. Franklin Graham, called the policy "disgraceful." Several religious groups, including some conservative ones, have pushed to stop the practice of separating immigrant children from their parents. Photo: Contributed A van ran into a small group of pop music fans near a popular festival in the Netherlands, killing one person and injuring three others before fleeing the scene Monday. A suspect turned himself in to police hours later. Police in the province of Limburg said the suspect in the pre-dawn crash near the grounds of the Pinkpop festival was charged with manslaughter and attempted manslaughter. The festival ended late Sunday with a performance by Bruno Mars. It was still unclear whether there was a motive behind the crash, which happened near a camp site, or whether it was a hit-and-run accident. Police said the suspect was a local resident who drove the white van from the crash 200 kilometres (120 miles) north to Amsterdam, from where he called police to give himself up to police. They would not release more details because the investigation was continuing. The person who was killed and the three injured also were local residents. Police said the survivors were hospitalized in very serious condition Monday afternoon. The three-day Pinkpop, held in Landgraaf, is attended by tens of thousands of music fans. Photo: The Canadian Press James Hansen sits for a portrait in his home in New York on April 12, 2018. James Hansen wishes he was wrong. He wasn't. NASA's top climate scientist in 1988, Hansen warned the world on a record hot June day 30 years ago that global warming was here and worsening. In a scientific study that came out a couple months later, he even forecast how warm it would get, depending on emissions of heat-trapping gases. The hotter world that Hansen envisioned in 1988 has pretty much come true so far, more or less. Three decades later, most climate scientists interviewed rave about the accuracy of Hansen's predictions given the technology of the time. Hansen won't say, "I told you so." "I don't want to be right in that sense," Hansen told The Associated Press, in an interview is his New York penthouse apartment. That's because being right means the world is warming at an unprecedented pace and ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland are melting. Hansen said what he really wishes happened is "that the warning be heeded and actions be taken." They weren't. Hansen, now 77, regrets not being "able to make this story clear enough for the public." He left NASA in 2013, devoting more time to what he calls his "anti-government job" of advocacy. Hansen, still at Columbia University, has been arrested five times for environmental protests. Each time, he hoped to go to trial "to draw attention to the issues" but the cases were dropped. He writes about saving the planet for his grandchildren, including one who is suing the federal government over global warming inaction. His advocacy has been criticized by scientific colleagues, but he makes no apologies. "If scientists are not allowed to talk about the policy implications of the science, who is going to do that? People with financial interests?" Hansen asked. Photo: Contributed West Kelowna West Kelowna's state of local emergency has been rescinded due to a reduction in the threat of flooding. As of Monday morning, Okanagan Lake is at 342.58 meters. The Emergency Operations Centre has demobilized most of its flood protection measures, though some will remain in place until the lake drops closer to the full pool level of 342.48 meters. CORD also advises residents should start demobilizing flood protection measures installed on their private property. Sandbags can be returned at authorized locations, which can be viewed at www.cordemergency.ca/map. Sandbags will be accepted until the end of June 28. "Under no circumstances should sandbags be emptied into creeks, lakes, wetland, beaches or other watercourses as outlined in the Water Sustainability Act. The impact can destroy fish habitat and affect drinking water supply, infrastructure, flood control, navigation and recreational activities. It is also illegal," The EOC said. Boaters are encouraged to keep their distance from the shoreline and keep speeds down to reduce potential shoreline erosion by wakes and waves as Okanagan Lake remains above full pool. For more information, click here. Ancient alchemists tried to turn lead and other common metals into gold and platinum. Modern chemists in Paul Chirik's lab at Princeton are transforming reactions that have depended on environmentally unfriendly precious metals, finding cheaper and greener alternatives to replace platinum, rhodium and other precious metals in drug production and other reactions. They have found a revolutionary approach that uses cobalt and methanol to produce an epilepsy drug that previously required rhodium and dichloromethane, a toxic solvent. Their new reaction works faster and more cheaply, and it likely has a much smaller environmental impact, said Chirik, the Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Chemistry. "This highlights an important principle in green chemistry -- that the more environmental solution can also be the preferred one chemically," he said. "Pharmaceutical discovery and process involve all sorts of exotic elements," Chirik said. "We started this program maybe 10 years ago, and it was really motivated by cost. Metals like rhodium and platinum are really expensive, but as the work has evolved, we realized that there's a lot more to it than simply pricing. ... There are huge environmental concerns, if you think about digging up platinum out of the ground. Typically, you have to go about a mile deep and move 10 tons of earth. That has a massive carbon dioxide footprint." Chirik and his research team partnered with chemists from Merck & Co., Inc., to find more environmentally friendly ways to create the materials needed for modern drug chemistry. The collaboration has been enabled by the National Science Foundation's Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) program. One tricky aspect is that many molecules have right- and left-handed forms that react differently, with sometimes dangerous consequences. The Food and Drug Administration has strict requirements to make sure medications have only one "hand" at a time, known as single-enantiomer drugs. "Chemists are challenged to discover methods to synthesize only one hand of drug molecules rather than synthesize both and then separate," said Chirik. "Metal catalysts, historically based on precious metals like rhodium, have been tasked with solving this challenge. Our paper demonstrates that a more Earth-abundant metal, cobalt, can be used to synthesize the epilepsy medication Keppra as just one hand." Five years ago, researchers in Chirik's lab demonstrated that cobalt could make single-enantiomer organic molecules, but only using relatively simple and not medicinally active compounds -- and using toxic solvents. "We were inspired to push our demonstration of principle into real-world examples and demonstrate that cobalt could outperform precious metals and work under more environmentally compatible conditions," he said. They found that their new cobalt-based technique is faster and more selective than the patented rhodium approach. "Our paper demonstrates a rare case where an Earth-abundant transition metal can surpass the performance of a precious metal in the synthesis of single-enantiomer drugs," he said. "What we're starting to transition to is that the Earth-abundant catalysts not only replace the precious metal ones, but they offer distinct advantages, whether it's new chemistry that no one's ever seen before or it's improved reactivity or reduced environmental footprint." Not only are base metals cheaper and much environmentally friendlier than rare metals, but the new technique operates in methanol, which is much greener than the chlorinated solvents that rhodium requires. "The manufacture of drug molecules, because of their complexity, is one of the most wasteful processes in the chemical industry," said Chirik. "The majority of the waste generated is from the solvent used to conduct the reaction. The patented route to the drug relies on dichloromethane, one of the least environmentally friendly organic solvents. Our work demonstrates that Earth-abundant catalysts not only operate in methanol, a green solvent, but also perform optimally in this medium. "This is a transformative breakthrough for Earth-abundant metal catalysts, as these historically have not been as robust as precious metals. Our work demonstrates that both the metal and the solvent medium can be more environmentally compatible." Methanol is a common solvent for one-handed chemistry using precious metals, but this is the first time it has been shown to be useful in a cobalt system, noted Max Friedfeld, the first author on the paper and a former graduate student in Chirik's lab. Cobalt's affinity for green solvents came as a surprise, said Chirik. "For a decade, catalysts based on Earth-abundant metals like iron and cobalt required very dry and pure conditions, meaning the catalysts themselves were very fragile. By operating in methanol, not only is the environmental profile of the reaction improved, but the catalysts are much easier to use and handle. This means that cobalt should be able to compete or even outperform precious metals in many applications that extend beyond hydrogenation." The collaboration with Merck was key to making these discoveries, noted the researchers. Chirik said: "This is a great example of an academic-industrial collaboration and highlights how the very fundamental -- how do electrons flow differently in cobalt versus rhodium? -- can inform the applied -- how to make an important medicine in a more sustainable way. I think it is safe to say that we would not have discovered this breakthrough had the two groups at Merck and Princeton acted on their own." The key was volume, said Michael Shevlin, an associate principal scientist at the Catalysis Laboratory in the Department of Process Research & Development at Merck & Co., Inc., and a co-author on the paper. "Instead of trying just a few experiments to test a hypothesis, we can quickly set up large arrays of experiments that cover orders of magnitude more chemical space," Shevlin said. "The synergy is tremendous; scientists like Max Friedfeld and [co-author and graduate student] Aaron Zhong can conduct hundreds of experiments in our lab, and then take the most interesting results back to Princeton to study in detail. What they learn there then informs the next round of experimentation here." Chirik's lab focuses on "homogenous catalysis," the term for reactions using materials that have been dissolved in industrial solvents. "Homogenous catalysis is usually the realm of these precious metals, the ones at the bottom of the periodic table," Chirik said. "Because of their position on the periodic table, they tend to go by very predictable electron changes -- two at a time -- and that's why you can make jewelry out of these elements, because they don't oxidize, they don't interact with oxygen. So when you go to the Earth-abundant elements, usually the ones on the first row of the periodic table, the electronic structure -- how the electrons move in the element -- changes, and so you start getting one-electron chemistry, and that's why you see things like rust for these elements. Chirik's approach proposes a radical shift for the whole field, said Vy Dong, a chemistry professor at the University of California-Irvine who was not involved in the research. "Traditional chemistry happens through what they call two-electron oxidations, and Paul's happens through one-electron oxidation," she said. "That doesn't sound like a big difference, but that's a dramatic difference for a chemist. That's what we care about -- how things work at the level of electrons and atoms. When you're talking about a pathway that happens via half of the electrons that you'd normally expect, it's a big deal. ... That's why this work is really exciting. You can imagine, once we break free from that mold, you can start to apply it to other things, too." "We're working in an area of the periodic table where people haven't, for a long time, so there's a huge wealth of new fundamental chemistry," said Chirik. "By learning how to control this electron flow, the world is open to us." Walgreens has not decided whether it will have a drugstore in the Old Post Office as part of the buildings extensive ground-floor retail, Brady said. The retail chain will not have any large signage affixed to the historic building, but it will have smaller signs outside the building and a canopy entrance on Canal Street identifying the tenant, Brady said. We are very pleased to close this transaction, which greatly strengthens our balance sheet and significantly lowers our pension liabilities, Justin Dearborn, chairman and CEO of Tronc, said in an emailed statement Monday. We are now positioned to further reinvest in our business and enhance our capabilities to continue to deliver world-class journalism. We are confident that high quality journalism will continue with the changeover to local leadership of the Los Angeles Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune. The Naval Academy has asked Nike and California boutique Undefeated to stop using a logo closely resembling the college's historic crest. At left is the Nike logo, compared to the Naval Academy's crest. (Nike, Naval Academy) Pantles ruling follows a similar federal court decision last year in California, where a judge tossed out a lawsuit the state of Wyoming brought against Volkswagen for the same reason. After that decision, VW said it would move to have the Illinois lawsuit dismissed, along with similar suits from Ohio and Minnesota. He started to research and quickly learned that Apollo 8 was, he says, the most daring and dangerous journey that NASA has ever attempted. Yes, those other space trips are more famous: Apollo 11, which landed men on the moon in 1969 (That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"), and Apollo 13, the near-disastrous flight in 1970 (Uh, Houston, we've had a problem"). The latter was dramatized so powerfully in the 1995 film Apollo 13 that when many people think astronaut it is Tom Hanks face that comes to mind. (He played the aforementioned Lovell, who was the commander on the flight). Laura Dern was the first to mention one of Clooney's early films, "Grizzly 2," which was never officially released. Dern and Clooney both had a short sequence in the film in which they climb a mountain and get eaten by a bear. Dern reminisced about how the two were stranded in Hungary after the film ran out of funding. Russo had finished the score, and in those days we didnt have computers, says Siegel. We were eating in an Italian restaurant, and Bill said to me and Seiji: You know, Ive got to go to the car I left the score in the back seat, in a briefcase, and thats probably not a good idea. His choice for comptroller of the currency was chief executive of Pasadena's OneWest Bank; the selection for Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chairwoman had been executive vice president of Fifth Third Bank and chief counsel for the Senate Banking Committee; and the nominee to head the Federal Reserve had served on the central banks board since 2012 after having been a top Treasury official and a partner at a high-powered asset-management firm. David Arnolds third novel is an unpredictable, Vonnegut-esque examination of identity, friendship, and forgiveness. Among Noahs eclectic group of strange fascinations is David Bowie, whom he worships not just for his music, but also for his authenticity. Yet Noah himself has been perpetuating a lie. A decorated but discontented high school swimmer, hes been faking a back injury so he can sit out the swim season and avoid having to tell his parents that he wants to quit. Post-party, he notices changes in his friends and family that throw his own equilibrium further out of whack. What, if anything, does it mean when his friend Alan, always a DC Comics fan, claims a lifelong devotion to Marvel? When his mother suddenly has a scar on her cheek that everyone else seems to take for granted? And who is the dripping wet figure in the corner of his recurring dream? Noahs personal space oddity is unique and surprisingly poignant, the journey of a boy trying to figure out what matters while floating in a most peculiar way. They continued through elementary, middle and high schools, when Wood often was one of the only African-American students at his various private schools in Michigan and had to put up with endless racial questions and taunts. (Zach, do an impersonation of a thug, a friend demanded one evening when Wood was at the friends home for dinner.) After you sent me your paperwork, your case was a slam dunk. You sent me a screenshot that shows that SAA had already authorized the refund with Expedia. You'd think sharing that screenshot with Expedia would do the trick, but it didn't for you, and it didn't for me, either. I went back and forth with the company, and it refused to initiate a refund. It took one of my senior staff advocates to explain the codes to someone at Expedia before the online agency turned its "no" into a "yes." If you wonder why Trump has not made good on his tempered threats to fire Sessions or why Sessions has not chosen to resign, it is because they need each other too much. More than that, they seem to feed off each other. Actually, the Blue Lines extension to OHare was hailed as something wonderful when it opened back in 1984. And Chicago has an advantage over many other major cities in having rapid-transit lines to two international airports the Orange Line to Midway opened in 1993. By contrast, to get from New York Citys LaGuardia Airport to downtown Manhattan you need to take a bus and the subway, or pay about $50 for a cab. Guests who come for a meal on Tuesday night have a chance to sign up for a 30-minute shower slot between 10 a.m. and noon the following day. Each shower client receives a towel, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, a razor, shaving cream, deodorant and a change of clothes. They also will be able to use the laundry services to wash and dry their clothes and bedding. Part of this process in working with CPS is to make sure first of all that the cases whenever theres an allegation of abuse get reported immediately without hesitation so that these kids can get here as soon as possible so that we can do our jobs. "You can't just gloss over this history," said Duster, a writer and lecturer who sees a need for Wells's example these days. "She not only believed in certain principles and values but she sacrificed herself over and over and over again. She was called fearless. I don't believe that she had no fear. I believe she had fear and she decided to keep going forward." A woman in her 20s was pronounced dead at University of Chicago Medical Center and another person, a 17-year-old boy, was taken in "very critical" condition to Stroger Hospital with gunshot wounds. Two other people were taken to Stroger, one with a wound to the arm and a 21-year-old man with a wound to the leg. A fifth person suffered several shots to the abdomen and was driven by his girlfriend to Mount Sinai Medical Center. A sixth person, a 21-year-old man, walked into Rush Hospital with a gunshot wound to the left leg. He was treated and released, police said. Two other people were taken to Stroger Hospital, a 23-year-old man with a wound to the arm and another 21-year-old man with a wound to the leg. A fifth person, a 23-year-old man, was taken by his girlfriend to Mount Sinai Medical Center with gunshot wounds to the abdomen, according to Chicago fire officials. A sixth person, a 21-year-old man, walked into Rush Hospital with a gunshot wound to the left leg. He was treated and released, police said. Though Daleys vision never came to fruition, the idea to add a third airport to relieve OHare and Midway has been in the making ever since. But the more practical place that politicians have proposed over the years has been in the south suburbs. Its a tough issue for some people. I think it is becoming less and less difficult for the overwhelming majority of Illinois residents, he said. We have not had any backlash. We have one of the best programs in the country for medical cannabis. We did this well. I dont want to violate anything with Amazon, so I think when you know this, let me do it this way so Im not (violating), I want to be careful, Emanuel said. On our original proposal to Amazon we had 10 sites. When they came, they saw five sites. It is our understanding they like, really like, two sites. So let me say that. In this photo released by the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala, alleged drug trafficker Horst Walther Overdick is escorted by DEA agents to a waiting plane during his extradition to the U.S., at an air force base in Guatemala City, Monday Dec. 10, 2012. Overdick, also know as "The Tiger," was arrested in April by the Guatemalan authorities in an operation targeting a cell of the Zetas Mexican cartel. He is wanted by prosecutors in New York with conspiracy to distribute and import cocaine. (AP Photo/Guatemalan U.S. Embassy) (Ap) Sen. Jeff Merkley, from right, D-Ore., speaks to the media along with fellow Democratic lawmakers Sen. Chris Van Hollen, center, of Maryland., Rep. David Cicilline, of Rhode Island, and Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin in front of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Centralized Processing Center in McAllen, Texas, on June 17, 2018. (Joel Martinez / AP) The private jet owned by Elvis Presley that sat on the runway in New Mexico for nearly four decades is back on the auction block. (AP) Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, left, and FBI Director Christopher Wray, arrive to testify as the Senate Judiciary Committee examines the internal report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 18, 2018 (J. Scott Applewhite / AP) Durnil says rail operator CSX plans to remove some of the train cars to allow better access to the burning cars. He says the state fire marshal's office and CSX are monitoring air quality. Still, the outcome was a setback for advocates of limits on what is known as partisan gerrymandering because they hoped they had finally found a way to prove their case to a long-skeptical Supreme Court and Justice Anthony Kennedy, in particular. There were two cases on the court's agenda, one brought by Democrats and the other, by Republicans. Little is known about Bracketts accident Wednesday, which happened on a South Side stretch of the Lakefront Trail near 39th Street. Bracketts family told her colleagues that she was found several feet from the bike trail, which is not far from her South Side home, said Phil Ponce, host of Chicago Tonight. A still-anonymous good Samaritan saw Brackett and performed CPR until paramedics arrived, according to the station. Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford told WTTW that paramedics saw no signs of trauma, no dirt, bruises, scrapes, contusions, anything that indicated she collided with something or had a fall or struck something. Understood. But our laws also attempt to put the best interests of the child first. Child custody agencies try to keep families together even when parents break the law or behave badly. When kids must be taken, attempts are made to place them with relatives or family friends. Foster care and group homes are a last resort. Its not perfect, but its not comparable to confining kids to empty warehouses. Yes, immigration policy was broken before. Its more broken now. One has to wonder what conversations, if any, Trump had with potential witnesses and whether he suggested a false version of events that would be helpful to him. We don't know that such conversations took place, but Trump is not one to hold back in the company of sympathetic listeners. Given Trump's propensity to say and even believe things that simply are not true, Mueller no doubt has been asking every witness who had contact with Trump what he or she discussed with Trump and whether he suggested any untrue "facts." Witness tampering is a serious crime and there is no argument that such conduct would be permitted for the head of the executive branch, who is charged with implementing the laws. Lets pretend the Supreme Court had gone the distance on the Wisconsin case, smiling on the plaintiffs proffered metric to measure partisan cheating. That wouldnt stop the Madigans of the world from gaming the legislative maps. It would simply create a new set of obstacles. Politicians would test them, citizens would sue. Keep in mind that were two years away from the 2020 census and still tied up in court over maps that are based on the 2010 census. But King Donald said to his servant Jefferson, Seize Joseph and Mary and cast them into prison, for Herod is not sending his best. Zero tolerance shall be our policy toward those who cross our border claiming to flee from persecution. Rip the baby Jesus from his mothers arms and keep him with the other illegal children and send him back to Herod to meet his fate." I just felt whoever develops this property needs to be sensitive to the neighboring residential properties, Sidor said. Listen to these residents and have it transition properly. For me, its a little less impact, a little less dense and heavy. And I definitely want an affordable housing element in that complex." Alvaro Medran and Ignacio Aliseda each scored a goal, and the Chicago Fire tied the MLS-leading New England Revolution 2-2 on Saturday night. Aliseda, 21, scored his first goal in nearly three months with a side-netter to cap the scoring in the 88th minute and help the Fire (7-16-7) keep their slim playoff chances alive. Sliozis said the thousands of people who commute to Deerfield every day as well as those who stay in the towns seven hotels should be included. Price said students living in the dorms at Trinity International University should also be counted. Police also reviewed surveillance videos of Kerley using a credit card taken in a residential burglary, according to Mazariegos. He also said items were recovered from the car that were reported stolen in burglaries from motor vehicles. He said this is why the Lake County States Attorneys office is investigating burglary charges, though none have yet been filed. Harrison Park of Buffalo Grove, who will start his freshman year at the University of Illinois in the fall, spent a year between high school and college on active duty with the United States Marine Corps and is now in the reserve. He made it clear he was offering only his own opinion and not speaking for any organization with which he is affiliated. Crigler was arrested on two felony counts each of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, possession of a firearm without an FOID/not eligible for an FOID, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (no FOID) and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (uncased/unloaded weapons in a vehicle) in addition to misdemeanor charges of driving while license suspended and possession of drug paraphernalia. Also at the June 4 village board meeting, trustees approved a planned unit development to construct two six-unit apartment buildings at 7353 W. Grand Ave. Noah Properties is holding out the possibility of a conversion to condominiums in the future. At the May 14 Plan and Commission meeting, a representative for the developer told commissioners that the units would be high-end rentals, targeting young professionals using nearby public transportation, according to Parrillis minutes. The couple said in the complaint they were forced to hire other contractors to finish the work and to repair some work done by Simmons' employees, according to the complaint. As such, the couples attorneys asked the court to order Simmons to pay the couple nearly $65,000 in damages, alleging the renovations were done in a "negligent and unworkmanlike manner." He said the park district is asking the firm to be as creative as possible and look at numerous options. They include variations on repairing the barge as well as removing the barge and replacing it with a similar or alternate type of structure. The study will look at the impact lake conditions have on each design alternative and the permitting requirements and estimated costs of each option. A Batavia family a 51-year-old man, 50-year-old woman and their 12-year-old son was attacked after confronting the group of nine about cutting in line and using foul language, according to police. Battle was taken into custody shortly after the attack and charged with with felony counts of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated battery in a public place. He was the only suspect charged as an adult. I know it doesnt happen often, but for residents who are just trying to upkeep their property and nothing is really changing the footprint or the impervious surface, in my opinion I dont think we should make them go through the whole variance process, Trustee Rich Moras said on June 5. It looked like a professional recital, Jezierny said. They followed the leader. They did a ballet; they did a belly dance. They danced to different songs. They did all of this in one year. It was a home run for me. We were impressed. According to police, a Chicago man was walking in the 400 block of South Maple Avenue at about 9 p.m. when two men approached him. Both men then began to strike the pedestrian, then stole his gold necklace, police said. One of the men then struck the windshield of the Chicago mans car, causing it to crack, police said. Now is the time we need to grow beyond our bakery space, Turano said. We want to stay in this area because this is home. Berwyn is the heartbeat of our organization. For us, we never wanted to have our headquarters elsewhere. This provides a great opportunity because it keeps us close to home. The board will consider the budget again at its meeting set for June 25. That revised version will include an additional $140,000 in tax revenue created by new construction in the district. In addition, the district will save $384,000 by hiring only four new teachers rather than 11 as initially expected, Imhoff said. Though a majority of the school board endorsed a mission statement for a pilot SRO program last month and intergovernmental agreements with the city of Park Ridge and village of Niles the communities that would provide the officers and be paid by the district have been drafted, the board held a special meeting on June 14 where three of its seven members acknowledged that they do not support the program as it is proposed. Holcomb said Monday that he will allocate $25 million from the state's budget surplus to pay for raises for DCS workers and will begin to implement some of the report's recommendations. But he stopped short of calling for additional money for DCS, which has already gone more than $200 million over the $608 million allocated to the agency in the state's current two-year budget. In all four instances, according to court documents, Morris exposed his genitals after asking for directions. Twice he asked how to get to a bank, once he asked how to get to Interstate 94, and he also asked how to get to Rogers-Lakewood Park, according to court documents. The two got in an argument, and Battle previously claimed he acted in self-defense in shooting Camarillo Jr. when Camarillo Jr. came at him with a switchblade, the defense said. But prosecutors said Camarillo Jr. was shot in the back and no knife was found on him. The Bible, like a gun, is a dangerous thing in the hands of a bigot. Segregationists and autocrats throughout Western history have claimed that Romans 13 covers oppressive or unjust laws. But the centerpiece commitment of Christian social ethics is not order; it is justice. For a good introduction to the concept, Sessions might read Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." "A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God," King argued. "An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law." And how should justice be defined? "Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." How much of our tax money is being spent on keeping those coming into our country seeking asylum in prisons and keeping children, some in cages, locked up. It makes me feel like we are all a part of this terrible decision made by this president because he is angry about not getting the funding for his wall. I feel like we are living in a dictatorship in a third world country. The park district has no waiting list. We are looking for students. Youre in direct competition with them. Lakeview is the day care that has a curriculum too, and they dont have a waiting list for kids, Hebda said. So I guess Im really questioning where are your demographics or can I see that? You are here: Arts A Hungarian contemporary art exhibition opens on Sunday at the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) in Beijing. A total of 99 paintings and 24 sculptures are on display, including pop art, expressionism, abstractionism and realism, some of which are Hungarian contemporary art masterpieces from the late 20th century to the early 21st century. Held by the Hungarian Embassy in China, the Beijing Hungarian Cultural Institute, and the NAMOC, the exhibition will last until July 20. Actor Jason Statham, actress Li Bingbing, and director Jon Turteltaub pose for photos at a press conference to promote "The Meg" in Shanghai, June 17, 2018. [Photo/China.org.cn] Chinese actress Li Bingbing revealed on Sunday in Shanghai that she nearly died while shooting the sci-fi horror film "The Meg." "I've always been afraid of water, but one of my scenes required me to be put in a cage five or six meters underwater, and I had to hold my breath for a very long time," Li said at a press conference held during the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival. "We had to reshoot the scene again and again and I felt like I was going to die." At one point, she told the director, Jon Turteltaub, that she wouldn't be able to go on much longer, but instead of giving her a break, he asked her to hold her breath for 15 more seconds. "When they took me out of the water, the director came to compliment me, but I was too weak to speak, then he started to fear that I was really close to death." But the director didn't stop there -- he also frequently made dialogue changes and continually pushed the actress to give a better performance, Li said. "I just wanted more from you," director Turteltaub explained at the press conference while Li admitted she gave it everything she had. After watching the film's trailer, she states she is happy with her work. Her co-star Jason Statham agreed and said "The Meg" was probably the most challenging film he had ever worked on. He added that it was very hard to communicate when shooting underwater scenes because they require a lot physical strength, endurance, and patience. "Everything, from camera adjustment to lighting, is totally different from how we shoot scenes on land." The film's principal photography was shot in New Zealand in 2016. "The Meg" is based on the sci-fi book "Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror" written by Steve Alten in 1997. The film, starring Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, and Cliff Curtis, is a story about a group of people who encounter and fight a monstrous megalodon, a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark once thought to be extinct, but which rises from the depths off the Chinese coast to wreak havoc upon those in its way. "The Meg" was described by Chinese audiences as a "deep ocean version of Jurassic World." the director joked at the press conference, "I hope it is, because 'Jurassic World' made a ton of money." The film will hit Chinese screens on August 10, 2018. 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. 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. 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. You are here: China 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. Flash Here is a weeklong schedule for the benefit of tourists from China keen on visiting Kenya. With hundreds of thousands of animals expected to arrive in Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve to graze later this month, in a phenomenon in East Africa known as the great migration, the country's tourism officials have intensified efforts to attract Chinese tourists. Last year, some 53,485 Chinese tourists visited Kenya, an increase of about 12 percent over 2016 and making China the fifth largest source market for Kenya. The Magical Kenya campaign has been launched online by Kenya Tourism Board and it is promoting activities such as safari tours in Masai Mara. The government agency has also opened an official account on Chinese app WeChat and has uploaded a promotional video on Chinese streaming site Youku. Usually it takes at least 15 hours to fly from China to Kenya. There are two weekly flights from Guangzhou to Nairobi, and a third is expected in July. That country's immigration department has trained officers to speak in Mandarin so that the process of granting visas at airports there is hastened. "You can apply for tourist visa online, it is very convenient," Wei Wang, a Chinese who works for Nairobi-based Long Ren Tours and Travel Ltd, said. Chinese tourists can also get visa on arrival. Arrival Once at Nairobi airport, the road trip of 16 kilometers will lead tourists to the city center, offering glimpses of life in the countryside as well as the urban hustle and bustle. After checking into a hotel, one can choose from a host of tour options such as viewing giraffes or visiting an elephant orphanage located near Nairobi National Park and managed by Daphne Sheldrick, the widow of the well-known game warden David Sheldrick. An entry ticket to the haven for elephants rescued from parks and reserves is 35 yuan (US$5) per person. Eating authentic Kenyan food for dinner while being entertained by traditional dancers might be a relaxing way to end the first day. The Nairobi Gallery - in the heart of the city and housed in an old government building - is available for those with a taste for art. Locals used to refer to the building, constructed in 1913, as the place for "hatches, matches and dispatches", as births, marriages and deaths were recorded there. The gallery is managed by Kenyan museums and showcases works by emerging African artists. Day 2 An early morning departure from Nairobi will help tourists arrive at lunchtime in Amboseli National Park. The park is famous for being the best place in Africa to get a close view of elephants among other wildlife species at the foothills near Mount Kilimanjaro, the dormant volcano in the neighboring country of Tanzania. Other attractions in Amboseli include a visit to the Masai cultural village for an experience of the old culture. The Amboseli Lodge, located 2 km or so from the park, has rustic cottages in the middle of nowhere, and one can get an online deal as low as only 705 yuan (US$110) per night. Day 3 After breakfast, a six-hour drive will get you to Naivasha in western Kenya's Rift Valley, where you can eat lunch at Naivasha Country Club hotel. Relax in the afternoon by visiting Hell's Gate National Park known to be the only national park in Kenya, where you can choose to drive, walk or cycle to spice up your excursion. A boat ride on Lake Naivasha can make your visit even better by allowing you to watch a variety of birds and hippos in the area. Day 4 A two-hour drive after breakfast will see you arrive at the Lake Nakuru National Park, a bird lover's haven since it has more than 500 species, including one of the largest gatherings of long-crested eagles in the world. The park is home to rhinos, lions, leopards, hippos and the endangered Rothschild's giraffe. The park is also where the other great migration happens. Every year in Kenya, from April through June, flamingoes make their annual migration and descend upon Lake Nakuru and Lake Bogoria, blanketing the water in pink. They flock to the lakes because of the high alkalinity of water that nurtures algae for their chicks. Day 5 Up to seven hours by road will take you across scenic fields of wheat and barley to Masai Mara. The 82-km road linking the nearest town of Narok to the park gate, once considered a rough terrain, is being constructed by China Wu Yi Co Ltd, a Fujian-based property enterprise. Estimated to cost US$19.9 million, the Narok-Sekenani road is scheduled to be completed in April. New bridges are being constructed, promising to cut down travel time by more than three hours. The firm also manages the Loita Plains hotel, conveniently located along the road. The hotel has a Chinese chef who whips up authentic cuisine for visitors after a long ride costing an average of US$20 per person. It is better to call in advance to ensure that they expect your arrival. The hotel has cozy rooms for visitors who are on a budget and would like to linger more for Chinese hospitality. Rooms go for US$60 per night. Alternatively, one can proceed to the Mara Serena, located inside the park. Another option is the AA Lodges with tented camps, and a game drive after the checking in. The park is renowned for the annual wildebeest migration, a natural wonder. The herds make the perilous journey from Tanzania's Serengeti National Park to Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve from the months of July to September. One can view the wildebeest on the banks of the Mara River, where tensions build over days before and the herds start crossing and dodging the waiting crocodiles. But one might not catch the spectacle during their stay in the park as nature is unpredictable. The park, however, offers other attractions such as the black mane lion, elephants and buffalo, three of the "big five", although luck is essential for spotting the other two - the highly elusive leopard and the endangered rhino. This is in addition to antelopes, zebras and the Masai giraffes together with hyenas and vultures. Day 6 Breakfast is usually followed by a full-day game drive in the park. There is always something new to see in Masai Mara, said Zhang Tong, CEO of the Beijing-based Zhongfa Group that manages AA Lodges in Kenya. "Actually, you can go for game drives everyday and have new experiences." Picnics can be organized for you while you catch a glimpse of the hippos and crocodiles sunning themselves. Later, a visit to a village to experience the Masai culture will make the safari memorable. An early morning hot-air balloon tour is also available that offers a mid-air view of the great migration, if you are lucky enough. Day 7 One would catch an early morning game drive before checking out and taking the seven-hour drive back to Nairobi. But visitors are advised not to take long walks, especially along low-traffic streets. The city government allows a cultural market to be held in the central business district, at least once a week. Traditional products from Kenyan culture are displayed with bargain hunters having a field day. Some sellers speak Mandarin to communicate better with the growing number of Chinese tourists. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has launched a credit card in partnership with Kenya's Stanbic Bank to help Chinese pay for hotels and other services. It is also important to ask your preferred tour agent whether the itinerary provided includes park entrance fees, transport and game drives, accommodation at the campsites, meals and allowances for drivers and guides. Flash 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. Flash At least three people have been confirmed dead and more than 90 others injured as a result of a 6.1 magnitude earthquake striking Osaka prefecture in western Japan on Monday morning. According to local authorities, in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, a 9-year-old girl was killed when a wall at a swimming pool collapsed and a man in his 80s was confirmed dead after his house in the city of Osaka collapsed. Police and local district headquarters also said that another man in his 80s in the city of Ibaraki was seriously injured after being trapped under a bookshelf and was later pronounced dead after being rushed to a hospital. According to the government, while local authorities have suggested the number is likely to rise, at least 91 people have been injured across multiple prefectures in western Japan as a result of the strong quake. Japan's disaster management minister Hachiro Okonogi said there are people buried under the rubble of a collapsed building in Osaka with local rescue officials trying to rapidly locate them, while firefighters are grappling to extinguish a serious blaze at a house in northern Osaka. According to local media reports, there have been numerous outbreaks of fires and burst pipes flooding roads as a result of the quake, and at least 14 people are believed to be trapped inside elevators, local rescue officials said. While no tsunami warning or advisory was given as a result of the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the magnitude 6.1 earthquake was upwardly revised from a preliminary 5.9 temblor, which struck Osaka at 7:58 a.m. local time. According to Kansai Electric Power Co., more than 170,000 homes in Osaka and neighboring Hyogo prefectures suffered blackouts as a result of the quake, although power has since been restored. But Osaka Gas Co. said it has suspended gas supply to around 108,000 households in the area as a precautionary measure against fires. Local media reported that in the aftermath of the quake, dozens of people have fled to emergency evacuation centers across Osaka and a number of public schools have been closed with parents asked to hastily collect their children and take them to safety. According to the Transport Ministry, both Shinkansen bullet train and local train services in the region have been suspended with thousands of passengers left stranded. Rescue officials, according to local media accounts, have been helping those stranded on trains stuck between stations to get to safety. Along with major commuter services being seriously disrupted, the three airports in the region, officials said, which were forced to temporarily suspend their services, have now reopened although a number of flights were delayed. Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) fighter jets and helicopters have been deployed to the area to investigate the scene, government officials said. The epicenter of the quake was located at a latitude of 34.8 degrees north and a longitude of 135.6 degrees east and at a preliminary depth of 10 km, which was later revised to about 13 km, according to the weather agency. The quake logged lower 6 in some parts of Osaka prefecture and upper 5 in neighboring Kyoto prefecture on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7, according to the JMA. The jolt was also felt in the nearby prefectures of Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga and Nara. Kansai Electric Power Co. said that no abnormalities were reported at the Takahama, Mihama and Oi nuclear plants in central Japan and in neighboring Fukui Prefecture. Officials said that all 15 nuclear reactors are still functioning as normal. Senior government officials have convened an emergency meeting at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office to assess the situation. Abe told a press briefing on the incident that the government will make its utmost efforts to deal with the effects of the earthquake. He told reporters that government officials are operating under the instructions that saving and safeguarding peoples' lives is the priority. The Japanese premier also said he has given instructions for local officials to carry out damage assessments as quickly as possible and do their very best to save and protect lives. Abe went on to say that he wanted the public to be kept informed as the incident continues to unfold. Japan's top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, meanwhile, told a press briefing on the matter that so far there have been no reports of serious infrastructural damage as a result of the quake. The JMA, for its part, has warned people in western Japan, however, to be on alert for further sizable earthquakes occurring in the next few days and to be vigilant for the possibility of buildings collapsing and rainy weather adding to the risk of potentially fatal mudslides henceforth. The high-intensity tremors of the quake on Monday were owing to its shallow epicenter, seismologists said, with the government saying that the 6.1 -magnitude quake would likely not trigger the "megaquake" off western Japan that many experts have predicted will strike at some point in the not too distant future. A quake measuring 7.3 in magnitude and the maximum 7 on Japan's seismic scale struck the region in 1995, claiming the lives of more than 6,000 people. You are here: World Flash UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the killings in northeastern Nigeria targeting Eid al-Fitr celebrations. Speaking through his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, Guterres said the attacks targeting civilians violated international humanitarian law and those responsible should be brought to justice swiftly. At least 34 people were killed and 18 others wounded in two suicide bombings and a grenade attack Saturday in Nigeria's northeastern town of Damboa. Security officials suspect the Boko Haram terrorist group was behind the violence. According to UN statistics, Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced over 2.3 million since 2009. Flash At least 40 pro-Syrian government fighters were killed by foreign airstrikes that targeted Syrian military positions in the east of the country a day earlier, a monitor group reported Monday. The targeted sites reportedly belong to the Lebanese Hezbollah group and other pro-government forces near the Syrian-Iraqi border in the southeastern countryside of Deir al-Zour Province. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the identity of the warplanes are unknown, adding that the death toll is likely to rise, as many fighters are either in critical conditions or missing. On the other hand, the Syrian state TV said late on Sunday that the attack was carried out by the U.S.-led coalition. It said the airstrikes targeted the Syrian military sites in the town of Hiry, southeast of the city of al-Bukamal in the countryside of Deir al-Zour. It added that the strike caused casualties, without revealing the number of deaths or the identity of victims. The strike is not the first suspected U.S.-led attack targeting Syrian military positions in Deir al-Zour. In May, 12 pro-government fighters were killed by suspected U.S. strikes on Syrian positions in Deir al-Zour, according to the Observatory. The recent strike comes as the Islamic State (IS) militant group is reportedly preparing to launch an offensive on Syrian military sites in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour. The Syrian government has for long accused the U.S.-led coalition of rendering support to IS militants in Deir al-Zour, where the terror-designated group is in control of some pockets. 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 The 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 East African country, Wang, who is chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, met with Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, Speaker of the National Assembly of Uganda Rebecca Kadaga and Vice-President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, and spoke with Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda. In the meeting with Museveni, Wang noted that President Xi Jinping had met with Museveni several times and the two had charted a course for the future development of bilateral ties. Wang welcomed Museveni to attend the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which will be held in September. Virginia Mother Jailed for Talking to Son's Doctors and Reporting Physical Abuse by Father ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 18, 2018 / Hard to believe? The court reporter transcripts reveal it all in Cases CJ 14001064 and 14001065 in Alexandria Circuit Court in Virginia. Her attorney is Jonathon Moseley (703) 656-1230. Judge Lisa Kemler announced in her official decision before a court reporter that she was punishing the mother for making a report of the son's accounts of abuse to government authorities and for talking to her son's doctors, therapist, and psychiatrist. Natalia Dalton's son told many adults (recorded) that his father physically abused him. She shows her photographs of her own injuries when she says Julio Lacayo beat her. In November 2017, Natalia took her son to the Magistrate in Alexandria. The son met alone with the Magistrate for 15 minutes. The Magistrate issued an Emergency Protective Order, ordered the child removed from the father's home, and sent the police to serve the father who was heard screaming in front of the son. But the father yanked the son out of school the next day, and began to home school him, removed from any adults who could learn about the abuse and report it. A month ago, a supervised visitation "monitor" Laurie Best appointed by Judge Kemler also reported the son's account of physical abuse to Child Protective Services. Laurie Best testified that in the trial (on the transcript) that what the son volunteered to her triggered her legal mandatory reporting requirements. Judge Kemler refused to call the son to speak for himself and the father objected to the son being interviewed in chambers by Judge Kemler or to testify. Natalia Dalton also warned her son's psychiatrist that the son was complaining that psychiatric medication was causing alarming side effects and making him irritable, forgetful, disoriented, and feeling weird. In the court case, Natalia Dalton was accused and punished for warning the son's prescribing psychiatrist of side effects despite an earlier court order. Natalia Dalton strongly and flatly denied ever sharing these concerns with her son, but only among adults treating him. There was absolutely no evidence or testimony that the son was affected. Natalia Dalton is raising money to pay for the transcripts at Share Tweet Contact: Janice Grenadier, 202-368-7178ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 18, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- A young mother was jailed Friday for reporting physical abuse of her son by the father to government authorities and for talking to her 10 year old son's therapist and psychiatrist about her medical concerns for her son.Hard to believe? The court reporter transcripts reveal it all in Cases CJ 14001064 and 14001065 in Alexandria Circuit Court in Virginia. Her attorney is Jonathon Moseley (703) 656-1230.Judge Lisa Kemler announced in her official decision before a court reporter that she was punishing the mother for making a report of the son's accounts of abuse to government authorities and for talking to her son's doctors, therapist, and psychiatrist.Natalia Dalton's son told many adults (recorded) that his father physically abused him. She shows her photographs of her own injuries when she says Julio Lacayo beat her.In November 2017, Natalia took her son to the Magistrate in Alexandria. The son met alone with the Magistrate for 15 minutes.The Magistrate issued an Emergency Protective Order, ordered the child removed from the father's home, and sent the police to serve the father who was heard screaming in front of the son.But the father yanked the son out of school the next day, and began to home school him, removed from any adults who could learn about the abuse and report it.A month ago, a supervised visitation "monitor" Laurie Best appointed by Judge Kemler also reported the son's account of physical abuse to Child Protective Services. Laurie Best testified that in the trial (on the transcript) that what the son volunteered to her triggered her legal mandatory reporting requirements.Judge Kemler refused to call the son to speak for himself and the father objected to the son being interviewed in chambers by Judge Kemler or to testify.Natalia Dalton also warned her son's psychiatrist that the son was complaining that psychiatric medication was causing alarming side effects and making him irritable, forgetful, disoriented, and feeling weird.In the court case, Natalia Dalton was accused and punished for warning the son's prescribing psychiatrist of side effects despite an earlier court order.Natalia Dalton strongly and flatly denied ever sharing these concerns with her son, but only among adults treating him. There was absolutely no evidence or testimony that the son was affected.Natalia Dalton is raising money to pay for the transcripts at www.NataliaMom.com We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. CRJM anunta concurs de selectare a unei companii sau persoane fizice care sa presteze servicii de traducere scrisa Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Palatability enhancers are used to make the taste, smell and texture of pet foods better so that the food becomes easily consumable by the pets. Palatability enhancers help in minimizing the effect of bitter taste of the feed additives added, and thus improving the food intake of animals. They do also improve the shelf life of the feed. Palatability enhancers not just add flavour to the pet food but, they do also enhance the texture of the food. They do also help in mould control and oxidation. Free sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-feed-palatability-enhancers-and-modifiers-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx Global Palatability Enhancers & Modifiers Market Drivers and Constraints Growth drivers: - Demand for healthy food, growing demand for meat, awareness about meat quality, growing demand for better quality pet food etc Growth constraints: - bad effects of the ingredients added and high cost of the raw materials are the major restricting forces for the growth of the global palatability enhancers & modifiers market. Palatability Enhancers & Modifiers Market Segmentation Global palatability enhancers & modifiers market can be segmented on the basis of product, origin, type of livestock, and based on geography. On the basis of the product, the market can be segmented as below:- Flavouring agents Sweeteners Texturants On the basis of the origin of the product, the market can be segmented as below:- Natural Synthetic On the basis of the type of livestock, the market can be segmented as below:- Poultry Ruminants Pets Equine Others Analysis of the Global Palatability Enhancers Market Based on Regions On the basis of the regions, the global palatability enhancers market can be divided into five key regions. They are:- North America Latin America Europe Asia-Pacific Middle East and Africa Free TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-feed-palatability-enhancers-and-modifiers-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu Among all the regions, Asia-Pacific is likely to dominate due to increase in demand for animal feed and growing concerns for animal health. North American region is likely to see a significant growth as the population is getting more concerned about their pet health. Growth seems to be more stagnant for the European region due to strict policies related to the use of palatability enhancers in animal feed. Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-feed-palatability-enhancers-and-modifiers-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3 Key Players in the Palatability Enhancers Market Few major players in the palatability enhancers market are listed below:- Ensign-Bickford Industries Inc. (U.S) British Foods PLC (London) Kemin Industries (U.S) Ferrer (Spain) Kent Feeds Inc.(U.S) Tanke International Group (China) Kerry Group PLC(Ireland) Key Developments in the Palatability Enhancers Market April, 2015 - BRAIN and DIANA went for a strategic partnership to work on ingredients to improve taste for cat food. Get access to full summary @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-feed-palatability-enhancers-and-modifiers-market/ About Precision Business Insights Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs. Contact to Precision Business Insights, Kemp House, 152 160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX Email: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553 Website @https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Now use of starch is not limited to just the food industry but, due to its adhesive properties starch is also finding its application in non-food industries like paper, textile, mining, building materials etc. Drivers and Constraints for the Industrial Starch Market The main growth drivers for the Industrial starch market are unanticipated growth in food processing industry, demand for pre-processed food, rising demand for adhesive products in various industries, and the unique property of starch that makes it the most suitable adhesive agent for various industrial applications. On the other hand, the high R & D cost, availability of alternative adhesive products like glue from resin etc, and a fast growing Arabic gum market likely to hamper the growth of the industrial starch market. Free sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-industrial-starch-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx Industrial Starch Market Segmentation The Industrial starch market can be segmented on the basis of type, application, source, form, and functions. On the basis of the product type, the industrial starch market can be segmented as:- Starch derivatives & sweeteners Native Starch Modified starch On the basis of the application, the industrial starch market can be segmented as:- Food & beverage Textile industry Feed Paper Others On the basis of the source, the industrial starch market can be segmented as:- Wheat Potato Corn Cassava Others On the basis of the form, the industrial starch market can be segmented as:- Thickening agent Stabilizing agent Binding agent Film-forming agents Texturizing Gelling agent Others Market segmentation of the Industrial Starch Market Based on Geography On the basis of the geographical regions, the industrial starch market can be segmented into five key regions. They are:- North America Latin America Europe Asia-Pacific Middle East and Africa Free TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-industrial-starch-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu Currently, North America and Europe together holds a major portion of the market share of the industrial starch market, and main reason being rapidly growing industrial packaging industry in both the regions. Among all the regions, Asia-Pacific is likely to show better growth rate due to high rate of starch consumption in the countries like India, China etc. China alone consumes 50% of the starch production in the region. Also, starch production in India, China, and Thailand is more cost effective as than most developed countries. Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-industrial-starch-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3 Industrial Starch Market Key Market Players Few key players in the industrial starch market are listed below:- The Tereos Group (France) Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S) Cargill (U.S), Ingredion Incorporated (U.S) AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG (Austria) Tate & Lyle PLC (U.K.) Roquette Freres (France) Altia Industrial Services (Finland) Grain Processing Company (U.S.) Royal Cosun (Netherlands) Mergers, acquisitions, investments, expansion to new regions and introduction of new products in the market are the strategies being adopted by major players. Key Developments in the Industrial Starch Market May, 2017 Introduction of seventeen non-bioengineered starches by Tate & Lyle, P.L.C which functions the same way as the earlier versions of starch. April, 2017 Introduction of new texturizer: Precisa Crisp 31 and Precisa Crisp 320 (native corn starch) and Precisa Crisp 130 and Precisa Crisp 151(Modified tapioca starch) for baked chips by Ingredion. Get access to full summary @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-industrial-starch-market/ About Precision Business Insights Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs. Contact to Precision Business Insights, Kemp House, 152 160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX Email: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553 Website @https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Automotive Wheel Coating Market - Overview: The automotive wheel needs to be protected against mechanical, physical and chemical attack. Automotive Wheel Coatings. To fulfill this demand, several types of binders and additives are available. Furthermore, the application technology used depends on both the binder and the market. Improvement in sustainability, reduction of the harmful substances and reduction of the volatile organic compounds (VOC) are some of the general trends as for the requirements and regulations in the Global Automotive Wheel Coating Market. The relative importance of the various trends in the automotive wheel coating market depends on the governmental regulations in the regions and on the consumer need. The growth in the Automotive Wheel Coating Industry is primarily be driven by a rising concern regarding the corrosion of wheels in the world and growing automotive industry in the Asia Pacific region. In addition to this, increasing spending capacity of people in turn is expected to benefits the major applications in which Automotive Wheel Coatings and preservatives are used namely metals like steel, aluminium, titanium among others. Competitive Landscape: The report analyses the degree of competition among the industry players as well as industry growth and market scenario. The Global Automotive Wheel Coating Market is at a growing stage, which represents moderate stats in terms of market value and overall volume. Over the past few years, Automotive Wheel Coating Market has witnessed healthy demand due to increasing spending capacity of people which has stoked sales of furniture. Nevertheless, the degree of competition among the market players is still less owing to limited major market players across the globe. Globally market for automotive wheel coating is fragmented and it is moving towards growth expansion by specifically adopting partnership, expansion and joint-venture strategies and product launch strategies. Get Sample of Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/3144 Industry/ Innovation/ Related News: May 2016 Winona PVD Coatings LLC, a provider of bright finish coatings for the automotive wheel industry, announced plans to expand its operations in Warsaw, Indiana, creating new jobs for the end of 2016. Winona PVD planned to invest more than USD10 million in high-tech equipment and machinery in order to add a new production line and enhance the company's clean room at its manufacturing complex in Warsaw. 83,000-square-foot building, marking Winona PVD's third expansion since its establishment in 2007. The company started in one 66,000-square-foot facility and now operates in three buildings with a 320,000-square -foot footprint. Winona PVD currently coats more than 1 million wheels per year using its non-hazardous G-Chrome finish, June 2015 - Accuride planned to expand steel wheel finishing. To help secure the project, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminary to the Accuride to receive up to USD600,000 in tax incentives. The performance will be based on an investment in an undefined term, through corporate income-tax credits and wage assessments. June 2016 - TIGER Drylac USA, Inc., introduced to the North American market limited edition powder coatings kit that includes 24 colors and finishes. The kit includes three primers, nine blacks, six metallic and clears powder coating finishes. TIGER Drylac automotive primers are fine-tuned for automotive special applications to provide the best possible basis for subsequent coatings, according to the company. TIGER Drylac clears are acrylic-based top coats that provide particularly impressive transparent and brilliant finishes fulfilling the specifications for smooth top coat systems. The blacks and metallic are high quality finishes that meet the requirements and requirements of the automotive aftermarket industry. Access Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/automotive-wheel-coating-market-3144 About Market Research Future: At the Market Research Future (MRFR), we provide our customers to unearth the complexity of our industries through our Cooked Research Reports (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR) ), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimal quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Applications, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enabling our clients to see more important questions. Contact: Market Research Future +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Scarcely a day goes by when we dont hear of the desperate struggles of Theresa May to unite her own party (let alone Parliament) over the Brexit negotiations, and of her humiliations in those negotiations at the hands of a formidably united European Union. Yet the female leader whose political future hangs in the balance this week is not the British Prime Minister but the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. And the issue threatening to unseat the woman who has led her country for the past 13 years also presents a fundamental challenge to the EU itself (or at least its treasured Schengen policy of visa-free borders). That issue is immigration. Combine that with the arrival of a so-called populist Italian government which proposes to defy the fiscal rules governing membership of the single European currency (If the euro fails, Europe fails, says Mrs Merkel) and its clear Mrs Mays problems are almost paltry compared to those of her opposite number in Berlin. The female leader whose political future hangs in the balance this week is not the British Prime Minister but the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel The immediate threat to Merkel which even some of her allies have said could topple her this week comes from her interior minister, Horst Seehofer. He now runs the countrys immigration policy and was, from the start, a severe critic of Merkels decision in 2015 to open Germanys borders to an indefinite number of asylum seekers from the Syrian civil war (or, in practice, those without papers claiming to be asylum seekers). Pressure Seehofer, whose Christian Social Union is the Bavarian sister party of Merkels Christian Democrats, has said that from this week he will instruct German border guards to send asylum seekers back into neighbouring countries notably Italy, where a large proportion will have landed first in Europe. This is especially sensitive for Seehofer: proudly conservative Bavaria is the southernmost state in Germany, and the CSU is, not coincidentally, facing a potentially terminal threat from the far-Right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD). But its not just CSU party members who back Seehofers line: an opinion poll last week indicated that almost two-thirds of the country does, too. Merkel insists that Seehofers proposal is counter to EU law and would pile further pressure on the member states on the Mediterranean, which are already reeling under the influx of migrants from North Africa and beyond. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, left, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in March But if Seehofer does not back down, Merkel would have no choice but to sack him, which would capsize the fragile governing coalition that took her almost half a year to put in place. That fragility was the direct result of the fact that Merkels CDU party, in last years general election, had its worst result since 1949. That, in turn, represented the voters anger at Merkels decision to let in upwards of a million migrants: they reacted by defecting from the CDU to the AfD, in numbers that would not long before have been unthinkable far-Right parties in Germany, for obvious reasons, had only tiny levels of support since the apocalyptic end of Nazi rule: yet the AfDs co-leader, Alexander Gauland, this month dismissed that period and by implication the Holocaust as just a speck of bird poop. Thus speaks the head of Germanys third-largest party. According to people who talk to her most often, Merkel is increasingly detached from day-to-day matters, and instead wonders aloud about her place in history. Well might she worry about that, as it is possible that she will go down in the history books as the German leader who fractured the EU. While she is justified in believing it would cause consternation in the southern European states if Germany blocked migrants along the lines proposed by Seehofer, her interior minister is also correct in blaming the Chancellor for making the migration crisis far worse by inviting them all in. Seehofer last Friday told the daily newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung that her decision in the late summer of 2015 had split Europe. In particular, the Eastern European nations especially Hungary were outraged at her subsequent forcing through of a Brussels-backed plan to make all EU member states take a proportion of the Middle Eastern migrants. After all, countless thousands might never have taken that perilous journey in gangster-operated boats across the Mediterranean had they not heard Merkels rallying cry: Wir schaffen das! (We can do this). Radical If the results of what became known as the Willkommen heard around the world do bring to an end its authors remarkable career as the Western worlds most durable leader, we should ask why such an apparently cautious politician had taken so radical a decision. It was most odd because Merkel always displayed a sure-footed technique in aligning herself with every fresh movement in public opinion, and an unmatched instinct for gaining and holding on to political power: indeed, the most familiar criticism of Merkel was that she had no discernible principles and was just a brilliant accumulator of minor political advantages, or an expert exploiter of her opponents weaknesses. Some say that the plight of the refugees moved the Christian in Merkel. But she never expressed herself in these terms. Others say that, as an East German whose great career was only made possible by the ending of that dictatorship, she especially empathised with the desire of the refugees to escape an oppressive regime. But there is all the difference in the world between reunifying a nation artificially divided by the Cold War, and the mass transplantation of people with a completely different culture, and indeed language, into a country Germany which is more homogenous and parochial than, for example, the UK. Angela Merkel was criticised in the German media for 'making a refugee girl cry' at a forum in 2015 (video above), before opening the country's borders to an indefinite number of asylum seekers from the Syrian civil war later that year. Seehofer has said that from this week he will instruct German border guards to send asylum seekers back into neighbouring countries Another suggestion was put to me at the time by someone I met at the German Embassy, who counted himself a friend of Merkel. He told me she was very worried about the fact that Germanys population was shrinking, and was jealous of the UKs demographic expansion, believing these diverging trends would see Britain replace Germany as Europes biggest and most successful economy. Well, possibly: but its a bizarre way to deal with that by opening the borders in one fell swoop without knowing anything about the skills or character of those who might take advantage. Sobbing For what its worth, I think her decision was peculiarly personal, stemming from an incident in July 2015. Merkel, in a televised discussion with a group of 14-year-olds under the title of Good Life In Germany was in effect ambushed by a schoolgirl, called Reem, who had come from a Lebanese refugee camp and said she was facing deportation. The girl told Merkel, poignantly: I have goals like anyone else. I want to study like them . . . its very unpleasant to see how others can enjoy life, and I cant. When Merkel responded: Youre an extremely nice person, but there are thousands and thousands in the refugee camps in Lebanon and if we were to say you can all come . . . we just cant manage it, the girl started crying. Merkel stopped in mid-sentence, muttering oh Gott, and walked over to offer comfort by (awkwardly) stroking the sobbing girls shoulder. African migrants who were rescued off the coast of Libya cried tears of joy and celebrated (pictured)as they finally reached dry land in Spain yesterday after nine-harrowing days at sea It was a searing experience for the Chancellor and she was widely criticised in the German media for her supposed heartlessness. I suppose Merkel was scarred by that (unjustified) criticism and kept recalling this girl, as she heard of the plight of all those coming across the Mediterranean. Suddenly, it was not we just cant manage it, but: We can do this. The trouble was, the million and more who then came were far from all polite young women like Reem: the vast majority have been men by no means all of them extremely nice. No wonder Merkel is not just facing a terminal showdown with her own supposed political allies in Bavaria: she is also reaping the whirlwind within the EU, as it struggles to cope with the consequences of abandoning visas and passport checks, the borderless vision made real by the 1985 Schengen treaty. The British prime minister at the time was Margaret Thatcher. She refused to sign the UK up to Schengen, arguing: It is a matter of plain common sense that we cannot totally abolish frontier controls if we are also to protect our citizens from crime and stop the movement of illegal immigrants. How wise that now seems. Mrs May would certainly think so. But perhaps its too late for Mrs Merkel. A teacher walked down the aisle with 20 of her primary school students popping confetti after inviting her class to her wedding. Mikhala Fisher married fellow primary school teacher Jesse in April across the road from her school at Ravens Creek Farm in Victoria. The delighted children lined the makeshift aisle with ring pops as they waited for their teacher to walk towards her fiance. A teacher walked down the aisle with 20 of her primary school students popping confetti over her after inviting her class to her wedding The delighted children lined the makeshift aisle with ring pops as they waited for their teacher to walk towards her fiance Mikhala Fisher (pictured with her father) married fellow primary school teacher Jesse in April across the road from her school at Ravens Creek Farm in Victoria They broke into an excited hubbub when they caught a glimpse of her in her wedding dress - and the principal had to tell them to 'shhh'. Mrs Fisher told Daily Mail Australia: 'I invited the children as I'd taught them for a few years in a row. 'They are very special little people in my life and the day was complete having them there.' Mrs Fisher told Daily Mail Australia: 'I invited the children as I'd taught them for a few years in a row' Mrs Fisher said: 'They are very special little people in my life and the day was complete having them there.' The children broke into an excited hubbub when they caught a glimpse of her in her wedding dress - and the principal had to tell them to 'shhh' She added: 'My hubby is a former student of my school and used to live in the town so we chose a venue opposite the school. 'It was so special to have them there and share my day with them.' Mrs Fisher said her screensaver at work is a picture of the children at the wedding. She said they love looking at it and saying 'that's me.' Mrs Fisher said her screensaver at work is a picture of the children at the wedding. Pictured: The children line the aisle The children from Mrs Fisher's class wait for her to walk down the aisle with her father Although many people dedicate their time to weight loss, it can be a lot trickier to shed the kilos than people think. To help explain where people are going wrong, Margot Robbie's nutritionist has revealed that it's more complicated than consuming less calories than you burn. Dana James, a Columbia-educated functional nutritionist, said 'weight loss is complex' because it's not just about food and exercise. 'If you're struggling to lose weight, you may fear that your body is betraying you, you've messed up your metabolism, or you'll have to live on chicken and broccoli for the rest of your life,' she wrote for MindBodyGreen. Many will be happy to know that this is in fact, wrong. Margot Robbie's nutritionist has explained that weight loss is more complicated than consuming less calories (Margot pictured) Ms James has been consulting women on their bodies for 12 years and through that has created an equation that she thinks will result in weight loss. 'Other factors, such as hormones, sleep, inflammation, the gut microbiome, medication, unexpressed emotions, and genes all influence your ability to lose weight and keep it off,' she said. The nutritionist said that this equation should help people feel more empowered as they have more control over it. Ms James has been consulting women on their bodies for 12 years and through that has created an equation that she thinks will result in weight loss SLEEP Many people know that a lack of sleep will increase your hunger and food intake, which is because the brain responds to carbs and fat after shortened sleep. Ms James recommends that people aim for a minimum of seven hours sleep a night to combat this. She also said people can consume 300 milligrams of magnesium glycinate to nod off if you find it difficult. The nutritionist said that this equation should help people feel more empowered as they have more control over it Many people know that a lack of sleep will increase your hunger and food intake, which is because the brain responds to carbs and fat after shortened sleep UNEXPRESSED EMOTIONS DANA'S WEIGHT LOSS EQUATION Change in Body Fat = Food + Movement + Hormones + Sleep + Gut Microbiome + Inflammation + Medication + Unexpressed Emotions + Genes Advertisement Ms James believes that this is the most interesting component of the weight loss equation because emotions are often ignored as they're hard to measure. She said when her clients put on weight unexpectedly she will often ask them if there are any emotions they're not expressing. It could be anything from an ongoing argument with someone you care about or something that impacted them negatively when they were younger. 'When researchers looked at obese patients that were scheduled for bariatric surgery, they discovered that 75 percent of them had experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, known as an ACE,' Ms James explained. ACEs is the category that things like emotional neglect, emotional abuse, divorce, sexual abuse and physical violence fall into. 'Factors such as hormones, sleep, inflammation, the gut microbiome, medication, unexpressed emotions, and genes all influence your ability to lose weight and keep it off,' she said (stock image) HORMONES Ms James explained that when people's weight climbs unexpectedly many believe it's due to their thyroid hormones being off, which she said isn't always the case. Although they do have a key role in regulating the metabolism, she said there are other hormones that affect weight gain and loss. These include insulin, glucagon, leptin, ghrelin, cortisol, adrenaline, and the sex hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Ms James explained that when people's weight climbs unexpectedly many believe it's due to their thyroid hormones being off, which she said isn't always the case INFLAMMATION Ms James said it is also important to pay attention to what foods cause you inflammation, and to stay away from them. She recommends that people increase their vegetable intake and try to cut down on the unhealthy food they consume. The nutritionist also suggested that people cut out gluten and dairy for four weeks to help resolve their gut microbiome imbalance and have their mercury levels checked. Some people simply have it all. For Chinese-Australian beauty Jessica Gomes, 'having it all' includes an almost twenty year modelling career, a hugely successful skincare line Equal Beauty and her own enviably flawless complexion. As a model turned businesswoman who spends almost as much time in the air travelling as she does on solid ground, Ms Gomes knows an insider tip or two for achieving that (seemingly) effortless glow. Speaking to Byrdie, the ambassador for David Jones shared the tricks behind her travelling beauty routine. Model turned skincare entrepreneur Jessica Gomes (pictured) launched her own beauty brand after struggling to find suitable products for long haul travelling Speaking to Byrdie, the ambassador for David Jones shared the tricks behind her travelling beauty routine Keeping it simple Raised in Perth, Western Australia, Ms Gomes says that her approach to beauty has always been 'less is more', whether she is travelling across the world or at home relaxing. 'I'm always striving for clean, hydrated and glowy skin,' she told Byrdie. After thoroughly cleansing her face, the model says she uses a serum which is the key to consistent hydration and elasticity. An advocate of SPF no matter the weather, Jessica Gomes uses a lightweight tinted moisturiser with sun protection and finishes her base with a facial hydration spray to seal her pores. Natural beauty: Jessica Gomes forged an international modelling career in large part thanks to her flawless visage The model turned businesswoman is never shy of posting makeup-free images on social media The question of travel After struggling to find products on the market to suit her travel-heavy lifestyle, Jessica Gomes was inspired to launch her own skincare label. The brand pays homage to Ms Gomes' simple beauty values, and the offering is wearable for all skin types which was important for the entrepreneur. The businesswoman uses five products for her on-the-go beauty regimen - and they're all from her own brand. The brand pays homage to Ms Gomes' simple beauty values, and the offering is wearable for all skin types which was important for the entrepreneur Model materials: Jessica Gomes' Five Step In-Flight 'Equal Beauty' routine 1. EB Hydra Glow Cleansing Cloth (pack of 30, $50) 2. EB Super Serum ($100) 3. EB Eye Veil (pack of 5, $110) 4. EB Moisture Veil (pack of 5, $115) 5. EB Super Mist Spray ($80) Subtotal: $455 Advertisement In-flight skin routine Whenever she's travelling, Ms Gomes says that she religiously applies her five step Equal Beauty in-flight facial. She starts by cleansing her face with the Equal Beauty Hydra Glow Cleansing Cloth to remove excess dirt, followed by applying a few drops of Equal Beauty's Super Serum which the model describes as 'a drink for the skin'. The face of David Jones then 'de-puffs her eyes' using her own brand's Eye Veil for ten minutes, a concentrate which also reduces the appearance of fine lines. 'I find they're really necessary after a long haul flight,' the model told Byrdie. After touching down, the Perth-raised beauty loves to treat herself to a Korean body scrub and oil massage To finish her skin-perfecting routine, Ms Gomes reaches for the Moisture Veil from Equal Beauty which hydrates, lifts and firms your face all in one go. A spritz of Equal Beauty's Super Mist Spray completes her regimen, a wonder product which 'enhances the skin's natural moisturising capability'. After touching down, the Perth-raised beauty loves to treat herself to a Korean body scrub and oil massage. She is also a fan of facials at Melanie Grant and regular Chanel manicures at Sydney's celebrity nail salon Jocelyn Petroni. The McCorquodales Sarah and Neil McCorquodale Lady Sarah McCorquodale, 63, is the eldest of the Spencer children. She dated Prince Charles in 1977 and introduced the royal to her youngest sister. She married Neil McCorquodale, a farmer and former officer with the Coldstream Guards, in May 1980. The couple have three children and two grandchildren. Close: Sarah McCorquodale, pictured, used to accompany her sister to royal events Emily McCorquodale Emily McCorquodale, 34, is the eldest of the McCorquodale brood. In 2003, aged 19, she was diagnosed with cancer while studying at Leeds Metropolitan University but was later given the all-clear. In 2012 she married husband James Hutt, whom she met on a blind date, in a ceremony in Lincolnshire, which was attended by Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The couple have two children, Isabella, three, and Henry, two. Returning the invite: Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge all attended the wedding of their cousin, Emily McCorquodale and James Hutt in 2012, pictured George McCorquodale Like Harry, George McCorquodale, 33, inherited the ginger Spencer curls. He is said to enjoy a close relationship with his cousins after joining them for family holidays on Necker, Sir Richard Bransons private island. Prince Harry was guest of honour when George married Bianca Moore, at Netherwood in KwaZulu-Nata, South Africa, in August 2016. Celia McCorquodale Bride-to-be: Celia, in her late 20s, announced her own engagement last November Celia, believed to be 28, made headlines in 2012 with an album of photos that showed her partying with friends at Leeds University. Celia will soon be following her cousin down the aisle. She announced her engagement to George Woodhouse on 13 November 2017. The Fellowes Family ties: Lady Jane Fellowes, 61, is Diana's elder sister. One of her godparents is the Queen's cousin, the Duke of Kent Lady Jane and Lord Robert Fellowes Lady Jane Fellowes, 61, is Diana's elder sister. One of her godparents is the Queen's cousin, the Duke of Kent. She is married to Robert Fellowes, a former Private Secretary to the Queen and first cousin of Ronald Ferguson, the father of Sarah, Duchess of York. In June 1999, Robert Fellowes was granted a life peerage as Baron Fellowes, of Shotesham in the County of Norfolk, after first being knighted as Sir Robert Fellowes. The couple have three children and four grandchildren. Laura Fellowes Laura, 37, is very close to William and Harry and is one of Princess Charlotte's godparents. She married equity analyst Nick Pettman in 2009 in Snettisham, west Norfolk, where her parents live in an old rectory. William and Kate were both guests. Laura writes fiction under the name Mave Fellowes her nickname is Mavis and has sons. Alexander Fellowes Alexander known as Beetle to friends is a 35-year-old investment banker. He married Alexandra Finlay at the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster in September 2013. Prince Harry attended the wedding. Alexander and Alexandra have two children, Robert, three, named after his grandfather, and 18-month-old Rose. Guest of honour: Harry was among the congregation when his cousin Alexander Fellowes married Alexandra Finlay in London in September 2013, pictured Eleanor Fellowes Eleanor Fellowes, 32, keeps a relatively low profile and is rarely seen at public events. She is believed to work as a probation officer and has published articles on issues relating to her profession. The Spencers Charles Spencer and Karen Gordon Charles, 53, the 9th Earl Spencer, is the most high profile of Princess Diana's siblings. In his eulogy at Diana's funeral, the journalist and broadcaster criticised the Royal Family and the Press on their treatment of his sister. In 1989 Spencer, then known by the courtesy title of Viscount Althorp, married his first wife, Victoria Lockwood, in Great Brington, Northamptonshire. The couple, who divorced in 1997, had three daughters and a son. Father-of-seven: Earl Spencer with wife Karen, with whom he has a daughter, five In December 2001 he married Caroline Freud, former wife of Matthew Freud. The couple had two children together, Edmund and Caroline. They divorced in 2007. Spencer married his current wife, Canadian-born philanthropist Karen Gordon, in June 2011 at the family seat of Althorp House. They have one child together, Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer, named after his sister. The couple reside at the Spencer ancestral seat, Althorp House, which he inherited on his father's death in 1992. Lady Kitty Spencer High-profile: Lady Kitty, pictured at an event last week, is an established fashion model Lady Kitty Spencer, 27, has forged a successful career as a model, most notably appearing in campaigns for Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana. The socialite, who is signed with Kate Moss's former modelling agency Storm, is a regular fixture at the world's hottest parties and is sure to cause a stir at the Royal Wedding. She is regarded as one of the most eligible young women on London's social scene, having split from her property tycoon boyfriend at the start of the summer. Lady Kitty grew up in South Africa and is now based in Fulham. Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia Spencer Lookalikes: Ladies Amelia and Eliza, 25, with their elder sister Kitty, 27, at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011. All three are expected to attend Twins Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia, 25, share their elder sister's good looks but keep a much lower profile. Like their sister, the twins were raised in South Africa and attended university in Cape Town. In 2011 Lady Amelia appeared in a South African court accused of assaulting a man on crutches in McDonald's. She was cleared of all charges. Louis Spencer Louis, 24, is the fourth child and eldest son of Earl Spencer and will therefore inherit his father's estates and title ahead of his elder sisters. He studied at Diocesan College in Cape Town and later enrolled at the University of Edinburgh. Heir: Louis Spencer, 24, pictured in 2014, will inherit his father's estates and title Edmund and Caroline Spencer The Vanity Fair report makes no mention of Edmund and Caroline Spencer, Charles' children from his second marriage, receiving an invite to the royal wedding. As Edmund, 14, and Caroline, 12, are still young, they perhaps wouldn't attend the late-night after-party. Lady Charlotte Spencer Lady Charlotte Diana, five, is Earl Spencer's youngest child and his only one with third wife Karen. Like her half-siblings Edmund and Caroline, Lady Charlotte is not named in the Vanity Fair report and would be unlikely to receive a late-night party invite because of her age. When you find out someone is cheating it's difficult to figure out what to do, but it's even harder if you find out it's your own father being unfaithful. A New Zealand woman's parents have been together for 20 years, but she has recently uncovered an online profile of her father's other life as a 'submissive cross-dresser for his mistress'. The daughter wrote in anonymously to Mrs Salisbury to figure out whether she should confront him and tell her mother. 'My parents seem relatively happy right now and maybe this is something they are both on the same page about, OR my mum has no idea and this will destroy her,' she said. A New Zealand woman's parents have been together for 20 years, but she has recently uncovered an online profile of her father's other life as a 'submissive cross-dresser for his mistress' 'She is not well at the moment and does not have the money or means to leave him, but I hate that I know and I feel like I am keeping this from her,' the woman added. The daughter also explained that her father had already once been unfaithful 10 years ago when she was a child, which resulted in him leaving them briefly before getting back together. Mrs Salisbury encouraged the woman to let her dad know that she had stumbled upon the profile to open up a dialogue about his actions. She agreed that there is a chance that her parents have decided to allow the dalliance, especially if her mother can't accept this aspect of him. The daughter also explained that her father had already once been unfaithful 10 years ago when she was a child, which resulted in him leaving them briefly before getting back together But she added that the only way the woman will be able to find out is by talking with him. If this is the case, Mrs Salisbury believes the daughter only needs to figure out a way to come to terms with this part of him. 'It is his responsibility to make wise decisions about the consequences of his behaviour,' she said. Although Mrs Salisbury's response was succinct, the question resulted in a multitude of opinions from commenters. 'It is his responsibility to make wise decisions about the consequences of his behaviour,' Mrs Salisbury said One person said that they found out from a friend that their father was having an affair and they never told their mum, but they wish they had. 'TELL your mother straight away - when she finds out in time she'll be hurt and betrayed that you didn't bother to let her know. TELL HER. End the secrets, they come back to haunt you,' they said. Another commenter disagreed, saying 'I would say it's none of your business and stay out of it'. 'Tell him you know, point out the consequences of mum finding out before he tells her and leave it with him. Tell him you love him,' said another. Sydney-based pet-owner, Stephanie Warzecha, was given permission by her landlord to have pets in her apartment. So when she arrived home to a blunt note from neighbours about her 'painful' cat, the 32-year-old business student was shocked. 'Keep your noisy, painful cat inside or we will make you get rid of it. I'm sick of being woken up. The Body Corporate,' the note read. Sydney-based pet-owner Stephanie Warzecha was left this note by neighbours complaining about her cat Speaking to Domain, Ms Warzecha said it was one of a few 'very rude notes' from neighbours who were 'threatening' her cat. Eventually, the 'bullying' got so bad that Ms Warzecha gave away her cat and eventually moved out altogether into a converted garage so she could keep her dog in peace. Ms Warzecha is sharing her experience in a bid to make pet ownership the norm in apartment buildings as 'no pet' clauses in lease agreements increasingly common. Ms Warzecha (pictured) with her cat Rocococo. She said she was forced to give him away after being badly bullyed by others in her apartment complex 'If you can find a good tenant then I don't understand why you can't let them have pets. It would make them a lot happier. Why would you take someone's happiness away?' she said. It's a divisive topic for many, with thousands of pet-owners very restricted as to where they can live due to stringent 'no pet' policies. The issue of animals in tenancy law isn't something that's directly addressed by most states and territories - meaning an interpretation of the legislation can be confusing. As things stand, landlords can add a 'no pets' clause in a lease agreement at their discretion with renters required to ask permission (guide dogs and companion animals are the exceptions to this). The dedicated animal lover now lives in a converted garage with her pet dog However, according to the Tenants' Union of New South Wales, there is no term in the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW) that prohibits tenants from keeping a pet, or requiring them to ask the landlords consent before they keep a pet. Pet ownership and rentals in Australia: 22 per cent of pet owners have given away a pet or left them with a family member due to being unable to find pet-friendly accommodation 79 per cent reported they found it stressful securing pet friendly accommodation 73 per cent experienced rental or strata accommodation where pets were not allowed 42 per cent have chosen not to have a pet, because of concerns in accessing pet friendly accommodation Source: Rufus & Coco Advertisement But it states many landlords include a clause restricting pets in the residential tenancy agreement - and there is no specific ban on them doing so. 'The Tenants' Union believes that such a restriction is a breach of your reasonable peace, comfort and privacy, however, this has not been fully tested before a court or tribunal,' they wrote previously. That said, tenants who do have pets are expected to prevent their pets from causing noise, being a nuisance and causing damage to the property. 'If you have a pet that makes excessive noise it is possible that this will breach your tenancy agreement,' the guide reads. 'Whether the noise is reasonable will depend on the particular circumstances, including frequency and the time of day. 'Other forms of nuisance, like chasing the neighbour, or breaking into their yard, can also qualify as a breach of your agreement. 'Making sure your home is appropriate for your pet, including reporting any necessary repairs to fences or gates, can avoid these issues.' Ms Warzecha said her experiences with having animals and trying to rent have been 'atrocious' Highlighting the problem of pet-ownership in rental accommodation is something the 32-year-old Ms Warzecha said she feels passionate about. 'My experiences with having animals and trying to rent have been atrocious,' said Ms Warzecha. 'Luckily, I was able to give my cat the best new home possible with my ex's parents who spoil her rotten and she is happier than ever. 'But my heart goes out to all the furry family members that end up in shelters and being put down due to these archaic laws.' Campaign efforts are being made to change rental laws for pet owners in Australia (stock image) And Ms Warzecha isn't alone in her drive to see pet ownership laws in rentals change. The Australian Pet Welfare Foundation (APWF), which partnered with pet care brand Rufus & Coco, recently conducted a survey of 652 Australians to assess the difficultly people experienced trying to find pet-friendly homes. The results showed one in five pet owners had been forced to give up their animals due to a lack of suitable accommodation. The research also showed 42 per cent had chosen not to have a pet, because of concerns in accessing pet friendly 'Were passionately campaigning for change so that no Australian feels forced to choose between keeping their pet and keeping a roof over their head,' says Anneke van den Broek, Founder and CEO of Rufus & Coco. Campaign efforts include lobbying state governments to change rental laws and providing resources for pet owners to make their case to property managers and landlords. A mother-of-two has spoken out about how leaving her children to pursue a dream of moving interstate was the most difficult - and liberating - thing she has ever done. Australian mum, Kim Chartres, revealed how a decision to move with her kids' stepfather in tow was one that prompted the family to make a tough choice. Either her children could join her or stay with their father. Speaking about the situation in a piece for She Said, Ms Chartres said she had long wanted to leave her hometown but had put her dreams on hold because at the time, taking her sons away from their dad wasn't an option. 'So Id sacrificed my dream while they were young, staying put until they were old enough to decide where they wanted to be.' Ms Chartres shared how she had long wanted to leave her home town but had put her dreams on hold because at the time taking her sons away from their dad wasn't an option (stock image) She said her sons, aged 14 and 17-years-old, along with her and their father sat down as a family to discuss the move - it was decided her boys would stay with their dad. 'My tears started flowing as the reality sunk it that leaving my boys with their father was the hardest thing Id ever done in my life, and knowing Id left them in capable hands was no consolation.' She said the first year away from her boys was the most heart-wrenching. So much so that she'd her packed up her possessions on more than one occasion in order to drive back home to them. The worst of it, Ms Chartres said, was feeling like she had lost her 'purpose' - that sense of who she was created by being contact with her kids on a daily basis. However, she said by the second year, distance had allowed her to have an 'epiphany', one that allowed her to realise how overprotective she had been. She touched on how life with their father was different in that he didn't chase after them as she always did. The most difficult thing of Ms Chartres situation was reconciling the fact she had lost her 'purpose' (stock image) Instead, she said he allowed the kids to catch public transport and encouraged them to cook their own meals and do their own washing. As a result, Ms Chartres shared how her two boys had more independent and self-confident in their own abilities. Distance, she said, while difficult, gave her a way to get some perspective on her skills as a parent. 'I was able to see just how much my emotions (read: mothers guilt) had dictated my parenting.' Ms Chartres touched on how life with her kids' father was different in that he didn't chase after them as she always did (stock image) She said the crucial difference was that her sons' father didn't let his emotions interfere, that if he had to work late or take time for himself, he did so. And without feeling guilty or feeling the need to overcompensate. Now Ms Chatres lives in the same town as her kids, a move she said was based on the fact she always felt something was 'missing' in her life. She said but rather than feeling the need to mother as she'd done before, she was able to come back to her kids a 'new and improved' version of herself. 'No longer ruled by guilt and negative emotions, parenting was suddenly much more simple.' Parent expert Sharon Witt (pictured) believes a parent's reaction to any situation needs to be properly considered Parenting expert, Sharon Witt, recently wrote on her blog how important a parent's reaction was to a given situation as their actions - especially for teenagers. 'As parents, we have numerous opportunities daily, if not hourly to choose our reactions when all doesnt go according to plan.' Ms Witt said while parents may be faced with difficult choices and stressful situations, choosing an appropriate emotional response could help manage the situation better. 'We cannot always change our circumstances, but we ALWAYS have the choice as to how we will REACT in any given situation.' Many pet owners feel guilty for leaving their animals at home for extended periods of time, especially if their cat or dog suffers from anxiety. There is now a new invention from the Gold Coast that has taken off across the world as it promises to help animals deal with their anxiety, as well as feeds them slowly. It's called the LickiMat and it works by putting foods like peanut butter into the plastic mat, which has small shapes and grooves that the food gets caught in. One mat sets customers back $8.95 and in May, a staggering 160,000 units were sold. 'Because of the different shapes and patterns, the stuff gets in the corners, it can take the dog from 20 to 90 minutes to clean it,' one of the creators, Joe Clarke, told the Gold Coast Bulletin. The LickiMat is a new invention from the Gold Coast that has taken off across the world as it promises to help animals deal with their anxiety, as well as feeds them slowly This means that the animal will be distracted by trying to eat all of the food instead of worrying about the fact that they're home alone. It is also an alternative to giving your pet a biscuit, as it goes in seconds. The idea came to Joe and Hazel Clarke, who sold their successful premium pet accessory business Hamish McBeth in late 2014 to focus on Innovative Pet Products. Although the business has been around for four years now, it was this addition in 2016 that saw it take off. It works by putting foods like peanut butter into the plastic mat, which has small shapes and grooves that the food gets caught in This means that the animal will be distracted by trying to eat all of the food instead of worrying about the fact that they're home alone Mr Clarke said social media has responded really positively to the product, with the #lickimat being popular in the UK, USA and Europe. He explained that animal behaviouralists are also now promoting it as they believe it can help relax animals before procedures. The duo said that a TV marketing campaign will soon be launched in the US in August and Pets at Home, a large pet store chain in England, is on its fourth order for the year. Mr Clarke said social media has responded really positively to the product, with the #lickimat being popular in the UK, USA and Europe He explained that animal behaviouralists are also now promoting it as they believe it can help relax animals before procedures Although it's taken a year for the product to gain traction the wait as been worth it, as it has even caught the attention of the royal family On top of this, Amazon UK have bought 24,000 units to sell on its website and the couple said the website has predicted huge sales. Although it's taken a year for the product to gain traction the wait as been worth it, as it has even caught the attention of the royal family. 'The Duke of York uses the LickiMats for his dogs. We met him when he was here at Bond University. He said the royal family loves our products, but they cant endorse it as such,' Mr Clarke said. Despite all of this international popularity, Mr Clarke said it has been difficult gaining similar traction in Australia. 'We cannot get any of the major retailers in Australia to pick this up. We talked to Petbarn and they were unconvinced,' he said. When trying to organise a bachelorette party, brides want to host a unique event that their loved ones won't forget. Now a New Zealand company called Just Hitched is allowing just that, with their bride slumber party packages starting from $400. The concept was born when Melinda and James Evans were on their honeymoon last year. They offer a range of wedding and event related services but their bridal slumber parties are gaining popularity, with their most recent costing $800. Now a New Zealand company called Just Hitched is allowing just that, with their bride slumber party packages starting from $400 Although it may seem expensive to some, a Northern Territory News journalist's research revealed that the average cost of attending a wedding, including the Hens night, is around $18,243. Heather Anschau, editor of Wedded Wonderland, also told Cosmopolitan that Hen's party guests can pay anywhere from $100 to $200 each for the pre-wedding event. Just Hitched's pricing varies depending on the number of guests and the location of the slumber party. The latest Hen party had 16 guests and it included individual teepees, inflatable mattress, linen, sparkling wine, engagement themed cookies and chocolates. The inclusions didn't stop there, with champagne flutes, slippers, towels, spa robes and a selection of beauty and spa products for each guest included. They offer a range of wedding and event related services but their bridal slumber parties are gaining huge popularity, with their most recent costing $800 Although it may seem expensive to some, a Northern Territory News journalist's research revealed that the average cost of attending a wedding, including the Hens night, is around $18,243 INDOOR TEEPEE INCLUSIONS - Air beds with linen - Slippers - Bridal trays with wine, bride tribe glass and chocolates - Robes - Towel and facecloth for each guest - Face cleanser and exfoliating soap - Cushions - Decor and styling - A box of 'engagement' cookies Advertisement Additional extras can include a wood fired hot tub, giant outdoor games and grazing platters. Although the business has only been around for six months they have already organised hundreds of events and they spend a lot of time organising each one. 'Our little business is quickly becoming a successful full time venture with most weekends involving several weddings, parties and events,' Ms Evans told FEMAIL. 'We spend a lot of time communicating with clients, determining exactly what they are wanting from a slumber party and any additional extras they are thinking of including and sourcing items or other vendors.' The latest Hen party had 16 guests and it included individual teepees, inflatable mattress, linen, sparkling wine, engagement themed cookies and chocolates The inclusions didn't stop there, with champagne flutes, slippers, towels, spa robes and a selection of beauty and spa products for each guest included Additional extras can include a wood fired hot tub, giant outdoor games and grazing platters The day before each event is spent organising and packing, with the actual setup of each slumber party varying depending on how many people are attending but for a party of six, it takes an hour. Packing down the following day takes them 30 45 minutes, with every Monday being laundry day, which involves the cleaning of all items. 'Most items involved in our slumber parties are used for the duration of the slumber party only,' Ms Evans said. 'Guests do get to keep perishable items such as the beauty and spa products, slippers and any other consumable products.' The concept was born when Melinda and James Evans were on their honeymoon last year Packing down the following day takes them 30 45 minutes, with every Monday being laundry day, which involves the cleaning of all items Ms Evans explained that although the both of them have a different career and this isn't their only source of income, it has become a large passion of theirs. 'We are also huge community supporters and love nothing more than giving back to our community,' she said. 'With this said, 3 per cent of money made through bookings gets donated to Well Woman Franklin, a small, local charity supporting women experiencing anti-natal depression or post-natal depression. 'We are also huge supporters of supporting local businesses so where ever possible we use them.' A mother who was warned by doctors that her epileptic daughter could be left severely disabled by seizures has revealed how she's beaten the odds to become a young beauty queen. Samantha Price, 30, from Pontypool, Wales, was told her daughter Mia Crowley, now eight, had West syndrome a rare form of epilepsy when she was just a few months old. She and Mia's father, Michael, 33, were told the youngster would likely be left disabled, as the condition can lead to severe learning difficulties and developmental delays. However, Mia has luckily had a remarkable response to her medication, which has brought her condition under control. Samantha Price, 30, from Pontypool, Wales, revealed how eight-year-old daughter Mia (above) has battled the odds to become a young beauty queen Mia (pictured on stage) was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy when she was just a baby Although she was born healthy at Nevill Hall Hospital, north Monmouthshire, in 2009, Mia suddenly began suffering full-body seizures when she was a few months old. Samantha explained: 'When she was five months old, she started had a tonic clonic seizure, where her whole body started shaking. She started turning blue and it was really frightening.' Mia was rushed to University Hospital of Wales, in Cardiff, where she was assessed by doctors. After several trips to hospital, she was referred for tests including brain scans, EEG scans and lumbar punctures. Her mother Samantha (pictured with Mia, second from right, daughter Jasmine and partner Michael) explained how she and Mia's father were told she could be left severely disabled Samantha (pictured with daughter Mia) says that her daughter had a remarkable response to medication, meaning the condition is now under control Mia was then diagnosed with West Syndrome, which is usually characterised by spasms, abnormal brain wave patterns called hypsarrhythmia and, in many cases, an intellectual disability. Samantha explained: 'We were told Mia would be disabled and this would probably develop into another type of epilepsy. We were heartbroken. 'The doctors said they would try a type a course of epilepsy medication and steroids, but we were told it had a low success rate.' Incredibly, Mia began to respond to her medication, and her epilepsy was brought under control. But then, when she was around two, her parents noticed she became 'obsessed' with things, repeating words and quotes from films over and over again. Mia (pictured on stage) began taking part in pageants in order to improve her confidence Mia's little sister Jasmine (left), who is two, has also followed in her sister's footsteps by taking part in pageants Returning to the doctor, the youngster was diagnosed with autism, which means she finds it harder to communicate with others. Samantha explained: 'Thankfully, it hasn't really affected her development, but she can find it hard to communicate with other children. She loves being the centre of attention though.' Then, last year, when Mia heard about her cousin being involved in pageants, she begged her mother to take her along to one and Samantha realised it might be just the thing to help her. 'We took her along to her first one just to see what it was like and it was amazing. Mia loved being up on stage and it gave her so much confidence,' Samantha said. 'She met lots of new people and was able to talk to them all. I was so proud of her. Mia (pictured as a baby) began suffering from seizures as a baby, before being diagnosed with West syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy Doctors said that Mia, pictured in hospital with her father Michael, could be left with severe learning difficulties and developmental delays 'We're so proud of everything she has achieved, and it shows that nothing should hold you back. She added: 'We always tell her that her autism isn't a disability, but more of a superpower and it makes her special. She is full of fun and has even won a few prizes for best personality.' Following her first foray into beauty pageants, Mia begged Samantha to let her take part in another. Since then, she's taken to the stage six times, winning around ten crowns, seven medals and four trophies. And, with her big sister succeeding on stage, Jasmine soon wanted to follow suit. Mia has battled the odds to become a young beauty queen, regularly taking part in pageants Her mother explained how Mia's sister Jasmine loved watching her older sister, and wanted to follow in her footsteps 'We're really pleased that Jasmine is following in her footsteps too,' Samantha said. WHAT IS WEST SYNDROME? West syndrome is a rare and serious form of epilepsy in infants. It usually occurs in babies between the ages of three-months and one. It affects one in 4,000 to 6,000 children and is more common in boys than girls. The condition usually starts with brief, infrequent attacks and is often initially misdiagnosed as colic. The seizures usually see the child bend forward with stiff arms and legs. Typically, each episode lasts a few seconds and there is then a pause followed by a further spasm. Many babies with the condition see their development slow or even reverse until the spasms are brought under control. Many children with West syndrome go on to have other kinds of seizures later in childhood and a lot have learning difficulties. The prognosis depends on the underlying cause of the condition. Source: West Syndrome Support Group Advertisement 'Jasmine loved watching Mia, and she started going up to the edge of the stage to copy her routine. She had so much fun, so we decided to let her enter one in February,' she said. She's only two, so I went up on stage with her - but she didn't even need me. 'She did it all with no problem. She's always been independent, and I think this will help build her confidence as she gets older too. We're going to let them do another one together next month. Although Samantha knows the benefits of taking part in pageants, she admits it is an expensive hobby. Between the entry fees, outfits, hair and travel, they can cost around 200 a time for both of them. 'I usually get their hair done and put on a little bit of make-up but I don't go too overboard,' she said. But, keen for her daughters to continue their beloved hobby, savvy Samantha has come up with clever ways to save money. She explained: 'We budget to make sure it is affordable. We borrowed some dresses and bought some second hand, and then I have been selling on anything they don't use anymore to buy new things. 'I'm a full-time mum but I sell Avon products, so we can save up for this. I know some parents spend thousands, but it is possible to do it without that.' Though most of her friends and family are very supportive of pageants and how much they have helped Mia, Samantha knows that there are some people who view them as 'sexualising children.' Samantha (pictured with her family) said she is proud of all that Mia's been able to achieve The mother-of-two regularly takes both Jasmine (above) and Mia to pageants together Samantha admits that it's expensive, but says she's found ways of saving money when it comes to buying dresses for the pageants 'I don't think it's any different to taking part in a dance show,' she said. 'Mia wears make up and similar outfits for that. 'She's taking part in a production of Beauty and the Beast next week, where she will have make-up on. 'I've read negative comments online, but I don't care. I know this makes my girls happy and that's all that matters to me. They love it, and we love watching them. 'The pageant community is welcoming of anyone with a disability and they make sure Mia has a fabulous day no matter what. 'I hope they'll keep doing this together as they grow up and I'm so proud of them both.' At 3,922, the Oscar de la Renta wrap dress the Duchess of Sussex wore to watch Princess Diana's niece tie the knot over the weekend is beyond the reach of the average wedding guest. But her fans will be pleased to note that Meghan's simple white fascinator came from the humble British high street - and cost just 29.50. Instagram fan account Royaladdicted2 said the Duchess' headpiece came not from a high end fashion house, but from Marks & Spencer. M&S confirmed to FEMAIL that the Duchess was wearing their Pillbox Bow fascinator when she joined Prince Harry at the wedding of his late mother's niece, Celia McCorquodale, to George Woodhouse at St Andrew and St Mary's Church in Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire, on Saturday. She teamed her summery maxi dress with a Carolina Herrera clutch bag and a pair of white pointed stilettos from one of her go-to brands, Aquazzura. The Duchess of Sussex joined her new husband Prince Harry at the wedding of his late mother's niece, Celia McCorquodale in Lincolnshire on Saturday The happy couple: Meghan, wearing shoes by one of her go-to brands, Aquazzura, held tight to Harry's hand as they made their way to the church In terms of jewellery Meghan kept her accessories to a minimum, leaving the focus firmly on her dazzling engagement ring. Since moving to the UK to be with Prince Harry, the former Suits star, 36, has embraced the British fashion, wearing a Burberry coat on a trip to Edinburgh and choosing Stella McCartney and Givenchy's Clare Waight Keller to design the gowns she wore on her wedding day. And like her sister-in-law Kate - famously a fan of Zara - Meghan is not averse to shopping on the high street, having been spotted in items from Jigsaw and Kurt Geiger on previous outings. She previously wore a Marks & Spencer jumper to visit a Brixton radio station with Harry in January this year, sparking a frenzy among shoppers desperate to get their hands on the Duchess' 45 black bell sleeve top. While largely clad in designer labels, the Duchess' fascinator came from Marks & Spencer and cost less than 30 The Meghan fan account royaladdicted2 was quick to identify the Duchess' accessory as an affordable option from Marks & Spencer Dazzling Duchess: Meghan carried a clutch bag by Carolina Herrera to attend the nuptials Newlyweds Harry and Meghan were the picture of togetherness as they arrived for the church ceremony hand in hand on Saturday. Bride Celia, who wore the Spencer tiara worn by her late aunt Diana on her own wedding day in 1981, is the daughter of Diana's sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale, and Prince Harry's cousin. At one point Meghan came close to slipping as she picked her way across the grass in her sky-high Aquazzura heels, but her new husband had a firm grip on her hand and managed to prevent her from stumbling. The 45 M&S jumper Meghan wore to visit a Brixton radio station with Prince Harry in January immediately sold out The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did not attend the wedding on Saturday, but the Spencer clan turned out in full force for Celia's big day. Lady Kitty Spencer, the daughter of Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, dazzled in top to toe Dolce & Gabbana at the country church. Her brother Louis Spencer, 24, was seen giving the Duke and Duchess a warm welcome, kissing Meghan on the cheek and embracing Harry in a hug. Diana's sister Lady Jane Fellowes, who delivered an emotional reading at Harry and Meghan's own wedding just a month ago, was also in attendance. A couple who spent 50,000 on four failed rounds of IVF revealed how they finally fell pregnant after scraping together money for a last-ditch attempt abroad. Kim Watkinson, 47, and her husband Graham, 48, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, started trying for a baby a year after meeting in 2005. After five years of disappointment, the couple were told Kim's egg count was too low to conceive naturally and they would need IVF. Then aged 40, Kim was too old to qualify for treatment on the NHS and the couple were forced to self-fund. They spent close to 50,000 on four failed rounds, eventually re-mortgaging their 300,000 three-bedroom home to cover the costs. Still determined to have a family, in 2015 Kim, then 45, and Graham scraped together 2,000 and headed to Cyprus, where treatment is a fraction of the cost, for one final attempt. Kim Watkinson, 47, and her husband Graham, 48, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, started trying for a baby a year after meeting in 2005. After re-mortgaging their house to pay for four failed rounds of IVF in the UK, the couple eventually fell pregnant with twins Daisy and Poppy The couple paid 2,000 for IVF in Cyprus in 2015 and welcomed Poppy and Daisy in June 2016 In June 2016 the couple welcomed twin daughters Poppy and Daisy, who recently celebrated their second birthday. Kim, a retired policewoman, said: 'Ten years and 50,000 later Graham and I finally have our dream family and if we had to go back and do it all again we would... 'It was also such an emotional journey. Every time I would do a test I'd go to the bathroom and then bring it into bed so we could see the result together. 'Every time it was negative we would just sit there and cry. But we knew we had to keep going, all we wanted was to have our own family.' Kim and Graham said the heartache and debt they went through was 'so worth it' in the end The couple started trying for a baby in 2006, when Kim was 35. When they hadn't conceived after six months, the couple went to their doctor who advised them to keep trying as it could take longer given their age. Who qualifies for NHS-funded IVF treatment The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) fertility guidelines make recommendations about who should have access to IVF treatment on the NHS in England and Wales. These guidelines recommended that IVF should be offered to women under the age of 43 who have been trying to get pregnant through regular unprotected sex for 2 years, or who have had 12 cycles of artificial insemination. However, the final decision about who can have NHS-funded IVF in England is made by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), and their criteria may be stricter than those recommended by NICE. If you're not eligible for NHS treatment, or you decide to pay for IVF, you can have treatment at a private clinic. Costs vary, but 1 cycle of treatment may cost up to 5,000 or more. Advertisement But in 2011, after five years of disappointment and a prescription for fertility drugs, Kim and Graham were referred to a fertility clinic. The couple found out they needed IVF on Kim's 40th birthday, the day she became too old to qualify for NHS-funded treatment. According to NICE, women aged under 40 should be offered three cycles of IVF treatment on the NHS if they've been trying to get pregnant through regular unprotected sex for two years. Privately, IVF costs more than 10,000 a round. Devastated but undeterred, Kim and Graham poured their lives into visiting various fertility shows and clinics across the country in a bid to have a family. Kim said: 'At the time we really struggled - IVF is so expensive and we didn't have loads of money. 'Graham's business was struggling and I had been given early retirement from the police force after fracturing my spine. We had to remortgage our house and take out credit cards.' She continued: 'After four failed rounds of IVF in the UK we knew we couldn't afford another one here. We'd spent all our savings and borrowed from everyone we could. 'People had told us it was so much cheaper abroad so we started looking into it and we ended up going to a clinic we found in northern Cyprus where it cost 2,000 instead of costing more than 10,000.' The couple with daughters Daisy, left, and Poppy, right, and their birth certificates The couple pulled together 2,000 and travelled to a clinic in Kyrenia in May 2015. Six months later Kim returned to have three fertilised eggs implanted. Two weeks later, the couple discovered they were pregnant. Kim said: 'When we found out I was pregnant we were so happy, we both had these permanent grins. We just couldn't stop smiling. 'Being 45 the doctor warned me about all the risks and basically told me how unlikely it was that I would be able to carry the baby to term. 'So when I had a bleed a few weeks later I was convinced I was losing the baby and rushed in for a scan but instead the ultrasound showed that we were actually having twins. Kim and Graham joke that the twins, pictured, are their 'buy one, get one free' babies Kim on holiday with twins Daisy, left, and Poppy, right, in Kos, Greece, in June 2017 The proud parents on holiday with their twins, now two, in Tias, Spain, in November 2017 'It was amazing, we were both over the moon. It was so much better than just having one. We joked that they were our "buy one get one free" babies.' The couple are 'unbelievably proud' of their daughters and said 'all the time and money and emotion seems like nothing'. However they admit it is 'hard work' being older parents. 'Sometimes when we're out people will assume we're their grandparents and make comments like "I bet you can't wait to give them back at the end of the day",' Kim said. 'We don't let that bother us at all. The only thing I worry about is I don't want the girls to get to school and be made fun of for having old parents. I don't want them to be ashamed of us. 'But we do everything we can to stay young for them. We stay healthy and we go on lots of adventures and holidays. 'At the end of the day we have our dream family and we are so happy, that is all that matters. 'I want other people to see that and for it to encourage them not to give up on their IVF. No matter how difficult it gets, it is all so worth it.' Holly Willoughby has revealed she is 'annoyed' and 'frustrated' by the blocking of a woman's year-long campaign to make 'upskirting' a crime by a Tory MP last week. Sir Christopher Chope shouted 'object' as backbenchers prepared for the new law to be passed through the Commons on Friday, which stopped it from being approved. Speaking on This Morning on Monday, presenters Holly and Phillip Schofield interviewed Gina Martin, 26, who has been fighting for a change in the law after she became a victim at a festival last July. Holly told her 'power to you' and called Gina 'amazing' for bringing the debate to parliament, as the actress said she wouldn't give up until the law is in place. The Government have announced they will bring forward its own Bill to crimininalise upskirting as Theresa May told her Cabinet that taking photos up women's skirts is 'an invasion of privacy'. Holly Willoughby said on This Morning on Monday she was 'annoyed' and 'frustrated' the law about upskirting wasn't passed Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom has said the Bill will come to Parliament before it goes on its summer holiday. Holly had previously voiced her support for the campaign when Gina appeared on This Morning earlier this year, and looked visibly angry when discussing the setback on today's episode. Sir Christopher has since explained he had objected to the law going through because he disagreed with the current system rather than the subject. The 71-year-old has consistently blocked private members bills because they aren't fully debated in Parliament and believes they 'meddle in people's lives'. Holly said: 'We're all annoyed at the system, we're annoyed that it takes so long for something to get to that point in the first place and even more frustrated when you get to that point and then it can be knocked out when it's got the backing of everybody, including the Prime Minister.' Gina Martin spent almost a year fighting to make upskirting a crime after she became a victim last summer Sir Christopher Chopeshouted 'object' when the draft law was raised in the Commons, slamming the brakes on the attempt HOW WAS THE BAN ON 'UPSKIRTING' BLOCKED? Tory Sir Christopher Chope was able to block the proposed ban on upskirting with a single word. Because the change in the law was being introduced from the backbenches and not by the Government, it can only be debated on a Friday and must take its place in a queue. The draft legislation was eighth in the queue - meaning it was never going to be debated in full. MPs had a chance to wave it over its first Parliamentary hurdle without debate - but because there was no debate any MP can shout 'object' to stop this happening. This is what Sir Christopher did. Advertisement Gina spotted an image of a woman's thighs and underwear on a man's phone while at the BST Festival in Hyde Park last summer, and realised the image was of her. She reported it to the police but was told they could not punish the man because he had 'done nothing illegal', and so she launched a campaign to get upskirting added to the Sexual Offences Act 2003. After Chope's objection he was branded 'sickening' and an 'utterly disgraceful human', with some even calling for him to be sacked and stripped of his knighthood. But Gina, who confronted Chope after the debate, said on This Morning she is trying not to be negative about it. She said: 'I wouldn't have got far if I focused on all the negative bits. I know this is rubbish and I've spent all weekend being upset about this but he's on board now, the entire government's board now.' Gina revealed that her lawyers will today meet the Minstry of Justice to discuss the next steps for the bill. Holly praised her for all her work on the campaign, saying: 'Just well done, power to you for doing it youve been amazing.' The issue was thrust into the spotlight by Gina Martin, who launched a petition to make upskirting a sexual offence after realising some some took a photo up her skirt at a music festival in Hyde Park last July when she took a selfie (pictured right). The alleged perpetrators are obscured in black and ringed. The highly intrusive practice typically involves individuals secretly taking photographs under a person's clothing without them knowing with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks. There have been a string of cases of men caught using smartphones to capture illicit images on public transport, in busy shops and at music venues. But because upskirting has not been classified as a separate crime, offenders often escape punishment as securing a conviction has proved notoriously difficult. Chope's single objection meant he was able to stop the law being approved, triggering cries of 'shame' from his colleagues and fury on social media. Prime Minister Theresa May said she was 'disappointed' by the block but promised she would get the bill through another way, and today confirmed the Government will bring forward its own bill to criminalise upskirting. She told the Cabinet that taking photos up women's skirts is 'an invasion of privacy and leads victims feeling degraded and distressed' as she discussed plans to ban it. Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom said the Bill will come to Parliament before it goes on its summer holiday. It comes after Christopher Chope's had his Commons office door covered in bunting made from women's knickers as a form of protest against his controversial move. A British woman left stranded in Sri Lanka after marrying a local before he was shot dead says she fears she'll die there. Diane De Zoysa, 60, originally from Edinburgh, says she has been left in thousands of pounds of debt, following the death of husband Priyanjana De Zoysa, 26, last year. She says she lent Priyanjana nearly 100,000 in total, before he was tragically shot dead last year by men she believes were trying to extort him for cash, after learning he had come into some money through Diane. The former council worker says she now feels like a 'prisoner' and is worried she'll be stuck in Sri Lanka 'forever' following her husband's death, as she doesn't have enough money to return to the UK. Diane sold her house in the Scottish capital in order to fly to Sri Lanka and live with her hotel worker husband, who she met while on holiday. Diane De Zoysa, 60, originally from Edinburgh, says she fears she'll die in Sri Lanka, after marrying a local man who was shot dead last year Diane married husband Priyanjana De Zoysa, who was 33 years her junior, after meeting him on holiday Speaking to the Daily Record, Diane said: 'I feel like I'm stuck here forever and I will die here. In order for me to leave Sri Lanka, I need to pay to have my possessions shipped back home. 'Then I need money for a flight and to pay to have my possessions in storage until I can find a flat. 'Not much has changed since last year except that I am in a lot of debt.' Diane also explained how she wants to sell the house that she paid 60,000 towards, but her in-laws are refusing to let her. Diane said she is now in thousands of pounds of debt, and cannot afford to return home Her husband Priyanjana died last May, after being shot by men Diane believes were trying to blackmail him for cash She said she had also give her husband 31,000 for a Hyundai minibus, so that he could set himself up as a taxi driver, before his death. Diane previously explained how she believes her husband was killed by men trying to extort him for cash. Speaking to MailOnline, she said: 'His friend told me they were jealous because he was rich. They were jealous because he had a nice a house, a minibus and a tuk-tuk. 'They blackmailed him. He did give them some money but they wanted more. Because they didn't give him more, they shot him. They must have gone looking for him.' Diane sold her house in Edinburgh in order to live in Sri Lanka with her hotel worker husband Priyanjana, who she met while on holiday (pictured together) The widow (pictured with her husband on her wedding day) says she lent her husband 60,000 for the house she now lives in TIMELINE OF DIANE'S MARRIAGE TO PRIYANJANA November 2011 - Diane meets hotel worker Priyajana while on holiday in Sri Lanka June 2012 - She returns to the country to visit Priyajana, and ends up marrying him November 2012 - Diane returns to see her new husband again, and they have official wedding pictures taken December 2012 - February 2015 - Diane regularly flies between her home in Scotland and Sri Lanka February 2015 - The former council worker sells her home in Edinburgh and moves to Sri Lanka June 2015 - Diane returns to Scotland briefly, after Priyajana gets a job in a different city in Sri Lanka September 2015 - She flies back out to Sri Lanka because she didn't want to be apart from her husband May 2017 - Priyajana is shot dead, allegedly by men trying to extort him for money June 2018 - Diane says she is still unable to return to the UK because of the debt she is in Advertisement Diane said she has been running up credit bills to support herself and her late husband's family, adding that she is in desperate need of medical care. The widow has previously described how she 'gave up everything' to live with her husband in Ahungalla, in the south west of Sri Lanka. She initially met husband Priyanjana while on holiday in 2011, enjoying a whirlwind romance with the hotel worker. Diane ended up marrying him after returning to Sri Lanka seven months later, before moving to the country full-time in 2015. However, she has previously described how she believes that the marriage was all about the money. Speaking to MailOnline, she said: 'I should have realised it was just about the money. My friends thought that he was just marrying me for the money. 'Once I came out here he wanted money all the time.' Diane revealed her family and friends were concerned about their relationship - but she wanted to 'prove them wrong'. She said: 'All my friends didn't think it was a good idea. But I really loved him and I thought he really loved me and I wanted to prove them wrong. Diane met Priyanjana while on holiday in 2011, enjoying a whirlwind romance with the hotel worker. The pair got married seven months later She moved to Ahungalla to live with him in Ahungalla (pictured), in the south west of the country, in 2015 'I've never loved anybody the way I loved him. He was always affectionate to me. He was desperate for me to move out here.' Despite her reservations about their marriage, Diane is clearly still besotted with her late husband. Sharing a photograph of him and his brother on Facebook, she commented: 'I love him so much it hurts. Priyanjana died after being shot three times in May last year, allegedly by blackmailers who wanted his cash. A 1,750 polka dot dress is sweeping the social circuit world after cropping up everywhere from the polo to the royal wedding. The pleated crepe de chine number, from London label Alessandra Rich, has been spotted on a host of stars including Sarah Jessica Parker, Christie Brinkley and Daisy Ridley. It first shot to fame after making an appearance at the Windsor wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and had its latest moment in the spotlight at this weekend's Cartier Queen's Cup. The Italian-made dress was worn by Meghan's Suits co-star, Abigail Spencer, who teamed it with a statement hat. Scroll down for video The pleated crepe de chine number, from London label Alessandra Rich, has been spotted on stars including Abigail Spencer (left, at the royal wedding at Windsor Castle) and Sarah Jessica Parker (right, at The Seafarer Opening Night Party in New York City) And on Sunday, DJ Henri wore the 1,255 mini version as she mingled with aristocrats and royals at the polo finals in Windsor. The frock has also been spotted on stars including US talk show host Kelly Ripa, while Nicola Kidman owns a similar version in white. The frock comes from Alessandra Rich's SS18 collection and features statement cuffs and an oversized white collar. With a nipped-in waist and 'flippy' flared skirt, it boasts an ultra-flattering silhouette for every body type. Now sold out at most major stockists, it is currently on sale at Net-a-Porter for 1,225. Back in the spotlight: This week, British DJ Henri wore the 1,255 mini version as she mingled with aristocrats and royals at the polo finals in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire Ageless style: Model Christie Brinkley, 64, wore the dress during a reception for the annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) in New York City Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley, 26, wore the polka dot dress during an American talk show appearance. She shared it on Instagram, writing: 'This outfit', racking up thousands of likes According to the designer, the SS18 range 'took inspiration from Alfred Eisenstaedts 1945 image of a sailor embracing a stranger in Times Square'. It was described as 'joyful' and 'totally on target' by fashion bible Vogue. Fashion expert Simon Glazin told FEMAIL: 'You know you're on to a winner when the queen of fashion - Sarah Jessica Parker - wears your dress. In demand: Now sold out at most major stockists, the popular dress from London label Alessandra Rich is currently on sale at Net-a-Porter for 1,225. 'And this particular style has the A-listers swooning. No wonder really, it has that amazing versatility that means you can wear it anywhere, dressed up or down. 'From the wedding of the year with matching fascinator, to a festival with trainers, it's good brilliant fashion appeal. The shirt dress is big this season, plus there's the added benefit of this dress nipping you in at the waist. The big collar and cuffs give it that high end feel. And what's more, I love how each celebrity is wearing it at different lengths. Another sign this dress really is for everyone.' A little girl displayed an act of kindness toward a local police officer when she gave him her stuffed Elmo doll because she didn't want him to 'work all alone'. Gabby Yesis, three, of Blasdell, New York, was setting up for the village garage sale last week with her mother, Eileen ORourk Yesis, 36, when Gabby saw a police officer and decided she wanted to give him her stuffed Elmo. Eileen told Love What Matters: 'While setting up for the village garage sale on Saturday (June 9), I set out a stuffed Elmo doll among the items to sell. As I continued to get things ready, Gabby, stood on the grass yelling, "Yard sale, yard sale!" She was very frustrated that people did not immediately show up to buy our items.' Kind act: Three-year-old Gabby Yesis of Blasdell, New York, gifted a local police officer her stuffed Elmo doll because she didn't want him to work alone Appreciative: The mayor of Blasdell, Rob Hefner (pictured) took time out of his day to thank Gabby for the sweet gesture 'I noticed a Blasdell police officer a few houses down and told her maybe the policeman will stop and see us. Gabby looked up at me and said, "I am going to give him my Elmo." I asked her why and she explained, "The policeman works all alone. He needs a friend.'" Eileen told Gabby that she could give the officer her stuffed Elmo if she wanted to so the pair waited on the sidewalk but unfortunately, he drove by. Her mother said that was all she talked about for the rest of the day and when she tried to put her to bed, she told Eileen she was sad the policeman was still all alone. So the two decided to watch for the him the next day but once again, they didn't see him. 'We did not see the Blasdell police officer on Sunday,' Eileen said. 'So again, when I put her to bed Sunday night, she insisted Elmo had to go to the police officer. I told her we would look for him Monday after school. So Monday, we took Elmo, a red line flag for the fire company, and a blue line flag for the police department and we went driving.' Gabby and her mom gave the red line flag to the fire department who let her sit in the fire truck and gave her some treats. But the real treat came when Gabby and her mom found the police officer and Gabby was able to finally give him her stuffed Elmo. Officer Elmo: Gabby's stuffed Elmo doll is now a policeman thanks to a certificate from the Blasdell Police Department Riding in style: Elmo got to ride in the front seat of the police car - right next to the scanner 'We found the police officer and asked if we could have a moment of his time,' Eileen said. 'Gabby looked at him and raised her arms to give him the Elmo and said, "I want you to have my Elmo so you dont work alone."' Her mother added that the officer was surprised by the kind gesture and asked Gabby multiple times if she was sure she wanted him to have her stuffed Elmo. Gabby, of course, was sure about her sweet and thoughtful gift, which also included the blue line flag, and to thank her, the police officer gave her a high-five. The Blasdell police posted on its Facebook page to thank Gabby. The post said: 'Blasdell Police and Fire Departments thank Gabby, a three-year-old village resident who gave the thin blue and red line flags and Elmo to the departments. We thank Gabby and her family for the support and nice gesture.' A police officer also came to Gabby's house on Tuesday to personally thank her for the stuffed Elmo doll, who took a cruise with a police officer to the local Tim Hortons, but the only person that was home was Eileen's teenage daughter. But on June 13, Eileen received a call from the police department asking if Gabby would be offended if they returned Elmo who was now in full police uniform and had a certificate from police training. Busy doll: Elmo also went to a local Tim Hortons with a Blasdell police officer Sweet gifts: Gabby and her mom, Eileen, gave a red line flag to the Blasdell Fire Department and a blue line flag to the police department So, later that evening, the officer that Gabby gave Elmo to came to her house with the Mayor of Blasdell, Rob Hefner, and both of them thanked Gabby for being so kind to the police department. 'They gave her Officer Elmo, the certificate, and some balloons,' her mother said. 'She was so excited. They stayed and visited for quite a while, posing for pictures, and watching her play in the yard.' 'The officer explained to my husband, Mike, and I that he was so thankful to be the one that Gabby gave the Elmo to and after we left, he immediately started to reach out to other people in the department letting them know what she did.' And Eileen posted a sweet message on Facebook to thank the officers who took time out of their days to bring Gabby back her Elmo. 'A huge thank you on behalf of our family to the Blasdell Police Department and the Mayor of Blasdell for taking time out of their evening tonight to bring Gabby back the Elmo she gifted them,' she wrote on Facebook. 'Elmo has completed Police Academy and is now in full uniform! The Officer explained Elmo wanted to come home to keep Gabby safe and watch over her. Thank you Officers for all you do. Stay safe.' Officer Elmo is now back in Gabby's room on her book shelf. After the encounter with the officers, Gabby has said she wants to be a police officer when she's older. And although she is a bit concerned that the officers no longer have Elmo to keep them company, Eileen and her husband, Mike Yesis were thankful to see their police department and mayor, take time to surprise Gabby. A teenager has caught the Georgian disease cowpox after feeding cattle on his family's farm, an expert claims. The boy, who is too embarrassed to be named, broke out in itchy lesions on his hands, feet and arms after calves ate from his palms, leaving grazes. When one of the lesions started seeping clear fluid, the 15-year-old was rushed to hospital, where he was diagnosed by doctors who had never come across the infection before. The boy, from the Wrexham-Cheshire border, is thought to have recovered but has been left with scars. Cowpox was common among milkmaids in the Georgian era (18th Century) but is rarely caught today due to few people milking cattle by hand and the smallpox vaccine offering immunity to the infection. According to Public Health Wales, the last reported case was 10-to-15 years ago. Experts previously warned diseases linked to the Victorian era (19th Century), such as syphilis, rickets, gout and scarlet fever, are on the rise in the UK due to a fall in living standards and growing financial inequality. A teenager has caught cowpox after feeding cattle on his family's farm The boy broke out in itchy lesions on his hands, feet and arms after calves ate from his palms Cowpox has not been wiped out The teenager's mother told the BBC: My son was quite embarrassed it looked quite a mess, the lesions werent nice and it wasnt pleasant for him. Dr Aysha Javed, who diagnosed the boy at the Countess of Chester Hospital, added: 'I think the boy and his family were quite bemused when we told them I dont think they expected that to be the diagnosis. I think it was very itchy for him but it wasnt particularly painful.' Dr Javed spoke of the teenager's infection at the European Society for Pediatric Dermatology annual conference in London earlier this month where she urged people to be aware the condition has not been wiped out. He was rushed to hospital when one of the lesions started seeping clear fluid What is cowpox and how did it lead to vaccinations? Cowpox is a rare skin infection that milkmaids frequently caught from touching the udders of affected cattle. The condition causes pus-like lesions, which form black scabs that usually heal within 12 weeks without treatment. Cowpox can be dangerous in those with weak immune systems. In 1796, the English doctor Edward Jenner noticed milkmaids who recovered from cowpox were less likely to develop smallpox, which killed around one in five of those who caught it. Dr Jenner exposed eight-year-old James Phipps to fluid from a milkmaid's cowpox lesion. James was then exposed to smallpox and did not become ill. This is believed to be the start of modern-day vaccinations. As a result of global vaccination programmes, the World Health Organization declared smallpox as eradicated worldwide in 1980. Nowadays, cowpox is usually caught from the scratch or bite of cats who develop the infection from woodland rats. Children who have index fingers shorter than their ring fingers are less likely to share their toys, research suggests. Evidence already exists to show they are more aggressive - but the new study shows they are also more selfish - and won't even share with friends. It is known those who have an index finger that is shorter than their ring finger are exposed to greater amounts of testosterone in the womb because the hormone affects the development of finger length. Anthropologists argue that higher levels of the hormone during pregnancy leads to a 'masculinisation effect' in both boys and girls. Testosterone levels remain high as children age. Austrian experts observed the habits of dozens of boys and girls given the choice of who gets glittery stickers to make the conclusion. It is known those who have an index finger that is shorter than their ring finger are exposed to greater amounts of testosterone in the womb How was the study carried out? Some 45 youngsters were asked to name their best friends in the class, to allow the scientists to see if that had an effect on the results. And the children, who were all aged between six and nine, had the size of their index and ring fingers measured as part of the study. Known as the 2D:4D ratio, scientists are able to analyse this to determine the levels of testosterone someone was exposed to in the womb. Those who have an index finger that is shorter than their ring finger are exposed to greater amounts of testosterone in the womb. While too much oestrogen for women makes the two fingers very similar in length, or the ring finger longer than the index finger. The relative lengths of these two fingers are determined towards the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. Children were either paired in the trial, conducted by the University of Vienna, with a friend or peer, or they took part alone. HOW CAN YOU MEASURE YOUR 2D:4D RATIO? For readers, there are several ways to figure out their 2D:4D ratio. The new research uses an electronic caliper. Respondents were asked to place their hands on a flat surface, palms facing upwards, and straighten out their fingers. A researcher then measured the length of the index and ring fingers on both hands. This measurement should be taken from the center of the fold between the finger and palm up to the very tip of the finger. That way the upper lip of the caliper does not press against the finger. Advertisement The youngsters had to choose between receiving a sticker for themselves, or both them and their partner getting one. What did the study find? When in pairs, the children chose the latter option more frequently than they did if they were part of the experiment alone. However, Dr Lisa Horn and colleagues observed a staggering difference when they analysed the results for prenatal testosterone levels. They found children who were exposed to higher levels of the hormone in the womb shared the glittery stickers significantly less than their peers. Writing in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers were unable to confirm why this occurred in the study. But they believe it may be because withholding resources from others is considered as a competitive, masculine strategy. Sharing is deemed more feminine. Surprisingly, whether children were paired with a friend or just a peer had no effect on their desire to share the glittery stickers. Studies also show high levels of testosterone in the womb may lead to an increased risk of ADHD, Tourette's syndrome and autism. While low levels are associated with a higher risk of developing diseases that are more common in women, such as anxiety and depression. Stroke victims may be able to regain the use of their arms and legs from an implant that delivers electric shocks to the brain. Using this technique, scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, were able to restore movement to rats struck down by the devastating condition. Most stroke patients never fully recover with physical therapy being the only available treatment and one-third of all patients remaining virtually paralyzed. The discovery could open the door to a new therapy that will give stroke patients the opportunity to avoid suffering potentially life-long disabilities including difficulty walking and communicating. Stroke victims could soon get back the use of their arms and legs thanks to an implant that delivers electric shocks to the brain, a study from the University of California, San Francisco, has found The brain cells communicate with each other via electrical signals to control functions throughout the body. During a stroke, blood flow to an area of the brain is cut off. When this occurs, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and begin to die. Every year, more than 795,000 Americans suffer a stroke, which is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the US. After suffering a stroke, those electrical signals can become damaged - leading to major movement and balance problems. According to Dr Karunesh Ganguly, an associate professor of neurology at UC San Francisco, only about one-third of patients fully recover from a stroke. WHAT IS A STROKE? There are two kinds of strokes: 1. Ischemic Stroke An ischemic stroke - which accounts for 75 percent of strokes - occurs when there is a blockage in a blood vessel that prevents blood from reaching part of the brain. 2. Hemorrhagic stroke The more rare of the two, a hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel bursts, flooding part of the brain with too much blood while depriving other areas of adequate blood supply. The two types of hemorrhagic strokes are intracerebral (within the brain) hemorrhage or subarachnoid (area around the brain) hemorrhage. Hemorrhagic strokes are responsible for about 40 percent of all stroke deaths. Risk factors: These include: age, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, atrial fibrillation (irregular and rapid heart rate), family history and history of a previous stroke. Signs and symptoms: Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding Sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination Sudden severe headache with no known cause Outcomes: Only about one-third of patients fully recover from a stoke. One-third will have lifelong disabilities including difficulty walking, communicating, eating and completing everyday tasks or chores. The last third will be practically paralyzed. Treatment: Once the clots are removed, physical therapy is the only form of treatment to help stroke patients recover more quickly. However, if the brain damage is too substantial, it is not a viable option. Source: American Stroke Association Advertisement One-third will have lifelong problems moving their limbs and the other third will be practically paralyzed. For the last 20 years, neuroscientists have determined that patterns of neural activity in the central nervous system - called oscillations or brainwaves - are essential for healthy brain function. In recent studies, low-frequency oscillations (LFOs) were found to help neurons fire in the brain's primary motor cortex, which controls movement. LFOs group the cells' activity together to make sure that the execution of movement is efficient. For the study, the scientists measured the brainwaves of rats as they reached out to take a food pellet. LFOs were detected before and as the action was performed. The researchers stimulated a stroke within the rats, which impaired their movement, and found that LFOs decreased. For the rats who recovered, gradually gaining back their movement, the LFOs increased, showing a correlation between recovery of function and the reemergence of LFOs. Fully-recovered rats had stronger LFOs than those who partially recovered while the rodents that didn't recover had almost no such activity. 'There's an enormous field growing around the idea of neural implants that can help neural circuits recover and improve function,' said Dr Ganguly. In fact, stimulating neurons is already widely used in Parkinson's disease, to correct impulses that cause motor control loss, and epilepsy, to prevent seizures. 'We were interested in trying to understand the circuit properties of an injured brain relative to a healthy brain and to use this information to tailor neural implants to improve motor function after stroke.' The team used electrodes to record brain activity as well as send a light electrical current to the rats' brains. Stimulating the area where the stroke damage happened appeared to activate LFOs in that area. When the researchers sent an electrical current to the rats' brains right before they made a movement, the rodents were 60 percent more accurate in reaching and obtaining the food pellet. 'We are not creating a new frequency - we are amplifying the existing frequency,' said Dr Ganguly. 'By amplifying the weak low-frequency oscillations we are able to help organize the task-related neural activity. When we delivered the electrical current in step with their intended actions, motor control actually got better.' Currently, physical therapy is the only form of treatment to help stroke patients recover more quickly. However, if the brain damage is too substantial, it is not a viable option. Dr Ganguly says she hopes this technique offers an alternative for patients with extensive damage. Watching Sir David Attenborough's nature documentaries may boost people's sex lives, new research suggests. Planet Earth and Blue Planet could improve viewers' confidence by helping them to have 'a more compassionate view of their body', a study found. Study author Professor Viren Swami, from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, said: 'Views of rivers and trees are devoid of materialism and so allow the viewer respite from thoughts of image. 'Our findings suggest there could be a straightforward and low-cost solution for promoting healthier body image, particularly for individuals who may not have easy access to real natural environments, for example if they live in a city centre or because of a lack of mobility.' Previous research suggests people have sex more often if they are confident in their own skin. Watching Sir David Attenborough's nature documentaries may boost people's sex lives (stock) Sir Attenborough's programmes, such as Blue Planet, could improve viewers' confidence DOES EXERCISE BOOST PEOPLE'S BODY CONFIDENCE BY MAKING THEM FEEL SLIMMER? Just 30 minutes of exercise makes women feel slimmer and more body confident, research suggested in June 2017. Being active for half-an-hour makes women feel stronger and significantly better about their amounts of body fat, a study found. These body-confident emotions last for at least 20 minutes post-exercise, the research adds. Study author Professor Kathleen Martin Ginis, from the University of British Columbia, said: 'We think that the feelings of strength and empowerment women achieve post exercise, stimulate an improved internal dialogue. 'This in turn should generate positive thoughts and feelings about their bodies which may replace the all too common negative ones.' The researchers analysed the effects of exercise on the physical self-esteem of 60 women with pre-existing body image issues who exercise regularly. The women were randomised to either do 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise or spend half-an-hour reading. Advertisement How the research was carried out The researchers analysed 36 students who watched two three-minute films shot from a first-person perspective around Cambridge. One film showed a walk through built-up streets in the city centre, while the other was shot on the banks of the River Cam. After viewing the footage, the participants ranked their moods and body appreciation scores on a scale of five. 'Nature helps individuals have a compassionate view of their body' Professor Swami said: 'There are a number of possible explanations for our results including the idea natural environments promote 'soft fascination', which is a state of cognitive quiet that fosters self-kindness and helps individuals have a more compassionate view of their body. 'Views of rivers and trees are also devoid of any reminders of materialism - and so allows the viewer respite from thoughts of consumption and image. 'To the extent films also include multi-sensory, dynamic characteristics of an environment, they may be more effective at promoting improvements in body image compared to static images which lack these characteristics.' The researchers add further research is required to determine how nature scenes promote body confidence. Professor Swami added: 'If we watch Springwatch on the sofa whilst at the same time checking our Twitter feed, it's possible the natural scenes might not have the same immersive effect.' The findings were published in the journal Body Image. Past research suggests people have sex more often if they are confident in their skin (stock) Having sex once a week slows ageing in women This comes after research released last July found having sex at least once a week slows ageing in women, even if they do not enjoy being intimate. Being active between the sheets increases the length of women's telomeres, a study found. These 'cap' the end of DNA strands, with longer lengths being associated with slower ageing, longer lifespans and improved overall health. Women's telomeres lengthen with regular love making regardless of whether they are sexually satisfied in their relationship, the research adds. Researchers, from the University of California, San Francisco, believe sex may aid aging in women by dampening stress and boosting their immune system. A terminally-ill man is the first to take Roundup to trial, claiming that the weed killer is responsible for giving him cancer. Dewayne Johnson, 46, who worked as a groundskeeper for the school district in Benicia, California, said he mixed and sprayed hundreds of gallons of Roundup to keep grass and weeds under control. Johnson doesn't have long to live, having been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - a cancer that starts in the white bloods cells - in August 2014, which has since spread. Under California law, dying patients have a right to an expedited trial and Johnson's begins on Monday. The father-of-two claims there is an ingredient in Roundup that causes cancer and that Monsanto did not adequately warn consumers while the company has vehemently denied its product is carcinogenic. Dewayne Johnson, 46 (pictured), who worked as a groundskeeper for the school district in Benicia, California, is heading to trial claiming that weed killer Roundup is responsible for his cancer diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Johnson is unable to speak or move on some days and 80 percent of his body is covered in lesions (pictured). He claims the main ingredient in Roundup, a chemical compound called glyphosate, causes cancer and that its maker did not adequately warn consumers The main ingredient in Roundup is a chemical compound called glyphosate. Glyphosate is marketed either as a salt or an amber-colored liquid with no smell. Monsanto introduced it in 1974 as an effective way of killing weeds while leaving crops and plants intact. Glyphosate-based products are sold in more than 160 countries, and farmers use it on 250 types of crops in California alone, which is the leading farming state in the US. In March 2015, the World Health Organization found that that the herbicide is 'probably carcinogenic to humans'. THE SAGA SURROUNDING THE SAFETY OF GLYPHOSATE Glyphosate is an herbicide first registered for use in the US in 1974. It is marketed either as a salt or an amber-colored liquid with no smell. Monsanto markets glyphosate as part of the pesticide Roundup. Several studies found that high doses administered to laboratory animals caused cancer, although the evidence is 'limited' when it comes to humans. In March 2015, the World Health Organizatrion ranked glyphosate a Group 2a carcinogen, a substance that probably causes cancer in people. In 2017, California added glyphosate to its proposition 65 list, which requires Roundup to carry a warning label if sold in California. Monsanto has vehemently denied that its product causes cancer and says and more than 800 studies that have established its safety. Yet more than 4,000 plaintiffs have filed lawsuits - 800 over the past year - claiming Monsanto made them or members of their family sick. Advertisement Then, in 2017, California named glyphosate an ingredient that causes cancer under the state's Proposition 65, which requires Roundup to carry a warning label if sold in California. Additionally, earlier this year, a peer-reviewed study found that women in agriculture-intensive areas of Indiana tended to have shorter pregnancies if they had been regularly exposed to glyphosate. 'Glyphosate is the most heavily used herbicide worldwide but the extent of exposure in human pregnancy remains unknown,' researchers from Indiana University wrote in the journal Environmental Health. Monsanto, the chemical's maker, filed an appeal after losing in court to block the California labeling, arguing that Roundup doesn't cause cancer. The company said the product has undergone stringent testing and more than 800 studies that have established its safety. 'We have empathy for anyone suffering from cancer, but the scientific evidence clearly shows that glyphosate was not the cause,' said Scott Partridge, Monsanto's vice president of strategy, in a statement. 'We look forward to presenting this evidence to the court.' In a filing, Monsanto said non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can 'take many years to form' and that the company says the period between Johnson's first exposure in 2012 and his diagnosis in 2014 'precludes any possible causal connection here'. Johnson is unable to speak or move on some days and 80 percent of his body is covered in lesions, reported CNN. According to his doctors, there is 'substantial medical doubt of survival beyond six months'. Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, said the product has undergone stringent testing and more than 800 studies that have established its safety But there is a lot of weight resting on this trial. Despite more than 800 people suing Monsanto over the past year, Johnson will be the first to step foot in a courtroom. The trial is the 'canary in the coal mine,' Tim Litzenburg, a lawyer representing Johnson told Bloomberg. 'The world is watching, and it's unofficially a bellwether case.' This means if Johnson wins his case, it could be followed by several years of litigation and large damage claims paid by Monsanto. However, if Monsanto wins, other cases could be delayed or thrown out altogether and pressure will be lifted off of the company. A cystic fibrosis patient was left in chronic pain after getting a tattoo because of her compromised immune system. The woman, from Scotland, had a large coloured ink tattoo on her left thigh in 2015 - but developed chronic pain within months. Doctors today called for people with weak immune systems to steer clear of getting a tattoo because of the landmark case. The unidentified 31-year-old's reaction to her inking is believed to be the first ever recorded case of inflammatory myopathy. Medics at the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde published the unusual tale in the British Medical Journal Case Reports. The woman, from Scotland, had a large coloured ink tattoo on her left thigh in 2015 - but developed chronic pain within months They wrote: 'To our knowledge, there have been no previously reported cases of tattoo-associated reactions causing an inflammatory myopathy. 'This is a unique adverse reaction following a tattoo, and given the increasing popularity of inking, it should remain an important point for medical professionals to consider during a consultation. 'Doctors should counsel immunosuppressed patients appropriately at an early stage of the dangers relating to tattoos. 'Patients have a responsibility to consider carefully the decision whether to undergo the tattoo, and if so, to time this appropriately such as a time when on minimal immunosuppression.' The unnamed woman with cystic fibrosis had a large coloured ink tattoo on her left thigh in 2015, doctors led by William Wilson wrote. But within months she began to get chronic pain in her left hip, knee and thigh but doctors were initially puzzled what was causing it. Complications from a 'bad tattoo' are quite common, ranging from minor skin irritation to severe infection causing death. The woman had been taking drugs to dampen down her immune system for several years after receiving a double lung transplant in 2009. An MRI scan shows a section of her left distal thigh/knee showing extensive oedema (watery fluid) within her vastus medialis - a muscle in the thigh that extends the knee An MRI scans shows a section of her left distal thigh/knee showing extensive oedema within vastus medialis and effusion within the knee joint Several years before that she had a tattoo on her right leg without any side effects, so decided to have one on her left leg too. Immediately she experienced mild skin irritation, which is not unusual. But nine days later, she developed severe pain in her left knee and thigh. Although her symptoms eased after she was given strong painkillers, they were still troubling her 10 months later, so she was referred to a rheumatology clinic. Tests came back negative - until a biopsy of her thigh muscle revealed that she had inflammatory myopathy, or chronic muscle inflammation. It often results in muscle weakness and pain, and often the cause is unknown. Doctors concluded the woman's reaction was likely to be linked to getting the tattoo and her compromised immune system, although there was no definite proof. She had a period of physiotherapy for basic quadriceps strengthening exercises and one year after the onset of her symptoms, her condition started to improve. Three years later, she is pain free and back to her normal activities, Mr Wilson and his colleagues wrote in the journal. Experts said doctors should advise patients with a weakened immune system of the risks of getting an inking. An MRI scan of her left distal thigh/knee shows a build-up of oedema in her vastus medialis HOW CAN A TATTOO LEAD TO CHRONIC PAIN? The prevalence of tattoos has been increasing, as has the incidence of associated complications. Writing in the BMJ Case Reports, William Wilson, of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: 'These have been well documented and can be local or systemic infections as well as variety of skin reactions. 'To our knowledge, there have been no previously reported cases of tattoo-associated reactions causing an inflammatory myopathy. 'This could be a rare occurrence or represent an under-diagnosis for patients presenting with similar symptoms having had tattoos. 'Inflammatory myopathies are a group of diseases that involve chronic muscle inflammation, which can lead to pain and muscle weakness.' He added that it is 'well recognised 'that adverse tattoo reactions can arise from the type of ink or colouring agent used. Most commonly issues are seen with red ink. But there was a variety of coloured ink used in the woman's tattoo, which may explain her reaction. Advertisement Mr Wilson said: 'The prevalence of tattoos has been increasing, as has the incidence of associated complications. 'These have been well documented and can be local or systemic infections as well as variety of skin reactions. 'To our knowledge, there have been no previously reported cases of tattoo-associated reactions causing an inflammatory myopathy. 'This could be a rare occurrence or represent an under-diagnosis for patients presenting with similar symptoms having had tattoos. 'Inflammatory myopathies are a group of diseases that involve chronic muscle inflammation, which can lead to pain and muscle weakness.' He added that it is 'well recognised 'that adverse tattoo reactions can arise from the type of ink or colouring agent used. Most commonly issues are seen with red ink. But there was a variety of coloured ink used in the woman's tattoo, which may explain her reaction. Mr Wilson said: 'The tattoo industry has no regulated or professional body to enhance standards across the UK. 'And there have been cases of black ink being diluted to grey ink with non-sterile tap water, causing infection. 'In this case, the tattoo application by an unregulated parlour, combined with the patient's immune suppression could have resulted in the adverse reaction. My daughter has had a white, furry, ulcerated tongue for almost a year. Swabs have been taken and scrapes carried out, but these found nothing. Her tongue is extremely uncomfortable and causes her distress. She is a restaurant manager and the ongoing problem is very disturbing. What do you suggest? David Edwards, Bishops Stortford, Herts. This is something I have seen occasionally over my 30 years in practice and its very perplexing, with little clear guidance available from dentists or oral surgeons as to what it is or how to treat it once infection has been ruled out (via swabs, as your daughter has had). Did you know? A white, furry tongue could be due to a change in the natural colony of microbes on the tongue and the gut Typically, by the time I see a patient with a white, furred tongue, theyve self-diagnosed a yeast infection (usually thrush) and are self-medicating with over-the-counter anti-fungal tablets or gels to no avail. Thrush has a characteristic appearance like a white curd, which, when dislodged, leaves a bleeding base. Furthermore, oral yeast infections tend to be distributed throughout the mouth and throat and not just confined to the tongue. Patients also often try to self-treat with mouthwashes, as, no doubt, has your daughter, again without improvement. So, what might be the diagnosis? The description you give doesnt match common tongue disorders, such as geographic tongue (also known as benign migratory glossitis), which is characterised by red, ulcer-like areas with white borders. This appearance constantly changes and moves as the days pass and some patients can, at times, experience a painful burning sensation. While it is never wise to speculate on the basis of a description just as with dermatology, its vital to see the skin in order to make a sensible attempt at diagnosis I have my own theory. I believe your daughters problem may reflect an imbalance in the bacteria in the digestive tract. Since time immemorial, physicians have inspected the tongue when conducting a physical examination, with an unhealthy-looking tongue seen to indicate some sort of disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Today, less reliance is placed on this for making a diagnosis, but I think this is a loss. The tongue is the front door of the gastrointestinal tract and shares its unique colony of bacteria. It is possible that the disorder you describe is due to a change in the natural colony of microbes on the tongue and the gut. To restore the correct balance involves taking a prebiotic essentially food for good gut bacteria as well as a probiotic, a supplement of good bacteria to boost the colony of those in the gut. Tell your daughter to seek advice from a pharmacist, but be patient as, if this is to help, it may take some weeks and is based on theory, not on any objective, established evidence. But it is safe and cannot cause harm. For years, Ive suffered with flashings in my eyes, followed by a dull headache. They used to occur two or three times a year but, recently, theyve started to occur once or twice a week. Could they be a symptom of something sinister? The headaches are very mild and the flashings last about 20 minutes. Im 75 and on tablets for high blood pressure, which keep it under the target set by my doctor otherwise, Im in good health. Roslyn Marlow, Glenfield, Leics. While I appreciate how alarming this symptom must be, I can indeed reassure you, given your history of headaches, that it is not sinister. Seeing visual sparks or flashes may, on some occasions, be part of a transient ischaemic attack (a mini stroke), though this is not what you describe which are classic symptoms of aura, the neurological disturbance that can occur with a migraine. Lights: About 25 per cent of people who have migraines experience aura, with the headache either coinciding with it or following About 25 per cent of people who have migraines experience aura, with the headache either coinciding with it or, as in your case, following on. Typically, the symptoms of aura are visual and start with seeing a bright light or having an area of visual loss. Over minutes, this may expand into geometric shapes or zigzag lines. Because the appearance of these shapes can resemble the walls of a medieval fortress, this particular group of symptoms is known as fortification spectrum. Other symptoms of aura include hearing or smelling things that arent there, pins and needles and dizziness. Curiously, not all those who experience an aura have a headache, which can make the diagnosis more difficult. The vast majority of the six million people in the UK who have migraines dont experience aura although some may have other, different kinds of symptoms that precede the headache. These are known as the prodrome examples include increased yawning, depression or irritability or food cravings. Write to Dr Scurr To contact Dr Scurr with a health query, write to him at Good Health Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email drmartin@dailymail.co.uk including contact details. Dr Scurr cannot enter into personal correspondence. His replies cannot apply to individual cases and should be taken in a general context. Always consult your own GP with any health worries. Advertisement The frequency of migraine can vary throughout life. The recent increase in your attacks isnt sinister and I dont think its related to your well-controlled hypertension. The escalation in frequency may continue or it may abate the pattern cannot be predicted. However, in an effort to minimise attacks, I would advise that you keep well-hydrated and try to eat regularly, as dehydration and missing meals may be a trigger. So, too, is a change in bedtime, as well as too little or even too much sleep. Patients with migraine are also urged to take some form of daily exercise, as research has found that this can help cut the frequency and severity of attacks aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise three times a week (even brisk walking may help). If, despite this advice, the episodes continue to plague you once-weekly or more, I would suggest talking to your GP about prophylaxis taking a daily medication to prevent attacks. Possible options include the beta-blocker propranolol, the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline and the anticonvulsant topiramate, which may help by dampening down the brains electrical activity. These all have the potential to cause side-effects, but these may be preferable to the interference that regular migraine causes to your life. IN MY VIEW....DOCTORS' WATCHDOG IS TOO SOFT BRUSQUE, unfriendly and indifferent are not what you would call ideal qualities for someone working in medicine. Yet this is how the General Medical Council (GMC) described the manner of Dr Jane Barton, the retired GP accused of hastening the deaths of numerous patients at Gosport War Memorial Hospital. The investigation went on to call her use of painkillers on the ward excessive, inappropriate and potentially hazardous and added that, professionally, she had a worrying lack of insight. The panel found Dr Barton guilty of serious professional misconduct yet, despite these major shortcomings, she wasnt struck off. How could that be? The job of a doctor is not defined solely by the ability to get through medical school it is also about taking a solemn oath always to put the welfare of patients first. If a doctor is found to have deviated from this, they expect to be struck off. So why was Dr Barton spared? I find it bewildering but, in truth, its not the only GMC decision that has left me feeling that way. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the arrest of Harold Shipman the most prolific serial killer in this countrys recorded history. In January 2000, Shipman was found guilty of the murder of 15 of the patients under his care, though it has been established he was probably guilty of killing as many as 250. Less well-known is that, in 1976, he had been found guilty of forging prescriptions for pethidine, a morphine-like opiate to which he was addicted (he had forged the prescriptions in the names of various patients). Despite this, after a brief period of suspension from the medical register, the GMC reinstated him and he commenced practice in 1977, working as a family doctor in Manchester. So why did the GMC permit Shipman, a known criminal and drug addict, to enter general practice without any form of continuing supervision? If it had done so, it is more than likely that many lives would have been spared. Yet we have heard no more about the responsibility of the GMC in this matter. It reports directly to the Privy Council and, on occasion, this body of senior politicians does find the actions of the GMC to be flawed it is not above some measure of scrutiny and discipline itself. I say thank goodness for that. Twelve weeks into her fifth pregnancy, Nikki Mason, then 28, was prescribed a drug that would change her life for ever. She had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder the previous year, but had come off her treatment the antipsychotic drug Risperdal because she was trying to conceive and was worried about side-effects for the baby. However, once she was pregnant, her psychiatrist prescribed a different, mood-enhancing drug: sodium valproate (despite the fact that she had no symptoms of depression). Side-effects: Countless women are prescribed valproate for treating epilepsy and bipolar The decision has had devastating consequences for Nikkis daughter, Naomi. Now 12, Naomi has learning difficulties, poor language skills, a thin top lip and a double squint classic signs of whats known as foetal valproate syndrome. Although valproate can be a very effective drug for treating symptoms of epilepsy and bipolar disorder, it can have serious detrimental effects on a growing foetus. Babies exposed to the drug have a 30 to 40 per cent risk of serious developmental disorders, including low IQ, and an 11 per cent risk of physical defects. Exactly how valproate harms the baby is unclear: it may trigger changes in heart rhythm, starving the unborn baby of oxygen, or cause a deficiency in folic acid, linked to spina bifida. Campaigners claim that regulators knew of the problems as far back as 1973 yet it was not until 2015 that clear warnings were published. In the meantime, valproate has been prescribed, without any warnings, to women of childbearing age with epilepsy it is estimated that 20,000 British children have been harmed because their mothers took the drug during pregnancy. Despite the risks, the use of valproate in women aged 15 to 49 has remained widespread, with one in five of the 2,298,000 prescriptions issued between 2010 and 2012 in the UK nearly half-a-million given to women in this age group, according to figures from the manufacturer Sanofi. Risk factor: The medicine can also have serious detrimental effects on a growing foetus To date, the focus on the risks of valproate in pregnancy has centred on women prescribed it for epilepsy. But now, Good Health can reveal that tens of thousands of other women who have bipolar disorder and migraine have also been prescribed it and put at risk. This is despite official guidelines that the drug should not be routinely prescribed to women and girls with epilepsy or bipolar unless other treatments are ineffective or not tolerated. Just like women with epilepsy, many of these patients have not been told of the dangers, either. Almost one in five women taking the drug for epilepsy still does not know that it can harm their unborn child if they become pregnant, according to a survey by a group of epilepsy charities. Also, two-thirds of these women have not received a valproate leaflet issued in February 2016 by drug regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to raise awareness of the risks. Alarmingly, some women still receive repeat prescriptions of the drug from their pharmacist in a plastic bag with no patient information leaflet, it was claimed at a European Medicines Agency (EMA) hearing last September. With some doctors still not warning women of the risks, the EMA launched an inquiry last year into whether further regulatory action was needed. But tens of thousands of other women have also not been warned of the dangers. The dangers: Babies exposed to the drug have a 40 per cent risk of developmental disorders Between 2010 and 2012, more than 87,000 prescriptions of one brand of valproate were issued to women aged 15 to 49 for bipolar disorder and more than 3,000 for migraine. Indeed, as many as one in four women under 50 with bipolar disorder was prescribed valproate, according to a survey by the Prescribing Observatory for Mental Health UK. In the vast majority of cases, this was at a dose associated with a substantial risk of harm to an unborn child, said the survey, published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2016. This suggests that not all prescribers may be aware of the teratogenic potential of valproate i.e., the damage to unborn babies. Furthermore, 45 per cent of these women received no documented evidence of the importance of using contraception while on the drug; half were not warned of the congenital defects it can cause; and 76 per cent were not warned of the long-term developmental problems. The survey reveals poor compliance with official prescribing guidelines. More needs to be done to protect women, says Dr Sarah Jones, a consultant perinatal psychiatrist at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester. NICE [National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] guidelines issued in 2007 and 2014 state that valproate should only be prescribed to women of childbearing potential in exceptional circumstances; if they havent responded to other medication and are aware of all of the risks in pregnancy. Despite this, there are still women taking valproate without an awareness of the risks in pregnancy. Janet Williams, chief executive of In-FACT, the Independent Fetal anti-Convulsant Trust charity which supports victims of the drug, added: We already know valproate is prescribed for thousands of women for epilepsy, however there is also a high prescription rate for for bipolar, too. The risks of valproate in pregnancy have been known of by governing bodies since 1973 yet we know that around 70 per cent of female valproate patients are still not warned about the risks to women of childbearing age and we are very concerned of the outcome this may have for women prescribed it for bipolar disorder. According to the charity Bipolar UK, valproate is a continuing issue for women with bipolar; Some say they were warned of the risks years before and some say they have never received any information, a spokeswoman said. In April, the MHRA announced it has changed the licence of valproate so it can no longer be prescribed to women of childbearing age unless they sign a form saying they understand the risks. A new warning will also appear on the packet and the drug will be distributed in smaller packs to encourage monthly prescribing. It comes after the EMA endorsed a similar ban earlier this year. But while this is a welcome move, there are still many whove been given the drug and who are living with the consequences of the failure to warn them of the potential risks. Their situation bears similarities to other medical devices and treatments regulated by the MHRA, where women have reported ongoing problems but their complaints have fallen on deaf ears. Following a campaign led by the Mail, Baroness Julia Cumberlege, a former Health Minister, has been asked to chair a review into the official response to patients concerns in three areas vaginal mesh (used to treat incontinence), birth defects caused by Primodos (a hormone-based pregnancy test), and birth defects linked to sodium valproate. (Campaigners are hoping that the review will also look at Essure, a birth control implant, which, as Good Health previously reported, has been known to disintegrate and cause debilitating allergic reactions.) With valporate, the focus has been on women with epilepsy however, as we reveal today, a proportion of women with other conditions have been affected such as Nikki Mason. She says: From a baby I could tell something wasnt quite right with Naomi. She didnt babble and her speech was delayed. All her problems were attributed to learning difficulties. I felt there was something more but my concerns were always dismissed. Nikki is convinced that valproate is to blame. There is no other possible explanation. I have four other children aged 16 to 24, none of whom have these problems, says Nikki, now 41, of Bishop Auckland, who is married to David. Nikki was prescribed valproate by her psychiatrist as a safe option during pregnancy. I didnt have any symptoms but he wanted to put me on medication to keep me stable, she says. As the pregnancy developed and I got heavier, the doses of valproate got higher. She took the drug for eight years. I stopped taking it because it felt like it was turning my brain to mush, she says. Thats when I looked up the drug and its side-effects online and I first found out about the risks during pregnancy. I feel so guilty and angry. When I raised foetal valproate syndrome with my GP, he didnt seem to know anything about it. However, when I mentioned it to a paediatrician, he said Naomis problems could be caused by the drug. In the past six months, solicitor David Gazzard, of Swindon-based firm BLB, has been contacted by 50 people affected by valporate, including women who took it for epilepsy and bipolar disorder and who have affected children. He will check what advice they were given by doctors. Meanwhile, campaigners want a compensation scheme for the victims and a public inquiry into the regulation and licensing of medical products within the UK. Speaking at the EMA hearing last year, Dr Eric Teo, who is in charge of drug safety at Sanofi, said: Sanofi has always provided the most up to date scientific information, with the approval of the health authorities. There is a consent form for doctors to review with patients, there are patient cards to take home and there is also a prominent warning on the outside of the box. The MHRA says patients should not stop taking the medicine without consulting their doctor. Drug shortages pose a public health crisis in the US As of June 2018, the US is short on 182 drugs and medical supplies, including IV bags. On June 12, the American Medical Association announced that drug shortages pose an urgent public health crisis. This crisis should be of concern to all Americans. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines a drug shortage as a 'period of time when the demand or projected demand for a medically necessary drug in the US exceeds its supply.' All too often, a shortage means that doctors cannot give the right drugs to patients when needed. Serious drug shortages are not a new phenomenon. The FDA recognized their prevalence and established a Drug Shortage Program back in 1999. The problem, however, persists. Worryingly, almost 90 percent of surveyed health care workers said that their hospitals were running low on supplies used in the emergency room In short supply Currently, the US is short on 182 drugs and medical supplies, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The list includes IV bags, injectable morphine and other powerful painkillers, anesthetics, antibiotics, electrolytes, cancer drugs and much more. All of these are of critical importance to patients with serious illnesses. Why do drug shortages occur? The AMA blames the current crisis in part on the damage caused to production facilities in Puerto Rico by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. Furthermore, the government's efforts to combat the opioid crisis by reducing the availability of opioids has hampered the ability for hospitals to obtain necessary painkillers. Production delays at manufacturing plants or delays in procuring raw materials from suppliers can also contribute to shortages. Some companies choose to stop manufacturing a drug in order to focus on newer, more lucrative medicines. If a manufacturer is one of only a few producers or the primary producer, even a temporary stoppage can have harmful market effects. For example, only seven companies make most of the sterile injectable drugs sold in the US If one of these has difficulty or discontinues production, it would be very hard for the others to make up the difference. Experts simply do not know the reasons that most drugs are in short supply (blue), but manufacturing issues (red) accounted for the lion's share of understood shortages in 2017 Dangerous outcomes Drug shortages have serious consequences. Most importantly, they often endanger patients' lives. When health care providers cannot administer needed drugs, they cannot provide proper treatment. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices conducted a survey of almost 300 health care providers in 2017. A majority of participants felt that drug shortages had affected their patients. Seven in 10 stated shortages made them unable to provide some patients with recommended treatments. Almost half believed that as a result, their patients received less effective therapies. In addition, 75 percent of participants stated that they were forced to delay patient treatments because of shortages. In one case, a delay in treating sepsis with sodium bicarbonate may have contributed to a patient's death. Other poor outcomes included more pain or discomfort during procedures because appropriate drugs were unavailable. Drug shortages also contribute to increased health care costs. Medical staff must spend time managing drug shortages. They must track inventory, identify alternatives and make decisions about rationing scarce resources. In addition, some vendors engage in price gouging when selling drugs in short supply. The cost of this deplorable practice may reach over US$400 million a year. Drug shortages can have other consequences for doctors and patients. Physicians face the unenviable task of explaining to patients that they cannot receive needed drugs. This can be demoralizing for patients and make them lose trust in the medical profession. Additionally, insurers may refuse to pay for a treatment that is substituted for a drug in shortage. They may insist the alternative medication is not standard therapy and therefore will not be covered. Finally, drug shortages can adversely affect medical research. If drugs that are being studied are unavailable, research projects may have to be postponed, suspended or canceled. The US faces shortages of medical supplies every year. The number of items running low is lower than it was five years ago, but still hovers steadily around 200 Tackling the problem By law, manufacturers are required to report the expected duration of shortages and the reasons for them to the FDA. They must also provide notifications of production discontinuances and temporary interruptions. FDA states that it posts information about drug shortages on its website. However, it is not clear where on the website this data is placed. Indeed, many health care providers indicate that they do not consistently receive information that could help them prepare for shortages. The FDA states that it works with manufacturers to resolve drug shortages as quickly as possible. Fortunately, in recent years, there have been fewer drug shortages than earlier in the decade. However, the number still hovers around 200 annually. In my view, this figure remains unacceptably high and all too often compromises patient care. The drug shortage crisis must remain a priority for the government, the health care industry and the public at large. Connecticut has more psychopaths than any other state, according to a new study. The idyllic east coast state is known for its small towns, family-friendly neighborhoods, and Yale University - but research shows it holds another distinction: a higher percentage of people with psychopathic personality traits. The paper, by Southern Methodist University in Texas, used 2013 data on the 'big five' personality traits (neuroticism, agreeableness, extroversion, conscientiousness and openness to experience) in every state of America. Lead author Ryan Murphy then looked for areas where people were less neurotic, less agreeable, more extroverted, and less conscientious. Overall, the Northeast has more psychopaths than the rest of the country - with New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maine all in the top 10. Meanwhile, aside from Wyoming (fourth-most psychopathic) and California (second), the West had the lowest rates. Psychopaths like Hannibal Lecter are less neurotic, less agreeable, more extroverted, and less conscientious people, according to a forthcoming paper. A social scientists decided to see where those traits were most prominent around the US The study, which has not yet gone through peer-review, works with two datasets. The first is a paper published in 2013 by the University of Texas, Austin, which established the 'big five' personality traits. That study conducted surveys across the country to give an overview of the types of personalities in each state. The second is a forthcoming paper, to be published later this year, which establishes psychopathic personality traits, using the 'big five' as reference points. Murphy is a research associate in the fields of institutional economics, public policy, and macroeconomics, but when he got wind of the new paper on psychopaths he felt inspired to bridge the two ideas together. 'I keep track of a few different academic literatures in social science,' he told DailyMail.com. 'I spotted the Hyatt et al. (forthcoming) paper last month, and it instantly clicked that I could use that in conjunction with the Rentfrow et al (2013) data to construct a state-level dataset pretty easily. 'I did so to satisfy my intellectual curiosity, and continued pursuing it even though it is a bit outside my primary research program.' The findings are compelling - and a starting point for more research, Murphy said. Connecticut came first, followed by California, then New Jersey, then New York and Wyoming in joint fourth place. Washington, D.C., was excluded from the general list, but when included it out-runs everywhere else as the most psychopathic place in the country. Murphy, while intrigued, says there is some logic that could explain some of the results. 'What is driving most of the variation in the data appears to be the urban/rural distinction,' Murphy said. Wyoming threw him though. 'Wyoming is the most puzzling data point,' Murphy said. 'I speculate in the paper that it might be a fluke because it is built using the smallest sample size of any state in the Rentfrow et al. (2013) data, but I place little confidence in that speculation.' Connecticut, also known as the Land Of Steady Habits and The Provisions State, provides America with more psychopaths than anywhere else in the country Connecticut may surprise readers, but that result is more clear cut, he says. While Connecticut has a 'quaint' reputation, its frictions are infamous (the Sandy Hook shooting, and the opioid addiction crisis, to name a couple). More importantly, though, it borders with the gloriously unhinged Empire State. 'Connecticut's proximity to New York City and the proportion of people in Connecticut who have some relationship with New York City is probably the cause of it,' Murphy said. Older women with breast cancer are far less likely to undergo lifesaving treatments, a major audit has shown. While 96 per cent of patients aged 50 to 69 have surgery to remove tumours, this falls to 76 per cent for those over 70. They are also half as likely to have chemotherapy, figures compiled by the Royal College of Surgeons show. Older women with breast cancer are far less likely to undergo lifesaving treatments (stock image) A total of 61 per cent of women with a type of breast cancer that responds to chemotherapy were offered the treatment but this fell to 23 per cent for those over 70. The Royal College of Surgeons urged cancer specialists to tailor women's treatment to their overall health and preferences rather than their age. The figures are from the National Audit of Breast Cancer in Older Patients, carried out jointly by the Royal College of Surgeons and the Association of Breast Surgery. Professor Kieran Horgan, lead surgeon on the audit, said: 'This audit provides the clearest picture yet of the treatments that older women with breast cancer receive. 'It also highlights a number of differences in the type of treatments that older women undergo, compared to younger women. 'In some instances, it is not appropriate for an older woman to have surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. 'However, all women should be offered treatment tailored to their type of tumour, general health and preferences.' 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. CYBG, owner of Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank and B Brands, has agreed to buy Virgin Money for 1.7billion. The takeover, confirmed by the banks this morning, will create the UK's sixth largest bank with assets of more than 70billion and more than six million customers. The firms admit 'there will be a loss of jobs' as a result of the deal with the bulk of the cuts impacting senior management staff. The CYBG deal values Virgin Money at around 1.7bn. Shareholders will own 38% of the group CYBG said: 'As a result of the significant operational overlap between CYBG and Virgin Money, the combined group will be able to reduce the duplication of roles.' The group currently has around 9,500 full-time employees and expects to reduce this by around a sixth, equating to around 1,500 people. Under the terms of the agreement, each Virgin Money share valued at around 371p will be exchanged for 1.2125 shares in the new combined group. Virgin Money shareholders will own approximately 38 per cent of the group, which exceeds the bank's previous offer of around 36.5 per cent. Virgin Money boss Jayne-Anne Gadhia will serve as an adviser to group CEO David Duffy The bank has also agreed with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group to retain the Virgin Money brand. Branson is expected to rake in royalties of at least 15million a year after the first four years that the combined group operates. CYBG's David Duffy will stay on as chief executive, and Virgin Money boss Jayne-Anne Gadhia will serve in a consultancy role as his senior adviser. The group, which will be headquartered in Glasgow, will continue to be chaired by CYBG's Jim Pettigrew, alongside finance chief Ian Smith. The banks said that the deal would effectively bring the group out of the challenger market and make it a real competitor to leading lenders. Gadhia said: 'This is a compelling deal for our shareholders, that accelerates value delivery and represents the beginning of the next chapter of the Virgin Money story.' Virgin Money was founded in 1995 and expanded in 2011 when it bought the remains of Northern Rock for about 747m. CYBG shares were trading higher at around 0.6% in early trading, while Virgin Money shares were up as much as 2.4%. Relations between barmy-sounding hedge funder Bill Gross and his ex-wife Sue have turned rancid. According to court documents filed last week, Sue accuses her billionaire ex, 74, of leaving the 30million beach home she was awarded after their divorce with dead fish rotting in an air vent. Mildly less creepy than a horses head, I suppose. Relations between hedge funder Bill Gross and his ex-wife Sue have turned rancid Struggling Deutsche Bank will open a new cultural centre in Berlin this September. Described as a vibrant, inspiring, unique space for art, culture and sports the bank has portentously named the ornate building the Palais Populaire. Wonder how populaire it will be with the 7,000-odd staff Deutsche are currently shedding in its latest cost-cutting drive? Racing mad Balfour Beatty boss Leo Quinn, 61, is looking forward to Royal Ascot, but warns readers against backing his horse Desert Skyline in Thursdays Gold Cup. Attending a lunch for the Victoria Racing Club, he says: Hes up against Order of St George and Stradivarius which are both brilliant horses, so Id recommend a very small each-way bet only. Chain-smoking City spinner Lord Bell, 76, founder of the now defunct public relations giant Bell Pottinger, tells the New Yorker that when he started out corporate communications was regarded as like peeing down your trouser leg it gave you a nice warm feeling when it first happened, but it goes cold and wet pretty quickly. Uncouth little blighter, isnt he? Former London Stock Exchange chief Xavier Rolet, who left abruptly last November following a spat with chairman Donald Brydon, is reported to have spurned an opportunity to lead Thomson Reuters trading divisions. Does the studious-looking Frenchman, 58, feel a loftier sinecure awaits? A well-placed City insider has warned that the unseemly manner of Xaviers departure from the LSE means plum posts are unlikely to just plop into his lap. 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. President Trump said Monday that he's implementing strict immigration policies because he doesn't want the United States to end up like Europe. 'The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility. Won't be,' he charged in fiery remarks at a White House event. 'You look at what's happening in Europe. You look at what's happening in other places. We can't allow that to happen to the United States. Not on my watch.' President Trump said Monday that he's implementing strict immigration policies because he doesn't want the United States to end up like Europe Trump suggested the United States' could bolster its credentials as leader of the free world by passing merit-based immigration laws that put a premium on high-skilled workers and lock down America's porous borders 'The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility. Won't be,' he charged later in fiery remarks at a White House event. The president delved without warning into a heated argument over immigration that his administration has been waging with Democrats at a signing ceremony for his space policy initiative. 'Immigration is the fault [of Democrats], and all of the problems that we're having, 'cause we cannot get them to sign legislation. We cannot get them even to the negotiating table. And I say it's very strongly the Democrats' fault,' he said at the East Room event. 'They're obstructionists, and they are obstructing.' The president pinned the blame for family separation on the opposing party, which he said is refusing to work with Republicans in Congress to pass new rules to govern the nation's immigration system. 'If the Democrats would sit down, instead of obstructing, we could have something done very quickly - good for the children, good for the country good for the world,' he asserted. 'It could take place quickly. We could have an immigration bill. We could have child separation [ended].' Instead, the president contended, 'We're stuck with these horrible laws. They're horrible laws. What's happening is so sad. Is so sad. And it can be taken care of quickly, beautifully, and we'll have safety. 'This could really be something very special. It could be something. Maybe even for the world to watch. Just like they're watching our great economy, how it's soaring, they could watch this.' Trump suggested the United States' could bolster its credentials as leader of the free world by passing merit-based immigration laws that put a premium on high-skilled workers and lock down America's porous borders. 'We have the worst immigration laws in the entire world. Nobody has such sad, such bad, and actually in many cases such horrible and tough. You see about child separation. You see what's going on there,' he said, bringing up a policy Democrats have been hammering his administration for adopting. 'But just remember, a country without borders, is not a country at all,' Trump said as justification. 'We have to take care of our people. You take a look at the death and the destruction that's been caused by people coming into this country without going through a process.' The president conflated the diversity visa lottery that awards entry to vetted applicants at random with people who he said 'snuck across' the border to enter the country unlawfully. 'They could be murderers and thieves and so much else,' he asserted. 'So we want a safe country, and it starts with the borders, and that's the way it is.' As the applause in the room died down, the president said, before returning to the topic at hand, that Democrats have but one choice to end the family separation: join Republicans in passing legislation that restructures the immigration system the way he's demanding. 'Everybody wants to do it. We want to do it more than they do,' he said of immigration reform. [If they come to the table, instead of playing politics, we can do it very, very quickly.' The president's pitch: ''This could really be something very special. It could be something. Maybe even for the world to watch. Just like they're watching our great economy, how it's soaring, they could watch this' A view of inside U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detention facility shows detainees inside fenced areas at Rio Grande Valley Centralized Processing Center in Rio Grande City, Texas, U.S., June 17, 2018. Picture taken on June 17, 2018 Immigrants wait to head to a Catholic Charities relief center after being dropped off at a bus station shortly after release from detention through "catch and release" immigration policy on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas. The man said he was separated from his son while in detention. "Catch and release" is a protocol under which people detained by US authorities as unlawful immigrants can be released while they wait for a hearing The White House spent most of Monday sparring with Democrats who have been accusing the Trump administration of exploiting migrant families. Each side condemned the other for using children as 'pawns' in a raging illegal immigration debate. President Trump said Monday, as he attempted to gain the upper hand, that children are 'being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country.' Trump said in tweets that he'd also like to know where Democratic outrage is for American families who are being permanently separated by murderous, illegal immigrant gangsters. 'Why dont the Democrats give us the votes to fix the worlds worst immigration laws? Where is the outcry for the killings and crime being caused by gangs and thugs, including MS-13, coming into our country illegally?' he said in a Monday morning rant. A rotating cast of Trump administration officials appeared on national news networks to buttress the president's arguments and assail Democrats using family separation as a cudgel against the Republicans' in their war over illegal immigration. Hogan Gidley, a deputy spokesman for the president, appeared on Fox News and asserted that Democrats are 'playing politics with people's lives. They're doing it on the backs of children. It's absolutely grotesque.' 'All they want to do is go down and grandstand and try to use this to political gain to try and get reelected in a few years, and it's grotesque,' he told reporters as he walked back inside the White House to his office. 'We can fix it right now, we can protect our citizens, but more important protect all the children around the world who are trying to come here.' The Trump spokesman claimed that migrant families 'separate themselves a lot of times,' sending their children with coyotes promising to bring them across the border for a hefty price. 'It's a deplorable situation, we've gotta fix it. And Congress could do it tomorrow, if you close the loopholes, the situation's solved,' Gidley stated. The president delved without warning into a heated argument over immigration that his administration has been waging with Democrats at a signing ceremony for his space policy initiative White House Director of Strategic of Communications Mercede Schlapp said on Fox that Democrats are 'using children as political pawns' and are essentially 'advocating for the smugglers who are bringing these children over' the border. 'We have our hands tied and the smugglers have the advantage,' she said, insisting that MS-13 gang members are bringing over small children as leverage. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen also claimed Monday that the crisis of illegal immigrant children being housed separately from the adults who bring them across the border is, in part, fueled by men and women making fraudulent asylum claims with children who aren't theirs. 'From October 2017 to this February, we have seen a staggering 315 per cent increase in illegal aliens fraudulently using children to pose as family units to gain entry into the country,' she told the annual National Association of Sheriffs meeting in New Orleans. 'This must stop. All this does is put the children at risk,' the DHS chief added. 'We do not have the luxury of pretending that all individuals coming to this country as a family unit are in fact a family.' 'We have to do our job. We will not apologize for doing our job.' A DHS official told DailyMail.com that in the first five months of fiscal year 2018, DHS found 191 cases of fraud compared to 46 cases in all of fiscal year 2017. Before the administration's zero tolerance policy, the official explained, traffickers knew that by bringing over a child they were likely to be released directly into the country and began taking advantage of the system. The increase in fraudulent cases, by the government's numbers, was steep - but it counted for relatively small portion of immigrant children entering the country illegally with adults over the same time period. DHS said that the roughly 1,800 separations from guardians or parents occurred from October through February. Fraudulent cases, therefore, accounted for roughly 11 percent of those separations. The 'zero-tolerance' border security policy adopted in April by the Trump administration was at the center of a flare up on Sunday in the U.S. as Democrats took aim at Republicans celebrating Father's Day by sharing photos of their families on the Internet. Democratic lawmakers on Sunday said that they would fight the 'evil' separation of children from their parents at the border while accusing the Trump administration of 'using the grief, the tears, the pain of these kids as mortar to build their wall.' 'They call it "zero tolerance," but a better name for it is zero humanity, and there's zero logic to this policy,' Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley said during a trip to the Mexican border. Rep. Adam Schiff told NBC, 'It's an effort to extort a bill to their liking in the Congress. 'It's, I think, deeply unethical, and by the Presidents making these provable falsehoods about whats required, the party adopting that has become, the GOP has become the party of lies,' the Democratic congressman stated. The Trump administration says that 'open border' policies have led to a surge in illegal immigration that has forced the administration to treat all migrants unlawfully crossing the Untied States' southern border as criminals. 'It is a crime to enter this country illegally. So if [Democrats] dont like that law, they should change it,' Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, charged on Meet the Press on Sunday. 'Do you want the child in jail? As opposed to a facility?' Immigrants are dropped off at a bus station shortly after being released from detention through "catch and release" immigration policy on June 17, 2018 in McAllen, Texas Conway said that President Trump wants to double the number of family detention centers as part of his 70-point immigration plan that Congress has not passed, in order to keep more families together. Gidley on Monday charged, 'There is a separation that occurs because the law exists that way. It is a farce to believe you can keep them together. ... Democrats say you can't detain them. So if you can't detain them, you can't deport them, you have to release them into the interior of the country. It's a complete false choice but it can be so simply if would close these loopholes.' The White House spokesman forcefully argued that the government has a responsibility to detain undocumented immigrants in order to cut down on crime. 'And I understand the Democrats are upset about temporary separation of families who come here illegally, ' he acknowledged. 'Where is the outcry for the permanent separation when one of these people come to the country, commit a crime, kill an American citizen either with their own hand or via drugs they distribute, no one comes to their defense?' 'The permanent separation is the biggest abomination, and no Democrat's coming out decrying that at all,' Gidley charged on Fox. Backing his spokesman up on Twitter, the president demanded that Democrats 'CHANGE THE LAWS!' to cut down on the unlawful border traffic driving the administration's family separation policy. 'It is the Democrats fault for being weak and ineffective with Boarder Security and Crime. Tell them to start thinking about the people devastated by Crime coming from illegal immigration. Change the laws!' he tweeted on Monday morning. Trump said that 'children are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country.' 'Has anyone been looking at the Crime taking place south of the border. It is historic, with some countries the most dangerous places in the world. Not going to happen in the U.S.' The president on Sunday evening called on Democrats to 'get together with their Republican counterparts and work something out on Border Security & Safety.' 'Dont wait until after the election because you are going to lose!' he said, needling the opposing party. Democratic lawmakers touring border facilitates on Sunday said that the Trump administration was behaving immorally and unethically in order to get the president's desired changes to border security. 'It's completely unacceptable under any moral code or under any religious tradition to injure children, inflict trauma on them in order to send some political message to adults somewhere overseas,' Merkely said after stopping by a facility housing 1,500 immigrant children. Merkley accused Republicans of 'hurting kids to get legislative leverage is unacceptable. It is evil.' Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said Trump 'is not telling the truth' about the law as written. 'There is no law, there is no policy that has allowed him to snatch children away from their families,' she said. 'I can assure you we'll be fighting to the end to stop this ugly, vile program that is harming children and creating massive child abuse.' Democratic Rep. David Cicilline said the policy was 'undermining the founding values of this country.' 'We saw the fear in the eyes of these children who are wondering when they will see their parent ever again. It's a disgrace, it's shameful and it's un-American,' he said. A gate on the US side of the US-Mexican border On Friday, the Trump administration said that a spike in illegal immigration has led to more than 2,000 minors being separated from their parents or guardians in the last six weeks. The admission kept the already-controversial family separation debate front and center heading into the work week. 'The pace of separations has increasedfrom nearly 50 to nearly 70 per daydespite widespread opposition throughout America. The White House appears deaf to the wellspring of opposition and deep concern about the welfare of children,' Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in a Monday statement. Republicans were planning to vote on two pieces of legislation that would overhaul immigration in the House of Representatives following a visit to Capitol Hill from president on Tuesday. Gidley indicated to reporters at the White House on Monday that a bipartisan group of lawmakers could also be invited to the White House for a conversation on illegal immigration and how to fix a system both sides say is broken. Even the president's wife entered into the political fray on Sunday. '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,' her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said. 'She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.' Former First Lady Laura Bush, wife to ex-Republican president George W. Bush, also chimed in. 'I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart, ' she wrote in the Washington Post. Bill Clinton, an ex-Democratic president, hit the Trump administration, as well, in a Father's Day tweet that was seconded by his wife, 2016 Democratic nominee for president Hillary Clinton. 'These children should not be a negotiating tool. And reuniting them with their families would reaffirm America's belief in & support for all parents who love their children,' he tweeted. The family of a Mexican woman found dead in Utah visited the site where her body was found and held an emotional memorial. Family members of 26-year-old Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado hugged, prayed and cried together as they planted a cross in the ground Friday in the foothills east of Provo. Her remains were found last month by a passerby looking for a camping spot. She was missing for three years. Family members pray on Friday last week in Hobble Creek Canyon near Provo, Utah, where Elizabeth Elena Laguna-Salgado was found Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado disappeared after a language lesson in Provo, Utah in 2015 Her uncle Rosemberg Salgado says it's remarkable she was found due to the site's remote nature. Most of the family lives in Mexico and traveled to Utah to visit the site and pressure investigators to solve the case. Investigators say the death is suspicious and they're interviewing 'persons of interest.' Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado, who was originally from Chiapas in Mexico, had only been in the United States for three weeks when she vanished. The 26-year-old texted her sister after leaving a language school but disappeared soon after Julio Cesar Laguna-Salgado, left, along with family members lay flowers next to a cross in the canyon The 26-year-old was in Utah to study English after completing a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After leaving Nomen Global Language Center in Provo she sent a text to her sister in Mexico at 1:30 p.m. but she never made it to her home, two miles away in the city, the Deseret News reported. Police had few leads over the years about what happened to her, despite intense searches, pleas to the public and a reward for information. Her skeleton was found last month and identified using dental records and a homicide investigation is currently underway. The remains of the 26-year-old Mexican woman were discovered by a passer-by looking for a camping spot last month 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. A defenceless puppy has had all its legs and its tail chopped off by a brute who left it for dead in a Turkish forest sparking national outrage. Shocking images emerged online of the maimed animal in a case that has outraged the country and grabbed the political agenda ahead of next week's elections. The puppy, whose four paws and tail had been cut off, was found in a forest in the Sapanca district in the northwestern province of Sakarya and taken to a vet for treatment. The wounded animal died during surgery on Friday. The case has emerged at the forefront of the country's election agenda with both government officials and opposition politicians vowing to clamp down on such appalling abuse. The horrible killing of a puppy has caused outrage in Turkey, with politicians voicing support for a new law to prevent violence against stray animals President Tayyip Erdogan told an election rally in Istanbul on Sunday that police had detained a construction machine operator on Saturday in relation to the puppy's death. Erdogan pledged that Turkey's animal rights laws would be amended after the June 24 vote in which he is aiming to win a second term. 'Whether at home or on the street, we will take the law into consideration and evaluate it. This operator was arrested today. The authorities in Sapanca ordered his arrest,' he said. 'There is nothing acceptable about this, but it is very important to show this awareness.' The incident prompted a rare show of unity among Turkey's political parties and presidential candidates, who have been trading barbs for weeks ahead of Sunday's parliamentary and presidential elections. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to change animals rights laws if he is re-elected as the torture and killing of a gorgeous puppy outraged the nation The operator of a heavy duty vehicle working in the area was detained, announced Sakarya Chief Prosecutor Lutfi Dursun, after the puppy succumbed to its injuries As images and videos of the puppy drew outrage on social media, both government officials and opposition politicians condemned the act and have called for stricter measures against those mistreating animals. Animal rights groups say Turkey's punishments for animal cruelty are too lenient. An amendment to animal rights legislation has been on the parliament's agenda for months, but little progress has been made. 'This brutality against a small being is a painful manifestation of the loss of values in our country. 'I hope to God that those who hurt a small puppy find what they deserve in the afterlife,' Iyi Party leader and presidential candidate Meral Aksener said on Twitter. 'If only they would do so in this world with the correct laws as well,' she said. New Yorkers are preparing for near record-breaking weather on Monday as temperatures are predicted to be well into the 90s. According to the National Weather Service, the temperature could reach a scorching high of 95 degrees. It hasn't been that hot in the city since 1929. New Yorkers are preparing for record-breaking weather on Monday as temperatures are predicted to be well into the 90s Temperatures on Sunday reached a high of 88 as other parts of the east coast reached the low 90s But on Monday, the temperature for New York City could reach a scorching high of 95 degrees. It hasn't been that hot in the city since 1929 This sweltering heat prompted the weather service to issue a heat advisory for the city, which will be in effect from 11am to 8pm on Monday This sweltering heat prompted the weather service to issue a heat advisory for the city, which will be in effect from 11am to 8pm on Monday. According to the service, the heat and humidity will result in high heat index values, meaning it will feel hotter than the air temperature indicates. In New York, that heat index is expected to be around 100 and the highest will occur during the afternoon. Extreme heat can cause illness and death among at-risk populations who cannot stay cool and weather experts have warned New Yorkers to stay inside to avoid extended heat exposure. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo urged New Yorkers to take precautions against heat related illnesses and limit strenuous outdoor physical activity. 'With prolonged heat and humidity in the forecast, I urge New Yorkers to take necessary steps to stay cool,' Cuomo said. 'As temperatures continue to rise, I encourage everyone to check on your friends and neighbors who may need some extra help and to cool off at state parks pools and cooling centers.' Public schools in Jersey City announced on Twitter that they will close early on Monday due to the 'excessive heat'. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo urged New Yorkers (file image) to take precautions against heat related illnesses and limit strenuous outdoor physical activity The potentially deadly heatwave has spread from the Midwest toward the Northeast. On Tuesday, the temperatures for New York hit the high 80s Temperatures are expected to go back to normal after a morning shower on Tuesday. By Wednesday, New Yorkers will be experiencing weather in the low 80s Public schools in Jersey City announced on Twitter that they will close early on Monday due to the 'excessive heat' 'Schools will close at 12:45 tomorrow (June 18) because of excessive heat. There will be no after school programs or CASPER, the Jersey City School District said on Twitter. Temperatures are expected to climb above 90 degrees in New Jersey as well. A front will drop in from the north on Monday afternoon, potentially producing thunderstorms with gusty winds, hail and heavy rain. Monday's hot temperatures will also impact multiple school districts in Massachusetts. There will be no classes for Lowell Public Schools and McAuliffe Elementary School warned parents earlier that classes could be affected due to the facility not having air conditioning. The district has been battling building problems this year, along with gas leaks and heating problems, NECN. Students in Haverhill, Holyoke and Lawrence, Massachusetts, will have early dismissals on Monday. Temperatures are expected to go back to normal after a morning rain shower on Tuesday. By Wednesday, New Yorkers will be experiencing weather in the low 80s. The potentially deadly heatwave has also wreaked havoc on the Midwest when temperatures reached into the high 90s. Temperatures reached the high 90s on Sunday in Chicago, approaching if not surpassing the hottest June 17 on record - 96 degrees in 1957. A Texas woman who was sentenced to five years in prison in March for casting a ballot in the 2016 presidential election while ineligible to vote has been denied a new trial. Crystal Mason, a 43-year-old tax fraud convict from Rendon, Texas, voted in the 2016 election while on supervised release - unaware that she was ineligible under a state law that says felons are only allowed to vote after they have fully completed their sentence. Mason was slapped with a hefty five-year prison sentence in March of this year, and on Monday the same judge denied her request for a new trial. The mother-of-two says she plans to challenge the decision. Crystal Mason, a 43-year-old tax fraud convict who was sentenced to five years in prison in March for voting illegally in the 2016 presidential election, was denied a retrial on Monday The mother-of-two says she plans to appeal the judge's decision, arguing that the law is unclear and the sentence unnecessarily harsh. She is pictured in court in Fort Worth in May 'Right now, I'm very overwhelmed with all this. Everything is a shock, you know? Everything,' Mason told CBS this week. Mason, a tax preparer, pleaded guilty to tax fraud in 2011 and was sentenced to five years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Shortly after she was released from prison in 2016, her mother convinced her to go vote in the presidential election - a decision that she now regrets. 'I'm wishing that I never voted. That's how I'm wishing. I'm wishing that I never ever went up there to vote.' At the polling place Mason was required to sign an affidavit which lists requirements for voting, including that convicted felons can have their voting privileges restored after fully completing their sentences. Mason said she didn't thoroughly read the affidavit because the election worker had been helping her fill the form out. Election workers soon discovered that she was a convicted felon and she was arrested in February for voter fraud. Mason claims she was unaware that she was ineligible to vote under a Texas law that says felons cannot vote until they have fully completed their sentence During her trial testimony, Mason said that no one had told her she had to wait until her supervised release was over before she could vote. 'She was never told that she couldn't vote, and she voted in good faith,' Mason's lawyer J Warren St John said in court. 'Why would she risk going back to prison for something that is not going to change her life?' Judge Ruben Gonzalez handed down a five-year prison sentence in March and denied Mason's request for a retrial this week. She is now planning to file an appeal. 'One of the things that we are going to complain to the appellate court is that this law really isn't clear,' Mason's defense attorney Alison Grinter said after the request for a retrial was denied. Mason's defense team also says that the sentence is far too strict, citing a similar case in Iowa in which a woman was only sentenced to two years on probation. Whitehall bosses are to ask staff if they went to private school in a drive to increase diversity. As part of a survey of socio-economic issues, civil servants will be asked to state the type of school they attended. Other topics will include whether they qualified for free school meals as children and the profession and academic qualifications of their parents. The survey has been drawn up following a consultation with private sector firms KPMG, Grant Thornton and Linklaters, the Daily Telegraph reported. Whitehall bosses are asking staff if they went to private school in order to increase diversity Civil servants will be asked if they qualified for free school meals. Stock picture These companies are already said to ask staff such questions, while others including Standard Life say they will follow suit. Tens of thousands of civil servants will take part in the annual survey in October. But another Civil Service survey of almost 3,000 senior civil servants in 2016 found that just 23 per cent went to a fee-paying school, and 42 per cent of those had been on bursaries. Nearly half of those questioned 47 per cent went to a non-selective state school. In the wider population, 7 per cent of children attend fee-paying schools. However, Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council, described the new survey as methodologically naive and said that, as head of Harrow School, he had taught boys who lived in council estates and boys who lived in castles. David Green, of think-tank Civitas, added: For centuries every sincere supporter of liberty and democracy wanted individuals to be judged on their own merits now Whitehall reactionaries want us to take a step backwards. And Henry Morris, of data analysts PIC, said: The truth is that it doesnt really matter how someones education was funded. The important thing is how much support their parents gave them and if they went to a high-quality school. Socio-economic checks on staff backgrounds will not become mandatory for companies, the Government said. However, guidelines published last week suggested that all employers hold similar surveys. The document says the aim is to attract more talented people from disadvantaged backgrounds, perhaps by using the data to target recruitment campaigns. The Cabinet Office said: This [data] will be used anonymously and never to form the basis of individual recruitment decisions. An anti-vaccination billboard has been defaced by vandals after widespread backlash over its controversial content The Perth billboard originally read: 'Do you know what's in a vaccine?' with a link to an American anti-vaccination group named 'Learn The Risk'. The text was slammed by locals, with one vandal taking his frustration to the next level and spray-painting the billboard. CCTV footage of Brisbane Street in Northbridge shows a man spray painting the billboard late on Saturday night. CCTV footage shows a man spray painting over the controversial billboard (pictured), late Saturday evening in Perth, Western Australia The billboard sparked controversy with the Western Australia minister calling for its removal as it is 'dangerous, misleading' The original billboard (pictured) sparked controversy in the Perth suburb of Northbridge as it's linked to American anti-vaccination group: 'Learn The Risk' The man cheekily changed the answer to the controversial question writing: 'Common Sense.' The Western Australian minister, Roger Cook, had previously said that the 'dangerous, misleading' campaign should be taken down. 'People have a right to express a view, they don't have a right to scare people with these sort of lies, these falsehoods, about the so-called dangers of vaccination,' Mr Cook said. Mr Cook said he will consider ministerial powers under the WA Health Act to have the billboard removed. In 2017, 90.6 per cent of Perth children were vaccinated, around 5 per cent lower than the national target of 95 per cent. In March, Daily Mail Australia reported on a targeted Australian campaign to see that all children get vaccinated. The campaign focused on five locations with the lowest reported vaccinations in 2017. The vandal covered some of the text and changed the answer to the question, 'A: Common Sense' (pictured) The vandal appeared to be acting normally in the CCTV footage before spray painting the billboard (pictured) After appearing to lurch from one crisis to another, the Government has adopted what seems a rather more sure-footed political strategy: It's linking Brexit to the end of austerity for the NHS. And that sends two clear and crucial messages. The first is that there are tangible benefits from Brexit. Until now it looked as if Mrs May believed that Brexit was economically a bad thing, but felt it was her duty to minimise the harm. Now the Government is unashamedly proclaiming that there will be a Brexit windfall after all. Moreover, as if in homage to the Leave campaign's infamous and controversial battle-bus slogan that Brexit would provide extra money for the health service, it will indeed be allocated to the NHS. Theresa May announced an extra 20 billion-a-year boost for the National Health Service Second and perhaps more crucially the Government is dispelling any doubts that Britain will leave the EU. The flip side of the claim that this extra money for the NHS is possible because we are leaving Europe is that it cannot be made available if we remain a member of the EU. These messages could not be more important at a time when shameless and unprincipled members of the House of Lords are abusing their power by introducing endless amendments to thwart Brexit contrary to our long-held tradition that the unelected House should never oppose the clearly expressed will of the people. So the strategy is politically shrewd. But it is also, to my mind, morally right. The NHS needs more money. Even at its current appalling level of inefficiency, an increase in funding is justified if we are to prevent it slipping into Third World standards. The fact is that it has been underfunded since 2010 and this has begun to hamper its ability to meet all the medical demands it faces. Our rising and ageing population has meant that the delays, the outright denials of treatment, and the dilution of care standards have all increased remorselessly. But and it's a very big but this extra cash simply has to come with vital new efforts to reform our health services. It should only be allocated to the NHS on the understanding that it must be unrelenting in its efforts to reduce waste. There are two immediate areas of inefficiency that have been crying out for change: the purchasing of medical supplies and the use of agency staff. Theresa May (pictured on her way to church this morning with her husband Philip in Maidenhead) has come under huge pressure to find extra money for the NHS amid warnings the service is at breaking point with waiting times spiraling and operations cancelled. Only in 2016, Labour peer Lord Carter produced a review of NHS productivity that was commissioned by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. It identified a staggering 5billion of potential savings. On purchasing of supplies alone, Lord Carter thought up to 1billion of savings could be possible. The problem is, the behemoth that is the NHS has singularly failed to gain the advantages that such a huge customer in the private sector would expect from central purchasing, while at the same time retaining all the disadvantages of the inefficient public sector. In one year, for example, a sample of NHS hospital trusts used 30,000 suppliers for 20,000 different product brands, with more than 7,000 people able to place orders. Vast differences have been discovered between the prices paid by the NHS for identical medical items in different parts of the country. Philip Hammond (pictured in Downing Street last week) will unveil the details of how the funding pledge will be paid for later in the year, the PM said For replacement hips, for instance, Lord Carter found 20 different brands being used with average prices ranging from 788 to 1,590. Of course, the products are not absolutely identical, but there was no clinical explanation for the price differences. More recent investigations into the purchasing of drugs have found the NHS paying Boots 3,220 for a mouthwash used by cancer patients that can cost 93, and 1,579 for a pot of moisturiser that other pharmacies obtained for less than 2. It's estimated the service is over-paying 30million a year for medicines known as specials that are prescribed for non-standard treatments. In her boldest move since calling the last General Election, the Prime Minister vows to beat Boris Johnson's infamous pledge to invest a 350 million-a-week 'Brexit dividend' in the Health Service One of the biggest scandals is NHS mismanagement of its own staff. There are very high rates of absence due to sickness. But much worse, in 2016-17 around 2.9billion was spent on agency doctors and nurses, instead of employing a stable workforce. As I say, the NHS desperately needs money. But this huge injection of funds linked to Brexit is already being criticised by vested interests as too little. Which prompts the question of whether or not the service is actually unmanageable in its current form. David Green is director of the think-tank Civitas Chilling audio has emerged of the moment a terrified ten-year-old girl called police from a bedroom closet while an armed intruder ransacked her home. Kate Luong was home alone when a burglar smashed a glass door with a brick and forced his way inside the property in Springvale, south-east Melbourne. 'They're in the house, they broke the glass door,' Kate can be heard tearfully telling the operator during the recorded call. Kate's brother Mike, 19, said his little sister learned what to do by watching crime shows and being taught by her family. Scroll down for video Kate Luong was home alone when a burglar smashed a glass door with a brick and forced his way inside the south-east Melbourne property Kate's brother Mike (pictured), 19, said his little sister learned what to do by watching crime shows and being taught by her family 'She did really well. I'm proud of her,' he told Nine News. Mike said he has been staying at home with Kate as the experience has left her afraid to at be home by herself. Kate said she heard a noise outside in the backyard soon after her family had gone out to buy groceries. 'I looked through the curtain and saw someone so I locked the door, grabbed my phone and hid in the closet,' she said. Kate's family had only left for half an hour on May 31 when a man, armed with a screwdriver and a knife, broke in about 5.30pm. Kate (pictured) said she heard a noise outside in the backyard soon after her family had gone out to buy groceries The St Anthony's Primary school student hid herself in a bedroom cupboard before calling Triple Zero, The Herald Sun reported. '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. Kate Luong's brother (pictured, left) said when they came home the front door was open and all their lights were on 'The police have already been notified, you've done a really good job,' he said. 'Don't hang up.' '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 police had arrived on the scene within two minutes and made an arrest. 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. Australia is set to shiver through another brutal cold snap this week. Winds are expected to reach 90km/h in 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, and NSW regions of the Hunter, Newcastle, Illawarra and South Coast. Scroll down for video 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' Jacobus Cronje, a meterologist at Weatherzone, told Daily Mail Australia that south-east parts of Australia have experienced a drop in temperatures because of a cold front brought by an 'intense' low pressure system. Mr Cronje said the coldest recorded temperatures will be in Tasmania and south-eastern parts of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. 'In the Alps, for instance, maximum temperatures are between zero and two degrees. Generally, some places in Victoria, especially in the elevated areas, are ranging well below 10 degrees,' Mr Cronje said. Tasmania's elevated areas will also have maximum temperatures ranging from three to four degrees. Extreme cold weather is also expected in the tablelands and in elevated areas of Victoria. The Brisbane Times also reported that Coolangatta, a Gold Coast suburb, had its 'coldest June morning ever recorded' as temperatures dropped to 0.6 degrees today. 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 In Sydney, the lowest recorded temperature so far was 15.1 degrees last 5th of June. 'Today, Melbourne will be at 14 degrees, while Sydney will be at 16 degrees," Mr Cronje said. However, he added that strong winds in Sydney will make it feel much colder than Melbourne. 10mm of rain will possibly fall in Sydney between today and tomorrow morning. Mr Cronje also added that there will be a continuation of rainfall in Perth at 5mm each day until Wednesday, while there will be heavy rainfall and possible floods in the northwestern part of Western Australia. South Australia and Victoria, on the other hand, will be 'pretty dry'. Mr Cronje also said that the country received 'very good snow' compared to the same period last year, where the natural snow base is at 66cm and is equally highest with snow records in 1993 and 2000. 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 The country received 'very good snow' compared to the same period last year, where the natural snow base is at 66cm and is equally highest with snow records in 1993 and 2000 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 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 today, 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 freezing weather is good news for those getting ready for the ski season. Perisher Valley, located in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, will have a maximum temperature of -2 degrees today. Snowy Mountains 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 A crackdown on online gang videos promoting violence has been launched by Home Secretary Sajid Javid. He is setting up a 1.4million specialist unit to find and remove gang-related content from the internet. Police warn that sites such as YouTube and Facebook are abused by gangs to goad rivals, leading to bloodshed. In September, a gang video on Google was linked to the killing of Corey Junior Davis, 14, in East London. The Home Offices Serious Violence Strategy, published in April, said photo and video-sharing sites were used to glamorise gang or drug-selling life, taunt rivals and normalise weapons carrying. A 20-strong team of police officers and staff will form a national social media hub. It will flag up illegal and harmful gang violence content so the tech firms can remove it. Home Secretary Sajid Javid is cracking down on online gang videos promoting violence Hosted by the Metropolitan Police, the new capability aims to prevent shootings and stabbings by identifying gang-related messages generating the most risk and violence. Mr Javid summoned YouTube, Twitter and Facebook chiefs to a meeting last week to discuss ways to stop the web being used to breed crime. He wants them to tackle knife culture in the same way they have for terror and religious extremism. Mr Javid has set up the specialist unit in order try and prevent shootings and stabbings He said yesterday: Street gangs are increasingly using social media as a platform to incite violence, taunt each other and promote crime. This is a major concern and I want companies such as Facebook and Google to do more. We are taking urgent action and the new social media hub will improve the polices ability to identify and remove this dangerous content. Scotland Yard deputy assistant commissioner Duncan Ball said: Police forces across the country are committed to doing everything we can to tackle violent crime and the impact that it has on our communities. Through this funding we can develop a team that is a centre of expertise and excellence that will target violent gangs and those plotting and encouraging violence online. A zombie knife which was seized by police By working together with social media companies we will ensure that online material that glamorises murder, lures young people into a dangerous, violent life of crime and encourages violence is quickly dealt with to cut off this outlet for gangs and criminals. The new partnership is being built by the Home Office with the London Mayors Office for Policing and Crime, tech companies and local charities. Mr Javid will this week also publish an Offensive Weapons Bill which will contain a blitz on knife sale. It will become illegal to deliver blades to homes. Instead, they must be collected from a non-residential address such as a web retailers shop. The buyer must prove they are over 18. So-called zombie knives, with long, serrated blades, will be illegal to possess even in private, with a maximum four-year jail penalty. A ban on blades at schools will be extended to cover other educational institutions including sixth-form colleges and universities. Two drug overdoses at the SEXPO exhibition in Sydney, reportedly in connection with 'erotic incense' being sold at the venue, have led to the arrests of two men. On Saturday, a 21-year-old was taken to Liverpool Hospital in a critical condition after falling ill at the event. Another man, 24, was treated at Bankstown Hospital and both of the men have since been released from hospital. Two drug overdoses at the SEXPO exhibition in Sydney, reportedly in connection with 'erotic incense' (pictured) being sold at the venue, have led to the arrests of two men Following an investigation, Sydney detectives arrested two men at the venue on Sunday after allegedly finding cocaine and another unidentified substance (a stage show at the venue) Police released an image of 'erotic incense' packaging which was being sold at the Darling Harbour venue and which they believe was involved in the overdoses of the two men. The package label says that it does not contain any psychoactive or prohibited substances. Following an investigation, Sydney detectives arrested two men at the venue on Sunday after allegedly finding cocaine and another unidentified substance. One of the men, 25, was charged with supplying a prohibited drug and another man, 31, was charged with possessing a prohibited drug. Both will appear in Downing Centre Local Court on August 8 after being granted bail. Police have issued a timely warning about the dangers of drugs saying there is a reason they are illegal. 'You don't know what you are putting in your body and the effects it may have,' Chief Inspector Brad Thorne of the Bankstown Police Area Command said at the time. The floor at the exhibition venue located at Darling Harbour in Sydney A paramedic has allegedly been attacked by a man under the influence of drugs and a police officer has allegedly been headbutted in the latest of a string of reported assaults on emergency workers in Melbourne. The woman was allegedly struck in the chest by a 37-year-old man as paramedics attempted to take him to hospital. Police and paramedics were called to Brighton Street in Frankston South, Melbourne on June 8 after reports of a 'drug-crazed man'. A paramedic has been attacked by a man under the influence of drugs and a police officer has been headbutted in the latest of a string of assaults on emergency workers in Melbourne Senior Sergeant Phil Hulley told the Frankston Standard Leader the man punched the female paramedic in the chest with both his fists closed while on the way to Frankston Hospital. They evactated the van behind the hospital before a police officer was allegedly kicked in the groin as they attempted to restrain the man. The man was then sedated, and the paramedic suffered minor injuries. Police plan to interview the man at a later date. Meanwhile, a police officer was taken to hospital on Monday morning after allegedly being headbutted by an alleged thief. Police chased a 38-year-old man who was seen with an allegedly stolen motorcycle at Heller Street in Brunswick West, north of the Melbourne CBD, 3AW reported. Police and paramedics were called to Brighton Street in Frankston South, Melbourne on June 8 after reports of a 'drug-crazed man' After the man was caught, he allegedly headbutted a senior constable while wearing a helmet. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews declared there would be tougher laws to deal with people who attack emergency services workers. Ambulance Employee Union secretary Steve McGhie said emergency workers often face threats and aggression while working. A school boy was seen being beaten by a gang of teenagers after he approached them for stealing his bike. The confronting video shows a number of boys throwing punches at each other while a crowd gathered to watch at the New Zealand high school. A number of expletives can be heard during the 16-second footage as well as students shouting 'get off him'. Scroll down for video A school boy was seen being beaten by a gang of teenagers (pictured) after he approached them for stealing his bike The confronting video (pictured) shows a number of boys throwing punches at each other while a crowd gathered to watch at the New Zealand high school A mother, who wanted to remain anonymous, revealed the fight started (pictured) because a boy 'confronted a gang member' because they 'stole' his bike The brawl reportedly emerged at Ashburton College, an hour south of Christchurch, and involved students believed to be in Year 9 or Year 10, New Zealand Herald reported. A mother, who wanted to remain anonymous, revealed the fight started because a boy 'confronted a gang member' because they 'stole' his bike. The concerned mother said it was not the first on school grounds and violence had increased in recent years. 'Teachers are unable to prevent these gangs intimidating other pupils, my child and friends are no longer able to visit the school canteen on their own,' she told the publication. 'They make sure they are always in twos or threes as they move around the school.' Ashburton College principal Ross Preece confirmed the victim suffered a black eye as a result of the brawl which happened more than a week ago. 'The students involved are all dealing with our Board of Trustees (BOT),' Mr Preece told Daily Mail Australia. 'If you look closely at the fight you will see a couple of other students trying to drag the attackers away. 'They did this because they are aware how seriously our BOT regard such behaviour.' Dreamworld staff feared for the safety of the Thunder River Rapids ride that killed four people 15 years before it malfunctioned. A coronial inquest heard a worker at the theme park sent an email saying: 'I shudder when I think if there had been guests on the ride' after an incident in 2001. Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi lost their lives in the tragedy on the Gold Coast, Queensland in October 2016. Scroll down for video Slide me A coronial inquest into the deaths of the ride passengers killed on the Thunder River Rapids ride (pictured) at Dream World started on Monday. On the opening day of an inquest into the tragedy, counsel assisting Ken Fleming QC revealed several earlier incidents had occurred on the Thunder River Rapids ride. Mr Fleming said one incident, in January 2001, had resulted in several empty rafts colliding at the unloading point of the ride. Lead police investigator Detective Sergeant Nicola Brown said the water pump on the ride had stopped working twice in the hours leading up to the fatal incident. Det Sgt Brown told the inquest the pump failed at 11.50am and then again at 1.09pm before being reset by engineers. Kate Goodchild, left, and her brother Luke Dorsett, right, died in the Thunder River Rapids ride Cindy Low, left, and Mr Dorsett's partner Roozi Araghi, right also died in the tragedy The inquest heard the incident was disturbingly similar to the one that resulted in the deaths of the four people in 2016. When the raft containing victims as well as two children collided with another raft, it flipped over and dropped the guests into the conveyor system. All four victims were killed instantly from compressive and crushing injuries. 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 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. The inquest heard the emergency stop button on the ride could have shut it down 'in two seconds', the Courier Mail reported. Detective Sgt Brown said the button was 'totally unmarked' and a ride operator was told 'not to worry about that button no one uses it'. 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 announced it would demolish the Thunder River Rapids Ride in November 2016. A inquest heard a worker at the theme park sent an email saying: 'I shudder when I think if there had been guests on the ride' after an incident in 2001. Mourners (pictured) at the candlelight vigil outside the theme park on October 28 2016 Dozens of people will evidence at the inquest at the Southport Courthouse (pictured) on the Gold Coast After the Mail revealed he attended a secretive meeting of Remainers plotting to reverse Brexit, former Tory attorney general Dominic Grieve said he was intending to quit at the next election. But is Grieve jumping before he's pushed? At the annual meeting of his Beaconsfield Conservative Association last month at the Bull Hotel in Gerrards Cross, he was mauled by party activists. Tory attorney general Dominic Grieve's anti-Brexit antics in the Commons are being blamed for the collapse in Conservative membership renewal in his constituency I'm told everyone who stood up to speak attacked Grieve over his disloyalty to Theresa May and for ignoring the wishes of his constituents, who narrowly voted to Leave in the referendum. Party members in his constituency were warned last month there had been a calamitous 40 per cent fall in membership renewals since last year. Grieve's anti-Brexit antics in the Commons and his appearances almost daily on the BBC to attack Brexit, are being blamed for the collapse. One senior party member told me: 'Grieve has even upset Remainers in the association who think he's gone too far. He's going against the will of the people, the Prime Minister, and the Conservative Party. 'If he doesn't go, I suspect we will tell him to.' Defying Mr Corbyn's instructions to abstain on a Lords amendment to back Britain remaining in the European Economic Area after Brexit ensuring that free movement of people would continue Labour's Chuka Umunna led 74 colleagues into the division lobby to vote in favour. Chuka Umunna (pictured) is just another rebel steeped in hypocrisy It was the biggest rebellion of Comrade Corbyn's leadership. But during the referendum, the same Umunna said he was opposed to the EEA because Britain would still 'pay into the EU budget, accept free movement and obey EU laws with no say'. He concluded: 'It would hurt the UK.' Another rebel steeped in hypocrisy. Alf Dubs, 85, was overheard attacking foreign secretary Boris Johnson Dubs takes a pop at Boris Veteran Labour peer Alf Dubs, 85, was overheard in the House of Lords in animated conversation with a former MEP. Dubs denounced Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and with a flourish produced from his top pocket a 'Sack Boris' travelcard holder that dated from the 2012 London Mayoral election (which Boris won). Dubs asked the MEP. 'Are you a fan of Boris?' At which point the ex-MEP stuttered: 'Yes. He's my son.' Dubs happened to be talking to that shrinking violet Stanley Johnson. The Foreign Secretary is advertising for an 85,000 speechwriter. Potential applicants can always refer to an outline of a BoJo speech posted on the internet. It suggests: 'Good morning!' [ruffle hair] [mumbo jumbo] [jingoistic phrase] [shake fist] [Churchill quote] [ruffle hair] [random Latin phrase] [random foreign products/random British products] [mild xenophobic phrase] [self-deprecating joke] 'Thank you!' [ruffle hair to applause]. Clean Bandit, last-minute headliners for the flop Labour Live event, boast the perfect credentials for the Comrade Corbyn cult. Cellist Grace Chatto, who went to the 8,000-a-term Westminster School, met the rest of Britain's poshest group at Jesus College, Cambridge. Clean Bandit were last-minute headliner for Labour Live The band sell their vapid dance tracks to M&S and Microsoft advertising campaigns. Viva la revolution! Tosh by name, tosh by nature... With his long white hair, biker T-shirt and tattoos he looks more like an ageing rocker than the boss of one of the country's biggest transport unions. Tosh McDonald, the president of Aslef, who is one of Comrade Corbyn's most important allies, stood as a candidate in a by-election for Doncaster council in his home town. In his election leaflet he managed not only to spell Doncaster incorrectly but, inexplicably, his surname. Theresa May warned that the NHS needs more than a 'sticking plaster' today as she unveiled a huge 25billion funding boost. The Prime Minister pointed to the care given to terrorism victims and her own experience of coping with diabetes as she vowed to turn on the spending taps over the next five years to improve services. But Mrs May admitted that a claimed 'Brexit dividend' will not cover the whole sum and taxes will have to rise - with experts warning that working families could face stumping up an extra 10billion a year. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the Treasury could be forced to make households pay up to 2,000 more by 2033. The respected body said raising National Insurance by 1p for workers and employers could pull in 8billion. Almost 2billion more could be brought in by freezing the thresholds for the personal income tax allowance at the basic and higher rates - potentially dragging thousands more people deeper into the tax system. Brexiteers including Boris Johnson have hailed the funding move - announced in a keynote speech at the Royal Free Hospital in London today - as a 'downpayment' on the money currently being sent to Brussels However, the idea that leaving the EU will free up any resources has been branded 'tosh' by Tory Remainer MPs. Delivering her speech at the Royal Free Hospital in north London this afternoon (pictured), Mrs May said that in return for the injection of cash the NHS must crack down on waste Theresa May chatted to staff at the Royal Free Hospital before delivering her speech today The Prime Minister even stopped to sign the leg cast of Jade Myers, 15, during her visit In her speech today Mrs May heaped praise on the staff who keep 'our NHS' going today, saying the service 'reflects the values' of Britain. How tax will rise to pay for NHS boost: The six main ways 25bn is likely to be raised The NHS funding boost could mean thousands more workers must be pulled into the tax system - or face bigger bills. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has dismissed the idea that there will be a 'Brexit dividend' over the coming years - setting out several tax rises that could be used instead. There are six main ways the money could be found by Chancellor Philip Hammond at the Budget later this year: 1. Income tax: Adding a penny to the rate of income tax would raise 5billion a year 2. National Insurance: A 1 per cent hike to National Insurance contributions paid by workers, the self-employed and employers would net the Treasury about 9.9billion 3. Corporation tax: Labour has promised to unwind deep cuts to corporation tax introduced since 2010, bringing 18billion back to the Treasury 4. Personal Allowance: Freezing the personal allowance in 2020 - when it is due to be 12,500 - would raise 1.8billion. Cutting the basic rate allowance by 1,000 a year would raise 5.8billion. 5. Rich people: Separate research by former Tory minister David Willetts calls for a new inheritance tax system raises billions from the wealthy 6. Borrowing: If none of the above options are politically palatable or possible, the Chancellor can always borrow more money Advertisement Signalling a drive to slash waste and red tape, she conceded that despite consistent above-inflation budget settlements the UK's 'crowning achievement' was under threat from surging demand for treatment. 'We cannot continue to put a sticking plaster on the NHS budget each year,' she said. 'So we will do more than simply give the NHS a one-off injection of cash.' Mrs May said the funding that would no longer be sent to the EU would help fill the gap. But she insisted the commitment she was making 'goes beyond' that and resources would be allocated 'in a responsible way' at the Autumn Budget. Grilled by reporters, she conceded that people would have to pay a 'bit more' tax to support the funding splurge. 'Across the nation, taxpayers will have to contribute a bit more in a fair and balanced way to support the NHS we all use,' she said. Outlining how the overhaul could be paid for, Carl Emmerson, deputy director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: 'If the Chancellor is taking his deficit target seriously, it would not be a surprise to see a 10 billion tax rise. 'A tax rise of that magnitude would lead to many working families paying more.' Earlier, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt quashed hopes that spending could be raised without punishing workers - saying bluntly that 'there will be an increased burden on taxation' . He also risked inflaming a bitter row between Tory Remainers and Eurosceptics by admitting the 'dividend' from leaving the EU will not be 'anything like' the sums being pumped into the NHS. The PM gathered Cabinet earlier to discuss the plans before making her long-awaited speech - which marks the 70th birthday of the NHS. Mrs May said the NHS budget will be expanded by 25billion by 2023. Spending on NHS England will rise 20billion a year, while the Scottish government will be given an extra 2billion and Wales will receive 1.2billion - along 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. Mrs May claimed a chunk of the money would be coming from a so-called 'Brexit dividend' - but the possibility has been rubbished some Tory Remainers. Pressed on the prospect after her speech today, Mrs May said: 'It's very simple: we are not going to be sending the vast amount of money every year to the EU that we spend at the moment on the EU as a member of the European Union.' The funding boost will still mean growth in NHS budgets is lower in real terms than under the Blair and Brown governments Funding for NHS England is now due to rise dramatically in real terms over the coming years. Health services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also get more money in proportion to the hikes 'That money will be coming back and we will be spending it on our priorities - and the NHS is our number one priority.' She acknowledged payments to the EU would continue under the terms of the Brexit divorce settlement 'but there will still be more money coming back from the EU and our priority for that is the NHS'. In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Hunt said there will not be any detail of where the money is coming from until the Budget in the Autumn. What is the row over the Brexit dividend about? The Prime Minister (pictured on a visit to Frimley Park hospital) has claimed a Brexit dividend will help boost NHS spending Theresa May has said the money Britain keeps when the country quits the EU - known as the Brexit dividend - will go towards funding the NHS. In the referendum, Brexiteers including Boris Johnson said the windfall would equate to 350million a week. Vote Leave plastered the number on the side of a red campaign bus and suggested the money be pumped into the NHS. The PM is saying she is making good on that pledge. But the whole notion of a Brexit dividend is controversial and has been rubbished as 'tosh' by its critics - including Mrs May's own MPs. Economist Paul Johnson, of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said any dividend will be wiped out by slower growth and lower tax revenues. And he also pointed out that when Britain leaves the EU the country will go on paying vast amounts of money to Brussels as part of the Brexit divorce bill. So while the UK will stop paying the annual 9billion, the country will still have a 39bn for years to come. And the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt risked inflaming the row by admitting the 'dividend' will not be 'anything like' the 25billion being pumped into the NHS. Advertisement But he added: 'A lot of thinking has gone on at the Treasury to make absolutely sure this can be afforded. We are clear that there will be an increased burden of taxation.' He said one sources for extra money was 'the fact that we won't be paying subscriptions to Brussels by the end of this period'. 'But that alone won't be anything like enough, so there will also be more resourcing through the taxation system, and also through economic growth,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. In her speech, Mrs May pointed to her own reliance on the NHS after she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. 'I would not be doing the job I am doing today without that support,' she said. Mrs May signalled some of the coalition's health service reforms could be unwound, saying staff were spending too much time on bureaucracy instead of patient care. The PM said the reforms must deliver better integration between services. She said: 'It must also make it easier to break down the barriers between different organisations to deliver integrated patient-focused care so people don't feel like a pinball in a machine bounced from one part of the system to the next, explaining to the next healthcare professional what they just said to the previous one.' Mrs May said improving mental health services was a 'personal priority' and reforms must be 'even more innovative and more ambitious' to ensure care catches up with the rest of the NHS. She added: 'This could include attracting more of the best graduates into the mental health professions; or finding new ways to provide joined-up care in the community, or helping people to manage their conditions so they do not reach a crisis point. 'It must be supported by sustained investment that reaches the frontline of mental health services and staff. 'For too long we have had one expectation for minimum waits and eligibility for care when we have a physical condition; and another entirely in mental health.' In return for the extra funding, Mrs May asked 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 warned 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 said: '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. Mrs May laughed and joked with Ms Myers before signing her cast at the hospital visit today The premier was accompanied by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt before her speech today Brexiteers including Boris Johnson have hailed the NHS move as a 'downpayment' on the funds sent to Brussels Ms Wollaston said the suggestion that a Brexit dividend will fund the NHS uplift is nonsense Theresa May (pictured right arriving at No10 this morning) is giving a keynote speech to mark the NHS's 70th birthday. Jeremy Hunt (left in Downing Street today) has made clear that taxes will have to rise to increase funding '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. How the NHS budget is due to rise in real terms The government is pledging years of rises for the NHS on top of inflation. Here is the schedule for how budgets will rise. 2019-20 - 3.6% 2020-21 - 3.6% 2021-22 - 3.1% 2022-23 - 3.1% 2023-24 - 3.4% Advertisement 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. In an emotional tribute to NHS staff, Mrs May said: 'I will never forget visiting the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena attack. There, in the face of the very worst that humanity can do, I witnessed first-hand, the very best. 'Doctors and nurses working 24-hour shifts to treat the injured. Surgeons who were off-shift, dropping everything to come in and perform life-saving operations. 'Paramedics who had risked their own lives to get others to safety. In every instance, I was struck not only by the medical expertise of the staff, but the compassion with which people were treated. This is our National Health Service.' Dr Sarah Wollaston, who chairs the Commons health and social care committee, yesterday criticised her party leader for bucking to 'populist arguments' on Brexit. She tweeted: 'The Brexit dividend tosh was expected but treats the public as fools. 'Sad to see government slide to populist arguments rather than evidence on such an important issue. The UK is mid-table when compared to other countries for what proportion of GDP is spent on the health service 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 Real spending on the NHS has risen dramatically as a proportion of GDP over the decades Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley (right) and business minister Claire Perry also attended Cabinet today Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson (left) and Brexit Secretary David Davis (right) were among the ministers at the Cabinet meeting this morning ahead of the speech Mr Johnson, pictured at a UN meeting in Switzerland today, has insisted there will be a Brexit dividend for the NHS 'This will make it harder to have a rational debate about the 'who and how' of funding and sharing this fairly'. Asked about the plans by journalists as he attended a UN conference in Switzerland today, Mr Johnson said: 'I think it is, as the prime minister has rightly said, a downpayment on future receipts that will come to this country as a result of discontinuing payments to Brussels.' Why is there a crisis in social care and what are the solutions being debated? Theresa May dodged questions about her plans for overhauling social care today. The Prime Minister accepted that the issue needed to be put on a more 'sustainable footing'. But she merely stated that the government would 'come forward with proposals' at a later stage. The question of how to fund care for Britain's ageing population has proved politically toxic for years. A failure to provide enough care for the elderly either in their own homes or in care homes means patients get stuck on hospital wards - a major reason the NHS is creaking. The average person needs 20,000 worth of care in their lifetime - but 10 per cent of people need much more, with conditions lasting decades costing over 1million. The state currently only funds people with assets worth less than 23,350, leaving many people dependent on the NHS. Fixing the problem will require billions of pounds but there is no political agreement on what to do. Mrs May was forced into an embarrassing U-turn on the issue during the general election campaign last year. The Tory manifesto proposed people should not have to pay bills during their lifetime but then fund them from their estate after death - with a guarantee they could keep at least 100,000 to pass on. But the plan was derided as a 'dementia tax' because there was no cap on what people would have to pay - meaning those with degenerative conditions could face much higher bills than those who only become ill at the end of their lives. In 2010, the Coalition Government asked Sir Andrew Dilnot to investigate how to solve social care. He recommended each individual with assets worth more than 100,00 be asked to pay up to 35,000 in care costs before the state took over - intending the cap to create a new market in insurance. The proposal was never implemented but generated huge debate over the level at which a cap could be fairly set. Advertisement The deal was decided on Friday afternoon between Mrs May, health secretary Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor Philip Hammond and the chief executive of NHS England Simon Stevens. Mr Hunt admitted today that the negotiations within government had 'gone to the wire' - and there appears to have been only broad agreement on where the money will come from. A source told The Times: 'By the end of the meeting, some sources of funding had been more heavily pencilled in than others.' Plans to raise money from freezing all personal allowance and national insurance thresholds at the end of the parliament could raise nearly 4billion. Borrowing could account for 8billion to 10billion. But there is significant resistance to plans to defer corporation tax rate cuts, which could free up another 6billion for the government. That is thought to leave a potential 11billion black hole where the source of the funding is unclear. Economist Paul Johnson, of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, dismissed Mrs May's claim about a Brexit dividend, saying this would be wiped out by slower growth and lower tax revenues. He said the so-called windfall from EU withdrawal would not materialise when the UK stopped paying more than 9 billion a year to Brussels due to the 'divorce bill' of some 39 billion, and other economic factors. Labour, which said it would match the Tory funding proposals if in power, called on Mrs May to set out details of how her plan would be paid for. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: 'The money announced today by the prime minister is not enough to save our NHS after eight years of Conservative austerity. 'Although she confirmed the current situation is not sustainable, todays figures represent little more than a standstill in funding, according to experts. 'People are waiting longer and in pain because of Tory cuts to the NHS. The prime minister couldnt say today when this will improve and waiting lists will come down. 'She also confirmed that social care, capital spending and public health will not see any increase as a result of todays announcement. 'If the Conservatives do manage to publish the detail of their insufficient 3.4 per cent increase, then Labours fully costed plans to raise taxes for the top 5 per cent and big business will top up NHS spending growth to around the 5 per cent which is needed.' A Mafia heir has urged Donald Trump to posthumously pardon his father because he believes 'corrupt' James Comey and FBI 'weasels' used shaky tactics to put him behind bars. Giovanni Gambino, a member of the notorious Gambino crime family, thinks the president should overturn Francesco 'Ciccio' Gambino's drug trafficking conviction because he was a first time offender, was found guilty of a nonviolent crime and received an 'unfair trial'. Fired FBI director Comey was the lead investigator on the case and, according to Giovanni, abused their power so they could take down his family. Now he believes Trump should look over the case after Comey's leadership was widely criticized in a Department of Justice Inspector General report that was published last week. Giovanni Gambino (left), a member of the notorious Gambino crime family, thinks President Trump should pardon his father Francesco 'Ciccio' Gambino (right) because he believes James Comey used shaky tactics to put him behind bars Fired FBI director Comey (left) was the lead investigator on the case and, according to Giovanni, abused his family . Now he believes Trump (right) should look over the case after Comey's leadership was widely criticized in an Inspector General report that was published last week Ciccio died in federal prison in 2012 while serving a 30-year jail sentence for trafficking heroin from Sicily to the United States. Giovanni was just 14 when he passed away, so his mother brought him up with the help of the Mafia. His cousin, Carlo Gambino, founded the notorious crime syndicate that inspired The Godfather. Carlo, the head of the Cosa Nostra during the 1970s, was arrested for orchestrating a multi-million bank heist before he died of a heart attack in 1976. Giovanni thinks the FBI has a long history of corruption, especially when it comes to members of his Italian community, and their strategies should be under more of a microscope. Giovanni told DailyMail.com his father's case for a pardon is stronger considering another first-time offender, Alice Marie Johnson, was given a reprieve after Kim Kardashian lobbied Trump in the Oval Office. Giovanni (pictured above) was just 14 when his father passed away, so his mother brought him up with the help of the Mafia, including his cousin, Carlo Gambino, the founder of the crime syndicate He also has cause for more optimism because on Saturday, Trump said the report 'totally destroys James Comey', while on Sunday, Rudy Giuliani said the president can pardon 'anyone' who he thinks was treated unfairly. If he doesnt look into my fathers case, then all he is trying to do is get the black vote for his run in 2020 and thats not fair, he told DailyMail.com. The (IG) report shows strong evidence of the FBI double standard. President Trump should start pardoning many Italians that had unfair trials because of the FBI misleading and corrupted information against them, starting from my father. 'American history shows that, in the long run, weasels and liars (like the FBI) never hold the field, so long as good people (like Trump) stand up.' 'The Justice Department and the FBI are committing a bigger crime then the people they are prosecuting. 'FBI reports shows A senior F.B.I agent was worried that Mr. Trump would win the election and texted in August 2016 to a colleague.' Well stop it. Those were the words of Peter Strzok to Lisa Page, two FBI staff members who exchanged highly charged political messages. 'Finding their texts cast a cloud over the FBI and created the appearance of bias. 'The report shows strong evidence of the FBI double standard. President Trump should start pardoning many Italians that had unfair trials because of the F.B.I misleading and corrupting information against them, starting with my father. 'The reports that came out last week are going to make future jurors in trials involving Italians aware how unfair some FBI agent can be and jurors are gonna think twice before they convict someone labeled as a mafioso. 'There was zero evidence on my father during the trial against him. The Justice Department used my father. 'I know a few dozen of cases where Italians were unfairly treated. One of them was my brother-in-law Salvatore Candela.' Giovanni (left) is pictured with his late father as a child. He posted the image as a tribute to his dad on Father's Day Giovanni told DailyMail.com Candela was also a first offender in a non violent crime, but got 67 years in jail when he was just 29. 'He has done 24 years already. His wife and kids were deported back to Italy and his wife (my sister) recently passed away from cancer. Salvatore didn't see her after he was arrested, and that's very unfair,' Giovanni added. In his book A Higher Loyalty, Comey says that a January 2017 visit to Trump Tower reminded him of the New York Mafia social clubs he knew as a Manhattan federal prosecutor in the 1980s and 1990s - including the notorious Gambino hangout Cafe Giardino. It was there in December 1988 that Comey helped bust Ciccios trafficking operation. Francesco and other associates were arrested in a 2am raid on Cafe Giardino, which the Feds had wired with electronic surveillance for months. Giovanni's cousin, Carlo Gambino (left in a mugshot and right in 1970 in handcuffs), founded the notorious crime syndicate that inspired The Godfather Then-US Attorney Rudolph Giuliani led the case, with Comey assisting as deputy chief of the Criminal Division. The prosecutors used the help of informant William Kane, who ran an illegal video poker business out of the Brooklyn cafe on 18th Avenue, and secretly worked with the Feds to infiltrate the heroin ring. 'No one know that place better than me,' Giovanni said of Cafe Giardino. 'My father was falsely accused and arrested there by Comey and Giuliani.' 'James Comey used an informer William Kane to manipulate the law, Comey along with Kane used the lies, misleading information to infiltrate and take down innocent people including my father,' said Giovanni. He also believes Paul Manafort, who has Sicilian heritage, may have been unfairly targeted by the FBI. Francesco Gambino was sentenced to 30 years in prison for conspiring to import and distribute heroin, and died behind bars in 2012 at age 71, federal records show. 'William Kane himself admitted latter how corrupted the feds were, blaming them for keeping him on medication and forcing him to lie in trials,' claimed Giovanni. In his new book, Comey writes that a February 2017 meeting in the White House with Trump and then chief of staff Reince Priebus left him recalling his Mob-fighting days. Giovanni told DailyMail.com his father's case for a pardon is stronger considering another first-time offender, Alice Marie Johnson, was given a reprieve after Kim Kardashian lobbied Trump in the Oval Office. Kim and Johnson are pictured during an interview with NBC Today 'The silent circle of assent. The boss in complete control. The loyalty oaths. The us-versus-them worldview. The lying about all things, large and small, in service to some code of loyalty that put the organization above morality and above the truth,' Comey wrote, according to an early review in the New York Times. Giovanni, who has left the family business to author crime fiction, believes that Comey is out to get Trump, and won't be afraid to fight dirty. 'Now Comey and the rest of his dirty entourage are using the same lies and corrupted methods to take down Trump,' he said. Though Comey is no longer affiliated with the FBI, his firing by Trump last May led Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein to appoint Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate any 'links' between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Giovanni met Hillary Clinton in 2007 while she was campaigning in a Democratic primary. The pair posed for a picture together, before he asked her to help get a pardon for her father, who was still alive at the time In return, Giovanni said he would get his 'connections' in the restaurant business to vote for her and drum up support. He also posed for a picture with her husband Bill The probe has widened considerably, leading to Monday's raid on Trump attorney Michael Cohen's office by Manhattan federal prosecutors and the FBI, over payments made to alleged Trump mistresses. 'They dont want to put people behind bars for just a few years, they wanna put them away for life,' said the Mob scion Giovanni. 'And they will lie in order to achieve that goal.' Giovanni met Hillary Clinton in 2007 while she was campaigning in a Democratic primary. The pair posed for a picture together, before he asked her to help get a pardon for her father, who was still alive at the time. In return, Giovanni said he would get his 'connections' in the restaurant business to vote for her and drum up support. He also wanted the pair to discuss over-populated prisons - a policy she has championed in her latest presidential bid. Clinton agreed and the pair met during her unsuccessful run for the 2008 Democratic nomination. He also posed for a picture with Bill. ETrade has filed a lawsuit against a man who allegedly 'terrorized' the online investment company with 7,000 profane phone calls over three months. Abrash Fuzaylov is accused of spamming ETrade's customer service line 'lacing his repeated calls with profanities, perverse requests for sexual favors from ETrade's female employees and homophobic slurs to ETrade's male employees', according to the lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com. Fuzaylov launched his attack on the company in February after realizing that the money he'd been rewarded in a dispute over fraudulent charges on his account had been taxed but ETrade refused to pick up the bill. The company's suit claims Fuzaylov's three-month-long campaign has caused a 'massive internal disruption' and led 'innumerable' employees to threaten to quit. ETrade has filed a lawsuit against Abrash Fuzaylov for 'terrorizing' the online investment company with 7,000 profane phone calls over three months (stock image) Fuzaylov, who lives in Queens, had reportedly been an ETrade customer for 10 years before he noticed that there were about $1,000-worth of fraudulent charges on a credit card linked to his account in November 2016. ETrade denied the claim because it was not reported in the allowable timeframe, but agreed to settle the dispute by paying him $1,173 in February 2017, at which point his account was closed. One year later Fuzaylov realized that the payment had been taxed, and filed a complaint with the company. E*TRADE dismissed the complaint based on the fact that the settlement agreement stipulated that Fuzaylov would bear sole responsibility for any taxes owed as a result. In retaliation, Fuzaylov 'embarked on a relentless campaign of harassment and intimidation', according to the suit. The company's efforts to block Fuzaylov's calls were unsuccessful because he was using more than 50 different phone numbers. A cease and desist letter was issued on March 29, but Fuzaylov ignored it, leading the company file a suit with the Manhattan Supreme Court on Saturday, June 15. The suit claims that on calls with at least five different female representatives Fuzaylov asked: 'Do you want to give me a blow job?' or 'Do you want to suck my d**k?' Recently he called a male representative four times back-to-back saying: 'How are you, faggot?' and 'Are you gay?' He also reportedly told more than 20 different representatives: 'Go f**k yourself.' The company is asking for Fuzaylov to be banned from calling ever again along with a payment of $25,000 in damages. Fuzaylov has 20 days to respond to the summons. Angela Merkel is pushing for emergency talks on migration with other EU leaders as she fights to avert the collapse of her coalition government. As the country lurches towards a full-blown crisis, the German leader is locked in battle over how to handle the situation. The Christian Social Union, the sister party of Mrs Merkels Christian Democratic Union, wants to give police the power to turn away arrivals at the border if they are already registered as asylum seekers elsewhere in Europe. Interior minister Horst Seehofer said the row is serious but can be overcome, a signal that he may compromise to avoid a stalemate. Angela Merkel is pushing for emergency talks on migration with other EU leaders as she fights to avert the collapse of her coalition government Mrs Merkel opposes the border plan as it would reverse her 2015 open-door policy and undermine her authority. The split could threaten her three-month-old coalition government and also deal a blow to the EUs open-border system at a time when divisions in the bloc are deep. The cohesion of Europe is at stake as well as the cohesion of Germany. The situation is serious but it can be overcome, Mr Seehofer wrote in a column for the Frankfurter Allgemeine paper yesterday. He reiterated he wanted the right to turn people away from Germany but also stressed he wanted a European solution. It is crucial the EU summit at the end of June reaches agreements that recognise Germanys burden in migrant policy, he said. The EU, he added, had to guarantee the protection of the EUs external borders, a fair distribution of those allowed to stay and the quick return of people without that right. Earlier, Bild newspaper, citing unnamed sources, reported that the CSU would give Mrs Merkel two weeks, until an EU summit on June 28-29, to deliver a European solution on migrant policy before defying her by implementing its plan. If no satisfactory EU deal is reached, German police would start sending back migrants registered in other EU states, it said Brussels has been alarmed at the events in Berlin, fearing Mrs Merkels weakened position could further inflame an intractable debate over asylum reform. More than 100 firefighters are fighting a huge fire burning on an iron-ore carrier south of Sydney. Crew members aboard the ship in Port Kembla Harbour were evacuated after the fire broke out in the cargo hold at about 3am on Monday morning. Fire and Rescue NSW expects the blaze to continue 'for a long time', a spokesman told AAP. Booms have been put around the ship to stop any oil or diesel spills. Scroll down for video More than 100 firefighters are battling a blaze on an iron-ore carrier docked at a port in Wollongong, south of Sydney Fire and Rescue NSW said the crews are fighting the fire from the wharf and deck of the ship, in an update posted to social media on Monday morning. 'More than a 100 firefighters continue to battle a blaze on a ship carrying iron ore at Port Kembla,'the post read. 'Booms are in place as a precaution, but there has been no fuel or oil leak.' Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Norm Buckley said it is a 'very difficult fire to fight', the Illawarra Mercury reported. 'We're going to be there for a long time,' he said. 'We're fighting it from the wharf and the deck. We will not put firefighters inside the hold. 'It's a very, very difficult fire to fight. It's inside and below deck.' Paedophiles using the internet to groom children as young as five for sex have already committed more than 3,000 crimes following the introduction of a new law last year. Three quarters of child abuse by sexual predators online occurred on social media websites including Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. The most targeted group was girls aged 12 to 15, The Daily Telegraph reported. Paedophiles have accessed more than 80 sites to groom vulnerable children, according to police figures obtained by the NSPCC. In the first year since new sex communication legislation was introduced in England, 3,171 offences have been committed against children. Popular social media platforms, including Facebook are being used to groom children Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: 'Social networks must be forced to design extra protections for children into their platforms, including algorithms to detect grooming to prevent abuse from escalating.' Popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram, account for three quarters of the abuses of children by sexual predators online, with the most targeted group being girls between 12 and 15 years old. Paedophiles have accessed over 80 sites to groom vulnerable children, according to police figures obtained by the NSPCC. The shocking figures may come as a blow to English authorities after similar sex communication legislation in Scotland was seemingly more effective, the Telegraph reported. Now campaigners have issued an impassioned plea to the government and social media platforms to provide better safety online for children and to implement an independent online regulator. Official data obtained through Freedom of Information requests by the NSPCC reveal that in the first year since new sex communication legislation was introduced in England, 3,171 offences have been committed against children. The astonishing figure is double the number of offences expected by the NSPCC. One fifth of the cases involved children under 10 years old. Three apps accounted for 70 per cent of the cases. They were Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. Other apps included Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger.. Paedophiles have accessed over 80 sites to groom vulnerable children according to police Many of the reported groomers were also charged with offline offences including rape and sexual assault. One victim, Mared Parry, from North Wales, was sent sexual messages from much older men on Facebook when she was 14 and has written about her ordeal. She revealed that at the beginning of her run-in with groomers, the messages they exchanged were fairly inncuous. 'But as the weeks went on, they started sending messages that were more and more sexual,' she said. 'It was so subtle; that's why it is so easy for an online chat to slip into being so wrong. 'If I didn't reply or speak the way they wanted me to, then they would say: 'You're just too immature for me'. 'They were so manipulative, but you don't even notice it. 'Looking back at it now, it's scary to think that I sent semi-naked pictures to older guys. It could have gone a lot further,' she said. The NSPCC research comes ahead of the NSPCC's annual report and conference this week, which will be addressed by Mr Hancock. Border agents have reportedly been telling illegal immigrant parents that they are taking their children 'for a bath' before separating them. Anne Chandler, the director of the Houston office of Tahirih Justice Center said she's spoken with several parents who were told their children were going to get washed, before guards informed them they would never see their kids again. She made the stunning claims as heartbreaking photos were released showing have inside of a processing center in Texas, where illegal immigrant children are taken. On Friday, it was revealed that nearly 2,000 children were separated from adults at the border between mid-April and the end of May. Those children are now living in detention centers along the US-Mexico border. 'The officers say, "I'm going to take your child to get bathed." That's one we see again and again. "Your child needs to come with me for a bath,"' Chandler told Texas Monthly. 'The child goes off, and in a half an hour, twenty minutes, the parent inquires, "Where is my five-year-old? Where's my seven-year-old? This is a long bath." And they say, "You won't be seeing your child again."' Scroll down for video Border agents have reportedly been telling illegal immigrant parents that they are taking their children 'for a bath' before separating them. This heartbreaking photo shows the children at a Border Patrol processing facility in McAllen, Texas Anne Chandler, the director of the Houston office of Tahirih Justice Center said she's spoken with several parents who said they were told their children were going to get a bath before they were separated Chandler said that in some cases agents simply tell the parents that they are taking their children away. 'And when the parent asks, "When will we get them back?" they say, "We can't tell you that,"' she said. Chandler said the officers also tell the parents that they are going to 'prosecuted' or that they aren't 'welcome in this country'. In May, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a 'zero tolerance' policy in which all those apprehended entering the US 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. But nonetheless, the children are separated from their parents, held in government facilities, released to adult sponsors or placed in temporary foster care. Other photos show children in single-file line and sitting next to one another like 'caged-animals' The McAllen facility is reportedly where more kids are separated from their parents than anywhere else in the US Heartbreaking photos showed the inside of the largest Border Patrol processing station in the US, which is located in McAllen, Texas. The US Border Patrol allowed reporters to briefly visit the facility on Sunday. Inside the old warehouse, hundreds of children wait in a series of cages created by metal fencing. One cage had 20 children inside. Scattered about are bottles of water and bags of chips. Children were seen lying on dark green mats with large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets. Other photos show children in single-file line and sitting next to one another. One teenager told an advocate who visited that she was helping care for a young child she didn't know because the child's aunt was somewhere else in the facility. She said she had to show others in her cell how to change the girl's diaper. More than 1,100 people were inside the large, dark facility that's divided into separate wings for unaccompanied children, adults on their own, and mothers and fathers with children. The cages in each wing open out into common areas to use portable restrooms. The overhead lighting in the warehouse stays on around the clock. According to the Border Patrol, close to 200 people inside the facility were minors unaccompanied by a parent. Another 500 were 'family units,' parents and children. Many adults who crossed the border without legal permission could be charged with illegal entry and placed in jail, away from their children. The McAllen facility is reportedly where more kids are separated from their parents than anywhere else in the US. 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. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the head of the Department of Homeland Security even bashed the media on Sunday for 'misreporting'. 'This misreporting by Members, 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,' she tweeted. 'We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period,' Nielsen added. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the head of the Department of Homeland Security even bashed the media on Sunday for 'misreporting' '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 US-Mexico border wall. 'Stop lying to the American people. This is your policy,' Democratic US Representative Hakeem Jeffries said in New Jersey. Democratic Sen Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who was denied entry earlier this month to children's shelter, said: 'Those kids inside who have been separated from their parents are already being traumatized.' 'It doesn't matter whether the floor is swept and the bedsheets tucked in tight,' he added. In Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for people trying to enter the US, Border Patrol officials argue that they have to crack down on migrants and separate adults from children as a deterrent to others. 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 'When you exempt a group of people from the law ... that creates a draw,' said Manuel Padilla, the Border Patrol's chief agent here. 'That creates the trends right here.' Agents running the holding facility - generally known as 'Ursula' for the name of the street it's on - said everyone detained is given adequate food, access to showers and laundered clothes, and medical care. People are supposed to move through the facility quickly. Under US law, children are required to be turned over within three days to shelters funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. Padilla said agents in the Rio Grande Valley have allowed families with children under the age of five to stay together in most cases. 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. '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. The lawmakers in Elizabeth waited about 90 minutes to gain access to the detention facility, which is operated for the US government by a private contractor. 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 Democrats in the US House of Representatives will introduce legislation this week aimed at stopping separations, mirroring a similar Senate bill sponsored by Democrat Dianne Feinstein. Children are pictured at the detention center in Brownsville In South Texas on Sunday, several Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Jeff Merkley, toured detention facilities to call attention to the policy, while Representative Beto O'Rourke, who is running for the US 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. 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. Democrats in the US 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. The father of a six-year-old girl who was killed when an elderly driver, 86, lost control and reversed into her family, has posted an emotional tribute to his lost daughter. Indie Armstrong was with her family at a Sunshine Coast shopping centre about 12pm on Sunday when a silver hatchback reversed into them, pinning the six-year-old against a pole. Indie, who was with her sister, mother and grandmother at the time, was rushed to Nambour Hospital, but was soon pronounced dead. Scroll down for video Indie Armstrong, six, (pictured) died after an 86-year-old driver reversed into a mother and two daughters at a shopping centre car park Speaking out after the horror incident, Indie's heartbroken father described his daughter as his 'moon and back'. Sunshine Coast man Jason Armstrong posted the tribute to his Facebook page on Sunday night, alongside a photo of Indie smiling at the camera. His post garnered an outpouring of support from friends, who told the bereaved father: 'There are no words to measure such heart-breaking devastating, so so sorry for your immeasurable loss and pain'. 'Taken too soon your beautiful princess. Absolutely heartbroken for you and your family,' one woman said. 'No words will ever be enough to ease your pain, but just know we are all here for you,' another said. Taking to Facebook on Sunday night, Indie's father Jason Armstrong described her as his 'moon and back' Jason Armstrong (pictured) received an outpouring of support from friends after revealing his daughter had died The 86-year-old driver of the silver hatchback (pictured after the smash) escaped without injury. She is currently assisting the police with their investigation Indie's eight-year-old sister Lily suffered a broken leg and her 57-year-old grandmother is undergoing surgical procedures after being hit in the horror smash. Both are expected to make full recoveries. The six-year-old's mother, 37, was also injured but did not require hospital treatment. Distressed witnesses described hearing the mother's piercing screams echoing throughout the car park after the horror incident. 'All you could hear was just her crying and saying 'my babies, my babies',' Kassie Pocza said. 'A woman there was catatonic, she was wailing, she couldn't stand.' 'All you could hear was just her crying and saying 'my babies, my babies',' Kassie Pocza said Ms Pocza said emergency services performed CPR for 'so long, so long' at the scene before little Indie was taken to hospital. No charges have been laid against the 86-year-old driver, who escaped without injury. Police Senior Sergeant Matt Campbell said the Forensic Crash Unit was investigating. 'It's still very early days in the investigation but what I can tell you is that an 86-year-old female driver is assisting us in our inquiries,' he said. Emergency crews performed CPR on Indie and her sister at the scene of the incident (pictured) A candle-lit vigil was held for the little girl on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday night. Mourners gathered across the road from the carpark about 5.45pm to lay floral tributes for Indie and her grieving family. Pastor Dale Dowler, who spoke at the vigil, said the community was left devastated by the tragic event. He said the community was grieving for Indie, her family, and also the 86-year-old driver behind the wheel. A GoFundMe page has since been created to help the young family with funeral costs. 'They are small business owners on the Sunshine Coast and really just need some time to grieve and get through this extremely hard and heart-breaking time ahead of them,' the page reads. 'With a funeral to organise and medical expenses for the other family members, any donations would be greatly appreciated and would allow this family the time to grieve their beautiful daughter.' A 28-year-old man was charged with stealing two human toes worth $11,000 from a dead person that was featured at an exhibition that displayed human corpses. The man appeared in court today and was charged for stealing and interfering with an unknown person's body. The accused appeared in the Auckland District Court today and was 'remanded on bail', according to the NZ Herald. A 28-year-old man was charged with stealing two human toes worth $11,000 at the Body Worlds Vital exhibit He will appear again in New Zealand's Wellington District Court later in the year. The toes were displayed in the Body Worlds Vital, a traveling exhibit that stopped by in Auckland for the first time. The exhibition started in 1997 and was founded by Dr Angelina Whalley and Dr Gunther von Hagens. Since then, over 17,000 people donated bodies to Dr von Hagens' Institute for Plastination. These bodies are sent to medical schools around the world. Plastination, which was invented by Dr von Hagens, is meant to preserve these corpses and organs by replacing the human fluids and fats with plastic. Through the Body Worlds Vital exhibit, the public is given the chance to closely examine these bodies and study human anatomy. Trump called Peter Strzok a 'sick loser' in his latest Twitter tirade just hours after the FBI agent agreed to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee in the GOP's investigation into the Bureau's actions during the 2016 election. The president renewed accusations that he's been the target of a 'Witch Hunt' in a series of tweets over the weekend, referring to special council Robert Mueller's investigation into possible obstruction of justice by Trump during the Russia probe. This latest rant is in response to new reports about a previously undisclosed meeting between campaign officials and Russians. One of the tweets slammed Strzok, who had briefly worked with Mueller on investigating possible collusion with Russia by the Trump campaign. He was removed from the probe when it was revealed that he had sent politically-charged text messages criticizing Trump. 'Why was the FBI's sick loser, Peter Strzok, working on the totally discredited Mueller team of 13 Angry & Conflicted Democrats, when Strzok was giving Crooked Hillary a free pass yet telling his lover, lawyer Lisa Page, that 'we'll stop' Trump from becoming President? Witch Hunt!' Trump tweeted on Sunday evening. Scroll down for video In his latest Twitter rant Sunday President Trump slammed Peter Strzok, who had briefly worked with Mueller on investigating possible collusion with Russia by the Trump campaign but was removed from the probe when a report revealed he had sent anti-Trump text messages Strzok's lawyer has said the senior FBI official is willing to appear in front of the House Judiciary Committee in the GOP's investigation into the Bureau's actions during the 2016 election amidst allegations that it was biased against Trump In a following tweet he added: '"The highest level of bias Ive ever witnessed in any law enforcement officer." Trey Gowdy on the FBIs own, Peter Strzok. 'Also remember that they all worked for Slippery James Comey and that Comey is best friends with Robert Mueller. A really sick deal, isnt it?' Strzok is one of the most senior officials in the FBI, having led the investigation of Hillary Clintons use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state and serving ad Mueller's number two in the investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 election. A report from the inspector general released last week claimed Strzok had implied 'willingness to take official action' to prevent Trump's election, highlighting a text exchange between him and FBI lawyer Lisa Page in August 2016. '[Trumps] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!' Page wrote to Strzok. He responded: 'No. No he wont. Well stop it.' As indicated by Trump's tweet, the two were romantically involved at the time, and had been using their work phones to communicate about personal and professional matters. The president renewed accusations that he's been the target of a 'Witch Hunt' in a series of tweets over the weekend The report from Michael Horowitz also suggested that Strzok's bias influenced the speed with which the investigation into Clinton's email was carried out in the fall of 2016. On Friday it was reported that the House Judiciary Committee was gearing up to subpoena Strzok to testify in its investigation. Strzok's lawyer Aitan Goelman sent a letter to the committee calling the subpoena 'wholly unnecessary'. In the letter obtained by CNN Goelman wrote that his client 'has been fully cooperative with the DOJ Office of Inspector General' and 'intends to voluntarily appear and testify before your committee and any other Congressional committee that invites him'. In an interview with CNN Goelman said: 'The kind of drumbeat the repeated assertion of bias and the investigation was infected by anti-Trump bias its completely illogical because the only thing that Pete and the FBIs actions or inactions did throughout this period of time benefited Trump and hurt Hillarys electoral chances.' Goelman told CNN that his client 'intends to answer any question put to him, and he intends to defend the integrity of the Clinton email investigation, the Russia collusion investigation to the extent that that's a topic, and his own integrity.' There was no collusion, there was no obstruction, and if you read the report you'll see that. Experts have said that should Strzok appear before the Committee, he could expose even more about an alleged culture of bias in the FBI under Comey than what was in the nearly 600-page Justice Department inspector general report, which Trump referred to as a 'horror show'. 'Maybe more importantly than anything, it totally exonerates me,' Trump said of the report. '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.' Mueller is investigating whether Trump's firing of former FBI director Comey was an attempt to obstruct the Russian investigation. When asked whether the report exonerated the president, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy said: 'It certainly helps him.' Trump bragged that the report was evidence of his 'good instincts' on giving Comey the boot. '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.' It's the job where you get paid to travel the world but to work as cabin crew with Emirates there are specific requirements you need to meet before you can step on board. The Dubai-based airline giant held a recruitment day in Sydney over the weekend where they cast their eye over potential employees. And those looking to be the face of Emirates on board their aircraft needed to have an arm reach of 212cm while standing on their tiptoes and abide by a series of grooming standards. Dubai-based airline Emirates is looking for cabin crew in Australia with potential applicants needing to follow dress-code standards (stock image) Females looking to become cabin crew for Emirates needed to wear make-up to their assessment day and in their application photo (stock image) They also needed to be at least 160cm tall and have no tattoos which could be seen while they are working in uniform. As part of the airline's 'application tips', females have to provide a photo along with their application showing them wearing full-make-up, neat and tidy hair, no accessories and there must be 'good lighting to avoid shadows'. And if they make it to the cabin crew assessment day, females are required to wear high heels, again have neatly tied hair and also clean and manicured nails. Make-up again needs to be worn, including lipstick - Emirates is known for its signature red lipstick - with lip gloss not allowed. Males needed to be clean shaven with no make-up, have short hair styled with minimal product, both in their application photo and on their assessment day, and also have clean and manicured nails. Both males and females needed to be in smart business attire - full-length hosiery is also required for females and if they opt for a skirt it has to be one-inch below the knee. Emirates has a list of application tips which it provides online to potential cabin crew employees (stock image) Glasses and coloured contact lenses are not allowed to be worn in application photos. The airline currently operates almost 100 flights a week from Australia to their Dubai hub, some non-stop and others via Asia, on a mix of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft. Benefits offered to cabin crew include a tax-free salary and concessional travel tickets. Barry Brown, Emirates Divisional Vice President for Australasia, told Nine News the airline 'continues to grow both globally and within Australia'. The man accused of abducting and raping an 11-year-old girl in bushland is a New South Wales father who was recently looking for 'fun' on dating forums. The accused rapist - who cannot be named following a weekend court order - is alleged to have abducted the girl as she walked to school about 9.15am on Tuesday. Police allege the 47-year-old threatened the girl with a knife and forced her into his car at Adamstown Heights, near Newcastle. The man - who cannot be identified following a court order - was arrested on Sunday The girl was walking through a park near Newcastle when she was threatened with a knife, police said He then drove her to a bush location and assaulted her for hours before dropping her at Kotara train station about 2pm, detectives claimed. The man has been charged with six counts of aggravated sexual assault, plus indecent assault and kidnap with intent to commit a serious indictable offence. Investigators described the schoolgirl's actions as 'brave' and 'heroic', having walked a kilometre to a relative's house following the ordeal and describing him in detail. Some of the accused's posts to social media disturbed acquaintances who had met him through online dating sites. He shared viral images including one of two children examining their private parts. 'I unfriended him a few weeks ago, I thought he was quite strange,' an acquaintance told Daily Mail Australia. A bizarre meme the accused rapist had uploaded online In one dating post, he seemed like any other man looking for love. 'I'm keen to go out and just have fun,' he said. In others, he flirted with women, describing one as 'pretty' - and elsewhere, labelling a couple of women as 'f***en hotties'. Police have claimed the man had become a 'nomad' who was living in his car. Officers arrested the man at a traffic stop after midday on Saturday, four days after the alleged assault on the schoolgirl. How police allege it all unfolded: The girl was walking through a park when she was abducted - and was later released after a five hour ordeal Detectives were 'overwhelmed' with information from the community, including dashcam footage and tip offs to CrimeStoppers. The arrested man is a father of two Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec said: 'Our investigators scoured through all of that information to identify that person and make the arrest. 'This brave little girl is certainly a hero, and the courage that she has displayed is heroism. 'It is remarkable, the strength of this girl, supported by her friends and family, supported by counsellors, but she has stood up. 'She's worked with us, her family and friends have worked with us and she'll get on with her life.' Newcastle Police Superintendent Brent Greentree said the crime had 'sent shivers down the spine of every Novacastrian'. The man has not entered a plea and was refused bail on Sunday, with the matter returning to court later this week. Embattled Liberal senator Lucy Gichuhi claimed a $7,675 electorate allowance from taxpayers to visit a former prime minister and a Christian radio station more than 1,400km away from her constituents. Senator Gichuhi, who represents voters in South Australia, was paid $400 a day in travel allowance in August, September and November 2017 to visit Sydney. These expenses were claimed as 'electorate business', despite her being based in Adelaide, and added up to $7,675. Scroll down for video Embattled Liberal senator Lucy Gichuhi claimed $7,675 from taxpayers to visit a former PM and a Christian radio station in Sydney - more than 1,400km away from her constituents On the way to Sydney, from Canberra, she stopped over in Goulburn to pose in a picture with the Big Merino landmark as part of her $2,000 trip to Sydney in August 2017 The revelations have come to light as she faces a Liberal preselection challenge for her coveted and winnable No. 3 spot on the party's Senate ticket at next year's federal election. In August 2017, she billed taxpayers $2,000 to visit Sydney for five days. On the way to Sydney for 'electorate business', from Canberra, she stopped over in Goulburn to pose in a picture with the Big Merino landmark. Five days later Senator Gichuhi, who was then an independent MP, posed in another picture with former Liberal prime minister John Howard at his Sydney office. This was six months before the Kenyan-born, Christian conservative lawmaker formally joined the Liberal Party in February 2018. Five days later Senator Gichuhi, who was then an independent senator, posed in a picture in Sydney with former Liberal prime minister John Howard at his Sydney office The senator has deleted from her Facebook page images of her with the Big Merino and Mr Howard. Taxpayer-funded entitlement claims, published by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, show Senator Gichuhi claimed $2,000 from taxpayers between August 17 and 22, 2017. She claimed $400 a day from taxpayers during that period and another $405 in travel allowance for visiting Sydney for 'electorate business' on September 11. In another set of controversial expenses claims, she billed taxpayers $2,769 to travel to Sydney on November 2. This 'electorate business' involved addressing an event with Christian radio station, Hope 103.2, emceed by former state Liberal MP Stephen ODoherty. Senator Lucy Gichuhi (pictured right) billed taxpayers to fly two family members to Adelaide for her '50th birthday plus GST' in October 2017 despite turning 50 in September 2012 Three weeks later, on November 25, she travelled to Sydney on 'electorate business' to be a 'VIP Guest Speaker' at the African Professionals Australia Gala at Parramatta in the city's west. She bill taxpayers $2,501 for travel allowance, car hire and travel for her husband. In yet another expenses controversy Senator Gichuhi, who was born in September 1962, billed taxpayers $2,139 in October last year so she could belatedly celebrate her 50th birthday, despite this personal milestone occurring in 2012. Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority returns show she billed taxpayers for two return airfares from Darwin to Adelaide as part of her 'family traveller' allowance for her party, billed as '50th birthday plus GST'. Senator Gichuhi billed taxpayers $2,139 in October last year so she could belatedly celebrate her 50th birthday So far Senator Gichuhi has agreed to pay back more than $2,000 for charging taxpayers the travel cost of celebrating her 55th birthday. Daily Mail Australia contacted Senator Gichuhi about her other travel expenses on Monday morning. Senator Gichuhi, who is backed by the Liberal Party's moderate faction in South Australia, is facing a challenge from the party's right, with Alex Antic competing for her coveted No. 3 spot on the party's Senate ticket, The Australian reports. She replaced former Family First senator Bob Day in May 2017 after his bankruptcy made him ineligible to remain in parliament. The senator, who moved from Kenya to Australian in 1999, is the first Australian lawmaker of black African heritage. A $750,000 reward has been announced in the hunt for the missing body of a grandmother who was murdered. Johann Morgan, from Tamworth, New South Wales, was murdered by her partner, Troy Jason Ruttley, in 2015. Ruttley was sentenced to 24-years in prison as the search for her body continues almost three years on from her reported missing date, Sunday August 16 2015. A $750,000 reward has been announced for information in the investigation of Johann Morgan (pictured) who was murdered by her partner, Troy Jason Ruttley, in 2015 NSW government have announced the large financial reward of $750,000 for information to the whereabouts of the body in a hope that her body can be recovered. Oxley Police District, Detective Superintendent Fred Trench spoke on the reward incentive and its importance in helping investigators locate the whereabouts of the body, ABC reported. 'This information may appear small to you but might have a significant impact on those who have suffered,' Det Supt Trench said. 'We are working hard to get answers for the family to allow them to lay her to rest.' 'We're hoping that somebody with that information will come forward as a result of that incentive and be able to help us to write the final chapter in this long story.' Det Supt Trench believes that there are people who know where the body is located but have not come forward. Morgan was last seen at her home in Tamworth, more than 300 kilometres away from where Ruttley was arrested 'Someone knows where she is,' he said. In 2015, Ruttley was arrested in his Dubbo home more than 300 kilometres away from Morgans Tamworth home - where she was last seen. The distressed family had said that Morgan always carried her mobile phone to ring her kids about what she was doing and where she was. Morgan did not have her mobile phone and wallet on her when she disappeared. 'She was lovely, exciting, beautiful, a beautiful lady, loving person, loving mother, loving grandmother, loving sister,' Ms Morgan's sister, Yvonne, said in August 2015. Australia Post's latest concept store has shelves from the floor to ceiling stocked with baby formula, vitamins and milk powder. The store is tucked away from a main street in a suburb north of Sydney with a red Australia Post sign out the front paired with Chinese characters stating 'Direct to China'. The store's shelves are packed with a variety of products, all targeting Chinese shoppers looking to stockpile the items and send them overseas to sell at a profit. Australia Post's latest concept store has shelves from the floor to ceiling stocked with baby formula (pictured) making it easy for shoppers to send the products overseas Inside the store were shelves packed with a variety of baby formula and milk powder (pictured) products under signage with Chinese writing in Chatswood Popular brands including Aptamil, Devondale, Blackmores and A2 Milk Company lined one side of the store (pictured) Popular brands including Aptamil, Devondale, Blackmores and A2 Milk Company line one side of the store. Signage throughout the store has English and Chinese captions for 'Baby and Maternity', 'Milk Powder', 'Vitamins', 'Personal Care, Pet Care and Household' and 'Skin Care and Cosmetics'. The centre of the store is filled with smaller shelves stocked with items including sunscreens, skin care, cosmetics and pet care - all highlighted with English and Chinese signage. The store, which is often packed with shoppers queuing up to buy a shipment of baby formula, features a red oriental tree full of red packets for decoration. The tree, known as hong bao, is traditionally used to give money for special occasions including weddings and birthdays. On the other side of the quaint shop is a large table covered in Australia Post boxes and postage materials to facilitate sending the products internationally. The store, which only sells items of high demand in Asia, first came under fire when it opened in May because it targeted the controversial 'Diagou'. Diagou shoppers have been criticised in recent months after footage emerged of huge queues of people waiting to stockpile baby formula to then ship it to China and make a huge profit. Meanwhile Australian mothers have been left with limited access to the product. The Chatswood store appears to be capitalising on the trend in a suburb with a significant Chinese population and community. The Chinese store (pictured) is tucked away from a main street in suburb north of Sydney with a red Australia Post sign out the front paired with Chinese characters stating 'Direct to China' The centre of the store was filled with smaller shelves stocked with items including sunscreens, skin care, cosmetics and pet care - all with English and Chinese signs (pictured) On the other side of the quaint shop was a large table covered in Australia Post boxes (pictured) and postage materials to facilitate sending the products internationally The 2016 Australian census revealed 20.7 per cent of Chatswood's population was found to be Chinese by birth. In attempts to combat stockpiled baby formula, where some footage showed customers grabbing it off the trolleys before it could even reach the shelves, major supermarkets were forced to set consumer limits. However crowds of Asian shoppers reportedly buy the limit before returning through the checkouts again to stockpile tins - an item that is extremely sought after in China because of it's high quality. A spokesperson for Australia Post told Daily Mail Australia last month the company 'plans to open a concept store this month to test customer demand for selected products to be sent to China'. 'This planned store is not a post office. It will sell a limited number of lines, such as health and beauty products, in conjunction with international freight options. 'This is a limited trial and will operate in one location only.' Former First Lady Laura Bush has spoken out against the Trump administration's policy that sees migrant families separated at the border. In an op-ed piece for the Washington Post she called the 'zero tolerance' policy 'cruel' and 'immoral', as public outcry begins to grow over the hundreds of children that are currently being held in detention centers. 'I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart,' the former First Lady wrote. 'Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso.' Former First Lady Laura Bush attacked the Trump administration's policy that has led to nearly 2,000 immigrant children being separated from their parents The Bushes have steered clear of politics since their departure from the White House in 2008 Occupants at Casa Padre, an immigrant shelter for unaccompanied minors, in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., are seen in this photo provided by the U.S. Department of Health Her commentary comes as a number of images and accounts from inside the detention centers have emerged. Reports about the centers described children being kept in 'cages' after being separated from their parents, who crossed the border illegally. The Department of Homeland Security reports that nearly 2,000 children were sent to mass detention centers between April 19 and May 31. Bush wrote how the camps were 'eerily reminiscent' to those set up to hold Japanese Americans during World War II. 'Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war,' she wrote. 'We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents and to stop separating parents and children in the first place.' Heartbreaking photos released Sunday showed inside of a processing center It is unprecedented for a former First Lady to criticize the policies of a current president She also invoked the name and memory of her mother-in-law, former first lady Barbara Bush, who died in April. Barbara Bush was also an advocate for children while her husband, George H.W. Bush, was in office. In one particularly memorable moment during her tenure almost three decades ago, Barbara Bush spent time with babies who had HIV/AIDS, picking them up and holding them. 'My mother-in-law never viewed her embrace of that fragile child as courageous. She simply saw it as the right thing to do in a world that can be arbitrary, unkind and even cruel,' writes Bush. 'She, who after the death of her 3-year-old daughter knew what it was to lose a child, believed that every child is deserving of human kindness, compassion and love. It's a rare public admonishment of current administration policy from Bush, who has rarely weighed in on politics since her husband left office. Japanese-Americans were evacuated from certain West Coast areas under US Army War Emergency Order in 1942. Laura Bush is likening the current camps to this traumatic event Japanese encampment was started by U.S. during World War II. IN this photo, Japanese- U.S. citizens are seen being checked in to internment camp, a measure which later proved illegal The McAllen facility is reportedly where more kids are separated from their parents than anywhere else in the US Attorney General Jeff Session announced the zero tolerance policy earlier this year stating how the Justice Department would prosecute all adults crossing the border illegally, which could result in families being separated. Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen defended the administration in a series of tweets on Sunday, claiming that the administration does not have a policy of separating families at the border. Just hours before Bush's piece was published, current First Lady Melania Trump's communications director Stephanie Grisham told CNN, '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.' Children were seen lying on green mats with foil sheets intended to serve as blankets. This heartbreaking photo shows the children at a Border Patrol processing facility in McAllen, Texas Hundreds of children were seen waiting in cages created by metal fencing Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen defended the administration in a series of tweets on Sunday, claiming that the administration does not have a policy of separating families President Trump has repeatedly blamed congressional Democrats for not acting on immigration and doing more to strengthen border security. Other members of the administration, however, have defended the policy as a necessary border security measure. Trump has pointed to a 2008 anti-trafficking law passed by President George W. Bush, although there is no federal law requiring family separation. In her op-ed, Bush called for 'good people at all levels of government' to address the problem. 'In 2018, can we not as a nation find a kinder, more compassionate and more moral answer to this current crisis?' she wrote. 'I, for one, believe we can.' Two men were cooking cannabis oil in butane canisters before they were critically injured in an explosion, a court has heard. New details about what caused the explosion at a Point Frederick unit on the New South Wales Central Coast in March were revealed in a police facts sheet tendered in Gosford Local Court. Brodie Sharp, 19, appeared in court last week, where he pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing a prohibited drug. Brodie Sharp, pictured with partner Emma Jeffries spent seven weeks in hospital after he suffered 60 per cent of burns to his body Brodie Sharp was one of two men placed in induced comas and flown to Royal North Shore Hospital on March 7 The unemployed teen, who had no prior criminal record, was convicted and put on a good behaviour bond for two years, The Central Coast Advocate reported. Emergency services were called to the Albany Street unit block on March 7 following reports of an explosion. Sharp and another man, Dominic Todd, 24, were driven to Gosford Hospital in a private vehicle, where both were placed in induced comas and flown to Royal North Shore Hospital. The court heard that Brodie Sharp's partner Emma Jeffries (pictured together) told police at the scene that the explosion was caused from 'making marijuana candles' Sharp spent the next seven weeks in hospital after he suffered burns to 60 per cent of his body. A one year-old child suffered minor burns to his face but was not seriously injured. The court heard that Sharp's partner Emma Jeffries told police the explosion was caused from 'making marijuana candles'. 'An initial assessment was conducted and the bathroom was observed to be badly damaged, a large amount of cannabis leaf was located on the bathroom floor along with several empty butane canisters,' the police fact read. Emergency services were called to this Point Frederick unit block (pictured) on March 7 following reports of an explosion The court heard police seized a friend's phone and found a Facebook group chat the two men were involved in, which included videos of how cannabis oil could be extracted using butane. The court also heard police obtained CCTV footage of the two men buying 40 cans of butane from a Gosford supermarket on the day of the explosion. 'All parties discussed attending supermarkets to purchase as many butane cans as they could,' the facts read. Mr Todd will appear in court on July 31, where his lawyer will make an application to have one charge dismissed for mental health reasons, The Central Coast Advocate reported. Salim Mehajer's sister has hosted an incredibly lavish Parramatta Eels-themed first birthday party for her son, with the help of Lebanese drummers and a wedding planner. Kat Mehajer Sakalaki and her husband Ibraham threw the extravagant party on Sunday to celebrate their son, Abraham's first birthday. Footage taken at the event shows Abraham's parents dancing with the boy above their heads as Lebanese drummers performed and party guests cheered. Scroll down for video Kat Mehajer Sakalaki and her husband Ibraham threw the extravagant party on Sunday to celebrate their first son, Abraham's first birthday Footage taken at the event shows Abraham's parents dancing with the boy above their heads as Lebanese drummers performed and party guests cheered The couple spared no expense, hiring fire-star wedding and events planner, Naomi Estephan, for the occasion. Mrs Sakalaki took to Instagram on Sunday to post a photo of Abraham sitting in a gold-plated high chair surrounded by Parramatta Eels-themed decorations. 'Happy first birthday my little star. Love you baby #party goals,' she said. The cake, which had Abraham's name written in cursive, was topped with a gold rugby ball and a big number 1. Abraham was himself dressed head-to-toe in Paramatta Eels merchandise. Keeping to the NRL theme, his parents, Kat and Ibraham also wore the NRL team's colours, blue and gold. Mrs Sakalaki took to Instagram to post a photo of Abraham sitting in a gold-plated high chair surrounded by Parramatta Eel themed decorations The proud parents dressed in Parramatta Eels merchandise, as did Abraham. The decorations were also made to match the NRL team's colours; blue and gold The decor included jersey-themed chair covers with Ahraham's name and the number 1 printed on the back The Sydney-based family even sent out rugby-ticket inspired invitations to their guests The family-of-three matched the rest of the decor, which included jersey-themed chair covers with Ahraham's name and the number 1 printed on the back. The Sydney-based family even sent out rugby-ticket inspired invitations to their guests. Guests at the party said Mrs Sakalaki's brother, Salim Mehajer, was also in attendance. The party came just three days after Mehajer broke down in court revealing he was diagnosed with bipolar. The disgraced former politician announced the diagnosis at a Sydney court on Thursday, where he is being sentenced for electoral fraud. The party was not the family's first to draw national attention. Mrs Sakalaki (with husband Ibriham Sakalaki) made the news when she threw an extravagant $10,000 baby shower in April last year Mrs Sakalaki celebrated the women-only baby shower at Cedrus Restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Ryde in April last year Mrs Sakalaki made the news when she threw an extravagant $10,000 baby shower in April last year. Mrs Sakalaki celebrated the women-only baby shower at Cedrus Restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Ryde in April last year. She hosted about 80 people at the Lebanese restaurant, which was opulently decorated with blue and white balloons. Small thank you notes were tied to crystal glassware on the tables, while parfaits, cupcakes and donuts were scattered across a large dessert table. Kat Sakalaki made news for throwing the opulent baby shower ahead of giving birth to son, Abraham Kathy Griffin unleashed a profanity-laced tirade against Melania Trump shortly after the first lady released a statement about the separation of immigrant families along the US-Mexico border. 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.' In response to that statement, Griffin had a few choice words of her own. 'F**k you, Melanie. You know damn well your husband can end this immediately...you feckless complicit piece of s***,' the comedienne tweeted Sunday morning. Kathy Griffin unleashed a profanity-laced tirade against Melania Trump shortly after the first lady released a statement about the separation of immigrant families along the US-Mexico border Spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement to DailyMail.com and CNN 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' In response to that statement, Griffin had a few choice words of her own. 'F**k you, Melanie. You know damn well your husband can end this immediately...you feckless complicit piece of s***,' the comedienne tweeted Sunday morning When Griffin misspelled the first lady's name, she was alluding to a May tweet from President Donald Trump in which he misspelled his wifes name as 'Melanie' as well as when Samantha Bee called Ivanka Trump a 'feckless c***' on her show last month. Griffin came under fire in May 2017 when she posed with a bloodied mask of Trumps face. The star initially apologized after losing a few gigs, but later took back her apology. Melania Trump's statement appeared 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'. What 'successful' immigration reform means, however, is in the eye of the beholder. About 2,000 minors are being housed in specialized detention centers, drawing howls of protest from immigration advocates and Democratic lawmakers who oppose President Donald 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 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 US-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: '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!' Border Patrol agents took a father and son from Honduras into custody near the US-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 US Customs and Border Protection during a protest on June 13 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 blamed Democrats for his policy, drawing howls of protests and claims that 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'. A heartbroken widow has opened up about coming to terms with her grief after losing her sons in a shocking murder-suicide two years ago. Melissa Little was 29 when her husband Damien, 33, shot four-year-old Koda and nine-month-old Hunter before driving off a wharf with the boys in the car. Damien, who had not sought help for his severe mental illness, turned the gun on himself before steering the car into the sea at Port Lincoln, South Australia, in 2016. Still devastated by the tragedy, Ms Little has written a children's book to help kids deal with grief, and is calling for mental illness to be taken more seriously. Scroll down for video A heartbroken widow has opened up about coming to terms with her grief after losing her sons in a shocking murder-suicide (pictured is the Little family) Melissa Little was 29 when her husband Damien, 33, shot four-year-old Koda and nine-month-old Hunter before driving off a wharf with the boys in the car (pictured) Damien, who had not sought help for his severe mental illness, turned the gun on himself before steering the car into the sea at Port Lincoln, South Australia, in 2016 (pictured is the funeral) 'I would have never thought I would lose a child, let alone both children,' Ms Little told New Idea. The grieving mother said she reacted to the news of the horrific murders by asking why Damien had done it, but has since accepted she will never have an answer. 'I will never understand why and I will never accept what has happened. Even having a mental illness does not excuse this behaviour,' she said. She said her husband was in denial, and really believed that he did not have a problem with his mental health. 'I would have never thought I would lose a child, let alone both children,' Ms Little said (pictured are Koda and Hunter Little) Despite not knowing how people who don't think they need help can be convinced to get treated, she said it is clear that mental illness needs to be addressed. 'It's sad enough that people have to suffer these dreadful illnesses, but what is even sadder and unthinkable is when kids have to suffer,' Ms Little said. After losing Koda and Hunter Ms Little witnessed her son's friends try to cope with their loss, which motivated her to write a children's book about grief. She said her husband was in denial, and really believed that he did not have a problem with his mental health (pictured is a memorial card for Damien, Koda and Hunter Little) After losing Koda and Hunter Ms Little witnessed their friends try to cope with loss, which motivated her to write a children's book about grief (pictured is a mourner laying a floral tribute) She hopes the book, titled Yesterday You Were Here, will help other children to deal with the loss of friends and siblings. Speaking out about mental illness, Ms Little said she still struggles to understand it, and wonders whether it is ever possible to know what another person is thinking. She believes Australia needs to get serious about mental health issues to prevent its devastating effects on the families and loved ones of sufferers. Workers at a Wendy's in Oklahoma got a shock after seeing a mouse crawling around on the food they were about to serve. Employees at the fast food chain in Tulsa were so concerned about the cleanliness of the restaurant they decided to video the rodent in order to prove it to their bosses. The clip shows a live mouse among the hamburger buns complete with feces running throughout the packaging. Wendy's is investigating after an employee video showed live mice crawling around in hamburger bun bag in Oklahoma A video shows a mouse among hamburger buns and feces in the packaging Skylar Frame ended up sharing the film after management seemed to avoid taking action on Thursday. 'I just hear "Mouse, mouse, mouse!" I'm like, "we do not have mice in this store, what?" I go back there and the mouse is moving around in the big buns,' she said. The Wendy's team said in a statement to WAVE that they were made aware of the situation and take the matter very seriously. An investigation has since been launched with local the pest control office. However, staff at the restaurant say this latest episode doesn't surprise them with levels of hygiene being at an all-time low. Employee Skylar Frama shared the viral video when she says she told management and they did nothing in response Mouse droppings can be seen clearly in the plastic packaging The employee informed management at the fast food restaurant about the problem but claims Another employee, Samantha Niebelink, said that she noticed a cigarette lying on the counter and a rat had also been found just weeks earlier Even before the incident was reported last week, loose cigarettes were often left in the preparation area. 'The managers they're just like "Yeah we'll get to it, yeah it's not really that big of an issue."' Frame said. Earlier in June, a rat was also found roaming around the kitchens and then the mouse was found making the most of the burger buns. 'The next time I found an actual live mouse in there, crawling around, eating all the burger buns,' Samantha Niebelink said. 'The manager told me 'Just take a new rack and get the buns underneath.' That was just disgusting because last time there was rat feces it was dribbling underneath every other rack.' Employees are now threatening to quit on the job if managers don't start taking the health code violations seriously. Weeks earlier another worker took a photo of a food prep area with a cigarette on the counter 'There was this one guy he was sick, he was a sandwich maker, and he was not wearing gloves,' Niebelink said. 'He was rubbing his nose, he was making them, and he didn't care if the buns were toasted or not, he was just throwing them out. I thought I was going to throw up.' Wendy's head office have released a statement saying: 'nothing is more important than the safety of our employees and customers. We have stringent procedures in place to ensure a safe and well-maintained restaurant.' Despite the employees video and verbal allegations, Wendy's corporate said there were no reported violations in the last inspection report for that particular location. Even when the local health department visited on Friday, no violations were found during the inspection. Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce's little brother lost his battle with terminal cancer at the weekend. Timothy Joyce was taken to the intensive care unit at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital on Thursday but died soon after. The former Nationals leader pulled out of the party's state conference at Cowra, New South Wales, to be with his ill brother. Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce's (pictured) little brother, 42-year-old Timothy, lost his battle with terminal cancer at the weekend Sydney 2GB radio host Alan Jones confirmed the news when Mr Joyce failed to appear on the breakfast show. 'Just before I came off air, I had a text from Barnaby, to tell me his brother Tim had been admitted to intensive care at Royal North Shore Hospital,' Jones said on radio. 'Barnaby's younger brother Tim died at the weekend.' Tim Joyce, 42, left behind his heart broken wife and three young children. '(Tim) looked at the ceiling and said thank you God for giving me the experience of life. Then he faded out, and we said the rosary around him,' Mr Joyce told Jones. 'He was such an innocent, loving boy.' The former deputy prime minister previously had his own cancer scare and advocated the importance of regular skin checks. The controversial politician had a number of skin cancers burned off his face about two years ago where he had a stage one melanoma removed from his shoulder. Mr Joyce described his brother, who has three kids, as an 'innocent, loving boy' after he died after being taken to intensive care unit at Royal North Shore Hospital (pictured) Mr Joyce had recently been on sick leave since May after his partner, Vikki Campion, gave birth to their son. The news follows considerable speculation as to whether Joyce would be showing his face at the NSW Nationals' annual conference, given his turbulent position within the party of late, The Daily Telegraph reports. 'The reality is, as a member of the party, he's entitled to come,' Nationals NSW state leader John Barilaro said during a press conference on Friday. 'And Barnaby's choice, he's decided not to come and it's probably a good decision where he's looking after his family.' In his absence, a large contingent of Nationals MPs, members and delegates debated a range of party policies at the Cowra summit at the weekend. Wharton County sheriff's authorities say a 36-year-old man, Robert Satterfield, is charged with murder for the deaths of a family of three A man has been charged with murdering a family-of-three after their burned, skeletal remains were found buried on a Texas ranch. 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 sheriff's 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, a licensed massage therapist. 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. 'It is believed these remains to be the same of Hudson, Rivera and their child,' the Wharton County Sheriff's Office said on Sunday. Satterfield was discovered Thursday driving the car of missing 24-year-old Maya Rivera, a licensed massage therapist. 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 'It is believed these remains to be the same of Hudson, Rivera and their child,' the Wharton County Sheriff's Office said on Sunday 'The remains are at this point unidentifiable as there had been an attempt to dispose of the bodies by burning them.' Satterfield is now being held on $305,000 bond, according to the Houston Chronicle. So far, investigators do not know the exact circumstances of the family's deaths. Frances Rivera, Maya's mother, said she last saw her daughter on June 10. Frances Rivera, Maya's mother, said she last saw her daughter on June 10. She said her grandson, Rayshawn Jr., idolized his father to the point where he also took up horses and trail riding, just like his dad She said they were on their way to visit Hudson's family in Missouri City, Texas. 'I try not to think about the hows and the whys and the whens,' Frances Rivera said. She said her grandson, Rayshawn Jr., idolized his father to the point where he also took up horses and trail riding, just like his dad. 'Anything his daddy did, he wanted to be right behind him,' she said. Rayshawn Jr. also helped his grandfather, who has Alzheimer's Disease, find restrooms and remember names, Rivera said. New dashcam footage has emerged of the horrifying moment an allegedly stolen truck slammed into a pub and erupted into a fireball before the driver was arrested in dramatic scenes. 9 News has obtained footage of the fiery crash in the New South Wales Hunter region in October last year. The dramatic footage shows the truck hurtling down the main street of Singleton before driver Rodney Johnson allegedly slammed into a pub and crashed into a power pole, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Scroll down for video New dashcam vision has emerged of the fiery truck in the main street in Singleton last October The driver allegedly fled the inferno and was put in another truck before police converge to arrest him in dramatic scenes The rig allegedly crashed and burst into flames on George Street after taking out five cars and damaging buildings including the Royal Hotel and an antique store. The new dashcam vision was taken from a truck sitting in traffic opposite the crash. It shows Johnson allegedly fleeing the inferno as the truck driver who captured the dashcam footage comes to his aid and puts Johnson in the cab of his vehicle. Police converge on the truck to arrest Johnson, who can be seen in the footage allegedly getting in a tussle with them as he's handcuffed. Police alleged Johnson, 29, stole the semi-trailer full of fertiliser from a petrol station while its driver was paying for fuel more than 100km away from Singleton. He allegedly sparked a police chase along the New England Highway, where road spikes were deployed in an attempt to stop the vehicle. Johnson was charged with a string of offences, including stealing a motor vehicle, police pursuit, using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention and malicious damage. He will reappear in Newcastle Local Court in July, according to 9 News. Nine people were injured in the crash. Debbie Anderson, 59, was among the five who needed hospital treatment. She told Daily Mail Australia at the time the accident happened so quickly and all she could see was the truck coming towards her. The allegedly stolen truck hurtled down the main street of Singleton before it slammed into a pub and crashed into a power pole Rodney Johnson (pictured), who allegedly sparked the fiery crash will reappear in court next month on a string of charges 'The truck drove the red car [into my car], ploughed it like it was ploughing a field,' she said. 'I'd been thrown sideways ... all I could see was dust, I didn't know if it was smoke.' Ms Anderson said she forced her car door open and was then looked after by some people at a nearby cafe until paramedics arrived. 'There was police and people everywhere ... the truck ended up down further probably 100 metres away,' she said. 'It was something you would see in the movies.' Denise Daley (pictured) said there is absolutely no way her jerk chicken specialty made anyone ill A Florida restaurant owner is fighting back against accusations that her food made a customer sick after the patron complained she found maggots in the dish. Denise Daley, owner of the Caribbean Sunrise Restaurant and Baker in Jacksonville, said there is absolutely no way her jerk chicken specialty made anyone ill after giving a tour to Action News Jax over the weekend. 'There was no doubt on our part that the food was safe,' Daley said, adding that her famous chicken is cooked in an oven, smoked on a grill, stored in a hot box, and heated in a microwave before being served to customers. Daley spoke out against the accusations after customer Keondra White claimed she found maggots in her food, posting footage of the to-go order to the internet. The clip shows the Caribbean chicken dish in a Styrofoam container crawling with insect larvae. The restaurant admitted via social media that there was an incident that 'compromised our standards' earlier in the week, but insisted they were not at fault for White's experience. Daley spoke out against the accusations after customer Keondra White (pictured) claimed she found maggots in her food (L) and posted footage of it online Daley is the owner of the Caribbean Sunrise Restaurant and Baker in Jacksonville (Pictured) 'I have no idea what the customer did (with) the food,' Daley told Action News, 'but once the food leaves here, we have no control over what happens to it.' The exact nature of those compromised standards remains unclear. Experts say that high temperatures normally eradicate any maggots or fly eggs found in food, but it depends on how high those temperatures are. 'You want it a good 180 degrees internal temperature,' University of North Florida nutrition professor Lauri Wright told Action News. 'If you don't hit that, the maggots could still be alive.' Health inspectors found violations at the restaurant on two consecutive days but did discover any maggot infestations inside the storage facilities Moreover, food does not have to be out very long before flies begin to lay their eggs. 'Often, (the maggots) come after the food has been prepared, has been cooked, and when it's sitting out,' Wright said. Daley insists that the chicken served to White was ever left out for any period of time. According to Action News, health inspectors found violations at the restaurant on two consecutive days, including the discovery of flies in the kitchen and dining area and not keeping food, including chicken and beef, in a cold enough storage area. Health inspectors, however, did not find serious violations or maggot infestations that contaminate any food products stored at the restaurant. 'I do apologize that we had to be put in this light to the general public,' Daley told WTLV. 'Our intentions are very good and we'll continue to provide safe quality food to the customers to ensure that they enjoy the meals and that they remain safe while eating our food. ' Advertisement America's second largest state is stacked with several peculiar ghost towns - some of which have been abandoned as a result of natural disasters as well as economic decline. The Houston Chronicle initially released a report about the deserted and spooky attractions that include little pieces of history. The newspaper described the former mining community of Terlingua to be one of the 'most famous ghost towns' in all of Texas. The town of Terlingua is seen above. The Houston Chronicle called it one of the 'most famous ghost towns' in Texas Glenrio is a ghost town where the 1940 drama film 'The Grapes of Wrath' was filmed for three weeks Lobo was said to a hot spot for cotton farming, before the costs of cultivating crops became too pricey And Glenrio, established in the early 1900's, was a community 'that once hosted thousands of travelers.' The town was where the 1940 drama film 'The Grapes of Wrath' was filmed for three weeks. Lobo was said to a hot spot for cotton farming before the costs of cultivating crops became too pricey. In the picturesque town of Sherwood, visitors will come across vacant buildings like a courthouse and a church. The town was abandoned in 1939, years after the railroad town of Mertzon was established in its place. The above photo shows an abandoned church located in the picturesque town of Sherwood Belle Plain was home to Belle Plain College, which was only open from 1881-1883 Belle Plain was home to Belle Plain College, an institution established in 1881. The college closed two years later due to a population decrease. Barstow was once famous for its 'booming' farming industry, according to the Chronicle, but after the break of the Pecos Dam and droughts, the population took a drastic decline. In the town of Independence, visitors will see only one monument of four columns, where Texas revolutionary war leader Sam Houston once lived. The location is also where Baylor College was once open, which Houston funded in its beginning stages. The parents of a six-month-old girl found dead in a storage container in a crawl space in their Pennsylvania home are facing criminal homicide charges. Shaun Oxenreider, 25, and 27-year-old Samantha Trump were charged in Berks County with concealing the death of a child, abuse of a corpse and conspiracy. Authorities said Harper Trump's body was found March 20 in a trash bag in a plastic container filled with cat litter at the Springfield Township complex during a welfare check at the couple's home. Shaun Oxenreider (left), 25, and 27-year-old Samantha Trump (right), were charged with concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse after six-month-old, Harper Trump, was found dead in a crawl space Authorities said Harper Trump's body was found March 20 in a trash bag in a plastic container filled with cat litter at the Springfield Township complex during a welfare check at the couple's home. Police work the scene of the crime Police had received a tip from people who knew the couple's baby had died. When authorities went to the couple's home in March, they initially refused to allow police inside, according to PennLive. But while they were talking Trump suddenly collapsed and went into convulsions Oxenreider reportedly told police he had two urns containing the ashes of the baby. Authorities said neither contained human remains. When the officers were finally allowed to search the premises, they found the dead baby in the crawl space. An autopsy revealed that Harper died around January 1 from blunt-force head trauma. The baby girl also suffered from rib fractures and a broken right arm. Police work the scene of the heinous crime An autopsy revealed that Harper died around January 1 from blunt-force head trauma. The baby girl also suffered from rib fractures and a broken right arm. Court records show that the defendants remain in prison in lieu of $250,000 bail each. Trump was the primary caretaker of the baby, and Oxenreider shared in her care on his days and nights off from work. A woman collecting for Ronald McDonald House has been brought to tears following the generosity of a homeless man who donated everything he had to the charity. Roanne Hautapu was collecting for the organisation on the streets of Auckland when rough sleeper 'Jack' walked up to her and said he noticed the charity's van. 'When Jack saw me get out of the Ronald McDonald House Charity's van and said he had something to give me on our return, I admit I was a tad cynical, and really didn't think much of it,' Roanne told the New Zealand Herald. Roanne Hautapu was collecting for the organisation on the streets of Auckland when rough sleeper 'Jack' (pictured) walked up to her and said he noticed the charity's van However, when they were leaving Jack approached them again and proceeded to give them his possessions including the money from his begging jar. 'The tears were rolling down my face, and my thoughts were pinging all over the place. I said to him "it looks like life is pretty hard for you. Why do you want to give to someone else?" Roanne said he simply replied 'because I can.' She said the moment left her feeling humbled and that it was an example of pure altruism. The astounding act of generosity It turns out that this is not the first time Jack has shown his generosity and actually has a reputation as the 'father of the streets' who would look after other rough sleepers. Formerly homeless Dempsey Fruean, 25, said that when he was on the streets Jack would watch out for him and his girlfriend, regularly giving him spare change to buy meals. He added that Jack 'would give the jacket off his own back. Everyone respects and loves Jack.' A South African mother is fighting to return to New Zealand to be with her teenage son and care for his dying grandmother. Rhonda Arumugam followed her family to New Zealand in 2003 with her then one-year-old daughter, Willow, before falling in love with a local man soon after. A year later, the now 36-year-old and her husband Timothy Edwards had a son, Cail, only for the young parents to divorce in 2006. However, in 2011 Ms Arumugam was deported back to South Africa when her working visa expired after failing to lodge a new visa application. Rhonda Arumugam (pictured) is fighting to get back to New Zealand to see her son and sick mother The mother told Daily Mail Australia her then 12-year-old son was racially attacked and was forced to send him back to New Zealand last year to live with her mother - who is now fighting a number of cancers. The 36-year-old, who has since remarried and has another son four-year-old Cayden, said Cail suffered 'racial disputes, xenophobia and random acts of violence' when he was in South Africa. 'In South Africa we were having daily killings based on xenophobia, the school were so terrified for the foreigners safety they were sent home,' Ms Arumungam said. '(Cail) was repeatedly assaulted - race issues remain rife here - robbed and the final straw came when the South African Police strip searched him in the street. A 12-year-old ... he came home crying that day and asked to go home.' The mother said she then made the heartbreaking decision to send him across the globe to be with his grandmother. 'I've never cried so much in my whole life, each morning I wake to a hole in my heart,' she said. Cail Edwards, 13, (left) and his grandmother Dawn Howard (right) in New Plymouth. 'I have not seen my family since 2011 ... I am in South Africa without any living relatives.' Now the mother-of-three has to first refund the deportation costs before being allowed back in the country to care for her extremely ill mother. 'I am then faced with the hurdle of still not falling under an acceptable category,' she said. 'I was a tax paying, working resident of New Zealand and right now my mum is on sickness and battling to care for (Cail) financially. 'My mum's health has taken a rapid decline, she has an inoperable brain tumour, suspected bowel cancer and fibromyalgia.' Ms Arumugam is determined to reunite her family and get back into New Zealand Ms Arumugam told Daily Mail Australia she was 'removed from New Zealand after years and years of fighting immigration to remain because my profession as a caregiver is no longer considered a skill.' Ms Arumugam has now taken the fight straight to Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway, writing him a desperate letter explaining their families circumstance. She says she wants an assurance from the minister before putting in an application again. She has been told by the associate ministers office that she should not expect the minister to personally consider her request. Ms Arumugam has vowed to reunite her family, saying the separation is already taking too great a toll. 'He sends me messages saying every moment of every day he misses me, sends me the lyrics to lullabies I used to sing him, I just cry,' she said. It was revealed that Australia's fastest internet speed is not in Sydney or Melbourne - it's in Tasmania, with its average megabits per second (Mb/s) at 28.7. Tasmania's fast internet speed could be because of its smaller population and 'high proportion of fibre to the premises (FTTP) connections,' Finder spokesman Angus Kidman told Gizmodo. According to data from the SpeedTest website Ookla, Tasmania has an average internet speed that is 4Mb/s faster than New South Wales, which has a mean speed of 24.2Mb/s. It was revealed that Australia's fastest internet speed is not in Sydney or Melbourne - it's in Tasmania, with its average megabits per second (Mb/s) at 28.7 Tasmania's fast internet speed could be because of its smaller population and 'high proportion of fibre to the premises (FTTP) connections,' Finder spokesman Angus Kidman told Gizmodo According to data from the SpeedTest website Ookla , Tasmania has an average internet speed that is 4Mb/s faster than New South Wales, which has a mean speed of 24.2Mb/s The state of Victoria comes in third place, with an internet speed of 23.7Mb/s. Data also shows that the rest of the Australian states are not lagging too far behind: Queensland (23.3Mb/s) comes after Victoria, followed by the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, and lastly, Western Australia (19.5Mb/s). The data from Ookla also reveals a disparity in the number of tests run for each Australian state. Tasmanians tested their connection speed just 264 times in comparison to New South Wales 3,120 test runs. Tasmania's smaller population and a higher proportion of fibre to the premises connections have been cited as reasons for the island's superior connection speeds. Thomas Markle Snr has given a sombre reflection on staged paparazzi photographs which were beamed around the world in the run-up to his daughter's wedding. In May it surfaced Mr Markle had secretly collaborated with a British paparazzi photographer to stage a series of pictures which were subsequently sold to newspapers around the world. The 73-year-old today revealed his regret at allowing the pictures - which showed him looking at images of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in an internet cafe - to be taken. This comes as it emerged Mr Markle was paid a fee of a 'few thousand pounds' to appear on Good Morning Britain today and give a world-exclusive interview which laid bare his story. Thomas Markle Snr has given a sombre reflection on staged paparazzi photographs which were beamed around the world in the run-up to his daughter's wedding In May it surfaced Mr Markle had secretly collaborated with a British paparazzi photographer to stage a series of pictures which were subsequently sold to newspapers around the world Piers Morgan told This Morning that Mr Markle was paid a fee of a few thousand pounds to do the GMB interview, which was set up in the middle of last week with a GMB team sent over to see him over the weekend. He said Mr Markle wanted to set the record straight and chose GMB as they offered the longest slot. The presenter said he 'didn't believe any member of the royal family were aware of the interview beforehand'. Mr Markle this morning opened up about conversations he had with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex about the media attention surrounding him. He told GMB: 'Most part of it was, 'Don't speak to the press.' The rest of the things were just be careful. 'But they were very emphatic about not giving any information to the press or talking to them, because it just encourages them more. So none the less, that's what I tried to do.' Despite these conversations however, allegations later surfaced that he had staged photographs with the paparazzi. Footage obtained by The Mail on Sunday showed the 73-year-old former lighting director arriving at an internet cafe with photographer Jeff Rayner. Minutes later the pair were seen preparing to photograph Mr Markle while he was sitting at a computer looking at a news story about his daughter and Prince Harry. Shortly after the furore, Mr Markle was taken to hospital to have three stents fitted. He told GMB he had apologised to both Harry and Meghan and denied staging the shots for money, insisting they were taken in a bid to 'change his image'. He added: 'I realised it was a serious mistake. It's hard to take it back.' Mr Markle opened up about conversations he had with the pair about the media attention surrounding him He told the show: 'There was a presentation to me to change my image because for the last year because photographs of me were always derogatory. 'They would take pictures of me with my hand on a beer, taking the bins out, buying a toilet and making a big deal of it and it all made me look negative. 'That all went to hell and I feel bad about it I apologise for it and thats all I can do, that was a mistake. 'I didnt do this for money, I did it to change my image. For one whole year I was presented as a hermit living in Mexico and obviously that was a mistake and it all went wrong. 'I spoke to them both and I apologised. I realised it was a serious mistake but its hard to take it back but again it was to improve my look, I had been seen negatively for an entire year. 'It wasnt a hard conversation with them and they were very forgiving, both Harry and Meghan were forgiving about it.' Mr Markle said he is 'on the mend' after surgery and plans to come to Britain soon to meet Harry and the rest of the royal family The staged photographs came despite Kensington Palace issuing a warning to publishers to respect Mr Markles privacy, saying he had been harassed by paparazzi. A Mail on Sunday investigation established that the internet cafe pictures were part of a series Rayner took of Meghans father. They were published in newspapers, magazines and on websites around the world. Other pictures of Mr Markle taken by Rayner include one of him studying a book of British landmarks at a Starbucks cafe, and another in which he appears to be working out with weights to get in shape for the big day. Another picture apparently showing Mr Markle exercising in a bid to shed weight ahead of the big day also appeared in a British newspaper. Kensington Palace declined to comment on Mr Markle's Good Morning Britain interview. An elite private girls' school has changed their stance after originally demanding that students seek permission to bring a same-sex date to their year-eleven formal. Presbyterian Ladies' College, located in Melbourne's suburb of Burwood, has changed its policy in the lead up to the event on Friday. The principal, Dawn Clements addressed her students with the news that they could bring 'any guest they wish,' Herald Sun reported. Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne (pictured), implemented a policy where students were to seek permission to bring same-sex dates to their year-eleven formal The change of heart came after a meeting with the school's executive committee over the weekend. The year group were outraged when one student was denied permission to bring a same-sex partner after writing to her year coordinator. 'The response was one of outrage. It is so unfair,' a student told the Herald Sun. Ms Clements, attended a formal committee meeting to address the issue. In regards to the meeting, a student said: 'They said they wanted to balance out the proportion of girls and boys because they want girls to learn how to interact with boys.' The students also allege that there was a suggested dress code - no dresses with plunging necklines or open backs. The school, however, declined to comment on the dress code. Principal Clements said: 'The change follows feedback from students and others in our community, and was agreed by the school executive over the weekend. 'Review and reflection on past practice is important in ensuring this continues.' This is the horrifying moment a husband shot dead his wife and her father before turning the gun on himself in a hospital waiting room. Chaiyaporn Thanamsri accompanied his wife Thanyamas, 26, their six-week-old son and his father-in-law Samphan, 60, when she went to the doctors last Friday for a check up. The two men started arguing in the waiting room at Nakhon Pathom Hospital, in northern Thailand, after the wife's father told Chaiyaporn, 31, to get a job and said his daughter was too good for him. A photo from the scene shows a gun lying on the floor of the waiting room with a pool of blood nearby Furious Chaiyaporn pulled a gun from his bag and blasted Samphan twice in the head before shooting his wife in the chest, arms and back in front of his baby boy. The killer then turned the gun on himself as other patients in the waiting room ran for their lives. Two patients were injured from stray bullets. Lieutenant Colonel Wuttisit Kongsarawat said: 'I arrived at the scene with other officers. It happened on the second floor of the hospital. Patients in the waiting room at Nakhon Pathom Hospital, in northern Thailand, ran for their lives when Chaiyaporn Thanamsri, 31, opened fire The killer accompanied his wife Thanyamas, 26, and father-in-law Samphan, 60, when she went to the doctors last Friday for a check up 'There was blood on the floor and a .38 pistol. Two people were dead and another was seriously injured and sent for surgery. 'Forensic police are gathering all the evidence from the scene and we will review CCTV of the area to discover exactly what happened.' Medics treated the injured husband after he shot himself but he later died. Thanyamas Thanamsri, 26, (right) with husband Chaiyaporn Chaowanakamon, 31, on their wedding day Chaiyaporn blasted his two victims in front of his six-week-old boy after his father-in-law told him to get a job. Pictured: Nurses run away from the scene A social media post by Thanyamas several days before the murder detailed how she was battling back from kidney, lung and heart failure in the wake of her pregnancy. She'd suffered a number of health problems, including urinary and breathing issues following the birth of the little boy in January. The couple had been married since 2014. Alongside a picture of the youngster, she wrote how she had survived 'the most torturous week of her life'. The killer turned the weapon on himself before police arrived. Pictured: The area was cordoned off by officers Lieutenant Colonel Wuttisit Kongsarawat said: 'There was blood on the floor and a .38 pistol. Two people were dead and another was seriously injured and sent for surgery' She wrote: 'I have been crying a lot and in a lot of pain but I am finally feeling better. 'Now I know the value of life more than ever before. 'Do not judge anyone because they are going through a lot of stress. Try to make life better. The couple pictured together, with husband Chaiyaporn (right) who carried out the shooting Two patients were injured from stray bullets when the killer opened fire in the busy waiting room 'I still have a treatment period but from now on will be healthier. We should look after ourselves and the people we love. 'Death is closer than we expect. Health is very important so take care of yourself.' Just two weeks ago she had come through surgery for kidney, heart and lung failure - posting a picture of herself and the six-week-old tot while writing 'death is closer than we expect so take care of the people you love'. A 35-year-old man has died after falling from a 170ft high waterfall in southern India while trying to pose for a social media photo. Video shows Ramjan Usman Kagji, from nearby Ghatprabha, climbing down the cliff face of the famous Gokak waterfalls, a popular tourist destination in the Belagavi district of Karnataka state. He is seen making his way down towards a ledge, when he suddenly slips and falls, allegedly after his friends told him to move so they could get a better angle. For the likes: Video shows Ramjan Usman Kagji, 35, climbing off the edge of the famous Gokak waterfalls in the Belagavi district of Karnataka state, southern India Kagji and his friends had reportedly turned up at the well-known beauty spot 'heavily drunk' on Saturday afternoon, and had been performing stunts near the edge despite being warned of the danger. Eyewitnesses said Kagji had begun climbing down the cliff face towards the waterfall in order to pose for a picture. 'The man was doing the stunts as his accomplices kept shooting his dare-devilry,' witness Shivaji Kokate said. 'I could see from their hand gestures that his friends were prodding him to change pose, as they wanted to capture his act on the phone and later upload on social media. 'After the accident, when we rushed near the spot from where fell off, we overheard his friends saying: "He wouldn't have lost his life if we hadn't prodded for a better angle". Eyewitnesses said Kagji had begun climbing down the cliff face to pose for a social media photo, and fell after his friends told him to move so they could get a better angle Another witness said: 'We spotted him going near the edge. We cautioned him against this misadventure, but he wouldn't listen.' The brief footage shows Kagji losing his footing and falling, while tourists can be heard screaming in the background. Local authorities have been searching for the man's body, but his remains are yet to be found. A senior police officer said: 'The incident happened on Saturday between 3pm to 4pm and since then, we have been searching for the victim's body. The water is very deep that is why we haven't been able to fish out the body yet.' The police officer added: 'Whether the victim was under the influence of alcohol or not can be said only after the body is found. As of now, we can't say anything.' Following the incident, police have tightened the security at the waterfall to prevent visitors from going near it. The Gokak Falls are a tourist destination, but have also become known as a suicide spot. In the past five years, 19 people have died at the Gokak Falls, either by suicide or in accidents, New Indian Express reports. Actor and comedian David Spade has been spotted with a mystery blonde days after he donated $100,000 to a mental health organization in the wake of his sister-in-law Kate Spade's suicide. The 53-year-old gave the cash to National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation's largest grassroots mental health body. He had a close relationship with the late businesswoman Kate, 55, who was discovered dead by a horrified housekeeper on June 5. Now David has been seen keeping a low profile in Lost Hills, California with a mystery woman. David has been seen keeping a low profile while walking in Lost Hills, California with a mystery woman David Spade and his sister-in-law enjoyed a close relationship. They are pictured together at an art gallery in Los Angeles Kate Spade committed suicide at her Manhattan apartment while her husband was home The identity of his blonde friend is not known, but it comes days after the actor spoke of the sad death of his sister-in-law. The duo was seen in a parking lot, with David wearing a hat, sunglasses and sweatpants. 'More people suffer from mental health issues than we may realize but no one should ever feel ashamed to reach out for support,' David said in a statement, People reported. The designer left behind a heartbreaking suicide note to her daughter Frances Beatrix, 13, which read: 'Bea - I have always loved you. This is not your fault. Ask Daddy!' David's brother and Kate's husband of 24 years, Andy, was at the family's home at the time of the tragedy. At the time of his sister-in-law's death, David Spade shared a photo on Twitter of Kate supporting him at a book signing. The 'Tommy Boy' star wrote in the caption: 'Katy at my book signing. I love this pic of her. 'So pretty. I don't think everyone knew how f****** funny she was... It's a rough world out there people. Try to hang on.' Kate shot to fame in the mid-90s thanks to her eponymous line of handbags and was also the aunt of Rachel Brosnahan, the star of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. The Tommy Boy star paid and emotional tribute to his sister-in-law after her death David Spade returned to the comedy stage Friday, just three days after the death of his sister-in-law (file picture) Andy and Kate Spade bought the nine-room apartment in which she died in 1999 for $2.675 million, and also owned a vineyard in Napa Valley. The couple launched their design line back in 1993, starting at first with just handbags before expanding to clothes and other accessories. Three years in the couple was able to open their first store, and for the next decade continued to grow the company. She had launched international and home lines by 2004, having by that point sold off most of her company. Andy also launched a men's line of bags, Jack Spade, in 1996, which is still sold at stores such as Barneys. If you or anyone you know needs to talk, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or Lifeline Australia 13 11 14 To contact the Samaritans, visit www.samaritans.org or call 116 123. An enraged woman allegedly shot her husband in the testicles in a heated argument over an air conditioning unit. Kimberly Dunn, 35, shot her estranged partner after he confronted her at her home in Lake City, Florida back in October 2017 while trying to retrieve the cooler. After arriving at her house along with his brother, however, the unnamed man discovered Dunn had been trying to sell the air conditioner on Facebook. Kimberly Dunn, 35, shot her estranged husband in the testicles as he attempted to recover an air conditioning unit Dunn's husband then lost his cool and tried to unhook the machine from its mounting - prompting her to sit on it in protest. The man and his brother attempted to shift her from the unit but his wife, who had both a stun gun and a pistol on her person, attempted to electrocute them. Before she could pull the trigger, however, her brother-in-law struck her on the head - sending her crashing to the ground with both weapons. She then reached for the handgun, firing a single shot in the direction of her husband which struck him in the testicles. According to the police report, Dunn's brother-in-law then screamed 'You shot my brother' and began choking her until she blacked out. Dunn was arrested and taken to the Columbia County Jail after the violent incident at her home in Lake City, Florida Her ex was then rushed to hospital and he has since made a full recovery. Dunn was arrested by police attending the incident and was incarcerated at Columbia County jail without incident. According to reports, Dunn said she had only been trying to scare her husband and did not intend to hit his testicles. On Thursday, June 14, Dunn was arrested for failing to show up in court for the shooting incident. She faces an additional charge of contempt of court. The bodies of a woman and a five-year-old child have been found at the foot of Beachy Head cliffs after they fell to their deaths. Emergency services recovered the body of the child - who is said to have had a disability - and a woman from under the East Sussex cliffs this morning. Lifeboats and a rescue helicopter were scrambled around 6am after reports of the woman a child going over the cliff-top. A spokesman for Sussex police confirmed a woman and child had died and officers have begun an investigation. Emergency services were called to Beachy Head today after a woman and child died Rescue crews involved in the recovery are pictured on the cliff-top this morning The police spokesman said: 'Although the identities have yet to be confirmed, they are believed to be a 42-year-old woman and her five-year-old son from Maidstone, Kent. The spokesman added: 'The deaths are not being treated as suspicious.' A Vauxhall Corsa, believed to have been found at the scene, is being investigated by police in connection with the deaths. It comes just days after three bodies were recovered from the base of the famous cliffs near Eastbourne. Emergency services were alerted last Wednesday, and with assistance from the Eastbourne RNLI inshore lifeboat recovered the body of a 58-year-old man from London. Shortly after 5pm, while this was in progress, a second, badly decomposed body, believed to be that of a woman, was found nearby. A coastguard helicopter at the scene this morning after the bodies were recovered A lifeboat crew, pictured at the base of the cliff this morning, took part in the recovery Then some 40 minutes later a third body, believed to be that of another man from London, was discovered some distance away. Police said those three deaths were not being treated as suspicious and were not linked to one another. More than 350,000 people visit the cliffs at Birling Gap and Seven Sisters each year. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or see www.samaritans.org. Advertisement Thousands have flocked to candlelight vigils in Melbourne's Princes Park and across Australia to remember comedian Eurydice Dixon. The aspiring comedian, 22, was on her way home from a gig last Tuesday night when she was allegedly raped and murdered at the park in Carlton North in inner Melbourne. Her body was found in the early hours of Wednesday morning, less than a kilometre away from her home. The shocking tragedy united the community together at Monday night's emotional Reclaim Prince Park vigil, which was attended up to 10,000 people. Scroll down for videos Mourners packed Melbourne's Princes Park on Monday night for the Reclaim Princes Park vigil in memory of comedian Eurydice Dixon Princes Park was plunged into darkness just after 6pm on Monday night for the candelight vigil Up to 10,000 people packed Melbourne's Princes Park and stood in silence for 20 minutes to remember Eurydice Dixon Eurydice Dixon (pictured) was on her way home from a gig last Tuesday night when she was allegedly raped and murdered Thousands of people gathered in Princes Park for an emotional candlelight vigil to remember Eurydice Dixon Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) and his family are among among those at the vigil in Princes Park Thousands of mourners stood silently in solidarity to remember the aspiring comedian The tragedy has shocked and united the Melbourne community as they gathered at Princes Park on Monday night Men, women and children gathered in Princes Park to pay their respects Students from Eurydice Dixon's former school Princes Hill Secondary College were among those at the candlelight vigil in her honour Thousands flocked to Princes Park to remember talented comedian Eurydice Dixon, whose life was tragically cut short Princes Park was a sea of candles and flowers for Monday night's Reclaim Princes Park vigil Jaymes Todd, 19, has since been charged with Ms Dixons death and remanded in custody. Just after 6pm on Monday night, the soccer pitch where Eurydice was found was plunged into darkness for 30 minutes as floodlights were switched off and replaced with the glow of hundreds of candles, The Age reported. Melburnians, young and old stood together united as one, gathered in a tight circle around the growing makeshift memorial shrine in Ms Dixon's honour. Mourners stood in silence for 20 minutes before it was broken by a choir signing Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Police attended but kept their distance from the sombre crowd to give the space they needed to reflect. Candlelight vigils were held across Australia to remember Eurydice Dixon (pictured) 'I wish I could've seen you perform,' wrote a high school friend. 'I'm so sorry for what happened to you and constantly thinking of you.' Another read: 'You will never know how many women and girls will say your name over the coming days, months and years nor will you see the smiles and tears exchanged over your talents and the deepest sorrow shared for your young life.' Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and his family attended the Reclaim Princes Park vigil, where he was seen comforting his visibly upset wife Catherine. Students from Ms Dixon's former school Princes Hill Secondary College were among those at the vigil, as mourners hugged each other and cried as they laid flowers. 'Remembering Eurydice Dixon,' Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull posted on Instagram on Monday night Hundreds braved the rain and cold winter weather in Sydney for a vigil in Hyde Park Vigils are being held across the country on Monday night, including Adelaide, Sydney (pictured) and Canberra In Sydney's Hyde Park (pictured), the event was renamed Vigil for all Victims of Gendered Violence in line with the wishes of Eurydice's family that her death not be over politicised Hundreds of mourners packed Hyde Park in Sydney on Monday night Two men in Sydney's Hyde Park held a sign with a powerful message 'Only weak men hurt women. Stand up! Man up,' a sign at the Sydney vigil read 'Eurydice's life impacted so many people. Tonight is about mourning her,' memorial organiser Taria Shafiq told the crowd. She told mourners that the vigil was 'a non-political space' and the time for action would come later. Landmarks across the city, including Melbourne Town Hall, were illuminated in orange the colour of the international campaign to end violence against women. Many vigil attendees took to social media afterwards to express a mix of sadness, anger and resilience. 'As I leave the emotional vigil for Eurydice Dixon, I cant help but feel this overwhelming sense of community. As I walk home, I feel like someone is walking with me in the dark. The resistance is here. I can feel it,' one woman tweeted. Another added: 'The Reclaim Princes Park vigil for Eurydice Dixon was both the most heartwarming and heartbreaking experience - the silence was beautifully overwhelming, but felt right. I think we all experienced a real solidarity tonight, its just devastating what happened to cause it.' Vigils were also held across the country, including Adelaide, Sydney, Perth, Hobart, Geelong and Canberra. A vigil will be held in Brisbane this Thursday night. In Sydney's Hyde Park, the event was renamed Vigil for all Victims of Gendered Violence in line with the wishes of Eurydice's family that her death not be over politicised. 'The Reclaim Princes Park vigil for Eurydice Dixon was both the most heartwarming and heartbreaking experience - the silence was beautifully overwhelming, but felt right,' one woman tweeted afterwards 'As I leave the emotional vigil for Eurydice Dixon, I cant help but feel this overwhelming sense of community. As I walk home, I feel like someone is walking with me in the dark. The resistance is here. I can feel it,' another woman tweeted The Reclaim Princes Park vigil in Melbourne was attended by up to 10,000 people At the Reclaim Princes Park vigil, floodlights were turned off just after 6pm Children were among the 10,000 who paid their respects in Princes Park Princes Park was a sea of mourners, flowers and lit candles to remember Eurydice Dixon Mourners stood silently and in solidarity at the Reclaim Princes Park vigil in Melbourne Princes Park was plunged into darkness for the vigil Floodlights were turned off in Princes Park as candles lit up the city skyline There is a ever-growing shrine of flowers and notes in Princes Park Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull posted a photo of himself on Instagram lighting a candle at Parliament House in Canberra and made a speech during Question Time in parliament on Monday. He was joined by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and politicians from all sides of the chamber at the Parliament House candlelight vigil. 'Tonight, I attended a vigil for Eurydice Dixon at Parliament House, a vigil that has been brought about by the worst thing and complete awfulness. We join hands with thousands of other Australians together this evening to say no more,' federal MP Linda Burney tweeted. South Australian Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas (pictured) attended the Adelaide vigil held in Elder Park Candles lit up the steps of Adelaide's Elder Park on Monday night in honour of Eurydice Dixon An Adelaide woman lights an candle in Elder Park in memory of Eurydice Dixon Molly Breuker (pictured) was among the crowd who paid their respects at the Adelaide vigil Performances were also held at the Adelaide vigil in Elder Park Hundreds attended the Adelaide vigil in Elder Park The mood was sombre at the Adelaide vigil A vigil at Elder Park in Adelaide's CBD also attracted a strong turnout The vigils also sparked an outpouring of tributes on social media on Monday night. 'Beautiful scenes from vigil the tonight in my hometown Melbourne for Eurydice Dixon, for Qi Yu, and for all the women who have already been murdered in Australia this year' one woman tweeted. Another tweeted: 'The vigil for Eurydice Dixon was horrible and lovely and sad and weird.' Earlier on Monday, The City of Melbourne, state government and police met to review safety measures in Princes Park and how they can be improved to avoid a similar tragedy happening again. Thousands braved the cold weather to remember Eurydice Dixon in Princes Park Many vigil attendees took to social media afterwards to express a mix of sadness, anger and resilience 'Beautiful scenes from vigil the tonight in my hometown Melbourne (pictured) for Eurdice Dixon, for Qi Yu, and for all the women who have already been murdered in Australia this year' one woman tweeted A GoFundMe page was set up by fellow comedian Luka Muller last Wednesday, has raised more than $70,000 in five days. The original goal was to raise $1000. 'I did not know Eurydice well, but was friends with her through the comedy scene. These funds are being raised for the family of the victim, who I have had contact with,' Mr Muller wrote on the page. 'I understand that Eurydice's father wishes to donate a large portion of the funds to charities that Eurydice supported.' The page has been since edited to say that her family wishes the keep the campaign open for several more days. At the Reclaim Prices Park vigil in Melbourne, 10,000 gathered in a tight circle around an ever-growing shrine in honour of Eurydice Dixon The vigils also sparked an outpouring of tributes on social media on Monday night Earlier on Monday before the vigil, The City of Melbourne, state government and police met to review safety measures in Princes Park and how they can be improved to avoid a similar tragedy happening again Ms Dixon's father Jeremy Dixon told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday that her immediate family are not engaging in public right now. 'We do however much appreciate the community support and the positive coverage,' he said. Eurydice Dixon's death united the Melbourne community at a candlelight vigil on Monday night Crowds began gathering in Princes Park on Monday afternoon several hours before the candlelight vigil Casey Dyan Keller, 33, was arrested for leaving her three-year-old child in a hot car overnight in Sanford, Florida A Florida mother has been arrested after leaving her three-year-old daughter in a hot car overnight when she took a trip to the liquor store. Casey Dyan Keller, 33, of Sanford, went to a liquor store with her three children Saturday night and returned home with the two older children but didn't realize the youngest was left behind. The young girl remained in the car overnight with the windows up where she was overheated and drifted in and out of consciousness. Keller realized her daughter was missing Sunday morning and called police saying her car was stolen with her toddler inside, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The child was later found unharmed in the car in Keller's apartment complex parking lot. The little girl was taken to the hospital and is in critical but stable condition. She was arrested on Sunday after she reported her child missing and police found the toddler overheated in a car with windows rolled up in the parking lot of the apartment complex Police found no evidence that the car was stolen or even tampered with. Keller was arrested for child neglect with great bodily harm and booked into Seminole County jail on $15,000 bond. 'The officer got the baby out of the car, then ran to his truck really quick, then bolted to the hospital,' neighbor Brenda Johnson said to Click Orlando. 'It upsets me very bad. I cried. Honestly, I cried. It shook me up pretty bad. She laid there lifelessly,' she added. The child was found in this car Sunday morning overheated and floating in and out of consciousness Keller was arrested for child neglect with great bodily harm on $15,000 bond, her apartment complex pictured above Another neighbor said that Keller banged on her door early Sunday morning frantically searching for her child. 'She was banging on my door, and I had no idea what was going on, and she did it for 30 minutes, and I kept trying to tell her she had the wrong door,' neighbor Barbara Pitts said. 'Im thinking more of help than jail, like maybe counseling or something,' Pitts added. Keller has a court hearing scheduled for Monday morning. Her two other children are staying with family members. This is the humiliating moment a British tourist is forced to make a public apology after falsely claiming his laptop was stolen in an armed robbery. Adesanya Olamide Omolaja, 35, contacted police saying he'd been held at knifepoint by three men who demanded he hand over his backpack in Koh Samui, Thailand, on June 11. He told officers the robbers made off on motorbikes with his Apple MacBook and wanted a police report to make a travel insurance claim. But after investigating police found that he'd actually lost the laptop in the UK. Officers checked CCTV from his Thai hotel and discovered that Mr Omolaja left his room without a rucksack. The financial trader was also accompanied by a young woman - despite telling police he'd been alone taking photographs of a house when he was robbed. Adesanya Olamide Omolaja, 35, was forced to make a grovelling public apology for lying about being robbed in Thailand The financial trader told police he'd been held at knifepoint by three robbers who made off with his MacBook Varong Thapana, Chief of Tourist Police in Koh Samui, arrested Mr Omolaja on June 14 and the holidaymaker admitted he had lost his laptop back in England. Officers ordered him to make a grovelling apology while warning others not to make bogus travel insurance claims. In the video, the financial trader said: 'As you have seen from the video that was what happened to me the other day. 'I guess the lesson here is that when you come over to Thailand, just be straight up with the police. Don't lie. I took bad advice and see where it landed me.' Officers checked CCTV from his Thai hotel and discovered that Mr Omolaja left his room without a rucksack (pictured) The Brit claimed that the woman he had been with talked him into making a fake claim in order to get a police report to make a claim in England. He added: 'Again, I'm sorry to Thai people for my misconduct. And if you come to Thailand try not to get yourself into this kind of problem, as I did. 'Don't lie, just be honest with the police, because they will check, and you might get into a lot of trouble.' The financial trader was also accompanied by a young woman - despite telling police he'd been alone taking photographs of a house when he was robbed Mr Thapana said such frauds also damaged the image of tourist resorts and that offenders would be blacklisted. He added: 'These kind of false claims are not only harming other people but also the safety in Thailand safety and the tourism. 'This will not be tolerated and will continue to proceed to co-operate with immigration to cancel this tourist's stay and his permit to entry the country in the future.' Peers have today inflicted a hugely damaging defeat on Theresa May's Brexit Bill by demanding Parliament is given a meaningful vote if no deal is reached with the EU. The House of Lords defied the PM's pleas to 'keep faith' with the British public and fall into line on the EU Withdrawal Bill. Instead they backed the Hailsham amendment in a move which sets the stage for a crunch showdown between Mrs May and her Tory rebels on Wednesday when it returns to the Commons. In a fiery debate, Viscount Hailsham branded Brexit a 'national calamity' and said he was driven to act after ministers reneged on their promise to give Parliament a say if no deal is done by late January. But he was accused of trying to 'sabotage Brexit' and of overstepping their authority by pushing through the change. Peers voted by 354 to 235 to pass the controversial amendment. Mrs May now faces a frantic 48 hours as she tries to pick off Tory backbenchers - led by Dominic Grieve - planning to join the revolt on Wednesday. The PM has a wafer thin working majority of just 13 meaning that if just a handful of her MPs rebel she faces a humiliating defeat. Earlier, the PM had issued a last-minute plea to the House of Lords to 'keep faith' with the British public and not to thwart the vote to leave the EU. The House of Lords (pictured today) today voted by a huge margin to defeat Theresa May and back and amendment handing Parliament a say over negotiations if no deal is signed by late January next year Lord Hailsham (pictured in the Lords today) said he thinks Brexit is a 'national calamity' but insisted he was bringing forward his amendment not to block Brexit but to give Parliament a say on the deal Theresa May (pictured at the Royal Free Hospital today where she was announcing a major cash boost for the NHS) urged peers not to try to overturn the will of the people. But the House of Lords defied her warnings and backed the amendment In a tense and often bad-tempered debate in the Lords, Remainer peers clashed with their party colleagues who warned them they were overstepping their authority by dictating to ministers. Tory minister Baroness Evans said the Government's hand in negotiations with Brussels would be hugely weakened if Parliament was able to tell ministers what to do in negotiations. What is the meaningful vote amendment and what would it do? Why do MPs and peers want a meaningful vote? Tory rebels say Parliament is sovereign and should be given a say if the negotiations fail. Dominic Grieve tabled his own amendment to the Brexit Bill enshrining this in law last week. But he was convinced to pull it at the eleventh hour after assurances by ministers that they would address his concerns. But Mr Grieve and his fellow Tory rebels accused the Government of reneging on the deal by changing the compromise amendment they had agreed - setting the stage for another parliamentary showdown. What was the compromise amendment put forward by the PM? Theresa May agreed to Mr Grieve's demands that MPs and peers are given a vote if no deal is reached by 21 January next year. But she made a crucial change - saying that the vote in January can only be 'neutral'. This would stop MPs from telling the Government what to do in the negotiations. Tory rebels said this means the vote would not be meaningful and vowed to renew their bid to change the Bill. What is the Hailsham amendment debated on Monday night? Tory rebels have worked with Tory peer Viscount Hailsham to draw up a new amendment to give Parliament a meaningful vote. It changes the Government's amendment in one key way - by deleting the stipulation that it has to be a neutral vote. This would give parliament the power to add in demands in any Brexit vote next January. What happens now? Now the House of Lords has passed the amendment, it is back in the Commons for debate today. Tory backbench Remainers - led by Dominic Grieve - are expected to mount a major rebellion. If they succeed and defeat Theresa May then they will win and the issue will be enshrined in law. It means that if no deal is reached by late January next year then a minister will have to explain the Government's strategy to Parliament. MPs can then vote on that statement and, crucially, tell ministers what they think should happen next in the talks. Advertisement She said: 'It is not right that your lordships' house could have a veto on the deal simply by refusing to consider a motion.' She added: 'It would represent a profound and historic shift in terms of which branch of the state has the right to act in the international sphere. 'It would also be totally impractical. The Government cannot demonstrate the flexibility necessary for a successful negotiation.' But Viscount Hailsham lashed out at ministers for U-turning on assurances given to Mr Grieve and other Tory rebels that their demands would be met in a Government drafted amendment. It was this assurance that convinced Tory MPs not to rebel on the issue in the Commons last week - meaning the PM avoided what could have been a humiliating defeat. Lord Halisham said: 'The Government's amendment not only fails to deliver the promised meaningful vote. That would be an act of omission and bad enough. But this is far worse. 'The Government is seeking to make the promised meaningful vote impossible and that is an act of commission contrary to what ministers have promised.' But in the heated debate, he was accused by another Tory peer of trying to destroy Brexit. Tory peer Lord Robathan asked him: 'Is your amendment in fact about sabotaging Brexit? Because that seems to be the case.' He also accused him of plotting with Labour peers to get their backing in undoing the Government's plans. But a furious Viscount Hailsham hit back saying he would not apologise for it. He added: 'This is the high court of Parliament and we are not party hacks. 'The second point - whether I'm seeking to frustrate Brexit. 'I don't believe in Brexit - that's perfectly true. I think its a national calamity. 'But what I believe above all is the House of Commons should have a decisive say one way or another.' He said the Government has tried to stop Parliament having a meaningful vote 'in every conceivable way' and he is determined to see it laid down in law. The vote comes as the Tory civil war on Brexit continues to rage. Mr Grieve has threatened to bring down the Government as he launches his final push to change the Brexit Bill. Mrs May will try to face down rebel MPs on Wednesday, but she is expected to face a stiff challenge in talking down MPs who feel they were misled last week. Mr Grieve said yesterday that 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. Speaking in the House of Lords debate this afternoon Tory minister Baroness Evans (pictured today, in the green top) said the Government's hand in negotiations with Brussels would be hugely weakened if Parliament was able to tell ministers what to do in negotiations Rebel Tory MP Dominic Grieve (pictured) has accused Mrs May of U-turning on a compromise over giving Parliament a 'meaningful' vote on the Brexit Bill. He will now lead an expected revolt on the same amendment in the Commons on Wednesday. If the PM suffers a defeat there her authority will be dealt a major blow Without this guarantee MPs are being asked to sign up to a 'slavery' clause that will give minsters a free rein on Brexit, he claimed. '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,' he told the BBC's Sunday Politics Show. '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.' 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. MPs debate whether they should abolish the House of Lords MPs today debated whether to abolish the House of Lords just as peers were mounting a fresh bid to thwart Theresa May's Brexit plans. The debate, in the Westminster Hall Chamber of Parliament, was called after 100,000 people signed a petition. There are renewed calls to scrap the unelected Chamber amid anger at their amendments to the Brexit Bill. Peers get a tax free daily allowance of 300 just for turning up to Parliament - regardless of whether they speak in debates. Labour MP Justin Madders backed a call for reform. He told the debate that the Chamber is stuffed full of former MPs. He added: 'When we reject an elected second chamber, we are saying to the public we don't trust you.' Advertisement 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.' 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. 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 accused ministers of 'sneaky' tactic and warned that the PM had shattered their trust in her. 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'. On the BBC's Andrew Marr Show yesterday, Mrs May insisted that she is a 'woman of her word' and 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.' A Qantas pilot has told of the harrowing moment his plane suddenly broke down and nosedived towards the Indian Ocean, injuring dozens of desperate passengers who thought they were going to die. Flight QF72 from Singapore to Perth in 2008 was smooth until a sudden computer malfunction off the coast of Western Australia. Warning lights flashed up in the cockpit and the autopilot disconnected, forcing captain Kevin Sullivan, a former US Navy fighter pilot, to take control. A Qantas pilot has told of the harrowing moment his plane suddenly broke down and nosedived towards the Indian Ocean. Pictured: Pilot Kevin Sullivan Flight QF72 from Singapore to Perth in 2008 was smooth until a sudden computer malfunction off the coast of Western Australia. Pictured: Damage to the plane Warning lights flashed up in the cockpit and the autopilot disconnected, forcing captain Kevin Sullivan, a former US Navy fighter pilot, to take control. Pictured: Damage to the plane The system was telling him the A330 was in stall and overspeed at the same time - but this is impossible so Sullivan knew there was something seriously wrong. Then the plane suddenly nosedived 200 metres in 20 seconds on its own accord, causing 315 passengers and crew to scream in panic. Anyone not buckled in was slammed into the ceiling of the plane. Several suffered broken bones and flight attendant Fuzzy Maiava, who was microwaving food, was knocked out. In an new episode of Air Crash Investigation on Foxtel's National Geographic channel, Sullivan has explained how he guided the plane to an emergency landing at Learmonth Airport and saved hundreds of lives. This map shows the journey of plane and where the two nosedives occurred before the landing While the plane was plummeting, Sullivan pulled the control stick to stop the descent but nothing happened. Pictured: The plane after landing While the plane was plummeting, he pulled the control stick to stop the descent but nothing happened. 'I'm thinking, OK, I'm not in control of this plane,' he told the programme. 'I'm confused, why is it doing this? Because it's not me doing it. It's the aircraft doing it.' Eventually, the plane responded to his command and levelled - but moments later the same thing happened and the plane dived 120 metres in 16 seconds. 'I remember that big fat wind roaring through the air mask,' Mr Sullivan said. 'Again, my control input is locked up. Again, we have to brace ourselves against the force. 'And of course, the view of the Indian Ocean. There was a flash in my consciousness: Are you gonna wind up there today?' With the passengers and crew crying and praying and many badly hurt, the pilots decided to declare Mayday and land at Learmonth. It was a nerve-racking landing because the closer they got to land, the less space they had to correct the plane if it nosedived again. Sullivan eventually landed using a military manoeuvre from his time in the navy. With the passengers and crew crying and praying and many badly hurt, the pilots decided to declare Mayday and land at Learmonth. Pictured is the plane's path Sullivan eventually landed the plane using a military manoeuvre from his time in the navy. Pictured: Damage to the plane Investigators worked out there had been a malfunction in one of the plane's three air data units. Pictured: Damage to the plane 'I looked at the two other pilots and I said, "I think we're pretty lucky to be here",' he said. 'It was total systems failure.' Investigators worked out there had been a malfunction in one of the plane's three air data units. The computer system was confusing altitude data with wing-angle data and this caused it to think there was a problem and suddenly nosedive in attempt to correct it. 'This was a black swan event, something that had never been seen before, something that no one had ever really expected would happen,' ATSB lead investigator Michael Walker told the programme. 'Although we didn't actually find a full explanation, we found enough of an explanation to reduce the risk of this happening again.' One crew member and 11 passengers were seriously injured and 107 on board suffered minor injuries. Flight attendant Fuzzy Maiava heaped praise on Sullivan, saying: 'The guy is amazing. Kevin is the reason why we're sitting here today to tell the story.' When Tony and Jill Lewis flew out to England for a holiday in 2013, they didn't foresee life going this way on their return. First stop after arriving back in Sydney was to the home of their son Russell where all seemed normal - less than an hour later, Mr and Mrs Lewis realised it wasn't. Walking back into their home in the city's far west they found that not only had their home been ransacked, but also their bank accounts to the tune of almost $50,000. Instantly the couple realised their son and his girlfriend were behind the theft. Russell and his partner Sarah were both convicted on multiple counts of fraud and aggravated burglary and jailed in January last year, leaving their young daughter in the care of her grandparents. According to Mr and Mrs Lewis, they never want to see their son again - and do not want him going near the beautiful granddaughter they call their 'little madame'. Scroll down for video Tony and Jill Lewis (pictured) want their son deported back to their homeland of England after he and his girlfriend stole almost $50,000 from their bank accounts while they were overseas Russell Lewis (pictured) and Sarah Flegg ransacked the couple's accounts after stealing their passwords 'We went overseas in November and came back in January 2014. When we walked in to the house it was ransacked - there was just stuff everywhere,' Mr Lewis told Daily Mail Australia. 'They took all of the $11,500 we'd left in our account, plus more than $50,000 from the credit cards. The bank actually stopped the last two transaction attempts which were $15,000 and $5,000. 'We were just shattered, absolutely shattered that he could do this to us.' From alcohol addiction to ongoing health issues after a serious car crash, Mr and Mrs Lewis admit that over the years they had faced a number of problems with their son. But they never saw this coming and lay much of the blame at the feet of his partner, Sarah. 'She's the main one. Russell had a stroke when he was 20, he can't spell. He can get on Facebook, but use a computer to steal all that money? No way,' Mrs Lewis said. 'Whatever help he wanted over the years we helped him get his house, helped him get his first car, when he had his stroke I nursed him for 12 months - he got it. 'He'd come up and say, can I have some money for this or that and we'd give it to him, he never went without anything. Shattered: Mr and Mrs Lewis say they had experienced some troubles with their son, but never saw this coming Mr Lewis and Russell together in happier times, years before he was jailed for defrauding them 'He never went without anything': Mr and Mrs Lewis say they cared for their son into his adult years after he fell into alcohol addiction, even lending him money just hours before they flew overseas in 2014 'We'd obviously had some troubles, but it was when she turned up on the scene that things really started to go bad.' So angry are the couple that they have called on Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to deport Russell back to Britain, their homeland. They say what made his crime worse was just hours before they flew overseas he had visited them with their granddaughter to say farewell. 'Russell came up the morning we were leaving and he brought our granddaughter to say goodbye to nan and grandad,' Mrs Lewis said. 'While he was here he asked me if we had any money, because he said he didn't have enough to buy the kids Christmas presents. 'I gave him some money, I can't remember if it was $600 or $800, and he said thanks mum, kissed me goodbye, and that was it. 'Not long later they'd broken in and were stealing out money. Before that he'd taken a few things from us, but nothing to this level.' The theft not only left Mr and Mrs Lewis substantially out of pocket, but also forced them to rethink their plans for retirement. Mr and Mrs Lewis sit outside the western Sydney rental home they share with their six-year-old granddaughter The couple were forced to shelve their retirement plans in their 60s to again take up the role of parents for their 'Little Madame' Russell's partner Sarah Flegg was also convicted of defrauding Mr and Mrs Lewis. She is now serving a jail sentence in Silverwater Prison, while Russell is currently in Long Bay Jail Gone was any hope for further travel with the couple forced to suddenly pick up the role as parents in their sixties. Instead of retiring at their large rural farm as they had hoped they were also forced to move back into the suburbs, renting a home near their granddaughter's school. With the farm gone the couple decided to buy a block of land in town, hoping to one day turn that into their retirement home. Now they can no longer afford to finish the building. In addition to the enormous sum of money, Russell and Sarah also stole a number of expensive household items including a TV, vacuum and pusher pram. It was these things that led Mr and Mrs Lewis to immediately correctly suspect who it was that had stolen from them. But the Commonwealth Bank initially accused Mr Lewis of conspiring with his son on the theft, claiming in a letter that the pair were involved in a scam. The bank has since apologised to the Lewis' and repaid them the $11,500 cash stolen from their account, covered almost $10,000 in legal fees and waived some $50,000 in stolen credit card funds The couple sold their rural property following the fraud incident and bought a block of land in Sydney's western suburbs The Commonwealth Bank has reimbursed the Lewis' for the money stolen by their son (left) and offered them a $3,000 'goodwill payment' In addition to offering them a $3,000 'goodwill payment', the CBA also cleared a loan overdraft and apologised in a statement. 'We are sorry for the situation Mr and Mrs Lewis have found themselves in,' the bank said. 'We have met with them, and as we committed to, we have offered a goodwill payment to waive all outstanding debts as well as cover legal fees and money towards the inconvenience of having outstanding funds as a result of the fraud.' But Mr and Mrs Lewis claim that having had to fight for four years to get the 'goodwill payment', the amount offered is not enough. 'It's good of them, but it's taken four years and if they had just offered this initially it would not have been such an issue,' Mr Lewis said. 'Now we are left $50,000 short of finishing our house and not sure what to do next, when we should be just enjoying our retirement.' Mr and Mrs Lewis say they have been left $50,000 short of being able to complete a new home they plan to retire in, and are not sure what they will do next Mystery surrounds 'Peru two' drugs mule Michaella McCollum's twin baby boys as she has left the father's name off of their birth certificates, Mail Online can reveal. The former jailbird, 24, has named the babies Raphael Genie and Rio Addison - but has refused to reveal the identity of the babies' father. Official documents show the twins were born on May 8 within 13 minutes of each other, with Raphael being born at 10.48pm and brother Rio arriving at 11.01pm. 'Peru Two' Drugs mule has kept the father of her twin baby boys off their birth certificates, Mail Online can reveal The former jailbird, 24, has named the babies Raphael Genie and Rio Addison - but has refused to reveal the identity of the babies' father the birth certificates, pictured, show Official documents show the twins were born on May 8 within 13 minutes of each other, with Raphael being born at 10.48pm and brother Rio arriving at 11.01pm Both babies were delivered at Craigavon Area Hospital, Northern Ireland, and their births were registered solely by McCollum on May 17. No details were given for the father and the twin brothers will take her surname of McCollum. Friends say the former party girl took some inspiration for her sons' names from her three years of hell behind bars in Peru. The name Rio is Spanish, a language McCollum became fluent in whilst locked up inside Lima's notorious Ancon prison. Whilst the name Raphael, which is of Hebrew origin, translates to 'God heals' or 'healing God'. Michaella claimed that it was only for her faith that she made it through her three-year prison sentence. Lima based priest Sean Walsh later claimed she'd 'found God' after revealing she was carrying out church work for him whilst on probation. Despite being a busy new mother, Michaella found time to take her twins out to a local cafe on Friday. She was joined by her mother Norah for the trip to the eatery in Belfast. Michaella was pictured on Friday with her newborn twins and her mother Norah at a cafe in Belfast. Norah was doting on the little boys as she looked every inch the proud grandmother Michaella looked happy and relaxed as she chatted to her mother and looked after the twins The new mother Michaella, who shot to notoriety in 2013 as one half of the 'Peru Two', looked glamorous in a figure-hugging black ensemble for the family outing Michaella carried one of her sons in a car seat while proud grandmother Norah took care of the other. Both women appeared relaxed as they settled the babies at a table outside before mother-of-two Michaella popped in for an ice cream. The new mother, who shot to notoriety as one half of the 'Peru Two', looked glamorous in a figure-hugging black ensemble for the family outing. She mixed textures by pairing fitted faux leather trousers with a strappy top with lace detailing and finished the look with a scarlet tweed-effect blazer, red slides and oversized black shades. While many new mothers might find themselves struggling in the weeks after giving birth, Michaella appeared perfectly polished with a splash of red lipstick and her hair in coiffed waves. Michaella and Norah chatted as they carried the twins from the car to the cafe. Michaella peered down into the car seats to check both of her sons were settled before heading inside. The new mother has been busy taking her little ones out and about and was most recently spotted taking them on a walk in the park. She was seen cooing over both babies as she held them on her lap on a bench. The new mother announced the news of their birth on Instagram last month by sharing a sweet clip with her newborns, captioned: 'My little darlings, 1 week today.' And she certainly hasn't held back when it comes to chronicling the realities of motherhood, writing on a recent post: 'Not often these days when I'm not covered in pee and spew.' Michaella posted a number of photographs on Instagram before she has the the babies at Craigavon Area Hospital, Northern Ireland Despite posing for photos showing off her bump, the identity of the babies' father has always been a mystery. She has never commented and left his name off their birth certificates Michaella, pictured, shot to notoriety in 2013 when she and her friend Melissa Reid were arrested in Lima for smuggling drugs and dubbed the Peru Two in the press She also revealed her joy at being able to fit into her pre-pregnancy clothes, but has so far declined to share who their father is - prompting speculation that she is embarking on this next chapter alone. Michaella shot to notoriety in 2013 when she and her friend Melissa Reid were arrested in Lima for smuggling drugs and dubbed the Peru Two in the press. The pair met in Ibiza that year where they were employed by a drug-dealing gang. They were sentenced to spend six years and eight months inside a grim jail in Lima, after they were caught at the airport trying to smuggle 1.5M worth of cocaine. However, they were released after serving three years with Michaella returning to Northern Ireland in June 2016. Since her release from prison, Michaella has become something of a public figure, attending events and escaping the chilly British weather on a string of sun-kissed holidays last summer. Her bikini-clad snaps on various sunny getaways have become something of a regular fixture in the media. By contrast her former accomplice Reid, landed a charity job at Citizens Advice after she was released from jail in South America in June 2016. Michaella was also reportedly offered 250,000 for a tell-all book deal detailing her criminal exploits and time behind bars in Lima, although no details of the publication have been released. Distressing footage shows captive dogs howling as they watch fellow canines being butchered, boiled and barbecued for a wedding in Cambodia. In the disturbing video, the animals are seen caged up at a slaughterhouse in Siem Reap with dead dogs left just metres away from them ready to be cooked. The live dogs howl and bark as they're forced to watch their fellow animals being stirred around and boiled in a large cauldron. Terrified dogs howl in their cages as they watch fellow canines being slaughtered in front of them (pictured) Butchered dogs are left just metres away from cages filled with other canines being prepared for slaughter In another clip, a dog is seen being barbecued on an open flame while a man shaves off its hair with a knife. Sound of Animals CEO Michael Chour, 48, who filmed the footage, said: 'These dogs were in a slaughterhouse, so death was their fate had they not been rescued. 'The dogs are now ready to be adopted from our shelter in Thailand. One of them turned out to be pregnant and gave birth to five puppies. 'It was a bittersweet feeling rescuing these dogs but having to leave the rest. But it's our priority to bridge the gap between us and the butchers. The distressed pups are forced to watch the animals being cooked on open flames and boiled in cauldrons 'The barbecue video was from inside a village in Osmach, where a family was barbecuing a dog carcass for a wedding. 'This is very common in Cambodia, but that doesn't make it any easier to see. 'For me, dogs are like children, it's very hard to accept.' Michael Chour, 48, holds a dog rescued from the slaughterhouse in the city of Siem Reap Mr Chour, originally from Paris but now based in Thailand, relocated to Asia to join the fight against the dog meat trade in 2005. While the industry has drawn global attention in China, it is lesser known in Cambodia - despite it still being legal to slaughter dogs and sell their meat in the country. Mr Chour said his goal is to shut the trade down - but for now he must tread carefully and accept it is a deeply rooted tradition. Eating dog meat is a deeply rooted tradition in the Southeast Asian nation. Pictured: Dog meat served at a wedding The 48-year-old said: 'Our method is to negotiate our way in and out the slaughterhouse in a way that will allow us to return.' 'We try not to judge a culture that is part of their upbringing. 'Many of the butchers are third generation in this trade, and don't know any different. 'For this reason, we refrain from judgment.' A couple dubbed 'modern day Fagins' who ran a team of shoplifters to steal designer clothing which they flogged on eBay have been jailed for a total of seven years. Nicola Wilcox, 28, and David Carroll, 33, pocketed more than 40,000 over two years selling the clothes on the online auction site under the username 'Seller 21-21'. The pair sold designer clothes, lingerie and perfumes that a gang of six thieves had pinched from shops in Birmingham city centre. A court heard how they 'cultivated a network of shoplifters' and paid them as little as ten per cent of the retail value of the items they stole. Nicola Wilcox (left) and David Carroll (right) pocketed more than 40,000 over two years selling the clothes on the online auction site under the username 'Seller 21-21' Carroll, who worked as a mechanic, stashed the stolen gear at his workplace in Newbridge Auto Centre in Birmingham while Wilcox sold them online. The couple ordered the six-strong gang of thieves to steal items which they knew were the best-selling items on eBay in order to secure the biggest profits. Brazen Wilcox advertised the goods as 'new with tags'. In a bid to cover her tracks she posted the goods to buyers using a franking machine at the company where she worked as an admin assistant. The couple, of Birmingham, were caught when West Midlands Police noticed a spike in thefts of high value designer items last April. Enquiries revealed similar items, including a Michael Kors handbag, being offered for sale by Seller 21-21 and on May 10 swooped at the car garage where they arrested the pair and seized property that had been swiped just days earlier. The couple, of Birmingham, were caught when West Midlands Police traced several of the stolen items (including this Micharl Kors handbag) to the couple's eBay account Officers examined their phones and found mobile numbers linked to some of the city's most prolific shoplifters - and supervised the construction of foil-lined bags to help them through shop security scanners. Both were charged with conspiracy to handle stolen goods and drugs supply - having found they had used profits to buy and sell cocaine. Wilcox was also charged with stealing postage costs from her employer. They admitted the offences and at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday they were both jailed for three years and nine months. Investigating officer, PC Matt Evans, said: 'They ran a simple but effective scam, organising and directing thieves like a pair of modern day Fagins in an operation which netted them tens of thousands of pounds. A court heard how the pair 'cultivated a network of shoplifters' and paid them as little as ten per cent of the retail value of the items they stole. 'They cultivated a network of shoplifters and paid them as little as ten per cent of the retail value of the items they stole. 'It meant they could offer designer goods for sale on eBay at a significant discount but still make a hefty profit. 'In message exchanges to one another we found talk about how they would punish shoplifters who sold property to anyone else or who haggled for a higher price. 'They were remorseless throughout* only finally breaking down when they were taken from the court to start their long prison terms. 'The prison sentences handed down are pleasing. They reflect the severity and extent of their offending and will hopefully act as a warning to others.' 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. 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 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 Gladys Richards (left) was admitted to recover from a hip operation and was prescribed morphine before her abrupt death. The MP for her area, Stephen Lloyd, says he will lobby in Parliament for charges to be brought in the case 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. Last night, families and MPs insisted that if the report found that individuals were culpable, it must lead to a fresh police inquiry and a potential criminal prosecution. Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd, whose constituent Gladys Richards died in 1998 after she was transferred to the Gosport War Memorial Hospital, told The Daily Telegraph: 'If this is true, not only would I expect charges to be brought, I will lobby for it actively in parliament. 'I will be tabling an early day motion the following day and pushing very, very hard for criminal charges, if the report is as suggested.' 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 her 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.' 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 It is unclear how many deaths the Jones panel has reviewed, but the number of unexplained deaths on Dr Barton's watch could exceed the 92 cases previously examined by police. 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 practise 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'. 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. The death of Arthur 'Brian' Cunningham (pictured), was a 'monstrous cover-up', claims his stepson 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.' Ex-naval officer Robert Wilson, 74, was admitted with a broken shoulder. He allegedly told his son 'Help me son, they are killing me' 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.' 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.' This is the moment a British Muslim passenger called an air stewardess a 'f****** sl**' and a 'b****' for serving him a turkey ham sandwich - because he mistakenly thought it contained pork. The taxi driver from Hampstead Heath, north London, was flying from Luton Airport to Skopje, Macedonia, on Sunday morning when he ordered the 4.50 euro roll and a bottle of water. But mid-way through eating the baguette, he said it 'didn't taste like turkey' - and flew into a rage when he saw the packaging labelled with the word ham. He called over the Wizz Air stewardess and demanded a refund after becoming convinced the product contained pork - explaining that he cannot eat it due to his religion. He then turns to a fellow passenger and describes the staff member as a 'f****** sl**' and a 'b****'. Footage captures the moment a British Muslim passenger called an air stewardess a 'f****** sl**' and a 'b****' for serving him a turkey ham sandwich - because he mistakenly thought it contained pork The passenger called over the Wizz Air stewardess (pictured) and demanded a refund after becoming convinced the product contained pork - explaining that he cannot eat it due to his religion. He then turns to a fellow passenger and describes the staff member as a 'f****** sl**' and a 'b**** At one point, he can be heard saying: 'I work in restaurants, I know what's ham. Ham is pork. It's not tasting like turkey, it's tasting like ham. 'This is not right, you should tell people there is pork, I'm a Muslim. It's pork, darling.' Moments later, and apparently speaking to the person next to him, he then adds: 'What the f*** is your problem stupid f****** b****, she's a f******* b**** man. She told me it's not appropriate to touch my teeth, f****** sl**.' In another part of the footage, he tells the staff: 'You have given me ham, and you're talking to me rude. I just tell you it's ham, you tell me it's not pork. It's not nice, darling, you're supposed to be nice to the customers. Take the water, too. I don't want the water either. You are being very, very rude.' The man appeared to have incorrectly believed that turkey ham was a pig product - which would make it a violation of his Muslim beliefs. Even when a senior steward appeared and tried to calm the situation by explaining that 'turkey ham' was in fact a term used to describe the processed turkey meat, the irate passenger continued his outburst. Even when a senior steward (left) appeared and tried to calm the situation by explaining that 'turkey ham' was in fact a term used to describe the processed turkey meat, the irate passenger (right) continued his outburst The cabin crew eventually refunded the man 4.50 euros for the sandwich and two euros for the bottle of the water, which he kept. The bizarre scene was captured by a passenger sitting in the aisle seat to the man's left. They described it as 'quite surreal'. They added: 'He was getting increasingly angry. I was a bit concerned when his voice was raised and he was swearing. 'He was sure that this roll contained pork. He said he couldn't eat pork because of his religion. 'I suspect it was just a bad-tasting processed sandwich rather than a ham sandwich with pork inside. Nobody could convince him otherwise.' The Kosovan, who moved to the UK almost two decades ago, said afterwards: 'I'm an Uber driver in London, I eat at the shops all the time. I know the taste of Turkey and the roll didn't taste like Turkey. 'She should have respected me and my religion. The customer is always right. She's lucky. If this wasn't here with people around I would have been more angry.' MailOnline has contacted Wizz Air for comment this morning. Dramatic pictures show the burnt out husk of actor Mary McCormack's husband's Tesla which caught fire while he was driving through Los Angeles on Friday. McCormack revealed her husband Michael Morris' Tesla Model S had suddenly caught fire as she posted a terrifying video of the blaze on Friday afternoon. 'This is what happened to my husband and his car today,' McCormack wrote on Twitter, posting the clip of a Model S spewing flames from the front driver's side wheel well. But fresh pictures from the scene show the scale of the destruction caused by the inferno - which tore through the actor's engine bay and needed several firemen to extinguish. Shocking images show the firefighters dealing with the raging fire as tall plumes of black smoke billow out from underneath the car. Scroll down for video Firemen inspect the burnt-out remains of the electric vehicle which caught fire 'out of the blue' on Friday Pictures taken during the blaze show the fire licking up the side of the car from underneath the front wheel arch Firemen were quick on the scene on Friday afternoon and used their hoses to extinguish the blaze Other pictures show the charred wreckage covered in foam from the firemen's hoses as they inspect the damage to the vehicle. McCormack revealed the fire started 'out of the blue' on Friday - leaving husband Michael little time to escape. 'No accident, out of the blue, in traffic on Santa Monica Blvd. Thank you to the kind couple who flagged him down and told him to pull over. And thank god my three little girls werent in the car with him,' McCormack's Twitter post continued. It is unclear who shot the video McCormack posted. She has been married to director Michael Morris since 2003. A Tesla spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the company is investigating the incident, and insists that the company's cars are far less likely to catch fire than gas vehicles. The stricken car could be seen steaming after firefighters used foam to put out the huge fire Firemen wade through a puddle of foam as they walk around the wreckage of the Model S It took several firefighters to put out the blaze and they were forced to spray foam directly into the car's hood 'We offer our support to local authorities and are glad our customer is safe,' the spokesperson said in a statement. 'This is an extraordinarily unusual occurrence, and we are investigating the incident to find out what happened.' The company claims that its vehicles are at least 10 times less likely than a gas car to catch fire, citing data from the National Fire Protection Association and US Federal Highway Administration. Tesla said that its battery packs are engineered with safety measures that ensure fires are rare, and that when they do occur, spread more slowly than in a gas vehicle and give occupants a chance to evacuate. Mary McCormack (left) has been married to director Michael Morris (right) since 2003 The shocking video shows a Model S spewing flames from the front driver's side wheel well McCormack said the Model S caught fire while her husband was driving on Friday Tesla has come under scrutiny following crashes while its vehicles were in the 'Autopilot' semi-autonomous mode, as well as a handful of battery fires following crashes. However, Tesla founder Elon Musk has blasted press coverage of such incidents as unfair and melodramatic, insisting his company has been unfairly singled out. Not long after complaining about coverage of Tesla crashes in the press, Musk announced plans to launch a ratings site that would critique publications and individual journalists. 'Its super messed up that a Tesla crash resulting in a broken ankle is front page news and the ~40,000 people who died in US auto accidents alone in past year get almost no coverage,' he wrote in a tweet last month. McCormack played Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper in the West Wing from 2004 to 2006 More recently McCormack (right) starred in the ABC legal drama For The People Advertisement Three suspected graffiti artists were killed when a train struck them at a notorious vandalism hotspot. It is thought the men one 19-year-old and two 23-year-olds, all from London were hit by an overnight freight train or a quiet but fast-moving commuter train. The tragedy took place on an elevated stretch of track with no refuge to escape the busy electrified line in Loughborough Junction, South London. The capital is experiencing a resurgence in eye-catching street murals fuelled by Instagram and other social media. Fellow artists say those involved will often take great risks for an adrenaline buzz and to find difficult-to-reach locations that cannot be painted over. Police were alerted to the bodies by a train driver shortly after 7.30am yesterday. They launched a recovery operation on the section of the overground line which runs broadly west to east between Denmark Hill and Clapham High Street. Investigators believe the tragedy took place in the early hours and are working to identify which train struck the men. One of the three bodies found on the track in South London was removed after being carried from Loughborough Junction to nearby Brixton Station British Transport Police were called to Loughborough Junction (pictured) near Brixton shortly after 7.30am on Monday and found three bodies Police were carrying bag after bag of evidence from the scene containing clothes, shoes and other items found on the track near Loughborough Junction station Spray cans, including a specialist brand used for graffiti, latex gloves and fluorescent vests were recovered. Police forensic experts took photographs of fresh graffiti tags on a low wall dividing the railway line. A bag of evidence clearly shows that spray paint cans used by graffiti artists were found at the scene where the bodies were British Transport Police Superintendent Matt Allingham confirmed that one line of inquiry was that the victims were graffiti artists. He said: The bodies were discovered by a train driver. We know that they were dead for a while before we turned up. It is a possibility that it was during the hours of darkness. There isnt a sort of safe refuge up there, so if somebody was on those tracks there wouldnt be anywhere for them to go to avoid the train. If theyve been caught in that section of track when a train came through, they really wouldnt have had much options. The high bridge and its arches near Loughborough Junction are popular with graffiti artists who leave their 'tags' on the brickwork Superintendent Matt Allingham (pictured), of the British Transport Police, said the layout of the tracks meant there wouldn't have been anywhere for them to go if a train came, adding it was 'possible' they were hit by a freight train The three people were declared dead at the scene by London Ambulance Service after they were found on one of Britain's busiest rail junctions Scrapyard worker Mark Bowers said: A police officer told me they think the men were doing graffiti when they were on the tracks. You see a lot of it around here, but Ive never seen anyone actively spraying. It all happens during the night. Loughborough Junction is a stones throw from Brixton, arguably the most popular destination for graffiti artists from across the capital. Veteran artist Justin Rollins, 34, said the trio may have been caught by surprise by a commuter train. I dont see any other reason why there are three guys walking down that stretch of track. The Thameslink trains are really quiet. You dont always hear them coming. It might catch you by surprise. He added: There are different sorts of graffiti, but if youre in London, you dont care. Its a buzz, its an adrenaline thing. There were 399 graffiti attacks in London in the first quarter of this year, the highest number for eight years, according to official police figures. Southeastern, one of the hardest-hit train companies, said mural-type graffiti had more than doubled in recent months. An employee at spray paint stockist VapesLondon in Brixton said it was possible the men bought their supplies there as its the only graffiti shop in south London. He added: The graffiti scene is a very close network. I had boys come in earlier saying, did you hear what happened? Loughborough Junction resident Maureen Scott, 77, said: This place is a bit of a hotspot for dare graffiti. They do it in all these tricky-to-reach places. They spray all along the railway tracks in this area. A police spokesman said last night: Their families have been informed and are now being supported by specially trained officers. Loughborough Junction is between Herne Hill and Elephant and Castle on the Thameslink route - but the line between Victoria and north Kent via Brixton, Blackheath and Dartford runs above it Police pictured on Monday walking the tracks and carrying out fingertip searches looking for evidence Police search for clues on the track and are also poring over CCTV trying to find the moment the three men were knocked down and killed Police were seen photographing the wall near where the bodies were found suggesting they could be graffiti artists The three bodies were found above high arches where trains pass through 24 hours a day The force described the deaths as 'unexplained', as police are trying to determine how the victims ended up on the tracks According to timetables, the first train passed through the station at 5.30am. The station is served by Thameslink, and platforms and tracks are above ground level. Loughborough Junction is between Herne Hill and Elephant and Castle - but the line between Victoria and north Kent via Brixton, Blackheath and Dartford runs above it. According to timetables, the first train passes through the station at 5.30am - but is believed they may have been struck by a freight train at night The Government will bring forward its own Bill to crimininalise upskirting after a Tory MP sparked outcry by blocking the move, it was announced today. Theresa May told her Cabinet that taking photos up women's skirts is 'an invasion of privacy and leads victims feeling degraded and distressed' as she discussed plans to ban it. While Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom said the Bill will come to Parliament before it goes on its summer holiday. It comes after Sir Christopher Chope, 71, who sparked fury by objecting to a law imposing the ban, had his Commons office covered in women's knickers as a protest. His office door was blocked by 'knicker bunting' today while a pair of suspenders had been torn down onto the floor. A similar stunt was carried out at his constituency office over weekend following a storm of criticism of his decision on Friday to shout 'object' to the draft law - slamming the brakes on Government-backed efforts to change the law. Sir Christopher Chope, who is at the centre of the upskirting row, has had his Commons office covered in women's knickers (pictured) as a protest against his block on the proposed law Sir Christopher's office door was blocked by 'knicker bunting' today while a pair of suspenders had been torn down onto the floor Sir Christopher Chope (pictured in the Commons on Friday) shouted 'object' when the draft law was raised in the Commons yesterday, slamming the brakes on the attempt Theresa May (pictured at the Royal Free hospital today with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and a nurse) told her Cabinet that taking photos up women's skirts is 'an invasion of privacy and leads victims feeling degraded and distressed' as she discussed plans to ban it Sir Christopher has insisted he fully supports the ban and was protesting the use of backbench legislated to introduce it. The Christchurch MP has been condemned by scores of MPs on his own side - leading him to claim he has been made a scapegoat. The row prompted a former deputy speaker to demand an overhaul of Commons rules to remove the ability of MPs to halt draft laws by shouting a single word. Nigel Evans told the BBC's Westminster Hour it was time to change Commons rules to stop MPs wielding this power. 'When I was deputy speaker I saw this arcane procedure where people would shout 'Object!' as the title of the Bill was called out time and time again, he said. 'And I was so angry by the fact that not just the upskirting Bill but a number of other Bills on Friday, which are decent Bills that deserved some form of airtime, were blocked in this way that I've written to the Chairman of the Procedure Committee and I've asked him as a matter of urgency to review and reform that arcane procedure.' Yesterday, Sir Christopher, 71, insisted that he is not a 'pervert' or a 'dinosaur' but objected to the Bill progressing because he feels it is important for MPs to debate issues fully. He broke his silence on the issue after days of fierce criticism as campaigners and MPs - including the Prime Minister Theresa May - slammed him for blocking the Bill. In an interview with his local newspaper, he said he agrees that upskirting is 'vulgar, humiliating and unacceptable'. He told the Bournemouth Echo: 'I feel a bit sore about being scapegoated over this. The suggestion that I am some kind of pervert is 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.' Green MP Caroline Lucas joined in the mockery of Sir Christopher today, welcoming the 'redecorating' at his office, which is along the corridor from her own The MP for Christchurch in Dorset, added: 'I am not a dinosaur. I am very much alive and kicking. 'There are too few colleagues who are prepared to stand up for the rights of Parliament against the executive and that's when the freedoms we cherish will be eroded.' And he confirmed that he is determined to fight the next General Election and stay on as MP. Theresa May unable to say why she gave Sir Christopher Chope a knighthood The PM was challenged about why she gave the Tory MP the honour on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show today. Theresa May was unable to say why she handed Sir Christopher Chope a knighthood - despite his opposition to a string of Bills with popular support. The PM was challenged about why she gave the Tory MP the honour on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show today. But asked three times why he was bestowed with the title she was unable to say why. She said: 'Christopher Chope has been a long-standing Member of Parliament. 'What is important is how we respond to the legislation that was going to be there. 'Because the concern is not the issue of an individual, the concern is about are we going to ensure that something that is offensive to people, that is invasive of people's privacy, are we going to ensure that action is taken about that? 'Yes we are.' Sir Christopher sparked a storm of criticism for objecting to a Bill which makes taking photographs up someone's skirt a specific criminal offence. Tory MPs joined campaigners in queing up to condemn him. And the Government has now vowed to take up the Bill and bring in the offence itself. Advertisement His comments come after he sparked uproar by being the only MP in the Commons last Friday to shout 'object' to the Bill - single-handedly stopping it in its tracks. The news spread like wildfire across social media as angry Britons vented their fury at the little-known MP. Many Tory MPs slammed him on Twitter - with even the PM joining in the condemnation and announcing the Government will bring forward the Bill. And behind the scenes Conservative politicians swapped WhatsApp messages voiding how fed up they were with Sir Christopher blocking many worthy Bills. He has previously made an eleventh hour objection to a debate on the Hillsborough disaster - which killed 96 people. And in 2013 he also blocked a posthumous pardon for Alan Turing, who cracked the 'Enigma Code' and helped Britain win the Second World War, for his 1952 conviction for being gay. But speaking to the newspaper, Sir Christopher said he objects to private members bills routinely ion protest at the Government's failure to provide enough time for MPs to debate the topics. He insisted that he was sticking up for democracy - unlike some of his parliamentary colleagues. He said he does not agree with legislation being brought in with no debate at Second Reading. Sir Christopher said: 'The government has been hijacking time that is rightfully that of backbenchers. 'This is about who controls the House of Commons on Fridays and that's where I am coming from. 'I actually support the Bills that were before the house. Four of the 26 Bills that fell at the same time were my own. 'But this is something I have fought for in most of my time as an MP and it goes to the very heart of the power balance between the government and Parliament. 'The government is abusing parliamentary time for its own ends and in a democracy this is not acceptable. The government cannot just bring in what it wants on the nod. We don't quite live in the Putin era yet.' Sir Christopher criticised some of his Conservative colleagues who 'did not want to put their head above the parapet in sticking up for democracy. That is frightening.' He said that he has spoken to Gina Miller - who has led the campaign for change - who understood his reasons. He added: 'My recommendation to the government is that to ensure the fastest, fairest and surest passage to the statute book for a Bill to outlaw upskirting, which I would wholeheartedly support, it introduces its own legislation without delay.' And Lorna Rees, who lives in Sir Christopher's constituency of Christchurch in Dorset, vented her anger at him by draping home-made knicker bunting outside his door. Twitter users backed Lorna Rees' protest outside Sir Christopher Chope's constituency office in Christchurch in Dorset Another Twitter user said the creative protest - which comes days after the Tory MP intervened to block the Bill - was 'brilliant' And he hit out at his fellow Tory MPs for publicly cirticising him. He said: 'None of them phoned me up to ask me to explain my actions. Why would they want to humiliate one of their own colleagues? Hopefully when this does get into the statute book, they will accept I was right but maybe that's asking for the moon.' His comments came after a furious woman has hung up a string of knickers outside his constituency offices. Lorna Rees, who lives in Sir Christopher's constituency of Christchurch in Dorset, vented her anger at him by draping home-made knicker bunting outside his door. Across the pants were the words: 'No one should photo my pants unless I want them to'. How was the ban on upskirting blocked? Tory Sir Christopher Chope was able to block the proposed ban on upskirting with a single word. Because the change in the law was being introduced from the backbenches and not by the Government, it can only be debated on a Friday and must take its place in a queue. The draft legislation was eighth in the queue - meaning it was never going to be debated in full. MPs had a chance to wave it over its first Parliamentary hurdle without debate - but because there was no debate any MP can shout 'object' to stop this happening. This is what Sir Christopher did last week. Advertisement Tweeting an image of the protest, Ms Rees said: 'I've left this outside his constituency office today - I'm so disgusted by his behaviour. #knickerstochope bunting 'no one should be able to photo my pants unless I want them to'.' In another post, she added: 'Am so cross. And thought this was perhaps the best way to address it....' Her protest won plaudits from other Twitter users who said it was an 'excellent' way to show the MP how fed up his constituents are. John Grindrod wrote: 'Brilliant work from my mate (and Christchurch resident) Lorna.' Another Twitter user called Martin wrote 'this is absolutely brilliant' while George Dukesh hailed the protest as 'excellent'. Justice Minister Lucy Frazer yesterday insisted the law would be changed as Tory MPs reacted with horror to their colleague's obstruction. Tory MP Bob Neill wrote to the Prime Minister demanding the Government to make time to pass the new law. Senior Tory Tom Tughendhat said it was 'shaming' for the party while Business Minister Margot James insisted the Government was determined to defy Sir Christopher and change the law. Former minister Nick Boles attacked Sir Christopher as an MP 'whose knuckles drag along the ground'. The draft law came forward after Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse was backed by the Ministry of Justice to try and deliver it from the backbenches. A Woolworths store has backtracked on its decision to shut down a controversial photographer's plan to host a mass nude art photoshoot on their rooftop car park. World-renowned artist Spencer Tunick will be using the rooftop carpark of the Chapel St supermarket at Prahran, in inner-city Melbourne, for his shoot next month. The grocery giant rejected the proposal for the three-hour photography session in the morning of July 7 to take place, explaining it would disrupt shoppers. The New York-based artist last visited Australia in 2010, photographing thousands of naked people on the steps of the Sydney Opera House (pictured) Spencer Tunick (pictured) will use Prahran's Chapel St supermarket rooftop next month A Woolworths store has backtracked on its decision to shut down a controversial photographer's plan to host a mass nude art photoshoot on their rooftop car park (pictured) 'The request for the photo was for the weekend, which is the busiest time of the week for shopping in our stores, and as such we must ensure customers have convenient access to our store when we are open,' a Woolworths spokesman told the Herald Sun. However, Woolworths changed their minds after event organisers changed the date of the event which won't disrupt shoppers. 'We're very supportive of the Provocare Festival of the Arts and the Chapel Street community in which we operate,' a Woolworths spokesperson said. 'The festival organisers' flexibility with timing convinced the supermarket to allow the photoshoot to go ahead.' 'The festival organisers' flexibility with timing convinced the supermarket to allow the photoshoot to go ahead,' a Woolworths spokesperson said Mr Tunick is happy with the decision after not being able to find an alternate photoshoot location. 'I'm very happy and lucky that Woolworths is now allowing me to go ahead with this art event for the people of Melbourne, because there was no plan B,' he told The Guardian. He said that ultimately the final images would hold 'a historic moment in the timeline of that location'. 'I have even worked at UNESCO world heritage sites, such as the Great Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland. Working on the Woolworths Prahran rooftop car park provides an amazing opportunity to let the citizens of Melbourne become the art themselves,' Tunick said. The New York-based artist last visited Australia in 2010, photographing thousands of naked people on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. 'I think people from Melbourne are a little braver because of their willingness to pose no matter the weather. I get a sense of resilience and risk-taking,' Mr Tunick said in a statement in May. Woolworths said that the use of their roof would disrupt shoppers during 'the busiest time of the week' for shopping in stores The hiding place of a the lost piece of the Ghent Altarpiece could finally have been pinpointed 84 years after it was stolen. The 1432 masterpiece named Adoration of the Mystic Lamb had two of its 12 huge painted panels stolen in 1934 in one of greatest-ever art heists. One of the pieces was returned after thieves demanded one million Belgian francs for their safe return, but the other was never found. The hiding place of a the lost piece (bottom right, replaced with a copy) of the Ghent Altarpiece could finally have been pinpointed 84 years after it was stolen Engineer Gino Marchal (left) claims in his new book The Fourteenth Letter, written with children's author Marc de Bel (left) that the panel is under Kalandeberg square (pictured) in Ghent Engineer Gino Marchal now claims the panel is under Kalandeberg square in the heart of Ghent after deciphering clues left by the robbers. Authorities negotiated with the robbers through 13 ransom letters and a 14th unsent note was found with six words and a number. Scribbled on a note never sent by the thieves was: oiseau, arte, jean, nina, erpe, fourrure, and the number 152. Police and legions of amateur detectives have for decades tried to decipher this note which was said to reveal where it has languished all this time. Mr Marchal claims in his new book, young adult fiction novel The Fourteenth letter written with children's author Marc de Bel, to have worked it out. 'Four of the words identified places in Ghent, although old names for them. The fifth word was the number 152,' he said at a press conference on Friday. Mr Marchal claims four of the words found in an unsent ransom note, believed to be clues to the panel's hiding place after it was stolen from St Bravo's Cathedral, refer to old place names and Kalandeberg is the spot 152 metres from them Ghent's mayor said authorities were working out how to proceed with looking for the panel, which was still an open investigation, and begged treasure hunters not to dig up the square Thieves are believed to have hidden the panel in underground passages accessed from the house of Joos Vijd, patron of the altarpiece, which is now a Max Mara clothes shop 'If you go 152m from the four locations, there is one point where the routes will meet. And this location was very close to a cafe that Goedertier went to all the time.' Mr Marchal also claimed that when he drew the routes from the four locations, letters spelling 'nina', another of the words appeared. He did not reveal the locations he matched to the words, which will presumably be outlined in the book he was promoting. Ghent Mayor Daniel Termont said the city was taking Mr Marchal's theory 'very seriously', even lending him the town hall for his press conference. 'If this new theory was no more than a stunt to promote a book, I would never have cooperated, and as a city we would not have made our council hall available for a press conference,' he said. Mr Termont said authorities were working out how to proceed with looking for the panel, which was still an open investigation, and begged treasure hunters not to dig up the square. Authorities negotiated with the robbers through 13 ransom letters and a 14th unsent note (pictured) was found with six words and a number The reverse of the centre part of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb altarpiece 'Do not undertake anything yourself. It may sound ridiculous, but please do not dig any holes on the Kalandeberg. That is work for the police and the public prosecutor's office,' he said. 'The court will take the necessary steps, it is not the intention that people pull the Kalandeberg with their shovel and spade.' The 14th note was found in the home of stockbroker Arsene Goedertier, who confessed his involvement in the heist on his deathbed months later. 'I alone know where the Mystic Lamb is. The information is in the drawer on the right of my writing table, in an envelope marked 'mutualite',' he told his lawyer. The unsent note also said the panel 'rests in a place where neither I, nor anybody else, can take it away without arousing the attention of the public'. Mr Marchal believed Goedertier knew the perfect hiding place as sewage works under the square found a passage 80cm wide and 155cm high. This would be a perfect place to stash the 55cm wide and 149cm high panel until the ransom was paid, had Goedertier not died after a heart attack. Panels were stolen by German forced in World War I and all the various pieces were finally returned afterwards as part of the Treaty of Versailles The Nazis stole the altarpiece during World War II and hid it in a salt mine in Austria, where it was famously recovered by the Monuments Men (altarpiece pictured in 2014 film about the Monuments Men starring George Clooney) Goedertier also had a key which was believed to access passages under the square, possibly from the house of Joos Vijd, patron of the altarpiece. His house, known as Steen van Vijd, was on Kalandeberg square and is now a Max Mara clothes shop. Adoration of the Mystic Lamb was completed in 1432 by Hubert and Jan van Eyck and placed in the Cathedral of St Bart's in Ghent. The masterpiece was such a coveted piece of art that various panels were stolen or separated over the centuries, including seven thefts. Panels were stolen by German forced in World War I and all the various pieces were finally returned afterwards as part of the Treaty of Versailles. The two panels 'The Just Judges' and 'Saint John the Baptist' were stolen in 1934 and the former section was replaced with a copy after it was never found. The Nazis stole the altarpiece during World War II and hid it in a salt mine in Austria, where it was famously recovered by the Monuments Men. John Leslie arrives at court in Edinburgh today two face trial for sexual assault Former TV presenter John Leslie put his hand down a woman's trousers as they danced on her hen night, a court has heard. The woman, who can not be identified, was on a hen party at Atik nightclub in Edinburgh last June when the alleged sexual assault took place. She said she saw Leslie when they entered the club and recognised him from television, particularly Blue Peter. Leslie, 53, was arrested after she went to police and went on trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today. Leslie, appearing under his real name John Stott, denies putting his hand under the woman's clothing and touching her bare bottom. The woman was the first to give evidence and said she had spoken to Leslie during the night about football, some of his ex-girlfriends and speculation he could appear in TV programme Celebrity Big Brother. While dancing with friends and a stag party later in the night she said Leslie approached her and said 'Be careful, you're getting married'. She said she thought he was being 'protective' and suggested they dance together. Leslie had a hand on her waist and she had a hand on his shoulder, the court heard. The woman said: 'We'd been going in circles then he pulled me closer. I did feel uncomfortable but thought I was maybe reading too much into it.' She went on to get married and told the court the incident had impacted on her relationship with her husband. It is alleged that Leslie put his hand on a woman's bottom in Atik nightclub in Edinburgh She said she gave her friend 'a look' to make her aware she was uncomfortable, adding: 'After that I felt his hand go down my trousers at the back. 'I didn't know how to react. I made even more of a look to my friend because I knew I needed to be out of that situation.' She said Leslie touched her skin but was not sure if he had put his hand beneath her underwear. Once a friend pulled her away the woman told the court that she danced briefly with her hen party to 'pretend it hadn't happened'. She added: 'But then I got really upset so moved to the booth. I asked my friend something like 'why did he think he could do that or what did I do to make him do that?' She went outside with a friend and her sister-in-law who said they should tell someone, the court heard. She said they told a female bouncer and later a police officer at the nightclub who took her to a station to make a statement. Leslie, appearing under his real name John Stott, denies putting his hand under the woman's clothing CCTV of the pair dancing in the busy club was played to the court and the woman said it could not be seen exactly when the alleged incident happened. Asked by fiscal depute Fiona Nairn how she feels now, the woman said it had impacted on her relationship with her husband, friends and work. She said: 'It's been one of the toughest years of my life when it should have been the happiest.' Defence lawyer Derek Ogg QC reviewed the CCTV with the woman and said 'we don't see a hand going under [clothing] or coming out'. Mr Ogg put it to the woman the CCTV footage showed the dance with Leslie ended 'voluntarily' rather than with a friend's intervention. She said: 'That's not how I see it. I just wanted out of that situation.' It was also established that the woman was taken home by two police officers and given paper bags to place her clothing in with no forensic protocol in place. Forensic scientist Sandra Coupar-White told the court she examined the woman's trousers, pants and tutu for potential DNA. She said a mixed profile was found on the trouser waistband likely made up of touch DNA from the woman, Leslie and two other 'minor contributors'. She told Ms Nairn that DNA could be passed indirectly from holding hands during by dancing but said direct contact with the inside of the waistband was more likely. The results from the pants and tutu were inconclusive, Ms Coupar-White said. Mr Ogg questioned if it was possible for Leslie's DNA to be passed from one item of clothing to another. The witness said: 'Secondary transfer is possible.' The trial before Sheriff Adrian Cottam continues on Friday. A man in South Carolina photographed a cloud that bared an uncanny resemblance to US President Donald Trump. The astonishing find was made by Facebook user AJ Brackins who uploaded the pictures on Trump's birthday last week. He wrote in a post that has been shared more than 130 times: 'Check this cloud out! Looks like Trump! #MAGA'. A cloud that looks like Donald Trump is seen on the horizon in South Carolina last week. Facebook user AJ Brackins shared the images on social media which have gone viral Brackins captured multiple angles of the cloud which he wrote: 'Check out this cloud! Looks like Trump' in a post that has more than 130 shares The cloud has a striking familiarity with Donald Trump, seen here in Vietnam last November Brackins told Fox 5 the photos were taken in Gaffney, South Carolina. They were shared on social media on Thursday which was coincidentally the President's 72nd birthday. But this is not the first case of Trump being 'seen' in unusual ways or places. He has a history of lookalike sightings, most notably in Singapore last week for the 'real' historic summit along with fellow North Korean lookalike Kim Jong-Un. The lookalikes shook hands and embraced as they put on a show in Singapore on June 9 Back in April, a woman with a smooth blonde backcomb found social media fame after being photographed hoeing in Spain. Dolores Leis, 64, had spent her entire life in Cabana de Bergantinos but was much more concerned with her potato crops than finding online attention. 'My photo seems to have traveled far. I say it is because of the color of my hair,' she said at the time. Dolores Leis from Coristanco, Spain dressed in farm clothing looking like Donald Trump The most bizarre discovery however is possibly in the Amazon rainforest, Peru. Photographers spotted a 'big wig' caterpillar that had brightly colored hair similar to Trump's iconic trim. The moth, photographed in 2013, is a venomous creature often spotted in parts of Mexico or America according to tour guides Jeff Cremer and Phil Torres. A Donald Trump fan stormed the stage during a Broadway musical directed by Robert De Niro to protest at the Hollywood actor's foul-mouthed tirade against the President last week. The rogue demonstrator unfurled a 'Keep America Great' banner during the curtain call of A Bronx Tale, directed by De Niro, at the Longacre Theatre in New York on Saturday. The US President and De Niro have been involved in a public spat since the 74-year-old Hollywood actor received a standing ovation for yelling 'F*** Trump' on stage at the Tony Awards in New York earlier this month. Trump, 72, responded by labelling The Godfather II star a 'very low IQ individual' on Twitter. Scroll down for video The rogue Trump supporter can be seen (bottom left) brandishing the 'Keep America Great' sign at the end of the performance on Saturday The 74-year-old actor had previously made his feelings on the President very public at the Tony Awards last week During the play, directed by De Niro and four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks - a theatre-goer stood up and started waving the flag at the front of the stage. It read 'Keep America Great' as well as 'Trump 2020'. Joe Del Vicario took a picture of the incident and said: 'The times we live in. At the end of A Bronx Tale, a man turned around and faced the audience to show us how big of a pair he has. 'He was escorted shortly after. It's sad that people can't enjoy a beautiful show and embrace its unifying message without politicising it.' The incident took place during the curtain call of the 8pm showing of A Bronx Tale at the Longacre Theatre. Robert DeNiro, 74, walked onto the stage at the Tony Awards and said 'F*** Trump' twice in quick succession It comes after veteran actor De Niro went onstage at the Tony Awards 2018 and said: 'I'm just going to say one thing. F*** Trump.' The New York audience immediately started applauding, and as it rose to its feet, De Niro added: 'It's no longer down with Trump. It's f*** Trump.' The awards were broadcast live on CBS but the network had enough time to bleep out the Godfather actor's f-bombs. The incident was by no means the first time De Niro has made his thoughts on Trump known. He famously said he wanted to punch Trump 'in the face' during the 2016 US Election, called him a 'f***ing fool' and the 'baby-in-chief' in January 2018, and the following month said the US was currently suffering from a 'case of temporary insanity'. The President has received a great deal of criticism from De Niro during his tenure and the election campaign Four young Eritrean asylum seekers have taken their own lives in the UK in the past year after being smuggled across the Channel from Calais' Jungle camp. Alexander Tekle, 18; Filmon Yemane, 18; a 19-year-old known as N; and an unnamed male whose name and age have not been publicly announced, have all taken their lives since last year. Tekle, Yemane and N had all known each other and were extremely stressed over the process of applying for refugee status, according to another Eritrean asylum seeker who knew the teens. Their deaths have raised concerns over how young refugees are being treated in the UK, as the boys were at an age where they were not eligible for support and were unable to work. Alexander Tekle, 18, is one of four young Eritrean asylum seekers to have taken his own life within the past year after arriving in the UK from Calais. The teenager died in December Their deaths have raised concerns over how young refugees are being treated in the UK, as the boys were at an age where they were not eligible for support and were unable to work. Pictured: Calais Jungle camp Yemane had just turned 18 years old when he committed suicide in November. An inquest heard in April that he was in a 'state of crisis' before his death, reported the Guardian. And although employees at his hostel notified NHS mental health staff of his condition, concerns were not 'escalated appropriately within the crisis team'. Tekle took his life in early December, a year after he smuggled himself in the country on a refrigerated lorry. He had spent a brutal year in the Calais camp. N, whose family asked not to reveal his full name, committed suicide in May at the same north London sheltered accommodation where Yemane had lived. Hamid, an Eritrean asylum seeker who came to Britain three years ago and still has not received a refugee status, knew the three teens, Tekle, Yemane and N. Speaking to the Guardian, Hamid said: 'Alex [Tekle] and I were close friends. He was such a nice guy but he was giving up on life. 'He was stressing about Home Office things we all were. I tried to tell him not to worry too much, but he was thinking about it all the time. ' Benjamin Hunter, who met Tekle while working in Calais, said Tekle was anxious over his status and had endured horrible conditions in both France and the UK. Pictured: Hunter and Tekle He continued: 'He was saying: once you have your papers, you can start your life, you can start college. He wanted to start work; he wanted to send money to his mother. Without papers you can't work.' Benjamin Hunter, who met Tekle while working as a volunteer in Calais, also said the teen was anxious over his status, after enduring horrible conditions in both France and the UK. Speaking to the paper, Hunter said: 'Alex experienced deeply traumatic events on his journey to the UK, in particular in Libya and in Calais, where he lived alone in a tent for as long as a year, subject to abuse and neglect.' Hunter said that when Tekle came to the UK, he was told he was not eligible for support as a child or care-leaver. Tekle was then placed 'outside of care, in a hostel for adult asylum seekers where he was violently assaulted,' Hunter said. He added: 'Alex was stressed about the well-being of his family, about the uncertainty of his future and in particular was stressed by his asylum claim and the thought that he might be deported. 'The last thing he said to me, the day before he died, was, ''Why have I not received my papers, like my friends have?''' Tekle, Yemane and N, had all known each other and were stressed over the process of applying for refugee status, according to another Eritrean asylum seeker who knew the teens. Pictured: Eritrean refugees in Italy After Tekle died, Hunter set up a crowdfunding page to raise money to send the teen's body back to Eritrea, where his family wanted him buried. Writing on the page, Hunter said: 'Alex was a kind, loving and very special young man who had just recently turned 18. He was a cherished friend, brother and son who was so loved by so many and will be forever missed.' Tekle's father Tecle Sium Tesfamichel, who lives as a refugee in Sudan, has spoken out about the way his son was treated in the UK, calling for the government to do a better job to look after children. He said: 'I want to know this doesn't happen to children and young people again. 'These children, who have to leave home through no fault of their own, are traumatised on their journey through the desert and the sea. 'It is the job of the authorities to look after and guide these children, who come to the UK alone. They shouldn't come to die.' The family's legal team want a coroner to investigate the mental health care Tekle received, and examine the actions of local officials who were tasked to look after him. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or see ww.samaritans.org. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen attacked reporters and members of Congress on Sunday for 'misreporting' details of the Trump administration's immigration policy. Nielsen also said 'advocacy groups' are unfairly blaming the president and her agency for a policy that results in separating nearly 2,000 children from their parents. 'We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period,' she tweeted. Nielsen called the president's opponents 'irresponsible and unproductive' for turning the border situation into an international story. '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,' she tweeted. She explained: '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.' A two-year-old Honduran cries as her mother is searched and detained near the US-Mexico border on June 12. She had illegally crossed the Rio Grande on a raft to reach Texas Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (pictured) also said 'advocacy groups' are failing to accurately report on troubles at the border that have led to nearly 2,000 children being taken away from their parents Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the head of the Department of Homeland Security even bashed the media on Sunday for 'misreporting' A Honduran mother holds her two-year-old as U.S. Border Patrol as agents review their papers near the U.S.-Mexico border A Honduran mother removes her two-year-old daughter's shoe laces, as required by U.S. Border Patrol agents, after being detained near the U.S.-Mexico border Neilsen's weigh-in comes after the leader of one immigration advocacy group claimed border agents have been telling illegal immigrant parents that they are taking their children 'for a bath' before taking them away. Anne Chandler, the director of the Houston office of Tahirih Justice Center, said she's spoken with several parents who were told their children were going to get washed, before guards informed them they would never see the kids again. She made the stunning claims as heartbreaking photos were released showing the inside of a processing center in Texas, where illegal immigrant children are taken. On Friday it was revealed that nearly 2,000 children were separated from adults at the border between mid-April and the end of May. Those children are now living in detention centers along the U.S.-Mexico border. 'The officers say, "I'm going to take your child to get bathed." That's one we see again and again. "Your child needs to come with me for a bath,"' Chandler told Texas Monthly. 'The child goes off, and in a half an hour, twenty minutes, the parent inquires, "Where is my five-year-old? Where's my seven-year-old? This is a long bath." And they say, "You won't be seeing your child again".' Border agents have reportedly been telling illegal immigrant parents that they are taking their children 'for a bath' before separating them. This heartbreaking photo shows the children at a Border Patrol processing facility in McAllen, Texas Anne Chandler, the director of the Houston office of Tahirih Justice Center said she's spoken with several parents who said they were told their children were going to get a bath before they were separated Chandler said that in some cases agents simply tell the parents that they are taking their children away. 'And when the parent asks, "When will we get them back?" they say, "We can't tell you that,"' she said. Her claims have not been confirmed or verified. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a 'zero tolerance' policy in May, directing that illegal immigrants apprehended near the border must be criminally charged, which generally leads to children being separated from their parents. That directive includes people who claim asylum after jumping the border instead of making their request at a regular point of entry something Neilsen said Sunday is not against the law. 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. Other photos show children in single-file line and sitting next to one another like 'caged-animals' The McAllen facility is reportedly where more kids are separated from their parents than anywhere else in the US Heartbreaking photos showed the inside of the largest Border Patrol processing station in the US, which is located in McAllen, Texas. Border Patrol agents allowed reporters to briefly visit the facility on Sunday. Inside the old warehouse, hundreds of children wait behind metal fencing. One 'cage' had 20 children inside. Scattered about were snacks and bottles of water. Children were seen lying on dark green mats with large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets. Other photos show minors in single-file line and sitting next to one another. One teenager told an advocate who visited that she was helping care for a young child she didn't know because the child's aunt was somewhere else in the facility. She said she had to show others in her cell how to change the girl's diaper. More than 1,100 people were inside the large, dark facility that's divided into separate wings for unaccompanied children, adults on their own, and mothers and fathers with children. The cages in each wing open out into common areas to use portable restrooms. The overhead lighting in the warehouse stays on around the clock. According to the Border Patrol, close to 200 people inside the facility were minors unaccompanied by a parent. Another 500 were 'family units,' parents and children. Many adults who crossed the border without legal permission could be charged with illegal entry and placed in jail, away from their children. The McAllen facility is reportedly where more kids are separated from their parents than anywhere else in the US. 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. '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 Sunday on 'Meet the Press.' '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 Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said in New Jersey. Democratic Sen Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who was denied entry earlier this month to children's shelter, said: 'Those kids inside who have been separated from their parents are already being traumatized.' 'It doesn't matter whether the floor is swept and the bedsheets tucked in tight,' he added. In Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for people trying to enter the US, Border Patrol officials argue that they have to crack down on migrants and separate adults from children as a deterrent to others. 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 'When you exempt a group of people from the law ... that creates a draw,' said Manuel Padilla, the Border Patrol's chief agent here. 'That creates the trends right here.' Agents running the holding facility - generally known as 'Ursula' for the name of the street it's on - said everyone detained is given adequate food, access to showers and laundered clothes, and medical care. People are supposed to move through the facility quickly. Under US law, children are required to be turned over within three days to shelters funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. Padilla said agents in the Rio Grande Valley have allowed families with children under the age of five to stay together in most cases. 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. '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. The lawmakers in Elizabeth waited about 90 minutes to gain access to the detention facility, which is operated for the US government by a private contractor. 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 Democrats in the US House of Representatives will introduce legislation this week aimed at stopping separations, mirroring a similar Senate bill sponsored by Democrat Dianne Feinstein. Children are pictured at the detention center in Brownsville In South Texas on Sunday, several Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Jeff Merkley, toured detention facilities to call attention to the policy, while Representative Beto O'Rourke, who is running for the US 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. 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. Democrats in the US 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. This is the terrifying moment an angry performing bear attacked its handlers after being forced to ride a skateboard and beaten with a stick at a circus in Russia. Children in the audience screamed as the animal turned on its keepers moments after riding down a ramp during a performance at a village in Russia's Volgograd region. Desperate members of staff tried to beat the brown bear with sticks as it pinned a colleague to the ground. Footage captures the terrifying moment an angry performing bear attacked its handlers after being forced to ride a skateboard and beaten with a stick at a circus in Russia Children in the audience screamed as the animal turned on its keepers moments after riding down a ramp during a performance in Russia's Volgograd region Desperate members of staff tried to beat the brown bear with sticks as it pinned a colleague to the ground Spectators said it was clearly agitated and wanted to leave the arena - and became aggressive with its female handler. A male member of the travelling circus troupe then repeatedly struck the animal with a stick, but this only enraged the animal more. The predator overpowered the man, knocking him down and attacking him on the floor of the circus ring. Scared spectators were just a few feet away - apparently with no barriers between them and the out-of-control bear. Two women handlers then beat the animal with sticks and tried to drag the beast away. The man finally managed to get to his feet - evidently without serious injury. Local woman Anastasia Mishcherina, from Olkhovka village, Volgograd region, said: 'My relatives and their little son went to the show. 'They sat in the front row, when they announced the performance of a "bear-visionary" or something of that kind. My relatives wanted to take a video and went closer to the exit. Spectators said it was clearly agitated and wanted to leave the arena - and became aggressive with its female handler A male member of the travelling circus troupe then repeatedly struck the animal with a stick, but this only enraged the animal more The predator overpowered the man, knocking him down and attacking him on the floor of the circus ring 'Even on video it is clear that the animal was nervous. Reluctantly slipping off the ramp, the animal wanted to leave, but he was pulled back. 'Perhaps he realised that another flogging was waiting for him, and he decided to attack first.' Local resident Nikolay told journalists: 'The circus is still in the village. They came from St. Petersburg - but now the whole Olkhovka passes by their big top tent in fear. 'I hope that the relevant authorities will conduct a check and understand what is going on in this circus.' The village is 78 miles north of Volgograd city. The attack was at a show on Saturday. A bride who was struck down by a mystery illness less than a month after her wedding was left fighting for her life and doctors still don't know what caused her to be sick. Amanda McMillan-Turnbull, 36, married Benjamin Turnbull, 34, in Queensland but just weeks after the wedding she contracted a mystery illness, Seven News reported. Ms Turnbull initially thought she had a 'head cold' and doctors prescribed steroids and antibiotics, which still didn't help. Amanda McMillan-Turnbull, 36, married Benjamin Turnbull, 34, on April 21, in Queensland A few days later she went back to the doctors were she had a chest x-ray and was told the oxygen in her blood was too low and that she had to go to the hospital. Ms Turnbull checked herself in at Redcliffe Hospital and was taken to the intensive care unit where she was given a mask to help her breathe. Two days later, she started to feel worse and was unable to breathe on her own. She was told she had to be put into a coma so her body can fight off the virus which was attacking her body. 'The doctor told me they were going to have to intubate me,' she told the publication. 'I cried all day. My room was full of doctors and there were about 12 machines. It was very scary.' The mum prepared for the worst and told her daughter Aria, 13, to be ready in case she died. Ms Turnbull was in a coma for 10 days and had to learn how to swallow and walk again. The doctors are still unsure of what caused Ms Turnbull to fall ill but was told it 'could have been a tick or lice.' She was discharged from hospital on May 29. A rejected refugee who allegedly stabbed his 15-year-old girlfriend to death in Germany goes on trial today for murder. Abdul Mobin Dawodzai is accused of stabbing Mia Valentin, 15, seven times in the heart with a 20cm kitchen knife he bought minutes earlier on December 27. Mia broke up with the Afghan teenager, whose age is not exactly known, at the beginning of the month, which prosecutors argue prompted the murder. Abdul Mobin Dawodzai is accused of stabbing Mia Valentin, 15, seven times in the heart on December 27 in the German town of Kandel, prompting protests (pictured) Abdul followed her to this drugstore and allegedly stabbed her in front of horrified staff and customers with a 20cm knife he bought there minutes earlier A makeshift memorial with hundreds of candles lit outside the shop where Mia was stabbed to death He then began a campaign of online harassment and even beat up one of her classmates at their school in Kandel in a fit of jealousy. Mia's parents became so concerned they called police on December 15 and officers visited Abdul after he ignored a summons and warned him off. Hours later he followed her to a drugstore and allegedly stabbed her in front of horrified staff and customers. Abdul claimed to be 15 but his true age was hard to pin down as young refugees often claimed to be underage to get better treatment. An examination and x-rays of his bones given to prosecutors in February found he was at least 17.5 years old but could be up to 20. A judiciary van believed to carry Abdul as it arrives at the district court building, where his trial is to begin Police officers stand guard outside the district court building, where the trial is to begin He entered Germany in April 2016 and though his application for asylum was rejected in February 2017 he was not deported. The case shocked the small town in a left-wing area with a long history of welcoming refugees and migrants with open arms. Many took the murder as a personal betrayal as Abdul was embraced by Mia's family before their breakup. The far-right Alternative for Germany quickly organised several marches through the town, which have been carried on by anti-immigrant group 'Kandel is everywhere'. Mia's murder followed a similar case where Maria Ladenburger, the 19-year-old daughter of an EU official, was raped and murdered. The far-right Alternative for Germany quickly organised several marches through the town Protests have been carried on by anti-immigrant group 'Kandel is everywhere' Two women stand behind a placard with a slogan (in German) reading: 'SEK (Special forces) protection for Mia's murderer - Who protects our children?' outside the district court building The two cases are frequently used to criticise Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door migration policy that brought more than 1.6 million into Germany in three years. Ms Merkel is facing a revolt from her own Interior Minister Horst Seehofer that could lead to her being ousted as early as this week. Mr Seehofer wants to send back migrants who have registered in other EU countries but the Chancellor refused to dump her longstanding policy. The minister's Christian Social Union, in coalition with Ms Merkel's party, meets on Monday to decide a course of action. He has the nuclear option of seeking approval to shut Germany's borders immediately in defiance of Ms Merkel, or the less aggressive choice of giving her an ultimatum of two weeks to sort out a deal with other EU nations. Mia's murder followed a similar case where Maria Ladenburger, the 19-year-old daughter of an EU official, was raped and murdered. Ms Merkel is facing a revolt over her migration policy from her own Interior Minister Horst Seehofer that could lead to her being ousted as early as this week Either course could force Ms Merkel to sack him, which could make her position as Chancellor untenable, MPs in her own party claimed. Ms Merkel wants two weeks to try to strike bilateral deals with partners, such as Italy and Greece, on migrants and to make progress at an EU summit on June 28-29 on an EU-wide policy. But the CSU is facing tough state elections in its heartland of Bavaria in October and doesn't want to wait any longer to sort out the government's position. Mr Seehofer now seems to favour giving Ms Merkel until after the summit to get an EU-wide deal done, but is likely to take action if she fails. Ashley Simonetti, 28, broke into her neighbor's home on Thursday Police killed a woman in Kansas after officers discovered her half naked and wielding an ornamental sword in a bridesmaid dress. Cops shot 28-year-old Ashley Simonetti dead on Thursday last week in Kansas City - firing six bullets at her after she broke into a neighbor's house, triggering an alarm. When she was confronted by officers Simonetti, armed with a Japanese katana sword, refused to surrender and the cops took the difficult decision to shoot her. Relatives of the dead woman were said to be outraged by the decision to fire on her - describing her behavior as 'unusual' but claiming she posed no threat to anyone else. After invading the neighbour's house Simonetti, climbed out of a window to elude police after stealing the sword and bridesmaid's dress from inside. Police officers shot Simonetti six times after she tried to flee following a tense three-hour standoff Neighbor Grant Braaten witnessed the entire scene and watched as she holed up in the detached garage behind the neighbor's house after jumping out of the window. According to Braaten, police tried to reason with her for three hours and attempted to flush her out using a robot and tear gas to no avail. 'They brought in a negotiator and tried to talk to her,' Braaten told the Kansas City Star. 'They kept saying, "Hey, come out. That garage has to be hot. Come on out and just drop the weapon. Just come out. We want to talk with you."' Eventually Simonetti was spooked after cops tried to batter the door down and sneaked under the bashed garage door before attempting to flee. 'They opened fire on her and dropped her there,' Braaten said. Police on Friday identified Simonetti as Ashley Dean Fulkerson, which is her mother's last name, and confirmed they had 'recovered a sword from the deceased'. Simonetti holed up in the neighbor's garage after jumping out of the window having stolen a bridesmaid's dress and sword from inside Janna Fulkerson, the woman's mother, posted a photo of Simonetti (right) on Facebook and said police had 'murdered' her daughter Janna Fulkerson, Simonetti's mother, said in an emotional post on Facebook: 'Kansas City Police shot and killed my daughter June 14th. They executed her. Please pray for her, they murdered my only child.' 'They had Guns she had a sword but I know they were never in fear of their life and they should have to pay for just killing whoever they feel like killing at the time. 'My daughter probably weighed about 90 pounds, they could of shot her in the leg or anything but this! 'I am totally devastated. ... I will never get to hug her or tell her I love her or anything ever again!' But a spokesperson for the Kansas City Police department said there had been 'no option' but to use neutralize Simonetti. 'This ended in tragedy for all involved,' said Cpt. Lionel Colon with the Kansas City Police Department. 'We work hard every day to protect the public. There are times when an officer is faced with no other option than to use deadly force.' Neighbor Grant Braaten witnessed the entire incident and said he believed police had 'done the right thing' A Georgia man who attempted to rob a Waffle House before running across the street and barricading himself in his motel room has been arrested after a five-hour standoff with SWAT teams. The stand-off began when police received a 911 call before 3am Monday that someone was trying to rob the restaurant on the corner of Montreal Road, in DeKalb County. 'There was a robbery,' DeKalb County Police spokesman Shiera Campbell said. 'There was an attempt to rob the Waffle House.' A Georgia man who attempted to rob a Waffle House before running across the street and barricading himself in his motel room has been arrested after a five-hour standoff with SWAT teams (pictured is the suspect being taken into custody) A SWAT team surrounded Knights Inn motel after a man attempted to rob a Waffle House before barricading himself in his room The five-hour stand-off began when police received a 911 call at before 3am Monday She said the suspect then fled to the Knights Inn across the street, and barricaded himself in the room he had rented, Fox News reports. Authorities were unable to communicate with the suspected robber but feared he was armed. Officers used gas to enter the motel room and found the suspect had locked himself in the bathroom. He was arrested around 8am, and taken into custody. Police have not yet released his name. No shots were fired. Authorities say that no one was injured in the attempted robbery or motel standoff. More than 20 police cruisers had responded to the 911 call and the SWAT team surrounded the building. More than 20 police cruisers responded to the call and the SWAT team surrounded the building Authorities say that no one was injured in the attempted robbery or motel standoff Officers used gas to enter the motel room and found the suspect had locked himself in the bathroom. He was arrested around 8am, and taken into custody (pictured) Police have also arrested another man in connection with the incident and a woman is being questioned although investigators don't believe she is tied to the robbery. The Knights Inn was immediately evacuated amid reports of the standoff and families say they woke up to police officers in tactical gear knocking on their door. They had just seconds to leave their rooms and rush for safety across the street. 'My kids are out here with towels and stuff on,' motel guest Sherica Williams told AJC. 'I'm just in shock right now.' Authorities asked drivers to avoid the area during the standoff. The incident began when the suspect attempted to rob the Waffle House on the corner of Montreal Road, in DeKalb County (pictured) A head chef who served up some of the finest Italian in Queensland was also dishing up cocaine to customers who ordered using the code words 'a full feed of of ragu.' Ryan McIver used to spend his evenings cooking the tastiest pasta in town but tonight he will be behind bars after pleading guilty to selling cocaine out of the restaurant's kitchen. The 30-year-old was also organising strippers for the customers of Mariosarti, a high end restaurant in Brisbane, if they ordered their ragu with 'onions.' Ryan McIver (pictured right) was selling cocaine and strippers to customers under code names McIver pleaded guilty on Tuesday to three counts of supplying a dangerous drug. The District Court heard that he had dealt cocaine to customers in October 2016 and again in March and April last year. McIver was sentenced to two years in prison but will only stay for three months because of his early plea and co-operation with police. He was arrested in April last year along with the restaurants owner and four other people after a 14-month long investigation that police say lead to the states biggest cocaine and ice bust. Police raided properties in both Brisbane and the Gold Coast, seizing $750,000 worth of drugs. McIver's lawyer, Barrister John Fraser, told the court the former head chef was merely the 'delivery driver,' 9News reported. The 30-year-old was the head chef at Mariosarti an Italian restaurant in Brisbane He was selling cocaine (pictured) to customers under the code name 'a full feed of of ragu' 'My client got swept up and gets no money, no drugs, nothing,' he said before labelling him as 'vulnerable and impulsive.' The court heard that McIver had worked his up in the restaurant form dishwasher to head chefs. He had a history of drug offending but had stayed out of trouble for several years until his arrest last year, the court also heard, The award winning restaurant was purchased by Kim Hamson for an undisclosed sum and has since reopened. Harjit Bariana, 46, was found guilty modern slavery charges and jailed for eight and a half years A cruel takeaway boss who enslaved vulnerable tenants and plied them with drink and drugs as he forced them to work for free has been jailed for eight years. Harjit Bariana forced penniless, alcoholic victims to work 13-hour days for scraps of food and no pay. The 46-year-old kept the British men in a squalid house in Blyth, Northumberland, and stole their shoes and clothing so they could not run away. Bariana would slap and kick the men if they refused to work and supplied them with free diazepam and valium so they remained addicted under his control. One of his four victims was forced to clear out a sewage pipe without gloves, while another had his shoes removed and was made to walk to work barefoot. As he was jailed for eight and a half years at Newcastle Crown Court, judge Sarah Mallett said Bariana had committed 'commercial exploitation.' A neighbour at the shared property told the court she would see Bariana screaming at the men. The vulnerable victims were forced to live in squalid conditions (pictured) as they worked long hours for no money and scraps of food The 46-year-old kept the men in a squalid house in Blyth, Northumberland, which was eventually raided by police (pictured) She said: 'He would tell them he knew people who could cause them harm, sort them out or hurt them. If he did that in front of me what was going on inside the house? 'He would turn up with a big man to threaten or intimidate the men. When they came out of the house they were quite unsure and submissive, they would walk with their heads down.' Bariana grinned as he arrived at an earlier hearing in May (pictured) The judge said Bariana's business model was 'predicated on free labour and most minimal expenditure to extract the maximum profit.' One 43-year-old victim said he worked everyday for five months in the two takeaway restaurants owned by Bariana in Northumberland and Sunderland. He said he worked all day and all night in the pizza takeaway and ten hours a day in the chip shop and only had two days off in five months - one of which was for a funeral. He said each night he was given leftovers to eat, and a bottle of hard liquor such as whisky was handed over for a 5 charge. A second victim, who was also homeless, was given a room in Barianas flat for 90 a week rent. He worked in a takeaway for three or four weeks for five days a week and about 10 hours a day without pay. Instead of cash, the man said he was given two litres of cider, costing about 3, each day. The men told the court they had their clothing and shoes taken away while they were kept as slaves. Pictured, one of the rooms they were kept in The judge said Bariana threatened to make his victims homeless and gave them drugs when they were vulnerable to addiction. Judge Mallett added: 'There was the use of violence including kicks, slaps and causing a person to fall down a flight of stairs. 'There were threats, coercion, bad bullying, control and restriction of their movements and excessive working hours.' One man told the court his shoes, watch and belt were taken by Bariana because he said he didn't want to go to work. Bariana, who lived in a large house in Bebside, Northumberland, has previous convictions for handling stolen goods, selling counterfeit clothes and illegal money lending. He was convicted of six modern slavery charges against four victims and supplying valium and diazepam, with the charges relating to a period between 2014 and 2016. He was cleared of two slavery offences and of robbery. Speaking after the case, Chief Inspector Helena Barron said: 'People may have a pre-conceived idea of what modern slavery is - they view it as people being trafficked into the country from abroad. 'But these were white British men who had lived all or most of their lives in the North East. They were people who suffered a dreadful ordeal and it hasn't been easy for them. 'For this man to have degraded and exploited other human beings in this way will have shocked some people but the sad fact is that this is happening all over the country and we need to identify, investigate and stop it.' She said that when the house was raided police officers found the occupants, 'fearful, scared and timid but not because the police were coming through their door - they thought it was Bariana.' Bariana was convicted of six modern slavery charges against four victims and supplying valium and diazepam, with the charges relating to a period between 2014 and 2016 The slave master maintained the house he kept the men in was 'fine'. Pictured, the premises being raided by police She added: 'Their rooms were numbered but had no locks on so that he could gain entry whenever he wanted. 'There was no food in the house, it was sparsely decorated and people were sleeping on bare mattresses or bed bases with no mattresses. Rubbish was piled up in the back yard, the conditions were squalid. 'As we spoke to the victims it became clear they had been appallingly exploited. 'One man told us how Bariana had taken away his shoes to prevent him running away and he had been forced him to walk a mile to work a 13 hour day. His only pay was getting his shoes back to walk home. 'Another man cleared sewage pipes with his bare hands for six hours and all he got at the end was food scraps.' Bariana's defence lawyer Tom Finch said the conditions in the house had been 'fine' and some of the residents had friends come round to visit them. Denise Lillico, 51, from Byker in Newcastle, was earlier cleared of supplying class C drugs. Jose Nunez, 47, was arrested Sunday morning for allegedly sexually assaulting a four-year-old relative and blackmailing her mother with deportation. He is pictured in arrest photo A Texas sheriff deputy has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a four-year-old relative and threatening to deport her undocumented mother if she reported him. Bexar County Sheriff's Office detention deputy Jose Nunez, 47, was arrested Sunday morning on a warrant for super aggravated sexual assault, pending formal charges. Nunez, who was off duty at the time of his arrest, is accused of inappropriately touching the young girl's genitals on numerous occasions causing 'at least some indication of minor injury' at her residence. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar says the abuse took place for several months and potentially as long as two years. He added there could be other victims as well. It's unclear how Nunez and the victim are related. Nunez, who worked for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office for 10 years, silenced the mother of the child by threatening to reveal her undocumented status and deport her back to Guatemala if she reported the assault. The child 'made an outcry to her mom' who brought her to a local fire station to report the abuse Saturday evening, according to the Washington Post. He was arrested Sunday around 3am and is being held without bail. Nunez (pictured), who worked as a detention deputy in Bexar County, Texas for 10 years, was arrested Sunday morning after the victim's mother reported the abuse to a fire station He worked at the Bexar County Detention Center (file picture above) and has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. If found guilty, he could face a minimum of 25 years behind bars 'The details of the case are, quite frankly, heartbreaking, disturbing, disgusting and infuriating all at the same time,' Salazar said in a press conference. 'Folks like this are creatures of habit and opportunity. I dont know that he was purposely targeting the undocumented community. 'Certainly I think what appealed to him, in this case anyway, is the vulnerability of that community because of the fact that theyre less apt to report things.' Police have not released the victim's residency status and the mother has been given a protected status in the case. Their identities have not been released. Nunez is due in court Monday afternoon. If found guilty, he could face a minimum of 25 years behind bars. Nunez's charge of super aggravated sexual assault of a child means that the alleged victim is under the age of 6, which allows for a harsher sentence structure in Texas. Nunez has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. Given the nature of the crime, Sheriff Salazar urges undocumented immigrant victims to speak up regardless of their status. Two sisters from Wisconsin are accused of stabbing each other during a fight over child care, which was allegedly sparked by a man and witnessed by five young children. The Madison Police Department says officers were dispatched to a home on Wakefield Street at 12.10pm on Saturday after one woman reported she had been stabbed. The officers arrived to find two 'uncooperative' sisters, 24-year-old Abria Tate and 23-year-old Alyssa Tate, suffering from stab wounds on their arms. Family feud: Sisters Abria Tate (left), 24, and Alyssa Tate (right), 23, are accused of stabbing each other during an argument over child care A statement from the police says the Tates had 'engaged in mutual combat,' but did not suffer life-threatening wounds. During the incident, Alyssa was reportedly armed with a knife, a scissors and pepper spray. Police said the incident apparently erupted after a heated family argument regarding child care. Both Alyssa and Abria have been arrested on a charge of domestic recklessly endangering safety. Alyssa (left) was reportedly armed with a knife, a scissors and pepper spray. Her fight with Abria (right) erupted after a heated family argument regarding child care Police responded to a home on Wakefield Street (pictured) in Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday for a report of a stabbing During the investigation, police say they learned that a 30-year-old man allegedly sparked the knife fight between the women. He has not been taken into custody as of Monday afternoon. Child Protective Services was called in to assist with the children who witnessed the violent altercation. Former NSW secretary of the National Union of Workers Derrick Belan (right) arrives at the Parramatta Local Court A former union boss who used members' money to buy tattoos, botox and a Harley Davidson motorbike has been jailed for four years. Derrick Belan, the former NSW boss of the National Union of Workers, relied on a 'matrix of fraud' to squander $650,000 of low-paid workers' membership payments. Using union credit cards and fake invoices, Belan spent funds on cruises, rentals, motor vehicles, botox treatments and tattoos, magistrate Elizabeth Ellis said on Monday. 'The motive was personal greed, ingratiating himself to others including family members, and a childish desire to have trinkets such as motorcycles,' she said in Parramatta Local Court. The magistrate jailed Belan, now 47, for four years with a non-parole period of three years for defrauding the union of more than $650,000 between 2010 and 2015. In March, she found him guilty of more than 50 charges, most of them for dishonestly obtaining financial advantage. Belan had admitted to two further charges towards the end of his nine-day hearing. Ms Ellis said Belan set up a 'matrix of fraud' to misspend membership payments which likely came from scant spare funds. 'The workers that came under the National Union of Workers included factory workers, storemen, that is those at the lower end of the wage spectrum,' the magistrate said. He was charged in 2016 in response to the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption, which heard he used a union credit card to get a leg tattoo of his parents. Danielle O'Brien (centre), the niece of Former NSW secretary of the National Union of Workers (NUW) Derrick Belan, arrives at the Parramatta Local Court in Sydney Ms O'Brien recalled the first time he gave her permission to personally use union money in 2010 - to get her hair done 'so you look nice' for a Christmas party His barrister, Anton Duc, during this year's hearing said his client didn't defraud the union of 'one cent' and was not involved in any of the conduct he was accused of. But Belan's niece, former NUW bookkeeper Danielle O'Brien, said he asked her to use branch funds to pay for family holidays, clothes, lap-band surgery for his partner and orthodontic braces for his son. Ms O'Brien, who has already been sentenced over her involvement, testified that he told her he had a brain tumour. She believed him for some two years before discovering it wasn't true. The magistrate on Monday said Belan had shown no remorse or acknowledgement of his crime and intended to appeal his conviction. He will be eligible for parole in March 2021. Theresa May today refused to endorse her Health Secretary's call for a full review into the use of medical cannabis in the wake of the Billy Caldwell case. The Prime Minister insisted there was a 'good reason' for Britain's tough drug rules hours after Jeremy Hunt suggested a full review had been ordered by Home Secretary Sajid Javid. Mrs May said it was already possible to get one off licences for the medical use of cannabis in defiance of claims from Mr Hunt there was an urgent need to change the law. In a bid to bridge the divide, Home Office Minister Nick Hurd announced an expert medical panel was being appointed to advise ministers on individual cases involving cannabis. The Home Office insisted this was not a full review of the law, as has been demanded by Mr Hunt and Mr Javid. In other developments it has emerged Mr Javid tried and failed to raise the case of Billy Caldwell, a 12-year-old who takes cannabis oil to control epileptic seizures, in Cabinet today. Cabinet sources played down the clash between Mrs May and Mr Javid, saying he had been relaxed about the way the PM handled the situation. There was said to have been a misunderstanding about whether the politicians were expecting the 'incredibly complex' issue to be debated at Cabinet today. Theresa May (pictured today making a speech on the NHS) refused to endorse her Health Secretary's call for a full review into the use of medical cannabis in the wake of the Billy Caldwell case Billy's mother Charlotte Caldwell, of Castlederg in County Tyrone, has called for an urgent meeting with Mr Javid and Mr Hunt to discuss the positive impact on her son's condition of cannabis oil, which is restricted in the UK but legal elsewhere in the world Answering an urgent question in the Commons, Mr Hurd told MPs recent had 'highlighted the need for the Government to explore the issue further and our handling of these issues further'. He announced the establishment of an expert clinicians' panel to advise ministers on any individual applications to prescribe cannabis-based medications. Mr Hurd said he had asked chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies to take forward work on the panel. Mrs May had appeared to play down the prospect earlier today. The PM said: 'Do we need to look at these cases and consider what we've got in place? Yes. 'But what needs to drive us in all these cases has to be what clinicians are saying about these issues. 'There's a very good reason why we've got a set of rules around cannabis and other drugs, because of the impact that they have on people's lives, and we must never forget that.' Home Office Minister Nick Hurd (pictured in the Commons today) confirmed to MPs the study would be undertaken after hours of confusion in Government Mr Javid intervened over the weekend on the grounds of urgent medical need to grant a 20-day licence for Billy to be treated with cannabis oil, after he suffered seizures following the confiscation at Heathrow Airport of supplies brought by his mother from Canada. And earlier today, Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Mr Javid had acted 'extremely decisively' in the case, adding: 'What he has announced yesterday is that he is going to review the law around this as quickly as he can'. The Health Secretary added: 'I don't think anyone who followed that story could sensibly say that we are getting the law on this kind of thing right.' Challenged over whether the legal situation could remain unchanged for weeks or months in the face of cases like Billy's, Mr Hunt replied: 'I sincerely hope not.' He added: 'It does take time, because we've got to not only look at the law, we've got to look at the clinical evidence and make sure there are no unintended consequences. 'But I think we all know that we need to find a different way.' The Prime Minister insisted there was a 'good reason' for Britain's tough drug rules hours after Jeremy Hunt suggested a full review had been ordered by Home Secretary Sajid Javid But when the PM's official spokesman was asked at a regular Westminster media briefing whether a review of the law was under way, he replied: 'We have reviewed this individual case and a decision has been taken based on clinical advice. 'Beyond that, I don't have anything specific for you, beyond saying that we will continue to look at clinical evidence and take decisions on that basis.' The spokesman added: 'In terms of the Health Secretary this morning, I think he said we have to look at the law and the clinical evidence. I think that's something that we are alive to. Mr Javid intervened over the weekend on the grounds of urgent medical need to grant a 20-day licence for Billy to be treated with cannabis oil 'But equally, going forward, any decisions will have to be made on the basis of clinical evidence and how to provide the best treatment.' Billy's mother Charlotte Caldwell, of Castlederg in County Tyrone, has called for an urgent meeting with Mr Javid and Mr Hunt to discuss the positive impact on her son's condition of cannabis oil, which is restricted in the UK but legal elsewhere in the world. She credits the oil's active ingredient THC with keeping Billy's seizures at bay, saying he was seizure-free for more than 300 days while using it. After an 'absolutely horrendous' period of escalating seizures following the confiscation of his supplies at Heathrow, he was now eating again and less affected by his epilepsy, she said. Another Northern Irish mother of a child with epilepsy said her six-year-old daughter Sophia was at risk of death without the banned treatment. Danielle Davis, from Newtownards, told Today: 'Sophia definitely needs whole-plant medicinal cannabis with THC. If Sophia doesn't have this and her seizures continue, we could be visiting a headstone. 'I honestly pray to God that it is not too late. That would be heartbreaking if it took so long to sign off on something that my daughter's life is taken.' Mrs May said it was already possible to get one off licences for the medical use of cannabis in defiance of claims from Mr Hunt there was an urgent need to change the law Former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg said that ministers' resistance to legalising medicinal cannabis was based on 'prejudice'. He said: 'It is pathetic and I saw it for myself in Government this bone-headed triumph of prejudice over evidence. The active substance in these cannabis-derived medicines is less harmful than stuff you can get across the counter from a chemist. 'When I was in Government, I certainly couldn't get Theresa May and the Home Office and indeed other parts of the Government to just address the evidence. 'That poor mother is finding herself in this heartbreaking situation because politicians can't separate off the issue of medicinal cannabis to help her child from their wider prejudice about drugs generally.' Labour MP Andy McDonald, whose son Freddie died as a result of epilepsy, wrote to Mr Javid calling for a blanket exemption on the use of cannabis oil to alleviate epilepsy, along with measures to ensure supplies of the substance. Mr McDonald wrote: 'I am firmly of the view that when paediatricians and neurologists are struggling with intractable epilepsy cases, if in their considered medial view cannabis oil would be efficacious, then they should be permitted to administer it, safe in the knowledge that it is lawful to do so. 'I make no comment about the administration of cannabis oil more widely and restrict my appeal to these highly specific cases, but speaking as a parent who lost a beloved son to intractable epilepsy I have to speak out in the hope that further deaths can be avoided and that families are spared the unbearable pain of losing a child.' Timothy Coggins (above) was 23 when he was murdered in Georgia in 1983 The first trial in a shocking 35-year-old cold case murder of a black man is set to begin, with prosecutors saying the two white defendants' own bragging is the main evidence in the racially charged case. Brothers-in-law Frank Gebhardt, 59, and William Moore Sr, 58, are charged with felony murder in the October 9, 1983 death of Timothy Wayne Coggins near Griffin, Georgia, about 40 miles south of Atlanta. Coggins, who was 23, was stabbed roughly 30 times and dragged through the woods behind a pickup truck, in a slaying that prosecutors have said was motivated by Coggins 'socializing with a white female'. On Monday, jury selection in Gebhardt's trial was scheduled to begin in Griffin Superior Court, after the two defendants succeeded in severing their cases. Brothers-in-law Frank Gebhardt, 59, (left) and William Moore Sr, 58, (right) are charged with felony murder in the October 9, 1983 death of Coggins near Griffin, Georgia Frankie Gebhardt, left, smiles as his lawyer, Larkin Lee, right, cross examines GBI Investigator Jared Coleman during a preliminary hearing in November Bill Moore Sr., left, and his lawyer, Harry Charles, right, listen as GBI investigator Jared Coleman testifies during a preliminary hearing in November In 1983, the two suspects worked as laborers in a pulpwood mill, and they were spotted by multiple witnesses talking to Coggins outside a gas station, later driving away in Gebhardt's gold Mercury Comet, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The case remained cold until March of 2017, when a tipster came forward with information implicating Gebhardt and Moore. Despite the brutality of the crime scene, no DNA or other physical evidence is expected to tie the two defendants to the murder. Instead, prosecutors will rely upon testimony that the men boasted of the deed after the fact, even allegedly arguing about who could take the most credit. Pictured is the site where police found Coggins's mutilated body in 1983 In pre-trial hearings, Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Ben Coker said witnesses told investigators that Gebhardt had admitted many times to killing Coggins. The prosecutor said Gebhardt bragged about it when he drank, and threatened a witness that if they spoke to authorities, they would be dragged down the road like Coggins had been, Coker said. One witness said that Gebhardt told a girlfriend she had better be careful, or she might 'wind up like that n***** in the ditch.' Another witness, who was 10 years old at the time, claimed that Gebhardt believed Coggins was 'messing around with his old lady' and targeted him for that reason. Supporters of Timothy Coggins become emotional during a November preliminary hearing in a courtroom located inside the Spalding County law enforcement complex in Griffin Coggins' brothers pose beside the new headstone on Timothy Coggins' grave in Zebulon, Georgia on December 30, which they installed after the arrests in the case Yet another witness said that the two suspects were involved in a gun deal gone bad with Coggins. Prosecutors insist that whatever the motive, race was certainly a factor. Gebhardt's trial is expected to take two to three weeks. Moore's trial date has not yet been set. Both men are being held without bail in Spalding County Correctional Institution pending the resolution of their trials. Lisa Marie Presley's ex-money manager paid himself an annual salary of more than $700,000 - while he was losing her $100 million fortune, Elvis's daughter claims. Barry Siegel 'enriched himself with exorbitant fees', blasts 50-year-old Presley in new court documents filed at Los Angeles Superior Court in her lawsuit against Siegel and his company, Provident Financial Management. She is accusing Siegel and his firm of running the $100 million trust fund her father set up for her 'into the ground' to just $14,000 by 'reckless and negligent' investments - the largest investment being in American Idol's holding company which ended up going bankrupt. Siegel is counter-suing, demanding $800,000 in damages and insisting that Presley 'squandered' away her fortune because of her 'uncontrollable spending habits'. Lisa Marie Presley (left) has accused Barry Siegel (right) and his firm of running the $100 million trust fund her father set up for her 'into the ground' to just $14,000 by 'reckless and negligent' investments. Siegel is counter-suing, demanding $800,000 in damages He has filed a motion to dismiss Presley's lawsuit. But she is fighting his motion and in her latest 16-page court filing her lawyers blast back saying: 'Despite allowing the trust's assets to be run to ruin, Siegel profited richly from his "service" as trustee. 'Between 2005 and the time of the American Idol bankruptcy, Siegel billed $4.9 million to "manage" the trust, an average annual salary of $701,000 per year. 'Had Siegel disclosed the the trust's true financial condition to Presley and restricted spending to the trust's "income" rather than its principal assets, Presley would have lived comfortably on an annual budget of between $1.5 and $2 million per year, after taxes. 'On this budget, Siegel's lucrative compensation package would have amounted to between 40 to 50 per cent of Presley's post-tax annual budget - an amount she undoubtedly would not have agreed to had she been aware of her true financial condition.' Instead of telling Presley the truth, Siegel covered up the dire straits of her finances, say her lawyers. 'Siegel repeatedly led Lisa to believe she was in "good shape" with her finances,' the documents state. Her attorneys cited several emails from Siegel responding to inquiries from Presley about how her trust fund was faring. Presley (pictured as a baby with Elvis) was only nine when her famous father died at 42 in 1977 'We're in good shape on your finances'... 'We're ok,'...'Be assured that we are doing everything on our end to maintain both your current lifestyle and the future of you family,' Siegel allegedly told Presley. According to the new documents, Presley fired Siegel and Provident in 2015 'after discovering that Siegel had kept her in the dark about the trust's true financial condition, having lost more than $100 million of the trust's net worth in a matter of only ten years and putting the trust deeply into debt'. Presley's lawsuit - which has a hearing on Monday - blames her losses on Siegel's 2005 decision to sell 85 per cent of her trust's stock in Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE) - the trust's largest asset at the time. 'According to Siegel, the 85 per cent interest in EPE was worth $100 million at the time - yet in the sale, the Trust received, net of taxes, only approximately $40 million cash and $25 million in stock in American Idol's future holding company,' the paperwork states. When the new investment didn't generate enough income, 'Siegel began liquidating the trust's principal assets to keep Presley in the same lifestyle she had before the sale of EPE, actually recommending that Presley spend at a budget that was TWICE her after tax income. 'Ultimately, Siegel allowed Presley to spend $39 million of the $40 million in liquidity that the trust received in the EPE sale in a span of only four years, from 2005 to 2008, even though the trust provided that the assets were supposed to last Presley for the rest of her lifetime and provide security for her children.' Presley also lost big on American Idol, court documents state. Presley is $16 million in debt - $10 million of that in back taxes - according to papers she has filed in her bitter divorce from guitarist Michael Lockwood, 56, who's asking Lisa Marie to pay him $263,000 a year so that he can 'enjoy a lifestyle that is closer to my marital status of living' 'Predictably, the holding company for American Idol went bankrupt after American Idol aired its last season. As a result, in one week alone the Trust lost $24.5 million of the $25 million in stock that was received in the sale of EPE,' court documents say. Presley - who was only nine when her famous father died at 42 in 1977 - also claims that her trust's real estate portfolio was 'run into the ground' by Siegel. By 2010 mortgages on two houses the trust owned in Hawaii and Hidden Hills, California, were more than the properties were worth - yet Siegel agreed that she could spend another $9 million on an estate in England, her suit alleges, 'To make matters worse, Siegel structured the (English estate) transaction so that the entire trust was used as collateral for the mortgage, with a balloon payment of $6.7 million in December 2015. 'Predictably, the trust was unable to make the balloon payment when it became due, putting the trust into default and the entirety of its assets at risk - as they are still at risk to this day.' Siegel even failed to pay the trust's taxes, charges Presley. 'As a result of Siegel's conduct, the trust owes millions of dollars in back taxes to the U.S. and U.K authorities,' the documents state. Presley is $16 million in debt - $10 million of that in back taxes - according to papers she has filed in her bitter divorce from guitarist Michael Lockwood, 56, who's asking Lisa Marie to pay him $263,000 a year so that he can 'enjoy a lifestyle that is closer to my marital status of living'. Earlier this month the couple - who were married ten years and have nine year-old twin daughters, Harper and Finley - went to LA Superior Court to see if they and their lawyers could reach a settlement without going to trial. But they were unable to reach an agreement and the divorce - first filed by Lisa Marie on June 13, 2016 - is now set for a four-day trial in August. Weeks later, after a campaign to find it, it came up in the most unlikely place A woman who was left distraught after loosing her fathers ashes has had them returned by a stranger found them in the most unlikeliest of places. Chelsea Campbell's eight-year-old daughter had been`wearing the pendant that contained her grandfather's ashes around her neck when they pair went to the supermarket at Fraser Cove in New Zealand. They realised the clasp on the chain had broken and granddad had diapered., the New Zealand Herald reported. Chelsea Campbell (pictured) was out shopping with her daughter when they lost the pendant containing her fathers ashed (pictured) After her father died in 2016 from bowel cancer her sister, step-mother and her put his ashes in identical pendants Strangers and staff helped them desperately search for the missing pendant but their efforts were futile. They left empty handed, distraught over the loss. 'It was like being in the process of grieving again,' said Chelsea. Her father died in March 2016 from bowel cancer and after his death she spilt his ashes with her sister and step-mother into identical pendants. In one last attempt to get it back she posted on Facebook asking her friends to share in the hope that someone had seen it. 'Help! The pendant from this necklace has come off in countdown at Fraser Cove. Its not just any pendant, it has my dads ashes in it! If anyone has picked it up around countdown please message me ASAP,' she wrote with the details of when they had been there. Two weeks after her initial post she got a message form a stranger. Two weeks after her initial post she got a message form a stranger saying the necklace had been found 'Hello. I work at Fraser Cove Countdown in the chilled department,' it read, 'I have found your pendant today in amongst the cottage cheese.' Chelsea rush down to the supermarket where the pendant was waiting for her. Her daughter held the precious cargo tight all the way home. She says she doesn't know if her dad even liked cottage cheese but said he would love it as he was a total prankster. 'He would be cracking up [at this]. He liked playing tricks on people,' she said. Over Facebook Chelsea thanked everyone for sharing the post and bring them back together. 'I am so freakin happy and relieved along with everyone else! A huge thank you to Maree Walker who works at countdown who found him I will be forever grateful. 'Out of the whole of countdown she found him in the cottage cheese department.' A 78-year-old Argentine woman choked to death on her dentures after a gang of armed burglars attacked her in her home. Maria Sofia Sliwa was physically assaulted during a burglary of her house in the plush area of Ranelagh in the capital Buenos Aires. Four armed men broke in through a window while she and her 48-year-old son Gerardo Vatovec were asleep, and attacked them in their beds. Victim: Maria Sofia Sliwa, 78, was physically assaulted during a burglary of her house in the plush area of Ranelagh in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires The burglars assaulted the elderly woman and her son in order to try to force them to reveal where their valuables were kept. Mr Vatovec later told local media that he was dragged from his bed into the living room, where he was forced to watch them beat up his mother. After around two hours inside the house, the burglars fled the scene with their loot. Mr Vatovec took his mother to the hospital, where doctors told him that she had died from choking on her dentures. Authorities visited the crime scene and confirmed that the thieves had entered the property through a window. Tragic: The abuse by the burglars caused Ms Sliwa to choke to death on her dentures Family in shock: Ms Sliwa's brother Carlos speaks to reporters after the death of his sister and attack on his nephew According to official sources, they 'cut a hole in a window screen and climbed through into the house'. Ms Sliwa's brother Carlos told local media that his nephew was injured during the robbery and is recovering. He added: 'Nobody ever thinks that something like this would happen.' Ms Sliwa used to be a radio presenter and school biology and chemistry teacher. Local authorities are going through local CCTV footage to try and track down the armed robbers as the investigation continues. Press Council Adjudication The Press Council considered whether its Standards of Practice were breached by an article published online on 30 May 2017 by Daily Mail Australia headed Commuter chaos as man throws himself in the path of a train in front of horrified passengers on a busy Sydney platform and drivers have to drag him from under the carriage. Below the headline were several bullet point sub-headlines, including Young man jumped in front of train and the name of the station, that He tried to kill himself in front of horrified passengers at a stated time, repeated the reference to drivers having to drag the badly injured man from under the front carriage and that trains were shut down between two major stations in Sydney just before peak hour. The article reported that a Young man jumped in front of a train at a named station in Sydney in front of horrified passengers and went on to describe witness accounts that train drivers rushed to help the man who was wedged under the front carriage while commuters looked on. The article contained seven photographs showing ambulance and emergency officers at the train station, including one of the platform which, although it did not show detailed activity, was accompanied by a caption including the words police cleaning blood off the train pictured and three other photographs showing a stretcher, with one of these depicting the lower half of a covered body on a stretcher being placed in an ambulance. It also said Thousands of office workers in North Sydney would likely need to take buses home as police said trains could be cancelled for several hours. The Council asked the publication to comment on whether the article breached its Standards of Practice, in particular whether the publication took reasonable steps to avoid causing or contributing materially to substantial offence, distress or prejudice, or a substantial risk to health or safety (General Principle 6)unless doing so is sufficiently in the public interest. The Council also asked the publication to comment on whether its Specific Standards on the Coverage of Suicide were breached, in particular Specific Standard 3 which requires that in deciding whether to report a suicidewhich includes attempted suicideconsideration should be given to whether clear and informed consent has been provided by appropriate relatives or close friends, or whether such reporting is clearly in the public interest; Specific Standard 5 which requires that the method and location of a suicide should not be described in detail unless the public interest in doing so clearly outweighs the risk, if any, of causing further suicide; and Specific Standard 7 which requires that reports of suicide should not be given undue prominence and great care should be taken to avoid causing unnecessary harm or hurt to those who attempted suicide or to relatives and others who have been affected by a suicide or attempted suicide. The publication said its reporter was a witness to the incident and provided information and photographs to its news desk. It said the news desk carefully considered the images before publishing them and determined they would not be likely to cause distress. It decided against publishing other more graphic photographs. The publication said it did not intend to cause offence and took care to ensure that all information was published with sensitivity. The publication said the article was in the public interest as the attempted suicide took place in public with dozens of witnesses and caused major disruption to the transport network and the article highlighted that trains were cancelled around peak travel times. It said the location of the attempted suicide was a key part of the story and in the public interest to report, and that the method was well-known. The publication said it acknowledged some of the wording in the article was strong, but this and the included photographs did not glamorise suicide or present it as a solution to a vulnerable persons problems. It also said the one photograph featuring the young man did not depict anything likely to cause distress. The publication said the article also included details of how witnesses to the incident felt, and it hoped this would show vulnerable people that committing such a public act can emotionally impact others around them. Conclusion The Council notes the use of explicit language such as leaping, wedged under the front carriage, drag him from under the carriage and cleaning blood off the train in the headlines, text and captions. The Council considers that this language together with the photographs would contribute to some readers experiencing some offence and distress. However the Council considers it was not such as to contribute to substantial offence and distress. Accordingly, the publication did not breach General Principle 6. The publication, in deciding whether to report the attempted suicide, did not try to contact appropriate relatives or close friends for consent. Although the Council accepts that reporting on the public transport disruption was in the public interest, this public interest could have been served without reporting the incident as an attempted suicide. Accordingly, the publication breached Specific Standard 3 on Coverage of Suicide. The Council accepts that the public interest justified the reporting of the location of the incident given its relevance to the resulting public transport disruption. However, the Council considers it was not sufficiently in the public interest to publish the method of the attempted suicide. Accordingly, the publication breached Specific Standard 5 on Coverage of Suicide. The Council considers that the use of explicit language to describe the accident and its aftermath in the headlines, text and captions together with the photographs themselves gave undue prominence to the attempted suicide rather than the disruption to public transport. In doing so, the publication did not exercise special sensitivity and moderation in reporting the incident and breached Specific Standard 7 on Coverage of Suicide. Note: If you or someone close to you requires personal assistance, please contact Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14. The full decision is available at the below link: http://www.presscouncil.org.au/document-search/adj-1744 Kathryn Carmen, 34, was arrested after she allegedly hid her boyfriend's dead body in a motel room for four days An Ohio woman has been arrested after she allegedly hid her boyfriend's dead body in a motel room for four days. Kathryn Carmen, 34, and her boyfriend Jacob Tackett rented a room at Crossland Economy Studios in Sharonville on June 4 where they consumed heroin. He died of a suspected overdose on June 10, but his girlfriend did not call 911 to report his death immediately. Motel workers became suspicious after a strong odor began emanating from the room the couple rented. When a motel employee entered the room, they found Carmen tossing clothes on the floor. Under the pile of clothes the employee felt something solid and called police. Police conducted a welfare check on June 14 where they found Tackett's body, according to Fox8. She and her boyfriend Jacob Tackett, pictured above, rented the room on June 4 where they used heroin and he died June 10 of a suspected overdose Alarm was raised at the motel, above, when a foul odor emanated from the room and even reached the parking lot Carmen told authorities she and her boyfriend had passed out as they were doping and when she awoke he 'appeared to be dead and wasn't breathing'. She told police that when she realized her boyfriend was dead she moved him to the ground and tried to perform CPR on him but passed out again in her drug high. She covered her boyfriend's body with a sheet and stayed in the motel to consume the remaining heroin, sleeping in the woods for one or two nights and at a friend's another night. She periodically returned to the room to shower and change clothes, but told no one of Tackett's death. Carmen was arrested and faces charges of abuse of a corpse. She appeared in Hamilton County court on Friday morning. Advertisement New Yorkers have been ignoring extreme heat warnings to bask in record breaking temperatures in the city as the East Coast and Midwest are hit by a heatwave. Despite authorities advice to stay inside and keep cool today, as the city is predicted to hit highs between 91 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit today, many New Yorkers took the opportunity to top up their tans in the blistering hot sunshine. The 'Real Feel' temperature in NYC is even hotter, with highs expected to reach a sweltering 106. The last time the mercury hit 95 on this date was in 1929. Washington DC is also set to break records, with predicted highs between 96 and 100 degrees today. The record high for today was at Reagan National Airport in 1944 when temperatures hit a blistering 97 degrees. 'It'll feel like the heart of summer,' Accuweather Senior Meteorologist John Feerick told the New York Post. 'It'll even be steamy at night.' New Yorkers have been ignoring extreme heat warnings to bask in record breaking temperatures in the city as the East Coast and Midwest are hit by a heatwave (a sunbather in Central Park on Monday) Individuals braved the temperatures to bask in the New York City heat early Monday afternoon, June 18 Despite authorities advice to stay inside and keep cool today, as the city is predicted to hit highs between 91 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit today, many New Yorkers took the opportunity to top up their tans in the blistering hot sunshine Central Park's boating lake proved to be popular with visitors who took to the water to cool down on Monday Even pets need to cool down on such a hot day. Pictured Leo Plain cools off one of his two dogs in Charles Schultz Park along the East River in the Upper East Side in Manhattan, New York early Monday It wasn't all relaxation however. Some New Yorkers were forced to brave the heat as part of their job (Gaetano Delta loads appliances in the Upper East Side in Manhattan, New York early Monday afternoon, June 18) A construction holds ice on his neck while working on a sheet metal roof during very hot weather in Harlem, New York City on Monday New York is predicted to hit highs between 92 and 95 degrees today - although the 'Real Feel' temperatures will be more like a sweltering 106 Excessive heat warnings have been issued across the East Coast and the Midwest on Monday in cities like St. Louis, Des Moines, Kansas City, Rochester, New York City, Boston and more Both New York and Washington DC are expecting record breaking temperatures amid the early week heatwave Washington DC is predicted to hit highs of 100 degrees F today but temperatures across the East Coast and Midwest will peak today and cool over the rest of the week The soaring temperatures have triggered excessive heat warnings across New York, as well as parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The heat advisories will be in effect from 11am to 8pm on Monday. New York state's Health Department and Department of Environmental Conservation also issued an air pollution alert over the city, in place from 11am to 11pm on Monday, as the rising temperatures can mean poorer air quality. Con Edison said its prepared for any power outages caused by mass AC use and urged people to set their air conditioners to the 'highest comfortable temperature.' Extreme heat can cause illness and death among at-risk populations who cannot stay cool and weather experts have warned New Yorkers to stay inside to avoid extended heat exposure. New Yorkers have been ignoring extreme heat warnings to bask in record breaking temperatures in the city as the East Coast and Midwest are hit by a heatwave (a woman chats on the phone as she soaks up some sun in her bikini along the East River) In Central Park, some people brought picnics and snacks as they laid out in the sunshine as temperatures hit the mid 90s The sunbathers at least appear to have heeded advice to stay hydrated - even if they ignored suggestions to stay inside today Individuals bask in the New York City heat early Monday afternoon, June 18, 2018. The mercury is expected to reach 95 degrees this afternoon Emergency medicine physician Dr. Jennifer Muniz gets some sun and reading in before her next shift along the East River in Upper East Side in Manhattan New York is predicted to hit highs of between 91 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit today - although the 'Real Feel' temperatures will be more like a sweltering 106 (sunbathers lay near flowers in lower Manhattan's Battery Park, as temperatures edged towards the 90's on Sunday) The soaring temperatures have triggered excessive heat warnings across New York, as well as parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut (New Yorkers took advantage of the heat to top up their tans yesterday) Governor Andrew M. Cuomo urged New Yorkers to take precautions against heat related illnesses and limit strenuous outdoor physical activity. 'With prolonged heat and humidity in the forecast, I urge New Yorkers to take necessary steps to stay cool,' Cuomo said. 'As temperatures continue to rise, I encourage everyone to check on your friends and neighbors who may need some extra help and to cool off at state parks pools and cooling centers.' Public schools in Jersey City announced on Twitter that they will close early on Monday due to the 'excessive heat'. 'Schools will close at 12:45... because of excessive heat. There will be no after school programs or CASPER, the Jersey City School District said on Twitter. Leo Plain's dogs Cleo and Pino take refuge from the sun under a park bench in Charles Schultz Park along the East River in the Upper East Side The dog owner later wet down his pooches to make sure they weren't overcome by the summer heat A man fishes from the Battery City Park esplanade as temperature edge near 90 degrees, Sunday, June, in New York City People shelter themselves from the sun with umbrellas and a newspaper in the Chinatown section of Manhattan during hot weather Women take cover under umbrellas as they relax and play cards in Columbus Park in the Chinatown section of Manhattan Gaetano Delta was one of many New Yorkers ignoring warnings to stay inside, and worked, loading appliances in the Upper East Side in Manhattan Delta was left covered in sweat after shifting the heavy appliances in the unrelenting sunshine Public schools in Jersey City announced on Twitter that they will close early on Monday due to the 'excessive heat' Temperatures are expected to climb above 90 degrees in New Jersey as well. A front will drop in from the north on Monday afternoon, potentially producing thunderstorms with gusty winds, hail and heavy rain. Monday's hot temperatures will also impact multiple school districts in Massachusetts. There will be no classes for Lowell Public Schools and McAuliffe Elementary School warned parents earlier that classes could be affected due to the facility not having air conditioning. The district has been battling building problems this year, along with gas leaks and heating problems, NECN. On Monday, early predictions put the temperature for New York City at 91 degrees although it could reach as high as 95 Temperatures will stay hot overnight and into Tuesday morning, but will begin to cool after a predicted rain shower But Wednesday, the mercury has returned to the more comfortable 80s and 70s for much of the East Coast and Midwest Temperatures start to climb again on Thursday - although nowhere near the levels seen on Monday Friday, will be distinctly cooler, with New York dropping ten degrees overnight to 75 degrees F This weekend will feel more comfortable for most as Saturday is expected to keep cool and even bring thunderstorms across the Midwest Much need rain will hit parts of the East Coast like New York City and Buffalo on Sunday June 24 Students in Haverhill, Holyoke and Lawrence, Massachusetts, will have early dismissals on Monday. Temperatures are expected to go back to normal after a morning rain shower on Tuesday. By Wednesday, New Yorkers will be experiencing weather in the low 80s. The potentially deadly heatwave has also wreaked havoc on the Midwest when temperatures reached into the high 90s over the weekend. In Chicago on Sunday, temperatures reached the high 90s - approaching if not surpassing the hottest June 17 on record in 1957 at 96 degrees F. Thousands of New Yorkers chose to escape the heat over the weekend by flocking to Coney Island and Rockaway Beaches on Saturday and Sunday. The unfortunate thing now is that Im a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history - instead of a dad walking his daughter down the aisle. Those were the poignant, regretful words of Meghan Markles father Thomas to me on Good Morning Britain this morning. It would take a heart of stone to hear that admission and not feel sympathy for the worlds most famous absentee father-of-the-bride. OK, perhaps hes being a tad hyperbolic over the historical importance of his girls marriage to Prince Harry, who is now sixth in line to the throne and likely to drop even further down the ladder if his brother William keeps breeding at his current rate. Thomas Markle has finally broken his silence as he expressed his regret at not walking his daughter Meghan down the aisle But it was a moment watched by over a billion people around the world, and it was a moment that should have featured Thomas centre stage, proudly at his daughters side as she married into the British Royal Family. Instead, he was on his own in a B&B room 6,000 miles away, watching it all unfurl on TV as tears streamed down his face. She was beautiful, I cried a little watching her, he said. As he said this, his face crunched with emotion and my natural journalistic cynicism evaporated. I was very critical of Thomas Markle in the week leading up to the wedding, believing his shocking decision to collude with a paparazzo photographer over staged photos came very close to wrecking the biggest day of his daughters life. It was a particularly dumb thing to do after Kensington Palace specifically asked the media to leave him alone. The understandable press frenzy that erupted after the bombshell revelation exacerbated Thomass existing heart problems, and meant he couldnt fly to London. By taking the paparazzi shilling, and now missing the wedding, I wrote at the time, Thomas Markle broke his future son-in-laws trust, and his little girls heart. I stand by that harsh judgement; it was indefensible behaviour. The 73-year-old (pictured on GMB) described his sorrow about pulling out just three days before he was due to walk his daughter down the aisle because of heart surgery and admitted he was jealous but grateful that Prince Charles stepped in But after my lengthy interview with him today, conducted with my GMB co-host Susanna Reid, Ive changed my mind about this rather shy, gentle man whose life was irrevocably changed forever when Meghan fell in love with Harry. First, he fully acknowledged his own reckless stupidity in staging those pictures. I realize it was a serious mistake, he said. Its hard to take it back. Second, its almost impossible to comprehend the tsunami of attention that cascaded on the poor guys head from the second the engagement was formally announced. His account of how he discovered the identity of Meghans new man was both comical and endearing: The first phone calls were, Daddy, I have a new boyfriend. And I said, Thats really nice. And the next call was like, Hes British, and I said, Thats really nice. And eventually the third time around was like, Hes a prince. And at that point, she said, Its Harry. And I said, Oh, Harry, OK! Markle fully acknowledged his own reckless stupidity in staging pictures in an internet cafe For a man eking out a quiet retirement of considerable solitude in a remote part of Mexico, this would prove to be a spectacularly inconvenient revelation, though he is far too proud of his daughter to admit it. To their shame, senior Palace officials didnt immediately put someone on a plane to take care of Thomas Markle. One burly, wily ex Household Cavalry guard sitting outside Mr Markles front door all day - and none of the chaos that followed may have happened. Or why not just fly him to London a month early its not like Kensington Palace doesnt have enough bedrooms? Surely both Harry and Meghan must have known hed be subjected to intense media scrutiny? Yet they did nothing to help him, leaving the former Hollywood lighting director to face the cameras himself for the first time like the proverbial rabbit in headlights. Mr Markle revealed that his daughter (pictured together above) cried when he told her that he wasn't coming to London Harry and his bride are seen on their wedding day as they leave St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle I still find this failure to protect him incomprehensible, just as I find it weird that Meghans mother Doria had to go to the wedding entirely alone, that Harry STILL hasnt met his father-in-law, that Meghan STILL hasnt visited her father since his heart attack, and that Prince Charles has had NO contact with Thomas Markle despite taking his daughter down the aisle. But hey, all families are a bit weird right? I believe Thomas when he says his motivation to do the staged photos was more about improving his dishevelled image than money. (Just as I believe his motivation for appearing on Good Morning Britain today for his first ever TV interview was more about setting the record straight than the relatively small fee we paid him.) There had been a steady flow of pictures of him looking like an overweight, unshaven, beer-swilling vagrant. Who wouldnt be tempted to try to create a more positive look for themselves in the run-up to starring in the biggest wedding of the year? I also believe him when he says he only wants the best for Meghan and Harry. Thomas Markle strikes me as a man who genuinely loves his daughter, and thinks Harrys the really lucky one to have landed his little Princess. Of course, there will be some who think he should have kept his mouth shut, just as I did in the run-up to the wedding. But that was then, and this is now. After all the feverish speculation, rumour and gossip surrounding the chaotic furore of that week, it was good to hear the truth from the horses mouth told in a soft, thoughtful manner that most of our viewers seemed to find endearing and sincere. The Palace, which had no prior knowledge of our interview, will have gone into spasms of horror that Thomas revealed Harrys views on Donald Trump and Britains decision to leave the European Union. After all, the royals are trained to never give their political opinions about anything. But Harrys views according to Thomas, hes open to the Brexit experiment and thinks President Trump should be given a chance - seem more diplomatic than especially controversial. If I were the Palace, and Meghan and Harry for that matter, I would bite my tongue and try to see Thomas Markles interview in the way he intended it to be: a candid, honest account of what its been like to live through the blazing firestorm of life as a first time father-of-a-royal-bride. Thomas Markle said he was 'honoured' that the Prince of Wales took on the job of walking Meghan down the aisle instead None of us is perfect, and none of us would survive such intense scrutiny unscathed or without doing a few silly things along the way. I dont doubt Thomass sincerity when he says he did what he thought was the right thing at the time. It wasnt, and as he freely admits now, hell now have to live with that for the rest of his life. But any man who, as Thomas Markle does, travels to Los Angeles each year to place flowers on his ex wife Dorias doorstep on Mothers Day is not a bad man. In fact, after todays interview, Ive come to the conclusion hes a thoroughly honourable, decent man who is understandably struggling to make sense of a crazy new existence that was entirely of someone elses making - albeit someone he loves very dearly. Hes also having to do it with barely any support. I congratulate him on his courageous candour today, and wish him well with his recovery. As for his future as a royal father-in-law, I simply say this: good luck Thomas youll need it! The SUV packed with undocumented immigrants that flipped and crashed Sunday is believed to have been part of a 'smuggling event'. US Border Patrol said three cars were allegedly involved in smuggling immigrants who they believe had been living in the country illegally. The unidentified driver of the crashed vehicle and one passenger are believed to be US citizens and are in custody, while the other 12 passengers - five of whom died - have been identified as undocumented. Before the crash, a Border Patrol agent noticed three vehicles traveling in tandem around 11am in South Texas. The agent stopped one vehicle and another agent stopped the other, where multiple arrests were made from both. However, the third vehicle - a black Chevrolet SUV, kept going, sparking a car chase that ended in the fatal crash, killing five. At least five people are dead and several others hurt as a black Chevrolet SUV carrying more than a dozen people crashed while fleeing from Border Patrol agents in South Texas Four people were killed at the scene and a fifth person died at a hospital in San Antonio Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd says the SUV lost control while traveling at more than 100 mph and overturned on Texas Highway 85, ejecting those inside. 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. The driver was rushed to a hospital and the passenger is currently in custody. Four were pronounced dead at the scene midday Sunday. A fifth person died at a hospital. Fourteen people were inside, including the driver and passenger. Footage of the crash showed four bodies on the ground, the charred Chevrolet and several Border Patrol vehicles at the scene. Most of the occupants were believed to be living in the country without legal permission. Boyd credited 'good police work' for the reason why deputies started pursuing the vehicle adding that Boyd said human smuggling was a 'real problem' in the area. Some injured were taken by helicopter to San Antonio, about 90 miles northeast. He added such chases, not the crash, happened almost every day. Authorities have not released the names of those arrested or deceased as of Monday morning. There were 14 people in the vehicle. Authorities believe the driver and one passenger are US citizens and the 12 other passengers were undocumented immigrants 'The vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to re-correct and then caused the vehicle to turn over several times,' Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said, pictured Border Patrol agents began chasing the vehicle around noon before a Dimmit County sheriff's deputy took over the chase, just west of Big Wells. The SUV was traveling around 100 mph Boyd said there needs to be a wall built because this is a 'real problem' in the area. 'We've seen this many, many times, in not only this county but other counties along the border,' Boyd said. 'It's a problem.' He added: 'This is a perfect example of why our borders need to be secure. 'I think we need a wall, in my opinion,' he said, voicing support for President Donald Trump's proposal to construct a border wall with Mexico. Boyd added: 'If it can be built, I think it needs to be built. But along with that, there needs to be cameras. There needs to be sensors.' The sheriff said he didn't know where the immigrants were from but said most migrants who travel through the area are from Central America or Mexico He said his deputies are often involved in chases pursuing people suspected of smuggling undocumented immigrants and drugs Immigration has been a sensitive issue in recent weeks with the Justice and Homeland Security Departments strictly applying immigration laws, which treat 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 US-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!' Republican lawmakers will have a chance Monday to vent their outrage over last week's Justice Department report that heaped blame on anti-Trump FBI agents but argued that their political biases didn't affect their jobs in 2016. DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz and FBI Director Chris Wray will field questions from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the afternoon, responding to Thursday's political bombshell. Horowitz's report offered a pointed condemnation of former FBI chief James Comey, calling him 'insubordinate' for shutting out then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch from details of the Bureau's probe into Hillary Clinton's classified email scanda. The report also referred five FBI employees for disciplinary action after analyzing anti-Trump text messages between Special Agent Peter Strzok and agency attorney Lisa Page. FBI Director Christopher Wray (left) and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz (right) will sit before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday for a grilling about Horowitz's report on Thursday that foud political bias among agents and other FBI workers President Trump responded Saturday to Horowitz's report, saying it 'totally destroys James Comey' Part of the report revealed that FBI agent Peter Strzok (right) and colleague Lisa Page (left), who were linked romantically, exchanged text messages vowing to 'stop' Trump from becoming president On Monday the president suggested collusion between Comey and Strzok also tainted Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe Horowitz wrote that Strzok and Page shared their personal animus toward the president, and other FBI personnel openly rooted for Clinton to win the White House, behavior that 'potentially indicated or created the appearance that investigative decisions were impacted by bias or improper considerations.' But ultimately, the report concluded, there was no hard evidence those biases changed any outcomes. Trump tweeted 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. It will go down as a dark and dangerous period in American History!' On Monday the president suggested that collusion between Comey and Strzok also tainted Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. 'Comey gave Strozk his marching orders. Mueller is Comeys best friend. Witch Hunt!' he wrote. Part of the report revealed that Strzok and Page, who were linked romantically, exchanged text messages vowing to 'stop' Trump from becoming president. Strzok was one of the lead investigators involved in the Clinton email case, and at one pointed worked on the still ongoing Russia investigation, before he was taken off that team. Comey, according to Horowitz, wrongly deviated from established FBI norms in announcing the completion of the Clinton investigation without looping the attorney general in. Trump said the IG report revealed 'a dark and dangerous period in American history' Trump has been pulling no punches about Comey for months; he's pictured Friday speaking to reporters on the North Lawn of the White House The same problem arose when he notified Congress in late October 2016 that the FBI had reopened the investigation. Wray said Thursday that 'this report did not find any evidence of political bias or improper considerations actually impacting the investigation under review.' 'But the report does identify errors of judgment, violations of or disregard for policy, and decisions that, at the very least, in hindsight, were not the best choices,' Wray added. Comey responded to the report's findings succinctly on Twitter on Thursday, writing: 'I respect the DOJ IG office, which is why I urged them to do this review. The conclusions are reasonable, even though I disagree with some. People of good faith can see an unprecedented situation differently. I pray no Director faces it again. Thanks to IGs people for hard work.' Comey also penned a longer response, published in The New York Times, writing that 'I do not agree with all of the inspector generals conclusions, but I respect the work of his office and salute its professionalism.' Wray highlighted how the FBI plans to move forward, with new insight into 'a specific set of events back in 2016, and a small number of FBI employees connected with those events.' 'Were going to make sure we have the policies, procedures, and training needed for everyone to understand and remember whats expected of us,' he said. 'That includes drilling home the importance of objectivity and of avoiding even the appearance of personal conflicts or political bias in our work; ensuring that recusals are handled correctly and effectively and are clearly communicated to the appropriate people; making all employees fully aware of our new policy on contacts with the news media, which I issued last November and making clear that we will not tolerate non-compliance; ensuring that we follow all DOJ policies about public statements on ongoing investigations and uncharged conduct; and ensuring that our employees adhere strictly to all policies and procedures on the use of FBI systems, networks, and devices.' On 'Fox & Friends' Friday, Trump referred to Comey as a 'ringleader of this whole den of thieves.' 'I did nothing wrong. There was no collusion, there was no obstruction, and the IG report yesterday went a long way to show that,' the president said. 'I think the Mueller investigation has been totally discredited.' Eriks Gindra was picked up by police in the East Midlands after he was deported for the same offence A foreign thief who was deported from the UK for shoplifting waltzed back past border guards and resumed his life of crime, a court has heard. Eriks Gindra - who has racked up convictions in Nottingham, Doncaster, Leeds, Barnsley and Huddersfield - was kicked out of Britain four years ago. But he was picked up by police earlier this year, and even given bail, after he was caught trying to steal four pairs of jeans from a Sainsbury's in Derby. The case raises questions over police record keeping after it emerged that, even though Gindra had previously been deported, he was freed by police on bail after getting back into the country. In an unusual move, Gindra did not give his nationality in court, replying only 'gipsy'. But he used a Russian interpreter, suggesting he is from one of the Baltic states. The Derby Telegraph reported that the 40-year-old was deported in 2014 and is understood to have gone to live in Ireland. He then decided to return to return to the UK and, despite showing border officials his passport, was not stopped when he arrived back in Britain. He was caught trying to steal jeans from this Sainsbury's in Derby during his second UK visit Defence lawyer James Close said: 'He tells me he did not know how long his deportation order lasts for and he tells me that when he was stopped at the airport the first time (in February 2016) he asked how long it lasted and they told him they don't know either.' Mr Close said, despite his immigration status, Gindra has managed to find factory, earning 300 per week and has family and a doctor in the UK. Gindra - who has 25 convictions for 49 offences in the UK - was arrested again in April and jailed him for eight weeks by Southern Derbyshire Magistrates last week. It is expected he will deported again at the end of his jail term. Local Deputy Chief Constable, Gary Knighton, told The Derby Telegraph: 'When a suspect comes into custody, certain checks are carried out on the Police National Computer. 'In this case, it appears that an error was made and we did not realise that Gindra was a deportee. 'We are an organisation of around 4,000 people and occasionally, human errors do occur.' Advertisement The Queen was joined by senior royals as she led celebrations at the annual Order of the Garter today. Her Majesty arrived at the chapel by state limousine while the majority of members of the order, including the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge, processed through the grounds of the castle to the event. Wearing velvet robes and a plumed hat, the Queen, who is sovereign of the order, waved from her chauffeur-driven car to the waiting crowds outside Windsor Castle, where just one month ago her beloved grandson Prince Harry married Meghan Markle. Today's ceremony is part of a 700-year tradition founded by Edward III in 1348, and honours those who have been knighted in recognition of their public service. Knights of the Garter are chosen personally by the Sovereign to honour those who have held public office, who have contributed in a particular way to national life or who have served the Sovereign personally. Prince Philip, who effectively retired from official public duties last August, did not attend today's ceremony. He last took part in 2016, after the Queen was forced to cancel last year's Order of the Garter for the first time since 1984 because a snap General Election meant it clashed with the State Opening of Parliament. Wearing velvet robes and a plumed hat, the Queen, who is sovereign of the order, waved from her horse and carriage to the waiting crowds outside Windsor Castle, where just one month ago her beloved grandson Prince Harry married Meghan Markle The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge attending the annual Order of the Garter Service Her Majesty was joined by her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William (right) to take part in the 700-year-old tradition Britain's Prince Andrew departs after attending the Order of the Garter ceremony and service at St. Georges's Chapel Former British Prime Minister John Major in his role as a Knight Companion walks in the procession to arrive Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall wore a pretty floral jacket to the event What is the Order of the Garter? How King Edward III was so inspired by tales of King Arthur he set up his own group of knights almost 700 years ago In medieval times, King Edward III was so inspired by tales of King Arthur and the chivalry of the Knights of the Round Table that he set up his own group of honourable knights, called the Order of the Garter. Nearly 700 years later, the Order is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain. The Knights, now both male and female, used to be limited to aristocracy, but today they are chosen from a variety of backgrounds, in recognition for their public service. The patron saint of the Order is St George (patron saint of soldiers and also of England) and if there are vacancies in the Order, appointments are announced on St George's Day (23 April). The Order of the Garter is a 700-year-old tradition which recognises great public service. Membership is limited to a maximum of 24 and is usually Lords and Ladies with The Queen, left in 2018, naming members as she sees fit. An 'extra' group of members who do not count towards the official limit are Royal Knights, including Prince William, far right last year, while Prince Charles, second right in 2018, is an automatic member as first in line to the throne The spiritual home of the Order is St George's Chapel, Windsor. Every knight is required to display a banner of his arms in the Chapel, together with a helmet, crest and sword and an enamelled stallplate. These 'achievements' are taken down on the knight's death and the insignia are returned to the Sovereign. The stallplates remain as a memorial and these now form one of the finest collections of heraldry in the world. Knights of the Garter are chosen personally by the Sovereign to honour those who have held public office, who have contributed in a particular way to national life or who have served the Sovereign personally. As sovereign and heir, The Queen and Prince Charles are automatically given membership of the Order and are considered 'ex officio knights'. The Prince of Wales is known as a Royal Knight Companion of the Garter. The sovereign, known as the Sovereign of the Garter, is the only one with the power to admit new members. The Garter is open to British and Commonwealth citizens. Notable former members include Sir Winston Churchill, Stanley Baldwin and Sir Edmund Hillary. Field Marshall, the Lord Bramall, a former Chief of the Defence Staff, the Duke of Abercorn, the Duke of Westminster and Baroness Manningham-Buller, the former Director-General of MI5, are among the current Knights and Ladies of the Garter. There are also two orders of 'extra' knights. Members of the Royal Knights and Ladies include Prince Philip, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince Charles, the Princess Royal and Prince William. A second order, the Stranger Knights and Ladies, is bestowed on foreign rulers such as Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Harald V of Norway. Although new additions are named on St. George's Day, the 23 April, the initiation ceremony takes place in Junmantle during the traditional Garter Procession, which sees members parade through Windsor. The annual iconic Garter Day procession, where The Queen and the Knights process in grand velvet robes, glistening insignia and plumed hats, is one of the most traditional ceremonies in the Queen's calendar. Every June, a grand procession of the knights takes place at Windsor Castle, accompanied by a marching band and Officers of the Order, all in grand ceremonial dress. The day begins with The Queen formally investing any new Companions with the Order's insignia in the Throne Room of the Castle. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh entertain the members and officers at a lunch, and then all process on foot to a service in St. George's Chapel. There is a short service where any new Companions are installed. The Sovereign and other members of the Order then return to the Upper Ward of the castle in carriages and cars. Advertisement Her Majesty arrived at the chapel by state limousine while the majority of members of the order processed through the grounds of the castle to the event Knight Companion, The Viscount Brookeborough (pictured left) and Lady Companion, Dame Mary Fagan (right) were invested with the Orders insignia by the Queen Queen Elizabeth, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles depart after attending the Order of the Garter ceremony Adoring crowds waited patiently in the sun this afternoon for the official ceremony to start and for the arrival of Her Majesty The Queen and Prince Andrew departing after attending the Order of the Garter ceremony and service at St. Georges's Chapel in Windsor today The Queen and Prince Charles, as sovereign and heir, are automatically given membership of the Order and are considered 'ex officio knights' with the power to admit new members. Two appointments are being made in today's ceremony, due to two current vacancies in the order following the deaths of Sir Ninian Stephen and Sir William Gladstone since the previous ceremony in 2017. Lady Companion, Dame Mary Fagan, and a Knight Companion, The Viscount Brookeborough, were invested with the Orders insignia by the Queen. Dame Mary Fagan, DCVO served as Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire between 1994 and 2014 and was also Chancellor of the University of Winchester from 2006 until 2014. Alan Henry Brooke, 3rd Viscount Brookeborough has served as Personal Lord in Waiting to The Queen since 1997 and has been Lord Lieutenant of Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland since 2012. He served with HM Armed Forces between 1971 and 1994, with 17th/21st Lancers, the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Irish Regiment. The Garter is open to British and Commonwealth citizens, with former Prime Minister Sir John Major and Lord Sainsbury numbered among the 23 current members. Field Marshall, the Lord Bramall, a former Chief of the Defence Staff, the Duke of Abercorn, the Duke of Westminster and Baroness Manningham-Buller, the former Director-General of MI5, are also Knights of the Garter. There are also two orders of 'extra' knights. Members of the Royal Knights and Ladies include Prince Philip, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince Charles, the Princess Royal and Prince William. The Monarch cheerily waved to the crowds gathered outside the castle for the historic ceremony The Queen sat next to Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall as they left Windsor Castle after the Order of The Garter Service The Queen and Prince Charles, as sovereign and heir, are automatically given membership of the Order and are considered 'ex officio knights' with the power to admit new members The Queen walks down the steps to her carriage following the Order of the Garter service at Windsor Castle this afternoon The Queen (pictured arriving in her chauffeur-driven car) has been joined by other senior royals as she led celebrations at the annual Order of the Garter today Left, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and right, Former Prime Minister Sir John Major who is numbered among the 23 current members Prince Charles, in his role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Garter and Prince William, whose role is a Knight Companion Members of the Royal Knights and Ladies include Prince Philip, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince Charles, the Princess Royal and Prince William (pictured with his father) The Queen and Prince Charles, as sovereign and heir, are automatically given membership of the Order and are considered 'ex officio knights' with the power to admit new members Left, Prince Charles and right, Sir John Major. Both delighted the crowds who waited in the glorious sunshine outside Windsor Castle to watch the impressive spectacle Prince William tips him plumed hat after attending the Order of the Garter ceremony and service on Monday afternoon The Countess of Wessex (left) and Prince Andrew (right) leaving Windsor Castle's chapel on Monday afternoon Prince William (right), Prince Edward (centre) in their roles as Knight Companions and Edward's wife Sophie Countess of Wessex leave in a carriage after the Order of The Garter Service at Windsor Castle in Windsor Perfect day for it: Yeoman of the Guard walk in a procession before the Order of the Garter Service at Windsor Castle Formation: The Knights of the Garter, guards, military and members of the Royal family surround the west steps The sovereign, known as the Sovereign of the Garter, is the only one with the power to admit new members The Queen, who is sovereign of the order, arrived at the chapel by state limousine while the majority of members of the order, including the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge, processed through the grounds of the castle to the event Today's ceremony is part of a 700-year tradition founded by Edward III in 1348, and honours those who have been knighted in recognition of their public service The Duchess of Cornwall (left) and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, (right) looked resplendent in their A-line dresses and bespoke hats The Prince of Wales attending the annual Order of the Garter Service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (front left), Princess Anne, Princess Royal (front right), Prince Andrew, Duke of York (centre), Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (back left) and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (back right) Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Britain's Sophie, Countess of Wessex attend the event Guards of the Blues and Royals regiment and the military band march around the crowds waiting for Royal family and The Knights of the Garter to arrive A ceremonial guard take their places left and right along the route of a procession on Monday afternoon The Knights of the Garter, guards, military and members of the Royal family surround the west steps after the Most Noble Order of the Garter Ceremony at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor The Order of the Garter is the senior and oldest British Order of Chivalry, founded by Edward III in 1348. The Garter ceremonial dates from 1948, when formal installation was revived by King George VI for the first time since 1805. Pictured, the royals marching through Windsor ahead of the ceremony The Order of the Garter is the senior and oldest British Order of Chivalry, founded by Edward III in 1348. The Garter ceremonial dates from 1948, when formal installation was revived by King George VI for the first time since 1805 Hundreds gathered in Windsor to watch the historic spectacle of the Queen and Knights of the Garter attending the Garter service. Crowds gathered in the castle grounds were treated to the sight of Garter Knights walking past wearing lavish blue velvet robes and black velvet hats with white plumes. The appointment of Knights of the Garter is in the Queen's gift and is made without consulting ministers. Recipients of the honour are chosen because they have held public office, contributed to national life or served the sovereign personally. Other members of the order include former prime minister Sir John Major, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, a past president of the Supreme Court, and Admiral Lord Boyce, a former head of the UK's armed forces. Today, the Order includes the Queen, who is Sovereign of the Garter, several senior Members of the Royal Family, and twenty-four knights chosen in recognition of their work Britain's Prince William attends the Most Noble Order of the Garter Ceremony at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle Former British Prime Minister John Major in his role as a Knight Companion walks in the procession Left, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge and right, Her Majesty. On Garter Day, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh entertain the members and officers at a lunch, and then all process on foot to a service in St. George's Chapel Hundreds gathered in Windsor to watch the historic spectacle of the Queen and Knights of the Garter Prince Andrew, Duke of York (back left), Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (back right), Prince Edward; Earl of Wessex (front left) and Sophie, Countess of Wessex ride in a carriage after the ceremonial service Queen Elizabeth II and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attend the Order Of The Garter Service at Windsor Castle Every June, a grand procession of the knights takes place at Windsor Castle, accompanied by a marching band and Officers of the Order, all in grand ceremonial dress The Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace march behind members of the Royal Family The Royal Standard flying above Windsor Castle before the annual Order of the Garter Service An ISIS-supporting Uber driver who 'hated the Queen' tried to run down police officers outside Buckingham Palace and attack them using a Samurai sword, a court has heard. Mohiussunnath Chowdhury left a note for his sister in which he promised he would see her in paradise and told her 'the Queen and her soldiers will all be in the hellfire,' the Old Bailey heard. The 27-year-old from Luton had written on one Whatsapp chat, 'I support ISIS' and searched for ISIS beheading videos online, the court heard. Chowdhury had also planned to go to Windsor Castle but went to a pub with the same name by mistake, due to a 'satnav error', prosecutors claimed. Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 27, from Luton, (pictured here in an earlier court sketch), denies preparing terrorist acts Timothy Cray prosecuting said: 'The day of the events in London, the defendant went to somewhere else connected to the royal family. 'It may have been through some satnav error, he drove past Windsor Castle but stopped for some time at a pub called The Windsor Castle. 'He also drove past the barracks where the Coldstream Guards are based. 'He didn't do anything in Windsor, he made a bit of a tour and in the end went back up the M4 to central London.' Shortly before 8.30pm on August 25 last year, Chowdhury was driving towards the Victoria Monument at the bottom of the Mall when he swerved his car through the traffic cones in front of a police van on its way to Belgravia from Charing Cross Police Station. Two uniformed officers in the car, got out of the van to see what was going on, initially believing the driver might be drunk, the court was told. Prosecutor Tim Cray told the Old Bailey: 'As checks were to prove, this defendant had something far more serious in his mind.' At 5.15pm he had left a note on top of his sister's laptop at the family home in Luton, while she was at work. Marked, 'Read This' it said: 'By the time you read this note I will be in paradise with Allah. Tell everyone that I love them and that they should struggle against the enemies of Allah with their lives and property. 'The Queen and her soldiers will all be in the hellfire. They go to war with Muslims around the world and kill them without mercy. They are the enemies that Allah tells us to fight.' Mr Cray said Chowdhury was 'saying to her in clear terms that he intended to get to paradise by becoming a martyr.' Half an hour earlier, Chowdhury had driven to his local Sainsbury's and bought a sharpening tool which he used to sharpen the edge of a sword that he owned. Prosecutor Timothy Cray showed the Old Bailey jury the samurai sword allegedly recovered from Chodhury near Buckingham Palace 'Although the police officers did not know it they were approaching a man armed with as sword, who had told his family he was gong to be a martyr and had express hatred to the Queen and her soldier and in his mind those soldiers included the police,' Mr Cray said. 'It was due to the bravery and quick reactions of the police that this defendant was stopped from doing an act with even more serious consequences.' One officer went to the driver's side and one to the passenger's side and they allegedly heard Chowdhury say: 'It's all a bit f****d up,' before reaching for the sword. There was a 'short desperate struggle' in the car as one officer climbed in the passenger side and Chowdhury was punching at them and they were punching at him, the court heard. 'By then the defendant was shouting Allahuakbar [God is great] over and over again and by then the police officers understand enough to believe they were dealing with a terrorist attack.' The attack came just six months after a murder at Westminster and just three months after the attacks at London Bridge, Mr Cray added. 'Here again we had the centre of London prominent location, possibly the most prominent, driving erratically and attacking officers.' Using CS gas the officers manage to get the weapon from Chowdhury and one suffered a cut across his hand and the other a cut on his finger. But the Uber driver had earlier driven to the Windsor Castle pub after apparently entering the wrong details in his sat nav, the court heard. Mr Cray said: 'It may be due to some sort of sat nav error, that, although he drove past Windsor Castle, he came to a pub called the Windsor Castle. 'He drove past the barracks of the Coldstream Guards, he didn't stop, he made a bit of a tour of Windsor and then headed back down the M4 to London.' After he was arrested, Chowdhury was interviewed by police and gave a 'reasonably full' account of what he had done and what he was trying to do. 'Putting it bluntly there is no doubt in those interviews he was confessing that he had planned to confront the police and that he saw them as people who did the 'dirty work' of the UK government,' Mr Cray said. Chowdhury claims 'all he wanted to do was to get himself killed.' 'On behalf of the Crown we suggest that is simply untrue or so far from the truth that it makes no difference,' Mr Cray said. 'We say the defendant did absolutely everything he could to prepare for an act of terrorism. 'In fact there is the clearest possible evidence that he did bring terror to streets of London by attacking police officers right in front of Buckingham Palace. 'We say it is only because police officers stopped him that nothing worse happened.' Chowdhury denies preparing terrorist acts by obtaining a Samurai sword, purchasing a knife sharpener, preparing a suicide note, and driving to the area adjacent to Buckingham Palace. The trial continues. Jonathan King (pictured today) allegedly got a 15-year-old boy and raped him in his flat before telling him: 'You have just won the Jonathan King order of merit for being brave' Pop personality Jonathan King raped a 15-year-old boy then slapped an imaginary sticker on his shoulder and commended him for 'being brave', a court heard today. King, 73, allegedly used his fame to lure teenagers into his 'creamy white' Rolls Royce in the 1970s and 80s, taking them for dinner, drinks and a tours of his Bayswater flat. Many of the boys have told his child abuse trial that he would offer them free records or gig tickets before allegedly attacking them in his west London home. Jurors heard one of his victims did not come forward until he read an interview recently where King had bragged: 'The only apology I have is to say that I was good at seduction.' The victim, who was 15 at the time, told Southwark Crown Court today: 'If he had kept his mouth shut I probably wouldn't be here now. It wasn't seduction I was raped. 'When I saw what he said it just made me so angry, it upset me. I actually broke down in tears to the police operator'. The alleged victim described how King rolled up beside him in a big white Daimler on Percy Street, Fitzrovia, in April 1970, 'The window was down and I thought the driver wanted information so approached that car. 'He said, "Hi, my name is Jonathan King. I'm looking for young people to help me market my record, just go round with stickers and posters - would you be interested?" - and agreed to meet at a pub later. King allegedly took the boy to his favourite Chinese restaurant where he claimed he dined regularly with Kenny Everett before getting him drunk in his flat and raping him He asked if the boy was hungry and he took him to a Chinese restaurant he claimed he went to with his 'best friend' Kenny Everett and got him drunk on beer, it is alleged. Afterwards King told the boy he wanted him to come back to his house to listen to some records and that it was close by. King sat him in the lounge and offered more drink, 'either or a whisky or a bourbon with coke, it just seemed like a good idea at the time, I didn't think anything would come of it.' In between a few more whisky and cokes, King showed him round, golden records on the wall and his music room with Gerrard SB25 turntables. He told jurors: 'It was something that I longed for, they were the top of the range turntables.' They listened to 'Same Old Song' and 'Hooked on a Feeling' while King plied him with more booze. 'The next thing I remember was being naked in his bed, can't remember how,' he said. 'It was double or king sized with black satin or silk sheets. He was naked and got into bed with me. 'I can remember I was a bit in shock but I do remember saying, 'No, no please don't do this.' 'I then felt something bad was going to happen. He wrapped his arms around me and wrapped his legs around me so I couldn't move, I don't think I could've anyway because of the drink. 'He then raped me. I was going 'Ow, ow,' because it was painful.' King, pictured on Top of the Pops in 1976, around the time the offences allegedly took place He said King gave him a five pound note for his taxi home - not enough - and he stuck an imaginary sticker on his shoulder, saying 'You have just won the Jonathan King order of merit for being brave.' Who is Jonathan King and why is he famous? Cambridge graduate Jonathan King rose to fame as a singer, songwriter and music producer in the 60s and 70s. He had hits with 'Everyone's Gone to the Moon' in 1965 and 'Una Paloma Blanca' in 1975. He discovered Genesis and wrote and produced hits for teen idols the Bay City Rollers. During time in New York in the 1980s, he hosted the BBC TV show 'Entertainment USA'. Advertisement The alleged victim said he never told his parents. Prosecutor Rosina Cottage, QC, earlier told jurors how King carried out sexual assaults on 11 teenage boys in the 1970s and 1980s. 'The defendant used his position in the music industry and his fame to lure boys into his Daimler or Rolls Royce, where he would flatter them and pretend to them that they could help him with research or promotion. 'He would drive them to his home where he would give them alcohol or promise them sex with teenage girls and show them pornography. 'When they were in his power and in no position to repel his advances he would assault them. 'It appears that it was a game of manipulation and power over boys aged 13 to 16. 'The defendant preferred them straight and immature or inexperienced so that he could achieve his objective of sex with gifts of records and tickets for concerts, meals and alcohol, insincere compliments and false promises. 'He would play the same routine again and again, honed for success.' Cambridge graduate King had hits with 'Everyone's Gone to the Moon' and 'Una Paloma Blanca.' He discovered Genesis and wrote and produced hits for teen idols the Bay City Rollers. King, of Bayswater, denies 17 charges of indecent assault and seven of buggery on males aged between 16 and 21. The trial continues. President Donald Trump's administration could have 30,000 illegal immigrant children in its care by August as prominent voices on both sides of the aisle push the president to halt the family separations. Trump's push to decrease the number of illegal border crossings has resulted in the Department of Health and Human Services taking in about 250 children per day, a senior administration official told the Washington Examiner. That number is expected to remain steady over the next two months, which means HHS would have 18,500 kids in their care by August. Add those to the 11,500 kids the department is already holding and the total could hit 30,000 by summer's end. The first photos since zero tolerance was announced inside the largest Border Patrol processing station in U.S. Children are separated from adults at the border Immigrants wait to head to a nearby Catholic Charities relief center after being dropped off at a bus station shortly after release from detention Last month the administration announced a crackdown on illegal immigrants crossing at the Mexico border with Attorney General Jeff Sessions saying the adults would be prosecuted. That policy resulted in children being stripped from the adults they were traveling with and put in the custody of HHS. Minors cannot be housed with adults facing prosecution, requiring the children to be separated from the adults with whom they are traveling. Trump was reportedly angered at the record numbers of border crossings reported for April and his administration has fiercely defended the separation policy as a deterrent against the crossing. They have also pushed the blame to the Democrats with Trump leading the charge against the opposition party. 'Why don't the Democrats give us the votes to fix the world's worst immigration laws?,' he tweeted Monday morning. His administration also argues it is simply enforcing the law. Additionally, the Trump administration is moving forward with a plan to tentatively house children in tent cities located on three Texas military bases due to housing shortage for the minors. '[Health and Human Services] is running out of space because of the implications of the zero tolerance policy, but also because we continue to see this uptick in numbers,' an official told the Washington Examiner last week. HHS officials are looking at Fort Bliss near El Paso, Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, and Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo. Democrats, and an increasing number of Republicans, have argued that Trump can stop the separation policy at any time with a flick of his executive pen. President Bill Clinton on Sunday denounced the practice as a way to leverage Democrats into accepting immigration limits in legislation they would otherwise oppose. 'These children should not be a negotiating tool,' he wrote on Twitter. 'And reuniting them with their families would reaffirm America's belief in & support for all parents who love their children.' Hillary Clinton retweeted that message, adding: 'YES!' Meanwhile, a growing chorus of Republican voices have joined in with Democrats to encourage Trump to rethink the separation policy. Even first lady Melania Trump weighed in, with her office telling the DailyMail.com and other news 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.' And former first lady Laura Bush decried the policy in an op-ed published in the Washington Post this weekend: 'I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart. ... In 2018, can we not as a nation find a kinder, more compassionate and more moral answer to this current crisis? I, for one, believe we can.' And Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said on CNN on Friday: 'President Trump could stop this policy with a phone call.' Some in the administration have openly signaled their distaste with the policy and its effects. President Trump has blamed Democrats for the separation policy First lady Laura Bush wrote an op-ed denouncing the separation policy First Lady Melania Trump said in a statement that she' hates to see children separated from their families' Some administration officials, like Kellyanne Conway, have signaled a distaste for the separation policy '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 don't like that law, they should change it.' 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. Reports have emerged that the Libyan army has arrested Abu Sufian Bin Qumu, a leader of an Islamist militia group and former driver of Osama Bin Laden. He was reportedly captured in raids in 'one of the last strongholds' of extremist groups in Derna. Bin Qumu had purported links to attacks in Benghazi that killed US diplomat Chris Stevens in 2012. Abu Sufian Bin Qumu has reportedly been captured in Libya where he established Islamist faction Ansar al-Sharia It is believed Bin Qumu was arrested after his group ran out of ammunition at a hideout in Derna, according to Al Arabiya. The 59-year-old is considered a high-ranking operative of al-Qaeda based on his associations with the terrorist group around the time it was founded. He was said to be the personal driver to Osama Bin Laden in Sudan where the al-Qaeda leader lived for three years during the 1990s. But Bin Qumu denies this. Washington Post reported he fought alongside the Taliban against US forces in Afghanistan before he was detained at Guantanamo Bay after being captured in Pakistan. The US military characterised him as a 'medium to high' risk to national security while he was in US custody and he refused to cooperate with authorities and explain his past associations with Islamic extremists. Bin Qumu was suggested to be involved with the armed attack on the US Consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi on September 11, 2012 US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens who was killed in Benghazi He was extradited to Libya in 2007 where he served jail time before being released by Muammar Gaddafi. Bin Qama returned to Derna to establish the Ansar al-Sharia extremist group, who advocate the implementation of Sharia law across Syria. It was also suggested by Washington Post that the Islamic faction's militiamen were present during the Benghazi attacks in 2012. Last year, Ahmed Abu Khattala was on trial in the US capital as the suspected mastermind of the attacks on a diplomatic compound in the Libyan city that killed four Americans. It resulted in the death of Chris Stevens the first US Ambassador killed by violence overseas since 1979. Al Arabiya said Bin Qama, despite being a leader of Ansar al-Sharia, no longer played a prominent role in the group. He is set to be questioned by the Libyan National Army according to reports. Two hedgehogs woke up with a bad hangover after they celebrated the weekend a bit too hard in a German playground. Concerned passersby found the spiny pair lying 'almost motionless' in the park in Erfurt, central Germany, on Sunday morning and rescued them. The hedgehogs were drunk after licking the remains of a smashed bottle of advocaat, a Dutch drink made of eggs, sugar, and brandy similar to eggnog. Two hedgehogs were rescued by police and handed to a zoo in Germany after they got drunk As the hedgehogs had likely never tasted alcohol before it went straight to their heads and accounted for their condition. Police took the worse-for-wear animals to the Thuringian Zoo Park, where they would be nursed back to health before being released. They reminded Erfurt residents to dispose of their rubbish properly and that drinking at playgrounds was illegal. 'This not only protects the children, but also our animal friends,' police said. This incredible footage shows a fearless surfer taking on a massive wave at a Portuguese beach. Ross Clarke-Jones, 50, took on the challenge at a beach in Nazare which is famous for its gigantic waves. In the clip, Mr Clarke-Jones appears as a tiny dot on the wave with a white line streaming behind him as he skims the water on his board. In the clip, Ross Clarke-Jones appears as a tiny dot with a white stream behind him as he skims the water on the gigantic wave He took on the challenge at a beach in Nazare, Portugal, which is famous for its gigantic waves. He briefly disappears behind the watching crowd who are stood next to the lighthouse at Praia do Norte as the wave crashes behind him. Mr Clarke-Jones dramatically reappears and is somehow still stood upright on his board before being swept under the significantly smaller wave. Crowds often gather at this beachhead to watch surfers tackle waves of up to 100ft high. Local videographer Humberto Santos said the waves at Praia do Norte are some of the biggest in the world. Mr Santos, 38, said: 'There were only a few surfers out there that day. For those kinds of waves you have to have big balls! 'When I was filming, I thought it was unreal. Definitely the shot of the year!' Local videographer Humberto Santos said the waves at Praia do Norte are some of the biggest in the world Google Plus has attracted white nationalist and neo-Nazi trolls after Facebook and Twitter cracked down on extremist content and many groups that espoused racist rhetoric and hate speech were banned from the social media sites after the Charlottesville protests in Virginia last year. After the Unite the Right rally where a woman was killed by a car driven into protestors, those who share racist and anti-Semitic content were purged off Facebook and Twitter, but not from Google Plus and they have since established a number of communities. These Google Plus communities have followings that range from the hundreds to the thousands, in a similar way to how Facebook groups work. While some appear to have been abandoned, they still have links that direct users to hate speech and nationalist content, with pro-ISIS groups also operating on this site. Google Plus has attracted neo-Nazi trolls after Facebook and Twitter cracked down According to The Hill, despite Google Pluss policy stating that the content posted by hate groups is not welcome, the racist, anti-Semitic and sometimes homophobic posts remain on the site for months and even years. In addition to this, the groups are also quite easily accessible through searches and display hateful imagery, such as swastikas. These hateful images include a meme of a black woman holding up a sign saying They cant kill us all #BlackLivesMatter alongside a Klansman with a shotgun and a sign that says, Challenge accepted. Google responded to this by saying that they take these issues incredibly seriously. We have clear policies against violent content as well as content from known terrorist organizations and when we find violations, we take swift action. We have a team dedicated to keeping violent content and hate speech off our platforms, including Google+. And while we recognize we have more to do, were committed to getting this right, a Google spokesperson said in a statement. A vehicle drives into protesters demonstrating against white nationalist rally in Charlottesville Despite Google Plus not being as popular as other social media websites, the content is still concerning and still violates the user policy, which forbids content that promotes or condones violence against individuals or groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, nationality, veteran status, or sexual orientation/gender identity, or whose primary purpose is inciting hatred on the basis of these core characteristics. Alongside this, in 2014, Google revealed that the company had participated in a working group with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for two years with other organisations to exchange insights on the balance of the need for responsible discourse with the principles of free expression. However, Director of the ADLs Center on Extremism Oren Segal said that while Google Plus isnt the most popular site for white nationalists, but the content is hateful. The community and the recruitment happens there. Whether its Google Plus, Twitter or other platforms, its significant, he said. Weve seen how online activity leads to real-world consequences, he said. Members of the National Socialist Movement, a neo-Nazi groups in the US, burn a swastika A problem is found in Googles process where it relies on its own community to report posts that violate policies. The 2014 post said: These reporting systems operate much like an online neighborhood watch. We ask your help in maintaining a community that provides a positive and respectful experience for everyone. If normal users are not on the platform to report hateful content, then it will not be reported and it will remain on the site. Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate Leah Vukmir's first television ad has sparked controversy on social media after it shows her sitting at a dimly lit kitchen table with a handgun next to her talking about death threats she's received. 'Ever have someone threaten your life for what you believe in? I have,' Vukmir says while looking straight into the camera during the 25 second ad. 'When Scott Walker and I beat the union bosses, cut billions in taxes and defunded Planned Parenthood, the left couldn't take it. With President Trump, we can do the same in Washington. Standing on principle takes guts, I know what it takes.' Her ad also includes a recreation of a voicemail threat she claims to have received in which the caller says, 'I know where you live and I'm going to come for you. You're going to die and I'm going to be the one who does it.' Several users on social media slammed Vukmir's ad since she shared it on Twitter Monday morning. One person tweeted: 'Omg this is the most disturbing ad. Trump attracts all the weirdos. A gun on the table sends a terrible message. Not necessary.' Another person wrote on the social media site: 'Please don't point a gun at me'. Leah Vukmir, a Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senate candidate, has released her first TV ad. it shows her (above) sitting at a kitchen table with a handgun next to her as she talks about death threats she received 'The lighting suggests a horror movie trailer. Just saying...,' another Twitter user wrote. One man shared a gif showing Simon Cowell shaking his head no with the text, 'It's a no from me,' implying that he wouldn't vote for Vukmir. Vukmir, who is currently a state senator, frequently talks on the campaign trail about death threats she said she received during that time. The married mother of two was the target of massive protests in 2011 along with other Republican legislators for backing GOP Gov. Scott Walker's law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers, including teachers, and forced them to pay more for their benefits. Her campaign spokesman, Mattias Gugel, didn't immediately reply to questions Monday about whether she reported the threat to law enforcement. The 60-year-old said in 2011 that she and another Republican state senator had received threats on the website Craigslist, but they did not describe then what exactly was said. Several users on social media have slammed Vukmir's ad since she shared it on Twitter Monday morning. One person tweeted: 'Omg this is the most disturbing ad. Trump attracts all the weirdos. A gun on the table sends a terrible message. Not necessary.' Another person wrote on the social media site: 'Please don't point a gun at me'. 'The lighting suggests a horror movie trailer. Just saying...,' another Twitter user wrote One man shared a gif showing Simon Cowell shaking his head no with the text, 'It's a no from me,' implying that he wouldn't vote for Vukmir In addition, in her ad she also touts her conservative voting record and promises to stand with President Donald Trump - though she did not initially endorse him when he was running for the White House. Her ad is the first from a Republican candidate in the primary. She is running against Delafield management consultant Kevin Nicholson. The winner from the primary race will face off against Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Vukmir's campaign said the ad is running statewide but didn't say how large the buy was. Vukmir's challenger Nicholson has yet to run an ad, but groups backing him have flooded the airwaves with them. More than $11. million has been spent by outside groups in the race already, with $6million going to help Nicholson specifically, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Nicholson's campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Wisconsin Democratic Party spokesman Brad Bainum did not address Vukmir's use of the handgun in the ad. Instead, he said she's spent her political career 'selling out our state's working families in order to enrich corporate special interests and the big donors bankrolling her campaign.' Vukmir won the Wisconsin Republican Party's endorsement in May, which she says shows she has momentum headed into the August primary. This is the hilarious moment a child confronts his father about a roll of toilet paper with Donald Trump's face on. Cooper Wilson, 7, was baffled after finding the loo roll in his father Mike's cupboard -despite the fact he knew his dad hadn't voted for him. The child decided to cross-examine his father to see whether he was actually a closet Trump fan, and Mike didn't know what to say. In the clip, Cooper asks: 'Well why do you have this? Explain yourself mister - did you vote for him?' Cooper, 7, seems heartily displeased with his father who he believes has secretly voted Republican Cooper can be seen angrily brandishing the loo roll while wearing an Iron Man costume. Mike, who lives near Yosemite National Park in California, USA, and runs a restaurant called Jersey Dogs, confirms to his baffled son that he really didn't vote for Trump. But Cooper can't fathom if that is the case then why his dad would have anything with the President's face across it at home, deciding he must actually support Trump. After Cooper sends him into a fit of laughter, Mike tells his son he loves him, clearly admiring his son's innocence. Mike explained: 'I bought this as a gift but ended up keeping it and my son found in the back of a cabinet - I didn't know how to answer.' The man known as Australia's worst paedophile has received $500,000 in taxpayer's money as he fought charges of raping children and human trafficking in the Philippines. Peter Scully, 55, faced a regional trial court in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, where he was convicted of one count of human trafficking and 5 counts of rape by sexual assault. Including the rape of a one-year-old girl and the torture of multiple toddlers. Earlier this year it was revealed that some $500,000 of Australian taxpayers' money had been spent defending Scully since 2015. Scroll down for video The man known as Australia's worst paedophile has received $500,000 in taxpayer's money as he fought charges of raping children and human trafficking in the Philippines Peter Scully (pictured) is facing life in prison, after being found guilty of raping and trafficking children as part of a disturbing global child porn syndicate Scully faced a regional trial court in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, where he was convicted of one count of human trafficking and 5 counts of rape by sexual assault The legal aid was funded through a government controlled support scheme for Australians abroad facing prosecution. Known as the Serious Overseas Criminal Matters Scheme, the support system aims to assist defendants who could be sentenced to the death penalty or jail terms of more than 20 years. The scheme is currently under review by Attorney-General Christian Porter, who told the publication that Scully won't be receiving anymore funding due. 'I have made clear that taxpayer assistance should be provided only where it is reasonable, and in line with community expectations,' Mr Porter said. Scully allegedly filmed the incidents of sexual abuse and torture and uploaded them to exclusive, pay-per-view pornography websites - commonly known as 'red rooms' - for European clients. The former Melbourne businessman - together with his co-accused partner Carme Ann Alvarez - was sentenced to life imprisonment for qualified trafficking, and received an extra 6-9 years and 11 months for rape. This marks a conclusion to the three year trial filed against Scully by two of the eight children that he has allegedly abused. Included in the charges against Scully is the rape of a one-year-old girl and the torture of multiple toddlers Scully, his partner and cohorts are still under trial for the production and distribution of films portraying the rape, torture and murder of multiple Filipino children whom they allegedly lured with the promise of food or money. Footage of Scully leaving the courtroom shows the convicted child molester smirking as he's led away in handcuffs. There are 69 more charges outstanding against him - for such various offences as child abuse, kidnapping, voyeurism and murder - in other cities throughout the Philippines. Scully fled Australia in 2011 pending charges relating to fraud for his alleged involvement in a home buyer scheme. Scully was sentenced to life imprisonment for qualified trafficking, and received an extra 6-9 years and 11 months for rape. There are 69 more charges outstanding against him In 2015 he was arrested for the alleged production and distribution of a number of pornographic films involving children on the dark web. One such film, titled Daisy's Destruction, caused prosecutors to break down in tears after they discovered it. The video is alleged to show a baby girl being tied upside down by her feet, sexually assaulted and bashed repeatedly. The little girl was aged around 18-months at the time but survived and is said to still suffer physical and mental torment from the ordeal. Scully has previously denied a total of 75 charges relating to extreme pornography and other suspected offences. He is also accused of raping a 12-year-old girl before strangling her and burying the body in a grave underneath a property in Surigao in the south of the country. In 2015 he was arrested for the alleged production and distribution of a number of pornographic films involving children on the dark web Scully has previously denied a total of 75 charges relating to extreme pornography and other suspected offences The Department of Social Welfare and Development Regional Director Nestor Ramos joins the survivors of his past crimes in celebrating these recent convictions. 'Three years of fighting for justice of these counts feels more than worth it,' said Mr Ramos. 'This evil guy Scully caused the children to live in unspeakable horror, with their childhood stripped away, and nightmares they still get up to this day. This conviction can somehow bring them peace. 'However, the fight is not over,' he added. 'This is not just about putting Peter Scully in jail, but making him regret every count of offense he has committed to the victims.' The judgment highlights the Filipino government's determination to curb child trafficking in the Phillipines - a country that has beocme a global hotspot for the online sexual exploitation of children. Scully's victims are currently under the protective care of the government and other civil society organisations, undergoing recovery and trauma healing. A Kentucky man has been charged with fatally shooting his adult son on Father's Day. According to an arrest citation, James Hendron, 45, was charged with murder-domestic violence in the death of his 23-year-old son, Austin Hendron. Lexington police Lt. Nathaniel Muller said officers were called to a home in Lexington, Kentucky, at about 5.15pm and Sunday, where an argument involving a weapon occurred. James Hendron, 45 (pictured), was charged with murder-domestic violence in the death of his 23-year-old son, Austin Hendron, following an argument on Father's Day Video courtesy LEX 18 Upon arrival, officers found an injured Austin. He was transported to a hospital for treatment, where he died of multiple gunshot wounds at 9.15pm, according to the coroner's office. Authorities said that James shot Austin in the home's driveway after they argued. It's unclear how many shots were fired during the incident, but a Mustang parked in the vicinity of the shooting was also struck by a bullet, according to WKYT. 'I didn't know what was going on. If something was going to happen to me, or to us. It was terrifying,' witness Nia Garth told WKYT. When authorities arrived on scene outside the Lexington, Kentucky home, they found a wounded Austin and transported him to the hospital where he died several hours later James was booked and charged with murder shortly before 11.30pm Sunday. He will be arranged Monday afternoon. Court records examined by the Lexington Herald Leader revealed that James was once charged with endangering the welfare of a child in 2009, although those charges appeared to have been dropped. The child's identity was not stated. James was also found guilty of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol that year. Austin's death is the 14th homicide in Lexington in 2018, according to reports. The city had a record 28 homicides in 2017. A video has emerged online of a teen being dragged around a field by her hair by a bully before being brutally punched in the head. A crowd of young girls filmed the vicious attack on their mobiles and cheer as the victim, Abbie McCarthy, 15, is brutally assaulted by another girl. Abbie's mum Carly, 36, from Middleton, Manchester, claims her daughter was forced to move schools in April due to her classmates bullying her. Mum-of-four Carly, a full-time carer for her autistic son, described how bullies made her daughter's life hell: 'They were pushing her and putting glue into her hair,'she said. 'She was constantly upset. But last week, the bullies cornered Abbie in a field close to her home where around 15 people were waiting.' In the 56-second clip, a teen punches Abbie repeatedly in the head as she pleads with her to let her go as she taunts: 'Chat sh** about me dad again. I f***in' dare ya. You're dead mate!' Then, as Abbie staggers to her feet, bystanders run forward to film her bleeding as they taunt 'She's nearly crying'. The bully can be seen pulling the girl by her long hair across a field as a group of about 15 girls watch and film the horrific assault on their phones Carly says: 'One of the girls pushed her to the floor and dragged Abbie by her hair. 'She was kneed in the face and punched. 'Afterwards she ran home sobbing and told me she'd been beaten up. 'That evening, Carly reported the incident to Greater Manchester Police after spotting a video of the attack being shared on social media app Snapchat. The footage was posted online and was spotted by tormented Abbi's mother who says that the bullies made her daughter's life hell. Pictured, Abbi suffered a split lip and a bruise on her eye She says: 'I was horrified. 'Abbie had a massive lump on her head. I took her to our GP on Friday who said she had whiplash.' Carly says she was shocked by the video but she insists that people watch it. She says: 'Bullies should not be able to get away with this. Abbie, pictured left in her school uniform, had a 'massive lump on her head and suffered whiplash after mum Carly, right with Abbie, took her to the GP 'They should be shamed and maybe they'll think twice next time.' Statistics from the National Bullying Prevention Center says that more than one out of every five (20.8%) students report being bullied. There were over 24,000 Childline counselling sessions with children about bullying in 2016 and 2017. Florida officials have revealed that in just nine days 2,050 people have been stung in a 'jellyfish siege.' While beachgoers in Volusia County, Florida, were out celebrating Father's Day and its accompany balmy weather on Sunday, they were also being stung en masse by jellyfish. 'Day 9 of the jellyfish siege brought us another 250 stings, making a total of approximately 2,050 stings over the last nine days,' Volusia County Beach Safety Capt. Andrew Ethridge told WFTV. Florida's Volusia County Beach Safety officials said that 250 people were stung by jellyfish Sunday, bringing the nine day, jellyfish sting total to 2,050 (stock image) Officials also reported that 12 people had to be rescued from the ocean that day. The jellyfish siege has been attributed to a larger than normal bloom of jellyfish in the waters off Volusia County, which has been pushed to shore due to winds and water currents. A county spokesperson told WREG that the appearance of moon or common jellyfish in Volusia County's waters occurs once or twice annually, but that it's the volume of the jellyfish being seen right now that is unusual. Some scientists said that warmer ocean temperatures, commercial fishing, artificial reefs and agricultural runoff are likely to be partially at fault for the increased number of jellyfish seen in this bloom. A jellyfish washed up on a Volusia County beach. Officials said jellyfish appear in the waters annually, but it's the volume of jellyfish being seen now that is unusual Volusia County covers popular Daytona Beach. Officials advise people stung by jellyfish to seek the attention of lifeguards, who will treat stings by rinsing them with vinegar However, the increase in people reporting jellyfish stings is likely the result of more people taking dips in the ocean, as opposed to ocean or weather temperature changes, other scientists said. Volusia County safety officials advised that people who are stung by jellyfish should get out of the ocean and flag down a lifeguard, who can rinse the sting with vinegar. 'It is important to not rub the area, which can make it worse,' Ethridge said. 'While jellyfish stings are painful, most are not life-threatening.' Volusia County includes popular Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach and the Greater New Smyrna Beach Area. President Donald Trump has warned that America must avoid the immigration problems faced by Europe - as he blamed migrants on the continent for what he described as a rise in crime in Germany. He attacked Germany, one of the U.S.'s closest allies, claiming immigration across EU states had led to a violent change in culture. 'The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition,' he wrote in a Tweet today. 'Crime in Germany is way up,' he added. President Trump has been critical of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces a crisis that could topple her after 13 years in power Trump attacked Germany's immigration policies as Merkel struggled to maintain power at home Germany is now one of America's closest allies. Pictured: Trump faces off against the G7 leaders at the conference in Canada He continued: 'Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!' Trump's comments come as German Chancellor Angela Merkel fights to save her coalition government amid demands by her interior minister to turn back immigrants at the border. Merkel was handed a two-week ultimatum by her coalition partners to secure a deal on immigrants with neighboring European countries. Her opponents are staunchly against her immigration policies, which provide entry to some 10,000 asylum seekers each month. The clash, mainly between her and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, is over what to do about the immigration rate into Germany - which has the highest number of migrants in Europe. About 700,000 people sought asylum in E.U. countries last year, according to figures from the European Asylum Support Agency, and Germany had the most asylum seekers of any European nation, with more than 200,000. Merkel opened German borders to more than a million people fleeing war, oppression and poverty in 2015 and 2016. Seehofer, a leader in the fragile government coalition, wants to turn back some of those immigrants at the German border - an action Merkel opposes without prior agreements with neighboring countries. Should he proceed anyway under his authority as interior minister, the move would almost certainly lead to the break-up of the coalition and undermine Merkel's government. Trump defended his own immigration policy of separating families at the border German Chancellor Angela Merkel faces a challenge from German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, a member of her government, on her immigration policies Her fate will hang on whether the renegades in her own party will give her the time to negotiate a deal with Germany's neighbors. Eurasia Group analyst Charles Lichfield on Monday put the chances of Merkel losing power as a result of the dust-up at 25 per cent, according to The Washington Post. 'Political obituaries for Chancellor Angela Merkel tend to be premature,' Lichfield wrote. 'But the legacy of the 2015 migration crisis could yet force her sudden demise over the next two weeks.' Ashlee McFarland, 22, a student at Coventry University, had bought tickets for the concert but was found dead in her bedroom on September 1 last year A heartbroken mother was told she had to prove her daughter was dead before she could use her tickets to has won a battle to see Ed Sheeran in concert after being refused tickets bought by her daughter who died suddenly. Shelley Diment, 44, was told she could not have the tickets her daughter had bought before she died unless she proved her daughter Ashlee McFarland, 22, was really dead. The heartbroken mother wanted to go to the pop star's gig in Cardiff this Saturday in tribute to her daughter, who died from sudden adult death syndrome in September last year. But ticket company Ticketmaster refused to change the name on Ashlee's three 50 tickets, demanding Ms Diment proved her daughter was actually dead. Shelley said: 'Ashlee loved Ed more than anything - he meant an awful lot to her. 'She was laid to rest in her favourite Ed-Sheeran T-shirt and wristbands from his tour. His music was played at her funeral and at the celebration of her life. 'I was devastated when Ticketmaster said we couldn't have the tickets Ashlee ordered. 'They asked to see her death certificate and suggested I get power of attorney. A heartbroken mother was told she had to prove her daughter was dead before she could use her tickets to has won a battle to see Ed Sheeran (pictured) in concert 'It has been so upsetting for me and Ashlee's family.' Ashlee, a student at Coventry University, was found dead in her bedroom on September 1 last year. Ticketmaster eventually backed down and have allowed Shelley to use her daughter's three tickets at Cardiff's Principality Stadium this Saturday. A spokesperson for the company said: 'We're glad to say that the situation with Shelley's tickets has been resolved and she will be able to attend the Ed Sheeran concert in Cardiff this week. 'We're sorry for any upset caused, and for the delay in making this happen.' For fans of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the best day of the year is right around the corner. The annual summer solstice will soon be held, marking the first official day of summer and the longest day of the year. Over the centuries, many cultures from all around the world have come to mark the day with important traditions, many of which continue to this day. Heres all you need to know about what the summer solstice is, when it starts and ends, traditions and more modern ways to celebrate it. The Akelarre gathering in Zugarramurdi, Spain is one of many summer solstice celebrations What is the summer solstice? The summer solstice occurs when the planets geographical pole in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere is most greatly inclined towards the sun. In many countries around the world, this traditionally meant a time to relax, as it fell halfway between the start of the planting and harvesting seasons. In many cultures, traditions have centered on the day for centuries or even millennia. Notably, it marks the longest day of the year as well in terms of sunlight. What is a solstice? A solstice is one of two days a year - either a summer or winter solstice - in which the sun reaches either its lowest or highest point in the sky at noontime, marking both the shortest and longest days of the year. When is summer solstice? The summer solstice always takes place from June 20 to June 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. In 2018, it will take place on Thursday, June 21. Summer solstice 2018 will end on September 23, which signals the start of the autumn equinox. What does summer solstice mean? Summer solstice marks the official start of summer on the longest day of the year, with that usually being June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and December 21 in the Southern Hemisphere. For many cultures around the world, a number of unique traditions - some of which date back millennia - are held on the summer solstice. This is particularly prevalent in many European countries since it marks the midway point between the traditional planting and harvesting seasons. In many ancient cultures, the day was also believed to have special meaning to them, with several believing that the 'veil' between the physical and spirit worlds was the thinnest on the date. Summer solstice traditions In the UK, the summer solstice was famously marked on Stonehenge by pagans thousands of years ago, as the rising sun only reaches the center of the stone circle on one day of the year. The ancient monument was built between 3,000 and 1,600 B.C. and though its exact purpose is still shrouded in mystery, pagans are believed to have used it to mark the summer solstice as they believed the day possessed special power and meaning. Elsewhere in the UK, the day is still often marked by Maypole dancing, picnics and bonfires. The Golowan Festival in Penzance, England is another popular summer solstice event in the UK. Sweden also marks the day with Maypole and folk dances, feasts featuring traditional foods and other customs. Norway and Finland often mark the day with bonfire celebrations while Iceland also celebrates with music, dancing and other traditions. Latvia is also known for its jubilant summer solstice celebrations, with revelers partaking in singing folk songs, dancing, lighting bonfires and huge feasts. In Spain, bonfires and firework displays are common. Revelers in Russia and Ukraine often know the day as Ivans Day or Kupala Night, celebrating with bonfires and parties. Celebrants in Austria mark the day by lighting bonfires across the countrys mountainous terrain, a tradition that dates back to medieval times, while revelers in China often celebrate with traditional meals and dragon boat races. How to celebrate summer solstice In addition to all of these traditional celebrations that still take place to this day, more modern summer solstice celebrations include daylong yoga events in Times Square in New York City, the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Celebration in Santa Barbara, California and the Secret Solstice Midnight Sun Music Festival in Reykjavik, Iceland. A photo of a two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker crying while being separated from her mother as they were being taken into custody by federal authorities on Tuesday has become the symbol of the Trump administration's 'zero tolerance' policy at US borders. Pulitzer prize-winning photographer John Moore captured the emotional image while riding along with Border Patrol agents in Texas' Rio Grande on June 12. 'As [a] father myself, this photograph was especially difficult for me to take,' Moore wrote in the post with the image. While disturbing, the image of the little girl crying is likely not unique, according to Moore's description of what he's seen while photographing the plight of people trying to enter the US. Pulitzer prize-winning photographer John Moore opens up about capturing a photo of a two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker crying while being taken into custody by federal authorities Moore is seen here at the launch event for his book, Undocumented, in Mexico on April 19 'Most of these families were scared, to various degrees,' Moore told Gettys online site, Foto, in an article published on Thursday. 'I doubt any of them had ever done anything like this before flee their home countries with their children, traveling thousands of miles through dangerous conditions to seek political asylum in the United States, many arriving in the dead of night.' Moore shared more insight into the plight of the Honduran child in an interview with Getty Image's Foto, published on Thursday. '[T]he mother told me they had been traveling for a full month and were exhausted. They were taken into custody with a group of about 20 immigrants, mostly women and children at about 11pm' Moore said. 'Before transporting them to a processing center, transportation officers body searched everyone and the mother was one of the last. She was told to set the child down, while she was searched. The little girl immediately started crying. While it's not uncommon for toddlers to feel separation anxiety, this would have been stressful for any child. I took only a few photographs and was almost overcome with emotion myself. Then very quickly, they were in the van, and I stopped to take a few deep breaths.' A Border Patrol spotlight shines on a terrified mother and son from Honduras as they are found in the dark near the US-Mexico border on June 12 in McAllen, Texas US Border Patrol agents take into custody a father and son from Honduras near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12 near Mission, Texas Asylum seekers who go directly to official crossings are not supposed to be separated from their families, except in specific circumstances including if officials can't confirm the relationship between the minor and adults, safety of the children, or if the adult is being prosecuted. Even so, about 2,000 children have been separated from their families at the border over a six-week period during a crackdown on illegal entries, according to US Department of Homeland Security figures obtained by The Associated Press on Friday. The figures show that 1,995 minors were separated from 1,940 adults between April 19 and May 31, breaking down to an average of 46 children per day being separated from their families. Agents take Central American asylum seekers into custody on June 12 near McAllen, Texas Both former first ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama shared their thoughts on what's been happening on social media over Sunday and Monday, respectively Both former first ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama shared their thoughts on what's been happening on social media over Sunday and Monday, respectively. Bush tweeted a link to an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post, adding: 'I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart.' Obama retweeted her post, adding, 'Sometimes truth transcends party.' The separations as reported were not broken down by age, and included separations for illegal entry, immigration violations, or possible criminal conduct by the adult. The new figures are for people who tried to enter the US between official border crossings. 'The Trump administrations "zero tolerance" policy for undocumented immigrants calls for the separation of parents and children while their cases for political asylum are adjudicated, a process that can take months or years,' Moore wrote with the photo of the upset little girl. Moore listens during the launch event of his book. Undocumented, at WeWork in the Varsovia Building in Mexico City, Mexico on April 19 Trump has blamed the Democrats for failing to compromise politically for family separations An agent takes a group of Central American asylum seekers into custody on June 12 in Texas Obama's tweet on Monday seemed to be in reference to Trump having blamed what's been happening on the Democrats' failing to compromise politically, which he repeated in the following tweet on Friday: 'The Democrats are forcing the breakup of families at the Border with their horrible and cruel legislative agenda. 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!' But it's under the 'zero tolerance' policy announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that Department of Homeland Security officials are now referring all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution. US protocol prohibits detaining children with their parents because the children are not charged with a crime and the parents are. The policy has been widely criticized by church groups, politicians and children's advocates who say it is inhumane. The asylum seekers, including this father and son from Honduras were sent to a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing center for possible separation Last week, Sessions also made it more difficult for those hoping to seek asylum in the US, by placing more stringent restrictions on when it can be granted. '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,' he wrote in a formal legal opinion on June 11. In writing the opinion, Sessions exercised his discretion to overturn precedent, which four years ago acknowledged 'married women in Guatemala who are unable to leave their relationship' as a social group that may seek asylum in the US, NBC reported. First Lady Melania Trump shared a statement on the state of affairs on Sunday, '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,' the statement read. 'She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.' Tragic footage has emerged showing a crash that left a female motorcyclist dead. The 49-year-old woman died following the collision on Friday evening in a High-Occupancy Vehicle lane on Highway 403 in Mississauga, Ontario, which is adjacent to Toronto. Canadian police have not yet released the name of the deceased woman. Dashcam footage of the crash shows an SUV that is stuck in traffic illegally crossing a double line barrier into the HOV lane, which is reserved for vehicles carrying at least two people, including the driver. Dashcam footage of the crash shows an SUV (right) that is stuck in traffic illegally crossing a double line into the HOV lane, which is legally entered only across a dashed line The motorcycle, carrying only the rider, comes upon the SUV at a high rate of speed, colliding with the larger vehicle as it attempts to merge The motorcycle, carrying only the rider, comes upon the SUV at a high rate of speed, colliding with the larger vehicle as it attempts to merge. The impact throws the rider high into the air, flipping her so she lands on her head and back. The rider was rushed to a local hospital, but succumbed to her injuries and died on Saturday afternoon, according to Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Kerry Schmidt. In Ontario, it is illegal to merge into an HOV lane across a double line. Entry and exit points for HOV lanes are marked instead by a dashed line, and are spaced every few kilometers. The impact throws the rider high into the air, flipping her so she lands on her head The rider and motorcycle are seen being thrown into the air by the impact with the SUV The aftermath of the crash is seen, with the motorcycle right and the SUV left as cops respond It is also illegal for a motorcycle with only a single rider to use an HOV lane in Ontario. The typical penalty for riding solo in an HOV lane is a $110 (CAD) fine, including court fees, plus three demerit points. It is unclear how many occupants the SUV involved in the collision was carrying. The OPP continues to investigate the collision. Almost half of the 630 migrants who arrived in Spain's port of Valencia at the weekend after Italy turned away their rescue ship want to seek asylum in France. The migrants arrived in Spain on Sunday in three vessels, including the rescue ship Aquarius, after being turned away by Italy and Malta last week. Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo told Spanish radio Cadena Ser on Monday that half of the 630 migrants who arrived on a convoy of ships have expressed a desire to be granted asylum in France. France has said it will work with Spain to deal with asylum applications. Calvo called the agreement with France 'an example of cooperation' within the European Union. Scroll down for video Almost half of the 630 migrants who arrived in Spain's port of Valencia at the weekend after Italy turned away their rescue ship want to seek asylum in France 'Almost half the migrants have shown their willingness to seek asylum in France, which offered to welcome some of the people travelling on the ship,' Spain's new socialist government said in a statement. Meanwhile, Pascal Brice, director-general of France's refugee protection office Ofpra, said one of his teams would travel to Valencia soon. 'As soon as the Spanish authorities have informed us of the number of people concerned, a team from Ofpra will go on site to conduct the interviews and ensure that people are covered by the right to asylum,' he said, adding that the process should take place this week. The majority of the 630 migrants are from Africa, including 450 men and 80 women, of which at least seven are pregnant, according to Valencian authorities. pain's Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo (pictured) said that half of the 630 migrants who arrived on a convoy of ships have expressed a desire to be granted asylum in France There are also 89 adolescents and 11 children under the age of 13. The Aquarius rescued them from the Mediterranean Sea off Libya's coast on June 9. But Italy and Malta's refusal to let the ship dock led to an international outcry before Spain stepped in to help. The Aquarius completed a 930-mile (1,500km) journey from Sicily to Valencia, ending a weeklong ordeal for the 630 people rescued. Spain's new center-left government granted the migrants 45-day stays to sort out their legal status. Migrants disembarking the SOS Mediterranee's Aquarius ship are checked by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) NGOs, after its arrival at the eastern port of 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 perilous Mediterranean Migrants sit on the deck of the Italian navy ship Orione as the ship enters the port of Valencia on Sunday On Monday, Spain's maritime rescue service said it has brought to safety 152 migrants attempting to enter Europe by sea, while a boat with 54 more people is still missing. The service said it found three inflatable rubber boats carrying a total of 102 migrants in the western Mediterranean Sea, while a rescue vessel transferred to Almeria 50 people which had docked on the tiny Spanish island of Alboran. Rescuers were also trying to locate a boat with 54 migrants on board believed to be in an area closer to the Strait of Gibraltar. The so-called western Mediterranean migration route into Spain has seen an uptick in traffic lately, with more than 13,000 arrivals in 2018, according to the United Nations, 1,400 of them since last Friday. The migrants arrived in Spain on Sunday in three vessels, including the rescue ship Aquarius, after being turned away by Italy and Malta last week The EU's asylum office says the number of people applying for international protection in Europe has plunged but remains higher than before 2015, when more than one million migrants entered, many fleeing the war in Syria. In an annual report on Monday, EASO that 728,470 application requests were made for international protection in 2017, compared to almost 1.3 million applications the previous year. It says around 30 percent of the applicants come from conflict-torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. EASO says there is a still a backlog: more than 950,000 applications were still awaiting a final decision at the end of last year, almost half of them in Germany. More than 460,000 people applied for asylum in Europe in 2013. More than 660,000 did so in 2014. Heather Locklear was hospitalized for threatening to shoot herself on Sunday - and choked her own mother when she tried to help her, sources say. The troubled actress reportedly flew into a jealous rage on Friday over suspicion her fiance Chris Heisser was cheating on her. Locklear continued to spiral out of control over the weekend, sources told RadarOnline.com, and by Sunday she was so out of control she allegedly attacked her parents when they tried to calm her down. '(Her parents) tried to help her, but she in turn choked her mom and hit her dad,' the source said. Heather Locklear (2018 mugshot left; 2008 mugshot right for suspicion of DUI) has been taken to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation after threatening to shoot herself Her mom then called 911, concerned she was acting erratically, was 'violent' and was going to hurt herself,TMZ reports. According to the dispatch audio, the caller told the dispatcher that Locklear was looking for a gun to shoot herself. Both Ventura County Fire and Sheriff's Departments responded and the 56-year-old was taken to a local hospital for psychiatric evaluation. The incident is not being treated as criminal. Sources claim that Heisser and Locklear's family fear she may have relapsed and begun drinking again following her rehab stint. The trouble reportedly began on Friday evening when the Melrose Place star and Heisser got into a huge fight in the parking lot of an LA restaurant, sources told RadarOnline.com. 'She screamed at him and made a huge scene' they claimed, adding that Locklear 'thought he was cheating'. Locklear reportedly choked her mom Diane and hit her dad Bill as they tried to help her on Sunday before she was hospitalized (Locklear with her parents in an undated photo) The troubled actress reportedly flew into a jealous rage on Friday over suspicion her fiance Chris Heisser (pictured with her last year) was cheating on her Heisser decided not to go back to Locklear's home but to spend time with his family - a decision the source says sent the actress 'crazy.' She was reportedly sending Heisser's mother text messages that 'didn't make much sense', before she suddenly 'went dark' on Saturday afternoon. Worried he hadn't heard from her, Heisser called Locklear's caretaker and mom on Sunday to check on her. That's when her mom and dad found Locklear in an 'agitated' state. Locklear was hospitalized and is still believed to be at the facility receiving care. 'She was determined to be a threat to herself and others. Even though she wasn't placed under arrest, Heather was handcuffed while on the gurney being transported to the hospital,' the source said. Locklears attorney and family and did not respond to Radars request for comment. The news comes months after the actress was accused of hitting boyfriend Chris Heisser, 56, at her Westlake Village area home in February. Looking healthy and glamorous in 2009, during an appearance on The Tonight Show Locklear, 56, told officers she would shoot them if they ever came to her house again, according to a search warrant filed by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office during her arrest in February (Locklear and boyfriend Chris Heisser above in happier times) She was arrested for felony domestic violence, although that charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor, and then dropped entirely. But she is still facing four counts of misdemeanor battery against a cop after she allegedly kicked and hit officers when they tried to arrest her during that incident. She denies the charges. Following her arrest, Locklear completed a two-month stint at a rehab center, which ended on April 29. During that time, Heisser is said to have taken care of her dog 'Mister'. But she wasn't spotted out in public for another three weeks, when she was seen attending an alcoholics anonymous meeting on May 21 in Thousand Oaks, California, with Heisser. The Melrose Place star was married to Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora from 1994 to 2007 and Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee between 1986 and 1993. Sources say that after Locklear attempted to choke her mother (pictured with her during the 51st Annual Golden Globe Awards in 1994), her mom called 911 But she has had a long fall from grace. In 2008, Locklear pleaded guilty to reckless driving after being arrested on suspicion of the more serious charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs. Locklear was arrested on suspicion of injuring a partner and fighting with sheriff's officers at her home in Thousand Oaks on the night of February 25, 2018. She had just returned from a trip to Boston at the time when she and boyfriend Chris Heisser began to fight. Locklear's daughter Ava, 20, was also in the house at the time. A source later reported that the This Is 40 actress has been 'concerned and sad' about her mom. During her arrest for domestic abuse, Locklear told deputies she would shoot them if they ever came to her house again, according to a warrant from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Investigators had learned that Locklear had a gun registered in her name, and after hearing this went to seize the weapon. The warrant states that officers were not able to locate the gun. MIA: That warrant was issued so that officers could remove a firearm that is registered in Locklear's name, but they were unable to locate it at the home (above) On the night of her February arrest, Locklear screamed at one officer: 'Get the f*** out of my house!' She did this while trying to slam a door on the man inside her home according to the Probable Cause Affidavit, which resulted in the five charges she is currently facing in the case. Another officer also encounter the wrath of Locklear when she screamed: 'You f***ing deserve your kids to die! You f***ing deserve it! And when you find yourself in that position, think of me!' Locklear told officers that Heisser had been choking her to the point where she believed she was about to lose consciousness and pass out. Heisser told a different story, claiming it was Locklear who attacked him, and had a red mark on his chest and blood on his nose according to the report. Two children could be left permanently scarred after henna tattoos they got while on holiday in Mallorca left them with chemical burns. Nathaniel Hainsworth, 13, and Kane Archibald, seven, broke out in blisters around eight days after getting the popular temporary black tattoos from an elderly man in a shop in the resort of Cala Bona. But Nathaniel was left with an angry and inflamed red outline of a leopard on his back while the lizard on Kane's arm suffered the same fate. Their mother Carrie Archibald, who also had a henna tattoo but didn't suffer a reaction, said: 'The boys had mentioned getting henna tattoos and I said that if we had some spare money at the end of the holiday they could. Nathaniel Hainsworth, 13, and Kane Archibald, seven, pictured here with their parents Carrie and Stephen, were left with chemical burns after getting henna tattoos on holiday in Mallorca Nathaniel has been left with a leopard design on his back after suffering an allergic reaction. The black henna used contains a chemical usually used in hair dyes which can cause blisters 'On our last day we spotted an old man in a shop who was doing them. We all got them and they looked great. There was no reaction at all. Everything seemed fine and the kids were really happy.' The family, from Ryhope, Sunderland, flew home at the end of May but within eight days the children's temporary tattoos had begun to swell, itch and burn. Mrs Archibald, who works as a carer, said: 'Eight days later the boys came home from school and Kane said his arm was itchy and hot and hurt to touch. 'A doctor at A&E said it was an allergic reaction, but on the ninth day they started to get really angry and red so I took them back. 'There was loads of little blisters all over and they were getting worse. 'This time medics said that they were chemical burns and the children might be left scarred for life. 'I just couldn't believe the kids had suffered such a reaction to something that people get done all the time when they're on holiday. I was totally shocked.' The boys have been referred to a burns unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, have had the tattoos bandaged up and been given anti-histamine syrup. The tattoos seemed fine at first but after eight days they began to swell, itch and burn. Doctors at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle have now bandaged up the burns Kane has been left with a lizard design on his arm from the reaction. The chemical used in black henna is not used in brown or other coloured henna They have also been told they must apply E45 up to six times a day for up to three months. The tattoos were carried out using black henna, in which a substance called para-phenylenediamine is used. The chemical is usually used in hair dyes, and not in brown or other coloured henna. It can cause blistering of the skin, painful burns and in some cases lead to scarring. Mrs Archibald believes she didn't suffer an adverse reaction because she is used to dying her hair. The 35 year old, who is married to Stephen, 38, added: 'The blisters were really bad, when I first saw Kane's arm it was really raised. It was as though the whole tattoo had risen out of the skin and swollen it was hot to touch. 'I was really, really shocked. I want to warn other parents about the dangers of getting the temporary tattoos. I hadn't thought anything of it. 'I don't know how long they will take to heal. They aren't allowed to have any contact with the sun. 'Now we don't know if we can go back abroad. We had planned another holiday but we have been told if you expose the marks to the sun they can come back for six years or permanently scar. 'We are hoping it will just go back to normal, praying it is not permanent.' Malcolm Turnbull and Trade Minister Steve Ciobo abandoned a top EU official at a press conference to stop Labor efforts to protect the ABC. They left to help the government block a motion in parliament to never privatise the ABC, two days after the Liberal Party federal council voted to sell it. Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus put forward the motion to the House of Representatives on Monday, which was swiftly voted down on party lines. Malcolm Turnbull (far right) and Trade Minister Steve Ciobo (left) abandoned EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom at a press conference to stop Labor efforts to protect the ABC '[I move] the House resolves that it will never support the privatisation of the ABC and calls on the government to reverse its latest damaging $83 million cut to the ABC,' he said. The vote was lost 63-73 after the whole Liberal-National coalition overwhelmed the Labor MPs and four crossbenchers who voted in favour. When the vote was called, the Prime Minister and Mr Ciobo were facing the media alongside EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom. Mr Ciobo was making introductory remarks just a few minutes into the conference when he abruptly left the stage to rush to parliament. Mr Ciobo was making introductory remarks just a few minutes into the conference when he abruptly left the stage to rush to parliament Ms Malmstrom appeared flustered, gesturing wildly as she said 'alright, now...' before being told she probably shouldn't actually take questions alone 'Is that a division? This is something we're going to have to solve,' he said, as Mr Turnbull promised they would return when it was over. 'We have to go and vote,' Mr Ciobo said as he clasped a confused Ms Malmstrom on the shoulder and laughed nervously. He then pointed at her with his arm around her back and added: 'She can answer all the questions'. Ms Malmstrom appeared flustered, gesturing wildly as she said 'alright, now...' before being told she probably shouldn't actually take questions alone. Mr Turnbull and Mr Ciobo did return after the vote and continued discussing the beginning of negotiations on an Australia-EU free trade agreement. The embarrassing moment was completely cut from official EU footage of the press conference. The government blocked a motion in parliament to vow never to privatise the ABC, two days after the Liberal Party federal council voted to sell it Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus put forward the motion to the House of Representatives on Monday, which was swiftly voted down on party lines The motion and ensuing awkward press conference followed the Liberal Party federal council overwhelmingly voting on Saturday to sell the ABC. Video from the event showed at least 39 delegates voted in favour of the resolution and just 10 opposed it. The motion said: 'That federal council calls for the full privatisation of the ABC, except for services into regional areas that are not commercially viable.' Communications Minister Mitch Fifield was the only one to speak against the motion after no delegates stood from the floor when asked by party president Nick Greiner. 'It's not the position of the government to alter the ownership arrangements of the public broadcasters,' he said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Mr Fifield then outlined ways the government was planning to 'enhance the efficiency, accountability and transparency' of the ABC. Liberal Party members voted to privatise the ABC at a meeting of delegates from across the country in Sydney They included an efficiency review linked to its funding, and an inquiry to see whether the broadcaster had an unfair advantage over commercial outlets. The policy was put forward by the federal Young Liberals vice-president Mitchell Collier and supported by four of the council executives. One of them, vice-president and likely Senate candidate Karina Okotel, said the ABC had outlived its usefulness as a public broadcaster. 'The motion is an aspirational statement by the membership that in the 21st century the days of needing the government to fund a national broadcaster in metropolitan areas are over,' she told the SMH. 'The private sector produces content faster, cheaper and more efficiently, and to ask them to compete against the government is completely unfair.' The policy was put forward by Federal Young Liberal vice-president Mitchell Collier (pictured) Mr Turnbull, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Treasurer Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian were among the high-profile politicians who attended the conference. Mr Collier told the meeting there were 'several ways' the ABC could be privatised. 'We could sell it to a media mogul, a media organisation, the government could sell it on the stock market.' 'There is no strong economic case for a public broadcaster in 2018.' Mr Collier said sentimental attachments people had to the ABC did not justify the more than $1 billion public funding it received. But Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison shut down the policy, saying 'the government has no plans to privatise the ABC Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison shut down the policy, saying 'the government has no plans to privatise the ABC'. 'In the Party it's the parliamentary wing that determines policy of government... the government has no plans to privatise the ABC,' he said. 'The ABC has to live within its means.' Policy motions put forward at the meeting are not binding to the parliamentary party. Institute of Public Affairs senior research fellow and RMIT academics Dr Chris Berg and Professor Sinclair Davidson said the Coalition should support privatisation of the ABC. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop described the party as 'united' as she introduced Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) to the podium 'Privatisation of the ABC should be a default Coalition policy - after all the party of small government should be constantly striving to reduce government intervention in the economy and foster private enterprise,' they told Daily Mail Australia in a statement. 'Rather the question should be how to best privatise the ABC? A stock market listing like Commonwealth Bank and Qantas? Or sale as a going concern to a media mogul? 'Our preference is that the ABC be given away - either the people of Australia who strictly speaking already own it, or to the past and present staff who are best placed to realise the ABCs true value and potential.' Neil Strong, 36, was jailed in 2014 for a Breaking Bad style drugs den A former drugs baron who was jailed for a Breaking Bad style drugs plot was shot outside a school this morning. Neil Strong, 36, was the head of the gang caught red-handed setting up a drugs lab in a detached house in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, and was jailed along with three others in 2014. The gang was plotting to make 1.6m making amphetamines in the suburban house but were secretly under observation for months by officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA). Mr Strong is now in a serious condition after being shot in the upper body on Harris Drive in Unsworth this morning. Police said residents reported hearing guns shots being fired at around 8.50am, close to Unsworth Primary School. It is understood Mr Strong drove himself five miles to Burys Fairfield General Hospital in a grey van where he sought help. The vehicle with punctured tyre and what appeared to be a gunshot hole through the passenger door was later cordoned off by police in the hospital car park. Police were on the scene in Harris Drive in Unsworth this morning after a man was shot near to a primary school. He drove himself to hospital in his van Police were called to Harris Drive in Unsworth just before 9am this morning. They later cordoned off a van in the car park of Burys Fairfield General Hospital He had been orchestrating the drugs plot from his luxury villa in Alicante, Spain. Mr Strongs associates - Damian Vose, 38, from Radcliffe, Paul Cuthbert, 45, from Bury, and Daniel Pinder, 33, from Manchester - were jailed for 32 months, 30 months, and 30 months respectively. The men bought barrels of dangerous chemicals to produce pure amphetamine paste. When officers raided the lab at the house in August 2013, Mr Strong, who had flown in to oversee the production process, and two of the crime group members were about to start making their first batch of amphetamine, worth 1.6m. Mr Strong tried to run from the officers during the raid by jumping over a fence, but failed. Neil Strong ran into the hospital with bullet wounds to his upper body before police officers were called The windows of Strong's van were smashed, a tyre was burst and there was a suspected bullet hole in the side of the door Chemicals, an electric mixer, scales, a 10-tonne press, a vacuum packing machine and other drugs paraphernalia were recovered. More presses were found at stables owned by Strong at Nutt Lane in Prestwich, while containers full of the chemicals were seized at his Spanish villa. Assets including properties and a yacht belonging to Mr Strong were seized as part of the financial investigation. After being released from prison, Mr Strong was hit with a serious crime prevention order in April 2016. That placed restrictions on his freedom in a bid to prevent him from becoming involved in drugs crime again. One of the wheels of Neil Strong's van was burst after it is believed a person opened fire on him close to a primary school Mr Strong was banned from having more than one mobile phone, laptop or tablet, and from carrying more than 3,000 in cash. He was also compelled to give notice of any planned trip abroad and has to provide details of any vehicle he rents or buys. He attempted to get the ban lifted in January 2017, but three senior judges at Londons Criminal Appeal Court refused. Police descended on the scene of the shooting in Harris Drive. In 2016, a Land Rover was blown up on the same street. A 37-year-old Michigan woman has been arrested after three young girls were found alone in her locked minivan on what would become the hottest day so far this year. The woman was shopping in Clinton Township when police were called about 9am on Sunday and rescued her two daughters and a niece, ages two, three and six. The van's front windows were opened slightly. The National Weather Service says the temperature was about 77 degrees at the time. It reached 96 degrees Sunday in the Detroit area. A 37-year-old Michigan woman has been charged with child abuse after police rescued three girls, ages 2, 3, and 6, from her locked van outside this Meijer supermarket in Clinton Township Clinton Township police Capt. Richard Maierle tells The Detroit News the six-year-old girl was 'sweating profusely' when officers coaxed her into unlocking a door. One of the officers reported being hit with a blast of hot air from the interior of the van after opening the door, according to Macomb Daily. He offered the children a drink of water and removed them from the overheated vehicle. When police found the owner of the van inside the Meijer supermarket, she claimed that she had been shopping for just 10 minutes, and that she had gone outside to check on the kids. However, when officers reviewed security video from store, it showed the mother, who lives in Mount Clemens, was inside for about 25 minutes, and she never went back to the van to check on the kids. She is the mother to two of the children and an aunt to the third. The mother was arrested on misdemeanor counts of child abuse - leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. She was released Sunday after posting $500 bond. All three children are now staying with an aunt. A Muslim professor at the University of Connecticut retired following complaints from students over his requirement to say 'Bismillah,' an Arabic phrase meaning 'In the name of Allah,' before entering his office. Retired biology professor, Felix Coe, had two signs taped to his campus office door, one with instructions to say Bismillah, while the other required students to remove their shoes before entering his office. Coe was caught in an audio clip becoming increasingly irate with a student asking where another professor's office was. He also was seen on video getting into an argument with a man who claimed his daughter was a student of his. Scroll down for video Biology professor Felix Coe at the University of Connecticut had two signs on his door that some found offensive and said infringed on their own rights The signs on Coe's office door told students to say 'Bismallah' before entering his office, as well as requiring them to take off their shoes 'I'm a Muslim. You don't come in my office with dirty shoes. That's a curse,' Coe told the student. He then told to 'get the hell out' and 'I don't want to see you' for wearing shoes in his office, in the audio clip obtained by CampusReform.org. In the second recorded instance, two men approach Coe in his office in December, one asks why the biology professor has the signs on his door. 'I want to know why these [signs] are necessary. 'Why would a student have to take their shoes off? Why would a student have to say that [Bismillah]?' Coe retorted: 'Because I am a Muslim and I don't want them coming in my office with dirty shoes.' 'But this is your office, this is not a prayer place,' the man continues. 'We have a separate place for a prayer. 'If a Christian put in here 'In Jesus' name'...would this happen?' Shortly after UConn officials saw the recordings, Coe was told to remove the signs. The University of Connecticut (left) had professor Coe remove the signs from his office door- he retired shortly after the incidents UConn spokesperson, Stephanie Reitz, told Fox News that Coe retired since the video was taken and the signs were quickly taken down from the satellite campus location in Hartford, Conn. 'Regarding this instance, the sign that had directed guests to precede their conversations with a specific Arabic phrase was immediately removed at the university's direction,' UConn spokesperson, Stephanie Reitz, said in a statement to Fox News. 'UConn promptly resolved the issue in a manner that respects the rights of all involved, and affirms the university's values of civility and inclusivity.' A notorious Italian mobster has been sentenced to six years in jail for violently assaulting a journalist during an interview in 2017. The assault - a video of which went viral shocking the nation - occurred last November in the seaside town of Ostia, near Rome. Daniele Piervincenzi, who works for the Rai national television broadcaster, was asking Roberto Spada, the brother of a jailed mafia boss, about his political allegiances when he was set upon. A camera continued to roll throughout the attack. Questioned on his ties to the far-right CasaPound movement, Spada suddenly lunged and headbutted the reporter, breaking his nose. He then pulled out a cosh, hitting him and chasing him down the street. Spada was arrested for assault aggravated by mafia-style violence, with prosecutors saying his behaviour was typical of methods used by organised crime groups to control territory. Roberto Spada (pictured second before the attack) has been sentenced to six years in prison Daniele Piervincenzi is pictured after the attack. The footage taken by his cameraman was used as evidence in court Spada's accomplice in the assault Ruben Nelson Alvarez del Puerto was jailed for six years. The sentence is slightly less that the eight years and nine months called for by the public prosecution. According to Italian media, the sentence also calls for one year's probation at the end of the prison sentence and compensation to be paid to Piervincenzi and his cameraman Edoardo Anselmi who was also targeted in the attack. Journalist Piervincenzi said at the time of the incident: 'He hit me because I was asking questions. He should ask Ostia for forgiveness.' Spada lashed out after being questioned on his connections with far-right group CasaPound. Pictured: CasaPound candidate Simone Di Stefano ahead of this year's Italian election Supporters of Italian far-right movements CasaPound and Forza Nuova march behind a banner reading 'Honour to the martyrs of the foibe' during the National Memorial Day of the Foibe His camera team had travelled to the coastal town, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Rome's city centre, for a documentary into municipal elections. The area's local council had two years before been dissolved after it was revealed to have been infiltrated by mafia. The Spada clan is notoriously violent. Seven members of the family were sentenced to a combined 56 years in jail in October 2017, and Roberto's brother Carmine was ordered to serve 10 years in 2016 for extortion and mafia association. Meek Mill has addressed supporters outside of a Philadelphia courthouse, ahead of a scheduled appearance before the judge who revoked his parole to plead for a retrial. The 31-year-old rapper, whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, addressed the crowd on Monday at the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center prior to a hearing before Judge Genece Brinkley. Mill's attorneys have asked for a new trial in his 2008 drug dealing and gun possession conviction based on credibility issues with an officer who testified at his trial. At least three convictions of other defendants based on that officer's testimony have been thrown out this year. Rapper Meek Mill speaks outside the Philadelphia Criminal Justice in Center City on Monday Meek Mill attends 'Stand with Meek Mill' rally at Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center Judge Genece Brinkley (above) sentenced Mill to two to four years in prison in November for parole violations before he was freed on parole. He now asks the judge for a retrial At the rally, Mill thanked his supporters for helping him be free from prison for Father's Day to spend it with his son. Mill was released from prison in April pending the outcome of an appeal to reverse his conviction, after being locked up by Brinkley in November for two to four years for violating his parole by assaulting an airport employee in St. Louis and driving a dirt bike recklessly in Manhattan. Brinkley also found repeated failures to report travel and multiple failed drug tests. At the rally, Mill pledged to devote himself to 'make a difference in justice reforming', saying he would use his fame to help others, video of the speech shows. 'I actually left a lot of men inside them walls who can't spend Father's Day with their sons, and some of them men are actually innocent,' he said. 'Downstairs in the dog kennel in the basement men fighting for they freedom every day,' said Mills, referring to the detention center within the courthouse. Rapper Meek Mill participates in a rally before he returns to court for a post-conviction appeal on Monday in Philadelphia. He is calling for the judge to grant a new trial over a 2008 case Demonstrators attend a rally while rapper Meek Mill returns to court for an appeal hearing Of his own case, Mills explained: 'I was 18 years old. I was caught in the system, I was alleged of a bunch of crimes and you know I just rolled with the punches.' Prior to his 2008 conviction, Mills was put on probation for illegally possessing a firearm and assaulting a policeman when he was 18 years old. He claims he was beaten up by officers without cause and falsely arrested. In the 2008 arrest for drug dealing and gun possession, the arresting officer Reginald Graham was reportedly under investigation by federal authorities for several alleged acts of corruption before he retired in 2013. The Philadelphia district attorney's office has not opposed Mills' request for a new trial. The state Supreme Court recently split on a request by Mill to remove Brinkley from his case, after the rapper's attorney Joe Tacopina alleged judicial misconduct. He claimed that Brinkley had behaved oddly for a judge, requesting a 'shout out' in one of Mills' songs and showing up in person to observe his community service. This is the moment an ISIS-supporting Uber driver who 'hated the Queen' tried to run down police outside Buckingham Palace and attack them using a Samurai sword. Dramatic footage shows Mohiussunnath Chowdhury's driving his Toyota Prius through a coned-off area outside the London landmark before attacking officers. He is currently on trial at the Old Bailey after policemen PC Ian Midgley suffered a cut to the palm of his hand and Sgt Gavin Hutt cut his hand in the struggle. Today the judge heard how Chowdhury left a note for his sister in which he promised he would see her in paradise and told her 'the Queen and her soldiers will all be in the hellfire,' the Old Bailey heard. The 27-year-old from Luton had written on one Whatsapp chat, 'I support ISIS' and searched for ISIS beheading videos online, the court heard. Chowdhury had also planned to go to Windsor Castle but went to a pub with the same name by mistake, due to a 'satnav error', prosecutors claimed. Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 27, from Luton, (pictured here in an earlier court sketch), denies preparing terrorist acts Timothy Cray prosecuting said: 'The day of the events in London, the defendant went to somewhere else connected to the royal family. 'It may have been through some satnav error, he drove past Windsor Castle but stopped for some time at a pub called The Windsor Castle. 'He also drove past the barracks where the Coldstream Guards are based. 'He didn't do anything in Windsor, he made a bit of a tour and in the end went back up the M4 to central London.' Shortly before 8.30pm on August 25 last year, Chowdhury was driving towards the Victoria Monument at the bottom of the Mall when he swerved his car through the traffic cones in front of a police van on its way to Belgravia from Charing Cross Police Station. Two uniformed officers in the car, got out of the van to see what was going on, initially believing the driver might be drunk, the court was told. Officers on the scene after the incident outside Buckingham Palace last year A map shows where Chowdhury had travelled from before making his way to Buckingham Palace Prosecutor Tim Cray told the Old Bailey: 'As checks were to prove, this defendant had something far more serious in his mind.' At 5.15pm he had left a note on top of his sister's laptop at the family home in Luton, while she was at work. Marked, 'Read This' it said: 'By the time you read this note I will be in paradise with Allah. Tell everyone that I love them and that they should struggle against the enemies of Allah with their lives and property. 'The Queen and her soldiers will all be in the hellfire. They go to war with Muslims around the world and kill them without mercy. They are the enemies that Allah tells us to fight.' Mr Cray said Chowdhury was 'saying to her in clear terms that he intended to get to paradise by becoming a martyr.' Half an hour earlier, Chowdhury had driven to his local Sainsbury's and bought a sharpening tool which he used to sharpen the edge of a sword that he owned. Taped off: A police cordon in place following the incident in December last year Prosecutor Timothy Cray showed the Old Bailey jury the samurai sword allegedly recovered from Chowdhury near Buckingham Palace Security measures: A police car in front of Buckingham Palace 'Although the police officers did not know it they were approaching a man armed with as sword, who had told his family he was gong to be a martyr and had express hatred to the Queen and her soldier and in his mind those soldiers included the police,' Mr Cray said. 'It was due to the bravery and quick reactions of the police that this defendant was stopped from doing an act with even more serious consequences.' One officer went to the driver's side and one to the passenger's side and they allegedly heard Chowdhury say: 'It's all a bit f****d up,' before reaching for the sword. There was a 'short desperate struggle' in the car as one officer climbed in the passenger side and Chowdhury was punching at them and they were punching at him, the court heard. 'By then the defendant was shouting Allahu Akbar [God is great] over and over again and by then the police officers understand enough to believe they were dealing with a terrorist attack.' The attack came just six months after a murder at Westminster and just three months after the attacks at London Bridge, Mr Cray added. 'Here again we had the centre of London prominent location, possibly the most prominent, driving erratically and attacking officers.' Seized: The sword allegedly taken from Chowdhury by police officers Dangerous: A police handout photo shows the width of the blade Using CS gas the officers manage to get the weapon from Chowdhury and one suffered a cut across his hand and the other a cut on his finger. But the Uber driver had earlier driven to the Windsor Castle pub after apparently entering the wrong details in his sat nav, the court heard. Mr Cray said: 'It may be due to some sort of sat nav error, that, although he drove past Windsor Castle, he came to a pub called the Windsor Castle. 'He drove past the barracks of the Coldstream Guards, he didn't stop, he made a bit of a tour of Windsor and then headed back down the M4 to London.' At the scene: Police taped off the area outside the London landmark after Chowdhury allegedly drove towards the Coldstream Guards Chowdhury denies preparing terrorist acts by obtaining a Samurai sword, purchasing a knife sharpener, preparing a suicide note, and driving to the area adjacent to Buckingham Palace After he was arrested, Chowdhury was interviewed by police and gave a 'reasonably full' account of what he had done and what he was trying to do. 'Putting it bluntly there is no doubt in those interviews he was confessing that he had planned to confront the police and that he saw them as people who did the 'dirty work' of the UK government,' Mr Cray said. Chowdhury claims 'all he wanted to do was to get himself killed.' 'On behalf of the Crown we suggest that is simply untrue or so far from the truth that it makes no difference,' Mr Cray said. The attack came just six months after a murder at Westminster and just three months after the attacks at London Bridge, Mr Cray added (above The Windsor Castle in Berkshire) 'We say the defendant did absolutely everything he could to prepare for an act of terrorism. 'In fact there is the clearest possible evidence that he did bring terror to streets of London by attacking police officers right in front of Buckingham Palace. 'We say it is only because police officers stopped him that nothing worse happened.' Chowdhury denies preparing terrorist acts by obtaining a Samurai sword, purchasing a knife sharpener, preparing a suicide note, and driving to the area adjacent to Buckingham Palace. The trial continues. President Donald Trump swung back at critics of his North Korean detente on Monday, arguing that his predecessor, who won a Nobel Prize his first year in office, would have been hailed a hero for meeting with Kim Jong-un. 'If President Obama (who got nowhere with North Korea and would have had to go to war with many millions of people being killed) had gotten along with North Korea and made the initial steps toward a deal that I have, the Fake News would have named him a national hero!' he tweeted. The details of a formal nuclear accord with North Korea were still being worked out a week after Trump's high-profile meeting with Kim in Singapore, with the president telling DailyMail.com on Friday, 'Were working denuclearization as fast as possible.' President Donald Trump swung back at critics of his North Korean detente on Monday, arguing that his predecessor, who won a Nobel Prize his first year in office, would have been hailed a hero for meeting with Kim Jong-un President Trump told DailyMail and other reporters that he planed to speak to North Korea over the weekend, as well as people he said were representing his administration in the country. 'We now have a very good relationship with North Korea,' he said. 'When I came into this job, it looked like war not because of me, but because if you remember the sit-down with Barack Obama, I think you will admit this, he said the biggest problem that the United States has, and by far the most dangerous problem and he said to me that weve ever had, because of nuclear, is North Korea.' The conversation with Obama at the White House took place days after the election. 'I have solved that problem. Now, were getting it memorialized and all, but that problem is largely solved, and part of the reason is we signed, number one, a very good document,' he said. 'But you know what? More importantly than the document more importantly than the document, I have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un. Thats a very important thing.' The White House is leaning on a joint statement between the two leaders committing to denucleraization of the Korean Peninsula that they signed in Singapore as the basis for a more detailed agreement. Counselor Kellyanne Conway said last week that President Trump would earn a Noble Peace Prize for his work with North Korea - unlike Obama who she said was 'handed' the prestigious award. 'Look, the last president was handed the Nobel Peace Prize this president's actually going to earn it,' she said on 'Fox and Friends' Wednesday morning. Trump has high hopes his nuclear disarmament deal with North Korean leader Kim Jung-Un will net him the prize and the respect of world leaders that comes with it. He sat down with Kim in Singapore on Tuesday for the first meeting between a sitting U.S. president and North Korean leader in history. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Trump will earn the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with North Korea Trump has high hopes the summit with Kim Jong-Un will net him the prestigious honor Conway said Trump would earn his win 'unlike the last president' President Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 Their meeting culminated in an agreement that commits the U.S. to offering unspecified 'security guarantees' for North Korea in exchange for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The exact terms of that agreement remain unclear. A group of 18 Republicans in Congress has formally submitted Trump's name to the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, Norway, that picks the winner. Trump was also nominated by two members of Norway's governing Progress Party. Nominations must be sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee before February 1 so it's unclear if Trump is eligible for the award this year or next year. 'Everyone thinks so, but I would never say it,' Trump said in May when asked if he deserved the prize. 'The prize I want is victory for the world.' South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in April that Trump deserved the prize. Hundreds of people are nominated for the Noble Peace Prize every year with 330 names having been submitted thus far this year. Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2009, shortly after he became the first African American elected president, for 'his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,' according to the citation. 'Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population,' the citation read. Obama faced some criticism when he was awarded the prize, with some asking if he had done enough less than a year into his presidency to earn it President Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his Singapore Summit At the time the award was announced, it was met by criticism from those who said the president, who had not been in office for even a year at that point, hadn't accomplished enough to earn the distinguished honor. The New York Times' Nicolas Kristof wrote at the time: 'So what do you think of President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize? I'm nonplussed - I admire his efforts toward Middle East peace, but the prize still seems very premature. What has he done?... Shouldn't the Nobel Peace Prize have a higher bar than high expectations? Especially when there are so many people who have worked for years and years on the front lines, often in dangerous situations, to make a difference to the most voiceless people of the world?' Some saw the award as a backlash to President George W. Bush, Obama's predecessor who was not popular on the world stage. Even Obama said he was 'surprised' to be given the honor. When talking to Stephen Colbert about his legacy in 2016, as he was wrapping up his time in the White House, Obama mentioned the prize. And when asked why he received it, he responded: 'To be honest, I still don't know.' Geir Lundestad, who was secretary of the prize at the time it was awarded to Obama, said in 2015: 'Even many of Obama's supporters believed that the prize was a mistake.' Past winners of the prize include the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., education advocate Malala Yousafzai, former Vice President Al Gore for his work on climate change, International Campaign to Ban Landmines, South African leader Nelson Mandela, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, former Soviet Mikhail Gorbachev, Mother Teresa, and Amnesty International. Laughing jubilantly, Charlotte Caldwell and her son Billy leave hospital yesterday after the Home Secretary let him take illegal cannabis oil to treat his life-threatening seizures. Billy, 12, was discharged from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where doctors were bowled over by the effects of the oil, which he needs to suppress up to 100 fits a day. As her son hugged her outside the hospital yesterday, Miss Caldwell said she felt 'elated'. Home Secretary Sajid Javid granted the hospital a special 35-day licence to give Billy (pictured with his mother Charlotte Caldwell) the oil Billy still has to return to the hospital twice a day to receive the oil, so they are staying in a nearby flat, paid for by well-wishers. However, questions remain over what will happen with the special 35-day licence granted by Home Secretary Sajid Javid expires. Miss Caldwell, from Castlederg in County Tyrone, urged Mr Javid and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to meet her so she could make the case to have the treatment legalised for British children with epilepsy that cannot be treated conventionally. She added: 'The fact that Billy has been discharged is testimony to the effectiveness of the treatment and underlines how vital it is that every child and every single family affected should have immediate access to the very same medication. 'Children are dying and suffering beyond imagination.' Doctors treating Billy are said to have claimed it was a 'no-brainer' that the law needed to be changed. The hospital declined to comment, and the Home Office and Department for Health did not respond to requests for comment. An expert panel of doctors is to be given the power to decide whether patients should get a 'personal licence' to use medicinal cannabis. England's chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies would lead the group advising the Government on applications to prescribe the drugs, which are illegal. Home Office Minister Nick Hurd caved in yesterday following widespread outrage over the case of epileptic Billy Caldwell, 12, whose illegal supply of cannabis oil was seized by customs officers last week. Billy has relied on the oil to suppress up to 100 seizures a day, and had travelled to Canada with his mother, Charlotte, to buy a six-month supply. But when Miss Caldwell, 50, declared the drug at Heathrow last Monday, it was seized. Miss Caldwell, from Castlederg in County Tyrone, urged Mr Javid and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to meet her so she could make the case to have the treatment legalised Without his daily dose, which had kept him free of seizures for 250 days, Billy's health deteriorated rapidly and he was rushed to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London following a series of potentially fatal fits. As a result, Home Secretary Sajid Javid granted the hospital a special 35-day licence to give Billy the oil. Miss Caldwell, from Castlederg, County Tyrone, has demanded an urgent review of the law on the medicinal drug, which is used legally to treat patients in more than 20 countries, including Canada, Italy, the Netherlands and much of the US. But it is illegal to prescribe or use it in Britain even though the UK is a major producer. Charlotte Caldwell speaks after her son was discharged from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Giving an urgent statement to the Commons yesterday, Mr Hurd said the case had 'shone a light' on the issue of cannabis-based medicine. He added that he was 'absolutely serious' about carrying out an urgent review into whether the laws on cannabis-based medicines should be relaxed. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt went to the Commons to announce that Dame Sally will establish a panel of expert clinicians to advise ministers on any individual applications for cannabis-based medications. He said the system would involve 'individual licenses on exceptional cases', but added that it would be irresponsible to allow people to use 'unregulated and untested' products. The Government's response to the issue appeared confused yesterday. At first, Mr Hunt suggested that Mr Javid had already begun a review, which was denied by the Home Office. Mr Javid then clashed with Theresa May during a Cabinet meeting, telling ministers it was essential to discuss Billy's case. Sources said the PM tried to close down the debate, insisting that the issue was not on the agenda for the meeting. But Mr Javid repeatedly asked her to reconsider. One source said Mr Javid 'would not take 'it is not on the agenda' for an answer'. Following the clash, Mrs May later suggested that the Government would look only into the operation of the current system of licences for use in individual cases, rather than reviewing the law more widely. But many MPs called for a legislation change. When Charlotte and Billy flew in from Toronto, where a leading doctor had prescribed him cannabis oil, officials at Heathrow Airport confiscated his entire six-month supply Labour backbencher Tonia Antoniazzi said two children in her constituency aged six and one had a life-limiting condition and could 'benefit hugely' from medicinal cannabis. Other MPs also raised cases, including that of six-year-old epileptic Alfie Dingley from Warwickshire, whose family is awaiting a Government decision on whether he can use cannabis oil medication. Conservative former minister Sir Mike Penning said he would personally fetch medicines to treat Alfie if they had not been made available by Wednesday. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith told of a woman with a brain tumour who, after being given two weeks to live, used a form of the drug to get rid of the growth. He said: 'There clearly are medicinal preparations that can be used. 'In the health department, it is still not considered a good thing to investigate the medicinal properties of this drug. But Tory MP Caroline Johnson, a consultant paediatrician, said scientific tests on animals had suggested THC could cause 'significant psychological problems such as psychosis if used over a long period of time'. After Mr Hurd's announcement, Miss Caldwell said the Government had 'crumbled under the pressure of the families who know best'. She told the PM show on BBC Radio 4: 'It sounds to me as though the MPs throughout the House recognise how historic this moment is.' A majority of Americans oppose the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents as they seek asylum at the U.S. border, a new study found. The policy, which has affected at least 2,000 children in the past six weeks, was opposed by 66 percent of Americans, with 27 percent saying they were in favor of separation, according to the Quinnipiac University National Poll of American voters released today. 'When does public opinion become a demand that politicians just can't ignore?' asked Tim Mallow, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Poll. 'This is a resounding statement against separating kids from parents.' Two-thirds of Americans are opposed to the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents at the U.S. border. When broken up by party and gender, 35 percent of Republicans and 91 percent of Democrats oppose the practice. Women are more likely than men to oppose the division of families Republican voters were the only segment of the population to support the practice, with 55 percent in favor of the president's policy, 35 percent opposed and the rest uncertain. All other breakdowns by party, gender, education, age, racial and other groups opposed dividing families. 'Neither quotes from the Bible nor get-tough talk can soften the images of crying children nor reverse the pain so many Americans feel,' Mallow said, referring to Attorney General Jeff Sessions' recent citation of scripture while discussing the issue. Sessions mentioned Romans 13 in a speech to law enforcement officers on June 14, suggesting illegal immigrants must 'obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order.' Half of voters said the Trump administration has been 'too aggressive' in deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally, while 33 percent said he was acting appropriately and 13 percent said he was not aggressive enough. Overall, 39 percent of Americans support building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, while 58 percent oppose the idea. Republicans overwhelmingly support the wall (77 percent), compared to just 9 percent of Democrats. Men are more likely than women to be in favor of the wall 'You can look at this poll as an indictment of the administrations treatment of immigrants,' Mallow said. 'There's empathy for the Dreamers; there's empathy for kids being separated from their parents.' A majority of Americans (58 percent) opposed building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, while 39 percent were in favor of the idea. The issue was divided among political parties, with 77 percent of Republicans supporting the idea, compared to 9 percent of Democrats. 'There's big negativity on the wall,' Malloy said. 'We do poll (on this issue) every month and we hear that money could be put somewhere else, or they (voters) don't think it could ever happen.' Americans also overwhelmingly supported so-called 'Dreamers' people who came to the U.S. illegally as children, also known by the abbreviation 'DACA' for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. More than two-thirds of Americans believe immigrants currently living in the U.S. illegally should be allowed to stay and get citizenship. An additional 8 percent who believe they should be able to stay but not become citizens, compared to 19 percent who believe they must leave and 6 percent who don't know how they feel about the issue Overall, 79 percent of Americans are in favor of allowing Dreamers to stay in the country and eventually apply for citizenship. When broken down by party, 94 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of Republicans support the idea of allowing DACA kids to stay and pursue a path to citizenship, while 5 percent and 28 percent (respectively) oppose the idea. The poll also asked Americans what should be done about immigrants already living illegally in the U.S. Overall, 67 percent of voters said they should be allowed to stay and eventually apply for citizenship, while another 8 percent said they should be able to stay without becoming citizens, and 19 percent said they must be forced to leave. When looking just at Republicans' response to that question, 48 percent said they should be able to stay and eventually become citizens, while 9 percent supported having them stay without citizenship, and 36 percent said they should be forced to leave. With an Instagram profile full of pictures of her posing provocatively in an array of skimpy swimwear, she doesnt look like your typical government policy adviser. But civil servant turned Love Island star Zara McDermott has boasted that she makes the laws and even has a selfie inside No 10 to prove it. However the 21-year-old who works as a junior member of the policy team advising Education Secretary Damian Hinds is apparently in hot water at work after failing to tell Whitehall bosses she was planning on appearing on the show. The 21-year-old is understood to work as a junior member of the policy team advising Education Secretary Damian Hinds, and has taken an unpaid career break to compete in the tawdry reality show According to The Sun, Miss McDermott told her managers she was taking a 'career break' to take part in a television series but didn't mention she would be appearing on Love Island. The paper reports the high-flyer, who previously worked for Michael Gove at the Enviroment Department, has been warned she must not break strict rules on expressing her views on politics in public. A government source told The Sun: 'She needs to be very careful because the rules are quite vague about what would be deemed bad behaviour so she could end up getting sacked.' The DfE said civil servants on career breaks 'must abide by the civil service code' which may come at odds with some of the choices of clothing inside the villa. Miss McDermott's Instagram page alone is stuffed with pictures of her in bikinis and skimpy outfits which may jar with the powers that be in Westminster. The glamorous brunette has been branded a rising star of the civil service, having undergone a two-year apprenticeship after finishing her A-levels and joining the Department of Energy The glamorous brunette has been branded a rising star of the civil service, having undergone a two-year apprenticeship after finishing her A-levels and joining the Department of Energy. On her LinkedIn page, Miss McDermott claims she developed policies, dealt with parliamentary questions and briefed ministers. She has been working at the Department for Education for eight months. In April 2016, Miss McDermott posted a picture of herself inside No 10 on Instagram, captioned: My office for the day. My job is better than yours. The former model, who lives with her parents in Essex, attended The Coopers Company and Coborn School, a well-performing academy in Upminster, east London, and gained two As and a B at A-level. Arriving on the ITV2 show in Majorca, she told her fellow contestants she works in the government. The former model, who lives with her parents in Essex, attended The Coopers Company and Coborn School, a well-performing academy in Upminster, east London, and gained two As and a B at A-level When asked if she was responsible for making laws, she replied yeah, in essence. She is appearing on the show after being granted an unpaid career break by the DfE in line with civil service rules, which state civil servants can have a career break of between three months and two years. It is thought DfE bosses might not necessarily have known she wanted the break in order to appear on Love Island. While the shows controversial nature may raise eyebrows among Miss McDermotts employers, her mother Karen insisted she was proud of her. Speaking about her very academic daughter, Mrs McDermott, 56, added: Were behind her 100 per cent. She obviously spoke to us when she was first talking to the show and said she wouldnt do it if we didnt want her to. We told her to enjoy it and have the best experience of her life. We hope she finds her man. She said daughter loves her job and is passionate about making a difference. All civil servants must uphold the civil service code which says workers must show integrity and professionalism while away from government while on a career break. If these terms were broken, human resources would be notified and would launch an investigation. However, workers who keep to the terms may return to work as normal. Oprah Winfrey never confirmed she would run for president in 2020, but on Monday she slammed the Trump administration's policy of separating migrant children from their families. The billionaire media mogul took to Twitter to criticize the controversial policy, sharing 'Babies torn from their parents. Can't stand it! Will be watching Gayle King and her colleagues LiVE from Texas.' Her comments were met with mixed reactions. Oprah slammed the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents in his massive illegal immigration crackdown The president's supporters lashed out at Oprah, while others urged her to either run against him in the presidential election, or do something more with her platform to help the children caught in the middle of the widely criticized policy. Trump has previously said he would relish having Oprah as his 2020 opponent. 'Hope Oprah runs so she can be exposed and defeated just like all of the others!' he tweeted in February. One fan of Oprah's demanded she take action. Christy Strum tweeted at the 64-year-old, 'You're one of the few people in this country with the power to mobilize & demand answers. Don't WATCH Gayle. Get out, get on the phone, get your famous friends together to DO SOMETHING. We can't watch this happen, we must ACT. You have power - please use it!' While another Twitter user, hoping, but doubting to see Oprah's name on the presidential ballot, shared to Twitter: 'Oprah 2020!? ...although you won't do it because you know you would win...but it wouldn't be fair to inherit the task of really making America great again...' Meanwhile, also on Monday, the president's wife weighed in on her husband's administrations policy over handling of the children of immigrants. Her spokeswoman said 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. Yesterday's Order of the Garter ceremony went like clockwork as usual. Even the sun peeped out to bask Windsor Castle in a golden glow as the Queen led members of the Royal Family in velvet capes and plumed hats to celebrate the ancient order of chivalry. Such spectacular events, of course, are meticulously planned, from the parade ground perfection of the marching Blues and Royals to the crisp salutes of the white-gloved police. They also rely on one other key ingredient the absence of any unexpected surprise that might derail the spectacular. And yet for the second time in little more than a month, Buckingham Palace has been caught out by the domestic whirlwind that surrounds the family of the newest member of 'the firm', the Duchess of Sussex. Scroll down for video Thomas Markle's bombshell television interview (pictured) has left courtiers reeling Thomas Markle's bombshell television interview, in which some of his daughter Meghan and Prince Harry's most intimate secrets were exposed, left courtiers reeling. To be wrong-footed once as they were when the duchess's father announced he would not be giving Meghan away so late in the day his presence could not be removed from the order of service may be unfortunate. To be surprised for a second time, however, might be regarded as careless. If Mr Markle's remarks about his daughter and Harry trying for a baby 'there's got to be a child in the making, somewhere soon' were just cringe-making, his assertions about Harry's views on Donald Trump and Brexit were explosive. Quite apart from stripping aside his daughter's dignity, he has also exposed his new son-in-law to critics who will complain that members of the Royal Family have no business declaring an interest in the hottest political issues of the day. And ever since Trump became US President, and more particularly over controversial plans to invite him to Britain, the royals have been scrupulous to avoid revealing any views on the matter. Mr Markle (pictured with his daughter) exposed some of his daughter Meghan and Prince Harry's most intimate secrets To be wrong-footed once as they were when the duchess's father announced he would not be giving Meghan away may be unfortunate. Pictured, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kiss on their wedding In his interview on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Mr Markle spoke of his telephone conversations with Harry. In one, he said: 'I was complaining about not liking Donald Trump. He said 'give Donald Trump a chance'. I sort of disagreed with that.' When asked about Harry's views on Brexit, Mr Markle, 73, told hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid: 'It was just a loose conversation ... I think he [Harry] was open to the experiment.' No wonder yesterday at the Palace there were shudders. Members of the Royal Family can express views on events but they cannot be seen as partisan. Nor did they much like hearing the Queen being referred to as 'that woman'. Even if one has some sympathy for the unsophisticated Tom Markle who emerges as naive rather than wilful though it cannot be ignored that he was paid for this interview the Palace has again been found wanting. In his interview on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Mr Markle spoke of his telephone conversations with Harry to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid (pictured) Four weeks ago, old royal hands were left wondering why more effort hadn't been taken to ensure that Meghan's father was properly brought into his daughter's new world. Instead, aides were left floundering when it emerged that Mr Markle had foolishly participated in the staging of paparazzi pictures. The irony was that this act of invading his own privacy came at the very time Kensington Palace was sending strict warnings to the media not to harass him. It was hard to escape the conclusion that royal advisers had failed to realise that this lonely man who lives in a run-down, Mexican border town would struggle to deal with the enormity of his daughter marrying into the Royal Family. Why, they were asked, hadn't Mr Markle been helped? A consular official from the British embassy in Mexico City could have been sent up to brief him or even one of Prince Charles's more experienced aides flown out to acclimatise him. Yesterday, as they did a month ago, sources murmured that offers of assistance had been made to the former TV lighting director. Aides were reluctant to say more, but many thought that as soon as the wedding was over steps would have been taken to ensure Mr Markle felt he was part of the family. Meghan Markle's mother Doria Ragland (left, with Prince Charles and Camilla) received the warmest of welcomes when she flew in from her LA home for the wedding This might mean a new home, paid for by his wealthy son-in-law, and with an income to support himself and where he would have no need to give interviews for cash. At the very least one might have expected the newly-weds to have visited him by now or arranged for him to visit them. His treatment or rather a lack of it contrasts wildly with that extended to his ex-wife and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland. The 61-year-old yoga teacher received the warmest of welcomes when she flew in from her LA home for the wedding. An aide was waiting to drive her to Kensington Palace; she had tea with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall and, ahead of the wedding, met the Queen. She is now firmly part of her daughter's new family. Thomas Markle, thus far, seems to be excluded from it. One can only imagine how frustrating this must be for Prince Harry. Determined to protect his wife in the way he was never able to protect his late mother, Diana, the response of the Palace to Meghan's father has fallen short. Of one thing we can be sure: he will not be overly embarrassed that his views on Trump and the EU have emerged. One figure who has known the prince since he was a boy, says: 'You could say he handled a tricky conversation well. When asked about Brexit he was trying to be non-committal and on Trump he didn't want to be rude.' A less generous view was being taken elsewhere however. As a young man whose experiences of America come from his time training with the US military and that ill-fated trip to Las Vegas, he might be disposed to thinking positively about Trump. Indeed the royals have followed Trump's rise closely. At a charity lunch before the 2016 US election, Prince Charles asked an American sitting next to him what Trump was like. Mr Markle's assertions about Harry's views on Donald Trump and Brexit were explosive Ever since Trump (pictured) became US President, the royals have been scrupulous to avoid revealing any views on the matter The guest later admitted she was flustered because she didn't think royals talked about political figures. Perhaps this accounts for the sympathy that exists at Clarence House for this latest imbroglio involving Meghan's father. 'Prince Charles and Camilla like Meghan enormously, but they do feel that the team around her and Harry is rather inexperienced,' says an insider. Others, though, feel that the duchess herself could have done more to avoid difficulties. It is worth recalling that according to Meghan's biographer Andrew Morton, the former actress has long become used to compartmentalising her life. When success with TV series Suits arrived, she purged many childhood friends. Some might argue she has done the same with her close family. Her mother, after all, was the solitary representative of blood relatives at her daughter's wedding. Inevitably, those around the royals were comparing Mr Markle with another royal-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge's father Michael Middleton. He has only ever spoken once and then under strict Palace control when his daughter became engaged to Prince William. In the near eight years since, he has said nothing. Sadly with a little more due diligence this Markle debacle Part 2 might have been wholly avoided. Seeming quite amused, Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro holds up a newspaper headlining the discovery of a plot to kill Castro The assassination plot was the last word in Cold War deviousness. A hollowed-out Paper Mate ballpoint pen contained a hypodermic syringe so fine that when it was poked into the skin of Fidel Castro, the communist dictator would feel only a slight nick nothing worse than a scratch from an over-starched shirt, boasted the CIA techies. This would be enough though for the pen to deliver the poison Black Leaf 40, a nicotine-based insecticide fatal to humans it contained within. The great man and his army of bodyguards would suspect nothing, CIA operatives assured the would-be assassin at a secret meeting in Paris on November 22, 1963. Major Rolando Cubela Secades, a Cuban army officer and revolutionary comrade of Castro who was plotting to replace him, wasnt too impressed. Hed have preferred a high-powered, silenced rifle with a telescopic sight rather than this toy, he complained. Even so, he put the pen in his pocket, hoping to find a more lethal poison later. It emerged at the weekend that Caitlin FitzGerald is the mystery woman in the life of Poldarks Aidan Turner, who turns 35 today He never got the chance to use it, however, as President John F. Kennedy was assassinated the same day and with him, the U.S. determination to kill the Cuban dictator. As for the man who had devised the plot and recruited Cubela in Paris weeks earlier, CIA deputy director and head of operations Desmond FitzGerald would always complain that the U.S. missed its chance to take down Fidel. But plots and subterfuge of a different kind now enfold the CIA chiefs granddaughter and, oddly, the setting is once again Paris. CIA deputy director and head of operations Desmond FitzGerald was Caitlin FitzGerald's grandfather It emerged at the weekend that Caitlin FitzGerald is the mystery woman in the life of Poldarks Aidan Turner, who turns 35 today. The actress, also 35, was spotted with him during a romantic trip to the French capital. They met last year when making the forthcoming film The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot. Her grandfather was one of the stalwarts of the CIAs department of dirty tricks officially known as the Directorate of Plans. FitzGerald was adventurous and charming, but also autocratic and pompous. He joined the CIA in 1950 and cut his teeth directing operations against Communist China. He was not always successful. When FitzGerald armed the leader of a 12,000-strong group of anti- communist insurgents, instead of attacking China, the man set himself up as a drug lord. FitzGerald had more success in the Philippines, albeit by encouraging maverick U.S. air force colonel Edward Lansdale, whose unscrupulous psychological warfare tricks included leaving corpses drained of blood to look like the victims of vampires. FitzGerald would always complain that the U.S. missed its chance to take down Fidel FitzGerald urged his operatives that we are here not to monitor communism, we are here to destroy it. One of his last acts in the Far East was to hatch a plan to biologically immobilise Indonesias President Sukarno, a communist sympathiser. It was common knowledge that Sukarno had an insatiable sex drive and bedded a long string of air stewardesses. The CIA identified one of them and planned through her to infect Sukarno with venereal disease in 1959. We did find a stewardess whose job it was to keep him happy, but even at our worst, we couldnt do it, said Bob King, a former CIA official. The agency was to do a lot worse in years to come. FitzGerald took over CIA operations in 1963, two years after the fiasco of the Bay of Pigs the U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba. President Kennedy was obsessed with unconventional warfare, once reflecting: You always assume that the military and intelligence people have some secret skill not available to ordinary mortals. Events proved that was a mistaken assumption. FitzGeralds predecessors came up with various far-fetched ideas, most famously a box of 50 Cohiba cigars (Castros favourite) dusted with the deadly botulin toxin. They were never delivered amid doubts that he would ever smoke them. The agency also recruited Castros lover, Marita Lorenz, who was to have poisoned his evening cup of hot milk. That plot curdled, too, after she concealed the pills in cold cream and ruined them. FitzGeralds predecessors came up with various far-fetched ideas, most famously a box of 50 Cohiba cigars (Castros favourite) dusted with the deadly botulin toxin. They were never delivered amid doubts that he would ever smoke them When FitzGerald took over, the ideas got even madder. To be fair, he was goaded continually by JFK and his brother, Robert, after the 1962 Cuban missile crisis brought the world near to catastrophe. FitzGerald and another senior CIA official would think up operations over lunch said ex-agency official Chester Cooper. It might start in jest, but about halfway through theyd begin to believe they could work it out. Keen to at least destabilise Castro, FitzGerald brought in Colonel Lansdale, who came up with a stream of wacky ideas. The most outrageous involved helicopters at night equipped with searchlights and loudspeakers to pose as the eye of God. Lansdale proposed to flood Catholic Cuba with rumours of a Second Coming in the hope that Castro would be seen as the Antichrist. As A FINAL apocalyptic touch, Lansdale wanted a U.S. submarine to surface off the coast in darkness and fill the sky with starbursts. Colleagues mockingly dubbed his crazy plan elimination by illumination. It never left the drawing board. When FitzGerald took over, the ideas got even madder. To be fair, he was goaded continually by JFK and his brother, Robert, after the 1962 Cuban missile crisis brought the world near to catastrophe The most outrageous involved helicopters at night equipped with searchlights and loudspeakers to pose as the eye of God. Lansdale proposed to flood Catholic Cuba with rumours of a Second Coming in the hope that Castro would be seen as the Antichrist Nor did many of FitzGeralds bold plans to kill Castro. The dictator was a keen scuba diver and the CIA developed a wetsuit impregnated with fungus spores that would cause a chronic skin disease. The mouthpiece on the breathing apparature was treated with tuberculosis bacteria. The suit was to have been delivered by a lawyer negotiating the return of Bay of Pigs prisoners to the U.S. But the priority was to kill Castro without America being blamed, which seemed impossible this way. The CIA worked out the stretch of coral reef where Castro liked to swim. FitzGerald devised a plan for a midget submarine to carry a bomb hidden inside a brightly coloured seashell and plant it on the seabed in his path. Of course, hed pick it up, Fitz-Gerald told sceptics. Yet again, blowing up the seabed was hardly subtle, so the plan was dropped. FitzGerald became so desperate to find an assassin he ignored pleas not to go to Paris and meet Rolando Cubela. His staff feared Cubela was a double-agent. That possibility reared its head when JFK was assassinated weeks later. Had Castro learned of Americas murderous intentions and killed Kennedy first? When Lee Harvey Oswald was assassinated in turn by Jack Ruby, FitzGerald began to cry. Now well never know, he told his wife, cryptically. Most historians, however, believe neither the Russians nor the Cubans were involved in killing Kennedy. FitzGerald would later fight communists in Vietnam, but never revisted the wild excesses of his attempts to kill Castro. Whenever Cold War CIA chief Richard Helms was confronted by U.S. skulduggery, he liked to sneer: Were not in the Boy Scouts. A pity, as the average Scout could have pointed out the flaw in a harebrained Des FitzGerald plot in seconds. Excellent customer service really is a Chick-Fil-A employee's pleasure! Jared Wilson, a 19-year-old Chick-Fil-A employee from Chesterfield County, Virginia, turned into a bona fide viral video star over the weekend, after being caught sprinting 200 yards across a parking lot to reunite a customer with a missing chicken sandwich. The 22-second video of Wilson's mad dash was filmed Thursday by Bryan Ware, who happened to be a passenger in a car outside the Chick-Fil-A at exactly the right moment. Virginia Chick-Fil-A employee Jared Wilson, 19, became a viral video star after being caught on camera running across a parking lot to reunite a customer with a missing chicken sandwich Wilson said that the driver was surprised to have the sandwich hand delivered and that Wilson did utter the fast food chain's customary 'my pleasure' response after handing it over In the clip, Wilson wearing the fast food chain's customary red shirt and black pants uniform bursts into view, running down the sidewalk while carrying a paper bag. He then begins waving an arm in the air and flags down a black car that's making a left hand turn. When the car stops, Wilson hands the paper bag to the driver, pausing for a second to catch his breath, before beginning the jog back to the Chick-Fil-A from whence he came, eventually slowing down to a walk as he's clearly knackered by his delivery efforts. Since the video was posted on WTVR's Facebook page Thursday afternoon, it has been viewed more than 3.4million times. Wilson told WTVR that the white paper bag he handed over to the customer contained a chicken sandwich that his coworker forgot to include in the customer's order. Wilson has been working at the Chick-Fil-A for 18 months and intends to join the US Navy 'I knew I could probably catch [the customer], so I figured I might as well give it a shot,' he said about the 200-yard run that was caught on camera. Wilson, who graduated from Midlothian High School and plans to join the US Navy, said that he has seen his coworkers chase after customers who left with incomplete orders in the past and that doing so is something employees are 'expected to do.' However, Wilson, who has worked at the Chick-Fil-A for 18 months, added that that sort of parking lot special delivery service is 'by no means an everyday occurrence.' Wilson said that the customer he flagged down was surprised to see him chasing after the car with the missing sandwich, but was happy about the effort made to complete the order. As Chick-Fil-A workers are trained to do in lieu of saying 'you're welcome,' Wilson admitted he did say the mad dash was 'my pleasure.' Wilson told WTVR that he, his family and his friends find his sudden viral video fame to be hilarious. After catching wind of the video, he said he scrolled 'through to comments (on the video) for hours and could not stop laughing.' An heir to the Bulmers cider dynasty criticised the police investigation into the 2million raid of his home as 'brain dead, incompetent and deplorable'. Eleven men are accused of being involved in the 'sophisticated heist' on the sprawling Somerset home of ex-Conservative MP Esmond Bulmer and wife Susie. Artwork and antiques totalling more than 2million were stolen during the raid on the five-bedroom property in Bruton in 2009. Three of the raiders, two of them former builders at the Bulmers' home, are alleged to have tied a housesitter to a bannister before stealing 15 paintings and 400,000 worth of jewellery during the raid. Esmond and Susie Bramer's home near Bruton in Somerset was the scene of a major art theft The burglary happened in March 2009, but the men have only just been brought to trial at Bristol Crown Court. Jurors have been told other gang members are likely still at large. Giving evidence yesterday, Mr Bulmer, a former chairman of Bulmers which was sold in 2003, earning the family 84million, described the initial Avon and Somerset Police investigation as 'brain dead'. The 83-year-old said the paintings were only recovered, and the men subsequently brought to trial, after a sting operation arranged by the Bulmers, their insurers, and a former police officer specialising in the recovery of stolen art. He also claimed that officers dismissed his list of suspicions over who was behind the raid on his prized art collection, which he had been collating since 1956. Mr Bulmer, who was in Barbados when the raid occurred, said he had returned home to find forensic officers searching his home. He then spent days painstakingly collecting a list of stolen items to assist with the probe. But after four months, police came and told him their inquiries had 'come to nothing'. The lack of progress forced him to log a complaint with the force's chief constable and then-home secretary Theresa May in August 2010. Mr Bulmer, who was an MP from 1974 to 1987, told jurors: 'The chief constable [later] came to apologise to us for the failure of the earlier investigation. Theft: The painting Apple Blossom was among 15 stolen from Esmond and Susie Bramer 'The quality of the police investigation subsequently has been of a wholly different order.' In one letter sent to police after the first investigation, Mr Bulmer described officers as 'brain dead, incompetent, of a low calibre and deplorable'. He told the court: 'All of which the chief constable has accepted and apologised for.' After the police probe came to nothing, former policeman Richard Ellis was employed by Hiscox Insurance. In February 2015 after six years of the raiders not being found Mr Ellis arranged a 'sting operation' in which an advert was placed in the Antiques Trade Gazette offering a 50,000 reward for the paintings. After contact was made with the burglars, a ransom was agreed, said Mr Bulmer. However, the burglars then threatened to sell one of the paintings to an oligarch. The ransom was raised to 175,000 and the paintings were returned to a secure location in August 2015. The insurers kept police updated, Mr Bulmer said, and the raiders were eventually tracked down by officers and arrested. All but one of the paintings which included 1899 work Apple Blossom by Sir George Clausen and pre-Raphaelite pieces were recovered. The court had earlier heard the plot to raid Mr Bulmer's home was dreamt up by Liam Judge and Matthew Evans, who had done building work there months earlier. Judge, 41, Evans, 40, and Skinder Ali, 38, are alleged to have carried out the raid. Ali and five others are accused of storing the 15 stolen artworks. Five are accused of trying to defraud insurers which offered the reward. Two of the men are accused of money laundering. The 11 deny the charges against them. The trial continues. The watchdog for the Justice Department is investigating former FBI director James Comey's handling of classified information in his memos about his private conversations with President Donald Trump. Those memos, which ended up in the hands of the media shortly after Comey was fired, contained information the administration argues was classified but the former FBI director says was classified retroactively. The matter is being looked into by the Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz. Horowitz revealed the investigation while under questioning at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Monday on his bombshell report that knocked Comey's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server. Department of Justice Inspector General Horowitz testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley questioned Horowitz about Comey's memos on his conversations with President Trump FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley asked Horowitz: 'Are you investigating Comey's handling of his memos, and does that include the classification issues, and should Mr. Comey expect a report when it is complete?' 'We received a referral on that from the FBI. We are handling that referral, and we will issue a report when the matter is complete,' Horowitz replied. Additionally, at the same hearing, FBI director Christopher Wray refused to answer questions about a discrepancy between Comey and former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe on leaks to the media. Wray said he couldn't answer questions on the topic as there is an 'ongoing investigation.' But Sen. Ted Cruz asked him about it repeatedly, demanding: 'Did the FBI directory perjured himself to this committee?' in regards to Comey's testimony before the committee in May. 'I can't answer that question without describing an ongoing investigation,' Wray said. The inspector general - in a report released in April - found McCabe inappropriately authorized the disclosure of sensitive information to a reporter and then misled investigators and Comey about it. McCabe and Comey are at odds over the report's findings. McCabe asserts that Comey knew he authorized the media disclosure and Comey claims otherwise. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last May, six days before Comey was fired, Grassley asked him if he'd 'ever been an anonymous source' or, in a separate question, if he had 'ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source.' 'Never,' Comey replied to the first question. 'No,' was his response to the second. Additionally during his congressional testimony, Comey said he wrote memos detailing his conversations with Trump in which he noted the president asked him to pledge his loyalty to him while he was spearheading the FBI's investigation into Russian role in the 2016 election. He also revealed in those memos Trump asked him to drop his investigation into former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was fired after reports he had lied to investigators about his contacts with a Russian diplomat. Trump denies he asked Comey to do this. Comey gave four total memos to his friend Daniel Richman, a former federal prosecutor who is now a professor at Columbia Law School, The Wall Street Journal reported in April. Three were considered unclassified at the time and the one was that was classified contained the redactions Comey made. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz (L) and FBI Director Christopher Wray take an oath before testifying to the Senate Judiciary Committee Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz (L) and FBI Director Christopher Wray testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee Comey says he gave the memos to Richman and 'asked him to get the substance of it out to the media.' 'I don't consider what I shared with Mr. Richman a leak,' Comey told Fox News in April. Comey argues the memos were personal rather than government documents. He told Congress he wrote them and authorized their release to the media 'as a private citizen.' As FBI director, Comey had the legal authority to determine what bureau information was classified and what wasn't. But he lost that authority when he lost that job. Trump fired Comey on May 9, 2017. On May 11, the New York Times reported on those Comey memos. The FBI deemed the memos classified sometime during 2017. Trump has repeatedly accused Comey of mishandling classified information and lying to the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has hammered Comey and McCabe repeatedly as leakers and liars. After the IG report on McCabe was released in April, Trump tweeted: 'He LIED! LIED! LIED! McCabe was totally controlled by Comey. McCabe is Comey!! No collusion, all made up by this den of thieves and lowlifes.' McCabe was fired in March - two days before he qualified for retirement - in part based on issues the inspector general was investigating. During a Fox News appearance in April as part of his book tour, Comey confirmed he had been interviewed by the inspector general in regards to those memos. James Comey is being investigated for whether there was classified information in the memos he leaked on his conversations with Trump Comey and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe disagree on leaks to the media 'And I expect a report on them,' Comey said. 'Not on the handling of classified information because that's frivolous, but on, 'Did I comply with policy? Did I comply with my employment agreement?'' Comey repeatedly has denied he leaked classified information. 'That memo was unclassified then,' Comey told Fox. 'It's still unclassified. It's in my book. The FBI cleared that book before it could be published.' Comey's tactics in getting the memos to the media was successful. Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel to investigate Russia's role in the 2016 election. A student who posted her traffic fine on Tinder has been pleasantly surprised by a man on the other side of the world. Lexi, 25, who studies at the University of Newcastle, had the infringement notice paid by a generous man from Shreveport, Louisiana. Network Engineer Matt McHugh said he paid the fine after the pair got chatting, but does not expect anything in return except friendship. A student (pictured) who posted her traffic fine on Tinder has been pleasantly surprised by a man on the other side of the world Lexi, 25, who studies at the University of Newcastle, had the infringement notice paid by a generous man from Shreveport, Louisiana (left, right) 'Just looking for a nice guy to pay penalty infringement number 3*********,' Lexi wrote in her Tinder profile. Mr McHugh then sent her a screenshot of a receipt for the payment of the $110 fine via Facebook messenger. 'She was a good sport so I figured I'd help her out,' Mr McHugh told Daily Mail Australia. Network Engineer Matt McHugh (pictured) said he paid the fine after the pair got chatting, but does not expect anything in return except friendship 'I don't have high hopes for anything more than friendship. We can all dream but it's hard to get one of those beautiful blonde Australians to come to America. 'Maybe she will let me buy her a beer if ever make it to Australia.' Mr McHugh said he stumbled across Lexi after using Tinder Plus to view people living in Australia. 'I'd love to [go to Australia]! I've been trying to go for years,' he said. 'I just don't want to go by myself. It would be nice to know a few people.' The headmistress of a high-profile private girls' school has been sacked and arrested by police investigating claims of expenses fraud. Hilary French, 62, was dismissed by Newcastle High School for Girls after the probe into allegations of dishonesty. Parents were told of the sacking in a letter on Friday. It said the decision was taken after a 'rigorous internal process'. The school, where fees are up to 13,000 a year, is part of the Girls' Day School Trust. An inquiry has been launched into headmistress Hilary French (pictured) It said in the letter: 'We wanted to make you aware as soon as we were able to that Mrs Hilary French has been dismissed from her post as head of Newcastle High School for Girls following an internal investigation into allegations of dishonesty relating to expenses claims. 'This is a decision that has been made following a rigorous internal process. The police have also been informed.' Northumbria Police said they released Mrs French after questioning as the probe continues. It said: 'A 62-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of committing a fraud against Newcastle High School for Girls. he was later released under investigation and inquiries into the fraud are ongoing.' The father of Eurydice Dixon's alleged killer has hit back at online trolls who have bombarded him since her death, saying their personal attacks left him at 'breaking point'. Jaymes Todd, 19, was charged with the rape and murder of Ms Dixon, 22, who died in the alleged attack at Princes Park, in Melbourne, about 2.40am last Wednesday. Todd's father Jason has now revealed that in the days after the alleged attack he was repeatedly abused by strangers on social media, with the taunts leaving him in tears. 'Hope you're proud to have raised a murderer and a rapist... LOL your son is going to get his in prison... he will scream so hard,' one troll wrote to Mr Todd. 'You motherf***er, your son is a dog and so are you. F**k you bitch,' another posted. But the shattered father-of-three has since hit back at his detractors, telling them in his own online post that he agrees with the outrage over Ms Dixon's alleged attack. Scroll down for video The father Eurydice Dixon's (pictured) accused murderer has hit back at trolls who attacked him online in the days after his son Jaymes Todd allegedly killed the budding comedian Jaymes Todd's father Jason said that after days of abuse, one message he received in the middle of the night (pictured above) left him outraged and made him want to return fire Mr Todd publicly shared some of the enormous amount of abuse he's copped in the days after his son was charged with Ms Dixon's rape and murder 'I've also experienced loss... I'll never get to see my son get married, have children, buy a house... damn, I'll never be able to hug him again,' Mr Todd posted on social media. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Mr Todd said he initially never planned to respond to the trolls, admitting he agreed with many of the sentiments around Ms Dixon's death. 'I don't want to detract from what they're trying to do and the problem is I agree with a lot of it,' he said. 'That poor girl, she should have been able to walk from where she was to where she was going completely naked and she should've been safe. 'She has the right to be safe, every person should be safe to walk at night and not be attacked. 'When Adrian Bailey killed Jill Meagher I was almost exactly the same. I said "stuff the suppression order, get his f***ing name out there". 'Just because it's my son now doesn't mean my morals should be any different.' Mr Todd said he and his wife have still not seen their son, who has been behind bars since handing himself into police last Wednesday. Mr Todd (pictured) last week told Daily Mail Australia he was 'as appalled as the rest of society' about the alleged attack on Ms Dixon Jaymes Todd (pictured) has been charged with the rape and murder of the aspiring comedian 'I've had enough': Mr Todd said while he initially didn't plan to retaliate, one particular piece of abuse pushed him over the edge Mr Todd also fired back on a number of posts where social media users abused him, saying he was behind the #MeToo movement After last week admitting he was 'appalled' at the alleged attack on Ms Dixon, he has now told he is nervous about how he will react when he finally sees Jaymes. 'I don't know how I'm going to react when I see him. He's my son and like any parent I love him,' Mr Todd said. 'We had a good relationship before, so I just don't know - I don't think anyone could predict how they'd react in that situation. 'I'm not trying to be the victim, I just want people to know that I get their anger and I'm so sorry for what happened to Eurydice.' Mr Todd's comments came just hours after an estimated 10,000 people gathered at Princes Park to remember Ms Dixon. Ms Dixon was on her way home from a gig on June 12 when she was allegedly raped and murdered at the park in Carlton North in inner Melbourne It's estimated up to 10,000 mourners gathered at a vigil for Ms Dixon in Melbourne on Monday Two mourners were among thousands to hold candles and stand in silence on the cold evening Ms Dixon was walking home from a comedy gig in Melbourne's CBD on the night she was allegedly attacked The amateur comedian was on her way home from a gig on June 12 when she was allegedly raped and murdered at the park. Her body was found in the early hours of Wednesday morning, less than a kilometre away from her home. The tragedy brought the community together on Monday night, as thousands stood in silence just metres from where Ms Dixon's body was found. Similar candlelit services were also held in other capital cities around the nation. Thousands of DACA recipients have been allowed to stay in the United States, it was revealed on Monday, including 10 accused of murder. Nearly 60,000 immigrants with arrest records under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program are in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security found 59,786 DACA recipients have been arrested while in the U.S. - about 8 percent of all who have been approved to remain in the U.S. under the program since it was created in 2012, Fox News reported. The information was released as immigration issues are in the spotlight, mainly under President Donald Trump's policy of separating children from the adults who accompany them at illegal border crossings. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), officers arrest an undocumented Mexican immigrant during a raid in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn A Mission Police Dept. officer and a U.S. Border Patrol agent watch over a group of Central American asylum seekers before taking them into custody near McAllen, Texas. Additionally, Congress is preparing to consider a pair of immigration bills put forward by Republicans that contain provisions aimed at helping immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children. Trump is scheduled to meet with House Republicans about the legislation Tuesday evening on Capitol Hill. He announced in September that he was ending the DACA program, but a series of federal court rulings has kept it running. Both Republican bills allow immigrants facing the loss of their DACA protections to apply for legal status in the U.S. Of those DACA recipients arrested, 53,792 were arrested before their most recent request for a 'grant of deferred action' was approved. Another 7,814 were arrested after their request was approved, Fox News reported. Of those with a 'prior' arrest, more than 4,500 had been arrested on allegations of assault or battery; 830 arrests were related to sex crimes, and 95 arrests were made on warrants for kidnapping, human trafficking or false imprisonment. Ten such arrests were made in murder cases. Additionally about 39 percent of those with a 'prior' arrest were accused of so-called 'driving-related' offenses, excluding driving under the influence. Another 22 percent were accused of 'immigration-related' crimes, while 12 percent were accused of theft and larceny. More than 4,600 DACA recipients have been accused of 'drug-related' crimes. A DHS spokesman said the department was releasing the arrest data in response to inquiries 'from Congress and others' for more detailed information on DACA recipients, including DACA criminal activities. Under the terms of the program, immigrants are able to live and work in the U.S. for two years at a time before they must apply for a renewed grant of deferred action. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Field Office Director Jorge Field (L), 53, arrests an Iranian immigrant in San Clemente, California DHS said convictions for felonies, 'significant misdemeanors,' or at least three 'non-significant misdemeanors' would 'generally' result in removal from the program. The statistics do not reveal how many of the arrested immigrants were convicted of crimes, nor do they indicate whether charges were reduced or dropped. They also do not reveal how many arrested DACA recipients were deported as the result of a conviction. Francis Cissna, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director, told 'Fox & Friends' on Monday the agency wants to release as much data about DACA as possible for the public and lawmakers to be informed. 'I would like people to keep in mind . . . whatever they do, I would hope that we, at USCIS, would be able to turn down these people . . . if we think they're a public safety threat . . . if someone is a gang member . . . even if they don't have a conviction,' Cissna said. 'You could be arrested a whole lot of times and still get DACA,' Cissna said. 'The data we're putting out is only arrests, so presumably those people who had murder arrests, rape arrests -- that type of seriousness -- either got acquitted, charges were dropped or they plead something down, I would hope . . . there are a lot of crimes on the list we published that are misdemeanors and they could've been convicted and still could've gotten DACA if they only had two of those misdemeanors.' Nick Clegg has performed another U-turn by dropping his unequivocal support for the free movement of workers between EU nations. In an article yesterday, the former deputy prime minister said Brussels should stop seeing the controversial policy as an untouchable principle. It comes four years after he described freedom of movement as a good thing and a cornerstone of European integration. The EUs unwillingness to water down the absolute right for workers to travel throughout the continent is widely seen as having contributed to the referendum result. Nick Clegg has performed another U-turn by dropping his unequivocal support for the free movement of workers between EU nations For years former Lib Dem leader Sir Nick has been one of the most vociferous supporters of free movement. But, writing in the Financial Times yesterday, he called on European leaders to reform the rules saying he hoped it could see Britain remaining in the EU. Sir Nick singled out German Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying he hoped she would bring in reforms to strengthen the caveats that apply to freedom of movement. The belief that freedom of movement is an untouchable principle cannot remain unchallenged, he said. Member states already apply heavy, lawful limits to it. And in February 2016, negotiating with David Cameron ... the EU27 agreed that free movement of workers may be restricted by measures proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued. Most tantalisingly of all, as the wheels come off ... Theresa Mays ever-more-chaotic approach to Brexit, an overture from the rest of the EU to reform external and internal immigration could be just the compromise that is needed to pave the way for a wider rapprochement between the UK and the EU. Sir Nick said it was a myth believed in Brussels and other EU capitals that continental concern is only about migration from outside the EU and that the British are unique in their preoccupation with the movement of people within the bloc. Clegg's comments come four years after the then-deputy prime minister described freedom of movement as a good thing and a cornerstone of European integration Recent election results on the continent show millions of people believe the EUs collective approach to immigration is serving them poorly, he wrote. And he pointed out that many European countries already apply restrictions to freedom of movement, such as Germany making people get residence permits and France saying migrants must speak French in the workplace. Sir Nicks call for reform to freedom of movement rules are a far cry from his position in 2014, when he made a speech extolling the virtues of EU migration. In it, he said: I want to be unequivocal: freedom of movement between EU member states is a good thing. Its a cornerstone of European integration. It is necessary in order to be part of the worlds biggest single market ... Those who wish to undo it should be careful what they wish for. A man in China had a live cockroach pulled out from deep inside his ear after it got stuck there for six hours. Doctor had to break the moving insect into small pieces before removing it from the man's ear canal last Friday. The patient, 52, claimed the bug crawled into him while he was sleeping. A live cockroach was found inside Mr Li's ear after staying deep inside the canal for six hours (left). A specialist surgeon in China had to break the cockroach into pieces to remove it (right) The patient from China Guangdong Province, known as Mr Li, told an ear, nose and throat doctor at Pingshan Hospital in Shenzhen that he felt discomfort in his ear at around 3am in on June 15, reported Shenzhen News. However, Mr Li did not go to the hospital until he felt sharp pain when he woke up six hours later. The doctor found a live cockroach burrowing deep in Mr Li's ear under an otoscope scan. The doctor decided to cut the live cockroach into small pieces before removing it from Mr Li's ear canal. 'It's still alive, still moving,' the female doctor can be heard saying in a video after the bug was extracted from the patient. The doctor then disinfected Mr Li's ear canal with alcohol in case the cockroach had managed to lay eggs inside. 'It's still alive, still moving,' the doctor can be heard saying after the bug was pulled out Last month, a woman from Florida, US, had a cockroach stuck in her ear for more than a week after the insect crawled in while she was asleep. Professor Coby Schal, from North Carolina State University, who studies insects, previously told the National Geographic: 'It's actually not an uncommon phenomenon to have a cockroach in the ear. 'Roaches are searching for food everywhere. And earwax might be appealing to them.' A Chinese Land and Resource minister has allegedly died after being struck a pile of construction materials that had fallen from a residential building site. It's said that the unnamed minister was shopping for a new flat with his wife, a friend and an estate agent when the accident happened on Saturday. All of the four people were sent to the hospital with different levels of injuries. Police have started an investigation into the matter. Footage released by local TV station shows the aftermaths of the accident in Jiangmen, China A man, reported to be the minister of the local Land and Resource Bureau, was killed Mobile phone footage released by Guangdong Television Public Channel shows people lying on the floor with a pile of construction materials scattered around. According to the local TV station, the accident happened near the entrance of a residential building site in Pengjiang district, Jiangmen, on June 16. Passersby told the station that the materials had fallen from a crane and hit four people standing below. 'Those people came out from the sales unit and got hit by something that had fallen from the top,' one man told the reporter. 'The strings that were used to hold the goods broke and all the items fell from heights,' said one woman. It's said that the group were walking towards the sample flats of Starry Mountain, a new residential complex. A few metal frames seems to have crushed onto the top of the escalators. Metal frames can be seen scattering on the ground at the residential building site in Jiangmen Another three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the accident on Saturday Paramedics arrived shortly and sent the four injured people to the Wuyi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. One man, surnamed Lin, was pronounced dead later at hospital. Another man suffered wrist injuries while two others had 'non-life-threatening' injuries, stated the report. Jiangmen Propaganda Bureau told the Guangdong Television Public Channel that Mr Lin was the head of Ministry of Land and Resources in Jiangmen. A noticed issued by the Jiangmen Pengjiang Government said that Guangdong Province Second Construction Engineering Company has been ordered to put all works on hold while authorities carry out an investigation. Elon Musk may be in danger of missing his Tesla Model 3 production goals yet again. The billionaire warned Tesla employees that radical improvements are needed if the company is to hit its production targets. Musk made the warning in a company-wide email sent out late on Friday night in which he said he will be at 'Fremont factory almost 24/7 for the next several days.' His aim is to hit a Model 3 production rate of 5,000 vehicles a week. Tesla originally planned to hit that target by the end of 2017. The six month delay in reaching its goal has hurt the company stock price, frustrated early customers, and spurred a plot among some investors to oust Elon Musk as chairman. Musk has said Tesla is currently building above 500 vehicles a day about 200 vehicles fewer than is needed to hit its production target. Scroll down for video Elon Musk may be in danger of missing his Tesla Model 3 production goals yet again. Musk tweeted a photograph of an entirely 'new general assembly line in 3 weeks with minimal resources' which will be used to ramp up production of the all-electric vehicle In his email to employees, Musk highlighted parts in the production line that need radical improvements before the company can meet its production goal, including paint shop output, general assembly, and end of line. Those struggling areas will have as many resources as they can handle, Musk has promised. Musk also shared an image on social media of a new 'general assembly line' built by the teams at the Fremont Factory in California with 'minimal resources'. The new assembly line was used to produce the first dual motor Model 3, which can speed from 0 to 60mph in 3.5 seconds. The performance-orientated skew of the Tesla Model 3 sits at the top of the line with a $78,000 (58,900) price tag. For that, drivers will get 20-inch wheels, a carbon fibre spoiler, 155mph (249kph) top speed, and 310 (498 kilometres) miles of range before the battery dies. The all-electric automakers inability to meet its production goals for its first mass-market sedan has caused frustration among investors, with some submitting a proposal to remove Musk from his role as chairman of Tesla's board. The ploy, which was initiated by Jing Zhao, a shareholder who believes Musk may be 'spread too thin', was voted down at the annual shareholders meeting earlier this month. Following the vote, Musk whose voice appeared to quiver - said the company has experienced 'the most excruciating hellish several months that we've ever had.' 'But I think we're getting there,' he added. WHAT DOES ELON MUSKS EMAIL TO TESLA STAFF SAY? Tesla Chairman and CEO Elon Musk has sent a company-wide email praising the work of those on the Model 3 production line, as the company tries to meet its 5,000 vehicle-a-day goal. Tesla had originally hoped to hit that target by the end of 2017 and the six month delay in getting there has hurt the company stock price, as well as frustrated early customers. Musk has confirmed that Tesla is now reliably building above 500 vehicles a day about 200 vehicles fewer than is needed to hit its target. In his email to employees, Elon Musk has also highlighted parts in the production line that need radical improvements before the company can meet the Model 3 production goal, including the paint shop output, general assembly (GA), and end of line (EoL). Heres the internal company email in full From: Elon Musk To: Everybody Subj: Only 8 days left to reach 700 cars/day or 5k/week June 15, 2018 8:27 pm It's getting very exciting! All parts of the Model 3 production system are now above 500 and some are almost at 700 cars already. Congratulations to all on making so much progress! That said, radical improvements are still needed in paint shop output, GA3, bringing up the new GA4, End of Line and Module Zone 4 at Giga. We also need to achieve sustained, 700+ per week on the body line. Wherever you are in the company, if you feel you can help out in any of those areas, please check in with Jat Dhillon on GA3, Jerome Guillen on GA4 and Omead on EoL and JB Straubel or Christ Lister on Module Zone 4. I will be at our Fremont factory almost 24/7 for the next several days checking in with those groups to make sure they have as many resources as they can handle. Thanks, Elon Advertisement Following the annual shareholders meeting, Musk bought 72,000 shares in Tesla, forking out $25 million in the process. The purchase appears to have helped increase Teslas share price, which rose from $322.99 (243.99) on June 12, to $358.17 (270.56) by a week later, June 18. The CEO also cut nine per cent of the Tesla workforce in the wake of the shareholders meeting. The move, which saw some 3,000 people lose their jobs at the company, was part of a 'difficult, but necessary' reorganisation at the automaker, Elon Musk confirmed. Elon Musk, who also runs SpaceX and The Boring Company, rebuffed an attempt to strip him of his role as Tesla chairman during a vote at the annual shareholders meeting this month In a tweet, Elon Musk confirmed the majority of the layoffs came from the salaried population and 'no production associates were included, so it should have no impact on the Model 3 production. Around half a million people have paid the $1,000 (755) reservation fee for a Tesla Model 3 since the vehicle was unveiled two years ago. In May, the car became the best-selling mid-sized premium sedan in the United States. The company has plans to expand the Model 3 options available to customers later this year. Half a million people have paid the $1,000 (755) reservation fee for a Tesla Model 3 since the all-electric vehicle was unveiled two years ago Customers can use a companion app on their smartphone to lock and unlock the vehicle, as well as check the battery life and remaining charge time In May, the Tesla Model 3 became the best-selling mid-sized premium sedan in the United States, Elon Musk announced at the annual shareholders meeting By the end of 2018, Musk has pledged to start production of the $35,000 (26,000) entry-level version of the Tesla Model 3. This will be rear-wheel drive only and sport a smaller battery pack than other models in the range. Musk told shareholders at the June meeting: 'We will definitely offer a $35,000 version of the Model 3. And probably at the end of this year is when we will be able to make a smaller version of the battery pack, and get into volume production of $35,000 version in Q1 next year. 'We would definitely honour that obligation, and we would do so right now if it were possible.' Tesla will also begin production of a right-hand drive model of the Model 3 in 2019. Musk did not reveal when customer deliveries of that model would begin. Sex robots will soon be able to say 'no' to unwanted advances from humans. Dr Sergi Santos, the Spanish inventor of sexbot Samantha, claims he's working on a version of his AI doll that can enter 'dummy' mode in certain situations. For instance, 'dummy' mode may be switched on if sensors under Samantha's skin detect that she is being touched in an aggressive or disrespectful way. The robot will also enter into the unresponsive mode if she is bored with the attentions of her potential lover. Scroll down for video Sexbot Samantha (pictured) will enter into a 'dummy' mode if the sensors under her skin detect she is being touched in an aggressive or disrespectful way Samantha demonstrated her ability to say 'no' to overly aggressive sexual partners during a recent presentation held at the Life Science Centre in Newcastle. The robot is expected to go into mass production with a price tag of 3,600 ($4,700), although it is not known when. The robot has motorised hands, hips and face and can whisper endearments if stimulated in the right way, according to the creator. As well as a dummy mode, the robot also has 'family', 'romantic' and 'sex' settings as well as an 'extra naughty' level. The robot, created by Catalonia-based Spanish scientist Dr Sergi Santos (pictured) and his wife Maritsa Kissamitaki, has sensors hidden under her skin that makes her responsive to touch In April Dr Santos, who studied nanotechnology in Leeds, said his sex robots had saved his marriage. His wife, Maritsa Kissamitaki (pictured), says she doesn't have a problem with her husband using the dolls Professor Kathleen Richardson, founder of The Campaign Against Sex Robots, branded Samantha as 'an extension of pornography and prostitution'. She said it was a 'waste of money which could be spent on better things'. In April Dr Santos, who studied nanotechnology in Leeds, said his sex robots had saved his marriage. Dr Santos said the robot rescued his relationship as his desires were met even when his wife, who he has been with for 16 years, wasn't in the mood for sex. 'A man wants to feel in general that the woman is desperate to have sex with him,' Dr Santos told Barcroft TV back in April. 'And if a man feels like the woman will not enjoy it fully, most men do not like sex.' He claims that couples with incompatible libidos are more likely to divorce. 'So if I have the doll, I'll not divorce because of sex in my case, I think that's good enough.' The robot has motorised hands, hips and face and can whisper endearments if stimulated in the right way, according to the creator (pictured) Dr Santos, who is an electric engineer by day, says it was his wife's idea to implant his artificial intelligence network into a doll Dr Santos, who is an electric engineer by day, says it was his wife's idea to implant his artificial intelligence network into a doll. 'We started researching it and found out before anyone was making the robots that wives were buying them for their husbands because they understand the kind of need that their husbands have, and how this could benefit their relationship,' Ms Kissamitaki said. Over time, they made improvements - adding in-built vibrations that make the dolls sensitive and reactive to touch. They believe Samantha will be 'capable of enjoying sex' and will remember previous conversations even going to sleep. And although Ms Kissmitaki doesn't have a problem with her husband using the dolls, he says he would feel jealous if she slept with a male doll. Nevertheless, he is planning to build a male sex robot. The couple believe Samantha will be 'capable of enjoying sex' and will remember previous conversations even going to sleep One of the couple's sex robots sits wearing headphones and a scarf in Catalonia, Spain. And although Ms Kissmitaki doesn't have a problem with her husband using the dolls, he says he would feel jealous if she slept with a male doll Dr Santos says the robot rescued his relationship as his desires were met even when his wife wasn't in the mood for sex. Pictured, a skeletal model in a wig Dr Santos claims that couples with incompatible libidos are more likely to divorce. Pictured, parts for the company's sex robots ARE SMART SEX DOLLS BRINGING SCIENCE FICTION TO LIFE? Sex robots have long been a part of science fiction, and are often used by writers to show the menacing side of technology. But, with the development of intelligent, more realistic looking sex dolls, they're fast becoming a part of real life, too. The rise of sex robots such as 'Silicon Samantha' and Realbotix Harmony RealDoll has caused many to draw parallels to popular science fiction narratives. In the 2015 film Ex Machina, programmer Nathan (Oscar Isaac) has cold and cruel sex with his creation, Ava (Alicia Vikander). However, she has the last laugh when she kills him and escapes to live covertly among humans. In the TV series Westworld, Thandie Newton plays brothel madame Maeve Millay who is frequently killed by guests during sex only to be patched up and put back to work again. In Channel 4s Humans, Anita is a domestic nanny robot. But her male owner initiates her sex program - much to the disgust of his wife when she finds out. Another robot in the show, Niska, acts as a prostitute, and later goes on to kill one of her clients. In Blade Runner, Pris, a basic pleasure model robot, goes on to become a brutal and cold killer. Sometimes, however, humans are the biggest villains. In AI, directed by Steven Spielberg, prostitute robot Gigolo Joe - played by Jude Law - is framed for murder and later killed. Advertisement There are two front-runners vying to be the first firm to release a sex robot. Rival firm RealDoll has a model called 'Harmony' which will blink, talk and smile. Meanwhile, an expert has predicted that high-tech sex robots will be owned by hundreds of people in the UK within a year. The machines will have facial expressions and the ability to move their heads and hold conversations with their owners. While they might be popular with single people, Dr Kate Devlin, from Goldsmiths, University of London, thinks they may be bought by couples as well. Dr Devlin gave a talk on the future of human sexuality at Edinburgh International Science Festival back in April. Speaking before the event, she said: 'These robots will be bought by people who have a fetish but also by people who have a relationship but their partner is not willing or able to have sex with them. The creators believe the robots (pictured) will remember previous conversations. An expert has predicted that high-tech sex robots will be owned by hundreds of people in the UK within a year The robots are being designed to interact with people making them different from sex dolls that are already available 'They will also be popular with single people seeking companionship. A manufacturer has described having a sex doll as like having a pet and the companionship is a very important part of it. 'These robots are something to talk to, as well as a sex toy of sorts.' The robots will remember facts about their owners such as names and birthdays. Dr Devlin, a computing expert, said: 'The first sex robots will be quite rudimentary. 'They will have an AI [artificial intelligence] 'personality' and the ability to chat with you. The race is on to produce them first and they are coming soon.' The robots are being designed to interact with people making them different from sex dolls that are already available. Dr Devlin believes they will be purchasable online within a year, and predicts they could be bought by hundreds of people. A space launch every three hours could soon be a reality. Alabama-based startup, Aevum, is testing a rocket-drone plane that can send small satellites into orbit from a normal runway. The firm claims that its fully autonomous system will drive down the cost of launches and make them as frequent as commercial flights. Scroll down for video Artist's illustration showing Aevum's Ravn air-launch system in action. The rocket-drone plane will send small satellites into orbit from a normal runway. The firm claims that its fully autonomous system will drive down the cost of launches 'Ravn is designed to launch every 180 minutes,' Jay Skylus, Aevum's CEO and chief launch architect, told Space.com. 'Other launch vehicles fly only a handful of times a year with an average of 18 months of lead time.' He added that the typical turn time, from landing to takeoff, for a commercial aircraft can range from 30 to 80 minutes 'Ravn operates just like a commercial aircraft would,' he said. The Ravn system is unmanned which means ground operations don't require a huge amount of staff. The autopilot software programme, known as Minnie, has already completed nearly 640 test launch simulations. Among these simulations was a launch of 'a 30-satellite constellation in less than 3 hours,' according to Mr Skylus. Mr Skylus believes as few as six people could complete the launches. The first stage of Ravn consists of a reusable, autonomous unmanned aircraft system capable of travelling at Mach 2.85 (2,186 mph, or 3,519 km/h). This will ferry rockets from the ground and into the sky before they release and enter orbit. The rockets are expendable and will be made of two sections. Different fuel sources will be used in the sections, with the first using a proprietary fuel approved by the US Department of Transportation and the second stage utilising liquid oxygen. According to Mr Skylus, these rocket engines have already been 'hot-fire demonstrated'. Mr Skylus believes as few as six people could complete the launches and is due to undergo test launches towards the end of 2019, Aevum eventually intends to become the 'UPS or FedEx of space' Inspiration for the project came from aerial attacks in Afghanistan during 2005, where some of the losses suffered by the US military were, in part, due to communication hardship. 'With my own brother serving in the U.S. Army and away from home during that time, the news felt personal to me,' Mr Skylus said. 'I recall being furious that, while I could instant-message readily, people who were fighting to protect our country struggled with communication challenges.' WHAT DO WE KNOWN ABOUT AEVUM'S RAVN? Aevum is a company that was founded in Alabama and intends to create a plane-rocket combination capable of putting a satellite into space once every three hours. Unlike other firms that are attaching rockets to planes and launching them into orbit once airborne, Aevum will be unmanned. Without a crew or a pilot, it is designed to be run by just six people. It will be autonomous from the minute it left the hangar until the moment it lands. This is in stark contrast to other systems, such as Nasa's Pegasus rocket (attached to the plane 'Stargazer'). As a result of the streamlined process, the firm hopes to be able to launch every three hours, releasing a satellite into space every time. The goal, according to the company's CEO Jay Skylus, is to improve communications worldwide, and maybe even establish a global wireless internet network. Piloted by a software programme called Minnie, the company has already completed in excess of 600 simulations. They are hoping for three launches in the fourth quarter of 2019. Advertisement After investigating the cause of the issue, it turned out the problem was geography-based and the issue would be avoided if there were more satellites available. Due to undergo test launches towards the end of 2019, Aevum eventually intends to become the 'UPS or FedEx of space,' according to Mr Skylus. There is no news yet on when the Ravn will be revealed, but a cryptic countdown timer on the company's website indicates that October 17, 2018 will be an important day. Customers will be able to make their orders via phone, email or even through an app. Mr Skylus said: 'We take care of all the logistics and offer mission design at no cost to you, and you can book launches and track your satellite through our app.' 'Ravn is unlike any other launch system known today,' Mr Skylus said. 'Aevum's focused on providing a delivery service that will directly enable the solutions that address global challenges that cause pain every day, which include communication and connectivity.' The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up Apple's bid to escape a lawsuit accusing it of breaking federal antitrust laws by monopolizing the market for iPhone software applications and causing consumers to pay more than they should. The justices said they would hear Apple's appeal of a lower court's ruling that revived the proposed class-action lawsuit by iPhone buyers over commissions that the Cupertino, California-based technology company receives through its App Store. The case could expand the threat of antitrust damages against companies in the rapidly growing field of electronic commerce, which generates hundreds of billions of dollars annually in U.S. retail sales. Scroll down for video Their lawsuit says that when a customer buys an app the price includes a 30 percent markup that goes to Apple. Apple argued that it acts as an intermediary used by the app developers. HOW MUCH MONEY DOES APPLE'S APP STORE MAKE? Apple credited the App Store and with helping create a 'dynamic new industry.' Apple reported that its App Store generated over $26.5 billion in revenue for developers in 2017, which was up about 30% year-over-year. This means that the App Store created approximately $11.5 billion in revenue for the company. Apple has also said over $300 million in purchases were made on New Year's Day 2018. During the week starting on Christmas Eve, a record number of customers made purchases or downloaded apps from the App Store, spending over $890 million in that seven-day period. Advertisement President Donald Trump's administration backed Apple and urged the justices to take the case. The Supreme Court will consider whether the purchasers of iPhone apps can sue Apple over allegations it has an illegal monopoly on the sale of the apps. The court said Monday that it will take a case from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which ruled in January that the purchasers of iPhone apps could sue Apple. Their lawsuit says that when a customer buys an app the price includes a 30 percent markup that goes to Apple. Apple had argued that it did not sell apps, but instead acted as an intermediary used by the app developers. Apple won initially in a lower court which dismissed the lawsuit. Businesses that potentially could be threatened by such consumer litigation are electronic marketplaces like the App Store, ticket site StubHub, Amazon's Marketplace and eBay where individual sellers set prices. The antitrust claims against Apple date back to a 2011 lawsuit by several iPhone buyers in California federal court, including lead plaintiff Robert Pepper of Chicago, according to court papers. The plaintiffs said Apple has monopolized the sale of apps like messaging programs and games, leading to inflated prices compared to if apps were available from other sources. Though developers set the prices of their apps, Apple collects the payments from iPhone users, charging developers a 30 percent commission on each purchase. Developers earned more than $20 billion in 2016, according to Apple. The company sought to have the antitrust claims dismissed, saying the plaintiffs did not have the needed legal standing to bring the lawsuit. The case hinges on a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court decision that limited damages for anti-competitive conduct to those directly overcharged rather than indirect victims who paid an overcharge passed on by others. Apple has also said over $300 million in purchases were made on New Year's Day 2018 A federal judge in Oakland, California threw out the suit, saying the consumers were not direct purchasers because the higher fees they paid were passed on to them by the developers. But the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017 revived the litigation, saying Apple was a distributor that sold iPhone apps directly to consumers and must face the antitrust claims. E-commerce reached $452 billion in U.S. retail sales in 2017, according to U.S. government estimates. The suit, filed in federal court in Oakland, California, seeks class action status. A lawyer pressing the case has said Apple could be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Bloomberg. Apple has credited the App Store and with helping create a 'dynamic new industry.' It said its App Store generated over $26.5 billion in revenue for developers in 2017, which was up about 30% year-over-year. This means that the App Store created approximately $11.5 billion in revenue for the company. Apple has also said over $300 million in purchases were made on New Year's Day 2018. During the week starting on Christmas Eve, a record number of customers made purchases or downloaded apps from the App Store, spending over $890 million in that seven-day period. The Supreme Court said in 1977 that only direct purchasers - and not those who buy a product further downstream - can sue under federal antitrust law. The court said that rule was necessary to avoid 'duplicative recoveries.' The lawyers pressing the case say the consumers who filed the lawsuit meet that test. They 'are undoubtedly the first party in the distribution chain to buy from the monopolist,' the group said in court papers. Apple said it ultimately charges the commission to the developers, making consumers 'indirect purchasers' who are precluded under the 1977 ruling from suing. The appeals court 'expressly opened the door to duplicative recoveries by different plaintiff groups,' Apple argued. Amazon is drawing the ire of its shareholders after an investigation found that it has been marketing powerful facial recognition tools to police. Nearly 20 groups of Amazon shareholders delivered a signed letter to CEO Jeff Bezos on Friday, pressuring the company to stop selling the software to law enforcement. The tool, called 'Rekognition', was first released in 2016, but has since been selling it on the cheap to several police departments around the country, with Washington County Sheriff's Office in Oregon and the city of Orlando, Florida among its customers. Scroll down for video Amazon is drawing the ire of the ACLU and other privacy advocates after an investigation found that it has been marketing powerful facial recognition tools to police Shareholders, including the Social Equity Group and Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment, join the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other privacy advocates in pointing out privacy violations and the dangers of mass surveillance. 'We are concerned the technology would be used to unfairly and disproportionately target and surveil people of color, immigrants, and civil society organizations,' the shareholders write. It's a call to CEO Jeff Bezos to stop selling facial recognition tech to law enforcement 'We are concerned sales may be expanded to foreign governments, including authoritarian regimes.' The ACLU and other organizations say that law enforcement could use the technology to 'easily build a system to automate the identification and tracking of anyone'. On Monday afternoon, the ACLU and nearly 70 other groups are sending an additional letter to Bezos, stating that Amazon should not provide surveillance systems such as facial recognition technology to the government. Police appear to be using Rekognition to check photographs of unidentified suspects against a database of mug shots from the county jail. But privacy advocates have been concerned about expanding the use of facial recognition to body cameras worn by officers or safety and traffic cameras that monitor public areas, allowing police to identify and track people in real time. Amazon offers the technology to law enforcement for just $6 to $12 a month. The tech giant's entry into the market could vastly accelerate development of the facial recognition systems, the privacy advocates fear. Amazon offers the technology to law enforcement for just $6 to $12 a month. So far, it counts the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Oregon and the city of Orlando as customers HOW DOES FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY WORK? Facial recognition software works by matching real time images to a previous photograph of a person. Each face has approximately 80 unique nodal points across the eyes, nose, cheeks and mouth which distinguish one person from another. A digital video camera measures the distance between various points on the human face, such as the width of the nose, depth of the eye sockets, distance between the eyes and shape of the jawline. A different smart surveillance system (pictured) can scan 2 billion faces within seconds has been revealed in China. The system connects to millions of CCTV cameras and uses artificial intelligence to pick out targets. The military is working on applying a similar version of this with AI to track people across the country This produces a unique numerical code that can then be linked with a matching code gleaned from a previous photograph. A facial recognition system used by officials in China connects to millions of CCTV cameras and uses artificial intelligence to pick out targets. Experts believe that facial recognition technology will soon overtake fingerprint technology as the most effective way to identify people. Advertisement And it could have potentially dire consequences for minorities who are already arrested at disproportionate rates, immigrants who may be in the country illegally or political protesters. 'People should be free to walk down the street without being watched by the government,' the groups wrote in a letter to Amazon last month. 'Facial recognition in American communities threatens this freedom'. Deputies in Oregon had been using Rekognition about 20 times per day - for example, to identify burglary suspects in store surveillance footage. Last month, the agency adopted policies governing its use, noting that officers in the field can use real-time face recognition to identify suspects who are unwilling or unable to provide their own ID, or if someone's life is in danger. Facial recognition is used by many technology companies, but activists say Amazon's system could lead to dangerous surveillance powers for law enforcement 'We are not mass-collecting. We are not putting a camera out on a street corner,' said Deputy Jeff Talbot, a spokesman for the sheriff's office. 'We want our local community to be aware of what we're doing, how we're using it to solve crimes - what it is and, just as importantly, what it is not.' It cost the sheriff's office just $400 to load 305,000 booking photos into the system and $6 per month in fees to continue the service, according to an email obtained by the ACLU under a public records request. Amazon Web Services did not answer emailed questions about how many law enforcement agencies are using Rekognition, but in a written statement the company said it requires all of its customers to comply with the law and to be responsible in the use of its products. The statement said some agencies have used the program to find abducted people, and amusement parks have used it to find lost children. British broadcaster Sky News used Rekognition to help viewers identify celebrities at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Privacy activists are asking Amazon to stop marketing a powerful facial recognition tool to police, saying law enforcement agencies could use the technology to 'easily build a system to automate the identification and tracking of anyone' Last year, the Orlando, Florida, Police Department announced it would begin a pilot program relying on Amazon's technology to 'use existing City resources to provide real-time detection and notification of persons-of-interest, further increasing public safety.' Orlando has a network of public safety cameras, and in a presentation posted to YouTube this month, Ranju Das, who leads Amazon Rekognition, said Amazon would receive feeds from the cameras, search them against photos of people being sought by law enforcement and notify police of any hits. 'It's about recognizing people, it's about tracking people, and then it's about doing this in real time, so that the law enforcement officers ... can be then alerted in real time to events that are happening,' he said. The Orlando Police Department declined to make anyone available for an interview about the program, but said in an email to The Associated Press that the department 'is not using the technology in an investigative capacity or in any public spaces at this time.' While the Seattle Police Department bars officers from using real-time facial recognition in body camera video, privacy activists are concerned that a proliferation of the technology could turn the cameras into tools of mass surveillance 'The purpose of a pilot program such as this, is to address any concerns that arise as the new technology is tested,' the statement said. 'Any use of the system will be in accordance with current and applicable law. We are always looking for new solutions to further our ability to keep the residents and visitors of Orlando safe.' Amazon's Rekognition program with police also drew sharp criticism from users on Twitter, who said it could have nefarious consequences. Clare Garvie, an associate at the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown University Law Center, said part of the problem with real-time face recognition is its potential impact on free-speech rights. While police might be able to videotape public demonstrations, face recognition is not merely an extension of photography but a biometric measurement - more akin to police walking through a demonstration and demanding identification from everyone there. Amazon's technology isn't that different from what face recognition companies are already selling to law enforcement agencies. But its vast reach and its interest in recruiting more police departments to take part raise concerns, she said. 'This raises very real questions about the ability to remain anonymous in public spaces,' Garvie said. The peacocks elaborate tail feathers may be among the best known courtship displays in the animal kingdom so, it should come as no surprise to find theyre really making heads turn in the wild. A new study has found that the pulsating sound created when a male peacock shakes his colorful feathers causes the crest on the females head to vibrate. For now, however, it remains unclear how exactly this remarkable response plays into the mating game. Scroll down for video The peacocks elaborate tail feathers may be among the best known courtship displays in the animal kingdom so, it should come as no surprise to find theyre really making heads turn in the wild In the study researchers conducted the first measurements of the biomechanical properties of female peacocks crest or the wispy feathers atop their heads. These feathers, the researchers found, are linked to smaller feathers that act like sensors. When peacock wing-shaking courtship behavior was simulated in the laboratory, the resulting airflow excited measurable vibrations of crest feathers, the researchers wrote in the study, set to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. These results demonstrate that peafowl crests have mechanical properties that allow them to respond to airborne stimuli at the frequencies typical of this species' social displays. Researchers previously identified male peacocks use of a phenomenon called resonant frequency, which allows them to effectively hypnotize the female. By shaking their tails at the same speed as their natural resonance, the feathers are vibrated with the greatest amplitude but the brightly coloured eyespots remain practically motionless. Using high-speed video, team of zoologists led by Roslyn Dakin at the University of British Columbia found that peacocks 'stridulate' or rattle their tail feathers at an average 25.6 Hz. A new study has found that the pulsating sound created when a male peacock shakes his colourful feathers causes the crest on the females head to vibrate. For now, however, it remains unclear how exactly this remarkable response plays into the mating game. File photo WHAT IS RESONANT FREQUENCY? All objects have a natural harmonic frequency at which they vibrate if not fixed in place. Smaller objects have a higher resonant frequency and vibrate faster, generating a high-pitched noise - such as a bicycle bell, which rings at a higher note than a church bell. Peacock tail feathers have resonant frequency lower than the lowest string on a bass guitar and only a little higher than the 20 Hz lower limit of human hearing. As an object such as a guitar string or peacock feather vibrates, certain locations called nodes remain stationary, while sections in between move with higher amplitude. Advertisement This generates a broadband, pulsating mechanical sound. The researchers also found that males with longer train feathers had to shake faster, requiring more muscular effort. Charles Darwin observed that peacocks vibrate their feathers during courtship, but it took this multidisciplinary team of scientists to characterize the dynamics of this behaviour, said Suzanne Kane, a co-author of the study, at the time. The researchers now propose further behavioural studies to better explore the mechanisms at work, and how they play into the perception of these social displays. Advertisement Alitalia is decking out its cabin crew in sleek new uniforms designed by well-known dressmaker Alberta Ferretti featuring the colours of the Italian flag. The new designs were unveiled during Milan's Men's Fashion Week in a special presentation on the steps of the city's famous Duomo di Milano. But the new uniforms come as a cloud hangs over the Italian flag carrier, which is a loss making business and was put under special administration last year for the second time in a decade. The new uniforms that will be rolled out to staff of beleaguered Italian airline Alitalia later this year have been unveiled Staff modelling the uniforms posed on the steps of Milan's Duomo during a presentation at Milan's Men's Fashion Week he new uniforms come just two years ago after the current uniforms were introduced. The colour scheme is very understated The new uniforms have been created by renowned Italian designer Alberta Ferretti, pictured, who is known for her feminine style Ferretti, known for her feminine style, revealed the collection of navy blue dresses, skirts and trouser suits for Alitalia staff, adorned with green and red striped bows and cuffs, and golden buttons. The designs were matched with red ties and silk scarves and combined with leather gloves and bags. She told reporters: 'I wanted sober lines and for Italian elegance to travel around the world.' The new uniforms come just two years ago after the current uniforms were introduced. Those designs cost the carrier six million euros (5.2million) but they were criticised by staff for being uncomfortable and impractical. The designs have been matched with red ties and silk scarves and combined with leather gloves and bags featuring the airline's logo Alitalia has declined to disclose the cost of the new uniforms created by Ferretti. The new Alitalia uniforms will be worn by 6,000 staff, but not pilots, and will be made by Italian uniform maker Forint. Alitalia said production had started and hoped the uniforms would be out 'as soon as possible', or September at the latest. The new Alitalia uniforms will be worn by 6,000 staff, but not pilots, and will be made by Italian uniform maker Forint The new uniforms come as a cloud hangs over the Italian flag carrier, which is a loss making business and was put under special administration last year for the second time in a decade Asked about the timing of the new uniforms, Alitalia Chief Commercial Officer Fabio Lazzerini said the move was part of a broader effort to revamp the airline's brand. He explained: 'It had to be done, it was a specific request made by the employees.' Alitalia was once a symbol of Italy's post-war economic boom but has been struggling to compete against low cost carriers and high speed trains. Alitalia was once a symbol of Italy's post-war economic boom but has been struggling to compete against low cost carriers and high speed trains Italy's previous government had been looking for new investors, with easyJet, Lufthansa and Wizz Air all submitting expressions of interest. But the lengthy formation of a new anti-establishment government delayed the process. First contact between the new administration and Alitalia could take place next week, a source familiar with the matter said. In 2006, U.S. carrier Delta launched a new look for staff, despite being in the midst of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Advertisement Complete with turrets, thick stone walls and arched windows, a castle where Winston Churchill plotted the D-Day invasion is welcoming guests as a luxury homestay. Pennsylvania Castle boasts a prime location on the Isle of Portland, an island which juts out from Dorset into the English Channel with road access to the mainland. An for a princely 2,500 per night, the nine-bedroom mansion can be privately hired with on-site amenities including a swimming pool, bar, helipad and library. Round-the-clock catering can also be arranged. Complete with turrets, thick stone walls and arched windows, a castle where Winston Churchill plotted the Normandy invasion is welcoming guests as a luxury homestay Pennsylvania Castle boasts a prime location on the Isle of Portland, a road accessible island which juts out from Dorset into the English Channel. Above, one of the sumptuous bedrooms For a princely 2,500 per night, the nine-bedroom mansion can be privately hired with on-site amenities including a swimming pool, bar and library. Round-the-clock catering can also be arranged Other perks include a large conservatory with ocean views and a plush drawing room complete with chandeliers and a flat screen TV. All of the rooms feature period detailing and furniture in keeping with the classical style. One bedroom has the more unusual addition of a free-standing bathtub at the bottom of the bed next to a marble fireplace. At present, the castle must be booked for a minimum of two nights which comes out at 5,000, while a week stay is listed at 10,000 plus VAT. The striking island property was originally commissioned in 1797 by John Penn, who then governed of the Isle of Portland and was grandson of the founder of the US state of Pennsylvania. All of the rooms feature period detailing and furniture in keeping with the classical style. One bedroom has the more unusual addition of a free-standing bathtub at the bottom of the bed next to a marble fireplace The striking island property was originally commissioned in 1797 by John Penn, who was then governor of the Isle of Portland and grandson of the founder of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania The heated swimming pool is open at the property between the months of September to June Penn recruited English architect John Wyatt to design the building and it was crafted from the islands famous limestone. Once it was finished in 1800, the castle was opened by Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King George III. Since then, it has served as a wedding anniversary retreat for the king and queen, provided the setting for Thomas Hardys love story The Well Beloved and hosted preparations for the D-Day landings with Winston Churchill, General de Gaulle and General Eisenhower meeting within its grand walls. Back in November 2012, Pennsylvania Castle also played host to the cast of TVs Made in Chelsea, with an episode filmed in the grounds. The property was designed by English architect John Wyatt and built from the islands famous limestone. Above, a shot of the conservatory Over the years Pennsylvania Castle has served as a wedding anniversary retreat for the King and Queen, provided the setting for Thomas Hardys love story The Well Beloved and hosted preparations for the D-Day landings Back in November 2012, Pennsylvania Castle also played host to the cast of TVs Made in Chelsea, who filmed an episode of the popular E4 show at the Castle It also made an appearance on ITVs Holiday Home Sweet Home, presented by Lisa Faulkner. After being a hotel and private residence for many years, the majestic mansion has now been made available to rent for holidays, conferences, weddings and other special occasions. The picturesque estate is currently is owned and managed by Colonial Leisure Group, an Australian hospitality company, with its other properties including the luxurious Orpheus Island on the Great Barrier Reef and Danetree Eco Lodge in the Queensland Rainforest. After being a hotel and private residence for many years, the majestic mansion has now been made available to rent for holidays, conferences, weddings and other special occasions The picturesque estate is currently is owned and managed by Colonial Leisure Group, an Australian hospitality company, with its other properties including the luxurious Orpheus Island on the Great Barrier Reef and Danetree Eco Lodge in the Queensland Rainforest At present, the castle must be booked for a minimum of two nights which comes out at 5,000, while a week stay is listed at 10,000 plus VAT Round-the-clock catering can be arranged or guests can opt to cook for themselves Before jetting off on holiday, most Brits only bother to check the weather at their destination or what to pack in their suitcase. But travel association ABTA is warning holidaymakers they should read up on the local laws of the country they are visiting as breaking them could land them in prison. It comes as many popular tourist destinations have updated laws this year, which could directly affect holidaymakers if they are broken. Travel association ABTA is warning holidaymakers they should read up on the local laws of the country they are visiting as breaking them could land them in prison. Pictured is a beach in Koh Samui, Thailand, where smoking is banned and anybody flouting the rules could be jailed For example, in January of this year, authorities in Thailand introduced a smoking ban on beaches in several major tourist destinations such as Phuket, Koh Samui and Krabi. Those caught smoking in non-designated areas could face a 100,000 baht fine (about 2,350) or up to a year in prison. Meanwhile on the popular island of Majorca and in other Spanish hotspot, the consumption of alcohol in the street has recently been banned with on-the-spot fines of up to 3,000 euros can be handed out. Penalties in the Majorcan resort of Magaluf are four times as high as last year and there are strict controls on drinking in public places, including beaches. In Croatia, walking shirtless or in swimming costumes is frowned upon in town centres. In some popular tourist spots such as Dubrovnik or Hvar there is signage to show that the practice is prohibited by law and offenders will be subject to an on the spot fine. In Dubrovnik, on the spot fines can be issued to holidaymakers who walk around without wearing a shirt Those visiting the Netherlands may think it has a reputation for being tolerant on the use of so-called soft drugs. But in reality drugs are prohibited and this tolerance exists only for designated premises in the major cities and buying or smoking soft drugs in public places is an offence. Meanwhile in Turkey, old coins and other treasures found when diving should not be taken home as souvenirs without first checking the rules. For example, the possession, sale and export of antiquities is against the law and carries a prison sentence of five to 12 years as well as a substantial fine. The warning by ABTA comes after research showed that most holidaymakers don't check travel advice issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) before jetting off abroad. Overall, one in three British holidaymakers said that they didnt check any travel advice before they went abroad. When asked why, 34 per cent said they knew everything they needed to know and 30 per cent said that they didnt check as they had already been to the destination. In terms of where holidaymakers get their advice, one in six people said that they checked travel advice for their destination with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, equal to the number of people who checked a travel guidebook, while 25 per cent said they checked a travel review website. One in four (23 per cent) people said that they checked travel advice with the travel company they booked with. Many people who visit the Netherlands believe there are relaxed laws when it comes to 'soft drugs' ut in reality drugs are prohibited and this tolerance exists only for designated premises in the major cities such as Amsterdam, pictured Nikki White, director of destinations and sustainability at ABTA said: 'While it is encouraging to see that the majority of holidaymakers are looking for advice as they prepare for their trip abroad, many arent looking in all of the right places for the most up to date information. 'Along with other useful information about your holiday and destination, your ABTA travel agent or tour operator will be able to advise and sign post you to the latest FCO advice. 'Even if you have travelled to that country many times before, we live in a world where things are frequently changing so its recommended to check advice as you prepare for your holiday. 'Guidebooks and travel websites can also provide valuable tips about sightseeing and experiences, but may not reflect the most up to date travel advice. 'The FCO Travel Advice is the best place to get complete and up to date information on your holiday destination.' Beyonce and Jay-Z have once again given fans an explosive glimpse into their private lives in the release of their album Everything Is Love. The couple surprised fans Saturday by releasing the joint collaboration under their surname, The Carters. And not only did the couple address their marriage and infidelity, but Jay-Z took on the rumors of having a 'love child' that has followed him for years. Revealing: Beyonce and Jay-Z have once again given fans a glimpse into their private lives in the release of their album Everything Is Love on Saturday; (pictured in Apesh*t video) In the song Heart About Us, the rapper shot down rumors that he has an illegitimate child. Aspiring rapper Rymir Satterthwaite has alleged for years that he is the superstar's son due to his mother's purported fling with the then little-known Shawn Carter in 1992. 'Billie Jean in his prime / For the thousandth time / The kid ain't mine,' Jay-Z raps on Heard About Us, referencing Michael Jackson's classic song about a paternity case. The power couple also put a spotlight on their marriage challenges from the past. Surprise:The couple surprised fans Saturday by releasing the joint collaboration under their surname, The Carters; (pictured Saturday in London) Beyonce on her 2016 album Lemonade revealed infidelity by Jay-Z, who apologized a year later on his own album 4:44. And on the joint album's boisterous closer Lovehappy, the two say that they have patched things up. 'You did some things to me / You do some things to me,' Beyonce sings. 'But love is deeper than your pain and I believe you can change.' Jay-Z vents frustration several times on the album about legal action against him. Most recently the Securities and Exchange Commission ordered the rapper to testify as part of an investigation into his sale of his Rocawear clothing line. Rumors: Aspiring rapper Rymir Satterthwaite has alleged for years that he is the superstar's son due to his mother's purported fling with the then little-known Shawn Carter in 1992 On Nice, Jay-Z denounces the subpoena and suggests he is being targeted because he is a successful African American, wondering why he did not face such scrutiny in his earlier life as a Brooklyn drug dealer. 'Time to remind me I'm black again, huh? / All this talking back. I'm too arrogant, huh?' Later on the album he professes his innocence in disputes with authorities -- so often known by their agencies' acronyms -- as he raps: 'I pass the alphabet boys like an eye test.' Meanwhile, their six-year-old daughter Blue Ivy makes an appearance on the third song called Boss and mentions her twin siblings, Rumi and Sir. Throughout the song, Beyonce talks about being on top of her game and the legacy she plans on leaving to the next generation of the Knowles-Carter family. Truth lyrics: 'Billie Jean in his prime / For the thousandth time / The kid ain't mine,' Jay-Z raps on Heard About Us, referencing Michael Jackson's classic song about a paternity case 'My great, great, grandchildren are already rich,' Beyonce raps. 'That's a lot of brown children on your Forbes list.' And in the last few seconds of the song, Blue Ivy takes over the microphone with 'Shoutout to Rumi and Sir. Love, Blue.' The sweet shout out wasn't the first time Blue Ivy waxed poetic on her parent's musical offerings. When JAY-Z dropped his album 4:44 last summer, she was featured on a bonus track called Blue's Freestyle/We Family. Gwen Stefani enjoyed some precious quality time with her family on Father's Day. The platinum blonde 48-year-old pop diva was accompanied by her sons when she swung by her father Dennis Stefani's Los Angeles home on Sunday. Also in tow was Gwen's childless country star boyfriend Blake Shelton, who turns 43 on Monday and held a Happy Birthday card as he emerged from the house. Happy Father's Day: Platinum blonde 48-year-old pop diva Gwen Stefani was accompanied by her sons when she swung by her father Dennis Stefani's Los Angeles home on Sunday Gwen, who modeled a camou jacket that day, shares sons Kingston, 12, Zuma, nine, and Apollo, four, with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale. Gathering her hair up into a tight bun, Gwen accessorized with a blue-rimmed pair of massive shades and sported her signature pop of scarlet lipstick. A tangle of necklaces dangled over her white tee, and she emphasized her enviably svelte gams in a pair of leggings, slipping into black leather boots. Plenty to celebrate: Also in tow was Gwen's childless country star boyfriend Blake Shelton, who turns 43 on Monday and held a Happy Birthday card as he emerged from the house History: Gwen shares sons Kingston, 12, (pictured) Zuma, nine, and Apollo, four, with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale There she is: Gathering her hair up into a tight bun, Gwen accessorized with a blue-rimmed pair of massive shades and sported her signature pop of scarlet lipstick Meanwhile, Blake kept his outfit simple, buttoning on a black short-sleeved shirt and hoisting himself into a faded pair of jeans. Dennis, who is still married to Gwen's mother Patti Flynn, complemented his dark jeans with a sky blue T-shirt advertising Big Bear Lake. That day, Gwen posted a touching tribute to her dad on Instagram with the caption, 'Happy Fathers Day to this amazing human. #iloveudad #greatestdadever #blessed'. Sleek and chic: A tangle of necklaces dangled over her white tee, and she emphasized her enviably svelte gams in a pair of leggings, slipping into black leather boots Meanwhile: Blake kept his outfit simple, buttoning on a black short-sleeved shirt and hoisting himself into a faded pair of jeans Padre: Dennis, who is still married to Gwen's mother Patti Flynn, complemented his dark jeans with a sky blue T-shirt advertising Big Bear Lake The photo shows Dennis as a young man playing the guitar while wearing thick-rimmed glasses that would have made legendary 50's rocker Buddy Holly proud. The No Doubt frontwoman even had time to power through rehearsals for her upcoming Las Vegas residency on Sunday She look like she was all business when she arrived at the rehearsal space in the LA neighborhood of Studio City that day. Daddy tribute: Gwen honored her father with a post of him as a young man with the caption: 'Happy Fathers Day to this amazing human' #iloveudad #greatestdadever #blessed Serious woman: Gwen looked all business as she headed to a rehearsal studio in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City on Sunday On Saturday night, Gwen was seen wearing her camouflage jacket when she, Blake and Kingston stepped out for dinner in Los Angeles. Gwen posted a few adorable pictures of her birthday bash for Blake. In one photo, the couple's smiling faces can be seen up close, and Gwen even included a white heart drawn around them to represent her love. Happy birthday: Gwen directed a birthday dinner for beau Blake Saturday night in Los Angeles; Blake will actually turn 43 on Monday In the second pic, a grinning Blake is shown solo with the caption, 'B day weekend has begun!!' @blakeshelton From the looks of it, there was plenty of family and friends on hand to celebrate, including Gwen's sons. The country crooner's actual birthday is not until June 18, so fans could soon see more birthday celebration pictures. Going strong: Gwen posted a picture from Blake Shelton's birthday bash and drew a heart on it Bday Bash: The pop superstar posted several picture with the caption, 'B day weekend has begun ! ! @blakeshelton All in the family: The No Doubt frontwoman brought her sons along Step dad at work: The country crooner reportedly has a great relationship with Gwen's kids Blake can also expect to get some Father's Day gifts. A source close to him told Hollywood Life that Gwen's kids planned on showering him with some presents. 'He knows Gwens boys have all sorts of gifts planned for him. Theyre not very good at keeping secrets so theyve told him what half of them are,' the source said. 'Apparently, hes getting all kinds of stuff for the outdoors. Theyve even got him a new pair of waterproof camo overalls...' The singing superstar kicks off for her 25-date Gwen Stefani - Just a Girl run at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on June 27. Blake gave a progress report in a recent tweet. Viva Las Vegas! Gwen will kick off her Just a Girl residency in Las Vegas June 27; seen performing in November '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: 'OMG just seeing this now!! I love you!' #Bestboyfriendever The summer leg of the residency includes June 27, 29 and 30 and July 3, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20 and 21. She will resume the show in late December. Eden Dally and Grant Crapp's fight on Sunday night was so heated it left the other Love Island stars shocked to the core. And now the show's voiceover guy Eoghan McDermott has spoken about the seriousness of the situation, revealing producers were forced to send in security and psychologists to the Spanish villa to help deal with the aftermath. Speaking to NW magazine, Eoghan explained: 'After the arguments, everybody got sat down afterwards and the psychs were there.' 'There were concerns for everyone's safety': Love Island producers forced to send in security and psychologists after Eden Dally and Grant Crapp's shock fight The much-loved jokester went on to describe how the psychologists attempted to diffuse the tension. 'Everyone was saying and asking, Are you OK? Do you feel comfortable going to bed? Can we check in with you again in the morning after you've slept it off?"' 'Everyone gave the all clear in the end but tempers really did start to flare up that night and it boiled over quite a bit,' he added. The fight was fueled by Eden and Erin's decision to save Jaxon and evict Justin on Sunday night. During the altercation, Eden and Grant were pulled apart by Dom and Josh after things go physical between the pair. The fight kicked off moments after Justin and Elias' exit from the Spanish villa on Thursday, where a division began to form between the Islanders. Fight night! The fight kicked off moments after Justin and Elias' exit from the Spanish villa on Thursday, where a division began to form between the Islanders Erin wasn't shy to confront Tayla and Millie, saying: 'I know we made a really tough decision but apparently you guys said if we didn't pick Justin it was unforgivable.' A clearly unsettled Millie responded saying; 'I said if Justin leaves I'm going to lose my s**t obviously because he's a close friend.' Annoyed, Erin continued asking why the group would suggest they would never talk to them again. 'You guys said if we didn't pick Justin it was unforgivable!' Erin confronted Tayla and Millie 'All your emotions are going!' Tayla tried to reason with Eden and Erin but ended up making the situation worse 'In the moment, all your emotions are going,' Tayla explained, with Millie and Grant concurring. 'How would you feel, making that decision?' Eden challenged her. 'Let's just give it a rest, someone's just gone home,' Millie volunteered mournfully. It's on! Tensions boiled over after Grant pointed his finger at Tayla during the argument Simmer down: Tayla tried to calm Grant with soothing words 'I can say what I want out of emotion,' Tayla shrieked, prompting Eden to ask the brunette whether she would feel comfortable about making the same decision. Coming to his girlfriend's rescue, Grant wasted no time in squaring up to Eden. Erin attempted to come between the two but was pushed aside as the hunks grabbed each others' collars, forcing Dom and Josh to pull them apart. 'Too far!' After the fight, Millie said the fight had gone too far while Josh called the night 'really intense' Later, Grant was seen hugging a crying Tayla who sobbed: 'I know you were just defending me but I hated every second of that.' Meanwhile, talking to camera, Millie said that the fight had gone 'too far' while Josh called the night 'really intense.' A remorseful Eden also spoke candidly to the camera, admitting that 'it was a stupid thing that happened.' Sorry: Full of regret, Eden felt bad about his actions She called false fur 'my new thing' on Instagram last month. And Kim Kardashian showed her commitment to the trend as she prepared to attend Saturday night's MTV Movie And TV Awards in Los Angeles. The 37-year-old shared an Insta Story post of herself having her makeup done - and in the background was a rack of what her caption identified as 'All FAUX FUR BTW'. Spot them: Kim Kardashian showed her commitment to her faux fur trend as she prepared to attend Saturday night's MTV Movie And TV Awards in Los Angeles Kim had wriggled into a floor-length split Versace skirt glimmered with sequins and allowed the mother of three to show off her enviably svelte legs. Flashing a bit of midriff beneath a strapless white crop top, Mrs. Kanye West wore braids, igniting the standard online furor over 'cultural appropriation.' She still had her braids in on Sunday when she shared an Insta Story workout update of herself as she exercised her 'Back and Arms today.' In the middle of last month, Kim shared an Instagram snapshot of herself en route to catch a concert by her fellow Armenian superstar Cher. On the bandwagon: The 37-year-old shared an Insta Story post of herself having her makeup done - and in the background was a rack of what her caption identified as 'All FAUX FUR BTW' Kim echoed an outfit Cher wore when the latter attended a 1974 premiere of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with David Geffen at Los Angeles' Roxy Theatre. 'Faux Fur...its my new thing,' captioned the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star for the benefit of her 112 million-strong Instagram following. After hobnobbing with Kim at New York Fashion Week last year, her fellow sex tape icon Pamela Anderson pleaded with her to give up on the material. 'I'm writing to ask you to extend your compassion to real fashion victims - the animals who are violently killed in the fur trade - by swearing off fur this winter,' wrote Pamela in an open letter posted online in September. Staying in shape: She still had her braids in on Sunday when she shared an Insta Story workout update of herself as she exercised her 'Back and Arms today' Incoming: Flashing a bit of midriff beneath a strapless white crop top, Mrs. Kanye West wore braids, igniting the standard online furor over 'cultural appropriation' The PETA ad star, who is close enough Julian Assange to have set off romance rumors, noted: 'First lady and former fur-wearer Melania Trump recently swore off fur, following in the footsteps of so many fashion icons and first ladies.' Kim recently visited Donald Trump at the White House in a successful bid to swing a pardon for Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old great-grandmother who has served more than 21 years of a life sentence for eight counts of drug trafficking. When Van Jones of CNN asked her if she would ever consider running for president, Kim offered the headline-generating reply: 'Never say never.' Kanye has been busily igniting a bit of controversy lately, tweeting his support for Donald Trump and theorizing on TMZ Live that slavery had been 'a choice.' Brad Pitt spent Father's Day with his children in London amid his contentious custody battle with ex Angelina Jolie. The 54-year-old actor was granted time with five of his six children - Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and twins Vivienne and Knox, nine - by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge last week according to a Sunday report from People. According to the publication 43-year-old faces losing custody if she doesn't not follow the court orders to give Pitt ample time with the kids, Scroll below for video Good day: Brad Pitt, 54, spent Father's Day with his children in London amid his contentious custody battle with ex Angelina Jolie, 43. He was snapped in NYC in June 2017 'The children not having a relationship with their father is harmful to them,' the court said in docs, according to People, giving the family's oldest child, 16-year-old Maddox, a choice based on his age. The Fight Club star was seen earlier this week in the U.K., where Jolie has taken the six kids to work on the Maleficent sequel. A source told the magazine that the Oklahoma-born actor 'is a great dad and always loved being with his kids,' and has been restrained amid the custody crisis with Jolie. 'He doesnt talk badly about Angie,' a source told the magazine, 'but he feels its her fault that the kids dont want to spend more time with him.' Out and about: Jolie was with her kids - Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Knox and Vivienne - in Paris in January An insider told the publication that Pitt has a 'very busy schedule' later this summer working in Los Angeles on the Quentin Tarantino movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with frequent visits to London. 'He often attends dinner parties, socializes with friends and attends events,' an insider told People. Jolie was in Iraq on Sunday with the United Nations Refugee Agency, where she took a tour of a refugee camp impacted by the seven-year conflict in Syria, calling it 'the worst devastation' she's seen in her 17 years working with the United Nations. Jolie filed for divorce from The Moneyball actor in September of 2016. For Fathers Day in 2017, Pitt celebrated in Los Angeles with his kids a day early. Pitt and Jolie's ongoing case returns to court August 13. She has battled persistent rumours there's trouble in her marriage with Stuart Webb. And now on the cusp of turning 40, former Home and Away star Kate Ritchie has revealed she wonders if there are still some things she was 'meant' to do. Speaking to Good Health magazine, the actress-turned-Nova-radio-personality reflected on her milestone. Scroll down for video 'I wonder if I've done all the things I've meant to do': Kate Ritchie reflects on turning 40 amid rumours of trouble in her marriage with Stuart Webb 'I've never been one to hide my age or worry about it,' she candidly told the publication. 'But I'm also a human who reflects on 40 years and wonders if she's done all the things she was meant to do.' Turning 40 on August 14, she joked that friends and fans alike have a similar response when she tells them her age, asking her 'how old does that make me?' Speculation: Over the last couple of years, Kate and her husband Stuart's marriage has come under the microscope 'How does that that make me?': The actress grew up on screen playing Sally Fletcher on long-running soap, Home and Away Over the last couple of years, Kate and her husband Stuart's marriage has come under the microscope. Last month, the pair were spotted engaging in an awkward public display of affection. Sportsman Stuart, 37, appeared to comfort Kate, who appeared downcast and deep in thought. Stuart placed his arm around his wife's shoulders in an apparent attempt to comfort her, but she seemed somewhat reluctant. In the past, it was reported that Stuart was residing in the Southern Highlands while Logie-winning actress Kate lived in Sydney. Last December, Kate addressed rumours of marriage troubles in an interview with Stellar magazine. 'It doesn't hurt my feelings, not anymore,' she said at the time. 'I think in the old days it did. There's no point in getting bogged down about what other people think is happening in my life.' Lisa Armstrong allegedly wants to take ex-husband Ant McPartlin 'for every penny' he has, following the emergence of his romance with personal assistant Anne-Marie Corbett. According to The Sun, the 42-year-old has told pals 'the gloves are off' in their divorce battle, after being left heartbroken by his relationship with their long-time PA and friend. The presenter's romance with Anne-Marie emerged on Saturday, five months after his divorce from wife of twelve years Lisa, who has told fans on Twitter that her ex hasn't 'had the decency' to contact her regarding his new relationship. Furious: Lisa Armstrong allegedly wants to take ex-husband Ant McPartlin 'for every penny' he has, following the emergence of his romance with personal assistant Anne-Marie Corbett An insider told the paper that Lisa has been left furious by the fling, which is believed to have started amid his drink-driving woes over the last few months. Lisa allegedly told her friends after the news broke: 'The gloves are off. I will take him for every penny.'' With the PA a friend of the former couple, the source added: 'Lisa has suspected something was going on for quite some time and feels let down by Anne-Marie.' MailOnline has contacted Lisa's representatives for further comment. Devastating: Lisa has allegedly told pals 'the gloves are off' in their divorce battle, after being left heartbroken by his romance with their long-time PA and friend (Anne-Marie above) Personal assistant Anne-Marie was seen for the first time since the romance emerged on Sunday. 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. 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. 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 news is believed to have devastated make-up artist Lisa, who was with Ant for 18 years. At 5am Sunday morning she tweeted a broken heart emoji, signifying her upset. 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. '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 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. 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. 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 '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.' 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 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.' She announced her pregnancy a little over one week ago. But Hilary Duff hid her baby bump underneath a black sweatshirt as she went to the Farmer's Market in Los Angeles on Sunday. The 30-year-old actress was joined by her boyfriend Matthew Koma, 31, as they sipped iced beverages and enjoyed the plethora of stalls. Cover up: Hilary Duff hid her baby bump underneath a black sweatshirt as she went to the Farmer's Market in Los Angeles on Sunday Duff opted for an all-black ensemble as she enjoyed a romantic day with her beau. She wore leggings along with matching running shoes and the couple picked up a various goodies. A large orange fanny back was strapped around the Lizzie McGuire star's waist and she added a silver watch. She pulled her long blonde tresses into a relaxed ponytail, and seemed like she couldn't stop smiling throughout the day. At the market: The 30-year-old actress was joined by her boyfriend Matthew Koma, 31, as they sipped iced beverages and enjoyed the plethora of stalls Romance: Duff opted for an all-black ensemble as she enjoyed a romantic day with her beau Koma also donned a dark ensemble, pairing a grey, crewneck with black sweatpants. He pulled on a zippered jacket and added a pair of dusty sneakers as the couple walked arm in arm. He shaded his face with blue and tortoiseshell sunglasses and an air of cool to his relaxed look. Sporty: She wore leggings along with matching running shoes and the couple picked up a various goodies Check out that fanny: A large orange fanny back was strapped around the Lizzie McGuire star's waist and she added a silver watch The Lizzie McGuire star took to social media last week to announce that she was expecting a baby daughter with her boyfriend Matthew Koma. The couple announced they were dating in January 2017, but have broken up and gotten back together multiple times since. Duff also has a six-year-old son, Luca, with ex-husband Mike Comrie, 37. The former couple married in August 2010 in Santa Barbara, California and announced their separation in January 2014. Multitasking: She pulled her long blonde tresses into a relaxed ponytail, and seemed like she couldn't stop smiling throughout the day. The Project's Carrie Bickmore is said to be 'filthy' that co-host Lisa Wilkinson is being given the show's VIP interviews and overseas assignments, despite only joining the program four months ago. On Monday, Woman's Day quoted sources as saying that Carrie - who has hosted The Project since its debut nine years ago - is also 'beyond annoyed' by Lisa's list of demands, as well as her whopping salary. 'Who wouldn't be filthy to be relegated to second place after effectively holding a program together for years?' one insider reportedly asked the magazine. Scroll down for video 'Who wouldn't be filthy to be relegated to second place?' A source has reportedly told Woman's Day that Carrie Bickmore is 'beyond annoyed' that Lisa Wilkinson is securing big interviews and overseas trips on The Project Lisa only joined The Project in late January, but has already made two trips to the US for exclusive interviews. In February, she flew to Las Vegas to interview Celine Dion, while in April she traveled to New York for an exclusive sit-down with comedian Amy Schumer. And last month, Lisa flew to London to cover the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, while Carrie stayed home. 'There's a lot of tension behind the scenes': Lisa only joined The Project in late January, but has already made two trips to the US for exclusive interviews, and flew to London to cover the Royal Wedding 'There's a lot of tension behind the scenes,' an anonymous source is alleged to told Woman's Day. After it was announced that Lisa was joining The Project last October, it was widely reported in the media that Carrie was 'p**sed off' that the new recruit was rumoured to have secured a $2.3 million salary. Carrie is thought to be earning less than four times that amount, with a rumoured paycheck of $500,000. More camera time, less money: Carrie is thought to be earning less than four times less than Lisa, with a rumoured paycheck of $500,000 'Lisa is getting paid all that money for just two nights a week on camera, and she wants all the best stories here and overseas,' the insider is quoted as saying in Woman's Day. And while it was recently reported that Ita Buttrose and network CEO Paul Anderson were the only two Channel Ten employees allowed to fly business class, the magazine claims Lisa has also negotiated that luxury work perk. A separate source told Woman's Day: 'The bottom line is Lisa is not delivering what they (network executives) all believed she could, and Carrie is sitting back wondering why Lisa is paid so much, why the special treatment, why the business class flights... at a network that is fighting to survive.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Ten for comment. Love Island's Justin Lacko has once again addressed persistent rumours he is gay following his appearance on the raunchy dating show. The 27-year-old model was accused of being 'campy' after he failed to hook-up with any of the ladies on the show. Speaking to The Herald Sun on Monday, the shredded TV star candidly said he might not have be 'masculine' or 'blokey' enough for the program. 'Maybe I was not masculine enough': Love Island's Justin Lacko addresses gay rumours and says the busty babes on the show 'weren't for him' 'Maybe I was not masculine enough, not blokey enough, not crude enough,' Melbourne-based Justin said. Justin also hit out at his surgically-blessed co-stars, saying maybe the bevvy of beauties in the villa wanted 'cavemen.' 'Those women weren't for me,' he said, adding that it was 'their loss' because he thinks of himself as a 'catch.' 'Those women weren't for me': Justin failed to make a connection with the women in the house, saying it was 'their loss' Speculation swirled that amateur artist Justin was gay before he got booted out of the villa, last week. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia from Spain on Friday, the Adonis like star hit out at the rumours, adding he would be 'questioning' some of the other guys in the house. 'I find it quite funny because if anything I would be questioning maybe some of the other guys,' he said. 'I could say the same thing about some of the boys who have like a massive bromance, and some of the guys shower naked together,' he added. 'I find it quite funny because if anything I would be questioning maybe some of the other guys': Following his exit from the show, Justin hit out at his co-stars 'I could say the exact same thing, but I don't need to because I don't really care.' The talk came to a head when co-star Elias spoke about Justin's flamboyant behaviour, which upset Justin. 'I'm not going to speculate on his sexuality, but I hope he can come to terms with whatever he has to come to terms with,' he said. 'I'm not going to speculate on his sexuality': Things came to a head when co-star Elias Chigros spoke of Justin's flamboyant behaviour The experience of being on the show has reportedly been difficult for the male model, who went missing following his eviction from the Majorca villa. Last Friday, Justin was scheduled for an interview onKISS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show, but it never went ahead. 'We were supposed to talk to Justin in 10 minutes' time... and apparently he has gone missing and Channel Nine are furious,' Jackie 'O' Henderson revealed. It's been a trying week for Kat Von D, but she capped it off the right way. The expectant beauty, 36, stepped out with her husband Rafael Reyes (a.k.a. Leafar Seyer), 42, on Sunday with pedicures in Studio City, California and a Fathers Day visit with her dad, Rene C. Drachenberg, after a week of dialogue after she said she wouldn't be vaccinating her child. The L.A. Ink star, whose real name is Katherine von Drachenberg, wore a long-sleeved black dress with a large metal cross necklace. She had her black locks parted and pulled back on the daytime trek with her musician spouse, who she tied the knot with earlier this year. Scroll below for video Beaming: Kat Von D, 36, capped off a trying week as she stepped out with her husband Rafael Reyes, 42, (a.k.a. Leafar Seyer) on Sunday with pedicures in Studio City, California, after dealing with a controversy stemming from her view on vaccination Reyes, the vocalist for the musical outfit Prayers, matched the Tattoo Chronicles author in all-black, with a denim jacket over a shirt with pants and a belt. Both husband and wife wore lime green sandals, perfect for airing out their feet after the pedicure. Later Sunday, Kat posted a shot in which she posed alongside her father outside of a Victorian style home he's restoring for her daughter, her husband and their 'soon-to-be baby boy.' 'Spending the day with Dad Von D,' she wrote alongside the clip in which they were posed in front of the home. Arm-in-arm: Reyes and his wife smiled after receiving their pedicures, with both sporting painted toenails In love: Kat shared this shot of her husband, whose real name is Rafael Reyes Momentous: Kat posed with her father Rene C. Drachenberg outside of a home he's refurbishing for she and Reyes She also shared a shot of Reyes, writing, 'Happiest of Fathers Day to my beautiful, inspiring, talented and compassionate esposo: @prayers.' Earlier this month, Kat sparked controversy in a June 7 Instagram post consisting of a photo in which she held her baby bump, and extended essay about why she and Reyes, who are both vegans, have chosen to vaccinate the boy they're expecting. 'If you dont know what its like to have the entire world openly criticize, judge, throw uninformed opinions, and curse you - try being an openly pregnant vegan on Instagram, having a natural, drug-free home birth in water with a midwife and doula, who has the intention of raising a vegan child, without vaccinations,' she wrote, adding she's been inundated with 'unsolicited advice' for her views. Von D advised those who disagree to 'press the unfollow button and move the f*** on. 'Before anyone of you feel inspired to tell me how to do this,' she said, 'I would appreciate you keeping your unsolicited criticism to yourself.' She subsequently took to the social media site after receiving death threats and potential boycotts of her brand. Von D stressed she and Reyes 'are NOT anti-vaxxers' and 'are not against vaccines,' but 'have hesitancies and valid concerns' about the practice. 'Perhaps before any of you feel inspired to harass us, spew hatred, or send ill-will our way,' she wrote, 'I hope you would try and understand that this is our first child together, and we are simply just trying our best.' Von D said that she didn't 'plan on continuing this topic, and [had] no interest in fighting anyone.' She added: 'As much as I hate doing this, I will be turning off the comments on this post - and I think you would too, if you were constantly receiving death wishes onto your unborn child.' He's a dad to three young children. And on Sunday, Kanye West's wife Kim Kardashian paid tribute to him as she shared a photo of the rapper, 41, carrying eldest child, daughter North, on his shoulders. 'Happy Fathers Day babe,' the reality star, 37, wrote on Instagram. 'Thanks for being such a good dad to our babies!' Tribute: Kim Kardashian shared this photo of Kanye West and their daughter North on Father's Day, writing: 'Happy Fathers Day babe. Thanks for being such a good dad to our babies!' The snap showed a smiling Kanye holding onto North's legs as he carried her around at her joint birthday party with cousin Penelope Disick last week. Kim and Kanye celebrated North's actual fifth birthday with day of celebrations in new York on Friday culminating in a meal out at an upscale restaurant. The rapper was snapped carrying his tired daughter to The Polo Lounge. The celebrity couple also share son Saint, two, and baby daughter Chicago who was delivered via a gestational carrier in January. Hands on dad: On Friday, the rapper, 41, was snapped again carrying his eldest child as he and Kim celebrated North's fifth birthday in New York In the spotlight: : By Saturday night, the reality star, 37, was back home in Los Angeles where she glammed it up on the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards By Saturday night though, Kim was back in Los Angeles and all glammed up as she walked the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards. However, her late father Robert Kardashian was also on her mind as Father's Day dawned Sunday. She started the day by sharing a touching tribute to the former best friend and attorney for O.J. Simpson who died from cancer in 2003. 'I know Im posting this early but youre so heavy on my mind tonight. Happy Fathers Day to the best dad in the world. I miss you so much dad,' Kim wrote alongside a throwback snap of the two of them. Jackie O has confirmed that she introduced Married At First Sight star Ryan Gallagher to her close friend Sophie Monk. In the midst of widespread reports that Ryan and Sophie are now a hot new couple, Jackie's KIIS FM co-star Kyle Sandilands probed for more information on Monday's episode of their radio show. 'I don't know if I can say, stop putting me on the spot!' Jackie spluttered, before Kyle phoned Ryan directly to get to the bottom of the romance rumours. 'I did introduce them to each other': On Monday, Jackie O confirmed she put Sophie Monk and Ryan Gallagher in touch, adding more fuel to rumours the pair have a budding romance 'Yeah we're talking,' Ryan confirmed during his call-in, but insisted he has not yet met Sophie as she is in Spain filming Love Island Australia. 'Have you sent a picture of your willy?' Kyle inquired. 'Zoom doesn't work that well on iPhone,' aspiring comedian Ryan shot back, showing off his quick wit. Confirmed! Ryan admitted he and Sophie were talking regularly on the phone and 'probably will' meet up when she returns from Spain Kyle continued to crudely question the MAFS star, asking: 'Have you ever masturbated over any of her photos on Instagram?' Ryan kept coy, offering no immediate reply, before eventually claiming he hadn't done 'anything like that'. Jackie then disclosed that during a night out with Ryan, he told her that he had sent a private message to Sophie but received no reply. Matchmaker? Jackie (right) has been friends with Sophie for almost 20 years Jackie - who has been close friends with Sophie for almost 20 years - got in touch with with her pal and told her to write back to Ryan, saying that they would get on well together. The pair are now talking over the phone, with Sophie set to return from Spain in a few weeks. And Ryan revealed they 'probably will' spend time together when she arrives home in Australia. 'I think there's more to this story': Kyle wasn't convinced that Sophie and Ryan are just friends 'I think there's more to this story. If I was the paparazzi I'd be following Sophie and Ryan around,' the shock jock stated. It comes after an inside told NW magazine on Saturday: '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. 'Seriously smitten': It follows reports in NW that Sophie and Ryan have a burgeoning romance 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!' Ryan attempted to diffuse rampant speculation on Saturday, writing on Instagram: '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.' She's one of the richest women in the world, thought to be worth a staggering $4 billion. But Oprah Winfrey has always known how to 'keep it real.' And a photo of the chat show icon holding a can of Victoria Bitter beer at a backyard BBQ certainly proves that. Scroll down for video Is that Oprah drinking a VB? Social media questions whether viral photo of chat show queen Winfrey clutching a can of Victoria Bitter beer is real or fake... as it circulates the internet again The photo, which was taken during the 64 year-old's tour Down Under back in 2010, has gone viral again on Facebook. And once again social media has been quick to question the snap's authenticity. Meanwhile, other users have taken the opportunity to voice their distaste for the inexpensive liquid amber. 'I'd never be that thirsty to drink that crap,' read one of the comments. 'If this was the only s**t could drink for the rest of my life I'd rather p*** in a can,' another wrote. In the throwback photo, Oprah is seen clutching the cut-price beer while mingling with guests at a picnic table. Down Under: The icon had been on a tour around Australia with a group of around 300 of her show audience members who all won the eight day, all expenses paid trip via Oprah's Big Give away. In a typical Australian setting, a man fires up the grill behind the icon while she enjoys a plate of salad and home cooked hamburgers in front of her. Dressed in a colourful patterned blouse and white trousers, Oprah appeared happy as she ate, drank and joked around with the other guests. Extravaganza: Oprah famously hosted two live shows directly in front of the Sydney Opera House in front of 6000 fans The icon had been on a tour around Australia with a group of around 300 of her show audience members who all won the eight day, all expenses paid trip via Oprah's Big Give away. The group were flown to Sydney and were taken on various excursions, including trips to Uluru, Hamilton Island Wildlife Park in the Whitsundays and an excursion to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. On tour: The legend enjoyed various excursions, including trips to Uluru, Hamilton Island Wildlife Park in the Whitsundays and an excursion to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge Oprah also famously hosted two live shows directly in front of the Sydney Opera House in front of 6000 fans. The extravaganza was scene of Hugh Jackman's famous zip-line accident which saw the Hollywood A-lister crash headfirst into a lighting rig after descending from the top of the sails of the Opera House. The actor was lucky to walk away with just a superficial injury to his eye. With her legal dramas behind her, Tziporah Malkah is looking forward to a stress-free life after relocating to Sydney. And it seems the retired model and actress, 44, now has another reason to smile. Tziporah, formerly known as Kate Fischer, was spotted enjoying a romantic date with her new boyfriend Justin on Saturday. Moving on: Tziporah Malkah (right) enjoyed a romantic lunch with new boyfriend Justin (left) in Sydney on Saturday... after pleading guilty to assaulting her former partner Tziporah couldn't wipe the smile off her face while chatting to Justin at the Sir Allen Taylor & Co cafe in Darlinghurst. They shared a lively and flirtatious discussion, looking very comfortable in each other's company. Later, they went for a stroll down Oxford Street and appeared 'just like any ordinary couple', according to an onlooker. What's so funny? Tziporah couldn't wipe the smile off her face while chatting to Justin at the Sir Allen Taylor & Co cafe in Darlinghurst Happily ever after! It seems Tziporah, 44, has another reason to smile after relocating to Sydney following a difficult period living in South Australia Former life: During her '90s heyday, Tziporah was known as socialite and model Kate Fischer New romance: Tziporah and Justin shared a lively and flirtatious discussion 'Tziporah looked completely smitten, laughing at all of Justin's jokes,' said the source. 'They weren't holding hands or kissing, but you could tell they were "together". It's great she's found someone.' During the outing, Tziporah wrapped up against the chill in a striped longsleeve top, pink scarf and black overcoat. Meanwhile, Justin dressed casually in jeans, a T-shirt and zip-up vest. Boyfriend and girlfriend: Later, they went for a stroll down Oxford Street and appeared 'just like any ordinary couple', according to an onlooker Happy: 'Tziporah looked completely smitten, laughing at all of Justin's jokes,' said the source Tziporah confirmed her new relationship to New Idea on Monday. '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.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tziporah Malkah for comment. Romance: 'They weren't holding hands or kissing, but you could tell they were "together". It's great she's found someone,' the source added Bundled up: During the outing, Tziporah wrapped up against the chill in a striped longsleeve top, pink scarf and black overcoat Taking it easy: Meanwhile, Justin dressed casually in jeans, a T-shirt and zip-up vest 'He's a very nice person': Tziporah confirmed her new relationship to New Idea on Monday Mature: 'We've just been having a great time. I enjoy spending time with someone else a little older than me,' Tziporah said on Monday Last month, Tziporah pleaded guilty in a South Australian court to assaulting her former boyfriend during an argument in January. She received a $1,200 fine without a recorded conviction. Tziporah later told Channel Nine's A Current Affair that she had consumed antidepressants, gin and tonic and Stilnox before 'cat-scratching' her ex. '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 said. 'I was like: "What have I done?" I was very, very ashamed and very, very sorry.' Legal dramas: Last month, Tziporah pleaded guilty in a South Australian court to assaulting her former boyfriend during an argument in January Phew! She received a $1,200 fine without a recorded conviction She's enjoying married life for a second time after tying the knot with Elvis Presley impersonator Mark Tabone in May. And Lisa Curry, 56, has revealed that the newlyweds are feeling clucky and can't wait to hear the pitter patter of tiny feet in their home. The former Olympian told New Idea on Monday that they are anxiously awaiting more grandchildren. Baby joy! Former Olympian Lisa Curry, 56, and her husband Mark Tabone, 52, revealed their exciting family news on Monday 'We can't wait for lots of grandkids,' said Lisa, who already a grandmother to baby Flynn Melchior Gruell. 'We are just getting to enjoy our lives and the kids and their extended family.' Lisa and Mark, 52, have also discussed what their children would have looked like if they'd met when they were younger. 'We can't wait for lots of grandkids': The newlyweds have revealed they are excited to welcome more grandchildren in the future 'We wondered what a child of our own would look like, but we have both been there and done that,' she said. Lisa is a mother to three children - Jaimi Lee, Morgan and Jett - from her first marriage to Ironman Grant Kenny. Her grandson, Flynn, was born in March this year. Lovebirds: Lisa and Mark have also discussed what their children would have looked like if they'd met when they were younger. Pictured: Lisa and her grandchild Flynn Melchior Gruell 'Doesn't matter how busy or how tired I am, holding my grandson is the most beautiful feeling in the world,' she recently wrote on social media. Lisa and Mark have just finished their globetrotting honeymoon, including trips to New Delhi, Agra, Cairo, Gonzo, Malta and Abu Dhabi. They even had a second wedding ceremony in Malta, where Mark spent his childhood years. Speculation has been simmering over a hot romance between Married At First Sight's Ryan Gallagher and Love Island host Sophie Monk. And on Monday, former AFL star Brendan Fevola appeared to confirm the aspiring stand-up comedian and the blonde bombshell have 'found love' with each other. Speaking on his HIIT FM radio show with Fifi Box and Byron Webb, the 37-year-old said: 'This one, I think, is true because I heard it from the horse's mouth. Scroll down for audio I heard it from the horse's mouth! Brendan Fevola CONFIRMS romance between Married At First Sights Ryan Gallagher and Love Island host Sophie Monk The 37-year-old revealed he ran into Ryan in the bathroom of a poker charity function on Friday. He said: 'We're washing our hands and I said "mate, have you found love?" and he's like "yes I have, I've met someone". The radio presenter continued: 'And I said "oh great", I said "who?" and Ryan goes "oh you wouldn't believe it". He said the MAFS star showed him text messages from Sophie, who is currently in Spain hosting Love Island. 'I've met someone!' The 37-year-old revealed he ran into Ryan in the bathroom of a poker charity function on Friday. He said: 'We're washing our hands and I said "mate, have you found love?" and he's like "yes I have, I've met someone" Confirmation: According to Brendan, the MAFS star showed him text messages from Sophie, who is currently in Spain hosting Love Island. The radio host continued: 'Ryan said "oh it's really hard, we've started dating... we met before she went over [to host Love Island in Spain]" Brendan continued: 'Ryan said "oh it's really hard, we've started dating... we met before she went over [to host Love Island in Spain]." Excited for the pairing, he added: '[Sophie and Ryan have] been back and forth, texting each other everyday. He's in love. It's good!' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Ryan Gallagher for comment. Former flames: In 2017, Sophie found love with millionaire publican Stu Laundy on The Bachelorette (left). Meanwhile in early 2018, Ryan was married to Davina Rankin on Married At First Sight (right) Brendan's confirmation on the blossoming romance between the MAFS star and the former Bachelorette comes after Ryan denied they were dating on Sunday. In an Instagram Story post 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.' 'But thank you media it was a lovely thought.' 'Thank you for the thought!': Brendan's confirmation on the blossoming romance comes after Ryan denied they were dating on Sunday. In an Instagram Story post he said they are just friends and that she is out of his league because he is a '2/10' On Monday, Jackie O confirmed that she introduced Ryan Gallagher to her close friend Sophie. Jackie - who has been close friends with Sophie for almost 20 years - got in touch with her pal and told her to write back to Ryan, saying that they would get on well together. The pair are now talking over the phone, with Sophie set to return from Spain in a few weeks. And Ryan revealed they 'probably will' spend time together when she arrives home in Australia. His character, Shane Walsh, was killed off during Season 2 of The Walking Dead. But Jon Bernthal has been seen around the Senoia, Georgia-based set of the hit AMC series. The 41-year-old actor was spotted hanging out with his former castmates Andrew Lincoln, 44, and Norman Reedus, 49. Returning? Jon Bernthal has been seen around the Senoia, Georgia-based set of the hit AMC series Fans of the series have been posting photos of The Punisher star as he made his was about town. One image finds Andrew and Norman posing for a picture at Nic and Normans restaurant as Bernthal reaches for a t-shirt in the background. Another snapshot features the Fury actor hanging out with the Teachers star in a car outside of a coffee shop. In the background: The 41-year-old actor was spotted hanging out with his former castmates Andrew Lincoln, 44, and Norman Reedus, 49 Getting the day started: Another snapshot features the Fury actor hanging out with the Teachers star in a car outside of a coffee shop Fans have begun to wonder if Bernthal is in Georgia shooting flashback scenes, but there is no official words at this time. Andrew, meanwhile, who plays the role of Rick Grimes on the show, is said to be leaving the post-apocalyptic zombie series during season nine. He is only set to appear in six of the anticipated 16 episodes in the ninth season. Flashback? Fans of the series have been posting photos of The Punisher star as he made his was about town When asked about Andrew's departure, AMC offered 'no comment' to Deadline. It's not yet clear whether Rick's exit storyline will be left open for his return, or whether he will be killed off. Instead the website claimed that 'the exact parameters of that exit are being determined'. Meanwhile, Norman, who stars as Daryl Dixon, is said to have negotiated a $20million paycheck to stay on the hit series. John Cena revealed he is willing to have his vasectomy reversed to start a family in a heart-to-heart chat with Nikki Bella on Sunday's episode of Total Bellas. The 34-year-old beauty shared a candlelit dinner with the famous wrestler, 41, as he gave her some shocking news after they had split recently. 'I can't have you out of my life. And relationships, marriage especially, is about sacrifice, and I will make that sacrifice for you. I will give you a child,' John promised. Getting closer: Nikki Bella sat down with John Cena to discuss their troubled relationship on Sunday's episode of Total Bellas The fabulously fit couple had separated after Nikki expressed an urge for motherhood and John was reluctant. And when John agreed to fathering a child with Nikki, she expressed concern as she alluded to his capability of siring by saying: 'But you have the...' 'I know. I physically can't have kids. So, I'm also telling you that I'm willing to have surgery and then still go through with being a dad,' John insisted. The news came as a shock to Bella twin as she doubted it at first. Surprises: 'I can't have you out of my life. And relationships, marriage especially, is about sacrifice, and I will make that sacrifice for you. I will give you a child,' John promised Doubts: And when John agreed to fathering a child with Nikki, she expressed concern as she alluded to his capability of siring by saying: 'But you have the...' 'You're sure though? Are you gonna change your mind?' Nikki pressed. 'I'm not gonna change my mind. I would never, ever say something like this,' John confirmed. 'Oh John, you're gonna be the most amazing dad in the world,' Nikki gushed. 'Just tell me you love me and that you'll marry me,' John said holding her. History: The fabulously fit couple had separated after Nikki expressed an urge for motherhood and John was reluctant Sacrifice: 'I know. I physically can't have kids. So, I'm also telling you that I'm willing to have surgery and then still go through with being a dad,' John insisted The good news was foreshadowed by Brie taking a swing at motherhood by babysitting her niece Birdie as her sister Brie and husband Daniel Bryan packed their house in Phoenix for a move to San Diego. 'Bryan and I have sold our Phoenix home, but it's so hard to pack and have a baby,' Brie explained. 'So, for the first time ever, Bryan and I are leaving Birdie.' Nikki hired a nanny to show her sister that you can still do all the things one needs to do and be a good mother. Sealed with a kiss: 'Just tell me you love me and that you'll marry me,' John said holding her Babysitting duties: The good news was foreshadowed by Brie taking a swing at motherhood by babysitting her niece Birdie as her sister Brie and husband Daniel Bryan packed their house in Phoenix for a move to San Diego Decisions: Nikki urges Brie to take a closer look at her life and realize hiring someone to help out is a good idea 'I kinda wanna show my sister that you can still do the things that you love and need to do in life while being a mom and so today, I hired a nanny. It's one of my best friend's cousins. She's experienced with kids,' Nikki said. Nikki urges Brie to take a closer look at her life and realize hiring someone to help out is a good idea. 'How many times you've had sex since Birdie has been here?' Nikki inquired cheekily as Brie quickly answered: 'I can count on one hand.' Hired help: Nikki hired a nanny to show her sister that you can still do all the things one needs to do and be a good mother Planned parenthood: 'I hired a nanny. It's one of my best friend's cousins. She's experienced with kids,' Nikki said Funny guy: Brie's husband Bryan wore a cast of her pregnant bust After having an emotional farewell to their Phoenix house, Brie turned the corner on the nanny issue. 'When I've always thought about a nanny, I've always felt ashamed like, "I can do this. I can do it on my own." But we shouldn't feel ashamed,' Brie admitted. 'And I do wanna workout. I wanna give more concentration to my companies. And I wanna have more energy for Bird.' Scenes for the next episode of Total Bellas has Nikki and John's relationship back on the rocks. Baby blues: 'When I've always thought about a nanny, I've always felt ashamed like, "I can do this. I can do it on my own." But we shouldn't feel ashamed,' Brie admitted She and her husband Brendan Fevola announced they were expecting their fourth child together in May. And Alex Fevola looked every inch the trendy mother-to-be as she stepped out to run errands in Melbourne on Monday. The 41-year-old was spotted braving the winter chill as she strolled through the inner city of the Victorian capital. Scroll down to video Yummy mummy alert! Alex Fevola, 41, looked every inch the trendy mother-to-be as she stepped out to run errands in Melbourne on Monday Clutching a brown take-away box, the glamazaon was all business as she strolled between appointments. For the outing, the down-to-earth beautician kept it chic with a baggy black T-shirt which she paired with a leather biker's jacket. Alex completed the look with a pair of ripped jeans and a long pink scarf which was wrapped snugly around her neck. Biker chic! For the outing, the down-to-earth beautician kept it chic with a baggy black T-shirt which she paired with a leather biker's jacket Alex finished the look with a pair of matching light pink lace-up espadrilles. For the outing, Alex went make-up free, throwing her blonde hair up in a loose ponytail. Alex and Brendan, who divorced in 2014 after nine years of marriage before reconciling and getting re-engaged, made the baby announcement in May. The couple already share three children - 18-year-old Mia, Leni, 12, and Lulu, eight. Speaking on Fox FM's Fifi, Fev & Byron, Brendan revealed they first suspected Alex was pregnant when she was 'really sick' on a recent holiday. Stylish! The blonde beautician looked glamorous while wearing matching pink espadrilles 'It all happened when we went to America over Easter,' the retied footy star, 37, said. 'Alex was really sick, she thought she was jet lagged. I didn't think anything of it.' Brendan joked that he 'didn't think it worked anymore' and was taken by surprise when his beautician fiancee showed him a positive pregnancy test. The way they were: The May announcement marks a new, happy chapter in Brendan and Alex's previously tumultuous relationship The baby announcement marks a new, happy chapter in Brendan and Alex's previously tumultuous relationship. They married in 2005, but later found themselves at the centre of a scandal when the former Carlton player was accused of having an affair with Lara Bingle. Brendan, who has spoken candidly about his past issues with gambling and alcohol and spent time in rehab, divorced Alex in 2014. They became engaged for a second time two years later, around the time he appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! He permanently relocated to Byron Bay with his model wife, Elsa Pataky 41, and their children India-Rose, 6, Tristan, and Sasha, 4, in 2014. And on Monday Chris Hemsworth looked eager to get home to his brood as he touched down in the trendy NSW coastal town via a private jet. The 34-year-old cut a cool silhouette in an autumnal ensemble consisting of a brown suede jacket, faded jeans and a pair of black wayfarer sunglasses. Thor-ing high! Chris Hemsworth cuts a cool silhouette in a suede jacket and black shades as he touches down in Byron Bay aboard a private jet Chris looked every inch the Hollywood heartthrob as he sported a hint of designer stubble as he strut along the tarmac. Chris was dressed for comfort, wearing a pair of brown lace-up sneakers and a black backpack. The Avengers star, who is believed to have enjoyed a brief sojourn in New York, wheeled a compact black suitcase through the regional airport. The rugged actor made onlookers swoon as he ran his fingers through his thick and textured cropped blond mane. Honey, I'm home! Chris looked excited to be home as he was spotted jogging down the steps of the luxe liner Chris looked excited to be back home in Australia as he was spotted jogging down the steps of the luxe liner. As Chris waited for his chaperone to exit the aircraft, he gave onlookers a glimpse at his handsome physique. With his chiseled cheekbones and fairfeatures, fans could have been fooled into thinking Chris was the long lost relative of fellow Hollywood compatriot, Brad Pitt. Movie star look! With his chiseled cheekbones and fair features, fans could have been fooled into thinking Chris was the long lost relative of fellow Hollywood compatriot, Brad Pitt The sighting comes as the Hemsworth clan continue to make waves in the beachside town amid the renovation of their sprawling mansion. Construction is still rumbling on for the $8.7million coastal abode in the hills above Seven Mile Beach at Broken Head, but residents claim it's spoiling the local charm. 'It seems excessive but there's not much we can do about it - nothing surprises me in this town these days,' Darren Birch told the Herald Sun earlier this month. Making waves: Construction is still rumbling on for the $8.7million Hemsworth coastal abode in the hills above Seven Mile Beach at Broken Head, but residents claim it's spoiling the local charm She's excitedly preparing for the rapidly approaching August birth of her third child and first girl with her musician boyfriend Danny Fujikawa. And Kate Hudson was spotted looking positively radiant on Sunday, as she basked in the glorious sunshine with him on the picturesque Greek island of Skiathos. The 39-year-old actress displayed her growing baby bump in a white bikini, which she teamed with a patterned sarong, while a wide-brimmed hat shielded her eyes. Soaking up the sun: Pregnant Kate Hudson, who is due to welcome her third girl in August, was spotted enjoying a relaxing break on the Greek island of Skiathos on Sunday The Deepwater Horizon star enjoyed quite the leisurely day, relaxing on the golden shores on a sun lounger beside shirtless Danny while they sipped cold beverages. She later waded into the crystal clear Aegean Sea with her family as she made the most of her European getaway ahead of the anticipated arrival of her bundle of joy. Danny and Kate have made their getaway a family affair, with her brother Oliver Hudson, mother Goldie Hawn, and step-dad Kurt Russell joining them. Just the two of us: The actress, 39, was joined by her musician boyfriend Danny Fujikawa According to Us Weekly, the Bride Wars star is on hiatus from work as she prepares for her third child's arrival. 'They are on vacation now, and she has taken off the rest of the summer,' revealed a source. 'She doesn't have any work commitments on her schedule as of now.' The source also told the publication of the parents-to-be: 'Kate and Danny are madly in love. Everyone loves him, and they couldn't be happier that she found him.' Making waves: Kate later waded into the crystal clear Aegean Sea as she made the most of her getaway before the arrival of her baby girl Lovebirds Kate and Danny, who have been dating since 2017, announced that they were expecting a baby together back in April, when Kate shared video of a gender reveal party on her Instagram. Confirming it was a girl, pink confetti rained down after the actress, her beau, and sons all popped giant balloons. Kate shares son Bingham, six, with former fiance Matthew Bellamy of Muse, and she raises Ryder with her rocker ex-husband Chris Robinson. Their relationship only emerged last week after they were pictured enjoying a very romantic weekend together in Paris. But it appears things are serious between Poldark hunk Aidan Turner, 34, and US actress Caitlin FitzGerald, 34, with sources claiming the smitten couple are living together in the actor's London home. As her relationship with the British actor becomes closer, Caitlin's intriguing family background has been unearthed: her grandfather, Desmond FitzGerald, was a high-ranking CIA officer during the 1960s who tried to assassinateFidel Castro. Smitten: Poldark hunk Aidan Turner, 34, and US actress Caitlin FitzGerald, 34 enjoyed a low-key date in London last week, amid claims they are living together Over dinner in Paris in November 1963, FitzGerald, who was the CIA deputy director of plans, gave Cuban defector Rolando Cubela a fountain pen fitted with a hidden needle and an ink cartridge full of the toxin. Cubela was told his mission was to stab the Communist leader and inject him with the powerful toxin. But within hours the plan was abandoned upon the news of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, and any future Castro plots subsequently dropped as they did not have the support of new president Lyndon B. Johnson. Plenty to talk about! Caitlin has an intriguing family background: her grandfather, Desmond FitzGerald, was a CIA officer during the 1960s who tried to assassinate Fidel Castro In March 1964 during a tour of CIA outposts in Buenos Aires in his role as a division chief, FitzGerald insisted during a briefing, written about by case holder Joseph Burkholder Smith, that 'if Jack Kennedy had lived, I can assure you we would have gotten rid of Castro by last Christmas.' The 'daring' CIA deputy, who was posthumously awarded the National Security Medal, was highly regarded in the agency, with Allen Dulles, who became director describing FitzGerald as: 'An officer of imagination and sense of daring, backed by his credentials as a fellow Wall Street lawyer and his impeccable social connections, coupled with his ability to get things done.' CIA: FitzGerald was the CIA deputy director of plans under the Kennedy administration Respected: The 'daring' CIA deputy, who was posthumously awarded the National Security Medal, was highly regarded in the agency FitzGerald died of a heart attack while playing tennis in Virginia at the age of 57. He had one daughter, journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Frances FitzGerald, Caitlin's mother. Aidan and Caitlin were seen enjoying a low-key day out in East London last week, cosying up over breakfast at a cafe. Caitlin looked gorgeous in a chic shirt dress in a nude hue and paired with strappy black sandals. Aidan meanwhile stuck to his trademark dressed down look of grey trousers and a tight white t-shirt to show off his muscular physique. Touchy feely: Caitlin couldn't resist a cheeky touch of her hunky boyfriend as they walked through the neighbourhood with the actress' pet dog Charlie The couple were joined on their breakfast stop and neighbourhood walk by Caitlin's beloved pet pooch Charlie - one date over a number of days for the besotted pair, who appear to be spending much of their time in Aidan's London pad. An onlooker said: 'They looked like a loved-up couple. Aidan kept on smiling at her and they were very touchy feely.' 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 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. Breakfast stop: Caitlin rested an arm on her beau's shoulder as they enjoyed an al fresco bite to eat during the sunny day out 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. Caitlin meanwhile has dated Welsh actor Michael Sheen. 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. 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. His year started on a devastating note, when he and his wife Leah lost their two-year-old Henry in January this year, following his tough battle with cancer. And Rob Delaney, 41, spoke out on his continued grief on Sunday, as he dedicated a heartbreaking Twitter post to the late tot while marking his first Father's Day since his tragic passing. Sharing a snapshot of himself kissing little Henry on the cheek as they he held him in his arms in a snowy setting, the Catastrophe star wrote: 'This is the first Fathers Day since my beautiful Henry died. Love today to all dads & moms whove lost a child.' Heartbreaking: Rob Delaney paid tribute to his late son Henry on Sunday, as he marked his first Father's Day since the tot's tragic death The post attracted an outpouring of support from many of the Boston-born star's almost 1.6 million followers, who posted thousands of comments. 'Love to you and your family today Rob,' wrote musician Josh Groban, followed by actor Chris O'Dowd, who said: 'Really thinking of you today. Cant f***ing imagine.' American comedian Michael Ian Black simply wished Rob 'all the love', while British actress Amanda Abbington replied: 'Sending you all my love on this difficult day.' 'Sweet boy': in April, the actor and comedian shared a snap of his little boy, Henry, who died in January following a battle with a brain tumour, with his Twitter followers Surgery: Henry underwent surgery to remove the tumour, and spent 15 months in hospital while undergoing follow up treatment, but tragically the cancer returned in the autumn of 2017 In a Twitter post shared back in April, Rob paid tribute to 'sweet little boy' Henry on what would have been his third birthday. Henry had surgery to remove a brain tumour following his diagnosis in 2016, but the cancer returned in the autumn of 2017, and his devastated father confirmed his death in a Facebook post in February, telling fans he would 'endeavour to not go mad with grief'. Rob, who was born in the US but is based in London, posted a snap of the little boy leaning on a statue of a turtle clutching a toy bus, apparently taken on a family day out. Rob, who has two older sons, aged six and five, with his wife said of the photograph: 'You can see his little tracheotomy tube on his neck and his left eye is turned in due to nerve damage from surgery. He has a bus & a turtle though so he's happy.' Heartbreaking: Rob revealed in February that his youngest son had died. Pictured in May 2015 The star was inundated with messages of support from fans after sharing the post, which has been liked more than 10,000 times. His moved fans praised him for talking openly about his family's loss, and for his efforts to drum up support for both the NHS workers and the charities that had been there in Henry's hour of need. 'Thank you for sharing your family's and your son's journey with us, and for all you do to help other children and families in need,' one follower said. Another wrote: 'I can't imagine in a million years what you guys went through. Love and respect.' Touching: He shared this snap to Instagram captioned, 'I put big boy underpants on my baby'. Pictured in May 2015 Others told the star they admired his 'openness' around such a painful subject. In the month after Henry's death, Delaney paid tribute to his 'smart, funny and mischievous' child in an emotional Facebook post. 'Henry was a joy,' wrote Delaney. 'He was smart, funny, and mischievous and we had so many wonderful adventures together, particularly after he'd moved home following fifteen months living in hospitals.' In his message, Rob explained that Henry was diagnosed after suffering persistent vomiting and weight loss, shortly after he turned one. Devastating news: The actor announced the death of his youngest child in a heartfelt and moving tribute, in which he asked for donations to the charities which helped his family The toddler underwent surgery to remove a tumour in addition to further treatment, spending a gruelling 15 months in hospital. But his family were told his cancer had returned in the autumn of 2017. Rob explained in his Facebook post that while brain surgery had left his son with 'significant physical disabilities', the toddler found his own ways to overcome his challenges. 'He quickly learned sign language and developed his own method of getting from A to B shuffling on his beautiful little bum,' Rob wrote at the time. 'His drive to live and to love and to connect was profound.' Delaney also paid tribute to the NHS staff who cared for his son, saying Henry's doctors and nurses would be 'my heroes until the day I die'. Doting dad: Rob shared a picture of him cradling his son to Instagram in June 2015 with the caption '#ChristianDadsWhoVape' He also praised the support the family had received from the charities Rainbow Trust, and Noah's Ark Children's Hospice. Massachusetts-born comedian Delaney first came to prominence on Twitter, sharing his jokes on the platform. After developing a huge following, he was signed up to shoot a pilot for Comedy Central. The show was not picked up, however Delaney went on to co-write and co-star in Catastrophe with Sharon Horgan, taking inspiration for the show from their own lives. The hit Channel 4 show has now run for three series. They have made it clear that there's no love lost between them after being the first couple dumped from the Island. And Love Island's Charlie Frederik and Hayley Hughes' distaste for one another has gone up a gear after they refused to sit on the same couch as one another on Monday's Lorraine and This Morning. Following their tense showdown on Sunday's Aftersun, the duo, who left the Hidden Hills villa on Friday night, went one step further with their feud and refused to be interviewed together on both ITV's morning stalwarts which left viewers aghast. Frosty: Love Island 's Charlie Frederik and Hayley Hughes' distaste for one another has gone up a gear after they refused to sit on the same couch as one another on Monday's Lorraine and This Morning Appearing on This Morning, the pair avoided an on-air tete-a-tete as they sat on opposite couches while hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield chatted to them one by one. The show even went as far as to split screen their interviews to show the pair from separates sides of the studio. Speaking first this time around, the blonde bombshell explained why they didn't want to be interviewed together. She explained: 'I think it's a bit of both to be honest because obviously weve discussed on Love Island we don't get on and obviously we don't want to sit there arguing with each other.' Awkward: The duo, who left the Hidden Hills villa on Friday night, went one step further with their feud and refused to be interview together on the ITV morning stalwart which left viewers aghast One by one: Appearing on This Morning, the pair once again avoided an on-air tete-a-tete as they sat on opposite couches while hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield chatted to them one by one Showdown: The pair came face to face in a tense showdown during the Love Island spin-off show Aftersun on Sunday evening The Scouse model admitted that she felt she was made to look like a 'diva' on the romance reality series. She continued: 'I've watched little bits and yeah that's just not me and because I was labelled diva theyve made me live up to that, I did come across rude and things, I was shocked at that. I feel like that cos I was so frustrated in myself.' Despite wanting to be interviewed separately to her former love interest, Hayley insisted she only wants the best for the 23-year-old model, who sat sullenly across the studio on a different couch, and would like to see him go back into the villa. She said: Obviously Charlie is a really nice boy and I do hope he gets the chance to go back in, and I just couldnt see myself.' No go: Letting Hayley go first this time around, the blonde bombshell explained why they didn't want to be interviewed together No holding back: She explained: 'I think it's a bit of both to be honest because obviously weve discussed on Love Island we don't get on and obviously we don't want to sit there arguing with each other' 'Diva': The Scouse model admitted that she felt she was made to look like a 'diva' on the romance reality series Catching up: The reality stars chatted to Phillip and Holly on This Morning Reflecting on his time in the villa, Charlie admitted that he should have 'invested' his energy in someone else, someone who was interested in him. 'If I'd invested my time in someone else there would have been more chemistry there,' he shared. 'I had tunnel vision for Hayley because I did fancy her. But as time progressed I saw it wasn't the right decision.' Earlier in the morning, the duo appeared on Lorraine and proved that their animosity for one another had grown in the aftermath of Sunday night's fallout when host Lorraine Kelly announced that they would be interviewed separately. Conducting the interviews, model Charlie was first to come out and chat with the Scottish host. Well wishes: Despite wanting to be interviewed separately to her former love interest, Hayley insisted she only wants the best for the 23-year-old model, who sat sullenly across the studio on a different couch, and would like to see him go back into the villa 'Invested': Reflecting on his time in the villa, Charlie Frederik admitted that he should have 'invested' his energy in someone else who was interested in him Chemistry: 'If I'd invested my time in someone else there would have been more chemistry there,' he shared. 'I had tunnel vision for Hayley because I did fancy her. But as time progressed I saw it wasn't the right decision' The reality star admitted he was 'gutted' to be booted off the Island and admitted things were still 'frosty' between him and Hayley, who waited in the wings. He said: 'We're fine, we're just frosty cause Im a bit gutted to be honest. You just want to get your own piece across. 'Im bitter and angry, not to her, I can't hold a grudge. It is what is is. I feel like Ive been hard done by and my chance has been taken away from me. It was so much fun, Im missing it. Visibly sensing the tension, Lorraine jokingly told Charlie to 'go away' so she could chat to Hayley. Feeling the tension, the blond reality star said 'so awkward' as he walked out of the studio and Hayley appeared from the other side. Going forward: Presenter Lorraine Kelly announced before their appearance that the pair would be interviewed separately as their animosity for one another has grown in the aftermath of Sunday night's fallou Chat: Conducting separate interviews, model Charlie Frederik was first to come out and chat with the Scottish host 'Frosty': The reality star admitted he was 'gutted' to be off the Island and admitted things were still 'frosty' between him and the Liverpudlian model, who waited in the wings 'Gutted': He said: 'We're fine, we're just frosty cause Im a bit gutted to be honest. You just want to get your own piece across' Hayley argued that she wasn't going to force herself into going from man to man to stay on the ITV2 series and addressed his claims that she was 'cold'. She explained: 'Maybe near the end I was a bit cold, and I think that is something I need to work on, but if I'm not interested in someone and I can't see it going any further I will pull away. 'We're all playing a game, but I didn't know it was inside the ear, so I've learned something.' The awkward encounter didn't go unnoticed by viewers at home who took to social media to comment on the tension on both shows. Tension: Visibly sensing the tension, Lorraine jokingly told Charlie to 'go away' so she could chat to Hayley. The blond reality star said 'so awkward' as he walked out of the studio and Hayley appeared from the other side 'Cold': Hayley argued that she wasn't going to force herself into going from man to man to stay on the ITV2 series and addressed his claims that she was 'cold' Interested: She explained: 'Maybe near the end I was a bit cold, and I think that is something I need to work on, but if I'm not interested in someone and I can't see it going any further I will pull away' Learning: She added: 'We're all playing a game, but I didn't know it was inside the ear, so I've learned something' One viewer wrote: 'So Charlie and Hayley are on Lorraine this morning and they are doing separate interviews bc they dont wanna sit next to each other' (sic). 'Charlie and Hayley refusing to sit together so they interview separately,' a second commented. Another posted: 'Wow Hayley and Charlie so alienated they just did an interview on @lorraine one at a time won't even sit on the same sofa #loveisland'. While one viewer praised presenter Lorraine for putting up with the petty behaviour: 'Wowzers that was awkward, poor Lorraine. I can just see Hayley in Big Brother'. Commentary: The awkward encounter didn't go unnoticed by viewers at home who took to social media to comment on the tension During their appearance on This Morning, a viewer shared: 'As if Hayley and Charlie are refusing to sit next to each other on This Morning.' 'Hahaha as if Charlie and Hayley have had to have interviews in separate parts of the studio on This Morning,' another posted. While one viewers echoed many's sentiments: ' Just watched Lorraine & This Morning and Hayley & Charlie are interviewing separately on different bloody couches like how mortifying!' The pair's awkward encounter comes after they came face to face during Love Island spin-off show Aftersun on Sunday evening. Fans of the programme threw their support behind Charlie as he told Hayley he was booted from the island because of her, saying 'she wasn't liked as a person'. Hayley hit out at Charlie, saying she didn't think he would still be in the villa because he was competing in the vote against the nation's new sweetheart, Dr Alex. Active: She later appeared out of the studio clad in her activewear Walk this way: She donned a chic denim jacket and loose-fitting sky blue jumper Team Charlie: Fans of the show threw their support behind Charlie as he told Hayley he wouldn't have been dumped from the island if it wasn't for her, because 'she wasn't liked as a person' He furiously quipped back: 'You weren't liked.' Caroline quickly stepped in, shouting 'Charlie!' at his remark, as if she were trying to defuse the tense situation. Determined to stand her ground, Hayley added: 'You can't be so certain you wouldn't be in the bottom two when you're up against Alex! So have a little think on that one' But Charlie sniped back: 'I wouldn't have been in the bottom two if I was with someone else' Despite his cutting words during the frosty exchange, many viewers sided with the 23-year-old model who agreed that Hayley 'wasn't well liked'. His reps recently cancelled all of his upcoming media appearances after recent pictures of his gaunt appearance prompted queries about his health. But Johnny Depp looked fitter and healthier as he continued the UK leg of the Hollywood Vampires' tour, wowing the crowds at the Genting Arena in Birmingham on Saturday night, and Manchester Arena on Sunday night. The Hollywood actor, 55, appeared in animated spirits as he performed alongside bandmates Alice Cooper and Joe Perry, after sending shock waves among his fan base with pictures that showed him looking relatively frail. Back at his best: Johnny Depp looked fitter and healthier as he continued the UK leg of the Hollywood Vampires' tour, wowing the crowds at the Genting Arena in Birmingham on Saturday night, and Manchester Arena on Sunday night But, despite fans' initial fears, Johnny looked the picture of vigour and health as he picked up his guitar and dazzled the crowds in his typically grunge get-ups over the weekend. The Blow actor appeared completely immersed in his performance as he rocked out and even playfully interacted with some of those in the crowd. The shows come shortly after Johnny 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. Sparking concern: Johnny's reps recently cancelled all of his upcoming media appearances after recent pictures of his gaunt appearance prompted queries about his health Ready to rock: The Hollywood actor, 55, appeared in animated spirits as he performed alongside bandmates Alice Cooper and Joe Perry Ever the entertainer: Despite fans' initial fears, Johnny looked the picture of vigour and health as he picked up his guitar and dazzled the crowds 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. Depp, who is the object of many fans' affections, sported a noticeably thinner face in the shots. 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. Signature style: Johnny took to the stage in his typically grunge get-ups as he performed with the American rock supergroup over the weekend In the zone: The Blow actor appeared completely immersed in his performance as he rocked out and even playfully interacted with some of those in the crowd Dressed to thrill: Alice Cooper, 70, went all out in leather trousers and a frilled shirt for the performance 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. Concern: The shows come shortly after Johnny was asked about his health by a German journalist, prompting 'panic among the large Depp camp', The Times Magazine reported They tied the knot just days ago, in an intimate ceremony in front of close friends and family at his stunning 10,000-acre estate, Glen Affric, in Cannich, Scotland. And Spencer Matthews and his pregnant new wife Vogue Williams made a rare appearance together as newlyweds as they stepped out in London for a spot of lunch on Sunday. The Irish model, 32, who is expected to give birth in two months' time, flaunted her blossoming baby bump in a black Aztec-print top, which had red, orange and white tassels. The happy couple: Vogue Williams and Spencer Matthews made a rare appearance together as newlyweds as they stepped out in London for a spot of lunch on Sunday She added a pair of black skinny maternity jeans to her ensemble, for a casual yet stylish look. Vogue accessorised her ensemble with a pair of leopard print ballet bumps, a series of silver necklaces and her sparkly engagement and wedding ring on her left hand. She styled her blonde locks into a chic high bun, leaving her front strands loose to frame her face. Parents-to-be: The Irish model, 32, who is expected to give birth in two months' time, flaunted her blossoming baby bump in a black Aztec-print top Romantic: They tied the knot just days ago, in an intimate ceremony in front of close friends and family at his stunning 10,000-acre estate, Glen Affric, in Cannich, Scotland The glowing mother-to-be added a slick of make-up as she completed her ensemble with a pair of black aviator-style sunglasses. Meanwhile, Spencer looked dapper in a blue shirt, navy tie and a tweed patterned blazer. He added a pair of washed-out blue skinny jeans and a set of smart-looking tan leather brogues. The couple appeared more loved-up than ever after making lifetime vows to one another in their intimate wedding over the weekend of 9 and 10 June. Yummy mummy: The glowing mother-to-be added a slick of make-up as she completed her ensemble with a pair of black aviator-style sunglasses Past: Vogue was previously married to former Westlife singer Brian McFadden, 38, from 2012 to 2015 Spencer protectively held his pregnant's wife hand as they navigated themselves through the streets of London with some friends on Sunday. At their wedding, which took place at the former Made In Chelsea star's stunning 10,000-acre family estate, Glen Affric, in Cannich, Scotland, his brother James Matthews, 42, acted as Best Man while his brother-in-law James Middleton, 31, also made an appearance, Hello! Magazine reports. The couple were sure to dazzle in the style stakes on their special day as Vogue donned a elegant off-white V-neck wedding dress that was designed by acclaimed Irish designer Paul Costelloe. And Spencer complemented his love's breath-taking display as he donned a bespoke midnight blue morning suit made by renowned tailor Tony Lutwyche. HELLO! also reports that the rings which the couple exchanged were a simple rose gold band for Spencer and a diamond band for Vogue, and were designed by the groom himself. Love story: Spencer and Vogue announced their pregnancy one month after confirming their engagement, getting married earlier this year Cute: HELLO! reports that the rings which the couple exchanged were a simple rose gold band for Spencer and a diamond band for Vogue, and were designed by the groom himself Spencer's decision to design their wedding bands comes after he previously had a hand in designing Vogue's 150,000 engagement ring, for which took inspiration from his partner's favourite landmark. He said: 'Vogue has always loved the design and structure of bridges and she loves Albert Bridge, which we live right next to. I devised the way of making the ring look like a bridge by using five stones.' Following their 'I do's', the couple, who met while competing on Channel 4's The Jump, and their guests enjoyed a tantalising sit-down meal which featured a menu of local Scottish produce. The publication also reported that guests dined on a three-tier dusty pink sponge cake with fresh raspberries, vanilla cream and buttercream frosting, which was made by a local baker. Love at first sight: They have been together since January 2017 after meeting on reality show The Jump (Vogue pictured after getting engaged) Music at the event was kept traditional, with a bagpiper playing as everyone took their seats before the ceremony - which was conducted by a registrar - began. The news of their nuptials comes after they were seen boarding a luxury plane on Wednesday carrying a bag containing what appeared to be a wedding dress. Spencer's family's Scottish estate is a sprawling manor that can cost holidaymakers 900 a night plus VAT, and includes a chauffeur service to and from Inverness airport. Impressive: Spencer's family's Scottish estate is a sprawling manor that can cost holidaymakers 900 a night plus VAT, and includes a chauffeur service Spencer and Vogue announced their pregnancy one month after confirming their engagement after he proposed following a performance of The Lion King at London's Lyceum Theatre in February. They have been together since January 2017 after meeting on reality show The Jump. Vogue was previously married to former Westlife singer Brian McFadden, 38, from 2012 to 2015. Spencer's elder brother, James Matthews, 42, is married to Kate Middleton's younger sister Pippa, 34. Love Island fans have been rooting for him amid a dismal track record in the villa. And Monday night's episode of the hit ITV2 show could finally deliver a bit of luck for Alex George, as it's been revealed the hunky but hapless doctor shares a kiss with one of the new girls. The huge development was let slip by Jack Fincham during a live interview on Love Island After Sun on Sunday night. Finally! Monday's episode of Love Island could finally deliver a bit of luck for Alex George, as it's been revealed the hunky but hapless doctor shares a kiss with one of the new girls Jack appeared video link from the villa's Beach Hut with his partner Dani Dyer, and during a catch up with host Caroline Flack, he let slip that Alex has got close to one of the new girls - Zara McDermott and Ellie Brown. 'Alex has gone on a date and everythingand he's gone for a kiss!' blabbermouth Jack revealed, only for Dani to interrupt, telling him: 'Don't give away too much!' The pair then laughed before Dani waved her arms in the air and shouted: 'Nothing! Nothing!' 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 It was not revealed who Alex gets cosy with, but both Zara and Ellie admitted they had a soft spot for the handsome medic during Sunday night's episode. Jubilant fans took to Twitter to voice their excitement at Alex's kiss, with one tweeting: 'So Alex has kissed someone, THANK YOU for that information Jack, bring on tomorrow.' Others posted ecstatic memes and gifs as they counted down to the new episode. Alex left viewers in stitches on Sunday night, after attempting to woo the new islanders with a selection of incredibly awkward chat-up lines. He did it! Jubilant fans took to Twitter to voice their excitement at Alex's kiss, with one tweeting: 'So Alex has kissed someone THANK YOU for that information Jack' Fans immediately took to Twitter to poke fun at the 27-year-old's flirtations with Ellie and Zara - 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. 'There's a possibility': 20-year-old Ellie caught the doctor's eye, with Alex revealing after their first chat during Sunday's episode: 'Ellie could be a bit of me' Doing his best: Alex left viewers in stitches on Sunday night, after attempting to woo the new islanders with a selection of incredibly awkward chat-up lines 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.' Crush: 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 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.' Married At First Sight 'villain' Davina Rankin recently confirmed her new relationship with businessman Jaxon Manuel following her split from TV husband Ryan Gallagher. And on Monday the the deeply loved-up 27-year-old was praising the joys of being in a committed couple. Sharing a snap to Instagram in which she's on a date, the beauty told her fans: 'Cheers to no more sh***y first dates'. Smitten! On Monday the the deeply loved-up 27-year-old was praising the joys of being in a committed couple She added: 'Totally scoping out the best places for date night with my @jaxonmanuel'. In the image, the reality star is sitting before a spread of Italian food including salad and a pasta. She holds out a glass of wine to share a cheers with an unseen man, who may be Jaxon or friend. The bikini model has said of the surfer and cafe owner: 'The timing now is just perfect for the both of us.' Sharing a snap to Instagram in which she's on a date, the beauty told her fans: 'Cheers to no more sh**ty first dates' The bikini model has said of the surfer and cafe owner: 'The timing now is just perfect for the both of us' 'Jax and I have been friends for years but the timing now is just perfect for the both of us,' Davina told Daily Mail Australia. 'He's the best and we are extremely happy with one another. Life is good,' the personal trainer added. Davina's life has been on the way up in more ways than one as she recently jetted to Los Angeles to 'pursue new opportunities,' according to insiders. From MAFS to Hollywood? Davina jetted to Los Angeles to try her luck in Tinseltown New horizon: She is in Los Angeles to 'pursue new opportunities,' according to insiders And on Thursday, the Married At First Sight star looked every inch a star while flashing her toned tummy in a crop top and wrap skirt. The brunette beauty shared a stunning selfie to Instagram and told fans she was in high spirits. 'May be June gloom here in California, but I'm still walking on sunshine,' she captioned. Piers Morgan was forced to apologise to Good Morning Britain viewers on Monday after guest Billy Bush swore in a live TV interview. The American TV presenter had been discussing the leaked 2005 tape featuring him and President Donald Trump when he said: 'Why did you p**s off Donald Trump', leading to the apology. Piers went onto tell viewers that Billy's slip of the tongue isn't considered a swear word on American TV, with the Access Hollywood presenter adding: 'Here I go again!' Scroll down for video Oops! Piers Morgan was forced to apologise to Good Morning Britain viewers on Monday after guest Billy Bush swore in a live TV interview Billy had been appearing on the ITV breakfast mainstay to discuss the leaked 2005 tape he appeared in with the President, where he was heard to laugh at the politician's inappropriate comments on women. The ensuing outrage led the TV anchor to lose his job on the Today Show, and he told Piers and Susanna Reid: 'My job was to be as close as you can to him. 'If I'd have said 'Donald, how dare you talk like that?' What would have happened to me was, ''Hey, why did you p**s off Donald Trump?'' 'My job was to stay close to him. Off camera I've heard things from female stars, who are A-list, that are probably inappropriate.' Awkward! Billy was appearing on the ITV breakfast mainstay to talk about the scandal surrounding a leaked 2005 tape featuring him and President Donald Trump Billy's slip of the tongue then led Piers to chime in: 'By the way, we can't use the P word on British television. You can in America so we have to apologise for that.' Grimacing Billy then hilariously quipped: 'Here I go again,' while Susanna added: 'And this time, it's on camera!' Continuing the interview Billy went onto say: 'I was guilty of fluffing too much. I fluffed the client, I'm guilty of fluffing the client a little too much. 'Donald Trump is so irascible, you have a moment with him, you want to survive it and get out of there and hope you have another one.' Slip of the tongue: During the chat Billy said: 'Hey, why did you p**s off Donald Trump' leading Piers to chime in with an apology to viewers Not good here! Piers also told viewers that you can say that swear word on American TV but not in the UK Billy's gaffe came in a show that saw Piers and Susanna speak to Thomas Markle in his first TV interview since his daughter's Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry. In the tell-all chat the 73-year-old expressed his sorrow at missing Meghan's big day last month, and admitted he was jealous but grateful that Prince Charles - who he has never spoken to - stepped in at the last minute. Further revelations also saw Mr Markle speak openly about his daughter's desperate wish to have children and said although she is not pregnant he expects the couple will have a baby 'in the making very soon'. Controversial: Billy then hilariously quipped: 'Here I go again!' while Susanna added: 'And this time, it's on camera!' The cast of Love Island have been enjoying the sunshine in the Spanish villa for four weeks now. And while there has been plenty of bickering, deception, rivalry and budding romance; author Zoe Foster Blake has aired her concerns about one major element that has not yet been discussed on the show- sun safety. 'I spend most of Love Island AU wondering where all the hats are being kept prisoner, and how often is sunscreen being reapplied,' she wrote to her fans on Twitter on Sunday. Protection comes first! Zoe Foster Blake has aired her concerns about one major element that has not yet been discussed on Love Island- sun safety 'I spend most of Love Island AU wondering where all the hats are being kept prisoner': Zoe poked fun at the controversial show with her inquisitive Tweet 'Does everyone use antioxidants at night after all that UV exposure, and OMG what about pigmentation, and other cool, sexy things,' she added. Islanders wearing hats has been few and far between on the show, nor has there been many scenes of sunscreen application. It's not the only safety concern that has plagued the cast of Love Island - during Sunday night's episode fans were left stunned after warring lotharios Grant and Eden began brawling on camera. Outspoken: 'Does everyone use antioxidants at night after all that UV exposure, and OMG what about pigmentation, and other cool, sexy things,' she added. During the altercation, Eden and Grant were pulled apart by Dom and Josh after things go physical between the pair. The fight kicked off moments after Justin and Elias' exit from the Spanish villa on Thursday, where a division began to form between the Islanders. Following the incident, Love Island voiceover artist Eoghan McDermott spoke to NW about the seriousness of the situation, revealing producers were forced to send in security and psychologists to the Spanish villa to help deal with the aftermath. Tensions reaching boiling point! It's not the only safety concern that has plagued the cast of Love Island - during Sunday night's episode fans were left stunned after warring lotharios Grant and Eden began brawling on camera 'Everyone was saying and asking, Are you OK? Do you feel comfortable going to bed? Can we check in with you again in the morning after you've slept it off?'' 'Everyone gave the all clear in the end but tempers really did start to flare up that night and it boiled over quite a bit,' he added. Love Island Australia returns on Tuesday at 8.30pm on NineGo. She flocked to Spain for her stint in the Love Island villa last year, but her days called for more relationship drama than sun-soaked relaxation. But fast-forward the clock and Chloe Crowhurst looked to be having a much more peaceful trip in the popular European holiday destination as she topped up her tan in a sizzling blue two-piece. The 21-year-old reality star looked in her element as she enjoyed an idle afternoon in her hotel, interrupting her sunbathing sessions only for cooling dips in the pool. Sizzling: Ex Love Island star Chloe Crowhurst looked sensational as she topped up her tan in a skimpy blue bikini while topping up her tan in Spain The blonde beauty looked sensational as she relaxed in a skimpy cobalt bikini, which drew attention to her tiny waist and flat stomach with its elaborate strap feature. Upping the glamour, Chloe wore her blonde tresses pin-straight and opted for a dramatic make-up look complete with false lashes and a pink lipstick. When she wasn't catching some rays from the comfort of her sun lounger, the Essex native was pictured dipping her toes in the refreshingly cool water of the swimming pool. Fun in the sun: The 21-year-old reality star looked in her element as she enjoyed an idle afternoon in her hotel, interrupting her sunbathing sessions only for cooling dips in the pool Dare to bare: The blonde beauty looked fab as she relaxed in a skimpy cobalt bikini, which drew attention to her tiny waist and flat stomach with its elaborate strap feature Chloe found fame on season three of Love Island, where she failed to love after coupling up initially with the series' eventual winner Kem Cetinay and then Chris Hughes. The model's journey on the show came to an end at the hand of her fellow Islanders, as she was booted off the series for being in the 'least compatible' couple, as voted by the others. At the time she was coupled with Sam Gowland - with the pair agreeing their relationship was purely platonic - who later returned to the villa and coupled up with Georgia Harrison. Babe in blue: Chloe's stylish two-piece boasted a charming pendant detail that no doubt ran the risk of some very awkward tan lines Glam: Upping the glamour, Chloe wore her blonde tresses pin-straight and opted for a dramatic make-up look complete with false lashes and a pink lipstick Bottoms up! Chloe's tiny blue bikini bottoms left little to the imagination, with the low-slung designs showing off her subtle tan line During her time on the show, scandal arose as season one Islander turned TOWIE star Jon Clark, claimed she had dumped him to appear on the series. What followed was a very public war of words between the former couple, with Jon also clashing with Celebrity Big Brother star Calum Best, who he thought had been dating Chloe. The couple did eventually rekindle their romance, following Jon's split from TOWIE co-star Lauren Pope, though they split again in November. Perfection! Chloe spent the day basking in the rays from the comfort of her padded sun lounger Cool down: The Essex native was pictured dipping her toes in the refreshingly cool water of the swimming pool Rise to fame: Chloe found fame on season three of Love Island, where she failed to love after coupling up initially with the series' eventual winner Kem Cetinay and then Chris Hughes Ouch! The model's journey on the show came to an end at the hand of her fellow Islanders, as she was booted off the series for being in the 'least compatible' couple, as voted by the others Careful! Chloe looked to amuse herself by balancing against the edge of the pool Steady as she goes! The blonde looked at risk of falling in as she tottered on the edge It came after Chloe accused Jon of cheating on her throughout their relationship, claiming he slept with 15 women in a series of scathing tweets. Chloe first posted a cryptic tweet to fans that read: 'I love you, he says whilst s******g another bird,' followed by a crying with laughter emoji. After ten minutes of fans wondering what (or who) she was talking about, the Essex beauty cleared up the speculation by writing: 'Yes. This is about @jbclark_' with a blushing face emoji. One fan then replied in a now-deleted post, saying: 'You went on Love Island while in a relationship with him you've got some nerve.' Hair flick! The star swished her hair as she left the pool and retreated to her sun lounger Flying solo: Chloe looked the picture of confidence as she paraded poolside on her own Sight for sore eyes! Chloe looked phenomenal as she topped up her tan and looked out over the result Famous ex: Chloe was previously in a relationship with former Islander and TOWIE star Jon Clark Awkward: During her time on the show, scandal arose when Jon claimed she had dumped him to appear on the series She's been a mother for three weeks after welcoming her son Jayden at the end of May. And as Chloe Green, 27, adjusts to life a parent, she has her pals to help her out, with the Topshop heiress taking to Instagram on Monday to thanks Tamara Ecclestone for sending her some treats. Chloe and her beau, 'Hot Felon' Jeremy Meeks, 34, announced the arrival of their first child this month. Gift: As Chloe Green, 27, adjusts to life a mum, she has her pals to help her out, with the heiress taking to Instagram on Monday to thanks Tamara Ecclestone for sending her some treats Uploading an image to her Instagram stories this week, Chloe revealed F1 heiress Tamara had sent her products from her own baby range Fifi and Friends, named after her daughter Sophia, four. Chloe and Jeremy confirmed their baby news on their Instagram accounts on June 7, writing: 'We are pleased to announce the birth of our beautiful baby boy Jayden Meeks-Green. 'Born May 29th 2018. Mommy and Baby both doing well... Much love Chloe & Jeremy'. Parents: Chloe and her beau, 'Hot Felon' Jeremy Meeks, 34, announced the arrival of their first child this month Doting mum: Chloe revealed F1 heiress Tamara had sent her products from her own baby range Fifi and Friends, named after her daughter Sophia, four The Topshop heiress, who is thought to be engaged to the convict, kept her pregnancy under wraps until earlier this month when she unveiled her eye-popping baby bump during a holiday on her father Sir Philip's superyacht in Monaco. Their new arrival is the first for Chloe, who was allegedly determined to give birth and spend the start of motherhood at sea. Chloe and Jeremy are said to have first set eyes on each other at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2017, where Jeremy was modelling for Phillip Plein, shortly before they became practically inseparable. Happy days: The couple confirmed their new arrival with an Instagram post on June 7, writing: 'Born May 29th 2018. Mommy and Baby both doing well... Much love Chloe & Jeremy' It was first reported in March that the couple were expecting, after which multiple sources confirmed the happy news. Following the announcement, Chloe's kooky birthing plan was revealed, shortly before she embarked on her yacht trip with her family. Insiders told The Sun she intended to give birth at sea: 'Chloe has been telling friends she is going to give birth on board her yacht. Her doctor will be there for the last few weeks of the pregnancy and will stick around for the first few weeks... 'The yacht will be sailing in Europe - probably somewhere in the Mediterranean when she gives birth. Then they want to spend at least six months on board... 'Chloe has always dreamed of giving birth at sea - she feels comfortable there. She wants to be alone with her family and away from prying eyes while she adjusts to motherhood - and thinks that being on the yacht will be the best chance of that.' Family: It was first reported in March that the couple were expecting, after which multiple sources confirmed the happy news Ahead of the impending arrival of their little one, the couple had been spending time in Monaco, relaxing at their own apartment in the same block where her parents own a 7million penthouse as well as various yacht trips. Earlier this year it was claimed that Chloe is not only expecting her first child with Jeremy but is engaged to the former convict as well. A source told The Daily Mail: 'The family are fully on board planning a wedding, and Tina [Chloe's mother] is looking forward to being a grandmother. Chloe has been telling everyone that she is having a little boy.' All over: Jeremy and his wife Melissa separated in July 2017 when the convict was pictured kissing and hugging Chloe aboard a $150,000-a-week yacht moored in Turkey Earlier this month, the former gang member said he 'couldn't be happier to be welcoming a child' with his heiress girlfriend. The model said: 'I've never been in this place mentally, emotionally, physically, that I'm in right now. I've never been in such an amazing place.' Adding his final thoughts on what love means to him, Meeks added: 'Love means everything, everything to me. It's what keeps people alive, it's what keeps people going, to love and to be loved.' Jailbird Jeremy earned the dubious accolade of the 'world's hottest felon', when his mugshot went viral in 2014. Once a member of the North Side Crips street gang in California, Meeks was described as 'one of the most violent criminals in the Stockton area' before he was jailed for possessing a firearm. He was released from prison in 2016 saying that he had found God, before quickly securing a six-figure modelling job. Her vivacious and sassy demeanour have made her one of the most loved British reality stars of all time. And Gemma Collins looked in typically buoyant spirits as she got to work promoting her new book, The GC: How to Be a Diva, in London on Monday. The reality star, 37, looked sensational as she rocked up to a Heat Radio interview in a gorgeous lemon hue dress which flattered her signature curves. It's the GC, baby! Gemma Collins looked in typically buoyant spirits as she got to work promoting her new book, The GC: How to Be a Diva, in London on Monday The TOWIE favourite's summery gown comprised a multitude of pretty frills, while a daring thigh split allowed the beauty to flash a hint of leg as she strut into the studios. The design's off-the-shoulder, and slightly plunging, neckline also enabled the Celebs Go Dating star to reveal a hint of her ample cleavage. True to form, Gemma was preened to perfection, with her trademark blonde tresses cascading around her face in a sleek, yet bouncy, style. Stunning: The reality star, 37, looked sensational as she rocked up to a Heat Radio interview in a gorgeous lemon hue dress which flattered her beloved curves Beneath her over-sized shades, the girlfriend of James 'Arg' Argent's make-up was flawlessly applied. The star - who owns her own clothing boutique - was out to publicise her new book, which informs fans on how they can emulate her sassy and confident demeanour for which she is famed. Earlier this month, the curvaceous beauty insisted she will not be covering up her body any time soon, following the release of some topless snaps taken on holiday in Marbella. Licence to frill! The TOWIE favourite's summery gown comprised a multitude of pretty frills, while a daring thigh split allowed the beauty to flash a hint of leg as she strut into the studios True to form: Gemma was preened to perfection, with her trademark blonde tresses cascading around her face in a sleek, yet bouncy, style 'I'm not ashamed of my body, I'm really proud of it,' she told The Sun. 'Kate Middleton got papped topless and now the GC, it just shows you!' Indeed, the Duchess of Cambridge was photographed on holiday with Prince William in Provence, southern France, in 2012 - which ended in the royal family suing Closer magazine's French incarnation and winning a payout of close to 100,000 [92,000]. Gemma went on: 'I'm not going to hide away. I'm really proud. I'm 37 and I've never had one bit of cosmetic surgery done. That's why I'm popular with girls, I'm real and I'm totally natural.' Antonio Sabato Jr has finalized his divorce from wife Cheryl Marie. According to a report from TMZ, the 46-year-old former Dancing With The Stars contestant will not have to pay out a fortune in support. His estranged wife - a 47-year-old TV presenter - will receive $350 a month in alimony until April 2019. And he will also pay $533 a month for child support for the son they share, Antonio III, aged seven. He's done: Antonio Sabato Jr has finalized his divorce from wife Cheryl Marie. According to a report from TMZ , the 46-year-old former Dancing With The Stars contestant will not have to pay out a fortune in support. Seen in 2010 They have joint legal and physical custody of the boy. This is unusually low for successful celebrities. Halle Berry has to reportedly pay ex Gabriel Aubtry $20,000 a month in child support custody for their daughter Nahla. Britney Spears pays the same amount to Kevin Federline for their sons Jayden James and Sean Preston; Kevin has recently asked for much more money. And Brendan Fraser reportedly pays ex Afton Smith $75,000 a month for their sons. Family life: Antonio with Cheryl and their son as well as his daughter Mina, who is now 15; seen in 2012 The soap opera veteran will also has to pay her $10,000 for attorney fees. Antonio and Cheryl were married for just over five years. They separated in December 2016. In December 2017 they reached an agreement with their divorce but it has taken the judge this long to sign off the papers. The first one: His first wife was Tully Jensen (pictured), who he was wed to from 1992 until 1993. Here they are seen together in 2006 with the son he has with Virginia Madsen. The boy is now 24-years-old Political moves: Antonio is these days giving acting a rest to focus on his run for congress Sabatao gets to keep their house and a 2015 Fiat, the site added while they 'both agreed to return the Maserati they were leasing.' And because she accused the actor of abusing prescription drugs - he has admitted to using sleeping pills and in his past, he used crystal meth - he has now reportedly agreed 'not to take any drugs without a valid prescription,' according to the site. His first wife was Tully Jensen, who he was wed to from 1992 until 1993. He has a total of three children - a son named Jack Antonio Sabato, 24, with actress Virginia Madsen. And he has a daughter named Mina, 15, whose mother is Kristin Rossetti, as well as his son Antonio Jr, who he had with Cheryl. Antonio is these days giving acting a rest to focus on his run for congress. In November he will be the Republican candidate for California's 26th District. On his feet: In 2014 he had a comeback when he was partnered with Cheryl Burke on Dancing With The Stars Sabato began his career as a model and even was the face of Calvin Klein underwear in the 1990s. He then landed a part on the daytime show General Hospital which led to a bigger role on Melrose Place with Heather Locklear. Later he went back to sopa operas when he worked on The Bold And The Beautiful. In 2014 he had a comeback when he was partnered with Cheryl Burke on Dancing With The Stars. Doutzen Kroes flaunted her incredibly toned abs in a slogan crop top on Sunday as she was seen jumping out of her car in Ibiza. The 33-year-old Dutch model showed off every inch of her jaw-dropping physique as she headed to the shops with her seven-year-old son Phyllon. Doutzen kept her incredible mane of blonde tresses hanging in loose natural waves as she headed into the sunshine, shielding her head with an enormous wide-brimmed sunhat. Sensational: Doutzen Kroes showed off her washboard abs in a low-key crop top on Sunday as she exited her car in Ibiza while on holiday with her family Doutzen was certainly dressed for the Ibizan sunshine as she jumped out of her car by the beach, teaming a simple slogan crop top emblazoned with the word Woman teamed with cut-off denim shorts. The Victoria's Secret Angel carried a small fringe cross-body bag and water bottle as she prepared for a spot of sunbathing, finishing her look with funky white plastic hoop earrings. Showing off her mane of blonde curls, Doutzen sported barely a scarp of makeup for the outing as she shaded her face with a wide-brimmed hat. Legs for days: The 33-year-old Dutch model showed off her incredible physique in denim cut-off shorts and a slogan t-shirt as she headed to a shop near the beach Busy lady: Doutzen showed off her incredible made of blonde curls as they hung loosely on the outing, carrying her essentials in a striped cross-body bag Got everything? The former Victoria's Secret star was seen leaving a shop with her seven-year-old son Phyllon Before heading down to the beach Doutzen was seen leaving a nearby corner shop with her son Phyllon, clearly grabbing supplies as they prepared for a spot of sunbathing. The Dutch beauty was enjoying some time away from her busy modelling schedule with her husband Sunnery James Gorre and their two children Phyllon and Myllena. Doutzen first rose to prominence after being chosen as Vogue.com's 'Model Of The Year' in 2005, before going onto be named a Victoria Secret's Angel in 2008. She represented brand until 2015. Summer chic: Doutzen shielded her head from the blazing sunshine by sporting a wide-brimmed sunhat Flawless: The fashion star sported barely a scrap of makeup for the outing as she headed to the beach On point: Doutzen finished her look with stylish round-framed sunglasses and white plastic hoop earrings In a recent interview with FASHION magazine, Doutzen discussed her success in the modelling world, claiming she was 'very lucky' to be born with such an incredible figure. She also acknowledged that the fashion world is completely different to when she first started, and that younger models are now at an advantage. 'When I started out, the [fashion] industry was more playful and not as calculated,' she explained. 'Now, because of social media, everyone knows everything - there's all these 15-year-old girls who know all the big photographers and fashion designers.' Blessed: Doutzen recently spoke about her model success in an interview with FASHION magazine, saying she was 'very lucky' to be born with such an incredible figure She's been celebrating her fifth wedding anniversary to Eddie Judge in Cabo over the past few days. And taking a moment to showcase her incredibly fit bikini ready physique, Tamra Judge shared two naked selfies with her fans. The 50-year-old posed in a mirror with merely a fedora hat on but it seems she later had a change of heart and deleted the racy snaps. Baring all! Tamra Judge, 50, posed completely NAKED during Cabo vacationover the weekend 'When the lighting is on point & your proud of your hard work,' she captioned the pictures before removing them from social media. 'Let the s**t talking begin,' she joked while adding the hashtags: 'strong is the skinny', 'one life' and 'booty strong'. The photos saw Tamra flaunt her pert derriere and trim waist. Sun protection! The now deleted shots saw the 50-year-old pose in a mirror with merely a fedora hat on Loved up: She's been celebrating her fifth wedding anniversary to Eddie Judge in Cabo over the past few days Celebrating Father's Day on Sunday, the Real Housewives Of Orange County star once again ensured all eyes were on her washboard abs. The mother-of-three was seen wearing a black and white triangular bikini top with sheer white pants. 'Cheers to all you strong mommy's out there that do both jobs. We celebrate you too' she captioned. She's been working hard! Celebrating Father's Day on Sunday, the Real Housewives Of Orange County star once again ensured all eyes were on her washboard abs Staying strong: Tamara's Mexican getaway comes after last week her husband Eddie underwent his fifth heart procedure in six months Tamara's Mexican getaway comes after last week her husband Eddie underwent his fifth heart procedure in six months. She shared a candid photo for her 1.3 million followers of herself holding his hand prior to his second ablation - a surgical procedure which creates scar tissue inside the heart. 'Praying [sic] this will be the end of @eddiejudge heart condition #albation#2. I love you babe,' she wrote adding a love heart. Eddie underwent his first cardioversion for Atrial fibrillation (Afib) back in December following an irregular heartbeat. Since then, the CUT Fitness entrepreneur has suffered from two additional electric shocks to the heart and one other ablation. MasterChef contestant Lisa Diep has revealed the real reason she broke down before her shock elimination on Monday night's episode. Speaking to Popsugar about her emotional exit following a botched pressure cook, the 32-year-old explained that she was actually dealing with an unaired injury. 'I actually burnt my hand holding the pot at the end of the cook, so I was in a bit of pain,' she explained. 'I was in a bit of pain!' MasterChef contestant Lisa Diep has revealed the REAL reason she broke down before her shock elimination on Monday night's episode While dealing with the pain, Lisa was also coming to terms with just how much she valued the competition, and was hoping to stay. 'I was also emotional because how much I wanted to be in the competition actually dawned on me, and it was just overwhelming,' she confessed. Despite her best efforts, the judges decided Lisa's heavy-handed portion size and disproportionate elements warranted her elimination. Not her night: Unfortunately, despite errors in all three dishes, judges decided the heavy handed portion size, and disproportionate elements warranted Lisa's elimination Ouch! Lisa revealed she actually burnt her hand holding the dish at the end of the competition, leading to her emotional break down Her ultimate dream is to one day publish her own Vietnamese cookbook, and is currently working on new recipes to be included. They said goodbye with regret, assuring her she had the talent for a future within an industry and commenting on the manner in which she brightened the kitchen. Despite her elimination, Lisa is determined to continue working toward a career in the food industry. Eliminated: Judges said goodbye with regret, assuring Lisa she has the talent for a future within the industry 'I've learnt that I can be quite resilient and to never give up,' Lisa told Popsugar. As for who she believes will take home the title of MasterChef this year, Lisa told Popsugar she has her money on Sashi and Reece. 'They have the immunity pins and have done so well for the past couple of weeks, as well as the pair challenge.' Ant McPartlin has reportedly found love again months after he and wife Lisa Armstrong announced plans to divorce. The famed TV presenter is said to be dating Anne-Marie Corbett, his personal assistant. As rumors swirled, Ant's estranged wife Lisa Armstrong weighed in, revealing that she'd learned about his relationship with Anne-Marie in the newspapers. Asked whether Ant, 42, 'had the decency' to contact her before his relationship with Anne-Marie went public, Lisa responded: 'Nope.' Anne-Marie Corbett, a personal assistant, is reportedly dating TV presenter Ant McPartlin Ant McPartlin is rumored to have gotten close to Anne-Marie Corbett after being arrested for drink-driving in 2018 Lisa also referred to Anne-Marie as 'My Friend and OUR Pa who I let into OUR home', suggesting she felt betrayed by Ant and Anne-Marie's relationship. Neither Ant nor Anne-Marie have addressed reports they're a couple. Anne-Marie was spotted arriving home in New Malden, United Kingdom on Sunday. The 42-year-old was careful not to draw too much attention, sporting jeans and dark sunglasses as cameras looked on. So, what do you need to know about Ant McPartlin's alleged new girlfriend, Anne-Marie Corbett? Here's the scoop. Who is Anne-Marie Corbett? Anne-Marie Corbett is believed to be dating Ant McPartlin. She had been working as a personal assistant to him and wife Lisa Armstrong before the pair announced plans to divorce in January. According to the Sun, Anne-Marie has two children and is employed by the same London-based management company as Dec Donnelly's wife Ali Astall. Anne-Marie has reportedly worked there for a decade but only recently began working with Ant. Anne-Marie is married to a man called Scott, whom she separated from in October 2017. Ant McPartlin new girlfriend Reports of a romance between Ant McPartlin and assistant Anne-Marie Corbett surfaced on Sunday. The Sun reported that Ant and Anne-Marie grew closer in the wake of his drink-driving arrest and subsequent return to rehab. Although the romance is said to be relatively fresh, a source told the outlet: 'Lisa has suspected something as going on for quite some time and feels let down by Anne-Marie.' Another 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.' Lisa Armstrong Twitter Ant McPartlin's estranged wife took to Twitter shortly after news broke that he was allegedly in another relationship to express her shock and heartbreak. She revealed on the social media site that Anne-Marie had been an employee and a friend to her. Lisa suggested she felt betrayed by the relationship, tweeting that she was 'My Friend and OUR Pa who I let into OUR home'. Lisa also said that Ant hadn't 'had the decency to at least' reach out about his new romance. Nope. Just how you guys did x https://t.co/DTz3QD2qsp Lisa Armstrong (@lisaAmakeup) June 17, 2018 Lisa Armstrong Ant McPartlin Lisa Armstrong and Ant McPartlin were married for 11 years. The couple met in 1994 at Newcastle City Call, OK! Magazine reported. They didn't marry until more than a decade later in 2006, however. Lisa and Ant's wedding took place at a church in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. They invited about 150 guests to enjoy their special day. In February 2017 Ant was talking about the prospect of having children with Lisa. He said at the time: 'We would love to start a family so fingers crossed. If we're blessed with children, then we'd be over the moon!' Months later, Ant checked into rehab. Lisa was by his side through that. In November 2017, rumors began swirling that Ant and Lisa may be breaking up. At the time the rumors were unfounded. The TV presenter released a statement in January 2018, announcing their divorce. The statement read: '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. Yeah My Friend and OUR Pa who I let into OUR home. https://t.co/1eMqN4mjyu Lisa Armstrong (@lisaAmakeup) June 17, 2018 'Ant asks for privacy at this difficult time, for both himself, Lisa and their immediate families. No further statement will be made.' Not long after, in March of that same year, Ant was arrested for drink-driving and returned to rehab. According to The Sun, Ant has admitted that he's to blame for the dissolution of his marriage to Lisa. As such, he's agreed to pay Lisa a 30 million ($39.7m) settlement. He's also said to be ready and willing to give Lisa their 6 million ($7.9m) home. The couple is expected to struggle when it comes to decisions regarding their beloved chocolate Labrador, Hurley. Ant's reported to be making frequent visits to his marital home to take Hurley for walks. Lisa shares the same affinity for the dog. She was one of Love Island's standout contestants last year, thanks to her brains, class and beauty - all of which attracted her beau Jamie Jewitt. And Camilla Thurlow is now speaking out in defence of the racy ITV2 show amid ongoing charges of being superficial viewing, as she declares it regularly sparks healthy debate among viewers about relationships - and boosted her confidence. In a piece written for Grazia entitled 'Love Island Changed My Life - And Ill Always Defend It To Its Critics', the 28-year-old beauty also credits the show's producers with successfully created an environment where Islanders can express themselves. Loving Love Island: Former Love Island contestant Camilla Thurlow has spoken out in defence of the racy reality show, stating that it greatly boosted her confidence She wrote: 'Perhaps its sounds like I am taking it unnecessarily seriously, but the thing is for me its personal, because Love Island changed my life. In the last few days I have been extremely aware of how immensely lucky I was to meet someone on the show who Im still with now. 'The happy relationship that has followed is not just a product of good fortune - the team on Love Island and my fellow islanders boosted my confidence, and pushed me to believe in my own self-worth.' And while she understands why the show has its fair share of detractors, Camilla believes Love Island serves a legitimate purpose in laying bare the realities of relationships once people scratch beneath the surface of good looks. Perfect match: Camilla and her boyfriend Jamie Jewitt are one of just two couples to have stood the test of time from the show, alongside Jess Shears and Dom Lever She concluded: 'The fact that people have opinions is GREAT. The fact that people will change their opinions over the course of the series is GREAT. Because if Love Island is anything, its real; its certainly worth talking about, and this unashamed Love Island fan is really looking forward to the rest of this series.' Bomb disposal expert Camilla and her boyfriend Jamie, who is also 28, are one of just two couples still together following last year's season. The well-suited couple who have gone the distance- as have Jess Shears and Dom Lever - have managed to outlast the other finalists Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies, Chris Hughes and Olivia Attwood, and Marcel Somerville and Gabby Allen. Brainy beauty: The Scottish beauty, who works as a bomb disposal expert, was dubbed the brainy beauty of her time on the show last year These days Camilla is still a keen humanitarian and activist, regularly encouraging her social media followers to help refugees in Syria. She boasts a brand new look, ditching her long blonde extensions in favour of darker, more natural waves. It's plain to see how smitten Camilla and Jamie still are, spending all of their time together and sharing sweet couple pictures together. What a gal: These days Camilla is still a keen humanitarian and activist, regularly encouraging her social media followers to help refugees in Syria Transformation: She boasts a brand new look, ditching her long blonde extensions in favour of darker, more natural waves The fan favourite recently described her Love Island experience as 'therapy' during an interview with the New Zealand Herald. Camilla explained: 'I may have looked fragile, but I'm not. Crying on TV was a cathartic experience and something that needed to come out. I learned so much about myself and how I bottle things up.' The brainy beauty, who was educated at the 33,000-a-year Fettes College in Edinburgh, also said she was happier than ever since meeting Jamie. Describing their relationship, she said it was 'easy, happy, balanced'. Emotional: The fan favourite recently described her Love Island experience as 'therapy' Goldie Hawn has not let Father Time affect her looks. The 72-year-old Oscar-winning actress looked incredible in a black bathing suit as she vacationed in Mykonos, Greece this weekend. The icon - who last made a splash with Amy Schumer in the movie Snatched - was with her longtime beau Kurt Russell, 67, as well as pregnant daughter Kate Hudson, 39, and her boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, 38. Scroll down for video Never ages! Goldie Hawn, 72, flaunted age-defying beauty during beach day with beau Kurt Russell, 67, in Greece on Sunday Goldie - who won her Academy Award for the 1972 film Butterflies Are Free - appeared makeup free for the day out. Her blonde locks were styled naturally and kept off her face in a messy up-do. And the Private Benjamin star accessorized with a gold necklace, a watch and some rings. Stunner: The 72-year-old was all smiles as she flaunted her incredible figure in the one-piece Helping hand! At one point, Kurt was seen helping Goldie on-board the boat At one point, Goldie was seen struggling to get on board the speedboat. Giving her a helping hand, Kurt was photographed pulling up one of her legs. The Escape From New York actor appeared topless for the boat ride and sported a pair of dark board shorts. Family trip: Goldie's been enjoying a romantic European holiday with her beau Kurt Russell, 67, expectant daughter Kate Hudson, 39, and her boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, 38 Cooling off: Kurt appeared topless for the boat ride and sported a pair of dark board shorts And although Kate was not photographed on the beach, she appeared to have joined her family on the boat. Taking to Instagram, the blonde beauty shared a shot of her mom and step-father. '#Nirvana,' the Almost Famous actress wrote while tagging Goldie. And it appears as though it wasn't just Kate there with her mother, elder brother Oliver Hudson, 41, also made an appearance in budgie smugglers that read his name. Sharing the love: And although Kate was not photographed on the beach, she appeared to have joined her family on the boat Celebrating Kurt: And while the Snatched actress was seen adding a strapless jumpsuit to her tanned physique soon after, that didn't end the Father's Day celebrations Family time! And it appears as though it wasn't just Kate there with her mother, elder brother Oliver Hudson, 41, also made an appearance in budgie smugglers that read his name From Kate: Goldie's daughter took this clip of Hawn looked at her son's chest. Kate said 'Mom no!!! Don't get involved!' And her hashtag was for 'so not cute mom' And while the Overboard actress was seen adding a strapless jumpsuit to her tanned physique soon after, that didn't end the Father's Day celebrations. 'Here's to the best daddy and GRAND daddy!! Xxx,' captioned Goldie on Instagram. The photo saw the beauty and her man toasting with a glass of white wine before sampling a selection of others. Close up: The Almost Famous star also shared this extreme closeup as she noted she was on her 'baby moon' Cheers! Goldie's Father's Day tribute photo saw the beauty and her man toasting with a glass of white wine before sampling a selection of others In 2017, Goldie told People how she fell for Kurt. 'He was so good-looking,' she said. 'I had no pretense about him. I could tell right away he wasn't a womanizer.' The long-term duo who never married met in 1968 on the set of The One And Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. Then in the early 80s they worked on Swing Shift. 'What really got me was when I watched my kids when theyd come to the set and how he was with them,' she said. 'He was amazing with them. He was such a natural.' The pair are parents to son Wyatt Russell, 31, with Goldie also mom to son Oliver, 41, and Kate. She plays the sassy and confident Marisol 'Flaca' Gonzales in Orange Is The New Black. And Jackie Cruz proved she was every inch as cheeky as her character as she slipped into a saucy swimsuit for some fun in the sun in Miami on Sunday. Joined by girlfriends in bikinis, the 31-year-old actress sizzled in her skimpy one-piece as she enjoyed a refreshing dip in the sea. Turning heads: Jackie Cruz, 31, proved she was every inch as cheeky as her Orange Is the New Black character as she slipped into a saucy swimsuit for fun in the sun with her girls in Miami on Sunday The stunning figure killed it in a plunging Duskii swimsuit as she had a day of fun on Miami Beach with friends. The 'Orange is the New Back' star looked incredible in the unzipped, plunging navy blue neoprene swimsuit. The brunette beauty sported a bob hair cut, with perfectly flat bangs across her forehead. The Dominican-American star wore bright red lipstick and gold, round, mirrored sunglasses. She accessorized with simple gold necklaces and big, elaborate gold cross earrings. Swimming in style: The 'Orange is the New Back' star looked incredible in the unzipped, plunging navy blue neoprene Duskii swimsuit Jackie has just released her first single 'La Hora Loca' as she turns her hand to singing, and has been in Miami promoting her new calling. The track is a bilingual smash! It's tropical and it's hip hop, throwing off a lot of vibes similar to that of Cardi B's. She's hoping to have a record out by the end of the summer. Making music: Jackie's first single is called 'La Hora Loca' and it's tropical and hip hop, throwing off a lot of vibes similar to that of Cardi B's The bombshell already has a name for her upcoming album picked out. 'The name of my album is Hija de Chavez , that's my legal last name,' she told VIX during an interview. 'It's a really personal album that caters to my feelings and who I am. It'll have blues, '80s rock, and even trap and I'm planning on releasing another three singles before it comes out.' Keeping it personal: The name of Jackie's album will be, Hija de Chavez, an ode to her legal last name If you aren't an Orange Is the New Black fan, and still think Jackie looks familiar, it could be because she starred on Kim & Kourtney Take Miami. Back in 2009, Cruz appeared on three episodes of the Keeping Up With the Kardashians spin off as Kourtney's bisexual friend that she ends up kissing in a club. The two of them actually met each other after they were put into the same art class together. They're still friends today. Season six of Orange Is the New Black premieres on Netflix on July 27. Back to work: Season six of Orange Is the New Black premieres on Netflix on July 27 On Sunday he took a knee for a mock marriage proposal. But there was no sign of Ariel Winter's hunky boyfriend Levi Meaden on Monday when she went grocery shopping in Los Angeles. The 5ft 1in Modern Family star is obviously strong as she toted three carrier bags as she walked across the parking lot back to her car. On her own: Ariel Winter was spotted carrying three hefty bags of shopping back to her car when she left a supermarket in Los Angeles on Monday The make-up free 20-year-old actress wore a T-shirt with a colorful graphic image, black leggings and black trainers. Ariel's long, raven dark tresses cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. She and Levi, a 30-year-old actor, have been dating for more than a year. Ariel has played Alex Dunphy on ABC's hit sitcom since 2009, fitting in movies including 2017's The Last Movie Star during breaks. Casual style: The make-up free 20-year-old Modern Family star wore a T-shirt with a colorful graphic image, black leggings and black trainers The show will be filming its 10th and final season soon. Meanwhile Levi, who appeared alongside Gabrielle Union in the thriller Breaking In, released in May, told People he's 'trying to navigate' his newfound fame between the high-profile role and being Ariel's beau. 'I try to keep relatively the same,' the Saskatoon, Canada native told the magazine. Will you...: Ariel's actor beau Levi Meaden, 30 took a knee as the couple staged a mock wedding proposal for snappers after lunch in Studio City, Los Angeles, on Sunday All smiles: The couldn't resist grinning as they looked back at the photographers 'Ive always kind of been a homebody so thats still the same. I just go out and come back home with my girlfriend and three dogs and chill out. 'I try to make sure I dont change too much because I like that. 'This is what I do for a job, but the home and family is where the actual life is, so I try to keep that in mind.' Declan Donnelly's ex has has revealed she is 'team Lisa Armstrong', following the emergence of her estranged husband Ant McPartlin's new romance. On Monday Clare Buckfield, 41, made her allegiance to Lisa known on Twitter - twenty four hours after the make-up artist revealed her heartache over Ant's relationship with his personal assistant Anne-Marie Corbett. According to the Mirror the actress, who split from Dec in 2003, told Lisa she would 'be OK' in time, and assured she would 'always' be there for her. Support: Declan Donnelly's ex Clare Buckfield revealed she is 'team Lisa Armstrong', following the emergence of Ant McPartlin's new romance (Clare, Dec, Lisa and Ant in 2001, L-R) The site reports that Clare, who shot to fame in BBC sitcom 2point4 children, retweeted a message sent to Lisa on Monday. The post read: 'Love you doll - you'll be OK promise. Me and Clare Buckfield will make sure of that.' Clearly agreeing with the user, the television star simply replied: 'Always', followed by a kiss emoji. Comforting: The actress, who split from Dec in 2003, told Lisa she would 'be OK' in time, and assured she would 'always' be there for her (Ant, Lisa, Clare and Dec in 2002, L-R) Happier times: Clare dated Dec for ten years, but they parted ways in 2003 amid rumours the presenter had cheated on her with a lap dancer (pictured in 2001) Grange Hill star Clare dated Dec for ten years, but they parted ways in 2003 amid rumours the presenter had cheated on her with a lap dancer, following a boozy night out in a club. However, Clare forged a firm friendship with Lisa during the romance, and is believed to have rushed to her side when Ant filed for divorce back in January. Ant's new romance with his PA emerged on Saturday - causing Lisa to vent her devastation on Twitter, as Anne-Marie had been a friend during their marriage. According to The Sun, the 42-year-old is now keen to take 'every penny' from her ex in their divorce battle, in the wake of her heartache. Heartbroken: Ant's new romance with Anne-Marie Corbett emerged on Saturday - five months after he filed for divorce from Lisa (pictured together in 2015) An insider told the paper that Lisa has been left furious by the fling, which is believed to have started amid his drink-driving woes over the last few months. Lisa allegedly told her friends after the news broke: 'The gloves are off. I will take him for every penny.'' With the PA a friend of the former couple, the source added: 'Lisa has suspected something was going on for quite some time and feels let down by Anne-Marie.' MailOnline has contacted Lisa's representatives for further comment. Devastating: Lisa has now allegedly told pals 'the gloves are off' in their divorce battle, after being left heartbroken by his romance with their long-time PA and friend (Anne-Marie above) Personal assistant Anne-Marie was seen for the first time since the romance emerged on Sunday. 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. 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. Furious: Lisa later took to Twitter to criticise her friend Anne-Marie (pictured together in happier times) and accuse her of breaking the 'girl code' by dating the troubled star The news is believed to have devastated make-up artist Lisa, who was with Ant for 18 years. At 5am Sunday morning she tweeted a broken heart emoji, signifying her upset. 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. 'Nope!': Lisa revealed TV star Ant did not bother to get in touch with her after finding love with their former friend Speaking out: 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 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. 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. Standing by her: Lisa received a tweet of support from TV personality Nicola McLean, before replying: 'Thanks babe and to think she was MY friend!! xx' Furious: 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 '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.' 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 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.' She's just returned from a romantic getaway in Spain with boyfriend 'Muggy' Mike Thalassitis. And Megan McKenna didn't show any signs of holiday blues as she lapped up the sunshine back in London on Monday. The former TOWIE star, 25, nailed casual chic in a classic Levi's T-shirt and red flared trousers with a unique button feature along the seams. Casual chic: Megan McKenna, 25, opted for comfort in a cropped T-shirt and striking red trousers during a sun-soaked stroll around London on Monday Megan complemented her dual tone ensemble with box-fresh white trainers, and polished off the look with a black baker boy cap. The reality star upped the glam factor of her low-key look with a luxury Louis Vuitton rucksack, which retails for around 1,360. Megan shielded her eyes from the sunshine in a sophisticated black shades, while gold accessories heightened her toned-down attire. Comfortable: Megan complemented her dual tone ensemble with box-fresh white trainers, and polished off the look with a black baker boy cap The brunette beauty let her glossy locks fall past her shoulders in an effortless curl as minimalist make-up amplified her features. Megan was solo for her casual stroll through the City, and was without Love Island beau Mike Thalassitis, 25. It was reported last month that Megan and Mike were giving their romance another go, after their turbulent two-month relationship came to an end. A source told The Sun at the time: 'They're talking again and they're back together. They wanted to make it work - after the split, they knew the relationship wasn't over, and started talking again. Loved up: It was reported last month that Megan and Mike (pictured) were giving their romance another go, after their turbulent two-month relationship came to an end 'They really like each other and want to make things work. They're so on and off though - things are so volatile - that their mates are trying to stay out of it.' The pair confirmed they were dating in March, and went on to enjoy an idyllic holiday together in Barbados. However, they soon confirmed they had parted ways on social media earlier this month, and proceeded to remove all photos of each other on their respective pages. Proving things to be turbulent, the couple were then pictured having a fierce row on the street after a night out in London. Insiders claimed that Mike had accused Megan of flirting with other men, grabbing her arm and yelling at her when she attended his brother's birthday celebrations. His estranged wife Anna Faris quickly moved on from the trauma of their break-up. Now, it seems, Chris Pratt is also ready to find love again, with the Jurassic World star pictured flirting up a storm with Arnie's girl Katherine Schwarzenegger on a Father's Day date on Sunday. The couple enjoyed a simple picnic, sitting facing one another on wooden chairs, a simple meal of apples, sandwiches and potato chips on a small stool between them. It's a date! Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger flirts as happy pair picnic together on Father's Day in pictures taken in Los Angeles on Sunday An apple a day: A laughing Katherine holds some fruit as she talks to the newly single star Having fun: While the Los Angeles day was gloomy and overcast and the food unpretentious, the uncontrollable grins on the pair's faces said it all And while the Los Angeles day was gloomy and overcast and the food unpretentious, the uncontrollable grins on the pair's faces said it all. The two smiled and laughed in sheer joy for the entire time they faced one another. Children's author Katherine, daughter of Maria Shriver of the famed Kennedy family and actor turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, was dressed simply for the outing, wrapped up warm in black pants and a matching sweater. Off duty style: Children's author Katherine, daughter of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, was dressed simply for the outing, wrapped up warm in black pants and a matching sweater Day to remember: The two smiled and laughed in sheer joy for the entire time Meal time: The couple enjoyed a simple picnic, sitting facing one another on wooden chairs, a simple meal of apples, sandwiches and potato chips on a small stool between them But the outfit did nothing to hide the curly-haired blondes natural beauty. Meanwhile Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom star Chris, 38, was also low key, in FRAME jeans and a sweater, casting aside his leather jacket as the two chatted. The duo had stopped for gas in Chris's car before making their way to the park for their lunch date. Lunch date: Chris, 38, was also low key, in FRAME jeans and a sweater, casting aside his leather jacket as the two chatted Alone together: While Katherine, 28, has no children, Chris has one son, Jack, with his estranged wife, who was not present Newly single: Chris attracted attention recently when he admitted that going through a divorce 'sucks' Divorcing: The actor split from wife Anna Faris last year, they announced While Katherine, 28, has no children, Chris has one son, Jack, with his estranged wife. The five-year-old has spent the week in Portofino, Italy, with his mother and her new boyfriend, cinematographer Michael Barrett. The two embarked on a seemingly passionate relationship in November, just three months after Anna, 41, and Chris announced the end of their marriage. Larking around: Katherine offers the fruit to her handsome actor friend Water break: The two kept the drink options simple as they spent time together Plenty to talk about: The pair chatted away throughout their date In pictures shot last week Michael was seen bonding with adorable little Jack as the pair swam together in the Mediterranean Sea, before lifting the youngster back onto their boat. Chris attracted attention recently when he admitted that going through a divorce 'sucks'. Homeward bound: Katherine and Chris had arrived together, and also left in his car Famous family: Katherine is the daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and broadcast journalist Maria Shriver, a member of the famed Kennedy dynasty Low key: The two could have been any other couple Filled up: The pair stopped for gas on their way to the picnic Off duty Pratt! Chris was fresh-faced, after the MTV Movie and TV awards the previous night Speaking in April, he said that he and Anna are doing their best to 'navigate' this tough time in their lives. He explained: 'Divorce sucks. But at the end of the day, we've got a great kid who's got two parents who love him very much. And we're finding a way to navigate this while still remaining friends and still being kind to one another.' As for Anna, she he told Marie Claire magazine: 'It feels like it's more dramatic than it is. Chris and I have a great friendship and Jack is so happy and so loved.' She announced she was expecting her first child with husband Daniel Craig back in May. And Rachel Weisz was truly glowing in pregnancy on Monday, as she headed out for a green juice in NYC. The actress, 48, showed off her blossoming baby bump in a pretty summer dress and large black hat, as she took a stroll in the city sunshine. Stunning: Rachel Weisz was truly glowing in pregnancy on Monday, as she headed out for a green juice in NYC The My Cousin Rachel star exuded summer chic in her blue checked dress, which softly skimmed across her growing baby bump. Not letting her glamorous sense of style falter in pregnancy, the actress teamed the simple frock with a dramatic wide-rimmed hat and retro cat-eye sunglasses, complete with bright white rims. She maintained the classy feel with tousled waves and a hot pink lip, but kept comfortable for her walk in plain black flip flops. Bring me sunshine: The actress, 48, showed off her blossoming baby bump in a pretty checked summer dress as she took a stroll in the city sunshine Embracing the summer sunshine, the brunette was seen picking up a couple of green juices from her local cafe, before embarking on a supermarket run. Rachel announced she is expecting her first child with James Bond star Daniel back in May. The beauty already shares her 11-year-old son Henry with filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, while Daniel is father to daughter Ella with actress Fiona Loudon. Chic: Not letting her glamorous sense of style falter in pregnancy, the actress teamed the simple frock with a dramatic wide-rimmed hat and retro cat-eye sunglasses After revealing her pregnancy to the New York Times, Rachel gushed: 'I'll be showing soon. Daniel and I are so happy. 'We're going to have a little human. We can't wait to meet him or her. It's all such a mystery.' She later talked about raising her newborn in the UK, with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show. 'Is the child going to be raised American or English,' Colbert asked the NYC resident, causing Rachel to quip: 'I suppose it will have to be bilingual!' The roller coaster relationship between late Hollywood icons Debbie Reynolds and daughter Carrie Fisher has been well chronicled. But now Todd Fisher is revealing some very personal undisclosed details about his famous mother and sister in his new book, My Girls: A Lifetime With Carrie And Debbie. 'Carrie perceived me as a bit of threat because Debbie and I had a quiet, peaceful, unspoken love that did not require constant attention,' Todd says in the memoir. Getting Real: Todd Fisher reveals personal emotions and details in his memoir, My Girls: A Lifetime with Carrie and Debbie; pictured together in January of 2015 More family: Here they are pictured with sister half-sister Joely Fisher in December of 2010 'Carrie was more insecure about her relationship. I didnt mind being Debbie Reynolds son, but Carrie was always trying to get out from under Debbie Reynolds shadow,' the 60-year old added. Carrie went on to achieve huge success in the Star Wars franchise in the late 70s and early 80s. Todd claims that their mother always took time for the public, while Carrie only gradually accepted and enjoyed the fame that came with being a pop culture icon. 'It took Carrie about a decade or two to embrace that she and Princess Leia were one and that her fans were kind of like an extended family,' Todd added. His take: Todd talks at length about his mega famous mother and sister throughout the book Reynolds was big star and lived a high profile life of her own. She first made a name for herself in Hollywood for her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words. Her breakout role came just two years later as the leading lady in the hit musical Singin' In The Rain. Reynolds, who also had a successful singing career, went on to marry crooner Eddie Fisher in 1955. Carrie was born the following year and then Todd arrived in 1958. The couple divorced in 1959 when Fisher had an affair with screen legend Elizabeth Taylor. Family losses: Carrie and Debbie died within hours of each other in December of 2016; seen in 2001 in Hollywood Carrie died in December of 2016 at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack onboard a plane. Reynolds passed away the following day at the age of 84. According to Todd, Reynolds was only thinking about her daughter in her final moments alive--even telling him 'I want to be with Carrie' in the minutes before her death. 'Those two ladies are just amazing people to be around. And you've spent your whole life with them. And one minute later, one is gone - and then the next day, the next,' Fisher said in an interview with NPR last week. 'And there certainly is a black hole where they were. And that is in effect what caused me to set sail on doing this book. You know, we have our faith and belief that we shall all meet again. And that makes it a little bit easier. But there is a void, no doubt.' Hollywood royalty: Todd and Carrie with their famous mom in Hollywood back in June 1960 Rapper XXXTentacion was shot and killed in Deerfield, Florida, on Monday afternoon in what police believe was a 'possible robbery.' The 20-year-old was pronounced dead at a local hospital after being rushed there in a 'comatose' condition by paramedics. The Broward County Sheriff's Office confirmed his death, tweeting: 'The adult male victim has been confirmed as 20 year old Jahseh Onfroy aka rapper #XXXTentacion.' Scroll down for video RIP: Rapper XXXTentacion was shot and killed in Deerfield, Florida, on Monday afternoon in what's believed to have been a 'possible robbery' as he left a motorcycle dealership According to TMZ, two armed suspects approached his vehicle as he left a motorcycle dealership where he'd been checking out new rides. The website said one of the suspects, described as black males wearing hoodies, shot him before both men then left the scene in a black Dodge Journey with dark tint and black wheels. TMZ also reported that the shooter was wearing a red face mask. 'Witnesses say they heard multiple shots fired,' a source told the website. Video taken right after the shooting was circulating on social media Monday, including images of the shot rapper slumped behind the wheel of his car. In the clip, someone can be seen feeling for a pulse as XXXTentacion appears unconscious. Graphic: Video taken right after the shooting circulated on social media Monday, including images of the shot rapper slumped behind the wheel of his car and someone feeling for a pulse 911 emergency: The video captures the scene as law enforcement arrives They also claim the suspects took a Louis Vuitton bag from the rapper's vehicle. Local law enforcement have appealed for anyone with any information to contact homicide detectives. Broward County Sheriff's Office has tweeted that a $3,000 reward is now being offered for information that leads to an arrest. NBC6 in Miami showed video from the scene with law enforcement gathering evidence from the rapper's black BMW sports car in which he'd been sitting when he was shot. Breaking news: NBC6 in Miami showed video from the scene with law enforcement gathering evidence from the rapper's black BMW sports car in which he'd been sitting when he was shot Crime scene: The car was stopped in the driveway to a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Murder investigation: XXXTentacion had been rushed to hospital by paramedics but was later pronounced dead Gunned down: Broward Co. Sheriff's Department confirmed the 20-year-old's death. Witnesses report suspects took a Louis Vuitton bag from the rapper's car before fleeing 'Witnesses heard multiple shots': It's reported there were two male suspects wearing hoodies and driving a black Dodge Journey SUV Paid tribute: Kanye West was quick to take to social media to express his sorrow at the rappers death, tweeting that XXX had been an inspiration to him Kanye West quickly took to social media to express his sorrow at the loss of the young rapper. He tweeted a photo of XXX and wrote: 'rest in peace. I never told you how much you inspired me when you were here thank you for existing.' Blink 182's Travis Barker tweeted: 'Im at a loss for words... speechless #RIPXXXTentacion Loved collaborating with you. You were a true artist, one of the most f***ing talented of our time.' Hip-hop artist and record producer J. Cole wrote: 'This got me f***ed up. RIP X. Enormous talent and limitless potential and a strong desire to be a better person. God bless his family, friends and fans.' 'Thanks for inspiring me,' Diplo said simply, alongside a photo with the rapper. Miley Cyrus just tweeted the cover to the artist's track Before I Close My Eyes. 'At a loss for words': Blink 182's Travis Barker described himself as 'speechless' at the news of XXXTentacion's death Sad: Hip-hop artist and record producer J. Cole tweeted the young rapper had 'enormous talent and limitless potential' Will be missed: Diplo thanked him for being an inspiration Pronounced dead: Dispatch audio previously revealed XXXTentacion was 'comatose' and classified as a 'Level 1 trauma patient' when rushed to the hospital The rapper had previously had public feuds with a number of other artists including Drake and south Florida rapper Ski Mask the Slump God. Although he was not known to be affiliated with any gangs, XXX was said to have been in persistent trouble with the law over his regular substance abuse and aggressive behavior. In particular over the treatment of his ex-girlfriend Geneva Ayala who, according to court documents, he regularly stomped on, strangled, kicked and punched. He also repeatedly threatened to kill himself if Ayala left him, often coming close to carrying out the suicide in front of her. After she became pregnant he continued to brutally beat her and was eventually arrested over the abuse and placed initially under house arrest and then in prison. In the months leading up to his death, he was charged with witness tampering after trying to pressure his ex-girlfriend to drop the charges. 2017 mugshot: The Look at Me rapper was awaiting trial on charges of domestic violence against his pregnant girlfriend and witness tampering As news of his death went viral, fans took to social media to share a video XXXTentacion had previously posted to Instagram Live in which he spoke about what he hoped his legacy would be. In the undated clip, he is seen speaking into his phone as he drives along, reflecting: 'If worse thing comes to worst, and I f***ing die or some s*** and Im not able to see out my dreams, I at least want to know that the kids perceived my message and were able to make something of themselves and able to take my message and use it and turn it into something positive and to at least have a good life.' 'If Im going to die or ever be a sacrifice, I want to make sure that my life made at least five million kids happy or they found some sort of answers or resolve in my life regardless of the negative around my name, regardless of the bad things people say to me,' he said in the undated video. He concluded: 'Do not let your depression make you. Do not let your body define your soul, let your soul find your body. Your mind is limitless. You are worth more than you can believe. All you have to do is dream and all you have to do is want to fulfill that dream and have the strength.' Final social media update: Tragically, the hip-hop star Insta-storied that he was 'planning a charity event for this weekend in Florida' around 11:45AM PST 'So much talent': Singer Aaron Carter joined in the chorus of sorrow 'God bvless': 2Chainz couldn't seem to believe the news Heartbroken: Amber Rose also chimed in saying the rapper had been 'too young to die' The Look at Me rapper was involved in several legal cases at the time of his death. He was awaiting trial on charges of domestic violence against his pregnant girlfriend, TMZ reported. He had been jailed in December but subsequently released so he could go out on tour, the website said. Prosecutors had also accused him of witness tampering. He had also spent six months in prison for a 2015 armed home invasion charge - according to Pitchfork. Earlier Monday, the rising hip-hop star Insta-storied that he was 'planning a charity event for this weekend in Florida'. The rising star was also completing work on his dream home in Parkland, Florida, just 15 minutes from where he was killed. XXX paid $1.4million in November for the 6,000 square foot mansion, which boasts four bedrooms and five bathrooms on an acre of land. Neighbours have told TMZ that construction crews have been hard at work since the 'quiet and friendly' rapper moved in. The $1.4 million Florida mansion being renovated by the rapper in the weeks leading up to his death Brad Pitt was able to spent Father's Day with his children in London amid his contentious custody battle with ex Angelina Jolie. And according to a source with People magazine, the 54-year-old actor was 'thrilled to see them' as he 'misses them like crazy.' The family is in London because that is where Jolie is filming Maleficent 2 with Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer. But on Sunday the Oscar-winning actress was in Iraq to talk about Syrian refugees. Happy Pitt: Brad Pitt was able to spent Father's Day with his children in London amid his contentious custody battle with Angelina Jolie. And according to a source with People, the 54-year-old actor was 'thrilled to see them' as he 'misses them like crazy'; seen in March The family: Together they have six kids, Maddox, 16, Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and 9-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox; seen in 2017 The source began, 'Its been obvious that he has been missing his kids like crazy. To live so close to them, but not seeing them often, has definitely been painful for him.' Angelina has a house in the Los Feliz area and Brad is just about a mile away. Together they have Maddox, 16, Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and 9-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox. But Maddox is not required to see Brad. Doing good: On Sunday, the star - who is a UN special envoy - attended a news conference during her visits to a camp for Syrian refugees in Dohuk, Iraq According to the insider, the Allied actor is struggling with a topsy turvy schedule. 'There has never been a set schedule. It all seemed very strange and unorganized,' said the source. 'Brad was always an amazing dad. The kids have always been his life. He has flaws like most people, but so does Angie, the source adds. Brad must be so relieved that the court is now helping him.' Speaking up: She took a tour of a refugee camp impacted by the seven-year conflict in Syria, calling it 'the worst devastation' she's seen in her 17 years working with the United Nations Ambassador: The star is on break from filming Maleficent 2 in London with Elle Fanning Last week's Angelina's spokesperson said it was not right that sealed court documents were leaked making it seem like she had been unfair. The leaked documents stated that it was 'harmful' for Brad to not see the kids more. The Fight Club star was seen earlier this week in the U.K., where Jolie has taken the six kids to work on the Maleficent sequel. A source told the magazine that the Oklahoma-born actor 'doesnt talk badly about Angie but he feels its her fault that the kids dont want to spend more time with him.' The way they were: Brad and Angelina, seen with Maddox in 2013, started dating when they met on the set of the 2005 film Mr And Mrs Smith An insider told the publication that Pitt has a 'very busy schedule' later this summer working in Los Angeles on the Quentin Tarantino movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with frequent visits to London. 'He often attends dinner parties, socializes with friends and attends events,' an insider told People. Jolie was in Iraq on Sunday with the United Nations Refugee Agency, where she took a tour of a refugee camp impacted by the seven-year conflict in Syria, calling it 'the worst devastation' she's seen in her 17 years working with the United Nations. Jolie filed for divorce from The Moneyball actor in September of 2016. For Fathers Day in 2017, Pitt celebrated in Los Angeles with his kids a day early. Pitt and Jolie's ongoing case returns to court August 13. She recently reunited with her Kerobokan Prison boyfriend Ben Panangian on a romantic holiday in Southeast Asia. And on Monday, convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby shared a glimpse of the getaway with her Instagram followers. The former beauty student, 40, posted a video of herself and Ben walking up the stone steps of an ancient temple in Da Nang, Vietnam. 'How are you let in to another country?' Schapelle Corby left fans baffled earlier this week after sharing holiday footage from Vietnam... as she's told to 'pack her own bags before flying home' In the clip, Schapelle films herself holding hands with Ben as they navigate their way up the steps, pausing only to look at tree. She captioned the video: 'Love me, love all of me #wartsandall'. In the comments section, some of Schapelle's followers wondered how she was able to travel overseas despite having a drug conviction. Romantic getaway: On Monday, Schapelle posted an Instagram video of herself and prison boyfriend Ben Panangian walking up the stone steps of an ancient temple in Da Nang, Vietnam 'How do you go being a convicted drug trafficker getting into another country?' wrote one follower. 'Oh, God, are you travelling again?' asked another. One supporter even offered some words of advice, writing: 'Make sure to pack your own bags before flying home'. History: Schapelle was arrested at Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport in October 2004 after customs officers discovered 4.1kg of marijuana wrapped in plastic inside her boogie board bag Schapelle returned to Australia in May 2017 after serving almost a decade behind bars and three years on parole for smuggling drugs into Indonesia. She was arrested at Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport in October 2004 after customs officers discovered 4.1kg of marijuana wrapped in plastic inside her boogie board bag. After being sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment at Denpasar District Court in 2005, she ended up serving only nine years after receiving sentence cuts. Ordeal: She returned to Australia in May 2017 after serving almost a decade behind bars and three years on parole for smuggling drugs into Indonesia Schapelle first met Ben in 2006 during a church service in Bali's Kerobokan Prison, where they were both serving time for drug offences. It was previously speculated that the couple would never be reunited, as Ben would not be allowed into Australia because of his criminal history. But they recently hooked up in Singapore before heading to a beach resort in Vietnam for a two-week holiday, Woman's Day reported last month. They have been married for almost forty years, having met when the redhead was just 18 years old. And Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne proved to still be going strong on Monday, as they jetted to Venice, Italy for a family holiday. The X Factor judge, 65, was casually cool in a white shirt and matching fedora hat as she caught a taxi boat to their accommodation, alongside her husband, 69, and their daughter Aimee. Respite: Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne jetted to Venice, Italy for a family holiday on Monday Sharon kept things simple for long journey in a crisp white shirt and jeans, jazzed up by a trendy straw fedora. Embracing the warm Italian climes, the star accessorised with classic Aviator shades, and swiftly tied her vibrant bomber jacket around her waist in the heat. Accessorising with a pearl bracelet and earrings but opting for minimal make-up, Sharon exuded casual glamour as she and her family arrived at their hotel via boat. Low-key: Sharon kept things simple for long journey in a crisp white shirt and jeans, jazzed up by a trendy straw fedora and Aviator shades Hotting up: Embracing the warm Italian climes, the star swiftly tied her vibrant bomber jacket around her waist in the heat as she clambered onto the taxi boat with her daughter Aimee (R) Her husband Ozzy meanwhile maintained his usual grungy style in a black T-shirt and blazer, broken up by his trademark gold chain. Leaving his famously long hair loose and ditching his sunglasses, the former Black Sabbath front man proved to be completely relaxed as he took in the sights from the boat, with his daughter Aimee happily snapping selfies beside him. The rocker's family trip follows a busy few weeks - which have seen him win the coveted Golden God award at the The Metal Hammer Golden God Awards 2018. Accepting the gong, previously won by Motorhead legend Lemmy and Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, he told crowds: 'What an immense honour it is to be getting a second Golden God Award after Sabbath picked one up last year. Up to his old tricks: Her husband Ozzy meanwhile maintained his usual grungy style in a black T-shirt and blazer, broken up by his trademark gold chain Soaking it up: Leaving his famously long hair loose, the former Black Sabbath front man proved to be completely relaxed as he took in the sights from the boat with Aimee Say cheese! Aimee happily snapped photos of her surroundings as she cruised along the canal with her parents 'The fans who have supported me and this music mean everything to me, which is why getting this award is so special.' Meanwhile Sharon appears to be enjoying some respite in the city of culture ahead of her next stint on ITV's The X Factor. The reality star has been a judge on the panel for seven seasons since 2004, but is thought to be halving her workload this year, meaning she will only appear on the live shows. The cut is thought to be part of Simon Cowell's revamp of the show - but it has also been claimed that Sharon is tired of constantly flying between London and LA, where she has mid-week television commitments. Family getaway: The trio looked more than comfortable on the boat as they made their way to their accommodation Main man: The rocker's family trip follows a busy few weeks - which have seen him win the coveted Golden God award at the The Metal Hammer Golden God Awards 2018 Sharon's representatives failed to comment when approached by MailOnline at the time. Stalwart Louis Walsh announced he was quitting earlier this month, revealing: 'Ive had a fantastic 13 years on The X Factor but the show needs a change and Im ready to leave. 'Im looking forward to another series of Irelands Got Talent, going back to my day job as a manager, writing my memoirs and seeing the world!' Meanwhile Nicole Scherzinger was also reportedly axed from the panel in April, as part of Simon's drastic shake-up in wake of the 2017 series scoring its lowest-rated final to date. She's the daughter of former model and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Hadid and multi-millionaire property developer, Mohamed Hadid. And American supermodel Gigi Hadid has admitted she felt 'big guilt' at the start of her modelling career because she came from a 'privileged family'. The 23-year-old stunner opens up to Vogue Australia about her family and successful career as she stuns on the cover of the July issue of the magazine. 'I know I come from privilege': Gigi Hadid admits she felt 'big guilt' at the start of her modelling career because she came from an affluent family ... as exotic beauty stuns on the cover of Vogue Australia 'I know I come from privilege, so when I started there was this big guilt of privilege, obviously,' Gigi tells the publication. 'I've always had this big work ethic, because my parents came from nothing and I worked hard to honour them.' The blonde beauty says she felt a lot of pressure to work hard because so many models chose their career to help their less fortunate families. 'I wanted them to respect me': The blonde beauty says she felt a lot of pressure to work hard because so many models chose their career to help their less fortunate families 'There are so many girls who come [from] all over the world and work their a***s off and send money home to their families like my mother did, and I wanted to stand next to them backstage and for them to look at me and respect me and to know that it's never about me trying to overshadow or take their place,' she adds. In an accompanying photo shoot, the exotic beauty simply stuns in a white lace dress and white leather gloves. Sitting pretty: Elsewhere, Gigi showcases her trim pins in a green floral dress with a houndstooth bodice teamed with high-heeled boots Letting her natural beauty shine through she wears minimal and natural-looking makeup throughout the shoot, and has her hair styled in loose tousled curls. In another image, she covers herself in a quilt as her blue-green eyes sear into the camera lens. Elsewhere, Gigi showcases her trim pins in a green floral dress with a houndstooth bodice teamed with high-heeled boots. Gigi - who is of Dutch, Jordanian and Palestinian descent - also wears a black high-neck jumper and a black sailor cap in another edgy snap. Beauty: Gigi - who is of Dutch, Jordanian and Palestinian descent - also wears a black high-neck jumper and a black sailor cap in another edgy snap Gigi - who grew up in Los Angeles - modelled as a child for Guess when she was just two years old. She resumed her modelling career in 2011 and signed with IMG in 2013. Since then, Gigi has modelled for the likes of Chanel, Victoria's Secret and Versace. Her siblings - Bella Hadid and Anwar Hadid - are also models. Sophie Monk has set the record straight on her rumoured romance with former Married At First Sight star Ryan Gallagher. The Love Island host, 38, has reportedly been dating the Sydney tradesman, 30, after they were introduced by mutual friend Jackie 'O' Henderson. On Tuesday's The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Sophie described Ryan as 'funny and sweet' but insisted their relationship still had a long way to go. 'He's really funny and sweet': Love Island Australia's Sophie Monk (right) has broken her silence on her rumoured relationship with Married At First Sight star Ryan Gallagher (left) Sophie confirmed she was speaking to Ryan over the phone, but claimed they were not dating in a conventional sense because they have yet to meet in person. 'You realise I've never met Ryan, like, in the flesh?' she said. 'I've spoken to him on the phone through Jackie...[but] I've never met this guy.' Rumoured matchmaker Jackie admitted she 'felt responsible' for the gossip about Sophie and Ryan, but denied 'pushing' them together. Everybody's talking! Sophie has been reportedly dating Ryan after they were introduced by mutual friend Jackie 'O' Henderson (right) 'He is really funny and sweet,' added Sophie in a rather revealing comment. While there is a possibility that their friendship could blossom into something more when she returns from Spain, Sophie insisted she is single at the moment. 'I'm not dating anyone. [I'm] 100 per cent single. I want to stay single for a while,' she said. Blossoming friendship: Sophie confirmed that she was speaking to Ryan over the phone, but claimed they were not dating in a conventional sense because they have yet to meet in person It comes after multiple sources claimed over the weekend that Sophie and Ryan were dating after being introduced by Jackie O. On Saturday, an insider told Yahoo! Be: '[Ryan] said to me that he's been dating Sophie Monk and that they're official.' The source had allegedly asked Ryan if he was enjoying all the female attention, to which he responded: 'I'm taken now'. Rumours: It comes after multiple sources alleged over the weekend that Sophie and Ryan were dating, with one insider claiming Sophie's sister Lucy (left) had given her seal of approval Meanwhile, NW magazine claimed the pair had been 'talking every day on the phone' while Sophie films Love Island in Mallorca. Sophie's sister, Lucy, has also apparently given Ryan her seal of approval. 'Lucy has always wanted Soph to find what she has a devoted partner to have children with and she thinks that Ryan could be that bloke!' said NW's source. Her ex-boyfriend Brooklyn Beckham is rumoured to be moving on with model Lexy Panterra. But Chloe Moretz showed no sign of concern when she attended the Come as You Are premiere in Paris on Monday night, posing up a storm on the red carpet. The actress, 23, was turning heads in a pretty patterned shirt and clashing trousers as she arrived at the event, held as part of the Champs-Elysees Film Festival. Stunning: Chloe Moretz attended the Come as You Are premiere in Paris on Monday night, posing up a storm on the red carpet Chloe was dressed to impress in her funky silk shirt, which she teamed with a contrasting print on the bottom half. She added some extra height to her petite frame thanks to some peep-toe heels. The blonde beauty styled her hair in soft waves and added a glamorous touch to her ensemble with a slick of dark red lipstick. Chloe joined forces with director Desiree Akhavan as they promoted the new film. Snap happy: The actress, 23, was turning heads in a pretty patterned shirt Pictures or it didn't happen: The star caused a stir when she arrived at the event, held as part of the Champs-Elysees Film Festival Gorgeous: Chloe was dressed to impress in her funky silk shirt Strike a pose: Chloe joined forces with director Desiree Akhavan as they promoted the film Speculation has been rife that Lexy has been dating Chloe's ex Brooklyn since late May when the pair were first spotted hugging outside a New York photography studio. A source told Us Weekly at the time: 'Lexy and Brooklyn had a whirlwind romance last week in New York City.' The couple were also seen at Catch over that weekend, where they were not shy of showing their affection, and were then spotted enjoying McDonald's on a night out earlier this month. Colour clashing: The star teamed her vibrant top with a contrasting print on the bottom half Glamorous: The blonde beauty styled her hair in soft waves and added a slick of red lipstick 'Brooklyn and Lexy were holding hands during dinner and couldn't stop laughing and touching each other,' the insider added. Brooklyn and Chloe split in March, with the photography student spotted locking lips with Playboy model Lexi Wood the following month. He and Chloe have been on and off for a number of years, but rekindled their romance in September 2017, when Brooklyn moved to the States to study photography. Chloe previously revealed of their reunion: 'I think we chose each other... you come back and it's like no time spent away from each other at all.' Moving on: Brooklyn and Chloe split in March, and the Beckham boy has been spotted with a number of girls since On/off: The former couple had rekindled their relationship in September 2017 Love Island fans in the UK have declared their 'obsession' with the show's Australian version after watching recent drama-packed episodes. British viewers were gripped after Eden Dally and Grant Crapp's explosive brawl on Sunday night following Justin Lacko's shock eviction from the villa. UK followers dubbed the show a 'million times more entertaining' than their own version - and even called for British network ITV2 to broadcast the Australian episodes. Scroll down for video 'Love Island Australia is a million times better!' UK fans are 'OBSESSED' with the show's Aussie version after recent drama-packed episodes (pictured, Eden and Grant's brawl on Sunday) British fans flocked to Twitter to talk about the Australian version after a clip of Eden and Grant's fight went viral. 'Guys, Love Island Australia is actually a million times better than the uk one tbh! Ze drama,' one user wrote. 'Actually obsessed with love island Australia,' another wrote, while a third agreed: 'Unpopular opinion but Love Island Australia is better than the UK one.' Others said the Australian version makes the UK show look 'so boring' and is 'ten times more entertaining'. Entertaining: British viewers were left gripped after Eden Dally and Grant Crapp's explosive brawl on Sunday night following Justin Lacko's shock eviction from the villa (pictured, English contestant Rosie) Loving it: UK followers dubbed the show a 'million times more entertaining' than their version and even called for British network ITV2 to broadcast the Australian episodes Another viewer wrote: 'Think ITV2 should start showing Love Island Australia! I mean we have so many other Australian shows shown on UK channels so why not Love Island?' Radio hosts Jackie 'O' Henderson and Kyle Sandilands also picked up on the hysteria surrounding Love Island Australia. 'The Brits are going mental for the Australian version! They're tweeting about how it's so much better than theirs,' Jackie remarked on the Kyle and Jackie O show on Tuesday. 'I always thought that the UK version was far more edgy and they've been doing it for years,' she admitted, while Kyle reasoned: 'I don't think the UK kids fight.' Sunday night's fight broke out after Eden and girlfriend Erin Barnett decided to eliminate Justin Lacko. Erin took a verbal lashing from Tayla Damir and Millie Fuller, who called the elimination 'unforgivable', which got the drama started. Drama: British fans flocked to Twitter to talk about the Australian version after a clip of Eden and Grant's fight went viral Physical: Erin took a verbal lashing from Tayla Damir and Millie Fuller, who called the elimination 'unforgivable', which got the drama started. Eden defended his girl, which upset Tayla's beau, Grant Eden defended his girl, which upset Tayla's beau, Grant. One thing led to another and the pair were quite literally at each others throats. Love Island Australia began in May this year, and is being filmed in a villa in Mallorca - the same location as the UK version. In the UK, the arrival of new contestants Zara McDermott and Ellie Brown has shaken things up with the men who are already coupled up. The first international version of the show was Love Island Germany, which launched in 2017. British network ITV has also revealed that the show will have three more versions later on in 2018, which are to be set in Denmark, Norway and Finland. Bachelor In Paradise's American intruder Jared Haibon, 29, is engaged to US Bachelor alumni Ashley Laconetti, 30. After travelling 15,000 kilometers to Fiji in an attempt to find love on Australia's version of Bachelor In Paradise, the reality star returned home to rekindle romance with his former love interest. According to People, the star popped the question on Sunday in Mexico during the upcoming fifth season of Bachelor In Paradise US. Scroll down for video That didn't take long! Bachelor In Paradise's 'American Jared' Haibon is ENGAGED to US Bachelor alumni Ashley Laconetti just months after leaving Fiji brokenhearted The lovebirds first locked eyes after meeting on Bachelor In Paradise US in 2015, but according to Jared 'It was a slow build' and didn't eventuate beyond Mexican borders. Returning for a consecutive year in 2016, the on-off couple's romance also didn't last following filming for the famed series. According to Jared, it wasn't until he made his Australian Bachelor In Paradise debut that he realised Ashley was the 'love of his life'. Back to where it started! According to People , the star popped the question on Sunday in Mexico during the upcoming fifth season of Bachelor In Paradise US Following his return from Fiji, Jared learnt that Ashley was participating yet another Bachelor spin-off series, The Bachelor Winter Games - featuring Aussie Bach alum names including Tiffany Scanlon and Courtney Dober. Jared's now fiancee began dating her Winter Games fellow contestant Kevin Wendt, giving Jared the 'kick in the a**' he needed. Upon hearing the duo had parted ways, Jared poured his heart out in a love letter. On-screen romance: The love birds first locked eyes after meeting on Bachelor In Paradise US in 2015, but according to Jared 'It was a slow build' and didn't eventuate beyond Mexican borders 'I was scream-crying basically alone in my apartment reading that just sobbing and sobbing,' Ashley told the publication. According to the raven-haired beauty, Jared has continued to romance her since. 'He's written me other letters and filled my apartment with flowers,' she said. Adding: 'He tells me every day that he's the luckiest man alive.' Jared's words of wisdom: 'I'm living proof that you should listen to your gut, and that it's not too late,' he shared. Adding: 'The person I wanted to be with most was right in front of my eyes' Offering a tip of advice, Jared told fans that when it comes to love, following your gut is key. 'I'm living proof that you should listen to your gut, and that it's not too late,' he shared. Adding: 'The person I wanted to be with most was right in front of my eyes.' Jared made Bachelor In Paradise history during his Fiji stint in 2018 when he refused to give his rose to anyone during the final ceremony. The American hunk said he had failed to find a 'strong romantic connection' with his two love interests, Elora Murger and Florence Alexandra. Declaring that he didn't want to 'lead anyone on', Jared shocked everyone by abandoning his rose and choosing to leave the show. Patients in NSW public hospitals could have visitors at any hour of the day or night if a trial in four Sydney hospitals is embraced. The 24-hour visitor program, trialled at Balmain Hospital over the past month, will be extended to Royal Prince Alfred, Canterbury Hospital and Concord Hospital by Christmas, Sydney Local Health District chief executive Dr Teresa Anderson told AAP on Monday. The results of the trial will be presented to NSW Health next year to consider rolling out the program state-wide. Most Australians want a ban on electronic cigarettes lifted, according to an Australian Retailers Association survey. Conducted by the Crosby Textor Group, the poll shows 61 per cent of 1200 adults backed a move towards legalising e-cigarettes or vaporisers, commonly known as vapes. The Turnbull government should follow the lead of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand by opening up the market, ARA executive director Russell Zimmerman says. "More and more Australians are buying personal vaporisers with nicotine online from overseas, simply because they can't buy them locally," Mr Zimmerman said in a statement on Monday. "The government needs to act so that responsible local retailers can compete on a level playing field and sell less harmful products for Australians trying to change their habits. "Failure to regulate only increases the risks and there are currently no Commonwealth laws prohibiting advertising to children, or Australian standards for ingredients or vaporiser design to keep people safe." But many Australians are confused over the issue, with 53 per cent of respondents unaware or unsure of the existing law banning the sale and purchase of vaporisers, which simulate the act of smoking without burning harmful tobacco. Almost half of those surveyed agreed that vaporisers, used by 4.4 per cent of smokers at the time of the 2016 Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey, were a safer alternative than traditional tobacco cigarettes. "It is clear that smokers are not prepared to wait around for the government to act and improve their health," Mr Zimmerman said. Quit Victoria says vapes are "likely to be less harmful than cigarettes" while the Cancer Council claims the jury is out on the short and long-term health effects with more research required, according to statements on their websites. Both organisations have been contacted for comment. ACT Labor's David Smith has officially taken his place in the Senate, but he faces an uphill battle to hang on to the seat as Katy Gallagher eyes a return to parliament. Smith, the former territory director of Professionals Australia, was sworn in to the upper house on Monday, replacing Ms Gallagher who was booted from parliament over dual citizenship last month. For the swearing-in ceremony Senator Smith was flanked by Labor Senate leader Penny Wong, who on Sunday reiterated her support for Ms Gallagher, and right-faction powerbroker Don Farrell. Senator Smith has vowed to contest preselection for the Senate seat, despite a raft of senior Labor figures endorsing Ms Gallagher's return. She announced earlier in the month she would attempt to win back the ACT Senate seat. The High Court ruled in May that Ms Gallagher was ineligible to stand for the 2016 election because she was still a British citizen when the writs were issued. Liberal Senator Lucy Gichuhi has blamed an "administrative error" for the misuse of thousands of dollars of taxpayer funds. Senator Gichuhi, who joined the Liberals in February, billed taxpayers more than $2000 to fly two family members to Adelaide in October last year for her 50th birthday. "It was an administrative error and I know how inappropriate it was," Senator Gichuhi told ABC Radio on Monday. "It was an error and as soon as we got to know of it we fixed it." The freshly-minted Liberal has promised to repay the funds in full, but said she was still waiting for the appropriate government department to raise an invoice. Senator Gichuhi entered the parliament last year after Family First's Bob Day was ruled ineligible to sit in the Senate. She was elected in Mr Day's place because she had been Family First's second candidate on its SA ticket at the 2016 election. Asylum seekers must only be kept in detention in Australia and for the shortest time humanly possible, independent MP Andrew Wilkie has told parliament. The Tasmanian MP introduced a private member's bill on Monday as part of Refugee Week that would abolish mandatory detention of asylum seekers and refugees and provide community-based alternatives. "There needs to be a new conversation about how we, as a civilised nation, respond to people genuinely fleeing for their lives, who have suffered unimaginable atrocities, and now need our help," he said. Members of The Australian Ballet are being enlisted to exercise some dance diplomacy as the Turnbull government seeks to thaw frosty relations with China by building cultural ties. The government is chipping in $100,000 for The Australian Ballet to tour China in October, with the company to perform its signature work The Sleeping Beauty abroad for the first time, as well as Maina Gielgud's Giselle. "The Australian Ballet is a great cultural ambassador for Australia," Arts Minister Mitch Fifield said on Monday. "The tour to China represents opportunities to showcase the world class skill and talent of Australian artists and productions." It will be the ninth time the company has visited China since its first tour in 1980, with shows planned for Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai. More than 20,000 audience members are expected to attend the theatre shows, with thousands more flocking to arts festival events and tuning in through digital media platforms. The tour will be supported by Chinese presenting partners and venues, as well as The Australian Ballet's philanthropic patrons and sponsors. Top Victorian Liberals donor the Cormack Foundation says it will support opposition leader Matthew Guy's election campaign, but it won't funnel funds through the state party. The foundation released a statement on Monday saying it won't direct any donations to the administrative wing of the Victorian Liberal Party until it has independent verification of governance reforms. The move is the latest salvo in an ongoing battle between the party and the foundation over control of Cormack's $70 million war chest, which resulted last week in the Federal Court finding the Liberals were entitled to just 25 per cent of the organisation's shares. Judges in a Sunshine Coast courthouse are huddling under umbrellas and staff are forced to take cover when it rains, the state's opposition says. The Liberal National Party's shadow attorney-general David Janetzki has called on the Labor government to splash some cash for repairs, saying corridors inside the dilapidated Maroochydore Courthouse are flushed with water whenever there's a downpour. "Judges are putting up umbrellas in their chambers and members of the public are dodging buckets full of water in the corridors when it rains," Mr Janetzki told reporters on Monday. The Turnbull government has blocked attempts by the federal opposition to commit to not privatising the ABC. Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus sought to move a motion in parliament on Monday resolving the lower house would "never support the privatisation of the ABC", and for an $83 million funding cut be reversed. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Trade Minister Steve Ciobo were forced to desert European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom in the middle of a press conference in order to block debate on the motion. Endometriosis brings horror stories of women forced to have hysterectomies too young, being told to suck up the pain and waiting decades for a diagnosis, federal parliament has heard. In some cases women are told period pain is just part of being a woman and are seen as being the "sick person" in the office, Labor MP Gai Brodtmann says. "(Women are) told basically suck it up because period pain is difficult and painful and you have to get on with it - this is part of being a woman," she said. The Canberra MP spoke on a motion to raise the profile of the condition put to parliament by Liberal MP Nola Marino, who has experienced the debilitating condition through her daughter Kylie. It took Kylie 20 years to be diagnosed with the condition, while the average diagnosis time is seven-to-10 years. "What she suffered during that time is what thousands of women around Australia are suffering right now and have suffered for so many years," Ms Marino said. Australia's first national endometriosis plan is due to be released in July and includes a focus on public awareness and education, clinical management and care, and research. Ms Marino urged women and GPs to take their symptoms seriously and for GPs and gynaecologists to do the same. "Take these women seriously, please," she urged. Labor MP Mike Freelander, a doctor, said his daughter suffered from endometriosis for years before she was diagnosed. "As a father I feel guilty that I tended to downplay her complaints, and as a doctor I feel even more guilty that I downplayed her complaints and her symptoms, and it's made me realise what an important issue this is," he said. Liberal Julian Leeser revealed his wife Joanna had undergone multiple surgeries for the condition, and said husbands and partners love and support those women and "indeed we think you're amazing". Giving his first speech since returning to parliament after paternity leave, Mr Leeser said he knew the effects endometriosis could have on fertility and the importance of a correct diagnosis and specialty care. "My message to women experiencing period pain is don't suffer in silence. Get it checked and ask about endometriosis and ask and ask again," he said. A female driver was spat on, assaulted and had her car momentarily hijacked in a road rage incident in Melbourne's northeast. Police allege the ordeal started when the 53-year-old woman's white SUV was tailgated by a white ute along Plenty Road between Mernda and Mill Park about 2.30pm on Thursday. Investigators have been told the ute driver stepped out of his vehicle multiple times while stopped at various intersections to assault the victim, throw her mobile phone, break her side mirror and spit on her. As she went to retrieve her phone, the man jumped behind the wheel and reversed her car a short distance before returning it. A female passenger is believed to have been inside the ute and yelled abuse at the victim. Police urge any witnesses to come forward. A school in the NSW Northern Tablelands has paid tribute to a "much loved" music teacher killed in a car crash at the weekend. Malcolm Boyd, a 47-year-old who worked at Uralla Central School, was driving along Kingstown Road at Uralla about 10pm on Sunday, when his car struck a rock face, left the road and rolled. Mr Boyd, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was killed at the scene. Uralla Central said extra counselling services had been made available at the school on Monday. "We will stand tall and walk proud as a school community and I have expressed to all of our students and staff that it is okay to both feel and express grief and loss," the school posted on its Facebook page. "We will continue to work together to commemorate and celebrate Mal's work and also to grow as Uralla men and women." In the first 10 months of moving into civilian life, eight per cent of veterans are unemployed, Veterans Affairs Minister Darren Chester has told parliament. That number is higher than the national average and Australia can do better, he says. He wants to see partnerships between community, business and industry to find work for veterans who often leave defence live with a good work ethic and skills easily transferred to civilian careers. "Employing a veteran is simply good for your business," he said on Monday. Mr Chester made the admission while supporting government legislation to improve compensation for veterans and their families and to introduce a suicide prevention scheme. Labor MP Warren Snowdon says many leave the defence force feeling as bulletproof as they felt when they were a member. "Only to find over a period of time that actually, they're not," he said. He says the suicide prevention pilot programs are essential and called for a more open attitude to the difficulties confronted by some leaving defence. The Philippines justice department has overturned an order for the deportation of Australian nun Sister Patricia Fox. Justice Department Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday determined the cancellation of her missionary visa was without legal basis. Fox, 71, from the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion, was arrested on April 16 and detained for 22 hours for purportedly being involved in partisan political protests. She was subsequently ordered to leave the Philippines by May 25, but Guevarra announced a reprieve on the day of the deadline pending a review of her case. Her deportation was put on hold until Monday. Sr Fox had claimed a lack of due process and denied that her involvement in human rights campaigns breached the terms of her missionary visa. "What the Bureau of Immigration did in this case is beyond what the law provides, that is why it has to be struck down," Guevarra said. The Australian nun, who grew up in Melbourne and obtained a law degree at the University of NSW in Sydney, has been a missionary in the Philippines since 1990. The deportation bid against Sr Fox came amid a wider clampdown on critics of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte. A spokeswoman for Sr Fox said there was still a case to be pursued against the deportation order even though the revoking of her missionary visa had been cancelled. "But for now, Sister Fox can stay in the Philippines," she said. Sr Fox welcomed the decision. "I will continue to fight the deportation case," she Fox said. "I want to stay here to work for the poor." Former world No.4 Samantha Stosur has moved into the second round of the Mallorca Open after a fighting win over Czech Marketa Vondrousova. After comfortably winning the first set the 34 year-old Australian was down 5-3 in the second but rattled off four games in a row to register the 6-2 7-5 win. Stosur has slid to No.98 in the world but can make a concerted push up the rankings over the coming months. An injury-enforced absence in 2017 left her with no rankings points to defend until mid September. Stosur will play the winner of the Carla Suarez Navarro-Lara Arruabarrena match for a place in the quarter-finals. A Queensland magistrate whose husband and son are on trial accused of assaulting a neighbouring grandmother will continue giving evidence. Catherine Pirie entered the witness box on Monday afternoon in Brisbane District Court where husband David and Lachlan are facing allegations they attacked Jennifer Toohey in February 2017. David Pirie hit the 52-year-old with a shovel handle and Lachlan was charged for throwing rocks at her but both maintain it was done in self-defence when she came onto their property. The confrontation was sparked when Ms Toohey was playing music from her car as she unpacked shopping. During her time giving evidence, Ms Pirie told the court about the regular and extremely loud music coming from the Toohey's property. It was often "cranked" and they would play Freaks by Timmy Trumpet a lot, she said. Earlier on Monday, David said he had not gone looking for a fight but had defended himself against Ms Toohey after she threatened to kill him. The trial continues and Ms Pirie is expected to be questioned further on Tuesday. Western Australia's capital city must halt urban sprawl and its devotion to mining in order to maintain its high level of liveability, a report has found. Commissioned by the Property Council, the Creating Great Australian Cities study warns Perth cannot afford to keep expanding but must contain housing and development growth within its current borders. Lead researcher, urbanist Greg Clark said the recent mining boom had fuelled population growth and building projects but in the bust the city needed to embrace innovation. "Although commodities will still be important for Perth for some time to come, the economy is going to have to evolve," Professor Clark said. "(It will) need to accommodate its growth within the existing geographical boundaries that it has created if it wants to be affordable and offer the right environment for modern city jobs." Compared to other commodity-rich cities such as Abu Dhabi, Calgary in Canada and Oslo, Perth rates high in liveability, including environmental quality, health, education and access to services. It has also rapidly increased its number of globally connected businesses, overtaking Brisbane. But it has fallen down the ranks as a preferred destination for international students, dropping from 30th place in 2014 to 50th in 2018. And its lack of suburban transport and shopping hubs made it less attractive to millennials. However, the report praised the McGowan government's multi-billion dollar Metronet project as an investment in "forward-thinking" planning and encouraged more projects such as the former Liberal governments' Elizabeth Quay and Perth Stadium precincts. A medium density mix of housing, retail and business, says Professor Clark, will make Perth a liveable city and not just an attractive seaside place to visit. Dreamworld staff will give evidence on the second day of an inquest into the October 2016 tragedy at the Queensland theme park that claimed four lives. The long-awaited inquest began on Monday in a packed Southport Coroners Court. Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi all died instantly after being thrown from a raft when the Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned in October 2016. Ms Goodchild's 12-year-old daughter and Ms Low's 10-year-old son were also thrown from the raft but survived. The inquest will resume on Tuesday with police forensic crash investigator Senior Constable Steven Cornish continuing to give evidence. Snr Const Cornish told the inquest the ride lacked automatic safety features such as a water level sensor which would have prevented the tragedy. He said the correct application of an emergency shutdown button at any time from the failure of a water pump until the rafts collided would have also ensured no loss of life. The inquest had earlier heard the water pump had failed twice on the day of the tragedy, and there had been multiple previous incidents involving rafts colliding on the 30-year-old ride since 2001. "The potential for that to happen was always there," Sen Const Cornish told the inquest. "It was evident by the testing we did the rafts could become inverted." Dreamworld staff are expected to follow Sen Const Cornish as witnesses later on Tuesday. Thousands gathered to remember comedian Eurydice Dixon on the Melbourne field where she was found after being raped and murdered, with hundreds of others across the nation joining them in solidarity. A huge crowd, reportedly including up to 10,000 people, gathered at Princes Park on Monday night to pay tribute to the 22-year-old. They spent a sombre 20 minutes in silence with the lights on the field switched off, illuminating candles that many had brought. People could be heard sobbing during the quiet reflection, which was broken by a choir singing around a makeshift memorial, where flowers and other tributes have been building since Ms Dixon's body was found at the site. Expressing grief, celebrating Ms Dixon's life and stressing the right women have to be safe anywhere and at any time was the focus of the Reclaim Princes Park vigil, one of its organisers Pia Cerveri said as the night began. But Ms Cerveri said there will later be a greater push for changes to prevent such tragedies. "The time will come when we will regroup to work together to make positive change in our society and we ask that you join that movement later," she said. "Right now is not that time, for political demands." At least 200 people gathered for a vigil in Sydney's Hyde Park, where the names of dozens of recent victims of gendered violence were read out, while more than 100 met in the rain on the lawns of Hobart's parliament house. The vigils came five days after Ms Dixon was killed on her way home from a comedy show at the Highlander Bar in the CBD on Tuesday night. Last week, Broadmeadows' 19-year-old Jaymes Todd appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court charged with her rape and murder. Earlier on Monday, the makeshift memorial at Princes Park was graffitied with offensive markings, with Victoria Police investigating the vandalism. Firefighters have worked long into the night to extinguish a blaze on board a Canadian-owned freight ship docked in a NSW port. The crew of the Iron Chieftain escaped uninjured when the fire ignited at Port Kembla Harbour on Monday morning as it was unloading dolomite. About 80 firefighters and water bombing aircraft worked throughout the day and into the evening to pump foam into the cargo hold, in an effort to starve the fire of oxygen. "At the moment it's contained and it's under control," NSW Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman Norm Buckley told AAP late on Monday. "Final extinguishment, we're just not too sure yet." Crews would assess what impact they've had on Tuesday morning and adjust their strategy accordingly, Mr Buckley added. The NSW Environment Protection Authority also attended because firefighting materials entered the harbour from the vessel. The ship is owned by Canada-based company CSL, which has said it will work with authorities to conduct a full investigation once the fire has been put out. The NSW Liberal Party has vowed to take disciplinary action against those responsible for a budget-eve brawl at a southern Sydney branch meeting. Police were called to a cafe on Firth Street at Arncliffe about 7pm on Monday and said officers saw "numerous people running from the location". A man in his 40s was taken to St George Hospital with minor injuries. It came ahead of Tuesday's state budget, with Treasurer Dominic Perrottet expected to unveil a surplus for 2017/18 of $3.9 billion. A Liberal Party spokesman said the organisation was cooperating with police. "An internal investigation will also be undertaken and disciplinary action taken against those responsible," he said in a statement. "The Liberal Party strongly condemns the kind of behaviour that is alleged to have occurred." The $3.8 billion national redress scheme for child sexual abuse survivors is set to pass parliament despite concerns it doesn't go far enough. The scheme is set to be operational on July 1 after Labor, the Greens and crossbenchers agreed not to delay the passage of legislation through the Senate. The bill is expected to pass the upper house on Tuesday, after senators debated the scheme late into Monday night. Independent Senator Hinch angrily accused the government of "double-crossing" the parliamentary committee into the scheme he chaired. He expressed surprise the maximum payout was in line with the Catholic Church's push for $150,000 rather than the $200,000 recommended by the child abuse royal commission. "I've been unable to find out not only who suggested the 150K, but also who lobbied for it and who signed off on it," Senator Hinch told parliament. Senator Hinch demanded to know how the figure was arrived at. "How did this happen? I cannot go back to these victims and say how I got this figure," Senator Hinch said. Government minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells said the maximum payment was an agreement between the commonwealth, state and territory governments and non-government institutions. She said while the cap was lower than what the commission recommended, the $76,000 average payment is $11,000 higher. Labor is also worried about how the figure was determined, and has similar concerns to the Greens over the indexation of past pay-outs and counselling services. But the opposition said they were were determined not to let the good be the enemy of the perfect. "It is a step in the right direction towards acknowledging this pain and suffering that's part of our lived history," Labor's Deborah O'Neill said. Senator Fierravanti-Wells said it would be a significant and meaningful scheme. "It is time to acknowledge the wrongs of the past and provide survivors the recognition they deserve," she told parliament. Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm opposes the scheme, arguing against a taxpayer-funded "cash-pot" to pay victims off. He believes victims would prefer abusers and institutions admit their crimes face-to-face. "Admit they are miserable failures of human beings and commit their lives to ensuring nobody has to suffer like that again," Senator Leyonhjelm said. New figures could show whether Australians are comforted by Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe's remark that a three per cent wages growth rate is "possible and desirable". Dr Lowe told a conference last week there are some signs of wages growth moving in that direction and that the laws of supply and demand are still at work. Wage growth has been the missing link in Australia's strengthening economy, presently running at an annual rate of 2.1 per cent and close to a two-decade low. The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index is due on Tuesday - a pointer to future retail spending - which may capture the governor's views on the outlook. Last week the index jumped 5.6 per cent and to its highest level since mid-January following economic growth figures showing the economy expanding at its fastest pace in almost two years. Since then the jobless rate unexpectedly fell to 5.4 per cent. This compares with conventional wisdom that puts full employment at around a five per cent unemployment rate. Dr Lowe told the conference it is possible an even lower rate could be achieved if the five per cent mark is approached at a steady pace, rather than too quickly. The central bank will also release the minutes of the June 5 board meeting on Tuesday, a gathering that again left the cash rate at a record low 1.5 per cent for another month. Dr Lowe in his post-meeting statement said household consumption is a continuing source of uncertainty given slow income growth and high debt levels. Economists also see falling house prices as a further detriment to confidence. The Australian Bureau of Statistics will also release its residential property price indexes for the March quarter. Labor MPs are set to decide whether to support the government's income tax cuts in the Senate. Malcolm Turnbull is refusing to split the bill into two parts despite Labor supporting the first half of the cuts but not the second half. "It's one package, one reform," the prime minister told reporters in Canberra on Monday. Labor voted the plan through the lower house but has been refusing to say if it will back the cuts through the Senate. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said if the government wants to deliver tax relief for Australians from July 1, the party will immediately pass the first part of the bill. Labor has a "high degree of scepticism" about the 2024 tax cuts, which would see an entire tax bracket abolished. "The issue is coming to a conclusion. I will be making a recommendation to my colleagues about how to handle personal income measures through the parliament," Mr Bowen told reporters. His recommendation was discussed at shadow cabinet on Monday night and will go to caucus on Tuesday morning. Without Labor's support, the government could still get the cuts through with the help of Pauline Hanson's One Nation. Next week, the Senate will resume 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 two votes short just before Easter to get the plan passed and since then One Nation senator Pauline Hanson has reneged on an agreement to support it. Police are searching for a couple after revellers at a dance party in inner Melbourne were assaulted and robbed earlier this month. The party was organised at an abandoned building on Fogarty Avenue in Yarraville about 2am on June 10. Police were told five strangers assaulted the ravers and stole wallets, mobile phones, bags and passports. The offenders were described as male and female aged in their 20s and wearing dark clothing. Police have released digital images of a man and a woman they would like to speak to and appealed for witnesses. The government is facing resistance from several quarters to its National Energy Guarantee, including within its own ranks. Labor says the proposed legislation is too weak while coalition backbencher Tony Abbott has dismissed it as a "carbon tax in disguise" and says he will only support the NEG if a new coal-fired power station is built, The Australian reports. Other coalition MPs are unhappy that the 10-year span of the legislation will impose extra costs on the economy. "We won't agree to something that ties the hands of a future government from increasing ambition," Labor energy spokesman Mark Butler told the paper. "The government is now effectively proposing an emissions intensity scheme as the emission obligation under the NEG. However, their weak ambition means the NEG will be ineffectual in supporting investment in new renewable energy, placing reliability, affordability and our ability to meet climate change obligations at risk." The Energy Security Board, meanwhile, has rejected the idea that the NEG would indirectly introduce an emissions intensity trading scheme. The Turnbull government is encouraging Pacific nations to turn to Australia as their natural infrastructure partner as concerns mount over China's influence in the region. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says China's construction of roads, ports, airports and other infrastructure in the region had triggered concern that small Pacific nations may be saddled with unsustainable debts. "We want to ensure that they retain their sovereignty, that they have sustainable economies and that they are not trapped into unsustainable debt outcomes. The trap can then be a debt-for-equity swap and they have lost their sovereignty," Ms Bishop told Fairfax Media on Tuesday. "We want to be the natural partner of choice." Ms Bishop said Australia aims to provide the counterbalance to the influence of other nations in the region, including Russia. "We recognise we're not the only partner, but we would like the Pacific to see Australia as providing them with the kind of support that maintains their sovereignty, maintains their economic stability and doesn't become an unsustainable debt burden," she said. "We're concerned that the consequences of entering into some of these financing arrangements will be detrimental to their long-term sovereignty. "That would be the case with any country." South Africa doesn't seem to be a favourite travel destination for Australians. But look at it this way: the panoramic, culturally-diverse country offers a great introduction to the African continent. Plus, there are memorable experiences for every taste. Here are five reasons why it's worth considering South Africa for your next holiday. VARIETY It can feel a bit disorienting, unwinding at a busy rooftop bar in inner-city Johannesburg hours after a sunrise game drive in the South African bush. But not long after our group's final safari adventure at Madikwe Game Reserve - where the landscapes are beautiful and the wi-fi refreshingly scarce - we're testing out food stalls and mojitos at Joburg's lively Neighbourgoods Markets. It's one example of the diverse range of sights and experiences on offer in South Africa, with gritty Joburg again such a contrast to the dramatic, overwhelming natural beauty of Cape Town. During my recent trip, every place I went was so different from the last. WILDLIFE Seeing the country's famed creatures in the wild is a magical experience. When you go on safari you're entering their environment, and you never know what to expect. Many parks and reserves offer a chance to spot the Big Five - the elephant, lion, leopard, rhinoceros and buffalo. But at Madikwe I was also staggered by the diversity of plant and animal life, and by encounters with so many species I previously knew little to nothing of. THE MANDELA LEGACY Of all the places significant to the Nelson Mandela story, perhaps one of the most essential and moving is Robben Island. There, former political prisoners lead visitors through the jail where the celebrated anti-apartheid activist spent 18 years of his life. I was initially surprised by the age of our guide, who seemed too young to have been detained alongside Mr Mandela. But as I was reminded throughout this tour and trip, the country's apartheid years really weren't so long ago. As the country in 2018 marks what would have been the late former president's centenary year, South African Tourism and The Mandela Foundation have listed 100 ways to follow in his footsteps. Robben Island is on the list, as is Mr Mandela's former family home at Soweto and the unassuming roadside spot near Durban where he was captured before his arrest in 1962. ADVENTURE Thrilling exploits abound no matter where your fear threshold lies. Those with a greater taste for adrenaline can bungee jump from the 216-metre-high Bloukrans Bridge or Soweto's Orlando Towers, come face-to-face with a Great White during a cage dive, or abseil down Table Mountain. More sedate options include whale watching, hiking trails taking in the country's landscapes and a helicopter flight over Cape Town. But the most exciting experience for me was a conservation safari at Madikwe, where a white rhino was darted from a helicopter before its ears were notched and DNA collected. It was a privilege to participate in an activity that helps staff monitor and care for the rhino population, while getting up close with the endangered animal. THE PEOPLE A quad bike tour is personally not my cup of tea, but a morning riding through the streets of the country's most famous township still left me with a stupid grin on my face. It was impossible not to get swept up by the excitement of the children at Soweto who rushed from backyards to wave and yell hello when they heard us coming. Adults by the side of the road were just as quick and eager to greet us. While it didn't change my mind about neighbourhood quad biking, it did confirm it wasn't just those involved the country's tourism industry who were exceedingly friendly and kind. Throughout my stay I consistently saw hotel, tour and safari staff go above and beyond to make sure visitors were having a good time. IF YOU GO GETTING THERE: South African Airways and Qantas both fly direct to Johannesburg with return flights starting at about $2049 per person. From there, Madikwe Game Reserve is roughly a three-and-a-half hour drive or a one-hour flight with Federal Air. For more info, visit: www.southafrica.net Pauline Hanson's One Nation is asking for official guidance amid concerns it may be in breach of NSW electoral laws due to its operating structure. Fairfax Media on Tuesday cited a letter written by a party official to the NSW Electoral Commission raising concerns the state branch didn't have local balance sheets or reports because it was mostly controlled out of Queensland where Senator Hanson is based. "It was clear from our meeting on 22 May 2018 that operating the party by remote control from Queensland may be in breach of the NSW funding and disclosure laws," the secretary of the party's state division Peter Breen wrote, according to Fairfax. Mr Breen is seeking the Electoral Commission's assistance to lodge financial records by the June 30 end of financial year deadline. One Nation recently lost its NSW senator Brian Burston, who's now formally aligned himself with Clive Palmer's new United Australia Party. A shop employee clears broken bottles following an earthquake near Osaka, western Japan A strong quake hit western Japan early Monday, but there were no immediate reports of major damage or risk of tsunami waves, officials said. The 5.3-magnitude quake struck at a depth of 15.4 kilometres (10 miles) at 7:58 am (2258 GMT Sunday) near Osaka, according to the United States Geological Survey. There was no risk of tsunami from the tremor, the Japanese meteorological agency said, putting its magnitude at 5.9, and the epicentre at a depth of 10 kilometres. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters the government was "working united, with its first priority on saving people's lives." Abe said he had instructed his staff to "swiftly collect information on damage, make utmost efforts in rescuing and saving lives... (and) provide timely and appropriate information to the public." Local police also told AFP that they had not received reports of substantial damage, and the Nuclear Regulation Authority said it had detected no abnormalities at its facilities after the quake. The tremor caused a blackout for thousands of houses and suspended train operations during the morning commuting hours. Private broadcaster TV Asahi showed firefighters responding to a blaze that broke out after the quake at a house north of Osaka city. Television footage also showed a "shinkansen" bullet train stopped on the railway. The quake registered a lower six on the Japanese Shindo scale of up to seven, meaning it is hard to stay standing. Pictures posted on Twitter showed signs at a train station that had fallen down and books thrown off shelves at a store. President Alassane Ouattara has suggested he could seek a third term after his mandate ends in 2020 Ivory Coast's Democratic Party, a member of the ruling coalition, Sunday rejected a proposal to form a unified party ahead of the 2020 presidential election, a plan which was supported by President Alassane Ouattara. "The political office of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), reassures members... of the determination of the party to regain power in 2020," the party said in a final statement after six hours of debate. The party also decided to postpone its 13th congress until after the 2020 polls. "The members are generally satisfied," party executive secretary and former commerce minister Jean-Louis Billon said. The PDCI meeting comes two weeks after Ouattara suggested he could seek a third term after his mandate ends in 2020. "The new constitution authorises me to do two terms from 2020. I will only make my final decision at that point, on the basis of the situation in Ivory Coast. The overwhelming priorities are stability and peace," Ouattara said in an interview with magazine Jeune Afrique. Ouattara came to power after a bloody five-month crisis in 2010-11. He ousted the then-president, Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to step down after losing elections and is now on trial in The Hague for war crimes. Violence between supporters of the two rivals claimed about 3,000 lives. Ouattarra's RDR liberal party last month voted to back the formation of a large "unified party" with its allies but said there should be a primary to choose its candidate before the presidential polls. Transformation of the ruling coalition into a unified party has been a recurring theme in Ivorian politics over the past decade. Ouattara backs the plan, which has met resistence within the party and also from its allies in the PDCI, notably party leader and former Ivorian president Henri Konan Bedie, who attended Sunday's meeting. One of the main stumbling blocks is the nomination of a candidate for the presidential election, since the PDCI believes it should now be its turn after having twice supported the RDR candidate. PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill declared a state of emergency and suspended the Southern Highlands provincial government in response to the violence Papua New Guinea has declared a state of emergency in its rugged Southern Highlands after an armed mob went on the rampage, torching a passenger plane and the local governor's house. Police said crowds were angered by a court decision to dismiss a petition against provincial governor William Powi's 2017 election, amid concerns of corruption. They burned down Powi's home and the local courthouse in the town of Mendi late last week and destroyed an aircraft belonging to the national carrier at the airport. No one was hurt, and Air Niugini said the crew of the Dash 8 airliner were safe and had returned to the capital Port Moresby. The airline said it was conducting "a full review of what occurred, and a risk assessment in accordance with PNG Civil Aviation Safety Authority requirements", with services to the area suspended. Images on social media showed the twin-engine turboprop plane on fire, with the fuselage burnt through. Civil Aviation Minister Alfred Manase said the airport at Mendi would remain closed indefinitely, with staff moved to other locations for their safety. "This was indeed a very sad day for the civil aviation industry in PNG," he told reporters Monday. "An attack on our national flag carrier is an attack on our identity as a country." Prime Minister Peter O'Neill declared a nine-month state of emergency and suspended the provincial government. "Normalcy is being restored in the province and today we want to apologise to Papua New Guinea for the recent events that had taken place, mainly out of frustration," he told the Post Courier newspaper Monday. "No person is above the law and all involved will face the full force of the law and answer for any crime they have committed," he added in a statement. Thomas Eluh, a former policeman, has been given constitutional emergency powers, with O'Neill personally overseeing operations of the provincial government. A Radio New Zealand reporter in Mendi, Melvin Levongo, said police had been outnumbered and unable to stop the rioters who were armed with high-powered weapons. "The mob wanted to do something... people were very angry towards the governor... and so did something to get the attention of the current government," he told the broadcaster. "In PNG history, nobody burnt down Air Niugini (planes) before. It's our pride, and for the people in Mendi to be doing that, it's sad. The whole nation is unhappy about it." The Dokdo islands -- known as Takeshima in Japan -- are claimed by both Seoul and Tokyo South Korea on Monday began two days of war games to practise defending the disputed Dokdo islands off its east coast -- against an unlikely attack by Japan. The drills come just days after President Donald Trump announced the suspension of long-running US joint exercises with South Korea -- aimed at deterring North Korea -- calling them expensive and "provocative". The two-day exercise -- tiny compared with the suspended US-South Korea war games -- will involve six warships and seven aircraft and had begun, Seoul's defence ministry said. A unit of marines will land on the largely barren rocky islets, inhabited by around 40 people -- mostly police officers. "The Dokdo defence drill is a routine training conducted to prevent an invasion from external forces," said Choi Hyun-soo, a spokeswoman at Seoul's defence ministry. Tokyo reacted angrily to the "extremely deplorable" drills, with the foreign ministry saying it had "strongly protested" via the usual diplomatic channels. It said the exercises were "absolutely unacceptable" and strongly demanded their suspension. While an attack from Japan is deemed highly unlikely, South Korea first staged the drills in 1986 and has conducted them twice a year since 2003. Seoul has controlled the islets in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) since the end in 1945 of Japan's 35-year colonial rule over the Korean peninsula. Tokyo also claims the islands, known as Takeshima in Japan, and accuses Seoul of occupying them illegally. South Korea and Japan are both market economies, democracies and US allies and both are threatened by nuclear-armed North Korea, but their relationship is severely strained by historical and territorial issues. The two neighbours also have a long-running feud over Japan's use of Korean women as wartime sex slaves, despite an agreement in 2015 to settle the issue. While some welcomed the feat as thought-provoking, others were left baffled An artist has emerged from three days entombed in a steel box under a busy Australian road in a performance billed as a tribute to victims of totalitarian violence. Mike Parr, 73, fasted during his time underground, with oxygen pumped into the 1.7-metre (5.5-foot) by 2.2-metre container to keep him alive as traffic drove on overhead. He had bedding, water, a waste bucket, a sketchpad and pencils for the stunt in Hobart, part of Tasmania state's annual Dark Mofo festival, which celebrates darkness through large-scale public art, food, film and music. "The anxiety of the artist's disappearance is the point of the piece," organisers said. It was also an attempt to highlight "the shadow cast by the genocidal violence of 19th century British colonialism in Australia", they added. Parr, who had been buried with only a small light, clambered out of his prison on a ladder late Sunday after heavy machinery carefully removed the asphalt that had sealed him in. He exited without saying a word or acknowledging a crowd that had gathered in the rain. He is expected to detail his experience in a public forum on Tuesday. Parr clambered out of his prison via a ladder late Sunday after heavy machinery carefully removed the asphalt that had sealed him in "He is an endurance performance artist and he's been doing this for many years, so his body is quite used to doing this," Dark Mofo curator Jarrod Rawlins told reporters. While some welcomed the feat as thought-provoking, others were left baffled. "People work a lifetime underground. This goose spends three days in a box doing frig all, calls it art and it makes the news," an unimpressed Rodney Gibbison said on Facebook. James Hank de Ridder added: "If I could only get the last five minutes of my life back after watching this absolutely pointless exercise." Parr is no stranger to controversial performances, having once used an axe to hack off his prosthetic arm, which he had filled with minced meat and blood, in front of a shocked audience. Dark Mofo, produced by Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art, has sparked controversy elsewhere this year, drawing the ire of some Christians when inverted crosses were erected on the city's waterfront. A home goes up on the shore in the Indian Beach neighborhood of Sarasota, Florida, a state which faces the highest risk of property loss in the US due to sea level rise Along Florida's sun-splashed shorelines, home prices are on the rise, developers are busy building new complexes, and listings just blocks from the beach describe homes that are "not in a flood zone," meaning no flood insurance is required. But experts warn that ignoring sea level rise won't prevent a looming economic crisis caused by water-logged homes that will someday become unsafe, uninhabitable and too costly to insure. A reality check may come sooner than many may think, according to a report out Monday by the Union of Concerned Scientists, which finds as many as 64,000 coastal residences worth $26 billion in Florida are at risk of chronic flooding in the next 30 years, the life of a typical mortgage. Across the United States, 311,000 coastal homes with a collective market value of about $120 billion in today's dollars are at risk of chronic flooding by 2045, it said. By century's end, if current trends continue, more than $1 trillion in commercial and private US property may be at risk, "with Florida's coastal real estate among the most exposed," said the report. And it's not because of the increased risk of hurricanes or storm surge. A report by the Union of Concerned Scientists found as many as 64,000 coastal residences worth $26 billion in Florida are at risk of chronic flooding in the next 30 years Rather, the danger comes from flooding due to hide tides -- sometimes called sunny day floods, or nuisance flooding -- when water pools into streets, sidewalks, storefronts and homes. "This risk is relatively near term, well before places go underwater completely, and even in the absence of storms," said Rachel Cleetus, lead economist and policy director with the Climate and Energy program at the UCS. Coastal real estate markets are not currently factoring in these risks, she told AFP. "But market perceptions can shift and they can shift quickly in some places," she added, describing a market correction as "inevitable." - 'Slow moving disaster' - To make the risks more clear to people, UCS released a searchable online map that shows where the risks are highest, available at www.ucsusa.org/underwater. The online realty site Zillow provided data for the analysis but did not take part in the scientific research. The projections use a high-end scenario for sea level rise because that is an "appropriately conservative projection to use" when estimating risk to homes, often people's largest asset, Cleetus said. Chronic inundation is defined in the report as flooding that happens at least 26 times a year. By 2045, rising seas are expected to bring an extra 1.8 feet (55 centimeters) of water along Florida's coast, according to the UCS report. By 2100, Florida can expect an average of 6.4 extra feet of water -- an awful lot given that the state's average elevation above sea level is only about six feet, with many places three feet or below. "This is a slow-moving disaster," said Cleetus. The low-lying Tampa Bay area, Miami and the island chain known as The Keys face the most peril from sea level rise. One worry is that insurance premiums will rise so much that coastal homes become unaffordable for those with fixed or lower incomes. Local governments may decide to cut power and water to flooded neighborhoods. Many will risk losing their largest financial asset -- their homes. And municipalities will forfeit huge amounts of revenue from property taxes. In Florida alone, the "homes at risk by 2100 currently contribute roughly $5 billion collectively in annual property tax revenue," said the report. - 'If it rains where you are...' - The problem of outdated flood maps long predates US President Donald Trump, who has called global warming a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, quit the Paris climate accords and rolled back environmental protections since taking office. According to Desiree Companion, a certified floodplain manager employed by Sarasota County, the US government-issued flood maps that people consult when building or buying a home are decades old in many places. During a free seminar at a local library this month, she said residents often tell her they don't need flood insurance because they aren't in a high-risk zone. "If it rains where you are, you'd best be getting it," she told the seven people gathered in a library meeting room, where most of the 50 seats were empty. Federal flood maps are based on risk of a "100-year-event," defined as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain falling in 24 hours, she explained. Last year's Hurricane Harvey dropped 51 inches over Texas in that amount of time. "Everybody is in a flood zone," she said. - Who is to blame? - Inaccurate flood risk information is just one of many factors fueling the crisis, said Jeffrey Huber, an assistant professor in the school of architecture at Florida Atlantic University. "Nowhere is a realtor required to actually tell someone that the property they are purchasing is vulnerable to sea level rise," he told AFP. "Who is telling them that their property is vulnerable if not a realtor? If not an architect?" Most developers know, and so do most municipalities, he added. "The general audience isn't necessarily educated enough to know." Solutions may be complex, but making significant cuts to greenhouse gas emissions would help, said report co-author Astrid Caldas, a senior scientist at UCS. As much as 85 percent of the property at risk might be saved if the Paris Agreement goals for limiting global warming are met, she said. "The longer we wait to drastically reduce emissions, the less likely it is that we will achieve this outcome." Both US-backed fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against the Islamic State group in the wartorn Syrian province of Deir Ezzor Nearly 40 foreign fighters allied to Syria's regime were killed in an overnight bombing raid near the country's eastern border with Iraq, a monitor said on Monday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike was one of the deadliest on forces allied with Syria's government. "Thirty-eight non-Syrian fighters from regime loyalist militias were killed in the night-time raid on Al-Hari, on the Syrian-Iraqi border," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Syrian state media reported the attack overnight, citing a military source and accusing the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group of carrying it out. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number. The coalition did not respond to requests for comment, and the Observatory could not immediately identify who carried out the Al-Hari attack. US-backed fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against small pockets of IS-held territory in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Al-Hari lies. Both sides have mostly avoided running into each other and a de-confliction line exists to avoid such incidents, but there have been exceptions. In May, a dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian army positions that the Observatory and Syrian state media said was carried out by the coalition. The Pentagon denied responsibility. Deadly clashes also broke out in April, but the bloodiest incident yet was in February, when the US-led coalition carried out air strikes that killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in eastern Syria. Afghan peace activists shout slogans demanding an end to fighting as they arrive in Kabul Dozens of peace protesters arrived in Kabul on Monday after walking hundreds of kilometres across war-battered Afghanistan, as the Taliban ended an unprecedented ceasefire and resumed attacks in parts of the country. Exhausted after their 700-kilometre (430-mile) trek, most of it during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, the marchers walked double file through the Afghan capital shouting "We want peace!" and "Stop fighting!" "We want our people to stay united for peace and get rid of this misery for the next generation," Mohammad Naikzad, one of the marchers, told Tolo News. "I am calling on both sides -- the government and the Taliban -- for God's sake... find a way for peace and reconciliation." Fellow peace marcher Karwan urged the Taliban and the government to work together to "bring lasting security in this country". "Enough blood has been shed. So many people have been martyred in this ongoing conflict," he told Tolo News. The Taliban refused to extend their three-day ceasefire beyond Sunday night despite pressure from ordinary Afghans, the government and the international community. Taliban fighters attacked security forces in numerous districts of eastern and southern Afghanistan, officials told AFP, but there were no details on casualties. Defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh told AFP there had been "very few" reports of fighting since the government on Saturday extended its own ceasefire with the Taliban for another 10 days. "We hope the Taliban accept the Afghan nation's call for peace," Radmanesh added. - War-weary - The peace march, believed to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan, emerged from a sit-in protest and hunger strike in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand which is a Taliban stronghold. That demonstration, which began spontaneously after a car bomb attack in the city on March 23, triggered similar movements by war-weary Afghans nationwide. But when the Taliban and security forces failed to heed their demands to stop fighting, some protesters decided to take their message directly to the country's top leaders. Initially ridiculed for their plan to walk from Helmand to Kabul, the marchers now enjoy strong public support. They are calling for an extended ceasefire, peace talks and a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan -- which is also a key demand of the Taliban. The Taliban announced Sunday they would not extend their ceasefire with Afghan police and troops despite describing the truce as "successful" and a demonstration that the militants were united. "The mujahedeen across the country are ordered to continue their operations against the foreign invaders and their domestic stooges as usual," the group said in a statement. An Afghan Taliban militant carries a rocket-propelled grenade as residents celebrate a ceasefire on Saturday The first formal nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US-led invasion had sparked extraordinary scenes of Taliban fighters, security forces and civilians happily celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday together. Some people took to social media to express their disappointment and anger at the Taliban's refusal to extend the truce. "Once again, they have shown that they love shedding the blood of innocent Afghans," Madena Momad wrote on Facebook. Another user wrote: "The Taliban have no respect for the norms and lives of Afghan people." str-mam-emh-amj/sm Google will receive an almost one percent stake in China's JD.com Google will invest more than half a billion dollars in China's second-largest e-commerce company JD.com as part of a move to expand retail services around the world, the companies said Monday. The announcement comes as US giant is pushing Google Shopping, a platform allowing customers to compare prices between different sellers, which poses a challenge to Amazon. The firms will marry JD's supply chain and logistics experience with Google technology to create "next generation" personalised retail in regions including Southeast Asia, the US and Europe, the joint statement said. "This partnership with Google opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers throughout the world," JD.com's chief strategy officer Jianwen Liao said. Google will put $550 million in cash into JD.com and in return, the California-based company will receive 27.1 million newly issued JD.com Class A ordinary shares. The shares are equivalent to a nearly one percent stake in the company, according to a JD.com spokesman. Google chief business officer Philipp Schindler said the move will give customers "the power to shop wherever and however they want." However, the partnership is unlikely to affect Google's status in mainland China, where Gmail, Google Search and Google Maps are all blocked in China. "The announcement isn't focused on China," JD.com spokesman Josh Gartner confirmed to AFP. Chinese internet users face fines or even jail for unfavourable social media posts. Authorities have further tightened internet controls in recent months, shutting down celebrity gossip blogs and probing platforms for "obscenity". In China, JD.com competes aggressively with e-commerce leader Alibaba, which runs the popular Taobao and Tmall shopping platforms. Kang meets Pompeo in Seoul last week: she has suggested sanctions on North Korea could be eased before full denuclearisation South Korea said Monday that sanctions against North Korea could be eased once it takes "substantive steps towards denuclearisation", seemingly setting the bar lower than Washington for such a move. Last week's Singapore summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un produced only a vague statement in which Kim "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula". Amid fears the summit would weaken the international coalition against the North's nuclear programme, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed after the meeting that sanctions would remain in place until North Korea's complete denuclearisation. But his South Korean counterpart suggested Monday they could be eased sooner. "Our stance is that the sanctions must remain in place until North Korea takes meaningful, substantive steps towards denuclearisation," Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters. Seoul and Washington shared the same "big picture" view and would continue close consultations, she added. The comments come just days after China's foreign ministry suggested that the UN Security Council could consider easing the economic punishment of its Cold War-era ally. Any reduction in tensions on its doorstep is welcome for China, North Korea's closest ally, which accounts for around 90 percent of Pyongyang's trade. The same goes for the South's dovish President Moon Jae-in, who supports engagement with North Korea and held his own summit with Kim in April. Until recently Trump had pursued a "maximum pressure" campaign -- with both China and South Korea on board -- of tough rhetoric and tightened sanctions against Pyongyang. But analysts say the Singapore summit has made it hard for the Trump administration to return to that policy even if its current diplomacy with North Korea proves to be a failure. "The symbolism of the meeting ensures that the maximum pressure campaign has peaked," said Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea Studies at the US Council on Foreign Relations, in a commentary. "In practice, China and South Korea will push for relaxation of economic pressure on North Korea," he added. Syria More than 20 fighters from an Iraqi paramilitary force key to the battle against the Islamic State group were killed in an eastern Syria air raid the United States linked to Israel. The bombing raid hit Al-Hari, a town controlled by regional militias fighting in Syria's complex seven-year war alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Both Syrian authorities and Iraqi forces pointed the finger at the US-led coalition, which denied it was involved in Sunday night's attack. "We have reasons to believe that it was an Israeli strike," a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity on Monday. The raid slammed into a regime-controlled position in the border town and left at least 52 fighters dead, according to a Britain-based monitor. Among them were fighters from Iraq's powerful Hashed al-Shaabi military alliance, some of whom have crossed into Syria to fight against IS. The Iran-backed Hashed claimed that "US planes fired two guided missiles at a fixed position of Hashed al-Shaabi units on the border with Syria, killing 22 fighters and wounding 12." The bodies of three Iraqi fighters killed in the raid were returned to their hometowns for burial, said AFP's correspondent in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a total of 30 Iraqi forces were among the dead in Al-Hari, as well as 16 Syrian forces and six unidentified fighters. - 'No strikes' - The attack was first reported by Syrian state media, which cited a military source accusing the coalition of bombing one of its positions in Al-Hari. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number or their nationalities. A military source in Syria's Deir Ezzor province where the targeted area lies later said coalition warplanes hit "joint Iraqi-Syrian positions in Al-Hari". The coalition's press office said it had received reports of a strike in the area that had killed and wounded Iraqi fighters, but denied it was involved. "There have been no strikes by US or coalition forces in that area," it said in an email. Hashed said its fighters had been deployed along the porous frontier with Syria on the orders of the Iraqi authorities. However, late Monday the Iraqi military command denied it had positioned forces in Syrian territory, implying the dead fighters had acted without its consent. Regretting the deaths, the command said it had been assured by the coalition that it was not responsible for the strikes. Hashed is vital to the fight against IS in Iraq, but has also battled the jihadists across the border in their eastern Syria bastions. Al-Hari is in oil-rich Deir Ezzor province where a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters and Russia-supported Syrian regime forces are carrying out separate operations against IS. The jihadists have lost most of the territory they controlled in Syria and Iraq but remain in pockets of the eastern desert area including Deir Ezzor. The US and Russian-backed forces have mostly avoided each other thanks to a de-confliction line that runs across the province along the winding Euphrates River. - 'Highest toll' - Syrian troops are battling IS on the western river bank, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fight on the east. Iraqi warplanes also have occasionally bombed IS positions in eastern Syria. Al-Hari lies on the western side, close to the river and the de-confliction line. The buffer has largely been successful in keeping the two offensives apart, but there have been exceptions. The deadliest incident was in February, when US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in Deir Ezzor province, including Russians. "The strike on Al-Hari produced the highest death toll for regime forces since the February incident," Observatory head Abdel Rahman said. Syria's conflict began in 2011 with protests against Assad, but then spiralled into a full-blown war that has drawn in world powers and given rise to jihadists like IS. The strike on Al-Hari came a day after the US-backed SDF announced it had ousted IS from Dashisha, a village to the north in Syria's Hasakeh province. The village had been one of the last IS-controlled areas in a corridor linking Syria with Iraq. "For the first time in four years, Dashisha, a notorious transit town for weapons, fighters and suicide bombers between Iraq and Syria, is no longer controlled by ISIS (IS) terrorists," said Brett McGurk, the US president's special envoy for the war against IS. burs-sl/oh/mtp/amz Australian nun Patricia Fox smiles inside her house after receiving a temporary reprieve from a deportation order An Australian nun ordered to leave the Philippines after angering President Rodrigo Duterte won a reprieve on Monday from imminent deportation but is still subject to proceedings to expel her. Sister Patricia Fox, 71, was briefly detained in April after Duterte ordered her arrest, accusing her of political activism that violated the rules of her visa. The move came as the government cracked down on foreign critics of his human rights record. The immigration service had cancelled her visa and directed Fox to leave the Philippines by Monday, but the justice department nullified the order as having no legal basis. "What the (immigration service) did in this case is beyond what the law provides, that is why it has to be struck down," said a statement from Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who oversees immigration matters. The decision gave Fox a reprieve but the department also ordered the immigration authorities to hear a case on her visa's cancellation along with pending deportation proceedings. "Until a final resolution of the... proceedings is reached, or until the expiration of her missionary visa, whichever comes first, Sister Fox may continue to perform her duties as a missionary in the Philippines," the statement said. Fox, who declared herself relieved after the decision, said her visa was valid until September 9. "We are very pleased actually, because we weren't sure what would happen," she told AFP. "I was just so relieved." Fox, who has been living in the Philippines since 1990, attracted Duterte's wrath after joining a fact-finding mission in April to investigate alleged abuses against farmers -- including killings and evictions by soldiers fighting guerrillas in the southern Philippines. Duterte, 73, has also launched a deadly crackdown on drugs and has railed against human rights critics, especially foreigners whom he accuses of meddling in his nation's affairs. In April Duterte accused Fox of "disorderly conduct". "Don't let her in because that nun has a shameless mouth," he said then. A missionary of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion, Fox has denied engaging in politics, saying her actions were part of her work to advocate for justice and peace. She adds she enjoys freedom of expression. Before Monday's decision was released Fox said she would fight moves to deport her. "It's more of looking at getting due process for myself (and) this happening to others," she told ABS-CBN television. "I'm thinking if there's no due process when I am high profile, how much more in the provinces where people are being arrested?" Ellis has expanded the guides to 31 editions in 30 countries The first non-French person to head the Michelin Guides said Monday that he is leaving the world's most prestigious restaurant guides. American Michael Ellis said that he was joining the Dubai-based luxury hotel chain Jumeirah after seven years with the red guides. The soft-spoken Ellis, who previously worked for the French tyre maker's motorcycle division, has expanded the guides to 31 editions in 30 countries. But there has been controversy about Michelin's decision to allow governments to commission new guides, with new ones for Seoul, Macau, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore all reportedly paid for. Ellis said he will leave in September when he will become head of gastronomy for Jumeirah, which has hotels in the Gulf, China and Europe. "Long live the Michelin guide," Ellis declared as he announced his departure. "The inspectors are the beating heart... their passion and their expertise are without question and I was very honoured to be with them during these seven years." Ellis, who was born in Colorado, made his first trip to France as a teenager and decided he wanted to become a chef. He returned to work in Paris as a commis chef at a Michelin one-star restaurant before realising "that I was probably more cut out to be a client of a restaurant." An image grab from AFPTV video shows a pro-government Yemen fighter bracing as another fires a recoiless gun in the al-Fazah in Yemen's Hodeida province on June 16, 2018 The United Arab Emirates, part of a Saudi-led Arab military alliance in Yemen, on Monday warned Huthi rebels to withdraw from the key port city of Hodeida as coalition-backed government forces advance. The "Hodeida port operation will continue unless rebels withdraw unconditionally," UAE minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash told a press conference in Dubai. He said the Arab coalition, which last week launched an assault to oust the Iran-backed insurgents from the Red Sea port city, has kept the Hodeida-Sanaa road "open for the Huthi militias to withdraw". Gargash said the operation aims to pressure the Huthis to withdraw from the city and avoid civilian casualties. Speaking after United Nations ceasefire efforts in Yemen appeared to have fizzled over the weekend, he said the assault aims "to help the UN envoy (Martin Griffiths) in his last chance to convince the Huthis to withdraw unconditionally from the city and avoid any confrontation," he said. "If this does not happen, be assured we are determined to achieve our targets," he said. "This is not the time to negotiate." Gargash also accused Iran of using Hodeida port to smuggle sophisticated arms to the Huthis, including ballistic missiles, scores of which have been fired on Saudi Arabia. The "Iranian fingerprint is all over these arms," he said. He also denied that French troops have been helping the Arab coalition to take Hodeida, but admitted that France has offered to remove mines when it becomes necessary. Forest ranger Sanjay Dutta wrapped the 40-kilogramme python around his neck and posed for pictures with stunned villagers An India forestry ranger found himself in a bind after a python briefly strangled him while he posed for pictures with the giant snake. Wildlife officer Sanjay Dutta was called in Sunday by frantic villagers in West Bengal after they saw the 40-kilogramme (88-pound) python swallowing a goat alive. Instead of placing it safely inside a bag, the ranger wrapped it around his neck and posed for pictures with stunned villagers. But panic spread as the huge snake wound itself around Dutta's neck, forcing him to struggle to free himself from its vice-like grip. He escaped unscathed, but a little red-faced. The Indian rock python is a non-venomous species, but it can quickly kill its prey by constricting blood flow and can grow up to 10 metres (33 feet) long. West Bengal's forest department has launched an official inquiry into the ranger's conduct and flouting of safety protocols. But Dutta said he only wanted to save the reptile from the villagers who were readying to club it to death with sticks. "My first instinct was to rescue the snake. I carried it on my shoulders and held its mouth firmly," Dutta told AFP. "I was not scared for even a moment (when the python tightened its grip) because had I panicked, it could have been fatal." Dutta said he did not have a bag to carry the snake, which he transported to a safe location in his car and released into the wild. Joyce Banda, pictured at her home village of Domasi in eastern Malawi after her return from self-imposed exile Malawi's ex-president Joyce Banda, who recently returned home after four years of self-imposed exile, on Monday said she was ready to run in next year's presidential elections if nominated by her party. Banda, 68, fled in 2014 when she lost power after being embroiled in a massive graft scandal in which government officials siphoned off millions of dollars of public money. She told AFP that she will contest at her People's Party (PP) elective convention due in coming months. "The power to choose a torch bearer rests with the people," she said. "If they chose me, yes, I will stand." Malawi, one of the world's poorest and aid-dependent countries, will hold presidential, parliamentary and council elections in May 2019. Banda founded the PP in 2011 after splitting from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is led by President Peter Mutharika. She was Malawi's first female president, serving from April 2012 to May 2014, but analysts say she stands little chance of victory in the next polls. "Her chances of winning are very slim. Her party is in tatters. The decision to leave the country for so long eroded trust of Malawians in her leadership," said Henry Chingaipe, a political scientist at the University of Malawi. Her downfall came in part from the so-called "Cashgate" scandal, the biggest financial misconduct in the country's history. Ministers, civil servants and businessmen were accused of pocketing money from government coffers through ghost companies which did not provide any services to the state. The scandal prompted foreign donors -- who provide around 40 percent of Malawi's budget -- to pull the plug on aid worth around $150 million (129 million euros). Banda says she did nothing wrong and that the allegations against her are politically motivated. After she returned to the country in April, police said an arrest warrant against her was valid, but two months later she has been neither charged nor arrested. President Donald Trump said the United States will not become a "migrant camp," but he faces a severe backlash for his administration's anti-immigration policy that results in the separation of families at the border President Donald Trump vowed Monday that the United States would not become a "migrant camp," as he faced soaring pressure to end the separation of immigrant families on America's southern border. While top administration officials stood by Trump's policy of "zero tolerance" towards unauthorized border crossers, and insisted children were being held in humane conditions, criticism swelled from rights groups and within the president's own Republican Party. With the US border crisis shaping up as a critical challenge of his presidency, Trump stood defiant even as Democratic lawmakers accused authorities of keeping children in "cages" separate from their incarcerated parents and Amnesty International likened the practice to "torture." "The United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility," Trump said at the White House. "You look at what's happening in Europe, you look at what's happening in other places, we can't allow that to happen to the United States," he said. "Not on my watch." A US Customs and Border Protection photo shows intake of illegal border crossers by US Border Patrol agents at the Central Processing Center in McAllen, Texas on May 23, 2018 Earlier, Trump barged into an immigration row rocking Europe, where countries have clashed on the issue, saying the continent made a "big mistake" by allowing in migrants. The US leader has repeatedly stoked fears of migrant-driven crime to advance his anti-immigration agenda. On the home front, Trump has said he wants family separations to end, but has refused to take responsibility -- instead blaming Democrats, the minority party in Congress, for blocking legislation on the broader issue of illegal immigration. "CHANGE THE LAWS!" Trump bellowed on Twitter. New Department of Homeland Security data shows that 2,342 children have been separated from their parents or guardians since early May, when the administration said it would arrest and charge all migrants illegally crossing the Mexican border, regardless of whether they were seeking asylum. A 4-year-old Honduran girl carries a doll while walking with her immigrant mother in McAllen, Texas, after their release from detention to await a hearing in their case Since children cannot be sent to the facilities where their parents are held, they are separated from them. In heartbreaking audio released by transparency group ProPublica, several Central American children separated from their parents are heard desperately sobbing and wailing, some so hard they almost cannot breathe. "Mommy! I want to go with dad," a young girl is heard crying out. The United Nations slammed the practice as unconscionable, while rights group Amnesty International blasted a "spectacularly cruel" policy which has resulted in frightened children pried from their parent's arms and taken to overflowing detention centers. "This is nothing short of torture," said Amnesty's Americas director Erika Guevara-Rosas. US public opinion appears divided along partisan lines on the family separations, with two-thirds of all American voters opposed, but 55 percent of Republicans supporting the policy, according to a Quinnipiac University National Poll. - 'Utter atrocity' - A Republican-led Congress is drafting legislative options to address the crisis, with possible votes later this week. "Some in the administration have decided that this cruel policy increases their legislative leverage. This is wrong," said Republican Senator Ben Sasse, an occasional Trump critic. "Americans do not take children hostage, period." A disgusted Republican Senator John McCain tweeted: "The administrations current family separation policy is an affront to the decency of the American people, and contrary to principles and values upon which our nation was founded. The administration has the power to rescind this policy. It should do so now." A former Walmart Supercenter now being used as a migrant children's shelter in Brownsville, Texas And Democrats stepped up their opposition, as lawmakers conducted a second straight day of visits to processing and detention facilities, including a converted Walmart supermarket in Texas housing some 1,500 immigrant children. Lawmakers spoke of children being held behind chain-link fencing inside the centers. "I went into these facilities yesterday. They are cages," House Democrat Mark Pocan said Monday. The Democratic fury was loud and unsparing. "President Trump's family separation policy leaves a dark stain on our nation," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. "Ripping vulnerable little children away from their parents is an utter atrocity that debases America's values and our legacy as a beacon of hope, opportunity and freedom." Pelosi was among 14 House Democrats who visited Casa San Diego, a southern California facility housing 62 children, many of whom had fled gang violence from Central American nations like Honduras. "President Trump, do the decent thing, pick up the phone, stop this unconscionable policy," congresswoman Judy Chu said. Amid the outcry, independent investigative news organization Pro Publica published audio obtained from inside a US Customs and Border Protection facility in which children are heard wailing. "I don't want them to stop my father," a distraught girl's voice can be heard, as others cried in the background. "I don't want them to deport him." - 'Not' controversial - Immigration is one of the most divisive issues roiling American politics. Trump's own wife, First Lady Melania Trump, said she hates to see families separated -- although she stopped short of criticizing her husband's policies. First Lady Melania Trump made a rare foray into politics by calling for bipartisan immigration reform to end family separations -- but stopped short of denouncing her husband's policy Democratic former president Bill Clinton and Trump's 2016 rival Hillary Clinton each denounced the practice, as did Laura Bush, wife of Republican ex-president George W. Bush, in a poignant message retweeted by her successor as first lady, Michelle Obama. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen insisted that "we do not have a policy of separating families at the border," but warned that anyone crossing the border illegally would face prosecution, with the result of their children being taken away. "What has changed is that we no longer exempt entire classes of people who break the law," she said. "This is not a controversial idea." Karrar Alaa (L), 26, sells coffee from his cafe on wheels in the southern Iraqi city of Basra From a roving cafe to scrap metal sculptures, young Iraqis unable to tap into the country's oil wealth are having to find creative ways to make a living. While their parents generally went straight into public sector jobs after graduation, the job market for Iraqi youths has become starkly different in the post-Saddam Hussein era. In the decade which followed the US invasion and the dictator's ouster in 2003, authorities continued to increase state hirings -- with a heavy dose of nepotism. But now, as 26-year-old Karrar Alaa discovered, there are no more guarantees. Three years ago, he was counting on his business degree leading to a public sector job in the southern port city of Basra. But tired of waiting, he has turned entrepreneur. After gathering up all of his savings and borrowing money from relatives, Alaa invested in a car and transformed it into a coffee shop on wheels. "It's the first of its kind in Basra. I got the idea from a video shot in Europe and posted on Facebook," he told AFP. The "Coffee 2 Go" car has a giant plastic cup mounted on the roof, while an image of a cup of cappuccino and coffee beans is emblazoned on the body. An initial investment of $20,000 has led to daily earnings of around 150,000 dinars, or $120, from cups of coffee made in a machine installed in the car boot. - Engineers driving taxis - Mashreq Jabbar earns similar sums from his little bookshop squeezed into a corridor of a Basra fashion mall. "Renting a shop costs $6,000 a month; I only pay $2,500 for my hallway," said the slim 26-year-old, as he tidied shelves of school books, romantic novels and poetry collections. Mashreq Jabbar (2nd-L), 26, stands at his book store in an aisle of a shopping mall in the southern Iraqi city of Basra The geology graduate had also hoped to get a job as a public official, confident that his degree would make him employable in the local oil industry. But even though the sector accounts for 89 percent of the state budget and 99 percent of Iraq's export revenues, it provides only one percent of jobs as the majority of posts are filled by foreigners. The lack of opportunities is nationwide; from the capital Baghdad to second city Mosul in the north, and from the agricultural east to the western desert. It is not uncommon to find engineers working as taxi drivers, or sandwich stalls manned by literature graduates in a country of avid readers. Officially, 10.8 percent of Iraqis are jobless, while youth unemployment is twice as high in a country where 60 percent of the population are aged under 24. A mushrooming number of private universities -- with Baghdad boasting around 30 -- has made the situation even worse among graduates. - 'Beautiful' scrap sculptures - The private sector which emerged after Saddam's rule has failed to fill the employment gap, with many young Iraqis holding out for the coveted public sector posts. Omar Abdallah sculpts from scrap at his workshop in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on June 17, 2018, finding an innovative way to make a living. "The common view is that there's no choice but to work in the public sector," said Ahmed Abdel Hassan, an economics professor at the University of Basra. "Young people who go to work in the private sector say it's a temporary move before getting a post in the public sector," he said. Even Basra's entrepreneurs see the benefits, with Alaa noting the social security and pension perks, while Jabbar pointed to civil servants' guaranteed salaries. Many of those holding out for a state job, however, are left unable to move out of their parents' house. Omar Abdallah, 28, had pinned his hopes on getting a teaching job at the end of his studies in fine art. Iraq once had a high-quality and free education system, but that was left in tatters following the international embargo of the 1990s after Saddam's invasion of Kuwait. Having failed to land a job and with no capital to start a business of his own, Abdallah began collecting scrap metal. "I could only count on myself and my talent," he said at his family home, where one room serves as both his workshop and exhibition space. Abdallah has transformed old bicycle chains into scorpions, cutlery into dragonflies and used nuts and bolts to make motorbike models. In a good month he can sell half a dozen sculptures, charging between $200 and $250 apiece. "People love my sculptures," he said proudly. "They tell me: 'How did you manage to make something so beautiful out of rubbish?'" Under a recent ruling by the Family Court of Australia, children no longer have to seek approval from a judge to undergo hormone therapy if they have the support of their parents and doctors Hormone therapy for transgender children in Australia should no longer be withheld from those under 16 because of their age, according to new medical guidelines released Monday that experts say are among the most progressive in the world. The advice, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, said doctors should base the decision to recommend cross-sex hormone therapy on individual circumstances -- calling into question international guidelines, last updated in 2011, which say the treatment should be reserved for patients aged 16 or above. The change in approach reflects significant developments in clinical care since the global advice was published, moving "away from an aged-based system" towards holistic treatments, said the researchers who wrote the guidelines. "Ours, I feel, are the most progressive (guidelines in the world)," lead author Associate Professor Michelle Telfer, director of the Royal Children's Hospital's gender service in Melbourne, told AFP. "They most closely represent what is best clinical practice that takes in the multidisciplinary approach that I think is really vital when it comes to providing care for children and adolescents," she said. Australia has no laws dictating at what age transgender children can undergo hormone treatment to alter their bodies, but the new guidelines mean that in practice children could receive the therapy at earlier ages if they meet certain criteria. These include a teenager's "capacity and competence to make informed decisions", how long they take medicine that suppresses puberty, mental health, other medical issues and family support, the researchers said in the report. Telfer, the acting president of the Australian and New Zealand Professional Association for Transgender Health, said a Dutch study which looked at patients from 1972 to 2015 found that the rate of regret among hormone treatment patients was low, at about 0.6 percent. In some cases, taking hormones such as oestrogen or testosterone sooner could allow children to go through puberty at a similar time to their peers, and help reduce depression and anxiety, she said. Under a recent ruling by the Family Court of Australia, children no longer have to seek approval from a judge to undergo hormone therapy if they have the support of their parents and doctors. The international guidelines on transgender care and treatment are issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. There have been seven updates to the original guidelines published in 1979. The current edition states that in many countries, 16 is the age where parental consent is not required for making medical decisions. An image grab from AFPTV video shows a pro-government Yemen fighter bracing as another fires a recoilless gun in Yemen's Hodeida province on June 16, 2018 The UAE, a key player in the coalition battling Huthi rebels in Yemen, on Monday warned the insurgents to withdraw unconditionally from the flashpoint port city of Hodeida, after UN peace efforts fizzled. "There can be no conditions in any offers to withdraw," the United Arab Emirates' minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, told a press conference in Dubai. "If the rebels wanted to set conditions, they should have thought of that a year ago... Now is not the time to negotiate." Huthi rebels have controlled Hodeida, a key entry point for desperately needed aid, since 2014, when they drove the government out of the capital Sanaa and seized large swathes of the country. The United Nations' Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths descends from a plane in Sanaa on June 16, 2018 for talks on the fighting around the key port city of Hodeida Neighbouring Saudi Arabia and its allies -- chief among them US-trained UAE troops -- intervened in the conflict on the government's side in March 2015, sparking what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The alliance last week launched a major operation to drive the rebels out of Hodeida, triggering fears of a fresh humanitarian crisis in a country already on the brink of famine. - UN's 'last chance' - Gargash's statement came hours before the UN's top Yemen envoy, Martin Griffiths, was due to brief the Security Council on his efforts to end the crisis over Hodeida, whose port handles over 70 percent of Yemen's imports. Griffiths, who has been in Sanaa since last week, was to brief the Security Council, meeting behind closed doors at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT), diplomats in New York said. Gargash said the Saudi and UAE-led offensive aimed "to help the UN envoy in his last chance to convince the Huthis to withdraw unconditionally from the city and avoid any confrontation". Yemeni pro-government forces man a barricade in Al-Fazah district of Yemen's Hodeida province on June 16, 2018 Griffiths held two days of talks with the Huthis over the weekend in Sanaa, but the rebels rejected a ceasefire under current conditions. The head of their unofficial government, Abdulaziz Saleh bin Habtoor, accused Saudi-led forces of "escalating their attacks on the western coast when they felt there were serious moves towards a solution". The rebels, on their Al-Masirah television, reported at least 10 air strikes Monday in different areas of Yemen, including the west coast, although there was no independent confirmation. The Saudi alliance imposed a near-total blockade on Hodeida port earlier this year, alleging Iran was using it as a major conduit for illicit arms deliveries to the Huthis. Gargash said on Monday that his country and its allies aimed to "avoid civilian casualties", adding that the operation was "going very well". Shiite Huthi rebels at a gathering to mobilise more fighters for the battlefront against pro-government forces in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida Civilians deaths have not yet been confirmed in Hodeida. Four UAE troops have died in the operation, according to state media, while medical and military sources say at least 164 mostly rebel fighters have died. - Thousands displaced - Gargash said the Arab coalition had kept the Hodeida-Sanaa road "open for the Huthi militias to withdraw". The UAE minister denied reports that French troops had been helping the coalition to take Hodeida, but said France had offered to remove mines when it becomes necessary. Emirati minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash speaks during a press conference in Dubai on June 18, 2018 The Saudi and Emirati-backed assault has displaced thousands of families as loyalist forces battle towards the Red Sea port city. Rights groups, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, have been forced to suspend operations in the area. Since 2015, the war for control of the Arab world's poorest country has killed around 10,000 people and triggered what the UN says is the world's largest single humanitarian crisis. Some 22 million people are now in need of aid in Yemen, with 8.4 million on the brink of starvation. mah-burs/hc/dv The migrants, most of them from Africa, landed in Spain at the weekend after more than a week at sea Almost half of the 630 migrants that were rescued from the Mediterranean and arrived in Spain's port of Valencia at the weekend want to seek asylum in France, the Spanish government said Monday. The migrants arrived in Spain on Sunday in three vessels, including the rescue ship Aquarius, after being turned away by Italy and Malta last week. France has said it will work with Spain to deal with asylum applications. "Almost half the migrants have shown their willingness to seek asylum in France, which offered to welcome some of the people travelling on the ship," Spain's new socialist government said in a statement. Pascal Brice, director-general of France's refugee protection office Ofpra, told AFP that one of his teams would travel to Valencia soon. "As soon as the Spanish authorities have informed us of the number of people concerned, a team from Ofpra will go on site to conduct the interviews and ensure that people are covered by the right to asylum," he said, adding that the process should take place this week. The majority of the 630 migrants are from Africa, including 450 men and 80 women, of which at least seven are pregnant, as well as 89 adolescents and 11 children under the age of 13, according to the Valencian authorities. The Aquarius rescued them off Libya's coast on June 9 and Italy and Malta's refusal to let the ship dock led to an international outcry before Spain stepped in to help. The escape of billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi has caused a massive public outcry in India, with opposition parties accusing the Prime Minister of helping him flee Fugitive billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi was last seen in Britain in March, Indian federal investigators said Monday. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing a multi-billion dollar scam allegedly involving Modi, who is worth $1.73 billion according to Forbes, placing him 85th on India's rich list. "Request letters were written to six countries, namely USA, France, Singapore, Brussels, UAE and UK. Only UK replied to request letter stating Nirav Modi was last seen on March 31 there," CBI spokesman Abhishek Dayal told AFP. Media reports in India and Britain in the last few days have said that the jeweller had sought asylum in Britain for what he called "political persecution". Local reports said that Modi even managed to travel after his passport was revoked by the government. Modi's high-end eponymous brand has stores in several major world cities and boasts celebrity customers including actresses Naomi Watts and Kate Winslet and Bollywood megastar Priyanka Chopra. He fled India in February for an unknown location after he was accused of being at the centre of a $1.8 billion fraud involving India's second largest public lender, Punjab National Bank (PNB). The 47-year-old and his uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi, also a diamond merchant, allegedly defrauded PNB out of 2.8 billion rupees ($43.8 million). This figure is said to be just a part of the total losses. Authorities say he diverted large sums of loaned money illegally to invest in foreign-based companies. His escape had caused a massive public outcry, with opposition parties accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of helping him flee. Several Indian courts have issued arrest warrants over his failure to appear before them since he fled. The Enforcement Directorate, India's financial fraud investigating agency, unsuccessfully approached Interpol in March for an international arrest warrant. Modi's reported attempt to seek asylum comes as India's government seeks the extradition from Britain of liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya. Mallya is wanted in connection with allegedly unpaid loans to his beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines after he absconded to Britain in 2016. The case has soured British-Indian relations. Armoured personnel carriers of the Iraqi forces and the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation units) pictured during their advance through Anbar province, east of the city of Rawah in the western desert bordering Syria, on November 25, 2017 An Iraqi paramilitary force Monday accused the United States of killing 22 of its fighters in an overnight air raid just inside Syria's border with Iraq that a monitor said left dozens dead. "US planes fired two guided missiles at a fixed position of Hashed al-Shaabi units on the border with Syria, killing 22 fighters and wounding 12," said the Iran-backed Hashed (Popular Mobilisation Units). It said the raid took place "700 metres (yards) inside Syria", adding that an investigation had been opened and the results would be passed on to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said earlier that more than 50 fighters allied to the Damascus regime, most of them foreign, were killed in Sunday night's raid on Al-Hari in eastern Syria. It did not say who carried out the attack. Syrian state media, citing a military source, accused the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State jihadist group and said the attack left several dead and wounded, without giving precise figures. The coalition's press office said it had heard reports that a strike in the area of Al-Hari had killed and wounded members of a pro-regime Iraqi group, but denied it was responsible. The Hashed said its fighters were deployed inside Syria north of the Albu Kamal border town "because of the desert nature of the zone and for military imperatives to prevent terrorist infiltration into Iraq". The bodies of at least three fighters of the Hezbollah Brigades, part of the Hashed coalition fighting IS, have been repatriated to the southern Iraqi province of Zi Qar, an AFP correspondent said. A foie gras dish prepared during a "Farewell Fois Gras" event on June 29, 2012 in Hermosa Beach, California before a state ban on the fatty goose-liver pate first went into effect The US Supreme Court on Monday officially asked the US government to state its position on foie gras, the target of a bitter legal battle in California, where a court of appeal renewed a ban on the fatty goose-liver pate in 2017. It is customary for the country's top court to officially request the government to issue a written opinion on issues of importance, since the court's rulings apply across the country. California's three-judge appeals court ruled last September in favor of activists who have been fighting for years to have the gourmet food banned, arguing that the methods of forcibly fattening geese and ducks to produce the fatty livers is cruel. The western state had first passed a law banning the livers in 2004, but it only came into effect in 2012 and was then overturned in 2015, before being reinstated last year. Foie gras producers and sellers have therefore turned to the Supreme Court for a verdict on the high-end food. At the demand of the Supreme Court, their arguments will be examined by the US Solicitor General Noel Francisco, after which he will be invited to produce an opinion. That conclusion by the fourth-highest-ranking official in the Justice Department will only act as a guideline and will not be binding on a future Supreme Court decision. The brothers of Sabri Ahmed Abu Khader, who the Gaza Health Ministry says was killed by Israeli fire, mourn during his funeral in Gaza City on June 18, 2018 Israel's use of live ammunition against Palestinian protesters in Gaza has left health workers struggling to cope with an unprecedented crisis, with more than 13,000 wounded, a senior Red Cross official said Monday. At least 132 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the protests at the border with Gaza began at the end of March. Robert Mardini, head of Middle East for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told reporters that the "vast majority" of the 13,000 hospitalized protesters had suffered severe wounds, including multiple gunshot wounds. "This is I think a crisis of unprecedented magnitude in the Gaza Strip," said Mardini. The wounded caseload from the seven weeks of protest had surpassed that of the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. The Red Cross is planning to open a new 50-bed surgery unit at Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital to help deal with the surge in gunshot wounds. Some 1,400 patients have been hit by three to five bullets, many in the legs, which require several complex orthopedic and reconstructive surgeries. Israel maintains the use of live ammunition is necessary to defend its borders and stop infiltrations. It accuses Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas of seeking to use the protests as cover for attacks. Mardini said the Red Cross was holding talks with Israeli defense forces to minimize civilian harm. As a result of the talks, the Palestinian Red Cross has been able to send aid workers near the fence to evacuate the wounded to safety. The protests peaked on May 14 when at least 61 Palestinians were killed as thousands approached the heavily guarded border fence on the same day the United States moved its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. A picture taken on June 6, 2018, shows people shopping at a market in the northern Syrian town of Manbij Turkey on Monday said it had started military patrols in an area around the Kurdish-held city of Manbij in northern Syria, in line with an agreement with the United States to scale down tensions in the region. The Turkish army said in a statement that "patrol activities had begun" between Manbij and an area it controls after a 2016-2017 military incursion. The state-run Anadolu news agency said that Turkish armoured vehicles were patrolling "on the Manbij frontline". It said US forces were also patrolling the area but "independently". Manbij, formerly held by Islamic State (IS) jihadists, is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group dominated by a Kurdish militia Turkey considers to be a terror group but that is supported by the US. The issue of Manbij had become a major flashpoint between the two NATO allies. But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed a roadmap on the future of the city to ease tensions earlier this month. The move comes as Turkey prepares for tight presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday. Many analysts say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants a major foreign policy success to give him a final boost. Erdogan hailed the move by the army around Manbij in two campaign rallies on Tuesday in comments loudly cheered by supporters. Cavusoglu said that Turkish soldiers would "bit by bit" move inside Manbij and the People's Protection Units (YPG) would move out. "We can say we have started to implement the roadmap" agreed with the United States, he added. A commander with Syrian rebels fighting with the Turkish forces told AFP that the area where the troops had been positioned "is a front line between the opposition and the SDF, according to the road map that was agreed." Sherfan Darwish, spokesman of the Manbij Military Council which rules the town, confirmed that "Turkish forces did not enter our areas in Manbij and have not crossed the front lines." He added that "American forces are carrying out patrols on our forces' side". G5 talks: Nigerien Foreign Minister Kalla Ankourao and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels on Monday A joint military force to fight jihadists and organised crime in the Sahel has chalked up successes but promised funding is slow to materialise, the foreign minister of Niger said on Monday. "The strength of the G5 Sahel force has become a reality even if not all the funding has been disbursed," said Kalla Ankourao, whose country is assuming the rotating presidency of the group. The force also includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania. Originally intended to become fully operational in mid-2018, the G5 Sahel force operates alongside France's 4,000 troops in the troubled "tri-border" area where Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso meet. As well as fighting militants, the G5 tackles smuggling and illegal immigration networks that operate in these vast, remote areas on the Sahara's southern fringe. The success of these operations has become pivotal to the EU, where divisions are deepening on how to address the flow of African migrants trying to illegally enter Europe. The group also works alongside the UN's 12,000-strong MINUSMA peacekeeping operation in Mali. "The force has already had clashes with jihadist groups in the area," said the Nigerien minister. Ankourao spoke at a press briefing in Brussels with European foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, who regretted that some non-EU donors were slow to deliver on their commitments. "The European Union has disbursed its 100-million-euro share of the 414 million euros" ($480 million) that were pledged at a donors' conference in February, Mogherini said. European funding had made it possible to launch operations, she said. She did not identify the payment laggards. Major contributions so far have been pledged by the Saudi Arabia (100 million euros / $119 million); the G5 members (50 million euros, consisting of 10 million euros apiece); United States ($60 million) and the United Arab Emirates (30 million euros). The G5 Sahel force is scheduled to ultimately pool 5,000 troops from the five countries. A European source said soldiers of the joint force had already tightened controls on remote desert routes used by migrant smugglers to reach Libya. This had pushed the traffickers to a new road towards Algeria and Spain, the source said. Intercepted migrants were mostly from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Guinea. Burkina Faso and Niger are transit countries. But populations in northern Niger are involved in trafficking, the minister said. "We must help the people of the Agadez region (in the north of Niger) who do not want to go into terrorism or migration activities to find income," the Nigerien minister said. Injured men in hospital after a suicide bomber attack in northeastern Nigeria Deadly weekend attacks by suspected Boko Haram jihadists using young girls as suicide bombers killed 43 people in northeastern Nigeria, officials said Monday, updating the toll. 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. "About 43 lost their lives, 12 individuals who are desperately injured" are being flown by helicopter to the Maiduguri with help from the ICRC, local official Kaumi Wakil told AFP, referring to the capital of Borno and the birthplace of Boko Haram. Wakil said 35 others were injured and were in the "process of referral to the ICRC clinic" in Biu. Another local official confirmed the new death toll, which had initially been reported as 31. 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. "Civilians consistently bear the brunt of the conflict and over 200 women, children and men have now been killed in indiscriminate attacks in the north-east since the beginning of the year," the UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria Myrta Kaulard said. "I urge the government of Nigeria to further step up protection of people." 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 deadly violence, which has claimed more than 20,000 lives in nine years, has put Buhari under pressure as elections approach in February next year. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is seen here at a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (not pictured)in Beijing on June 14, 2018 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday he expects to meet with Kim Jong Un soon to flesh out details of the North Korean leader's promise of nuclear disarmament. As Washington's top diplomat, Pompeo laid much of the groundwork for last week's historic summit between Kim and President Donald Trump, and is now planning follow-up talks. Addressing business leaders at the Detroit Economic Club, Pompeo said it was "hard to know" if and when the two heads of state would hold another summit to finalize a deal. But more discreet diplomacy is continuing. "There's a lot of work between here and there. My team is already doing it. I'll likely travel back before too terribly long," Pompeo said. "We still need to flesh out all the things that underlay the commitments that were made that day in Singapore." Before the Singapore summit, Pompeo had met twice with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, once secretly in his previous post as director of the CIA. Many experts and Trump critics have suggested Kim came away from Singapore having won cheap US concessions in exchange for a vague promise of future disarmament. But Pompeo insisted that Kim is serious. "He has made very clear his commitment to fully denuclearize his country," Pompeo said. "That's everything, right? it's not just the weapon systems, it's everything. "In return for that, the president has committed to making sure that we alter the armistice agreement to provide the security assurances that Chairman Kim needs." Separately, Pompeo's office said, the secretary spoke to his South Korean counterpart Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha "to discuss next steps in the wake of the historic Singapore summit." Earlier, Kang had said that sanctions against North Korea could be eased as soon as it takes "substantive steps towards denuclearization," seemingly setting the bar lower than Washington. But Pompeo's office said both allies remain "committed to the goal of complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization." According to the Russian foreign ministry, Pompeo also spoke about North Korea by telephone with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Rapper Jay-Z and singer Beyonce, pictured in 2014 with their daughter Blue Ivy Carter, marry their two musical styles on a surprise joint album, "Everything is Love" Beyonce and Jay-Z on Monday brought their surprise joint album to all platforms including Spotify after a wait of little more than a day, relenting on keeping an exclusive for their fledgling Tidal service. The music world's most famous couple late Saturday released "Everything is Love," a soulful collaborative album on which the pair celebrate their marital bliss after rocky patches. Since Jay-Z launched the Tidal streaming service in 2015, the couple has sought to draw subscribers by releasing their music on Tidal. Beyonce's 2016 album "Lemonade" and Jay-Z's "4:44" from last year remain absent from Spotify, although they are available for purchase on iTunes and on CD. "Everything is Love," however, found its way early Monday onto Spotify and rival services such as Apple Music and Deezer as well as iTunes. The couple did not immediately comment on the decision or reveal details on an eventual physical edition. The move is an at least tacit recognition of Tidal's laggard market position and the need for artists to embrace Spotify if they are seeking to dominate the charts. Spotify said last month that it had 75 million paying subscribers, with another 99 million monthly users on its free, advertising-backed tier. Apple, its closest competitor, said in March that its three-year-old streaming service had 38 million paying subscribers. Tidal said in 2016 that it had three million subscribers but has not provided further updates. Dagens Naeringsliv, a business newspaper in Norway where Tidal had its roots before Jay-Z's purchase, last month said that the company had been inflating its figures, a charge the firm denied. Beyonce on "Everything Is Love" sounded unperturbed by her absence on Spotify, at least for her Grammy-nominated "Lemonade." "If I gave two fucks about streaming numbers, I would have put 'Lemonade' up on Spotify," she sings on "Nice," now streaming with the rest of the album on Spotify. Survivors of a shipwreck walk next to the bodies of those who died, pictured at the dock in the Libyan capital Tripoli on June 18, 2018 The bodies of five migrants were recovered while more than 100 were rescued after their boat sank off the coast of Libya on Monday, an officer from the country's navy told AFP. Libyan rescuers took three hours to reach the sinking rubber dinghy, officer Rami Ghommeidh said. A survivor said they had been close to an Italian vessel which had refused to save them. "When we got closer to the Italian rescuers, they wouldn't rescue us so we waited there" for the Libyan navy, he said. Panic ensued as the passengers sought to clamber on board the Libyan ship as their own boat was quickly filling with water. "While trying to climb up the side of the rescue boat, three women and two little boys fell into the water and drowned," he said. Ghommeidh did not identify the victims, confirming five people died and the 117 survivors included women and children. They were taken to the capital Tripoli after being rescued "around eight nautical miles off the coast of Abu Kammash", an important petrochemical complex and oil terminal close to the Tunisian border, the officer said. Libya is a key departure point for thousands of migrants hoping to reach Europe, although hundreds drown each year attempting the sea route. So far this year around 40,000 people have survived the crossing, while more than 800 are recorded as dead or missing by the United Nations refugee agency. Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (right) says he is "very proud" of Mamoudou Gassama, the young "Spiderman" migrant who saved a child hanging from a balcony in central Paris by scaling the building with his bare hands Mamoudou Gassama, the Malian migrant "Spiderman" who saved a child hanging off a balcony by scaling a Paris apartment block with his bare hands, was hailed Monday by Mali's president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. "At a moment when... only one person could make the decision, it was you who made it. Of that, we are very proud," Keita told Gassama, who was accompanied by his father. "We had a good talk. He congratulated me on what I had done," Gassama said. French President Emmanuel Macron awarded Gassama, who was in France illegally, with French residency -- a first step to getting citizenship -- and feted his extraordinary feat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday for rare talks on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan's King Abdullah II held rare talks in Jordan on Monday focused on the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process and on the Jerusalem issue. Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab countries to have peace treaties with Israel, and Monday's visit was Netanyahu's first to the kingdom since 2014. The king stressed "the need to advance in the efforts to find a settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of a two-state solution", the Jordanian royal court said, referring to the creation of a Palestinian state. "The only way to achieve peace and stability in the region" is a solution to "allow the creation of a Palestinian state on the lines of June 1967 with east Jerusalem as the capital, which would live in peace and security alongside Israel," he was quoted as saying. King Abdullah said the question of Jerusalem -- one of the thorniest issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- was "the key to achieving peace". The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, but Israel considers the entire city to be its eternal and indivisible capital. "The king and the prime minister discussed regional developments as well as advancing the peace process and bilateral relations," the Israeli leader's spokesman Ofir Gendelman tweeted. "Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Israel's commitment to maintaining the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem," he added. Under the status quo agreement, only Muslims are allowed to pray at the Al-Aqsa/Temple Mount site, while Jews may visit but not pray -- instead worshipping at the Western Wall. Israel and Jordan signed a treaty ending 46 years of aggression in 1994 that recognises the kingdom's "historic role" in the management of holy Muslim sites in Jerusalem. Israel appointed a new ambassador to Amman in February as ties between the two sides normalised after the killing of two Jordanians by a security guard for the Israeli embassy in July last year. In January, the Jewish state apologised and offered compensation for the two deaths along with that of a Jordanian judge killed by an Israeli soldier at the border between the two countries in 2014. Journalists Amanda Lindhout from Canada (L) and Australian Nigel Brennan appear in this November 2009 released by the Somalian presidential office a few hours before their departure from Mogadishu airport at the end of a 15-month hostage ordeal A Canadian judge on Monday sentenced a Somali national to 15 years in prison for his role in the 2008 kidnapping of a Canadian and an Australian journalist. Ali Omar Ader, 40, was arrested in 2015 after being lured to Canada by federal police acting as publishers offering him a lucrative book deal. In December, he was found guilty of hostage-taking. Under the terms of the sentence, Ader will be eligible for parole in nine years. Amanda Lindhout,37, and Nigel Brennan, 46, were working as freelance journalists when they were abducted near Mogadishu as they travelled to camps housing refugees who had fled fighting in the lawless Somali capital. They were released after 15 months captivity in November, 2009, an ordeal that resulted in severe post-traumatic stress from which they still suffer. Ader initially denied any significant involvement in the kidnappings, but later apologized for his crimes. Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Smith ruled he was a "willing participant" in the plot to kidnap the pair. Ader's claim during the trial that he had been forced to serve as a negotiator and translator for a criminal gang was "completely unbelievable," the judge said. Kidnapping foreigners at that time was rampant in Somalia, a country in the Horn of Africa that has been ravaged by cycles of devastating violence and lawlessness. Ader made telephone calls to the hostages' families in Canada and Australia to demand a ransom for their release. At one point he arranged a call to Lindhout's mother to let her hear her daughter's screams as she was held with a knife pressed to her throat. Lindhout, a Canadian, wept at the trial as she recalled being beaten and tortured by her captors. Brennan, the Australian, has recounted being pistol-whipped and chained for months, hearing Lindhout's screams from torture in an adjoining room. Both said in statements to the court that they continue to suffer from nightmares and panic attacks. Lindhout said she also has been unable to sleep, eat properly and sustain friendships. XXXTentacion's grim, often suicidal rhymes propelled him to the top of the US chart XXXTentacion, the troubled 20-year-old rapper whose grim, often suicidal rhymes propelled him to the top of the US chart just months ago, was shot dead Monday in Florida in a possible robbery, authorities said. The rapper, whose lyrics were filled with insecurity and his real life marred by violence, was gunned down in broad daylight near a motorcycle store in Deerfield Beach north of Miami, the Broward County sheriff's department said. The artist whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. He becomes one of the biggest names in hip-hop to be killed in recent years after a slew of targeted slayings in the 1990s. The rapper, who was born and lived nearby, was leaving the Riva Motorsports store when two armed suspects approached him, with at least one opening fire, the sheriff's department said. The pair raced off in a dark SUV and are wanted by authorities, it said. "Investigators say it appears to be a possible robbery," the sheriffs department said in a statement. The celebrity news site TMZ, which first reported the shooting, said that the two suspects snatched a Louis Vuitton bag from the rapper's vehicle. - 'Look at Me!" - Sporting spiked-up dreadlocks and often covering his face with a black-and-white masquerade mask, XXXTentacion rose suddenly to fame more than a year after putting out the song "Look at Me!" on the sharing site SoundCloud. The rapper -- his stage-name alludes to the unknown, pornography and the Spanish word for "temptation" -- sampled alternative rock and reggaeton in his dark, often muffled style of hip-hop full of depressive lyricism. Without any traditional sort of promotion, his second album, entitled "?," debuted at the top of the Billboard album chart in March. XXXTentacion's success triggered controversy due to a past that is violent even by the standards of the rap world. Around the time of his latest album's release, he was being released from house arrest as he awaits trial on charges of beating his pregnant ex-girlfriend. But his music found a critical following. Kendrick Lamar, one of the most influential figures in hip-hop, heaped praise last year on XXXTentacion's debut album "17" in which he found a unique rawness. Kanye West mourned XXXTentacion on Twitter, writing: "I never told you how much you inspired me when you were here." "Jocelyn Flores," the best-known track off "17," described XXXTentacion's despair over the suicide of a friend. "Sad!" a more melodious but equally bleak track off his latest album, delves into his anxieties with women as he raps, "Suicide if you ever try to let go / I'm sad, I know / Yeah, I'm sad, I know." - Backlash over abuse - While winning fans, XXXTentacion faced a blacklash by critics who said that his alleged mistreatment of women should be a career-stopper in an age that the #MeToo movement is demanding higher standards from men. Spotify last month singled out XXXTentacion as part of a policy not to promote songs by artists known for "harmful or hateful" behavior, but the leading streaming service backed down after charges that it had overstepped its role. His former girlfriend, in an interview published earlier this month with the Miami New Times, said that the emerging star subjected her to a summer of abuse in 2016 that included physical attacks every three or four days, along with threats of grisly sexual violence. Shortly after a pregnancy test came out positive, the then girlfriend said that the rapper beat her for 15 minutes, injuring her so badly that she lost vision and vomited. The rapper, who was expelled from middle school for hitting a classmate and whose mother kicked him out of home, has also been implicated in other violent incidents, including stabbing his manager and brawling with audience members in concert. XXXTentacion frequently referenced his real life in his verse. The song "Revenge" appears to address his ex-girlfriend as he rapped, "I've dug two graves for us, my dear," and concluded, "In my grave, I'll rot." US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is said to have held assets linked to Russia and China that are coming under scrutiny US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross held assets for much of last year that created conflicts of interest and has since transferred ownership to a family trust instead of divesting outright, Forbes reported Monday. Days before coming under negative media scrutiny last year, Ross shorted stocks in a company tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle in a way that would have let the commerce chief benefit from falling share prices, according to the magazine. The Commerce Department told AFP that, along with the US Office of Government Ethics, it had certified that the transactions at issue were in compliance with legal requirements. "The secretary continues to follow the guidance of Department of Commerce ethics officials to ensure compliance with federal laws and regulations," the agency said in a statement. Citing previously undisclosed reports Ross filed with the ethics office, the magazine said Ross had sold some assets to the investment bank Goldman Sachs. But he moved others to a family trust, leaving his family's wealth tied to China, Russia and others he dealt with as commerce secretary, according to the report. These assets included a stake in a shipping company and an auto parts company, both of which stood to be directly affected by Washington's escalating trade dispute and both of which are co-owned by the Chinese government, according to Forbes. In October and November, as journalists working on the Panama Papers revelations were preparing to expose Ross's stake in Navigator Holdings, a shipping firm whose owners include Putin's son-in-law, Ross sold his shares in the company, according to Forbes. He then opened a short position in the company, meaning that if its share price went down, he would profit, the magazine said. In November, the magazine removed Ross from its billionaires list, saying he had inflated his personal fortune for more than a decade. A look at what's happening around the majors today: HOT HOUSTON The Astros aim for their 12th straight victory, which would tie for the longest winning streak in franchise history set in 1999 and duplicated in 2004. Fresh off a 10-0 road trip to Texas, Oakland and Kansas City in which they outscored opponents 74-35, the World Series champions return to Minute Maid Park to take on Tampa Bay. Houston starter Gerrit Cole (8-1, 2.40 ERA) leads the AL with 130 strikeouts; the Rays will start a reliever for the third straight game, with Ryne Stanek opening up. Houston Astros' Carlos Correa celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run to tie the Kansas City Royals in the eighth inning of a baseball game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley) DOUBLING UP The New York Yankees and Washington meet for a doubleheader - sort of - at Nationals Park. The teams were tied at 2 in the sixth inning on May 15 when their game was stopped because of rain, and they were postponed the next night. So the Yanks and Nats will pick up in the sixth, with both clubs expected to start out with relievers. Sonny Gray will start Game 2 for the New York against rookie Erick Fedde. TRY AGAIN Bartolo Colon goes for his 244th career win, which would break a tie with Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for most by a pitcher born in the Dominican Republic. The 45-year-old Colon gave up a season-high eight runs in his last outing for Texas, tagged by the Dodgers. Colon has won one of his past five starts going into this game at Kansas City. Ian Kennedy has won just one of his last 27 home starts for the Royals. OH BABY Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford will go on paternity leave for the birth of his fourth child and could miss as many as three games. San Francisco returns home from a 10-day road trip to face the Miami Marlins. Washington Nationals' Juan Soto (22) scores on a single by Brian Goodwin during eighth-inning baseball game action against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) San Francisco Giants' Brandon Crawford watches his RBI groundout during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) - Triple Crown champion Justify has returned to his base at Santa Anita accompanied by a police escort and was greeted by trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith. The winner of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont flew from Louisville, Kentucky, to Ontario, California, on Sunday. After landing, four Arcadia Police Department units traveled with the 13th Triple Crown winner to the racetrack. After winning the Belmont in New York on June 9, Justify returned to Churchill Downs, where he and his human connections were honored on Saturday night. Justify will resume training this week and be paraded between races this weekend. NEW MILFORD, Pa. (AP) - A bus carrying members of the Pennsylvania National Guard has crashed into a fireworks store. Police say the crash happened Friday morning in New Milford Township when the driver of the bus passed out behind the wheel. The runaway vehicle went through a field and struck a utility pole before slamming into the side of Monteforte Fireworks. State police say the crash did not set off an explosion, and no injuries were reported. The National Guard says the bus was transporting members from Honesdale to State College at the time of the crash. Police say no tickets will be issued. The owner of the fireworks store James Monteforte tells WNEP-TV that they are still open for business despite the damage. TUMWATER, Wash. (AP) - A gunman injured a teen and shot a man in a pair of carjacking attempts Sunday, before being killed by a bystander outside a Washington state Walmart store. The incident at the Walmart in Tumwater happened about 5 p.m. A witness told KOMO-TV that people were in line when they heard gunfire in the store. Witnesses told other media that they were inside the store and heard shots. Police officers investigate the scene of a deadly shooting at a Walmart store in Tumwater, Wash., Sunday, June 17, 2018. A gunman wounded a few people before being fatally shot by a bystander at the store in Washington state's city Sunday evening. (KOMO News via AP) Tumwater Police Department spokeswoman Laura Wohl said it is unclear whether the gunman was ever inside the store or if shots were fired inside, The Olympian reported . Wohl said a man was shot when the gunman tried to carjack his vehicle. Two bystanders outside the store drew their weapons and at least one of them fatally shot the gunman, Wohl told the Olympian. The carjacking victim was flown by helicopter to a hospital, she said. Police are investigating four scenes connected with the shooting. The chain of events began with a report of a drunken driver but none was found. Police then responded to reports of shots nearby, Wohl said, and learned that a man had tried to carjack two vehicles. A 16-year-old girl was injured in the carjacking attempt. The gunman then went to Walmart, Wohl said. Tumwater is in Thurston County and near Olympia. BOSTON (AP) - It's called the Cradle of Liberty because it's where the American Revolution was energized, and it remains one of the most famous buildings in Boston. Now, Faneuil Hall has become one of the latest icons embroiled in debate over whether it should be renamed because of its ties to slavery. It's named for Peter Faneuil, a merchant and slave owner who paid for the building as a gift to the city. Across the country, parks, buildings and even a residential college at Yale University have been renamed to erase connections to slavery. Harvard Law School abandoned its shield in 2016 because it was based on the family crest of an early benefactor who owned slaves. FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2007, file photo Faneuil Hall, right, sits among buildings on an evening in downtown Boston. Faneuil Hall, of the most iconic buildings in Boston, where the earliest calls for independence from Britain were sounded in the late 1700s, is named for a man who owned and traded black slaves. Now a move to rename the historic structure is gaining momentum. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) But is the effort to rename Faneuil Hall justified? A HISTORY OF DISSENT Faneuil (pronounced FAN'-yul) Hall, completed in 1742, was a meeting place for colonists before and during the Revolution. Over the centuries, it played host to others seeking radical societal change, including abolitionists and women's suffragists. It has been a marketplace, an armory and a banquet hall, and to this day remains a site for political and civic events, including ceremonies to swear in the foreign-born as new U.S. citizens. PETER FANEUIL, THE MAN He was the son of French Huguenot parents who originally settled in New York, and when they died he moved to Boston to live with his uncle, Andrew Faneuil, according to the National Park Service, which oversees the city-owned building. Peter inherited the majority of his uncle's estate and business and became one of the richest men in the city, trading in fish, tobacco, rum, molasses - and humans. According to an inventory of his estate after his death in 1743, he owned five slaves. He proposed the building as a marketplace in 1740 and offered to fund its construction. The National Park Service doesn't try to hide Faneuil's slavery ties, mentioning it extensively in an online biography. WHO WANTS THE NAME CHANGE AND WHY? Kevin Peterson of the New Democracy Coalition has been pushing for a new name for about a year. "For African-Americans in Boston, Faneuil Hall stands as an affront to their civic sensibilities," he said in a letter to Mayor Marty Walsh. Merely mentioning Faneuil's links to slavery on a website, he contends, is not enough. "It is not enough to simply acknowledge the legacy of slavery as we seek to move toward racial healing," he said. "We don't need words, we need actions." Peterson proposes renaming the building after Crispus Attucks, a black man killed during the 1770 Boston Massacre, generally considered the first casualty of the American Revolution. WHAT'S THE REACTION? Walsh does not back the change. "Over the years, Faneuil Hall has become a place where good things have happened: historic speeches such as Frederick Douglass' call for the end to slavery, the signing of forward-thinking legislation like the Affordable Care Act, and where hundreds of people take their oath of citizenship every year," the mayor said in a statement. "What we should do instead, is figure out a way to acknowledge the history so people understand it. We can't erase history, but we can learn from it." Owen Stanwood, an associate professor of Colonial-era history at Boston College, understands those who want the name changed. "I think the urge to try to understand the links that prominent Americans and Bostonians have with the slave trade is a good thing," he said. But instead of a renaming, he said, he would like to see more on-site information about Faneuil's past. "Most people don't know who he was, and understanding who he was opens the door to what kind of place Boston was in the 18th century," he said. TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A 24-hour arts and music festival in New Jersey was on the verge of being shut down because of numerous fights when gunfire erupted, authorities said. One suspect was killed and 22 people, including two other suspects, were injured. Of the 17 people treated for gunshot wounds, including a 13-year-old boy, only one person, a suspect, remained in critical condition Sunday night, said Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri. About 1,000 people were attending the Art All Night Trenton festival that showcases local art, music, food and films when shots rang out early Sunday morning, sending people scrambling to safety. Police stand guard outside the warehouse building where the Art All Night Trenton 2018 festival that 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) Onofri said numerous fights inside and outside the venue had prompted police to tell organizers that the event needed to be shut down. "There was a report that the mood inside the venue had been changing," Onofri said. "During that time period, prior to the shooting, the Trenton Police Department began dispersing individuals. Those individuals, however, continued to loiter and additional fights broke out." Authorities believe several neighborhood gangs had a dispute, 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. 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. Gennie Darisme was getting ready to leave the festival when she heard gunfire 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 gunfire 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 he's 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 festival had been scheduled to run from 3 p.m. Saturday to 3 p.m. Sunday, before it 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. ___ Associated Press writer Christina Paciolla contributed to this report from Philadelphia. Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri, left, walks past investigators standing in a street near evidence markers outside the warehouse building where the Art All Night Trenton 2018 festival that 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) Investigators stand in a street near evidence markers outside the warehouse building where the Art All Night Trenton 2018 festival that 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) A police officer stands in a lot near evidence markers 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) 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) Police crime-scene tape keeps people away from the brick Roebling Wire Works building, background, in Trenton, N.J., hours after a shooting broke out there at an all-night art festival early Sunday, June 17, 2018, sending people stampeding from the scene and leaving one suspect dead and at least 20 people injured. (AP Photo/Mike Catalini) HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Vietnamese police have arrested eight more people after protests a week ago over a proposed law on special economic zones that protesters fear would fall in the hands of Chinese investors, state media reported Monday. The men from south central province of Binh Thuan were accused of disturbing public order, opposing officials and damaging state property, state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. Protests against the law took place across the country, including in the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City where seven people were arrested for allegedly disturbing security and opposing officials. Protesters fear the three proposed special economic zones where land could be rented for up to 99 years would be dominated by investors from China. Lawmakers have postponed the passage of the law until the next session in October to allow more research. Speaking to voters at his constituency in Hanoi on Sunday, Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said sabotaging elements have distorted the truth about the law and abused people's patriotism to instigate protests. "The party of President Ho Chi Minh is for the country, for people and no other purposes," Trong was quoted by Tuoi Tre as telling the voters, referring to the ruling Communist Party. "No one is that foolish to hand over land to foreigners for them to mess us up. No one would be that naive." He said land leases in the special economic zones would have to go through strict procedures and dismissed allegations that the country would be lost to China. Vietnamese people have generally had long-running mistrust of China. Vietnam is among the most outspoken critics of Chinese construction and militarization of artificial islands in the Spratly island chain in the South China Sea's disputed waters. Family separation policy starts dividing Republicans WASHINGTON (AP) - The emotional policy of separating children from their parents is also starting to divide Republicans and their allies as Democrats turn up the pressure. Former first lady Laura Bush called the policy "cruel" and "immoral" while GOP Sen. Susan Collins expressed concern about it and a former adviser to President Donald Trump said he thought the issue was going to hurt the president at some point. Religious groups, including some conservative ones, are protesting. Mrs. Bush made some of the strongest comments yet about the policy from the Republican side of the aisle. "I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," she wrote in a guest column for the Washington Post Sunday. 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." Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she favors tighter border security, but expressed deep concerns about the child separation policy. ___ First lady Melania Trump "hates" to see families separated WASHINGTON (AP) - First lady Melania Trump "hates" to see families separated at the border and hopes "both sides of the aisle" can reform the nation's immigration laws, according to a statement from her office. Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for Mrs. Trump, said Sunday: "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." She said Mrs. Trump hopes both sides "can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform." While the statement suggested the matter was an issue for Congress, Democratic lawmakers and others have pointed out that no law mandates the separation of children and parents at the border. A new Trump administration policy, which went into effect in May, sought to maximize criminal prosecutions of people caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally. More adults were being jailed as a result, which led to their children being separated from them. A former first lady, Laura Bush, joined the debate, calling the separation policy "cruel" and "immoral" and said "it breaks my heart." In a guest column for the Washington Post, she compared the separation of the children to the internment camps for Japanese-Americans in World War II. For both, it was an unusual entry into a fierce political debate. ___ 10 Things to Know for Today Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. WHO 'HATES TO SEE CHILDREN SEPARATED FROM THEIR FAMILIES' Through a spokeswoman, Melania Trump comments on immigration issues, saying she "believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." 2. WESTERN JAPAN QUAKE CAUSES DEATH AND INJURY Three are killed and scores injured in Osaka as a magnitude 6.1 earthquake knocks over walls and sets off scattered fires around the city. ___ Trump adviser Roger Stone reveals new meeting with Russian WASHINGTON (AP) - Special counsel Robert Mueller is examining a previously undisclosed meeting between longtime Donald Trump confidante Roger Stone and a Russian figure who allegedly tried to sell him dirt on Hillary Clinton. The meeting between Stone and a man who identified himself as Henry Greenberg was described in a pair of letters sent Friday to the House Intelligence Committee and first reported by The Washington Post. Stone and Michael Caputo, a Trump campaign aide who arranged the 2016 meeting, did not disclose the contact in their interviews with the committee. But they now believe the man was an FBI informant trying to set them up in a bid to undermine Trump's campaign. Greenberg could not immediately be reached for comment, but in a text to the Post he denied he was working for the FBI when he met with Stone. The letters obtained by The Associated Press and written by Stone and Caputo's lawyers say that, in late May 2016, Caputo received a call from his Russian business partner introducing him to Greenberg, who claimed he had information about Clinton that he wanted to share with the campaign. Caputo suggested Greenberg meet with Stone, who had left the campaign in 2015 but remained an informal Trump adviser. ___ Strong quake near Osaka, Japan, kills 3, knocks over walls TOKYO (AP) - A strong earthquake knocked over walls and set off scattered fires around metropolitan Osaka in western Japan on Monday, killing at least three people and injuring more than 300. A 9-year-old girl was killed by a falling concrete wall at her school, and the two other fatalities were men in their 80s. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 307 people were treated for injuries at hospitals. Most of the injured were in Osaka - Japan's No. 2 city bustling with businesses. Osaka officials did not give details, but the injuries reported in Kyoto and three other neighboring prefectures were all minor. The magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck shortly after 8 a.m. north of Osaka at a depth of about 13 kilometers (8 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The strongest shaking was north of Osaka, but the quake rattled large parts of western Japan, including Kyoto, the agency said. Dozens of domestic flights in and out of Osaka were grounded, while train and subway service in the Osaka area including the bullet train were suspended to check for damage. Passengers exited trains on the tracks between stations. ___ 5 dead as SUV chased by Border Patrol crashes in South Texas BIG WELLS, Texas (AP) - At least five people were killed and several others hurt Sunday as an SUV carrying more than a dozen people during a suspected "smuggling event" crashed while fleeing from Border Patrol agents in South Texas, authorities said. The SUV carrying 14 people went out of control at more than 100 mph and overturned on Texas Highway 85, ejecting most of the occupants, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said. "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." Four victims were dead at the scene, Boyd said. He said at least one and possibly two others died at a hospital. The Border Patrol said in a statement Sunday night that two other vehicles had been traveling alongside the SUV earlier in the day. An agent suspected they were conducting a "smuggling event," according to the statement, which did not elaborate. ___ Hundreds of children wait in Border Patrol facility in Texas McALLEN, Texas (AP) - Inside an old warehouse in South Texas, hundreds of children wait in a series of cages created by metal fencing. One cage had 20 children inside. Scattered about are bottles of water, bags of chips and large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets. One teenager told an advocate who visited that she was helping care for a young child she didn't know because the child's aunt was somewhere else in the facility. She said she had to show others in her cell how to change the girl's diaper. 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. More than 1,100 people were inside the large, dark facility that's divided into separate wings for unaccompanied children, adults on their own, and mothers and fathers with children. The cages in each wing open out into common areas to use portable restrooms. The overhead lighting in the warehouse stays on around the clock. The Border Patrol said close to 200 people inside the facility were minors unaccompanied by a parent. Another 500 were "family units," parents and children. Many adults who crossed the border without legal permission could be charged with illegal entry and placed in jail, away from their children. ___ Colombia's president-elect seeks unity after polarizing vote BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - President-elect Ivan Duque appealed for unity after winning a runoff election over a leftist firebrand whose ascent shook Colombia's political establishment and laid bare deep divisions over the nation's peace process. The conservative Duque, the protege of a powerful former president, was elected Sunday with 54 percent of the vote. He finished more than 12 points ahead of former guerrilla Gustavo Petro, though the runner-up's performance at the ballot box was the best ever for the left in one of Latin America's most conservative nations. When Duque takes office in August at age 42, he will be Colombia's youngest president in more than a century and in his first remarks as president-elect he vowed to work tirelessly to heal divisions and govern on behalf of all Colombians. He also promised a frontal attack on corruption while addressing a surge in cocaine production that he called a threat to national security. "This is the opportunity that we have been waiting for - to turn the page on the politics of polarization, insults and venom," Duque told jubilant supporters Sunday night, joined by his young family. The election was the first since outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos signed the 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the race ultimately ended up being defined by the divisive accord. ___ Puerto Rico struggles with jump in asthma cases post-Maria SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Shortly after he turned 2, Yadriel Hernandez started struggling to breathe. His doctor prescribed an inhaler and an allergy pill for asthma, and his symptoms were mostly under control. Then Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, strewing mold-producing wreckage across the island and forcing many to use fume-spewing generators for power. The boy, now 8, started having twice-monthly attacks and needing nearly four times the amount of medicine he used to take. His mother said weekly power outages in their coastal town of Aguadilla also feed his anxiety, which can make symptoms worse. He panics about not being able to turn on the plug-in nebulizer that helps control his attacks. "The lights go out and he breaks down," said Johana Hernandez. "He cries out, 'The power is gone, mom! The power is gone! I'm going to have an asthma attack!'" Doctors in Puerto Rico say they are seeing an alarming rise in the number and severity of asthma cases that they attribute to the aftermath of the deadly hurricane that walloped the island in September. The chronic lung disease is caused by such things as pollution, airborne mold and pollen, all of which have increased post-Maria. ___ Global warming cooks up 'a different world' over 3 decades SALIDA, Colo. (AP) - We were warned. On June 23, 1988, a sultry day in Washington, James Hansen told Congress and the world that global warming wasn't approaching - it had already arrived. The testimony of the top NASA scientist, said Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley, was "the opening salvo of the age of climate change." Thirty years later, it's clear that Hansen and other doomsayers were right. But the change has been so sweeping that it is easy to lose sight of effects large and small - some obvious, others less conspicuous. Earth is noticeably hotter, the weather stormier and more extreme. Polar regions have lost billions of tons of ice; sea levels have been raised by trillions of gallons of water. Far more wildfires rage. Over 30 years - the time period climate scientists often use in their studies in order to minimize natural weather variations - the world's annual temperature has warmed nearly 1 degree (0.54 degrees Celsius), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And the temperature in the United States has gone up even more - nearly 1.6 degrees. BEIRUT (AP) - Syrian state TV is reporting that the U.S.-led coalition has struck a military position in the country's east, leaving several troops dead and wounded. The report early Monday says the airstrike occurred around midnight in the village of al-Hari near the town of Boukamal. It gave no breakdown of the casualties. Syrian troops and their allies have been conducting operations against the Islamic State group east of the Euphrates river while the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are on the offensive against IS on the east banks. The U.S.-led coalition has struck in the past pro-government forces when they tried to cross to the Euphrates' east bank but it was not immediately clear if they did this time. IS still holds small areas in eastern Syria close to the Iraqi border BEIRUT (AP) - Iraqi Shiite forces and Syria accused the United States on Monday of targeting their troops inside Syria with an airstrike, a charge the U.S. denied but that ratcheted up tensions in the area. Iraq's Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, the units' umbrella organization, said in a statement that U.S. aircraft late Sunday night fired two missiles that hit a group of its fighters deployed along the Iraq-Syria border to prevent breaches by the Islamic State group. The statement said the attack left 22 fighters dead and 12 wounded, adding that Iraqi and Syrian authorities were aware of their deployment. "We demand that the American side issues a clarification for what happened," the Iraqi group said. Syrian state media had reported earlier that the airstrike against pro-government forces in the far east of the country had caused casualties, while Iraqi officials said it had killed at least 25 Shiite paramilitaries and was just across the border from its own territory. Syrian state TV report blamed the attack on the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State group, saying it occurred around midnight in the village of al-Hari, to the southeast of the border town of Boukamal. But a coalition spokesman denied that it had carried out any strikes in the area. The state TV report, quoting an unnamed military official, gave no breakdown of the casualties other than saying there "were several martyrs and others were wounded." In Baghdad, Iraqi officials said state-sanctioned Shiite paramilitaries came under attack south of the town of Qaim, just across the border from Boukamal. They said 25 fighters were killed, three are missing and about 30 were wounded. But did not give details into how the attack was carried out, saying only that investigations were underway, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The officials said the dead were mostly members of Iraq's Hezbollah Brigades, which have been active in Syria's civil war fighting alongside government forces. Also killed were some members of the Sayyed al-Shuhada Battalions, they said. In Syria, an official with the so-called "Axis of Resistance" led by Iran, which includes Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and other groups fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's forces, told The Associated Press that the attack on Syrian and Iraqi positions on both sides of the border had been carried out by American drone aircraft. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy of information, added that the troops had been part of a push against IS extremists in the area. U.S. military spokesman Col. Sean Ryan said the coalition was looking into the reports. "We are aware of the strike near Boukamal, however there have been no strikes by U.S. or coalition forces in that area," he said. "We're looking into who that could possibly be, but it wasn't the U.S. or the coalition." The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the airstrike killed 52 foreign fighters allied with the Syrian government, mostly Iraqis. Shiite militias fighting alongside government forces in Syria include large numbers of Iraqi, Lebanese and Afghan fighters. Last week, IS launched a major offensive against Boukamal, reaching the outskirts of the town before being pushed back by government forces. The loss of the town would deal a major blow to Iran-backed forces on both sides of the border, who have established a corridor through eastern Syria to link Iran to the Mediterranean Sea. Syrian and Iraqi forces have driven IS from virtually all the territory it once held in both countries, but the militants still control some remote areas along the border. Syrian troops and allied militias, backed by Russian airstrikes, have been conducting operations west of the Euphrates River, while the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia, is operating on the eastern banks. The U.S.-led coalition has struck pro-government forces in the past when they have tried to cross the river. The overnight attacks took place on the western side. Meanwhile in the country's north, a deal reached between Turkey and the U.S. to have Kurdish forces withdraw from a town appears to have gone into effect. Turkey announced its troops began patrols on the outskirts of the key northern Syrian town of Manbij following a recent deal struck with the United States. The army tweeted Turkish and American troops began patrols Monday along the outskirts of Manbij and an area controlled by Turkey-backed forces. It said the move was part of the Turkish-U.S. deal reached in early June, aiming to secure the town and push out a Syrian Kurdish militia. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that the patrols had begun in a speech Monday in northern Samsun province. Manbij has been a source of tension between the two NATO allies after an American-backed Syrian force took the town from the Islamic State group in 2016. The Syrian Kurdish YPG forms the backbone of that force but Turkey considers the group terrorists and has been demanding the U.S. cease its support. YPG announced it would leave the strategic town. ___ Abdul-Zahra reported from Baghdad. Associated Press writer Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed to this report. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Avtar Singh Khalsa will represent Afghanistan's tiny Sikh and Hindu minority in the next parliament, where he says he hopes to serve the entire country. Few Afghans are as invested in the government's quest for peace and stability as the dwindling Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been decimated by decades of conflict. The community numbered more than 80,000 in the 1970s, but today only around 1,000 remain. Khalsa, a Sikh and longtime leader of the community, will run unopposed for a seat in the lower house of parliament that was apportioned to the minority by presidential decree in 2016. After the October election, he will be a solitary voice among 259 legislators, but hopes his 10 years of service in the Afghan army can help him secure a seat on the defense and security committee. In this May 30, 2018 photo, Avtar Singh Khalsa, a longtime leader of the Sikh community, who will represent Afghanistan's tiny Sikh and Hindu minority in the next parliament, gives an interview to the Associated Press, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Few Afghans are as invested in the government's quest for peace and stability as the dwindling Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been decimated by decades of conflict. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) "I don't only want to serve my Sikh and Hindu brothers. I have to be able to serve all the Afghan people, no matter which ethnicity or group they belong to. Our services must reach everyone," he told The Associated Press during an interview inside a colorfully decorated temple in Kabul. The 52-year-old father of four, originally from the eastern Paktia province, has lived most of his life in Kabul. He also served as a senator representing the minority, which has long had a seat in the upper house of parliament. Sikhs and Hindus have been driven out of many areas by heavy fighting. They have suffered widespread discrimination in the conservative Muslim country and have also been targeted by Islamic extremists. Under Taliban rule in the late 1990s, they were asked to identify themselves by wearing yellow armbands, but the rule was not enforced. In recent years, large numbers of Sikhs and Hindus have sought asylum in India, which has a Hindu majority and a large Sikh population. "We must try to save our people from this chaos," Khalsa said. "By any means and at any cost we must ask for our rights from the government. Your rights will not be given to you, you must earn them," Khalsa said. Khalsa will join parliament at a time when the Afghan government is struggling against a resurgent Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate. The Taliban have seized a number of districts across the country, and IS has carried out a wave of attacks in recent months targeting the country's Shiite Muslims, another embattled minority. Sikhs and Hindus would face renewed persecution under the Taliban and wholesale slaughter at the hands of the more radical IS. But Khalsa said he has no plans to leave the country and will continue to fight for his community's survival. "I sacrifice myself for those of my brothers who have been through all kinds of pain and suffering," he said. "I don't care if I lose my whole family and I get killed for this cause. I will struggle until I get their rights." In this Thursday, June 7, 2018 photo, Avtar Singh Khalsa, a longtime leader of the Sikh community, who will represent Afghanistan's tiny Sikh and Hindu minority in the next parliament, prays, inside a colorfully decorated gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Few Afghans are as invested in the government's quest for peace and stability as the dwindling Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been decimated by decades of conflict. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) In this Thursday, June 7, 2018 photo, Avtar Singh Khalsa, a Sikh and longtime leader of the community, who will represent Afghanistan's tiny Sikh and Hindu minority in the next parliament, holds a meeting in his office, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Few Afghans are as invested in the government's quest for peace and stability as the dwindling Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been decimated by decades of conflict. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) In this Thursday, June 7, 2018 photo, Avtar Singh Khalsa, a Sikh and longtime leader of the community, who will represent Afghanistan's tiny Sikh and Hindu minority in the next parliament, studies with his grandchildren at home, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Few Afghans are as invested in the government's quest for peace and stability as the dwindling Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been decimated by decades of conflict. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) In this Thursday, June 7, 2018 photo, Avtar Singh Khalsa, a longtime leader of the Sikh community, who will represent Afghanistan's tiny Sikh and Hindu minority in the next parliament, prays, inside a colorfully decorated gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Few Afghans are as invested in the government's quest for peace and stability as the dwindling Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been decimated by decades of conflict. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) In this May 30, 2018, photo, Avtar Singh Khalsa, a Sikh and longtime leader of the community, who will represent Afghanistan's tiny Sikh and Hindu minority in the next parliament, gives an interview to the Associated Press, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Few Afghans are as invested in the government's quest for peace and stability as the dwindling Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been decimated by decades of conflict. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) In this Thursday, June 7, 2018 photo, Avtar Singh Khalsa, a Sikh and longtime leader of the community, who will represent Afghanistan's tiny Sikh and Hindu minority in the next parliament, stands in front of a display of photographs at home, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Few Afghans are as invested in the government's quest for peace and stability as the dwindling Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been decimated by decades of conflict. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) GENEVA (AP) - The U.N. human rights chief is urging the Trump administration to end new policies separating migrant children from their parents after entering the United States from Mexico, saying they've affected nearly 2,000 kids in the last six weeks. Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein says it's "unconscionable" that any country would seek to deter parents from migrating "by inflicting such abuse on children." He spoke at Monday's opening of a regular Human Rights Council session, his last before his term ends in August. FILE - In this June 1, 2018, file photo, children hold signs during a demonstration in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Miramar, Fla. The Trump administration's move to separate immigrant parents from their children on the U.S.-Mexico border has turned into a full-blown crisis in recent weeks, drawing denunciation from the United Nations, Roman Catholic bishops and countless humanitarian groups. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) Zeid, a Jordanian prince, also decried concerns about countries including Syria, Myanmar, Hungary, Nicaragua, Israel, North Korea, and India- and Pakistan-controlled parts of Kashmir. He denounced the lack of access provided by U.N. member states to rights investigators, noting China has accumulated 15 pending requests in the last five years. GREAT MILLS, Md. (AP) - Maryland State Police say they are looking for a suspect after a man was shot while driving. A state police news release says 29-year-old Raymond Robinson and a female passenger were traveling on a road in Great Mills on Friday. A preliminary investigation indicates Robinson was struck in the shoulder. WJLA-TV reports the investigation also indicates the gunshot came from a vehicle that was adjacent to the victim's vehicle, traveling in the same direction. Robinson told police he turned off the road after being struck. His passenger called 911. He was taken to the Medstar Washington Medical Center. An investigation is ongoing. ___ Information from: WJLA-TV, http://www.wjla.com BERLIN (AP) - German authorities on Monday detained the chief executive of Volkswagen's Audi division, Rupert Stadler, as part of a probe into the manipulation of emissions controls. The move is an extension of the emissions scandal that has rocked Volkswagen since 2015 and led to billions in fines, the arrest of executives and the indictment in the U.S. of its former CEO. Stadler's detention follows a search last week of his private residence, ordered by Munich prosecutors investigating the manager on suspicion of fraud and indirect improprieties with documents. FILE - In this Thursday, March 15, 2018 file photo, Rupert Stadler, CEO of German car producer Audi, briefs the media during the annual press conference in Ingolstadt, Germany. German authorities have detained the chief executive of Volkswagen's Audi division, Rupert Stadler, as part of a probe into manipulation of emissions controls. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) "Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was provisionally arrested this morning," the company said in a statement. It said shortly afterward that a judge had ordered him kept in custody pending possible charges at prosecutors' request. The company said that it couldn't comment further due to the ongoing investigation, but stressed that "the presumption of innocence remains in place for Mr. Stadler." German news agency dpa reported that prosecutors decided to seek Stadler's arrest due to fears he might try to evade justice. A former head of Audi's engine development unit is already in investigative detention. A total of 20 people are under suspicion in the Audi probe, which focuses on cars sold in Europe that were believed to be equipped with software that turned emissions controls on during lab testing and off again during regular driving to enhance road performance. Audi said in a statement last week that it was "cooperating with the authorities" in the probe. Volkswagen first admitted in 2015 of using software to cheat on U.S. emissions tests. That has cost it $20 billion in fines and civil settlements. Volkswagen has pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the United States and nine managers, including former CEO Martin Winterkorn, were charged there. Two are serving prison terms; Winterkorn and the others remained in Germany and are unlikely to be extradited. German authorities this month fined Volkswagen $1.2 billion as part of their own investigation. They are also investigating Winterkorn and 48 others. The arrest of the Audi CEO comes just weeks after Volkswagen tapped a new CEO to move the company past the scandal. Herbert Diess was given the top job in April and he said that besides focusing on new technologies, like electric cars, he wanted to build a more open, values-based culture to avoid the cheating that led to the emissions scandal. Volkswagen shares were down 2.1 percent at 157.66 euros in Frankfurt trading. BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union said Monday it has extended restrictions on doing business with companies or officials in Ukraine's Crimea region and the city of Sevastopol for a year over Russia's annexation of the peninsula. EU headquarters said in a statement that the measures, which include bans on importing products and real estate purchases, were extended until June 23, 2019. The restrictions also bar European investment in Crimea or Sevastopol and operating any tourism services there. The export of some goods and technologies that could be used for transport, telecommunications or in the energy sector - particularly oil, gas or mineral exploration - are prohibited as well. The measures form part of a package of sanctions imposed against Russia after it annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, and refuses to recognize Moscow's authority there. Asset freezes and travel bans also have been enforced against some Crimea officials. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the EU extended restrictions on doing business in the Crimean Peninsula because of Russia's annexation, but didn't extend existing sanctions on Russia. SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) - Macedonia's government set in motion Monday the process of ratifying a pending agreement to change the country's name to "North Macedonia" in hopes of ending a bitter 27-year dispute with southern neighbor Greece. Macedonian government spokesman Mile Bosnjakovski said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev's Cabinet approved the deal he reached last week and forwarded it for parliament's approval. The agreement, which will take months to complete and faces several hurdles on the way, was signed Sunday by the two countries' foreign ministers in the border Prespa Lakes area. Opponents of the deal between Greece and Macedonia on the latter country's new name "North Macedonia" light flares protesting outside the parliament in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, June 17, 2018. The preliminary deal signed by the two countries' foreign ministers in the Prespes Lakes area, Greece, launches a long process that will last several months. If successful, it will end a decades-long dispute between neighbors Greece and Macedonia, which will be renamed North Macedonia. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Macedonia's parliament speaker told the state MIA news agency the ratification debate would start Tuesday and is forecast to end by Friday night. Lawmakers are expected to endorse the proposal. The governing coalition controls 61 of the 120 seats in parliament. While the deal would commit Greece to lifting its objections to Macedonia joining NATO and the European Union, politicians and residents in both countries oppose the compromise their prime ministers reached on the Macedonia name. They argue that the other country benefited at the expense of their own. Seven policemen were injured and 25 protesters detained late Sunday in the Macedonian capital of Skopje as demonstrators opposed to the name deal tried to push their way into the parliament building. The Interior Ministry said police used tear gas to stop the demonstrators as they threw stones and firecrackers. The statement made no mention of injuries among the protesters. A few thousand people took part in the demonstration. Police reported Monday that unknown arsonists set fire overnight to the car of a lawmaker in Macedonia's left-wing governing party who had attended Sunday's signing ceremony. Earlier Sunday in the Prespa Lakes area, some 4,000 Greeks protested the deal but were prevented from getting near officials at the signing ceremony. Clashes erupted that left Greek police and 12 people injured. Greece insisted on a name change for years, arguing that the name Macedonia implies claims on its own northern province of Macedonia, and on Greece's ancient heritage. Most Greek hardliners want to avoid any use of the word Macedonia in the small landlocked country's name. In Macedonia, President Gjorge Ivanov vocally opposes the change to North Macedonia and has said he will not sign off on the agreement even if parliament ratifies it. That would force lawmakers to repeat the debate and vote, and if the deal is ratified again then Ivanov will be unable to block it. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has also pledged to hold a referendum on the deal. If Macedonians vote in favor, the next step will be for the country's parliament to approve a constitutional amendment formally changing the country's name. Provided all that goes off smoothly, Greece's parliament will then vote on the deal, which has split the left-led governing coalition and is rejected by most opposition parties. If Macedonia fails to complete its side of the process, Greece says its neighbor's NATO and EU accession course will automatically come to a halt under the deal. ___ Paphitis contributed from Athens, Greece Riot police work during a protest of opponents of the deal between Greece and Macedonia on the latter country's new name "North Macedonia", outside the parliament in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, June 17, 2018. The preliminary deal signed by the two countries' foreign ministers in the Prespes Lakes area, Greece, launches a long process that will last several months. If successful, it will end a decades-long dispute between neighbors Greece and Macedonia, which will be renamed North Macedonia. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Riot police use tear gas during a protest of opponents of the deal between Greece and Macedonia on the latter country's new name "North Macedonia", outside the parliament in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, June 17, 2018. The preliminary deal signed by the two countries' foreign ministers in the Prespes Lakes area, Greece, launches a long process that will last several months. If successful, it will end a decades-long dispute between neighbors Greece and Macedonia, which will be renamed North Macedonia. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Riot police officers move through a tear gas cloud during a protest of opponents of the deal between Greece and Macedonia on the latter country's new name "North Macedonia", outside the parliament in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, June 17, 2018. The preliminary deal signed by the two countries' foreign ministers in the Prespes Lakes area, Greece, launches a long process that will last several months. If successful, it will end a decades-long dispute between neighbors Greece and Macedonia, which will be renamed North Macedonia. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) A protester waves former Macedonian and Russian flags atop of a police vehicle during a protest of opponents of the deal between Greece and Macedonia on the latter country's new name "North Macedonia", outside the parliament in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, June 17, 2018. The preliminary deal signed by the two countries' foreign ministers in the Prespes Lakes area, Greece, launches a long process that will last several months. If successful, it will end a decades-long dispute between neighbors Greece and Macedonia, which will be renamed North Macedonia. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) SANAA, Yemen (AP) - The U.N. spokesman said Monday that tens of thousands of residents have fled the fighting along Yemen's western coastline where Yemeni fighters backed by a Saudi-led coalition are engaged in fierce battles with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General, told reporters that about 5,200 families, or around 26,000 people, have fled the fighting and sought safety within their own districts or in other areas in Hodeida governorate. "The number is expected to increase as hostilities continue," he said. The U.N. Security Council again reiterated its call for the rebel-held ports of Hodeida and Salif "to be kept open and operating safely" in a press statement issued after closed door briefings by U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths and U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock. Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, whose country holds the rotating Security Council presidency this month, told reporters that Griffiths confirmed the ports continue to operate. Emirati troops, along with irregular and loyalist forces in Yemen, have been fighting against Houthis for Hodeida since Wednesday. Coalition warplanes rained missiles and bombs on Houthi positions near Hodeida airport, in the city's south. The campaign to seize control of Hodeida threatens to worsen Yemen's humanitarian situation, as Hodeida's port is the country's main entry point for most humanitarian aid. "The situation is very disturbing," Polyansky said. "We all hope that nothing terrible will happen further in Hodeida. That is our shared analysis of the situation." The offensive for Hodeida has faced criticism from international aid groups, who fear a protracted fight could force a shutdown of the city's port and potentially tip millions into starvation. Some 70 percent of Yemen's food enters via the port, as well as the bulk of humanitarian aid and fuel supplies. Around two-thirds of the country's population of 27 million relies on aid and 8.4 million are already at risk of starving. Griffiths, the U.N. envoy, arrived in Yemen on Saturday to try to avoid an all-out assault in Hodeida. He briefed the Security Council by video from Sanaa on his proposals to restart political negotiations to end the three-year conflict in Yemen. The statement from Security Council members said they welcomed his briefing on the proposals, "reaffirmed their full support for his efforts and underlined that a political solution remained the only way to end the conflict in Yemen." Polyansky said it was very difficult to talk about a timeframe for the political proposals. "The political moves that are being proposed are being supported by us ... but the situation is now very volatile," he said. "We hope that he will succeed. ... but let's wait some time and see what will come of it." ___ Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report. BRUSSELS (AP) - The Latest on the immigration debate in Europe (all times local): 9:00 p.m. Experts within the Council of Europe are asking Hungarian lawmakers to delay passage of a bill that would penalize people who assist refugees with up to a year in prison. This photo released on Sunday, June 17, 2018, by French NGO "SOS Mediterranee", shows migrants disembarking the SOS Mediterranee's Aquarius ship and MSF (Doctors Without Borders) NGOs, after its arrival at the eastern port of 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 perilous Mediterranean only to become the latest pawn in Europe's battle over immigration. (Kenny Karpov/SOS Mediterranee via AP) Venice Commission chief Gianni Buquicchio told Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on Monday that Hungary's parliament should wait until the commission publishes recommendations on the so-called "Stop Soros" bill or at least take into account the preliminary views already shared with Hungarian officials. The pending bill is named for Hungarian-American financier George Soros, who Hungary's government accuses of supporting mass migration to Europe and backing civic groups that provide legal aid to asylum-seekers and refugees. The bill and a constitutional amendment that is designed in part to bolster the government's anti-immigration policies are expected to be approved Wednesday. ___ 4:35 p.m. Spain's maritime rescue service says it has brought to safety 152 migrants attempting to enter Europe by sea, while a boat with 54 more people is still missing. The service said Monday that it found three inflatable rubber boats carrying a total of 102 migrants in the western Mediterranean Sea, while a rescue vessel transferred to Almeria 50 people which had docked on the tiny Spanish island of Alboran. Rescuers were also trying to locate a boat with 54 migrants on board believed to be in an area closer to the Strait of Gibraltar. The so-called western Mediterranean migration route into Spain has seen an uptick in traffic lately, with more than 13,000 arrivals in 2018, according to the United Nations, 1,400 of them since last Friday. ___ 2:20 p.m. Bosnian border police have stopped about 100 migrants from reaching the border with European Union member Croatia. Police on Monday blocked the migrants near the border crossing in northwestern Bosnia. Local media say police are trying to persuade the migrants to turn back. The group has moved toward Croatia from the nearby town of Velika Kladusa where hundreds have been staying in makeshift camps while looking for ways to reach Western Europe. Peter Van der Auweraert, from the International Organization for Migration, tweeted that the attempted group crossing is a "very worrying development that risks to create backlash that is not in interest of anyone." Migrants have recently turned to Bosnia in order to avoid more heavily guarded routes through the Balkans. ___ 2 p.m. The international Red Cross says that the number of people migrating through the Balkans is on the rise and they are in dire need of basic humanitarian support. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Monday that more than 5,600 migrants entering Europe through Greece have reached Bosnia and Herzegovina so far this year, compared with only 754 in all of 2017. The Red Cross also said that in Montenegro, 557 asylum requests were registered in May, the highest monthly figure in five years. Simon Missiri, regional director for Europe, said his group's Balkan offices need more assistance to help cope with the increased number of migrants. Since peaking in 2015, the migrants' use of the Balkan route toward Western Europe has been impaired in part by Hungary's construction of razor-wire fences on its southern borders. ___ 1:20 p.m. A top Spanish official says that more than 300 migrants who are in Spain after their rescue boat was rejected by other European governments are requesting to be granted asylum in France. Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo told Spanish radio Cadena Ser on Monday that half of the 630 migrants who arrived at the Spanish port of Valencia on Sunday on convoy of ships, including the rescue boat Aquarius, expressed such a desire. She called the agreement with France "an example of cooperation" within the European Union. The Aquarius completed a 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) journey from Sicily to Valencia, ending a weeklong ordeal for the 630 people rescued from the Mediterranean Sea, only to be rejected by Italy and Malta. Spain's new center-left government granted the migrants 45-day stays to sort out their legal status. ___ 12:15 p.m. The Vatican and Mexico are lamenting how children "are suffering the most" from migration, as the Trump administration comes under increasing criticism for its policy of separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Vatican on Monday released the conclusions of the second Vatican-Mexico conference on international migration, held last week at the Vatican. The statement made no explicit reference to the U.S. separation policy, though it stressed the need to "insist on the centrality of the human person in every political act ... reaffirming the inviolability of human rights and the dignity of every human being on the move." The U.S. conference of Catholic bishops has condemned as "immoral" the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents at the border, which the U.S. has defended as enforcing the law. ___ 10 a.m. The European Union's asylum office says the number of people applying for international protection in Europe has plunged but remains higher than before 2015, when more than one million migrants entered, many fleeing the war in Syria. EASO said in an annual report Monday that 728,470 application requests were made for international protection in 2017, compared to almost 1.3 million applications the previous year. It says around 30 percent of the applicants come from conflict-torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. EASO says there is a still a backlog: more than 950,000 applications were still awaiting a final decision at the end of last year, almost half of them in Germany. Over 460,000 people applied for asylum in Europe in 2013. More than 660,000 did so in 2014. This photo released on Sunday, June 17, 2018, by French NGO "SOS Mediterranee", shows migrants disembarking the SOS Mediterranee's Aquarius ship and MSF (Doctors Without Borders) NGOs, after its arrival at the eastern port of 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 perilous Mediterranean only to become the latest pawn in Europe's battle over immigration. (Kenny Karpov/SOS Mediterranee via AP) This photo released on Sunday, June 17, 2018, by French NGO "SOS Mediterranee", shows migrants disembarking the SOS Mediterranee's Aquarius ship and MSF (Doctors Without Borders) NGOs, after its arrival at the eastern port of 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 perilous Mediterranean only to become the latest pawn in Europe's battle over immigration. (Kenny Karpov/SOS Mediterranee via AP) Migrants onboard the French NGO "SOS Mediterranee" Aquarius ship Orione as it arrives 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) Migrants arrive on the NGO "SOS Mediterranee" Aquarius 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/Olmo Calvo) Migrants arrive on the NGO "SOS Mediterranee" Aquarius 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/Olmo Calvo) Migrants arrive on the NGO "SOS Mediterranee" Aquarius 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/Olmo Calvo) Migrants arrive on the NGO "SOS Mediterranee" Aquarius 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/Olmo Calvo) Migrants onboard the French NGO "SOS Mediterranee" Aquarius ship Orione as it arrives 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) Migrants arrive on an NGO "SOS Mediterranee" Aquarius aid convoy ship, 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) Migrants onboard the French NGO "SOS Mediterranee" Aquarius ship Orione as it arrives 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) This photo released on Sunday, June 17, 2018, by French NGO "SOS Mediterranee", shows migrants disembarking the SOS Mediterranee's Aquarius ship and MSF (Doctors Without Borders) NGOs, after its arrival at the eastern port of 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 perilous Mediterranean only to become the latest pawn in Europe's battle over immigration. (Kenny Karpov/SOS Mediterranee via AP) This photo released on Sunday, June 17, 2018, by French NGO "SOS Mediterranee", shows migrants disembarking the SOS Mediterranee's Aquarius ship and MSF (Doctors Without Borders) NGOs, after its arrival at the eastern port of 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 perilous Mediterranean only to become the latest pawn in Europe's battle over immigration. (Kenny Karpov/SOS Mediterranee via AP) JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli Cabinet ministers have proposed legislation that seeks to outlaw photographing Israeli soldiers "for the sake of shaming them," a ban rights groups say would amount to government censorship. Facing criticism and questions about the proposal's legality, the government already appeared to be taking steps to water down the bill before it goes to a parliamentary vote. But rights groups said that even preliminary support for the legislation was a stain on the country's democracy. A ministerial committee, headed by Israel's justice minister, approved the proposal on Sunday. It says anyone "who films, photographs or records soldiers while performing their duty, with the intent of undermining the morale of Israeli soldiers and residents" or anyone who disseminates such materials, would face five years in prison. The bill appears to have been promoted by the filming of Israeli soldier Elor Azaria fatally shooting an incapacitated Palestinian attacker in the West Bank city of Hebron who was lying on the ground in March 2016. Azaria was convicted of manslaughter and served nine months of an 18-month prison sentence. The case bitterly divided the nation. Israel's military pushed for his prosecution, saying he violated its code of ethics. But many Israelis, particularly on the nationalist right, defended his actions. The bill's sponsor, Robert Ilatov of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, insisted in a radio interview Monday that the bill "does not impinge on free speech." He said it only prevents obstruction of soldiers in the line of duty. Ilatov wrote on Facebook last week that the bill's aim is to prevent "left wing organizations from disseminating (soldiers') pictures for the sake of shaming them." Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beitenu party, praised the bill on Sunday for helping protect Israeli soldiers from "Israel-haters and terror supporters trying to denigrate, humiliate and harm them." The text of the bill specifically mentions B'Tselem, Machsom Watch and Breaking the Silence - Israeli advocacy groups critical of the West Bank occupation - as "anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian" organizations whose activity documenting the Israeli military the legislation seeks to combat. "Most of these groups are supported by foundations, organizations and governments with clear anti-Israeli perspectives and agendas, which use these tendentious materials for harming the state of Israel and its security," the bill reads. The bill is the latest in a series of legal measures passed or proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist government to curb organizations critical of Israel's occupation of the West Bank. Deputy Attorney General Raz Nazari, who was present at the ministerial meeting, said the bill was legally problematic. He said that ministers had agreed to draft a lighter version that would instead penalize photographers only if they hinder a soldier from doing his job, similar to existing law that bans people from interfering with police officers in the line of duty. But opposition lawmakers and rights groups said they were surprised the legislation made it this far. "If there is a problem with the reality that the occupation creates, we should change it, not try to hide it," said Tamar Zandberg, head of the liberal opposition Meretz Party. Talia Sasson, president of the New Israel Fund, a liberal advocacy group that supports groups that document rights abuses in the West Bank, called the bill "an arrow shot into the heart of the state of Israel." Israeli journalists also criticized the proposal, saying it would hinder their ability to work. Israeli photographer Ohad Zwigenberg said journalists must be allowed to "document reality as it is." "A world without real journalism that is free and neutral is an insane world," he said. WARSAW, Poland (AP) - The Polish government spokeswoman says the prime minister has accepted the unexpected resignation of the agriculture minister. Joanna Kopcinska said Monday that Agriculture Minister Krzysztof Jurgiel has resigned for personal reasons, which she did not reveal. Jurgiel had served in the right-wing government since it took power in November 2015. He was criticized for firing heads of Poland's renowned Arabian horse studs, and for allowing changes to horse auctions that have brought a big drop in proceeds. He has also entered into conflict with hunters' circles by opposing a new law that gives them more rights. Kopcinska said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki accepted the resignation. JERUSALEM (AP) - A former Israeli government minister, once imprisoned for trying to smuggle drugs, is back behind bars after being charged with spying for archenemy Iran, the country's internal security agency said Monday. The Shin Bet said Gonen Segev was extradited from Guinea and arrested upon arrival in Israel last month on suspicion of "committing offenses of assisting the enemy in war and spying against the state of Israel." It said Segev, a former energy minister, acted as an agent for Iranian intelligence and relayed information "connected to the energy market and security sites in Israel including buildings and officials in political and security organizations." Lawyers representing Segev issued a statement that did not reject or accept the accusations, only saying that the indictment "portrays a different picture" than what the Shin Bet says. Segev, who served in the Cabinet under Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the mid-1990s, was arrested in 2004 for attempting to smuggle 32,000 Ecstasy tablets from the Netherlands to Israel using an expired diplomatic passport. Segev, a former doctor whose medical license was revoked, was released from prison in 2007 and had been living in Africa in recent years. The Shin Bet said Segev met with his operators twice in Iran, and also met with Iranian agents in hotels and apartments around the world. Segev was given a "secret communications system to encrypt messages" with his operators. The statement said that Segev maintained connections with Israeli civilians who had ties to the country's security and foreign relations. It said he acted to connect them with Iranian agents who posed as businessmen. Israel and Iran are bitter enemies, and the allegations against Segev are extremely grave. Israel considers Iran to be its biggest threat, citing Iranian calls for Israel's destruction, Iran's support for hostile militant groups like Hezbollah and its development of long-range missiles. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been an outspoken critic of the international nuclear deal with Iran and welcomed the U.S. decision to withdraw from the deal. More recently, Israeli forces have carried out a number of airstrikes on Iranian forces in neighboring Syria. It is unclear what motivated Segev, whether it was out of monetary or idealistic reasons. It is also not immediately known how much damage, if any, he caused Israel. An indictment was filed against Segev last week. A gag order was imposed on the case and there were no further details. WASHINGTON (AP) - A man who has been an outspoken critic of the south Florida city where he lives is now 2-0 in disputes with the city before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court on Monday sided with Fane Lozman in a lawsuit that began with his 2006 arrest at a City of Riviera Beach city council meeting. Lozman, who also won a case against the city at the Supreme Court in 2013, was arrested while talking about corruption in the county during a public comment portion of the meeting. Lozman, 56, argued he was arrested in retaliation for being a critic of the city and sued. But a lower court said Lozman was barred from bringing a lawsuit for retaliation because a jury found a police officer had probable cause to arrest him for disturbing a lawful assembly. The Supreme Court disagreed, with Justice Anthony Kennedy writing in an 8-1 decision that Lozman's lawsuit isn't barred. Justice Clarence Thomas dissented. FILE - In this Feb. 27, 2018 file photo, Florida resident Fane Lozman stands on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, after oral arguments in his case. The Supreme Court is siding with Lozman, who sued the City of Riviera Beach, where he lives, after being arrested for his speech during a public comment portion of a city council meeting in 2006. (AP Photo/Jessica Gresko) "What happened to me was wrong. It happens all the time to public speakers. This is going to tell municipalities that you're not immunized from legal actions. There is a price to pay," Lozman said in a telephone interview after the decision was announced. The decision doesn't end the case. Kennedy wrote that an appeals court should look at several issues when re-evaluating the case, directing the court to use as guidance a previous case that Lozman had advocated. The appeals court could rule in Lozman's favor or against him, said Kerri L. Barsh, one of Lozman's attorneys, but said the court had previously suggested Lozman made a strong case that he was retaliated against. An attorney for the city, Benjamin Bedard, called the decision "narrow" and said there are various arguments open to the city when it returns to the appeals court. He said the city hopes to persuade the appeals court to rule in favor of the city and said the city never had a policy or agreement to retaliate against Lozman. "They really were just trying to run their meeting in an efficient manner," Bedard said, adding that if Lozman had followed a councilwoman's direction and "moved on to other topics then none of this ever would have occurred." It's also possible the case could settle. Lozman said part of what'd he'd want is an apology and for the city to pay his legal fees and other costs, which now are over $200,000. Lozman was arrested on Nov. 15, 2006 after he began using the meeting's public comment time to talk about government corruption in Palm Beach County, where the City of Riviera Beach is located. He kept speaking after a member of the council warned him not to continue with the topic. The charges against him were ultimately dismissed, but Lozman then turned around and sued the city. Lozman claimed the city violated the First Amendment's free speech guarantee by arresting him in retaliation for his criticism of city officials and policies and a separate lawsuit he'd filed against the city. Numerous First Amendment and media organizations, including The Associated Press, filed briefs supporting Lozman. Lozman's win Monday comes five years after his last victory at the court. In 2013, the justices sided with Lozman in ruling that a floating home that he had docked at a city-owned marina was a house, not a boat subject to easier government seizure under laws that govern ships and boats. The case decided Monday is 17-21, Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach. ___ Follow Jessica Gresko on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jessicagresko JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A night-time search and rescue effort is underway after a ferry carrying about 80 passengers sank Monday in a popular lake on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least one person. Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the boat sank in bad weather at about 5:30 p.m. He said 18 people have been rescued so far and one death was confirmed after the accident on Lake Toba, which comes at the end of holidays marking the Muslim holy month. The 1,145-square kilometer (440-square mile) lake, formed out of an ancient super volcano, is a popular sightseeing destination. Maher Tamba, an official with the local disaster agency, said at least half a dozen vessels were searching for survivors. Bad weather and high waves were hampering the search, he said. Ferry tragedies are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, due to weak enforcement of safety regulations. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Photographer Clyde Butcher is known for his sweeping, evocative black-and-white photos of Florida's Everglades. But when he first arrived in the Sunshine State almost 40 years ago, he looked around and couldn't find anything to photograph. "Flat. No mountains. No waterfalls. Boring. I didn't do anything for almost the first two years," he said. Butcher, who had previously lived in California and photographed landscapes there, wasn't impressed by Florida as a creative subject. But in 1982, he made a trip to St. Petersburg and visited the Salvador Dali museum, where a collection of the Spanish artist's work was on display. Clyde Butcher gestures as he gives a description of one of his photographs during the opening of his "Clyde Butcher, Visions of Dali's Spain" exhibit, at the Salvador Dali Museum Friday, June 15, 2018, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The new exhibit features photographs of the places in Spain where Dali lived, shot by Butcher, a photographer renowned for his pictures of the Florida Everglades. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) "He inspired me," Butcher said with a grin, adding that Dali's work led him to do some "creative, outer-space type stuff." Not long after that, Butcher picked up his camera and began shooting photos of Florida's cypress stands, of swamps and secluded beaches. Butcher's latest work is an homage to the surrealist master. It brings Butcher's career in Florida full circle. The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg commissioned Butcher to travel to Spain to capture Cadaques, Portlligat, Figueres and Cap de Creus - areas where Dali spent his early years, and where he died. The result is the exhibit "Clyde Butcher: Visions of Dali's Spain," and it's a stark, moody show of the rugged, rocky landscapes of Spain's Costa Brava. In the show's 41 photographs, viewers can see what inspired Dali - no small feat given his fantastical and often outrageous artistic imagination. Butcher's photos are almost a starting point for Dali's paintings across the hall in the museum. You can see how certain rocks perched on cliffs look like the skulls that Dali painted, for example, and how light and shadows influenced Dali's visions. Butcher, who has been called the Ansel Adams of the Everglades because of his large-scale, sharp monochromatic landscape images, started his photography career in California. Going to Spain, he said, reminded him of California. "It was like I was back in Monterey, Point Lobos. It felt like home. We lived in Newport Beach on a sailboat," said Butcher, during a media tour of the exhibit. His images from Spain are similar in scale to his Florida works, and he draws parallels between his photos and Dali's paintings. "I'm probably quite similar actually. My pictures are created so you can walk into them. He created these experiences with his paintings, that they were very similar. That inspired me to do that weird stuff. It got me to look at nature in a different way." One of the first photos a visitor sees in the new exhibit is a wide picture of an inlet in Cadaques, with a small, lone wooden sailboat on the beach. "I think I was there every day, about four and five times, back and forth, to the same spot. A lot of times you find a nice spot, but the light's not right, the sky's not right," he said. That obsession of light and sky, of shadows and clouds, consumed Butcher while he was in Spain. "One day, it was just blue sky. Blahhhh," he said. "The next day we woke up and it was nice and storming, and I said, it's a good time to go," he said. In many of his Florida photos, Butcher uses a large-format view camera, in which the lens forms an inverted image on a ground glass screen directly at the plane of the film. In Spain, he went digital, using a Sony camera. Butcher's assignment in Spain happened prior to his March 2017 stroke. He's now almost fully recovered and is back to doing events. ___ If You Go... CLYDE BUTCHER: VISIONS OF DALI'S SPAIN: At the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, through Nov. 25, http://thedali.org/exhibit/clyde-butcher-visions-dalis-spain/. Butcher will attend events at the museum and will sign books about the exhibit on June 30, Sept. 29 and Nov. 3. ___ Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tamaralush Clyde Butcher smiles as he takes part in an interview during the opening of his "Clyde Butcher, Visions of Dali's Spain" exhibit, at the Salvador Dali Museum Friday, June 15, 2018, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The new exhibit features photographs of the places in Spain where Dali lived, shot by Butcher, a photographer renowned for his pictures of the Florida Everglades. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Clyde Butcher gestures as he speaks about one of his photographs during the opening of his "Clyde Butcher, Visions of Dali's Spain" exhibit, at the Salvador Dali Museum Friday, June 15, 2018, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The new exhibit features photographs of the places in Spain where Dali lived, shot by Butcher, a photographer renowned for his pictures of the Florida Everglades. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Clyde Butcher sits in front of one of his photographs during the opening of his "Clyde Butcher, Visions of Dali's Spain" exhibit, at the Salvador Dali Museum Friday, June 15, 2018, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The new exhibit features photographs of the places in Spain where Dali lived, shot by Butcher, a photographer renowned for his pictures of the Florida Everglades. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Clyde Butcher, left, and Peter Tush, Museum Curator of Education, enter a gallery during the opening of the "Clyde Butcher, Visions of Dali's Spain" exhibit, at the Salvador Dali Museum Friday, June 15, 2018, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The new exhibit features photographs of the places in Spain where Dali lived, shot by Butcher, a photographer renowned for his pictures of the Florida Everglades. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Clyde Butcher, wearing his signature cowboy hat, watches as Peter Tush, right, Museum Curator of Education, gives a description of one of his photographs during the opening of his "Clyde Butcher, Visions of Dali's Spain" exhibit, at the Salvador Dali Museum Friday, June 15, 2018, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The new exhibit features photographs of the places in Spain where Dali lived, shot by Butcher, a photographer renowned for his pictures of the Florida Everglades. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A funeral will be held for fashion designer Kate Spade this week in Kansas City, where she was born. The Kansas City Star reports that services for Spade are planned for 3 p.m. Thursday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church. Her father, Frank Brosnahan, says it's the same church where Spade's grandparents wed. Spade was found dead by suicide on June 5 in her New York City home. She was 55 and had a teenage daughter and husband. FILE - In this May 13, 2004 file photo, the late designer Kate Spade poses with shoes from her next collection in New York. The funeral for Spade will be held on Thursday, June 21, 2018 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church in Kansas City, Mo. Spade was found dead by suicide on June 5 in her New York City home. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) Spade was working as an accessories editor at Mademoiselle magazine when she launched her company with husband Andy Spade in 1993. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or a Kansas City animal shelter. MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) - A 48-year-old man serving life in prison for killing a jogger in 2014 was sentenced to another mandatory life term on Monday for the kidnapping and slaying of a Michigan gas station clerk a year earlier. Jeffrey Willis cried as he told a Muskegon County courtroom that he was innocent in the case of 25-year-old Jessica Heeringa, who went missing in 2013 from a gas station in Norton Shores, near Grand Rapids. Her body hasn't been found. Investigators said Willis was linked to both cases after he tried to kidnap a third victim in 2016, when police found a gun, rope, handcuffs, syringes and other items in his van. Jeffrey Willis wipes tears from his face after speaking to the courtroom before being sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2013 murder and kidnapping of Jessica Heeringa on Monday, June 18, 2018, at the Muskegon County Courthouse in Muskegon, Mich. In November of 2017 Willis was found guilty of murdering Rebekah Bletsch in April of 2014. (Joel Bissell/Muskegon Chronicle via AP) Reading from prepared notes, Willis told Circuit Judge William Marietti that he didn't get a fair trial. He said he wanted to "set the record straight" and "to release pent up frustration for what I see is a failure of our justice system." Prosecutor D.J. Hilson said Willis showed no remorse and was "probably one of the most dangerous men" he had ever encountered. "I'm going to sleep very well tonight knowing that Mr. Willis will never see the light of day," Hilson told the judge. Willis was convicted last year of fatally shooting Rebekah Bletsch as she jogged along a rural road in Muskegon County's Dalton Township in 2014. Her body later was found by someone passing by. Willis was arrested in 2016 after a teenager said he tried to kidnap her. The arrest jump-started investigations of the unsolved Bletsch homicide and the disappearance of Heeringa. The gun found in his van was later was identified as the weapon used to kill Bletsch. Police also found a computer file titled "VICS" with Bletsch's initials and her date of death. Willis is expected to stand trial in the teen's attempted kidnapping. MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's governmental human rights commission says there has been "an unusual increase" in killings of police and soldiers in recent months, and is calling for better investigation of their deaths. The commission said Monday the majority of the killings have gone unpunished. The commission condemned the killing of six police officers Friday in the central state of Puebla by suspected fuel thieves. In April, gunmen attacked a state police convoy in the southern state of Guerrero, killing six officers. Demonstrations in several states against police and military presence in recent months have grown violent, and some of the protests may have been infiltrated by gang members or sympathizers. MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday to discuss Syria, North Korea and plans for future U.S.-Russian contacts. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov and Pompeo focused on the Syrian settlement and also talked about "consolidating efforts to solve the problems of the Korean Peninsula." It added that they also discussed "some aspects of bilateral relations, including the schedule of political contacts between Russia and the U.S. for the near future." U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Pompeo emphasized the need to adhere to a cease-fire approved by the U.S. and Russia last year. She said Pompeo told Lavrov it was "critical" for Russia and Syria to "adhere to these arrangements" and "ensure no unilateral activity in the area." CHICAGO (AP) - A 17-year-old Chicago boy shot several times in the head was mistaken for dead and covered with a sheet until bystanders noticed him moving and told paramedics. Chicago Fire Department officials are trying to determine how the mix-up happened after the early Monday shooting that left one dead and five wounded. Paramedics administered CPR to the boy, who was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago said investigators are trying to piece together the decision making leading to the teenager being mistaken for dead. Police say a woman whose name hasn't been released was pronounced dead at the scene. They say the gunfire erupted after two cars circled a party near the University of Illinois-Chicago campus. Police said none of the surviving shooting victims are cooperating with investigators. SANAA, Yemen (AP) - Yemeni rights advocates are reporting that two of the country's most prominent activists have been detained and taken to an undisclosed location at an airport in western Yemen. The advocates, including Tawakol Karman, who won the Noble Prize for Peace in 2011, denounced the arrest of Radhya al-Mutawakel and Abdul Rasheed al-Faqih at Sayoun airport on Monday. "This is an attempt to silence the voices of dissent," said Baraa Shiban, another Yemeni rights activist. He called the arrests illegal. The airport is under the control of the Yemeni government and a Saudi-led coalition, who battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels that control northern Yemen. The detained duo runs Sanaa-based Mwatana for Human Rights which documents abuses by both sides in the country's civil war. Airport authorities declined to comment their arrest. WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI is determined to not repeat any of the mistakes identified in a harshly critical watchdog report on the handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, Director Chris Wray said Monday at a congressional hearing at which he repeatedly sought to distance himself from his predecessor. Wray told lawmakers that the FBI accepted the findings of the inspector general's report and has begun making changes, including about how it handles especially sensitive investigations. The FBI is also reinforcing through employee training the need to avoid the appearance of political bias, a key point of criticism in last week's report, and has referred employees singled out by the watchdog to the agency's investigative arm for possible discipline. The report "makes clear that we have significant work to do, and as I said, we're going to learn from the report and be better as a result," Wray said, even as Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee pounced on its findings to allege rampant bias within the FBI. FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, appeared alongside Wray and repeated the report's central conclusions that the Clinton investigation was plagued by leadership missteps though its outcome was not tainted by political bias. The report blasted FBI actions during the 2016 investigation into whether Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, had mishandled classified information on her private email server when she was secretary of state. It said anti-Donald Trump text messages exchanged by FBI employees who worked on the investigation cast a cloud on the agency's handling of the probe and damaged its reputation. It also said that fired FBI Director James Comey repeatedly broke from protocol, including when he publicly announced his recommendation against charging Clinton and when he bucked the judgment of Justice Department bosses by alerting Congress months later that the investigation was being reopened because of newly discovered emails. Republicans, increasingly skeptical of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential coordination between Russia and Trump's Republican presidential campaign, said Monday they weren't convinced by the report's conclusion that the decision to spare Clinton from criminal charges was free from bias, or by reassurances that the problems were limited to just a handful of employees. Trump himself had eagerly awaited the inspector general's report in hopes that criticism of Comey and the FBI could discredit Mueller's investigation. "There is a serious problem with the culture at FBI headquarters," said Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch. The Republican committee chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, drew a contrast between what he said were aggressive actions taken during Mueller's investigation and the "kid-glove treatment" that Grassley maintained had occurred during the Clinton investigation. "The Justice Department faces a serious credibility problem because millions of Americans suspect that there is a double standard," Grassley said. "They see a story of kid-glove treatment for one side and bare-knuckle tactics for the other. They see politics in that story." Though not agreeing with those characterizations, Wray said he accepted that the FBI had made mistakes. He repeatedly chided Comey's judgment, saying, "There are a number of things that I probably would have done differently." He also said he could not imagine a scenario in which he would have unilaterally announced his charging decision at a news conference, as Comey did on July 5, 2016. The report was the culmination of a nearly 18-month investigation by the Justice Department's internal watchdog into how the FBI handled one of the most consequential investigations in its history. But Horowitz indicated that his work is not done: He confirmed that the office is investigating Comey's handling of personal memos he maintained as FBI director, including one whose substance was shared with journalists by a friend and law school professor after Comey's May 2017 firing. He's also investigating the origins of the FBI investigation into Trump's campaign, including whether surveillance was conducted under improper motivations. Asked whether the office was still investigating improper leaks, including to Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani - who claimed to know in advance about damaging revelations against Clinton - Horowitz said, "As we note in the report, our investigative work's still ongoing." Horowitz said there are lessons to be learned from the 500-page report, including about respecting an institution's hierarchy and norms. "No rule, policy or practice is perfect, of course," Horowitz said. "But at the same time, neither is any individual's ability to make judgments under pressure or what may seem like unique circumstances." He also rejected several assertions made by Trump before and after the report's release. The president has claimed the document exonerated him, even though it did not evaluate whether his campaign colluded with Russia, and before that publicly questioned whether the inspector general was watering down its findings because of political pressure. "We followed normal processes, we took comments ... it was not made weaker or softer in any regard," Horowitz said. Horowitz said he was especially troubled by anti-Trump text messages between an FBI agent and an FBI lawyer who worked on the Clinton investigation and were both on Mueller's team. In one August 2016 text, the agent, Peter Strzok, said, "We'll stop it," in reference to a possible Trump victory. The inspector general brought those texts to Mueller's attention. Strzok was dropped from the team last summer. "That should not be downplayed by anybody," Horowitz said of the texts. "I can't think of something more concerning than a law enforcement officer suggesting that they're going to try and use or may use their powers to affect an election." Strzok's lawyer has said his client's work wasn't driven by political views and that Strzok is willing to testify before Congress. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, left, and FBI Director Christopher Wray wait to testify as the Senate Judiciary Committee examines the internal report of the FBI's Clinton email probe and the role of former FBI Director James Comey's actions during the 2016 presidential campaign, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, June 18, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, left, and FBI Director Christopher Wray, arrive to testify as the Senate Judiciary Committee examines the internal report of the FBI's Clinton email probe and the role of former FBI Director James Comey's actions during the 2016 presidential campaign, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, June 18, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, left, and FBI Director Christopher Wray arrive to testify as the Senate Judiciary Committee examines the internal report of the FBI's Clinton email probe and the role of former FBI Director James Comey's actions during the 2016 presidential campaign, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, June 18, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, center, and FBI Director Christopher Wray, right arrive to testify as the Senate Judiciary Committee examines the internal report of the FBI's Clinton email probe and the role of former FBI Director James Comey's actions during the 2016 presidential campaign, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, June 18, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) FBI Director Christopher Wray, left, and Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, are sworn in for a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) FBI Director Christopher Wray listens as he testifies during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray prepare to testify during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) FBI Director Christopher Wray, left, listens to an aide before a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, left, and FBI Director Christopher Wray button their jackets as they stand to be sworn in during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, left, and FBI Director Christopher Wray are sworn in by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, foreground, during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, left, shakes hands with FBI Director Christopher Wray as Wray and Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz arrive for a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, left, and FBI Director Christopher Wray arrive for a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, left, and FBI Director Christopher Wray arrive for a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, left, directs FBI Director Christopher Wray and Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz to their seats as they arrive for a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., far right, joined by, from left, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the ranking member, questions Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray during a hearing to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, center, speaks during a committee hearing to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz testifies during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) FBI Director Christopher Wray speaks during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine Horowitz's report of the FBI's Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 18, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) WASHINGTON (AP) - Thousands of children split from their families at the U.S. southern border are being held in government-run facilities. A look at how we got here, what's real and what's not, and what might happen next. HOW DID WE GET HERE? Tens of thousands of parents and children, mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, have been caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in recent years with stories of fleeing drug cartels, extreme poverty and gang violence. The U.S. can't send them back over the border unless they are Mexican citizens, and instead must refer their case to an immigration judge. In this photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, people who've been taken into custody related to cases of illegal entry into the United States, rest in one of the cages at a facility in McAllen, Texas, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Rio Grande Valley Sector via AP) In 2008, President George W. Bush focused on the problem of minors crossing the border without their parents and signed a law unanimously passed by Congress that called for such "unaccompanied minors" to be released into the "least restrictive setting." By 2014, President Barack Obama was facing an influx of both children traveling alone and families as a result of violence in Central America. At one point, his administration tried housing the families in special detention centers. But after a federal judge in California ruled the arrangement violated a long-standing agreement barring kids from jail-like settings, even with their parents, the government began releasing families in to the U.S. pending notification of their next court date. Fast forward to Trump, who campaigned on building a border wall, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who derided these longtime U.S. immigration practices as "catch and release." Trump and Sessions insisted that people exploit the system, even traveling with children to ensure they aren't jailed and slipping away before their court dates. SO DID U.S. POLICY CHANGE OR NOT? Yes. While Trump's new immigration policy doesn't call for families to be separated, as pointed out by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the policy makes separations inevitable. Following Trump's election, then-Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly - now Trump's White House chief of staff - floated the idea of separating families as a way to discourage illegal border crossings. But much of the administration's focus went into a travel ban aimed at Muslim-majority nations. By this April, Sessions announced a plan: The U.S. would have "zero tolerance" for illegal crossings. If a person doesn't arrive at an appropriate port of entry to claim asylum, the crossing is deemed illegal and prosecuted even if the person does not have a criminal history. With the adult detained and facing prosecution, any minors accompanying them are taken away. Nielsen has muddied the debate by insisting that children will only be separated in narrow circumstances, including if the adult has broken the law. That falsely leaves the impression that only children traveling with gang members or other violent criminals will be separated. But under U.S. law, the act of crossing the border without proper documentation itself is a crime and would trigger a separation, unless a person can find a designated port of entry and claims asylum. The result is that in the six weeks following Sessions' announcement, nearly 2,000 minors were separated from adults at the border. DID THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ALSO SEPARATE FAMILIES AT THE BORDER? Nielsen said Monday that separating families at the border is "not new" and that it happened in the Bush and Obama administrations, albeit to a lesser degree. Make that a much lesser degree. Gil Kerlikowske, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner from early 2014 to the end of Obama's term, said parents were split from their children if they were arrested - maybe on a drug charge - or had an outstanding warrant. But, he writes, the number of separations was "minuscule" considering how many people were coming at the time. Kerlikowske oversaw the border agency in the summer of 2014, when Central American families and children overwhelmed U.S. inspectors in greater numbers than today. WHAT DO DEMOCRATS HAVE TO DO WITH IT? Not much, except that they seem to be seizing on the issue to press Republicans to break from the president ahead of the midterm elections. Trump has repeatedly said Democrats are to blame and cited a "horrible law" that separates families. But no law mandates that parents must be separated from their children at the border, and it's not a policy Democrats have pushed or can change alone as the minority in Congress. (That 2008 law signed by Bush dealt only with unaccompanied minors, not families.) Perhaps a bigger obstacle is that Republicans, currently in control of Congress, have been deeply divided on immigration. Moderate Republicans have been trying to negotiate a plan that would reduce family separations and also open a door to citizenship for young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and who stayed illegally. But many hardline conservatives are leery of any legislation that would protect from deportation immigrants who arrived illegally, calling it "amnesty" and complicating the GOP's ability to pass legislation in both the House and reach the needed 60 votes in the Senate. Some Democrats have speculated that Trump is using the humanitarian crisis as leverage to negotiate a tougher immigration bill, an assertion the White House has rejected. But White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Monday that any crisis belongs to Democrats because they are the ones who rejected Trump's initial immigration plan. "It's a dangerous situation for this country and it's all on the backs of the Democrats," he told Fox News. WHAT'S THIS ABOUT THE BIBLE? Last week, Sessions cited the Bible in defending the policy. "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," he said. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended Sessions' use of the Bible saying "it is biblical to enforce the law." But one longtime Trump ally, the Rev. Franklin Graham, rejected the zero-tolerance policy as "disgraceful," while former first lady Laura Bush called the practice "cruel" and "immoral." In this photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a U.S. Border Patrol agent watches as people who've been taken into custody related to cases of illegal entry into the United States, stand in line at a facility in McAllen, Texas, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Rio Grande Valley Sector via AP) Protestors clash with law enforcement outside the Ernest Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La. Monday, June 18, 2018 after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke at the National Sheriffs' Association opening session. Protestors were against the detainment and separation of immigrant children from the parents on the U.S. Border. The National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) is a trade organization of law enforcement professionals representing more than 3,000 elected sheriffs across the nation. (Matthew Hinton/The Advocate via AP) 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) LOS ANGELES (AP) - Former Mexico President Vicente Fox, who calls himself a soldier in the global campaign to legalize marijuana, is joining the board of directors of venerable cannabis publication High Times to advance his agenda. Speaking with The Associated Press about his views on cannabis and his new appointment, Fox said he foresees a day when a robust legal marketplace will produce new jobs and medicines while sharply reducing cartel violence in his home country. He also sees pot being part of the North American Free Trade Agreement among Mexico, Canada and the U.S., where some 30 states are embracing legalized marijuana in some form. File - In this July 18, 2013, file photo, Mexico's former president Vicente Fox speaks during a news conference on the first day of the U.S.-Mexico Symposium on Legalization and Medical Use of Cannabis in San Francisco del Rincon, Mexico. Former Mexican President Vincente Fox calls himself a soldier in the global campaign to legalize marijuana, and he foresees a day when the marketplace will deliver an array of benefits from sharply reduced cartel violence in his home country to new jobs and medicines. He's taking a new post to advance his message on the board of High Times, one of the longstanding brands in cannabis media. (AP Photo/Mario Armas, File) Fox's appointment to the magazine's board points to the growing acceptance of the once-scorned industry. Earlier this year, former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, reversed his long-held position against legalization and became an adviser to a cannabis company. WHY GO LEGAL? Reason one, Fox says, is freedom, "which is maybe the highest value that human beings have." "I don't think that governments will ever have the capacity to impose behaviors, to impose conduct, to human beings. At the very end, prohibitions don't work. What works is your own free decision." Then, it's history. "The war on drugs has been a total failure" since the days of former President Richard Nixon, Fox concludes. Fox also cites the experience in Mexico, where tens of thousands of killings have been attributed to drug violence. The trend toward legalization "is moving out of a crime activity, a criminal activity that causes death and blood on the streets, into a business, an industry, that is proving every day that it is sustainable," Fox says. "To me, marijuana, cannabis, it's only the first steps. At the very end, these principles that I spoke about apply to all drugs." WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE AT HIGH TIMES? "Well, I am a soldier, in the sense of being an activist, working for this new future, working to break the paradigm," he says. "In short, joining together those who believe in this future." THE LESSON OF MEXICO Mexico has legalized medicinal marijuana, but Fox says regulations are needed to put the change into effect. With legalization spreading in the U.S., and Canada expected to broadly legalize cannabis later this year, Fox is eager to see Mexico follow suit. "We have to come up to where the United States is," he says. "This is happening in several key states throughout the union, and also like other world nations are doing, like Holland, like Portugal, Uruguay, so Mexico has to be updated on this public policy." If Mexico takes the next step to full legalization "one of the things that I'm absolutely convinced that will happen in Mexico is that we'll take away half of the money that cartels get from selling drugs in the United States, and that half of the money will reduce the amount of guns and ammunition bought by the cartels." COULD MARIJUANA BECOME PART OF THE NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT? Yes, Fox says. Once it's a legal industry and a legal farming product, "it should form part of NAFTA," Fox says. "It's another product that can enhance our private sector, corporations, farmers, retailers ... so it should happen. We should promote it." HOW CAN THE U.S. RECONCILE THE CONFLICT BETWEEN FEDERAL LAW, WHICH SEES POT AS ILLEGAL, AND STATE LAWS THAT PERMIT USE? The only fix, Fox says, is to change policy at the federal level. However, "I'm not appealing to ... (President Donald) Trump because he never understands anything," Fox says. Fox believes members of Congress should visit states where marijuana has been legalized. "Go around California, visit Washington state, visit Colorado. Look at the successful stories ... Look at the amount of taxes that are being collected, look at the peaceful and harmonious way this new industry is being grown." "We need ... Congress to pay attention to this." Fox says. THE BLACK MARKET CONTINUES TO THRIVE IN CALIFORNIA, DESPITE LEGALIZATION. WHAT CAN BE DONE? "The thing is, those criminals that used to have control of this industry in the United States are still there," Fox says. "This is one more reason why in the long term I think that all drugs should be legalized. ... But we must educate people. We must educate consumers. We must prevent the wrong things from happening." ____ Michael R. Blood is a member of AP's marijuana beat team. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MichaelRBloodAP. Find complete AP marijuana coverage here: apnews.com/tag/LegalMarijuana. LAS VEGAS (AP) - President Donald Trump will headline the Nevada Republican Party's convention on Saturday and also appear at a fundraiser with Republican U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, officials confirmed Monday. Heller is considered the most vulnerable Republican senator seeking re-election this year because he's the only one running in a state that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in 2016. Democrats face long odds to take control of the U.S. Senate in the November midterm election, but to do so, they would almost certainly have to flip Heller's seat. Heller's campaign spokesman Keith Schipper said Trump would appear at a fundraiser for the senator Saturday. He will also speak at the convention, which takes place Friday and Saturday at the Suncoast hotel-casino in northwest Las Vegas, the state Republican Party confirmed. FILE - In this Monday, June 18, 2018, file photo President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of the National Space Council in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Trump will be in Las Vegas on Saturday, June 23, 2018, to headline the Nevada Republican Party's annual convention and appear at a fundraiser with Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller, Nevada officials confirmed Monday, June 18. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) Details about Trump's speech were not immediately available. An invitation for the Heller fundraiser obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal shows donors will be offered a private photo reception with the president for $15,000 and a private roundtable with Trump for $50,000. Contributions for the event will raise money for the Nevada Republican Party, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Heller. Schipper confirmed the invitation posted by the newspaper is accurate. A time and location for the private event have not yet been released. "Sen. Heller looks forward to joining President Trump this weekend to talk about how their agenda has put more Nevadans to work, cut taxes on Nevada families, and helped our veterans access the care they have earned," Schipper said in a statement. Heller was a critic of Trump when he was running for president and clashed with him over health care last year, but they have since become allies. The president persuaded the senator's strongest primary challenger to drop out of the race, and Heller contends his re-election will stop Democrats from being able to impeach Trump. Heller breezed through the primary last week but faces a tough fight from Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen, a first-term congresswoman who was recruited to run for office by former Democratic Sen. Harry Reid. Democrats have an edge among registered voters in the swing state and are hoping a "blue wave" of backlash to the president will help carry them to victory in Nevada and around the country this November. If elected, Rosen would be a check on the Trump administration, spokeswoman Molly Forgey said in a statement. Heller "has spent the last year proving his loyalty to President Trump and letting Nevadans down by breaking his promises to protect our health care, passing a tax giveaway to his super-wealthy donors, and rejecting bipartisan solutions to protect our 'Dreamers,'" Forgey said, referring to young immigrants in the country illegally who were brought to the U.S. as children. ___ This story has been updated to clarify that Heller is considered the most vulnerable Republican senator seeking re-election. AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Jordan's King Abdullah II that he is committed to the status quo at holy sites in contested Jerusalem, trying to reassure the monarch in a rare meeting after months of strained relations. They held talks in Jordan ahead of a visit to the region this week by two senior Trump administration officials who are trying to promote a plan for an Israeli-Palestinian deal on partitioning the Holy Land, including Jerusalem. Details of the plan have not been released, but Palestinians fear they will get little more than a symbolic foothold in the holy city, after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital late last year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday June 17, 2018. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool via AP) The Palestinians, who seek Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as a future capital, have shunned contacts with U.S. officials since Trump's policy shift on Jerusalem which has also been rejected by Abdullah. Netanyahu refuses to relinquish any part of Jerusalem. Jordan also has a stake in east Jerusalem, serving as the custodian of major Muslim and Christian shrines there. Jerusalem's walled Old City, captured and annexed by Israel in 1967, is home to Muslim, Christian and Jewish holy sites. Netanyahu's office said the prime minister told Abdullah on Monday that Israel remains committed to the status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem. Abdullah told Netanyahu that the fate of Jerusalem must be determined in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and that a solution should be based on establishing a Palestinian state, with east Jerusalem as its capital, on lands Israel captured in 1967. Palestinian officials fear the Trump administration plan will leave them with a mini-state in the Gaza Strip, parts of the West Bank and a foothold in Jerusalem. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said he will reject any plan being floated by the Trump team, arguing that the U.S. has forfeit its role as mediator because of decisions seen as pro-Israel. Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Jason Greenblatt are visiting Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia this week to discuss the plan. The Netanyahu-Abdullah meeting came after almost a year of strained relations. Last July, an Israeli guard at the Israeli embassy in Amman shot and killed two Jordanians, saying one, a teenager, had tried to attack him with a screwdriver and that a second person was hit in the crossfire. Netanyahu arranged a hero's welcome for the guard, angering the Jordanians. Abdullah lashed out at Netanyahu at the time, saying everyone in the kingdom was "infuriated" by what he called "unacceptable and provocative behavior," presumably by Netanyahu. Diplomatic relations were repaired only gradually, with a new Israeli ambassador recently moving into the embassy in Amman. HALLE, Germany (AP) - Seeded players Dominic Thiem, Roberto Bautista Agut and Kei Nishikori all came through their first-round matches at the Gerry Weber Open on Monday. The third-seeded Thiem hit 19 aces as he defeated Russian qualifier Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (5), 6-2 for a second-round meeting with Yuichi Sugita. The 52nd-ranked Japanese player defeated German wild card Maximilian Marterer 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. The fourth-seeded Bautista Agut had little difficulty in beating Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-1, and the seventh-seeded Nishikori opened his grass-court campaign by beating qualifier Matthias Bachinger 6-3, 7-6 (3). Roberto Bautista-Agut returns the ball to Jan-Lennard Struff, during their match at the ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany, Monday June 18, 2018. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via AP) Bautista Agut next faces Robin Haase of the Netherlands, who defeated Joao Sousa of Portugal 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. American qualifier Denis Kudla also progressed by beating Lukas Lacko 6-4, 6-4. Roberto Bautista-Agut returns the ball to Jan-Lennard Struff, during their match at the ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany, Monday June 18, 2018.Friso Gentsch/dpa via AP) Kei Nishikori returns the ball to Matthias Bachingerl during their match at the ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany, Monday June 18, 2018. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via AP) BANJUL, Gambia (AP) - Gambian police say two environmental activists were killed during protests against a sand mining company as they clashed with paramilitary forces. The Inspector General of Police said in a statement that clashes erupted early Monday between Gambian forces and activists in the town of Faraba Banta, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of the capital, Banjul. It said the discord led to the "regrettable death" of two activists and that the use of firearms by security personnel at the protest hadn't been authorized. Activists have been calling on the government to close down Julakay sand mining, alleging it is causing environmental damage. Many residents say the mining destroys their rice fields and farms, threatening their livelihoods. Police said in the statement they will investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths. BOSTON (AP) - Gov. Charlie Baker is reversing a decision to send a Massachusetts National Guard helicopter and crew to U.S.-Mexico border, citing the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents. The Republican governor called the policy of taking children from their parents as families arrive at the border "cruel and inhumane" and said he would put off the National Guard mission. "It's cruel and inhumane, and I told the National Guard to hold steady and not go down to the border - period," Baker told reporters. "So we won't be supporting that initiative unless they change their policy." The crew had been set to fly down later this month to work with federal officials to help track illegal activity along the border with Mexico. "They're not going to the border," Bakers said, adding that Massachusetts won't be participating until the family separation policy is changed. President Donald Trump on Monday pushed back against rising criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, again falsely blaming Democrats for the policy decision. "The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility," he said. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about Baker's decision Monday. "I haven't seen his comments specifically, but I would tell him that he should call every member of Congress, particularly those in his own state, and ask them to fix the laws," Sanders said. Massachusetts Democrats have joined calls to end the practice. On Sunday, U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy participated in a march in Texas to draw attention to a tent-like shelter to house hundreds of the minors near the Tornillo port of entry in far West Texas. The protest was led by Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke. Kennedy called the practice of family separation "monstrous," saying all families, and all children, deserve to be treated with dignity and decency. The Democrat said he attempted to visit the facility, but was denied entry. Jay Gonzalez, a Democrat hoping to unseat Baker in November, said Baker "should have never offered our state's resources to enforce Donald Trump's inhumane immigration policy in the first place." Baker said he understands the need to control the country's borders but hopes the administration will rethink its current policy. "Border security is important; no one disputes that. But separating kids from their families is not," Baker said. "They should change their policy. I'm hopeful with the voices that are coming out at this point and making that case that they'll consider alternatives to deal with border security." ___ See AP's complete coverage of the debate over the Trump administration's policy of family separation at the border: https://apnews.com/tag/Immigration BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Uncertainty loomed over Colombia's fragile peace deal on Monday with the victory of one of its most hawkish critics in a bruising presidential runoff that laid bare deep divisions in the South American nation as it emerges from decades of bloody conflict. Ivan Duque, a law-and-order disciple of a powerful former president, won Sunday's vote with a commanding 12-point lead over rival Gustavo Petro, a former rebel and ex-Bogota mayor. On the campaign trail, Duque repeatedly vowed to roll back benefits inscribed in the deal, such as demanding that rebel commanders behind scores of atrocities first confess to their war crimes and compensate victims before they are allowed to take up the congressional seats they have been promised in the accord. FILE - In this May 20, 2018 file photo, presidential candidate Ivan Duque acknowledges supporters during a campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia. Uncertainty loomed over Colombia's fragile peace deal on Monday, June 18, 2018, with Duque's victory, one of its most hawkish critics. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File) But once he takes office in August from the peace deal's architect, President Juan Manuel Santos, Duque is likely to tread softer if he wants to broaden his base of support and unite the country, analysts said. "Ironically, he has a chance to make the accords stronger by providing something the peace process has lacked from the outset: a national consensus," said Michael Shifter, a longtime observer of Colombia and president of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. This year's elections were the safest in generations, a testament to how far the country has already come in putting Latin America's longest-running conflict behind it. Not a single act of violence affected the campaign. In the final stretch before the vote, as victory seemed within reach, the pro-business Duque was already moderating some of his proposals, including a call to overturn a negotiated amnesty for rebels involved in drug trafficking. He also stressed that rank-and-file guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia would have his full support in making their transition to civilian life. While Santos didn't endorse any candidate and has feuded with Duque's mentor, former President Alvaro Uribe, throughout his eight years in office, two of Santos' advisers on the peace process have quietly migrated to the Duque camp in recent months, which is likely to make for a smoother transition. "This is the opportunity that we have been waiting for," the 41-year-old Duque said in his victory speech, playing up his youth - he is the youngest Colombian president ever elected in a popular vote - and pledging "to turn the page on the politics of polarization, insults and venom." His biggest challenge will be reining in the pressure from conservative allies. As a senator Duque earned a reputation for being a thoughtful, cordial adversary who frequently stretched his hand across the aisle, but some of his prominent backers are outright hostile to the FARC. Hours after his victory, congresswoman Maria Fernanda Cabal blasted on social media: "The FARC lost. Colombia won!" One unknown is how much influence Uribe will wield. Duque was elected to Colombia's Senate in 2014 barely two months after returning to Colombia from Washington, where he had worked for more than a decade at a development bank, thanks to Uribe's endorsement. Throughout his presidential campaign, he was dogged by accusations that he would be little more than a puppet for Uribe, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. Though praised for weakening the FARC and drawing record foreign investment, Uribe has also been blamed for the military's killing of thousands of civilians who were falsely accused of being rebels. "He will have to make some adjustments to the accord, if only to placate Uribe and other hard-liners and avoid being labeled a traitor," Shifter said. "But these could be relatively modest and not put the entire peace effort at risk." It's also not clear how much leeway there is to make changes to the 310-page accord that put a formal end to a conflict that caused more than 250,000 deaths. Colombia's constitutional court has declared some aspects of the agreement irreversible. For Duque to prevail in his call for substantive "corrections" that deliver "peace with justice," he'll likely need to build political support in Congress that he currently lacks to pass a constitutional reform. Among the rebels there is concern - and some goodwill. The FARC has already accepted changes to the accord once before, after the original deal was rejected by voters led by Uribe in a referendum. After Sunday's election victory, ex-guerrilla leader Rodrigo Londono immediately congratulated Duque and said Colombians should work together because "the road of hope is open." "The truth is we're worried," said Elkin Sepulveda, who joined the FARC at 15 and is now trying to launch an organization to help ex-combatants disabled during the conflict. He's living in a rural camp in northern Colombia where some 200 rebels are catching up on their studies and learning new skills needed to reintegrate into civilian life. Even before the election, implementation of the accord had been slow going and rebel commanders have complained that the recent arrest of a former rebel peace negotiator on U.S. drug charges could lead some of the 7,000 fighters who've surrendered their weapons to join dissident rebel factions or criminal gangs that have proliferated in former FARC-dominated areas. "We hope that the next government complies with the peace accords," said Virginia Lobo, a FARC militant living in the same camp. "Nobody wants to return to war." In addition to dealing with the rebels, Duque will have to contend with a weak economy, a migration crisis spurred by neighboring Venezuela's collapse and a boom in illegal coca crops that has tested traditionally close relations with the U.S. As part of the peace process, Santos had been betting heavily on a coca crop substitution program that has so far failed to reduce the supply of cocaine, leading the Trump administration to warn last year that it could decertify Colombia as a partner in the war on drugs. Last week, the government said the amount of land dedicated to coca production surged 23 percent last year, to 180,000 hectares, a level unseen in decades. In March, Duque said he'd bring back a controversial aerial coca eradication program that Santos ended over health concerns. In his victory speech on Sunday, he said the rise in coca production threatens Colombia's national security. "Duque has the opportunity to be sort of like Nixon going to China," said Bernard Aronson, who was the Obama administration's special envoy to the Colombia peace talks. "I think he's smart enough to know that not to pursue a pragmatic route could start his presidency off with a big crisis." ___ Associated Press writer Manuel Rueda in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report. FILE - In this May 12, 2018 file photo, a supporters of Ivan Duque, presidential candidate for Democratic Center party, waves a Colombian flag during a campaign rally in Soacha, in the outskirts of Bogota, Colombia. This year's elections were the safest in generations, a testament to how far the country has already come in putting Latin America's longest-running conflict behind it. Not a single act of violence affected the campaign. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File) FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2016 file photo, Colombia's former President Alvaro Uribe reads a statement after meeting with President Juan Manuel Santos at the presidential palace in Bogota, Colombia. Pictured right is Ivan Duque who was elected to Colombia's Senate in 2014 barely two months after returning to Colombia from Washington, where he had worked for more than a decade at a development bank, thanks to Uribe's endorsement. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File) FILE - In this June 10, 2018 file photo, a supporter of presidential candidate Ivan Duque attends his campaign rally in Armenia, Colombia. Duque, a law-and-order disciple of a powerful former president, won the Sundau, June 17, 2018 vote with a commanding 12-point lead over rival Gustavo Petro, a former rebel and ex-Bogota mayor. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File) FILE - In this June, 27, 2017 file photo, Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos, left, talks with Rodrigo Londono, also known as Timochenko, the top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, during an act to commemorate the completion of the disarmament process in Buenavista, Colombia. Uncertainty loomed over Colombia's fragile peace deal on Monday, June 18, 2018, with the victory of one of its most hawkish critics in a bruising presidential runoff. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File) FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2016 file photo, a supporter of the peace deal with rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, left, argues with an opponent of the peace deal, in downtown Bogota, Colombia, after the country's president and a top FARC leader signed a revised peace pact at a nearby theater. An original accord ending the half century conflict was rejected by voters in a referendum the month before. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia) FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2016 file photo, Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos signs a modified peace accord with rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, in Bogota, Colombia. Newly-elected President Ivan Duque repeatedly vowed to roll back benefits inscribed in the deal while on the campaign trail. In the final stretch before the vote, as victory seemed within reach, the pro-business Duque was already moderating some of his proposals. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File) SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) - Sen. Bernie Sanders may not be endorsing his own son's congressional bid, but he rallied on a hot Monday night in Maryland to fire up voters for Ben Jealous' campaign for governor. The senator known for his reluctance to endorse politicians joined the former NAACP president outside an early voting center in Silver Spring, Maryland. "I am proud to be here because Ben is one of those leaders who is not going to be nibbling around the edges, but understands we have got to transform the economic and political life of this country," Sanders said in a plaza outside the voting center as a crowd of supporters cheered. Jealous stood by his side. Although Sanders isn't endorsing his son Levi's bid for a New Hampshire congressional seat, he has endorsed Jealous. Jealous has been tied in recent polls with Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker in Maryland's Democratic primary to challenge popular Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1. Jealous and Sanders share support for tuition-free college and expanding Medicare to all. Sanders also praised Jealous for supporting a $15 minimum wage and equal pay for equal work. Sanders also said he wanted to see Jealous become governor to be a loud voice against President Donald Trump in nearby Washington. "And when the president of the United States continues to do outrageous things, like separating children from their parents, I want Mr. Trump to hear Ben Jealous' loud voice," Sanders said as supporters, many of them young adults, cheered. The forced separation of migrant children from their parents fueled a weekend of intense criticism of Trump's immigration policies. Sanders endorsed California Rep. Jimmy Gomez last year in his successful congressional campaign. He also endorsed Virginia's Tom Perriello, who failed to win the Democratic nomination for governor there. Jealous has received endorsements from other progressive lawmakers, including Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California. Baker has been endorsed by Maryland officials who have worked with him during his two terms as county executive of Maryland's second-most-populated county and before that, when he was a delegate in the Maryland General Assembly. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Attorney General Brian Frosh have endorsed Baker, as has former Gov. Martin O'Malley. Polls have shown Jealous and Baker are in a close race, with considerable distance between the other candidates in a crowded Democratic primary for governor. Early voting began Thursday in Maryland and runs through this Thursday. The primary is June 26. WASHINGTON (AP) - Alaska resident John Sturgeon is getting a second crack at the Supreme Court in his fight to get his hovercraft back on the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. The justices agreed Monday to review a federal appeals court ruling that sided with the National Park Service and against Sturgeon. Sturgeon sued the Park Service in 2011 after it told him to stop operating his hovercraft on a stretch of the Nation river that passes through the federally created preserve. The dispute is over whether the federal government or Alaska has authority over the river inside the boundaries of the preserve. Sturgeon won an earlier round at the Supreme Court in 2016. The new case will be argued in the fall. ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Passions ran high Monday as Minnesota regulators opened a key hearing on a final decision on Enbridge Energy's proposal to replace its deteriorating Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota. A crowd about evenly divided between supporters and opponents lined up early in the morning for limited seating. People held signs outside that read "Minnesotans for Line 3" or "No Pipelines - Keep it in the Ground" and "Love Water, Not Oil." The crowd grew to over 200 by the time the Public Utilities Commission began hearing final arguments in the long-running proceedings. The five-member commission plans to decide next week whether the project is needed and, if so, what route it should take. Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge built the current Line 3 in the 1960s. It carries light crude oil from Alberta across North Dakota and Minnesota to the company's terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. Enbridge said it needs replacing because it's increasingly subject to corrosion and cracking and is operating at only about half its original capacity. Tribal and climate change activists oppose the project because the replacement would carry Canadian tar sands oil, which contributes more to climate change than lighter oils, and because it would run through pristine areas in the Mississippi River headwaters area where Native Americans harvest wild rice and claim treaty rights. And they contend the country doesn't need the oil as it transitions more and more to cleaner energy. After countless public hearings and thousands of pages of filings, there was little new ground for the hearing to cover, though PUC Chair Nancy Lange said the statements would help the commissioners form their questions. Enbridge attorney Eric Swanson stressed in his testimony that a new state-of-the-art pipeline would be safer, while adding necessary capacity. "Certainly we feel passionately about the project and feel we're doing the responsible thing in bringing it forward," Swanson said. But Bill Grant, deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce, stood by his agency's conclusion last year that Minnesota doesn't need the oil, and that the risks and impacts of giving Enbridge the 340 miles of right-of-way it seeks across the state outweigh the benefits. As much as anything, opponents and supporters turned out for one last show of force. Among then was Margaret Breen, 20, of Minneapolis, one of 13 Youth Climate Intervenors, a group of teens and 20-somethings that has official standing in the proceedings. She said before testifying that she's been working to stop Line 3 for close to a year and a half, ever since she traveled to the Standing Rick Reservation in North Dakota to take part in protests against the Dakota Access pipeline. Those protests drew thousands of opponents in 2016 and 2017, with sometimes violent skirmishes with law enforcement and more than 700 arrests. "I'm feeling nervous and optimistic and I'm trying to balance the two," Breen said. "It's the culmination of a lot of hard work, so it's emotional." Nancy Noor, an executive with the utility Minnesota Power who is chairwoman of Jobs for Minnesotans, said her business-labor-community coalition feels strongly, too. "It's an important energy infrastructure project that not only protects the environment, but is important to the local economy along the route, and in a long-term sense ensures energy security for Minnesota and surrounding states," she said. Whatever the commission decides, the dispute is expected to wind up in court. Winona LaDuke, founder of Honor the Earth, said activists have already established camps in case they launch mass protests along the route like the ones at Standing Rock. OTTAWA, Ill. (AP) - Authorities have identified a Canadian skydiver who struck the ground and was killed southwest of Chicago after his parachute apparently became tangled. LaSalle County Undersheriff Mike Renner told The Associated Press on Monday that the skydiver who died Friday was 68-year-old Reginald Hurlbut, of Kamloops, British Columbia. He says Hurlbut's parachute opened but appeared to get tangled as it deployed and he couldn't get control of it. Hurlbut landed in a bean field near Ottawa, about 80 miles (128 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. He was pronounced dead at the scene. MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican authorities have arrested two members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of Mexico's most violent drug gangs. Omar Hamid Garcia, the head of the federal attorney general's criminal investigation unit, says marines and federal agents arrested Sergio Alan Caro Uribe and Juan Francisco Aguilar Santana, also known as "Juan Pistolas." Aguilar Santana was allegedly leader of a team of hit men and was in charge of drug and weapons distribution and recruitment for the cartel. Hamid said Monday that the gang members were arrested two weeks ago after raids in different municipalities in the western state of Jalisco. He says authorities seized different kinds of guns, around 3,000 bullets, marijuana and synthetic drugs. CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts Institute of Technology investigation cleared Pulitzer Prize-winning author and creative writing professor Junot Diaz to return to the classroom this fall. The inquiry into Diaz's actions toward female students and staff yielded no information that would lead to restrictions on Diaz's role as a faculty member at the university in Cambridge. Melissa Nobles, dean of MIT's School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and Edward Schiappa, section head for Comparative Media Studies/Writing, where Diaz is based, were involved in the internal investigation. They reached out to current students he had taught and had extensive conversations with Diaz and other professors. In this Sept. 3, 2013 photo, Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Diaz pauses during an interview in New York. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology investigation has cleared the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and creative writing professor to return to the classroom this fall. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) "To date, MIT has not found or received information that would lead us to take any action to restrict Professor Diaz in his role as an MIT faculty member, and we expect him to teach next academic year, as scheduled," said Kimberly Allen, director of media relations. Author Zinzi Clemmons and other female writers recently shared stories of Diaz's behavior. Clemmons said Diaz forcibly kissed her several years ago; others cited instances when they felt he had verbally attacked them. Diaz has said he takes responsibility for his past actions. Diaz has not commented on MIT's decision, but his agent said she is pleased with the outcome. ___ Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.bostonglobe.com TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A Florida circuit court has reinstated a stay on smoking medical marijuana. The state's 1st District Court of Appeal has ruled that the hold will remain in effect "pending final disposition of the merits of (a recent) appeal." The Department of Health appealed to a higher court earlier this month after Leon County Circuit Court Judge Karen Gievers upheld her May 25 ruling that the Florida Legislature's provision banning smokable medical marijuana is unconstitutional. This is the second medical marijuana case that the 1st District is taking up. Gievers ruled on April 11 that a Tampa man - Joseph Redner - is entitled under state law to possess, grow and use marijuana for juicing. Redner was prescribed juicing treatments from his doctor to prevent a relapse of Stage 4 lung cancer. A familys campaign to create the organ donor register has helped enable more than 18,000 life-saving and life-improving transplants to date. The Organ Donor Register was launched in 1994 after a successful five-year campaign by the Cox family from the West Midlands. Peter Cox, 24, had told his family about his wish to donate organs before his death from a brain tumour but the family were surprised to find there was no register for potential donors. Christine Cox, left, and her mother Rosemary Cox The family successfully lobbied the Government and, after extensive consultation and co-ordination, the register was launched on October 6 1994. NHS Blood and Transplant has thanked the Cox family for their campaign ahead of the 70th anniversary of the NHS next month and as the Government considers plans to introduce an opt out system instead of the current opt in. Figures show that 6,600 people who were on the register have become donors after their deaths since it was launched, leading to 18,000 transplants. There are now more than 25 million people on the NHS Organ Donor Register, representing 38% of the UK population. The centralised donor register allows specialist nurses to quickly and easily check if someone has indicated they wish to donate. The Cox family, from Wolverhampton, campaigned for the register in memory of Mr Cox after he died in 1989. The graduate civil engineer, who was working on the M40, died after a nine month illness due to an astrocytoma. His sister, Christine Cox, now 55, and living in London, said: When he knew he was dying, he told us that he wanted to donate his organs and it was up to us to make it happen. He was the most inspirational young man I have ever known. I miss him every day. He loved his family, he was very charitable. He was the life and soul of the party. He would have made a difference to the world. He is still an inspiration and he is still giving so much to so many people. The family had suggested introducing an opt out system then, but were told it would not reach legislation at that time and so they put their efforts into establishing the database. Today, the register is managed by a team of 10 based in Bristol. More than one million people join the register each year. Ben Hume, NHS Blood and Transplants head of transplant support services, said: Were so grateful to the Cox family for their tireless work. The NHS70 celebrations are not just about recognising NHS staff but members of the public who have worked to save lives. If a family knows that their relative wanted to save lives and was on the register it can be so much easier for them to support this. If their relative had not registered, the family is still approached about donation and asked to make a decision at a very difficult time on their relatives behalf. So we urge people who support the life-saving power of organ donation to join the NHS Organ Donor Register and tell their families they want to donate. Visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk to join the organ register. Theresa May was under pressure to say how plans to give the NHS an extra 384 million a week will be paid for as she delivers a key note speech on health funding. The Prime Ministers claim that a Brexit dividend will help fund the 3.4% increase in spending was widely attacked as unrealistic even by some Conservatives. And Mrs May has so far refused to be drawn on whether stealth taxes, such as delaying rises in income tax thresholds, and higher borrowing will fund the planned raising of the health budget by 20 billion a year in real terms by 2024. Cabinet meeting Tory chairwoman of the Commons Health Committee Sarah Wollaston branded talk of a Brexit bonanza tosh as she said voters were being treated like fools. Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Paul Johnson, also said the so-called windfall from EU withdrawal would not materialise when the UK stopped paying more than 9 billion a year to Brussels due to the divorce bill of some 39 billion, and other economic factors. "There will be about 600 million a week more, in cash, going into the NHS," says @theresa_may #marr pic.twitter.com/1WtlFnE8jE The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) June 17, 2018 Labour, which said it would match the Tory funding proposals if in power, called on Mrs May to set out details of how her plan would be paid for. Mrs May is using her speech in London to say the NHS has a special place in British life, stating: I will never forget visiting the Royal Manchester Childrens Hospital in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena attack. There, in the face of the very worst that humanity can do, I witnessed first-hand, the very best. Doctors and nurses working 24-hour shifts to treat the injured. Surgeons who were off-shift, dropping everything to come in and perform life-saving operations. Paramedics who had risked their own lives to get others to safety. In every instance, I was struck not only by the medical expertise of the staff, but the compassion with which people were treated. This is our National Health Service. As we celebrate its 70th birthday, I am determined to take action to secure our NHS for generations to come. https://t.co/W9JHFFY4OZ #LongTermNHSPlan Theresa May (@theresa_may) June 17, 2018 The PM is also recalling her own reliance on the NHS for help when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, saying: I would not be doing the job I am doing today without that support. Of the increased investment, Mrs May is set to say: The NHS will be growing significantly faster than the economy as a whole, reflecting the fact that the NHS is this Governments number one spending priority. 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. The PM has set aside an additional 1.25 billion each year on top of the settlement to cover specific pensions pressure in order to focus the extra investment on frontline care, a Downing Street spokesman said. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: We need to have confidence in whats being said. Its all well and good making an announcement like this and trying to hit the headlines, but to be credible you have to say where the moneys coming from. We certainly havent seen that. The speculation about where its coming from particularly the Brexit dividend is just not credible, as far as many commentators are saying. And we still havent addressed social care. Nato members have seen serious differences before, the secretary general of the alliance has said after Donald Trump appeared to lash out at allies. Following the G7 summit in Canada, which Prime Minister Theresa May admitted had been difficult, the American president tweeted to state that the US pays close to the entire cost of Nato. Speaking to the Press Association, Jens Stoltenberg appeared to dismiss concerns that Mr Trump has left the 29-member alliance in crisis after his scathing social media rant. Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg There are differences among nations on important issues, such as trade, the Iran deal, or climate change these differences are real, he said. But we have seen serious differences before, dating back to the Suez crisis in 1956, or the Iraq War in 2003. Despite our differences, Nato has proven again and again that we unite around our core task, we defend each other. And we continue to deliver strengthening of our collective deterrence and defence, stepping up in the fight against terrorism and working together addressing other threats such as cyber. In Nato, allies have always been able to agree on the fundamentals standing together and protecting one another. This has helped keep our people safe for almost 70 years. During his Twitter tirade, Mr Trump claimed that America protects many of the countries that rip off the US on trade, and highlighted that Germany spends 1% of GDP on defence while America hits 4%. Mr Trump said the US protects Europe at great financial loss and then gets unfairly clobbered on trade, warning that change is coming. Britain currently only just meets the Nato target with a total spend of GDP on defence topping 2.1% but critics have claimed this figure is inflated by items such as pensions. Asked whether he foresees President Trump pulling out of Nato, Mr Stoltenberg said the commitment of the US to the alliance remains iron-clad with both words and in deeds. US forces in the eastern part of our alliance are enhancing our deterrence and defence, he said. For the 4th consecutive year there is a real increase in defence spending across #NATO European Allies and Canada. The first figures for 2018 show that defence spending is up by 3.8%. pic.twitter.com/Weh6TIOCOU Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) June 7, 2018 The United States is investing billions of dollars in its military presence in Europe, including a further increase in funding for the European Deterrence Initiative. The amount of funding for these forces has increased by 40% during the Trump administration, and the US will host our new command for the Atlantic to help protect the sea lines of communication between Europe and North America. This is a clear demonstration of US determination to stand with her European allies. Nato is founded on the bond between Europe and North America. In good times and bad, that bond has been unbreakable. We stand together and defend each other. A strong Nato is good for Europe and good for North America. The next Nato summit will take place on July 11-12 in Brussels, where issues including defence, deterrence, the fight against terrorism, the readiness of forces, and modernising the alliance are expected to be addressed. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has defended the United Nations main human rights body, alluding to signs that the US may withdraw from it over alleged bias against Israel. But while speaking to the Human Rights Council, Mr Johnson said that its dedicated agenda item on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories was disproportionate and damaging to the cause of peace. Mr Johnson said: But I stress that that does not mean that we in the UK are blind to the value of this council. Boris Johnson The Foreign Secretary said the councils work on the Israel-Palestinian conflict could have value, under the right conditions. Human rights are central to liberty & @UNHumanRights is key to defending them. Im here to bang the drum for the worlds poorest girls to get 12 years of quality education. #LeaveNoGirlBehind pic.twitter.com/KrDRV8EZU3 Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) June 18, 2018 Diplomats have told reporters that a US withdrawal from the 47-member council could come as early as Tuesday. Mr Johnsons address on Monday focused on the need for education of women and girls worldwide as a way to promote human rights. More than 300 migrants who are in Spain after their rescue boat was rejected by other European governments are requesting to be granted asylum in France, a top Spanish official has said. Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo told Spanish radio Cadena Ser that half of the 630 migrants who arrived at the Spanish port of Valencia on Sunday on ships including the rescue boat Aquarius expressed such a desire. Spain Europe Migrants She called the agreement with France an example of co-operation within the European Union. The Aquarius completed a 930-mile journey from Sicily to Valencia, ending a week-long ordeal for the 630 people rescued from the Mediterranean Sea, only to be rejected by Italy and Malta. Spains new centre-left government granted the migrants 45-day stays to sort out their legal status. A coroner has said he is still unsure whether a grave exhumed in the search for a missing schoolgirl has no links to her disappearance. Brian Sherrard said confirmation that remains removed from the Co Sligo grave are not those of Arlene Arkinson had failed to draw a line under the issue, as he suggested the need for tests on other bodies buried in the plot. More work needs to be done before I would be content to leave this matter to one side, he told Belfast Coroners Court. Arlene, 15, from Castlederg in Co Tyrone, vanished after a night out in Co Donegal in the Irish Republic in 1994. She was last seen in the company of a convicted child killer, the late Robert Howard. Howard was always the prime suspect in Arlenes case. Forensics officers at farmland near Castlederg The Co Sligo grave was exhumed by gardai in March, almost 20 years after a priest received an anonymous tip-off that a body wrapped in plastic sheeting found buried just below the surface could have been Arlene. Gravediggers found the body 2ft to 3ft down when opening the grave for another burial in 1996, but subsequently reburied it. The phone call to the priest came in 1999. He informed gardai but they did not pursue an exhumation at the time. Around that time a woman also wrote to a priest to say she had heard that, shortly after Arlenes 1994 disappearance, a man had persuaded some gravediggers to bury Arlenes body in a grave they were digging for a conventional burial. The schoolgirls family expressed dismay last week when the authorities south of the border said a body exhumed in the Co Sligo graveyard was not Arlene. There was a further twist at a preliminary hearing in Belfast on Monday, when Mr Sherrard was told that the remains examined belonged to an adult male, not a young girl. The coroner said he had a number of concerns following the revelation. He said gardai needed to clarify whether there was an additional body in the grave, other than the four formally registered as being buried there. The coroner said he also needed to know whether all of the remains found in the plot had been examined, or just one. It would be foolhardy if at this stage I was to draw a line under this, he said. Robert Howard Highlighting that he has no authority to demand information from the Garda, he asked that Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers ask counterparts south of the border for co-operation in filling in the blanks. Arkinson family barrister Ivor McAteer described the development as very peculiar. Up until today we werent aware that body that had been examined was male, he said. Mr McAteer said the family wanted to know what had prompted gardai to pursue an exhumation in 2018, given the fact that they had not chosen to do so in 1999 when informed of the telephone tip-off. He said the family had been upset by how the exhumation had been handled and were mindful of the trauma it was causing relatives with loved ones buried in the Co Sligo grave. The Arkinson family are very aware of the distress that the family of the deceased people are enduring and have no wish to trample on their grief and make things worse, he said. He added: We are all in the dark about how much relevance this will have to the ultimate inquiry. Howard died in prison in 2015. He was acquitted of Arlenes murder by a jury that was unaware of his previous conviction for murdering 14-year-old Hannah Williams, whose body was found in an industrial area close to the Thames Estuary in 2002. Mr Sherrard has heard the majority of evidence in a long-running inquest for the schoolgirl but will not deliver his findings until a number of outstanding issues, including around the Co Sligo grave, are resolved. He scheduled another preliminary hearing for September 4. Parliament must not be able to overturn the will of the British people, Theresa May said as she faced a fresh battle over her Brexit legislation. With the EU (Withdrawal) Bill returning to the House of Lords on Monday, peers looked ready to launch a fresh round of parliamentary ping pong and send amendments back to the Commons which Mrs May has said would tie her hands in negotiations with Brussels. Tensions heightened after former attorney general Dominic Grieve warned that the Tory rebels he leads could collapse the Government if they disagree with the final outcome of withdrawal talks, and had the right to a proper say on Brexit. Incident at Seven Sisters The Prime Minister said she had been listening to the concerns of critics but the legislation must not restrict her freedom in talks with Brussels. As we keep faith with people who voted to leave the European Union, and many of those who didnt but are now saying lets just get on with it, we need to make sure we are putting this legislation into place, she said. But as we do that, of course we have been listening to concerns about the role of Parliament, but we need to make sure that Parliament cant tie the Governments hands in negotiation and cant overturn the will of the British people. Mr Grieve insisted rebels would only accept a meaningful vote and not the slavery clause the Government was offering. Nigel Evans says he does not want to 'fetter the PM during negotiations But pro-Brexit MP Nigel Evans said he was staggered by Mr Grieves remarks. He told BBC Radio 4s The Westminster Hour: I dont want to fetter my Prime Minister while shes negotiating the best deal for Britain. And part of that has got to be where, if (EU negotiator) Michel Barnier tries to give us a very bad deal, that she can turn around and say no, Id rather not do that. Under Government plans, 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 to vote on a neutral motion stating it has considered a ministers statement on the issue. Crucially, the motion will be unamendable, meaning 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. Expected Lords amendments to the Brexit legislation are set to return to the Commons on Wednesday. Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley urged fellow MPs to give the Government the freedom to secure the best deal. We cannot let Parliament tie the Governments hands, she said at an event in Omagh, Co Tyrone. We have to have the Government having the position to have the best negotiating position possible, so we can get the best deal for the United Kingdom. I would say to all of my colleagues: vote in a way to make sure the Government can get the best deal for the United Kingdom, because thats what the people of the United Kingdom need and deserve. A police car came out of nowhere when it hit a pensioner on a pedestrian crossing, leaving him dead, a witness has told an inquest. Leslie Bingham, 73, died from multiple injuries when he was in collision with a marked patrol car as he crossed the A61 Penistone Road, in Sheffield, on January 7, last year. The retired metal worker was heading for a family gathering at the Owlerton greyhound stadium, on the other side of the road, when the incident happened, the hearing in Sheffield heard. Leslie Bingham Senior coroner Chris Dorries told a jury of seven women and two men that it was agreed that the patrol car was not on an emergency call at the time of the crash. Witness Daniel Roberts told a coroner that he was in a taxi waiting at traffic lights approaching the stadium when he saw Mr Bingham crossing the road to his left. Mr Roberts said: I saw him look to his right. There was a realisation on his face there was some form of vehicle coming towards him. He said Mr Bingham started to walk faster just before he was hit by the vehicle. The police car came out of nowhere and, obviously, collided with the gentleman, Mr Roberts said. He told Mr Dorries: There were no blue lights or sirens. Other people in the taxi that evening agreed with Mr Roberts that the police car did not appear to be travelling at high speed just before the collision. Asked about the cars speed, Lauren Eades said: It seemed normal. It didnt appear to be speeding or going too slow. Ms Eades said in a statement read to her in court, that she noticed the traffic lights on the crossing were on green immediately after the collision. She said she had been about 12ft away from the incident. Another passenger in the taxi, Lauren Waite, said in her statement: The traffic lights on Penistone Road the police car went through were on green. She said: I think the man had tried to chance crossing. In his statement also read to the court, pathologist Charlie Wilson said that widower Mr Bingham, who was pronounced dead at the scene, died from multiple injuries which included fractures to his skull, damage to his spinal column and a lacerated aorta. Dr Wilson said a post-mortem examination found that Mr Bingham, who lived in the Malin Bridge area of Sheffield, had heart disease but he said the injuries were so severe that they would have been fatal even if he had been a fit, young person. The inquest is due to finish next week. Hundreds have watched the spectacle of the Queen and Knights of the Garter attending the Garter service at the chapel where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex married. The Queen was joined by members of the order, including the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge, at St Georges Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle where Harry and Meghan married in May. Crowds gathered in the castle grounds were treated to the sight of Garter Knights walking past wearing lavish blue velvet robes and black velvet hats with white plumes. Other members of the order include former prime minister Sir John Major, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, a past president of the Supreme Court, and Admiral Lord Boyce, a former head of the UKs armed forces. The Queen is sovereign of the order and a number of other British and foreign royals are additional knights of the order, including the Duke of Edinburgh, Charles and William. Philip, who has effectively retired from official public duties, did not attend. Order of the Garter Service 2018 Earlier in the day the Queen hosted a private investiture ceremony in the Castles Garter throne room where Dame Mary Fagan, a former Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire and Chancellor of Winchester University, was made a Lady Companion of the order. Viscount Brookeborough, a Lord-in-Waiting to the Queen, was made a Knight Companion of the order. Among the guests at the event were the Duchess of Cornwall, Countess of Wessex, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Duchess of Gloucester. Royal fans missed out on a Garter service in 2017 as it was cancelled because it was due to be held on the same day as the Queens Speech. But after this years service crowds were treated to the traditional carriage procession when the senior members of the royal family travelled back to the castle. The Queen was joined in her carriage by Charles and Camilla and they were followed by Edward, Sophie, Andrew and William in another. The Government has said it is in everybodys interest for co-operation with Europe on security matters to continue after Brexit. The European Arrest Warrant has helped apprehend thousands and has been an important tool for police on both sides of the Irish border pursuing fugitives. Under-secretary of state in the Brexit Department Robin Walker said he would have preferred negotiations to have made greater progress on security matters. Robin Walker He added: We are pushing ahead with a very ambitious approach to the future security partnership. All the evidence is that there is very strong interest in continuing co-operation in this area. He gave evidence to the House of Lords EU Select Committee in Westminster. We do think that when people take a long, hard look at this they will recognise it is in the EU and in the UKs interests for these mechanisms to continue. The Irish border is one of the most vexed issues still facing negotiators in Brussels. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) enjoy a close working relationship with their Garda colleagues on the frontier. PSNI chief constable George Hamilton has said he is drawing up a business case for extra resources which may be needed to police the more than 300 miles of border and hundreds of crossing points. Campaigners have hailed Government plans to ban upskirting as a great day for all right-thinking individuals. Ministers announced a new law would be introduced after a Tory MP blocked a backbench Bill to ban the practice of surreptitiously taking photos of underwear. Sir Christopher Chope faced a furious backlash after he effectively killed off the proposed legislation last Friday and his parliamentary office has since been adorned with four pairs of knickers, bound together with a pink ribbon, in protest. Upskirting campaign Officials said an upskirting Bill would mean perpetrators were properly punished. Gina Martin, an upskirting victim whose petition to criminalise the act won her a legion of celebrity supporters and political backing, welcomed the brilliant news. She said: I kept going because I didnt want to brush it off again and say this is just part of life. I kept going because we needed a change. Ryan Whelan, Ms Martins lawyer, said: This is a great day, not only for women, but for all right-thinking individuals and justice itself. The gap in the law that existed was an affront to the English criminal law and it is right and proper that the Government has decided to act. BREAKING NEWS: The Government will be introducing an #UpskirtingBill. We support the campaign led by @beaniegigi. Victims of upskirting will be better protected, and perpetrators properly punished, as a result. pic.twitter.com/DmoktysWvW Ministry of Justice (@MoJGovUK) June 18, 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May told Cabinet that upskirting was an invasion of privacy that leaves victims feeling degraded and distressed, her spokesman told reporters. Sir Christopher stopped the Voyeurism (Offences) Bill from completing its second reading in the Commons on Friday by calling out Object! The move caused outrage and Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom told the regular weekly meeting of Cabinet that the upskirting legislation would now be adopted as a Government Bill to improve its chances of becoming law. Mrs Leadsom said it was intended to secure a second reading in the Commons for the Bill in Government time as soon as possible and certainly before the summer recess, which begins on July 28. Good to see some redecorating happening in my corridor over the weekend. Christopher Chope's door looking much better. pic.twitter.com/oPn27UCAN3 Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) June 18, 2018 A former deputy speaker of the House of Commons called for a change to the arcane procedures that allowed Sir Christopher to block the legislation bill with a single word. Nigel Evans wrote to the Commons Procedure Committee to demand a review of Parliaments rules, saying a number of decent private members bills had been blocked in the same way. Sir Christopher insisted that he supported the Bills purpose of outlawing the practice of taking photographs up someones clothing without consent, but was acting on a long-held principle that has seen him routinely oppose backbench bills. The Christchurch MP complained that he was being scapegoated over the issue and urged the Government to find the fastest, fairest and surest passage for a Bill banning the practice. Glad my bill has @theresa_may's backing, and that the law will change. I've applied for an Urgent Question this morning, so hopefully there will be some debate today. Will continue to work cross party to get this through! https://t.co/kte1vJHB3e Wera Hobhouse MP (@Wera_Hobhouse) June 18, 2018 But fellow Dorset Tory MP Simon Hoare suggested Sir Christopher should apologise. Sorry really is the hardest word. Put the shovel down, apologise and learn, he said. Green MP Caroline Lucas, who has an office near Sir Christopher, took a photo of the knickers adorning it and said: Good to see some redecorating happening in my corridor over the weekend. It followed a similar protest outside the Tory MPs constituency office at the weekend. 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. Legislation in Scotland provides for a maximum two-year jail sentence. A new expert panel of clinicians is to be established to give swift advice on the prescription of cannabis-based medicines to individual patients, the Government has said. The announcement follows widespread outrage over the confiscation from mother Charlotte Caldwell of cannabis oil supplies which she brought from Canada for her 12-year-old son Billy, who has acute epilepsy. After Billy was rushed to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on Friday night in a critical condition having suffered multiple seizures, Home Secretary Sajid Javid granted a 20-day emergency licence granting use of the oil. Billy was discharged from hospital early on Monday afternoon, but now Ms Caldwell, 50, from Co Tyrone, wants an urgent review of the law on the substance, which is banned in the UK despite being available in many other countries. There was confusion after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested that Mr Javid had already launched a review. Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I dont think anyone who followed that story could sensibly say that we are getting the law on this kind of thing right. I think we all know that we need to find a different way. Asked whether the parents of children like Billy would still be facing similar problems in months or weeks time, Mr Hunt replied: I sincerely hope not. Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said Labour supports the legal prescription of cannabis oil for medical purposes, saying: Children have been put at risk and experienced extraordinary suffering because this Government drags its heels and refuses to grant cannabis oil licences. But Prime Minister Theresa May suggested that the Government would look only into the operation of the current system of licences for use in individual cases, rather than reviewing the law more widely. NHS funding Do we need to look at these cases and consider what weve got in place? Yes, said the PM. But what needs to drive us in all these cases has to be what clinicians are saying about these issues. Theres a very good reason why weve got a set of rules around cannabis and other drugs, because of the impact that they have on peoples lives, and we must never forget that. Home Office minister Nick Hurd told the House of Commons that cases of children like Billy and Alfie Dingley had highlighted the need for the Government to explore the issue further and our handling of these issues further. He announced that Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies will take forward the establishment of the expert clinicians panel to advise ministers on any individual applications to prescribe cannabis-based medications. Nick Hurd announced the creation of the expert panel in the House of Commons (parliamentlive.tv) But Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi called for the immediate provision of cannabis-based medicines to all who need them, citing two young children in her Gower constituency who could benefit from them. The Government has a duty to protect these patients and sufferers. When will they act? she asked in the Commons. Why is the Government stuck in the Middle Ages? Conservative former minister Sir Mike Penning said he would personally lead a delegation to fetch medicines to treat six-year-old Alfies epilepsy if the Warwickshire boy had not received them by Wednesday. Ms Caldwell has demanded a meeting with the Home Secretary and the Health Secretary within 24 hours. Speaking outside hospital, she said: I will ask them to urgently implement a programme that provides immediate access to the meds Billy so urgently needs and now more so than ever the many other children affected by this historic development. I will also ask them to implement a review of how the Government, our Government, our UK Government, can make cannabis-based medication available to all patients who urgently require it in our country. She said the Government was panicked into action by her sons admission to hospital, having previously suggested she should make the application to have his medication released herself. The fact that Billy has been discharged is testimony to the effectiveness of the treatment and underlines how vital it is that every child and every single family affected in our country should have immediate access to the very same medication, said Ms Caldwell. Charlotte Caldwell with son Billy Ms Caldwell credits cannabis oil with keeping the boys seizures at bay, saying he was seizure-free for more than 300 days while using it, but THC is restricted in the UK. Labour MP Andy McDonald, whose son Rory died as a result of epilepsy, wrote to Mr Javid calling for a blanket exemption on the use of cannabis oil to alleviate the illness, along with measures to ensure supplies of the substance. Mr McDonald wrote: I am firmly of the view that when paediatricians and neurologists are struggling with intractable epilepsy cases, if in their considered medical view cannabis oil would be efficacious, then they should be permitted to administer it, safe in the knowledge that it is lawful to do so. The director of external affairs at the MS Society, Genevieve Edwards, welcomed Mr Hurds announcement. Were looking forward to hearing more details and hope the Government goes further than just reviewing individual cases, said Ms Edwards. Evidence shows that cannabis for medicinal use could work for around 10,000 people with MS to relieve pain and muscle spasms. Its simply wrong that people are being driven to break the law to relieve these relentless symptoms. We think the Government should make it available to those who could benefit. The chapel where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were married just weeks ago was again the centre of attention, as the Queen and Knights of the Garter attended the Garter service. The Prince of Wales The Prince of Wales returned to the chapel where his son Harry was married before the eyes of the world only a few weeks ago, this time for a grand traditional ceremony. A lawyer for Julian Assange has urged the United Nations to make an official visit to see the impact on the WikiLeaks founder of living inside the Ecuadorian embassy for the past six years. Jennifer Robinson told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that Mr Assange was unable to obtain proper medical attention and was being denied sunlight or outdoor access. A vigil will be held outside the embassy in London on Tuesday evening, six years to the day since he arrived, later to be granted political asylum. Julian Assange Ms Robinson told the UN that the British authorities had made it clear that if Mr Assange leaves the embassy to seek medical treatment he will be arrested. The US administration has said that prosecuting him is a priority, said Ms Robinson. He cannot leave the embassy because the UK will not provide assurances against extradition to the US. The UK is showing deliberate disregard for his medical needs, she said, adding that the UN should send a special rapporteur to visit the embassy. His confinement in the embassy is having a severe impact on his physical and mental health, she said. He was being asked to choose between his human right to asylum and his human right to medical treatment, said Ms Robinson, adding: No-one should have to make that choice. She reminded the council that in 2016 the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said that Mr Assange was being arbitrarily detained. It called on the Swedish and British authorities to end his deprivation of liberty, respect his physical integrity and freedom of movement, and afford him the right to compensation. Mr Assanges internet access was cut off in March and restrictions were placed on who can visit him after he tweeted his support for separatist movements in Catalonia in Spain. Ms Robinson visited him earlier this month, with officials from the Australian High Commission in London. A decision by transport ministers to phase in the introduction of a new rail timetable was one of the factors leading to major disruption on the network, MPs were told. Outgoing Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) chief executive Charles Horton told the Commons Transport Select Committee that the process for approving the timetable became extremely protracted and was complicated by a number of changes. He said: One of those changes was there was a decision taken to phase in the timetable and that was made at the end of October 2017. A Thameslink train at a platform That was a decision made by ministers. We are about to start questioning Northern Rail @northernassist & GTR @GTRailUK regarding the chaos caused by the changes made to the rail timetables. Join us in the Grimond Room, Portcullis House or watch live here: https://t.co/XqGK5zIT5T #newrailtimetable pic.twitter.com/QxkuGeBWSz Transport Committee (@CommonsTrans) June 18, 2018 Mr Horton, who announced his resignation on Friday, claimed the effect of that policy was not clearly understood in terms of its impact on Network Rails processes. He added: The result was that, that combined with some challenges in getting the timetable established, meant that we were into April before we had the timetable finalised. Asked if the situation would have been helped with the decision being made sooner, Mr Horton replied: In any timetable process the earlier you make a decision on specification the better it is in terms of your ability therefore to establish the timetable effectively. Mr Horton stressed that the phasing of the new services was not the only issue we were facing, noting that the slow pace of getting the timetables finalised contributed to GTRs difficulties. Hundreds of services have been disrupted since schedules were changed on May 20. Passengers using GTR and Northern have been particularly affected, with some stranded on platforms for several hours. In the first two weeks, the proportion of trains either cancelled or delayed by more than 30 minutes was 13% for GTR and 11% for Northern. Both operators introduced temporary timetables on June 4, removing around 6% of daily services in a bid to boost reliability. Northerns managing director David Brown said the operator was on track to deliver the new timetable until it was revealed in January that a Network Rail project to electrify the line between Manchester and Preston suffered a delay. Mr Brown told MPs that this meant the timetable needed to be planned in just 16 weeks rather than the typical period of 40 weeks. In conversations with other train operators and Network Rail, Northern asked for the national timetable change to be postponed so the previous schedule would continue. A significant number of other players didnt want that to happen and that option was not the preferred option, Mr Brown told the committee. A delay in a second electrification project between Blackpool and Preston was revealed in the middle of March, meaning around 450 drivers needed further training, which added to the disruption. Mr Brown recalled: It was only just before the timetable change on May 20 that the full ramifications and culmination of all those events actually became apparent. He accepted that there may be a criticism that we didnt shout louder and earlier in the process. He went on: Theres a balance of crying wolf and saying theres a big problem, but without being able to quantify exactly what that looks like and because of the timetable process being sequential you only realise that right at the last minute. Johanna Konta is smelling blood again as she targets her first victory over a top-10 player in nearly a year. The British number one will take on Petra Kvitova in the first round of the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham on Tuesday fresh from her best week since reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon last summer. Kontas results fell off a cliff for the rest of 2017 and this season so far has been an exercise in trying to regain form and confidence. Johanna Konta practises in Birmingham ahead of her clash with Petra Kvitova The signs in Nottingham were that both are coming back, with the 27-year-old winning four matches in straight sets before losing the final to Australias Ashleigh Barty on Sunday. Konta said: To have those five matches in a row was definitely a good booster for me in terms of match fitness. I think I became a tougher competitor as the matches went on. You play certain points a bit tighter, you make those first serves, you smell the blood a bit more, like a shark would. She will now hope to sink her teeth into defending champion Kvitova, who is the fourth seed and, as a two-time Wimbledon winner, renowned as one of the very best players on grass. Konta has lost all five of her matches against top-10 opponents since beating Simona Halep in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon last year, despite winning the first set in four of them. Konta is taking confidence from her good run in Nottingham Whoever I step out on court against I trust in my game that Im good enough to create chances and to come through, she said. I know shes playing very well, shes been having an incredible season so far so Im going to be playing against a very in-form Petra, which is a great challenge for me and a great opportunity to really see how well I can compete and really leave it all out there. Kvitova arrived in Birmingham last year having only just returned from the horrific knife attack in December 2016 that put her career in serious doubt and led to a long period of physical and mental recovery. Winning the title proved a hugely important milestone. I knew I could compete and play again, which was probably the most important thing that I needed to have coming back, said Kvitova. This time its a little bit different of course. The pressure is there, I played well so far this season so of course expectations are a little bit different but Im still thinking like its good preparation for Wimbledon, great to be on the grass again. Petra Kvitova won an emotional title in Birmingham last summer This season the Czech leads the WTA Tour with four titles, has climbed back to eighth in the rankings and enjoyed a 13-match winning streak on clay, her least favourite surface. Konta won their only previous clash on grass at Eastbourne in 2016, and Kvitova said: Obviously Jo is a great player. I know shes not been in the great form she was last year or the year before, but shes still a great player and it probably will show tomorrow as well. Its a great first round for the tournament, for the people as well and hopefully for us. She played great last week so for sure shes more used to grass than me. Eugenie Bouchard did not make it through qualifying Heather Watson also begins her campaign on Tuesday against Ukraines Lesia Tsurenko, and British hopes rest with the pair after Katie Boulter was well beaten 6-1 6-2 by Naomi Osaka on Monday. Katy Dunne lost in the final round of qualifying, as did former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard, who has slumped to 193 in the rankings and faces having to go through qualifying next week unless she is awarded a wild card. Meanwhile, third seed Karolina Pliskova suffered a repeat of her Wimbledon loss to Magdalena Rybarikova, the Slovakian winning 6-2 6-3. An Islamic State-inspired Uber driver attacked police with a Samurai sword outside Buckingham Palace because he hated the Queen, a court has heard. Officers bravely wrestled a 42in long blade from the hands of Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 27, after he crashed his car outside the palace, jurors were told. They feared for their lives during the surreal confrontation with Chowdhury, who shouted repeatedly Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest), the Old Bailey heard. PC Ian Midgley leaves the Old Bailey after giving evidence Jurors were told how Chowdhury had left his sister a suicide note expressing his hatred for the Queen before setting out in his Toyota Prius on August 25 last year. He allegedly wrote: Tell everyone that I love them and that they should struggle against the enemies of Allah with their lives and their property. The Queen and her soldiers will all be in the hellfire they go to war with Muslims around the world and kill them without any mercy. They are the enemies that Allah tells us to fight. He bought a knife sharpener in Sainsburys and initially headed to Windsor Castle, but ended up outside the Windsor Castle pub due to a SatNav error, jurors were told. He then drove past the Coldstream Guards barracks in Windsor and on to Buckingham Palace, where he attracted the attention of a passing police van by ploughing into traffic cones. When Acting Sergeant Gavin Hutt approached the car, Chowdhury allegedly told him: Its all a bit f***** up. Dash-cam footage of Mohiussunnath Chowdhurys vehicle Mr Hutt told jurors he wrestled with Chowdhury when the defendant reached for the handle of a blade and shouted Allahu Akbar. Chowdhury was not complying and seemed very determined to get the weapon out and do whatever he was going to do, he said. The officer told jurors: I started punching him in the face just trying to pull his arm away as well. My instinct was to try and render him unconscious. Meanwhile, his colleague Pc Ian Midgley grabbed the sword from the passenger side and was punched in the head, the court heard. Chowdhury was sprayed with CS gas, dragged out of the car and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, the court heard. Mr Hutt said: I was worried there might be an IED in the vehicle that could be triggered. I wanted to make myself safe. I feared for my own life, my colleagues and members of the public. Both officers suffered cuts to their hands in the struggle. Prosecutor Tim Cray told jurors: It was down to the quick reactions of the police the defendant was stopped. He said the officers did not know if Chowdhury had a suicide vest or his car was rigged to explode when they tackled him. The incident came six months after the murders at Westminster Bridge using a car and at the Houses of Parliament, and three months after the London Bridge attacks. Chowdhury was born in London to a close and supportive family but became self-radicalised online, Mr Cray said. The court heard he had watched the Channel 4 drama The State, about British citizens going to Syria, and recommended it to his family. He had searched the internet for Isis beheadings and Jihadi John, jurors were told. And he allegedly discussed the Westminster attacker Khalid Masood on WhatsApp, saying: F*** the police. On August 19 last year, the defendant allegedly sent emojis of a British soldier in red tunic and bearskin hat, a knife and an Arabic figure on WhatsApp. On the day of the alleged attack, he changed his profile picture to a green bird, in reference to becoming a martyr, jurors heard. The defendant, of Kirkwood Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, denies preparing acts of terrorism, claiming he only wanted to get killed.# By Ulf Laessing DOMIZ CAMP, Iraq, June 17 (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 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. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing; writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; editing by Jason Neely and Susan Fenton) By Ahmed Kingimi MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, June 17 (Reuters) - Blasts have killed at least 20 people in northeast Nigeria, police said, while residents said the toll was even higher in the largest attack for weeks in a region blighted by the Islamist militant Boko Haram insurgency. In an emailed statement issued on Sunday, the police said 20 people had been killed and 48 injured. Two residents however said they had counted at least 31 dead. The explosions occurred in the Damboa local government area in the south of Borno state, on Saturday at around 8:30 p.m. (1930 GMT). Witnesses spoke of at least one rocket attack. Security in Nigeria has become a major challenge for President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler whose 2015 election win was largely due to his vow to crush Boko Haram. It is a highly charged issue in the run-up to a poll due to take place in February 2019. Buhari has said he will seek a second term. Borno is the state worst hit by the insurgency, aimed at creating an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria, which has killed more than 30,000 people and forced over 2 million to flee their homes since 2009. The blasts occurred in the Shuwari and Abachari districts, about 90 km (55 miles) from state capital Maiduguri. "It has destroyed our houses. We have also counted 31 innocent people including children and elderly killed in the attack," said local resident Modu Usman, son of a community leader. There was no claim of responsibility for the blasts. "Investigation is ongoing to unravel the nature of the attack," said Edet Okon, a spokesman for Borno police. The last large attack in the northeast occurred in early May when at least 20 people were killed in Adamawa state, which borders Borno. (Additional reporting by Ola Lanre and Ardo Hazzad in Bauchi; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Andrew Roche) By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM, June 17 (Reuters) - Israel moved on Sunday to snap the lens shut on rights groups that film its troops' interactions with Palestinians by introducing a bill that would make it a criminal offense. Rights groups frequently film Israeli soldiers on duty in the occupied West Bank, documentation the organisations say is necessary to expose abuse by the military. A video filmed by Israeli rights group B'Tselem in 2016 showing an Israeli soldier shoot dead an incapacitated Palestinian assailant drew international condemnation and led to the soldier's conviction for manslaughter in a highly divisive trial. The proposed law, formulated by the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition, would make filming or publishing footage "with intent to harm the morale of Israel's soldiers or its inhabitants" punishable by up to five years in prison. The term would be raised to 10 years if the intention was to damage "national security". A ministerial committee which oversees legislation voted to approve the bill on Sunday. It will now go to parliament for a vote that could take place this week and if ratified, will be scrutinised and amended before three more parliamentary votes needed for it to pass into law. Yisrael Beitenu leader and Defence Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, praised the committee and said: "Israeli soldiers are under constant attack by Israel haters and supporters of terrorism who look constantly to degrade and sully them. We will put an end to this." A Palestinian official condemned the move. "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 told Reuters. The phrasing of the bill stops short of a blanket ban, aiming instead at "anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian organisations" 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 rights groups, the bill says many of them are supported by organisations 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. "If the occupation embarrasses the government, then the government should take action to end it. Documenting the reality of the occupation will continue regardless of such ridiculous legislation efforts," the group's spokesman, Amit Gilutz, said. B'Tselem's video of the shooting in the West Bank in 2016 led to Israeli soldier Elor Azaria being convicted of manslaughter. He was released in May after serving two-thirds of his 14-month term. Opinion polls after his arrest showed a majority of Israelis did not want a court-martial to take place. (Additional reporting by Ori Lewis and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky) ANKARA, June 17 (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes killed 35 militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in air strikes in northern Iraq's Qandil mountain region on Friday, the Turkish military said. Turkey's 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 organisation 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. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Susan Fenton) By Angus McDowall BEIRUT, June 18 (Reuters) - Syrian state media said on Monday that U.S.-led coalition aircraft had bombed a Syrian army position near the Iraqi border, causing deaths and injuries, but the U.S. military denied it was responsible. The attack took place in al-Harra, southeast of the town of Albu Kamal, state news agency SANA said, citing a military source. SANA said the attack caused an unspecified number of deaths and injuries. A commander in the alliance fighting alongside Damascus told Reuters that drones that were "probably American" had bombed the positions of Iraqi factions between Albu Kamal and Tanf, as well as Syrian military positions. The commander, who is not Syrian and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the strike had killed and injured some Iraqi fighters but he did not give any numbers. Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces, a grouping of mostly Iran-backed Shi'ite paramilitaries, said a U.S. air strike on the Iraqi border with Syria killed 22 of its members and wounded 12 others. "At 22:00 last night a U.S. plane hit a fixed headquarters of the Popular Mobilisation Forces' 45th and 46th brigades defending the border strip with Syria, using two guided missiles which led to the martyrdom of 22 fighters," it said in a statement. It demanded an explanation from the United States. An Iraqi military statement later said no Popular Mobilisation Forces or other Iraqi troops tasked with securing the Iraqi-Syrian border had been hit by the air strike, and it had taken place inside Syria. "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 uses air power and special forces to back an alliance of Syrian Arab and Kurdish militia fighting Islamic State northeast of Albu Kamal. U.S. forces also are based around the Tanf crossing, southwest of the town in the Syrian desert near the borders of Iraq and Jordan. President Bashar al-Assad's army, with the help of Iran-backed militias including Hezbollah and Iraqi groups, drove Islamic State from Albu Kamal and its environs last year but the jihadists have since staged attacks there. The Popular Mobilisation Forces have been officially included in Iraq's governmental forces but many of them still maintain loyalties to their former leaders and political groups. They said the base that was hit was 700 meters into Syrian territory and the Syrian government was aware of their presence. A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the U.S. military was concerned that Popular Mobilisation Forces could retaliate against American forces in Iraq. The official said the Pentagon was going out of its way to publicly make clear that it was not involved in the strike in order to minimize the risk of retaliation. The United States has about 5,200 troops in Iraq that are part of a coalition fighting Islamic State militants. "OCCUPYING FORCES" The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said unidentified planes had struck Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah and other allied foreign militias around Albu Kamal. The UK-based Observatory said the strikes had killed 52 people. Reuters could not independently verify the Observatory's report of casualties. Asked about the reported air strikes, an Israeli military spokeswoman said: "We do not comment on foreign reports." Throughout Syria's seven-year war, Israel has carried out scores of strikes within the neighbouring country against what it describes as Hezbollah or Iranian targets. Israel, alarmed about the clout of arch enemies Iran and Hezbollah, has pressed Russia, Assad's other key ally, to make sure Tehran does not entrench its military sway in Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet he had "repeated and clarified" his Syria policy in weekend phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "First of all, Iran must clear out of all of Syria," Netanyahu said on Sunday, according to a statement from his office. "Secondly, we will take action, and are already taking action, against the attempted military entrenchment of Iran and its proxies, both close to the border and deep within Syria." In an interview last week, Assad called Hezbollah "a basic element" in the war and said "the need for these military forces will continue for a long time". He said the United States was an occupying power in Syria and that his state supported "any act of resistance, whether against terrorists or against occupying forces, regardless of their nationality." (Reporting By Laila Bassam, Angus McDowall, Ellen Francis and Lisa Barrington in Beirut Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington, Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Ulf Laessing and Ahmed Aboulenein in Baghdad Editing by William Maclean and Bill Trott) TOKYO, June 18 (Reuters) - Japan's exports rose 8.1 percent in May from a year earlier, Ministry of Finance data showed on Monday, suggesting a pick-up in global demand. The rise was more than the 7.5 percent increase expected by economists in a Reuters poll. It followed a 7.8 percent year-on-year rise in April. Imports rose 14.0 percent in the year to May, versus the median estimate for an 8.2 percent increase. The trade balance came to a deficit of 578.3 billion yen ($5.23 billion), versus the median estimate for a 235.0 billion yen deficit. To view full tables, go to the website of the Ministry of Finance at: http://www.customs.go.jp/toukei/info/index_e.htm ($1 = 110.6400 yen) (Reporting by Stanley White Editing by Chang-Ran Kim) MELBOURNE, June 18 (Reuters) - London copper slipped on Monday and touched a near two-week low hit in the previous session on pressure from a stronger dollar, while a holiday in China drained buying interest from the market. FUNDAMENTALS * COPPER: London Metal Exchange copper eased by 0.2 percent on Monday to $7,006.50 by 0118 GMT, following losses of 2.2 percent in the previous session. It earlier touched a near two-week low of $6,996 first hit on Friday. * HOLIDAY: The Shanghai Futures Exchange was closed on Monday for a holiday. * INVESTORS: Hedge funds and money managers raised their net long positions in COMEX copper in the week to June 12, by 28,941 contracts to 77,740 contracts, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data showed on Friday. This was the strongest net long position since January. * STERLITE: A minor leak has been detected in the sulphuric acid storage plant in Vedanta's south Indian copper smelter, a government official said on Sunday, about a month after the state ordered its shutdown after protests in which 13 people died. * ALUMINIUM: LME aluminium, which hit its weakest in seven weeks at $2,200.50 a tonne on Friday, recaptured the 100-day moving average as it traded at $2215. * METALS DEMAND: Japan's exports rose in May at the fastest pace in four months thanks to increased shipments of cars, car parts, and semiconductor equipment in a sign that global demand is gaining strength. * COBALT: Panasonic Corp expects to more than triple its cobalt consumption in five years' time, industry sources said, even as the company aims to develop cobalt-free automotive batteries in the near future. [nL8N1TD4SB * For the top stories in metals and other news, click or MARKETS NEWS * Asian shares retreated on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump cranked up trade tensions with China by going ahead with tariffs on Chinese imports, prompting Beijing to immediately respond in kind. DATA/EVENTS 0130 China House prices May 0600 Germany Wholesale price index May 0900 Euro zone Eurostat trade Apr 1230 U.S. New York Fed manufacturing Jun 1315 U.S. Industrial production May 1400 U.S. University of Michigan sentiment index Jun PRICES BASE METALS PRICES 0120 GMT Three month LME copper 7006.5 Most active ShFE copper 0 Three month LME aluminium 2214.5 Most active ShFE aluminium 0 Three month LME zinc 3079.5 Most active ShFE zinc 0 Three month LME lead 2402 Most active ShFE lead 0 Three month LME nickel 15190 Most active ShFE nickel 0 Three month LME tin 20765 Most active ShFE tin 0 BASE METALS ARBITRAGE LME/SHFE COPPER LMESHFCUc3 0 LME/SHFE ALUMINIUM LMESHFALc3 0 LME/SHFE ZINC LMESHFZNc3 0 LME/SHFE LEAD LMESHFPBc3 0 LME/SHFE NICKEL LMESHFNIc3 0 (Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu) NAIROBI, June 18 (Reuters) - Eight Kenyan police officials were killed in the eastern part of the country on Sunday after their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device planted by Somalia's al Shabaab militant group, police said. Al Shabaab is fighting to topple Somalia's government, establish their own rule based on their strict interpretation of Islamic law and drive out of the country peacekeepers deployed by the African Union. The militants frequently launch attacks in neighbouring Kenya to pressure it to withdraw its troops which form part of the peacekeeping force. Charles Owino, Kenya's police spokesman, told Reuters that five administration police and three reservists were killed "while protecting our borders and security of the county". Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operations spokesman, said the group killed 10 Kenyan soldiers in the attack. Earlier this month, five Kenyan police officers were killed in a similar attack in the same region. (Reporting by Humphrey Malalo, Noor Ali in Isiolo, and Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu Writing by Maggie Fick Editing by Joseph Radford) MANILA, June 18 (Reuters) - Philippine troops have clashed with remnants of a pro-Islamic State militant group that held a southern city for five months last year, the army said on Monday. Colonel Romeo Brawner, the deputy commander of Joint Task Force Marawi, said security forces conducted air and ground assaults in the province of Lanao del Sur on Sunday in a bid to flush out Maute rebels and the group's new leader. Brawner said he could not confirm if there had been any casualties in military operations in two towns near Marawi City, which is now undergoing rehabilitation with some residents returning to their homes. The military was targetting Abu Dar, who the government believes is the new "emir" of Islamic State in Southeast Asia, Brawner said. It could not be independently verified if the Islamic State has chosen Dar as its new leader in the region. Islamic State-inspired militants seized parts of the southern city of Marawi in May 2017, raising concerns about the influence of the extremist group in Southeast Asia. The army ended combat operations after wresting control in southern Marawi in October, and has shifted its focus to the island's marshes where other pro-Islamic State militants operate. The siege of Marawi, the country's biggest battle since World War Two, displaced some 350,000 residents and more than 1,100 people were killed, mostly militants. Military and security experts have said militants who escaped from Marawi are recruiting fighters using looted cash, gold and jewelry worth tens of millions of dollars. (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; editing by Richard Pullin) SOFIA, June 18 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. -- Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov welcomed the signing of the deal that settles the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia. (Trud, Monitor, 24 Chasa, Standart, Sega) -- Torrential rains have hit Bulgaria, causing floods in the Black Sea city of Burgas. (Trud, Standart) 24 CHASA - Over 5,000 workers from countries outside the European Union, mainly from Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus will work at the Black Sea resorts this summer, Tourist Minister Nikolina Angelkova said. Picture shows chief guest Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake and veteran Rotarian John Baskaran leading the run. The Charity run of the signature community service project REACH FOR WATER of the Rotaract Club of University of Peradeniya ended in high spirits, gifting Kandy a massive charity run experience. Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown etiology (CKDU) is a much discussed, yet less addressed issue. This project Reach for Water was designed to address this issue, by ensuring the access to clean water. The first phase was a charity run which was organized to raise awareness amongst public about the Kidney Disease issue prevalent in the country and to raise funds. This charity run took place through the Kandy town starting from the Bogambara Stadium Car Park, under the patronage of the Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake. Mayor Kesara Senanayake, Basnayaka Nilame Mahendra Ratwatte, Commissioner of Kandy Municipal Council Chandana Tennakoon, Paul Harris Fellow Rotarian and Past President John Baskaran from Rotary Club of Kandy also graced the occasion. At the closing ceremony, an awareness event was arranged with an expert talking on the kidney issue, and a celebrity meet-and-greet arranged along with a musical event. The celebrities were Kavinga Perera, Ridma Weerawardhana, Supun Perera, Yomal Samarakoon, Samare & Samare, and Amuthu was the band in attendance. The sponsors were LTL Holdings, Rupavahini, Nestle, Sun Aqua and private donors. All the registrants were sporting the T-shirt and the wrist band which was designed as a fund raiser to the event. Media coverage was given by Rupavahini, Janasarana, Kandy zone and Pera Beats. Daily Mirror and Ceylon Today were the print media partners. The funds raised were channeled to the water filter installation at Galamuna Divisional Hospital at Budhdhayaya Polonnaruwa area, which will take place in the near future, and for the refurbishment of the temple at Uva Kudaoya, Wellawaya in collaboration with the Janasarana fund. Special measures were taken to ensure the sustainable existence of the project, where letters of consent were taken from the relevant parties assuring the acceptance of the responsibility to maintain the water filter. The Reach for Water-2018 project showed its momentum, and ended with promising future prospects. By Nishel Fernando The Procurement Appeal Board (PAB) has rejected the 300MW Kerawalapitiya Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) power plant tender contract to the lowest bidder, Lakdanavi Ltd, a subsidiary of LTL Holdings, and instead recommended the contract to be awarded to the second lowest bidder, GCL Windforce & RenewGen, triggering a potential loss of Rs.42.5 billion to the country over a 20-year period, industry sources told Mirror Business. According to government sources, the necessary Cabinet paper awarding the contract to GCL Windforce & RenewGen has already been prepared and is signed by the Power and Renewable Energy Minister, and is due to be presented to the Cabinet tomorrow. The PAB chaired by K.A.S. Gunasekara and two other members, A.D.S. Gunawardene and S.P.Wellapili has decided to award the contract to GCL Windforce & RenewGen after accepting nine out of two issues raised by the petitioner, GCL Windforce & RenewGen. The two main concerns were conflict of interest and financial viability, Mirror Business learns. GCL Windforce & RenewGen had argued at the PAB hearing that Lakdanavi Ltd would not be able to complete the project at US $175 million as the company was expecting an exemption of VAT and NBT for steam turbines, gas turbines and other auxiliary items, which account for 22 percent of the project cost. Lakdhanavi Limited offered the lowest tariff rate of Rs. 14.98 per unit, while GCL Windforce & RenewGen offered a tariff of Rs.15.97 per unit, calculating the project cost at US $ 299 million. The Power and Renewable Energy Ministry presenting a letter from the Fiscal Policy Department of the Finance and Mass Media Ministry had noted that Lakdanavi would be liable for VAT and NBT for the equipment. However, Lakdanavi had informed the PAB that the company was ready to infuse Rs.4 billion worth company funds into the project, if the VAT and NBT exemptions were not granted by the Finance and Mass Media Ministry. GCL Windforce & RenewGen had also argued that Lakdanavis proposal wasnt viable as it wouldnt be able to complete the project at US$175 million, pointing out that the company has demanded a US$330 million loan for the project from Germany-based, KfW Development Bank. However, Lakdanavi officials noted that it was customary to request a higher loan amount from a bank as it is up for negotiations, and affirmed that KfW Development Bank was one of the banks that they were considering for financing. However, experts pointed out that if the PAB was concerned about financial viability, it could have increased the bid bond for Lakdanavi. Interestingly, the Power and Renewable Energy Ministry had agreed with GCL Windforce & RenewGens arguments, when the PAB called for ministrys observations. Speaking to Mirror Business, the Power and Renewable Energy Ministry Secretary Dr. B.M.S Batagoda said PAB has rejected several other tenders during past few weeks along with Lakdanavis bid. Dr. Batagoda asserted that he was merely answering the queries of the PAB, providing his observations such as to whether the Lakdanavis bid was lower than the estimated project cost, whether there were other bids of Lakdanavi that were rejected at the PAB level earlier etc. He also noted that Lakdanavis bid was rejected by the 13-member Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) at different stages of the evaluation process and that he had to reveal about it to the PAB. Different PABs have earlier rejected two tender awards to LTL pointing at conflict of interest as CEB is the major shareholder of LTL. However, the decisions were reversed at the Cabinet level and by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the PAB to re-award the New Galle Transmission Development Project- Lot B to LTL and the Cabinet reversed the decision of the PAB to award the 24MW diesel power plant in Jaffna to LTL. Proposals for the 300MW Kerawalapitiya LNG plant was called in November 2016, and following several controversies the SCAPC finally decided to award the contract to Lakdanavi last month. However, Samsung JV Korea Group and GCL Windforce & RenewGen appealed to the PAB to reverse the decision. GCL Windforce & RenewGen was headed by Chairman Ali Asghar Akbarally and Vice President Yu Xiaodong. According to energy experts, Sri Lanka is likely to face a major energy crisis by 2020, as the government has failed to commission any large-scale power plants to meet the increasing energy demand of 70-80 MW per annum. BERLIN REUTERS June 17- German Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking talks with some EU member states on migrant policy before a leaders summit at the end of the month, a government spokesman said, in a last-ditch bid to avert a coalition crisis erupting this week. The spokesman denied a report in Bild newspaper that Merkel was trying to arrange a special summit on migrant policy, saying such a meeting would be a matter for EU institutions. But of course the German government is having talks in this regard with several member states and the (European) Commission, government spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted. EU states are deeply divided on how to deal with large numbers of people fleeing conflict, especially from the Middle East. Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe said today the government had spent Rs.8.3 billion to maintain embassies last year but that there was no mechanism to assess the benefits gained for the country. He said with the assistance of all Sri Lankan embassies the Auditor General's Department was preparing a report on the diplomatic service. We spend billions of rupees to maintain embassies. But there is no mechanism to assess the benefits or the services rendered to the country by way of improving its image or the promotion of tourism and trade in the countries where the embassies are based, Mr. Wijesinghe said at a seminar in Colombo. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera) DPA, 17th JUNE, 2018-Greece and Macedonia signed a historic agreement to end their nearly three-decade-old dispute over the name Macedonia, paving the way for the former Yugoslav republic to join NATO and begin moving towards EU membership. Foreign Ministers Nikos Kotzias of Greece and Nikola Dimitrov of Macedonia signed the document in Psarades, on the shore of Lake Prespa, which is divided between the two countries and Albania. This is a historic step, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said at the ceremony in comments carried by local broadcasters. Our countries are leaving the past behind and are looking to the future. What a beautiful, glorious and historic day, his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev said before the signing. 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. Indias reliance on Iran for oil, and on Russia for defense equipment, could be choked due to the unilateral sanctions by the US Russias share of arms imports falls from 79% between 2008-2012 to 62% in 2013-2017 Relations between India and the United States, which were on the upswing following the collapse of the Soviet Union and its aftermath, have now come under strain due to President Donald Trumps eccentric trade and defence policies. After declaring India as a strategic defence partner in 2016, the US has been pressurizing India to snap its traditional defence ties with Russia and buy weapons systems from the US mainly. Recently, when India decided to buy Russias S-400 surface-to-air missile units instead of the failed US PAC-3 interceptors, the US threatened to impose sanctions under the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). CAATSA is a US federal law enacted in 2017 to impose sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea. Recently, when Turkey rejected the PAC-3 and opted for S-400, the US threatened sanctions. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the House Foreign Relations Committee that the US was making efforts to keep the Turks in a place where they will never acquire the S-400. Unilateral US sanctions have damaged Washingtons relations with the European Union and other parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) also. However, Indias External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Parliament that India would go in for the Russian air defence system even if it attracted US sanctions. She pointed out that CAATSA could not be applied to India as it abides only by UN and not US sanctions. And Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the media: In all our engagements with the US, we have clearly explained how India and Russias defence cooperation has been going on for a long time and that it is a time-tested relationship. She added that India has received numerous defence assets from Moscow and that such cooperation would continue with the $ 5.5-billion S-400 deal. Despite the US bid to capture the Indian arms market, Russia is still Indias largest arms supplier, accounting for 62 per cent of arms sales to New Delhi over the past five years, according to the Stockholm-based International Peace Institute (SIPRI). It must be noted that S-400 is an advanced weapon system and it is virtually impossible for India to procure a comparable system from any other country. However, the bottom line is that some discernible shifts are there in the Indian foreign policy lately one may say, a rethink or a course correction. India is asserting its strategic autonomy, former Indian Ambassador M. Bhadrakumar told Russia Today. According to experts, the S-400 Triumf is capable of firing three types of missiles to create a layered defense, and integrates a multi-function radar, autonomous detection and targeting systems, missile launchers and command posts. It can bring down aircraft at a range of up to 400km. On the other hand, the US PAC-3 has failed said expert Bharat Karnad in a piece in the The Citizen. The Trump administration is interested in selling to India, F-18 and F-16 fighter planes. The companies making them have offered to assemble these planes in India as part of Modis Make in India campaign. The US is also marketing 22 Sea Guardian Unmanned Aerial Systems for US$ 2 billion. The ambitious Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) is the key platform to elevate the Indo-US defense relationship from a buyer-seller engagement to a partnership model, to co-develop and co-produce key defense technologies, it is pointed out. Of course, if implemented, these US schemes are advantageous to India. But the US cannot monopolize Indias purchases nor can it dictate what India can buy and from where. That has been made clear to Washington. Buying from the US comes with lot of attached baggage. Just too many dos and donts, inclusive of the uncertainty attending on the spares supply, which can be stopped at any time on congressional whim and an administrations fancy. And worst of all, the PAC-3 does not work as advertised, Bharat Karnad points out. Despite the US bid to capture the Indian arms market, Russia is still Indias largest arms supplier, accounting for 62 per cent of arms sales to New Delhi over the past five years, according to the Stockholm-based International Peace Institute (SIPRI) Jeopardizes Indo-Iran ties US sanctions on Iran have put Indias interests in Iran in jeopardy. India is involved in the construction of the Chabahar Port which is a vital link to Central Asia. Iran is a significant source of oil for India. US sanctions will render the use of US dollars illegal by August 2018. As India takes over the Chabahar Port under a lease agreement, the ramifications of the sanctions on Chabahar could result in banks backing out due to fear of US sanctions. Indias reliance on Iran for oil, and on Russia for defense equipment, could be choked due to the unilateral sanctions by the US on various important entities, personalities and institutions in these countries, observers point out. US-India trade war India has decided to suspend trade concessions and raise import duties on 30 products from the US by up to 50% in a mirror response to Washingtons impetuous move to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, a report said. The new measures will see a 50 % tariff increase on motorcycles with engine capacities of over 800cc, while apple imports would be charged with a 25 % levy. Imports of almonds and walnuts would see a 20% levy. The total tariff increase on all products in the list will amount to an estimated additional US$ 240 million in import fees. The sum is roughly equivalent to the damage India would suffer from Donald Trumps protectionist measures, the report added. Strengthening ties with Moscow Meanwhile, India is building upon its relations with Moscow. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi in May and discussed Russias agreed weapons exports to India, estimated to be worth $ 12 billion. Russias share of arms imports had fallen from 79 % between 2008-2012 to 62% in 2013-2017, according to SIPRI, causing concern in Moscow. In a tweet sent out prior to his visit, Modi confirmed that he would seek to strengthen the special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia. Prior to Modis visit, Indias National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and the BJP leader Ram Madhav also visited Russia to strengthen political and security ties. However, India and Russia have issues to thrash out. India had decided to quit the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project, mooted for over a decade. New Delhi is apparently dissatisfied with both the timelines and the characteristics of what would have been a groundbreaking, jointly produced jet, and a new model for Russias post-Soviet aerospace industry, Russia Today said. But there is cooperation in the nuclear field. Russia has completed nuclear reactors 3 and 4 at Kudankulam, Indias largest nuclear power station, and wants to complete reactors 5 and 6 by the start of the next decade. The success of the (Kudankulam) project could determine the path of the countrys energy industry a relevant concern for a rapidly growing economy, and a population that is expected to overtake Chinas within five years, Russia Today said. Then there is the trilateral nuclear development project in Bangladesh, namely, the US$ 13 billion Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, where Russian engineers will supply the technology and the Indian side will provide some of the financing and management, Russia Today added. India dilutes importance of Quad Meanwhile, India has diluted the importance of the Quad in its Indo-Pacific strategy. The Quad is a new group involving India, US, Japan and Australia, which is primarily meant to safeguard US and Japanese interests in the Indo-Pacific region. Indias Ambassador to Moscow, Pankaj Saran had told The Hindu that the Quad is not central to Indias policy on the Indo-Pacific region. Modi would have assured Putin that India was not part of any US-led alliance directed against it. This should be music to the ears of the Chinese too. (Hindustan Times), Jun 16, 2018 - For the first time in public, militants threatened to target the families and homes of local police and army men in response to the security forces allegedly vandalising of the homes of suspected local militants. The threat came at the funeral of 18-year-old Vikas Ahmad, who was killed in army firing on Friday, at Noupora in Pulwama district on Saturday. Soon after Eid prayers, Noupora villagers had gathered for the funeral in the morning when 23 armed militants appeared and addressed the mourners. The army and policemen are vandalising our houses. Now onwards, we will do same to the families of police, army and the CRPF men. From left: NPC members Dr. Palitha Ekanayake, Prof. Chitra Weddikkara, Chairman Eng. B. Nihal Wickramasuriya, NPC members Christy Perera and M. Vamadevan Pic by Damith Wickremesinghe Sri Lanka is to replace the 12-year old public procurement guidelines by this August with a new set of guidelines, aiming to enhance transparency, accountability and efficiency of the procurement process, while cutting down related costs by almost 10 percent. Addressing a media briefing last week, the National Procurement Commission (NPC) Chairman Eng. B. Nihal Wickramasuriya said the Commission has already gazetted the new public procurement guidelines on May 9, which is subjected to Parliament approval before August 9 this year. In a bid to replace the current paper-based procurement with an electronic government procurement (e-GP) system, the NPC has also included necessary guidelines for an e-GP process. The Finance and Mass Media Ministry is currently conducting a feasibility study for the e-GP. According to him, 98 percent of public procurements in Sri Lanka are paper-based. Wickramasuriya stressed that e-GP will reduce corruption in the process by minimizing the human intervention while improving accuracy, efficiency, transparency and competition. He also emphasised that the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) will come into operation following the implementation of e-GP. The OCDS is expected to enable the government to carry on management and analysis of procurement data, improving openness and transparency in public procurement activities. NPC member, Christy Perera noted that it will require at least 10 years for Sri Lankan authorities to transform the paper-based public procurement processes into a fully-fledged electronic procurement platform. However, he stressed that the State agencies could publish tenders and tender procedures online in the meantime. Meanwhile, NPC member, Prof. Chitra Weddikkara highlighted that NPC has also introduced a value engineering system and a technical auditing system to the new guidelines, where the former will help to cut down the cost of procurements by almost 10 percent. According to the NPC, public procurements amount to approximately 27 percent of government expenditure annually. The new gazetted guidelines extend to tender boards pertaining to all levels of procurement, whereas current procurement guidelines are limited to Cabinet level procurements. The NPC has also introduced green procurement, aiming to facilitate the efforts of achieving sustainable goals. Green procurement includes life-cycle costing, different weightages to certain procurements and green labelling. Wickramasuriya noted that full reports of Technical Evaluation Committees will be made available to public, following the completion of tender processes. The Commission will also investigate and report to the authorities and to the Parliament about genuine stakeholder complaints of stakeholders related to the tender process. However, Wickramasuriya acknowledged that NPC is unable to block awarding of tenders directly to parties which are found guilty by investigations. Meanwhile, he further said the NPC expects the gazetted public guidelines to reach Parliament this week via the Prime Ministers Office. The NPC had earlier submitted the gazetted guidelines to the Presidential Secretariat. The NPC was established under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in the latter part of 2015, with the aim of streamlining the existing public procurement system. According to the gazette, the new procurement guidelines will replace all previous procurement guidelines, circulars and directives within 30 days following parliamentary approval. The NPC noted that the 30-day window is aimed at making room for any amendment pertaining to the guidelines. According to the NPC, this would be the first time where procurement guidelines would be published as a constitutional requirement, thereby getting the cover of the supreme law of the country. The new guidelines were prepared through an extensive consultation process with the support of Asian Development Bank, World Bank (WB) and USAID. The five-member NPC was set up under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, under Chapter XIX B. (NF) A large number of postal employees marched towards the Presidential Secretariat in a massive protest march today urging the authorities to solve their issues. Pix by Nisal Baduge An Italian coast guard ship carrying migrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea arrived in the Spanish port city of Valencia on Sunday, marking the end of a dispute that laid bare divisions among EU member states over migration and asylum policy. The ship arrived at Valencia harbour around 6:20am (0420 GMT) after seven days at sea. It is one of three vessels carrying more than 600 migrants in total to Spain. The other two ships were scheduled to arrive in three-hour intervals, Inigo Vila of the Spanish Red Cross said earlier. The Italian coast guard ship was carrying 274 migrants, who would be provided with immediate medical examinations and care. Seven pregnant women were on board as well as 123 children. The Aquarius, a rescue boat jointly run by the NGOs Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and SOS Mediterranee, had been turned away last week by both Italy and Malta, leaving the boat stranded on the high seas until Spain offered a mooring at Valencia. The Aquarius was being escorted by two vessels, including the Italian coast guard ship. They joined the Aquarius after concerns emerged that it would not be able to safely complete the 1,500-kilometre journey to Spain in inclement weather and with 629 people aboard. Since taking office on June 1, Italys hardline Interior Minister and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini has pledged to end irregular migration into Italy via the Mediterranean. Valencia, Spain (dpa) 17 June 2018 Protests at Norochcholai over the damage done to the health of the people living near and distant to the plant Renewable energy is better than coal or LNG but it cannot be relied upon to provide solid base load power any time soon In an article published in the SUNDAYISLAND of January 7, CIMOGG, employing a minimum of technical language, set out several compelling reasons why coal-powered electricity generation was wrong for Sri Lanka. Engineer Tudor Wijenayake (TW), in an article in the DAILY FT of June 7, has given much useful additional information including valuable data on costs in this connection. TW reports that, in a note addressed by Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) engineers to its membership, the unit price of electricity had been given as Rs.7.90 per kWh whereas, in a later submission made by the CEB to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the cost of coal-based generation at Lakvijaya had been given as Rs.14.53 to Rs.14.74. Why the discrepancy? Was it to gain ill-informed institutional support from their fellow-workers for the use of coal by giving the misleading lower figure of Rs.7.90 per kWh? We are compelled to speculate in this manner on account of the publicity that has been given from time to time about the controversies over the tenders for the procurement of coal that go to show that it is a vastly attractive long-term goose with a profusion of golden eggs for ministers, ministry officials and senior CEB engineers who are responsible for formulating policy, preparing specifications, calling and evaluating tenders, providing superintendence at the suppliers end, testing/acceptance at this end, and so on. [STOP PRESS: As this article was about to be sent to the media, we came to learn from two newspapers that Minister Champika Ranawaka has called for a Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the massive frauds in importing coal from 2009 onwards, stating inter alia that this is many times greater than the Bond issue. CIMOGG fully endorses Minister Ranawakas call for a PCoI as it has become increasingly-convinced over the years that the import of coal is heavily soaked in corruption]. There are bound to be some crooked political heavyweights who favour coal because it would prove to be a long-term godsend that would keep on yielding golden eggs for many years without leaving room to exploit our natural gas resources for power-production purposes At no time have we seen an assessment by the CEB on the costs of mitigating the adverse environmental impact associated with the use of coal. The issues that should be looked at in this context are how to deal with the several polluting operations that are involved in transporting, storing and burning dirty coal and coping (if that is at all practicable) with the large volume of by-products such as fly ash, which has only a limited market in Sri Lanka. Moreover, there are no realistic, economically-viable means of capturing the hot, gaseous oxides of sulphur, nitrogen and other similar particularly noxious emissions that are discharged through the flues into the atmosphere from where they will cause health and other problems over a fairly large area. Practical methods of dealing with heavy metals like cadmium, lead and mercury that are present in small but significantly dangerous proportions are just not available. In short, if it were possible to control all the various types of pollution that are inevitable with coal-powered electricity generation, the cost per unit of electricity would skyrocket over the costs associated with virtually all the other competing sources. It is no secret that there have been sporadic public protests at Norochcholai over the damage that is being caused to the health of the people living near and distant to the coal-burning power station there. Public displeasure is bound to increase with time as some of the polluting products will almost certainly spread further and further, and also accumulate wherever they reach ground level. The latest news in this regard is that the CEB and the Central Environmental Authority are at loggerheads regarding the issue of the environmental clearance for the Norochcholai power station. This dilemma will, no doubt, be resolved in the short-term by the CEB resorting to strikes, working-to-rule and industrial sabotage that will put the government under unscrupulous pressure. Both coal and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) produce heat and carbon dioxide, and deplete the natural reserves of these two commodities which could probably be put to less damaging and more productive uses as technology advances. These two fuels may appear to be equally bad on these two counts but, when one takes into account the numerous intractable environmental problems that are associated with coal power, as compared with the absence of similar problems in the case of LNG, there is no doubt that the latter is vastly preferable. There is no spread of pollution in connection with its shipping, unloading, transport, handling and combustion. Burning LNG does not produce unwanted sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxide and heavy metal combustion products. It is by far the better fuel for thermal power generation. The next paragraph is almost a direct quote from the writers aforementioned article in the SUNDAYISLAND. A key consideration is that Sri Lanka has no coal of its own and will forever be dependent on whichever sources are identified as producing the particular type of coal that is required for the particular design of the steam boiler that is selected. In contrast, over the past three or four decades, LNG has become more readily available from several sources and the design of the burners and boilers is not sensitive to the source of the LNG. Of the greatest relevance is the fact that Sri Lankas marine resources are known to include substantial natural gas reserves which, if developed with reasonable expedition, would be a fuel source that cannot be monopolised by cartels of foreign suppliers working in concert in the international markets to keep raising their prices as and when they please as they would undoubtedly do if we are forced to rely on them to supply coal over many decades. Whereas the price of coal will unquestionably keep increasing outside the control of Sri Lanka, the state could readily supply LNG indefinitely to the CEB at only the cost of developing and maintaining the LNG infrastructure, without the need to follow price variations in the international markets. During the 3-5 initial years during which our gas fields and related infrastructure are being developed, it would not matter too much if we have to pay a premium for importing LNG. TW reports that, in a note addressed by CEB engineers to its membership, the unit price of electricity had been given as Rs.7.90 per kWh whereas, in a later submission made by the CEB to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the cost of coal-based generation at Lakvijaya had been given as Rs.14.53 to Rs.14.74 It was not many months ago that the public were informed that a firm decision had been taken to work with LNG and not coal. It is, therefore, utterly shocking to learn that the government is being pressurized to go back to the plan to build two clean coal power plants which are mythical entities if the emphasis is on the word clean as we have already explained in our aforesaid article. As the hidden rewards of buying more and more coal would be of astronomical proportions over the years, those interested in pushing coal have enormous potential to wield their diabolically unpatriotic financial power to bend the more honest politicians, administrators and technocrats to their will. There are bound to be some crooked political heavyweights who favour coal because it would prove to be a long-term godsend that would keep on yielding golden eggs for many years without leaving room to exploit our natural gas resources for power-production purposes. How the avarice of these traitors is to be countered is hard to foresee but what is absolutely imperative is that not even a single new coal-powered power station should be allowed anywhere else in tiny Sri Lankaif we are to supply electricity economically, and avoid damaging the health of our people and ruining the environment. As mentioned in the said article, renewable sources of power would be better than coal or LNG but, as things stand at the moment, they cannot be relied upon to provide solid base load power any time soon. The authorities must necessarily expend a substantial amount of funds to keep increasing the renewable energy component of Sri Lankas increasing power requirements. This advice has no bearing on the coal versus LNG conflict. CIMOGG calls upon the President, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet not to betray Sri Lankaby giving in to the crude self-interest of those promoting coal. By S.S. Selvanayagam Presidents Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardane impugned before the Supreme Court that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Sri Lanka has entered into with Singapore is inimical to the interests of Sri Lanka. He lamented that it is totally incompatible with the interests of Sri Lanka and grants totally an unfair and an uneven asymmetric advantage and benefit to Singapores interests at the cost of Sri Lankas interest. The fundamental rights petition filed by the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) and its office bearers along with two other petitions was taken up before the bench comprising Justices Eva Wanasundera, Lalith Dehideniya and Murdu N.B.Fernando. Court fixed the applications to be supported on October 5. Petitioners cited Development Strategies & International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama, Director General of Customs, Members of the Cabinet of Ministers, Attorney General and others as respondents. Petitioners challenge the action and/or the decision of the minister to enter into the purported FTA between Sri Lanka and Singapore, executed on 23.01.2018. Petitioners state no approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been obtained, prior to the said purported agreement being entered into by the said minister. They claim in any event, any purported approval, if any, granted by the Cabinet of Ministers, is illegal and bad in law. They contend that for the purpose of entering into any agreement between the Sri Lankan government and any other foreign state, its nationals or of corporations, companies and other associations incorporated or constituted under its law for the investments in Sri Lanka, the approval of Parliament is necessary, by a resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the whole number of Members of Parliament (including those not present) voting in its favour. They bemoan that no sufficient legislation or regulatory framework has been introduced in Sri Lanka to ensure equal status competition and to eliminate disparities and inequalities in trade and supplying services to Singapore. They identify that a clause of the said FTA, the term national is defined to mean citizens of Singapore and permanent residents of Singapore. However, in the context of Sri Lanka, the same term means citizen of Sri Lanka only. The term the national person of a party is defined as a natural person who is a national of a party. Such an apparent and patent disparity may facilitate a person of a third party country, who is qualified to apply and obtain the status of a permanent resident of Singapore, to have the benefit of accessing the domestic market, through this purported FTA, they bewail. They pinpoint that in year 2016, Sri Lanka recorded a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of US $ 3759.20, whereas the GDP of Singapore is US$ 52,600.60. They assert that hence in an objective perspective, a citizen of Singapore, would not in all probability, be induced into or be attracted into invest his time and resources in Sri Lanka, in view of such a vast disparity of GDP and bi-polarity of the economic affluence of the two countries. They express apprehension that the said clause has been included to provide a gateway or an opportunity, for totally unknown third party nationals to have access to the Sri Lankan market, merely on the basis of satisfying the requirement of permanent residency of Singapore. They also pinpoint another serious disparity with regard to the definition of the term Territory. Certain purported clauses of the said FTA relating to reduction and/or elimination of customs duties, places Sri Lanka under the obligation to reduce or eliminate the existing customs duties and taxes with additional obligation to further eliminate them in the future, they caution. They bring into notice that most of the goods referred to in the tariff schedule of Singapore are already exempted from customs duties irrespective of the purported FTA. They state the exploitation by foreign nationals, without an effective regulatory framework in Sri Lanka to safeguard the interests of domestic service sectors, may lead to harmful competition, placing Sri Lankan citizens in a highly disadvantageous position, depriving competition on a level playing field and/or on an equal status. They highlight the legislation and regulatory framework in Singapore has already established effective protective measures and mechanism to safeguard the interest and welfare of their domestic service providers. They allege that there is a notorious lack and absence of parity which taints the entire transaction process, which seriously impacts the Sri Lankan citizens. Sanjeeva Jayawardane PC with Lakmini Warsuvitana appeared for the petitioner. Ali Sabry PC appeared for BASL. Shavindra Fernando PC appeared for a connected application. KABUL REUTERS June 17- Taliban militants headed into cities across Afghanistan on Sunday as they celebrate their unprecedented Eid ceasefire, raising questions about what happens should the hugs and selfies stop and the festive atmosphere and calls for peace turn sour. President Ashraf Ghani extended the government ceasefire on Saturday, 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. Ecstatic men and children crowded around the soldiers and Taliban fighters, some who had checked in their weapons at the entrances to cities, over the weekend and urged them to extend their ceasefire into a permanent peace. Governors and senior government officials hosted small feasts, played music to welcome the Taliban after they announced a three-day ceasefire over Eid, marking the close of the month-long Ramadan fasting season that ends on Sunday. Industry stakeholders address over 200 state school principals Stress youth unaware of employment benefits in tourism sector Says national services if principals can inspire students to join the industry By Shabiya Ali Ahlam Sri Lankas tourism sector that is gathering steam to become the top revenue earner for the country saw its potential and opportunity showcased to state school principals yesterday, which was an effort taken by the key stakeholders to fuel the sector with the much-needed human resources. The tourism sector being one of the key pillars of the economy, a Hospitality Conclave, a discussion forum for state school principals, was held yesterday in Colombo that would help promote the tourism and hospitality sectors as promising avenues for employment and career prospects. The half-day forum was organised by The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) in partnership with the Education Ministry and Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo and brought over 200 school principals from around the country to one platform. With the new investments into the hotel sector amounting to US $ 2.8 billion, requiring thousands of newly trained workers in the next couple years, as Tourism Minister John Amaratunga stated just last week, the forum proved to be timely and relevant. The potential and opportunities offered by the hospitality sector are obvious. However, the industry has acknowledged time and again that the contemporary youth are unaware of the benefits to be reaped, thus leading to a formidable challenge in attracting local youth into the sector. In that context, the conclave served as an opportunity to address the challenges prevailing in the industry so that it can become a top employment creator for the county. In 2017, the total contribution from travel and tourism for employment, both direct and indirect, was 11 percent, with total employment at 875,000 jobs. In terms of supply growth, the industry has forecast that with another 6500 rooms expected to come into operation by 2020, over 100,000 direct job opportunities would be created. According to the THASL, the spurt will result in a substantial number of indirect jobs in the near future. With this growing trend in tourism and the hotel industry, there is a great career offering to the youth of our country. The principals and vice principals of schools are able to influence the youth in a way no one else can. You can pass on the necessary information and you can inspire and motivate them regarding the fascinating opportunities that lie ahead in this industry, THASL President Sanath Ukwatte told the full house gathered at Shangri-La Hotel. Pointing out that there is a substantial number of school dropouts from Grade Eight onwards, Ukwatte opined it would be a national service for the school principals to inspire the youth to consider the hospitality industry as a career path. Going on to promote the attractive pay offered, the THASL head stressed that it is only the hospitality industry that distributes 10 percent of its revenue (service charge) among the employees, which amounts to approximately Rs.25,000 Rs.30,000 per month. Furthermore, it was also stressed that one of the key benefits the youth would gain is access to training. This is of a planned and systematic nature and the management of our hotels has made significant investments in training, so that young people with a flair for tourism can develop and refine skills in all aspects of the hotel industry. There is great opportunity for acquiring and sharpening language skills. All this training to enhance the quality of an employee is offered free of charge, opined Ukwatte. The local hospitality industry has been growing significantly since 2009, from a mere 500,000 tourists to 2.2 million arrivals by 2017. Since 2009, earnings from tourism grew by over 900 percent from US $ 350 million, to a US $ 3.5 billion. Currently, standing tall as the second highest net foreign exchange earner to the country, the tourism industry aims to become the number one foreign exchange earner by 2020. THASL calls on govt. to introduce travel & tourism from Grade 6 The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), the apex body of the local hospitality industry, yesterday called on the government to introduce tourism-related subjects from junior school level. With the industry having picked up pace and limited human resources posing to be a major challenge, THASL President Sanath Ukwatte urged the relevant authorities to take active initiative in making tourism part of the local curriculum. Most of all, our call goes to the government and Education Ministry to pay urgent heed to our request of looking at introducing travel and tourism as a subject from Grade Six onward, he said. At present, under the local syllabus, students have the option of pursuing travel and tourism as a subject for Advanced Level. The THASL head also appealed to the hoteliers to offer internship programmes to young students during their school holidays so that it would instil an interest in the field from an early stage. The fifties and sixties were clearly epoch-making decades for much of the Western world and particularly for the United States. Almost overnight, the bourgeoisie, so accustomed to their way of life, found their culture eroding with the onslaught of the bohemians, the heroes of the counterculture who found their icons in the novels of Norman Mailer and the Beat Generation and the politics of Abbie Hoffman. But these were relatively prosperous years, probably the most prosperous of 20th century American life. David Brooks, in his clear accessible account of this phenomenon, Bobos in Paradise, contends that what transpired was the substitution of one way of thinking for another, a substitution that was short-lived, as the return of the corporate culture of the seventies and the eighties proved. Probably the best illustration of this shift can be found in the movies. In 1967, The Graduate, one of that years most successful films, depicted its hero in the form of Benjamin Braddock, who rebelled against conformity and the sexual depravity of the WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) middle-class; 20 years later, its director, Mike Nichols, created a hero out of a stockbrokers secretary who finds her way to the upper echelons of corporate America in Melanie Griffith, with Working Girl. From the one to another, there was a shift, from the bohemian values of the sixties to the bourgeois values of the eighties. In the hands of the masters, the middlebrow and the lowbrow is formalised: baila turns into The Moonstones, Dalreen Suby enters Such shifts are not rare, and are almost certainly reflected in the culture of a particular era. Its interesting, thus, to note that while Abbie Hoffman was ranting and raving about the virtues of revolutionary politics and the Beatniks were hailing the LSD and drug culture of the fifties and sixties, Sri Lanka, conversely, faced a resurgence of bourgeois values. It was in the fifties that the efforts of the likes of Devar Surya Sena led to the creation of a cultural sphere. Led by the offspring of the upper class, these preservationists laid the bedrock for the emergence of that sphere, despite the errors they made when formalising the same culture they sought to preserve. In the United States the fifties and sixties had become the repository of revolution, of bohemia, of countercultural rebellion; in Sri Lanka, those decades would become the repository of the formal, conservative, middle-class, and petty bourgeois culture, the culture which was seen most discernibly in the films of Lester James Peries, the songs of Amaradeva, the plays of Sarachchandra, and the ballets of Chitrasena. While liberal and Westernised and modernised at the outset, these art forms were tinged with the middle-class puritanism of the audiences that patronised them. That most of these pioneer artists hailed from the petty bourgeoisie helped fuel this dichotomy, between modernism and traditionalism, even further. Premaranjith Tilakaratne recounts in his memoir Durgaya that when he got the great Sarachchandra to listen to the songs from West Side Story, the latter had just one reply to give: It is nothing but cacophony! This was not an era of polyphony, let alone cacophony: it was the era of the formal culture, patronised by the children of 1956, the rural bourgeoisie and the urban petty bourgeoisie, who were soon to become (as the novels of Karunasena Jayalath showed) the heroes of the art forms which had until then depicted them as props and supporting players. That Lester Periess most successful film until then was Golu Hadawatha, which valorised this milieu, is no cause for wonderment. It was inevitable in a way. Definitive eras What made these two decades the definitive eras of cultural renaissance, of the formal culture that is, was economic prosperity on the one hand and social puritanism on the other. Prosperity and Puritanism: these were the two factors which spurred an entire era. The petty bourgeoisie had been emancipated by Sinhala Only. The groundwork for that revolution had been laid down, as I wrote before, by the offspring of the Anglican elite, the Devar Surya Senas and the Hurbert Rajapaksas whose work would be taken over by the Sunil Shanthas, the Lester Perieses, and the Amaradevas. What 1956 did was to amalgamate the results of these efforts, which had been transformed into a definitive cultural renaissance, with the traditionalism and class prejudices of the milieu which led the Sinhala Only revolution, the rural bourgeoisie and the urban petty bourgeoisie. When you watch Lesters films, particularly those from the sixties, you can spot out this traditionalist streak even in his most daring work: both Golu Hadawatha, which valorises young love, and Delovak Athara, which valorises the downtrodden and the unprivileged (it was Philip Gunawardenas favourite movie), dont go beyond the middle-class canvas they revolve around. In this sense the zeitgeist of this period was captured succinctly in Ran Salu, Lesters most religiously saturated film, which brings the good/bad binaries of village life (exemplified by P. K. D. Seneviratnes script) to the streets of Colombo 7, through the acting of Punya Heendeniya. (The Ceylon depicted in Ran Salu, as one reviewer put it, was a Ceylon full of affluence and middle-class aspirations. Perhaps he may not have seen a paradox in the intermingling of that prosperity with the puritanism of Punyas character, and how the triumph of goodness does not clash with the aspirations of this middle-class.) The Moonstones and Dalreen Suby In the hands of the masters, the middlebrow and the lowbrow are formalised: baila turns into The Moonstones, Dalreen Suby enters the scene and apotheosises the meaning of nightclub music, on the one hand, while on the other, the second generation baila performers, M. S. Fernando and Anton Jones in particular, continue to pander to a more populist crowd. Mango Kalu Nande, which highlights and parodies a division between the householder and the servant (a division which would be sustained by the Clarence Wijewardenas and the Annesley Malawanas of this period), becomes the first Sinhala song to be broadcast on the English service of Radio Ceylon. The coastal belt, from Chilaw to Mount Lavinia, transforms kaffiringa into a formalised musical genre, and Neville Fernando, the pop voice of the fifties, effectively gives way to Clarence and Annesley. The middle-class of these two decades, lulled by economic prosperity, indulge in their bourgeois values even further, while on the other side of the world Vietnam and the Civil Liberties Union would put a further strain on the American economy and social sphere. We were a world away, happily continuing with a separation between the jana and the janapriya. It would take an entire decade for the janapriya sensibility to shift, mainly through Jothipala, who would take that sensibility to the populist masses, away from Clarences milieu. In the seventies, and in pretty much every cultural sphere, including the movies, there was change: rampant, raging, and unforgiving. The complacent conservatism of the sixties, in the popular culture, yielded to a more humanitarian, liberal, slightly leftist streak. This was the era of Anton Jones, who sang about Maru Sira and the cyclone of 1978 and the Kanthoruwawhich fermented sloppiness, apathy, and laziness, and the era of Jothipala, who crooned about love unhindered by class origins. To be sure, The Moonstones, which had now transformed into the Super Golden Chimes, continued with their separation of the householder and the servant, though with much less vigour than before. (Moving away from Mango Kalu Nande, they instead sang Kanda Surinduni, Ma Adare Nangiye, and one of my favourites from these years, Sudu Menike. They did not bother with the householder and the servant, in other words; they celebrated, blissfully, casually, the sights, the sounds, and the clashes of their personal lives.) But this decade entailed a paradigm shift. The artists of the fifties and sixties had been adamant on sustaining a divorce between the jana and the janapriya. The seventies, by contrast, saw a coming together of these two cultural streams. The complacent conservatism of the sixties, in the popular culture, yielded to a more humanitarian, liberal, slightly leftist streak It happened in unprecedented, almost unheard of ways. Mahagama Sekara and Somadasa Elvitigala teamed up to conjure a song for Indrani Perera and the Three Sisters: Gaala Suwanda Rasa Handun (its exuberance and refreshing pace might have almost been composed by Clarence Wijewardena). Shelton Premaratne got together with Father Marcelline Jayakody and Dharmasiri Gamage for a song which brought together Nanda Malini and Dalreen Arnolda: No East No West - Rangum Gayum Wayum. (Father Jayakody and Dalreen were given the English section, while Gamage and Malini got the Sinhala section.) Having been shunned by filmmakers, for the crime of bastardising and corrupting the sarala geeya, Clarence found work in the film industry through H. D. Premaratne, who adapted the Ummagga Jathakaya to Sikuruliya and thus revitalised Swineetha Weerasinghes career. Amaradeva, having tried his luck with him once before, finally composed a song for Jothipala: Kanden Kandata (from Tharanga). These were quirks, yes, but over time they became more and more frequent. It is from here, thus, that we must explore that tragedy I outlined at the beginning of this series of essays: that while the janapriya sensibility continues, unabated and fresher than ever, the jana sensibility, which met the janapriya long, long ago, has stalled. How, why, and wherefore this came about, I leave for the next piece. Oops....! We couldn't find that... 404 error Unfortunately the page you were looking for could not be found. It may be temporarily unavailable, moved or no longer exist. Check the URL you entered for any mistakes and try again. Alternatively, search for whatever is missing or take a look around the rest of our site. Norways Joint Strike Missile Completes Qualification Tests The page you requested is only available to subscribers. 1. If you are a Premium Service subscriber, please log in here to access this story: Log-in : Password : 2. If you are not a subcriber, you can: -- buy access to this page: unlimited access for seven days costs 3.00 EUR + VAT (at 20%) if applicable. Clicking on the "Ok" button below will place the item in your shopping cart and return you to our home page, where you will be able to select additional stories. -- select additional stories and services from our home page and pay for them at the same time. -- see your shopping cart. You can also see the contents of your shopping cart at any time by clicking on the "Order" tab on the navigation bar at the top of any page, or by clicking on the "Your order" light blue link in the top right-hand corner of our home page, immediately under the log-on box. Public meetings set for waterfront LID SEATTLE The city will hold public meetings in July regarding the proposed local improvement district for the downtown waterfront redevelopment. The LID would raise up to $200 million of the estimated $688 million needed for the projects, which will include a promenade, new parks, landscaping and street improvements following demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct next year. The LID would tax property owners in an area stretching from Belltown to Sodo, between the waterfront and Interstate 5. The first of four hearings is scheduled for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-6 p.m. July 13 at the Washington State Convention Center in Ballroom 6E. The full schedule is available online at https://waterfrontseattle.org/lid. The city says the LID is supposed to be a one-time assessment and will not include new future assessments. Collections are scheduled begin in 2020. 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Turkish Armed Forces in cooperation with US troops on Monday began patrolling the northern Syrian city of Manbij, local sources said. Armoured vehicles of Turkish Army were stationed around Sajur stream which divides Jarablus town, in the Operation Euphrates Shield area and Manbij. The joint forces carried out patrols in an area overlooking the US base in Syria's Dadat town. The patrols, in line with the roadmap on Manbij, lasted around three hours. The roadmap was first announced after a meeting in Washington last week between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The deal focuses on the withdrawal of PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the northern Syrian city and stability in the region. Should the model prove to be a success, Turkey will push for a similar arrangement in eastern Syria. Turkish forces enter Syria's Manbij WATCH In its over-30-year terrorist campaign against Turkey, the PKK has taken some 40,000 lives. The YPG/PKK is its Syrian branch. Turkey has said the presence of terrorist forces near its border constitute a threat, and has launched military operations and other efforts to rid the region of terrorists. Constipation is an advantage when flying American Airlines By Michael R. Shannon Members of any airline frequent flyer club have seen the benefits of membership gradually erode under the relentless assault of airline beancounters. The yearly mileage necessary to qualify for even the lowest membership level has increased dramatically over the years. At the same time the members accumulated miles have been devalued as the mileage cost of free tickets has been increased to a minimum of 25,000 miles. Other perks, like upgrades and airport lounge passes, associated with climbing up the frequent flyer status ladder, have also been reduced or eliminated. The only airline club where the benefits have remained largely intact is the MileHigh Club and now American Airlines has declared war on that collection of randy flyers. The Boeing 747-MAX: It's big only on the outside On AAs new 737MAX aircraft one would have to be Tyrion Lannister to have even the remotest hope of conducting an induction ceremony, and even then it would be very close. Passengers flying on the remodeled 737 would do well to gatecheck their claustrophobia. The new bathrooms on that aircraft are so small the usage experience more closely resembles that of a human cannonball than it does of relieving oneself. At the circus the human cannonball knows, given the dimensions of the gun tube, once inside hes not going to have the luxury of repositioning himself. The same is true for the cruellynamed 737MAX. The MAX bathroom is 25 percent smaller than the telephone booths flyers have grown accustomed to using in the past. The new comfort coffins are so tight it is impossible to turn around once inside with the door closed. This presents no problem for women or men who want to keep their options open, but for the rest of us, were going to have to commit before we close the door. Plussized passengers may require the assistance of Crisco or their fellow passengers to get in and get out. And thats not where the similarity to Ringling Brothers ends. Just as the human cannonball is expelled by the expansion of hot gases trapped behind him in the tube, passengers following an exiting flyer too closely into the aircraft lavatory may find themselves wishing they could eject when encountering a large hot aroma trapped in a small confined space. These indignities are only confined to healthy passengers. Nervous flyers or those with sensitive stomachs would do well to start practicing hurling while standing erect, because it is impossible to bend over in those bathrooms. This will be no problem for drunks and threeyearolds, but for rest of us abandon all hope of privacy as you are forced to leave the door open to bend over and be sick. I always assumed when it came to mobile evacuation nothing could top the combination of indignity and excitement one experienced using a bus bathroom while the vehicle was in motion. It would have made perfect sense for Greyhound to install timers in those restrooms so passengers could try and remain seated as long as the average bull rider. Yet even in the worst bus bathroom I never got the impression the company had it in for me. Not so with American Airlines. Only a corporation thats part of a lockstep oligopoly could exhibit such utter contempt for the comfort and dignity of its customers. To say nothing of its own reputation. Starbucks shut the entire company down to atone for its sin after offending two black guys that werent even customers. American Airlines insults its entire customer base while laughing all the way to the bank. The indignity doesnt stop after youve finished your business. The sink in this washcoffin is so tiny passengers can only wash one hand at a time. It would have made more sense to dispense with the sink altogether in favor of waterless hand cleaner and devote the added room to the preservation of male kneecaps. Flight attendants are on the passengers side in this dispute. The two shoebox bathrooms are located across from each other in the rear. Attendants have discovered that if doors open simultaneously, the two frequently snag, forming an impromptu wall that traps them in the galley. Our loss in comfort and privacy is naturally Americans gain. Smaller bathrooms, thinner seats and less distance between seats allow more passengers. AA has increased the load from 160 passengers to 172 with the letterboxsized bathrooms. Flyers like me who avoid AA arent safe either. Airlines are in figurative race to the bottom and I fear my United will soon adopt AAs malign oneholer design. The only bright spot I can see and limited to longer flights is the reduction in bathroom size might force American to institute a corresponding reduction is flight attendant size. In the interest of safety, of course. Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He is a dynamic and entertaining keynote speaker. He can be reached at mandate.mmpr (at) gmail.com. He is also the author of Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!). Home A brief history of conservative publications in Canada updated to 2018 (Part One) By Mark Wegierski A survey of conservative publications in Canada tells a sorry tale of short-lived efforts lacking the ideological coherence and material support necessary to make a significant impact. Any group of conservative writers and thinkers needs to be aware of the struggles of those who have gone before and to learn, if possible, from their mistakes. One of the most well-known quotations by Conrad Black concerns his promise (or threat) to establish a publication in Canada which would be a National Review North. Although Lord Black certainly created a revolution in the Canadian newspaper world, whose effects continue to be felt today, he did not manage to create a publication that could play as profound a role in Canadian politics as the early National Review played in the creation of an American conservative movement. Black never allocated the funding for a profound intellectual journal of conservative opinion in Canada (although The National Post and other Black papers partially undertook such writing). In earlier decades, The Toronto Sun (descendant of The Toronto Telegraph) had carried a number of conservative columnists (some of whom were remarkably acerbic), but lacked the consistent intellectual credentials to avoid classification by critics as a tabloid. In the 1980s, with a huge Progressive Conservative majority, there was some quickening of conservative intellectual life in Canada, but all struggled to achieve a lasting impact. The businessman William A. B. Campbell launched a magazine called International Conservative Insight, but the venture disappeared when it became apparent he wasnt going to turn a profit from this initiative. There was an attempt to produce a right-leaning newsmagazine in Ottawa called Seven Days, but it failed after a few issues. Dr. Branka Lapajne had somewhat more success with a monthly newspaper called The Phoenix, which continued for a few years before closing. There was also a brief attempt to launch a right-leaning student newspaper at the University of Toronto called The University of Toronto Magazine, but the paper faced troubles right from the start, for example over name duplication, and never managed to find its feet. Launched with great fanfare, Peter Worthingtons Influence magazine collapsed after about two years. It began with a misstep billing itself as directed at men of influence-- and tried to sell itself as a magazine for wealthy businessmen, rather than for conservatives per se. The newsletters of the University of Toronto P.C.s, Rabble & Reaction, and of the young Ontario P.C.s, Blue Wave, were sometimes interesting but had nothing more than a local reach. The period was characterized by a variety of initiatives, none of which found a sustaining audience. Finally, there arose The Idler, a precocious journal of literary-artistic-cultural pretensions, with some sotto voce conservative philosophizing. It was in a non-glossy large-magazine format, with artistic covers in colour, the interior in black and white, and some interesting illustrations. It had a broad variety of contributors, many of whom were literary aspirants who avoided forthright political statements. The main problem with The Idler could be summed up by saying that it offered a tiny, frothy dessert confection as opposed to the meat-and-potatoes that many conservatives were hungering for at the time. The very title seemed redolent of affectation and political inaction. Considering that it often made a point of putting down ordinary people, it never achieved much of a circulation (apparently 8,000 at the maximum). The major conservative publications of the time were the Alberta Report/B.C. Report/Western Report of the Byfield family. Alberta Report had a circulation of about 60,000; B.C. Report about 15,000 (in the province of British Columbia); and Western Report (in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba), about 5,000. Even the most successful conservative publications were limited in their readership and impact. Some of the most long-lasting publications had an economic focus. The National Citizens Coalition put out a newsletter-type publication, and the Fraser Institute produced Fraser Forum, which continually improved in physical quality. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation also publishes a magazine. The trend of short-lived and varyingly ambitious ventures continued into the early 1990s. At this time, The Idler finally folded when foundation funding was withdrawn. William D. Gairdner, the author of the bestselling The Trouble with Canada tried to launch a newsletter-type publication called Speaking Out that failed with the first issue. In Toronto, Judi McLeod, who had been a prominent Toronto Sun columnist, launched Our Toronto Free Press, a free-distribution monthly newspaper (which has subsequently become a webzine). Torontos free-distribution monthly newspaper Transforum was open to contributions from across the spectrum. There was also a free-distribution newspaper called Toronto Westend Express, in which some conservative articles appeared. Young writer Michael Taube attempted a zine called From The Right, which lasted only three issues. It was packed with interesting articles during its short lifespan. A major magazine (glossy, full-colour) open to contributions from across the spectrum was The Next City, which was supported by the Donner Canada Foundation. Gravitas (non-glossy, black-and-white, but with high-quality paper) also funded by Donner, was a brief, brave attempt at a conservative intellectual magazine of considerably greater social and political engagement than The Idler. It too failed to take off, perhaps because it was perceived to be too narrowly intellectual. The only real success among Canadian conservative publications were the Byfield newsmagazines. By the 1990s, the magazines looked in format somewhat like Time or Newsweek (glossy, full-colour covers, although mostly monochrome inside) and contained a variety of features. In summation, the 1980s was a dreadful time for conservatives in Canada unlike in the U.S. and Britain. Living in megapolitan Toronto before the coming of the Internet, it often must have seemed to conservative thinkers that nothing belonged to them except the few cubic centimeters inside their skull (as Orwell had put it). The Idler was certainly not an answer to this dilemma. With the rise of the Reform Party in the 1990s, there was greater hope -- but attempts to create an enduring conservative intellectual magazine (Gravitas came closest to it) continued to fail. In Part Two, the author will look at how subsequent ventures fared. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home Can Saudi Arabia prevent the next oil shock? By Cyril Widdershoven The ongoing speculation online about the future of cooperation between Russia and OPEC seems to be a little one-sided. The main point of discussion up until now has been the fact that, due to international pressure (such as Trumps Twitter diplomacy, perceived Russian willingness to open up the taps and pressure from Asian consumers) Saudi Arabia will be willing to revoke its current production cut stance. Current volatility in the global oil market is, according to most analysts, due to fears that markets are facing a severe threat. A doomsday scenario is being painted in the media which suggests that oil prices will collapse as Moscow and Riyadh allow for OPEC compliance to slip, and that a glut of Saudi crude will be hitting the market. This has been the leading theme in the last couple of days, after reporters stated that Moscow and Riyadh are ready to assist the market. At the same time, analysts and pundits support the thesis that Saudi Arabia is able to produce at least 12.5 million bpd, which will be hitting the market on short notice. No one has really assessed the Saudi spare capacity capabilities though, with a majority of analysts taking the aggressive rhetoric for granted. Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Oil, will be the savior of the oil universe as it holds not only 276 billion barrels of reserves, but also can hit the market with millions of barrels of Saudi sweet to confront or mitigate possible shortages caused by Venezuelas collapse, the lack of U.S. oil infrastructure, and the impact of Iran sanctions. The main question to be answered, hopefully before reality hits us, is if the Kingdom of Oil really is capable of opening the taps and keep them open in the long term. Several analysts have been warning about the possible technical issues Saudi Aramco is facing for years. The lack of inside information into the worlds largest NOC is one of the main reasons behind this. Some insiders have, however, been opening up some doors, indicating that Aramco could have hit a possible production ceiling, as production on several large fields, including Ghawar, has been hit by a long list of issues. In addition to the normal upstream problems, such as black powder, corrosion, biological fowling and misuse of seawater injection for decades, other issues could also affect overall capacity. Sources have seen major pipelines being blocked by corrosion and scaling, while other production has been hit by major sludging threats. These production issues are known, but the impact has never been able to be assessed fully. Financial analysts have always based their forecasts on open sources, such as reports from the IEA, EIA and OPEC, in which the statement is being repeated that Saudi Arabia has spare production capacity. In recent years, especially since the Russia+OPEC production cut agreement, it became a fact of life. Existing production capacity of Aramco was seen as a law, and analysts even concluded that production cuts increased overall spare capacity by the same number. Few analysts dared to ask the main question: If there is spare capacity available, can you prove the figures? At the same time, market watchers should have asked themselves the question: When did Aramco ever produce even 11 million bpd in the last few years. Additionally, there are other indicators that Saudi Aramco could be fighting an increasingly difficult battle to keep overall production up in its existing fields. While analysts differ about the exact rates, production declines can be expected to be above 6 percent per year on average. If this is taken as a fact for all production in the Kingdom, additional new production needed to come onstream is around 600,000-750,000 bpd per year. Hence the ongoing impressive investment schemes, which were even in place during the last oil crisis, as continuous innovation is needed to keep existing production at the same level. This fact is also a major driver for the ongoing discussion within Aramco to speed up conventional field developments on- and offshore, such as in the Arab Gulf (shallow water) and the current focus on shallow-deep-water Red Sea area. The costs of drilling and developing these projects are much higher, than the very easy onshore oil that Saudi Arabia traditionally drilled. Still, the need is there to keep overall production figures at the same level, while even trying to get additional spare capacity. With the widely published spare capacity of 2-2.1 million bpd, the need for these projects would be much less than current investments show. When these questions are not being addressed, but become reality, OPECs upcoming meeting will be put in another light. Without a real spare production capacity, or with a much lower capacity, the current discussion is null and void. Additional oil on the market will be constrained, leaving a ceterus paribus situation, with increased threats from Venezuela and Iran. As U.S. bank Goldman Sachs already indicated, demand for crude oil and products is not showing any real slowdown. If production cuts stay in place, markets will tighten at an even faster pace. Despite the still elevated inventories and a small supply overhang, the Russia/OPEC mission has been mostly accomplished. A healthy appetite for crude, combined with an unexpected high level of compliance (or forced compliance in Venezuelas or Libyas case), has stabilized markets. Demand, as reported by all institutions and market watchers, is expected to be robust. The threat of higher oil prices culling demand is still very low, but will be looming on the horizon. For 2018-2019, no real risks exist for an oil price showdown. Without a real global financial crisis, lights are on green for a tight crude oil market for an extended period of time. OPECs Vienna meeting will not trigger a new oil glut. Some goodwill gestures might be expected, such as the use of Saudis floating storage, but in reality no options exist to move anything. Without major new investments outside of Saudi Arabia or the GCC region, the world is heading for higher prices long-term. Counting on Saudi Arabias spare capacity could be foolish. Cyril Widdershoven is a writer for Oilprice.com where this originally appeared. Home A childless father who has a son By Dr. Robert Owens I am blessed. My wife gave me a son. He was hers before he was mine. Then he became ours. In my heart he is always mine and I feel as if I am his Dad. But it often feels like a homerun record with an asterisk, an almost. You see, Im a step-father. Thats as close as I will ever come to experiencing the life of a father and for that I am forever thankful to God for I am a childless father who has a son. I know the pride of watching my son play little league. Together we experienced the joy of victory and the agony of defeat. I encouraged him to play music. I helped with homework. I watched him march in band. I raced against the stop lights time after time to make it to events and meetings with teachers, doctors appointments, and birthdays. I watched him graduate grade school after driving him from one town to another so he could remain in the same school with his friends after we moved. I blessed God when he graduated high school and earned scholarships to college. I was happy when he chose the girl my wife and I prayed for long before we ever met her, enjoyed being the father of the groom, and I love my grandchildren with all my heart. I am truly blessed. My wife gave me a son. But there are four other children I have never known. Four other children blood of my blood and bone of my bone that I never had the chance to know. These are my aborted children. They were aborted without my consent, told by the women involved and the courts that it was none of my business, murdered within the law, slaughtered beyond the pale. They are still alive within my heart. Let me say in defense of the women who aborted my children, before I gave my life to Christ I was a snake. As a matter of fact Ive always said that before I was saved snakes would cross the street when they saw me coming. I was a drug addicted; drunken scheming dreamer convinced I should be something I wasnt and equally convince I wasnt what I was. Any young woman who learned they were pregnant and that I was the father could not be blamed for deciding I was a waste of space, a self-indulgent loser, and a disaster as a potential father. And although none of the three young women involved ever told me why they aborted my children, thats what I have always thought was my addition to the equation. Once I gave my life to Christ. Once I sobered up, straightened out, and stood in the light of His love I knew he forgave me for any part I played in the deaths of these innocent children. I know He forgives everyone who lays their sins at the foot of the cross. Over the years He has ministered to my heart, my spirit, and my soul as I have cried tears for who could have been. I am healed for when He said, It is finished, sin was defeated. When He rose from the grave life conquered death, and since He ascended into heaven where He took His place at the right hand of the Father together we all live in Him. I am healed. But there is not a day I dont miss those children. There is not a day I dont think of what might have been. There is not a day that I dont imagine seeing them in Him. I struggle sometimes knowing that two of the women who aborted my children later had other children. Theyve had an experience they took from me. I dont begrudge them the joy of parenting. I have forgiven them. But sometimes Im jealous of what they have and of what I shall never have and for this I repent. I also struggle sometimes watching other women I know have had abortions and later had children. I know God has forgiven them. I dont have anything against them but at times I struggle with my own emotions. All of this is the burden of this forgotten father. I was forgotten in the decision to abort my children. I have been forgotten in all the years since. I may be forgotten but I cannot forget. My children died. Four lost lives in the American holocaust of millions. They are four souls whose blood cries out to God, four cracks in my broken heart, four children of God I long to know, four tears I shall cry till the day we meet. A step-father is like a used shoe. It may look good, it may wear well, and at time it may even feel good. But its still a used shoe. However my step-son may feel about me I know how I feel about him. He is my son. I may have lost four but I have gained one. I am blessed. My wife gave me a son. Dr. Robert Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion. He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com 2018 Contact Dr. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens or visit Dr. Owens Amazon Page / Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens Home Secret Air Force program wrongly destroys career of cadet who exposed sexual assaults By Rachel Alexander Eric Thomas, now 28, was a cadet at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. While there, he was recruited by the Office of Special Investigations, a law enforcement branch of the Air Force, to become a confidential informant within the academy. He agreed to take on the task after he heard it would involve stopping sexual assaults. He was taught at the academy not to question superiors, so he didnt realize he had a choice in the matter. His work resulted in approximately 25 criminal investigations, 15 drug convictions and three sexual assault convictions. It led to the first sexual assault conviction there since 1997, an area that had been neglected. OSI records state that Thomas was very reliable. Yet when things went sour, OSI deserted him. Thomas started accumulating demerits for his activities with OSI. Once a cadet acquires 200 demerits, they are expelled. He, like three other cadets of minority ethnicity recruited for this work,acquired demerits for things like following alleged wrongdoers off campus., providing official statements used during various court marshal trials, and meeting with OSI agents during duty weekends. OSI did not inform his commanding officers about his work, so he received demerits for his OSI work. OSI had him start palling around with a cadet named Stephan Claxton, who reportedly had sexually assaulted female cadets. Thomas was not supposed to leave the base the weekend of November 5, 2011, but he did so anyway in order to tail Claxton to a bar in Colorado Springs. One of the former cadets who went along with them became drunk and passed out, and since they didnt know where she lived, they brought her back to the dorms to find her fiance. But bringing a woman back to the dorms could get them in trouble. Thomas put her in his bed in his dorm room. He did not realize that Claxton stayed behind and attempted to sexually assault her. Thomas caught him, got into a physical altercation with Claxton, and reported him to the commanding officer. Claxton was sentenced to six months incarceration for the sexual offense. Thomas and the other cadets were disciplined for the infractions. Various Department of Defense reports, findings and official records have since validated Thomas reliance that OSI would step up to his defense. They did not. Thomas squadron commander, who did not know about his involvement with OSI, recommended expulsion. Thomas was given 309 demerits, enough for expulsion. OSI told him not to worry and had him continue his secret work. They told him they would show up at his final hearing for expulsion but they didnt and he was expelled, merely six weeks before he was to graduate. Thelater claimed that he had earned the demerits prior to his work for OSI, but the Arizona Daily Independent examined the records and found that was not the case, he had only earned 90 demerits before the informant work started. When confronted, the Air Forces top commander claimed he had no knowledge of the OSI program. Same with the academys civilian oversight board. But The Colorado Springs Gazette confirmed in 2013 that the program exists through public records requests and talking to some of those involved. When Thomas asked OSI for records showing his involvement, OSI said there werent any. Only when a member of Congress got involved did they turn over the documentation. His congressman, Rep. John Thune (R-SD) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), sent a letter to the Secretary of the Air Force and the superintendent of the academy, asking them to meet with Thomas. Thomas was denied a meeting. Thomas appealed to the Secretary of the Air Force over the dismissal. Secretary Deborah Lee James did not respond. The Academy labeled Thomas a liar with low moral character, who was not fit for service. Thomas had been set to go to pilot school, beating out 300 other cadets for the opening. He achieved the highest rank as a cadet during his senior year and oversaw 400 cadets; a group and four squadrons. He received personal letters from the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and Colonel of the Academic Department praising and supporting his highest level of character, diligence, honor, integrity and fortitude. His life was been put on hold as he waited for the results of a Department of Defense investigation that went on for months. The results from the initial investigation have been concluded and substantiate all of his claims. But he needs action from either the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of the Air Force. Since he was discharged at the level of someone convicted of a military justice offense, Thomas will never be able to serve in the military in any capacity. Meanwhile, the OSI has received several awards for the work he did. Former OSI Special Agent Brandon Enos, who worked with Thomas while he was an informant, said, I dont think what the Air Force realizes, that when they actually punished Eric Thomas, they sent a very, very bad message to all the cadets. You dont talk about sexual assault, as a victim or a witness, because you will not graduate. Thirty-three Arizona State Legislators were so shocked by Thomas situation that they sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson calling for an investigation. Thomas moved to Arizona recently, where he had hoped to receive assistance from Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), a former Air Force pilot, but little has been done. Time is running out for the young man. Soon he will be considered too old to train as a pilot. Part of the reason he still has the energy to fight so hard is that the facts and evidence are out there now. There are only three people who can help him. Readers can contact the Secretary of the Air Force, Heather Wilson, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis or President Donald Trump. If one of them intervenes, this wrongly targeted young man, who merely wanted to stop sexual assaults, may have a chance at a decent life again. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative. She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, and other publications. Home Geopolitics: Trump plays chess, MSM plays checkers By Mark Alexander I have noted an interesting trend in recent months. Some of my politically astute friends, who have always been economic conservatives but political moderates, have gone through something of a metamorphosis. Recently, one of these well-connected political moderates told me, much to my surprise, "I thank God every day that Donald Trump is president." I never anticipated hearing those words out of this individual and thought perhaps he was referring to Trump's considerable economic and deregulatory achievements in his first year. But my friend explained his newfound enthusiasm for Trump in this context: "He dropped a bomb on Washington. He dropped a bomb on the status quo in Congress and its special interests. He dropped a bomb on the regulatory behemoths and their bureaucratic bottlenecks. He dropped a bomb on the trade and national security institutions and alliances that have failed miserably over the last eight years." In short, what he and others have said about their newly reformed impression of Trump is this: In the face of the most hateful Democrat Party leaders, constituents and formidable MSM propaganda machine, this "political neophyte" has done more to move the political ball in the right direction than any Republican president in a hundred years, with the exception of President Ronald Reagan. Now, like most military families who have more at risk than armchair politics, voting for Trump to be the next commander-in-chief was, among other reasons, an easy choice. Few Americans are more pleased than military families that Barack Obama did not receive a third term of dangerous foreign policy malfeasance behind the facade of a Hillary Clinton presidency, especially given their epic failures in the Middle East. But observing the transformation of some moderate urban and suburban white-collar professionals those who are generally detached from associations with grassroots American Patriots into Trump supporters has been fascinating. There is a primary reason for this transformation among moderates and the galvanization of Trump's support from across the conservative spectrum. It's the gradual realization percolating to the surface that, despite the grossly biased caricature of Trump projected by the MSM, and too often corroborated by Trump's social media handlers, this president might be lot smarter than the buffoon the Leftmedia insists he is. Beyond the success of his domestic economic policies, there are several recent cases in point that affirm Trump's prowess when it comes to negotiating deals that put American interests on an equal footing with other nations. Notable trade examples would be his negotiations with China and Europe, as well as his posturing last week at the G7 Summit. In each of these complex negotiations, Trump has taken steps that will lead to concessions serving American interests serving the American people. Sometimes he uses a fine-tooth comb to level the field, including a myriad of negotiations behind the scenes, but other times he more visibly uses a sledgehammer where necessary. In more complex geopolitical national security negotiations, Trump has also moved the ball, despite his detractors' claims to the contrary. His unwinding of Obama's so-called "Iran Deal" is turning out to be even more sensible given recent revelations European negotiators signed on contingent to bribes, Iran's deceptions were much more dangerous than estimated and, worse, Obama's unmitigated lies to secure his faux foreign policy legacy were much more egregious than estimated. And on June 12th, Trump entered historic face-to-face negotiations with China's nuclear puppet, North Korea's Kim Jong-un, challenging him to tear down his nuclear weapons program. (Recall that it was on that same date in 1987 that President Reagan issued a challenge to another communist dictator at the Brandenburg Gate of what was then West Berlin: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!") Trump is closer than any president has been in 60 years to reaching an end to the regional and global threat posed by North Korea and he didn't have to pay Kim the $150 billion Obama paid Iran for the illusion of a denuclearization agreement. As Newt Gingrich details, "Trump has already accomplished more with North Korea than Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama combined. And this is just the beginning." As our analyst Thomas Gallatin noted yesterday in "Trump's Real NoKo Strategy," his objective was to cautiously lay the groundwork for North Korean denuclearization with the full understanding that Kim has a history of not keeping his commitments. In effect, the summit was a deal to make a deal to disarm the most unstable and dangerous Pacific threat. The agreement signed by Trump and Kim established four goals: The United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified. There will be additional negotiations to determine the length of the agreement and how to enforce the United Nations resolution and U.S. position calling for the "complete, verifiable, irreversible, dismantlement" of North Korea's nukes. To be determined will be how to lift sanctions and restore human rights, how many U.S. troops will remain on the peninsula, and, in all of this, China's role. There will also be contingencies based on backroom negotiations with China's dictator Xi Jinping, who is reluctant to give up his NoKo nuke card, but Kim's tyrannical regime is "seeing the light," given the gross disparity between the economic standing of his country and that of South Korea. Clearly, geopolitical negotiations are multifarious, with a myriad of moving parts. However, most media outlets, Left and Right, don't have the analytical intellect to assess, much less report, that Trump is a chess master when it comes to positioning our pieces against those of our opponents, whether it is a matter of trade or national security. He is playing a strategic match, while the media reports on each move as if it is a checkers game. I suppose that if Leftmedia journalists reported on strategy instead of tactics, it would significantly curtail their endless churn of every move in order to enhance their advertising revenues. Of course, geopolitical negotiations are more complex than chess, and not as clean as a chess board because one player can make multiple moves before his opponent, with 10 other players advising those moves. Furthermore, the contrast between the MSM's reporting about Trump's negotiations with Iran and NoKo versus Obama's failed negotiations on both counts is stark, betraying the Leftmedia's gross bias. Obama, who was bestowed with a Nobel Peace Prize just eight months into his first term for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," was uniformly hailed by the MSM as a great negotiator. Conversely, Trump's Iran and NoKo strategies have been defamed as a failure. But to be clear, since Trump put Kim on notice months ago, there have been no nuclear tests, no missiles fired over Japan, no more threats against Guam and Hawaii, and Kim has shuttered his primary nuclear test site (verification pending) and released U.S. hostages. Unfortunately, Obama's policies were based, by his own account, on this principle: "Don't do stupid st," which, ironically, is all he did. His policy of "Strategic Patience" with NoKo led to Kim's rise as a nuclear power. These negotiations are tenuous, but one thing is indisputable unless your anti-Trump blinders are superglued to your opinion filter: Trump is a very good negotiator, whereas over the last three decades most of the negotiating has been left primarily to inept career State Department bureaucrats. To that end, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) protested what she claimed was the president's "marginalization of the vast expertise of the State Department." She concluded that Trump is "hindering a lasting, stable pathway to peace." But Trump's policies with China, Iran and NoKo are based on the same principle held by most American presidents prior to Obama: America First. But unlike every previous president, Trump is roundly maligned for that position. Leading the chorus of the most malignant maligning was Obama's incompetent former CIA director John Brennan, who conspired with James Comey to launch the bogus Trump/Russia collusion investigation. Just before Trump departed for the Singapore negotiations, Brennan issued this outrageous statement: "[Trump's] wrong-headed protectionist policies & antics are damaging our global standing as well as our national interests. [Trump's] worldview does not represent American ideals. To allies & friends: Be patient, Mr. Trump is a temporary aberration. The America you once knew will return." Brennan, Comey, Clinton and Obama are all desperately endeavoring to salvage whatever legacy they can before being tossed onto the trash heap of history. They all assumed their legacy was secure with the certain election of Clinton. Good luck with that. Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. Keeping my promise to both Kenneth Woods and Joseph Haydn: Part Two By Michael Moriarty Enviably sane, obscenely gifted and infuriatingly self-assured. That, for myself at any rate, describes Franz Joseph Haydn. Names, so much loftier in Latin! More than having anything and everything an artist might possibly want, Haydn was publicly recognized in his lifetime as being his eras indisputably greatest composer. An admirer of Haydn named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?! Exceptional admiration, however, poured lavishly from the elder prophet toward his young disciple. Haydn on Mozart: If only I could impress Mozart's inimitable works on the soul of every friend of music, and the souls of high personages in particular, as deeply, with the same musical understanding and with the same deep feeling, as I understand and feel them, the nations would vie with each other to possess such a jewel. On another occasion, Haydn had this to say about Mozart to Mozarts father, Leopold: Before God and as an honest man I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name; he has taste, and, furthermore, the most profound knowledge of composition. An often-retold anecdote from an early biographer of Mozart, Franz Niemetschek, is the following: "At a private party a new work of Joseph Haydn was being performed. Besides Mozart there were a number of other musicians present, among them a certain man who was never known to praise anyone but himself. He was standing next to Mozart and found fault with one thing after another. For a while Mozart listened patiently; when he could bear it no longer and the fault-finder once more conceitedly declared: 'I would not have done that', Mozart retorted: 'Neither would I but do you know why? Because neither of us could have thought of anything so appropriate." A culminating moment in their mutual admiration for one another, came with Mozarts dedication of his six string quartets to Haydn: A father who had decided to send his sons out into the great world thought it his duty to entrust them to the protection and guidance of a man who was very celebrated at the time, and who happened moreover to be his best friend. In the same way I send my six sons to you [...] Please then, receive them kindly and be to them a father, guide, and friend! [...] I entreat you, however, to be indulgent to those faults which may have escaped a father's partial eye, and in spite of them, to continue your generous friendship towards one who so highly appreciates it. Now listening to Haydns Symphony No. 93, the first of his London Symphonies, Haydn seems to have flown so above the music world that his creations seem to be sitting at the very right hand of God!!! It must be lavish praise, in light of the relatively dim light Haydn is held in now! Particularly when compared to the wild super-stardom of Third Millennium Mozart. The inner vibrancy of Haydn!!!! An obviously far greater influence upon Beethoven than perhaps even Beethoven would be willing to admit was, at that time, his most wished-for teacher, Joseph Haydn! The profound clarity and seeming simplicity of Haydns musical architecture was clearly the rock upon which Beethoven built his 9 Symphonies. Haydn! The ultimate pinnacle and zenith of European Classicism! Both Mozart and Beethoven had no other, new region to explore, but their own, profoundly romantic souls! Therefore, the rock upon which I will build my remaining symphonies, No. 6 through only God-knows-where, is Franz Joseph Haydn! The undeniably rage and anger in my symphonies 2-5?! Cest Moi!!!!! Why all the fury? Music is the only safe place I can place it in! All the most important seeds of Beethoven and Mozart, however, rest within Haydn!!! I am more than even well-aware of the rejection which many modern composers have adopted before the challenges of the symphonic form! Its all been said! cry the hopefuls! Our era, they cry, from the 20th Century on, demands an entirely different format!! No it doesnt!!!!!!! It demands a proud and profoundly grateful expression of gratitude for the inspiration contained within such a formidable body of work as a number of muses explode within Haydns 106 symphonies. My favorite composers?! They begin with Bach! Why? Everything of any musical importance begins with Johann Sebastian Bach! Next?! In chronological order! Franz Joseph Haydn! Next? No. Not Mozart. The most resentful of Haydns most gifted students, pupils and admirers! Beethoven!! And Beethoven owed more to Haydn than Mozart did! Mozarts plunge into opera and the profound romanticism within his dramas?! As for Beethoven?! For me, Ludwig Van Beethoven is the Napoleonic Haydn! And it is, in the end, not about war! It is about awakeness! Beethovens symphonies repeatedly demanding that we, the human race, WAKE-UP!! My symphonies 2-5 are my, how shall I say, wake-up calls. As the first movement of Haydns London Symphony No. 95 begins to thrill me, I come to a close. Weve, therefore, and much to my delight, a long, long way to go. Beginning with the London Symphonies and once finished with them, we must return to the very beginning of Haydns career. What a divine thought! Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@MGMoriarty. Home My wife is in the Uk, and we want o apply for a spouse visa in October, will they refuse us since I was banned for 10years 3years ago on financial deception Southpole12 said: Human anatomy is the same. Education varies significantly, even in the United States. I know this well as I have been practicing for 10 years. If you dont further your education after school you are left behind. This significantly effects your treatment outcomes. Just some insight into your question as people that are not in the healthcare field dont have an understanding of this. This also exists in all other fields not just healthcare. Click to expand... You missed the point about salary expectations.....You could/would/will be competing with physio's from different geographies, who may well have similar qualifications (on paper at least) who will have lower salary expectations. Sure there are certain fields where geography plays a big part in the hiring process (ie western practitioners are preferred and compensated adequately as a result) but I'm not sure this is one of them......By the way, this is not me being argumentative, just making a very valid point from this part of the world - and actually, as an ex-american footballer, I'd actually probably rather have a US physio looking at me, but that's another story mogo51 said: Good morning all. This is my first wet season and wow have I seen some rain. We are now into our 15th day of rain, not all day, but I would think about 70% over the 24 hour cycle. I am told this is 'normal' and worse is to come. My neighbour is suggesting that the pattern is suggesting a 'typhoon' is just around the corner. What do you all think? Click to expand... Weather is usually a best guess even for professionals but I'd have to agree with the typhoon scenario and that the worst is yet to come. June starts the typhoon season and lasts till the end of November. Last year saw almost no typhoon activity at all. This year so far is much hotter and more wet so I'd say we will get our fair share this year.It's best to stock up now on non perishable goods such as boxed and canned food items, Extra LPG gas, purified drinking water, needed medicines, first aid supplies, and anything else you might want or need to cover a 5 to 10 day period. If the center of a real typhoon hits or gets extremely close to any location power can be out for days and roads and highways can be closed due to downed trees and or flooding.Most government weather radio and internet sites etc are helpful but their websites are often down.The Best I've found is Typhoon2000 . It deals with strictly weather and typhoon formation and movement information. Under normal weather conditions their updates are a bit slow but during a threat of a tropical storm or typhoon their updates are extremely good and at times updated every 30 minutes or so. The world produces more corn by weight than any other cereal crop. Corn, also known as maize, is a staple food in many countries. But farmers growing corn face many challenges, such as drought, diseases, and pests. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, 20 to 80% of corn yields may be lost because of a semi-parasitic plant, Striga. In areas infested with Striga, farmers may even lose their entire crops. In a new study, researchers from southern Africa identified several varieties of corn resistant or tolerant to Striga. Importantly, these varieties also have improved nutritional content, particularly protein. The combination of Striga tolerance and improved nutrition is key. Farmers, as well as local populations, will benefit, says Peter Setimela, a study co-author. Setimela is a scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe. Striga infestations can force small farmers in sub-Saharan and southern Africa to abandon their farms. Striga is known to affect fields that have poor soil fertility. Its seeds can stay in the soil for more than 15 years, says Setimela. Many small farmers cant afford to buy chemicals to control Striga. They may also be unable to buy chemical fertilizers. Having access to varieties of corn that can tolerate Striga will benefit these farmers. They will be able to continue farming and growing corn in areas with Striga. The improved nutritional content of these corn varieties will also help. The varieties have a wider variety of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Typically, corn is poor in essential amino acids. Human and animal bodies cant make these amino acids. They have to be obtained from food, says Setimela. Lack of essential amino acids can impair growth and development. It can also weaken the immune system. Many rural populations depend on corn as a staple food. But these populations often have limited access to protein sources, such as eggs, meat, and dairy products, says Setimela. If varieties of corn can provide high-quality protein, these populations will benefit. Setimela and colleagues tested both typical and high-protein varieties of corn for Striga resistance in the lab and field. Controlled conditions, such as those in the laboratory, allow researchers to conduct tests that may not be possible in the field. But ultimately, crops will be grown in farmers fields, says Setimela. We ensured that the results from controlled environments also apply to field conditions. Field experiments were carried out in three locations in Zimbabwe with diverse conditions. The researchers tested eight high-protein varieties and four typical varieties of maize. They measured several plant characteristics, including yield, height, vigor, and kernel weight. Researchers found four varieties of high-protein corn that also showed high levels of Striga tolerance and high yields. These varieties will provide options to farmers in areas with Striga, says Setimela. They will improve food security and nutrition. Click here to see more... Elizabeth Holmes of TheranosThe DOJ Friday charged the founder of Theranos Inc. and the companys former chief operating officer with defrauding investors, doctors, and patients with phony claims about supposedly disruptive blood-testing technology. Elizabeth Holmes, 34, and her boyfriend, Ramesh Sunny Balwani, 53, were each charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and nine counts of wire fraud. The indictment is here (pdf). If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison. Theranos claimed its so-called Edison technology could test a drop of blood taken from a finger and achieve the same results as labs that use vials of blood taken by the traditional vein-puncture technique. The technology, Theranos said, would disrupt the blood testing industry by being faster, cheaper, and better. According to the DOJ indictment, Holmes and Balwani knew Theranos was not capable of consistently producing accurate and reliable results for certain blood tests. The tests performed on Theranos technology, in addition, were likely to contain inaccurate and unreliable results, the DOJ said. The criminal charges come nearly three years after the Wall Street Journals John Carreyrou first reported that Theranos couldnt make its technology work. By then, big-name investors had already backed the company, including Walmarts Walton family, Atlantas Cox family, the DeVoss family, and Rupert Murdoch. Each invested more than $100 million in Theranos investments that are now worthless, the Journals Carreyrou said Friday. Walgreens set up about 40 Theranos blood testing centers. When the technology didnt work, Walgreens sued for $140 million in damages. Theranos reportedly paid about $30 million in June 2017 to settle the lawsuit. At the close of a funding round in April 2015 six months before Carreyrous first Wall Street Journal report Theranos had a valuation of $9 billion. That made founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes the richest self-made woman in America. Her 50 percent share of the company was worth $4.5 billion. Theranos is now on the brink of liquidation. Its workforce has shrunk from 340 to about two dozen. Private equity firm Fortress Investment Group, which loaned Theranos $65 million last year, is likely to seize its assets as soon as late July, the WSJs Carreyrou said Friday. In March, the SEC charged Theranos, Holmes, and Balwani with a massive fraud. Holmes and Theranos settled the civil charges without admitting or denying wrongdoing. Balwani has denied the SECs charges. The SEC alleged among other things that Holmes and Balwani claimed Theranos products were deployed by the U.S. Department of Defense on the battlefield in Afghanistan and on medevac helicopters and that the company would generate more than $100 million in revenue in 2014. In truth, Theranos technology was never deployed by the U.S. Department of Defense and generated a little more than $100,000 in revenue from operations in 2014, the SEC said. Theranos didnt appoint a compliance officer until July 2016. The Wall Street Journals Carreyrou said Friday, Theranoss rise and fall has become a symbol of the excesses of the current technology boom, and the company exacted a painful financial and personal toll. Federal health regulators forced Theranos to void or correct nearly a million blood-test results. A British biochemist who worked at the company for eight years committed suicide in 2013 after becoming distraught by its culture of fear and secrecy and its lack of progress with its technology, his widow told the Wall Street Journal. A lawyer for Balwani said Friday in a statement, Mr. Balwani is innocent and looks forward to clearing his name. ___ Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. When I started blogging in 2014, there was little discussion about how issues like financial pressures and micro-cultures could impact decision making that can lead us astray. Now, though, the OECD has published an engaging work, Behavioral Insights for Public Integrity, Harnessing the Human Factor to Counter Corruption, focusing on the interaction between policy making and integrity. Even with the public-sector focus, the OECD paper serves as useful guide to compliance leaders. Integrity is more than a rational choice against corruption, the report says. Thats why its essential to have ethics and integrity policies developed with a deeper understanding of what drives people to make an ethical decision if and when the moment of conflict arises. The OECD advances the often overlooked moral reflection that goes into decision making, and how social dynamics affect individual behavior. It looks at the influences and forces that can come between our actual behavior and our desired behavior. Also examined is how ethical choices are not made in isolation, but as part of social interaction, and that in our pursuit of top-line growth and commercial objectives, our values can get challenged. Where we work and live can also create significant ethical and compliance challenges. For example, Singapore is known as a law-abiding society. But Singapores Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. paid a total penalty of more than $422 million to resolve corruption charges with authorities in the United States, Brazil, and Singapore. After that enforcement action, I heard someone in Singapore ask: Are business leaders changing their ethical hats when flying to their commercial destinations? Were all subject to a wheel of biases. Yet, how can we help to mitigate these influences and pressures that can lead commercial teams astray if we dont know what they are? For starters, compliance policies should appeal to the human desire to behave ethically, to be a positive part of society. Its about the why of compliance, and when sharing that dynamic, the goal is to trigger awareness and sensitivity as to the ethical implications of our decisions, by making it factual instead of theoretical. As Max Bazerman and Ann Tenbrunsel said in Blindspots, compliance programs devoid of that ethical component can contort the decision-making process instead of enhancing it. The OECD report says behavioral sciences can provide inspiration for innovative, modern integrity policies that harness the human factor in the fight against corruption. If the goal, then, is to create an ethical moat around an organization, a good place to start is to create for each employee a pool of ethics and integrity where values, processes and policies make good sense to the task at hand and society at large. ___ Richard Bistrong, pictured above, is a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog and CEO of Front-Line Anti-Bribery LLC. In 2010 he pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to violate the FCPA and served fourteen and a half months at a U.S. federal prison camp. He was named to Compliance Weeks list of Top Minds in 2017 and was one of Ethispheres 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics in 2015. He was named by Thomson Reuters in 2018 as a Top 50 Social Influencer in Risk, Compliance and RegTech. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Five new developments will soon break ground in Fiji after comprehensive development proposals by iTaukei land owners were approved to receive government funding and support for their planned residential and commercial subdivision projects. These developments will be funded through the Government Grant Assistance for iTaukei Land Development, a Government initiative launched in 2015 to enable iTaukei landowners to maximise the value of their land holdings. Specifically, the grants are designed to meet the cost of connecting and constructing utilities such as electricity, water, roads and other critical infrastructure on iTaukei land.After a thorough process of verification, the following developers have been approved for assistance under the scheme: Iliesa Cebaivalu Namuaira in Vuda; Manasa Naiceru Nasara in Tavua; the Mataqali Matarisiga Trust in Lautoka; Josefa Uluivuda and Makelesi Dibau Davelevu in Lautoka; and the Haravai Holding Trust in Nadroga.Since the launch of the initiative in 2015, five other developments in Vuda, Wairabetia, Saweni, Yadua and Tailevu have already received development funding, and are nearing completion across the country.At a meeting with the landowners whose applications had received approval, Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum commended those whose proposals will come to fruition.With this most recent round of approvals and the funding, Government is again finding ways to in a practical and tangible manner financially empower iTaukei landowners. This is yet another investment in our people, and these new developments will further grow the Fijian economy, said Sayed-Khayium. Weve already permanently and irreversibly protected the inalienable rights of iTaukei land ownership through the 2013 Fijian Constitution, and through this programme, were doing one better giving iTaukei landowners the opportunity to develop their own land, make healthy profits, become cash empowered, have business opportunities and invest back into the Fijian economy.-ENDS- Digital Insurance Group, an Amsterdam, The Netherlands-based insurtech platform, raised $15m in funding. The round was co-led by Zurich Insurance and Finch Capital. The company intends to use the funds to their banking, insurance and broker clients in Europe and since 2018 also outside Europe. Led by Ingo Weber, CEO and Co-Founder, Digital Insurance Group is an insurtech company providing a data-driven insurance platform that enables insurers, banks and other companies to offer fully integrated insurance solutions to their customers. Created in 2017 through the merger of two European insurtech companies, Knip and Komparu, DIG is currently active in multiple countries in Europe and Latin America. Digital Insurance Group and Zurich Insurance have also signed a multi year partnership agreement under which DIG will use its technology stack to support Zurich Insurance in developing innovative mobile solutions that are continually optimized using deep customer data analytics. FinSMEs 18/06/2018 RideOS, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a technology platform that accelerates the roll-out of self-driving vehicles, raised $9m in Series A funding. The round was led by Sequoia Capital with participation from Graph Ventures and SV Angel. In conjunction with the funding, Sequoia Partner Mike Vernal joined RideOS board of directors. The company intends to use the funds for recruiting, platform research and development, and additional partnerships. Led by CEO and co-founder Justin Ho and CTO and co-founder Chris Blumenberg, rideOS designs and builds marketplace and mapping services that can be utilized by ride hailing companies, OEMs, and governments to operate fleets of on-demand self-driving vehicle services. Its core services operate in real-time through the cloud and include autonomous vehicle routing, estimated time of arrival (ETA) calculations, dispatch, supply positioning, multi-rider trip planning, and fleet management dashboards. In conjunction with the funding, the company has partnered with Ford-owned Autonomic, to address key challenges in the area of self-driving vehicle technology. Autonomic, which was acquired by Ford Smart Mobility in 2018 and is a wholly owned subsidiary, created an open cloud-based mobility platform that connects mobility systems with the goal of creating a sustainable transportation network. Autonomics Transportation Mobility Cloud allows developers and automakers, in addition to Ford, to connect diverse components of urban mobility systems such as vehicles, mass transit, pedestrians, city infrastructure, and service providers. Through the TMC, rideOS can offer routing and marketplace services to Autonomics OEM customers, like Ford. The partnership will allow both companies to build consistent platforms to accelerate the safe rollout of connected vehicle technology. FinSMEs 18/06/2018 . 65 . , , , TACC 15 , 50% ... ATO RecordsMy Morning Jacket frontman Jim James will launch a solo acoustic tour this fall behind his upcoming new album, Uniform Distortion, due out June 29. The headlining trek begins November 2 in Los Angeles, and ends with a hometown show in Louisville, Kentucky on November 21. Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 22 via JimJames.com. "I am looking forward to exploring all sorts of songs stripped down as they first occurred in their natural habitat -- just voice and guitar," says James in a statement. "Although I have played many shows by myself, this will be my first tour of this style and I am excited to see everyone out on the open road." Prior to the fall dates, James will play a show opening for Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant on June 21 in Berkeley, California. Here are Jim James' fall headlining tour dates: 11/2 -- Los Angeles, CA, Cathedral Sanctuary 11/3 -- Oakland, CA, Fox Theatre 11/5 -- Salt Lake City, UT, The Commonwealth Room 11/6 -- Denver, CO, Paramount Theatre 11/8 -- Milwaukee, WI, The Pabst Theater 11/9 -- Chicago, IL, The Vic 11/10 -- Cleveland, OH, The Agora Theatre 11/13 -- New York, NY, Town Hall 11/14 -- Port Chester, NY, Capitol Theatre 11/16 -- Boston, MA, Shubert Theatre 11/17 -- Washington, D.C., Lincoln Theatre 11/19 -- Atlanta, GA, The Tabernacle 11/20 -- Nashville, TN, Schermerhorn Symphony Center 11/21 -- Louisville, KY, The Louisville Palace Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. : - : - . . : . : . 1 2007 . ? : , , . , , , 1 2007 . , . , , , , , , , . . 16- , . , , - . : ? : - , . (...) . , . , , .. . , , . , , . , . , . , , , 1 2007 . , , , , , , , , . , , , - . : . , ? - , ? : - . . : ? , ? : , , , , , , , , . , , . , , , , , , . , , . - , . , , , , . , , . , , -. . -, . , , , , , . 1 2007 -. , , , - . , , - . . , . . , : , 2007 . , , , , , , , ? : , , : , , , . , , . : , ?. , ? , , . , , , . . , . , , , , . , . - 1 2007 . . . . .. , - , , . : , - , , 1 2007 .? : . , , , , - , . , , - . , , . , 10 . -. . , . - , , . . , . , , , . . , , , , . ? , , .. , . . , , . , , . : , . . , , , , 1 2007 . . ? : , , , . , ... : . : ... , , . . . . , , , . - , , , . . , , , , , , - . .. , , . , , , . : , , , . , ? : 1 2007 , . , - , - . . . , . , , - , . , . , , , , - , , . : . , 4 , . , 28% . ? : , , , . , - . . 1 2007 , . , , , , , . , - , 2/3 . , . , , . , . , , . , , , . : 1 2007 ? . : . , . , , , , , -, , . , . . , - , . , . : , , . : . , , . , , , . . , , , , , . , . : . . - , , , . . : , . , , , . . , , . : . . . . VR180 camera lets you record and creates three-dimensional, immersive photos and videos and now to make it even easier for you to create and edit high-quality VR videos, Google is launching VR180 Creator on Mac and Linux. This application lets you edit VR180 footage with existing VR video tools. The application currently offers two features for VR videos; Convert for Publishing this feature takes the raw fisheye footage from VR180 cameras and converts it into a standardized equirect projection. This can also be edited with another video editing softwares that most of the creators already use. Next feature is the Prepare for Publishing; this feature re-injects the VR180 metadata after editing so that the footage is viewable on YouTube or Google Photos in 2D or VR. The Googles VR180 app is only available for Mac and Linux at the time of release, Google didnt mention anything about Windows release just yet. This application surely simplifies the editing process of the VR180 recordings. It is free to use application and can download from here. Source Nokia X6 with model numbers TA-1099 and TA-1103 were certified by Bluetooth SIG last month before it went official in China . Now two more models TA-1083 and TA-1116 were certified by Bluetooth SIG. Nokia TA-1116 already got certified in Russia, but it was not announced at the global event in Russia a few weeks back, and we only saw the Nokia 5.1, Nokia 3.1 and Nokia 2.1 budget smartphones. Nokia X6 specifications 5.8-inch (2280 1080 pixels) Full HD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 636 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 509 GPU 4GB RAM with 32GB / 64GB internal storage, 6GB RAM with 64GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD) Android 8.1 (Oreo), upgradable to Android P 16MP (RGB) rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, 1.0um pixel size, 5MP (Monochrome) secondary rear camera with f/2.2 aperture, 1.2um pixel size 16MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, 1.0um pixel size Fingerprint sensor 3.5 mm headphone jack, FM Radio Dimensions: 47.2 x 70.98 x 7.99~8.59mm; Weight: 151g 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, Type-C 3060mAh (typical) / 3000mAh (minimum) battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging It is not clear to which country the TA-1103 model of the Nokia X6 is headed to. HMD Global Chief Product Officer, Juho Sarvikas already hinted that the Nokia X6 might be available outside China. To remind you, the smartphone was introduced in China starting at 1299 yuan (US$ 204 / Rs. 13,830 approx.) for the 4GB RAM with 32GB storage version. Source | Via Tate & Lyle is expanding its partnership with distributor Azelis in Europe into three new countries, Greece, Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia. The move... Read More Image: Shutterstock Can collective benefits triumph over self interests?Answer to the question lies at the heart of Tata Steel Europe's merger with Thyssenkrupp's European steel business.Labour unions of Thyssenkrupp, Tata Steel's Dutch and UK operations have voiced their individual concerns about the merger conditions.The labour representatives at the German company aired concerns after earnings of Tata Steel Europe dropped even as Thyssenkrupp's numbers grew. Would the differing performances mean that the German operations will have to support the UK business, which has suffered due to cheap imports?At Tata Steel , the workers in the UK facilities are concerned if the merger will lead to shut down of any facilities, eventually leading to job losses. The doubts have persisted despite Tata Steel promising limited job losses, after the merger.The Dutch facilities have managed to ensure an exclusive provision within the merger. Tata Steel has guaranteed that the Dutch operations would have control over their profits and effectively continue as an independent company.This hasn't gone well with the counterparts at Thyssenkrupp. German labour union representatives have indicated that they could demand the same. But then a joint venture no longer makes sense because every unit would only act on its own, Reuters quoted a union secretary."The British, the Dutch and the Germans have their self interests that are larger than the collective benefits. This (the merger) is like a steep hill," a senior executive from the industry with considerable experience of working in Europe, told Moneycontrol.Tata Steel Europe and Thyssenkrupp had signed the merger agreement in September, agreeing to create an operation that will be second only to ArcelorMittal in Europe.The formalities were expected to be completed by June, but have been delayed by six months.The two companies had agreed to an equal joint venture, which will also hold debts of Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp.The two sides have emphasised the benefits of the merger, which would lead to 400 million euros of synergy gains. But the sticky point would be the reduction of 4,000 jobs.But with Tata Steel Europe's performance not matching up to its partner's, Thyssenkrupp's shareholders have called for a renegotiation of terms, especially the equity shareholding. Some have even asked for a compensation from Tata Steel.Original Source: A German man watched $450,000 go up in flames over the weekend when his Ford GT caught fire, but he and his son escaped without harm. Photos from the fire department that extinguished the blaze in the town of Bad Aiblung on Saturday show the entire rear half of the mid-engine coupe burned to a crisp, while the passenger compartment was largely spared. The car had been driven just 43 miles since new, and is owned by a 52-year-old who lives nearby, according to local media. A Ford spokesman said that the automaker is working with the car owner to determine the cause of the fire. The 216 mph GT is the fastest and most expensive Ford ever made. Ford plans to build only 1,000 of the two-seaters through 2020 and has allocated the first 750, so it could be a while before this owner can get his hands on another one if his cant be repaired. If not, it wont be too easy or affordable to replace it. In an effort to keep speculators from buying and flipping the cars, Ford has all of its handpicked customers sign an agreement not to sell their GT until after two years of ownership. However, one painted the same color as the German car was sold at a Mecum Auctions event in May for $1.8 million. Mecum claimed at the event that a court legally cleared the sale, but neither the auction house nor Ford would elaborate on the matter when contacted by fox News. A 2017 FORD GT WAS AUCTIONED FOR $1.8 MILLION, BUT HOW? The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is planning to take a look at a Tesla Model S belonging to the family of actress Mary McCormack that caught fire on a West Hollywood, Calif., street last Friday. McCormack on Saturday posted a video showing the car with a bright orange flame spewing out from the bottom of it. She said it happened out of the blue and that it wasnt the result of an accident. The car was being driven by her husband, director Michael Morris, at the time. She added that he was barely moving in traffic at the time of the fire, and that it wasnt a Tesla with auto pilot or whatever, a reference to the companys semi-autonomous Autopilot driver assist feature, which has been involved in several collisions investigated by the NTSB. McCormack also said on Saturday that she hadnt yet heard from Tesla, but she hasnt spoken publically about the incident since then. The NTSB did not say that it is opening a formal probe into the matter, but is sending one technical specialist to observe Teslas examination of the vehicle. The observation will provide the agency with an opportunity to learn more about fires in all types of battery-powered vehicles. Tesla would not confirm on Monday that it was currently in possession of the vehicle, but said that it is investigating the incident. "Our initial investigation shows that the cabin of the vehicle was totally unaffected by the fire due to our battery architecture, which is designed to protect the cabin in the very rare event that a battery fire occurs. While our customer had time to safely exit the car, we are working to understand the cause of the fire. General Motors, which has announced plans to increase production of its Chevy Bolt electric car, took advantage of the situation by offering McCormack a loaner Bolt so she has a more dependable electric vehicle to drive. GM recently recalled the Bolt to replace some battery packs and update its software after a small number of owners reported suffering an unexpected loss of power that was tracked back to a faulty system. One of the founding members of the rock band 3 Doors Down is back in jail after guns and drugs were seen in his Mississippi home. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell, in a news release, said 46-year-old Todd Harrell, the band's original bass player, was arrested Friday at his St. Martin home. It's unknown if he has an attorney. Authorities say they were responding to an alarm and when they arrived, Harrell's wife told deputies they argued and it turned physical. While there, deputies saw guns and drugs in the home. The sheriff's department got a search warrant and Harrell was arrested. He's now facing a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and domestic violence simple assault. Harrell previously served two years in prison for causing a deadly 2013 crash in Nashville. Emilia Clarke paid tribute to HBOs Game of Thrones in a goodbye Instagram post over the weekend. Clarke, who stars as Daenerys Targaryen on the hit show, shared an image of herself in a field of flowers donning a jacket and hat. Hopped on a boat to an island to say goodbye to the land that has been my home away from home for almost a decade, she wrote. The 31-year-old actress added, Its been a trip @gameofthrones thank you for the life I never dreamed Id be able to live and the family Ill never stop missing ##lastseasonitis. 'GAME OF THRONES' AND 'WESTWORLD' WON'T APPEAR AT SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON TO PROMOTE SEASON 8 Clarke has shared several "Game of Thrones"-related posts on social media lately. Earlier this month, she reunited with former on-screen love interest, Jason Momoa, during a cast party in Ireland. The dynamic duo showed off their strength and acrobatic skills by recreating the epic lift from the 1987 hit film Dirty Dancing. FYI...This is the closest youll ever get to me attempting that lift from dirty dancing," Clarke captioned a June 3 Instagram post. In the photo, Momoa is holding a stiff Clarke with her arms outstretched, though the actress had to admit Momoa did not compare to Patrick Swayze. He wasn't lifting her above his head instead, she was chest-level. "Yes, my man is sitting. Yes, theres no lake, she continued. "Yes, I have no idea [why] Im NOT being raised above his head (Id like to take a moment to thank alcohol for giving me courage to attempt this. Ever)." Clarkes character was once married to Khal Drogo, played by Momoa. The final season of Game of Thrones, which will air in 2019, will reportedly consist of six episodes. Clarke spoke about Daenerys last moments on camera as part of a Vanity Fair profile published in May. "It f----d me up, she told the publication. Knowing that is going to be a lasting flavor in someones mouth of what Daenerys is . . . Forget about her restaurants renowned Mexican chef Martha Ortiz says Trump isnt even welcome in my country and my world. While remarking on a new Frida Kahlo exhibit at Londons Victoria and Albert Museum, chef and Top Chef Mexico judge Martha Ortiz claimed that President Trump is casting a negative light upon Mexican culture and said he isnt welcome in the country, as far as shes concerned. ROBERT DE NIRO: TRUMP WILL 'NEVER' BE ALLOWED AT NOBU RESTAURANTS Mexicans are creative, we are talented. It is very easy when you have a neighbor like [Trump] to forget that, she said, according to the Evening Standard. It is easy not to believe it. Trump yes. Imagine having him as a neighbor. And everything negative that he says. Ortiz also added, My country and my world will never be a place that he can trespass in. He will never be welcome. Ortiz, who owns Dulce Patria in Mexico City and Ella Canta in London, cited Kahlos work as well as her own restaurants as examples of Mexicos contributions to art and culture. She also suggested that London is more willing to celebrate those contributions. In London, we are now celebrating Mexican culture, through food, art, film. It is not just food Mexicans are winning awards for their films like Shape of Water getting the Oscar, she said. CUSTOMER REVOLTED AT FINDING GROSS RECEIPT TELLING COOK TO 'SPIT IN' HIS BURGER Ortiz is also celebrating the V&As new Frida Kahlo exhibit, called Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up, with a special menu inspired by Kahlo at Ella Canta, reports Forbes. She loved everything about Mexico. And Im a very proud Mexican, Ortiz said. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS Ortiz joins actor and restaurant co-owner Robert De Niro in requesting that Donald Trump stay away from their eateries, with the latter announcing last month that hed "never let Trump into any of the Nobu restaurants." We doubt Wendys will be tweeting about this. Wendys was forced to investigate a possible pest problem at one of its locations in Catoosa, Okla., after a restaurant employee shared footage of a mouse moving around inside a package of hamburger buns. DELAWARE BURGER KING REOPENS FOLLOWING RODENT INFESTATION "I just hear mouse, mouse, mouse! I'm like, we do not have mice in this store, what? I go back there and the mouse is moving around in the big buns," said Skylar Frame, an employee who shared video of the incident to Facebook last week. Another employee, Samantha Niebelink, said this is the second time shes spotted a rodent in the premises, according to KJRH. Niebelink added that she also reported seeing rodent droppings in the bun packages, and was told by a manager to just use the newer packages underneath. "That was just disgusting because last time there was rat feces it was dribbling underneath every other rack," said Niebelink. CUSTOMER REVOLTED AT FINDING GROSS RECEIPT TELLING COOK TO 'SPIT IN' HIS BURGER Wendys confirmed to Fox News that a health inspector was dispatched to the Catoosa restaurant, but recorded no violations. "Our franchisee is aware of this situation and is taking this matter very seriously," the restaurant said in a statement. "They immediately launched an investigation with their pest control vendor and internal quality assurance experts to ensure immediate and appropriate action is taken. We have stringent procedures in place to ensure safe and well-maintained restaurants." Frame and Niebelink, however, claim theyve seen their managers ignore other health code violations such as employees handling food while sick, or leaving loose cigarettes in the kitchen and claim they will be quitting their jobs if bosses dont change their ways. News of the rodent found at a Catoosa Wendy's follows a similar incident at a Burger King location in Wilmington, Del., which was temporarily shuttered after footage of rats running across its buns went viral online. The Delaware Burger King reopened following two inspections by the local health department. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS A representative for Wendy's did not immediately return Fox News' request for comment. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Last week the 96-year-old Miss America competition decided to drop the swimsuit portion of their event. The move is widely regarded as a consequence of the MeToo movement, a way to stop the degradation of women. The longtime beauty pageant will no longer focus on beauty nor be referred to as a pageant. When we think of MeToo going too far, altering the parameters of a beauty competition is in line with that stretch. This move does nothing about the harassment of women and it sends the message that maybe women showing too much skin were the problem all along. The women signing up for Miss America know in advance about the swimsuit competition. They are not there to interview for a job as a reporter or nuclear physicist and then suddenly asked to strip so their bosses could get a better look at their bodies. The women of MeToo did not sign up to be judged on their beauty. They didnt ask to be cornered by their bosses and slobbered on or be propositioned so their career could advance. To continue reading Karol Markowicz on The New York Post click here. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Not since the Internet itself has a technology shown such promise and elicited such excitement as blockchain. It is predicted in the next few years, much of our digital consumption will be run via a blockchain foundation without us even realizing it. But more often than not, when I am speaking with CEOs of Fortune 500 enterprises or Members of the UK Parliament or even mainstream media the core question that keeps coming up is what exactly is it and why should I care? Blockchain was invented in 2008 to be the public ledger for bitcoin because of its inherent security advantages. Information on a blockchain cannot be manipulated. Blockchains are not centralized. Information is shared across users so there is not a vulnerable place for hackers to attack. Each block in a chain is a standalone unit users cannot go back and alter. In terms of the implications of this technology, FedEx Chief Executive Officer Fred Smith said at a blockchain conference in New York just last month: Were quite confident that it has big, big implications in supply chain, transportation and logistics. Its the next frontier thats going to completely change worldwide supply chains. While the potential of blockchain technology might seem endless and the time for mass adoption is now, barriers remain, particularly with regards to interoperability and formal standardization. A fundamental problem is that blockchain is being developed in a proprietary, isolated way. In the 1990s, online service providers created their version of the Internet, but users could only see content they provided. It was only when the networks were modified to communicate that the Internet flourished. As it stands now, blockchains on different networks are unable to communicate with one another. Thats a big deal. For example, in the not too distant future, self-driving cars will be common. If one car company builds its technology using a blockchain from X, and another car company builds its technology using Y, the two cars will be unable to communicate, and that failure will have dire consequences. The lack of interoperability also creates risk for businesses and hinders widespread usage. Once a business starts on a system, it is effectively locked in. IF they start at all given the isolated way in which this technology is being built it is leaving enterprise decision makers confused and uncertain as to which technology to adopt. For us to fulfill the tremendous potential of blockchain technology, we must achieve interoperability. I am now leading a team to create what we call an Overledger that will serve as a meta-gateway for the various blockchains available. The platform will ensure effective communication among the various options. This will unleash the creativity of programmers by allowing them to design applications that can function across all blockchains. To address standards, I founded the Blockchain International Organization for Standardization (ISO) project that now has 46 countries working together to develop practices by 2020. Partners include companies such as Sony, IBM and Microsoft, multiple startups, academia and governments around the globe. We recently hosted a meeting in London on ISO standards with the highest turnout so far with 300 attendees from more than 40 countries. This is exciting for someone who has been working on cybersecurity issues for 20 years, protecting governments and companies from threats. I am also the Chair of DLT1, the United Kingdoms national committee on blockchain and distributed ledger technologies. In addition to the security benefits of blockchain, it also has the power to connect data and therefore optimize the efficiencies of any endeavor. For instance, when I worked for Australias Department of Health, I saw firsthand what blockchain information-sharing could do to enhance patient care. Many important challenges in the health care industry stem from how inefficiently and ineffectively data is shared from organization to organization, jurisdiction to jurisdiction. It is hard to connect the participants in a large health care network. By fixing that, we can literally save lives. Blockchains also can be an important tool in the fight against opioid addiction, by providing the global supply chain with the transparency needed to track the drugs. Whats more, blockchains are going to revolutionize financial services transactions. I recently served as the Chief Information Security Officer for a Mastercard company. Mastercard is firmly committed to identifying and implementing a blockchain strategy, and Im looking forward to continuing our collaboration. And supply chain management will be transformed by interoperability that enables companies to immediately interact with numerous blockchains and better manage modern complexities. Government regulators will benefit as well when it comes to enforcing compliance by being able to see across multiple blockchains. The promise of blockchains, once they are connected, is profound. In the 1990s, online service providers created their version of the Internet, but users could only see content they provided. Proprietary networks like Compuserve, Prodigy and AOL couldnt connect and have interoperability between them. It was only when the networks were modified to communicate that the Internet flourished. Enabling cross-chain communications - including the recognition and transfer of transactions - is not dissimilar to opening borders to allow for international trade. It will usher in a new era of digital economic growth and prosperity not unlike the industrial revolutions of the past. Policy makers should embrace the mass adoption of blockchain technology as the questions of standards and interoperability are answered. When blockchains are able to fluently converse with each other, we will have the opportunity to harness the full power and potential ofeverything. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Medicaid is now the largest health insurance program in the United State, covering about 74 million Americans with low incomes and disabilities, along with participants in the Childrens Health Insurance Program. Medicaid is costing our federal and state governments enormous amounts of money and the costs are growing rising from $553 billion in the 2016 federal fiscal year to $565 billion in 2017. Thats about $1 out of every $6 spent on health care in the U.S. Its hard to comprehend such large amounts. But its easy to understand that if Medicaid spending keeps growing it will gobble up larger and larger chunks of federal and state spending. If nothing is done, rising costs will eventually force governments to make massive budget cuts to other programs, raise taxes, cut coverage under Medicaid or do some combination of all three. And under ObamaCare, Medicaid has expanded, providing increased coverage to lower income families in 33 states and Washington, D.C., with Virginia just recently signing on. This expansion costs money and will continue to drive Medicaid costs ever higher unless something changes. You dont need to be a physician, an accountant or a health care expert to understand that Medicaid reform with an eye towards cost savings is now crucial. But coming up with reforms that save money without depriving millions of Americans of health care they need is an extraordinarily difficult challenge. Luckily, the search for ways to reform Medicaid is led by a very capable and dedicated public servant Seema Verma, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Before she joined the Trump administration, Verma was a health policy consultant who worked on Medicaid reform programs in Indiana with then-Governors Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence, as well as in Ohio and Kentucky. Now vice president, Pence knows from firsthand experience that if anyone can tackle the Medicaid challenge, it is Seema Verma. Medicaid has hidden far too long under a smokescreen of undisclosed costs and supposed states rights. It is time for this massive federally subsidized program to step out into the light. President Trump signed an executive order in April designed to help rein in public assistance spending including Medicaid for able-bodied people with low incomes. The order calls for allowing states to give such able-bodied people incentives and helping them get the training and education they need to get good jobs and climb up the economic ladder so they no longer need government assistance. In other words, instead of simply cutting Medicaid and other programs for poor people, help poor people work their way out of poverty. I interviewed Verma for Fox News recently. I was impressed with her vision for ways to enact President Trumps plan to help able-bodied Medicaid recipients gain skills and self-esteem, and ultimately get off Medicaid. She emphasized that these programs are not simply work programs, but include community service and education and job training options. The Medicaid program was designed for aged or blind or people living with disabilities, pregnant women and children, Verma told me. But now that we've put all these able-bodied individuals (on Medicaid), the program needs to be changed to be more flexible. People that are living in poverty want a pathway out of poverty. They don't want to be in that situation. And so what we're trying to do with the Medicaid program, with allowing states to develop programs that give people an opportunity for job training, for community service and giving them the skills that they need. So what is the effect of the Trump administrations push for a path to rise out of poverty through service, education, or work? The answer is that it is too early to know. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, multiple states have applied for Medicaid waivers to join Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas and New Hampshire, which are already developing programs to help people escape poverty. Efforts by Verma and others in the Trump administration at reform go beyond work requirements. Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unveiled a new Medicaid Scorecard, which compiles and publicizes data from states for both Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program. The first scorecard reveals alarming variances from state to state and major deficiencies in prenatal, postnatal and child care. And though this kind of transparency doesnt automatically solve problems, it is a huge first step in getting there. It has always been a difficult negotiation between federal oversight and state autonomy when it comes to Medicaid. The scorecard also reveals an across-the-board paucity of proper follow-up for mental illness as well as addiction. This problem causes neglect (from dental care to prevention to overall hygiene), which mushrooms into expensive physical health problems as well. When I interviewed Seema Verma she emphasized the need for transparency, both in terms of prices as well as actual health care delivery. The new drug dashboard is another transparency tool that tells a Medicaid recipient how much his or her drug is costing, how much the price has increased, and which manufacturers are responsible. Knowing the actual price can help patients learn to be more judicious consumers, whether they are footing part of the bill or not. Verma pointed out to me that transparency is only the first step. The next step is federal intervention and negotiation to maintain flexibility, while imposing basic standards and at the same time combating rising costs. Medicaid has hidden far too long under a smokescreen of undisclosed costs and supposed states rights. It is time for this massive federally subsidized program to step out into the light. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! FBI Director Wray has said nothing to reassure Americans that he understands the serious corruption highlighted in the IG report. The FBI's cover-ups and stonewalling on Wray's watch add to his credibility problems. Both in is his press conference after the IG report was released, and in his testimony Monday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Director Wray demonstrated he was more concerned about protecting the reputation of the institution of the FBI than about the astonishing corruption of top FBI officials detailed in the IG report. During todays hearing we heard about FBI agents who arent corrupt and how the Clinton email investigation was just one of many thousands of cases pursued by the Bureau. This obliviousness is a version is of the old line, Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play? We also heard from Mr. Wray that the outrageous Stop Trump and other anti-Trump text messages dont mean anything for his institution. Wray said last week nothing in the report impugns the integrity of our workforce as a whole, or the FBI as an institution. On the contrary the institutional credibility of the FBI is ruined because of misconduct by then-Director James Comey, then-Deputy Andrew McCabe, and top FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, all as it related to one of the most consequential investigations in the FBIs history the Clinton email issue. At this point, Americans cant trust the FBI to investigate the Russia issue or even re-investigate the Clinton email issue. Also, this misconduct has ruined the credibility of the Russia investigation that Strzok and company ginned up, the documentary evidence suggests, as part of the anti-Trump insurance policy Strzok discussed with Lisa Page and Andrew McCabe. Director Wrays tepid response to this corruption crisis is to order Starbucks-style bias training for all the FBI agents Wray has told us are not biased. If Wray truly wanted to clean house, hed order full transparency. Instead, his FBI has stonewalled and obstructed multiple investigations into the very scandals highlighted by the IG. Wrays FBI is stonewalling on Clinton email investigatory materials, Strzok-Page texts, Comey records, McCabe records, FISA court abuse records, Spygate records. The obstruction of Congressional oversight and Judicial Watch FOIA lawsuits shows that rather than open up the agency to oversight and reform, he has doubled down on arrogant and often illegal secrecy. At this point, Americans cant trust the FBI to investigate the Russia issue or even re-investigate the Clinton email issue. Director Wray needs to step up to address this crisis or step out so someone else can. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's bombshell report on DOJ and FBI actions during the Hillary Clinton email probe takes particular aim at key figures who, until now, have mostly escaped official censure for their conduct while in office. The DOJ watchdog reviewed a variety of critical decisions over the course of the investigation -- including how authorities conducted the summer 2016 interview with Clinton, and why top FBI and DOJ officials with political connections didn't immediately recuse themselves from the probe. Horowtiz's report also outlines new information concerning apparent bias at the FBI and DOJ that he says undermines the public trust in each agency. Some of the key takeaways from the report include: 1. New texts between FBI lovers Strzok and Page were 'disappointing' and cast a shadow over the integrity of the entire Clinton email probe A slew of anti-Trump text messages between special counsel Lisa Page and FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok damaged the integrity of the entire Clinton email probe, Horowitz writes. The report unearths striking new messages between the pair that were sent and received on government devices, including one in which Strzok vows to "stop" Trump from being elected just months before the presidential election. On Aug. 8, 2016, the IG found, Page asked Strzok [Trumps] not ever going to become president, right? Right?! and Strzok replied No. No he wont. Well stop it." While Horowitz noted that there is no available evidence that political considerations directly impacted investigative decisions in the Clinton probe, and that Strzok was not the "sole" decision maker on any key investigative actions, he concluded the officials' behavior was still highly inappropriate. FBI LOVEBIRDS USED WORK PHONES TO HIDE THEIR AFFAIR, IG FINDS "We recognize that these text and instant messages cast a cloud over the FBIs handling of the Midyear investigation and the investigations credibility," the IG report said. MYE, or "Midyear Exam," was the code used in the FBI to refer to the investigation into Clintons private email server. Horowitz also published additional texts between the lovers that he called "notable," including one in which Page admits the two used their FBI phones to conceal their extramarital affair from their spouses. 2. Five unnamed FBI employees -- including one lawyer who later worked on the Mueller probe -- are under scrutiny for anti-Trump bias Strzok and Page are not the only FBI officials who evidenced anti-Trump bias during the Clinton email probe, Horowitz noted in the report. The watchdog identified five other unnamed individuals, including two agents and one FBI attorney who worked on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe until earlier this year, who made "statements of hostility toward then-candidate Trump and statements of support for candidate Clinton," and improperly mixed "political opinions" with case-related discussions. "The damage caused by their actions ... goes to the heart of the FBIs reputation for neutral factfinding and political independence." DOJ IG report "Instant messages exchanged between Agent 1, who was one of the four Midyear case agents, and Agent 5, who was a member of the filter team," as well as "instant messages sent by FBI Attorney 2, who was assigned to the Midyear investigation," are specifically flagged in the IG report. UNNAMED AGENTS CALL TRUMP SUPPORTERS 'RETARDED,' MOCK 'DRUMPF' VOTERS The filter team was assigned to review documents for potential privilege issues, such as attorney-client matters. "We found that the conduct of these five FBI employees brought discredit to themselves, sowed doubt about the FBIs handling of the Midyear investigation, and impacted the reputation of the FBI," the IG said. According to the IG report, one FBI attorney who was later assigned to Mueller's Russia probe until earlier this year messaged another colleague Viva le resistance after Trump's election. The attorney acknowleged the message could create the "perception" of bias. Another unnamed agent called Trump supporters "retarded," according to the IG report. Again, the IG report noted that it was unable to connect the officials' apparent political bias to specific investigative decisions. Nevertheless, the IG referred the five FBI officials for further investigation. 3. President Obama was one of the 13 individuals with whom Hillary Clinton had direct contact using her clintonemail.com account In a footnote, the IG notes that "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 information would suggest that Obama may have known about Clinton's private server, despite his claim in 2015 that he learned about it "the same time everybody else learned it, through news reports." Obama's press secretary at the time quickly clarified that the president was unaware of Clinton's use of a private server for official business, even as he acknowledged that the two did exchange emails and that Obama was aware of Clinton's email address. But the IG report revealed that intelligence analysts questioned whether Obama's correspondence with Clinton on her private server contained classified information, before a formal classification review determined that the emails did not. Obama used a fake name for the communications. Separately, the IG asked investigators why they made no effort to obtain the personal devices that Clintons senior aides were using at the State Department, since those devices were "potential sources of Clinton's ... classified emails" or places where unauthorized classified emails were being stored. In response, officials on the probe claimed that "the culture of mishandling classified information at the State Department" was so pervasive that it "made the quantity of potential sources of evidence particularly vast" -- a rationale that the IG implied was unconvincing, because investigators could simply have obtained personal devices for a handful of key Clinton aides. Investigators also claimed the State Department would be the better agency to handle that kind of deep dive into Clinton's emails. In the end, Horowitz concluded that the issue was a "judgment call" and that there was no evidence improper political considerations influenced investigators' decisions. 4. Despite Clinton connections, former Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe didn't fully recuse themselves The IG report focused on two top investigative officials' connections to Clinton: ex-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe and former Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik. Kadzik exercised "poor judgment" by failing to immediately recuse himself as the Clinton probe unfolded, even after he sought employment for his son at her campaign, the watchdog wrote. Additionally, Kadzik's decision to provide Clinton campaign chair John Podesta the schedule for a court-ordered release of some of Clinton's emails "raised a reasonable question about his ability to act impartially on Clinton-related matters in connection with his official duties" -- even though it later became clear the information was public. FBI AGENTS RECEIVED 'IMPROPER' GIFTS FROM REPORTERS, LEAKED FROM PHONES IN FBI HQ, IG FINDS Horowitz also noted that Kadzik didn't fully honor his supposed recusal in November 2016. "Though Kadzik said he told his deputies ... that he was recused, emails show that Kadzik subsequently sent and received emails about Clinton-related matters," Horowitz wrote. Meanwhile, McCabe, whose wife Jill has ties to then-Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and unsuccessfully sought a state Senate seat in Virginia in 2015 as a Democrat, was not obligated to recuse himself during the probe, the IG report found. 5. 'Insubordinate' Ex-FBI Director James Comey repeatedly violated policy and inaccurately described the legal situation surrounding Clinton's emails Former FBI Director James Comey had an apparently strong desire to avoid confronting authority figures with his concerns about their behavior, even as he nurtured a habit of going around the chain of command and violating long-standing departmental policies, the IG report found. In testimony before Congress and elsewhere, for example, Comey claimed that he had been pressured by former Obama Attorney General Loretta Lynch to call the Clinton investigation a "matter" in 2015, rather than an investigation. But Horowitz noted that others present who heard Lynch's instruction did not interpret her as trying to downplay the investigation, but instead to standardize language for personnel purposes. Perhaps more significantly, the IG report found that Comey seemed to have kept his concerns entirely to himself. COMEY USED PERSONAL EMAIL ACCOUNT TO CONDUCT OFFICIAL BUSINESS, IG FINDS Comey, whom President Trump has called a "slimeball," also failed to act appropriately on his concerns about the infamous airport tarmac meeting between Lynch and former President Bill Clinton in the waning days of the email probe, according to Horowitz. But the IG's most substantial criticisms of Comey centered around his decision to stage a dramatic news conference in the summer of 2016, in which he announced that "no reasonable prosecutor" would bring criminal charges against Hillary Clinton, even as he acknowledged she had been "extremely careless" in her handling of classified information." "Comeys unilateral announcement was inconsistent with Department policy, usurped the authority of Attorney General, and did not accurately describe the legal position of the Department prosecutors," the IG report said. The ex-FBI director made a similarly "serious error in judgment" by sending a letter to Congress announcing the reopening of the Clinton probe just days before the 2016 presidential election, according to the report. "We found that it was extraordinary and insubordinate for Comey to conceal his intentions from his superiors, the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, for the admitted purpose of preventing them from telling him not to make the statement, and to instruct his subordinates in the FBI to do the same." The rebuke was a particularly scathing one for Comey, who has cultivated his image as a responsible and strong leader since leaving office. 6. Former Obama Attorney General Loretta Lynch made errors in judgment during the Clinton probe Horowitz also charged that Lynch similarly made multiple errors in judgment during the probe. The DOJ watchdog was especially critical not just of Lynch's decision to hold court with the president on the Phoenix tarmac, but also her decision to retain involvement in the probe despite the appearance of bias. "Although we found no evidence that Lynch and former President Clinton discussed the Midyear investigation or engaged in other inappropriate discussion during their tarmac meeting on June 27, 2016, we also found that Lynchs failure to recognize the appearance problem created by former President Clintons visit and to take action to cut the visit short was an error in judgment," the IG wrote. 7. FBI agents' actions surrounding the DOJ/FBI interview of Hillary Clinton were 'inappropriate' and created appearance of bias Lisa Page, the special counsel to the deputy director of the FBI, sent messages to Strzok, McCabe, and another FBI employee suggesting that the agency limit the number of people attending the critical in-person interview with Clinton as the investigation wrapped up, the IG report said. Page's chief consideration was that Clinton would be angry at the FBI upon becoming president, which the IG flags as an "inappropriate" consideration. [S]he might be our next president," Page wrote, in urging that the number of people at the interview be limited to four or six. "The last thing you need us going in there loaded for bear. You think shes going to remember or care that it was more doj than fbi? LAWMAKERS FROM BOTH PARTIES SLAM FBI AFTER IG REPORT RELEASED While the IG report found that Page's text did not appear to influence the number of attendees at the Clinton interview, since eight officials attended from the FBI and DOJ, the report nonetheless said her considerations were improperly political. "Suggesting that investigative decisions be based on this consideration was inappropriate and created an appearance of bias," the IG wrote. Additionally, the IG notes that it was "inconsistent with typical investigative strategy" for the FBI to allow former Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills and ex-campaign staffer Heather Samuelson to sit in on the Clinton interview. "We questioned why the Department and FBI allowed Mills and Samuelson, two percipient witnesses (one of whom, Mills, herself had classified information transit through her unclassified personal email account) attend Clintons interview, even if they had also both served as lawyers for Clinton after they left the State Department," the IG wrote. While the report does not definitively find that political bias motivated the decision to allow Mills and Samuelson in the interview, "it recommends improvements to the DOJ and FBI's handling of similar situations in the future. "[T]here are serious potential ramifications when one witness attends another witnesss interview," the IG notes. Steve Bannon took to the airwaves Sunday to claim that The Rev. Martin Luther King would be proud of President Trump. Martin Luther King ... he would be proud of what Donald Trump has done for [the] black and Hispanic working class, OK? Bannon told ABC News This Week Sunday, a claim he's made before. Bannon, previously CEO of the Trump campaign and a former executive chairman of Breitbart, has received pushback for his logic, but reiterated again Trumps America First agenda. I was talking specifically about Donald Trump and his policies, Bannon said Sunday. His economic nationalism doesnt care about your race, your religion, your gender, your sexual preference. Heres what it cares about, that youre citizens of the United States of America. We have all-time low unemployment among blacks in this country and 20-year low among Hispanics. The black working class and Hispanic working class are now getting the benefits of border security and economic nationalism. Bannon noted on ABC that Trumps immigration policies help Americans of color: This illegal immigration, the people that [are] hurt the most are the Hispanic and black working class. It suppresses their wages; it destroys their healthcare; it destroys their school systems. The Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the legendary American, took offense to Bannons previous comments about her father and Trumps policies; she tweeted in May that her father would be proud of a livable wage for all and not merely a low unemployment rate. She also noted that her father had a global focus, advocating for human rights in general while also fighting for the civil rights of black people in the United States. Further, he would not refer to people as illegal aliens. The term is degrading and does not reflect his belief that we are all a part of the human family, she tweeted. She also wrote that her father would be extremely disturbed by the climate created by leaders, who have emboldened people to easily express and demonstrate cruelty, predominantly toward people of color and immigrants. Bannon also took the time Sunday to explain comments he made in March to the French far-right. Let them call you racist, Bannon said at that event. Let them call you xenophobes. Let them call you nativists. Wear it as a badge of honor. Because every day, we get stronger and they get weaker. He said his quote was taken out of context. The lead-in to that was saying, When they cant fight you on the facts, theyre going to call you racist, he said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The head of the Department of Homeland Security bashed the media Sunday for their reporting on the increasingly volatile immigration controversy, writing in a string of tweets: We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen added: This misreporting by Members, 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. She noted that no one is breaking the law by seeking asylum at a port of entry. 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 prosecutions of illegal immigrants under a zero-tolerance policy that critics say leads to those separations. A child illegally entering the U.S. is generally separated from adults at the border if the child is in danger, has no clear relationship to the adult, or if the adult enters criminal proceedings. Through Twitter, Nielsen reiterated that current policies are derived from laws already in the books: 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. She added: DHS takes very seriously its duty to protect minors in our temporary custody from gangs, traffickers, criminals and abuse. Earlier this month, Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon 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 visited other immigrant detention facilities successfully. President Trump has some 'splainin' to do. Specifically, explaining to House Republicans what he wants to do about immigration and border security. House Republican leaders sidestepped an insurrection last week. The GOP brass forestalled a potential takeover of the House floor by a coalition of 20-plus Republicans and all 193 House Democrats. The special parliamentary gambit would have forced the House to debate a series of immigration bills later this month. But House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and his team skirted the calamity by engineering a revamped border security and immigration package. Its aimed at courting the support of moderate GOPers and many conservative Republicans. On Thursday, the Republican leadership released details and text of the "Border Security and Immigration Reform Act." The plan allots $25 billion to construct Trumps border wall, ends the so-called "catch and release" program and allows the DACA population to apply for whats termed as "six-year indefinitely renewable contingent non-immigrant status." Republicans planned to pair a debate and vote on the new leadership measure with separate consideration of a more conservative plan authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., this Thursday. GOP leaders planned to measure support for the bill Friday morning. But Trump spoke about the immigration plan on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning. Everything then spilled off the rails. "I'm looking at both of them. I certainly won't sign the more moderate one. I need a bill that gives this country tremendous border security. I have to have that," said the president. "We have to have the wall. If we don't have the wall. There's no bill." Trump's remarks confounded everyone following the immigration debate. "Both of them?" That sounded like the Republican leadership compromise bill and the Goodlatte bill. "Wont sign the more moderate one?" Well, the President seemed to refer to the new leadership bill. That measure wasn't as "conservative" as the Goodlatte bill. After all, it was indeed more "moderate," because, well, it was designed to court the votes of moderate Republicans. Never mind that the leadership orchestrated the legislation alongside White House staff, aligning the plan with Trumps demands on immigration. The whole exercise reminded everyone of a late March fire drill where Trump threatened to veto a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending package to fund the government. The president himself pushed for a major increase in defense spending in the legislation. His staff cut a deal alongside congressional Republican and Democratic leaders. Then, just hours after Congress okayed the pact, Mr. Trump threatened a veto before reluctantly signing the plan. "I'm not sure the President is aware of everything thats in the bill," said Rep. Tom Cole. R-Okla., about the GOP compromise measure. "I think there was probably some confusion." But House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., didn't agree with Coles assessment. "I think (Trump) understands what's in the bill and not in the bill," said Meadows. "Were f---ed if that's the case," lamented a senior House Republican leadership aide, perplexed that Mr. Trump may have thrown his party under the bus. Chief Deputy Whip Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., told reporters that leaders were "seeking clarity" from the White House about the president's comments. He noted that Trump's remarks could cause GOP leaders to postpone a so-called "whip" of the bill, where they try to assess the level of support for legislation. Such counts can signal a green light to the leadership to forge ahead with a bill. The whip count can also reveal potential problem spots, indicating a bill requires more massaging. "House Republicans are not going to take on immigration without the support an endorsement of the president," declared McHenry. Democrats want to address DACA and other immigration issues. But it's unlikely any Democrats would support either Republican bill. Some Democrats thought Trump may have hoodwinked Republican leaders with a political switcho-chango. "You mean the president complicated the situation with a comment? I just dont find this shocking," said Rep. Pete Aguilar D-Calif. "Where does this White House stand? They might walk it back. Clean up on aisle four. But that's par for the course." Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., is a moderate Republican who worked with Aguilar and others on the special strategy to force an immigration debate. But Denham also signed off on the new leadership plan and retreated in his effort to embarrass the leadership. "We have negotiated the four pillars deal. His deal," said Denham of Trump's demands on immigration. "We're waiting for the President to clarify his comments." Denham noted that his side would not "back down." And if Trump did hornswoggle the Republican leadership, there were two additional procedural tactics Denham and his supporters could still deploy to trigger an immigration debate. "We are reserving all options parliamentarily," warned Denham. So would the House consider an immigration bill this week or not? At the end of most weeks, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., convene on the floor for what's called the "colloquy." They frequently banter about policy and politics. Its often good theatre. But the main reason they huddle is to discuss the House schedule. Well, there was no colloquy on Friday. Hoyer found himself on the floor without a dance partner as McCarthy made a beeline out a side entrance of the House chamber bound for his office with Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., in tow. "My suspicion is they don't know what the schedule is for the week to come," observed Hoyer. On Friday evening, McCarthy published the anticipated floor schedule for the coming week. The slate mentioned opioid legislation, a terrorism measure and a Social Security bill. But a final line suggested the complete itinerary was far from certain: "Possible Consideration of Legislation Related to Border Security and Immigration." Also late Friday, the White House finally provided the "clarity" so many House Republicans hoped would come. "The President fully supports both the Goodlatte bill and the House leadership bill. In this morning's 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," said White House spokesman Raj Shah. However, it's unclear if either of those bills can pass. It's believed the Goodlatte plan could score 200 GOP yeas on a really good day. But a more realistic vole tally is likely to hover in the 170 range. Moreover, the Republican leadership has no idea where they stand on the new legislation. Thats because House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., called off the whip following the president's murky comments. Whipping the new bill just after Trump spoke would have been a fool's errand. How many Republicans would be willing to stick their neck out for a bill which Trump seemingly opposed? That brings us to Tuesday night, when Trump will head to Capitol Hill to meet with House Republicans. It's significant that House Republicans were unwilling to forge ahead with their immigration plan regardless of Trumps cryptic remarks. Of course, it's sometimes a waste of time to try to advance legislation the President doesnt support. Ryan rejected the end-around parliamentary effort supported by Denham and Aguilar. The Speaker repeatedly said the process would result in passage of a bill which may not become law. Perhaps that's the strategy lurking behind all of this. There's no bill which will pass. Thus, nothing can become law. A lot of Republicans truly don't want to tangle with immigration policy before the midterms, no matter what's going on at the border. A vote against any immigration plan is a good vote in many conservative Congressional districts. Remember, the public doesn't follow every incremental move in Washington. Many people may think the President won't sign anything because they left off with the President's Friday comments and not the clarification which emerged later in the day from a spokesman. Tuesday's meeting is about the president pushing to construct his border wall and House Republicans waiting to move until they hear directly from him. Critics would argue against fealty Trump. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ripped his colleagues a few days ago for their submissiveness to Trump, arguing that the president wields a "cult-like" status among some Republicans. It's unclear if the House can in fact move any legislation on immigration this week. But if the President truly exerts the power over congressional Republicans which Corker suggests, Tuesday night's session could be a lot more like "tellin'" rather than "'splainin.'" Former British spy Christopher Steele, author of the Trump dossier, concluded a four-hour videotaped deposition in London Monday, Fox News has confirmed. Steele's long-delayed, court-ordered deposition was for the ongoing multi-million dollar civil lawsuit on both sides of the Atlantic, filed by Russian tech guru Aleksej Gubarev against Buzzfeed and Steele. Gubarev is suing because he claims his companies, Webzilla and XBT Holdings, were defamed by Steele after the unverified dossier was published by Buzzfeed on January 10th 2017. The dossier alleged that Gubarev's companies "used botnets and porn traffic to transmit viruses, plant bugs, steal data and conduct 'alerting operations' against the Democratic party leadership. Steele and his company, Orbis Business Intelligence, were hired by Glenn Simpson's U.S. based company, Fusion GPS, to work on the dossier and promote its contents to journalists. Fusion GPS received $1.8 million via the law firm Perkins Coie, which was paid by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign. Val Gurvits, one of the U.S. attorneys representing Gubarev, told Fox News that Steele's deposition was attended by 17 people including "a legal representative from the Crown to make sure no state secrets were disclosed." Gurvits described Steele as congenial and professional. The location of the deposition was kept secret but described as a "private office building." At least one of Steele's U.S. based attorneys participated via teleconference. Prior to the Monday morning deposition, Gurvits told Fox News in an email that "We expect Mr. Steele to confirm that he did not lift a finger to verify the false allegations against our clients and that he has absolutely no reason to believe any of these allegations to be true." After the deposition was concluded, Gurvits told Fox News that " We are satisfied with the results of Mr. Steele's testimony." Steele's videotaped deposition was designated confidential and is under seal. Similarly, the videotaped testimony of David J. Kramer, a former representative for Senator John McCain, who handed off the dossier to him, is also under seal. As Fox News first reported, Kramer pled the Fifth before the House Intelligence Committee. Meanwhile, in a notable coincidence, former FBI Director James Comey, who relied on the Steele dossier to obtain a FISA warrant on former Trump campaign aide Carter Page, is also in London this week to promote his book "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership." Attorney Gurvits explained to Fox News that it was a long process to compel Steele to appear for his deposition. Gurvits wrote to Fox News that "In order to force a witness to appear for a deposition there needs to be a court order. U.S. courts have jurisdiction over U.S. citizens but not over British citizens. That means that a U.S. court cannot order a Brit to appear at a deposition. So we had to use a special international process (a Letters Rogatory) pursuant to which the federal court in Miami issued a letter requesting assistance from the British court in London. The British Court then ordered Mr. Steele to appear at the deposition in London. " He added, "I cannot however give you any details regarding Mr. Steele's testimony because his entire testimony was designated as confidential by his legal team. I can confirm that the deposition took place today as scheduled, that Mr. Steele appeared, was professional and congenial, and that we are satisfied with the results of the deposition. " One of Steele's U.S.- based attorneys, Christina Eikhoff, declined to comment to Fox News. Fox News' Catherine Herridge contributed to this report. Under withering questioning from the White House press corps, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen insisted Monday that the growing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border "is not new" amid a national outcry over the separation of immigrant children from their parents. After an 11-minute opening statement, Nielsen faced a series of contentious questions over the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy for illegal border crossings. At one point, CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny asked her: "How is this not child abuse for these innocent children who are, indeed, being separated from their parents?" Nielsen responded by claiming that the "vast majority" of children currently held at the border are unaccompanied minors. "We now care for them," Nielsen answered. "We have high standards. We give them meals. We give them education. We give them medical care. There's videos, there's TVs ... That would be my answer to that question." ABC News' Cecilia Vega asked Nielsen if she had heard audio published by ProPublica of immigrant children crying at a government facility where they had been taken after being separated from their parents. Nielsen responded that she had not, but again insisted that the separated children were well cared for. In her statement, Nielsen called for Congress to act on legislation that would curb the separation of immigrant children from parents held in custody. Such a provision is already in a compromise GOP immigration measure between party conservatives and moderates and similar language was expected to be added to an alternative bill favored by conservative members. The House is expected to vote on both bills later this week. "Surely it is the beginning of the unraveling of democracy when the body who makes the laws, instead of changing them, tells the enforcement body not to enforce the law," Nielsen said. "I ask Congress to act this week so that we can secure our borders and uphold our humanitarian ideas." After Nielsen left the briefing room, White house press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump would reject any attempt to end the separation of families that is not part of broader immigration reform. "We want to fix the whole thing, we don't want to tinker with just part of it," said Sanders, who added that Trump's priorities, like funding a border wall and tightening immigration laws, also must be fulfilled. The current holding areas used to house separated children have drawn widespread attention after journalists gained access to one site Sunday. At a McAllen, Texas, detention center, The Associated Press reported that hundreds of immigrant children waited in a series of cages created by metal fencing. One cage had 20 children inside. Bottles of water, bags of chips and large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets were scattered around the facility. Nielsen, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other members of the administration have insisted that the White House is simply enforcing immigration laws already on the books. "The voices most loudly criticizing the enforcement of our current laws are those whose policies created this crisis and whose policies perpetrate it," Nielsen said. The policy has drawn outrage from conservatives and Republicans as well as Democrats and liberals. The Rev. Franklin Graham, a longtime Trump ally, called the policy "disgraceful." Several religious groups have also pushed to stop the practice and former first lady Laura Bush called it "cruel" and "immoral" in a Washington Post opinion piece. On Capitol Hill, Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton called for an immediate end to this "ugly and inhumane practice," adding, "It's never acceptable to use kids as bargaining chips in political process." And Kansas GOP Sen. Pat Roberts said he is "against using parental separation as a deterrent to illegal immigration." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Overall enrollment in the countrys food stamp program has dropped to its lowest level in more than eight years as the economy continues to improve and the Trump administration attempts to tackle fraud in the program. According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), enrollment in the program dropped in March to 40,083,954. The last time food stamp participation dipped this low was in February 2010, when 39,588,993 people were enrolled in the program. "As the economy continues to improve, participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is declining," a USDA official who asked for anonymity told Fox News. "SNAP was established as a temporary supplemental nutrition benefit guiding people to self-sufficiency and self-reliance, not a permanent way of life." The USDA official noted that much like jobless numbers, the number of enrollees in SNAP tends to fluctuate month by month. But the official added that the agency expects about 8.8 million to leave the program in the next 10 years. SNAP, which was formerly known as the Food Stamps Program, is a federal program that provides grocery assistance for people out of work or with low incomes living in the U.S. To qualify for the program, individuals must make 130 percent or less of the federal poverty level based on the household size. The program is meant to help people buy nutritional items like breads, vegetables, dairy products and meats, while barring them from purchasing alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and household supplies and paper products among other items. While overall food stamp enrollment has been on a steady decline since 2013, some observers credit President Trumps emphasis on getting more Americans back to work and his administrations crackdown on fraud in the SNAP program as the reason why the decline has sped up. Its a long time coming, Robert Doar, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told Fox News. These numbers are dropping because people are going back to work. Since Trump took office, more than 2.2 million have discontinued their participation in the SNAP program in large part due to his administrations moves to reform SNAP. Trump in February proposed a 30 percent, or $214 billion, cut to SNAP as part of the White House's federal budget proposal. In April, Trump signed an executive order aiming to harden up work requirements for welfare and public assistance programs. The order, which aims to reduce poverty by promoting opportunity and economic mobility, calls for agencies to strengthen work requirements and to look for new ones. They have to stop playing to the cheap seats. Rep. Jim McGovern The Federal Government should do everything within its authority to empower individuals by providing opportunities for work, including by investing in Federal programs that are effective at moving people into the workforce and out of poverty, the executive order stated. It must examine Federal policies and programs to ensure that they are consistent with principles that are central to the American spirit work, free enterprise and safeguarding human and economic resources. Following Trumps order, the House Agriculture Committee voted to tighten the already existing work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), while expanding funding for state training programs. The legislation passed Wednesday by the committee would require all work capable adults between the age of 18 and 59 to work or participate in work training for 20 hours per week. The tweak means a greater number of people would have to work or enroll in work training. The USDA in March also announced that it had hired an integrity officer who would monitor any instances of fraud in the SNAP program and, in February, Trump announced the rollout of the so-called Harvest Box program an initiative to give food stamp recipients a box of shelf-stable foods along with the SNAP allotment. The Harvest Box is a silly idea and probably not going anywhere, Doar said. But the integrity office is a good step to takeIt helps make sure that the program is not only about getting the benefits, but also making sure people are getting back to work. The moves by the Trump administration to clamp down on who can receive food stamps has drawn a strong rebuke from numerous Democrats and advocacy groups that work with low-income people and families. Many argue that Trump is manipulating the view of who receives food stamps and that SNAP already had work requirements built into the program Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern told the New York Times in February that Trump was painting a distorted picture of those who receive food stamps by saying that they are scamming SNAP and avoiding work. They have to stop playing to the cheap seats, he said. The majority of people in the program are children and seniors and people working in jobs that pay too little to feed their families. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell announced Monday that he is battling Parkinson's disease. Rendell -- Pennsylvania's two-term governor from 2003 through 2010 -- said the original diagnosis of early onset Parkinson's was made three and a half years ago. "I always viewed myself as indestructible," Rendell, 74, said during a press conference at Pennsylvania Hospital. "I always viewed myself as indestructible." Ed Rendell Rendell also told reporters that his mother suffered from the disease during the last 13 years of her life. Rendell said he wanted to make his diagnosis public so that he could stress to others the importance of catching the disease in its early stages. "It turns out I wasn't indestructible, none of us are," Rendell said. "But I can be helped. All of us can be." Rendell said treatment at the hospital, including medication, has stopped the progression of the symptoms and that he continues to keep a busy schedule, including working out six days a week. Rendell was also the Democratic National Committee chairman and a two-term Philadelphia mayor who garnered the nickname "America's mayor." He said he first noticed problems with his balance and his hands shaking 3 1/2 years ago, when family members urged him to get it checked out. Parkinson's involves a loss of brain cells controlling movement. Besides tremors, it can cause rigid, halting walking, slowed speech and sometimes dementia. Symptoms worsen over time and can be treated with drugs, but there is no cure. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Hillary Clinton on Monday slammed the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" border policy that has left hundreds of children separated from their parents, calling it a "moral and humanitarian crisis." Speaking at a women's event in New York, the former secretary of state said President Trump's claim that breaking apart adults and their children who enter the U.S. illegally is a law instilled by Democrats is "an outright lie." HHS RELEASES VIDEOS OF IMMIGRATION DETENTION FACILITIES AS DEMS PRESS FOR CHANGE Her remarks at the Women's Forum of New York awards lunch were followed up by a tweet on Monday afternoon in which Clinton said: "Every parent who has ever held a child in their arms, every human behind with a sense of compassion and decency, should be outraged." Clinton also took a swipe at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who, on Thursday, cited the Bible to defend the border policy, and added that recent criticisms were not "fair or logical and some are contrary to law." "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. "Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and lawful." Clinton said that "those who selectively use the Bible to justify this cruelty are ignoring a central tenet of Christianity." "I've studied the bible, both the Old and the New Testament," the 2016 presidential candidate said. "What is being done using the name of religion is contrary to everything I was ever taught." She invoked her own quote from the Bible Matthew 19:14 in response, saying that "Jesus said suffer the little children unto me. He did not say let the children suffer." Clinton added that former First Lady Laura Bush's sentiments published Sunday in an op-ed for The Washington Post, in which she referred to the the administration's policy as "cruel" and "immoral" and it "breaks [her] heart, are "absolutely right." The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Department of Justice is asking the Supreme Court for help in scaling back an earlier injunction in its fight against sanctuary cities. Solicitor General Noel Francisco asked the nations highest court for a partial stay on an earlier court order that blocked the Trump administrations efforts to withhold public safety grants from so-called sanctuary cities. While the exact specifications can vary, sanctuary city policies overall limit how much local law enforcement officials can comply with federal immigration authorities. The Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to limit that injunction just to Chicago, instead of the blanket nationwide ban, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In the emergency request, Francisco said the injunction reflects the increasingly prevalent trend of entering categorical, absent-party injunctions that bar any enforcement of federal laws or policies against any person. WHAT ARE SANCTUARY CITIES? The request asks for the injunction to be limited to just Chicago, the city that sued, as the case proceeds before the entire appeals court and possibly even the Supreme Court. The brief was filed Monday to Justice Elena Kagan. A three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals already ruled against the government in April, keeping in place the lower court's nationwide ruling preventing the Trump administration from implementing its grant requirements. The Trump administration has promised to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities, signing an executive order in January 2017 that moved to strip federal grant money from towns that harbor undocumented immigrants. Nationwide rulings by individual federal judges have been a recurring frustration for the administration. The Associated Press contributed to this report. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy responded to Sunday's deadly shooting at a Trenton arts festival by calling for new controls on guns. But a suspects gang membership -- and early release from prison after Murphy took office -- may have been bigger factors in an incident that left one person dead and 22 wounded. Meanwhile, Murphy -- a first-term Democrat in his first elected office -- supports shorter sentences for offenders and cuts in prisoner rehabilitation programs. The suspect, identified as Tahaji Wells, 33, opened fire before 3 a.m. at the Art All Night festival in New Jersey's capital city, in what appears to have been a gang-related dispute. Wells was reportedly killed by police, and 17 of the 22 people injured reportedly suffered gunshot wounds. A second suspect, identified as Amir Armstrong, 23, remained hospitalized in stable condition and was facing a weapons charge, while a third suspect was in critical condition. Less than 24 hours after the gunfire, Murphy -- a former Goldman Sachs banker who served as President Barack Obama's ambassador to Germany -- began calling for gun control without addressing the other circumstances involved in the crime. "It's yet another reminder of the senseless gun violence, even having signed six stringent gun laws last week," Murphy said at a news conference Sunday following a service at Trenton's Galilee Baptist Church. During the service, he said he "and many others around this state are committed to ending this scourge of gun violence and urged the Congress to take action on guns "as a national matter. On Twitter, the governor also said the immediate aftermath is the time to speak about possible gun control. These are not inappropriate times to talk about gun policy," he wrote. "These are the most important times to talk about gun policy. These are not inappropriate times to talk about gun policy. These are the most important times to talk about gun policy. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy But it turns out that Wells had been released from prison in February, despite receiving an 18-year state prison sentence in 2004 on an aggravated manslaughter conviction in the shooting death of a 22-year-old man, NJ.com reported. And in 2010, while still in prison, Wells was sentenced to six additional years after pleading guilty to a second-degree racketeering charge. He reportedly helped a gang leader run the group from inside prison. So despite two lengthy sentences that should have left Wells serving time behind bars into the 2020s, he was back on the streets and able to commit Sunday's crime. Murphy has decried the sentencing and incarceration of people throughout his campaign and time in office as part of his criminal justice reform agenda, which includes a review of sentencing laws in the state. The governors efforts werent just promises, as earlier this year he resurrected the Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission created in 2009, which never actually held any meetings due to former state Gov. Chris Christies reluctance to appoint any members. We can and must do better, Murphy said in a statement announcing the restart of the commission. A Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission can undertake the important review of our sentencing laws and recommend reforms necessary to ensure a stronger, fairer and more just state. Another key promise of Murphy was to expand re-entry services, so that the people coming out of prison have the support they need to return to productive lives a measure that should have supposedly prevented Wells shooting spree. Yet, Murphy slashed all the money from a prisoner reentry program that was created by his fellow Democratic Party colleagues, NJ.com reported. The program provided training and helped former prisoners to find jobs and claimed it reduced recidivism rates. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Investigators should probe whether former FBI Director James Comey discussed classified information using a personal email account, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Monday at a hearing on the Justice Department watchdog's bombshell report on the handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe. FBI Director Christopher Wray and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz were testifying before the panel. During the hearing, Horowitz revealed that the DOJ watchdog is already investigating Comey concerning his leaked memos documenting his interactions with President Trump, which critics charged may have contained classified information. "We've received a referral on that from the FBI ... and we will issue a report when the matter is complete," Horowitz said. Under questioning from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, Wray pointedly refused to discuss specifics over whether Comey had lied in his previous testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, citing "pending" investigative matters at the FBI. LANNY DAVIS: COMEY LIED, AND 'HE KNOWS IT' Wray also declined to discuss whether Comey or McCabe had illegally authorized leaks to the media, saying that could compromise ongoing investigations. Horowitz's report on the Clinton email probe, which went public Thursday, outlined apparent anti-Trump bias at various levels in both the FBI and DOJ. It also concluded that Comey had used a personal email account to "conduct unclassified FBI business," in a manner inconsistent with FBI policy. The IG report also revealed that anti-Trump FBI agent Peter Strzok similarly used his personal email account for government business. Grassley, R-Iowa, excoriated Comey for not attending the hearing in his opening remarks, and called for a closer look at his email practices. This is the second time since he was fired that Mr. Comey an refused an invitation to testify here voluntarily, Grassley said. He has time for book tours and television interviews but apparently no time to assist this committee, which has primary jurisdiction over the Justice Department." COMEY USED PERSONAL EMAIL ACCOUNT TO CONDUCT OFFICIAL BUSINESS: IG REPORT In a letter to Wray, Grassley on Monday drew parallels between Hillary Clinton's email practices and Comey's. "It is disturbing that FBI employees tasked with investigating Secretary Clinton, including the former Director, appear to have engaged in strikingly similar conduct," he wrote. Grassley argued that it's impossible for Congress to be sure Comey was not discussing classified information on his personal Gmail account, as the IG report concluded, without actually seeing and reviewing all of his emails. During questioning Monday, Horowitz acknowledged that he couldn't be sure "what other purposes [Comey] may have used [the email account] for," beyond what he saw in emails that reached FBI servers, Horowitz told Grassley. Former Obama Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe also skipped the hearing, Grassley said, adding that McCabe had invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. "Let's not pretend this is some one-off problem." Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-UT, on bias in the FBI Meanwhile, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, took aim at Wray during the hearing, saying he was "disappointed" by the FBI director's attempt at a news conference last week to downplay the possibility of systemic, pervasive bias throughout the FBI. SEVEN KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE BOMBSHELL IG REPORT INTO FBI, DOJ CONDUCT "They were insubordinate, grossly unprofessional in their communications, and even untruthful -- so let's not pretend this is some one-off problem," Hatch charged. Wray repeatedly said mistakes made by employees and cited in the IG report "do not define" the agency as a whole. "We are aggressively investigating a number of leaks as we speak," Wray said later in the hearing. GOP senators spent most of the hearing grilling Wray over the FBI's conduct, while Democratic members of the committee sought to defend the integrity of the ongoing Russia probe. In response to the findings in the IG report that there was no definitive evidence the FBI's handling of the Clinton email probe was politically motivated, Grassley said that text messages between FBI employees Peter Strzok and Lisa Page criticizing Trump "prove that's false." Both officials worked on the Clinton probe and later the department's Russia investigation. In one text, Strzok wrote, "We'll stop it," referring to a Trump victory. In the hearing, Horowitz testified that his office unearthed those explosive texts -- not the FBI. The DOJ watchdog added that he "did not have confidence" that all of Strzok's investigative decisions as the lead agent on the Clinton email probe were free from bias. Fox News' Samuel Chamberlain, Andrew O'Reilly, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Supreme Court on Monday took a pass on deciding the limits of partisan gerrymandering or efforts by state legislatures to create voting maps most favorable to one political party. The justices dismissed separate lawsuits from Democratic Wisconsin voters and Republican Maryland voters, who challenged the congressional maps drawn by their legislatures. In the Wisconsin case, the court on narrow grounds said 12 Democratic voters who brought the suit lacked standing or jurisdiction to bring the legal action In throwing the case back to the lower courts, the high court sidestepped the larger issue: endorsing a workable standard going forward that would apply nationwide. We leave for another day consideration of other possible theories of harm not presented here and whether those theories might present justiciable claims giving rise to statewide remedies, wrote Chief Justice John Roberts for the unanimous court. That case could come from North Carolina pending lawsuits over its voting boundaries. The justices could decide in coming weeks to accept that appeal, which would be argued in the courts next term starting in October. In response, Dale Ho, director of the ACLUs Voting Rights Project, responded, The Supreme Court missed an opportunity today to lay down a firm marker as to when partisan gerrymandering is so extreme that it violates the constitutional rights of voters. But the court permitted lawsuits against unfair maps to continue. The lack of a definitive ruling on the simmering issue adds greater uncertainty to efforts to reform the map-drawing process, and the high courts rulings could make it harder to bring such legal challenges going forward. The stakes are huge: the balance of power in state legislatures and Congress could tip in coming years, particularly after the 2020 census, when voting boundaries will be redrawn based on population changes. At issue in Maryland was whether Republican voters could go to court and challenge a redistricting plan they say violated their First Amendment rights. That 2011 voting map shifted the political balance in the state's rural 6th congressional district, turning a traditional GOP stronghold to Democrat in an overall blue state. The justices also heard arguments over legislative boundaries created by Wisconsin Republicans, and whether those lines were unfairly out of balance with the state's closely divided political makeup. The Wisconsin case is Gill v. Whitford (16-1161). The Maryland case is Benisek v. Lamone (17-333). Nearly 60,000 immigrants with arrest records -- including 10 accused of murder -- have been allowed to stay in the United States under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed Monday. According to DHS, 59,786 DACA recipients have been arrested while in the U.S. -- approximately 7.8 percent of all who have been approved to remain in this country under the program since it was created in 2012. Of those, 53,792 were arrested before their most recent request for a so-called "grant of deferred action" was approved. Another 7,814 were arrested after their request was approved. The DHS statistics do not indicate how many of the arrested immigrants were convicted of crimes, nor do they indicate whether charges were reduced or dropped. They also do not indicate how many arrested DACA recipients were deported as the result of a conviction. Francis Cissna, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director, told Fox & Friends" the agency wants to release as much data about DACA as possible for the public and lawmakers to be informed. I would like people to keep in mind . . . whatever they do, I would hope that we, at USCIS, would be able to turn down these people . . . if we think theyre a public safety threat . . . if someone is a gang member . . . even if they dont have a conviction, Cissna said. WHAT IS DACA AND WHAT DOES THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WANT TO DO WITH IT? Of the 53,792 DACA recipients with a "prior" arrest, more than 4,500 had been arrested on allegations of assault or battery; 830 arrests were related to sex crimes -- including rape, sexual abuse or indecent exposure; and 95 arrests were made on warrants for kidnapping, human trafficking or false imprisonment. Ten such arrests -- or 0.02 percent of all arrests -- were made in murder cases. Approximately 38.9 percent of the DACA recipients with a "prior" arrest were accused of so-called "driving-related" offenses, excluding driving under the influence. Another 22.1 percent were accused of "immigration-related" crimes, while 12.3 percent were accused of theft and larceny. More than 4,600 DACA recipients have been accused of "drug-related" crimes, again excluding driving under the influence. A DHS spokesman said the department was releasing the arrest data in response to inquiries "from Congress and others" for more detailed information on DACA recipients, including DACA criminal activities. Under the terms of the program, immigrants are able to live and work in the U.S. for two years at a time before they must apply for a renewed "grant of deferred action." DHS says convictions for felonies, "significant misdemeanors," or at least three "non-significant misdemeanors" would "generally" result in removal from the program. The arrest data has been made public as Congress prepares to consider a pair of immigration bills put forward by Republicans that contain provisions aimed at helping immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children. You could be arrested a whole lot of times and still get DACA," Cissna told "Fox & Friends" on Monday. "The data were putting out is only arrests, so presumably those people who had murder arrests, rape arrests -- that type of seriousness -- either got acquitted, charges were dropped or they plead something down, I would hope . . . there are a lot of crimes on the list we published that are misdemeanors and they could've been convicted and still couldve gotten DACA if they only had two of those misdemeanors. The current version of one of the bills, penned by conservative Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., would extend DACA protections for renewable six-year periods. Recipients could later apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship. An expanded number of children who arrived legally with parents who have obtained work visas also would be covered. President Trump announced this past September that he was ending the DACA program, though a series of federal court rulings has kept it functioning for the time being. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The administration of the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who shot to international fame after criticizing President Trump for not doing enough to help Hurricane Maria victims, is being investigated by the FBI on corruption charges, according a local news outlet. Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz and her administration are under fire for allegedly obstructing critical supplies from reaching victims of the category-4 hurricane that leveled much of the tiny U.S. territory nearly nine months ago. The FBI reportedly launched the investigation following a February lawsuit filed by Yadira Molina, the former director of procurement. Molina claims she was retaliated against for reporting alleged irregular acts to the local comptroller. On February 21, Molina sued the city council after reporting alleged acts of corruption in the shopping division in the town hall under the administration of Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz Soto, according to El Vocero de Puerto Rico. She comes out, goes on television and pats herself on the back." Simon Menendez, small business owner in San Juan The report says Molina claims she was punished for reporting on the allegedly rigged system and that she was blocked from her right to report wrongdoing in her capacity as a private citizen, not as a public employee. Shortly after Cruz became mayor, Molina claims a supply company was granted preferred supplier status which paid them more than three times what regular suppliers made. She also alleges that other city officials engaged in a corrupt scheme to steer business the preferred suppliers way. Concerns about Cruz are not new. There has been a growing backlash from frustrated residents who say they feel forgotten and say the mayors personal political ambitions are coming at the expense of the very people shes supposed to be representing. For example, at a time when residents needed food, water and shelter, Cruz hired extra photographers to follow her around post-storm. She comes out, goes on television and pats herself on the back, Simon Menendez, a small business owner in San Juan, told Fox News. It stopped being about us a long time ago. A bartender at a popular hotel in Old San Juan told Fox she feels like a political pawn. But complaints from constituents are largely being ignored. Instead, Cruzs feud with the president over recovery efforts have turned her into a liberal star and its a role she seems to be relishing. Her global close-up has morphed into a parade of self-promotion. Shes showed up on numerous television shows including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and scored a high-profile invite to the State of the Union as the guest of New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. She was also featured on Time magazine as one of the most influential people of 2018. Last month, she traveled to Connecticut to receive the Latina Champion award at the Latinas & Power Symposium, which promotes Hispanic professional women. She then went on to Boston to receive an honorary doctorate and give the baccalaureate address at Boston University. Back home in Puerto Rico, officials say the island remains in desperate need of help and is woefully unprepared should another storm hit soon. Among other things, there is little to no water or diesel fuel for generators. This years hurricane season started June 1. A new Harvard University study published in the New England Journal of Medicine estimates the number of people who died in Puerto Rico as the result of Maria could top 4,600. The official number issued by the U.S. territory is 64. Multiple attempts to reach Cruz were unsuccessful. FBI spokesman Carlos Osorio told Fox News that FBI San Juan neither confirms nor denies the existence of investigations. President Trump has some splainin to do. Specifically, explaining to House Republicans what he wants to do about immigration and border security. House Republican leaders sidestepped an insurrection last week. The GOP brass forestalled a potential takeover of the House floor by a coalition of 20-plus Republicans and all 193 House Democrats. The special parliamentary gambit would have forced the House to debate a series of immigration bills later this month. But House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and his team skirted the calamity by engineering a revamped border security and immigration package. Its aimed at courting the support of moderate GOPers and many conservative Republicans. On Thursday, the Republican leadership released details and text of the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act. The plan allots $25 billion to construct Trumps border wall, ends the so-called catch and release program and allows the DACA population to apply for whats termed as six-year indefinitely renewable contingent non-immigrant status. Republicans planned to pair a debate and vote on the new leadership measure with separate consideration of a more conservative plan authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., this Thursday. GOP leaders planned to measure support for the bill Friday morning. But President Trump spoke about the immigration plan Friday on Fox. Everything then spilled off the rails. Im looking at both of them. I certainly wont sign the more moderate one. I need a bill that gives this country tremendous border security. I have to have that, said the president. We have to have the wall. If we dont have the wall, theres no bill. Trumps remarks confounded everyone following the immigration debate. Both of them? That sounded like the Republican leadership compromise bill and the Goodlatte bill. Wont sign the more moderate one? Well, the president seemed to refer to the new leadership bill. That measure wasnt as conservative as the Goodlatte bill. After all, it was indeed more moderate, because, well, it was designed to court the votes of moderate Republicans. Never mind that the leadership orchestrated the legislation alongside White House staff, aligning the plan with Trumps demands on immigration. The whole exercise reminded everyone of a late March fire drill where President Trump threatened to veto a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending package to fund the government. The president himself pushed for a major increase in defense spending in the legislation. His staff cut a deal alongside congressional Republicans and Democratic leaders. Then, just hours after Congress OKd the pact, Trump threatened a veto before reluctantly signing the plan. Im looking at both of them. I certainly wont sign the more moderate one. I need a bill that gives this country tremendous border security. I have to have that. President Trump Im not sure the President is aware of everything thats in the bill, said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., about the GOP leadership measure. I think there was probably some confusion. But House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., didnt agree with Coles assessment. I think [President Trump] understands whats in the bill and not in the bill, said Meadows. Were f---ed if thats the case, lamented a senior House Republican leadership aide, perplexed that Trump may have thrown his party under the bus. The assistant GOP vote counter in the House, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., told reporters that leaders were seeking clarity from the White House about the presidents comments. McHenry noted that GOP leaders would postpone a whip of the bill, where they try to assess the level of support for legislation. Such counts can signal a green light to the leadership to forge ahead with a bill. The whip count also can reveal potential problem spots, indicating a bill requires more massaging. House Republicans are not going to take on immigration without the support and endorsement of the president, declared McHenry. Democrats certainly want to address DACA and other immigration issues. But its unlikely any Democrats would support either Republican bill. Some Democrats thought Trump may have hoodwinked Republican leaders with a political switcho-chango. You mean the president complicated the situation with a comment? I just dont find this shocking, said Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. Where does this White House stand? They might walk it back. Clean up on aisle four. But thats par for the course. Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., is a moderate Republican who worked with Aguilar and others on the special strategy to force an immigration debate. But Denham also signed off on the new leadership plan and retreated in his effort to embarrass the leadership. We have negotiated the four pillars deal. His deal, said Denham of Trumps demands on immigration. Were waiting for the president to clarify his comments. Denham noted that his side would not back down. And if President Trump did hornswoggle the Republican leadership, there were two additional procedural tactics Denham and his supporters could still deploy to trigger an immigration debate. We are reserving all options parliamentarily, warned Denham. So would the House consider an immigration bill this week or not? At the end of most weeks, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., convene on the floor for whats called the colloquy. They frequently banter about policy and politics. Its often good theater. But the main reason they huddle is to discuss the House schedule. Well, there was no colloquy on Friday. Hoyer found himself on the floor without a dance partner as McCarthy made a beeline out a side entrance of the House chamber bound for his office, Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., in tow. My suspicion is they dont know what the schedule is for the week to come, observed Hoyer. On Friday evening, McCarthy published the anticipated floor schedule for the coming week. The slate mentioned opioid legislation, a terrorism measure and a Social Security bill. A final line suggested the complete itinerary was far from certain: Possible Consideration of Legislation Related to Border Security and Immigration. Also late Friday, the White House finally provided the clarity so many House Republicans hoped would come. The president fully supports both the Goodlatte bill and the House leadership bill. In this morning's 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, said White House spokesman Raj Shah. Still, its unclear if either of those bills can pass. Its believed the Goodlatte plan could score 200 GOP yeas on a really good day. But a more realistic vote tally is likely to hover in the 170 range. Moreover, the Republican leadership has no idea where they stand on the new legislation. Thats because House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., called off the whip following the presidents murky comments. Whipping the new bill just after Trump spoke would have been a fools errand. How many Republicans would be willing to stick out their neck for a bill which President Trump seemingly opposed? That brings us to Tuesday night. President Trump will head to Capitol Hill to meet with House Republicans. Its significant that House Republicans were unwilling to forge ahead with their immigration plan, regardless of Trumps cryptic remarks. Of course, its sometimes a waste of time to try to advance legislation the president doesnt support. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., rejected the end-around parliamentary effort supported by Denham and Aguilar. The speaker repeatedly said the process would result in passage of a bill which may not become law. Perhaps thats the strategy lurking behind all of this. Theres no bill which will pass. Thus, nothing can become law. A lot of Republicans truly dont want to tangle with immigration policy before the midterms, no matter whats going on at the border. A vote against any immigration plan is a good vote in many conservative congressional districts. Remember that the public doesnt follow every incremental move in Washington. Many people may think the president wont sign anything because they left off with the presidents Friday comments and not the clarification which emerged later in the day from a spokesman. Tuesdays meeting is about the president pushing to construct his border wall and House Republicans waiting to move until they hear directly from Trump. Critics would argue against fealty to the president. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ripped his colleagues a few days ago for their submissiveness to President Trump. Corker argued Trump wields a cult-like status among some Republicans. Its unclear if the House can, in fact, move any legislation on immigration this week. But if the president truly exerts the power over congressional Republicans which Corker suggests, Tuesday nights session could be a lot more like tellin rather than splainin. The Trump administration announced last year its plan to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) which provides a level of amnesty to certain undocumented immigrants, many of whom came to the U.S. as children with a six-month delay for recipients. But a federal appeals court ruled against the proposal in early November, declaring the government couldn't immediately end the program. The Executive wields awesome power in the enforcement of our nations immigration laws, the ruling said. Our decision today does not curb that power, but rather enables its exercise in a manner that is free from legal misconceptions and is democratically accountable to the public. Trump had initially set a March 5 deadline for the program and called on Congress to pass legislation pertaining to the young immigrants. But the deadline came and went, with no congressional action but several lawsuits challenging the administration's decision to end the program. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULES AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ON DACA Federal judges in New York and Washington also have ruled against President Trump on DACA. President Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for inaction. Heres a look at the DACA program and why the Trump administration wants to dismantle it. What is the DACA program? The DACA program was formed through executive action by former President Barack Obama in 2012 and allowed certain people who came to the U.S. illegally as minors to be protected from immediate deportation. Recipients, called Dreamers, were able to request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, which was subject to renewal. Deferred action is a use of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action against an individual for a certain period of time, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated. Deferred action does not provide lawful status. Individuals were able to request DACA status if they were under the age of 31 on June 15, 2012, came to the U.S. before turning 16 and continuously lived in the country since June 15, 2007. Individuals also had to have a high school diploma, GED certification, been honorably discharged from the military or still be in school. Recipients could not have a criminal record. It did not provide legal status. How many people are affected by DACA? Nearly 800,000 youth, called Dreamers, are under the program's umbrella. Daniel Garza, president of the conservative immigration nonprofit Libre Initiative, told Fox News that DACA offers a reprieve from a life of uncertainty for innocent kids who didnt break the law. Its rather disappointing to think they could return to a state of anxiety and fear, he said. What did the Trump administration do? The Trump administration announced in September 2017 that it planned to phase out DACA for current recipients, and no new requests would be granted. But a lower court order required the administration to continue accepting renewal applications for those under the DACA program, and the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's request to intervene. Since the announcement, Trump had offered to work with lawmakers on a solution for the hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. who fell under DACAs umbrella of protections. But at the same time, he has repeatedly blamed Democrats on social media for lack of a solution. Earlier this year, Trump released his four pillars of immigration reform, which included a provision for legal status for DACA recipients and others who would be eligible for DACA status. The White House estimated that total to be 1.8 million people. The Senate rejected the plan. Republicans and some Democrats opposed Obamas directive establishing DACA from the start as a perceived overreach of executive power. Obama spoke out on social media after the Trump administration announced a plan to dismantle the program, stating that it's "self-defeating ... and it is cruel" to end DACA and questioned the motive behind the decision. Do any DACA recipients serve in the military? Despite some rumors circulating online to the contrary, Dreamers were eligible to serve in the U.S. military since 2014 when the Pentagon adopted a policy to allow a certain amount of illegal immigrants to join. In fiscal year 2016, 359 DACA recipients had enlisted in the Army which is the only branch to accept immigrants of this category. Fox News' John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Trump administration sought to distance itself Sunday from the controversial policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border amid condemnation from some prominent Republican voices -- including former first lady Laura Bush. Nobody likes breaking up families and seeing babies ripped from their mothers arms, Kellyanne Conway, a top adviser to President Donald Trump, said during her weekend media blitz. Conway also denied Trump was using the policy as leverage to force Democrats into negotiating immigration reform that also includes one of the president's key campaign promises the border wall. Speculation about an elaborate strategy was fueled after Trump tweeted Saturday a call for Congress to work on a new immigration bill. Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! he wrote. Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! President Donald Trump The president previously pointed at Democrats for the existence of the horrible law and urged them to support its repeal. Put pressure on the Democrats to end the horrible law that separates children from there [sic] parents once they cross the Border into the U.S. he tweeted last month. Over the weekend, Conway echoed the president, saying Democrats should begin working to get real immigration reform passed. She didnt reveal if Trump was willing to stop the family separation policy, saying only that the president is ready to get meaningful immigration reform across the board. The administration continues to face heavy criticism for enforcing the law, which has led to more than 2,000 children being separated from families who tried to enter the U.S. illegally in just the six weeks since U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the zero-tolerance approach. The latest critics include former first lady Laura Bush, wife of former President George W. Bush, who deemed the policy as cruel and immoral. I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart, she wrote in an op-ed article for the Washington Post. Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso, she continued. These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history. Anthony Scaramucci, the short-lived White House communications director, also criticized the policy, saying its not the Christian way or the American way, though he hoped that the president would eventually end the policy. The President can reverse it and I hope he does, Scaramucci tweeted. He reiterated his feelings to Fox 11 in Los Angeles over the weekend, saying that he didnt think it was a humane policy -- but claimed the problem lies on both sides. "People should sit down and have an honest conversation with the president and say, 'This doesn't reflect well on us, he said. "'We have to fix this problem.' The policy even sparked a rare public statement from first lady Melania Trump, who generally stays out of her husbands presidential affairs. According to her spokeswoman, Melania 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, the spokeswoman added. Amid the criticism, Kirstjen Nielsen, head of the Department of Homeland Security, slammed the media on Sunday, tweeting We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. This misreporting by Members, 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, she added. The Associated Press contributed to this report. While the Trump administration is being slammed by critics for its "zero-tolerance" policy of separating children from adults who illegally enter the country, the outcry over the federal government's handling of the sensitive issue of how to handle minors is hardly new. The Obama administration actually expanded the system of detaining families typically mothers and their minor children after a huge surge of Central Americans along the U.S.-Mexican border in 2014. The policy resulted in many minors being detained in various locations, in much-criticized conditions, either with their families or by themselves, if they had crossed the border alone. Videos and photos at the time showed children in tears, many of them still wearing dirty clothes, in detention facilities where they were kept with their families. The conditions -- which ranged from six adults and children sleeping crammed on two mattresses laid out on concrete floors, to sick minors not receiving medical care -- were documented in many news accounts and reports by human rights groups. At the time, Obama administration officials argued they had no choice but to implement policies intended to deter families from entering the U.S. illegally. Trump administration officials have made similar arguments. The difference is the Trump administration is now taking children away from parents who are being prosecuted criminally for offenses that often were once considered civil violations. The children are not being charged with crimes, and are being placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services. Speaking at the National Sheriffs Association conference in New Orleans on Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said, "We do not want to separate parents from their children." But Sessions said word had gotten out before Trump became president that anyone who tried to cross the border with a minor would almost certainly be given immunity from prosecution. Word got out about this loophole, with predictable results, Sessions said. The number of aliens illegally crossing with children between our ports of entry went from 14,000 to 75,000 thats a five-fold increase in just the last four years. "We cannot and will not encourage people to bring children by giving them blanket immunity from our laws," Sessions said. We do not want to separate parents from their children. If we build the wall, if we pass legislation to end the lawlessness, we wont face these terrible choices. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions Many immigration experts including advocates who describe themselves as liberal-leaning say that where children are concerned, almost any enforcement-related option is a no-win situation. The Obama administrations strategy was to expedite deportations of refugee children oftentimes without a lawyer, and jail refugee mothers with children as a deterrent, said Matthew Kolken, an immigration lawyer whose clients include children seeking political asylum. Yes, Trumps zero-tolerance policy is concerning, but it isnt a huge departure from what we saw under Obama, as 52 percent of all federal criminal prosecutions were for immigration related crimes when he left office. In late May, the American Civil Liberties Union announced that it had obtained thousands of government documents that showed evidence of the pervasive abuse and neglect of unaccompanied immigrant children detained by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection during the Obama presidency, from 2009 through 2014. These documents provide a glimpse into a federal immigration enforcement system marked by brutality and lawlessness, Mitra Ebadolahi, ACLU Border Litigation Project staff attorney, said in a report about the abuses. All human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their immigration status and children, in particular, deserve special protection. Recollections of the horror stories about the treatment of children in detention, and sometimes lengthy stays, have prompted debates in recent weeks among advocates of more lenient immigration policies. Some are cautioning others that pushing for an end to separating children from their parents may see a return of family detention. End family separation, the hashtag, is really odd to me because without family separation, one of the defaults would be family detention and thats been the hashtag since 2015, Andrew Free, a lawyer who focuses on immigrants civil rights, told the Daily Beast. Like so much else in immigration, this administration has taken weapons that Obamas folks loaded and left on the table on the way out and then they picked these weapons up and started firing, and thats whats happened here, Free said. The previous administration created and stood up this infrastructure and refused to demand accountability from the people that were responsible for running it, and now you have its predictable consequence in the hands of this administration. Human Rights Watch documented inhumane conditions at various family detention facilities. Women and children must frequently go without showering while in these cells, regardless of the length of time they are held, the report said. In some cases, holding cells lack toilet paper or do not provide sanitary pads or tampons for women and girls who are menstruating. Charles Kuck, a past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told Fox News the outcry over the treatment of children arriving at the border is, in some respect, mind-boggling. The Obama administrations strategy was to expedite deportations of refugee children oftentimes without a lawyer, and jail refugee mothers with children as a deterrent. Matthew Kolken, immigration lawyer This is not new, Kuck said. What is new is how were handling it publicly. A major reason for the outcry, Kuck said, is the knee-jerk tendency to lash out at this presidents actions and put them in disproportionate perspective. Everyone in [immigration law] was screaming from the rooftops about Obama detaining families, Kuck said. Obama said they had to enforce the law so that conservatives in Congress will fix the law. Obama administration officials also argued they had to implement tough enforcement for the sake of providing a deterrent. They considered separating children from parents as they weighed how to deal with the Central American surge, but decided against it, The New York Times reported. Courts declared the administration could not use detention as a deterrent. It was the practice of the Obama administration to abuse refugee children, and refugee mothers with children. It is the policy of the Trump administration to abuse refugee children, and refugee mothers with children, Kolken said. I dont really care which type of abuse or abuser people find more abhorrent, because it is all abuse, and it is all abhorrent. Immigration authorities say detention is necessary because many people who are released pending an immigration hearing never show up to court. Many advocates for more lenient policies have pushed for alternatives -- such as ankle monitors -- to detention for asylum seekers and others who are not deemed a danger to the public. Kuck said that while he firmly opposed family detention, he views separating children from their parents as more detrimental. Its exponentially worse when the children are taken away, Kuck said, adding that the real solution is congressional action to fix immigration. The pressure is on Congress. But one side wants to return them, and the other side deems that unacceptable. The United States' most experienced spaceflyer is hanging up her wings. Astronaut Peggy Whitson , who has spent more time in space than any other American, retired from NASA today (June 15), agency officials announced. "Peggy Whitson is a testament to the American spirit," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. "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." [ In Photos: Record-Breaking NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson ] Iowa native Whitson, 58, earned a doctorate in biochemistry from Rice University in 1985. She went to work at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston a year later, as a National Research Council Resident Research Associate. Whitson filled several scientific posts at the agency over the next decade including project scientist for the Shuttle-Mir Program and co-chair of the U.S.-Russian Mission Science Working Group and was then chosen for the astronaut corps in 1996. Whitson flew three missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS): Expedition 5 in 2002; Expedition 16 in 2008, during which she became the first female commander of the orbiting lab; and an extended stint from November 2016 through September 2017, which spanned Expeditions 50, 51 and 52. Whitson also commanded Expedition 51, becoming the first woman to lead an ISS mission twice. During her career, Whitson racked up a total of 665 days in space more than any other NASA astronaut, and a record for women worldwide. (A handful of male Soviet/Russian cosmonauts have spent more time in space, including Gennady Padalkin, who holds the world mark of 878 days.) Whitson also has performed more spacewalks than any other woman, venturing outside the ISS on 10 different occasions for a record-setting total of 60 hours and 21 minutes. And during her most recent trek to the ISS, Whitson became the oldest female astronaut (57) to reach orbit. She set some records on the ground as well, becoming the first woman (and first non-military person) to serve as chief of NASA's astronaut corps. She held this position from 2009 through 2012. "Peggy is a classmate and a friend, and she will be deeply missed," Pat Forrester, the current chief of the Astronaut Office, said in the same statement . "Along with her record-setting career, she leaves behind a legacy of her passion for space." You can learn more about Whitson and her extraordinary spaceflight career in her NASA biography . Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+ . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook or Google+ . Originally published on Space.com . An Everglades alligator owes its life to a Florida trapper after it was rescued from the suffocating clutches of a 10-foot python. Mike Kimmel, owner of Martin County Trapping and Removals and Martin County Wildlife Rescue, came across the massive python in the dark night of the Everglades already wrapped around a 4-foot alligator this weekend. In a video posted to his Facebook page, Kimmel was seen wrangling the python from the bushes and held it up until it dropped the smaller alligator, which quickly scampered away. The freed alligator has some company; Kimmel told Fox News it was the third hes saved from a python in the past year. Kimmel has been contracted by the South Florida Water Management District for about a year, tasked with hunting and removing pythons. Over the past year, he said more than 1,070 pythons have been removed by trappers, and he captures anywhere from two to six per night. Born and raised in Florida, I love the Everglades, I love the outdoors and I love everything we have down here, he said. When I see what the pythons have done to the Everglades, its something I cant stand by and watch. INDONESIAN WOMAN DIES AFTER BEING SWALLOWED WHOLE BY PYTHON Theyre a huge problem. The Everglades are sick right now to begin with, he continued. On top of everything, you have this invasive predator that has nothing else to keep it in check besides humans. It eats and kills everything. The native wildlife we have have never dealt with a cryptic predator like the python. They dont have the instincts or defense mechanism for it. As seen in the video, Kimmel captures pythons alive and will keep them that way until hes ready to turn them over to the state. He said he follows Floridas guidelines to euthanize them in a humane manner. Florida officials will then study the weight, measurements and stomach contents of the python before returning the reptiles back to Kimmel. He gets paid a bounty for the snakes, he said. 3-FOOT SNAKE SLITHERS OUT OF 'TERRIFIED' MAN'S CEREAL BOX AND INTO DISHWASHER The way these pythons spread, to me, is what makes them dangerous, he said. Im trying to protect the Everglades. Kimmel said the python in his viral video was found in an area just outside of Fort Lauderdale, about five to 10 miles west of Everglades Holiday Park. A mysterious inscription from the seventh century has been discovered in the ruins of an English castle associated with the legend of King Arthur. The inscription, which combines Latin writing, Greek letters and Christian symbols, was found on a 2-foot stone at Tintagel Castle, on the coast of Cornwall. Experts believe that the strange mixture of text and symbols may indicate that someone was practicing writing a text. Experts from the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU), supported by English Heritage, which manages the site, made the discovery last summer. HAVE ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOUND KING ARTHUR'S BIRTHPLACE? The Latin inscription underlines the lingering influence of Roman culture in Britain long after the departure of the Roman troops and officials in the fourth and fifth centuries. The survival of writing from this period is rare and this is a very important find, especially in terms of the continuity of a literate Christian tradition in post-Roman Cornwall, explained Michelle Brown, a writing expert from the University of London, in a statement. The lettering style and language used, as well as Christian symbols exhibiting Mediterranean influence and contacts, all reveal precious clues to the culture of those who lived at Tintagel in the seventh century. Brown deciphered the inscription with textual expert Oliver Padel, an honorary research fellow in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at the University of Cambridge. [The text] suggests a high level of literacy and an awareness of contemporary writing styles associated with the early illuminated manuscripts of Britain and Ireland, Brown added. The scribe, she believes, was likely practicing a series of words and phrases. KING OF RAGE: HENRY VIIIS BLOODTHIRSTY LETTER DEMANDS MONKS BRUTAL DEATH The inscribed slate stone includes both Roman and Celtic names - Tito (Titus) and Budic, which hints at a multicultural seventh century community at Tintagel. The Latin words fili (son) and viri duo (two men) also feature on the stone, which served as a window ledge. The stunning cliff-top ruins of Tintagel have long fascinated historians. The castle, which is half on the Cornish mainland and half on a jagged headland that juts into the sea, is described by English Heritage as one of the most spectacular historic sites in Britain. Tintagel is also associated with the legendary figure of King Arthur. The site inspired the 12th-century writer Geoffrey of Monmouth to name it in his History of the Kings of Britain as the place where King Arthur was conceived, according to English Heritage. This, however, is not the first stone inscribed with early medieval writing that has been discovered at Tintagel. In 1998, a stone inscribed with several words including the Celtic name Artognou, was found at the site. A number of people wrongly interpreted the name as a version of Arthur, according to English Heritage. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers Facebook will prevent advertisers from showing weapon accessory ads to minors, the social network has announced. The move comes in the wake of the deadly school shootings at Parkland, Fla. and Santa Fe, Texas. On Feb. 14, 17 people died and several were wounded in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Last month, 10 people were killed and 13 wounded when a gunman opened fire at Santa Fe High School near Houston. We already prohibit ads for weapon sales and modifications like magazines, explained Facebook, in a blog post. However, advertisers have been able to promote other weapons accessories, including products that are mounted on guns for the purposes of illuminating, magnifying or focusing in on (e.g. optics, flashlights) a target as well as holsters and belt accessories. OUTCRY FROM GUN ADVOCATES AFTER YOUTUBE BLOCKS VIDEOS ON FIREARMS ASSEMBLY, SALE From June 21, advertisers promoting weapon accessories must restrict their audience to at least 18 years of age and over. This means we have an even higher standard for what is allowed and why we have chosen to limit weapons accessories to an adults-only audience, it wrote. Facebook explained that, unlike posts from friends or Pages, ads receive paid distribution on the social network. This means we have an even higher standard for what is allowed and why we have chosen to limit weapons accessories to an adults only audience, it said. Earlier this year, YouTube, which is owned by Google, brought in restrictions on certain videos featuring firearms and accessories. The move sparked an outcry from gun advocates. The Associated Press and Fox News Paulina Dedaj contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers But first, let me take a selfie. NASA's Curiosity rover has taken an incredible selfie image during an "unprecedented" massive dust storm on Mars. The image, a composite created by scientist Sean Doran, who works with NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab to create and process its photography, shows the $2.5 billion research vehicle stylin' and profilin' in the wake of the epic dust storm happening on the Red Planet. MARS CURIOSITY ROVER'S SURPRISING FINDS FROM THE RED PLANET THROUGH THE YEARS "It's blended out of the shot," Doran told The Daily Mail when asked how he created the image. "The arm moves around as it takes about 100 images to make a full 360 [-degree image]." The Curiosity rover is currently on the Gale Crater on Mars, a 96-mile-wide valley that researchers once believed housed a giant lake. The dust storm has wreaked havoc on Mars, with NASA holding a press conference last week to give an update on how it is affecting its operations on Mars. Luckily, the Curiosity rover is able to function, as it relies on plutonium and not sunlight as a fuel source. However, the Opportunity rover, which has been on Mars for nearly 15 years, has not been so lucky, effectively going into sleep mode during the storm. "The storm is one of the most intense ever observed on the Red Planet," NASA said in a statement last week. "As of June 10, it covered more than 15.8 million square miles (41 million square kilometers) about the area of North America and Russia combined. It has blocked out so much sunlight, it has effectively turned day into night for Opportunity, which is located near the center of the storm, inside Mars' Perseverance Valley." MASSIVE MARS DISCOVERY: ORGANIC MOLECULES 'FUNDAMENTAL TO OUR SEARCH FOR LIFE' FOUND BY NASA ROVER Aside from its photogenic prowess, the Curiosity rover made global headlines earlier this month when NASA announced that it had found organic molecules on Mars, providing fresh insight into the Red Planet. We found organic molecules in rocks from an ancient lake bed, explained Jen Eigenbrode, research scientist at Goddard. A variety of molecules were identified, she added. The rocks are billions of years old, according to NASA. While NASA was at pains to explain that it has not discovered life on Mars, the organic molecules could provide vital clues. Organic compounds are fundamental to our search for life, said Paul Mahaffy, director of the Solar System Exploration Division at Goddard. Described as the most technologically advanced rover ever built, Curiosity launched on Nov. 26, 2011. The rover landed on Mars' Gale Crate on Aug. 6, 2012, with the goal of determining whether Mars was ever able to support microbial life. The rover has already delivered other important scientific results. In 2013, analysis of a rock sample collected by the vehicle showed that ancient Mars could have supported living microbes. In 2014, the rover measured a tenfold spike in methane, an organic chemical, in the atmosphere around it. At that time, the robotic laboratory also detected other organic molecules in a rock-powder sample collected by its drill. In December 2017, NASA announced that it was building a new rover to look for life on the Red Planet, dubbed Mars 2020. Fox News James Rogers contributed to the article. Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_Ciaccia An Ohio sheriffs office says it used a specific tool as part of its efforts to track down a missing ATV on Sunday: a drone. Patrol responded to a report of a stolen ATV this morning, the Franklin County Sheriffs Office explained in a Faceook post. The owner stated that his sons new ATV was taken. Deputies said they used a drone to survey the surrounding area, following tire tracks left behind that led officers to an abandoned house. The sheriffs office told Fox News on Tuesday it took approximately 10 minutes to recover the ATV. "Ground units then located the ATV covered with brush. End result, one happy kid! the sheriff's office said. Authorities shared a photo of the youngster after he was reunited with his ATV. FORMIDABLE 'JAGUAR' RECON VEHICLE REVEALED, TOUTS POWERFUL CANON AND ANTI-TANK MISSILES The Facebook post received a handful of comments, several of which congratulated the sheriffs office. Good job. What is the policy on drone usage and the preservation of privacy? one user asked. A lot to explain here but in short, we have a policy in place that addresses those issues and the 4th Amendment is our guide in protecting the privacy of those we serve, the sheriffs office replied. No one has been charged at this time, police said Tuesday. Bionic soldiers with X-ray vision could soon be a reality thanks to a new wireless system that uses radio-waves to map people's movements behind walls. Researchers at MIT trained artificial intelligence to analyze radio signals that bounce off human bodies to create a dynamic stick figure that mimics a person's actions. The so-called neural network can sense people's postures and movement even from the outside of a building or room. MIT says the tech can be embedded into a wireless device, which would theoretically allow soldiers to hook it up to their combat gear like helmets and night-vision goggles. In the future, military personnel could use it on the battlefield to "see" hidden enemies by wearing augmented reality headsets. Researchers are now working to create realistic 3D models that map even more detailed movements. For example, the tech could soon show if a person's hands are shaking. The biggest challenge the team faced is that most neural networks are trained using data labeledd by hand. If a neural network is taught to identify cats, for example, it requires programmers to look at a massive trove of images and label each one as either "cat" or "not cat". But radio signals pose a bigger problem as they can't be tagged the same way by humans. To overcome this, the researchers gathered thousands of images of people doing activities like walking, talking, sitting, opening doors and waiting for elevators using both their wireless device and a camera. This mixture of examples allowed the system to grasp the association between the radio signal and the stick figures of the people in the scene. Training over, the system was able to estimate a person's posture and movements without cameras and behind walls, using only the wireless reflections that bounce off people's bodies. In addition, it could accurately identify individuals based on their size and gait. Despite citing police applications, the paper does not discuss military usage of the tech and instead focuses on health care. It could also be used for new types of video games where players move around a house, say its creators, and in search-and-rescue missions to help locate survivors. Weve seen that monitoring patients walking speed and ability to do basic activities on their own gives health care providers a window into their lives that they didnt have before, which could be meaningful for a whole range of diseases, said Dina Katabi, who co-wrote a new paper about the project. A key advantage of our approach is that patients do not have to wear sensors or remember to charge their devices. This story originally appeared in The Sun. A gunman injured a teen and shot a man in a pair of carjacking attempts Sunday, before being killed by a bystander outside a Washington state Walmart store. The incident at the Walmart in Tumwater happened about 5 p.m. A witness told KOMO-TV that people were in line when they heard gunfire in the store. Witnesses told other media that they were inside the store and heard shots. Tumwater Police Department spokeswoman Laura Wohl said it is unclear whether the gunman was ever inside the store or if shots were fired inside, The Olympian reported . Wohl said a man was shot when the gunman tried to carjack his vehicle. Two bystanders outside the store drew their weapons and at least one of them fatally shot the gunman, Wohl told the Olympian. The carjacking victim was flown by helicopter to a hospital, she said. Police are investigating four scenes connected with the shooting. The chain of events began with a report of a drunken driver but none was found. Police then responded to reports of shots nearby, Wohl said, and learned that a man had tried to carjack two vehicles. A 16-year-old girl was injured in the carjacking attempt. The gunman then went to Walmart, Wohl said. Tumwater is in Thurston County and near Olympia. The Port of Virginia is one of the most significant ports in the United States. It facilitates $242 million worth of commerce a day, and a full 9 percent or 343,000 of Virginias jobs are port-related. But theres a problem. Its not big enough. Not when cargo ships have gotten bigger, which threatens both business and safety. Experts say deepening and widening of the port at its channel is crucial. Rick Wester, captain of the Port of Virginia, notes the channel isnt wide enough with ships double or triple the size they were a decade ago. About three of four times a week, whenever [the biggest ships] enter or leave port, I have to impose one-way traffic because its just too narrow for them to meet any other ships, he said. Furthermore, the channel is only 50 feet deep, which means many of the larger ships would run aground if fully loaded. Wester explains, These ships draw 55 feet [so] we dont allow them to come into port... they can only partially load both coming in and leavingtheyve not using their capacity. Over 114,000 U.S. businesses rely on goods from the Port of Virginia, but the channel is limiting its ability to expand. Thus theres a plan to dredge and widen the waterway its even caught the attention of President Trump, who stated the port could be one of the best in the world if they invested not that much money, relatively speaking. How much is that? Around a billion dollars. Virginia has already secured $695 million in private and state investment, and the state is asking for $300 million more from the federal government. Cathie Vick, chief public affairs officer for the Virginia Port Authority, believes theyve got plenty of room for growth. There are already approximately two million containers coming through every year, and they hope to add a million more. As Vick puts it, With almost 8 percent growth last year we've got a plan for the future [and] we're on our way to being the second biggest port on the East Coast. Vick also notes that the extra capacity created by a reconstructed channel would allow for a new terminal which could be built with the dredge material from the widened channel. In general, she believes more money for the Port of Virginia would be a win-win. It would create more than 54,000 jobs in Virginia and elsewhere, and, once theres greater capacity to trade, help reduce prices for consumers across America. To Vick, then, federal funding for the expansion is an idea well worth floating. Fox News' Steve Kurtz contributed to this report. A former president of the State University of New York's Polytechnic Institute was alternately portrayed as a hero or a scoundrel at the opening of a corruption trial Monday over upstate construction projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zhou told a Manhattan jury that Alain Kaloyeros made sure the "fix was in" so his preferred developers got lucrative deals in a development plan known as Buffalo Billion. But defense lawyer Reid Weingarten depicted Kaloyeros, a 62-year-old Lebanese-born scientist, as "a hero in Albany" for creating high-technology jobs in an entirely legal effort to honor Gov. Andrew Cuomo's "request to spread the miracle" to upstate New York. Kaloyeros is accused of conspiring with construction and real estate executives to rig bids for lucrative projects in Buffalo and Syracuse an allegation that Weingarten said the defense team would "blow ... into smithereens." The lawyer said it will be like "child's play" to prove that the bidding process did not favor the defendants. Repeatedly, he referred to his client as "Dr. K." The trial is the second to rely heavily on emails from a long-time consultant with close ties to Cuomo. Lawyers for Kaloyeros and three co-defendants promised to show jurors that the consultant, Todd Howe, was responsible for any crimes that took place. The first trial ended with the conviction of Joseph Percoco, a former top aide to the Democratic governor, and others on bribery and fraud charges. Howe's testimony at Percoco's trial led to Howe's incarceration after he admitted violating his cooperation agreement with the government. He will not testify at the second trial. Cuomo was not accused of wrongdoing at either trial. Cuomo once called Kaloyeros his "economic guru," and the governor invited him to appear at the announcement of various economic development projects. But Zhou said Kaloyeros, who led the Polytechnic Institute until he resigned in October 2016, made sure Buffalo-area developer Louis Ciminielli, 62, got a more than half-billion-dollar deal to build a high-tech factory in Buffalo and that Syracuse-based COR Development, including top executives Steven Aiello, 60, and Joe Gerardi, 58, received a $100 million deal to build a factory and film studio in Syracuse. "This is a case about lying and cheating to get large state construction contracts for hundreds of millions of dollars," Zhou said. Ciminelli and others in his company, LPCiminelli, contributed nearly $100,000 to Cuomo's 2014 re-election campaign while COR executives and their relatives contributed $125,000 to Cuomo's campaign. Lawyers for Ciminielli, Aiello and Gerardi blamed Howe for smearing their clients' good names, saying he was the criminal. "No crimes were committed here," said attorney Steve Coffey, representing Aiello. "My client is not guilty of anything," said Milton Williams, Gerardi's lawyer. "This is a case about how my client, Joe Gerardi, was a victim of Todd Howe." They are all over the East Coast. They even have a name. The Pittsburgh potty, wall-less toilets often found out in the open, in the middle of the basement, dates back to before the 1900s, according to one architect. If you make use of it, its actually quite convenient, Bill Martin said. In Pittsburgh, the theory is these no-privacy toilets were heavily used. The legend is that it was for steel workers, Pittsburgh Potty owner Colleen Krajewski told Fox News. Photographer Ted Zellers, who is writing a book about the phenomena, has seen more than 100 basement toilets in Pittsburgh, and he said seeing a lone toilet out in the open is not unusual. Steel workers would come home. They would clean up down in the basement before they came upstairs, Zellers said. Zellers book featuring the Pittsburgh Potty was inspired by the many toilets he saw when he lived in that city. Martin said hes seen several Pittsburgh Potties in homes and buildings throughout his career. He offers a different reason for the toilets existence: a cheap and easy solution for backups at the time. The less expensive substitute was the lone toilet in the basement, Martin said. "This way if there was a backup, it would manifest itself at the toilet in the basement, and it would not back up all the way into the living spacePeople didnt finish basements years ago for specifically this reason. Since piping improvements after World War II, Martin said there was no longer a need for these Pittsburgh potties, but theyve managed to stick around. "I see them in the Northern New Jersey area, I see them in New England, I see them in D.C., in Philadelphia, even across the country, Martin said. Some people would install a sink near it, Martin adds. Obviously that makes it useful. While Zellers doesnt completely buy into the steel worker narrative, he is convinced that the blue-collar workers are responsible for the toilets survival. Even though I dont think its a cause of the toilets, I do believe it is a way that these toilets were used and valued by a lot of people, Zellers told Fox News. Today, some have left the lone toilets as-is and others have turned it into a decorative bathroom. Krajewski said the previous homeowner of her Pittsburgh home, whom she said has no ties to the steel industry, had remodeled the basement toilet before she bought it and put a wall around it. "She had put framed art and some decorative lettering on the door, Krajewski said. The toilet stall has the word loo written on it. "I added a sink and a chandelier and a pretty mirror so that you feel refreshed after using [the bathroom.] The house has one other bathroom on the second floor. For Zellers, being on the documentation side of this phenomenon that he said has very little records was not always easy. "One man was quite concerned when I arrived, and without expression or changing anything, he just closed the door over my face, Zellers remembers. But he adds people were often friendly or at least curious to know more about the project. Krajewski said she did not get a visit from Zellers, but she suspects why. "As far as Pittsburgh potties go, this is the least scary that Ive seen and I am comfortable using it, Krajewski said of her makeshift bathroom. A man arrested in a 1987 cold case after investigators sifted through a public genealogy website to match crime scene DNA has been charged with two counts of first degree murder. The charges were brought Friday against trucker William Talbott, 55, in a Washington state court. Prosecutors announced his arrest last month in the Nov. 19, 1987, deaths of 20-year-old Jay Cook and 18-year-old Tanya Van Cuylenborg. Cook was beaten with rocks and strangled. Van Cuylenborg was shot execution style, the Everett Herald reported. She was also raped. From all available information, these acts of violence were as random as they were savage, Snohomish County prosecutor Craig Matheson said in court documents, the paper reported. DNA LEADS TO ARREST IN WASHINGTON COLD-CASE MURDER OF YOUNG COUPLE Van Cuylenborg and Cook were killed after traveling to Seattle from Saanich, British Columbia, to buy furnace parts for a business that Cook's father owned. Their families reported them missing when they failed to return home. Days later, authorities found their bodies in two locations 75 miles apart. A genealogist used information uploaded by distant cousins to the genealogy website GEDMatch to narrow their search to Talbott, according to the paper and other reports. Investigators then obtained his DNA from a paper cup that fell from his truck in early May, the Herald reported. A Long Island cop is being credited with finding a $20,000 engagement ring that a woman reported losing over the weekend on New York's famous Fire Island. Suffolk County Marine Bureau Police Officer Edmund McDowell found the ring after searching the sand where the woman had been sitting the previous day with a metal detector he owns. We called her up and she was crying and crying, McDowell told Newsday. The Pennsylvania woman and her friends were staying on Fire Island for her bachelorette party. She reported losing the ring Saturday, Suffolk police said. Newsday reported that the woman was desperate to get the ring back because her wedding is this weekend. OKLAHOMA POLICE OFFICER SAVES CHOKING BOY IN DRAMATIC VIDEO Another officer asked McDowell to help search after he was unable to find it on Saturday. McDowell was at it Sunday for about 15 minutes when he found the ring, a dime, a quarter and a rusty screw, Newsday reported. About eight years ago, McDowell had used the metal detector to find a $30,000 wedding band a man lost on Fire Island while playing volleyball, according to the paper. Two Wisconsin sisters are in jail after stabbing each other in a fight in front of five children on Sunday, according to police. Police arrived at the sisters home in Madison around 12 p.m. on Sunday after one of the siblings called saying she was wounded. Madison Police said in an incident report that both sisters suffered arm injuries during the incident. The sisters were uncooperative with officers, according to the Madison Police Department. Detectives added that the sisters, 23 and 24, will be charged with domestic reckless endangering safety. Both siblings engaged in mutual combat and sustained non-life threatening injuries, police said POLICE: STABBING BEGAN WITH HOT SAUCE SQUIRTING INCIDENT A third suspect, a 30-year-old male, who allegedly caused the fight, is at large. The children who witnessed the altercation have not been identified, but city officials said the children are in contact with child protective services. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) announced Monday that it would pay $3.375 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a British anti-extremism group that was put on a list of "anti-Muslim extremists." In a statement, the Alabama-based SPLC apologized to the Quilliam Foundation and its founder, Maajid Nawaz. "Although we may have our differences with some of the positions that Mr. Nawaz and Quilliam have taken, they are most certainly not anti-Muslim extremists," the statement read in part. "We would like to extend our sincerest apologies to Mr. Nawaz, Quilliam, and our readers for the error, and we wish Mr. Nawaz and Quilliam all the best." SPLC APOLOGIZES AFTER PAINTING JOURNALISTS AS FASCISTS IN RETRACTED ARTICLE In 2016, the SPLC included Nawaz and Quilliam in an online publication called "A Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists." The list, which included conservative blogger Pamela Geller and human rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, drew ire from across the political spectrum. That October, left-wing British writer Nick Cohen accused the SPLC of "[doing] the dirty work of the misogynists, the racists, the homophobes, the censors, and the murderers it was founded to oppose" in calling Nawaz an extremist. In June 2017, Nawaz told Fox News' "The Story with Martha MacCallum" that the SPLC was "ideologically driven to silence any voice that introspects from within the Muslim community." REPORT: SPLC IGNORES ANTI-SEMITIC HATE CRIMES ON CAMPUS The list has since been removed from the SPLC's website and replaced with the statement apologizing to Nawaz and Quilliam. In a statement, Quilliam said it would use the settlement money to fight both "anti-Muslim bigotry and Islamist extremism." "With the help of everyone who contributed to our litigation fund, we were able to fight back against the Regressive Left and show them that moderate Muslims will not be silenced," Nawaz said. "We will continue to combat extremists by defying Muslim stereotypes, calling out fundamentalism in our own communities, and speaking out against anti-Muslim hate." The settlement marked another black eye for the SPLC, which has repeatedly been accused of branding some conservative organizations as "hate groups." In March, the SPLC was forced to retract an article accusing reporters of enabling white supremacists and anti-Semites. A Texas detention deputy accused of having sexually assaulted a young child whose mother is undocumented has been arrested. Jose Nunez, a 10-year veteran of the Bexar County Sheriffs Office, was arrested Sunday and charged with super aggravated sexual assault of a child, who is possibly a relative, according to Sheriff Javier Salazar. The charge is considered super because the victim is only 4 years old. Salazar said police were notified after the girls mother brought her to a local fire station after she cried out for help. While the case is ongoing, Salazar said investigators believe the abuse by Nunez, 47, had been ongoing for several months if not several years. He said she had also suffered minor injuries from the alleged assault. The details of the case are, quite frankly, heartbreaking, disturbing, disgusting and infuriating all at the same time, Salazar said at a news conference. At the time of his arrest, Nunez was assigned to the annex jail, KSAT-TV reported. Nunez threatened the girls mother, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, with deportation if she reported him, Salazar said. He said investigators are working with the mother to complete paperwork in a way that ensures she has a protected status pending the outcome of this case. Its unclear if the young girl is a U.S. citizen. Nunez is being held without bail. If convicted, he would face a minimum of 25 years in prison. Salazar said investigators believe there could be other victims and encouraged parents, including those in the undocumented community, to come forward if their children had contact with Nunez. The Bexar police department is not afraid to do the right thing, Salazar said, adding that his objective is to remove Nunez from the force. We will absolutely arrest you if you break the law, and it doesnt matter if you wear a uniform, if you carry a badge, if you carry a gun. If you break the law, youre going to jail, he said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. An 11-year-old child is battling life-threatening injuries Monday after a truck slammed into a crowd at a Georgia mud bogging event over the weekend, killing two other children. Baldwin County Coroner John Gonzales told FOX5 the truck from the South Creek Mud Boggin event in Milledgeville killed the children directly on impact. Our Mud Boggin family is heartbroken. There are no words that can ever be said to even begin to express our sorrow," the event's organizer told FOX5. "We ask that you continue to lift the families up in prayer-and-parents, please hold your children a little tighter tonight than you ever have before." The Department of Public Safety said a Chevrolet S10 encountered mechanical malfunction, which caused the driver to lose control, sending his vehicle tumbling into the crowd. The two victims have been identified as brothers Justin Moore, 10, and Ryan, 14. Zach Holloway, 11, was sent to a hospital in Jacksonville with life-threatening injuries, the station reported. At muddling events, it is common that large, high-powered trucks drive at high speeds in the mud. A Georgia man planning to visit his dad on Father's Day says his car -- and his beloved dog -- were stolen by a mysterious woman who was wearing only a bath towel. Matt Sanders, of Hall County, said he packed his belongings and his dog, Bear, into the vehicle Sunday morning before going back into his home to grab his phone. When he came outside, he saw the woman sitting in the driver's seat. Shes in a towel, and Im just like 'What?' Sanders told Fox 5 Altanta. Then it hits me that someone is trying to steal my dog and my car. Sanders describes the woman as a middle-aged Caucasian with light colored curly hair, wearing nothing but a bath towel. He recalled pleading to the woman to give the dog back, but instead, she sped off. That dog goes everywhere with me, Sanders told the station. "Its just my child. Sanders filed a police report and is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for anyone that can bring the dog home safely. Thats a person that Ive spent my life with, and I want them back, he told Fox 5 Atlanta. My life isnt complete right now. Im torn up torn up." British police are investigating a series of unexplained deaths Monday after three men were apparently struck by a train in south London ahead of the morning rush hour. The bodies of the men believed to be in their 20s were found alongside spray paint cans near the Loughborough Junction station around 7:30 a.m. local time, according to Sky News. "At this time, we are treating their death as unexplained as we make a number of immediate inquiries, said British Transport Police Detective Superintendent Gary Richardson. I would ask anyone who was near to Loughborough Junction this morning, and saw something which they think might be relevant, please contact us as soon as possible." Transport police said the three were hit by a train, according to the Associated Press but the circumstances surrounding their deaths were not immediately clear. Investigators combing the scene for evidence were spotted taking pictures of graffiti, Sky News reported. "As far as I understand it, if they've been caught in that section of track when a train came through then they really wouldn't have had much options" police superintendent Matthew Allingham was quoted as saying. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, on Twitter, said his office was in "close contact with the British Transport Police who are urgently investigating this incident. "My heart goes out to the families of the three people killed at Loughborough Junction station this morning, he added. Train traffic in the area had been delayed as police were on scene to investigate. A former Israeli lawmaker has been accused of spying for Iran after being caught passing sensitive information to sources in Tehran, including details about Israels energy sector and the identities of government officials, its Shin Bet security service announced Monday. Gonen Segev, a physician who served as energy and infrastructure minister from 1992 to 1995, previously was jailed in 2005 for trying to smuggle more than 30,000 ecstasy tablets into Israel from the Netherlands and forging a diplomatic passport. He was released in 2007 but taken into custody again last month after returning to Israel. In a statement, Shin Bet said the Jerusalem District Prosecutors Office submitted charges against Segev on Friday accusing him of aiding an enemy country, spying against Israel, and passing multiple messages to an enemy. Segev, who in recent years has resided in Nigeria, tried to move to Equatorial Guinea in May. The local police there ended up handing him over to Israel after refusing to admit him into the country based on his criminal record. Segev was arrested upon arrival in Israel based on information gathered indicating that he may have been communicating with Iranian intelligence officials and assisting them in their activity against Israel. An investigation by Israel's internal security agency and the police discovered that Segev had been recruited by Iran and became an agent for its intelligence services, officials said. Investigators found that the connection between Segev and sources in Iran's embassy in Nigeria was first formed in 2012, and he later met twice with his handlers in Iran. Segev passed information to his Iranian sources regarding Israel's energy sector, security sites in Israel, structures, and the identity of officials in the security and political establishments in Israel, among other things, Shin Bet said. In order to obtain information, Segev maintained contact with Israeli citizens in the defense, security, and diplomatic sectors. Segev even tried to connect some of these Israeli citizens with Iranian sources, while claiming the Iranian sources were actually businesspeople. According to Gonen's lawyers, "the indictment paints a different picture than the Shin Bet statement." The gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir earlier this year has drawn international media attention, and cast an uneasy spotlight on the horrific and often underreported abuses in the long-running territorial battle between Hindu-dominant India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. The conflict has reached its worse point. There are gross and systematic human rights violations happening every day, Sardar Masood Khan, recently told Fox News. These are designed to crush the will of the Kashmiri people." Asifa Bano, an eight-year-old Muslim belonging to a nomadic tribe and living in a Hindu-majority of Jammu, ventured into the forest to round up the horses in the afternoon of Jan. 10, but never came home. Five days later her mutilated body was discovered visibly tortured, with both legs broken. Bano was allegedly drugged and raped for days inside the confines of a local temple, before being strangled and stoned to death, according to investigators. Her family have since claimed that even in their distraught efforts to bury Bano, they were met with protests and violent threats from Hindu activists. Eight men including a former government official and several police officers were arrested for the crime. Their trial began in April, but was suspended after a court-ordered change of venue. "The whole tribal Muslim population is under threat. In Asifia's case, we had to struggle to gather the witnesses and evidences corrobrating what happened," Talib Hussain, 29, a lawyer and activist from Jammu University, who was one of the first to raise Bano's case in the media and claims to have been subsequently arrested by Indian authorities on January 2018 for protesting. "Locals were intimidated by the police, in fear of facing the worst consequence; the forceful abduction and rape of their daughters." The Bano case is just one in an endless file of savage crimes to have targeted civilians and claimed the lives of thousands on both sides of the conflict. Yet most of the crimes have historically gone unpunished, perpetuating an environment of impunity. The Jammu and Kashmir has been gripped with violence since the British Indian Empire partition created India and Pakistan in 1947, spurring decades of diplomatic tensions between the neighboring nations. The unofficial, 435-mile militarized border between the two countries, referred to as the Line of Control (LOC) is claimed land by both countries, and continues to be the largest militarily-occupied territory in the world. Despite a brittle ceasefire established in 2003, re-affirmed by both sides on May 30, countless violations have been recorded this year alone as violence has flared. Scores continue to lose their lives in the reigns of gunfire and shelling, with both sides blaming each other for spurring the bloodshed. More than 80,000 people living along the border are reported to have fled their homes in just a few days at the end of May. Human rights experts accuse the Indian army of operating under the heavy-handed, emergency Armed Forces Special Powers Act, put into effect in 1990, authorizing the military to destroy personal property and use deadly force and make arrests. The roughly eight million people living in the region are also said to be under the heightened surveillance of some 700,000 Indian soldiers. Critics have described their response to local protests by youth, frustrated by high unemployment and little opportunity, as critically disproportionate. While young Kashmiris are known to throw stones at Indian security forces in their angst, the forces are known to respond with shotgun pellets and bullets. Many victims allege to have lost their eyesight as a result of metal pellets fired from pump-action shotguns, an investigation by Amnesty International last year found, with the actions considered to be acts of mass blinding." They are firing directly into womens faces, Shamin Shawl, activist and Kashmiri women representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council whose own brother, sister-in-law and her two nephews were slaughtered in killings in the early 1990s vowed to Fox News. Making them ugly, making them blind. Tens of thousands of Kashmiris are also deemed to have disappeared in recent decades with loved ones left to presume they have gone into the dark void of Indias prison system, or into one of the many mass graves adorning the land. And inside the various camps for displaced persons scattered within Muzaffarabad, the capital of the Pakistan-held Azad Kashmir, are tens of thousands with such sorrowed stories to tell. Women speak of their babies being tossed out of windows by security forces and left disabled, and some say it has been almost three decades since they have been able to see their children stranded on the other side. Others allege that they were not permitted to see the bodies of murdered loved ones before burials. Rehen Yasmeen, the head teacher at the Zero Point camp, which helps provide females with economic opportunities and promotes Kashmiri culture, said they have documented some 30,000 rape cases dating back to the early 1990s although accurate official statistics on sexual violence are impossible to come by. The situation is deteriorating with every passing day and the rape of Kashmiri women is still being used as a weapon. They know people are scared of it, because it brings such shame and humiliation, continued Shawl. This is worse than the 90s. Women are not safe in their homes. The forces can use private homes for interrogation killing, looting, raping. And while Pakistan is generally far more vocal about the nature of the dispute, experts underscore they are far from being anything close to an innocent bystander in the conflict. Pakistan has been widely accused since 1989 of providing safe haven and backing militant groups to attack Indian forces in the area, using terrorism as a tactic and thus leading to further casualties and stalling any prospects for peace. "Terrorism is the most erregious form of human rights abuse that open societies like India face. What we are facing in Jammu and Kashmir are terrorists who draw sustenence on the territory of a neighboring state," Syed Akbaruddin, Permanent Representative of India to the UN told Fox News. "Every country has the legitimate right to protect its national security and territorial integrity. These terrorists target not only innocent civilians and the civilian infrastructure, but also the social harmony of the pluralistic society of the State." Akbaruddin claimed that in 2017, "406 terrorists attempted infiltration from across the border" and that in the first three months of 2018 alone "33 terrorists attempted infiltration." The violence in the Kashmir has been perpetrated for the better part by Pakistan terrorist groups, concurred Amit Kumar, President of AAA International Security Consultants. Between June 2014 and April 2016, Pakistani security forces launched an offensive to clean up terror groups, and it has been claimed that this offensive reduced the number of terrorist attacks. But none of these counterterrorism efforts appear to have been directed at those active across Pakistans eastern border in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. EXILED AFGHAN LEADER, AND ONE-TIME U.S. ALLY, WARNS AGAINST "PEACE" WITH TALIBAN FROM POSITION OF WEAKNESS YAZIDIS SEEK RESCUE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN ENSLAVED, MARRIED OFF TO ISIS Others in the region point out that every day they face the repercussions. For one, 24-year-old Harpitha who hails from the India-occupied Kashmir capital city of Srinagar and requested only her first name be used for safety purposes claimed that she has endured heavy persecution for some 20 years from Pakistan-sponsored militants and separatists because she is not Muslim. To live every day with the threat of being killed just because we do not follow their religion, this has ruined a lot of lives, she noted, adding that she has been labeled an infidel and routinely wakes up to graffiti on her home baring phrases like Indian dogs go back. Moreover, Akbaruddin dismissed Pakistans allegations regarding human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir as propaganda of a state whose human rights record is abysmal. On the other hand, India is a robust democracy, he quipped. But even as tensions reach a boiling point, there appears to be little in the way of a long-term resolution. The U.S State Department, and much of the international community, generally view Kashmir as a bilateral matter that needs to resolved between the two adversaries much to the frustration of Pakistan. For the world, it is not an issue. But for us it is absolutely the issue, stressed Asif Ghafoor, spokesperson for the Pakistan Armed Forces. India doesnt want a third party involved, but we want the U.S. to play a role in resolving this. Pakistan raised the issue in the UN Security Council in May, attempting to shed light on why the equally daunting Palestinian dilemma still attracts such outrage, while Kashmir does not. Both Pakistan and India are nuclear states meaning much remains at stake for the world as the violence worsens. The UN cannot simply divest itself from ownership of this issue. The UN should not be inactive here, stressed Khan. If the conflict continues to escalate there is a huge cause for concern. If nukes are used, it will be Armageddon. However, Akbaruddin argued that both countries "have committed themselves to resolving the issues bilaterally agreed mechanisms" and that the "UN has not addressed any India-Pakistan issue for decades," and that they "see no need and interest to change that." "We have indicated many times our willingness to discuss all issues with Pakistan. Terror and talks, however, cannot proceed together," he added. "It is up to Pakistan to turn off the terror tap. Once done, we can turn to address all outstanding issues between us bilaterally and endeavor to have normal neighborly ties." next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 Macedonian authorities say seven policemen have been injured and 25 protesters detained during overnight clashes in the capital of Skopje, as demonstrators opposed to the name deal with Greece tried to push their way into parliament. The Interior Ministry said police used tear gas to stop the demonstrators, who were throwing stones and firecrackers. The statement made no mention of injuries among the protesters. A few thousand people took part in the demonstration. The clashes came after the foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia signed a preliminary deal that would see Macedonia being renamed "North Macedonia," during a meeting Sunday on the two countries' border. Some 4,000 Greeks also opposed to the deal protested but were prevented from getting near the officials. Clashes erupted with Greek police in which 12 people were injured. A New Zealand man certainly wasnt putting his best foot forward when he had to appear in court Monday after being charged with stealing two human toes from an exhibition that displays human anatomy. The unnamed 28-year-old allegedly stole the body parts from a Body Worlds exhibit in Auckland on May 4, according to the New Zealand Herald. He was charged with stealing the toes and improperly interfering with a dead body of an unknown person and reportedly pleaded guilty. The toes, valued at about $5,500 in New Zealand currency (about $3,815 in U.S. dollars), have since been returned to the museum, TVNZ reported. If convicted, the alleged toe-snatcher could face up to seven years in prison, according to the Herald. He is scheduled to appear back in court later this year but was remanded on bail in the meantime, the newspaper reported. According to its website, Body Worlds is an educational exhibition that showcases real human bodies that have been preserved through the process of plastination. Body Worlds will remain in New Zealand until July 13. Witnesses say Yemen's Houthi rebels have shelled a village in the center of the country, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 15. Residents say the Iran-backed rebels bombarded the Haglan Maris village late Sunday, and that most of the dead belong to one family. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of security fears. The Houthis are at war with a Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in March 2015 to try and restore the internationally recognized government. The stalemated conflict has killed over 10,000 people and displaced more than 2 million. Two fugitives in hiding for more than five years after being freed following the 2012 stabbing death of a U.S. Marine in the Philippines, have been re-apprehended. The suspects, identified as Crispin dela Paz and Galicano Datu III, have been charged in the death of Maj. George Anikow, a 41-year-old married father of three who had moved to the Philippines with his family from New Jersey after serving in Afghanistan, the New York Daily News reported. The suspects, identified as Crispin dela Paz and Galicano Datu III, initially avoided prison time because a judge, who was later dismissed for oppressive disregard of evidence, had downgraded the original murder charge and granted the suspects probation, the Daily News reported, citing local reports. After the judges removal, new arrest warrants were issued, but it took years to track down the two men. Sung Kim, the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, tweeted early Monday that the re-apprehension of the suspects brings some measure of justice to this senseless crime. An obituary that appeared in the Asbury Park Press in 2012 said that Anikow was born in Howell, N.J., but later lived in Hendon, Va., before moving to the Philippines the year he was killed. George was the best of us all, the obituary read, he was a devoted family man, a loving son, a great friend, and a true patriot. The U.N. human rights chief is urging the Trump administration to end new policies separating migrant children from their parents after entering the United States from Mexico. Zeid Raad al-Hussein cited an observation by the president of the American Association of Pediatrics that locking the children up separately from their parents constituted government-sanctioned child abuse, The New York Times reported. The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable, al-Hussein, a Jordanian prince, said. He spoke at Mondays opening of a regular Human Rights Council session, his last before his term ends in August. The greater U.N. also expressed similar sentiments. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement: As a matter of principle, the Secretary-General believes that refugees and migrants should always be treated with respect and dignity, and in accordance with existing international law. Children must not be traumatized by being separated from their parents. Family unity must be preserved. Amid the international outcry, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Monday that the growing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border is not new. We will not apologize for the job we do or for the job law enforcement does for doing the job that the American people expect us to do, Nielsen told the National Sheriffs Association during a speech in New Orleans. Illegal actions have and must have consequences. No more free passes, no more get out of jail free cards. 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 Attorney General Jeff Sessions. That policy says that any adult who enters the U.S. illegally is to be prosecuted criminally. U.S. protocol does not allow children to be detained with their parents because they, unlike their moms and dads, arent charged with a crime. Fox News' Ben Evansky, Sam Chamberlain and The Associated Press contributed to this report. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 Chancellor Angela Merkel's fourth-term government took nearly six months to put together, taking office in March after the center-left Social Democrats reluctantly agreed to team up with her conservatives again. But the crisis shaking the new administration has come from within Merkel's own conservative family, as her interior minister has pushed for Germany to turn back unilaterally some migrants at its border. Merkel, widely viewed as a leader of liberal forces in Europe, is insisting on finding a wider European solution for the issue of immigration. However the dispute ends, it has exposed her government's fragility at a difficult time for the continent. SIBLING RIVALRY Two parties have made up Germany's mainstream center-right in the post-World War II era: the Christian Democratic Union, currently led by Merkel; and the Christian Social Union, now led by Interior Minister Horst Seehofer. The CSU exists only in Bavaria, and the CDU in Germany's other 15 states. The two stay out of each other's territory, but have a joint group in the federal parliament and campaign together in national elections. The CSU has governed Bavaria since 1957. Its dominance there makes it an important source of votes in a national election for the center-right bloc collectively known as the Union. The CSU is more conservative than Merkel's CDU and its paramount aim is to maintain its dominance in Bavaria. Still, polls suggest that its absolute majority in the Bavarian state legislature is in danger in the Oct. 14 state election and it is being challenged on the right by the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party. ___ BAVARIAN BEEF Merkel has had an often-tense history with Seehofer, and their relationship became really difficult after Merkel's 2015 decision to keep Germany's borders open as migrants streamed across the Balkans. Seehofer then the governor of Bavaria, where most migrants first entered Germany became a leading critic of her welcoming approach. In 2016, he threatened Merkel's federal government with a lawsuit if it didn't take measures to further secure the border. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an anti-migration hardliner, was invited to CSU meetings. Merkel and Seehofer papered over the cracks ahead of last year's national election, but support for both parties still dropped significantly. The CSU's share of the vote in Bavaria dropped 10.5 percentage points to 38.8 percent, with Alternative for Germany a major beneficiary. CSU leaders insisted that the causes for the drop in support were in Berlin, and that Germany's migration policy was a major factor. The poor showing also set off an internal power struggle: Seehofer salvaged his job as party leader, but gave up the Bavarian governor's job to younger rival Markus Soeder. Seehofer entered Merkel's government as interior minister, promising a "master plan" to tackle migration. Soeder and the CSU's ambitious top lawmaker in Berlin, Alexander Dobrindt, have sounded even tougher than Seehofer lately in demanding immediate action on immigration. ___ MERKEL AND MIGRATION Merkel herself has come a long way since the fall of 2015, when she said that there was no legal limit to the number of people who have a right to asylum and told Germans that "we will manage" the challenge of integrating migrants, many of them from war-torn countries like Syria and Afghanistan. In 2016, she was a prime mover behind a deal between the European Union and Turkey to stop migrants crossing the Aegean Sea to Greece. Her government toughened asylum rules and declared several countries "safe," meaning people from there can't expect to get refuge in Germany. She has also called for a "national effort" to ensure that rejected asylum-seekers leave Germany. However, Merkel has been unyielding in defending her initial decision to keep Germany's borders open, telling lawmakers earlier this month that "in an exceptional humanitarian situation, Germany behaved very responsibly." And she has stuck to her insistence that there needs to be a European-wide solution to migration issues, despite a lack of progress so far. Merkel's supporters argue that turning back migrants unilaterally would simply dump the problem on Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Greece, which would also weaken the European Union itself. EndoA3 may play a role in cancer Poudels work on the protein, called EndoA3 for short, creates an unexpected synergy between Bai and Eisenmans areas of expertise. Bai studies neurons and Eisenman studies molecular networks on which tumors rely. It turns out that while endophilin proteins are normally found in neurons, EndoA3 is highly and unusually expressed in some cancers, such as colon cancer. Neurons use EndoA3 and related molecules to perform a process called endocytosis, through which they pick up outside molecules by using a section of their membrane to package them and draw them inside the cell. Endocytosis is not restricted to neurons, and other studies have linked endocytosis to cancer. Poudel found that colon tumors often express high levels of EndoA3, though its not usually found in colon tissue. This prompted him to look at whether EndoA3 could be supporting tumor growth by enhancing endocytosis. Working with two University of Washington undergraduate students, Allen Su and Thuong Ho, Poudel manipulated tumor cell lines to express high levels of EndoA3. They saw that EndoA3 did indeed increase endocytosis in these cells. It also increased their growth rate and, unexpectedly, their ability to move across petri dishes. Cancer cells that seed new tumors in new areas need both of these capabilities. EndoA3s new function inside the cell Cells rely on an internal skeleton, or cytoskeleton, of long molecular fibers to create their shape. They change shape by quickly putting together and taking apart these fibers, made up of a protein called actin. And they move by building actin fibers in arm- and finger-like projections they can use to crawl. When Poudel and his team forced cells to overexpress EndoA3, they saw that they made these projections faster, extending and retracting them more quickly than cells without EndoA3. But how was a protein involved in endocytosis involved in rearranging the cytoskeleton? EndoA3, the researchers found, performs two different roles, each dependent on its physical location within the cell. Poudel discovered that much of EndoA3 is situated inside the cell, in an area known as the cytoplasm. At the cell membrane, EndoA3 aids endocytosis and tumor growth. But in the cytoplasm, it binds a protein that regulates actin rearrangement. Through this protein, called TIAM1 (short for tumor-cell lymphoma invasion and metastasis 1), EndoA3 directs the formation of the membrane projections that cells use to move. Many of the EndoA3 mutations seen in colon cancer cause it to shift more into the cytoplasm and increase cellular movement, the scientists showed. We found that we can make it more cytoplasmic and make the elements of migration go up, and we can make it more membrane-bound and the elements of endocytosis go up, Poudel said. Free Freightnet Membership List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours. damyti at 18-06-2018 10:50 PM (3 years ago) (m) Leaders of the Islamic State ISIS terror group are allegedly sneaking battle-hardened jihadis from Syria into Nigeria to train terrorists there for possible attacks in Britain, according to reports. Fanatics from Nigeria are also being sent to the Middle East for training in a chilling exchange programme. Leaders of the Islamic State ISIS terror group are allegedly sneaking battle-hardened jihadis from Syria into Nigeria to train terrorists there for possible attacks in Britain, according to reports. Fanatics from Nigeria are also being sent to the Middle East for training in a chilling According to TheSun UK, insiders fear strong links between Nigeria and the UK will make it easier for IS to send its killers here to bring more death and destruction. Now more than 150 British troops are conducting counter-terror training with Nigerian forces in an attempt to stem the bloody tide and stop IS taking hold in the region. At one training mission in the northern city of Kaduna, a senior Nigerian Air Force commander revealed how his countrys jihadi groups were learning from IS after swearing allegiance to its black flag. Group Captain Isaac Subi, 46, who has been fighting terrorism across Africa since 1991, said: They come and train their fighters here and some of our insurgents too are granted access to their training in Yemen and Syria, acquiring those skills and they come back and teach others. They have this exchange programme of fighters. Their poisonous influence has already ended in horror attacks on British streets. Fusilier Lee Rigby was stabbed to death in 2013 in London by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, both of Nigerian descent. It is feared IS will exploit regular flights between Lagos and London to export more evil to the UK. Group Captain Subi said the lack of secure borders across Africa also makes it easy to spread the bloodshed. He added: There are hundreds of fighters. Its a virus that spreads across our borders. Their action leaves trails of blood and tears and sorrow. According to TheSun UK, insiders fear strong links between Nigeria and the UK will make it easier for IS to send its killers here to bring more death and destruction.Now more than 150 British troops are conducting counter-terror training with Nigerian forces in an attempt to stem the bloody tide and stop IS taking hold in the region.At one training mission in the northern city of Kaduna, a senior Nigerian Air Force commander revealed how his countrys jihadi groups were learning from IS after swearing allegiance to its black flag.Group Captain Isaac Subi, 46, who has been fighting terrorism across Africa since 1991, said:Their poisonous influence has already ended in horror attacks on British streets.Fusilier Lee Rigby was stabbed to death in 2013 in London by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, both of Nigerian descent.It is feared IS will exploit regular flights between Lagos and London to export more evil to the UK.Group Captain Subi said the lack of secure borders across Africa also makes it easy to spread the bloodshed.He added: Post Reply Posted: at 18-06-2018 10:50 PM (3 years ago) | Upcoming Taipei, Taiwan, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dr. James E. Hansen, former Director of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and Professor Veerabhadran Ramanathan, Council of Pontifical Academy of Sciences are co-recipients of the 2018 Tang Prize in Sustainable Development for their pioneering work on climate change and its impact on the sustainability of the earth. Their works lay the scientific foundation for international actions as the Paris Climate Agreement and the new global development-Agenda 2030. Dr. Hansen is a pioneer on numerous fronts related to sustainability. In 1970s, he developed one of the first two global three-dimensional climate models, GISS, in the world, and was first to analyze and quantitatively explained the climate system's global temperature response in terms of specific changes caused by water vapor, cloud, surface-albedo feedback interactions. Dr. Hansen was the first to compile temperature records from around the world and was the first to detect the greenhouse warming signal as it emerged above the noise (natural variability). In 1988, then Director of NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies, he famously announced in televised testimony before the US Congress that global warming is here, as the observed temperature record exhibited an anomalous rise above the statistical noise of natural fluctuations. Dr. Hansen's testimony was an important turning point in the history of global climate change. Professor Veerabhadran Ramanathan was born in Madras (now Chennai), India. He is the Council of Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Victor C. Alderson Professor in Applied Ocean Sciences, UC San Diego. Professor Ramanathan has made seminal contributions to the fundamental understanding of the impact of air pollutant and greenhouse gas to the climate system. He takes direct action to advocate and facilitate effective mitigation policies to combat global warming and air pollution, a bridge between science and policy making. Professor Ramanathan was the first to point out the very significant greenhouse effects of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). In 1975, Professor Ramanathan discovered the greenhouse effect of halocarbons, particularly chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in such applications as refrigeration and manufacturing. This was a significant indication that showed how gases not only CO 2 but such as CFCs that deplete the ozone layer could have ramifications for climate. This finding was also at the core of future negotiations for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer that followed in 1987. The Montreal Protocol benefits both the ozone layer and the climate system. Its effectiveness is much greater than the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol. Professor Ramanathans pioneering research also led to the discovery and characterization of the so-called Atmospheric Brown Cloud. This work established the extremely important role played by atmospheric black carbon as a greenhouse compound, second only to carbon dioxide. He and other colleagues shined light on non-CO 2 greenhouse gases-a concept that is now widely acknowledged. Chief among them are methane, nitrous oxide, and tropospheric ozone. As a consequence of these contributions, the governments of Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the United States, together with the United Nations Environment Programme, created the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-lived Climate Pollutants; 33 countries have subsequently joined the coalition. Professor Ramanathan has made yet another important contribution that has major public health implications for millions of families. He now leads Project Surya, which is mitigating soot emissions to improve the health and lives of people, and at the same time reduce the climate-warming impacts of these emissions from solid biomass cooking in South Asia and Africa. In conclusion, all their works are not just of scientific interest. They underpin the global sustainability agenda. Their works helps us understand how certain human activities harm climate and environment. This scientific foundation is a pre-condition for action. Recognizing Dr. James Hansen and Professor Veerabhadran Ramanathan with the 2018 Tang Prize in Sustainable Development acknowledges the extraordinary value of rigorous scientific inquiry and forthright public communication of science leading to actions for the benefit of humanity. About Tang Prize Dr. Samuel Yin, chairman of Ruentex Group, founded the Tang Prize in December of 2012 as an extension of the supreme value his family placed on education. Harkening back to the golden age of the Tang Dynasty in Chinese history, the Tang Prize seeks to be an inspiring force for people working in all corners of the world. For more information on the Tang Prize and its laureates, please visit www.tang-prize.org Governments around the nation are working to design the best vaccine policies that keep both their employees and their residents safe. Although the latest data shows a variety of polarizing perspectives, there are clear emerging best practices that leading governments are following to put trust first: creating policies that are flexible and provide a range of options, and being in tune with the needs and sentiments of their employees so that they are able to be dynamic and accommodate the rapidly changing situation. In 2012, Greg Abbott, then the attorney general of Texas, wanted to cut down a pecan tree in his yard that was in poor condition and had lost most of its canopy. But the city of Austin, as he has recalled, charged him a fee to replace the tree.Five years later, Gov. Abbott signed a bill allowing property owners to offset tree loss by planting new trees rather than paying a mitigation fee. That law is just one of many examples during Abbotts tenure of the state government clipping the wings of Texas cities. After the college town of Denton banned fracking, the legislature passed a bill prohibiting such bans. When Houston required Uber and Lyft drivers to be fingerprinted, the state overrode the requirement. A state prohibition on local plastic bag bans failed, but it might succeed in court.Such efforts to override local ordinances -- including, for example, Floridas ban on local gun regulation -- are often seen simply as a red state vs. blue city issue. Texas is being California-ized, and you might not even be noticing it, Abbott said, shortly after he was elected, in defending attempts to curb local regulations. Indeed, red states are often criticized by liberals for being hypocritical -- demanding that power be downshifted from Washington to the states, but refusing to push power further down to cities where most mayors are Democrats.But recent events in California have revealed that preemption efforts go both ways. A bill to limit cities ability to block large apartment construction near public transit recently failed in the California Legislature. Meanwhile, Californias sanctuary state law has run into resistance from conservative local governments. The small city of Los Alamitos has passed an ordinance claiming to exempt itself from the states law. Other localities -- including a number of local governments in Orange and San Diego counties -- are joining the Trump administrations lawsuit challenging the state law.In a way, none of this is new. Power struggles between the feds and states have been going on for decades, dating back at least to the 1980s when the Reagan administration tangled with mostly Democratic state governments. What is new, however, is the aggressiveness with which state governments are trying to curtail the power of local governments -- and how ideological those battles have become.During this extremely partisan era, local governments have often been viewed as a welcome oasis from ideological battles. Mayors and other local officials dont have the luxury of engaging in pure partisan politics all the time. As the argument goes, they have a city to run and are so close to their constituents that they have no choice but to focus on getting things done.But as local jurisdictions are affected by The Big Sort -- people geographically separating themselves based on their political views -- we see more and more enclaves of red in blue states and blue in red states. And as the local constituents have become more ideologically divided, so have the local politicians. So increasingly, the politicians who rule islands of red or blue are called upon by their own constituents to #Resist, forcing the state-level political majority to strike back. Its not an encouraging trend, but its not going away anytime soon. There's no way around it: We are looking at massive hikes in health-insurance rates for coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unless states take action. That's the consequence, now that Congress and President Trump have repealed Obamacare's individual mandate penalties and the Trump administration is proposing other changes. If the federal law's accomplishments in getting millions more Americans insured are going to be maintained, states must enact their own initiatives.Last December, when the Republicans repealed the mandate penalty, they touted it as a victory for individual freedom. Now the GOP has its eyes set on "alternative coverage arrangements," including extending short-term health insurance options. They envision these as an appealing alternative to ACA-compliant plans for healthy people because they carry lower premiums -- due to skimpier coverage.To some, this may sound tempting. However, an Urban Institute report projects that the combination of the mandate penalty repeal along with the availability of these skimpier coverage options will cause an exodus of healthy people from ACA risk pools and lead to premium increases of more than 18 percent; preliminary rate filings in some states are far exceeding that mark. State governments, insurers and consumers should be concerned about what the individual health-insurance market will look like in 2019; these new incentives will exacerbate premium increases because many healthy people will drop out of the insurance risk pools. We need them in the risk pools. Insurance can't just cover the sick.The fortunate news is that state governments have a number of levers at their disposal to provide incentives for people to maintain ACA-compliant coverage in the absence of a federal mandate penalty. Insurance is still primarily regulated by state insurance commissioners' offices, which can take steps to strengthen the individual markets by regulating health plans and setting enrollment rules.Some states are drafting legislation with creative approaches to implementing state-based individual mandates. We need to pay close attention to these changes at the state level to see where the successes -- and failures -- lie.Massachusetts has had an individual mandate since its predecessor to the ACA, known as "Romneycare," was enacted in 2006, and polls indicate that most residents are willing to pay this price for robust coverage in their state. In May, New Jersey passed a state-based individual-mandate law that will go into effect in 2019, making it the second state to have such a requirement. Vermont's legislature also passed a bill that borrows provisions from the ACA to ease the transition to a state-based mandate. Unlike the New Jersey law, there are still details to work out, and it will not go into effect until 2020.There are other levers. At the end of May, Maryland passed three bills aimed at keeping health-insurance costs down. These laws establish a health care reinsurance program, temporarily fund it by collecting a tax on health insurers that the federal government allowed to temporarily lapse, and apply for a federal waiver to provide long-term funding. They also require a state panel to explore the possibility of an individual mandate. The laws, intended to stabilize premiums, were considered an emergency need: Maryland was looking at health-insurance hikes of 50 percent or higher through its ACA exchange. Other states, including California, Hawaii and Illinois, have introduced or passed laws to regulate the sale of short-term health insurance plans, a provision that some states already had in place.Different states will require different approaches. The availability of resources to administer enforcement varies widely. Local politics will have a strong impact on the feasibility of implementing an individual mandate, as will the income of residents and local prices of insurance. No matter the approach, state officials have an imperative to recognize the adverse effects that the federal mandate penalty repeal and other actions can wreak on insurance markets and consumer health coverage.By anticipating these issues and building regulatory mechanisms tailored to their own markets and populations, they can protect the coverage gains from the ACA, prevent their markets from falling into death spirals, and protect their constituents from skimpy and predatory insurance policies and practices. DENIED WAIVERS Lifetime limits Partial expansion STILL PENDING Work requirements for non-expansion states Drug testing Ever since being elected, President Donald Trump has vowed to give states more flexibility to enact their own health care policies.Under him, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved state waivers that the Obama administration continually denied. Several states, for instance, have received permission to make employment a requirement for Medicaid, the government-sponsored health care plan. (In at least one of those states, however, the new rule has already gone to court.)The administration is also letting some states require beneficiaries to report income changes (Kentucky) and locking people out for the rest of the calendar year if they don't comply with the work requirement (Arkansas).But it turns out that there are limits to what the Trump administration will let states do.Heres what CMS has already declined, and what's still up in the air:Last month, CMS rejected a waiver from Kansas that would have set a three-year time limit for people to use Medicaid.I was pleasantly surprised by that, says Joan Alker, executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University.Arizona, Utah and Wisconsin have also submitted waivers that include lifetime limits, which Alker expects will also get denied.Advocates of lifetime limits believe they are necessary to curb health care spending. But critics say they are too harsh.We seek to create a pathway out of poverty, but we also understand that peoples circumstances change, and we must ensure that our programs are sustainable and available to them when they need and qualify for them, said Seema Verma, CMS administrator, instatement following the rejection of Kansas' waiver.In March, CMS rejected Arkansas attempt to reduce the number of people who qualify for Medicaid. The state wanted to drop the eligibility from 138 of the federal poverty to just 100 percent of the federal poverty line, which is about $12,000 per year for a single person.However, it wasnt a firm no. CMS instead said it couldnt approve it "at this time."When a state opts to expand Medicaid, like Arkansas did, the federal government pays 90 to 100 percent of the bill. If Arkansas were allowed to only cover people up to just 100 percent of the poverty line, the people who lose their Medicaid would likely qualify for federal health insurance subsidies, getting them "off the states dime and onto the federal dime, says Alker. That probably isnt appealing to the Trump administration.Other parts of Kansas waiver are still pending -- like a work requirement for Medicaid beneficiaries. But unlike in Arkansas, Indiana and Kentucky, Kansas didnt expand Medicaid, so requiring people to maintain an 80-hour-per-month job would likely disqualify them for Medicaid because theyd be earning too much money.Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Dakota are other non-expansion states exploring a work requirement. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a report on Wednesday looking at the catch-22 of those proposals.For example, in Mississippi, a single parent cant make more than $370 a month to qualify for Medicaid. But if they got a 20-hour-a-week job making minimum wage, theyd be earning $580 a month, which is too much to qualify for Medicaid.They will be complying with the work requirement but still lose coverage. Youre in this situation that cant be fixed, says Jessica Schubel, a senior policy analyst for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.CMS Verma has signaled that she is worried about this subsidy cliff and wants to find a pragmatic and empathetic approach to work requirements and other new Medicaid initiatives.Last year, Wisconsin became the first state to ask for permission to drug test Medicaid applicants and deny them health care if they test positive. Experts say there is no telling where the federal government will fall on this issue.This month, CMS signaled support for using Medicaid funds to cover neonatal abstinence syndrome, the withdrawal condition when an infant is born with an opioid addiction from their mother. Medicaid experts say it would make no sense if the federal government covered babies with drug-related problems but not their parents.With the opioid epidemic raging in states, it seems counterintuitive that they would consider [drug test requirements], says CBPP's Schubel. The unprecedented outpouring of activism from students after the shooting at Marjorie Douglas Stoneman High School in Parkland, Fla., in February is the genesis for a bill introduced in the Legislature last week that would change the voting age in Michigan to 16."We allow 16-year-olds to go off and get jobs and pay taxes, but we fail to allow them to exercise their voice come election time," said Sen. David Knezek, D-Dearborn Heights. "Young people are setting aside their differences and identifying issues they think need to change. And they can do everything to get that change except vote."The shooting at Parkland, which left 17 students and teachers dead, prompted multiple school walkouts and large demonstrations across the nation by students calling for more gun control.The bills, simultaneously introduced in both the House and Senate, also would require a change in the federal and state constitutions. To change the state constitution, it would require a supermajority in the House and the Senate, which is unlikely in the Republican-controlled Legislature, and a vote of the people. To change the U.S. Constitution, Congress would have to pass the change and send it back to the states for ratification. The last time the voting age was changed from 21 to 18 was 1971. 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.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. A California appeals court on Friday reinstated a law allowing terminally ill patients to end their lives.The ruling by the 4th District Court of Appeal allows the controversial law known as the End of Life Option Act to remain in effect, giving patients who have less than six months to live access to lethal medications from their doctors.Opponents of the law have until July 2 to file a petition opposing the court's decision.Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra fought to reinstate the law in recent weeks with a court appeal. He celebrated the court's most recent action Friday."This ruling provides some relief to California patients, their families and doctors who have been living in uncertainty while facing difficult health decisions," he said in a statement. "Today's court ruling is an important step to protect and defend the End of Life Option Act for our families across the state."Last month, Judge Daniel A Ottolia ruled the law's passage was unconstitutional because the Legislature approved the law during a special session dedicated to healthcare issues and this law wasn't a healthcare matter.Several attorneys and organizations such as the Life Legal Defense Foundation sued to have the law overturned.Supporters of the aid-in-dying law were pleased with the reinstatement."This stay is a huge win for many terminally ill Californians with six months or less to live because it could take years for the courts to resolve this case," said Kevin Diaz, national director of legal advocacy for Compassion & Choices, whose sister organization, Compassion & Choices Action Network, led the campaign to pass the End of Life Option Act."Thankfully, this ruling settles the issue for the time being, but we know we have a long fight ahead before we prevail."California's law granting patients the right to assisted suicide took effect in 2016. It is a practice that has been allowed in Oregon for more than 20 years.Now, nearly 1 in 5 Americans live in a state where physician-assisted suicide is legal, according to Compassion & Choices.In the first six months that California's law was in effect, more than 100 people used it to end their lives. State data show 59% of them had cancer. The Governors Official Program is comprised of a wide range of constitutional and legal duties and ceremonial and community engagements. Each year, the Governor hosts thousands of visitors to Government House to take part in investiture and award ceremonies, Open Days, receptions and meetings, and travels widely throughout Queensland to support the activities of Patron groups. View a chronological record of the Governors daily program below. On Saturday, in the morning, at the Embroiderers Guild Queensland, Fortitude Valley, Mrs Kaye de Jersey attended the official opening of the Biennial Exhibition Celebrate! Following, in the afternoon, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Rosalie, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs de Jersey attended Centenary Mass. Description GIS 18 June 2018: The importance of economic diplomacy in positioning Mauritius as a venue for foreign direct investments, trade ventures and new market openings was highlighted in the Budget Speech 2018-2019. It also outlined the need for consolidating diplomatic footprint in Africa with the realisation of the Africa Strategy, aiming at expanding the economic horizons of the country and bringing it to a higher level of regional cooperation. In view of boosting up trade with other countries and increasing the demand for Mauritian products on international markets, Government is finalising the following negotiations: Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement with India; Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China; Enhanced bilateral cooperation with Saudi Arabia and Middle East countries; Renewed partnership with the member states of the Commonwealth Group; and a framework agreement for the continental FTA in Africa. In the wake of BREXIT, the preferential access of Mauritian products on the UK market will be maintained until end 2020, following the extension of the transitional period for the EU-UK trade arrangement. The Budget Speech also evokes hopes of preserving a preferential access on the UK Market with the new Economic Partnership Agreement being negotiated between UK and Eastern and Southern Africa. With regard to the Africa Strategy, Government has set its model of economic partnership for creating growth corridors with targeted African States by enabling new cross-border investment opportunities for Mauritian entrepreneurs. The construction of the Twin Technology Towers in Cote dIvoire, driven by the Mauritian private sector investment exceeding USD 50 million, is due to start in October 2018. The development of the Phase 2 of the Parc Industriel International in Senegal enabling Mauritian companies to benefit from access to the emerging regional market of West Africa and the American as well as the European markets is also in the pipeline. Other measures aimed at forging new paths of economic diplomacy with the African continent comprise: The introduction of 5-year tax holiday for Mauritian companies collaborating with the Mauritius Africa Fund for the development of infrastructure in the Special Economic Zones (SEZ). The tax holiday will cover investments in SEZ infrastructure development and will benefit two eligible categories of firms, namely project developers and project financing institutions. The disposal of a loan guarantee facility with the EU to support cross border investment within our Africa Strategy. The setting up of Africa Infrastructure and Industrialisation Fund by the State Bank of Mauritius and Mauritius Africa Fund to assist Mauritian investors to execute projects in the SEZs on the African continent . Description GIS 18 June, 2018: Twelve eligible beneficiaries of the National Empowerment Foundation (NEF) will follow training in electrical installation as from 21 June to 29 October 2018. The aim of this initiative is to educate and empower the trainees so that they acquire the necessary technical skills to enhance their employability and enable them to undertake a career in the domain. The training is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment, the NEF and the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development (MITD). It will be dispensed by the MITD and will include practical sessions on a part time basis. Trainees will receive a stipend of Rs 5000 and a travelling allowance of Rs 1000. The Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment, Mr Alain Wong and other personalities were present at the launching of the training held this morning at the seat of the NEF in Port-Louis. In his address, Minister Wong emphasised that education is an important catalyst in the fight against poverty and added that the vulnerable should be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to enable them to acquire life-long financial security and independence. He pointed out that the objective of improving the quality of life of everyone, underpins the 2018-2019 budgetary measures. Endeavours to empower the downtrodden through skills development programmes such as this training, reflect Governments relentless resolve to assist and help them improve their life chances, he said. On that note, he recalled that one important budgetary measure aimed at eradicating poverty consists of the construction of 6 800 housing units which aims at providing decent houses and apartments for low income families. Speaking about the training, the Minister underlined that skilled jobs such as professional electricians require a definite set of skills and knowledge and are well remunerated. He observed that it is a field where there is a shortage of skilled labour, adding that the training in electrical installation is certainly a major opportunity for the beneficiaries to start a career. He indicated that a tool kit will be offered to the trainees after successful completion of the course so that they can enter the job market. Furthermore, Minister Wong also spoke about the necessity of having discipline, motivation and determination in the undertaking of their job. He reiterated the need for those from the lower-income group to acquire personal financial management skills so that they are able to analyse their income in order to manage spending and plan ahead, and make the most of their income. Government Information Service, Prime Ministers Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius. Email: gis@govmu.org Website:http://gis.govmu.org Project Title: Property Tax Foreclosure Early Warning System: A Look into Philadelphia Project Title: Predicting Spatial Risk of Opioid Overdoses in Providence, RI Project Title: Predicting Lead Presence in Minneapolis In this installment of the Innovation of the Month series (see last month's story here ), we explore the University of Pennsylvanias Master of Urban Spatial Analytics (MUSA) Practicum and how the graduate students in the program work with city officials to develop data science tools that their clients can use to determine how best to use their resources. The program is led by Professor Ken Steif along with Karl Dailey and Michael Fichman.MetroLabs Executive Director Ben Levine sat down with Professor Steif and some of the programs graduate students to learn more.Can you explain the concept of urban spatial analytics? Is this a new practice or an existing field in which you are applying new approaches?Spatial analysis explores "where" questions. Typically, most phenomena are distributed across space according to some underlying theory. Examples include segregation, zoning, environmental degradation and the like. Spatial analytics is the study of these underlying spatial dynamics toward a broader understanding of why things locate where. In recent years, the master of urban spatial analytics (MUSA) program has tried to take a relatively unique approach, harnessing spatial dynamics for the purposes of prediction.Can you tell me about the MUSA program and how the practicum fits into the coursework?The MUSA program at Penn is at the intersection of data science and public policy. The program, which began as a GIS degree, is about a dozen years old. In recent years, we have shifted toward a more traditional analytical curriculum building upon GIS skills with data visualization, machine learning, Web development and even how to communicate technical analyses to non-technical decision-makers. Aside from data-driven coursework, students are required to take urban-focused classes from the across the university in order to ask interesting and important questions about their data.Our goal is to train the next generation of data scientists working to convert government data into actionable public policy intelligence.Why the emphasis on having students engage with city agencies?The open data movement has been a catalyst for the evidenced-based policy movement, but it's unclear whether governments have the resources to capitalize on these data. Besides the clear educational benefit of having the students work with real-world clients, we saw this opportunity both as a way to demonstrate novel, yet unexplored public-sector use cases, and as a vessel for releasing source code that other jurisdictions, collecting the same data, could use to replicate our algorithms.Nate Klass, Justine Kone, and Sydney GoldsteinJonathan Pyle, attorney at the Philadelphia Legal AssistanceCan you describe what your project focused on and what motivated you to address the particular challenge?Our project aimed to help legal advocates at Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) identify residential property owners who are at high risk of tax foreclosure. Currently, outreach to homeowners at risk of property tax foreclosure is restricted to certain areas of Philadelphia due to funding. We hope our data-driven approach to predicting foreclosure can create a tool that will maximize resource allocation, allowing advocates to better target homeowners vulnerable to sheriff sale.We were motivated by our individual interests in foreclosure and housing in general, and wanted the opportunity to use data analysis, which can sometimes be quite impersonal, to help improve the lives of people in our community.This project was also motivated by the need to increase housing stability for long-term and lower-income residents in Philadelphia. Working with Jonathan Pyle of PLA, we learned that these are the clients PLA works with most frequently and are the hardest to reach through the current outreach system.What motivated your agency to participate in the MUSA practicum?Philadelphia Legal Assistance is a legal services organization that addresses the legal needs of the low-income population of Philadelphia. In order to do that, we need to understand the systemic issues that affect low-income people. When trying to understand the issues that affect populations, it isn't enough to rely on anecdotes. We aim to be data-driven so that we can set priorities and allocate our limited resources empirically to maximize our impact. We collect a lot of data in the course of our work, but we don't have in-house expertise in advanced data analytics, so we cannot make full use of the data. The MUSA practicum offers us an opportunity to work as a team with data scientists. As part of the team, we provide data and subject matter expertise, while the MUSA team develops a predictive model, tests it thoroughly and builds an app.What did you learn about government data and urban analytics from the process? What was the most surprising thing you learned during your research?I think what was most interesting to me was truly how much data was available publicly that is hard to parse for most people. It took us a significant amount of time to reshape our data into something that was usable for our modeling purposes. Without the data painstakingly put together by Jonathan, we really would not have been able to make this project a reality.I completely agree with Nate. For me, I think this project also cemented the importance of using solid domain knowledge to inform the process. Much of the data we worked with was administrative court data, and if we hadnt conducted our own research, and relied on Jonathans knowledge, we wouldnt have been able to interpret that data enough to understand how different court events fit into the foreclosure process.I also think this project showed the importance of understanding the resource allocation process for a specific research question. Throughout the entire project, we constantly came back to whether or not our results were reasonable based off the use case. Understanding how outreach was being done currently was important to knowing how well our analysis performed.Where will this project go from here?Were pretty hopeful this model will be used by Philadelphia Legal Assistance. We created a Web app for this project that Jonathan seemed pretty interested in using in conjunction with his current methods for outreach. We will send this app to him soon so that he can take it and hopefully run with it!Weve also made our code publicly available online, through the course GitHub page and also through our own pages. The idea is that if other people are interested in creating a similar warning system for their city, they can use our code as a framework.It also appears hopeful that not only will Philadelphia Legal Assistance adopt our app, like Nate mentioned, but also that the probabilities we predicted may also help their decision-making process in the court cases they work on.How will your agency be implementing these findings?We will use the findings to better understand the real estate tax foreclosure phenomenon and the effectiveness of interventions. We will explore questions like: what are the conditions under which the tax collection process results in low-income homeowners losing their homes? For which homeowners does legal assistance mean the difference between saving a home and losing it? Can data be used to identify the most vulnerable homeowners, so that we can target our outreach efforts at those homeowners? The answers to these questions will help Philadelphia Legal Assistance increase the effectiveness of its legal services to tax-delinquent homeowners, and will help the city of Philadelphia balance the need to collect real estate taxes with the need to avoid the harmful effects of foreclosure.Jordan Butz and Annie StreetmanDahianna Lopez, Data and Evaluation Manager, Healthy Communities Office, city of Providence; and Lt. Thomas Stegnicki, Quality Assurance, Providence Fire DepartmentCan you describe what your project focused on and what motivated you to address the particular challenge?We built a spatial risk model of opioid overdoses for the city of Providence that assigns a level of overdose risk to each area of the city. The idea is that having a citywide risk map could assist Providence and local stakeholders in strategically allocating resources in a way that will achieve the greatest impact. We were motivated to pursue this project for two reasons. First, the opioid epidemic is one of the greatest public health crises facing both cities and rural areas, and we wanted to find a way to contribute to such a relevant and pressing issue. Second, when we began this project, Providence had just launched its Safe Stations program, which allows people struggling with substance use disorders to walk into any of the citys 12 fire stations and be connected with supportive services.We wanted to see if predictive modeling and machine learning could bolster the citys existing efforts by identifying areas at high risk of overdoses where additional interventions could be sited or where the city could supplement their communication efforts. We ultimately compiled this information into an interactive tool that can be found here.Can you talk about your agencys participation in the MUSA practicum?Like many cities across the country, Providence has been hard hit by the opioid epidemic. As a creative capital, the city was searching for innovative ways to address this public health emergency. Leading up to our participation in the MUSA practicum, our data team had devised a text analytics protocol for identifying opioid overdose cases from ambulance runs. The next step would be to analyze the data, but the capacity to do predictive analytics was limited. As such, participating in the MUSA practicum was timely and relevant.What did you learn during your research?How difficult it was to identify the number of overdoses that had occurred in the city. In order to collect the data set of overdoses in 2017 that we used for this analysis, the Providence Healthy Communities Office undertook a tremendous effort of using text analytics to identify overdose cases from EMS data.Ideally, tagging an event as an overdose could be incorporated into 911 call or EMS run data so that the overdose data set could be updated with more regularity and capture events over a longer period of time. This would enable the predictive model to be validated on time-based variables in addition to randomized locations of Providence. While the city has expressed plans to collect this data in a more streamlined manner going forward, their text analytics work taught us that just because data doesnt exist in a clear and accessible format doesnt mean its impossible to obtain.Where will the project go from here?We are thrilled that Providence has been very enthusiastic about the outcome of this project. We have transferred ownership back to them and they have indicated that there are plans to incorporate the results of our analysis into their current efforts and to continue the project going forward. We would love to work with them or other cities on continuing to develop this project in the future.How will your agency be implementing these findings?The Providence Fire Department (PFD) will use the interactive map to conduct targeted outreach for Safe Stations, a program aimed at connecting people struggling with addiction to recovery services. The PFD data team will also use the code provided by MUSA students to refine the predictive models over time and to ensure project sustainability. Finally, PFD will use this project to demonstrate the need for funding to establish a data analytics team. The project has caught the attention of the state Department of Health, and the PFD, in conjunction with the citys Healthy Communities Office, is excited to share the information and contribute to the body of knowledge about the epidemic in Rhode Island.Evan Cernea, Maureen McQuilkin, and Xiao WuStacie Blaskowski, Data Scientist, city of MinneapolisCan you describe what your project focused on and what motivated you to address the particular challenge?Our project focused on using property-level data and neighborhood characteristics to predict the likelihood of lead presence in houses across Minneapolis. Although we were initially assigned this project, we became personally invested when we learned that the way most household lead is detected is after a child has tested positive for lead poisoning. We hope that our project will help the city become more accurate and proactive about its testing to prevent children from suffering the effects of a preventable illness.What did you learn about government data and urban analytics from the process?In part we learned how lucky we were to work with Minneapolis, a city that is a leader in the civic open data movement and has many of its records publicly available and well documented. It was surprising to see other groups in the practicum struggle with data collection when we had such access to a wealth of data. But the amount of data also taught us a lot about project management: We had limited time to analyze a lot of data, and had to make decisions about what to include and remove in our predictions in the interest of time, to the detriment of slight improvements to the model's predictive power.It was surprising to learn about the policies in place to deal with residential lead paint. There are many rules and regulations about what renovators must do when they are improving a house to prevent lead dust exposure. It was especially salient in Minneapolis, where we learned that two-thirds of the houses were built before 1978.Where will this project go from here?The project results have been transferred to the city of Minneapolis, which expressed interest in improving upon the code and predictions. (TNS) - On the morning of June 12, the sky over Summit County filled with glowing clouds of black smoke in just minutes. Summit County Fire & EMS received hundreds of 911 calls. By midday, thousands had been told to evacuate.But, what seemed like a certain catastrophe was halted by fire breaks built in the years following the pine beetle epidemic. These clear-cuts, which stretch about 500 feet from the subdivisions into the national forest, kept the Buffalo fire at 91 acres. Within five days of the fire starting, containment was at 75 percent.It's been a different story in La Plata County.Nine hours after the 416 fire started on June 1 north of Durango, it already had consumed 1,100 acres. By Saturday morning, officials reported it had grown to 8,691 acres. Overnight, it exploded, doubling in size to 16,766 acres.Just 20 percent contained nearly three weeks after it started, the 416 fire is now at 32,959 acres. Another wildfire in the area - the Burro fire - has threatened to merge with the 416 fire, growing to 3,484 acres since it started June 11. It remains only 10 percent contained.While different, the fires in Summit and La Plata counties have the same message for Colorado and the West: there's no time to waste dealing with climate change and the wildfires it's fueling.Summit County Commissioner Dan Gibbs described his community as "a model for proactive wildfire prep."The county offers fuel reduction grants, free wood chipping and money for such things as erosion prevention and cisterns where there are no hydrants through Summit County CSU Extension. The funds have supported 148 different projects worth $5 million since 2006 and allowed 50 percent of its residents to participate in the chipping program since 2014."I have two goals," said director Dan Schroder. "First, get fire on people's mind. Even if they put out one stick for chipping, they're think about it. Second, let's get some fuel removed."Summit County had no choice after about 50 percent of the White River National Forest was decimated by the pine beetle epidemic beginning in the late 1990s.Threats to forest health, prime real estate and the county's recreation-based economy spurred officials into action. Bill Jackson, Dillon District ranger, estimated the Forest Service has clear-cut and thinned 1,200 acres, including the area that saved thousands of residences during the Buffalo fire."After the bug epidemic that came through, several fuel breaks around (Wildernest and Mesa Cortina) were placed in there and those fuel breaks right now are saving several thousand homes, probably," Jim Genung, incident commander from the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit said the night the fire broke out.In the thousands of untreated acres are parched toothpicks waiting to fall at the slightest disturbance. In the Eagles Nest Wilderness, the problem is worse than most other areas because mitigation work has to be done by hand. Under the Wilderness Act, neither motorized vehicles nor mechanized equipment - which includes chainsaws and trucks to haul away timber - can be used in wilderness areas.If conditions remain the same, Summit County has little to worry about from the Buffalo fire. If winds blowing north pick up though, the fire could spread farther into the Eagles Nest Wilderness, complicating containment."A southerly wind would put the fire in wilderness, which is thick forest that we haven't been able to give much attention to," Jackson said. "It would put our firefighters at serious risk to go in there."Exceptions rarely are made for mitigation work. During emergencies like fire, they're possible, though the decision runs through a long chain of command - usually up to Forest Service's regional office near Denver."We take (making those exceptions) seriously even when we're fighting fires because of the character of wilderness," Jackson said.'Dark smoke'In the area of the 416 fire, pine beetle-affected trees pose less of an issue. Though the Weminuche Wilderness near Wolf Creek Pass has been hard hit by beetle kill, Cam Hooley, spokeswoman for the San Juan National Forest, said only small portions of the area of the 416 fire contain beetle kill.The problem in the San Juan National Forest is the same in forests across Colorado: high density of old-growth trees that carry fires into the canopy and burn at high temperatures. One hundred years of fire suppression has kept these trees alive, creating the conditions that are ripe for infrequent, but massive fires."We're really good at being fire suppressors," said Camille Stevens-Rumann, an assistant professor specializing in forest and rangeland stewardship at Colorado State University. "Though we can make up some of the deficits by doing fuels treatments, it's costly, in terms of manpower and dollars. It's hard to get the large treatments we need to affect large wildfires."Access is further complicated by the restrictions placed on the Hermosa Creek Wilderness and Hermosa Creek Special Management Area. Though the designations were only established in 2014, the areas have been roadless since 2002. Even in sections where mechanized and motorized equipment was once allowed, hauling it all out isn't feasible.The hazards created by the terrain and fuel composition shifted the priority to defending the properties and other assets on the east side of U.S. 550 between Hermosa and Purgatory. Though 2,156 evacuations were ordered, not a single structure has been lost."I can't believe the job that these firefighters have done. It's remarkable," Hooley said.During June and July, Cheryl and Miles Lillard usually see three to four Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad trains pass by their home in the Rockwood Estates off U.S. 550. The coal-powered, steam locomotives carry thousands of tourists each summer through the canyons and forests between Durango and Silverton.Hot spots from embers and sparks thrown off by the train are common."We often see a plume of smoke that gets a bucket of water quickly thrown on it. White smoke comes out of it, and that's it," she said.On June 1, though, she said she saw "dark smoke" that glowed red on the perimeter. Soon after, Rockwood Estate's caretaker told the Lillards that "he didn't like the looks of the smoke." The former New Mexico Hotshot, who has spearheaded mitigation work in the development, told them to gather their things and be ready to evacuate.About five hours later, a sheriff's deputy shouted through a bullhorn that the Lillards and their neighbors needed to get out. They grabbed the essentials, plus family photos, heirlooms and the mementos they cherished, packed up the car and left."When we drove away, I looked at the house like, "Uh oh. Is this the last time?" Cheryl said.After two days in town, the Lillards left for a friend's house in Scottsdale, Ariz. Though they are one of 800 homes and businesses whose evacuation has been lifted, they chose to stay out of state after a neighbor told them the smoke is "unbearable.""The house looks OK. We are relieved," Cheryl said in a text Friday.The official cause of the fire is undetermined. Many La Plata County residents blame the train, though, which regularly spits out embers and other flammable particulates that are usually put out by a water tender. In summer, the railroad leases a helicopter to monitor the tracks.The train's owner, Al Harper, told The Durango Herald that he recognizes the possibility of the train being at fault."This is our home," Harper said. "No one feels worse about what's going on than I do."Harper's business is feeling the pain. The operator canceled the 31,000 reservations it had for June, spokesman Christian Robbins said. Though it is undetermined whether the train will be able to resume operating next month, the Incident Management Team doesn't expect to have the fire contained until the end of July.Last July, 35,451 people rode the train. "It's too soon to see the impacts of this fire on tourism in Durango and La Plata County overall," said Theresa Blake, the Durango Area Office of Tourism spokeswoman, "but there's no doubt that our industry and our community are being impacted and that small businesses are feeling it here."Outdoor retailers and outfitters feel the impacts first, Blake said. Duranglers Flies and Supplies, which guide fishing trips and have a retail shop in downtown Durango, has canceled its trips planned on rivers across the Southwest and seen a decrease in foot traffic at the outfitter's storefront in downtown Durango, said the shop's manager, Rob Schmidt."Things have been getting better this week, but last week was pretty slow," he said.Amy Roberts, executive director of Outdoor Industry Association, described it as a "double whammy" to outdoor recreation-based economies."When people recreate, they bring money into the communities that aren't related to that activity," she said. "Whether that is increasing business, and thus livelihoods, for local citizens or bringing in fees associated with using public lands, it's a lot of money."In Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, which includes La Plata County, $2.19 billion was spent on recreation, OIA reported in April. In the 2nd Congressional District, where Summit County is located, $2.51 billion is spent per year on recreation. Statewide, that figure tops $28 billion.Schmidt and other outfitters' trips planned in the San Juan National Forest are impossible. The Forest Service closed access to San Juan Wednesday after implementing Stage 3 burn restrictions. The fire was only one factor in the decision, Hooley said."There's a number of considerations in making this decision, including weather patterns, drought, fuel moisture levels, the availability of firefighting resources, things like that."The Forest Service undoubtedly met the criteria for Stage 3. More than 1,000 firefighters from across the country were staged on the 416 fire and the county is considered to be in severe drought. Much to the dismay of hikers, bikers, hunters, fishermen and other recreationists, the forest closed for the first time in its 113-year history."We can't have more human starts (of fires)," Hooley said.Some of Duranglers other cancellations are a result of a misperception of where the fire is burning, Schmidt said. Many customers have called Duranglers thinking that the city of Durango, and even the entire southwest corner of the state, was "up in flames.""I've had to explain repeatedly that the fire is 10 miles from Durango, that we haven't lost any homes or structures and that there are still plenty of places we can get a good day of fishing in," he said.Colorado politicians want that message delivered across the country. Gov. John Hickenlooper said Wednesday that Durango was "open for business."Once in town Friday afternoon under clear blue skies, he was even more confident in his declaration.It was a severe event, but, with the help of the rain in the forecast, I think we've got it under control," Hickenlooper said. "Soon, I can go out and say the fire came, we beat it and are open for business."Closer to the fire, though, smoke is still a problem.In town, the blanket of smoke obscuring the surrounding mesas usually lifted by 9 a.m. during the second week of the fire. For the first couple of days, though, Schmidt said the smoke lingered until closer to 11 a.m. or noon."It's better this week, but it was pretty bad at one point."Once the fire is out, the danger doesn't end. Denuded burn scars are vulnerable to flash flooding and severe sedimentation, which threaten homes, watersheds and other infrastructure.While most people rejoiced Saturday when a light rain began to fall in La Plata County, Office of Emergency Management Director Butch Knowlton warned residents not to let their guard down."We have totally exposed soils right now with no water retention capability," he said. "When that water comes, it picks up debris, ash and other floatable material like rocks and branches and dumps it into the lower-lying areas. Those areas are private properties."He continued: "It's critical people be alert and understand that you might not be near the fire perimeter but are still in danger. It's not a time to be complacent."The Forest Service already is in contact with emergency rehabilitation specialists and is "ready to ramp up mitigation," Hooley said.Beyond the summer, many fear that the pairing of a low snowpack winter and high fire danger summer that is exacerbated by climate change is becoming the new norm."If this is an anomalous year, it's not too big of a concern," said Stevens-Rumann. "But based on climate projections, this is the new norm."Blake said, "We're absolutely concerned about how climate change will impact Colorado tourism industries. We need to get out in front of it."The question now is how land managers prepare to live in a world of fire. For Stevens-Rumann, that means normalizing prescribed fires and the smoke emanating from them."There's no way going forward that we're going to have less fire, so we have to think about how can we make fires most effective as they can be," she said.2018 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)Visit The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at www.gazette.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Cities will continue to grow in size, influencing the level of risk as we concentrate more people and assets in major cities of the world. See this article,"Man-made risks like cyber-crime, interstate conflicts or market crashes are a bigger threat to economic output than natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and volcanoes, putting an estimated $320.1 billion of global GDP at risk on average each year," according to Lloyds, the worlds specialist insurance and reinsurance market.The Lloyds City Risk Index, built in collaboration with Cambridge University, is a unique study measuring the impact of 22 threats on 279 cities' projected economic output. The index reveals that 279 cities across the world the key engines of global economic growth with a combined GDP of $35.4 trillion risk losing on average $546.5bn in economic output annually (GDP@Risk) from all 22 threats. This comprises $320.1bn to man-made risks and $226.4bn to natural catastrophes."Note that at the link they don't discount the impacts of climate change on the cost of disasters. They also highlight how regional conflicts (wars) can also have a major impact on the cost of damages to infrastructure and economies.I have to also note that this is Lloyd's of London and they are in the "insurance business." However, I do believe one of the major risk reduction strategies anyone can have, from individuals to businesses is to have insurance coverage for a wide variety of risks and hazards. For instance, the only insurance I personally don't have is flood insurance. Sitting way up on a hill, it will have to be a flood of biblical proportion that even Noah would take note of to impact our home. The last insurance coverage I added for only a few dollars a year was sewer back-up insurance. I have a former co-worker who had a "significant" event and it made me think about my peace of mind for a few dollars more.The Recovery Diva shared the link above. Potholes Grow Pothole Solutions They are a torment for motorists and a costly headache for transportation departments. Every winter and spring, potholes plague city streets and rural roads, causing drivers to curse and public works officials to shudder.Thats why some local governments are turning to data and technology to find and fix potholes. Some are even trying to predict where theyll open up.In a growing number of cities, including Omaha, Nebraska; Hartford, Connecticut; and San Diego, residents can download an app for reporting potholes. In Houston, residents can check out the Pothole Tracker app or log on to a website and see graphics and charts showing the citys progress in fixing them.And emerging technologies and data analytics are taking the fight against potholes to a new level. In Syracuse, New York, officials are using data that will track and visualize trends around potholes. And a Kansas City, Missouri, pilot project is using algorithms to try to predict where potholes will show up.Even companies such as Google and Microsoft have created apps that people can use in their cars that try to detect potholes and alert drivers about damaged roads.Potholes are a huge problem. The federal government may screw around and not pass a budget and guys will bitch about it on CNN, said Bob Bennett, Kansas Citys chief innovation officer. But if we fail to fill the potholes or pick up the trash, were going to hear about it. Potholes are one of those things people kvetch about.No one knows how many potholes are out there, but everyone agrees there are lots of them, especially in areas that have repeated temperature swings below and above the freezing point.American drivers pay an estimated $3 billion a year to repair damage caused by potholes, according to AAA. Over a five-year period, 16 million drivers reported their vehicles were damaged by potholes, from tire punctures and bent wheels to suspension damage.Repair bills for motorists can range from under $250 to more than $1,000, said Michael Calkins, AAAs manager of technical services.And vehicle damage isnt the only threat motorists face.Theres a potential to lose control of the car, Calkins said. If its a big enough pothole and youre going fast enough, you could have the steering wheel jerked out of your hands and end up hitting another car.Potholes form when moisture collects in small holes and cracks in an asphalt road surface and seeps into its lower layers.As temperatures fluctuate, the moisture freezes and thaws, expanding and contracting, which weakens the roadway and cracks the pavement. With the weight of cars and trucks, the road surface becomes increasingly damaged and eventually breaks apart, resulting in a pothole.The bigger potholes get, the faster they grow, Calkins said. If you can catch it while its small the repair is easier and the potential for it to grow and the risk of damage to vehicles is reduced.Although potholes sometimes form on major highways, most appear on city streets and rural roads, which are built to less stringent standards with thinner surfaces.Potholes are definitely a local government problem, said Omar Smadi, director of the Center for Transportation Research and Education at Iowa State University. They will impact the quality of driving. Your tire is going to drop in it; water is going to collect in it. If the local government doesnt take care of it, the problem is just going to get worse.Some cities are tackling the craters by using technology to find, track and fix them or figure out where theyre going to appear.In Syracuse, city trucks that fill potholes carry GPS units that pull data every time they spray asphalt into one. Instead of workers filling out forms, the data is automatically logged, showing the date, time and location every pothole is filled, said Sam Edelstein, the citys chief data officer.The city, which started collecting the data in 2016, publishes the information online, showing where and when potholes have been filled We are trying to limit the number of times were revisiting a street, Edelstein said. If theyve been on a block three times in the last two months, why is that? Is there some underlying condition? Is there something wrong with the fill not lasting?The data also may show that a quick fix isnt the answer; that the road needs to be repaved.The idea is to have a more holistic view of our infrastructure and say this street is the most at need for a longer-term repair, Edelstein said.Other local governments also are trying to think ahead. More than 40 of them, from San Joaquin County, California, to Quincy, Massachusetts, contract with a Pittsburgh software company that uses smartphone cameras and algorithms to create color-coded maps of road networks that show not only potholes but the cracks and fissures where they might develop.The company, RoadBotics, sends out drivers with the phones placed on windshields. Drivers turn on an app that collects video from every street and sends the data to the cloud. The company, which charges $75 a mile, then uses artificial intelligence to analyze the road surface the same way a trained pavement engineer would, CEO Mark DeSantis said.This saves time and effort of having to send people out and inspect the roadways, DeSantis said. Staring at mile after mile of pavement is difficult, its tedious, and in some cases, its dangerous.Kansas City has gone even further. Its project combines details from weather data, traffic volume and pavement conditions to predict where potholes are most likely to appear.The city would rather save money in the long run by making long-term repairs to likely pothole hotspots than wait to patch them after theyve become a problem, said Bennett, the chief innovation officer.We can go in where we know a road has got extra stress and put in sealant that keeps it from potholing, Bennett said, adding that it also will reduce the amount of overtime needed to pay workers after hours in a pothole emergency.So far, the program appears to be a success, Bennett said. Despite the bad winter, the public has reported fewer potholes this spring than last year. But officials wont know for sure until later in the year, he said.Transportation experts say regardless of how sophisticated the technology is or how many potholes the workers fix, the bottom line is that many U.S. streets are old and in poor condition and need to be rehabbed and rebuilt.Its an issue of dollars available, AAAs Calkins said. A good proportion of Americas roads need resurfacing, but transportation departments simply dont have the funding to do that. If youve ever written a policy statement on, say, privacy that nobody has ever read, youll be excused for enjoying the schadenfreude of this moment as Facebook, Google, Twitter and other technology platforms face scrutiny on both sides ofthe Atlantic.You may have enjoyed the sight of Mark Zuckerberg wearing a suit two days in a row as he tried to explain himself during congressional hearings that generated little heat, and even less light.But that feeling of joy from the tech-lash may be short lived. New but long-planned European privacy rules are pivoting the policy debate from Washington, D.C., to that unseen foreign shore. The irreducible core of the European privacy rules is the requirement to provide opt-in consent to share personally identifiable information, which includes the right to withdraw consent.That is appealing to many users who have begun to reject the proposition that they pay for free services using personal data as currency. Thats enough to rock your business model. However, as fellowcolumnist Daniel Castro reminds us, sharing data on Facebook is a feature, not a bug. Castro, who is also the vice president of the non-partisan Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), cautions that becoming even vaguely European would stymie the U.S. digital economy.ITIF and other like-minded organizations are not wrong when they insist that we have to define the problem correctly if we are going to find a suitable solution. That includes figuring out who should be held accountable for what, and where current laws (or their enforcement) fall short.ITIF also advocates for giving the private sector a wide enough berth to develop and prove out solutions to the problems of data abuse. The uneasy compromise we seem to be moving toward is regulation if necessary, but not necessarily regulation.In the meantime, public agencies have a responsibility to take a fresh look at not only their own terms of use, but also those of the platforms they use in serving their publics. Are the two compatible? If you cannot change the providers terms, are you willing or able to change your own? Or stop using the platform in favor of another that is more consistent with policy priorities and values?Values are front and center in the findings of an international longitudinal study of public trust. In its ninth annual Trust Barometer, the global communications and advisory firm Edelman has documented dramatic shifts in public opinion. The public has been whipsawed by scandal and the dizzying speed of technological and societal change.Not surprisingly, trust in social media has dropped 11 percent among the general population in the U.S. The number plummets by 28 percentage points among college-educated respondents, or what Edelman calls the informed public. Emerging technologies are also suspect. Compare a trust rate of 75 percent in technology overall itself down 19 percent among the informed public in the last year to significantly lower rates for the Internet of Things (63 percent), artificial intelligence (56 percent), self-driving vehicles (50 percent) and blockchain (49 percent).Edelman helpfully puts numbers to both the tech-lash and the beginning of what could become an era of being tech woke. More than three-quarters of respondents tell Edelman that technology companies should take a larger role in education (79 percent) and workforce preparation (76 percent). Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents believe technology companies contribute to the greater good even as trust in government fell 14 percentage points in the last year.After a decade-long dalliance with what entrepreneur, Internet critic and author Andrew Keen calls the cult of the amateur, voices of expertise are regaining credibility. Technical experts, economists, policy analysts and entrepreneurs now register credibility levels of 50 percent or higher. CEOs recorded a seven-percentage-point gain since 2017.The public we serve is looking for someone to lead at this disruptive moment. Edelman CEO Richard Edelman says two-thirds of the population wants business leaders to act and not wait for government in ushering in an era of being woke. But they cannot get there on their own. The necessary and often thankless job of translating intent into a framework for moving forward falls to those in public service. Anonymous tells their side Case moves forward (TNS) The hunt was on for who attacked the city of Akron, Ohios websites last year.Someone on Twitter who identified himself as AkronPhoenix420 a person who was part of the international activist movement Anonymous had already claimed credit online.But investigators didnt know who was behind the Guy Fawkes mask.Security staff at an Akron tech firm, eyemg, suspected the attacker did digital surveillance before unleashing a barrage of internet traffic that crippled the citys websites.And when they started analyzing IP addresses, they quickly zeroed in on 24.93.205.42. Whoever was behind that IP address appeared to be doing reconnaissance July 6-July 30, testing to see how vulnerable the city sites were before launching the attack Aug. 1.Now that they had an IP address, investigators started the legal process with private companies to find the attackers identity, court records said.They began with Charter Communications, which does business as Spectrum. The company reported the IP address 24.93.205.42 belonged to a customer named James E. Robinson who had a contact phone number that began with 989, an area code from central Michigan.Investigators next went to that phone numbers provider, Verizon, and learned that the Michigan phone number matched a James E. Robinson of Akron.Twitter, meanwhile, pulled IP connection records for AkronPhoenix420 and revealed the same name James E. Robinson to investigators, court records said.Investigators thought they had their man, but waited and watched as attacks hit websites connected to the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Treasury, the U.S. Department of Defense and others around the world.These attacks bear many similar characteristics such as the method of attack and the targeted domains were specifically mentioned by twitter moniker AkronPhoenix420, FBI Agent Michael G. Gerfin wrote in an affidavit.How could Robinson a factory supervisor who couldnt hold on to a legal drivers license be so internet savvy?Experts say he didnt have to be. Theres an app for that.The biggest was Europe-based webstresser.org. It marketed itself as a benign testing service that companies could use to see how well their own websites could stand up to a distributed denial of service attack, or DDoS.But European law enforcement, who shut down the business in April, said the company in reality knowingly sold nefarious internet tools to people like Robinson, who used them to launch cheap, effective attacks that shut down websites by overwhelming them with traffic.Americans, Forbes reported, made up the majority of webstresser.orgs customers and their targets.Packages cost between $18.99-$49.99 per month.Once international law enforcement rounded up the administrators of webstresser.org, police around the globe began following up with their clients.The message here is that people who use these services will not stay anonymous, Gert Ras, head of the Netherlands National High Tech Crime Unit, told Forbes.On the day news broke about the webstresser.org raid and shutdown, AkronPhoenix420 tweeted that a stressor he used in all of his attacks had been wiped out.Always remember to protect yourself for the safety of your own life and others. we do not play games this is not a joke it is not a click it is not a gang, he tweeted. its a way of life. we are who we are because we believe in something better for the world, for everyone.In a separate tweet, AkronPhoenix420 seemed determined to battle on despite the loss of webstresser.org.You cannot kill an idea as long as one person still believes..because ideas are bulletproof, he said. I myself would gladly put my name in my life at risk if it meant saving the lives of others.Casper Fawkes, Zerocool and Mindydoll are men in their 20s and 30s.They along with others, including James Eddie Robinson are Akron Anonymous.The three men, along with a fourth member, reached out to a reporter after Robinsons arrest, saying they wanted to tell their story.The Beacon Journal agreed to withhold the legal names of Akron Anonymous members so this story could be told. They made the request to avoid potential problems with employers, landlords or others who may disagree with their ideology or methodology.They work at a mobile phone store, a coffee shop and in computers in Summit and Stark counties.Each found Akron Anonymous in different ways and for different reasons.For Casper, it was a 2014 series in the Beacon Journal about allegations of sexual abuse and other improprieties at Grace Cathedral under the leadership of the Rev. Ernest Angley.Zerocool said he came aboard after learning that a relative in local government was corrupt and hassling people in poor neighborhoods to leave.And Mindydoll said Anonymous philosophy which has never been firmly established since its a decentralized movement, but is generally libertarian fits his moral code, truth and honor in a nonviolent way.How many others are part of Akron Anonymous fluctuates between 10 and 30.Its low now, Casper said, because about half the group broke off to join Great Lakes Antifa.Antifa, which is short for antifascist, is also a worldwide collective of people, but their target is the far right movement and their actions at rallies and marches can get aggressive.Theyre pro-violence and we want peace, Casper said. Their aim is political and they smash windows, light stuff on fire.Akron Anonymous is against fascism, too, along with racism and oppression. But the members missions vary and theyre often quiet, Casper said.Mindydoll pulled out his first-aid certification and said he often attends rallies as a medic to help anyone, including Antifa, who is injured.Hes not a computer guy, so he uses other skills to help abused women plot their escapes from relationships and find their way to safety in shelters.Casper and Zerocool, meanwhile, said they use their web-sleuthing skills to help find missing or abducted children, methods they say are not available to police.Theyve also marched outside of Grace Cathedral protesting Angley, joined with University of Akron students protesting the former administration and handed out carloads of food to the needy.If they are launching computer attacks, these Akron anons arent talking about it.But they made clear they dont believe what Robinson did was wrong.The feds have stated before that were cyberterrorists, Casper said. Its not accurate.Blocking access to websites of churches, governments or others they disagree with is a modern form of protest, like a digital sit-in, they said.If one of Robinsons attacks prevented the Ohio State Highway Patrol from accessing a database used to check for criminal history, warrants and possible threats involving suspects, as the U.S. attorney claims, then Robinson did the patrol a favor by exposing a dangerous weakness in its computer system, Casper said.Names are forgotten over time, but our actions stay, Casper said. My name does not matter. I want peace, light and justice as my legacy.Fourteen days after international authorities took down webstresser.org, Akron-based U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen B. Burke authorized a warrant for the FBI to search the Akron house where Robinson lived.Agents arrived on Edison Avenue in Summit Lake the following day. Inside Robinsons house, they found a Guy Fawkes mask and a mobile phone with a unique cracked screen.It appeared to match a photo of a phone AkronPhoenix420 tweeted in April when he proclaimed victory in another DDoS attack aimed at Akron police.FBI agents didnt intend to arrest Robinson that day. They had gone there only to search for evidence in the website attacks.Robinson was told that he was free to leave but [he] indicated that he wanted to cooperate with authorities any way he could, FBI agent Gerfin said in court records.Robinson perhaps bragging as a hacktivist or knowing hed be caught confessed to at least some of the attacks, court records show.He told agents he had used webstresser.org to attack multiple sites, including the city of Akron, the U.S. Department of Defense and others he could not recall, Gerfin said in court records.Robinson also admitted to being AkronPhoenix420 and said he was the author of tweets, photos and videos online under that name, court records show.Robinson, for now, faces a single charge under the federal law that deals with fraud and related activity in connection with computers.But that could change.A judge has given the prosecution and defense until Aug. 8 to work out a deal or move forward with an indictment.His attorney, Brian Pierce, declined to discuss details of the case.News of Robinsons arrest traveled quickly to Akron Anonymous, whose members took to social media with the hashtags #OpFreePhoenix and #Free Phoenix.Earlier this month, Akron Anonymous finally tracked Robinson to the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown.Casper and Zerocool went to visiting hours hoping they could see him, only to be turned away.A guard told them that Robinson hadnt put their names on his visitors list, a requirement at federal facilities.How could he? Theyre anonymous. The state of Alaska has created the position of innovation officer to help it achieve greater engagement and outcomes for its residents and businesses, according to Bill Vajda, Alaska's CIO.Jason Schneider, who started working in May for Alaskas Office of Information Technology, has been appointed to the position. He joins a growing cadre of innovation officers who are working for state and local governments to explore and guide new opportunities with IT. The city of Anchorage, Alaska, for example, added its innovation officer Brendan Babb two years ago to study the ways the city government consumes data and technology to deliver its services, according to anSchneider, who will report to one of the five chief technology officers in Vajdas OIT agency, is tasked with the role of helping the state assist its citizens and businesses with current technology as well as to lead and foster innovation in government service delivery.Most government IT is focused on tinkering, owning and operating IT, Vajda said. But now, there is a shift in government to move from tinkering to a connecting culture.Those connections between the state and its citizens and businesses will be reached by finding new ways to analyze volumes of data the government collects to using analytics and artificial intelligence to deliver services.Schneiders eclectic set of work skills made him well suited for the role of innovation officer, according to Vajda. Schneider, a former general manager of e-commerce company MIUpperHand, also served in the Peace Corps in Tonga where he gained experience supporting and advocating for communities. He also served as a city commissioner for the city of Marquette, Mich. Most recently, Schneider was the founding executive director for the Marquette Chamber of Commerce.The measure of success for this role will, in part, be based on the states ability to innovate so that it meets the expectations of its citizens and businesses. For example, Vajda notes the 18-year-olds who will be voting in this falls elections have no memory of what life was like pre-Internet and so their expectations of government services may be vastly different than what is currently offered.These 18-year-olds opinions are formulated by Amazon, eBay speaking into a box to order a pizza, said Vajda. We dont use artificial intelligence to interface with constituents, so meeting expectations like those is a challenge for the Office of Information Technology. We are working to catch up to what is out there today. F1's popular Belgian grand prix is staying on the calendar. With Liberty Media pushing further into the US and elsewhere, there had been fears some races in Europe might be in danger. But Spa-Francorchamps is safe. L'Echo newspaper reports that a new three-year deal has been signed. "This is a good agreement that ensures that Wallonia maintains an event that contributes to promoting the region on a global scale," said Pierre-Yves Jeholet, the economy minister. "It was the first time we negotiated with the people at Liberty Media," he added. L'Echo claims the government has asked the company that organises the Belgian grand prix to reduce costs. Spa's current contract expires after the 2018 race in August. (GMM) Researchers from Philipps-Universitat Marburg, with colleagues from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Toyota Motor Europe, have investigated the role of void space on ion tranport in a composite cathode for solid-state Li-ion batteries. Their study, published in the Journal of Power Sources, reports a significant effect of residual voids in the composite electrode on the ion transport tortuosity. Based on their findings, the researchers caution that careful attention needs to be paid to the actual amount of void space formed during the preparation of composite electrodes as key component of all-solid-state batteries. All-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLIBs) are promising as next-generation energy source in electric vehicles. However, a high power density of ASSLIBs can be achieved only if fast ion transport in their composite electrodes is realized. These composite electrodes consist of active material particles, SE particles, and (if necessary) conductive additives, such as carbon black. Unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries, in which a liquid electrolyte penetrates the entire void space of porous electrodes and wets all the active material particles, the composite electrodes of ASSLIBs are prepared by blending SE particles with active material particles. For cathode active materials like LiCoO 2 (LCO), this turns out to be a challenging task. Since a reproducible, homogeneous structure of ASSLIB electrodes is not easily achieved, a detailed understanding of the influence of microstructural properties on battery performance becomes of major interest. One key parameter with a strong impact on battery performance is the tortuosity characterizing ion transport in the composite electrodes. This parameter reflects the reduction of ion transport in a composite electrode compared to the transport in an ideal composite system, where ions migrate along straight, uniform pathways. While ion transport tortuosity has been investigated for a number of electrodes and separators in liquid-electrolyte batteries, data available for ion transport in composite electrodes of ASSLIBs remain scarce. Hlushkou In their study, the researchers took two different approaches to determine the ion transport tortuosity for a typical ASSLIB cathode (LCO active material particles and a sulfide-based SE). Determination of the stationary Li+ current across the composite electrode by an impedance spectroscopic measurement on a symmetrical cell Li metal | solid electrolyte | composite electrode | solid electrolyte | Li metal. Combining the three-dimensional (3D) physical reconstruction of the electrode microstructure by focused ion-beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) with 3D numerical simulations of ion transport in the reconstructed electrode. They found that the presence of the voids significantly changed the morphology of the solid electrolyte phase compared to a void-free cathode. The voids not only reduced the volume fraction of the phase available for ion transport, but also transformed the geometry of the solid electrolyte phase into a far more tortuous one through the generation of a large number of fine, highly tortuous paths hindering ion transport. This problem associated with void space does not exist in conventional Li-ion batteries using liquid electrolytes, although entrapped air may give rise to similar consequences. The liquid electrolyte ideally saturates the complete void space in the electrodes. In contrast, close attention should be paid to the actual amount of void space formed during the preparation of composite electrodes for all-solid-state batteries. It is not unlikely that the void space problem becomes worse for composite electrodes with smaller volume fractions of the solid electrolyte than realized in the present study. Lower volume fractions are targeted to achieve batteries with high energy densities. Hlushkou et al. Toyota Motor Corporation provided financial support and Rockwood Lithium provided lithium powder for the study. Resources Peace Talks Continuing, But Positions Far Apart The South Sudan parties positions in the ongoing peace consultations in Addis Ababa are far apart, according to observers. South Sudan government delegates during the recent talks in Addis Ababa [credit/J. Tanza/VOA] Source: Radio Tamazuj ADDIS ABABA, 18 June 2018 [Gurtong]-A senior official at the peace talks told Radio Tamazuj today that there were significant discrepancies between the positions of the South Sudanese government and the opposition on the formula of forming a unity government based the IGADs revitalized peace plan. The opposition groups at the peace talks preference a lean government while the unity government in Juba said the upcoming government should be bloated to accommodate all parties. The reality is that South Sudan conflicting parties are still far from having confidence and trust towards each other in order to form a government that can bring them together to end the ongoing violence, he said. Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the nonprofit Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), called on the warring parties to accept a win-win approach to resolve their political differences. "Big tent government" or "small tent government" is not the issue. The issue is the renewal of trust and confidence among the warring parties through making effective compromises that win trust and confidence for the formation of a transitional government for a reasonable period of time, he said. Yakani urged the parties which failed to comply with a 35% quota for women in all instances of responsibilities and representation to implement it. The intensive consultation between South Sudans parties in Addis Ababa which started on Saturday is expected to conclude on Monday. MOROCCAN CUISINE : Morocco's cuisine, located in Northwest Africa, is very rich in flavor and variety, unique and refined. The Moroccan cuisine, where fresh and dried fruits are used with great care, is one of the rare delicacies in which sugar and salt are mixed. Moroccan cuisine is usually based on meat, fish and vegetables. Lamb, sheep, chicken and Pigeon meat is consumed as meat. Private Morocco Tours 2000 km from both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. fish and seafood are also prepared and consumed in many different ways in Morocco. * Couscous is also made with fish and seafood cooked in different techniques in pan, grill, oven and saucepan. As I mentioned above, moroccans cook lamb and sheep meat with fresh and dried fruits. Sugar is added to these meals. Fresh fruit is used as the most quince. Dried fruit is dried black plum, dates and raisins. Black plum chicken or dried grape kuskus is one of the most delicious dishes of the moroccans. Private Tours Morocco. At least 8-9 different varieties of couscous are made in Morocco. Like sweet couscous made with lamb meat, chicken meat, vegetables and dried grapes and cinnamon. Kuskus mentioned here in Turkey in the industry and as a sales policy KUSKUS * is not a little pasta-like balls called. Magreb is a dish traditionally made from semolina for centuries and prepared with meat, chicken and various vegetables and fruits. North Africans soften their semiotics by working with soaked hands and flour in a special way and obtain couscous in different sizes. The best couscous is the thinnest. Of course, couscous is not only made at home in traditional ways, it is also taken from a food item markets. Today, couscous is abundant in the markets of Western European countries and is consumed in these countries. Morocco grows a wide variety of vegetables. Of course, the various kinds of salads and appetizers prepared by various vegetables raw should not be forgotten. The most common vegetables in salads and appetizers are cucumber, eggplant, stuffed peppers, radish, cauliflower and pumpkin. In addition, tomatoes are consumed very much as salad and input. Olive is a very important nutrient used by moroccans both in their meals and in their salads. Moroccans eat a lot of bread. The ovens have very high quality and delicious bread. Also, bread and croissants are sold in the ovens following the French school in the cities. There are a lot of Morocco Tours to see and make comparison between companies. Moroccans still prefer to make their bread at home today. They knead the bread at home and send it to the district bakery for cooking. Desserts are usually "dry cake" in Morocco. Cookies are also the most characteristic of these desserts. It is "Korn gazel" stuffed with almond paste which is eaten with tea, and desserts which are prepared with honey and eaten with coffee are very sweet. Of course, Almond is the most essential ingredient of sweets in Morocco, as in all Magrib countries. Morocco Private Tours are amazing expeirence with Moroccan Odyssey. One of the most famous dishes of Moroccan cuisine is "Pastilla. This is a kind of sweet and salted pastry made with baklava dough. Traditionally, only on holidays and special days. This special dessert is prepared with almond, raisins, cinnamon, honey, parsley and Pigeon or chicken meat. In some sources, the Jewish community is told that the Moroccan cuisine has been added. www.moroccoprivatetours.net Haiti - Education : D-7, Baccalaureate 51,657 candidates already validated Friday, the official exams of the Baccalaureate, scheduled for Monday 25 to Thursday, June 28, 2018, were the focus of discussions at a meeting organized by Meniol Jeune, the Director General of the Ministry of Education, with the members of the State Examinations Committee and others concerned. The status of the process of preparing and delivering of exam room access cards was the main item on the agenda. Everything must be ready this Monday, June 18th, beginning of the distribution of the cards to the candidates of Bac. For his part, Renan Michel, the Director of the National Bureau of State Examinations (BUNEXE), announced that the cards of candidates are already ready and being distributed for the New Secondary and for those that failed. Louis Fritz Dorminvil, the departmental director of West indicated that 51,657 candidates are already validated on a total of 52,309. He is confident that the case of 652 students with "small problems" to solve will be completed in time. Other departments that have slowed due to data unavailability at BUNEXE are: Southeast, Northeast, and Nippes. The sheets for North, North-West and Artibonite are ready since Friday, June 15 confirmed Gerald Belizaire of BUNEXE. Meniol Jeune expressed fears that the "small glitches" recorded in the validation process would lead the Ministry in the same previous situations, namely: the treatment of special cases, particularly in the West. "A situation that must absolutely be avoided" insisted Meniol who wants everything to be completed by Monday so that the cards are distributed to the concerned. For the question concerning the elaboration of the examination texts, the Director Maxime Mesilas (DES), informs that they have already been elaborated and that they are in the editing phase. In addition, it should be remembered that on Friday, the official tests of the Normal Schools of Teachers (ENI) for 2,329 candidates and those of the Family Education Centers (CEF) ended for 424 candidates. A complete success for the passing of the tests, according to the reports emanating from the DDEs. No incidents to report. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - FLASH : Sunrise Airways a Haitian success story The businessman and philanthropist Philippe Bayard, President of the Haitian private airline Sunrise Airways based in Port-au-Prince, whose head office is located in Haiti, said that the success of the company is measured by the customer satisfaction and the gradual increase in the number of travelers. "Since the launch of scheduled passenger flights in December 2012, Sunrise Airways has promoted the concept of safe, reliable and comfortable air transportation. Our goal is to offer a good product at an attractive price. We are constantly working to improve the quality of service to our customers and open new destinations and provide more connecting options." Adding, "Sunrise Airways began its operations in 2012 with schedule service between Haiti's two largest cities, Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitian using a fleet of four Jetstream 32 aircraft (19 seats). The fast evolution of the fleet from Jetstream 32 to Airbus A320 via ATR 42 in less than 3 years is due to the relevance of the airlines route structure which has an average 90% load factor. [...] Our growth has seen our passenger numbers increase from 69,000 in 2016 to 140,000 in 2017 and have a projection in 2018 of 200,000." "Sunrise Airways inaugurated in February 2017 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20202-haiti-economy-inaugural-flight-of-sunrise-airways-pap-havana.html his new route to Cuba (Havana)" declared Bayard, adding "We began to fly in April 2014 with a Jetstream 32 aircraft (19 seats) to Santiago from Port au Prince and today we operate 11 flights per week with an Airbus A320 (150 seats) to three destinations, Santiago, Camaguey and Havana." Bayard also said "We began one month ago the discussions with the Cuban Aviation Authority in order to establish an interline agreement between Cubana de Aviacion and Sunrise Airways. [...] This is an important step for us in line with our long-term final objective which is to link the Caribbean directly or through a partnership between regional airlines : One Caribbean." Asked if Sunrise Airways' goal was to turn Port-au-Prince into a hub, Bayard said that as an island nation, Haiti needs an efficient air transport infrastructure. "There has been an over-reliance upon service provided by the US legacy carriers, in particular, American Airlines and generally upon air service to the USA which is often used as a distribution point for travel back into other areas of the Caribbean." Haiti's geographical location lends itself to becoming the center of an intra-Caribbean feeder road system, a "HUB" that will support the country's continued growth through the stimulation of trade and tourism. However, talking about a Hub in Port in Prince is little premature, even if we have started to promote connections in Port au Prince today from Curacao to Cuba or Curacao to Santo Domingo [...] Haitian airport infrastructures are totally inadequate and not suitable for a mass market transit as other airports in the region like Panama or Santo Domingo for example," stressing "the excessive level of taxes on the ticket coupled with the most expensive Jet fuel price of the whole region is a big handicap to the aviation market development into the Caribbean." "My goal is to create the conditions to ease the circulation of travelers in the Caribbean without loss of time and money. In 2019, we have in plan to open Kingston in Jamaica, Santa Clara and Holguin in Cuba, and continue to work with interlines and maybe codeshare agreement with some Caribbean Airlines. The network already exists, we need to make some approach with the existing carrier in the case of our project : One Caribbean." See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-22461-icihaiti-economy-ministry-of-tourism-welcomes-new-sunrise-airways-link.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22771-haiti-tourism-sunrise-airways-announces-new-flights-to-curacao.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22016-haiti-economy-sunrise-airways-rates-for-direct-flights-miami-and-orlando.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21208-haiti-economy-first-direct-flight-between-havana-and-port-au-prince.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21278-haiti-economy-great-first-for-sunrise-airways.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19754-haiti-flash-new-air-links-with-the-bahamas-and-cuba.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18355-haiti-economy-sunrise-airways-spreads-its-wings-on-jamaica.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16759-haiti-economy-sunrise-airways-increases-its-services-on-cuba.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-14009-haiti-economy-sunrise-airways-a-world-class-airline.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-10180-haiti-economy-positive-results-for-the-1st-year-of-sunrise-airways.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-9260-haiti-economy-sunrise-airways-new-route-cap-haitien-providenciales-tci.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7354-haiti-economy-sunrise-airways-will-offer-daily-flights-port-au-prince-cap-haitien.html HL/ HaitiLibre D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals victory for independent-minded Hawaii hotel workers News Release from National Right to Work, June 18, 2018 Today a unanimous panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected the Obama National Labor Relations Boards (NLRB) opinion that union officials forced dues threats did not violate the rights of Hawaii hotel workers. The case was brought by several nonmember employees at Hyatt Regency Hotel in Hawaii who received a letter from union officials demanding payment of dues for which the union had no legal claim, and threating that failure to pay would result in the money being deducted from future paychecks. In fact, the union did have the money illegally deducted. The workers filed unfair labor practice charges with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. After the Obama NLRB asserted that the unions demand letter was a mistake and therefore not illegal, Foundation staff attorneys appealed to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and argued the case before a three judge panel. Today, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals strongly rejected the NLRBs decision as legally unsupportable and remanded the case back to the NLRB with orders to reconsider the decision. National Right to Work Foundation Vice President Patrick Semmens issued the following statement about todays decision: This is an important victory against the type of coercion that independent-minded employees are all too frequently subjected to by union bosses. While its unfortunate that it has taken so long, we are pleased that these Foundation-aided workers are now a step closer to getting justice that the Obama Labor Board attempted to deny them. The total rejection by this unanimous Appeals Court panel of NLRB Member Pearces majority opinion that defended blatantly unlawful union demands for payment is evidence of just how radical the Obama NLRB was when it came to allowing union officials to trample the rights of workers who dont want to associate with a union. ---30--- Link: Court Ruling The Met on Sunday announced the 29-year-old man was released from custody with no further action on Friday, 15 June. His release was also confirmed to Helsingin Sanomat by the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo). The Finnish national who was arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts in London, the United Kingdom, on 11 June has been released by the Metropolitan Police (Met). Related posts: Finnish national arrested in London on suspicion of preparing terrorist act (14 June, 2018) Were aware of the matter. British authorities have assessed the situation and made their decision, Anni Lehtonen, a communications specialist at Supo, stated to the newspaper. The Finnish man was stopped by police officers as he was attempting to board a connecting flight at Heathrow Airport in London at approximately 11pm on Sunday, 10 June, and arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts at 5am on 11 June. A warrant for his further detention was granted to counter-terrorism detectives on 12 June. The warrant expired on Sunday, 17 June. The Met has yet to disclose further details of the incident. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas AFP/Lehtikuva The District Court of Varsinais-Suomi on Friday, 15 June, found the 23-year-old man guilty of two murders committed with terrorist intent and eight attempted murders committed with terrorist intent, effectively confirming that the stabbings were the first terrorist attack in the history of Finland. Abderrahman Bouanane has been sentenced to life in prison for a stabbing spree that left two dead and eight injured in Turku, South-west Finland, in August 2017. Bouanane had admitted to the stabbings but denied the allegation that they were carried out in an attempt to cause fear in Finland or Europe. The court, however, ruled that the prosecution had produced enough evidence to corroborate its claim of terrorist intent and reminded that the suspect had begun to consume jihadist propaganda well before the attack and saw himself acting on behalf of the so-called Islamic State. The terrorist group has not claimed responsibility for the stabbings. The knife-man, the court added, also targeted specifically women in the attack that took place at and around Turku Market Square shortly after 4pm on 18 August 2017. He was apprehended only a few minutes later, roughly 500 metres north-east of the square after being shot in the leg by the responding police officers. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Roni Lehti Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi A day of rip-roaring heavy tunes returns to Templemore this August with a cracking line-up featuring some of Ireland's finest metal acts. Templemore Metal Festival began in 2010 and has since grown into a nationwide event, attracting acts from all over the country, from Cobh to Belfast, Galway to Waterford. Predominantly featuring original bands, the festival also incorporates some tribute acts and cover bands. This year the festival takes place on Saturday the 4th of August in The Old Malt House, Main Street, Templemore. Kicking off at 1pm, the festival strives to include as many sub genres of metal within the line-up, for example, this year, festival goers will hear thrash, progressive, death, groove, Black extreme, Celtic Punk and old school death. The festival is unique in that its the only one-day event of its kind in the country, and with 11 acts featured throughout the day, and a 10 entry fee theres a serious bang for your buck! This years festival is to be sponsored by White Gypsy Brewery. White Gypsy is a local craft brewery, brewing award-winning Ales and Beers since 1996. Renowned country wide the brewery has designed a Beer especially for this years metal festival. The beer will be a collaboration with Waterford Brewery Metal Man, and the product will be dedicated to the Metal music fans of Ireland. This beer will officially launch at this years festival Yet another reason to get yourself to Templemore this August! Advertisement This year sees a stellar line-up of heavy hitters such as This Place Hell, Drakonis, Rupuration and Ireland's premiere Metallica tribute act - Whiplash. For more information on the event see https://www.facebook.com/Templemore-Metal-Fest-1440561712912768/ Your acoustic summer anthem comes courtesy of Athy's finest. It's not yet been a year since Picture This released their self-titled debut album, but they're already raring up for Album No.2. 'When We Were Young', full of powerful pop-rock hooks and Ryan Hennessy's beguiling voice, is the newest single from the as-yet-untitled second LP. Just over two years since they first formed, Picture This' stats speak for themselves. They've sold over 300,000 tickets, had two Irish No.1s (with their debut EP and album), and they're set to play their biggest sold-out show to date at the RDS Stadium in Dublin this June 23. Excitement is building. Give 'When We Were Young' a listen here: As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Elektra Music Group To Launch As Standalone Company Elektra Music Group is launching as a stand-alone, fully staffed label group under Warner Music Group's Atlantic Records Group umbrella. It will bring together Elektra, Fueled By Ramen (FBR), Roadrunner, Low Country Sound, and Black Cement Records, which will each be nurtured as a unique label brand. At launch, the EMG roster will include twenty one pilots, Zac Brown Band, Sturgill Simpson, Brandi Carlile, Fitz and the Tantrums, Paramore, Slipknot, Panic! At The Disco, Coheed and Cambria, Kaleo, Gojira among others. Heading the new Elektra Music Group will be Co-Presidents, Mike Easterlin and Gregg Nadel, who will report to Atlantic Records Group Chairman and CEO, Craig Kallman, and Chairman and COO, Julie Greenwald. A newly assembled 60 member team will include A&R, Artist Development, Business & Legal Affairs, International, Marketing, Promotion, Publicity, Sales & Streaming, and Video. The departments will be led and staffed by current members of the Atlantic, Elektra, FBR, and Roadrunner teams, as well as new hires. Personnel details will be announced in the coming weeks. Requisite Back Slapping Elektra Music Group will be 100% dedicated to developing the careers of authentic artists and helping them realize their visions, said Easterlin and Nadel. The company will embody the same independent spirit that is at the root of each of our core labels. Elektra, Fueled By Ramen, Roadrunner, Low Country Sound, and Black Cement were all founded by entrepreneurs who did it for the love of the music and a belief in their artists, and that philosophy will remain the driving force behind everything we do. Were going to have an extraordinary roster, backed by the most ambitious, innovative team in the business." The birth of Elektra Music Group is all about creating opportunity for artists, said Greenwald and Kallman. It opens up a new door to bring more game-changing talent into the WMG family, while giving them the personal attention that is our hallmark. Just as importantly, it will allow some of the most outstanding members of our team to run their own shop and their own departments, taking their careers to new places. Mike and Gregg have evolved into amazing leaders and masters of long-term artist development they understand it, they live it, and they excel at it. With decades of A&R and marketing experience under their collective belts, and joined by an outstanding new staff, they will make great partners in building Elektra Music Group into a major industry force. Our whole approach is to create environments that give artists and entrepreneurs the freedom and support to pioneer the future of music, said Max Lousada, CEO, Recorded Music, Warner Music Group. From the outset, Elektra Music Group will be a dynamic community of credible artists and distinctive label cultures. Gregg and Mike are a dream leadership team, able to combine adventurous A&R, bespoke artist development, and full-force global marketing. It feels great to be bringing back the iconic Elektra brand as a major, stand-alone company for the first time in 15 years. Executive Histories Mike Easterlin has been President of FBR and Roadrunner Records since January of 2016. He had previously served as General Manager of both labels since 2012. Under his leadership, FBR has been behind the breakthrough success of Grammy winners twenty one pilots, Paramore, and fun., as well as artists such as Panic! At The Disco, Young the Giant, and others. Roadrunner remains the worlds premier home for hard rock and metal, with a genre-defining roster including the likes of Slipknot, Theory of a Deadman, Trivium, Coheed and Cambria, and Gojira. Easterlin originally joined Lava/Atlantic as SVP of Promotion in 2005, having previously held posts at Virgin Records and Island Def Jam. Gregg Nadel has been President of Elektra Records since January of 2017, having served as the labels General Manager since 2015. A 21-year veteran of the Atlantic family, he joined the company straight out of college in 1997. Moving up the A&R ranks, he went on to sign Grammy winners, Zac Brown Band and Sturgill Simpson, acclaimed Icelandic band, Kaleo, and others. As Atlantics SVP of A&R & Marketing, Nadel spearheaded all three album campaigns for global superstar, Ed Sheeran. In addition, he forged the partnership between Elektra and Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobbs Low Country Sound label, whose artist roster includes the critically acclaimed Brandi Carlile, Anderson East, Brent Cobb, and others. Share on: iciHaiti - Religion : Fundraising Campaign for the Construction of the Grand Seminary Notre-Dame of Haiti In a letter, Bishop Launay Saturne, Bishop of Jacmel, President of the Episcopal Conference of Haiti (CEH) appeals to all to organize and realize on June 24, a fundraising campaign for Construction of the Grand Seminary Notre-Dame of Haiti around the theme "Men anpil, chay pa lou." https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24626-haiti-news-zapping.html Letter from the CEH : "Beloved Brothers and Sisters, Peace and blessing to you all through Jesus Christ, our Lord! By this letter, the Episcopal Conference of Haiti (CEH) appeals to all of you, Priests, Parish Priests and Vicars, Heads of Ecclesial Institutions, Religious Faithful lay people, directors of schools and other sister institutions of the Church to organize and carry out in your respective communities a Fundraising Campaign for the Construction of the Grand Seminary. Here is the slogan of this campaign: Men anpil, chay pa lou. The date of 24 June 2018, a day dedicated to Father's Day this year, was chosen for this great quest for ecclesial solidarity in the ten (10) dioceses of the country. The money collected will be counted in each diocese and paid by the Diocesan Econome on an account of the CEH reserved for the construction of the Grand Seminary. In each diocese a diocesan committee will be established to coordinate these activities. The effort and collaboration of all are necessary for the full success of such activities. May everyone take an active part in this church project. Give, therefore, in the Church, a Church response to this call. Show yourself generous to the place of your Mother-Church who must rebuild the Great Seminary, destroyed by the earthquake of January 12, 2010. Counting on your kind and generous collaboration, the CEH already thanks you and asks you to receive the expression of its religious greetings." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24626-haiti-news-zapping.html IH/ iciHaiti Bollywoods heartthrob says it would be amazing for him to do a film in which he plays full-fledged role of fathering a child. (IANS photo) The approximately 217,000 Indians on the EB-2 visa for holders of advanced degrees have little reason to hope theyll ever get a green card, according to Catos research, based on federal government data, it said. At current rates of visa issuances, they will have to wait 151 years for a green card, Cato reported June 8. (pixabay photo) Who doesnt want to look fit and perfect, right? I mean, almost all of us have been running in this... Connecticut College psychologist Sunil Bhatia was honored with the 2018 Nancy Batson Nisbet Rash Faculty Research Award. The Indian American educator is also the founder of Friends of Shelter Associates, a local chapter of the Indian nonprofit organization, Shelter Associates. (conncoll.edu photo) A female corps member posted to Bayelsa State for her NYSC, is now under intensive care as Doctors are battling to save her life following her ordeal in the hands of robbers. Newstelegraph reports that the operatives invaded the Corpers Lodge at Yenizue Gene, a suburb of Yenagoa, about 3a.m. yesterday and the corps member was reportedly assaulted and raped by a 15-man gang of robbers. According to a resident of the community, the hoodlums went to the NYSC Corpers Lodge where they forcibly took away a female corps member and she was repeatedly raped by the suspects who took her in turns. The police were alerted, there was little they could do because the area had been thrown into darkness due to lack of electricity. A vigilante, who gave his name simply as Tonye, said the security men were afraid of running into an ambush. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Asinim Butswat, who was contacted by newsmen however said he had not got a clear information about the incident. Leave a Comment comments According to a recent report, a Yola High Court presided over by Justice Abdul-Azeez Waziri has sentenced five men to death for culpable homicide and for killing a Fulani herdsman. The convicts, Alex Amos, Alheri Phanuel, Holy Boniface, Jerry Gideon and Jari Sabagi of Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State, are going to be hanged because according to Justice Waziri, they were found guilty of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide which contravened Section 96 (1) (a) and Sections 79 and 221 (b) of the Penal Code of Laws of Adamawa State, 1997. Nigerians have taken to social media to react to the news. A lot of them are calling on the vice president, who is a Christian to mediate, while others doubted the authenticity of the judgement, arguing that self defense is recognised by the Nigerian law. See reactions below There is no justice and rule of law in Nigeria, herdsmen are killing innocent rampantly and instead govt to address the issue they asked the victim to accommodate them. What a brand justice is this? Or is it true that Buhari prioritized animals better than humans? Nura Sabo Anku (@Nsa20) June 17, 2018 And where are the so called Christian association of nigeria now? ibe chamberlain (@ibechamberlain) June 18, 2018 Didnt they have a lawyer? Are they not going to appeal the barbaric decision? Self defense is recognized in law Mildred (@iucurrent) June 18, 2018 This is consistent with the evil agenda of the present govt. In Kaduna State El- Rufai has just stirred the hornets nest by converting four chiefdoms in the predominantly christian southern Kaduna to emirates. Baron von Geoff (@BaronvonGeoff1) June 17, 2018 Why is osibanjo not speaking for Christians? This is total wickedness. Bobby Adams (@ekeada3091) June 18, 2018 Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has taken to social media to react to the news that 5 Christians of the Numan tribe have been sentenced to death by a Fulani Judge in Adamawa. According to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP cheiftain,those who killed the RCCG Evangelist for preaching in Abuja were set free and the ones who killed Bridget,the Deeper Life Pastors wife in Kano were set also free. Mr Fani-Kayode went on to ask if Nigeria is now an apartheid state where the Fulani are above the law? See his tweets below 1. The jihadists who killed the RCCG Evangelist for preaching in Abuja were set free.The ones who killed Bridget,the Deeper Life Pastor's wife in Kano were set free. No Fulani terrorist has been reprimanded or jailed for killing more than 5,300 Christians in 2018 alone. 1/2 Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) June 18, 2018 2. Meanwhile 5 Christians of the Numan tribe have been sentenced to death by a Fulani Judge in Adamawa for defending themselves against a Fulani terrorist. Do non-Fulani lives not matter as well? Is Nigeria now an apartheid state where the Fulani are above the law? Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) June 18, 2018 What the reactions for Nigerians were like Even @ProfOsinbajo is beginning to look like a Fulani to meguess we no longer have the Christian/Muslim ticket but the Fulani/semifulani presidency.2019 we wait patiently Tunde Go (@GoTunde) June 18, 2018 A fulani judge deciding a case of ethnic clash that involves the Fulani tribe doesnt sound right to me, if it was different crime, fine. But ethnic or tribal clash cases. We might want to be tribal sensitive to tribal cases next time. Bhadmudaism (@AfternoonstarUs) June 18, 2018 There are reports that ISIS commanders are sneaking jihadis into Nigeria from Syria to train them for possible attacks on Britain. According to the report, regular flights between Lagos and London could be used to export evil and terror to British streets. This, has stirred fears in some quarters, and as a result, over 150 British troops are training Nigeria forces in a counter-terror operation to curb terrorism in Nigeria. According to Group Captain Isaac Subi, 46, who spoke to UK Sun, there is a chilling exchange programme, where battle-hardened jihadis are sneaked from Syria into Nigeria, and vice versa, to train terrorists there for possible attacks in Britain. He said: They come and train their fighters here and some of our insurgents too are granted access to their training in Yemen and Syria, acquiring those skills and they come back and teach others. They have this exchange programme of fighters. There are hundreds of fighters. Its a virus that spreads across our borders. Their action leaves trails of blood and tears and sorrow. A Tanzanian man identified as Frank, is said to have reported himself to police, after a bag he allegedly stole from an old woman in Nyambwiro area got stuck on his head. The 23-year-old man was said to have told police that all effort to get the bag off his head proved abortive. Authorities in Tanzania were also said to have taken frank in, to try to get the bag off his head but nothing work. According to the alleged thief, fear of being mobbed if people got to know about it, was the reason why he turned himself in to police. Newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex were present at a family wedding yesterday and they looked every bit like a lovestruck couple. The wedding they graced was that of Harrys cousin, Celia McCorquodale, 29. Celia is the daughter of Princess Dianas sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle co-ordinated in powder blue as they watched Princess Dianas niece tie the knot with George Woodhouse in Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire. The bride paid tribute to her late aunt Princess Diana by wearing the same tiara Diana wore at her own 1981 wedding. The tiara is a family heirloom that was also worn by all of Dianas sisters on their wedding days. More photos below: Leave a Comment comments Punch The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Chief Gboyega Oguntuase, has said the Ekiti State Government has used N35.34bn to service the huge debts incurred by the Dr. Kayode Fayemis administration from 2010 to 2014. Vanguard No fewer than 20 persons were, Saturday night, killed in fresh suicide bomb explosion at Abbatchari village in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State. The Sun Ahead of the national convention of the All Progressives Congresses (APC) scheduled for this weekend, aspirants and different interest groups have begun intense lobby for inclusion into a Unity List allegedly endorsed by the Presidency. Thisday After prolonged speculations about his presidential ambition, former Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi Sunday confirmed his intention to seek the partys nomination for the 2019 presidential election. Daily Times The All Progressives Congress (APC) appeal committee headed by the Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has said that about 19 aspirants seeking various positions have been disqualified by the Screening panel. Guardian Rohr still hopeful of qualification despite Eagles loss to Croatia Despite losing 0-2 to Croatian in their opening game of the on-going FIFA World cup in Russia, Super Eagles Manager, Gernot Rohr still harbours hope that his side will qualify for the second round. Daily Trust Pollution: Soot still casts toxic shadows over Rivers State More than one year after its devastating impact was noticed by residents of Port Harcourt and its surroundings, the poisonous emission otherwise known as black soot has continued to pose a threat, especially to residents of Port Harcourt, Oyigbo, Obio Akpor , Ahoada, Degema, Bonny, Okrika and Eleme LGAs. Tribune The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari over his charge to Nigerians not to glorify thieves, saying the president had been harbouring people that have been looting the commonwealth of the country. Leadership Former Vice President and presidential hopeful on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will tomorrow Tuesday June 19, 2018, resume his visit to states controlled by the PDP, in continuation of his nationwide consultation with leaders and stakeholders of the PDP, towards the actualization of his presidential ambition. The Nation President Buhari, while speaking with guests who came to celebrate the end of Ramadan with him at the state house in Abuja on Friday said, many of the Nigerians that have left the country for greener pastures are now trying to return home. In Buharis words, We dont have another country except Nigeria; we may as well remain here and salvage it together. Even those who left the country are now trying to come back because they are not wanted out there However, many Nigerians have reacted to the statement via different social media platforms. According to some of them, life in Nigeria is semi-hellish and only those strapped as slaves in Libya would want to return to Nigeria. Some even stated that, a lot of them are still in the country because they dont have the means yet, to travel abroad. See what some of them had to say President Buhari says Nigerians who relocated for greener pastures are now trying to come back. Is he aware that according to @UN, almost half a million Nigerians flee Nigeria annually through Sahara Desert, with many dying or enslaved in Libya? Yet the clueless man says this! Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) June 17, 2018 To be fair to PMB, deportees and and those enslaved who see return to their father land as Hobsons choice are coming back . No one in UK, USA, Canada and wherever theres greener pasture would dream of return to the current semi hell fire. Moses Daodu (@MosesDaodu2) June 17, 2018 Hes not far from the truth.they are only returning to take their families along with them bolaji obamero (@down4beejay) June 17, 2018 He doesnt know its visa & low funds thats keeping a lot of people in Nigeria. As bread enter na only him go remain for the country. WAI (@IWabs) June 17, 2018 Come back 2 what? To a country dt cant supply electricity 2 d pple? 2 bad roads? To a hospital dt can best b described as mortuary even PMB knows this, dts y he vowed hell never equip fed health institutions even aso clinic instead he prefer travelling out 4 treatment. OBINNA CHIJIOKE (@obinnadossy1) June 18, 2018 Simi has expressed her apparent displeasure at fashion designer, Toyin Lawanis comments on men being entitled to 10 women. Toyin Lawani had made this statement in her controversial Fathers day post. Earlier, we had reported that Toyin lambasted other women for insulting their baby daddies on social media and also claiming to be both the father and mother in their childrens lives. She went further to insinuate that men are natural cheats and are thus entitled to 10 men- a statement which has not gone down well with many ladies on social media. According to Simi however, if a man cheats constantly, he is an animal. She went further to caution against folks normalizing infidelity. Read her post below: Leave a Comment comments Outgoing Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has written an open letter to President Buhari. In the letter, he admonished him to ensure that the rule of law and respect for democratic processes are upheld. Read the letter below: 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 recognized 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. Copied. With best regards. Yours sincerely, Comrade Timi Frank Deputy National Publicity Secretary All Progressives Congress [email protected] 07033555555 Leave a Comment comments PETERBOROUGH, ON (June 17, 2018)- Coming to the line 26 starters strong for their second Peterborough Speedway start of the 2018 season, the Trailers Plus Ontario Legends Series was back in Central Ontario Saturday, June 16th. Paul Pierik and western region invader Brandon Thurlby brought the pack from the staging area for the 25 lap headline dance on the venue known as Canadas Toughest 1/3-Mile Paved Oval. As quickly as the initial green flag waved, the paced was slowed for a multi-car incident on the back stretch that reduced the ranks by about a handful of runners. Pierik took the lead on the second attempt at the start, but his time at the front of the pack was short-lived as a mechanical issue sent the #33 machine to the pits with about a handful of laps on the scoreboard. Teams battled high and low looking for an advantage after Wes Cuthbertson inherited the top spot, with Cole McFadden rolling into the runner-up position. Just short of the halfway mark, reigning series champion and national title holder Matt Haufe had moved from his ninth place starting spot and into the lead. The pilot of the #88 was holding a pretty wheel as the field started to catch the tail-end of the field with 15 laps on the scoreboard. A late race yellow flag for an incident in the third turn with eight laps remaining bunched the running order, but despite the efforts of a hard charging Kevin Foisy, Haufe scored the win. Cole McFadden, Adam and Wesley Cuthbertson completed the top 5 spots. Terry McClelland, Robin Jongen, Jeff Drimmie, Thurlby, Dawson Drimmie, Cory Richardson, Luke Atkins, Andrew Massey, Don Arnott, Shane Pollock, Thomas Dunn, Howard Bentley, Andre Fiorini, Pierik, Brad Haufe, Hyden Brown, Rick Eades, Jeff Forsey, Chuck Hopkins, Mark Griffin and Adam DAgostino completed the finishing order. Trailers Plus Ontario Legends Series notebook: The Ontario Legends Series qualifying heats were shared between Andre Fiorini, Matt Haufe, Terry McClelland, Adam Cuthbertson, Cole McFadden and Paul PierikIt looked for a while like the series would be forced to run the first last-chance qualifier in its history and even though several teams were forces to unload their cars and gear outside the main pit area, 26 of the teams that had signed-in answered the call for the main event. Since 1986, series title sponsor Trailers Plus has carried a full line of new and used cargo, sport, utility, livestock trailers and car haulers to do the job. To learn more about their complete product line, see Trailers Plus at 2223 Drummond Line in Peterborough, call 877.703.5085 or visit www.trailersplus.net. Like the Ontario Legends Series page on www.facebook.com and look for the exciting web-site www.ontariolegendseries.ca. Clarke Motorsports Communications is proud to represent the Trailers Plus Ontario Legends Series 2018 season. Prepared by: Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media clarkemotorsports@hotmail.com, www.facebook.com/clarkemotorsports 613.968.6410 VANCOUVER - June 18, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GoverMedia Plus Canada Corp. (CSE: MPLS) (FSE: 48G) (WKN: A2JF6W) ("GoverMedia" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce today its wholly owned subsidiary, GoverMedia Plus LLC has signed a commercial partnership agreement with EXMO Finance LLP, one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in Europe with an average 24-hour trading volume of currently over $40 million USD. According to CryptoCoinCharts, EXMO is in the top 15 largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. This strategic partnership represents the first step of the Company's previously announced plans to integrate cryptocurrency-related and blockchain-based services, as well as the first step of a broad strategic relationship with EXMO. Under this partnership agreement, the Company will act as an exchange counterparty on the EXMO platform. The Company will open a corporate account on the EXMO exchange and provide its users with the possibility to trade cryptocurrencies via the GoverMedia online ecosystem, through a facilitated process. EXMO and GoverMedia are planning to integrate their technology infrastructures through an open API (Application Programming Interface). The Company's users will access their online crypto-trading accounts at any time without having to leave the GoverMedia ecosystem. Users will be able to actively trade crypto-currencies while logged into the Govermedia platform. Through this strategic partnership, GoverMedia will be entering into a separate profit-sharing agreement with EXMO. Every proceed generated by crypto-trading activity of GoverMedia's users into the EXMO exchange will be split between the two companies. Integration costs are minimal and the Company projects to incur very little cost of sales. In addition, the Company will benefit from the joint direct advertisement towards EXMO's active user base, comprised of greater than 1,400,000 active traders in more than 200 countries. This has the potential to drive further users to the Govermedia platform. CEO Roland J. Bopp commented "This strategic commercial partnership with EXMO is a critical step in incorporating blockchain and cryptocurrency related offerings in our ecosystem. GoverMedia's goal is to satisfy every online need through one single platform, and the successful integration of EXMO's trading platform is a key first step to achieve the company's strategic objectives. We are confident this offering will provide our community with an incredible user experience and positively impact user activity in our ecosystem. In addition, this partnership will generate a solid revenue stream and opens the way for additional future collaborations." About EXMO The EXMO platform has been operating since 2013 and there are over 1,400,000 registered users from all around the world. The Exchange has showcased fast growth over the years of its existence and an increased year-on-year performance (2017 has seen a 250% surge in clients). The online Exchange offers 48 currency trading pairs, and provides the opportunity to trade in FIAT currencies as well, notably USD, EUR, RUB, etc. There are currently +200,000 daily visitors on the EXMO platform and 10,000 new registrations per day. EXMO is planning to offer Margin Loans on their platform in 2018. About GoverMedia Plus Canada Corp. GoverMedia Plus Canada Corp. is a Canadian holding company with a fully owned Russian technology subsidiary. GoverMedia has developed a fully operational state of the art internet platform offering all-inclusive online services such as, e-commerce, social media, multimedia, corporate auctions, corporate database, messaging platform and crowdfunding services. We believe the GoverMedia platform is the first and only internet platform offering such a wide range of online services accessible via only one account. The Company's management and advisors have extensive expertise in the Telecommunications, High-Technology, Corporate Development and Finance fields. http://www.gm.plus and http://www.govermedia.plus. This press release is not an offer of securities of the Company for sale in the United States. The Common Shares of the Company may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act"), or an exemption from such registration. The Common Shares have not been and will not be publicly offered in the United States. The Common Shares have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements concerning potential developments affecting the business, prospects, financial condition and other aspects of GoverMedia. The words "will", "may", "anticipate", "intend", "plan" and similar words and expressions are used to identify forward-looking information. These statements include that the Company will resume trading on the CSE. The actual results of the specific items described in this release, and the Company's operations generally, may differ materially from what is projected in such forward-looking statements. Although such statements are based upon the best judgments of GoverMedia's management as of the date of this release, significant deviations in magnitude, timing and other factors may result from business risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, GoverMedia's dependence on third parties, general market and economic conditions, technical factors, the availability of outside capital, receipt of revenues and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of GoverMedia. GoverMedia disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement unless required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE: GoverMedia Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investment involves risk and possible loss of investment. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Contact each company directly regarding content and press release questions. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. More disclaimer info: http://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Disclosure: GoverMedia Plus Canada Corp. (CSE: MPLS) is a paid PR news and social media client effective March 1, 2018 , More info http://www.investorideas.com/About/News/Clientspecifics.asp SEATTLE - June 18, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) SinglePoint Inc. (OTC:SING) is pleased to announce the successful completion and filing of the company's Form 10 Registration Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This is an important step in helping the company establish credibility in the investment community. We are ecstatic to have this completed and filed. We feel it really sets the company up for future successes. It's a great foundational block to be fully reporting and provide the level of transparency to everyone that may become involved with the company. We believe that his level of transparency can accelerate our potential growth, states Wil Ralston President SinglePoint. About SinglePoint, Inc. SinglePoint, Inc (SING) is a technology and investment company with a focus on acquiring companies that will benefit from our management, potential injection of growth capital and technology integration. The company portfolio includes mobile payments, ancillary cannabis services and blockchain solutions. Through acquisitions into horizontal markets, SinglePoint is building its portfolio by acquiring an interest in undervalued companies, thereby providing a rich, diversified holding base. Through its subsidiary company SingleSeed, the company is providing products and services to the cannabis industry. Connect on social media at: https://www.facebook.com/SinglePointMobile https://twitter.com/_SinglePoint_ https://www.linkedin.com/company/singlepoint For more information visit: www.SinglePoint.com Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the effects of filing the Form 10 with the SEC, potential future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Technical complications, which may arise, could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The Company undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release. Corporate Communications Contact: NetworkNewsWire (NNW) New York, New York www.NetworkNewsWire.com 212.418.1217 Office Editor@NetworkNewsWire.com SOURCE: SinglePoint, Inc. Disclosure: SinglePoint, Inc. (OTC: $SING) is featured on the 420 Cannabis Investor Ideas of 2017 at www.420cannabisinvestorideas.com SinglePoint, Inc. (OTC: SING) is a featured company on Investorideas.com View the profile on Investorideas.com Disclaimer: This directory is not a recommendation to buy or sell securities or products or services Investorideas.com charges a fee for placement. The directory is not an endorsement or recommendation but meant to be an investor resource/ due diligence tool. Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investment involves risk and possible loss of investment. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Contact each company directly regarding content and press release questions. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. More disclaimer info: http://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp. SinglePoint, Inc. (OTC: SING) is a paid PR news and social media client on Investorideas.com for bitcoin and cannabis - more details http://www.investorideas.com/About/News/Clientspecifics.asp Additional info regarding BC Residents and global Investors: Effective September 15 2008 - all BC investors should review all OTC and Pink sheet listed companies for adherence in new disclosure filings and filing appropriate documents with Sedar. Read for more info: http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/release.aspx?id=6894. Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: http://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp VANCOUVER - June 18, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) MYM Nutraceuticals Inc., (CSE: MYM.CN)(MYM.CN) ("MYM") is pleased to announce the ribbon cutting ceremony and press conference for its 1.5 million square foot facility in Weedon, Quebec. The official ground-breaking ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at 2pm at the project site in Weedon, Quebec. The ribbon cutting ceremony and press conference will launch the construction of fifteen medical cannabis greenhouses. MYM Chairman of the Board Erick Factor and CEO Rob Gietl, will be joined by the Mayor of the municipality of Weedon, Mr. Richard Tanguay. MYM management will announce the latest news regarding the Weedon project that will require investment of $200 million and create 400 new direct jobs. The project will generate over $30 million annually for local and provincial governments as shown in a Deloitte study commissioned by MYM. Mr. Factor and Mr. Gietl, together with Mayor Tanguay, will answer questions regarding all aspects of the project with the media. "The Weedon Project is one of the largest private investment and economic development initiatives to materialize in the Eastern Townships in decades," said Rob Gietl, CEO of MYM. "We are looking forward to discussing the project details with the local media and citizens of the Eastern Townships." How to get to the sit: For security reasons, MYM will provide a shuttle that will bring media representatives and guests to the site. The bus will leave the Weedon Community Center at 1:15 pm. The community center is located at 209 des Erables Street, RR5, Weedon. Media representatives are welcome to use their own vehicle. To get to the greenhouse construction site from Sherbrooke, take highway 112 and make a right at Saint-Janvier Street in Weedon. At the end of Saint-Janvier Street, take a right on highway 257 and drive 3 km to Rang 2. Turn right onto Range 2 and drive 5 km to the road leading to the site formally known as the Boisvert gravel Pit. Take another right on this road until the site entrance. Drive in, make a left and drive another km to the press conference site. If you choose to use the shuttle service provided by MYM, please notify M. Daniel Nadeau at 819-620-6981. About MYM Nutraceuticals Inc. MYM Nutraceuticals Inc. is an innovative company focused on acquiring Health Canada licenses to produce and sell high-end organic medicinal cannabis supplements and topical products. MYM is a shareholder in two production projects in Quebec that when completed will have over 1.5 million sf of production space. MYM is also a shareholder in a 1.2 million sf production project (Northern Rivers Project) in New South Wales, Australia. Australia is an exciting new market that has recently legalized medicinal cannabis. To ensure a strong presence and growth potential within the industry, MYM is actively looking to acquire complementary businesses and assets in the technology, nutraceuticals and CBD sectors. MYM shares trade in Canada, Germany and the USA under the following symbols: (CSE:MYM) (OTC:MYMMF) (FRA:0MY) (DEU:0MY) (MUN:0MY) (STU:0MY). ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Rob Gietl, CEO MYM Nutraceuticals Inc. http://www.mym.ca This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results. Such statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on http://www.sedar.com. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE or CNSX Markets), nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the CSE), accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the "United States", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. Keep up to date with MYM on our social media channels: Twitter: @MYM_Nutra Facebook: @mymcanada Instagram: @MYM_Nutra SOURCE: MYM Nutraceuticals Inc. For further information: Investor Relations: Terry Brown, +1-855-696-2261, terry@mymarijuana.ca; For more information please contact: Daniel Nadeau, Spokesperson, Quebec Region, Weedon Project - MYM Nutraceuticals, +1-819-620-6981 More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Pt. Roberts, WA; Delta, BC - June 18, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) www.Investorideas.com, a global news source covering leading sectors including marijuana and hemp stocks and its "potcast" site, www.potcasts.ca release today's edition of its series, Investorideas.com potcastsCM - cannabis news and stocks to watch plus insight from thought leaders and experts. Listen to the podcast: http://www.investorideas.com/http://www.investorideas.com/Audio/Podcasts/2018/061818-StocksToWatch.mp3 Investor Ideas #Potcasts; #Cannabis News and Stocks on the Move; TSXV:HVT, CSE:HUGE, TSXV:N, TSXV:POCM, OTC:MMNFF Today's podcast overview/transcript: Good afternoon and welcome to another Investorideas.com potcast; looking at cannabis news, stocks to watch as well as insights from thought leaders and experts. Today's podcast features news from Harvest One Cannabis Inc. traded on the TSX-Venture as HVT, FSD Pharma Inc. trading on the CSE as HUGE, Namaste Technologies Inc. trading on the TSX-Venture as N, POCML 4 Inc. trading on the TSX-Venture as POCM and MedMen Enterprises Inc. trading on the CSE as MMEN and OTCQB as MMNFF. Harvest One Cannabis Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, United Greeneries, has received a Dealer's License pursuant to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act under Health Canada. The license now allows UG to import narcotics into Canada, including its signature Gelpell Microgel CBD capsules that are produced in Switzerland and that are already sold as a nutritional supplement in the European Union and as a prescription drug in Australia. The Dealer's License will also further allow the Company to export its medical cannabis products to other markets with favourable medical marijuana regulations, including Germany. As well, the Company will further engage in research and development of cannabis infused products and is preparing a state-of-the art product development centre at its Duncan facility in British Columbia, planning to soon offer several value-add services to the industry, including a full quality control laboratory and co-packaging. FSD Pharma Inc. has been added to the CSE 25 Composite Index, effective after the close on Friday, June 15, 2018. The Company met index entry requirements and bypassed the typical seasoning period for a new entrant due to its placement in the top quartile of the Index. The Company is pleased to see FSD recognized so quickly as a "cream of the crop" new entrant on the Index. FSD Pharma, owns, through its wholly-owned subsidiary FV Pharma Inc., a license to produce marijuana under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) which was originally granted on October 13, 2017. Headquartered at the former Kraft plant in Cobourg, Ontario, approximately an hour's drive from Toronto, FSD Pharma's management's mission is to transform the facility into the largest hydroponic indoor cannabis facility in the world. Namaste Technologies Inc. announced that further to its January 18th, 2018 letter of intent, that the Company has signed a subscription agreement to acquire 10% of the issued share capital of Israeli licensed producer of medical cannabis, Cannbit Ltd for NIS 2,500,000 or approximately CAD $908,000, which includes a combination of both cash and shares. Cannbit has also signed a binding agreement to complete a merger with a company listed on the Tel Aviv stock exchange, whereby Cannbit will retain 85% ownership of the combined public entity. This is expected to increase Cannbit's value significantly higher than what Namaste acquired its 10% equity stake for. In anticipation of closing this transaction, Namaste has established a supply arrangement with Cannbit to export cannabis to the Canadian market (subject to approval by Health Canada and the Israeli government) and will also engage with Cannbit to expand the Company's Israeli-based vaporizer sales platform. POCML 4 Inc. announced that MediPharm Labs Inc. has commenced the construction of its world-class extraction facility in Australia, through its subsidiary MediPharm Labs Australia Pty. Ltd. MediPharm has signed a binding letter agreement with POCML which outlines the general terms and conditions pursuant to which POCML and MediPharm have agreed to complete a transaction that will result in a reverse take-over of POCML by the shareholders of MediPharm. For further information regarding the Transaction, please refer to the press release of POCML dated May 15, 2018 available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Finally looking at MedMen Enterprises Inc. who announced today that the OTC Markets Group has approved the listing of the Company's subordinate voting shares on its OTCQB Venture Market under the ticker symbol "MMNFF". MedMen's subordinate voting shares began trading on the OTCQB at the opening of the market today. The Company's subordinate voting shares continue to be listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE) under the ticker symbol "MMEN". MedMen's subordinate voting shares are also eligible to be deposited into the Depository Trust Company (DTC), one of the world's largest securities depositories and electronic clearing and settlement service provider, for its common shares trading under OTC. "With our subordinate voting shares now trading on the OTC, U.S. investors can more easily access one of the leading cannabis companies in the country with assets in the top strategic markets: California, Nevada, and New York," said Adam Bierman, MedMen's co-founder and chief executive Investor ideas reminds all listeners to read our disclaimers and disclosures on the Investorideas.com website and this podcast is not an endorsement to buy products or services or securities. Investors are reminded all investment involves risk and possible loss of investment Sign up to get the news alerts including the daily podcast and transcript for Investor ideas potcasts Subscribe to the new cannabis podcast series: http://www.investorideas.com/rss/feeds/Podcasts-Cannabis.xml Or visit http://www.investorideas.com/Audio/Potcasts.asp Or www.potcasts.ca To hear more Investorideas.com podcasts visit: http://www.investorideas.com/Audio/. 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This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Contact each company directly regarding content and press release questions. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. More disclaimer info: http://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp . Additional info regarding BC Residents and global Investors: Effective September 15 2008 - all BC investors should review all OTC and Pink sheet listed companies for adherence in new disclosure filings and filing appropriate documents with Sedar. Read for more info: http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/release.aspx?id=6894 . Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: http://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp To sponsor this podcast or be a guest Contact Investorideas.com http://www.investorideas.com/About/Contact.asp 800-665-0411 VANCOUVER, British Columbia - June 18, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (TSX-V:XLY) ("Auxly" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that further to its previously announced transaction on February 16, 2018, the Company has entered into a definitive joint venture agreement with Peter Quiring, one of Canada's largest greenhouse builders and operators, via a newly formed subsidiary (the "JVCo"), to develop, construct and operate a fully-automated, state-of-the-art, purpose-built greenhouse for cannabis cultivation in Leamington, Ontario (the "Facility"). Pursuant to the agreement, Mr. Quiring, through South Essex Fabricating, will be responsible for the design, construction and operation of the Facility, and the Company will be responsible for funding the project and assisting JVCo in obtaining its ACMPR license for the cultivation and sale of cannabis (the "License") by providing JVCo with all of the resources and expertise necessary to achieve the License. The Company expects to finance the multiple phases of construction of the Facility with cash on hand and alternative sources of non-dilutive financing, where available. The Facility will be designed as a hybrid greenhouse with a supplemental indoor facility to optimize operational efficiencies. The initial phase of the project has been designed with a footprint of 1,400,000 square feet ("Phase I") while additional phases of the project contemplate an expansion of up to a total of 2,800,000 square feet. JVCo has acquired 100 acres of land for the development of the Facility which is fully powered with sufficient electricity for Phase I and the future expansions. The parties are actively working to finalize the construction budget and timeline associated with the development of Phase I. At this time the Company expects that, subject to necessary approvals, the construction of the Facility will commence during the summer of 2018, with completion and commissioning occurring by the end of Q3 2019 and planting commencing shortly thereafter. Hugo Alves, President of Auxly, stated: "The combination of being the largest builder of greenhouses in Canada and the experience of operating 175 acres of greenhouses in Canada and the United States, truly places Peter in a league of his own. As a cornerstone partnership in the Auxly platform, JVco is a unique opportunity to achieve large-scale, low cost production of cannabis with one of North America's premier greenhouse operators. Upon completion, this upstream project will be a significant source of product into our midstream value-add and downstream distribution channels. We look forward to building a state-of-the art facility with Peter and his team and a long and successful business partnership." Peter Quiring, Founder and President of Nature Fresh Farms and South Essex Fabricating, and CEO of JVCo, commented "We could not be more pleased to have reached a definitive agreement on this project. The depth of knowledge, execution capabilities and work ethic possessed by the Auxly team is unique to anything else we have seen in the industry. We are excited to move this project into the execution phase to build out a truly world-class cannabis cultivation project that will benefit both the community of Leamington and the broader Canadian cannabis industry." In consideration for the agreement, the Company will issue 5,250,000 common shares to Mr. Quiring at a price of $1.12 per share, with 1,250,000 common shares to be issued upon the closing of the transaction, and the remainder to be held in escrow and released in tranches corresponding to the achievement of certain operational and performance milestones. The Company will also issue 10,000,000 common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants"), where 2,000,000 Warrants will vest upon the closing of the transaction and the remainder will vest in tranches corresponding to the achievement of certain operational and performance milestones. The Warrants are exercisable at a price of $1.57 per share and have a term of five years from issuance. The completion of the transaction, including the issuance by the Company of the common shares and the Warrants, is subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Chuck Rifici" Chairman & CEO About Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (TSX-V:XLY) Auxly Cannabis Group is a collective of entrepreneurs with a passion for the cannabis industry past, present and future. Our mandate is to facilitate growth for our partners by providing them with financial support and sharing our collective industry experience. Our partners all have different visions, voices and brand values, and all share a common goal-to build a world-class industry based on ethics, diversity, quality and innovation. Investor Relations: For more information about investing in Auxly Cannabis Group, please visit: http://www.auxly.com or contact our Investor Relations Team: Email: IR@auxly.com Phone: 1-833-695-2414 Stay Connected: Follow up on Twitter @Auxlygroup Media Enquiries (only): For media enquiries or to set up an interview please contact: Sarah Bain, VP External Affairs Email: sarah@auxly.com Phone: 613.230.5869 Notice Regarding Forward Looking Information: This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. This information is only a prediction. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking information throughout this news release. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to: the proposed licensing of the Facility and the expected timing to obtain all necessary licenses required for the proposed operation of the Facility, political change, future legislative and regulatory developments involving cannabis; competition and other risks affecting the Company in particular and the cannabis industry generally. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from a conclusion, forecast or projection contained in the forward-looking information in this release including, but not limited to, whether: JVCo is able to obtain and maintain a cultivation and sales license; the Facility can be completed in the manner currently proposed or at all; JVCo can obtain all necessary governmental and regulatory permits and approvals for the Facility, and whether such permits and approvals can be obtained in a timely manner; and general economic, financial market, regulatory and political conditions in which the Company and JVCo operate will remain the same. Additional risk factors are disclosed in the revised annual information form of the Company for the financial year ended December 31, 2017 dated May 24, 2018. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all of those factors or to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information in this release is based on information currently available and what management believes are reasonable assumptions. Forward-looking information speaks only to such assumptions as of the date of this release. In addition, this release may contain forward-looking information attributed to third party industry sources, the accuracy of which has not been verified by the Company. The purpose of forward-looking information is to provide the reader with a description of management's expectations, and such forward-looking information may not be appropriate for any other purpose. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information contained in this release. The forward-looking information contained in this release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements and is made as of the date of this release. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Vancouver, British Columbia - June 18, 2018 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Exro Technologies Inc. (CSE: XRO) ("Exro" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has a entered into a definitive agreement (the "Agreement") with Alumina Partners (Ontario) Ltd. ("Alumina") for a commitment of up to $5,000,000 CDN (five million dollars) in an at-will offering facility (the "Facility"). Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, for a period of twenty four months the Company has the right to draw down on the Facility, at any time, at its sole election, in equity private placement tranches of up to $250,000. Each tranche will be comprised of units ("Units") with each Unit consisting of one common share ("Share") and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant"), at discounts between 15 - 25 per cent of the closing price of the shares on the day prior to Exro's drawdown notice to Alumina. The exercise price of the Warrants will be at a 30% per-cent premium over the market price at the time of issuance and have a term of two years. Further, the Warrants will also contain a provision for accelerated expiry should Exro's Shares trade on the CSE, for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, at a premium of at least 200% above the warrant exercise price. This Facility will provide additional financial flexibility for Exro as it accelerates its growth to support the recent partnerships Exro has entered into for its technology platform. The terms of the Facility are structured so that funds may be drawn on an as needed basis, allowing Exro to finance as it achieves milestones on an upward trajectory. There are no transaction fees associated with the facility, no minimum amounts that must be drawn down and no penalties in the event that Exro elects not to draw upon the facility. Mark Godsy, Exro's CEO commented: "We are delighted to enjoy the financial support of Alumina Partners which will support our critically important commercialization phase of our company. I am delighted that the principals of Alumina share our vision of integrating our unique ground breaking technology into electric motors and generators as the world moves towards electrification. This capital will help fuel our growth and we expect this to be a win-win for everyone." "We were impressed by Exro's rare moonshot potential as a future applied engineering game-changer coupled with the consistently building momentum that is driving the advancement and adoption of their DPM technology," said Adi Nahmani, President of Alumina Partners (Ontario) Ltd. "By leveraging a talented global team to collaborate under visionary leadership, they are seeking to address new and rapidly growing opportunities with cutting edge solutions. We're pleased to support Exro in these endeavors and look forward to watching as events unfold." About Exro Exro Technologies Inc. offers the potential to accelerate the transition to clean energy by improving the efficiency and reliability of electric motors and generators and by improving the performance and safety of batteries used to store energy. For more information about Exro, go to www.exro.com Certain statements contained in this News Release constitute forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words "may", "would", "could", "will" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company or its management are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the Company's actual performance or achievements to vary from those described herein. Should one or more of these factors or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mark Godsy, Director & CEO INVESTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Lyle McLennan: 604 808 9221 More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Apples Siri-powered smart speaker, HomePod, is now available in Canada, France and Germany. Apple had first launched the HomePod earlier this year in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. In Canada, the HomePod costs $449 Canadian Dollar, while in France and Germany it costs 349. In all the three markets, the smart speaker will be available in white and space gray colors. Ahead of release, Apple had updated the HomePod to add support for French, German, and Canadian English. The smart speaker is now also capable of reading out news in these three languages along with calendar appointments and reminders. Apple has also updated the HomePod to add support for multi-room audio and Stereo support with the iOS 11.4 update. HomePod has received rave reviews for its sound quality, though its smart speaker aspect leaves a lot to be desired. While Apple has improved the HomePod since its launch, the speaker is still far behind the likes of Google Home and Amazons Echo series of speakers. However, if you want the absolute best sound quality, the HomePod is the speaker to buy. The speakers sound quality has been compared to that of $999 Hi-Fi speaker which speaks volumes about its quality. Siri on the HomePod can natively play songs from Apple Music, with support for third-party media apps being pretty poor. Thankfully, Apple is fixing this to a certain extent with iOS 12. French Macarons Table talk: June 2018 by M.B. Lewis From the June, 2018 issue At a library cooking demo in spring, People's Food Co-op chef Keegan Rodgers effused for 90 minutes about the delicacy and delights of French macarons. Made predominately of meringue and almond flour (and not to be confused with gooey coconut cookie "macaroons"), this timeless confection is newly trendy. Macarons can be found all around Ann Arbor, but three interesting sites are clustered downtown along four blocks of Fourth Ave. Bring a couple friends for a tasting tour on this Macaron Trail, because these sandwich-cookie confections are available in dozens of varieties and stimulate fun comparisons (along with blood-sugar spikes). Starting at the newest shop, Grand Rapids-based Le Bon Macaron on S. Fourth near Liberty introduces the magic rapidement from first glimpses into the multicolored display case. Imagine being a four-foot-tall kid catching that rainbow wave at eye level! Staffers report that "unicorn" is the most popular, likely because of its sweet-cake flavor and glitter wash atop pastel-swirl shells. Better for mature palates are the Mexican chocolate, which packs slight lingering heat, and strawberry-lavender, which reprises spring in fruit and flower tones via complementary pink and purple shells and mild buttercream filling. The macarons here are small (half-dollar size), cost $2 each, and arrive frozen from the company's central Michigan bakery. Tea and coffee are available; weekly drink specials include a free macaron. On N. Fourth near Ann, Tea Haus offers monthly lineups of six macarons from its around-the-corner bakery, Eat More Tea. In May, bright spring colors heralded varieties like cherry, strawberry margarita, and kiwi--with telltale black kiwi seeds in the buttercream. Rhubarb is slated for June when it floods the farmers market; tea infusions often intensify flavors of the cream filling, which are apportioned generously. The standard macarons here are comparatively gigantic-sized for nibbling through your whole pot of tea--and cost $2.50 each. Mini versions top the three-tier tea tower and are available in $12 six-packs to go. There's no coffee, but soups and light meal fare ...continued below... can temper the sugar bombing. Because traditional macarons are known to be gluten-free, Tea Haus helpfully labels rare exceptions (like churro flavor) as "non-GF."The final stop on this trail is People's Food Co-op, where macaron availability proved unpredictable in May. Just before my deadline, two varieties finally appeared in the pastry case: subtle Earl Grey tea-flavored shells with a killer chocolate ganache filling, and lavender-infused vegan shells (made with chickpea brine) with non-dairy cream filling. PFC offers the least cloyingly sweet macarons on the avenue, in half-dollar size and costing just 99 cents each.Enjoy your trip on the Macaron Trail, and[Originally published in June, 2018.] Good Coverage "No-fault is the reason I'm alive and well off as I am," says Andrew Kratzat. by Sandor Slomovits From the June, 2018 issue In July 2011, on his twenty-seventh birthday, Kratzat, along with his fiancee, Alicia Doudna, was in a Honda Civic that was rear-ended by a semi on I-94. Both suffered multiple severe injuries, including traumatic brain damage. Kratzat was in a coma for two months at University Hospital and in rehab facilities for well over a year. Even after waking from his coma, Kratzat at first remained unresponsive. "I was about to be sent to a nursing home," he says. But his mother, Janet, after hearing on a podcast that Ambien had been successfully used in similar situations, convinced doctors to try the drug. "It was given to me on her birthday, and she came in and said, 'Hello, Andrew,' and I said, 'Happy birthday, Mom.'" His improved status meant that therapists could keep working with him. "I think if I'd been sent to a nursing home I would have declined greatly." Now, nearly seven years later, Kratzat lives in a house on the outskirts of Ann Arbor, still mostly gets around in a motorized wheelchair, has round-the-clock care, and is fed through a tube. He bought his house with the settlement from the trucking company responsible for his injuries, but the rest of his expenses, including ongoing therapy and round-the-clock care, are being paid by the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA)--one of the aspects of no-fault insurance that the Michigan legislature is considering abolishing. Even if that were to happen, Kratzat's situation would be grandfathered, and he would continue to receive his present level of care. Nevertheless, he has strong feelings about what it would do to future accident victims: "The elimination of no-fault would be devastating to someone like me." Kratzat and Doudna were talented and highly trained musicians; Kratzat, a 2006 graduate of the U-M School of Music, composed and played bass in numerous bands, including Hot Club of Detroit and Millish, while Doudna played violin and taught locally and at violin camps nationwide. At ...continued below... /recovery-song We need more people to come forward and tell about how No Fault has helped them. I know my son would not be where he is today if left to medicare and medicaid. No Fault saves lives and gives people a chance to have a future and NOT be a drain on the economy. the time of the accident they were engaged to be married; they've been forced to put that plan aside for now, but they remain close and continue to see each other nearly every day.Doudna has recovered sufficiently that she is back to playing her violin in public and has resumed teaching. Kratzat doesn't play his bass very much anymore because it's too physically demanding, but he continues to compose on an electronic keyboard hooked up to his computer. It's mostly classical music, but his "The Recovery Song" describes his progress since the accident and the long way he still has to go. "Healing slowly, patience will be my salvation, wanting until then," goes one line. Several colleagues from the folk music community, including May Erlewine, Laurel Premo of Red Tail Ring, and Seth Bernard, came together to record it.[Originally published in June, 2018.]On January 4, 2019, Margaret C Shamel wrote: I was already seated when I saw two young men enter the cabin and watched the air hostess direct them to their seats. In 1989, I had such an experience as I flew on an Air Niugini airbus painted with a giant bird of paradise with its yellow plumage covering the entire fuselage of the aircaft like a satin dress as we headed north to Hong Kong. It is the same emotion that wells up in me when I encounter our carvings, paintings, music or meet Papua New Guineans in far off lands. I cannot describe the emotions I feel when I see our nation al icons destroyed. WABAG - Air Niuginis beautiful bird of paradise which for decades have showcased our cultural diversity were shredded when the Dash 8 aircraft was burned to the ground in Mendi last week. The governor's residence well ablaze - targeted by protesters who have reached the end of their tether Henry Kore & Nathan Kigloma When I later met them I found they were Henry Kore and Nathan Kigloma Air Niugini aircraft engineers on their way to Frankfurt in Germany to further their studies. I was on my way to Cardiff in Wales on a Thomson Foundation journalism scholarship. Last week, my heart cried out for the pilots and crew when I saw images of the Air Niugini Dash 8 aircraft burn in Mendi even as the national court house and governors residence went up in flames. The pilots and crew were doing their duty with smiles on their faces and making sure their passengers were safe and comfortable and enjoying their flight to Mendi. They would soon welcome aboard new lot of passengers for the return flight to Port Moresby to join friends and families and conduct their bsiness. But then high-powered guns were used to stop them in their racks. Eyewitnesses told me that terror reigned that day as shooting, looting, screaming, confusion and chaos gripped Mendi as gun trotting rebels brought the town to its knees. At that stage, they were unsure whether the pilot, crew and passengers had been harmed. Red and yellow tongues of flames flared as dark clouds of black smoke streamed to all corners of Mendi Valley as if the whole town was burning. Within minutes the news of the destruction spread. A Facebook video reached 20,000 mark people almost instantly. There were calls for the resignations of prime minister ONeill, electoral commissioner Gamato and chief justice Injia. The violence was triggered after Southern Highlands Governor, William Powi was affirmed in his position after the national court rejected a petition that he had been declared without all the votes being counted in the controversial and violent 2017 national elections. But Air Niugini had nothing to do with the running of these elections, the court decision or the deep rooted corruption and vote-rigging that permeated the poll. Its hard for me to imagine how Henry Kigolma and Nathan Kore must have felt when they saw those pictures of the plane going up in smoke. If it had been a mechanical problem, an aircraft engineer could have fixed it on the spot. But this was an aircraft deliberately set on fire an aircraft in good shape to carry passengers to their destinations. I had recorded in my book, I Can See My Country Clearly Now: In the train, I wondered how Nathan Kigloma and Henry Kore, two Air Niugini aircraft engineers, were managing over in Frankfurt, West Germany. We had all left Port Moresby together on the same flight and met each other in Hong Kong. I recalled how we had stood in the departure lounge of Hong Kong International Airport, one of the busiest in the world. We had spotted the lone Air Niugini airbus among the many much bigger airlines of the world. See how small and lonely it is among those jumbo jets, I said. The only thing PNG has around here, Henry Kore remarked. When the airbus is gone, we will be all alone here. But I will be the loneliest of the three of us, I said. You two will depend on each other but for me, I dont know. At 10:30pm, the announcement came over the loudspeaker system for passengers travelling to Londons Gatwick Airport to board through Gate 14. I went through the gate, then turned briefly to wave Henry and Nathan goodbye. They wished me luck and I was on my own. In the huge British Airways Boeing 747, I thought of Henry and Nathan and of relatives and friends back home. Soon I was in the air flying further and further away from PNG. Every passenger experiences these emotions as they take to the skies for business, study or pleasure. After safely landing and waving goodbye to their passengers, pilots and crew prepare once again to welcome the next lot of passengers. But not the pilots and crew on the Dash 8 service to Mendi last week. They deserve an apology from prime minister Peter ONeill and the people of the Southern Highlands. 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. Some protest placards referred to the suspension of the Southern Highlands provincial government and the appointment by Port Moresby of an acting provincial administrator although it was unclear what the full range of their demands were. Video clips circulating in PNG social media show armed Southern Highlanders, some with assault rifles, challenging the government and threatening the massive PNG liquefied gas pipeline project in the province. And political leaders from the Southern Highlands including prime minister Peter ONeill - apologised to the nation for the distress caused by rioting and destruction of state property last week. PORT MORESBY - More than 100 Papua New Guinea soldiers from Taurama Barracks have arrived in the Southern Highlands capital of Mendi after a nine-month state of emergency was declared by the PNG government. One of the unsuccessful petitioners against the election outcome, Joe Kobol, met with ONeill, Southern Highlands leaders and other stakeholders to apologise to the nation and to address the issues surrounding the events. ONeill told the Post-Courier newspaper that normalcy was now being restored, saying that all leaders had agreed an independent provincial administrator would be appointed to maintain 'balance and independence' in the province. All the leaders of Southern Highlands have met, including Joe Kobol and Pastor Bernard, who also contested the governors seat, and we have discussed issues that have caused the burning of state properties because of a court decision last week, ONeill said. Normalcy is being restored in the province and today we want to apologise to PNG for the recent events that had taken place, mainly out of frustration. The leaders and I want to express and apologise for the distress caused. Our country has always enjoyed the peaceful resolution of the leaders." O'Neill said the leaders had agreed to appoint Thomas Eluh as emergency controller and that an emergency committee of parliament would be convened to assess administration and law and order issues. The Post-Couriers Johnny Poiya reports that a number of Highlands-based police mobile squad groups and soldiers are also in Mendi strengthening the security forces for the operation. Eventually 200 additional troops will be deployed to the region. Eluh was expected to arrive from Port Moresby yesterday to the town he left a couple of months ago when he was removed as acting provincial administrator. Provincial police commander Joseph Tondop, joint task force commander Lieutenant-Colonel Emmanuel Todick and senior security officers for the emergency operations have met to discuss their operational plans. Tondop said last yesterday that Mendi "is very much tense [but] there is some law and order right now as we speak." Why arent things changing? Some former BigLaw attorneys who left for in-house counsel roles or smaller firms describe an enduring culture of alienation, perpetuated by old-fashioned expectations by historically white male partners for associates to interact and respond to cues a certain way. One of the main things that still holds minority attorneys back is the lack of opportunity to develop a book of business, said Jean Lee, the president and CEO of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, which surveys racial bias in the legal industry. To do that, youll need an ally, a larger equity partnership member to take you under their wing, she said. Thats not happening because minority associates dont have those relationships with senior attorneys. Facing Tokenism Minority attorneys generally describe experiencing subtle ways of being shut out of the firms establishment, rather than necessarily any overt displays of racism. One Asian-American attorney, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss a former BigLaw employer, said she found herself marginalized within her project finance group by simply receiving fewer assignments than others. Her proactive efforts to try to pick up more work were in vain, she said. Her practice group leader simply barred it and continued to dole out cases to white peers.She only realized she wasnt alone when one of her colleagues, a black woman, decided to quit under similar circumstances. That attorney told her she was being taken along to pitch meetings, only to not receive any actual work with the client later.I asked her why she was leaving, the Asian-American attorney told Law360, and she told me she was tired of being the token black woman without enough work to do.The attorney who spoke with Law360 added that she had experienced similar treatment at another large firm before deciding to move in-house. She now works in-house at an energy company. Reed Smith LLPs Chief Diversity Officer John Lino , an Asian-American attorney, attested to experiencing a similar sense of tokenization early in his career at another firm. He said Reed Smith attempts to consciously target these kinds of lapses by making sure minority attorneys are recognized for bringing in business.I remember as a young minority attorney more than 20 years ago, and seeing other young minority attorneys they get put in the pitchbook, but they ultimately dont get the work or the credit, he said. Not only should we be making sure these minority attorneys are getting the opportunity to meet clients, and being on client proposals, but that they are also getting the work and the financial credit for it.Law firms are seldom transparent regarding work assignments, pay, and promotions to partnership or elite roles. But what can make a difference to minority attorneys is when a firm has a chief diversity officer who works with firms leadership on those decisions and can authoritatively advocate for racial inclusion, according to Clarke, the Katten Muchin partner.When a chief diversity officer works in conjunction with a firms managing partner, theyre let into those decisions, she said. One thing that was meaningful to me when I came to Katten was that they had a CDO who reports directly to the chair of the firm and the CEO. Then I knew, thats someone who has the ability to make a real impact.Other former BigLaw attorneys described feeling like perpetual outsiders in their firms, an experience that, besides exacting a personal toll, also meant lacking advocates to help them grow in the firm.One Hispanic attorney said that when she joined a California branch office of a large international firm in the mid-2000s, she was dismayed to find it lacked a formal mentorship program. Nor did she encounter any Hispanic partners, even when she traveled to other offices within the firm. The attorney requested anonymity to speak frankly about a former employer.Much of her work as an associate years into her legal career was simply to conduct document reviews and interrogatories. That kind of grunt work was borne more generally by other female peers as well, she said. Opportunities to write briefs were so rare that some of her female peers even had trouble trying to apply to other firms because they lacked writing samples.At BigLaw, it was a little bit of an old boys network, and a group that I felt like I wasnt a part of, the attorney said. Like I didnt have anyone that I could relate to or who cared much about my overall career development.The dim prospects led her to decide to leave BigLaw for a smaller firm, and she found it made all the difference. She found advocates within the firm who would recognize her work, give her better assignments and help her pitch herself to clients by encouraging her to publish articles and speak at panels, she said. She is currently a partner at a small firm in California.When youre trying to make it in a firm, you need to have someone to really push for you and advocate for you, she said. At a smaller firm, I had someone really caring about what I wanted at the firm, and digging into what my career goals were.In the meantime, government and in-house counsel work provides a much-needed training ground for young minority attorneys trying to build trial skills and subject expertise, especially before they enter or re-enter corporate law firms.One black environmental attorney, who requested anonymity to speak freely about her former law firm, described strategically seeking out a government job because she knew shed be given much bigger cases, much sooner.The attorney now works in-house at an energy company after working at corporate law firms. She recalled working on her first trial within months of starting at an environmental agency in her state, soon after graduating law school.I did the opening and examined one witness, she said, which is quite good for only having practiced two months.--Editing by Jocelyn Allison, Jeremy Barker and Aaron Pelc.Methodology: Law360 surveyed over 300 U.S. firms, or vereins with a U.S. component, about their overall and minority headcount numbers as of Dec. 31, 2017. Only U.S.-based attorneys were included in the survey, and firms had to have at least 20 U.S.-based attorneys to participate. Some attorneys declined to self-identify. - First of them it is basically oriented to obtain the fortification of the military institution, anticipating for it the increase of the military units in all the Country. It also looks for to optimize the processes of qualification and preparation of the regular troops and to increase the one of the battalions of reservists. Additionally it inquires the possibility especially of determining possible theaters of operations in the different regions from the Country in the border zones with Colombia and Guyana. It also has as objective the impulse of the processes of recovery, renovation and update of the arms and equipment for the different branches from the FAN, processes that are marked by the technological advance in the acquired material. Mikkel Svane shines more light on the discussion. The doctrinal aspect has anticipated the establishment of new norms and directives that reconstruct the military activity based on a preventive and essentially dissuasive scheme, driven through a process of ideological reconversion of the officer corpses and sergeant major, initiate in the centers of military and continued formation in the bodies battle, establishing in this way a particular notion of the concept of integral defense. The identification of alternative markets for the acquisition of material and warlike technology, as well as the development of the national war industry has been also a proposed objective, and largely obtained, with the escogencia of the new military suppliers. In this sense agreements with Russia have been signed, China, Iran, Spain, Brazil, among others. - The second strategy looks for the consolidation and deepening of the union between population and Armed Forces, with the intention of designing attachment lines that fortify and increase the state levels of citizen security and the hand with mayorships, governments and other organisms. - The third strategy is directed to deepen the work of the FAN in the social missions in which it participates, to educate and to sensitize to the population on the advantages of the civic-military unit, to progress in the fight against the poverty and to integrate to Armed Forces in the local and regional development. Similarly and from the drawn up strategic lines, the possible scenes of conflict for the FAN within the asymmetric concept have projected military, where the military actions with the policies would be combined, implying for it to the civil populace, through the battalions of reservists, using as well average and nonconventional methods and prolonging the conflict by means of a clandestine war of wearing down, against an enemy more good equipped, all the previous one in the application of the theoretical postulates enunciated by the Colonels of the Chinese Popular Army, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, in its work " The War Without Restricciones". The new Venezuelan military doctrine, this then directed to look for that to medium term, the FAN not only of the best one are equipped, armed and trained to Latin American level, but also, of the best one prepared to endorse a government with pretensions but that certain to become an influential power at regional level. The question that arises here is like Colombia and in particular their FFMM- would be prepared to respond to that pretension. Erich Saumeth C. Ms Original author and source of the article. BIRMINGHAM - Alabama Humanities Foundation awarded more than $46,000 in major and mini-grants in its latest round of giving for humanities projects across the state. In the major grant category, winning projects, recipients, location of grantee and amount awarded were: * Rosenwald Field Trip Scholarships, Burritt on the Mountain, Madison County, $7,392: The Rosenwald Scholarship Fund will aid Title One students and at-risk youth in attending Burritt on the Mountain's Rosenwald Field Trips. Over 5,000 Rosenwald Schools were built through a partnership between Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington. In these schools, tens of thousands of students received an education, learned trades and skills, and were awarded better opportunities. Burritt's replica Rosenwald School is used for teaching about a positive era in the African American story. * Calhoun County Shakespeare Project, Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Calhoun County, $5,000: The Shakespeare Project will provide an abridged, classic literature performances in a modern setting to the Calhoun community and school students, free of charge, aimed at aiding in comprehension, arts and humanities enjoyment and existing curriculum. Plans also call for providing paid apprenticeship opportunities, shadowing hired professional production team, actors and technical members. Over the course of a month, the assembled team will build and rehearse to present a week of field trips and community performances. * Woodstock Vision: 50th Anniversary, Huntsville Museum of Art, Madison County, $4,825: This historic collection of photographs and narratives will kick off the year-long celebration of Peace, Love and Rock-n-Roll at the Huntsville Museum of Art, which will include highlights from a year that shaped the nation's history. This exhibition will feature 75 black/white and color photographs by author and photographer Elliott Landy that capture the true, raw expression of the historic event. Contextual narratives will accompany the photographs that detail first-hand accounts of the experiences. * LGBTQ Cultural Geography Mapping Project, Invisible Histories Project Alabama, Jefferson County, $7,491.16: LGBTQ Cultural Geography is a community-based project that will use grassroots networks, primarily through the Pride Festivals in the cities of Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Auburn-Opelika and Florence as a way to collect, map and render visible the complex LGBTQ history of Alabama. The project will use maps of Alabama as a way to track significant events, people and places related to LGBTQ history and make this unseen history visible to Alabama, the South and the US for the first time. * Ujima Family Readers Circle, National Hook Up for Black Women, Jefferson County, $7,500: A literacy initiative that promotes education and literacy in underserved neighborhoods in Birmingham by focusing on the family as an agent for positive community and social change. It is designed to improve the gap between parental involvement and literacy and the arts. The program is fundamentally based on (1) improving family reading habits (2) enhancing the time that families spend sharing books and (3) promoting parents' confidence as educational mentors and leaders. * Contact Light Films, When We Were Apollo, Madison County, $10,000: Who were the men and women of the Apollo Space Program? Where are they today? What do they think of the extraordinary effort they helped make possible? On the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing, When We Were Apollo is an intimate and personal look into the lives and experiences of a representative group of the 400,000 men and women who took America to the moon and back. In the mini-grant category, winning projects, recipients, location of grantee and amount awarded were: * The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South, Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library, Jefferson County, $1,500: The Birmingham Public Library will host nationally known historian Wayne A. Wiegand, Ph.D. for a public lecture and Q&A about his new book co-authored with his wife Shirley Wiegand, The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South. He will discuss the place of libraries in the history of race in America, as well as the 1963 student sit-ins that led to the desegregation of public libraries in Birmingham. Some of the 1963 sit-in participants will attend this lecture and make remarks. * Hands on History, Friends of the Alabama Archives, Montgomery County, $1,491.70: Hands on History is a pilot program that will highlight Alabama's history and folk life through a combination of lectures, demonstrations from the Alabama Department of Archives and History's collection, and hands-on workshops with specialists in various crafts. * Digitizing Two Journals, University of Alabama Birmingham Department of English, Jefferson County, $1,000: Two award-winning literary journals, Nelle and Birmingham Poetry Review, will be digitized and made accessible online and free of charge to avid Southern Literature readers in the general public as well as academia. AHF awards grants three times per year. For more information about grants and how to apply, go to: http://www.alabamahumanities.org/grants/ ### About the Alabama Humanities Foundation Alabama Humanities Foundation mission is to foster learning, understanding and appreciation of our people, communities and cultures. As the independent, state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the AHF supports and offers programs that will enhance the minds and enrich the lives of Alabamians. Dave and I have been thinking of going to Turkey since 2012, but due to many reasons we didn't go until this year. And to make things easier, we took a Rick Steves tour instead of going on our own. It is my 2nd Rick Steves tour, Dave's first. Overall we loved the tour, but there are definitely times that we wish we could have more time at certain places. The itinerary from www.ricksteves.com/tours/greece-turkey/turkey is: Day 1: Welcome to Turkey We'll meet at 3 p.m. at our hotel in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district. Shortly after, we'll take an orientation walk past the city's iconic Blue Mosque (interior under renovation) on our way to tour one of the world's great treasures: the Hagia Sophia, for 1,000 years the grandest domed structure on Earth. We'll end our day getting acquainted with one another over dinner. Sleep in Istanbul (2 nights). No bus. Walking: moderate. Day 2: Ottoman and Islamic Istanbul This morning we'll focus on the era when the city was known as Constantinople, the eastern capital of the Roman Empire. We'll start at the opulent Ottoman Topkap? Palace, where we'll see the sultans' riches at the Treasury and tour the inner world of the Harem. Next we're off to the New District's pedestrian-friendly ?stiklal Street with its Art Nouveau facades, restaurants, and trendy boutiques where you'll have free time for lunch on your own. We'll cap off the day exploring Istanbul's legendary Grand Bazaar and Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent. Bus: 1 hour. Walking: strenuous. Day 3: Istanbul and Ankara We'll explore Istanbul's more recent past and present today, beginning with the exotic and fragrant Egyptian Spice Market. Then we'll take to the water for a scenic cruise of the Bosphorus waterway and its panorama of grand palaces, colorful neighborhoods, and bustling waterfront activity. Afterward, we'll board our big, comfortable bus for the drive to Ankara, Turkey's bustling modern capital city, where we'll sleep (1 night). Boat: 2 hours. Bus: 6 hours. Walking: light. Day 4: Ankara and Cappadocia After breakfast we'll tour the world-class Anatolian Civilizations Museum, and marvel at its collection of treasures from Turkey's pre-Roman civilizations. We'll pay our respects at the monumental An?t Kabir, Ataturk's Mausoleum, where we'll learn about the revered founding father of modern Turkey. After lunch, we'll travel to what feels like another planet the scenic and historic Cappadocia region where we'll have dinner together and sleep in the village of Mustafapa?a (3 nights; group may be split between two B&Bs). Bus: 6 hours. Walking: light. Day 5: Ancient Churches of Goreme Surrounded by Cappadocia's otherworldly "fairy chimney" rock formations, we'll begin our day with a walking tour of our village of Mustafapa?a, followed by a drive to the nearby Goreme Open-Air Museum, where, in Byzantine times, cave-like churches and monasteries were carved in the cliffs. Some astonishing 1,000-year-old frescoes still remain. This afternoon we'll be treated to a home-prepared, Cappadocian-style lunch, and learn about the centuries-old tradition and artistry of Turkish carpet weaving. We'll have dinner together back in Mustafapa?a tonight. Bus: 2 hours. Walking: moderate. Day 6: Countryside Charms Weather permitting, your guide will take interested hikers on a scenic walk through a Cappadocia valley. Nonhikers can spend the morning in Mustafapa?a, or ride with our bus driver to the colorful weekly market in the nearby village of Urgup. After lunch, we'll tour the ancient underground city of Kaymakl? which once included churches, kitchens, metal shops, and stables before returning to our village. Tonight we'll attend a religious performance by the followers of Mevlana Rumi, better known as Whirling Dervishes, held in an ornate 13th-century caravanserai. Bus: 4 hours. Walking: moderate. Day 7: Mosque Visit and Mevlana's Konya This morning we'll travel to the village of Guzelyurt and meet with the local mosque's imam (counterpart to a minister or rabbi), with an opportunity to ask questions about the Muslim faith and the separation of mosque and state in Turkey. After lunch we'll hit the road and, like Silk Road travelers hundreds of years ago, stop to admire the intricate carvings of a medieval caravanserai (unlimited camel parking). Today's destination is conservative Konya, famous as the 13th-century home of Mevlana Rumi. We'll tour the poetry-filled Mevlana Museum, also the site of the mystical philosopher's tomb, a Muslim holy place, before setting you free for dinner on your own. Sleep in Konya (1 night). Bus: 5 hours. Walking: moderate. Day 8: Konya and Antalya We'll begin our day with a tour through Konya, including the busy maze of its sprawling bazaar a time-tripping treasure trove of hardware, household items, clothing, jewelry, religious paraphernalia, and cell phone accessories. Then we'll head over the Taurus Mountains and down to the Mediterranean resort town of Antalya, where we'll take an orientation walk and set you free for dinner on your own. Sleep in Antalya (2 nights). Bus: 6 hours. Walking: moderate. Day 9: Seaside Antalya Antalya is an ideal place to enjoy a "vacation from your vacation." The day is all yours to enjoy the impressive ancient Greek sculptures in the Antalya Museum, one of Turkey's finest archaeological museums; explore the narrow, cobbled streets of Antalya's old town and Roman harbor; or experience a traditional Turkish bath (your guide will help arrange it). No bus. Walking: light to strenuous (your choice). Day 10: Wonderland of Pamukkale This morning we'll take off for the amazing weekly farmers market in the town of Korkuteli, where you can assemble your own delicious picnic lunch. We'll then drive to the hilltop overlooking Pamukkale, where we'll get oriented to its spectacularly calcified cliffs and the impressive ruins of Hierapolis, where ancient Greeks and Romans considered the thermal springs sacred. During your free time you'll even have a chance to take a quick dip in a natural spring pool amid the remains of Roman columns. We'll have dinner together and sleep tonight in the Pamukkale area (1 night). Bus: 6 hours. Walking: moderate. Day 11: Ancient Aphrodisias and Ku?adas? We'll work our way west toward Turkey's Aegean Coast, where ancient Greek colonists settled 2,500 years ago. Freed from the "establishment" norms of Athens, these communities thrived as centers of learning and creativity and wealth. This morning we'll tour the ancient site of Aphrodisias, which, under Greek and Roman rule alike, prospered as a center for the arts. After lunch together we'll continue on to the lively harbor city of Ku?adas?, where we'll sleep (2 nights). Bus: 6 hours. Walking: moderate. Day 12: Roman City of Ephesus Today we'll tour the ancient city of Ephesus. Famous for its spectacular Temple of Artemis one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World it was one of the wealthiest cities in Ancient Greece. It also played a role in the formation of the early Christian Church, drawing the attention of the Apostle Paul, and possibly even the Virgin Mary. We'll take an extensive walking tour along the still-paved streets and remarkable ruins of Ephesus, including the dramatically restored facade of its Library of Celsus. This afternoon you'll have free time to visit Mary's House (where the Virgin Mary may have lived), view more ancient artifacts at the excellent Ephesus Museum in nearby Selcuk, or relax back in Ku?adas?. Tonight we'll meet for a final dinner together to share travel memories and toast new friends. Serefe! Bus: 2 hours. Walking: strenuous. Day 13: Tour Over After Breakfast Breakfast is provided, but there are no group activities today. You can hop a ferry to the Greek island of Samos (where you'll find easy plane/boat connections to other islands and Athens), or take the tour bus to nearby Izmir for quick flights to Athens or Istanbul and home. Gule gule! Itinerary specifics subject to change. We didn't follow the itinerary exactly. For example, visiting the Topkapi Palace had to be done on day 3 because day 2 was a Tuesday and Topkapi Palace closes on Tuesday. (To be continued) Washington The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed a Florida man who was arrested while speaking at a city council meeting to pursue a civil rights lawsuit against the city, in a case spotlighting conflicts that have arisen at school board meetings as well. Although the court ruled 8-1 for Fane Lozman, the breadth of the opinion was quite modest, and the justices sidestepped the main question they had taken up the case to decide: whether the existence of probable cause on the part of the police automatically bars a civil suit for First Amendment retaliation. Educators were keeping an eye on the case because of at least one high-profile incident in which a speaker at a school board meeting was detained based on her speech. And a friend-of-the-court brief filed on Lozmans side argued that school districts were increasingly imposing restrictions on public comment periods of school board meetings. Writing for the court in Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach, Fla. , Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said that probable cause does not bar Lozman from pursuing a retaliation claim under the unique circumstances of his case. The court reinstated his suit. Lozman is a frequent critic of the Riviera Beach city council who had had multiple run-ins with the local government and had sued the city under Floridas sunshine law. At a closed-door meeting in 2006, one council member spoke of trying to intimidate Lozman. At a public meeting soon after that, Lozman was speaking during the public comment period. When Lozman referenced alleged corruption by the Palm Beach County government, the presiding council member sought to cut him off. When Lozman persisted, the council member summoned a police officer. Lozman refused to leave, and he was handcuffed and arrested. A prosecutor refused to press charges of disorderly conduct against Lozman. But when Lozman filed his civil suit against the city for First Amendment retaliation, the trial judge instructed the jury that, for Lozman to prevail on this claim, he had to prove that the arresting officer was himself motivated by impermissible animus against Lozmans protected speech and that the officer lacked probable cause to make the arrest. The jury ruled for the city. The trial judge later concluded that there may have been probable cause to arrest Lozman for violating a Florida statute that prohibits interruptions or disturbances in schools, churches, or other public assemblies. As Kennedy pointed out in his opinion, Lozman did not challenge the constitutionality of that statute, or the city councils limitations on the subjects that speakers may address. Instead Lozman challenges only the lawfulness of his arrest, and even that challenge is a limited one, Kennedy said. Lozman urged the court to apply a 1977 Supreme Court decision, Mount Healthy City Board of Education v. Doyle , which established a framework for analyzing First Amendment retaliation claims. Under the decision, a plaintiff alleging retaliation must show that he engaged in protected speech, that the defendant had retaliatory animus against that speech, and that the animus was a substantial factor in the challenged government action. The city cited a different case that held that once there is probable cause for an arrest there can be no further claim that the arrest was retaliation for protected speech. Kennedy said the question of which framework should apply to alleged retaliation claims stemming from arrests is a determination that must await another case because Lozmans claim is far afield from the typical typical retaliatory arrest claim. The court revived Lozmans suit, but said that to prevail, he must prove the existence and enforcement of an official policy motivated by retaliation. An official retaliatory policy is a particularly troubling and potent form of retaliation, for a policy can be long term and pervasive, unlike an ad hoc, on-the-spot decision by an individual officer, Kennedy said. The justice stressed the importance of the First Amendment right to petition the government. It must be underscored that this court has recognized the right to petition as one of the most precious of the liberties safeguarded by the Bill of Rights, Kennedy said. Lozmans speech is high in the hierarchy of First Amendment values. Kennedys opinion was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Neil M. Gorsuch. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a dissent that said he would have held that plaintiffs must prove a lack of probable cause as an element of a First Amendment retaliatory-arrest claim. FILE - In this Thursday, March 15, 2018 file photo, Rupert Stadler, CEO of German car producer Audi, briefs the media during the annual press conference in Ingolstadt, Germany. German authorities have detained the chief executive of Volkswagen's Audi division, Rupert Stadler, as part of a probe into manipulation of emissions controls. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Minister of Finance Bill Morneau arrives for a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 4, 2018. The federal ethics commissioner says Finance Minister Bill Morneau did not violate any conflict of interest laws in sponsoring a pension bill last year. Morneau found himself in hot water when he introduced pension-reform legislation, which critics insisted would benefit Morneau Shepell, his family company. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang Mike Morrissey of Whale Release and Strandings paddles cautiously towards an adult minke whale in Harbour Grace, N.L., in this recent handout photo. A whale rescue group says an adult minke whale that that became beached in a Newfoundland harbour is not in good health. Wayne Ledwell of Whale Release and Strandings says his group arrived on scene in the mouth of Harbour Grace early Monday morning after reports of a stranded whale, and found that the minke was "very thin." THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Whale Release and Strandings David Smith, the assistant curator of the University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, checks out works from the Group of Seven artists in Lethbridge, Friday, June 15, 2018. The university was bequeathed a huge collection with the death of a collector. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Graveland Cedar George-Parker addresses the crowd as protesters opposed to the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline extension defy a court order and block an entrance to the company's property, in Burnaby, B.C., on Saturday April 7, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Nearly 500 students with disabilities in Hawaii are eligible for compensatory education or related services because the state cut off their special education services too early. The state has set aside $10.2 million as part of a settlement of the 5-year-old case. About $8 million of that will be available for students, who have until 2020 to spend the money to which they are entitled. The case stems from an age cap that Hawaiian lawmakers had placed on public school eligibility. In 2010, state officials passed a law, Act 163, that barred access to public school for students who were 20 at the start of the school year. The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that services must be available until a student turns 22, unless doing so would run counter to state law. Opponents of the policy said that the Hawaii Department of Educationwhich runs the states sole districthad created a disciminatory cap. Older students without disabilities were permitted to enroll in the states Community Schools for Adults program, which is aimed at students ages 18 and older who want to earn high school equivalency certificates. But those community schools specifically did not serve students with disabilities, meaning that older students with disabilities had no option to continue public education. In 2013, a federal appeals court agreed, in E.R.K. v. Hawaii Department of Education , that the age cap violated federal law. Act 163 makes some 20-year-old and all 21-year-old students ineligible for public education in Hawaii, Judge D.W. Nelson wrote for the panel. For disabled students, the Act functions as an age limit on eligibility for IDEA services. Students can receive up to $20,000, according to the terms of the settlement. Meredith Miller, one of the lawyers who represented the plaintiffs, told the Associated Press that students can use the money to pay for occupational services and therapy, adaptive equipment, GED support, community college classes, and job and independent life skills training and education. FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2017, file photo, people line up outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington to hear arguments in a case about political maps in Wisconsin that could affect elections across the country. The justices ruled against Wisconsin Democrats who challenged legislative districts that gave Republicans a huge edge in the state legislature. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) FILE - In this March 28, 2018, file photo, a North Atlantic right whale appears at the surface of Cape Cod bay off the coast of Plymouth, Mass. The Canadian government says it is taking steps to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from encounters with fishing vessels. The whales are one of the rarest marine mammals in the world, and have struggled with high mortality in recent years, especially in Canadian waters. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) In this image tweeted by David Caltabiano of KABB/WOAI, a heavily damaged SUV is seen on Texas Highway 85 in Big Wells, Texas, after crashing while carrying more than a dozen people fleeing from Border Patrol agents, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (David Caltabiano/KABB/WOAI via AP) FILE - This undated file photo provided by GWS Auctions, Inc. shows a private jet once owned by Elvis Presley, on a runway in New Mexico. The private jet that sat on the runway in New Mexico for nearly four decades is back on the auction block. The online auction site IronPlanet announced that the plane with red velvet seats had returned to the market after its current owner bought it last year for $430,000. (GWS Auctions, Inc. via AP, File) FILE - In this Saturday, May 19, 2018 file photo, Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave after their wedding ceremony at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, near London, England. Thomas Markle, the father of the former Meghan Markle, said Monday June 18, 2018, he wishes he could have walked her down the aisle during her wedding to Prince Harry. (Ben Birchhall/pool photo via AP, File) In this photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, people who've been taken into custody related to cases of illegal entry into the United States, sit in one of the cages at a facility in McAllen, Texas, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Rio Grande Valley Sector via AP) Could not establish database connection. DB: bostonimc and SQL: --> The administrator has been notified and will resolve the problem ASAP. Australian completed a clean sweep of their fourth-round matches in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League on Sunday, with Thomas Hodges' 20 points leading them to a surprise 3-1 (27-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-23) victory over Italy.It had looked on paper the most testing match for the Aussies in this round - given Italy are among the teams vying for qualification for the VNL finals - but they proved more than capable of the task with opposite spiker Hodges' contributing 17 kills and two blocks in his tally.Australian wing spiker Luke Smith was also in fine form with 13 points for the victors. It was only the second win for Australia over Italy in 17 world level matches, dating back to the 2015 FIVB World League.Just where the loss leaves Italy remains to be seen. They were no doubt looking for a clean sweep of their own as pre-match they sat ranked sixth in the VNL - and six team qualify for the finals. Instead they leave South Korea after a 2-1 run.Once again it was wing spiker Gabriele Maruotti who stood tall for the Italians - as he had in their fourth-round wins over China and South Korea. His 16 points were backed up by opposite spiker Gabriele Nelli with 13 points - but there is little doubt that coming it this was a match the Italians would have been confident of victory.The Aussies' win came without an input from their most dominant player during the trip to South Korea, with skipper Paul Carroll - who contributed 21 and 31 points in their wins over the hosts and China - benched for a well-deserved rest and only making a cameo appearance in the final set.As the VNL moves towards what looks to be a thrilling last round of action before the finals, the Italians will certainly have earned their place should they make it through to the last six. They head home to Modena for the fifth round, which starts on June 22, but have a super tough draw ahead of them in France, USA and Russia- who were sitting 1-2-3 in the rankings as the Italians prepared to leave South Korea on Sunday night.There's a home trip ahead also for the Australians (to Melbourne) where they'll line up against Brazil, Argentina and Poland. SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- Thousands filled the bleachers at Silke Field in Springfield on Saturday, to get a look at some of the best police K9s in the state. Thirteen teams from across Oregon competed in the 23rd Annual Springfield Police Department's K9 Competition. The Top Dog award went to Springfield Police Officer Brian Keetle and his K9, Flex. After the event was the very popular meet and greet session. Police said it's a fun way to interact with the community and to showcase their K9s' skills. "They provide a huge public service. They go into areas where it's maybe not completely safe for humans to go and obviously they're really good and finding criminals," said Lt. Scott McKee, with the Springfield Police Dept. He said a lot of their K9's are completely paid for by the community through donations. ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) -- Authorities have recovered the body of 52-year-old man who failed to return from a fishing trip last week. The Clatsop County Sheriff's Office said Monday that Bret Yates' body was found on Social Security Beach at Fort Stevens State Park. The sheriff says there is no evidence of foul play. RELATED STORY: COAST GUARD SUSPENDS SEARCH FOR MISSING OREGON FISHERMAN Yates had been reported missing on Wednesday. The U.S. Coast Guard responded with boats and a helicopter, but had no luck finding Yates and called off their search Thursday. UPDATE -- The vehicle involved in the Monday morning traffic stop is described as a dark, two-door sport coupe and may have damage from the incident, according to a news release from the Lane County Sheriffs Office. Anyone who knows the location of the driver or vehicle, or who has video surveillance of the area, should call 541-682-4141, authorities say. The vehicle was speeding on Marshall Avenue when the Oregon State Police trooper activated his lights. The driver did not stop, turned down a residential road and did a U-turn, driving directly at the trooper. The trooper opened fire in the direction of the vehicle, which narrowly missed hitting the troopers car before fleeing the scene. The sheriffs office is leading the investigation into the troopers use of deadly force. The troopers identity has not been released. ________________________ EUGENE, Ore. -- Law enforcement officers are still searching for a driver who was shot at by an Oregon State Police trooper during an attempted traffic stop at about 1 a.m. Monday on Chase Street. According to the Lane County Sheriff's Office, the trooper tried to perform a traffic stop at Chase Street and Marshall Avenue. Investigators said the driver failed to yield and was coming toward the trooper when the trooper opened fire. It's not clear if the driver was hit with any of the trooper's bullets. The Lane County Sheriff's Office said the trooper who opened fire was not hurt. The Lane County Sheriff's Office is investigating the shooting. Oregon State Police is investigating the traffic stop. We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available. England all-rounders Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes are set to miss the remaining three ODIs in the five-match series against Australia in England.Stokes tore his left hamstring before the second Test against Pakistan and, though he will join the squad for the fourth and fifth matches, is unlikely to play an active role.Stokes can bat fully and run at 90 per cent. He will return to bowling this week and the England management team hope he will be available for the T20I series against India, starting on 3 July.Woakes has a right quad tear and will be out of action at least until the ODI series against Virat Kohlis team, which starts on 12 July.The right-arm seamer picked up the injury in the second Test against Pakistan in June and England have now said the problem is related to a chronic right knee issue, for which he had an injection last Monday.England are 2-0 up in the five-match series against Australia. The teams will play one T20 before Indias tour begins, with the teams taking part in three T20s, three ODIs and a five-match Test series. DECORAH, Iowa The third defendant in a northeast Iowa theft case gets off much easier than the other two. Kevin Lee Gates, 42, Frank Lee Miller, 55, and Ryan Robert Tovar, 34, all pleaded guilty to charges of 1st degree theft. Authorities say the three Waterloo men stole thousands of dollars in equipment from Alliant Energy trucks that were parked in a Fort Atkinson lot on December 4, 2017. Frank Miller (left) and Ryan Tovar. Frank Miller (left) and Ryan Tovar. Miller and Tovar were ordered to spend up to 10 years in prison. Gates has now been sentenced to three to five years of probation. All three must also jointly pay $13,375.21 in restitution. 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. ROCHESTER, Minn.- Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison made his rounds across southern Minnesota reaching out to voters. Ellison stopped at Rochester Dunn Brothers Coffee to speak to voters about why he wants to become the state's next attorney general. Ellison told voter his time in congress has prepared him to take on the role. In congress, you write laws but he now wants to enforce those laws. Kamau Wilkins was one of the voters listening to what the congressman had to say. He tells us that he wants the next attorney general to be concerned about the community as well as other issues. Environment issues, pipelines the wild rice issue up north and also social issues. CRESCO, Iowa A woman is facing a child endangerment charge after her 3-year-old daughter was found with major bruising and was determined to be malnourished. Monica Flores, 28, has been charged in Winneshiek County after DHS was made aware of allegations involving Flores daughter. The child had major bruising to her neck, along the right torso and both legs, according to the criminal complaint. These injuries looked to occur from being struck. The bruising looked to be in varying stages from varying times. DHS had many reports of physical abuse and cruel discipline from Flores in Wisconsin, the complaint said, and it also reported she had not been giving food and water to the child. Three children were removed from the home and were taken to Winneshiek Medical Center for evaluation. ROSE CREEK, Minn. A community is rallying behind one little girl to help her get medical treatment. Cora Jean is a toddler from Rose Creek and has the rare genetic disorder primary lymphedema, a condition causing her lymph nodes to form abnormally. Her parents are seeking treatment for her overseas, at a clinic in Germany. In order to get there, the family needs to raise $20,000. That's why their community is helping out. "In small towns it goes that way," Fred Ulven said, "because everybody knows everybody and it's just the fact that you want to do something for them." Proceeds from a silent auction, bake sale, and donations will send her to Germany for treatment. Her parents, Kasey and Brett Rubin, are stunned at the support. "Amazing. It really has, I mean, everybody from here to 30 mile radius has just been awesome," Brett Rubin said, "and they donated, and stepped up, and helped with everything." They started the day with over $16,000, and have a goal of raising more. "As she gets older there's going to be more," Rubin said, "So if we can raise more that's great, but ya know regardless of what happens today, we're going to get her there." Of course, not without a big "thank you" to all who have helped along the way. "To me, this is awesome," Rubin said. "This is the best Father's Day gift that I could get." To donate to Cora Jean's journey, click here. CHICKASAW COUNTY, Iowa Two are facing felony charges after a search warrant was executed in Fredericksburg. Jacob Craun, 22, is being held on $20,300 cash bond and is facing felony charges for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, possession of a firearm as a drug user and gathering/promoting a dwelling for the use of a controlled substance. Andria McLaughlin, 35, is facing a felony charge for gathering at a dwelling for the use of controlled substance. She is being held on $5,300 bond. The search warrant was executed at 109 Water St. on Friday. Craun was found with marijuana, methamphetamine, a digital scale, $501 in cash and a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun. Authorities also say he tried to dispose of the bag of marijuana inside a Chickasaw County patrol vehicle. GENEVA (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Monday that government plans for a boost to spending on the state-run National Health Service (NHS) would come in part from savings generated by leaving the European Union. Prime Minister Theresa May pledged on Sunday to increase funding for the NHS by 20 billion pounds ($26.57 billion) after Brexit, though critics say the plans lack detail. Johnson, who was visiting Geneva to address the U.N. Human Rights Council, dismissed the idea that many people thought relying on a Brexit dividend was nonsense. The important point is that you can only afford to fund the NHS well if you have a strong vibrant and dynamic economy where the government is focused on enterprise and growth, so thats why I think were able to do it, he told reporters. And the second thing is, I think, as the PM (Prime Minister Theresa May) rightly said, its a downpayment on future receipts that will come to this country come to the UK as a result of discontinuing payments to Brussels. He declined to comment on whether budget cuts would need to be made in other areas of government or whether taxes would need to go up. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, though it is negotiating transitional arrangements to soften the economic and legal impact of withdrawal from a club it joined more than four decades ago. Mays Brexit plans face rejection by parliaments upper chamber, the House of Lords, on Monday, setting the stage for a high-stakes confrontation with rebel lawmakers later in the week which could rock her minority Conservative government. Asked whether the government could fall if it loses the vote, Johnson struck an optimistic note. We are absolutely confident that we will deliver a Brexit deal that will... be good for the UK, good for our European friends and partners. Were going to get on and do it, he said. He declared it a tonic to be in Geneva, the home of the World Trade Organization, where he said other countries were enthusiastic for Britain to return to its place as a campaigner for free trade. Coming in as substitutions, Jean Patry and Julien Lyneel spear-headed Frances attack on the way to their 10th victory since the start of the inaugural FIVB Volleyball Nations League season 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 24-26, 16-14) against Canada.21-year-old Patry, who came onto the court during the course of the second set, hammered out 20 points to become Frances most prolific player of the match.Lyneel, who was on Frances playing line-up since the start of the second set, added another 15 rally-winning spikes on the way to the victory.The best scorer of the match, however, came from the losing side. Canadas Nicholas Hoag stringed up 23 points, including two stuff blocks and one ace.Starring players of the calibre of Earvin Ngapeth, Stephen Boyer and Kevin Le Roux, France faced few issues against Canada in the first set. Taking them off court one by one, Laurent Tillie made the match more interesting. The North Americans managed to level the match twice and take it to a fifth set, in which they failed to take advantage of an early three-point advantage to lose it in the money time with France extending their winning streak to six.Patry scored three of Frances first four points in the tie-breaker, but it was that right-on-time ace that delivered the teams first break point for 4-5 and started chipping away from Canadas early lead. Soon the North Americans responded with a 116.4 km/h ace by Arthur Szwarc to extend it back to three at 7-4. It was Patry again who provided the next two break points for France a monster block for 9-10 and a block-out shot for the 10-10 tie. Another hit off the opponents block by Patry brought the European side to match point at 14-13. A great pipe spike by Lyneel set up the next match point for France at 15-14, converted by Jonas Aguenier with a kill block for the win.France will travel to Modena for the last weekend of the round robin phase, June 22 24. In addition to hosts Italy, the French will also meet Russia and USA. Canada will be in Jiangmen to play against Japan, Serbia and hosts China. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump accused immigrants in Europe of violently changing the culture on Monday and said people should be wary of the same thing happening in the United States, as his administration faced heavy pressure to stop separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats and some in Trumps own Republican Party have strongly condemned the administration for separating nearly 2,000 children from their parents at the border between mid-April and the end of May. Medical professionals have said the practice could cause lasting trauma to children. Trump, who has sought to make a tough stance on immigration a major goal of his presidency, hit back at critics with a series of tweets on Monday. He cited immigration for causing political instability in Germany and said inaccurately that crime in Germany was way up. Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture! he tweeted. We dont want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us! The family separations are the result of the administrations zero tolerance policy in which all those apprehended entering the United States illegally, including those seeking asylum, are criminally charged, which generally leads to children being separated from their parents. Trump administration officials say the zero-tolerance policy, which was not practised by the two previous administrations, is necessary to secure the border and deter illegal immigration. Trump has sought to use the widespread outrage over the family separations to push through other immigration priorities that have stalled in Congress, such as funding for his long-promised wall along the Mexican border. He has consistently blamed Democrats for the impasse, even though his fellow Republicans control both chambers in Congress. It is the Democrats (sic) fault for being weak and ineffective with Boarder (sic) Security and Crime, he tweeted on Monday. Democrats have accused the president of using children as hostages in the political dispute over immigration. In Geneva, the top U.N. human rights official called on the Trump administration on Monday to halt its unconscionable policy of forcibly separating children from migrant parents irregularly entering the country via Mexico. BILLS IN CONGRESS Trump was due to meet with Republicans in the House of Representatives on Tuesday as they prepared to vote on two immigration bills. One would possibly end the separation policy, fund the border wall and give legal protections to some immigrants who entered the country as children. Details were still in flux. The bill faces strong headwinds as it is opposed by Democrats, who object to another provision that would cut legal immigration levels, and conservative Republicans who are backing a rival bill that takes a harder line on immigration. Trumps tweet about Germany referred to a political dispute over German Chancellor Angela Merkels open-door migrant policy that is threatening her governing coalition. More than 1.6 million migrants, mostly Muslims fleeing wars in the Middle East, have arrived in Germany since 2014. Contrary to Trumps assertion, the crime rate in Germany is at its lowest point in more than 30 years, according to figures reported by the countrys internal ministry last month. Illustrating the wide concern in the United States over the family separations, Laura Bush, married to the last Republican president before Trump, took the highly unusual step of publishing a Fathers Day op-ed in the Washington Post on Sunday. She wrote, this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart. The investment climate faces a challenging environment due to U.S. monetary/fiscal policies, trade tensions and immigration issues, says Brown Brothers Harriman. All three of the major central banks met last week and confirmed that monetary policy would continue to diverge for at least another year, BBH says. The clarity of the trajectory of monetary policy reduces the impact of high-frequency economic data. There are three major disruptive forces [that] make for a challenging investment climate just the same: the U.S. policy mix, trade tensions, and immigration. Analysts note that the mix of tighter monetary policy and looser fiscal policy in the U.S. is in extremis. While the Federal Reserve says monetary policy is accommodative, the central bank has clearly signaled an intention to restrict policy. Meanwhile, the fiscal stimulus that is being provided in the form of tax cuts and spending cuts are larger than in 2008-2009, BBH points out. On another issue, the aggressive U.S. trade stance makes investors uneasy, BBH says. The U.S. has gone ahead with plans to implement tariffs starting July 6 and China has responded with similar amounts and time. The U.S. is in no mood for a compromise, BBH says. Indeed, the confrontation with China is one area [that] draws support for the administration's critics. Meanwhile, as the U.S. is embroiled in its divisive immigration crisis and turning asylum seekers away, Europe's refugee crisis threatens to topple two governments, the bank points out. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com MKS: Gold Muted In Asian Trade; Support Lies Around $1,275 Gold was muted in overnight Asia-Pacific trading after Fridays heavy sell-off, says Samuel Laughlin of precious-metals sales with MKS (Switzerland) S.A. The yellow metal opened underneath Friday's close, however, was generally well supported in early flows to push back above $1,280, he says. A modest bid to the greenback in the afternoon created some headwinds to drag bullion back underneath the figure; however, the metal held a narrow range into the European open and didn't extend much lower. Movement in the U.S. dollar is likely to be the main drive of driver of price action in the short term, Laughlin says. He lists support around $1,275 and resistance at the recently broken May low of $1,282, with an extension to $1,285. Downside risks continue to build as ETF positioning remains buoyant and should outflows drive a break of $1,275 we could see an extension as far as $1,250 - $1,236 (December 2017 low), Laughlin adds. As of 8 a.m. EDT, spot gold was nearly steady down 40 cents to $1,278.50 an ounce. 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. John Speraws team were clinical all over the court but especially dangerous from the service line with Anderson finishing with three aces as well as 13 spikes and two blocks to seal the triumph which should ensure the second placed Americans finish in the top six and make the trip to Lille at the start of July. You have to go back to Juy 2016 for the last time the US lost a set at home and after racking up a perfect record in Chicago with straight-set wins over Poland, Serbia and now the plucky Iranians, that excellent run continues. There were a total of eight aces while the consistent threats of Aaron Russell - 11 points - and Torey Delfaco - 10 points - added to the pressure. We passed really well and it made us very difficult to stop, said Jeff Jendryk who finished with six points and will now travel to Europe with his team-mates to take on table-topping France, Russia and hosts Italy. We will carry on fighting in every game. This was another Iranian display full of heart, courage and plenty of skill - they out-blocked the US 9-7 - and roared on by a sizable Iranian contingent in the stands, Igor Kolakovics side contributed massively to this exciting sporting spectacle. Milad Ghara performed well again, bagging nine spikes, two blocks and two aces while the big hitting Porya Yali also impressed with 13 points. Irans VNL campaign may now be over but they have shown enough in the last few weeks to confirm theres plenty to build on for next years tournament. It wasnt all one-way traffic in the first set with Iran managing to establish a 13-11 lead and everything was being pulled out of the locker to keep in the match. At 15-15, the ball was brilliantly kept in thanks to a Ghara overhead kick and although the US stole ahead once more, the set was delicately poised at 21-21. Russell however changed the momentum in a flash, two booming aces taking Speraws title chasers to 23-21 and although Iran pulled level once more in a rollercoaster ending which saw them fail to take a set point, it was left to Daniel McDonnell to step up and seal it with an ace. It was the sixth of the set for the men wearing the Stars and Stripes. The crowd were treated to more of the same in the second and although Anderson was spiking with brute force, Irans defense was on point. One rally lasted an amazing 30 seconds, but back came Anderson once again - his 12th point was another service special before a Jeff Jendryk block helped establish a 2-0 lead. Iran may have been down - but they werent giving up. Their fans were going crazy in the stands as the scores were level at 16-16. It was very close and the US were being pushed all the way. Matthew Anderson served up some magic to help push the USA closer to the VNL finals and make it a weekend to remember in Chicago as Iran were beaten 3-0 ( 29-27 25-20 26-24 ) to maintain their formidable home turf record.Iran managed to save one match point but it was that man Anderson who scored the winning point, a fitting moment for the home team's star performer. Lisa Satterfield selected to lead South College Asheville Knoxville-based South College recently named Dr. Lisa Satterfield president of its campus in Asheville. Satterfield, who most recently served as vice president of academic affairs at the Knoxville campus, has been with South College for nearly 15 years. Dr. Lisa Satterfield was recently named president of South College's Asheville campus - Image courtesy of South College Lisa Satterfield is the perfect choice to lead our Asheville campus, said Steve South, president and founder of South College. Lisas extensive understanding of South Colleges mission and progressive vision will propel Asheville to new academic heights and increase awareness of what we can offer to the community in Western North Carolina. Satterfield also served in Knoxville as director of institutional effectiveness; director of academic support; department chair of imaging sciences; and program director of radiography and nuclear medicine programs. Satterfield has an extensive background in health care, including experience as a radiologic technologist, nuclear medicine technologist, operations manager and medical imaging department director. She has earned four degrees: Doctor of Philosophy in higher education administration; Master of Arts in adult education; Bachelor of Science in organizational management; and Associate of Applied Science in radiography. My career has always been focused on promoting the well-being of others, Satterfield said. That is what I enjoyed about working in health care and that is what I am most passionate about in higher education. I recognize the positive influences that higher education has made in my life and strive to offer those same opportunities to others. I envision South College in Asheville being a key leader in higher education providing high-quality undergraduate educational opportunities and associated student support services for the intellectual, social and professional development of a diverse student body. Satterfield started her new role on May 1. With the everchanging landscape of higher education, we are challenged to be creative and innovative in the development and delivery of higher learning, Satterfield said. As leaders, we must be catalysts of change that foster student achievement and preparation for the workforce. South College is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Located just south of Interstate 40 at 140 Sweeten Creek Road, the Asheville campus offers certificate, associate, and bachelors degree programs in accounting, business administration, criminal justice, diagnostic medical sonography, engineering technology, health science, legal/paralegal, medical assisting, nursing, occupational therapy assistant, physical therapist assistant, radiography and surgical technology. For more information about South College in Asheville, call 828-398-2500 or visit www.south.edu/locations/asheville. Alizza Punzalan-Randle named as YWCA's new CEO KNOXVILLE - YWCA Knoxville & the Tennessee Valley (YWCA) has named Alizza Punzalan-Randle chief executive officer (CEO), effective August 1, 2018. Punzalan-Randle will replace retiring CEO Marigail Mullin, who has served in this capacity since 2006 and will assume a key capital campaign role within the organization. Mullin will assume a key capital campaign role. YWCA's new CEO, Alizza Punzalan-Randle - Image courtesy of YWCA Punzalan-Randle is a native Knoxvillian who is firmly entrenched in the YWCAs mission and work. As a child, she learned to swim at the downtown YWCA, and as a teenager, she was an active member of Y-Teens. She served as a member of the board of directors of YWCA of Tampa Bay for six years and is a founding board member of the YWCA of Tampa Bay Foundation. She won the Racial Justice Award from the YWCA of Tampa Bay in 2013, served as the vice chair of the National Coordinating Board for YWCA USA and was a participant in the World YWCAs International Womens Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS in Kenya in 2007. The need to put the YWCAs mission in action is more relevant than ever, Punzalan-Randle said. As living proof of what happens when YWCA programs do what they're set out to do, I look forward to elevating the YWCAs position as a champion for advancing race equity, gender equity and social justice in the Knoxville region and beyond. Returning to my hometown roots to serve the organization that taught me how to jump into the deep end literally and figuratively is a lifelong dream. Punzalan-Randle has lived and worked in the St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay area of Florida for the last 18 years. Most recently, she served as community engagement manager for Johns Hopkins All Childrens Hospital. Prior to that, she served as director of community and media relations for Eckerd College and as director of resources for the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. Punzalan-Randle has a deep background in leadership and management; program development and oversight; budgeting, grant writing and fundraising; and community engagement. She is a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis. In addition to the YWCA, Punzalan-Randle is an active community volunteer. She currently serves as State President of the Florida Federation of Business and Professional Womens Clubs, Inc. (BPW/FL) and is a member of both the Pinellas County Urban League and the Association for Community Health Improvement. She previously was a board member of the Rotary Club of St. Petersburg, served on the Juvenile Welfare Board and was chair of the U.N. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Pinellas County. We are delighted to welcome Alizza to the YWCA family and know she will be a perfect fit, said Julia Bentley, chair of the YWCA board of directors. We also are so grateful to Marigail Mullin, who has been an extraordinary visionary and has lead the YWCA to new heights since assuming the CEO role nearly 12 years ago. Under her leadership and through her amazing team, the YWCA has more than doubled the women and families served; strengthened and added critical programs; and upheld our mission, day-in and day-out. The strength and reach of our Victims Advocacy; Game Changers; Keys of Hope Housing; Club W Health and Fitness; and Phyllis Wheatley afterschool, summer and community programs are evidence of the strong leadership and vision of Marigail and of the dedicated employees of the YWCA. We are also very appreciative that Marigail let the board know of her planned retirement more than two years ago so that we could execute an orderly transition, Bentley added. She has graciously agreed to help Alizza transition into her new role through the end of September. After that, Marigail is eager to begin her new role as Chief Capital Campaign Officer, reporting directly to the board of directors. As we embark on the next important phase of our growth completely renovating and updating our beautiful, historic downtown building to serve even more deserving, at-risk women we are so fortunate that Marigail will be able to lead us in this important endeavor. During Mullins tenure with the YWCA, the organization increased its annual budget by 80%, annual grant funding and other contributions by more than 100%, annual fundraising through special events by nearly 400% and total assets by more than 50%. In 2015, the YWCA began offering services to victims of domestic violence in Oak Ridge and Anderson County, and in early 2017, the organization acquired the former YWCA of Oak Ridge building to support these expanded services. In September 2017, YWCA Knoxville officially changed its name to YWCA Knoxville & the Tennessee Valley to reflect its growth and future expansion plans. Starting July 1, YWCA also is expanding its bilingual domestic violence and victim advocacy support services to Roane and Loudon counties. I am so proud of the YWCA, all it stands for and everything our team has accomplished over the past twelve years, Mullin said. The board made a great selection in Alizza, and I look forward to working closely with her and building on the success and mission of our organization. YWCA plans to announce more about its upcoming capital campaign in the coming months, following the CEO transition. For more information about YWCA, its mission and programs, visit www.ywcaknox.com. Taiwanese-Australian violinist Ray Chen / Courtesy of Mast Media By Jhoo Dong-chan The nation's major banks are rushing to attract more foreign customers as the number of residents of Korea from overseas has surpassed 2 million. Banks have introduced various special financial services exclusively for foreigners, including free overseas wire transfers and even housing loans for "jeonse" payments. Jeonse, also known as a key money deposit, is a real estate practice unique to Korea in leasing apartments. The renter pays the landlord a large sum of money as a deposit instead of paying monthly rent. Shinhan Bank is the only commercial bank that offers housing loans for this purpose for foreigners. A foreign tenant who signs a housing lease agreement through a real estate agent paying at least 5 percent of the lease deposit is eligible for the Shinhan Dream Jeonse Loan. They should also be older than 23 and hold a visa valid for more than three months. The bank offers loans of up to 200 million won ($181,143). A Shinhan Bank official said the loan is popular not only among high-income foreign residents of Seoul but also middle-income foreigners in other regions. "About 70 percent of the product customers are Chinese," a Shinhan Bank official said. "The Jeonse product is especially popular among foreigners living in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Shinhan Bank will continue introducing various financial products to satisfy a wider range of customers." Shinhan Bank also operates three foreign exchange centers exclusively for foreign residents in the capital area. Located in Ansan and Uijeongbu in Gyeonggi Province and Daelim-dong in southwestern Seoul, they open even on Sunday to provide various financial services including foreign exchange, wire transfers and loans. In March, the Uijeongbu foreign exchange center opened Rainbow Cafe where people can learn Korean. It also provides an immigration consulting service. KB Kookmin Bank is also attracting foreign customers with its expanded wire transfer and foreign exchange services. It is running the KB ONE ASIA Overseas Remittance Service, a specialized overseas remittance service, as well as the KB Welcome Package, a comprehensive banking service only for foreign customers. The bank also provides interpretation service for people from Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar at its foreign exchange branches. Last October it opened its fifth foreign exchange service center at a Uijeongbu branch, after ones in Ansan and Ojang-dong in Seoul, Gimhae in South Gyeongsang Province and Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province. NH Nonghyup and Woori Bank are also running similar foreign exchange and wire transfer services through smartphone apps. "The number of long-term foreign residents who live here for more than 10 years has nearly doubled in the past decade," an industry observer said. "They are stable and long-term customers for commercial banks in Korea. Many of them are also high-income people. Banks will soon introduce more wealth management products exclusively for high-income foreign customers." South Korea aims to formally end the Korean War within this year but will be flexible on the specific timing and format, as the process requires consultations with Pyongyang and Washington, Seoul's top diplomat said Monday. Speaking to reporters shortly after a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the Trump administration is willing to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 conflict, which was agreed between the leaders of the two Koreas in April. "I think (we) need to produce a result through consultations with the U.S., and North Korea. But (South Korea) plans to handle the issue of timing and format with flexibility," she said at a press conference. She quoted Pompeo as saying that his talks with the North to follow up on the Singapore summit deal between President Donald Trump and the communist nation's leader Kim Jong-un will proceed speedily. On the proposed "hotline" between Trump and Kim, Kang said its establishment does not seem imminent. Pompeo told Kang that there's no concrete action on the matter, according to the minister. Trump publicly said last week that he gave his "very direct number" to Kim. "I can now call him," he said. "I gave him a very direct number. He can now call me if he has any difficulty. We have communication." Kang expressed hope that she will hold separate talks with her North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong-ho, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum, which will take place in Singapore in early August. (Yonhap) Anderson Bryant was one of the earliest settlers on Lookout Mountain, and his daughter was the first black female dentist in the South. Another Bryant here was McDonald Bryant, who fought for the Union in the Civil War and whose tenant lands at Hixson were plundered by soldiers of that same army. Anderson Bryant was born in Georgia in 1845 and he lived in Walker County prior to moving to the mountain soon after the Civil War. He settled at Sunset Park near Sunset Rock, where several black families resided. He married Louisa Smith on Sept. 23, 1869. She had been born March 14, 1849, on the farm of her owner, Wright Smith, in Rhea County. During the war, she was taken to Jonesboro. After attaining her freedom and learning that her mother had gone to Chattanooga, she went there in 1866. She met Anderson Bryant while working for a family on the mountain. Anderson Bryant was described as "one of the most industrious and worthy citizens of Hamilton County.'' Louisa "was no ordinary woman. Born a slave and without the knowledge acquired from books and in the schools, she was in the best sense educated for usefulness in life and had those sterling qualities which make up that finest of human possessions which the world calls character. She was truthful, honest, a tireless worker, had excellent business judgment, was faithful to friend, family and God. As a wife and mother she had no superior, and contributed largely by her labors and sound advice to the acquirement of the very respectable estate which her husband owns.'' Anderson Bryant acquired three acres, including a spring, at Summertown, in 1878. He gained another parcel from Alexander Hunt. When the Broad Gauge Railroad was built up the mountain in the late 1880s, the Anderson Bryants transferred part of their property for the right of way. The couple gave property for the AME Church. The Bryants had three daughters - Laura, Ollie and Minnie. The couple determined that each of these should be well educated. All three graduated from Fiske University at Nashville. Ollie married a Davis, and she trained as a dentist. Her first office was at 122/4 E. Ninth St. However, she soon left Chattanooga. Laura married a Speight. The Speights were among several black families who moved to Lookout Mountain from Livingston, Ala. John T. Speight operated a grocery store from a fine two-story frame home he occupied on East and West Road. It stood where the Daniel K. Friersons later resided. Laura became ill and died Feb. 4, 1905, at her parents' residence at Sunset Park. She was 33. Minnie married B.C. McAuley, who worked as a guide on the mountain. Louisa became ill with cancer and suffered for many years. She died July 4, 1904, and was buried at Forest Hills Cemetery at the foot of the mountain. McDONALD BRYANT was born Jan. 10, 1822, in Roane County. He was apparently the son of Joseph Bryant who married Patsy Hart at Roane County in 1819. McDonald Bryant came to Hamilton County in February 1847, settling near North Chickamauga Creek. He was opposed to secession, voting and talking against it. He assisted a number of Union men who were headed to Kentucky to reach Walden's Ridge safely. Bryant said "a Rebel named William McGill wanted me to let him have my gun for the Rebel cause, but I had already sent it to Col. William Clift for the Union service. McGill disputed my word and intimated he would have me arrested. This threat hastened me off to the Federal army.'' Bryant left home on Feb. 27, 1862, and went to Barboursville, Ky., where he joined Co. C of the Fifth Tennessee Infantry. He was in a convalescent camp near Nashville at the end of 1863. He was transferred to the invalid corps (the Veterans Reserve Corps) on Feb. 28, 1864, and remained on its rolls until being mustered out at the end of July 1865. His brother, Jesse, was in the Union's Fourth Tennessee Cavalry. He later settled at Murfreesboro. McDonald Bryant also had an uncle and two cousins with the Federal forces. A half brother, Calloway Chesser, fought with the Confederacy in the 19th Tennessee Infantry, then he was taken prisoner and went into the U.S. Navy. McDonald Bryant voted for Abraham Lincoln for president in the fall of 1864, casting his ballot while he was home on furlough. He put in a crop of corn at Hixson in 1864 on 11 acres of the land of Robert Clift, with the agreement that Clift was to get a third of the crop. It was rich river bottom land and the crop that year was an especially fine one. Corn then was worth a dollar a bushel and the land produced about 60 bushels an acre. When the Federal soldiers were facing dire shortages at Chattanooga after the battle of Chickamauga, they went out on foraging expeditions in the vicinity of Hixson. On one of these, they stripped the ripe ears of corn on McDonald Bryant's 11 acres, tossing them in wagons for transport back to town. They also took his 12 hogs and dug up his potato patch. Ezekiel Henry, who moved north of the river to try to avoid the Confederate conscription, often spent time at the Bryant home during the war. He said when McDonald Bryant came home he "was very bad, and when he started back to his command I thought he was not able to get there, but he stood it.'' Bryant's wife died in September 1864, leaving him with two young children, Eliza and Fannie. Two months later, he took Sarah Newton as his second wife. Their son, born in 1866, was named Elijah Sherman Bryant. A daughter was Mary Elizabeth. Fannie Bryant married Daniel McDowell Priddy. McDonald Bryant in 1872 bought 120 acres from Rufus Hall, and he settled at Tyner. The government allowed him $158 for his losses to the army during the war. McDonald Bryant lived until 1890. Sarah Newton Bryant died in 1900. Both are buried at the Concord Cemetery in East Brainerd. JOHN BRYANT was an early settler, arriving near Daisy before the Indian removal. He had several daughters. These apparently included Elizabeth who married Allen Varner and Mary E. who married Samuel Poe. North Korea may not want to use nuclear weapons, but it will never give them up. Korea Times file By Jung Min-ho If there is one thing that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un will never do, it is "complete denuclearization," according to Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea. After Kim promised to give up nuclear weapons last week at his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore, you may feel inclined to trust Kim. But if you understand what the weapons really has meant to the regime's 70-year dictatorship, you are more likely to agree with Thae. Thae was a former deputy ambassador at the North Korean Embassy in London before taking asylum in South Korea in the summer of 2016 with his wife and two sons. The defector's book, "Cryptography from the Third-Floor Secretariat," which was published last month, explains the history of North Korea's efforts to become a nuclear power and what is behind the ambition. According to the book, Kim Il-sung, founder of North Korea and grandfather of Kim Jong-un, its current leader, began obsessing about developing nuclear arsenals during the Korean War. After mass Chinese forces entered the war in October 1950 to back up North Korea against United Nations forces, rumors began to swirl that the U.S. was going to drop an atomic bomb on its enemies. Kim did not believe them, but many of his people were terrified at the possibility and joined the people fleeing to the South. Thae writes, "They said, 'Once the United States drops the bomb, we're all going to die.' Kim could not do anything about it. He urged them not to leave, saying the United States 'would never be able to use nuclear bombs.' But no one listened. After losing control of his people, he realized the tremendous psychological power of having nuclear weapons." But Kim's grand plan to develop nuclear weapons immediately faced fierce oppositions from its two most important allies the Soviet Union (USSR) and China. USSR leaders obviously wanted their country to monopolize the weapons as the leader of communist states. Chinese leaders also warned Kim not to take the nuclear path, saying it would destroy North Korea's diplomatic relations and economy. But Kim quietly proceeded to carry out his plan. "Cryptography from the Third-Floor Secretariat" became an instant bestseller. Yonhap China clearly benefits from summit outcome; Japan gains least By Kim Jae-kyoung SINGAPORE The historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has marked a meaningful step on the long road to peace on the Korean Peninsula. However, the meeting has left one big question due to the lack of details about how to verify the North's denuclearization: Is Kim really willing to give up his nuclear weapons? Liang Tuang Nah South Korea's Navy said Monday it will soon kick off a regular exercise on defending the nation's easternmost islets of Dokdo amid Japan's continued territorial claim. The two-day training is to start in the afternoon, involving the 3,200-ton Yangmanchun destroyer and five other warships as well as seven aircraft including P-3C maritime surveillance planes, UH-60 Blackhawk choppers, the Air Force's F-15K fighter jets. A unit of marines will also be mobilized for a landing exercise. The military first staged such a Dokdo defense practice in 1986. Since 2003, it has conducted the drills twice a year in a show of Seoul's effective control of the rocky islets, which are inhabited by just a small Coast Guard detachment, and improve capacity to defend the territory. Japan's foreign ministry delivered its routine protest message to South Korea through a diplomatic channel, broadcast NHK reported. Last month, it again laid claim to the sovereignty over Dokdo in the East Sea in a yearly foreign policy document, known as the Diplomatic Bluebook. (Yonhap) Reuters South Korea and the United States have decided to suspend the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise slated for August, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday, amid dialogue efforts to denuclearize North Korea. Shortly after his Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his plan to stop "provocative, inappropriate and expensive" war games with the South, which Pyongyang has decried as an invasion rehearsal. "Following close cooperation, South Korea and the U.S. decided to suspend all planning activities for the UFG, the defensive exercise slated for August," the ministry said in a text message sent to reporters. "The South and the U.S. plan to continue consultations over additional measures," it added. The ministry also said that there is no decision yet regarding other allied training exercises. The White House said that the combined exercises are expected to be "on pause" should the North deliver on its denuclearization commitment. "Those conversations are ongoing at this point. As long as North Korea continues to act in good faith, then we expect those things to be on pause," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters. The UFG is a command post exercise based on computer simulated war games centering on a scenario of an all-out war with the North. In 1954, the U.S.-led U.N. Command started the Focus Lens exercise. It was later combined with South Korea's Ulchi exercise, which was launched in the wake of a North Korean infiltration in 1968. The combined exercise, which was called the Ulchi Focus Lens, was renamed the UFG in 2008. Following Trump's decision to suspend the war games, speculation has surged that the allies might halt three major exercises: the UFG and springtime Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises. Amid dialogue with the North in 1992, Seoul and Washington canceled their "Team Spirit" exercise, which resumed the following year. The allies' militaries have long defended their regular exercises as purely "defensive in nature," rejecting the North's persistent claim that the drills are aimed at preparing for an invasion of its territory. Trump's suspension plan has been stirring up heated debate, with supporters calling it a good-will gesture to facilitate the North's denuclearization and naysayers a blow to the bilateral alliance. (Yonhap) By Lee Kyung-min An increasing number of Koreans are protesting a government policy granting refugee status to foreigners after Jeju Island's local government introduced an "asylum seeker-friendly" policy to help them find jobs, a humanitarian initiative deemed an "undue favor" by jobless Koreans. Over 200,000 people have signed a petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website demanding the government scrap or revise laws governing refugee status and the visa waiver program on Jeju Island. "I think it is highly doubtful whether granting refugee status to foreigners and providing financial support would contribute to the public safety of Korea and economic prosperity of the island," one petitioner wrote. "I have to doubt whether the group of people are really desperate enough to seek the status. The government should evaluate criteria and strengthen requirements." The harsh sentiment came after the Jeju branch of the Korea Immigration Service announced early this month that it will implement policies to help Yemeni asylum seekers, a substantial number of whom came to the island over the past few months to escape the ongoing civil war that began in 2015. They came here via a visa waiver program under which foreigners can stay for 30 days being given a visa on entry. All nationals but those from 11 countries suspected of being sponsors of terrorism are eligible for the program implemented in 2002 to promote the economy and attract foreign spending on the resort island. The immigration office's measure reflected recommendations from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and human rights advocacy groups that called for greater protection for the displaced from conflict-ridden, war-ravaged countries in line with the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention, it is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines a refugee, outlines the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum. Korea adopted the treaty in 1992. The convention is based on the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the rights of persons to seek asylum from persecution in other countries. The declaration stipulates that a refugee may enjoy rights and benefits in a state in addition to those provided for in the Convention. However, public sentiment soured after the immigration office decided to allow job-seeking efforts on the island, activities previously deemed illegal and subject to punishment including deportation. The public including many young and jobless people have little compassion due to fierce competition in certain sectors of the job market, compounded by continued reports about hiring irregularities at banks and state-run firms in which children of the rich and powerful were given favors in getting highly coveted jobs. Jeju's policy initially sought to acknowledge the financial hardship of the Yemenis staying in Korea, most of whom have no way of making a living after the 30-day visa expires. A total of 519 Yemenis have filed for refugee status as of May, an over 12-fold increase from 42 last year, and seven in 2016. No one sought the status in 2015. Most of the displaced that came to Korea this year had been in Malaysia, where they can stay for up to 90 days without visas. They came to Korea aboard a direct flight connecting a city in Malaysia with Jeju that was newly added last December. Meanwhile, the petition came amid growing concern over foreigners' misuse of the Jeju-operated visa waiver program to stay in Korea illegally as many disappear after arriving on the resort island. Law enforcement authorities suspect they remain here illegally or cross over to the mainland to seek work. Police earlier detained a number of Chinese brokers for allegedly helping such people get jobs in return for about 10 million won ($9,800) per person. The number of foreigners coming to Jeju on the visa waiver program is rising, from 232,000 in 2012 to 629,700 in 2015. A substantial portion of them become illegal aliens after they overstay the 30 days. According to municipal government data, the number increased to 9,846 last year, a near ten-fold increase from 992 in 2012. Authorities suspect the number will surpass 11,000 by the end of the year. By Donald Kirk The most controversial topic surrounding next Tuesday's Trump-Kim summit is probably not denuclearization or human rights. We already can be pretty sure those two bozos can talk their way around the nuclear issue with some vague declaration that all comes down to agreeing "Nukes Are Bad, Make Peace, not War." As for human rights, that's not gonna come up in the talks. The Trumpster doesn't want to spoil the mood by upsetting the Kimster too much with a topic everyone knows will go nowhere and might ruin Kim's appetite for pizza-with-everything before they ever get around to their say-nothing, mean-nothing final statement or "peace agreement." Okay, in the interests of attempting to be a little funny, it would be easy to say they'll compare hairstyles, exchange notes on hairdressers, perhaps offer each other some sage advice about the best hair dressing or shampoo treatment or some kind of scalp massage. Just kidding, just kidding! Okay, okay, now let's get serious. We're talking here about one of the most highly anticipated meetings between two national leaders in history. Yes, that's right, the word "historic" is bound to come up a lot more than once in all the breathless reporting and analysis we'll be reading before, during and after the opening and closing handshakes and hugs. Another adjective you're sure to see more than once is "rare." That's the word everyone uses after going to North Korea on a tourist trip, taking happy snaps and posting them along with an article on "my rare visit to the haunted kingdom" (or maybe "hermit country"). Getting down to the topic at hand, the overriding issue is who will be footing the bill for Kim Jong-un and all his delegation. Reports have been floating around all week that the North Koreans are saying they don't have the money. They're leaving the impression they might not even be able to take off from Pyongyang in that old Russian version of Air Force One that flew Kim to Dalian for his seance with Xi Jinping last month if they don't know where the money's coming from. The price for two or three days and nights living high in Singapore could come as quite a shock even to mere rich-list mortals accustomed to first-class expense-padding. Actually, however, if the bill for those $5,000-a-night rooms for every member of his entourage comes to well over $500,000, including room service dinners and all the drinks on offer at the mini-bars in each room, that might not be too bad. Consider how much flying B52 and B1 and B2 bombers up from Andresen Air Base in Guam on intimidation flights along the DMZ was costing American taxpayers before Trump and Kim agreed to stop calling each other bad names and frightening everyone with threats and counter-threats. But let us think again. If the final Singapore hotel bill comes to $200,000 or even $500,000 or $1 million, why can't Kim pick up the tab himself? Look, this man has stashed billions in accounts in Switzerland, where he went to school. There's nothing to stop him from dipping into his accounts, as he's accustomed to doing to support his lifestyle in Pyongyang, and ordering up all the costs of the extravaganza in Singapore. Ok, if Kim would rather not draw from his own piggy bank for expenses in Singapore, here's an option. He's giving up his nuclear program, right? He's no longer test-firing missiles, including long-range ICBMs capable of carrying miniaturized nuclear warheads to targets in Washington and New York. Surely the budget for nukes and missiles should easily cover the Singapore gambit. Considering Kim's got whatever it takes to maintain his dozen or so palatial estates in North Korea, the Americans are saying they're damned if they're paying Kim's bills. Nor should the South Koreans, the Singapore government, or the Chinese or Russians, feel responsible for guaranteeing the quality and quantity of the food and drink needed to satisfy his voracious gourmet tastes. Still, what would it take for all these bureaucrats to sign off on a bunch of credit cards for Kim and his party? Trump could even put such a show of generosity on the agenda at the summit. Surely coming to terms on Kim's Singapore expenses should be a lot easier than bringing talking heads and hairstyles together on the definition of "denuclearization." Donald Kirk, www.donaldkirk.com, has been writing about the North Korean nuclear issue since North and South Korean negotiators were haggling over the wording of their 1992 agreement on a "nuclear free" Korean Peninsula. United Nations soldiers participating in the 1950-53 Korean War pose for this file photo. / Korea Times file By Lee Min-hyung A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet takes off from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, during the joint Max Thunder air exercise with South Korea, May 16. / Yonhap There is a growing possibility for the United States to downsize its troops in South Korea, with U.S. President Donald Trump expressing his firm determination toward the move amid a peace overture initiated by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's pledge for denuclearization. The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has served as a major war deterrent since the 1950-53 Korean War. With Seoul and Pyongyang having since failed to sign a peace treaty, both sides remain in a technical state of war. After deploying the USFK, the U.S. has for decades reduced the number of the troops here for political and economic reasons. Washington has maintained 28,500 USFK troops in South Korea since April 2008 when then-South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and then-U.S. President George Bush agreed to maintain the troop size. But the U.S. is on track to bring up again the possibility of a USFK reduction, driven by the ongoing peace momentum on the Korean Peninsula. Last week, Trump and Kim held a first-ever Washington-Pyongyang summit in Singapore where the two unpredictable leaders reached agreements to realize complete denuclearization of the peninsula. If the North continues to make efforts to keep its promise and the two Koreas declare an end to the current state of war, this removes several justifiable reasons for the USFK to be stationed here. "It depends on how sincerely North Korea carries out proper steps for denuclearization," said Kim Sang-ki, director at the Korea Institute for National Unification's policy division. "It is likely for Washington to cut down on the size of the USFK only when it believes Pyongyang does not pose a significant military threat." U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said recently the U.S. is seeking to finish the regime's denuclearization processes by the end of Trump's current term in 2020. "Once the North makes concrete and appropriate steps for denuclearization with the U.S., and removes most of its major nuclear and missiles facilities, chances are the USFK reduction can come into reality within a couple of years," he said. U.S. Army soldiers walk with a military robot during a joint exercise in Daegu March 20, 2005, as part of annual Seoul-Washington joint drills. / AP-Yonhap USFK history It was in September 1945 when the U.S. deployed its troops for the first time on the peninsula. The dispatched troops served their duties to disband remaining Japanese armed forces after the latter surrendered to the Allied Forces on Aug. 15, 1945. The U.S. then withdrew its troops and deployed again in the wake of the outbreak of the Korean War. In August 1953, Seoul and Washington signed a mutual defense treaty to legalize the USFK to be stationed in South Korea. The size of the USFK back in the 1960s stood at 63,000. But with U.S. President Richard Nixon taking office in 1969, Washington pursued a policy of detente under which Nixon pushed for withdrawing U.S. troops in Asia and urged Asian countries to be more responsible for their own defense. Under his policy drive, Washington withdrew 20,000 USFK troops in March 1971. In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter also declared the withdrawal of the USFK, drawing strong protest from the South Korean government. Despite such fierce opposition, about 3,400 U.S. soldiers made their way back to their homeland. A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet takes off from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, during the joint Max Thunder air exercise with South Korea, May 16. / Yonhap Democratic Party of Korea leader Choo Mi-ae (center) makes a speech during the party's supreme council meeting held at National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times file By Jung Da-min The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said Monday it plans to hold a national convention Aug. 25 to elect a new leader and members of its decision-making Supreme Council. The new leadership will be in charge of nominations for the general elections scheduled for May 2020. "We decided to hold a convention on Aug. 25 at Olympic Park in Seoul," said party spokesman Rep. Park Beom-kye. "Details on how to form the new leadership have yet to be discussed." Currently the DPK is discussing how to elect the party chairperson and members of Supreme Council, either through an integrated election or separate elections. If the party decides on an integrated one, a collective leadership will be elected and the candidate with the most votes will become the chairperson while others will take up posts on the Supreme Council. Separate elections will see the chairperson and council members elected independently. The current system of regional Supreme Councils, however, will be abolished as it has been evaluated to be nominal and weakens the power of the central leadership. More than ten members are being mentioned as potential candidates including seven-term lawmaker Lee Hae-chan, five-term lawmaker Lee Jong-kul and four-term lawmaker Park Young-sun. The current DPK Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae said Monday she will not seek another term. "I have no reason to serve another term," Choo said in an interview with CBS radio, saying she has accomplished her mission, winning the presidential election last year and June 13 local elections this year. "I will make it clear I have no further plans." The ruling DPK swept the June 13 local elections as well as by-elections for 12 National Assembly seats. The party clinched 14 out of 17 governor and mayoral posts while the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) won two. In a survey conducted by Realmeter in the week of the election, 57 percent of 2,007 voters showed support for the ruling DPK, while 17.6 percent supported the LKP. LKP acting Chairman Kim Sung-tae announced Monday the party will take steps to disband its leadership and conduct an overall reform. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha speaks during a press briefing held at the ministry building in central Seoul, Monday. The briefing was held marking Kang's first year as minister. / Yonhap By Lee Kyung-min The prosecution will investigate "abuse by the judiciary" after Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su said he would cooperate with prosecutors, Monday. This is considered the best compromise due to the extremely polarized opinion among about 3,000 age- and rank-divided judges nationwide. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said that it will undertake the investigation and plans to confiscate necessary materials and question the people involved soon. The high-profile, unprecedented scandal that has rattled the country over the past few weeks concerns an allegation that the Supreme Court under the leadership of Yang Sung-tae, Kim's predecessor, drafted documents on ways to deliver verdicts on politically sensitive trials in exchange for the establishment of what would have been a de facto "Second Supreme Court" under the Park Geun-hye administration. The top initiative spearheaded by Yang sought to help lower the workload of top court justices and help many senior judges nearing retirement retain their prestigious high-ranking public posts longer. The documents were written by a dozen officials at the Office of Court Administration (OCA), an administrative body under the top court, where only a dozen high-performing, elite judges are posted with "guaranteed" prospects of promotion. Disciplinary measures against a handful of OCA officials involved is expected after Kim referred the matter to the relevant judicial committee. The prosecution is expected to focus on determining whether the court officials executed the plan as well as the degree to which it progressed. This would inevitably require questioning the officials as well as confiscation of computer hard drives in which documents in question were stored. This is necessary to compare the findings with heavily implicating materials released late last month by a special committee under the top court which conducted a third investigation. Following the review of the passcode-locked computers, to which two earlier committees were denied access, the committee disclosed only a table of contents and small number of citations made from the documents, but the plans on specific measures to advance Yang's agenda set off a firestorm nationwide. The third committee had access to more material than the previous committees that concluded there was "no blacklist of judges," nor were there efforts to suppress liberal voices within the judiciary for criticizing the "emperor-like" power exercised by the chief justice. These conclusions triggered massive public outrage as they clearly stood at odds with the volumes of evidence that suggested otherwise. Top OCA officials were not subject to questioning, and only replied to written questions either through email or mail. Yang refused to be questioned twice. The prosecution investigation is considered the best compromise for Kim whose leadership has been put to the test amid increasing pressure to clearly disavow past wrongdoings as part of his pledge toward long overdue judicial reform. The group of senior judges clearly opposed any further investigation _ much less the prosecution's involvement _ out of concern that it could set a "bad precedent" in which investigative officials intervene in judicial proceedings, which could heavily undermine judicial authority. However, liberal judges deemed it a "necessary evil" to completely sever ties from the past. They urged a thorough investigation as well as harsh punishment for the figures involved, and recommended a criminal investigation or a further internal audit into the allegations be conducted for "due accountability," amid prevalent public distrust coupled with a shared sense of outrage. A Cleveland street has been named for a woman who played key roles in the planning, construction and opening of the Cleveland Regional Jetport. The street sign for the Lynn DeVault Boulevard was revealed Friday. Formerly a portion of Tasso Road, the Lynn DeVault Blvd. forms the west and north perimeter around the Jetport. The unveiling ceremony took place at the intersection of Lynn DeVault Blvd. with Dry Valley Road. City leaders, Cleveland Municipal Airport Authority members and others gathered and applauded as Ms. DeVault removed the wrapper from the street sign bearing her name. Mayor Tom Rowland presented her with a gift copy of the street sign. This is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, assets of the city of Cleveland, Mayor Rowland said of the airport to those gathered for the event. He thanked the City Council and early advocates for a new city airport, plus the Airport Authority, Airport Director Mark Fidler and Contour Flight Support, the contract fixed base operator. I think we have Industry here that wouldnt be here today if not for this airport, the mayor said. Ms. DeVault said she appreciated the citys recognition. It took all of us, Ms. DeVault said, not just me. On the original authority, we all had our jobs and we all did our jobs, she said. She also thanked the city for its early funding to get the thing going, funding the studies. We couldnt have done it without that money. The Cleveland Airport Authority was created in 2004 to guide the site location, development and operation of KRZR, the jetports federal designation. Ms. DeVault has served three times as Airport Authority chairwoman. The Jetport opened January 25, 2013. The runway was expanded to 6,200 feet in 2017 and the number of hangars continues to grow. The Jetport was named Tennessee Airport Of The Year in 2014 by the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission. Liberty Korea Party floor leader Rep. Kim Sung-tae announced reform measures for the party during a press conference at the National Assembly, Monday. / Yonhap By Park Ji-won The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) is mired in an internal feud over how to reform the party following its massive defeat in the local elections last week. Party floor leader Rep. Kim Sung-tae announced a plan to form a rehabilitation committee after disbanding the party leadership. However, some junior LKP lawmakers objected to the plan, claiming Kim and all other senior members who are directly responsible for the election defeats should give up their posts first to show their sincerity. "The LKP will execute reforms under an emergency committee to be formed after disbanding the party leadership," Kim told reporters. Kim also added he will accept resignations of relevant party members soon. "The move is to make a new trend as a conservative party by abandoning the outmoded notions and answering the people's thoughts." The move follows the June local elections where the LKP won only two out of 17 mayoral and gubernatorial races. It also won only one out of 12 by-elections for National Assembly seats. Kim also said he would serve as the chairman of the taskforce and hire an outside leader. He also hinted at the possibility of changing the party's name, saying "We will start with a new (party) name that includes our new ideology and values." Regarding disbanding the party leadership, Kim added the move is to simplify decision-making structures. However, Kim is likely facing a backlash from party members as his move did not come with concessions to many party members. Some party members insist Kim is not free from responsibility for the defeat. Senior lawmakers of the party criticized Kim's unilateral move saying he did not discuss with party members about disbanding the party, instead calling for a general meeting to be held sooner. "We decided to call for a general meeting to discuss disbanding the party with 15 party lawmakers," Rep. Park Duk-hyum said during a meeting with other LKP lawmakers. "(During the meeting,) we decided to hold hands together to make a shift for the next generation. We should work toward change and innovation together rather than alone. Also, we decided to hold regular meetings every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m." Meanwhile, the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party also launched an emergency committee led by its floor leader Rep. Kim Dong-cheol to fill the gap following the resignation of party leaders such as co-chairman Rep. Yoo Seong-min and Park Joo-sun. The emergency committee includes Rep. Oh Shin-hwan, Kim Su-min and Lee Ji-hyun, vice chief of the party's umbrella organization Bareun Policy Institute. During an emergency meeting, the minor emergency committee chief said, "The party will not join hands with either the LKP or the Party for Democracy and Peace." "The Bareunmirae Party will protect the multi-party system," Kim said. Navy's Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) agents are being released from an UH-60 helicopter over Dokdo, South Korea's eaternmost islets, in this 2013 file photo. / Korea Times file By Lee Min-hyung The Navy began a two-day regular exercise Monday to defend the nation's easternmost islets of Dokdo, deploying six warships and seven aircraft. The biannual drill is aimed at defending Dokdo and its surrounding area as part of Seoul's show of its strong willingness to protect the territory from other countries, according to the Navy. For the regular exercise, the Navy has teamed up with the Marines Corp and the Korea Coast Guard. The mobilized weapons include a 3,200-ton Yangmanchun destroyer, P-3C maritime patrol aircraft and F-15K fighter aircraft. "The exercise has been conducted on a regular basis each year, and will be similar in scale to the previous one (conducted in December last year)," the Navy said. Korea has staged the drill near the islets twice a year since 1986. The Navy has since focused on simulating outside forces' possible invasion scenarios of the islets and coming up with countermeasures against potential threats from other countries. Every time Korea conducts the exercise, it has drawn strong opposition from Japan. After the announcement, Japan stepped up its criticism on Korea for carrying out the drill near the area. This is because Japan has for decades claimed a territorial claim over Dokdo. On Tuesday, Japan's NHK reported its foreign ministry strongly protested against the military exercise, calling it "totally unacceptable." The Japanese national broadcaster also reported that Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed deep regret over the Dokdo defense drill by Korea. Tokyo also urged the Japanese embassy in Seoul to make an official complaint against Korea's foreign ministry, according to NHK. The territorial dispute surrounding Dokdo has been a major bone of contention between Seoul and Tokyo, with Japan continuing to claim sovereignty over the islets through multiple channels including its textbook and diplomatic channels. But Korea reiterated its will to hold the exercise as planned, as it is not aimed at provoking other countries, but for defending the national territory. The nation's Defense Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said Monday, "The drill is a regular exercise aimed at preventing outside forces from invading the area." The latest in a series of the Dokdo defense drill was conducted for two days from Dec. 28 last year. At that time, South Korea carried out its defense mission on Dokdo by deploying two F-15K fighter jets, maritime patrol aircraft and the 3,200-ton destroyer, Gwanggaeto the Great. By Imran Khalid With the sounds of victory trumpets still hanging in the air over the thrilling summit in Singapore with North Korean Kim Jong-un, U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing for yet another extra-sensational melodrama in the coming days his pre-election wish to have a one-on-one big meeting with Vladimir Putin. Reports, almost confirmed and verified, are emanating from his inner circle that President Trump has asked his team to prepare for his much-touted meeting with Putin in Vienna. There are also reports that during his visit to Austria earlier this month Putin allegedly discussed with Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz the possibility of hosting a Trump-Putin summit in Vienna this summer. The initial discussion about this proposed summit took place in Trump's March 20 phone call to Putin. On June 10, Putin further confirmed his readiness to meet Trump in person not at the White House as proposed by Trump in his phone call, but at a third-party location. It seems the successful Singapore episode has further emboldened Trump to take the additional risk of meeting with Putin, at a time when controversy over Russia's election-meddling is still very much alive and whirling in the corridors of the White House. Yes, his summit with Kim Jong-un was anathema of traditional American foreign policy and it generated a lot of hot air and disparagement, but his meeting with Putin will be potentially more explosive and cataclysmic for him politically. Even his now-tamed detractors and supporters among the Republicans will not be able to remain silent. Interestingly, unlike his meeting with Kim Jong-un which had a clear-cut predefined agenda, President Trump has apparently no agenda at all for his meeting with Putin. Will Putin offer to roll back Russian interventions in Crimea or Syria? Will Putin offer to abstain from playing with oil prices through his OPEC clout? Will Putin offer to reduce Russian nukes and intercontinental ballistic missile systems to a reasonable and acceptable level? None of this is likely to be the part of agenda at the Trump-Putin summit. Now the pricking question is what is going to be the Trump theme for this get-together? Perhaps this is what the Trump aides are working hard to carve out. Without any tangible positives for the United States, this meeting will in fact eclipse his recent diplomatic triumph at the Singapore summit and it will also make a hero of Putin, who has nothing to lose in this episode. Looking at his track record of erratic and nerve-shattering moves in the arena of global politics, President Trump is again expected to trust his impulsive and gut-driven methodology. His affinity for Putin is an established fact and he does not miss a single chance to express his fondness for Putin still a mystery, why. This month's G7 summit in Quebec was a lucid example of his eagerness to do "something" for Putin. Among other contentious issues, one key point where Trump locked his horns with longtime allies was his one-man campaigning for the re-admission of Russia into the club. Even Trump's inner team was totally unaware of his sudden lobbying for the re-inclusion of Moscow into the folds of the G7. There are validated reports that in the pre-summit preparatory meetings, Russia was never a point of serious discussion between Trump and his foreign policy team. It was as surprising for his own team in Quebec as for his counterparts when he started campaigning for Russia, totally forgetting the fact Washington spearheaded the move for Russia's expulsion from the group in reaction to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. Trump totally misread the mood of his counterparts and unnecessarily pushed for a puerile point that eventually created more acrimony at the gathering. He was wrongly expecting his pro-Russia campaign would muster enough support at the G7 summit. His impetuous and ill-planned drive for a reconstituted G8 backfired badly and he ended up pushing Washington more towards isolation in the global power structure. By advocating for Russia at the G7 summit, he has definitely won the sympathy of Putin but he has bought more isolation, which does not augur well for the United States to uphold its leadership and sway over global politics. Right now, after his triumphant return from Singapore, Trump is very much overconfident about his signature personalized diplomacy and he thinks he will again score some thrilling points in his encounter with Putin and he will be able to further taunt his predecessors for their religious adhesion to the traditional norms and discipline of American diplomacy. But he is on the wrong track this time, it seems. Without any concrete agenda, he will not be able to fetch a success story to sell at home this time. On the contrary, Putin has nothing to lose in such a meeting where he has to do nothing more than just sharing a lunch table with Trump and a joint photo shoot while shaking hands. But the question is what should be the agenda that will give the opportunity to Trump to beat the drums of victory. Imran Khalid (ikhalid99@yahoo.com) is a freelance contributor based in Karachi, Pakistan. He has been contributing articles on international relations to various newspapers and journals in the region since 1995. Korea should establish balanced economic structure The Korean economy is feared to take the brunt of a looming trade war between the United States and China. In fact, few countries face more serious consequences from the G2's intensifying trade row than Korea, which relies heavily on exports. The expected fallout of the trade dispute will worsen as it is likely to deal a serious blow to exports to both China and the U.S. -- the nation's main trading partners. Official data shows 27 percent of Korean-made goods were shipped to China in the first five months of the year, while 11 percent went to the U.S. This means the G2 accounted for 38 percent of total exports. In other words, Korea's export dependence on the two economies is too high. So is the risk of trade with them. Last week U.S. President Donald Trump announced the imposition of 25 percent tariffs on Chinese goods worth up to $50 billion. In retaliation, China decided to levy an additional 25 percent tariffs on 659 U.S. goods worth $50 billion. The tit-for-tat imposition of tariffs will inevitably lead to a fall in trade between the U.S. and China. Korea will also suffer a tangible decline in its exports to the two. A report predicts that if U.S. imports of Chinese goods drop by 10 percent, Korean shipments to China might decrease 20 percent. The impact of the decline could be more worrisome, not least because about 80 percent of Korean exports to China are intermediary goods that are assembled there and shipped overseas as finished products. As a result, the rising protectionism could disrupt China's strong processing trade system. It could also trigger a chain reaction in Korea and other countries that supply materials and parts to China. Thus, the U.S.-China trade friction may spread to the EU and other parts of the world, triggering a global trade war. This is cause for concern, particularly for the export-oriented Korean economy. The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) predicted that if the U.S., China and the EU increase overall tariffs by 10 percentage points, Korean exports will decrease by $36.7 billion, or 6.4 percent of the country's entire exports last year. Policymakers and businesspeople cannot sit idly by only to see trade protectionism hit the Korean economy hard. They should spare no efforts to ride out the roaring wave of the trade row. Most of all, it is urgent to reduce the nation's undue reliance on exports and establish a balanced economic structure by boosting domestic demand. By Andrew Salmon Oh, irony of ironies. United States Forces Korea USFK, which oversees 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea is not under threat from a leftist South Korea government, nor from North Korean action, anger or hostility. No. The man most likely to bring this formidable force home or, at the very least, slash its capabilities, numbers and expenses is the U.S. president himself. To widespread astonishment, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed in Singapore, after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, that he had granted Pyongyang a long-standing demand: The end of joint South Korean-US military exercises. Notably, he did not simply cite the war games as "provocative" toward North Korea; they are "expensive" for the US taxpayer he said an argument that Pyongyang has never used. This should astonish nobody. On the campaign trail Trump made clear that he favored allies paying more than they do. This is a president who views matters through an economic, rather than a strategic prism. Since 1953, USFK has been shrinking. Looking ahead, does further shrinkage or even withdrawal of USFK make sense in the wider strategic picture? Not for South Koreans. And possibly not even for North Koreans, either. For South Korea, the Northern threat has not gone away. Perhaps it will. But even if it does not, it no longer threatens South Korea's existence. Pyongyang's vanilla forces lack fuel, equipment, large-scale training opportunities and recent combat experience. Its manpower is decrepit and under-equipped, at their best not in combat on expeditionary battlegrounds, but while showcasing impeccable drills for their leader during televised parades. Pyongyang's black forces are scarier. They can launch strikes deploying spies, commandos, patrol boats, submarines and artillery. Such operations kill citizens and troops. But none are strategic; none are game winning moves. All are pinpricks in South Korea's national body. If anything, such tactics are self-defeating: They arouse Southern sentiment against the North. The real North Korean threat is weapons of mass destruction: Nuclear arms. Chemical and bacteriological agents can largely be written out of any equation of conquest. While chemical and bacterial agents represent nightmare munitions in the popular imagination, both are difficult to deploy, and have massive blowback potential. Both suffer reduced effectiveness if their target boasts an advanced health infrastructure, as South Korea does, but North Korea does not. Don't believe me? OK. Show me a single post-1918 conflict in which either chemical or biological weapons were deployed with battlefield effectiveness. No..? I rest my case. These are terrorist tools, not state-to-state warfare weapons. What, then of nuclear arms? Why would North Korea incinerate countless members of a population it claims to be liberating? (This same question applies, in a smaller way, to Pyongyang's artillery threat which professionals will tell you is far less intimidating than media believes.) But even if South Korea can defend itself against North Korea conventionally, there are broader reasons to maintain a Washington alliance. This alliance goes beyond USFK. Its underpinning is a mutual defense treaty which, incidentally, does not even mention North Korea. There is no multilateral security architecture in the region; no Northeast Asian NATO. We all know that _ for emotive rather than political reasons Koreans cannot ally with Japanese. This makes the U.S. South Korea's only friend to turn to if things turn rough. It has no other ally. Period. Speaking of the broader peninsula: What is more threatening? A superpower across the Pacific or a superpower next door? Could gulp! Seoul and Washington one day invite Pyongyang into a trilateral pact against external enemies? This is not complete lunacy. After all, the late Kim Jong-il told the late Kim Dae-jung that he agreed to a long-term US presence on the peninsula to counterbalance a rising China. I would respectfully suggest that Seoul considers these factors very carefully as it negotiates the upcoming issues of defense cost-sharing and wartime operational control with Washington. These are big-picture issues here. There are big-boys' rules to consider. In a situation where all possibilities are in play, there is more at stake than North-South rapprochement. Andrew Salmon (andrewcsalmon@yahoo.co.uk) is a Seoul-based reporter and author. By Baek Byung-yeul LS Cable & System will establish a power cable manufacturing joint venture with Indonesian group Artha Graha Network to expand its cable business in Southeast Asia. The company announced at the Indonesian Embassy on Yeouido in Seoul, Monday, it had agreed to create a joint venture with the Indonesian conglomerate. According to the agreement, the two will invest $40 million to establish a 64,000 square-meter plant near Jakarta by 2019. The Korean cable company said it will produce mid- to low-voltage cables that transmit power to large-scale industrial sites and commercial buildings. Artha Graha Network is an Indonesia-based conglomerate that operates in the banking, hotel, resort and construction sectors. Indonesia has the largest power cable market in Southeast Asia with average growth of 8 percent a year. LS Cable & System expects the plant can generate $100 million in revenue by 2025. LS Cable & System CEO Myung No-hyun said the joint venture could be accelerated after President Moon Jae-in announced his New Southern Policy during his visit to Indonesia last November. During a meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Moon declared his vision to broaden exchanges with Southeast Asian countries to expand Korea's economic influence there. "Indonesia, which has seen its economy grow strongly, is a very attractive market and we have been looking forward to expanding our business there," Myung said. "After President Moon declared the New Southern Policy last November, negotiations sped up." With the joint venture, LS Cable & System now has seven cable production companies in Asian countries including Vietnam, China, India and Myanmar. Its subsidiary LS Cable & System Asia is a market-leading cable manufacturing company in Vietnam. By Kim Yoo-chul Chinese internet firm Tencent has been in discussions with Bluehole to acquire the latter's stake, sources who are familiar with the matter said Monday. "Tencent approached Bluehole to purchase its stake. Terms of details have yet to be fixed, but they've seen substantial progress about the deal," an official at a Seoul-based private equity fund (PEF) said. Bluehole is the parent firm of PUBG, which developed the best-selling video game "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds." "Venture capitals owning stakes in the Korean game company want to sell their stakes before the firm goes public. The Chinese tech company was picked up as the preferred negotiator for the deal as it suggested a higher acquisition price than others such as Microsoft," said the source, asking not to be identified citing the sensitivity of the issue. Credit Suisse will serve as financial adviser to manage the deal with potential investors and existing shareholders. A Bluehole spokesman declined to comment. Reports say Tencent was leading a group of investors to acquire as much as a 10 percent stake in Bluehole for an estimated $500 million, valuing the Korean firm at more than $5 billion. Bluehole is a creator of MMORPGs and mobile games. Tencent invested 70 billion won last year to acquire a stake under five percent in Bluehole. Tencent has stakes in Kakao and Netmarble. "Before going public, Bluehole hopes to win financial backing from strategic investors rather than financial investors. It's still unknown how many stocks Tencent is planning to acquire. There are lots of issues that should be addressed before completing the deal," said another PEF source, citing that Chinese regulators haven't approved the licensing deal between Tencent and Bluehole to bring Bluehole's games to the Chinese market. The deal, if Chinese regulators approve, will make Tencent the second-largest shareholder in Bluehole. Tencent is making efforts to diversify and expand its pipeline of content for the global game market. The Chinese firm already owns a number of online multiplayer games including "War of Zombie." POSCO Center in Seoul / Yonhap By Park Jae-hyuk Concerns are growing over foreign shareholders possibly interfering in POSCO's management, since their shares in the country's leading steelmaker reached almost 60 percent. As of Monday, foreigners held 50.56 million shares in POSCO, 58 percent of the company's entire listed stocks. Considering foreign investors held 43.17 million shares in POSCO in June 2016, 49.51 percent of its total listed stocks, the ratio of foreign-owned shares in the steelmaker has increased by nearly 10 percent over the last two years. By contrast, the National Pension Service (NPS) has continued selling its shares in POSCO this year. The NPS, the largest shareholder in the Pohang-headquartered company, announced it sold 257,617 shares in the steelmaker in April, following a sale of 200,678 shares in January. The NPS holds a 10.79 percent stake in POSCO. Analysts point out the rapid increase of foreign-owned shares can destabilize a company's governance structure, citing U.S. hedge fund Elliott's attacks on Korean conglomerates. The activist investment management firm, which holds a 1.6 percent stake in Hyundai Motor Group, stopped the automotive group's attempt to reform its governance structure, acting like a protector of minor shareholders' rights. However, the hedge fund is expected to sell its Hyundai shares right after making the profit it targeted. "The hedge fund's attack on Hyundai Motor Group's reform plans, which government authorities praised, reminds me of previous tragedies, such as the Sovereign case," Korea Listed Companies Association President Jung Koo-ryong said in a press conference last month. Back in 2003, Sovereign Asset Management became the second-largest shareholder in SK, then in 2005 sold off all its SK shares, making over 900 billion won ($814 million) in profit. POSCO, lacking a particular owner, is vulnerable to foreign investors. Because the number of foreign-owned shares in POSCO is high enough for foreign shareholders to pass resolutions at shareholder meetings, they may demand excessive dividends or urge the company to make short-term profits, rather than long-term investments. The pressure would result in inefficiency in the firm's management. Against this backdrop, listed companies have called for adoption of dual-class stocks and a poison pill to protect their management rights. A dual-class stock is the issuing of various types of shares by a single company. Shares can differ based on distinct voting rights and dividend payments. A poison pill is a tactic used by public companies to derail hostile takeovers. "Compared to other countries, Korea's regulations of M&As is unfair to companies trying to protect their management rights," Jung said. According to a recent report by JP Morgan, it was found that Asian countries have been facing a growing number of international activist campaigns. Among the 662 activist campaigns last year, Asian nations experienced 106, 24 of which were in Korea. POSCO, however, said it will be able to properly counteract against foreign investors' hostile interferences in the company's management, because of its competitive advantage in the industry and shareholders friendly to the steelmaker. "Although Elliott recently meddled with managements of some companies, such interference will hardly take place in our company having relatively better form of governance structure," a POSCO spokeswoman said. LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-hong By Jhoo Dong-chan Affiliates of LS Group have been fined nearly 26 billion won ($23.5 million) combined for illegal inter-affiliate trading, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Monday. The nation's antitrust agency also referred the group's owner family members and executives to the prosecution for presenting fraudulent data during its investigation. FTC said LS Corp., the group's de facto holding firm, stirred the group's copper smelting affiliate LS Nikko to illegally support LS Global for a long time. LS Global was founded in 2005 by the group's founding family members, and they were found to have obtained illicit gains by forcing the group's affiliates to do business with LS Global. For more than 10 years since 2006, LS Global has played a gateway role reaping unfair gains through buying electrolytic copper from LS Nikko at lower prices and selling it back to the group's affiliate at higher prices. The FTC said LS Global has reaped more than 13 billion won of illicit gains through the unfair practice for 13 years. Thanks to the illegal inter-affiliate trading practice, LS Global has become one of powerhouses in the nation's electrolytic copper trading market, and later expanded its business into the IT service sector. In the meantime, the group's owner family members have reportedly gained more than 9 billion won in profit by trading company shares. The FTC said it fined LS Corp. 11.1 billion won, LS Nikko 10.3 billion won, LS Cable & System 3.03 billion won and LS Global 1.41 billion. The agency added LS Cable & System presented fraudulent data during the FTC investigation so it decided to report the company's related executives to the prosecution. LS Group strongly protested the FTC's decision. "LS Global was found to trade and supply electrolytic copper more efficiently with the group's affiliates. Thanks to the company's supply, the group's four affiliates including LS Nikko has managed to post stable sales for years," LS Group said. "We will look into taking legal action against the FTC after reviewing the case thoroughly." British architect David Chipperfield speaks during a press conference at AmorePacific headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap By Park Jae-hyuk Cosmetics and architecture may seem to have little in common with each other. Both, however, are similar in that they pursue the same goal beauty. British architect David Chipperfield, who designed the new headquarters building of AmorePacific, Korea's largest cosmetics maker, understands the link between the two. During a press conference at the new landmark in Yongsan-gu, Thursday, a day before its completion ceremony, one of the world's most famous architects said he tried his best to design a building that suits the cosmetics giant's ambition, "Beautify the world." Inspired by the moon jar, a traditional Korean white porcelain jar made during the 13921910 Joseon Kingdom, the 2007 Stirling Prize winner designed the cube-shaped building that sits east of Yongsan Station. Due to the jar's round shape, the cube-shaped building may not remind people of the traditional ceramic design. Chipperfield said moon jars and the new building are similar in terms of "confident stability." Just like a moon jar without fancy decorations, the 22-story building is not as high as recently built skyscrapers in Seoul and does not stand out among other tall buildings in the area. "The quiet building in the noisy place can make a deeper impression," the architect said. Defining the cubic space as a better working community than towers, the 64-year-old said the shape of the building was also a result of his attempt to develop a "workplace," in accordance with the building's purpose and AmorePacific Chairman Suh Kyung-bae's ideals and principles. "The building suggests generosity of spirit to the people who work here and to the citizens," Chipperfield said. "It is more than an office. It is something that mediates between the company and the city. It shows how a company can participate in the larger community." Located on land AmorePacific has owned since 1956, the new headquarters building is next to a U.S. base that is closing and will be transformed into a spacious public park and a business district. It also has various public amenities, including a museum, auditorium, library, restaurants and a daycare center. The Williams/Hardy House celebrates its 90th anniversary on Lookout Mountain this year. Designed by local architect Clarence T. Jones the main house was built for Mrs. Ethel Soper Hardy. Work began in spring and completed by late summer to early fall in 1928. The Williams family would later occupy the house for nearly 60 years before it was purchased by the National Park Service. At one point the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park considered making the house and garage into a visitors center with public bathrooms and Park offices. My approach has always been to restore Littleholme (a name the original homeowners gave the property in the 1890s) with public funds and lease the property under a nonprofit trust. And although a petition of over 2,000 people has proven a healthy public interest to restore the site, the Park has yet to cooperate or consider opening a formal Request for Expressions of Interest for the re-use of the property. This would provide an opportunity for any interested group to submit a proposal for its restoration and re-use. How could this property be re-used? Instead of the previously planned visitor center, my proposal involves transforming the Williams/Hardy House into a Visitors Museum and Gallery. Lookout Mountain has been a magnet for tourism since before the Civil War. Millions of visitors through nearly six generations have been drawn to the area's natural beauty. The location and scenic vistas brought many who fought in the Chickamauga and Chattanooga campaigns to return to the area and settle. The years after the War, Lookout continued to be a popular year-round vacationing spot for the world and inspired the creation of America's first National Park decades before a National Park system existed. The United States government would take over its operations in 1933. A Visitors Museum would focus on the visitor experience through Lookout Mountain history. There would be an emphasis on its time as a National Park, telling its story from a visitor's perspective. This would be a totally unique viewpoint for a museum or National Park. Albeit space is small, it can utilize an online archive to exhibit a larger collection. Littleholme's gallery would be used for special and visiting exhibits. Photography will be a large part of the exhibits, as it's been a huge part of the area's history. Through a collaboration of historical groups and private collectors, there would be years of material available to keep presentations fresh for return visitation. The property would be also open for other local historical organizations and projects to use for meetings and small events. In addition, there would be a small gift shop and visitor reception area. We'd provide free bottled water from sponsors to hikers, and the garage could be renovated into public restrooms. This is just a rough sketch of a Littleholme proposed reuse. Our priority would be to restore the exterior of the home to its original 1928 appearance, right down to the ceramic cat the once walked its roofline. The interior would need to be brought up to code, and hopefully, we can retain its original floor plan and replace its missing architectural features like the fireplace in the great room and the iron railings on the staircase. The goal is to preserve a local historical landmark, but also create a great value for the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and its one million annual visitors, encouraging visitation and promoting their mission. Although this structure does not fit its Civil War timeline, it has great potential to become an asset, much like other contemporary resources located on the Battlefield like the Visitor Center in Fort Oglethorpe, the Cravens House, and the Ochs Memorial at Point Lookout. Please help provide a future for Littleholme. Sign the petition at, https://www.change.org/p/u-s-national-park-services-save-historic-williams-hardy-house-littleholme-from-destruction-on-lookout-mountain. Also, visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/savinglittlehome for photos and videos of the property. David Moon You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Why new mothers in Indiana are dying at one of the nations highest rates 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. Police have charged 21-year-old William Alexander Floyd after a fight with an officer on Station Street that was caught on video and quickly shared on social media. Floyd, of Ringgold, Ga., was charged with assault, disorderly conduct, vandalism, public intoxication and resisting arrest. Police said they were providing crowd control in front of Regans Dance Club when a fight broke out. They said Floyd stepped in when officers were triying to break up the fight. The report says he began fighting with a police sergeant and broke his prescription glasses. The video shows Floyd and the sergeant engaging in fisticuffs, then Floyd being taken to the ground and handcuffed. Former House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick has decided to pull out of the House District 26 race and take a position with an engineering firm in Nashville. Among the top contenders considering the post are County Commissioner Greg Martin, former county Republican Party Chairman Tony Sanders and former state GOP Chairman Robin Smith. Rep. McCormick's wife, Kim, earlier took a position with the State Board of Regents in Nashville, and the couple bought a house there and put their home on Big Ridge on the market. He has formally submitted his intention of withdrawing his name from the upcoming election. Kerry Steelman, election administrator, said, "The Hamilton County Election Commission office is in receipt of Representative Gerald McCormicks formal notice withdrawing his candidacy in the August 2nd State Republican Primary Election. " In this specific instance, TCA 2-5-101(g)(1)(D) permits, Withdrawal because such candidate is forced to change residency by the candidates employer for a job-related reason. This has established a 10-day qualifying timeframe for the Republican Primary beginning Tuesday, June 19, through Thursday, June 28, at 12:00 noon. "The withdrawal deadline is set by TCA 2-5-204(b)(1), A candidate who qualifies pursuant to 2-5-101(g)(1) must file a request to withdraw no later than 12:00 noon prevailing time on the 3rd day after the qualifying deadline. "Since the 3rd day falls on Sunday, then the withdrawal deadline shall be Friday, June 29, at 4 p.m." Tennessee Vols fans hit a new low at the end of the UTK vs Ole Miss last evening. Maybe Lane Kiffin did us wrong when he left Knoxville for his dream team back in 2009, however, the crass and repulsive behavior of a large number of Tennessee fans didnt reflect on Kiffin, it reflected on the great state of Tennessee. Has society really reduced itself to believing that reducing ... (click for more) This may be a bit personal but Im not going to apologize. Some of my best buddies are going through the fire right now and, while I dare not give examples or share names, this gives me the avenue to forward this column along. Hey, heres a piece I wrote for Sunday that you might enjoy. I do that every now and again, when I write something I think is funny or when I write something ... (click for more) Tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Within two weeks of quitting, former smokers have reduced their risk of having a heart attack, and improved their lung function. CHI Memorial offers a free seven-week Freedom From Smoking program to help people stop smoking. The program teaches participants how to beat tobacco addiction, lifestyle changes that make quitting easier, stress management, how to avoid weight gain and how to stay smoke-free for good. Freedom From Smoking is an American Lung Association program that has helped more than one million Americans overcome an addiction to nicotine during the past 30 years. A new session will begin on Monday, July 2, at CHI Memorial Community Health - Hixson, at 3905 Hixson Pike, Suite 103, Chattanooga, Tn. 37415. The class will meet every Monday for seven weeks from 67:30 p.m. The program is designed for a small group setting. Anyone who has a desire to stop smoking should call 423 495-7778 to register for a class at a location convenient to you. There is no charge for the program. Patrick Soon-Shiong sent the wire this morning that made it official the Los Angeles Times is now a private company with him as the owner and he followed with a note to the newsroom. He says nice things about the Times and its journalists that no one at Tronc ever said with any sincerity. The newsroom emails follows up on yesterday's note to readers printed in the paper. Today's email repeats his personal commitment to journalism's role in democracy, forged "growing up 'non-white' under apartheid in South Africa." I like this message to his new employees, who are celebrating today: "We are in awe of your talent and your continued passion for excellence." Also this: "California and the West is where the world comes to see its future." Click to enlarge. LA Times page Media page Giovanni Francesco Di Prima, 22 anni, ha confessato di avere ucciso la sorella, ma non e ancora chiaro il movente. E' stato fermato. La donna era scomparsa ieri ed e stata trovata nelle campagne di Nicolosi Former President Obama is out of office but hes keeping up on politics and social issues with the books hes reading. Obama shared a list of books hes been reading on Facebook on Saturday. The list is long on intellectual nonfiction and short on anything that could be described as a beach read. Its admittedly a slightly heavier list than what Ill be reading over the summer, Obama admitted. His first recommendation was Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging, journalist Alex Wagners memoir about her globetrotting quest to trace her ancestry. Advertisement What she came up with is a thoughtful, beautiful meditation on what makes us who we are the search for harmony between our own individual identities and the values and ideals that bind us together as Americans, Obama wrote. A surprise entry on the list was Why Liberalism Failed by Notre Dame professor Patrick J. Deneen. The book has garnered praise from conservative writers including Ross Douthat, Rod Dreher and the National Review magazine. I dont agree with most of the authors conclusions, Obama wrote, but the book offers cogent insights into the loss of meaning and community that many in the West feel, issues that liberal democracies ignore at their own peril. Obama also plugged a book by a possible 2020 presidential candidate, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. The ex-president praised Landrieus In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History, which was released in March. Its an ultimately optimistic take from someone who believes the South will rise again not by reasserting the past, but by transcending it, Obama wrote. Obama also recommended Enrico Morettis The New Geography of Jobs and Jennifer Kavanaghs Truth Decay: An Initial Exploration of the Diminishing Role of Facts and Analysis in American Public Life, as well as an article in the Atlantic, Matthew Stewarts The 9.9 Percent Is the New American Aristocracy, which he called thought-provoking. No fiction made Obamas list this time, but hes been known to pick up a novel or two. He shared a list of his favorite books of 2017 on Facebook in December; it included the novels The Power by Naomi Alderman, Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward and James McBrides short story collection, Five-Carat Soul. Obama clearly has a soft spot for books, a trait that his successor does not seem to share. In 2016, Donald Trump told journalist MegynKelly that he doesnt have the time to read books, although he did say he enjoyed Erich Maria Remarques classic antiwar novel All Quiet on the Western Front. In 2005, however, Trump seemed to indicate that he had an affinity for contemporary acclaimed authors, writing in a letter to the editor of the New York Times, Most writers want to be successful. Some writers even want to be good writers. Ive read John Updike, Ive read Orhan Pamuk, Ive read Philip Roth. Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C. has welcomed Mae Shelley to the firm's estate and tax planning group. Ms. Shelley joins Chambliss as a paralegal with more than 10 years of extensive experience in corporate law, administration and partnerships. Her work focuses primarily on trust administration, and she assists with the planning and navigation of trust requirements. Mae is an excellent addition to our team. Her experience and dedication to tailoring services to each family's unique needs will be well-received by our clients, said Greg Willett, estate and tax planning chair at Chambliss. Ms. Shelley has a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Covenant College. Prior to joining the firm, she worked as a corporate administrator for Conyers, Dill & Pearman in Hamilton, Bermuda. Her work included managing portfolios of international limited liability companies with an emphasis on insurance and reinsurance companies, preparing private placement memorandums and summary prospectus, and assisting with corporate governance, mergers and corporate secretarial duties. German authorities on Monday detained the chief executive of Volkswagens Audi division, Rupert Stadler, as part of an investigation into the manipulation of emissions controls. The move is an extension of the emissions scandal that has rocked Volkswagen since 2015 and led to billions of dollars in fines, the arrest of executives and the indictment in the United States of VWs former CEO. Stadlers detention follows a search last week of his private residence, ordered by Munich prosecutors investigating him on suspicion of fraud and indirect improprieties with documents. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was provisionally arrested this morning, the company said in a statement. It said shortly afterward that at prosecutors request, a judge had ordered him kept in custody pending possible charges. Advertisement The company said that it couldnt comment further due to the ongoing investigation, but it emphasized that the presumption of innocence remains in place for Mr. Stadler. German news agency DPA reported that prosecutors decided to seek Stadlers arrest due to fears he might try to evade justice. A former head of Audis engine development unit is already in investigative detention. A total of 20 people are under suspicion in the Audi investigation, which focuses on cars sold in Europe that were believed to be equipped with software that turned emissions controls on during testing and off again during regular driving to enhance road performance. Audi said in a statement last week that it was cooperating with the authorities in the investigation. Volkswagen first admitted in 2015 to using software to cheat on U.S. emissions tests. That cheating has cost it $20 billion in fines and civil settlements. Volkswagen has pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the United States, and nine managers, including former CEO Martin Winterkorn, were charged there. Two are serving prison terms; Winterkorn and the others remained in Germany and are unlikely to be extradited. This month, German authorities fined Volkswagen $1.2 billion as part of their own investigation. They are also investigating Winterkorn and 48 others. The arrest of the Audi CEO comes weeks after Volkswagen tapped a new VW CEO to move the company past the scandal. Herbert Diess was given the top job in April and he said that besides focusing on new technologies such as electric cars, he wanted to build a more open, values-based culture to avoid the cheating that led to the emissions scandal. UPDATES: 4:25 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with additional details. This article was originally published at 4:55 a.m. A woman with late-stage breast cancer went to a hospital, fluids flooding her lungs. She saw two doctors and got a radiology scan. The hospitals computers read her vital signs and estimated a 9.3% chance she would die during her stay. Then came Googles turn. An new type of algorithm created by the company read up on the woman 175,639 data points and rendered its assessment of her death risk: 19.9%. She died in a matter of days. The harrowing account of the unidentified womans death was published by Google in May in research highlighting the healthcare potential of neural networks, a form of artificial intelligence software that is particularly good at using data to automatically learn and improve. Google had created a tool that could forecast a host of patient outcomes, including how long people may stay in hospitals, their odds of readmission and chances they will soon die. What impressed medical experts most was Googles ability to sift through data previously out of reach: notes buried in PDFs or scribbled on old charts. The neural net gobbled up all this unruly information then spat out predictions. And it did so far faster and more accurately than existing techniques. Googles system even showed which records led it to conclusions. Advertisement Hospitals, doctors and other healthcare providers have been trying for years to better use stockpiles of electronic health records and other patient data. More information shared and highlighted at the right time could save lives and at the very least help medical workers spend less time on paperwork and more time on patient care. But current methods of mining health data are costly, cumbersome and time consuming. As much as 80% of the time spent on todays predictive models goes to the scut work of making the data presentable, said Nigam Shah, an associate professor at Stanford University who co-authored Googles research paper, published in the journal Nature. Googles approach avoids this. You can throw in the kitchen sink and not have to worry about it, Shah said. Googles next step is moving this predictive system into clinics, AI chief Jeff Dean said in May. Deans health research unit sometimes referred to as Medical Brain is working on a slew of AI tools that can predict symptoms and disease with a level of accuracy that is being met with hope as well as alarm. Inside the company, theres a lot of excitement about the initiative. Theyve finally found a new application for AI that has commercial promise, one Googler said. Since Alphabet Inc.s Google declared itself an AI-first company in 2016, much of its work in this area has gone to improve existing internet services. The advances coming from the Medical Brain team give Google the chance to break into a new market something co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have tried over and over again. Software in healthcare is largely coded by hand. In contrast, Googles approach, in which machines learn to parse data on their own, can just leapfrog everything else, said Vik Bajaj, a former executive at Alphabet healthcare arm Verily and managing director of investment firm Foresite Capital. They understand what problems are worth solving, he said. Theyve now done enough small experiments to know exactly what the fruitful directions are. Dean envisions the AI system steering doctors toward certain medications and diagnoses. Another Google researcher said existing models miss obvious medical events, including whether a patient had prior surgery. The person described existing hand-coded models as an obvious, gigantic roadblock in healthcare. The person asked not to be identified discussing work in progress. For all the optimism over Googles potential, harnessing AI to improve healthcare outcomes remains a huge challenge. Other companies, notably IBMs Watson unit, have tried to apply AI to medicine but have had limited success saving money and integrating the technology into reimbursement systems. Google has long sought access to digital medical records, also with mixed results. For its recent research, the internet giant cut deals with UC San Francisco and the University of Chicago for 46 billion pieces of anonymous patient data. Googles AI system created predictive models for each hospital not one that parses data across the two, which would be a harder problem. A solution for all hospitals would be even more challenging. Google is working to secure new partners for access to more records. A deeper dive into health would only add to the vast amounts of information Google already has on us. Companies like Google and other tech giants are going to have a unique, almost monopolistic, ability to capitalize on all the data we generate, said Andrew Burt, chief privacy officer for data company Immuta. He and pediatric oncologist Samuel Volchenboum wrote a recent column arguing governments should prevent this data from becoming the province of only a few companies, such as in online advertising, where Google reigns. Google is treading carefully when it comes to patient information, particularly as public scrutiny over data collection rises. Last year, British regulators slapped DeepMind, another Alphabet AI lab, for testing an app that analyzed public medical records without telling patients that their information would be used this way. With the latest study, Google and its hospital partners insist that their data is anonymous, secure and used with patient permission. Volchenboum said the company may have a more difficult time maintaining that data rigor if it expands to smaller hospitals and healthcare networks. Still, Volchenboum believes that these algorithms could save lives and money. He hopes health records will be mixed with a sea of other statistics. Eventually, AI models could include information on local weather and traffic other factors that influence patient outcomes. Its almost like the hospital is an organism, he said. Few companies are better poised to analyze this organism than Google. The company and its Alphabet cousin Verily are developing devices to track far more biological signals. Even if consumers dont take up wearable health trackers en masse, Google has plenty of other data wells to tap. It knows the weather and traffic. Googles Android phones track things such as how people walk, valuable information for measuring mental decline and some other ailments. All that could be thrown into the medical algorithmic soup. Medical records are just part of Googles AI healthcare plans. Its Medical Brain has unfurled AI systems for radiology, ophthalmology and cardiology. Theyre flirting with dermatology too. Staff created an app for spotting malignant skin lesions; a product manager walks around the office with 15 fake tattoos on her arms to test it. Dean, the AI boss, stresses this experimentation relies on serious medical counsel, not just curious software coders. Google is starting a new trial in India that uses its AI software to screen images of eyes for early signs of a condition called diabetic retinopathy. Before releasing it, Google had three retinal specialists furiously debate the early research results, Dean said. Over time, Google could license these systems to clinics or sell them through the companys cloud-computing division as a sort of diagnostics-as-a-service. Microsoft Corp., a top cloud rival, is also working on predictive AI services. To commercialize an offering, Google would first need to get its hands on more records, which tend to vary widely across healthcare providers. Google could buy them, but that may not sit as well with regulators or consumers. The deals with UC San Francisco and the University of Chicago arent commercial. For now, the company says its too early to settle on a business model. At Googles annual developer conference in May, Lily Peng, a member of Medical Brain, walked through the teams research outmatching humans in spotting heart disease risk. Again, she said, I want to emphasize that this is really early on. Bergen writes for Bloomberg. LONDON Frida Kahlos art is celebrated worldwide, but its her personal identity thats at the heart of a new exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The recently opened exhibit, Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up, traces Kahlos persona through objects, photographs and clothing, as well as notable works and painting by the Mexican artist herself. The majority of the pieces and artifacts have arrived in London from the Blue House, the home in Coyoacan, Mexico, where Kahlo was born, lived and died that now acts as a museum. Most of the material has never been displayed outside Mexico before. I felt like I met Frida for the first time through her archive, said Circe Henestrosa, the co-curator of Making Her Self Up. Someone who loved perfume, who was very feminine, who enjoyed dressing up, who didnt let her disabilities define her. She defined herself on her own terms. One of the most striking inclusions is the artists prosthetic leg, which she fashioned with a red leather lace-up boot and Chinese embroidery following an amputation in 1953. Advertisement Her prosthetic leg is very interesting for us to see how contemporary she was, Henestrosa said. She was ahead of her time thats why shes so relevant today. She decorated her leg the way she did her art. Why would a prosthetic leg be ugly? Cant it be beautiful? Henestrosa initially included many of the pieces in a 2012 exhibit in Mexico City entitled Appearances Can Be Deceiving: The Dresses of Frida Kahlo and has since worked to bring Kahlos well-preserved clothes to a broader audience. Her collaboration with the Victoria & Albert Museum offers an opportunity to explore Kahlos aesthetic and identity in a deeper way, particularly with the help of researchers who have been about to shed new light on many of the objects. Its been four years in the works, Henestrosa noted. Anything you want to do with Frida Kahlo you have to plan well in advance, especially when you want to have paintings. For this specific show we wanted to have a very clear dialogue between the paintings and the outfits. One thing we wanted to do with this collaboration was to involve a lot of experts. When curating an exhibition its very important to have a 360 lens where you involve art historians, jewelry historians, fashion curators. And weve discovered new things, like her Chinese skirt she used to get these pieces from Chinatown in San Francisco and one is from the Chin dynasty. More than 200 pieces are on display in the exhibition, including personal items like medication and jewelry, as well as 22 vibrantly colored and multi-textured dresses worn by Kahlo and seen in her paintings. The majority of the objects were discovered in 2004 when Kahlos bathroom in the Blue House was unsealed 50 years after her death in 1954. Makeup, such as Kahlos eyebrow pencil and preferred Revlon Everythings Rosy lipstick shade are displayed alongside iconic portraits by photographer Nickolas Muray, which showcase her brilliant red lips, as well as many of the dresses in the exhibition. Plaster and leather orthopedic corsets, painted and worn by Kahlo, reveal the artists refusal to succumb to her medical issues, which began during a childhood bout of polio and continued after a near-fatal accident at 18, and her ongoing interest in aesthetic beauty. These details offer a new perspective on Kahlo and give the viewer a greater sense of her as a person rather than an image. Its an approach that has allowed a more in-depth appraisal of Kahlos genius as an artist, said Claire Wilcox, co-curator of Making Her Self Up and senior curator of fashion for the V&A. It also helps us to understand her in a more three-dimensional way than has previously been possible. Clothing worn by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is displayed during a media preview of the exhibition Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. (NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock ) A lot of these costumes we can recognize from self-portraits and photographs, but to actually see them and the material properties of them and see the little bits of paint on the clothing because she did paint in these garments help us to piece together the significance of her. She was an artist, but she was also somebody who defied their disabilities. She didnt allow herself to be defined by what had happened to her, and on many levels we see the very human side of her here. The curators at the Blue House have worked to catalog 6,000 photographs, 22,000 documents and 300 personal items, all of which were enclosed in the room at the behest of Diego Rivera, Kahlos husband. Making Her Self Up unveils these pieces in chronological and thematic order, as well as investigating the relationships between Kahlo and her family, her illness and her style. One of Wilcoxs favorites is a necklace that Kahlo made of metal milagros, small tokens left in a church or shrine as thanks for an answered prayer. These particular milagros are shaped like arms and legs, presumably made in response to Kahlos problematic right leg that was later amputated, and threaded together in a large necklace over the course of 15 years. She had, of course, rejected Catholicism, Wilcox explains. What you get is her adopting the drama of the church, but not subscribing to the beliefs. I do find this very touching and its beautifully crafted. Thats the other thing nothing of her was accidental or careless. It was all intentional. Several of Kahlos self-portraits are included within the exhibition rooms, but they are not the focal point. Her 1933 work Self-Portrait With Necklace is aptly juxtaposed near a pre-Columbian strand of jade beads, the same ones worn in the painting with the central stone erased. Kahlos interest in painting herself began when she spent a year recovering from her accident and her parents placed a mirror in the canopy of her bed. She faced up to herself through her self-portraiture, Wilcox said. It was her managing the situation she found herself in. In looking at this exhibit, I hope [visitors] understand more about why she painted herself. I hope they realize that she was a real pioneer, both in terms of her art and the way she lived her life, the way she dressed, the way she existed as a dominant personality in a mans world. Shes curiously timeless. For Henestrosa, Making Her Self Up is also an opportunity to showcase the dynamic cultural heritage of Mexico. The curator hopes that the exhibit, which continues at the V&A through Nov. 4, will move to the United States, where it may have even stronger relevance. With so much political turmoil its salutary to have this exhibition of a Mexican artist who is so talented and who has been appropriated by so many people, Henestrosa believes. To voice our views is important, and I think thats what she did. Shes a reminder of who we are. The way she portrayed her Mexican identity is something I feel very proud of. As Mexican people we should feel very proud of our culture and who we are. calendar@latimes.com Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti moved quickly to address sexual harassment at City Hall after allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein last fall sparked nationwide outrage over unwanted behavior in the workplace. Garcetti ordered new reporting protocols, unveiled a city website for workers to lodge allegations and hosted a panel at the mayors official residence on sexual harassment and assault. At the same time, officials have provided no details about instances of inappropriate behavior reported by staff members in Garcettis office since he was elected in 2013. The Times first asked mayoral spokesman Alex Comisar in January if any staffers working in Garcettis office have complained to supervisors about sexual harassment, harassment or hostility. Advertisement There have been a few incidents of inappropriate behavior reported to supervisors, and they were each handled appropriately, Comisar said. Comisar declined to answer questions beyond his statement and would not detail the exact number of reports made by staff. He also would not say when the reports were made, characterize the alleged inappropriate behavior, or say what, if any, discipline occurred. He would not say if Garcetti was informed about the misconduct. In April, the mayor indicated he didnt know of any incidents when asked if his office had dealt with harassment allegations. I dont think any office is ever immune, Garcetti said. I mean I think jokes are told, things happen, people are survivors. Subsequent public records requests by The Times failed to produce documents related to the reports of improper conduct. Jessica Stender, senior counsel at San Francisco-based nonprofit Equal Rights Advocates, said the mayors office should explain what it considers inappropriate behavior and how it handled the reports. Its possible to divulge details about the complaints while keeping the parties identities confidential, Stender said. Transparency to me is critical, and you cant fix what you cant see, Stender said. Los Angeles City Hall has largely avoided the uprising seen at the state Capitol, where allegations of a pervasive culture of harassment sparked reforms in how claims against legislators and senior staff are made public. As the #MeToo movement gained steam last fall, Garcetti ordered an overhaul of the citys system for reporting misconduct. Now, departments must notify the Personnel Department about complaints. In turn, that department will catalog the number of complaints filed in each office, spokesman Bruce Whidden said. Previously, elected officials and departments could seek to deal with allegations internally, away from the public view, which made it difficult to know the total number of complaints lodged by city workers. Though the mayors office declined to talk about the reports filed, other city departments were more forthcoming when queried by The Times. A spokesman for the city attorneys office said last year that six complaints alleging sexual harassment were made to supervisors in that department since 2013. The citys Department of Aging received two complaints of sexual harassment, harassment or hostility during that time, according to a spokeswoman. In response to a February public records request, the mayors office said no records existed of employee complaints of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, harassment or bullying. The public generally has a right to access disciplinary records of government employees where the charges are well-founded or true, or discipline is imposed, according to published California appellate cases going back to 1978. The Times asked Comisar why no documents pertaining to harassment were produced after the papers request. In an email to The Times in March, Comisar wrote, Historically, city policies and procedures on sexual harassment did not mandate the preparation and preservation of formal, written reports in all situations. He added that the mayor now requires all departments to file formal incident reports with the Personnel Department within 48 hours of becoming aware of the incident. Meanwhile, under longstanding city requirements, department supervisors must take online harassment training. But regular employees arent required to take the two-hour exercise. However, Garcetti last year ordered his own staff to take in-person harassment training, Comisar said. Training for nearly 200 people was conducted at a cost of $1,650, which was paid for by the mayors office, Comisar said. Times staff writer Emily Alpert Reyes contributed to this report. dakota.smith@latimes.com Twitter: @dakotacdsmith In a hot and packed elementary school auditorium, Venice residents swarmed around Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin, peppering him with questions. Reporters and activists strained to hear as Bonin laid out his case for setting up a temporary shelter for homeless people a few blocks away. Nobody wants sidewalk encampments, right? Bonin told one woman at the event, an open house ringed with informational tables and placards where people could post suggestions. If we dont provide the alternative to sidewalks, encampments will continue, encampments will increase. Marie Hammond listened with her arms crossed. Are you going to allow more and more people to come to Venice and camp on the streets to get into the shelter? she asked. Advertisement The goal is to house the people who are here, Bonin replied, and not allow the encampments to come back in those areas. Hammond drifted away in the crowd, unconvinced. Theyll put this in, the Venice retiree said later, and theyll still allow people to be on the sidewalk. Two years ago, Los Angeles voters overwhelmingly approved a $1.2-billion bond measure to pay for new housing for homeless people. Another $20 million is now being allocated to set up temporary shelters, with Mayor Eric Garcetti offering up an equal share to each council district, and $10 million more has been offered up for homeless services of all kinds. But local lawmakers have faced resistance over where those facilities should go. City leaders are under pressure to swiftly address the squalor and misery on the streets, but the question of where to build remains politically fraught. People take part in a rally in front of Los Angeles City Hall. Protesters have complained that Council President Herb Wesson ignored their concerns about temporarily housing. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times ) The loudest opposition has surfaced in Koreatown, where protesters have complained that Council President Herb Wesson ignored their concerns about temporarily housing dozens of people in a shelter planned near schools and businesses. Some decried the move as the latest in a long history of sidelining the Korean American community. But concerns have bubbled up in other parts of Los Angeles as well. In Venice, critics argue that Bonin has planned a disproportionate number of homeless housing projects in their neighborhood compared with other parts of his coastal district. In the crowded auditorium where Bonin promoted the shelter plan, several people hoisted a yellow banner that declared Venice Says No! Some of the burden needs to be taken off of the four square miles of Venice, Venice resident Brad Morrison told Kevin Ezeh, a member of the #SheDoes campaign, which advocates for providing shelter for homeless women. I feel like everybody should be housed, but no one else is doing their fair share. Ezeh countered that homeless people would end up in Venice anyway. Would you rather have them in shelters or helter-skelter all over the place? he asked Morrison. Another Venice resident who supports the proposed shelter repeatedly tried to cover up the yellow banner, angrily shouting that the people holding it did not speak for Venice. You are a selfish pig, Chris Teuber shouted at James Robb. Why are you here? Im fighting for my city, replied Robb, who also lives in Venice. Len Nguyen shows his support for a planned emergency shelter at an open house at Westminster Elementary School last week. Behind him, others hold up a banner opposing the plan. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times ) Other concerns have arisen in Hollywood, Lincoln Heights and Echo Park as lawmakers float plans for both shelters and permanent units. Homeless advocates say that despite the disputes, there is broad support for building homeless housing. The United Way of Greater Los Angeles has touted a February survey that found nearly 70% of respondents would support housing for homeless people in their own neighborhoods. Bonin said that a phone survey funded by his political committee found that nearly 66% of those reached in Venice backed the proposed shelter. Many Angelenos challenging shelter sites say they too want to address the problem. We have big hearts and open minds in Venice, said Christopher Wrede, a founding member of the group Fight Back, Venice! But we dont want to be taken advantage of. Wrede said the proposed site for the shelter in Venice a former Metro bus yard that spans more than three acres would put an unfair burden on the neighborhood because of its size. Venice is also the site for two proposed projects funded by the bond that could include more than 200 housing units, and was slated to have a navigation center where homeless people could store their belongings before that plan stalled. Its simply too much to ask from a single community, Wrede said, arguing that affluent areas such as Pacific Palisades and Brentwood were not doing enough. Bonin rejected the idea that Venice was being singled out, pointing to plans to build more than 1,000 units on the Department of Veterans Affairs campus on the Westside, existing homeless housing in Del Rey, and budding plans for shelters or safe parking facilities in Mar Vista, Pacific Palisades and Westchester. As for the proposed shelter, Bonin said, I have a moral imperative to do it in Venice because thats where the biggest problem is. The latest count by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority tallied more than 800 people living without shelter in Venice, totaling roughly 45% of the unsheltered population across the council district that Bonin represents. Venice Community Housing executive director Becky Dennison lamented that there were few shelters in the neighborhood and far less homeless housing than was needed. If Venice residents feel like a lot of new plans are underway, she said, thats because were so far behind. Bonin recently put out a survey asking residents about homeless encampments and where people could be sheltered nearby. Dozens of people brought up the former bus lot in Venice, survey responses show. Its a no-brainer, said Alan Pick, a Venice resident supporting the plan. Its large. Its an enclosed space. And its near where there are a lot of homeless encampments. But scores of other respondents balked at the idea of putting shelters anywhere near the existing encampments. So you stake your claim to a random street, and because you do so youre now entitled to shelter near that place? one Venice respondent wrote. This makes no sense. Many others suggested that shelters should be erected elsewhere, including downtown, in the Inland Empire, or as far as Bakersfield, or offered up Mike Bonins backyard. David Busch, 62, with the Coalition to End Homelessness, stands outside an open house at Westminster Elementary School last week in Venice. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times ) Garcetti has pledged that any community that welcomes a shelter will also get more cleanups and police patrols, but many residents remain worried about how they will affect surrounding neighborhoods. The Venice bus yard, which could shelter 100 people or more, is overlooked by beachy cottages and sleek condos adorned with surfboards and succulents. I have a lot of unanswered questions, said Jeremy Burdick, whose home sits next to the fenced lot, as he strolled past in sandals with his dog Wally. Among them: Would the temporary shelter really end up being temporary? Was the city budgeting too little to run it effectively? How could the city promise to eliminate encampments if there were hundreds more people on the streets than the new shelter could hold? I dont know what the solutions are, said Burdick, who opposes the plan. A lot of people feel like this is a political gambit for Garcetti and Bonin. Another group, the Venice Stakeholders Assn., sent Bonin a letter arguing that the shelter plan must be vetted with an environmental impact report and get a coastal development permit. Garcetti has called on city departments to streamline the review process for such shelters. Bonin has also faced other critics who charge that the shelter plan will lead to more criminalization of homeless people, arguing that only a fraction will get shelter and the rest will face a crackdown. As the morning sun warmed the Venice boardwalk on Friday, David Waller sat in a folding chair, watching beachgoers drift past. He had been living along the beach for four months, he said, after the $850-a-month rent sharing a Mid-City house became too much for him to handle on a Social Security check. The beach, he said, gave him a sense of peace. This, to me, is the end of the world, he said, gesturing at the Pacific. You cant go any further than that big ocean out there. He had been to a shelter once but hated it. Overpacked. Smells bad. Food is terrible if you can get food, he said. So I stayed away. Waller was leery of the idea of going to the Sunset Avenue lot with scores of other people. Maybe it could work, he said tepidly. But if you clear out those encampments, where do you send them? Waller asked. Those shelters are a drop in the bucket. emily.alpert@latimes.com Twitter: @AlpertReyes Two men were stabbed to death and one woman was fatally shot in her car overnight in separate incidents across Los Angeles, police said. A 36-year-old man was killed around 10:45 p.m. Sunday when he was stabbed multiple times at a party on the 8800 block of South Hoover Street, said Officer Norma Eisenman, an L.A. police spokeswoman. He was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead. Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD South Bureau homicide detectives at (213) 972-7828. A few hours later, a man killed a 25-year-old woman in what police believe to be a drive-by shooting in San Pedro, Eisenman said. Police responded to a call of a traffic collision about 2:30 a.m. Monday and found a car that had crashed into an apartment building at 783 W. Sepulveda St., said Sgt. Jim Talmage of LAPDs Harbor division. Inside the car, the driver was dead with a gunshot wound to her head, he said. Anyone with information can call (310) 726-7701. Across the city in North Hollywood, a man in his 60s stabbed a man multiple times near West Magnolia Boulevard and Tujunga Avenue and fled just before 3 a.m. Monday, Eisenman said. The victim, who appeared to be in his 20s, was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead before 4 a.m., she said. Advertisement Anyone with information about the stabbing can call LAPD North Hollywood homicide detectives at (818) 754-8300. Reach Sonali Kohli at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli. First Lady Melania Trump hates to see families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border and hopes both sides of the aisle can reform the nations immigration laws, according to a statement from her office. Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for the first lady, said Sunday: She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart. She said the first lady hopes both sides can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform. Though the statement suggested that the matter was an issue for Congress, Democratic lawmakers and others have pointed out that no law mandates the separation of children and parents at the border. A new Trump administration policy, which went into effect in May, sought to maximize criminal prosecutions of people caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally. More adults were being jailed as a result, which led to their children being separated from them. A former first lady, Laura Bush, joined the debate, calling the separation policy cruel and immoral and said it breaks my heart. In a guest column for the Washington Post, she compared the separation of the children to the internment camps for Japanese Americans in World War II. Advertisement For both, it was an unusual entry into a fierce political debate. Melania Trumps statement didnt refer specifically to the Trump administrations no tolerance policy, which was leading to a sharp increase in children being separated from their families. Government statistics indicate that nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families over a six-week period in April and May. The first ladys spokeswoman issued the statement after several days of images of crying children appearing on television and online. President Trump said Friday, I hate the children being taken away, but he also falsely blamed Democrats for a law requiring it. The nearly century-long battle to pass the Equal Rights Amendment came back to life last month with a sudden jolt. Ninety-five years after it was first introduced and more than a generation after Congress passed it and sent it to the states for ratification, the Illinois Legislature became the 37th state to approve it. It was more than just a symbolic gesture from the state where the ERAs staunchest opponent, Phyllis Schlafly, lived for much of her adult life. In theory at least, the amendment is now just one tantalizing state away from the supermajority required for passage. It now seems possible, to supporters anyway, that the U.S. Constitution may soon include this language: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. Of course, there are several significant legal hurdles to be overcome. But well come back to those in a minute. Some might dismiss the renewed interest in this relic from the 1970s as a nice bit of symbolism in the #MeToo era, but ultimately unnecessary in the 21st century. Things have changed quite a bit in the years since the ERA was proposed. Women have made inroads in just about every career field from firefighter to soldier, professional athlete to Supreme Court justice. A woman can run a credible campaign for president (although a credible campaign is just the first step). Even the Boy Scouts of America is dropping the boy from the name and allowing girls to join. We have federal statutes such as the Equal Pay Act and state laws guaranteeing sex equality. The Supreme Court has affirmed these rights as well, ruling that the 14th Amendment guarantees protection from sex discrimination. Advertisement It is true that gender equality has come a long way. It is also true that laws can be undone quicker than you can say The Handmaids Tale and, over time, even Supreme Court rulings can be reversed. If anything, the recent revelations about widespread sexual misconduct by powerful men underscores that women still contend with unacceptable amounts of sexual harassment and discrimination in the professional world. Inclusion in the Constitution the nations most durable statement of values may not fix that instantly, but it would make it a whole lot more difficult to roll back the progress that has been made so slowly over so many years. That said and here come the potential obstacles it may not be as easy as convincing just one more state legislature to vote for ratification. There are at least two tricky legal sticking points that could slow or derail the effort. The first is the fact that when Congress passed the ERA in 1972 it set a seven-year deadline for ratification, which was then extended to 1982. At the end of that period, however, there were still only 35 states on board, and the ERA was essentially dormant until last year when Nevada lawmakers voted for ratification. Can Congress simply extend the deadline retroactively? The law is not clear on that. Some people believe that the deadline wasnt legally enforceable in the first place, and that the long gap in time doesnt pose a problem. After all, the 27th Amendment regarding congressional pay wasnt fully ratified for more than 200 years after Congress sent it to the states for approval. Theres also a question about rescissions. Five state legislatures Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee and South Dakota initially voted to ratify and then changed their minds before the 1982 deadline. But did they have a legal right to rescind? The law doesnt specifically allow for rescissions, but one district court ruled they were legal because they occurred before the two-thirds requirement had been met. That issue will have to be worked out but if, in the end, more state votes are needed, so be it. For now, the focus should move to the 13 states that have not yet ratified: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia. At a moment when our nation is led, improbably, by a former beauty pageant operator who has bragged about grabbing women by the pussy, the time has finally come for the long-awaited passage of this important constitutional amendment. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Former County Mayor and Deputy Governor Claude Ramsey has died after a recent illness. Mr. Ramsey held a number of top government posts after leaving his strawberry farm at Harrison and going into politics. He was a major factor in the development of the Enterprise South Industrial Park and landing Volkswagen as its main tenant. He served in the state legislature and was on the first County Commission. He later served as county assessor of property. Mr. Ramsey won election to county mayor after Dalton Roberts decided not to run for a new term. He left that post when Governor Bill Haslam asked him to be his deputy governor. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday at Bayside Baptist with Pastor Rheubin Tayor officiating. The family will receive friends prior to service from 12-2 p.m. A private family graveside will be held at Hamilton Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to the American Alzheimers Association at www.alz.org or the Erlanger Childrens Hospital at 910 Blackford St, Chattanooga, TN 37403. The family will receive friends from 4-8 p.m. on Wednesday at Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 E. Brainerd Road. Current County Mayor Jim Coppinger said, "Hamilton County has suffered a tremendous loss this morning with the passing of Claude Ramsey. "Claude was a dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly on behalf of the citizens of Hamilton County. As a member of Hamilton Countys first Commission, as Assessor and as Hamilton County Executive and Mayor, Claude Ramsey had the best interests of the people of this community in his heart. "Claude worked tirelessly to improve education and was at the forefront of making Hamilton County a manufacturing center again. "I greatly appreciate the assistance Claude gave to me, first as a commissioner and then as Hamilton Countys Mayor, Claude made my transition easy when he went to Nashville to serve as Governor Haslams Deputy Governor. "We will miss his wisdom, insight, kindness, humor and most of all friendship. My thoughts and prayers are with Jan, his children and their grandchildren." City Mayor Andy Berke said, "Claude Ramsey made economic development and education our priorities and put practicality over partisanship. Even as they mourn him, I know his family will be proud of his legacy." Former City Mayor Ron Littlefield said, "Claude Ramsey was my friend and coworker in government for decades. When opportunity knocked for significant economic gains during our respective terms as mayors, I could not have asked for a better partner. With the support of long term staff at the city and county, we were able to work together seamlessly. He was a man of true integrity and reliability, a great traveling companion and keeper of a rare wit and wisdom. I shall miss him like a member of my own family." Senator Bob Corker said, Dedicated, prudent, humble, and wise. These are the leadership qualities with which Claude Ramsey led our county, said Corker. When I was elected mayor of Chattanooga, I had the privilege of becoming his partner, particularly as it related to economic development. During that time, I especially loved our early morning phone calls to discuss how to execute our communitys shared vision. I spoke with him again by phone last Thursday and shared with him not only what an honor it was to work with him over the years but also how grateful I have been to call him a true friend. My heart goes out to Jan and the entire Ramsey family during this difficult time. Senator Lamar Alexander said, Claude Ramseys vision and leadership were crucial to bringing Volkswagen to Chattanooga. His strong character and sense of purpose served as a model for the rest of us in public life. Honey and I send to Jan and to their family our sympathy and respect for a life well lived. Tennessee Rep. Chuck Fleischmann said, I am deeply saddened by the loss of my friend and mentor Claude Ramsey. Across the state, Claude was known as a true civil servant beginning his career in 1972 when he was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly, to his incredible service to Tennessees Third District as mayor of Hamilton County among other roles, and statewide as deputy to the governor. Claude was instrumental in the promotion of business in Tennessee using his expertise to form local, state, and federal partnerships that will continue to benefit our great state for years to come. It was an honor and a pleasure to know Claude Ramsey, and there is no doubt that he will be missed dearly by many. I send my condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time. Volkswagen Chattanooga officials said, "We were saddened to learn of the loss of our friend Claude Ramsey. Claude was one of our first friends in Tennessee. He was instrumental in bringing Volkswagen to Chattanooga and we considered him to be a part of our team. On behalf of the Volkswagen Chattanooga family, wed like extend our sincere condolences to the Ramsey family during this difficult time." In a setback for political reformers, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to strike down partisan gerrymandering as unconstitutional and set aside cases from Wisconsin and Maryland for procedural reasons. In Wisconsin, several Democratic voters had sued to challenge a Republican-drawn election map that ensured the GOP would win 60% of the seats in the state Assembly even when the Democrats won a slim majority of the votes statewide. In Maryland, several Republican voters had challenged a Democratic scheme to redraw a congressional election district so as to replace a veteran Republican with a Democrat. The justices decided unanimously that both cases were flawed. In Gill vs. Whitford from Wisconsin, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said voters had standing to sue only over the makeup of their own voting district, not the statewide map, as the plaintiffs had done. Advertisement In the Maryland case, Benisek vs. Lamone, the justices agreed that the lower court properly refused to change the districts before the 2018 election. The outcome left the high court largely where it began on gerrymandering: split 4-4 between Democratic- and Republican-appointed justices, and still waiting for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy to decide when partisan gerrymandering crosses the constitutional line. The four conservatives believe that drawing election districts is inherently a political decision and that courts should stand aside. The four liberals believe that drawing election districts to ensure one partys victory violates the basic principles of democracy. At its most extreme, the practice amounts to rigging elections, Justice Elena Kagan said Monday in a concurring opinion. Kennedy has repeatedly said he is troubled by election maps that are drawn for purely partisan advantage, but he has always stopped short of voting to strike down an election district as unconstitutionally partisan. He said nothing Monday, except to join the courts 9-0 opinion in the Wisconsin case as well as a brief, unsigned decision in the Maryland case. The courts failure to rule on the broader issue is victory of sorts for Republicans and a defeat for Democrats because the GOP has had a big advantage in the closely divided states, largely thanks to partisan gerrymandering done after the 2010 census. Once a decade, after each census, election districts need to be redrawn so that they have about the same number of voters. In most states, leaders of the party in power are free to draw these districts so as to give their party a decided advantage that will last for 10 years. The strategy is familiar: Pack the voters who are likely to support the other party into just a few districts, while giving your side a safe majority in most of the other districts. In 2010, Republicans won big victories across the country in the midterm election, and they took full control in closely divided states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina. Election law reformers had hoped for a landmark ruling that would strike down, at a minimum, extreme examples of gerrymandering. On Monday, the lawyers who brought the Wisconsin case said they were disappointed but would not give up their legal fight. This leaves us with a great deal of options for reviving the gerrymandering lawsuit, said Paul Smith, a lawyer for the Campaign Legal Center. It puts us, unfortunately, back in the district court. Still awaiting action is a pending appeal from North Carolina, where several voters sued to challenge a GOP map that gave Republicans a 10-3 advantage in its states congressional districts. The justices will probably decide in the next two weeks whether to hear that case or send it back to a lower court. Shortly after the courts announcement, prominent Democratic attorney Marc Elias sent a tweet suggesting a new approach: In light of todays SCOTUS decision in Gill, it seems that the most logical (and perhaps the only) plaintiffs with standing to bring a statewide partisan gerrymandering claim are the political parties (or quasi-parties, like certain partisan superpacs). In her concurring opinion, Kagan suggested a similar idea: that the parties or party officials should sue on behalf of themselves or their supporters. Consider an active member of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, she wrote. If the gerrymander ravaged the party he works to support, then he indeed suffers harm, as do all other involved members of that party. This is the kind of burden to a a group of voters representational rights that Justice Kennedy spoke of in the past, she said. What was left unsaid was that Kennedy could have adopted this view in the Wisconsin case but did not. It is the second time this month that Kennedy dodged deciding a major question before the court. In the case of the Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, the court faced a choice between granting an exemption based on religious liberty or upholding gay rights. Kennedy avoided the choice and instead ruled only that the baker was treated unfairly during a hearing before a state commission. When the court heard arguments last fall in the Wisconsin case, Kennedy said it would be unconstitutional for lawmakers to devise an election map with the intent to assure their party an unfair advantage. But in the end, he agreed with Roberts that the handful of Wisconsin voters could not sue to complain about districts where they did not live. The lead plaintiff in the Wisconsin case, William Whitford, was a retired law professor and a Democrat who lives in Madison. He votes in a heavily Democratic district, but his complaint was that he had no effective voice in the state Legislature because Republicans had drawn a statewide map that all but guarantees they would retain control for a decade. His lawsuit noted that in 2012, Democrats won more than 51% of vote, yet the GOP retained its 60-vote supermajority. Whitfords lawsuit won before a three-judge court that said the Republicans had gerrymandered the districts to entrench themselves in power. But Roberts, who had been openly skeptical of such claims, said individual voters like Gill had no standing to sue over a state map. An individual voter in Wisconsin is placed in a single district. He votes for a single representative, so his injury is district specific. This is a case about group political interests, not individual rights, Roberts wrote. But this court is not responsible for vindicating generalized partisan preferences. The courts constitutionally prescribed role is to vindicate the individual rights of people appearing before it. But he stopped short of dismissing the case entirely. He said it should go back to a district court in Wisconsin to consider whether the plaintiffs could show evidence that would call for changes in other districts. Kagan said that she agreed with the outcome but that the problem of standing may be readily fixable. Other voters from other districts could be added to the case. Given the charges of statewide packing and cracking, affecting a slew of districts and residents, the challengers could make use of statewide evidence and seek a statewide remedy, she wrote. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor agreed. Meanwhile, Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil M. Gorsuch said they would have dismissed the case entirely. The latest from Washington More stories from David G. Savage david.savage@latimes.com Twitter: DavidGSavage UPDATES: 3:40 p.m.: This story was updated with details from the decision and reaction. This story was originally published at 8:05 a.m. Allies balk at Trump administration bid to block Chinese firm from cutting-edge telecom markets By David S. Cloud Britain and Germany are balking at the Trump administrations call for a ban on equipment from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, threatening a global U.S. campaign to thwart Chinas involvement in future mobile networks. Both countries are expected to limit Huawei and other Chinese companies from providing core components including routers. But other types of Chinese equipment for next-generation, high-speed communications could still be installed on British and German networks, officials and analysts say. The U.S. push to ban Huawei has provoked a global dispute in recent weeks, with senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, publicly urging NATO allies in Europe to exclude the company and warning that the United States might limit its military presence in countries that did not do so. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Confucius Institutes: Do they improve U.S.-China ties or harbor spies? By Don Lee Hanging red lanterns welcome visitors to the University of Marylands Confucius Institute, the oldest of about 100 Chinese language and cultural centers that have popped up over the last 15 years on American campuses, subsidized by millions of dollars from Chinas central government. But last fall, when four U.S. Senate investigators walked into the Confucius offices in Maryland and spent hours questioning staff, they werent looking for an educational exchange. The committee has been seeking detailed information from the university about the program, including contracts, email exchanges and financial arrangements that school administrators have kept under wraps since it started in 2004. American colleges once viewed these jointly funded institutes as an economical way to expand their language offerings one that could also bring warmer ties with China and, importantly, an influx of Chinese international students paying full tuition. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Watch Live: White House holds surprise news briefing amid government shutdown Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement U.S. policy toward China shifts from engagement to confrontation By David S. Cloud For decades, China had no closer American friend than Dianne Feinstein. As San Francisco mayor in the 1970s, she forged a sister-city relationship with Shanghai, the first between American and Chinese communities. As U.S. senator, she dined with Chinese leaders at Mao Tse-tungs old Beijing residence. And in the 1990s, she championed a trade policy change that opened a floodgate of Western investment into China. Today the Democratic senator sees China as a growing threat, joining a broad array of Trump administration officials, national security strategists and business executives who once favored engagement with Beijing and now advocate a confrontational approach instead. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Mnuchins attempt to calm markets backfires as Trump takes another shot at the Federal Reserve By Jim Puzzanghera An attempt by Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin to calm plunging financial markets backfired Monday, further rattling investors with new fears about whether major U.S. banks have enough cash on top of worries about interest rates, political instability in Washington and a slowing global economy. Adding to the volatile mix was a fresh attack on the Federal Reserve by President Trump, who declared that the central bank was the U.S. economys only problem and that it didnt have a feel for the market. The Fed is like a powerful golfer who cant score because he has no touch -- he cant putt! Trump said on Twitter. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print He speaks to Democratic hearts. But is Beto ORourke a serious White House contender? By Mark Z. Barabak Hes a failed U.S. Senate candidate with an undistinguished congressional record who, for the moment, is a blazing-hot 2020 presidential prospect despite the fact that he may not run and faces long odds if he does. Beto ORourke suggests the will-he-or-wont-he speculation is something he himself cant quite fathom. I think thats a great question, he responded in a Dallas Morning News interview when asked whether his unsuccessful November Senate bid merited a promotion to the White House. I ask that question myself. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Russian disinformation teams targeted Robert S. Mueller III, says report prepared for Senate By Craig Timberg, Tony Romm, Elizabeth Dwoskin Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. (Associated Press) Months after President Trump took office, Russias disinformation teams trained their sites on a new target: special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Having worked to help get Trump into the White House, they now worked to neutralize the biggest threat to his staying there. The Russian operatives unloaded on Mueller through fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and beyond, falsely claiming that the former FBI director was corrupt and that the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election were crackpot conspiracies. One post on Instagram which emerged as an especially potent weapon in the Russian social media arsenal claimed that Mueller had worked in the past with radical Islamic groups. Such tactics exemplified how Russian teams ranged nimbly across social media platforms in a shrewd online influence operation aimed squarely at American voters. The effort started earlier than commonly understood and lasted longer while relying on the strengths of different sites to manipulate distinct slices of the electorate, according to a pair of comprehensive new reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee and released Monday. Read more Timberg, Romm and Dwoskin report for the Washington Post. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement President Trump announces Mick Mulvaney as acting White House chief of staff By Associated Press President Trump says budget director Mick Mulvaney will serve as acting chief of staff, replacing John F. Kelly in the new year. I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print It aint over when its over: In Michigan, Wisconsin and elsewhere, losers seek to undermine election results By Mark Z. Barabak Democrat Gavin Newsom has yet to become California governor, but already a candidate for state Republican Party chairman is promoting a recall effort. In Michigan and Wisconsin, GOP lawmakers have rushed through legislation to thwart their incoming Democratic governors and hamper others in the opposing party from doing the jobs voters chose them to do. In Congress, GOP leaders have echoed President Trump and sought to undermine the legitimacy of Democrats strong midterm performance, raising unsubstantiated allegations of fraud and political malfeasance. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print New CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger says she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera On her first full day leading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Kathy Kraninger said she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney, the controversial acting director whom she replaced in the powerful regulatory position. To underscore that point, the former White House aide said she would even reconsider a Mulvaney action that critics saw as a gratuitous jab at Democrats who championed the agencys creation: changing its name to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Kraningers declaration during a meeting with reporters Tuesday addressed one of the main criticisms of her selection. She is considered a protege of Mulvaney, her boss at the White House Office of Management and Budget who has executed a dramatic, industry-friendly shift at the watchdog agency. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trumps pick for chief of staff, Nick Ayers, out of running By Associated Press Nick Ayers, right, with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, at the funeral service for George H.W. Bush on Dec. 3. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Associated Press) President Trumps top pick to replace John F. Kelly as chief of staff, Nick Ayers, is no longer expected to fill that role. Thats according to a White House official who is not authorized to discuss the personnel issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Ayers is Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff. The official says that Trump and Ayers could not agree on Ayers length of service. The father of young children, Ayers had agreed to serve in an interim capacity though the spring, but Trump wanted a two-year commitment. The official says that Ayers will instead assist the president from outside the administration. Trump announced Saturday that Kelly would be departing the White House around the end of the year. Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @VP, and my great colleagues for the honor to serve our Nation at The White House. I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause. #Georgia Nick Ayers (@nick_ayers) December 9, 2018 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement U.S. hiring slows to 155,000 jobs, unemployment rate holds at 3.7% By Jim Puzzanghera Job growth slowed significantly in November but still was solid, indicating the economy remains in good shape but not expanding so quickly that it will lead to sharply higher interest rates. U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs last month, well below analyst expectations and a steep decline from Octobers strong 237,000 figure, the Labor Department reported Friday. Still, monthly job gains are averaging 206,000 this year, the best since 2015. Even the slower pace of 170,000 over the last three months is close to last years average of 182,000 and well above the amount needed to keep up with population growth. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump is expected to pick State Department spokeswoman for U.N. ambassador By Associated Press Heather Nauert at a briefing at the State Department on Aug. 9, 2017. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President Trump is expected to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Two administration officials confirmed Trumps plans. A Republican congressional aide said the president was expected to announce his decision by tweet on Friday morning. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly before Trumps announcement. Trump has previously said Nauert was under serious consideration to replace Nikki Haley, who announced in October that she would step down at the end of this year. Trump has been known to change course on staffing decisions in the past. Nauert was a reporter for Fox News Channel before she became State Department spokeswoman under former Secretary Rex Tillerson. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Senate confirms new consumer financial protection chief: Kathy Kraninger, protege of industry-friendly Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera The Senate, in a party-line vote Thursday, confirmed White House aide Kathy Kraninger to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and experts predicted a continuation of the industry-friendly shift it has taken since President Trump installed an acting director last year. Kraninger is a protege of acting director and White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney, an outspoken critic of the agency that was created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis to prevent predatory lending and other abuses that led to it. Democrats and consumer advocates have denounced him for sharply departing from the aggressive watchdog role the bureau had pursued under its first director, Obama-appointee Richard Cordray, including scaling back enforcement and moving to reassess tough new rules on payday loans and narrow the definition of abusive practices by banks and other firms. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Shutdown postponed by two weeks under plan approved by Congress By Erik Wasson Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), shown at the Capitol on Tuesday, says President Trumps border wall is a waste of money. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Congress passed a two-week stopgap spending bill that will delay the chance of a partial government shutdown until Dec. 22 as lawmakers and President Donald Trump negotiate over his demands to pay for a wall on the southern border. The House and Senate passed the measure Thursday without dissent, and Trump has indicated hell sign the bill before the current shutdown deadline of midnight Friday. Negotiations were delayed by memorial services this week for former President George H.W. Bush. The temporary measure gives Democrats and Republicans more time to find a resolution to their biggest hurdle: funding a wall on the U.S. Mexico border wall. Trump says he wants $5 billion for parts of a concrete wall on the southern border and is willing to shut down the government if he doesnt get it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has said Democrats will provide no more than $1.6 billion for border security, because the wall is a waste of money. The presidents demands for wall funding from Congress come after he said during the campaign that Mexico would pay for it. This week he said on Twitter that a $25 billion border wall would pay for itself in two months, without providing evidence. Most of the U.S. governments $1.2 trillion discretionary budget has been appropriated already by Congress for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1. Departments at a risk of a partial shutdown late this month include the departments of State, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Treasury and Homeland Security. Talks to resolve the differences have been on hold since a meeting among Trump, Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California originally slated for Dec. 4 was postponed due to Bush memorial events. The three are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby of Alabama told reporters the rest of the seven-bill spending package being negotiated is basically done. Shelby in recent weeks had tried to broker a compromise in which Trumps $5 billion request would be split over two years, but Schumer has rejected that. Some Democrats have been willing to trade border wall funding for deportation protections for young undocumented immigrants. Pelosi ruled out such a deal in remarks to reporters Thursday. The stopgap government funding measure also would extend the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides subsidized coverage for homes in flood-prone areas, to Dec. 21. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Bipartisan Senate group wants to formally blame Saudi crown prince for journalists killing By Karoun Demirjian Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires. (Associated Press) A bipartisan group of senators filed a resolution Wednesday condemning Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, directly challenging President Trump to do the same. This resolution -- without equivocation -- definitively states that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia was complicit in the murder of Mr. [Jamal] Khashoggi and has been a wrecking ball to the region jeopardizing our national security interests on multiple fronts, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a statement accompanying the release of the resolution. It will be up to Saudi Arabia as to how to deal with this matter. But it is up to the United States to firmly stand for who we are and what we believe. The resolution put forward by Graham and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who are expected to lead the Judiciary Committee together next year, comes just one day after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed leading senators about the details of the agencys assessment that Mohammed ordered and monitored the killing and dismemberment of Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Senators emerged from that closed-door briefing furious not only with Saudi Arabia, but Trump as well for dismissing the heft of the CIAs findings. You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MBS and that he was intricately involved in the demise of Mr. Khashoggi, Graham said following the briefing, referring to Mohammed by his initials. He added that Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, who briefed senators last week, were at best being good soldiers and at worst were in the pocket of Saudi Arabia for presenting the evidence of Mohammeds involvement as inconclusive. The release of the resolution condemning Mohammed also comes as the Senate is preparing to move ahead with debate on a resolution to curtail U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Though the Yemen resolution does not directly address Khashoggis murder, its popularity is a sign of how strained the United States patience with Saudi Arabia is on multiple fronts, including its role in worsening the civilian cost of the war in Yemen, cited by the United Nations as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Last week, the Senate voted 63 to 37 to advance the Yemen resolution past an opening procedural hurdle. But Graham and Feinsteins resolution on the crown prince has the potential of drawing broader support, especially from Republicans, who are deeply divided about how fiercely to punish Saudi Arabia over Khashoggis killing. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has been an outspoken advocate for human rights and is seen as one of the more influential foreign policy voices in the GOP, did not vote for the Yemen resolution last week or sign on to a bipartisan measure last month to sanction Saudi officials and cease weapons transfers to the kingdom. But he is an original co-sponsor of the resolution condemning Mohammed over Khashoggis death. So is Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who represents the other end of the GOP spectrum in terms of recent Saudi-related votes and endorsements. Young was an initial co-sponsor of the bill Graham wrote with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) to sanction Saudi officials deemed responsible for Khashoggis killing and stop the sale of anything but exclusively defensive weapons to the kingdom until it ceased hostilities in Yemen. Young also voted to advance the Yemen resolution something Graham did as well, though Graham has signaled he will not be lending any similar support to the measure, fearing it may establish a precedent of invoking the War Powers Act too broadly. Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) are listed as original co-sponsors of the resolution condemning Mohammed, which also urges Saudi Arabia to negotiate with Houthi rebels to end the Yemen war, work out a political solution to its standoff with Qatar and release political prisoners. But how much sway the resolution has probably comes down to how forcefully the administration decides to heed it -- and thus far, Trump has not shown any interest in condemning the crown prince the way the senators hope he will. Demirjian reports for the Washington Post. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Los Angeles County offices and U.S. Postal Service closed Wednesday in honor of George H.W. Bush By Brian Park The Honor Guard carries the casket of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush following his funeral on Dec. 5 in Washington, DC. (Doug Mills - Pool/Getty Images) The U.S. Postal Service will suspend regular mail delivery Wednesday, which President Trump has declared a national day of mourning in honor of former President George H.W. Bush. All retail postal outlets will be closed, and package delivery will be limited. In Los Angeles, all nonessential county departments, offices and libraries will be closed for the day, L.A. County officials said. The Los Angeles County Library said no overdue fines will be assessed for books, and due dates will be moved forward one week. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health offices also are closed Wednesday. The Sheriffs Department, Fire Department, clinics and hospitals will continue to operate, the county said. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health clinics are being operated with reduced staffing, and the department asked patients to confirm or reschedule any appointments. All county courts and the disaster recovery centers for the Woolsey fire in Malibu and Agoura Hills will remain open. Larger federal government operations will be closed Wednesday. To honor the life and legacy of President Bush, the Postal Service will observe the National Day of Mourning. Learn how Postal operations will be affected. https://t.co/Mffch7bPCh pic.twitter.com/vG46BsIOpm U.S. Postal Service (@USPS) December 4, 2018 L.A. County offices and libraries will be closed tomorrow (Dec 5) in observance of the #NationalDayOfMourning for President George H. W. Bush. The Countys Disaster Recovery Centers in Malibu & Agoura Hills will remain open from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. pic.twitter.com/Sv1J7GoJ7T Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) December 4, 2018 @LAPublicHealth offices will be closed tomorrow December 5 in observance of the national Day of Mourning for President George H. W. Bush. Essential Services including clinics and other services will remain open: https://t.co/tZGoGGHRlg pic.twitter.com/ypXsV6vlYY LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 4, 2018 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to skip 2020 White House race, sources say By Associated Press Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks during an interview in Boston on Dec. 15, 2014. (Elise Amendola / Associated Press) Former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts will soon announce he wont launch a 2020 presidential campaign, according to three sources familiar with his plans. They did not say why the Democrat decided against a run. A formal announcement was delayed as the country observed a day of mourning for President George H.W. Bush, one source said. News of Patricks plans was first reported by Politico. Patrick, 62, served two terms as governor, from 2007 to 2015, was assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Clinton administration and since leaving the governors office has been a managing director for Bain Capital. Patrick traveled the country in support of Democratic candidates in the recent midterm election. Earlier this year, some of Patricks supporters and close advisors started the Reason to Believe political action committee, a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing a positive, progressive vision for our nation in 2018 and 2020. Reason to Believe PAC had been holding meetups across the country, including in early presidential primary states. While Patrick is opting against a 2020 run, dozens of Democrats are considering jumping in, including nearly a half-dozen members of the Senate, several House members, and other Massachusetts politicians. On Tuesday, Michael Avenatti, the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels and a vocal critic of President Trump, said in a statement that he would run. Patrick had previously expressed some concerns about breaking through if he sought the nomination, telling David Axelrod, a former advisor to President Obama, that he wasnt sure he could stand out in such a large field. Its hard to see how you even get noticed in such a big, broad field without being shrill, sensational or a celebrity, and Im none of those things and Im never going to be any of those things, Patrick said in a September interview with Axelrod. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Former Trump adviser Roger Stone invokes 5th Amendment right and wont testify before Senate Judiciary Committee By Associated Press Roger Stone in 2017. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Roger Stone, an associate of President Trump, says he wont provide testimony or documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee. An attorney for Stone said in a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the committees top Democrat, that Stone was invoking his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination in refusing to produce documents or appear for an interview. Stone has been entangled in investigations by Congress and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III about whether Trump aides had advance knowledge of Democratic emails published by WikiLeaks during the 2016 election. Stone has not been charged and has said he had no knowledge of the timing or specifics of WikiLeaks plans. In the letter to Feinstein, Stone said the committees requests were far too overbroad, far too overreaching and far too wide-ranging. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Watch live: Vice President Pence and lawmakers honor George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol before he lies in state Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Rebuilding crumbling infrastructure has bipartisan support. But who gets to pay for it? By Jim Puzzanghera The grades for major U.S. infrastructure would give any parent indigestion if they were on a childs report card. Roads: D; bridges: C+; dams: D; ports: C+: railways: B; airports: D; schools: D+; public transit: D-. The nations overall grade: D+, which translates to being in fair to poor condition and mostly below standards with significant deterioration and a strong risk of failure, according to an evaluation last year by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump calls former lawyer Michael Cohen a weak person who is lying By Associated Press President Trump says his former lawyer Michael Cohen is lying to get a reduced sentence. The president is reacting to Cohens guilty plea Thursday to lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate project in Russia. During a surprise court hearing, Cohen admitted to lying in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Cohen in his guilty plea said he made the false statements to be consistent with Trumps political message. Cohens lawyer says he continues to cooperate with special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with Trump associates. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Mark Z. Barabak When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Sarah D. Wire When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Michael Cohen, President Trumps ex-lawyer, pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Trump real estate project in Russia By Associated Press Michael Cohen, President Trumps former personal lawyer, pursued a Russian real estate project on candidate Trumps behalf well into the 2016 campaign, he said Thursday while pleading guilty to lying to Congress. Cohen had previously said that the project was abandoned in January 2016, but he now admits he continued to pursue a deal and says he updated Trump and members of his family about the negotiations, according to a new court document. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement James Comey says acting Atty. Gen. Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer By John Wagner Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker speaks at the Justice Department in Washington on Nov. 14. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) Former FBI Director James B. Comey apparently isnt too impressed with the mental prowess of President Trumps acting attorney general. Matthew Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, Comey said during a radio interview on Monday night in which he sized up the man Trump installed this month to replace ousted Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions. Comey was asked by WGBH News in Boston if he thinks Whitaker could derail the investigation of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Whitaker has spoken critically of the probe, and Trump as recently as Tuesday continues to call it a witch hunt. I think its a worry, but to my mind not a serious worry, Comey said. The institution is too strong, and [Whitaker], frankly, is not strong enough to have that kind of impact. He may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, but he can see his future and knows that if he acted in an extralegal way, he would go down in history for the wrong reasons, and Im sure he doesnt want that, added Comey, who was fired by Trump last year and later wrote a book that portrays the president as an ego-driven congenital liar. Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney in Iowa, was Sessions chief of staff before being picked by Trump to lead the Justice Department. Trump has called Whitaker a very smart man. Earlier this year, Trump called Comey an untruthful slime ball. Wagner writes for the Washington Post. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Interior Department watchdog clears Zinke in investigation of Utah national monument By Juliet Eilperin Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, third from the left, and Gov. Jerry Brown tour fire damage in Paradise, Calif., on Nov. 14. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) The Interior Departments Office of Inspector General has cleared Secretary Ryan Zinke in a probe of whether he redrew boundaries of a national monument in Utah to aid the financial interests of a Republican state lawmaker and stalwart supporter of President Trump. In a Nov. 21 letter to Zinkes deputy, David Bernhardt, Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall wrote that her office found no evidence that the secretary or his aides changed the boundaries of Utahs Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in an effort to help former Utah state representative Mike Noel, who serves as executive director of the Kane County Water Conservancy District. Last December, Trump shrank the monument, first established by President Clinton in 1996, by 46% based on Zinkes recommendation. Noel owns 40 acres that had been surrounded by the monument, but now lies outside its boundaries. The new boundaries also would make it easier to construct the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline, which would deliver water to sites in Kane County that include Noels property. Earlier this year, the Interior Department had proposed selling off 120 acres of federal land from the former monument that lay adjacent to some of Noels land holdings, but later reversed the plan. We found no evidence that Noel influenced the DOIs proposed revisions to the [monuments] boundaries, that Zinke or other DOI staff involved in the project were aware of Noels financial interest in the revised boundaries, or that they gave Noel any preferential treatment in the resulting proposed boundaries, Kendall wrote. Neither the Interior Department nor the inspector generals office would release the actual investigative report. In the letter, Kendall writes that her office will provide the report to Congress no sooner than 31 days from Nov. 21, when it is provided it to Zinkes office. The Associated Press first reported the inspector generals conclusions Monday night, but did not provide details from the report itself. Noel emailed Zinke about the effort to alter Grand Staircase-Escalante, according to emails released by Interior under the Freedom of Informational Act. But those emails do not make references to Noels land holdings. Noel also pushed to rename a Utah highway in honor of Trump, but abandoned that effort in March after some of his fellow Republicans objected to the idea. Noel did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. The inspector generals office still has at least two ongoing probes of the secretary, including one focused on his real estate dealings in Whitefish, Mont., and another regarding his decision to deny a permit to two Connecticut tribes who were hoping to jointly run a casino after MGM Resorts International lobbied against it. Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift welcomed the watchdogs conclusions. The report shows exactly what the secretarys office has known all along that the monument boundaries were adjusted in accordance with all rules, regulations and laws, she said in an email. This report is also the latest example of opponents and special interest groups ginning up fake and misleading stories, only to be proven false after expensive and time consuming inquiries by the IGs office. But Kendalls spokeswoman, Nancy DiPaolo, defended the inquiry, even though she said the report has not been publicly released and we will not be speaking specifically about the matter at this time. The OIG opens investigations based on credible allegations and reports our findings objectively and independently, DiPaolo added. Any time or resources spent investigating conduct or activity that may be a violation of law, regulation or policy is a service to the public, Congress and the Department. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement that he still intended to investigate the way Zinke and his colleague redrew the boundaries for Grand Staircase-Escalante and another Utah national monument, Bears Ears, next year. I have great respect for the inspector general, and I accept these findings, but Secretary Zinke should have known the people he listened to while destroying our national monuments had disqualifying conflicts of interest, he said. Should I chair the Natural Resources Committee in the next Congress, the process he and President Trump used to destroy Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante will be front and center in our oversight and investigations efforts. We need to know why they ignored overwhelming public expressions of support for both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, why they ignored Native American tribes throughout their decision-making, and why they removed protections on parcels of land with known mineral deposits. Eilperin and Rein report for the Washington Post. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump advisor Larry Kudlow says China must do more to end trade war By Jim Puzzanghera Larry Kudlow, President Trumps top economic advisor, said Tuesday that Chinas response to U.S. efforts to rework the two economic superpowers trade relationship has been extremely disappointing but the planned meeting this weekend between the nations leaders is an opportunity for a breakthrough. They have to do more. They must do more, Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters ahead of a Saturday dinner between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 Summit in Argentina. I think the president is exactly right to show strong backbone when prior administrations did not, to break through these Chinese walls, Kudlow said. Theyre so resistant to change. We have to protect the country. We have to protect our technology, our inventiveness, our innovation. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Watch live: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds a media briefing amid tensions at the border By Los Angeles Times Staff Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Democrat TJ Cox grabs lead over Republican David Valadao in nations last remaining undecided House race By Maya Sweedler Democrat TJ Cox slipped past Republican incumbent David Valadao on Monday to take the lead in the countrys sole remaining undecided congressional race, positioning Democrats to pick up their seventh House seat in California and 40th nationwide. Cox, who trailed by nearly 4,400 votes on election night, has steadily gained as ballot counting continues nearly three weeks after the Nov. 6 election, a pattern consistent with the states recent voting history. On Monday, he pulled ahead by 438 votes after Kern County updated its results. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former CIA director Michael Hayden hospitalized after suffering a stroke By Deanna Paul Then-CIA Director Michael Hayden testifies before a Senate committee in 2008. (Saul Loeb / Getty Images) Former CIA Director and retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke, his family said Friday. He is receiving expert medical care for which the family is grateful, according to a statement issued by his namesake organization. The General and his family greatly appreciate the warm wishes and prayers of his friends, colleagues, and supporters. Hayden, 73, served as director of the CIA and National Security Agency during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. He retired from the CIA in 2009. Hayden has been a vocal critic of Donald Trumps campaign and presidency. Earlier this year, after Trump decided to revoke the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan, Hayden was one of several former intelligence leaders who signed a statement in opposition. Criticizing the president for crossing a line, he quickly became one of the individuals whose security clearance Trump threatened to review. Deanna Paul writes for the Washington Post. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump tells troops hes thankful for what hes done for the U.S. and rails against courts and migrants By Associated Press President Trump talks with troops via teleconference from his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Thanksgiving. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump used his Thanksgiving Day call to troops deployed overseas to pat himself on the back and air grievances about the courts, trade and migrants heading to the U.S.-Mexico border. Trumps call, made from his opulent private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., struck an unusually political tone as he spoke with members of all five branches of the military to wish them happy holidays. Its a disgrace, Trump said of judges who have blocked his attempts to overhaul U.S. immigration law, as he linked his efforts to secure the border with military missions overseas. Trump later threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time if his administration determines Mexico has lost control on its side. The call was a uniquely Trump blend of boasting, peppered questions and off-the-cuff observations as his comments veered from venting about slights to praising troops You really are our heroes, he said as club waiters worked to set Thanksgiving dinner tables on the outdoor terrace behind him. It was yet another show of how Trump has dramatically transformed the presidency, erasing the traditional divisions between domestic policy and military matters and efforts to keep the troops clear of politics. You probably see over the news whats happening on our southern border, Trump told one Air Force brigadier general stationed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, adding: I dont have to even ask you. I know what you want to do, you want to make sure that you know who were letting in. Later, Trump asked a U.S. Coast Guard commander about trade, which he noted was a very big subject for him personally. Weve been taken advantage of for many, many years by bad trade deals, Trump told the commander, who sheepishly replied, Mr. President, from our perspective on the water we dont see any issues in terms of trade right now. And throughout, Trump congratulated himself, telling the officers that the country is doing exceptionally well on his watch. I hope that youll take solace in knowing that all of the American families you hold so close to your heart are all doing well, he said. The nations doing well economically, better than anybody in the world. He later told reporters, Nobodys done more for the military than me. Indeed, asked what he was thankful for this Thanksgiving, Trump cited his great family as well as himself. I made a tremendous difference in this country, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump contradicts CIA assessment that Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi killing By Josh Dawsey | Washington Post (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump on Thursday contradicted the CIAs assessment that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, insisting that the agency had feelings but did not firmly place blame for the death. Trump, in defiant remarks to reporters from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, defended his continued support for Mohammed in the face of a CIA assessment that the crown prince had ordered the killing. He denies it vehemently, Trump said. He said his own conclusion was that maybe he did, maybe he didnt. I hate the crime .... I hate the cover-up. I will tell you this: The crown prince hates it more than I do, Trump said. Asked who should be held accountable for the death of Khashoggi, who was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, Trump refused to place blame. Maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a very, very vicious place, the president said. He also seemed to suggest that all U.S. allies were guilty of the same behavior, declaring that if the others were held to the standard that critics have held Saudi Arabia to in recent days, we wouldnt be able to have anyone for an ally. Trumps remarks came after he held a conference call with U.S. military officers overseas, during which he repeatedly praised his administration and sought to draw the officers into discussions of domestic policy. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former FBI Director James Comey gets subpoena from House Republicans By Bloomberg Former FBI Director James B. Comey said he has received a subpoena from House Republicans, according to a Twitter post on Thursday. Bloomberg News reported last week that Comey would be receiving a subpoena alongside former Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch as part of continuing probes into their handling of investigations into Hillary Clinton and Russian election meddling, according to a top House Democrat. Happy Thanksgiving. Got a subpoena from House Republicans. Im still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions. But I will resist a closed door thing because Ive seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion. Lets have a hearing and invite everyone to see. James Comey (@Comey) November 22, 2018 Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Republican David Valadaos lead slips to 447 votes over Democrat TJ Cox in still-undecided Central Valley House race By Mark Z. Barabak Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), right, finds himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox. (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) On election night, it looked like Rep. David Valadao had survived a close shave and was destined to return to Washington for his fourth term. But on Wednesday, when Fresno County announced its latest vote totals, the Hanford Republican found himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox, with his lead in the Central Valley district shrunken to 447 votes. Thousands remain to be counted. Valadao, a repeated Democratic target, finished election night with a lead of nearly 4,440 votes. Cox, an engineer and a business owner who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2006, has steadily gained ground in the 21st Congressional District ever since. The trend is consistent with historic patterns showing Republicans in California tend to vote early and Democrats later, meaning their mail ballots continue to stream in past election day. Under California law, ballots postmarked up to midnight on Nov. 6 will be counted. Democrats have already picked up six House seats in California. They ousted Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, Mimi Walters, Steve Knight and Jeff Denham and won the seats of retiring Reps. Ed Royce and Darrell Issa. All six represented districts that backed Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016. Valadao was the seventh California Republican in a district Clinton won, though his previous successes he last won reelection by a 14-point margin suggested his ouster was a longer shot for Democrats. If Cox prevails, it would give Democrats a 40-seat gain nationwide, far more than the 23 seats needed to take control when Congress reconvenes in January. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump says no new punishments against Saudi Arabia in Jamal Khashoggi murder By Eli Stokols In this Oct. 25 photo, candles are lit in front of a photo of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Lefteris Pitarakis) President Trump made it clear on Tuesday that he does not intend to punish Saudi Arabia or Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an American resident killed by Saudi officials in Turkey in October. In a remarkable statement replete with exclamation points, Trump cast doubt on the CIAs reported conclusions that it has a high degree of confidence that the crown prince ordered Khashoggis murder and sent his closest allies to Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul to carry it out. Read MoreThis article has been updated with staff. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Sixteen House Democrats vow to oppose Nancy Pelosi as next speaker By Mike DeBonis | Washington Post House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Sixteen House Democrats said Monday that they will vote to deny Rep. Nancy Pelosi another stint as House speaker, a show of defiance that puts her opponents on the cusp of forcing a seismic leadership shake-up as their party prepares to take the majority. Their pledge to oppose Pelosi (D-San Francisco), both in an internal caucus election and a Jan. 3 floor vote, delivered in a letter sent to Democratic colleagues, comes as Pelosi has marshaled a legion of supporters on and off Capitol Hill to make her case. But her opponents said Monday they are convinced it is time to select a new leader. We are thankful to Leader Pelosi for her years of service to our Country and to our Caucus, they wrote. However, we also recognize that in this recent election, Democrats ran on and won on a message of change. Pelosi has expressed complete confidence that she will retake the speakers gavel in January eight years after she lost it following massive Republican gains in the 2010 midterms and 16 years after she was first elevated to the top Democratic leadership post in the House. Come on in, the waters fine, she said Friday about a potential leadership challenge. The signers might not be able to force Pelosi out themselves. The size of the Democratic majority remains in flux, but Democrats have already won 232 seats, according to the Associated Press, with five races still undecided. All those races have Republican incumbents, but the Democratic challenger is ahead in only one of them. If the leads hold in the uncalled races, Democrats would have won 233 seats, a 16-seat majority. That means Pelosi could lose as many as 15 Democratic votes when she stands for election as speaker on Jan. 3. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Democratic senators sue over Whitakers appointment as acting attorney general By Associated Press Acting U.S. Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker (Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images) Three Senate Democrats filed a lawsuit Monday arguing that Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and asking a federal judge to remove him. The suit, filed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, argues that Whitakers appointment violates the Constitution because he has not been confirmed by the Senate. Whitaker was chief of staff to Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and was elevated to the top job after Sessions was ousted by President Trump on Nov. 7. The Constitutions Appointments Clause requires that the Senate confirm all principal officials before they can serve in their office. The Justice Department released a legal opinion last week that said Whitakers appointment would not violate the clause because he is serving in an acting capacity. The opinion concluded that Whitaker, even without Senate confirmation, may serve in an acting capacity because he has been at the department for more than a year at a sufficiently senior pay level. President Trump is denying senators our constitutional obligation and opportunity to do our job: scrutinizing the nomination of our nations top law enforcement official, Blumenthal said in a statement. The reason is simple: Whitaker would never pass the advice and consent test. In selecting a so-called constitutional nobody and thwarting every senators constitutional duty, Trump leaves us no choice but to seek recourse through the courts. The lawsuit comes days after a Washington lawyer challenged Whitakers appointment in a pending Supreme Court case dealing with gun rights. The attorney, Thomas Goldstein, asked the high court to find that Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and replace him with Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein, the second-ranking Justice Department official, has been confirmed by the Senate and had been overseeing special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker is now overseeing the investigation. The Justice Department issued a statement Monday defending Whitakers appointment as lawful and said it comports with the Appointments Clause, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and legal precedent. There are over 160 instances in American history in which non-Senate confirmed persons performed, on a temporary basis, the duties of a Senate-confirmed position, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said. To suggest otherwise is to ignore centuries of practice and precedent. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Gov. Rick Scott says Sen. Bill Nelson concedes Florida Senate race By Associated Press Republican Senate candidate Rick Scott speaks with his wife, Ann, by his side at an election watch party in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 7. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas Republican Gov. Rick Scott says incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson called him to concede defeat in their extremely tight race. Scott issued a statement Sunday saying Nelson graciously conceded their Senate race shortly after the states recount ended. The final results show Scott defeated Nelson by just over 10,000 votes out of 8 million cast. Nelson is scheduled to release a videotaped statement later Sunday. The defeat ends Nelsons lengthy political career. The three-term incumbent was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. Before that he served six terms in the U.S. House and as state treasurer and insurance commissioner for six years. Scott spent more than $60 million of his own money on ads that portrayed Nelson as out-of-touch and ineffective. Nelson responded by questioning Scotts ethics and saying he would be under the sway of President Trump. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Orange County goes blue, as Democrats complete historic sweep of its seven congressional seats By Michael Finnegan Gil Cisneros defeated Republican Young Kim on Saturday in the last of Orange Countys undecided House races, giving Democrats a clean sweep of the states six most fiercely fought congressional contests and marking an epochal shift in a region long synonymous with political conservatism. With Cisneros victory, Democrats will constitute the entirety of Orange Countys seven-member congressional delegation, the first time since the 1930s that the birthplace of Richard Nixon, home of John Wayne and spiritual center of the Republican Party will have no GOP representative in the House. Sitting back in the 1960s, I would never have believed this would happen, said Stuart K. Spencer, a party strategist who spent more than half a century ushering Republicans, including President Reagan, into office. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Going, going ... with midterm wipeout, California Republican Party drifts closer to irrelevance By Michael Finnegan For a party in freefall the last two decades, California Republicans learned that its possible to plunge even further. The GOP not only lost every statewide office in the midterm election again, in blowout fashion but Democrats reestablished their supermajority in Sacramento, allowing them to legislate however they see fit After major defeats in Orange County and the Central Valley, two longtime strongholds, Republicans will have a significantly smaller footprint on Capitol Hill. (Democrats hold both Senate seats.) When the vote-counting is finished, the GOP may not even have enough lawmakers in Californias 53-member House delegation to field a nine-person softball team. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter says she will support Rep. Nancy Pelosi for speaker By Maya Sweedler Democratic Rep.-elect Katie Porter is congratulated by volunteers at her campaign headquarters in Irvine. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter said she plans to support Rep. Nancy Pelosis bid for speaker of the House and will make campaign finance reform her top priority when she enters the chamber in January. Im going to continue to have conversations, but so far I feel like Leader Pelosi is definitely making the things that were a priority to the families that elected me her priorities, including announcing her support for campaign finance reform and anti-corruption as HR1, Porter said in her first public appearance since being declared the winner in Californias 45th Congressional District on Thursday evening. It means a lot to me that she is a Californian. She understands our state, Porter added. When we talk about environmental protections, this is a person who understands as a Californian how fragile our environment is and whats at risk in things like drilling off our coasts. Porter, a law professor at UC Irvine, defeated two-term Republican Rep. Mimi Walters. The 45th District, covering inland Orange County, has never been represented by a Democrat. Porter became the third Democrat to claim a Republican-held seat in Orange County, following the victories of Harley Rouda in the 48th District and Mike Levin in the 49th. A fourth, Gil Cisneros, is running slightly ahead of his Republican opponent in the race for the open seat in the 39th District, which extends into Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Porter attributed the massive political shift in the county, for decades a conservative stronghold, to increased levels of political engagement. Folks here care about education, they care about the environment, they believe climate change is real, they want healthcare that protects preexisting conditions, they want a tax system that doesnt punish California, they want our schools and places of worship to be safe from gun violence, she said. Those are the issues we campaigned on, and to the extent that Donald Trump and Mimi Walters were on the wrong side of those issues, the voters have made clear what direction they want us to go. Porter was flying back from the East Coast when her race was called, she said. She turned on her phone to find 167 text messages from friends and supporters. Among them was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who was one of Porters teachers in law school and with whom she has remained close. The pair spoke via FaceTime this morning, she said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Bitter battle for Senate seat in Florida goes to hand recount By Associated Press Employees look through damaged ballots during a recount Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas acrimonious battle for the U.S. Senate headed Thursday to a legally required hand recount after an initial review by ballot-counting machines showed Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson separated by less than 13,000 votes. But the highly watched contest for governor between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum appeared to be over, with a machine recount showing DeSantis with a large enough advantage over Gillum to avoid a hand recount in that race. Gillum, who conceded the contest on election night only to retract his concession later, said in a statement that it is not over until every legally casted vote is counted. The recount so far has been fraught with problems. One large Democratic stronghold in South Florida was unable to finish its machine recount by the Thursday deadline due to machines breaking down. A federal judge rejected a request to extend the recount deadline. We gave a heroic effort, said Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher. If the county had three or four more hours, it would have made the deadline to recount ballots in the Senate race, she said. Meanwhile, election officials in another urban county in the Tampa Bay area decided against turning in the results of their machine recount, which came up with 846 fewer votes than originally counted. Media in South Florida reported that Broward County finished its machine recount but missed the deadline by a few minutes. Counties were ordered last weekend to do a machine recount of three statewide races because the margins were so tight. The next stage is a manual review of ballots that were not counted by machines to see whether there is a way to figure out voter intent. Scott called on Nelson to end the recount battle. Its time for Nelson to respect the will of the voters and graciously bring this process to an end rather than proceed with yet another count of the votes which will yield the same result and bring more embarrassment to the state that we both love and have served, the governor said in a statement. The recount has triggered multiple lawsuits, many of them filed by Nelson and Democrats. The legal battles drew the ire of U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker, who slammed the state for repeatedly failing to anticipate election problems. He also said the state law on recounts appears to violate the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that decided the presidency in 2000. We have been the laughingstock of the world, election after election, and we chose not to fix this, Walker said during a morning hearing. Walker vented his anger at state lawmakers and Palm Beach County officials, saying they should have made sure they had enough equipment in place to handle this kind of a recount. But he said he could not extend the recount deadline because he did not know when Palm Beach County would finish its work. This court must be able to craft a remedy with knowledge that it will not prove futile, Walker wrote in his ruling turning down the request from Democrats. It cannot do so on this record. This court does not and will not fashion a remedy in the dark. The overarching problem was created by the Florida Legislature, which Walker said passed a recount law that appears to run afoul of the 2000 Bush vs. Gore decision by locking in procedures that do not allow for potential problems. A total of six election-related lawsuits are pending in federal court in Tallahassee as well at least one lawsuit filed in state court. Walker also ordered that voters be given until 5 p.m. Saturday to show a valid identification and fix their ballots if they have not been counted due to mismatched signatures. Republicans appealed the ruling, but an appeals court turned down the request. State officials testified that nearly 4,000 mailed-in ballots were set aside because local officials decided the signatures on the envelopes did not match the signatures on file. If those voters can prove their identity, their votes will be counted and included in final official returns due from each county by noon Sunday. Walker was asked by Democrats to require local officials to provide a list of people whose ballots were rejected. But the judge appointed by President Obama refused the request, calling it inappropriate. Under state law, a hand review is required with races that have a margin of 0.25 percentage points or less. A state website put the unofficial results showing Scott ahead of Nelson by 0.15 percentage points. The margin between DeSantis and Gillum was at 0.41 points. The margin between Scott and Nelson had not changed much in the last few days, conceded Marc Elias, an attorney working for Nelsons campaign. But he said that he expected the vote tally to shrink due to the hand recount and the ruling on signatures. The developments fueled frustrations among Democrats and Republicans alike. Democrats want state officials to do whatever it takes to make sure every eligible vote is counted. Republicans, including President Trump, have argued without evidence that voter fraud threatens to steal races from the GOP. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Democrat Gil Cisneros pulls ahead of Republican Young Kim as more votes are tallied in Orange and San Bernardino counties By Michael Finnegan Congressional candidate Gil Cisneros (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Democrat Gil Cisneros pulled ahead of Republican Young Kim in one of Californias undecided congressional races Thursday, an ominous sign for a GOP already reeling from its loss of four House seats in the state. In updated vote counts released by the registrars for Orange and San Bernardino counties, Kim fell 941 votes behind Cisneros in the contest to succeed Republican Rep. Ed Royce in Californias 39th Congressional District. The 39th straddles Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange counties. In another unresolved House race, Democrat Katie Porter pulled further ahead of Republican incumbent Mimi Walters in the 45th District, which includes Mission Viejo, Tustin, Irvine, Rancho Santa Margarita and Laguna Hills. Porter, a consumer attorney and UC Irvine law professor, is now 6,203 votes ahead. The Nov. 6 midterm election has been devastating to Republicans in California. If Cisneros and Porter win, the party will have lost six of its 14 House seats in the state, essentially a wipeout in every contest that both parties spent heavily to win. The three Republicans already bounced from Congress are Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa, Steve Knight of Palmdale and Jeff Denham of Turlock in the San Joaquin Valley. Democrat Mike Levin won the seat of retiring GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista in the fourth district flipped so far. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Florida Senate race likely headed to second recount By Associated Press A Palm Beach County Sheriffs deputy walks past boxes of ballots before a recount on Nov. 15 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee) Unofficial Florida election results show that the governors race seems to be settled after a machine recount but the U.S. Senate race is likely headed to a hand recount. Republican Ron DeSantis is virtually assured of winning the nationally watched governors race over Democrat Andrew Gillum. Florida finished a machine recount Thursday that showed Gillum without enough votes to force a manual recount. Unofficial results posted on a state website show the margin between U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott is still thin enough to trigger a second review. State law requires a hand recount of races with a margin of 0.25 percentage point or less. Counties have until Sunday to inspect the ballots that did not record a vote when put through the machines. Those ballots are re-examined to see whether the voter skipped the race or marked the ballot in a way that the machines cannot read but can be deciphered. The election will be certified Tuesday. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Pelosi says she has the votes to become the next House speaker By John Wagner Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference in Washington on Nov. 14. (Susan Walsh) House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi insisted Thursday that she has the votes to become the chambers speaker despite solid opposition from more than a dozen Democrats who want fresh leadership when the party takes control next year. I have overwhelming support in my caucus to be speaker of the House, the San Francisco lawmaker told reporters. I happen to think at this point, Im the best person for that. A vote within the Democratic caucus is scheduled for Nov. 28. The full House votes on Jan. 3 to elect a new speaker. During her remarks, Pelosi touted the size of the Democratic victory in the midterms, which she called almost a tsunami. With a few races still to be decided, Democrats are poised to pick up close to 40 seats in the chamber. Pelosi called that the biggest victory for the Democrats since 1974, when the Watergate babies came in. Pelosis comments come as she faces solid opposition from at least 17 Democrats, setting the stage for a battle over who will ascend to one of the most powerful positions in Washington. After a campaign in which some Democrats prevailed in competitive districts by promising to oppose her, a coalition of incumbents and newly elected members has denied her a smooth path to the speakership. The defections, if they stand, would leave Pelosi, who has led the Democrats for more than 15 years, several votes short of the 218 she would need when the full House votes for speaker Jan. 3. However, no Democrat has stepped forward to run against her for a job she held from 2007 through 2010. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) told reporters Wednesday that shes being encouraged to stand for speaker if Pelosi doesnt have the votes. In an interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, she said she has been overwhelmed by the support from many of her colleagues for her possible entry into the race for House speaker. Over the last 12 hours, Ive been overwhelmed by the amount of support Ive received, Fudge said, adding that there are probably closer to 30" Democrats who have privately signaled that they are willing to oppose Pelosi. Things could change rapidly, Fudge said. Fudge, 66, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said she is building a diverse coalition as she mulls a speaker run, talking with allies in the caucus, moderate Democrats and newly elected members. To this point, Pelosi has enjoyed the strong backing of the Congressional Black Caucus. On Thursday, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), one of its members, wrote a letter to colleagues praising her insight, fortitude and strategic thinking and urging support for her speakership bid. Former Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., an African American who is contemplating a 2020 presidential bid, also voiced support for Pelosi, praising her in a tweet as an architect of the recent midterm success. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a leader of the resistance to Pelosi, said during an interview on CNN on Thursday that Fudge is the kind of new leader that we need in this party. Shes in touch with middle America. She understands what the American people want. Shes a next-generation leader that people will look to and say, Thats the future of our party, thats the future of our country, and thats exactly the kind of leader that I want to see as our next speaker. Wagner reports for the Washington Post. The Posts Robert Costa, Erica Werner, Mike DeBonis, Paul Kane and Elise Viebeck contributed to this report. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement GOP Rep. Jeff Denham concedes to Democrat Josh Harder in Central Valley race By Maya Sweedler Rep. Jeff Denham (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) Republican Rep. Jeff Denham has conceded to Democrat Josh Harder in the race to represent Californias 10th Congressional District in the San Joaquin Valley. It has been an absolute honor to serve our community and represent the Central Valley in Congress over the past eight years, the 51-year-old congressman said. The enormity of the responsibility was never lost on me. My wife Sonia and I look forward to starting the next chapter of our lives. Harder said he had spoken with Denham and the two were committed to a productive transition. Denham, an Air Force veteran, previously represented the region in the state Senate for eight years and founded a company specializing in plastic packaging used in agriculture. While a member of Congress, he sat on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture committees. First-time candidate Harder was born and raised in the district. After graduating from Stanford University, he served as vice president of a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Since moving back, he has been teaching at Modesto Junior College. Denhams House seat is one of four in California that Republicans lost in the Nov. 6 election, with two contests in Orange County still undecided as of Thursday morning. Jeff Denham called me this morning and we had a very productive conversation. I'm honored that I've been chosen to serve our community in Congress, and we're both looking forward to a productive transition that best serves the people of District 10. Josh Harder (@JoshHarder) November 14, 2018 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Democrat Katie Porter now nearly 3,800 votes ahead of GOP Rep. Mimi Walters By Maya Sweedler Rep. Mimi Walters thanks all of her supporters as she watches election results in Irvine on Nov. 7, 2018. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press) Democrat Katie Porter opened a 3,797-vote lead Wednesday over Republican Rep. Mimi Walters in Orange Countys 45th Congressional District. In the neighboring 39th, Democrat Gil Cisneros has nearly tied the race against Republican Young Kim. Cisneros now trails Kim by a razor-thin margin of 122 votes. The 39th District straddles Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties; Wednesdays updated ballot counts came from the latter two. There are more than 202,000 ballots left to count in Orange County, which includes parts of seven congressional districts. The 45th is entirely in inland Orange County. In California, the ballots counted first tend to lean Republican and those tallied later skew Democratic. In the Central Valleys 21st Congressional District, Democratic challenger TJ Cox has pulled within 2 percentage points of Rep. David Valadao, who is serving his third term. The Associated Press had projected a win for Valadao on election night, but his 4,839-vote advantage has shrunk to 2,090. Back in CA-21, Valadao (R) wins a batch of ballots from his stronghold in Kings Co., but by a considerably smaller margin (14 points) than his previous ~30-point margin in the county. We're moving to Lean R from Likely R; today a bit scary for Valadao.https://t.co/WqJVUVkqGW Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 15, 2018 A spokesman for Valadao told the Fresno Bee that the changes were expected and that [s]tatistically, David Valadao has won this race. Democrats in California have already flipped four House seats, defeating three Republican incumbents and claiming an open seat previously held by the GOP. Reps. Steve Knight of Palmdale, Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Jeff Denham of Turlock have already lost their races, and retiring Rep. Darrell Issas San Diego County seat was claimed by Democrat Mike Levin. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump aide departs West Wing after rebuke from Melania Trump By Associated Press First Lady Melania Trump. (Alain Jocard / AFP-Getty Images) Deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel is leaving the White House, one day after First Lady Melania Trumps office issued an extraordinary statement calling for her dismissal. No replacement was named. Aides said Ricardel clashed with the first ladys staff over her visit to Africa last month. Yet it is highly unusual for a first lady or her office to weigh in on personnel matters, especially the presidents national security staff. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Ricardel would have a new role in the administration. On Tuesday, Stephanie Grisham, the first ladys spokeswoman, released a statement saying, It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House. President Trumps White House has set records for administration turnover. Ricardel was the third person to hold the post under Trump. An ally of national security advisor John Bolton, Ricardel began her service in the Trump administration as associate director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, then moved to the Commerce Department last year. Bolton brought her into the West Wing shortly after taking the job in April. He is traveling in Asia this week alongside Vice President Mike Pence. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Race for House Minority Leader is Kevin McCarthys to lose By Associated Press (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is running to take over next years shrunken caucus in closed-door elections that will set the tone for the new Congress. The race for minority leader is McCarthys to lose Wednesday. But the California Republican, who is an ally of President Trump, must fend off a challenge from conservative Jim Jordan of Ohio. Jordan is a leader of the House Freedom Caucus. The two encountered questions and finger-pointing during a private meeting with lawmakers Tuesday night as the GOP sorted through the midterm defeat that put Democrats in the majority next year. Elections Wednesday will also determine party leadership in the Senate. Voting for the biggest race, Nancy Pelosis bid to return as the Democrats nominee for speaker, is later this month. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Melania Trump calls for the firing of deputy national security advisor By Justin Sink First Lady Melania Trump arrives at the Chateau de Versailles outside Paris on Nov. 11. (Alain Jocard / AFP/Getty Images ) First Lady Melania Trumps office said she wants Mira Ricardel, the deputy national security advisor, ousted from the White House. It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House, Trumps spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement in response to a question about reports the first lady had sought Ricardels removal. Ricardel is the top deputy to national security advisor John Bolton. She drew the first ladys wrath after threatening to withhold National Security Council resources during Melania Trumps trip to Africa last month unless Ricardel was included in her entourage, one person familiar with the matter said. Grishams statement comes as several media outlets have reported that President Trump is considering a broader shakeup of his administration, including ousting Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Sink and Jacobs report for Bloomberg. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print CNN sues Trump over the suspension of Jim Acostas White House press credentials By Jim Puzzanghera CNN said Tuesday that it is suing President Trump and other administration officials over the decision to suspend the White House press credentials of correspondent Jim Acosta after a conflict at a news conference last week. The suit, to be filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, escalates an ongoing battle between Trump and the cable news outlet that he frequently accuses of disseminating fake news for its aggressive coverage of him and his administration. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acostas 1st Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their 5th Amendment rights to due process, CNN said in a written statement. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Maxine Waters to take aim at Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank as new head of House Financial Services Committee By Jim Puzzanghera Rep. Maxine Waters plans to zero in on two big banks Wells Fargo & Co. and Deutsche Bank when she becomes head of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. The Los Angeles congresswoman, now the committees top Democrat, is widely expected to gain the gavel after her party won control of the House in last weeks elections. While Waters has outlined a wide-ranging agenda, she said her focus on bank oversight will target two large institutions she has been tangling with for a while including one, Deutsche Bank, that spills into her bitter feud with President Trump. With Trump in the White House, I know that our fight for Americas consumers and investors will continue to be challenging. But I am more than up to that fight, Waters wrote in a letter last week to her Democratic colleagues on the committee that was obtained by The Times. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Heres how a controversial voting system will decide a congressional race in Maine By Kurtis Lee For the first time in U.S. history, a controversial voting system known as ranked choice is being used to decide a federal election. Its happening in Maine, which adopted the system in 2016. Rather than marking a single candidate, each voter ranks them all, assigning a first-place vote, a second-place vote and so on down the ballot. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print ACLU files suit to stop Trumps new asylum limits By Associated Press A group of Central American migrants march to the office of the U.N.'s humans rights body in Mexico City on Nov. 8. (Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press) The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a legal challenge to President Trumps order denying asylum to migrants if they cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in San Francisco and argues the new rules are against the law. Attorney Lee Gelernt said the regulations will put families in danger. The suit seeks to declare the regulations invalid and wants a judge to stop the rules from going into effect while the litigation is pending. The new rules were spurred in part by caravans of Central American migrants slowly moving north on foot, but officials say they will apply to anyone caught crossing illegally. Officials say about 70,000 people who enter the country illegally claim asylum. The order invoked the same national security powers Trump used to push through his travel ban. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump on new acting AG: I dont know Matt Whitaker By Associated Press President Trump talks with reporters before departing for France on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 9. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) President Trump is moving to distance himself from Matthew Whitaker as he faces criticism over his choice for acting attorney general. Trump told reporters Friday that I dont know Matt Whitaker and said he didnt speak with Whitaker about special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker has made public comments critical of Muellers investigation, and critics have called on Whitaker to recuse himself from oversight of the inquiry. Under former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, the investigation was overseen by Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Of the scrutiny Whitaker is facing, Trump said: Its a shame that no matter who I put in they go after. He also called Whitaker a very highly respected man. Whitaker was Sessions chief of staff before Trump made him Sessions interim replacement. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg out of hospital after fall By Associated Press The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is home after being released from the hospital. She had been admitted for treatment and observation after fracturing three ribs in a fall. The court said Ginsburg was released Friday. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg says she is doing well and working from home. The court had previously said the justice fell in her office at the court on Wednesday evening and went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gun-control activist Lucy McBath defeats GOP Rep. Karen Handel in Georgia By Associated Press Lucy McBath speaks during a rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Nov. 2 at Morehouse College in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer / Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Democratic gun-control activist Lucy McBath has defeated Republican Rep. Karen Handel of Georgia in a suburban congressional district long considered safe for the GOP. Handel had to seek reelection after winning her seat last year in a close special election race against Democrat Jon Ossoff. McBath became an advocate for stricter gun laws after her son, Jordan Davis, was fatally shot at a Florida gas station in 2012 by a man angry over loud music the teenager and his friends were playing in a car. McBaths margin of victory was narrow enough for Handel to have requested a recount. The Associated Press declared McBath the winner Thursday after Handel conceded. Handel conceded in a statement Thursday morning, stating that after reviewing all of the election data, its clear she came up a bit short in Tuesdays vote. Handel congratulated McBath, offering good thoughts and much prayer for the journey that lies ahead for her. McBath, who is African American, declared victory Wednesday. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized after fracturing 3 ribs in fall By Associated Press Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fractured three ribs in a fall in her office at the court and is in the hospital. The court says the justice went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. The court says the fall occurred Wednesday evening. Ginsburg was admitted to the hospital for treatment and observation after tests showed she fractured three ribs. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She has had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print White House suspends press pass of CNNs Jim Acosta after heated exchange with Trump By Associated Press The White House on Wednesday suspended the press pass of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after he and President Trump had a heated confrontation during a news conference. They began sparring after Acosta asked Trump about the caravan of migrants heading from Latin America to the southern U.S. border. When Acosta tried to follow up with another question, Trump said, Thats enough! and a female White House aide unsuccessfully tried to grab the microphone from Acosta. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement accusing Acosta of placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern, calling it absolutely unacceptable. The interaction between Acosta and the intern was brief, and Acosta appeared to brush her arm as she reached for the microphone and he tried to hold onto it. Pardon me, maam, he told her. Acosta tweeted that Sanders statement that he put his hands on the aide was a lie. CNN said in a statement that the White House revoked Acostas press pass in retaliation for his challenging questions Wednesday, and the network accused Sanders of lying about Acostas actions. This conduct is absolutely unacceptable. It is also completely disrespectful to the reporters colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question. President Trump has given the press more access than any President in history. Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Contrary to CNNs assertions there is no greater demonstration of the Presidents support for a free press than the event he held today. Only they would attack the President for not supporting a free press in the midst of him taking 68 questions from 35 different reporters... Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 As a result of todays incident, the White House is suspending the hard pass of the reporter involved until further notice. Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Sanders provided fraudulent accusations and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better, CNN said. Jim Acosta has our full support. Journalists assigned to cover the White House apply for passes that allow them daily access to press areas in the West Wing. White House staffers decide whether journalists are eligible, though the Secret Service determines whether their applications are approved. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump spars with reporters at post-election news briefing, ordering several to sit down By Associated Press President Trump assails CNNs Jim Acosta at a White House news conference. President Trump sparred with reporters at his post-election news conference, ordering several to sit down and telling another hes a rude, terrible person. He told another reporter hes not a fan of yours, either. The presidents mood turned sour Wednesday after reporters pressed him on why he referred to a migrant caravan making its way to the U.S. on foot through Mexico as an invasion. Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric against the caravan in the final days of the midterm elections. Trump was also pressed on why his campaign aired an ad featuring a Mexican immigrant convicted of killing American police officers and linking the mans actions to the caravan. Several television networks pulled the ad after airing it or declined to air it at all. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Im living one hour at a time at this point By Christine Mai-Duc Republican congressional candidate Young Kim and gubernatorial candidate John Cox campaign in Rowland Heights. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Republican congressional candidate Young Kim greeted gubernatorial candidate John Coxs giant campaign bus, the words HELP IS ON THE WAY emblazoned across it, as it rolled into the parking lot outside her Rowland Heights field office. Standing beside Cox on Saturday, Kim predicted that a string of GOP victories Tuesday would start with voters repealing the gas tax hike. Can you imagine Gavin Newsom being our governor? Can you imagine Gil Cisneros being your representative? Kim asked the crowd, to loud boos and cries of Nooo! The former state assemblywoman who worked for retiring Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) is vying for his seat with Democrat Gil Cisneros. She led the crowd in chants of Enough is enough! and, though short-lived, Drain the swamp! Ive served you in Sacramento and Ive seen dysfunction personally, Kim continued. We cannot continue that route. She urged her supporters to stay and help make phone calls or walk neighborhoods. Lets get out there the 72 hours is really critical. Its all going to come down to a few votes, it could be your vote, she said pointing to her left, then pivoting right, it could be your vote. So dont sit back and do nothing. Every night I go to sleep thinking, OK, how many more votes can I get or how many more people can I call tomorrow? Kim said. It can be physically exhausting but Im mentally, emotionally very energized. She listed off her events so far that day and the next one she was heading to. Thats just what I can remember, she said. Im living one hour at a time at this point. Kims campaign invited press to two of her events on Saturday. After she was whisked away to her next event a high tea fundraiser in Walnut, a couple dozen volunteers remained. John Freeman, a statewide field manager for the state Republican Party, tried to pump them up. This is the Super Bowl. Were not in an NFL stadium, were not getting paid millions of dollars, but you know what? Freeman said. Were walking on the field right now. This is that high-stakes-level game. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Its going to be tough out there Democratic candidate Katie Porter speaks to volunteers in Mission Viejo. Jon Bauman, Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na, is in the background. (Victoria Kim / Los Angeles Times ) Judging from the cheers in the crowd, about half those assembled at Katie Porters campaign headquarters in Mission Viejo Sunday morning were old enough to remember 70s rock n roll star Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na. Jon Bauman, as Bowzer is known off stage, said it was her position on senior issues including retirement and social security that has him out supporting Porter over her opponent, incumbent Rep. Mimi Walters. I want you to make sure every phone is called and every door is knocked, he told the crowd of about 80 volunteers. There has never been a more important election. Both Bauman and his nephew, California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman, were interrupted by yells from Trump supporters coming from an adjoining hillside. We love Trump, the voice cried out. We love him too, he makes great fodder, the younger Bauman retorted, before introducing Porter. Porter, a UC Irvine law professor and first-time candidate, acknowledged the uphill battle some of her canvassers might face in this more conservative end of the long-red Orange County district. I know its going to be tough out there, she said, motioning to the hillside. But she said the attacks meant the other side viewed her campaign as a significant threat. This election is going to be close, she said. If we dont fight all the way to the finish line, until 8 oclock on Tuesday, this could slip away. Bowzer then took to a keyboard piano to lead the crowd in a reworded rendition of the song Good Night Sweetheart: Good night, Mimi Walters, he crooned. A woman in a black tank top, jeans and flip flops holding a cup of coffee later joined the crowd with her two sons, 17 and 14, the younger one wearing a Trump 2016 T-shirt. She declined to give her name, saying she was concerned about being attacked, but said she lived up the hill and said she had been the one yelling. She said she was encouraging her sons to talk to people on both sides and make up their own minds. We need to have a government that runs the way government teachers are telling kids its supposed to be run, said the woman, a retired registered dental assistant who voted early for Mimi Walters. Referring to Democrats, she said: Theyve had control over all these years and Californias gone to crap. Among those canvassing was Stacie Campbell, 37, who was at the launch with her husband Jerome and three children, the youngest of whom was 2 months old. Campbell, a Mission Viejo resident who runs a business, had never canvassed or volunteered for campaigns before, and her husband is a French citizen and unable to vote. She said they had been talking to their children the older ones are 5 and 2 about the presidency and the government since Trumps election. Together, they worked on homemade Katie Porter lawn signs and put them up around town. This is the first time its felt like a big deal and there isnt a president up for election, she said. Because her city is a mix of conservatives and liberals her next-door neighbor is an NRA-supporting Republican she the race felt m 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. Troublemaker Tim Drapers latest proposal to split California into three states has some appeal for Northerners. At least it does for me. That doesnt mean its a smart idea. Its impractical, a fantasy and doomed. But it does have an allure. In November, Californians will have an opportunity to vote on whether to split the state in thirds because the venture capitalists initiative qualified for the ballot last week. So this is no longer just an idea for idle chit-chat. Its potentially achievable, if highly remote. Look, heres one attraction for a Sacramentan: The new Northern California would be the second-wealthiest state in the nation, ranking only below Connecticut in terms of per capita personal income. The Legislative Analysts Office pegged it at $63,000, based on 2015 data, the latest available. For the entire state it was $54,000. Advertisement That wealth is because of the San Francisco Bay Area, especially Silicon Valley. What it means is thered be fewer people unemployed and on public assistance than in the other two new states: Los Angeles-dominated California and weirdly drawn Southern California. Thered be less northern tax money spent on the safety net and more for universities, transportation, parks and other lifestyle goodies. And Northern California would have some pretty nice places: the Golden Gate Bridge, big old redwoods, Napa-Sonoma wine country, Mount Shasta, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Valley. Also, it would have the California Delta and more muscle to protect this recreational, fisheries and small-farm haven from southern water-grabbers. The new California would include the unexcelled coastline from Santa Monica Pier up Highway 1 through Santa Barbara, San Simeon, Big Sur, Carmel and Monterey. But it also would have the many thousands of L.A. homeless to deal with plus traffic congestion and it would be tasked to find solutions without Bay Area tax dollars. Drapers California would comprise six counties: L.A., Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Benito and Monterey. Southern California seems odd. Ancient Mono Lake in the eastern Sierra would be in Southern California. So would Mount Whitney and Fresno. Thered be 12 counties: San Diego, Orange, Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern, Inyo, Mono, Kings, Tulare, Fresno and Madera. More from George Skelton Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper is back. Only this time, he wants to break the state into three pieces, instead of six. (cal3.com ) The legislative analyst says the state would have below average income levels compared to the rest of the country. That means less tax revenue. But it would need to pay for the highest share of Medi-Cal and welfare recipients among the three states. All the other 40 counties would be in Northern California. The three states populations would be similar, ranging from 12 million to 14 million each. Politically, the north and California would be reliably Democrat. The south would be competitive, but I suspect lean Republican. By creating two new states, California would gain four U.S. Senate seats. So thered be six senators total. Four would surely be Democrats. The other two seats would be up for grabs, but probably go Republican. The four new Senate seats would mean thered also be four additional presidential electoral votes on top of the current 55, the most in the country. Coverage of California politics So thats a big reason why this midsummer nights dream or nightmare is doomed. Congress would need to approve it and so would the president. Thats not going to happen while Republicans control Congress and theres a President Trump. And even if Democrats were to recapture Washington, its hard to see them tinkering with the sweet deal they now have in this blue state. The proposal also oozes with potential problems. Would an L.A. kid enrolling at UC Berkeley be forced to pay out-of-state tuition? What would become of the University of California? How would responsibility for all the states current debts be divvied up money owed on infrastructure bonds and unfunded liabilities for public employee retirements? And this sure smacks of a bitter water war. Think about it: L.A. imports about 90% of its water from sources that would be out of state. And many people where the water originates resent that. Current state contracts probably couldnt be voided. But future add-ons, such as Gov. Jerry Browns monstrous delta tunnels? Forget it. Draper dismisses such talk. Just set it up in [an interstate] compact, he told me. OK, but it took decades of costly court battles before California and Arizona ended their fight over the Colorado River. Draper, a San Mateo County billionaire, has a history of political rabble-rousing. In 2000, he sponsored an initiative to provide taxpayer-funded $4,000 vouchers for kids attending private schools. Voters overwhelmingly rejected it. Four years ago, he tried to split California into six states, but that didnt make the ballot. That was too much of a mind-blower, he conceded. But this is catching on. California has just gotten worse and worse, he continued. The idea is lets create a clean slate, clear the deck, empower more people and get them closer to the government. Former state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez gives the best reason for voting no. We shouldnt be wasting time with this, he told me. Its such a dumb idea, but its a real threat. Lets suppose he puts up $50 million and it passes. Even if Congress votes it down, it starts a conversation thats unnecessary. We should be talking about the real issues of healthcare access, energy, homelessness. But if Draper ever wants to split the state in two at the Tehachapi Mountains. On second thought, nix that too. It was a good idea once. Too much hassle today. george.skelton@latimes.com Follow @LATimesSkelton on Twitter New murals at two Newport Beach elementary schools give students a simple but powerful daily reminder: You are loved. The affirmation is in letters 6 feet tall and stretching more than 50 feet at Harbor View and Lincoln schools in Corona del Mar. At Harbor View, the aphorism towers in cool blues, greens and yellows over a playground, a kind of verbal hug from Boston-based muralist Alex Cook, who was brought in by Newport locals keen to help him spread his word. The message gets to the heart of how to be a productive human being, something everybody needs to know and apply to daily living, he said. Its really hard to live a useful, well-adjusted life if you dont have an active sense of being valuable, Cook said. Cook started his You are loved messaging about five years ago when he was painting a mural at a school in New Orleans. The principal there told him she wanted her students to feel safe, so they brainstormed encouraging phrases they could layer on the painting. Among them: You are beautiful. You are important. You are needed. You can do it. You are loved. Cook said he came away from New Orleans energized by the bold declaration. He said it felt like a breakthrough to be able to tell people so directly of their intrinsic worth. I want to say this all over the place, especially in places where people might not really be feeling it, he said. Alex Cook stands next to his You are loved mural at Harbor View Elementary School in Newport Beach. I want to say this all over the place, especially in places where people might not really be feeling it, he said. (Photo by Hillary Davis ) Cook often does institutional art. His murals, including those in the Loved series, are in schools, churches, community centers and correctional facilities across the country. In 2016, he and inmates at the Orange County Central Mens Jail painted a You are loved mural in the jails chapel. Leslee Allen wasnt looking for an artists services when she stumbled across Cook on Facebook, but she immediately connected with his message and felt it was needed for Newport children after a student at Corona del Mar High School committed suicide this year. She asked around in her circles and found plenty of people who agreed and chipped in enough money to fly in Cook to paint the two pieces over the past two weeks. The Harbor View and Lincoln murals are the 45th and 46th in Cooks Loved series. Allen joined Cook at Harbor View, where 60 sixth-graders contributed to the mural, filling in segments among the mosaic-like veins Cook threaded through the words. It was the sixth-grade classs gift to the school, and the children were thrilled to be part of the process, Principal Todd Schmidt said. As students walked by, they asked Cook what the letters would say. He urged the kids to piece it together themselves. They loved the discovery of it, Allen said. You are loved oh, wow! The Harbor View mural occupies a formerly blank expanse of stucco that was the backdrop of weekly assemblies. Schmidt said the message sets the right tone for the school and fits with the social and emotional learning that teachers hope the children will take away with their academic lessons. We want [our] actions to meet our words, Schmidt said. hillary.davis@latimes.com Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD In a July 15 Q&A article with Patt Morrison for the Los Angeles Times, Alice Callaghan, a longtime advocate for the homeless, was critical of the city of Los Angeles policies and efforts to address homelessness on Skid Row. When asked about the councils ordinance limiting the time the homeless had to remove their possessions or risk getting them seized, Callaghan said, The citys overriding concern is not solving the homeless problem but the visibility of homeless. Callaghan said the reason the homeless seem more visible these days is partly due to gentrification, and what she believes is the citys lack of response to protect affordable housing for homeless people. During the 1960s, there were more than 10,000 affordable housing units called SROs [single-room occupancy hotels] on Skid Row, according to Callaghan. By the 1980s, there were about 6,700 and now, there are around 3,600 units. When developers began converting units into upscale housing, it became too expensive for nonprofits, according to Callaghan. To [Mayor Eric Garcetti] the misery of the poor is not going to hold captive the gentrifying desires of the rich downtown, she said. Q. How much responsibility should be placed on cities to secure truly affordable housing to accommodate the homeless? How does a city address this ethical responsibility when it conflicts with the rights and desires of landowners and residents? -- Ill admit it: I carry plastic cups of change in the car and hand them to the people on street corners with signs asking for help. I know, I know, its better to give to organizations that can offer more permanent solutions. But there are so many ways in which I fail to be a good follower of Jesus, and this is one small thing I can do: He said to give to whoever begs from you (Matthew 5:42) and I do. I know its not a good solution. But in that moment of exchange, we look in each others eyes, and speak to each other, and share a moment of common humanity; and it feels like Im being at least a little bit true to my baptismal vow to respect the dignity of every human being. I couldnt have that moment, I couldnt follow Jesus in even that one small way, if the homeless people were disappeared from my view. If they werent right there in front of me, I could pretend, with everyone else, that our society has made adequate progress in helping the people who need help. We have not. Ive always thought that developers should be required to build a certain percentage of low-income housing, and another percentage of middle-income housing, for all the high-rent stuff they build maybe 25% low income, 15% middle income, and 60% higher income. Its the only way I can think of to ensure that a city can provide good homes to its people all its people. A city isnt made beautiful by scuttling all the undesirables off stage; a city is beautiful when even the people off the stage are allowed to live with an adequate measure of human dignity, health and safety. Los Angeles could be, and should be, a city made beautiful by caring for all its people. The Rev. Amy Pringle St. Georges Episcopal Church La Canada Flintridge -- Alice Callahan has my respect and gratitude for her nearly 35 years of work for L.A.'s homeless. She founded Las Familias del Pueblo in 1990, when she was a Roman Catholic nun. This organization continues to serve immigrant communities, especially children, our future. Callahans demands of the city of L.A. are righteous and reasonable, and Mayor Garcetti answered that now we begin to end homelessness, and asked for a $2 million budget increase. But the moral responsibility to house everyone rests with us all. Systemic problems that we tolerate at the very least lead to homelessness: not enough housing that is truly affordable; low wages and high unemployment even as the economy (and profits) grow; and criminalizing mental illness and addiction rather than treating them medically. These permeate urban, rural and suburban communities alike. Our massive number of homeless people requires national-level solutions funded at the federal level, and the money is there. Heres the first money-pit crying out to be tapped our nuclear weapons arsenal, which costs taxpayers $2.2 million per hour (nationalpriorities.org), day in, day out, for bombs that any rational person knows we must never use. Another, our taxes supporting more than 700 foreign military bases, which according to George W. Bushs Joint Chiefs of Staff, who are hardly peaceniks, give us no strategic advantage and provoke antipathy toward the U.S. Spare me talk of the rights and desires of landlords and residents. What about the desire for a home by those without one? Adequate affordable housing, including SROs, do not infringe on property rights. Im not sure there is a constitutional right to a neighborhood without people living on its streets, but if we dont want our views ruined, lets get real about ending homelessness. Roberta Medford Atheist Montrose -- All of us have a responsibility to care for the homeless, provide for the general welfare is the basis for the entire Constitution. To limit the responsibility for the current homeless situation only on Mayor Garcetti and his desire to honor the city of Los Angeles and the other residents of Los Angeles is short sighted. While I dont dispute the housing numbers of Alice Callaghans report, we must look to the causes of the growing numbers of homeless people in the greater Los Angeles area. The early 1960s and the mid 2010s comparative populations are much different. The effects of the drug culture, the Vietnam War, Iraq and Afghanistan, and their attendant cases of PTSD, have brought us new homeless victims. Add to that the economic disaster and the housing market collapse of 2008 and we have a group of people vastly different than the dust bowlers of the 1930s who fled Oklahoma for California. Where in the past, people had opened their homes to needy relatives and friends, this new homeless group brought concerns for health and safety for the host families. If there is a place to lay blame, then let it be on Proposition 13 in 1978, and its cut of social services. In the past social workers in California were able to provide services for those in need with individual and group counseling sessions. Documented evidence shows this is extremely effective with many of the victims of PTSD as well as addiction. We need to petition Gov. Brown, the California State Legislature and our federal representatives to increase the social services areas of their respective budgets to the levels that will deal effectively with the problems of the homeless and their families. Then we will have set in motion a partial solution, therefore, to the current homeless crisis, and God willing help them to return to us with dignity and honor. This will honor them, honor us and honor God, Mayor Garcetti and the most honorable Alice Callaghan for her efforts. Rabbi Mark Sobel Temple Beth Emet Burbank -- Planning the logistics and minutia of balancing provisions for the homeless and the desires of landowners and residents in a quickly gentrifying city is a complicated and multifaceted problem. It should be handled by experts and no decision should be made hastily or entirely from a perspective of profit. It is something that must be carefully, thoughtfully and compassionately considered. A huge part of the problem is how our American culture perceives the homeless. Of course there are concerned souls that make every attempt to treat all in an egalitarian, respectful and overall humanist manner. However, the majority of us consider the homeless other than, a nuisance and criminal. The fact of the matter is most homeless people are just trying to live with the cards life has dealt. They are as much human, deserving and ethical as everyone else. Were we in their situation, not only would we likely seek the same solutions, we would expect compassion and understanding. Yet, those are things we often do not give because they interfere with our personal and short-term desires. To address this problem, we need to reeducate ourselves and change the way we educate future generations. We must inculcate society with a sense of loving kindness and empathy that is sorely lacking. Only when we truly put ourselves in other shoes, will a good and long-term solution percolate. We should not be thinking of it as dealing with the homeless issue but taking care of our less fortunate neighbors and fellow humans with loving kindness. One practical way we can do this in the short term is to not only continue to provide proper accommodations for the homeless but find ways to get landowners and residents involved with a stake in taking care of those less fortunate. We must take down the wall separating one group from the other and build a mutually beneficial dependency that respects both groups. It may drive some people away at first and even slow gentrification, but that is hardly the most important consideration. Over the long term, it will make this city a much better place to live. Joshua Lewis Berg Humanist Celebrant Glendale -- Our obligation to care for the needy and less fortunate is emphasized in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Although the LDS church has no position on the specific situation of the homeless in Los Angeles, the discussion provides an opportunity to review what the scriptures say, and the role that love and concern for others should play in our lives. The Book of Mormon defines charity as the pure love of Christ a type of love that makes the well-being of others a paramount concern. We believe that, as Paul noted, possessing this quality represents the apex of Christian devotion. We teach charity as a principle and encourage its practice. Through the churchs welfare and humanitarian programs, members are given opportunities to give of our time through service, and to contribute money to provide for others. As mentioned previously, I cant be sure what the church might say officially about Los Angeles and the obligation of cities to the homeless. As a result, what follows is my personal view, influenced by church teachings. The responsibility of cities to the homeless is no greater than our own. I dont think we can expect local leaders to be more compassionate than the voters who elect them. If enough people were to voice concern for the homeless, local leaders would be more likely to adopt responsive policies and property owners would be more likely to support them. If enough people were to act independently to help the homeless, the burden on public services would be reduced. The first step in helping the homeless is to look to inward. When we establish compassion and caring as personal standards, the question of government responsibility will be much easier to answer. Michael White The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints La Crescenta No one guessed that kites would be the weapon to flummox the mighty Israeli army. Yet kites and balloons, those summery playthings, have confounded a military that has succeeded in securing its border from every other challenge it has faced in the clashes that have rippled across its border with the Gaza Strip since late March. For the record: An earlier version of this article gave the wrong figure for the acreage that has burned in Israel. It is 7,410, not 74,100. Also, this article states that about 130 protesters have been killed by Israeli troops, but those killed have included armed militants, a press photographer and a medic. Kites trailing burning rags, and booby-trapped balloons carried aloft by winds heading inland from the Mediterranean, have caused the worst damage inside Israel since the wave of protests known as the Great Return March started. At least 7,410 acres of farmland and national parkland have been incinerated by some 450 blazes sparked by the fire-bearing toys. Fourteen hundred acres of wheat have been lost. Advertisement Within Gaza, the kites success in harming Israel is seen as an unlikely triumph in a dark season in which about 130 protesters have been killed by Israeli troops, with thousands more injured in weekly Friday demonstrations at the border. On Monday, the Gaza Ministry of Health announced the death of 13-year-old Zakaria Beshbash, who was reportedly shot in the stomach during Fridays protests. Palestinians test their kites at the Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Israel and Hamas are on the verge of the First Kite War, wrote Amos Harel, military analyst for the Israeli daily Haaretz. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) Early Monday, Israeli air force planes struck what the army referred to as nine military targets in two military compounds and in a munition manufacturing site belonging to the HMS terror organization, referring to Hamas, the Islamist militia that rules the beleaguered Gaza Strip. In a statement, the army said the strike, in which it said there were no casualties, was in response to arson and explosive kites and balloons that have been launched into Israel. The army said it considers the use of incendiary and explosive kites and balloons to be very grave and will work to prevent their use. Later in the day, the military said its aircraft had targeted Hamas infrastructure in the southern Gaza Strip; it did not describe precisely what was hit. About 5 a.m. Monday, Israelis in southern communities were awakened by air raid sirens as at least three rockets were launched from Gaza into Israel. The escalation spilled over into two incidents later in the day. In one, a 24-year-old man was killed by Israeli army gunfire when a group of Gazans attempted to breach the border into Israel. In another, the army said five men attempted to place an explosive device along the border fence and when it exploded, a number of terrorists were hurt. Israel and Hamas are on the verge of the First Kite War, wrote Amos Harel, military analyst for the Israeli daily Haaretz. Hamas is signaling to Israel it will respond with rockets if the kite fliers are targeted. For Israeli farming communities, the effect of the kites has been shattering. Palestinians test kites at the Bureij refugee camp. More than 7,400 acres of farmland and national parkland have been incinerated in hundreds of blazes sparked by fire-bearing kites and balloons. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) Giora Almog, a retired kindergarten teacher living in Nahal Oz, an agricultural village a few hundred yards from the border, compared the destruction of golden wheat fields ready for harvest to an attack against the womb of the nation. Scores of fields surrounding Nahal Oz have been reduced to blackened earth. Firefighters battled blazes in southern Israel over the weekend; 17 were recorded on Sunday morning alone. Kite-makers often come from the poorest stratum of Gazas hard-hit society. Some work with Hamas, many do not. Rami, the head of one kite construction crew, said in an interview from the Bureij refugee camp that one of his volunteers was short the $2 he would need to get home after 30 days in the camp along the border. None of the young Palestinian men interviewed for this article would agree to share their last names, out of fear that Israeli authorities would be able to identify and possibly target them. Rami, 30, an organizer of the kite operation, said he was inspired on March 30, the day of the first rally, when he saw a kite with the Palestinian flag attached to its tail lying on the other side of the fence. We thought that maybe it could carry something else, like a Molotov cocktail, but realized it wasnt practical, he recalled.Then we got the idea of setting it aflame. The kite-building groups video of their first attempt to launch a fiery kite, posted on social media, drew skeptical responses, but by the time we managed to develop the flame and people saw scenes of the burning fields on the other side, the guys got excited, Rami said. Palestinians watch a fire-bearing balloon. A growing proportion of the airborne flotilla has been made up of inflated condoms or party balloons bearing celebratory texts. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) He builds the kites using flexible wood from a palm tree by his house. Initially, the teams soaked sponges in diesel fuel, but soon realized the flame didnt last long enough to have much impact. They then tried attaching folded remnants of denim, soaked in used car oil, to the kites. Later, they advanced to helium balloons carrying Molotov cocktails but continued to use kites as well. Last week, the Israeli army announced it was curtailing the amount of helium gas it would allow into the Gaza Strip, a dense enclave of 2 million people. Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rokon, the official in charge, warned that helium, normally used by hospitals to operate MRI scanners, would be banned from the territory if its use by terrorist elements to fire Molotov cocktails from the Gaza Strip into Israel persisted. The Palestinian Ministry of Health denied that helium was being used for the balloons and said any restrictions will have serious impact on the lives of patients, especially those in need of magnetic resonance services, numbering over 3,000 patients per month. Recently, a growing proportion of the airborne flotilla has been made up of inflated condoms or party balloons bearing celebratory texts, both considered sturdier not to mention snarkier than conventional balloons. On Friday, a southern Israeli highway was blocked for an hour as sappers defused a booby-trapped balloon bearing the message I YOU. Another Israeli countermeasure backfired. In a decision aimed at bolstering his right-wing base, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that money used to compensate farmers for up to half of their financial losses from the fires would be taken out of funds intended for the Palestinian Authority Hamas bitter opponent, whose punitive sanctions against the militia have caused a significant exacerbation of the strips humanitarian crisis. Palestinians watch a kite in the distance. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) The Palestinian government described the move as piracy and burglary, and Hamas-linked social media accounts mocked the Israeli move. Netanyahu is confronting a rebellion among right-wing ministers for whom the current quandary presents an opportunity to burnish populist credentials. On Sunday, senior military officers briefing the Israeli cabinet said that it would be unjustified to attack Gazans launching the kites into Israel. They suggested instead that Israel attack Hamas military targets, hoping that would pressure the organization to halt the flying arson. On Monday, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, a hard-liner, declared that whoever launches airborne weapons towards our communities is a terrorist and there is no restriction against shooting at him. Pre-harvest losses to Israeli farmers are calculated at about $2 million. Ayyash, 31, another Bureij kite-maker, said his teams were working hard, because the kites raise morale and the enthusiasm of the youth. The hands of Ahmad, one of his companions, were swollen from handling the blade-sharp threads used to guide the kites upwards and to the east. He said the thread was of the variety normally used to train tomato plants in greenhouses. Issa, 28, talked about making the rounds of car repair shops asking for spare oil for the flames. Naturally, were all afraid of the [Israeli] shooting, he said. Were only human, but this fear wont stop us from continuing our peaceful protest to return to our lands. Special correspondents Salah and Tarnopolsky reported from the Bureij refugee camp and Nahal Oz, Israel, respectively. UPDATES: 10:45 a.m.: This article has been updated with the Israeli military targeting Hamas infrastructure. This article was originally posted at 9 a.m. The handwritten letter addressed to the Mexican president and lawmakers came from a military prison outside the capital. Its authors were 20 soldiers awaiting sentencing for crimes committed during Mexicos drug war, which has seen tens of thousands of troops deployed against well-armed criminal gangs in a bloody conflict without apparent end. For the record: An earlier version of this article identified an attorney who represents troops accused of crimes as Carlos Gutierrez-Priego. He is Cesar Gutierrez-Priego. We were used by the Mexican state in a failed experiment which resulted in an enormous number of collateral victims and dozens of soldiers of low rank in prison, the jailed troops wrote. We are performing a function for which we were not prepared. The missive was a rare public expression of disquiet from members of Mexicos insular military. The plea captured what some call a growing sense of unease and even dissent as Mexico moves toward what appears to be a permanent use of troops in its war on drugs. Advertisement Current and former soldiers and officers are joining human rights groups to denounce Mexicos ever-increasing militarization of civilian law enforcement, a trend solidified with the new Internal Security Law, passed by lawmakers in December. The law is facing challenges in the Supreme Court. We dont want to perform the functions of the police, retired Army Gen. Jesus Estrada Bustamante said in an interview. Critics say the military trained in tactics of war is ill suited for police tasks, and that its deployment is undercutting trust in the military, long among the nations most respected institutions. Military personnel have been implicated in scores of cases of torture, killings, disappearances and other crimes since being sent to the front lines of the drug cartel battles. And then there is the escalating number of casualties among troops, mostly from poor and working-class backgrounds, who are now routinely assigned to protracted stints in violence-plagued states such as Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Michoacan and Veracruz. Drug gangs have mounted complex ambushes against military patrols, kidnapped and beheaded soldiers, and even shot down a pair of helicopters. Since Mexico launched its offensive against the cartels in 2006, official figures show, more than 500 troops have been killed, about half shot dead and the others lost in vehicle accidents, air crashes and other incidents related to missions against organized crime. This clearly generates physical and psychological costs, noted Javier Oliva Posada, a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. You are confronting criminals who have no problem in torturing and destroying their victims, including elements of the armed forces. Another 1,500 troops have been wounded, some permanently maimed among them Oswaldo Ortega, a former special operations military police officer wounded in 2009 in the border city of Ciudad Juarez when narco-traffickers ambushed his convoy. Ortegas rifle misfired, sending a bullet through his left foot, which eventually had to be amputated. When something like that happens to a soldier, you are no longer useful, Ortega said. You become a discarded object. Even top commanders concede that counter-narcotics work is not what troops are principally trained to do, and that the arduous mission is causing burnout. While historically hesitant to air grievances in public, they argue that the new security law is needed to provide a legal framework for the militarys role in combating cartels. The soldiers think that if they enter into confrontation with criminal groups they face the risk of going to jail accused of human rights violations, or they could be charged with disobeying orders, Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, Mexicos defense secretary, said at a 2016 event marking the 10-year anniversary of the militarys direct role in the drug war. The mission has exacted a heavy toll. Theres a wear-and-tear, its obvious, Cienfuegos said at a national defense seminar in 2016, arguing that more troops were needed. We are working all over the country, at every hour, at every moment, in the mountains, in the cities. Backers of the new security statute, however, deny that it opens the door to unchecked deployments. The law categorically says armed forces may be employed only as a last recourse, after authorities of the different branches of government have been unable to contain the threat at hand, Army Gen. Alejandro Ramos Flores, head of the militarys judicial branch, told lawmakers. Still, the new law, while providing legal cover for military brass, essentially keeps the Army and Navy whose ranks include 215,000 soldiers and 54,000 marines as permanent alternatives to police. Soldiers are going to experience more problems because they will continue to do a job that doesnt correspond to them, argued Cesar Gutierrez-Priego, an attorney who represents troops accused of crimes. Mexican authorities turned to the military because of the entrenched corruption of local and state police, who are often on gang payrolls. A disturbing sense of lawlessness pervades much of the country. For state and municipal governments, critics argue, reliance on troops has become a counterproductive crutch and a disincentive to police reform. They prefer to build a barracks and that a battalion is brought to preserve security instead of improving their police force, said Estrada, the retired general. Indeed, authorities in crime-battered Baja California Sur a major tourist zone where homicides have skyrocketed boast of plans to open a pair of barracks, injecting more than 850 additional troops into the region. Meanwhile, critics say, police forces languish, outgunned, underpaid and often compromised. This despite a $2.8-billion U.S. aid effort the Merida Initiative that is designed to foster rule of law and a modern police and justice system. Unlike a professional police presence, experts say, military deployments tend to be short-lived and lack accountability. As the military replaces the police, the efforts to reform the police which data show reduces homicides have been left behind, said Catalina Perez, a professor at the Center for Research and Teaching of Economics, a Mexico City-based institution. Four years into the drug war, even then-President Felipe Calderon privately recognized that the blunt-force approach of major military deployments has not curbed violence in zones like Ciudad Juarez, according to an explosive U.S. Embassy cable dated Jan. 9, 2010, and released by WikiLeaks. The military was not trained to patrol the streets or carry out law enforcement operations, the cable concluded. The result: arrests [in Juarez] skyrocketed, prosecutions remained flat, and both the military and public have become increasingly frustrated. In addition, accusations of extrajudicial killings, torture and other human rights violations against the military soon piled up. Between 2007 and 2014, at least 3,907 people were killed in confrontations with the Mexican military, according to official statistics that have not been updated since 2014. The military labels those killed as civilian aggressors, but did not break down what percentage were armed or how many were collateral victims caught in crossfire. The relatively small number of reported wounded 494 attests to the likelihood of a lethal outcome once the military opens fire. Human rights activists have accused the military of complicity in two notorious cases: the alleged massacre of at least a dozen civilians in the town of Tlatlaya outside of Mexico City in June 2014, and the disappearance the following September of 43 teacher-trainees abducted in Guerrero state. Courts threw out charges against seven soldiers charged in the Tlatlaya case, and the government denies military culpability in the disappearance of the teacher-trainees. The 20 jailed soldiers who signed the letter to authorities in December 2016 labeled themselves victims, not criminals. Their ranks included four captains and two lieutenants and, while many details were not available, alleged crimes included homicide and abuse of authority. Almost half still had pending cases, but nine had been sentenced to prison terms of up to 31 years. Its true that we should all insure the well-being of the public, the soldiers wrote in the letter, which initially was reported in the Mexican daily El Universal. But only those trained to do so can do it. None of us joined the armed forces to do this. Ortega, the former military policeman, is among those who argue that ill-prepared troops are being wrongly dispatched into a violent vortex. Ortega, 32, is a former amateur boxer, bouncer and butcher who said he always wanted to be a soldier. He retired in 2016 after nine years of service, embittered and an amputee. Inside the army you cant give much of an opinion, but for sure most people are fed up with the treatment, Ortega said in a interview from his home in Hidalgo state. Soldiers, he said, are sent out with shoddy equipment worn-out flak vests, faulty weapons, broken helmets. Echoing the findings of human rights investigators, he said prisoners were subjected to beatings, electric shock and the infamous Tehuacanazo a form of waterboarding, named after a brand of bottled water. Today, Ortega says he lives on a monthly pension of about $600, which also supports four children. With his disability, he said, he cant find work. What is going to happen when the military goes all-out against the drug cartels? he asked. To the government, each of us is just another peon. Fisher is a special correspondent. Cecilia Sanchez of The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report. patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com Twitter: @PmcdonnellLAT June is nationally recognized as Homeownership Month and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area celebrated by hosting three dedication ceremonies on Saturday. During these ceremonies, three families comprising of three mothers and their eight children, were presented with the mock keys to their new Habitat for Humanity homes. The homes were sponsored by the city of Chattanoogas Department of Economic & Community Development, Lowes, Publix Super Markets Charities, and proceeds from the 2018 Moth Ball. TWRA officers are investigating a boating accident that occurred on Douglas Lake last night after a boat ran aground on an island injuring four people and ejecting one occupant. Officers say that between 10:15 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., a 2011 23-foot Mastercraft being operated by Brandon Watson, 21, of Strawberry Plains was traveling upstream from Douglas Dam in the area of Harbor Crest Condominiums and Cowboys Seafood Restaurant when it struck one of the small islands near the TVA Big Island. Witnesses on the shoreline reported hearing the crash and went to investigate finding the boat that had run aground with four people onboard, one of which had been ejected. Occupants who were injured in the incident include the operator as well as Blake Dutton, 21, of Knoxville, Emily Yow, 21, of White Pine and Taylor Creech, 19, of Dandridge, who was airlifted with serious injuries. Officers report that all involved were transported to UT Medical Center and are in stable condition. A TWRA Investigator has documented evidence from the boat by using a 3D scanner and officers have released the boat back to the owner, who was not involved in the incident. Records show that the boats operator had passed a TWRA Boating Education Course as required by state law. The incident remains under investigation by TWRA. Energy & Environment SunEQ Namibia and NIFCO: Financial Close 18.06.2018 08:01:50 - SunEQ Namibia and NIFCO achieved Financial Close for one of the largest PV Power Plants with an Industrial Offtaker in Namibia and Africa (live-PR.com) - Windhoek, 18. June 2018. SunEQ Namibia has reached financial close with the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) for a 5 MWAC solar project for Ohorongo Cement, the largest cement factory in Namibia. It is a major milestone for the sister company of German solar consulting company Suntrace on its way towards becoming an independent power producer. SunEQ has structured the - Windhoek, 18. June 2018. SunEQ Namibia has reached financial close with the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) for a 5 MWAC solar project for Ohorongo Cement, the largest cement factory in Namibia.It is a major milestone for the sister company of German solar consulting company Suntrace on its way towards becoming an independent power producer. SunEQ has structured the financing substantially from local Namibian sources, both in terms of equity and debt. Namibia Infrastructure Finance Limited (NIFCO), an unlisted infrastructure investment company targeting renewable energy projects in Namibia (jointly established and owned by Old Mutual Investment Group Namibia and IJG Capital), has a shareholding of 60%, together with a Namibian Empowerment Partner Hungileni Investment holding 30% and SunEQ holding 10%. The Co-Developer and EPC-Contractor is GILDEMEISTER Energy Solutions GmbH, a subsidiary of DMG Mori. The captive power plant is located next to the Ohorongo Cement factory in the Otjozondjupa region. The plant will be equipped with approximately 20,000 crystalline silicon modules mounted on a tracking system and an installed capacity of 6.5 MWDC for an output of 5 MWAC. Once it starts commercial operation, which has been scheduled for end of June 2018, an estimated 14 GWh per year of clean electricity will be fed into the electricity grid of Ohorongo Cement. Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Matthias Schwara, SunEQs Managing Director said: The team at SunEQ is delighted to have reached financial close with our local partners OMIGNAM, IJG Capital and Hungileni. The project is a major step in our mission to increase the solar energy production in the region. We believe that the plant will be a blueprint for other industrial off takers. This financial close shows the comfort of Shareholders, the Development Bank of Namibia and other stakeholders with this robustly structured project. We are grateful to have won the trust of our customer Ohorongo Cement to develop, finance, build and operate the solar power supply for an industrial and mining company in Sub Saharan Africa. There is a lot of potential in this type of projects in Africa and we can now build on this reference and pursue further opportunities of similar type says Boris Westphal, Managing Director of Suntrace GmbH. The Hamburg-based group is pursuing a pipeline of solar projects in Africa. About SunEQ SunEQ GmbH was established in 2015 in Hamburg, Germany, as a solar asset development platform. SunEQ GmbH is a limited liability company in private ownership, which provides expertise and capital for the development of early stage projects into bankability and investment maturity. With a focus on growth markets such as Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, SunEQs objectives are to form an Independent Power Producer with a portfolio of long-term investments in assets and a pipeline of solar projects under development. The company has a technical and financial service agreement with Suntrace GmbH. About Suntrace Suntrace GmbH was founded in Hamburg in 2009. The independent consultancy specializes in assisting large-scale solar projects in the development and realization phase in emerging and developing countries. Thanks to its expertise in the business segments Solar Resource, Technology & Engineering and Solar Investment, Suntrace is able to provide energy suppliers, research organizations, development banks, investors, project developers and governments with competent support for the development and construction of power plants. With branches and cooperation partners in Spain, India, Africa and Latin America, the team covers the whole project life cycle, from the early project development phase through to the commissioning of the plant. Since its foundation, Suntrace has supported power stations in over 30 countries, with a total aggregate capacity of more than five gigawatts. About NIFCO Namibia Infrastructure Finance Limited (NIFCO) is an unlisted infrastructure investment company targeting renewable energy projects in Namibia, jointly established and managed by IJG Capital (Pty) Ltd and Old Mutual Investment Group (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd. NIFCO demonstrates OMIGNAMs and IJG Capitals commitment to responsible investment in Namibias infrastructure and further development for future generations. About Hungileni Investment Hungileni Investment cc is a Namibian company, majority-owned by female PDN (Previously Disadvantaged Namibian) shareholders. Hungileni promotes and pursues the development and investment of renewable energy in Namibia to the benefit of local stakeholders. Hungileni provides services for the development and implementation of renewable energies among others to Nampower and also invests into long-term assets. The Ohorongo Project is Hungilenis most important investment milestone so far in Namibia. financing substantially from local Namibian sources, both in terms of equity and debt. Namibia Infrastructure Finance Limited (NIFCO), an unlisted infrastructure investment company targeting renewable energy projects in Namibia (jointly established and owned by Old Mutual Investment Group Namibia and IJG Capital), has a shareholding of 60%, together with a Namibian Empowerment Partner Hungileni Investment holding 30% and SunEQ holding 10%. The Co-Developer and EPC-Contractor is GILDEMEISTER Energy Solutions GmbH, a subsidiary of DMG Mori.The captive power plant is located next to the Ohorongo Cement factory in the Otjozondjupa region. The plant will be equipped with approximately 20,000 crystalline silicon modules mounted on a tracking system and an installed capacity of 6.5 MWDC for an output of 5 MWAC. Once it starts commercial operation, which has been scheduled for end of June 2018, an estimated 14 GWh per year of clean electricity will be fed into the electricity grid of Ohorongo Cement.Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Matthias Schwara, SunEQs Managing Director said: The team at SunEQ is delighted to have reached financial close with our local partners OMIGNAM, IJG Capital and Hungileni. The project is a major step in our mission to increase the solar energy production in the region. We believe that the plant will be a blueprint for other industrial off takers.This financial close shows the comfort of Shareholders, the Development Bank of Namibia and other stakeholders with this robustly structured project. We are grateful to have won the trust of our customer Ohorongo Cement to develop, finance, build and operate the solar power supply for an industrial and mining company in Sub Saharan Africa. There is a lot of potential in this type of projects in Africa and we can now build on this reference and pursue further opportunities of similar type says Boris Westphal, Managing Director of Suntrace GmbH. The Hamburg-based group is pursuing a pipeline of solar projects in Africa.About SunEQSunEQ GmbH was established in 2015 in Hamburg, Germany, as a solar asset development platform. SunEQ GmbH is a limited liability company in private ownership, which provides expertise and capital for the development of early stage projects into bankability and investment maturity. With a focus on growth markets such as Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, SunEQs objectives are to form an Independent Power Producer with a portfolio of long-term investments in assets and a pipeline of solar projects under development. The company has a technical and financial service agreement with Suntrace GmbH.About SuntraceSuntrace GmbH was founded in Hamburg in 2009. The independent consultancy specializes in assisting large-scale solar projects in the development and realization phase in emerging and developing countries. Thanks to its expertise in the business segments Solar Resource, Technology & Engineering and Solar Investment, Suntrace is able to provide energy suppliers, research organizations, development banks, investors, project developers and governments with competent support for the development and construction of power plants. With branches and cooperation partners in Spain, India, Africa and Latin America, the team covers the whole project life cycle, from the early project development phase through to the commissioning of the plant. Since its foundation, Suntrace has supported power stations in over 30 countries, with a total aggregate capacity of more than five gigawatts.About NIFCONamibia Infrastructure Finance Limited (NIFCO) is an unlisted infrastructure investment company targeting renewable energy projects in Namibia, jointly established and managed by IJG Capital (Pty) Ltd and Old Mutual Investment Group (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd. NIFCO demonstrates OMIGNAMs and IJG Capitals commitment to responsible investment in Namibias infrastructure and further development for future generations.About Hungileni InvestmentHungileni Investment cc is a Namibian company, majority-owned by female PDN (Previously Disadvantaged Namibian) shareholders. Hungileni promotes and pursues the development and investment of renewable energy in Namibia to the benefit of local stakeholders.Hungileni provides services for the development and implementation of renewable energies among others to Nampower and also invests into long-term assets. The Ohorongo Project is Hungilenis most important investment milestone so far in Namibia. Contact information: Suntrace GmbH Grosse Elbstrasse 145c 22767 Hamburg Contact Person: Sabrina Braemer Corporate Communication Phone: +49-40-767 96 38 0 eMail: eMail Web: http://www.suntrace.de Author: Iris Krampitz e-mail Web: http://www.pr-krampitz.de Phone: 0221-91249949 18.06.2018 08:01:50 - Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party. Stock Market News Europe close: Stocks slip on geopolitical, trade tensions 18-06-2018 18:40 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 Stock Market News Europe midday: Stocks lower on trade, German political concerns 18-06-2018 13:22 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 A program that helps local officials identify people at high risk of domestic violence is expanding in Tennessee. The states Office of Criminal Justice Programs, in collaboration with the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, today announced that three domestic violence service providers are the newest to receive federal approval for using a tool called the Lethality Assessment Program Maryland Model. Gov. Haslams Public Safety Plan launched an intense effort to end domestic violence, OCJP Director Jennifer Brinkman said. Weve increased the number of Family Justice Centers in our state from two to nine by this summer and TLETA plans to train over 7,500 law enforcement and domestic violence advocates in the LAP protocol over the next five years. Many domestic violence-related homicides are preventable if we just recognize the signs and take action immediately. The LAP program helps law enforcement investigators and victim advocates make sometimes difficult decisions that will help keep victims safe and provide critical follow-up services. The approved agencies, which join 17 domestic violence service providers and 31 law enforcement agencies already utilizing LAP in Tennessee, represent each region of the state: Fayette Cares, Inc. in Somerville, Tn. (west); Home Safe in Hendersonville, Tn. (middle); and, Helen Ross McNabb Center in Oak Ridge, Tn. (east). In addition to the newly-approved teams, LAP agencies will continue to grow throughout the state with 29 additional law enforcement agencies that plan to implement with currently approved LAP domestic violence service providers in 2018. Created by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence in 2005, LAP is a strategy to prevent domestic violence homicides and serious injuries. LAP consists of a set of 11 standardized questions with independent predictors to help officers predict the risk of imminent harm to a victim in an intimate partner domestic dispute. When the criteria are met overall, the victim is immediately connected with a 24-hour community advocate. Domestic violence continues to be a pressing issue for the state of Tennessee, officials said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations publication Crime in Tennessee 2017 reports that 45,703 domestic violence offenses cleared by law enforcement agencies last year and 67 percent of those offenses were assaults. Tennessee has historically ranked in the top 15 in the nation for domestic violence incidents. The approval of three new agencies will bring consultants from the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence to Tennessee in July to conduct two separate trainings in the LAP method: July 24 at Metro Nashville Police Departments South precinct July 26 at Germantown Police Department The training is an eight-hour course for domestic violence service providers and law enforcement. Attendees will then train fellow advocates and law enforcement personnel. The OCJP functions as a strategic planning agency that secures, distributes and manages federal and state funds for Tennessee, including Victims of Crime Act funds and STOP Violence Against Women Program funds. OCJP uses a structured process to plan three to five years ahead of daily grant management activities at the changing needs of Tennessees justice system and the needs of its victims of violent crime. To address crime and victimization in Tennessee, OCJP manages a systematic, year-round cycle for determining the communities needs, identifying the justice systems problems, setting program priorities, making grant allocation decisions, managing those funded projects and evaluating the results of those decisions. Stock Market News FX round-up: Pound weakens ahead of Lords vote, MPC 18-06-2018 21:06 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 Stock Market News Indivior hails court order blocking Dr Reddy's suboxone launch 18-06-2018 08:36 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 Stock Market News London pre-open: Stocks to edge higher; CYBG to buy Virgin Money 18-06-2018 07:41 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 Stock Market News Monday newspaper round-up: Greece, cryptocurrencies, house prices, Go-Ahead 18-06-2018 07:28 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 Stock Market News OPEC may boost output by between 300,000-600,000 b/d under compromise deal 18-06-2018 11:54 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 Stock Market News Savannah Petroleum appoints ex-BP man to operations chief role 18-06-2018 09:56 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 Stock Market News Swedish Democrat Party sets sights on EU referendum 18-06-2018 11:23 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 Stock Market News Tuesday preview: Central bankers, Ashtead in the spotlight 18-06-2018 16:56 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 Over the course of six years, Chattanooga States associate instructor of collision repair Tim Chastain has welcomed females into a predominantly male setting with no regrets whatsoever. In fact, his female students competing in SkillsUSA for the past five years outnumber the males, 3-2. After each winning a gold medal during statewide competition in March, Breanna Britton and Caitlin White are headed to the national SkillsUSA competition on June 25 in Kentucky to show judges just what theyre made of and they plan to win. Not really knowing what collision repair was, Ms. Britton thought she was signing up for an easy study hall when she entered her freshman year of high school in Milan, Tn. On her first day of class, she was not listening to her instructor until he noticed her drawing on her hand and stopped to ask her if she liked to paint. Unsure what he meant, Ms. Britton followed him through the schools body shop and into the paint booth while he explained its purpose. Before she knew it, he had placed a paint gun in her hand. At that point, I hadnt yet realized that refinishing was what I wanted to do with my life, said Ms. Britton. Later into freshman year, after she had a little body work experience, she found out about SkillsUSA and asked her teacher who he was taking to the competition. When he replied that she wasnt ready, she doubled down her efforts to focus on becoming ready. That opportunity came during her junior year, but she let a friendship get in the way and chose not to compete. Her friend won first place at state instead, yet chose not to attend nationals and Ms. Britton realized her mistake. I decided that I was not going to allow anybody to get between me and these opportunities again, she said determinedly. During her senior year, Ms. Brittons opportunity to compete finally came and she won second place at the state SkillsUSA competition. She then made the decision to put her passion first and sought out the advice of her shop teacher who suggested that to be the best, she needed to attend the best collision repair program in the state at Chattanooga States Tennessee College of Applied Technology. Moving more than 200 miles from home and leaving her parents and five siblings behind was not an easy decision, but with financial help from the Tennessee Promise grant and landing a full-time job as a painter at Card Monroe Company, Ms. Britton knows what she wants and how to make her dreams a reality. Breanna sets high goals and is a goal achiever 100 percent, said Mr. Chastain of his talented student, who is also a National Technical Honor Society member. Ms. Whites obsession with cars came much earlier in life thanks to her father, Raymond, who took her to car shows, drag races, and anything to do with cars, said Ms. White. By the time she was 16, her dad said he was getting her a truck, which they looked at together before she fell in love with it. It took two years for them to refinish the truck, which only further served to fan her desire to be in the automotive world. Putting her knowledge of rebuilding a car to work using her years of hands-on experience led her to investigate the world of collision repair at Chattanooga State while she was a high school junior at Whitwell High School. In 2017 Ms. White chose Chattanooga States collision repair program to do work with the cars she loves. Instructor Mr. Chastain is quick to point out that when students first enter the program, he gives them the chance to explore all the aspects within the program during their first semester so that they can find their best fit. Ms. Whites experience and personality steered her toward becoming an estimator and her recent gold medal at SkillsUSA state proves it. Caitlin greets everyone with a warm smile and she looks at everything methodically, said Mr. Chastain. As Ms. White prepares for the national SkillsUSA competition, she is most looking forward to another new experience, meeting new people, and seeing what other opportunities await. Im preparing for it as I work at Padgetts Red Bank Body Shop, said Ms. White. Owner Rick and estimators Tim, Dale and Nathan are all so helpful and just a blast to be around! For every estimate they do, I tagalong and write my own estimate while they write theirs, then we compare estimates. If its on a car parked near the body shop, we go over both estimates and I can actually see what I missed, she adds. With a total of five SkillsUSA medal winners, Mr. Chastian says it takes a lot of dedication and drive to be the best in your field. SkillsUSA builds winners for life. Winning shows that you are the best in your field and that you want to succeed in your career. It sets you apart from the rest of the applicants, he adds. Both Ms. Britton and Ms. White have not let the fact that they are women deter them from entering and excelling in the male-dominated world of cars. Ms. Britton wishes to pay it forward by staying involved in SkillsUSA and making a name for women wishing to work in the industry, while Ms. White says, Im a girl and the first Skills winner in Estimating for Tennessee. I hope moreyoung women realize they can do whatever men can do probably better! The Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Chattanooga State Community College consistently offers a high-quality education with an 18:1 student-to-teacher ratio, 96 percent job placement rate, and 98 percent licensure pass rate. For more information, visit www.chattanoogastate.edu/tcat. WTCI will broadcast Hamilton County School Board debates on Thursday, July 12, at 8 p.m. Eyewitness News anchor Greg Glover will moderate the debate presented by the Chattanooga Downtown Lions Club and WTCI, the community PBS station serving the Tennessee Valley. Candidates competing in Districts 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 will debate in front of a live audience at the WTCI Studio at 7540 Bonnyshire Dr. and the broadcast will air on WTCI at 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 12. An encore broadcast will air on Sunday, July 15, at 1 p.m. The community has focused its attention on the link between quality education and economic prosperity and WTCI officials said it is pleased to broadcast this event on-air with these candidates. In District 3 incumbent Joe Smith will face challenger Miracle Hurley. Karitsa Mosely Jones, the District 5 incumbent and boards vice chairwoman, will debate challenger Anne Pierre and in District 6 the incumbent, Joe Galloway, is not running to keep his seat and candidates Michael Henry and Jenny Hill are competing. District 8 incumbent David Testerman will face challenger Tucker McClendon and board chairman Steve Highlander will face contender DAndre Anderson in the District 9 race. PBS is Americas largest classroom and at WTCI we take this responsibility to heart," said Paul Grove, WTCI president and CEO. "In 2016, WTCI televised Hamilton County School Board debates for the first time in our communitys history and we are honored to join the Chattanooga Downtown Lions Club in continuing this important conversation. Questions will be collected from the public via email at debate@wtciTV.org, on WTCI social media platforms and from co-presenting organizations and partners. Special thanks to the corporate sponsors and underwriters; including the Chattanooga Lions Club for their support of this broadcast. Lions Club officials said, The Chattanooga Lions Clubs and our contributing sponsors, in the spirit of promoting the principles of good government and good citizenship within the community, are pleased to help provide a forum for the open discussion of important matters of public interest, which we see as part of that goal. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2018 > Why do Soldiers Still Keep Dying at India-Pakistan Border? In 1947 India was divided by the foreign rulers by playing a game of divide and rule to which the religious fundamentalists fell prey. India and Pakistan since then have a chequered history and uneasy relationship sometimes climaxing in wars and violent conflagrations. While the governments prefer to maintain an adversarial relationship, which now sustains certain vested interests on both sides, the common people and business interests on two sides want peace. They do not want conflicts in which people die. The soldiers dying on both sides, after all, come from mostly modest middle class and rural backgrounds. While the leaders can meet when they choose to, the common people do not have control over their destiny. The manner in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped over in Pakistan in December 2015 while on his way from Afghanistan and participated in a family event of Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif, the former heads of intelligence agencies Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan, Asad Durrani, and Research and Analysis Wing of India, Amarjit Singh Dulat, co-authored a book The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace, National Security Advisors of two countries retired Lt. Gen. Nasser Khan Janjua and Ajit Doval continue to meet in third countries, Adani is interested in selling 4000 MW of power to Pakistan and powerful business interests have ensured a peaceful border in Gujarat, why is it that on the northern border soldiers keep killing each other? We never hear of any Indian soldier dying on the China border probably because India and China have an unwritten-unspoken agreement not to kill each others soldiers. If this is so, why cant a similar understanding be reached with Pakistan? After all, leaders of governments and intelligence agencies and security advisors are talking to each other. We believe if the governments cannot solve the disputes between the two countries, then the people should take the initiative. If the common people of two countries are allowed to meet, then over a period of time peace and harmony will prevail. The two governments should facilitate the meeting of common people from two sides by granting them passports and visas easily. Since people from two sides of the border share a common culture they can play an important role where the governments have failed. Along the Indian border with Pakistan there are openings between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad in Kashmir, at Wagah-Attari in Punjab and at Munabao-Khokrapar in Rajasthan-Sindh. Gujarat doesnt have an opening into Pakistan even though a number of fisherfolk from both sides land up in each others jails. The people in Bhuj, Kutch have had intimate relationships with people from the other side and given an opportunity trade can flourish between the two areas again. If the border between Gujarat and Sindh is opened either at Khavda or Nada Bet, the people from the two sides will get an opportunity to meet easily and there will be promotion of trade, tourism and ultimately peace and friendship will be strengthened. The fisherfolk whose relatives land in jail on the other side can easily travel across to find out their well being and make an effort to get them released. It is in the interest of common people that borders are opened up. If the people of the two countries are allowed to meet freely, an atmosphere of peace and harmony will be created in which it will be easier to resolve the outstanding disputes too. When our defence expenses will go down, resources will be released for developmental activities which will benefit the poor on both sides. When the two Koreas can end their enmity after almost as long a period as India-Pakistan animosity has existed, why cant the two South Asian neighbours not achieve the same feat? The two governments should also take an initiative to replace the military ceremony on Wagah-Attari every evening with a peace ceremony where people are allowed to meet and celebrate peace, harmony, friendship and their shared culture. Such a model of peace ceremony can then be replicated on all border openings. A model for peace ceremony has been developed by a class on Social Movements at Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar during 2016-17. 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. An 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. Organisations endorsing this March include Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy, Aaghaz-e-Dosti, Minority Coordination Committee, Gujarat, Gujarat Lok Samiti, Bandhkam Mazdoor Sangathan, Pakistan Institute for Labour Education and Research, Karachi, National Alliance of Peoples Movements, Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal, All India Secular Forum, Manthan Samayiki, Kolkata, Jharkhand Nagrik Prayas, sacw.net, Confederation of Voluntary Agencies, Hyderabad, Hamari Awaz, Insaf Foundation, Gujarat Mazdoor Panchayat, Khudai Khidmatgar and Socialist Party (India). 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 cant the same thing be achieved in South Asia? If over hundred countries in five regions of the world can sign on agreements to make themselves Nuclear Weapon Free Zones, why cant India and Pakistan do the same? In the long term there is no alternative to the currently ongoing low intensity war between the two countries than to establish peace and friendship, especially since a full-fledged war is not possible because of the presence of nuclear weapons on both sides. Noted social activist and Magsaysay awardee Dr Sandeep Pandey is the Vice-President of the Socialist Party (India). He can be contacted at e-mail: ashaashram[at]yahoo.com Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2018 > Considering Cess on Liquor to Get Funds for Cow-Protection! COMMENTARY Recent news reports have drawn attention to the most absurd proposal being seriously considered by the Rajasthan Government that a cess will be imposed on liquor sales and this cess will be used for cow-protection work. This amounts to encouraging social promotion of liquor and getting rid of the social stigma normally attached to social promotion of liquor by adding an entirely unrelated social objective to it. It is well known that 33 lakh people die in a year due to alcohol consumption and as many as 200 diseases and injuries have been related to alcohol consumption. In about 50 per cent of sexual crimes the perpetrator has been found to be under the influence of liquor, according to most international studies. A very high percentage of crimes, violent episodes and accidents have been linked to the consumption of liquor. Instead of telling about all this the Government of Rajasthan is interested in finding a way to show that some money being earned from the sale of liquor is being used for a good cause. What about the injuries, accidents, diseases and violent incidents that will be caused by this social promotion of liquor? The Rajasthan Government is not concerned about this. If this trend continues then do not be surprised if after some time you see an advertisement released by the Rajasthan Government which goes something like thisAn appeal to all citizenskindly drink more liquor so that we can get more funds for cow protection. Even if you do not consume alcohol normally then also kindly do so now as it is your duty to ensure that the government gets more money for cow protection and you can ensure this by consuming alcohol. Come forward to contribute to cow protectionthe sure way of contributing to this financially is to kindly consume more alcohol. The Sangh Parivar likes to present itself as a moral force. What is its response to this proposal of the Rajasthan Government? Earlier reports had drawn attention to the decision of the BJP Government of Himachal Pradesh to divert nutritious fruits and medicinal tea leaves for making wine. Now comes the equally absurd and harmful proposal of the Rajasthan Government. Is the pretence of morality falling apart and is the collusion with the liquor lobby being exposed now? Bharat Dogra C-27 Raksha Kunj, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi110063 Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2018 > India, Nepal and the Janakpur Momentum by Bhartendu Kumar Singh Everyday, buses full of pilgrims and tourists get stranded near Bhitta Mor, the noisy and chaotic gateway to Janakpur on the Indo-Nepal border in Bihar. Bhitta Mor is a dingy place with muddy roads (under water during mon-soons) where buses, bullock carts and rickshaws compete for the same space with same speed. Since most of the incoming visitors do not know what bad roads are all about, their palpable frustration is often apparent. However, such things could become history if Prime Minister Modis visit to Janakpur was any indication. The visit underlines Janakpurs potential in bridging the political gap in Indo-Nepal relations. Janakpur is not only the religious citadel of Hindu mythology revolving around Janki (Sita, wife of Lord Rama); it is also the cultural capital of Mithila tradition that criss-crosses the Indo-Nepal border, defying theoretical constructs of imagined communities. The nearest railway station in India, Janakpur Road (Pupri), in fact, lies 45 km from main Janakpur. The constitutional reforms in Nepal has also meant that the city has become the administrative capital of one of the provinces in the new federal arrangement. However, like many other Terai cities of Nepal, the civic infrastructure in Janakpur is pitiable. The situation in northern cities of Bihar like Darbhanga, Madhubani and Sitamarhi is no better. A few days before the prime ministerial visit to Janakpur, the Bihar Chief Minister had inaugurated the maiden Janki festival in Sitamarhi district. Janki was born in Punaura village near Sitamarhi city and the citys Janki temple is as venerated as the one of Janakpur where she lived as the daughter of King Janaka of Mithila. The Janki festival was part of the larger project of the Ramayana circuit meant to establish and popularise other spots like Panth Pakhar, Phulhar, Ahilya Sthan etc. In flagging off a bus service from Janakpur to Ayodhya, a welcome initiative has been taken to connect the Ramayana circuit cities with each other. Both are temple cities, connected with the Rama-Sita story. In fact, the priests of many temples in these twin cities are common. However, the maiden bus service is only tip of the bilateral collaboration iceberg that Janakpur can facilitate between India and Nepal. In due course, we may see a network of connection between Janakpur and Indian cities in the Ramayana circuit. India is working on some mega infrastructure projects on its side that would certainly benefit Janakpur and the rest of Nepal. The 160 km Chakia-Jainagar National Highway No 104 is progressing well and would augment vehicular movement along the border. Similarly, a 70 km new National Highway No 527 C (Majhauli-Charaut) is being proposed that would ease up north to south access for commuters coming from Janakpur. Janakpur can get connected to Patna once the Jainagar gauge conversion is complete on the Nepal side on the only train network it has. Overall, the full network of road and rail infrastructure needs to be speeded up to cities across the border and connect them with each other. Janakpur also has a small but vibrant airport. The incoming tourists to Janakpur are mostly from India. However, they cannot land in Janakpur since it is not connected to any Indian city. Many would prefer a flight schedule from Kolkata, Patna or Lucknow to Janakpur than taking the painful road or rail journey. The incoming tourists from different corners of India would not mind paying a bit more for these air facilities. Additionally, for people living in the border areas of Bihar, taking a flight from Patna is a nightmare. Janakpur can easily fill in the gaps and even complement the upcoming Darbhanga airport. However, the bypass road from Janakpur airport to the border town of Matihani in Nepal and Madhwapur (on the Indian side) is yet to be paved obstructing swift movement of commuters. The areas in and around Janakpur are also infamous for notorious rivers. The Adhwara group of rivers, comprising almost two dozen rivers, create havoc during monsoons not only around the Janakpur area but also in Sitamarhi -Madhubani-Darbhanga districts across the border. The embankment policy has not yielded much dividend since many of these rivers are notorious for route change. Together, India and Nepal can tame these rivers and convert the flood areas into a zone of prosperity for sugar and other cash crops since the rivers have water throughout the year. Unlike the hilly parts of Nepal that are propelled by anti-India sentiments, the areas in and around Janakpur engender tremendous goodwill for Indias developmental efforts. Every family in the region has kinship linkages across the border. Maithili is the dominant language in this part of Nepal. The political psychology of anti-India semantics got exposed in the civic reception for Prime Minister Modi where all speakers sang paeans for India and its democratic values. This despite the fact that at the political level, the Oli regime is inclined towards China and is gradually trying to reduce its dependence upon India. Successive regimes in Kathmandu have also encouraged a larger role for China in the Terai region. Though Beijing is yet to formally open a branch of the China Study Centre (CSC) in Janakpur, clandestine activities by the CSC through the other 10 branches in Nepal cannot be ruled out. Open border, poor infrastructure and near absence of defensive military presence in North Bihar make it difficult to monitor Chinese activities. Modis Janakpur momentum establishes it as a strategic gateway and a bridge in reaching out to Nepal. New Delhi can use Janakpur as a black box to induce changes in the goals, beliefs and perceptions of the Nepali political elite and establish irreversible linkages at the political and societal level. Perhaps, there lies some hope of weaning our small neighbour away from coming under the Chinese sphere of influence. The author is in the Indian Defence Accounts Service. The views conveyed here are his personal. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2018 > Mewat Region, Raj Kishore, Ankit Saxenas Family MUSINGS This morning as I was going through the days newspapers what caught attention was this shocking incident coming from Haryanas Mewat region, where a young woman was buried neck deep, in a five feet deep pit, by a village witch doctor to cure her of spirits! The woman died after screaming and shrieking for two hours, pleading to be rescued from that pit but nobody was allowed to help her; the witch doctor telling the onlookers that her patient was screaming because she was getting rid of the spirits in her! Of course, this one incident wouldnt halt the superstitions and quackery and much more raging in that region. Why? Because this region has been kept totally backward and neglected, sans any trace of modern-day facilities, by the various governments. This tragic irony when it is situated barely 40 kilometres from the Capital city of India, New Delhi. I had first travelled through the Mewat belt in 1990 and last visited it in 2017. No visible signs of sabka saath, sabka vikaas... Earlier, during the British Raj days, it was kept backward because Meo leaders had revolted against the British sarkar, which saw to it that they live in the dark ages, sans development. Now, in independent India, the Mewat region has been labelled a Muslim area or even mini-Pakistan and kept out of the development packages. Though a great majority of Muslim-populated pockets in the country have been kept sans development by the political rulers, one of the worst hit is Haryanas Mewat belt. In fact, the situation has only worsened in the last four years because even the basic means to their daily survival have been snatched away by the Right-wing government in power in Haryana. Young Meos were putting up small eatery stalls along the highway to sell biriyani to the truckers but with the local police hounding and arresting them on the beef alibi, a majority of the Meos gave up on that only source of livelihood. Today, more and more Meos sit idle, jobless and penniless. There are no prominent NGOs working in this Meo belt, even the outreach programmes and schemes seem to have done little. The literacy levels are at an all-time low and with that stark poverty, poor agricultural yield and disease. This, when the young Meos are very keen to study, eat better, get jobs. With earnestness dripping from their voice and eyes, they said that they want to be on par with the Baniyas and Rajputs of their belt but governmental schemes do not reach the Muslim population. Of course, we want to improve our lot but how? Our grandfathers and fathers didnt encourage us to study but today we want to study but how! These gram sevikas dont come to us, never tell us about any of the government programmes... just because we are poor Meos they treat us like cattle. They only go to the cluster of shopkeepers which controls the marketplace and the trading, and the junior rung of officers are close to the traders and bypass the Meo Muslim masses. A large number of villagers confirmed and stressed that they were not even aware of any outreach programmes for the rural poor by the government... that there was something for them in terms of health and educational or social welfare schemes. The majority of Meos are till date living in a hapless state of neglect and backwardness ...in those dark ages! Perhaps, their plight can be best relayed in the words of a Meo whom I had met during one of my earlier travels to the regionIm a matriculate but when it comes to jobs there are none for us. We Meos are treated shabbily by sarkari men. Many a time I have heard snide comments like Meo, youre dirty and lazy! Have you ever bothered to find out why! We also want to bathe 10 times a day, but we cant, because theres no water! Not even a drop. Is there even one canal in our parched lands? None! This, when my forefathers did all they could do to fight the angrez. But see what is happening to us in azaad Hindustan! The Meos cannot expect much from the Right- wing rulers of the day but its about time that not just the well-known NGOs come forward but even the community leaders from the various States of the country. Its about time to see their plight and reach out to them. Raj Kishore passes away ...Leaving a Void As news comes in of the passing away of the well-known Hindi writer and journalist, Raj Kishore, I have been thinking of my interactions with him. I had first met him in Srinagar, in the summer of 2006, during a conference on Indian Federalism at Work hosted by the Institute of Social Sciences. Initially he came across as an introvert but then when he spoke, he spoke on... extremely forthright and blunt and honest. He was one of those who didnt mince words, especially whilst criticising the communal agenda of the RSS... Thereafter, we kept in touch and I liked the way he spoke, in that delightfully un-complicated way. Few of us possess the ability to put across heavily loaded views and viewpoints in a simple and direct way. He did exactly that and with that connected with hundreds... Another aspect of him was that he wasnt bothered about the worldly ways and seemed to hate the synthetic and gaudy. Always very, very simply clad in cottons, he looked comfortable and confident with the basics. Ankit Saxenas Family is Indeed Exceptional! If you recall this early spring, Ankit Saxena was allegedly murdered by his Muslim girlfriends family who were residing in the same neighbour-hood, not too far from his home. After that brutal murder, Ankits family controlled their emotions and anger and didnt come up with a single communal or provocative statement. In fact, his father, Yashpal Saxena, tried his utmost to control the communal brigades from spreading hatred and poison in and around New Delhi. And now, last week-end, Yashpal Saxena even hosted an iftaar for over 200 persons in his home in West Delhis Raghubir Nagar. He has shown not just great maturity but he has also relayed that a truly good citizen is one who sees to it that the social fabric is not affected and innocents not hounded and harassed. Yashpal Saxena and his family ought to be publicly honoured by us. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2018 > Bhindranwale Still Lives Indian history is replete with tragedies which, when retold, suggest that the happenings could have been avoided. Operation Bluestar is one of them. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a militant, holed himself up at the Akal Takht, the highest Sikh seat, and created a state within a state. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi used the Army to silence his guns and sent tanks into the Harmandir Saheb. Whatever one may say, Bhindranwale continues to enjoy respect in the hearts of Sikhs. I had a taste of it the other day when, unwittingly, I referred to him as a terrorist. Sikh historian Khushwant Singh could get away with the remark that Bhindranwale was a terrorist. But I could not. Although I explained that it was an off-the-cuff remark, not meant to cast any reflection on Bhindranwale, there were furores in the Sikh community that my apology was not taken as an apology. I was criticised for having offended the Sikhs. Indeed, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi wanted to finish the Akalis and found an opportunity while challenging Bhindranwale. In fact, there was more to it than just what meets the eyes. According to one story which was later confirmed by her personal secretary R.K. Dhawan, the plan was to garner voters for the 1984 Lok Sabha elections which were due a few months later. Indira Gandhis son, Rajiv Gandhi, nephew, Arun Nehru, and Rajivs adviser, Arun Singh, were at the back of the decision which forced Mrs Gandhi to order the Army to storm the Golden Temple at Amristar to flush out the militant leader and his cohorts. Dhawan was quoted as saying that the trioRajiv, Arun Nehru and Arun Singhbelieved that a successful Army operation could enable them to win the elections hands down. Operation Bluestar was not just Mrs Gandhis last battle. It was the first, and perhaps the most disastrous, of Rajivs blunders. A report in the Caravan magazine said that Indira Gandhi, who had evidently approved Bluestar with the greatest reluctance, regretted the operation immediately, according to Dhawan, who was with her when she first saw images of the damage to the shrine. President Giani Zail Singh wanted to visit the shrine to make amends but was dissuaded. He took a civilian plane on his own and visited the Golden Temple to offer his apology. The deepest cut was that he was asked to defend the operation on AIR. Subsequently, he told me that he wanted to say no but realised that it would create a crisis in the countrythe President taking one line and the government the other. He did go on air and defended the operation. He literally wept while addressing the nation. Mrs Gandhi, too, was horrified to see the footage of the Golden Temple which was brought by Arun Singh. Arun Nehru told me that his phupi (aunt Indira Gandhi) was not willing to carry out the operation until the last minute. But then the Army Chief and also the trio, which guided Operation Bluestar, eventually changed her mind. This was mainly because Rajiv Gandhi had started dealing directly with Punjab affairs which until some time ago was handled by his brother, Sanjay Gandhi. It is another matter that Mrs Gandhi had to pay with her life for the attack on the Golden Temple when her security guards gunned her down. Rajiv Gandhi swept to power with the biggest mandate (421 seats in the Lower House of 544 members) in Indian history following his mothers assassination. I was a part of the team which comprised General Jagjit Singh Aurora, Air Marshal Arjun Singh and Inder Gujral, who subsequently became the Prime Minister, to span the distance between the Akalis and the government on the one hand and Sikhs and Hindus on the other. Our finding was that the Army operation was not necessary and that Bhindranwale could have been dealt with differently. We said so in our report to the Punjabi Group which had deputed us to probe into the anti-Sikh riots that followed Mrs Gandhis assassination. P.V. Narasimha Rao was the then Home Minister and he was equivocal when our team met him to appraise of the government action. All other people, including the witnesses whom we spoke to, made a case where it was clear that the government had overreacted. The anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and neighbouring areas could have been suppressed immediately. But then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi intentionally did not ask either the police or the Army to intervene. He reportedly remarked that the riots were spontaneous. He even reacted by saying that when a big tree falls, the earth is bound to shake. Now 34 years after the Army stormed the Golden Temple, the declassified British documents show that the UK military advised India on retaking the temporal seat of Sikhs, kicking off political storms in both London and New Delhi. The British Government has ordered an inquiry into the revelations and the BJP has demanded an explanation. The revelation is contained in a series of letters declassified recently by the National Archives of the UK after the 30-year secrecy rule. In an official communication, dated February 23, 1984 and titled Sikh Community, an official with the Foreign Secretary told the private secretary to the Home Secretary that the Foreign Secretary wishes him to be made aware of some background which could increase the possibility of repercussions among the Sikh communities in this country. The letter went on to say that if the British advice were to emerge in public, it could increase tension in the Indian community in Britain. However, there is no evidence in any of the communication if the British plan was finally used for the June 1984 operation. When I was posted as the High Commissioner in London in 1990, I found that there was a prejudice against the Sikhs entering the building and one of my first actions was to throw open the doors to all. The search of only the Sikhs when entering the High Commission was discontinued. The author is a veteran journalist renowned not only in this country but also in our neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh where his columns are widely read. His website is www.kuldipnayar.com Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2018 > Russian Leaders Question-Answer Session: Putin Emerging Longest Serving (...) by R.G. Gidadhubli Vladimir Putin was elected as the President of Russia with overwhelming majority for the fourth time for a six-year term ending in 2024. Exactly one month after he was sworn in following a landslide election, to express his solidarity with the people a question-answer session was held on June 7, 2018 when about two million questions were fielded from across the country; these were submitted and the leader asked about an array of domestic and foreign-policy issues. While similar Q/A shows were arranged earlier, this was the 16th event which went on for more than four hours and it was hi-tech connecting the main venue of Putin in the Kremlin with several Ministries, heads of republics and also reporters from various parts of the country. Questions were raised by callers from far-flung regions of Russia. Four state television channels and three radio stations were broadcasting Direct Line live. This Direct Line was Putins best chance to increase his popularity by portraying himself as a capable leader who is not only firmly in control of the country but also has his finger on the pulse of the people. While Putin answered most of the questions raised by citizens from various parts of the country, Ministers and Governors were present to answer specific questions concerning their departments. By 2024, Putin having taken over the presidency for the fourth time will be completing quarter- century of his leadership of Russia; this will be comparable to that of the former Soviet leader, Josef Stalin. That is why it is worth looking into some of the questions on major domestic and foreign issues raised during this event. There were a few questions raised on socio-economic issues. One comment made by one Russian was as follows: Our lives are getting worse and worse. Its in the Kremlin that everything is wonderful. A similar question was asked: Why do half of Russians live in barracks? In fact these were very relevant questions asked for Putin must be aware that about 20 per cent of the population in the country survive below the minimum subsistence level. These are mainly the old-age population in rural and semi-urban areas. In fact a major socio-economic problem facing Russia is the poor status of some sections of pensioners who have been receiving paltry amounts as their pensions; and what is worse, these are not being indexed to the rising living costs. In fact when this issue was raised in 2016, Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev stated that there was shortage of money with the government. Perhaps the situation has not much improved. Apart from that many of medium and large enterprises have been suffering from the impact of economic recession and hence could not afford to retain workers leading to unemployment and not able to raise the pensions. It is important that one frank question was put to Putin. People are slaves to your oligarchs. And youre well aware of it. And we see everything and understand. How should we live? In this context it needs to be stated that Russias transition from a socialist economy to a market economy after the Soviet break-up has resulted in the emergence of a rich business class of millionaires and billionaires who managed to acquire state property during the 1990s under Yeltsins irrational and hasty economic reform of privatisation. They were either factory managers or heads of regions and former Communist Party or bureaucrats who grabbed property taking advantage of privati-sation of enterprises when proper valuation was not made. At the same time Russia witnessed the worst economic crisis leading to the problem of wide economic disparities among the Russian population. Putin is aware of this problem but has been unable to solve it despite being in power for the last two decades. In fact there is an allegation by some critics that oligarchs are closely asso-ciated with the Kremlin authorities. Unfortu-nately for Russia, and Putin in particular, many of these oligarchs have parked their money in the West and live in Europe and America. Questions were asked regarding the poor health facilities in the country. Reporters mentioned and displayed the pathetic health conditions in several parts of the country. They pointed out that there are not enough hospitals in many regions of Russia, due to lack of doctors several sections of hospitals are closed, people suffer on account of the problem of delay in diagnosis, acute shortage of medicines etc. While medical care was free during the Soviet era and fairly efficient, during the last over two decades public health sector has been badly affected due to growing cost of medicines and even lack of medicines resulting in the rising death rate and decline in average life expectancy to less than 60 as compared to over 75 during the Soviet era. The population in Russia has been declining by one million every year. Putin being aware of this problem, assured that the Russian Government will provide about one trillion rubles by 2024. While claiming that the economy is moving in the absolutely right direction after emerging from a two-year recession, Putin was candid in stating that there are still enough problems due to multiple causesthe impact of economic sanctions by the West in 2014, decline in oil prices during 2009-2013 followed by economic recession. There is no doubt that all these factors have adversely affected the economy. At the same time Putin not only reversed Yeltsins policy of privatisation but also reduced the share of foreign companies that had invested in Russia affecting the investment climate. Corruption, centralisation and bureaucracy are also major factors adversely affecting economic development; these are persisting and have not been resolved despite two decades of his leadership. However, Putin has reasons to be happy as the Central Bank has forecast 1.5 per cent to 2 per cent growth in 2018 overcoming the recession the country suffered so far. Possibly on this basis Putin has assured the country that problems will be solved and there will be a bright future. But this is going to be his major challenge in this tenure of his presidency. Putin also answered questions on external issues. Russias conflict with Ukraine subsequent to the Crimean issue and unending fighting going on in the eastern region of Ukraine by separatists alleged to be supported by Russia, has been a major problem for Putin. In this regard an effort was made with the Minsk peace deal of 2015 which has decreased the fighting but failed to end it and set out a political-settlement plan that has gone largely unfulfilled. He expressed that a fresh bid is scheduled on June 11, 2018 when Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov will meet his counterparts from Ukraine, France, and Germany, the mediators of the 2015 Minsk peace deal, to resolve the issue. But this is going to be a challenge for Putin because, as also opined by some analysts, there have been few signs pointing to a breakthrough. Lastly, relations between Moscow and the NATO remain at their lowest level in years, severely damaged in 2014 following Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimean peninsula and its aid for separatists in eastern Ukraine. On June 7, 2018 during the Brussels meet the NATO proposed to increase its defence potentialities in the region with the deployment of 30 troop battalions, 30 squadrons of aircraft, and 30 warships within 30 daysthe so-called Four 30s plan. On his part Putin claimed that he has given considerable emphasis on the defence sector including production of hi-tech instru-ments to deal with any conflict; he specifically mentioned about this at the Q/A session. Thus it is evident that Putin has not only emerged as one of the longest serving Presidents of Russia. By interacting with the common citizens through the Q/A session, he has also enhanced his capability and popularity even as challenges persist. Dr Gidadhubli is a Professor and former Director, Centre for Eurasian Studies, University of Mumbai. Leigh Brown, CEO of RE/MAX Executive, Leigh Brown & Associates, is spearheading a nationwide fundraiser and training event on June 27. Ms. Brown will teach the National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics class to participating associations across the United States. Greater Chattanooga Realtors will sponsor this event which is a nationwide fundraiser for the Realtors Relief Foundation. The RRF was launched by NAR, within hours of the devastating Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacksraising more than $8.4 million to provide assistance so that surviving family members could stay in their homes. Since then, more than $25 million has been raised for victims of disasters, including wildfires, tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes. Born out of my passion for the Realtors Relief Foundation, this National Ethics Day fundraising event is going to knock the ball out of the park," said Ms. Brown. "I wholeheartedly believe that the Code of Ethics should be incorporated into your business every day and this class is the first step. My classes are never dull and never boring, so lets talk professionalism and ethics. And if I can host this national event with Greater Chattanooga Realtors, all while benefiting the amazing Realtor Relief Foundation, then I consider that a win-win! The National Code of Ethics class will be live streamed Wednesday, June 27, from 1-4 p.m. and Greater Chattanooga Realtors will be hosting this class at Chattanooga State Community College (HSC Building, Room 1085) to accommodate for more attendees. More information about the event can be found on Facebook. Register to attend through the calendar on gcar.net, email info@gcar.net, or call 698-8001. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2018 > Welcome Move in Korean Peninsula EDITORIAL How do we assess the Donald Trump-Kim Jong-un summit talks at Singapore? Regardless of what the cynics have said or writtenand there are many such cynics beyond those who have articulated their views within the country and beyondthe reality is different. It is reflected in what The Indian Express has editorially underlined: Constructing Peace: In Singapore, defying odds and cynicism, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un take a welcome step together. Elaborating on these words, it avers: US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have little in common except their willingness to take huge political risks. Their readiness to gamble on the first ever summit meeting between the two nations locked in mutual hostility for many decades has been breathtaking. After much confron-tational rhetoric through 2017, that raised widespread concerns about a nuclear war in the Korean Peninsula, the two leaders moved rapidly towards unfreezing the conflict. Those looking for a detailed declaration after the talks between Trump and Kim were disappointed; but the short statement they issued has huge potential to reorder the geopolitics of the Korean Peninsula. The potential emanates from three mutual commitments: one from Kim who announced his firm and unwavering commitment to denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula; two from Trump who assured to provide security guarantees to North Korea; three the US-North Korea joint pledge to build a lasting and robust peace regime in the Korean Peninsula. These three commitments, according to the daily, are interlocking in nature that progress on one, for example, on eliminating nuclear weapons, depends on security guarantees and constructing a peaceful order in the Peninsula. This approach is very different from the traditional American nuclear diplomacy. It viewed the problem as bringing a deviant state to negotiations through punishing sanctions and forcing it to perform unilateral nuclear disarmament. Indeed, Trump has moved away from his idea of exerting maximum pressure to a totally different framework based on personal trust and thinking political. Thus while talking to Kim without preconditions Trump not only expressed confidence of working with the North Korean leader as a partner but was also ready to go much further than his predecessors in offering security guarantees to Pyongyang. He thus promised to scale down the US military exercises in the Peninsula and even stated that he could consider bringing back 32,000 US troops in South Korea in future as part of constructing a peace regime. As for Kim, he agreed to recover the remains of American POWs and soldiers missing in action during the Korean War of 1950-53. No doubt as a first bold step to withdraw from the brink of a nuclear conflagration such actions are essential and that is what the two leaders have done much to the chagrin and annoyance of US acolytes and their accomplices who eventually must not and will not be allowed to have the last word. June 14 S.C. Governor Bill Haslam on Monday announced the appointment of David B. Rausch as director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). Mr. Rausch, 55, has served as chief of police for the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) since 2011, overseeing an agency of more than 500 employees, including some 400 sworn police officers. He joined the KPD in 1993 and rose through the ranks, serving in several different roles, including as deputy chief and a member of the special operations squad. Throughout his 25 years with the KPD, he as focused on community policing and building relationships with local, state and federal agencies. David brings a wealth of experience to the TBI and the proven leadership to continue the great progress the agency has made in making Tennessee safer. As police chief in Knoxville, he took on both urban and rural public safety issues and collaborated with local, state and federal partners to help address some of the regions most pressing crimes, such as gang activity and human trafficking, Governor Haslam said. Mr. Rausch has served in multiple leadership roles in professional law enforcement organizations, including the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He was named the 2017 Chief of the Year by the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police. He is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy and several federal law enforcement programs. He also has extensive community service involvement. I am honored and humbled the governor has selected me for this position. The TBI is an excellent organization with amazing employees dedicated to serving the great state of Tennessee. I look forward to working alongside them to lead the agency into the next chapter and am excited to bring my vision and energy to serve in this capacity, Mr. Rausch said. Mr. Rausch is a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in the Military Police Corps from 1986-1990. He earned a master of science degree in justice administration and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Louisville. He will become director effective Monday, June 25. In case you havent heard, French luxury house Chloe celebrated the opening of its worlds first pop-up concept in Singapore. Officially launched on 1 June 2018, the pop-up is located at ION Orchards atrium, and features a curation of 20 exclusive Chloe products that range from the classic Drew Bijou and Roy bags to its selection of dainty small leather goods and even sunglasses. The intimate pop-up space is fashioned in that true Chloe girl cool-yet-feminine signature aesthetic: think whites, powdery beige rose and natural brass, all of which truly lets guests immerse themselves in the Chloe spirit. Its signature pop-up exclusive items are all stunningly displayed on a prominent wave structure of spheres (pictured above), which feature the infinite o from the brands identity, as well as little horse patterns from the Chloe archive the perfect display for the luxury houses it-bags. For a full list of all the exclusive Chloe products available at the pop-up, browse our gallery above! The Chloe Pop-Up in Singapore will open from 1 to 30 June (10 am to 10 pm) at the ION Orchard Level 1 atrium. Sarah Khan Photos: Chloe READ MORE: It-bag label Cult Gaia launches first shoe collection and were obsessed 8 Celebrity brides who didnt wear a wedding gown on their big day On 14 June 2018, a fire at the Grenfell Tower block of council flats in the London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea claimed the lives of 72 people. The avoidable catastophe was the result of years of neglect by the Tory government, the Conservative-led council and the managing association responsible for the tower's upkeep who cut corners on safety to maintain profits. Written to coincide with the opening of the Grenfell fire inquiry, Andrew OHagan presents The Tower. In this 60,000 word essay, OHagan attempts to absolve and excuse the guilty, directing his hatred instead towards the fire service and those who have fought for justice for the victims of this tragedy. The book is being bought and gifted by Kensington and Chelsea (K&C) council to all its Conservative councillors. And it is no surprise why. The majority of the article is dedicated to defending councillors Rock Feilding-Mellen and Nick Paget-Brown, the Tory council, and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO). OHagan dedicates most of the article to interviews with the above individuals and to defences of their characters. The author leaves some room, however, to blame the fire service and to demonise Grenfell United, which represents 80 percent of the survivors. Also demonised are Edward Daffarn, who survived the fire and had warned of the fire risks, and Joe Delaney, a local resident made homeless by the fire, who is a leading activist from the Grenfell Action Group. OHagan even manages a bit of Stormzy and Lily Allen bashing for good measure. But the article lacks any actual analysis. It is, in short, a distortion of the truth. The fire service Writing in the Guardian, Matt Wrack, general secretary of Fire Brigades Union (FBU), responded to OHagan and his slanders. They (the firefighters) do not deserve, and they can do without, armchair critics such as the writer Andrew OHagan, editor-at-large of the London Review of Books, telling them the firefighting effort wasnt all that it could have been. "They can do without the Sunday Times columnist Sarah Baxter saying the fire brigade certainly let people down, seeming to regard firefighters as jobsworths who stick to the rigid demands of bureaucratic protocol and bow to the bureaucratic gods of health and safety "We await the findings of the public inquiry, but it has been clear from the earliest accounts of that night that firefighters faced an unprecedented catastrophe and they responded by going above and beyond the call of duty. Normal working procedures that are in place to keep firefighters as safe as possible while tackling fires could not be applied. Firefighters adapted what they did in order to maximise the number of people they could rescue. Firefighters themselves do not use the term heroic, but I have no hesitation in calling their actions that night just that. We have nothing else to add in reply to OHagan on this question. Excusing the guilty Tory councillor Nick Paget-Brown is represented in The Tower as being of dignified character. He is presented as wanting the best for everyone. It is claimed that he is reluctant to defend himself, as this would apparently be uncouth. Paget-Browns only crime, according to OHagan, is not having a sufficiently large PR operation. But this is simply not true. Paget-Brown has publicly defended himself; for example, appearing on Newsnight days after the fire, when asked about the retrofitting of sprinklers. The Tory councillor incorrectly claimed that most residents didnt want sprinklers. But this statement backfired tremendously when he was called out for attempting to lay the blame on the residents themselves. Tory councillor for K&C, Nick Paget-Brown, falsely claimed that residents did not want sprinklers installed / Image: Flickr, ChiralJon Likewise, Rock Feilding-Mellen, the deputy council leader in charge of housing, is presented as being upright and honest. Why would I spend 11 years working in local government, rather than, for example, working at Goldman Sachs, if I didnt care about the people I was there to help and didnt believe in the improvement of their conditions? But the salaries for those in the cabinet of K&C council are larger than that of MPs in parliament so wheres the sacrifice? Little information is provided to defend Rock Feilding-Mellen other than his own account. But Feilding-Mellen has wined-and-dined in the past with Peter Bingle, a man who made his fortune convincing councils to sell off assets to wealthy clients. Feilding-Mellen has also previously worked for property developers himself, and is suspected to have had ambitions in this area. Indeed, 1-in-10 London councillors have direct links with property developers. The idea that these councillors are only motivated by the goodness of their hearts an idea claimed by the friends of Nick Paget-Brown and repeated by OHagan is ludicrous. The state and private enterprise are connected by a thousand threads. In order to defend the Tory K&C council, OHagan attacks a straw man. He suggests that activists and residents were claiming that the councillors wanted to kill the occupants of Grenfell because they hate the poor. But this was never argued. Rather, the Tory councillors simply didnt care. They ignored residents, ignored fire safety, and have presided over a policy of managed decline for years. It was not active malice, but neglect, indifference, and arrogance paving the way for social cleansing, motivated by money. When presented with evidence of the councils callousness, OHagan only manages to state that there was no homicidal intent. Managing decline After trying to clear the council and the TMO of any responsibility for events leading up the fire, OHagan then proceeds to respond to criticism of the councils actions after the fire. The essays author speaks of the 350 council workers mobilised after the fire and their self-sacrifice. He speaks of Paget-Brown working so tirelessly that he neglected to publicise his efforts. And yet committees of councillors still had the time to pass emergency planning applications the day after the fire, whilst maintaining their distance from Grenfell. No doubt there were social workers and housing officers who worked tirelessly 24/7 in order to deal with the aftermath of the fire. Embed from Getty Images Indeed, I have my own knowledge of social services in K&C: my own mother worked as a foster carer for 25 years, and then as a contact supervisor for another five years. She saw how social workers are overworked and burnt-out, gradually replaced by younger and more inexperienced workers straight out of university. She also saw the change of management brought in to carry out efficiency savings. She witnessed the atmosphere of fear as employees worried about their jobs in the Tories new hostile environment. Not willing to be pushed around at the age of sixty, she was labelled a troublemaker for speaking out. She was never fired, but she had her hours reduced to zero. By the time of the Grenfell disaster, the local council had become a hollowed-out shell. The council has a long history of subcontracting out its services to the voluntary sector; a sector that the council leaders thought could provide services on the cheap, since charity workers and volunteers do not have the same hard-won benefits as council employees. The local council was consciously reducing local government to a husk, with the level of services far below what is necessary. The council leaders saw this small government of the big society as a good thing. This explains why a recent report by Muslim Aid found that the response to the fire was badly flawed, contradicting OHagans assertions. Demonisation of local activists In an attack on the Grenfell Action Group, OHagan says that there was never any mention about cladding in their community blog, which continuously raised concerns about fire and safety. It is true that in the long list of concerns and fears, there was nothing about the cladding. But there might well have been if the activists were aware of what materials and components were being used. Unfortunately, a freedom of information (FOI) request that would have revealed the type of cladding used was appealed against and denied on the spurious basis that: The K&C TMO is not a public authority as defined by the FOI Act and does not have a duty to respond to information requests made under the FOI Act. What residents did pick up on was the complete disregard for fire safety, with multiple issues raised throughout the regeneration and before. And for raising their concerns, the Grenfell Action Group were threatened with legal action. OHagan's essay throws Grenfell activists under the bus, while excusing those responsible for the tragedy / Image: Flickr, steveneason OHagan claims that activists were throwing accusations into the air like confetti at a whores wedding. All the while, he selectively chooses the facts, providing arguments garnered from interviews with the friends of those suspected of guilt, and presenting their narrative as reality. In one part, as a means of establishing the councils great generosity, OHagan highlights the cases of the fraudsters those who tried to take advantage of the Grenfell disaster by pretending to be former residents of the destroyed tower. OHagan asks why the activists arent condemning these people. He purposely uses the existence of a few fraudsters to give the impression that the council is benevolent, implying that they are being taken advantage of by both the survivors and fraudsters. This whole attack by OHagan is no surprise. Indeed, the medias role in relation to the Grenfell disaster has been atrocious from the start. From the night of the fire, the Murdoch press, led by the Times, has written smear story after smear story about all those who have fought for justice. Likewise, under capitalism there will always be the OHagans of this world: those who are all too willing to offer up their services at the altar of the establishment; those who would have you hate the people who are being oppressed, and idolise those doing the oppressing. Class hatred Even now, the Conservative council has bought and donated the Tower in book format to all their conservative councillors all at taxpayers expense. Grenfell was not set on fire because the council hates the poor. Nobody has ever argued this. But class hatred and racist attitudes are common in the wealthy areas of K&C. For example, there was one woman who complained after the fire about the prospect of having to live in the same block as Grenfell survivors. This is not an isolated case. The Conservative council has bought and donated the Tower in book format to all their conservative councillors all at taxpayers expense / Image: Natalie Oxford Capitalism rests on prejudice in order to justify the unjustifiable. During the recent local elections, the Tories did their utmost to spin the story of Grenfell. One Tory loose cannon loudly and openly talked of Grenfell survivors milking the system. The local partys main line, however, was not to mention the Grenfell disaster on the doorstep. Instead, they would talk about collecting bins twice a week. When the tragedy was brought up, the spin put forward was that it could have happened anywhere. It is true there are many more houses at risk. There are many criminals responsible for these murders who are still at large. Tenants in other estates with similar cladding have openly discussed their fears. And there are many more councils who ignore their residents concerns. Many more who preside over managed decline. Many more who use arms-length management organisations in order to escape accountability and culpability. Many more with links to private property developers. There are many more who hire fire safety consultants simply on the basis of a competitive price: consultants who are willing to argue with the fire service; who advise councils to bury fire safety reports. But the daily crimes of the others cogs in the capitalist system do not excuse the specifics that led to this atrocity. Justice for Grenfell The crux of OHagans argument seems to be that the officials at K&C council were no worse than regular Tories. He speaks fondly of Nick Paget-Brown, describing how he was only officially wined-and-dined 42 times. This, apparently, is an acceptable level of corruption. The specifics of the crooks in the TMO, in the council, in the Rydon construction company, in the Celotex cladding manufacturer, in the architects, in the national government should all be exposed to the light of day. And those responsible for this atrocity should be imprisoned. If a semblance of justice is to be achieved it requires a mass movement across the whole country. North Kensington cannot be left to stand alone / Image: garryknight Whether the police and judicial system can deliver this justice is doubtful. What is clear is that the small victories achieved so far have been the result of tireless campaigning. Even the demand for having extra members on the official inquiry committee was not granted without a fight. Yet OHagan insults all those who fought for this in an orchestrated backlash. If a semblance of justice is to be achieved it requires a mass movement across the whole country. North Kensington cannot be left to stand alone. Capitalism produces and gives power to thousands of Feilding-Mellens; thousands of Celotexs and Rydons. It is a system that demands and creates thousands of links between government and big business all to the detriment of the working class. Some reforms and regulations may be won in the short term. But the memory of Grenfell will be quickly forgotten by future capitalist governments. The big business lobby will gain the ascendancy again; regulations will fail to be enforced; and the remorseless pursuit of profit will demand the abandonment of so much red tape, which inconveniently gets in the way of their money-making. Ultimately, to achieve any genuine justice and to ensure that tragedies like this will never happen again we need to get rid of capitalism, a system that puts profit before people. Only in this way can we take power out of the hands of the criminals in business and government, and put control instead in the hands of the working class. North Idaho residents expressed deep suspicions Thursday night about the proposed sale of Avista Corp. to a Canadian utility partly owned by the government of Ontario. "As an American citizen, I dont think its good to have American infrastructure owned by a foreign entity," Summer Bushnell, a Post Falls resident, told the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. Another speaker, Glenn Bledsoe of Rathdrum, said he advocated "Idaho First, America First. Keep foreign interests out of our utilities." By Becky Kramer [email protected] http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jun/15/skeptical-crowd-wants-idaho-first-questions-avista/ Advance Financial continues its expansion with the opening of their 90th store in Kimball. Advance Financials mission is to expand its market presence to 100 storefronts in Tennessee with a digital footprint spanning 20 states by the end of 2018. The new location for Advance Financial, at 725 Main St., is now open for business and will remain open 24/7 thereafter. Advance Financial is one of only a handful of companies in its industry that serves customers around the clock. At Advance Financial, we are committed to serving more residents in Tennessee and across the country through both our innovative digital services and our brick-and-mortar locations, said Tina Hodges, the companys chief executive and chief experience officer. Were excited about helping more people secure their financial futures. Advance Financial offers a range of financial services including prepaid cards, electronic wire services to anywhere in the world, check cashing, free bill-payment services and free money orders. The companys loan product is not a small dollar loan, but a flexible line of credit called a FLEX Loan that offers customers access to funds on their schedule with no late fees or early payoff penalties. For more information about Advance Financial, visit www.af247.com. Miller & Martin announced Douglas Johnson, Of Counsel in the firms Intellectual Property group, was elected president of the U.S. Section of the Federation Internationale des Conseils en Propriete Industrielle. His term will run through June 2020. Mr. Johnson is assuming the duties from President Andrew D. Meikle of Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP, whose term ends in June. Mr. Meikle, will continue to be involved in FICPI as the past president. Mr. Johnson has also served in other roles in the FICPI. He was treasurer of the U.S. Section (2011-2014); secretary of the U.S. Section (2006-2010); and a council member (2003-2005). Mr. Johnson is the founder of Miller & Martin's Intellectual Property Group. He concentrates his practice on trademarks, technology and patents and intellectual property litigation. He negotiates software licensing and technology agreements for both technology companies and end users. Mr. Johnson also coordinates trademark prosecution and administration, patent prosecution and administration, patent portfolio strategies and intellectual property litigation for companies with international brands primarily in the food, sports, carpet and consumer products industries. He is also active in the domestic and international licensing of clients' intellectual property rights. The FICPI is a unique organization as the only international non-governmental organization whose membership consists exclusively of IP attorneys in private practice. FICPI aims to enhance international cooperation within the profession of IP attorneys in private practice and to promote the training and continuing education of its members and others interested in IP protection. Two Walker County deputies have been placed on administrative leave with pay after allegations arose Saturday night that a female was assaulted by the two off-duty deputies at a Fort Oglethorpe apartment, according to Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson. One of the men and the alleged female accuser were in a consensual relationship. The accuser has told authorities that the two men held her against her will and attempted to have sex with her. The accuser was able to leave the apartment and call law enforcement. Fort Oglethorpe Police initially responded to the call. Ft. Oglethorpe Police has requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate the matter, Sheriff Wilson said. The men's names are not being released at this time. Judicial Watch Sues State Department for Obama-Era Records on Refugee Resettlement Site Locations Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch , 202-646-5188 Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit after the State Department failed to respond to a February 23, 2017, FOIA request seeking: WASHINGTON, June 18, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for records on sites that were considered for the resettlement of refugees in the United States during the last two years of the Obama administration. ( Judicial Watch vs. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:18-cv-01244))Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit after the State Department failed to respond to a February 23, 2017, FOIA request seeking: All records reflecting the locations within the United States that were considered as possible sites for refugee resettlement under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) in 2015 and 2016. All records reflecting the criteria used to determine suitability of locations as refugee resettlement sites in 2015 and 2016. All records reflecting the names of local organizations promoting any of the locations identified above for consideration... Read more... Share Tweet In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome! But heres a word that is almost never spoken in public discussions of South Floridas future: retreat. Its not hard to see why. For one thing, the Miami- Fort Lauderdale Palm Beach megalopolis has been one of the 10 fastest growing regions in the country in recent years. In fact, the idea of endless growth is so deeply coded into the regions DNA that its virtually impossible to imagine people might someday leave. Besides, retreat is seen as downright un-American. We dont give up territory to our enemies, and we sure as hell dont give it up to Mother Nature. But as the water rises, that may change. A recent study by Mathew Hauer, a demographer at the University of Georgia, estimates that 13 million people will be displaced in the U.S. by sea-level rise by 2100 (about the number of African-Americans who moved out of the South during the Great Migration of the 20th century). In Hauer's study, about 2.5 million people will flee South Florida. In some places, the exodus has begun. One friend left South Florida because he was sick of the congestion from all the construction projects on Miami Beach; another left because she was afraid the value of her home would tank as soon as more buyers get wise to the reality of sea-level rise. These are just anecdotes, of course. But the hard truth is, rising seas are going to dramatically change the economics and the quality of life in South Florida long before there are sharks swimming through the Faena District. And rather than adapt, a lot of people are going to leave. The idea of retreat runs contrary to what will be the central task of civic leaders in the coming years, which is to shore up confidence that South Florida has a stable future that you can buy a house or condo here, raise kids, live a decent life, and not worry that it will all turn into an aquarium someday. To win this argument, you need to convince residents that sea-level rise is a manageable problem, that if you just build enough sea walls and raise enough roads and install enough pumps, everything will be fine. And in some places, perhaps it will be. The problem is, the word retreat suggests accurately that there is no easy fix for whats coming. Rising seas are not just an engineering problem; they are an existential risk to life as we know it in South Florida. Even in the most modest scenarios, dealing with rising seas in the coming decades will be messy, complicated, and hugely expensive. Taxes will increase. Insurance rates will skyrocket. Lawsuits will proliferate. Salt water will corrode your car. Trees will die. New water-borne diseases will emerge. Biscayne Bay will go murky from the increased run-off and pollution. Racial and class tensions will arise over who gets protected from the flooding and who doesnt. So if you live in South Florida, you might ask yourself: Why stick around? And if you own a house or condo, you might think: Why not sell now, while there are plenty of buyers in the market and prices are high? If youre a city official in South Florida, this is your nightmare. Once people start to see Florida real estate not as an investment, but as a stranded asset, the real trouble begins. In Florida especially, where there is no sales tax, property taxes are vital to paying for basic services like police and fire departments and schools. But local governments also need these revenues to pay for infrastructure improvements to defend against rising seas. If Floridians start moving to Asheville and foreign investors start shifting their investments to Costa Rica, property values will fall, which means there will be less money for cops and teachers, but also less money for raising roads and building sea walls. As the water rises, quality of life declines, people leave. Those who are left behind tend to be poorer, sicker, more in need of services. Its the kind of downward economic spiral that is very hard to pull out of. It doesnt have to be this way, of course. The sooner we take action to prepare for whats coming, the better off South Florida will be. That means electing a governor who doesnt think climate change is a hoax. It means reforming building codes and zoning laws, as well as developing more accurate flood mapping tools so people can better understand the risks they face. It means levying fees on developers to help fund infrastructure improvements and neighborhood buyouts. It means making tough decisions about what to save and what to let go. It means imagining new ways to live with water, rather than fight against it. And above all, it means having the courage to create a radically different future for South Florida one that might be inspiring beyond anything we can imagine today, even if there are fewer people here to enjoy it. Jeff Goodell is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone and the author of six books, including The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World (Little, Brown, 2017). The Invading Sea is a collaboration of four South Florida media organizations the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post and WLRN Public Media. ANN ARBOR, MI - A controversial restructuring of city water rates that some argue is unfair to single-family homeowners is back on the Ann Arbor City Council's agenda for approval. Under what's proposed, single-family residential customers would pay increasingly higher rates for using larger amounts of water, while multi-family residential customers, such as those who live in apartments, and non-residential customers, such as commercial businesses and the University of Michigan, would pay flat rates. Council Member Jane Lumm, an independent from the 2nd Ward, said she's concerned that, while the overall restructuring is intended to be revenue neutral, it still shifts about $2 million in annual costs for service to single-family customers. She said people who live in multi-family housing are going to pay substantially less, while people who live in single-family homes pay more, and she's against that. "This is a very significant decision, one that has a real financial impact on residents," she said. "This restructuring, in combination with the planned rate increases in the 6-7 percent range in January 2019, again in July 2019, and annually in the foreseeable future, means water and sewer bills for single-family homeowners will increase by 50 percent or more over the next five years." Others in support of the changes argue the city's water rates need to be adjusted so single-family households start paying their fair share for the cost of excess system capacity needed for summertime peak usage when people are watering their lawns. The council voted 6-5 last month to postpone consideration of the new rate structure proposed by the city's staff, with some council members raising concerns about it and others in support. There will be a public hearing before the council considers giving approval Monday night, June 18. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. on the second floor of city hall, 301 E. Huron St. Stormwater rates also would go up 14 percent under what's being proposed. The changes would take effect July 1. "The impact of these increases on an average single-family residential customer is $19.29 per quarter or $77.16 per year, a net increase of 10.96%, if consumption is unchanged from last year," states a city staff memo accompanying the proposed ordinance. "For the purpose of this comparison, the single-family bill is calculated with 18 units per quarter, is in the second tier for stormwater, and receives the 10% discount for payment on or before the due date." Lumm successfully pushed for postponement at the council's May 21 meeting with support from Zachary Ackerman, Anne Bannister, Jack Eaton, Sumi Kailasapathy and Chuck Warpehoski. The five against postponing were Mayor Christopher Taylor, Julie Grand, Graydon Krapohl, Chip Smith and Kirk Westphal. Taylor said the new rates have been the subject of extensive work by city staff and the public. "I think it's appropriate that we vote on this and move on," Taylor said. Lumm questions why only single-family residents would pay increasingly higher rates for higher water usage, while others pay flat rates no matter how much they use. Having excess system capacity for summertime peak usage by residents, who use more water when they're watering their lawns, has been cited as a reason for the tiered rates, but Lumm argues commercial water usage also peaks in the summer. The proposed rate structure, which includes changes to customer classifications and different tiered rates for residents, are based on a study of the city's costs of service, according to the city's staff. In 2017, the city hired Stantec Consulting Services to do the analysis. Under what's proposed, a fourth tier would be added for certain residential customers, so the cost per unit of water (with a unit equaling 100 cubic feet) would be $1.77 for the first nine units, $2.83 for units 10-18, $6.57 for units 19-36, and $14.08 for more than 36 units. That would be a change from the current unit price of $1.55 for the first seven units, $3.37 for units 8-28, and $5.89 for more than 45 units. Non-residential customers would pay a flat rate of $3.83 per unit, while multi-family residential customers would pay $2.13 per unit. There are different rates for water-only meters. The city's staff told council last month that because non-residential customers have no standard activity or usage that can be identified, the data doesn't exist to be able to allocate the cost of service in the pricing structure as it's done for residential customers. Kailasapathy, D-1st Ward, said she was disturbed by the city staff's explanation and called it "pretty lame" to have tiers only for residential customers because the city has more data on their usage. "If we have millions of points of data, we need to be drilling down to figure that out," she said. "We also need to remember right now we are pushing for density and expansions of new housing, and we are able to do that because we have that excess capacity, and I don't think that burden should be placed just on residential customers." Lumm said commercial usage peaks in the summer just like residential usage does and is actually more pronounced. "The reason that's important is because the underlying premise of the restructuring is that peaking drives costs," she said. "This restructuring proposal adds a fourth tier of higher per-gallon rates for residential customers but eliminates the existing tiers for commercial customers. I've tried to obtain an answer on why, if peaking is so critical, we eliminate commercial tiering, and the answer has essentially been 'most cities don't do that' or 'we don't have the right data to do that.' "We have a tiering system for residential customers that penalizes them and quite severely for peak usage, but no tiering at all for commercial customers where the peaking impact on system costs is even greater. That's a structure that's internally inconsistent." Lumm said she did some research and looked to see what East Lansing does, thinking it might have a similar tiered structure, but she found it has a flat rate per gallon for all customers. "Everyone -- every customer regardless of whether they're a single-family residential customer, a multi-family residential customer or a commercial customer -- pays the same for a gallon of water," she said. "One can debate the merits of that rate philosophy versus what's proposed in Ann Arbor and I believe we should have that debate. But what this demonstrated to me is that there is flexibility in how cities structure their rates. There is not one prescribed way it must be done." Lumm said she also took a look at the case of Bolt vs. City of Lansing, a Michigan Supreme Court case from two decades ago that established rules for how municipalities can set utility rates, stating the fees charged must be proportionate to the costs of the service. "It just does not make any logical sense to me that one gallon of water can have an underlying cost in one case that's eight times the underlying cost of a gallon in another case," Lumm said of the new proposed residential tiered rates. Grand, D-3rd Ward, said East Lansing's flat rate structure seems like "the rich stealing from the poor." "I'm pleased to see that we have a plan that moves toward equity," she said. "And if we need to make some adjustments going further, we do revisit these rates every year, and I think that's something that can be answered, but I really appreciate the work that staff did on this." Explaining her "rich stealing from the poor" remark, Grand said the data the city has from its consultant suggests multi-family households are subsidizing single-family households in terms of water service costs, as typically wealthier people who own homes and water their lawns are the ones driving the year-round cost of maintaining extra system capacity. Ackerman, D-3rd Ward, said at last month's meeting he thinks he'll ultimately come to the same conclusion as Grand, but he supported the postponement to get more information. Grand said the city needs to invest more in its water system and everyone is going to have to pay a little more, and the rates should be structured fairly to reflect costs. She said she has wanted to see these changes for years, but the Bolt case opinion was a deterrent, and she's glad the city now has some data to back up what's proposed. Eaton, D-4th Ward, is opposed to the proposed rate structure. He has argued it originated in a desire to give low-income residents a break on their water bills, but in practice it significantly reduces water bills for all apartment buildings, including new luxury student apartments. Ann Arbor water rates are scheduled to go up 6 percent in January 2019, 6 percent in July 2019, 6 percent in July 2020, and 6 percent in July 2021, which is when a major water treatment plant reconstruction project is expected to begin. Ann Arbor's sewer rates are scheduled to go up 7 percent in January 2019, 7 percent in July 2019, 7 percent in July 2020, and 7 percent in July 2021. Stormwater rates, which went up 28 percent this past year, are scheduled to go up 14 percent this year, 13 percent next year, and 11 percent the year after that. City officials say the money is needed to cover costs of maintaining and upgrading the utility systems. ANN ARBOR, MI - Teaspressa, a tea company with a twist that was featured on the show "Shark Tank," is opening its first Michigan cafe location at 414 S Main St. in Ann Arbor. In 2015, Arizona entrepreneur Allison DeVane developed a way to prepare loose leaf tea blends like espresso shots, resulting in tea lattes and coffee-inspired beverages. Although she ultimately did not get a deal when she presented Teaspressa to ABC's "Shark Tank" in 2016, DeVane said the experience gave her business a boost. "To be fair, my business was only three months old when I applied for 'Shark Tank,'" DeVane said. "I tend to take on big projects like, 'Yes, I can do this,' without thinking of a plan to actually execute it. I always think of a way, though. The sharks were fair, they gave me great advice and it was a great experience." Since appearing on the show, DeVane said her online sales skyrocketed and she opened two brick-and-mortar cafe locations in Phoenix, Arizona. The Ann Arbor location will be her third store, and DeVane says her business is still growing. "Last year, we had exponential growth with pop-up shops, national wholesale partnerships and a spike in online sales," DeVane said. "This year, we will be expanding even more with new locations and product launches, with Ann Arbor being an exciting step in Teaspressa's growth." Inside the 550-square-foot Ann Arbor cafe are white walls with two neon signs reading "C'est La Tea." Lush, leafy plants decorate the marble countertops and windowsills. Teaspressa's menu features beverages built with steamed milk, combinations of tea or espresso shots, house-made elixirs and sugar cubes infused with rose, lavender and other flavors to add sweetness and flavor. Each drink costs $5 to $6, with extra flavor drops or sugar cubes costing an additional 25 cents. The cafe also will sell pastries and sandwiches, as well as jars and bags of tea, sugar cubes, elixirs and other Teaspressa products. The company's grand opening was Saturday, June 16, but won't officially open for business to the public until sometime later this year. The withdrawal of Iranian forces has always been a demand of Israel, which is alarmed by the military presence of its chief nemesis so close to its northeastern border. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday night that contacts among the Russians, the United States and Israel are "ongoing" and that reaching a settlement along the Israeli-Syrian border is still possible. "We are giving the political process a chance". Russian Federation called late last month for urgent negotiations with the U.S. and Jordan on the south, and President Vladimir Putin has discussed Syria with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lebanese media claimed that Russian Military Police were stationed at the border prior to acquiring clearance from Hezbollah, which fought hard in 2013 alongside the Syrian Army to liberate the area from deeply-entrenched Salafi-jihadist forces that hoped to cleanse the border of its Shia population and extend the civil war into Lebanon. Netanyahu accused Iran, which has been helping Damascus beat back a seven-year-old rebellion, of bringing in 80,000 Shi'ite fighters from countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan to mount attacks against Israel and "convert" Syria's Sunni majority. "We were faced with two options. reconciliation or liberation by force". He said the Iranian-Syrian relations are strategic and not subject to any settlement in the south, adding that the Israelis are trying to provoke and embarrass Iran through their demands. In an effort to hide their support to Daesh and other terror groups in Syria the USA and Israelhas called for Iranian advisors and Hezbollah's fighters to leave Syria. "Hezbollah is a basic element in this war - the battle is long, and the need for these military forces will continue for a long time". "Our position as a state has been from the beginning to support any act of resistance, whether against terrorists or against occupying forces, regardless of their nationality", he stated. YPSILANTI, MI - A man police found armed with knives and blood on his clothes was arrested over the weekend and charged with murder. Tywaun Sims-Scott, 18, was arraigned on one count of open murder, June 18, in Washtenaw County's 14-A1 district court for the stabbing death of 19-year-old Jamie Barsegian Friday night Police responding to a report of a man making threats Friday night, June 15, in the area of Leforge Road and North Huron River Drive found Sims-Scott in the street armed with knives and with noticeable blood on his clothes, Ypsilanti Police Lt. Brent Yuchasz said. The threats investigation soon led police to a residence in the 700 block of Green Road where Barsegian was found stabbed to death, police said. Additional information is not available at this time. Sims-Scott is scheduled for preliminary examination at 9:30 a.m., July 5. He is being held in the Washtenaw County Jail without bond. Open murder allows a jury to decided the degree of murder a person is guilty of if convicted. BAY CITY, MI -- On a May afternoon, a Bay City apartment building erupted in flames, allegedly due to a dad using a volatile method to produce marijuana wax and oil in his bedroom. The man and his daughter suffered burns in the fire, but now the dad is also facing a criminal charge of child abuse. Authorities on June 7 issued a warrant for the 43-year-old man on a criminal charge of second-degree child abuse. The charge is a 10-year felony. Bay County Prosecutor Nancy E. Borushko declined to elaborate on the charge until he is arraigned in Bay County District Court, which is not scheduled. The man's ex-wife and the mother of his two children said he is currently in a rehabilitation facility due to the burns he suffered in the May 6 fire at his residence. Bay City Fire Chief Karey Prieur confirmed the man's status, adding his agency is still investigating the cause of the fire. The man's 10-year-old daughter was home when the fire erupted and suffered second-degree burns on her feet, her mom said. The girl can wear sneakers again as of June 15, her mom said. A petition filed by the Department of Human Services states it is believed the children's father was manufacturing marijuana wax in a lab when the fire broke out. The same day, the man's son told a Child Protective Services employee that his dad has produced marijuana wax and oil on several prior occasions. Marijuana wax, also known as butane hash oil, is more potent than an average joint. To manufacture it, marijuana buds are packed into tubes and blasted with butane, which leads to the extraction of hash oil. The oils are then purged with heat and the substance left behind resembles beeswax, according to Herb.co. An amended DHS report states both children told authorities their dad has fed them marijuana edibles to help them sleep. The same amendment states a police detective interviewed the man on May 24. Firefighters battle a house fire Sunday, May 6, 2018, in the area of Salzburg Avenue and Warner Street in Bay City. "None of my kids are liars," the man told the detective, according to the DHS report. "I endangered my daughter's life. I want to teach my kids about working for what you get. My daughter has helped me package the oil product. My son has helped me with some of the oil product and I've given him a portion of the money earned at the dispensaries." The man went on to tell the detective he "was running butane at the time of the fire. I was making oil." The man added he had sparked a smaller fire in his apartment before the May 6 incident. In a previously filed notarized affidavit, the two children's mother asserted her ex-husband had been "using a blowtorch to burn the (marijuana) down to use in another form." A fire erupted, which caused an explosion. The couple's 14-year-old son was at a laundromat at the time of the fire, the woman wrote. The children's parents have a long history with DHS, the report states, involving domestic violence and drug use. Since the fire, the courts have granted the mother sole legal custody of the two children, with visitation with their father at her discretion. In a May 8 hearing, Saginaw County Circuit Judge James T. Borchard granted the children's mother temporary custody of her two children. A subsequent hearing held Monday, May 21, Borchard again granted legal and physical custody of the two children to the mother, with her ex-husband to have visiting time at her discretion or until he files a petition. In a hospital interview with WNEM TV5 published May 17, the children's father said he was frying chicken inside his bedroom before the fire began. He also started a GoFundMe page asking for $5,000 in donations. Two neighbors helped the man and his daughter escape the burning structure, which comprised two apartments. The fire rendered the building a total loss. GENESEE TWP., MI - A Minnesota-based renewable energy development company is working to bring a 400-acre solar farm to Genesee Township. Geronimo Energy has begun purchasing land options near Bray and Coldwater roads with the intention of installing solar panels and potentially connecting them to a nearby Consumers Energy transmission line. Steve Fuhr, the township supervisor, said the company with offices in Michigan, Colorado, North Dakota, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York, approached officials two years ago with the idea but circled back around six to eight months ago. The project could pump between $100,000 to $200,000 of tax revenue into the community each year, Fuhr said. However, the township isn't ready to move forward with the project just yet. Genesee Township currently has no ordinance in place regarding solar arrays, and township board members voted May 10 to place a three-month moratorium on any such facilities to allow for time to craft regulations. "We figure it's going to probably take about two to three months to move this ordinance forward," Fuhr said, noting an additional three-month moratorium may be necessary for planning purposes. One of the issues raised by the township is the look of the 12-foot-tall solar panel units, with landscaping and a 100-foot setback from the road being discussed. "We just want to make sure, aesthetically, when it's all done it looks decent," said Fuhr. Fuhr would prefer the development to go up at the former site of General Motors' Ternstedt Division plant off East Coldwater Road, but remediation would be necessary as the 118-acre property owned by RACER Trust has been designated a brownfield. Dave Shiflett, project manager for Geronimo Energy, said the possibility could exist in the future for such a move, but he added the projects undertaken by the company need to be competitive in scope across the state. "We're very excited about this. We think it's a really good project," he said. "The main landowners were pretty excited about this. They've been reaching out to us. We think it's going to be a good fit." Fuhr noted Geronimo also has spoken with township officials about potentially buying two parcels of land off Energy Drive to hook into a Consumers Energy transmission line in the area. Geronimo Energy has a number of solar and wind projects under construction and completed across the country, including Michigan. Consumers Energy entered into a long-term agreement with the company in 2015 to buy electricity from the Apple Blossom Wind Farm located in Huron County. In 2016, Sempra US Gas & Power struck an agreement with Geronimo Energy to acquire the site. Solar projects by Geronimo Energy in the works in Michigan include the 550-acre Sandstone Creek solar farm in Eaton County and the 150-acre White Pine solar farm in St. Joseph County. FLINT, MI -- Mayor Karen Weaver has stopped the practice of using high-pressure water to excavate service lines, saying the technology is allowing some dangerous lines to be left in the ground. Weaver told members of the Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee Friday, June 15, that she was "putting a pause" on hydro-excavation, a process that had been trumpeted as a cheap, effective way to determine which water service lines were composed of lead or galvanized steel and required removal. The city is attempting to replace those water service lines while leaving others composed of copper in place because they are not considered to have been damaged like galvanized and lead lines were during the city's water crisis. Weaver and city officials said the practice of using pressurized water and industrial-strength vacuums to identify which service lines need to be replaced is showing flaws. "Hydrovacing is missing lead and galvanized service lines ...," the mayor said. "I'm not going to be a part of putting profit over people or having cost savings more important than life-saving. I'm not going to do that ... "We've played Russian roulette with some people," she told FWICC members. If the cessation is anything but temporary, it will change the substance of Flint's program for identifying and removing service lines, potentially raising the cost of the program as well as slowing down its pace. "Recently, there were some concerns brought to the Mayor's attention surrounding the accuracy of the Hydrovac method," said Candice Mushatt, a spokeswoman for Weaver. "At this time, the City has chosen to pause using that method. The health and well-being of Flint residents have been Mayor Weaver's primary concern and will remain as such. Mayor Weaver will not compromise the lives of citizens to save money." The mayor made her decision a focal point at the meeting of FWICC, an advisory committee created and appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder. A worker involved in the service line project appeared at the meeting, saying he was aware of a few dozen instances in which service lines that appeared to be copper after hydro-excavation turned out to have unexposed connections that were not. "As we dig a little we find there are connections under the ground that are galvanized and lead as well," he said. "So some that have been identified as copper ... truly aren't." The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issued a statement in response to questions from The Journal, saying it had not been formally given notice that hydro-excavation was on hold in Flint though representatives of the DEQ, including Keith Creagh, director of the Department of Natural Resources, were at the Friday meeting where Weaver made the remarks. "The DEQ supports and encourages the use of hydro-excavation for service line composition verification and replacement," DEQ spokeswoman Tiffany Brown said in an email. "When executed properly, the DEQ believes hydro-excavation is an extremely effective and reliable method of identifying service line composition. Proper procedures include sending a technician into the home to verify the composition of the material going into the home is the same as the material identified during the hydro-excavation process at the curb-box," the statement says. There were signs before Friday that Weaver had new concerns about excavation with water, and city and state officials have increasingly disagreed about issues related to the water crisis since the state ended distribution of free bottled water here in April. When the city paid two contractors to excavate 124 homes without hydro-excavation trucks earlier this year, the state questioned the spending, noting the average cost of excavating a home site in the traditional way is $1,660 compared to $228 for a hydro-excavation. Weaver responded in a letter Friday, telling the DEQ there are health and safety concerns about relying on high-pressure water. "(The) city does not want to be mandated by the state to use the hydro-excavation method when identifying non-copper service lines," the letter says. Weaver said her Flint Action and Sustainability Team has removed more than 6,400 water service lines to date and the city recently estimated that about 14,000 more lines remain in the ground. Officials have said they expect to complete the replacement work by the end of 2019, using state and federal funds to pay for contractors to do the work. ALLENDALE, MI - The inability to find's one's way - wayfinding - is one of the early symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Some long-term care environments are especially difficult for people. Rebecca Davis, a professor of nursing at Grand Valley State University, earned a $2.2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to conduct an intervention study over five years, testing if visual cues will help residents effectively find their way. "It's a very different study on how environmental changes can influence behavior, and it is in line with what nurses and other health care workers do to improve the quality of life for patients with dementia," said Davis, who said she was pleased to receive the support. In Michigan, 240,000 persons have dementia, an impairment in thinking abilities that persists long enough and is severe enough to interfere with daily functions, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The study advances Davis' research on wayfinding that began in 2008. In 2013, NIH awarded her a grant to conduct a study with senior citizens, some with Alzheimer's disease, testing how they found their way using a virtual reality environment and eye-tracking goggles. Davis, professor of nursing in the Kirkhof College of Nursing, will recruit nearly 140 people in 12 long-term care facilities in West Michigan and Cleveland. "Six times over a year, they (study participants) will be asked to find their way to certain places within their community," Davis said. Some facilities will have enhanced signs and decorative elements such as a large painting added, others will incorporate signage and education, and a control group will have no enhancements. The issue is many long-term care facilities were constructed to meet multiple needs of residents and, of course, to be aesthetically pleasing, according to Davis. "Signage is often hidden and designers are brought in to make the building look less institutional,'' she said. "A giant photo or large signs at the end of a hallway may not be eye-pleasing.'' "Staff at facilities recognize it as a huge problem, so they are very willing to participate in this study and see if their residents improve.'' Davis and her team plan to see if changes in wayfinding and life space occur due to the interventions in the study, because over a year many people experience changes in their abilities. "One question we have is if we intervene with cues and education, will their wayfinding abilities get better or will they stay the same?" she said. The grant Davis received was from NIH's National Institutes of Aging. This is the first time a Grand Valley researcher has secured R01 funding, which is the original and historically oldest grant mechanism used by NIH and provides support for health-related research and development based on the mission of the NIH. Davis said R01 funding is desirable for clinical trials such as this one due to the complexity of the study. CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI - A Michigan woman has been released on bond after police arrested her for allegedly leaving three young children alone in a locked minivan outside a Meijer grocery store in sweltering heat this weekend. The children - ages 6, 3, and 2 - were helped by Clinton Township Police after someone noticed them in the minivan, which had the windows nearly rolled up, WXYZ reported. Police Capt. Richard Maierle said the 6-year-old girl was "sweating profusely" when officers got her to unlock the vehicle door, according to the Associated Press. The heat index at the time was about 78 degrees at 9 a.m. Sunday, when police were called. The 37-year-old woman had been in the store shopping for about 25 minutes when she returned to find police at her van, the station reported. The Mount Clemens woman told police she'd come out to check on the children during her shopping trip, but surveillance footage showed that she had not, police said. The woman is the mother of two of the children taken from the van, and an aunt to the third child. She was released Sunday after posting bond. DETROIT - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefly covered big issues like China, North Korea and the North American Free Trade Agreement when he addressed members of the Detroit Economic Club at Ford Field in downtown Detroit on Monday, June 18. Pompeo said the recent summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, wherein North Korea agreed to denuclearization, is an example of America succeeding in "economic diplomacy." "There's still much work to do," he said. "I'll be hard at it in the days and weeks ahead, but we've now set the conditions where the North Korean people can have economic success." Pompeo hedged when asked if a second summit between the two nations was needed. "It's hard to know," he said about a second summit. "There's a great deal of work to do." Both Russia and China backed the efforts, according to Pompeo. He said America will continue to work with North Korea in realizing a prosperous vision for the Communist state featured in the promotional video unveiled at the summit. Pompeo, who was the head of the Central Intelligence Agency before taking over at the State Department in April, said America needs to leverage its economic might in the rest of the world. He echoed the president's "America First" theme on both China and NAFTA. He charged China with participating in unfair business practices abroad. "For too long, America has allowed the free trade framework to become distorted to the advantages of countries other than the United States," he said. "Remember, that our diplomacy puts American workers and American businesses first." On Chinese investment, Pompeo said: "It's welcome, but we need to make sure that it doesn't come with terms that advantage China and aren't market or aren't commercial to the extent that they engage in behavior that American business would never engage in." China, for instance, dumps steel and aluminum in America at a price that American companies can't compete with, according to Pompeo. "This is predatory economics 101," he said. "Many other countries have recognized this and President Trump is now working to re-shift this balance." Pompeo also targeted China for stealing intellectual property. "We're taking a really hardline on foreign practices that harm America," he said. "Whether that's threatening our technology leadership of intellectual property theft or forced technology transfer. We are hard at work at ensuring that we are protecting American property. Everyone knows that that China is the main perpetrator. It's at an unprecedented level of larceny." But Pompeo pointed out that it isn't just trade relations with China, but our allies in the G7 nations that need to be looked at. "President Trump has clearly said that the asymmetrical trade relationships with the G7 fundamentally need to be reconsidered," he said. "They need to lower their trade barriers. They need to accept our vegetables, our beef, our fruits, our machine products." Pompeo said that he expects NAFTA to be renegotiated within a few weeks, but didn't offer many details. "I'm confident that we will get deals, deals that will be good for Mexico, a deal that will be good for Canada and deals that will be wonderful for American workers," he said about NAFTA. "We're going to level the playing field in the American automotive industry, and other sectors, incentivizing manufacturing here, and not there." The secretary of state also spoke about Detroit's economic comeback and said that it's spreading to cities all across the country. Pompeo touted Trump's economic achievements, citing 3 million new jobs - 300,000 in manufacturing, 300,000 in construction - and the lowest unemployment since 2000. He said that for every new regulation, the Trump administration has gotten rid of 22. GRASS LAKE TWP., MI - The Jackson County sheriff has released the name of the 18-year-old who died Sunday of injuries he suffered in a fight at a field party in Grass Lake Township. Stabbing victim Drevier J. Gallegos-Langston of Jackson died June 17 at Henry Ford Allegiance Health, according to a statement from Sheriff Steven Rand. Deputies first were called at 3:27 a.m. to a report of a clash with injuries at the party in the 4000 block of Fishville Road, east of Jackson. Three people soon after arrived at the hospital. The other had injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to the sheriff's office. Police have not released further details about the fight or how the other two came to be hurt. No arrests have been announced. The party took place in a grassy opening behind a house, near a pond and off the dirt road east of Jackson and near the Sharonville State Wildlife Management Area. There are few homes along the stretch and on Monday morning, debris littered the property. There were beer cans, liquor bottles and empty, crushed packs of cigarettes. A truck was hauling away portable toilets. Two tents, one of them collapsing, could be seen at the back of the field. An event page for a Saturday and Sunday Big Michigan Project X Party in Grass Lake says it was hosted by a Romulus rapper/party mogul/DJ . A man who came to the door at the house in front of the property estimated about 500 people attended. The organizer paid the owner $500 to rent the land, he said. All the attendees, he said, were supposed to be 21. The owner, he said, was not willing to speak to a reporter. One neighbor said vehicles were lining up for parking Saturday afternoon and the site looked like a campground. He could hear the faint or muffled sound of music from about three-fourths a mile down the road. There was what looked to be a small stage at one corner of the field. Beer cans and liquor bottles were strewn below it and empty glass bottles lined what appeared to be a short runway. A circle of yellow police tape was on the ground across the trampled grass from the stage. The event page boasts a few live rap and rock performances, but mostly "dubstep, house, riddim, hip-hop and top 40." There were to be "trippy visuals," "neon camping," a topless bounce house, a two-story beer bong contest and "mayhem," it states. Anyone who attended the party and has not been interviewed is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Bryan Huttenlocker at 517-768-7931. Investigators also are asking for any cell phone footage of the incident. MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Before being sentenced to life in prison without parole for Jessica Heeringa's murder, Jeffrey Willis declared his innocence in a tearful, rambling statement in Muskegon County court Monday. Willis took shots at numerous individuals, including his attorney, the prosecutor, police investigators, jurors and the media. He declared he didn't get a fair trial and that due process was denied him. A jury in May found Willis guilty of first-degree premeditated and felony murder and the sexually-motivated kidnapping of Heeringa. The 25-year-old mother of a 3-year-old boy disappeared while working the late shift at a Norton Shores gas station on April 26, 2013. Her body has never been found. Willis already is serving a mandatory life sentence for the 2014 murder of jogger Rebekah Bletsch, for which he was convicted in November 2017. During his statement prior to sentencing, Willis apologized to Bletsch's family about a kiss he blew while leaving the court prior to his sentencing for her homicide in December 2017. He claimed his actions were misconstrued by the media. "My blown kiss which was spitefully garbled by the press as a rebuke to the family was in fact meant as a message to the prosecutor, D.J. Hilson ... that I figured out the truth and he could kiss his future goodbye." None of Heeringa's family members were in court to make a statement. Hilson, speaking after Willis, thanked the "Muskegon County community," law enforcement officers, the Bletsch family and a kidnapped teen who escaped her abductor in 2016 and identified him as Willis. "This man is probably one of the most dangerous men I ever hope to encounter," Hilson said of Willis. "He shows no remorse, no ounce of dignity or integrity. It's clear that the justice system has the right place for him and that's behind bars for the rest of his natural life... "His display this morning goes to show we have successfully locked up an individual that had he not been caught and captured would have continued his killing. "With that judge, I'm going to sleep very well tonight knowing Mr. Willis will not see the light of day," Hilson said to applause from courtroom spectators. Muskegon County Circuit Judge William Marietti declined to make any statement to Willis, noting that he still faces several charges in Marietti's court and there is the possibility of post-trial "motions." Among the charges still pending against Willis are the 2016 kidnapping of the teenager and several involving Willis allegedly videotaping minors while they were unclothed. There was no direct DNA or other evidence connecting Willis to Heeringa. The prosecution used the evidence of the Bletsch murder and the teen's kidnapping to portray Willis as a man intent on kidnapping young women to sexually assault and murder them. Investigators found evidence outside the back of the gas station near an exit door that included a battery cover from a gun sight and a drop of blood that testing later would show was Heeringa's. The prosecution believes that Willis abducted Heeringa from the Exxon station and took her to his late grandfather's house on Bailey Street in Norton Shores where he sexually assaulted and killed her. In his closing statement at the Heeringa trial, Hilson referred to the vacant Bailey Street home as a "torture sanctuary where (Willis) could make his own videos." Police found tens of thousands of abduction, rape and kill videos that had been downloaded onto Willis' computer, according to testimony. They also found computer folders with images of Heeringa and Bletsch. Willis' cousin, Kevin Bluhm, earlier was convicted of helping Willis after the murder of Heeringa. Bluhm in an interview with police in 2016 said Willis had called him over to their grandfather's home where he saw a bound and nude dead woman, identified by Willis as "Jessica, the gas station girl," and a video camera on a table next to her, according to law enforcement testimony. She had injuries to her head and consistent with a sexual assault, he told police, officers testified. Bluhm also said he helped get rid of Heeringa's body, though he later recanted everything he said. Willis, in his pre-sentence statement Monday, claimed he was framed for the crimes by crooked law enforcement officials who mishandled evidence. He then claimed he was convicted by jurors who were sleeping and communicating via Facebook during the Bletsch trial. He recited the names of several of the jurors with whom he was unhappy. He also blamed "unscrupulous news organizations" for purposely spreading inaccurate information. And, he said his own defense team failed him by denying him access to "important information I needed to make quality decisions, and its ineptness in laying out a case that could be articulated to a disenfranchised jury and a blood-thirsty public." Willis also described his "best friend in the world" as a Norton Shores Police officer. Officer Shawn Stefanich was the first person Willis called following his arrest for the teenager's kidnapping, according to a press release the Norton Shores Police Department issued at the time. Willis said his police officer friend "would frequently talk about how others in his profession would bend the rules, lie in their reports and while under oath, and back each other up in that old boys network, brothers in brown, if things got tight." Willis appeared to fight back tears as he talked about the liberties guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights that he said were denied to him. He also appeared emotional when he talked about his grandmother who "sacrificed her well-being to forge a better America" and his grandfather who "fought to protect my presumption of innocence." He blamed himself for failing to properly convey the sentiment of the kiss he blew in court, and told Bletsch family members he was "truly sorry." Willis had refused to remain in court to hear the Bletsch family statements at his sentencing for Rebekah Bletsch's murder, and it was while he was leaving the courtroom that he blew the kiss. The state Legislature has since enacted a law requiring defendants to remain in courtrooms to hear victim impact statements. After the proceedings, Bletsch's sister, Jessica Josephson, and mother, Debra Reamer, rejected Willis' apology as another one of his "lies." "He watched my family as he walked past and blew that kiss to us," Josephson said. "That wasn't for D.J. (Hilson). He's just trying to look good." "He's done," Reamer said, describing Willis' tears in court as "fake." "He was blaming everybody for what happened except himself," Reamer said through tears. "Take ownership as to what you did. Don't lie to us. It's not our fault that you're in jail. It's your own fault. Blame it on your actions. "His actions today didn't get him anything," Reamer said. "We appreciate everything D.J. did and said, and all the police that were in on this. Everybody - thank you." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 18) Filipinos overseas sent more money home in April, reversing the almost 10 percent drop in March, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced Monday. Personal remittance rose by 12.9 percent in April to reach $2.6 billion (around P139 billion). This was a turnaround from March when remittances contracted by 9.9 percent also at $2.6 billion Personal remittances for January to April 2018 totalled $10.4 billion (P555.9 billion). BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla said this is four percent higher than the same period last year. The central bank said the April figure was driven by remittance inflows from land-based Overseas Filipino workers with work contracts of one year or more which aggregated to $8.1 billion (P432.9 billion). Meanwhile, sea-based workers and land-based workers with short-term contracts reached $2.1 billion (P112.2 billion). "Remittances sent by land-based workers (at US$1.8 billion) and sea-based workers (at US$0.5 billion) increased by 15.1 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively, compared to the levels posted in the same month a year ago," the statement read. The BSP also said primary contributors to the growth in remittances in April are the U.S. with 4.2 percentage points contribution to the 12.7 percent aggregated growth, Canada with 1.9 percentage points, and Singapore with 1.0 percentage point. "The increase in the cash remittances in April 2018 brought the cumulative cash remittances for the first four months of the year to US$9.4 billion, higher by 3.5 percent year-on-year," it said. The central bank added almost 80 percent of total cash remittances during the period came from the U.S., Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Qatar, and Kuwait. Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here. Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) There is always an argument going on somewhere on the internet. You dont have to look far your social media feed is a war zone, the comment sections are the front lines, and everyone is armed with either a reply, a share, a meme, a gif, a link, or a screenshot. Given all the power and possibility were granted with social media, its really no surprise that things can get really toxic really fast. But for the countless conversations that end up in name-calling or Godwins law, there are many that result in productive discourse. So now we ask: With it being so easy to tip the conversation into stressful and stubborn insult matches, how can we handle online discourses with enough care that it ends in peaceful terms? Create a safe space Arguably the most important thing we can keep in mind as social media users is that for peaceful and productive discourse to happen, our goal is to create a space that allows for everyone to feel less hostile, less aggressive, and more open to collaboration or, at least, an agreement. This always starts with being mindful about what you release on the internet and realizing that our actions online can be just as impactful as the ones offline, even if its not always as tangible. The power of our comments are emphasized even more when you take into consideration the potential amount of people who can see and be influenced by what we say, so a sense of accountability needs to be in place. The centrality of the communication process to online life places a lot of responsibility on its participants, says Andrew Ty, an instructor at the Department of Communication of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). We need to be aware of our power online in creating social relations. Instead of thinking about ourselves, [like] I have to be responsible because I have so much communicative power online; we should think of others, [such as] I have to be responsible because others could be hurt by my power. Carlos Quiapo, an engineer who actively engages in online discourse with his family, adds that he usually takes time to assess posts he wants to share on social media. If I want to share a post, I usually just save it first and read it again later. If I really want to share it again, thats when I hit the share button, he says. Another big factor in creating safer spaces is helping people not feel personally attacked even if you disagree with their statements. Concentrate on the argument and concentrate on the discussion. Understand where the person is coming from, Miguel Lizada, an instructor at the Department of English of ADMU shares. Lizada also feels that safer online spaces need to have more positive affirmations as opposed to pure criticism. Its important to end conversations in reconciliatory ways. I think this is one of my problems with Call-Out Culture. Ive been called-out a couple of times already. In some cases, after the person has been called out and after the person has realized he has made a mistake, and he or she corrects it, there is no sense of affirmation, Lizada adds. Call-Out Culture which Asam Ahmad defines as the tendency among progressives, radicals, activists, and community organizers to publicly name instances or patterns of oppressive behaviour and language use by others has been very common in online spheres and is extremely helpful in correcting fake news or pointing out problematic statements. However, it can also easily cross the line into personal attacks if the user calling-out does so with the intention of humiliating or taking down the person behind the message. It also happens unintentionally if the person calling out doesnt take time to consider the feelings of the other person. Its a fine line to tread, but some affirmation and positive reinforcement is also helpful in making things feel less hostile. When dealing with focusing on the argument and on the facts, we should also be careful in recognizing what we perceive to be the truth about the person commenting and when we ourselves reply. Sometimes, we should ask ourselves why we write online. Is it to become popular or to help in the shaping of public opinion? Danilo Arao [People think,] What I say [on social media] is what I feel. Im sincere about what I say, therefore it must be true. We sometimes confuse sincerity with truth. Both are closely related, but not exactly the same thing, adds Ty. Understanding the difference helps us be more careful in dealing with other peoples personal truths, which can be very dear to them. Ultimately, it always comes back to respect and making it clear that youre speaking from a place of authenticity and compassion. And while in many cases, a lot of people hide behind anonymity online, several of us do have our profiles as our perceived selves that we let become vulnerable. Lizada, who has a certain amount of online followers, says: Always remember that the more followers you gain, the more you have to realize whether you like it or not that you will have a public persona. You cannot just say, Well, this is my opinion. This is who I am. Deal with it. People will look up to you and whatever you represent. You can take care of that by being respectful and responsible especially in the face of healthy, productive discussions. Check yourself first If you want to engage in online discourse, it helps to ask yourself why you want to do it and what your objectives are. I think people should have reasons to participate in an online discussion, and they should be honest about and aware of them, Ty adds. While there are online users who are responsible, there are those who post just for the sake of posting (or mema in the youth's parlance)," shares Danilo Arao, a professor of online journalism and media ethics at the University of the Philippines - Diliman, in an email interview. Sometimes, we should ask ourselves why we write online. Is it to become popular or to help in the shaping of public opinion? he says. Arao also adds that we should also ask ourselves if it is in our place to participate at this certain time. First, [people] should know if they have enough information to contribute to the discussion; speculation or second guessing does not help raise the level of discussion. Second, are inflammatory comments dominating a discussion thread? It may be best not to engage them as it would be one's waste of time. Third, do you have a new reference, perspective or idea to offer that hasn't been articulated by other online users? Mere validation of another person's point is good, but original ideas are better, Anilao says. Being aware of your own biases and shortcomings are also essential in fostering more productive discussions. We are not correct all the time. And we were not born with our political views. We grow into them ... If you're being rude to someone for disagreeing with you, it doesn't mean you're better you're just rude, adds Trisha*, a communications manager. Coming in with this awareness might also prompt others to question and be more aware of themselves as well. And according to Ty, there is one last crucial step in checking yourself: Be prepared to have your reasons for participation change and be prepared for the same to happen to your expectations of the others and their world. This is because an online discussion must generate a new social dynamic that includes you and others. You can't come in expecting not to be changed by an encounter, and if those others aren't willing to change also, then the result is what some categorize as unproductive discussion that goes nowhere. People will have their own reasons for chiming in, and knowing your own motivations and faults will help guide your words and actions without insulting or disrespecting anyone. And if you find that your reasons are to put down the other side instead of making them understand your point of view, then some reconsideration may be needed. Understand why social media can cause us to react more negatively than necessary Ty says that one reason why online discussions can become so heated is because users tend to perceive a need to be more defensive of their online personas. The first thing that we do on any social media account is to construct the self that people will see, Ty shares. But because were responsible for creating that identity, we feel very protective of it Its meant to stand in for who we are. He explains that because of this sense of ownership, created by the feeling that weve placed so much of ourselves on social media, criticism on content we create can affect us very personally. On platforms like Twitter, users also have a sense of turf on their pages they want to protect it yet also want to open it up to the whole world. Taking this feeling of protectiveness and putting it together with the very public nature of social media only makes it worse. [There is] a 'spectacle' aspect of social media as well as the 'pressure' of coming out as the 'winner' of the discussion, shares Trisha*, who says she usually observes online discourse rather than openly engage. [People think,] What I say [on social media] is what I feel. Im sincere about what I say, therefore it must be true. We sometimes confuse sincerity with truth. Both are closely related, but not exactly the same thing. Andrew Ty Beginning with this understanding can prove to be helpful when trying to be more considerate and patient with both yourself and others when participating in online discourse. Oftentimes, people are also strongly offended by opinions differing from their own because theyre so accustomed to being surrounded by opinions that match theirs. Arao explains that this could be due to the Uses and Gratification Theory, which says that people actively look for media that affirms their own beliefs and meets their own satisfaction. [This] could explain why people have varied reasons for using [and] maximizing social media based on, among others, level of education and political beliefs, Arao adds. Josef Olaybal, an art director who actively participates in online discourse with his peers, also shares that Facebook tweaks users algorithm, making everyone live in their own social bubble. He tends to engage with people online not necessarily to change minds or win the argument, but when he feels that not all sides are being represented. Introducing other points of view is important, says Olaybal. You might not change that specific persons mind, but it [can] still influence those silent readers who are on the fence regarding the subject ... So I try to ask before participating: Do I really feel compelled to? Is it a question no one's asking? Know the time and place for everything It proves to be tricky, but reading the situation and trying to understand what reaction is needed is essential in creating healthy and productive online discussions. For example, a lot of people pick their battles when they can tell if engaging will not result in something fruitful, but instead end up in pointless arguing. It could be as simple as recognizing the objectives of the other person (if theyre just trolling, for example). Responsible online users should avoid feeding the trolls. The level of discourse on social media should be kept at a high level, in such a way that only a healthy exchange of ideas is tolerated on one's social media account, says Arao. But if you cant tell from the get-go, we can always gauge the situation before coming in with a response right away. How is the person I'm talking to reacting? Are they emotional? Trisha shares when she weighs the status of a discussion. Jason Chamberlain, a copywriter who engages in the comment sections of news articles and the like, shares his approach. I would practice the habit of asking questions first before making assumptions on other people if theres something that you find you want to disagree with, he shares. Because a question can be challenging enough to who youre opposed to but it doesnt attack them in any way youre just asking them to explain themselves more. Knowing when to disengage helps as well. We can ask if its necessary that the two parties agree on certain topics, or if the issue can even be completely resolved via online discussion. Its not to say that we should never engage, but knowing when to resist, when to question, and when to respond in what way is critical in the interest of healthy dialogue. And while we want to be respectful, we should not sacrifice our point in order to completely accommodate the other. I dont want to say that we need to be overly polite Being overly polite leads to disingenuous conversation. Theres a time and a place for anger and even harsh criticism, Cruz adds. In the end, we must always try to respond in ways that are respectful of each other and contributes positively to the culture we want to have on social media. [Online discussions] are about realizing that what we exchange in communication (ideas, opinions, feelings, etc.) are important but not more so than what we produce in communication: social relations and community, Ty shares. *** *Names are changed upon the request of the subject. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 18) It's time to find the best spot the third brightest object in the sky, the International Space Station, will be visible from earth on June 15 to July 1, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said. The ISS is the only man-made object in the list25.com website's "25 Brightest Objects In Space That You Can See With Your Naked Eye." It is the third brightest object next to the sun and moon. NASA said the ISS passes overhead in several thousand locations worldwide but will be visible only when it's dark. From the sky, it looks like a fast-moving plane travelling thousand of miles an hour in a much higher altitude. The sightings are possible from June 15 to July 1, 2018. It happens within a few hours before or after sunrise or sunset. In the Philippines, the ISS can be seen for several days. On Monday it can be seen starting at 6:49pm, 6:50pm, and 6:51pm depending on your location. NASA's Spot The Station web page said there are ten (10) possible locations in the Philippines where the ISS can be spotted in the sky. Below is the list of places in the country where ISS sightings are possible. NASA said the space station is visible within an 80 kilometer radius around each identified location. Manila Binan, Laguna San Jose, San Narciso, Zambales Cabanatuan City, N.E. Bacolod City Balamban, Cebu Cebu City Cagayan de Oro City Davao City Zamboanga City Visit NASA's website for details of the ISS sightings. There are already 226,254 people who have spotted the station as of posting time, according to NASA's website. Post-Italian drama, bond yields rose for 2 straight weeks heading into last week's Fed and ECB announcements. They both proved friendly and the positive momentum continued on Friday. The timing of the Italian drama was important because it began helping bonds right as US 10yr yields were hitting 7-year highs. As yields rose back toward those highs early last week, it was fair to wonder if Italy had merely delayed a move to even weaker levels. The response to last week's central bank events suggested--if not proved--that bonds don't need to re-test high ceilings just yet. Moreover, there may even be a chance to rally. To reiterate a word of caution I've offered a few times, the fundamentals--at the very least--would not make a sustained rally easy. It's the sort of thing that would need a constant supply of inspiration. Think of Italy as very inspiring but very temporary. Now, had the situation quickly spiraled into the death of the European Union, sure! That would have been sufficient, but it was never exceptionally likely. Unfortunately for mortgage market participants who are also fans of a solid stock market, the key contender for "constant supply of inspiration" would be something like a long-feared bear market in stocks, perhaps brought about by trade war fallout or simply the rolling over of the economic cycle. As for the near-term future, this week is lacking in any major calendar events. As such, we'll be left to follow technicals and key levels to track momentum. The strongest case would be a rally down to the yellow line in the following chart. This would complete the "Head & Shoulders" pattern in bond yields and suggest a big break lower (the kind I think will be hard to come by without fundamental motivation). 2.915 is a good near-term pivot point. A willingness to hold under there early in the week would provide even more confirmation that bonds aren't merely in an extended consolidation before heading back up to late May's high yields. After quitting his job last year to travel the world by moto, which is nice work if you can get it, Joe Tustin took off again in May for Patagonia on his KLR650. Everything was going reasonably well until he got to Nicaragua, where theres some kind of a revolution going on. Who knew? Anyway, theres an interesting story about his adventure over here at The Daily Beast. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 17) Authorities on Sunday denied an alleged "tanim bala" incident involving a passenger at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). In a statement, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) maintained that the live bullet found in the luggage of passenger Kristine Bumanglag-Moran on Friday was not planted. "The DOTr-MIAA firmly maintains that there was no irregularity on the actions of screening personnel, who simply strictly followed standard operating procedures," the statement read. Bumanglag-Moran posted about the incident on her Facebook page, saying she was "shocked" and "dismayed" when authorities discovered a 9-millimeter bullet inside her luggage upon check in at the NAIA Terminal 3 Gate 2. Bumanglag-Moran, who was traveling to Zamboanga with her daughter and mother, also recounted yelling expletives at the authorities during the incident, and remained firm she had no knowledge of the bullet prior to its discovery. The DOTr-MIAA detailed the result of its investigation, saying the plastic-wrapped bag was subjected to baggage search after the X-ray operator observed an image of a bullet. "After completing the procedural aspects of screening, Ms. Bumanglag removed the clear plastic wrap of the bag in question. A search was conducted in the presence of Ms. Bumanglag, and a video was taken by a screening personnel to allay fears of a 'tanim bala' scheme," it said. After the bullet was recovered, authorities then informed Bumanglag-Moran that the item will be confiscated, and assured her to board the flight after documentation. MIAA General Manager Ed Monreal said they have forwarded the results of their investigation to the Malacanang on Sunday. One of the airport personnel also uploaded videos of the manual search of Bumanglag-Moran's luggage on Facebook, which showed the authorities following proper protocol. The DOTr-MIAA added Bumanglag-Moran's father is a retired Marine, while her brother is connected with the Philippine National Police. "Note that since the Duterte administration took over, not a single passenger has missed a flight due to a piece of ammunition. Not a single passenger was asked to pay any amount to anyone, which is what the 'tanim bala' scheme is all about," the statement said. Despite having at least 20 similar cases in 2018, Monreal assured the public that the airport is now free of any "tanim bala" schemes. "I assure the public, wala hong tanim bala na dito sa ating paliparan. Yan po ay mga insidente lang sa ibang pasahero na nagdadala ng mga anting-anting kadalasan, o kung minsan po ay nakalimutan nila sa bag na dala nila," Monreal said. [Translation: I assure the public there are no more 'tanim bala' schemes in our airport. There are just incidents where our passengers bring bullets, often as lucky charms, and sometimes just forgotten that it was there.] Monreal also appealed to the public not to bring any restricted objects to the airports to avoid hassle. The "tanim bala" scheme, which gained the spotlight in 2015, was a scam where a bullet was planted in the baggage of travelers, mostly overseas Filipino workers, senior citizens and tourists. Scammers then demand money to drop charges of unlawful possession of ammunition. CNN Philippines' Makoi Popioco contributed to this 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 [] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 18) The Department of Justice has allowed Australian nun Sister Patricia Fox to stay in the country after it revoked the order of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to cancel her missionary visa. Acting on Fox's appeal, DOJ on Monday said it has nullified the order of BI to forfeit her missionary visa and its order for her to leave the country by end of May for the Immigration's decision was "without legal basis." Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the Bureau of Immigration does not have the power to forfeit visas. "What BI did in this case is beyond what the law provides, that is why it has to be struck down," he said in a statement. Instead of visa forfeiture, Guevarra said the proper procedure in this case should have been one for visa cancellation. He directed the BI to determine whether there was enough evidence against Fox that would warrant the cancellation of her visa. The DOJ secretary also directed the BI to hear the deportation case already pending against Fox. "We are returning this case to the BI for its proper disposition... Until a final resolution of the visa cancellation and/or deportation proceedings is reached, or until the expiration of her missionary visa, whichever comes first, Sister Fox may continue to perform her duties as a missionary in the Philippines," DOJ said. In a series of text messages to CNN Philippines, Guevarra said the BI explained why they forfeited Fox's visa in its pleadings. He added the BI argued "that the power to 'forfeit' a visa is implied in its given powers." Guevarra said, however, this was not an abuse of power but a "mere jurisdictional error." Immigration bureau spokesperson Dana Sandoval said while the agency will follow the Justice department's orders, it regularly does visa forfeitures. "Visa forfeiture is a regular process, but it is not written in the omnibus rules so the DOJ found out that we have to follow what is written on the omnibus rules," Sandoval told CNN Philippines' News Night. "Basically, we have to send notice to the aggrieved party and we have to require them to submit their counter-affidavit before we hear their visa cancellation case," she added. Fox's lawyer Jobert Pahilga, meanwhile, said their camp welcomes the DOJ order. He said, however they are worried the BI might not renew the Australian nun's visa once it expires on September. He also maintained Fox did not violate any laws, as her participation in assemblies are "part and parcel of her apostolate and missionary work." "Her participation in such gatherings or assemblies is an exercise of her right to freedom of expression and assembly, and even if she is a foreigner, she is entitled and guaranteed by the Constitution such right," Pahilga said. Pahilga also said they received an order from the Immigration bureau's Board of Special Inquiry informing their camp that the agency is proceeding with the hearing of Fox's deportation case. They are then given 15 days to file a memorandum on the case. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said they respect the resolution issued by Guevarra. On April 23, the bureau ordered the 71-year-old nun's missionary visa forfeited. It was set to expire on September 5, 2018. The order included her deportation by the end of May. On May 30, BI denied her appeal, paving the way for her mandated exit from the country. But the camp of Fox asked DOJ to reinstate her missionary visa and let her stay in the country. BI on April 16 arrested and detained Fox for "attending protest rallies and engaging in political activities." It said her participation in the protests violated the conditions of her stay in the country. President Rodrigo Duterte admitted on April 18 that he ordered the probe on Fox, which led to her temporary detention for questioning. CNN Philippines correspondent AC Nicholls contributed to this report. CHESHIRE An apartment complex on Country Club Road and Stony Hill Road sold to a California investor late last month for nearly $2 million. The property is one of fewer than a dozen large apartment buildings in town and one of only two that have sold in recent years according to Taylor Perun, a senior associate with Northeast Private Client Group which brokered the deal. Cheshire renters tend to be very stable and move infrequently, leading to low vacancy rates. The demand for rental units in Cheshire is very strong, Perun said. Regency Court LLC sold the complex to Country Club Road LLC for $1.98 million. The buyer is a Los Angeles-based investor looking for passive income according to Perun. The complex has 22 units, most of which are one-bedrooms that rent for about $1,000. There are also ten garage bays that are also rented. It was built in 1956. Cheshire apartment buildings have high earning potential, Perun said, and sell infrequently. In the past six years, hes been involved in only two sales. They tend to be legacy owners and they tend to hold on to them, he said. Jerry Sitko, the towns economic development coordinator, said its market-driven whether Cheshire will have more rental housing. He said the apartment building was desirable for an investor since theres a limited number in town. Theres a demand for that kind of housing too, Sitko said. jbuchanan@record-journal.com 203-317-2230 Twitter: @JBuchananRJ MERIDEN After 16 years of handling the citys labor contracts and litigation, associate city attorney Jack Gorman has announced he will be retiring in September. What I really loved was being part of a team running a city, said Gorman, 63. Its 24/7, 365 days a year. It never closes. Gorman now earns $109,982 a year. His last day will be Sept. 28. After 15 years as a lawyer in private practice, Gorman began working as the citys associate attorney in 2002. He has primarily handled union grievances and other labor issues, including litigation. Corporation Counsel Michael Quinn, who heads the citys legal department, said Gorman has made substantial contributions to the city. Its a big loss, Quinn said. He is a great asset to the department and has performed above and beyond everything hes been asked to do. Acting City Manager Ken Morgan said the city plans to post Gormans position in the next two weeks and will be seeking a licensed attorney with labor experience. A salary survey is planned to determine the pay rate for the new hire, Morgan said. Gorman, who lives in Waterbury, said he plans to relocate to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he hopes to get involved in financial planning for working families. Its time for me to move on to other things, Gorman said. ltauss@record-journal.com 203-317-2231 Twitter: @LeighTaussRJ BRISTOL Nine people were injured when a minivan struck a pole near the entrance to Lake Compounce Sunday night. The injuries ranged from minor to serious, but non were considered non-life threatening, said Southington Fire Department Battalion Chief Glenn Dube. The crash occurred about 7:30 p.m. on Enterprise Drive. A minivan struck a support pole for a gate about 7:30 p.m., injuring four adults and five children. They were taken to Hartford Hospital, Saint Francis Hospital, Connecticut Childrens Medical Center, and The Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain, Dube said. The children ranged in age from 2 years old to teens. Bristol police are investigating the crash. Lauren Sellew It was standing room only with some delays during the launch of the Hartford Line this weekend, as nearly 22,000 commuters came out for free rides on the new CTrail service. Its unbelievable, Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker said. We dont expect to be moving that many people in a day for a while. Crowds for the new rail service seemed at times to be larger that the trains could handle, causing delays. At one point on Sunday, CTrail asked people to stop boarding trains so they could get everyone back home. Peter Pan and Connecticut Transit buses were recruited to help. Rather than see it as a problem, the team has the capacity to handle almost anything, Redeker said. Doing this on the fly is a credit to the professionalism of the team working on the service. Amtrak is part of this as well. The Hartford Line runs from Springfield to New Haven. The launch wasnt without mechanical glitches one train was sidetracked Sunday because of a compressor issue, and maintenance crews had to add cars to a train to help clear the backlog. The compressor was fixed, but a dispatching glitch caused delays for part of the morning Monday. DOT didnt have ridership numbers for Monday afternoon, the first day customers would need to purchase tickets, because Amtrak hadnt yet submitted numbers from hand-held devices. State and local officials agreed the larger than expected crowds were largely to blame for weekend delays. Local officials and business advocates expressed hope the rail would offer more commuting options for workers. A contingent of Meriden officials rode the 12:20 p.m. train Saturday to Hartford. It was crowded, but everybody got a seat and we werent in a rush, said Juliet Burdelski, director of Economic Development for the city. We were amazed at how quickly we could get into Hartford. The Meriden station area with the new park is by far the prettiest on the line. Burdelski plans to use the CTrail and Shore Line East trains to commute from her home along the shore to work, and is working with employers to determine how they can use it to move workers throughout the region. A train ride from Meriden to Hartford, including a stop in Berlin, took 17 minutes Sunday. It was really swift, she said. Sean Moore, president of the Midstate Chamber of Commerce, said he didnt think anyone expected the crowds and praised the CTrail staff. It did exactly what it was intended to do, Moore said. It created a buzz and gave everybody a first experience to see how efficient, how comfortable, even if crowded. The chamber is also looking to promote the rail service to current and prospective employers. At a job fair Friday, 25 employers were made aware of the rail service and two have partnered to make it available to employees. Its a game changer, Moore said. The last train out of Hartford is 10:30 p.m. That is an option we never had on a fixed bus route. The problem we had was, we can get you to work but we cant get you home. As word catches on, it will be fabulous. Moore said the line will basically rely on three groups of riders to succeed: area residents who will regularly use the train instead of a vehicle, frequent commuters from outside the area, and those who will occasionally use the rail for special events. He said college students in New Haven use the train to visit Stony Creek Brewery in Branford, and thinks Meriden, Wallingford, and Berlin can offer similar attractions. The Twilight Concert Series on Friday nights at the Meriden Green could draw train riders to Meriden, for example. Ulbrich Steel and Specialty Metals is looking at forming a partnership with Masonicare to use its shuttles to bring workers from the Wallingford train station to jobs at Ulbrich or Masonicare. The trains are coming through, Ulbrich President Chris Ulbrich said. There are workers in Springfield and Stamford. Can they work at Ulbrich or Masonicare? Were going to be exploring it. Thats the new world. mgodin@record-journal.com 203-317-2255 Twitter: @Cconnbiz Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 18) Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday said President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to cancel the peace talks with communist rebels before the military gave their recommendation to do so. "The President has already decided to postpone the peace talks when the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) gave their security briefing and a recommendation to postpone the resumption of the talks for three months," Lorenzana said. "Their reason was to be able to study the signed stand down agreement and how to implement it," he added. READ: Stand-down agreement between gov't, NDFP shows progress in talks On June 14, Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza said the fifth round of peace talks slated on June 28 in Oslo, Norway would "not happen as originally set and as originally announced by the media." He said more consultations with the public were needed. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of the Philippines on Sunday released a statement saying the unilateral cancellation of the talks by the government was to give way to the ongoing campaign plan of the Armed Forces of the Philippines for "all-out military offensive across the country until the end of 2018." Lorenzana said this is "not true," and that Duterte decided to postpone the negotiations during a command conference led by government panel chair Silvestre Bello III. "It was in the course of this briefing and subsequent question and answer that the President decided that he needs more time to review all past agreements between the NDF (National Democratic Front) and GRP (government of the Philippines) and the results of the recent backchanneling," Lorenzana said. Dureza also said on Sunday Duterte had ordered the postponement of peace talks to further study the negotiations. "Sabi [ni President Duterte,] 'I would like to study this very well.' And so he said, 'Give me time.' Kaya yung na-announce na resumption of talks on June 28, sabi niya, 'Wag muna,'" he added. [Translation: President Duterte said, 'I would like to study this very well.' And so he said, 'Give me time.' That's why when it was announced that the talks will resume on June 28, he said, 'Not now.'] Dureza said while the consultations are on hold, they will hold discussions with different sectors of the community, including Church-based groups, the youth, and the business sector. "We have to engage the bigger table eh, hindi lang yung tinatawag natin na small table as I always say," Dureza said. 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. Representatives of the government and the rebels had been holding back channel discussions about returning to the negotiating table, after Duterte walked away from the talks in November 2017. The President ended the on-and-off negotiations with Communist rebels as both sides accused each other of violating their ceasefire agreement. The Duterte administration is the sixth to hold peace talks with the NDF, political wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which has been waging nearly five decades of insurgency against the government. National Geographic WILD is home to a big family of animal caretakers and rescuers. In these special episodes, check out how the Men of WILD are helping all kinds of creatures one case at a time. Fridays from 8:30pm AEDT. Sign up to receive the First Reading newsletter, your guide to the world of Canadian politics. First Reading is your guide to the world of Canadian politics. Sign up now> Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 18) For the first time, President Rodrigo Duterte talked about reports of Chinese coast guard personnel allegedly stealing the catch of Filipino fishermen in Scarborough Shoal. The President described the incident as a form of barter. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque earlier said the incident was not harassment pointing out that whenever the Chinese coast guard would take the catch of Filipino fishermen, they would give them cigarettes and water in return. Although the President did say that theres a problem in terms of valuation or the value of the items being traded President Duterte said and it was not an outright seizure. It was a barter. In exchange for the isda [fish]. Eh ang problema ang [The problem is in the] valuation, we dont have a way of... In a barter, its wishful thinking, the value of that...Hindi tayo nagkakaintindihan dito [We do not understand each other here]. It was not an outright seizure, he said. Roque was quick to clarify what the Commander in Chief meant saying while the President referred to the incident as abarter, it does not mean it was acceptable to the President. Hindi naman po, kaya sinabi nga po ni Presidente hindi naman nagkakasundo sa valuation. So kung magkakaroon ng barter, dapat siguro eh mas malinaw kung ano yung pinagkasunduan nung partido, at siguro kung gusto talaga nilang mag-barter, maghimasok na yung mga gobyerno ng Tsina at ng Pilipinas dahil hindi sila nagkakaintindiahn gaya ng sinabi ni Presidente. Siguro dapat magkaron ng interpreters don," he said. [Translation: The President said the valuation was not equal. So if barter were to happen, what was agreed upon should be clear, and if they really want to barter, China and the Philippines should be involved because they did not understand each other as the President said. Maybe interpreters should be present.] Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the coast guards of both the Philippines and China are coordinating to improve how these barters could improve. He said perhaps better protocols are being studied. "So ang maaaring mangyari dito ay sabihan ng China ang kanilang coast guard na no contact policy. And problema sa no contact policy, meron tayong cases na nasiraan yung mga mangingisda, tinulungan ng Chinese. May mga cases tayo na ang mga lumalapit sa ship at sumesensyas na gusto nila magbarter," he said. [Translation: What could happen here is China could tell its coast guard that there should be a no contact policy. The problem with a no contact policy is there are cases of fishermen's boats breaking down and the Chinese would help them. There are cases of (fishermen) approaching the ship and signalling they want to barter.] The President was the guest speaker at the 120th founding anniversary celebration of the Department of Foreign Affairs where he discussed his actions towards Chinas aggressiveness in disputed areas in the South China Sea. President Duterte said the government had filed a protest in relation to Chinese bombers deployed at the disputed Woody Island which he stressed was not even among those being claimed by the Philippines. After reiterating he would eventually discuss with China the arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines claims in Scarborough Shoal, he said China was no pushover and it cannot be scared. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 18) The military said Monday it is verifying reports that five Maute-ISIS gunmen have been killed in the firefight with government troops in Lanao del Sur province. The clashes have forced more than 1,300 families to flee to safety, officials said. The fighting with remnants of the pro-Islamic State group militants led by their commander Owayda Benito Marohombsar alias Abu Dar continued Monday, a day after it erupted in Barangay Guiarong, at the boundary of Tubaran and Pagayawan towns. The military launched air strikes and artillery fire, and on Monday continued ground assaults, with troops capturing a Maute-ISIS camp in Tubaran, Joint Task Force Ranao Deputy Commander Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. said He said officials were verifying reports that five of the 40 fighters who clashed with the military were killed. He said there were no reports of deaths or injuries on the government side, and there was no mention that Abu Dar was among those killed. "As of now, there are reports indicating that 5 members of the Maute-ISIS group led by Owayda Benito Marohombsar alias Abu Dar, have been killed," Brawner said in a separate message to reporters. "The military is still verifying these reports." In an interview with CNN Philipines Monday, Brawner said they have yet to confirm if Abu Dar was one of those killed in the operations. "We still have to confirm the five casualties because we have to find a cadaver, or we have to declare body counts before we can say that the five casualties are confirmed," he said. In a separate interview on CNN Philippines' Balitaan, he said: "Meron na naitalang 1,300 families na evacuated. This includes yung home-based yung mga umuwi sa kamag-anak nila but majority of them are in the evacuation centers." [Translation: We have listed about 1,300 families that have evacuated. This includes "home-based" evacuees - those that have fled to family members - but majority of them are in the evacuation centers.] Brawner said the military was targeting Abu Dar, believed to be the last remaining commander of the ISIS-Maute group, as part of a long-term operation. "This is actually part of a bigger military operation which started months ago. We started with our intelligence operations because as we promised we are going to run after the remnants of the Maute-ISIS," Brawner said. Maute-ISIS group gunmen last year stormed Marawi City, the capital of Lanao del Sur, triggering a five-month war that left more than a thousand people dead, most of them local and foreign militants. The violence displaced nearly 360,000 residents and left the mosque-studded city in ruins. Brawner assured residents the firefight will not result in another siege as the militants have retreated to a mountainous region, far from residential areas. "Ito po ay sa mountainous area ng Tubaran at Pagayawan doon sa may boundary, so yung mga fears ng ating mga kababayan na baka nasira na naman ang mga bayan ng Tubaran at Pagayawan hindi po ito nangyari," he said. [Translation:The clash took place in the mountainous area at the boundary of Tubaran and Pagayan, so there is no need to fear that the centers of the towns will be destroyed] Brawner revealed the targeted group was responsible for the killing of a barangay official during the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections this year. "We have been monitoring the group of Abu Dar - he is the only remaining leader of the Maute-ISIS and so we have been monitoring their group for several months. In fact that during the barangay and SK elections, their group was involved in the killing of one of the barangay captains," he added. Malacanang said the presence of the remaining Maute group members is not a cause for alarm since Mindanao is still under Martial Law and the extremist group has become smaller. "Ito'y nagpapatunay na talagang may kalaban pa tayo sa Mindanao kaya nga po dahilan na naririyan pa ang martial law," Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a press briefing Monday. "Hindi dapat ikabahala na 'to dahil ang pwersa nila ay kakaunti na lang at tingin ko naman dahil sa martial law na umiiral mahihirapan din talaga magkaroon ng tangible gains ang ating mga kalaban," [Translation: This proves that we still have enemies in Mindanao that's why we still have Martial Law there. This is not a cause for alarm because there are only few of their forces left and I think because there is still Martial Law, the group will have a hard time getting tangible gains.] "An anticipated operation" Lanao del Sur assemblyman Zia Alonto Adiong said the gun battle was anticipated given that the Tubaran area has been known to have housed several groups from Abu Dar's group. "We didn't expect it to be so soon but it was not surprising at all kasi alam po natin na may mga remnants ng ISIS-Maute group na nandiyan sa may area ng Tubaran [because we know there were remnants of the ISIS-Maute group in the Tubaran area]," Adiong told CNN Philippines' Balitaan. He maintained that the municipalities were not invaded by the Maute group and said the battle was merely a preempted military operation to apprehend the remaining extremists. "Hindi po nilusob ang Tubaran. In fact ito po ay military operation para ineutralize ang mga mieymbro ng ISIS-Maute na pinangungunahan ni Abu Dar," he said. [Translation: The Maute group did not invade Tubaran in fact this is a military operation to neutralize the members of the ISI-Maute group lead by Abu Dar] Adiong said he instructed the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to attend to the needs of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and instructed the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office to provide relief goods to the evacuees. He added that reinforcements from the Provincial Health Office are on their way to bring more medical officers to the evacuation centers. On Sunday, Casamila Sedic from the Municipal Social Welfare Development Office (MSWDO) of Tubaran on Sunday initially reported around 500 families from the municipality have been evacuated to Tangkal Elementary School and National High School, and to the multi-purpose building of Malaganding. These families were from Barangays Wago, Guiarong Tubaran, Malaganding, Tubaran Proper, Madaya, Gaput, Dinaigan, and Alog, she said. The MSWDO of Pagayawan estimated 255 families were displaced in their area with only 57 transferred to Toril and Tent evacuation centers. The families were from Barangays Padas, Guiarong Pagayawan, Linindingan, Diampaca, Bangon, and Madang. Some evacuees were held up in Barangay Padas, and Diampaca due to pending military clearance, MSWDO's report on Sunday said. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Financial Secretary Paul Chan will visit Beijing from June 19 to 22. He will visit the ministries of Finance, Commerce and Science & Technology; the China Banking & Insurance Regulatory Commission; the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office; and other agencies. Mr Chan will attend the opening ceremony for the Youth Internship Programme at the Chinese Academy of Sciences organised by the Home Affairs Bureau. He will also take part in the ACCA Global Summit. Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury James Lau will join parts of the visit. Operation Restore Legacy, which reached tipping point with a nationwide march on November 18 last year and paved way for the new political dispensation in Zimbabwe, will be concluded by voting for President Mnangagwa on July 30, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said yesterday. VP Chiwenga encouraged people to vote for President Mnangagwas lieutenants in Senate, the National Assembly and local authorities. Addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters at a rally in Mabvuku-Tafara Constituency to drum up support for the ruling party ahead of the elections, VP Chiwenga, who was accompanied by his wife Marry, described the nationwide solidarity march against the previous administration as the first step towards total independence of the Zimbabwean people. He said Zimbabweans should further come out in their numbers come July 30 to vote for the ruling party, bringing Operation Restore Legacy to an end. Today, we want to remind each other that following events that took place in November under Operation Restore Legacy which saw the coming in of the new dispensation, the other leg is still hanging in the air, said VP Chiwenga. You came out in your numbers on November 18 demonstrating in peace and today we are saying in the same spirit, lets rally behind President Mnangagwa and all Zanu-PF candidates vying for local authorities, Upper and Lower House of Assembly seats come July 30 so that we conclude Operation Restore Legacy. VP Chiwenga likened President Mnangagwa to the biblical Joshua who led Israelites into Canaan, saying Zanu-PF with his leadership was poised for economic prosperity. He called for unity among all Zimbabweans, as exhibited in the November 18 solidarity march, to rebuild Zimbabwe. VP Chiwenga said rebuilding the country would be achievable by shunning corruption. In line with the Zanu-PF manifesto, let us all unite to build our nation and this is only possible through shunning corruption at all levels, he said. Corruption does not only happen in Government, but at different levels of society. VP Chiwenga said the Zanu-PF Government was working on bringing total independence and national development through various programmes. He said some suburbs such as Mabvuku and Tafara were left underdeveloped for many years by MDC-dominated local authorities, thereby limiting access to social services for residents. He said roads, infrastructure, water supplies and sewer reticulation had all been run down. These are the things that MDC-led local authorities have failed to address over the years, said VP Chiwenga. Together with their Members of Parliament, they have not done anything for the period they have been in Mabvuku. This is why we took it upon ourselves as Zanu-PF to rehabilitate all the roads that you have seen being worked on. It is not the local authority, but Zanu-PF Government through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development. VP Chiwenga said Government was also working on improving peoples accommodation by constructing high rise buildings, an initiative that will save on land use while accommodating many people. He said they were also looking forward to empowerment programmes for youths, as well as making vending markets for those in the informal sector conducive and organised. VP Chiwenga reiterated that Government was working on financial reforms to address cash shortages, which are aimed at promoting plastic money, while working on the reintroduction of the local currency. He said Zimbabwe was endowed with many natural resources, which will also go a long way in pursuing the countrys economic growth. These are issues that cannot be solved today or tomorrow, but a process, said VP Chiwenga. Zanu-PF deputy national commissar Cde Omega Hungwe, Politburo members Cde Prisca Mupfumira and Cde Cleveria Chizema, Harare Provincial Minister of State Miriam Chikukwa, Finance deputy Minister Terence Mukupe and Zanu-PF candidate for Mabvuku-Tafara constituency Cde Godwills Masimirembwa were some of the dignitaries at the rally. Cde Masimirembwa will square off against 13 other parliamentary candidates, including two from MDC Alliance Mr James Maridadi and Mr James Chidhakwa as well as MDC-T candidate Mr Joseph Chikwanha come July 30. Herald The Game Was Almost Over. Then, Over the PA: 'Protect Yourselves' Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 18) Senate President Tito Sotto has his predecessor's support amid social media backlash against his request to take down online articles purportedly linking him to the rape and death of 1980s starlet Pepsi Paloma. Senator Koko Pimentel told CNN Philippines' The Source that there should be a recourse for someone affected by opinion pieces on popular websites. "Ako [Me], I understand. Sometimes it's really unfair," said Pimentel. "This person should be allowed to request a deletion of the said article painting him in a negative light." Sotto, in a letter dated May 29, requested Inquirer.net the news website of broadsheet Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Inquirer Group of Companies to take down three articles about his alleged cover-up of Paloma's rape. He said the articles made "malicious imputation of a crime" against him and that such "unverified articles" have negatively affected his reputation. Paloma was allegedly gang raped in 1982 by comedians Ritchie D'Horsie, Joey de Leon, and Vic Sotto the Senate President's younger brother. The articles penned by U.S.-based columnist Rodel Rodis quoted an account by Paloma that accused the older Sotto of "coercing" her to drop the rape case. The starlet was reported to have died of suicide in 1985. The two columns, however, raised the question of whether Paloma was murdered. The third story Sotto requested taken down was a news piece about him denying using his influence to steer the case in favor of his brother. Pimentel raised "the right to be forgotten," a concept that gained prominence in a United Kingdom-based legal case where two businessmen wanted Google to remove search results about their previous criminal convictions. "In other countries, they have already recognized the right to forget because of the permanence of the Internet," said Pimentel. However, Rodis the writer behind the pieces warned that the deletion of the columns could set a dangerous precedent. "If Sotto succeeds, then Jinggoy Estrada, Bongbong Marcos, [President Rodrigo] Duterte and even China will make similar demands that my critical articles about them should also be removed from the Inquirer website," he said. Inquirer.net, in a statement Saturday, said it has not yet made a decision on Sotto's request. It said it has acted on similar requests from people and organizations about other articles based on its own investigation and journalistic values and principles. (Newser) The outcry over children being separated from their parents at the Mexican border may have caused a rift in another family: the Trumps. Melania Trump "hates to see children separated from their families," the first lady's office said Sunday in what the Guardian describes as "a rare statement at odds with her husband's policy." The first lady did, however, also say that she "hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together," which is in line with Trump's claims that a law created by Democrats is responsible for the family separations, not the "zero tolerance" policy his administration introduced this spring, the New York Times reports. Melania "believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with a heart," her office said. story continues below The first lady was far from the only Republicanor Republican first ladyto speak out against the policy Sunday. In an op-ed at the Washington Post, Laura Bush denounced the policy as "cruel" and "immoral." Images of children being "warehoused" in converted stores "are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in US history," she wrote, blaming the separations on the administration's "zero tolerance policy for their parents, who are accused of illegally crossing our borders." Leading Democrats also denounced the policy Sunday, including Bill Clinton, who tweeted that on Father's Day, he was "thinking of the thousands of children separated from their parents at the border. These children should not be a negotiating tool." (Kellyanne Conway says that as a mother and a Catholic, she doesn't like the policy.) (Newser) Ketamine, a powerful sedative used on both humans and animals, is referred to as a "date-rape drug" in the Minneapolis police manual because it can alter or erase memory. It's also used to subdue suspects at the request of Minneapolis police, according to a city report. The report found that on dozens of occasions over the last three years, EMS workers used the drug during police calls, including times when no apparent crime had been committed, the Star Tribune reports. Health workers in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, are allowed to use the drug on "profoundly agitated" people who can't be restrained, but "in many cases, the individual being detained or arrested was not only handcuffed, but strapped down on a stretcher in an ambulance before receiving ketamine," the report states. story continues below In some cases the sedative stopped suspects' hearts or breathing until they were medically revived, according to the report from the city's Office of Police Conduct Review. The office, a division of the city's Department of Civil Rights, compiled the report by looking for the word "ketamine" in police reports and watching body-camera footage. John Gordon, executive director of the ACLU in Minnesota, tells the New York Times that a "horrible abuse of power" took place if police ordered EMS workers to give the drug to suspects. After the Star Tribune article, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said it was "irresponsible" for the paper to release findings from the "incomplete" reports. He added that the report was "devoid of any input from medical personnel." (Read more Minneapolis stories.) (Newser) DeWayne Johnson is going to diebut first, he will see the company he blames for his cancer in court. Johnson, a 46-year-old father of three, is the first of hundreds of cancer patients suing Monsanto to have his case go to trial, the International Business Times reports. The California man used the company's Roundup weed killer 20 to 30 times a year when he worked for a school district between 2012 and 2015, and his lawsuit alleges that the company covered up the dangers of the product for decades, reports the Guardian. Johnson, who suffers from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, has lesions over around 80% of his body and is sometimes unable to move or speak. He was granted an expedited trial because doctors say he may not see 2019. story continues below Monsanto rejects the lawsuit's accusation that glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, causes cancer, and says studies linking it to cancer are vastly outnumbered by studies stating the opposite. "We have empathy for anyone suffering from cancer, but the scientific evidence clearly shows that glyphosate was not the cause," Monsanto spokesman Scott Partridge says. Johnson's case is expected to set a precedent for hundreds or thousands of others. "Mr. Johnson is angry and is the most safety-oriented person I know," his attorney, Timothy Litzenburg, tells CNN. "Right now, he is the bravest dude in America. Whatever happens with the trial and his health, his sons get to know that." (Read more Monsanto stories.) (Newser) That Otto Warmbier's trouble began with an incident at the Yanggakdo Hotel in Pyongyang is well known, the details of it, less so. In front of North Korean reporters, the American confessed to "committ[ing] the crime of taking down a political slogan"said to be a propaganda poster"from the staff holding area" of the hotel. It would ultimately cost him his life. In a lengthy piece for the BBC by Megha Mohan, Calvin Sun recounts his own trip to Yanggakdo Hotel, and the "missing" 5th floor, the floor that some say Warmbier "undoubtedly ventured onto," writes Mohan. Sun's own trip happened after his first year of medical school, in 2011, when the American ended up there after taking a private tour of North Korea that departed from China. story continues below On his group's fifth and final night in Pyongyang, Sun says they were for the first time not supervised by their North Korean guides and decided to explore the 47-story hoteland try to determine if there really was a fifth floor. The elevator has buttons for floors four and six, but not five, and some in the group had heard rumors about the quirk. And so they accessed a stairwell and found an unlocked, unguarded door that opened onto a floor whose ceiling height was significantly lower than that of the other floors. A corridor featured mostly locked doors, though an open one revealed a room that held what looked like hotel surveillance equipment. Among the propaganda posters was one that read, "This bomb is the product of the Americans. Every product of the Americans is our enemy. Get revenge a thousand hundred times against the Americans." Read the full story here. (Read more Longform stories.) (Newser) The UN humans rights chief issued his strongest denunciation yet regarding the separation of immigrant children from their parents at the US border and demanded that it stop immediately, reports the New York Times. "The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable," said Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights. He also made reference to the American Academy of Pediatrics' characterization of the issue as "government-sanctioned child abuse." Other developments on the issue: No such policy: Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen tweeted Sunday, "We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period." She elaborated: "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." Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen tweeted Sunday, "We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period." She elaborated: "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." New defiance: It's that last "broken a law" part that has led to the separations. Under the administration's new zero-tolerance policy, the feds are prosecuting all adults caught illegally crossing the border, and thus any kids with them are being taken away. "Illegal actions have and must have consequences," Nielsen told the National Sheriffs' Association Monday, per ABC News. "We are enforcing the laws passed by Congress," she said, adding that agents shouldn't apologize for doing their jobs, reports the AP. story continues below Stephen Miller: On that zero-tolerance policy, Trump adviser Stephen Miller said it was a no-brainer: "It was a simple decision by the administration to have a zero-tolerance policy for illegal entry, period," he told the New York Times. "The message is that no one is exempt from immigration law." On that zero-tolerance policy, Trump adviser Stephen Miller said it was a no-brainer: "It was a simple decision by the administration to have a zero-tolerance policy for illegal entry, period," he told the New York Times. "The message is that no one is exempt from immigration law." Trump: The president continued to blame Democrats. "Why don't the Democrats give us the votes to fix the world's worst immigration laws?" he tweeted Monday. He also asserted that Germany is in chaos because of lax immigration rules, adding, "We don't want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us!" The president continued to blame Democrats. "Why don't the Democrats give us the votes to fix the world's worst immigration laws?" he tweeted Monday. He also asserted that Germany is in chaos because of lax immigration rules, adding, "We don't want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us!" Trump II: In yet more tweets, Trump claimed that "children are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country" and called crime south of the border "historic." And he lodged another familiar criticism: "It is the Democrats fault for being weak and ineffective with Boarder (sic) Security and Crime." In yet more tweets, Trump claimed that "children are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country" and called crime south of the border "historic." And he lodged another familiar criticism: "It is the Democrats fault for being weak and ineffective with Boarder (sic) Security and Crime." Support: The Daily Beast commissioned a poll asking if people agreed with the following: "It is appropriate to separate undocumented immigrant parents from their children when they cross the border in order to discourage others from crossing the border illegally." Among Republicans, 46% agreed, more than Democrats (14%) and independents (29%). The Daily Beast commissioned a poll asking if people agreed with the following: "It is appropriate to separate undocumented immigrant parents from their children when they cross the border in order to discourage others from crossing the border illegally." Among Republicans, 46% agreed, more than Democrats (14%) and independents (29%). GOP critics: CNN rounds up Republicans who have criticized the separations. Anthony Scaramucci joined the group on Monday. Laura Bush and Melania Trump spoke out on the issue . (Read more Kirstjen Nielsen stories.) (Newser) The World Health Organization says some obsessive video gamers may actually have an addiction. In its latest revision to a disease classification manual, the UN health agency said Monday that compulsively playing video games now qualifies as a mental health condition, per the AP. WHO said classifying "gaming disorder" as a separate condition will help governments, families, and health care workers be more vigilant and prepared to ID risks. The agency and other experts note that cases of the condition are still rare, with no more than up to 3% of all gamers thought to be affected. Dr. Mark Griffiths, a professor of behavioral addiction, says the new classification will help legitimize the problems and strengthen treatment strategies. Others agree, saying it's critical to ID those hooked on gaming quickly, as they're usually teens or young adults who don't seek help themselves. story continues below But Dr. Joan Harvey, a spokeswoman for the British Psychological Society, warns the new designation might cause unnecessary concern among parents. "People need to understand this doesn't mean every child who spends hours in their room playing games is an addict," she says. The American Psychiatric Association hasn't yet deemed gaming disorder to be a mental health problem, noting more research is needed. Dr. Shekhar Saxena, director of WHO's department for mental health and substance abuse, says to just "be on the lookout" to see if someone's gaming habit is taking over and "interfering with the expected functions of the person." A rep for Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists said that gaming addictions are usually best treated with psychological therapies and that some medicines might also work. (Read more gaming stories.) (Newser) Surveillance video captured a scary scene in northwest China Saturday, when an unspecified ceiling decoration collapsed onto a people-packed escalator. The incident occurred at the Huashan Mountain tourist center in Huayin City, and Fox News reports at least nine people were injured, though none seriously, per news.com.au. The footage shows those on the escalator look up a split second before the material came crashing down. The cause of the collapse is under investigation. Huashan Mountain is a destination with religious significance, having been home to a number of prominent Taoist monasteries. (This remains one of the worst escalator stories we've covered.) (Newser) After anecdotal warnings circulated on social media, Disney has issued an official seizure warning for Incredibles 2. Both the film and the trailer contain flashing or strobe light effects, which can cause seizures for some epileptic viewers; the Epilepsy Foundation spoke out about the issue, and a petition called for Disney to include a visual warning about the lights. On Friday, Disney asked theaters showing the movie to include such a warning, reports CNBC, which calls it an "unprecedented" move by the company. The lights can also affect people who suffer from migraines or have other conditions causing them to be photosensitive. Disney's official memo reads, "Incredibles 2 contains a sequence of flashing lights, which may affect customers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy or other photosensitivities." (Read more Disney stories.) New Delhi: The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in a report warned that the growth of digital currencies like bitcoin could break the internet. In a 24-page report published on its website on Sunday, the BIS also warned that cryptocurrencies cannot be trusted the way sovereign currencies can. BIS is often described as the central bank for central banks. Unlike central bank-issued denominations, virtual currencies are produced, or mined, by banks of computers solving complex algorithms, and then freely traded online. The other key difference with typical currencies is that the number of bitcoin in existence can never exceed 21 million. There are currently some 17 million bitcoins in circulation. Bitcoins surge in value from a few cents to a peak in December 2017 of $19,500 turned some of its first investors into billionaires. In a scenario where a countrys entire population turned to a digital currency like bitcoin, the size of the ledger would swell well beyond the storage capacity of a typical smartphone in a matter of days, beyond that of a typical personal computer in a matter of weeks and beyond that of servers in a matter of months, the BIS said. But the issue goes well beyond storage capacity, and extends to processing capacity: only supercomputers could keep up with verification of the incoming transactions...The associated communication volumes could bring the internet to a halt, it said. The BIS, which has previously warned of the fraud risk in cryptocurrencies, noted that there was a fragile foundation of trust in such systems. In mainstream payment systems, once an individual payment makes its way through the national payment system and ultimately through the central bank books, it cannot be revoked. In contrast, permission less cryptocurrencies cannot guarantee the finality of individual payment, the report said. Furthermore, the BIS pointed to the unstable value of currencies such as bitcoin. This arises from the absence of a central issuer with a mandate to guarantee the currencys stability, it said. More broadly, the BIS raised long-standing regulatory concerns over the use of cryptocurrencies, particularly with regards to money-laundering and financing of terrorism. The report pointed to the case of the Silk Road underground marketplace for drugs and other contraband, which was shut down by the FBI in 2013, and which had used virtual currencies like bitcoin to shield customers from detection. (With inputs from AFP/Zurich) For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who has been sitting on a hunger strike at Lt Governor Anil Baijals office for the last six days, on Monday rushed to hospital after his health deteriorated. A team of doctors was called in at L-G Baijails office, where Sisodia was sitting on a dharna since last Monday. The doctors found that Sisodias ketone level had increased to a dangerous level and decided to shift him to the hospital. Earlier on Sunday night, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain was admitted to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital after he complained of uneasiness in breathing. Jain was also on an indefinite fast demanding action against IAS officers halting work for the last six days. AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, along with Sisodia, Jain and another cabinet colleague Gopal Rai, has been sitting on a dharna inside L-G Baijals office since last Monday, demanding action against IAS officers halting work for last four months and clearance to a door-to-door ration delivery scheme. Seeing no action from L-Gs side, Jain began an indefinite hunger strike from Tuesday. However, Baijal still didnt respond to their strike and on Wednesday Sisodia also started indefinite fast. The AAP leaders alleged that the Lt Governor, who is appointed by the prime minister, was instigating the IAS officers strike on PMOs directions to destabilise the Delhi government. The IAS Association, however, denied the allegations of the AAP and said that they were being used by the party for political reasons. New Delhi: A gang war broke out between members of Gogi and Tillu gangs in north Delhi's Burari area on Monday, leaving three dead and five others injured. The police said that the gangsters were traveling in SUVs and opened fire at each others car at around 10:15 am in Buraris Sant Nagar. Over 10 rounds of bullets were fired during the gang war. The bullets hit a man and a woman who were passing by the shootout spot. They both died of the bullet injuries. According to an eyewitness, one of the gang members used to go to a gym in the Sant Nagar area. At around 10:15 am, as soon as he came out of the gym, a Fortuner car opened fire on him. The deceased were yet be to identified and the Delhi police was present at the spot where the firing took place. New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who has been on indefinite hunger strike for the last one week, has been hospitalised after his health deteriorated, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Sunday night. The health minister was taken to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital, officials said. "Our team of 3 specialists- cardiologist, diabetologist and nephrologist, was checking them (ministers on strike) morning and evening. Satyendra Jain was stable in the afternoon but his ketone level was high. In the evening, he complained of a headache, nausea and breathing problems," ANI quoted Dr JS Passey, LNJP hospital, as saying. In a tweet, Jain had shared a summary of his health report, which said that the ketone level in his urine was increasing and the minister was losing weight rapidly. "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. Also Read | Zero in work, hero in dharna: BJP on Kejriwals sit-in at Lt Governors office Dr Passey said that while Jain's blood pressure came back to normal and his condition was stable, Manish Sisodia's ketone level went high. "His blood pressure is normal now. He is having some breathing issues, but stable. Deputy CM's ketone level is also high. Delhi CM is fine, he isn't on a hunger strike," Dr Passey said. Jain, along with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai were sitting on a dharna inside Lt Governor Anil Baijal's office since last Monday. He was on hunger strike since Tuesday. Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues were camping inside Baijal's office waiting room, demanding that he ask the Delhi IAS officials to end their "illegal strike" and approve a doorstep ration delivery scheme. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Delhi High court on Monday slammed Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet ministers for their sit-in protest at Lt Governor Anil Baijalas office. Hearing a petition filed by BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, the High Court sharply questioned Kejriwalas dharna and said that the AAP leader cannot go inside someone's house and hold a strike. aThing is that youare sitting on aA dharna. Who authorised them to sit on aA dharnaA like this?a the court asked, adding, aThis canat be called a strike. You canat go inside someoneas office or house and hold a strike there.a On Delhi government lawyeras argument that holding a dharna was an aindividual decisiona, the court responded, aIs it authorised?a Kejriwal and his four cabinet colleagues a Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai a have been camping inside Baijalas office waiting room since last Monday, demanding that he ask the Delhi IAS officials to end their aillegal strikea and approve a doorstep ration delivery scheme. Also Read |A AAP Dharna Day 8: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain hospitalised as his health deteriorates The Delhi chief minister had alleged that the Prime Ministeras Office (PMO) and Lt Governor Anil Baijal were behind the astrikea by the IAS officers. The AAP chief claimed that the IAS officers in the national capital were halting the work since last four months and were not attending the meeting and phone calls of Delhi ministers. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Four 40th Assam Rifles personnel were killed and six others injured in an ambush by suspected NSCN (Khaplang) terrorists in Mon district of Nagaland near Indo-Myanmar border on Sunday. The attack took place at around 2:30 pm when Assam Rifles personnel, along with Territorial Army personnel, were on their way to fetch water from a river. The suspected NSCN (Khaplang) terrorists attacked them with Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and hand grenades near Aboi, some 35 kilometers away from the district headquarter. There are reports of an encounter that took place around 2.30pm. The Khaplang faction is suspected to be behind the attack on Assam Rifles, Mon district superintendent of police Vechipa Vise said. Also Read | Ramzan Ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir not to be extended, says Rajnath Singh The injured jawans were airlifted by an Army chopper and taken to Jorhat in Assam for medical treatment. Two of the six injured jawans were stated to be in critical condition. This was the second such attack on Assam Rifles jawan in last few years. Earlier in 2015, eight jawans of the 23rd Assam Rifles were killed and six others injured in an ambush by NSCN (K) terrorists in the same Mon district of Nagaland. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Islamic State (IS) has claimed that its fighter had carried out the June 16 attack on 29 Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jammu and Kashmir police at Pantha Chowk in Srinagar. On June 16, after Eid celebrations, a terrorist had opened fire at CRPF and J&K police personnel. One CRPF Jawan was injured in the attack claimed by the international terrorist organisation IS. The black flags of the Islamic State and Pakistan were also waived during the clashes which broke out after Namaz offering. Protesters, with their faces covered, hurled stones at the security forces, prompting them to use tear gas shells to disperse the mob. This was the third attack in the country which was claimed by the IS. The terror organisation had carried out several attacks across the world and had footprints in many countries including the US, UK and France, but it failed to set up its base in India. However, the security forces have increased their vigilance in wake of the recent attack claimed by the Islamic State. Earlier in February 2018, the IS had claimed involvement in an attack on a Badgam post in which Senior Constable Shameer Ahmed was martyred. In November 2017, a terrorist attack in Srinagars Zakura in which Sub-Inspector Imran Tak was killed, was also claimed by the terror organisation. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A day after Centre revoked month-long unilateral ceasefireA during Ramzan, an encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmiras Bandipora area on Monday. So far, four terrorists have been gunned down by the security forces in the ongoing encounter, reported ANI. Following an intelligenceA about the presence of militants in the area, security forces on Monday morning launched an anti-militancy operation in Bandipora district. As the troops were closing in, the terrorists opened fire, promptingA security personnel to retaliate. Earlier on Sunday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had announced the resumption of the anti-terror operations in the Valley, which were suspended during the month of Ramzan. Security forces have adopted a proactive approach setting up check barriers at various places across the valley including the summer capital of the state. Updates: #12:05 PM: Two more terrorists gunned down by security forces. Death toll rises to four in Bandipora encounter. #UPDATE J&K: Encounter in Bandipora between security forces and terrorists underway, four terrorists have been killed so far pic.twitter.com/uYQl77YoYr a ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 #11:55 AM: J&K DGP assures safety to Amarnath Yatra Pilgrims:A All preparations for it have been done, I invite devotees to come without any fear, but yes they should follow the necessary security alerts given by security forces, says SP Vaid #11:50 AM: ISIS, LeT & Jaish all are sameA for us:A ISIS, LeT & Jaish-e-Mohammed are same for us. They all will be dealt with in the same manner. We are doing the best we can, says SP Vaid, DGP J&K. ISIS, LeT & Jaish-e-Mohammed are same for us. They all will be dealt with in the same manner. We are doing the best we can: SP Vaid, DGP J&K. pic.twitter.com/0Q4qHpLo3B a ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 #11:45 AM:A J&K: Encounter in Bandipora between security forces and terrorists underway, two terrorists have been killed so far. J&K: Encounter in Bandipora between security forces and terrorists underway, two terrorists have been killed so far pic.twitter.com/E9DApQ0GhY a ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 #011:30 AM: Hello and welcome to the News Nation live updates. A day after Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced the resumption of the unilateral Ramzan ceasefire, security forces gunned down four terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora. The encounter is still underway. Stick with us as we bring you all the latestA updates on the Bandipora gun battle. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Seychelles President Danny Faures announcement ahead of his India visit on June 25 that the joint development of a strategically-important naval base on Assumption Island stands abandoned is a major setback to India in the plans to get a foothold in the Indian Ocean. President Faure told his countrys parliament last week that he will not take up the deal with India for ratification. The deal had been touted as a major breakthrough by India in its efforts to counter Chinese hegemony when it was mooted on Prime Minister Narendra Modis official visit to Seychelles in 2015. Evidently, while paying lip service to improving relations with India, China has been systematically weakening the Indian hold on Indian Ocean coastal states. After successes in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Maldives, it is now the turn of Seychelles in expanding the Chinese footprint. The Indo-Seychelles deals abandonment through vociferous resistance from the countrys opposition bears the hint of a Chinese gameplan to sabotage Indias entry into the power games in the Indian Ocean in which Beijing brooks no challenge. Wavell John Charles Ramkalawan, the leader of Opposition of Seychelles, had said after a visit to New Delhi in January last that he would oppose the deal. Indias efforts to bring him on board clearly failed to make an impact on him or perhaps the Chinese pressure on him and on the President was too much for them to withstand. Also Read | Setback to India as Seychelles backs out of strategic military base Significantly, a revised agreement for the development of the Assumption island to alleviate political concerns within the Indian Ocean nation over ownership and use of the facility that India will develop was signed in January but despite that, the project is being abandoned. President Faure is apparently coming to India to explain the compulsions for him to backtrack on the deal which had been agreed to in principle three years ago though he has said that there would be no discussion on that during his visit. A report on a Bahraini whose faith and courage made his country proud 77 years ago dominated social media yesterday. Ali Al Awadhi became a proud symbol of the Kingdom as he performed Tawaf (circumambulating the Kaaba), during the 1941 flood which caused the Kaaba to be surrounded by water. The pictures from 77 years ago show Al Awadhi in the water, which measured up to more than a meter and a half high, in front of Maqam Ibrahim, as well as his brother and friend sitting by the door of the Kaba in the back. Al Awadhi, who passed away in 2015, has previously said that he was about 12-years-old studying in Mecca, when the heavy rain persisted for an entire week without any interruptions. He said that he went to the Meccan Sanctuary with his brother and two of his friends, as well as his teacher, when they found the place completely flooded. Al Awadhi, who used to swim often, said he suggested performing Tawaf around Kaaba by swimming for their pilgrimage to count. As quoted from the Islamic prophet Muhammads biography, the first person to perform Tawaf swimming was the sahabi (the prophets companion) Abd Allah Al Zubayr. Others who swam around the kaba include scholar Badr Al Din bin Jamaa, who dove every time he approached the stone to kiss it. Performing Tawaaf by swimming is a rare form of worship. Mecca has seen many large floods, but according to historians, it is never high enough for someone to swim, except for two incident, one from the Islamic era, and one 77 years ago. Jurina Matsui of SKE48, one of the AKB48 family of all-female idol groups, has taken the No. 1 spot in the franchiseas annual popularity contest, which was the first to let its Thai and Taiwanese members join the 10-year-old event. Fans voted Matsui to the top of the groupas list of the 100 most popular members on Saturday after four-time winner Rino Sashihara opted not to run this year. Two members from Bangkok-based BNK48 made the list as well: Cherprang Areekul at No. 39 and Praewa Suthamphong at No. 72. A record 339 members ran in the 10th so-called General Election. The top 16 will get to record the next single for AKB48. AKB48, named after the Akihabara electronics and anime district in Tokyo, is known for having churned out consecutive million-seller singles. It has also boosted its presence overseas by forming sister groups in other parts of Asia. BNK48 has had great success with its cover of AKB48as aKoisuru Fortune Cookiea (aFortune Cookie in Lovea), a hit originally released in 2013. A presidential aspirant on the platform of Young Progressive Party (YPP), Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, has promised to reposition Nigerias ... A presidential aspirant on the platform of Young Progressive Party (YPP), Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, has promised to reposition Nigerias economy and fight social vices like drug abuse and poverty, if voted into office in 2019.Moghalu, a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), faulted economic and social contract policies of the present administration and insisted that a lot need to be done to put Nigeria in its pride of place as the giant of Africa.According to Moghalu, who spoke during a town hall meeting with his Kano supporters at Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies (Mambayya House), said the time has come to redeem Nigeria.The aspirant said: This is the time to heal Nigeria. This is the time to wage war against poverty and drug abuse. This is the time to rebuild a nation and take it on the right part of economic prosperity.This is the time for a technocrat that has physical and mental energy, a visionary leader that will not discriminate or marginalise against religious or ethnic divide to take over the mantle of leadership.He promised to introduce a N1 trillion equity capital fund to boost entrepreneurial capital economy among teeming unemployed youths where they would engage in massive skills acquisition programme that would make them self-reliant and responsible citizens.At Emir of Kanos palace, when he visited the monarch, Muhammad Sanusi ll, Moghalu lamented that the rate of poverty in Nigeria was a serious national security threat that could not be overlooked by any serious government.He said he was aspiring for the office of president for three reasons: to build a nation that would unite its citizens devoid of their religion and ethnic differences, to revive the nations economy and restore the countrys lost glory.The rate of poverty, unemployment and drug abuse, especially among youth and women, is getting worst by the day. My vision is to wage a decisive war against these vices. I have an economic plan that is independent from oil. I have a one trillion ventured capital economic plan that will provide job opportunities to youths and women, he stated.Emir Sanusi urged politicians to ensure that the 2019 general election was peaceful and noting that peace was the key to development and progress of every nation.Emir Sanusi also admonished politicians to allow electorates to elect leaders of their choice, saying under a democratic regime, everyone has a right to elect leaders of his choice.He added that it was not the contest that matters, rather the contribution a contestant could offer to improve the living standard of the electorates if elected. The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Monday said that the Dangote Refinery, Petrochemical and Fertilizer projects would solve the countrys crude oil refining and exporting challenges, when completed.Alhaji Debo Ahmed, the Chairman, Western Zone of IPMAN said in Lagos that the refinery would address the lingering crisis of importing refined products into the country.Ahmed said that the $16b investment project would revamp the oil and gas industry when it finally kick-starts its operations.He, however, appealed to all stakeholders to support the actualisation of the huge investments to address the challenges confronting the nations downstream sector.Ahmed said that the Dangote refinery would impact positively on the downstream investments and significantly boost the countrys economic growth.According to him, its 650, 000 barrels per day refining capacity projects would have a great multiplier effect on the nations economy when completed.The refinery is expected to solve the countrys crude oil refining and exporting challenges when completed. It will also be able to supply 95 per cent of local daily consumption.It is also expected that half of Nigerias crude would then be refined and exported, rather than just exporting crude, to create jobs elsewhere, he said.The IPMAN boss, therefore, urged government to harness the potentials of the private sector to make the national economy recover speedily.The Dangote Refinery, Petrochemicals and Fertilizer Project, which is reputed to be the biggest in Africa, when completed, will offer a lot of relief in the quest for the diversification of Nigerias economy from a total dependence on oil to other areas like agriculture and solid minerals.We have been assured that when the project fully takes off, it would save the country over 12 billion dollars now being spent on the importation of oil into the country.It has also been said that it would as well save for Nigeria about three billion dollars per annum on forex from exports, he added.The IPMAN official said it was, therefore, needful for government to support the project to come on stream, adding that the company had substantial compliance to local content development since most of its jobs were being handled by Nigerians.The 650, 000 BPD refinery project located in the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos State is scheduled to come on stream by 2019, and expected to increase to 90 per cent by 2030.Construction work on the ongoing Dangote Refinery project commenced in 2013. The Ekiti State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has accused the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr Kayode ... The party alleged that a team of FSARS had arrived the state from Lagos to arrest some PDP members including the Chairman of Oye Local Government, Mr. Sunday Alonge and PDP Chairman in Oye LGA, Mr. Sunday Ojo, on what it described as trumped-up charges.The party in a statement released yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, alleged that the FSARS men who are armed to the teeth paraded the nooks and crannies of Oye LGA in two vans in search of Alonge and Ojo.Adebayo claimed that Fayemi had alleged that the duo were involved in the destruction of his billboard in Oye town two weeks ago during the campaign visit of the PDP candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola.The PDP spokesman said: Fayemi and his party members became jittery and devastated seeing the overwhelming popularity of PDP in his local government area where he was defeated four years ago, hence his resolve to silence some PDP chieftains who he perceived would be mobilising to ensure he fails again.Two white Hilux vans full of men of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad have started the manhunt for Hon Sunday Alonge and Mr Ojo Sunday since Tuesday while harassing other members of PDP shown them by Dr Fayemis agents who follow them around.We have raised this alarm recently that out of desperation, the APC candidate will result to brigandage, blackmail and violence immediately he sees failure staring at him in the coming election.We advise the Police especially those that might have been contacted by Dr Kayode Fayemi to always be wary of any report he and his party may be churning to them because he and his party are more comfortable with concocted lies, blackmail, propaganda and violence.We want to equally say that the police should be very vigilant because APC have a culture of false accusations especially when they want to perpetrate same crimes, its APC that will raise alarm and go ahead to act the act.But, the Kayode Fayemi campaign Organisation denied the allegation, saying its not true.A statement by Wole Olujobi, Director of Media said: There is nothing like that. We dont believe in intimidation. It is not part of our political culture in APC. What you are hearing from Fayoses men is part of his propaganda stunts to have undeserved public sympathy through blackmail.You would have read an expose in a report of how Fayose planned to blackmail APC, Dr Kayode Fayemi and his wife. This is part of the scheme and so we are not surprised that Fayose is in his familiar terrain of reckless lies.But note that there are many of his supporters with criminal records that Fayose harbours in the Government House that ought to be arrested to face alleged murder and sundry charges. They are still in the Government House under his protection.There is no evidence that they have been arrested. If their imminent arrest is what is forcing this false alarm, we are not surprised because that is how Fayose operates. Elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai has given reasons some members of the National Assembly will backpedal in the reported plan to impea... Elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai has given reasons some members of the National Assembly will backpedal in the reported plan to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari. According to him, some of the lawmakers will need the help of the party and the support of their governors and the President in their bid to return for another term and so would not want to involve themselves in the impeachment processes. Yakassai also spoke of the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, alleging that Buhari is aware of the actions of the police and is using the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris to trouble the Senate. Speaking on the alarm raised by a former President Olusegun Obasanjo that President Buhari is trying to harm him, Yakassai told Sun that Obasanjo may go through the same trial as Saraki. He said, If the police can go and arrest a senator and put him in their wagon, isnt that enough indication that a lot can come thereafter. Now, the Senate President is placed in a situation where he has been implicated by some suspects who are under pressure from the police. On the impeachment threat by the legislature, Yakasai said, Minority would have their say, but the majority would have their way. What is the position of the majority in the National Assembly? Its what we should see. Everybody must not think alike, but then we have to look at the position of the majority. The joint meeting of the National Assembly has given us an idea of where the pendulum is tilting towards in the coming days. The problem with the National Assembly in this regard is thisthe president, by Obasanjos declaration, is the leader of the party. And the governors in their respective states are the leaders of the party. Now, we are approaching the primaries of the parties where some of the members would like to be endorsed. So, I will not be surprised if some of them who are looking for support from either the president or the governors are unwilling to partake in any move to check some of these things. Of Obasanjo and the allegation of pending harassment by the Buhari government, Yakasai said, If his alarm was before the Senate Presidents episode, I would have held some reservation regarding it. But you remember that the Senate President on the floor of the Senate indicated that armed robbers arrested in Kwara State were being transferred to Abuja. He also alerted the Senate that he learnt from the governor of Kwara that they were being forced to implicate him. And a few days afterwards, the Senate President was invited by the police and the police said that it was in connection with the armed robbery incident. Ordinarily, I doubt that a man in the person of the Senate President, with amount of privileges and resources at his disposal long even becoming the Senate president and also taking into consideration also the resources he must have inherited from his father, the reputation of his family and his own reputation as a former governor, that he would allow himself to get involved in armed robbery. In addition, you would recall that the Inspector General of Police had recently said that the Senate president did not like him. I read it in the papers. I am aware that Obasanjo is openly opposed to the second term of Buhari and some of the government functionaries, particularly those who are connected to the next election the police, the security operatives, INEC have blind loyalty to the person of President Buhari. Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has threatened to drag the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and other parties to court over the sale... Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has threatened to drag the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and other parties to court over the sale of nomination form to aspirants in the 2019 election. The senior lawyer insisted that previous court judgments have prohibited such payment. His reaction followed PDPs decision to sell nomination forms for N12 million to its presidential candidates for the 2019 election. Falana blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for his inability to change the guideline despite expressing disappointment that he took a loan of N27m to buy the APC nomination form during the 2015 elections. He told Punch: 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. Aggrieved party members should be encouraged to challenge the prohibitive nomination fees imposed on aspirants by political parties. AN Igbo interest group, Voice from the East, VEAST, has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN, to declare Fulani herdsmen as terrorists because of the dastardly way they have been wasting humans lives and property in Nigeria.The group, VEAST, which made the call in a release made available to pressmen in Enugu, also called on the Federal Government to proscribe Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore who breed the animals.According to the Convener of VEAST, Comrade Kindness Jonah who signed the release, Justice Matthew Kolawoke of the Federal High Court, Abuja, should on June 21, declare both the herdsmen as well as the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, as terrorists following a suit filed by a Makurdi based lawyer, Matthew Nyiutsa before the court.The group maintains that for Nigeria to be one united and indivisible country, armed Fulani herdsmen should be outlawed.We, the VEAST believe that for Nigeria to be trully one , if it must be one, the touchy issue of outlandish killings of innocent Nigerians by the bloodsucking Fulaniherdsmen must be decisively addressed , once and for all on 21 June, 2018 by declaring Fulanihredsmen TERRORISTS they are .VOICE FROM THE EAST ( VEAST) believes that no person worth his salt in Nigeria of today would think twice, to hearing otherwise, the group posits.The group expressed displeasure with the way and manner many lives are being wasted and maimed in various parts of Nigeria by the armed Fulani herdsmen and therefore declared that, we categorically state that both Fulani herdsmen and their mother group as Miyetti allah kautal hore , should be proscribed and tagged terrorist groups.The group pointed out that there was no need recounting the number of lives being wasted on daily basis by the herdsmen, who them posit, are being propelled by the presense of Muhammadu Buhari in power as President who doubles as the Life Patron of Miyetti allah Nigeria, being a former herdsman himself, they allege.They are of the view that Justice Kolawole should save Nigeria from further bloodshed since the President is playing hanky-panky with the issue of banning Fulani herdsmen, the blunder that rather emboldens them daily in murdering spree, by declaring the herdsmen terrorists.We believe that the problem of Nigeria as a Nation is not corruption,but religiously goaded Fulaniherdsmen, who as marauders, go akilling of Nigerians with Executive- approved gusto, since the so- called Executive sees them kill , but does nothing to arrest, prosecute and either kill them or jail them. Fulaniherdsmen are snakes that enter the inner chamber : you either kill the snake or the snake kills you, period. We therefore, place a frantic call on Justice Mattew Kolawole, to please take the bull by the horns, to salvage Nigeria from the pangs of the killers and bloodsuckers called Fulaniherdsmen , who have been nightmare to the generallity of Nigerians in their destructive gambit, the group pleads while asserting that the military as well as the police have compromised and cannot help the situation. VEAST regrets to state that Nigerian military and Police are already compromised being servants of Buhari who is the emloyer of Fulaniherdsmen, and so , cannot help the situation. Residents of Bauchi metropolis, yesterday, continued to count their losses following Saturday nights rainstorm that wreaked havoc in the state capital.Although there was no confirmation of loss of lives, some sources said many lives were lost while properties worth millions of Naira were destroyed.Vanguard learned that the whirlwind that preceded the rain started at about 4p.m., as residents were still celebrating Eid-el Fitri.By the time the rain subsided many houses were badly damaged, trees uprooted and cars covered by blown off roofs.DamagedAreas of the town that were worst hit are Gombe Road, Kofar Dumi, Wuntin-Dada and Yelwa, where buildings and other structures including schools were pulled down, causing deaths and injuries to people.The family of Bauchi State correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Kaigama, narrowly escaped death when their apartment collapsed, following the rainstorm.Kaigama said his wife, two children and an in-law were in the sitting room of his Wuntin Dada residence in Bauchi metropolis, when the rain started. He was out on official duty.His words: Suddenly, the wind and rain became stronger, forcing the walls of our compound and bedroom to collapse.However, the parlour, where my wife and the children were sitting, was not affected. But I can tell you, it was a narrow escape.He said some of his valuables were destroyed, but thanked God for sparing the lives of his family members.My family members are squatting with neighbours, but I am still putting up in the partially collapsed structure, said Kaigama.Red Cross reactsSpeaking with newsmen, the Bauchi State Communication Coordinator of Red Cross, Hajia Asmau Tijjani Umar, said the level of devastation in the disaster was alarming.Hajia Asmau Umar said immediately after the storm, the society swung into action to give first aid to the affected people and communities in the state capital.The Red Cross official called on the affected people to give out information to relevant organisations to enable them compile the losses incured in the disaster. Leaders of Islamic State (ISIS) are sneaking battle-hardened extremists from Syria into Nigeria, according to UK Sun. Leaders of Islamic State (ISIS) are sneaking battle-hardened extremists from Syria into Nigeria, according to UK Sun. Some of the fighters are reportedly sent to the Middle East for training in a chilling exchange programme. The tabloid said the insurgents are trained for possible attacks in Britain. The report quoted sources as saying the strong links between Nigeria and the UK will make it easier for IS to send its killers to Britain. It is feared IS will exploit regular flights between Lagos and London to export more evil to the UK, the report read. Isaac Subi, a group captain, who has been fighting terrorism, said IS has an exchange programme of fighters. They come and train their fighters here and some of our insurgents too are granted access to their training in Yemen and Syria, acquiring those skills and they come back and teach others, he said. They have their exchange programme of fighters. Their poisonous attack has already ended in horror attacks on British streets. Subi added that the lack of secure borders across Africa also makes it easy to spread the bloodshed. There are hundreds of fighters. Its a virus that spreads across our borders. Their action leaves trails of blood and tears and sorrow, he added. UK Sun said at least 150 British troops are conducting counter-terror training with Nigerian forces in an attempt to stem the bloody tide, and stop IS taking hold in the region. Charles Calder, Britains defense adviser in Abuja, said ISIS could be a threat to the UK mainland if unchecked. it could present a threat to both UK interests and conceivably the UK mainland, Calder said. In time, unchecked,it could present a threat to both UK interests and conceivably the UK mainland, Calder said. Sending small, handpicked teams out to military training hubs across the country was the best way to prevent Nigeria from collapsing. Brits has so far trained 35,000 military personnel in Nigeria and commanders say they are now performing better on the frontline. The UK has teams training Nigerias air force, army , naval special forces and the equivalent of the SAS. In 2016, a faction split from Boko Haram, swore allegiance to IS and rebranded itself Islamic State in West Africa. Former Abia state Governor, Dr. Orji Uzo Kalu has blasted former president Olusegun Obasanjo over the letter he wrote to Buhari advising him not to seek re-election come 2019.Orji Kalu who made the declaration over the weekend in Dutse while on a state visit to Jigawa, told the governor Alhaji Muhammed Badaru Abubakar that he is touring the country to sensitise Nigerians on the dire need to allow president Muhammad Buhari to become president come 2019.His words:- People seem to have forgotten when former president Obasanjo was literally absent for about three years travelling all over the world when he was president and then nobody told him not seek re-election.According to the former governor OBJ does not have the moral right to decide for Nigerians who becomes president even though when he was president no one wrote letters advising him against seeking for re-election why he should do so?Kalu said Nigerians have the moral obligation to chose their leaders through the democratic process advising them to go ahead and vote for present Buhari as president while also voting for Muhammed Badaru for Jigawa state governor.He said voting for other peoples other than Buhari is giving an opening for the continued looting of the countrys treasury by looters he stated.Said he:- There wont be any Presidential candidate he would support against 2019 other than President Muhammad Buhari.Although Alhaji Sule Lamido happens to be my bosson friend and an aspirant for Nigerias president in the PDP I told him I wont vote for him against president Muhammad Buhari, he declared.The Jigawa Governor, Alhaji Muhammed Badaru who expressed his excitement over the visit by the former Abia governor said his choice to project the reason for the re election of President Muhammad Buhari is unprecedented.Muhammed Badaru said although president Muhammad Buhari has constantly won elections in jigawa however there is further need to re educate and re energies them to see reason on why they should give Buhari another chance to run for president of the country, he said.Badaru who toured memory lane on how the APC government met the already battered economy by the PDP said, jigawa people are better informed and educated on how we met the state treasury and economy and that is why no one can disillusion them at this moment, he said. Senator Ahmed Makarfi, a former Governor of Kaduna State and former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has formally joined those jostling for the partys 2019 presidential ticket.Former Cross River State governor Donald had last week also declared his intention to run for the 2019 presidential ticket on the same party platform.Also, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who recently defected from ruling All progressives Congress (APC) back to his original PDP, is currently on nationwide consultation to galvanise support for the partys presidential ticket.Makarfi disclosed his intention in Kaduna on Sunday.He explained that he had consulted widely and arrived at the conclusion that the time had come for him to contest for the exalted position.He said unveiled his programme if elected in 2019.Restructuring the country, tackling insecurity, fighting corruption with due process and rule of law, improving the economy, reuniting the nation are top among what my administration will do for the country, he said.Makarfi said the crisis rocking the ruling APC was an advantage for his party to emerge victorious in the election.Makarfi, however, commended president Buharis administrations fight against insurgency. A Nigerian, Paul Akinnuoye, has been jailed for life for stabbing an autistic teenager, Jordan Wright, to death after a Whatsapp argumen... A Nigerian, Paul Akinnuoye, has been jailed for life for stabbing an autistic teenager, Jordan Wright, to death after a Whatsapp argument of who was least gay.The Metropolitan Police, on its website, stated that the 20-year-old traded gay insults with 19-year-old Jordan Wright in a WhatsApp group called Ice city boyz.Akinnuoye called Wright a batty boy and he retorted, On your mums life, Im straighter than you.The argument led to the pair agreeing to a fight in Shooters Hill, South-East London.They were said to have headed into a nearby park, with the teenage victim unaware that Akinnuoye was armed with a kitchen knife.The college graduate, who was due to start an apprenticeship in the construction industry, died after being stabbed in the chest.The police were said to have been originally called around 8.10pm on April 19, 2017, to reports of a stabbing on Hervey Road, at the junction of Begbie Road.On arrival of officers and the London Ambulance Service, Jordan was found to be badly wounded. He later died in a hospital.ITV News reported that at the sentencing, Wrights mother, Katharine Alade, described her son as a happy, loving, thoughtful but solitary child.She said, Due to his autism, Jordan was not realistic and did not understand the complexities of life and what was going on.He did not fully take on board the dangers on the streets these days.She described the impact of one moment of madness,saying, There is not one day when I dont shed tears.She revealed that the trauma caused by her sons death had left her feeling so distressed that she had contemplated suicide.His father, Neville Wright, added that his son was just trying to find himself.Judge Philip Katz, QC, said, This is another family devastated by the untimely death of a young man stabbed to death in public.The trigger for this murder was an utterly trivial dispute on a WhatsApp group chat which involved you, Jordan and others.The British Broadcasting Corporation reported that the judge condemned the defendants friends on WhatsApp who encouraged the fight,.Jordan lost his life as a result of this pathetic goading on social media, Jordans death was as pointless as it was tragic, he said.He told the defendant, Unlike you, he had an innocent outlook on life and did not fully take on board the dangers of knife crime and violence.In mitigation, John Femi-Ola, QC, said Akinnuoye was an A-grade student who came from an academic family and had thrown away the opportunity to study pharmacy at Brighton University. Suspended National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Timi Frank, has told President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigeria... Suspended National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Timi Frank, has told President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians may end up in regret and despair for voting him into office. Frank said this in an open letter he addressed to the President. In the letter, the former mouth piece of the ruling party said the president must do more in obeying the rule of law and stop attacking those he sees as opposition to his administration. Part of Franks letter entitled, June 12 and the Burden of good governance, reads, 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. Ahead of the June 23, National Convention of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the Nigeria Integration Coalition, NIC and the South-South Youths of APC, weekend, raised the alarm that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was jittery over the possible emergence of the immediate past governor of Edo State, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, as the National Chairman of APC, therefore, had embarked on spurious campaign of calumny against him.They vowed to resist any attempt to rubbish Oshiomholes integrity ahead of the partys National Convention, adding that Oshiomholes track record and unblemished integrity will guarantee him victory in the forthcoming convention of the party.NICs statement was endorsed by its National President, Elder Wesley Olowojaiye, while the South South APC spoke through Tony Adun.The NIC condemned what it described as a grand plot by the PDP and its agents who are not comfortable with the likely emergence of Oshiomhole as the next chairman of the party to rubbish the good name of former labour leader. John Agim, acting director of defence information, says some politicians use thugs disguised as herdsmen to attack communities. John Agim, acting director of defence information, says some politicians use thugs disguised as herdsmen to attack communities. Although he did not mention a particular state, the defence spokesman made the comment 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. The Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani has said that he and other aggrieved members of the All Progressiv... The Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani has said that he and other aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, will quit the party if the identified challenges were not resolved. The Senator spoke to journalists, who paid him Sallah homage in Kaduna yesterday, adding that he will be contesting the governorship of the state, unless the Kaduna political stakeholders, which he is a member, decided otherwise. Sani said, We condemned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the past for not being fair and just to its members, but the APC has found itself in similar, if not worst situation, as at today. Sani said himself and other party members will not tolerate or condone injustices, noting that, if solutions to the identified challenges in the APC are not taken care of in the coming weeks, there will be no going back on their decision to leave the party for good. He added, There is a Kaduna political stakeholders, made up of former governors, lawmakers and various party chieftains, and, as a team player, I am a member. I am going to contest the governor of Kaduna State, but, if the stakeholders insist on me going back to the senate, I will have no objection, whatsoever. Nigerians are now more resolved and conscious to vote for people of integrity who will work for them, hence, I have the confidence of winning my election in whatever party I contest, because people will vote individuals based on merit, and not party, in the 2019 general elections. As it is today, over 25 registered political parties have come to us to express solidarity and support, and I can confirm to you that opposition from Kaduna State will come under an alliance of forces in the coming elections. When David Thomson divorced in 1995, he was ordered to pay alimony to his ex-wife. The monthly payment of $2,500 was made via wage garnishments of $1,250 on the 15th and 30th of every month. The payments were to cease upon Thomson's retirement, according to court documents. Over 15 years, Thomson's paycheck was garnished and the payments were made - $450,000 in all. He was released from the payments when he retired in 2010. But now, eight years later, the Morris County Probation Service says it just discovered he missed a payment, making his account delinquent. Probation said there was no record of the final payment of $1,250 due Nov. 30, 2010. "They are insisting I must pay again, and are threatening me with court action, payment of outstanding interest on the money since 2010, and a lien," Thomson said. A cropped portion of the Nov. 30, 2010 pay stub that shows $1,250 was garnished from David Thomson's check. At first, Thomson said, he wasn't worried. He had proof he made the payment: a copy of his old pay stub from the date in question, and it clearly shows the money was taken out for the garnishment. Plus, he said, he never heard from his former spouse. "I'm sure if she didn't get it I would have heard about it," he said. He went to the probation office to offer the evidence. "I spoke to an employee who said 'You have to pay the money,'" Thomson said. "I said I already paid it, and she said, 'Yes, but you have to pay it again.'" The employee offered to take a check, Thomson said. Thomson said he tried a different Probation employee, but those conversations didn't go anywhere, either. The employee said he could contact his company to get an explanation about what happened to the money, suggesting the money may never have been transferred to Probation. But Thomson's employer went out of business in 2015 and he said there was no one he could contact for help. The Probation employee then said it was possible the employer returned the money to Thomson, intimating that Thomson could have known about it. That never happened, Thomson said. Thomson contends it is not his fault that Probation's records are somehow incomplete or missing information. "I surely cannot be held responsible for the misplacement or misappropriation of the alimony payment after it was taken from me at source, at the direction of my former spouse by way of the Morris County Probation Service, and that if it was thereafter misappropriated or misplaced, either by my former employer, or in the payment process in Trenton, or by the Morris County Probation Service - that can hardly be my fault or responsibility," Thomson wrote in an email to Bamboozled. Thomson turned next to the court's ombudsman for help. Thomson said the ombudsman told him this kind of thing has happened before in Morris County and he had two choices. He could get his ex-wife to agree to an order releasing him from the payment, or he could file a motion for the judge to set aside the order requiring Thomson to pay. So Thomson paid $50 and filed the motion. He awaits a July 6 court date. Next, he contacted Bamboozled. "To come to someone after eight years and say we have a missing payment, that sticks in my throat," he said. "Then I give evidence and they won't accept the evidence? That's absurd." ASKING FOR HELP We reviewed the letter from Probation, the court order ending the alimony payments in 2010 and the very important pay stub. Indeed, it shows $1,250 was garnished on Nov. 30, 2010. We reached out to the court, which the probation department is under, sharing the evidence to see if it could free Thomson of the payment. A few days later, Thomson got a call from Probation. It was one of the employees Thomson had spoken to previously, and it wasn't encouraging, he said. "She denied that she, or any of her colleagues, had ever told me I would have to still pay the lost alimony payment again irrespective of the evidence of my pay stub," he said. But the employee also said that without a new order or acknowledgment from Thomson's ex-wife, the missing payment would remain on his record, Thomson said. "She said they were trying to tidy up their books," Thomson said. "She said, 'Now that you produced evidence, we wouldn't really need to enforce the payment but it would be open on the books.'" Thomson said he asked if that meant 10 years in the future, he could receive another letter. Yes, he said he was told. The employee said she would talk to her boss to see if anything could be done, Thomson said, but he never heard back. He's planning to be in court on July 6. "I would not be surprised if I am not the only person they may be attempting to extort a double alimony payment from in order to cover up their misplacement or misappropriation of funds received," Thomson said. We reached back to the court. "The Judiciary periodically conducts a review of old cases, including those where alimony payments are made to probation services," a spokeswoman said. "The non-receipt of payment from an employer who is required to garnish an employee's wages could potentially result in such a review." We asked how many other missing payment letters went out from the most recent review of old cases. The spokeswoman said she couldn't give a number "because every case in the system is up for review at any given time." For now, Thomson can do nothing but wait for his day in court. We'll let you know what happens. Let this story be a lesson to anyone subject to court-ordered payments, whether it's alimony or child support or any other kind of payment: Keep records. Hold on to proof. You never know if years in the future, the court will come calling. Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.com's weekly e-newsletter. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued six people from a 41-foot pleasure craft after the boat caught fire Sunday near Great Egg Harbor Inlet near Ocean City, authorities said. A person on board called the Coast Guard for help around 4:25 p.m., the Coast Guard said in a news release. A coast guard crew in a 29-foot response boat safely removed all six people from the pleasure craft and transported them to Seaview Marina in Ocean City, authorities said. Boat-towing service TowBoatUS extinguished the fire and towed the boat to a marina in Somers Point, according to the Coast Guard. "Fires happen on boats more often than you think," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Redilla said in a statement. "A fire on the water is very serious, since help can be far away," Redilla said, adding that seafarers should check fire extinguishers before venturing onto the water. A spokesman for the Coast Guard on Monday could not provide further information about the incident. A U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued six people from a 41-foot pleasure craft after the boat caught fire Sunday in the Great Egg Harbor Inlet near Ocean City. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Two men broke into a warehouse in Edison, loaded a tractor trailer with perfume worth $2.3 million, and took the goods down the New Jersey Turnpike into Delaware, authorities said. Yunior Estevez, 33, of Hollywood, Florida, and Carlos Duvergel, 53, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, were charged with conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen property, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced. According to a criminal complaint, Duvergel, who also had an address in Miami, Florida, owned a white Freightliner tractor trailer, and Estevez worked for Duvergel driving the truck. On Nov. 2, 2017, Duvergel rented a Chrysler minivan at a Budget car rental near the airport in Louisville, Kentucky. After renting the van, he drove to Elizabeth and booked a room at a hotel, the complaint says. Surveillance footage at the warehouse in Edison showed the Freightliner and trailers entering the loading dock, and several men getting out of a van around midnight November 6. By 3 a.m., Estevez was spotted on toll plaza surveillance cameras passing through Exit 1 on the Turnpike southbound into Delaware. The men made initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Newark earlier this month. Duvergel was released on bail. The maximum potential sentence is five years in prison for conspiracy and 10 for interstate transport of stolen property. Both charges also carry a $250,000 fine. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Emily Carr of Springfield is headed to California to study dance. Before then, she'll appear on the competition series 'So You Think You Can Dance.' (Fox) A retired federal air marshal was indicted Monday on charges that he threatened his former colleagues -- while showing interest in explosives and guns, and talking about a vendetta against people at his former workplace who had wronged him. Julian Terrell Turk, 47, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, was charged Monday with interstate communication of threats, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Turk, who worked for the Federal Air Marshal Service field office in Newark, sent a series of emails to a former marshal about his "plan to get them for what they've done to me." "In the event that something happens to me, please make sure to look after my children," Turk wrote, according to federal prosecutors. "There comes a time in one's life that he has to take a stand against what's 'right' and not 'white' here, now, is my chance to do that," he allegedly wrote. "These (expletive) have gone out of their way to (expletive) with me in the worst way possible. ... What kind of man would I be if I didn't live up to my motto and creed of 'Being a Man for Others!' So I've come up with a plan to get them for what they've done to me." Turk allegedly reached out to a retired Navy SEAL, asking for information on how to craft and use explosives. He also told the ex-SEAL he wanted a list of books and other resources on long-range rifle shooting. In another email dated April 13, Turk wrote that he would "show them how to (expletive) with someone." The maximum sentence for interstate communication of threats is five years in prison, with three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips JERSEY CITY Kirk Eady, the disgraced Hudson County jail official who spent more than a year in federal prison following his conviction on an illegal wiretapping charge, has lost a second effort to receive a fuller pension. The board of trustees of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System told Eady's lawyer in a June 12 letter that it will not revisit its earlier decision to revoke some of Eady's pension, citing Eady missing a deadline. The board called Eady's final 10 years of employment "dishonorable" and said they will not be used to calculate his pension. The board's decision means Eady will receive a pension based only on his first 15 years with the county. During that time he worked initially as a corrections officer and was promoted up to captain. Eady is about 50 years old. He is not eligible to receive his partial pension until he turns 55. It's not clear what Eady's final pension will be. A spokeswoman for the New Jersey Treasury said it will not be calculated until he applies for retirement. A request for comment from Eady's attorney was not returned. A jury in March 2015 found Eady guilty of illegally recording phone calls between members of the jail's correctional officers union and the operator of EdPDLaw, a website that is publicly critical of jail management. Eady used a web service called "evil operator" to intercept calls between two people and record them. Eady was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. He was released around April 7, 2017. The pension board's decision to revoke a portion of Eady's pension came in March 2016, while he was still jailed, and it gave him until May 2 of that year to appeal, according to the June 12 letter. Eady appealed in a July 11, 2016 letter. In September 2016, the PFRS board formally rejected Eady's appeal because it was two months late, the June 12 letter says. Eady had until October 2016 to appeal the second decision but did not do so until March 2018, the letter says. PFRS determined that the entirety of Eady's service as a confidential assistant/deputy director of the Kearny jail was dishonorable. He began that role in January 2005. Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. JERSEY CITY -- A 45-year-old felon charged with sexually assaulting an 80-year-old woman as she lay in her hospital bed at the Jersey City Medical Center was ordered detained through the course of his prosecution today. "You cannot get any more dangerous than someone like Mr. (Jackie) Burgess who preyed on this most vulnerable woman," Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Karen Kazanchy said of Burgess who was apparently wandering the hospital halls on June 7. The 80-year-old told officials she woke to find a man touching her crotch and because she had a catheter, she thought it was a member of hospital staff. After he pushed on her leg which was sore from surgery, she realized he wasn't in hospital attire. She buzzed for a nurse, the complaint says, adding that the man walked out. Police believe Burgess had earlier entered another patient's room and went into her private bathroom without permission. Burgess was arrested by hospital security and remanded to the Hudson County jail in Kearny. Police say evidence for the arrest includes hospital security video. Kazansky said Burgess has a prior conviction for setting a house on fire using "high-powered" fireworks in 1991. She said he also has a conviction for drug possession within 1,000 feet of school property in 2005. Finally, the prosecutor said his most recent arrested resulted in a disorderly persons conviction for slashing his uncle's face with a beer bottle in 2016. Arguing that Burgess should be locked up pending trial, Kazanchy said he has no impulse control and "preys on the weak, the elderly and pretty much anyone who gets in his way." The prosecutor also noted that after Burgess was arrested, he masturbated in a holding cell. She said he is "unable to control his sexual impulses." DePascale also noted that "recitation of the facts by the state indicates pretty clearly even when in custody, an inability to control his behavior." At the end of the hearing, DePascale ruled that there is no condition or combination of conditions that can be imposed to insure that if Burgess is released, he will not be a threat to the public and will show up for his court hearing. He ordered Burgess detained. Following Burgess' arrest, he was charged with aggravated sexual assault for his alleged acts in the hospital and a lewd act for his behavior in the holding cell. There was also some discussion on whether Burgess would be placed in protective custody at the Hudson County jail but DePascale said jail officials would have to make that decision. 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 allegedly 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. EDITOR'S NOTE: Interested in the marijuana business industry? NJ Cannabis Insider is a new premium intelligence briefing that features exclusive weekly content geared toward entrepreneurs, lawyers and realtors. View a sample issue. The sixth and final medical marijuana dispensary allowed by New Jersey's initial law opened its doors in Secaucus on Monday, at long last giving the state's most densely populated region a second dispensary. Harmony Foundation, which has been growing cannabis since October, received the go-ahead from the state Department of Health to begin selling to patients on Monday after years of delays. "The Murphy Administration is committed to making New Jersey's medicinal marijuana program more consumer-friendly and responsive to all patients," Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal said in a statement. "The availability of this new ATC will provide residents in the northern part of the state better access to products they need to treat their conditions." Leslie Hoffman, communications director of Harmony, said the dispensary opened at 10 a.m. Monday and will be open seven days a week. She said the dispensary alerted more than 1,000 people who had signed up to find out when it would open. New Jersey's medical marijuana law called for two dispensaries each in the north, central and southern regions of the state. Harmony joins dispensaries in Montclair, Woodbridge, Cranbury, Egg Harbor Township and Bellmawr. NJ Advance Media reporters took a tour of Harmony's cultivation facility earlier this year, and Harmony CEO Shaya Brodchandel said the dispensary was just waiting for final approval from the Health Department before it could start selling to patients. But the state said the holdup was because Harmony hadn't proved it was ready to start selling marijuana. Assistant Health Commissioner Jeff Brown said the department sent a checklist to Harmony detailing what needed to be done before the dispensary could open. Brown said that once those items were complete, the department would issue Harmony a license. The latest delay wasn't Harmony's first brush with state officials. The dispensary, originally called Foundation Harmony, received the green light from the Chris Christie administration in March 2011 as one of New Jersey's six dispensaries. The Health Department didn't finish the financial and criminal background checks until July 2017, however. The state scrutinized the application more carefully after a Star-Ledger investigation uncovered bankruptcies among two members, and ties to a cannabis training school in Colorado whose medical adviser faced fraud allegations in New York. Harmony also encountered local land-use delays and changed its location. The dispensary's opening comes as the state is working to expand the medical marijuana program. Gov. Phil Murphy has already approved several common conditions to be treated with cannabis, and the program is adding around 100 people every day, according to the Health Department. The program now has more than 23,200 patients and has added about 5,000 patients this year. Most of the five existing dispensaries have applied to expand their operations. Hoffman said the dispensary will start with a soft opening but has an eye on expansion soon. Harmony, located in a nondescript industrial park close to Secaucus Junction train station, has leased the suite next door and has plans to expand into that space. The dispensary's address is 600 Meadowlands Parkway, Suite 15 in Secaucus. Correction: A previous version of this story said that Harmony had bought the space next door to expand its operation. The company has leased the space, not purchased it. Are you interested in the N.J. cannabis industry? Subscribe here for exclusive insider information from NJ Cannabis Insider. Payton Guion may be reached at PGuion@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaytonGuion. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Mercer County and Trenton officials said Monday they are investigating 'rumblings' posted on social media about the shooting that killed one and injured 22 people early Sunday morning at the Art All Night festival in downtown Trenton. Undated warning from unnamed person (Facebook) Councilman-elect Jerell Blakeley showed reporters a statement posted by an unknown source Saturday that said, "Please. Please. Please. Do Not Go to the Art All Night. They will be shooting it up." On Monday, Blakeley told NJ Advance Media that although the statement was posted Saturday, he didn't see it until after the shooting spree occurred. Blakeley added that he was aware there were "some rumblings online" about a fight, and believed law enforcement was aware of the posts. A county official did not indicate when they saw the warning, but said it's a part of the ongoing investigation of the incident, she said. "We have been made aware of Facebook and social media posts and are trying to run down the timing of when those posts may have been made," Casey DeBlasio, a spokesperson for the Mercer County prosecutor said in an email Monday. During a press conference Monday morning at the governor's office, Murphy said gang tensions that reportedly fueled the shootout were "an all-too-stark reality on too many streets in this city, and I'm not going to turn my back on Trenton." While authorities have said little about the weapons used in the shooting, the governor pointed a finger at the "iron pipeline" -- the term for the Interstate-95 corridor along which experts say illegal weapons travel from places with lax gun laws to gun control-heavy states like New Jersey and New York. Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri has identified Tahaij Wells, 32, of Trenton, as one of the gunman. He was shot and killed by police after allegedly exchanging fire with at least two other suspects in a burst of violence. "We need to know how these people obtained their weapons, especially the deceased gunman who was a well-known gang member with a violent past," Murphy said. Tahaij Wells (left) and Amir Armstrong Onofri also named suspect Amir Armstrong, 23, who has been charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and is being treated for injuries from Sunday's shooting. Onofri said there is a third suspect who is recovering from injuries, but there are currently no charges filed against him. A search of state Superior Court records did not reveal any adult criminal convictions for Armstrong, but did indicate the Ewing resident's arrest in the art festival shooting was far from his first brush with the law. Five years ago, Armstrong was charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest in a bust for alleged marijuana distribution offenses. Those charges ultimately were dismissed after he successfully completed the state's Pretrial Intervention Program. In 2014, he was again arrested on drug charges, this time accused of possessing and distributing more than 500 grams of marijuana near school property. Most of those charges were dismissed, however, and a lesser possession charge remanded to municipal court. Armstrong's most recent arrest was in March, when he was charged with resisting arrest and a disorderly persons complaint. The felony charge was later downgraded to a municipal violation and the disorderly persons complaint sent to municipal court, records show. Art All Night organizers have yet to comment on how Sunday's shooting may affect the event moving forward. Pearl Gable, who works for the governor's office and had work in the show, said Monday she still hadn't received word about when artists will be able access their artwork. 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 Blakeley said he didn't want the shooting to deter people from attending Trenton events or next year's Art All Night. "There is a tendency when a tragic event occurs to pull back and retreat, but I think Trenton has to show the world that we won't be frightened," he said. "We can't allow folks that mean us harm to change such a beautiful event." Reporters Thomas Moriarty and Sean Sullivan contributed to this post. Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @By_paigegross Find NJ.com on Facebook. Gov. Phil Murphy took time out during a press conference Monday on the state budget crisis to sharply criticize a story about a series of incidents involving his son Josh, including an arrest in Massachusetts, which was published by NJ Advance Media. "All of us who enter politics must accept some level of public scrutiny. That is fair. I did not have any misconceptions about that myself, nor did my wife, Tammy," the governor said Monday. "But I think parents can agree that every child -- even those of public official, especially, in this case, a minor, should have the right to learn and grow without being harassed by reporters." The story, which appeared in The Star-Ledger and on nj.com on Monday, detailed Josh Murphy's arrest in Somerville, Mass., in November 2017, a car crash in Connecticut in February, and his injury in March that required him to be airlifted from the Bahamas to New York City. Josh Murphy, 20, had been a visible presence on the campaign trail when his father was running for governor in 2017. Murphy performed student outreach on behalf of the campaign, appearing at universities. He also made headlines at his father's inaugural, flashing a "circle game" sign from the stage. On Monday, the governor said The Star-Ledger, had turned his son's "youth into clickbait," which he termed "a disgrace." He added that his son should not be scrutinized by the media because he is not a public official. The governor also went on to claim that the news organization had obtained and divulged his son's medical records. Kevin Whitmer, VP for Content with NJ Advance Media, had previously rejected the Murphys' characterization of the reporting. Whitmer also noted that no medical records were divulged and stressed that the story was the culmination of 6 months of careful and detailed reporting. "The only thing my son did was to have parents in public life," Murphy said. "The Star-Ledger is now saying for this sole reason, he doesn't deserve the same privacy rights as other young people." In a reaction to the story, the leadership of the lower house of the Assembly on both sides of the aisle called out the media outlet publicly on Twitter. Today the Star Ledger has an article of Governor Murphys son. This is simply wrong. His son did not run for office and should not be under the microscope. Stop examining the children of elected officials Jon Bramnick (@JonBramnick) June 18, 2018 This @njdotcom story is disgraceful. The Murphy children did not choose to run for anything and their privacy should be respected. My thoughts are with the governor, the First Lady and their kids. Speaker Craig Coughlin (@SpeakerCoughlin) June 18, 2018 "My plea and my hope and my prayer is that as his life goes on, that this has not so infected his relations with others who were cold called, for instance, friends who had liked him on Facebook, and that he gets to get back into the full swing of life," Gov. Murphy said. Gov. Murphy did not dispute that his son was arrested in Massachusetts or involved in the accidents in Connecticut and the Bahamas. Erin Banco may be reached at ebanco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ErinBanco. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips A Marshalls employee who confronted suspected shoplifters trying to flee the Deptford Township store June 9 told a dispatcher that one of them was wanted on a warrant for manslaughter. The incident ended with a township police officer shooting into a moving SUV, killing the driver as she allegedly tried to run him down with her vehicle. The phone call is part of a redacted set of audio files released by Gloucester County on Monday afternoon in response to an Open Public Records Act requests. The phone call answers the lingering question of how police learned one of the suspects was possibly a killer, but it doesn't explain where the store employee got this information. LaShanda Anderson, 36, of Philadelphia, was shot to death after she allegedly tried to run down a police officer with her vehicle. (Facebook) No records have been revealed to show that any of the three were wanted on a warrant for manslaughter or homicide. The trio were known to Marshalls' personnel from previous thefts, according to prosecutors. When reached for comment Monday about the Marshalls employee's call to the dispatcher, a spokeswoman said the company had no comment. "We continue to cooperate with law enforcement, but beyond that, as this is an active police matter, it would be inappropriate to comment further," she said. Two men and a woman allegedly tried to steal more than $3,400 in merchandise by concealing it in a suitcase and leaving the store. The loss prevention employee called 911 to ask for police help and to provide descriptions of suspects trying to steal items. During that call, he claims one is wanted, but doesn't elaborate. "One has a warrant for manslaughter," he tells the dispatcher. "I'm gonna need help stopping them." The dispatcher tells him she has two officers on the way. "How do you know they're wanted for homicide," the dispatcher asks him, but she doesn't get an answer. The dispatcher tries to learn more as the employee apparently begins chasing the suspects. Although the Marshalls' loss protection worker doesn't say which of the three has a warrant, the dispatcher assumes it's the man. "He's advising me the male is wanted for homicide, but he's not cooperating with me," the dispatcher tells responding officers. "Where are they? I have two cops in the parking lot," the dispatcher asks the Marshalls worker. Shouting can be heard as the employee apparently struggles with the shoplifters. "I see them. I'm pulling up," an officer tells the dispatcher. From there, the recording seems to pick up audio of an officer giving orders. "She just struck my arm with the vehicle," an officer yells. Seconds later, someone yells, "Shots fired, shots fired." One of the officers, Sgt. Kevin A. Clements, fired three rounds and two struck LaShanda Anderson, 36, of Philadelphia, as police say she drove toward the officer. Also in the vehicle was Chanel Barnes, 38, of Philadelphia, who was charged with shoplifting. The third member of the group, Raoul Gadson, 43, was arrested days later in Philadelphia on charges of assault and robbery. The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the fatal shooting. "The investigation of this incident is being conducted in accordance with stringent guidelines promulgated by the NJ Attorney General's Office," Prosecutor Charles Fiore said in a statement released Monday. "This office will release its findings to the public at the appropriate time, but not, obviously, before the completion of its investigation, which involves additional witness interviews and the analysis of forensic evidence. "I can assure you that our review will be thorough, impartial and consistent with the Attorney General's guidelines." Clements, 41, is a 19-year police veteran. He remains on administrative leave while the investigation continues. Anderson, Barnes and Gadson have criminal records. Anderson's extensive criminal history included an attempted murder charge in 2015 following a shooting at a Philadelphia laundromat. Records show the attempted murder and weapons charges against her were dismissed after a mistrial. She received probation in that case after pleading guilty to possessing a criminal instrument. Anderson was also wanted by Delaware police following thefts from Marshalls stores in that state last year. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Authorities have identified the 33-year-old man shot and killed by police during an outbreak of gunplay in Trenton at the Art All Night festival early Sunday morning. Tahaji Wells (Mercer County Prosecutor's Office) 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. 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." 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. 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 No one was hurt in a large fire Sunday night that gutted a 9,000 square-foot liquor store in Ocean County. The blaze broke out around 11 p.m. at Buy Rite Liquors on Route 9 in the Waretown section of Ocean Township and took the efforts of several departments to bring under control, the Waretown Volunteer Fire Department said in a statement. The large fire outside the business had extended into the attic when the first firefighters arrived. Heavy fire on the second floor forced crews temporarily out of the building before ladder trucks unleashed streams to water to contain some of the heat and flame. That allowed firefighters to re-enter and continue their efforts. Fire departments from Forked River, Barnegat, Stafford, Pinewald Pioneer and Lanoka Harbor assisted Waretown firefighters. Photos from the scene show heavy damage inside the spacious store. Firefighter Assist and Search Team from Toms River and Bayville were also on stand-by. Those firefighters were on hand only for firefighter rescue and don't take part in fighting the fire. A Nixle alert sent at 11:31 p.m. asked residents to avoid the area. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Lakewood's public schools could be the first in New Jersey to require that backpacks and other containers used by students be transparent, under a policy formulated in response to a recent gun-related incident. The policy, which will take effect in July, stems from a June 5 incident in which authorities said a .22 caliber handgun was seized outside an elementary school after a 9-year-old student had taken it onto a school bus and showed it to a 10-year-old. The district's lawyer, Michael Inzelbach, told NJ Advance Media of the transparency requirement the day after the incident, then reiterated the policy during a broader district forum last week. In a follow-up interview on Friday, Inzelbach said he was not aware of any other district that had decided on or implemented a transparency requirement, which was devised in consultation with district staff and the police. Inzelbach said the district had received inquiries from a dozen districts regarding its new policy, which applies to backpacks, book bags and any other carrying case. "Anything students bring into school," Inzelbach said, adding that the requirement will take effect in July for summer school students, and in September for all others. Frank Belluscio, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association, said Lakewood appeared to be the state's first district to impose such a policy. "I am not aware of other districts in New Jersey that will be requiring clear backpacks," Belluscio said in an email Friday. Four months after 17 people were killed in the Parkland school shooting in Florida, and four weeks after 10 students and teachers were shot to death in Santa Fe, Texas, the backpack industry appeared ready for requirements like Lakewood's. A quick search on Amazon revealed a broad selection clear plastic and mesh backpacks and book bags ranging from the ProEquip at $5.98 to the Smorty for $37.97, plus dozens of others by JanSport, EastSport and other brands, many with colorful binding. A spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Education said there was no movement on the state level to implement any kind of visibility requirement for bags in schools. "That is an issue that is decided locally at the district level," the spokesman, Michael Yaple, said in an email. "Some districts throughout the country implemented clear-backpack policies after Columbine," Yaple added, referring to the 1999 Colorado school shooting that left one teacher and 14 students dead, including the two shooters. The state "doesn't track backpack policies among districts," he said. Video footage of the June 5 incident in Lakewood appeared to show the two boys on the bus loading bullets into the gun. Another student who also had been on the bus told a school security guard, according to the district. And police said officers called to the scene found the weapon in the 10-year-old's backpack before it could be taken into the school. Police said the two boys were arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and possession of a weapon on school grounds. Inzelbach said the two students had not returned to school as of Friday, but rather were being schooled remotely. "They've not been in school and police are still investigating the matter," Inzelbach said. A Lakewood Police spokesman did not return requests for comment. Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook Seth Grossman is running for Congress in South Jersey, because he knows what Congress should look like. It should look like Seth Grossman. "The whole idea of diversity is a bunch of crap and un-American," the Tea Partier-turned-Trumpster declared to a table of fellow white men in suits, at a Republican debate in April. This was after an Indian-American candidate argued that he would bring diversity to the GOP ticket. Grossman's spiel was caught on video, winning him the superlative, "Most likely Republican to lose to a Democrat, in a district flipping from one to the other." Diversity is 'a bunch of crap and un-American.' So says this N.J. Republican running for Congress. But do not underestimate this man. Now that he's vying for the seat of retiring Frank LoBiondo, in a sprawling region that is mostly white, but includes Atlantic City, Grossman says, "Of course I love diversity," ticking off his favorite ethnic restaurants. Just not other kinds of diversity. As he reaffirmed in a follow-up interview on WHYY Radio: "Most of the African-Americans I speak to about this say that diversity and affirmative action is another word for 'excuse.' "Excuse for failure, excuse for not getting training, excuse for no discipline, and that is what is killing the African-American community, the idea that you can succeed without work, without achievement, just because you can say, 'Well, my great-great-granddaddy was treated unfairly.' I do not believe in that at all." Lest the idea that laziness is killing the black community sound racist: One black guy was in the room when Grossman denounced diversity, "and he was not offended." Ok? There's more: The disadvantages blacks have faced throughout U.S. history have been "exaggerated," Grossman said. Blacks in the North won their civil rights in the 1920s. He insisted to us that they haven't faced discrimination since. Never mind that it was actually U.S. government policy to demolish integrated neighborhoods and build segregated public housing well into the 1960s, in places like Newark and Jersey City, or that to qualify for federal loans to construct homes in the suburbs, builders had to promise not to sell them to blacks. While whites were able to build home equity, and use it to send their kids to college, blacks were often shut out. Seth Grossman will tell you who really faces discrimination in America: "White heterosexual men." He confirms, "What I'm telling you is from first-hand knowledge and experience. I have not researched it." Has he actually experienced this discrimination himself? No, he says. But he has heard about it. To be clear, Grossman, a Duke University grad, is not against special treatment -- for the wealthy and connected; like Jared Kushner getting into Harvard after his father donated $2.5 million. "Is it fair?" he asks. "No, but if a family's willing to pay 50 or $100,000 extra to get your child into a school, that's how the market works." But he's against it for a "lesser qualified person," let in for "diversity," or women who work and need a tax credit to afford child care, who also believe they are "entitled to something." "When we talk about women saying, well, we need special care for child care, we need this credit and that credit, say, wait a minute, when America was great, one parent alone earned more than enough money to comfortably support a family," Grossman told the white men. As a leading authority on who really deserves something, and who is entitled, Grossman thinks he deserves to be in Congress. He vows to support President Trump. Are you a real American like them, or a product of "diversity"? Depending on the answer, he will also fight for you. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. At a time when young people are making their voices heard on the national level for gun policy reform, it's imperative that we encourage them to get even more involved in government by seeking public-sector jobs and running for public office. As a young person who has served in a local elected office for the past 3 1/2 years, having been elected to Monroe Township Council at age 23, it concerns me to see the current trends. The Pew Research Center conducted a 2015 poll that asked millennials to choose among a list of nine topics. Of those nine topics, 26 percent of millennials (18-29 years old) named government/politics as one of the three topics they are interested in most. In comparison, politics ranked among the top three interests for 34 percent of generation Xers and 45 percent of baby boomers. The results are a concern for a variety of reasons. For one thing, the percentage of federal employees under age 30 is now around 7 percent -- the lowest in nearly a decade. Millennials just aren't looking at government as a sector of career interest anymore, which should sound an alarm for all. We will see baby boomers leaving the work force in droves over the next few years. By 2020, millennials will represent nearly 70 percent of the work force, and only a small portion will have chosen a career in government. If this trajectory continues, we won't be able to train enough people to take over the reins when the older workers retire. It's easy for leaders and older Americans to blame young people for their abysmally low voter turnout, and to lambaste them for not wanting to participate, but such scorn misses the larger picture. Young people see a system that operates on a status-quo basis. Its leaders appear hesitant to transform the way that government operates and meet the needs of the people it serves. My generation hasn't been encouraged to seek local elected office. We feel that we aren't being heard, while we are faced with larger issues than our parents faced. From job security to massive student loan debt, young people feel they don't have a voice because enough has not been done collectively to solve their problems. Out-migration from New Jersey by young people is at the highest rate among the states, according to 2017 United Van Lines data. I can see why this would be the case. We are not doing enough to create the jobs they need when they finish higher education, nor are we doing enough to make them want to stay here. The individual tax burden in New Jersey is one of the nation's highest. We must present more inclusive routes for young people who want a career path in government or want to pursue elected office. Some of our regional leaders are attempting this. I applaud U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-1st Dist., for a recent roundtable that encouraged young people to talk about the issues that they face and how government could be more responsive to them. It's also imperative that the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program be kept intact. This program permits former students who take certain public service positions to get their student loans erased after 10 years of on-time payments. The loan forgiveness program is on the chopping block in President Donald Trump's 2019 federal budget proposal. We should also seek these types of initiatives on a state level. Minnesota, California, New York and Texas offer a variety of loan forgiveness programs to recruit and retain people in certain fields. I thank Gov. Phil Murphy and state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) for announcing a program to pay up to $1,000 annually for four years toward eligible workers' student debt through the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, for those pursuing degrees in science and technology. These initiatives are worthwhile and respond to current work force demands. We also need to change how government employees and election candidates are perceived. We tend to focus on the negative with mudslinging. When young people try to step up, they are chastised for not being knowledgeable enough or too young to understand. Why would any young person seeing this want to go into a life of public service or government work? I call on all of us who serve in government to try to find ways to get our young people more involved in the process. I ask our leaders to listen to young people's concerns and work to encourage them to be a part of the decision-making process. The future of our country and our state depends on it. Cody D. Miller is a Democratic township councilman in Monroe Township, Gloucester County. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. By Gordon MacInnes The drama over next year's budget is intensifying. On the heels of an administration that delivered over $10 billion in tax cuts to the wealthiest among us -- at the expense of essential investments in property tax relief, affordable college education, reliable transportation and more -- Gov. Phil Murphy's first proposed budget suggests that millionaires pay their fair share and seeks to narrow the widening gaps of income inequality that threaten our state. Since the Great Recession, New Jersey's economy has been one of the slowest to recover, with many families still struggling today. The percentage of households considered to be "working poor" who cannot meet everyday costs -- forget a weekend trip or monthly dinner out -- has climbed to more than 40 percent. The middle class is continuing to shrink and it's a problem that will not be fixed by further cuts to programs that working families rely on. Murphy ran and won on a platform centered on reinvesting in our state's critical assets and making our communities more affordable. He was honest with New Jersey's voters and did not hide the fact that his agenda would require new revenues. While legislative leaders seem to agree with the governor's spending proposals, they aren't enthusiastic about his plan to fund those initiatives. Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex -- both of whom previously voted for a millionaires tax five times -- now oppose it, suggesting it would drive the wealthy out of the state. And regarding the restoration of the sales tax to 7 percent, many legislators oppose it altogether. The millionaires tax is supported by 70 percent of New Jersey's voters, so there's no political danger there. And the assertion that the wealthy will flee the state if asked to pay their fair share is belied by the fact that, when combining the effects of the Trump tax cuts and Murphy's budget proposal, millionaires will be made whole with a modest bonus. At the end of the day, they're still making out just fine. As for the sales tax, when legislators cut it from 7 percent to 6.625 percent, it cost the state nearly $600 million in revenue. Since then, the average New Jersey family has enjoyed less than $100 more in its pocket every year while the wealthy are saving a ton on big-ticket items such as yachts and fancy cars. Not to mention the reality that many establishments are still charging the 7 percent rate because it's simply easier to calculate. So what good has the cut been if not everyone is following the change, the state's ability to invest in its assets is crippled, and middle-class families aren't even saving enough to pay for a cup of coffee a week? Restoring the sales tax to 7 percent makes financial sense -- hardly anyone asked for or noticed the cut in the first place, and those who did don't need any more help. The key fact here is that the wealthy have benefited at the expense of everyone else for far too long, leading to worsening levels of income and wealth inequality. That's a serious problem that Democrats claim to care about fixing. Now they have a chance to actually do something about it by making sure the wealthy contribute their fair share so that working-class and middle-class families can finally get the breaks and help they deserve. Without making the tax code fairer, middle-class families will continue to suffer. Murphy won his election by telling the truth about the state failing to raise the revenues required to balance the books and make critical, targeted investments. He ran and won on improving opportunities for our educated, talented workforce and helping the many working families who are a paycheck away from bankruptcy. The Legislature needs to help ensure that this popular vision -- one that they've historically supported -- is realized this year and sustained going forward. What happens over the next few days will determine whether or not New Jersey can finally pursue responsible budgeting that pays for our obligations and invests in our communities. The choice is simple -- either raise new revenues now that can be sustained, or continue to kick the can down the road and accelerate the state's downward deterioration. The era of one-shot gimmicks and magical thinking must end, so let's stop avoiding the hard decisions and do what's necessary to ensure a stronger New Jersey that works for all. Gordon MacInnes is president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, which drives policy change to advance economic justice and prosperity for all New Jerseyans. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. State Assembly Republican leader Jon Bramnick on Monday took sides in the clash over the state budget, blaming Gov. Phil Murphy's "inexperience" working with lawmakers and suggesting Republicans may consider joining a potential veto override effort. Murphy announced Monday morning he would veto the state budget proposal sought by his fellow Democrats who control the New Jersey Legislature. A pair of Friday meetings between Murphy and Democratic lawmakers ended in "a total breakdown," according to sources on both sides -- raising the specter of a state government shutdown if they cannot pass a budget by June 30. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, say they will not support a tax on millionaires and a slight rise in the sales tax, which are cornerstones in Murphy's $37.4 billion budget proposal. Minutes after Murphy's announcement, Bramnick, R-Union, accused the governor of refusing to engage in meaningful discussions with Sweeney and Coughlin, whom he called "people with a significant amount of common sense and experience." "He is not negotiating," Bramnick said. "This is not a dictatorship. His inexperience is showing in this budget fight." "If the governor doesn't compromise and doesn't talk, then it's a long shutdown, in my opinion," Bramnick said. Bramnick emphasized he does not support either Murphy's or the legislative Democrats' budget proposals. "Only in Trenton do you see a shut down in government because Democrats cannot decide which taxes to raise," he said. But Bramnick and the Assembly minority's budget officer, John DiMaio, R-Warren, who held a joint press conference at the Statehouse in Trenton, praised Sweeney's school funding idea. Sweeney's proposal gradually shifts some of the $9 billion New Jersey spends on schools from those districts considered overfunded under the school funding formula to those considered underfunded. When asked if Republicans would lend votes to a Democrat attempt to override Murphy's budget veto, Bramnick said he would consider it if they could agree on an alternative budget that cuts spending and helps control property tax increases. "They may need votes for an override, and in that case we may need a new budget completely," Bramnick said. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. The battle over the state budget among Democrats -- who control all of New Jersey's government for the first time in eight years -- begins in earnest Monday. The state Assembly plans to introduce a budget bill Monday that serves as a counterproposal to Gov. Phil Murphy's original blueprint for next year's spending. Then, on Tuesday, both chambers of the Democratic-controlled state Legislature plan to advance the legislation before sending it to the new governor's desk as early as Thursday, officials from both chambers with knowledge of the plans told NJ Advance Media. The hostile maneuvering by lawmakers comes after a pair of Friday meetings between Murphy and the leaders of the state Senate and Assembly ended in "a total breakdown," sources from Murphy's administration and the Legislature said at the time. One source added that a state government shutdown after the June 30 budget deadline "is a distinct possibility" after both sides failed to negotiate any compromise on their separate proposals. There were no talks between Murphy and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin over the weekend. The Legislature will counter the governor's proposed budget with one that combines tax increases on corporations, a tax amnesty program, spending cuts and projected savings in employee health care costs. Sweeney wants a 3 percentage point increase in the tax rate paid by corporations with profits over $1 million that would expire after two years. At 12 percent, the tax rate would tie with Iowa for the highest in the U.S., though Iowa's kicks in at $250,000 and allows deductions for federal income taxes paid. Sweeney has said it is better to take a slice of the windfall business received from the federal corporate tax cut than to pile onto wealthy residents who won't be able to deduct as much of their state and local taxes because of that same federal tax reform. Murphy, meanwhile, introduced his first state budget proposal -- a $37.4 billion spending plan -- in March. It relies on more than $1.5 billion in tax increases, including a millionaires tax and bump in the state's sales tax, to help pay for more funding for education, public worker pensions, transportation and more. If the Legislature goes ahead with passing its own budget, rather than a negotiated deal, Murphy has the option to veto it in part or in full. If a budget isn't signed by June 30, the state government could shut down again. That means state parks, beaches and many public agencies would remain shuttered until a budget is enacted. NJ Advance Media staff writer Samantha Marcus contributed to this report. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook. Peter Caminiti said he was having a great time on his fifth grade field trip last month as his Paramus school bus traveled on I-80. Then, everything went dark. When Caminiti, 11, woke up he was hanging from his lap seatbelt in the wrecked bus, he said. Then, he passed out again. Later, at the hospital, he learned he had a serious head injury and hearing loss. "I asked if I was going to die," Caminiti recalled in testimony before state lawmakers Monday. As he recovered, Caminiti said he had other questions: Why do school buses only have lap belts, while his parents' cars have three-point shoulder seat belts? Was it because no one wanted to pay for safer buses? "You can't put a price on life," the fifth grader said, calling on lawmakers to pass a new law requiring three-point seat belts in New Jersey school buses. Caminiti's dramatic testimony opened a joint hearing of the state Assembly and Senate transportation committees to discuss last month's fatal school bus crash on I-80 in Morris County. A student and a teacher were killed in the violent crash with a dump truck in Mount Olive. Dozens of others were hurt. The bus driver, Hudy Muldrow Sr., 77, was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide in the crash. Investigators said he allegedly attempted to make an illegal u-turn when the bus was hit by the dump truck. Muldrow had a lengthy history of driving problems, including more than a dozen license suspensions, mostly due to parking tickets, paperwork problems and non-driving reasons, state officials said. Muldrow's attorney said the veteran driver had no memory of trying to make a u-turn at the time of the crash. Muldrow was released from jail last month and is awaiting trial. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Lawmakers said the crash has raised several questions about New Jersey bus safety. Among the issues discussed during hearing: Several lawmakers called for the state to pass legislation that would require school buses to install three-point shoulder seat belts. The bill has stalled in the past due in part to questions about who would pay for the upgrades. Currently, only California and Nevada require shoulder belts in school buses, lawmakers said. New Jersey The state education department is considering updating the systems that inform school districts about bus driver suspensions and other paperwork issues. In some cases, important information is still filed on paper. "We are taking deliberate steps to update this archaic process," Repollet said. During the Paramus bus crash, first responders struggled to identify many students on the bus because the only list with the names of the students on the bus was in the vehicle. Lawmakers discussed requiring all students to carry identification and recommending school districts keep copies of bus manifests listing students' names in school offices. Lawmakers called on state departments and other groups to report back at the end of the summer on their findings and possible changes. Union officials questioned whether New Jersey should make bigger changes, including new bidding laws that require bus contractors to have more stringent safety requirements. Other recommendations included installing GPS and cameras on all buses to better track driver behavior. However, there was not universal support for making major changes to New Jersey's school bus laws. The New Jersey School Boards Association, which represents school boards around the state, is not ready to endorse the three-point shoulder seat belt legislation, said Jonathan Pushman, a legislative advocate for the association. He reminded lawmakers that school districts have limited money and any new requirements should be based on data, science and cost-benefit analyses. "Sometimes, its difficult to get emotion out of this issue," Pushman said. Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook. A woman had to removed from a black Acura SUV after it collided with a white Jeep Cherokee about 8:15 a.m. Monday at what a neighbor said was a very dangerous intersection in Phillipsburg. The driver of the Jeep wasn't hurt and the woman taken from the driver's seat through the rear driver-side door in the Acura was conscious and communicating as she was loaded into a town ambulance. Rescue personnel maneuvered a back board into the vehicle through the door and lifted the woman onto a stretcher. Town police said the woman was the only person hurt in the crash. It wasn't immediately clear if there were passengers in either vehicle. The Acura was crunched on the driver's door and front quarter panel while the Jeep had significant front-end damage. The Acura came to a stop at the beginning of Memorial Parkway, just east of Third Street, while the Jeep was near a light pole and facing the Route 22 entrance across from where Rose Street terminates at Third. "We've seen a lot of accidents down here," said Tom Ryno, 60, who has lived for 34 years at Third and Rose. "This intersection is really bad." He said drivers often run the stop sign on Rose Street or ignore the yield sign near Third Street, the Route 22 entrance and Memorial Parkway. There was a storm drain near where the Jeep stopped and absorbent material was put down in that area. A Warren County hazardous materials truck was at the scene. It wasn't immediately clear which vehicle caused the crash or how it happened, police said. The investigation was continuing at 9 a.m. In addition to town police and rescue personnel, town firefighters also responded. The Jeep was towed by H&K Auto Body. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Don't Edit Temps expected to reach 90s give some the afternoon off By Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Monday's sizzling temperatures has led some New Jersey districts to call for early dismissals on Monday. Temperatures are in the 60s and 70s as students arrive at school on Monday morning but will soon climb into the 90s. The high temperatures and humidity will make for uncomfortable conditions in schools without air conditioning so some students will have a free afternoon in what for many is the final week of classes. Tuesday is also expected be be hot with highs around 90 so more early dismissals could be in store. Don't Edit For those of you wishing for summer weather, be careful what you wish for. Dangerously hot conditions will be possible... Posted by US National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mount Holly on Sunday, June 17, 2018 Don't Edit The following districts have called for an early dismissal on Monday. Follow the district's early dismissal schedule unless otherwise indicated. (This list will be updated as additional announcements are made.) Don't Edit Bergen County Hackensack Oakland Don't Edit Don't Edit Camden County Camden (1 p.m.) Don't Edit Essex County Belleville Bloomfield Newark (1 p.m.) Don't Edit Hudson County Harrison Jersey City (12:45 p.m.) Don't Edit Middlesex County Edison New Brunswick (1:40 p.m) Old Bridge Don't Edit Monmouth County Aberdeen-Matawan (4 hour schedule) Keyport Don't Edit Don't Edit Morris County Butler Don't Edit Passaic County Paterson (1:10 p.m.) Wayne Don't Edit Don't Edit Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Ken Thompson A Name to Remember, a Legacy to Celebrate Ken Thompson was a shining star in the legal field, a shining star that we lost much too soon, but as Dr. Martin Luther King said the quality not... The University of the West Indies Worthy of Your Gifts Nelson Mandela reminds us in this quote Education is the most powerful weapon you can choose to change the world- and the University of the West Indies is doing its... ABC News(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.) -- A pharmacy technician in Florida was arrested for the second time in three weeks for allegedly stealing bottles of prescription pills after store surveillance video appeared to show her stuffing bottles down her shirt, police said. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said Katie Jean Williams, 28, of Daytona Beach, had been working at the Pierson Community Pharmacy for about a month when authorities said she stole more than a dozen bottles of prescription drugs out of the pharmacy's safe. Surveillance video appeared to show Williams putting bottles underneath her clothes and into a bag, police said. Williams was arrested Friday on charges of trafficking in Oxycodone, four counts of drug possession and grand theft. The sheriff's office said Williams was first arrested May 25 on charges of grand theft and trafficking in Oxycodone. At the time of that first arrest, the pharmacy's owner reported that hundreds of Oxycodone and amphetamine pills had gone missing, deputies said. A follow-up audit found there were more bottles missing than previously thought and more surveillance video that allegedly showed Williams stealing pills. According to court documents, Williams spent five days in jail for her first arrest and was released on bond. She is currently being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on June 21. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Kiwi jockey amped for Royal Ascot Star Kiwi jockey James McDonald has a gilt-edged chance to secure his first Royal Ascot win this week. McDonald, who left for England after riding at Warwick Farm on Wednesday, has picked up the ride on the Charlie Hills-trained Equilateral in the Gr.1 Commonwealth Cup (1200m) at the Royal meeting on Friday (Saturday NZ time). Kiwi jockey James McDonald will be in action at Royal Ascot this week. Photo: Bradley Photography "He's come in to favouritism so hopefully they're right. Charlie sent me the link to his last-start win and he looks very good," McDonald said. "Charlie reckons he's one of the best sprinters he's had, and that's saying something because he had Muhaarar, who won five Group Ones. But he reckons he could be up with him. "That last race he won by eight lengths and the third horse has won twice since so the form looks good too. He's still got to make the step up but he looks a really good ride." McDonald was hoping to ride at all five days of the Royal Ascot meeting, with confirmed mounts on the Hills-trained Pogo in the Gr.2 Coventry Stakes (1200m) and the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Mirage Dancer in the Listed Wolferton Stakes (2000m) on the opening day on Tuesday (Wednesday NZ time). He will ride the Stoute-trained Expert Eye in the Gr.3 Jersey Stakes (1400m) on day two, Silver Quartz in the Gr.3 Hampton Court Stakes (2000m) and Curiosity in the Britannia Stakes (1600m), both for trainer Hugo Palmer on day three, as well as the Hills-trained Hawayel in the Gr.3 Albany Stakes (1200m) and the Stoute-trained Elector in the Gr.2 King Edward VII Stakes (2400m) on day four. "I've won at Ascot before but not as part of Royal Ascot week and that's something I'm very keen to do. It would be nice to put that right this week," McDonald said. He is on the cusp of 1 million in stakes earnings in England, having won 25 of his 139 rides there and banking 989,938 for his connections. McDonald partnered 19 winners on his last summer stint in Britain two years ago, including Dutch Connection for Hills in the Gr.2 Lennox Stakes (1400m) at Goodwood and Big Orange in the Gr.2 Princess of Waless Stakes (2400m) for trainer Michael Bell. A champion apprentice and senior jockey in New Zealand and premiership winner in Sydney, McDonald recently returned from an 18-month ban for a betting indiscretion but has quickly re-established himself in Sydney, winning 11 races from just 44 rides. "I'm really enjoying it and I couldn't have asked for a better start really," he said. "Nearly every meeting I've ridden a winner. It would be nice if I could carry that form on to Royal Ascot." McDonald is not the only Kiwi hoping to be in the spotlight at the Royal Meeting. The Sir Peter Vela-owned Eminent will take on Europes best weight for age performers in the Gr.1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes (2000m) on day 2two, while the tangerine colours of Te Akau racing will be sported by Torcedor in the Gr.1 Ascot Gold Cup (4000m) on day three. - NZ Racing Desk Mr Ward (far left) with the New Zealand High Commissioner to Vanuatu, the Head of State and his wife and and Prime Minister Charlot Salwai. Photo: Kizzy Kalsakau Last week, Matia Kasaija, the minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, presented the budget for the next financial year to parliament. There were proposals to increase taxes here and there, including one on gossiping through social media. Apparently, it is okay to walk or drive to somebodys house to gossip than doing it lazily over the phone! Anyway, I expect a few proposals to attract investment in certain areas by giving tax holidays to some sectors. It is a very welcome idea which I have previously supported. However, if the government doesnt nip in the bud the growing insecurity, the economy will continue to perform badly. Genuine businesses hardly thrive in a country where kidnaps and murders are rampant. It started mainly with Muslim clerics with one being killed every few months. A lot of people thought these were just Muslim wrangles and kept away; after all they were not Muslims and were, therefore, not being targeted. Then they started killing women without public profiles, especially in the Entebbe and Wakiso areas. We kept quiet because we were told those were prostitutes. Since we were not prostitutes or pimps, we turned a deaf ear. In Masaka, killers would actually issue a warning letter and come on the indicated day and create unbelievable mayhem. We didnt live in Masaka nor had any relatives there; so, it was okay. Before we knew it, armed men staged daring missions in the middle of Kampala in broad daylight killing a high-profile prosecutor, then an army major and, later, an assistant inspector general of police. When they killed a woman after her parents had paid a hefty ransom, we simply said; well, it must have been a family wrangle and since we dont have that kind of money, they will never come to us. But the stories I hear about kidnaps nowadays arent really about people with huge bank balances. Anybody seems to be a target. The latest killing is that of a comical and flamboyant member of parliament. When news of his killing first filtered in, everybody wondered why anybody would target Ugandas version of Iraqs Comical Ali. In fact, in the war that removed Saddam Hussein from power, nobody ever targeted Ali. He was considered a clown. But that is what it is; you dont have to have much to be targeted by masked men on boda bodas or those willing to extract as little as Shs 500,000 from your relatives. Some reports indicate that the killers of the MP over the weekend had even the time to collect evidence in form of bullet cartridges from the crime scene before jumping on their boda bodas and disappearing. That is how confident they have grown over time. Those who killed the former assistant inspector general of police seem to have had time as well to do whatever they wanted. There was tension when the body of the slain MP arrived in Arua, leading to the destruction of property. In these circumstances, nobody can be sure they will return home alive. Parents are not sure they will arrive back home and find their children. And if it is not gunmen, it is jobless youth targeting your phone that is worth less than Shs 300,000 who will be waiting for you at the gate. In the circumstances that prevail in the country today, very few people want to invest. When people are scared and not sure what will happen to them or their relatives the next day, they cannot think long-term. They will just do what they can to survive. There might even be people thinking exile already. Such people rather keep their money in the bank or take it somewhere they feel is safe. So, if we want to grow our economy, we need to think of securing this country so that nobody loses their lives to idiots and pigs. Before any serious investor comes over, they want to check on how secure their families and properties will be. They dont want to lose money. They want an environment that is safe for their children and relatives. If they arent secure, they go somewhere else. In the seventies and eighties, many Ugandans left the country and set up businesses elsewhere or simply offered their expertise abroad. Some have never come back. The countries that adopted them went on to achieve more from their industriousness. The same applies to tourism, which is one of the countrys biggest foreign exchange earners. If they see anything on the news that scares them, they stay away. When they read of people being kidnaped, high-profile people being showered with bullets, they seek alternatives. So, as we prepare for the new financial year, the governments work is properly cut out. Protect the lives and properties of Ugandans if you want to grow the economy or face the consequences of an increasingly unemployed youthful population. djjuuko@gmail.com The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. 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 I could not fathom what they meant by chimps sharing 98% of their DNA with humans, until recently when I got first-hand experience watching the behaviour of these distant cousins of ours. You too would see a little of yourself in a chimpanzee if you visited More than 20 years ago as Lilly Ajarova was on a fieldwork tour with colleagues at the Uganda Wildlife Authority, they bumped into two groups of chimpazees in a territorial fight. As the two Alpha males came face-to-face, one was bitten so badly that it took off and looked for a particular plant and squeezed juice from its leaves over the wound and the bleeding immediately stopped. That is when I got this love for chimpanzees. They are not so different from us, Ajarova said at Ngamba. She is now the executive director of Ngamba Island Chimpanzee sanctuary, which is making 20 years old. The island in Lake Victoria is home to 49 orphaned chimpanzees and has also fast-become a destination of choice for tourists. If you are planning for a weekend getaway, a visit to Ngamba island would be ideal; from the joyous boat ride and crossing the Equator on water, to the beautiful sunsets and clear air on the island. I joined a group of journalists for a conservation media camp at the island recently that was full of lessons and touching stories of mans cruelty towards animals, and discovering how close we are to the chimpanzees kept here. Safety rule number one? Walk straight into the water as soon as a whistle announcing the escape of a chimp sounds as they fear water; if you dont heed the warning, you just might receive a slap as heavy as that of six men put together, according to Byron Semambo, a caretaker who, however, tells us chimps escaping from their holding facility are very rare. For the time I spent there, my wish was to see one chimp escape, tease us into the water so I could see the reaction of colleagues who feared both the chimps and the water. Lilly Ajarova Apart from the community of chimpanzees, there are many bird species you will see, a cool breeze, flora and fauna and you just could find a baby monitor lizard inside your camping tent. It is during this visit that I got to sleep in a tent for the first time and I would not want to try it again any time soon, because the night was uncomfortable. There are swanky tented cottages at the lakeshore as an option; so, come with your savings. The programmes offered here include day tours, overnight programs and students camping which cost nearly Shs 180,000 for locals and Shs 240,000 for foreigners. The Island Ngamba is about 95 acres; 90 per cent of it forested and only five per cent taken up by human structures. The forest where chimps spend their day is separated from the human side by a high electric fence. Ngamba has 20 male chimps and 29 females that have been rescued at the airport and different border posts from smugglers. These come from Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. According to Semambo, the United Arab Emirates has overtaken the USA as a major destination market for baby chimps. Forty-six out of the 49 chimpanzees at Ngamba are orphaned, while three have been born here. No reproduction Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is one of the 22 members of the Pan- African Sanctuary Alliance that has representatives from 13 African countries and has been pointed out as a model sanctuary which is now doing exchange programmes with others. Even with the dwindling numbers of chimpanzees in the country, the ones here are not allowed to reproduce and females have implants to prevent them from conceiving. However, on one occasion, a chimp removed the implant while on another, the contraceptive simply did not work. After those two incidents, the island now has two baby chimps, Easy and Ruparelia, whose presence spices up the community. If we allow them to reproduce, they will eat up this entire forest, which is already too small to hold the number we have. They do not sleep in the same bed twice; each night, they have to make a new nest, Ajarova said. Challenges The conservation centre faces several challenges, among them inadequate funds to feed the chimpanzees. Currently, they feed four times a day on mainly porridge, fruits and cabbages procured from the mainland. Ajarova says this is simply supplementing their meals. They then venture into the forest where they feed on termites and natural foliage. A young chimp Ngamba is neighbouring other islands including Myende, Koome and Bulago, among others, which are predominately occupied by fishing communities and these, according to Ssemambo, could pose a threat to the chimpanzees. However, to give their neighbours a sense of ownership, the sanctuary management is carrying out different projects in public health and sanitation, safety on water for fishermen, education and social ventures including games. A visit to Myende, about 10 minutes away from Ngamba, will blow your mind; the island has a marvellous view of Lake Victoria that some of my colleagues said they had never seen anywhere in the country. We have three days that are open to the community to come and see the chimps for free and that is Easter, Christmas and New Years day, Ajarova said. Chimps too, can draw About 15 years ago, chimps became extinct from about four African countries, according to Ajarova. Today, there are estimated to be merely 170,000 to 300,000 chimpanzees left in Africa and their population is decreasing rapidly. As we talk now, we dont know how many are left. It is a question of what is actually right. These animals deserve to be in their natural habitat, but who is getting them out? Man! Ajarova said. If we dont do anything, we shall have no chimps left in the next 15 years. Semambo explained that for a baby chimp to be captured, about eight adult ones likely to come to its rescue have to be killed. The rescued babies are often times traumatised and, according to Ajarova, some of them overcome trauma through participating in art. You can see how much frustration they have gone through by the way they draw, they draw with so much anger and hatred, she said. Protect the habitat, protect the chimps Jane Goodall Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall graced the Ngamba-at-20 celebrations at Speke Resort Munyonyo last Thursday. Goodall, one of the brains behind the 1998 establishment of Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary is considered to be the worlds foremost expert on chimpanzees social and family interactions. She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute that has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues. Jane Goodall (R) with First Lady Janet Museveni (C) at Munyonyo She said at Munyonyo that the institute continues to work with partners like Ngamba to save what remains of the wildlife in Africa and called for conservation of natural habitats. Chief Guest Janet Museveni, who also officially opened Ngamba Island 20 years ago, said government has put in place policies, laws and a constitutional framework for the conservation and management of biodiversity. kamogajonathan50@gmail.com 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. Godfrey Wamala, the prime suspect in the death of musician Moses Sekibogo aka "Mowzey Radio" has been committed to the High court for trial. Entebbe chief magistrate Suzan Okeny said prosecution led by Julius Muhiirwe had completed investigations into charges of the murder filed against Wamala also known as Troy. Godfrey Wamala 'Troy' in court Julius Muhiirwe the state prosecutor had earlier told the court that they have obtained enough implicating evidence against Wamala who was placed at the scene-of-crime. On January 22, this year, Mowzey, a member of the celebrated GoodLyfe Crew was reportedly beaten at De Bar in Entebbe and sustained head injuries. He was rushed to Case hospital in Kampala where he died two weeks later on January 1. Troy, who worked as a bouncer at De Bar was later arrested following reports that he had been involved in a fist fight with Radio. He was charged with murder. Troy was sent back to Kigo prison until the High court sets dates for his trial. Mike Parr, a 73-year-old Australian performance artist, recently spent three days in a container buried under one of the busiest roads in Tasmania, with no food, as a response to 20th-century totalitarian violence in all its forms. The unusual performance was apparently conceived a decade ago for an arts festival in Germany, but could not be pulled off due to health and safety concerns. However, the Hobart City Council, in Tasmania, approved it last month, as part of the Dark Mofo festival, as long as the organizers agreed to cover the roadwork bill. That included literally cutting a section of road and digging a large hole under it in order to lower a large metal container in it, and covering it up so that traffic could go on as usual for the three days Mike Parr spent buried inside. Photo: Dark Mofo/Facebook Despite getting the green light from the city council, organizers of the stunt had their work cut out for them. For one thing, they had to build the metal container themselves, after the original manufacturer pulled out upon hearing that a person would be buried in it for several days. They had to make sure that enough air made inside the underground temporary home, and that the lighting and other amenities worked properly. On Thursday night, under the watchful eye of a crowd of curious bystanders, 73-year-old artist Mike Parr went into the container and the asphalt lid was placed over it. The man spent three days under the road, with no food, just some bottles of water and kombucha, a small heater and some thick clothing. He reportedly spent most of his time meditating, drawing, fasting and reading Robert Hughess The Fatal Shore. On Sunday evening, at 9 pm, the road cutout was lifted again, and Mike Parr climbed out of his temporary underground home. Although Dark Mofo festival officials have claimed that Mr. Parrs performance was a response to violence in general, on a global level, many have speculated that it was in fact meant to symbolize the cover-up of the slaughter of the indigenous population in Tasmania, particularly during the Black War, a 19th-century conflict fought between British settlers and Indigenous Tasmanians, who were virtually wiped out. Mike Parrs stunt is reminiscent of the performance of Abraham Poincheval, a French performance artist known for sealing himself in tight spaces. Ed Rogers Bahrain has signed BGR Government Affairs to a two-year strategic communications contract worth $1.6M. BGR chairman Ed Rogers, former aide to the late Republican political consultant Lee Atwater and deputy assistant in the George Bush I White House, leads the team that includes former journalist Jeffrey Birnbaum (Wall Street Journal, Time, Washington Post and Fortune) and Clinton/Obama White House staffer Maya Seiden. Bahrain has long been criticized for a crackdown on its majority Shia population by its Sunni leadership. It has jailed Shia political leaders as terrorist. The island nation, which is closely aligned with Saudi Arabia, is part of the Arab coalition that erected the economic and political blockade of Qatar for its alleged ties to Iran, which also is dominated by Shias. Some fear Bahrains crackdown will build support for Iran. Bahrain is home to the US Navys Fifth Fleet. A blog about life under, and resisting, a dictatorship Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. right to left said: And this should be obvious considering that no restaurant or hotel is busy all the time! There are seasonal slowdowns in the business, as well as literal catastrophes that can occur when a road closure or major road construction goes on in front of or near a restaurant and everyone's standing around staring at empty tables! A general rule of thumb has long been that a restaurant with more waiters is a signal of high quality and higher tips...since a man wouldn't do the job unless there was good money in it/while if there's more women or all waitresses on the server staff, tips are low or non-existent unless it's bullshit like lecherous patrons expecting 'fringe benefits' for a few dollars extra. Tipped workers experience higher level of poverty and this is from CNBC! Two fucking bucks an hour! Here in Ontario the special minimum wage given the restauranteurs association is a dollar or so lower than the standard minimum wage, but TWO DOLLARS????? Your subject was a little off topic, but I went with it anyway, and I didn't want to question your anecdote about how you made off like a bandit waiting tables, cause I was fortunate enough to land in a similar spot a little over 40 years ago also. But, even at the time, I knew..and everyone else knew that, unless you're working in a high end establishment, you're not rolling in the dough when you're working for tips!And this should be obvious considering that no restaurant or hotel is busy all the time! There are seasonal slowdowns in the business, as well as literal catastrophes that can occur when a road closure or major road construction goes on in front of or near a restaurant and everyone's standing around staring at empty tables!A general rule of thumb has long been that a restaurant with more waiters is a signal of high quality and higher tips...since a man wouldn't do the job unless there was good money in it/while if there's more women or all waitresses on the server staff, tips are low or non-existent unless it's bullshit like lecherous patrons expecting 'fringe benefits' for a few dollars extra.and this is from CNBC! https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/14/minimum-wages-for-these-workers-havent-gone-up-since-1996-thats-a-problem.html Two fucking bucks an hour! Here in Ontario the special minimum wage given the restauranteurs association is a dollar or so lower than the standard minimum wage, but TWO DOLLARS????? Click to expand... I feel sorry for that person in the story, but there are going to examples of "shit happens" in every occupation. For the restaurant to pay her a higher hourly wage, they will have to do either one of two things which will about exactly the same results with probably no net gain.1) Raise the menu prices which will drive away the more price sensitive customers which will result in few tips in between.2) Reduce the wait staff which will make lower her attentiveness and quality of service to the clientele which will lower her tips per ticket.The answer is to move away from a tip-based culture and society.Ups and downs in what one earns throughout the year effects not just those in the hospitality service, but many many other labor fields.Resorts and hotels.Amusement and vacationConstruction tradesmenAuto and military industry, both sales and manufacturingAccountantsFarm workersFishermenThe list is endless, and we can find sob stories in any field.In my profession, I have to "kill it" between mid-January to early-June and starve for the rest of the year while still having to put in nearly as many hours. Old-timers in my field also try to teach the new guys to sock away the money during the good times, but most never listen and spend their wads because their heads get stuck in a cloud and they think the money will alway be as good and the old guys are exaggerating. We call those guys "one year wonders", when they have to leave an annual six figure+ job just because they can't hold out for six months without losing their apartment and car because they blew through more money in six months than most people make in a coupe of years or more. Parkinson's sufferer Robin Buttery is to take on one of the world's toughest rows to raise thousands of pounds for charity and support vital treatment research. The De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) member of staff is to row across the Indian Ocean despite being diagnosed with young onset of Parkinson's disease (YOPD), a long-term degenerative disorder. Robin, who works as a technical instructor for furniture/timber product design, is due to set off on the sponsored ocean crossing with three crew members today (Thursday). The huge mental and physical challenge will see the group rowing 3,600 nautical miles from Western Australia to Mauritius on board a vessel that is just 30ft by 6ft. The crew of four will row for 24 hours each day, in two-hour intervals with two-hour breaks. They are expected to be at sea for about 65 days. They will be put through their paces as they will be unsupported and at the mercy of the elements and the vast open ocean. They face many dangers and discomforts such as stormy weather, huge waves, blisters, seasickness, whales and sharks, sunburn, sleep deprivation and exhaustion. The team will survive on a freeze-dried food and a desalinator will turn seawater into drinking water. Robin will also support vital research as scientists will use an on-board camera to better understand how his metabolic, cardiovascular and neuro-muscular system cope and adapt to prolonged endurance activity. It is hoped this could lead to a significant breakthrough in the way Parkinson's is assessed and treated. Robin, who lives in Leicester with his family, said the ocean crossing would be the challenge of a lifetime to raise money, as well as awareness. He has been busy training by going to the gym and putting his skills to the test on his rowing machine at home. The team has also done a training row from Guernsey to Southampton. Robin, who admits he's not an adventurer and only a novice rower, said: "I have to take a lot of drugs, but I try to stay positive and find that exercise helps me a lot. "I also want to show others that life does not stop after diagnosis. Whatever life throws at you, nothing should hold you back. "Researchers will be examining how my body reacts when things get ugly. I'll definitely be out my comfort zone, but I want to try to improve things through research to help us all." He added: "Everyone has been really encouraging and Im really looking forward to it." All money raised will be split between Parkinson's UK; the Clear Trust, which aims to encourage young people with neurological disorders to participate in exercise; and RAFT, a medical research charity dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children who have suffered physical trauma. Parkinson's disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in part of the brain with symptoms including the slowing down of bodily movements over time. Robin was diagnosed in June 2015, just before his 44th birthday, after he noticed he had a sore knee and couldn't walk as quickly as he used to. He will be joined on his journey by skipper Billy Taylor and fellow rowers Barry Hayes and James Plumley. The crew hope to row their way into the record books by becoming the fastest four-man crew to row the Indian Ocean. The current record stands at 71 days and to date, less than 50 people in the world have successfully rowed the Indian Ocean. Visit the crew's website to sponsor them, or watch them live as they make their way across the Indian Ocean. Schoolchildren across the UK will also be watching the live-stream to learn about subjects such as geography, oceanography and marine conservation. RELATED NEWS Dementia artwork captures objects that trigger people's memories Endometriosis awareness event backs need for city's first support group Students at DMU working to improve cancer care San Jacinto River dredging about to get underway More than 150 area residents, most of whom suffered major flood damage as a result of Hurricane Harvey, crowded into the large public room of the Kingwood Community Center Monday, June 11, for an update and description of the dredging project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project is about to get underway on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. With so much at stake, namely the ongoing threat to their homes and lives, the crowd paid close attention and, for the most part, heard good news. $50 million project starts July 5 Bob Rehak, of Kingwood, who has been instrumental in getting the dredging project justified and underway, introduced the project team from the Army Corps of Engineers. It is they who are making the project become a reality in record time. We are extremely lucky tonight to have with us some of the representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I am not sure if you realize it, but the project they are about to undertake in the San Jacinto River, the Emergency Dredging Project, is probably going to be the first resulting from Harvey within the Houston area. These gentlemen have been scrambling with the project since they got it assigned to them by FEMA, said Rehak. He then introduced Chief of Public Affairs Lt. Col. Mark Williford, Project Manager Eduardo Irigoyen and Hydraulic Engineer Mikael Garske. As Rehak was completing his introductions, a resident stood up and loudly said, Bob, before you put down that mike, I just want to thank you for your leadership and all the work you have done. His last words were drowned out by the roar of applause and cheers of thanks that erupted from the audience. Following the applause, Irigoyen explained the details of the project using a slide show to point out the specific locations of the planned work to be done. If all goes as planned, dredging will begin as early as July 5, and be completed by the end of the year. A study of this magnitude for the Corps (Army Corps of Engineers) usually takes three years. We did this in two weeks, said Irigoyen. He went over each phase of the planning process, describing how quickly it had been done compared to the time it normally took. He pointed out that normally the bidding process for a job of this size would not have started until later this fall with actual dredging not completed until at least October 2020. Irigoyen explained that the job was originally estimated to cost $25 million but has risen to more than $50 million as the specifics and magnitude has been fully developed for job bidding purposes. The entire cost, because of its emergency designation, is being handled as part of overall FEMA recovery costs allocated for Harvey and is already fully authorized. The project will result in returning the riverbed channel to pre-Harvey levels from the U.S. Highway 59 bridge to the area where the river opens into Lake Houston east of the W. Lake Houston Pkwy. bridge just past Kings Harbor. We want to be in there and out by the spring rains. Thats our goal, Irigoyen said. He noted it is a very aggressive schedule and everyone involved understands the urgency, but meeting the goal will also depend on how the hurricane season plays out this year in the Gulf Coast area. Following Irigoyens presentation, Garske explained the myriad of facts and figures, data and historic studies that have been used in determining the dredging plans and specific locations. He pointed out where the river radically changed as a result of the storm and explained the methodology used to determine the actual dredging requirements and where they will occur, including the depths and widths of the area to be dredged. In addition to dredging, the status of other related subjects were provided. Area resident Mark Micheletti, who was appointed to the San Jacinto River Authority (SJCA) Board of Directors following the storm, explained the Lake Conroe lake-level situation. In spite of a delay due to objections from the Lake Conroe Association, Lake Conroe is going to be lowered periodically during high rain-event periods in the spring and during hurricane threats as originally approved by the SJCA. He explained that the objection was made to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality which manages the allocation of drinking water between the City of Houston, Conroe and other users. It must approve all changes regarding available lake water. It has been more than 45 days since the level issue was originally approved by SJCA, and its still waiting on the required commission's approval. Governor [Greg] Abbott and TCEQ are working to make sure all the legal issues are covered. From my understanding we are real close and I am reasonably confident that by the time we get to Aug. 1, we will see Lake Conroe starting to be lowered, said Micheletti. Bill Bauer of the Harris County Appraisal District explained Harris County tax reappraisals for both 2017 and 2018. He pointed out that the 2017 Flood Damage Reappraisal letters apply only to Humble ISD taxes and not to city, county and other taxes for the purpose of calculating 2017 tax year refunds. He emphasized that the 2018 tax assessments should be based on the market value of the property as of Jan. 1, 2018. If no repairs or improvements had been made by that time, the value should logically be the same as the assessed values declared on the 2017 reappraisal that was based on the date the flooding occurred. However, if work had actually been started before Jan. 1, that portion completed in 2017 may increase the market value above the 2017 reappraised value for 2018. Jonathan Holley of the Harris County Flood Control District explained the upcoming Harris County Flood Mitigation Bond election. The Harris County Commissioners Court plans to call a bond election for Aug. 25 for the Harris County Flood Control District. Registered voters in Harris County will be asked to vote on what could be $2.5 billion in bonds for flood risk-reduction projects throughout the county. The purpose of the bond election is to identify additional funding for flood control and general drainage in Harris County, said Holley. He emphasized that this is not related to the Army Corp of Engineers Project and is completely separate in terms of funding. He asked everyone to become familiar with the projects and provide input about the program lists through the districts web page, hcfcd.org. He said the bond program access is displayed on the districts website home page. By selecting it, one can access the 150-plus projects already listed for consideration, along with an interaction map to view the projects by area and location. Funding sought for Northpark project A call for projects has been issued by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), a relief to the board members of the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority who have been anticipating the request for nearly two years. The Authority will submit a proposal asking for $40 million. The H-GAC is a region-wide voluntary association of local governments which works with local government officials to solve problems across the area, particularly mobility issues. The H-GAC allocated federal dollars for transportation projects and the Authority has been preparing for months to be ready. Authority to ask H-GAC for $40 million We have been working on this for one-and-a-half to two years, Jim Webb said of the Goodman Corporation, a firm hired as a transportation consultant to the Authority. Webb said H-GAC wants assurance that there is local funding available to match the federal dollars and that there are entities (such as the Authority) existing to manage the projects before they grant funding. Authority Chairman Stan Sarman added that Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner indicated he wants to see applications for projects that include flood resiliency. Northpark will be flood resilient, Sarman said. The improvement project to Northpark Drive has been separated by the Authority into two parts, but the total cost is approximately $80 million. The Northpark Drive Reconstruction Project covers one portion of the overall plan from Russell Palmer Road to Woodland Hills Drive. This project will work in tandem with the western portion of the plan, known as the Overpass Project, which consists of the reconstruction and widening of Northpark Drive from U.S. Hwy. 59 to Russell Palmer Road. The Overpass Project is anticipated to be let in 2020 by TxDOT, in conjunction with a partnership with the Authority. The City of Houston will contribute financially and the Authority will likely issue bonds to cover the remainder. Sarman said design work should begin in 2019 and construction in 2020. The Authority went on to discuss their 2019 annual operating budget and the 2019 to 2023 Capital Improvement Plan budget. Rachel Ray-Welsh, an engineer with Walter P. Moore, reported that the completion of the intersection improvement at Northpark and W. Lake Houston Pkwy. has been delayed by the delivery of an incorrect piece of equipment. The correct one is expected soon and the improvements will be completed. A subcommittee of the Authority, charged with prioritizing smaller, less extensive Kingwood improvements, is expected to recommend which three mobility projects should be undertaken next. The list of improvements came from responses from Kingwood residents who participated in the mobility study undertaken by the Authority several years ago. The Authority next meets Aug. 9. 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. 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League: US defeats Iran in 3 sets in Chicago 06/18/18 Source: Press TV In a crowded stadium in Chicago where Iranians were loud and jubilant, team US hosts managed to defeat their guests from Iran in three consecutive sets. In a close first set the US defeated Iran 29-27 to take the early lead. In the second set, the US squad gained a 25-20 victory over Iran and the third set was once again tight, ending in a 26-24 victory for the US team. 18 from Matt Anderson helped the USA sweep past Iran 3-0 in Chicago and take a step closer to the #VNL Finals! Review the match: https://t.co/4RF7okBRG1 #BePartOfTheGame #volleyball pic.twitter.com/DE13kG0Ok4 Volleyball World (@FIVBVolleyball) June 18, 2018 The loss came after Iranian volleyball players had thumped world champion Poland 3-0 (26-24, 26-24 and 25-22) in their opening match and later lost to Serbia in a narrow defeat (25-21, 22-25, 25-27, 25-20 and 11-15). Iran, Poland and Serbia joined the US Men's National Team for three days of FIVB Volleyball Nations League matches on June 15-17, 2018 at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The US men's team ranks number 2 in the world, Poland number 3, Iran number 8 and Serbia eleventh in the world. MEGA RALLY!! Both USA & Iran looking good in this one, but it's a big American block that ends it! #VNL #BePartOfTheGame #volleyball @usavolleyball pic.twitter.com/HqmH9gFNWg Volleyball World (@FIVBVolleyball) June 17, 2018 The 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League kicked off on May 25, and will run through July 8 in 22 host cities. A total of 16 teams compete in a round-robin format with every core team hosting a pool at least once. The teams are divided into four pools of four teams at each week and compete five weeks long, with a total of 120 matches. The top five teams after the preliminary round join the host of the final round to compete in the last level. The relegation takes in consideration only the 4 challenger teams. The last-ranked challenger team plays the promotion play-off against the Challenger Cup winners. The winners of the play-off will qualify for the next edition as a challenger team. Iran resumes train service to Turkey's Van after 3 years 06/18/18 Source: Press TV Iran says it has launched a train service to Turkey's Van after a hiatus of about three years with officials expressing hope that it would help increase the number of tourists travelling on either side of the border. The service that starts from Iran's northwestern city of Tabriz was halted in 2016 when a cargo train which was en route to Tabriz was derailed in eastern Turkey near the border with Iran as a result of a bomb attack. The attack - which Turkish officials blamed on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - did not cause any fatalities, but left two Turkish railway guards lightly injured. The train was carrying iron, tobacco, and MDF to Iran. The trip to Van would leave once a week on Monday evening and would return the next day, said Shapour Arsalani, the director general of Iran's Azarbaijan Railway Network. Arsalani added that the train has a passenger capacity of 250 which could be increased upon stronger trip demand. The official emphasized that an agreement had been reached with Turkey to advertise about the train service to Tabriz in Van which is located about one hour's drive from Iran's border. This, he added, would be in line with Iran's efforts to encourage stronger tourist visits to the northwestern Iranian city, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported. The train service to Van is considered to provide a relative advantage for Iran's trade activities with Turkey as well as the exchange of tourists with the country. Turkey banned travels of passenger trains in the country's east and southeast in 2015 when clashes between the army and the PKK terrorists intensified. Freight trains, however, were allowed to pass on a limited basis. Official figures released by Turkish authorities show that Iran currently provides the highest number of tourists to the country. In 2017, a staggering figure of 2.5 million Iranians travelled to Turkey - a figure that was 50 percent higher than the previous year. Over the past few months from the start of 2018, above 850,000 Iranians are believed to have travelled to the country's northwestern neighbor - again a record figure. Iran's President Rouhani to visit Switzerland, Austria: Office 06/18/18 Source: Press TV President Hassan Rouhani will travel to Switzerland and Austria at the invitation of the European countries' presidents, IRNA news agency reported on Monday, citing the presidential office. Rouhani will travel first to Bern for a two-day visit in the first half of the Iranian month of Tir (June 22-July 6), the presidential office's director for communications and information Parviz Esmaeili said. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani He will meet Swiss President Alain Berset and supervise the signing of documents for cooperation in various political, economic, and cultural areas, besides attending a gathering of Swiss-based Iranian nationals. Rouhani will then head to Vienna where he will meet Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and similarly oversee the signing of several documents for cooperation. A number of ministers, political and economic officials, as well as entrepreneurs and private sector representatives will accompany Rouhani on the visit. The visit comes in the wake of President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from a landmark nuclear deal with Iran. European countries have been scrambling to save the deal and ensure that Iran remains in the agreement through pledging incentives to the Islamic Republic. The European Union has improved relations with Iran since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) went into force in early 2016, and promised to uphold their side of the bargain despite the US pullout from the deal. Rouhani's visit also comes on the heels of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tour of Europe to persuade European leaders to abandon the Iran deal and impose new sanctions on the country similar to the US. Effective July 1, the number of agencies undertaking joint inspections at the ports will be reduced from 16 to three. The three agencies to remain in operation at the ports are Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), and Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) The new measures are aimed at bringing about more efficiency, improve revenue collection, and rein in corruption using the paperless port system. 43% of containers cleared in 24 hours According to data from the Ghana Community Network (GCNet), 43 per cent of containers are cleared within 24 hours, and about 70 per cent of them are cleared within 72 hours since the introduction of the paperless system. Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia made the announcement at Mobex Africa Tech Expo, a technology trade show, in Accra. According to him, officers from the National Security or Narcotic Controls Board would join base on intelligence at the ports. Officers frustrating the system He found as shocking, reports that some officials at the ports had been demanding documents from importers for stamping. This is ridiculous and should not happen under the new bill and bill of laden for stamping or any other purpose during the clearance process. He added that there had also been reports of payments being made to customs officials through mobile money channels to circumvent the paperless process. Vice-President Dr Bawumia reminded the public that all relevant documents for clearing goods at the ports were online and that the compliance stage of the clearance process had been abolished because it had become redundant under the new system. That function would be undertaken by the Customs Technical Services Bureau. Ghana shippers paid $76m as demurrage and rent in 2017 Shippers in Ghana paid $76m as demurrage and rent in 2017, which the Ghana Shipper Authority (GSA) describes as an avoidable waste of resources. Facilitating easy clearance of goods will save shippers the unnecessary demurrage and rent cost. Compliance stage of the clearing process The compliance stage of the clearing process, according to the Vice-President, has become redundant under the paperless system and will, therefore, be abolished from July 1, 2018. He indicated that going forward, the compliance function will be undertaken by the Customs Technical Services Bureau (CTSB) to deal with the duplication that was identified during the review. Taskforce for monitoring PS As part of the new reforms, a taskforce which would be responsible for the monitoring of the implementation of the paperless port clearing system has been set up, the Vice-President announced. The team will be required to provide managers of the port systems with daily and weekly reports to aid them in decision making. He said the nation was on track to digitise the economy, but it should not be lost on anybody that the beneficiaries of the old system would want to push back and to cause distraction. The paperless port system had brought significant gains improved the clearance of goods and services, and raised governments revenue. The government on September 1, last year introduced the paperless port system to promote efficiency, reduce the turnaround time of vessels, and minimise the human interface to reduce corruption. Source: The Finder 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 It was a moment of rare enthusiasm as Tema-based Delhi Public School International (DPSI) Ghana, observed the 2018 edition of the International Yoga Day in Ghana. The International Day of Yoga commonly and unofficially referred to as Yoga Day is celebrated yearly around the world on June 21. Its inception dates back to 2015 after the United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared it. The celebration at DPSI took place in the schools auditorium on Friday, June 8. It brought together students and teachers who participated with much enthusiasm. All participants, volunteers and teachers assembled around 9:00 am for the yoga session which was conducted in a very conducive and tranquil ambience. The yoga session lasted about an hour, and afforded students the opportunity to enjoy themselves in the practice of the stretching exercises and the ASANAS; moving into standing, sitting and lying positions (both lying on back and reverse) and smoothly changing positions in succession under the instructions of a qualified yoga teacher. The participants expressed their joy for the opportunity to learn about the benefits of yoga in their daily life; promising that they would continue to practice Yoga for keeping their body and mind in a healthy, stress-free and cheerful condition. The Director of DPSI Ghana, Mukesh Thakwani, who practises yoga ardently, told participants about the positive impacts yoga has had on his life. According to him, "Performing yoga every morning gives me positive energy and keeps me active throughout the day." Continuing, he asserted: "In fact, Yoga is a great tool for maintaining health because it is based on stretching muscles and increasing flexibility and thereby maintaining a balanced metabolism." Mr Thakwani seized the opportunity to thank the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency, Birender Singh Yadav, for his support towards the celebration of the international yoga day. On his part, Principal of DPSI Ghana, David Rai, explained that "practising Yoga in our daily life, incorporating meditation and breathing exercises can help improve a persons mental well-being." The headmaster who participated in the celebration added that "it is a great way to keep yourself fit as the stretching exercises build the strength of our muscles." Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has inaugurated a 13-member committee to develop a charter for the Ghana beyond Aid vision of his administration. The committee had been given a deadline of September 2018 to present to Parliament, a roadmap for the achievement of the vision that seeks to harness and prudently manage the countrys vast natural resource to finance Ghanas development agenda without recourse to foreign assistance. The document is expected, after approval by the legislature, to become the policy document to guide the actions of government, as well as those of the various stakeholders in the country. The committee, chaired by Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo, includes Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, Labour and Employment Minister Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Planning Minister Prof Djan Baffour, and Local Government Minister Hajia Alima Mahama. Others are Dr Anthony Yaw Baah and Mrs Philomena Sampson, both of the Trades Union Congress; Mr David Ofori Acheampong of the Ghana National Association of Teachers; and Messrs Kwaku Agyeman-Duah and Nana Osei Bonsu of the Private Enterprise Federation. The rest are Dr Yaw Adu Gyamfi of the Association of Ghana Industries, Dr Eric Yeboah of the office of the Senior Minister, and Dr Yaw Ansu, a senior policy adviser at the Finance Ministry. At a short ceremony at the Jubilee House in Accra, President Akufo-Addo said it could not be right that 60 years after Ghanas independence, the country was still dependent on external assistance despite its extraordinary natural and human resources. He said that the country had been dependent on aid largely because we have not been able to develop our economy to the extent that allows us to do things for ourselves, adding that by now, we should be in a position to fund activities for reasons that are obvious then, we will have control over our own destiny. He continued, we will then decide for ourselves what things are priorities for us and go ahead and address them and not have to be at the receiving end of other peoples instructionsI think the time has come for us to realise that potential, to make a conscious effort together as a people to get there. The President was unhappy that the country did not have control over most of its critical economic elements, saying, The situation where foreign entities dominated the important sectors of the Ghanas economy cannot be right and ought to change. Source: The Finder 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 become the first sub-Saharan African country to eliminate trachoma. Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this milestone and congratulated Ghana in a statement released last Wednesday Ghana joins only five other countries to have eliminated trachoma; Nepal, Oman, Morocco, Cambodia, and Laos. Its been 20 years since the global health community committed to eliminating trachoma worldwide. Although theres more work to do elsewhere, the validation of elimination in Ghana allows another previously heavily-endemic country to celebrate significant success, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. The Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, also noted that this success is a result of a tremendous amount of hard work by thousands of health, education and development workers to improve the lives of individuals with trachoma and their families. The Government of Ghana is enormously grateful to its staff and to the many partners that have joined forces with us to eliminate trachoma and the cycle of poverty it triggers, he added. Trachoma: Ghanas story Trachoma was identified in the 1950s as the most important cause of blindness in Ghana. By the 1990s, the disease was known to persist as a significant public health problem in the Northern and Upper West Regions. There were about 2.8 million people at risk of trachomatous blindness nationally, with an estimated 13 000 people suffering from trichiasis. In 2000, the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service set up a national Trachoma Elimination Programme. Ghanas Trachoma Elimination Programme implemented the WHO-recommended elimination strategy, SAFE, which comprises Surgery for trichiasis, Antibiotics to clear infection, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement to reduce transmission. Trichiasis surgery was provided at no cost, a critical Ghana Health Service decision reflecting the socioeconomic disadvantage of people with trichiasis and the impact of the condition on future earning potential. Azithromycin, donated by Pfizer through the International Trachoma Initiative, was distributed with support from FHI 360 (using funds from the United States Agency for International Development), The Carter Center, Sightsavers and other organizations. Facial cleanliness was promoted through community events, dramas, the school health education programme, radio messages and radio clubs. Environmental improvement was coordinated by Ghanas Community Water and Sanitation Agency. WHO estimates that 200 million people in 42 countries, mostly in Africa, are currently at risk of trachoma. 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 Madam Catherine Afeku, Minister for Tourism Arts, Culture and Creative Arts has observed that Wli Waterfalls in the Hohoe Municipality could become Ghana's tourism haven if resourced. She said dilapidated changing rooms, lack of rest stops,sanitary and recreational facilities had discouraged dedicated tourists to the Falls. The Minister made the observation when she toured some tourist sites in the Region including; the Volta lakeside at Dzemeni in the South Dayi District and Fort Prinzenstein in the Keta Municipality, with some tourist Ambassadors. At a meeting with some chiefs of Wli, Madam Afeku said mismanagement of revenue was also affecting smooth running of the facility and hinted that tolls at the Falls would be automated in two weeks with the latest electronic payment systems. She said the automation of some tourist sites in the country had realised significant improvements in revenue, and that the Wli Falls would soon be able to rebuild its facilities, and appealed for the cooperation of stakeholders to make that a success. "Despite all these challenges, tourists keep flocking to the Wli, so I'm hopeful that the advanced payment systems and other interventions will help transform this place and affect the lives of the women and youth in the area", Madam Afeku stated. She said her Ministry was also crafting useful interventions including; training of tour guides and charged the inhabitants to take full responsibility of the place to keep it on the tourism map of visitors. Shirley, an Israeli Tourist who endured the six hour trek up and down the upper falls told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the lack of professional guides took the substance out of her visit. Mr Emmanuel Glorkpor, a Chief Tour Guide told GNA that there was currently eight guides helping tourists through the site and that poor remuneration made it unsustainable employment avenue. He said tourists mostly frequented the place during summer and school holidays, and agreed that the facilities needed upgrading to increase patronage. Vendors of various kinds of crafts and artefacts said the current state of the site had limited visits to holidays and vacations, affecting their business. Some young people said proceeds from the site had not benefited the natives who continued to reel in unemployment. Mr Edem, a Ghanian Musician andTourism Ambassador for the Region, said he would use his influence to attract more investors to develop the sites and help promote to them both locally and internationally. Meanwhile, the GNA observed that while work on a tourist centre project with stalls had stalled for two decades, authorities were putting up a bamboo structure rest stop, off the trail to the falls. 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 implementation of the Government's flagship Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) policy is expected to enhance the electoral fortunes of the ruling New Patriotic Party by adding 5% more votes to the party in the 2020 general elections. The Special Aide to the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Andy Owusu believes the PFJ programme is the best social intervention policy ever introduced by any government in the country's history, particularly for the Ghanaian farming population. According to him, the programme has direct bearing on the country's economy considering the fact that agriculture continues to be the mainstay of Ghana's economy. He predicted that the ruling New Patriotic Party will win massively in the 2020 elections, stressing that the PFJ programme alone will contribute 5% more to the party's electoral share. Andy Owusu, who is a strong advocate of the program is calling on Ghanaians to pray for the Minister of Food and Agriculture, adding that Ghanaians will remember Hon. Akoto for his immense contribution to the growth and development of this country just like his farher, the Late Baffour Akoto is being honoured for his role in Ghana's democracy. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has assured that, shortly, Government will put out a statement setting out a comprehensive roadmap, including the lifting of the ban on small-scale mining, to deal with, on a permanent basis, the grave threat of galamsey to the present and future health of Ghana. The comprehensive roadmap, according to the President, will involve the reclaiming and re-afforestation of mined-out areas; the restoration of impacted water bodies; and strict supervision of the processes of awarding mining licenses and associated permits. Additionally, the road map will incorporate the establishment of a mercury pollution abatement project; the implementation of alternative livelihood projects; systematic control of the engagement of excavators and changfans in mining areas; and continued formalisation and regulation of the small-scale mining sector. When the ban is lifted, you will have a responsibility, as was successfully discharged in the days of our forefathers, to continue to help preserve our lands, water bodies and environment, the President said. He continued,We all have a duty to say no to galamsey for our own common survival and the survival of those who are to come. If we allow it, we are jeopardising both our present and our future. This cannot be over-emphasised. President Akufo-Addo made this known on Monday, 18th June, 2018, when he delivered the keynote address at the sensitisation workshop for traditional and religious leaders and stakeholders on the elimination of illegal mining in Ghana, held at the Accra International Conference Centre. Recalling his remarks to the same gathering a year ago, the President acknowledged that because of the difficulties the nation had gone through in recent years, some personshad decided to find unorthodox means, including galamsey, of keeping body and soul together. In dealing with galamsey, the Akufo-Addo government set up, at the level of the Cabinet, an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, with the world-renowned scientist, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, in the chair. The Committee, at the commencement of its work, recommended an initial 6-month ban on small scale mining activities, a request which was assented to by the President. The ban has, since then, been extended. Government, the President said, gave directives to the Committee to carry out certain activities to bring sanity into the artisanal gold mining sector, including the launching of Operation Vanguard; the training of small-scale miners in sustainable mining methods at the George Grant University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa; and regular interactions between the Inter-Ministerial Committee and the Small-Scale Miners Association to craft a Code of Practice for small scale mining operations. President Akufo-Addo added that the formation of District Mining Committees against illegal mining with clearly defined terms of reference; and the deployment of satellite imagery and drone technology to monitor the mining activities of illegal miners, have been undertaken by the Committee. Government also ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury, as the 40th State Party. The objective of the Minamata Convention is to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions, and releases of mercury and mercury compounds into the environment, he added. President Akufo-Addo expressed his and the appreciation of the nation to the countrys revered religious leaders, and eminent Chiefs and Queenmothers, for the support they have offered, and continue to offer in the fight against galamsey. I was in the Western Region for a 3-day tour a little over a week ago, and I was comforted by the strong remarks of support by the Chiefs I encountered, who attested to the marked improvement in the vegetation and the quality of the water bodies, in comparison to the situation a year ago, 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 Cookies depicting Khloe Kardashian and her daughter True, made by Scientific Sweets are seen in this undated handout photo. A Manitoba cookie company is getting praise from Khloe Kardashian for custom creations featuring her daughter True. The famous Kardashian posted a photo of the custom order cookies made by Winnipeg's Scientific Sweets on Instagram on Monday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Scientific Sweets *MANDATORY CREDIT* Peter Khill, charged with second-degree murder, leaves court in Hamilton on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Khill, 28, is charged with gunning down an Indigenous man, Jon Styres, 29, who was allegedly trying to steal his pickup truck from his rural home in the early hours of Feb. 4, 2016.A forensic pathologist has told a murder trial that a homeowner near Hamilton shot an alleged thief from about two metres. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel Damage to a door of a mosque in Edson, Alta. is shown in a handout photo. RCMP in Alberta say they're investigating an arson at a mosque in a community west of Edmonton. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Jocelyn Pettitt MANDATORY CREDIT In this photo provided by Cambodia National Police, onlookers stand around the mangled wreckage of Cambodia's Prince Norodom Ranariddh's car after a collision with another vehicle outside Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Sunday, June 17, 2018. Ranariddh has been seriously injured in the road crash that killed his wife and injured at least seven other people early Sunday. (Cambodia National Police via AP) 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. The trial of Francis Salemme, a geriatric former New England Mafia boss accused of killing a nightclub owner in 1993, underscores the decline of the once-powerful mob. (FBI Surveillance Photo via AP) 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) In this photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, people who've been taken into custody related to cases of illegal entry into the United States, rest in one of the cages at a facility in McAllen, Texas, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Rio Grande Valley Sector via AP) Oil falls Monday on threat of China crude tariffs, expected OPEC supply rise By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE Petroleumworld 06 18 2018 Oil prices on Monday extended falls from late last week after China threatened duties on American crude imports in an escalating trade dispute with Washington, while supply from OPEC and Russia is also expected to rise. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 touched their lowest level since April, falling to $63.59 per barrel before edging back to $63.98 by 0635 GMT. That was still down $1.07, or 1.6 percent, from their last settlement. Crude oil prices crashed as U.S.-China trade tensions escalated last Friday, said Benjamin Lu of Singapore-based futures brokerage Phillip Futures. In an escalating spat over the American trade deficit with most of its major trading partners, including China, U.S. President Donald Trump last week pushed ahead with hefty tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, starting on July 6. China on Friday said it would retaliate by slapping duties on American export products, including crude oil. Beijing has retaliated ... with its position as a top importer from the U.S., Lu said. These punitive measures on bilateral trade have unnerved investors as it hurts global economic growth. U.S. bank Morgan Stanley said in a note to clients that the trade spat meant economic downside risks have risen, although it added that negotiations and de-escalation (are) still the likely endgame. U.S. oil exports have boomed in the last two years as production has surged, with China becoming the biggest customer of American crude shipments in a business that is now worth $1 billion per month. OPEC, RUSSIA RAISE OUTPUT International oil prices also fell, with Brent crude futures LCOc1 down 46 cents, or 0.6 percent, at $72.98 per barrel. This was in response to reports that top suppliers Saudi Arabia and Russia would likely increase production. Oil prices have sold off over the past three weeks on concerns over higher OPEC production, said U.S. bank Goldman Sachs on Monday, adding that weaker demand from emerging economies and the escalating trade dispute, as well as rising inventories had further weighed on prices. The producer cartel of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which is de-facto led by Saudi Arabia, and some allies including Russia have been withholding output since the start of 2017. They will meet in Vienna on June 22 to decide forward production policy, with Russia and Saudi Arabia pushing for higher output. Despite this, Goldman Sachs said the oil market remains in deficit ... requiring higher core OPEC and Russia production to avoid a stock-out by year-end. The bank said it expected OPEC and Russian output to rise by 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) by year-end and by another 0.5 million bpd in the first half of 2019. _________________________ Twitter: @petroleumworld1 Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with Us Guyana should not enter into one-on-one negotiations with other oil companies - Former Pres. Advisor warns By Kaieter News GEORGETOWN Petroleumworld 06 18 2018 Former Presidential Advisor on Petroleum, Dr. Jan Mangal, is of the firm belief that Guyana's authorities should not award a single oil block via one-on-one negotiations with any other oil company. In a statement to the media yesterday, Dr. Mangal emphasized that one-on-one negotiations are prone to corruption and Guyana is a highly corrupt place. The Oil and Gas Consultant said, Chevron, Petrobras, etc. would love for Guyana to enter into one-on-one negotiations because they know they can outwit Guyana at the negotiating table, or even worse, the same way Exxon outwitted Guyana in 2016. Dr. Mangal said, too, that Guyana should not award any acreage until there is sufficient capacity in the new Department of Energy for creating and managing a transparent, competitive auction process. He added that the new department needs to be staffed with qualified and experienced Oil and Gas professionals who possess decades of experience with major oil companies. He said that they must also have a clean and ethical background. The Oil and Gas Consultant also stated that the geopolitical (Venezuela) excuse that has been used by some to justify one-on-one negotiations is not valid. In this regard, Dr. Mangal said that the same excuse was used by many in Government to justify not releasing the ExxonMobil contract for the Stabroek Block. Dr. Mangal said, Luckily for the people of Guyana, someone at the highest level of government understood the importance of transparency and released the contract in December 2017. The oil companies and their stooges in government will always prefer secrecy over transparency, but transparency is the most important ingredient to ensure the oil industry benefits the poor people of Guyana. If there is secrecy, then the only ones who will benefit will be the oil companies, the local business elites, and government officials. If you think I am being critical of the current administration, it is relative. Guyana would be in a much worse place if the previous administration were in charge. There would be zero transparency; blocks would be awarded in complete secrecy, et cetera. But please remember greed and corruption do not respect elections. These forces are still strong and tempting under any administration hence the need for heightened scrutiny by the people of Guyana and their watchdogs. The Consultant added, If you think I am being critical of the oil companies and the industry, no I am not. I believe this new industry can be tremendously transformative for the poor people of Guyana if handled well. Dr. Mangal said that the only way this new industry will be successful and sustainable in a way that benefits the poor people of Guyana, is for the authorities to negotiate hard, for them to be prepared to walk away from a particular negotiating table, and for Guyana to hire the best and the most ethical individuals. He cautioned that if the authorities do not get a fair deal, and also prove that Guyanese can manage the revenues well, it will backfire. Dr. Mangal said that already, Guyanese are seeing many negative signs. He pointed out that the cost of living is increasing but the salaries of the majority are unlikely to be. The former Presidential advisor said that this is unacceptable especially since there are so many lessons from around the world on how to manage oil and gas well, and on how not to. ________________________ Twitter: @petroleumworld1 Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with Us Story by from Kaieter News kaieteurnewsonline.com 06 17 2018 Copyright 1999-2018 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved. We welcome the use of Petroleumworld (PW) 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! We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. 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 7,8,10 +/ 800x600 pixels Twitter: @petroleumworld1 November 13 - 15, 2018. Gubkin University, Moscow SPE Student Chapter An investigation is necessary into all oil blocks awarded by PPP/C -Former Presidential Advisor By Kaieter News GEORGETOWN Petroleumworld 06 18 2018 Former Presidential Advisor, Dr. Jan Mangal is calling for an immediate investigation into all oil blocks given out during the era of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). In a missive to the media on Saturday, the Oil and Gas Consultant said he suspects that the blocks were awarded in highly inappropriate ways or even corrupt ways under the last administration. He emphasized that an investigation is needed to ensure the people of Guyana were not robbed of tens or even hundreds of millions of US dollars. Dr. Mangal also issued a word of caution to the current administration as it relates to the announcement by the Ministry of Natural Resources to hire a consultant to help negotiate the remaining blocks. Dr. Mangal said that all efforts in this regard should be halted. There is no rush to award the remaining blocks, and there is time to do it properly. The current administration risks repeating the same mistakes if they rush. The Oil and Gas Consultant insists that before this is to take place, Guyana must equip itself with the most ethical and professional individuals in the industry. Dr. Mangal also said he believes this new industry can be tremendously transformative for the poor people of Guyana if handled well. He noted however that the only way this new industry will be successful and sustainable in a way that benefits the poor is for local authorities to negotiate hard, be prepared to walk away from a particular negotiating table, and for the authorities to hire the best and the most ethical individuals. If we do not get a fair deal, and also prove that we can manage the revenues well, it will backfire. Already we are seeing many negative signs. The cost of living is increasing but the salaries of the majority are unlikely to, hence the poor may already have started to get poorer. This is unacceptable, especially since there are so many lessons from around the world on how to manage things well, and on how not to manage things. ________________________ Twitter: @petroleumworld1 Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with Us Story by from Kaieter News kaieteurnewsonline.com 06 17 2018 Copyright 1999-2018 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved. We welcome the use of Petroleumworld (PW) 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! We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. 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 7,8,10 +/ 800x600 pixels Twitter: @petroleumworld1 November 13 - 15, 2018. Gubkin University, Moscow SPE Student Chapter China team in Trinidad & Tobago to sign MoUs in two big projects By Shaliza Hassanali PORT SPAIN Petroleumworld 06 18 2018 A high-level Chinese delegation will be in T&T today to sign two memoranda of understanding (MoU) with Government on two major projects. During his trip to China last month, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had discussions with officials of Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG), the company currently building the world's largest airport, Beijing International Airport in China. He invited the company to partner with Lake Asphalt in developing and monetizing asphalt products. Last month, Finance Minister Colm Imbert announced that BCEG will fund construction of a US$104 million industrial complex in Point Lisas and on Thursday Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young announced that the delegation from Beijing will visit T&T from today for three days. The eight-member delegation will be headed by the deputy mayor of Beijing who will be accompanied by his support staff as well as several businessmen. This is the first stage of results and implementation of decisions that we have taken. What we hope to see is an influx of Chinese investments in some very significant projects in T&T, Young said Tomorrow, the delegation will visit Lake Asphalt and the site of the industrial park. On Monday, the Ministry of Caricom and Foreign Affairs and Trade and Investment will host a luncheon in their honour. Young said: We expect to sign two MoUsone with respect to the industrial park and the other Lake Asphalt. The delegation will also go to Tobago where they will be hosted by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA). Young also gave an update on the Sandals Tobago project, stating that last month they met with executives of the hotel chain. We are in the process now of trying to detail and move towards implementation of agreement process with the Sandal project we hope to build in Tobago, he said. Last October the Government signed an MoU with Sandals Resorts. So far, Young said they have completed all the site surveys which are in the hands of Sandals officials. A Sandals' executive team will be coming to Trinidad in early July. We are working out the dates now where our negotiation team, as well as Golden Grove Buccoo Limited where the chairman, Mr Neil Wilson, and myself will be meeting with the Sandal executives and walking the site with them, he said. The minister said they are now getting into the nitty-gritty of the project and are hiring engineers and conservationists to protect the environment where the hotel will be built on Buccoo Lands, while Government would get all the necessary approvals from the Environmental Management Authority (EMA). Young said next month they will be in a better position to say when the sod for the project will be turned. ________________________ Twitter: @petroleumworld1 Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with Us Potential Braskem deal btwn Odebrecht, LyondellBasell will be analyze - Petrobras By Reuters RIO DE JANEIRO Petroleumworld 06 18 2018 Brazil's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro said on Friday that if LyondellBasell Industries NV reaches an agreement to buy Odebrecht's stake in Petrochemical firm Braskem SA, it will analyze the deal. Plastic, chemicals and refining company LyondellBasell Industries NV has begun talks with Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht SA about such a tie-up. Petrobras has a 36 percent stake in Braskem. _____________ Twitter: @petroleumworld1 Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with Us Reporting by Carolina Mandl Editing by Chizu Nomiyama from Reuters. reuters.com 06 15 2018 Copyright 1999-2018 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved. We welcome the use of Petroleumworld (PW) 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! We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. 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 7,8,10 +/ 800x600 pixels Twitter: @petroleumworld1 November 13 - 15, 2018. Gubkin University, Moscow SPE Student Chapter Putin discusses extension of OPEC oil produccion deal with his security council By Reuters MOSCOW Petroleumworld 06 18 2018 Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed questions related to an extension of the OPEC+ oil cut deal with his Security Council, Interfax news agency reported on Friday, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The topic of the extension of the OPEC+ deal was also touched on the back of the President's contacts with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Interfax quoted Peskov as saying. _________________________ Twitter: @petroleumworld1 Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with Us Reporting by Polina Devitt Writing by Polina Nikolskaya Editing by Catherine Evans from Reuters. reuters.com 06 15 2018 Copyright 1999-2018 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved. We welcome the use of Petroleumworld (PW) 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! We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. 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 7,8,10 +/ 800x600 pixels Twitter: @petroleumworld1 November 13 - 15, 2018. Gubkin University, Moscow SPE Student Chapter Asia-Atlantic LNG rivalry spurs spot price to 4-year high By Oleg Vukmanovic LONDON Petroleumworld 06 18 2018 Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices hit summer highs not seen since oil and gas prices plunged in 2014, as Mexico and Egypt vied with North Asian consumers for supply constrained by global production outages. Spot prices for July LNG-AS delivery in Asia jumped to $11.60 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) this week, up $1.80 per mmBtu versus last week. August prices were seen trading up to 10 cents higher. The rally was driven by strong Chinese consumption, major South American purchase tenders, plant outages, as well as some producers amassing supply, trade sources said. Sharp price gains forced portfolio players and end-users in Asia to urgently fill short positions, with some potentially paying well in excess of $11.60 per mmBtu, though this could not be confirmed. Producers were offering August cargoes at $12 per mmBtu, an Asia-based source at a producer said. An Omani cargo was sold to an unidentified buyer for August at an estimate $11.50 per mmBtu, traders said. S&P Global Platts said trader Trafigura submitted a firm bid at $11.50 per mmBtu for a Aug. 22-26 cargo for delivery to Tokyo Bay during its Market on Close assessment process on Thursday. Production setbacks in the United States, Australia and Malaysia tightened supply. Malaysia's 24 million-tonnes-per-annum Bintulu export complex delayed and potentially cancelled some shipments due to unspecified technical issues, traders said. Chevron's Gorgon LNG and ConocoPhillips' Darwin plants in Australia recently returned from partial outages. In addition, the third production unit at Sabine Pass in Louisiana shut on May 15, but has now returned to service. The APLNG plant on Curtis Island off the east coast of Australia will also undergo a partial maintenance over July, August and September, affecting half of a train. In terms of purchase tenders, Mexico's state-run power utility CFE unveiled demand for 23 shipments due between June and September. Eleven cargoes were for the country's Altamira terminal and 12 were for Manzanillo. The winners of the tenders could not be immediately confirmed. Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company seeks nine cargoes for delivery in July-August. On the supply side, Angola offered a cargo for August delivery, with potentially some cargoes available from Australia and Russia. _________________________ Twitter: @petroleumworld1 Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with Us Russia and S. Arabia agree OPEC+ format should be extended By Reuters MOSCOW Petroleumworld 06 18 2018 Russia and Saudi Arabia have a general consensus that the OPEC+ format should be institutionalised and extended until 2019 and beyond for oil market monitoring and joint action in case of need, Russia's energy ministry said in a statement on Friday. Citing its minister Alexander Novak, the ministry added that Russia and Saudi Arabia planned to sign a mutual agreement which will draw their cooperation in the energy arena to a new level. _________________________ Twitter: @petroleumworld1 Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with Us Reporting by Olesya Astakhova; writing by Polina Devitt; editing by Louise Heavens from Reuters. reuters.com 06 15 2018 Copyright 1999-2018 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved. We welcome the use of Petroleumworld (PW) 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! We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. 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 7,8,10 +/ 800x600 pixels Twitter: @petroleumworld1 November 13 - 15, 2018. Gubkin University, Moscow SPE Student Chapter Three OPEC members to veto Saudi-proposed supply boost -Iran We do not need to appease Trump,' Iran's Kazempour says. Market well-supplied, and OPEC should abide by its decision'. -Play video- Saudi Arabia's energy minister may face his toughest test when the OPEC members meet. Bloomberg's Heesu Lee reports. By Grant Smith and Golnar Motevalli LONDON/VIENNA Petroleumworld 06 18 2018 Iran says Venezuela and Iraq will join it in blocking a proposal to increase oil production that's backed by Saudi Arabia and Russia when OPEC and its allies meet in Vienna this week. Three OPEC founders are going to stop it, Iran's representative to the bloc Hossein Kazempour Ardebili said in comments to Bloomberg on Sunday. If the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Russia want to increase production, this requires unanimity. If the two want to act alone, that's a breach of the cooperation agreement. Iran's comments show that OPEC members are set to clash when they meet later this week in Vienna to discuss the proposal to end global output cuts. The historic 24-nation pact has succeeded in its goals of balancing oil markets and lifting crude prices, and the two biggest producers want a relaxation of quotas as soon as next month. But while Saudi Arabia and Russia are pumping below capacity, many countries in OPEC including Iran and Venezuela would struggle to raise output even if their quotas were increased. OPEC and its allies could consider a production increase of as much as 1.5 million barrels a day, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday. That would be enough to offset the supply losses from Venezuela and Iran foreseen by the International Energy Agency. Saudi Arabia has been discussing different scenarios that would raise production by between 500,000 and 1 million barrels a day, according to people familiar with the matter. The alliance is also facing pressure from outside. U.S. President Donald Trump has continued to criticize the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries on his Twitter account. Worried about the impact of gasoline prices on mid-term elections, the Trump administration is lobbying hard for a surge in production. We call upon our brothers in OPEC and Russia that we do not need to appease Trump, who sanctions two OPEC founders and also Russia, Kazempour Ardebili said. We are sovereign nations driven by our own responsibilities and values. The whole world has to stand against these arrogant attitudes -- and will. U.S. sanctions will contribute to Iran and Venezuela potentially losing almost 30 percent of their oil output next year, requiring extra supplies from the group's Gulf members, the International Energy Agency said last week. No changes took place in market fundamentals, although the U.S. Energy Information Administration and IEA rushed to say differently, Kazempour Ardebili said. The market is well-supplied, and OPEC should abide by its decision up to the end of the year, he said. I am confident many other OPEC members feel and act the same. ________________________ Twitter: @petroleumworld1 Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with Us Colombia elects pro-business president Ivan Duque Raul Arboleda Ivan Duque defeated leftist Gustavo Petro by 54% to 42%. He faces Venezuela migrant crisis, fiscal hole, cocaine spike. -Play video - Colombia Elects Ivan Duque as President -MSN/Reuters. By Matthew Bristow BOGOTA Petroleumworld 06 18 2018 Ivan Duque, a 41-year-old lawyer and former senator who wants to modify parts of a peace process with Marxist guerrillas and cut corporate taxes, will be Colombia's next president following a decisive election victory on Sunday. Duque, who spent half his adult life in Washington, is the protege of former President Alvaro Uribe, a polarizing security hard-liner. Whether he'll be able to emerge from Uribe's shadow to promote his technocratic plans to boost the creative economy and overhaul the tax agency may depend on the severity of a series of crises hitting the country. These include a flood of hungry Venezuelan refugees, record cocaine production which is straining the country's relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, and the threat of further downgrades in Colombia's credit rating. Duque is very much a creature of Washington who'd love to be Colombia's Emmanuel Macron, a young modern leader who makes a virtue of being a technocrat, said Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, who knows Duque well. The challenge is that Colombia isn't France. Duque defeated Gustavo Petro, a leftist former mayor of Bogota who wants to tax wealthy Colombians and redistribute land, by 54 percent to 42 percent in Sunday's runoff vote, with four percent casting so-called blank ballots in protest. Petro, 58, will get an automatic seat in the senate, from where he'll lead an energized left-wing opposition in the only major nation in Latin America that has never had a leftist government. Eye on 2022 He and his supporters already have their eyes on 2022. Petro tweeted Sunday evening: There's no defeat. We won't govern for now. Speaking after his victory to supporters in Bogota, Duque reiterated that he wouldn't rip up the peace accord, would simplify the tax system and defend the country's fiscal stability. He vowed to make half his cabinet women. Despite lawlessness in the cocaine-producing regions, Colombia, a country of 50 million, is the most peaceful it has been since the 1970s, and the elections suffered no violence or sabotage. At the peak of drug cartel power in the 1980s and 1990s, four presidential candidates were murdered, and the guerrillas made voting impossible in some areas. Guerrillas disrupted Uribe's 2002 inauguration ceremony with mortars, and the way he crushed their forces in the following years defined his legacy and created a popular loyalty to him. It's also a main reason Duque won. What Uribe's relationship to Duque will be micro-manager and ultimate boss, or more hands-off spiritual guide' remains to be seen, Teneo Intelligence analyst Nicholas Watson wrote in a report. After getting a law degree in Bogota, Duque received an advanced degree in international legal studies in 2004 from American University in Washington and a master's in public policy from Georgetown in 2007 and worked at the Inter-American Development Bank there. He is married and has three small children. His father was governor of Antioquia, the nation's richest province, as well as head of the national electoral authority and a member of the central bank's board. The Colombian peso is the best performer in emerging markets this year, as investors bet on a Duque victory. The nation has escaped the volatility that has afflicted Brazil and Mexico, as traders priced in the risk that populist candidates may take power in upcoming elections. Duque is widely popular among investors but his plans to reduce taxes could prove dangerous at a time when Colombia is struggling to hang onto its investment grade credit rating, said Jorge Restrepo, an economics professor at Javeriana University in Bogota. There is a need for an increase in tax collection, Restrepo said in a phone interview. And he's proposing cutting taxes. I don't know how he will pay for that. And while Duque has outlined plans to clamp down on tax evasion, Moody's Investors Service said last month that such plans typically bring in less revenue than their proponents expect. S&P Global Ratings cut the country to one notch above junk in December, while Moody's and Fitch Ratings rate Colombia two notches above. At a time when the finance ministry is fighting to keep the deficit under control, the government has to cope with more than 100,000 Venezuelans crossing the border every month, many requiring medical attention and school places for their children. The economy grew 1.8 percent last year, the weakest since the global financial crisis. Blood On Their Hands Duque campaigned against the 2016 peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, as too lenient to those with blood on their hands. The accord won outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos a Nobel Peace Prize. As president, Duque is likely to be unenthusiastic about implementing parts of the agreements, such as programs to help farmers switch from growing coca to other crops, according to Adam Isacson, a Colombia expert at the Washington Office on Latin America. The FARC are going to mostly stay demobilized, Isacson said. But the peace accord was supposed to be something much bigger than that. It was supposed to be a way to prevent conflict from re-occurring, and that part is dead. The amount of land planted with coca, the raw material for making cocaine, has more than tripled over the last five years. Last year it hit a record high of 180,000 hectares. Trump has floated the idea of stopping aid to countries that are pouring drugs into the U.S. and his representatives have told officials in Bogota they must do much more to end the flow. A Duque administration appears likely to attempt massive forced eradication of coca. Between that and softening the peace accord with the FARC, there is a possibility of increased unrest in the countryside. Winter, the Americas Quarterly editor, says Duque has told him he considers himself independent of his mentor Uribe. But the one area they seem completely aligned, Winter said, is security. If that becomes threatened, his presidency could take on a very different tone. ________________________ Twitter: @petroleumworld1 Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with Us Almost everyone and every organization has a wikipedia page, right? But not James George (Jim) Jatras and not the American Institute in Ukraine which he claims to be Deputy Executive Director of. And not Anthony T Salvia, the Executive Director of the American Institute in Ukraine. (I did find an Anthony TSalvia, who in 2014 was an unsuccessful Democratic primary judicial candidate in Maricopa County. It can't be the same guy-- at least I don't think so.) More recently he served as a stooge for then-President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine who he wrote deserved a Nobel Peace Prize It's hard to find much about Jatras but I have a feeling he's a pretty well-known figure on some of the fringes of the pro-Putin extreme right. Like Paul Manafort, he was a Yanukovych partisan, paid to oppose NATO, the EU and the West. Eventually Yanukovych was overthrown and fled to Russia, where he still lives. Manafort is in prison awaiting trial and/or pardon. I don't know anyone who's quite sure where Jatras is but this is what he told Kremlin propaganda and disinformation organ , Sputnik last October: And when you raise these points, it only appears in outlets like Sputnik or like RT or in the alternative media like Antiwar.com or Zerohedge, and this is almost like samizdat-- it's almost like it doesn't exist here because it's not on CNN or in the mainstream media. Jim Jatras: I don't know that we will, and the way the American media operates, I don't know if anyone expects them too-- it's enough for them to engage in speculation and hyperbole and say Russia this and Russia that-- when there is no real Russian connection at all. ... Sputnik: Hard evidence of any real collusion is something that's been lacking right the beginning has it not, and do you think we're likely to see it by the end of this investigation, which is something that Russia has been asking for, for some time? [F]ederal authorities in our country today can throw anybody today in jail they want. They simply have to pile on some charges, try to catch you in some inconsistencies and they can bring criminal charges against you. It's generally assumed that this is being done to put the squeeze on somebody else; maybe they want to throw Manafort in jail, but what they really want is for him to divulge some sort of information about the campaign that they think he may be hiding... But the question is where Mr. Mueller wants to go with this, and I think a lot of people suspect that there is a partisan thrust to his investigation, that he has a lot of very partisan Democrats on his team and the real target is President Trump, not Mr. Manafort or General Flynn. Sounds pretty familiar, doesn't it? Yesterday Jatras had a guest post at Zerohedge. A little info on him that hasn't been covered up. He was born (somewhere) in 1955, claims to have gone to Penn State and to have gotten a law degree at Georgetown. He also claims to have worked in the U.S. consulate in Tijuana from 1979 through 1981 and as a foreign service officer for Russian affairs from 1981 to 1985 and then a policy analyst for always unnamed Senate Republicans until 2002. He's all over YouTube-- often on Russian propaganda outlets-- as a "former diplomat," which appears to be a major exaggeration of what he really was. Like this: In 2015 Paola Chavez and Madison Jaros interviewed Jatras for ABC News: Meet the Man Youve Never Heard of Who Desperately Wants to Be Vice President . Trump didn't pick him but it's an interesting interview. Jatras is anti-Choice, anti-LGBTQ, pro-NRA, anti-immigrant and, as he puts it, "anti-phony 'free trade' deals." Yesterday's Zerohedge post could have been written by Trump, if Trump could write, or by a Putin propagandist (although, apparently it was)-- It's Time For America To Cut Loose Our Useless So-Called "Allies" Lets get one thing straight: the United States has no real allies. There are countries we dominate and control, more properly termed client states or even satellites. (True, given Israels and Saudi Arabias lock-stock-and-barrel ownership of the American political class, it seems rather that we are their clients, not the other way around...) Conversely, on an almost one-to-one correspondence, countries that are not satellites are our enemies, either currently (Russia, North Korea, Iran, Syria) or prospectively (China). But do we have any actual allies-- that is, countries that provide mutual security for the United States, and whose contributions actually make us Americans safer and more secure in our own country? Try to name one. Lets start with the granddaddy of our alliances, NATO. How does having a mutual defense pact with, say, virulently anti-Russian Poland and the Baltic States make America more secure? How does, say, tiny corrupt Montenegro, contribute to US security? Are these countries going to defend America in any conceivable way? Even if they wanted to, how could they possibly? For that matter, against what threat would they defend us? Is Latvia going to help build Trumps Wall on the Mexican border? Our NATO allies help out in Afghanistan, we are told. NATO-Schmato-- its Americans who do almost all the fighting and dying. Its our treasure being wasted there. Maybe without the fig leaf of an alliance mission, we might long since have reevaluated what we still are doing there after 17 years. But comes the answer, Russia! Except that Russia isnt a threat to the United States. Despite their hype even the most antagonistic Russophobic countries in NATO themselves dont really believe theyre about to be invaded. And even if they were, that still doesnt make Russia a threat to us-- or wouldnt except for the very existence of NATO and a forward American presence on Russias borders and in the Black and Baltic seas littorals. How does gratuitously risking conflict with the one country on the planet whose strategic arsenal can annihilate us make Americans safer? As Professor Richard Sakwa has observed, NATO exists to manage the risks created by its existence. Lets look at other supposedly valuable alliances. Why do we need South Korea and Japan? China! But except for a nuclear stockpile much smaller than our intercontinental deterrent China doesnt present a military threat to us. Yes, but Beijing poses a danger to South Korea and Japan. Maybe, maybe not. But even if that is so why is it our problem? Why do we need Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and bunch of other Middle Eastern countries? We arent dependent on energy from the region as we arguably were when Jimmy Carter proclaimed a vital national interest there four decades ago. Well then, Iran! But the Iranians cant do anything to us. Yes, but they hate Israel, Saudi Arabia, etc., etc. Again, whats that got to do with us? In each case the argument of a US interest is a tautology. The US needs allies for the sole purpose of defense against purported threats not to us but to those very same allies. Its a self-licking ice cream cone. It would be bad enough if these faux alliance relationships were only detrimental in terms of getting embroiled in quarrels in which we have no interest, wasting money and manpower in areas of the world where our security is not at stake. But theres also a direct economic cost right here at home. Jatras and Kislyak Based on the claimed need for allies US trade policy since World War II could almost have been designed to undermine the economic interests of American workers and American producers. Starting with Germany and Japan, our defeated enemies, we offered them virtually tariff-free, nonreciprocal access to our huge domestic market to assist with their economies recovery from wartime destruction; in return, we would take their sovereignty: control of their foreign and security policies, as well as their military and intelligence establishments, plus permanent bases on their territory. This arrangement became the standard with other countries in non-communist Europe, as well as some in the Far East, notably South Korea. As much or more than puffed-up claims of military threats (and companies that benefit from inflated military spending) lopsided trade is the glue that keeps the satellites in place. In effect, our allies cede geostrategic control of their own countries and are rewarded at the expense of domestic American economic interests. Already of questionable value in its heyday, this pattern not only survived the end of Cold War 1 but continued to grow, contributing to the rise of Cold War 2. Put into that context, this is where Trumps tariffs dovetail with his other blasphemies, like expecting the deadbeats to pony up for their own defense. He challenges them to reduce tariffs and barriers to zero on a reciprocal bilateral basis-- knowing full well they wont do so because it would spoil their cozy arrangement at the expense of American workers. He threatens the sanctity of the North Atlantic Treatys vaunted Article 5 obligation of mutual defense on whether countries meet a two percent of GDP level of military spending-- knowing that few of them will since they dont in fact face any external military threat and would rather keep the money. In his own unvarnished, zigzaggy way, Trump is doing what he said he would: putting America and Americans first. As he has said, that does not mean hostility towards other countries, whose leaders have aduty to put their countries and peoples first as well. It means both stopping our allies sandbagging us, while restoring to them their unsought-for-- and for many of them, undesirable-- sovereignty and independence. In the final analysis, what the likes of Rick Wilson are really afraid of is disruption of a decades-old, crooked racket that has been so lucrative for countless hangers-on and profiteers. As James P. Pinkerton, former aide to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, describes it: [T]he basic geopolitical foundations of the last seven decades are being challenged and shifted-- or, as critics would prefer to say, being subverted and betrayed. Yet in the meantime, even as his myriad foes prepare their next political, legal, and punditical attacks, Trump is the man astride the world stage, smiling, shaking hands, signing deals-- and unmistakably remaking the old order. Lets get on with it. DuPont Co. laid off 1,700 of the 6,100 people at its Delaware headquarters, nearby labs and offices after announcing its merger with Dow Chemical Co. at the end of 2015. But in 2017, CEO Ed Breen and his board promised to spend $200 million updating the DuPont Experimental Station outside Wilmington. In June 2018 the company dedicated new offices for its Industrial Biosciences unit there, and plans to move hundreds from newly-added Dow and FMC Corp. units onto the site, while recruiting data scientists to cope with the flood of new research and process information from newly-automated lab systems Read more WILMINGTON Two and a half years after cost-cutting merger managers swept through the DuPont Experimental Station, severing scientists to prepare for DuPont's investor-backed marriage with Dow Chemical, DowDuPont is spending over $200 million to update the historic complex. It's for a reorganized DuPont Co. that will be spun off as a publicly traded electronics, food-additives, biochemicals, military-protection and safety-consulting firm next year. Across the college-size station, where 43 buildings with 1,500 lab benches enclose 2.3 million square feet bigger than Two Liberty Place or the two Comcast towers that dominate the Philadelphia skyline 30 miles north crews have been tearing out walls, installing cellphone and WiFi service, and adding sophisticated clean rooms, robotics, and sensor systems in the two- and three-story brick buildings above the Brandywine. The business was once known for inventing blockbuster materials like smokeless gunpowder, nylon fabrics, Teflon coatings and Kevlar bulletproofing, and later for spending fortunes on grand acquisitions and construction projects to revolutionize drugs, energy, and other new business lines. Now it is returning to basics, at least in the scale of its research ambitions. To speed cheaper lighting, decay-resistant produce, degradable plastics, and other products to market, DuPont is installing better tools and lab automation. It is spending about as much as it paid before the merger for a farm-waste ethanol plant in Iowa, one of the large projects that DowDuPont CEO Ed Breen has canceled or sold. New equipment includes CRISPR genome-editing machines, labs that grow animal biomes for testing enzymes to make new livestock antibiotics, fast "cell factory" fermentation labs to process foods with longer shelf life, and other custom- and mass-production systems. The station hosts 2,000 science and technology staff, including 1,600 of DuPont's 4,800 local employees. It also houses 400 from tenants including DuPont spin-offs Axalta, scheduled to relocate to new labs in Philadelphia, and Chemours, which plans its own labs in Newark. Instead of shrinking or shutting the labs as Delaware officials had feared, executives of the new DuPont expect the total working here will grow to 2,600 by 2020. (DuPont also has researchers in labs at Stanford University and at other sites.) From Pennsylvania, DuPont plans to move 160 Dow Chemical scientists and staff to the station from labs in Collegeville, including microbial control specialists and others who support businesses DuPont is taking over from Dow. (Hundreds of additional Dow R&D staff will remain in Montgomery County.) Dow staff from Collegeville were escorted across the station in groups to see their prospective homes on June 8, as Delaware Gov. John Carney, members of the founding du Pont family, and other guests gathered to celebrate the updates. "The construction you see is only the tip of the iceberg," said Chris Koelsch, DuPont facilities director, in Building E353, the first of the renovated buildings to fully reopen. Compared with DuPont before the merger, the new company will be shorn of its pesticide, seed and performance-materials units, but also beefed up due to changes from the original merger plan urged by investors and regulators, with additional parts of Dow (and Philadelphia-based FMC Corp.) that complement DuPont businesses. The farm sales businesses are being combined with Dow's to form Corteva, which will also have a Delaware head office, but its main U.S. R&D will be in Iowa and Indiana. Materials businesses based at Dow's headquarters in Midland, Mich., will be spun off into a new Dow-branded company next year. Building E353, which Koelsch said had been "undercapitalized" before the renovations, now houses Industrial Biosciences, one of five businesses reporting to Marc Doyle, chief operating officer for the specialty products business group that is to form the new DuPont Co. It was previously work space for genetically modified seed researchers (some who kept their jobs agreed to move to the Corteva labs in the Midwest), and to the late Charles Pedersen, the Korean-Norwegian DuPont chemist who won the Nobel Prize in 1987. After letting go of 1,700 of its 6,100 staff in Delaware at the end of 2015, the company pledged "great labs and great offices" for "the best and brightest researchers in our company," Koelsch said, and Biosciences was the first to respond with plans. Something is missing from the fermentation, microbiology and enzyme labs: With robotic arms and other equipment performing repetitive measurements and other tasks, there are fewer technicians. DuPont managers say there are more job openings upstairs from the labs, for data scientists, to manage the floods of information unleashed by the new sensors monitoring reactions and controlling processes, and using it to better target products and manage production. Some company veterans privately grouse that DuPont's remaining businesses along with Industrial Biosciences, these include Electronic Technologies, Nutrition & Health, Protective Solutions, Sustainable Solutions will have no more in common than they did before sluggish growth provoked investors to force DuPont into the Dow merger. They expect groups may be sold off, as Breen sold the pieces of his previous company, the former Tyco International. Marc Doyle, chief operating officer for the business group, currently known as DowDuPont Specialty Products Division, promised the new DuPont will be "a premier innovation-driven leader delivering highly specialized products and solutions that transform industries and improve everyday life." Delaware's largest city, Wilmington, which is about the size of Upper Darby, has struggled with job cutbacks at DuPont and other private-sector employers that have merged and laid off thousands since the late 2000s. Carney, who helped persuade the state and county legislatures to give DuPont tax breaks worth over $30 million a year so it wouldn't leave town, said the station's upgrades prove Delaware remains a place to "grow and create jobs." The state and DuPont "have been synonyms" almost since leaders of the French immigrant du Pont family founded the company just across the Brandywine in 1802, the governor reminded the crowd. "There was a lot of anxiety" about the merged companies' plans, Carney noted. After touring the updated station, the governor said, "I'm jumping out of my skin, I'm so happy and excited to see it." Camden City Schools will close at 1 p.m. Monday in response to a forecast of hot, humid weather reaching up to 95 degrees in the afternoon. The school district announced the early dismissals Sunday in a Twitter post due to a National Weather Service heat advisory for the region. The shelves at Gamlin Whiskey House in the Central West End of St. Louis are stocked with hundreds of bottles of whiskey. Read more Makers of American whiskey worry that the increasing likelihood of retaliatory tariffs, particularly from the European Union and China, could hurt business after years of booming growth abroad. The Trump administration announced Friday that it was moving forward with 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods, most of which will go into effect July 6. China responded later in the day by announcing its retaliation of similar value. Whiskey is one of the American goods that would be subject to the Chinese tariffs, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. The European Union, meanwhile, is preparing to implement more than $3 billion in tariffs on American goods in response to Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum exports to the United States. Mexico has already imposed 25 percent tariffs on American goods, including bourbon; Canada and Turkey could soon follow suit. None of this is good news for the American spirits industry. From 2008 to last year, exports of American whiskey grew almost 39 percent from about $791 million to about $1.1 billion, according to data provided by the Distilled Spirits Council. Whiskey exports year to date are up more than 20 percent from last year. "Whiskey is a great American export story and we don't want to see that disrupted," said Clarkson Hine, interim president and CEO for the Distilled Spirits Council. The European Union, in particular, has been a strong export market for American whiskey, in part because it's been mutually duty-free since 1997. U.S. bourbon that's sold in France is taxed the same as spirits that are distilled locally there. Total U.S. spirits exports to the EU last year were valued at $789 million; 85 percent of that was American whiskey, according to the Distilled Spirits Council. By comparison, American spirit exports to China have grown from less than $1 million in 2001 when that nation joined the World Trade Organization to $12.8 million last year. Executives at Brown-Forman, maker of Jack Daniel's and Woodford Reserve, among other brands, are keeping close tabs on the potential tariffs. About one quarter of Kentucky-based Brown-Forman's sales are generated in Europe and another quarter is from other global markets; the rest comes from sales within the U.S. "[Although] it's premature to comment on the potential impact on our business, we are on top of the situation and have undertaken measures over the last few months to mitigate risk, such as increasing our inventory levels in non-U.S. markets where we own our own distribution," Brown-Forman chief financial officer Jane Morreau said on an earnings call earlier this month, according to a transcript. That's not an option for smaller spirits companies that don't own their own distribution in non-U.S. markets. Paul Hletko, founder of Evanston, Ill.-based Few Spirits, said he's lost sales "in the six figures" in just the last two months from distributors in Europe and China cutting back on orders out of concern that tariffs could lead to higher prices for consumers, and therefore less demand. "That's just the market responding to all the verbal jabs, not even actual tariffs," Hletko said. Exports make up 10 percent to 15 percent of total revenue for Few Spirits, said Hletko, who declined to disclose sales for the privately held company. Few's top export markets are the U.K., France, Finland, and China, he said. It has taken years of work to build demand in those markets. Last week, the Distilled Spirits Council sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, outlining the industry's concerns about the tariffs and calling on the administration to "find effective solutions to address U.S. trade policy concerns, without harming the U.S. distilled spirits sector in the process." On Friday, the Commerce Department responded and the two sides expect to meet soon. Despite the looming threat of tariffs, the spirits trade group says it is optimistic that the situation can still be de-escalated in a way that's not bad for the booze business. "We're the unfortunate collateral damage of someone else's dispute," said Frank Coleman, a spokesperson for the spirits group. "We want to get everyone back at the table and talking again." Former Gov. Ed Rendell announces he has Parkinson's disease during a news conference at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, PA on June 18, 2018. Read more Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, 74, announced Monday morning that he has Parkinson's disease, but that his symptoms have been stabilized with aggressive treatment. "The reason I'm going public today, I want to send a message" to people with symptoms, he said during a news conference at Pennsylvania Hospital. "Get in to see a doctor, get a diagnosis, and get treatment. Parkinson's disease is not a death sentence." Although Rendell appeared to have some difficulty rising from his chair and a slight shuffle as he walked to the microphone, he blamed his arthritic knees. Rendell said he had begun having symptoms including a slight tremor 3 years ago, and sought medical attention at the urging of his family. He went to see Matthew Stern, director emeritus of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Stern appeared with him on Monday, along with Penn president Amy Gutmann and other Penn officials. "I was stunned because I'd always viewed myself as indestructible," said Rendell, an alumnus of Penn and Villanova Law School. Initially, he feared he would deteriorate quickly like his mother, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's at age 76 and struggled with it for the last 13 years of her life, winding up in a wheelchair. "I saw what it did to my mother," Rendell said. In addition to taking Parkinson's medication, Rendell began rigorous physical therapy with Heather Cianci, a specialist at the Parkinson's Rehabilitation Center at Pennsylvania Hospital. He also works out two times a week with a trainer at the Sporting Club at the Bellevue. "I'm convinced this has worked to significantly slow the progression of the disease," the former governor said. >>READ MORE: Do you know the symptoms of Parkinson's disease? Stern, his physician, echoed that sentiment. "I wanted the governor to do this for some time," Stern said of the public announcement. "One of the key messages the governor brings today is that . with the right combination of medication and therapy, you can live a full and active life. The governor is an inspiring example of what Parkinson's disease looks like today." Rendell was governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, and mayor of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2000. He became the city's youngest-ever district attorney when he was elected to the post in 1977 at age 33. >>READ MORE: Neil Diamond announces he has Parkinson's disease. In 2012, Rendell received an award from the Bala Cynwyd-based Parkinson Council for his advocacy work. He said then that he was inspired by his mother's battle with the progressive neurodegenerative disorder, which mostly affects the dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. The cause remains largely unknown. The disease causes tremors, walking and balance problems, and muscle rigidity. These symptoms may be accompanied by thinking and behavior changes and, in late stages, dementia. Gov. Wolf and his wife, Frances, issued a statement soon after Rendell's announcement. "Pennsylvania has seen few leaders as tough as Ed and we have full confidence that neither has Parkinson's disease. Ed should know that the entire commonwealth is standing behind him and hoping for the continued success of his treatment and therapy. As he always has, he is putting others first by going public with his diagnosis so others can also get the help they need." Rendell said he takes Levodopa, a cornerstone of drug therapy because it replenishes the brain's dopamine supply, and a drug called Rasagiline, which inhibits the breakdown of dopamine in the brain. As mayor and governor, Rendell was famous for his ability to keep a grueling schedule on four hours of sleep a night. He said he has barely slowed down, traveling 15 days last month to speak and champion his causes, which include alternative energy and government efficiency. Although Parkinson's is incurable, Stern said there is "tantalizing data" from studies that suggests physical therapy has a beneficial effect on the course of the disease. During an interview after the press conference, Rendell added that mental attitude is an important part of coping with the disease. "When I work out, I feel better. I feel like I'm making progress," he said. Rendell's announcement reverberated around the Capitol, where everyone from his biggest supporters to his former rivals paused to recall their best Rendell story and wish him well. Steve Crawford, Rendell's onetime chief of staff who now heads the Wojdak Government Relations lobbying firm, called his former boss "an eternal optimist" with a "work ethic that is almost unmatched" traits that will help him going forward. "He is literally the hardest working person I have ever encountered," Crawford said. "You never, ever count him out. And I think that I'd be the last person to count him out on this fight." Chuck Ardo, once Rendell's spokesperson in the Capitol, said Rendell is not someone who would easily share his health challenges because he would not want people to feel sorry for him. "But one of Ed Rendell's great strengths as a political figure was his enormous courage and I think that he will face this next chapter of his life with that same courage and determination." Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre) said in a tweet that Parkinson's "could not have a more formidable adversary." Staff writer Angela Couloumbis contributed to this article. Elmer "Skip" Bowman, 78, Deputy Mayor of Lawrence Township, stands in front of one of 20 homes being razed in the township's Bay Point hamlet on the Delaware Bay. Read more Soon almost all of Mike Nelson's hometown of Bay Point, N.J. will be gone. It will become another ghost town along the state's Delaware Bayshore. The state is demolishing 20 homes in Bay Point, a hamlet within Lawrence Township, Cumberland County. The razing is part of the Blue Acres program earmarked to buy out properties in flood-prone areas. Nelson refused to sell. He and one other neighbor will own the only remaining two homes when demolition is complete by March. "My family came here in 1939," said Nelson, 61. "I have been all over and haven't found another place I'd rather live." Nelson's home, where he lives with his wife, Kate, sits on the bay with sweeping vistas of open water, marshland, and wildlife. He used to own the local marina, which was bought and torn down by the state. He still crabs and fishes. He rebuilt this home after his old one was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. He believes the water will reclaim his new home within a generation. The voluntary buyout of Bay Point, which has its roots in Hurricane Sandy, is emblematic of issues spawned by ever more powerful storms combined with regular flooding that scientists attribute to climate change and sea level rise. Nelson said he now sees tides that run 5 to 10 feet higher than decades ago. Those tides cause more and more erosion as chunks of Bay Point tumble into the water. A few miles to the north, the hamlet of Sea Breeze was demolished in 2010. A mile south, homes on Money Island will likely be razed next year. The stretch between the three hamlets will return to their historic function, unbroken wetlands that provide a home for thousands of birds, horseshoe crabs and other wildlife. Usually bypassed by beachgoers headed to the oceanfront, the bayshore is New Jersey's lesser known shoreline, marked by vast marshlands, farms, beaches, marinas and fishing docks. Demolition of Bay Point began in late November. In addition to the 20 homes, 14 other lots containing homes previously destroyed by flooding or old docks and pilings for fishing and boating, also are being cleared. The state spent about $4 million from the Blue Acres fund to buy the homes in the three hamlets and has set aside another $1.2 million for tearing them down and hauling away the remains. In all, New Jersey had $375 million in mostly federal funding for Blue Acres buyouts. To date, the state has bought 618 properties out of 893 declared eligible. Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the DEP, says the buyouts are part of a strategy to help communities become more resilient. The bayshore is faced with sea rise due to melting glaciers and ice caps, while development and groundwater removal make land sink. Another problem: "nuisance" flooding during routine rains or high tides. "A lot of these bay communities are very exposed and on very narrow barrier islands," Hajna said. "Behind them are vast marshlands and tidal creeks. They are just very prone to flooding from storm surges from both the front end and back end." The communities typically have one road in and one road out, making rescues difficult. While the oceanfront's economy justifies building dunes and sea walls, on the bayshore side it's more cost effective to just purchase the homes. The state paid an average of $125,000 each for Bay Point's properties, including vacant lots. A single oceanfront home can be worth millions. Elmer "Skip" Bowman, Deputy Mayor of Lawrence Township, said demolishing the homes means losing $5 million in taxable property, a considerable sum in a township of about 3,300. Closing Nelson's marina also hurt local businesses, including a restaurant and convenience store fishermen used to visit, he said. Bowman's greatest regret is less tangible. The retired farmer, 78, said hundreds of people used to flock to Bay Point to birdwatch, fish or stroll the beach. "It was a thriving little community," Bowman says. "We're losing all these hamlets. It's a shame. Someday you'll only read about them in the history books." Pain is a normal part of the human experience. So normal, in fact, that it's necessary for our survival. It's main function: protection. Any parent can see this life lesson play out whenever a curious child learns the hard way about touching something sharp or hot. And in those examples, the function of pain seems to be working as designed. But if the purpose of pain is protection, what about those of us in constant pain? Surely, the idea would seem absurd to the person who cannot escape it. According to a 2012 survey conducted by the National Institutes of Health, 11 percent of Americans are living with chronic pain. It is clear that something is being lost in our understanding and treatment of it. Fortunately, new research in pain science provides a better understanding of what is happening when we experience pain. This is what is being called by some in the field as "The Pain Revolution." Stated simply, pain is not a reflection of damage inflicted on our bodies. The brain acts like an extremely fast computer processor that takes in not only biological information via our nervous system, but also psychological and sociological information (such as past experience, surroundings, fear, confusion, concern) and makes a decision to create a pain response, or not, based on whether a threat is perceived. The value in this centers around the idea that we can influence the factors being weighed and ultimately change the outcome of the "pain equation" in our brains. It's a scale weighing danger versus safety. If danger wins, then the alarm bells of pain will go off. If safety wins, we get to move on with our lives. To help illustrate the concept, consider the following story published in The BMJ in 1995: A 29-year-old builder is rushed to an ER screaming in pain with a 6-inch nail sticking out of the top of his boot. He had jumped off a platform and landed on the nail. In attempting to remove the nail, the slightest movement sent the man into further searing pain. He was given an opioid and a sedative to calm him down enough to allow the removal of the nail, and then eventually the boot. Upon removing the boot, doctors realize the nail had not injured the man's foot at all it had passed cleanly between his toes. So was the man's pain real? Absolutely. The visual information the man received from seeing a nail seemingly penetrate straight through his foot was enough (mis)information to convince his brain that action must be taken sending a distress signal of pain seemed warranted. The story of the builder provides a good example of how the brain decided to create pain despite there being no bodily damage, but what about the other side of that coin? Consider the story of Scottish WWII veteran Robert Kincaid who at the age of 84 was informed by his doctors after an X-ray that he had a bullet lodged in his neck. Kincaid was shocked to hear this news, as he had no recollection of being shot although he certainly remembers being shot at. But if pain is supposed to protect you, why would no pain be produced to alert Kincaid to his injury? Because of context. In a war zone and under fire, Kincaid needed all of his focus on his surroundings, and his brain made the decision to forego the pain response as crippling pain in those moments certainly would not have been helpful for survival. The real value in these stories is that they are not exceptions to the rules of how pain operates. Instead, they perfectly highlight a set of rules we are just now beginning to understand. And this improved understanding of pain can provide new treatment approaches with better outcomes for people who have been suffering with chronic pain. Many chronic pain sufferers have been told by the medical community that there is no great explanation for their experience. Our outdated ideas about pain have failed this population. Imagine how this lack of understanding can all feed back into the "pain equation" by highlighting fear, hopelessness, doubt, anxiety, anger, resentment, and frustration emotional responses that reinforce a sense of continued danger. But considering the improved understanding of how pain is created, we can turn the fear of chronic pain patients that their body is broken into trust that their bodies are operating fantastically as self-healers. Instead of fearing that movement will cause harm, we now have understanding that a slow introduction of physical activity can facilitate normal and healthy movement patterns. From the hopelessness and resentment that comes with yet another pain prescription to the confidence that science believes your pain is real and can help you make sense of the madness. From danger to safety. This is where the pain revolution can be fought and won. Todd O'Leary, PTA, is an outpatient physical therapist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. (Left to right:) Melanye Finister, Patrese D. McClain, Brian Marable, and Joshua E. Nelson in "Skeleton Crew," through July 15 at People's Light in Ambler. Read more The workplace can give rise to unlikely friendships bonds that may prove resilient, or not. As with any other kind of family, it's hard to know until they're tested. That testing is the essence of Skeleton Crew, Dominique Morisseau's (often brilliantly) talky two-act play about a Detroit auto plant on the verge of an angst-provoking shutdown. It's playing through July 15 at People's Light in Malvern. Set during the great recession, "somewhere around 2008," the work is the final installment in Morisseau's trilogy titled The Detroit Project. The People's Light production, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III with keen attention to the poetry of its language, is engrossing and finally explosive. Skeleton Crew is part of a nascent body of work commenting on America's deindustrialization. Next season, both People's Light and the Philadelphia Theatre Company will stage Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat, inspired by the plight of steel workers in Reading. The title Skeleton Crew refers to the bare-bones staffing of a factory, just sufficient to keep it operating. But it hints, too, at a metaphorical meaning the stripping away of both material comforts and humanity by bosses who blithely refer to a veteran employee as "dead weight." The play's four characters, all African American, interact in the break room of a sheet-metal stamping plant, where they rag one another and defy plant regulations by smoking, gambling, and hiding contraband. Tony Cisek's super-realistic set, with its distressed couch, beat-up lockers, bulletin board, table, and kitchenette, puts us firmly in the world of the play. Curtis Craig's sound design, evoking the hum and clatter of the factory floor, and Jeromy Hopgood's video projections of the surrounding city, vistas of both ruin and regeneration, summon up the larger worlds in which these men and women move. The play's central conflict is a matter of clashing loyalties. Reggie (Brian Marable), a proudly white-collar foreman, exhorts union rep Faye (Melanye Finister, sympathetic in her growing despair) to keep a little secret: This plant will be closing, and its workers will soon be out on the street. Reggie, who knows just how thin a line separates him from his blue-collar colleagues, promises to fight for a fair severance package. Meanwhile, the company wants production to continue with maximum efficiency. The middle-aged Faye, close to Reggie's late mother, helped the young supervisor get his start. Now, she feels torn between their quasi-filial bond and her duty to warn her fellow union members. Complicating the situation, someone is stealing from the plant. The prickly, disgruntled Dez (Joshua E. Nelson, likable beneath his aggression) is a suspect. When he isn't dreaming of escape into entrepreneurship, he's either flirting with or harassing, depending on your perspective Shanita (Patrese D. McClain), who is pregnant by an unnamed man. Faye has problems of her own: a distant son, medical bills, and itches for gambling and nicotine. The People's Light ensemble is altogether fine, but the standouts are two actors who have performed this much-produced play elsewhere. McClain's Shanita is delightfully self-aware a little bit tough, a little bit soft, stylish (in Marla Jurglanis' 2018 cold-shoulder and flared-sleeve fashions), and very funny. Marable is superb as Reggie, a man on the precipice who falls but lands on his feet. Not much actually happens in Skeleton Crew beyond the baring of souls and the subtle shifting of relationships. That may be enough. Planned Parenthood execs claim they don't have money to raise Planned Parenthood workers' wages, and are now busting their workers' union. Yet, those same execs somehow have $50,000 to spend against a pro-choice woman who is speaking up for their workers. https://t.co/0XbFqnshKR Rapper Meek Mill speaks to supporters minutes after exiting the Philadelphia Criminal Justice in Center City Philadelphia after a hearing before Judge Genece Brinkley on Monday, June 18, 2018. Read more The judge who sent Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill to prison last fall for violating the terms of his probation stemming from his 2008 conviction on drug and gun charges said Monday that she needs more time to decide whether he should get a new trial. She gave no date by which she would make a ruling. That decision capped a two-hour hearing during which Common Pleas Court Judge Genece Brinkley repeatedly clashed with the rapper's lawyers, who accused her of acting like a prosecutor and of laughing at their expert witness. It was the first time Mill, 31, and Brinkley, 61, had been face to face since she sentenced him in November to two to four years in state prison. "You are acting like an extrajudicial officer. You are acting like a prosecutor in this case. I respectfully ask you to stop it," defense attorney Brian McMonagle thundered, as Brinkley grilled defense witness Bradley Bridge, a senior attorney with the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Brinkley has refused defense requests to recuse herself from the case and to grant the rapper a new trial based on the contention that Reginald Graham, the officer who arrested him in 2007, lied during the trial and later was flagged by the District Attorney's Office as corrupt. In March, the Inquirer and Daily News published a list compiled by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office of current and former police officers, including Graham, whom prosecutors have sought to keep off the witness stand over allegations of misconduct. Brinkley told Bridge that an officer's being on the "do-not-call" list may be sufficient for a lawyer to ask for a new trial, but not for her to grant one. She refused to hand the case to another judge Monday, reminding defense lawyers that the state Supreme Court shot down that request earlier this month. When McMonagle accused the judge of laughing at Bridge, she denied laughing and responded, "I have to make sure that the record is complete" for future review. Brinkley maintained that she may have smiled but had not been rude to Bridge, who testified that new trials have been granted in more than 1,500 similar cases in which the credibility of the arresting officer is in question. "Do you believe I was laughing at you?" Brinkley asked Bridge. "I wouldn't say laughing," he replied. "It was more like a smirk." Peter Goldberger, one of six lawyers representing the rapper, told the judge that she in fact had laughed at Bridge, and that it was wrong. In an interview after the hearing, Goldberger repeated his assertion. "The judge cross-examined Bradley Bridge, who is the senior public defender, who has devoted himself for the last 23 years to the cause of people wrongly convicted," Goldberger said. "The judge cross-examined him like he was a liar and laughed in his face. And when we objected to the judge laughing at him, she denied she had laughed." Bridge called Brinkley's behavior "an odd spectacle" after he departed the packed courtroom. Although Brinkley was correct in trying to create an appropriate record in the event the case is appealed, Bridge said in an interview, she went over the line "by disregarding and degrading what I had to say." Reporters were ordered to hand over their cellphones to deputy sheriffs, which is not standard practice in Philadelphia courtrooms. Much of the hearing was spent talking about a man who was not there Graham, who had arrested the 19-year-old Mill, then known by his real name of Robert Rihmeek Williams, for allegedly selling drugs and pointing a gun at officers on a Southwest Philadelphia street. Mill did a short prison stint, made parole, and found stardom as a rap artist. Graham's career collapsed after he was accused of lying to the FBI in 2013 and to the city Police Department in 2016 about stealing drug money. He resigned in 2017 before the department could fire him. Assistant District Attorney Liam Riley told Brinkley that his office believes that Mill should get a new trial and does not believe that Graham is a credible witness. But Brinkley would not budge on granting that trial. "At no point in time will we give up," McMonagle told the rapper's supporters after the hearing from a lectern erected in front of the courthouse on Filbert Street. "At no point in time, no matter what door somebody upstairs tries to slam in our face. We will finish this, and we're going to finish this with this injustice being overthrown. This fight is a long way from over, and when it is, we will be standing." About 300 supporters attended the rally, and Mill thanked them from the stage and joked that he wished someone would take their picture so he could give them free tickets to one of his concerts. "I came into this situation today not thinking anything good was going to happen in that courtroom. It was what I thought it was," said the rapper, who did not speak during the hearing. "I just thank y'all for coming out to support me and the other men and brothers caught up in the system the same way." Earlier, before entering the courthouse for the hearing, Mill had told rally participants that he left a lot of innocent men behind jail walls when he was granted bail in April. "I want you all to know I will stand up for your family members for the rest of my music career," the rapper promised. Mill said that he'd spent Father's Day with his son, but that many other incarcerated men were unable to do similarly. On April 16, the District Attorney's Office announced that due to questions about Graham's credibility, Mill's conviction should be vacated and he should get a new trial. Eight days later, the state Supreme Court responded by granting the rapper extraordinary relief allowing him to be released from prison on bail. The number of babies born hooked on their mothers' opioids has been soaring for almost two decades, yet experts still are not sure whether morphine or methadone is best to gradually break the infants' drug dependence. A rigorous new government-funded study has found that methadone has a slight advantage over morphine, modestly reducing babies' length of treatment and hospitalization. But the study, published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, further complicates the question of how to safely and effectively treat babies going through withdrawal, called neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). At the behest of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the researchers spent a year developing a methadone formulation that could be custom-prepared at each of the eight participating hospitals. This was done to avoid using commercial methadone solutions, which are not approved for pediatric use and contain alcohol as a preservative. No one can say whether the alcohol is harmful for newborns, but the researchers and the FDA wanted to eliminate the theoretical possibility. "In commercial methadone solutions, 15 percent is alcohol," said lead researcher Jonathan M. Davis, a Tufts Medical Center pediatrician who chairs the FDA's neonatal advisory committee. "That's double the amount of alcohol in a glass of wine. Most people I tell about this, they're dumbfounded, partly because no one looks at the label." Davis said he hoped the results prompt a pharmaceutical company to seek FDA approval of an alcohol-free pediatric methadone product. About 80 percent of hospitals treat newborn withdrawal with morphine, the only opioid approved for pediatric use. Like adults in withdrawal, infants feel the effects in every organ system; their symptoms include tremors, muscle spasms, shrill crying, irritability, diarrhea, vomiting, poor sleeping, and seizures. Methadone and another medication, buprenorphine, are milder opioids used to help people stop using painkillers or illicit opiates such as heroin. Even pregnant women are put on methadone or buprenorphine to cut cravings without delivering euphoric effects because abruptly quitting opioids increases the risk of miscarriage. However, their newborns may suffer withdrawal. >>>READ MORE: Heroin overdose hospitalizations increase even as pain-med overdoses fall Buprenorphine, which is not approved for babies, has not caught on for NAS treatment, even though Thomas Jefferson University researchers published a study a year ago that found it reduced hospital stays compared to morphine. Jefferson now relies on buprenorphine to treat NAS. Walter Kraft, the physician and clinical pharmacologist who led the Jefferson study, said the buprenorphine formulation contains 30 percent alcohol. "We did measure the levels [of blood alcohol] in the babies," Kraft said Friday. "It turns out infants clear it quickly, quicker than adults. But in terms of the safety of alcohol in neonates, it's not well-established." Kraft, who was part of a group that monitored the safety of the new study, called the results "exciting." "I believe, although it hasn't been demonstrated, that the results would be comparable with commercial methadone" solutions, he said. The new study the largest of its kind and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse involved 116 infants who were randomly assigned to methadone or morphine. Their doses were based on their weight and the severity of their withdrawal symptoms. Medical staff did not know which drug the babies were receiving. The babies on methadone needed treatment for an average of about 14 days during an average hospital stay of 22 days. On morphine, babies averaged about 16 days of treatment and 23 days in the hospital. Another advantage of methadone: It's longer-acting, so the babies needed only three doses a day, compared to six doses of morphine. (The methadone regimen included three placebo doses so it was indistinguishable from morphine.) The new study, like the Jefferson study, did not consider costs. But reducing hospitalization by even a day or two could translate to big health-care savings. A recent study calculated hospital care costs $1.5 billion for the estimated 23,000 infants a year who go through withdrawal. And that count is rising. In Pennsylvania, for example, the number of drug-exposed newborns has skyrocketed from 788 in 2000 to 3,289 last year; about 60 percent suffered from NAS, according to an analysis by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council. "Our study suggests methadone is a more effective agent," Davis said. "And three times a day is a better approach than six times a day. There's less chance for error. But I'd love to see a safer formulation." Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation Monday June 18, 2018 naming the bog turtle the first state reptile. Read more The bog turtle, one of the smallest turtles in the world and rare in North America, is now New Jersey's first state reptile. Gov. Murphy signed legislation Monday making the designation to bring awareness to the elusive creature's plight. The bog turtle was listed as endangered by the state in 1974. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed it as threatened in 1997. The palm-sized reptile was once found in 18 of the state's 21 counties. Now, it is found in 12. Legislators said they wanted the bill to increase the creature's public profile and encourage conservation of the species and its habitat. The turtle is notable not only by its small size, but also by an orange patch on either side of its head and a brown or black shell. It inhabits "shallow, spring-fed fens, bogs, swamps, marshy meadows, and wet pastures, where it spends most of its time submerged in mud," according to legislation introduced earlier this year. It eats insects, snails, worms, seeds and carrion. It hibernates from mid-September through mid-April. In the spring, it suns itself on matted vegetation. The New Jersey Sierra Club issued a statement praising Murphy's action, saying the bog turtle population have been reduced because of development. "Making the bog turtle the state reptile will hopefully raise awareness of the species's importance and vulnerability," the statement said. "This species is an important part of the natural history and ecosystems of New Jersey." The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection estimates there are fewer than 2,000 of the turtles left in the state, mostly in rural areas such as Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, and Salem counties. The DEP said it is working to protect land around high-priority habitats for the species, sometimes by eliminating invasive plant species that threaten its turf. In this May 10, 2018 photo, Mary Tye holds two pairs of shoes from two of her former foster care children outside her home in Pleasant Grove, Kan. Read more As a military officer, I'm more than used to transitions, problem solving, and poor communications. But my recent experience with the communication provided to foster parents and children has been eye-opening even to me. Philadelphia is in the midst of a foster care crisis, fueled by the devastating impact of opioid addiction. In March, the city put out an urgent call for 300 more foster families. Compounding this crisis is the fact that caseworkers are often unable to gather or provide critical information about foster kids due to the overwhelming demands of the caseload and archaic pen-and-paper system. Our family's first foster children were dropped off by a caseworker with a trash bag of possessions and no information about their case. In the last 18 months, it's been up to us to gather what medical data, allergy history, and trauma history we can. And our supporting case workers and attorneys change frequently, often within weeks or even days of assignment. It was up to us to realize that our third foster child required emergency dental surgery and has a deathly allergy to mushrooms. Luckily, she was old enough to tell us on her own, and I already had an EpiPen for my own bee-sting allergy, which we almost had to use on her on more than one occasion. With such high caseworker turnover, it's no wonder that critical information is missed. >> READ MORE: Opioid epidemic's collateral damage: Children and caregivers need more support Two core issues have left Philadelphia's foster care system even more unprepared for the current influx of children. The first challenge is a reliance on labor-intensive paper forms, burning time that our caseworkers don't have. Caseworkers are trying extraordinarily hard to keep our children safe, but with low pay, long hours and burdensome paperwork it's no surprise that there is also extraordinarily high turnover. With these two problems combined, we wind up with reports that are low-quality or never even filed. Support staff quit, and their reports are never finished. There is no central database to store information, and when cases change hands, the new worker is usually starting from scratch. And it's not the fault of the caseworkers. Our current caseworker, like so many, is an absolute treasure who always goes above and beyond. His workload has doubled in the last few months, requiring unbelievable hours and a sacrifice of time with his own family, including a foster child. One of the hardest parts of his job is identifying basic information that he should have the moment he received a case. The lack of information is staggering. The devastating consequences are even more so. When this missing data results in abuse by the foster parent or child, as we saw in cases represented by 2012 and 2015 lawsuits, foster care organizations are left scrambling for information they should already have. The end result? Organizations that provide critical services, and struggle to obtain funding for daily operations, are losing sums that match their entire annual budgets to litigation for preventable negligence. In the lawsuits mentioned above, both settled for about $10 million. >> READ MORE: The shameful foster-care war between DHS and Catholic Social Services | Ronnie Polaneczky Of course, there is no quick fix. But we can do far better at protecting our children, and the organizations that serve them. We need to embrace the digital age, as the medical industry has done. The home health-care industry has a mandatory date of Jan. 1, 2019, for Electronic Visit Verification. We need a secure, HIPAA-complaint app for social and behavioral health workers to use on their visits. With drop-down boxes for form data, case workers can regain critical time and automatically upload key data to a secure cloud server, preventing data loss and ensuring access for each worker. And by adding Electronic Visit Verification GPS capability, the foster care system can verify and track home visits before such records become mandatory. If we can save our caseworkers' time and provide more efficient ways to record and share data, our children will be better served and turnover may decline. The cost to develop this tool may be high but the cost of missing key information and poorly servicing our children is infinitely higher. It is far past time for organizations that care for our most vulnerable citizens take a proactive approach to caring for their information and support workers, as well. Samuel Heidorn is a foster parent and a producer at Graham Co., one of the country's largest insurance brokers. Woodbury Heights, NJ volunteer firefighters Molly Hubert (left) and her fiance Sydney Farrell marched in Philly's Pride parade June 10. The women both said nervousness gave way to exhilaration as crowds cheered them on through the streets of Center City. Read more Volunteer firefighters Sydney Farrell and Molly Hubert didn't just ride a Woodbury Heights fire engine to Philly's LGBTQ Pride parade. The couple walked in front of the fire truck through Center City and carried a homemade rainbow banner that proclaimed to the world their intention to marry. Along the way there were cheers, tears and a ton of selfies. "All of the feedback we've gotten has been positive," department Chief Edgar Seibert said a few days after the June 10 event. "That says a lot to me." And to me, as well. My first Pride parade was New York City's in 1977. Same-sex marriage seemed like science fiction then, as did the notion that firefighters from anywhere let alone a tiny South Jersey suburb would or could appear in uniform to support what was commonly called "gay liberation." What a difference 41 years have made. Marriage equality, military service, and mass visibility in the media and elsewhere have resulted not merely from judicial and legislative actions, but also from the decisions of countless individual LGBTQ folks of all ages, colors, and backgrounds to come out and publicly say what to our opponents remains an inconvenient truth. We're here. We're queer. Get used to it. For anyone who came out in the 1970s or earlier, it's difficult not to overstate the singular sensation, the particular jolt of those early strength-in-numbers Pride experiences particularly given that many of us grew up in hiding, as if we were fugitives from our own lives. Which in a sense many of us had been. To be among the merry band of thousands of people marching along Fifth Avenue on that hot summer Sunday 41 years ago was unforgettable. The sense of literally and figuratively moving forward together was energizing, even inspiring. And it still is, Farrell and Hubert said. "When I came out in middle school 10 years ago, it was rough. People looked at me like I was scum," Farrell, 24, recalled. At the Pride parade, "as soon as the spectators saw our sign they started roaring and cheering and making heart shapes with their hands," she recalled. "I looked at Molly and said, 'I'm going to cry.' I was fighting back tears of sheer joy." Said Hubert, who's 23: "We don't have to hide, and younger people need to know that there's hope for the future. Things are changing for the better." Hard to disagree, given that plethora of positive mass-media Pride mentions and the fact that mass-market all-American retailers such as Target are highlighting the month with special displays. So what if the, shall we say, rather garish gear I saw in the Clifton and Cherry Hill stores appeared to have been designed by, or perhaps, for, would-be RuPaul Drag Race contestants? "It's like, slap a rainbow on anything. But I like it anyway," said Tony Doran, a founder of Woodbury Community Pride, an organization that has helped raise the LGBTQ profile in the city of Woodbury. He cites the cheerful message of acceptance the Target merchandise represents, and like me, he's also heartened by the joyous photos on social media of Farrell and Hubert's Pride parade appearance. "I get emotional about Pride," Doran, 45, said. "I see a spectrum of people, black and white, Hispanic and Asian, men and women and transpeople, who are strong and powerful and amazing. You can't keep people like that down." Lately one can't help but worry, however. The June 18 "Equality Tipsheet" page on the website of the LGBTQ advocacy organization the Human Rights Campaign highlighted the Trump administration's efforts to ban transgender people from military service. Transgender people know all too well that they've become a favorite fright-wing fund-raising tool, as the conservative obsession with where certain people ought and ought not go potty continues. Objections to placing foster children in LGBTQ homes, and lack of explicit protections from employment discrimination, send a similar message of official exclusion, disdain, or worse. There's also the none-too-sweet recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowly, but essentially, upheld a faith-based wedding cake baker's refusal to make one of his (purportedly) artistic creations for a same-sex couple. And let's not forget AIDS. The still-incurable disease may have faded from the media's radar, but it has not disappeared: Worldwide, more than 36 million people, among them more than a million Americans, are living with HIV, the virus that causes the disease. AIDS is a reminder of the essential role of coming-out decisions and public affirmations like those of the two South Jersey firefighters who participated in Philly Pride. When the disease came to the attention of medical authorities in the United States and elsewhere in 1981, LGBTQ people were far more stigmatized and disenfranchised than we are today. President Ronald Reagan, in many ways such a fine communicator, said nothing not one public word during the first four years of the gravest public health crisis America had faced since polio. Who knows what the impact might have been of an earlier White House acknowledgment that thousands of Americans were dead and dying? I do know that too many members of my LGBTQ generation lost a loved one to the disease, before new treatments arrived in the second half of the 1990s. I lost a lifelong best friend in 1995 and will miss him forever (RIP, Bobby). So when opponents complain that LGBTQ people never shut up and are everywhere in the media and refuse to stop insisting on our rightful place at the table, I remember the price of exclusion and silence. I also think of it when I hear from some within my own community about how white "cisgendered" gay men are too loud or too privileged or whatever. Because I remember when silence quite literally equaled death. And I'm grateful when I see the photos of Huber and Farrell at Philly Pride, standing tall, being proud, and making their voices heard. On behalf of us all. ReeAnna Segin says she was sent to a men's prison, despite expressing fears for her safety as a transgender woman. Read more A transgender woman accused of trying to burn a flag in a crowd at Philadelphia's Pride parade says authorities referred to her by male pronouns, used her birth name, Ryan even though she told them it was her "dead name" and she goes by ReeAnna and ignored her pleas not to be housed with male inmates. "Aside from the constant fear of danger, it was very dehumanizing and invalidating as a woman," ReeAnna Segin told the Inquirer and Daily News on Monday. Segin's arrest and incarceration have raised questions of how authorities treat transgender suspects. Police have said they publicly identified Segin as "Ryan" because she gave them only that name, but Segin said she provided both that and her current name. (Police also said Segin was 18; she is 20.) "I made it clear I don't go by my dead name anymore," she said. "That was ignored both by the police making the statements to the press, as well as the police in the prison and jail." The Police Department declined to comment Monday. The District Attorney's Office last week dropped felony charges of attempted arson and risking a catastrophe but said Segin still faces misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person and possessing an instrument of crime. A rally is being held Wednesday outside City Hall to pressure the office to drop those charges, too. Although flag burning is not illegal, police said that Segin tried to do it amid a crowd and that she had road flares and paint thinner in her backpack. Segin said that the flag, which had black and white stripes along with a blue stripe, was a Blue Lives Matter flag and that she was protesting the presence of police at Pride. "A lot of people don't realize that cops have historically arrested and assaulted queer people, and they still treat LGBTQ people so horribly through their system," Segin said. "Police can never be seen as part of a safe environment for Pride if police are actively and brutally misgendering and mistreating queer people in the system." After her arrest at the June 10 parade, Segin was placed in a single-occupancy cell at Philadelphia Police Headquarters the department's policy is to hold transgender arrestees in single-occupancy cells "whenever practical" before officers took her the next morning to the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, a men's prison. Segin said she felt in danger in the prison because transgender people face a high risk of assault while incarcerated. (Nearly 30 percent of transgender individuals held in jails, prisons, or juvenile detention centers reported that staff or other inmates had physically or sexually assaulted them in the last year in a 2015 survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality.) "The majority of the time I was with other inmates, despite having made it clear that that was not safe for me," Segin said. Some of that time was in a holding cell with several men, she said. She was also placed in a single holding cell after raising concerns about her safety, she said. >> Read more: Why a transgender woman was sent to a men's prison in Philadelphia Segin was in the prison for about eight hours, she said, before the city's LGBT affairs director, Amber Hikes, and activists helped bail her out. "I am deeply pained to hear what ReeAnna experienced last week," Hikes said Monday. She said her office was working to "ensure everyone, regardless of sexuality or gender identity, can navigate within these systems with a sense of dignity and safety." The Prisons Department defended how it processed and housed Segin. "The Department of Prisons works to ensure the safety and security of everyone committed to our care," spokesperson Shawn Hawes said. "In this instance, the PDP's procedures were properly performed in accordance with established policies during all points of incarceration, from intake throughout the release process." The department generally houses inmates in a facility matching the gender listed on their ID, unless they have had gender-reassignment surgery. Police use a similar system to decide which gender to classify a person. Surgery, however, isn't required to identify as transgender, which means identifying with a gender different from the one with which a person was born. "I think the issue isn't whether or not I had any surgeries," Segin said, "but why the police make that matter." Segin's arrest and incarceration drew outcry from activist groups such as Philly Socialists and Philly for REAL Justice, which asked people to donate to help her post bail. Segin said she has been grateful for the support. Terrell Bruce (right) was arguing with his girlfriend, Martina Westcott (left), while they were driving in a Ford Expedition along the 500 block of Walnut Lane on Dec. 27, 2016. During the argument, Westcott shot Bruce in the head, police said. Westcott pleaded guilty Monday to fatally shooting Bruce. Read more A former city public-health employee admitted Monday that she fatally shot her onetime boyfriend in the head in 2016 as he was driving her around Germantown after they allegedly had argued about whether to have a baby. Martina Westcott, 28, showed little emotion while pleading guilty to third-degree murder and related counts, although she did push back against a suggestion from the judge that she intentionally fired at Terrell Bruce, 33, a real estate agent whom she had dated. "No, I didn't mean to shoot him, no," she told Common Pleas Court Judge Glenn B. Bronson. Ultimately, Westcott agreed that her conduct was reckless and led to Bruce's death. Bruce's sister, Natalye Kirkland, 31, said after the hearing that it was difficult seeing Westcott admit to her actions but that she felt justice had been served. "She took someone who was great from this world," Kirkland said, calling her brother "an amazing person" with a great sense of humor who cared deeply for his large extended family. Bruce's twin brother, Brandon S. Bruce, said in a telephone interview Monday that he considered it a "slap in the face" that Westcott was allowed to plead guilty to third-degree murder instead of going to trial for first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence. Brandon Bruce, an attorney in San Diego, said he believed the case had been compromised because authorities mishandled the interrogation of Westcott after her arrest. "She should be in jail for life," Bruce said. Court records indicate the judge ruled for the defense in its bid to exclude Westcott's police statement from being presented at trial. On Monday, without explaining their rationale, prosecutors agreed to forgo a trial on the higher murder charge and allow Westcott to plead to the lesser count and several weapons charges, eliminating the possibility of life without parole. Assistant District Attorney Danielle Burkavage said prosecutors had not agreed to recommend a prison sentence of any specific length, leaving Westcott's fate to Bronson at a sentencing hearing in August. She faces up to 57 years in prison. Before the arrest, Westcott had been working as an entry-level disease surveillance investigator at the AIDS Activities Coordinating Office in the city's Department of Public Health. She has a degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree in public health from Thomas Jefferson University. Westcott was accused of shooting Bruce in the head as he was driving her on the 500 block of West Walnut Lane on Dec. 27, 2016. Burkavage said in court Monday that Bruce had broken up with Westcott a week earlier, and that she had made several attempts to speak with him and see him in the days leading up to the murder, including calling him three times from a blocked phone number. After Westcott shot Bruce, around 12:30 p.m., he crashed the Ford Expedition SUV and she climbed out, throwing some of her clothes over a bridge and then walking to her mother's house in Roxborough. Bruce was declared dead at the scene. Westcott turned herself in to police a day later. According to testimony from her preliminary hearing last year, she told detectives that she shot Bruce because she had been fearful of him. She told detectives that they had been arguing over whether to have a baby and that he wanted one but she did not. She pointed the gun at him to scare him, she told detectives, then pulled the trigger. Witnesses to the car crash told authorities that they saw Westcott walk from the scene and throw her coat over the Walnut Lane Bridge. Police later found the coat and the gun she used, which Burkavage said in court was registered to Westcott and purchased about a month before the slaying. Westcott told Bronson that she had been treated for bipolar disorder but was not currently taking medication for it. Bruce, a real estate agent from East Mount Airy, had attended La Salle and Drexel Universities. Kirkland, his sister, said he had about 20 nieces and nephews. Brandon S. Bruce said he established and now chairs a memorial fund in his brother's name that supports various causes, including providing scholarships to Philadelphia high school students. Westcott's attorney, Trevan Borum, said Monday that she is "extremely remorseful. I know how much she wishes she could take back her actions." Westcott, who is imprisoned at Riverside Correctional Facility, is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 17. Alissa Jackson, mother of Symir Walker, weeps as she speaks to reporters outside her South Philadelphia home on Monday, June 18, 2018. Read more A double shooting in South Philadelphia on Friday night that killed a 16-year-old boy and wounded a 12-year-old boy appears to have been a targeted attack and may be tied to gang activity, police said Monday. The shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m. on the 1200 block of Fitzwater Street in South Philly's Hawthorne section. Asked at a news conference whether it was a targeted attack, Homicide Capt. John Ryan said: "We believe so, yes. It wasn't at random. There is some gang activity on 13th Street we believe it may be tied to." The slain teen's mother and friends identified him Monday as Symir Walker. Allissa Jackson, 43, the teen's mother, said outside her South Philadelphia home Monday afternoon that she didn't believe her son was an intended target. "It was just a random act of violence," she said. She also disputed the police allegation that the shooting may be linked to gang activity. "There is no gang out here, and my son is not affiliated with any gang," she said. She said her son had just finished ninth grade at KIPP DuBois Collegiate Academy in Parkside. He had been playing basketball Friday night at the Palumbo Recreation Center on the 900 block of Fitzwater Street, she said. About 10:15 p.m., they spoke by phone and her son told her he was going back to the playground to pick up a hat he left there, she said. Then, a few minutes later, she said, "I heard the parade of gunfire." Jackson, who was outside on her steps, called her son's phone. She said a friend of her son's told her that her son had been shot. She then ran from her home to the shooting scene, about three blocks away. Police took her son to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, in Center City, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. "Senseless, stupid," Jackson said of the shooting, crying as she spoke to reporters. Family members and friends who were carrying blue and white balloons were preparing for a vigil that was to be held Monday night near the victim's home. The younger boy, who was shot in his left leg, was friends with Walker, Ryan said. He also was taken to Jefferson, where he was in stable condition. He has since been released from the hospital, said Ryan, who did not release the boy's name. He said the shooter or shooters fired "at least 19" rounds. Police have no suspects and are trying to find a motive and obtain video. "Neither kid had any prior contact with law enforcement," Ryan said. Authorities ask that anyone with information contact the homicide unit at 215-686-3334. A $20,000 reward is offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction. 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. Former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly and former First Lady Laura Bush are among the notable conservatives who have come out against the Trump administration's policy of separating families who cross the border illegally, even if they are seeking political asylum. Read more Throughout the political world, there is growing outrage over the Trump administration's zero-tolerance immigration policy on the Mexican border, which has led to the forced separation of families and the detainment of thousands of minors in facilities throughout the South. The Associated Press described kids in one facility in South Texas waiting "in a series of cages" under overhead lighting that "stays on around the clock." According to the AP, one cage held 20 children. It's not just Democrats who have been criticizing the policy. Several Republicans, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and First Lady Melania Trump, have expressed concerns about the controversial policy of separating kids from their parents. Former first lady Laura Bush, in a rare public rebuke of the current administration, called the policy "cruel" and "immoral," comparing it to the forced internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Even former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, who has been a supporter of many of President Trump's policies, called the practice "unacceptable." But if you are a viewer of Fox & Friends, the most-viewed cable morning program and often watched by the president, you'd come away with the incorrect belief that there is nothing unusual going on at the border. "The way it is right now, and it's pretty clear, is if you come into the country illegally with children, they will separate you because you're about to go through criminal proceedings," co-host Steve Doocy said. "However, if you knock on the door and you say, 'I'm here with my family or these children to seek asylum' you will not be separated from the children." >> READ MORE: Your immigrant ancestors came here legally? Are you sure? Fox & Friends highlighted a series of tweets written Sunday by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, where she incorrectly claimed, "We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period." "DHS Secy Nielsen sets the record straight" is how the show's official Twitter account promoted her comments. Nielsen's statements on Twitter, however, have been widely criticized by both Democrats and a handful of Republicans. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered the no-tolerance police back in April, issuing a memorandum to Nielsen that said filing criminal charges against migrants, including parents traveling with children, would be the "most effective" way to deter illegal border crossings. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that nearly 2,000 children had been separated from adults between April 19 and the end of May, and Nielsen herself defended the policy Monday morning. "We do not have the luxury of pretending that all individuals coming to this country as a family unit are, in fact, a family," Nielsen said. "We will not apologize for doing our job." >> READ MORE: In America's moral civil war, whose side is God on, anyway? | Will Bunch According to reporters on the ground, asylum seekers are also being turned back in cities like El Paso and other ports of entry along the Mexican border. According to the Washington Post, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers don't tell migrants they can't apply for asylum, just that "they can't apply right now because the port of entry is at capacity." This forces asylum seekers to cross at other points along the border, leading to their arrest and the break-up of families. During an interview Monday morning on NPR's Morning Edition, Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, laughed when asked about Nielsen's statement. "There's different elements of the government that don't really understand what's going on. Kids are being separated from their parents," Hurd told host Steve Inskeep. "Taking kids from their mothers is not preventing terrorists or drugs from coming into out country. Why we would think it's a tool that's needed to protect our borders is insane to me." Though Fox & Friends is an opinion show, what's said on the program matters. The program has an audience in the millions, and Trump is a loyal viewer who often shares clips and quotes from the show on his social media accounts. Doocy, who equated the forced-separation policy at the border to what would happen to a bank robber with kids being arrested, also disagreed with the suggestion that children were being kept in cages, despite first-hand accounts by reporters and photos and videos released by Customs and Border Protection showing just that. "This is a great, big warehouse facility where they built walls out of chain link fences," Doocy said. Later in the program, he said, "I'm from a farm community I see the chain-link fences, it's more like a security pen to me." CBS This Morning's Gayle King hosted Monday's show from outside one of the government's facilities in McAllen, Texas, where she said Customs and Border Protection was uncomfortable with the network's decision to refer to the holding cells as "cages," even though they admitted it was accurate. "They said it's not inaccurate, but they're very uncomfortable with using the word cages," King reported. "They said they may be cages, but they're not being treated like animals." On Fox & Friends, Doocy also claimed that the forced separation of families "has been the law of the land of the United States of America for many years," without mentioning the Trump administration's abrupt change in policy in May or how it differs from previous administrations. In 2005, the Bush administration began a program called Operation Streamline that referred all illegal immigrants for prosecution, but made exceptions for adults traveling with children. The Obama administration employed a similar approach, but detained families together rather then separating them at the border. "We've had a shelter system for years," Cecilia Munoz, the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Obama, told CBS News. "What's different now is that this administration is choosing to separate children from their parents." Many Republicans, including former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, openly admit that Trump could easily end the practice if he wanted. "We all know the president can do that, he has the executive power to do that," Scaramucci said on CNN's New Day. "So let's knock it off, because it's very very bad for the Republican party, and it's very bad for the president." Debbie Africa, right, with long time friend, Angie Crawford, minutes after her first public appearance at the Faith Immanuel Lutheran Church, in East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning June 19, 2018. Debbie is first MOVE member granted parole after 38 years in prison. Read more Debbie Sims Africa was released from state prison over the weekend, making her the first of nine MOVE members to be paroled after having served time for the 1978 shooting death of a Philadelphia police officer at the MOVE compound. According to Susan McNaughton, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Africa was paroled from the State Correctional Institute at Cambridge Springs on Saturday. Africa, 61, was pregnant at the time of her arrest and gave birth in prison awaiting trial. According to the Guardian, she was reunited with her son for the first time outside prison walls upon her release. On Aug. 8, 1978, police surrounded the Powelton Village headquarters of MOVE and entered the compound by force following a lengthy standoff. During that siege, Philadelphia Police Officer James Ramp was struck and killed by gunfire. Nine members of MOVE, including Debbie Sims Africa, were arrested following the standoff but MOVE members all of whom take the last name of Africa contend Ramp was killed by friendly fire from another officer on the scene. The MOVE Nine, as they came to be known, were convicted of third-degree murder for Ramp's death and sentenced to 30 to 100 years in prison. Two of the MOVE Nine died in prison. The six others, all of whom have been eligible for parole since 2008, remain incarcerated. The deadly standoff at that MOVE compound was a precursor to one of the darker moments in Philadelphia history, when the city dropped a bomb on the MOVE house on Osage Avenue in Cobbs Creek in 1985, killing 11 people and devastating the surrounding neighborhood. MOVE, which was founded in the early 1970s and still exists today, is a controversial black liberation organization whose followers believe in a hunter-gather society and reject "man-made laws," science and technology. In this photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a U.S. Border Patrol agent watches as people who have been taken into custody related to cases of illegal entry into the United States, stand in line at a facility in McAllen, Texas, Sunday, June 17, 2018. Read more Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) appeared on Hugh Hewitt's radio show Monday to discuss the separation of families at the U.S. border, saying he believes the problem has been "exaggerated significantly." When Hewitt, a conservative radio host, defended the issue's legitimacy, citing reports from the Wall Street Journal and MSNBC, Toomey one of a number of Philadelphia-area lawmakers who has weighed in on the issue followed up by stating that Congress should pass legislation to permit family-detention centers and that he was not an expert on the subject. "This is not my area of expertise, Hugh," he said. "Maybe this is happening with a higher frequency than I've been aware of, and it is certainly, it's just not the right thing to be doing." >> READ MORE: Bill O'Reilly, Laura Bush and other conservatives bash Trump admin's 'zero-tolerance' border policy Toomey was not the only local politician to speak out about the detention centers. Area lawmakers across the political spectrum have voiced their opinions. Here's what you need to know about the situation, and what local lawmakers have to say about it. What you need to know The Department of Homeland Security recently reported that about 2,000 minors were detained over about a six-week period, according to NPR. There is no law stating children must be detained; however, current immigration law says adults caught trying to enter the country illegally should be prosecuted as criminals. If these adults have children with them, the children are confined while their parents await prosecution. Jacob Soboroff, a reporter who was granted access to a detention center, described the conditions there by saying the children are "effectively" incarcerated. President Trump has blamed Democrats for the detention; however, the "zero-tolerance" immigration policy that often leads to family separation was announced by his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, according to the Washington Post. What Pennsylvania and New Jersey lawmakers are saying Rep. Frank LoBiondo, a Republican from New Jersey spoke against family separation via Twitter, stating his support for a provision that would make detention illegal. Other lawmakers were more vehement than LoBiondo. Rep. Matt Cartwright, a Democrat from Northeastern Pennsylvania, said he believed family separation was "cruel." Though many voiced their opinions online, some representatives took other actions. Rep. Albio Sires (D., N.J.) visited one of the detention centers on Sunday. Sires came to the United States from Cuba and told the New York Post that what he saw during his trip represented a different America than the one he knew when he arrived. "It was heart-wrenching in [the detention center]. I came here when I was 11," Sires told the Post. "It is a different country than when I came here. What I saw in there was inhumane." >> READ MORE: In America's moral civil war, whose side is God on, anyway? | Will Bunch Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.), and 39 other Democratic senators signed a letter earlier this month that demanded, "the Trump administration stop further traumatizing children and end Trump's inhumane policy of separating innocent children from their parents who cross the Southwest border seeking asylum in the United States." Casey has also been vocal about the issue on his Twitter account. 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But the facts don't support the president's opinion. The Justice Department inspector general's report released June 14 doesn't make such a charge. It says Comey was "insubordinate" and defied internal policy. Trump also made two inaccurate claims concerning special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether there was coordination with the Trump campaign. The president claimed the inspector general's report "totally exonerates" him, but the report didn't make any determination about the findings of the Mueller investigation. Trump also claimed Mueller's team has "no Republicans," when the party affiliation of four team members is unknown and Mueller himself was described as a registered Republican when he was appointed FBI director in 2001 by a Republican president. No evidence of criminal acts The president made his claims on June 15 in remarks to a group of reporters and in an interview with Fox & Friends anchor Steve Doocy, who asked the president if he thought Comey should go to jail. Doocy, June 15: From what you've seen so far should James Comey be locked up? Trump: Well, look, I would never want to get involved in that. Certainly he, they just seem like very criminal acts to me. What he did was criminal. What he did was a terrible thing to people. What he did was so bad in terms of our constitution in terms of the well-being of our country. What he did was horrible. Should he be locked up? Let somebody make a determination. Look at all the dishonest things that crooked Hillary did. Look at what's gone on. It's very sad. A few moments later, Doocy said: "From what we've seen though regarding the IG report it sounds like Comey made some bad judgments but nothing criminal." That is what the inspector general's report said. The report concerns the FBI and Department of Justice actions regarding the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for government business. It says Comey was "insubordinate" in deciding to make a public statement about the investigation on July 5, 2016, and not tell his superiors in the Department of Justice about it beforehand. IG report: Comey admitted that he concealed his intentions from the Department until the morning of his press conference on July 5, and instructed his staff to do the same, to make it impracticable for Department leadership to prevent him from delivering his statement. We found that it was extraordinary and insubordinate for Comey to do so, and we found none of his reasons to be a persuasive basis for deviating from well-established Department policies in a way intentionally designed to avoid supervision by Department leadership over his actions. The report goes on to say that Comey contacted Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates about his plans for a public news conference the morning of July 5, 2016, "but did so only after the FBI had notified the press." In the news conference, Comey said that Clinton and her staff had been "extremely careless" in handling "highly classified information," but that the FBI would not recommend any criminal charges. "Our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case," he said. The IG report said Comey held the news conference because of "his belief that only he had the ability to credibly and authoritatively convey the rationale for the decision to not seek charges against Clinton." The IG report "found no evidence" of bias in that action, but said making the "unilateral announcement" violated FBI "practice and protocol by, among other things, criticizing Clinton's uncharged conduct." The report went on to evaluate the decision to not recommend criminal charges in the Clinton email investigation, and it found "no evidence that the conclusions by the prosecutors were affected by bias or other improper considerations; rather, we determined that they were based on the prosecutors' assessment of the facts, the law, and past Department practice." There was another action by Comey that the IG report criticized. The former FBI director sent a brief letter to Congress on Oct. 28, 2016, shortly before the election, saying that FBI investigators, during the course of an unrelated investigation, found "the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent" to the prior Clinton email server investigation. The IG report called this "a serious error of judgment" that again "meant rejecting longstanding Department policy or practice." (On Nov. 6, 2016, Comey sent another letter to Congress, saying FBI agents had reviewed the emails and still concluded, as the bureau had in July, that there should be no criminal charges in the case.) The report is clearly critical of Comey's public actions that went against longstanding department policy. But was there anything "criminal" about that? The inspector general's report didn't say so, nor did it make a criminal referral to the Department of Justice. The Mueller investigation The president falsely said that the inspector general's report "totally exonerates" him, and he repeated a claim he has made before about the party affiliations of the investigators on Mueller's team. Trump, June 15: Look, we have 13 angry Democrats. There are I call them 13 angry Democrats and others work for Obama for eight years. I mean they have no Republicans, you have no it's a very unfair situation but the IG report totally exonerates. I mean if you look at the results and if you look at the head investigator is saying we have to stop Trump from becoming president. In separate comments the same day to a group of reporters, Trump again claimed that "I think that the report yesterday, maybe more importantly than anything, it totally exonerates me. There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. And if you read the report, you'll see that." Actually, you won't see that in the IG report, which doesn't concern the findings or potential outcome of Mueller's investigation. It specifically says the FBI's Russia investigation "was not a part of this review." The report does detail text messages exchanged between Peter Strzok, deputy assistant director of the espionage section, and Lisa Page, special counsel to former deputy director Andrew McCabe, who both expressed "hostility," the report said, toward Trump. Strzok was assigned to lead the Russia investigation in July 2016. Both briefly served on the special counsel's investigation in 2017, Page in a 45-day temporary position and Strzok before being removed in July 2017 after the inspector general had discovered some of his text messages. Mueller was appointed special counsel in May 2017. In one exchange on Aug. 8, 2016, according to the IG report, Page wrote, "[Trump's] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!" Strzok's response: "No. No he's not. We'll stop it." Strzok told the Inspector General's Office that "he did not specifically recall sending [that text], but that he believed that it was intended to reassure Page that Trump would not be elected, not to suggest that he would do something to impact the investigation," the IG report said. "We were deeply troubled by text messages sent by Strzok and Page that potentially indicated or created the appearance that investigative decisions were impacted by bias or improper considerations," the IG report said. But it added that most of the text messages concerned the Russia investigation, and this report didn't evaluate that. The report found no evidence connecting such political views with decisions made in the Clinton email investigation the subject of the IG report but it referred the information to the FBI to consider whether there had been any violations of the bureau's code of conduct. The IG report does say that it didn't have "confidence" that one decision by Strzok was "free from bias" that decision was to give priority to the Russia investigation over following up on the Clinton-related emails Comey referenced in his Oct. 28, 2016, letter to Congress. But the report also noted that FBI assistant director E.W. Priestap was supervising the Russia investigation at the time and it "found no evidence of bias" on the part of Priestap. As for Trump's claim about Mueller's team, we've written before about the party affiliations of those 17 people. The special counsel's office told us it doesn't keep any records on party affiliation of its staff. But the Washington Post did find that 13 of the 17 investigators on the team are registered Democrats. The four others have no party affiliation or no record of one. Trump overlooks the fact that Mueller, who is heading the investigation, was appointed FBI director in 2001 by a Republican president, George W. Bush. At the time, the Post reported that Mueller was a registered Republican. Mueller was appointed special counsel by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, another Republican who was appointed by a Republican president Trump. Nine of the team members have made federal political contributions, with five giving to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and six giving to Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. One investigator has given to Democrats and Republicans. It's worth noting that Trump and his family have also given to Democrats. See our March story on this for more information. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial cartoonist Rob Rogers at his drawing desk. Rogers has had the last week's worth of cartoons killed by his editor, an unusual occurrence in the world of editorial cartooning. Read more "Oh, good lord." That was my reaction the day after the election of Donald Trump in November of 2016, when it dawned on me that I would be serving my year as president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists during the same time as the guy who wanted to "open up" libel laws and weaken the First Amendment so he could sue journalists more easily. Instead of the usual loss of jobs for editorial cartoonists that a president of the AAEC has to address during his or her tenure, now I'd be dealing with a much more fundamental threat to our profession: a president of the United States who has no idea or respect for the institution of a free press and its role in a democracy. >> READ MORE: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cartoonist says he's been fired after Trump cartoons were killed I did worry that editorial cartooning would be the next target of a president so enamored of visuals. That didn't happen. In retrospect, I'm fairly certain it's because Trump doesn't read; he gets all his news from the television (Fox News) and uses Twitter as his megaphone. And I'm guessing his staff doesn't cut out cartoons and tape them to the White House refrigerator so he will see them as he goes for his regular two scoops of ice cream. But with the firing of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cartoonist Rob Rogers, we now see that suppressing a free press can be accomplished without an authoritarian president's orders. Michael Cohen isn't the only "fixer" Trump has at his disposal. Rogers had been the editorial cartoonist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for more than 25 years. Most working cartoonists have had an occasional idea spiked by their editor. But in the last few weeks, editorial director Keith Burris and publisher John Robinson Block had refused to publish six of Rogers's cartoons, all criticizing Trump or his policies. Block and Burris had also rejected many of Rogers' rough sketch ideas for several months. This wasn't the first time Block has used his position to defend President Trump's actions; in January, he demanded that an editorial run in the Post-Gazette and the Toledo Blade (where he is also the publisher) supporting Trump's use of the term "s-hole countries." I realize now I didn't recognize this other danger of an authoritarian president: his enablers and the willing supporters who squash dissent and help attack the free press and subvert the Constitution. The fact that Trump will use any opportunity to spread lies and whip up hatred toward journalists only enables his powerful supporters in the media to do his dirty work for him. In April, another disturbing example of journalistic manipulation was exposed when a video surfaced showing news anchors from 45 Sinclair-owned stations reciting word for word the same script criticizing the mainstream media and spouting the "fake news" accusations that Trump uses in his diatribes. Although Trump used the opportunity to blast its critics and offer his support for the "superior" Sinclair Broadcasting, he hadn't orchestrated this abuse of journalistic integrity. He didn't have to; there were others willing to do it for him. >>READ MORE: The 10 political cartoons the Post-Gazette didn't want its readers to see Through satire, humor and pointed caricatures, editorial cartoonists criticize leaders and governments that are behaving badly. The purpose of an editorial cartoonist is to hold politicians and powerful institutions accountable and we all know how little President Trump thinks he, his family or his sycophants should be held accountable. Rogers was the first American editorial cartoonist to lose his job as a result, but he won't be the last. Trump has many "fixers." Ann Telnaes is an editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 2001. @AnnTelnaes 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." The U.S. Supreme Court ducked the chance to rule on the issue of partisan gerrymandering Monday, returning two meaty cases to lower courts on narrow procedural grounds. By not taking up the broader question of when partisan gerrymandering violates the constitution, the justices left the status quo in place. "This was the ultimate in punting," said Joshua A. Douglas, a law professor at the University of Kentucky and expert on election law. However, the court's ruling in the Wisconsin case, Gill v. Whitford, provided some clarity on what types of cases people can bring, saying that individuals may largely challenge partisan gerrymandering in specific districts rather than based on the statewide map. Because partisan gerrymandering is meant to skew a statewide map to give one party an advantage overall, this will limit cases that can be brought in federal court. The state case that overturned Pennsylvania's congressional map this year, for example, challenged the entire state map and not an individual district. The second case, Benisek v. Lamone out of Maryland, did challenge an individual district but the Supreme Court returned that case to a lower court as well Monday on procedural grounds. Lawyers, advocates, politicians, and others have been anxiously awaiting the Supreme Court opinion for months. What were the two cases? Both cases alleged extreme partisan gerrymandering at the hands of lawmakers, saying voters were discriminated against because of their partisan affiliation in an attempt to dilute their vote. Gill v. Whitford accused the Wisconsin state legislature of drawing state district lines to favor Republicans. Benisek v. Lamone accused Maryland's legislature of drawing a U.S. House of Representatives district to favor Democrats, flipping the seat from a safe Republican seat to a safe Democratic one. The Maryland case argued that drawing lines to favor Democrats effectively punishes Republicans for their political speech and affiliations, falling afoul of the First Amendment. The Wisconsin case also used the First Amendment, along with a Fourteenth Amendment claim that the partisan gerrymandering violated the voters' constitutional right to equal protection under law. Both cases essentially laid out a three-part test for gerrymandering: partisan intent, partisan effect, and lack of neutral reason for the map. Basically, the plaintiffs tried to prove that lawmakers meant to draw a skewed map; that the map did in fact skew votes and election results; and that no other reason, such as the "political geography" of how voters are distributed, could explain the map's skew. Gill v. Whitford was argued in October, and Benisek v. Lamone was argued in March. What did the U.S. Supreme Court rule today? "The court decided it didn't want to decide," Douglas said. "That's essentially what happened." In Gill v. Whitford, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the plaintiffs did not have standing because their suit challenged the entire state map and did not show it had injured them. "To the extent the plaintiffs' alleged harm is the dilution of their votes, that injury is district specific," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his opinion. The other justices joined his opinion or concurred in part; none dissented. "An individual voter in Wisconsin is placed in a single district. He votes for a single representative. The boundaries of the district, and the composition of its voters, determine whether and to what extent a particular voter is packed or cracked." In Benisek v. Lamone, a district court had denied the plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction, staying the case while the Supreme Court ruled in Gill v. Whitford. The plaintiffs appealed that decision to the Supreme Court. On Monday, the court said that the district court had appropriately denied the preliminary injunction request. Both the Wisconsin and Maryland cases can now continue at the lower courts, but the Supreme Court took no actions Monday that would set guidelines for redistricting. "We have no standards, we have no answers. Partisan gerrymandering claims live on potentially in theory, but we don't know how the court will view them or how to proceed," Douglas said. "We're basically at the same place we were before the cases." The difference, he said: "We know partisan gerrymandering claims have to be brought district by district." Does this change anything in Pennsylvania? Not immediately. The state's congressional map is set for the 2018 elections, and there is almost no chance it could change. The maps for the state House and Senate districts have not changed. OK, how does this affect Pennsylvania in the future? Does it affect other states? Nothing massive changes right now, given that the court did not rule on the actual issues of partisan gerrymandering. But by ruling in Gill v. Whitford that individuals generally can't challenge an entire state map, the court has limited the types of cases that can be brought. "It's a fairly big deal at this point," said Michael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida who is an expert witness in the Maryland case. "Up until now, partisan gerrymandering claims have been made by individuals making these claims against the districts as a whole. So if you're going to have individuals make claims, the Supreme Court is saying basically, they can only make claims against the district they reside in. They can't make a claim against the entire plan." In recent years, political scientists, lawyers, and mathematicians have sought to create mathematical tests that would allow a political map to be measured for partisan skew. These measures, including the "efficiency gap" used in the Wisconsin case, work at the statewide level by analyzing vote counts. After all, many political scientists and lawyers point out, the point of partisan gerrymandering is to give a party an advantage in the number of seats if a map is skewed far enough, a party can win more seats in Congress or a state legislature than they would under a neutral map. Those tests for gerrymandering are now less useful in federal cases, though they remain useful tools for lawmakers and at the state level, McDonald said. Who can challenge an entire statewide map? McDonald also noted that there is a line in Roberts' opinion, that suggests political parties may be able to bring statewide claims. Marc Elias, a high-profile Democratic lawyer, took notice of that line almost immediately. If political parties or other statewide groups can challenge a political map as a whole, that would mean the efficiency gap and other measures can still be used just with different plaintiffs bringing the challenges. "It's a point of clarity," said Michael Li, a redistricting expert at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. "Those claims can continue going forward, they will just be brought by different people. They won't be brought by individuals, they'll be brought by organizations." Justice Elena Kagan's concurrence in Gill v. Whitford also demonstrates how statewide tests can be useful for district-level challenges, Li said, if statewide intent to gerrymander can be proven to be carried out at the district level. "You prove that there's a statewide intent and then you say, okay, was this statewide intent executed at the individual district level, look at Goofy-kicking-Donald-Duck, and the answer is yes," he said. Wait, didnt Pennsylvania already fix this? Not exactly. The congressional map Pennsylvania adopted in 2011 was considered one of the worst in the nation's history as an extreme partisan gerrymander. Under the map, which was drawn by a Republican-controlled General Assembly and signed by Republican former Gov. Tom Corbett, three election cycles ended the same way: Republicans won the same 13 out of the state's 18 seats in a battleground state where statewide votes are split evenly between the two major parties. The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania sued last year in state court, saying the map unfairly discriminated against Democrats. In January, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the map and then imposed its own. That's the map being used for the 2018 congressional elections. A nasty legal and political fight ensued, but ultimately the map was set. So Pennsylvania no longer has the map that was infamously skewed toward Republicans. But no one is exactly happy with the way the new map was delivered: drawn by a well-known Stanford University professor for a state Supreme Court made up mostly of elected Democrats. Even reform advocates agree that this process was not transparent and is not the change they have been fighting for. And nothing has changed in how Pennsylvania's lines are drawn. Various activist and good-government groups have been advocating for change in the actual process of mapmaking, with most pushing the idea of an independent commission of citizens to act as mapmakers. Legislation to do that has faced considerable challenges in Harrisburg, but a new bill from House Majority Leader Dave Reed and a newly amended bill from the Senate could breathe new life into reform efforts. Until and unless something changes in the mapmaking process, the congressional lines drawn in 2021 will follow the same process as in decades past: The state legislature draws a map and the governor signs it into law. (Democrats are hoping that Gov. Wolf, if re-elected, will wield the threat of his veto to force the state legislature which is expected to remain in Republican control to create a relatively neutral map.) "Today's opinions said absolutely nothing about state courts. And says nothing about the propriety of what the Pennsylvania Supreme Court did or did not do," said Justin Levitt, a professor and associate dean at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. That means Pennsylvania remains a model for partisan gerrymandering cases in other states. "We don't really have any other information about what Pennsylvania did and whether its decision under the state Constitution has a federal analogue or not; we don't have any [more] information about that now than we did yesterday," Levitt said. "So state courts still can follow Pennsylvania's lead or can decide to take up other series of why partisan gerrymandering might violate their own state constitutions." What happens next? In Pennsylvania, advocates continue to push for changes to how the state's legislative lines are drawn. Currently, Pennsylvania's congressional maps are drawn by the state legislature and enacted through legislation, meaning they pass the legislature and are signed by the governor. State legislative maps for the state House and Senate are drawn by a five-member commission of the top four legislative leaders (two from each party) and an appointee of the commission or Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Led by Fair Districts PA, an umbrella organization for a coalition of good-government groups, activists have been seeking to reform the redistricting process by having political maps drawn by an independent commission of citizens. They have faced obstacles in the state legislature one of the bills they helped craft was gutted in a House committee, and another was changed Tuesday to include a proposal for creating regional districts for state appellate judges. Some Democrats decried the move as inserting a "poison pill" meant to kill the legislation and activists' hopes, as well as to retaliate against the state Supreme Court. The state Senate passed that bill Wednesday, and it is now before the House. It is the proposal farthest along in the legislative process, and advocacy groups have pulled their support and begun lobbying against it because of the judicial districting amendment. Other proposals have been introduced in the state House, including a bill by House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R., Indiana) to create a commission of citizens to draw political lines. Meanwhile, the timeline for redistricting reform is tight. Changes that amend the state constitution must pass the General Assembly in identical form in two consecutive sessions before going directly to voters to approve or reject. (The governor has no veto role.) To affect the next round of redistricting, in 2021, one of the reform proposals must pass within the next few weeks. For practical purposes, a bill must pass by the time a budget is complete and lawmakers go on summer recess. Asked whether the legislature would meet that deadline for passing a redistricting bill, Reed said "I do not know." There are multiple proposals for changing the redistricting process, he noted, and it's unclear whether everyone would coalesce behind one idea. "A good portion of our members believe the current system is somewhat broken, particularly with everything that happened this year," he said. "I am sure we have got a variety of opinions on how to actually fix it and make it better, but I don't think that's anything different than, you know, the Senate had and folks across the country have experienced, though." Advocates have long acknowledged their efforts are an uphill battle. If they fail to pass a bill in time, they've discussed two major options: Apply citizen pressure during the redistricting process and continue pushing for reform and redraw the maps as soon as possible. Pressuring lawmakers during the map-drawing would mean pushing for open hearings and public comment on the map, including public review of any draft maps before they are voted on. And a constitutional amendment that takes effect after 2021 could be followed, advocates said, by a mid-cycle redistricting to create new maps under the commission process. At today's briefing, the head of the ARF faction Armen Rustamyan, referring to the large amount of weapons and other appropriations discovered at the house of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MP Manvel Grigoryan, said: "This is the case when a person does not believe what he has seen. "I imagine how the entire Azerbaijani community could be excited to see Manvel Grigoryan, you know what a big investment he had in Artsakh liberation with his fifth brigade, was considered our liberator, hero of Artsakh, being discredited now. How are we going to overcome this? This is a disgrace, a shame. Those who committed this must give an asnwer in front of those children. "And it is surprising why those letters were still there. I am sorry. To say that I am stunned, shocked is to say nothing. Putting aside the emotional part, the law must be maintained, in any case we will be attentive so that everything corresponds to the law. There is a problem of Manvel Grigoryan's immunity, there is also the presumption of innocence. We will take this into consideration. "It was a great blow to our past joint activities and relations, the black line on the biography of many people. We have long talked about such cases of corruption and after the April events, in a closed meeting, we discussed it. After arriving at the front line, we fixed the disgraceful situation. " KAMPALA Mbarara District Police Commander Jaffar Magyezi has today been added on the list of police and army officers arrested and grilled over different crimes allegedly committed during the reign of Gen Kale Kayihura. Magyezi was on Monday picked up from Mbarara and taken to the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala, for questioning on yet to be known matters. The spokesperson of UPDF 2nd Division that is based at Makenke in Mbarara, Lt Geoffrey Sande, confirmed the development. He has been taken to Mbuya; I dont know why they want him. I think he will be back shortly, Lt Sunday said in a telephone interview. What I know is that he is at the CMI headquarters. We dont know more than that, he added. However, it is believed that Magyezis arrest is in connection with several offences connected to kidnap, espionage, reason and illegal expatriation of refugees. Security agencies have so far arrested over 26 police officers, who were Gen Kale Kayihuras blue-eyed boys connected to kidnap, espionage, reason and illegal expatriation of refugees. They include former cybercrime boss Richard Ndaboine, former Flying Squad Commander Herbert Muhangi, former director of Crime Intelligence Col Ndawula Atwooki and Lt Col Peter Musherure, the former deputy police director of crime intelligence. Related SHEEMA -Leaders of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change party on Sunday urged residents of the newly created Sheema Municipality to make a repeat of the Rukungiri District Woman MP by-election and defeat the ruling NRM party in the upcoming election for the Member of Parliament seat. While campaigning for the party flag bearer, Ms Virginia Plan Mugyenyi, the party leaders, who included party president Eng. Patrick Amuriat Oboi, Buhweju MP Francis Mwijukye, secretary for mobilization Ingrid Turinawe, FDC vice chairperson western region Roland Kaginda, FDC vice chairperson eastern region Salaam Musumba and secretary general Nathan Nandala Mafabi, said the ruling party has lost direction. We have poor services in all regions, including Ankole. We have some of the worst roads in Sheema district; I have seen all of them. The education system in the country died longtime ago so you people of Sheema are supposed to show Museveni that in the 32 years he has not improved your livelihood and poverty has eaten the whole country including Ankole. Health system in the country has crumbled, and you are the people to save the country, said Amuriat. Mr Mwijukye urged Sheema municipality to give him an opposition companion from Ankole region in Parliament. I am tired of representing Ankole in Parliament alone, so if you give me another person, I will be the happiest because she will help me in mobiliSing and articulating our concerns. As you can see other regions are leaving us in terms of development because they decided long time ago, he said. Amuriat also urged people of Sheema to enjoy the money that President Museveni donates to them like he did in Rukungiri but vote for the FDC candidate. When Museveni comes here, ask for your share of the money. When he went to Jinja, he took there money when he went to Rukungiri Shs5 billion went there first another Shs 15 billion went there for the campaigns. When he comes here let him give you your share, he said. I have looked at your faces and energy; I am going back to Kampala to give a report to other leaders that there is energy and power in the people of Sheema., and this is a done deal, he added. Ms Mugyenyi took a swipe at the NRM candidate, Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, whom she accused of being greedy by being an MP for Sheema North and now wanting to stand in the municipality. We cannot allow our municipality to remain without a representative because the one I am competing with is an MP for Sheema North and he cannot represent two constituencies. Dr Elioda amended the constitution without consulting you, so you should show him that he should have consulted you, she said. Seven candidates in the race for the election that will take place on July 19. They are Ms Mugyenyi (FDC), Dr Tumwesigye (NRM), and Independents Mesarch Katusiime, Ambrose Mwesigye, Jonas Tumwine, Raymond Akankwasa and Ben Ruyombya. Related KAMPALA The Uganda Police Force is set for a nationwide headcount exercise to determine a precise number of officers employed by the institution. The exercise starts today. Officers in the institution have always preferred to give an estimate of the officers staffing strength of the force, without giving a precise figure. The Inspector General of Police, John Martins Okoth-Ochola in March ordered for a headcount in Police to establish the actual number of serving officers countrywide. William Okalany, the Professional Standards Unit commander, said the process is intended to determine the exact number of personnel and it will begin with units, divisions and regions within Kampala before rolling out to upcountry regions and districts. Okalany in a circular dated June15, told police officers to get ready for the headcount which will kick off on Monday, June 18. All officers are ordered to standby at their stations for a headcount on Monday 18th Day of June 2018. RPCs and DPCs take due note, Mr Okalany said. The statement added that all personnel working within a district or division regardless of their mother units will be verified from that particular area where they are attached. He warned that officers who will not be verified during the exercise should know the consequences upon missing the headcount. All personnel have been ordered present a recent passport photo, police number, bank account, TIN numbers, National Identity Card number, date of enlist into the force, date of posting to current station and date of last promotion as part of the exercise. While he handed over office to Mr Ochola, the former IGP Kale Kayihura said he had elevated the Police force from a bad shape of 18,000 officers that he found it 12 ago, to 43,000 when he handed over in March this year. Inspite of the recent bad image, I am handing over a police force that is in better shape than the one I found. The force is now built on a solid foundation. And in spite of the setbacks, we are moving in the right direction, Gen Kayihura said. However, the former IGP, who is currently undergoing questioning by the military faces possible criminal charges following several transgressions committed by some police officers during his reign. Related The 24-hour Art All Night Trenton 2018 arts festival in Trenton, New Jersey turned violent just before three in the morning on Sunday when gunfire suddenly erupted. At least two gunmen opened fire, injuring 22 people, including a 13-year-old boy, according to the Washington Post. A responding police officer fatally shot one of the suspects the other gunman was arrested. The shooting is believed to be gang-related. We believe it was a dispute between two neighborhoods that led to violence at the event. In no way was the event the target, it just happened to be the forum for the shooting, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri told ABC News. A Walmart customer is being hailed as a hero after he killed a gunman who wounded two people during a confrontation in Tumwater, Washington on Sunday evening. A gunman reportedly opened fire inside the Walmart, according to KOMO-TV, then attempted to carjack a vehicle in the parking lot, shooting and injuring the carjack victim. Thats when an as-yet-unnamed bystander shot and killed the assailant. Two other customers also reportedly pulled their weapons in case they were needed, said KOMO. Hattiesburg (MS) police are searching for a suspect wanted for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer who was shot in the leg Monday morning while trying to serve a warrant. Hattiesburg PD said on Twitter that Victor Kirksey should be considered armed and dangerous. IMMEDIATE BOLO: Victor Kirksey wanted aggravated assault on a police officer. Considered armed and dangerous, do NOT make contact with the suspect call 911 immediately. pic.twitter.com/B2EuDOOHjr Hattiesburg PD (@HattiesburgPD) June 18, 2018 Mary Rose OLeary has shepherded three children into adulthood, and teaches art and music to middle-school students. Despite her extensive personal and professional experience with teens, the Eagle Rock, Calif., resident admits shes often perplexed by their behavior. "Even if you have normal kids, youre constantly questioning, Is this normal? " says OLeary, 61. Teenagers can be volatile and moody. They can test your patience, push your buttons and leave you questioning your sanity and theirs. Im not being flip. Mental health challenges are a serious and growing problem for teenagers: Teen and young-adult suicide has nearly tripled since the 1940s. The rate of 12- to 17-year-olds who struggled with clinical depression increased by 37 percent in a decade, according to a recent study. And schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders often manifest themselves in adolescence. In fact, half of all mental health conditions emerge by age 14, and three-quarters by 24, says Dr. Steven Adelsheim, director of the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, part of the universitys psychiatry department. Warning signs? For parents, its often hard to separate the warning signs of mental illness from typically erratic teenage behavior. When OLearys son, Isaac, now 23, was a teen, he had two run-ins with police once for hosting a wild party while his mom was away, and again when he and a friend climbed up on the roof and challenged each other to shoot BB guns. OLeary dismissed those incidents as teenage pranks. But she did start to worry when she was in the midst of divorce proceedings with her then-husband and noticed that Isaac started exhibiting some unusual behavior. He complained of stomachaches and racked up absences from school. Thats when she decided it was time for the family to see a therapist. "Its a question of whats normal for my kids," she explains. OLeary is right. Mental health experts say the first step in recognizing possible mental illness in your children is to know their habits and patterns to spot when they deviate from them and to create an environment in which they feel comfortable talking with you. Instead of asking your teen to talk, share an activity that will give your child the chance to open up: Cook dinner together, walk the dog, take a drive, says Tara Niendam, an associate professor in psychiatry at the University of California-Davis. "You just want to know how theyre doing as a person. How are things going at school? How are their friends? How are they sleeping?" she explains. Keep close watch As part of getting to know your teen, monitor and limit your childs social media activity, says Dr. Amy Barnhorst, vice chair for community mental health in the UC-Davis psychiatry department. "Social media gives us this important window into whats going on in teenagers lives," she says. Once you know your childs baseline, youll be more attuned to signs of mental illness: persistent changes in your childs everyday life that last more than a week or two. Be aware of disruptions in sleep, appetite, grades, weight, friendships even hygiene. Maybe your son is spending even more time alone in his room. Perhaps your daughter, who is particular about her appearance, stops wearing makeup and isnt showering. "Its really when you see kids falling off the curve in every sphere of their lives," Barnhorst says. "Theyre having problems with their academics, problems with their family, problems with their friends, and problems with their activities." Essentially, take note when "theres a lot of shifting and chaos" in their lives, she adds. Remember, youre looking for changes in many aspects of your childs life that last for a few weeks, not the typical but temporary sadness that comes with a breakup or the unfortunate mouthing off you get when you ask your kid to clean his room. When to seek help If your child still has the same friends and is participating in the same activities, unpleasant behavior "is not necessarily something to worry about," Barnhorst says. "That could just be teenagers going through growing pains." But some behavioral changes could indicate a deeper problem. For instance, teenagers with depression may be more irritable than usual, Adelsheim says. They might snap at friends or even the family dog, he says. "Young people will talk about their fuse being shorter than normal," Adelsheim says. "Things that normally wouldnt bother them do bother them." When you become worried that your childs behavior may indicate something more serious, offer your child love and support and seek help, experts say. (And avoid phrases like "Whats wrong with you?" and "Snap out of it" when talking with your kids, Niendam advises.) If your child threatens suicide, or you think hes in imminent danger, take him to the emergency room. If theres no immediate danger, start with your childs pediatrician or primary care physician. In some cases, the pediatrician will be able to address the problem directly or may refer you to a mental health specialist. Waiting lists, support This is where it could get tricky. You may face a long wait for a specialist especially if you live in a rural area and may find that many arent accepting new patients. Barnhorst suggests calling your health insurance plan and asking for a list of in-network therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists. Then hit the phone and hope for the best. "One of the most serious problems we have in this country on the mental health front is the lack of access to care," says Dr. Victor Schwartz, chief medical officer of the Jed Foundation, a New York-based organization that works to prevent suicides in teens and young adults. "We havent trained enough professionals. Theyre not distributed well enough across the country." Another option, he says, is to check with nearby universities to see if they have mental health clinics that train students and see patients. While youre seeking medical help, dont forget to contact your childs school, which may be able to make accommodations such as offering your child extra time for testing, Niendam says. She also suggests connecting with your local chapter of NAMI California (namica.org), a grass-roots organization of people whose lives have been affected by serious mental illness. "If youre struggling, you can meet other parents and ask their advice," she says. UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13 Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk Google Ad Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide 1217 new cases Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group At UCOM only: Tv sets at 10% discount + 1 month free UMIX package + 4k tv channel Ameriabanks Special Offer for New Clients of Hrazdan Branch "Fall forward": Gurgen Khachatryan, the Co-Founder of the Galaxy Group of Companies, addressed a message to young people in Armenia UCOM hosted interns of Russian CBOSS corporation for a month The 20-episode Bloody bet thriller to be broadcast on Ucom's Armenia Premium TV channel Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group UCOM offers affordable gadgets at bigger discount Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to New York Google Ad Governments preventing publication of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper during state of emergency UCOM prolongs the unlimited internet offer for the level up 4700 and level up 5500 subscribers Ucom employees received recognition for their services to the homeland Karen Vardanyan has allocated 105 million AMD to rescue the Yerevan Botanical Garden. "The Power of One Dram" to overcome childhood cancer Generation A 13 your chance to be the change President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan met with Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev "uDays" special offer at Ucom: discounts for all smartphones and accessories for 2 days only For more than 3 hours, 50 or more Azerbaijani servicemen have blocked the interstate road Call on the international community for an adequate response against azerbaijani aggresssion Transformation and trust are important for success in modern banking. Artak Hanesyan UCOMS LEVEL UP 1700 REGIONAL TARIFF PLAN USERS TO RECEIVE MORE THAN THOSE IN YEREVAN Joint statement John wrote here about the class action lawsuit that accuses Harvard of discriminating against Asian-Americans in admissions. The plaintiffs have moved for summary judgment, arguing that they should prevail based on facts not genuinely in dispute. One fact not genuinely in dispute is that Harvards own researchers found statistical evidence that the Universitys undergraduate application process discriminates against Asian-Americans. In 2013, the Harvard Office of Institutional Research found that Asian-Americans would comprise 43.4 percent of the admitted class if they were judged purely on their academic merit. Asian-American representation at Harvard is only about half that number. No college I know of judges all applicants purely on their academic merit, and its not race discrimination to consider other factors. However, Harvards researchers found that, even after accounting for the schools preferences for the children of alumni and recruited athletes, Asian-American representation fell significantly short of the expected level. During his deposition, Mark Hansen, a former Harvard researcher, was asked, Do you have any explanation other than intentional discrimination for your conclusions regarding the negative association between Asians and the Harvard admissions process? Hansen responded, I dont. The findings of the Harvard researchers are confirmed by Duke University Professor Peter Arcidiacono, an expert witness for the plaintiffs. He reviewed six years of admissions data. Because recruited athletes, children of alumni, and those who find their way onto the Dean and Directors List are admitted at exceptionally high rates, Arcidiacono excluded them from his analysis. This enabled him to compare applicants who were similarly situated except for their race and their qualifications. His pool contained around 95 percent of applicants and more than two-thirds of admitted applicants. Arcidiaconos analysis showed the same discriminatory phenomenon the Harvard researchers had found. Asian-Americans are admitted at significantly lower rates than can be explained by grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, teacher recommendations, guidance counselor recommendations, and alumni interviews. Where Asian-Americans fall short is where the discrimination occurs in the personal qualities ratings. These are given not by people who know the applicants, or at least have talked to them, but by the Harvard admissions office. White applicants receive significantly higher ratings than Asian-Americans and Black and Hispanic applicants receive higher ratings than Whites. The low personal ratings Asian-Americans receive are inconsistent with what Harvards own officials say about the personal qualities of this group. For example, Harvards Dean of Admissions, William Fitzsimmons, who has read every applicant file for more than 30 years, denied that Asian-Americans have fewer attractive personal qualities than other applicants. He testified that he did not believe Asian-Americans fall short of White applicants in terms of leadership, friendliness, outgoing nature, etc. The testimony of Harvards Director of Admissions, Marlyn McGrath, was the same in this regard. So was the testimony of officials from elite high schools with a very high percentage of Asian-American students. And one of Harvards own expert witnesses, the former president of Brown University, described the view that Asian-Americans are less well-rounded than other groups of applicants as balderdash. Still, Harvard contrived to give comparatively low personal qualities to Asian-American applicants. These ratings depressed the rate at which these applicants were admitted. This is classic discrimination. Imagine if Harvard systematically rated African-American applicants lower on personal qualities than other groups, resulting in Blacks being rejected in higher percentages than objective factors like grades, scores, and extracurricular activities indicated they should be. No one would doubt that this was racial discrimination. By the same token, there should be no doubt that Harvard has engaged in racial discrimination against Asian-American applicants. Unfortunately, the plaintiffs drew a liberal judge nominated by President Obama to hear their case. Any appeal would be to the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which is dominated by liberals. However, Harvards discrimination is so blatant and so offensive that I hold out some hope that the plaintiffs will succeed. Perhaps the fact that Whites benefited from the discrimination will help the Asian-American plaintiffs, though, of course, the racial characteristics of the beneficiaries of discrimination shouldnt matter. A trial is scheduled for October of this year, assuming summary judgment is not granted either side. In my view, the case should be decided in favor of the plaintiffs without a trial, based on facts not genuinely in dispute. Lets start with the fact that Democrats are desperate. Republican economic policies, pursued by the Trump administration and enacted by the Republican Congress, have our economy humming along at a historic rate. Overseas, the Trump administration has moved to advance Americas trade interests and to neutralize some of the principal threats against us, including that from North Korea. What is a loyal Democrat to do? Change the subject. Hence the obsession, which has blown up over the past few days, with the alleged separation of parents from their children at the countrys Southern border. Some questions seem to be infrequently asked. What families are we talking about? Why are they at the Southern border in the first place? How long does the alleged separation last, and what is the reason for it? What were the policies of past administrations? Instead, we have seen an over-the-top attack on the Trump administration, and Republicans in general. Although, as far as I can tell, the photos of children in cages date from the Obama era. Still, its a complicated situation. A reporter called me on Friday asking for a quote on the issue. I told her that I have been too busy to investigate it beyond the headline level, and, being unable to offer any intelligent comment, I preferred to stay silent. She thought this a remarkable instance of self-restraint. I still havent had time to look into the separated children issue in any detail, but in the meantime, Homeland Security Director Kirstjen Nielsen tweeted these comments. She should be in a position to know, so I reproduce them here: This misreporting by Members, 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. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 You are not breaking the law by seeking asylum at a port of entry. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 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. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 DHS takes very seriously its duty to protect minors in our temporary custody from gangs, traffickers, criminals and abuse. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 Is all of this correct? I have no reason to doubt it, although liberals are hysterical on Twitter, attacking Nielsen. Speaking of Twitter: leftist trolls have gone crazy over the last 24 hours, attacking conservatives who have done innocuous Fathers Day tweets, trying to shame them with whatever the administrations border policies may be. You can catch up with this insanity here and here, if you are so inclined. The moral of that story is that liberals are nuts. Also, Democrats undoubtedly overestimate the number of voters who are shocked at the idea of parents being separated from their well-cared-for children when they try to enter the country illegally. The leftist hate cult known as the Southern Poverty Law Center has settled defamation claims by two of the SPLCs many victims. The Quilliam press release datelined Montgomery announces: MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA The Southern Poverty Law Center, Inc. has apologized to Quilliam and its founder Maajid Nawaz for wrongly naming them in its controversial Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists. In a public statement, the SPLCs president, Richard Cohen, explained that Mr. Nawaz and Quilliam have made valuable and important contributions to public discourse, including by promoting pluralism and condemning both anti-Muslim bigotry and Islamist extremism. Watch Mr. Cohens complete statement. The SPLC also agreed to pay a $3.375 million settlement, which Quilliam and Nawaz intend to use to fund work fighting anti-Muslim bigotry and Islamist extremism. With the help of everyone who contributed to our litigation fund, we were able to fight back against the Regressive Left and show them that moderate Muslims will not be silenced, said Nawaz. We will continue to combat extremists by defying Muslim stereotypes, calling out fundamentalism in our own communities, and speaking out against anti-Muslim hate. Quilliam and Mr. Nawaz were represented by Tom Clare, Libby Locke, and Megan Meier of Clare Locke LLP, a boutique law firm specializing in defamation litigation. To see the settlement agreement negotiated with the SPLC, click here. Or promises to, anyway. Peter Strzoks lawyer says there is no need to subpoena him, he will testify voluntarily before the House Judiciary Committee and any other committee that will have him. And he wont plead the Fifth, either: The FBI agent who was removed from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election for sending anti-Trump texts intends to testify before the House Judiciary Committee and any other congressional committee that asks, his attorney said in a letter made public Sunday. Peter Strzok, who was singled out in a recent Justice Department inspector general report for the politically charged messages, would be willing to testify without immunity, and he would not invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in response to any question, his attorney, Aitan Goelman, said in an interview Sunday. *** Goelman said 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. Thats a tough sell. Speaking for myself, my opinion of Strzoks character and actions is based entirely on his own words. [Goelman] said there was no question that Strzok regrets sending anti-Trump messages, but added: I think what he was doing is expressing his political opinions in what he thought was a private text conversation, and he regrets that this has been weaponized by people with political motivations to try to discredit the Mueller investigation. Chutzpah has been redefined. Goelman said that Strzok was not willing to use his official position to affect Trumps chances of being elected and that his political conviction that a Trump presidency would be disastrous for American national security is not based on his bias, it was based on information that was available to him, and his perspective on American national security. So this is what he will tell the House Judiciary Committee. No doubt the Democrats will be salivating to find out what informationwas available to him that convinced Strzok that Trump had to be stopped. He said Strzok did not do the one thing that might have helped Clinton and hurt Trump: leak word of the investigation of the Trump campaign. But someone leaked the fact that the FBI was investigating the Trump campaign, and the FBI colluded with the CIA to ensure that the fake dossier, paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC, would be made public shortly before President Trumps inauguration. Will Strzok testify under oath that he wasnt one of the FBI leakers? That actually could be true: the DOJ Inspector Generals report says that there were so many FBI employees talking to reporterscontrary to the Agencys alleged policythat it was not possible to identify the leakers. One way or another, Strzoks testimony should be a major media event. The networks will have incentive to cover it, since Strzok will be denouncing the president and possibly revealing secrets about the FBIs campaign against him. We might even see a mirror image of the Iran-Contra hearings of 1987. The networks covered those hearings and, if I remember correctly, broadcast portions of them live, thinking they might finally discredit the hated Reagan administration. But Lt. Col. Oliver North foiled their plans. As the star witness, he was a hero rather than a villain. When Peter Strzok testifies, it will be the other way around. The press will be on his side, but will Americans buy his story? Doubtful. But one way or another, we could be in for some great theater. John and I have written about the separation of adult illegal immigrants from the children they unlawfully bring with them into this country. I want to direct attention to two articles on the subject that make additional points. Jason Jones and John Zmirak argue that the Mexican government created the problem: These migrants from Central America claim that the chaos in their home countries amounts to persecution. If so, then by international law they must seek refuge in the first safe country. That was Mexico, which didnt offer them asylum, but shipped them north to us. They also note the recklessness of adults who bring their children from Central America through Mexico: The Huffington Post reported that 80% of women and girls from Central America who enter the U.S. illegally suffer rape. If the percentage even remotely approaches that number, then almost anything we can do to discourage immigrants from bringing children through Mexico is worthwhile. Jones and Zmirak also place the issue of separation at the border in the context of sex trafficking: Every year thousands of children get raped, abused, and sold. Right here in America. Many of these kids are immigrants, and a key tactic traffickers use is to pretend that they are their parents. (Emphasis added) Daniel Horowitz picks up on this theme, as well as the matter of drugs and gang violence: We have two choices when it comes to border security and interior enforcement. We can continue telegraphing the message that when you come here with children you are home free. This will continue fueling the drug crisis, growing MS-13, enriching the drug cartels, inducing sex trafficking and terrible crimes at the border, encouraging illegals to kidnap children to gain admission, and causing death and mayhem on both sides of the border. Or we could finally deter this behavior by announcing an end to any immigration requests not processed in a controlled environment through our embassy. Horowitz argues that DACA created the surge of children into the U.S. And why not? The prospect of amnesty must be enormously enticing. This surge of teenage illegal immigrants, in turn, fueled the drug and gang crises. Ironically, gangs like MS-13 create the hellish enclaves that are said to cause immigrants to flee Central America. Horowitz concludes: If you truly feel bad about separating families of both illegal aliens and Americans and all the chain reaction of woe it brings, youd support automatic and immediate denial of entry and deportation for families together. President Trump needs to use his inherent Article II powers to stop entry as well as his delegated authority from Congress under 212(f) of the INA. He needs to announce that because of the drug crisis, nobody will be allowed to enter our country under asylum through the border because it does nothing but empower the drug cartels. All applications must be filed in a U.S. embassy in a safe and controlled environment. Thats the humane thing to do. However, its inconsistent with the agenda of Democratic politicians and the open-borders left. Przepraszamy! Ogoszenie na stanowisku: IT Support Specialist wygaso z dniem 2018-07-04 Ta propozycja bya zozona przez Luxoft Mozliwe przyczyny wygasniecia ogoszenia to: propozycja zozona przez pracodawce zostaa wycofana z naszych zasobow rekruter zakonczy proces rekrutacji uzyskujac odpowiednia ilosc pracownikow rekruter zmodyfikowa tresc zlecenia i jest ono dostepne pod innym adresem url dostawca tresci usuna ogoszenie z bazy danych nieprawidowy adres url ogoszenia Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w branzy Informatyka / Telekomunikacja, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Informatyka / Telekomunikacja Jezeli poszukujesz pracy na stanowisku IT Support Specialist, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca IT Support Specialist Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w miescie: Wroclaw, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Wroclaw Pamietaj, ze mozesz takze rozpoczac poszukiwanie pracy od strony gownej, kliknij tutaj. Inne propozycje, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan: Thank-you letter to Premier of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan On 18 June Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan addressed a thank-you letter to Premier of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. The letter runs as follows: "Honourable Premier Pashinyan, "I sincerely thank you for accepting my invitation to visit Artsakh from 16 to 17 June. The discussions held with You and the government delegation at Your head were very important and substantive. "I would also like to thank for Your position articulated during our meeting that You appreciate and rate high the readiness of the Artsakh Republic President to initiate practical and substantial changes in Artsakh and unequivocally support in this regard Artsakh colleagues and the head of the Artsakh state, and that the government of the Republic of Armenia affirms its unconditional support of the political course we have embarked on. "I would like to emphasize that the Artsakh authorities and I myself personally voice our unconditional support for your principal policy aimed at cementing democracy and the rule of law in Mother Armenia as well as restoring the full-fledged format of negotiations in the process of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement. "I am convinced that close cooperation between the two Armenian states will be further enhanced for the glory of our Homeland and our people. "Once again accept my gratitude and warm wishes." BENGALURU, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new study by Analytics India Magazine in association with AnalytixLabs, the data science, analytics and big data industry generates over $2.71 billion in revenues annually. It is also estimated to be growing at a healthy rate of 33.5% CAGR. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/690836/Analytics_India_Magazine_Logo.jpg ) The study suggests that a sizeable 22% of the total revenue generated can be attributed to big data; whereas advanced analytics, predictive modelling and data science together contribute a total of 11%. Just like last year, the maximum revenue from analytics exports comes from the US, amounting to 64% of the revenue generated, which has increased by 45% year-on-year. UK comes a distant second at 9.6%, and only 4.7% of analytics revenues is coming from Indian firms. According to the study, banking & finance continues to be the largest sector being served by analytics in India, contributing about $1 billion in revenues. It is followed by marketing and advertising, ecommerce, and others. Travel and hospitality industry saw the biggest jump in analytics revenues, from $34 millions to $54 millions, a jump of 61 percent. In terms of cities, a sizeable $759 million comes from Delhi and NCR, which is followed by Bengaluru at 27% percent. The study suggests interesting numbers in terms of work experience of analytics professionals. The average work experience of analytics professionals in India is 7.9 years, which is up from 7.7 years from last year. Also, 16,000 freshers were added to analytics workforce in India this year. Of the total analytics professionals, almost 40 percent in India are employed with large-sized companies, which is followed by 32 percent and 28 percent respectively, for mid-sized organisations and startups. Sumeet Bansal, Founder and CEO, AnalytixLabs said, "A thriving CAGR of over 33% reaffirms the spike of data science adoption we have seen in last one year. Recently we have seen strong demand even from sectors like manufacturing, infrastructure, power and energy, which traditionally used to have relatively lower analytics penetration. Addition of 16000 fresher candidates in analytics workforce is another beacon of sustained growth and encouraging trend for data science professionals." Bhasker Gupta, Founder and CEO, Analytics India Magazine said, "The numbers suggest that analytics and data science industry in India is growing at an exponential rate, with the industry expected to grow seven times in the next seven years. Startups have contributed significantly to the overall output of analytics in India. Also, though small in absolute term, the overall impact has increased significantly with small to midsize organizations in India." Overall, the study paints a positive picture for Indian analytics industry, and suggests that startups to large-sized companies contributing to overall output of analytics in India. About Analytics India Magazine: Founded in 2012, Analytics India Magazine has since been dedicated to passionately championing and promoting the analytics ecosystem in India. It chronicles the technological progress in the space of analytics, artificial intelligence, data science, big data by highlighting the innovations, players in the field, challenges shaping the future, through the promotion and discussion of ideas and thoughts by smart, ardent, action-oriented individuals who want to change the world. It has been a pre-eminent source of news, information and analysis for the Indian analytics ecosystem by covering opinions, analysis and insights on the key breakthroughs and developments in data-driven technologies as well as highlighting how they are being leverages for future impact. Visit AIM at http://www.analyticsindiamag.com About AnalytixLabs: AnalytixLabs pioneers in analytics training since 2011 and as one of the first analytics training institutes, it is widely acclaimed and known for high quality training by industry experts themselves. After establishing themselves as the top analytics training institute in Delhi NCR, they slowly and steadily progressed to earn the same reputation pan India based on their stellar record and student satisfaction. They are focused at helping their clients develop skills in basic and advanced analytics to enable them to emerge as 'Industry Ready' professionals and enhance their career opportunities. It was co-founded by Sumeet Bansal, Ankita Gupta and Chandra Mouli. Their students are placed in leading companies across industries like Accenture, American Express, AbsolutData, Axtria, Bank of America and McKinsey. Media Contact: Bhasker Gupta [email protected] +91-9916006869 Analytics India Magazine Pvt Ltd SOURCE Analytics India Magazine Pvt Ltd MUMBAI, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Having carved a distinct niche for itself in the last four decades globally in the field of Homeopathy, Dr Batra's Multi-Specialty Homeopathy Clinics today revolutionized the future of healing by launching Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy, a revolutionary and path-breaking gene-targeted homeopathic therapy that is scientific, precise, safe and uniquely planned for individuals for the first time in India. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/664189/Dr_Batra_s_Multi_Specialty_Homeopathy_Logo.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/707007/Dr_Batra_Homeopathic_Therapy_Infographic.jpg ) Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy is a new age customized treatment. It is genetically personalized homeopathic care that involves designing a treatment based on individual genome sequencing. It combines personality and genetics for scientific and targeted treatment. It is a personalized treatment, as no two people on this planet have the same genes. Genes of every person are as unique as his finger print or iris. Therefore, unlike the conventional treatments currently in practice, which are one size-fits-all, with Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy, no two patients with even the same medical condition will be given same medicines. Medicines will be given based on their genetic make-up, and will be as unique as every individual, so that the medicines work more effectively for every patient. Research studies have indicated that homeopathic medicines have the ability to correct any underlying illnesses without side-effects. Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy goes to the root of the problem; right to the patient's genes and treats it with precise and unique homeopathic medicines. As the root cause of the medical problem is treated, the patients not only get relief from unpleasant symptoms but a long-lasting cure for their medical condition. Geno Homeopathy tests are designed by Dr Batra's team of medical experts in conjunction with specialists in genomics and specialist consultants in the field of medicine. These tests are designed based on the vast experience of treating 15 lakh patients at Dr Batra's Multi-Specialty Homeopathy Clinics for the varied disorders including Allergies, Child Health, Hair loss, Preventive Health (Male/Female/Child), Skin Disorders, Stress Management, Weight Management, Women's Health and Sexual Health. Patients can therefore target a whole gamut of ailments with this simple, genetic test that is painless and cost-effective, and is available at all Dr Batra's Multi-Specialty Homeopathy Clinics Pan India. Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy test will also help patients know if they are at risk of getting a medical disorder in future, which means it can assess the hidden risk of a medical problem even before the symptoms appear or the blood tests reveal an underlying illness. It therefore gives patients an opportunity to prevent and treat lifestyle diseases. Dr Batra's Multi-Specialty Homeopathy Clinics will also create a bank of patients' genomic data called Geno Homeopathy Bank. This genomic data will be used to predict which treatment option is likely to be most effective for patients or how they are likely to respond to any treatment in the future. It will also help derive better treatment results for other patients, as the test will help the doctors treat the associated complaints of a particular disorder. It will help them analyze which homeopathic medicines best suit a particular genetic make-up or how patients with a particular disorder are prone to any other health complication (for example, a patient with a skin problem called psoriasis, is prone to have diabetes). With this every patient will have a chance for better and faster healing. For Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy, Dr. Mukesh Batra, Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Dr Batra's Healthcare, said, "With Geno Homeopathy, we are revolutionizing the future of healing. At Dr Batra's, we have always believed that technology and research should be at the core of evolving therapies. By launching Geno Homeopathy, we have tried to bring to our patients the benefits of a technologically superior treatment, which is not only personalized and focused but also cost-effective." About Dr Batra's Multi-Specialty Homeopathy Clinics With around 225 clinics across India, UK, UAE, Bahrain and Bangladesh, Dr Batra's Multi-Specialty Homeopathy Clinics is the world's largest chain of homeopathic clinics. With around 400 homeopathic doctors working across the globe and having treated around 1 million patients, the brand has recently won India's Most Trusted Brand of the year. For more information, please visit: https://www.drbatras.com/ Media Contact: Rachna Sunder [email protected] +91-8080789076 DGM - Marketing Dr Batra's Healthcare SOURCE Dr Batra's Multi-Specialty Homeopathy Clinics BENGALURU, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The initial list of expert speakers from the world of automotive embedded software engineering is confirmed for the fourth annual Embedded Safety & Security Summit (ESSS), scheduled for Chennai on 7th August 2018 and for Pune on 9th August 2018 The Embedded Safety & Security Summit, an initiative by LDRA Technology Private Limited, is now firmly established as a must-attend event in the embedded industry calendar. Every year, the summit draws together engineers, senior professionals, decision-makers and thought-leaders from the world's leading embedded brands, their technology partners, and key suppliers, to discuss future trends, market drivers, and technological opportunities. The theme of this year's conference will be 'Enabling Dependable Automotive Systems', reflecting its focus on the automotive industry. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/620669/ESSS_2018_Logo.jpg ) (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/613147/LDRA_Technology_Logo.jpg ) After the formal inaugural of the conference, the keynote address will be given by Dr. Mike Hennell, Founder and Technical Director, LDRA UK. Technical sessions will then focus on design & development, V&V, and certification, and will be followed by case studies offering detailed insights. Expert presenters from leading organizations include Chris Tapp, Chairman - MISRA C++ Working Group, Technical Consultant, LDRA UK; Manish Karle, DGM, ARAI - Automotive Research Association of India; Eric Schacherer, Director of Sales, Southern Europe & India, Green Hills Software; Serge Bacquet, Field Applications Engineer, Green Hills Software; Karthick Selvam, Process Owner for Software Unit Verification, Valeo India; and Vishal Sen Gupta, R&D Operations Manager, Valeo India. ESSS will once again offer three 'Technical Workshops' to run in parallel with the conference programme. These deep-dive sessions cover a wide range of topics of relevance to safety-and-security critical software development and are proven to draw together experts from both automotive and embedded software sectors. "Now in its fourth year, the Embedded Safety & Security Summit in India has become a key technical event and annual calendar fixture," said Ian Hennell, Operations Director at LDRA UK. "The conference offers an excellent networking opportunity, where embedded software engineers and business leaders can meet to discuss matters of keen interest to our industry." "The summit provides an ideal opportunity to focus upon some of the technological, regulatory and market-related challenges and opportunities faced by the world's leading embedded players," said Shinto Joseph, Director - South East Asia Operations, LDRA India. "We are hosting the event at the two automotive hubs of Chennai and Pune, reflecting this year's focus on the dynamic automotive sector," he concluded. To register or learn more about ESSS 2018 - Automotive Edition, visit our website http://www.embedded-safety-security.com, follow us on Twitter at @ESSSUMMIT or like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ESSSUMMIT. For any other queries, please drop an email to [email protected]. About LDRA For more than forty years, LDRA has developed and driven the market for software that automates code analysis and software testing for safety-, mission-, security-, and business-critical markets. Working with clients to achieve early error identification and full compliance with industry standards, LDRA tools provide static and dynamic analysis, unit testing and verification for a wide variety of hardware and software platforms, while ensuring bi-directional requirements traceability throughout. Boasting a worldwide presence, LDRA is headquartered in the United Kingdom with subsidiaries in the United States and India coupled with an extensive distributor network. For more information on the LDRA tool suite, please visit http://www.ldra.com. Media Contact: Neeraja Nair [email protected] +91-80-4080-8707 Marketing Communications Executive LDRA Technology Pvt. Ltd SOURCE LDRA Technology Private Limited BANGALORE, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Khushiyon Ki Guarantee with Lloyd 1.5 Ton Inverter Split AC Built-in Wi-Fi with new-age innovations and smarter solutions Easy voice control with Amazon Alexa App-based system which can be controlled via Smartphones Lloyd, one of the leading consumer durable company has launched a turnkey smart home innovation, 1.5 Ton 5 star Copper Inverter Split AC. With Copper Inverter Split AC, Lloyd has brought a revolution in the way people use air conditioner. Features Copper Inverter Split AC Two major features which give Copper Inverter Split AC an edge over its competitors are inbuilt Wi-Fi, voice control, app-based system and 4D express cooling. Inbuilt Wi-Fi enables the AC to be controlled from anywhere using an app on a smartphone. This allows the users turn on the AC according to the time they reach home to step into a perfectly cooled 'Smart' home. The app also allows the user to get operational data like power consumption and usage hours and the Artificial Intelligence helps to directly communicate with the Lloyd Service Centres. Copper Inverter Split AC can easily be controlled without even lifting a single finger once synced with Amazon Alexa. It works on voice control can easily be controlled from anywhere in the house by giving a voice command to Alexa. Copper Inverter Split AC is also a great energy saver with its inbuilt Wi-Fi as it can detect the ambient temperature and set the desired accordingly. Adding on, 4D express cooling feature enables the AC to draw 20% more air, making the room much cooler in less time. It also offers the two-way swing feature which directs the air flow in the AC horizontally by opening the air vane in the counter clockwise direction which guarantees a draught free air-conditioning. Copper Inverter Split AC in the market Copper Inverter Split AC is available across various online channels apart from the Lloyd website, namely Amazon and Flipkart. The product has been widely praised by consumers and it is considered an epoch-making product in the 'Smart' market. Following release of Copper Inverter Split AC, Lloyd has brought in a gush of revolution to the concept and way of using AC and is back to leading IoT and AI industry. Seizing the growth in Smart AC market Currently the concept of 'Smart' home running on IoT and AI platforms are on the rise with most Americans and European countries already adapting it. India too is not far behind catching with rest of the world in the new era of IoT and AI. Consumers all over the world have been looking forward to a smarter option for their homes, offices and factories and seamless functionality and easy accessibility. Lloyd, a popular home appliances brand from Havells is all set to take India into the era of 'Smart' home with appliances that can be controlled from anywhere on earth so that one can have everything perfectly ready without making much effort. Smart appliances from Lloyd is already making a drastic change in lifestyle of people, making it much comfortable and easier. About Lloyd: Lloyd has carved a niche across India with its impeccable quality standards along with unmatched product, service and warranty. Lloyd is one of the pioneers in the AC category. As we are poised to fulfill our promise of making homes happier, we bring forth our range of technologically advanced and aesthetically designed ensemble of new-age Air Conditioners, LED TV and Washing Machine. For more information, visit https://www.mylloyd.com/. About Tuya Smart Tuya Smart is the global AIoT company with one-stop-shop solutions to transform standard household appliances and lights into smart devices in days - including a smartphone app, cloud, and internet-connected modules. The AIoT Tuya platform works with the Alibaba cloud and AWS, and the Tuya Smart cloud receives more than 20 billion daily device requests, with more than 6 million daily AI interactions. Founded in 2014, the Tuya Smart platform currently is working in home appliances in more than 200 countries and drives more than 10,000 products including the Ar4 smart AI monitor, the DoorCam wireless security camera, the Blink video doorbell, and the Lancey electric heater. For more information, visit https://en.tuya.com/ Media Contact: Aditi Basak [email protected] +91-7022966836 Media Moments SOURCE Lloyd NEW DELHI, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Internet of Things (IoT) Panel of The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), in partnership with Exhibitions India Group, announced the 3rd edition of IoT India Congress, which is the 'Platform of Platforms' for the Internet of Things. N Shivasailam, Special Secretary, Department of Telecommunication unveiled the event at the Le Meridien Hotel, New Delhi. Unlimit was the presenting partner and Aeris was the gold partner for the event. The curtain raiser ceremony is a preview to the 3rd edition of IoT India Congress which will take place on October 9th & 10th, 2018 in Bengaluru. The conclave will provide a first of its kind, integrated focus across tracks on healthcare, manufacturing, media and edutainment, smart cities, digital communications and standards. Technologies and approaches that have the potential to transform business including artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and cyber security will be discussed in all the tracks. Additionally, two pertinent issues in the IoT dialogue - Skills and Last mile/rural focus will also run as a common thread unifying the track themes. IoT India Congress is conceptualized and designed by the members of the IET IoT Panel - an independent and neutral visionary think-tank led by acclaimed industry leaders. The panel's vision is to lay a strong foundation for the adoption of IoT and related technologies in India. The event is focused on unravelling business opportunities and demonstrating business outcomes through the Internet of Things. Chairpersons of each of working group provided an overview of the current state of the Internet of Things adoption in India in their verticals. Impact of IoT in the future growth of India and proposed plan and content of 3rd edition of IoT India Congress was discussed. Speaking at the launch of the event, Dr. Rishi Bhatnagar, Chairman of IET IoT Panel, IET said, "It gives me immense satisfaction to note that over 120 plus senior leaders including Vice Chancellors, Secretaries, government officials and academia turned up for the curtain raiser to understand what the third edition of IoT India Congress 2018 will showcase. This in itself is an indication of the tremendous value that the industry stakeholders see in attending the Congress which we have been conducting successfully for the past two years. This year we have the healthcare live experience zone. In the next edition of the IoT India Congress, we look forward to give our stakeholders the opportunity to experience live demonstrations of the kind of impact IoT has on various industries." Adding on, Mr. Shekhar Sanyal, Director and Country head of the IET said, "As we witness an era of rapid digital transformation, it is imperative that all the industries join hands to enable one another. We at the IET IoT Panel understand and promote the need to bring together key industry stakeholders to be one step ahead of the changes happening around us owing to IoT. Led by the volunteers, the IET IoT Panel is working to influence the future of IoT, which will change the way we interact and do business. This year we are focusing on increasing the international presence at IoT India Congress, the largest platform for IoT in India where leaders from the global IoT ecosystem come together." "The Internet of Things is a giant network of everyday devices that are connected to the Internet. IoT allows devices to communicate with each other. And with billions of devices being connected together, it is a hot-button topic today. At Convergence India expo, organised by Exhibitions India Group, we've been talking about the importance of being connected through mobile phones for decades. Back then the traditional removable SIM cards revolutionised the telecom industry, and now they are being replaced by the dynamic embedded SIMs/eSIMs that will drive the IoT revolution. So, there is a new SIM in town that is set to have an enormous impact on our lives over the next few years, and that makes us proud partners of IET India that conceptualised this congress," said Shri Prem Behl, Chairman, Exhibitions India Group. About The IET: Founded 147 years ago, the IET is one of the world's leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community. The IET has more than 168,000 members+ in 150 countries, with active networks of members in 37 countries. In India, the IET has over 13,000 members, 8 local networks and focuses on energy, transport, information & communications, IoT and education sectors. Part of its remit is to promote, recognise and reward individual excellence and support emerging talent through a programme of undergraduate and postgraduate engineering scholarships. The awards programme includes awards for individual excellence, research and innovation, scholarships, travel awards, prizes and competitions within the engineering and technology sector. For more details, please visit http://www.theiet.in. About IET IoT Panel: Leveraging its position as a multi-disciplinary organisation, IET India launched its IoT panel on February 20, 2015 with Dr Rishi Bhatnagar (President - Aeris Communication) as the Chairperson. The panel has 8 working groups and the focus is to facilitate discussions that will help in making the inevitable connected world more efficient, smart, innovative and safe. For more details, please visit http://www.theiet.in/IoTPanel For more details on the IET India Congress event, please visit http://iotindiacongress.com/ Media Contact : Charitha Vasudevan [email protected] +91-9535135826 The PRactice SOURCE The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) American Hospital Dubai, the pioneering private multi-specialty hospital, has announced its latest accreditations by Joint Commission International (JCI) and College of American Pathologists (CAP) for the 7th (JCI) and 9th (CAP) time. The hospital was the first in the Middle East (and only the second worldwide) to be accredited by JCI, in 2000, and the hospital lab by CAP in 2001. Since opening in 1996, the hospital has expanded from a 100 bed capacity facility to a 254-bed facility and has recently opened its first primary care clinic in the community. American Hospital Dubai was the first in the region to join the prestigious Mayo Clinic Care Network, in 2016. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/705852/American_Hospital_Dubai.jpg ) American Hospital Dubai's latest accreditation awards confirm that the hospital team is achieving the highest international standards in its clinical operations, standards of patient care and safety. Meanwhile, the hospital's patient care performance, which is measured across re-admissions (within 30 days for the same diagnosis), unplanned return to operating theatre, surgical site infections, and patient satisfaction, confirm the quality of care that is being delivered to patients. All the hospital's measures comfortably exceed the equivalent international benchmarks, including patient satisfaction, which is running at over 95% (versus the 90% international benchmark). Joint Commission International (JCI) works to improve patient safety and quality of healthcare worldwide, and the hospital was awarded its 7th consecutive accreditation following a recent JCI on-site survey by a team of international healthcare experts, representing medical, nursing and hospital administration. The Laboratory of the American Hospital Dubai has earned its 9th consecutive accreditation by the Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), based on the results of a recent onsite inspection. American Hospital Dubai Laboratory was the first private medical laboratory in the region to be accredited by CAP. Dr. Robert Courteney-Harris, Chief Medical Officer and Acting CEO of American Hospital Dubai, comments: "Our international accreditation record is unique in the region and an accolade for the entire hospital in demonstrating the high standards of care that we provide our patients - and the pride we take in our work. It represents a 21-year unbroken span of institutional excellence and commitment to patient care of the highest standards. Our internal performance measures and high level of patient satisfaction reinforce this. Our relationship with Mayo Clinic, the most reputable healthcare institution in the US has added a new dimension. It also confirms that we are committed to maintaining our position as a pioneering leader in the region's private healthcare sector and to support the country in serving the local population's healthcare needs and in becoming a destination of choice for high quality international healthcare tourism." In 2016, American Hospital Dubai joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a network of healthcare providers committed to better serving patients and their families through collaboration. The hospital was the first healthcare organization in the Middle East to join the network, which gives the hospital access to the latest Mayo Clinic knowledge and promotes collaboration among physicians at both hospitals on the most complex cases to the benefit of patients, and at no charge. Through these shared resources, more patients can get answers to complex medical questions - and peace of mind - while staying close to home. Joint Commission International Joint Commission International is dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare through voluntary accreditation. Joint Commission International standards are revised at least every three years by a 13 member Standards Advisory Panel, composed of experienced physicians, nurses and administration and public policy experts, and the uniform, high standards for patient care and safety are designed to be adaptable to local needs, thus accommodating legal, religious and cultural factors within a country, but also require the adoption of evidence based practices. Standards focus on the areas that most directly impact patient care. These include international patient safety goals, access to care, assessment of patients, prevention and control of infection, patient and family rights, anesthesia and surgical care, medication management and patient education. Standards also address healthcare organization management, which includes facility management and safety, staff qualifications and education, quality improvement and patient safety, hospital leadership, and management of information. CAP The CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, begun in the early 1960s, is recognized by the US federal government as being equal to or more stringent than the government's own inspection program comprising over 3000 inspection checklist items. During the CAP accreditation process, trained voluntary inspectors examine the laboratory's records and quality control of procedures for the preceding two years. CAP inspectors also examine the entire staff's qualifications, the laboratory's equipment, facilities, safety program and record, as well as the overall management of the laboratory. This stringent inspection program is designed to specifically ensure the highest ongoing laboratory standard of care for all patients. About the American Hospital Dubai The American Hospital Dubai is a 254-bed, acute care, general medical/surgical private hospital with a multi-specialty physician group practice, designed to provide a high quality, American standard of healthcare to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of the people of Dubai, the UAE and the surrounding Gulf States. The American Hospital Dubai became the first hospital in the Middle East to be awarded JCI accreditation in May 2000 and has successfully maintained its accreditation seven times. The Laboratory of the American Hospital Dubai was the first private lab in the Middle East to earn accreditation by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and was accredited for the ninth consecutive time in 2017. The American Hospital Dubai has continued to expand to meet the demand for more personalized services, comfort and convenience, while broadening the services and deepening the level of expertise and care offered. Our Cancer program was the first in Dubai to offer comprehensive one-stop services. Our Heart Center has added electrophysiology consultation to our list of state of the art services. Our Orthopedics team is ready to serve a growing patient population in need of surgical and inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient physical therapy. Our Endocrinology services are expanding their services to address the needs of diabetes and offers a multidisciplinary approach to thyroid disease management. In addition, we are focusing on strategic initiatives with increased patient access through expanding our Clinic footprint, investment in acute stroke care, and integrative and personalized medicine. In June 2016, the Hospital became the inaugural Middle East member of the prestigious Mayo Clinic Care Network. Our physicians and team are able to collaborate and leverage the expertise of Mayo Clinic for the betterment of patients in the UAE and surrounding region. http://www.ahdubai.com SOURCE American Hospital Dubai PALM BEACH, Florida, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- MarketNewsUpdates.com News Commentary Major developments taking place in the legal cannabis industry in North America, particularly Canada. Canada is just about on the cusp of legalizing recreational marijuana through Bill C-45, which is best known as the Cannabis Act that is highly anticipated to be signed into law very soon. The long enduring process and expected legalization of recreational cannabis is a long time coming for marijuana industry as a whole. The long process for the Bill C-45 first made its way to Canada's Senate just about 14 months ago, and was only voted on after numerous debates, speeches, and amendments just recently. Industry experts are not certain what the demand and supply picture will look like in Canada because it often takes Health Canada a long time to issue cultivation licenses and sales permits. But either way, as the long waited day approaches, active companies in the industry are making moves to ready that include: Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE:CHOO) (OTC:CHOOF), Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSX:ACB) (OTC:ACBFF), Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX:WEED) (NYSE:CGC), Aphria Inc. (TSX:APH) (OTC:APHQF), The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX:TGOD) (OTC:TGODF). Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE: CHOO) (OTCQB: CHOOF) BREAKING NEWS: Choom, an emerging fully-integrated cannabis company, is pleased to announce it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement (June 13, 2018). The Company issued 14,225,352 shares for total gross proceeds of $10.1 million. Aurora Cannabis is the cornerstone investor in the placement with a lead order of $7 million. All securities issued are subject to a four month hold period. "The financing provides us with the funds to accelerate the execution of our unique retail strategy moving forward," states Chris Bogart, CEO and President of Choom. "We are now well positioned to expand our production and retail footprint, as well as, pursue further opportunities across Canada." None of the securities issued in connection with the placement will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and none of them may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there by any sale of the securities in any state where such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. Read this and more news for Choom at: http://www.marketnewsupdates.com/news/choo.html Additional industry related developments from around the markets: Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSX:ACB.TO) (OTCQX:ACBFF) and Anandia Laboratories Inc. have signed a binding term sheet whereby Aurora intends to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of privately held Anandia in an all-share transaction valued at approximately $115-million on a fully diluted basis. Led by chief executive officer and co-founder Dr. Jonathan Page, PhD, one of the industry's most widely recognized cannabis experts, Anandia is considered the industry leader in science, genetics and independent cannabis product testing. Dr. Page was the first scientist to sequence the cannabis genome and provide deep insights into the biosynthesis of cannabinoids and the interplay between cannabinoids and terpenes. Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX: WEED.TO) (NYSE:CGC) has priced its previously announced offering of convertible senior notes due 2023. The company will issue $500-million aggregate principal amount of the notes. Canopy Growth has granted the initial purchasers of the notes an option to purchase up to an additional $100-million aggregate principal amount of notes. The offering was upsized from the previously announced $400-million aggregate principal amount. Cowen and Company LLC and BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. are acting as joint book-running managers, and Eight Capital and Bryan, Garnier & Co. are acting as co-managers for this offering. Canopy Growth has been advised by Greenstar Canada Investment LP, an affiliate of Constellation Brands Inc., that it intends to participate in the offering. Aphria Inc. (TSX: APH.TO) (OTCQB:APHQF) has appointed Joel Toguri as vice-president of sales, effective on June 18, 2018. Mr. Toguri joins the company from Southern Glazer's of Canada, where he was vice-president of sales and operations since 2013. "We're thrilled to bring Joel's incredible talent and considerable experience to Aphria," said Jakob Ripshtein, chief commercial officer at Aphria. "Over many years, Joel has developed a proven track record of driving sales, generating growth and delivering results. His experience in building Southern Glazer's in Canada and his deep familiarity with our exclusive sales distribution partner will help to ensure Aphria's brands and products are successfully represented by cannabis retailers throughout the country." The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX: TGOD.TO) (OTCQX: TGODF) has entered into a strategic partnership with Epican Medicinals Ltd. This partnership will add an additional 14,000 kilograms, taking Green Organic's total organic financed capacity to 130,000 kg. Epican is a vertically integrated Jamaican cannabis company with cultivation, extraction, manufacturing and retail distribution licences. This strategic partnership introduces Green Organic's premier organic cannabis brand to the international medical market. "This represents the first of many strategic partnerships TGOD intends to execute in the coming months," said Robert Anderson, chief executive officer. "Our value-added approach taken in this investment will set an international M&A framework for capital investment, transfer of knowledge and sector expertise. We will continue to evaluate international opportunities that will assist us in executing our business plan to become the world's largest organic cannabis brand," continued Mr. Anderson. DISCLAIMER: MarketNewsUpdates.com (MNU) is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. MNU is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. MNU and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. MNU's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. MNU is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed MNU has been compensated forty five hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press release issued above by Choom Holdings Inc. by a non affiliated third party. MNU HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE. This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and MNU undertakes no obligation to update such statements. Contact Information: Media Contact email: info@marketnewsupdates.com +1(561)325-8757 SOURCE MarketNewsUpdates.com Gallagher Chairman, President and CEO, J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr. commented, "Chily has been an outstanding broker and entrepreneur who has led our 4,500 strong UK broking and underwriting teams to achieve fantastic client service and growth. Under his stewardship, the UK broking and underwriting business has become the blueprint for what a well-managed, well-governed, high performing and ethical business should look like." "We have a long history of smooth and successful business leadership transitions," noted Gallagher. "Chily's transition is no different, and I want to thank him for his leadership and tremendous contributions as he now hands over the leadership baton to Simon Matson." In terms of the transition, Sue Langley, Non-Executive Chairman, Arthur J. Gallagher Holdings (UK) Limited, added, "Simon has demonstrated his own exceptional broking and inspirational leadership credentials over the past 10 years with the company. With Simon at the helm, we'll continue the strong growth and evolution of our UK broking and underwriting businesses." "Gallagher is a superb business with a culture and genuine sense of teamwork like no other insurance broker," added Chilton. "I am proud to have played a role in the UK business' transformation over the past few years and to have led a team that is so rich in talent and diverse capabilities, wrapped around a set of behaviours and beliefs that put positive customer outcomes at the heart of every strategic decision. It has been a pleasure to work alongside the Gallagher UK executive team which is, in my opinion, the best in the business, and I know the team will continue to achieve great things under Simon's leadership." Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The company has operations in 34 countries and offers client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Investors: Ray Iardella Media: Anna Rozenich VP Investor Relations VP Global Media Relations 630-285-3661/ ray_iardella@ajg.com 630-285-5954/ anna_rozenich@ajg.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/663994/Pat_Gallagher_Gallagher_Chairman_President_and_CEO_headshot_2018.jpg Related Links http://www.ajg.com SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/704588/Hawksford_Logo.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/694218/Hawksford_Acquisition.jpg ) P&P is a dynamic, full service corporate services business with a strong track record in supporting international corporates to expand their operations, including manufacturing and sales, into and across Asia. P&P provides flexible accounting, tax and corporate service solutions that help clients navigate the complexities of setting up and doing business in the region, particularly in China where P&P has five offices. P&P has enjoyed significant organic growth since its establishment in 2007 and has a multi-lingual talented team located across 10 offices who service international clients in English, Italian, Spanish, German, Mandarin and Cantonese. This is the sixth acquisition that Hawksford has made since it was backed by private equity house Dunedin. Hawksford's corporate clients will now have access to a greater depth of service across the major economies of Asia, while P&P clients will be able to utilise Hawksford's wider services in other locations. P&P's Partners Stefano Passarello, Dario Acconci and Giacomo Stoppa will become shareholders in Hawksford and continue in senior management roles ensuring continuity for P&P's longstanding client base. Michel van Leeuwen, Group Chief Executive of Hawksford, said, "Hawksford's acquisition of P&P fits our strategic aim of having a truly pan Asian services platform. Fifty percent of Hawksford's employees are now based in Asia, demonstrating the importance of the region to our business. We are particularly pleased to have secured our own wholly owned operating capability in China and we believe this will be a major growth driver in coming years. Increasingly, corporate clients want to have access to our services across all of Asia as they look to expand their own businesses throughout the region. "P&P is run by a team of entrepreneurs and professionals who share Hawksford's values and strategic goals, and are passionately client-orientated. We look forward to integrating P&P's staff and services into the Hawksford network. Clients of both Hawksford and P&P will see many benefits from this acquisition." P&P Partner Dario Acconci added, "By acquiring the P&P business, Hawksford now has a solid and extensive presence across Asia, to complement its strength and depth in the Western markets. We are extremely proud of the business we have built up over the past decade, as well as our clients, and are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to grow the P&P business under the Hawksford brand, leveraging on the synergy with Hawksford's exceptional people. Singapore remains very much at the forefront of corporate investments in South East Asia, as one of the most developed economies globally, and we look forward to Singapore serving as the regional headquarters of Hawksford for South East Asia." P&P is a corporate service provider with 140 employees operating out of ten offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Changshu, Shenzhen, Tokyo, Milan and Barcelona. P&P provides back office and outsourcing support to a blue chip and SME international client base. Hawksford is an international corporate, private client and funds business. Hawksford established a presence in Asia in March 2014 through the acquisition of Janus Corporate Solutions in Singapore, and expanded its Asian operations through organic growth in Hong Kong and a MAS regulated private wealth business in Singapore. About Hawksford Group: http://www.hawksford.com Twitter: @HawksfordGroup Hawksford offers creative and pragmatic solutions for a wide range of institutional, entrepreneurial and high-net-worth clients across the globe. An international and award-winning corporate, private client and funds business, Hawksford consistently delivers impeccable service and is focused on thinking beyond tomorrow. With clients in 115 countries, we offer a comprehensive range of services and solutions to and for trusts, companies, foundations, partnerships, family offices and investment funds. Hawksford also provides listing services, wills and probate, succession planning and employee solutions. P&P http://www.pndp.net SOURCE Hawksford BAAR, Switzerland, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Weatherford International plc (NYSE: WFT) today announced a scheduled conference call for Friday, July 27, 2018 at 8:30 a.m. ET. The purpose of the conference call is to discuss results for the Company's second quarter ending June 30, 2018. The call will be open to the public. To access the call, please contact the conference call operator at 866-393-8572, or 706-643-6499 for international calls approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time and ask for the Weatherford conference call. The passcode is "Weatherford." A replay will be available until 5:00 p.m. ET, August 6, 2018. The number for the replay is 855-859-2056, or 404-537-3406 for international calls; passcode 5492213. A webcast of the conference call and replay will be provided by West Corporation and will be available through Weatherford's website at https://www.weatherford.com/en/investor-relations/conference-call-details/. To access the conference call and replay, click on the MP3 webcast link. The webcast requires Microsoft Windows Media Player. If you experience problems listening to the broadcast, send an email to streetevents@streetevents.com. Weatherford is one of the largest multinational oilfield service companies providing innovative solutions, technology and services to the oil and gas industry. The Company operates in over 90 countries and has a network of approximately 780 locations, including manufacturing, service, research and development, and training facilities and employs approximately 28,700 people. For more information, visit www.weatherford.com and connect with Weatherford on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Contacts: Christoph Bausch 713.836.4615 Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Karen David-Green 713.836.7430 Vice President - Investor Relations, Marketing & Communications Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/73933/weatherford_international_logo.jpg Related Links http://www.weatherford.com SOURCE Weatherford International Ltd. Pope Francis is pressing for negotiations involving the sides in the Yemen conflict so the humanitarian crisis doesn't worsen. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - Pope Francis is pressing for negotiations involving the sides in the Yemen conflict so the humanitarian crisis doesn't worsen. In public remarks Sunday, Francis said he was following "with worry the dramatic fate of the people of Yemen, already so exhausted from years of conflict." Pope Francis urged the international community to mediate ending the conflict in Yemen which has claimed the lives of thousands of people. In public remarks Sunday, Francis said he was following 'with worry the dramatic fate of the people of Yemen, already so exhausted from years of conflict,' AP reported. He appealed to the international community so that 'no effort be spared to urgently bring to the negotiating table the sides in conflict and to avoid a worsening of the already tragic humanitarian situation.' The Saudi-led invasion, which waged a war on Yemen over the past three years, has recently started a major attack with the support of the US on Al Hudaida Port, located on the coast of Red Sea. The population of the area is 600,000, and the UN has asked the two sides to save the civilians. The port is the main entry point for food and aid to the country, which is already on the brink of famine. SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights is calling for the immediate release of Bahrains opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman and demanding Manama stop fabricating charges against him. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights is calling for the immediate release of Bahrains opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman and demanding Manama stop fabricating charges against him. A Manama court is expected to issue a final verdict in an espionage case against Sheikh Salman on June 21. The opposition leader, who is already serving a 4-year prison term, was charged with spying for the state of Qatar last November. The charges stem from a US-sponsored mediation attempt during Bahrains popular uprising in 2011, which was also supported by the Bahraini monarch. The diplomatic initiative succeeded in establishing preliminary communications between Qatar as a potential mediator and the Bahraini government and opposition. But after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE severed ties with Doha last summer, the diplomatic initiative has been touted by Manama as part of Qatars campaign to fuel unrest in Bahrain. According to SALAM, Sheikh Salmans defense team presented evidence showing that the prosecutions case against the opposition leader is fabricated. The rights group also urged the international community to pressure Manama into halting its prosecution of critics and human rights activists. In his last annual report as UN human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, urged Manama to reverse profoundly damaging trends and facilitate effective engagement with the international human rights mechanisms. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - In his last annual report as UN human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, urged Manama to reverse profoundly damaging trends and facilitate effective engagement with the international human rights mechanisms. During his oral update to the 38th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Zeid called out a number of states, including Bahrain, over their troubling failure to grant access to his office. Unconditional access to Bahrain continues to be refused to my office and to Special Procedures amid continued crackdowns on civil society and additional legislation which further restricts the peoples fundamental rights, the outgoing UN human rights chief told the Council. He also noted that Bahrain is among a list of countries that have accumulated no fewer than 15 outstanding requests for visits from Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. /129 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 I am filled with pride in the relationships created amongst Checkissuings employees, clients, and business partners since we began in 2008. This has been a busy, invigorating journey and we are very excited to continue with fresh ideas and innovations. The lucrative thing about being in the same business for a long period of time is getting to know the ins and outs, the good and grimy, of your industry. Over the past 10 years Checkissuing has developed and provided relevant software solutions for businesses to assist them with their payment transfers along with the ancillary associated services. As one of the few independent and self-funded firms in the market, Checkissuing has achieved significant organic revenue growth since its inception. CheckIssuing has officially spent 10 years learning the market and using the knowledge to develop new strategies suitable for each client. The newest member of Checkissuing, Rodney Jacobs- COO, is thrilled to join the team quoting, Customers should feel 100% safe and secure with their third party check outsourcing services. I am honored to fill the position in operations and security, especially with Checkissuing and the direction we are heading in" Checkissuing was founded in August 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona and the dedicated, innovative team is headquartered in the heart of Tempe, Arizona. After having accumulated decades of experiences providing innovative solutions to client-partners, they have worked diligently in creating a robust, user-friendly system for check writing and mailing services. I am filled with pride in the relationships created amongst Checkissuings employees, clients, and business partners since we began in 2008. This has been a busy, invigorating journey and we are very excited to continue with fresh ideas and innovations says Mark Greenspan. Checkissuings expansion included the purchase of all entirely new printing equipment, including the most reliable names on the market. Checkissuings ability to develop solutions for their customers' specific needs have lead to absolute growth for new systems in ACH, API, their security department, and more. The company has expressed great excitement for the launch of an updated security system and other future endeavors. For interest in check writing and automation services, and to stay updated with our latest projects follow us at http://www.checkissuing.com. Alert 360 by Central Security Group marks 45th year! We are actively looking to acquire companies and accounts that are a good fit within our business plan and from which we can launch further growth for team members, our customers and our company for decades to come Ginsburg concluded. Oklahomas oldest-licensed provider of home security and smart home solutions, Alert 360 by Guardian Security Systems (Alert 360) is marking its 45th year of continuous operation. The Southern-based company, which was named as a Best Places to Work in Oklahoma in 2016 and 2017, operates branch offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City and also maintains a state-of-the-art monitoring and customer service center at CityPlex Towers in Tulsa, Oklahoma a second corporate customer care center in Irving, Texas and 14 branch offices. From these locations, the Alert 360 team protects homes and businesses across the United States, offering coast-to-coast coverage, in 26 states. Alert 360 by Guardian Security Systems is a part of Alert 360 by Central Security Group, which was named an Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Privately Held Companies in America in 2016. Releasing a variety of new options in smart home security and automation and completing several acquisitions during the past few years, the company has steadily climbed up the list of Top 10 home and automation residential providers in the United States. This year, Central Security Group was ranked as the 5th largest security company by residential customers in the country by Security Dealer Magazine (SDM). During the past 45 years, the Alert 360 team has focused on high quality products and superior customer service, which earned our A+ Better Business Bureau rating, and expanding our services to exceed customers expectations in home security and automation solutions, said Richard Ginsburg, president and CEO of Alert 360 by Central Security Group. Weve grown from a basic home security systems provider to offering, a wide variety of smart home security solutions and automation services for home or office. In the past couple of months, we have rolled out a highly successful program for both customers and authorized dealers that include our extremely versatile HD security camera option, Alert 360 video and our free Alert 360 mobile app, which keeps home and business owners connected and in control of their security devices, lights, locks, appliances, and more. Our recognition as a fastest-growing company and current position as a Top 5 provider in the industry is proof of our teams intense focus in three areas: Impeccable service in our customer service centers and branch operations; the success of our Alert 360 smart security and automation services; and successful partnerships with our more than 200 Authorized Dealers, Ginsburg added. Overall, we attribute our longtime success to our evolution into the multi-faceted smart security and home automation company we are today, and were incredibly grateful for our customers trust in our services. The companys leading Alert 360 Authorized Dealer program, also has contributed significantly to the companys growth. "As our company has progressed during the past four decades, so has our Authorized Dealer program, said Jim Boots, Chief Revenue Officer at Central Security Group. Today, our exclusive Alert 360 platform allows our dealers to offer solutions that tech-savvy home and business owners want and that differentiates our dealers from the competition. Listening to our dealers needs over the years also has helped us build one of the most dealer friendly and advanced programs in the industry. For example, our proprietary dealer portal, the EDGE, provides our dealer partners real-time visibility of their business in order to make smarter, quicker decisions toward their goals, and our fast funding, short payment guarantees, personalized account managers, and non-exclusive option have helped our dealer partners be more successful, which is a top priority for us. The company operates branches in Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Wichita, KS; Kansas City, KS.;(2) - Houston TX; Springfield, MO.; Phoenix; AZ, Austin, TX; San Antonio, TX, Sacramento, CA.; Sarasota, FL.; Oklahoma City, OK and Tulsa, OK. From these branches, the company provides professional consulting, installation, system upgrades, service of home and business security and automation systems. Were tremendously proud of our history. Looking at the future, our plan is to continue to grow by doing what has made us successful for the past 45 years. Were here to help secure and automate more homes and businesses, with the best products and protect our Alert 360 customers as we would our own family. We are actively looking to acquire companies and accounts that are a good fit within our business plan and from which we can launch further growth for team members, our customers and our company for decades to come Ginsburg concluded. Follow us on Facebook for useful information on home security and smart home automation: http://www.facebook.com/CSGNationwide Media inquiries: Robin Jacobson Lampe, Robin@WindCommunications.com. Ph.: 785-221-6569 Volunteers of the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) hosted the Peace Letter Campaign, a two-day event in response to the UN Securitys Council recent adoption of Resolution 2419, which encourages youth activism in the prevention and resolution of conflict. IPYG, an international NGO under the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), hosted the Peace Letter Campaign in 35 locations in 7 major cities across South Korea on June 9 and 10. Among those cities were Seoul and Paju, the locations of the recent inter-Korean summit and Panmunjom Declaration. At the event, youth wrote letters appealing to the Korean peninsula government leaders for peace. In the course of two days, 24,912 peace letters were written and collected. When the letter count reaches 150,000, IPYG plans to send the letters to the leaders of the Koreas. As a backbone of the youth-led advocacy campaign for peace-building, the IPYG introduced "the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)" with 10 articles and 38 clauses, which stipulates peaceful dispute settlement, disarmament, religious and ethnic freedom, and spreading a culture of peace. Participants expressed their hope in light of the recent open communication between the Koreas. "Although there was a vague fear of reunification, I have come to think about the positive aspects and hope that reunification will be achieved in this era" said Min-Jeong Park."I realized that I should be aware of the issues of the international community to join in peace activities that will end the war in our times," she Park Through this campaign, the IPYG hopes to provide more opportunities of youth advocacy. "The future of Korea is youth. If young people are interested in reunification, and take the lead for it, we can achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula. The start can be a letter. We will work hard so that youth can be more interested in a peaceful reunification, said Peter Jung, General Manager of the IPYG. The IPYG has initiated a youth network for peace with 851 youth organizations in 110 countries around the world. The Peace Letter campaign has also been held globally and the letters advocating peace-building in their countries will be delivered to their national leaders. 2908 Ocean - Seamless Indoor to Outdoor This is a home that stands apart not only in Corona Del Mar, but throughout all of Southern California. International real estate brand, Engel & Volkers Newport Beach, proudly closes on ultimate Corona Del Mar luxury. Advisor Lisa Helou represented the buyer in the off-market $18,080,000 million deal the highest priced sale across the Corona Del Mar Bluff. The landmark home, built by Tom Nicholson and designed by renowned Architect, Geoff Sumich, is a modern masterpiece, blending luxury with livability, offering ocean views from every edge of the estate. With a style based on the concept of romantic modernism, incorporating elegant elements of the past into modern simplicity and minimalism, 2908 Ocean is one of a kind. At 8,311 square feet, the 5-bedroom, 8-bathroom abode boasts a fluid floor plan and 40-foot windows that completely come apart to create the ideal indoor-outdoor living experience. The decadent and pristinely designed interior seamlessly flows into a stunning exterior of lush landscaping and a 20-foot cascading glass water wall. Located just steps away from the renowned Corona Beach along an exclusive pathway of estates, 2908 Ocean draws admirers from around the world buyers and investors looking to purchase the creme de la creme of waterfront property. The buyers immediately fell in love with the property, sealing the deal prior to completion of construction. With childhood memories, taking the same steps down to the beach, the wife to founder of innovative medical brand, MedXM, is thrilled to be returning to her roots. This is a home that stands apart not only in Corona Del Mar, but throughout all of Southern California, says Helou. I am thrilled to have helped my client find such a gem to call their own. About Engel & Volkers Since its establishment in 1977 as a specialty boutique providing exclusive, high-end real estate services in Hamburg, Germany, Engel & Volkers has become one of the worlds leading companies specializing in the sale and lease of premium residential and commercial property and yachts. Engel & Volkers currently operates a global network of real estate advisors in more than 700 residential brokerages and 85 commercial offices spanning 34 countries across 4 continents, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services. It established its North America corporate headquarters in 2007 and opened its first brokerage in the same year. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services, marketing programs and tools, multiple platforms for mobile, social and web, as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. For more information please contact: Sheela Shouhed Director of Communications Sheela.Shouhed(at)evusa.com We are excited to be part of Ignytes new company direction, mission, and their next era for simplifying compliance and managing risk, said Lori Frank, President and CEO, Argos Risk. Argos Risk, an industry leader of Third-Party Risk Intelligence (TPRI) solutions is excited to announce its strategic partnership with Ignyte Assurance Platform (Ignyte). Ignyte and Argos Risk have officially signed a strategic partnership that will strengthen their ties and promote both of their businesses. Ignyte intends to put Argos Risks phenomenal risk data on business creditworthiness and financial health to good use with their Vendor Risk Platform. The information that Argos Risk gathers on vendors, suppliers, etc., will also be a tremendous resource that Ignyte will offer its clients. We believe that our clients can benefit from working with Argos Risk, so they can receive exceptional data services said Max Aulakh, Ignytes President. We have seen dramatically improved vendor risk scoring results using Argos Risks data as one of the key data sources for Ignytes Vendor Risk Platform. Our customers are excited to have the ability to gain access to such data and improve quality of their assessment process. There is a great opportunity for both companies to ensure their clients achieve outstanding services at an incomparable value. This partnership seeks to bilaterally exchange key business information that is advantageous for both companies. Working together will provide the necessary tools to take business to the next level. We are excited to be part of Ignytes new company direction, mission, and their next era for simplifying compliance and managing risk, said Lori Frank, President and CEO, Argos Risk. As they challenge the status quo, our partnership will help their clients implement sound compliance management and best practices, lower organizational costs, and make smarter vendor and risk management decisions. About Argos Risk Argos Risk's web-based technology solutions and AR Surveillance enable companies to proactively manage and assess the financial, business health, and credit risk associated with key third-party relationships. Powered by proprietary technology and algorithms - known as Argonomics, easy-to-understand actionable insights are delivered for businesses of all sizes via a secure access real-time dashboard and daily email alerts. Proactive alerts automatically generate significant updates; including key executive changes, lawsuits, liens, mergers, and acquisitions thereby reducing the time and manual processes typically required for proper vendor due diligence while fulfilling a need for timely and comprehensive risk mitigation knowledge. Argos Risk provides an affordable subscription-based service that helps companies proactively manage the risks associated with their third-party relationships; such as vendors, ACH/RDC originators, and direct and indirect lending clients. For additional information, visit http://www.argosrisk.com. About Ignyte Ignyte Assurance Platform is a leader in collaborative security and GRC solutions for global corporations. Ignyte provides software that webs inter-connectivity, which assists with data collection, analysis, and helps streamline processes across multiple security frameworks at once. To find out more, visit Ignyte Assurance Platforms website (http://ignyteplatform.com). A group of outdoor enthusiasts enjoy a sunny day on the Bear Creek Scenic Floatway in northwestern Alabama. (Photo credit: TVA) Exploring the Tennessee River Valley by water is easier than ever. The Tennessee River Valley mapguide serves as an excellent planning guide to help travelers navigate their trip. The Tennessee River and its seventy plus tributaries are widely known for the quality of paddling experiences and for the diversity of the shorelines, from vibrant cityscapes to densely tree canopied streambeds. The mighty river begins upstream of Knoxville, Tenn. The river flows 652 miles south then west across northern Alabama and a small portion of northern Mississippi before turning north to Kentucky where the river discharges into the Ohio River only miles upstream from the Mississippi River. The Tennessee River is also part of the 6,000 mile Great Loop, a system of waterways that traverses the eastern portion of the United States and part of Canada including the Great Lakes, the Rideau Canal, and the Mississippi and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The waters of the Chattooga, Pigeon, Ocoee, Toccoa, Nolichucky and Obed Wild and Scenic River are known for adrenalin pumping adventures where the roar of water and swirling eddies add to the experience. Equally fun are the stretches of flat-water rivers or the impounded waters behind the dams, which provide miles of waters to kayak, canoe and stand up paddle, boarding. Now that summer is in full swing, the Tennessee River Valley has compiled a list of popular outfitters and waters to give to those who are in search of some paddling fun. Wildwater Wildwater, the oldest outfitter in the Southeast, offers both beginning and intermediate whitewater river trips. Paddlers can experience exciting whitewater on the Pigeon River. For those in search of a big adventure, the wild and scenic Chattooga with its steep drops through a wild gorge, or the dramatic and exciting class III and IV waves of the Ocoee do not disappoint. If calmer waters are more desirable, Wildwater offers family-friendly fun with lots of splashy waves on the Nantahala and Pigeon River trips. Bear Creek Lakes Rated among some of the cleanest recreational waters in the South, the Bear Creek Lakes in northwestern Alabama are popular for all kinds of water recreation activities especially canoeing and kayaking. The Bear Creek Floatway, which flows into Bear Creek Reservoir, is a popular spot for teaching first-timers to negotiate rapids and work with the current. Releases from Upper Bear Creek Lake provide adequate flow on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The 24 mile floatway is considered a Class I course except for Upper and Lower Factory Falls which are Class VI rapids and are very dangerous only the most experienced paddler should attempt; portaging is available for all others. Along with fun on the water, the Floatway offers scenic gorges, flatland forests, waterfalls, bluffs and a wide diversity in vegetation. Below Bear Creek Dam the Lower Bear Creek Canoe Trail provides a more leisurely float, running 34 miles downstream to Pickwick Dam on the Tennessee River. Alabama Scenic River Trail The Alabama Scenic River Trail is the only blueway that has it allfrom mountain streams to river delta to the salty waves of the Gulf of Mexico. Paddling and powerboat experiences and exploration abound along nearly 5,000 miles of accessible waterways on over 43 waterways with over 40 outfitters and adventure services to serve and assist. Plenty of amenities and campsites to support everything from long-distance touring to organized paddles to races, overnight trips or any kind of day trip are available. The Alabama River, Coosa River, Tensaw River, Tennessee River, Cahaba River, and other Alabama rivers, the Mobile-Tensaw Delta; and Terrapin and Hatchett and Weogufka Creeks comprise the main waterways of the trail. They offer access to big cities and small towns. The route, suitable for every kind of craft from canoes and kayaks to powerboats, begins in the mountainous terrain of northeastern Alabama, flows through beautiful scenery in nine lakes, through the serenity of the second largest river delta in the United States, through Mobile Bay, terminating at historic Ft. Morgan. Ocoee Outdoors Just a short drive from Chattanooga, Nashville, Knoxville and Atlanta, the Ocoee River has entertained and provided whitewater rafting adventures for millions of visitors over the years. The Ocoee River is great for beginners and advanced whitewater adventurers. Longtime experienced outfitter, Ocoee Outdoors guides outdoor enthusiasts through almost continuous class III, IV, and V whitewater excitement from beginning to end. Not only will the experienced guides help visitors navigate the turbulent rapids, they will also throw in an educational lesson about the history of the Ocoee and the beautiful area surrounding the river. Half day and full day adventures are offered. The half-day adventure makes it way down the Middle Ocoee and is for ages 12 years old and up. This experience includes two hours on the water, with total trip time approximately four hours. With the full day adventure, spend approximately six hours conquering the Middle Ocoee and the Upper Ocoee of Tennessee, the site of Atlantas 1996 Summer Olympics whitewater events. The adventure begins with the upper section of the Ocoee River and ends with the classic middle. This experience includes four hours on the water and a riverside lunch. The Hiwassee is one of the most beautiful rivers in the South and is designated as a Tennessee State Scenic River. The Class I and II whitewater is great for a family raft float or trying out a funyak. This experience offered by Ocoee Outdoors includes two hours on the water, with total trip time approximately four hours. Buffalo River Resort Buffalo River Resort features hiking, tubing, kayaking, canoeing, horseback riding and other fun right on the river. Canoes, kayaks and inner tubes are available to rent and trips down the picturesque Buffalo River range from five miles to eight miles. A 25-mile overnight float is also available for a more extreme quick getaway. Not named for buffalo that roam across the prairie, the flowing river is named for the Buffalo fish, which was abundant when the first European settlers arrived. Up the Creek Kayak and Canoe Rentals Located on the beautiful Indian Creek in Olive Hill, Tenn., Up the Creek offers a short two and one-half hour and a long six to eight hour trip for those in search of clear water, the beautiful Tennessee scenery and wildlife. Up the Creek is typically open from May to September. In addition to canoes and kayaks, Up the Creek offers cabin rental and tent sites for those floating the creek. Exploring the Tennessee River Valley by water is easier than ever. The Tennessee River Valley mapguide serves as an excellent planning guide to help travelers navigate their trip, said Julie Graham, spokesperson for the Tennessee River Valley Stewardship Council. Along with these water adventures, the Tennessee River Valley offers a compelling story, captivating visitors with its little unknown facts, pristine, untouched areas and rich, authentic experiences. Save trip ideas and plan a trip easily with the Tennessee River Valley Geotourism MapGuide, an online guide to explore authentic places and adventures that have been recommended by locals. Practicing Physicians of America (PPA) has launched a new website, logo, and Seal of Approval, which were unveiled last week at http://www.practicingphysician.org. PPA endeavors to place the new Seal of Approval everywhere physicians lead: from exam rooms to board rooms, enhancing the organizations advocacy for physicians across the country overburdened by regulations that limit their ability to serve their patients. It's time for physicians to stand-up, unite and take medicine back from the middlemen and special interests," co-founder Dr. Marion Mass stated. Created by Dr. Mass and Dr. Wes Fisher in March 2017, PPA is mobilizing thousands of physicians across the nation in novel ways through its numerous projects. "For example, we're fighting against Maintenance of Certification, which robs patients of their access to physicians and contributes to physician burnout," said Dr. Fisher. To share costs associated with the acquisition of pre-litigation investigation data against medical boards, PPA launched a GoFundMe page, after we surveyed physicians and over 7000 strenuously indicated their disregard for any value in the MOC program." "Its exciting to see all of these pieces coming together, added PPA Chair Dr. Judy Thompson. Physician liberty and patient choice are key to a free and open medical system. PPA facilitates patient and physician advocacy groups to work together to restore integrity to the profession of medicine. Physicians take the time needed to develop a fund of knowledge and skillsets, and require the time needed to deliver personalized care to each patient. With the help of board members Dr. Brian Dixon, Dr. Craig M. Wax and Dr. Niran Al-Agba, PPA also launched Physicians Rise (#physiciansrise), a campaign to engage every physician, and promote aligned physician advocacy groups in America, earlier this year. "We were inspired by major social movements that have shown that in making our issues known, we resolve to fix them, which ultimately allows us to better serve our patients, continued Dr. Al-Agba. "We and the patients we serve are everywhere," Dr. Wax concluded. "Our Board and PPA affiliates are helping create local physician-led healthcare town halls throughout America and meeting with national leaders in D.C. We've had enough and we will be heard." Spacelist is able to offer access to the most up-to-date commercial properties available across Canada Spacelist is excited to announce a partnership with Domum Link which will enable Domum Links clients to syndicate their commercial property listings to Spacelists monthly user base of over 75,000 prospective tenants. With this integration we now can expand our distribution channels and lead generation capacity, tapping into a massive audience that Spacelist can bring to our clients listings, says Pablo Menghini, co-founder of Domum Link. Beyond managing commercial properties on our platform, we can now offer more lead generation opportunities with this syndication. Domum Link users will now be able to market their properties to the tens of thousands of businesses that visit Spacelist.ca each month. This will save time for the property managers and landlords, and allow Spacelist to continue to provide access to the largest marketplace of commercial properties in Canada. By partnering with industry leading platforms like Domum Link, Spacelist is able to offer access to the most up-to-date commercial properties available across Canada, said Steven Jaffe, CEO of Spacelist. Domum Link has been great to work with, and were looking forward to strengthening our partnership and further developing our integration with their platform. With a database of 45,000 buildings and 22,000 active listings, Spacelist offers the largest free marketplace in Canada for small businesses to find space, generating thousands of qualified leads for landlords and listing agents each month. About Spacelist Founded in 2012, Spacelist's mission is to make commercial real estate more accessible and efficient. Based in Vancouver, B.C., Spacelist brings all of Canada's commercial real estate listings together in one place, making it easier than ever to find great space for your business. For more information, visit: https://www.spacelist.ca About Domum Link Domum Link is an online property management platform designed from the ground up to be intuitive and easy to use. Domum Link allows property managers to manage the entire tenant lifecycle from a single platform. For more info: https://www.domum.biz Altec Lansing, innovator in audio, announced today its brand new line of Live speakers with the Google Assistant built in are now available at retailers across the country. The line brings durability and superior sound to the connected home, while providing instant access to the Google Assistant. Hitting shelves at select retailers, you can speak to the Google Assistant on the Live speakers the speakers offer users the ability to search for ask questions and get information, play games and as well as control your smart home. In addition, each speaker connects via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi for the ability to listen to your favorite music streaming services. Each speaker is designed to deliver the crisp, clear sound fans expect from the legacy audio brand, while also maintaining its durability. The first in the line of new Google Assistant built-in speakers is Altec Lansings Live, a sleek speaker designed to fit in any room of the home. Enjoy crystal clear sound while utilizing the Google Assistant to help you get things done - simply use your voice to control your smart home, listen to music, find out the news, check out the weather and more. With multi-room pairing, group multiple speakers with chromecast built-in together to enjoy music in every room! This conveniently sized speaker has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth pairing to always stay connected! Additional features include: Works with your Google Assistant Compatible music streaming services - Spotify, Internet Radio Pandora, Google Play Music and all other streaming services supported by the Google Assistant 2 Ferrite Woofer and 2 x 2 Passive Radiator Up to 4 hours of battery life Wireless range of up to 30 feet Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Pairing Multi-room pairing for room to room listening MSRP: $99.99 For those who love the outdoors, the Live 2 Go offers the latest in superior sound on-the-go. This speaker has the Google Assistant built in to help you get things done - whether lounging inside or relaxing in the yard. The convenient, sturdy handle allows users to bring this speaker wherever they go with up to six hours of battery life, and the IP67 Waterproof rating protects the speaker against water and snow. Additional features include: Works with The Google Assistant Compatible music streaming services - Spotify, Internet Radio Pandora, Google Play Music and all other streaming services supported by the Google Assistant compatible with the Google Ecosystem Up to 6 hours of battery life Wireless range of up to 30 feet Multi-room Pairing for room to room listening Bluetooth and Wi-Fi pairing MSRP: $149.99 Altec Lansings Live and Live 2 Go are now available at Target stores nationwide. For more information on products from Altec Lansing, visit http://www.alteclansing.com. About Altec Lansing Since 1927, generations of music enthusiasts have recognized Altec Lansing as a premier brand that consistently delivers high quality and rich sound in a host of audio products including; headphones, earphones, everything-proof speakers, home and car audio, DJ speakers, turntables, mobile accessories, and more. Altec Lansing provides a seamless combination of beautiful design aesthetics and terrific sound to exceed every audiophiles expectations. Those who know audio, know Altec Lansing. http://www.alteclansing.com l @alteclansingofficial For more information, please contact: Ashley Willis, Resound Marketing for Altec Lansing ashley@resoundmarketing.com / O: 609.279.0050x105 / C: 732.500.2735 The 8th round of dialogue between Islam and Armenian Christianity will be held from June 27 to 29 in Lebanon. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - The 8th round of dialogue between Islam and Armenian Christianity will be held from June 27 to 29 in Lebanon. According to the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO), Religions and the Environment is the theme of this round of the interfaith dialogue. It will be organized by ICROs Center for Dialogue among Religions and Civilizations and the Armenian Church of Cilicia. The opening ceremony of the program will be addressed by Abuzar Ebrahimi Torkaman, the chief of the organization and Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia. Environment and common ethical values in the Divine religions, interaction of religious leaders with the environment, effects of a healthy environment on individual and social life in view of Islam and Christianity and human and nature in the teachings of Islam and Christianity are the themes to be investigated in the four sessions of the dialogue. The closing ceremony of the program will be attended by the chief of ICRO, Hojat-ol-Islam Taskhiri, head of the Center for Dialogue among Religions and Civilizations and Aram I Keshishian, the head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church. "The role of rationality and religious ethics in preventing violence was the theme of the 7th round of the dialogue between Islam and Armenian Christianity, which was held in Tehran on December 13, 2016. /129 We are a furniture manufacturing company, based in LA, and have been seriously considering moving our plant to Tijuana. Co-Production International (CPI) announces a successful quarterly tour of Mexico manufacturing facilities along Baja Californias northern border. Taking place at the end of April, this was the largest attended tour to date with over 20 attendees from a variety of US manufacturing industries including aerospace, unmanned vehicle systems, furniture, metal products and label manufacturing sectors. The one-day tour included visits to Broan Nutone and Hunter Industries factories in Tijuana and Scantibodies Laboratories in Tecate. CPI offers private as well as open, quarterly tours of Mexico manufacturing facilities to US manufacturers interested in expanding operations with our southern NAFTA partner. I cannot recommend taking part in one of CPIs tours more highly for anyone interested in being more involved in the growing Baja California Norte manufacturing community. The team at CPI has the experience, the tools and the professional gravitas for everyone from a start-up to an established Fortune 400 company, remarked an attendee and the Project Director of the largest independent custom product and packaging solutions provider in the United States. CPIs April Baja Manufacturing Tour started at Tijuanas Club de Empresarios (Business Owners Club) with breakfast and an educational presentation about how to get started in Mexico using a shelter company provider, labor cost analysis and best practices. The factory tour started with Hunter Industries, the San Marcos-based plastics and irrigation products manufacturer. Just this year Hunter Industries received the AS9100 Rev D Certificate for Plastic Injection Molding, Machining & Assembly of Products for the Aerospace Industry, opening their operations up to a new sector and new customers. CPIs goal with our Baja Manufacturing Tours is to take attendees from the conceptual to reality. We give them ample time with decision makers at world-class manufacturing facilities and a chance to walk plant floors, all offering US manufacturers real-world insights to their questions about how to get started in Mexico, said Denisse Martinez, tour coordinator and Director of Marketing for CPI. The second stop took place at Broan Nutone, North Americas largest producer of residential ventilation and air quality products, including range hoods, ventilation fans and air exchangers. Broan Nutones Plant manager and engineer Saralegui, along with Operations Manager Jorge Diaz, dove right into the nuts and bolts of manufacturing in Mexico, from best practices and overcoming challenges to a cultural overview of working in the region. Attendees were impressed by Broan Nutone. From the flow of their production lines, efficiency, technology, and their lean corner, to how clean and beautiful the facility is. Broan Nutones guides also took the attendees to the most labor-intensive part of their facility: the assembly area. All expressed awe at the happy, confident, and efficient workforce, further enforcing Broan Nutones company culture of giving employees a chance to belong and opportunity to grow with the company, said Martinez, adding, This is CPIs favorite part of the tour where we can shatter the assumptions about sweat-shop labor and show them just how technologically-advanced and modern manufacturing in Mexico really is. The third and last factory visit took place at the Santee, California-based Scantibodies Laboratories facility in Tecate. Known for the manufacture of the First Response pregnancy test, Scantibodies Tecate plant manufacturers antibodies and life-saving diagnostic kits. But thats not all. They also run a 20,000 square foot medical-imaging and therapy center where they provide services at cost, allowing cancer patients and their families the care they need at an accessible price. We were deeply surprised to discover how well these plants were run. Highly modern, tech-intensive and with real dedication to their staff, their well-being, education and promotion within their respective organizations. We are a furniture manufacturing company, based in LA, and have been seriously considering moving our plant to Tijuana. CPI was extremely helpful in providing upper management with the right tools and financial understanding involved in such a move, said another attendee and the HR and Purchasing Manager for a US furniture manufacturer. Wrapping up the day, tour attendees were treated to a fine-dining dinner featuring Baja Mediterranean cuisine and award-winning wines at Asao in Tecate. Lively discussions about the strength of Mexicos manufacturing industries dominated the evening. Over 450 global manufacturers call Baja California home and are supported by a nearly 200,000-strong manufacturing workforce. Beyond Mexicos labor cost savings, proximity to North American markets and home-operations are major drivers for manufacturers looking to free up capital while still maintaining production quality and oversight. The infrastructure, highly-trained workforce with direct ties to educational institutions and low-to-no tariffs have solidified Mexico as a manufacturing force keen on longevity. The Advice Watch by Advice Star provides an example of political signs punked! "Who votes for anyone just because they saw a sign with a politician's name on it? It may have worked in the '70's, '80's, '90's, but it's not working in the age of the internet." The Advice Watch by Advice Star (an Oohub, LLC project) has called for a campaign against political campaign signs. In other words, to "punk" the political signs. And says it has very good reasons with abounding evidence that roadside campaign signs are overwhelmingly ineffective, and at best have an unmeasurable effect in swaying votes in any direction. In accordance with its disquisition, they cause more harm to society and the environment than any minuscule effects (if any) that they have on an election. According to its Advice Star Radar service, the results are so unmeasurable that they could potentially sway the small amount of votes that they may bring, in either direction. "Though some may argue that campaign signs bring name recognition, that's not necessarily a good thing. This is the era of rebellion and negative news stories. So the tiny amount of voters who haven't figured out who they're going to vote for by the time they get to the voting booth... If they remember seeing or hearing a politician's name, they're probably thinking something negative about the name, and therefore probably vote against it in a modernly enhanced version of negativity bias," says Advice Watch founder Chad Mitchell. The Advice Watch contends that most roadside campaign signs essentially only have the politician's name on it, asking for a vote. "Who votes for anyone just because they saw a sign with a politician's name on it? It may have worked in the '70's, '80's, '90's, but it's not working in the age of the internet," says Mitchell. In its quash proposition against such signs, the Advice Watch avowals that nothing more clearly demonstrates the hypocrisy and disregards of small business by politicians than their roadside campaign signs. "They make and champion laws against small, even micro entity businesses disallowing them to post signs, while they pave the way for themselves to do so," says Mitchell. For example, HB 1887 in Missouri was designed to disallow property owners including HOA's from banning political signs; but they can still ban any type of sign for small businesses, even home based businesses. "So according to that bill, if you operate a business from home, HOA's can ban you from having even a tiny yard sign about it, but your neighbor who has different political beliefs than you, can post his political sign all day long. It's pathetic," says Mitchell. Worse still, political signs have been found in landfills, lakes, rivers, oceans, and somehow, even on mountainsides. Most political campaign signs are made of corrugated plastic, which nobody really knows for certain how long takes to decompose. The type of plastic used to make these signs provide both floatable and sinkable masses and debris, depending on how or if the furrows get clogged. While nobody has studied the effects that these signs in and of themselves are having on the environment, with 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic in what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch alone, it can't be a good thing. Furthermore, the Advice Watch contends that these signs clog up police activity time; and elaborates: "How many times have we seen stories of police having to respond and take a report about stolen political signs? These signs are vandalized and stolen often. And when they are stolen, what do you think happens to them? The people who stole them don't want them. They just wanted to take them down. So those signs usually just get tossed in rivers and lakes." Further contending: "Pretty much the only people who pay attention to political signs are in rival campaigns, and others who don't like a particular politician. Thus, the signs overwhelmingly just invite vandalism, theft, drama, and mutual thuggery against competing political sides." Thus, the Advice Watch wants to see what people can come up with to call attention to what it calls the stupidity and wastefulness of political signs, and asks for submissions of photos depicting such. If they use any photo submitted to them in an upcoming video they will be making, they will compensate the original artist a minimum of $50 with details about how to submit such photos coming soon to their website. Currently, they've just released a new video about political signs punked on YouTube which is to be considered part one and an introduction to the wastefulness of roadside political signs, and an ever-evolving article on the topic at: AdviceStar.com/political-signs which will also eventually provide resources on "how to punk political signs legally and effectively" "..because it's not easy to do. Politicians have seen to that in advance with their outdated thinking", asserts Mitchell. Proven Media, a multidisciplinary design and communications agency, announced today it is expanding services and promoting personnel to meet the growing needs of the national and international cannabis industry. Neko Catanzaro was promoted to Vice President of Brand and Creative Strategy. She will lead the companys new creative branding division with go-to-market strategies designed to maximize visibility, build credibility, and drive brand loyalty. She leads international efforts for the firm where she recently returned after working with working with President Vicente Fox at Cannamexico at CentroFox in Mexico. Catanzaro is a Brown University graduate who has been with Proven Media for six years. She recently spoke on a media panel at the World Medical Cannabis Conference & Expo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was featured in Entrepreneurs Magazines new book, Start Your Own Cannabis Business. Jennifer Burke, a University of Missouri-Columbia senior, was recruited for an intensive four-month marketing internship to assist with national accounts. An Arizona resident who originally hails from Chicago, she is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. Burke, who is on the Deans List, became interested in cannabis as medicine after a family member sought relief for a qualifying condition. The cannabis market is constantly evolving. As industry professionals, we need to evolve with it. We are excited to formally launch our branding division, as well as mentor those interested in learning the nuances of working in cannabis space, stated founder and CEO Kim Prince. Established in 2008, Proven Media is a full-service agency serving a diverse client base in nearly every segment of the emerging cannabis market. It is the agency of record for nationally recognized cannabis experts and high-profile organizations including the World Medical Cannabis Conference & Expo and the Marijuana Industry Trade Association of Arizona. For information, visit provenmediaservices.com. ### About Proven Media Services Proven Media was established in 2008 and specializes in strategic media planning, public relations and marketing communications for mid to large size legal cannabis companies with a passion for helping clients succeed and achieve their business goals. The firm is located at 748 Easy Street, Suite 12, in Carefree, Arizona. To learn more visit provenmediaservices.com, follow the firm on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, or write PO Box 2662, Carefree, Arizona, 85377 Sheilah Montgomery Sheilah Montgomery is a titan in the credit union industry. Her passion for mentoring small credit unions has become a hallmark enterprise for the AACUC. The African-American Credit Union Coalition, (AACUC), announced that Sheilah Montgomery is the 2018 recipient of the AACUCs Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award. For over four decades, Montgomery has been advancing the mission of the credit union movement, while increasing the economic viability of individuals, communities and credit unions. She is a founding member of the AACUC and has dedicated her life and career to serving others as strategist, communicator, partnership builder and transformational leader. Montgomery is the retired President/CEO of Credit Union of Atlanta and the former President/CEO of 1st Choice Credit Union (Atlanta, GA). During her tenure as President/CEO of both institutions, she was able to direct mission critical projects, develop organizational capacity strategies and create management initiatives to promote long term financial sustainability for both credit unions. Under her leadership, 1st Choice Credit Union was the first credit union in Atlanta to be designated as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) certified home counseling agency. Over 25,000 members had access to financial services not easily accessible due to credit challenges and/or lack of collateral. Currently, Montgomery serves as a board member of the Federation of Community Development Credit Unions, 1st Choice Credit Union, National Disability Institute, Inc. and board secretary of the AACUC. She is also a Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE), African Development Educator (ADE) and Certified Credit Union Executive (CCE). Sheilah Montgomery is a titan in the credit union industry. Her passion for mentoring small credit unions has become a hallmark enterprise for the AACUC," said Timothy L. Anderson, AACUC Chairman and President/CEO of GPO FCU. "The unparalleled zeal to support others epitomizes the credit union philosophy of people helping people. Montgomerys belief that diversity and inclusion are vital to the sustainability of the credit union industry and her advocacy for small credit unions and minority depository institutions has not gone unnoticed. The late Honorable Mayor Maynard Jackson (Atlanta) and former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, both honored her with a distinguished merit award for her servant leadership. Montgomery will receive the Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award during the AACUCs 20th annual conference that will be held at the Marriott Marquis Atlanta, on August 10, 2018, at 7:30 pm. For more information regarding attending the Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award Gala or the annual conference visit our website at http://www.aacuc.org. About AACUC: The AACUC was created to increase the strength of the global credit union community. In 2003 the AACUC became a 501c3 non-profit organization. Over the years, AACUC has grown and is ever changing to meet the needs of the dynamic credit union community which it serves. The organization is all-encompassing for individuals (professional and volunteers) in credit unions, insurance, regulators, consultants and other entities in the credit union industry. Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award History. This prestigious award is presented annually recognizing a credit union professional or volunteer whose career best embodies the African-American Credit Union Coalitions mission to increase the strength of the global credit union community. Sustained excellence is a hallmark of the recipients. The recipient will have demonstrated support for the credit union philosophy of people helping people. Organized and/or provided significant assistance to credit unions in need. Has constructively impacted the infrastructure, growth, legislative, regulatory, image and/or service delivery capacity of the credit union movement. In August 2003, Pete Crear received the inaugural African-American Credit Union Lifetime Achievement Award and was further honored by having the award named after him, a college scholarship established in his name and the Pete Crear Endowment Fund administered by the National Credit Union Foundation. Crear is retired and the past President and Chief Executive Officer of the World Council of Credit Unions, Inc. (WOCCU). Crear is considered a credit union pioneer. Pullano Law Offices At Pullano Law Offices, we aggressively advocate to make these products safer by ensuring that victims obtain justice and holding the wrongdoers accountable - Firm Owner Richard L. Pullano Several users of electronic cigarettes have suffered moderate-to-severe injuries as a result of the device exploding. Pullano Law Offices in Chicago recognizes this new consumer risk and has already helped victims in receiving personal injury compensation from the parties responsible. Pullano Law Offices attorney Matthew Siporin recently helped a client receive a $186,000 judgment against an e-cigarette manufacturer after the client suffered serious burns when the device exploded. The case is still pending in the Denver District Court under case number 17 CV 30263. At Pullano Law Offices, we aggressively advocate to make these products safer by ensuring that victims obtain justice and holding the wrongdoers accountable, said firm owner Richard L. Pullano. According to a study by the U.S. Fire Administration, there were 195 reports of exploding e-cigarettes in the U.S. from 2009 to 2016. Of the 133 injuries from these explosions, 38 were severe. In May, a Florida man was reportedly the first person to die as a result of an e-cigarette explosion, according to various media reports. Faulty lithium-ion batteries are believed to be a source of the e-cigarette and vape pen explosions. Manufacturers know the risks of lithium-ion batteries. However, manufacturers are still selling these dangerous products and refuse to adequately warn people about these risks. They have put their profits ahead of the safety of the public. This must stop and the attorneys at Pullano Law Offices can help. Instances in which lithium-ion batteries explode are considered rare, but e-cigarette explosions can cause severe injuries. If the device explodes while in use, it can cause severe burns to the face and shrapnel damage from the device. The device is just as likely to explode while in a users pocket, which may cause the victims clothing to catch fire. If you have been injured by a faulty e-cigarette or similar product, you deserve personal injury compensation for your medical expenses and pain and suffering. Manufacturers, wholesalers and vape shops can be found liable for selling unsafe products to consumers. An attorney at Pullano Law Offices will work to determine which party is at fault and how much compensation you need. For more information, call 312-551-1100. About Pullano Law Offices: Pullano Law Offices is a personal injury law firm located on East Upper Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago. The firm is dedicated to helping those who have been injured seek full justice. The attorneys at Pullano Law Offices are prepared to meet with clients anytime and place, and they know how to get results. The law firm has obtained millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for clients and has become known for an uncompromising approach and a relentless work ethic. Attorney Richard L. Pullano and the team at Pullano Law Offices concentrate their practice on helping victims of personal injury. This includes cases involving, but not limited to severe car accidents, trucking liability, aviation liability, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, bed sores, construction negligence, and product liability. To learn more about the firm, call 312-551-1100. Galleon On The River There are not many opportunities like this left to leave an imprint on the island The Hammer Property Group with Engel & Volkers Stuart is pleased to announce Galleon On The River, a new turnkey coastal community on Hutchinson Island, has entered the market and is in search of developers and investors. The property, located at 1000 NE Ocean Blvd, is listed with Daniel and Shelly Hammer of Engel & Volkers Stuart for $4,999,999. The 44-acre property is permitted for 17 homesites, with road and utility infrastructure in place. Located directly on the Indian River, the property is highlighted by 1,200 linear feet of river frontage and deeded ocean access immediately across the street. The development vision calls for a single-family home community with a meandering boardwalk through protected and preserved natural land to the 12 private dock slips on the river. There are not many opportunities like this left to leave an imprint on the island, said Hammer. This is a fantastic chance for a developer or investor to create a unique community on Hutchinson Island. The desirable Martin County location is ideally located near exciting recreation, unique shopping, renowned dining, quality medical care and great schools. Cool ocean breezes, quick inlet access to open waters and world class fishing makes this development a boaters dream. For more information, please visit https://www.galleonontheriver.com/ or contact Daniel and Shelly Hammer directly at 678-575-6805 or 404-630-1680 respectively. ### About Engel & Volkers Since its beginning in 1977 as a specialty boutique providing exclusive, high-end real estate services in Hamburg, Germany, Engel & Volkers has become one of the worlds leading companies specializing in the sale and lease of premium residential and commercial property, yachts and private aviation. Engel & Volkers currently operates a global network of over 10,000 real estate advisors in more than 30 countries, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and tools; multiple platforms for mobile, social and web; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. For media inquiry, please contact Linzee Werkmeister, Director of Public Relations & Franchise Support Tel: (239) 348-9000 Email: Linzee.Werkmeister(at)EVUSA(dot)com Engel & Volkers Florida, Master License Partner of Engel & Volkers Americas 633 Tamiami Trail N, Suite 201 Naples FL 34102-8137 USA Sean brings a pragmatic and real-world experience which will translate to even better services for our customers and deliver on our commitment to stay on top of a dynamic cloud security landscape. Atmosera, a premier Microsoft Azure solutions provider, today announced that Sean Ventura has joined the executive team as Vice President of Information Security and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Sean has over 30 years of experience in the Information Technology field, with a focus on information security best practices and compliance. He was most recently the Director of Infrastructure and Security for ESCO a global Steel manufacturer operating in a dozen countries across six continents. He brings extensive experience in management of lean teams of Infrastructure and security professionals providing a reliable and secure environment across a wide range of regulatory and legal frameworks. Over the past two years, the number of new Atmosera customers who require secure and compliant environments has grown very quickly, said Jon Thomsen, Atmoseras Chief Executive Officer. Sean brings a pragmatic and real-world experience which will translate to even better services for our customers and deliver on our commitment to stay on top of a dynamic cloud security landscape. Previously, Sean has held progressively more senior roles within Gogo Air, providing security advisory and design for all the commercial wireless services, DDB/Omnicom, a worldwide marketing communications firm, as well as financial institutions, and national retail chains. At Atmosera, Sean will help lend credibility in front of customers and auditors as well as oversee the evolution of managed services targeting security and compliance needs. Atmosera is already a trusted advisor to many customers who demand secure and compliant cloud environments to run their business applications and store data. The team at Atmosera always takes into consideration how best to secure customer environments and how to develop a realistic roadmap. Increasingly many customers are faced with the need to meet regulatory and industry mandates including protecting patient data and financial information. For many, the inability to meet such mandates directly costs them business and the opportunity to win new clients. As more companies look to Microsoft Azure as a key element to their IT strategy, the opportunity to help guide the right secure architecture decisions is accelerating. Atmosera is at the leading edge of cloud managed services, is an extension of our clients IT Infrastructure. The position with Atmosera would allow me to use my skills and knowledge to drive security not just as a technical conversation, but security as a philosophy to all our clients, said Sean Ventura. For more information please visit: https://www.atmosera.com/security-and-compliance/ About Atmosera - Atmosera is a leading Microsoft Azure solutions provider leveraging both the Microsoft Cloud Platform System and Azure. We engineer and operate highly scalable Azure cloud environments that support business critical (they can never go down) applications. We were one of the first Microsoft Cloud Solution Providers (CSPs), we are Cloud OS Network (COSN) certified with a number of large, complex, compliant production environments for customers on Cloud Platform System including Azure Certified Hybrid (ACH) deployments leveraging private and public Azure on a global basis. We know Azure. With over 20 years of industry experience and real-world best practices, Atmosera is a trusted and secure (HIPAA/HITECH, HITRUST, PCI-DSS V.3, IRS-1075, and SSAE 16) global cloud partner to SaaS providers, financial institutions, healthcare providers, retailers, government agencies, manufacturers, and other industries of commerce. Find out more at atmosera.com. TouchPoint One will be featured in the expos Demo Drive, showcasing A-GAME Tiki Beach, the latest version of its award-winning performance gamification platform. TouchPoint One, the leading provider of award-winning employee engagement and performance management solutions for contact centers announced today the details of its hosted events and activities as an exhibitor at Customer Contact Week 2018. TouchPoint One will showcase its latest innovations during the CCW Demo Drive, host a Meet the Customer event, and extend private software tours for attendees throughout the conference. Customer Contact Week is the worlds largest customer contact event, with 2500 attendees expected, over 175 expert speakers, 12 hours of networking, and 200 sponsors and exhibitors. On Thursday, June 21st, TouchPoint One CEO, Greg Salvato, will host a Meet the Customer event with John Craven, Director Center of Excellence, and Chad Wilcox, Receivables Management Manager of Cox Communications. From 9:50-10:50am at booth #724, John and Chad will share expert insights and advice in the planning and implementation of their world-class performance management and gamification-powered employee engagement solution. TouchPoint One will also be featured in the expos Demo Drive, showcasing A-GAME Tiki Beach, the latest version of its award-winning performance gamification platform. Stop by for a demo and a chance to win his and hers (one gold, one black) - Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones. One-on-one contact center needs assessments and software tours of TouchPoint Ones full range of employee dashboard, balanced scorecard and performance management solutions will be provided throughout the event. Visitors can find TouchPoint One at booth #724. To learn more about TouchPoint One, visit the TouchPoint One web site - and follow us on Twitter @TouchPoint_One and LinkedIn. Its never too late to make plans for Vegas! Use our 20% sponsor discount code to register for CCW 2018 today! 19CCW_TOUCHPOINTONE - Register Online Here About TouchPoint One TouchPoint One is the leading provider of employee engagement and performance management solutions for contact centers. The Companys Acuity product is a full-featured contact center performance management platform that enables improved decision making, talent development, and process execution at every operational level. TouchPoint One customer contact solutions deliver the rich benefits of gamification, balanced scorecards, employee dashboards and advanced performance management through innovative design and complete, functional alignment with business processes and strategies. TouchPoint One, Acuity, A-GAME and A-GAME Xtreme are registered trademarks of TouchPoint One, LLC. All other registered or unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners. 2018 TouchPoint One, LLC. All rights reserved. Slone Partners, North Americas leading executive search firm for life sciences and diagnostics companies, organized a dynamic panel discussion - Insights: Culture As A Cornerstone - examining the ways, means, and importance of activating board members and senior executives to build thriving cultural environments. As part of its ongoing series of dynamic live programming the Company produces on a quarterly basis in healthcare epicenter markets such as Boston, San Diego and San Francisco, the 90-minute discussion was attended by nearly one hundred esteemed healthcare-industry executives. The evening, held at Seaport World Trade Center & Hotel, was hosted by Slone Partners CEO Leslie Loveless, President Tara Kochis-Stach, and Founder Adam Slone. The panel participants - Moderator Sarah Larson, Partner & Chief Human Resource Officer at Third Rock Ventures; Russell Campanello, Executive VP Human Resources & Corporate Communications at iRobot; Sanjiv Patel, Chief Executive Officer at Relay Therapeutics; and Coco Brown, Chief Executive Officer at Athena Alliance - lent a wealth of executive expertise and deep context as to the complexities of both establishing and fostering thriving corporate cultures. And discussed the paramount importance of activating boards of directors, boards of advisors, and senior executives to participate in attracting and retaining human capital that are vital to business growth and employee happiness. Keeping with tradition, Slone Partners balanced the culture discussion to address the bilateral needs, roles, and perspectives of both senior management and employees. Among the key topics discussed: What is Culture? How Culture Evolves The Impact Culture Has on Recruiting The Vital Role of Boards The Importance of Diversity Implementing Talent Branding Strategies Establishing Culture in New Companies Our moderator and panelists come from the worlds of venture capital, portfolio management, human resources, communications, the C-suite and those who establish boards of directors and advisors. Here is their advice. WHAT IS CULTURE? Culture is what a company thinks, how it behaves, what values it holds, what it believes or believes in, and the common mindset that binds and connects its people. The strongest cultures are almost religious, transcending mere missions, getting into distinguishing attributes that create senses of belonging, and connecting people regardless of hierarchy. Ideally, everyone owns it, and everyone lives it. Culture starts in the boardroom and in the C-suite. HOW CULTURE EVOLVES Company cultures can deliberately change quickly or evolve over time by senior leadership who thoughtfully alter approaches in what they do and how they do it. Create environments where people love coming to work through thoughtful and strategic decisions. Do companies have to be transparent about cultural shift? Smaller, nimble organizations tend to be more so. Every single person makes a difference. Advice: Create an archetype of talent and passion, show resilience and perseverance as culture permeates downward. THE IMPACT CULTURE HAS ON RECRUITING In times of low unemployment where small pools of top talent have abundant choices, culture becomes more vitally important to employees. The best candidates are curious about culture, wanting to understand it more, understanding the importance of a symmetrical fit to their beliefs, approaches and personalities. Employers who recruit to values and mindsets help to spread workplace behaviors that promote worker satisfaction and happiness. Advice: Be careful about over-recruiting to culture and becoming narrow in thinking. This can result in a sameness throughout the organization that inhibits the creativity that invites the best ideas and strategies. THE VITAL ROLE OF BOARDS Culture is ultimately the responsibility of the board. Companies that recruit board members who bring positive change, and not just expertise, ultimately have stronger cultures. Board members must also honestly ask themselves Is this a culture I want to associate with?, and the absence of board candidates asking culture questions and caring about the answers is a red flag. Advice: Boards should not only have culture committees, but have a CHRO on the board who understands people. THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY Diversity is important because it supports creativity and innovation; however, women and minorities dont want to be recruited merely because theyre women and minorities. New perspectives are born from diversity of ethnicities, ages, genders, nationalities, backgrounds - which tends to bring the best out of everyone. It helps people to work better together and understand more about each other. Advice: If management doesnt care about diversity, its a red flag, because homogeny doesnt breed culture excellence. IMPLEMENTING TALENT BRANDING STRATEGIES Talent branding brings realness and humanity to organizations that easily says who we are to the world, to clients, and to marketplaces through honesty, storytelling and embracing both strengths and imperfections. Individual people, pervasive culture, values and behaviors help attract candidates as salaries and titles are commoditized between competing organizations. Instead, spotlight talent through company websites, social media and encouraging realness between employees and outside contacts, allowing people to shine. Advice: Utilizing talent branding techniques both internally and externally can both build and reinforce culture while also attracting and retaining top talent. ESTABLISHING CULTURE IN NEW COMPANIES New company cultures can be driven by a single founder through personality, understanding that utilizing personality can actually create something the company can leverage as an ongoing foundation. Vulnerability isnt necessarily a downside as it helps to build trust. Advice: Put in the effort, be intentional, and establish early what the 3-5 things are that drive how we work - it will attract others with shared values. ABOUT SLONE PARTNERS Slone Partners delivers the leaders who build and propel amazing healthcare organizations - People Are Our Science. Since 2000, Slone Partners specializes in delivering world-class C-suite leadership, executive, and upper management talent to the most promising and established life sciences, research, diagnostics, precision medicine and laboratory services companies. With coast-to-coast presence in the most active healthcare industry hubs of Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin, Research Triangle Park NC, and Washington DC, Slone Partners uniquely and precisely provides an array of executive search and human capital advisory services to exceptional clients. Our full suite of services includes identifying, negotiating with, and onboarding talent, in addition to post-placement mentoring, success monitoring, and culture fit services. To learn more about Slone Partners unique processes and unmatched network of proven leaders, visit http://www.slonepartners.com. We're always looking to give organizations new avenues to build strong relationships with their employees HALO Recognition, the leading provider of employee recognition, rewards and incentives, announced its new Recognition Wall Album today at the 2018 Society of Human Resource Professional (SHRM) Conference in Chicago, IL taking place June 17-20. Recognition Wall Album is a compilation of the personalized messages from coworkers that get posted on the recipient's Recognition Wall, extending their social recognition experience. After an employee celebrates their service anniversary, the posts are printed and bound in a keepsake album and then shipped to their door to commemorate the event. "We're always looking to give organizations new avenues to build strong relationships with their employees," said Cord Himelstein, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for HALO Recognition. "The Recognition Wall Album is a tangible, meaningful keepsake that can add to the personal experience of service anniversary celebrations while providing an extra layer of engagement." In addition to the new Recognition Wall Album enhancement, HALO's Recognition Wall was also upgraded with several other new features, including a new eCard gallery along with the ability to personalize Recognition Wall posts with images and videos. Also announced today was HALO Recognition's new eBook, Quick Guide to Consolidating Employee Recognition, a helpful starter guide for organizations looking to consolidate disparate recognition programs or make sweeping program changes. For more visit HaloRecognition.com. About HALO Recognition HALO Recognition, based in Long Island City, New York, is the most comprehensive employee recognition provider in the market. Today, HALO Recognition helps global companies of all sizes reward, recognize and inspire their employees to do great things with scalable recognition and incentive programs designed for modern workforces. For more, visit http://www.halorecognition.com. A van has rammed into pedestrians near a concert event in the southern Netherlands, killing one person and wounding three others. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - The incident took place in the early hours of Monday morning during the "Pinkpop" festival that was held in Limburg province in the southern Netherlands on June 15-17. Four people were hit by a bus at a music festival in the Netherlands, local police said, adding that the incident left one person killed and three others injured. "At around 4:00 AM, a bus rammed into four people on Menshegger Road in #Landgraaf. Three people were seriously injured and one person was killed," the Limburg police tweeted. Dutch police are not sure yet if the bus ramming incident at Pinkpop music festival in the Netherlands' Limburg province was a planned attack, a police spokesperson for the region said on Monday. According to the police, the vehicle, which the local media described as a small white bus, drove away from the scene. The operation to capture the perpetrator is ongoing. Emergency authorities have sent an alert to cell phones in the area warning people to be on the lookout for a Fiat Diablo that has 257 on its license plate. In April last year, Dutch police responded to a terrorist threat against a rock concert in the city of Rotterdam upon a tip-off by officials in Spain, which had just suffered a number of terror assaults. In the UK, a terror attack at the end of a concert killed at least 22 people, including seven children, at the Manchester Arena in 2017. France also suffered major attacks in Paris in November 2015, targeting cafes and a concert hall in Paris, and massacring a total of 130 people. Both attacks in Manchester and Paris were claimed by the Daesh terror group, which used to control swathes of land in Iraq and Syria. Pinkpop is the longest-running annual music festival dedicated pop and rock in the world; it has been held since 1970. It has featured world-renown groups such as Coldplay, Rammstein, The Cure, Green Day, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and Linkin Park. /129 Were seeing growing demand for cloud-based access control solutions in Europe, and felt this was a great time to expand our reach. Steve Van Till, President & CEO, Brivo Brivo, the original innovator of cloud-based physical security solutions for commercial buildings, announced today its expansion into Europe with the opening of its Amsterdam office and the creation of a new subsidiary, Brivo Systems BV. The move highlights the increasing adoption of cloud-based physical security systems and the companys growing partner and customer base in Europe. With sales, technical, and logistics operations located in Amsterdam, Brivo will now provide a full range of support services to its European customers. Were seeing growing demand for cloud-based access control solutions in Europe, and felt this was a great time to expand our reach, explained Brivos President and CEO, Steve Van Till. Were really excited about the opportunities and our ability to provide local support resources for our European customers. As part of this expansion program, Brivo has recently conducted commercial and technical training sessions in Amsterdam and London, with more planned for the future. We have a great group of end-users and partners already established in Europe, said Van Till. It's a pleasure to see their enthusiasm for our solutions and passion for bringing our products to the European market. The Brivo Onair cloud-based security platform will offer all the same features in Europe as it does in the U.S, including integrated cloud video from Eagle Eye Networks. With customers in over 55 countries worldwide, Brivo has long had a solid customer base in Europe. The expansion of staff and offices will further drive Brivos ability to provide solutions for its customers around the world. For more information on Brivo go to https://www.brivo.com/. About Brivo Brivo is the original innovator of cloud-based physical security solutions for commercial buildings. Currently serving over ten million users, Brivo offers a unified security platform including access control, mobile credentials, mobile administration, video surveillance, identity federation, visitor management, and elevator control. As a SaaS company, Brivo also offers a complete API platform service that empowers partners to build custom integrations and vertical market offerings. Our mission is to make the world a safer place by providing a subscription-based service for securing buildings using reliable, convenient, scalable, cyber-hardened technology. Tom Crowley, Chairman and CEO accepts the award on behalf of the company's 350 Puerto Rico employees. We are as humbled by this recognition as we are grateful for the extraordinary work of our teams in San Juan, Jacksonville and in other parts of the country following Maria. Crowley Maritime Corporation recently received a Humanitarian Award from Seamens Church Institute (SCI) for its relief efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. The award, which was accepted on the behalf of the companys Puerto Rico employees by Tom Crowley, chairman and CEO, and Jose Nazario, director of finance in San Juan, was presented during the 41st annual Silver Bell Awards Dinner, which is attended by over 700 members from the shipping industry and associated companies. In the aftermath of the September storm, Crowleys liner services and logistics teams, working with government and commercial customers, played an integral role in the recovery. The companys more than 300 union and administrative employees resumed services and reopened company facilities, including a warehouse and the Isla Grande terminal, just two days after the storm passed, and began discharging government and commercial cargo from vessels to support relief efforts on the island within hours of the U.S. Coast Guard reopening the harbor in San Juan. Two hours after the US Coast Guard reopened San Juan harbor, Jones Act shipping line Crowley Maritime began discharging supplies off barges with commercial and government relief, said David Rider, president and executive director of SCI. Since then Crowley has offered almost 24/7 service PR increasing its capacity by 67%, transporting more than 100,000 TEUs of relief and recover supplies, delivering more than 40,000 electrical poles to restore the power supply and more than 7,000 transformers for the electrical grid; not to mention the power restoration equipment, oversized drill, bridge rebuilding supplies, fuel truck and 177,000 gallons of JetA1 fuel. Crowley has provided a constant transportation and logistics pipeline to the island since the storm made landfall unloading more than 200 vessels in a 182-day period. We are as humbled by this recognition as we are grateful for the extraordinary work of our teams in San Juan, Jacksonville and in other parts of the country following Maria, said Tom Crowley. Many of our employees have friends and family that were directly affected by the disaster and many are residents of Puerto Rico themselves. Their tireless commitment and focus on finding solutions that make an impact continues to be truly impressive and deserving of our respect and appreciation. As a company, we have long since been committed to the people and businesses of Puerto Rico, through the good times and the challenging ones, this response is an extension of that. Nazario also spoke passionately about the award saying, The memories of Wednesday, September 20, will live with me the rest of my life. The next day, after confirming that my family was OK, I went to the terminal to assess the damages and I found something incredible. Ninety-six percent of our employees showed up to work. You may ask why did people do that? And there is only one word that describes that - commitment. Commitment to Crowley and commitment to Puerto Rico because they knew that in those Crowley containers was the food, ice, water, fuel, construction material for the recovery of the island. Trailer Bridge, and Tote Maritime were also recognized with the award for their efforts during the recovery. About the Seamens Church Institute Founded in 1834 and affiliated with the Episcopal Church, though nondenominational in terms of its trustees, staff and service to mariners, the Seamens Church Institute of New York & New Jersey (SCI) is the largest, most comprehensive mariners service agency in North America. Annually, its chaplains visit thousands of vessels in the Port of New York and New Jersey and along 2,200 miles of Americas inland waterways extending into the Gulf of Mexico. SCIs maritime education facilities provide navigational training to nearly 1,600 mariners each year through simulator-based facilities located in Houston, TX and Paducah, KY. The Institute and its maritime attorneys are recognized as leading advocates for merchant mariners by the United States Government, including the US Congress, the US Coast Guard, and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization, the International Labour Organization and maritime trade associations. About Crowley Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings Inc., a holding company of the 126-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a privately held family and employee-owned company that provides marine solutions, energy and logistics services in domestic and international markets. Crowley operates under four business units: Crowley LOGISTICS, a singular ocean liner and logistics supply chain division; Crowley SHIPPING, which encompasses ownership, operations and management of vessels, including tankers, container ships, tugboats and barges; Crowley FUELS, a fuel transportation, distribution and sales division that also provides liquefied natural gas (LNG) and related services; and Crowley SOLUTIONS, which focuses on government services, including vessel management for government agencies, as well as engineering, project management, naval architecture through its subsidiary Jensen Maritime, and marine salvage and emergency response through its 50 percent ownership in Ardent Global. Additional information about Crowley, its subsidiaries and business units may be found at http://www.crowley.com. # # # Aegis Therapies, a national leader in physical, occupational, speech therapy and wellness services will hold an open house and ribbon cutting with the Frisco Chamber of Commerce Thursday, June 21. Aegis Therapies, a national leader in physical, occupational, speech therapy and wellness services will hold an open house and ribbon cutting with the Frisco Chamber of Commerce Thursday, June 21. The event will feature office tours, giveaways, live music, a cooking demonstration and samples from chef Darin Leonardson, and much more. This event is a perfect opportunity for us to meet the people and companies in the surrounding area and introduce Aegis Therapies to them, said Martha Schram, President and CEO of Aegis Therapies. We are delighted to be a part of the community and honored that the Frisco Chamber of Commerce is attending and helping us with the ribbon cutting. The open house is taking place Thursday, June 21 at 2601 Network Blvd., Suite 102, Frisco, Texas from 3 5 p.m., with the ribbon cutting and remarks scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Food and giveaways are being provided by Pure Poke, Newks, Raising Canes, East Hampton Sandwich Company, Freshii, Cherry Blow Dry Bar, Halo Branded Solutions, Cowboys Fit, Texas Legends, Foodsby and Drury Hotel. As one of the nations leading providers of rehabilitation and wellness services, professionals at Aegis Therapies apply proven techniques to help patients move through life to increase their freedom and independence. In addition to long-term and short-term therapy services in over 1,400 locations in 41 states, Aegis Therapies is proud to offer a new and convenient way to access therapy and wellness through the Aegis Total Therapy and Wellness Centers. With leading-edge technology and innovation, services at these locations can help individuals reach their healthcare goals in convenient storefront locations. Aegis leverages the power of collaboration to help patients transition seamlessly throughout the care continuum. No matter the setting, Aegis specializes in providing services that adapt to each patients individualized needs. Therapists use leading-edge technology and innovation to help restore strength and confidence after illness, injury or surgery. TC Wealth Partners, LLC, a Chicago-area RIA with expertise in financial planning, investments, trust services, and corporate retirement plans, will celebrate its affiliates, Trust Company of Illinois, 25th anniversary on June 18, 2018. At the 25-year mark, the organization has fully transitioned from its first generation of leadership to the second. Weve already hit full stride as we begin the next 25 years, says Bill Giffin, CEO. The last several years, weve hired top industry leaders for all our key areas- investment management, trust and estate services, and retirement plan services. Since opening its doors as the Trust Company of Illinois in 1993, which continues to provide fiduciary oversight of its trust, estate, and retirement plan clients, TC Wealth Partners has remained an employee-owned organization. In 2016, TC Wealth Partners was created as an RIA and now serves as the umbrella organization for the two organizations. The wealth management firm delivers a highly competitive investment platform with a broad array of traditional and non-traditional solutions, centered on client needs. With the change in leadership, one thing remains steadfast: the core value of independent advice, helping individuals, families, and businesses navigate their financial future. We have the talent and capabilities of some of the largest firms, says Reed Murphy, President, but what sets us apart is our independence, client-centered focus and culture. These are values that are attractive to our clients and employees and serve as our guiding lights." With the hiring of CEO Bill Giffin in 2013, TC Wealth Partners began its succession plan. Since then, the company has hired a new Chief Investment Officer and President, Reed Murphy; a strategic operations director, Ferian Nickelson; a director for its Retirement Plan Services, Michael McMorris; and a director for its Trust and Estate Services, Shannon Stevens. The new leadership joins a top-flight, experienced wealth management team that has served TC Wealth Partners clients for many years. With a successful transition behind them, the company now plans to help its clients pass on their legacy and assets to the next generation. We know firsthand the challenges of making a successful transition to the next generation, says Giffin. For individuals and families, its an enormous responsibility to steward the family resources and values for and to the next generation and for generations not yet born. Such transitions require thought, patience, and a deep commitment to the family legacy and a set of core values. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, on September 5, 2018, TC Wealth Partners will host its annual conference with the theme, Trust at 25 Just Getting Started. TC Wealth Partners CIO Reed Murphy will present on the great economic shifts of the last 25 years and how global populism and disruptive technologies may shape the next 25. To register for the conference and learn more about TC Wealth Partners, visit http://www.tcwealthpartners.com/ Oak Street Health, a network of primary care centers providing a new model of value-based primary care to adults with Medicare, will open three new centers in Cleveland, Ohio this Fall. The new Oak Street Health centers will be located in Glenville, West Boulevard and Lee Miles neighborhoods and are projected to provide high-quality care beginning in September through the end of 2018. We are proud to join the vibrant healthcare community in Cleveland to provide additional access to primary care and preventive services, and add new jobs in the communities where our centers operate, said Mike Pykosz, CEO of Oak Street Health. Quality, accessible care is more important than ever. Medicare-eligible adults will benefit from Oak Street Healths innovative care model and our commitment to improved patient outcomes, Pykosz said. Oak Street Health is focused specifically on Medicare-eligible adults located in medically underserved neighborhoods. With close to 20 percent of Clevelands population over the age of 60, and 15 percent between the ages of 50 and 60, demand for healthcare services focused on Medicare-eligible adults is on the rise. Oak Street Health places a strong emphasis on local collaboration to care for patients, and will build partnerships with meal programs, chronic disease self-management programs and refugee services as its presence grows in Cleveland. Oak Street Healths model of care prioritizes value for patients instead of volume of services. Physicians meet with patients three times as often as the industry average, and the companys model has reduced Medicare hospitalization for patients by 40 percent and has led to a 94 percent patient retention rate. Oak Street Healths offers door-to-door transportation to centers for patients, and each center features unique programming including fitness classes, computer lessons, educational opportunities and movie screenings to foster relationships and build community. Dr. Olaoluwa Fayanju will serve as Senior Medical Director for the Ohio region, responsible for leading the primary care and complex care teams. Dr. Fayanjus major initiatives will be to drive the expansion of Oak Street Health across Ohio and ensure clinical as well as operational excellence. Having served as a physician in Chicago for six years, with the last three with Oak Street Health, he has a deep understanding of the challenges and needs of the Medicare-eligible population. Dr. Fayanju is board certified in family medicine and earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine, a Master's of Science in Health Policy and Management from Harvard Universitys T.H. Chan School of Public Health and his undergraduate degree from Harvard College. Im thrilled to lead Oak Street Healths expansion into Cleveland to support our mission to provide personal, equitable and accountable healthcare for all, said Dr. Fayanju. To learn more about Oak Street Healths value-based primary care model, visit http://www.oakstreethealth.com. About Oak Street Health Oak Street Health is a rapidly growing company of primary care centers for adults on Medicare in medically underserved communities where there is little to no quality healthcare. Oak Streets care is based on an entirely new model that is based on value for its patients, not on volume of services. The company is accountable for its patients health, spending more than twice as long with its patients and taking on the risks and costs of their care. Oak Street Health has been investing in communities since 2013 providing much-needed primary care for tens of thousands of people. dormakaba makes hospitality smart and secure. Saffire LX is a sleek contemporary RFID and BLE-enabled electronic door lock with a small footprint to accommodate nearly any design requirement. dormakaba, the provider of Saflok and Ilco electronic door locks will introduce the Saffire LX electronic door lock to HITEC attendees at booth 2401. Saffire LX is dormakabas sleek BLE-enabled RFID access control solution for guest rooms, common areas and back of house use. HITEC takes place June 18 21, 2018 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX. For more information on dormakaba electronic locks and access control systems, click here. dormakaba developed its totally new streamlined, Saffire LX lock as the future of hospitality access control, said Stephen Pollack, dormakaba vice president. dormakaba makes hospitality smart and secure. Saffire LX is a sleek contemporary RFID and BLE-enabled electronic door lock with a small footprint to accommodate nearly any design requirement. It is an easy-to-use and flexible solution that is visually attractive, high-performing and integrates seamlessly with every hotel decor. Saffire LX operation is based on dormakabas Ambiance Access Management Software for flexible property access control, including the Messenger online feature for connected locks. It is ideal for properties of all types that want an advanced, mobile-enabled access management system. Today architects and designers are closely involved in the selection of electronic hotel locks. This means aesthetics are often as important as technology. The Saffire LX is available in a variety finishes, including satin chrome, brass and bronze to complement practically any hotel design. The Saffire LX RFID lock is equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy Technology so guests can safely use their mobile device to access any Saffire LX door at properties equipped with dormakabas mobile access solution. It is perfect for new construction and easily replaces existing mechanical or electronic locks. Saffire LX is available for orders in late 2018. Saffire LX operates in a completely sealed contactless reader for use in all resort environments. Visit dormakaba at HITEC in booth #2401 for a personal demonstration. About dormakaba dormakaba is one of the top three companies in the global market for access and security solutions. With strong brands such as Dorma and Kaba in its portfolio, it is a single source for products, solutions, and services related to doors and secure access to buildings and rooms. With approximately 16,000 employees and numerous cooperation partners, the company is active in over 130 countries. dormakaba is headquartered in Rumlang (Zurich/Switzerland) and generates an annual turnover of over CHF 2 billion. SIX Swiss Exchange: DOKA (formerly: KABN / KABNE) Further information at https://www.dormakaba.com/us-en/solutions/products/lodging-systems/lodging-systems-290050 This award is a testament to our teams commitment to stay on the forefront of cutting-edge technology that enables educators to personalize instruction so that every child has the opportunity to excel throughout their lives. PowerSchool, the leading provider of K-12 education technology solutions, reaching over 30 million students in North America, today announced its PowerSchool Unified Classroom solution has won a 2018 CODiE Award in the Best Classroom Management category for the second year in a row. This prestigious award recognizes PowerSchools innovation in K-12 education, which is helping educators and students unlock their potential in the classroom. CODiE Awards are presented each year after a panel of industry experts conducts an in-depth review of products. This years award builds on PowerSchools recognition in 2017, when it won two CODiE Awards for its Unified Classroom solution. Judges describe Unified Classroom as a well-constructed solution that addresses the needs of a modern classroom, ensuring everyone is connected to a students success. Fueled by our mission to power brighter futures, Unified Classroom was designed and developed to help teachers meet the diverse needs of the classroom by helping students realize their potential, in their own way, said Marcy Daniel, Chief Product Officer at PowerSchool. This award is a testament to our teams commitment to stay on the forefront of cutting-edge technology that enables educators to personalize instruction so that every child has the opportunity to excel throughout their lives. On behalf of the entire PowerSchool team, we are thrilled to receive this award for a second consecutive year and honored by the industry recognition of our innovation in education. The PowerSchool Unified Classroom solution eliminates traditional technology silos and empowers teachers to manage the entire instructional process more efficiently. Teachers can focus on each student with easy-to-use technology that connects the classroom and home. Using a 360-degree view of student performance with a unified software solution, combining assessment, gradebook, learning, and special education products, teachers can see how their instruction is impacting education to improve student achievement. "I am impressed by the level of innovation and creativity demonstrated by the 2018 CODiE award winners. These products are opening doors for learners of all ages by developing and utilizing new technologies to respond to student and educator needs, said Ken Wasch, President of SIIA. Over the last few years PowerSchool has won five CODiE Awards. The company has also been honored by District Administration, which included PowerSchool Student Information System and PowerSchool Special Education in its Top 100 Products list. In 2016 and 2017, THE Journal named PowerSchool the Platinum Readers Choice Award winner in the SIS and Data Management categories and most recently PowerSchool was recognized as the leader in SIS by G2 Crowd. Additionally, PowerSchool CEO Hardeep Gulati was honored as the 2018 CEO of the Year by EdTech Digest. About PowerSchool: At PowerSchool, we believe in the simple truth that every student deserves the best opportunities in life. That's why our mission is to power the education ecosystem with unified technology that helps educators and students realize their potential, in their way. From the back office to the classroom to the home, PowerSchool helps schools and districts efficiently manage instruction, learning, grading, attendance, assessment, analytics, state reporting, special education, student registration, finance, and HR. Today, we're proud to be the leading provider of K-12 education application technology, supporting over 30 million students in over 70 countries. Visit http://www.powerschool.com to learn more. About the SIIA CODiE Awards The SIIA CODiE Awards is the only peer-reviewed program to showcase business and education technologys finest products and services. Since 1986, thousands of products, services, and solutions have been recognized for achieving excellence. For more information, visit http://www.siia.net/codie. Smiles for Everyone Foundation Volunteers Before attending the San Antonio Day of Giving, Sherril had not been to a dentist in 22 years. My dentist was wonderful with such gentle hands! I loved [this event]. Thank you for caring about the community the way you do! says patient Sherril M. Before attending the San Antonio Day of Giving, Sherril had not been to a dentist in 22 years. On Saturday, June 9, nearly 50 volunteers gathered at the Monarch Dental office at 1218 SW Military Drive in San Antonio to provide pro-bono dental services to low-income, underinsured individuals such as Sherril. In partnership with the Smiles for Everyone Foundation, Monarch Dental was able to provide nearly $45,000 in donated dentistry. Smiles for Everyone Foundation also partnered with non-profit organizations around the community to identify individuals in need who would benefit most from this event. These organizations include SAM Ministries, which provides support services for the homeless; YWCA, an organization that strives to eliminate racism and empowers women; Arms of Hope, serving children and single moms; The Children's Shelter; and Big Brothers Big Sisters. With the help of these organizations, the volunteers were able to provide care for over 70 patients during the Day of Giving. "It was such an amazing day to be able to help so many grateful and deserving individuals," says Dr. Marcus Ervin, PC President for San Antonio and Lead Dentist at the Monarch Dental office on Stone Oak Parkway. "It was great to see all of the teams come together from across the market and work as one cohesive team." Since its inception, the Smiles for Everyone Foundation has delivered smiles to over 16,000 people in need, donating over $12 million in dental services. The Day of Giving events are a part of the Foundations Community Smile Project, providing basic dental services such as cleanings, fillings and extractions for low-income, underserved individuals. Smiles for Everyone Foundation has three more Days of Giving planned for Texas in 2018. They will be in Houston, Austin, and Lewisville in the months of July and September. Please visit the Foundations website and connect on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram to learn about current and future programs. About Monarch Dental Monarch Dental provides general dentistry, childrens dentistry and specialty care services such as orthodontics, oral surgery, periodontics and endodontics at 89 locations throughout Texas, Arkansas and Utah. Monarch Dental affiliated practices make it easy and affordable for individuals and families to get the dental care they need with convenient locations, extended hours and same-day appointments. The Monarch Dental mission is to create healthier smiles by making dental visits easy and enjoyable. Learn more at http://www.monarchdental.com. . About the Smiles For Everyone Foundation The Smiles for Everyone Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of delivering smiles for everyone by providing free dental care for those in need, both at home in the U.S. and around the world. Since 2011, the Smiles for Everyone Foundation has delivered over 16,000 smiles and $12 million in donated dentistry. The foundation currently supports programs which provide free dental care to those in need in Cambodia, Ghana, Laos, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Thailand and the United States. For more information or to make a donation, visit http://www.smilesforeveryone.org. Contacts: Monarch Dental Jody Martin PR@smilebrands.com 714.427.1299 Smiles for Everyone Foundation Crystal Strait crystal.strait@smilesforeveryone.org 714.824.5037 ### Adam Stern While the IT establishment is responding to an urgent malware advisory from the FBI, consumers and small businesses unwittingly continue to rely on routers and other devices that may be putting their computer networks at grave risk so warns Adam Stern, founder and CEO of cloud hosting pioneer Infinitely Virtual. Late last month, the FBI issued an advisory recommending that users reboot their routers to thwart a Russia-linked malware infection responsible for compromising half a million devices. Cisco's Talos threat intelligence team revealed the existence of the sophisticated malware known as VPNFilter -- that infected some 500,000 devices across at least 54 countries, affecting products made by Linksys, MikroTik, NETGEAR, TP-Link and QNAP. On June 6, Talos updated its findings to show that VPNFilter has more capabilities than initially reported and has compromised more routers in small businesses and home offices. Among the additional home network vendors targeted: ASUS, D-Link, Huawei, Ubiquiti, UPVEL and ZTE. According to Talos, the malware can "intercept network traffic and inject malicious code into it without the user's knowledge." For anyone who purchased a product like D-Link or NetGear from Best Buy or Wal-Mart, this is a call to arms, Stern said. IT departments acted quickly in response to the FBI advisory but small businesses and home users, dispersed as they are, didnt get the memo. That memo says in the strongest terms possible: you are not protected. Bad actors in India and Russia are pounding on you, and they now have the complete keys to the kingdom. VPNFilter is capable of collecting information, blocking network traffic or disabling the infected device completely and rendering it unusable. The latter destructive capability can be triggered on individual infected machines or en masse to cut off internet access for hundreds of thousands of victims. This is a wakeup call to business owners, Stern said. Its time to place your server in the cloud. VPNFilter, which effectively turns the firewall against the user, is a silent killer. It was repurposed expressly to attack these devices. Without the staff to monitor and log traffic, the days of having a server and feeling secure are over. For SMBs, the perils of shortchanging security are clear, Stern said. The firewall is supposed to be hardened against these kinds of threats, but how do you protect the network when your shield is vulnerable? Thats why its vital for small businesses to have a cloud hosting provider who will handle security for them, with intrusion detection and prevention technologies and the like as a given. In a time when hacks can be toxic, doing anything less is capitulation. According to the IT journal Cyware, VPNFilter is believed to be the creation of Russian hacking group Sofacy, also known as Fancy Bear, APT28 and Pawn Storm. The group has been previously linked to several cyberattacks including the NotPetya ransomware outbreak, the BlackEnergy attacks targeting Ukraine's power grid and the Democratic National Committee breach during the 2016 presidential election. Per Talos' analysis, significant similarities were observed between VPNFilter's code and versions of the BlackEnergy malware. To speak with Adam Stern, please email: admin@edgecommunicationsinc.com. About Infinitely Virtual: The World's Most Advanced Hosting Environment. Infinitely Virtual is a leading provider of high quality and affordable Cloud Server technology, capable of delivering services to any type of business, via terminal servers, SharePoint servers and SQL servers all based on Cloud Servers. Ranked #28th on the Talkin Cloud 100 roster of premier hosting providers, Infinitely Virtual has earned the highest rating of "Enterprise-Ready" in Skyhigh Networks CloudTrust Program for four of its offerings -- Cloud Server Hosting, InfiniteVault, InfiniteProtect and Virtual Terminal Server. The company recently took the #1 spot in HostReviews Ranking of VPS hosting providers. Infinitely Virtual was established as a subsidiary of Altay Corporation, and through this partnership, the company provides customers with expert 247 technical support. More information about Infinitely Virtual can be found at: http://www.infinitelyvirtual.com, @iv_cloudhosting, or call 866-257-8455. Parlacom has signed a commercial and technological agreement with NewNet, further to the pioneering launch of STC (Secure Transaction Cloud), a virtualized system for transmission and processing of payment transactions. Through Parlacom's secure M2M network, SIM cards from any Carrier can now communicate securely from POS (payment terminal) to Acquirers in the financial system. One of the biggest challenges in the market is the ability to offer new security mechanisms coupled with the agility of systems operating in the cloud and, consequently, eliminating high infrastructure costs. The Central Bank of Brazil has just published Resolution No. 4.658, which deals with cybersecurity policy and the requirements for contracting data processing and storage services and cloud computing services. In a secure network and in compliance with PCI rules, payment companies now have a complete and approved platform. According to Clovis Lacerda, CEO of Parlacom, "Payment and financing companies can quickly expand service offerings with more agility, security and lower costs, as they will no longer need costly infrastructure, dramatically reducing ROI." This has been a growing demand in an increasingly competitive market, where start-ups are causing strong disruption of the most traditional models in the industry. "The integration of the M2M platform of Parlacom with our STC application offers the complete solution. It connects the end points of a financial transaction, from the equipment operating a SIM card protected through secure connections until the final transaction authorization with the financial services systems," said Devarajan Puthupparambil, Head of Business, NewNet's Secure Transactions. We are excited to partner with Parlacom to offer this secure, scalable solution. TRANSACT 2018 in Las Vegas has shown the industry's irreversible path in pursuit of safe and secure mechanisms, where "tokenization" and blockchain are at the forefront of expert discussions. Virtualizing this ecosystem of payment systems will respond to the demands of an increasingly complex market, where deployment speed, lower costs and faster ROI will make the competitive difference and NewNets STC offers a leading example of this, enabling Parlacom to deploy services with advanced solution capabilities. About Parlacom Parlacom, one of the largest M2M companies in Brazil, offers global M2M and IoT solutions to technology companies. Its platform is integrated with all the Brazilian operators, processing more than 1 million SIM cards from hundreds of companies in Brazil and abroad. Contact: Sandro Tamman, Executive Director Email: pr@parlacom.net About NewNet Communication Technologies NewNet Communication Technologies is a leading provider of innovative communication and payment solutions. NewNets global customer base includes next generation mobile and fixed line networks, secure transaction transport, enabling global telecom operators, acquirers, processors, financial institutions and enterprises to rapidly develop and deploy cutting edge revenue generating applications that deliver feature-rich, value added services. NewNet Secure Transactions (NST) BU offers secure Payment transaction routing, switching, transport solutions. NewNets payment systems powers over 25% of all global payment card and digital transactions, worldwide. NSTs latest solution of Secure Transaction Cloud (STC) offers virtualized secure payment applications for transaction transport in cloud with specific Virtual Network Functions for Security, Transaction protocols, P2PE, Tokenization, Host Interfaces, Load Balancing etc. for a wide range of payment types including Internet payments, mobile payments, POS/mPOS based transactions and variety of eCommerce, mCommerce payments with PCI compliant HSMs. More information is available at http://www.securetransactionscloud.com Contact: Edison Lima, Regional Sales Director Email: Edison.lima@newnet.com About TRANSACT Conference and Expo promoted by ETA, the most important global organization in the payments industry Iranian deputy interior minister held a telephone conversation with Undersecretary of Turkeys Ministry of Interior Muhterem Ince to urge the continuation of fight against terrorism and organized crime. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - Iranian deputy interior minister held a telephone conversation with Undersecretary of Turkeys Ministry of Interior Muhterem Ince to urge the continuation of fight against terrorism and organized crime. During the telephone call on Sunday, the two sides voiced satisfaction over the expansion of bilateral ties, and called for the continuation of cooperation in the fight against terrorism and organized crime in the region. They also highlighted the need for a closer monitoring of shared borders, especially during critical times in an effort to prevent any terrorist act from taking place. Iranian Deputy Interior Minister for Security and Police Affairs, Hossein Zolfaghari, also called for Turkeys assistance in the arrest and extradition of fugitives, including those who have committed fraud and fled to Turkey. /129 The Greenwich Republican Town Committee (Greenwich RTC) hosted its annual dinner meeting June 13th at Gabriels Italian Steakhouse in Greenwich, CT. This years event provided a unique opportunity to meet many of the Republican gubernatorial, Congressional and State underticket candidates participating in the August 14th primary. Attending the dinner were gubernatorial candidates - Mark Boughton, Tim Herbst, and Steve Obsitnik; for Lieutenant Governor - Joe Markley, Jayme Stevenson, and Erin Stewart; for Secretary of the State - Sue Chapman; and for State Attorney General John Shaban. Also in attendance were Matt Corey and Dominick Rapini, candidates for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, and Harry Arora, who will be the Republican candidate for U.S. Representative for the Congressional 4th District. Local state representatives, State Senator Scott Franz and State Representatives Mike Bocchino, Fred Camillo and Livvy Floren were also in attendance. The evening focused on the Republican vision for restoring the economic viability of the State of Connecticut and ensuring fiscal stability. The highlight of the evening was the keynote presentation from Jim Smith, Chairman of the Board of Webster Bank and Webster Financial Corporation. Mr. Smith discussed his work as Co-Chair on the Commission of Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth. The Commission was tasked with developing and recommending policies to achieve state government fiscal stability and competitiveness. Mr. Smith spoke about the status of our state, including a lagging gross domestic product, flat population, and the slow pace of personal income growth. He noted that all of these factors have diminished Connecticuts competitiveness, especially with neighboring states. He warned of significant threats to our state budget from later year deficits, driven by accelerating fixed expenditures which are crowding out spending and investment and are growing faster than state revenues. Mr. Smith summarized the recommendations of the Commission and reiterated a consistent theme in his presentation that Connecticuts fiscal and economic challenges are not going away and will only get worse with inaction. Mr. Smiths presentation can be found at the RTC website at http://www.greenwichrtc.com. Also honored at the meeting was Felipe Sanches, this years recipient of the James L. Branca Memorial Greenwich Republican Town Committee Scholarship, which is awarded to a student for excellence in political science. Mr. Sanches, the son of Brazilian immigrants, will be the first in his family to attend college and will enroll at the University of Connecticut this fall. Richard DiPreta, Chair of the Greenwich RTC, noted that It was a great evening for Greenwich Republicans to celebrate their recent endorsements of Scott Frantz for State Senate and Mike Bocchino, Fred Camillo and Livvy Floren for State Representative, all incumbents who are intimately connected with our community and work tirelessly on behalf of all of their constituents. We are fortunate that so many candidates for statewide and federal office attended and were able to meet Greenwich Republicans in a social setting, including Mark Boughton, Tim Herbst, and Steve Obsitnik for Governor. Connecticut cannot continue on the downward spiral led by the current administration in Hartford. Republicans offer a clear choice for a sensible government, while not continuing the unsuccessful tax and spend policies that the Democrats are looking to continue. We now have a chance to turn around our State by electing a Republican governor and gaining control of both houses of the General Assembly. About Greenwich RTC The Greenwich Republican Town Committee is an integral part of the Greenwich CT community with members and associates who are committed to a fiscally-sound economic policy that promotes, among other things, an efficient government and spirit of volunteerism that serves all the people of Greenwich without encumbering future generations, encourages responsible stewardship of our precious resources and supports educational excellence, by supporting initiatives that improve the skills of all of our students, regardless of their abilities. To learn more about the Greenwich Republican Town Committee, please visit http://www.greenwichrtc.com or follow us on Facebook at GreenwichRTC. Contact Richard DiPreta, Chairman info@greenwichrtc.com ### This release includes enhancements aimed at empowering timekeepers to enter time as quickly, efficiently and accurately as possible Bellefield Systems, the providers of the fastest path to revenue through its time entry solutions, has released a new version of its desktop interface of its flagship application, iTimeKeep. This release includes many features which will make timekeeping more simple, intuitive and efficient than ever before. Were thrilled to deliver this new version of iTimeKeeps desktop application, which will allow attorneys to practice time entry on their own terms, said Erica Bilski, Product Manager. This release includes enhancements aimed at empowering timekeepers to enter time as quickly, efficiently and accurately as possible. This release includes a full redesign of the desktop application, which was created to give attorneys easy access to key features and will serve as a foundation for additional platform releases later this year. This update also includes new features to improve ease of use for timekeepers based on the way that they work, such as the capability to keep time while multitasking, access to additional calendar views, and visibility into timekeeping progress, including the ability to identify missing time. Were proud to launch the latest version of iTimeKeep desktop, which provides One Experience for attorneys to enter their time as quickly and accurately as possible, regardless of location while using their device of choice. The full redesign, as well as the addition of several user-driven features will deepen the value of the iTimeKeep offering for all of our customers and will serve as the foundation for future platform enhancements that will continue to redefine legal technology, stated Gabriela Isturiz, President. The new version of iTimeKeep Desktop has been rolled out to all iTimeKeep Customers, effective June 18, 2018. About Bellefield Systems & iTimeKeep Bellefield provides the fastest path to revenue by removing barriers to time entry for attorneys and law firms. Through the iTimeKeep platform, Bellefield brings better timekeeping to any law firm or professional services firm by increasing attorney engagement, providing real-time compliance with outside counsel guidelines and enabling firms to manage their time entry policies. In an area that was long disregarded and accepted as a cost of doing business, Bellefields innovations are bringing about efficiencies that allow firms to achieve the best timecard inventory, leading to less rejections, increased compliance and maximum client satisfaction. Bellefield was founded with one simple (yet powerful) purpose: create better timekeepers. iTimeKeep ranks #1 as the most adopted Mobile (and anywhere) Time Entry solution for attorneys for five consecutive years. Bellefields founding members include the former founders of eBillingHub (now Thomson Reuters ), Gabriela Isturiz and Daniel Garcia and software veteran, John Kuntz. Bellefield Systems is an independent, privately held company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit http://www.bellefield.com. For all these reasons, were happy to award Incfile our top rating as the best Company Incorporation Service for 2018. TopConsumerReviews.com recently gave their best-in-class 5 star rating to Incfile, a leader among online services that help to incorporate businesses. From small businesses that want to protect personal assets, to entrepreneurs that want instant credibility and name protection, there are many reasons to incorporate a business. Creating a formal, legal entity such as a corporation provides numerous benefits that a sole proprietorship simply doesnt have. For one, the company owner cant be held personally responsible for the debts of the business. For another, corporations continue to exist as a legal entity even if the owner or management changes. In the recent past, incorporating a business was an expensive and complicated process. However, now there are services available online that can make incorporating a business easy and affordable. Incfile is the place to start when youre thinking about incorporating your business, said Brian Dolezal, of TopConsumerReviews.com, LLC. Theyve have helped over 150,000 business owners form their companies in the 14+ years theyve been around. Because every business is different, Incfile offers three packages of services depending on your needs: Silver, Gold, or Platinum. No matter which package you choose, however, Incfile makes it easy to incorporate with their newly revamped order process. Their packages are rich on perks and low on price, making them a great value buy. And if you have any questions during the process, their customer service is available via phone, email, or online chat. For all these reasons, were happy to award Incfile our top rating as the best Company Incorporation Service for 2018." To find out more about Incfile and other company incorporation services, including reviews and comparison rankings, please visit the Company Incorporation category of TopConsumerReviews.com at https://www.topconsumerreviews.com/company-incorporation/. About Incfile Incfile.com was founded in 2004 and headquartered in Houston, Texas. Since starting we have assisted more than 150,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners form their businesses. Our mission is it to provide a superior user experience at an unparalleled value. About TopConsumerReviews.com TopConsumerReviews.com, LLC is a leading provider of reviews and rankings for thousands of consumer products and services. From Company Incorporation to Trademark Registration and Business Phone Systems, TopConsumerReviews.com delivers in-depth product evaluations in order to make purchasing decisions easier. BigID, the leader in data-driven protection and privacy of personal information, today announced it is joining the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) Advisory Board. The FPF is a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit organization that serves as a catalyst for privacy leadership and scholarship, advancing principled data practices in support of emerging technologies. The FPF Advisory Board brings together industry, academics, consumer advocates and other thought leaders to explore the challenges posed by technological innovation and develop workable privacy protections. BigIDs new senior director of privacy strategy, Debra Farber, will represent BigID on the FPF Advisory Board. "I am delighted to welcome BigID to the Future of Privacy Forum and look forward to Debra's valuable input as an Advisory Board member, said Jules Polonetsky, CEO of the Future of Privacy Forum. At a time when privacy compliance has become more complex and challenging, it's great to be able to engage the leadership of an applied machine learning company focused on simplifying and operationalizing privacy in the enterprise." Debra Farber, JD, CISSP-ISSMP, CIPP/G/US/E, CIPT, CIPM, and Fellow in Privacy, recently joined BigIDs leadership team. Debra brings tremendous experience and expertise in the privacy space, leading key privacy and security initiatives for Visa, IBM, Promontory, American Express and more. BigID is committed to helping organizations deliver data-centric protection and privacy for personal information for the modern enterprise, said Farber. The FPFs mission is a natural complement to BigIDs vision for the future of privacy. Were looking forward to working with the FPF to help bring workable privacy solutions to enterprises and the consumers they serve." In addition to joining the FPF Advisory Board, Farber will also be representing BigID on the FPF AI Working Group. As part of the FPFs promotion of technological privacy innovation, the organization has also launched an Israeli affiliate, the Israel Tech Policy Institute (ITPI), to showcase advances in privacy tech in a new center of excellence. BigID will be featured by the ITPIs kickoff at Israel Cyber Week in Tel Aviv, Israel, held at Tel Aviv University, running June 17 21, 2018. During Cyber Week, BigIDs co-founder and chief product officer, Nimrod Vax, will be speaking on a privacy tech panel as part of the ITPI event, From Local to Global: Technology, Privacy, and Policy for the Digital Economy, on June 18, 2018. Event details are as follows: Privacy Tech (Session organized by The Privacy Protection Authority) June 18, 2018 at 1:00pm-2:00pm IST Moderator: Adv. Gili Basman Reingold, chief legal advisor Israeli Privacy Protection Authority Speakers: Audrey Plonk, senior director of public policy Intel Corporation Gil Perry, CEO D-ID Nimrod Vax, co-founder & chief product officer BigID Orly Friedman Marton, head of legal & corporate affairs Microsoft Yossi Koren, co-founder and CEO Privacy Rating To learn more about BigID or to schedule a product demonstration, go to http://bigid.com/demo or contact BigID at info@bigid.com. About BigID Based in New York and Tel Aviv, BigID uses advanced machine learning and identity intelligence to help enterprises better protect their customer and employee data at petabyte scale. Using BigID, enterprises can better safeguard and assure the privacy of their most sensitive data, reducing breach risk and enabling compliance with emerging data protection regulations like the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Learn more at http://bigid.com or visit http://bigid.com/demo to schedule a demo. Drug abuse and mental health are obviously major concerns with our Veterans and we want to publicize the struggle of the brave men and women of our Armed Services, so the shame and stigma will be reduced. ADDICTION UNPLUGGED is working to humanize addiction and recovery throughout the United States through their new unscripted docu-style reality television show. Riverside Recovery of Tampa will host ADDICTION UNPLUGGED for filming an episode on Veterans and Addiction. Interviews with alumni, staff, and industry experts will focus on combating drug abuse, mental health, and stigma in the veteran and military community. Iraq war veteran, Dan Nevins will be on hand to teach a yoga session with veterans and share his inspiring story after an IED exploded under his vehicle in 2004. "Yoga gives people the tools to look inside themselves for answers to all their problems and that's a really important skill for veterans and military members dealing with the physical and invisible wounds of war, such as addiction. I used to cope with my PTSD by doing physical activities, but yoga has actually helped me heal from it. It's a powerful tool in combination with therapy and treatment that changes and saves lives every day of the healing process," says Nevins. Stuart Goffman, creator and co-executive producer of ADDICTION UNPLUGGED explains, Drug abuse and mental health are obviously major concerns with our Veterans and we want to publicize the struggle of the brave men and women of our Armed Services, so the shame and stigma will be reduced. We chose Riverside Recovery of Tampa to work with us to shine a light on this issue. They have experience, ties to the military community, and a special program dedicated to treating veterans. Brian Anderson of Veterans Alternative, which partners with Riversides VALOR military program, and other veteran advocates will highlight the great work being done in the Tampa community to partner with military and veterans who suffer from substance use disorders. We are very excited to be selected as the host treatment center for the Military and Veterans episode of ADDICTION UNPLUGGED, says Kirk Kirkpatrick, Co-Founder and CEO of Riverside Recovery of Tampa. The military has a long history as a great neighbor in the Tampa Bay community. We are proud to give back with our VALOR Program to help our countrys veterans dealing with addiction and mental health. ADDICTION UNPLUGGED follows millennial motivational speaker/rapper Ben Stone across the US, city by city, as he humanizes addiction and recovery, working to de-stigmatize the disease. ADDICTION UNPLUGGED will debut this fall via a major US cable channel and other TV outlets, globally. The media is invited to Riverside Recovery at 11 am on Tuesday June 19th to meet the staff of the show and veterans participating in the filming. Written by Chaim Linder and published by his son, the new book, ANGELS ALWAYS COME ON TIME (published by Lulu) is the memoir of a Hasidic boy coming-of-age in Jerusalem during the 1900s. The book is available for purchase at: https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Always-Come-Chaim-Linder-ebook/dp/B078P3CBZQ. Clarion review, a part of Foreword Review, calls ANGELS ALWAYS COME ON TIME a remarkable memoir. The early decades of the 20th century were a time of empire and war, when the old order was giving way to the new. The narrator Chaim, chronicles the lives and deaths of his parents, siblings, various relatives and friends. Their stories, personal, and unique, are part of the grand sweep of history. They show the unconquerable spirit of men and women who, facing war, famine and destruction, strive to find haven, and a place for themselves in the world. The book, in action and theme, is both universal and timeless, Mark says. A reading of todays news and events will remind the reader, in many ways, of the world of Angels Always Come On Time. ANGELS ALWAYS COME ON TIME By Chaim Linder with Mark Linder Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 668 pages | ISBN 9781483476612 Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 668 pages | ISBN 9781483476629 E-Book | 668 pages | ISBN 9781483476636 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Authors Chaim Linder was born in Jerusalem in 1907, one of seven children in an ultra-orthodox Jewish family. In 1929 after World War I and the Arab riots, he left Jerusalem for America. There, expecting to find gold at his feet, he encountered the harsh realities of the Great Depression. He taught himself English, became a tri-lingual linotypist. In New York, he met an emigre from Jerusalem. They married and moved to Brooklyn, where they raised a family of four sons. Chaim retired in 1972 and began working on his memoir. Now, 20 years after his death, one of his sons, Mark Linder, a professional novelist, edited the manuscript, determined to bring the story of Chaim and his ancestors to life in ANGELS ALWAYS COME ON TIME. kvCORE Platform by Inside Real Estate "Nothing matters more to us than the success of our clients; growing our stellar team is critical to making this happen, says Stringham. In the effort to support its 149% year-over-year revenue growth and massive demand for its leading cloud software, Inside Real Estate has made some recent high-profile hires. These hires are well-known and well-respected within the real estate and tech industries, and position Inside Real Estate as a powerhouse brand with solutions for real estate brokers, teams and agents at every stage of their business. With the continued torrid pace of growth at Inside Real Estate, says Ned Stringham, Chief Executive Officer, we have bolstered our leadership ranks with some industry veterans and significantly expanded our management capability to support the growth ahead. Inside Real Estate launched kvCORE Platform late last year and the company has been working tirelessly to keep up with the demand and ensure successful onboarding. Nothing matters more to us than the success of our clients; growing our stellar team is critical to making this happen, says Stringham. Recent hires include: Jeb Griffin, VP Customer Success & Training Griffin is a ten-year veteran from RE//MAX corporate as a Technology Trainer, Senior Product Manager and Director of Strategy and Product Management. Paul Salley, Director Business Development and Marketing - Salley co-founded the Technology Consulting Division of REAL Trends where he consulted with top brokerages in the US and Canada with every facet of technology selection, implementation and digital marketing. Joan Dailey, VP Marketing Dailey has 20 years of tech marketing experience and most recently served as VP of Corporate Marketing for SmartZip, where she implemented programs that were attributed to over half of the revenue growth each year. Cameron McIntosh, VP Enterprise Sales - McIntosh joined the team late 2017 and brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles as Senior Manager, Industry Relations for Zillow Group and Strategic Business Consultant for Dotloop where he managed their most strategic accounts. These recent hires have been perfectly timed with Inside Real Estates acqusition of two major software companies, Circlepix and Brokersumo. With these acquisitions, Inside Real Estate has brought Circlepix and Brokersumos top leadership into the fold: Greg Gehring, SVP Circlepix Operations - Gehring has been with Circlepix since 2001, where he served as Chief Operations Officer. He was instrumental in the development of Circlepixs premier software solutions, PIXmarketing and PIXsocial. Craig Johnson, VP Sales Circlepix - Johnson is a 30-year sales veteran with extensive technology sales and leadership experience, having worked for TDAmeritrade, Novell, and InsideSales.com. Jeremy Shoenig, Director Brokersumo - Shoenig has twelve years of real estate industry experience, most recently as Founder and CEO of Brokersumo. Shoenig built Brokersumo on a shoestring budget and a skeleton crew to become the leader in real estate financial software. Griffin, Dailey, Salley, McIntosh, Gehring, Johnson and Shoenig join an impressive roster of real estate marketing leaders already established at Inside Real Estate, including Ned Stringham (CEO), Doug Folsom (CFO), Joe Skousen (Founder & Chief Revenue Officer), Justin Tracy (Founder & Chief Innovation Officer), Nick Macey (Chief Product Officer), Carole Smets (Chief Operations Officers), Brian Hoilamen (SVP Sales & Business Development), and Sonam Sherpa (SVP Sales). ABOUT INSIDE REAL ESTATE Inside Real Estate is among the fastest growing real estate software companies in the market and serves tens of thousands of agents, teams, and brokers throughout the U.S. and Canada. The company is the developer of the kvCORE Platform, the only platform where brokers, teams, and agents run their entire business on one solution. The platforms components include a powerful lead engine, website & IDX tools, a smart AI-infused CRM, consumer and mobile apps, and transaction integrationsall built on a scalable cloud infrastructure and powered by sophisticated automation and analytics to understand and grow your business. Customers also enjoy access to Insides Marketplace where they can easily add-on dozens of vetted solutions including Kunversion, Circlepix, BrokerSumo, and other leading third-party products. Visit Inside Real Estate to learn more. The North Carolina State Bar is joining a group of legal technology pioneers in driving necessary awareness, adoption and changes in the way legal services are provided in this current age of digital living. Systems East, Inc., a leading provider of comprehensive finance, billing, and payment solutions since 1981, announced today that it will be attending and exhibiting at the North Carolina Bar Association Annual Meeting, hosted in Wilmington, North Carolina, from June 21- 24, 2018. This years North Carolina State Bar Annual Meeting will focus on technology and how it impacts current and future trends in the practice of law. The program schedule will offer Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit for courses on cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology. Further, the NCBA is proposing that one out of twelve required CLE hours include technology training. The North Carolina Supreme Court is set to review these recommended changes for approval in time for them to go into effect for the 2019 CLE compliance year. Those in the legal industry will recall that, in 2006 and 2015, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure were amended to address how legal practitioners should address and handle technology. Since then, the American Bar Association has included technology education requirements in its Rules of Professional Conduct, the California State Bar issued an Opinion making learning about eDiscovery and technology an ethical obligation, and the Florida State Bar became the first to adopt a technology CLE requirement for its licensed practitioners. As Education and Training SME for Systems East, Inc., Melissa Rogozinski observes, This is an exciting time for State Bar Associations. The North Carolina State Bar is joining a group of legal technology pioneers in driving necessary awareness, adoption and changes in the way legal services are provided in this current age of digital living. Since our ePayments product and education strategy revolve around technology and related training, we knew we wanted to be a part of this event and support the North Carolina Bars leadership and progress in this area. The North Carolina Bar Association is a voluntary statewide organization composed of more than 20,000 lawyers, judges, paralegals and law students. The NCBA was founded 1899 and is based at the N.C. Bar Center, located at 8000 Weston Parkway in Cary. Volunteer service and leadership permeates virtually every aspect of the organization, from four divisions devoted to young lawyers, senior lawyers, paralegals and law students, to 31 practice specialty sections, to the various committees, commissions and task forces of the NCBA. The NCBA Diversity Statement: The North Carolina Bar Association is an inclusive organization committed to recognizing, respecting, promoting and encouraging diversity among its leadership, its membership and the entire legal community. Systems East, Inc. is headquartered in the Finger Lakes Region of Central New York and maintains satellite offices in South Carolina, Florida, and Arizona. The company has an established record of providing professional assistance to thousands of clients all over the nation. In its history approaching four decades, the experienced staff has specialized in the development of a variety of software products that are comprehensive, easy to use, and cost-effective. Systems East has consistently enjoyed steady and sustainable growth, resulting in a positive financial position every year, has no debt and has never sought or received funding from external sources such as banks or venture capitalists. This financial independence permits a focus on quality and service instead of shareholder income and is consistent with a management strategy that focuses on attraction and retention of both clients and employees. Systems East assists its clients in handling billions of dollars in transactions annually. Barrier Plastics recently welcomed the addition of Ervin McGee, recently retired from Pipeline Packaging, to its professional Sales Team. Joining with Ken Brennan, Account Manager (AM) residing on the East Coast, Ervin comes to Barrier Plastics with extensive sales and management experience from various distribution roles including Grainger and Sears. Ervin has over ten (10) years experience in Packaging having worked as an AM for both EP Container in CA and Pipeline Packaging in Houston where he was highly regarded by both his customers and colleagues. Ervin will be responsible for managing and developing Barrier Plastics Markets and Customers located in the Midwest, Southwest and the West. We are very excited regarding Ervins addition and look forward to his continuing success. In conjunction with expanding our sales efforts, Barrier Plastics announces the opening of new sales offices located thru out the U.S. Firstly, Barrier Plastics has a new Headquarters office in Newport Beach which was opened a few months ago. Located in SoCal, near our CA customers, the Artesia warehouse and John Wayne Airport, the new HQ is ideally located for our West Coast customers. Additional offices have been opened in NV, Chicago and Houston to support our Midwest and Southwest customers. An office was recently opened in Central FL to support our SE customers; and, a new office will be opened in Northern NJ to support our NE customers. Ken Brennan, AM East, will work from these locations. Moreover, a redesign of the Barrier Plastics website has been launched. The new website, http://www.barrierplastics.com, was designed to be more user friendly while presenting additional technical information that customers have been requesting regarding the Quoral Barrier Resin (BR), produced by our sister company BP Polymers, http://www.bppolymers.com. Customers wanted to understand more fully the usage of Quoral in HDPE bottles, trademarked Baritainers, manufactured thru Barrier Plastics. Technical documentation, including micrograph photos of the Quoral BR present in Baritainer products have been made more visible. Resource documents including Baritainer product collateral, reference material and other articles maybe downloaded in .pdf formats. Finally, a mobile version has also been created. Kevin Callahan, Chief Operating Officer Barrier Plastics and BP Polymers, remarked, The rapid growth in both Barrier Plastics and BP Polymers necessitated the addition of experienced sales personnel as well as support infrastructure including the expansion of the number of offices. In addition to the website redesign and refresh, additional projects focused on product development are underway that will continue to increase the value for customers of using the Quoral BR technology. These enhancements will be announced shortly via the new website. It is an exciting time for both Barrier Plastics and BP Polymers. ABOUT BARRIER PLASTICS Barrier Plastics was founded in 2008 after years of extensive materials research and product development. Based in California, Barrier Plastics is the sole US manufacturer of Quoral BR Baritainers. Barrier Plastics' sister company, BP Polymers, LLC, is also located in Southern California. For more information, please visit us at http://www.barrierplastics.com or http://www.bppolymers.com. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi welcomed the Afghan government decision to extend truce after Eid al-Fitr holidays in the war-ravaged country. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - Bhram Ghasemi, the Spokesman of Iranian Foreign Ministry voiced his content with reciprocal commitment of Afghanistans government and Taliban terrorist group to the temporary ceasefire of Eid al-Fitr and welcomed the extension of the truce by the government of Afghanistan. The Iranian diplomat voiced hope to see both sides continue and preserve respecting the truce. Also, Mr. Ghasemi expressed hope that the extension of the truce pave the way for starting a new chapter of constructive and modern procedure advocating dialogue for peace and establishing stability and serenity in Afghanistan. Earlier on June 8, Afghanistans President Ghani offered temporary ceasefire with the Taliban on the occasion of the Islamic feast of Fitr, the holiday which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Afterward, the Afghan Taliban followed the Afghanistan government's lead announcing a three-day cease-fire over the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. A suicide bomber blew himself up in Afghanistan's eastern city of Nangarhar on Saturday as mostly Taliban fighters gathered to celebrate a three-day ceasefire marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, killing at least 26 people. The attack left another 41 wounded. Expressing sympathy over the tragic incident, Irans Ghasemi said, early on Sunday, 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 and demonstrated with another crime that their survival and persistence lie in committing crimes and sowing discord. The ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement from Amaq News Agency, the terrorist group's media wing. /129 Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East Sayyed Mohammad Saidi said that stubbornly confronting the enemies and the promotion of affection and friendship between the believers is a model of confrontation between the friends and the enemies from the point of view of the Holy Quran. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - In his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large and fervent crowd of believers at the Holy Shrine of Lady Fatimah al-Masumah in Qom on Eid al-Fitr [the Feast of Breaking the Fast], Sayyed Mohammad Saidi issued a general invitation to the believers present at the congregational prayers to have piety, stated, Fasting is not just devoted to the religion of Islam but Eid al-Fitr is one of the specialties of Islam. Muslims from across the world, including in Iran, celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Friday, by participating in the occasions special congregational prayers. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadhan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. The custodian of the Holy Shrine of Lady Fatimah al-Masumah emphasized that none of the heavenly religions have had a festival at the end of a month where the believers are considered as the guests of God and added, The believers must pay attention to the fact that on Eid al-Fitr, spending money which is always accompanied with the intention of charity, insures ones faith for a year of servitude. Sayyed Al Saidi described Zakat al-Fitr, a charity given to the poor at the end of the fasting in the holy month of Ramadhan, as bringing one closer to God and said, In his description of Eid al-Fitr, the Commander of the Faithful [Imam Ali] states: Oh God! Have mercy upon us and forgive us for our negligence and misdeeds for You are great and magnanimous. This is the day that God has placed it for you Muslims an Eid and made you worthy and deserving of this Eid. So always remember God so that God will remember you. Call on Him so He will answer you. On this day blessed day, pay your Zakat al-Fitr as this is the tradition of your prophet and it is obligatory on you from the Lord. In his second sermon, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Qom referred to the withdrawal of the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and said, The pattern of confrontation of the believers with the enemies has been described in the Holy Quran as: Muhammad, the Apostle of God, and those who are with him are hard against the faithless and merciful amongst themselves [48:29]. He added, In opposition to the enemies and to protect [Islamic] unity, the believers must prevent the enemies from creating division and bipolarity in society to the extent that stubbornly confronting the enemies and the promotion of affection and friendship between the believers is a model of confrontation between the friends and the enemies from the point of view of the Holy Quran. Sayyed Al Saidi said, The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei] has always invited the officials and people to stubbornly oppose the enemies. His Eminence referred to the importance of establishing a culture of simple and comprehensive table spreads and meals during the month of Ramadhan and added, Adhering to simple and prevalent table spreads is one of the issues emphasised by the Supreme Leader that the people must pay serious attention to. /129 A startup financial technology company, Branch International has boasted about disbursing N1 billion worth of loans to 100,000 Nigerians. Barely one year after after it kicked off operations in Nigeria - having operated in Kenya, Tanzania, India and Mexico - Branch internationals Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Flannery confirmed that the Nigerian arm of the financial institution has over 200, 000 users, issued over 100,000 loans and disbursed about N1 billion to users of the financial app. Flannery said: I couldnt be more thrilled to be working in Nigeria with Branch. The startup community is incredibly dynamic, and the country is poised for a FinTech explosion. The early response from our customers shows that there is a massive need for a product like Branch. We hope to play a significant role in increasing access to modern financial services in Nigeria over the next decade. ALSO READ: Fintech startup secures $6.9m funding to expand loan across Africa How to get a loan now Explaining its operations, Flannery said that the of the Fintech startup offers a unique proposition to the average citizen while providing users with access to instant loans on their mobile devices. Flannery also noted that smartphone users can receive loans between N3,000 to N150,000 without regular requirements such as face-to-face meetings, lengthy application processes, collateral or paperwork. Explaining further, Flannery said as customers repay their loan, they unlock access to larger loan amounts and more flexible terms. However, his prayers could not save Ras Kimono from death. Ukeleke Onwubuya, better known as Ras Kimono, passed away in Lagos on Sunday, June 10, 2018, after battling short illness. Days after his death, Blakk Rasta has now revealed that he dreamt of the death of Ras Kimono in November 2017. "After the dream, I called Kimono and told him I had a very bad dream and he quickly asked me if he was going to die", Blakk Rasta told SVTV Africa in an exclusive interview. READ MORE: Reggae icon Ras Kimono dies at 60 According to Blakk Rasta, "Ras humbled himself when I told him about the dream and we prayed powerfully but that couldn't save him." The robbers, one of who is believed to be a security guard had robbed Abyssinia Bank of about 206,000 dollars and were escaping when they met the traffic jam, as they were hurrying to avoid arrest. They had reportedly attempted to run away, but some of them were arrested by passersby who had initially suspected hit and run. However, a peep into the car revealed bundles of suspicious money hidden in the car. Director of communications for the Abyssinia Bank, Aschalew Tamiru confirmed the robbery at his outfit to the BBC. READ MORE: Disappointed robber demands refund of bribe paid to police Aschalew Tamiru is quoted as saying: My friends and I tried to follow them but the car couldnt go beyond 50 meters due to the crash it suffered. I saw them driving the car down the wrong lane. Because of the traffic jam, the driver jumped out of the car and started running. Another young man from the passenger seat followed the driver. "Then the people around the area started shouting and tried to stop them but one of the guys was holding a knife." The Addis Ababa police have also confirmed the arrest of the robbers. Spokesperson of the police, Fassika Fenta is reported to have said about 5m birr ($185,000; 136,000) was saved for the bank. READ ALSO: Bank robber arrested after he was seen sharing his opinion in a TV interview Reports say the security guard at the bank who is suspected to have conspired with the robbers to attack the bank was among two of the suspects who had initially escaped. Daily mail reported that Samen Kondorura was hit by the coffin when pallbearers lost their footing in an attempt to lift the coffin up a bamboo ladder in the Parinding valley in North Toraja district. Though all the men carrying the coffin fell as the structure collapsed, Samen Kondorura was not lucky. He got injured and was rushed to the hospital where he died. Chief Commissioner of the Tana Toraja resort police, Julianto Sirait who confirmed the incident is quoted as saying: As the mothers coffin was being raised to the lakkian, suddenly the ladder shifted and collapsed, the coffin fell and hit the victim. READ MORE: Prostitutes say sex work will suffer without Tramadol The police commissioner added that the ladder collapsed because it was not properly mounted before the pallbearers started ascending it with the coffin. A video of the incident circulating online shows that the men had almost reached the top of the tower when the ladder slipped. Man crushed to death by his mothers coffin Some onlookers screamed and quickly rushed to rescue the victims, while others took photos of the scene. Speaking to TV Africa News, the donors expressed joy for participating in the exercise and the fact that it's an opportunity for them to help save lives whiles others also said they joined the donation as a sign of loyalty to TV Africa. It was not just about donating, patrons had the opportunity to check for their hemoglobin test, blood pressure, among others. The donors also were thrilled with musical performances from some artists and were fully refreshed with products from cowbell, Ghandour and other partners. Veronica Ofosuhemaa Owusu-Ansah, Head of Media and brands for TV Africa, disclosed that the blood donation is a charitable event TV Africa is embarking on as part of its corporate social responsibility to give back to society. She added that the exercise is also part of the company's positioning strategies. Some celebrities that passed through were Niikki, Khadijat from the breakfast live show, Classy Judy of Odo confession fame, Sika, Shirley FRIMPONG MANSO, and a host of others.T here was a network session for the donors, presenters, and stakeholders of TV Africa as well. Queen Elizabeths cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten has announced that he will be marrying his partner, James Coyle, in a small ceremony in a chapel on his Devon estate. The two had met earlier at a fancy ski resort in Switzerland. Mountbatten was previously married to a his ex-wife, Penny, for 16 years, and they have three children together. The two are still on great terms, though shes going to give him away at the wedding, which has the full blessing of the family. It was the girls idea, she told The Daily Mail. It makes me feel quite emotional. Im really very touched. In the interview, Penny says she knew her ex-husband identified as bisexual before they married. "I could sense he was quite relieved sharing his secret, particularly with someone who was so receptive," she says. "Because I have lots of gay friends and cousins, I'm very open-minded about sexuality. He seemed like he'd offloaded a huge burden. It definitely made us closer from that moment onwards because he trusted me." As for the upcoming wedding, Mountbatten says he wants to do it for his partner James. "He hasn't been married... For me, what's interesting is I don't need to get married because I've been there, done that and have my wonderful children," he explains. "But I'm pushing it because I think it's important for him.James hasn't had the stable life I have," says Mountbatten "I want to give you that," he told Coyle. Togbe Afede XIV said this when at a sensitisation workshop for traditional authorities on illegal mining in Accra on Monday, 18 June 2018. He argued that the members of the national house of chiefs are of the view that the government should only lift the ban when it finds a lasting remedy to the galamsey menace. READ ALSO: Fuel prices to drop again this week The Agbogbomefia of Asogli State also emphasised that the process of licensing miners should be reviewed. "The National House of Chiefs advises on the maintenance of the ban on illegal mining until such a time that solutions are found to the harmful effects of this activity and also until such time that enough has been put in place in terms of monitoring and feedback that will ensure that the dangers of illegal mining are minimised. "Among others again is a suggestion that the state should include security agencies in the fight against illegal mining." "Also, important is the suggestion that the processes for licensing of mining activities should be reviewed such that only those who are qualified and have the capacity to observe the duties involved are allowed to mine." Hamas movement on Sunday expressed its appreciation for the report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization on the Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - Hamas movement on Sunday expressed its appreciation for the report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization on the Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. Hamas said in a statement that the HRW report confirms Israel's involvement in war crimes against Palestinian peaceful demonstrators and use of false arguments and pretexts to justify its deliberate killing of civilians. The Movement added that the findings of the report reflect part of the suffering experienced by the Palestinians due to the unjust siege imposed on them for over 12 years now, which, Hamas said, constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law and amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity. Hamas called on the concerned international organizations to adopt this report, assume their legal, humanitarian and moral responsibilities toward Gaza and its people, and make every possible effort to end the blockade immediately and unconditionally. /129 He said this will happen immediately the government finalises a comprehensive roadmap to deal with illegal mining. According to the President, the comprehensive roadmap will involve the reclaiming and re-afforestation of mined-out areas; the restoration of impacted water bodies; and strict supervision of the processes of awarding mining licenses and associated permits. Additionally, the roadmap will incorporate the establishment of a mercury pollution abatement project; the implementation of alternative livelihood projects; systematic control of the engagement of excavators and change fans in mining areas; and continued formalisation and regulation of the small-scale mining sector. READ ALSO: Fuel prices to drop again this week When the ban is lifted, you will have a responsibility, as was successfully discharged in the days of our forefathers, to continue to help preserve our lands, water bodies, and environment. We all have a duty to say no to galamsey for our own common survival and the survival of those who are to come. If we allow it, we are jeopardising both our present and our future. This cannot be over-emphasised, he added. President Akufo-Addo said this when he delivered the keynote address at the sensitisation workshop for traditional and religious leaders on the elimination of illegal mining in Ghana, held at the Accra International Conference Centre on Monday (June 18, 2018). When Nana Addo was sworn into office, one of the first issues he had to handle was the illegal mining menace popularly referred to as galamsey. Cabinet then set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, with the world-renowned scientist, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, as the chair. The Committee, at the commencement of its work, recommended an initial 6-month ban on small-scale mining activities, a request which was assented to by the President. The ban has, since then, been extended. The committee put in measures to stop galamsey. Some of these measures were the ban on illegal mining, the launching of Operation Vanguard; the training of small-scale miners in sustainable mining methods at the George Grant University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa; and regular interactions between the Inter-Ministerial Committee and the Small-Scale Miners Association to craft a Code of Practice for small-scale mining operations. The kind gesture by the waste management experts is a consistent ritual undertaken by the company every year to celebrate important Islamic days and appreciate the good working relationship that has existed between Muslims and Zoomlion. The Communications and Corporate Affairs Director of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mrs. Emma Akyea-Boakye who presented Bags of rice, ram, cooking oil to the national Chief Imam in a statement indicated that, the growth of Zoomlion can be attributed to the continuous prayers offered by the religious leader to the company and the smooth working relationship that has existed between Muslims and Zoomlion. She said the company is determined to intensify its waste management efforts in Zongo communities to keep them clean as part of the agenda of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa. Mrs Akyea-Bokye mentioned the Hajj Village among other projects being supported by Zoomlion and assured the Muslim communities of the companys continuous support. The National Chief Imam, Dr. Sheikh Usumanu Nuhu Sharabutu offered a special prayer to Zoomlion and asked for Allahs blessings on its Executive Chairman, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong and other staff of the company. He also thanked the company for the waste management service it provides around his Fadama residence. READ ALSO: Fuel prices to drop again this week The Zoomlion team also proceeded to the office of the Head of Ghana Ahmadiyyah Muslim Mission to donate bags of rice, ram and cooking oils. The Head of the Mission, Alhaji Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih also expressed his gratitude to Zoomlion and asked for Allahs blessing for the company. This, he said, is a narrow interpretation of religion which must neither be condoned or encouraged by church leaders. These days, we are in danger of getting things out of balance and allowing our lives to be taken over completely by a narrow interpretation of religion. Hard work, cleanliness and respect for the law used to be important attributes of religiosity. Hard work, the preacher men used to tell us, pays dividends. We were urged to give to Caesar what was Caesars and to God what was Gods. Miracles occurred, but they were not everyday occurrences. We were urged to work hard and that was the basis of success, the President said. He noted that there is the need to have a proper balance between religion and work. According to him, many have left their businesses unattended to and have devoted too much time to religion. We take out a week for every funeral and expect our businesses to thrive because we invoke the name of the Almighty. The Father of the deceased, Richard Yaw Asante told Accra FM that her wife was carrying the baby when she slipped and fell on Thursday (June 14, 2018). My wife slipped on the staircase with the baby, 2 years, and the babys head hit the wall. She suddenly collapsed. Blood was oozing out of the head. So, I quickly rushed them to the Valley View hospital where the baby was given some drips. From there they referred us to the 37 Military hospital. The first disappointment started from Valley View when they were arranging for an ambulance. It took about an hour for us to get an ambulance. When the ambulance came, the arrangement was made and oxygen and water were placed on her, he continued. The baby was not stable when they got to 37 Military Hospital. The child was referred to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. So, the mother, the driver and another nurse who were in the ambulance drove to Korle-Bu and I also followed them. He continued: One thing happened on the way to the 37 Military hospital. The ambulance driver bypassed the Chief Justices convoy and one of the dispatch riders followed the ambulance to 37 and arrested the driver. But that matter was settled and we moved on although I was angry. We continued to Korle-Bu where they had referred the child to. When I got there, they had taken the child out of the ambulance and they were at the emergency centre. Even the gadget that was used in checking the pulse, I had to buy it myself, GHS200. I bought virtually everything that was used. He said the doctor told him they needed to have a CT scan. However, he was told that the hospitals CT scan was spoilt and so he needed to do it somewhere else. I asked where I could get the nearest lab to do the scan yet they could not tell me. So, I quickly called a friends daughter who is a doctor at Korle-Bu to assist us. She came and examined the girl and said we needed to arrange for an ambulance for the girl to undergo the scan. He said the President has fulfilled most of his promises just last than two years into his tenure. According to the minister, the previous government must rather be blamed for poorly implementing such projects as a lot of them require total retooling before it can be made viable. One of such programmes, he said is the Komenda Sugar factory which according to him, was poorly executed with a lot of tax payers money going down the drain. His comments come on the back of claims by the paramount chief of Komenda, Nana Kojo Kru II that government is dragging its feet in making the project operational despite meeting all requirements. Professor Attafuah said the vociferous NPP lacks the knowledge into the processes of the issuance of the cards. He was made these comments as a response to claims by Kennedy Agyapong that expenditure for the project is ridiculous and he could have got the cards done for just $50m. "$50 million is not a realistic amount and we are not producing sandpaper laminated cards. We are producing the topmost range of ID cards in the world that will take this country into the future, he added. Kennedy Agyapong said he bid the contract with some Indian firm which would have cost the nation $50m instead of the $1.5b being quoted as the cost of the project. Prof Attafuah explained that it was impossible, with the kind of card Ghana wanted to produce, to adopt the system a company Mr Agyapong had interest in, proferred. Somebody just came and said I can do it for 50 [million dollars]. They did not provide any details, no specifications, nothing", he said. The group called on him to lead the NDC to solve the worsening economic conditions of the ordinary Ghanaian since 2017. In a press statement signed by the former Northern Regional Minister and High Commissioner to Angola, Moses Mabengba, he said "We have followed with keen interest the devaluing of politico-socio-economic situation in our beloved country since January 7th, 2017 and have come to one conclusion, it will only take the return of John Mahama to put this country back on the path to progress. READ MORE: Mahama shades Bawumia over Cedi depreciation "The increasing tension, polarisation of the country, unrepentance nepotism and cronyism, unprecedented corruption with the seat of the presidency serving as a clearing house for accused corrupt officials and the disruption of the public and civil services." The statement added "The worsening economic conditions of the ordinary Ghanaian since 2017 is as the result of the excessive lies, immaturity, crass supersonic and flamboyant incompetence, low standards and propaganda." Below is the full statement: PRESS STATEMENT BY THE NORTHERN SAVANNAH GROUP DECLARATION OF SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA We the good people of the northern savannah zone after broad consultations and deliberations declare our total support for the return of H.E John Dramani Mahama as flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and ultimately President of the Republic of Ghana. We have followed with keen interest the devaluing of politico-socio-economic situation in our beloved country since January 7th, 2017 and have come to one conclusion, it will only take the return of John Mahama to put this country back on the path to progress. The increasing tension, polarisation of the country, unrepentance nepotism and cronyism, unprecedented corruption with the seat of the presidency serving as a clearing house for accused corrupt officials and the disruption of the public and civil services. We worry about the concomitant effects of the rising unemployment including the professional categories, the halting of relevant infrastructural development, increasing crime rate and the conscious return of cash and carry in the health service as a result of failed NHIS. The worsening economic conditions of the ordinary Ghanaian since 2017 is as the result of the excessive "lies, immaturity, crass supersonic and flamboyant incompetence, low standards and propaganda." As Ghanaians, we felt hugely betrayed by our conscience that we allowed the extremely incompetent, heartless and selfish gang of patriots who misled us into throwing out our truthful, honest, and caring John Mahama. Those who warned us about this suicidal venture have been vindicated by the wanton corruption in Ghana, the deceit, the highest level of insecurity experienced daily by ordinary Ghanaians, the failure and cluelessness we are experiencing today in Ghana. We don't need any expect or a spirit filled preacher to tell us all is not well in Ghana because we the common people know how we felt under JM and how it feels today. However, thank God all is not lost. The purpose of God remains and is available to us. We are determined to correct our mistake. John Mahama is available by the grace of God. We have this moral duty to appeal passionately to him to return and continue the good work he started and save our country from the man made disaster and mess visited on us by the Nana-Bawumia administration. In this regard, we appeal to the larger NDC fraternity to welcome John Mahama back as he hinted, to lead the party again to victory. There is great hope if we engage in this venture again. This is not however, meant to say the internal democratic practices of the great NDC party should be endangered. We encourage all those who are desirous of contesting the flagbearership of the party to do so without any qualms. We sincerely urge them to be clean in their campaign even though we would have wished they throw their support to H. E John Mahama in order to form a strong force to fight for victory. In the same vein we wish to respectfully admonish those in the inner circles to be circumspect in their conduct so we can consolidate the Unity of the Party. We also strongly suggest to John Dramani Mahama to bring all on board right from the Founder to the foot soldiers. A tree does not make a forest. Many bushes, plants, thorns, small and huge trees as well as all sorts of animals and reptiles make a beautiful forest. Going forward, we also entreat all party members and aspirants to ensure transparent constituency and regional elections. We strongly believe that victory is made possible through proper organization of the grassroots. For the process to foster progress in our party, all concerned must accept the verdicts and quickly regroup to begin the journey to recapture power in unity come 2020. Rawlings has described Desoso as a crook and conwoman who cannot be trusted. He alleged that hat a crook like Rawlings who took 5 million dollars corrupt money from Abacha and not only that but sold Nsawam Cannery to his wife Nana Konadu Rawlings should be the same white man from Babylon to call his mother, Anita Desoso a crook. CHECK OUT HIS FULL STATEMENT BELOW The Drama Of The Crooked and Cocky Mr and Mrs Jerry John Rawlings!!Bad company corrupts good character but the company of an unrepentant defeated miserable wife is worse than corrupted VOODOO, requiring higher deliverance Author UnknownComrades, Ladies and Gentleman Happy Fathers Day and Eid Holidays to you especially siblings of the Islamic fraternity (Bismillah Rahmani Raheem). Ordinarily, today is special moment for every person of faith, regardless of beliefs, to observe and reflect on our life while seeking new ways to improve the weak and vulnerable in society with our best perceived values of truth, probity, accountability among others.Religiously, I have been observing my quiet time until I sighted a looming boom from no ordinary person than a man I have known to be more charismatic than all Catholic Popes divided or combined, H.E Jerry John Rawlings our former Military leader and President.The New Drama of the RawlingsMr Rawlings in a new twist of events is heard calling the National Vice Chairperson of his founded party Anita De-Sosoo as a CROOK, adding to his unpopular insane venomous rhetorics, and of course, more to come. I have known Madam Anita De-Sosoo, the personality under attack in question as one of few women of good standing who has unreservedly and unapologetically dedicated her entire parental life to her natural love for the vulnerable in society via meaningful political leadership.But of course, the only wise white man in babylon is certainly at his best again! But this wont occur without any DRAMA or call it Cantata just as portrayed by no other a former President and First Lady, the Rawlings. Yes, drama, a very big one. Like every drama, the actors/characters could end their story with a theme of love or pain but in this case, I shall choose pain.In the Rawlings cantata, he is seen closely standing next to wife Mrs Konadu and praying to audience to view Anita De-Sosoo as a crook who has betrayed his wife after winning elections and becoming National Womens Organizer in 2009. The True Story Of Hate And Not BetrayalLadies and Gentleman, much as you are pondering why the Rawlings feel betrayed, so do I. But unlike you, I have a very fair reason for this, not only in my capacity as one of three proud children of Anita but also as an out-going constituency youth organizer of the NDC which makes me privy to some key information you may otherwise know in peace or pieces.Firstly, during the 2009 election in Winneba, I was campaign coordinator for an election that saw victory of the respected Anita De-Sosoo as National Womens Organizer just like 2014 in Kumasi when we won as National Vice Chairperson. In 2009, at no point did Mrs Rawlings show support for Anita De-Sosoo, if any, very mean and less. We were left competing against Alice Boom and incumbent Mariam Sinare. Still, God gave us a victorious win.Secondly, immediately after the National Women Organizer contest, the National Executive Election was next. Anita De-Sosoo rallied women to support the candidature of Mrs Konadu Rawlings who was contesting as the first and only female candidate running for National Vice Chairperson at the time, of which Mrs Rawlings won overwhelmingly. I was part of that effortless dusty, drastic and rugged road tour.Fast forward after party elections, a National Executive Committee (NEC) was formed under John Evans Atta-Mills as President. It is important to note that Mrs Rawlings at all time during NEC meetings sought to assume revolution-style hubby-inspired autocratic power over the partys highest committee which was popularly rejected by all members especially former chairman Dr Kwabena Adjei, Mr Johnson Nketsia, Rtd. General Captain Butah, Yaw Boateng Gyan and no other than the second key woman in the committee, the fierce fearless lioness Anita De-Sosoo, who at all instances matched Mrs Konadu boot-for-boot, tooth-for-tooth and eye-for-an-eye.The Nyantakyi-style Black Polythene Bag RejectionShortly after failing at her attempt to control the NEC, Mrs Rawlings quickly reorganized into contesting the late Mills to become the President of which she lost very miserably and regrettably. There is no doubt that in the height of the presidential contest, Anita De-Sosoo rejected Mrs Konadus nyantakyi-style black polythene bag of crooked corrupt ransome which was meant to influence the national women wing in Konadus favour against sitting Pres. Mills.To date, this has become an unforgivable and unforgettable reason why Mrs Konadu and perhaps Mr Rawlings believe that Anita made it impossible to execute the diabolical plan of usurping the NDC into her control. Unrelentless, in order to still paralyze the NDC, Mrs Rawlings shamefully exited her husbands party to form the National Democratic Party (NDP) which was brutally rejected by innocent members of the NDC, all thanks again to Anita De-Sosoo and others for the media campaign (propaganda) and groundwork that extinguished the NDP and its FONKA factions.Till date, neither Mrs Rawlings nor her venomous mouthpiece Mr Rawlings has denied the nyantakyi-style black polythene bag meant to induce Anita to rally support for her against Prof Mills. Why? Because they are waiting for lie-detecting machine test or perhaps a confession will explain the reason for their hate and will undermine the cocky anti-corruption crusade that has been abnormally propagated. The Reason for Rawlings Uncaged AttacksLadies and Gentlemen, by now, you should know that there has been a key figure of good standing in the way of the crooked Mrs Rawlings in her pursuit of diabolical political gimmicks. That one noble person is no other her rival for decades, the unshaking Anita De-Sosoo.Since loosing her fight, Mrs Rawlings has on several occasions relied on her military husband Mr. Rawlings to insanely and high mindlessly attack a compassionate helpless Anita De-Sosoo and other loyal women who have rightly rejected any demonic oppression to the NDC including Mrs Naadu Mills, Mrs Lordina Mahama, Ms Hannah Tetteh, Ms Sherry Ayittey and some noble men too. The ICRC is the primary organisation responsible for protecting the Geneva Conventions -- essentially the laws of war. Its report, entitled the Roots of Restraint in War, noted that historically the ICRC was largely focused on working with national militaries and well-structured rebel groups to enshrine international humanitarian law in their codes of conduct. But the report said that approach needs to be updated to respond to the changing nature of those now fighting. Between 2001 to 2016, the number of "non-international armed conflicts" jumped from 30 to more than 70, the ICRC said. The number of groups fighting in any given conflict has also changed substantially. "Only one-third of conflicts are between two parties today," while 44 percent "have between three and nine opposing forces," the ICRC said. It highlighted the extreme examples of the Libyan city of Misrata, where 236 armed groups were recorded in 2011, and data from the Carter Center saying that in 2014 the Syrian conflict was being fought by 1,000 separate groups. New battlefield dynamics Report co-author Brian McQuinn told AFP armed groups now are also increasingly "organised in fundamentally different ways." In the past, a rebel force like for example a Maoist group fighting in Asia would likely have had a structure that tightly mirrored the state military it was opposing. But with those fighting more often reporting through a looser command structure, the ICRC report explores new strategies to infuse a culture of restraint -- notably a respect for civilians -- into the modern battlefield. "The increasing number of decentralised groups on the battlefield - often connected through shifting alliances - makes talking to and influencing all sides more difficult, but not impossible," it added. The reports calls for renewed efforts to understand the structure of each armed group before attempting education on humanitarian norms. "The world needs a clear commitment from the nuclear weapon states to an effective, legally binding process towards nuclear disarmament," SIPRI head Jan Eliasson said. SIPRI, a well respected authority, said nine countries -- the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea -- had 14,465 nuclear warheads at the beginning of this year, of which 3,750 were actually deployed. This compared with 14,935 warheads at the start of 2017, SIPRI said, with the reduction largely due to the United States and Russia as they fulfill arms control commitments agreed in their 2010 START treaty. The two countries between them hold more some 92 percent of total warheads, SIPRI noted, and they both have long-term modernisation programmes in place. Russia in particular has in recent years re-stated the importance of nuclear weapons to its strategic defence, sparking concerns in NATO that Moscow might be more willing to use them in a crisis. At the same time, Britain with 215 warheads, France 300, China 280, India 130-140, Pakistan 140-150, Israel 80 and North Korea 10-20, were all either deploying or planning to deploy new nuclear weapons system, it said. Businesses and economic activities resume after the celebration of Eid el Fitr nationwide. Politics 1. Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari to sign 2018 budget into law this week 2. The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to approve the Renminbi (Yuan) disbursements to its members. 3. The Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) is coming to an end, June 30, 2018. Finance 4. Trading activities resume on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, after Sallah holiday. The market closed last week on the positive trajectory, as the NSE All-Share Index and market capitalisation appreciated by 0.67 per cent to close the week at 38,928.02 and N14.102 trillion respectively. 5. Appeal court reserved ruling on key applications in Innoson Vs GTbank 6. Barclays Africa to start trading on Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) as a broker in July and is exploring opportunities in three other African countries Tech 7. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has slashed call termination rates between the operators by 20%. The new Mobile Termination Rate (MTR) takes effect from July 1, 2018, according to a document posted on the regulators website. 8. Data rollover commences next Tuesday, June 26, 2018, by telecom operators in Nigeria Sports 9. Nigeria's Super Eagles will play Iceland on Friday, June 22, 2018 Global In order to achieve this, The Nation reports that the popular cleric's church, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has started a political awareness campaign. The campaign tagged 'Let my people vote' was held weekend at RCCG Youth center on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Speaking at the event, the assistant Pastor- in- Charge of RCCG Region 1 and coordinator of this initiative, Pastor Ola Adejubee, revealed shared the origin story of the campaign. ALSO READ: Pastor Adeboye says 2019 elections may not hold How Pastor Adeboye started the campaign According to him, it all came from the General Overseer of the church, Pastor Adeboye, who received the idea during the annual ministers' Thanksgiving in January 2018. He said Pastor Adeboye instructed the ministers to go and collect their PVCs while delivering his introductory message. In his words, "If the statement came as a surprise to the ministers, they became dumbfounded when in August last year, during RCCG annual ministers' conference, Adeboye asked them to go and join any political party of their choice. This time, it was with an emotion-laden voice." This instruction gave birth to the awareness campaign which was attended by church leaders like the Chairman of Lagos State Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN), Special Assistant to the G.O on Evangelism, Pastor Idowu Iluyomade and Special Assistant to the G.O on Christian Social Responsibility, Pastor Bosun Emmanuel. 70 years down the line, the nation's dream remains a dream and the University of Ibadan, the first university and its seemingly weak siblings across the country are still struggling to find their feet among the best tertiary institutions in the world. Nigerian Universities in the 70s were said to be among the best in Africa. So beautiful and attractive were the institutions then that, other Africans came to study in Nigeria. In those glorious days, Nigerian Universities were proud producers of great graduates. The likes of Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Christopher Okigbo and many others raised the flag of the country. And with their academic prowess, they showed the world that the most populous country in Africa has the finest academic institutions. Where did we get it wrong? Today, the glory of the universities that produced these great minds enjoyed in the 70s and early 80s seems to be fading. How a University that produced a Nobel laureate in 1986 is not among the top 500 in the world in 2015 is very disturbing. But as a people, it seems we don't feel disturbed by the fact that only one university in Nigeria features in the first 1000 universities in the world. And the position the school occupies in the ranking is nothing anybody can be proud of...not even the most shameless of us will be proud of it. In August 2015, the former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius Okojie had a strong belief in Nigerian Tertiary institutions so much that he wants us to ignore the ranking because, in his estimation, the standard of the universities are high regardless of what the ranking says. Okojie believes that the only problem tertiary institutions in Nigeria are suffering from is internet connection, and once that is fixed, the schools would rank high to the sky. In his effort to dismiss the poor ranking of Nigerian Universities in the Times Higher Education ranking in 2015, the former NUC boss said: The people that do the ranking do not really visit universities; they go to the Internet and find out what you are doing. Whatever research we are doing should be sent to the Internet. Money is going into the system for research''. I am not disturbed (by the ranking) my concern is whether Nigerian universities are meeting local and national needs; whether we are number one or not does not matter. We have made breakthrough whether they rank us or not; but let us concentrate; we have to rebrand our universities, they are good. Challenge our students with students from any part of the world and they will always prove themselves, Hmm! All that came from a Prof whom we expect should know better that, the problems that drop Nigerian higher institutions into the lower rung of the ranking are more than internet connections. No Nigerian university has celebrated its own Professor or a team of professors for a world-recognized academic research recently. A Nigerian student or alumnus has not really been celebrated for conquering the world like Soyinka did in the 80s. In the past few years, the work of many Nigerian universities lecturershave not been internationally recognised. The quality of education, the standard of faculties, and Research output in Nature and Science have seemingly had no remarkable improvement in the last few decades. How do we intend to rank high? This is the reason Prof. Ayo Banjo, Chairman, Governing Board of National Universities Commission recently said universities in Nigeria could only boast of the production of sachet water and bread. Is this why Nigerian Universities rank low? However, while Okojie blamed the poor ranking of Nigerian Universities on poor internet facility, the former Vice-Chancellor of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Prof Ikenna Onyido attributed the drop in the University system on lecturers he described as 'internet professors'. The former VC described internet professors as Nigerian professors who simply log onto the internet to copy works of other scholars and present same as theirs. Also, the former Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Prof. John Ajienka identified the lukewarm attitude of Nigerian scholars towards translating research works into innovation as one of the reasons Nigerian universities are not ranking high. Now you know why most lecturers who claim to be Prof are like local rappers. Their academic voice has not been heard or read elsewhere. The state of education in Nigeria has become so pathetic that we need no one to tell us how terrible the university environment has become. For a country that prides itself as the giant of Africa, the ugly position the only Nigerian university occupies in world university ranking is a reflection of falling standard of education in the country. ALSO READ: FG scraps HND certificate in Polytechnics And this goes beyond the internet issue Okojie put the blame on. A tertiary institution where the academic performance of some female students is based on sex will not produce any professor or graduate of merit. The problems with Nigerian Universities are more than what the internet can solve. UI lecturer blames everybody for the poor ranking According to a senior lecturer at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Ibadan, Dr ABC Robert, the problem is multifacet and the blame is on everybody. Robert said: ''If you look back to 20 years ago, you'll find out that those people that graduated 20 to 30 years ago are better than the graduates of today. So what we have in today's academics is a situation where everybody is just interested in certificates and money. ''The students are interested in getting certificates because they feel that when they have a certificate they can get a job and get money. ''Lecturers are interested in the job not because they have the passion to teach but because they are interested in the salary and it is not completely their fault. ''The parents also are interested in buying certificates for their children because they want their children to go to places and get money. Again, it is not completely their fault because the government is not helping the situation''. Research outputs of the lecturers of a university are one of the criteria for rating academic institutions and in Roberts' opinion, Nigerian lecturers have not done well in this area. ''When a professor of a university does not have a recognition in the international community, how will such a university be ranked high''? He queried. How can we have a Minister of Education or a University Professor who does not have academic relevance? How many Nigerian lecturers' research works have become a point of reference for many other research efforts outside the country? Another reason the universities rank low is because of poor facilities and lack of funding. According to Robert the Chemistry laboratories of some universities have no light and doctors in some University Teaching Hospital use torchlights to carry out operations. He wonders why former NUC boss puts the blame on lack of internet in the institutions. How on earth do we as a people think UI will not continue to remain the only tertiary institution representing Nigeria at the lower rung of university ranking in the world? ALSO READ: 5 misconceptions about Covenant University students Since the quality of faculty is one of the indicators the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities considers in rating academic institutions, University management needs to start taking the quality of lecturers they employ more seriously while the government ensures proper funding of the universities. ''The promotion exercise should not be based on papers, tell us what you have achieved. It is not about writing papers. At the end of every year, let all lecturers be evaluated. They should be evaluated based on what they have done in research in that year. ''With this, we can determine whether to keep a professor or not. If they do that, as a measure of promotion, the university lecturers will sit up,'' Roberts suggested. Presently, the University of Ibadan, the only University that earns Nigeria a lowly place in the world university ranking is 70-year-old. The National University Commission is considering 292 more private universities for approval in addition to the 163 universities in the country. And with the poor funding of the existing tertiary institutions and the intermittent ASUU strike that disrupts academic calendars, no one knows when a Nigerian university would again be considered as the best in Africa. No one, not even the stakeholders that genuinely want things to move forward! The Head of Media and Information for JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made the disclosure today, Monday, June 18, 2018, in Lagos State. ALSO READ: JAMB tells candidates to protect or keep their properties at home He said; The main reason for the meeting is to define all modalities for admission of qualified candidates into the nations tertiary institutions for the 2018/2019 academic session. The board has concluded arrangements for this years admission policy meeting with all stakeholders in the education sector. This kind of meeting is to give room for contributions as well as ensure fairness and equity in the conduct of the 2018/2019 admission process. We are expecting in attendance all heads of tertiary institutions across the country. We shall be convening this meeting, for the first time, in the South-West, Osun precisely. All the South-West governors have been invited coupled with other critical stakeholders. To ensure that there is no misrepresentation of facts or information, there will be a live coverage of the meeting on NTA from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m, so that Nigerians can follow the proceedings, he said. Benjamin also stated that students would also have access to first hand information on how the admissions would be conducted including the requirements. He went on to assure Nigerians that the board would continue to work hard at ensuring that new innovations and reforms that would give the candidates an edge over admission process challenges are put in place. ALSO READ: 5 things to know about the new JAMB case Our determined objective is to ensure that every prospective candidate is treated fairly and equally under a transparent platform. We will also continue to strive to open up the space for healthy competition. As it was done in 2017, this years admission process will also be conducted through the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS). The series will be exclusive to the network's Video on demand platform, EbonyLife ON, from July 1, 2018. The series follows the story of a married couple, Remi Castle and her husband Tega two lawyers who met 20 years ago when he taught her in law school. About legal drama series "Castle and Castle" A former law professor, Tega is passionate about human rights. However, as the years have gone by and the nature of the firm has changed, he has had to fight extra-hard to get such cases. Remi is a beautiful, brilliant woman who loves her husband, but they have different legal interests she prefers clients that have deep pockets and pay massive retainers. Their marriage is put to the test, as a host of family issues crop up and affect their work. "Castle and Castle" will take viewers through their lives and they band together against outsiders and fight each other when their individual desires clash. Will their marriage survive or will it succumb to the pressures of their work environment? Cast and Crew of legal drama series "Castle and Castle" Produced by Isioma Osaje and Temidayo Abudu, "Castle and Castle" is directed by Niyi Akinmolayan, Tope Oshin and Kenneth Gyang. The series also features Eku Edewor, Deyemi Okanlawon, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Dorcas Shola Fapson, Ade Laoye, Diipo Ayo-Adeusi, Anee Icha, Denola Grey among others. The New Telegraph gathered that she was sexually violated on Sunday, June 17, 2018, when the group visited her lodge located at Yenizue Gene. According to the news outlet, the robbers entered her residence around 3 am on the day. The victim who seemed to have been targeted was raped in turns says residents who spoke to The New Telegraph. The arrival of policemen had failed to save the corps member who is reportedly receiving treatment in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Tonye, a vigilante explained in a report published by The New Telegraph that the law enforcement officers were worried about an ambush by the suspected robbers due to a thick darkness noticed in the early hours of the day. ALSO READ: 5 men raped by gay baboon admitted in hospital Man bites baby girl he was trying to rape just to deceive mum Dare, an 18-year-old man who attempted to rape a baby decided to bite the infant when its mother walked in on him. This happened in Alagbado, Lagos, where the suspect was tortured by a mob. The group forced a confession from Dare whose movement was hindered because he was tied with a rope. The 53-year-old man of God had petitioned the court to separate the over two decade union, alleging that his wife had had sex with a bishop and deacon of his church. He said: My wife had sexual affair with two of my church members, a deacon and a bishop. Both of them were telling my other members that they slept with my wife because she enticed them. Whenever I return from a trip, my last born always tells me that men came to pick and drop my wife. Even God told me to divorce her or else she will destroy my ministry, he claimed. My wife starved me of sex for more than five years; whenever I want to sleep with her, she would give one excuse or the other and in fact, she has moved out of my room to a separate room. But she gives it to my members freely. READ MORE: Journalists walk out on Chief Justice for coming to event 4 hours late She accused them of dating me and also went to their houses to fight them. Her behaviour has chased many members away from my church. However, the 45-year-old Uzoamaka Ibeneme denied the allegations, saying: It is women that cause our frequent fighting, they are the problem in our home and my husbands lust for them is very high. I never slept with the two men, who claimed that they slept with me, they just wanted to tarnish my image. My husband is dating the wife of the deacon. All efforts to settle the matter amicably out of court proved futile, hence the court had no option but to dissolve the marriage. President of the court, Akin Akinniyi who read the courts ruling said: Since the petitioner insisted on divorce after several interventions, the court is, therefore, left with no option but to grant him his wish and pronounce the union dissolved. The court hereby pronounces the marriage between Pastor Joshua Ibeneme and Mrs Uzoamaka Ibeneme dissolved today. Both of you will henceforth cease to be husband and wife, each of you should go on his or her separate ways unmolested. The court wishes both of you well in your future endeavour. Their figures as they took turns to enter the residence of the students were obvious despite the early morning darkness. In one of the rooms located in bungalow-shaped home, ruins from a no-nonsense search was laid bare in the open. According to the IG post, the students who had just had a party were beaten for refusing to open the door. A report also confirmed that the undergraduates had suspected a robbery, a reason why they were reluctant to grant access to the policemen. It was gathered that some students who failed to offer bribe to the policemen were taken away. ALSO READ: Party guests enjoying weed and codeine disappear at the arrival of police Nursing mum mercilessly beaten by policeman she scolded For scolding a bribe-seeking policeman, a nursing mother reportedly took a beating from the officer while her baby was tied to her back. This happened on Thursday, June 14, 2018, around Adamasingba Stadium located in Ibadan, Oyo State. The policeman, Kehinde Agbede from the Mokola Police Division was angry for being cautioned by the mother against causing an accident in a bid to collect a N50 bribe. A report gathered on Instagram confirmed that the victim bore scars of painful slaps when the officer laid hands on her. The new incident is one in a list of police brutality aiding in creating a wider gap between the force and the Nigerian people who are keen about seeing an end to the violence. ALSO READ: SARS officers bite more than they can chew after slapping soldier It appears the trademark of officers of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) who are unrelenting in the alleged abuse on civilians. Lisa Folawiyo is a multi-faceted global womenswear and accessories collection. With a strong eye for tailoring and fit, Folawiyo creates feminine and modern silhouettes with nods to traditional African aesthetics. This has given her much success locally and internationally; in Lagos and Johannesburg to London, Paris, Milan and New York; from Lagos Fashion & Design Week to New York Fashion Week. So, grab a map and get ready for an adventure of a lifetime in Nigeria! ALSO READ: Beautiful lakes to visit in Nigeria Where to go Nigeria is a large country made up of 36 states. To explore all the attractions in each state would take you almost a year so, check out the destination list below for some of the best and easiest spots for solo travellers. Lagos One of Africas most vibrant aquatic cities, Lagos has a multitude of restaurants, art galleries, beaches, and fascinating neighbourhoods, rendering it worthy of a trip in its own right. Spend some time kayaking, exploring the conservation centre, the colourful arts market and chaotic city centre. Be sure to visit Tarkwa Bay, Balogun Market and Calabar Nigeria's most beautiful and peaceful city is home to gorilla trekking, lakes and several gorgeous mountain ranges. It is easily reachable by bus from Lagos bus terminal and makes for a perfect first excursion outside of the city. Gorilla trekking, albeit one of the regions more expensive activities, is an incredible and worthwhile experience. For travellers looking for more adventure, opt for Obudu cattle ranch. Days are quiet here, with the easy sound of the wind in your ears. Yankari Game Reserve Chill with chatty baboons, dancing hippos, baby elephants and other species of wildlife at Yankari Games Reserve and Resort, Bauchi. For the adventurous solo traveller, be sure to rent a 44 and journey through the Marshall cave systems and Wikki warm springs. Adamawa Visit the Mandara Mountains which are a volcanic range extending about 190 km lie in the northeastern part of Adamawa state along the Cameroon border. Mandara is an ideal place for rock and mountain climbing. The region is densely populated, mainly by speakers of Chadic languages, including both the Mofu and the Kirdi ethnic groups and it's totally Instagramable. Lamurde hot spring in Adamawa is also part of the world popular Sukur Cultural Landscape, which consists of a palace, villages, and the remains of an iron industry. The place was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999 and has since become a go-to tourist destination in Adamawa State. Kaduna Kajuru Castle has everything to make your holiday enjoyable and memorable such as stainless swimming pool, sauna, barbecue spot, well-equipped and beautifully furnished accommodation facilities. There are scenic landscapes and forests to explore with several exciting activities. Where to sleep, eat, and drink There are plenty of accommodation options available across Nigeria, with offerings accounting for different tastes and budgets. There are plenty of budget options for travellers attempting to travel on the cheap. When it comes to food, Nigeria is a culinary destination to reckon with. In addition to a variety of local treats, international restaurants in Nigeria are also quite good. Practical tips for traveling alone in Nigeria Transportation Public buses, motorcycles (Okada), private taxis, Ubers are the general modes of transit in Nigeria. Negotiations are necessary with both taxis and okadas depending on distance and time. Nigerias bus system is not so reliable. Language and Communication English and pidgin are widely spoken across Nigeria though use of it lessen outside of the major cities. It is pretty easy to communicate regardless of location or language. Invest in a local SIM card for data usage. For sole female travellers "It is an unwritten rule in Nigeria that a man must spend money before a woman can be with him," explains Ayomide Tayo, Pop Culture connoisseur and Editor of Gist at Pulse. One would think that time, alongside the wave of female enlightenment flowing especially from Twitter-based conversations would have changed this but it seems it has not. It's sad and pitiable but it appears that far too many babes are still into relationships for just the happy times. A Twitter user recently narrated how he lost his job and the love of his life swiftly followed. "When I lost my job in April, my babe's attitude just changed. As I'm talking to you right now, she's engaged with her ex," he tweeted. undefinedIn response to that tweet, other users dropped similar stories to further buttress, in a way, that love is still very much for sale with Nigerian babes. We won't know for sure what those guys' attitudes were when they lost those jobs and for all we know, the ladies may have had totally different, legit and reasonable reasons for leaving them. While we can't deny that there are still real, beautiful queens amongst the Nigerian women we come across daily, the tweets above serve to remind those who seem to have forgotten, that loads of Nigerian babes are still out here digging gold. A worrisome number of love-professing Nigerian babes are only doing so to their boyfriends because they have jobs, a steady income and because everything looks nice and OK with them. It'd be unwise to live in denial of this fact. Having said that, I am of the opinion that guys who fall prey to this type of women shouldn't be freed of blame, either. Using the most relatable instance; how do you get into a relationship with a woman who says she can't date a guy who has no job or car, but actually has none of these for herself or doesn't seem particularly interested or invested in getting them for herself? She also lacks the ambition, never speaks and never acts like someone who intends to get one with her own legitimately-gotten money but you go on, date her, fund her bad habits,let her leech on you, and then cry foul when she dumps you after the money dries up. I have written once that it's an inflexible rule for men to be financially responsible before thinking of getting into relationships. But with the same energy that Nigerian women apply this rule, it's about time Nigerian guys applied it to them, too! Far too many Nigerian women want to be in relationships but all they have to give is a pretty face and a vagina In return they demand that you cater for their absurd demands, high-brow needs and unsustainable lifestyles. Once it looks as if you can no longer do that, they are quickly out of the door. Undeniably and thankfully, the number of young women who are matching their desire for financial independence with entrepreneurial skills and hard work is increasing and it is these ones, not the slay queens, who most deserve good loving and all the great things you might hope to love a woman with. Dont be fooled by makeup and sweet words of endearment said with okirika accents, many of these girls still peddle love only to the highest bidder, the richest guy who can dance to their selfish tunes. They really do not love you, your ambition, dreams and the future you passionately project to them. On Sunday, June 17, 2018, Twitter NG picked up on the nose ring topic and sure enough, it caused a debate on the micro-blogging platform. It triggered emotions, feelings and opinions to make it an issue that is still relevant 24 hours after it was brought up. What's the big deal on getting a nose piercing and putting a ring or stud in it? "I dont think a nose ring, or any piercings at all, shows that you are 'irresponsible'. Thats just ignorant and backwards. Its just body jewellery. As long as its not causing any genuine problems. I think its okay to have" says Simi Badiru who is presently in Lagos for her summer internship. For others, it's quite a big deal. "Nose, Boobs, Tongue, etc Piercing Shouldn't Be Found On Any Responsible Human. No Amount Of Debate Can Classify Them As Traits Of Good Child" tweeted Abimbola Abio Idrees. Victorian Morality And here lies the major argument against body jewellery that goes beyond wearing earrings. In Nigeria's conservative society, especially in Southern Nigeria which is mainly Christian, body piercings are seen as rebelling against conservative values. Body piercings and body modifications can be found in several African cultures. However, with the advent of colonialism, most African practices were swept away under the guise of being 'barbaric'. Out went our culture and in came conservative and strict Victorian values. ALSO READ: Impressing my partner's parents Victorian Morality refers to the morals of people living during the reign of Queen Victoria (18371901). This period represents the period in British life when society was rigid and strict. The virtues of hard work, honesty, duty, responsibility and thrift were upheld. Criminal activity was not accepted in any shape or form. Also, there was a standard for moral conduct which involved sexual restraint. During this period you were expected to be prudish and conservative in appearance and sex-related issues. Victorian Morality also spread throughout the British Empire. Missionaries told us to do away with our culture and embrace the Victorian way of life. Body modification and body piercing were highly frowned upon. Even though the Bible does not state that nose piercing is evil, the argument against it has been wrapped with conservatism and Christianity. Rebellion against conservative values Today, nose piercing is common. Septum piercing was quite the rave a couple of years ago among young Nigerian women. Apart from piercings, tattoos, and dreadlocks have been on the rise too. It's obvious that the children of the 80s, 90s and 00s who were born into the dysfunctional Nigerian society are rebelling against conservative values of the colonial and pre-colonial era. Rocking a nose ring in public is one thing but wearing it to meet your in-laws is another thing. Visiting your in-laws for the first time is a conservative event in Nigeria. The old rules apply here, dress how you want to be addressed and make a good impression. A nose ring isn't exactly a solid good impression to older folks. Nose piercing and the in-laws "I believe in equality. I believe in tolerance also but I believe more so in getting the job done" Emose tells Pulse. Emose who is from Northern Nigeria and resides in Abuja once had a nose ring. She believes that removing a nose ring is about the end goal. "If it helps me get what I am going for in a way that I gain success and later on, no one can talk to me, cool," she says. Many other young Nigerian women share this same view too. "I think the girl is being difficult," says Wemimo* (not real name) who is based in London. She is referring to the story of the undisclosed Nigerian lady who started the debate by refusing to take off her nose ring to meet her in-laws. Wemimo says she will take off her nose ring during the first meeting just because it is a sign of respect. "It's a sign of respect to his parents," she says. "After the first meeting and I know I've secured the bag if they happen to see me with it, I'm sure they will mention their dislike for it but it wouldn't be the determining factor as to why they didn't approve of me in the first meeting." Essentially it is about compromise no matter how brief, a sentiment shared by popular Lagos based on-air-personality N6. "My GF likes to wear Anklets and a Toe Ring.. My Momsie associates such with Ashewo Behaviour so She never wears it when coming to Mines. I like to Dress Urban but when I meet my Girls People she Makes me wear Native. We are a Couple that gives unto Caesar what is Caesars. #Fin" he tweeted. For the ladies, stooping to conquer is the mission but when your husband's family starts making remarks about your appearance, there could be a bigger problem. "Its bad for them to do that," says Emose on in-laws who frown on what their daughter-in-law puts on. For Simi, it feels like "hiding a part of me which Im not very comfortable doing." Marriage in the African context involves more than two people. It involves both families. With the issue of appearance comes control which could become a bigger problem during a marriage. "If he and his family are on good terms, they discuss things properly, they sit down and talk about stuff. If he now comes to me to say I should remove my ring, this is what will come to my mind, 'you and your mother have gossiped about me and she's advising you on how to switch up your babe so that she can cater to the family'. That will create a lot of problems for me. Thinking about it makes me uncomfortable because the family will try to change more things later" says Emose. ALSO READ: 5 things you should know before getting a nipple piercing If it's a case of the young couple versus the guy's family, she says she would remove the nose ring then find a way to make sure her guy is bold enough to make his decisions and not be influenced by his parents later on. First impressions Looks play a huge part in the Nigerian society. Even an anklet is also generally frowned upon. "Ive gotten a few stares" admits Simi who wears an anklet. What is your opinion on women in anklets? While Nigerian millennials might be woke, they still exist in the Nigerian society where the relics of Victorian morality still exists. "Looks are the first thing. With Africans, yes we are trying to move forward, yes we are to be new era but first and foremost we are Africans so we have to be calm about those looks" says Emose. However not every Nigerian culture frowns on nose rings. In Northern Nigeria which is predominantly Muslim, nose rings are cultural. According to Emose her mum had one. "The Yorubas are more westernized and so thats why they think its a bad thing," she says. For her, she got her nose ring to counterbalance her nerdy look. "Wearing glasses make you look to intellectual for approach. I wanted a little more attention." Still, even in Northern Nigeria where such an ornament is cultural, she had to remove her nose ring because of the wrong message it could pass across. "I took mine out because Im always trying to play ball with the big men. So I dont need to draw attention to myself in certain ways," she says. "As far as they are concerned body jewellery is not the same as irresponsibility. And this is the same with tattoos/hairstyles. People express themselves differently and your jewellery does not in anyway shape or form determine the kind of person you are" says Simi. While this is true, it will be a long time when people are judged by their character and not looks. As children of people brought up during the colonial and post-colonial era, removing body piercings and modifications is a sign of respect to them which is highly valued in our society. "If they want to like you they will like you regardless of piercing but actively it is a sign of respect" states Wemimo. The allegation was made by Brigadier General John Agim, Acting Director of Defence Information. In an interview with Punch newspaper, Agim said politicians and State governors have been arming thugs who then go on to unleash mayhem on innocent communities. Here are 4 ways Agim put it: 1. State governors thought soldiers wanted to stop anti-grazing laws Some States now have anti-grazing laws in place. When the soldiers were deployed to communities plagued by incessant herdsmen-farmers clashes, State governors thought the soldiers were in town to enforce or stop their laws, according to Agim. 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, Agim said. 2. Politicians arm thugs to attack neighbouring communities and blame it on herdsmen According to Agim: 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. 3. State governors have stopped their thugs from surrendering their weapons In Agims words: 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. 4. There were some words for former army Chief Theophilus Danjuma Recall when former Chief of Army Staff Theophilus Danjuma accused the army of colluding with the killer herdsmen? Agim says thats nonsense. 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", the army spokesperson said. Jimeta's death was disclosed by the state's Commissioner for Information, Ahmad Sajoh, who reported that he died in the early hours of Monday, June 18, 2018, in Makkah where he had been to observe the leaser hajj. The governor called on residents to remember what Jimeta stood for in his service to the state and be committed to its progress. Sajoh said, "The governor calls on the people of the state to pray for the peaceful repose of the soul of the late chief of staff. "As Adamawa State workers resume work on Tuesday the 19th of June 2018, Government calls on them to be more committed to the progress and development of the state as a befitting remembrance of what the late Abdurrahman Abba Jimeta stood for in his over three decades of public life." 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. Ahmed made the call on Sunday, June 17, when the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, paid the annual Sallah homage to the Government House. It is the civic responsibility of every eligible citizen to ensure collection of his or her PVC. Collection of PVC is a right and the only tool to elect people who can deliver on campaign promises. Ours is peaceful and grassroots politics where we allow our people to take decisions on their own and encourage inclusive politics, Ahmed added. Ahmed also warned against politicising the Offa bank robbery incident, urging the police to follow due process to ensure that all those involved were brought to justice. Sulu-Gambari, in his remarks, praised the state government for its efforts on security and other sectors of the economy. While speaking in Abuja on Monday, June 18, 2018, the minister alleged that an unnamed neighbouring country, which Nigeria shares borders with, is importing more rice than China so it can smuggle it into Nigeria and destroy the federal government's initiative to grow rice locally. According to him, the government will soon close the border it shares with said neighbour to foil its plot and encourage local rice production that will sustain Nigeria's economy. He said, "Our other problem is smuggling. As we speak, a neighbor of ours is importing more rice than China is importing. They do not eat parboiled rice, they eat white rice, they use their ports to try and damage our economy. "I am telling you now because in a few days, you will hear the border has been shut, we are going to shut it to protect you, us and protect our economy. You will start seeing all sorts of negative things on the internet. "Let me tell you why we need to shut the border. I grow rice, I was the first Nigerian to mill rice free of stones. If you plant rice in certain parcels of land, some poisonous materials gets into the rice. "There are three kinds of water in their natural state; there is fresh water from the river, salt water from the sea, blackish water. "If you go to the Delta in many countries, in South East Asia where they grow the rice, if you plant rice in the same place like four to six years continuously, the quantum of arsenic begins to increase and arsenic causes cancer and that is what they are dumping for us. "Some people say they prefer Thai rice because they are very sophisticated, welcome to poison." In the video released by the terrorist group on Monday, June 18, 2018, and published by SaharaReporters, the Boko Haram leader led his faction in prayer in an open field believed to be located between the Nigeria-Cameroon border. The praying group was surrounded by armed men who stood to protect them from any anticipated attacks on all sides. One of the terrorists could also be seen in the video hoisting the group's flag while prayers were going on. Boko Haram kills 31 during Eid celebrations The group has been notorious for its numerous attacks over the past few months and has been blamed for the death of 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack that ripped through the town of Damboa in Borno State on Saturday, June 16. The victims were reported to be returning from celebrating the Eid el-Fitrholiday when two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighbourhoods in the town around 10:45 pm. The diocese stated this in a communique released on Sunday after the first session of its fourth Synod, held from June 7 to 10 at St. Peters Anglican Church, Nachi, Udi Local Government Area. According to the communique signed by Rt. Rev Chijioke Aneke, Bishop of Udi Diocese, the Synod however urged the Federal Government to replicate same feat for local government councils in the country. The church also acknowledged that it was good to confer a posthumous award of GCFR on Chief MKO Abiola, but admonished that all good things would be better if properly done and within the confines and provisions of the law. The statement also called for payment of outstanding pensions and gratuity at all levels of government and resolve industrial disputes in the country. It enjoined all Christians to engage in fervent prayers to avert or minimise these unpleasant incidences. The church further enjoined all residents of the Diocese to acquire their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) and use it appropriately during election. It also flayed the continued involvement of Christians in fetish activities, masquerading and consulting mediums despite teachings and Bible studies in various churches under the diocese. He said the PDP danced on the grave of MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12 election, for 16 years. Mohammed stated this in an interview with The Cable on Saturday, June 16. "For 16 years the PDP danced on the grave of MKO Abiola and failed to recognise June 12 for what it was, and when President Buhari decided to take action and recognise MKO Abiola posthumously, the naysayers went on social media to say it is done for politics," the minister said. "Why didnt they (PDP) do it for politics?", Mohammed asked. Buhari had declared June 12 as Nigeria's Democracy Day instead of May 29, and conferred on the highest national honour in the land - GCON - on Abiola. Speaking further, Mohammed said even though the PDP underrates the Buhari administration, the government will continue to surprise the opposition party. According to him, the Federal Government has created millions of jobs and will continue to do so for Nigerians to feel the post-recession impact of the administration. ALSO READ: Lai Mohammed says Buhari is transforming Nigeria The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the conflict, said it was one of the deadliest air attacks on government loyalists in recent months. "Thirty-eight non-Syrian fighters from regime loyalist militias were killed in the night-time raid on Al-Hari, on the Syrian-Iraqi border," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. He could not give any further details on their nationalities, but there are Iraqi, Iranian, Lebanese and even Afghan fighters stationed in the area. Syrian state media reported the attack overnight, citing a military source and accusing the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group of carrying it out. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number or their nationalities. The coalition's press office said it had heard reports that a strike in the area had killed and wounded members of a pro-regime Iraqi militia, but denied it was responsible. "There have been no strikes by US or coalition forces in that area," it told AFP by email. IS overran large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring an Islamic "caliphate" in areas under its control. Separate offensives have since whittled down the jihadists' territory in Syria to just a handful of pockets in the eastern desert, including in the Deir Ezzor province where Al-Hari lies. A US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against those IS-held pockets, and even Iraqi warplanes have occasionally bombed IS positions in Syria's east. De-confliction line The two forces have mostly avoided crashing into each other thanks to a de-confliction line that runs across the province along the winding Euphrates River. Syrian troops are batting IS on the western river bank, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fight on the east. Al-Hari lies on the western side, close to the river and the de-confliction line. The buffer has largely been successful in keeping the two offensives apart, but there have been exceptions. Last month a dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian government positions that the Observatory and state media blamed on the coalition. The Pentagon denied responsibility. In February US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in Deir Ezzor province, including Russians. "The strike on Al-Hari produced the highest death toll for regime forces since the February incident," the Observatory's chief Abdel Rahman told AFP. More than 350,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against Assad's rule. Those demonstrations spiralled into a full-blown war that has drawn in world powers and seen the rise of jihadist forces like IS. The strike on Al-Hari came a day after the US-backed SDF announced it had ousted IS from Dashisha, a village to the north in Syria's Hasakeh province. The village had been one of the last IS-controlled areas on a corridor linking Syria with Iraq. 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". But the Iran-backed Huthi rebels said the talks had failed, and the head of their unofficial government rejected a ceasefire under current conditions after meeting Griffiths on Sunday. Abdulaziz Saleh bin Habtoor accused Saudi-led forces of "escalating their attacks on the western coast when they felt there were serious moves towards a solution". The Saudi and Emirati-backed assault has seen thousands of families displaced as loyalist forces battle towards the Red Sea port city. The Huthis, Zaidi Shiite tribes linked to Iran, seized control of the area along with the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014, sparking an intervention by a Saudi-led alliance the following year. The war for control of the Arab world's poorest country has since killed at least 10,000 people and triggered what the UN says is the world's largest single humanitarian crisis. Some 22 million people need aid, while 8.4 million are on the brink of starvation. More than 70 percent of Yemen's imports flow through Hodeida. 'Not at our expense' Yemen's military, backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, last week launched a major offensive aimed at retaking Hodeida, home to 600,000 civilians. The Saudi alliance imposed a near-total blockade on Hodeida port earlier this year, alleging it served as a major conduit for illicit arms deliveries to the Huthi rebels by Riyadh's regional arch-rival Iran. Multiple rounds of UN-brokered talks have failed to reach a deal between the internationally-recognised government and the Huthis. The Huthis' bin Habtoor was defiant on Sunday after meeting the UN envoy. "The peace sought by the people of Yemen will not come at the expense of our martyrs' blood," the rebels' Saba news agency quoted him as saying. The capture of Hodeida would be the Saudi-led coalition's biggest victory of the war so far. Loyalist forces in recent days closed in on areas south and west of the port, advancing on a disused rebel-held airport just south of the docks, according to sources in the Yemeni army. The UN has warned the Hodeida offensive could spark a fresh humanitarian crisis in a country already ravaged by war. The 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. Rights groups, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and Norwegian Refugee Council, have said they were forced to suspend their work near Hodeida last week. A High Court in Nairobi barred the police from arresting Mr Patrick Kuria and his wife over dirty sugar seized in Ruiru and granted an anticipatory bail of Sh200,000. The new blockage comes a day after over 30 supermarket attendants in Nyandarua County were arrested in the crackdown which has gained steam since last week. The sugar was in bags marked Note for Sale. For industrial use only and showed that it was imported from Brazil and another from India. ALSO READ: The TV station owned by Moses Kuria The bags are clearly labelled for industrial use only. That is why we have decided to take over the premises until investigations are done, said Danson Nduri, Central Regional CID. Kitui Sugar Syndicate On Sunday, Kitui Central OCPD Muthuri Mwongera said the proprietor of Mt Kenya Wholesalers, a dealer in contraband sugar, was in custody in connection with the questionable sugar and would appear in court on Monday. He said detectives were verifying the authenticity of the documents submitted by the tycoon. The trader was arrested on Friday and his godowns put on a 24-hour police watch after hundreds of bags of sugar, suspected to be contaminated, were seized in three towns. Mr Mwongera said samples of the consignment have been taken to Government Chemist for testing as investigations into how the importers evaded paying duty to the Kenya Revenue Authority intensify. Officers from the Kenya Bureau of Standards and KRA joined the investigating team and took samples of the sugar impounded from shops in Kitui, Matuu and Mwingi. Murkomen was among those who found themselves on the spot concerning their wealth. In one of the tweets, Murkomen was accused of owning a Sh200 Million house in Karen, Boghani Villa. The Senator was questioned on how he was able to acquire such a lavish property in one of Kenyas prime area. However, Mr. Murkomen seemed unbothered with the allegations and sarcastically commented that Sh200 million house was cheap for a man of his status. "Mnanidharau 200 only ?," (you are underrating me, 200 million only?) Mukomen posed. The Senator rubbished the hashtag initiated by popular blogger Cyprian Nyakundi noting that politicians do not acquire wealth using their salaries. "Nobody becomes rich or wealthy through SALARY(Not , or ). You must take loans, do business, sell good&/or services, do farming, create ideas & sell them etc. Stop the nonsense of . Mzee Kenyatta taught us to fight poverty not riches, he said. Murkomen went on to claim that Nyakundi was using the hashtag as a business. Taking on Twitter, the Elgeyo Marakwet senator told off critics who have been questioning the wealth of politicians to keep off, adding that such wealth can only be found after taking loans and doing business, but not depending on the salary. The Senator has said, in a Monday afternoon tweet in which he copied DP William Ruto, Raila Odinga and President Kenyatta as debate on the lifestyle audit of key individuals in and out of the government, rages on. ALSO READ: Police blocked from arresting Mt Kenya tycoon Nobody becomes rich or wealthy through salary (Not even Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto or Raila Odinga). You must take loans, do business, sell good&/or services, do farming, create ideas and sell them etc. stop the nonsense of #WeKnowYourSalary. Mzee Kenyatta taught us to fight poverty not riches, he tweeted. Kenyans who reacted to Mr Murkomens sentiments believed that the Senator may have been thrown in a panic mode given the order by the President to call for a lifestyle audit, a move that has attracted criticism from DP Rutos side. Why are you scared? Allow the presidential directive on lifestyle audit take effect. If you became rich/wealthy legally, you shouldn't be worried. Otherwise you give the guys every reason to doubt you! Let the audit proceed, a Jared Mnyachieo tweeted in reply. Lifestyle Audit a Must Kemboi Justin tweeted: Fighting poverty by massive accumulation of wealth you are the same politicians who have pushed citizens to extreme points by looting almost everything. Lifestyle audit a must. Others attacked him on grounds that he has been using choppers beyond his financial levels to run across the country with DP Ruto. But taking loans and doing business requires strong financial base (salary or savings). Can any politician take a loan against his salary and grants and purchase a chopper or hire one every weekend? Am told doing business with kafamen brings great returns, a Tirop Manjoy tweeted. The National Party is disappointed with Justice Minister Andrew Little after he suggested non-violent dealers of meth and other Class A drugs should be out in our communities and not in prison. Nationals Justice spokesperson Mark Mitchell told James Coleman on First@Five that when offenders are caught, they should be sent straight to prison for rehabilitation. When asked if the Government is sending other offenders who are undeserving of a prison sentence, compared to Class A dealers, Mr Mitchell assures that a high bar is to be reached before someone is sentenced to prison. "98 percent of prisoners currently in prison have offended in category 3 or category 4 offences which are serious offences and carry at least a sentence of 2 years, Mark Mitchell says. He also states the reason behind the remand law change, is that data shows 50 percent of prisoners on remand are already re-offending before being imprisoned. Mr Mitchell believes this is too much of a risk to be released back into the community. Listen to the full interview with Mark Mitchell above. First@Five with James Coleman, 5am - 6am Monday To Friday, on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the rova app on Android and iPhone. RadioLIVE. Bag of Books by Joan Mackenzie from Whitcoulls. Liars Candle by August Thomas. A really fun, pacy thriller set in Turkey, needs a bit of willing suspension of disbelief but its worth it. It starts with a 4th of July party at the US Embassy in Ankara when a bomb goes off and a young intern is thought to be involved, so the State Department start to make her life a misery and she goes on the run. The whole book takes place in just 36 hours. Boy Erased by Garrard Conley. Nonfiction, story of a Baptist Preacher in the US who found out his son (Garrard) was gay and sent him off to a clinic to be turned into a straight person. Reads really well though you wouldnt want to be him. This has been made into a movie starring Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe as the parents. (No NZ date yet as far as I can see). The Wicked Healthy Cookbook by Chad and Derek Samo (brothers). What in the old days wed have called vegetarian, but is now known as plant based. Trade expert Charles Finny has admitted he's keeping a watchful eye over a spat between China and the US in case of possible impacts on New Zealand. US President Donald Trump has put a hefty tariff on Chinese imports and China retaliated by imposing tariffs of their own. Mr Finny told the AM Show it's not just the United States getting involved in the fight, but Europe and Japan as well. And as the old adage goes, "nobody wins in a trade war", especially not small trading nations like New Zealand. "We have a real risk out there," he said. "We could see impacts on global prices, we could see product diverted from one market to another and we also have a big threat to the world trade organisation which should be a big concern to all smaller countries." Simon Bridges says National would have no problem approving coal mining on conservation land that isn't "pristine". The Government on Saturday said it had declined an application to build an open-cast mine across 12 hectares in the Mt Rochfort Conservation Area on the South Island's West Coast. Mr Bridges told The AM Show on Monday he wasn't sure if the party agreed or disagreed with the Government's decision, because it's yet to be discussed in caucus. But he said National "definitely" opposes what he's calling a "blanket ban" on mining in conservation areas. "A third of New Zealand is conservation estate. Some of it's pristine - there shouldn't be coal mining. But some of it's scrubland." Nearly 30 percent of New Zealand is conservation land, but not all of it is Schedule 4 land - the most protected. The previous National Government did plan to allow mining in Schedule 4 land, but backtracked after 50,000 people took to the streets in Auckland in 2010. A few years later Mr Bridges, then Energy and Resources Minister, signed off a block offer for exploration in Victoria Forest Park - the biggest of its kind in New Zealand. He later admitted he had never heard of it before he signed it off. Victoria Forest Park isn't Schedule 4 land, and nor is the Mt Rochfort Conservation Area, east of Westport. Nonetheless, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage called it "an undisturbed area which is precious and unique and supports complex and diverse habitats for threatened plants and wildlife", including kiwi, snails and lizards. Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods said the "irreversible and permanent costs to the natural environment" outweighed any economic benefits a mine would bring. Mr Bridges said he would allow mining to go ahead on "low-level" conservation land. "We've always had that policy, and here's why - actually, it's jobs. If you don't do this where there aren't big conservation values at stake, you're just importing the coal from overseas. That may make people feel virtuous, but I don't know if it actually [makes New Zealand greener]." He specifically ruled out allowing mines on Schedule 4 land. The Government earlier this year said it would no longer be issuing exploration permits for fossil fuels, with a few exceptions. National has promised to reverse that ban. Watch the full interview with Simon Bridges above. The AM Show with Duncan Garner, Amanda Gillies and Mark Richardson, weekdays 6-9am on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the rova app on Android and iPhone.. Newshub. Nurses appear set to reject the Government's pay offer and go on strike next month, the first nationwide industrial action in the sector since the 1980s. While the results of a vote held by the union's 27,000-strong membership won't be out until later on Monday, registered nurse Danni Wilkinson told The AM Show they will "absolutely" be walking off the job. "I've spoken to one nurse who was going to vote yes, and everyone else I've spoken to is emphatic - no." The current offer includes a staggered pay rise of about 9 percent, and a $2000 one-off lump sum. Ms Wilkinson said in May that would only halve the pay gap between here and in Australia. But National Party leader Simon Bridges says it's more than "a mechanic, a hairdresser, a lawyer" will be getting this year. "I'm all for them getting more wages, but it's got to be with a growing economy. The problem with all this industrial stuff is I think it gets in the way of that." He told The AM Show National couldn't give nurses significant payrises during National's so-called 'rock-star economy' because of the combined effect of the global financial crisis and the Christchurch earthquakes. While Mr Bridges thinks they should get paid more, in his view they want too much. "They're emboldened because they know they've got their mates in power who've talked a big game with the unions. I predict they'll be holding out for more." Ms Wilkinson said while National was in power, nurses were encouraged to take what they could get and hope their cause would become an election issue. "It's been an ongoing problem, so we've fallen further and further behind. Promises haven't been kept and now we're united and everyone's listening to each other, and we've realised it's not just one or two people who are unhappy - we're all unhappy." The two-day strike is scheduled for July 5 and July 12. Ms Wilkinson says contingencies will be in place for emergencies, and it's "unlikely" anyone will die as a result. "We will provide life-saving, life-preserving measures. There will still be some nurses available... Doctors will have to fill in the gaps." Watch the full interview with Danni Wilkinson above. The AM Show with Duncan Garner, Amanda Gillies and Mark Richardson, weekdays 6-9am on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the rova app on Android and iPhone. Newshub. While there is no official date set yet, Pike River Minister Andrew Little says re-entry into the mine by the end of the year is likely. The minister told The AM Show on Monday it's now just a question of working out the details. "All the advice and plans say this is doable and achievable, it's now just a question about working out the detail of what you have to do - ventilating the mine, purging it of the gas, the staged re-entry process - but it is all technically doable. "I'm pretty confident we will start the job by the end of this year." Mr Little says the question of the final cost remains, but that won't be a major deterrent. "We're pretty sure now it will exceed the $23 million budget we set up at the end of last year. "It's not just a question of doing it for its own sake; it's about the families and the real possibility that there will be human remains we can recover at the far end of the drift. "There's also the other question of getting a more accurate sense of what actually happened, a more accurate explanation about what was the cause, what could've happened and therefore who might be responsible." As the re-entry to the Pike River Mine gets closer, so does the new police investigation. Pike River families' spokesperson Bernie Monk told The AM Show it's been an ongoing battle. "We go back to 2013-14 when the authorities walked away from any investigative work. "We look at the [Royal Commission into the Pike River Mine Tragedy] that only investigated up to the first explosion. All the questions our lawyers made in that commission to bring justice and accountability for the families, and their lawyers got up and said 'don't answer those questions, you could incriminate yourself'. That left a very bad taste in our mouths." Mr Monk says despite the regular dangers of their work and even with the further safety breaches, the victims could have never seen the explosion coming. "A lot of those men went to the authority and complained and complained and complained. "I look at my son, he was a contractor. He wouldn't have known about the dangers of entering that mine every day, and that's one of the things that really frustrates me. The authorities just told them to get on with the job." Mr Little says he's as keen as the families to have a clear assessment about who is responsible. "We always intended right from the outset that the police would be involved, we would treat the drift as a crime scene. There needs to be a forensic approach taken as we make re-entry." The minister said the major problem is the "dodgy deal" done with Pike River mine boss Peter Whittall. "It was an arrangement that the Supreme Court has declared to be unlawful, whereby he has walked away and charges against him dropped. The double jeopardy rule will mean it's pretty hard to chase hima It's a disgrace for our justice system that we allowed it to happen. "There's a question then about whether the directors of the company might be held liable or others might be, that's why [re-entry] is important." Mr Little says it is likely some human remains will be found on re-entry. "There are photos of what looks like bodies from the cameras that have been put down there. "The fact that two guys managed to get out of the mine, the chance that others got part way up the drift as well is very high and we want that to be covered off. "If there are human remains we need to have a proper disaster victim identification approach to recovering those remains." For the Pike River families at least, it couldn't come soon enough. Watch the full interview with Andrew Little above. The AM Show with Duncan Garner, Amanda Gillies and Mark Richardson, weekdays 6-9am on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the rova app on Android and iPhone. Newshub. The national railways of Russia and China signed a memorandum on June 8 agreeing to jointly develop a market for high speed' freight services between China, Russia and Europe. Target market sectors for China Railway Express and RZD Logistics include cross-border electronic commerce and express delivery services which would use ... Russian hacking group leader appeals ruling of Moscow court RIA Novosti, Vitaly Belousov 10:59 18/06/2018 MOSCOW, June 18 (RAPSI) Vladimir Anikeyev, the leader of Russias hacking group Shaltai-Boltai, or Humpty Dumpty, who was sentenced to two years in a penal colony, has appealed the ruling of the Lefortovsky District Court of Moscow refusing to change remaining prison term to a fine, the press-service of the court has told RAPSI. The appeal will be heard on June 19. On May 24, the Moscow court dismissed a petition filed by Anikeyev. Earlier, Anikeyev also petitioned for parole but the court dismissed his motion in January. The Moscow City Court sentenced Anikeyev to 2 years in prison in July 2017. The man was found guilty of getting illegal access to computer information in collusion with a group of people. Two other group members, Alexander Filinov and Konstantin Teplyakov, have received 3 years in prison each. From 2013 to 2016, Anikeyev and his accomplices hacked computers, cellphones and tablet computers of Russian citizens and stole information data, according to investigation. In some cases, they put the information for sale on the Internet. Anikeyev has pleaded guilty. Moscow court refuses to release on parole defendant in major fraud case 13:59 18/06/2018 MOSCOW, June 18 (RAPSI) The Tverskoy District Court of Moscow has refused to grant a parole request for the former head of the Security and ommunications company Andrey Lugansky, the defendant in a criminal case over crimes in Slavyanka utility company related to the Defense Ministry of Russia, RAPSI correspondent reports from the courtroom. The court granted a motion of the Defense Ministry to deny release of the defendant on parole. According to the ministry, the full amount of damage caused by Lugansky is yet to be compensated. In 2016, Lugansky was sentenced to 7 years in a penal colony for fraud on especially large scale. Embezzlement in the company came to light in relation to the 2012 investigation into Oboronservis, which revealed fraudulent activities carried out in the course of deals involving real estate, land and shares in Oboronservis. Totally, five criminal cases over damages exceeding 3 billion rubles ($48 million) were initiated as concerned this Defense Ministry company. No key figures of these cases have pleaded guilty. Telegram turns to ECHR over messenger blocking in Russia 16:47 18/06/2018 MOSCOW, June 18 (RAPSI) Telegram has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over Russian authorities decision to block the messenger throughout the country, lawyer Damir Gainutdinov has told RAPSI. The applicant claims that Russian authorities have violated Article 10 (Freedom of expression) and Article 13 (Right to an effective remedy) of the European Convention of Human Rights. According to Gainutdinov, Telegram also asked the ECHR to integrate this application with its first complaint against an 800,000-ruble fine ($14,000) imposed on the company for refusal to provide information on user messages decoding to the Federal Security Service (FSB). On June 14, the Moscow City Court dismissed the companys appeal against blocking the messenger. The Tagansky District Court issued a ruling on blocking Telegram on April 13. Roskomnadzor was tasked with putting a stop to sending and receiving messages in Telegram until the messenger fulfills its obligations by providing deciphering keys. The ruling came into force immediately. Roskomnadzor started blocking the messenger on April 16. According to the Federal Law On Information, Information Technologies and the Protection of Information, organizers of information distribution on the Internet must submit information about users and their messages to the authorized governmental bodies conducting investigative activities and ensuring the state security. 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 Keep a close eye on credit quality, financials of NBFCs before investing. These instruments should not constitute more than 15 to 20 per cent of your debt portfolio, experts tell Sanjay Kumar Singh. With non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) finding it difficult to raise funds from banks, total issuance of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) from them this financial year is expected to cross the previous high, according to ICRA Ratings. In 2013-2014, they raised a record Rs 423.83 billion. With recent issues like those of DHFL and JM Financial promising annual returns of 9 per cent and above, investors are likely to be attracted to these. However, they should not invest in these without proper due diligence. After returns, the next thing investors should check is the issuer's credit quality. "Safety lies in investing in a company with a credit rating of AAA. But, if you wish to take some risk in pursuit of higher returns, you may go up to AA," says Deepesh Raghaw, founder, PersonalFinancePlan.in, a Sebi-registered investment adviser. The reason he cites for sticking to highest-grade papers is that credit ratings in India can fall by multiple notches at one go. Raghaw recommends sticking to NCDs of established companies for which the reputational risk of a default would be high. An alternative way to take exposure in NCDs is by investing in credit risk funds. These funds invest in papers below AA rating as well but the risks they take are backed by a lot of research. At the time of investing, and even after, keep a close eye on the company's financials, especially its level of leverage. "A company may promise you a "9 per cent-plus return today, but if its financials deteriorate after a couple of years, you might not even get your principal back," says Mumbai-based financial planner Arnav Pandya. He suggests investors should not lock themselves in NCDs of more than three to five years. Monthly, quarterly, six-monthly and yearly payout options are available. "If you take your payouts at longer intervals, the rate of return will be higher because of the compounding effect," says Pandya. The rate of return promised to you should be the compounded annual rate. "Many companies do fraudulent math to promise you a higher rate," says Raghaw. Suppose you invested Rs 100,000 and you get Rs 153,862 after five years. The compounded annual return is 9 per cent. But the company could advertise that it is paying a return of 10.77 per cent (Rs 53,862 is the total interest; when this is divided by five, the number of years, you arrive at 10.77 per cent). Be wary of such tricks. Do not load your debt portfolio too much with NCDs. "Companies offer a higher rate of return on NCDs because they are unable to borrow from other sources at a lower rate, owing to the credit risk they carry. These should not constitute more than 15 to 20 per cent of your debt portfolio," says Pandya. Finally, consider the alternatives available. Bank fixed deposit rates are rising. The three-year FD rate from State Bank of India is 6.70 per cent while some banks like DCB are offering as much as 7.75 per cent. Moreover, the interest income you get from an NCD will be taxable at your marginal tax rate. "A person who doesn't need a regular income might be better off investing in a debt fund where he will be eligible for indexation benefit after three years," says Raghaw. The GoI Saving Bond, which offers 7.75 per cent, is another option. Senior citizens should give priority to government schemes with zero default risk like Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (8.3 per cent annual return and Section 80C tax benefit) and Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (8 to 8.3 per cent annual return). Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com 'India, he announced, is a "free, open, inclusive region" committed to the "common pursuit of progress and prosperity".' 'Prosperity yes. But free? Open?' 'Ask the Dalit tanner, the Muslim butcher, the Christian priest who writes pastoral letters.' 'Ask cattle traders of any religion or a Delhiwallah who enjoys a juicy steak.' 'Ask a Muslim who falls in love with a Hindu or vice versa,' says Sunanda K Datta-Ray. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi delivers the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue,in Singapore, June 1, 2018. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Yesterday's Nehru jacket wasn't transformed into a fashionable designer garment when cut out of expensive weave instead of plain khadi and marketed as the Modi jacket. Nor did P V Narasimha Rao's 'Look East' policy become passe just because the no-longer-so-new regime announced with fanfare that it would 'Act East'. Indeed, apart from some high-powered personal publicity, Act East hasn't realised the railway that was going to link Ho Chi Minh City with London via Delhi while the promised roads, pipelines and ports are still pies in the sky. Donald J Trumps 'Indo-Pacific' is an inexpensive compliment to a country where Trump Towers make money. That might explain why international news channels virtually ignored Narendra D Modi's keynote address at Asia's premier security conference, the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. They focused entirely on the US defence secretary's speech. Of course, the voice of America always commands attention but he also had something to say -- a stiff warning to China. India's media barely reported James Mattis' address. But then ours is an Indocentric world. Anyone reading Indian newspapers in the 1950s could have been forgiven for supposing that Jawaharlal Nehru ruled the world. Now, the view seems to be that the very act of globetrotting at public expense makes Modi a global statesman. This is inevitable when reporters covering foreign events rely heavily on briefings by their own government's spokesmen who naturally have a nationalist agenda. I remember the BBC's Indian correspondent being ordered out of a briefing abroad where State secrets were to be imparted to Indian journalists for the edification of domestic audiences. I was familiar with the treatment for I worked part-time for a British newspaper. On one such occasion, India's ambassador invited me to dinner after an official reception for the visiting external affairs minister. The minister didn't know me, but the minders from Delhi escorting him around the lawn did. Every time they glimpsed me, they swung the minister round to safer terrain. Eventually, they must have run out of lawn to escape to. Or, maybe, the minister smelt a rat. The ambassador drew me aside, apologised profusely, and said it would be easier for him if I left and returned later to dine with him and his wife. The minister might say something for the ears of Indian journalists only. I didn't count as one, certainly not to the minister's press party. Whatever they might say in private, publicly they were jingoists to a man. There was none of that dissimulation about a Chinese Singaporean editor who carried patriotism to the extent of sticking to Singapore time on his frequent trips abroad. He would be fast asleep in bustling Kampala if Singapore was sleeping. He would be up and about in somnolent Kharkov if it was daylight in Singapore. I tumbled to his unique lifestyle when he had an assignment in Karachi and I tried to help with introductions to Pakistani friends. He didn't need them, thank you. His hours ruled out local socialising. Moreover, his Singaporean readers weren't interested in what foreigners thought. All this came to mind as loyalists trumpeted that no Indian prime minister, not even Narasimha Rao whom Lee Kuan Yew hailed as India's Deng Xiaoping, had been singled out for the honour of delivering the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue. True enough, but what did Modi say to justify that honour? His listeners can hardly have been astonished to hear that 'the foundations of the global order appear shaken' and 'the future looks less certain'. Or that 'we live on the edge of uncertainty, of unsettled questions and unresolved disputes; contests and claims; and clashing visions and competing models'. Modi concluded sagely that this contentious world 'summons us to rise above divisions and competition to work together'. 'Is that possible?' he asked and answered himself with a resounding 'Yes!' The world is waiting for his secret prescription. India, he announced, is a 'free, open, inclusive region' committed to the 'common pursuit of progress and prosperity'. Prosperity yes. But free? Open? Ask the Dalit tanner, the Muslim butcher, the Christian priest who writes pastoral letters. Ask cattle traders of any religion or a Delhiwallah who enjoys a juicy steak. Ask a Muslim who falls in love with a Hindu or vice versa. The bigger failure is the absence of any coherent policy on China. Sycophants at home may applaud waffling as statesmanship. Abroad, it looks like timidity, recalling Pope's lines about being 'willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike'. 'The CM was in Gorakhpur when this attempt to murder took place on my brother.' 'I waited for two days to see what action the police takes, but after 48 hours, the police has not even questioned Paswan.' Photograph: PTI Photo In August last year Dr Kafeel Khan became a saviour for several children during the BRD Medical College tragedy in Uttar Pradesh in which 63 children died due to encephalitis and alleged disruption of liquid oxygen supply. Dr Khan was hailed as a hero after he reportedly bought oxygen cylinders with his own money during the crisis. However, within hours, he was cast as the villain after the Ajay Singh Bisht government in UP charged him with taking leave without permission on the day of the oxygen shortage and not informing his superiors. Dr Khan was sacked and jailed after being been booked on charges of 'attempt to murder'. After spending seven months in jail, the Allahabad high court granted Dr Khan bail in April. Even as his life was limping back to normalcy, another tragedy struck him on June 10. His brother Kashif Jameel was shot at by unidentified motorbike-borne assailants. After waiting for more than a week for arrests to be made in the case, Dr Khan on Sunday, June 17, blamed a Bharatiya Janata Party MP for being behind the attack on his brother. According to the ANI news agency, Dr Khan alleged that Kamlesh Paswan -- the BJP MP from Bansgaon -- had engineered the attack as he wanted to take over a piece of land belonging to his uncle. "Kamlesh Paswan thought the government was against me and wanted to grab my ancestral property," Dr Khan alleged in an interview to Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf. Paswan -- see box below -- told Rediff.com, "Dr Kafeel is twisting facts, but I will not let him do it. I will file a defamation case against him." When we spoke last week you said you had no idea who shot your brother. Now you are accusing a BJP MP. What made you change your mind? Dr Kafeel Khan: They made me a scapegoat in the children's death tragedy at BRD hospital, Gorakhpur. I was in jail for nine months. So, MP Kamlesh Paswan thought the government was against me and therefore wanted to grab my ancestral property located in a prime location. When I was in jail, in February, even at that time he tried to grab our property. An FIR (first information report) was registered against him then. He gave an application to the court that he would surrender, but since it was during the Gorakhpur by-polls (no action was taken). He got away with it. This time he tried to kill my brother. My brother told us that a final decision in the ongoing case over our ancestral property was to come on June 13. Therefore, he was attacked on June 10. Has this court decision come? No. It is postponed to June 20. Why are you bringing up Paswan's name now after keeping quiet for a week? Because my brother told us about Paswan only now. Earlier he was in a coma-kind of situation. He has come out of that and now he has given his statement to the police. He gave this statement on June 15 and the police registered his complaint. I waited for two days to see what action the police takes, but after 48 hours, the police has not even questioned Paswan. The police must ask him why my brother is saying such things. What you are saying about the BJP MP could land you in a defamation case. In February, he tried to grab our land. His shooters warned my brother and told him earlier that he should dispose of the land by taking some money or they will shoot him. There is CCTV footage from February when these goons came to grab our land. This is not some fictitious story. If you know any journalist in Gorakhpur you ask them. After my press conference, three-four other victims have come out in the open against Paswan and accused him of being a land-grabber. In September 2017, my uncle met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (alkso known as Ajay Singh Bisht) and gave him a letter stating that these people want to grab our land and our lives are in danger. It looks like it has now become a war between you and the BJP. Why did they put me behind bars for nine months? The fault was of those sitting in Lucknow, they did not pay money due to which 60 children lost their lives. After that they are harassing me. They have not revoked my suspension so far. Nor are they reinstating me in my job. They prevented me from going to Kerala when I wanted to go for treating the Nipah virus. The CM was in Gorakhpur when this attempt to murder took place on my brother. This incident happened when the chief minister was just 500 metres away. The most horrible part was what the police did when my brother was shot. When the doctors were saying it was an emergency and wanted to remove the bullets from my brother's body, the police delayed the case by four hours. Can a suspension order be revoked when the case is sub judice? There is a clear guideline from the Supreme Court that they have to finish departmental inquiry in three months. In my case, it is more than 10 months. They are just delaying my re-joining order. Do you feel there is a personal vendetta against you? I was sent to jail only because of personal vendetta. The high court, while giving me bail, said the Uttar Pradesh government could not produce a single evidence against me. So why then was I sent to jail? It was only personal (vendetta), therefore I was sent to jail. If not, then they (the Uttar Pradesh government) wanted to save the skin of their own people. But what will they gain by targeting you or your family? I am determined to get all the culprits who were responsible for the deaths of the children in Gorakhpur hospital behind bars. Sixty children died because they (the administration) did not pay Rs 60 lakh to the vendors. I am going to court against them. They are worried as this will open a Pandora's box. Manish Bhandari (who supplies oxygen to Gorakhpur's BRD Medical College) wrote 14 letters to the health minister and chief minister, but nobody took this issue seriously The charge against you is that you siphoned off the oxygen cylinders for your private practice and therefore this tragedy happened. BRD Medical College supplies liquid oxygen that runs through pipelines. How can someone steal liquid oxygen? You cannot steal it. It is a 200-foot-tall tank which contains around 30,000 litre of liquid oxygen. This was a fictitious story spread about me. What about your private practice? Even a police investigation could not find out that I had a private practice. Even the court said the same thing. I had my own private practice before I joined BRD Medical College. They can say whatever they want. You can see the court order and find out that the Uttar Pradesh government could not prove a single charge against me. People were calling you a hero, but overnight you became a villain. I was doing only my duty. It is the journalists who made me a hero and it is they who made me a villain. They had to make some story and they made a story out of my life. How is your family coping during this crisis? Financially I am broke and so is my family. Logon se maang maang kar kaam chala rahen hai (I am begging from people to meet my household expenses). I am also running around government offices, requesting them to reinstate me in my job. What do they say? The officers meet me and say they have sympathy for me, but then they add one line: They cannot do anything as there is pressure from higher office, they cannot help me. And I have no idea who is sitting in the higher posts. 'Once the violence is contained, the politicians must play their role, but unfortunately that is not happening.' Photograph: Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: Clashes erupt in Srinagar between locals and security forces following Eid prayers, June 16, 2018. A S Dulat -- former chief of India's external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing -- is convinced that the use of force will not solve the Kashmir problem, that a solution can only be achieved through talking to the Kashmiris. "Solving Kashmir is a very big ask. But it is not even being managed properly," Dulat -- then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's advisor on Kashmir -- tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf and Saisuresh Sivaswamy in the third part of a four-part interview. Par unki niyat hi saaf nahi hai toh kya kare (but if their intentions are not clear, so then what can we do)? You have to check out niyat (laughs), what to do! I ask the same question to the Pakistanis, what is your niyat? Where they want to go and what they want to do. They ask me the counter question, aap ki niyat kya hai? Is India better off without a headache like Kashmir? Jammu and Ladakh are peaceful, so it is not like the entire state of Jammu and Kasmir is against India. If Kashmir goes, then the lives of Muslims in India will be difficult. If Kashmir goes, then the rest of India will say throw the Muslims of India into the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal, what are they doing in India? They must go to Pakistan. What is their role in India? I think that way. It boils down to this: Cannot a big State like India accommodate one Muslim majority state within the country? Kashmiris think that way. Journalist Saeed Naqvi once said the Hindu-Muslim problem in India is a triangular problem. It is an Islamabad-New Delhi-Srinagar problem. Once you solve that triangle, the Hindu-Muslim problem too would be solved in India. That I think is simplifying things a bit too much. But yes, if Kashmir were to become normal -- as I say, we may not be able to find what Kashmiris call a full and final solution -- but still if Kashmir were to normalise then it eases the pressure on Muslims in the rest of the country and vice versa. When there is pressure on Muslims in the rest of the country it does impinge on Kashmiris too as he begins to think Muslims have a problem. It is both ways. Once I had a discussion with Maulana Mehmood Madani (of the Jamiat Ulema e Hind) and he was talking about Muslims and Islam in India. I asked him: 'How is that you don't espouse the cause of Kashmir?' He went silent for a while and said yes, that is one of our weaknesses. And if you ask (Syed Ali Shah) Geelani and Mirwaiz (Umar Farooq), they will say the same thing, that they do not take up the cause of Muslims in India very seriously. Both think they are independent of each other. On the other hand it is a success of India's secularism that not even 10 Muslims from mainland India have joined Kashmiri militant groups. Kashmiri Muslims too feel the same way about Indian Muslims. They are Indian Muslims and we are Kashmiris, they say. The kind of communal harmony among, say, the Muslims of Karnataka or the Muslims of Maharashtra and their Hindu neighbours is more than that of Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits. Has the Islamist ideology crept in among the Kashmiri population so rigidly that they could never identify with their regional identity, with their Kashmiri Hindu neighbours? In fact, in Kashmir Hindus and Muslims traditionally over centuries have got along very well. There was never a problem. It was just that period of 1989-1990 when the Pandits left in panic because of targeted attacks. And those who are living in Kashmir have no problem with Muslims or vice versa. It is a sad story and a separate story. Bringing them back (in Kashmir) also requires an effort and the separatists have to play a huge role in it. Individually they say that they would like their Pandit brethren back, but I think a more serious effort is required. Has the chasm between the two communities widened? Even if they return, will they be able to lead a normal life? It has, after all, been 30 years since the Pandits left the valley. It would be normal, but there is the scare that if they go back will they be targeted again. Somebody has to give an assurance that they will be fine. And that assurance, more than security forces or the Government of India, has to come from local Muslims. Therefore, I said that separatist leaders have a huge role to play in it. If Geelani, Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz go and visit the migrant camps in Jammu and say come on, we want you back, then something will happen. Is there an ideal solution for the Kashmir problem? Let us at least manage it properly even if we cannot solve it. Solving, I think, is a very big ask. But it is not even being managed properly. Managed means accretional steps that one has to take. What happens is every time there is a cycle of violence, force has to be used and the army has a bigger role and that is understandable. It has to be done. What the army has to do, it has to do. What the J&K police have to do, they have to do. What the intelligence agencies have to do, they have to do. Everybody has a role and they all do it well, but at the end there is no military solution to Kashmir. It is an emotive issue. It is a political matter. Once the violence is contained, the politicians must play their role, but unfortunately that is not happening. We are not encouraging too much and that is a problem. Why is it that political parties do not play a proactive role in solving the issue? As I said, it is both ways. Part of the blame lies on Delhi and part of it on Kashmiri politicians too. They also don't play the role they should play. It is both ways, but we need to engage with Kashmiris. Do you think the rigging of the 1986 assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir by the Rajiv Gandhi government was the biggest mistake on India's part as it feared that if the Muslim Conference won a majority they would pass a resolution in the assembly declaring independence from India? I don't think anybody would have declared independence. If the Muslim Conference would have won three or four more seats it would have been good having them in the assembly rather than in Pakistan as chairperson (Syed Salahuddin, who contested the 1986 assembly election and became a militant thereafter) of the United Jihad Council. It is unfortunate. Of course, talk about rigged elections was exaggerated. It was a question of only 3 or 4 seats and those seats would not have made a difference. Whose brainwave was it? I don't know. But I won't blame Rajiv Gandhi for it. Some people blame him, some people blame Farooq Abdullah and some people blame the over-enthusiastic administration, but I don't know who was to blame. It was unfortunate, but it would not have happened. It would have made no difference. However it happened in a few seats and one of them was Yusuf Shah's, who then became Syed Salahuddin. But nobody was going to declare independence in the assembly. This is how crazy we can get. When there were problems in Punjab and the Akalis contested elections there were fears that even they would declare independence in the assembly and announce Khalistan. This is the height of rubbish. History is full of what-if moments. What, according to you, was the biggest what-if moment in Kashmir? One of the big mistakes was the dismissal of Dr Farooq Abdullah's government by Indira Gandhi in 1984. As long as Sheikh Abdullah was alive, Pakistan never dared to meddle in Kashmir. They knew the Sheikh was too big to take on. After Sheikh Abdullah died, his son Farooq was appointed chief minister as he was Indira Gandhi's choice. But somewhere she got unhappy with him as he organised one or two Opposition conclaves in Kashmir. So it was decided to replace him with his brother-in-law (G M Shah). In fact, then governor B K Nehru opposed it, but nothing happened. He said it was a mistake. The people in Kashmir say the Farooq Abdullah of 1983-1984 the people of Kashmir never saw again. When he came back to power in 1987 the people of Kashmir called him a stooge of Delhi. Talking to Farooq in the 1990s, he told me he was not like his father. 'I am not going to spend 23 years in jail, I am going to be on the right side of New Delhi for you cannot survive in Kashmir by being on the wrong side of Delhi,' he said. After that if the agreement with (then Pakistan military dictator General Pervez) Musharraf had come through, that would have been a big thing. Dr Manmohan Singh too said we were very close to it. Things would have been different. It was during Vajpayee's time too. We came very close to solving the Kashmir problem then. Vajpayee unfortunately did not get enough time. Unfortunately, whenever he moved forward something happened (the terror attack). Modiji has had the best opportunity and fortunately nothing has gone wrong. Whether it was Manmohan Singh who had to deal with 26/11, or Vajpayee who had to deal with Kargil, the Parliament attack and the hijack of the Indian Airlines plane, Modi has had no such problems. He had the best opportunity to do something. 'We know the situation has worsened in the valley, but we are taking the first step.' 'We have lost 30 years of our life. We do not want to wait any longer.' 'The political class always said, you come down to Kashmir.' 'So, we are going to be there and we are going to demand a place to stay.' 'After all, it is our own land.' IMAGE: A file photograph of Kashmiri Pandits offering prayers at the Kheer Bhawani temple. Photograph: Umar Ganie On Monday, June 18, a group of around 150 Kashmiri Pandits who have been living as refugees in various parts of India from 1989-1990, when the onset of militancy drove them out of their homes, will start a journey that will end on June 20 with a prayer meeting at the Mata Kheer Bhawani temple in Tulla Mulla village, Ganderbal, about 23 kilometres from Srinagar. The Times of India reports that the Jammu and Kashmir government has for the first time made special arrangements for the Hindu pilgrims to visit the temple. On Saturday, June 16, Governor N N Vohra visited the temple to review the stay, sanitation and other arrangements for the pilgrims. The state government has also provided for AC Volvo buses from new Delhi to ferry pilgrims to the temple and back. "Remember, this yatra is only the beginning, the first step in our new journey," Satish Mahaldar, co-ordinator of the yatra, tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier. After almost 30 years, the displaced Kashmiri Pandits are planning a yatra to Kashmir at a time when the situation over there has worsened. Why now? Every year we undertake this yatra. Kheer Bhawani is the most revered place of worship of all Kashmiri Pandits. This is to seek blessings from the goddess Ragnya Devi coinciding with the festival of Jaisthya Ashtami. You must remember that it has been almost 30 years and the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits as promised by various governments has not happened till now. No doubt, there have been attempts, but nothing has happened on the ground, and we still live as refugees in our own country. So, we thought we ourselves would take this up as an initiative and go there and search for our lost homes. We know that most of our homes are not there now; some are burnt, some are taken away and some are destroyed in these 30 years. In fact, we don't have any place to go. You can describe this as our attempt to find our lost homes. Is this a symbolic yatra, then? Yes, it is symbolic. Where our yatra ends is the temple that Swami Vivekananda got enlightenment in. Adi Sankaracharya got shakti in this temple. For Kashmiri Pandits, this is the most pious place and that is why we visit this temple every year. But every year, you come back after the yatra. Why did you decide to call this year's yatra as 'back to your homes'? Kashmiri Pandits have been living as refugees within our country for the last 30 years whereas refugees from Pakistan have been settled within the country. Today, we have no other option, but to find our lost homes on our own. One of the promises made by the Bharatiya Janata Party was to give Kashmiri Pandits their homes back, ensure their return. Do you feel disappointed that even after four years in power, the Narendra D Modi government has not done anything to rehabilitate you in your own land? So far, nothing has happened and that is the reason why we are attempting this on our own. We are going to find our homes, but we do not know whether we will find our homes or (whether we) will get killed. Is this an attempt to remind the state and central governments through this yatra that they have not fulfilled their promise? Of course, we want to remind them that they have not done anything so far. We held the flags of our country in our hands one day and shouted Vande Mataram, but today, even our own countrymen have forgotten us. Can we say there is a political significance attached to this religious yatra? There is no political significance, but yes, this is to remind the political class what has happened to a whole community. It is a symbolic yatra to remind those people who had promised our return to our homeland and rehabilitation. Is the J&K government helping you in any way in this yatra? As you know, the J&K government is a coalition between the BJP and the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party. The transportation facilities are provided by the J&K government. You should understand one thing: 30 years is a long period in the lifespan of a man and we have been asking for a place where we can go back and start our lives again. The state government can help us get settled in our land. We are not asking for the moon; we just want a place to stay in our homeland. Has the response been positive from the state government? Whether it is the state government or the central government, all of them, irrespective of the political party they belong to, have been promising, but has anything happened so far? No. It is back to square one always. Do you feel the 2018 yatra will be the beginning of the return of Kashmiri Pandits to their own land? Ours will be a fight, a fight to rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits. Since the government has not done anything, we have decided to fight our battle to see that all Hindus are rehabilitated. Will it be safe now to return? Even when it was reported that the situation was normal, did anyone help us return? They always said the situation was not conducive. Everybody was ignoring our situation. When is it going to be normal for us to return? In the political drama that is happening there, we do not understand what they want to achieve. We only understand that the lives of Kashmiri Pandits have been ruined. You must be frustrated, having gone through this agony for 30 years now. Yes, we are frustrated. We want to remind the political class that they have not fulfilled the promise given to us. Most of the political parties have been promising a lot, but they have not delivered anything. What is your feeling now that you are planning to return to your roots? Some 150 of us from across the country are going on this yatra from Delhi and from Jammu, 2,000 to 3,000 people will join us. We do not know what fate awaits us in the valley. We have land there and a huge temple property too, but it is being used by others now. First, we will go and see what the condition of our homes are, whether they can be repaired. So many houses have been burnt. We will organise a protest in the valley itself and demand shelter. The political class always said you come down to Kashmir. So, we are going to be there and we are going to demand a place to stay. After all, it is our own land. It is going to be a huge struggle for us, for our survival. The fight has begun, fight for our survival. We do not want to listen to any more promises. We are going back to our land, come what may. What gives you the courage to go back now and fight? We know the situation has worsened in the valley, but we are taking the first step. We have lost 30 years of our life. We do not want to wait any longer. Remember, this yatra is only the beginning, the first step in our new journey. Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who has been on hunger strike since June 13 at the lieutenant governor's office, was on Monday taken to hospital after his health deteriorated, a day after his colleague Satyendar Jain was hospitalised. IMAGE: Samajwadi Party Leader Ram Gopal Yadav meets Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia at the hospital. Photograph: Kind courtesy @AamAadmiParty/Twitter Sisodia was rushed to the LNJP Hospital in New Delhi around 3 pm after the ketone level in his urine rose sharply and his sugar level slumped, a senior doctor said. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted about his deputy's hospitalisation. "Manish Sisodia being shifted to hospital," he said on Twitter. Health Minister Satyendar Jain was on Sunday hospitalised after his condition had deteriorated. He was taken to the LNJP Hospital where his condition is stable, doctors said. On Saturday, a team of doctors had examined Sisodia and Jain. While Jain went on indefinite fast at the LG's office on Tuesday, Sisodia had been on a hunger strike since Wednesday. According to a doctor, his blood sugar level on Sunday was 49 units (mg/dL) while the ketone level was found to be "large". However, his blood pressure reading was 120/82. "Manish Sisodia's ketone level reaches 7.4. Yesterday it was 6.4. ideally it should be zero. 2+ level is considered to be danger zone. Team of doctors reaching LG house to see him (sic)," AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj tweeted less than an hour before he was hospitalised. IMAGE: Satyendar Jain was admitted after his sugar levels fell and his ketone levels were very hight. Photograph: Kind courtesy @AamAadmiParty/Twitter Kejriwal, along with his colleagues, have been at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office since June 13, demanding a direction to IAS officers to end what the AAP describes a "strike" and approval of the doorstep ration delivery scheme. The condition of Jain is stable even though he has been kept in the ICU of the LNJP Hospital, a doctor said. J C Passey, medical superintendent of the LNJP Hospital, said that Jain was shifted at 11.50 pm yesterday after he complained of headache, nausea, abdomen pain, respiratory difficulties and urine retention. Passey said he is not taking food orally and is being given glucose, electrolytes and medication for symptomatic relief intravenously. "Our team of specialists has examined him again today and has advised some investigations. He is likely to be kept in the ICU for the next 24 hours for observation," he said. Meanwhile, SP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav visited both the Delhi ministers at the hospital. "Samajwadi Party Leader & Rajyasabha MP Prof Ram Gopal Yadav met Dy CM @msisodia in LNJP Hospital & assured him full support (sic)," the AAP said on its official Twitter handle and shared pictures of his visit. "Samajwadi Party Leader & Rajyasabha MP Prof Ram Gopal Yadav also met Delhi Health Min. @SatyendarJain in LNJP Hospital & appreciated his efforts in strengthening Health system of Delhi," it said. Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot also visited Jain in the hospital and shared a picture on Twitter. "Went to LNJP hospital ICU to enquire about health of @SatyendarJain. We pray to god for his speedy recovery," he tweeted. Kerala Chief Minister and CPI-M leader Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengal CM and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, and Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy lent support to the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party governments fight with the Centre, reports Archis Mohan. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy, as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Kerela CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu look on during a governing council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo Whether the Congress is willing or not, the rest of the Opposition has decided to hold at least one show of unity every month against the Narendra Modi government. The support lent on Saturday evening by four chief ministers to the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party governments fight with the Centre was an example of this. The last such display was at the swearing-in ceremony of Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy as Karnataka chief minister on May 23, though a half-hearted attempt to show opposition unity was made at the iftar hosted by Congress president Rahul Gandhi last week. While the Congress distanced itself from the latest show of opposition unity, the Trinamool Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxist, arch-rivals, came together. On Saturday evening, Kerala Chief Minister and CPI-M leader Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengal CM and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, and Kumaraswamy held a joint press conference to appeal to the Centre to break the impasse between the AAP government and its bureaucracy. On Sunday, leaders and the cadres of the Left parties joined those of AAP in their march to the Prime Ministers Office. CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who took part in Sundays protest march, said the plan to demonstrate Opposition unity would include efforts to revive the sanjhi virasat bachao, or save Indias composite culture, campaign. There could also be joint protests and demonstrations in state capitals on issues of peoples concerns -- agrarian distress, steep hikes in petrol and diesel prices, joblessness, etc. On Sunday, the four chief ministers met the PM before the start of the fourth governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog. Banerjee said the chief ministers requested the PM to resolve the problems of the Delhi government immediately. The Congress stayed away from the Sunday protests also. None of the two Congress chief ministers who attended the NITI Aayog meeting -- Punjabs Amarinder Singh and Puducherrys V Narayanasamy -- joined the four CMs in their appeal to the PM. However, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren, a Congress ally, came out in support of AAP. The events unfolding in Delhi are clearly a brazen violation of constitutional norms and restrict federalism in the country, Soren said. The Rashtriya Janata Dal, also a Congress ally in Bihar, has supported AAP. The sanjhi virasat bachao campaign started last year under the leadership of dissident Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav. Its first meeting was held in Delhi in August, and subsequent meetings took place in Mumbai, Indore and Jaipur. All leading politicians from across the spectrum of opposition parties attended these meetings. Two more prosecution witnesses in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases on Monday turned hostile before a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Mumbai, taking the total number of such witnesses to 68. Prosecution witnesses Ghanshyam, Heera Lal Ahari and Khum Singh deposed before special CBI judge S J Sharma. Of them, Ghanshyam and Ahari turned hostile. Ghanshyam was then assistant train driver and Ahari a guard of the Udaipur Mail by which Prajapati, escorted by a police team, travelled on December 27, 2006. In his statement to the Central Bureau of Investigation, Ghanshyam had said the train left for Udaipur on December 27, 2006 at 2.10 am and suddenly came to a halt at 3.00 am. When Ahari asked over a walkie-talkie why the train stopped, he told Ahari that somebody had pulled the chain in the rear waggon, Ghanshyam told the CBI. When Ghanshyam reached the rear waggon, Ahari told him that a prisoner had escaped from the custody of the Udaipur police after throwing chili powder in the eyes of one of the cops. However, he did not see any traces of chili powder on the face of the police officer or on his dress, Ghanshyam had told the CBI. The CBI's case is that the story of escape by Prajapati was a concocted one, and in reality he was killed in a fake encounter. In the court on Monday, Ghanshyam gave a slightly different version. He had seen the policeman rubbing his eyes due to the chili powder, he told the court. The CBI lawyer then declared him hostile. Ahari was also declared hostile as he too said that he saw chili powder on the policeman's face, contradicting his earlier statement to the agency. Besides, in his statement to the CBI, Ahari had said they had not recovered any mobile phone from the spot where Prajapati had allegedly escaped. However, in the court he said he did find a mobile phone which he handed over to the police. Shaikh, a suspected gangster, was killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat Police in November 2005. His wife Kausar Bi was also allegedly killed. Tulsi Prajapati, an aide of Shaikh who was said to be a witness to the encounter, was allegedly killed by police at Chapri village in Gujarat's Banaskantha district in December 2006. Of the 38 people charged by the CBI for the alleged fake encounters, 15 have been discharged by the trial court. 'Some people are natural born healers.' Geetanjali Krishna discovers that degrees don't matter in two tiny UP villages, healing does. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com The other day, in the hinterlands of Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, I had an interesting experience. "Doctor sahib is here!" shouted the old woman shepherding her goats in the fields lying fallow. Across the hill, another call went out. "Doctor sahib is here!" And so the message was relayed to the clump of hutments a distance away. The doctor himself was a middle aged man on a motorcycle, with a bushy grey mustache and a large red handkerchief instead of a helmet, on his head. I caught his eye and asked him for directions to the village school to which I was headed. "It's not very far. I'll escort you there on my bike," he said affably. Soon we arrived at our destination. After all these years, I still find myself mystified by the easy kindheartedness of people I meet in and around Mirzapur. So I asked him to sit a while and offered him water for his troubles. His name was Hari Shankar Singh, and he was an itinerant doctor. "Every day, I fill my bag with medicines, get on my bike and go to two villages -- Amoi and Turkahan, to dispense medicine to people," he told me. In both the villages, he had designated places where he practiced -- outside a general store in Amoi and under the large banyan tree in Turkahan. "My hours are also fixed, so everybody knows when they can come and consult me," he said. "I'm specially skilled at treating fevers and skin infections." It was clear that he was, what they call here a desi doctor -- a practitioner without a degree. However, to the few people I met in Turkahan, he was a godsend. Since it is a small village on a rocky hill, five kilometers away from the nearest road, folks here don't have very much by way of medical infrastructure. Having a doctor, albeit desi, who comes to their doorsteps with medicines, is convenient, to say the least. "Doctor sahib knows much more than the real doctors themselves," said an old man who had come to consult him. "And he charges only about Rs 30 as fees." Singh was not at all self-conscious about the fact that it was against the law to practice medicine without a degree. "Whenever I come across difficult cases, I immediately refer them to other doctors in big hospitals," he said. "In fact, I mostly treat with pain relievers, skin soothers and vitamins." The 'doctor" learnt his trade as a young man when he worked under a doctor in Gujarat for some time. Over 30 years ago, when he returned to his village, he realised that the lack of doctors in the area was an opportunity. Today, he treats about 40 patients a day -- at an average of Rs 30 per patient, that's a tidy income indeed. The man was so affable and so obviously popular with his patients, it seemed almost churlish to call him a quack. Anyway, it was not as if villagers had many other alternatives to choose from. I left Dr Singh dispensing Crocin and an over-the-counter itch-relieving cream to an old man. "Some people are natural born healers," said the old patient's son who had brought him there. "Who cares if Dr Singh has a degree or not as long as he can cure our ailments?" Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Delegates and overseas Vietnamese people at the ceremony (Photo: vov.vn) Speaking at the event, Truong Van Hung, Deputy Chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Odessa, and Head of the organizing board, recounted unforgettable memories when just arriving in Odessa, difficulties when the Soviet Union disbanded and the solidarity of the Vietnamese community to overcome challenges to have such current life. Vietnamese Ambassador to Ukraine Nguyen Anh Tuan congratulated overseas Vietnamese in Odessa on their achievements over the past 30 years, including contributions of former Vietnamese workers of leather and shoe factories and former overseas Vietnamese students in the 1980s. As a former overseas Vietnamese student in the Soviet Union, he also shared unforgettable sentiment when just arriving in the country. The ambassador wished the Vietnamese community to be always healthy, successful and contributing more to build Vietnam, Ukraine and the Vietnam - Ukraine friendship. During the meeting with the leaders of the overseas Vietnamese association in Odessa on June 16th before the working delegation of the embassy returned to Kiev, the ambassador repeated that in spite of being busy, he had paid three visits to Odessa in less than six months of 2018, which showed the attention of the embassy to the overseas Vietnamese community in Odessa in particular and Ukraine in general./. 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. The conference on June 18-20 in Can Tho city is jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the citys Peoples Committee. According to Nguyen Minh Hang, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and head of the Vietnamese ASEM senior official meeting (SOM), the conference is an initiative of Vietnam which was approved at the 13th ASEM Ministerial Meeting last November in Myanmar and won support and sponsorship from many countries, including Australia, Denmark, Myanmar, Finland, the Netherlands and Italy. The conference is one of the most important inter-regional events on climate change and the only one of ASEM 2018 hosted by Vietnam. It is also the first ASEM initiative in its third decade of cooperation on climate change response toward sustainability. The events four plenary meetings focus on discussions on development in the context of climate change, building capacity to adapt to climate change, actions in response to climate change which feature the role of relevant parties, and shaping the future which promotes Asia-Europe climate partnership for sustainable development. Vietnam is assessed as one of the countries hardest hit by climate change. Especially, the Mekong Delta region is one of the three deltas in the world most vulnerable to sea level rise, together with the Nile River Delta in Egypt and the Ganges River Delta in Bangladesh. Vietnam joined the forum in 1996. The country organised the 5th ASEM Summit in 2004, and economic ministers meeting (2001), information-technology ministers meeting (2006), foreign and education ministers meetings (2009) and labour ministers meeting (2012). In 2017, Vietnam carried out the Prime Ministers initiative at the 11th ASEM Summit in Mongolia in July 2016 by hosting the ASEM conference on innovative education and human resources building for sustainable development in Hue city on March. The country chaired the 37th meeting of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) Board of Governors. Afghanistan: IDP Strategy (2003) Publisher National Legislative Bodies / National Authorities Publication Date 1 July 2013 Cite as National Legislative Bodies / National Authorities, Afghanistan: IDP Strategy (2003), 1 July 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5b27af1b4.html [accessed 17 October 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Afghanistan continues to have a large IDP population and President Karzai has repeatedly stated that it is a key priority of the government to address and resolve this problem. Since 2001, there has been a considerable reduction of the IDP population in Afghanistan due to progress in the peace process and mitigation of drought conditions (estimated figures: 2 million in 2001, 1,2 million in 2002 and 600,000 at the beginning of 2003). This proposed strategy - still in concise form - is aimed at finding solutions to internal displacement in its various forms, while at the same time continuing to provide protection and (whenever required) assistance to IDP populations. - Projected planning figures for December 2003: estimated 300,000 IDPs (mainly in settlements the South and West), December 2004: 180,000 IDPs (mainly in settlements in the South) [figures will need thorough revalidation in 2003] - Assumptions: continued peace process with limited periods of instability, slow pace of development, further drought mitigation, government increases its engagement with IDPs, donors continue to provide support for humanitarian and development interventions - Goal: In cooperation with government and other actors, find effective solutions for people displaced by drought and human rights violations or conflict, and prevent further displacement in accordance with the UN guiding principles on internal displacement, humanitarian standards and in the framework of relevant national IDP regulations. - Key Actors: a) Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation - As the chair of the Consultative Group for Returnees and IDPs, MoRR has the overall responsibility of leading the IDP issue. MoRR will focus on policy development, assessment, evaluation and monitor the implementation of this strategy. Given the complex and multi-sectoral task of executing this strategy, which requires integrated planning and co-ordination among a range of government and assistance actors, MoRR will ensure the participation of all the concerned government Ministries and lead policy discussions at the government level to seek solutions to the IDP situation. b) Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Ministry of Urban Development and Housing - As members of the Consultative Group for Returnees and IDPs, MRRD and MUDH will have an active role in supporting MoRR and other actors in the implementation of this strategy, particularly in areas of reintegration and longer-term solutions for IDPs. MRRD will ensure that the IDP concerns, where possible, are mainstreamed into the national development programmes lead by the Ministry (Consultative Group on Livelihoods and Social Protection). Meanwhile, MUDH will build the reintegration concerns of urban IDPs in its main programmes and planning areas through the Consultative Group on Urban Management. c) UNHCR - As the focal point of the Consultative Group for Returnees and IDPs, chaired by the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR), UNHCR will focus on support to MoRR and MRRD and provide information, operational support to the existing caseload in the main settlements, longer-term solutions for protection cases and linkages with the Pakistan and Iran refugee caseload. d) Other Agencies and NGOs - UNAMA will collaborate with MRRD on the longer-term solutions for the drought affected IDPs including Pastoralists. WFP is the key partner providing food for IDPs in need of support and UNICEF is focussing on support to children, women and provision of water and health. National and international NGOs are the main implementing agencies. IOM is providing return transport assistance mainly in the West, North and Centre of Afghanistan. Key Strategies and Interventions: Given the different profiles of the IDPs, all activities need to be tailored to specific needs, resources and opportunities of each group. 1. Prevention of displacement (MoRR, MRRD): - Seek legal framework to prevent new displacements, and find solutions for the present caseload. (MoRR/UNHCR). - monitor new drought and human rights related IDP movements by providing reports on new arrivals every 2 weeks (MoRR with UNHCR's support, with other partners), - targeted interventions in critical drought-affected areas by key actors, including drought/water surveys, joint programming and continuous monitoring (MRRD and UNAMA to be supported by UNICEF, WFP, FAO, PCBs, Regional Programme Initiatives) - targeted interventions in areas where human rights violations continue to generate displacement (MoRR, local authorities, UNAMA, UNHCR, Return Commission in the North-West and other mechanisms regrouping key actors, as required) - ensure sustainability for areas with large number of returnees (MoRR, MRRD, UNAMA, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, FAO, PCBs) 2. Support to existing IDPs (MoRR's and UNHCR's main areas of intervention) - Number of IDPs: focus on IDPs in main settlements, IDPs who have registered for return and new arrivals (active caseload). Most persons registered as IDPs living in villages and cities have not been receiving assistance for years and are presumed to have successfully integrated. - Profile the main IDP settlements (e.g. Maslakh, Shaidayee, Spin Boldak, Zhary Dasht, Panjwaj, Maiwand and Mukhtar) and any new arrivals. - Protection and balanced assistance. New arrivals and IDPs in the main settlements should have access to protection and assistance. MoRR, UNHCR and its partners ensure that minimum standards in the main IDP settlements are met (security, food, shelter, water, health and basic education). Since many IDPs have found some form of livelihood, assistance should be tailored for each caseload and settlement. UNHCR will pay particular attention to the protection cases (e.g. Pushtoons from Northwest and Badghis, Gujurs from Northeast, Tajiks from Central Highlands, displaced Hazaras from southern parts of the Central Highlands, Pastoralists who have been denied access to their grazing lands) - Government capacity: Engage government (MoRR, MRRD, local authorities) in strategy, operations and finding long-term solutions for IDPs - Return assistance: provide adequate information, facilitate "go and see" visits for potential IDP returnees, provide return packages and transport to returnees (MoRR, UNHCR, WFP, IOM and partners). Prioritize IDPs from areas, which recovered from drought effects (North and West). - Monitoring of IDP returnees: Special needs and constraints of returning IDPs to be monitored (MoRR, MRRD, UNAMA, UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR and partners) - Transition to self-supporting communities: During their stay in camps and settlements, IDPs should reduce their dependency on external support through income generation projects and local work opportunities. Regular free food rations should be provided to the most vulnerable only (EVIs) and as food for work for others without income. Some of the IDP settlements have become de facto local villages. These villages should be folded into the national programmes of MRRD and integrated into the local administration. In Southern Afghanistan MoRR, MRRD, UNHCR and UNAMA have established a small working group focusing on the transition process from IDP settlements to local villages (see below, Longer-term solutions). 3. Search for longer term solutions In the promotion of longer-term solutions, MoRR and UNHCR will take the lead for protection-related IDPs whereas victims of drought including most of the Pastoralists require interventions that are broader in scope. For these groups, MRRD and UNAMA will provide the key support in seeking longer-term solutions in the context of national programmes (NSP, NEEP and multi-sectoral initiatives integrated programming and Ogata Initiative). All Actors will support the government in establishing National and local frameworks to seek long term solutions for present IDP situation. Following key interventions towards longer-term solutions should promote increased ownership by the central and local authorities: - Return of Protection IDPs: Through active monitoring of the situation of Pashtuns in the North and other displaced groups, provide accurate information, support confidence building measures and facilitate "go and see" and "come and explain" visits. Such visits will also include discussions between the local authorities and the IDP representatives to seek guarantees upon return. Given that most of the displaced protection cases are Pashtun from the North-West, continue to support the work of the Return Commission and its Working Groups (MoRR, UNHCR, UNAMA). The possible return of protection IDPs, mainly from the South will be carefully monitored by UNHCR, MoRR and RCWG (Return Commission Working Groups). Similar mechanisms such as the Bamyan Return Shura will help monitor, provide key information on obstacles and identify solutions for the return of IDPs to other areas. - Drought-affected IDPs, Prioritized Areas: Identify areas of high potential IDP return and support action leading to prioritized development in such areas, e.g. joint programming, inclusion in national programmes such as NEEP, NSP, NABDP (MoRR, MRRD, UNAMA, UNHCR, WFP, FAO, UNICEF, WHO, other development actors). Such targeted interventions will prevent further displacement and enable IDPs to return to their communities. - Pastoralists: Pastoralist IDPs are mainly concentrated in the South, which form more than 70% of the total IDP caseload in the region. Pastoralists, affected by drought and conflict, need tailored support to either resume nomadic life or change to different forms of non-nomadic livelihood. This will be coordinated through a working group lead by MoRR, MRRD and the Ministry of Tribal and Border Affairs. UNHCR, UNAMA, local authorities and other partners will support this group. The main task of this group will be to establish an implementation plan, which assists Pastrolists to return to nomadic life style and/or identify alternative or additional income generation activities (like VARA/Cordaid study) - Local Settlement: IDPs who are not able to return (some Pashtuns from the North, long-term drought victims) require support to settle (e.g. urban areas, in/near IDP settlements, and possibility of land allocation on the basis of national selection mechanism). It is suggested that following a period of 1-2 years of facilitation of return, the camps with the remaining caseload be transformed into local communities and be folded into the regular social policy scheme. This gradual transition should be mapped out with the local and central authorities by autumn 2004. MRRD and UNAMA will support and coordinate this process with technical advice from UNHCR (land issues). CG1.1, July 2003 U tro, a pyramidal sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leaves, is one among the typical dishes favoured during the festival. Every year, starting from the second day of the fifth lunar month, Ty and her bakers are busy making cakes. Ty shared that her family has been doing this job for three generations. Each year, she only makes cakes for three days, from the 2nd to the 4th day of the fifth lunar month. U tro is carefully made every stage, from preparing the materials to the cooking period which lasts for six hours. Du Thi Anh, 64, said she has made cakes for almost 40 years. Every year, she joins her sisters at Tys house to support her in making u tro cake. Work starts from midnight until midday. In the three days, she can make up to 5,000 cakes, earning over one million dong. Making u tro requires meticulous preparation at every stage. This year, Tys bakery has produced 30,000 cakes for Hoi An and Da Nang. Arriving to buy 50 cakes, Phan Thi To Yen said: "Every year, on the occasion of Doan Ngo, I come here to buy u tro cake to offer it to my ancestors, along with flowers, fruits and other traditional dishes, wishing for prosperity and happiness. For Ty, although not many in Hoi An still maintain the job, making cake is not only for income, but also to keep her traditional family business. Doan Ngo is a time for her to join her relatives in the bustling three day period, to remember the old folds of the old town of Hoi An. Ms Nam presents a cooked u tro cake. Fort Lauderdale, FL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/18/2018 --Wings are becoming more and more popular these days, and one can have them at almost any bar or restaurant. There are many variations of wings from hot to spicy to sweet to savory. One can choose the right one depending on the preference. Usually, wings in Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida are typically served as a tasty appetizer or delicious snacks. Big Louie's Pizza in Fort Lauderdale offers a great variety of Italian dishes including spicy pizza, pasta, wings, salad and more for both pickup and delivery at an affordable price. From freshly sauteed pasta and delicious appetizers to desserts and salads, they have a wide range of dishes for the customers to feast on. All this, combined with the warm, inviting ambiance and friendly service, will lead to endless conversations, laughter, and memories that one will cherish forever. They prefer to rely on instinct and feel while preparing wings and pizzas for their clients. It is the delicious items they make that feeds one's sense of sharing, adding flavor to those occasions when one gets together with friends and family. Whether it is pizza or pasta, wings or salad, one can order anything here. The quality of food is superb, and the ingredients used for the dishes are all fresh and natural. To satiate the taste bud to the fullest, one can enjoy the wings by dipping it into smoking hot buffalo sauce and then cooling it down with some sweet Thai. The mouth can be refreshed with an exotic blend of Asian chicken. The pizza unit takes pride in dishing out items topped with a wide variety of vegetables and sprinkled with a great variety of sauces. One can have the expert cook customize the menu to accommodate one's needs. Apart from wings, they also provide local fast pizza delivery in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas. For more information on pizza in Lauderdale Lakes and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, visit http://www.biglouiepizzafortlauderdale.com/menu. About Big Louie's Pizzeria Big Louie's Pizzeria has been turning out the most delicious Italian delicacies since 1986 and remains at the top of every pizza lover's list in and around South Florida. The restaurant has now expanded its menu substantially to include wings, pasta, and calzone. Big Louie's Pizzeria operates on all 7 days of the week and serves the best Italian food to every customer at affordable rates. Fort Lauderdale, FL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/18/2018 --For many, it seems difficult to move to the kitchen after the day's work. The tremendous pressure at workplace almost saps the energy, leaving one too exhausted to lift the frying pan and lit the oven. The luxury cushion in the cozy dining room seems so inviting that one can't help but ease into the quilted divan after having a cold shower. The tiredness all over the body deters one so severely from going into the kitchen that he or she usually ends up taking nothing significant in dinner. This is where Big Louie's Pizza in Fort Lauderdale comes into the scene. The headache of going to the kitchen for preparing a dish at the odd time is almost nill with the company offering delicious giveaway pizza in Lauderdale Lakes and Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the surrounding areas. One can order the best pizza, pasta, wings, salad, and more for pickup or delivery and they will provide one an experience to make one's mouth water. The Italian pizza and cuisines that specialize in are made of natural ingredients. They offer top quality food at pocket-friendly prices. Besides, one can also count on the company for special dishes while hosting a party, family gathering, or business event. The company can take care of one's guests. They can also customize their menu to accommodate one's needs. They also offer a catering program for business lunches. Aside from their award-winning pizza, they also dish out authentic Italian pasta, hot and cold subs, and desserts. Being in the business since 1986, the company knows the requirements of the customers. One can order the pizza online or by phone, and they will provide the fast local pizza delivery in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas. For the best pizza and wings, Big Louie's Pizza is the name to trust. For more information on wings in Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, visit http://www.biglouiepizzafortlauderdale.com/specials. About Big Louie's Pizzeria Big Louie's Pizzeria has been turning out the most delicious Italian delicacies since 1986 and remains at the top of every pizza lover's list in and around South Florida. The restaurant has now expanded its menu substantially to include wings, pasta, and calzone. Big Louie's Pizzeria operates on all 7 days of the week and serves the best Italian food to every customer at affordable rates. Bogota, Colombia -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/18/2018 --The team kicked off proceedings with a formal dinner at Cafe Renault as they were joined by their guests Lucy Duncan, New Zealand Ambassador to Colombia and Ramin Hassan, UK Trade Commissioner to Colombia. Discussions during the dinner revolved around the positive outlook for the Latin American economy and how both the UK and New Zealand can strengthen their ties with the LATAM region and increase trade. They also discussed how Biz Latin Hub are seeking to expand collaboration with embassies and chambers of commerce as they assist foreign firms in penetrating Latin American markets. With offices in key locations across the LATAM region, Biz Latin Hub is in a unique position to support foreign firms as they enter the market through the provision of their tailored, professional and bilingual back-office services. "We strongly believe in the synergies and benefits for the Biz Latin Hub Group to work in partnership with Embassy Trade Departments in order to cooperatively offer market entry and back office solutions for clients looking to enter the Latin American Market. Throughout 2018 we aim to continue to foster and develop our already strong relationships within the different embassies and trade missions across the region. We are expecting a strong 2018 focused around growth in revenue and relationships", said Craig Dempsey, founder and CEO of Biz Latin Hub. During the rest of the three-day group meeting, the Biz Latin Hub team held conferences about the company's achievements over the past year as well as business objectives and priorities for the coming years with a focus on continuing the group's expansion throughout the region. Of particular note, during the meeting Biz Latin Hub welcomed a new country manager to the team, Ernesto Teran, who is now leading the Ecuador office. Biz Latin Hub is seeking to further grow its Ecuador office in 2018 as part of its regional expansion. About Biz Latin Hub The Biz Latin Hub Corp was established in 2014 to support local and foreign companies doing business in Latin America, offering a complete portfolio of commercial representation and back-office services; including bilingual legal, accounting, finance, taxation, recruitment, commercial representation, market entry and administration services. Simply put, we are a one-stop shop to meet the professional needs of businesses operating in the region. The companies of the group are owned and managed by an experienced team of local and expat professionals, dedicated to assisting our clients in navigating their way through the complexities of the Latin American business environment. For more information about how we can help you with LATAM market penetration please visit our website at https://www.bizlatinhub.com/services/. Shanghai, China -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/17/2018 --The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organizations in adjacent industry sectors. Sanyi Financial News, Tajikistan people, Yusuf, made the above remarks when they were interviewed at the Global Zheshang Summit today.According to reports, Lenovo and Brazil's largest PC maker recently negotiated acquisitions, but they were temporarily stranded due to price issues. At this year's GSMA meeting in Macau, Wang Jianzhou, president of China Mobile, stated that current foreign corporate assets are at a relatively low price, which has fallen a lot compared to previous purchase prices. Some analysts pointed out that due to the financial crisis, overseas companies have become very cheap, so now is the best time for Chinese companies to go overseas and go overseas.In response, Yusuf agrees: "At present, it is the best time for Chinese companies to conduct international mergers and acquisitions. It can be acquired at a very low price." In addition, whether the Internet industry can be affected by the financial crisis. Yusuf said that at the time, the economic crisis in the United States could only have some impact on China. However, China can no longer escape the effects of the economic recession as it did in 2001. The Chinese economy has obviously slowed down, but large companies in the Internet industry will not be affected. The financial crisis will continue to grow and expand. At the same time, Yusuf analyzed the root causes of the global financial crisis at the forum and set a prescription for China's response to the financial crisis: First, it recommended that China lower the corporate income tax and personal income tax rates; second, it raised the income of state-owned enterprise employees. Finally, the consumer vouchers are issued and can be used as proof of tax payment. Yusuf, professor at Columbia University, and founder of "The theory of optimal currency area". The interview record is as follows: Sanyi Finance: You are an expert in China's economy. Can you predict China's economic situation in the next 30 years? Yusuf: No one can say it correctly. I think China will continue to develop. The average speed of development is expected to be 6 or 7%. This speed of development is very high in terms of international standards, although not as high as in recent years. However, after 30 years, China will become one of the three major economies in the world. Sanyi Finance: In the next 30 years, what role do you think China will play in the world economy? Yusuf: It will be more and more important. It will become one of the important leaders in the international arena. Sanyi Finance: China's reform has been for 30 years. How many points do you have for China's reform and opening up? Yusuf: Score 9 points for 10 points. Sanyi Finance: Oh, that's very high. About GSMA Asia Congress Mobile World Congress Shanghai is the must-attend industry event in Asia. Arthur Kennedy said GSMA will continue to develop along the direction I took when I first took office seven years ago, and to expand its influence globally. The AMOs are the most prestigious awards platform for Asia. As a move considered as a surprise, on June 16, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire which was agreed by the Kabul administration to last seven days, and only three days by the Taliban forces. The ceasefire began on June 12, aiming to create a favourable atmosphere for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. President Ghani said that both sides had abided by their commitments and terminated hostilities on the occasion, therefore the extension of the ceasefire is appropriate. He expressed his belief that the Taliban fighters would also act in the same manner as the government, jointly moving towards real peace for the country. The temporary ceasefire with the government forces was declared by the Taliban on June 9, marking the first ceasefire agreed by the militant group since conflict broke out in Afghanistan in 2001. The aforementioned move transmits a rare signal of reconciliation as during the past 17 years the Taliban has constantly deployed attack campaigns and has not yet approved any reconciliation or dialogue proposals from the government. The efforts made by President Ghani and the Afghan government in building peace for the country are the foundation and a source of encouragement for the Taliban to take part in the process of national reconciliation. In February, President Ghani announced his willingness to negotiate without any prerequisites and promised to recognise the Taliban as a legitimate political party if the rebel group renounced their arms, while recognising and abiding by Afghanistans 2014 Constitution. In his declaration on the indefinite ceasefire extension, President Ghani also pointed out that, from now on, the Taliban members can enjoy the same benefits and assistance as the Afghan people. Shortly after the announcement of the ceasefire extension, the Afghan Presidents Office stated that 46 Taliban prisoners had been released, as confirmation of the Kabul administrations commitment to dialogue and reconciliation. The foreign forces in Afghanistan, mainly US troops and NATO allies, are always considered as an opposing side in the conflict at the Afghan battlefield by the Taliban, which has been cited as an excuse for their refusal to reconcile. The Taliban only enforced the ceasefire with the Afghan government, but it is still a positive step that has been welcomed and applauded by both the US and NATO. The US Secretary of State said the coalition respected the Talibans conflict cessation move, while the NATO leaders welcomed the move as a positive step toward long-term and sustainable peace in Afghanistan. Both the US and NATO pledged their continued support for the reconciliation process between Kabul and the Taliban, aiming to seek a political solution to end the civil war in Afghanistan forever. A senior representative of the European Union (EU) for external relations considered the ceasefire as a historic agreement and affirmed the EUs strong support for steps towards peace in Afghanistan. In fact, the issue of security in Afghanistan not only depends on the Taliban alone. Almost at the same time as the ceasefire extension was announced, an attack in Kabul occurred, killing 20 people, and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) claimed to be the culprit. Nonetheless, the ceasefire between the government and the Taliban remains a big hope. The Afghan government and people are expecting the Taliban to back the ceasefire extension, thus paving the way for national peace and reconciliation. It is hoped that the atmosphere of reconciliation, maintained with the efforts and goodwill of the parties, will be a good start for a long-term peace in the South Asian country, which has been severely damaged by conflicts and war. "The historic ceasefire between the Afghan government and the Taliban during Eid al-Fitr has given the Afghan people a much-needed respite from 17 years of conflict," Federica Mogherini, EU foreign policy chief, said in a statement. Mogherini paid tribute to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's decision to extend the ceasefire and called on the Taliban to reciprocate. She underscored that the overwhelming support for the ceasefire, evidenced by "government officials, soldiers, Taliban exchanging Eid greetings and attending prayers together", has "given all a sense of what peace could look like." Earlier on June 16, in a surprise move, hundreds of Taliban fighters entered big Afghan cities to celebrate the Eid holidays with Afghan security forces. It's an encouraging sign of reconciliation after the Afghan government and the Taliban nodded at a ceasefire during the Eid al-Fitr, the annual religious festival marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. About one week ago, the Afghan government announced a seven-day ceasefire to encourage Taliban outfit to support the national reconciliation process. Reciprocating the step, the armed Taliban group announced a three-day truce starting from the first day of Eid al-Fitr. The Afghan president on June 16 decided to extend the ceasefire for an unknown period of time. However, the ceasefire was shadowed by an attack in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar on June 16. At least 26 people were killed and 30 others wounded in a blast in a crowd celebrating the ceasefire on the outskirts of provincial capital Jalalabad city. The Islamic State (IS)-linked "Amaq" news website has claimed in an online statement that an IS fighter launched the attack. TOKYO, June 18 -- At least four people have been confirmed dead and 350 others have been injured after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Osaka prefecture in western Japan on Monday. Workers work at a site of a damaged road in Osaka, Japan, on June 18, 2018. At least four people have been confirmed dead and 350 others injured as a result of a 6.1 magnitude earthquake striking Osaka prefecture in western Japan on Monday morning. (Xinhua/Ma Ping) A traffic jam is seen in Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan, on June 18, 2018. At least four people have been confirmed dead and 350 others injured as a result of a 6.1 magnitude earthquake striking Osaka prefecture in western Japan on Monday morning. (Xinhua/Ma Ping) According to local authorities, in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture, a 9-year-old girl was killed on her way to school when an outer wall at her school's swimming pool collapsed and a man in his 80s was confirmed dead after his house in the city of Osaka was leveled. Police and local district headquarters also said that another man in his 80s in the city of Ibaraki was seriously injured after being trapped under a bookshelf and was later pronounced dead after being rushed to hospital. An 81-year-old woman from Takatsuki was also confirmed dead after a cupboard collapsed on her, local media reported Monday evening. According to public broadcaster NHK, while local authorities have suggested the death toll is likely to rise, at least 350 people have been injured across multiple prefectures in western Japan as result of the quake. Japan's Disaster Management Minister Hachiro Okonogi said people were buried under the rubble of a collapsed building in Osaka while local rescue officials tried to rapidly locate them. Firefighters grappled to extinguish multiple blazes across Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto and Mie prefectures, according to local authorities. As well as numerous outbreaks of fires and burst pipes flooding roads, at least 70 people were believed to be trapped inside elevators at one point in Osaka and nearby areas, local rescue officials said. While no tsunami warning or advisory was given as a result of the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the 6.1-magnitude quake was upwardly revised from a preliminary 5.9 temblor, which struck Osaka at 7:58 a.m. local time. According to Kansai Electric Power Co., more than 170,000 homes in Osaka and neighboring Hyogo prefectures suffered blackouts as a result of the quake, although power has since been restored. Osaka Gas Co. said it has suspended gas supply to around 108,000 households in Osaka as a precautionary measure against fires and some homes are without running water in northern Osaka, local utility firms said. Around 1,300 people have fled to emergency evacuation centers across Osaka, according to local authorities, and 1,000 public schools in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Nara prefectures called off classes and asked parents to collect their children. According to the Transport Ministry, both Shinkansen bullet train and local train services in the region were suspended with thousands of passengers left stranded, although bullet train services have resumed. Rescue officials, according to local media accounts, have been helping those stranded on trains stuck between stations to get to safety. Along with major commuter services being seriously disrupted, the three airports in the region, officials said, which were forced to temporarily suspend their services, have now reopened although a number of flights were delayed. Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) fighter jets and helicopters were deployed to the area to investigate the scene, government officials said. The epicenter of the quake was located at a latitude of 34.8 degrees north and a longitude of 135.6 degrees east and at a preliminary depth of 10 km, which was later revised to about 13 km, according to the weather agency. The quake logged lower 6 in some parts of Osaka prefecture and upper 5 in neighboring Kyoto prefecture on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7, according to the JMA. The jolt was also felt in the nearby prefectures of Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga and Nara. Kansai Electric Power Co. said that no abnormalities were reported at the Takahama, Mihama and Oi nuclear plants in central Japan and in neighboring Fukui Prefecture. Officials said that all 15 nuclear reactors are functioning as normal. Senior government officials convened an emergency meeting at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office to assess the situation early on Monday. Abe told a press briefing that the government will make its utmost efforts to deal with the effects of the powerful earthquake. He told reporters that government officials are operating under the instructions that saving and safeguarding peoples' lives is the priority. The Japanese premier also said he has given instructions for local officials to carry out damage assessments as quickly as possible and do their best to save and protect lives. Abe went on to say that he wanted the public to be kept informed as the disaster continues to unfold. Japan's top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, meanwhile, told a press briefing that so far there have been no reports of serious infrastructural damage as a result of the quake. The JMA, for its part, has warned people in western Japan, however, to be on alert for further sizable earthquakes occurring in the next few days and for people to be vigilant for the possibility of buildings collapsing and rainy weather adding to the risk of potentially fatal mudslides henceforth. "Frequent seismic activity is continuing in the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. Strong tremors could have raised the risk of landslides or building collapse. People in such areas are advised to watch out for further seismic activity and rain," the JMA said. The high-intensity tremors of the quakewere owing to its shallow epicenter, seismologists said, with the government saying that Monday's quake would likely not trigger the "megaquake" off western Japan that many experts predicted will strike at some point in the not too distant future. A quake measuring magnitude 7.3 and the maximum 7 on Japan's seismic scale struck neighboring Hyogo Prefecture in 1995, killing more than 6,000 people. A site of a damaged road is blocked in Osaka, Japan, on June 18, 2018. At least four people have been confirmed dead and 350 others injured as a result of a 6.1 magnitude earthquake striking Osaka prefecture in western Japan on Monday morning. (Xinhua/Ma Ping) A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech during an inspection to the navy under the Northern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, June 11, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Gang) JINAN, June 15 -- President Xi Jinping has stressed building an elite maritime force to resolutely accomplish various missions entrusted by the Party and the people. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the call during an inspection to the navy under the Northern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army on June 11. Xi emphasized the need to resolutely implement the Party's thinking on strengthening the military for the new era and continue to enhance the political loyalty of the armed forces, strengthen them through reform and technology, and run them in accordance with law. Xi also spoke of the need for the navy to meet the requirements of transformation. Xi visited a submarine force around 3:30 p.m. Monday as a summer breeze rustled through the trees on the coast of Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. At port was a new-type submarine which had taken part in the recent naval parade in the South China Sea. On the hull, soldiers stood in formation waiting to be inspected. Xi went aboard and chatted with them, asking about their work and life. The president said he is always concerned about soldiers who spend years of their life on submarines deep under the sea. As he learned that the soldiers were dedicated to their career, worked hard, and had accomplished their tasks, Xi nodded his head in appreciation. The president then went down into the cabins to learn about the weapons and ammunition. He encouraged soldiers to remain firm in ideals and convictions, build a strong team, and train themselves to excel in skills. Xi signed his name on the logbook. Before leaving the dock, Xi walked toward another submarine nearby and waved to the soldiers. Xi inspected the training of the submarine force at a comprehensive simulation facility. "How is simulation-based training going? Can the facilities meet the demands? Are there any challenges?" the president asked. He was pleased to learn that the soldiers benefit a lot from the training and spoke of the need to continue to improve training infrastructure. Xi watched a group of trainees undergo a sonar recognition exercise. He joined to test them and gave a thumbs-up to a soldier who gave the correct answer. Xi met with senior navy officers at the navy headquarters of the Northern Theater Command and took a group photo with them. He listened to the command's naval work report and gave an important speech. Xi spoke of the need to grasp the changes of national security circumstances, speed up preparations for military struggle, including battle planning, capacity building and command system building. Xi said the intensity of training needs to be enhanced, its modules to be innovated, and its supervision to be strengthened. He stressed the need for targeted training, training for commanders, and training under combat conditions. He called for efforts to implement the requirements for the transformation of the navy, accelerate the work to improve elite combat forces, and focus on tackling areas of weakness and making breakthroughs. Forward-looking plans and top-level designs are also needed to promote the transformation and development of naval air forces, Xi said. Xi also stressed the absolute Party leadership over the armed forces and ceaseless work to improve Party conduct, enforce Party discipline and fight corruption. "Ideological work within the military should be strengthened and combat capability should be regarded as the criterion for military building," Xi said. He urged the navy to coordinate with civilian departments, innovate in institutions and mechanisms and development models to improve military-civilian integration. On Thursday morning in Jinan, capital of Shandong, Xi met with senior officers of troops stationed in the province. CMC Vice Chairman Xu Qiliang attended the events. BEIJING, June 16 -- China has unveiled a list of products from the United States that will be subject to additional tariffs in response to U.S. announcement to impose additional duties on Chinese imports. (Photo/VCG) Approved by the State Council, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council has decided to impose additional duties of 25 percent on 659 items of U.S. products worth about 50 billion U.S. dollars. Additional tariffs for 545 items worth about 34 billion U.S. dollars, including agricultural products, vehicles and aquatic products, will be effective from July 6, 2018, according to a statement of the commission. The implementation date for imposing additional tariffs on the remaining 114 items, covering chemical products, medical equipment and energy products, will be announced later. The decision has been made in line with relevant stipulations of the Foreign Trade Law of China and the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Import and Export Duties, as well as the fundamental principles of international laws, said the statement. On Friday, the United States announced additional tariffs of 25 percent on Chinese imports worth approximately 50 billion U.S. dollars. From July 6, additional tariffs will be levied on some 34 billion U.S. dollars worth of Chinese products. Meanwhile, the other 16 billion dollars worth of Chinese products will undergo further review in a public notice and comment process. "The U.S. move violates the relevant rules of the World Trade Organization, goes against the consensus already reached in bilateral economic and trade consultations, seriously infringes upon the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese side and undermines the interests of China and its people," said the statement. "The Chinese side firmly opposes that." An official in charge of the Office of the Customs Tariff Commission said that the additional tariffs targeting Chinese goods, once imposed, would "substantially change" the trade conditions of these goods, and affect relevant producers and trade companies as well as the production and operation of the upstream and downstream industries. The official said the Chinese action was taken in response to the emergent circumstances caused by the U.S. violations of international obligations. China has noticed the U.S. statement that it will continue to impose additional tariffs if China takes retaliatory measures. China reserves its rights to take corresponding measures, according to the official. A MAN has appeared in court charged with sending so-called Punish a Muslim Day letters to people across the country, including in South Yorkshire. David Parnham (35) appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday charged in connection with an investigation into offensive communications. Parnham, of St Andrews Close, Lincoln, has been remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey in London on Friday, June 29. He has been charged with 14 offences including soliciting to murder, sending a substance with the intention of inducing in a person a belief that it is likely to contain a noxious substance, sending a number of letters conveying a threat intending to cause distress and one count of making a bomb hoax. Parnham was arrested last Tuesday by Counter Terrorism Policing North East (CTP NE) and searches were carried out a Lincoln residential property and an office building. A CTP NE spokesman said: A team of specialist officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East, assisted by colleagues across the UK have been working on this investigation. We remain grateful for the discretion and support we have had from victims as we try to minimise any further impact of any offensive communications. Now that someone has been charged, we request that people are mindful of anything they post online to avoid comprising the prosecution process in any way. He added: Those affected by hate crime can rest assured that we and our partners take such investigations extremely seriously and are avidly committed to seeking justice in all circumstances. In the third quarter of this year, ALROSA produced 8.8 million carats of rough and raised $ 938 million for diamond products sold The company said in its Q3 2021 update that diamond production reached 8.8 m carats, while proceeds from rough and polished diamond sales totalled $938 m. Caledonia targets up to 67000 oz of gold output this year Dual-listed Caledonia Mining Corporation is on course to produce between 65 000 oz and 67 000 oz of gold this year from its Blanket mine, in Zimbabwe. Ultra rare Australian diamond within a diamond to be studied IBDH has released details of a rare double diamond recovered from its Ellendale alluvial deposit in Western Australia. CIBJO President extols jewellery industrys role as a catalyst for sustainable development CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri has described to an audience of business and industry leaders meeting in the Italian capital of Rome, as well as online, the current and potential role of the jewellery industry as a catalyst for the fulfilment of the... Japan will on Monday release May figures for imports, exports and trade balance, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In April, imports were up 5.9 percent on year and exports added an annual 7.8 percent for a trade surplus of 626.0 billion yen. New Zealand will see May numbers for its Performance of Services Index; in April, the index score was 55.9. Singapore will provide May numbers for imports, exports and trade balance. In April, imports were worth 38.43 billion SGD and exports were at 44.50 SGD for a trade surplus of 6.07 billion SGD. Finally, the in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong are closed in Monday for the Dragon Boat Festival and will re-open on Tuesday. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. Japan posed a merchandise trade shortfall of 578.321 billion yen in May, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. That missed expectations for a shortfall of 205.2 billion yen following the downwardly revised 624.6 billion yen surplus in April (originally 626.0 billion yen). Exports climbed 8.1 percent on year to 6.323 trillion yen, exceeding forecasts for 7.5 percent and up from 7.8 percent in the previous month. Exports from Asia were up 9.8 percent on year to 3.550 trillion yen, while exports to China alone surged an annual 13.9 percent to 1.272 trillion yen. Exports to the United States advanced 5.8 percent on year to 1.145 trillion yen, while exports to the European Union added 0.7 percent to 697.224 billion yen. Imports soared an annual 14.0 percent to 6.901 trillion yen versus forecasts for 8.0 percent and up from 5.9 percent a month earlier. Imports from Asia spiked 9.4 percent on year to 3.204 trillion yen, while imports from China alone climbed an annual 8.6 percent to 1.552 trillion yen. Imports from the United States spiked 19.9 percent on year to 805.186 billion yen, while imports from European Union jumped 12.0 percent to 820.987 billion yen. The adjusted trade deficit was 296.8 billion yen, shy of expectations for a surplus of 144.1 billion yen following the 550.0 billion yen surplus in April. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. German wind turbines maker Nordex Group (NRDXF.PK) announced Monday that it has received three contracts in Spain. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company will supply a total of 31 turbines with a combined capacity of 95 megawatts. Nordex will begin with the installation of these wind farms starting in March 2019. Two of the wind farms will be built near Zaragoza, the third one near Cuenca. Nordex said the awards for the wind farms is from an international utility. For all three projects, the energy company opted for the AW132/3300 and AW132/3000 series, which is among the best-selling turbines from the Nordex Group. They will be installed on towers ranging between 84 and 112.5 metres in height, depending on the location. The orders also comprises a service and maintenance contract for the parks for a duration of up to three years. The company has installed wind power capacity of more than 23 GW in over 25 , generating sales of around 3.1 billion euros in 2017. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Russia's biggest two banks, Sberbank and Alfa Bank, are planning to test several private banking products based on cryptocurrencies in a regulatory sandbox environment hosted by the Russian central bank, the Kommersant newspaper reported. The decision to test cryptocurrency-enabled products were made during a round-table last Wednesday. The entire pilot testing process is expected to last no more than 45 days. The products for the pilot projects were created by working groups on "Advanced Compatibility with Regulator" involving private banking divisions of Sberbank, Alfa Bank, AddCapital fund and the National Settlement Depository of Russia. Cyber-security support is provided by the software company, Group IB, and legal backing is given by the professional services firm, AltHaus. The banks plan to pilot two box solutions in the "regulatory sandbox." These are exchange algorithms, which are deterministic and contain no hidden parameters, and are self-adapting to the situation on the market with a low transaction frequency, the report said. They also work well on traditional assets and are structured in such a way as to allow a "manageable" entry for clients. The algorithms will operate on an investment portfolio that is a collection of the six most popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin and so on, accounting for 75 percent of the overall digital asset capitalization. Clients will receive a fund unit each, which is liquid as it can be converted to the currency of the client any time. Crypto trades will be carried out only on audited exchanges such as Bitstamp and Kraken. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. LaSalle Hotel Properties (LHO) said that its Board of Trustees has reaffirmed its support for the transaction with affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VII. The Board has determined that the proposal from Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (PEB) received on June 11, 2018 to acquire LaSalle does not constitute, and could not reasonably be expected to lead to a "superior proposal" as defined in LaSalle's definitive agreement with affiliates of Blackstone. Under the terms of the Blackstone merger deal, which LaSalle entered into on May 20, 2018, Blackstone will acquire all outstanding common shares of beneficial interest of LaSalle for $33.50 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at $4.8 billion. According to LaSalle's Board, the key terms included in the Pebblebrook proposal are "substantially similar" to the prior proposal submitted by Pebblebrook on May 19, 2018, which was previously evaluated by the Board alongside the Blackstone proposal submitted on the same date. Further, the board noted that Pebblebrook's proposal, which includes 80 percent stock consideration, continues to fail to address the significant price risks and uncertainties for LaSalle shareholders that were earlier communicated to Pebblebrook. Meanwhile, the Blackstone merger agreement represents immediate and certain cash value, is in the best interest of shareholders and is expected to close as early as August 2018, the Board said. LaSalle has today filed its preliminary proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which included the Board's unanimous recommendation that LaSalle's shareholders vote "for" the proposal to approve the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Blackstone merger agreement. The transaction is not contingent on receipt of financing. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News BEIJING, June 17 -- 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. Canadian stocks are set for another rough open Monday morning amid lingering trade tensions between the U.S. and its biggest trading partners. The U.S. and China are slapping big tariffs on one another, while President Donald Trump and his political allies have taken personal shots at Canada's PM Justin Trudeau. Crude oil prices were steady at $65 a barrel this morning after significant losses in the previous few sessions. Gold also found its footing near $1265 an ounce. Magna International Inc. (MG.TO) will form two new joint ventures with Beijing Electric Vehicle Co. Ltd (BJEV) for complete vehicle manufacturing as well as engineering of electric vehicles for customers in China. Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX.TO) is set to fall after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration failed to approve the company's lotion for plaque psoriasis. Baytex Energy Corp. (BTE) and Raging River Exploration Inc. (RRX.TO) announced their respective boards have unanimously agreed to a strategic combination of the two companies. AutoCanada Inc. (ACQ.TO) said that its board appointed a Special Committee of independent directors to review strategic alternatives. Bank of Canada director Patterson speaks at 11:45 am ET. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis Energy XXI Gulf Coast (EGC) announced Monday morning that it has agreed to be acquired by an affiliate of Cox Oil for $9.10 per share in cash, approximately $322 million. Energy XXI Gulf Coast gapped open sharply higher this morning and is now up 1.39 at $8.88 on above average volume. The stock has broken out of over a 1-month trading range and has set a 7-month high. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News For the first time in Japan, a municipality has announced plans to launch an initial coin offering (ICO) in order to secure funds to develop a sustainable community. Named after the village, its tokens will be known as Nishiawakura Coin (NAC). The coin will reportedly be Ethereum-based. The primitive but lush green Nishiawakura Village in Okayama Prefecture has a history of refusing to merge with Mimasaka City when municipalities nationwide consolidated, preferring economic independence. Located in the southern part of Japan's Honshu island, Nishiawakura's population is just 1,500. The initial coin offering is scheduled only by the end of the fiscal 2021. The Municipal authorities announced, "In order to promote the creation of a sustainable region in the future, as a means for small local governments to secure new financing resources and to build up regions through upfront investment, tokens issuance, and the creation of virtual currencies, we will introduce fundraising through an ICO for the first time as a municipality in Japan." The NAC coins will be issued by the newly formed Nishiawakura Village Token Economy Association (NVTEA), comprised of 16 government-approved crypto currency exchanges. The Nishiawakura Municipality said the Association will operate according to the revised fund settlement law, and in line with the self-regulation rules on the management and finance by the Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Industry Association. The revised fund settlement law has legalized cryptocurrency as a means of payment in Japan. The coin holders will have voting rights, allowing them to decide whether they want companies to launch branches in the village, and participate in the community projects, such as the development of local infrastructure. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News South Korea is looking to develop a dedicated cryptocurrency and blockchain zone to be called "Crypto Beach" similar to "Crypto Valley" Zug in Switzerland, according to local media outlet Edaily. The East Asian country aims to build a cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystem for enterprises to incubate startup companies and projects working in the sector. The Crypto Beach is expected to come up at Haeundae beach in Busan city. South Korea's plans were revealed by Oh Jung-geun, chairman of the Korea ICT Financial Convergence Association, at the Global Blockchain Conference 2018 held recently in Seoul. Jung-geun said, "I need a place to concentrate on the cryptographic industry in Korea like the Crypto Valley in Switzerland. I looked around the state of Jukkas at the institute and made a crypto beach in Haeundae. We are planning a conference event to discuss with the Busan city." He added that Korean companies must issue tokens abroad due to the ban on Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) since September 2017. This is forced by the lack of understanding by local regulators of the cryptocurrency industry and blockchain . The South Korean authorities have taken several steps to control the crypto frenzy that hit Asia's fourth-largest , which has also emerged as the world's third-largest market for cryptocurrency. However, the tight regulations such as ICO ban and mandatory identification verification in crypto trading saw several cryptocurrency businesses leaving the country to open successful ventures in the crypto-friendly nations such as Singapore, Malta and Switzerland. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News George Friedman, a geopolitical analyst, said Blockchain is useful, visible, but at some point will be obsolete. Speaking to CNBC at the UBS CIO Global Forum in New York, the strategist on international affairs explained his views on blockchain, the behind bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. "I've never known any encryption technology not to be broken. I doubt between Russia, China, U.S. intelligence services that blockchain can't be decrypted," Friedman, the founder of online publication Geopolitical Futures, said. Blockchain is one of those hypes. People are profiting from it, making extraordinary claims about it, he added. Bitcoin was the first application of blockchain technology, which is a decentralized and encrypted ledger that offers a secure, efficient, verifiable and permanent way of storing records. Blockchain is being accepted fast by main stream industries and thousands of related projects have emerged. The supports expect the technology to change the world one day just as internet. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Technology News The Swiss stock market traded to the downside throughout Monday's session and ended the day with a substantial loss. Investor sentiment continued to be negatively impacted by concerns over a trade war between the U.S. and China. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's leadership is also under threat over migrant issues, prompting concerns the collapse of a fragile coalition could lead to a Europe-wide break up. The Swiss Market Index decreased by 1.42 percent Monday and finished at 8,519.57. The Swiss Leader Index dropped 1.25 percent and the Swiss Performance Index lost 1.36 percent. Index heavyweight Novartis fell 2.5 percent after announcing 14-month results from the pivotal JULIET clinical trial. Roche also weakened by 0.9 percent and Nestle lost 1.5 percent. Among the bank stocks, UBS dropped 1.9 percent, Julius Baer surrendered 1.7 percent and Credit Suisse fell 1.5 percent. Swiss Re declined 1.1 percent, Swiss Life decreased 0.8 percent and Zurich Insurance slid 0.5 percent. Richemont dropped 1.2 percent and rival Swatch Group forfeited 0.5 percent. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis (Agencia CMA Latam) - The chancellor of Paraguay, Eladio Loizaga, announced that Mercosur (Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina) plans meetings with the European Union (EU) and the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru) to advance in the trade talks opened with both blocs. Loizaga said that talks with the representatives of the Pacific Alliance should take place next month in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, while meetings with the EU are scheduled for mid-July, with Mercosul foreign ministers and EU commissioners, although he did not specify where. The Paraguayan chancellor told reporters in Assuncion about other trade agreements promoted during the pro tempore presidency of Paraguay, which began in December and referred to the negotiations with Canada and South Korea. by Agencia CMA Latam For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. (Agencia CMA Latam) - The national ministers of the member countries of the G20 released a consensus statement in which they supported the commitment of the members of the group in energy transitions that seek greater transparency and fair and sustainable development. The meeting was held in San Carlos de Bariloche, in southern Argentina, on June 14 and 15 and was focused on the transformation in the energy systems, in line with the Agenda for Development Sustainable 2030. The former Argentinean energy minister, Juan Jose Aranguren, said that they reached a communiqu? by consensus and that "we recognize that energy transitions are essential for the development of long-term strategies that combine economic growth and reduction of greenhouse gases," he said in his last official activity as minister. by Agencia CMA Latam For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. Canadian stocks rose Monday, trimming last week's losses after the cannabis legalization law cleared a major hurdle. Legal pot passed the House of Commons and is headed for a Senate vote. Marijuana stocks were higher, helping the TSX Composite Index up 69.21 points to 16,383.63. Energy stocks also rebounded as crude oil futures steadied. July West Texas Intermediate crude added 79 cents, or 1.2%, to settle at $65.85 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. OPEC's big meeting in Vienna will be closely eyed later in the week. Magna International Inc. (MG.TO) will form two new joint ventures with Beijing Electric Vehicle Co. Ltd (BJEV) for complete vehicle manufacturing as well as engineering of electric vehicles for customers in China. Shares were up fractionally. Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX.TO) is set to fall after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration failed to approve the company's lotion for plaque psoriasis. Shares were down sharply. Baytex Energy Corp. (BTE) and Raging River Exploration Inc. (RRX.TO) announced their respective boards have unanimously agreed to a strategic combination of the two companies. Shares tumbled 12 percent. AutoCanada Inc. (ACQ.TO) said that its board appointed a Special Committee of independent directors to review strategic alternatives. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Minister of Health meets UN envoy [18/June/2018] SANAA, June 18 (Saba) - Minister of Public Health and Population, Taha Al-Mutawakil, and the head of the National Authority for the Management, Coordination and Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations, Qassem Abbas, on Sunday met with the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffith. In the meeting, Al-Mutawakel reviewed the violations that have affected the health sector since the beginning of the coalition war in March 2015 until 13 June 2018, adding the health situation in Yemen was classified as the worst humanitarian disaster in the world. Al- Mutawakil said that the coalition targeted 423 health facilities, most recently direct targeting the operations room of the Health Bureau on Thawra General Hospital in Hodeidah, pointing to the death and injury of more than 35 thousand as a result of the coalition targeting of civilians, including more than two thousand and 500 children and more Of three thousand women. Al-Mutawakil demanded the opening of all Yemeni ports and the lifting of the land, sea and air blockade, stop targeting health facilities, and stop the aggression. The Minister of Health delivered a detailed report on the violations that affected the health sector from the beginning of the aggression until June 13, 2018. In his turn, the head of the National Authority for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reviewed the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen as well as the aspects related to the relief work, the education situation and the severe damage caused by the aggression. He also referred to the tragic situation of displaced people and refugees and the direct targeting of the aggression coalition, which resulted in an unprecedented calamity in the history of international conflicts, including the targeting of Al-Mazraq camp as well as the camp of displaced people in Hodeidah. The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Yemen expressed his dissatisfaction with the humanitarian situation in Yemen. Griffith stressed on the need to pay salaries and open the Sanaa International Airport, and touched on the efforts of the United Nations in this regard. He pointed out the importance of a comprehensive political solution to restore security and stability to the Yemeni people, stressing that the military option and attack Hodeidah will lead to difficulties in the political process and negotiations as well as it will impede access to a just peace. The UN envoy pointed out that he will submit a report on the humanitarian situation in Yemen to the Paris Conference, which will be held on the 24th of June. Sameera Hassn Saba SANAA, June 18 (Saba) - Minister of Public Health and Population, Taha Al-Mutawakil, and the head of the National Authority for the Management, Coordination and Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations, Qassem Abbas, on Sunday met with the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffith.In the meeting, Al-Mutawakel reviewed the violations that have affected the health sector since the beginning of the coalition war in March 2015 until 13 June 2018, adding the health situation in Yemen was classified as the worst humanitarian disaster in the world.Al- Mutawakil said that the coalition targeted 423 health facilities, most recently direct targeting the operations room of the Health Bureau on Thawra General Hospital in Hodeidah, pointing to the death and injury of more than 35 thousand as a result of the coalition targeting of civilians, including more than two thousand and 500 children and more Of three thousand women.Al-Mutawakil demanded the opening of all Yemeni ports and the lifting of the land, sea and air blockade, stop targeting health facilities, and stop the aggression.The Minister of Health delivered a detailed report on the violations that affected the health sector from the beginning of the aggression until June 13, 2018.He also referred to the tragic situation of displaced people and refugees and the direct targeting of the aggression coalition, which resulted in an unprecedented calamity in the history of international conflicts, including the targeting of Al-Mazraq camp as well as the camp of displaced people in Hodeidah.The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Yemen expressed his dissatisfaction with the humanitarian situation in Yemen.Griffith stressed on the need to pay salaries and open the Sanaa International Airport, and touched on the efforts of the United Nations in this regard.He pointed out the importance of a comprehensive political solution to restore security and stability to the Yemeni people, stressing that the military option and attack Hodeidah will lead to difficulties in the political process and negotiations as well as it will impede access to a just peace.The UN envoy pointed out that he will submit a report on the humanitarian situation in Yemen to the Paris Conference, which will be held on the 24th of June.Sameera HassnSaba BEIJING, June 18 -- Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com announced Monday it has secured investment worth 550 million U.S. dollars from Google as part of a new strategic partnership between the two leading tech companies. Google will obtain around 27.1 million newly issued Class A ordinary shares of JD.com at an issue price of 20.29 U.S. dollars per share. The two companies will jointly explore retail business in regions around the world, including Southeast Asia, the United States, and Europe, according to the statement. The cooperation will combine the advantages of JD.com in supply chain and logistics and Google's technology strengths. JD.com also plans to make a selection of products available for sale through Google Shopping in multiple regions. "This partnership with Google opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers around the world," said JD.com's Chief Strategy Officer Jianwen Liao. "This marks an important step in the process of modernizing global retail." JD.com, a leading e-commerce platform in China, is celebrating its annual online shopping festival, with orders worth 127.5 billion yuan (19.83 billion U.S. dollars) made from June 1 until just after midnight Monday morning. S.Korea aims to make war-ending declaration in 2018, to closely cooperate with China: FM SEOUL, June 18 -- South Korea aimed to make a war-ending declaration by the end of this year although the exact schedule and format can be dealt with flexibly, the South Korean foreign minister said Monday. Kang Kyung-wha told a press briefing that though the schedule and format can be addressed flexibly, the government aimed to push for the declaration of an end to the 1950-53 Korean War by the end of this year. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un agreed to turn the current armistice agreement into a peace treaty by the end of 2018 after holding the third inter-Korean summit on April 27. Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to build a lasting peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and establish new bilateral relations at their first summit in Singapore on June 12. The peninsula remains technically at war as the Korean War ended with armistice, not a peace treaty. Kang said South Korea has been closely cooperating with the U.S. side for the war-ending declaration, noting that China can play a "very significant role" in building a peace regime on the peninsula. She said South Korea will closely cooperate with China on the issue. The South Korean diplomat had a phone conversation earlier in the day with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. During the phone talks, Pompeo told Kang that he would sit down face-to-face with his DPRK counterpart as early as possible. It indicated Pompeo's willingness to push for dialogue with the DPRK rapidly, Kang said. Kang said the DPRK-U.S. talks would continue as the two sides held a summit to talk frankly and build trust, noting that it created a virtuous cycle of improved inter-Korean relations which will help enhance DPRK-U.S. relations. 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... SACI News April - May 2018 This month we have news from the Western Cape Section and the Electrochemistry Division. We also highlight the forthcoming National Convention of the Institute to be held in December 2018 in Pretoria. A fantastic line-up of speakers has been organised including Nobel Laureate Sir Fraser Stoddart who is a most captivating speaker. It will be worth attending just to have the opportunity to hear him speak. Therefore, we recommend that you register and submit your abstracts soon as this promises to be a very exciting conference. Bice Martincigh Content SACI office address and times Advertising in the SACI newsletter SACI Members 11 to 20 years of membership Of interest NRF funding cuts Sections and Divisions News Electrochemistry Division Green Chemistry Division competition North Section Western Cape Section NanoAfrica 2018 Conference Report RSC News NSTF News IUPAC South African Journal of Chemistry African Journals of Chemistry CAIA Newsletter SACI and SACI related conference events 43rd National Convention of the South African Chemical Institute SANi 7th International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Africa Analitika 2018 Other Conferences Equipment SACI office address and times The SACI office, run by Laila Smith is located on the 1st Floor of Gate House, room 124. The telephone number is 011 717 6705 and e-mail address is: saci.chem@wits.ac.za. The cell number is 061 282 3477. Office hours are from 8.30 am till 1.00 pm. She can be contacted at any time during her office hours. Advertising in the SACI newsletter The newsletter provides a means of getting messages to our membership. Currently the SACI membership stands at over 1000. This newsletter thus provides a means of advertising employment opportunities, conferences and workshops, and even for companies/Universities to promote themselves. We encourage members to use the Newsletter for advertising purposes. All SACI related conferences and events are advertised for free; if not a SACI related event there could be a small charge. For advertising costs contact Laila at the SACI office. SACI members 11 to 20 years of membership Each month we would like to honour our loyal members of the Institute. Last month we listed those that have been members for five years or less. This month we would like to feature our members who joined the Institute between six and ten years ago. Their names are displayed below. We wish to thank all our members for their contributions to the livelihood of SACI. Without you, our Institute could not exist. Billing, Dr C Mammino, Dr L Chimuka, Prof L Mampa, Dr RM de Sousa, Dr AS Mandy, Dr K Erasmus, Dr JJC Mapolie, Prof SF Ferg, Dr EE Ramaite, Prof IDI Gorst-Allman, Dr CP Rattray, Mr BT Jaganyi, Prof D Robinson, Dr RS Jonnalagadda, Prof SB Tafesse, Dr F Jumbam, Prof ND Thomas, Dr MS Krieg, Dr HM Tshavhungwe, Dr AM Kruger, Prof HG van der Merwe, Dr EM Landman, Dr AA Van Jaarsveld, Dr FP Lobb, Mr MR Venter, Mnr PCR Loubser, Mrs M Zwane, Mr RDS Of interest NRF funding cuts This month we feature an article on the impact of the NRF research funding cuts. The link to the article is below. Sections and Divisions news This month we have news from our Electrochemistry and Green Chemistry Divisions and North and Western Cape Sections. Electrochemistry Division This month we feature the new Chair of the Electrochemistry Division Dr Omotayo Arotiba. Omotayo Arotiba completed his BSc (Honours) and MSc in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Ilorin and University of Benin both in Nigeria respectively. He proceeded to South Africa for a PhD in physical chemistry (Electrochemistry speciality) with scholarship from the National Research Foundation (South Africa) at SensorLab, Department of Chemistry, University of the Western Cape. After completing his PhD in 2008, he carried out some postdoctoral research from 2009 to 2010 at SensorLab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town and the University of Johannesburg (supported by the Claude Leone Foundation Postdoctoral Scholarship 2010). He joined the Department of Applied Chemistry, University of Johannesburg (UJ) in 2011 where he is currently a full Professor and the Director of the Centre for Nanomaterials Science Research at UJ. His research interest is on the application of electrochemistry to solving challenges in environmental, water, materials and biomedical fields. His focus includes (but not limited to) the development of electrochemical sensors and biosensors; photo-electrochemical water treatment technologies; materials electrochemistry and nano-electrochemistry. He is the pioneer and leader of the Electrochemistry Research Group at UJ. Prof Arotiba received the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) Young Chemist Award in 2009 and he is a C1 rated researcher with the National Research Foundation of South Africa. He is a member of the International Society of Electrochemistry, the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and the South African Chemical Institute. He loves teaching, motivating, mentoring and pastoring. A strong believer in exceptional leadership, his passion in life is to provoke others towards excellence. He is a youth lover and thus heavily involved in UJ students life. Omotayo is married to Adeola and they are blessed with three children only! Green Chemistry division competition In an effort to increase the visibility of the Green Chemistry that is already taking place in South Africa and at the same time highlighting possible opportunities for more people to green their research. The Green Chemistry Division would like to invite nominations for the best green chemistry paper by a South African chemist/group. The prize will be a sponsored talk at the SACI National Convention in 2018. Nominations should be sent to Rosa Klein ). Contributor: Rosa Klein News from SACI North Section The 43rd Convention of the South African Chemical Society is upon us and we are looking forward to an exciting event. The 2018 SACI website is live and registration is now open for the Early bird movers . The Conference is set to offer multiple platforms for chemists to exchange ideas through more than ninety oral presentations and to socialise through the activities that caters for both laidback and adrenaline enthusiasts. The 2018 SACI LOC is privileged to host the 2016 Nobel Laureate, Professor Sir F Stoddart, many eminent international and local speakers including multiple award winner Prof Kelly Chibale. Some of the confirmed speakers to attend the conference are listed below: Please watch the website for more exciting news as we approach the conference date. Even better, there will be opportunities for our young chemists to win prizes in the student categories of Best Oral and Best Poster Presentations. Please join us in numbers to experience the beautiful summer season in the Capital City of the country. Looking forward to sharing the moment with you: Dr RM Mampa (Conference Chair) SACI/RSC Western Cape Young Chemists Symposium, University of Cape Town (UCT), 6th April 2018 The University of Cape Town was the proud host of this years Young Chemists Symposium jointly sponsored by the South African Chemical Institute Western Cape section and the Royal Society of Chemistry Southern Section. The symposium brought together postgraduate students and young researchers from UCT, University of the Western Cape (UWC), Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), and Stellenbosch University (SU). The students gave 9 flash, 4 oral and 26 poster presentations on their research which addressed the theme of the symposium, Chemistry without borders: how chemistry is increasingly present in all the fields that are fundamental for human life. The climax of the symposium was the panel discussion where four esteemed and accomplished chemists interacted and answered diverse questions related to chemistry, academia, industry, entrepreneurship and social/community philanthropy that were asked by the students. The UCT Career Service Centre also gave a talk to equip participants with requisite knowledge for the job market. The organizers of the symposium are grateful to the SACI Western Cape, the RSC and the respective chemistry departments of the four universities for their support. We would also like to thank all the participants and attendees making the symposium a happy social event. Hoping to see you all at the 2019 YCS! Contributors: Nolwazi Gcwensa, Jessica Nel and Godwin Dziwornu SACI Western Cape and the RSC Southern Section would like to thank for the effort and time invested into the symposium by the three student organizers, Ms Nolwazi Gcwensa, Ms Jessica Nel and Mr Godwin Dziwornu and two staff members, Ms Deirdre Brooks and Dr Clive Oliver, who helped the students behind the scenes. By Niki Bathori YC Symposium presenters: T. Tshivhidzo, D. Myburgh, E. Lwamba, C. Sammy, M. Botes, V. Munyai, A. Busa YC Symposium presenters: M. Rondo, S. Magagula, T. Oliver, S. Sayed, U. Badeggi and D. Kusza YC symposium: poster session Panel members: Dr. Fanelwa Ajayi Ngece (UWC), Ms Gaynor Manuel (AKS Lining systems (Pty) Ltd.), Mrs Heidi Duveskog (Contextualise (Pty) Ltd.), and Prof Kelly Chibale (UCT). Participants from the four universities of the Western Cape. Organizers: Dr Clive Oliver, Ms Nolwazi Gcwensa, Mr Godwin Dziwornu and Ms Jessica Nel. NanoAfrica 2018 Conference Report 7th International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Africa, 22 25 April 2018, Salt Rock Final Report The 7th International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, NanoAfrica2018, was organised by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa and held during 2225 April 2018. The conference venue was the sought-after Salt Rock Hotel north of Durban. The conference was jointly organised by the South African National Nanotechnology Initiative (SANi). The SANi President, Prof. Edward Nxumalo, welcomed the delegates, while the UKZN Vice-Chancellor, Dr Albert van Jaarsveld, opened the Ceremony, on behalf the new Science and Technology Minister, The Honourable Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, who had confirmed her attendance, but unfortunately could not avail herself at the last minute. The other dignitaries at the Opening Ceremony included Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Durban University of Technology, Prof. Sibusiso Moyo, Prof. Deresh Ramjugernath (DVC Research, UKZN) and Prof. Albert Modi (DVC AES, UKZN). Prof. Vincent Nyamori was the Conference Chair and he is also the President of the South African Chemical Institute, and the UKZN Nanotechnology Platform Coordinator, who hosted the event. The NanoAfrica is a series of conferences that are held every two years and attract academics, researchers and engineers from universities, the private sector, industry, research councils and government structures with the common goal of engaging all South Africans who are involved in the exciting field of Nanotechnology and Nanoscience. This was a nationwide conference with some participants joining us from other continents, while a good number of the international delegates were from various countries in Africa and overseas. There were a total of 183 delegates representing many universities in South Africa, as well as a number of international delegates from the UK, Brazil, USA, Ghana, Cameroon and Kenya, amongst others. The NanoAfrica 2018 was a three-day conference which covered all aspects of nanoscience and advancement of nanotechnology in various applications. The meeting was aligned with some of the objectives of the National Nanotechnology Strategy, the 10-year Innovation Plan of the DST and the National System of Innovation (NSI) while showcasing the development of human capital in nanotechnology and nanoscience. The NanoAfrica2018 conference focussed on the frontline areas of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, including: Synthesis and Characterization of Nanomaterials Nanochemistry and Nanophysics Nanomaterials for Water Purification Nanomaterials for Health and Bio-applications Nanomaterials for Energy Applications Fabrication of Nanosystems for Sensing, Diagnostics, Imaging and Electronic Applications Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials Nanocommercialization The scientific programme was excellent and the Local Organising Committee secured 5 plenary speakers: Professor Girish Kale, Institute for Materials Research, School of Chemical and Process Engineering, The University of Leeds, United Kingdom Professor Neil Coville, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Professor Aliasger (Ali) Salem, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA Professor Ndeke Musee, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Dr Nonhlanhla Kalebaila, Drinking Water Treatment and Quality, Water Research Commission, South Africa We were also fortunate to have 6 keynote speakers: Professor Neerish Revaprasadu, SARChI Chair, Department of Chemistry, University of Zululand Professor Viness Pillay, SARChI Chair, School of Pharmacy, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Professor Kenneth I. Ozoemena, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Professor Ivo A. Hummelgen, Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Parana, Curitiba, Brazil Professor Francesco Petruccione, SARChI Chair, School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban Professor Ajay K Mishra, Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability Research Unit, University of South Africa, Florida Science Campus In addition to the plenary and keynote addresses, there were 40 oral presentations in 2 parallel sessions over 3 days. On Tuesday morning there was a 3rd parallel session, Nanocommercialization workshop, and was very well attended. It was organized by the UKZN InQubate team. Later that afternoon there was a second workshop organised by the Water Research Commission (WRC). On Monday evening a very successful poster session was held where 74 posters were presented. Of these, 57 entries were from postgraduate students. These were judged and five poster prizes were awarded, sponsored by the RSC North Section. The winners of these prizes were: First prize: (R4000) Antimicrobial cell penetrating peptides (acpps) with bacterial cell specificity: pharmacophore modelling and QSAR by Faya M, Kalhapure R, Jadhav M, Dhumal Db Akamanchi K, Calvin O, and Govender T Presenter: Mbuso Faya, University of KwaZulu-Natal Second Prize: (R3000) Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nanorods by Kwanele Kunene, Myalowenkosi Sabela, Suvardhan Kanchia, Roman Viter, Donats Erts and Krishna Bisetty Presenter: Kwanele Kunene, Durban University of Technology Three runner-up third prizes (R1000 each): In vitro evaluation of polyethylene glycol-gum acacia based hydrogel for controlled multidrug delivery of anticancer drugs by V.O Fasikua, B.A. Aderibigbeb, E.R. Sadikuc, Y. Lemmerd, S.J. Owonubi, S.S. Raye, E. Mukwevhoa Presenter: Victoria O. Fasikua, North-West University The effect of the selenium precursor on the synthesis and characterization of niobium diselenide (NbSe2) nanomaterials by Tshwarela Kolokoto, N. Moloto Presenter: Tshwarela Kolokoto, University of the Witwatersrand Ab-initio study of the stability and electronic structure of beryllium and sulphur co-doped graphene by O. Olaniyan, R.E. Mapasha, M.J. Madito, A.A. Kahleed, E. Igumbor and N. Manyala Presenter: Okikiola Olaniyan, University of Pretoria There was also a wonderful social programme, on Sunday there was a welcome reception at the Salt Rock Country Club, on Monday there was a beach braai and on Tuesday a Gala Dinner. Conferences such as these are always reliant on sponsors, and the LOC was grateful for the contributions from UKZN, DUT, Metrohm, Bruker, Hiden, SAASTA, SPECS, RSC North Section, Water Research Commission, Prestige Laboratories Supplies, UKZN InQubate, Tops! Superspar, and United Scientific SA cc. There were also seven exhibitors, namely PerkinElmer, Anton Paar, Bruker, SAASTA, Water Research Commission, Advanced Laboratory Solution and UKZN InQubate. The conference provided a platform for local as well as international students, researchers, technologists and entrepreneurs to interact on the latest advances and imminent trends in this inter- and multi-disciplinary area of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The stimulating topics ranged from synthesis of advanced nanomaterials, their characterisation and novel properties, to cutting-edge applications of nanomaterials, bio-nanomaterials and composites, in various fields such as energy, water, health and the environment. Also a green nanotechnology section, which ensures and enhances the environmental sustainability, more efficient processes and provides a better alternative in livelihood, was of great interest. Also the one-day technical workshop on the commercialization of nanotechnologies in Africa, which was organized by UKZNs InQubate staff, was very well received and delegates were very excited about the experiences expressed by the various invited start-up companies. In general, the standard of presentation was really exceptional and equally enjoyable. Everyone at the conference seemed to be very enthusiastic in presenting their work and that made the conference very pleasant. The next NanoAfrica conference to be held in 2020 is to be organized by Mintek in Gauteng. A group photograph of NanoAfrica 2018 delegates at Salt Rock, Country Club RSC News 1. The Pan Africa Chemistry Network exists to support African science; events, training, access to resources and a strong community; full details are here: . 2. There are a few ways that you access Royal Society of Chemistry journals and books our entire archive is available free of charge across Africa, and to all RSC members. Simply register online: 3. Our Funding Options are here: 4. I welcome you to the community: a. Join the LinkedIn Group: b. Sign up to our newsletter for updates and opportunities: c. On twitter, please look up @hvdriver or #PanAfricaChem to find out more. 5. All our events in Africa are listed here: including conferences and our programme of GCMS and LCMS training across the continent. 6. We are holding our annual Congress in Ghana in November discussing sustainable agriculture, and we would welcome you to the event. Registration will open next Thursday Helen Driver NSTF News For the latest news see: Of interest to members: The nominations for the 2017/2018 NSTF-South32 Awards have been released ( ) and feature a number of our fellow Chemistry colleagues. They include Prof John Bradley (Wits), Prof Eno Ebenso (NWU), Prof Nosipho Moloto (Wits), Prof Daniela Bezuidenhout (Wits), Prof Charles de Koning (Wits), Prof Leslie Petrik (UWC), Prof Titus Msagati (UNISA) and many others. WE wish to congratulate them and wish them well on their magnificent achievements. IUPAC For the latest news see: 2019 is the centenary of IUPAC. A number of celebrations and events are planned. During the 49th IUPAC General Assembly held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2017, it was officially announced that the 2019 IUPAC Summer Schools on Green Chemistry will be held in Tanzania. This is the first time this event is being held in Africa managed by the IUPAC (ICGCSD). The 2019 summer school is further special in being held during the 100th Anniversary of IUPAC. As local organizers (University of Dar es Salaam,Tanzania Bureau of Standards,Tanzania Chemical Society, etc.) we have planned the event to be held in Dar es Salaam from 12th to 19th May 2019. The event will provide the participants (mainly post graduate students) with an understanding of the latest developments of the concepts and management of green and sustainable chemistry. We, therefore,would like this event to have an all African face and would like to invite you and your institution to be part of the event in planning, organization and participation. You can circulate this information to other peers, organizations and institutions in the continent so that they also may join us in making this summer school a success. The topics for the summer school will be, but not limited to: 1. Exploitation of Natural Resources 2. Green Methodologies 3. Green Analysis 4. Green Synthesis of Nanoparticles 5. Other green chemistry topics are welcome! More information will be posted on a website which will be launched soon. South African Journal of Chemistry The South Journal of Chemistry is turning 100 years. As part of the 100th celebration of the journal, we are inviting special reviews that can be published later this year. Interested authors can get in touch with the chief editors Prof Luke Chimuka and Prof Tricia Naicker on the journal website, https://www.sabinet.co.za/sajchem/. Already a special issue from electrochemistry division from their 2018 symposium is planned. The analytical division is also planning a special paper on the status of analytical chemistry in South Africa. More review papers are still needed in various areas of chemistry. Journal submission details can be found at . Details of the journal and the editors can be seen at . All manuscripts since 1918 are electronically available online at There will be one special (additional) issue this year on South African Marine Natural Products under the leadership of Dr Denzil Beukus. This will be announced on the journal website in due course. This Journal is published electronically. The webpage is: . The South African Journal of Chemistry, published by the South African Chemical Institute, has been publishing high quality papers, in all fields of Chemistry for 100 years. The Journal went fully electronic in 2000 and is freely available through open access online ( ). It is a CAS-abstracted publication and is listed in Current Web Contents. It is also part of the Scielo group. It has retained its status as an accredited publication with the South African Department of Higher Education and Training. We encourage South African chemists to publish in the journal especially in this centenary year! African Journals of Chemistry African Corrosion Journal (online). Commenced in 2015 a peer reviewed corrosion journal. This journal may be of interest to the practical chemists amongst the SACI membership. African Journal of Chemical Education Enquiries and manuscripts should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief: email , PO Box 2305, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AJCE, 2016, 6(1) ISSN 2227-5835 The online version appears in the FASC website ( ) and in the AJOL website ( ) African Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry Submit manuscripts: ; Editorial office: Nanonews in South Africa SAASTA newsletter. . Prof Janice Limon, NPEP Nano News Editor South African Journal of Science Journal of the Chemical Society of Nigeria ; ; Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia South African Journal of Chemical Engineering A fully open access journal in 2016, all authors can publish their papers on an open access basis in the South African Journal of Chemical Engineering at the reduced rate of $400 (USD). CAIA Newsletter The latest issue of CAIA news is available. Go to: or e-mail: for pdf files of news and information. SACI and SACI related Conference events 43rd National Convention of the South African Chemical Institute Registrations are open - Analitika 2018, Legend Golf and Safari Resort - Mookgophong, Limpopo 22 26 July 2018 Submissions can be done online - please follow the links from PROGRAMME OUTLINE The detailed programme will be made available on the conference website in due course. The general outline is as follows: Sunday 22 July 2018 10:00 17:00 ICP Course 14:00 18:00 Exhibition build-up 14:00 17:00 Conference Registration opens 15:00 18:00 Game drives (not included, book separately on the system) Golf (not included, book separately with LGSR) 18:30 21:30 Welcome function, sponsored by ALS; TA Instruments Monday 23 July 2018 07:30 onwards Registration opens 08:30 17:00 Full day conference programme SAAMS AGM 18:30 22:00 Braai, sponsored by Perkin Elmer Tuesday 24 July 2018 08:03 17:00 Full day conference programme ChromSA AGM ThermSA AGM 18:30 late Conference Dinner, sponsored by Microsep Wednesday 25 July 2018 09:00 14:00 Conference programme 15:00 Game drives (not included, book separately on the system) Post-Conference Workshop, Pretoria Monday 30 July 2018 08:30 17:00 Post-Conference Workshop Eric Reiner, Pretoria venue tbc Tuesday 31 July 2018 08:30 17:00 Post-Conference Workshop, Pretoria Eric Reiner, Pretoria venue tbc 5th International Symposium on Electrochemistry Others 8th Annual Analytical Science Symposium Nanosmat-Africa 2018 You are invited to participate with your postgraduate students. Each participant is entitled to publish two ISI publications in Applied Surface science (IF=4). Indaba 9 ICOMC 2018 ISMEC 2018 Africa Food Safety Workshop 5th International Conference on Material Science and Smart Materials (MSSM 2018) XXII International Mass Spectrometry Confernece (IMSC 2018) 13th International Conference on Advanced Polymers via Macromolecular Engineering 2nd International Symposium on Catalysis and Specialty Chemicals ISCSC-2018 1st International Conference on Sustainable Management of Natural Resources African Traditional and Natural Product Medicine Conference CATSA2018 CATSA holds an annual national catalysis conference with the aim of promoting widespread interaction among practitioners in the field and this event is rotated around the country. The 29th annual conference is being hosted by the North-West University and will take place at from the 11 - 14 November 2018. The 2018 Eminent Visitor is from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. International Conference on Chemical Education 18, July 10-14 2018, Sydney ) ACRICE-3 Algeria October. The website is . The conference is under the aegis of IUPAC and FASC. Post-graduate Summer School on Green Chemistry, 7th to 14th of July 2018 in Venice The 23rd International Workshop on Quantum Systems in Chemistry, Physics and Biology (QSCP-XXIII) will be held in the Kruger park are, South Africa, on September 23-29, 2018. It will be hosted by the University of Venda. QSCP is a prominent conference series that covers a wide range of topics, bringing together researchers from around the world with cutting-edge contributions to the description of a broad range of quantum systems and phenomena. For further details, please visit the web page: . If you have any queries, please contact the local organisers at . XXIII Workshop on Quantum Systems in Chemistry, Physics and Biology (QSCP) Registration and abstract submission are now open. QSCP is a prestigious international conference series that covers a wide range of topics, including: Concepts and methods in quantum chemistry Relativistic effects in quantum chemistry Molecular structure, dynamics and spectroscopy Reactive collisions and chemical reaction Complexes and clusters; surfaces and interfaces; catalysis Molecular and nano-materials Computational chemistry, physics and biology. Please, visit our conference website for more information. Equipment Anton Paars new Cora Raman spectrometers Let Anton Paar be of assistance to you With our premium characterization instruments: Bruker By SA Commercial Prop News Calgro M3 said the increase in the project pipeline had ensured enough construction work for the next seven to eight years. Calgro M3, a residential property and memorial parks developer, has weathered a subdued operating environment in the construction industry to report significant growth. Revenue grew to more than R2bn in the year ended-February, accompanied by a 91.2% leap in operating profit. This was underpinned by a strong pipeline of projects, which grew from R19bn to R27bn, and the groups turnkey approach. Group MD Wikus Lategan said that under the prevailing conditions in the domestic building industry, the result was acceptable. We are pleased to have once again increased revenue and overall profitability of the group, he said. The group is a developer of social housing and affordable housing, and develops fully funded government housing and rental units. It also develops homes worth about R700,000. The government assists with bulk service infrastructure on projects. We are a property developer that happens to do its own construction, Mr Lategan said. Calgro M3 said the increase in the project pipeline had ensured enough construction work for the next seven to eight years. The bulk of this 92% of the pipeline was made up of providing homes in the fully subsidised housing sector, subsidised rentals and lowincome rental housing institutes. The result is pretty much in line with our expectations, Samantha Pauwels, an investment analyst at Cannon Asset Managers, said yesterday. She said the big jump in the value of the project pipeline was due to the construction of the R5.7bn integrated, 12,000-residential unit Leratong City development in Mogale City, which was to commence soon. This would bring in substantial revenue streams for Calgro M3 for more than 10 years, she said. Meanwhile, Calgro M3 said its focus in the past year was to ensure that more projects in the pipeline were converted into construction projects, to contribute to revenues. The group was successful in this, and currently has 12 of its 17 residential projects in the ground, ensuring that risk is sufficiently spread over projects, provinces and customer bases. The group also said it had launched its pilot memorial park project near Soweto. It would be a commercially operated burial business. Mr Lategan said these projects would be rolled out nationally over the next four to five years, as municipalities were struggling to deliver a quality service. Judging by the companys performance for the last few years, there is far more to come from Calgro M3, as they work though their R27bn project pipeline, Sibonginkosi Nyanga, an analyst at Momentum SP Reid Securities, said yesterday. (It) is diversifying across a number of projects in the ground at different phases. Mr Nyanga said Calgro M3 was focusing on the full range of accommodation, from RDP houses to housing for middle to high Living Standards Measure groups, which bodes well in this challenging industry. By SA Commercial Prop News Seen at the official opening of Heidelberg Mall; Patrick Flanagan of Flanagan & Gerard Property; Jaron Tobias from Dissilo Investments; Executive Mayor, CLR Lerato Maloka; Jaco Coetzer from Dissilo Investments; and Executive Mayor, CLR Simon Mofokeng. Image gallery The R600m Heidelberg Mall in southern Gauteng, yesterday opened its doors to the public, sporting more than 120 retail stores, restaurants and fast-food outlets. The 35,000sqm regional shopping centre delighted shoppers on its first day of trade with national retailers making their debut in the region including Game, Checkers, Woolworths and Dis-Chem. The shopping centre is a joint venture between Flanagan & Gerard Developments and Dissilio Investments. Heidelberg Mall will become a significant retail asset for the community and the entire region, which has been in real need for quality retail, Paul Gerard, Managing Director of Flanagan and Gerard said. The shopping centre is situated directly off the N3 highway between the suburb of Bersig and the existing Heidelberg CBD, on the corner of Retief Road and Jacobs Road. Jaco Coetzer, of Dissilio Investments, explains: Until now, many greater Heidelberg residents left town to do their shopping in larger malls around Johannesburg. This has now changed with the opening of Heidelberg Mall. Retail spend will now remain in the area to the benefit of the local economy, complementing the existing CBD while adding to the retail choice in the area. Cllr Lerato Maloka, Executive Mayor of Lesedi Local Municipality, hailed the Malls development as a dream come true for the community. The development of the mall will have a positive impact in various sectors of our local economy. A lot of jobs have been created to benefit our local people. The success of this development will help us attract more future investments in our municipal area because of our strategic location on the N3, she adds. Shoppers also enjoyed the centres ample supply of free open-air parking, maximum accessibility from major roads and highways as well as the benefit of good traffic flow. The Centre offers regional access for Nigel, Balfour, Henley On Klip, Greylingstad, Villiers and surrounds. The mall is set to have a positive impact on the way communities in and around Heidelberg spend their leisure time and is set to be a catalyst for the development of a major commercial hub for the region. Heidelberg Mall grand opening, launched the same day with Redefine Properties' inauguration of Matlosana Mall in Klerksdorp, which measuring a sizeable 65,180m2 at cost of R1-billion. Families the Government had threated to evict from land at Satapuala continue to remain there as talks over a dispute regarding land ownership appear to have hit a deadlock. Attempts by the Samoa Observer to get a comment from the Samoa Trust Estate Corporation (S.T.E.C.) on the status of the matter has been unsuccessful. Questions remain unanswered. The Samoa Observer, however, understands that S.T.E.C. is working with the Attorney Generals Office on the next steps. At the beginning of the year, the Government threatened to remove several families who remain on the land, accusing them of trespassing. The land in question is where the Government intends to extend the Faleolo International Airport runway across. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has publically threatened that they will take the families in question to Court. Among them is the Tauvalaau family, who said they were told to leave by 28 February 2018. The order was confirmed by Tuaato Tauvala'au Salausa, of Satapuala. But the family said unless the Government pays them $1 million, they are not going anywhere. Another family living on the land, Logolelei Sua, has questioned the legality of the 1983 agreement signed between the Government and their family chief, the late Toalepaialii Toeolesulusulu Siueva. The 64-year-old mother said her 11 children and more than 50 grandchildren all grew up on that land. I am not leaving my house, I should have been told by the Government and our Chief about the agreement, she said. It is true that he was our Chief, but the Government should have done their due diligence and informed us about the agreement. So I am not moving and I will not let the Government relocate us from a place where weve lived most of our lives. Samoans treasure their lands and Chiefly titles and why would we agree to relocate when this is our land, our inheritance from our ancestors. As reported earlier, Tuilaepa said the Government has already paid relocation costs to the families. Its been 35 years since the Government and Satapuala Village Council signed an agreement for the exchange of land, Tuilaepa said. The Government was given 22 acres by the Village Council and in return they were given 44 acres. He added that when they wrapped up the negotiations, the Government handed over 64 acres. The Government has honoured our side of the agreement, but Satapuala residents took their time. The main reason behind the decision is for their own safety, given the said location is near the airport runway. The said area is covered in the pathway of any incoming and outgoing airplane. Under safety regulations, it is necessary for the families to relocate, hence the exchange of lands with compensation in addition to the lands. At the time, their Member of Parliament and all of the Village Chiefs signed this agreement. Theyve signed the agreement then turned around and stirred up trouble. We are doing our part in keeping them safe because it is our responsibility, even in protecting them for their stupidity, protecting them for their falling. This year's Eid Al-Fitr has witnessed a relatively low number of reports of sexual harassment in Greater Cairo, Egypt's National Council for Women (NCW) announced on Monday. The Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which follows the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, traditionally comes with a spike in reported cases of sexual harassment in public places. In statements reported by the state-owned MENA news agency, the head of the NCWs control room Nagla El-Adly said the council received 17 complaints of sexual harassment against women during the three-day Eid holiday, which ended on Sunday. El-Adly attributed the decline of harassment cases due to the heavy deployment of police, including female police, at public gatherings, as well as the deployment of rapid intervention forces. Over the Eid holiday, the NCW monitored areas with large public gatherings to look out for instances of harassment. El-Adly said that the NCW monitored gatherings in Gizas Mohandiseen, Gameet El-Dowal El-Arabiya, Dokki, Corniche El-Nil, Agouza, Tahrir, Kasr El-Nil Bridge, Saray El-Qobba, as well as Cairos Abbas El-Akkad and Makram Ebeid districts. In recent years, female police officers have been deployed by the interior ministry on the streets to combat sexual harassment during Eid. Sexual harassment was criminalised in Egypt in 2014. The law imposes jail terms of no less than six months, and/or fines of EGP 3,000 to EGP 5,000 ($419 to $700) on those found guilty of sexual harassment. Search Keywords: Short link: A young Samoan woman, Faamanu Kelemete, is heading to Geneva. The Board member of the Young Womens Christian Association of Samoa (Y.M.C.A.) has been chosen to attend a UN Human Rights Committee meeting in there. The 20-year-old is studying for her Bachelor of Education at the National University of Samoa. She was raised by her father after her mother passed in 2008. Faamanu is very aware of the importance of human rights in the lives of all people and especially the youth of Samoa. If we understand and learn about Human Rights we will learn to live peacefully with those around us, she said. She hopes to network and learn from the experts attending the meeting in Geneva. The opportunity will broaden her outlook as she prepares to become a teacher and inspire Samoan children to strive to be the best they can be. Being a member of the Young Womens Christian Association of Samoa, Faamanu stated: Since joining the Y.W.C.A., I have become more confident to speak publicly, I have learned how to be involved in peer education and I can speak on key issues that affect Samoan young women. I have shared many new experiences with others and hope that young women can assist each other to develop their self esteem and potential. Young people have many obstacles to face within society, but together we have the potential to better ourselves and in turn to create a better Samoa. Digital learning is important in this day and age. For Netvo Samoa, they have a mission of supporting students in their studies. Netvo took part in the University of the South Pacific (U.S.P.) Alafua Campus Open day on Friday in Alafua where they showcased some of their products. Netvo Samoa Head of Sales Executive, Joy Leaupepetele, said nowadays, students need to be online to assist them with their studies in terms of research, whether in U.S.P. or in the comfort of their own home. With us being here, it shows to Samoa that Netvo is able to sponsor, support and is behind education to support the kids as they are the future of Samoa. I think the open day is a great event that enables students from various schools to attain knowledge of what the university has to offer in terms of studies and also serves as guidance in helping them with the option they will choose in the future, she said. Netvo Samoa is also running a competition for all its customers. Were giving away two 4G LTE portable MiFi and 18 gigabyte data plan for two months each. The cost of the mifi is $170 but were offering it for the students who win. They have to follow three steps, follow our facebook page by liking and sharing it, then follow us on Instagram and lastly check in at Netvo on Facebook and post fast, reliable, and affordable. We get the students to follow these three steps and then by Monday well be able to announce the winner, she said. The competition is also open to students from other institutions. NetVo Samoa is the most advanced 4G LTE network in the country which provides fast, reliable and affordable internet access to Samoan people. Netvo is owned by Samoans, working for Samoans with their vision in empowering all Samoans to access communications, education and business opportunities through a reliable, high tech wireless internet network. Two Sundays ago, the Minister of Revenue, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt, issued a thundering warning to Ministers of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa. Made on the front page of the Samoa Observer, Minister Tialavea had obviously had enough of the Churchs resistance to the Governments new law to tax church Ministers so that he just fired off. I am not scared to prosecute Church Ministers who refuse to pay taxes to the Government, the Minister told the Sunday Samoan. So after 30th June 2018, I will not hesitate to prosecute any Church Minister who continues to defy the law. Enough is enough. The Government has given them ample time from when the law was introduced, passed and it is time to implement the law. That deadline is next Saturday. Which means that on the following Monday, 2 July 2018, it will be interesting to see how the Ministry of Revenue will begin to implement the law that has become the topic of such heated debate during recent months. Keep in mind that the C.C.C.S., the biggest denomination on the land, is not budging at all. Last month after their Annual General Conference, General Secretary, Reverend Vavatau Taufao, delivered the confirmation of what everyone basically knew. The decision from the Fonotele remains the same as in 2017 and that is to reject the law requiring Church Ministers to pay taxes, said the We are a democratic church; the decision was not decided by one person, rather the entire church. It was way over the majority who rejected it, approximately 90 percent of the attendees who voted. So the decision is not by Elders of the Church, it is the decision by the Fonotele. On the front page of the newspaper you are reading today, the Church has gone from talking to the media to taking the matter directly to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi. They met for the first time yesterday. Although the parties are unwilling to talk about what happened behind those closed doors, a letter from the Church to Prime Minister Tuilaepa, dated 15 June 2018, sees the Elders of the Church urging Prime Minister Tuilaepa and his administration to reconsider their decision. It is the belief of the E.F.K.S. that our customs, traditions and Christianity beliefs are the pillars of the Constitution of the Independent State of Samoa, the letter reads. Samoa is founded on God. It means any law that contradicts our customs, traditions and Christianity beliefs, should not be implemented at all. There is no doubt that the law in question violates the fundamental religious beliefs and the core beliefs of the E.F.K.S. Church. This is why the Fonotele (E.F.K.Ss General Assembly) rejected this law in 2017 and again in 2018. What Prime Minister Tuilaepa will do next we dont know. What we do suspect is that he is unlikely to change his mind. You see should the E.F.K.S. Church get its way, Tuilaepa risks being viewed as a weak leader whose has had to bow to pressure. Besides, he has repeatedly reminded that Parliament is the supreme law making body of Samoa and as such, the law has been passed and final. As for his go do it man, Minister Tialavea, well he is ready to do what needs to be done to keep his boss happy. I initiated the taxing of Church Ministers because it is the right thing to do, he said, adding that people have threatened him since the law came into existence. I dont care if I dont make it back in the next General Election; what matters is what I am doing now, beyond that is not really something I care about. So what can we expect come Monday 2 July 2018? Well listen to Tialavea once again: As I had stated before, the Government will not hesitate to prosecute them and that no one is above the law, always remember that. We are heading for some very interesting times ahead. Have a safe Tuesday Samoa, God bless! An official working at the Ministry of Police forged a quotation, which was later uncovered as invalid. This is one of the irregularities, which set off a special investigation at the Police in 2015. The irregularity is highlighted in the Samoa Audit Office Report on Irregularities for the financial year 2015-2016, available on their website. The invalid quotation was forged by the Procurement Officer to satisfy the Government of Samoa Procurement Process requirement for three written quotes for the procurement of office stationery for the Traffic Division, the report reads. The officer was given the task of obtaining three written quotes for the supply of stationeries." Only one supplier provided a written quote and this supplier was selected to supply stationeries for the Traffic Division. The report in question was presented to Speaker of Parliament, Leaupepe Toleafoa Faafisi, on 16 December 2016. The report does not identify the officer in question. But it said there were no written quotes received from two other suppliers to satisfy the procurement process requirement. A written quotation from another supplier was later received, however this second supplier never replied to the officers email despite several follow-up attempts by phone, the report reads. She then created an invalid quote for the second supplier to satisfy the procurement process requirements so that the payment gets to the Accounts Division of M.O.F. before the deadline of the cutoff date for the submission of payments to process for the financial year ended 30 June 2015. At the end of the investigation, the Ministry of Finance recommended that the Police conduct a refresher course on the requirements of the Treasury Instruction 2013, Code of Conduct under the P.S.C. Act 2004 and Accounting Manual for management and all staff that are involved in the procurement process. All the officers responsible for this matter should be warned for non-compliance with the Procurement Guiding Principles as set out in Part K.2.1(1) of the Treasury Instructions 2013. A responsible procurement officer should also be given an official warning for breaching the procurement process. Invalid quote at the Ministry of Women A similar matter surfaced at the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, according to the same report. This was reported on the 11 August 2015 regarding an invalid quote from a supplier. The issue of the invalid quote was discovered by the Audit Office during their pre-audit of payments at M.O.F." Audit Office requested an IR from M.W.C.S.D. for an investigation be carried out. The supplier quote produced by M.W.C.S.D. was invalid. The Principal Officer for the Division for Youth was the person that produced this invalid quote; she created the quote for the supplier to satisfy the procurement process requirements of the Government of Samoa. The report goes on to say that the principal had breached the Governments Procurement Guiding Principles under PartK.2.1(1) of the Treasury Instructions 2013. She is liable and may be charged under PFMA Act 2011, PSC Act 2004 (PSC Code of Conduct) and Crime s Act 2013 relating to forgery and false documents." The A.C.E.O. Division of Women who certified the TY11B did not exercise proper check of the three written quotes, which would have identified the invalid quote for Maxkar Ltd. This is a breach of Part C.A.(e) of the Treasury Instructions 2013 which relates to duties of an Accountable Officer. The Audit Offices Report on Irregularities in the Ministries and Parliamentary and Constitutional Offices of the Independent State of Samoa reported to the Audit Office can be downloaded from their website. Downtown San Diego doesnt need retail. It needs en vogue office space at least thats the untested theory behind a radical reimagining of Horton Plaza as a corporate hub of the future. Incoming owner Stockdale Capital Partners, according to community stakeholders familiar with the firms plans, wants to turn the 900,000-square-foot shopping center into the type of amenity-rich campus that would convince the nations elite technology companies to open up shop. And whats left of the retail element would consist solely of trendy restaurants and boutique fitness studios. Its a bold vision that, if realized, not only changes the look of downtowns core but, some experts say, changes its character, jumpstarting a broader downtown commercial development craze that would rival the residential one already underway. We have done extensive market research for downtown San Diego, and I believe that the office demand... is very strong, said Gary London, a real estate economist. But theres no historical basis for my statement. Advertisement In the past 20 years, downtown has added net zero office space against a commercial building frenzy happening around the county, he said. At the same time, high profile technology companies have been circling the citys center and finding nowhere satisfactory to land. Downtown San Diego plays host to around 10 million square feet of office space with 12 percent vacancy, according to real estate firm Cushman & Wakefields first-quarter report. And real estate experts agree that the kind of space required for a tech powerhouse as in, hundreds of thousands of Class A square footage with the type of collaborative environment made popular by WeWork just doesnt exist downtown. That means anything beyond a miniature outpost for Facebook, Google, Amazon and other industry whales is totally out of the question. But space may not be the only issue. One major tech company, recounted Jason Hughes, chairman and chief executive of commercial leasing firm Hughes Marino, was contemplating moving its headquarters down here. He came down and was really disappointed with our options, Hughes said of the companys CEO. You have multi-billionaires with endless amounts of wealth and they come down here and say, Youve got to be kidding me. San Diego is small town USA. Whats missing, exactly? The right kind of real-estate and top tech talent, Hughes said. And he isnt overly optimistic that a corporate conversion of Horton Plaza will do much of anything to change the perception of technologys creme de la creme unless the developer plans to fork over at least $1 billion. If (Stockdale) thinks theyre going to repurpose whats there, I cant imagine it working, he said. The rosier point of view, offered by JLL Executive Vice President Richard Gonor, is that engineering a millennial-friendly live-work-play center in the heart of downtown can and will successfully recruit forward-thinking firms, as in those that emphasize culture when competing for talent. A lot of technology companies are looking to the workplace as a recruiting tool, and everybody is looking for ways to enhance their employees experience, Gonor said. Providing a space that has that kind of access to retail on site is something that will do very, very well. London, the real estate economist, is also of the mindset that downtown is ripe for a corporate renaissance, with the Horton redo and the $1.5-billion Manchester Pacific Gateway development leading the way. All these people are betting that the past is not the prologue; that were going to experience a major employment surge, he said. And the bets are as risky as they get particularly with the Stockdale venture. The developer is dismantling an iconic San Diego landmark in the name of landing the elusive technology unicorn that may not ever appear. Business jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruin The El Cajon City Council later this month will consider adopting a $168 million budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year that includes $4.8 million to reopen the East County Performing Arts Center. The city said its one-time investment in the concert and events center, which has been shuttered since 2009 but is expected to reopen early next year, will serve as an economic boon for the downtown area. City Manager Graham Mitchell and El Cajon Finance Director Clay Schoen shared a summary of the proposed budget on June 12, with a public hearing set for June 26. Schoen said the bulk of the citys expenses will go toward staffing, with employees pay expected to be nearly $56 million in the 2018-19 year. Supplies and services will be about $17.7 million. Advertisement California Public Employees Retirement System liability costs are anticipated to cost El Cajon $16.5 million in 2018-19, but will steadily climb, and are expected to be $26 million by 2023-24. The city is able to stay on top of rising pension costs mostly because of a robust economy, Mitchell said. The city will continue to offer special events such as the weekly car shows and concerts, Mother Goose Parade, Hauntfest and America on Main Street. The city is also earmarking $300,000 for economic development activities such as the kind that has helped bring new car dealerships and the Courtyard by Marriott to El Cajon in recent years, Mitchell said. The city also plans to fund programs that will offer affordable housing for the homeless population. The citys general fund revenue budget for the upcoming year is expected to be $74.8 million, with a little more than half of that coming via sales tax and about 25 percent from property taxes. Staff is projecting sales tax revenue to grow by 5 percent and property tax revenue by 6 percent. Schoen reported that revenues from the 2017-18 fiscal year are estimated to be $72.1 million with expenses at $68.2 million, a 5.5 percent increase from 2016-17. The citys general fund balance shows an estimated nearly $4 million increase for the 2017-18 fiscal year from 2016-17, with revenues expected to be $72.1 million. Mitchell said that El Cajon is expected to have nearly $38.1 million in cash reserves by June 2019. I respect our staffs expertise in presenting a balanced budget that does not dip into our reserves, said City Councilman Gary Kendrick, who said he had overseen budget adoption during 10 election cycles. El Cajon enjoys some of the highest reserves in our county. I believe that the fiscally prudent measures adopted by the City Council during the last recession have significantly strengthened our citys finances. El Cajon will debut a new police department-led park ranger system in the coming fiscal year, keeping a hub at Wells Park. The proposed budget also shows staff support for coming projects such as construction of a Hampton Inn at the former site of the police station. That hotel is expected to start this summer. El Cajon is also looking to partner with the Metropolitan Transit System to develop near the El Cajon Transit Center. It also is looking to outsource other services, similar to when it contracted out for street sweeping services this past year. karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com A car parked in the sun on a summer day can reach 116 degrees Fahrenheit within an hour. In that same amount of time, a child locked inside the vehicle can spike a lethal body temperature of 104 degrees, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Arizona State University. Although health and safety experts routinely warn parents against leaving young children alone in a vehicle, the new study quantifies how hot parked cars can get, and what risk that poses to children. Most people in the public say, yeah, thats obvious, cars get really hot on a hot day, said Jennifer Vanos, an assistant professor at UC San Diegos Scripps Institution of Oceanography and first author of the study, which was published in the journal Temperature last month. We wanted to take it that one step further and say what the impact can be on a child. Within an hour, vehicles parked in the sun hit an ambient temperature of 116 degrees, with dashboards soaring to 157 degrees, steering wheels to 127 degrees and seats to 123 degrees. Advertisement Meanwhile, children trapped inside face uncompensable heat stress, Vanos said. They have no way to lose heat, and thats when the core temperatures really start rising. The researchers hope their analysis will drive home the danger of leaving kids alone in cars. As the weather heats up in Southern California, police have already responded to some of those incidents. Last week, San Diego police received a call about a child locked in a car on Pacific Center Boulevard in Sorrento Valley. They rescued the 2-year-old, who was treated at Rady Childrens Hospital before being released. Police said it was apparently an accident, and the parents are cooperating with an investigation. And in Alhambra, police arrested a babysitter for allegedly leaving a 6-year-old boy locked inside a sweltering car for two hours while she ran errands and ate at a restaurant. The babysitter, Helen Law, was arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment and held on $100,000 bail. Twelve children have died from vehicle-related heat stroke this year alone, and on average there are 37 such deaths per year, according to the website noheatstroke.org. The recent study grew from an analysis of how solar shade structures reduce heat inside a car. Researchers took three pairs of silver vehicles two identical economy cars, two sedans and two mini-vans, and parked one of each in the sun, and one in the shade. The smaller vehicles heated up more quickly, but all became dangerously hot. Even those parked in the shade climbed to an internal temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. With the data collected, I said whats really missing is what happens to the core temperature of a child, Vanos said. Starting with a hypothetical 2-year-old boy, she plugged body weight, temperature, humidity and air flow into a model to calculate his core temperature in a parked car, where the closed environment creates unique hazards. In direct solar radiation, a greenhouse situation occurs within the vehicle, trapping long-wave radiation and heating the vehicle interior to a steady-state with little-to-no airflow, the study stated. Without air flow, there would be no evaporative cooling. And once the childs skin temperature soared above 95 degrees, the convection process that draws heat from the skin would reverse, and his body would start absorbing heat from the air. The overheated toddler could suffer heat stroke, with permanent organ injuries, brain damage or death. Even before that, symptoms including dehydration, nausea, vomiting, headaches, skin rash, and heat exhaustion could set in. Some parents will read those sad stories and think, How could that happen? I would never let that happen, Vanos said. And I think thats the first mistake you can make. She suggests putting a stuffed animal in the front seat to remind you of a child in the rear, or putting your purse or cellphone in the back, so you will see the child before you leave the car. Ultimately, Vanos thinks the solution will lie with technology that alerts a driver when a child is still in a car seat. We think we have every bell and whistle in our car, but we do not have this, she said. It could save 37 lives per year. deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan Four female patients from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs were sexually assaulted by an Oceanside physician who was arrested on Wednesday, authorities say. Out on a $150,000 bond, Dr. Edgar Manzanera is slated to be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon in California Superior Courts North County Regional Center in Vista on four separate felony counts of sexually penetrating the women with a foreign object. A physician contracted by VA to review pension disability claims, Manzanera also is accused of violating the states professional code for health providers by allegedly making sexual contact with his patients. If there are any other potential victims, please contact the San Diego County District Attorneys Office, said deputy prosecutor Dan Owens during a telephone interview on Monday. Advertisement Manzanera did not return a Union-Tribune message left with a woman at his home on Monday. The case was investigated by VAs Office of Inspector General and the Medical Board of California following a sexual assault report made to the Oceanside Police Department nearly two years ago by a former service woman who had gone to VA to seek disability pension benefits. Manzaneras arrest came two days before one of his former patients filed a series of lawsuits in state and federal courts against the doctor, the VA and his former employer, QTC Medical Services. The San Diego Union-Tribune does not name alleged victims of sexual assault. Theyre identified in the criminal complaint as Jane Does 1, 2, 3 and 4. The lawsuits filed in Vista and Arizona claim that Manzanera committed sexual battery against the plaintiff and falsely imprisoned her inside the QTC clinic at 2204 S. El Camino Real in Oceanside on June 15, 2016 while he was alone with her in his examination room. Although there was no medical reason for her to get naked, Manzanera allegedly told the military veteran to take off her clothes and don a medical gown and lift it over her head for an examination, according to the complaint filed in California Superior Court. He then told her to hold her gown up higher; and then higher again until she was holding it so high that it was over her head, and she could not see what he was doing, the complaint states. The doctors actions allegedly scratched and bruised her, leading to severe physical and mental injuries that left her in pain, humiliated, sad, fearful and distressed, according to the lawsuit. Assigned to Judge Jacqueline M. Stern, the lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary and punitive damages against both Manzanera and QTC. The Arizona case targets the Veterans Benefits Administration, part of the larger VA system. Acquired in 2016 by defense contractor Leidos, QTC was awarded a $6.8 billion nationwide contract by the VA last August to handle disability exams for separating and retiring military members. Allegations of this kind are an affront to all that we stand for as a company, said Melissa Lee Koskovich, Senior Vice President of Communications & Marketing for Leidos. Individuals referred to us for assessments are served with the utmost care. While we cant comment in detail on the matter due to ongoing investigations, we can share that when questionable conduct by this subcontracted provider was brought to our attention nearly two years ago, we immediately terminated the relationship with the provider and fully cooperated with authorities. Its unclear whether Manzanera continues to see patients. Although QTC employees in Oceanside said he no longer is employed there, the states Medical Board has yet to rule on his case. His medical license issued in 2013 remains valid through Aug. 31, 2019, according to the state. The board lists his address as a post office box in San Luis Rey and indicates the physician and surgeon graduated from Guatemalas Francisco Marroquin University Faculty of Medicine in 2008. Neither California Medical Board nor VA officials returned messages from the Union-Tribune on Monday. Military Videos On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal cprine@sduniontribune.com A Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-aligned Houthis for control of Yemen's main port city of Hodeidah will take a "calculated and gradual" approach to the battle, a senior United Arab Emirates official said on Monday. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said the military alliance led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE was taking into consideration a "fragile humanitarian situation", avoiding civilian casualties in addition to military calculations. Gargash, speaking to reporters in Dubai, estimated the number of Houthi fighters in Hodeidah at between 2,000 to 3,000. He declined to reveal the size of coalition forces but said they had "numerical superiority". Yemeni civilians shelter in schools from air strikes in battle for major port. Search Keywords: Short link: On any given day, from downtown San Diego to the boardwalk, people riding motorized scooters whiz by pedestrians at unnerving speeds a trend simultaneously blasted as a public safety hazard and hailed as the next evolution in green mobility. Since app-based rental scooters and bikes started popping up on sidewalks across California earlier this year, elected officials both excited and wary of the new technology have scrambled to regulate the industry. Cities from San Francisco to Los Angeles have now taken steps to reign in these multimillion-dollar startups, such as Lime and Bird, preparing to impose fees, safety requirement and caps on the number of vehicles allowed within their borders. San Diego chargers flock downtown as app-based scooter craze soars Advertisement However, San Diego is not one of those cities. In fact, its one of the only major metropolitan regions in California barraged by the scooter craze that has yet to pursue some kind of rules for the industry. This situation hasnt sat well with many of the citys most urban communities, whove seen dockless scooter riders blast down crowded sidewalks often without helmets, both of which are a violation of state law. Its the wild west at this point, said Marco Li Mandri, chief executive administrator of the Little Italy Association of San Diego. They need to be regulated just like anything else in the public right-of-way needs to be regulated, he added. The problem is when people drive them on the sidewalk, it becomes really hazardous. Local advocates pushing for alternatives to car travel have found themselves in a nuanced situation, wanting to protect pedestrian safety while not imposing rules that could slow down adoption. Im not saying that there cant be any regulation or fees on this industry, but they would need to be thought through, and so far I havent heard of any city adopting a thorough policy, especially when it come to the limits on vehicles, said Colin Parent, executive director of Circulate San Diego, an organization which promotes safety and walkability. Like dockless rental bikes, users can unlock the scooters using a smart phone and then drop them anywhere. The business is separate from the docked model, where users must pick up and return vehicles to a fixed station. The city has yet to release data on how many people have been injured in accidents involving the electric scooters, but reports of concussions, broken bones and intoxicated driving have started to surface. Personal injury attorneys all over Southern California have even begun marketing on their websites directly to people injured while riding the scooters, which can travel up to 15 miles an hour. Its the wild west at this point ... The problem is when people drive them on the sidewalk, it becomes really hazardous. said Marco Li Mandri, chief executive administrator Little Italy Association of San Diego Bird Scooter riders navigate the boardwalk in Pacific Beach on June 13, 2018. The beach areas have seen an increase in scooter traffic and police have started handed out tickets for those not obeying the law while riding them. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune ) In January, Councilman David Alvarez called on Mayor Kevin Faulconer and the city to draft rules to govern how scooter and bike companies operate. That request was met with little enthusiasm, as top officials responded in a February memo that they had no intention of recommending a regulatory framework. I think this is a mistake and it could lead to bigger issues for the city, Alvarez said. We need to ensure that the operators are operating safely. Now Councilwoman Barbara Bry said she will attempt to spearhead efforts to put rules in place aimed at, among other things, imposing fees on the scooter companies to pay for ensuring public safety. Have you been to Mission Beach? Its nuts, Bry said. The police have stepped up their reinforcement, but its not a good use of their time. Charging scooter companies for the costs associated with the somewhat disruptive technology is not a novel idea. Santa Monica recently followed the example of San Francisco in adopting a pilot permitting program that requires companies to pay a $20,000 annual fee to cover the cost of everything from collecting data on usage to code compliance. The city of Los Angeles is also drafting rules likely to include a fee structure, with San Jose not far behind. Bird reportedly the fastest startup ever to reach a value of $1 billion declined to comment for this story. Lime, which recently changed its name from LimeBike following the fast-growing enthusiasm for scooters, said its not opposed to regulation, such as fees, as long as those rules dont severely restrict the number of scooters its allowed to drop in any one city. Rather than a hard cap on the vehicles, the company would like to see variable limits that allow fleets to shrink or grow in proportion to ridership quotas. The company also said it will continue to engage in public education campaigns to get people off the sidewalk and embrace helmets, perhaps the two most common violations among riders. We embrace regulation as long as its being done well and going to help this mobility option thrive, said Andrew Savage, vice president of strategic development with Lime. Were in the midst of the process and time will tell. In response to questions about the citys reluctance to regulate the industry, Mayor Faulconers office offered this statement via email: The mayor welcomes more transportation choices and options for people to get out of their cars. As this is still a relatively new business model in San Diego, we continue to monitor its effectiveness and believe that the market will dictate how the businesses continue to operate within the city. The mayor offered tacit support last month for a proposed ban on the scooters along the boardwalk in Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. Councilwoman Lorie Zapf brought the idea to City Council following a string of accidents reported by lifeguards and police officers. I just talked with the lifeguard chief, Zapf said on Wednesday. They were telling me about broken wrists and ankles and other injuries. People are not stopping when theyre being pulled over, she added, and the police cannot have a full-on police chase down the boardwalk. When theyre getting flagged down, they just zoom away. The proposal was sent back to committee after members of the City Council rebuffed the idea as a knee-jerk reaction. Councilman Chris Ward who led the charge against the boardwalk ban and whose Hillcrest neighborhood recently saw a man driving drunk on a scooter severely injured in a collision with a car declined to comment for this story. I just talked with the lifeguard chief. They were telling me about broken wrists and ankles and other injuries. City Councilwoman Lorie Zapf Following the meeting, police cracked down on those riding on the boardwalk over Memorial Day weekend, giving out hundreds of warnings and citations. Community members in Pacific Beach have said an increased police presence in recent months has made a difference. Theres been a lot of enforcement and weve see them out every day, and theres been a decrease in riding on the sidewalk, said Sara Berns, executive director at Discover Pacific Beach. The helmet thing is still the biggest issue. Still, its not hard to find people riding on the sidewalk on any given day and its rare to see anyone with a helmet. Law enforcement officials said they dont have the capacity to enforce rules around scooters with any regularity. We try to take the enforcement, but were called away for so many other higher priority issues that it can be difficult, said Lt. Brent Williams, spokesman for the department. The department doesnt have a dedicated team for scooter enforcement. A Bird Scooter is parked on the boardwalk in Pacific Beach on June 13, 2018. The beach areas have seen an increase in scooter traffic and police have handed out tickets for those no obeying the law on them. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune ) Efforts by cities in California to regulate dockless scooter companies: San Francisco is reviewing applications for a year-long pilot program that will issue permits to five companies, with a citywide cap of 1,250 scooters in the first six month, expanded to 2,500 for the second half of the program. Applicants have been asked to submit blueprints for ensuring public safety, including plans to encourage users to wear helmets, neatly park the vehicles and not ride on the sidewalk. Venders will be required to share real-time data with the city and pay a $25,000 fee, plus a $10,000 endowment to ensure taxpayers dont bear the burden of rolling out the program. Venders are expected to be chosen by the end of the June. Santa Monica approved this week a 16-month pilot program that will allow two scooter companies to operate within the city. The city has agreed to design a dynamic cap for the number of scooters allowed per vendor, which will likely fluctuate based on fee usage. Vendors will be required to share real-time data with the city. The city will also charge a flat operator fee of $20,000, plus $130 per scooter to pay for a code-enforcement officer and a program coordinator. Vendors are expected to be selected by September. Los Angeles is designing a pilot-permitting program expected to be presented to members of the City Council within a few weeks. The proposals will likely include requirements to share data, a fee structure and rules for parking. The city is also debating whether and how to impose a cap on the number of scooters allowed per vendor. Its also exploring geofencing that would prevent the scooters from working in specific areas. The city has issued cease-and-desist letters to scooter companies as the rulemaking process plays out. The pilot program is expected to be in place by the end of the fall. Twitter: @jemersmith Phone: (619) 293-2234 Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com Phil Petrie holds dear the memories he has of nature hikes with his daughter, which have included jaunts through Mission Trails Regional Park. Thats where he was on Fathers Day not to hike with his daughter, but to protest a pipeline being proposed by San Diego Gas & Electric. To me, this is a really good way to spend Fathers Day, to be out here protesting against a pipeline that is going to further ravage the world, he said. SDG&E wants to partner with Southern California Gas to replace a 16-inch pipeline that runs along the Interstate 15 corridor with a 47-mile line between Rainbow and Miramar. Advertisement Organizers of Sundays protest said one possible route would cut through the park, where about 100 people gathered to speak out against the project. The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to vote on the project on Thursday. Speakers outlined a number of reasons the project should be rejected. Peter Andersen, an officer with Sierra Club San Diego, criticized the pipeline, saying construction would cause literal upheaval in a number of communities and preserves like Mission Trails. He also said the pipeline was a fire hazard. Stephanie Corkran, an anthropologist who works in medical research at UC San Diego, said the pipeline should be rejected because it is an investment in infrastructure that encourages reliance on fossil fuels, rather than more sustainable forms of energy. On behalf of future generations of San Diegans, I respectfully ask the California Public Utilities Commission to reject SDG&Es unnecessary, expensive, dirty and dangerous pipeline, said Tara Kelly, the director of community development at Sullivan Solar Power. SDG&E has said it wants to build the 36-inch pipeline to improve system reliability and resiliency, modernize the existing line and add capacity to the gas system in the San Diego area. The project was estimated to cost $639 million, paid for by ratepayers. The proposed pipeline crisscrosses a number of parcels of land and communities, including Escondido and Poway. In May, a California Public Utilities Commission administrative law judge called for the proposal to be rejected, saying the utilities have not shown why it is necessary to build a very costly pipeline to substantially increase gas pipeline capacity in an era of declining demand and at a time when the state of California is moving away from fossil fuels. SDG&E spokeswoman Jennifer Ramp said utility officials were disappointed with the proposed decision, adding the project was a critical infrastructure project that is needed to enhance safety of the natural gas system so that we can continue to meet the energy needs of approximately 880,000 customers... Sundays protest was spearheaded by San Diego 350, a group that advocates for climate change action. The event kicked off with chants like, Hey, hey, ho, ho, fossil fuels have got to go and How do you spell greed? SDG&E. In addition to a handful of speakers, volunteers performed a skit about the potential perils of the pipeline and sang a song about the glory of nature. Participants were encouraged to sign postcards and a petition that will be delivered in person to the CPUC. Staff writer Rob Nikolewski contributed to this report. Twitter: @LAWinkley (619) 293-1546 lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com A UC San Diego scholar who influenced Pope Francis on climate change and a Salk Institute biologist who helps develop cancer drugs will each share the $1.3 million that comes with winning a Tang Prize, one of the newest and priciest awards in science. Veerabhadran Ramanathan of the universitys Scripps Institution of Oceanography was chosen for his decades of insights about how humans influence the worlds climate, sometimes in severe and deadly ways. Ramanathans work has helped reduce the use of the greenhouse gases around the world, although climate change remains a major problem. Ramanathan also was one of the first four scientists to develop the U.S. community climate model in the 1980s, and he currently heads Project Surya, an initiative that looks to improve climates in rural communities. Advertisement The (climate) changes are already happening and getting worse and the worst consequences will be felt by the worlds 3 billion poor people, Ramanathan told the Union-Tribune in 2015. He will share the Tang Prize in sustainability with James Hansen, the outspoken former NASA researcher whose predictions about global warming have led to policy changes while also drawing political opposition. Ramanathan and Hunter are two of the eight scholars who are sharing four Tang Prizes, awards that were first created in 2012 by Samuel Yin, a Taiwanese entrepreneur and philanthropist. The awards which are conferred every other year cover sustainability, biopharmaceutical science, sinology (the study of Chinese language and customs) and law. Ramanathan discovered how pollutants other than CO2, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), deplete the ozone layer, which shields earth from too much ultra-violet radiation. His work, largely carried out at UC San Diegos Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has helped reduce the use of the greenhouse gases around the world, improving the climate. (The award) is a huge honor for me personally, coming from an Asian country, Ramanathan told the Union-Tribune. Theres a lot of work that needs to be done there. Tony Hunter, researcher at the Salk Institute, is credited as discovering how phosphorylation can cause cells to become cancerous. (Courtesy of the Salk Institute ) Hunter, who helped develop the cancer drug Gleevec, has played a key roling in pushing dozens of therapeutics to market. I am extremely pleased being recognized this way, Hunter. Its a great recognition of the importance of basic research. clifford.kapono@sduniontribune.com A cold-hearted border agent can be heard mocking migrant children taken from their parents in a shocking audio released Monday. Locked away at the U.S. border, the 10 kids can be heard crying for Mami and Papa, according to audio obtained by ProPublica. A man believed to be a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent likens their torment to music. We have an orchestra here, he muses, according to a translation shared Monday. Whats missing is a conductor. Advertisement The recording of children, whose ages range from 4 to 10, was recorded last week at an unspecified detention facility and passed along to Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid attorney Jennifer Harbury. The civil rights lawyer told ProPublica her client heard the childrens weeping and crying, and was devastated by it. Harbury did not respond to a request for comment. Journalists were listening to the audio before a White House press briefing, and the audio could be heard playing again as Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defended the Trump administrations disputed immigration policies. New York magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi took credit for playing the audio a second time because officials failed to adequately and truthfully answer questions about the policy. I would have waited until I was called on to play it, but I was not being called on, Nuzzi tweeted. After another reporters phone began loudly ringing with a melodic jingle, I figured the briefing room could probably deal with a more important disturbance. Nielsen told reporters she had not heard the recording prior to the press briefing. We now care for them. We have high standards. We give them meals, and we give them education, and we give them medical care, Nielsen told reporters of the migrant children. There is videos, there is TVs, I visited the detention centers myself. One of the children in the recording was identified as Alison, a 6-year-old from El Salvador heard rattling off a phone number she memorized for her aunt, who she believes will pick her up at any moment. Are you going to call my aunt so that when Im done eating, she can pick me up? the little girl asks a consular worker, according to the translation. The consular worker can be heard saying the girl has been denied a meal. They havent given her her food yet because she wants to talk to her aunt first, the worker says, then pledging to call the aunt. ProPublica spoke to the aunt, who was not identified. It was the hardest moment in my life, the woman told the news site. Imagine getting a call from your 6-year-old niece. Shes crying and begging me to go get her. She says, I promise Ill behave, but please get me out of here. Im all alone. The aunt said little Alison has been moved to another facility with a bed. But in the week since the audio was recorded, Alison has not seen, or heard from her mother, whose last known location was a immigration lockup near Port Isabel, Texas. The mother and daughter traveled to the United States through Guatemala and Mexico after paying a smuggler $7,000, ProPublica reported. Shes a human being. Shes a child. How can they treat her this way? the aunt said of her niece. The audio was recorded as the Trump administration announced plans to pitch tents for more than 300 migrant children at the Tornillo port of entry. The tan tents were installed this week and hold bunk beds for at least 20 children, photos show. With Chris Sommerfeldt Israel has indicted a former Israeli cabinet minister on suspicion of spying for Iran, Israel's Shin Bet internal security service said on Monday. In a statement, the Shin Bet said Gonen Segev, who served as energy minister in the mid-1990s and had been living in Nigeria, "was recruited by Iranian intelligence and served as an agent". He was arrested during a visit to Equatorial Guinea in May and extradited to Israel, where he was indicted on Friday. Search Keywords: Short link: McDonalds will begin using paper straws in its UK locations and test out alternatives to plastic in the U.S. this year, the fast food giant announced. As environmentalists put pressure on businesses to move away from ocean-clogging, marine life-killing plastics, McDonalds is working to make the switch on its own. No word yet on what materials the burger chain will experiment with at its more than 14,000 U.S. locations. We do not have any further details to share at this time on the tests in other markets including the U.S. later this year, a McDonalds spokesperson told The Daily News. Advertisement The plastic phase-out in in the UK will begin in September, the company said, and should be complete by next year. McDonalds will test alternative straw options in its Australia, Sweden, Norway and France locations as well. Plastic straws from a McDonalds restaurant in Doral, Florida. (Wilfredo Lee / AP ) In an effort to curb plastic waste in New York, City Council announced last month that it planned to introduce a bill that would ban businesses from using plastic straws and stirrers within the boroughs. Restaurants and other locations with the items on hand would have to switch to paper or other reusable materials instead. The straw stays in our environment without decomposing for hundreds of years, said Councilman Rafael Espinal (D-Brooklyn), one of the bills sponsors. The restaurants announcement to ditch plastics in the UK comes just two months after Prime Minister Theresa May announced a proposed law in England that would ban plastic straws, stirrers and cotton swabs in the country. The Government is prepared to ban the sale of these items in England under plans to protect our rivers and seas and meet our 25 Year Environment Plan ambition to eliminate avoidable plastic waste, Downing Street said in an April announcement. Plastic waste is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world, which is why protecting the marine environment is central to our agenda at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, May added. At least five people were killed when a van packed with undocumented migrants crashed on a Texas highway while being chased by Border Patrol agents, according to local authorities. Agents tried stopping the man behind the wheel of the Chevy Suburban, but he lost control as he passed another car at speeds up to 100 mph, according Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd. The driver careened off the road as the SUV flipped repeatedly. The violent wreck sent most of the 13 passengers all adults flying from the vehicle around 11:15 a.m. at the Big Wells city limits. Advertisement The mangled vehicle came to a rest in the middle of Highway 85 where the sheriff and witnesses found several ejected passengers crying out in Spanish. Some were suffering from broken limbs, Boyd said, while footage of the crash site shows others lying motionless on the pavement. I want to help, but I dont know if I can handle this s--t, witness Isaiah Martinez could be heard saying, according to gruesome video of the aftermath. One deputy, who joined the high-speed chase minutes before the crash, plucked the driver out through a shattered window. He saw all the people laying on the road. He made a comment that he knew what was going on, like, Oh s--t, the sheriff said of the driver, who suffered minor injuries. He knew what he had done. None of the passengers ejected during the crash were believed to be wearing seat belts. Four of the passengers died at the crash site, while another died at a local hospital. Nine of the victims were rushed to San Antonio Medical Center and Dimmit County Regional Medical Center. Only two of the passengers were women. They pack them in there like sardines. These drivers dont care, Boyd said. He expects the death toll to rise. Agents from the Carrizo Springs Station spotted the Suburban and two more vehicles in a suspected smuggling convoy while patrolling a rural road around 11 a.m., according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. The agents stopped the first two vehicles and the third one kept going, officials said. The driver, who was not identified, was encountered by local authorities near Big Wells last week. He was either picking up illegals or scouting the road, Boyd said. He was taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations and hospitalized out of precaution, officials sad. The sheriff said he has investigated similar wrecks involving migrants in his county. Weve seen this many, many times, in not only this county but other counties along the border, he said earlier. Its a problem. This is, I think, a perfect example of why our borders need to be secure. It was unclear where the migrants were from. Boyd said most migrants who travel through the area are from Central America or Mexico. Boyd was asked why border patrol agents started the chase. Its called good police work, he said. Re San Francisco banned flavored tobacco products. Could other California cities follow? (June 8): Other cities in California should follow San Franciscos lead, restricting the sale of flavored tobacco products. It was heartening to read the U-T article on the landslide victory of Proposition E, passed 69-31. As a doctor of public health, I know the tragic toll of tobacco. Its still the No. 1 cause of preventable death in California. I stand with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and other major health organizations urging cities and counties to curb the surge in teen use of candy-flavored e-cigarettes and combat the tobacco industrys menthol cigarette marketing, which targets communities of color and causes disproportionate suffering. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to take action on other flavored tobacco products. We must take action now and keep the next generation from being lured into a lifetime tobacco addiction. Jesse Nodora Advertisement San Diego San Francisco voters should be applauded for overwhelmingly approving a measure that stops the sale of candy-flavored tobacco in the city. This vote upheld a unanimous vote by the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors last fall. There are over 7,700 different tobacco flavors on the market. Flavors like cotton candy, gummy bear, and peanut butter cup are luring a new generation of kids into tobacco addiction. Eighty one percent of youth who have ever used tobacco products started with flavored tobacco. This includes menthol cigarettes, which are milder and make initiation of smoking easier. We need to do everything we can to protect kids from the tobacco industrys latest attempts to addict a new generation. Remember, the industry needs to addict kids to maintain its profits. Im looking forward to more cities across California taking action to protect our kids from candy-flavored tobacco. Chris Sherwin Talmadge Letters and commentary policy The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below. Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman on Monday to discuss ways to advance regional peace, Netanyahu's office said in a statement. The two leaders "discussed regional developments and advancing the peace process and bilateral relations," the statement said. Jordan made peace with Israel in 1994. It is one of two Arab countries, along with Egypt, to have treaties with Israel and both countries have been involved in efforts to reach a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has been working on a long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, but it has yet to be made public. White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, the U.S. envoy to the Middle East and Trumps son-in-law, and Jason Greenblatt, Trumps Middle East peace negotiator, are expected in the region this week to discuss their peace plan. Abdullahs Hashemite dynasty is also custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. "Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Israel's commitment to maintaining the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem," the statement said. The last round of U.S.-led peace talks collapsed in 2014. Search Keywords: Short link: 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. Philadelphia, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/18/2018 -- Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP, is pleased to announce its collaboration with EB5 Affiliate Network, one of the nation's premier EB-5 consulting firms and regional center operators, to offer EB-5 seminars in select cities across the United States and online webinars. The seminars and webinars will explain the process and qualifications investors need to obtain a green card through the EB-5 visa program. The industry-leading speakers will also provide insight on selecting high-quality EB-5 projects from industry-leading speakers and will cover how to structure your own EB-5 project. The EB-5 Visa Program may be a viable option to many foreign nationals currently living in the United States on another visa and may not have a suitable alternative to gain permanent residence. Attendees will also get the chance to ask questions to the panelists. The seminars will take place in various cities across the United States, with Klasko attorneys participating in: - New Jersey, Elizabeth - 6/13/18 -- Daniel B. Lundy - New Jersey, Edison - 6/14/18 Jessica A. DeNisi - North Carolina, Raleigh - 6/15/18 Daniel B. Lundy - North Carolina, Cary - 6/16/18 Daniel B. Lundy - North Carolina, Durham - 6/16/18 Daniel B. Lundy - North Carolina, Charlotte - 6/17/18 Daniel B. Lundy - Massachusetts, Boston - 9/29/18 Karuna Simbeck Registration for the seminars is free, although space is limited. For more information on the EB-5 seminars or to register for one today, visit http://www.Get-EB5-Visa.com. For information on immigration law and the EB-5 Visa Program, contact Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP today at 215-825-8600 (Philadelphia) or 212-796-8840 (New York). A series of webinars will also be offered. Individuals can now register to attend a webinar with a Klasko attorney participating as a speaker: - Wednesday June 20: What is an EB-5 Regional Center? Jessica A. DeNisi - Saturday June 23: H-1B to EB-5 H. Ronald Klasko - Wednesday, June 27: How to Structure an EB-5 Project Jessica A. DeNisi About Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP has offices in Philadelphia and New York, and provides top-tier legal services to EB-5 investors, regional centers, and developers. Its EB-5 team is one of the largest and most respected in the country, and its Compliance team is the first of its kind. The firm has been selected as one of the top 5 business immigration law firms in the United States by the prestigious Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business (Chambers and Partners) for the past ten years. The firm serves as the North American Regional Representative of the Investment Migration Council, the worldwide association Investor Immigration and Citizenship-by-Investment. For more information, please see http://www.klaskolaw.com. Egyptians have drunk 45 thousand tons in the first half of 2018, compared to 40 thousand tons over the entire year of 2017, according to a report by the coffee division at Cairo's Chamber of Commerce issued on Sunday. The report also indicated a 10 percent increase in the rate of coffee imports. "70 percent of Egypt's coffee imports come from Indonesia where coffee beans are more affordable, but of high quality," Hussein Fawzy, head of the division, said in the report. "One ton of coffee beans costs internationally between $3,500 to $5,000 based on the type," the report reads. Egypt imports its supplies of coffee, as the country's climate is not suited for cultivating the crop. Global production of coffee has increased in recent years as consumption has increased moderately. Search Keywords: Short link: Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/18/2018 -- Saudi Arabia Medical Devices Market - Highlights Taking all factors into consideration, we expect the Saudi Arabia medical devices market to reach around $ 3870 million from $ 2250 million in 2017, by the end of the forecast period at a CAGR of ~9.5%. The medical device industry witnessed one of the fastest growth propelled by innovation and rapid uptake of technologies. The medical devices industry has also resulted in the successful fusion of information technology and healthcare. Technology and product development remain the main pillars for the growing market for medical devices. Get Exclusive Sample Copy of Saudi Arabia Medical Devices Market spread across 45 Premium Pages, 10+ Companies and Full TOC is Available @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2801 . The market involves two segments one high-tech devices with extreme sophistication and another is the low tech improved devices. The high tech segment such as diagnostic imaging devices is witnessing higher rates of growth. The low tech segment is also growing at a good rate but has witnessed growth in developing regions as the market for these in developed regions is stagnant. The other market driving factors are rising public healthcare expenditure in Saudi Arabia, development of large hospitals such as King Faisal hospital in Riyadh, demand for noninvasive therapy etc. The future developments will include cloud integration, connected healthcare devices and growing demand for personalized medical wearable devices. Healthcare mobile applications will also lead the market. Saudi Arabia Medical Devices Market - Top Players Some of the key players in this market are: Johnson & Johnson, General Electric, Medtronic, Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV., Baxter Internationa, Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co., Cardinal Health, Al-Salehiya Medical Estableshment, Saudi Pharmaceutical Industries & Medical Appliances Corporation (SPIMACO), Al Amin Medical Instruments Company (AMICO), Al Faisaliah Medical Systems (FMS), Siemens Ltd and others. Saudi Arabia Medical Devices Market - Segmentation Saudi Arabia medical devices market has been segmented on the basis of product type which comprises monitoring devices, diagnostic devices, diagnostic molecular devices, drug delivery devices, surgical devices, bio implants and stimulation devices, automation and robotics and others. On the basis of therapeutic application; market is segmented into general surgery, diagnostic imaging, respiratory, orthopedics, cardiovascular, dental, neurology, ophthalmology, ear-nose-throat (ENT), nephrology and urology, and others. On the basis of end users; market is segmented into hospitals, ambulatory, home and others. Saudi Arabia Medical Devices Market - Regional Overview The healthcare sector of Saudi Arabia is divided between private and state. The public healthcare expenditure accounts for approximately 75% of total health expenditure in 2014. Local manufacturing represents a poor outlook which is limited to consumables and ordinary articles. The government has established some of the best hospitals in the region such as King Faisal specialist hospital and research center, Riyadh military hospital, Saudi Arabia's National Guard health affairs hospital etc. Saudi Arabia is extremely dependent on imports for medical devices and imports account for approximately 92% of total market for medical devices. U.S. medical device suppliers dominate the scenario with European vendors in the second position. Among the regions of Saudi Arabia Riyadh tops the healthcare expenditure list followed by Tabuk, Makkah and Madina. Avail Stunning Discount @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/2801 . TOC of Saudi Arabia Medical Devices Market Research Report - Forecast to 2023: 1 Introduction 1.1 Definition 1.2 Scope of Study 1.3 Research Objective 1.4 Assumptions & Limitations 1.5 Market Structure: 2 Research Methodology 2.1 Research Process 2.2 Primary Research 2.3 Secondary Research 3 Market Dynamics 3.1 Drivers 3.2 Restraints 3.3 Opportunities 3.4 Challenges 3.5 Macroeconomic Indicators 4 Market Factor Analysis 4.1 Porter's Five Forces Model 4.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers 4.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Customer 4.1.3 Intensity Of Competitor's 4.1.4 Threat Of New Entrants 5 Saudi Arabia Medical Devices Market, By Product Type TOC CONTINUED Key Questions Answered In This Report: What will the market size and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors? Ask any Queries to Experts about Niche Segments, Requires Regional Data and Top Players @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/2801 . About Market Research Future At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Consciousness is everything people experience, from the taste of chocolate to the pain of a migraine. But the origin and nature of consciousness have puzzled scientists for centuries. A new study published in the May 25, 2018 issue of the journal Nature Communications identifies and measures the neural activity associated with a new conscious experience and takes researchers a step closer to solving the mystery. Computers and robots interact with the world without being conscious. But something miraculous happens inside our brains to make us conscious and experience the world from a subjective perspective, said study lead author Dr. Hagar Gelbard-Sagiv, a researcher with Tel Aviv University, Caltech and the University of California, Los Angeles. Our new study brings us one step closer to understanding consciousness and conscious experience at the most concrete level: the electrical activity of individual neurons. In the study, Dr. Gelbard-Sagiv and colleagues took advantage of a unique medical opportunity: the surgical implantation of electrodes in the brains of patients with epilepsy to determine the precise areas responsible for their seizures. Patients were monitored for a week or two, until enough data on their seizures had been collected. During this time, the implanted electrodes recorded the activity of individual neurons in their vicinity. The team presented two different images to the patient, one to each eye, to probe the moment in which a new experience arises. For example, an image of a house was presented to the right eye and an image of a face to the left eye. In this situation, known as binocular rivalry, the brain cannot combine the two images. Instead, the subject sees either the house or the face, and this alternates irregularly every few seconds. These alternations happened involuntarily, while the physical stimulus remained constant. This allowed the scientists to isolate brain activity related to the change in perception and differentiate it from brain activity related to the physical stimulus. They discovered that the activity in frontal lobe neurons changed almost two seconds before the patient reported an alternation in perception, and that the neuronal activity in the medial temporal lobe changed one second before a report. Two seconds is a long time in terms of neural activity. We believe that the activity of these neurons not only correlates with perception, but also may take part in the process that leads to the emergence of a conscious percept, Dr. Gelbard-Sagiv said. Our study captures individual cells in the human brain just before one conscious experience is replaced by another, added co-author Professor Itzhak Fried, of Tel Aviv University and the University of California, Los Angeles. It is a unique privilege to gain such a rare glimpse into human consciousness. At the same time, we can provide clinical care aimed at alleviating severe epilepsy in our patients. _____ Hagar Gelbard-Sagiv et al. 2018. Human single neuron activity precedes emergence of conscious perception. Nature Communications 9, article number: 2057; doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03749-0 Egypts agricultural exports rose by 13 percent between September 2017 and April 2018 to reach 3.165 million tonnes, up from 2.802 million tonnes during the same period last year. In a monthly report released on Monday, Egypts Agricultural Exports Council said that agricultural exports reached $1.594 billion, up from $1.534 billion last year, with an increase of 4 percent. The overall exports from Egypt to Arab countries reached 1.278 million tonnes at around $680.964 million. Exports to the EU and the UK reached 645,530 tonnes at $421.54 million, while exports to European countries outside of the EU zone totalled 547,840 tonnes at $238.48 million. Exports to Asian countries reached 296,920 tonnes at $159.16 million. Exports to the Americas and Australia totalled 16,841 tonnes at $21.74 million, while exports to African countries reached 16,110 tonnes at $12.19 million. Egypt has been enforcing new regulations and inspection measures to ensure the quality of its agricultural exports. Earlier this month, Russia agreed to lift a ban on Egyptian potato exports from eight agricultural areas in the country, giving a green light for the resumption of trade starting 6 June. Russia had implemented the ban following what it said was brown rot contamination. Egypt has introduced a new system under which crops are inspected several times while in the fields, after harvest, and after they are prepared for export. The Egyptian efforts have led to several Gulf countries, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, to lift bans on imports of fresh guava during the past few months. Talks on the resumption of other Egyptian agricultural products, including strawberries, are still on the table with other countries including Saudi Arabia. Search Keywords: Short link: Construction of the other five ships is under way with deliveries expected in 2018 (Le Champlain), 2019 (Le Bougainville and Le Dumont d Urville) and 2021 (Le Bellot and Le Surville). Le Laperouse left the Vard shipyard in Alesund, Norway, on June 16, headed for Reykjavik in Iceland for the start of her maiden cruise on Tuesday. Reykjavik naming in July The official naming will take place on July 10 in Reykjavik. Le Laperouse is a wonderful achievement for the company and the result of intensive teamwork with Vard and Fincantieri, said Jean Emmanuel Sauvee, ceo and co-founder of Ponant. Flying the French flag Le Laperouse has 92 staterooms and suites, all with a balcony or private terrace, and features the Blue Eye, an innovative, multi-sensorial underwater lounge allowing passengers to discover and experience the underwater world via two portholes as well as Body Listening sofas. A long-running dispute between DP World and the Djibouti government over the running of Doraleh Container Terminal (DCT) came to a head in February this when government seized control of the terminal. DP World claims the Djibouti government unlawfully seized control of the terminal, kicked out its employees and purported to terminate the agreement. DP World and DCT say they have commenced a new LCIA arbitration against the Government of Djibouti due to this unlawful seizure and purported termination. Read more: DP World reiterates claims to Djibouti ports Shortly after this in early March, Singapore-based PIL signed an agreement with DCT that would boost its volumes by 33%. Following reports that it might settle the dispute out of court a DP World spokesperson said that the concession agreement remains in place, and the action taken by the Djiboutian government is subject to legal process in the International court of Arbitration in London. We await the outcome of this process. We remain committed to operating Doraleh port as per original agreement of the concession, and we will not consider any other alternative settlement option, the spokesman said. Gatchalian to probe Build, Build, Build financing To ensure "judicious, prudent, and sound economic planning" by the government, Senator Win Gatchalian wants to review the status, sustainability, and risks of projects under the Duterte administration's "Build, Build, Build" (BBB) infrastructure program. In filing Senate Resolution No. 759, which calls for a Senate inquiry into the financial requirements of BBB, the senator said: "There is a need to closely monitor the debt obligations and modes of financing incurred and adopted by the Duterte administration for its "Build, Build, Build" Program to ensure transparency, accountability, and prudent use of loans and other financing methods utilized by the government." The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, explained that 40 out of 75 approved infrastructure projects as of July 2017 will be funded through Official Development Assistance (ODA), which comprises the bulk of expenditures amounting to PHP 1.006 trillion pesos. He said that the total outstanding debt of the national government as of December 2017 reached PHP 6.65 trillion, while around PHP 329.05 billion was allocated for debt servicing in the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA). This month, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported that the country's external debt-to-GDP ratio was 23.3% in 2017 -- a five-year low and a 5.6% decrease from the 28.9% ratio recorded in 2013. "It is incumbent upon us senators, in the exercise of our power of the purse, to ensure that public funds diverted from health, education, and social services financing for debt services payment are properly appropriated," Gatchalian stressed. A flagship infrastructure program of the administration, the BBB is expected to spur infrastructure spending from 2017 to 2022 to about PHP 8 to 9 trillion, resulting in annual infra spending of PHP 1.4 trillion. Press Release June 18, 2018 Nearly half of unemployed Pinoys are youth GIVE JOBS TO TAMBAYS Senator Sonny Angara has urged the government to intensify its jobs program that will help the youth land a job, as he laments the high youth unemployment rate in the country. "The country's unemployment challenge is primarily a youth phenomenon. The JobStart Law is the government's answer to youth unemployment. Ang target ng programang ito ay ang mahigit isang milyong kabataang tambay na walang trabaho at hindi nag-aaral," Angara said. Angara is the sponsor of the JobStart Philippines Act or Republic Act 10869 that institutionalizes the nationwide implementation of the JobStart Program that gives the youth free technical and life skills training, placement in internships, as well as job matching assistance and job referrals. The April 2018 Labor Force Survey showed that Filipinos aged 15 to 24 comprised 46% or 1.1 million of the total 2.36 million unemployed. Of the total unemployed, 41% have reached or finished high school, while 36% have reached or finished college. "According to studies, it can take up to two years before new college graduates can get a job, while high school graduates can take up to four years. The job search is even longer for youth who dropped out of school. JobStart Program aims to reduce the job search period from 2-4 years to just less than a year," Angara said. "Many of our youth are unemployed due to lack of the right skill sets for the jobs available in our country. JobStart can help our youth become more employable," he added. To qualify for the program, one must be 18 to 24 years old; have at least reached high school level; not be employed, studying, or undergoing training; have no work experience or have less than one year of accumulated work experience. The JobStart program is divided into three phases: 1) life skills training for 10 days; 2) technical skills training for three months; and, 3) company-based internship for six months. Trainees shall receive daily allowance during the life skills and technical skills training. During the internship stage, the employer must provide daily stipend of not less than 75% of the prevailing minimum wage where the establishment is located. JobStart graduates shall be given preference in the hiring of workers by the participating employers. "Sabi ni Gat Jose Rizal, 'Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.' Huwag naman sana nating hayaan na maging tambay ng bayan ang ating kabataan. "Kailangan nila ng kaukulang tulong upang makahanap ng maayos at disenteng trabaho para magkaroon sila ng direksyon sa buhay, at para matulungan ang kanilang pamilya na makaahon sa kahirapan," Angara said. 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Korea conducts war games to defend against Japan Seoul, June 18 (AFP) Jun 18, 2018 South Korea on Monday will begin two days of war games to practice defending the disputed Dokdo islands off its east coast -- against an unlikely attack by Japan. Seoul has controlled the islets in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) since the end of Japanese colonial rule on the Korean peninsula. Tokyo also claims the islands, known as Takeshima in Japan, accusing Seoul of occupying them illegally. The drills come just days after US President Donald Trump announced the suspension of long-running joint exercises with South Korea -- aimed at defending against North Korean aggression -- calling them "expensive" and "provocative". While an attack from Japan is deemed unlikely, South Korea first staged the drills in 1986 and has conducted them twice a year since 2003. "The Dokdo defence drill is a routine training conducted to prevent an invasion from external forces," Choi Hyun-soo, a spokeswoman at Seoul's defence ministry, said. The two-day training -- tiny compared with the suspended US-South Korea war games -- will involve six warships and seven aircraft while a unit of marines will land on the largely bare rocky islets, inhabited by around 40 people -- mostly police officers. South Korea and Japan are both market economies, democracies and US allies, and both are threatened by nuclear-armed North Korea, but their relationship is heavily strained by historical and territorial issues. The two neighbours are also mired in a long-running feud over Japan's wartime sexual slavery of Korean women despite an agreement to settle the issue in 2015. Seoul says N. Korea sanctions may be eased before full denuclearisation Seoul, June 18 (AFP) Jun 18, 2018 South Korea said Monday that sanctions against North Korea could be eased once it takes "substantive steps towards denuclearisation", seemingly setting the bar lower than Washington for such a move. Last week's Singapore summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un produced only a vague statement in which Kim "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula". Amid fears the summit would weaken the international coalition against the North's nuclear programme, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed after the meeting that sanctions would remain in place until North Korea's complete denuclearisation. But his South Korean counterpart suggested Monday they could be eased sooner. "Our stance is that the sanctions must remain in place until North Korea takes meaningful, substantive steps towards denuclearisation," Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters. Seoul and Washington shared the same "big picture" view and would continue close consultations, she added. The comments come just days after China's foreign ministry suggested that the UN Security Council could consider easing the economic punishment of its Cold War-era ally. Any reduction in tensions on its doorstep is welcome for China, North Korea's closest ally, which accounts for around 90 percent of Pyongyang's trade. The same goes for the South's dovish President Moon Jae-in, who supports engagement with North Korea and held his own summit with Kim in April. Until recently Trump had pursued a "maximum pressure" campaign -- with both China and South Korea on board -- of tough rhetoric and tightened sanctions against Pyongyang. But analysts say the Singapore summit has made it hard for the Trump administration to return to that policy even if its current diplomacy with North Korea proves to be a failure. "The symbolism of the meeting ensures that the maximum pressure campaign has peaked," said Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea Studies at the US Council on Foreign Relations, in a commentary. "In practice, China and South Korea will push for relaxation of economic pressure on North Korea," he added. Dozens of pro-regime fighters killed in east Syria strike Beirut, June 18 (AFP) Jun 18, 2018 An air strike has killed more than 50 pro-regime fighters in eastern Syria, most of them foreign, with the US-led coalition denying accusations from Damascus it was behind the attack. The strike just before midnight hit Al-Hari, a town controlled by regional militias fighting in the complex seven-year war on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the conflict, said 52 pro-regime forces were killed in one of the deadliest air attacks in recent months. "Among them are at least 30 Iraqi fighters and 16 Syrians, including soldiers and members of loyalist militias," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. The nationalities of the remaining six fighters were not immediately known, he said. There are Iraqi, Iranian, Lebanese and even Afghan fighters stationed in the area. According to Abdel Rahman, some wounded fighters were treated in the nearby town of Albu Kamal while others travelled across the border to Iraq. A military source in Deir Ezzor told AFP the warplanes hit "joint Iraqi-Syrian positions in Al-Hari". The attack was first reported by Syrian state media overnight, which cited a military source and accused the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group of carrying it out. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number or their nationalities. - 'No strikes' - The coalition's press office said it had heard reports that a strike in the area had killed and wounded members of a pro-regime Iraqi militia, but denied it was responsible. "There have been no strikes by US or coalition forces in that area," it told AFP by email. IS overran large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring an Islamic "caliphate" in areas under its control. Separate offensives have since whittled down the jihadists' territory in Syria to just a handful of pockets in the eastern desert, including in the Deir Ezzor province where Al-Hari lies. A US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against those IS-held pockets. The two forces have mostly avoided crashing into each other thanks to a de-confliction line that runs across the province along the winding Euphrates River. Syrian troops are battling IS on the western river bank, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fight on the east. Iraqi warplanes also have occasionally bombed IS positions in Syria's east. Al-Hari lies on the western side, close to the river and the de-confliction line. The buffer has largely been successful in keeping the two offensives apart, but there have been exceptions. Last month a dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian government positions that the Observatory and state media blamed on the coalition. The Pentagon denied responsibility. - 'Notorious transit town' - In February, US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in Deir Ezzor province, including Russians. "The strike on Al-Hari produced the highest death toll for regime forces since the February incident," Observatory head Abdel Rahman told AFP. More than 350,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against Assad's rule. Those demonstrations spiralled into a full-blown war that has drawn in world powers and seen the rise of jihadist forces like IS. The strike on Al-Hari came a day after the US-backed SDF announced it had ousted IS from Dashisha, a village to the north in Syria's Hasakeh province. The village had been one of the last IS-controlled areas on a corridor linking Syria with Iraq. "For the first time in four years, Dashisha, a notorious transit town for weapons, fighters, and suicide bombers between Iraq and Syria, is no longer controlled by ISIS terrorists," Brett McGurk, the US president's special envoy for the war against IS, said on Monday. Palestinian killed by Israeli fire: Gaza ministry Gaza City, Palestinian Territories, June 18 (AFP) Jun 18, 2018 A Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire on Monday near the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory said. An Israeli army statement said "several terrorists were injured" in an explosion as they attempted to carry out sabotage near the border fence, but made no mention of troops opening fire. Gaza's health ministry said "Sabri Ahmed Abu Khader, 24, was killed by bullets of the (Israeli) occupation forces", without giving further details. At least 131 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since major border protests broke out at the end of March. No Israelis have been killed. Palestinians are demanding the right to return to the homes their families fled or were expelled from during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel. The Gaza Strip is controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas which Israel considers its bitter enemy. The two sides have fought three wars since 2008 and observe a tense ceasefire. The Israeli army said Monday that five "terrorists" had "attempted to sabotage a security infrastructure in the area of the barrier in the northern Gaza Strip". "The security infrastructure exploded," it said in an English-language statement. "Subsequently, several terrorists were injured." Earlier, Israeli warplanes conducted strikes against nine Hamas "military targets" in northern Gaza in response to incendiary kites and balloons being sent into Israeli territory, the army said. The attacks targeted two Hamas military sites and a munitions manufacturing site, the military said in a statement, without specifying whether the raids had resulted in casualties. Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned after Monday's strikes that Gazans would pay a price for the fire attacks. "If anyone thinks they can continue the routine of kites and fires every day - he's mistaken.," his office quoted him as saying. Palestinian security sources said nobody was wounded in the morning air strikes. "Fire balloons" and kites carrying flammable material have become symbols of the Palestinian border protests in recent months. Lieberman says that 400 kites have been intercepted out of some 600 launched since the end of March. So far more than 300 fires have devastated several thousand hectares (acres) of fields and shrubland, according to the Israeli fire service. Iraq force accuses US of killing 22 of its fighters in Syria Baghdad, June 18 (AFP) Jun 18, 2018 An Iraqi paramilitary force Monday accused the United States of killing 22 of its fighters in an overnight air raid just inside Syria's border with Iraq that a monitor said left dozens dead. "US planes fired two guided missiles at a fixed position of Hashed al-Shaabi units on the border with Syria, killing 22 fighters and wounding 12," said the Iran-backed Hashed (Popular Mobilisation Units). It said the raid took place "700 metres (yards) inside Syria". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said earlier that more than 50 fighters allied to the Damascus regime, most of them foreign, were killed in Sunday night's raid on Al-Hari in eastern Syria. Syrian state media, citing a military source, accused the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State jihadist group of having carried out the raid. Several people were killed and wounded, state media said, without giving precise figures. The coalition's press office said it had heard reports that a strike in the area of Al-Hari had killed and wounded members of a pro-regime Iraqi group, but denied it was responsible. Lavrov and Pompeo discuss North Korea Moscow, June 18 (AFP) Jun 18, 2018 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart Mike Pompeo have discussed North Korea by phone less than a week after a historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Moscow said Monday. Lavrov and US Secretary of State Pompeo discussed the "task of consolidating efforts towards a solution to problems of the Korean peninsula," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on its website. The exchange comes six days after Trump and Kim made history held a summit in Singapore in an unprecedented encounter that saw the two leaders shake hands. The Kremlin welcomed the meeting, with President Vladimir Putin saying it was "without doubt just the first step towards a full-blown settlement." "Thanks to this meeting a possible negative scenario has been cast aside," Putin said. On Thursday the Russian leader reiterated a invitation for Kim Jong Un to visit Russia as he was hosting North Korea's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam. Putin said he would be happy to welcome Kim to Russia, suggesting they meet during an economic forum in the far eastern port city of Vladivostok this September. Lavrov and Pompeo also discussed "the calendar of political contacts between Russia and the US in the near future," according to the foreign ministry statement. On June 10, Putin said he was ready to meet his US counterpart as soon as Washington was ready, adding Vienna could be a possible venue for such a summit. The last, brief meeting between Putin and Trump took place in November 2017 in Vietnam during an APEC leaders summit. Three truck drivers killed by IS in Iraq Kirkuk, Iraq, June 18 (AFP) Jun 18, 2018 Three truck drivers were killed by the Islamic State group in a nighttime attack on a key Iraqi highway linking Baghdad to oil-rich Kirkuk, an official told AFP on Monday. The victims were "killed in an ambush by the jihadists" overnight Sunday to Monday, the security source said on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, the same night six shepherds in the neighbouring province of Saladin were kidnapped by IS, a different security source said. The level of violence has considerably decreased since Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State group in December, following three years of battling the jihadists. IS seized nearly a third of the country's territory after a lighting offensive launched in 2014. The jihadists continue to perpetrate isolated attacks and experts warn of the presence of areas which are difficult for Iraqi forces to control. They include the mountainous zone within Kirkuk region, north of Baghdad, and the desert which borders war-torn Syria. Europe's Sputtering Motor France and Germany Far Apart on EU Reform The cabinets of Germany and France are set to meet on Tuesday, but the two countries remain far apart when it comes to eurozone reform. Paris is disappointed with Germany's response to Emmanuel Macron's proposals. By DER SPIEGEL Staff Vienna, June 17, 2018 (SPS) - Representative of the Polisario Front in Austria, Mohamed El Mamun, has participated as a guest in the Congress of the Austrian Trade Union Federation together with ambassadors accredited in Vienna and more than 52 delegations representing unions from Europe, America and Africa, according to press release of the Polisario Front representation in Austria. The Congress took place from June 12 to 14 in Vienna with more than 1,000 delegates. The President of the Republic, the President of the Parliament and the Mayor of Vienna also attended the congress among other personalities. The Saharawi representative had the opportunity to greet these 3 personalities and have contacts with numerous European delegations and representatives of Cuba and Brazil. According to the same source, after the contacts with these delegations, all of them have expressed their solidarity and support to the Saharawi people, as well as their support to the direct negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front. 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It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. 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. A group of Pakistani hackers, who specialize in surveillance software for parents to track their children (or a spouse) was apparently hired by the Pakistani intelligence agency (ISI, or Inter Service Intelligence agency) to create spyware (Stealth Mango for Android and Tangelo for IOS) versions and then help distribute it to some key government officials and civilians in Afghanistan, India, Iraq, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan using Facebook Messenger. This approach uses a lot of social engineering as the hackers must contact the target individuals and persuade them to download an app that pretends to be something other than spyware. Most targeted individuals are either not interested or dont trust the offer. The most secure (resistant to this spyware) cell phone was the iPhone and the spyware would only work on the small number of iPhones that that had been modified (jailbroken) to run apps that did not come from the Apple App Store. As usual, the Android phones were much more vulnerable. In any event, it appears that only about a dozen people were persuaded to install the app. That, it turned out, was enough key people to collect a lot of important data. The Stealth Mango/Tangelo effort was another intelligence-gathering operation that, in this case, collected a lot of sensitive data about American and Australian military and diplomatic activities. Collecting and transmitting the data (without the phone owner being aware) was how Stealth Mango/Tangelo was discovered (by an Australian Internet security company) in early 2018. Stealth Mango/Tangelo needed a lot of permissions on the infected phone in order to work and mostly went after data (documents and photos) as well as messages, location and contact lists. At least 40 GB of material was stolen from the infected phones by the hackers before Google and Apple were informed and victims were notified and the spyware was disabled. But it will be back. Actually, this sort of spyware has been around for quite a while and the latest ISI use of it was just another example. Moreover, this sort of thing is not unusual for the ISI as Pakistan and India have been using the Internet to spy on each other for decades. Even before the Internet became widely available in the late 1990s there was an ongoing "war" between Indian and Pakistani hackers. Most of this has been little more than vandalism (defacing web pages and the like), but there have been some more serious hacks. It was these nationalistic hackers Another fun fact is that Pakistan has always had the largest software developer and hacker community of any Moslem country. Early on Pakistan developed a large, and growing, software development industry of its own. In fact, the first known computer virus, the "Brain Virus" was written by Pakistani programmers in the late 1980s. "Brain" was created to help protect software a Pakistani firm had created and was selling, from pirating (illegal copies). But, instead, the Brain virus got out of control, and the rest is history. Pakistan has a lot of homegrown talent for their computer crime operations, and the ISI, to recruit from. But most Pakistani programmers want to make an honest living with their skills. Despite that the hacking got so bad in Pakistan that in 2008 the government enacted the "Prevention of Electronic Crimes" law. In addition to explicitly describing various Internet-based crimes, and declaring them criminal acts, it also defined cyberterrorism and the penalties for Internet terrorists. If someone causes the death of another because of cyberterrorism, the maximum punishment is execution. But the law only applies to those hacking Pakistanis. While ISI saw this hacking as a problem, it was also an opportunity when used to go after real or imagined enemies. Here Pakistan would follow the example of their Chinese patrons. When Pakistan passed its Electronic Crimes law there were no smartphones but there was a growing use of the Internet by governments and that led to thing like the 2003 "Titan Rain" incident. This was a massive and well organized attack on American military networks. The people carrying out the attack really knew what they were doing, and thousands of military and industrial documents were sent back to China. The attackers were not able to cover their trail completely, and some of the attackers were traced back to a Chinese government facility in southern China. The Chinese government denied all, and the vast amounts of technical data American researchers had as proof was not considered compelling enough for the event to be turned into a major media or diplomatic episode. In the wake of Titan Rain, governments around the world began to improve their Internet security. But not enough. The attacks kept coming. Out of China. And the attackers were getting better. In 2005, a well-organized attack was made on the networks of the British parliament. This time, the defense won the battle. Mostly. The carefully prepared hacker emails (with a virus attached), would have fooled many recipients because they were personalized, and this helped prevent network defenses from detecting the true nature of these messages. These targeted emails from hackers were very successful. If the recipient tried to open the attached file, their computer who have hacking software secretly installed. This software would basically give the hacker control of that PC, making it possible to monitor what the user does on the computer, and have access to whatever is on that machine. While many recipients sense that the "spearfishing" (or "phishing") attack is just that, some don't, and it only takes a few compromised PCs to give someone access to a lot of secret information. This would be the case even if it is home PCs that are being infected. Complaints from American legislators are all about that, as they have discovered office and personal PCs of themselves and their staffers infected. But many other attacks are only discovered when they are over, or nearly so. The attackers are usually very well prepared, and first, make probes and trial run attacks on target systems. When the attackers come in force, they don't want to be interrupted. And usually, they aren't. The Chinese attackers use techniques similar to those employed by criminal gangs trying to get into banks, brokerages and big businesses in general. Thus it is believed that the Chinese hackers try, as much as possible, to appear like just another gang of cybercriminals. But the Chinese have certain traits that appear more military than gangster. As more Internet users moved to smartphones so did the hackers. Smartphone users were even more valuable, and vulnerable than users of desktop and laptop computers. In that respect, Stealth Mango/Tangelo is not unique, just the latest. The peacekeepers are trying to take advantage of the annual Ramadan Offensive and hit al Shabaab when they are most active and exposed. Al Shabaab, like most Islamic terror groups, increase their attacks during the month of Ramadan (May 15-June 14) because Islamic terrorists interpret (or misinterpret according to most Islamic scholars) scripture and believe that Islamic terrorists who get killed during Ramadan get extra goodies in the afterlife. So while most Moslems spend more time praying during Ramadan Islamic terrorists spend time trying to kill their fellow Moslems (or any non-Moslems who are available). While this makes Islamic terrorists even more unpopular among Moslems, in general, the Islamic terrorists dont care because they are on a Mission From God and dont answer to mere mortals. Somalis, in general, have a problem with being answerable to anyone not in their extended family or clan. This is why massive corruption persists and a growing number of foreign aid donors are cutting their aid or halting it entirely. This includes the United States, a major provider of food, as well as the main support for the Somali Army. The military aid is plundered more frequently and extensively than the food and medical aid but the extent of corruption in general throughout the Somali government never seems to decline. The corruption in the military is obvious because so many Somali Army units, when facing combat, seem to fail miserably. What is really happening is that an infantry company with about 150 troops on the payroll (that foreign aid pays for) might have only a few dozen actual troops because the rest are absent because they never existed in the first place (but the pay goes to a corrupt officer of politician) or deserted because they were not being paid. Foreign relations are also crippled by corruption. For example, European nations find that they can get Somalia to accept the return of Somalis who illegally entered Europe only if bribes are paid to Somali government officials. This sort of thing is illegal, or simply political trouble, in many European nations but in most cases, the details of the diplomatic agreement is declared classified and everyone pretends the corruption doesnt exist. While most Somalis believe there is a Somali culture all Somalis share far fewer Somalis believe in the civil society required to create a functioning nation and government. Some civil societies are more effective (less corrupt) than others but Somalia appears incapable of creating and sustaining a government foreign aid donors can justify supporting. The problem is that when it comes to foreign aid the demand is much larger than the supply and donor nations prefer to send their money to nations that will use more of it as intended. Even the UN is planning to shut down the peacekeeping operation soon because there seems little hope that the Somali Army will ever be effective enough to replace the peacekeepers. There is the option of cutting all aid although NGO foreign aid groups will demand that donors still come through with cash and someone provide some armed protection so the food and medical aid can be delivered to the warlords who will steam it and sell it to Somalis who can afford it. That doesnt work (Blackhawk Down anyone?) but allowing Somalia to revert to its normal (for thousands of years) warlord driven anarchy is very unpopular with the neighbors (especially Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, which do have civil societies). The neighbors have suffered from Somali raids and general banditry for a long time. Although the mayhem was diminished during about a century of colonial rule that ended when the colonial government eagerly left. The beleaguered neighbors will, as they have in past, respond to resumed Somali aggression with massive punitive operations that will leave lots of Somalis, mostly women and children, dead or destitute. The Ethiopians have long handled Somali raiders that way. It works for a generation or two then another dose of the massacre treatment must be applied. Kenya is a different story as before the colonial period the Kenyan tribes were not as organized and well-armed as they are now as the Kenyan Army supported by a Kenyan state. The foreign donor groups and foreign diplomats who understand how this works want to prop up the Somali government no matter what the cost because the alternative is so horrific. Meanwhile, the most unconcerned and least cooperative group involved are Somali leaders and many of their followers. Somali isnt a hopeless mess, just a lot more difficult than most. June 11, 2018: In central Somalia (the Bakool region) al Shabaab attacked an army base and after several hours of shooting, retreated. Four soldiers were killed and as well as an unknown number of al Shabaab. There were numerous blood trails left by the retreating Islamic terrorists indicating numerous casualties. The Islamic terrorists take their dead with them whenever possible because if a body is left behind it can be identified and then the intelligence specialists confirm where another al Shabaab recruit came from and often find that others from the same extended family have also been recruited. The family will often be threatened with government reprisals if they do not help find their Islamic terrorist kin. June 10, 2018: Outside Mogadishu, a large group of al Shabaab attacked an army base and were repulsed. Two soldiers were killed and several wounded while al Shabaab retreated with their dead and wounded. June 9, 2018: In the south (outside the port of Kismayu) an al Shabaab suicide car bomber attacked an army base and wounded seven soldiers. In the south (Jubaland, on the Kenya border) al Shabaab tried to use a suicide car bomber form an attack on the new combat outpost manned by Kenyan and American troops. The camp guards saw the vehicle coming and shot the driver, who detonated his explosives before he was close enough to do any damage to the base. It was close enough so the blast wounded one soldier. June 8, 2018: In the south (Jubaland, on the Kenya border) al Shabaab fired four mortar shells at an outpost being set by Kenyan soldiers and some American Special Forces troops near the Jubba River. The al Shabaab force was on the other side of the river and had been firing on Kenyan peacekeepers operating in the area. The mortar fire killed one American Special Forces operator and wounded four others. Al Shabaab also fired a heavy machine-gun across the river and wounded one Kenyan soldier. The al Shabaab force then left to avoid return fire and a possible airstrike. Despite this attack, and several others, Kenyan and American troops finished setting up the combat outpost, which will be used to hunt for al Shabaab forces in the area and drive them out. The death of the Special Forces NCO is the second American death in Somalia in the last two years. A Navy SEAL commando died during a May 2017 raid. June 6, 2018: In the southwest (Gedo, 320 kilometers from Mogadishu) a Kenyan police vehicle just across the border in Kenya hit a landmine planted by al Shabaab. The explosion killed five policemen and wounded another three. This part of Kenya is where the largest refugee camp for Somalis is located. June 5, 2018: Outside Mogadishu al Shabaab ambushed a convoy guarded by soldiers, killing five people (including two provincial officials). Al Shabaab used a roadside bomb and gunfire. June 2, 2018: In the far north (Puntland) an American airstrike outside the coastal town of Bosasso killed about 27 al Shabaab fighters. This is the farthest north U.S. UAV missile attacks have ever been carried out and show how Puntland is seen as a potential sanctuary for al Shabaab. That is why so many al Shabaab personnel were killed in one attack. The Puntland government had long sought this sort of air support against the Islamic terror groups it has to deal with. Two other recent airstrikes (outside Mogadishu) on May 23 and May 31) killed 22 al Shabaab men. So far in 2018, the U.S. has carried out 16 of the UAV attacks in Somalia compared to 31 for all of 2017 and 15 for 2016. June 1, 2018: Al Shabaab attacked the town of Muqokori (300 kilometers north of Mogadishu) and after hours of fighting had control over most of it. The army garrison, realizing they were outnumbered and that reinforcements would not arrive in time and left the town. On paper the army should have had enough troops in the town and nearby to handle the al Shabaab threat. But the reality is often much less than paper strength. May 31, 2018: Al Shabaab released a video showing the training of death squads and then video clips of some of the murders this group carried out, mainly in Mogadishu. These killings are mainly to terrorize the security forces. Targets include politicians and police and military officers involved in counter-terror operations as well as off-duty police. These death squads account for about a sixth of all al Shabaab attacks. The video also served as an effective recruiting promotion. May 30, 2018: In the southeast (Lower Shabelle region) local civilians report that al Shabaab recently executed two more of their ethnic Somali recruits for being spies. This execution was done in public in a rural village. The executioners used knives. Kenyan Somalis are often accused of spying for their government and sometimes that is true but most of the time it is just al Shabaab paranoia. The sad plight of the dugong: Wildlife & Nature Protection Societys lecture View(s): There is a mammal of Sri Lanka that can weigh up to 900Kg and grow to 3 meters in length, yet one that is rarely seen and whose local population teeters on the edge of extinction. In fact, records indicate that herds in their hundreds once swam off the North Western shores of the island. Today, we only know of them from an occasional report of a fisherman, or when their tortured bodies are dragged in with a days catch. Hunted unmercifully, over the centuries, and referred to as a mudha ura in Sinhala / kadal pandi in Tamil, the dugong has been persecuted, neglected and ignored and is about to disappear forever! The Wildlife & Nature Protection Societys monthly lecture will have Dr. Steve Creech talk of the endangered dugong on June 21 at the Lotus Hall BMICH at 6 pm. The lecture is open to all members and non-members free of charge. Dr. Steve Creech is a marine biologist, fishery scientist, activist and Director of pelagikos, an organization set up to provide administrative, management and technical services to the Seafood Exporters Association of Sri Lanka. Japanese news outlets say officials are seeking to arrange a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. According to government sources, expectations were raised after Kim told U.S. President Donald Trump during their meeting Tuesday in Singapore he is willing to hold talks with Abe. The reports say Japanese officials plan to discuss the summit with their North Korean counterparts at a security conference this week in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. The summit could either take place in Pyongyang in August, or on the sidelines of a regional economic forum in Vladivostok, Russia, in September. It would be the first Japan-North Korea summit since 2004. Two members of the Estepona Local Police force are being held in connection with the alleged sexual assault, and rape by one of them, of an 18-year-old woman from Madrid, spending the weekend in the town with two friends. The incident occurred, according to the report filed by the victim and interviews given to SUR by her parents and friend, in the early hours of Sunday morning. Andrea (not her real name) had travelled by car to Estepona, where her parents have a holiday apartment, with her friend and her friend's boyfriend. The two girls had just finished their university entrance exams and wanted to celebrate the end of weeks of studying. Her friend's boyfriend (referred to from now on by the fictitious name Hugo) told SUR that they had spent most of Saturday night in the club Mosaic and left at around 5.20am. He was driving, but had had one drink, he explained, and when they saw a police patrol ahead of them he stopped the car. But they noticed. They drove towards us with no lights and on the wrong side of the road. They got out and instead of asking for our ID, they asked if I had been drinking and whether I had drugs in the car, explained Hugo. The officers, aged 37 and 38, told all three to get out of the car, and immediately started paying attention to Andrea, Hugo explained. They suggested they went home in a taxi and parked the car near a service station. Hugo had given the officers his telephone number and in the taxi received a message from the officers, giving them the location of the parked car and asking for their address, as there was some police business to complete. The friends waited downstairs to prevent the officers from going up to the apartment. They arrived five minutes later in uniform. They wanted to stay alone with [Andrea] downstairs and I said I wouldn't allow it. Then they took the keys from me and forced us all up to the apartment, said Hugo. He added that they were neither violent nor friendly; But they're police, the people you should trust the most. The last thing you think is that something like that is going to happen. In the apartment there happened to be cocaine said Hugo, adding that the officers started undressing and consuming the drug. At that point Hugo's girlfriend managed to leave the flat, suffering a panic attack. He then described how he was retained by one of the officers while they humiliated and abused Andrea. She said 'no' all the time, trying to pull her zip up, he said. After this first alleged sexual assault, Hugo said that he was forced out of the apartment to accompany one of the officers, apparently to his house, to get some hashish. It was while they were gone that the other officer allegedly raped Andrea. When they returned they found Hugo's girlfriend being treated in an ambulance near the house. The officer called his colleague to warn him of the presence of the ambulance and that they ought to leave. When the National Police arrived on the scene, Hugo and his girlfriend told them what had happened. Andrea was taken to the Costa del Sol hospital in shock. It was 12 hours before she was able to tell the police her story. After their arrest, one by his own colleagues and the other by the National Police, the officers denied the accusations and refused to answer questions; they appeared before a judge on Thursday. The town hall, responsible for the Local Police force, ordered the officers to be suspended without salary as a precaution. Local women's associations staged a protest on Tuesday and read statements condemning the alleged attack and rejecting the patriarchal system. The foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia signed an accord Sunday to rename the former Yugoslav republic the "Republic of North Macedonia." The landmark accord follows decades of inconclusive talks that 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. Tsipras survived a no-confidence vote mounted by Greece's opposition in parliament Saturday, but the depth of public emotion against the deal is strong. 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 ... U.S. President Donald Trump will talk with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the phone for the first time this week, and senior U.S. and North Korean officials will start to discuss details of denuclearization. "I'm going to be actually calling North Korea," Trump told Fox News last Friday. He told reporters later, "I can now call him." At their summit in Singapore last week, Trump and Kim let White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kim's younger sister, Yo-jong, into the summit room to exchange phone numbers. The White House has finished preparations and the phone call can take place as soon as a signal comes from Pyongyang, a diplomatic source in Washington said. "It's huge progress that the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea now can check and confirm what they agreed in Singapore on the phone," a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said. Meanwhile U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will sit down with Ri Su-yong from the Workers Party's international affairs department or Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho for talks as early as this week. Their goal is to discuss the early stages of denuclearization and set an overall timetable that was not included in the Trump-Kim agreement. The two sides are expected to discuss both a short-term plan for the dismantlement and shipping out of nuclear weapons and missiles and a mid-term roadmap for a complete denuclearization before Trump's term in office ends. Kyodo News reported that the U.S. has set its mind on achieving North Korea's complete denuclearization over two-and-a-half years. North Korean delegates at cross-border military talks in the truce village of Panmunjom last Thursday offered to move their long-range artillery pieces from the military demarcation line to rear areas, a source said Sunday. The Defense Ministry denied it, but the source said, "The North Korean delegates brought it up first as a matter of principle." This would go a long way toward reducing military tensions. It is not known why the North made the offer or what it expects in return. The North has deployed about 1,000 artillery guns near the MDL. Some 330 are trained on the Seoul region, including six battalions of 170-mm self-propelled artillery guns with a range of 54 km and some 10 battalions of 240-mm multiple rocket launchers with a range of 60 km. The launchers are hidden in tunnels in ordinary times but can be moved out quickly to fire shells. A diplomatic source said, "This may be an attempt to maintain the momentum of the U.S.-North Korea summit." But the North is unlikely to have attached no conditions. It probably demanded that South Korea and the U.S. also move their frontline artillery guns to rear areas. More celebrities are opening up about their struggles with mental health and the steps they've taken to keep themselves in the best shape. Cougar Town actress Busy Philipps is crediting her commitment to working out that keeps herself from feeling anxious. Philipps' Anxiety Philipps opened up to Health Magazine about her struggles with anxiety and how her intense daily workouts help keep her mental health in check. Philipps was struggling with anxiety at a young age and mental illness is prevalent in her family. Philipps state that she dealt with racing, uncontrollable thoughts, crying hysterically, and feeling totally hopeless. The actress stated that by working out in the morning, it's helped her keep her anxiety at bay. Philipps also attributes three things that she claims helped her deal with those anxious feelings, which were acupuncture, saunas, and CBD and THC gummies. Philipps works out seven days a week but doesn't do it for the physical benefits. She stated that looking at the scale has only added to her anxiety and affected her mood. The 38-year-old will workout even if she doesn't feel her best and encourages others to do the same. "I also think there's a point where I know to push through, 'cause I'll feel better after I do it. The best thing you can do if you're hungover is work out, and then you feel 100 percent better - even if you're still drunk when you get on the SoulCycle bike," Philipps stated. The actress is also known for her roles in Dawson's Creek, I Feel Pretty, and He's Just Not That Into You. Mental Health In America In America, the suicide rate has drastically grown, particularly among young adults, as well as the number of people who are dealing with depression or other mental illness. More celebrities and public figures are encouraging young adults to get their mental health checked. Former First Lady, Michelle Obama, spoke to a crowd of soon-to-be college students to find a community for themselves when they enter college and to also keep themselves physically healthy. Obama, who created the Reach Higher program, was speaking at the Beating The Odds summit. The former First Lady continued that young adults should develop a routine for themselves and continue to eat healthy while in school. Currently, the rate for suicide has jumped to 30 percent between the years of 2000 and 2016. Suicide is now the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 34 in America. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The opioid overdose is also affecting working dogs as several K-9s have already overdosed during routine searches for opioids. Why is it harder for working dogs to get the treatment they require, and what are some signs of opioid overdose in dogs that their carers might need to watch out for? Dogs Affected By Opioid Epidemic In October 2017, a puppy fell ill from an accidental opioid overdose after toying with a strange pack of cigarettes on the floor. The case showed how pets may also be affected by the ongoing opioid epidemic, but the problem continues to this day as working K-9s have also been experiencing accidental opioid overdoses during routine searches. In fact, three dogs reportedly overdosed on fentanyl during a drug raid in Florida, but the actual number of dogs that have overdosed on opioids is not clear as there is no agency collecting data on the matter. As such, veterinarians and law enforcement officials are trying to look for ways to prevent such overdoses, and to save the dogs if it happens. Care For Working Dogs Opioid overdoses are a rather big issue for working dogs, but it seems as though they are not getting the appropriate care they need. In this regard, many organizations are working to spread information on how to detect when a dog has had an accidental opioid overdose, and what must be done by their carers in such cases. The team of experts at the University of Pennsylvanias Working Dog Center is leading the research on the effects of opioid exposures on working dogs, and is working on the best practices that their handlers may employ in such incidences. Also, Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital provides training to officers so that they know how to administer the overdose-reversal drugs on their canine companions. According to Working Dog HQ, an organization that aims to advocate new animals care laws, some of the signs of an opioid overdose in dogs are staggering, collapsing, weakness, slow respiratory rate, and cardiac arrest. The canine may also walk like they were drunk, vomit, and have pinpoint pupils. While the overdose-reversal drugs for humans also works on dogs, it may cause immediate aggression toward the handler, so its important to place a muzzle before the drug is administered. CPR may also be administered, as well as facemask or intubation if the dog stopped breathing, but the handler must not place his or her face near the dogs snout as it may have remaining drug residue. K-9 Overdose Problems So far, while most law enforcement officials are trained to look for the signs of opioid overdoses in humans, many do not know how to detect the signs in dogs, particularly their canine companions that are trained to actually search for the drugs. Furthermore, even if they are able detect the signs of the overdose, many pharmacies do not allow the purchase of the overdose reversal drug for working dogs, and only four states allow working dogs to be transported to animal hospitals via ambulances, while only two states allow EMTs to provide care for working dogs. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain above sea level, is extremely polluted with trash that it might just as well be the world's highest garbage dump. The years of commercial mountaineering and the ever-growing number of inexperienced mountain hikers have accumulated tons of garbage in Mount Everest. Discarded camping gears, empty gas canisters, and human feces contaminated the once unpolluted place. Global Warming And Changing Attitude Of Climbers Global warming continues to melt glaciers on Mount Everest. Frozen garbage has started to thaw as well, exposing decades-old rubbish left by climbers. The amount of polluted air, water, and soil on the mountain have already been a cause of environmental concern in Nepal, India, and China. "It is disgusting, an eyesore," described Pemba Dorje Sherpa. He has successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest 18 times. Worst, the growing population of people climbing the Everest is becoming more of the "hobbyists" rather the previously genuinely passionate once. This year alone, there were about 600 people who triumphantly reached the peak. The problem with this is that these types of climbers seemed unconcerned about the environment. In 2016, the United Nations estimated that the number of visitors to the Mount Everest has swelled from 20 in 1964 to approximately 26,000 in 2012. While the number of climbers brought additional income to the locals, they also brought along with them an estimated 300,000 pounds of solid waste. At present, there have been concerns about continuous pour of inexperienced mountaineers mostly lured by affordable expedition packages. Sherpas, who used to get paid for bringing down sacks of garbage from the mountain, instead preferred to get paid carrying heavy camping gears for the amateur climbers. Since 2014, officials have implemented a policy where each climber is required to bring down at least 17 pounds of trash from the Everest. Climbers are asked to pay a refundable fee that they can get once they return with the minimum amount of collected garbage. Climbers, however, tend to be reluctant to collect trash and instead chose not to get the refund. Pemba said many climbers at present simply do not care. Worst, some officials allegedly accepted bribes to let these tourists have their way. What Governments Can Do There is no known figure yet of how much garbage is deposited on Mount Everest. China, however, has retrieved an estimated 8.5 tons of garbage from the mountain early this month. Officials cleared about 5.2 tons of household waste, 2.3 tons of human excrement, and 1 ton of mountaineering trash. The country has been conducting cleaning operations in its side of the mountain since April. In the future, China plans to build a sustainable toilet and waste collection sites on Mount Everest. Meanwhile, Garry Porter, an engineer from the United States said a biogas plant near the mountain's base camp would be beneficial. The plant could transform human feces into useful fertilizer. Ang Tsering Sherpa, the ex-president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, recommended for the governments to create a dedicated garbage collectors team in the mountain. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Researchers have devised a new method that allows them to generate quantum entanglement, the inexplicable linking up of two quantum particles, on demand. Creating Quantum Entanglements A team of quantum physicists at QuTech at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands has successfully produced quantum entanglements faster than the entanglement gets lost. The researchers have developed a new method that allows them to create these entanglements so reliably that their most successful feat generated nearly 40 quantum entanglements at a distance of over 2 meters in a single second. In a paper published in the journal Nature, the team led by QuTech's scientific director Ronald Hanson describes how their new feat could potentially pave the way to a slew of advanced applications, including an Internet protected by quantum encryption that is impossible for hackers to breach. What Is Quantum Entanglement? When it comes to science that boggles the mind, quantum entanglement is at the top of the list. Albert Einstein himself famously dismissed it by calling it "spooky action at a distance," yet quantum physicists of this day and age have proven over and over again that quantum entanglement is real. Entanglement happens when very, very small particles become so connected to each other that whatever happens to one of them seemingly affects the other, even when they are separated by huge expanses of time and space. When researchers measure the state of one particle, they would be able to determine the state of its partner, even without having observed it at all. However, what makes quantum entanglement so ridiculously stupefying that Einstein could not accept it is that quantum particles are always in a constant state of undecidedness until they are observed. Following this notion, any given particle could be spinning clockwise or counterclockwise at once, like Schrodinger's infamous cat, until the particle is measured and "decides" to spin clockwise or counterclockwise. With quantum entanglement, when one particle "decides" to spin clockwise, it is immediately known that the other spins counterclockwise. The Entangled State Researchers of the 21st century have not only proven Einstein wrong, they have also arrived at major breakthroughs in the weird and wacky science of quantum entanglement. Most recently, the team at Delft have been able to create quantum entanglements on demand using a new method based on existing experiments. In 2015, Hanson and his team were able to demonstrate that "spooky action" was real by creating quantum entanglement between two photons placed 1.3 kilometers apart. Here is how the method worked. The researchers used diamond crystals with an electron in an undecided state, meaning the electrons were positioned both up and down. They then shone a laser beam on the electrons, causing them to emit a photon, or a light particle, which is then entangled with the electron. When the researchers combined each of the photons, both electrons became entangled with each other. The photons came together in a single wave and quantum entanglement became a success. Unfortunately, external noise caused the entanglement to degrade rapidly in a fraction of a second. By building on this method, Hanson's team were able to create a more robust method that allowed them to generate entanglements on demand. Quantum Entanglement On Demand The researchers used an assembly line equipped with smart checks and balances that allowed them to make sure it was ready for entanglement. The result, says co-author Peter Humphreys, is a system that is a thousand times faster than the old method. "Just like in the current internet, we always want to be online, the system has to entangle on each request," says Hanson. On the assembly line, they were able to try and create entanglement a thousand times until they came up with the photon that spelled success. Next, they protected the entangled state from decaying by shielding it with gentle microwave pulses until delivery time, which was every tenth of a second. Using this method, the team was able to generate 39 quantum entanglements, with decay happening only five times per second. By combining this result with an older experiment where they were able to protect the entangled state while producing a new entanglement, the researchers believe they could build a quantum network of computers with more than two connections. "In 2020, we want to connect four cities in the Netherlands via quantum entanglement," Hanson says. "This will be the very first quantum internet in the world." Photo: Gabriel Andres Trujillo Escobedo | Flickr 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An Iowa man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison over the first known bizarre instance of armed "domain hijacking." "Domain hijacking," the act of illegally gaining control of somebody else's web address, is fairly common, but this was probably the first time someone threatened to steal a domain name with a gun. Man Gets 20 Years For Attempting To Steal Domain Name With A Gun On Thursday, June 14, Sherman Hopkins Jr., received a sentence of 20 years in a federal prison for attempting to hijack a domain name with a firearm during a 2017 home break-in. In June last year, Hopkins, 43, broke into the apartment of a web entrepreneur in Cedar Rapids, and demanded that he transfer the ownership of the domain name "DoItForState.com" through the web hosting company GoDaddy while pointing a handgun at his head. When the victim, identified as 26-year-old Ethan Deyo, asked Hopkins for the mailing address and phone number required to complete the registration of the domain, Hopkins pistol-whipped and tased him several times. In an attempt to snatch the firearm away from Hopkins, Deyo was shot in the leg, but he was eventually successful in gaining control of the weapon and shot Hopkins several times in the chest before calling the cops. According to the Department of Justice, Hopkins admitted to one count of "interference and attempted interference with commerce by threats and violence." Why DoItForState.Com? Although it remains to be known why Hopkins had to resort to violence to gain control of the domain name, it is important to understand what it represents. "Do it for state," refers to a meme emerging from the Iowa State University, where one would shout the phrase before watching college kids doing regrettable things online. A spin-off of the college confessions pages, in which people would secretly admit to doing stupid things, "Do it for state" documented user-submitted images and videos of students doing dumb things from college campuses across the nation. The content included everything from chugging four beers at once, sticking a firecracker in their buttocks, and even graphic sex. The "Do it for state" phrase is what precedes the action. For example, one would say to his or her friend, "Come on dude! Don't be a wuss. Do it for state!" DoItForState.com was inactive for a month before the "domain hijacking" took place. Before being taken down, the website described itself as documenting "College Stories, College Life, College Snaps." 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On June 18, former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell announced in a press conference that he is battling Parkinson's disease and receiving treatment. The Diagnosis Of Parkinson's Disease Over three years ago, Rendell's family and friends urged him to seek medical help after they noticed some peculiar behaviors from his body. "My hand started shaking a bit and I was having more trouble with my balance than usual," Rendell shared. "And at the urging of Midge and Jesse and David Cohen, he even chipped in, they all said you got to see a doctor." After taking some tests with doctors at the University of Pennsylvania, Rendell was diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson's disease. Although the results surprised and concerned him, he agreed to begin treatment. He received medication and participated in physical therapy. When he announced his diagnosis, he felt very optimistic about his outlook. He said that his Parkinson's disease has stabilized and he feels better now than when he first received the diagnosis a few years ago. Why Is Rendell Revealing This? The 74-year-old opened up about his medical situation as a way to encourage other people with the same symptoms to seek immediate help from a professional. His doctors have reportedly urged him to go public for some time. Rendell situated his message as a way to defeat the stigma and fear associated with Parkinson's disease. "The key in this is to get in early," he said. "I don't think if I would have waited that I would have had as good results as I've had today. Look it's not a death sentence... it doesn't have to affect the quality of your life." Dr. Matthew Stern, of the University of Pennsylvania, confirmed that the former governor has received the same exact treatment for Parkinson's disease as other patients. "One of the key messages the governor brings today is that .... with the right combination of medication and therapy, you can live a full and active life, " Stern said. "The governor is an inspiring example of what Parkinson's Disease looks like today." Rendell's History With Parkinson's Disease Rendell's mother lived with Parkinson's disease during the final 13 years of her life. Inspired by his mother's battle with the disease, the former governor advocated on behalf of patients. In 2012, he received an award for shining a light on the disease. He served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011. Rendell also served as Mayor of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2000. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Cryptocurrencies Are Taking Over the World | TechTree.com Cryptocurrencies are now more than just buzz in the press: they are an entirely real and operational payment method. The governments of many countries have fully recognized cryptocurrencies and developed a legislative framework. Business is happily taking advantage of the opportunities in the digital currency. Legalization of cryptocurrencies has been ongoing in various countries around the world since 2013. Many companies have long accepted Bitcoin as payment, including the widely-known website-creating platform WordPress and Richard Branson's Virgin Group. However, these examples aside, cryptocurrencies are not just an exotic adornment for large corporations: they are being used by all sorts of entrepreneurs from many different sectors of the economy. Online business was the quickest to appreciate cryptocurrencies: you can use Bitcoin to buy VPN channels and various services for notifications, data storage, and data transfer. But cryptocurrencies have long since entered the real sector. Plenty of plastic surgery clinics, art galleries, and even run-of-the-mill cafes are accepting payment in Bitcoin and Litecoin. But if we look at a map showing where crypto payments are accepted, we are in for a surprise. The largest number of companies accepting crypto is concentrated not in the US or Canada, as would be expected, but in Central Europe: Germany, Italy, Greece, Holland, Belgium, UK, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Even traditionally high-tech Asian countries, such as Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, are falling behind, although there is a surprisingly high number of crypto hubs on the nearby islands: the Philippines, Taiwan, and Fiji. In the Middle East, Iran, Dubai, Turkey, and Egypt have isolated hubs, but Israel is in the lead. Crypto payments are also well-developed in India, in the northern and resort regions. So, in the vanguard of the new digital economy we have the old European economies and the minor Asian tigers. And while the former are already clearly in the lead, the latter are rapidly catching up. Among today's leaders in crypto payments, I would single out Holland, Belgium, the UK, Switzerland, and Italy. Holland Holland has the most places accepting crypto payments. You can use cryptocurrency to pay throughout the country, even off the beaten path, not just in Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam, as one would expect. I was surprised to find a city unknown to the average person, in a far-off Dutch province, with almost 90 places where crypto payments were accepted. Crypto is accepted by numerous IT companies, as well as completely normal spa centers and hotels, clothing stores and toy stores, cafes and movie theaters. In the very center of Amsterdam, you could sit and admire the views with a cup of coffee purchased with cryptocurrency. Belgium The situation in Belgium is similar to Holland. There are companies accepting crypto payments throughout the country, both in major industrial centers and on the relative outskirts. There may be up to 30 places accepting crypto payments in a single city. However, the southern regions have almost no crypto. Payments can be used in the same places: for business services, in cafes, and in stores. UK Here the biggest concentration of places taking crypto payments is in the metro area around London, one of the world's largest industrial, financial, and logistics hubs. But overall the entire southern part of the country, especially the industrial and transportation-heavy regions (Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham), has fully accepted crypto reality. Just the central neighborhoods of London have over 100 places where crypto payments are accepted, while in Greater London there are several hundred. Here, I would highlight the wider array of industries accepting crypto payments: in addition to traditional food service and online retail, that includes art galleries, vet clinics, industrial companies, and bike rentals. Switzerland The central citadel of global banking could not remain untouched by the revolution in payment systems. Besides, the unsurprisingly large number of crypto payment spots in Zurich, where crypto is even accepted in barber shops, you have the ability to pay with Bitcoin even at remote hotels high in the mountains. Italy Here crypto payments are more advanced in the traditionally more progressive and industrial northern regions. The B2C sector, including retail, food service, and tourism, including alpine tourist destinations, are happy to accept payment in Bitcoin. B2B isn't falling behind either: even small private factories in remote areas are accepting crypto. All the countries listed have mature, well-developed economies, and are at least in the top 20 in nominal GDP per capita, according to the IMF. That makes it all the more interesting to watch the trend toward rapid development in the digital economy and appearance of crypto hubs in countries far from the top of the list of successful economies. Those are the previously mentioned minor Asian tigers. And while the development of crypto payments in South Korea can be explained by the rapid expansion of foreign trade, and in Singapore by the presence of a global financial hub, the Philippines are surprising in this regard. Although the government of the Philippines is rather wary of cryptocurrencies and does not consider them an official method of payment, it pays close attention to this sector and understands the technologies potential. In particular, it has licensed 10 largest blockchain and crypto ventures to legally operate within a special economic zone, granting them the right to engage in mining, provide exchange services, and conduct ICOs. This country's potential was noticed long ago by Japanese businessmen, who saw an economy growing at a good clip, a large proportion of younger people, and high IT penetration levels. Those were the exact reasons that it provided fertile ground for developing fintech projects. We, too, are following the general Japanese trend: we want to get out ahead of the Europeans and build an entire neighborhood in the Philippines. It will be a fintech hub located in the new Horizon Manila district in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. We named it NOAH CITY. We have issued special tokens for internal circulation, NOAH COIN, and are creating a convenient virtual wallet for them. In the coming years, our neighborhood will start to come to life: it will see its first visitors, tenants, and businesses. All companies will accept NOAH COIN, including B2C, i.e. cafes, stores, and hotels. NOAH COIN holders will also be offered loyalty programs, cash back, and other nice bonuses, so that using our tokens will have more benefits. By the way, NOAH PROJECT is already working on a partnership with the resort hotel Dakak Beach Resort in the Philippines, where holders of our tokens will have the additional option to take a vacation using their crypto assets. Dakak Resort will locate the exclusive Noah Resort, where the coin will be accepted. We expect our NOAH CITY to become a heaven for crypto enthusiasts from around the world. Along the way, the entire world will see that the transition to a digital economy is possible. I'm sure that our experiment will be a turning point, not just for the Philippines and Japan, but for the whole world: through crypto, the global economy will finally enter the digital space, and much faster than we think. TAGS: Cryptocurrencies U.S. President Donald Trump's penny-pinching style of diplomacy is threatening the longstanding alliance between Seoul and Washington. Commentators here have labeled the former real estate developer's strictly profit-oriented approach to dealing with not only bilateral trade but also sensitive diplomatic and security issues the "condominium doctrine." In a Q&A session last Friday, Trump talked about stopping annual joint military exercises with South Korea. "That was my offer" to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, he said. "I hated them from the day I came in. I said, why aren't we being reimbursed? We pay for it. We pay millions and millions of dollars for planes and all of this. It's my term. I said I'd like to halt it because it's bad to be negotiating and doing it. It costs us a lot of money." Trump has long fulminated against the U.S. troop presence in South Korea from a cost perspective, as if the U.S. stood to gain no imperial benefits. In an interview last Wednesday with Fox News, he again said he hopes to pull the U.S. Forces Korea out as soon as possible because it costs a lot of money. In a speech in Missouri in March, Trump claimed the U.S. is "losing money" in South Korea in terms of trade and by keeping American troops here. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping on his 65th birthday in a message Friday amid signs that the relationship between the allies is mending fast. North Korean state TV said that Kim sent a birthday message and flowers to Xi. "The continuous and meaningful meetings with comrade Xi Jinping strengthened the special camaraderie and trust and played an important role in advancing bilateral ties according to the latest trends," Kim was quoted as writing. "Let us advance the bilateral friendship forged in blood so that it will be unshakable by political change and any other challenge." The last time Kim sent Xi a birthday message was in 2013 before relations soured after Kim executed his uncle, who had been a trusted point man in relations with Beijing. South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to suspend the large-scale military drills while the U.S.-North Korea talks go on, an unnamed source said Sunday. The two sides will cancel the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills, which used to be held in August, but could immediately resume them if North Korea cancels talks or reneges on its denuclearization commitment, the source added. The announcement is expected this week. "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," U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday. "Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen!" But smaller routine training will continue, according to the source. The exercises will resume "if North stops negotiating in good faith," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on June 13. The Wall Street Journal on Friday opined that the suspension of the joint exercises is a "political gift" for the Moon Jae-in administration, which has called for downsizing them to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Johnny Warren spent Sunday night bowling with his childhood friends. He was giving one of them a ride home afterward when an unidentified gunm The Louisiana Legislature has begun its third special session of the year a last-ditch attempt to address the $650 million budget gap the state faces when more than $1 billion in temporary taxes expire at the end of the month. "Weve been teetering on the brink of the fiscal cliff for too long, and the clock is winding down," Gov. John Bel Edwards told lawmakers in a brief session-opening address Monday afternoon. "We will start the next fiscal year on July 1 whether or not we fix the cliff." The Legislature in a special session that ended earlier this month approved a $29 billion budget that includes cuts to higher education, public safety and welfare programs, among others, if more revenue isn't raised in the latest special session. Taylor Opportunity Program for Students scholarships that thousands of college students receive each year would be slashed by nearly 30 percent, colleges and universities would take a nearly 20 percent hit and state officials have said Louisiana would become the first state to eliminate the federally-funded food stamps program because the state would not be able to afford operating it. "If we fail, the biggest losers will be the people we represent," Edwards said. "The people of Louisiana lose, and that is unacceptable." The special session must end by 6 p.m. June 27. Special sessions cost taxpayers about $60,000 a day. The start of the latest special session, which is the seventh budget-focused special session since Edwards took office in 2016, prompted an outpouring from stakeholders. The anti-tax Americans for Prosperity and education advocates packed the House balcony on Monday. A rally in support of TOPS and college funding is expected to take place at the Capitol on Wednesday. One more shot: Lawmakers must answer these questions as another special session begins 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 "The time for solutions is now," Edwards said. "The citizens of this state have waited long enough. They deserve results now." 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 Two special sessions earlier this year ended with little movement on addressing the fiscal cliff. Based on the budget that Edwards has signed into law, any revenue will be distributed on a pro-rata bases among priorities facing cuts. Edwards, a Democrat, has urged legislators to extend half of an expiring 1 percent sales tax to fill the hole, but the proposal has been repeatedly rejected in the more conservative GOP-controlled House. The sales tax will again be the centerpiece of the latest special session. Edwards describes his proposal as a tax decrease because the state sales tax rate would go from 5 percent on June 30 to 4.5 percent on July 1. House Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, said that he's still working to find which revenue bill will win support from two-thirds of the chamber, 70 votes, that tax bills must get to pass the House. The debate largely comes down to one-tenth of a penny now extending one-half of the expiring sales tax versus extending two-fifths of it, meaning the state rate would go from 5 percent to 4.4 percent on July 1. "Both have a great deal of interest," Barras said. For taxpayers, the difference is about 10 cents on a $100 purchase. The difference in revenue is about $100 million. In the budget bill that Edwards signed into law this month, if the Legislature doesn't raise $507 million, then the revenue will be spread evenly across unfunded priorities meaning none would be fully funded over another. House Appropriations Chair Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, has filed a bill that would instead identify a list of priorities for funding if there is still a gap, beginning with TOPS and higher education. The Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday morning for a hearing on the Department of Health budget, as well as funding for higher education, corrections and civil service. Barras said he hopes to have bills on the House floor Thursday. The Senate, which must wait for the House to first pass bills, will not meet again until Thursday, with the expectation that the chamber will have legislation to receive from the House at that point. 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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen are among the speakers slated to address a gathe In the newest episode of Anthony Bourdain's CNN series "Parts Unknown," the late chef, world traveler, adventurer and television personality documented a visit to south Louisiana last February to immerse himself in Cajun Mardi Gras. Bourdain, who was found dead in a French hotel room on June 8 after committing suicide, ventured to places like Opelousas, Mamou and Grand Coteau to find what makes Cajun Mardi Gras -- and the area's culture -- truly one-of-a-kind. "There are parts of America that are special, unique, unlike anywhere else. Cultures all their own, kept close, much loved but largely misunderstood," Bourdain's voice-over for the episode begins. "The vast patchwork of saltwater marshes, bayous and prairie land that make up Cajun country is one of those places." Here are a few notable moments from the highly entertaining show (but, first, if you need a quick lesson what Cajun Mardi Gras -- in which costumed and masked runners on horseback, foot or trailer race through neighborhoods begging for chickens to put in the communal gumbo pot that evening -- is exactly, click here): Cajun Mardi Gras is 'insane' Almost 10 years after his first trip to Acadiana, when he learned the ins and outs of a boucherie, Bourdain reconnects with with the musical Savoy family. He finds them in their backyard playing. Patriarch Marc Savoy is on the accordion, wife Ann plays guitar, and sons Joel and Wilson fiddle away. Together, they're the Savoy Family Band. What does Ann think of Cajun Mardi Gras? It's become "insane," she cracks. A fais do-do to remember -- A fais do-do in Grand Coteau is the next stop for Bourdain. The chilly rain doesn't let up, but neither does the pre-Carnival partying under a tent. Bourdain asks party-goers some interesting questions about women's roles in Cajun Mardi Gras. "It's backwards here," remarks a woman. Cajun Mardi Gras is almost exclusively an all-male event. There's a separate run, though, in which women can participate. At the fais do-do there's boiled crawfish (*NOT* crawdads or mudbugs, Bourdain learns). The music cranks up too, and, though the ground is muddy (think Jazz Fest-style muddy), that doesn't stop folks from dancing. Some people decide to actually sling mud and jump in the mud. Did we mention alcohol was served at the fais do-do? Pig hunting, of course Bourdain also goes pig hunting in the episode. He joins the Miller family in a marshland on an air boat. On this day, though, the boys leave empty handed, but the day's not lost. Bourdain joins Jackie and Larry Miller's family for dinner on Lundi Gras. "Grandma Jackie" gifts Bourdain his Mardi Gras costume. Jackie Miller works year-round on the colorful costumes, she says. She's a traditionalist too. Some people ask for Saints and LSU-themed costumes, but that's not her style. Bourdain is thoroughly impressed with his costume. Finally, Mardi Gras arrives Mardi Gras arrives, and Boudain feels 'like he should warn people." The revelers gather in costume -- and with plenty of beer. The group first stops at a retirement home to dance a bit. After that kind gesture, and before 9 a.m., Bourdain observes everyone is quite, say, full of beer. For a few minutes, viewers see Cajun Mardi Gras for what it is -- grown (drunk) men chasing chickens as they parade from home to home. "Kind of like trick-or-treating ... if everyone was drunk and competing for the last peanut butter cup," Bourdain notes. When the paradegoers return to the town of Mamou, the expressions on people's faces are priceless. A couple of men appear to pass out from the day of partying. On-lookers giggle and take pictures. "Gonna be hurting tomorrow," Bourdain said. 'Memorable if nothing else' Bourdain takes the drive-through line at First Lutheran Church in Lafayette to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. Then he heads to Suire's in Kaplan. No frills here. The restaurant and grocery has its menu written on the wall outside. Bourdain polishes off an oyster po-boy, crawfish etouffee and a slice of pecan pie. After his Cajun Mardi Gras experience Bourdain notes he has a few bruises, a minimal hangover but is feeling pretty good. "Memorable if nothing else," he says, as the show winds down, "...through the parting clouds of cruel winter there is light and hope and the onset of spring." Advocate staff writer Judy Bergeron contributed to this report. China and the U.S. are Korea's No. 1 and 2 trading partners, with China accounting for 25 percent and the U.S. for 12 percent. The U.S. government said Friday that it decided to impose tariffs on around 1,100 Chinese imports worth $50 billion, targeting high-tech goods as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's attempts to get Beijing to halt its "Made in China 2025" initiative to nurture Chinese industries. Korea's economy, already been hit hard by declining production, investments, private consumption and hiring, is expected to suffer another heavy blow. The country's export-dependent economy could be among the hardest hit. The U.S. and China are locked in a major trade dispute by slapping 25-percent punitive tariffs on each other's exports. The spat between the world's two biggest economies is already hurting the EU and Japan and could escalate into a global trade war. An even bigger problem is that the U.S.-China trade dispute will shatter the global commerce structure and escalate protectionist trade policies, resulting in shrinking worldwide trade. The Korea International Trade Association said if the U.S., China and the EU each raise tariffs by 10 percentage points, Korea's exports would drop by $36.7 billion. That is equivalent to 6.4 percent of Korea's total exports in 2017. Already Korea's economic fundamentals have weakened significantly. Recently, the state-run Korea Development Institute forecast that major economic indicators including private consumption, investments and production will either suffer slowed growth or decline in the second half of this year. The U.S.-China trade war impacts Korea's economy directly and indirectly. First to be affected will be intermediate goods exports to China for semiconductors, petrochemicals and machinery, which China then uses to export finished products to the U.S. Intermediate goods accounted for 78.9 percent of Korea's total exports to China last year. The Chinese-made semiconductors the U.S. is planning to slap tariffs on are actually made in the Chinese factories of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. One staffer at a Korean semiconductor manufacturer said, "Korean companies are about to become victims of U.S. measures intended to use to deliver a blow to Chinese companies." And Choi Won-mok at Ewha Womans University added, "Retaliatory measures by the U.S. and China are impacting the entire global economy. Seoul needs to defend itself by turning to the WTO to complain about unfair tariffs." The latest developments are also raising calls for the Moon Jae-in administration to slow down the pace of boosting the minimum wage and reducing the working week. Ha Joon-kyung of Hanyang University said, "Our economy is not strong enough to withstand the current governments economic policies. We need to let businesses breathe first by easing regulations." The high cost of building a public restroom on the Mandeville lakefront prompted the Mandeville City Council to vote down a budget change that would have provided an additional $118,000 to the $200,000 already allocated for the project. But cost wasn't the only issue with putting a restroom proposed for the eastern end of Lakeshore Drive at Jackson Avenue so was history. Rebecca Rohrbough, an advocate for historic preservation, adamantly opposed putting any building there, citing the city's founder, Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville, who donated the land to the city in 1834 with the stipulation that the space remain free for the common use and that "no individual or corporation shall raise any edifice whatsoever" on the lakefront. The city's founder wanted the area to remains "a lovely, natural park," Rohrbough said. But Councilman Clay Madden said he doesn't see how Mandeville can have a public park without a restroom. The proposed restroom would have been adjacent to a splash pad and play area frequented by families. Madden said he favors a trailer bathroom that would be far less expensive than $318,000, the amount that came in when the city sought bids on the project. "We can't know what Bernard de Mandeville thought," Madden said. "If he had a 2-year-old that was being potty-trained, he would definitely want a bathroom." Council members discussed the possibility of a trailer facility that could be hooked up to city sewerage but also moved in case of a hurricane or if the portable bathroom was needed for another event elsewhere. Mayor Donald Villere was not a fan of that idea. He said that the temporary buildings aren't allowed in Mandeville and that the city should be setting an example instead of only looking at cost. The city has installed bathrooms in other areas, he said, pointing to a restroom in a cottage across the street from the historic Dew Drop Jazz and Social Hall and also installed a restroom at the Lang House, a historic property in Old Mandeville. "All cost more than a trailer," Villere said. City Council members were put off by the cost, however, with Madden saying that, as a fiscal conservative, he couldn't see paying more for restrooms than the cost of his house. The total cost of a trailer bathroom, including purchase and installing water and sewer lines, would be about $100,000. The City Council voted 5-0 against adding money for the construction project, saying that they would consider putting money into next year's budget for a trailer bathroom with input from the Mandeville Historic Commission. Sara Pagones Public schools name 10 new administrators The St. Tammany Parish Public School System announced 10 new administrators at the School Board meeting held June 15. They are: Jeanne Bower, Supervisor of Special Education (system-wide;) Sabrina Parish, principal, Little Pearl Elementary; and assistant principals Chantelle McInerney, Abita Springs Middle; Jennifer Clark, Covington High; Byron Long, Creekside Junior High; George Bode, Fontainebleau Junior High; April Jarrell, Lakeshore High; Justin Burkhardt, Sixth Ward Elementary; George Herdliska, Slidell High; and Susan Johnson, Northshore High. Input sought on Tchefuncte River Bridge schedule St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up St. Tammany Parish officials are urging residents to comment on U.S. Coast Guard-proposed changes to the Tchefuncte River drawbridge's operating schedule. The proposal would restrict bridge openings during peak evening traffic hours. The deadline to comment is July 16 and comments can be submitted to http://www.regulations.gov, referring to docket number USCG-2016-0963. "Your voice is critically important in order for changes to occur to the traffic challenges in this area," Parish President Pat Brister said in a prepared statement. She said residents should weigh in if the current bridge schedule affects their travel time. Parish Councilman Mike Lorino echoed those comments, saying that the greater the amount of feedback, the greater the chance of seeing permanent change. Madisonville officials had hoped to see restrictions during morning rush hour as well in efforts to improve traffic flow on Louisiana 22. But the proposal would allow the bridge to open every 30 minutes on weekdays, on request, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. except for a two-hour period, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Interstate roadwork The southbound inside lane and the northbound inside lane of I-59, from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line to the I-59/I-10 Interchange will be closed periodically through June 22, and again from June 25 through June 29. Southbound lanes will close from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and northbound lanes will close from 6 a.m. until 1 p.m. One lane will remain open at all times, there will be no vehicle restrictions, and emergency vehicles will have access. Also, there will be alternating single lane closures on I-10 in both directions, between the West Pearl River Bridge and the Pearl River Bridge through July 1 from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. daily. One lane in each direction will remain open at all times; however, traffic may be slowed as the work progresses. There will be no vehicle restrictions, and emergency vehicles will have access. Slidell roadwork The City of Slidell announced that the intersection of Florida Ave. and Ridgecrest Drive will be closed through July 2 for road construction repairs. Madisonville millage The Town of Madisonville will hold its ad valorem property tax rate steady at 8.55 mills for the 2018 tax year. The millage was unanimously approved by the town council at a special May 23 public hearing. Two robberies and an aggravated burglary were reported Saturday in New Orleans, according to the New Orleans Police Department. The first incident happened at a Dollar General store in the 8200 block of Earhart Boulevard, where police say a man entered the store just after 9:15 a.m. Saturday morning and threatened to rob it. A cashier at the front then ran to the back of the store while the robber took the cash register drawer and left through the front door before fleeing in a white sedan, according to police. A little over an hour later, at around 10:20 a.m., police responded to a call of an aggravated burglary in the 2100 block of Baronne Street. According to police, thats where a 31-year-old woman was punched and choked by her ex-boyfriend until she passed out. A witness said that the ex-boyfriend also put a handgun to the womans head before fleeing. Police are also investigating an armed robbery that took place in the 7300 block of Northgate Drive shortly before 2:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. In that incident, police said a 23-year-old man was offered a ride by two other men in a 2018 blue Mitsubishi Outlander. While they were driving, a man sitting in the passenger seat grabbed the victims money. A struggle ensued, and the driver of the car pulled out a gun before the victim jumped out the car and fled. Police report the license plate number of the Outlander as 476BCI. A civil suit brought by two former LSU Dental School students who say they were unfairly kicked out of the New Orleans school is set to begin Monday in a Baton Rouge courtroom. Jennifer Thien and Gina Nguyen, who were second-year students at the school, allege that it violated their due process rights in how it handled allegations against them and that by kicking them out, it treated them differently from other students accused of cheating. LSU contends that the students' case was handled appropriately and that the expulsions were justified. The incident began in the spring 2017 semester, when Thien took a quiz on behalf of another student who is not a party to the suit. That student, Thuy Doan, was suffering from insomnia, depression and anxiety, the suit says. Thien later took a second quiz for her friend. Nguyen, according to the suit, did not know about Thien's actions until after the first test had been taken, but learned of them before the second. Nguyen did not take any quizzes on Doan's behalf but did not report what she knew to school authorities. Both students had no previous blemishes on their records, and when confronted, Thien admitted taking the quizzes on behalf of her friend. The suit notes that she did not gain any academic advantage from the quizzes, which represented only 3 percent of Doan's grade. School officials Sandra Andrieu and professor Van. T. Himel, according to the suit, "confronted Jennifer and Gina in a coercive setting without informing them that they had a right to refuse to answer questions and/or refuse to give a written statement," the suit alleges. In addition, it says, the school directed the discipline through a committee that Andrieu chairs when it should have gone through a different committee, one that includes student representatives. The committee decided to expel both students for "demonstrated unprofessionalism," the suit says. Other students accused of cheating have gone unpunished, the suit says. When Thien and Nguyen appealed, the appeals also were handled by Andrieu's committee, which rejected them, the suit says. The action ended any hopes either woman had of becoming dentists, which both had "dreamed of" and "invested financially in," according to court documents. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Both have stipulated that they are not seeking more than $50,000 in damages. "All we want is our futures back," the pair said in a brief statement. Their attorney, Randall Smith, said the expulsion "would be the end of their professional lives." Before entering dental school, Thien graduated summa cum laude from Dominican High School and then graduated from Loyola University. Nguyen was valedictorian at Morgan City High School and graduated from Tulane University. LSU has noted that the court has dismissed two defendants, Dental School Dean Henry Gremillion and Andrieu, and said the students have no due process claims. The two students' unprofessional behavior, according to the school, was academic in nature and provides a sound basis for their expulsion. "The plaintiffs' admitted involvement in a cheating scheme and related professional misconduct supplied a legitimate and serious basis to dismiss" them, the school argues. Attorneys for LSU could not be reached for comment. The case will be heard and decided by Judge Todd Hernandez of 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge because that's where LSU's board is based. The trial is expected to last through Wednesday. Home Just In Alliance Francaise de Kathmandu to celebrate International Music Day Alliance Francaise de Katmandou (AFK) in partnership with Tuborg are organising the 2018 edition of Fete de la Musique or International Music Day, comprising various musical groups who will perform from 3 pm to 9 pm on Friday, June 22. The international Music Day, launched in France in 1982 is free for all to attented and gives chance to all kind of musicians. Kathmandu city hosts this annual Fete de la Musique. On this occasion, professionals, amateurs and music lovers meet for a warm celebration at AFK and in many different places in Kathmandu. There will be a covered stage at AFK and concerts will be organized in various places. Scheduled to appear at Alliance Francaise de Katmandou on the covered stage: Issues from contemporary political, financial and sociocultural activities in the country have been featured on the front pages of major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Monday. Besides regular activities, the rescue of four workers after around 38 hours of their trapping in a tunnel in Sankhuwasabha district has received a significant attention from the newspaper reporters. Some papers have also published testimonies of the victims on the front pages. Important Physical Infrastructure Minister assures no action will be taken against contractors Multiple newspaper reports have claimed that Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth has assured that he will protect contractors from arrest and any other action from the state mechanisms. His statement follows a crackdown launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs on contractors who delay assignments or do not complete them on time. At a meeting of the Construction Business Development Council that he chaired on Friday, the Minister told contractors that action would be initiated against non-performing and underperforming contractors, but there would not be arbitrary arrests. He also asked the contractors to notify him in cases of arrest so that he could save them, according to The Kathmandu Post. Meanwhile, receiving a memorandum from the contractors, the Minister said the contractors would not be solely responsible for the delay in projects so that they would not be the single side to get punished, according to Nagarik. Abhiyans anchor story also carries the same statement. National Assembly members tenure to be decided today In line with the Article 86 of constitution, the National Assembly is deciding the tenure of its 59 members through a drawing of lots on Monday, according to newspaper reports. The lottery today will give a two-year term to 19 lawmakers and four-year and six-year to 20 lawmakers each, according to Rajdhani. Prominent members of the Upper House include National Assembly Chair Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, Vice-Chairperson Shashi Kala Dahal, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, and Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada. Meanwhile, their tenure will be counted from the first day of the meeting, which was March 5 this year, according to Nepal Samacharpatra lead story. Fuel price goes down first time in eight months Newspaper reports have informed that the government-run Nepal Oli Corporation on Sunday decided to reduce the price of petroleum products including diesel, kerosene and petrol following the change in international market. This is the first time the prices have come down in past eight months. Otherwise, the prices were ever increasing. According to the new price structure, petrol has become Rs 3 cheaper than its previous price whereas a litre of diesel and kerosene will also cost Rs 2 less, according to Karobar. The report informs that no changes have been made in the price of liquefied petroleum gas and aviation fuel, adding the state agency is still in a loss of Rs 78.4 million every fortnight. Govt helpless to stop education strikes Nagarik and Nepal Samacharpatra report that the government has failed to control activities of political parties-affiliated student unions and other organisations which have been directing affecting schools in the country. While a student organisation close to Netra Bikram Chand Biplavs communist party imposed a strike on schools yesterday, Nagarik reports that such strikes are organised after big schools do not pay them certain amounts demanded by them. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education is uninformed about the issue, according to the report. On the other hand, Nepal Samacharpatra has blamed regulatory bodies including the Department of Education for their long silence over the issue. Annapurna Post has also raised the issue on its front page story. Ignored PM consults predecessors to finalise China visit agendas Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli held a meeting with former prime ministers to discuss his China visit and seek suggestions about agendas to make the visit a successful one. The Prime minister also assured to keep the nations interest top most priority of the visit, reports Naya Patrika. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai presented a 10-point suggestion to Oli for the visit, reports Rajdhani in its anchor story. Activities of political agents rampant in judiciary The Supreme Court has issued a circular to keep an eye on political agents and warned the concerned judicial officials to stay away from such agents as these agents are being excessively and unnecessarily active in the judicial system, says the lead story in Annapurna Post. As per a directive from Acting Chief Justice Deepak Raj Joshee, the circular was sent to courts across the country. Provincial govts also promote pork barrel politics Four provinces have followed the footsteps of federal government to promote pork barrel politics by extending grants to electoral constituencies. Province 1, 2, 5, and 7 have allocated funds for infrastructure development based on recommendations from provincial assembly members, showed the provincial budget documents for next fiscal year. The provincial programme will cost the taxpayers Rs 3.22 billion in fiscal 2018-19, reports the anchor story published in The Himalayan Times. Nepals Ambassador to US buying a posh house The lead story of Republica says the Nepali Embassy in the United States is buying a posh property for Ambassador Arjun Karki in Washington DC for US$ 7.25 milllion (Rs 750 million). It has been learnt that the proposed residence will become more expensive than former US President Barack Obamas new house bought last year. However, the Office of the Auditor General and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have suspected this decision to be motivated by lucrative commissions. Minimum of six per cent commission is legal in the US on purchase of residential building and around two per cent on commercial building. Interesting Five places to be developed as agri tourism villages With an aim to develop and promote the rural areas and improve the living standard through economy, various five places of the country will be established as agri tourism villages. Machhamara of Sunsari, Ghodaghodi of Kailali, Patale of Solukhumbu, Rautamai of Udayapur, and Kakani of Nuwakot will be developed as agri tourism villages, according to Abhiyan. According to Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives, work for the same has already started. Home Just In Nepal Communist Party statute: Proposal bars leaders from holding the same post for three consecutive terms Kathmandu, June 18 A committee formed to recommend key provisions for the new statute of the recently-formed Nepal Communist Party has suggested that leaders be allowed to hold a particular office not more than two consecutive terms. The other key provision recommended by the committee says that a party leader wont also be allowed to contest for the same position twice. If we start the count from the day the party was formed, co-chairs KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahl can only contest for the Chairman post one last time. However, the party leaders are yet to decide on the cut-off date, informed a party leader. Similarly, most leaders have suggested that the cut-off date be set after general convention only. The suggestions will now be discussed in the standing committee, and the party secretariat will prepare a proposal and present before the central committee. The committee has also recommended that the core leadership of the party be divided into eight groups such as the national convention, central committee, and central investigation committee, among others. Likewise, the provincial committee will also have a structure similar to the central committee with 175 members. The party shall also have 33 per cent women at all levels. Biel, is unlikely to feature in the new series - a theory that's bolstered by the fact that she's nowhere to be seen in the new trailer. In terms of what we can expect for the plot, a season synopsis teases: "In the wake of the Cora Tannetti case, Detective Harry Ambrose is called back to his hometown in distant rural New York to assess a disturbing new crime: an 11-year-old boy's horrific double-homicide & his seemingly inexplicable motive. "As Ambrose comes to realise there's nothing ordinary about the boy or where he came from, his investigation leads him straight into the hidden darkness of his hometown and pitting him against those who'll stop at nothing to protect its secrets." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Amir Karimuddin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, June 18, 2018 09:59 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e979c57 3 Opinion reformasi,digital-technology,bureaucracy-reform,Education,manufacturing-industry,economy,digital-economy,financial-inclusion Free The year 1998 was part of the countrys dark history. Riots and demonstrations took place alongside the declining economy and monetary state, as Southeast Asia was hit by its worst ever financial crisis. It also marked the demise of the nations authoritarian leader Soeharto who had been in power for more than 30 years. However, history also noted that Indonesias economy survived with the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (UKM), especially those in the creative sector. The millennials, who in 1998 were still in school or were barely 5 years old, are now leading a different kind of reformation. Shall we say that it is a digital reformation? Twenty years later, the ever-changing world brought us to the new reformation. Although it lacks the normative description, a digital reformation can be seen as a shift from conventional ways to digital. Digital reformation is doable in a number of aspects, including the government, manufacturing, education, law enforcement and the economy. Digital reformation is every nations capital in marching towards the future. Through digital technology, the economy is no longer based on transactions where sellers and buyers are in the same place. They can live in different cities or even countries, with logistical means and digital payment bridging the transactions. The 21st century is marked with technology companies flourishing. Data is suddenly deemed as the new gold or oil, and jargon such as big data, artificial intelligence, blockchain, internet of things and connected device are no longer foreign in our everyday lingo. In the early 2000s, the worlds biggest valued companies came from the oil and retail industries. This year, the hegemony is filled with technology companies based in Silicon Valley in the United States such as Apple, Google/Alphabet, Microsoft and Facebook. In China, Tencent and Alibaba are in competition to become the market leader. Companies in Indonesia are starting to join the race, though less in scale compared to those in the US or China. The countrys population of more than 260 million, the worlds fourth-biggest, is the main capital of Indonesia to succeed in the digital world. Not to mention that Indonesians are very adoptive to technology development. More than half of the population, or around 143 million people, according to Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII) data, have access to the internet. This can be viewed as a very ideal market. In Asia, we are the third biggest market after China and India. The creative industry and UKM are also evolving. From real-life stalls, they shifted to the digital sector. The digital economy has become a popular credo, spoken by the government, digital economy entities and the public. Crafters in Jepara may have customers in Sabang, while small-scale toy sellers send their products to Merauke. All can now be done with handheld devices. Data from the E-Commerce Association of Indonesia (idEA) stated that almost 25 million people or 9 percent of the total population made online purchases in 2016. Online-based services have started emerging since 2009, only booming in 2014, accelerated by Rocket Internet. Indonesias digital industry was also stirred when Tokopedia, one of the local e-commerce giants built by William Tanuwijaya and Leontinus Alpha Edison, received US$100 million in funds from two renowned investors, Softbank and Sequoia Capital. The industry has never been the same since then. Millions of dollars have been invested in local startup businesses. Around $3 million were spent in 2017 alone. Every year, each startup is built by idealistic youngsters with goals of solving the nations problems. Indonesia with problems in every aspect is an ideal laboratory for startups to test their ideas. President Joko Jokowi Widodo at the 2015 World Economic Forum said, When we see challenges, I see opportunities. Indonesias challenges are your opportunities. We were not surprised when Go-Jek sought billions of dollars to stay relevant. Every party tries to have a bite of the delectable pie buzzed all over the world. Indonesia now has four startup companies worth over $1 billion. They are Go-Jek, Tokopedia, Traveloka and Bukalapak. One is in the service and logistic sector, and the rest are related to commerce. The number of unicorn startups in Indonesia is bigger than the total number of unicorns in other Southeast Asian countries. Even more surprising, the values were attained in a short amount of time. As an illustration, Go-Jek is valued at $4 billion, higher than any transportation company on the Indonesian Stock Exchange. In addition, around two million Indonesian UKMs are now depending on their business performance on digital company leadership. There are also millions of partners who joined the app-based transportation services. According to Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto, in the last six years the digital industry had reached 9.8 to 10.7 percent, or twice the national economys growth. He expressed confidence that the figures would be more than 11 percent in 2019, seeing that the whole nation was connected to the internet. Currently, the digital economy is said to contribute around 1 to 2 percent of the total gross domestic product (GDP), but every party is optimistic that the number will rise. Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara even stated that in 2020 the digital economy would contribute 11 percent (worth $130 billion) to Indonesias total GDP, although in my view the timeline is hardly realistic. If we really want to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big. (Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States) The 1998 reformation will always be a reminder that Indonesia has had its high and low moments. Indonesia is still a young country. And like other countries with longer histories, the reformation could be a milestone for us to become a better nation. The rapid development of time is unavoidable and adopting technology becomes a must. Aside from its side effects, the digital economy will forge on and contribute to the countrys economic growth. Financial inclusion, which is also a government program, will be easier with a number of digital services, including loans, financing, investments, and so on. Digital reformation is far from finished, and it is our duty to keep it on the right track. It is a crucial one to reach Indonesias goal to be equal to other powerful nations by 2030. *** The writer is the editor-in-chief of DailySocial business and IT news portal. The views expressed are his own. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, June 18, 2018 08:35 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e974ec6 4 Editorial #Editorial,tax-avoidance,tax-collection,audit,taxation,tax-revenue,state-budget,bank-indonesia,economic-growth Free The 20 percent increase in this years tax revenue target to Rp 1.61 quadrillion (US$115 billion) will unlikely be achieved without more vigorous collection, as even the most optimistic estimate has put Indonesias economic growth at only 5.2 percent, 20 basis points (bps) lower than the government target. The prospects for higher growth were doused after Bank Indonesia raised its policy rate last month by 50 bps to maintain financial market stability, ahead of an anticipated United States Fed rate hike. Tax revenues did go up by more than 20 percent in the first quarter, but the gain was mostly from corporate taxes, which were in turn generated mainly by improved commodity prices and higher value-added tax receipts on imports. However, commodity prices seem to have peaked and a similar increase in tax revenue from this sector cannot be expected for the rest of the year. Hence, the most promising alternative route for increasing tax revenues is by intensifying the collection of personal income tax, because all indicators show that the personal income tax potential has never been fully tapped. The latest data at the Taxation Directorate General shows that less than 66 percent of the estimated 16.5 million registered personal (individual) taxpayers had filed their 2017 tax returns by the March 31 deadline, reflecting a persistently low level of compliance, even after the most generous tax amnesty ended in March 2017. Yet, more disappointing is that only around 992,000 of the 10.6 million taxpayers that did file their returns were self-employed professionals such as doctors, consultants, lawyers and businesspeople, and the other 9.6 million were paid employees whose employers withheld their income taxes by default. The data simply reflects the high incidence of tax evasion and confirms the World Bank estimate that the government had collected only half of the tax potential. Its no wonder that personal income taxes only contribute about 10 percent of total revenues, with the other 90 percent derived from corporate and indirect taxes. In most other countries, personal income taxes contribute the bulk of tax receipts. The public perception is that highly paid professionals and individuals of high net worth (the richest people) in the country have not paid their income taxes in full, and that this massive and widespread tax evasion has been possible due to the acute lack of tax audits. The Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis has estimated that last years audit coverage ratio (ACR) was a mere 0.39 percent of the 1,964,331 registered personal income taxpayers, excluding those whose employers withheld their income taxes. This ACR is way below the 3 to 5 percent the International Monetary Fund has set as the minimum coverage ratio to enhance voluntary tax compliance and to discourage tax evasion. Certainly the tax authorities will never have a sufficient number of auditors to examine all taxpayers. But as tax officials are now authorized to access the financial accounts of all taxpayers, they can better focus their tax audits to target rich individuals. 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. Read also: Court orders Jolie to give Pitt kids' phone numbers "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 unparalleled 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. Butwal, June 18 The main opposition party Nepali Congress Province 5 unit has boycotted the days meeting of the provincial assembly expressing dissatisfaction over the governments budget. Nepali Congress lawmakers stood up as the meeting was about to begin and began their protest. Lawmaker Dilli Chaudhary told the House that the budget reeked of bias. Despite frequent request from Speaker Purna Bahadur Gharti, Congress lawmakers boycotted the meeting. Nepali Congress whip Nirmala Chhetri said that the opposition would not attend the meeting till its demands were addressed. The budget is biased. A huge amount of money has been allocated to some sectors and virtually nothing has been allocated to other important sectors. Development of all sectors is impossible without allocating the right budget to the right sector. This is not acceptable. 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 or $6.6 - 12.9 million). "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 honor," they said. The daughters were present at the auction. Read also: At Auction Napa Valley, you can win a camel with your Cabernet - '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 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 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 first draft of music Mozart wrote for the last act of his opera "The Marriage of Figaro" is expected to sell for half a million euros ($578,000) when it goes under the hammer in Paris. The "exceptional" manuscript from 1786 which will be auctioned on Wednesday in the French capital comes from the peak of the composer's career in Vienna, the auction house Ader Nordmann said. Called "Scena con Rondo", Mozart wrote the music initially as a recitative to be sung by Figaro's bride, Susanna, before rejecting it for the now legendary aria, "Deh vieni non tardar". "These four pages are particularly important because they reveal Mozart at work, struggling to rethink a scene in the final act of the opera," expert Thierry Bodin told AFP. It will be sold along with another Mozart manuscript, a fragment of a serenade to youth written by young Wolfgang Amadeus when he was only 17. Read also: Mozart's childhood violin heads to China Probably commissioned by the "chancellor of Salzburg, who was a friend of the Mozart family, to mark the end of his son's studies," according to Bodin, it is expected to make between 120,000 and 150,000 euros. The manuscripts are part of a vast sell-off by the French state of the collection amassed by the collapsed investment firm Aristophil. It was shut down in scandal three years ago, taking 850 million euros ($1 billion) of its investors' money with it. The 130,000 manuscripts and historical documents that Aristophil had its investors sink their savings into are now being dispersed in auctions over the next six years run by Ader Nordmann and three other French auction houses, Artcurial, Drouot Estimations and Aguttes. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, June 18 2018 The governments online single submission (OSS) system, which aims to cut red tape surrounding the business licensing process in Indonesia, has piqued the interest of a lot of investors, says Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution. There are a lot of big investors who expressed their desire to be the first [investor] to use [the OSS], he told reporters at an Idul Fitri open house at his official residence over the weekend. Darmin added that the launch of the system was one of his main priorities after the Idul Fitri holiday, which ends on Wednesday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, June 18, 2018 09:48 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e97887e 1 National senior-citizen,elderly,aging-population,Komnas-HAM,elder-abuse,human-rights Free Indonesia has over 23 million people it never talks about: the elderly. With a system that relies on families to take care of senior citizens, abuses against the elderly, if they occur, happens behind closed doors. A 2015 report from the United Nations, titled World Population Ageing, projected that the number of 60 year olds and above in Indonesia would reach 39 million in 2030, or 13.2 percent of the population and 61.8 million in 2050 or 19.2 percent. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) showed that in 2017 there were 23.4 million people older than 60 in Indonesia or around 8.97 percent of the total population. To address the issue, in 2004 the government established a special national commission called Komnas Lansia to improve the elderlys welfare. A Komnas Lansia administrator, who declined to be named, told The Jakarta Post on Friday that the commission had been inactive since 2015. Andi Hanindito, the Social Affairs Ministrys director of social rehabilitation for elderly people, said the number of elderly people was growing and that could result in more of them being abused. However, he added, such abuse was hard to find in Indonesia. We rarely hear about abuse against the elderly in Indonesia, because we embrace a culture where the young generation respects the older generation, and the older generation loves the young generation, he told the Post on Friday. It does not mean that such abuse does not happen. Last December, the West Jakarta Social Agency found Udjan Susanto, 74, sleeping on cardboard in a sewer. Suffering from acute diabetes, the old man said he had no choice but to live in the sewer because his three children had kicked him out of their houses. The World Health Organization estimates that up to 80 percent of cases of elder abuse are not reported. Elderly mistreatment has become a serious social problem that is hidden from public view, not only in Indonesia but also in many countries in the world. The UN said it remained one of the least investigated types of violence in national surveys, and one of the least addressed in national action plans To address the issue, the UN marked June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. On its official site, the UN said the global population of people aged 60 years and older will more than double, from 900 million in 2015 to 2 billion in 2050. The growth will be faster in developing regions. Read also: How Asias population is aging, 2015-2030 scenario One of the most common forms of elder abuse is financial, which includes the unauthorized, illegal or improper exploitation of funds, property or any other resources. The UN recorded that one out of six elderly people experienced some form of abuse in the past year, or around 141 million people worldwide. The governments effort to give legal protection to the elderly include the issuance of Law No. 23/2004 on the elimination of domestic violence and Law No. 13/1998 on elderly welfare, but it has yet given any details on enforcement. The law on the elimination of domestic violence prohibits neglecting a person within the household and the law on elderly welfare states that the family is responsible for the welfare of the elderly. However, both laws have not included details about the recognition of the rights of the elderly and the protection of their interests and intentions. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung Mon, June 18, 2018 16:39 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e98d96d 1 National Tjahjo-Kumolo,West-Java,pilkada,#2018RegionalElections,Ahmad-Heryawan Free Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo has inaugurated high-ranking National Police officer Comr. Gen. M. Iriawan, who once served as the provincial police chief, as an acting governor to replace incumbent West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan, whose term as the provinces head ended on June 13. I, on behalf of the President, officially inaugurate Comr. Gen. M. Iriawan as West Javas acting governor. I believe you will do your job well and according to your responsibilities, Tjahjo said during the ceremony on Monday. The ceremony was held at Gedung Merdeka in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung and was attended by a number of officials, including Ahmad, who wished his successor good luck during the formers speech. Prior to his appointment as West Javas acting governor, Iriawan had been the main secretary of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) since March 8. The three-star general was also appointed West Java and Jakarta Police chief in 2013 and 2016, respectively. Speaking to journalists after the ceremony, Iriawan said he had been contacted by the minister regarding his appointment and the inauguration on the second day of Idul Fitri celebrations on Saturday. My family and I were in Surabaya [East Java] visiting relatives when the minister called, so I went back right away to Jakarta. As a soldier, Im ready to do what the country has ordered me to do, Iriawan said. He added that he would focus on serving West Java residents as well as the provincial state officials neutrality during the upcoming gubernatorial election. West Java is among 171 regions participating in the 2018 simultaneous regional elections, which will be held on June 27. (kuk) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, June 18 2018 After a video showing a crocodile swimming near the Pondok Dayung dock in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, went viral on social media on Thursday, the National Polices water police unit (Ditpolair) conducted an early morning patrol off Jakarta Bay on Sunday to search for the reptile. We will secure Jakarta Bay by patrolling the coastline around the Pondok Dayung port and [off the coast of] Ancol Dreamland Park, Ditpolairs head of search and rescue division, Comr. Faried, told reporters. On Friday, a member of the Navy who was on patrol in Pondok Dayung saw the crocodile, predicted to be 2.5 meters long, swimming along the coastline. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, June 18, 2018 12:21 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e97ed67 4 National novel-baswedan,KPK,e-ID,graft,acid-attack Free Senior Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan says he still receives threats from individuals he believes to be the people who had thrown acid on him in April last year, causing serious injuries to his eyes. When I came home for the first time in February [after months of treatment in Singapore], I saw the perpetrator standing there [across the road from my house], Novel claimed on Sunday, as quoted by tempo.co. Novel has given the police information about his attackers, and the police distributed sketches of the four suspects. He later blamed the police for failing to catch the perpetrators and resolve the acid attack on him after more than a year of investigation, thus enabling the perpetrators to threaten him again. On April 11 last year, the investigator was attacked by two unidentified men who threw acid at his face. He was brought to Singapore to undergo a series of operations on his injured eyes. At the time of the attack, Novel had been leading a KPK investigation into the e-ID graft case, which has reportedly caused Rp 2.3 trillion (US$163 million) in state losses and implicated several members of the House of Representatives and high-ranking government officials. The lack of progress in the investigation prompted the antigraft bodys workers union to urge President Joko Jokowi Widodo to form an independent fact-finding team to solve the case. Its not too late to form such a team, because solving Novels case is one of the nations priorities, said the unions chairman, Yudi Purnomo. Besides talking about his case and condition, Novel expressed his wish to return to the office immediately. The investigator has yet to return to work since coming back from Singapore in February, as he was unable to see and read well because of his heavily injured left eye. (kuk) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, June 18, 2018 13:36 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e9828f2 1 World osaka,earthquake,KJRI,Foreign-Affairs-Ministry Free The Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Osaka has opened an emergency hotline following a 6.1 Richer scale earthquake striking the prefecture on Monday morning. The earthquake occurred at the northern part of Osaka prefecture at a depth of 14 kilometers at 7:58 am local time, according to authorities as quoted by KJRI Osaka on its official Instagram account @kjriosaka. No Indonesians were reported to be injured as of 10 a.m. but the disaster killed two and injured 10 others. KJRI Osaka further said the Japanese government had issued a notice for the possibility of another earthquake that could be stronger in the coming days. "All Indonesians in Osaka and surrounding areas are requested to stay calm but alert while monitoring and following local authorities' directions," it said on Monday morning. For any emergency situation, it said, the office had opened a hotline on +81-80 3113-1003, which is available for phone calls, SMS messaging, WhatsApp and Line chat messaging. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Tehran Mon, June 18, 2018 18:45 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e990ba3 2 World Iran,execution,baby,Sufi,minority-groups,crime Free Iran on Monday executed two men convicted of homicide, one a member of the Sufi minority found guilty of killing policemen and another for murdering a baby girl, officials said. The men were hanged to death despite outcries from human rights organizations. Mohammad Reza Salas was sentenced to death in March for driving a bus into a group of police officers during February clashes with security forces, killing three policemen. Salas belongs to the minority Sufi sect, a mystic branch of Islam tolerated in Iran but perceived as a "deviation" by many conservatives members of the Shiite community. Mizan Online, the judiciary's news agency, said the death sentence against Salas "was implemented Monday morning". Rights groups had denounced the death sentence and called on authorities to revoke it. "This case has laid bare the flaws in Iran's criminal justice system for all to see," London-based Amnesty International said on Sunday. It said that Salas, who was born in 1967, was forced to testify under duress and had received an "unfair trial". Two members of the Basij, an Islamic militia tasked with a number of policing duties, were also killed in the clashes. The unrest erupted as members of Iran's Gonabadi Sufi order, known as dervishes, protested the arrest of members of the sect and a rumour that their leader would soon be detained. At his trial, Salas repeatedly said he never intended on killing anyone, but gave contradictory statements on the circumstances that led to the death of the three policemen, according to Iranian media. Also on Monday, Mohammad Vefaie was executed for the killing of an eight-month-old baby girl named Benita in July 2017, official IRNA news agency said. Vefaie had stolen a car belonging to Benita's father while the child was sitting in the vehicle. He later abandoned the car, leaving the baby trapped inside for several hours in scorching summer heat until she was found dead by police. Iran does not publish official statistics on the number of people it has executed. According to an April report by Amnesty International, China is the world's "top executioner" but Iran had the highest known figure in 2017 with at least 507 people put to death, six of them women. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, June 18, 2018 16:25 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e98bead 1 City waste,Idul-Fitri-2018,Holiday,jakarta Free Jakarta produced less waste during the Idul Fitri holiday, with the amount of waste sent to Bantar Gebang landfill in Bekasi, West Java, decreasing from around 7,000 tons per day to between 1,200 and 2,000 tons. The mudik (exodus) tradition, in which millions of people working in Jakarta go back to their hometown, corresponded with the low amount of waste produced in the capital during the holiday season. Jakarta Environment Agency head Isnawa Adji said a day before Idul Fitri, the city still delivering 7,781 tons of waste to Bantar Gebang. However, on the first and second day of Idul Fitri, the city only delivered 1,286 and 2,060 tons of waste respectively. Isnawa said the amount of waste would increase a week after Idul Fitri. He added city workers worked normal hours during the holiday season. The agency has deployed 300 officers to monitor waste disposal at Bantar Gebang. As of today, the time spent by a garbage truck to queue, measure and dispose of waste is below an hour. This indicates that the waste management process in Bantar Gebang is running normally, Isnawa said in his statement on Monday. Kathmandu, June 18 Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has called a meeting of the partys Central Working Committee for 4 pm in Hetaunda of Makawanpur district today. The meeting will discuss preparations for the partys district presidents gathering. The gathering will begin in Hetaunda on Tuesday. It will last for three days. Meanwhile, two rival factions of the partyone led by Deuba and another led by Ram Chandra Paudel among othersare trying hard to turn the party equation on their sides from the gathering. Both Deuba and Paudel-led factions have prepared their own strategies for the meet. As other influential leaders of the party including Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Arjun Narsingha KC and Kul Bahadur Gurung have also joined anti-Deuba camp, it is likely that the gathering will make Deuba little weaker in the party organisation. The party leaders are at odds over the loss in the three elections held last year and are blaming each other for the historic debacle. The Paudel-led group will also pressuriae the party leadership to hold the mahasamiti meeting and the general convention at the earliest. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Sydney Mon, June 18, 2018 09:53 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e9792c5 2 World PNG,Papua-New-Guinea,state-of-emergency Free Papua New Guinea has declared a state of emergency in its rugged Southern Highlands after an armed mob went on the rampage, torching a passenger plane and the local governor's house. Police said crowds were angered by a court decision to dismiss a petition against provincial governor William Powi's 2017 election, amid concerns of corruption. They burned down Powi's home and the local courthouse in the town of Mendi late last week and destroyed an aircraft belonging to the national carrier at the airport. No one was hurt, and Air Niugini said the crew of the Dash 8 airliner were safe and had returned to the capital Port Moresby. The airline said it was conducting "a full review of what occurred, and a risk assessment in accordance with PNG Civil Aviation Safety Authority requirements", with services to the area suspended. Images on social media showed the twin-engine turboprop plane on fire, with the fuselage burnt through. Prime Minister Peter O'Neill on Friday declared a nine-month state of emergency and suspended the provincial government. "Normalcy is being restored in the province and today we want to apologise to Papua New Guinea for the recent events that had taken place, mainly out of frustration," he told the Post Courier newspaper Monday. "No person is above the law and all involved will face the full force of the law and answer for any crime they have committed," he added in a statement. Thomas Eluh, a former policeman, has been given constitutional emergency powers, with O'Neill personally overseeing operations of the provincial government. A Radio New Zealand reporter in Mendi, Melvin Levongo, said police had been outnumbered and unable to stop the rioters who were armed with high-powered weapons. "The mob wanted to do something... people were very angry towards the governor... and so did something to get the attention of the current government," he told the broadcaster. "In PNG history, nobody burnt down Air Niugini (planes) before. It's our pride, and for the people in Mendi to be doing that, it's sad. The whole nation is unhappy about it." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin N. Adri (The Jakarta Post) Balikpapan Mon, June 18, 2018 10:08 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e97b4e0 1 National journalist,reporters,defamation,autopsy,South-Kalimantan,police Free The South Kalimantan Police have ordered an autopsy on the body of deceased reporter Muhammad Yusuf to determine the cause of his death. We will conduct the autopsy as soon as [Yusufs] family gives its consent, said South Kalimantan Police chief Brig. Gen. Rachmat Mulyana on Sunday. Yusufs family, he said, had asked the police to conduct the autopsy after June 29, as they were still mourning his death. Muhammad Yusuf, a reporter for online news portal kemajuanrakyat.co.id, died on June 10 at Kotabaru Regional Public Hospital in South Kalimantan while being detained on defamation and hate speech charges. He was charged under the 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law for allegedly writing inflammatory articles against palm oil plantation company PT. Multi Sarana Agro Mandiri, owned by tycoon Syamsudin Andi Arsyad. On the morning of his death he reportedly had chest pain, breathing difficulties and vomiting and was rushed from Kotabaru prison to the hospital, where he died at 2:30 p.m. Mulyana reported earlier that a medical check-up had indicated no signs of violence on his body, but the nature of the case has raised suspicion among rights activists and journalists. Yusuf reportedly had heart complications that could have been triggered by beating. The National Commission on Human Rights and the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) have assembled a fact-finding team to investigate the case. The South Kalimantan Police themselves have assembled a panel of four officers to review how Kotabaru Police handled the case. (nor/ahw) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Geneva Mon, June 18, 2018 18:21 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e98ff80 2 World Saudi-Arabia,WHO,health,outbreak,death-toll Free Outbreaks of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) killed 23 people in Saudi Arabia between Jan. 21 and May 31 this year, the World Health Organization said on Monday. The deaths were among 75 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) during the period, the WHO said, and take the total number of deaths from the disease to 790 since it was first diagnosed in humans in 2012. The latest figures take the number of confirmed cases to 2,220 since September 2012, including 1,844 from Saudi Arabia. One outbreak in February hit a private hospital in Hafer Albatin region, where the patient passed the disease to three health workers. There was another cluster of six cases in a hospital in Riyadh in the same month, although no health care workers were infected. Two other clusters affected households in Jeddah and Najran. MERS-CoV is a member of a virus family ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. It appears to have emerged in humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012, although it has been traced in camels, the source of the infection, back to at least 1983. The disease is hard to spot, partly because it often infects people with an underlying condition such as diabetes, renal failure or chronic lung disease. But it kills one in three sufferers, and hospital workers are at risk unless extreme caution is taken to identify MERS sufferers early and to protect healthcare workers from infection via airborne droplets such as from coughs and sneezes. Susceptible people should avoid contact with suspected cases and with camels, and anyone who has contact with animals should wash their hands before and afterwards, the WHO said. Everyone should avoid drinking raw camel milk or camel urine, or eating undercooked meat. Three MERS cases have been reported this year outside Saudi Arabia. Oman and the United Arab Emirates each reported a case, while in Malaysia a man fell ill after drinking unpasteurised camel milk during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, June 18, 2018 10:59 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e97d1dd 4 National TNI,army,Papua,shooting Free Five members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) were wounded in two attacks by unidentified gunmen in Papua on Saturday. The shootings occurred in the Puncak Jaya area when the soldiers were on patrol in Yambi, news agency Antara reported. Cendrawasih Military Command head Maj. Gen. George Supit confirmed that five Army personnel had sustained gunshot wounds during the attacks. It is true that [gunmen] shot at the troops on patrol, resulting in wounds from the shots and bullet fragments, George said on Saturday, as quoted by Antara. He added that the injured soldiers were in stable condition and undergoing treatment at the Mulia Regional General Hospital. (stu/ahw) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, June 18, 2018 19:00 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e990e58 1 City Idul-Fitri-2018,puncak,traffic-jam,traffic-diversion Free Cianjur Police in West Java closed the Puncak Cipanas lane and diverted traffic to alleviate congestion in the area as people make their way back after Idul Fitri on Monday afternoon. The congestion was seen along Jl. Dr Muwardi, Cianjur to Cipanas. Cianjur Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Soliyah said congestion had occurred as vehicles started flowing back to the area as the long holiday was nearing its end. The area had become congested with the high number of visitors in the area, he said. Police said vehicles heading from Bandung Cianjur to Bogor had been redirected to Jonggol or Sukabumi. We are still coordinating to see whether the Puncak lane can be reopened. We have redirected vehicles heading to Cipanas, Soliyah said on Monday as quoted by tempo.co. (cal) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefanno Reinard Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, June 19 2018 After outcry from Indonesia and Malaysia, the European Union has seemingly softened its stance on the use of palm oil in biofuel, extending the deadline for the phasing out of palm oil in transport fuels to 2030, nine years longer than the previously proposed deadline of 2021. The extended deadline would allow the Indonesian government and local producers to negotiate with the EU. While the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (Gapki) welcomed the extended deadline, the association said it would wait for further details of the agreement. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Linda Yulisman (The Jakarta Post) Adelaide Tue, June 19 2018 Beautifully lit: Tantanoola Cave on the Limestone Coast of South Australia, comprises a combination of stalactites, stalagmites and helictites formed thousands of years ago. Tourism Australia invited a group of journalists recently to attend Australia Tourism Exchange 2018 in Adelaide, South Australia, and c the state through familiarization trips. Here are the reports. Where to go in Australia? may quickly mention New South Wales and Victoria, of which capitals Sydney and Melbourne, respectively, are best known for their famous landmarks Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as Flinders Street Station and Federation Square. "Join us comrade!" tourists are warmly greeted, as they climb into a vintage car that is no longer produced for a visit back in time to a country that no longer exists. As a symbol of the former Yugoslavia, the Yugo car is back in vogue on Belgrade's streets. Like in other places once stranded behind the detested Iron Curtain, the Serbian capital has found a unique way to cater for a surge in interest and even nostalgia for life under communism. On a three-hour tour, visitors see some of Yugoslavia's most significant sites, seated in one of the once ubiquitous Yugos, ending up at the Museum of History of Yugoslavia which holds dictator Josip Broz Tito's mausoleum. "People come to experience rides in an iconic car and it is something they cannot experience anywhere else in the world actually," Jovana Stojiljkovic, who manages the Yugotour travel agency, told AFP. The last Yugo cars were produced a decade ago, but, says Stojiljkovic, they are still a hit among tourists for the "Rise and Fall of a Nation" tour, on which most clients are foreigners. "It's something similar to a Trabant (East German car) tour in Berlin," she says. Read also: Neon nostalgia in Hong Kong as lights go out - Made in Yugoslavia - For vintage car aficionados, Belgrade has a lot to offer, with sightings of American Chryslers or Ford limousines not uncommon. And for the handful of "Made in Yugoslavia" makes of car, thousands still rumble around on Balkans roads more than 25 years after Yugoslavia's collapse. As well as the Yugo, the small Fica and Zastava 101, all produced at the Zastava plant in the central town of Kragujevac, were the pride of communist Yugoslavia. They were highly popular due to their low price. But the Yugo car was also often the butt of jokes over its design and unreliability. It even appeared in the 1995 Hollywood blockbuster Die Hard With a Vengeance with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. Now it is tourists from all over the world climbing into the Yugos, which in their heyday were exported from Yugoslavia to 74 countries, including Egypt, India and even the United States. Described by the communist authorities as the "deal of the century" for the US market, the Yugo had only limited success there, however. - 'View of history' - When Stojiljkovic was born in 1992, Yugoslavia had already fallen apart in a series of bloody wars and most of its republics were already independent states. But by the age of 25, she had launched a career in preserving the memory of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRJ) and telling its story, coinciding with a wave of "Yugonostalgia" among some for a period viewed as having enjoyed peace and relative prosperity before the onset of the conflicts. Dennis Bertelsen, a 38-year-old Dane on a weekend visit to the city, was among the hundreds of thousands of tourists descending on Belgrade -- it hosted one million last year, 835,000 of whom were from abroad, according to official figures. With his three friends, he said he took the tour "to get a view of the history and what actually had been the development and downfall of Yugoslavia". The itinerary includes passing by the famous Hotel Jugoslavija on the Danube river bank, one of the country's most luxurious at the time. Guests included US presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter as well as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. The hotel has been out of service since it was hit in a 1999 NATO bombing campaign to force the then Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his troops from Kosovo but the building still has a mythical status. Read also: Nostalgia, Rubik's Cube and woolly pigs: Five things to know about Hungary - 'Commercialization' - Polish student Dominik Wojciechowski came across the tour while researching the Fica car for his photo-art project on so-called Yugonostalgia, a feeling still present in all the countries that emerged after Yugoslavia's collapse, although much less in Croatia where a national sense of being Croat is ultra dominant. "I am interested in this process of commercialization of Yugonostalgia and how people today are trying to preserve knowledge of Yugoslavia, while the older generation even (attempts) to return to these times," the 25-year-old said. For him, the most impressive part of the tour was a 30-floor twin tower called Genex, or Western Gates of Belgrade, still among the tallest in the city. "You stand below it and look up how big it is and feel this grandiosity of Yugoslavia and how powerful it was," he said. Most tourists know very little about Yugoslavia, its 22 million people and dictator Tito who led it from the end of World War II until his death in 1980. A decade later, the federation comprising six republics -- Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia -- collapsed in a series of wars that claimed more than 130,000 lives. Although Stojiljkovic never lived in Yugoslavia she said she nevertheless knows a lot about it. "I have heard all the stories from my parents, their friends and the rest of my family, so based on their experience it was a really nice time, they had a good time," she said. And she herself is now the proud owner of two Fica cars, which, she said, was "to show to the rest of the world what they meant to us". Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, June 18, 2018 15:28 1217 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e98ac08 4 News English,study,language,Education,tips Free English has grown to become the global language, used not only in social activities but also deemed important for those wanting to forge a career abroad. Studying foreign languages can now be done online, providing a convenient approach to those who want to learn. "Studying English online is relatively cheaper, more flexible in terms of time and place. Especially for people who work or university students with limited time," Bahaso growth manager Siska Indah Pratiwi said recently, as quoted by Kompas.com. Bahaso itself was established in 2015 and offers an interactive multimedia platform to study English and Mandarin. Siska further explained that people can easily acquire a gadget nowadays to access lessons online. However, she added, mastering the English language cannot be done instantly. Here as some tips to studying English online, as compiled by Kompas.com. 1. Internet connection The first thing to sort out is internet connection. An unstable connection could disrupt the learning process. The easiest way to check is by playing videos on YouTube. If the videos do not buffer, then the internet connection is sufficient and stable. Read also: Raising bilingual children in Indonesia: the strategies 2. Dedicate time Even though studying online can be done anytime and anywhere, dedicating time regularly to studying is important. The aim is to stay focused and study effectively in the allotted time. Find a place where you are comfortable and can remain focused to study for a minimum of 15 minutes. Try not to get distracted and leave social media temporarily while studying. 3. Practice listening Use headphones to help in listening to English to stay focused. 4. Activate spell check Turning on spell check on your gadget will also help in the learning process, as it will assist in correcting spelling and reducing mistakes. Be careful when learning English through music or films, as it might present tricky grammar mistakes. In a song by Justin Bieber for example, there is a line that says, "my mama don't like you", when the grammatically correct way is "my mama doesn't like you". Learning is best from books or articles written in English. 5. Practice The key to learning English is to practice it. The easiest way to do this is to practice with friends and hold conversations in English. (liz/wng) Posted Sunday, June 17, 2018 11:00 pm After years and years of helping patients through cancer diagnosis and treatments, Dr. Roger McFarlin of Hillsboro found himself on the other side of the aisle four years ago, when doctors at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO, discovered cancer all throughout his spine. Dr. McFarlin has been selected as this year's honorary chairman for the 14th annual Montgomery County Birthday Party and Celebration of Life on Saturday, June 23, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Taylor Springs, and will be the guest speaker for the ceremony. A longtime physician in Hillsboro, Dr. McFarlin retired from his practice earlier this year. He and his wife, Doris, reside in Hillsboro. "You just have to enjoy life as much as you possibly can," Dr. McFarlin said. Four years ago, he was working at the clinic, when suddenly he couldn't walk. He said he had been seeing a physician at Barnes Hospital, and Doris picked him up from work and took him straight there. "The doctor immediately put me in the hospital where I had an MRI of my spine, and they found cancer throughout my entire spine," Dr. McFarlin said. He took initial chemotherapy treatments in the hospital, and then later as an outpatient. He still takes tablets every single day as part of his treatment and injections at the hospital every three months. "The initial chemo treatments were awful," said Dr. McFarlin. "The ones now aren't so bad." Although his diagnosis is terminal, Dr. McFarlin said currently, the cancer isn't getting any worse, though it's not getting any better. "The prognosis is that it will get worse," he said. He took about three weeks off from work at the clinic, but was able to go back to work and help patients all throughout this area. "It is a shock," said Dr. McFarlin of finding out he had cancer. "It limits how much you can do, but it also makes you appreciate the things that you have a whole lot more than if you didn't have cancer." Now retired, Dr. McFarlin enjoys farm work, taking the dogs for a walk, working around the house and spending as much time as possible with his wife. "We live a pretty simple life," he said. "We continue to travel occasionally and do things with our friends." They are looking forward to a trip to Montana later this summer and one to Belize in the winter. This will be the first time Dr. McFarlin has attended the MCCA's Birthday Party and Celebration of Life and is looking forward to being part of their special program. For more information or to reserve tickets for $12, contact Shelley Halleman at 217-412-8598. Kathmandu, June 18 Nepali Congress leader Sujata Koirala says the party urgently needs to skilful leaders to address challenges it faces. Koirala, however, said that President Sher Bahadur Deuba does not need to step down immediately. Speaking at a programme in Kathmandu on Monday, Sujata, who is also the daughter of NC stalwart GP Koirala, said, Sher Bahadur Deuba need not to resign from the partys leadership but needs to take responsibility for the loss in the three-tier elections held last year. Stating that the partys reputation was damaged by the loss, Koirala accused the leaders of indulging in nepotism. There are many skilled cadres in every village. If only we understood their sentiments, we can re-establish the status and wake these cadres from their asleep state. She claimed that the party had failed to play the role of the main opposition. Koirala added that only the person who can adopt BP Koiralas ideologies could lead the party. The Koirala family will not exist forever but the BPs ideologies will. So, we need a leader who can move ahead while adopting these philosophy and ideologies. Posted Sunday, June 17, 2018 11:00 pm Hillsboro High School graduate Peyton Tester was named the State Star in Agribusiness as part of this year's State FFA Convention in Springfield on Wednesday, June 13. The son of Dan and Ann Tester of Witt, Tester manages the trucking company, PDT Express, Inc. for his Supervised Agricultural Experience. He currently owns one semi-trailer that hauls commodities across the country. Tester plans to manage and grow this business throughout college and in the future. He is the first from Hillsboro High School to be named a State Star for Agribusiness. In addition to his award, members of the Hillsboro High School FFA chapter attended the 90th annual Illinois State FFA Convention June 12-14 along with more than 5,000 other FFA members, advisors, and guests. Be Bold was the theme of the three-day event which recognizes achievements of Illinois FFA members, elects the major state officer team and celebrates agriculture. Students at the convention were greeted with activities including a career fair featuring colleges and agribusinesses, an evening dance and talent show, and an opportunity to engage in the history of Illinois capitol city. The conventions 2018 service project benefitted children through The Crayon Initiative, which collects old, used crayons and creates new ones for distribution to art programs at childrens hospitals across the nation. The convention program featured addresses by National FFA Southern Region Vice President Ian Bennett of Georgia and from each of the retiring major state officers. Coming up on Wednesday, Lower East Side resident Paul Nasrani will be hosting an ice cream social in the neighborhood to raise awareness of the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Paul is the founder of Adirondack Creamery, which makes some of the best ice cream found in New York. This past October, he created a new flavor, Syrian Date and Walnut ice cream. Adirondack Creamery donates 50% of the profits from this flavor to the International Rescue Committee to aid refugees. On Wednesday, World Refugee Day, there will be a special promotion at the local restaurant, LEnfants de Boheme (177 Henry Street). On this day, $1 from every cup or cone sold will go to the International Rescue Committee. The ice cream social will take place between 6:30-7:30 p.m. Heres more from Paul: At a time when our federal government is inhumanely punishing those who seek refuge here by separating children from their parents, we need to reflect that America was built on the shoulders of millions who sought a better life for their families by leaving all they knew behind to find refuge and opportunity here. Our Syrian Date and Walnut ice cream was inspired by the middle-eastern treat Maamoul and was created not only to introduce customers to a new and delicious flavor but also to bring awareness to the plight of those seeking refuge on our shores and the fact that they have great similarities to those who came before them. Nasrani spoke with The Times Union about his inspiration for the new flavor last fall. You can read that story here. Adirondack Creamery is available at several locations on the Lower East Side, including Fine Fair, Union Market and Whole Foods. Joe Miragliotta, a men's lifestyle and travel blogger who says hes stayed in hundreds of hotels as an influencer, hates the fact that so many ham-handed wannabes are giving influencers a bad name. You've seen the bad emails like, Can you believe this influencer reaching out to me for a free stay!? That's a bad thing. That makes us all look bad, he said. Miragliotta said having a clear pitch and meaningful deliverables can make all the difference to a hotel brand manager. Having a one-sheet is really nice, he said. Have your demographics on lockdown. Have an elevator pitch. Know your audience If you don't know your audience, brands don't know you. You could have 100 million followers, but they won't know who you're marketing to. Linh said that while hotels are still trying to figure out the return on working with influencers, it can be helpful to provide more than just social media posting. We can film something for their website, or provide imagery, she said. They can save money by hiring an influencer vs hiring professional photographers or videographers. Other influencers have gotten even more creative with the services they offer. Zach Benson, who owns a network of travel Instagram accounts and who says he has gotten more than 200 nights for free over the past year and a half, touts his background in digital marketing when he approaches hotels. Along with the traditional Instagram posts and Stories, Benson offers to work with a hotel's digital marketing arm to improve the brand's in-house social media accounts. We really want to help people and make their companies and hotels better, he said. We know that just doing a couple Instagram posts for them isn't really going to help them that much. During his travels, Benson hosts boot camps for hotel social media teams, where he trains employees on things like Facebook ads and Instagram promotion. I just think a lot of the influencers have entitlement mentality, Benson said. A lot of them think about giving the bare minimum. Bedwani said that it's critical that hotels set explicit terms in their deals with influencers. I know a major brand that opened up and flew in a plane full of influencers, he said. Three-quarters of them didn't even post. It was a major fail from their team. Jones, meanwhile, said the Dusit Thani Maldives has all but ceased working with fashion influencers after she discovered that many simply wanted a pretty backdrop for their swimsuit shots. 10 different bikini pictures a day on the beach is great for the bikini company, she said. But you can't even tell where it's taken. It could be anywhere in the Maldives. The transfer of the sweeping epic musical, The King and I opens this month in London (tickets are available on TodayTix now) and we couldnt be more excited. The show follows widowed school teacher Anna as she arrives in Siam. Shes there to teach the children of the King, but finds more than she bargained for inside the walls of the beautiful palace. If youre not familiar with this iconic show, or this transferring production, here are five reasons you should see it! 1. Tony Winner Kelli OHara is making her West End debut The Tony Award-winning actress Kelli OHara will star as Anna, the strong-willed schoolteacher who dares to question the powerful King of Siam (Ken Watanabe) in The King and I. It will be Kellis West End debut having kept musical theatre fans waiting years for her to work in London. If youve never made it over to the US to Kelli on Broadway, you may have recently seen her in season two of the hit Netflix show 13 Reasons Why. 2. Its going to be big! This production, straight from Broadway, is going to be huge. Not only is the cast massive, but the grandeur of the design is set to be pretty stunning. Depicting the grand palace of Siam and the country surrounding it, this will be a spectacular show to see on the giant stage at the Palladium Theatre. 3. The costumes will be gorgeous The costumes in The King and I are designed by six-time Tony Award-winner, Catherine Zuber. The actors will be dressed in sumptuous silks reflecting the wealth and regality of the Kings palace, wives and courtiers, while Anna will be in traditional Western gowns. One purple ball gown in particular is a real showstopper it took 450 hours, 30 pounds of fabric and 20 yards of silk to create the dress. 4. The music is classic Rodgers and Hammerstein Get a taste of the iconic, sweeping score of the The King and I from the productions performance at the 2015 Tony Awards. If you think you dont know the music of the show, you probably do and dont even realise it. The show features Getting to Know You and Shall We Dance? to name just a few. And that amazing ball gown we mentioned before? Watch the video for Kellis quick change into it and see how she manages to dance so elegantly in it too! 5. Its a multi-award-winning show The King and I has already got a serious trophy collection. The Broadway production was nominated for 12 awards, winning five of them, including the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical and the Drama Desk award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical. Will it be the big winner at the Olivier Awards in 2019? Book tickets to see The King and I here. Certainly not in the traditional sense of the slick professionalism were used to on the modern stage. There are moments that were jarring and awkward, or moments where Edgar took pauses which were perhaps a little too long to regain his place in the story, with the aid of a prompt. Its not slick, its slow and stumbling, but what it is is honest.The faltering nature is perhaps a reflection of its source material we were frequently vox-popped along the lines of those over- and under 47 (for purposes as political as you can imagine). Likewise, while the set is nice, the interactions with it are simple and performative (not in the duplicitous sense), but this is the point somehow. The performance is honest, candid, and this closeness to or confidence in the audience allows nuance that an arms-length performance wouldnt.Its an intriguing exploration of the generation who dreamed of revolution in 1968 but to varying degrees abandoned it by the current day. A clever device in this involves talking to a recorded voice through a microphone Edgars 20-year-old past-self who reacts in horror at some of the more bourgeois successes of his 70-year-old self and a key concern of the play is the extent to which we should be allowed to betray our old beliefs or disown or old selves. There is a clear blurring of line between David Edgar as self and as character, what are the preoccupations of the man and what are the preoccupations of the drama fittingly, as how much a person can live through the drama they create is an issue in the play which begins with the line if this were a play. The play is mostly just Edgar talking, to the audience and to himself, but its witty, funny, affable, self-aware.'Trying It On' crosses genres lecture, sermon (but never too preachy), stand-up, autobiography, interview, and documentary to fascinatingly inertia-inducing effect, so that we can never be sure in what mode and to what degree of remove we are being addressed. In this, it makes good use of soundbites from video interviews, including projection. Its also playfully metatheatrical, as with the opening apostrophe if this were a play. At multiple times he makes direct reference to his tech, and, for a joke, to the scrolling script from which he refinds his place dont turn round!. The vox pops are actually interesting in this way as they turn the audience into a strange immersive performance of the political views of a theatrical audience. We seem to be the butt of some of his jokes, and uncomfortably complicit in some unsettling revelations. Edgar makes comments about his own limitations to portray other points of view in the piece, and indirectly but troublingly challenges the ability of the audience to assume understanding of other points of view. In acknowledging that it has limitations and prejudices, it invites the audience to question their own limitations and prejudices. It isnt necessarily good theatre, but in the interesting times in which we live, this kind of self-exploratory drama is essential, not least because it does have some optimism to depart. 'Trying It On' has concluded its time at the Birmingham Rep, but is on tour around the country. Check China Court Theatre's websitefor more information about further dates and locations. Image: Steven Chee Kate Mitchell will return to the National Theatre to direct the piece. Alongside Blanchett, Stephen Dillane returns to the National Theatre for the first time since 2002 when he starred in The Coast of Utopia. Blanchett's last perfomance in London at the Barbican Theatre in 2012, when the actress stared in the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Gross und Klien. Blanchett co-ran the company for five years from 2008 with her husband Andrew Upton. Dillane has worked with Mitchell on four previous occasions in the theatre and is mostly known for his role in Game of Thrones as Stannis Baratheon. Kate Mitchell is returning to the National Theatre after a sold-out production of Cleansed in 2016. Regarding the new production, Mitchell said: It's great to be working with Martin again on this powerful new text and to continue my special collaboration with Stephen Dillane. "At the same time I'm delighted to welcome Cate Blanchett to the National, and look forward to developing a new working relationship with this extraordinary actor. The play, titled When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other - Twelve Variations on Samuel Richardson's Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded reportedly explores the messy and violent nature of desire. It will also examine the complex and fluid roles of men and women within desire. Richardson's text provides grounds for the play as the five characters act out a dangerous game of sexual domination and resistance. First pubished in 1740, Richard's Pamela follows beautiful 15 year old maidservant Pamela who is dealing with unwanted advances from country landowner master, Mr. B. After failing to seduce her, Mr. B rewards her virture by proposing and Pamela is ultimately manipulated into marriage. The rest of the novel follows her journey into uper-class society. Some critics believe that Richardson was one of the first male writers to take a feminist view point whilst writing a novel, as Pamela is depicted through her emotions and thoughts, instead of being a surface level character. Tickets for the perfomrance will go on sale in autumn 2018. What the hell is this doing in one of the University of Nottingham Florence Boot Halls shared bathroom? This is disgusting. What is wrong with people. @UniofNottingham pic.twitter.com/3AOatFugKx Victoria (@victoriakayexo) May 30, 2018 This disgusting message was removed as soon as staff were made aware of it. It doesn't reflect the values of the Uni and the behaviour we expect within our community. We're investigating to find who placed it there. (1/3) Uni of Nottingham (@UniofNottingham) May 30, 2018 There has been a huge rise in racist incidents happening at UK universities in the past two years, with recent figures showing an increase of over sixty per cent. Data obtained from freedom of information requests made by The Independent have exposed the surge in the number of alleged racist incidents on campuses across the country. Analysis of these statistics, which were released by ninety four UK universities, reveals that one-hundrend-and-twenty-nine alleged racist incidents were reported in 2017, a much higher figure than the eighty reported in 2015. Meanwhile in 2016, one-hundred-and-five alleged racist incidents were reported to UK universities, meaning that there has been a twenty-three per cent rise in one year and a sixty per cent rise in the past two years. With worries that many racist incidents are going un-reported, the National Union of Students (NUS) is calling on universities to better tackle racism and take racist claims more seriously. Ilyas Nagdee, NUS black students officer, said: "Universities will continue to be perceived as liberal places of tolerance when unfortunately all the data, all the stories and all the evidence is telling us this is not the case." Out of the ninety four universities who released data, nearly two in five revealed an increase in the number of racist incidents in the past two years. In the same time period, figures obtained from UK universities also show that the number of religiously motivated hate crime incidents has doubled from six incidents in 2015 to twelve incidents in 2017. NUS suspects the rise in alleged racist incident reports may be due to the increased efforts of student officers alongside the increase in student-led intolerance campaigns on campuses. Over the past year several high-profile racist incidents on UK campuses have been exposed via social media posts. One shocking event that was brough to the attention of many via the power of social media was when - at a student halls of residence in Nottingham - racist chants were made outside student Rufaro Chisango's bedroom. She filmed the chants, later uploading the recording to Twitter where her video subsequently went viral. The perpetrators were arrested with one pleading guilty and being ordered by the judge to pay copensation to Chisango. Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: Home Page Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 14C. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low near 7C. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. The UK might have some of the safest roads in the world, but there are some that have been proven to be more dangerous than others. In a bid to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on English roads, the Government has set aside a 100 million Safer Roads Fund to enable local authorities to improve around 50 of the most notorious A-road routes in the next three years. The full list - which includes the road recently named as the most dangerous in the UK by a European safety expert - has been ranked by the cost it will take to improve safety along these sections. Are any of the soon-to-be-revamped 56 routes ones you use regularly? You can see the full list below. Safer Roads Fund big spenders: These are the 10 English routes that will cost the most to upgrade to make safer using the Government's new 100m pot The spending of the Safer Roads Funds between now and 2021 was confirmed by Transport Minister Jesse Norman this week. Local authorities were asked to bid for the available funds if there were routes that had a particularly poor track record for crashes. The Government said the plan would target the 50 most dangerous roads, although funding has actually been given to improve 56 routes. An additional 75 million was also allocated to the budget, though the total spend has barely had to dip into that extra cash. UK roads are second safest in Europe The UK's roads are the second safest in Europe, with only lightly-populated Sweden seeing less casualties, according to annual European Commission road safety statistics. Its preliminary findings for 2017 showed 27 deaths per million inhabitants on UK roads, compared to Sweden's figure of 25. The UK figure compares to an EU average of 49 and is down 5 per cent on 2016 and 7 per cent on 2010. In total, the Government will fork out 100,165,732 to revamp dangerous routes, with upgrades taking place over the next 36 months. Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Norman said: 'I am pleased today to announce the successful bids for the Safer Roads Fund, which we made available to enable local authorities to improve the 50 most dangerous stretches of A roads in England. 'We are investing 100 million to tackle these dangerous roads. 'This sum fully funds all bids from the local authorities concerned. 'The additional 75 million initially allocated for the work has not been required, but we will continue to look closely at further scope for capital improvements to improve road safety.' The UK's most dangerous road - A537 between Macclesfield and Buxton - will benefit from the government fund The 11-mile stretch, also known as the Cat and Fiddle, will have 2,490,000 spent on it to make it safer. It's the 13th most expensive route to receive the government funding Included in the list is the notorious A537 between Macclesfield and Buxton. This stretch of road was rated as road with the most 'persistently higher risk' by a European road safety group. EuroRAP described the 11-mile route, which is also know as the Cat and Fiddle, as a 'busy higher risk road where serious crashes are little improved or worsening' in the last six years. A sum of 2.49 million has been allocated to Cheshire County Council to make safety improvements to the road, which will take place during 2020 and 2021. It's not the route that will have the highest spending, though. That goes to the A592, linking the A591 at Windermere to the A66 in Penrith. Some 7.44 million will be spent on that route to make it markedly safer than before. Here's a full list routes that will benefit from the 100 million Safer Roads Fund in order of highest cost. THE 56 A ROADS TO BENEFIT FROM THE 100 MILLION SAFER ROADS FUND Road section Local authority Cost Date for updates A592 A591 Windermere A66 Penrith Cumbria County Council 7,440,000 2020/21 A684 M6 37 A1 Leeming Bar North Yorkshire County Council 7,065,000 2018/19 A361 Banbury Chipping Norton Oxfordshire County Council 4,135,000 2017/18 A529 Hinstock A41 Market Drayton A53 Shropshire County Council 3,888,000 2018/19 A161 Goole -Ealand East Riding of Yorkshire Council 3,861,000 2017/18 A161 Urban Area North Lincolnshire Council 3,225,000 2020/21 A683 Lancaster A65 Kirkby Lonsdale Lancashire County Council 3,110,000 2019/20 A5012 A515 A6 Cromford Derbyshire County Council 3,079,000 2020/21 A6108 Ripon Scotch Corner North Yorkshire County Council 2,972,000 2020/21 A18 Laceby Ludborough North East Lincolnshire Council 2,822,000 2018/19 A631 Market Rasen Louth Lincolnshire County Council 2,725,000 2020/21 A5004 Buxton Whaley Derbyshire County Council 2,540,000 2020/21 A537 Macclesfield A34 Buxton Cheshire County Council 2,490,000 2020/21 A126 Lakeside Tilbury Thurrock Borough Council 2,488,792 2020/21 A536 Lower Heath A34 Macclesfield Cheshire County Council 2,310,000 2020/21 A3123 Mullacott Cross A361 A399 Devon County Council 2,200,000 2020/21 A634 Maltby Blyth Nottinghamshire County Council 2,181,000 2017/18 A4173 A38 Pitchcombe A46 Gloucestershire County Council 2,160,000 2017/18 A252 Charing A20 Chilham A28 Kent County Council 2,146,000 2019/20 A684 M6 J37 A1 Leeming Bar Cumbria County Council 1,987,940 2018/19 A3071 St Just Penzance A30 Cornwall County Council 1,940,000 2020/21 A588 Lancaster Skippool A585 Lancashire County Council 1,904,000 2018/19 A3121 Ermington A37 Wrangaton A38 Devon County Council 1,900,000 2019/20 A4 M4 J7 M4 J5 Slough Borough Council 1,711,000 2020/21 A32 Fareham Gosport Hampshire County Council 1,581,000 2019/20 A285 Petworth Boxgrove West Sussex County Council 1,532,000 2017/18 A290 Canterbury Seasalter Kent County Council 1,501,000 2020/21 A6033 Hebden Bridge Cross Roads Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council 1,432,000 2019/20 A628 Ashton-Under Lyne A62 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council 1,400,000 2019/20 A1303 Stowe-cum-Quy Newmarket Bypass Cambridgeshire County Council 1,302,000 2017/18 A581 A59 Rufford A49 Euxton Lancashire County Council 1,263,000 2020/21 A1084 Brigg Caistor Lincolnshire County Council 1,245,000 2019/20 A6 Lancaster-M6 J33 Lancashire County Council 1,216,000 2019/20 A619 Bakewell -Baslow Derbyshire County Council 1,179,000 2018/19 A3058 Quintrell Downs Summercourt A30 Cornwall County Council 1,160,000 2020/21 A217 Reigate Gatwick Surrey County Council 1,117,000 2020/21 A57 M62 J7- Lingley Green St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council 1,040,000 2019/20 A532 Ashton-Under Lyne A62 Cheshire County Council 1,030,500 2017/18 A40 Stokenchurch West Wycombe Buckinghamshire County Council 999,000 2017/18 A371 Weston-Super- Mare A370 Banwell North Somerset Council 982,000 2019/20 A670 Ashton-under-Lyne A62 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council 962,000 2019/20 A167 Topcliffe Carloton Miniott North Yorkshire County Council 900,000 2017/18 A6033 Hebden Bridge Littleborough Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council 899,000 2019/20 A1290 Usworth West Bolden Sunderland Borough Council 782,500 2020/21 A631 Bishop Ridge Market Rasen Lincolnshire County Council 645,000 2019/20 A682 Barrowford Long Preston North Yorkshire County Council 615,000 2018/19 A27 Fareham Cosham Hampshire County Council 600,000 2019/20 A36 Wigley Totton Hampshire County Council 568,000 2017/18 A67 A66 Bowes Barnard Castle Durham County Council 528,000 2017/18 A682 Barrowford -A65 Long Preston Lancashire County Council 450,000 2018/19 A1290 Usworth West Bolden Sunderland Borough Council 210,000 2017/18 A36 Wigley Totton Hampshire County Council 180,000 2019/20 A27 Fareham Cosham Hampshire County Council 178,000 2017/18 A27 Fareham Corsham Portsmouth 178,000 2017/18 A32 Fareham Gosport Hampshire County Council 149,000 2017/18 A27 Fareham Corsham Portsmouth 61,000 2019/20 Source: Department for Transport Jesse Norman said the 100 million fund would work alongside two other road safety projects aimed at reducing casualties. One of these measures is to equip police forces with the latest-generation mobile breathalysers. The 350,000 investment will give patrols the tools to accurately determine if drivers are over the alcohol limit and use the readings to prosecute. The second is a 480,000 partnership between police forces and the RAC Foundation to trial an innovative approach to road collision investigation, carrying out more in-depth, qualitative analysis of the underlying causes of road safety incidents. M6 and A8(M) named most dangerous roads in Britain The M6 and the A8(M) - the UKs longest and shortest motorways - have been dubbed the most dangerous roads in Britain. The two routes have witnessed more accidents than any other roads in the country, new research said. Car leasing specialist, UK Carline, used a series of Freedom of Information requests to uncover which British road had the worst track record for smashes. It found that the M6, which stretches 232 miles from Leicestershire to the Scottish borders and is at the centre of the UK motorway network, and the 280m long A8(M) in Scotland are the most dangerous, with each road having five car accidents each week (almost one a day). The worst 10 roads can be found here: 1. M6 (Cheshire /Warwickshire) - 227 accidents 2. A8 M (Scotland) - 227 accidents 3. A30 (Devon) - 213 accidents 4. A35 (Dorset) - 173 accidents 5. A46 (Warwickshire) - 123 accidents 6. A34 (Staffordshire) - 112 accidents 7. Manchester Road (Greater Manchester) - 100 accidents 8. A49 (West Mercia) - 106 accidents 9. A49 (Cheshire) - 92 accidents 10. M1 (Northampton) - 58 accidents Source: UK Carline *Data on number of serious road accidents in 2017 requested from 39 UK police forces in December 2017 with 27 responses received Transport Minister Jesse Norman confirmed which 56 English roads would benefit from the fund on Wednesday Other Department for Transport developments confirmed this week include a refreshed road safety statement and a two-year action plan to make roads safer for four priority groups. These are young people, rural road users, motorcyclists and older vulnerable users. 'The first three of these groups are continually over-represented in our road casualty statistics, while we have data to confirm that the safety of older road users is a growing concern,' Mr Norman added. 'Our goal is for everyone to continue to enjoy the mobility that driving offers, but to do so safely. 'The development of this refreshed road safety statement will also take account of the early lessons from the new road collision investigation pilots.' UPDATE: Abraham Schot appointed as new Audi chairman Audi boss Rupert Stadler was arrested on Monday as part of the ongoing investigation into the VW Group's wider dieselgate scandal. Stadler is the most senior company official so far to be taken into custody over the German carmaker's part in the emissions cheating actions first highlighted in 2015. Munich prosecutors said Rupert Stadler was being detained due to fears he might hinder an ongoing investigation into the scandal, plunging VW into a leadership crisis. Emissions arrest: Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, seen here speaking during the company's annual news conference in Ingolstadt in March, has been detained due to fears he might hinder an ongoing investigation into the dieselgate scandal News of the arrest comes as VW's new group CEO Herbert Diess is trying to introduce a new leadership structure - which includes Stadler - and speed up the group's shift towards electric vehicles in the wake of the biggest motoring scandal in modern history. It comes just a week after Volkswagen said it is being fined one billion euro (880 million) by German authorities in connection with dieselgate. Volkswagen said it would accept the fine imposed by prosecutors in the German city of Braunschweig. Audi has since appointed a new temporary chairman for its management board. Abraham Schot, who was head of Audi's sales and marketing, has taken over the role with immediate effect. The decision came after Stadler had requested that the Supervisory Board release him from his position following his arrest. Audi confirmed: 'This release applies temporarily, until the circumstances that led to his arrest have been clarified.' Prosecutors concluded that Volkswagen failed to properly oversee the activity of its engine development department, resulting in some 10.7 million diesel vehicles with illegal emissions-controlling software being sold worldwide. Sadler is expected to be a figurehead of VW's new group CEO Herbert Diess' revised leadership structure that aims to speed-up the development of electric vehicles in the wake of the dieselgate scandal Mercedes-Benz last week was also told to recall 238,000 vehicles in Germany after the transport ministry reported that they were fitted with emissions-cheating defeat devices. A total of 774,000 models across Europe are said the be equipped with the same technology. Speaking on Monday in regards to Stadler's arrest, Munich prosecutor's office said: 'As part of an investigation into diesel affairs and Audi engines, the Munich prosecutor's office executed an arrest warrant against Mr Professor Rupert Stadler on June 18, 2018.' A judge in Germany has ordered that Stadler be remanded in custody, it said, to prevent him from obstructing or hindering the diesel investigation. Audi and VW confirmed the arrest and reiterated there was still a presumption of innocence for Stadler. A spokesman for the brand said Stadler's arrest would be discussed at a supervisory board meeting on Monday. VW admitted in September 2015 to using illegal software to cheat U.S. emissions tests on diesel engines, sparking the biggest crisis in the company's history and leading to a regulatory crackdown across the auto industry. The United States filed criminal charges against former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn in May, but he is unlikely to face U.S. authorities because Germany does not extradite its nationals to countries outside the European Union. The Munich prosecutors said Stadler's arrest was not made at the behest of US authorities. The executive was arrested at his home in Ingolstadt in the early hours on Monday, they said. Stock markets around the world have started the week on edge as trade wars and Brexit dominate the agenda. Investors will be watching for any signals of further escalation in trade tensions between America and others, as well as any danger signs of fresh fallout in the government over Brexit. In companies news CYBG has reached agreement on a 1.7bn takeover of Virgin Money. Ruthless energy firms have been criticised for using excessive numbers of court orders to forcibly install prepayment meters in the homes of customers struggling to pay bills. Industry regulator Ofgem is concerned companies such as British Gas are rushing to use warrants to insist families in debt have meters put in. At the same time these customers are being hit with costs of the legal action which allows energy staff to force their way into a home and installation, which can be as much as 900. Ofgem said 84,230 electricity and gas prepayment meters were installed last year to recover money from customers in debt. British Gas installed almost half of these 41,614 which was a 26 per cent increase on the year before. Smaller firms Ovo Energy and Utility Warehouse were also criticised for over-use of the courts and warrants. Industry regulator Ofgem is concerned companies such as British Gas are rushing to use warrants to insist families in debt have prepayment meters put in The meters being installed require customers to repay their debt over time through buying credits for gas and electricity. They also ensure people pay for energy before they use it. Ofgem says energy firms should identify people struggling with bills early and devise repayment plans, rather than using heavy-handed tactics that can leave customers who are already in debt with huge extra charges. It said suppliers must only install prepayment meters by force to recover debt as a last resort, and its figures make clear some suppliers are using such tactics too often. The regulator said: Three suppliers forcibly installed a much higher proportion of meters per head for their newly indebted customers than the industry average. Ofgem said 84,230 electricity and gas prepayment meters were installed last year to recover money from customers in debt It said Utility Warehouse used the tactic five times more than the industry average, British Gas did it twice as much, and Ovo Energy used the warrants a third more than average. Ofgem added: Whilst Utility Warehouse and Ovo Energy have improved their performance since 2016, installing fewer meters under warrant, their use is still high. Earlier this year, Ofgem banned forcible installations for the most vulnerable and capped charges at 150 they had previously ranged from 400 to 900. Rob Salter-Church, from Ofgem, said: We expect all suppliers to reach out to these customers and respond to their needs, not exacerbate their difficulties. British Gas said it has cut the number of court cases designed to force customers to have meters since last year, adding: Warrants are only ever issued as a last resort. Ovo Energy said it had changed its policy last August and installed fewer than ten prepayment meters under warrant since then. Utility Warehouse did not respond to requests for a comment. Brexiteers accused Brussels of an 'outrageous' threat to holiday makers today after the EU risks chaos in the skies by banning aviation chiefs from preparing no deal continengcy plans. Tory Simon Clarke told MailOnline the tactics of EU negotiator Michel Barnier were an 'abuse of process' that threatened the interests of passengers and business. Senior figures in the airline industry warned today there will be no chance of cobbling together a 'last minute' deal if Brexit talks collapse in the run up to exit day on March 29, 2019. Flights over Britain and Europe are tightly regulated in 'Open Skies' arrangements bound up in the UK's membership of the EU. A shut down of the skies threatens thousands of holiday bookings and would devastate routine business travel until a deal was put in place. Senior figures in the airline industry warned today there will be no chance of cobbling to together a 'last minute' deal if Brexit talks collapse in the run up to exit day on March 29, 2019 (file image of a BA aircraft at Heathrow. BA owner IAG has said it believes there will be a deal) Revealing the new threat, a senior industry figure told The Times: 'We are the most heavily regulated industry in the world after nuclear. 'It is not feasible to cobble together a last-minute deal even if there is a political need.' Another industry source claimed EU negotiators were putting politics above the interests of the people it is supposed to represent. They said: 'This is purely about a negotiating strategy.' Responding to the claims Conservative Simon Clark told MailOnline: 'This is an outrageous tactic from Barnier and runs contrary to the best interests of European holidaymakers and businesses just as it does British ones. Airbus could be forced to halt plane building with no aviation deal Airbus components made in the UK may lose regulatory sign off in a no deal Brexit (file image of an Airbus A350 engine) Britain's largest aeroplane manuafacturer could be forced to stop building aircraft if there is no Brexit deal on aviation, it was claimed today. Regulations on plane components are contained in the same rules governingt Europe's 'Open Skies' regime. Because it is an EU agreement, when Britain Brexits, there must be a replacement in place to avoid legal limbo. A failure to strike a deal could mean Airbus factories downing tools as soon as next March. Airbus employs thousands of people in Britain, including at a wing factory in Filton, Bristol. Airbus decline to comment when contacted by MailOnline. Advertisement 'The Government is working in good faith to deliver a deal that works for all parties, but sensible preparations need to made for all outcomes. 'This is an abuse of that process at a very sensitive time.' Senior Brexiteer Tory Nigel Evans told MailOnline: 'All the concessions have been made by Britain and all the obstructions are by Brussels. 'We will want to continue buying all the same goods from France, Italy Spain and the others and Barnier should learn that the UK will not stand for cherry picking by him. 'It's in all our interests to trade as freely and frictionless as possible. 'No wonder President Trump gets irritated by the intransigence of the EU.' Michael Fabricant added: 'It's just the usual way the EU bargains. 'Game playing to the end in the hope of gaining an advantage.' Peter Jenkins, managing director of luxury villa specialist Sun-hat Villas & Resorts, told MailOnline: 'Airlines are releasing flights for March 2019 and onwards. 'However, we currently face a situation where nobody knows what will replace the current Open Skies agreement. 'Passengers need clarity or they simply won't book. An update is needed, and quickly.' He added: 'This is going to take a long time to negotiate. It's not as simple as ticking a few boxes. Concerns about delays to talks on keeping the skies open have been formally raised with EU negotiator Michel Barnier (file image) 'We are moving towards a situation where people are going to be pre-booking themselves on flights that may not even be legally allowed to take off or land when the time comes. 'I suspect we will see a lot of flights for March 2019 onwards cancelled or rescheduled as we move through the year, which could cause chaos with people's future travel plans.' Britain's biggest airline, British Airways, has repeatedly insisted a deal is likely to be struck as 900 million travellers a year benefit from the current 'Open Skies' deal. Ryanair warned its customers in January that flights for the summer of 2019 would be subject to cancellation in the event of no deal. Customers will get refunds for their flights if the airline is unable to operate after Brexit. Tickets for March 2019 will be sold as normal from September in expectation of a deal, Ryanair chief executive Kenny Jacobs said. Flights between Britain and Europe are tightly regulated in 'Open Skies' arrangements bound up in the UK's membership of the EU Concerns about delays to talks on keeping the skies open have been formally raised with EU negotiator Michel Barnier. Officials have reminded Mr Barnier that when the EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) took over responsibility from national regulators in 2003, after years of planning, planes were still grounded because 'companies and regulators struggled to catch up with new arrangements'. Their letter read: 'Our risk analysis concludes that EASA and the CAA need to urgently begin technical and contingency planning discussions by the June European Council, separate to the political negotiations. 'Without an agreed solution then supply chain disruption across Europe will occur, parts will be unable to be delivered, pilots and maintenance technicians will be unable to work, aerospace companies in the UK will lose foreign validations for their business, and aircraft will be grounded globally.' Ryanair warned its customers in January that flights for the summer of 2019 would be subject to cancellation in the event of no deal (file image) The commission declined to comment on the letter 'until we have replied'. But in a 'notice to stakeholders on the withdrawal of the UK and European aviation safety rules', it said: 'Certificates issued before the withdrawal date by the competent authorities of the UK . . . will no longer be valid as of the withdrawal date in the EU.' Some European diplomats are also frustrated at the hardline approach. One said: 'If aircraft are grounded and there's chaos then people won't say, 'Oh, thanks for sticking to the letter of law'. They'll blame us for allowing things to break down. They'd be right.' MBABANE Like shopaholics on Black Friday, people rushed to registration centres yesterday, as it was the last day of registration for the 2018 National Elections. Most of the centres were a hive of activity than the usual days as most people rushed to meet the deadline yesterday. A majority of the people who registered cited work commitments as the main reason they were forced to register on the last day. They said they already had candidates in mind and would not miss the chance to make their votes count. Mluleki Dlamini, who registered at the Buy N Save Spar, said the long queues were a turn-off for him during the past six weeks registration period, which is why he decided to do it on the last day. However, Dlamini said despite the long queues, his work commitment was the main challenge for him not to register during the other days. He said he dedicated the last Sunday to register and was going to be patient and queue. According to Dlamini, he was very lucky as by the time he was registered, which was slightly after lunch, there were absolutely no queues. I took chances and got lucky, he said with a smile. According to Dlamini, he would be voting under the Mbabane East Constituency. He said he was considering voting for a woman but would inspect the list of candidates who have been nominated first before he could cast his vote. I am looking at voting for an individual who will serve the interest of his or her community, Dlamini said. Women He said he supported women participation in elections, hence he would consider voting for a woman candidate to take up the seat in Parliament. Sitakele Thwala said she was a first time voter and was excited to have finally got the opportunity to register and would be voting for someone to represent her in the community. MBABANE Will Wednesday mark the end of the 10th Parliament? Arguably, this is the question that many people, including Members of Parliament, asked themselves after His Majesty King Mswati III called Sibaya. Many people predicted that the Monarch would dissolve Parliament in readiness to form a new government under the 11th Parliament after the announcement was made during a press conference at Ludzidzini Royal Residence yesterday morning. According to the countrys Constitution, Sibaya is the National Council constituted by Bantfwabenkhosi, chiefs, of the realm and adult citizens gathered at the official residence of the Queen Mother under the chairmanship of the King, who might delegate this function to any official. Controversial Sibaya is the annual general meeting of the nation which can be convened at anytime to present the views of the nation on pressing and controversial national issues. The Constitution also provided that the people, through Sibaya, constitute the highest policy and advisory council (Libandla) of the nation. Conveying the Kings message, Acting Ludzidzini Governor, Chief Lusendvo Fakudze, said the nation was expected to be seated inside the cattle byre at 11 am. The King also urged the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is in charge of national events in the country to make sure that the nation was transported to Ludzidzini before 11am on Wednesday. The Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Anthony Masilela confirmed having received the directive from the King. As a result, Masilela said they would meet the relevant ministry this morning as far as transport was concerned. Worth noting is that Sibaya, which its agenda is only known during the Kings speech, always comes with surprises to the nation. However, possible agendas of Sibaya include among others, the dissolving of Parliament, which happens after five years, changes within the Cabinet or allowing public opinions on pressing and controversial national issues in order to find a solution. In random interviews after the announcement, a majority of Members of Parliament shared the sentiment that there was a likelihood that the Monarch would dissolve the 10th Parliament in readiness of the formation of the new government. The legislators said it was common cause that the King, who is the chairman of Sibaya, exercises his constitutional powers during this time of the year. Inkhosi ayifakwa emagama emlonyeni futsi kulukhuni kucabanga kutsi ngabe itawuphefumula itsini kubantfu bayo. Kepha ngiyasola kutsi ingahle itsi iphalamende lekhona ayibeke phansi emajoko kute kwakhiwe hulumende lomusha, said Siphofaneni PM Gundwane Gamedze in vernacular. This is loosely translated: Even though it is not easy to predict the Kings speech, I have the feeling that he might dissolve the 10th Parliament in order to form a new government. Gamedze said they were ready to hear and keep the Kings words. Gege MP Mbongiseni Malinga said the King might dissolve the Parliament to create a level ground for the nation to start the race for the 11th Parliament. Elections Some MPs, however, stated that they were eager to go home so that they could start preparing for the upcoming elections. They said ideally, the 10th Parliament would have been dissolved so that they could concentrate on the preparations for the elections. Akusasebenteki ngoba utsi usebenta ube ucabanga kutsi kwentekani lemuva. Utsi usebenta kube kungena tincingo lemuva, said Kubutha MP Njabulo Mabuza. However, Mabuza said the King might say something different from what people expected. Worth noting was that the majority of MPs missed sittings recently, resulting in postponements. David McNew/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Candidates across the country and from both parties in key midterm races are grappling with how to respond to the backlash over the controversial separation of undocumented immigrants and their young children at the U.S.-Mexico border. It is a situation that is becoming more complicated by the day and by a president who as recently as Monday doubled down on his charged rhetoric. Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who faces a competitive race this fall in a swing district that spans some 800 miles along the U.S.-Mexico border, pushed back on the policy Monday morning, the day after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's denial over the weekend that the Trump administration has a policy of separating families at the border. There is currently no law mandating separation of families, and the so-called "zero-tolerance" policy on illegal border crossings, set forth by Trump and implemented by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has come under sharp criticism by lawmakers, advocates, and the religious community. That policy has led to children being separated from parents caught illegally crossing the border. "This is part of the problem with this administration on this policy. There's different elements of the government that don't understand what's really going on," Hurd told NPR's Morning Edition in an interview, "This is just absolutely unacceptable, taking kids from their mothers is not preventing terrorists or drugs from coming into this country." Nielsen defended the administration and her department's handling of the situation Monday at a conference of the National Sheriff's Association in New Orleans. "It's important to understand that these minors are very well taken care of. Don't believe the press," Nielsen said. Hurd's Democratic opponent Gina Ortiz Jones, a U.S. Air Force Veteran a first-generation American, joined a march to Tornillo, Texas, a port of entry into the United States, to protest the policy alongside other Democratic candidates running in Texas this cycle, including U.S. Senate candidate and El Paso Congressman Beto O'Rourke and gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez. O'Rourke, the Democratic challenger to incumbent GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, directly disputed Nielsen's claim that the administration does not have a policy of separating families, tweeting Monday morning, "You do. Ive met moms held in cells w their young kids before you take them. Seen the kids behind cyclone fences after youve unaccompanied them. Been w parents prosecuted like common criminals for doing what any parent would do, through tears asking me where their kids are." Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, the Democratic vying to unseat GOP Rep. John Culberson in a swing district in the Houston suburbs, urged Congress to protect both families seeing asylum at the border, and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. "There is no doubt that we need to fix our immigration system, and the residents in this district have told me how concerned they are about doing so," Fletcher said in a statement provided to ABC News, "Right now, Congress needs to perform its essential function to check the Administrations devastating separation of asylum-seeking families at the border and needs to keep the promises we made to DREAMERs." While the controversy has become front and center in many high-profile Texas races, it's impact has spread to races across the country. In Nevada, Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen, who is hoping to unseat GOP Sen. Dean Heller, joined a group of her colleagues in condemning the separation of families at the border. "The images were seeing of children crying alone while being held in detention centers are heart-wrenching and demand action from Congress," Rosen wrote in a press release last week, "Parents are being separated from their kids every day, even though there is no mandate in the law requiring border agents to do so." In a break from the Trump administration, Heller said he does not support the policy of separating families, and called on Congress to act to solve the problem. "Senator Heller doesnt support separating children from their families, and he believes that this issue highlights just how broken our immigration system is and why Congress must act to fix it," read a statement from Heller's office provided to ABC News. In a sign that Democrats appear united in their opposition to the policy, California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced Monday that the party's entire caucus in the Senate supports her bill to end the separation of families at the U.S. Mexico border, dubbed the "Keep Families Together Act." In Florida, competitive races for the U.S. Senate and governor's mansion, coupled with the political omnipresence of sitting Gov. Rick Scott, has generated a number of passionate responses from candidates of both parties. "First the reports you see, its disturbing, its disgusting. It just shows you that Congress has not done their job," Gov. Scott, who is mounting a bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, told a local television station, "We need to have an immigration policy that people understand, we need to secure our borders, but we cant have people being treated unfairly." Andrew Gillum, the current mayor of Tallahassee and a Democratic candidate running in the race to succeed Scott as the state's next governor, lambasted Scott for not speaking out forcefully enough during a "moral crisis." "I demand that Governor Scott who is now asking for our vote to be our next Senator stand up to the Trump Administration and support S. 3036, the Keeping Families Together Act," Gillum wrote in a statement released Sunday, "Yesterday he didnt have much to say on this crisis, but in times of moral crisis we need our leaders to step forward. We demand the reconciliation and reunification of families." Former Democratic Rep. Gwen Graham, another contender in the gubernatorial race, weighed in with a short response to President Trump's Monday morning barrage of immigration-related tweets. In the border state of Arizona, which is also holding elections for the U.S. Senate and governor's mansion in November, one Democratic gubernatorial candidate "Ducey is either afraid of Trump or he agrees with him; either way his silence is de facto support for Trump. Arizona needs a governor with the guts to say to Trump that what he is doing is inhumane, un-American and it must stop now," Garcia wrote in a statement last week. Ducey, who officially launched his re-election campaign Monday, did not respond to ABC News' request for comment on the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. In California, a Democratic running in a heated congressional race in Orange County called the separation of families "immoral." "Immigrant children should not be separated and put in cages. Refusing abused women seeking asylum is immoral," Democratic candidate Harley Rouda, who is one of two Democrats hoping to take on GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, tweeted last week. While candidates in swing states and districts spar over the controversy, President Trump again inserted himself into the debate. Just this morning, the President continued to fume on Twitter over inaction on the issue of immigration, pointing the finger once again at Democrats who he claims aren't coming to the table to negotiate, a claim many Democrats dispute and say is disingenuous. "If the Democrats would sit down instead of obstructing we could have something done very quickly," President Trump said Monday from the White House at a meeting with the National Space Council. In a rare policy statement released over the weekend, first lady Melania Trump urged Congress to find a bipartisan solution to the issue. "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," a statement released Sunday from the First Lady's Communications Director Stephanie Grisham read. Former first lady Laura Bush called the separation of families at the border "cruel" in an op-ed published over the weekend in the Washington Post. "I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," Bush wrote. Amidst the back and forth between campaigns, the president, and multiple cabinet members is a Congress that continues to struggle to find a bipartisan consensus on the issue of immigration. Neither of the immigration bills slated for a vote this week in Congress looks like they have garnered enough support from a majority of the Republican Party or a coalition that stretches across party lines. The House is expected to take up two GOP immigration bills this week that will each include a provision Republicans say would keep unaccompanied alien children together with parents and legal guardians while in the custody of the Justice Department or Department of Homeland security. Critics argue that the provision would allow the government to keep families in custody indefinitely. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Media: There's Been a "Bump" Or Three On STAR Bond Highway - The Sentinel Controversial from the beginning, Kansas STAR Bonds have not done much to alleviate the critics' concerns. As the Topeka Capital Journal's Tim Carpenter observes in a largely positive article about STAR bonds, there has been more than one "bump on the STAR bond highway." Now, it's our theory (backed up with word from Insiders) that Kansas politicos want to putout of business in the Sunflower State following a horrific decapitation tragedy . . . Thankfully, the most prolific Conservative author in the KC area did a lot of the leg work and offers some vitalon the low-key shut down effort.Take a look: KC police suggest fatal shootings were justified. Shouldn't they investigate first? Two shooting incidents involving law enforcement officers in Kansas City are troubling reminders that protecting the public is dangerous work. On Thursday, a woman was shot and killed by police in the Northland, apparently after wielding a decorative sword. Just a few minutes later, police officers shot and killed two men downtown in an unrelated incident. Nobody likes to be second-guessed on the job . . . Especially not from the safety of a newsroom. Here's the editorial board playing social justice advocate . . . From a distance. Read more: "Today marks a dark day in Kansas City history. 85 years ago mobsters gunned down and killed four law enforcement officers and a criminal fugitive at Union Station railroad depot. It was the morning of June 17, 1933. "The killings of four peace officers and the prisoner has gone down in history as the Kansas City Massacre. The mass shooting led to a major FBI policy change: agents began carrying firearms." Testament to this town's history and how prisoner transports have always been dangerous . . .Deets:Hopefully, more for the morning update . . . KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An 18-year-old man has been charged in an Olathe homicide. Angelo Monteleone is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Daniel Bowden. At 11:45 p.m. Friday, officers responded to the 100 block of South Clairborne Road to investigate an armed disturbance. Parkland Shooting Survivors To Discuss Voting, Gun Violence At Forum In Kansas City, Kansas Survivors of the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, will host a town hall in Kansas City, Kansas, Monday night as part of a national tour. NPR reports that March For Our Lives, the organization founded by the student activists who put together the event of the same name in Washington, D.C. DNC talking points after a horrific tragedy and demographic targeting OR powerful testimony on tour in a community recently rocked by gun violence.Check the words, realize it's dumb/ineffective/and nasty to target youngsters with vitriolic criticism and then you decide . . . 'I-70 is a nightmare.' Missouri Influencers weigh in on state's infrastructure woes Ignored. Underfunded. Unsafe. Nightmare. Those are the ways Kansas City Star readers - and some of Missouri's most influential voices - see Missouri's massive state highway system. Indeed, the state's roads and bridges have so many critical needs that, by the state's own estimate, addressing them would require more than $800 million per year in additional funding. Okay,and now it's "news" in the daily paper. Actually, we admire the imitation because it's a form of flattery. Meanwhile, we remember old school newsies fuming about this kind of sharing/caring because they never learned thatand the job of a digital age publisher isto try and play gatekeeper.Take a look at opinion not quite as fun as our blog community: We asked Gov. Mike Parson if he'd like to clarify his comments on gay people. He said yes. CLOSE Gov. Mike Parson has had a warm reception since taking over from his embattled predecessor. He received ovations and praise from lawmakers on the right and the left Monday night when speaking in Jefferson City. Though legislators were optimistic about what Parson means for Missouri going forward, he has been criticized by some for his past comments about gay people. The Kansas City daily rag wasfor twisting the words of the incoming Missouri Guv on the topic of workplace accommodation under the law.Thankfully, Missouri newsies offered the Guv an important opportunity to clarify and explain his remarks which pretty much represent mainstream GOP thinking on a community that grows increasingly (exponentially) powerful and politically active across the nation. Read more and don't forget that Gays for Trump are one of the fasting growing contingents making everybody uncomfortable . . . Except for the Prez, of course . . . Diversity in Action: KKFI Elects Transgender Woman as Board President For more than 30 years 90.1 FM KKFI Kansas City Community Radio has worked for and celebrated diversity as it serves the underserved and underrepresented listening communities of the region. This mission of the station is reflected in its music and news and public affairs programming, as well as its hardworking volunteers and staff. But the KKFI Board of Directors meeting of April 25 brought additional focus to KKFIs celebration of diversity, as the Board unanimously chose a transgender woman to be their President for the 2018-2019 term. The airwaves of Kansas City are becoming an increasingly equitable place.And while locals who don't really understand how media is evolving often proudly regurgitate talking points from smarter people claiming that "terrestrial radio is dead" there's actually a move toward a community based media model in every aspect of digital content. And so, the listeners of this radio station are proudly sharing their values with all of KCMO in with an important promotion of a new honcho from the ranks of a longtime host and volunteer.Take a look:Kansas City, MO., (June 18, 2018) , who has volunteered at KKFI for nearly 5 years on The Tenth Voice and Every Woman programs, and who joined the Board of Directors in 2016, is the only out and proud transgender woman who is President of a 100kW FM radio station in the Midwest [United States? I cant find anyone else]. When asked about the impact her election could have on the LGBTQIA community, Ms. Nowling replied Im very honored that the Board of Directors had faith in my abilities, and Im proud to be in the public eye as an example to the entire community that diversity is neither a burden nor an obstacle, its something to be valued. I also hope that by being in the public eye, I may give some inspiration to my large and wonderful community of transgender and gender non-conforming persons around the world.When asked about her goals for the coming year, Ms. Nowling emphasized she would like to build upon the tremendous effort and success of the volunteers and staff at KKFI to help guide the station into another 30 years of success. Her personal goals as President include expanding diversity in programming and staff, developing process improvements to simplify operations, and fulfilling the office of President in the most ethical and professional manner possible. The volunteers, staff, management, and board at KKFI are an incredible group of people who donate immeasurable time, energy, and enthusiasm towards making this station work, and I want to do my very best to help them.###Developing . . CITY HALL INSIDERS REVEAL: COUNCIL OPPOSES THE MAYOR SLY PRE-K SALES TAX AND IS WORKING TO SHUT DOWN THE CASH GRAB IN THE NAME OF EDUCATION!!! Behind the scenes there's an important debate on Mayor Sly's legacy and elected officials confronting reelection who don't want to burden the public with more bills.To wit and becausetaught us everything we need to know about dealing with complex issues . . .Of course anti-tax concern is a big deal but there's also the growing belief thatand more money demanded from po'folk could provide a devastating defeat to thisand reason for incumbent opposition going into election season.Meanwhile, incumbent concern is just one aspect of local opposition to more taxes for consistently under-performing schools.Developing . . . Italy-based Building Energy, a multinational company operating as a globally integrated Independent Power Producer (IPP) in the Renewable Energy Industry, will take part as a sponsor in the 20th annual Africa Energy Forum (AEF). This is the global investment meeting for Africas power, energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors, taking place in Mauritius from June 19 to 22. Building Energy operates globally, but has a particularly strong presence in Africa: six years since its entrance in South Africa, the company has been awarded more than 300 MW of capacity in public tenders across four different technologies. From its offices in Cape Town, Building Energy manages and coordinates the development of more than 40 projects in Africa and the Middle East, across the technologies of solar, wind and small-scale hydroelectric energy. One of Building Energys projects in Africa is a 10 MWp photovoltaic plant in Tororo, Eastern Uganda, which started generating energy in October 2017. With a capacity of 10 MWp (16 GWh per year), the Tororo Solar Plant is among the largest in Eastern Africa and is catering to the energy needs of more than 35,800 people. In April 2018 Building Energy signed a Power Purchase Agreement with the South African state for the construction, ownership and operation of a 147 MW wind plant in Roggeveld, in the Laingsburg area between the Northern and Western Cape Provinces, which will generate approximately 613 GWh per year. The agreement also includes a 4.7 MW small-hydro project in Kruisvallei, in the Free State Province. Building Energy will also finalize development and implement a 5 MW wind project in Klawer, in the Western Cape, which will generate approximately 19 GWh per year and two 5 photovoltaic projects in Skuitdrift, in the Northern Cape, which combined will produce approximately 22 GWh per year once fully operational. Previously, Building Energy had already been awarded an 81 MWp solar farm in Kathu, in the first Round of the REIPPP Programme, which has been operating since August 2014 and is one of the largest solar PV plants on the continent. "We are pleased to sponsor the 20thanniversary of the annual Africa Energy Forum and to celebrate with the organization the achievements of Africas energy community over the last 2 decades, said Matteo Brambilla, managing director Africa and Middle East. Being at the AEF is an opportunity for us to get in touch with financial institutions and government representatives, power developers and professionals who already work in the African area. TradeArabia News Service Global FX Code Gains Adoption but Last Look is a Thorny Issue Over 200 market participants have signed the FX Global Code of Conduct, a voluntary set of principles published a year ago to restore trust and curb bad behavior in the wholesale foreign exchange market. Citing a rapid increase in the number of signatories from every corner of the foreign exchange markets, the Foreign Exchange Professionals Association (FXPA) held a webinar on May 30 to discuss the status of the FX Global Code on the one-year anniversary of its publication. Market practitioners truly [are] embedding the code into their day-to-day practices of how they run their business, said David Puth, CEO of CLS Bank International and Vice-Chair of the Global Foreign Exchange Committee (GFXC). Consultants and other entities are working with market participants to ensure they understand the code and how it apples to their businesses, noted Puth. Upon publication of the code on May 25, 2017, the Global FX Committee (GFXC) was formed and is responsible for administering the code and future developments. Comprised of central banks and private sector participants representing FX committees from 16 international FX trading centers, the body is on a mission to sign up as many foreign exchange market participants as possible The purpose of the code is to enhance the ethics, governance, and fairness in the $5.1 trillion-a-day foreign exchange market, which is highly automated, but has been historically unregulated. This umbrella code and principles-based code was really designed to create a framework for doing the right thing, said Lisa Shemie, Chief Legal Officer, Cboe FX and Cboe SEF, who spoke as a member of the board of directors of the FXPA. While citing significant progress in the numbers of signatories that have pledged adherence, the FX Global Code is facing challenges over what it means to adhere to the global code, and how it applies to a diverse cross section of market participants, such as non-bank liquidity providers and proprietary trading firms, said FXPA officials. In terms of adherence, an information deadline of May 30, 2018 was set, but this has morphed into a less than voluntary deadline, said one speaker. Central banks are requiring large banks to adhere to the code so there is very little leeway for them not to. Electronic trading venues or ECNs are not subject to a regulatory body or an FX committee. They find it hard to justify why the code applies to them. Adhering to the code a set of 55 guidelines for good market practice requires firms to sign a letter of commitment to be published on a public web site or on a public register for clients and counterparties to see. On May 29, GFXC launched the Global Index of Public Registers to serve as a central reference point for market participants to demonstrate their commitment to the code. The Global Index will aggregate information from participating public registers and make it available in a single, convenient location, noted the release. But the code is still facing pushback from many on the buy side over last look and pre-hedging two controversial practices that alarm institutional users of the FX markets. Last Look Debate Continues Many buy-side firms are not comfortable with the inclusion of last look and pre-hedging in the code. 1 2 3 next For more information on related topics, visit the following channels: RSRCHXchange Survey Reveals MiFID II Drives Global Standards for Unbundling RSRCHXchange, the marketplace and aggregator for institutional research, today released headlines from the results of their latest survey on research unbundling which came into effect on January 3rd 2018 across Europe as part of MiFID II. The survey was conducted in Q2 2018 by polling company Survation, who canvassed the views of 418 respondents from over 30 countries, representing over 350 firms with over $30trn of AUM in aggregate. The survey is the third in a series from RSRCHXchange, following on from similar polls carried out in Q2 2017 and Q4 2016. The 2018 survey reveals a consensus view that unbundling is going global. 83% of respondents in the US think unbundling will take effect within the next four years and 53% of respondents in Asia expect it to take effect within two years. The smallest firms believe that change will come through regulation, whereas those in the largest firms believe it will be global compliance policies that will be the root cause of the global proliferation. Attitudes to unbundling in Europe are generally negative but most respondents believe that it is positive for end investors, although negative for research providers and mixed for asset managers themselves. 78% of respondents within Europe thought unbundling was bad for brokers where as 53% felt it was a good thing for investors. Since the middle of 2017 , the price of written research has generally been under pressure and many respondents believe that the quality of research would suffer as a result. 75% of respondents agree that the current low prices for research are not sustainable. The impact of research unbundling is being felt by respondents in Europe. Now that they must pay for research, they are receiving less content. 43% of analysts and fund managers feel worse off as a result of reduced access to research and 63% reported taking fewer meetings with sell side research analysts. The regulation has hit smaller asset managers and small cap companies hardest with 82% believing it would result in reduced coverage for small and midcap stocks. Sponsored coverage is not seen as the solution for improving coverage. Instead, 88% believe market forces would resolve this issue over time versus some of the other short term subsidisation options. Throughout the survey, responses from individuals at the smallest asset managers vary from those at the largest firms. 45% of respondents from the smallest asset management companies feel worse off as a a result of reduced research access, much more so than their peers at the largest firms. The survey also found that unbundling has impacted the consumption venues for research with a 50% increase in the use of research aggregators compared to two years ago, with email being dropped in their favour. The full survey summary is available at www.rsrchxchange.com/regulation Jeremy Davies, Co-Founder of RSRCHXchange, said: In our third survey, we wanted to explore the globalisation of unbundling, especially now that it is live in Europe. With over 80% of US respondents expecting unbundling to impact their local market within four years, unbundling will be trending for years to come. As it stands today, more than 100 of our client firms are based in the US and so are more than 20% of the 350+ research providers using our RSRCHX platform. Vicky Sanders, Co-Founder of RSRCHXchange, added: Our survey was conducted just months after MiFID II came into effect, the biggest change to the research space in decades. Its clear that its impact has already been felt in this short time but that there is more the industry needs to do to adhere to the rules and adapt to these changes. If the current price of research is not sustainable, what will happen next to help the industry find equilibrium? Its interesting to see that market forces are supported by asset managers as the solution for other outcomes, such as the reduction in the coverage of small and midcap companies. For more information on related topics, visit the following channels: Travel Agency in Egypt. You can immerse yourself in ancient secrets while enjoying the welcoming culture of Egypt as you explore. The Journey of discovery begins in Cairo, Egypt's famous and less calm city, the cradle of civilization and lavish history. Where you can gaze upon the world top-visited attractions. World's seven wonders, the famous Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. Other interesting visits are Cairo Antiquities Museum, Pyramids of Sakkara and Memphis, Citadel and Khan el-Khaili to name a few. Luxor, next travel destination for best travel experiences to satisfy your curiosity at the great temples of Karnak and Luxor. Karnak biggest temple complex in the world covering an area of hundreds hectares and more impressive to the first-time visitor. Other top visits are Valley of the Kings you'll enjoy privileged access to most of royal tombs, Queen Hatshepsut Temple. Colossi of Memnon Pharaoh Amenhotep III, Medinet Habu Ramesses III, amazing Tomb of Queen Nefertari also to name a few. For those who want cruise experience, enjoy the fabulous hospitality in addition to land tours and sailing towards the history. Leaving Luxor behind and sail down the majestic Nile between Luxor and Aswan onboard elegant and luxury Nile Cruise boats. Spend five or seven days, enjoy guided shore excursions with a Escorted Tour-guide each day followed by delightful leisure activities. Travel towards Aswan, you'll see some of the most impressive archaeological sites of antiquity. Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples is a fascinating example of ancient Egyptian design principles and the arrival of Roman influence. Other top-visited attraction are Great Temple of Abu Simbel, Aswan High Dam and Phiale Temple also to name a few You'll have an Escorted-guide with you most of times, who are helping you to discover the secrets of Egypt destinations. All that Egypt has to offer, taking you to places beyond the normal, simply places-to-visit you couldn't find by yourself. I Go Egypt an Ultimate Travel Planner Inspirations able to provide a wide array of variety and unique excursions tours. That can appeal to all interests and tastes from the cultural enriching to the luxury relaxing beach vacations, In Red Sea, Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh. A team of local and global travel experts founded I Go Egypt Travel to share their extensive knowledge about their travels through Egypt. The missions of I Go Egypt are to assist the current and future travelers, as they are planning their next vacation to Egypt. While also providing tailor-made Tours that they have personally developed to help any type of traveler during their time away from home. Here at I Go Egypt, we want everyone to experience the best Egypt tours and Egypt tour packages available, so that they can have a phenomenal time exploring this area of the world. We know that once a person visits Egypt, they will want to return again in the future to see even more and we will be there to guide them every step of the way once again. editorial@tribune.com Mohit Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 17 Panic spread in the Mauli Jagran area after residents complained of a diarrhoea outbreak due to contaminated drinking water. Affected residents were rushed to the Civil Hospital, Mani Majra, and the General Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula. Ravi, who lives near the Madrasi Mandir area, claimed that 50 residents were down with diarrhoea. Many among them are taking medicines, while those suffering from a severe infection have been admitted to hospitals, said Ravi. Chaos prevailed at the Civil Hospital in Mani Majra as panicky residents rushed their kin, complaining of stomach ache and diarrhoea, to the hospital. A majority of the patients were administered glucose. As many as 18 residents from Mauli Jagran, seven from Indira Colony and three from Mani Majra were admitted to the hospital, said Imran Malik, a social worker of the area. Patients admitted to the hospital complained of vomiting and loose motions soon after drinking tap water, which, they said, was contaminated. Dr G Dewan, Director, Health Services, Chandigarh, said health teams had been put on a high alert. The public health wing of the MC, Mani Majra SMO Arun Kumar and a team of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme are screening the area to assess the situation, said Dr Dewan. He maintained that there was no outbreak of diarrhoea and the situation was under control. So far, only 20 patients suffering from different ailments have been admitted to the hospital, said Dr Dewan. Jagtar Singh Jagga, BJP councillor, said the public health wing of the MC had tested the water, which was found to be fit for drinking. An employee of the Health Department said they had received reports of a diarrhoea outbreak from Rajiv Colony in Panchkula, which falls near Mauli Jagran. He said a majority of the patients admitted to the Civil Hospital, Mani Majra, were from Rajiv Colony. Free treatment for patients Dr G Dewan, Director, Health Services, has announced free treatment and medicines for patients arriving at the hospital with complaints of diarrhoea. 160 houses surveyed Mild cases of diarrhoea 48 ORS packets distributed 128 Water samples collected 35 Chhabra hits out at MC City Congress president Pradeep Chhabra attacked the BJP-ruled MC and the Administration over the outbreak of diarrhoea. Chhabra visited the hospital at Mani Majra to know the well-being of people taken ill after drinking dirty water in Mauli Jagran. He said the MC had failed in its responsibility. He said people admitted to the hospital were asked to get medicines from outside and there was no provision for drinking water in the hospital. Chhabra also visited the affected areas in Mauli Jagran. Mayor orders inquiry City Mayor Davesh Moudgil has marked an inquiry into the supply of contaminated water at Mauli Jagran. He said the inquiry would reveal whether the contamination was the result of leakages or illegal connections. He said adequate arrangements had been made to provide treatment to the people admitted to hospitals. He said area councillor Anil Dubey was assisting the patients. He said samples of water had been taken. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 18 The meeting of the Advisory Committee for centralised admissions to BEd courses of all affiliated colleges of Panjab University, Chandigarh; Punjabi University, Patiala; and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, located in Punjab was held at Panjab University on Monday. In the meeting, it was decided that the schedule of admissions be revised. As per the revised schedule, the last date for submission of information on the website to generate the fee challan will be now June 24. The last date for depositing fee in any branch of the State Bank of India using website-generated challan will be now June 26. The last date for uploading of photograph and signature with rest of information on the website will be now June 28. The admit card for common entrance test will be available on July 2. There is no change in the date of common entrance test, and it will be held on July 5 as per the previous schedule. For detailed schedule, candidates can visit admission website https://punjabbed.puchd.ac.in, said Dr Jatinder Grover, coordinator, BEd Admission. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 17 In a shocking incident, a one-and-a-half-year-old boy was mauled to death by stray dogs at a park in Sector 18-C here on Sunday. The victim has been identified as Ayush. Narrating the incident, the victims mother, Mamta, who works as a domestic help, said after leaving her four children in the park, she went to a house to clean utensils. Suddenly, I heard a noise from outside. People were chasing dogs and my children were crying profusely. I rushed to the park. While three of my children were safe, Ayush was bitten badly, said Mamta, breaking into tears. Anjali (5), the eldest among the four siblings, said they were playing when a pack of dogs attacked them. While she, along with Anand (4) and Arpit (3), managed to run away, Ayush was not so fortunate. The dogs pounced of him and mauled him badly. Ayush was rushed to Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, where he succumbed to the injuries. The incident caused panic in the Sector 18 area. Residents gathered at the spot and accused the MC of doing precious little to curb the stray dog menace. Dog-bite cases have become routine. Stay dogs have now claimed a life. We do not know when the MC will act, said Shyam, a friend of the victims father, Munder. The MC authorities swung into action and caught two stray dogs, suspected to have mauled Ayush. A senior MC official said a dog sterilisation programme would be relaunched in the city soon. He said an awareness drive would also be launched to sensitise residents. He advised people no to leave children unattended in parks. Vappala Balachandran Vappala Balachandran Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat President Donald Trump was criticised at home and abroad for not consulting anybody before announcing his stunning decision of halting the annual US-South Korean military drills. He made this declaration during his summit meeting with North Korean President Kim Jong-un in Singapore. One of the reasons cited by him in his long press conference was the cost of flying B-52 bombers from Guam. This was interpreted in some quarters as yet another instance of his impulsive decision-making. Only the future will tell us whether this decision was wrong. But one thing is certain: Great moments in history are not made through hierarchical decision-making through advance preparatory work by diplomats of feuding nations or by structured agenda. In fact, such exercises would only make their respective positions harder, making any final decision impossible. The Hermit Kingdom has not yielded since the 1950s, despite US efforts directly or indirectly to relax its hostile policy by offering concessions. Reputed think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) had also tried to help policy formulation by forming task forces for recommending viable policies to successive US administrations. The CFR report of 1998 felt that the Norths economic stagnation still could lead Pyongyang toward greater contact and accommodation with the outside world. But this did not happen. Nor has military intimidation through joint exercises worked. Called Foal Eagle and Key Resolve exercises, these drills cost billions. While Key Resolve is a command-post exercise on deploying personnel and equipment if there is an attack, Foal Eagle is to do large-scale field exercises involving ground, air, naval and special operations personnel. In the past B-52 from Guam, B-2 Spirit Stealth from Missouri and F-22 Raptor Stealth from Japan had participated by dropping Ordnance on bombing ranges. But these drills also bring the whole area under severe tension. In 2009, North Korea threatened South Korean civil airliners during these exercises. Military diplomats might argue that such regular drills are meant to upgrade the allied capabilities and raise confidence among others, like Japan. But equally strong are the fears that North Korea could inflict enormous damage on South Korea and Japan. Besides, there are historical reasons why North Korea is so annoyed with America. Former Washington Post correspondent Blaine Harden, author of King of Spies: The Dark Reign of America's Spymaster in Korea, quotes Strategic Air Command General Curtis E LeMay saying that American bombs killed more than 20 per cent of the North Korean population, which was 19,00,000 at that time. The three-year bombing from 1,950 targets located through technical intelligence by American spymaster Donald Nichols destroyed nearly all of the country's cities and towns. Thus, options for Trump for Korean peace were limited unless he did some stunning action. The thrilling Arab-Israeli precedent There is a precedent here. In November, 1977, an equally thrilling story was unveiled in West Asia which helped apply a dramatic break to the Arab-Israeli hostilities since 1948. Incredibly, this conflict resolution was catalysed not by any government leader, not by diplomats or spy chiefs or think tanks, but by a legendary TV anchor, the late Walter Cronkite. In his book A Reporter's Life (1996), he gives only a self-effacing role to himself. However, this dramatic development would not have happened but for him. On November 11, 1977, Cronkite heard a rumour that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat had told a Canadian parliamentary delegation that he was keen to visit Israel. Cronkite had met Sadat several times earlier to discuss West Asian peace after the death of President Gamal Nasser, especially after the 1973 Yom Kippur war which was disastrous for Egypt. Their economy was in a shambles with 28 per cent of the national budget going for defence. Food riots were occurring. Intelligence was being received that Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin was preparing for another war. General Gamassy, defence minister, had warned that Egypt would not be able to withstand another Israeli onslaught. Sadats peace offer since 1971 was getting nowhere and the US-sponsored Geneva process was grounded on procedural nit-picking. Above all, Sadat was simply disgusted with the Arab habit of fighting Israel to the last Egyptian. Cronkite called Sadat the same day and got an assurance that he was keen to visit Jerusalem. He told him that he would like to go to the Knesset itself, to talk to them. Next, Cronkite called PM Menachem Begin at Tel Aviv Hilton and got an assurance from him that an invitation would be issued. Things moved at a frenetic pace Israeli invitation through the American embassy was delivered on the 14th and Sadat was on Israeli soil five days later. Sadat flew into a deeply suspicious Israel. There were rumours that the Egyptian plane would be carrying terrorists and not Sadat. But the Knesset heard him in rapt attention. Peace was on the horizon between Israel and Egypt. There would have been no Jerusalem visit or September 5, 1978 Camp David meetings had Sadat and Begin left their negotiations to bureaucrats to peer over old position papers based on principled stands, precedents and reciprocity. It is true the 13-day Camp David talks did not usher in comprehensive West Asian peace or settle the Palestinian question. But Egypt-Israel peace is holding and Sadats extravagant gamble made people look at the problem in a non-traditional way. That is the significance of Trumps Electric Shock announcement on Korean peace. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM THE people of Kashmir have once again missed a turning that could have led to political synchronisation with the winds of change buffeting the region. The cessation of operations during Ramzan, as it is, was a difficult choice for Delhi; it was unilateral and conditional but there was dissonance over giving a breather to the militants along with affording a peaceful month to the general public. The scales might have tilted because of a renewed commitment by Indian and Pakistani armies to adhere to the 2003 ceasefire on the LoC and an all-party meeting in Srinagar plumping enthusiastically for the proposal. The armed opposition and its overground supporters, besides their backers across the border, had other ideas. Deliberately crafted incidents of violence pockmarked the entire duration of the ceasefire, culminating in the murders of journalist Shujaat Bukhari and a soldier returning on leave. In tandem, the Pakistan armys calculated targeting of Indian security personnel on the international border (IB) left none in doubt that spoilers were at work on both sides of the border. The loser is the common Kashmiri with a study revealing a direct correlation between accretion in militant ranks and acceleration in encounters. The cessation of operations was preceded by Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visiting the Valley to spell out New Delhis vision for peace. No government can make further investments in conciliation without reciprocation; and there was none from the militants or their sympathisers. The doubling of violent incidents during Ramzan and the flaring up of the LoC are clear pointers that the militants may be on the wrong side of history. Inveterate opponents like the Taliban and Kabul have held on to a ceasefire while Pakistan and India are set to partner other members of the SCO in joint anti-terrorism military exercises. Never shy of linking the Kashmir struggle to Palestine and Afghanistan, the separatists ought to have read the writing on the regional wall. The political mainstream in Kashmir needs to redeem itself after it was unable to contribute substantially to the cause in the brief window that had opened. editorial@tribune.com Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 18 For the first time in the state, admissions to the MBBS and BDS courses in various government colleges, government-aided colleges and private medical colleges are being done through online counselling this year. Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, the nodal agency appointed by the Department of Medical Education and Research (DMER), Haryana, started registrations for counselling on its webportal www.uhsugadmissions.in on June 17 and it will continue till June 21. The merit list will be displayed on June 23. We had introduced online registration in Haryana, but this time even the allotment of seats will be made online. The candidates will have to present in Rohtak on July 3 for the MBBS course and on July 4 for the BDS course for the verification of their original documents, said Dr Shaleen, Director, DMER, Haryana. The last date of joining institutions is July 12, he said. Rudra, an aspirant said this would save students from waiting for hours in Rohtak for their turn. I competed for admission to MBBS last year too. Students had to wait till late night for their turn. Many students, who had come with their parents, were hassled due to counselling, he said. Admissions are to be made for 600 seats in government medical colleges, 50 seats for the lone government-aided Maharaja Agarsen Medical College at Agroha and 250 seats in two private medical colleges situated in Gurugram and Panipat. Among the government colleges, the PGIMS, Rohtak is to admit 200 students, BPS College for Women, Khanpur Kalan 100, SHK Mewati Govt Medical College, Nalhar (Nuh), 100; Kalpana Chawla Medical College, Karnal, 100; while the ESIC, Faridabad, is to admit 100 students. Among the private medical colleges, SGT Medical College, Budhera (Gurugram), has 100 seats while NC Medical College, Israna (Panipat), will admit 150 students. As far as the BDS seats are concerned, the PGIMS has 50 seats while nine private dental colleges together have 800 seats. Shaleen said in government colleges, 15 per cent of the seats would be allotted as per the All-India merit category of NEET while 85 per cent would be allotted under the state category. He said all government colleges would charge an annual fee of Rs 52,070 for MBBS, Maharaja Agarsen Medical College, Agroha, Rs 1.80 lakh; ESIC, Faridabad, Rs 1 lakh, NC Medical College, Israna (Panipat), and other private colleges Rs 10 lakh with an increase of 5 per cent every year while SGT Medical College, which is a covered under the private universities category, would charge Rs 18 lakh per year. For BDS, the PGIMS would charge Rs 52,070 per year, private colleges Rs 2.80 lakh with annual increase of 5 per cent while SGT Medical College would charge Rs 3.50 lakh per annum. 900 MBBS seats editorial@tribune.com Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, June 18 Adopting a very aggressive posturing, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday lashed out at his political opponents and said he faced no threat from the Congress as Virbhadra Singh was fully occupied with the Sukhu Hatao campaign. Addressing a press conference here, Thakur, in a sharp contrast to his mild nature, took on all his opponents, including Virbhadra and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader Mukesh Agnihotri, head on. I respect Virbhadras experience and seniority but it is for everyone to see how the state suffered under his rule, he remarked in response to a query about the former CM referring to him as inexperienced time and again. He said Virbhadra in his last term announced the opening of new health and educational institutions without any parameters which only resulted in putting an additional burden on the exchequer. What is interesting is the fact that the Congress failed to derive any political dividends by such reckless opening of institutions, he said. He said, Whenever Virbhadra does not have much to say, all he says is that I am inexperienced. I fail to understand what is the need for him to reiterate his own experience and seniority, the Chief Minister quipped. Thakur also lashed out at the CLP leader for using a crude and offensive language against his political opponents. Living very close to Punjab, he seems to be very influenced by Punjabi culture, which people of Himachal do not appreciate much, he said. He said Agnihotri seemed to have no respect for Himachali culture and often made disgraceful and petty remarks against others. Agnihotri is facing a big threat within his own party as many MLAs are not willing to accept him as the CLP leader, he said. In reply to another query on his remaining in the shadow of senior BJP leaders, including former CM and Kangra Lok Sabha MP Shanta Kumar, Union Health Minister JP Nadda and former CM PK Dhumal, the CM said he had a lot of respect for senior leaders. I believe in respecting and seeking guidance from senior leaders and at the same keep doing my work diligently and sincerely, he said. Thakur in a recent interaction had said the reality was that he happened to be the Chief Minister whether somebody liked it or not. Being in the saddle for close to six months, he has been facing criticism for being inexperienced. However, Thakur exhibited firmness and tried to drive home the point that he meant business irrespective of the criticism within or outside the party. On Virbhadra Whenever Virbhadra does not have much to say, all he says is that I am inexperienced. I respect his experience but it is for everyone to see how the state suffered under his rule. On Agnihotri Congress Legislature Party leader Mukesh Agnihotri is facing a big threat within his own party as many MLAs are not willing to accept him on this post. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Shimla, June 18 Hoteliers on Monday made a fervent appeal to tourists to visit Shimla and enjoy the pleasant weather as the water crisis was over now. The tourism industry, including restaurants and taxi operators, were hit severely by the negative publicity the city got due to the water crisis and closure of Shimla and Chandigarh airports for repair in May. The tourist influx had dropped over 60 per cent in the city, said Sanjay Sood, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI), at a press conference here. The water crisis is over and we urge tourists through the media to visit the city where weather on the peripheries and high spots is pleasant, Sood added. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and acting Chief Justice of the High Court Sanjay Karol intervened and took steps to normalise the water distribution and improve the water availability. As per Shimla Municipal Corporations supply schedule, the city was getting about 42 MLD of water, enough for the citys population, and they wanted to dispel all impressions in cities like Delhi and Mumbai that Shimla was facing water shortage, they clarified. Despite water crisis, we never let the feeling of water shortage prevail among tourists, who had visited the city, added Anil Walia, HRANIs member. Walia said hoteliers were offering discounts in the peak summer months to tourists in the city to regain the tourist inflow. The hoteliers are finding it difficult to pay tax and water, electricity and garbage bills. Even taxi, pony operators, photographers, dresswallahs, shopkeepers and the souvenir and crafts industry also suffered huge losses. HRANI sough action against the defaulters who did not pay the water bills to the corporation and bread and breakfast units being run illegally in the city. These units, including home stay units, were meant for rural areas, but they are being operated in the city and the Tourism Department should shut all such units, they demanded. Dip in tourist arrival editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Shimla, June 18 The stage is set for the first-ever two-day Shimla International Literature Festival to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on June 23 in the historic Gaiety Theatre here. The festival is being organised by the Vibhor Literature Trust in collaboration with the Department of Art, Language and Culture of Himachal Pradesh. The idea is to give a platform to writers and story tellers of the country cutting across all barriers of regions and languages to present One India, claimed the organisers on Monday. Talking to mediapersons, Secretary, Department of Art, Language and Culture, Purnima Chauhan said the city had been known for producing cultural personalities down the line, but it had no literature festival of its own. The Shimla literature festival would give a major push to literary activity among all stakeholders, besides promoting cultural tourism in the state, she added. She said the moment the tourists disembarked from the train from the UNESCO heritage site, they could also whet their literary and cultural tastes by visiting Ghar Ghar Kahani museum and the Gaiety Theatre. The department would celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, by making a portfolio or collage of spots he had visited or was associated with where tourists could visit to get a real connect with him, she added. Director of the Art, Language and Culture Deepali Thakur said the trust approached them with the idea of the festival. We expect it will be organised every summer and it will give a platform and exposure to artists and writers of Himachal as well, she added. Swati from the Vibhor trust said over 60 writers, artists and scholars would attend the fest. She said notable speakers include Rajdeep Sardesai, Anant Vijay, Shashi Shekhar, Sanjeev Pakliwal and Sudeep Nagarkar. editorial@tribune.com Jammu, June 17 Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday expressed her disappointment at the way the other side sabotaged the Central governments peace initiative of Ramzan ceasefire. Condemning the provocations and the violence, she said the agent provocateurs sabotaged the ceasefire that promised the much-needed relief to the common man during the holy month. A good peace initiative that could have transformed the lives of the people and changed the landscape of Kashmir for the better was nixed by the response from the other side (militants). It is unfortunate that the whole initiative was consumed by violence, Mehbooba told The Tribune. It is very sad and bad that the other side sabotaged it. It is clear that the sigh of relief that the common people had was not to the liking of the other side, she added. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had informed Mehbooba on Sunday morning about the ceasefire being called off because of the continuous provocation by militants. As earlier, the CM stressed that the Ramzan ceasefire was an opportunity to foster peace and dialogue and work out an amicable solution to the Kashmir problem. TNS editorial@tribune.com Sumit Hakhoo Tribune News Service Jammu, June 18 Hours after New Delhi called off the Ramzan ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, thousands of displaced Pandits began their journey to the revered shrine of Mata Kheer Bhawani at Tulmulla in Ganderbal district of Kashmir. Escorted by police and paramilitary forces, nearly 3,000 pilgrims left in the convoy of 70 vehicles from Jammu, where lakhs of Pandits took refuge in 1990s after their exodus from their homeland. They will be joined by thousands of others who refused to take security cover and will travel in their own private vehicles. The annual pilgrimage was flagged off by Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation Javaid Mustafa Mir and Relief Commissioner (Migrants) ML Raina at Nagrota. The yatra will cover nearly 300 km to reach Tulmulla where religious festivities will be observed on June 20 on Jyeshta Ashtami. Pilgrims are also visiting other shrines, especially in volatile districts of south Kashmir. The situation in Kashmir is quite tense but we have complete faith in the goddess and our security forces. It is a journey of faith for thousands of Pandits who are living as refugees in their own country, said SL Pandita, president, Jagti Tenement Committee. Security is the primary concern and I hope pilgrims will complete the yatra peacefully. We have made every arrangement to help people perform their religious rituals in the Valley, said Javaid Mustafa Mir. A senior police official said a stretch of the national highway passing through Qazigund, Anantnag, Kulgam and Pulwama falls in volatile areas of south Kashmir, notorious for stone throwers and routine attacks by militants on security forces. Last year, terrorists killed seven Amarnath pilgrims near Anantnag. In the 2016 unrest, stone throwers attacked Kheer Bhawani-bound pilgrims, injuring several of them. Pilgrims will be provided every help during their stay. Arrangements have been made to ensure every facility is provided to people. Security forces and police are also in regular contact with us, said Relief Commissioner ML Raina. Though management of this holy shrine is in the hands of Dharmarth Trust, established by the erstwhile Dogra rulers, successive governments are actively helping in making arrangements for Hindu pilgrims who mostly live outside the Valley as displaced people. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Jammu/Rajouri, June 18 Two days after the martyred Rifleman Aurangzebs father made a passionate appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to avenge his sons killing, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday said the supreme sacrifice rendered by the brave son of India would not go in vain. General Rawat, who visited the martyrs family at Salani village in Poonch district, spent about 45 minutes with the parents and elder brother of Aurangzeb, who was abducted and killed by militants in south Kashmir last week. During the closed-door meeting, none of the civil and police officers, including the DC and SSP, was allowed to enter the room. The Army Chief reached Salani village around 11.30 am and remained with the family till 12.15 pm. Mediapersons were kept away from the village and district and police officers were barred from entering the room, a source said. The source said the Army Chief is believed to have handed over an ex gratia cheque to Aurangzebs father Mohammad Hanif, who is an ex-serviceman, and also assured him of the transfer of the martyrs elder brother Mohammad Qasim from Pune to the nearest unit operating in the Mendhar sector. The Chief of Army Staffs (COAS) visit was aimed at boosting the morale of the martyrs family, soldiers and people living near Line of Control, the source said. A defence spokesperson said, Speaking to the father of the braveheart, the COAS assured the family of all possible assistance. He also assured the family that the supreme sacrifice rendered by the brave son of India would not go in vain. Rifleman Aurangzeb, posted at the 44 Rashtriya Rifles camp at Shadimarg in Shopian, was abducted and killed by militants in south Kashmirs Pulwama district when he was on way his home to celebrate Eid with his family members on June 14. His father and brother had pleaded with the Prime Minister to avenge his death by eliminating those behind the heinous act. While the father, in an emotional plea, asserted that the entire family was ready to sacrifice their lives for the nation but terrorism must end in the Kashmir Valley, the brother said if the government failed to take a swift action, he would avenge Aurangzebs death himself. Meanwhile, General Rawat also visited forward areas in J&K on Monday and was briefed by Lt Gen Saranjeet Singh, GOC, White Knight Corps, on the prevailing security situation. Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh accompanied the Army Chief during his visit. The Army Chief, during his visit to the forward areas, interacted with soldiers and complimented them on their professionalism, selfless commitment and loyalty. He exhorted the troops to continue to work with zeal and dedication to overcome the challenges posted by weather, enemy and terrorism, the spokesperson said. The Army Chief appreciated the synergy between all security agencies and civil administration in Jammu and Kashmir. editorial@tribune.com London, June 18 Senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari, who was shot dead in Srinagar last week, had approached Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti only a few days ago with a request to increase his security, former special director of the Intelligence Bureau, AS Dulat, said on Monday. Bukhari, the editor-in-chief of the daily Rising Kashmir, was shot dead outside his office in Srinagar on June 14. He (Bukhari) had warned repeatedly of alienation, increased militancy and an all-pervasive atmosphere of fear in which no one was safe, Dulat, who arrived here last week, said in a statement. Bukhari had approached the Chief Minister only a few days ago for increasing his security. Yet who could have imagined that this gentle soul will become a target. Why? Dulat asked. We had met in Istanbul about six weeks ago from where he travelled to Pakistan. Despite travelling for more than a fortnight, he came from Srinagar to Delhi for the launch of my book on May 23. As usual, he spoke fearlessly about his beloved Valley which he saw sinking in the past couple of years, the former intelligence chief said. Bukhari was the most committed votary of dialogue being the only way out, he said. He was a gem of a human being and a friend; possibly the brightest journalist in the Valley with a great future, Dulat added. editorial@tribune.com Manpriya Singh It doesnt matter where your last vacation was to the beaches or the mountains; if those countless pixilated memories stay circulated only to, or shall we say restricted to Facebook, Instagram or even worse, a hard drive. A few more dinner table stories, yet another Facebook album evoking envy of friends rather than joyunfortunately for most, its a dead end from here on. Whether the destination evokes a photographer in you or the journey, this ones to ensure that ridiculously good looking places deserve a little more than social media glory. How about an exhibition? Captured a tigress in action? While yawning, on the prowl, or one of those rare clicks where a pride of lions is playfully wrestling. It was the destination that evoked the photographer in Mitul Dikshit, director, Dikshant group of schools and an avid travel photographer. Post his trip to the world famous national reserve Maasai Mara in 2013, he put up his first solo exhibition at Punjab Kala Bhawan. Little knowing that it was to be a first in the series of many more to come, covering from The Great Barrier Reef to Antarctica. His show Polar Expedition, a three-day exhibition held in 2015, took the viewers all through the Scandinavian countries. My last one was on The Inca Ruins & The Amazon. On the anvil is a coffee table book, scheduled to be during the last quarter of this year. A photography club, association Art promotion societies, movements, organizations galore. Wherever there is passion, there is a platform. Deep Bhatia, co-founder, mentor at TPAS (Tri-city Photo Art Society) elaborates on how one need not be a professional photographer to become a member, only an avid one. There is a screening committee wherein we see the interests and forte of the prospective member. If your work stands apart and has potential, we ensure a ready platform to the members. Which not just means monthly workshops, but getting to display best of your works in the annual exhibition held by the society each year on World Photography Day. Network, but go niche Tired of the self-appointed title of best photographer? Well, its time to submit your images to Microstock sites like Thinkstock, Istock, Stocksyonly a matter of dunking your head into the computer. If nothing else, how about networking through your images but strictly with like-minded people and strictly over travel. Picture Your Travel, a picture-based social travel app, aims at providing travel inspiration and trustworthy content posted by your trusted circle of family, friends and travel bloggers. The founder duo Nitin and Tanvi Trehan emphasise on the key word trust when it comes to the app. Shares Nitin Trehan, Users can share their experiences with their network and inspire many more travel stories, while curating and saving their travel memories forever. They can thus post, picture and plan their travels. We conceived PYT when our research showed that there was no app which allowed users to follow a trusted network to find travel inspiration, plan and share their travel experiences, chips in Tanvi Trehan on how despite the information overload on the net, for a user none of that information came from a trusted source. Customize And no more just the cliched options of mugs and tees. Get futuristic with tech wraps, iPhone cases, watch bands, Macbook sleeves and the like, imagine never having to second guess which charger, phone, tablet, portable speaker is yours. While at it, a desk calendar to remind all year round of beautiful landscapes sounds like a better option than a desktop calendar. Of course, theres Facebook, Instagram and hard drive for your travel pictures but there are always ways to make them reach a little wider. manpriya@tribunemail.com Rana Preet Gill Rana Preet Gill I spent most of my childhood in a rented house on a busy street. My home was painted cherubic yellow. The street teemed with speeding bikes that honked all through the day. But once you shut the door, there was absolute silence, giving the place a sanctity of its own. It was a two-storeyed building named Chandanwari, belonging to poet Amarjit Chandan who lived in England. For me he was a stranger who used to visit once a year. He used to roam around the house, much to my chagrin, and leave chocolates in the drawing room, much to my glee. He was my dads friend and had given the place to us on rent. The house was built in a strange fashion, with numerous stairs. By the time you reached the second floor, where we lived, you would be huffing and puffing. It was spacious, nestled in the heart of the city with a peculiar name that brought me a lot of attention in the class. The name was inscribed on the front in Gurmukhi in bold letters. My classmates found it funny. She lives in Chandanwari, they used to shout, and convulse with laughter, whenever any teacher used to ask my address. I used to come home angry. Can we live someplace else? They make fun of me all the time! Despite everything, my home was comforting in special ways. The drawing room was adorned with books. There was a pair of cushiony sofa set and I used to pick up a book and sprawl myself on it and read. There was a window giving a view of the busy street. When I was not reading, I would be sitting on the window sill, watching the maddening rush. There was never a dull moment. Even when everything seemed so still inside, there was a world in continuous motion outside. You just had to open that window and peep outside. When I joined college, I packed my stuff and went to Ludhiana to live in the girls hostel. After a few days, I got a call from home informing me that a new place had been bought on the outskirts of the city. I could sense the jubilation in my moms voice. The proclamation of a victory; finally, a home of her own. But I felt strangely empty of any emotion. When I went home, I saw that my mother had started setting up the new place in her own way. It did not have any name, just a number. The books had been brought and kept in a room but there were no windows to peep out and no stairs to catch your breath. I looked around with vacant eyes to find a tinge of familiarity but there was nothing I could relate to. They failed to extricate my memories which still lay entwined with my home Chandanwari. rchopra@tribunemail.com Malda (WB), June 18 Two minor girls were rescued from the Kamrup Express here, a GRP official said. Acting on information, a team of GRP personnel conducted a search in the Howrah-bound train and rescued the two girls, aged 12 and 13, from a compartment on Saturday. The girls from Tinsukia district of Assam were being taken to Kolkata by an elderly woman, Indrani Sarkar, promising jobs, he said. The 49-year-old woman was remanded to judicial custody by a court here on Sunday. The rescued girls were taken to a government-run Home for Children. PTI editorial@tribune.com Anup Dutta Tribune News Service Bhopal, June 17 Two districts in Madhya Pradesh, Damoh and Shajapur, have been rocked by communal violence in the past 48 hours, with prohibitory orders in force. While in Shajapur trouble began over a procession to mark Maharana Prataps jayanti, in Damohs Footera village, a phone talk reportedly between a boy and a girl of different faiths triggered a clash. Enraged over the phone talk, people of a particular faith entered the house of the youth and took to vandalism. In retaliation, a group of youths vandalised some houses and public property. We have arrested 10 persons for instigating violence in Footera village, Vivek Agrawal, SP, Damoh, said. Meanwhile, peace has been restored in Shajapur district that witnessed arson following a dispute between two groups regarding loud music being played by a DJ at a procession to mark Maharana Pratap jayanti. Eyewitnesses said the trouble began when Shourya Yatra, to mark the Rajput warrior-kings birth anniversary, reached an area where Eid was being celebrated in an open space near a temple. The police requested those heading the procession to put off the blaring music, but they refused to budge. Some people began to throw stones and the situation went out of control. Nine persons were injured and more than 12 vehicles damaged. This is the second incident of communal violence in the district in the past eight months. Citing data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs said 336 cases related to promoting enmity between groups on the bases of religion, race and place of birth were registered in the state in 2014. The number had shot up to 475 in 2016, an increase of over 41 per cent. Vadodara erupts too The Vadodara police lobbed teargas shells and resorted to a cane-charge to disperse members of two communities who clashed during a procession to mark the birth anniversary of Rajput warrior Maharana Pratap on Saturday night. The procession was organised by the Karni Sena. PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com Guwahati, June 17 Three Assam Rifles men were killed and two injured when rebel National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang faction) attacked their vehicle at Aboi in Mon district of Nagaland bordering Myanmar on Sunday. NSCN-K rebels threw grenades and fired heavily on the Assam Rifles vehicle deployed to fetch water from a river at Aboi. Two of the slain jawans were identified as Shyam Bahadur and Alom Hussain, while those injured were Sachin Kumar and Dileep Singh. The security men retaliated, but casualty on the other side was yet to be ascertained, sources said. TNS ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Kabul, June 18 Avtar Singh Khalsa will represent Afghanistans tiny Sikh and Hindu minority in the next Parliament, where he says he hopes to serve the entire country. Few Afghans are as invested in the governments quest for peace and stability as the dwindling Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been decimated by decades of conflict. The community numbered more than 80,000 in the 1970s, but today only around 1,000 remain. Khalsa will run unopposed for a seat in the Lower House of Parliament that was apportioned to the minority by a presidential decree in 2016. After the October election, he will be a solitary voice among 259 legislators, but hopes his 10 years of service in the Afghan army can help him secure a seat on the defence and security committee. I dont only want to serve my Sikh and Hindu brothers. I have to be able to serve all the Afghan people, no matter which ethnicity or group they belong to. Our services must reach everyone, he said. The 52-year-old father of four, originally from the eastern Paktia province, has lived most of his life in Kabul. He also served as a senator representing the minority, which has long had a seat in the Upper House of Parliament. Sikhs and Hindus have been driven out of many areas due to heavy fighting. They have suffered widespread discrimination and have also been targeted by Islamic extremists. Under Taliban rule in the late 1990s, they were asked to identify themselves by wearing yellow armbands, but the rule was not enforced. In recent years, large numbers of Sikhs and Hindus have sought asylum in India. We must try to save our people from this chaos, Khalsa said. By any means and at any cost, we must ask for our rights from the government. Your rights will not be given to you, you must earn them, Khalsa said. He will join Parliament at a time when the Afghan government is struggling against a resurgent Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate. The Taliban have seized a number of districts across the country, and IS has carried out a wave of attacks in recent months targeting the countrys Shiite Muslims, another embattled minority. But Khalsa said he has no plans to leave the country and will continue to fight for his communitys survival. I will struggle until I get them their rights. AP I sacrifice myself for those of my brothers who have been through all kinds of pain and suffering. I dont care if I lose my whole family and get killed for this cause. I will struggle until I get their rights. Avtar Singh Khalsa ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 18 One of the senior-most BJP leaders had once said this about AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and his brand of dharna/confrontation politics: The problem is he (Kejriwal) knows how to climb a tree but he does not know when and how to get down, which is why he ends up without an escape route in most situations. More or less, this is what the BJP leadership has borne in mind while dealing with AAP brand of politics, including the current impasse that saw dramatic new developments as Chief Minister Kejriwals dharna against strike by Delhi bureaucrats entered second week. The Delhi High Court pulled up the AAP government for holding the sit-in inside the Lieutenant Governors office as two of his ministers accompanying him in the protest Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain were shifted to hospital due to deteriorating health. The BJP-led Centre, as it continued to ignore Kejriwal despite the massive political support pouring from several sides, except the Congress, continues to see this as an opportunity to further expose AAP as a leader said the BJP had long decided to not pay attention to Kejriwal. This even as NDA allies Shiv Sena and JD(U) were perceived as standing by him and the Delhi Government. JD(U) spokesman Pavan Varma tweeted: While condemning the alleged misbehaviour against the CS, now that the CM has assured IAS officers regarding their safety, and appealed to them to resume their mandated duties, they must do so immediately, for the people of Delhi. In Mumbai, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut called as unique the movement led by the Delhi CM. Though West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy, Kerala CM P Vijayan and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu are actively backing Kejriwal, the BJP is seeing missing Congress from the picture as a favourable sign, signifying a break in the Opposition efforts to build a collective front against it in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 18 The picture of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rubbing shoulders expressing solidarity with beleaguered Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal offered a rare sub-text that may leave the traditional supporters of either parties somewhat confused. It is well-established a pathological aversion to the Communists in general and the Marxists variety in particular is the raison detre for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in Bengal. That she and Vijayan, who leads the CPI (M)-led Left Front government, shared space in itself has resulted in some chatter among sections of comrades. In West Bengal, the Trinamool and the Left cadres are literally at each others throat and it is wholly unimaginable that the TMC leader could find common ground with a leader from the Left. The redeeming feature for Banerjee is that even though Vijayan is a member of the CPI (M)s all-important Polit Bureau, he holds a constitutional post as the Chief Minister. After the development, we were discussing what kind of message is being sent to the Left...we are not clear..., a senior Left leader said, preferring anonymity. Former CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat sought to dismiss any political interpretation, suggesting that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had called the meeting and at its core was the important subject of Centre-State relations. The meeting was of Chief Ministers and not party-level interaction, he said. For us the issues was NITI Aayog meeting and Centre-states issue. The initiative was taken by AP CM Chandrababu Naidu and all present used the opportunity to declare support for (Delhi CM Arvind) Kejriwal. Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal along with HD Kumaraswamy of Karnataka on Sunday had urged the Prime Minister to intervene and end the current impasse in Delhi where the CM and his team have been on a dharna inside LGs office. rchopra@tribunemail.com Smita Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 18 Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohui has suggested an India-Pak-China trilateral on the sidelines of the SCO framework. He was addressing a seminar on Beyond Wuhan--How far and fast can China-India relations go. He said, Some Indian friends suggested that India, China and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral summit on the sidelines of the SCO. If China, Russia and Mongolia can have a trilateral summit, then why cant India, China and Pakistan? India and Pakistan became full members of SCO last year and were represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, respectively, at the recent summit held in Qingdao this month. Later, responding to questions, he said, This is a proposal suggested by some Indian friends and I think it is a very good and constructive idea. Maybe not now, but in the future, it will be a step in the right direction to do something to realise this idea. MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, however, said: We have seen reports on comments made by the Chinese Ambassador in this matter. We have not received any such suggestion from the Chinese government. We consider the statement as the personal opinion of the ambassador. Matters related to India-Pakistan relations are purely bilateral in nature and have no scope for involvement of any third country. " On reports of the BJP literature to its cadres calling China a threat, ambassador Zhaohui said China is not a threat to any country. He said following the decision at the Wuhan informal summit, India and China will work jointly towards capacity-building in Afghanistan. The two sides decided to move forward #ChinaIndiaPlus cooperation in #Afghanistan, starting from joint training programme for Afghan civil servants, the Chinese ambassador said. Suggesting the way forward for bilateral relations, the ambassador suggested a four-point vision, including signing a treaty of friendship and cooperation, negotiating a bilateral free-trade agreement, enhancing connectivity and working towards early harvest on boundary issues. We cannot stand another Doklam incident. Lets make a joint effort to maintain peace along the border, the Chinese envoy emphasised, referring to the 73-day standoff between the India and Chinese armies at the Doklam teri-junction with Bhutan last year. India and China have a host of high-level engagements lined up, including visits of the Chinese Defence Minister and Minister for Public Security to India and Special Representatives Meeting on Boundary Question in Beijing this year. The two foreign ministers will also co-chair the first meeting of high-level people-to-people and cultural exchange mechanism. Praising China for its enormous economic development and compounding growth at the seminar, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant advocated greater push to Chinese manufacturing in India. Pushing for easier facilitation to Chinese companies like land, electricity issues, Kant said, We should really push for many Chinese companies to come manufacture in India. The strategy should be produced by China but made in India, said Kant. India and China have set a bilateral trade target of USD 100 billion by 2022, but the huge trade deficit favouring Beijing is a major concern for Delhi. The ambassador added that China will import more sugar, non-Basmati rice and high-quality medicines from India to reduce trade imbalance. editorial@tribune.com Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 17 Even as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals sit-in at the L-Gs house has attracted the Oppositions support, the Congress continues to maintain a distance from Aam Aadmi Party, slamming its trademark dharna politics and Khalistan stand. AAP is a party without any ideology. Sukhpal Singh Khaira, the Leader of Opposition in Punjab, representing AAP is talking of Khalistan in this day and age. You want the Congress to join hands with a party which talks of Khalistan? No, it will never happen, Pawan Khera, Congress leader and a confidante of former CM Sheila Dikshit said today articulating the partys stand. Meanwhile, Congress veteran Ahmed Patel met TMC chief and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee this evening to signal a resilient anti-BJP Opposition unity despite the Delhi stalemate where the Congress has taken a stand reverse to the larger Opposition something Banerjee doesnt appear comfortable with. The meeting was timed after Banerjee, Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy, Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to the Centre seeking resolution of Kejriwals issues. The Congress believes in its resurgence in Delhi and sees AAP as a dying force. Patel may well have hammered this point to Banerjee whose stand on coalitions has been clear. She has said everyone should back the party most likely to defeat the BJP in a given state. In Delhi thats us, says Congress. On growing Opposition support for Kejriwal even from the DMK and JMM, Khera said, Sorry, it is not the Congress which is isolated in this issue. It is Kejriwal. He is isolated and is seeking everyones support. Further, the Congress media head says the alliances will not compromise party interests in states. Ideologically, the Congress sees AAP as closer to BJP. The party also asks why AAP fights elections only in states where Congress stands to gain in a bipolar contest. Cases in point are Punjab and now Haryana. AAP is BJPs B team and Kejriwal played a major role in making Narendra Modi the PM in 2014, says Delhi Congress chief Ajay Makan. State interest above alliances pardeepdhull@gmail.com Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, June 18 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is locked in a bitter battle with the Central Government, received unexpected support from the Shiv Sena, with its party chief backing the Aam Aadmi Partys stand. Arvind Kejriwal had called Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray yesterday to apprise him of the situation in Delhi. Uddhavji felt that the government elected by the people of Delhi should be allowed to function without any hindrance, a spokesman of the Shiv Sena told reporters here. Though the Shiv Sena chief had expressed his sympathies with Kejriwal, the Shiv Sena wont be having any tie-ups with the AAP, the Sena spokesman added. Raj Thackerays Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has also backed Kejriwal in his stir against Delhis Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. The party in a message on Twitter said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to ensure that facilities are provided to Delhis citizens only if the BJP holds power locally. Though BJP president Amit Shah is trying to build bridges with the Thackerays in order to tie-ups for the 2019 General Election, the Shiv Sena which has announced its decision to go it alone continues to attack the national party. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 18 The Congress on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of leaving no stone unturned to mismanage the Indian economy even as it asked who the countrys Finance Minister was. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the Prime Minister had not understood that social disharmony and economic progress couldnt go hand in hand, something that had left the economy in downward spiral. The NDA-BJP government has left no stone unturned in order to mismanage the Indian economy and we would like to underscore that response by once again asking who the Finance Minister of India is? he told reporters. The reason why there has been such gross economic mismanagement over the past four years is because the NDA-BJP government and the PM have not understood one simple equation that social disharmony and economic progress cannot go hand in hand, Tewari said. The Indian economy has been in a downward spiral since 2014, he claimed, saying: It is because of the strong foundations and fundamental laid by the UPA during its 10 years, from 2004 to 2014, that the Indian economy still continues to work. Tewari, a former Union minister, asked the PM why his government was not coming out with GDP numbers. The gentleman, who is designated as the minister without portfolio on the website of the PMO is holding video conferences with officials of the Finance Ministry, he said. During the economic crisis, not having a clarification regarding this reflects a sad state of governance, the Congress leader said. Tewari also accused the government of being hand-in-glove with scamsters such as Nirav Modi. monicakchauhan@gmail.com New Delhi, June 18 Gunshots rang out in north Delhi's Burari area on Monday as two criminal gangs opened fire at each other, killing three persons, including a woman passer-by, police said. Five persons were injured and hospitalised after the gunfight between the Tillu and Gogi gangs, believed to be involved in cases of extortion and murder in the city. According to a senior police officer, the fight started when members of the Tillu gang, who were in a Scorpio vehicle, were hit by a Fortuner, allegedly being driven by members of the Gogi gang. This led to both sides firing at each other. Three persons were killed - Mukesh, a member of the Tillu gang, a suspected member of the Gogi gang who is yet to be identified and a woman who happened to be passing by. The two gangs have killed each other's members earlier to gain supremacy, the officer said. PTI editorial@tribune.com Geetanjali Gayatri & Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service Chandigarh/Shimla, June 17 Three IAS officers, one from Himachal Pradesh and two from Haryana, are in the soup over the use of a government chopper while on a trek from Chamba to Barot valley in Mandi district. The Himachal officer has been asked to explain his conduct for allegedly manipulating facts, but the matter seems a closed chapter in Haryana, which sent its helicopter for the rescue of the officers. Hem Raj, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Chamba, and Haryana officers Dr Shalin, Director, Medical Education, and Nitish Yadav, ADC, Karnal, allegedly manipulated facts to get the state helicopter for evacuation from the remote Bada Bhangal area in Kangra. The officers denied the charge, claiming it was merely a case of misrepresentation of facts. Sources said a message was sent to the Baijnath SDM by the Up Pradhan of Bada Bhangal that a woman had been bitten by a snake and some officers too were stranded at Bada Bhangal. This was followed by another message from the Chamba ADC to the SDM, seeking a helicopter for evacuation. Dr Shalin said since messages were being sent at multiple levels, these may have been misinterpreted", resulting in the impression that one of the officers on the trek had been bitten by a snake. He said that afflicted with altitude sickness, they had sought government help, which was provided. We had 15-kg backpacks and the sudden upscale caused breathlessness which could have resulted in an eventuality. We reached Bara Bhangal after navigating a highly risky landslide and another lay ahead of us. Since we were unwell and carrying heavy backpacks, we sought government help and a chopper reached us in two days time, he explained. The demand for the chopper was conveyed to the DC, Chamba, who further informed the Chief Secretary. As the chopper could not land at Bada Bhangal, that has a small helipad, the HP Government requested Haryana for its chopper, which was provided and arrangements made for the evacuation of the two Haryana officers and the snake-bite victim. The helicopter was to drop the latter at Gaggal (Kangra) and take the two officers to Pinjore. Even as an ambulance and a vehicle waited for the woman at Gaggal, the helicopter did not land there. When contacted, the pilot said only two persons (Dr Shalin and his friend) were on board and both had been dropped at Pinjore. Nishant Yadav and Hem Raj stayed back to complete the trek. Asked about the snake-bite victim, Dr Shalin said since it took two days for the government to arrange for the chopper, her health in the meantime had improved after local treatment. Taking serious note, HP Chief Secretary Vineet Chawdhary has sought an explanation from the Chamba ADC, who proceeded on leave without waiting for the DC, already on leave, to return. He has already sought a report from the Divisional Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, Kangra. Sources pointed out that the ADC had sent messages and called senior officers for help, but did not board the chopper. Chawdhary said they would write to the Haryana Government on the conduct of its two officers. (With inputs from Lalit Mohan in Dharamsala) ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM New Delhi, June 18 As Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals sit-in at the Lieutenant Governors office entered its eighth day, the Delhi Government and its IAS officers on Monday showed signs of thaw, with both sides expressing readiness for talks to end the impasse. The development came on a day the Delhi High Court virtually disapproved of the sit-in led by Kejriwal and asked the AAP government who had authorised such a protest, even as Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, on a fast at the L-Gs office since June 13, was hospitalised after his health declined. Health Minister Satyendar Jain was hospitalised late Sunday night. Later in the day, Sisodia wrote to L-G Anil Baijal, requesting him to call a meeting between AAP ministers and the bureaucrats. CM Kejriwal had on Sunday assured the officers he would ensure their safety and security. Welcoming the assurance, the officers said they were open to formal discussions on the matter. The officers said they looked forward to concrete interventions for their security and dignity, a move that may break the four-month-long impasse between the AAP dispensation and the bureaucrats following an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by ruling party MLAs at the CMs residence in February. Amid the tug of war, Kejriwal called up Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and apprised him about the situation in the national capital. Media adviser to Thackeray Harshal Pradhan said: Uddhavji feels that the duly elected government by the people of Delhi should be allowed to function without any hindrance. This, however, does not amount to the Shiv Sena, a key NDA constituent, supporting Kejriwal and AAP. TNS/PTI PM aiding chaos: Rahul Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused PM Narendra Modi of turning a blind eye to the anarchy in Delhi and aiding chaos and disorder in the capital. Delhi CM sitting in dharna at L-G office. BJP sitting in dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences. PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos and disorder. People of Delhi are the victims, Gandhi tweeted. PTI. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Smita Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 18 India and China should expand scope of bilateral cooperation to address relations with Pakistan by including them in a trilateral talk. This was suggested on Monday by Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohui, citing Indian friends who think Delhi, Islamabad and Beijing could hold a trilateral meeting along sidelines of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation). Addressing a seminar on Beyond Wuhan-How Far And Fast Can China-India relations Go, Luo said: Some Indian friends suggested that India, China and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral summit on the sidelines of SCO. So, if China, Russia and Mongolia can have a trilateral summit, then why not India, China and Pakistan? India and Pakistan became full members of SCO last year. PM Narendra Modi and Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain attended the summit held in Qingdao this month. Later asked to elaborate, Luo added: I think it is a very good, constructive idea. Maybe not now but in the future it will be in the right direction. Indian officials dismissed it as a personal suggestion of the envoy. The Congress condemned Luos statement, saying whatever issues there are qua Pakistan has to be resolved in a bilateral format. rchopra@tribunemail.com Athens, June 18 India is striving to become a USD 5 trillion economy and the worlds third largest consumer market by 2025, President Ram Nath Kovind has said as he highlighted investment opportunities in the country. Kovind, the first Indian president to travel to Greece in 11 years, arrived here on Saturday on the first leg of his three-nation tour. Addressing the diaspora here, he said his visit would strengthen ties between India and Greece. Kovind praised overseas Indians for playing an important role in improving bilateral relations. Greece and India presented the ideals of civilisation and culture in the ancient world. The relations between the two countries are very old and deep. Greek historian Megasthenes introduced India to the world through his book Indica, the President said. We are working towards making India a USD 5 trillion economy and the worlds third largest consumer market by 2025. According to the World Bank and IMF, our growth rate is going to be high, he said. Currently Indias economy is estimated at USD 2.5 trillion. Kovind said India had a very strong position in the world with the perspective of democracy, demographic divided and demand. We are proud of our overseas Indians and their successes. Today there are plenty of opportunities for business, innovation and investment in India. I hope that whatever you can do for the development of India for the motherland, you will do that, he said. India-Greece bilateral trade stands at USD 530 million and some Indian companies are also present in the infrastructure, pharmaceutical and steel sectors in the central European nation. Greece is home to a 12,000-strong Indian diaspora. Kovind will also travel to Surinam and Cuba during his trip. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com New Delhi, June 18 Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday urged citizens to pay their due share of taxes honestly to reduce dependence on oil as a revenue source, and virtually ruled out any cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel saying it could prove counter-productive. While salaried class pays their due share of taxes, Jaitley said most other sections have to improve their tax payment record, which is keeping India far from being a tax-compliant society. My earnest appeal, therefore, to political leaders and opinion makers...would be that evasion in the non-oil tax category must be stopped and, if people pay their taxes honestly, the high dependence on oil products for taxation eventually comes down. In the medium and long run, upsetting the fiscal maths can prove counter-productive, Jaitley said. In a Facebook post titled The Economy and the Markets Reward Structural Reforms and Fiscal Prudence, Jaitley said in last four years, the central governments tax-GDP ratio had improved from 10 per cent to 11.5 per cent. Almost half of this, 0.72 per cent of GDP, accounts for an increase in non-oil tax-GDP ratio. The level of non-oil taxes to GDP at 9.8 per cent in 2017-18 is the highest since 2007-08--a year in which our revenue position was boosted by buoyant international environment, he said. This government has established a very strong reputation for fiscal prudence and macro-economically responsible behaviour. We know what happened during the Taper Tantrum of 2013. Fiscal indiscipline can lead to borrowing more and obviously increase the cost of debt. Reliefs to consumers can only be given by a fiscally responsible and a financially sound central government, and the states which are earning extra due to abnormal increase in oil prices, Jaitley said. In an apparent dig at senior Congress leader P Chidambarams remark that tax on oil should be cut by Rs 25 per litre, Jaitley retorted this is a trap suggestion. Without naming Chidambaram, Jaitley noted that the distinguished predecessor had never endeavoured to do so himself. It is intended to push India into an unmanageable debt--something which the UPA government left as its legacy. We must remember that the economy and the markets reward structural reforms, fiscal prudence, and macro-economic stability. They punish fiscal indiscipline and irresponsibility. The transformation from UPAs policy paralysis to the NDAs fastest growing economy conclusively demonstrates this. The government is aspiring to improve the tax-GDP ratio, Jaitley said. Chidambaram had last week claimed that it was possible for the centre to cut tax by up to Rs 25 per litre on petrol prices but the Modi government would not do so. As per government estimates, every rupee cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel will result in a revenue loss of about Rs 13,000 crore. The price of Indian basket of crude surged from USD 66 a barrel in April to around USD 74 currently. Jaitley said despite higher compliances in new system, as far as the non-oil taxes are concerned, India is still far from being a tax-complaint society. Salaried employees is one category of tax-compliant assessees. Most other sections still have to improve their track record. The effort for next few years has to be to replicate the last four years and improve Indias tax to GDP ratio by another 1.5 per cent. The increase must come from the non-oil segment since there is scope for improvement, he said. These additions, Jaitley said, had to come by more and more people performing their patriotic duty of paying the non-oil taxes to the state. The tragedy of the honest taxpayer is that he not only pays his own share of taxes but also has to compensate for the evader, he said. Jaitley said the central government collected taxes in the form of income tax, its own share of GST and the customs duty. Around 42 per cent of the central government taxes are shared with the states. State governments collect their 50 per cent from GST besides their local taxes. These are independent of taxes on petroleum products. The states charge ad valorem taxes on oil. If oil prices go up, states earn more, he said. PTI editorial@tribune.com New Delhi, June 17 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 past 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 General Election. 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 past 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 said. On the BJPs defeat in the recent Kairana by-election, the minority affairs minister said it had not affected the partys winning spree, but had certainly prompted it to have a relook 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. PTI editorial@tribune.com Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 17 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who as a 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 Modis big fiscal move continued to put people to hardship till date. Speaking at a NITI Ayog meeting, where he came face to face with Prime Minister Modi for the first time after walking out of the alliance some weeks ago, Naidu said, We support the ideology of the policy but 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. While raising state-related issues such as bifurcation-related special category status, Polavaram project, revenue deficit etc., Naidu also called provisions of the controversial Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill ill-drafted. 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 and to disburse pensions or for other daily 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 defuse any possible differences with the states on the plan and the then proposed GST Law. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, June 18 Amid reports of serious differences between the PDP and BJP over the Centres decision not to extend the unilateral Ramzan truce, the saffron partys central leadership has summoned its ministers and senior leaders from Jammu and Kashmir to Delhi to take a final call on the future of the coalition. The decision will be taken at a meeting in the National Capital on Tuesday. All party ministers have been asked to reach Delhi for an important meeting with the central leadership on Tuesday, Deputy CM Kavinder Gupta told The Tribune from Delhi. Feigning ignorance about the agenda, he said: Let us wait for Tuesday afternoon because everything would become clear at the meeting, he said. Of course, the prevailing situation in the state would be discussed. Another BJP minister said he was directed by the central leadership to reach Delhi by first flight from Jammu. Tuesdays meeting is significant as BJP national president Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Jammu on June 23. On Sunday, the Home Ministry had announced its decision not to extend the suspension of anti-terror operations in the state. Sources said the decision had led to a rift in the coalition as the PDP leadership, facing criticism in the Valley, was not happy with the end to ceasefire. A top RSS leader told The Tribune that unilateral ceasefire in the holy month of Ramzan had backfired as the BJP was facing criticism across the country for allegedly appeasing anti-national elements in Kashmir Valley. The future of the PDP-BJP coalition largely depends on Tuesdays meeting, he said, adding the majority viewpoint in the Sangh is to come out of the coalition to face the General Election. Besides party ministers, state president Ravinder Raina, general secretaries Ashok Koul, Narinder Singh, Pawan Khajuria and Harinder Gupta have also been asked to reach Delhi. uttara@tribuneindia.com Rome, June 18 India and Italy on Monday agreed to boost cooperation in counter terrorism and cyber security as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met the top Italian leadership and discussed steps to revitalise the bilateral ties. In her first engagement of the day, Swaraj called on Italian Prime Minister Prof. Giuseppe Conte and their discussions focused on forging bilateral cooperation across sectors and steps to revitalise the bilateral relationship, said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. Both sides agreed to mutually identify new areas of cooperation to boost trade and investment linkages. It was the first major political exchange between the two countries after Conte assumed charge as the Italian prime minister early this month. Swaraj "conveyed felicitations of the Government of India to the newly elected Government of Italy and reiterated India's desire to strengthen bilateral relations with Italy," the statement said. She also conveyed the need for India and Italy to continue to work together and coordinate positions in multilateral forums, it added. The two leaders underlined the need to boost people-to-people cooperation. Swaraj, who is here on the first leg of her seven-day tour of four European countries, also met with her Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi and the two leaders reviewed all aspects of the bilateral relationship. "They exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said. The two leaders shared concerns relating to counter terrorism and cyber security and agreed to continue cooperation in this area, the statement said. "Recognising the need to sustain the momentum generated by the visit of Former Italian Prime Minister Gentiloni to India in October 2017, the ministers emphasized the importance of promoting regular high level contacts and bilateral dialogue mechanisms," it said. Outlining the reforms undertaken by India to promote ease of doing business and liberalise Foreign Direct Investment, Swaraj highlighted the tremendous scope for enhancing bilateral trade and investment in sectors like infrastructure, food processing and renewable energy. "To augment collaboration in areas of mutual benefit, the ministers agreed to hold the next meeting of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) in India later this year," the statement said. They also welcomed Italy's participation as a partner country at the Tech Summit in India in November 2018, which would boost cooperation in technology and innovation. The two leaders also welcomed the growing India-Italy convergence on contemporary global issues and agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in multilateral forums. Swaraj also extended an invitation to Milanesi to visit India at a mutually convenient time. The year 2018 also marks the 70th year of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two leaders welcomed the celebrations to mark 70 years of diplomatic relations and agreed to work together to build a robust and wide-ranging partnership covering political consultations, trade and commerce, science & technology, culture and people to people ties, it added. Swaraj arrived here yesterday on the first leg of her 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. 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 has said. The India-Italy ties took a hit after two Italian marinesLatorre Massimiliano and Salvatore Gironeon board a ship named Enrica Lexie were arrested for allegedly killing two Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala in 2012. The India-Italy diplomatic row also impacted the European Union's relationship with India. Later on Monday, Swaraj left for France for the second leg of her four-nation visit. In Paris, Swaraj will meet her counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian and the two sides will review the bilateral relations. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 18 A TMC MLA on Monday challenged in the Supreme Court the Centres move to set up a Social Media Communication Hub to collect and analyse digital and social media content. TMC legislator Mahua Moitra wanted the top court to stay the entire project on the ground that it would violate an individuals right to privacy. A Vacation Bench headed by Justice S Abdul Nazeer, however, refused to grant urgent hearing to the TMC lawmakers petition and asked her counsel Nizam Pasha to either move a high court for urgent hearing or wait till summer vacation got over. Pasha demanded urgent hearing on the ground that it was the last date for submission of tender form issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The government was trying to monitor social media contents of individuals by tracking their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts as also their e-mails, he submitted. This will be a breach of privacy of an individual. Under the project, people, right up to the district level, will be monitored, Pasha said. The Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) recently floated tender inviting bids for supply of software for the project. Under the project, media persons would be employed on contractual basis in each district to be the eyes and ears of the government and provide real-time updates from the ground. They would take peoples feedback on governments policies and follow the news trending in their areas. A technology platform is needed to collect digital media chatter from all core social media platforms as well as digital platforms such as news, blogs... In a single system providing real-time insights, metrics and other valuable data, the tender document says. The platform is expected to provide automated reports, tactical insights and comprehensive work-flows to initiate engagement across digital channels, the documents further reads. The platform maybe used to disseminate content and hence, should support publishing features, the document says, adding that the platform needs to power a real-time New Media Command Room. It should also help the ministry to understand the impact of various social media campaigns conducted on Centre-run schemes, it says. (With PTI inputs) ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Mukesh Ranjan Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 18 Asserting that the intent of the government should not be questioned on the issue of appointment of the next Chief Justice of India (CJI), Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said the Centre would follow the convention. As and when the incumbent names the seniormost judge of the Supreme Court as his successor, the executive will take a call, the minister said at a press conference to highlight his ministrys achievements in the last four years. He was asked whether the government will follow the laid-down conventions to appoint Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the Chief Justice when incumbent Dipak Misra demits office on October 2. The question is imaginary... as far as the appointment of the CJI is concerned, the convention is clear... the sitting Chief Justice names the seniormost judge as his successor. When the name comes to us, we will discuss it, Prasad said, adding that no one had the right to question our intention. Speculation surrounding Justice Gogois appointment emerged following the press conference of four seniormost judges in January when they had criticised CJI Misra. The Memorandum of Procedure, which stipulates the guidelines on the appointment and transfer of judges of the apex court and the 24 High Courts, says: Appointment to the office of the CJI should be of the seniormost judge considered fit to hold the office. It adds, Whenever there is any doubt about the fitness of the seniormost judge to hold the office of the CJI, consultation with other judges... would be made. editorial@tribune.com Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 18 Pressure from within the Congress and the Opposition seems to have finally worked as the demolition drive initiated by Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu in the city on Thursday came to an abrupt end on Monday. The decision came following an unscheduled meeting between Deputy Commissioner Varinder Sharma, Municipal Commissioner Basant Garg, Jalandhar MP Santokh Chaudhary, Police Commissioner Pravin Sinha and MLAs Sushil Rinku, Bawa Henry, Pargat Singh and Rajinder Beri. While the DC and the MP refused to acknowledge the meeting was specifically held for the purpose, the latter, however, said the demolitions were being stalled for now, pending a meeting with the Local Bodies Minister. This even as Sidhu and Local Bodies Director Karnesh Sharma had on Sunday asserted that the drive would continue as usual. The demolition faced opposition from various quarters as Congress Jalandhar-West MLA Rinku climbed atop a JCB machine to stop progressing dozers. Akali leader Pawan Tinu went to the extent of accusing the minister of sparing illegal structures in his native place Amritsar and deliberately starting the campaign in Jalandhar. Nevertheless, several illegal structures were razed across Model Town, Chugitti Chowk and at the city bus stand. Talking to The Tribune, the MP said, The directions issued by the minister will be adhered to after we meet him in two days. Todays meeting was only about pending approvals and other cases with the Local Bodies Ministry. The DC said, It was a routine meeting as the powers to stop demolitions are vested with the Local Bodies Department We keep on meeting MLAs to discuss welfare issues. Sources at the meeting, however, said since various resolutions regarding zoning, etc, were pending, the general opinion that emerged was to raise these with the minister first before the demolition drive could be completed. DCC chief, cop scuffle in Sidhus presence Ferozepur: In an embarrassment to Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, District Congress Committee chief Chamkaur Singh Dhindsa on Monday entered into verbal duel with a cop, who was part of the ministers security. The incident took place during Sidhus visit to National Martyrs Memorial at Hussaniwala. Accusing the cop of highhandedness, Dhindsa claimed that he pushed him aside while he was going to meet Sidhu. On the other hand, the policeman accused Dhindsa of using abusive language. While both of them were exchanging heated words, Congress MLA Parminder Singh Pinki intervened to prevent the situation from taking an ugly turn. OC Blueprint for historic sites unveiled Ferozepur: Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday unveiled the blueprint for the development of historic sites, including National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala and Saragarhi Memorial, and Harike bird sanctuary as centres of tourist attraction under the centrally sponsored Swadesh Darshan scheme for which over Rs 20 crore would be spent. Paying tributes to martyrs here, Sidhu said the memorial would be developed in a way that it continued to inspire the generations to come. The minister promised to sanction funds to develop the secret hideout of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary comrades. OC editorial@tribune.com Ravi S Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 17 Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to constitute a national committee, having representation from Chief Ministers, to prepare a blueprint of a national debt waiver scheme for farmers. He underlined that the process should include consultation with the states. Presenting the case of Punjab during the fourth meeting of NITI Aayogs governing council that was presided over by Modi, Amarinder urged the Centre to include rivers of Punjab for capital assistance on the lines of the Ganga Action Plan. He reiterated the states demand for approval of projects for upgrading the irrigation system and speedy approval to the Shahpur Kandi Dam projects on the Ravi. He laid emphasis on the implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report in toto and for waiver of agriculture loans as a national policy. He batted for debt relief for farmers and sought procurement of alternative crops such as maize, oilseed and pulses by central agencies. He yet again asked the Centre to incentivise farmers through conditional cash transfer by way of non-burning bonus of Rs 100 per quintal on paddy to check burning of straw and stubble in fields. The CM rooted for special one-time infrastructure development package for border areas of Punjab. He drew Modis attention to the allocation of funds under the Border Areas Development Programme which he alleged was unfavourable 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 the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 18 The four accused arrested in an international drug racket were sent to four-day police remand by a court here on Monday. The accused were involved in smuggling party drug ketamine and opium hidden in cooking bowls through courier to Canada. The counter-intelligence team led by AIG HKPS Khakh will now interrogate Canadian citizen Davinder Nirwal alias Dev, besides three others: Ajit Singh, alias Jeet, his brother Tarlochan Singh of Jaitewali village (Jalandhar) and cousin Gurbax Singh of Katthe village (Hoshiarpur). The police will try to track the money route since the mastermind, Kamaljit Chauhan, who has also been booked in the case, is based in Toronto. Chauhan had taken the first consignment along with him on his return to Canada from India last winter. The second was sent from near Jalandhar bus stand through a courier, whom the cops are yet to trace. Jeet, who was trained in welding bowls together, was also involved in procuring drugs from other states. He had bought ketamine from Rampur in UP and opium from Madhya Pradesh. The main accused, Dev, hails from Ganganagar in Rajasthan, but he had now been residing in Khanna, near Ludhiana. He had been frequently travelling to Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan, Dubai and Canada. Earlier, he had smuggled around 5 quintals of ketamine in containers from Jaipur to Canada through Kandla port in Gujarat. He had also admitted before the Enforcement Directorate officials of having sent 925 kg of ketamine to China in 2005. Dev and his son Roy Bahadur Nirwal, a truck driver in Canada, have already been chargesheeted by the ED in the Bhola drug case. Another FIR was registered against Dev in Patiala in 2013, after he was caught with 10 kg of pseudoephedrine and 500 gm of intoxicating powder. The ED inquiry officer had found that neither Dev nor his son had any lawful source of funds from abroad. Despite that, Dev purchased about 60 kanals of agricultural land in Ganganagar in 2006. He had also bought commercial property measuring 6,500 sq ft in Jaipur worth Rs 6 crore in the name of his son in 2007. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Faridkot, June 17 A day after the SIT named some office-bearers of Dera Sacha Sauda for the 2015 sacrilege incidents in the district, security personnel have been deployed near all Naam Charcha Ghars (prayer meeting halls of the dera) in the area. To maintain law and order, besides reserve battalions and anti-riot police teams, security personnel from adjoining districts of Ferozepur, Moga, Muktsar and Bathinda have been deployed in Faridkot. Refusing to divulge details on the heavy deployment of the police, Nanak Singh, SSP, only said the additional forces would assist the local police in dealing with any untoward situation. Police sources revealed that besides deploying security personnel near all Naam Charcha Ghars in the district, the authorities are highly vigilant in keeping a close eye on developments at the ongoing dharna of Sikh radical leaders at Bargari village. A heavy police force has been deployed there as well. The dharna was started on June 1. The Sikh leaders are demanding the arrest of culprits of sacrilege incidents and punishment to the cops guilty of killing two Sikh protesters at Behbal Kalan. Looking at the past incidents of violence between dera followers and Sikh radicals, the civil and police administration believe that there is a risk of clashes between them. The radicals are particularly enraged after the police officially declared some office-bearers of the dera as key culprits in sacrilege cases. The houses of some dera followers, arrested by the SIT in the last 10 days, are also under police security to ensure the safety of their family members, said a senior officer. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 17 Reiterating his stance that he never supported the 2020 Sikh referendum, AAP leader Sukhpal Khaira on Sunday said the AAP leadership should have consulted him before issuing statements to the media and declaring that they would initiate action against him. He also took on the Congress and the Akali leadership, stating they had signed/supported resolutions akin to the 2020 referendum many times in the past. He said he would quit politics if the government proved he supported the referendum. Speaking to the media here, Khaira said: I have never supported the Sikh referendum. Without even asking me about the matter, Dr Balbir Singh issued a statement to the media that action would be initiated against Khaira. With the Akali Dal, Congress and the BJP launching a tirade against me, some AAP leaders also unfortunately fell into the trap. Earlier, AAP state unit co-convener Dr Balbir Singh had distanced the party from Khairas statement, stating it would initiate action against him. Partys Sunam MLA Aman Arora had also stated it was the leaders individual stand and not the partys. Khaira said: I had only said that the Union Government should make efforts for the betterment of the Sikhs, who have seen many tragedies. On the basis of this, Congress president Sunil Jakhar even sought my disqualification and an FIR against me. Showing a picture of the CM, which he had also tweeted on Saturday, Khaira said: In 1994, the Amritsar Declaration read by Capt Amarinder Singh at the Darbar Sahib was also about the Sikhs right to self-determination, raising the demand for an autonomous state of Punjab similar to the 2020 referendum. It was read in the presence of Surjit Singh Barnala and Simranjit Singh Mann. Showing another document, he said: In April 1992, the UNs visiting secretary general was given a memorandum by the Akali Dal leadership under Simranjit Singh Mann. Former CM Parkash Singh Badal was also a signatory. editorial@tribune.com Mukesh Tandon Tribune News Service Panipat, June 18 Jimmy Sandhu, an NRI who hails from Ludhiana, who was arrested from a private hospital here by a team of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on June 14, is a key player of an international drug racket busted recently by the DRI, Mumbai zone. Satya Prakash, Senior Intelligence Officer, DRI, Mumbai zone, told The Tribune over the phone that they had arrested 11 members of the gang, including Arshinder Singh Sodhi of Jalandhar and Jimmy Sandhu of Ludhiana along with three foreigners Jonn Athon and Barry Zone Ricken of the UK and Nguvien Manh Cung of Vietnam. Sodhi was arrested from Mumbai where he had been supplying drugs in rave parties. Jimmy was deported to India from Canada in 2015, following his involvement in street fights and house break-ins, he said, adding that he was nabbed from Panipat. He said: Jimmy is a key player of international drug syndicate and owned a factory in Goa where party drug ketamine was manufactured. The officer said the accused had been processing around 20 kg ketamine (valued at Rs 25 lakh per kg) in five days in the factory. Jimmy has been sent to the Arthar road jail, he added. editorial@tribune.com Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 18 Post the recent demolition drive ordered by Local Bodies Minister Navjot Sidhu, most of the Doaba MLAs seem to have turned against him. Other than Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh with whom Sidhu had joined Congress ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls, most of the MLAs here have begun issuing statements against the minister. While it was Jalandhar-West MLA Sushil Rinku who chose to defy Sidhus orders first by stopping the demolition ordered by him, Jalandhar-Central MLA Rajinder Beri, too, had followed suit. As Sidhu turned up at Kapurthala last evening to take a round of historical buildings that are to be included in the proposed Mughal circuit, neither ex-minister Rana Gurjeet Singh, who is close to Rinku, nor Sultanpur Lodhi legislator Navtej Cheema turned up to see him. A CM loyalist, Cheema went ahead to say that Sidhu should have the courtesy to keep MLAs in loop about his visits. In August last year too, Cheema had chosen not to welcome Sidhu during his tour to check sewage treatment plants set up by environmentalist Balbir S Seechewal. Even Rana Gurjeet Singh seemed somewhat annoyed, Sidhu called me up at 2:35 pm yesterday that he will be visiting Kapurthala around 4 pm. Had he told me about his plans well in advance, I would have welcomed him and given him some input on tourism promotion. I told him that I am on my way to Chandigarh and that he should put off his plans for Kapurthala to some other day. But he chose to continue with his tour. Questioned by mediapersons on MLAs not accompanying him, Sidhu said, I am on a departmental visit. I have not called anyone here. uttara@tribuneindia.com Jupinderjit Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 18 Fissures within the Punjab Aam Aadmi Party appears to have widened, as Aam Aadmi Party state co-convenor Dr Balbir Singh and Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Khaira have locked horns once again after their opposing views on the state units autonomy. A day after Khaira claimed no party leader tried to take his clarification on his reported statements on Sikh Referendum 2020, Dr Balbir Singh took to Twitter to claim Khaira didnt take any of his five calls on Sunday, instead choosing to go straight to the press. Khaira said in Jalandhar on Sunday that he was pained by his party leaders statements against him. Among those leaders was Balbir Singh, who said AAP didnt support any such movement and that he would seek action against Khaira. Khaira found himself in the middle of controversy over his statementsretracted laterthat he supported Sikh Referendum 2020 that called for a separate homeland for Sikhs. Khaira clarified that he had justified the Sikh struggle for justice, but always stood for a united India. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 18 Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modis intervention for settlement of Rs 31,000 crore food account against procurement of wheat and paddy, a matter hanging fire for long. Capt Amarinder said the erstwhile state government erroneously took upon itself the financial burden, which should have been adjusted between it and the Centre. In a 30-minute meeting with PM Modi at the latters residence here, Capt Amarinder said the sum was on account of non-adjustment of accounts for procurements done by state agencies for the Food Corporation of India from 2003-04 onwards. He said of the Rs 31,000 crore, Rs 12,000 crore was principal and remaining Rs 19,000 crore interest. The state was burdened with an annual interest payment liability of Rs 324 crore and the total payoff on account of accretion of interest could touch a whopping Rs 65,000 crore, which would be untenable, said the Chief Minister. The CM has raised the issue with the Centre several times and it is now in the court of the Union Finance Ministry. Besides, he demanded a special package for the development of border areas. He reiterated the demand for central assistance of Rs 2,145 crore for the 550th Guru Nanak Dev Prakash Utsav celebrations, which kick off in November 2019. He also sought central grant of Rs 100 crore for development of surrounding areas of Jallianwala Bagh in view of the proposed observance of 100th year of the massacre on April 13 next year. The other demands include institution of national debt waiver scheme, making Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana totally centrally funded and procurement of alternate crops such as maize, pulses and oilseeds by central agencies. Capt Amarinder later met Union Minister for Water Resources and Road Transport Nitin Gadkari and sought early clearance of the Shahpur-Kandi dam project. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 18 The SGPC has offered free legal aid to Sikhs, who were illegally detained in Jodhpur jail after Operation Bluestar, to fight their case in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, if the Centre challenges the compensation awarded to them by a local court. SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal has also offered jobs to the needy. The Sikh body has also started a move to trace the remaining detainees. The record says there were 365 prisoners confined in Jodhpur jail till 1989-90. More than 200 Sikhs had filed the case in 1991. With the passage of time, some of them died and others gave up. Eventually, only 40 came forward to make an appeal in 2011 and in May 2017, the Amritsar court awarded a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each. The state government had agreed to pay the compensation, but the Centre had filed a writ petition in the High Court. A 10-member committee of Jodhpur detainees met Longowal and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday. Longowal said: We will meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh shortly and urge him to withdraw the petition filed by the CBI on behalf of Centre. sanjiv@tribunemail.com Tribune News Service Dehradun, June 18 Following in the footsteps of the Hindi film directors, crew and caste of a Telugu film started shooting a movie in Dehradun on Monday. The shooting, under the banner of SVC Productions 30, commenced at a local school here. The untitled film has southern superstar Mohan Babu and Pooja Hegde in the lead roles. Chief Minister TS Rawat gave the mahurat shot for the Telugu film. Notably, within a span of six months, shooting of around seven films have taken place in Uttarakhand. The shooting of the film will continue for a period of three days at the Summer Valley School and later the film unit will move to the Forest Research Institute (FRI) where the shooting will commence from June 22. Mahesh Babu is reported to be among the highest paid actors in the South Indian film industry. Dr Rathi Shankar Tripathi, line producer of the film, said a college set would be created for filming the scenes. He said Pooja would play the role of a college student. He said the Rs 125-crore film was the first big budget film to be shot in Uttarakhand. While Ajay Devgun starrer Shivaay, which was also shot in Uttarakhand, is said to have been made at a cost of Rs 80 crore. The Uttarakhand Government is hopeful that film producers from all over the country and abroad will boost the tourism industry in the state. laxmi@tribune.com Bogata, June 18 Conservative Ivan Duque won Colombias presidential election today 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 just over 54 per cent to his leftist rival Gustavo Petros 41.7 per cent with 97 per cent of the vote counted, electoral authority figures showed. Petro, a leftist former mayor and ex-guerrilla, supports the deal. 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 worlds 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. Duques victory means he will be Colombias youngest president since 1872, during his swearing-in ceremony in August. He comfortably won the first round last month, having campaigned on a pledge to rewrite the agreement signed by Santos. 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. AFP FARC deal at risk singhking99@yahoo.com PRESPES/ BITOLA, June 17 Greece and Macedonia defied protests and set aside three decades of dispute on Sunday as they agreed on a new name for the Balkan state, potentially paving the way for Macedonias admission to the European Union and NATO. The foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia signed an accord to rename the former Yugoslav republic the Republic of North Macedonia, despite a storm of protest over a deal seen as a national sellout by some on both sides. In the idyllic setting of Prespes, a lake region that borders Greece, Macedonia and Albania, officials from the two countries embraced, shook hands and penned a deal in the presence of European and United Nations officials. 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. 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 the lakeside ceremony. 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. In the Macedonian city of Bitola not far from the Greek border, protesters wrapped in national flags chanted This is Macedonia and began to march across the city. This shameful deal will not pass, we will defend Macedonias name and pride, said Petre Filipovski, 40, dressed in the trademark red T-thirt of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party. In the Greek village of Pisoderi, protesters carried a giant Greek flag and one group clashed with riot police on a mountain slope as they tried to break the cordon. Others chanted the Greek national anthem. Up to 70% of Greeks object to the compromise, an opinion poll by the Proto Thema newspaper showed on Saturday. In Psarades, the tiny lakeside community where the deal was signed, the village church bell tolled in mourning, draped in a Greek flag. Others might object, too. One big concern is Russia. Moscow has noticeably refused to endorse the agreement. It knows that this will see Macedonia join NATO, said James Ker-Lindsay, professor of politics and policy at St. Marys University in London. There will be fears that Russia may now try to somehow influence the vote, Ker-Lindsay sadi. Given recent allegations of Moscows involvement in other elections and referendums, this will be a real concern for NATO and the EU. 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. Reuters Two sides in dispute since 1991 singhking99@yahoo.com Beirut, June 17 A US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance today ousted the Islamic State group from a bastion in northeastern Syria near the Iraqi border, it said. The Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by US-led coalition air power, have been battling to expel the jihadists from the last villages they hold in eastern Syria. The SDF were able on Sunday to liberate Dashisha village in the northeastern province of Hasakeh, the alliance said in a statement. SDF fighters are now just three km from the Syrian-Iraqi border, it said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said fighting for the village since Saturday had killed 30 jihadists. AFP laxmi@tribune.com LONDON, June 18 Britains House of Lords inflicted another defeat on the government on Monday over its flagship Brexit Bill, sending it back to MPs and setting up a fresh showdown between Prime Minister Theresa May and her pro-European rebels. Unelected peers in the Upper House voted by 354 to 235 to support a rebel amendment on the role Parliament should play if the government fails to secure a deal with the European Union before Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019. I want to ensure that Parliament does have a meaningful vote and I dont want to see that left to chance, said Lord Hailsham, the member of Mays Conservative Party who proposed the motion. The amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill was drawn up in consultation with pro-European MPs in the lower House of Commons, who will have a chance to vote on it themselves on Wednesday. They had threatened to rebel on the same issue when they debated the Bill last week, but held off following personal assurances from May that she would heed their concerns. However, her compromise amendment fell short of their expectations, and peers agreed to back an alternative so the MPs could vote again when the Bill returns to them, in a process known as "ping-pong. May earlier warned that any attempt by Parliament to take control of the Brexit negotiations would weaken her hand. Of course we have been listening to concerns about the role of parliament, she told reporters. But we need to make sure that Parliament cant tie the government's hands in negotiation and cant overturn the will of the British people. Despite the stuttering progress in the talks with Brussels, both sides still hope to reach a deal in October. AFP singhking99@yahoo.com VALENCIA, June 17 A migrant rescue boat turned away by Italy and Malta arrived at the Spanish port of Valencia on Sunday, ending a gruelling voyage which has made it a symbol of Europes failure to agree on immigration. Spain swooped to help 629 mainly sub-Saharan Africans on board the Aquarius last week after Italys new government, asserting its anti-immigrant credentials, refused to let it dock. Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who took office two weeks ago, took the opportunity to show a more liberal stance. But the plight of the Aquarius, run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) with Franco-German charity SOS Mediterranee, highlighted the European Unions failure to agree on how to manage the huge influx of people fleeing poverty and conflict. In Valencia, officials in white protective suits and masks greeted the migrants as they debarked and police started identifying them and processing their information. The Aquarius arrived carrying 106 people rescued from unstable boats near Libya. The others had been transferred to an Italian coast guard vessel and a ship belonging to the Italian navy to make the journey safer. The coast guard boat was the first to arrive, docking in the eastern port with 274 on board just after dawn. Shouts and singing erupted on the ship as the migrants on board saw Valencia on the horizon, Spanish journalist Gabriela Sanchez tweeted from another boat travelling alongside it. A staff of 2,320, including volunteers, translators and health officials, were waiting on shore. Red Cross Secretary General Elhadj As Sy was also in Valencia for the arrival. No human being is illegal, and people who need help should receive help, added Sy. Reuters pardeepdhull@gmail.com Beirut, June 18 An air strike has killed more than 50 pro-regime fighters in eastern Syria, most of them foreigners, with the US-led coalition denying accusations from Damascus that it was behind the attack. The strike just before midnight hit Al-Hari, a town controlled by regional militias fighting in the complex seven-year war on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the conflict, said 52 pro-regime forces were killed in one of the deadliest air attacks in recent months. Among them are at least 30 Iraqi fighters and 16 Syrians, including soldiers and members of loyalist militias, the Observatory chief, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP. The nationalities of the remaining six fighters were not immediately known, he said. There are Iraqi, Iranian, Lebanese and even Afghan fighters stationed in the area. According to Abdel Rahman, some wounded fighters were treated in the nearby town of Albu Kamal, while others travelled across the border to Iraq. A military source in Deir Ezzor told AFP the warplanes hit joint Iraqi-Syrian positions in Al-Hari. The attack was first reported by Syrian state media overnight, which cited a military source and accused the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group of carrying it out. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number or their nationalities. The coalitions press office said it had heard reports that a strike in the area had killed and wounded members of a pro-regime Iraqi militia, but denied it was responsible. There have been no strikes by US or coalition forces in that area, it told AFP by e-mail. IS overran large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring an Islamic caliphate in areas under its control. Separate offensives have since whittled down the jihadists territory in Syria to just a handful of pockets in the eastern desert, including in the Deir Ezzor province where Al-Hari lies. A US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against those IS-held pockets. The two forces have mostly avoided crashing into each other thanks to a de-confliction line that runs across the province along the winding Euphrates River. Syrian troops are battling IS on the western river bank, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fight on the east. Iraqi warplanes also have occasionally bombed IS positions in Syrias east. Al-Hari lies on the western side, close to the river and the de-confliction line. The buffer has largely been successful in keeping the two offensives apart, but there have been exceptions. Last month a dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian government positions that the Observatory and state media blamed on the coalition. The Pentagon denied responsibility. In February, US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in Deir Ezzor province, including Russians. The strike on Al-Hari produced the highest death toll for regime forces since the February incident, Observatory head Abdel Rahman told AFP. More than 3,50,000 people have been killed since Syrias conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against Assads rule. Those demonstrations spiralled into a full-blown war that has drawn in world powers and seen the rise of jihadist forces like IS. The strike on Al-Hari came a day after the US-backed SDF announced it had ousted IS from Dashisha, a village to the north in Syrias Hasakeh province. The village had been one of the last IS-controlled areas on a corridor linking Syria with Iraq. For the first time in four years, Dashisha, a notorious transit town for weapons, fighters, and suicide bombers between Iraq and Syria, is no longer controlled by ISIS terrorists, Brett McGurk, the US presidents special envoy for the war against IS, said today. AFP singhking99@yahoo.com KABUL, June 17 Taliban militants headed into cities across Afghanistan on Sunday as they celebrated their Eid ceasefire with feasts and selfies, raising questions about what happens when the ceasefire ends at midnight (1930 GMT). President Ashraf Ghani said he would extend a government ceasefire on Saturday and urged the Taliban to do the same, winning praise at home and international backing, but critics said his overtures had allowed the Taliban to pour into cities unchecked. The Taliban said there would be no extension. 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 dont have mechanisms in place to mitigate the breach of ceasefire by the Taliban, Saleh told Reuters. Members of parliament opposing Ghanis 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 Ghanis 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. The Taliban said their members were expected to leave government-controlled areas before sunset. Over the weekend, ecstatic men and children crowded around the soldiers and Taliban fighters, some of whom 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, coinciding with the close of the month-long Ramadan fasting season. There is no intention to extend the ceasefire, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters. ...Our normal operations will start tomorrow (Monday). Ghanis office has yet to declare a new timeframe for the extended government ceasefire. Western diplomats based in Kabul said they were issuing fresh travel warnings for the whole country. The Taliban can always use a ceasefire as an opportunity to attack foreigners, one Western diplomat said. The Taliban are fighting US-led NATO forces, combined under the Resolute Support mission, and Ghanis US-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. Reuters Suicide attack kills 18 As prepared for delivery. I would like to thank the chair (Ms. Marielle de Sarnez) for hosting this meeting. I am pleased to be here in Paris and have opportunity to meet MPs, after previous bilateral exchanges in New-York. Presentation of the 2030 Agenda As part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development agreed by world leaders in 2015 in NYC (a few months before the landmark COP21), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out an ambitious vision for people, planet and prosperity over the next fifteen years. This agenda is bringing a paradigm shift: it is universal, and Parliaments have a key role to play in supporting its implementation. The SDGs aim to address the key development and peace challenges of our time, from poverty and inequalities to hunger and disease to violence and conflict to climate change and disaster risks. This global framework aims to leave no one behind and to transform the way we live, work, and do business, so that we can build sustainable, inclusive, and peaceful societies. Need for sustained investments in multilateralism and development cooperation. While considerable progress has been made across all areas of development, the pace of progress remains insufficient to deliver on these goals. And multilateralism is needed more than ever, as President Macron noted before the General Assembly last September. The challenge today is to rebuild trust in multilateralism, and to explain that today, in the current state of the world, there is nothing more effective than multilateralism. Why? Because so many of our challenges are global, multilateralism is key to deliver on global public goods and address vulnerabilities. Multilateral development cooperation provides neutral, norm-based support to countries and has a unique capacity to address transboundary challenges (such as climate change, migration, pandemics and rising extremism). In todays fractured world, the UN development systems neutrality can also be instrumental in preventing conflict and sustaining peace, a task that no bilateral actor alone can achieve. In terms of effectiveness a topic that I know is at the center of many of your discussions independent studies show that multilateral channels can ensure less fragmented & politicized assistance to countries, ensuring national ownership and more sustainable results over the long run. Our neutrality also enables us to operate in challenging, conflict-affected contexts where bilateral actors may not be authorized. Through its unparalleled presence, the UNDS can support economies of scale, ensuring efficiency and value for money to partners. UNDPs global reach and focus on least-developing countries also ensure no country is left behind in benefiting from the assistance of the international community. Yet, in order to meet the aspirations of the 2030 Agenda, our goal must be a 21st century UN Development System that is more focused on people, less on process; more on results for the poor and marginalized, less on bureaucracy; more on providing integrated support across thematic silos, less on turf battles and competition. To make the UN optimally equipped to support this ambitious agenda, the SG & Member States have recently approved a vast reform of the UN development system, that will, among others: Provide better integrated, multi-sectoral support to countries to address complex challenges across the sustainable development spectrum. Help to work seamlessly across its humanitarian, development & peacekeeping operations. UNDP is fully supporting this series of interlinked reforms. Member States & the SG have asked UNDP to be repositioned as the integrator platform at the heart of a new generation of UN Country Teams. In this context, in addition to our own thematic areas of expertise, we are building up country support platforms to drive forward integration across many UN and other actors, with the aim to respond to wicked (complex and systematic) problems. For UNDP, some of our own key priorities related to the implementation of SDGs include: Fostering development practices and business models that eradicate poverty and include and empower the most marginalized and vulnerable; Building more inclusive, responsive, agile and trusted public and political institutions; Encouraging new approaches and behavior changes to prevent conflict and violence, mitigate climate change and achieve gender equality, while promoting innovation. UNDPs central role on SDGs In many ways, the 2030 Agenda reflects what UNDP was created for. With expert staff working in nearly 170 countries and territories, UNDP has people, connections & access across the world, representing the most cost-effective and strategic complement to bilateral cooperation. Every day, our 17,500 workforce is at the frontline to tackle the worlds most critical challenges. This near-universal presence means UNDP is also on the ground before, during and after crisis. We work with humanitarian actors at all stages of crises and emergencies. As the world is experiencing large-scale shifts , in terms of technology (ICT but also use of big data, AI + machine learning, renewables), and business models (mobile money and so on), blurring lines between development and others forms of cooperation, coupled with an explosion of new players and sources of financing , UNDP is also mainstreaming innovation in its day-to-day work to be able to provide the best policy expertise and implementation support to countries and to scale up successful development solutions. UNDP activities are aligned with French key strategic priorities But let me also stress that UNDPs global mandate and country-level activities are fully aligned with the objectives and the focus areas of the French international development, which were recently updated in February 2018. UNDPs work and Frances priorities converge in many areas, especially in our shared ambition to promote stability and help countries recover from conflict or disasters, preventing the escalation of conflicts and the rise of violent extremism, promoting good governance and advancing inclusive and sustainable economic development, and of course, advance climate action. As mentioned by the former Deputy-Secretary General, there is no peace without development, there is no development without peace, and there is no lasting peace or sustainable development without respect of human rights and the rule of law. For the international system to work, and for even a nation to work, you have to have peace, development and respect for human rights and rule of law, and you have to deal with it at the same time. This type of integrated approach precisely constitutes one of the key comparative advantages of UNDP. For instance, to prevent the rise of violent extremism notably in Sub-Saharan Africa, security responses alone are not enough to tackle the root causes. When young people cannot find jobs, experience cycles of conflict and poverty, and see no hope for their future, they are still very susceptible to joining extremist groups as shown in our latest Journey to Extremism report. By working with a wide range of actors, notably women and youth organisations, religious institutions and the international community, we can tackle the complementary issues of risk, response, and prevention of violent extremism, and better support countries in addressing this growing threat. This work on prevention is also critical from an economic perspective. As per the recent UN-WB Pathways to Peace report that I have presented this morning, the average net savings of prevention range from $5bn (most pessimistic estimate) to $70bn (most optimistic) per year. Protracted crises, such as those in the Sahel, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, also show that new responses from the international community are needed, not just for countries in crisis but also for neighboring countries. Humanitarian responses on their own are insufficient to respond to the scale of suffering. New joined up approaches between humanitarian, peace and development actors as well as between the UN & the international community are needed to address the underlying fragilities that give rise to these crises in the first place. I praise the Government of France for putting this topic on top of the international agenda, notably with the creation of the Sahel Alliance, in which UNDP is a founding member. Let me also share with you concrete examples of the France-UNDP partnership on the ground, notably in the area of stabilization. In Iraq, the UNDP Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilization benefit from regular contributions from France ($7.2m since 2015) to support the return of displaced people in areas liberated from Daesh. UNDP is pioneering a new approach to stabilization focusing on speed, functionality and scale. More than 95% of all stabilization projects are delivered through the local private sector, employing local labor, so enabling faster return of IDPs home. Through this facility, UNDP has implemented over 2,000 projects in 28 cities, rehabilitating essential local public infrastructure, such as water systems and electric grids. The Facility also employs youth and vulnerable people to remove rubble, open transport routes and revitalize newly-liberated cities, whilst proving cash grants to businesses to reopen. In Mosul, the largest stabilization project to date, more than 750 projects are under way, including rehabilitation of key water treatment plans (proving water to over 600,000 people), electrical substations, schools and health care facilities. French support focuses specifically on the rehabilitation of the Mosul university, in line with the priority you give to education. Since the start of the conflict in 2014, over two million displaced Iraqis have been able to return to their homes in newly liberated areas. In Libya, France has also been supporting our stabilization activities and more recently the electoral assistance process. In the context of Libyan political process, UNDP facilitated regular dialogues between Misrata and Tawergha communities to support transitional justice and safe return of peoples. In the context of Libyan political process, UNDP facilitated regular dialogues between Misrata and Tawergha communities to support transitional justice and safe return of peoples. UNDP has also administered 28 grants to Libyan NGOs aimed at strengthening civil society. Under the Stabilization Facility for Libya, 1 million people are benefitting from rehabilitation of critical infrastructure/social services. 500,000 people are benefitting from solar-powered back-up systems in 9 hospitals (guaranteeing continuity of power in emergency rooms as well as cooling systems needed for the reliable storage of medicine). More broadly, UNDPs governance work spans a wide range of institutions, from national parliaments, supreme courts, and national civil services through regional and local administrations, to some of the geographically remotest communities in the world, restoring core government functions in the aftermath of a crisis. We also work with one out of every three parliaments on the planet, and assist in an election somewhere in the world on average every two weeks. To ensure that women, youth and marginalized groups have a say in their future, we help countries expand spaces for peoples participation, and improve how their institutions work with citizens, so that all people can aspire to a sustainable future with prosperity, peace, justice and security. Climate action When we talk of how to best prevent and respond to crisis, we need to highlight the critical need to accelerate action on climate change. Climate-related disasters are inflicting tremendous costs on peoples and their economies. The latest data speaks for itself: in 2017 the hurricane season in the Caribbean was the costliest in decades; over 40 million people were affected by floods in South Asia ; and drought drove nearly 900,000 people from their homes in Somalia . As climate change risks will continue to grow in 2018 and beyond, more ambitious climate action is urgently needed. Current national climate pledges presented during the COP21 have set the world on a path towards 3.2oC temperature rise, far above the goals of the Paris Agreement. The Secretary-General has recently warned that climate change is the most systematic threat to humankind and has urged international community to further cut emissions. Looking ahead, it is clear that prospects for eradicating poverty, building inclusive and equitable societies, and ensuring sustainable development depend upon countries pursuing a zero-carbon and risk informed approach to development. UNDP is the largest implementer of climate projects in the UN system, with more than 840 projects in 143 countries, representing a grant investment of $3.6bn and co-financing of $16 billion. With this unparalleled expertise, UNDP plays a key role in supporting efforts to accelerate climate action at country-level, assisting countries to build enabling environments, access transformational finance, align private sector investments, and scale up proven solutions, notably on energy. Further support to multilateral action can enhance impacts of bilateral initiatives, such as the critical work in this area led by France and AFD. Through closer partnerships, we have the potential to make our support even more effective and beneficial to the countries we serve. Development effectiveness and financing Effective development cooperation goes indeed hand-in-hand with the question of resources. The financing needs to implement the 2030 Agenda are no doubt massive, estimated at $2.5 trillion per year. The challenge is not only to mobilise all sources of finance domestic and international, public and private and harness the potential of innovative financing schemes but also to align financing flows and policies with sustainable development priorities. The good news is that the interest of the private sector in linking investments to sustainability objectives has been growing. Yet, many barriers still limit the further mobilization of these private sector resources for SDGs investments in developing countries including 1) high perception of risk in developing country markets; 2) a lack of investment-ready opportunities; 3) unpredictable and limiting regulatory environments. At UNDP, we believe that our role is not only to fund and implement thematic development programmes, but that the effectiveness of our work at the country level should also result in lowering these policy and institutional risks for long term private investment to help secure SDG outcomes. Value for money As members of Parliament, you play a key role in providing recommendations to the Government on how to ensure that taxpayers money have the maximum returns on investment. Undoubtedly, the success of development cooperation does not only rely on the quantity of aid, but also its quality and how it is spent at country-level. Let me share with you that UNDP is a leading actor in the field. We notably support the activities of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, which brings together governments, bilateral and multilateral organisations, civil society and representatives from parliaments and the private sector, all committed to strengthening the effectiveness of their development cooperation. UNDP is proud to support this initiative, which is putting principles of partnership, transparency, results focus, and country ownership to work for the SDGs. Innovation We also want to drive innovation into the heart of UNDPs approach. Indeed, blockchain, artificial intelligence, 3-D printing, robotics, the Internet of Things and all things smart and digital hold great promise as new, potentially disruptive, technologies which are likely to have profound impact on development. Yet, countries at are different levels of technological endowments. Paths to digital transformation need to be context- specific. Managing these transformations will be critical in ensuring that we do not see an amplification of inequalities, but rather a greater convergence to leave no one behind. For instance, we are currently exploring how to better use digital technologies to promote access to public information and improving transparency of public institutions. To give you one example, SDG 16.9 calls for provision of legal identities for all, including birth registration. Proper, secure identification is a precondition for people to be citizens in their countries. Legal identity is the key to the exercise of political rights, such as the right to vote. But some 1.1 billion people, nearly one in six individuals globally, usually the poorest and most marginalised members of society, more than one third of children under 18, are not registered as citizens. Identification is the first and most fundamental prerequisite for government to be able to interact with, and provide services to, its citizens. For the developing world, electronic identity schemes offer potential to overcome barriers to citizen registration, such as inadequate physical infrastructure, illiteracy, and corruption. Yet, new technologies also present risks, notably related to privacy or impacts on jobs. At UNDP, we aim to support countries and their governments to be proactive rather than reactive in handling this rapidly changing environment, empowering them to take advantage of emerging opportunities and to become more resilient in the face of disruption. Call for further support from France To conclude, I hope to count on your support to ensure that the UN development system also benefits from the planned growth in French ODA budgets announced by President Macron. There is room for a much stronger financial and programmatic partnerships as we share so many common priorities. When you invest in UNDP, you invest in the entire UN Development Systemhelping deliver better results for the most vulnerable. Support to core unearmarked funding enables us UNDP to: Focus on the poorest: 86% of core resources are allocated to Low Income Countries. Respond quickly and flexibly to crises such as earthquakes, hurricanes or conflicts. Maintain the highest level of accountability, efficiency and transparency (UNDP is currently ranked as the most transparent organization in the world), and underpin all our programmes with policy expertise on human rights, gender equality, and to apply robust social and environmental standards to all our projects. At UNDP we see a strong complementarity between Frances bilateral efforts and the multilateral norm-based support UNDP delivers - at the country-level for SDGs and climate action. We look forward to continuing our fruitful collaboration to address complex issues like stabilization and displacement and to advance our shared commitment to peace and development for all. Video of the Administrator's statement. Youth Congress should strengthen party at grassroots : Santokh Chaudhary 17 Oct 2021 | 11:45 PM Jalandhar, Oct 17 (UNI) Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary on Sunday said that the members of District Youth Congress should dedicate themselves to strengthening the party at grassroots and propagate its values to everyone. see more.. AAP leader takes dig at transport mafia in Punjab, sends list Transport Minister 17 Oct 2021 | 11:25 PM Chandigarh, Oct 17 (UNI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab spokesperson and RTI activist advocate Dinesh Chadha has sent proofs through a letter to Punjab Transport Minister Raja Warring that how the transport mafia of political leaders looted Punjab's exchequer during the rule of Akali and the Congress government and how it was emptied. see more.. The public will not be misled by slogans : Transport minister 17 Oct 2021 | 11:20 PM Dharamshala, Oct 17 (UNI) Bharatiya Janata Party is all set for Fatehpur elections as the party is in campaign mode. BJP is trying to fight the by elections on the issue of development and the achievements of both Modi and Jairam Thakur governments. see more.. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut slams Centre over misuse of power 17 Oct 2021 | 11:12 PM Mumbai, Oct 17 (UNI) Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Sunday slammed the BJP-led central government for misusing power and using the central agencies against innocent people, saying that it is unhealthy politics, as the ruling party would not be in power forever and the situation may change after 2024 general election. see more.. A woman is charged with child endangerment after her 5-year-old daughter was found by a passerby hanging from a second-story window, according to charges filed in Sibley County. Authorities say 47-year-old April Grams was asleep when the incident happened around 9 p.m. last Thursday. A concerned citizen called the Sibley County Sheriff's Office to report her son had just caught a young girl who was hanging out of her second-story window. The child, later identified as a 5-year-old girl, was hanging from the window when she and her son were driving by. They quickly stopped their car and her son ran to the home, where he was able to catch the girl before she hit the ground. They told authorities they brought the girl back inside the home and found the mother asleep. The child then told her mother, "Don't lock me in the room again." The Sibley County Deputy Sheriff went to the residence and spoke with Grams. He was shown the child's bedroom, where the door had a lock on the outside, in order to lock the child in. Since the girl did not have a bathroom in her room, the girl told police she used a small Halloween pumpkin as a toilet when she was locked inside. Sibley County authorities made contact with a social worker for Sibley County Public Health and Human Services, who determined the child could stay in the home, as long as the lock was taken off the door. Grams has been charged with two counts of child endangerment. The joint-venture ports management celebrated the occasion with the MSC Rosarias captain SSIT is a joint-venture port. SSA Marine, headquartered in the US, owns 50 per cent of the facility. Saigon Port controls 39 per cent and Vinalines Hanoi holds the remaining 11 per cent. SSIT was built to handle the largest container vessels in the world. These so-called Ultra-Large Container Vessels can carry up to 20,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) with a deadweight capacity of almost 200,000 tonnes. SSIT is a deep-water facility with a 16.5m draft alongside the berth. The terminal is equipped with the largest container shore cranes in Vietnam. The overall operational berth length exceeds 1km, of which 425m are dedicated to barge operations. The SSITs land area totals 60ha. The container handling capacity of SSIT will reach about 1.2 million TEU annually. SSIT has been actively handling bulk vessels since October 2014. Today, the terminal is the largest and busiest bulk port in southern Vietnam. Starting in June, container operations will be added, complementing SSITs operations going forward. This will be Vietnam's first sheep wool yarn spinning plant (Illustration photo) On June 15, the first Vietnamese sheep wool yarn spinning plant has broken ground in Phat Chi industrial cluster, in Tram Hanh commune of Da Lat. The wool spinning mill has a total area of more than 61,000 square metre, 32,000sq.m of which is the construction area. The plant is a joint venture between Germanys Sudwolle Group and Lien Phuong Textiles Industry Company, the largest sheep wool yarn producer based in Ho Chi Minh City. The plant is expected to be launched in 2019 and make a revenue of $100 million a year. The designed capacity of the factory is some 4,000 tonnes of yarn per year for domestic consumption and export. The plant will use imported raw wool to produce fibre and the finished wool yarn from the factory will be shipped to textile companies using sheep wool. Fleece wool is one of the highest value yarns for woven fabrics made from natural wool. It is not very far (about 100 kilometres) from the plant to Ninh Thuan, which has 160,000 sheep. However, Lien Phuong Company (LPTEX) told sggp.org.vn that because of the low quality of Ninh Thuan fleece, the plant has no choice but to buy fleece from other nations. Accordingly, it plans to build a fleece material plant in one of the central provinces. In addition to production, the factory will be open to visitors who can watch the whole yarn production process. The project will employ 400 local workers. Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world's highest rubbish dump. (Photo: AFP/Damian Benegas) 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 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. Efforts have been made. Five years ago Nepal implemented a US$4,000 rubbish deposit per team that would be refunded if each climber brought down at least 8kg of waste. On the Tibet side of the Himalayan mountain, they are required to bring down the same amount and are fined US$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 US$20,000 to US$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. 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. 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. More than 1,000 people claim to have seen the Loch Ness Monster (Photo: AFP/Andy Buchanan) 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 Mar 26 this year by a US couple standing on the ramparts of the majestic ruin of Urquhart Castle. "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 800km trail dubbed "Scotland's Route 66" which attracted 26 per cent 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. "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!" Tran Van Chuyen Ahead of the event, Tran Van Chuyen, Chairman of the Soc Trang Peoples Committee, spoke to VIRs Huu Phuc about the provinces potential and advantages as well as its efforts to improve the local investment environment. Why has Soc Trang chosen this time to host its investment conference, given that various localities in the Mekong delta region have held similar events not long ago? Promotion activities to solicit investment into Soc Trang have been held in the province in various forms for many years now, such as by taking part in regional and national-level investment promotion events or events held by ministries and sectors, and have resulted in great achievements. The idea of hosting a major promotion event was conceived long ago by the provinces authorities, and careful preparations have been made. The conditions have now been dubbed mature for such an event to take hold. Soc Trangs 2018 investment promotion and startup programme launch event aims to increase the exposure of the provinces socio-economic achievements, potential, advantages, and investment incentives. We will call for investment from assorted sources at home and abroad, striving for fast and sustainable development. The occasion also provides a platform for the government and provincial leaders to directly meet investors and businesses wishing to invest in the province. In the framework of the conference, provincial leaders will approve investment proposals of several projects as well as host launch ceremonies for several major undertakings, such as the startup programme to inaugurate the provinces startup community. The event is expected to attract about 500 delegates leaders from various ministries and sectors, foreign diplomats and representatives of international organisations operating in Vietnam, financial and credit institutions, investment-trade promotion agencies, business associations, as well as domestic and foreign investors. Notably, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will chair and address the conference. With 500 people expected to attend Soc Trangs investment promotion conference, the province is eyeing a considerable boost to its economy, Photo: Huynh Bien Soc Trang is one of the countrys major agricultural production areas. What are the provinces advantages for development compared to its regional peers? A part of the Mekong River delta, Soc Trang has enormous potential for agricultural development, as its climate and soil conditions are favourable for growing many kinds of crops as well as breeding animals. What makes it different from its regional peers is the provinces immense potential to boost the marine economy, particularly in the fields of renewable energy, seaports, and ocean logistics services. Soc Trangs potential for wind power is huge, as the province is home to 72 kilometres of coastline with wind velocities averaging 6 metres per second. In addition, as the province is less affected by storms, it seems an ideal choice for wind power investors. The lack of a deep-water port presents a major obstacle for Soc Trangs ability to receive big ships. To address the limitation, the province has proposed building a deep-water port at the Tran De estuary. Why was the proposal made? With the provinces coastline accommodating three estuaries, of which Dinh An and Tran De are the two most important gateways to the East Sea, Soc Trang boasts major advantages for the development of a seaport system to promote shipping services. After years of surveying, marine experts say that building a deep-water port at the Tran De estuary is the most feasible option, because the seabed there is unlikely to be raised by silt, eliminating the need for dredging. In addition, building a deep-water seaport on the Hau River will make transporting commodities to destinations in the delta region more convenient. The prime minister has approved to add the Tran De deep-water port to Vietnams seaport development planning in principle, and has given it priority to call for official development assistance capital and preferential foreign loans for the projects implementation. On that basis, the Ministry of Transport has supported our proposal to turn Tran De into an international gateway port of special significance that directly serves the import-export business of the delta region. What investment fields have been prioritised to help Soc Trang make avail of its potential? High-tech agriculture linked to the processing industry, renewable energy, and tourism are the three prioritised fields for which our province wants to call for investment. In addition, Soc Trang is seeking investment in other fields, such as industrial zone (IZ) and industrial cluster infrastructure; market, supermarket, and trade centre construction; as well as seaports and shipping. The provinces six planned IZs are located in areas favourable for transport. An Nghiep IZ in Chau Thanh district has already leased out more than 90 per cent of its area, while the remaining IZs, such as Tran De, Song Hau, and Dai Ngai, are in the process of luring investment. How will Soc Trang support investors coming to the province to set up shop? In addition to the potential and advantages the province has to offer, investors doing business in Soc Trang will receive our active support, from their market survey phase until their projects are put into operation. The province commits to providing the utmost convenience to investors in settling administrative procedures. The provinces Investment Promotion and Business Support Centre offers a one-stop shop model in operations, helping the investors to prepare and finalise procedures. To further facilitate the process, the province is busy with preparations to be able to put its Public Administrative Centre into operation in the second quarter of this year. To ensure the openness of its administrative procedures, the province is trying its best to set up a clean land bank to serve investors, all the while ensuring a synchronous infrastructure system to their project sites. The province will also help investors in connecting, training, and recruiting labourers based on enterprises demands. During project implementation, businesses may contact or directly meet top provincial leaders who will help them tackle difficulties effectively. Our management is always committed to providing the best conditions and helping investors to fast-track their projects in the province. Police officers inspect the crime scene at the Roebling Market on Jun 17, 2018, the morning after a shooting at an all-night art festival. (Photo: AFP/Dominick Reuter) According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, the incident took place at 3am at Trenton at the Art All Night Festival. Police lieutenant Darren Zappley was quoted as saying that several people were taken to hospitals. NBC Philadelphia said one suspect, a 33-year-old man, was killed during the melee, with another suspect in police custody. Preliminary investigation reveals that multiple individuals attending the Art All Night event opened fire within the venue. ... Multiple weapons have been recovered, Angelo Onofri, prosecutor for Mercer County, told a news conference. Among those wounded by bullets was a 13-year-old boy who Onofri said was in extremely critical condition. He said more than 1,000 people were believed to have been at the festival when the violence started. It absolutely could have been worse, given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired, Onofri said. Authorities are investigating whether the deceased was killed by police or by gunfire from other suspects, he said. Organisers cancelled the remainder of the event, billed as 24 hours of community, creativity and inspiration. 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, the organisers wrote on Facebook. Our sincere, heartfelt sympathies are with those who were injured. The New Jersey shooting occurs amid a debate about US gun laws that was given fresh impetus by the massacre in February of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida. It is 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, Trenton mayor Eric Jackson told the news conference. This isnt just a random act of violence. This is a public health issue. The MoU between KBank and the Agency for Enterprise Development is to bolster local SMEs Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc witnessed the signing on the sidelines of the eighth Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit held on June 15 in Bangkok. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by KASIKORNBANK (KBank) president Pipit Aneaknithi and Agency for Enterprise Development (AED) acting director general Le Manh Hung. Under the MoU, the two parties will develop long-term co-operation to support and promote small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development in Vietnam by exchanging knowledge and initiatives to develop the SME community; design support programmes for innovative startups, business matching, and design scopes for SMEs; implement specific SME support and capacity building programmes to benefit SMEs; as well as to collaborate and connect enterprise data to provide support services for businesses. AEDs Le Manh Hung said the signing of the MoU shows the importance of mobilising international resources and bringing new support models for international SMEs to Vietnam, such as innovative startup training. The MoU signing also aims to promote the implementation of the Law on Supporting SMEs, which takes effect on January 1, 2018, and the governments decrees in guiding the implementation of this law. Hung said after the signing, AED would co-operate with KBank to develop a collaboration plan for 2018, focused on supporting activities designed for innovative startups as well as business matching activities for enterprises. To emphasise KBanks strong standing, Aneaknithi said he aims to provide Vietnamese SMEs with comprehensive knowledge and technical assistance programmes to substantially enhance their capabilities and improve their operational efficiency. This would include giving SMEs access to finances by using the supply chain concept with the banks network as a connector between Vietnamese SMEs and KBanks customers Thai conglomerates that have been investing in Vietnam through foreign direct investment (FDI), mergers and acquisitions, and equitisation in the recent past, with investments valued at over $15.5 billion. Given its expertise, holding almost 30 per cent of the SME loan market in Thailand, KBank aims to introduce its SME capacity development programme, which was previously successfully implemented in Thailand and Myanmar, to help support SMEs in Vietnam, in line with the governments goal of having 1 million efficient private businesses by 2020. Prior to the co-operation with AED, KBank had successfully collaborated with the State Bank of Vietnam, ministries, and other government agencies in several initiatives and events which aimed to enhance further co-operation between Vietnam and Thailand. KBank, one of the leading SME banks and the fourth-largest commercial bank in terms of assets in Thailand, made an unwavering commitment to providing both credit and supporting investments, especially for FDI from Thailand to Vietnam, by sharing technologies and expertise for Vietnams SME development in both the credit and non-credit sectors. The Vietnam Association of Seafood Producers and Exporters (VASEP) has proposed to the State to find solutions in dealing with trade barriers in the United States (US) market and promoting shrimp exports to this market.-Photo nhipcaudautu.vn The proposal was under a series of suggestions submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to ensure sustainable development of Vietnams fishery industry, including shrimp. The association suggested that the government should continue to pay more attention to diplomatic activities with the US to quickly remove trade barriers, especially anti-dumping tariffs for shrimp. According to local shrimp exporters, high anti-dumping duties and the Seafood Import Monitoring Programme (SIMP) are major barriers that prevented them from boosting exports to this market over time. In April 2018, the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration confirmed that foreign shrimps and abalone would be added to the SIMP, beginning January 1, 2019. The SIMP requires importers to report traceability information on imported seafood from the point of capture to the point of first sale in the US, in order to thwart illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activity. Accordingly, American shrimp importers have until December 31, 2018, to comply with the regulations under the SIMP programme. Meanwhile, in March, the US Department of Commerce announced preliminary results of anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese shrimp, measured up to 25.39 per cent during the 12th Administrative Review (POR12) period from February 1, 2016, until December 31, 2017. This was considered too high compared with previous disclosures. Local enterprises said the high anti-dumping duty and SIMP would make it difficult for Viet Nam to increase shrimp exports to the United States in the time to come. According to Truong Dinh Hoe, VASEP general secretary, the US market has great seafood demand, especially shrimp. It has imported an average of some 600,000 tonnes of shrimp per year, but Viet Nams shrimp exports have accounted for 10 per cent of the demand every year (some 60,000 tonnes) due to the anti-dumping duty. India has accounted for 32 per cent of the market share in this market, followed by Thailand and Indonesia. Meanwhile, Vietnam can export 150,000 tonnes of shrimp per year. Therefore, the local businesses need to improve their quality and competitiveness to expand their market share in the US market, said Hoe. VASEP reported in the first four months of this year that Vietnam gained a growth of 13.8 per cent in shrimp exports to US$1 billion against the same period last year, but the value of exports in April reduced slightly, 0.4 per cent year-on-year, to $275 million. The reduction was due to a drop in the export price, high supply and a plunge in the volume of shrimp exports to the US and China. Last year, Vietnam achieved a growth in shrimp exports in most export markets, excluding the US. The shrimp exports to the US fell eight per cent year-on-year mainly due to high anti-dumping tariffs. Chairman of the Hanoi municipal Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chung (C), Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Nienke Trooste (L), and delegates at the exhibition. Taking place over three weeks, at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts, No. 42 Yet Kieu Street, Hanoi, the event is organised by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam, in collaboration with the Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA), aiming to honour the winners from 125 countries who sent over 73,000 photos to the 61st World Press Photo Contest last April. This years exhibition features 130 photos in a number of categories, such as Contemporary Issues, the Environment, General News, Nature, People and Sports. Authors and award-winning works of the World Press Photos that are well known to the public in Vietnam include the famous photo of Phan Thi Kim Phuc by Vietnamese-American photographer Nick Ut (1972), the photo of the largest cave in the world Son Doong (2010) by German photographer Carsten Peter, and photos themed "the Pink Choice" depicting the personal life of gay couples in Vietnam by Vietnamese photographer Maika Elan (2013). The winners of the 61st World Press Photo Contest were announced on April 12, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where Venezuelan photographer Ronaldo Schemidt was honoured as the overall winner. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam, Nienke Trooster said that the event is one of the most prestigious photo exhibitions in the world with high quality and expressive works, reflecting diverse perspectives on current events around the globe. It is also a highlight of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Netherlands, she said, adding that the event provides a great opportunity for Hanoians to access various issues in the world. Vice President of the VJA, journalist Ho Quang Loi expressed his gratitude to the cooperation of the World Press Photo Foundation for bringing this prestigious exhibition back to Vietnam after more than a decade. The photos displayed at the exhibition carry the message of a world with aspirations towards peace as they reflect every angle of hot global issues, said Loi, adding that he highly appreciated the initiative to hold the event in Hanoi on the occasion of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Netherlands and the 93rd anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21). He also expressed his wish that the Dutch Embassy would continue organising more events in the fields of press, photography and culture, as well as regularly organising the World Press Photo Exhibitions in Vietnam. Founded in 1955 in Amsterdam, the World Press Photo Foundation is a global platform connecting professionals and audiences through trustworthy visual journalism and storytelling. The annual World Press Photo Contest has grown into the worlds most prestigious photo competition. The World Press Photo Exhibition has visited more than 100 major cities around the world and attracts 4 million visitors every year. Hanoi, along with Singapore, Tokyo and Kyoto (Japan), and Macau (China), is one among the Asian destinations to hold this exhibition in 2018. An 80-year-old Farmington Hills man who had been reported as missing after he did not attend a Fathers Day event with his family has been found. The missing person, Lenard Fouche, has been found safe, Farmington Hills police reported. It was confirmed that Mr. Fouche was physically well and unharmed. The family would like to thank everyone who assisted in the search for Mr. Fouche. Details on his location were not immediately released. Police in the city had reported Sunday night thatFouche was last seen at 6 p.m. on June 14, driving away from a residence at Mitchelldale and Northend Avenue in a 2001 Silver Honda CR-V. His family went to his apartment on Sunday after he didnt show and they could not find him there. Anyone with information was asked to please contact the Farmington Hills Police Department Command Desk at 248-871-2610. READ ALSO: * Heat wave: Advisory continued into Monday. * Housing help: Concerns over potential higher rents for those with federal subsidies. * State title: Beal City rolls, in photos. * Economy in upswing: Why are many Americans not benefiting? pose Giving and Receiving Season 1 Episode 3 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next A scene from Pose. Photo: FX Networks. All Rights Reserved. I didnt want to make this judgment without necessary evidence but after three episodes I am confident of my first impression: Damon is the living worst. Hes either a caricature of optimism, like when he talks about how Christmas is the most important thing in his entire life, or hes a simpering child throwing a tempter tantrum like when Blanca tells him he cant compete in the Snow Ball because he was 30 minutes late to his dance class. Theres also something about the way he moves his limbs, all gangly and without direction, like hes a rag doll being flushed down the toilet. Though hes supposed to be 17, Damon is written like hes 7. He may be making out with Ricky, all goo-goo eyes and breakfast in bed, but hes certainly not ready for an adult relationship because hes certainly not an adult. I think thats a point of his characterization that he never got to really grow up because he was a gay man living in an oppressive household but he needs to have at least a little bit of maturity. This is either a fault of the writers for making him way too whiny or a fault of Ryan Jamaal Swain, who plays Damon, for not giving any nuance to his cross between acting childlike and childish. Either way, Damon is annoying. This week Damon got to throw quite a few hissy fits. When he shows up late to dance class because he was working on choreography for the upcoming Christmas-themed Snow Ball, his teacher, Helena, scolds him. Initially hes all sass and excuses, trying to throw it back in her face, like he somehow has more authority than her. Finally, he backs down and apologizes, but she throws him out of class. Blanca goes to meet with Helena, and I was incredulous about the whole scene. Helena is the dean of dance who is visiting her former students dying of AIDS in the hospital. She is a busy lady. She does not have time to meet with the friends of each of her classmates, which is exactly what Blanca is, though she fashions herself as a mother. But then it makes sense, because this did seem like a mother of a fifth grader getting called down to school because her son was misbehaving. Maybe what draws Blanca and Damon to each other is that they are able to have this mother-son relationship even though they seem to be only a few years apart. When Blanca bans Damon from the big dance, he freaks out again, but she finds him crying in the dark staring at the Christmas tree yearning for his lost innocence and all is forgiven. God, that was the worst scene of the entire hour and every time Damon is on the screen I just want to fast-forward until I can see Elektra again. She continues to steal the show every episode. This time we find out that shes on the top of the list for gender reassignment surgery, as they called it then, or gender confirmation surgery, as we call it now. However, she doesnt quite have the money. She hatches a plan and enlists her two minions in the best scam of the whole episode: to distract a fat Santa ringing the bell in front of a Salvation Army donation bucket and then run off with the cash. Its probably bad to laugh at how fierce they looked, in their coordinated furs, while robbing a charity organization, but as the ladies point out, they are a charity themselves. Theyre disenfranchised, forgotten by the system, and just as in need as some of the people that money would go to help. And the Salvation Army has a long history of anti-LGBT discrimination. Im not saying its right to steal, but if Elektra had to steal the money from someone, hitting up the Salvation Army probably wasnt the worst choice. That she uses the $2,300 they mopped for the deposit on her surgery is a textbook definition of irony. Im glad that Elektra is getting what she wants and also that were learning a bit more about her, rather than her just seeming like a Disney villainess in couture clothing. Stan was also giving to a charitable cause, i.e. welcoming Angel to her alcove studio apartment, outfitted with a Pepto-Bismol-pink wraparound couch that is the first thing Jennifer Convertible ever designed and a hot-pink boom box in the kitchen that is so retro chic I would buy one for my kitchen if it were equipped with Spotify. Angel makes Stan promise to spend just an hour with her on Christmas Day because she hates Christmas. It turns out her father once beat her for stealing a pair of red patent-leather pumps while Christmas shopping and shes hated everything Kris Kringle ever since. The problem is that Stan is having some difficulties with his wife Patty, entirely created by his serpentine boss Matt. (In my fantasies, Matt and Elektra get married and become James Bondtype villains who want to take over the world and that is what season two of Pose is about and its the best show ever.) Matt is mad that Stan is doing a little too well at work so he shows up at Stans house when hes not around (how did he know?) and drops some hints with Patty. He also tries to get into her pants and almost succeeds. She pushes him away but these two are going to bone, right? Theyre totally going to bone. Stan corrects all of Pattys suspicions, but that means he cant leave the house and Angel is left all alone singing Santa Baby and baking sugar cookies. She then skulks off to Blancas house where the two throw a burning turkey out the window and its like a scene from a great Friends episode except that its not homo- or transphobic in the slightest. The House of Evangelista, plus Pray Tell, ends up at a Chinese restaurant where Blanca gives everyone their gifts, including a pair of red pumps for Angel and a camera for Pray Tell, because he helped her see the world in color. She even got something for dastardly Ricky, who seems choked up at being recognized. Oh, girl, that is when I lost it. Tears everywhere, all over the couch, all over my shirt, all over my DVD collection of the films of John Waters, just absolutely everywhere. Even Pray Tell joked about how she was making everyone sob and, at that moment, I loved absolutely everyone around that table. Well, except for Damon. Seth MacFarlane. Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images Seth MacFarlane created Family Guy, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show, and The Orville for Fox, but, if his tweets are any indication, his connection to the network has only been negatively affected by its ownership of Fox News. On Saturday, CNNs Brian Stelter tweeted about Tucker Carlsons Friday night broadcast, in which the Fox News host urged his audience not to trust other networks. Retweeting the comment, MacFarlane expressed his dismay that the news branch of Fox would encourage their audience to blindly obey. Said the Ted 2 director, This is fringe shit, and its business like this that makes me embarrassed to work for this company. In his comments, Tucker Carlson reportedly told viewers to always assume the opposite of whatever theyre telling you on the big news stations.As the Hill points out, Fox News shows consistently rate number one among cable-news programming. Photo: Paul Hebert/ABC via Getty Images Finding true love is hard. Almost as hard as getting cast on The Bachelor, which guarantees if not a soul mate, then at least a few paychecks for hawking FabFitFun boxes on Instagram. But a shocking pair of recent revelations that current Bachelorette Becca Kufrins pool of suitors includes both a sex offender and a bigot has made it painfully apparent that the long-running reality series casting processes are in desperate need of an overhaul. Last week, news broke that contestant Lincoln Adim was convicted in May of indecent assault and battery. (He committed the crimes in 2016, as first reported by Reality Steve.) Several weeks earlier, Bachelorette fans learned that contestant Garrett Yrigoyen had liked a series of fat-shaming, transphobic, and hateful conspiracy memes on Instagram. Both of these men should have been disqualified long before they stepped out of their limos on night one, leading Bachelor Nation to wonder what level of scrutiny their applications faced. How do you make it on to The Bachelor or Bachelorette, anyway? Its far more involved than having an impeccably symmetrical face and being named Lauren, although both of those factors help. If youre applying by mail, youll need to submit anywhere from five to 15 recent photos and, ideally, a 10- to 15-minute video of yourself. (We want lots of energy and BIG SMILES!!! read the taping instructions.) Aspiring contestants who choose to attend an open call typically wait in line for hours, perhaps in a hotel, a shopping center, or in ABC Studios in Manhattan. Youll complete a wide-ranging application, for which you may be provided with a souvenir Bachelor pen. After describing your dream partner, favorite drink, and three surprising adjectives that apply to yourself, you can expect to furnish information about your relationship history, occupation and salary, highest level of education, height and weight, previous reality-show auditions, kids (if youve got them), tattoos (if youve got them), bankruptcy filings, criminal record, and any temporary restraining orders. The truncated online application includes optional fields for Facebook and Instagram handles. In-person hopefuls also pose for several pictures from different angles (Bachelor auditionee and Bustle reporter Anna Klassen likened these photos, for which she held a whiteboard with her name and number written on it, to mug shots), and sit for a brief, on-camera interview during which a producer will review questions from their completed questionnaires. Per the franchises eligibility requirements, all applicants must authorize producers to conduct a background check, including, potentially, a credit check, a military records check, a criminal arrest and/or conviction check, a civil litigation check, a family court litigation check, interviews with employers, neighbors, teachers, etc. Semifinalists must travel to Los Angeles for additional interviews, where the vetting process becomes considerably more intense. In a blog post about his experience, one-time Bachelor applicant Kevin Murray recalled receiving a manila folder filled with about 600 true-or-false and Likert scale questionnaires. Per Amy Kaufmans Bachelor Nation, completed personality tests are reviewed in an hour-long session with a psychologist, covering any history of mental illness, infidelity, and other invasive subjects. Applicants even sit down with a private investigator trained to dig up any skeletons in [their] closet, Kaufman writes, in part to determine if they have any DUIs or sex tapes to their name that could provide future tabloid fodder. Semifinalists must also submit to a medical examination and supply a medical history. Blood and urine samples are required, to be tested both for drugs and sexually transmitted diseases. (STDs are an instant disqualification and, according to Kaufman, the top reason applicants are eliminated from the running.) But despite all that scrutiny and all those barriers to entry, The Bachelorette nevertheless missed big red flags. Garrett Yrigoyens unsavory social-media activity became mainstream news when screenshots thereof were tweeted by former Bachelor contestant Ashley Spivey, who says she heard rumors about something being up with Yrigoyen in the Bachelor subreddit, where she serves a moderator. Then, the anonymous Instagram account @imwatchingyuuo sent Spivey more than 50 screenshots via direct message. Spivey confirmed with friends who followed Yrigoyen that he had indeed liked these posts before sharing the images publicly. (Yrigoyen has since issued an apology.) All I could think was, people have a right to know. If people dont agree with him liking the post, or if they dont want to support a person who has those sorts of ideals, they can make that decision for themselves now, Spivey tells Vulture. Spivey identifies hating liberals as a consistent theme throughout Yrigoyens liked posts. That set off an alarm bell to me, because I felt like we were getting our first openly liberal Bachelorette, she said. It does seem weird that he would even want to go on the show for Becca. She dislikes Trump so much, shes a feminist, she loves Joe Biden. Spivey also speculated that Yrigoyen may have been cast with another potential Bachelorette in mind, possibly Arkansas native Tia Booth, who competed alongside Kufrin on the previous season of The Bachelor. Nowhere in the [casting] process does anyone ask you what your political views are, she said. Thats the thing I cant get out of my mind as a viewer: I have a hard time even thinking this person could fall in love with Becca. I wish I didnt have to say that. Although social-media scandals were hardly at the forefront of production concerns when The Bachelor premiered in 2002, theres a very recent precedent for taking them seriously. When contestant Lee Garrett appeared on Rachel Lindsays Bachelorette season in 2017, it was quickly discovered that he had posted racist and sexist tweets on his public Twitter account. His casting was a particularly noxious oversight given that Lees primary story line on what was the first season to star a Bachelorette of color involved inciting a racially charged feud with fellow contestant Kenny King, who is black. But was it an oversight? According to Bachelorette host Chris Harrison, none of us had seen Lees offensive posts, meaning the purportedly rigorous casting process left producers oblivious to Lees openly prejudiced, easily Googled beliefs. The alternative would hardly reflect better, of course. If producers cast him with full awareness of his tweets, as Jay Willis wrote in GQ, its a despicable choice that demeans everyone involved: Rachel, to whom theyve promised the chance to find her future husband out of a group of well-intentioned, vetted, presumably safe men theyve hand-picked just for her; and the viewers at home. Last August, as Lindsays season drew to a close, ABC executive Rob Mills committed to doing better in an interview with Variety. Now weve realized that well look at social media accounts and look through carefully, he said. Going forward, well be looking at all of that, in addition to the background checks, which of course give you criminal records and all of that. With Bachelorette contestant Lincoln Adims conviction, its not just the relatively new frontier of social media on which the Bachelor and Bachelorette casting teams have recently faltered. Twitter posts and Instagram likes, odious as they may be, pale in comparison to real-life violence. Last week, the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office confirmed that Adim was found guilty of groping and assaulting a woman on a harbor cruise in 2016. After his conviction in May, Adim was sentenced to one year in a house of correction, with that term suspended for a two-year probationary period. Warner Bros. released the following statement about Adim, who has not yet been eliminated from The Bachelorette: No one on The Bachelorette production had any knowledge about the incident or charges when Lincoln Adim was cast, and he himself denied ever having engaged in or having been charged with any sexual misconduct. We employ a well-respected and highly experienced third party who has done thousands of background checks consistent with industry standards to do a nationwide background check in this case. The report we received did not reference any incident or charge relating to the recent conviction or any other charges relating to sexual misconduct. We are currently investigating why the report did not contain this information, which we will share when we have it. Though Adim may very well have lied to producers, it is both egregious and baffling that his sexual-misconduct arrest went overlooked behind the scenes. Spivey, who contributed to Reality Steves reporting, said that she is horrified Adim was cast. I just find it very hard to believe that a well-respected and a well-paid third party that was hired by the show to do background checks couldnt do a better job than a nanny who had an hour to spare, she said. It is unacceptable that they arent taking bigger strides to prevent casting racists, bigots, and now sexual offenders. Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret in The Crown. Photo: Robert Viglasky / Netflix The 2018 Emmy race has begun, and Vulture will take a close look at the contenders until voting closes on June 25. You know the old saying: Dont cry because its over, smile because you got two seasons of a young Princess Margaret wreaking royal havoc in the House of Windsor. So concluded Vanessa Kirbys tenure as everyones favorite princess in Netflixs The Crown, where, after 20 episodes filled with poignant heartbreak, wild exploits, and a marriage to a sexy society photographer, Kirby is now passing the tiara over to Helena Bonham Carter for Margarets adult years. Vulture called Kirby on a recent afternoon to discuss her role as Margaret, which she calls the happiest time of her life. We also discussed the aftermath of the shows pay gap drama, how she and Carter text about Margaret all the time, and how she chose the song that accompanies one of Margarets most memorable moments. Im still going through the five stages of grief about you not returning as Margaret next season. You and me both. [Laughs.] Its so nice. Im feeling it too. We can feel it together. You revealed on Instagram that Helena would be the next Margaret even before Netflix! Tell me all about this bonding session, because it looked really fun. Its funny because I bumped into her at a play and I knew she got the part at that point. She made her mom take pictures of us, and she sent me the pictures. I put one on Instagram, because of course I was really honored! And then I get a message from someone on the show going like, We havent announced it yet. Oh, shit. So Im like, Oh no, what do I do?! Theyre like, Dont say anything else! Everyone kept asking me and I had to be cheeky about it. But it was fine, she was announced a few months later. Did you offer any advice about playing Margaret? I find it amusing how she played the Queen Mother in The Kings Speech, and now shes now playing her daughter. That evolution is so fun, isnt it? Mainly weve been discussing her essence, really. It was quite daunting to take on at the beginning because playing anybody real is scary, but to be in the same boat of knowing it cant be an impersonation is even scarier. You have to find the spirit of who they really are. Helena has totally gone for it that way, I can tell. Shes really tried to capture the essence of Margaret, rather than copy me. Not that she would anyway. [Laughs.] Oscar-nominated actress! Her process is very much similar to mine. She asks for my playlists, my scripts, my notes. We just text about our love for Margaret nonstop, little anecdotes and stories like that. Did you create playlists based on Margarets music tastes? Exactly. There are so many discs you now can find on YouTube that she recorded when she was in her 70s. Her favorite songs were, like, Scotland the Brave on the bagpipes. From what she described, I downloaded all of her favorite music. I had a big playlist Id play in the makeup trailer in the morning, or at my house. My poor sister who lives with me had to put up with so many bagpipes. I wanted to immerse myself in her world and what she loved, more than anything. You have fulfilled my fantasy of being romanced by Matthew Goode, even if its just in a fictional setting. When he signed on to play Tony, what conversations did you two have about what you wanted to convey with their relationship? Especially in comparison to Margarets previous courtship with Peter? Psychologically, it seemed Peter and Margaret had a paternal and comforting relationship. He was everything to her. I understood the nature of their relationship. At the beginning, I wanted this fantasy world for Margaret for her to find her true love and for her to be happy with a Romeo and Juliet romance. But at the end of the first season, shes left with such a wound. The last thing she says that season is something along the lines of, You dont understand what its like to feel unhinged. Shes genuinely worried for herself and her fantasy, and the road she knows she cant go down. In some way, losing Peter was like losing her father again. So, she meets Tony when this wound is incredibly raw. It becomes toxic and intoxicating and dynamic and exhilarating. It was really important for me to chart that sequence of how much pain shes truly in, and thats the place where she meets Tony. That was my goal, to make sure the romance of Tony came out of pain. Id love to ask you about the sequence when Margaret comes to Tonys studio and he treats her with such contempt. What was shooting that like? It played out like a beautiful dance. It really does. Even with her outfit, I got so specific and anal about it. This is her seduction outfit! This is what she spends half of the episode in! She cares so much about clothes, and how she represents herself is always through her clothes. We spent weeks trying to find the right outfit, as she probably wouldve too, to meet him for the first time privately. It was magical to shoot. I remember sitting there and having my photograph by Matthew, who was so convincing as a photographer, and I felt so exposed as Margaret than never before. I felt like a deer in headlights. For Margaret and Tony, its the first place where shes truly felt out of her depth. Shes never really been in a space where she doesnt know how to be. Tony doesnt want any of those things. Tonys like, I dont want any of those things. I want you to forget the title, the privileges, I just want you to be you. It was stripping the layers of the princess off and seeing who was underneath. Someone, for the first time, wanted to know her and not Princess Margaret. So much of her identity is already projected upon her and objectified in many ways. The whole scene is capped off by one of the most beautiful songs, I Only Have Eyes for You. You know what? That song is my and my boyfriends favorite song in real life. That day when we were shooting, Im darting around and undressing in front of the whole crew. I said to the director, Ben Caron, Ill tell you what, I love this song, my boyfriend loves this song, put it on and Ill feel really happy. So they did, and Ben was like, Would you mind if we use it in the show if we get the rights? When I showed my boyfriend the episode, we were laughing. It suddenly became a popular song again. Hey, since you arent coming back as Margaret, maybe you could be the music supervisor next season. You know, thats not such a bad idea. With my boyfriend! Youve talked a lot about the research you conducted to embody Margaret. Were there any facts you learned about her that you wouldve loved to see on the show, but didnt? Too many! Her life in the clubs in London. Her life in fashion as well, and how she spent a lot of time in Paris with the fashion shows. The designers were obsessed with her. She had a lot of American friends, American showgirls. She loved the theater. She always dreamed of becoming a ballerina herself. For awhile, Peter [Morgan] considered in the first episode of season two that we see her drunk at a table. I wanted people to see her wild life outside of the palace. We only really see that through Tony, and there was only room in the narrative for her and Tonys story. But yeah, her life in London and how that exploded out of the palace wouldve been great. How she became the rebel in that sense on the front page of every paper, coming out of clubs at 5 a.m. Im sure Helena will have more of that. Matthew and I wouldve loved to have more of that. One of the biggest stories that emerged from the shows second season was the gender pay gap. How surprised were you to learn that Claire Foy was being paid substantially less than Matt Smith? Ive spoken to Claire recently about it, and shes talked so eloquently about the whole thing. Its incited a change in her and all of us. The best thing about it is now the conversation is open and its less likely to happen again. This is partly why I feel proud at the moment to be in this industry, because for better or worse, us women are talking about it. Hopefully, this will impact other sectors and industries that dont get the media coverage. If Angelina Jolie or Gwyneth Paltrow talk about these issues, people are reading about it. I hope we can be the instigator of change. Im sure Claire felt like that too. I was surprised how openly the producers admitted the disparity, and how they assured it wont happen again. You dont see that level of candor a lot. Im so glad you said that. Its true. Suzanne [Mackie], the producer, is the most amazing woman. What she did was actually begin the conversation that was so essential. I think that itll help a lot of people. After the disparity was revealed, did you investigate how your pay compared to mens roles? My situation is separate, really. It wasnt comparable with Claires issue. I think a lot of it has to do with market value, and theres a lot of problems with that, too, in the sense that women havent been giving as many opportunities for leading roles for men. Youre actually at a disadvantage, even when people are negotiating for you, because you havent had as many opportunities to get your position in the market. There are a lot of complications, which is why the pendulum has to swing as much as possible with everything that we do know. For all women as much as possible. Its desperately unequal. Yeah, whether someones market value is a justifiable argument to be made or not. Even if Claire wasnt too well known in America at the time, she was the crown. Totally. Also, I think its about people getting conscious and mindful of the norms and questioning them. Challenging them. Trying to do things differently. Having a commitment to change. Its crucial. I definitely feel galvanized, as Im sure women across our industry do, to speak up and stand up for equal rights and equal representation on the screen. A representation of women we can identify with as being women we would know, who are idiosyncratic and real and flawed and messy and brilliant. We have to really fight for that representation on screen now. I felt so blessed to find Margaret in that way. In a lighter topic, do you have someone in mind to play Margaret at her oldest age? You know, I havent even thought about it! No, I dont know! Ah! [Laughs.] Youll have to ask Helena that. Maybe shell have someone good for you. Im very excited and totally envious to see who will be cast next. It was the happiest time of my life. It was just a dream come true from start to finish. Ill miss it forever. This interview has been edited and condensed. AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - Auburn University plans to offer a new degree to help students secure jobs in the fishing and hunting industries. A statement from the school says trustees have approved a new degree in wildlife enterprise management. It will be offered starting in fall 2019 provided a state commission approves. Auburn would become one of only two U.S. universities offering such a program, with Kansas State being the other. Students will take subjects mainly in the schools of forestry and wildlife sciences, human sciences and business. Courses will include wildlife management; hotel and restaurant management and business subjects. The school says the degree will help develop the education and skills needed to work in outdoor recreation including hunting and fishing operations. Auburn says it expects 25 to 30 students in incoming classes. (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) 6/17/2018 11:59:47 AM (GMT -5:00) A Scottsboro man on death row for killing three of his family members had his appeal denied. James Ben Brownfield, 43, was sentenced to death in 2004 for the 2001 murders of his sister, Brenda McCutchin, her husband Latham McCutchin, and Brenda's 3-year-old grandson, Joshua Hodges. Brownfield was convicted of killing all three with a claw hammer the night of Dec. 23, 2001. Prosecutors said Brownfield was angry with his sister over drugs and money when he beat her and her grandson to death while they were in bed. He then tried to burn the house down and drove across town to Latham McCutchin's home, where he beat McCutchin with the hammer, stabbed him in the heart and cut his throat, prosecutors said. Brownfield's attorneys have argued in the past that he had ineffective counsel that could have kept him off death row. The Alabama Supreme Court denied Brownfield's most recent petition to overturn his convictions on Friday. Brownfield is on death row at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility near Bessemer. A man is recovering in the hospital after his car crashed in Hazel Green early Monday morning. Emergency crews responded to the wreck shortly after 4 a.m. along West Limestone Road, just east of Brier Fork Road. When Hazel Green Fire and the Madison County Sheriff's Office arrived, they found the car lying on the passenger's side in a drainage ditch. Because of how low the car was compared to the road, the Huntsville-Madison County Rescue Squad was called in to hoist the driver from his vehicle. The driver told crews who were helping him that he was heading westbound on West Limestone Road when he swerved to avoid hitting a deer and ended up going off the road. He was then taken to Huntsville Hospital with what fire officials described as serious, but non-life threatening injuries. Alabama State Troopers are investigating the wreck. The road opened back up by about 6:10 a.m. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is working to fight the growing opioid addiction problem in Alabama. Monday, he talked with local law enforcement, counselors, and health professionals about how to tackle the problem. In 2017 every five days someone in Madison County died from overdosing on opioids, according to Chief Deputy Coroner Tyler Berryhill. Berryhill told us the Coroner's Office is seeing a rise in deaths and a connection to the drug Fentanyl. "A big problem that we do see locally is Heroin being cut with Fentanyl and it's extremely potent and it's claiming a lot of lives in our area," he said. Huntsville Police Chief Mark McMurray explained just how dangerous Fentanyl is to WAAY 31. "Addicts are always looking for another high that's even higher than the one. Once you go to heroin the only way you can excel above that is to go to animal tranquilizers and they will kill you," McMurray said. However, Fentanyl is not the only drug being abused in Alabama, and the state is cracking down on drug use by keeping track of what you're getting at the pharmacy. "We aren't saying opioids are inherently bad. There are people that need opioids for pain management but we simply need to do it responsibly," Marshall said. The state ranks number one in opioid prescriptions, according to Marshall. The epidemic Berryhill says is only getting worse, and the solution to fix the addiction problem isn't simple. "It's going to take multi-facets it's going to be the community, friends, leaders, everyone coming together to combat the problem," he said. #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... 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. CHARLESTON, W.Va. Believe in yourself, take risks, and empower each other were the messages[Read More] U.S. Senator Ron Johnson is at it again. After repeated failures, Johnson is once again calling for repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), forcing Wisconsinites to pay more for less coverage for fewer people. As reported by Buzzfeed News, Johnson is proposing that Congress again take up repeal in August. If this sounds eerily familiar, it should. Republicans sought to undo President Obamas landmark health-care legislation for years, even before they took control of both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government in 2017. Even with single party rule in Washington, Republican efforts to repeal the ACA failed in the summer of 2017 for a very good reason the American people dont want repeal. They want to build on the ACAs progress by making it better by reforming what isnt working and keeping what is. That is the right approach. More than 2 million Wisconsinites have a pre-existing condition, and the repeal plan that Johnson is pushing would allow health insurance companies to go back to the days when those patients can be charged more than people who are healthy. Have asthma? Diabetes? Cancer? If the ACA is repealed, you will pay more. Period. Even if youre fortunate enough not to have a pre-existing condition, youll still be affected. Insurance companies will still be able to put yearly and lifetime caps on how much care they cover. Even if you have employer-sponsored coverage, youll lose the protections on caps that the ACA eliminated. Lack a pre-existing condition and never reached an annual or lifetime cap? Lucky you. Youll still pay more. The Congressional Budget Office projected that premiums could balloon 20 percent in the first year alone after repeal of the ACA. If you are over the age of 50, the costs associated with repeal are even worse. According to the AARP, Johnsons plan would result in an age tax for older Americans. AARP estimate that 60-year-old Wisconsinites could pay as much as $15,000 in higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs by 2020. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson If Johnson succeeds, a 60-year-old Wisconsinite could pay as much as $15,000 in higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs by 2020, According to AARP. All told, more than 415,000 Wisconsinites would lose health coverage by 2026 if Johnson succeeds in his plan. And millions would see increased costs. Johnson and Republicans in Congress havent rested on their laurels since they failed to repeal the ACA. They have taken concrete steps to systematically sabotage health-care reform. Those attacks have taken a toll that consumers will begin seeing in the coming months. The Urban Institute and Center for American Progress project found that here in Wisconsin, insurance premiums will increase by $1,461 for a 40-year-old individual next year due to the ongoing attacks on the law. If Johnsons plan goes through, those are the direct costs of repealing a law that was expanding access to insurance and controlling costs, Republicans have tried and tried and tried, and tried again to repeal the ACA. They have failed, in large part due to the voices of Americans calling their members of Congress in support of the core parts of the law that are working. After so many failed attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, it would be easy to assume that we are out of the woods and protections for average Americans are safe. Unfortunately, we must remain vigilant. Johnson is pushing this plan right now, and both Republicans running for the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin this year have made clear they oppose the ACA. State Sen. Chris Larson represents Senate District 7, which includes portions of Cudahy, Oak Creek, St. Francis, South Milwaukee, Milwaukee, and Franklin. For more, visit his website. If a trade war is coming, the cheesemakers of Wisconsin are standing in the line of fire. So are the farmers of the Great Plains and the distillers of Kentucky. And the employees of iconic American brands like Harley-Davidson and Levi Strauss. The likelihood of a trade conflagration leapt closer to reality last week after the United States imposed tariff on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Infuriated, the jilted U.S. allies vowed to retaliate with tariffs of their own. And in a separate dispute, China is poised to penalize $50 billion in U.S. goods many of them produced by supporters of President Donald Trump in the Americas agricultural heartland. Theyre going to hit the farmers, said Bryan Klabunde, a farmer in northwestern Minnesota. We want things fair for all industries, but were going to take the brunt of the punishment if other countries retaliate. Donald Trump, who entered office promising to rip up trade deals and crack down on unfair trading practices, is clashing with trading partners on all sides. To the north, hes battling Canada; to the south, Mexico; to the east, Europe; across the Pacific Ocean to the west, China and Japan. The president seems to be creating trade (and other) disputes with everyone allies and adversaries alikeand its difficult to discern any coherent strategy, said Rod Hunter, a former National Security Council staffer under President George W. Bush. The impacts of the disputes have been limited so far, but the economic and political costs will go up as retaliation by trading partners begins in earnest. Mexico, for instance, plans to retaliate against the steel and aluminum tariffs by targeting U.S. cheese, among other products. Its our second-largest market, Jeff Schwager, president of Sartori, a cheese company in Plymouth, Wisconsin, said of Mexico. Retaliatory tariffs will reduce sales theres no question. The hard-earned sales weve secured in Mexico could be at risk given the potential for retaliation, the National Milk Producers Federation warned in a statement. The EU is threatening to penalize Kentucky bourbon and the motorcycles of Wisconsin-based Harley-Davidson. The potential tariffs pack a political punch: Theyd hurt constituents of House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. Reporters in Louisville, Kentucky, asked McConnell if he thought the Europeans were trying to get his attention. Well, the Senate leader said, they got my attention. They didnt need to do that. These are our friends. These are not enemies. Canada and Mexico, Europe these are our allies, and we need to work this out in a way thats comforting to everyone. Harley-Davidson has already absorbed higher steel and aluminum costs since Trump first announced the metals tariffs three months ago. Now, the threats of retaliatory tariffs from abroad raise the fear of higher prices for Harley motorcycles sold outside the U.S. Harley-Davidson In a statement, Harley-Davidson said retaliatory tariffs would have a significant impact on our sales." In a statement, Harley-Davidson said retaliatory tariffs would have a significant impact on our sales in those countries. The Milwaukee-based company said it was evaluating options for controlling higher materials costs. In April, its chief financial officer warned that cost increases could be worse than the company forecast in January and might last for several quarters. The jeans maker Levi Strauss is also on the EUs target list. American brands, workers and consumers will ultimately suffer, the San Francisco-based company said in a statement. Ben Steffen, a dairy farmer who also grows corn, soybeans, and wheat on 1,900 acres southeastern Nebraska near Humboldt, is angry about the U.S. tariffs being imposed on Americas closest trade partners and allies. Im upset because it hits me in my pocketbook from multiple angles, he said. I sell beef, I sell corn, I sell soybeans and I sell milk. All of those products are vulnerable because we export significant amounts in those markets. The milk market has been depressed for about three years, and farmers have struggled to break even. About 14 percent of U.S. milk production is exported; the largest customer is Mexico. This is the worst possible thing to have for our milk market, and its the same for every other commodity, Steffen said. These are important relationships. In Stockton, California, Jeff Colombini is worried about the financial damage a trade war would bring to his 1,800-acre farm. His company, Lodi Farming, exports walnuts, cherries and apples to Mexico, Canada, the European Union and other countries. With these tariffs, its going to make the product too expensive for the consumers in Mexico and in Canada and in the EU, Colombini said. Were not going to be able to sell all of our crop. And so some of it is probably going to go unharvested or just dumped ... I have 200 employees, and they depend on the success of this operation for their jobs to feed and clothe their families. Dairy products Its our second-largest market, Jeff Schwager, president of Sartori, a cheese company in Plymouth, Wisconsin, said of Mexico. Retaliatory ta A trade fight with the Europe would also cause collateral damage across the Atlantic. Steelworkers in Port Talbot, Wales, who have struggled to protect their factory and 4,000 jobs, now face another threat. Union leader Mark Turner said workers are trying to sort out what the tariffs will mean for Port Talbot. But they feel everything is against us, particularly given Britains economic uncertainty as the country prepares to leave the European Union. We will keep fighting, Turner said. If we cant go into the American market, then theres other markets out there we will try and get into. An even higher-stakes trade dispute is playing out on the Pacific Rim. The United States and China are poised to impose tariffs on up to $200 billion worth of each others goods in a battle over Beijings strong-arm efforts to overtake U.S. technological supremacy. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is traveling to Beijing this weekend for talks aimed at preventing an all-out trade war between the worlds two biggest economies. On the Chinese target list are American soybean farmers, who send about 60 percent of their exports to China. Klabunde, who grows corn and soybeans on 3,000 acres near Waubun, Minnesota, spent two nerve-wracking hours with a hired hand, pulling a stuck tractor out of a drainage ditch. They finally got the machine free. I think the tariffs and trade war scare me more than a stuck planter, Klabunde said. I can lose only so much money on a stuck planter. I can lose a lot more money in a trade war. AP staffers Terry Chea in Stockton, California; Carrie Antlfinger in Plymouth, Wisconsin; Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Kentucky; David Pitt in Des Moines, Iowa; Anne DInnocenzio and Candice Choi in New York; David Koenig in Dallas; and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report. Close Get email notifications on Lisa Neff daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. Whenever Lisa Neff posts new content, you'll get an email delivered to your inbox with a link. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heralded progress in the US-North Korean relationship in a speech Monday, while calling out US friends and foes alike for their trade and economic policies. Addressing the Detroit Economic Club, Pompeo said Kim Jong Un "has made very clear his commitment to fully denuclearize his country" in exchange for promises from the United States, including altering the Korean armistice agreement. He also hinted he may return to Pyongyang soon. Asked whether there will be another leaders' summit between President Donald Trump and Kim, Pompeo said it's "hard to know." "There's a lot of work between here and there," said Pompeo. "My team is already doing it. I'll likely travel back before too terribly long." Full denuclearization It wasn't clear if the top US diplomat meant Pyongyang, where he has traveled twice to prepare for the meeting between Trump and Kim, or Singapore, where the two leaders held their historic summit on June 12. Kim, said Pompeo, "has made very clear his commitment to fully denuclearize his country." "That's everything, right?" he added to applause. "It's not just the weapons systems, it's everything." "In return for that, the President has committed to making sure that we alter the armistice agreement, provide the security assurances that Chairman Kim needs," said Pompeo. The Korean armistice agreement, in place since 1953, was signed by the China, North Korea and the US and formally divided the peninsula. Pompeo also highlighted a video that Trump showed Kim at the summit. "It shows what North Korea could be like," said Pompeo, mentioning North Korea's beaches and other potential for development. "There's a lot of work to make that, but President Trump is committed to delivering on that part of the bargain as well," he said. In his speech, Pompeo called out US economic adversary China, as well as US allies like Canada, over their trade policies, saying the Trump administration is committed to righting imbalances and elevating the interests of American workers. "For too long, America has allowed the free trade framework to become distorted to the advantages of countries other than the United States," Pompeo said in his remarks. "Remember that our diplomacy puts American workers and American businesses first." "This isn't just China," he said, although he singled out China repeatedly during his remarks for cyber espionage and for committing an "unprecedented level of larceny" when it comes to intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers -- an issue he said he raised with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week in Beijing. "President Trump has clearly said that the asymmetric trade relationships with the G-7 also need to be fundamentally reconsidered," Pompeo noted, alluding vaguely to a spat between Trump and his counterparts at the G-7 leaders' summit earlier this month. "A simple moral principle" "They need to lower their trade barriers. They need to accept our vegetables, our beef, our fruits, our machine products," he said. "These are non-tariff barriers that ought not to exist if free and fair trade is to be achieved." "It's a simple moral principle, this idea of fairness," Pompeo went on to say. "As you saw at the G-7, President Trump made very clear: We are happy to have zero percent tariffs on every product. We are happy to eliminate all subsidies. We'd be thrilled to see non-tariff barriers eliminated in their entirety. If every country does that, we will too, and I am confident that will grow America." The secretary of state said he was "confident" the US would reach some sort of agreement with Canada and Mexico as part of NAFTA talks. He also insisted the US is committed to maintaining its "economic sovereignty" -- raising the specter of Brexit as an apparent warning against multilateral economic frameworks. "The experience of Brexit -- which is ongoing -- and of the European Union, shows that it is difficult to recover economic independence once it's relinquished," said Pompeo. "It also shows that the economic policy that centralize power diminish the free market capacity for wealth creation." Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into President Donald Trump and Russia was effectively on trial Monday at the first congressional hearing into the Justice Department watchdog report that faulted key decisions in the FBI's handling of the 2016 Hillary Clinton email investigation. While the inspector general report last week did not probe the FBI's handling of the Russia investigation, Mueller's investigation loomed over the attacks that came from both Republicans and Democrats over the Clinton investigation. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley charged that the Justice Department has a "serious credibility problem," ticking off a number of purported differences between how the agency handled the Clinton and the Trump probes as a "double-standard." "They see a story of kid glove treatment for one side and bare-knuckle tactics for the other," Grassley said. But Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the committee, countered that it was Clinton's campaign that was actually harmed by how the FBI handled the investigation when FBI Director James Comey announced publicly the FBI was re-opening the Clinton investigation after new emails were discovered on former Rep. Anthony Weiner's laptop. "Both investigations were ongoing during the presidential election, but only the Clinton investigation was discussed publicly. This unquestionably harmed candidate Clinton and helped candidate Trump," Feinstein said. Trump and his Republican allies have pointed to the anti-Trump text messages sent by FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who both were part of the Clinton and Trump-Russia investigations, to argue that the Mueller investigation is biased against Trump. Strzok was removed from Mueller's team last year after the texts were discovered. Said Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat: "Clearly some of Mr. Strzok's text messages were inappropriate, but if the FBI were trying to throw the election to Hillary Clinton, they could not have done a worse job." Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz and FBI Director Chris Wray, who testified at Monday's hearing, tried to avoid weighing in on the Trump investigation or any other issues that stemmed from it. But the Mueller probe was an unavoidable topic for the senators in both parties, as the inspector general report has become the latest flashpoint in the battle between Trump and his allies and the special counsel probe. Horowitz reiterated the findings in his report released last week, which faulted Comey for being "insubordinate" and deviating from the bureau's norms in key decisions about the Clinton investigation. Horowitz says political messages sent by FBI employees like Strzok and Page "cast a cloud" over the Clinton investigation and "sewed doubt" about the credibility of the FBI's handling of it, but also said that the report found no evidence that the decision to close the investigation without charging Clinton was based on "political bias." Grassley noted that three FBI employees who worked on the Clinton investigation who sent inappropriate political messages -- including Strzok and Page -- were later part of Mueller's team. The third employee, an unnamed attorney whose instant messages were detailed in the report, "did not work for the Special Counsel's Office as a prosecutor or as an investigator," according to Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for the Special Counsel's office. "FBI Attorney 2 left the Special Counsel's investigation and returned to the FBI in late February 2018, shortly after the OIG provided the Special Counsel with some of the instant messages discussed in this section," according to the IG report. Monday's hearing is the first of several stemming from the inspector general report, and Horowitz will appear in the House on Tuesday. Strzok himself appears likely to testify soon, as his lawyer told the House Judiciary Committee that he would voluntarily testify to tell his side of the story. Republicans seized on the messages to push Horowitz on whether bias actually did affect the Clinton email investigation. "I'm glad you found what you found, Mr. Horowitz. I'm not buying that the Clinton email investigation was on the up and up," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican. "The lead investigator clearly did not want to see Donald Trump elected President of the United States. ... If they found Hillary Clinton was criminally liable, that paves the way for Donald Trump." Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said Horowitz's findings "call into question the credibility of the whole Clinton email investigation and cast a cloud over the Russia investigation." "I share the concerns and we wrote in fact here that it did cast a cloud over the entire Clinton email investigation," Horowitz said. "And the Russia investigation?" Cornyn responded. "Well, we haven't reached a conclusion on that," Horowitz said. But Democrats used the same testimony to rebut the President's claims that the inspector general report exonerated him and proved there was no collusion, which Trump tweeted last week after the report was released. "We did not look into collusion questions," Horowitz told Leahy. And Leahy pressed Wray to rebut Trump's "witch hunt" charge, asking the FBI director whether he had "any reason to believe this investigation has been discredited?" "Senator, as I said to you last month and as I said before, I do not believe special counsel Mueller is on a witch hunt," Wray responded. Senators in both parties also pressed Horowitz to provide details about additional investigations into FBI and the Justice Department actions taken during the 2016 election and into the Trump administration. Horowitz did confirm to Grassley there was an open investigation into how Comey handled the memos he wrote memorializing his conversations with Trump before he was fired last year. Democrats were focused on another possible investigation: whether there was an ongoing probe into alleged leaks from the FBI to Rudy Giuliani. But both Horowitz and Wray declined to discuss it. Reminded by Leahy that as FBI director, Comey testified publicly that the agency in fact was conducting an internal investigation into leaks to Giuliani, Wray responded: "There are a number of things that I probably would have done differently." It wasn't the only time Wray tried to distance himself from Comey. Asked about whether he would take a role in a charging decision, Wray said: "What I can tell you is that I cannot imagine a situation in which I would unilaterally assume for myself as the FBI director a charging decision, and then announce it in a news conference." This story has been updated with additional developments. 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. UTICA- Fathers across America were treated by their families to their own unique Fathers Day. For some, it was a day at the lake, while others spent it at the Utica Zoo. I asked the girls what they want to do and they said let's go to the zoo, said Alex Thomas, father of two daughters. For the past 20 years, the Utica Zoo has been honoring fathers by granting them free admission on Fathers Day. On Sunday, dozens of dads from all over New York made their way to Utica for one thing. Its a place we can all have some fun, said Matthew Keller, a father of two. Its great to see some animals go around and see the alligators, the sea lion,s or what not it's a lot of fun." Throughout the zoo ostriches, lions, foxes, zebras, camels, bald eagles and more were on display. Some may call it a coincidence so many were out and about, but one volunteer at the zoo said they knew what day it was. They seemed excited to share the zoo experience with their dads, said Jessica Martin, a Utica Zoo volunteer. You can tell the dads are loving all the attention." LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)-- The Lafayette Police Department is offering an upcoming rape aggression defense class. Females 13 years and older can take the three-day class, they'll be held from July 9 through July 11 at LPD's training center on South Street. Classes will take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day. In order to get a completion certificate, participants need to attend each class. If you want to sign up, click on the link here. 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 Many families gathered outside a club in a middle-class neighborhood, where many underage teens were killed. At least 17 people in Venezuela were trampled to death when a man fired a tear gas canister during a fight in a crowded nightclub, prompting a stampede. Eight of the seventeen victims were under the age of 18. They were at the club celebrating their high school graduation at the private Social Club El Paraiso in Caracas. Witnesses said that a fight broke out at the club where about 500 people were partying. A man sprayed tear gas into the crowd, causing panic. Many people tried to get out of the front door but it was locked. Some students suffocated to death from the gas while others were trampled to death as close 500 people rushed down a flight of stairs trying to escape from a second exit. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said that seven people were arrested including the owner of the club and the man who was accused of spraying the gas. Two sisters are in jail in Madison pending criminal charges after allegedly stabbing each other during a fight in front of five small children. 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. A police statement says the women had "engaged in mutual combat" but did not suffer life-threatening wounds. Police say both women will be charged with domestic recklessly endangering safety. The statement also says a 30-year-old man is suspected of initiating the disturbance. Child Protective Services was called to assist with the five children. A US Border Patrol officer used his SUV to strike Paulo Remes, a 34-year-old Native American man, in front of his grandparents home Thursday, and then quickly drove away. Video footage taken by Remes capturing the hit and run has been shared and viewed over one million times on social media, causing outrage. In the video, Remes is seen walking toward his grandparents home as the vehicle barrels towards him, striking him as he rolls onto the hood and hits the ground. Remes can be heard reading out the license plate number as the vehicle drives away. Remes mother, Juanita Remes, condemned Border Patrol for taking human life for granted, in a statement issued Friday by the political activist organization Indivisible Tohono. Remes is a member of the Tohono Oodham Nation, whose 62-mile reservation straddles the US-Mexico border in southern Arizona near Tucson and the Mexican state of Sonora. The tribe, which consists of about 34,000 registered members with approximately 2,000 living in Mexico, has aggressively protested Trumps proposed border wall which would divide the tribe and its lands. Many tribal members view the hit and run as part of a long history of agents acting with total impunity on their lands, recalling the 2003 killing of a Tohono Oodham teenager, Bennett Patricio, when he was struck by the vehicle of Border Patrol agent, Cody Rouse. A federal judge cleared Rouse in 2006 of any wrongdoing in the accident. Border Patrol claim their increasing presence on the reservation is necessary and claim the tribal lands are an important transit point for both immigrants and drug traffickers. Border Patrol even employ some tribe members to assist with tracking migrants. A team of fifteen people, known as the Shadow Wolves, comprise an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactical patrol unit. The Tohono Oodham are seen as a stone in the shoe of Washington as its members have historically moved freely across the current international boundary for religious ceremonies, medical appointments, or visits with relatives. When the border was drawn across their lands in 1853, the Tohono Oodham were not offered the possibility of dual citizenship. This latest incident only further points to the fascistic character of US immigration agents, who just yesterday caused the deaths of five undocumented immigrants when they pursued an SUV carrying 14 people at deadly speeds of over 100 miles per hour, causing it to crash and eject 12 people from the vehicle near Big Wells, Texas. County Sheriff Marion Boyd defended the chase, saying it was good police work that started the chase. The impunity with which ICE operates is part of a deliberate and systematic strategy to terrorize those seeking a better life in the United States. Early this year, No More Deaths (NMD), a humanitarian aid group which operates along the border, revealed that at least 3,586 gallon jugs of water had been deliberately destroyed by Border Patrol agents in at least 415 separate instances. Nine members of NMD are facing federal prosecution for providing water and medical help to keep immigrants alive in the desert. One of the defendants, Scott Warren, a faculty associate professor at Arizona State University in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, recently had an early June trial date rescheduled for September. By prosecuting NMD the Trump administration is seeking to send the message that the lives of migrants crossing the US-Mexico border are cheap and any citizen who seeks to help them will be vindictively punished. Last month Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen told Congress reassuringly that word is getting out about the administrations punitive zero tolerance policy to criminally prosecute all who cross the border without proper documentation and tear away their children. No doubt horror stories such as Sundays deadly crash are also viewed by the political establishment as an opportunity to instill fear and deter future immigrants. In direct conflict and opposition to these policies is the working class, which overwhelmingly supports immigrants, their right to citizenship, and an end to deportations. A recent Gallup poll revealed that 85 percent of Americans supported granting citizenship status to all undocumented immigrants living in the US. Only the working class can put an end to the criminal policies of the Trump administration. Workers must organize in defense of democratic rights, which includes the rights of immigrants, the majority of whom are fleeing the consequences of US-backed coups and dictatorships or military interventions in Central America. Five people died and several more were injured near the US-Mexico border Sunday when US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and local police pursued a car full of immigrants at speeds of over 100 miles per hour. The driver of the large SUV carrying 12 immigrants lost control and flipped several times, throwing bodies across Highway 85 in Big Wells, Texas, fifty miles north of the border. With body bags and the charred remains of the SUV nearby, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd told the press that the pursuit was good police work and called for the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border. Immigrants, he said, are a real problem. The crash is the latest link in a chain of escalating violence perpetrated by the government against immigrants both at the border and in the interior of the US. Yesterday was Fathers Day and some 2,000 immigrant children spent the day locked up in detention centers where they have been detained after being separated from both parents as part of the zero tolerance policy carried out by the Trump administration since May. Many of these children are being held at a tent city on a military base near El Paso, Texas. Beginning Tuesday, temperatures at the internment camp are forecast to be above 100 degrees for at least ten days. A rapid intensification of anti-immigrant measures is underway across the country. Reports surfaced over the weekend that a bus driver in Maine told riders they had to be US citizens to travel while a CBP officer stood by and asked travelers whether they were citizens. In Southern California, an African-American passenger yelled at fellow travelers that they did not need to turn over their papers when a CBP agent boarded and asked passengers for identification. The officer then left. The woman, Tiana Smalls, wrote on Facebook: These border patrol officers act like they do because they EXPECT people to be afraid of them and just comply. The lady next to me spoke NO ENGLISH, but she was a very kind woman. She looked TERRIFIED when they boarded. I felt it was my duty to defend her. We DO NOT LIVE in Nazi Germany. No one should be asked to present papers for interstate travel. I defended her, and I defended myself. We DO NOT HAVE to just take this s--- LYING down. Detentions and arrests continue at a record pace across the US. Sandra Chica, the wife of Ecuadoran immigrant Pablo Villavicencio, published an op-ed in Sundays New York Daily News appealing for support. Villavicencio was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) two weeks ago after delivering pizza to a soldier on a military base in New York who reported him to immigration authorities. Today is Fathers Day, and this is the first time my two little girls will spend it without their father, Chicas open letter reads. They made handwritten cards and drawings telling him how much they love him, but sadly they wont be able to give them to him. I have visited Pablo a few times at the Hudson County jail. Pablo describes a scene where individuals are deported daily. Like him, many of these people came to this country to provide a better life for their families. It is shocking that a government can behave like this and separate loved ones. When Pablo speaks to our daughters over the phone, we cry. The pain of being ripped away from our family is unspeakable. On Wednesday, our oldest daughter will celebrate her fourth birthday. Pablo will likely not be there, and shell be wondering why. Im sure that all fathers reading this can imagine the pain theyd feel missing these important days with their beautiful children. Former top White House aide Stephen Bannon defended the Trump administrations attacks on immigrants on ABCs This Week interview program on Sunday. I dont think you have to justify it, he said, referencing the separation of thousands of children from their families. We have a crisis on the southern border. Bannon was given ample airspace to make his fascist appeal. He said that elites were conspiring to support immigrants and that this illegal immigrationthe people that hurt the most are the Hispanic and black working class. Bannon said immigration suppresses their wages, it destroys their health care, it destroys their school systems. The Democrats are aware of mass outrage at President Donald Trumps deportation policies and concerned that family separation is such a provocative initiative that it will create mass demonstrations demanding the release of detained immigrants and general amnesty for those present without proper papers. A number of small but significant demonstrations have taken place in recent days, and the Democrats have intervened to ensure that these protests not challenge the bipartisan mass deportation plan enacted under presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. With this in mind, a group of East Coast Democratic congressmen visited a detention facility in New Jersey over the weekend and released a cynical statement opposing family separation, which reads: Trump and Sessions say they are following laws. That is a lie. There are no laws requiring families to be ripped apart. Trump claims Democrats are to blame for families being broken up. That is a lie. Republicans control every branch of government. But the Democrats tore hundreds of thousands of parents from their children during the Obama administration, when 2.7 million people were deported. The Democratic Partys position exposes the bankruptcy of the lesser-of-two-evils argument. Their line is effectively: Republicans detain children and separate families. We Democrats will continue to detain children, and we will continue to separate families, but we wont separate detained families. In fact, the Democratic Party is responsible for strengthening the law that made it a federal crime to illegally re-enter the USthe crime for which parents have been jailed under Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions zero tolerance policy and separated from their children. In 1993, when the Democrats controlled Congress and the presidency, the Senate voted to drastically increase jail sentences for illegal re-entrants. The measure passed 95-4, with all but three Democrats voting yes. Those who voted in favor included Joe Biden, Barbara Boxer, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Paul Wellstone and Harry Reid. Democrats also provided the votes necessary to pass the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which barred all immigrants from applying for legal status for either three years if they were present unlawfully for six months or ten years if they were present unlawfully for a year or more. The hated 3 and 10 year bars became law only through the yes votes of 21 Democrats in the Senate and 88 in the House. Bill Clinton signed both the 1993 and 1996 laws. Initial demonstrations across the country are a positive sign that millions are horrified by the American immigration Gestapo. But opposition to the attack on immigrants must be based on opposition to both the Democratic and Republican factions of the ruling class and the capitalist system as a whole. The Socialist Equality Party held a powerful rally yesterday at Sydneys Town Hall Square, demanding that the Australian government of Malcolm Turnbull take immediate action to secure Julian Assanges freedom and return to Australia, with a guarantee that he will not be extradited to the United States. Hundreds of workers and young people attended the event, under conditions of a media blackout of the protest and the growing dangers facing the WikiLeaks editor. Attendees travelled from as far away as Hobart, the Tasmanian capitala trip of 1,500 kilometres. Contingents came from Victorias capital city, Melbourne, as well as Newcastle, a working-class regional centre of New South Wales, and other cities and towns. Assange supporters at the Sydney rally Thousands more people watched a livestream Facebook video of the event. Speakers, including SEP national secretary James Cogan and investigative journalist John Pilger, indicted the Australian political and media establishment for its role in the attacks on Assange and WikiLeaks. So far, the video has been viewed more than 20,000 times. Sam, a young IT worker, drove more than 200 kilometres from the city of Bathurst to take part in the demonstration. I have been an online supporter of Assange in the past, sharing information through the Internet, he said. Especially in the last couple of years, witnessing the black PR and smear campaigns against Julian, I felt it was important to speak up for him and show my face. I wanted to be part of showing support for him. Sam Ive been appalled at how governments have treated a fellow citizen. Assange has not been charged with any crimes, yet he has been chased around by governments, including our own, the British and the Swedish. Its disheartening to see any Australian having their human rights ignored. Julian cant even get daylight, get fresh air or see his family. All he has done is publish the truth. Ever since publishing the Afghan war logs, the Iraq war logs and the US diplomatic cables, there has been a secret grand jury and sealed indictment against him in the United States. They didnt want these facts coming out because they want to carry on with their disgusting war games. All Julian has done is give information to the general populace, which is the role of journalism. Since the 2016 US election, there have been a lot of lies told, including about Russia. What is revealing is how much the media has been censoring truthful news and spreading propaganda from Hillary Clinton and others. Who can you trust? What is the truth? The lies are so rampant in all media, and across all platforms. Ive been reading articles from the World Socialist Web Site, mainly in relation to Assange. They are great, comprehensive, honest and trustworthy news. The rally today was really important. We showed solidarity and support for Julian. Its good to see that there are plenty of us starting to come together. That gives me courage and confidence. Cynthia Cynthia, originally from New Zealand, has worked in the media and at universities. As a former journalist I wanted to support freedom for Julian Assange because he has committed no crime, she said. The Australian government should intervene as they did for Peter Greste, the Al Jazeera journalist whom they helped get out of Egyptian custody. There has been virtually nothing in the mainstream media about Assange and his situation. It has been ignored, but it should be something that is reported. We need to know about it. There are implications for democratic rights in Assanges case, because you cannot have democracy if individual rights are not protected and especially the right to free speech. I think that the Australian government has to act to defend Assange. Elia Elia, a 25-year-old university student, said: I came to the rally because I believe in democracy. I believe in holding governments accountable. I believe in freedom of information. Assange represents the attempt to disseminate information and hold governments accountable. Thats why he is being unfairly punished and maligned by the authorities. Assange is a target of the US government because they want to send a message to anyone else who wants to expose the truth. James, a mature-age student at Western Sydney University, stated: This rally reinforced how important the work of Assange is. Governments are not transparent, so we need heroes like Assange to continue this work and tell us the truth. It also hit home for me, that US imperialism is determining Assanges situation. They either want him arrested or dead for revealing their secrets. James In 201011, the Labor government of Julia Gillard abandoned Assange and claimed what he did was illegal. They didnt want to strain the imperialist relationship with the US that has existed for over 70 years now. Australia relies on the US for its foreign policy, for defence, for basically everything. Its all under the table deals and discussions. WikiLeaks revealed the criminality of US protected sources within the Labor Party who were acting as informants for the US embassy. It goes to show how pervasive US imperialism is, with hegemony all over the world. They dont like that they are being challenged and are trying desperately to hold on to their past glories as economic and military leaders of the world. Joyce, a retired office worker, said: I came here today because I am so angry about the state of the world. We really need to stops wars, wars, wars. The governments of the world dont seem to care about war happening. Im here to defend Julian Assange because its really bad to treat a good decent man like that and the governments are out to persecute him. Its disgusting and I have no respect for the governments that are allowing this to happen. Joyce Joyce said governments are frightened that people will learn the truth. She explained: Its a different world now that we have the Internet. Governments before could get away with a lot of crap but now we have the Internet and you know within two seconds that its happened. No government can be relied upon to free Julian Assange, she said. The governments are very resistant. They are digging their heels in, and the only way we are going to win is if there is more protest and more people making their voices heard. Bogna said she came to the rally because Im worried about Julian Assange. Hes doing the whole world a favour by exposing the truth behind how the governments operate and oppress people and drive to unnecessary wars. I really believe humanity has learned from previous world wars about the need for freedom and peace for everyone, but its not happening. So Julian is exposing the governments and its just appalling the situation he is in. He should be freed. Bogna Bogna said governments were afraid of millions of people knowing the truth. Governments have dirty motives and they dont want them exposed, she commented. They are all just striving to retain power and the support of the lobbyists who only have monetary interests. They dont want people to realise that. She called for mass pressure on governments for Assanges freedom. The Australian government has to commit to bringing him to Australia and guaranteeing his safety, but that would be a step against the US. The Australian government should succumb to popular pressure and also put the pressure on the US government to guarantee that they are not going to assassinate him. Its not just about Julian Assange but everyones freedom of expression. I know that your party, the Socialist Equality Party, also has problems with being able to exercise that freedom because of the efforts to censor the Internet. Yesterday, Sunday June 17, a demonstration was held in Sydneys Town Hall Square to fight for the immediate and unconditional freedom of WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange. The rally demanded that the Australian government of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull secure the release of Assange from his confinement in the Ecuadorian embassy in London and his safe return to Australia. The rally was introduced and chaired by longstanding Socialist Equality Party (SEP) leader Linda Tenenbaum. It was addressed by SEP National Secretary James Cogan; Evrim Yazgin, the president of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) at the University of Melbourne; and Sue Phillips, the national convener of the Committee For Public Education (CFPE). It concluded with a powerful speech by well known journalist and documentarist John Pilger, who has been a tireless fighter for the freedom of Julian Assange and the media. The rally was based on the political principle that the defense of Assange is inseparably linked to the fight against the oppressive capitalist system, which is the cause of war, social inequality and all attacks on democratic rights. An audience of several hundred people, including many students and workers, attended and vigorously applauded the speakers. They attended despite a total establishment media blackout and the hostility of the entire official political set-up towards the defence of Assange. Opening the rally, Tenenbaum declared, The Socialist Equality Party has organised this rally to begin the fight to build a powerful defence campaign in Australia, New Zealand and internationally that will bring together all those committed to democratic rightsthe right of journalists to inform the population, their right to freedom of speech, and the right of everyone to be informed of the truth. These are issues of the most fundamental character. The suppression of the truth, of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, goes hand in hand with the destruction of democratic rights. In his address, James Cogan declared that the rally was crucial for the working class, because it is part of the greater struggle for all the social and democratic rights of the vast mass of humanity. Cogan explained that increasing awareness of and concerns about the danger of war were developing within the working class and youth in these times when the American president speaks casually of totally destroying entire countries with nuclear weapons. Of perhaps the most decisive importance, Cogan continued, the working class and the youth are coming back into struggle in the United Statesthe epicenter of world reaction and capitalist degradation. One cannot understand the determination of the American ruling elite to silence WikiLeaks and Assange without an understanding of their fear of the working class. The capitalist ruling classes and their representatives in the US and internationally are terrified of the power that the Internet provides to the working class, to ordinary people. It gives them access to alternative analysis and news; the ability to exchange information and opinions; and to politically organise across national borders: to unite together as an international force. The speaker observed, Over the past three weeks, as we have promoted this rally, and the vigils that are taking place on June 19, we have revealed the extent of the support for Assange and WikiLeaks that exists in the working class in Australia and internationally. The establishment has abandoned him. Millions of people have not. What governments and political parties do now, at a time when Assange faces immense danger, is not going to be forgotten. The speech delivered by John Pilger provided a fierce and penetrating exposure of all those politicians, newspaper editors, journalists, ex-liberals and ex-lefts who have abandoned Julian Assange to the wolves. It constituted a powerful defence of democratic rights. I know Julian Assange well, he began. 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 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 mediathose 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 journalistsafter the Vichy government that served and enabled the German occupation of wartime France. Pilgers invocation of Vichy was a well chosen metaphor, and one that is particularly apt today. A whole layer of pseudo-left organisations boycotted the rally. Nothing could more clearly expose the relationship between the identity politics of this cowardly milieu and the interests of imperialism. They utilised the filthy rapist slander campaign, concocted against Assange in Sweden, to line up with their own governments and disown any defence of the courageous whistleblower. Against this affluent, self-interested and anti-working class layer, Pilger insisted, 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. The rally was not a one-off event. The International Committee of the Fourth International will continue to develop and extend the fight for Julian Assanges freedom throughout the world, and to mobilise the vast social power of the international working class in defence of social and democratic rights. Sundays rally underscored the fact that such a struggle can be waged only on the basis of an anti-imperialist, anti-war and socialist perspective. We live at a time of widespread historical ignorance and cultural debasement. The most preposterous things are written and said, and, especially if they touch on gender and racial matters, no one dares respond. In the wake of American novelist Philip Roths death May 22, numerous commentaries have appeared accusing him of misunderstanding or being hostile to women and related failings. Philip Roth in 1973 One of those appeared in the New York Times May 25, What Philip Roth Didnt Know About Women Could Fill a Book, by Dara Horn. The Times leads the foul charge on these issues. Horn essentially complains that Roth was not complimentary enough about people like herself, upper middle class Jewish women: The Jewish New Jersey women I know are talented professionals in every field, and often in those two thankless professions that Roth quite likely required to thrive: teachers and therapists. Roth, who achieved true greatness in depicting people like himself, never had the imagination to give these women souls. This is simply not true. Roth tended or certainly aspired to be as critical of people like himself as he was of people like Horn. He rarely inflicted a wound on others without inflicting one on people like himself. What Horn and others find impermissible, among other things, is that Roth painted unflattering portraits of numerous female professionals. Furthermore, in Stop Treating The Misogyny In Philip Roths Work Like A Dirty Secret (Huffington Post, May 26), Sandra Newman takes Roth to task for, among other things, the gleefully lascivious objectification of women in his novels. She takes for granted Roths misogyny, observing that for many 21st-century Americans, its still not misogyny at all but the normal psychology of the male. D.H. Lawrences Lady Chatterleys Lover (1928) This is a slander against men in general and Roth in particular. He openly represented his male characters lust and desire for women, often comically, sometimes graphically and semi-obscenely. That was one of his more liberating contributions to American literature, which was still much in need of it. How does that by itself constitute misogyny or objectification? The new Puritanism includes the urge to censor and suppress, to return cultural life perhaps to the mid-1950s when D. H. Lawrences Lady Chatterleys Lover was still banned in the US. Generally speaking, Roths female characters give as good as they get, from Brenda Patimkin in Goodbye, Columbus [1959] (Gloria Feldman made her way over to our end of the table and said freshly Well our little Radcliffe smarty, what have you been doing all summer? Growing a penis) onward. Newman complains about Roths treatment of a number of female characters in American Pastoral (1997), which deals with a middle class New Jersey girl in the 1960s who becomes for a time a radical terrorist. The characterizations in this case are weak and unconvincing. However, the problem stems not from misogyny, but from the novelists failure to artistically imagine and create individuals driven out of their minds, as it were, by the immensity of the crimes committed by American imperialism in Southeast Asia. Most stupidly and cheaply, Newman associates Roth with her vision of typical Donald Trump supporters and claims that his political novels have a nagging MAGA [Make America Great Again] aftertaste. Reading these novels in 2018, one half expects the male protagonist to angrily comment, This is why people voted for Trump. This is nonsense, unsupported by any quarter-serious reading of Roths books. Roths Goodbye, Columbus (1959) What irks a good number of the commentators is the fact that the late novelist had no use, generally speaking, for the obsession with identity politics, the brand of fraudulent and reactionary postmodern leftism that has proliferated on American campuses and elsewhere over the past 40 years or so. Unforgivably to Newman, Horn and company, Roth treated a number of female academics and other such types rather roughly in his books, suggesting that behind their aggressive feminism lay a good number of hidden factors, including psychological insecurity, personal ambition and avarice. His instinctive hostility was entirely appropriate. In any case, the numerous attacks on Roth along the same general lines, his failure to paint his talented professional women characters the way his critics would have liked him to, i.e., as unfailingly confident, brave and smart, are based on misconceptions about art that are widespread at the moment. The job of the novelist or artist is not to present his or her segment of the population positively and to inspire it to greater heights (and this always proves to be a segment of the petty bourgeois population, which invariably identifies itself with Man and Woman in general). It is currently taken for granted, codified and legitimized in thousands and thousands of scholarly works and practices, that no artist canor should try totranscend his or her subjectivity. It doesnt generally occur to the critics to ask whether Roths portrayals, pleasing or not, correspond to realities outside the novels, whether they approximate the way things are. Thus, along with the criticisms of Roth as a supposed woman-hater inevitably arrive a host of articles and essays questioning whether men are ever capable of writing honestly or truthfully about women. Most reveal little or no historical knowledge or perspective. These recent media headlines tell us much of what we need to know about the articles superficial (or worse) content: Why men cant write about women, How Women See How Male Authors See Them, Can a Male Novelist Really Write, and Get, Women? Do women and men write differently? etc. Helene Cixous in 2011 (Photo: Claude Truong-Ngoc) In passing, one should note that postmodern feminism resoundingly answers Yes to the last question. For example, French theorist Helene Cixous, a disciple of Jacques Derrida, argued in The Laugh of the Medusa (1975) that there was or should be a distinctly feminine mode of writing, bound up with the particularities of the female body. She went on, Woman must write her self: must write about women and bring women to writing, from which they have been driven away as violently as from their bodies I write woman: woman must write woman. And man, man. Directly or indirectly, postmodern subjectivism and irrationalism strongly influence or drive contemporary thinking. Jonathan McAloon, in the Guardian (of course), asked last May, apparently in all seriousness, Can male writers avoid misogyny? He explained, As a critic and a writer, I am curious to know what male authors who are feminists can do to address misogyny. How can men write honestly about the bad behaviour of men, without it being a busmans holiday for female readers? These days, I feel all authors have a duty to write about misogyny, especially men. Men are experts in misogyny; after all, we invented it. It is ubiquitous: even writing the previous sentence, I could easily be accused of mansplaining misogyny. Lets pass onas quickly as we can. A few years ago, Michele Willens posted an article in the Atlantic, The Mixed Results of Male Authors Writing Female Characters, with the sub-headline, Authors of both genders have long experimented with narrators and protagonists of the opposite sexbut there's still debate as to whether either sex can do it right. Well, there really isnt a debate, the historical record settled it long ago, but, in any event Willens noted that when Nation magazine writer and poet Katha Pollitt learned that I was pondering whether men write women better than women themselves, her response practically crashed my computer. You could not possibly be suggesting that! I think few men write female characters who are complex and have stories of their own. Where are the vivid, realistic and rounded portrayals of women in Roth, [Saul] Bellow, [John] Updike? World premiere of Verdis La Traviata in 1853 The reaction of Pollitt, a veteran campaigner for gender politics and enthusiastic supporter of corporate warmonger Hillary Clinton in 2016, was predictable, both as to its feminist prejudices and its historical shortsightedness. If postwar novelists Roth, Bellow and Updike were incapable, and they may have been guilty of this sin, of offering vivid, realistic and rounded portrayals of women, that was bound up with a more general intellectual and artistic degeneration and a decline in vivid, realistic and rounded artistic pictures of social life as a whole. After all, it is absurd to the highest degree to suggest that a writer could accurately and full-bloodedly depict men or women distinct from one another, or apart from the social organism, as purely biological species existing in different galaxies. In the most decisive sense, the social and historical one, men and women have one common experience. Sexual identity, of course, plays an immense role in the existence of each individual. But neither men nor women participate in life primarily, let alone solely, on the basis of their sexual physiology, even under the worst and most backward theocracies, but as members of one or another social class or fraction of a class. As Marx explained, all human beings contain within themselves and are formed by an ensemble of the social relations. There would be no art without human physiology, because there would be no human beings at all, but that doesnt mean art can simply be explained by human physiology. Between that physiology and art work, as Marxists understand, lies a complex system of transmitting mechanisms in which there are individual, species-particular and, above all, social elements. The sexual-physiological foundation of humanity changes very slowly, its social relations more rapidly. Artists find material for their art primarily in their social environment and in alterations in the social environment. Otherwise, there would be no change in art over time, and people would continue from generation to generation to be content with the poetry of the Bible, or of the old Greeks (Trotsky). No truly great artist in modern times, or perhaps at any time, has ever been overwhelmingly a specialist in only one gender (or sexual orientation), because the definition of the great artist, in our view, is his or her ability to attempt as comprehensive as possible view of the social totality and its driving forces. Obviously, there have been limitations bound up with particular stages of social evolution, taking into account utopian socialist Charles Fouriers assertion that in every society the degree of female emancipation has been the natural measure of emancipation in general. Most of William Shakespeares greatest figures are male, but at the dawn of the modern age already the English dramatist produced immortal women characters without whom his plays would be unthinkable: Cleopatra, Rosalind, Titania, Lady Macbeth, Cordelia, Goneril, Queen Margaret, Gertrude, Viola, Juliet, Imogen, Miranda, Ophelia, Beatrice, Portia and countless others. Can men write about women? As the poet Heine once wrote, And the fool expects an answer. When bourgeois art was at its progressive height in the 18th and 19th centuries, male novelists, playwrights and opera composers paid great attention to the condition of women because that condition was to them the most representative and often most painful expression of the state of contemporary society. What would be left of modern literature, drama and opera without Clarissa, The Heart of Midlothian, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Little Dorrit, Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina, Resurrection, Effi Briest, Hedda Gabler, A Dolls House, Miss Julie, Mrs. Warrens Profession, Lady Windermeres Fan, Nana, La Traviata, Luisa Miller, Rigoletto, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and many more, most of them tragedies? And, one might add, long before the current focus on sexual harassment, Shakespeare produced a remarkable work entitled Measure for Measure. A 1918 production of Shaws Mrs. Warrens Profession (1893) Of course, the monumental character of this body of work is no deterrent against contemporary stupidity and blindness. There is every reason to believe that the reader will have no difficulty in putting his or her hands on articles or entire books devoted to Shakespeare the misogynist, Tolstoy: Woman-hater, How Flaubert slandered his female protagonists, etc. It is also a backward and, frankly, philistine notion that men ought to be most interested in writing about men, and women about women. In addition to the social question, certainly the central element, there is also a natural, human curiosity in the opposite (almost regardless of sexual orientation). Men spend a good deal of their time thinking about women, and, I believe, vice versa. Contrary to Cixous, Pollitt and their shallow, self-centered ilk, it is certainly possible to suggest that men, under certain conditions, might hold the better mirror up to women than women themselvesand, again, vice versa. When, in the wake of the French Revolution, above all, women fought their way into the ranks of serious literature, it cant be said that they showed an inclination to only concentrate on themselves. They too had a wider view of the world and a higher, more ambitious conception of what art and literature could do. Jane Austen is as much (or more) remembered for Mr. Darcy and George Knightley as she is for Elizabeth Bennett and Emma Woodhouse. The same goes for Charlotte Bronte in relation to her Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre, and Emily Bronte in relation to Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. George Eliot titled four of her seven novels after male characters and only one, one of her weakest works, after a woman (Romola). Women artists, it turned out, had a special concern with and sympathy for the difficult and often heartbreaking situations of many men in class society. These are only a few of the issues raised by the manufactured controversy surrounding Philip Roths alleged misogyny. Phoenix, Arizona, officials and the citys police chief, Jeri Williams, announced an investigation into the frequency of police shootings in the area last week following a spike in Phoenix area officer-involved shootings. According to data provided by the city councils Public Safety and Veterans Subcommittee, Phoenix police have shot 23 people, 11 fatally, so far in 2018. In comparison, Phoenix police officers shot 21 people in 2017, 25 people in 2016, and 17 in 2015. Phoenix police are on pace to far surpass the totals for each of the past five years and could potentially double the number of people they have killed this year than in the past. Not a single officer involved in any this years shootings has yet been charged. Arizona has typically ranked among the top states for officer-involved shootings, but this years surge in police shootings distinguishes the state even more. Maricopa County is on pace to match the rate of police shootings in Los Angeles County, which has twice the number of residents. Data maintained by the Arizona Republic shows that officers in all of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, its suburbs and outlying areas, have been involved in 43 shootings total. With 10 million people, Los Angeles County recorded 78 officer-involved shootings last year and just 36 so far this yearseven fewer than Maricopa County, with a population of 4.3 million. City officials responded to growing outrage over the surge in police shootings at a public meeting last week by recommending that $149,000 be used for an independent study to be spearheaded by Arizona State University and the Washington, DC-based Police Foundation. The investigation is aimed at tamping down popular anger and will ultimately result in a whitewash of the crimes committed by the Phoenix Police Department. Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams, an African American woman, explained that the study would be aimed at creating policies that provided citizens information on how to interact with police officers, suggesting that it is the victims and not officers that are at fault for the surge in shootings. Residents that attended the meeting told the Arizona Republic they felt such a study would only reinforce the narrative that most, if not all, police shootings are justified. Heather Hamel, executive director of the advocacy group Justice That Works, challenged Williams perspective on the study. Its your guys misunderstanding. Its not the increase in violence among our community, she said. Its actually an increase in violence among your police officers. Viridiana Hernandez told reporters she thought that Phoenix police would admit they had a shooting problem but was disappointed when she found out the character of the investigation. I come here and I hear that the talking points that are being reiterated are ... that it blames us for being killed, she told the Republic. Theres never going to be moving forward. I dont care how much people want to say it, how much you want to pretend that were trying to build trust. Trust will never be built until the abuser admits that they are doing the abusing. The rise in shootings in Phoenix is part of the ongoing nation-wide wave of police violence which is being fueled by the Trump Administrations appeal to fascistic elements and encouragement of police brutality. During his presidential campaign, Trump criticized Obama for taking an aggressive policy against police, ignoring the fact that the Obama administration oversaw a rise in police brutality, funneled military-style equipment to local police forces across the US, and coordinated the crackdown on protest against police violence. Under Obama, the Department of Justice (DoJ) undertook various investigations into police departments that routinely violated residents civil and constitutional rights. The DoJ routinely denounced police departments, but only offered toothless reforms and oversight, such as community policing and greater use of body cams. The number of people killed by police continued to rise during Obamas presidency. Since taking office, Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have adopted a tough on crime policy that takes an even more encouraging approach to police abuses. Early in his presidency, Trump signed executive orders which promoted legislation protecting police and even told police not to be too nice during arrests. In April, the Supreme Court established an interpretation of qualified immunity that effectively granted police legal impunity to use lethal force at will. The Court ruled officers are entitled to qualified immunity as long as they do not violate clearly established rights and use of force must be judged from the perspective of officers. This interpretation essentially protects all but the most unscrupulous cops from excessive force cases. A special role has been played by Black Lives Matter (BLM), an organization that supposedly campaigns against police violence and the rise of officer-involved shootings. Co-opting popular protests against police brutality and promoting the false idea that police violence is fundamentally a racial issue, the organization has championed illusions that police departments can be reformed. BLM has consistently pushed for various reforms, including increasing use of body cameras, the introduction of public oversight boards and more minority police officers, as supposed solutions to police violence. The group even worked to direct anger away from Sacramentos first African-American police chief, Daniel Hahn, after the police murder of Stephen Clark in March. Operating in the orbit of the Democratic Party, BLM actively seeks to hide the role of police as instruments of class repression under capitalism. More than 20 percent of Phoenixs residents live in poverty, and Arizona ranks among some of the most unequal states in the US, with the wealthiest 1 percent earning 20 times more than the average resident. This elite layer accounted for 84 percent of the states income growth for a 28-year period leading up to the 2008-09 financial crisis and saw their incomes grow 5.9 percent during the Great Recession, while the rest of earners lost income. The high levels of social inequality and poverty in the state are powerful factors in the rise in officer-involved shootings. In the wake of the 568-page Justice Department inspector generals report issued Thursday, the political warfare in Washington over the role of the FBI in the 2016 elections continues to intensify. While the report provided damning information on the pro-Clinton faction in the leadership of the FBI, a television interview Thursday night shed light on the pro-Trump faction within the same agency, centered in the New York field office, the FBIs largest and most influential office outside the agencys headquarters in Washington. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, speaking on the Laura Ingraham program on Fox News, revealed that dissident agents in the New York office contacted him in late September 2016 and told him that the FBI had obtained a new batch of Clinton emails that could lead to the reopening of the investigation into her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, which the FBI had closed two months earlier. Nunes described these good FBI agents as whistle blowers, but they clearly were acting as partisans of Trump and the Republican Party, contacting a leading congressional Republican who had an interest in anti-Clinton information. Moreover, Nunes did not inform his Democratic counterpart on the Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, underscoring the factional warfare raging through official Washington. A month later, FBI Director James Comey sent letters to congressional leaders informing them that the Clinton email probe was being reopened. This extraordinary action, only 11 days before Election Day, was in flagrant violation of a longstanding Justice Department rule against taking any public investigative action in relation to a political candidate within 90 days of an election. The emails came to light in the course of a separate investigation into disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner, then the husband of Hillary Clintons closest aide, Huma Abedin, who was to face charges for exchanging inappropriate sexual messages with an underaged girl. When examining a laptop belonging to Weiner, FBI agents found copies of emails from Clinton, apparently sent by Abedin to her husbands laptop for the purpose of printing them out. According to other accounts, the FBI first found these Clinton emails on September 26, meaning that agents in the New York office contacted the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee even before top officials in the FBIs Washington headquarters knew of them. It is likely they also contacted former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who had close ties with the New York FBI office from his years as US attorney for the Southern District of New York. Giuliani sparked numerous press reports about an impending FBI bombshell against the Clinton campaign in the weeks leading up to Comeys letter to Congress. At the time, in the midst of the uproar provoked by Comeys letter, the World Socialist Web Site wrote, One former Justice Department official suggested that Comey was under intense pressure from within the FBI over his previous declaration that no competent prosecutor would bring charges against Clinton over her use of the private server. If true, this means that sections of the federal police agency are in open revolt against the candidate who may shortly become their nominal commander-in-chief (see: The FBI intervenes in the 2016 election). It is evident that this was precisely the case. The FBI, the political police force of the American ruling elite, became a battleground during the 2016 elections between pro-Clinton and pro-Trump factions, each seeking to make use of the agencys ability to conduct surveillance and carry out provocations and frame-ups against the rival candidate. Peter Strzok, the assistant director of the FBI who headed the Clinton email investigation and the initial stages of the Russia-Trump investigation, was an ardent advocate of a Clinton presidency, like the bulk of the leadership of the national security apparatus. In a text message in August 2016 to his girlfriend Lisa Page, who was counsel to FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, Strzoks boss, Strzok reassured Page that there would be no Trump presidency, because Well stop it. This message, damning in its directness, especially given Strzoks position as the head of both investigations, has been concealed for nearly two years despite endless reports and leaks about the FBIs intervention into the 2016 campaign. It was first made public in the inspector generals report. The prolonged concealment by itself demonstrates how critical Strzoks role was in preparing the way for the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into supposed Russian interference in the elections. It is widely expected that Strzok will be fired as a consequence of the inspector generals report, and both Trump and congressional Republicans have called for the FBI officials prosecution and jailing. Strzoks attorney Aitan Goelman sent a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte Saturday offering Strzoks voluntary testimony before the committee. Special agent Strzok, who has been fully cooperative with the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, intends to voluntarily appear and testify before your committee and any other Congressional committee that invites him, Goelman wrote. On Sunday, Representative Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, threatened to hold top FBI and Justice Department officials in contempt if they continued to block access to documents subpoenaed by his and other congressional committees. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Gowdy said that he met with FBI and Justice officials Friday, along with Goodlatte, Devin Nunes and House Speaker Paul Ryan, to go over item by item the material subject to outstanding subpoenas. Gowdy said that Ryan made it very clear. He continued, Theres going to be action on the floor of the House this week if the FBI and DOJ do not comply with our subpoena request. The House would use its full arsenal of constitutional weapons to gain compliance, including contempt of Congress. This raises the prospect of congressional Republicans holding in contempt officials appointed by a Republican presidentincluding FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosensteinbecause they refuse to share documents related to the investigations into that president and his Democratic opponent during the 2016 campaign. WEST TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Two people were hurt in a Sunday evening crash. An officer at the scene told us the driver of the truck failed to yield for the oncoming motorcycle, causing the truck to hit the motorcycle. It happened at National Avenue and 7th Street in West Terre Haute. Two people were riding the motorcycle at the time. They both were hurt. The male was airlifted for medical treatment. The female went to a local hospital. Emergency responders at the scene weren't able to release more information about their conditions. GIBSON COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - As of early Monday morning, dozens of homes and businesses remained under mandatory evacuation, and streets remain closed in Princeton, Indiana. That's due to a train derailment and explosion. (Credit Whiteriver Hazleton VFD Facebook) (Credit Whiteriver Hazleton VFD Facebook) Princeton is about 90 miles south of Terre Haute, and about 35 miles north of Evansville. Dispatch started getting 9-1-1 calls around 7-15 Sunday night. People said an explosion shook their homes. CSX Railroad confirms the train was carrying propane. People displaced have been invited to stay at the Gibson County fairgrounds. News 10 bureau chief, Gary Brian, was told by fire officials overnight that it could take a few hours or a few days for the fire to burn itself out. They also say there is no immediate health concern. No injuries have been reported. As of early Monday morning, Highway 41 continued to be closed from Princeton to Fort Branch. Train Derailment, Princeton 0400, Units are processing the fire scene More details to follow All media inquiries should be directed to Sgt. Lambert, Indiana State Police, 812-631-1363 pic.twitter.com/6hEC1W4dSS Indiana State Police, Jasper District (@ISPJasper) June 18, 2018 News 10's Bureau Chief, Gary Brian, is at the media staging area. Authorities there are calling the situation a train collision. They also said they aren't sure what chemicals may be involved in the explosions. #DEVELOPING #ICYMI Crews continue to work a train derailment turned fire/explosion in Southern Indiana. Our Bureau Chief @GaryBrianNews has been giving us live phone updates throughout our newscast, hear the latest here & online @WTHITV pic.twitter.com/3fcWiA5vOQ Alia Blackburn (@Alia_WTHI) June 18, 2018 The Gibson County Sheriff's Office and Indiana State Police will release more information as it is available. PRINCETON, Ind. (WTHI) - From the sky you can see what remains after a train wreck Sunday night. The fires are still burning almost twenty-four hours after the incident. However, if you ask residents, things are a lot calmer today then last night. Shannon Theys says, "Me and my daughter and my granddaughter were sitting out by the pool when we heard what sounded like a jet engine making a very loud noise. And then we heard a crash and at that time we were scrambling to see what was going on." A rail car loaded with 30,000 gallons of liquid propane exploded. Resulting in a ploom of smoke and fire. Theys says, "It was kind of scary because of all the smoke and at first, we weren't for sure what they had in the trains." The Princeton fire department evacuated a half-mile radius around the wreck. Despite the severity, no one was injured in the incident. Princeton fire chief Mike Pflug says the accident's location played a major factor. Pflug says, "You couldn't really have found a better location. It's isolated away from everything. It's far enough out of town that it hasn't really had much effect to the neighborhoods outside of where we've just evacuated." In all, 23 railcars derailed in the incident. Five of those were carrying propane. At this time residents are being allowed to return to their homes and traffic is being opened back up on us 41. Princeton Mayor Brad Schmitt says, "Everybody here, I tell you what, that's how you handle these types of situations. Is that you have a good team around you." News 10 will continue to follow this story as it develops. A Michigan man is behind bars and banned from a Sullivan County Park. Deputy Justin Copeland was investigating a reported battery of a 17-year-old female when he learned the suspect in question was camping at the Sullivan County Park and Lake. He ran a nationwide on the suspect, Rusty Banks, and learned that he was a registered sex offender in Michigan. It was later established that Banks had not registered with Indiana authorities - as required by law. Sheriff Clark Cottom said even registered sex offenders that come into Indiana for a brief period are required to notify authorities. After being questioned, Banks admitted to the battery of the 17-year-old. Banks was also permanently banned from Sullivan County Park and Lake. He was arrested for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and Battery. He is secured in the Sullivan County Jail under a $12,000 bond. Sheriff Cottom said his office will also be notifying Michigan authorities of Banks arrest, as he is also required to notify Michigan officials of his extended travels. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI)- It's no doubt that it is hot. Heat advisories have been issued for the midwest this week. Which means potential danger for people who work outside. Brent Catterson, owner of Katter Kuts Lawncare and Maintenance, mows 12 to 15 yards a day. Even when it is dangerously hot, Catterson says there is no time to stop working. "It doesn't cross our mind," he said. He says he does what he can to keep going. "I try to look for cool water and cool shade as much as possible," Catterson said. Catterson is one of the many who has to brave hot temperatures to make a living. Officials recommend to stay indoors from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. They also say it is important to stay hydrated as much as possible. Terre Haute police say it is important to know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. They say you should take action if you feel confused, nauseous, have clammy skin, and or your heart is beating to fast or too slow. "Just pace yourself," Catterson said. "You have work to do, but you got to do it one step at a time. Pace yourself and drink lots of fluids. Get under shade trees if you need to cool down." A heat advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. Monday night, 7 p.m. for Illinois residents. Officials say to take precautions. Wear loose fitting clothes, drink lots of water, and stay indoors when you can. If you or someone you know has a heat stroke, call 911. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker directed the state National Guard not to send any assets or personnel to the US-Mexico border because of the Trump administration's "inhumane treatment" of children, communications director Lizzy Guyton said in a statement. "I think it's cruel and inhumane, and we told the National Guard to hold steady and to not go down to the border, period," Baker told CNN affiliate WHDH. "We won't be supporting that initiative unless they change the policy." Baker, a moderate Republican in a largely Democratic state, was one of several prominent Republicans to come out against the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy toward immigrants. In addition, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, signed an executive order Monday limiting use of state resources "to separate children from parents or legal guardians on sole ground of immigration status." New York state will also not deploy the National Guard to the border, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday, citing the treatment of families at the border as a "moral outrage and an affront to the values that built this state and this nation." "In the face of this ongoing human tragedy, let me be very clear: New York will not be party to this inhumane treatment of immigrant families," Gov. Cuomo added in a statement. "We will not deploy National Guard to the border, and we will not be complicit in a political agenda that governs by fear and division." As part of the zero-tolerance policy, anyone who is caught attempting to enter the US illegally is referred for federal prosecution, including those with children. The policy has had the immediate effect of separating children from their parents and placing them into a bureaucratic labyrinth of government acronyms. Trump defended the policy on Monday amid the increasing backlash, saying "the United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility." The National Guard has helped along the border since Trump signed a memorandum to deploy members to the US-Mexico border in April as part of what he described as an effort to secure the border. Trump said in the memorandum that "the security of the United States is imperiled by a drastic surge of illegal activity on the southern border." The deployment came after Trump fumed for days about a caravan of migrants making its way through Mexico to a US port of entry. Republican governors in southwest border states praised the plan to deploy the National Guard, while some Democratic governors expressed hesitation and resistance to the plan. California Gov. Jerry Brown agreed to send 400 troops In May, after three and a half weeks on the job, National Guard troops had contributed to 1,600 apprehensions of people crossing the border illegally, a Customs and Border Protection official said. About 775 National Guard troops were working in the border region at the time. GRENADA, Miss. (WTVA) - One man is dead after a shooting reported Saturday in Grenada. Police Chief Hartley says that after investigation, David Tidwell, Jr. was arrested for murder. Hartley says the incident happened at the intersection of Highway 51 and South State Street. Authorities say they have someone else in custody other then Tidwell. The victim's identity has not yet been released. We have reached out to both the chief of the Grenada Police Department and the coroner. We hope to have more information soon. A cold front passing through our area overnight will bring into our area some of the coolest temperatures of the season so far. We will see most of the highs this weekend only in the upper 60s to lower 70s. While overnight lows will drop off down into the 40s Saturday night. Radar Temperatures Severe Weather CLAYTON COUNTY, GA (WSB/CNN) The mother of a 5-month-old in Georgia says shes been crying all night and day after the baby girl was mauled to death in her sleep by her babysitters German shepherd. Police say the dog attack happened Tuesday night in Clayton County, GA, while a babysitter was watching the infant in his house. The babysitter is a longtime friend to the family who told police he put the baby down to sleep on a bed in one room then fell asleep himself in another room. Someone called police at about 3:00 a.m. Wednesday, saying the mans German shepherd killed the baby. The childs mother, Terika George, says the little girl had been around the dog her entire life. She says the dog had always been friendly to her, the baby and her older daughter and never showed any aggression. "He ate by us; he slept by us; he followed us. And you know, sometimes I had her in her car seat, and hed just go over there and check on her and walk away. I've just never heard of nothing like this, George said. If youd like to help the family of the infant killed by a dog - heres the go fund me https://t.co/O9EyvLJ3YG Tyisha Fernandes (@TyishaWSB) June 14, 2018 George says its hard to believe this happened. I just gave it to God, and I told him to figure this all out for me, she said. The family set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the babys funeral expenses. Animal control officers euthanized the German shepherd. No charges have been filed so far. Copyright 2018 WSB via CNN. All rights reserved. FOREST PARK, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia family is in mourning after their babysitter's dog killed their 5-month-old child. Clayton County Police Sgt. Ashanti Marbury says the German Shepherd mauled Paige George on Tuesday at a home in Forest Park, south of Atlanta. WSB-TV reports the family says the dog has been around the baby since she was born. Terika George, Paige's mother, says she's been constantly crying and that she apologized to her baby "because I always take you with me." According to police, a babysitter - a longtime family friend - told police he put the baby down to sleep and then he fell asleep in another room. Around 3 a.m. Wednesday, someone reported the dog had killed the baby. Police said no charges have been filed. The dog has been euthanized. ___ Information from: WSB-TV, http://www.wsbtv.com/index.html (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) HAMILTON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - A former nurse at a North Florida correctional facility has been arrested after she was caught smuggling in contraband for an inmate. The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced the arrest of former contract nurse Traci Mickel. Mickel is charged with introducing contraband into a state correctional facility. According to an arrest affidavit, officers conducted an interdiction operation at Florida State Prison West Unit on December 19, 2017. As part of the operation, narcotic detection trained K9s were brought in to check staff members as they entered. When Mickel passed by one of the K9s, the dog alerted to the presence of contraband on her person. When confronted, she agreed to an unclothed body search. During the search, officers found six bundles of tobacco, one Bic lighter, and four head coverings or 'do-rags.' Mickel admitted to investigators that the items were for an inmate inside the facility. Investigators then searched Mickel's car and found several Western Union money wire transfer receipts that were placed into evidence. When asked about the receipts, Mickel openly admitted that the money wires came from the inmate's acquaintances. After an investigation, the Bradford County State Attorney's Office filed criminal charges against Mickel for introduction of contraband. Following her arrest, Mickel was transported to the Hamilton County Jail. TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- Just in time for Father's Day, a local church is recognizing those who have turned their lives around. According to the National Resource Center on Incarcerated Children and Families, before they were incarcerated, 50% of fathers had at least one child living with them. "There's no words. I mean, I'm really, really just blessed. It's humbling and it's something I'll never take for granted again." says Sterling Westberry. He was sentenced to life in prison for a non-violent drug charge. He got out early, 1 year ago. This Father's Day, he's with loved ones. The Joseph International Project helps men like Westberry acclimate to their families and the community when they're released from prison. The program helps them get housing, education and employment. For Westberry, it pushed him to do much more. Westberry is the owner of Westbucks Fresh Fruits. He says, "I've also started 2 businesses. I have a fruit businesses that's mobile around town and I have a seafood company, me and my wife. I've accomplished being a great grandfather since I've been home, a man of God and a leader in my community." Pastor Greg James has helped hundreds of returning prisoners since starting the program in 2013. This Father's Day, he threw a celebration at Life Church International Center in honor of those who have returned their heart back to their family, friends and community. Pastor Greg James says, "There are 1.5 million people who are presently impacted by returning back. Every household, possibly, can say I know somebody or I have somebody." That's why Pastor James started this project, offering a path in the right direction. The Joseph International Project is a compass for men and women who want to turn their lives around, to recommit to their families and their future. Every year, more ex-convicts are reunited with their families thanks to this project. Westberry's success story is one of many. Keith Allen also has his own business now. He says, he wanted to be a role model for his grandchildren. Keith Allen is the owner of Big K Lawn Service. He says, "A lot of guys don't get a a chance to see their grandkids and their families that's locked up. So, it's a big honor for me to have my grandkids and my daughters and my wife. " TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A fire started by a lightning strike caused $150,000 in damages to a Tallahassee apartment complex and forced residents to evacuate, according to officials. On Saturday around 8:43 p.m., the Tallahassee Fire Department was called to an apartment fire at Adams Place Condominiums at 3000 South Adams Street. TFD crews arrived in less than five minutes and saw smoke was coming from one of the apartments. People inside the apartments were evacuated while the origin of the fire was located. Though the fire was found and quickly extinguished, caused extensive damage to several interior and exterior walls, as well as the areas between floors. Officials say the fire was caused by a lightning strike that burned wood and insulation in the walls and floor space for several hours before crews were called. Residents were alerted to the smoke by smoke alarms and there were no reported injuries. The fire caused an estimated $150,000 in damages. TFD was assisted on scene by Tallahassee Police Department, Leon County EMS, and City of Tallahassee Utilities. The American Red Cross is providing assistance for the people displaced by the fire. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A technical issue at North Carolina's Charlotte-Douglas International Airport continues to cause delayed and cancelled flights, including some locally. Last Thursday, the issue forced nearly 300 PSA flights to be canceled, leaving passengers stranded. As many as 275 American Airlines flights were affected, including some locally. Sunday, at least one flight heading to Charlotte from Tallahassee International Airport on American Airlines was delayed and at least one more was cancelled. Employees at TLH say they believe this is an "after-effect" of the glitch that caused hundreds of delays late last week. LONDON, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May has announced Sunday that the National Health Service, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, is to be given a financial boost worth nearly 27 billion U.S. dollars a year. May said much of the extra funding would come from the money saved by Britain not having to pay its multi-billion dollar levy once it leaves the European Union. May, trailed her plans ahead of a major key note speech Monday when she will announce more details of how the extra spending will be funded. During the campaign leading up to Britain's EU membership referendum in 2016, a bus toured the country saying departure from the bloc would save Britain 350 million pounds a week (465 U.S. dollars) with a message saying much could be used for the NHS. The promise on the bus caused controversy, with Remain campaigners saying it hoodwinked many people to vote to leave the EU. In media interviews May said the NHS birthday present would exceed the 350 million pounds a-week extra promised by Leave campaigners during the EU referendum campaign. Her five-year plan covers just front-line health budgets overseen by NHS England. Political commentators say the extra cash could also be partially funded by a specific NHS income tax on top of general taxation. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said then spending program would be achieved by giving the NHS a fitting birthday present for what he described as Britain's most loved institution. Hunt said: "It recognises the superhuman efforts made by staff over the last few years to maintain services in the face of rapidly growing demand. But it also presents a big opportunity for the NHS to write an entirely new chapter in its history." The government has faced heavy criticism this year for under funding of health services, with complaints of long waiting times for patients and sick people waiting on trolleys in hospital corridors to be seen by doctors. Niall Dickson, CEO of the NHS Confederation, which represents healthcare organisations, said the announcement, which represents a 3.4 percent rise in the NHS budget, isn't a bonanza by any means and falls short of the 4 percent extra-a-year figure suggested by an independent report. Dickson added: "It's a lot better than we've been used to over the last few years." The main opposition Labour Party described May's funding offer as a hypothetical windfall for the NHS. Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "Today's announcement confirms that Theresa May has failed to give the NHS the funding it needs. He said the government was asking patients to rely on a hypothetical Brexit dividend. May's spending boost for the NHS dominated the front pages of some of Britain's national Sunday newspapers. The Mail on Sunday headline read "May's 20 bln pounds NHS gamble" with a sub-heading adding the prime minister is betting the public will be willing to face tax hikes for better care. VALENCIA, Spain, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Spain faces the challenge of welcoming the 123 children without families who arrived on Sunday at the port of Valencia in east of Spain, in the rescue operation of the ship Aquarius. "They are facing a double drama, but it is true that the children have a number of very important resources with several NGOs so that they can integrate perfectly, "the head of health emergencies of the Red Cross Andalusia, Esther Gomez, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua. "We work a lot with children and the Red Cross is for their rights and so they do not miss anything", she said. After disembarking in the Spanish port after more than a week stranded on the high seas, Spain now welcomes these children with the challenge of offering them a parental role that in many cases they do not have, because they come without parents. "Many families can not pay the mafias a ticket for each family member, so they send their children," Gomez said. The Red Cross will assume the guardianship of the 123 children who arrived on Sunday after leaving the coast of Libya seven days ago. "Many come without their parents, but maybe with a friend of the father, of the mother, who can take care of them until their parents can come in. The non-governmental organizations also try to help," Gomez said. After docking in the port of Valencia and passing security controls, migrants were examined by health professionals. They will now begin a journey in which the Spanish government will offer them a roof, education and food. The feelings, Gomez explained, were good, although with exceptions due to the tension experienced during the trip. "The truth is that they were all smiling, except two who were more frightened, who were brothers and did not want to separate, but apart from that, they were quite happy," she said. The humanitarian ship Aquarius rescued 630 immigrants, among them the 123 children, off Libyan coast and was stranded in the Mediterranean Sea after Italy and Malta refused to let them dock. The Spanish government later offered a "safe harbor". Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 06:35:32|Editor: yan Video Player Close DAMASCUS, June 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S.-led airstrikes targeted a Syrian military position in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour on Sunday, leaving casualties, according to local media. The airstrikes of the U.S.-led coalition targeted the Syrian military site in the town of Hiry, southeast of the city of al-Bukamal in the countryside of Deir al-Zour, said the report. It added that the strike left casualties, without giving a number. The strike is not the first U.S.-led attack to target Syrian military positions, particularly in Deir al-Zour. In May, 12 pro-government fighters were killed by U.S. strikes on Syrian positions in Deir al-Zour, according to the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The recent strike comes as the Islamic State (IS) is reportedly preparing to launch offensive on Syrian military sites in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, according to the observatory. The Syrian government has for long charged that the U.S.-led coalition was rendering support to the IS militants in Deir al-Zour, where the terror-designated group is in control of some pockets. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 07:10:36|Editor: mmm Video Player Close People learn how to make Zongzi, or rice dumplings, at a workshop in a restaurant in Manhattan, New York City, the United States, on June 16, 2018. A famed restaurant in New York City turned itself into a workshop over the weekend for learning to make rice dumplings to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday that commemorates the death of an ancient patriotic poet Qu Yuan. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) By Xinhua writers Yang Shilong, Zhang Mocheng, Qiu Junzhou NEW YORK, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Hand-wrapping rice dumplings, splashing dragon boats, reciting ancient romantic poems...many New Yorkers marked the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday that commemorates the death of an ancient patriotic poet Qu Yuan, with fervor and color over the weekend. TITILLATING TASTE BUDS Jasmine, a famed Chinese restaurant in downtown Manhattan, turned itself into a workshop for learning hand-wrapping the rice dumplings on Saturday and Sunday, for people from across the New York City, home to by far the biggest Chinese-American population of any city proper in the U.S.. It was the restaurant's second consecutive year to host such event. Located near the United Nations headquarters, it caters to diners from all nationalities by presenting authentic Sichuan, Cantonese as wells as fusion cuisine. The rice dumpling, called Zongzi in Chinese, is a centerpiece of the Dragon Boat Festival,or Duanwu Festival, which falls on the 5th day of the fifth lunar month (June 18 this year). "'A lonely stranger in a strange land I am cast, I miss my family all the more on every festival day,' "said the restaurant co-owner Zuqi Su, quoting a Tang dynasty Chinese poet Wang Wei (699-759). "On a festival like this, we want to help with the homesickness of Chinese living abroad, and introduce traditional Chinese culture to people here." "We wanted to give Chinese abroad, especially students who have no family here in the US, a sense of home away from home," Su told Xinhua. Sherrie Wang, a Chinese student studying at Columbia University, was very grateful to Su and his team organizing such a special gathering. "This is our first time making rice dumplings on our own," said Wang, who has been in the U.S. for six years. "We used to eat a regular meal with friends or buy ready-made rice dumplings from stores on this festival." The young girl's words were echoed by another college sophomore who did not identify herself. "Being able to make authentic Chinese festive food and share it with others really helps with the homesickness," said the sophomore. "It can be hard to stand especially in the first few years in the U.S.." The participants were instructed step by step to make a Zongzi on their own: layer two leaves, with the smooth sides up and form a cone, and add fillings of different kind in proper order. Then add another leaf around the edge of the cone to make it wider and fold the leaf towards the middle, upper remaining part of the leaves towards the back. Finally use kitchen string to wrap tightly around the dumpling. Wrapping a rice dumpling is quite a challenge, especially for a beginner. "It's honestly harder than we thought, but it's really fun!" said Annie Lin, a Chinese college student, struggling to wrap the string around her "artifact." "My daughter loves cooking, and I wanted to take this chance to introduce her to the traditional Chinese culture, which I myself didn't know much about either," said Yan Shao, who brought her U.S.-born daughter to the event. "I get to see glimpses of Chinese culture through my Chinese friends," said Thomas Hasler, an Austrian who came with his Chinese friend Hanming Zeng. "I eat out a lot at Chinese restaurants, but being able to make something has been so much more fun. I enjoy this so much." "I try to introduce Chinese culture to my friends," said Zeng. "Sometimes I bring them to restaurants like this." Anirudh Singh, another participant, was able to recount the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. "The fishermen threw rice in the river to make sure the fish didn't eat Qu Yuan's body, right?" he said. "I learnt all about it before I came here." Singh was quite right. The festival began in China's Spring and Autumn (770-476 B.C) and Warring States periods (475-221 B.C). Qu Yuan was a minister of Chu, located in the Yangzi River area of central China. In 340 BC, Qu was facing the pain of losing his homeland. Later he drowned himself in the Miluo River on May 5. The people of Chu were very sad. To prevent fish from eating his body, the locals wrapped leaves around rice and put them into the river while beating their drums and splashed their paddles on boats. "DRAGONS" READY TO BE UNLEASHED Jasmine's event also featured a recitation of an extract of Qu's famous poem Li Sao, or The Sorrow of Parting, by a guest from the New York Hanfu Corporation in traditional Chinese costume. With 373 lines and more than 2,400 characters, "Li Sao" is also one of the longest poems of ancient China. In making use of a wide range of metaphors derived from local culture, the poem expresses Qu's unrequited love for his country Chu, and his sadness over its inevitable decline. The great poet might never have imagined that his death would inspire a much-loved sport, not only in China, but also all across the world including the U.S. cities such as New York City, San Francisco, Kansas City and Boston. Interestingly, dragon boat racing has grown beyond the Dragon Boat Festival's official holiday celebration on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month every year in America over the past decade while the old-fashioned dragon-headed boat and drum as well, are still kept for carrying the Chinese tradition, and the rules set by the International Dragon Boat Federation are abided. The 28th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York is scheduled for August 11-12, and over 200 well-trained teams will paddle across the Meadow Lake, at the Corona Park of the city's borough of Queens during this year's race, Henry Wan, chairman of New York's Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival host committee, told Xinhua, on Saturday. "Throughout the years that we've been having this festival going on, it's continuously growing. We've got more and more viewers every year, and teams grow more and more, too," said Marvin, a volunteer for the festival."It's definitely making an impact on this community right here." "I'm captain and drummer, we have a new steerer this year and we are moving into using the fiber glass boats instead of the timbre boats for the race," Julia Chesler told Xinhua after about three hours practice with her team on the Meadow lake. Bobby Li added all their team members were classmates in a local high school and they have joined the race for eight years. "We're just as much friends from high schools, we do it and stand out a lot, we always have tons of fun, It is always a great time for people to come back." Anthony Demmasi with the UPS team said they were inspired to do dragon boat racing by a YouTube video fours years ago. "It's pretty cool. you learn how to better pace yourself, learn the techniques, learn how to train each other,train new people that are coming in. Mainly because we got keep on learning, we got keep on showing new people the experience, And it's a lot of fun," Demmasi said. The dragon boat racing, now the largest summer activity in New York City, has injected lots of new life into the Corona Park, home to the 1962 World's Fair where exhibitors worldwide showcased their inventions and culture. The celebrations incorporate activities both on land and on the water. It usually begins with traditional opening ceremonies that awaken the dragons and bless the racing to come. From there, paddlers take to their boats and spectators crowd the waterfront amidst a carnival of cultural activities and food. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 07:20:38|Editor: mmm Video Player Close Colombian presidential candidate Ivan Duque (C), along with his children, casts his ballot at a polling station in Bogota, Colombia, on June 17, 2018. The right-wing candidate, Ivan Duque, won the Colombian presidential election runoff on Sunday with nearly 54 percent votes after more than 99 percent votes counted, according to Colombia's National Electoral Council (CNE). (Xinhua/COLPRENSA/Sofia Toscano) BOGOTA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Ivan Duque, of the right-wing Democratic Center party, won the second round of the Colombian presidential election on Sunday, claiming 53.97 percent of the vote, with 99.76 percent of the votes counted, according to National Electoral Council (CNE). His left-wing rival, Gustavo Petro, of the Humane Colombia movement, finished in second place, with 41.81 percent. Duque will take over the presidency in August from outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos, whose term was marked by a peace deal with the FARC guerrilla group. Most of the country backed Duque's business-friendly project, appealing to international investors that Colombia was open for trade and investment after years of violence. Petro, a former guerrilla and mayor of Bogota, campaigned on a more social project, vowing to tackle inequality. While Petro won in his fiefdom of Bogota, the rest of Colombia's major cities sided with Duque, with Medellin, Cali, Bucaramanga and Cartagena all voting for Duque. SAN FRANCISCO, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people rallied Sunday in Westlake Park in Seattle, the largest city in the U.S. west state of Washington, to protest against what organizers said the child-separation immigration policy currently pursued by U.S. President Donald Trump. The protesters holding signs such as "Kids need parents, not warehouses," "Don't mess with mamas" and "End Trump's Concentration Camps Now," expressed their strong opposition to Trump's controversial immigration policy. The rally, which started at noon on Father's Day Sunday in Westlake Park, was part of a nationwide demonstration to protest the border separation of children from their parents, Seattle-based K5News TV channel reported. The protest for "Families Belong Together" in Westlake Park was organized by the NW Immigrants Right Project, CAIR Washington, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU) of Washington and the group behind Womxn's March Seattle. One of the group said Congress has the power to stop tearing families apart because all families belong together. A protester said in her Facebook post that "there was a high attendance of families at Westlake Park to support the families seeking asylum." "This young boy carried an honest poster" of "End Trump's Concentration Camps New," she wrote. She said she had asked her mom's permission to share their family's support on Facebook. Media reports said more than 1,600 immigrants, including some parents whose children were taken away from them by U.S. immigration officers, have been sent to federal prisons in five states in an unprecedented move last week. They were marked for expedited deportation under the stringent immigration policy of Trump's administration. 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. Nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families during a six-week period in April and May, according to the media reports. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 07:40:52|Editor: Liu Video Player Close An artist works on her piece during the 26th annual Pasadena Chalk Festival in Los Angeles, the United States, on June 17, 2018. The festival featured more than 600 artists using 25,000 sticks of pastel chalk to create 200 pieces of life-size work on the city pavement. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong) Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 07:56:26|Editor: mmm Video Player Close People prepare cheese for tasting in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, on June 17, 2018. Alkmaar is famous for its traditional cheese market. The Alkmaar Cheese Carriers' Guild celebrated its 425th anniversary with a "cheese tasting" world record attempt here on Sunday. (Xinhua/Sylvia Lederer) NEW YORK, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. New York State is expected to record temperatures as high as 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) on Monday. The state's Health Department and Department of Environmental Conservation issued a weather advisory for New York City, the Lower Hudson Valley and Long Island for 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday. Monday will be even hotter with high of 95 expected, which would match the record set back in 1929, according to local weather forecast. The temperature will feel like triple digits along with unhealthy air quality. New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Sunday urged New Yorkers to take precautions against heat related illnesses and limit strenuous outdoor physical activity. "With prolonged heat and humidity in the forecast, I urge New Yorkers to take necessary steps to stay cool," Cuomo said in a statement. "As temperatures continue to rise, I encourage everyone to check on your friends and neighbors who may need some extra help and to cool off at state parks pools and cooling centers." Sharon Chajon whose husband is a detained immigrant cries while people participate in a protest against recent U.S. immigration policy of separating children from their families when they enter the United States as undocumented immigrants, in front of a Homeland Security facility in Elizabeth, NJ, U.S., June 17, 2018. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith SAN FRANCISCO, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people rallied Sunday in Westlake Park in Seattle, the largest city in the U.S. west state of Washington, to protest against what organizers said the child-separation immigration policy currently pursued by U.S. President Donald Trump. The protesters holding signs such as "Kids need parents, not warehouses," "Don't mess with mamas" and "End Trump's Concentration Camps Now," expressed their strong opposition to Trump's controversial immigration policy. The rally, which started at noon on Father's Day Sunday in Westlake Park, was part of a nationwide demonstration to protest the border separation of children from their parents, Seattle-based K5News TV channel reported. The protest for "Families Belong Together" in Westlake Park was organized by the NW Immigrants Right Project, CAIR Washington, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU) of Washington and the group behind Womxn's March Seattle. One of the group said Congress has the power to stop tearing families apart because all families belong together. A protester said in her Facebook post that "there was a high attendance of families at Westlake Park to support the families seeking asylum." "This young boy carried an honest poster" of "End Trump's Concentration Camps New," she wrote. She said she had asked her mom's permission to share their family's support on Facebook. Media reports said more than 1,600 immigrants, including some parents whose children were taken away from them by U.S. immigration officers, have been sent to federal prisons in five states in an unprecedented move last week. They were marked for expedited deportation under the stringent immigration policy of Trump's administration. 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. Nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families during a six-week period in April and May, according to the media reports. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 09:25:54|Editor: mmm Video Player Close SINGAPORE, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Enterprise Singapore, a government agency that champions enterprise development, announced on Monday Singapore's non-oil domestic exports (NODX) grew 15.5 percent year on year in May. Singapore saw the NODX decline by a revised 3.1 percent year on year in March and rebound by 11.8 percent in April. The agency attributes the NODX growth in May to the growth in non-electronic exports which outweighed the decrease in electronics. On a month-on-month seasonally adjusted basis, Singapore's NODX increased 10.3 percent in May to 16.9 billion Singapore dollars (about 12.49 billion U.S. dollars), following the previous month's 6.5 percent growth, due to the increase in both non-electronic and electronic NODX. According to the agency, Singapore's electronic NODX declined 7.8 percent year on year in May, following the 6.9 percent decrease in April. Non-electronic NODX increased 26.2 percent year on year, after the 19.6 percent increase in the previous month. Among the top NODX markets of Singapore, the European Union, the United States and Japan contributed the most to the city-state's NODX growth in May. Their NODX grew 97.5 percent, 54 percent and 14.8 percent year on year, respectively. Meanwhile, Singapore's non-oil re-exports (NORX) grew four percent in May, after the 8.2 percent growth in April, due to the growth in both electronic and non-electronic re-exports. Singapore's oil domestic exports grew by 17.8 percent year on year in May, following the 10.3 percent expansion in the preceding month. Higher sales to Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia contributed the most to the year-on-year increase. Singapore's oil domestic exports to the three markets increased 40.8 percent, 90.1 percent and 25.2 percent year on year, respectively. In volume terms, oil domestic exports decreased by 9.9 percent in May, compared to the 6.7 percent decline in April. The total trade of Singapore increased 9.8 percent year on year in May. Total exports grew 10.1 percent year on year in the month, and total imports rose by 9.6 percent year on year. TOKYO, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Two people were feared dead, including a 9-year-old girl, and at least eight others were injured as a result of a strong earthquake striking Osaka prefecture on Monday morning, local rescue officials said. While no tsunami warning or advisory was given, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the magnitude 6.1 quake was upwardly revised from a preliminary 5.9 temblor, which struck Osaka at 7:58 a.m. local time. According to Kansai Electric, more than 170,000 homes in Osaka and neighboring Hyogo prefectures suffered power outages as a result of the quake and both Shinkansen bullet train and local train services in the region have been suspended, officials said. Along with commuter services being seriously disrupted, the 3 airports in the region, officials said, were forced to temporarily suspend their services. According to local media reports, there have been outbreaks of fires as a result of the quake and a number of people are believed to be trapped inside elevators, local rescue officials said. Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) fighter jets and helicopters have been deployed to the area to investigate the scene, government officials said. The epicenter of the quake was located at a latitude of 34.8 degrees north and a longitude of 135.6 degrees east and at a depth of 10 km, according to the weather agency. The quake logged lower 6 in some parts of Osaka prefecture and upper 5 in neighboring Kyoto prefecture on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7, according to the JMA. The jolt was also felt in the nearby prefectures of Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga and Nara. Kansai Electric Power Co. said that no abnormalities were reported at the Takahama, Mihama and Oi nuclear plants in central Japan and in neighboring Fukui Prefecture, officials said that all 15 nuclear reactors are still functioning as normal. Japan's public broadcaster NHK said that senior government officials are currently gathering for an emergency meeting at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office to assess the situation. Japan's top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, told a press briefing on the matter that so far there have been no reports of serious infrastructural damage as a result of the quake. The high-intensity tremors of the quake were owing to its shallow epicenter, seismologists said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 11:36:12|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close CANBERRA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- National President of the Australia China Business Council John Brumby has urged the Australian government to repair its relations with China. The call came ahead of a key business event in Canberra on Tuesday, which will be attended by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Chinese Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye. Brumby, also the former Victorian premier, said the state of the bilateral relations at the moment could cause long-term damage to the Australian economy. Brumby stressed the need "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" in comments reported by Fairfax media late on Sunday. "I think there's a prevailing view that, one way or another, the United States and China will come to some agreement," Brumby said. "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." Brumby said Tuesday's event is a great opportunity for businesses and representatives of the two governments to talk. He said the economic relationship with China will become increasingly important for maintaining the standard of living Australians enjoy. VIENTIANE, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,089 cases of dengue fever have been reported so far this year in Laos, with two deaths, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Monday. Over 100 local people and officials gathered in Lao capital Vientiane on Saturday for activities to mark ASEAN Dengue Day on June 15 and support Laos' battle against the deadly virus. Speaking at the event, Director of the Vientiane Health Department Phonepaserth Anouphom said the purpose of the activities was to raise awareness of how to prevent dengue fever and reduce the number of people contracting and dying from the disease. On the occasion fish were placed in containers of water to advertise how they can be used to eat mosquito larvae, and vehicles drove around the area broadcasting messages about ways to prevent the onset and spread of dengue and prevent mosquitoes from breeding. The event preceded a week-long activity of placing fish in containers that harbour stagnant water around houses, so they will eat mosquito larvae and prevent the spread of dengue-bearing mosquitoes. According to the Lao Department of Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Health, so far this year 1,089 cases of dengue fever and two deaths have been recorded around the country. Most of the cases occurred in southern Laos' Attapeu province with 477 and two deaths, while 164 cases were reported in another southern province of Champassak. In Vientiane, 102 cases of dengue have been reported, but no deaths. In 2017, Vientiane had 4,550 cases of dengue and two deaths. In 2017, some 5,584 cases of dengue fever including 14 deaths were recorded countrywide with 16 out of the total 18 provinces reporting cases, according to the report. In 2016, there were 5,618 cases of dengue and 10 deaths, according to the department. Central and northern provinces of Xieng Khuang, Xaysomboun and Huaphan did not report any cases in 2017 and have not done so this year. Last year, Lao health officials made a strong effort to prevent and control dengue fever through surveillance, analysis, clearing of potential mosquito breeding sites, and health education. This year, health authorities are again urging people to clear away potential mosquito breeding sites around their homes and workplaces to help curb the spread of the virus, said the report. Dengue is an infectious tropical disease transmitted by mosquitoes and characterised by rashes, severe headaches, and joint pain. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 12:11:17|Editor: Liu Video Player Close KUNMING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Police in southwest China's Yunnan Province caught two Myanmar suspects for trafficking 47 kg of methamphetamine into China, according to a local police notification on Monday. The police in Shidian County, Baoshan City, received information in late May that drug dealers were planning to transport drugs from Myanmar into central China's Hunan Province via Yunnan. They intercepted a car on June 4, and found meth weighing 47 kg in 61 small bags in the city of Pu'er. Further investigation is underway. Yunnan, which borders the Golden Triangle, known for its rampant drug production and trafficking activities, is a major front in China's battle against drug crime. TOKYO, June 18 (Xinhua) -- At least three people have been confirmed dead and more than 90 others injured as a result of a 6.1 magnitude earthquake striking Osaka prefecture in western Japan on Monday morning. According to local authorities, in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, a 9-year-old girl was killed when a wall at a swimming pool collapsed and a man in his 80s was confirmed dead after his house in the city of Osaka collapsed. Police and local district headquarters also said that another man in his 80s in the city of Ibaraki was seriously injured after being trapped under a bookshelf and was later pronounced dead after being rushed to a hospital. According to the government, while local authorities have suggested the number is likely to rise, at least 91 people have been injured across multiple prefectures in western Japan as a result of the strong quake. Japan's disaster management minister Hachiro Okonogi said there are people buried under the rubble of a collapsed building in Osaka with local rescue officials trying to rapidly locate them, while firefighters are grappling to extinguish a serious blaze at a house in northern Osaka. According to local media reports, there have been numerous outbreaks of fires and burst pipes flooding roads as a result of the quake, and at least 14 people are believed to be trapped inside elevators, local rescue officials said. While no tsunami warning or advisory was given as a result of the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the magnitude 6.1 earthquake was upwardly revised from a preliminary 5.9 temblor, which struck Osaka at 7:58 a.m. local time. According to Kansai Electric Power Co., more than 170,000 homes in Osaka and neighboring Hyogo prefectures suffered blackouts as a result of the quake, although power has since been restored. But Osaka Gas Co. said it has suspended gas supply to around 108,000 households in the area as a precautionary measure against fires. Local media reported that in the aftermath of the quake, dozens of people have fled to emergency evacuation centers across Osaka and a number of public schools have been closed with parents asked to hastily collect their children and take them to safety. According to the Transport Ministry, both Shinkansen bullet train and local train services in the region have been suspended with thousands of passengers left stranded. Rescue officials, according to local media accounts, have been helping those stranded on trains stuck between stations to get to safety. Along with major commuter services being seriously disrupted, the three airports in the region, officials said, which were forced to temporarily suspend their services, have now reopened although a number of flights were delayed. Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) fighter jets and helicopters have been deployed to the area to investigate the scene, government officials said. The epicenter of the quake was located at a latitude of 34.8 degrees north and a longitude of 135.6 degrees east and at a preliminary depth of 10 km, which was later revised to about 13 km, according to the weather agency. The quake logged lower 6 in some parts of Osaka prefecture and upper 5 in neighboring Kyoto prefecture on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7, according to the JMA. The jolt was also felt in the nearby prefectures of Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga and Nara. Kansai Electric Power Co. said that no abnormalities were reported at the Takahama, Mihama and Oi nuclear plants in central Japan and in neighboring Fukui Prefecture. Officials said that all 15 nuclear reactors are still functioning as normal. Senior government officials have convened an emergency meeting at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office to assess the situation. Abe told a press briefing on the incident that the government will make its utmost efforts to deal with the effects of the earthquake. He told reporters that government officials are operating under the instructions that saving and safeguarding peoples' lives is the priority. The Japanese premier also said he has given instructions for local officials to carry out damage assessments as quickly as possible and do their very best to save and protect lives. Abe went on to say that he wanted the public to be kept informed as the incident continues to unfold. Japan's top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, meanwhile, told a press briefing on the matter that so far there have been no reports of serious infrastructural damage as a result of the quake. The JMA, for its part, has warned people in western Japan, however, to be on alert for further sizable earthquakes occurring in the next few days and to be vigilant for the possibility of buildings collapsing and rainy weather adding to the risk of potentially fatal mudslides henceforth. The high-intensity tremors of the quake on Monday were owing to its shallow epicenter, seismologists said, with the government saying that the 6.1 -magnitude quake would likely not trigger the "megaquake" off western Japan that many experts have predicted will strike at some point in the not too distant future. A quake measuring 7.3 in magnitude and the maximum 7 on Japan's seismic scale struck the region in 1995, claiming the lives of more than 6,000 people. SEOUL, June 18 (Xinhua) -- South Korea aimed to make a war-ending declaration by the end of this year although the exact schedule and format can be dealt with flexibly, the South Korean foreign minister said Monday. Kang Kyung-wha told a press briefing that though the schedule and format can be addressed flexibly, the government aimed to push for the declaration of an end to the 1950-53 Korean War by the end of this year. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un agreed to turn the current armistice agreement into a peace treaty by the end of 2018 after holding the third inter-Korean summit on April 27. Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to build a lasting peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and establish new bilateral relations at their first summit in Singapore on June 12. The peninsula remains technically at war as the Korean War ended with armistice, not a peace treaty. Kang said South Korea has been closely cooperating with the U.S. side for the war-ending declaration, noting that China can play a "very significant role" in building a peace regime on the peninsula. She said South Korea will closely cooperate with China on the issue. The South Korean diplomat had a phone conversation earlier in the day with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. During the phone talks, Pompeo told Kang that he would sit down face-to-face with his DPRK counterpart as early as possible. It indicated Pompeo's willingness to push for dialogue with the DPRK rapidly, Kang said. Kang said the DPRK-U.S. talks would continue as the two sides held a summit to talk frankly and build trust, noting that it created a virtuous cycle of improved inter-Korean relations which will help enhance DPRK-U.S. relations. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 13:31:26|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close WUHAN, June 18 (Xinhua) -- China Post held a ceremony to mark the issuing of a set of stamps commemorating Qu Yuan (340 - 278 B.C.) in his hometown, Zigui County in central China's Hubei Province, on Monday, the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The set of two stamps, together with a sheetlet, has pictures of Qu Yuan, a well-known Chinese poet and minister of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period between 475 and 221 B.C. The stamps have a total face value of 8.4 yuan (1.3 U.S. dollars). The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the death of Qu, who drowned himself in the Miluo River 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. China Post has previously issued stamps related to Qu Yuan in 1953 and 1994. Zhao Yuguang, deputy general manager of China Post's Hubei branch, said that it is rare for ancient Chinese figures to be printed on stamps more than once and this shows people's respect of Qu's patriotism and noble personality. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 13:51:28|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close VALENCIA, Spain, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Spanish photojournalist Oscar Corral, who arrived Sunday at the eastern Spanish port of Valencia along with 630 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea, told Xinhua that he had experienced the most intense week of his life. "I would say it's been the most intense week of my life," Corral said after spending eight days on the humanitarian rescue vessel Aquarius that rescued 629 people, mainly from sub-Saharan African countries, off the coast of Libya. A baby was born later during the grueling Mediterranean journey. The Aquarius was stuck off the coast of Sicily on June 9 as Italy's new government asserted its anti-immigrant policy and refused to let the rescue ship dock. Italy then asked Malta to receive them, but Malta also refused. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, with a more liberal stance, said the country would offer a safe harbor. Men, women and children cheered as they arrived at Valencia, where they were met and welcomed by over 2,000 officials, medical workers, translators and volunteers. "It has been a very emotional week, mixed emotions, very positive emotions due to all the people we met," the Spanish photographer said. Migrants arrived here with nothing, Corral said. "Without clothes, or memories of the lives they left behind, however, they are still caring," he said. Corral embarked on the Aquarius with his colleague from Spanish newspaper El Pais on June 8, trying to record stories about the migration. "We were aware that something 'exceptional' could happen since the Aquarius had left to rescue migrants, but we never thought of something like this," Corral said. The Aquarius is operated by the aid groups SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders to save people in distress in the Central Mediterranean, the most deadly migration route in the world. After its rejection, Italy agreed to send its coast guard vessel Dattilo and the Orione naval ship to escort Aquarius to Spain. Some of the migrants were transferred from the Aquarius to the two Italian boats. Dattilo, with around 270 migrants on board, was the first of the three boats to arrive at Valencia before 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Sunday. The Aquarius came hours later with another 106 migrants. "I am very happy that these people got to a safe harbor, after all the problems and the long trip in so many days, after seeing how they were rescued and taken out of water," Corral said. He recalled some impressive scenes during the trip that he would never forget in his life. When the Aquarius was coming close to one of the small wrecked boats which carried dozens of refugees, a child, without clothes and shaking, was climbing overboard desperately after falling into water, Corral said, "I was deeply shocked by it." Another scene that he remembered clearly was a warm hug between a boy and a rescuer before they touched land. "Thanks for saving my life," the boy said. "Migrants were cheated and tortured, and they were part of human trafficking," he said, adding that "turning a blind eye does not fix the situation," Corral said. KABUL, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan Taliban has refused to extend a ceasefire, saying the insurgents would not extend their ceasefire which ended on Sunday night, the outfit said in an online statement released overnight Sunday. The government announced a ceasefire from June 12 to June 19 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. On Sunday, an Afghan Security Council meeting chaired by President Ashraf Ghani extended the ceasefire for another 10 days. The Taliban said in the statement that the truce announced by the insurgents was not a response to the government offer, but it was announced for the wellbeing of the nation and for providing secure environment for Afghans to celebrate the Eid festival. SEOUL, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean military planned to conduct defensive exercises near Dokdo islets, called Takeshima in Japan, over which Tokyo has claimed its sovereignty, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday. Defense Ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo told a regular press briefing that the maritime drills are a regularly-held one to defend Dokdo, which is a territory of South Korea, from invasion of external forces. South Korea's Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard were scheduled to carry out their joint drills from Monday to Tuesday in waters near the rocky outcroppings lying halfway between South Korea and Japan. The drills would mobilize six battleships and seven aircrafts, according to local media reports. Dokdo is a couple of rocky outcroppings lying halfway between South Korea and Japan, which were forcibly incorporated into Japan during its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula. South Korean people view Japan's claim as no repentance by the Japanese government of its past wartime atrocities. MAIMANA, Afghanistan, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Taliban militants resumed attacks on Afghan security forces as the armed outfit's three-day ceasefire ended on Sunday night and the militants stormed several checkpoints in the northern Faryab province on Monday, provincial police spokesman Abdul Karim Yurash said. According to the official, Taliban militants launched attacks on security checkpoints in Ghormach, Qaisar, Pashtunkot and Shirin Tagab districts in the wee hours of Monday and sporadic fighting has been continuing. Afghan government announced ceasefire from June 12 to June 19 to encourage the Taliban to support the national reconciliation process. Reciprocating the step, the armed group announced a three-day truce from Friday, the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr, to the end of Sunday. On Sunday, an Afghan Security Council meeting chaired by President Ashraf Ghani extended the ceasefire for another 10 days. However, the armed outfit has refused to extend and instead in an online statement released overnight Sunday asked its fighters to resume fighting against Afghan and foreign forces stationed in Afghanistan. KATHMANDU, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Former Prime Ministers of Nepal have expressed hope that the upcoming visit of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to China will be instrumental to further deepen bilateral ties between the two nations. At a meeting summoned on Sunday evening by Prime Minister Oli, the former prime ministers believed that the visit will be productive to promote the country's national interests. Former Prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba expressed happiness over the ongoing preparations made by the government for the prime minister's visit to China. Deuba, who is also the leader of major opposition party in the Parliament, said that the visit will be fruitful in serving the national interests of Nepal. Extending his best wishes to Prime Minister Oli for a successful visit to China, former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal stressed the need to promote cooperation between China and South Asia. Former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal stressed on the establishing of a strong railroad connectivity between Nepal and China for the good of the people of the two countries. Another former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal advised Prime Minister Oli to utilize the visit as an opportunity to push forward the multi-faceted ties between Nepal and China to a strategic level. Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai was of the view that Nepal should seek support from China to develop railroad connectivity projects under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. On the occasion, Prime Minister Oli told the former prime ministers that his upcoming visit to China will be instrumental to enhance cooperation between the two countries. "I believe that this visit will help taking our bilateral cooperation to a new high," Prime Minister Oli told the former prime ministers. Prime Minister Oli will pay an official visit to China from June 19 to 24. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 15:11:38|Editor: mmm Video Player Close Ivan Duque (front, C) reacts upon his arrival at the campaign headquarters, in Bogota, Colombia, on June 17, 2018. Ivan Duque, of the right-wing Democratic Center party, won the second round of the Colombian presidential election on Sunday, claiming 53.97 percent of the vote, with 99.76 percent of the votes counted, according to National Electoral Council (CNE). (Xinhua/Jhon Paz) BOGOTA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Ivan Duque of the right-wing Democratic Center party won Colombia's presidential election on Sunday, claiming almost 54 percent of the vote in the run-off poll, the National Electoral Council said. With over 99 percent of the votes counted, Duque's left-wing rival, Gustavo Petro of the Humane Colombia movement, finished in second place, obtaining 41.8 percent. Duque, 41, will take over the presidency in August from outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos, a Nobel Peace Prize winner whose term saw a peace deal struck with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group. After years of violence by FARC, Duque's promise of creating a business-friendly environment showcasing the South American country's openness to attract international investors and boost foreign trade was widely backed by Colombians and industries. Petro, a former guerrilla and mayor of Bogota, campaigned on a more social platform, vowing to tackle inequality. While Petro won in Bogota, the rest of Colombia's major cities sided with Duque, with Medellin, Cali, Bucaramanga and Cartagena all voting for the latter. Duque himself voted in the capital on Sunday, accompanied by three of his children. He told the press that he would lead a "great" initiative against crime and especially against corruption. He also sent a message of support to the business community, saying he would promote the development of industry and favor small, medium and large entrepreneurs. Duque campaigned on a pledge to rewrite the peace deal with FARC in order to jail its guerrilla leaders for their crimes. Domestic and international analysts have highlighted that Duque has long looked to his political mentor, former President Alvaro Uribe. As president, the extent to which Duque aligns himself with Uribe's policies will be crucial. Uribe has long blasted the peace deal signed between President Santos and FARC, which was seen as being too lenient, especially for providing immunity to the guerrillas who laid down their arms. After the voting closed at 4 p.m. local time (1100 GMT), Registrar Juan Carlos Galindo said it had been the safest and most peaceful election in Colombia's recent history. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 15:16:39|Editor: ZX Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, June 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the killings in northeastern Nigeria targeting Eid al-Fitr celebrations. Speaking through his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, Guterres said the attacks targeting civilians violated international humanitarian law and those responsible should be brought to justice swiftly. At least 34 people were killed and 18 others wounded in two suicide bombings and a grenade attack Saturday in Nigeria's northeastern town of Damboa. Security officials suspect the Boko Haram terrorist group was behind the violence. According to UN statistics, Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced over 2.3 million since 2009. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 15:31:40|Editor: mmm Video Player Close GAZA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Israeli warcraft carried out nine successive airstrikes on Hamas military facilities in the Gaza Strip before dawn on Monday, in response to arson kites and balloons fired from the enclave, security sources said. No injuries were reported in the nine airstrikes, according to medical sources. The predawn airstrikes came just a day after the previous Israeli five successive airstrikes on launchers of arson balloons and kites as well as military facilities in Gaza. On Saturday, two kites and balloons Palestinian 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. Flying and releasing kites and balloons is part of the ongoing Palestinian "Great March of Return" mass rally against Israel's 12-year crippling blockade, which started on March 30, and is held every Friday in five separate locations in eastern Gaza. According to health ministry in Gaza, Israeli forces have killed at least 128 Palestinians, and injured 14,000 others since then. Meanwhile, the highest commission of the Great March of Return accused Israeli army of trying to militarize the protests and rallies that are fully peaceful. "Israel is trying to tell the public that the kites and balloons are dangerous and cause threat to the lives of Israelis. It is trying to militarize the peaceful marches of return," the commission said in an e-mailed press statement. The group also accused Israel of justifying its use of excessive force against Palestinian activists. "Israel is trying to portray those activists as militants to prepare for war crimes against them," the statement said. HOUSTON, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Activists on Sunday rallied near downtown Houston in the southern U.S. state of Texas to protest a shelter plan for immigrant children separated from their parents. People gathered around a facility that may soon become a shelter, saying they didn't want it in their city. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Saturday that he did not support the policy that requires officials to separate migrant children from their parents. At a parade held Saturday to mark Freedom Day, Turner told the media about the government plan to house many of the children taken from their migrant parents at the border. "You can't hurt them to try to make some grander statement, to say 'if you get here we are going to strip your kids away.' That's not who we are. I don't want a facility in the city housing these kids that have been separated. And I'm making my message loud and clear," the mayor said. Under the "Zero-Tolerance Policy for Criminal Illegal Entry" announced by Attorney-General Jeff Sessions on April 6, Homeland Security officials are now referring all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution. While detaining parents who are charged with a crime, U.S. protocol prohibits detaining their children because the children have not been charged. On Sunday, the U.S. Border Patrol allowed reporters to briefly visit a facility in McAllen, a border city near Mexico, where families arrested at the southern U.S. border are being held. The facility, 560 km southwest of downtown Houston, is in an old warehouse where hundreds of children are waiting, away from their parents, in a separated area. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 15:41:42|Editor: ZX Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Alibaba Group's new Malaysia office, also its first country office in Southeast Asia, came into operation on Monday, as the Chinese tech giant continues its overseas expansion in the Southeast Asian region. Alibaba, having already established the first international eHub under the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) initiative, aims to use the office to better serve the needs of local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and help the new Malaysian government train more young talents, said Jack Ma, Alibaba founder and executive chairman at the launch ceremony. In an interview before the ceremony, Ma told Xinhua that Alibaba plans to deepen its localization in Malaysia, and in the process it will hire more local people, perhaps more than 1,000 in the future. He said Alibaba's investment here in recent years has reached more than 100 million U.S. dollars. Alibaba has been expanding its presence in Malaysia in recent years. Aside from eWTP, Alibaba also established a Cloud computing data center, brought its mobile payment service Alipay and have trained thousands of individuals, entrepreneurs and cloud computing professionals under various programs. Before the ceremony, Jack Ma met with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who took power after winning the May 9 election. "We had a good exchange of ideas on a wide range of subjects," Mahathir said in a twitter post shortly after the meeting. Jack Ma said during the meeting with the PM, which lasted for about an hour, Mahathir said he welcomes Alibaba to come to Malaysia and train more people in the digital age. Ma also announced the launch of Malaysia Week in July to promote a broad range of Malaysian products and services to Chinese consumers. PHNOM PENH, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The condition of injured Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh, president of Funcinpec Party, is "stable" and he has been airlifted to a hospital in Thailand, a senior party official said Monday. "The information I got is that the prince's condition is stable," Funcinpec Party's secretary general Yim Savy told Xinhua. "He remains conscious and can speak normally." However, the secretary general said "some of the prince's ribs were broken" and "one of his (right) leg's calf bones fractured" during the road accident. "The prince was airlifted to a hospital in Bangkok for further medical checkup and treatment on Sunday night," he said. The 74-year-old prince got injured and his 39-year-old wife Ouk Phalla died on Sunday when their car collided with a taxi traveling in the opposite direction in southwestern Preah Sihanouk province. Five people in the taxi were also wounded in the crash. According to Savy, the prince and his wife were travelling in a BMW along with a motorcade consisting of other party senior members to meet their supporters in Preah Sihanouk province when they met the crash. Both Ranariddh and his wife were standing as candidates in Cambodia's national election, which is scheduled on July 29, 2018. Ranariddh is a son of late King Father Norodom Sihanouk. Currently, he is also the president of the Supreme Privy Advisory Council to King Norodom Sihamoni, his half-brother. The prince was former co-prime minister from 1993 to 1997 and ex-president of the National Assembly from 1998 to 2006. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 15:46:43|Editor: mmm Video Player Close DAMASCUS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 pro-Syrian government fighters were killed by foreign airstrikes that targeted Syrian military positions in the east of the country a day earlier, a monitor group reported Monday. The targeted sites reportedly belong to the Lebanese Hezbollah group and other pro-government forces near the Syrian-Iraqi border in the southeastern countryside of Deir al-Zour Province. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the identity of the warplanes are unknown, adding that the death toll is likely to rise, as many fighters are either in critical conditions or missing. On the other hand, the Syrian state TV said late on Sunday that the attack was carried out by the U.S.-led coalition. It said the airstrikes targeted the Syrian military sites in the town of Hiry, southeast of the city of al-Bukamal in the countryside of Deir al-Zour. It added that the strike caused casualties, without revealing the number of deaths or the identity of victims. The strike is not the first suspected U.S.-led attack targeting Syrian military positions in Deir al-Zour. In May, 12 pro-government fighters were killed by suspected U.S. strikes on Syrian positions in Deir al-Zour, according to the Observatory. The recent strike comes as the Islamic State (IS) militant group is reportedly preparing to launch an offensive on Syrian military sites in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour. The Syrian government has for long accused the U.S.-led coalition of rendering support to IS militants in Deir al-Zour, where the terror-designated group is in control of some pockets. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 16:46:53|Editor: mmm Video Player Close BAGHDAD, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Islamic State (IS) militants killed two truck drivers and kidnapped 15 people in two separate overnight attacks in central Iraq, official sources said Monday. In the first incident, IS militants disguised in military uniforms set up a fake checkpoint on the main road in Enjanah area between Iraq's capital Baghdad and Kirkuk Province to waylay buses and trucks, killing two truck drivers and kidnapping seven including an army officer, Udai al-Khadran, mayor of the town of Khalis, some 70 km northeast of Baghdad, told Xinhua. Iraqi security forces and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units rushed to the scene and conducted a search for the militants, Khadran said. Enjanah is part of the mountainous Himreen area on the border between the northern part of Diyala Province and the eastern part of neighboring Salahudin Province. In an another incident late Sunday night, IS militants kidnapped eight shepherds from their houses in a rural area in the north of the town of Shirqat, some 280 km north of Baghdad, Maj. Sadoun al-Jumaili from Salahudin Provincial Operations Command, told Xinhua. A security force dispatched to the scene carried out a search of the desert land in the west of Salahudin, the suspected direction where the kidnappers fled, Jumaili said. During the past few months, hundreds of IS militants fled their former urban strongholds in Mosul, Salahudin Province and Hawijah area in the west of Kirkuk, after Iraqi forces cleared these regions during major anti-IS offensives. On Dec. 9, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from the IS after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group. However, small groups and individuals of IS militants have since regrouped in rugged areas including Himreen, carrying out attacks against security forces and civilians despite operations from time to time to hunt them down. DHAKA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh on Monday picked ex-border chief Lieutenant General Aziz Ahmed to replace outgoing Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq. According to a notice of the Ministry of Defence issued on Monday, former Director General of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) Aziz Ahmed will take charge of Bangladesh Army in a formal handover on June 25 when General Belal formally retires. Lieutenant General Ahmed is currently serving as the Quartermaster General of the Bangladesh Army. He was previously Director General of Border Guards Bangladesh. Appointment of new army chief is always a matter of huge significance, specially this time ahead of the next general elections slated for later this year. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 17:57:06|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Jack Ma, Alibaba founder and executive chairman, speaks at the opening ceremony of Alibaba Malaysia office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 18, 2018. Alibaba Group's new Malaysia office, also its first country office in Southeast Asia, came into operation on Monday, as the Chinese tech giant continues its overseas expansion in the Southeast Asian region. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Alibaba Groups new Malaysia office, also its first country office in Southeast Asia, came into operation on Monday, as the Chinese tech giant continues its overseas expansion in the Southeast Asian region. Alibaba, having already established the first international eHub under the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) initiative, aims to use the office to better serve the needs of local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and help the new Malaysian government train more young talents, said Jack Ma, Alibaba founder and executive chairman at the launch ceremony. In an interview before the ceremony, Ma told Xinhua that Alibaba plans to deepen its localization in Malaysia, and in the process it will hire more local people, perhaps more than 1,000 in the future. He said Alibaba's investment here in recent years has reached more than 100 million U.S. dollars. Alibaba has been expanding its presence in Malaysia in recent years. Aside from eWTP, Alibaba also established a Cloud computing data center, brought its mobile payment service Alipay and have trained thousands of individuals, entrepreneurs and cloud computing professionals under various programs. Before the ceremony, Jack Ma met with Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who took power after winning the May 9 election. "We had a good exchange of ideas on a wide range of subjects," Mahathir said in a twitter post after the meeting. During the meeting, which lasted for about an hour, Mahathir said he welcomes Alibaba to come to Malaysia and train more people in the digital age. Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, when delivering his congratulatory speech at the ceremony, said he welcomed Alibaba's continued commitment to Malaysia. "I appreciate its eagerness to work with the new Federal Government to help spur new investments, create new jobs and economic opportunities for Malaysia," he said. "We consider this a shining symbol of China-Malaysia friendship that is based on mutual respect and benefits that augurs well for the cooperation on the part of governments, businesses and people from both countries," Lim added. Ma, whose eWTP forms part of the Malaysian Digital Free Trade Zone plan, also weighed in on effect the change of government will have on Alibaba's business in Malaysia. He said he is very confident in China-Malaysia relationship and in the Chinese business community coming to Malaysia to invest. "As long as we believe the future, as long as we believe the partnership, as long as we believe that we can work together, we can solve our problems," said Ma, adding his vision for globalization is that any company coming to Malaysia need to follow the rule of law, respect culture, create values and create jobs. "I think Malaysia will love eWTP because it's the solution for Malaysia exporting, for Malaysia young people and small business, and the PM likes our idea about not coming here getting land and build construction without hiring local people. We are enabling people here," he said in the interview. Ma also announced the launch of Malaysia Week in July to promote a broad range of Malaysian products and services to Chinese consumers. MANILA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A total of 22 rebel fighters have been killed as Philippine military started fresh offensive against militant groups in the country's southern provinces, a military spokesman said Monday. Five members of the Maute Group were killed following an airstrike of their lair in Lanao del Sur on Sunday, and 17 men from Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were killed in Maguindanao recently, during fresh offensive against the two rebel factions in two southern provinces. Col. Romeo Brawner, spokesman of the military's Joint Task Force Ranao, said bomber planes and helicopter gunships hit the encampment in a village of Lanao del Sur province where 40 Maute men were earlier sighted. Brawner said the terrorist were led by senior Maute leader Owayda benito Marohomsar, alias Abu Dar, one of the potential candidates as ISIS emir in Southeast Asia, possible successor of Isnilon Hapilon. Hapilon was among the nearly 1,000 terrorists who died in the five-month long siege of Marawi City last year. "Among the 10 leaders who planned (the Marawi siege), Abu Dar is the only one remaining. The nine others were already killed," said Brawner. Meanwhile, in its adjacent province of Maguindanao, also in Mindanao Island, military was pursuing BIFF remainders, as government forces launched operations about two weeks ago. The operation has so far resulted in the death of about 17 BIFF men and destruction of the group's bomb factory. Sadly, a four-month pregnant woman died and a young female relative was injured in an explosion in a town in Maguindanao on Saturday, when they were tilling their rice land. The site is four km away from an area where soldiers were pursuing BIFF members. Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, commander of the local infantry battalion, said further investigations are ongoing to determine if the ordnance that killed the two civilians, came from the military or from the enemy, and soldiers will be punished if they were indeed at fault. The military have asked the public to stay calm, and said they are making sure that the hostilities will not extend beyond the mountainous areas. For decades, Mindanao has grappled with insurgencies, including pro-IS radical groups like the Abu Sayyaf Groups, Maute Groups and the BIFF for kidnappings and bombings in the region. TRIPOLI, June 18 (Xinhua) --- Libya's state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) confirmed on Monday that the militant attack on the oil ports caused a decrease of 400,000 barrels in storage capacity. "The NOC confirms the loss of storage tanks 2 and 12 at the Ras Lanuf port terminal following Thursday's armed assault by the militia in the oil crescent, led by Ibrahim Jathran," the corporation said in a statement. Jathran is a wanted former chief of the oil installation guards service. "This has resulted in a 400,000 barrel reduction of crude oil storage capacity (from 950,000 barrels to 550,000 barrels). Prior to the attack, Ras Lanuf had five crude oil storage tanks. The destruction of tank 2 risks leaking and spreading the blaze to reservoirs 1, 6 and 3," the statement explained. The corporation also demanded "immediate withdrawal of Jathran and his gangs from the port, cessation of military operations, and support and assistance to fire-fighting teams trying to reach the tanks ablaze." "This incident will result in the loss of hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in construction costs, and billions in sales loss. Rebuilding the tanks may take years, especially under current security circumstances," it warned. Benghazi Defense Brigades, a militant group allied with Jathran, launched an attack on the Libyan oil crescent region and clashed with the army forces there on Thursday. NOC evacuated all employees from the area. It was estimated that the attack caused losses of 240,000 barrels of oil in daily production. The oil crescent region is located some 500 km east of the capital Tripoli. It contains the country's largest oil ports. The UN Support Mission in Libya condemned the attack, warning that "this dangerous escalation puts Libya's economy in jeopardy and risks igniting a widespread confrontation." Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 19:02:21|Editor: mmm Video Player Close DUBAI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A United Arab Emirates (UAE) senior official late Sunday called on Shiite Houthi rebels to unconditionally withdraw from Yemen's Hodeidah. The urge was made by UAE Minister of State Anwar Gargash through his twitter account to brief members of the international diplomatic corps in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, on the Arab coalition operation "to liberate the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah from Houthi control." The UAE wants to "help" UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to finish his "difficult task" in Yemen, Gargash noted. "We are at a turning point, because as long as the Houthis hold Hodeidah, they will continue to impede the political process. We firmly believe that the liberation of Hodeidah will pull the Houthis back to the negotiating table," the UAE official said. The UAE is part of a Saudi-led Arab military coalition which has been fighting the Iran-backed Houthis since March 2015 to support the internationally-recognized government led by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Clashes between both sides around Hodeidah, a strategic port city on Yemen's western Red Sea coast which is connected through high ways with the capital Sanaa held by Houthis, have been intensifying in recent weeks. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 19:07:23|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close People take part in a dragon boat race to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival at Nanhu Park in Huaibei City, east China's Anhui Province, June 18, 2018. Dragon boat race is a traditional event for the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, or June 18 this year. (Xinhua/Wan Shanchao) BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Athletes on two dragon boats paddled vigorously through a paddy field in unison to the beat of drums, covering a distance of 100 meters before reaching the finish line. This dragon boat race was held by members of Xibe ethnic group in a township in northeast China's Liaoning Province to mark the Dragon Boat Festival which falls on Monday this year. The festival, also called the Duanwu Festival, is traditionally celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on Chinese lunar calendar. "Paddling in the mud consumes more energy than in the river. It's tiring but also very interesting," an athlete said. Liu Chunli, researcher with a Shenyang-based institute on the Xibe ethnic group, said that Xibe people pick a handful of young crops at a worship ceremony and hang a ball-shaped bundle of red ribbons on the dragon's head, praying for a good harvest. The athletes are either local villagers or tourists. "I've seen lots of dragon boat races on the river or lake, but it is my first time to see the boats on the mud," said Zhang Yun, a tourist from Shenyang. Chinese get a three-day break from work on the holiday, and many like Zhang choose to travel. It puts pressure on transport infrastructure. China will see 47 million trips made by rail from Friday to Monday, said state-owned railway operator China Railway. Daily trips are expected to hit 11.75 million, a year-on-year increase of 7.8 percent. Cities such as Beijing, Dalian, Qingdao, Hangzhou, and Xiamen are among the most popular destinations and departure locations, the company said. On the first day of the holiday alone, 26 tourist attractions in central China's Hubei Province received more than 540,000 visitors and revenue of 36 million yuan (5.6 million U.S. dollars) in tickets, up 10.8 percent and 10.2 percent respectively year on year. Various activities ranging from knowledge contests, zongzi-making competitions to temple fairs are being held across the country. Traditions such as eating zongzi, glutinous rice dumplings with various fillings wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, are observed on the holiday. Zhou Fang, a resident in Wuhan, Hubei Province, purchased two boxes of zongzi online. Eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival is a tradition in his family. "In the past, I had to wait in a long queue at the store to buy them. Now, I just tap my phone and they are delivered to my door," said Zhou. The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan (340-278 B.C.), a well-known Chinese poet and minister of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.) He drowned himself in the Miluo River 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 the body. On Monday, China Post held a ceremony in Hubei's Zigui County to mark the issuing of a set of stamps commemorating Qu. The set of two stamps, together with a sheetlet, has a total face value of 8.4 yuan. China Post has previously issued stamps related to Qu Yuan in 1953 and 1994. Zhao Yuguang, deputy general manager of China Post's Hubei branch, said that it is rare for ancient Chinese figures to be printed on stamps more than once and this shows people's respect of Qu's patriotism and noble personality. HARARE, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean criminals have expanded their activities into card cloning with police warning businesses and private individual to be wary when conducting transactions. A statement from Criminal Investigations Department spokesperson Portia Chinho to media on Monday said more than 150 cases of card cloning had been reported throughout the country since January. "For the period Jan. 2018 to date, the division has taken over 154 cases of card cloning. Out of these, 48 were received during the month of June alone and substantial amounts of cash were lost as a result of these scams," she said. She added that a number of criminals had since been arrested and taken to court. "Criminals are taking advantage of the uptake of plastic money by business organizations and members of the public to swindle money through card cloning," she said. Card cloning involves the production of counterfeit bank debit cards by criminals after fraudulently acquiring bank debit or credit card information contained in the magnetic strip of the bank debit card. Chinho said the criminals were acquiring bank debit card information through gadgets known as skimmers which were similar to point of sale machines. "Point of sale machines are a major catalyst and intelligence gathered has pointed out that there is collusion between these cyber criminals and cashiers at shops, liquor outlets and casinos, just to name a few," she said. Chinho said criminals also stole point of sale machines from shops and service stations for the purpose of uploading data which they used to clone debit cards. MOGADISHU, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified airstrike targeted suspected Al-Shabab militants in their hideouts in two locations of southern Somalia on Sunday, residents and security officials confirmed on Monday. The security officials said the airstrikes bombarded the insurgents' hideouts in El-Adde and Goof areas on Sunday, inflicting injuries on the militants. "Unknown airstrikes hit El-Adde and Goof locations in southern Somalia. The militants suffered heavy casualties during the strikes over El-Adde though exact battle damage assessments have been not established," said a security official who declined to be named said. Local residents said they have not established whether Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers who are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) were behind the latest airstrikes in southern part of the Horn of Africa nation. In January 15, 2016, al-Shabab fighters attacked a KDF camp in El-Adde in southern Somalia, killing some 100 soldiers in the worst attack since the troops crossed into the Horn of Africa nation in 2011. Since the deadly attack, the Kenyan soldiers have been targeting the El-Adde area which lies near Garbaharey town in Gedo region to flush out the militants. The United States military which last year carried out about 30 airstrikes against al-Shabab has also intensified assault against the al-Qaida allied terrorist group in the recent past. BERLIN, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The widely-anticipated trial of an Afghan asylum seeker who is accused of murdering his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend in broad daylight opened in Germany on Monday. Prosecutors believe that the suspect in question killed Mia, a local inhabitant of the town of Kandel, in a knife attack back in December 2017 as a punishment for having recently separated from him. Shortly before the deadly incident at a drug store, the girl and her father had reported the ex-boyfriend to police on counts of libel, duress and making threats and infringing on privacy. The public has been excluded from court proceedings, which will occur under juvenile criminal law as the exact age of the suspect is unknown. The Afghan asylum seeker himself indicated being 15-year-old and was consequently treated as an unaccompanied minor when he arrived in Germany. However, an assessment by the state prosecution office concluded after the murder that the individual must be at least 17.5 years old and more likely around 20 years old. If the assessment is correct, Mia's ex-boyfriend would have succeeded in alleviating the circumstances of his sentencing by lying about his age. Individuals above the age of 18 are tried as adults under German law and face more severe punishment for criminal wrongdoing. The case of Mia's murder has consequently sparked a heated public debate over whether the procedures by which German authorities determine the age of young asylum seekers upon arrival, are still appropriate. The far-right group "Kandel is everywhere" was set up in response to draw attention to the alleged threat posed by asylum seekers to the German native population and drew 4000 protestors to its first rally. The Landau regional court is expected to reach a verdict in the trial by the end of August. A locomotive is seen at a construction site of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project, near Sultan Halmud, Kenya, on May 28, 2016. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Saturday China-funded high speed railway which runs from the coastal city of Mombasa to Nairobi will be completed ahead of the schedule. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) NAIROBI, June 18 (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. A Kenyan journalist poses for selfies with female train driver Concilia (C) and Alice (L) during the launching day of the Mombasa-Nairobi railway in Mombasa, Kenya, May 31, 2017. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday launched the passenger train service of the 480-km Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo) 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. A train is seen at Mombasa Terminus of Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, in Kenya, on June 1, 2017. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday launched the passenger train service of the 480-km Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), paving way for the nation's endeavor for industrialization and prosperity. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) 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. Chinese and Kenyan staff members guide a passenger to pass a fare gate at Mombasa Terminus of Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, in Kenya, on June 1, 2017. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) 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. Migrants disembark from the Italian navy boat the Dattilo at the port of Valencia on June 17, 2018. The first migrants from the Aquarius, which was turned away by Italy and Malta sparking a major migration row in Europe, disembarked in the Spanish port of Valencia.(AFP PHOTO/PAU BARRENA) VALENCIA, Spain, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The 630 immigrants who were turned away by Italy and Malta a week ago arrived in Valencia, east of Spain, on Sunday as part of the so-called 'Operation Hope of the Mediterranean' by the Red Cross. According to the organization, 317 people have been assisted by the Red Cross until 17:00 local time (1500 GTM) and 44 of them were admitted into hospitals due to respiratory insufficiencies, dehydration, chest pain or fractures. The 630 immigrants, among them 123 minors without families, 80 women, including between seven and nine pregnant women, were onboard of three ships that docked in Spain after a long journey of eight days in the Mediterranean Sea. The first ship was an Italian coastguard vessel, Dattilo that carried 274 people. It was followed by the Aquarius rescue vessel, operated by the NGO SOS Mediterranee in partnership with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), that carried 106 people on board and another Italian coastguard vessel, the Orione with 250 people on board. Coralie Carvin, who has been working at SOS Mediterranee since 2016, told Xinhua that the immigrants were exhausted after having been a week in the sea. The humanitarian ship Aquarius rescued the 630 immigrants off Libyan coast and was stranded in the Mediterranean Sea after Italy and Malta refused to let them dock. The Spanish government later offered a "safe harbor". "We have rescued close to 30,000 people" since the organization was born in 2015, Carvin said, pointing out that she hopes the Aquarius issue increases solidarity among the European countries. A total of 2,320 people, including 1,000 Red Cross volunteers, health professionals, police officers, translators and other officials were involved in assisting the 630 immigrants. Also, on Saturday France offered to help Spain take in immigrants from the ships, according to Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez thanked French President Emmanuel Macron and stated that this was "exactly the kind of cooperation Europe needs". The president of MSF Spain, David Noguera, hopes the Aquarius issue becomes "a symbol". "We hope Aquarius to become a symbol, a turning point for governments to take responsibility and find a more human and solidarity solution", he told Xinhua. "We live in a complicated moment in the world with more than 400 active conflicts, more than 65 million of refugees displaced in the world, which is a figure that surpasses that of the Second World War, and the International community is unable to response", he stated. "I hope that this wave of solidarity that the Aquarius has awaken will be useful to look at the migration issue in Europe from another perspective", he said. The wandering in the Mediterranean, for several days, of the humanitarian ship Aquarius, transporting more than 600 migrants, has cast harsh light on the fierce disagreements between member states of the European Union (EU) regarding the migration policy that the bloc should follow. French President Macron's tough comments toward Rome this week have provoked a serious deterioration of relations between the two traditionally allies. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 20:42:40|Editor: mmm Video Player Close KABUL, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Taliban militants resumed their attacks on Afghan security forces on Monday as the armed outfit's three-day ceasefire ended on Sunday night, officials said. The Taliban militant group targeted security checkpoints in northern Faryab, eastern Ghazni and southern Kandahar provinces, officials said. Taliban militants, according to Abdul Karim Yurash, a spokesman for Faryab provincial police, stormed several checkpoints in Qaisar, Pashtunkot, Shirin Tagab, Ghormach and Almar districts early Monday and sporadic fighting was continuing. Taliban fighters also attacked security checkpoints and abducted six security personnel in eastern Ghazni province, spokesman for provincial government Aref Nuri said. According to Nuri, the armed insurgents targeted a security checkpoint in Sultan Bagh area of Andar district, took the military personnel to an unknown location. Taliban militants have also attacked security checkpoints in Miwand, Maroof and Mianshin districts of southern Kandahar province in the wee hours of Monday but no report has been released on casualties. The Afghan government announced a ceasefire from June 12 to June 19 to encourage the Taliban to join the national reconciliation process. Reciprocating the step, the armed group declared a three-day truce from the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr on Friday to Sunday. Hundreds of thousands of Taliban militants celebrated the Eid festival with government forces in villages, towns and cities, including the capital city Kabul, as a peaceful gesture. An Afghan Security Council meeting chaired by President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday extended the ceasefire for another 10 days. However, the Taliban outfit has refused to extend the truce. In an online statement released Sunday night, Taliban asked its fighters to resume fighting against Afghan and foreign forces in Afghanistan. MANILA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Government troops clashed with pro-Islamic State militants in Lanao del Sur province in southern Philippines, forcing more than 700 families to flee home, a military officer said on Monday. Col. Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of the joint Task Force Ranao, said the clashes with the IS-linked Maute group broke out on Sunday in Guiarong, a village at the boundary of Tubaran and Pagayawan towns. The firefight continued on Monday, with the military launching air strikes and artillery fire targeting Maute militant leader Owayda benito Morohomsar also known as Abu Dar with some 40 armed followers, Brawner said. Brawner said Morohomsar, who succeeded Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon who was killed in Marawi City last year, is vying for the IS emir in Southeast Asia. Hapilon and the Maute leaders led an estimated 1,000 terrorists who overran Marawi City in May last year, triggering a five-month siege that left more than 1,200 people dead and left the city in ruins. Brawner said the ongoing military offensive against Morohomsar is part of a bigger military operation to hunt down the remaining terrorists that managed to escape Marawi after the city was liberated in October last year. Morohomsar is the only remaining leader of the Maute-IS group, Brawner said, adding that the troops are verifying reports that five terrorists were killed in the offensive. NAIROBI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan large-scale tea growers are keen to begin exporting the commodity to China amid robust bilateral trade between the two countries, their representatives said on Monday. Joseph Kuria, the Board's Chairman of the 320 acres Maramba Tea Estates located in Kiambu County on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, said that Beijing represents an alternative and lucrative market for tea grown in the East African nation's highlands. "We are definitely interested in selling our tea to China and hope the country is going to offer a better market for the commodity," Kuria told Xinhua at the expansive Maramba tea estate that is owned by a cooperative society. A group of Kenyan entrepreneurs acquired the Maramba tea estate in 1964 from a departing British settler and later set up a factory to process the commodity for local and overseas market. Kuria said Maramba tea farm produces an average of 14,000 to 18,000 kilograms of green leaf tea annually and export the processed commodity to India, Afghanistan and several Gulf States. He said this year's production of green tea leaves is expected to spike thanks to favorable weather and improved agronomic practices. Kenya signed an agreement in July 2017 to boost tea exports to the Asian country where consumption of the commodity spans over 3000 years. Government statistics indicate that Kenya exports 4 to 5 million kilograms of tea annually to China out of an estimated production of 472 million kilograms per year. James Mureu, the National Vice Chairman of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) said during the China Trade Week underway in Nairobi that tea and coffee exports to China could boost foreign exchange earnings in the East Africa's largest economy. Francis Ng'ang'a, a board member at Maramba tea estates said that China presents a viable export destination for Kenyan tea whose quality has improved thanks to adoption of improved varieties and value addition. WELLINGTON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Each year about 1.2 million New Zealanders volunteer, about one-fourth of its population, said Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector Peeni Henare, who is calling for Kiwis to be involved in the National Volunteer Week. "National Volunteer Week celebrates the millions of Kiwis who give their time, skills and knowledge to help others. This year's theme Heart of our Communities captures the true essence of what volunteering is all about," Henare said in a statement. "Volunteering is an integral part of our Kiwi culture, something I'm really proud of," Henare said. This week the minister is set to host Volunteering New Zealand to celebrate the contribution of volunteers and to launch The State of Volunteering report that aims to provide insights about trends and challenges faced by New Zealand volunteer organizations in the last year, he said. WARSAW, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Visiting European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans on Monday expressed hope for more constructive dialogues with Poland on the rule of law and justice reform issues, following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. During a press conference following the meeting, both leaders underlined the will to reach an agreement and hope for further talks. "We had a constructive discussion about the issues over the rule of law," Timmermans said, adding that he was given new information about the reforms, and expressed hope that communication might be continued to resolve the issue and find a solution. Morawiecki also emphasized the will to reach an agreement while taking into account the necessity of justice system reform in the country. He also expressed satisfaction that Timmermans "did not represent a position of various forces that are not interested in a compromise". On Dec. 20 last year, the European Commission took an unprecedented step by triggering Article 7 for the first time in its history, launching a censure against Poland over a judicial reform dispute. The European Commission doubted Poland's laws reforming the Supreme Court and believed the National Judicial Council might be undermining the EU's rule-of-law principles. The amended laws on the Supreme Court and common court system, which introduce changes to extraordinary appeals and court assessors' appointment proceedings, came into force in Poland on June 16. RIGA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Latvia's Corruption Prevention Bureau has asked the Prosecutor General's Office to prosecute Bank of Latvia Governor Ilmars Rimsevics and businessman Maris Martinsons, public television reported Monday. In a statement posted on its website, the Corruption Prevention Bureau said that it had initiated prosecution against a Bank of Latvia official and one more individual but their names was not given. According to the statement, the Bank of Latvia official is facing prosecution for graft and the other individual for aiding and abetting graft. The statement includes a rather vague infographic suggesting that the case concerns the liquidation of Latvia's Trasta Komercbanka. Rimsevics is suspected of soliciting and accepting a bribe of at least 100,000 euros (116,000 U.S. dollars), according to reports. Entrepreneur Maris Martinsons is another suspect in the case. Both of them were briefly detained in February as part of a bribery probe conducted by the anti-corruption bureau. Rimsevics has been consistently denying the accusations and refuses to stand down as head of the Latvian central bank although he has been banned from doing his job. His deputy Zoja Razmusa is currently serving as acting Bank of Latvia head. Rimsevics claims he has become the victim of a coordinated attack of some commercial banks involved in nonresident business. WELLINGTON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Education Minister Chris Hipkins on Monday congratulated 180 New Zealanders who have been awarded the Prime Minister's Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) as part of the second 2017-18 round. The students from across New Zealand include 60 individuals and 12 groups of 120 students, making 180 students in total. They will travel to destinations including South Korea, China, India and Singapore to study, carry out research or undertake an internship. "The PMSA enables talented Kiwi students to enjoy unique experiences living and studying in Asia at a formative time in their lives," Hipkins said in a statement, adding these experiences challenge students at a personal level, broaden their horizons and allow them to build networks that will be useful throughout their careers. "They will become more outwardly focused and engaged in international issues and interested in other cultures," the minister said. Students having learning experiences in Asia also benefits New Zealand at a national level, it means New Zealand is growing the collective skills and cultural understanding required to make a mark on the global stage and show leadership in matters of significance to the Asian region, he said. A total of 1.44 million NZ dollars (999,171 U.S. dollars) was awarded this round for 2017-2018 covering both individual and group awardees. The PMSA has been running for five years. BANGKOK, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Storms in southern Thailand have damaged about 90 houses and brought down at least eight power poles across tourism attraction Phuket, local disaster prevention authorities said on Monday. Officials from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation of Phuket said at least 90 households in 21 villages in Phuket Province have suffered damage. The damage is estimated at nearly 300,000 baht (about 9,000 U.S. dollars) so far, most of which is to roofs and cars, according to the department. More than eight power poles fell down. Police were dispatched to the scene to help direct traffic. Phuket has been battered by heavy rains and strong winds up to 45 km per hour on Monday, which is expected to last until Wednesday. Boats are urged to stay ashore. Officials warned that there would be more flash floods as a monsoon is affecting the west coast of southern Thailand. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 22:38:02|Editor: yan Video Player Close JERUSALEM, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A former Israeli minister and lawmaker were arrested on suspicion of espionage for Iran, Israel's Shin Bet security agency said Monday. Gonen Segev, 62, was arrested in May but his detention has been kept from the public under a court gag order until Monday. He was charged on Friday with offenses of delivering information to the enemy, espionage and assisting the enemy during war. Segev lived in Nigeria for the past seven years before arriving in Equatorial Guinea in May. He was then transferred to Israel at the request of the Israeli police after Guinea denied his entry because of his criminal past. According to a statement released by the Shin Bet, the investigation revealed that the Iranian intelligence has recruited him as a spy. "In 2012, a contact was made between Segev and officials with the the Iranian Embassy in Nigeria, and later Segev even attended two meetings with his operators in Iran," the statement read. Segev allegedly met with Iranian intelligence agents several more times in different locations around the world, it added. He also received a specialized communications system to encrypt the messages between him and his operators. Segev tipped Iran off about Israel's "energy market, security sites, and buildings of officials in political and security positions" by forming ties with Israeli citizens who work in the fields of security, defense, and foreign diplomacy, the Shin Bet said. But Segev's lawyers, Eli Zohar and Moshe Mazor, said some of the allegations in the Shin Bet statement were overblown. "Even at this early stage, it is possible to say that the indictment paints a different picture from the one shown in the (Shin Bet) statement," they said. Segev, a former parliament member with the right-wing party of Tzomet, served as Israeli minister of energy and infrastructure between 1994 and 1996. After his political career, he turned to business. In 2004, he was found guilty of attempting to smuggle thousands of ecstasy pills from Amsterdam to Israel, and served five years in prison with a plea bargain. by Maria Spiliopoulou ATHENS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Indian President Ram Nath Kovind was on a state visit to Athens on Monday for talks with Greek leaders aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries. It was Kovind's maiden trip to Europe and the first time since 2007 that an Indian President visited Greece, he noted, speaking in front of the camera of the Greek public television ERT during the welcome ceremony by his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos. Pavlopoulos said Greece aims at fostering stronger ties between Indian and the European Union. The Indian president on his part said India is keen to deepen the ongoing cooperation between both countries especially in the political and economic fields. Kovind was also welcomed by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the latter's office. Kovind expressed India's support and solidarity with Greece as the country is exiting a deep financial crisis, while Greek leaders referred also to the historic agreement signed on Sunday in northern Greece to settle the Macedonia name dispute after three decades. Greece seeks relations of friendship and good neighborhood with Skopje and favors its northern neighbor's NATO and European prospects, as long as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's (FYROM) constitution will be revised, under Sunday's deal, Pavlopoulos said. It is important for Athens that, through this agreement, India will refer to FYROM by its new name, as "North Macedonia", Tsipras said. Athens and Skopje have been at odds over the use of the name of Macedonia since the neighboring state declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Macedonia is also the name of a northern province in Greece and Athens expressed concern from the start that the use of the same name by its northern neighbor could lead to territorial claims. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 22:48:03|Editor: yan Video Player Close BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Wang Qi, one of China's most wanted fugitives, has returned to China and surrendered himself to the police on Sunday, according to a statement released Monday by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Wang, former director of the legal department of China Resources Microelectronics Ltd., is suspected of taking advantage of his position to unlawfully take possession of the money or property of his own company. He fled to Singapore in February 2013. Wang, born in 1974, is the first fugitive to give up since China released information on 50 fugitives suspected of duty-related or economic crimes on June 6, according to the statement. In April 2015, Interpol released a red notice listing 100 fugitives suspected of corruption for international arrest and Wang is one of them. Many of the fugitives are former government or state-owned enterprise employees. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 22:58:05|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Indonesian marine soldiers prepare for a search and rescue operation for the sunken boat at Lake Toba in North Sumatera Province June 19, 2018. At least one holidaymaker was killed and dozens of others missing after a passenger boat sank in Lake Toba in North Sumatra on Monday. (Xinhua/Albert Damanik) JAKARTA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- At least one holidaymaker was killed and dozens of others missing after a passenger boat sank in Lake Toba of Indonesia's North Sumatra province on Monday, a disaster agency spokesman said. Kapal Motor Sinar Bangun boat carrying about around 80 people, most of them domestic visitors, capsized at 17:30 p.m. Jakarta time after leaving Simanindo port in Samosir district, spokesman of the national disaster management agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. "The incident was triggered by severe weather," Sutopo told Xinhua. The boat sank 1.61 km away from its destination of Tigaras Parapat port of Simalungun district, said the spokesman. So far, rescuers have rescued 19 passengers of the boat, said Riadil Lubis, head of the provincial disaster management agency. "They were rescued by ships which were passing by near the scene," he told Xinhua via telephone from North Sumatra province. Search and rescue operation was halted due to unfavorable weather condition and will be resumed when it improved, sadi Sri Hardianto, head of land transport agency for territory II in the province. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 22:58:05|Editor: yan Video Player Close BAGHDAD, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Hashd Shaabi paramilitary forces said on Monday that 22 of its members were killed and 12 others wounded in suspected U.S.-led airstrikes on its base inside Syria near the Iraqi border. The U.S.-led coalition aircraft fired two guided missiles at 10 p.m. local time Sunday night (2000 GMT) targeting a headquarters of the Hashd Shaabi's 45 and 46 brigades, which are tasked with protecting the Iraqi border with Syria from infiltration of Islamic State (IS) militants, the paramilitary forces said in a statement. The headquarters inside Syria has been known to both the Syrian government and the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) since the end of operations that liberated the border areas with Syria late in 2017, according to the statement. The headquarters lies at a strategic spot in the open desert land just 700 meters inside Syria north of its eastern city of al-Bukamal. "We demand that the American side issue an explanation for the airstrike, especially that such strikes have been repeated throughout the years of confrontation with terrorism," the statement said. However, a U.S. military spokesman denied that the U.S.-led coalition aircraft conducted any strike in the area, saying "we're looking into who that could possibly be but it wasn't the U.S. or the coalition." On Dec. 9, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 23:03:06|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close Workers work at a site of a damaged road in Osaka, Japan, on June 18, 2018. At least three people have been confirmed dead and more than 90 others injured as a result of a 6.1 magnitude earthquake striking Osaka prefecture in western Japan on Monday morning. (Xinhua/Ma Ping) TOKYO, June 18 (Xinhua) -- At least four people have been confirmed dead and 350 others have been injured after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Osaka prefecture in western Japan on Monday. According to local authorities, in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture, a 9-year-old girl was killed on her way to school when an outer wall at her school's swimming pool collapsed and a man in his 80s was confirmed dead after his house in the city of Osaka was leveled. Police and local district headquarters also said that another man in his 80s in the city of Ibaraki was seriously injured after being trapped under a bookshelf and was later pronounced dead after being rushed to hospital. An 81-year-old woman from Takatsuki was also confirmed dead after a cupboard collapsed on her, local media reported Monday evening. According to public broadcaster NHK, while local authorities have suggested the death toll is likely to rise, at least 350 people have been injured across multiple prefectures in western Japan as result of the quake. Japan's Disaster Management Minister Hachiro Okonogi said people were buried under the rubble of a collapsed building in Osaka while local rescue officials tried to rapidly locate them. Firefighters grappled to extinguish multiple blazes across Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto and Mie prefectures, according to local authorities. As well as numerous outbreaks of fires and burst pipes flooding roads, at least 70 people were believed to be trapped inside elevators at one point in Osaka and nearby areas, local rescue officials said. While no tsunami warning or advisory was given as a result of the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the 6.1-magnitude quake was upwardly revised from a preliminary 5.9 temblor, which struck Osaka at 7:58 a.m. local time. According to Kansai Electric Power Co., more than 170,000 homes in Osaka and neighboring Hyogo prefectures suffered blackouts as a result of the quake, although power has since been restored. Osaka Gas Co. said it has suspended gas supply to around 108,000 households in Osaka as a precautionary measure against fires and some homes are without running water in northern Osaka, local utility firms said. Around 1,300 people have fled to emergency evacuation centers across Osaka, according to local authorities, and 1,000 public schools in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Nara prefectures called off classes and asked parents to collect their children. According to the Transport Ministry, both Shinkansen bullet train and local train services in the region were suspended with thousands of passengers left stranded, although bullet train services have resumed. Rescue officials, according to local media accounts, have been helping those stranded on trains stuck between stations to get to safety. Along with major commuter services being seriously disrupted, the three airports in the region, officials said, which were forced to temporarily suspend their services, have now reopened although a number of flights were delayed. Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) fighter jets and helicopters were deployed to the area to investigate the scene, government officials said. The epicenter of the quake was located at a latitude of 34.8 degrees north and a longitude of 135.6 degrees east and at a preliminary depth of 10 km, which was later revised to about 13 km, according to the weather agency. The quake logged lower 6 in some parts of Osaka prefecture and upper 5 in neighboring Kyoto prefecture on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7, according to the JMA. The jolt was also felt in the nearby prefectures of Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga and Nara. Kansai Electric Power Co. said that no abnormalities were reported at the Takahama, Mihama and Oi nuclear plants in central Japan and in neighboring Fukui Prefecture. Officials said that all 15 nuclear reactors are functioning as normal. Senior government officials convened an emergency meeting at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office to assess the situation early on Monday. Abe told a press briefing that the government will make its utmost efforts to deal with the effects of the powerful earthquake. He told reporters that government officials are operating under the instructions that saving and safeguarding peoples' lives is the priority. The Japanese premier also said he has given instructions for local officials to carry out damage assessments as quickly as possible and do their best to save and protect lives. Abe went on to say that he wanted the public to be kept informed as the disaster continues to unfold. Japan's top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, meanwhile, told a press briefing that so far there have been no reports of serious infrastructural damage as a result of the quake. The JMA, for its part, has warned people in western Japan, however, to be on alert for further sizable earthquakes occurring in the next few days and for people to be vigilant for the possibility of buildings collapsing and rainy weather adding to the risk of potentially fatal mudslides henceforth. "Frequent seismic activity is continuing in the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. Strong tremors could have raised the risk of landslides or building collapse. People in such areas are advised to watch out for further seismic activity and rain," the JMA said. The high-intensity tremors of the quakewere owing to its shallow epicenter, seismologists said, with the government saying that Monday's quake would likely not trigger the "megaquake" off western Japan that many experts predicted will strike at some point in the not too distant future. A quake measuring magnitude 7.3 and the maximum 7 on Japan's seismic scale struck neighboring Hyogo Prefecture in 1995, killing more than 6,000 people. ULAN BATOR, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Parliaments of Mongolia and Laos agreed Monday to deepen cooperation in social, cultural and economic sectors in a bid to strengthen bilateral relations. The agreement was reached during a meeting between head of the Mongolia-Laos group in the parliament, Yondonperenlei Baatarbileg, and visiting Lao Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and deputy director of the Laos-Mongolia group in the National Assembly, Bounkhouang Khambounheuang, in Ulan Bator. Mongolia is willing to enhance cooperation with Laos in areas of society, culture and economy, said Baatarbileg. Baatarbileg also expressed his interest to expand bilateral cooperation in health and tourism sectors. Bounkhouang, for his part, said that frozen lamb and mutton export from Mongolia to Laos is going to materialize as the result of his visit. It is possible to supply organic rice with chemical fertilizers to Mongolia soon, he said. Zongzi, or rice dumplings, are seen at a workshop in a restaurant in Manhattan, New York City, the United States, on June 16, 2018. A famed restaurant in New York City turned itself into a workshop over the weekend for learning to make rice dumplings to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday that commemorates the death of an ancient patriotic poet Qu Yuan. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) By Xinhua writers Yang Shilong, Zhang Mocheng, Qiu Junzhou NEW YORK, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Hand-wrapping rice dumplings, splashing dragon boats, reciting ancient romantic poems...many New Yorkers marked the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday that commemorates the death of an ancient patriotic poet Qu Yuan, with fervor and color over the weekend. TITILLATING TASTE BUDS Jasmine, a famed Chinese restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, turned itself into a workshop for learning hand-wrapping the rice dumplings on Saturday and Sunday, for people from across the New York City, home to by far the biggest Chinese-American population of any city proper in the U.S.. It was the restaurant's second consecutive year to host such event. Located near the United Nations headquarters, it caters to diners from all nationalities by presenting authentic Sichuan, Cantonese as wells as fusion cuisine. The rice dumpling, called Zongzi in Chinese, is a centerpiece of the Dragon Boat Festival,or Duanwu Festival, which falls on the 5th day of the fifth lunar month (June 18 this year). "'A lonely stranger in a strange land I am cast, I miss my family all the more on every festival day,' "said the restaurant co-owner Zuqi Su, quoting a Tang dynasty Chinese poet Wang Wei (699-759). "On a festival like this, we want to help with the homesickness of Chinese living abroad, and introduce traditional Chinese culture to people here." "We wanted to give Chinese abroad, especially students who have no family here in the US, a sense of home away from home," Su told Xinhua. Sherrie Wang, a Chinese student studying at Columbia University, was very grateful to Su and his team organizing such a special gathering. "This is our first time making rice dumplings on our own," said Wang, who has been in the U.S. for six years. "We used to eat a regular meal with friends or buy ready-made rice dumplings from stores on this festival." The young girl's words were echoed by another college sophomore who did not identify herself. "Being able to make authentic Chinese festive food and share it with others really helps with the homesickness," said the sophomore. "It can be hard to stand especially in the first few years in the U.S.." The participants were instructed step by step to make a Zongzi on their own: layer two leaves, with the smooth sides up and form a cone, and add fillings of different kind in proper order. Then add another leaf around the edge of the cone to make it wider and fold the leaf towards the middle, upper remaining part of the leaves towards the back. Finally use kitchen string to wrap tightly around the dumpling. Wrapping a rice dumpling is quite a challenge, especially for a beginner. "It's honestly harder than we thought, but it's really fun!" said Annie Lin, a Chinese college student, struggling to wrap the string around her "artifact." "My daughter loves cooking, and I wanted to take this chance to introduce her to the traditional Chinese culture, which I myself didn't know much about either," said Yan Shao, who brought her U.S.-born daughter to the event. "I get to see glimpses of Chinese culture through my Chinese friends," said Thomas Hasler, an Austrian who came with his Chinese friend Hanming Zeng. "I eat out a lot at Chinese restaurants, but being able to make something has been so much more fun. I enjoy this so much." "I try to introduce Chinese culture to my friends," said Zeng. "Sometimes I bring them to restaurants like this." Anirudh Singh, another participant, was able to recount the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. "The fishermen threw rice in the river to make sure the fish didn't eat Qu Yuan's body, right?" he said. "I learnt all about it before I came here." Singh was quite right. The festival began in China's Spring and Autumn (770-476 B.C) and Warring States periods (475-221 B.C). Qu Yuan was a minister of Chu, located in the Yangzi River area of central China. In 340 BC, Qu was facing the pain of losing his homeland. Later he drowned himself in the Miluo River on May 5. The people of Chu were very sad. To prevent fish from eating his body, the locals wrapped leaves around rice and put them into the river while beating their drums and splashed their paddles on boats. "DRAGONS" READY TO BE UNLEASHED Jasmine's event also featured a recitation of an extract of Qu's famous poem Li Sao, or The Sorrow of Parting, by a guest from the New York Hanfu Corporation in traditional Chinese costume. With 373 lines and more than 2,400 characters, "Li Sao" is also one of the longest poems of ancient China. In making use of a wide range of metaphors derived from local culture, the poem expresses Qu's unrequited love for his country Chu, and his sadness over its inevitable decline. The great poet might never have imagined that his death would inspire a much-loved sport, not only in China, but also all across the world including the U.S. cities such as New York City, San Francisco, Kansas City and Boston. Interestingly, dragon boat racing has grown beyond the Dragon Boat Festival's official holiday celebration on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month every year in America over the past decade while the old-fashioned dragon-headed boat and drum as well, are still kept for carrying the Chinese tradition, and the rules set by the International Dragon Boat Federation are abided. The 28th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York is scheduled for August 11-12, and over 200 well-trained teams will paddle across the Meadow Lake, at the Corona Park of the city's borough of Queens during this year's race, Henry Wan, chairman of New York's Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival host committee, told Xinhua, on Saturday. "Throughout the years that we've been having this festival going on, it's continuously growing. We've got more and more viewers every year, and teams grow more and more, too," said Marvin, a volunteer for the festival."It's definitely making an impact on this community right here." "I'm captain and drummer, we have a new steerer this year and we are moving into using the fiber glass boats instead of the timbre boats for the race," Julia Chesler told Xinhua after about three hours practice with her team on the Meadow lake. Bobby Li added all their team members were classmates in a local high school and they have joined the race for eight years. "We're just as much friends from high schools, we do it and stand out a lot, we always have tons of fun, It is always a great time for people to come back." Anthony Demmasi with the UPS team said they were inspired to do dragon boat racing by a YouTube video fours years ago. "It's pretty cool. you learn how to better pace yourself, learn the techniques, learn how to train each other,train new people that are coming in. Mainly because we got keep on learning, we got keep on showing new people the experience, And it's a lot of fun," Demmasi said. The dragon boat racing, now the largest summer activity in New York City, has injected lots of new life into the Corona Park, home to the 1964 World's Fair where exhibitors worldwide showcased their inventions and culture. The celebrations incorporate activities both on land and on the water. It usually begins with traditional opening ceremonies that awaken the dragons and bless the racing to come. From there, paddlers take to their boats and spectators crowd the waterfront amidst a carnival of cultural activities and food. VALLETTA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Monday denied having had a knee-jerk reaction to recent events, saying that his position on migration is clear and consistent. The tiny Mediterranean island was recently in the international spotlight after refusing an Italian request that it should take on a boatload of over 600 African migrants. "The country maintains the same position as five years ago," Muscat said, as he addressed a Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) core group meeting on Monday. Muscat said that Malta has taken in its quota of migrants as established by the European Commission, however reiterating that he was not hopeful that the EU member states would reach an agreement on the issue. "The argument that Malta is not carrying its weight is untrue... Malta is the country with the second largest number of asylum requests per capita," he said. Muscat said that he would be open to proposals on how to resolve the issue, saying the current system "doesn't work". Muscat said that the number of persons arriving from Libya to Europe had decreased by 78 percent. "This is a clear result of politics of engagement which happened on a local level." "Economic migrants are increasing," he said, explaining that international law clearly differentiates between "genuine asylum seekers" escaping war, and those looking for a better life. Giving preferential treatment to the latter group would be an injustice to those who need help the most, Muscat said. MOSCOW, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday discussed the schedule of political contacts between Moscow and Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. In a telephone conversation on the U.S. initiative, Lavrov and Pompeo discussed bilateral relations between Russia and the United States, including the schedule of political contacts between the two countries in the near future, the ministry said in a statement. They also touched upon issues regarding the Syrian settlement on the basis of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 and tasks of pooling efforts to address the problems of the Korean Peninsula, according to the statement. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 23:43:17|Editor: yan Video Player Close ANKARA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish army forces have entered surrounding districts of Manbij region in Syria as part of a deal with the United States, local CNNTurk reported on Monday. A convoy of Turkish forces, accompanied by helicopters, entered some surrounding neighborhoods of the region, said the report quoting Abdullah Halil from Free Syrian Army. Turkish army moves with the U.S. forces in Manbij, the report said. The People's Protection Units (YPG) will withdraw from Syria's Manbij under a roadmap agreed by Turkey and the United States in May and the security of the region will be maintained by the U.S. and Turkish forces. Turkey regards the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and has long been urging the United States to remove the YPG from Manbij, where about 2,000 U.S. soldiers are currently deployed. Relations between Turkey and the United States have been strained over Washington's support to the YPG, prompting fears of military clashes in Manbij between the two NATO allies. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 23:43:18|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on June 18, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Xiaowei) PHNOM PENH, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen met with Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe here on Monday. Viewing China as a good and true friend, Hun Sen said the friendship between Cambodia and China has withstood the test of time and grown even stronger. The prime minister expressed gratitude for China's support to Cambodia's social economic development and building of national defense and military forces. Hun Sen spoke highly of China's tremendous achievements under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, saying that Cambodia firmly supports President Xi's initiatives, including building a community with shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries this year, Cambodia would like to promote their comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation to a higher level, he said. Noting that China and Cambodia are traditional good neighbors and "iron fiends," Wei said the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between them have been further promoted under the leadership of President Xi and Prime Minister Hun Sen. China will as always support Cambodia for choosing its own development path commensurate with its national conditions. Wei said the Chinese military would like to work with the Cambodian side in implementing the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepening pragmatic cooperation and contributing to the development of bilateral ties. RABAT, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1.18 tons of cannabis have been seized in northern Morocco's Tetouan city, local media reported on Monday. The Moroccan daily Le Matin said the banned substance was seized by the Moroccan navy aboard two boats. Despite efforts to crack down on cannabis farming in the last decade, Morocco remains the world's largest cannabis resin harvester. According to the 2016 report by the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime, Morocco ranks first among 129 cannabis-producing countries throughout the period from 2009 to 2014, followed by Afghanistan, Lebanon, India and Pakistan. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 23:58:23|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close by Murad Abdu ADEN, Yemen, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni government forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Monday continued their fight against the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthis in their all-out offensive to free the western port city of Hodeidah, a military official told Xinhua. On the sixth day of the offensive, the government troops fought sporadic clashes with Houthi militants in several areas of Hodeidah, while Saudi-led warplanes concentrated on shelling Houthi-controlled positions around the city's airport. The source, who asked to be anonymous, said government forces also targeted Houthis with artillery and mortar rounds, killing scores of rebels in the areas of Hays and Tuhyatah. "Houthi fighters desperately keep attempting to infiltrate into government-controlled sites but they always fail and get nothing," the local source said. He added that battles around Hodeidah's airport are still ongoing between the two warring sides amid intensified air raids. A field commander told Xinhua by phone that Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition started to deploy more troops and armored vehicles around the airport of Hodeidah in a bid to storm and kick the Houthis out of the facility. Meanwhile, a source from the Operations Command of Hodeidah Liberation told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that "the government forces are establishing a strategic military base on Hodeidah's outskirts to combine the efforts and organize plans for the anti-Houthi operations." "The military base will be used as main headquarters for the armed forces and experts along with field commanders who start managing the battles from there," he said. Six well-trained Brigades of the Al-Amaliqah (Giants), with over 15,000 soldiers belonging to the Southern Resistance Forces backed by the UAE, were also mobilized to storm Hodeidah and lead the fighting against Houthis there, according to the source. In Yemen's capital Sanaa, sources said the talks between the Houthi leaders and the United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths on Hodeidah reached no constructive results. The Houthi leaders postponed the leaving date of the UN envoy to Tuesday, possibly to lay down more conditions for their withdrawal from Hodeidah, including "lifting the blockade and ending the Saudi-led military campaign against Yemen." The Houthi spokesperson told local media that they would not quit Hodeidah easily and would go on "fighting the foreign forces and local mercenaries till they take control of entire Yemen." The UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Anwar Gargash said the Arab coalition is "still counting on the UN attempt to pull a rabbit out of a hat" and convince the Iran-aligned Houthi fighters to cede control of Hodeidah port peacefully without armed confrontations. But an Aden-based government source said it is not the right moment for negotiations with Houthi militias. "Liberating Hodeidah is imminent and our political leadership won't accept any talks particularly at this time," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. "Houthis will never abandon their arms peacefully because they only understand the language of violence and guns. Their existence in Hodeidah caused a lot of of suffering for the people," the government source added. Earlier in the day, local residents in Hodeidah said Houthis launched military preparations, and began digging trenches and blocking roads leading to the port and the airport of the city with cement barricades. According to Hodeidah-based activists, the Houthi militias have captured "a number of farm owners and local citizens in the east of the 50th Street in an attempt to use them as human shields." They said the Houthis gave strict orders to its military checkpoints to prevent local citizens or families from leaving Hodeidah. Several farms were planted with thousands of landmines, and residential buildings turned into military barracks and weapons stores for Houthi fighters. On Sunday, scores of families were displaced due to the fighting in Hodeidah. They took shelter in local schools amid dire humanitarian situation. The Yemeni government, supported by the Emirates Red Crescent, said a committee was formed to identify the displaced, meet their demands and provide them with urgent assistance. Yemen's government forces also announced the opening of safe routes for residents who want to leave Houthi-controlled areas in Hodeidah, and ordered the soldiers to provide local people with protection. Observers said the Houthis will seek to prolong their stay in Hodeidah by exploiting local people and preventing their evacuation in order to cause humanitarian losses as much as possible. The humanitarian issue in Hodeidah will be used by the Houthis as the pretext to stop the Saudi-led military operation aimed at retaking the strategic port city, they said. On Wednesday, Yemeni government forces loyal to Yemen's internationally-backed President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi launched an all-out military campaign. They reached the outskirts of Hodeidah International Airport early Friday amid heavy aerial bombardment from the Saudi-led warplanes. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government regards retaking Hodeidah and its key port "as a milestone on the path of restoring the country from the grips of the Houthis which will mark the beginning of the rebels' fall, and secure navigation in the Bab el-Mandab Strait." Strategically situated on the Red Sea coast, Hodeidah, Yemen's fourth largest city with a population of 600,000, is the only major port city under Houthis' control. The Hodeidah port, which the Houthis captured from Yemen's internationally-recognized government in October 2014, serves as a key source of strength for Houthi militias because it is regarded as a lifeline for many Yemenis. According to the United Nations, Yemen is undergoing world's largest humanitarian crisis since 1945 with two thirds of the population, or 19 million people, in need of humanitarian assistance. The UN warned that the battles to liberate Hodeidah, which has the highest poverty and malnutrition rates in the war-torn country, could kill 250,000 people. VILNIUS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Lithuanian capital is introducing a city tax for tourists as of July 1, aimed at boosting competitiveness, improving tourism and recreation infrastructure, the city's administration announced on Monday. The city tax rate, 1 euro (1.16 U.S. dollars) per person per night, will be charged all year round, the city's administration said. The tax will be charged to guests of the city who are provided accommodation services and who use the public tourism and recreation infrastructure of the Vilnius city. "Together with business representatives, we will decide where the collected funds will be redirected in order to ensure the best returns for the city and increase the attractiveness and awareness of Vilnius in the world," Inga Romanovskiene, head of the city's official tourism and development agency Go Vilnius, was quoted as saying in a statement. The purpose of the tax is to boost the competitiveness of Vilnius, develop international marketing in the area of tourism, attract larger flows of tourists to the city, and increase the volumes of export services, the statement reads. There are a few exemptions from the tax, including for the disabled, adolescents under the age of 18 or groups renting 10 rooms or more. Those providing the accommodation will be obliged to inform tourists about the tax, collect the money and transfer the collected funds to the Vilnius municipality. Evalda Siskauskiene, president of the Lithuanian Hotels and Restaurants Association, expressed her hope that the new tax will contribute to attracting new flight carriers to the Lithuanian capital. "Businesses agreed to collect the tourist tax as they understand that we need additional funds in order to fully exploit the city's tourism potential," Siskauskiene was quoted as saying in the statement. Tourist tax is applied in many main tourism destinations in Europe, including Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Rome and others. Tourist tax is already collected in a few Lithuanian resort cities, such as Druskininkai, Palanga, Birstonas and Trakai. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 00:08:28|Editor: yan Video Player Close TIKRIT, Iraq, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi police on Monday found six executed bodies believed to be the shepherds who were kidnapped on Sunday night by the extremist Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq's central province of Salahudin, a provincial security source said. The police found the bodies wearing traditional white robes dumped in Tlul al-Baj area in the northern part of Salahudin province, Colonel Mohammed al-Jubouri, from the media office of Salahudin's provincial police, told Xinhua. The bodies were found blindfolded and handcuffed with bullet holed in their heads, Jubouri said. Earlier on Monday, a security source told Xinhua that IS militants kidnapped eight shepherds late on Sunday night from their houses in a rural area in the north of the town of Shirqat, some 280 km north of Baghdad. Also late on Sunday night, the extremist militants disguised in military uniforms set up a fake checkpoint on the main road in Enjanah area between Baghdad and Kirkuk province to waylay buses and trucks, killing two truck drivers and kidnapping seven including an army officer, said Udai al-Khadran, mayor of the town of Khalis, some 70 km northeast of Baghdad. Enjanah is part of the mountainous Himreen area on the border between the northern part of Diyala province and the eastern part of neighboring Salahudin province. During the past few months, hundreds of IS militants fled their former urban strongholds in Mosul, Salahudin province and Hawija area in the west of Kirkuk, after Iraqi forces cleared these regions of IS militants during major offensives. On Dec. 9, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from the IS after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group. However, small groups and individuals of IS militants have since then regrouped in rugged areas including Himreen, carrying out attacks against security forces and civilians despite operations from time to time to hunt them down. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 00:13:30|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close A seminar entitled "Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast Can China-India Relations Go" is held in New Delhi, India, on June 18, 2018. The China-India relations could be promoted with the help of "Five Cs" -communication, cooperation, contacts, coordination and control, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui said on Monday. (Xinhua/Zhang Naijie) NEW DELHI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The China-India relations could be promoted with the help of "Five Cs" -communication, cooperation, contacts, coordination and control, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui said on Monday. Speaking at a seminar - "Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast Can China India Relations Go," the Chinese envoy said both sides needed to strengthen exchanges between senior officials of the government, military and legislature, and give full play to the existing mechanisms to enhance strategic communication and increase mutual understanding. The seminar was organized to discuss the present scenario of Sino-Indian ties in the aftermath of an informal meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in central Chinese city of Wuhan in late April, followed by their meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in China's eastern port city of Qingdao earlier this month. The Chinese ambassador underlined the fact that the two leaders have had one-on-one meetings on different occasions during the past four years. On trade front, he said that China would like to negotiate a "regional trade arrangement" with India to expand trade relations. "We may encourage economic cooperation on major projects such as new industrial parks and high-speed railway," he said. Proposing better people-to-people contacts between the two sides, the Chinese ambassador said, "We should give full play to the high-level people-to-people and cultural exchange mechanism to enhance exchanges in the fields of movie, sports, tourism, museum and youth." Advocating coordination on international and regional issues, Luo said both countries needed to enhance cooperation in platforms like SCO, BRICS, G-20 and join hands to tackle global challenges to forge global economic integration, free trade and multilateralism. Suggesting control and management of bilateral differences, the ambassador said the two countries as neighbors could not wish away differences. "We need to narrow differences through expanding cooperation." The seminar was also addressed by a number of former diplomats, academicians, educationists, scholars, journalists and business leaders from both countries. Amitabh Kant, CEO of the Indian think tank National Institution for Transforming India (NITI), said that it was high time that India and China should not only work together to address bilateral issues but strive to find solutions to the problems faced by the world as a whole. The seminar was jointly organized by the Chinese embassy in India with the Delhi-based Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). MOSCOW, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday discussed the schedule of political contacts between Moscow and Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. In a telephone conversation at the U.S. initiative, Lavrov and Pompeo discussed relations between Russia and the United States, including the schedule of political contacts between the two countries in the near future, the ministry said in a statement. They also touched upon issues regarding the Syrian settlement on the basis of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 and tasks of pooling efforts to address the issues of the Korean Peninsula, according to the statement. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that it was "possible" he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin this summer. Echoing his remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later on the day that Russia does not rule out the possibility of the two leaders meeting this summer, according to Russian media. Relations between Washington and Moscow deteriorated in the past year over alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. JUBA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's main rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-in opposition (SPLM/A-IO) confirmed that its leader Riek Machar has been released from house arrest in South Africa and will travel on Tuesday to attend talks with President Salva Kiir in Ethiopia. Puok Both Baluang, the SPLM-IO deputy director of information and public relations, told Xinhua by phone on Monday that Machar will be traveling to Addis Ababa for the much-awaited face-to-face talks with Kiir. "Yes I can confirm that he (Machar) has been officially released from house arrest and he will be traveling tomorrow (Tuesday) for the talks that will help bring peace to our country," Baluang said. The government has not yet confirmed Kiir's attendance for the talks slated for Wednesday despite having earlier agreed he will meet Machar. The two leaders were invited for the talks by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in a bid to reinforce efforts of the East African bloc IGAD, which is mediating the South Sudan's peace process to help find lasting solution to the more than four years of conflict. The regional mediation body has presented to the warring parties a revised proposal to study and share their views on it. Stephen Par Kuol, the SPLM-IO's chairman of National Committee for Foreign Relations, also welcomed Machar's release. "We are thanking the region and the international community for kind gesture of the releasing of our chairman to come and provide the needed leadership toward peace in our country," he said. South Sudan descended into a civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world. A peace deal signed in 2015 between the warring parties under UN pressure was shattered after the outbreak of renewed violence in July 2016 that forced Machar to flee into exile. The UN estimates that about 4 million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally by the conflicts. A member of the Yemeni pro-government forces fires a recoilless gun at a position in the area of al-Fazah in Yemen's Hodeidah province on June 16, 2016. (AFP photo) by Murad Abdu ADEN, Yemen, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni government forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Monday continued their fight against the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthis in their all-out offensive to free the western port city of Hodeidah, a military official told Xinhua. On the sixth day of the offensive, the government troops fought sporadic clashes with Houthi militants in several areas of Hodeidah, while Saudi-led warplanes concentrated on shelling Houthi-controlled positions around the city's airport. The source, who asked to be anonymous, said government forces also targeted Houthis with artillery and mortar rounds, killing scores of rebels in the areas of Hays and Tuhyatah. "Houthi fighters desperately keep attempting to infiltrate into government-controlled sites but they always fail and get nothing," the local source said. He added that battles around Hodeidah's airport are still ongoing between the two warring sides amid intensified air raids. A field commander told Xinhua by phone that Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition started to deploy more troops and armored vehicles around the airport of Hodeidah in a bid to storm and kick the Houthis out of the facility. Meanwhile, a source from the Operations Command of Hodeidah Liberation told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that "the government forces are establishing a strategic military base on Hodeidah's outskirts to combine the efforts and organize plans for the anti-Houthi operations." "The military base will be used as main headquarters for the armed forces and experts along with field commanders who start managing the battles from there," he said. Six well-trained Brigades of the Al-Amaliqah (Giants), with over 15,000 soldiers belonging to the Southern Resistance Forces backed by the UAE, were also mobilized to storm Hodeidah and lead the fighting against Houthis there, according to the source. In Yemen's capital Sanaa, sources said the talks between the Houthi leaders and the United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths on Hodeidah reached no constructive results. The Houthi leaders postponed the leaving date of the UN envoy to Tuesday, possibly to lay down more conditions for their withdrawal from Hodeidah, including "lifting the blockade and ending the Saudi-led military campaign against Yemen." The Houthi spokesperson told local media that they would not quit Hodeidah easily and would go on "fighting the foreign forces and local mercenaries till they take control of entire Yemen." The UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Anwar Gargash said the Arab coalition is "still counting on the UN attempt to pull a rabbit out of a hat" and convince the Iran-aligned Houthi fighters to cede control of Hodeidah port peacefully without armed confrontations. But an Aden-based government source said it is not the right moment for negotiations with Houthi militias. "Liberating Hodeidah is imminent and our political leadership won't accept any talks particularly at this time," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. "Houthis will never abandon their arms peacefully because they only understand the language of violence and guns. Their existence in Hodeidah caused a lot of of suffering for the people," the government source added. Earlier in the day, local residents in Hodeidah said Houthis launched military preparations, and began digging trenches and blocking roads leading to the port and the airport of the city with cement barricades. According to Hodeidah-based activists, the Houthi militias have captured "a number of farm owners and local citizens in the east of the 50th Street in an attempt to use them as human shields." They said the Houthis gave strict orders to its military checkpoints to prevent local citizens or families from leaving Hodeidah. Several farms were planted with thousands of landmines, and residential buildings turned into military barracks and weapons stores for Houthi fighters. On Sunday, scores of families were displaced due to the fighting in Hodeidah. They took shelter in local schools amid dire humanitarian situation. The Yemeni government, supported by the Emirates Red Crescent, said a committee was formed to identify the displaced, meet their demands and provide them with urgent assistance. Yemen's government forces also announced the opening of safe routes for residents who want to leave Houthi-controlled areas in Hodeidah, and ordered the soldiers to provide local people with protection. Observers said the Houthis will seek to prolong their stay in Hodeidah by exploiting local people and preventing their evacuation in order to cause humanitarian losses as much as possible. The humanitarian issue in Hodeidah will be used by the Houthis as the pretext to stop the Saudi-led military operation aimed at retaking the strategic port city, they said. On Wednesday, Yemeni government forces loyal to Yemen's internationally-backed President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi launched an all-out military campaign. They reached the outskirts of Hodeidah International Airport early Friday amid heavy aerial bombardment from the Saudi-led warplanes. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government regards retaking Hodeidah and its key port "as a milestone on the path of restoring the country from the grips of the Houthis which will mark the beginning of the rebels' fall, and secure navigation in the Bab el-Mandab Strait." Strategically situated on the Red Sea coast, Hodeidah, Yemen's fourth largest city with a population of 600,000, is the only major port city under Houthis' control. The Hodeidah port, which the Houthis captured from Yemen's internationally-recognized government in October 2014, serves as a key source of strength for Houthi militias because it is regarded as a lifeline for many Yemenis. According to the United Nations, Yemen is undergoing world's largest humanitarian crisis since 1945 with two thirds of the population, or 19 million people, in need of humanitarian assistance. The UN warned that the battles to liberate Hodeidah, which has the highest poverty and malnutrition rates in the war-torn country, could kill 250,000 people. PRAGUE, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Czech Republic on Monday commemorated the Czechoslovak paratroopers, who carried out a successful attack and killed Director of the Reich Main Security Office Reinhard Heydrich, one of the Holocaust architects, in 1942. In retaliation for the death of Heydrich, the Nazis razed to the ground Lidice, a central Bohemian village with some 500 inhabitants, on June 10, 1942. The commemorative activity was held in the Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius Church in the Prague centre with the attendance of hundreds of people. Czech politicians including Senate chairman Milan Stech, the Chamber of Deputies deputy chairmen, Jan Hamacek also attended the activity. Golden commemorative plaques were unveiled on the pavement at the corner of the Resslova and Vaclavska streets where the bodies of the seven killed paratroopers were taken out of the church after their last fight. The new memorial includes a QR code on the wall of the Resslova school, referring to further information on the events that occurred 76 years ago. HELSINKI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A court in Helsinki on Monday convicted Member of Parliament Teuvo Hakkarainen of assault and sexual harassment in the parliament building. Hakkarainen was given 45 day fines that amounts to 3,000 euros plus 1,400 euros of compensation to Member of Parliament, Veera Ruoho. The prosecution had demanded heavier punishment of 60 days in prison on probation. Day fines is a Finnish system that adjusts the amount of fines to be paid to the actual income of the convicted person. The incident took place last December in the canteen of the parliament while an evening session was ongoing in the next door plenary hall. Conservative MP Ruoho went to get a cup of coffee when Hakkarainen, of the Finns Party, hooked Ruoho's neck with his arm and enforced a kiss on her. Hakkarainen did the action under the influence of alcohol. He later did not deny the action, but said that he was not guilty of a crime as he had not intended to harm Ruoho. Ruoho is a police officer in her civilian profession. Another MP with police background, Kari Tolvanen, intervened to help Ruoho. The court noted in its verdict that "enforced kissing against the will of a person" amounts to sexual harassment. The court also said Hakkarainen's action was so strong that he must have realized he caused pain to Ruoho. Ruoho told national broadcaster Yle that she received a lot of praise for taking the matter to court, although she had first gravitated towards not pursuing the case. She said on Monday that many people who have experienced comparable situations have told her they have "got justice now, even if they had themselves not been brave enough to seek justice". She added that she also got "dirt mail" critical of her choice of taking the case to court. Hakkaraianen was under fire following his action. His parliamentary group gave him a warning and Hakkarainen gave up the position as the vice chairman of the Finns Party. He was also admonished by the Speaker of Parliament. Hakkarainen is second term Member of Parliament. His flamboyant behaviour and use of alcohol made news already during his first term in parliament, but Hakkarainen was nevertheless reelected in 2015. In Finland an MP can be relieved of his duties, but only if a criminal sentence involves a prison term and only after the verdict is legally valid, either without appeals or having completed the appeals process. The prosecution has not decided whether to appeal. As there is less than a year to go until next elections, observers say time would run out for any measure to expel Hakkarainen from parliament, even if the verdict would be altered. LISBON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government welcomes the preliminary agreement reached on Sunday on the new designation for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the government said in a statement issued on Monday. The Portuguese government hopes that the agreement will put an end to the dispute since 1991, when the independence of the FYROM was declared. The Portuguese government also emphasizes the role of UN mediation, in particular the chief negotiator Matthew Nimetz. The Portuguese government considers that, in addition to allowing the normalization of the bilateral relations between the two states, the agreement will contribute to strengthening the stabilization of the Balkan region and remove an essential obstacle regarding the European and transatlantic perspectives of FYROM, the statement concluded. Foreign ministers of Greece and FYROM signed a preliminary agreement on Sunday, agreeing to rename the Balkan nation the Republic of North Macedonia, despite strong protests over a deal from both sides. KIEV, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's state postal service Ukrposhta said on Monday it has launched the express delivery of goods from Chinese e-commerce platform JD.com. While previously the shipping of goods from the JD.com to buyers in Ukraine took about 45 days, now it takes no more than 14 days, said a statement on the website of Ukrposhta. The express delivery is carried out through the newly-established JD-UKRPOSHTA service, it said. Ukrposhta, the Ukrainian government-run postal operator, has 12,800 offices throughout the country. Last year, Ukrposhta delivered 21.1 million parcels to its consumers. JD.com is one of the leading e-commerce platforms in China, which has about 301.8 million active users. ISLAMABAD, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A senior commander of banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from the airport in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, local Urdu TV channels reported on Monday. According to FIA spokesperson, TTP commander, identified as Maulvi Bahadar Jan, was trying to flee to Dubai in a private airline when authorities apprehended him during checking of his documents at the Bacha Khan International Airport. The arrested commander's name was included in the exit control list by the Pakistani Interior Ministry. He was wanted by the law enforcement agencies for his involvement in various terrorist activities in the country. Following the arrest, the TTP commander was handed over to Counter-Terrorism Department of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for further investigation. On June 4, anti-terrorism department arrested a key commander of TTP from Buner district in the province. He was involved in bomb attacks on police check-posts and attack on paramilitary Frontier Corps camp in Buner. SOFIA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov called here on Monday for immediate European Union (EU) steps against irregular migration in Europe, saying he was not optimistic that Bulgaria could stem the migration flows from the Middle East. Speaking at the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC), Borissov said Bulgaria would propose to the forthcoming European Council that all external borders should be closed and that anybody wishing to enter the EU should do so through the official border crossings and submit to fingerprinting and medical check-ups. Borissov underlined Bulgaria's efforts in deterring irregular migration, namely building a fence along its border with Turkey and reinforcing police patrols. This protection cost European taxpayers 160 million euros (about 185.7 million U.S. dollars). Bulgarian President Rumen Radev also addressed the conference, saying the Bulgarian government had succeeded in steering Europe's agenda by demonstrating stability and organization, and by fostering an atmosphere of candid and open dialogue. A prosperous and stable Europe was out of the question unless the security and stability of the Western Balkans could be guaranteed, he said. "The key to our success lies in foregrounding unity as a determining factor for the achievement of effective solutions," he stressed. The six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, which Bulgaria has held since January of this year, comes to an end at the end of this month. WASHINGTON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Pressure is building on the White House and Congress as more, including some Republicans, have joined Democrats in urging an end to a controversial policy that would separate children from their parents if they get caught crossing the U.S. border illegally. "What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you," Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said. Collins said she favors tighter border security, but also expressed concerns about the family separation policy. "That's traumatizing to the children who are innocent victims, and it is contrary to our values in this country," she said. The administration is charging every adult caught crossing the border illegally with federal crimes, as part of the so-called "zero-tolerance" policy. Last month, Homeland Security began referring all cases of illegal entry to the Justice Department for prosecution. As a result, children are separated from those who are prosecuted, with no clear procedure for their reunion. The children would be transferred to government detention facilities or foster care while officials try to resolve their cases. According to the Department of Homeland Security, nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families after illegally crossing the U.S. border in April and May. In a strongly-worded op-ed carried by The Washington Post on Sunday, former first lady Laura Bush called the policy "cruel" and "immoral," while former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said in an interview during the weekend that President Donald Trump "should be immediately fixing this problem." Trump, White House officials and the president's allies have pushed back criticism over the administration's family separation practice and tried to distance themselves from it. Trump blamed Democrats for the situation. "Why don't the Democrats give us the votes to fix the world's worst immigration laws?" Trump tweeted Monday. "It is the Democrats fault for being weak and ineffective with Border Security and Crime." Referring immigrants for prosecution is not a new policy, but previous administrations did not enforce the practice the way the Trump administration does. "Nobody likes" breaking up families and "seeing babies ripped from their mothers' arms," said presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway, while rejecting the idea that Trump was using the children as leverage to force Democrats to negotiate on immigration and the president's long-promised border wall. Speaking at the National Sheriff's Association conference in New Orleans, state of Louisiana, on Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said that agents are not acting cruelly and officials will not apologize for enforcing immigration laws. Trump is to meet with House Republicans on Tuesday to discuss immigration legislation. The House is expected to vote this week on two bills. The White House has said Trump would sign either of them. First lady Melania Trump also weighed in on the issue. Her spokeswoman said in a statement 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," according to the statement. WASHINGTON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The White House said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump will welcome Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to the White House on July 2 to discuss bilateral ties. "President Trump looks forward to reaffirming the strong bonds of friendship between the United States and the Netherlands, which reach back over four hundred years," said the White House in a statement. The two leaders will also discuss trade and investment between the United States and the Netherlands. They will also discuss shared defense and security goals, both within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and globally, according to the statement. JOHANNESBURG, June 18 (Xinhua) -- South Africa is making progress to achieve the universal health coverage in the country, an official said Monday. Deputy Director General of the National Department of Health, Anban Pillay, said the treasury will have a fund to ensure there is equal access to quality healthcare in both public and private sector. Speaking at the Board of Health Funders (BHF) Southern Africa Conference in Rustenburg, Pillay said they also want to correct the situation where people are not being treated on time. There will be centralized chronic medicines dispensing and distribution to decongest public health facilities of chronic stable patients, according to Pillay. Benjamin Musembi Nganda, health economist at The World Health Organization (WHO), said there is a need to ensure that both rural and urban areas receive same medical treatment. "You have to build synergy between the public and private to reduce fragmentation, minimize waste and improve on the effectiveness of the system," said Nganda. South Africa's Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi will address the media about the National Health Insurance (NHI) bill on Thursday. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 01:44:00|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes that children must not be traumatized by being separated from their parents, said his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, on Monday. "As a matter of principle, the secretary-general believes that refugees and migrants should always be treated with respect and dignity, and in accordance with existing international law," Dujarric said. "Family unity must be preserved." The statement, read out by the spokesman at a regular briefing, is seen by many as directed against the United States. More than 2,000 children have been reportedly taken from their parents who have crossed illegally into the United States from Mexico. The policy recently imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to deter illegal immigration has ignited a great deal of criticism both in an outside the United States. While the spokesman denied the statement was directed specifically against U.S. policy, he admitted the secretary-general was concerned about the situation along the Mexico-U.S. border. "What the secretary-general would like to see at all borders is to see people being treated with dignity and respect for their rights, that people claiming asylum be given proper hearings," Dujarric said. "This is not a position that he has specifically against the United States. This is a principled position that he has for the way refugees and migrants are treated the world over," the spokesman said. "We've all been following what's going on at the border and I think he is concerned as anyone else," Dujarric said. "It is a statement of principle." Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 01:49:03|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close BRUSSELS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- China should not be blamed for the unemployment in America and Europe,a geo-political expert wrote in an article published on Eurasia Future on Monday. "China's success is not the root cause of the failure of certain western economies to keep up with innovation, win-win employment models, education and long term planning," Adam Garrie, director of an independent news platform Eurasia Future, wrote in the Monday's headline article of the website. Garrie listed several internal factors which led to the west's unemployment, and concluded that the U.S. and Europe should find resolution at home other than looking to foreign power or blaming China and the other countries. He firstly focused on industrial workers unemployment in the U.S. and underlined the main factor leading to which is "lack of investment in the industrial sector". "One must constantly re-invest in the industrial sector even when current production techniques and business models are still successful and profitable," he wrote. "If the U.S. did with General Motors and the electronics industry what it does with Boeing, Lockheed and Raytheon, the U.S. and China would be on-par when it comes to industrial production," he added. He said "all the U.S. needs to do is adapt the techniques that have been successful in defence industry and put them to use in the civilian industrial sector." Secondly, Garrie noted "confrontational trade union/labour union model" has become a burden on U.S. and European industry, though labor union was "once highly important and highly effective". In western models, unions are "constantly holding back progress" and often create nothing more than "prolonged strikes or extortionate union dues required by workers" whose jobs are getting less and less safe in spite of unionization. The west needs to end the "hostile atmosphere" of management vs. workforce so as to revive its failed model. Thirdly, the director pointed out that in western models there is "no sustainable preparation for robotics and artificial intelligence(AI)" . Because the profits generated by AI in countries like the U.S. can be "easily off-shored in foreign banks or hedge funds" rather than "be re-invested into the national economy and into people" as what has been done in the market socialist model. "In the western model, those whose jobs are replaced by robots are left with virtually nothing." In a system such as the current one in the U.S. and most of EU, AI will devastate working class individuals," Garrie said. Garrie also mentioned insufficient education systems and work ethic that does not encourage pride in work as other two reasons for unemployment problem existing in the western society. "The next time a politician or celebrity tries to scapegoat China for the west's own inability to come to terms with its internal decline, instead of listening to such regressive rhetoric, tell them to look in the mirror and begin to work at problem solving close to home," he concluded in his article. PARIS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A bicorne hat worn by French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was sold at 350,000 euros (406,105 U.S. dollars) at an auction held in east-central town of Lyon on Monday, local media reported. "This is a hat that is traditionally attributed to Napoleon. It was reportedly picked up after the defeat on the battlefield of Waterloo by a Dutch captain," said Etienne De Baecque, the auctioneer leading the sale. "Since then, it had passed from generation to generation until the end of the last century, where it was sold to the current owner who is a collector (French) of historical objects," he was quoted as saying by local media. The empreror's hat fetched 350,000 euros, nearly nine times the estimated price. It was sold with the box used for its display at the World Expo in Brussels in 1897. The buyer's identity was not unveiled. In 2014, South Korean businessman Kim Hong-Kuk paid 1.8 million euros for a Napoleon's bicorne hat which was part of a prestigious collection auctioned off by Monaco's royal family. GENEVA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is to pay an official visit to Switzerland on July 2-3, the Swiss government said on Monday. Alain Berset, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, will receive Rouhani in Zurich with military honors. A first meeting will take place in Bern, at which Swiss Foreign Affairs Minister Ignazio Cassis and the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, will also attend, the government said in a statement. Official talks will take place on July 3, where Switzerland will be represented by Berset, Finance Minister Ueli Maurer, Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga and Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann. The government said a number of agreements and declarations of intent are expected to be signed during the visit, including the Iran nuclear agreement and one on the situation in the Near and Middle East. "Also on the agenda is the question of how bilateral relations can be further developed in light of the decision by the United States to re-introduce sanctions against Iran, which had been suspended since 2016." Switzerland's foreign ministry says that Iran is an important partner for Switzerland both politically and economically. The two countries adopted a roadmap to intensify bilateral relations at the end of February 2016 when Schneider-Ammann paid a visit to Teheran during his year as president. "This served as an impetus to launch or resume regular dialogue in the fields of economic and financial affairs, human rights, and justice, nuclear safety, and migration," the ministry wrote. "The visit by the Iranian president provides an opportunity to take stock and discuss the next steps in implementing the roadmap." Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 02:14:06|Editor: yan Video Player Close AMMAN, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Monday said the government will soon announce several measures to ease economic burdens shouldered by citizens. He made the remarks Monday at the Prime Ministry as he received congratulations following the formation of a new government. Razzaz, who was last week tasked with heading a new government, said measures will be taken to help Jordanians overcome the tough economic and financial conditions. He added that the government will soon hold a meeting with representatives from society to address national priorities and come up with short-term and long-term plans for boosting economic growth. Last week, Razzaz and members of his new cabinet were sworn in on Thursday before King Abdullah II. This is the first government to be formed by Razzaz, who was education minister in the government of former Prime Minister Hani Mulki who resigned early June following nationwide protests in rejection of the economic policies and the income tax draft law. The first decision by the new cabinet was to withdraw the controversial income tax draft law which had triggered nationwide protests against the bill. TIRANA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A total of 2,500 illegal migrants were stopped from January until today while trying to cross the green border of Albania with Greece, according to Albanian state police. According to the police, more than half of these cases are the same people who, after returning to Greece, re-enter Albania with the hope to travel illegally to Montenegro and then European Union countries. Meanwhile, at the asylum seekers' center in Babrru, part of the capital city of Tirana district, a total of 1,700 migrants applied for asylum, but the number of approvals is almost 10 times lower. Migrants use the camp as a safe point to report to the police that they have arrived in Albania for asylum and after being sheltered for several days, they leave for the border with Montenegro. The rest of migrants who do not seek asylum return to Greece under the Readmission Agreement, but they enter again and there have been cases when a person was banned over 10 times. Migrants mainly from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and North Africa declared that they paid up to 500 euros to Albanian traffickers to move to Montenegro. But earlier similar Greek traffickers have received another similar payment. In the meantime, the Albanian police have increased measures and 200 members of the Rapid Intervention Force in Korca, Gjirokastra and Shkodra districts are on the alert to support the border line. Early this month Albanian border police announced that they have taken additional measures along the border with Greece to stop the illegal migrants whose number has increased significantly. Moreover, a total of 45 Frontex officers are deployed for the first time in the northern part of Greece at the border with Albania in order to prevent the influx of immigrants. PRAGUE, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Czech military plans to spend over 100 billion crowns (about 4.5 billion U.S. dollars) on equipment purchase by 2027, said Czech Chief-of-Staff Ales Opata on Monday. According to Opata, the purchase will help the military to respond to current and future threats. More than 100 purchase and upgrading projects will be completed within the next 10 years. The new equipment includes CASA transport aircraft, multipurpose helicopters, mobile and airbase radars, armoured vehicles, an anti-aircraft system and combat drones. The most expensive purchase will be the plan to buy 210 tracked infantry fighting vehicles, for an estimated price of 53 billion crowns (about 2.4 billion U.S. dollars). Another important modernization project is the purchase of 12 multipurpose helicopters that will provide firing support for ground forces and transport goods and wounded persons. They will replace the old Russian-made Mi-24s combat helicopters. The military also plans to buy 52 artillery guns of 155 mm caliber, which is commonly used in NATO. Jaromir Alan, head of the Defence Ministry acquisition planning section, said new short range air defence (SHORAD) systems will replace the current Russian production. The T-72 tank will also be further upgraded. According to Opata, the weapon system would be improved. By 2025, the military commanders will have to decide whether the Russian tanks would be replaced by new equipment or not. Czech air force commander Petr Hromek said the military would like to receive two new CASA transport planes which will replace the old Jak-40 aircrafts after 2020. The JAS-39 Gripen fighters will be upgraded and will be capable of hitting ground targets. LUSAKA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government said Monday that it plans to increase electricity generation to 6,000 megawatts by 2030. Emeldah Chola, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, said the government wants to increase electricity generation from the current 3,100 megawatts in order to meet anticipated demand. She said when meeting a delegation of investors from South Africa that the government has embarked on various projects in order to improve generation capacity. While acknowledging that 80 percent of the country's electricity came from hydro source, the official said the government has embarked on diversification of the energy sector to alternative energy sources such as solar, thermal and wind energy. The official called on investors to explore the country's potential in the energy sector. The 25-member delegation arrived in Zambia on Sunday to explore investment opportunities in various sectors of the economy. The delegation, whose main focus was in steel, energy, rail and mining sectors, was expected to hold meetings with various government ministries and the private sector. Karabo Modimokwane, Director of South Africa Department of Trade and Industry, said South African businesses were looking for projects where they could partner with their Zambian counterparts. HELSINKI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Heavyweight speakers attending a high-profile security seminar in Finland have said the seemingly crumbling international system based on rules by agreements will cause problems for small countries in particular. In the opening panel discussion on Sunday, Miroslav Lajcek, the current president of the United Nations General Assembly, Carl Bildt, former Swedish prime minister and foreign minister, and Mari Kiviniemi, former Finnish prime minister and current assistant secretary general of the OECD, all agreed in this view. Lajcak said that "listening to the other side has been forgotten." He claimed the situation is worse than ever before. Both Lajcak and Bildt predicted that the bottom of bad news about the world order has not been reached yet. Bildt took up the U.S. security strategy that he defined as being based on the idea that countries will compete with each other. "The idea that all countries are each other's competitors may sound good, if you are an American, but for us Europeans such a competition leads to conflicts and wars," Bildt said. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto deplored the diminished role of both the European Union and the United Nations in solving international conflicts. He made the remarks when talking to the media before the annual summer think tank seminar, which takes place in the presidential summer residence in Naantali, southwestern Finland. Former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari said he believes in the abilities of the UN to function today as well. Ahtisaari was the laureate of Nobel Peace Prize in 2008. The two-day seminar, now in its seventh year, will culminate with closing remarks by the UN secretary general Antonio Guterrez on Monday. The event is available by invitation to well over a hundred Finnish politicians, researchers and journalists. The panel discussions are broadcast live on national television. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 02:59:19|Editor: yan Video Player Close ANKARA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish army on Monday announced the start of patrols in the northern Syrian city of Manbij by the Turkish and U.S. troops. The Turkish Armed Forces said on Twitter that the patrols were being carried out between Manbij and Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield area. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the launch of the joint patrols late Monday. Armored vehicles of Turkish army were deployed around Sajur stream which divides Jarablus town and Manbij, reported state-run Anadolu Agency. The joint forces carried out patrols in an area overlooking the U.S. base in Syria's Dadat town, and the patrols lasted around three hours. The move came in line with the roadmap on Manbij agreed by Turkey and the United States earlier this month, which focused on the withdrawal of the People's Protection Units (YPG) militants from the northern Syria. Turkey regards the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and has long been urging the United States to remove the YPG from Manbij, where about 2,000 U.S. soldiers are currently deployed. Relations between Turkey and the United States have been strained over Washington's support to the YPG, prompting fears of military clashes in Manbij between the two NATO allies. NAIROBI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Confucius Institute at Moi University (CIMU) in collaboration with China's Donghua University on Monday held a fashion show in Nairobi as part of efforts to promote linkages between Kenya and China. Peter Simatei, the Kenyan director of CIMU, said the fashion show is expected to act as a communication platform between the governments and companies in the two countries. "The show is to help showcase the Chinese and Kenyan textile with the aim of boosting Kenya's economy," Simatei said during the ongoing China Trade Week in Nairobi. Huang Peixi, the Chinese director of CIMU and general supervision of this program, said this fashion show will also help promote the China-Kenya relationship and deepen the understanding of the two peoples. Huang noted that the display will help the two countries improve on their fashion and thus promote their culture. Han Zheyu, Director of Shanghai Greater Donghua Fashion and Innovation Center, revealed that the next fashion show that will be held in China will see students showing the rich Chinese culture. "This is an important platform for showing the two countries cultures as opposed to only showing economic developments," he added. Zhuo Wu, chairman of the Kenya Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCC), hailed the show as a platform for promoting trade and commerce between the two countries. "We are looking at opportunities of working together with the Kenya business community that could help promote Kenya's Big Four Agenda," he said. Zhuo said the chamber has embarked on ensuring that Chinese companies set up companies locally to help create employment and growth instead of producing and selling product made in China. Kabui Macharia, from the Fiber Crops Directorate at the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), noted that Kenya is keen on learning the technology from China to help promote the cotton sub sector that almost collapsed in the country. "We welcome the fashion show as an opportunity to enable us show case our products even as we trade with the Chinese people," he added. Launched in 2015, CIMU is the first Confucius Institute featuring textile engineering and fashion design and is operated by Kenya's Moi University and China's Donghua University. It offers courses in mandarin, Chinese culture and tutoring class to students in and out of the Moi University. View of an African spurred tortoise and five offsprings who were born at the zoo, in Guadalajara, Mexico, Jalisco state, 17 May 2018. (AFP photo) JERUSALEM, June 18 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli-led team of researchers reported on Monday findings indicating that mammals with larger pancreatic cells age faster, while those with smaller cells seem to live longer. The research result by scientists from Israel, Canada, and Germany was published in the journal Developmental Cell. "A correlation between two things that are so remote was shockingly beautiful and unexpected," Yuval Dor, head of the team, from the Hebrew University's Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, said in a statement released by the university. Until recently, scientists believed that most mammals' organs grow by cell proliferation. However, Dor and his colleagues noticed that the volume of each pancreatic cell of newborn mice is significantly smaller than that of adults. Repeated measurements showed that the growth of individual pancreatic cells, known as acinar cells, is responsible for much of the pancreas growth after birth. "This was surprising because the assumption was that post-natally, the pancreas grows by increasing the number of cells, just as most organs do," said Dor. The researchers put this observation to test by analyzing cell samples taken from mammals from the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo and Israel's Kimron Veterinary Institute. Pancreas samples from a variety of mammals, from tiny Etruscan shrews to tigers, were examined. When analyzing the data, they found that "mammalian species that aged faster had larger acinar cells, whereas species that lived longer had smaller acinar cells," the statement read. The researchers said they want to further study the molecular mechanism which underlies their observation to understand the link between bigger cells and aging. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 03:34:37|Editor: yan Video Player Close AMMAN, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Amman who conducted a short visit to the kingdom, the state-run Petra news agency reported. At the meeting, the king stressed the need to make progress in efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution and in line with the UN resolutions and the Arab peace initiative. The king said all efforts should lead to the creation of an independent Palestinian state at the borders of 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital, which is the sole way to attain Mideast peace and stability. The king stressed that Jerusalem is precious to the Muslims and Christians as it is to the Jews, and Jerusalem is the key to peace in the Middle East. The meeting covered topics including the Red-Dead Canal project that will convey water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, generate electricity, and desalinate water. Talks also covered lifting sanctions on West Bank export, which enhances trade between Jordan and Palestine. ADDIS ABABA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Monday said that the government's recent reconciliation efforts have created better security situations and strengthened unity among Ethiopians. Ahmed, while briefing the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives (HoPR), said the various reconciliation efforts accompanied by discussions with different groups have brought better security situations. According to Ahmed, the East African country "was at a cross road as the worsening and formidable peace and security challenges exacerbated earlier this year, eventually leading Africa's second populous nation into a brink of disintegration." He said the instability, which forced the country to impose state of emergency twice since the second half of 2016, had created havoc among Ethiopians that impeded their constitutional rights and created serious challenges on their well-being. Ahmed's premiership started in April amid recurrent unrests and mass anti-government demonstrations in parts of the country, particularly in Ethiopia's largest Oromia regional state where Ahmed has a strong support. "Measures that were taken to bring back the country's stability following the recent government transition have helped to eliminate the existed misunderstanding and negative thinking among Ethiopians," Ahmed told members of the HoPR, the Ethiopian parliament's lower house. The premier's comment came amid the ongoing riot that has hit Ethiopia's southern regional capital city of Hawassa since last week, killing at least 10 people. The riots involved ethnic Sidamas, the original inhabitants of Hawassa city, and the neighboring Wolaita ethnic group. Ahmed, who is due to travel to the affected city this week, has urged people to refrain from acts of destruction. LONDON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Britain's unelected House of Lords inflicted a major defeat Monday for Prime Minister Theresa May with a landslide vote in a debate on the government's Brexit bill. The vote came after the lords debated an amendment over the wording of what would be a meaningful vote on a final Brexit deal with the European Union (EU). May and her senior Brexit ministers were eager to avoid words in the Brexit bill that would tie their hands in their negotiations with Brussels. The House of Lords voted by 354 votes to 235 in favor of an amendment that had been worded by pro-EU Conservative MP, the former Attorney General Dominic Grieve. It will mean a new cliffhanger when MPs vote on Wednesday to decide how much of a say the British Parliament should have on a Brexit deal. Media reports in London said more than 22 Conservative peers voted against May's government in what will be seen as a massive blow for May and her government. Grieve said later the government went back on an agreement reached with May last week when he supported the government in the House of Commons during the debate on the Brexit withdrawal bill. He said the compromise reached was changed and made it unacceptable. Lord Hailsham, who led the anti-government rebellion in the Lords said he was asking members to make a decision to enable a House of Commons to vote on what Grieve believed had been agreed with the government last week. He described Brexit as a national calamity for Britain. Hailsham said the government's offer not only failed to deliver a promised meaningful vote but was worse. HELSINKI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday the world would need a stronger and "more intervening" European Union. Addressing a major think tank seminar arranged by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, in Naantali, southwestern Finland, Guterres said the European Union is "missing action" in many areas where the UN and others would need it. "We need multilateral systems and a clear set of rules for international relations. This is where the European Union has an absolutely crucial role to play," Guterres told some hundred Finnish politicians and specialists who were reviewing the future of the international system and the risks awaiting small countries in particular. "Lack of trust is becoming a serious problem in international relations," he said. "The world is moving from bipolar or unipolar system to being multipolar. But multipolar does not mean that it would be harmonious and peaceful," he noted. With a view to solving conflicts, Guterres underlined preventive work. "Mechanisms of control that existed earlier do not exist any longer. All the fault lines enhance each other and it is very difficult to find an entry point. And it is more and more difficult to solve conflicts." Guterres said that for the first time since the cold war the risk of a nuclear conflict exists. Listing the current challenges, he mentioned the Middle East as the worst, coupled with the climate change, inequality, cyber security and proliferation risks of weapons. He assured, however, that he wants to remain optimistic. The UN chief said the aims of the Paris climate meeting do not suffice but more has to be done. He said the climate change moves on faster than human can act. He expressed concern with an increase in world inequality. Many areas in the world are lagging behind and that is a risk also from the security angle. Guterres said "a fair globalization" has not been created yet. He warned of the threats related to the technological advance. There will be dramatic changes in the availability of jobs and in the structure of societies. He said the international community is not prepared for that change. "We have had similar situations in the past, but usually there was time to adjust. It is not clear whether this impact can be absorbed." He believed countries with high technologies can survive the challenge, but not every country can. He saw the future role of the UN as a platform for discussions. Guterres noted the traditional forms of regulations do not apply to artificial intelligence. UN could play a role, but rigid regulation would not be possible. Earlier on Monday, Guterres met a high level advisory board on mediation in Helsinki. It has been initiated by the secretary general to strengthen mediation efforts and prevent conflicts. Among the members of the board are former Finnish president Tarja Halonen, Nobel peace prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta and the former president of Chile Michelle Bachelet. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 04:24:57|Editor: yan Video Player Close GENEVA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The UN refugee agency UNHCR on Monday urged the United States to prioritize family unity and the best interests of children as it implements new border management policies along the US-Mexico border. "There are effective ways to ensure border control without putting families through the lasting psychological trauma of child-parent separation," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said. "UNHCR stands ready to support the United States in implementing humane and secure alternatives," he added. In a media statement issued Monday evening, UNHCR also stressed that it continues to call on governments to work together to address the root causes in Central America and at the same time ensure safe haven for families fleeing life-threatening violence. According to the UNHCR, growing numbers of families in Central America have been forced in recent years to flee extraordinary, unchecked violence, and these families have been seeking protection in countries throughout the region. STOCKHOLM, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Swedish police said Malmo shooting is not terrorism related, Swedish news agency TT reported on Monday. TT news agency quoted police source in Malmo in southern Sweden as reporting that the shooting, at Drottninggatan in central Malmo, was not terrorism-related, and there was no cause for the public to be alarmed. Latests reports by Swedish Television put the number of injured at five, quoting local police and medical care sources. But there was no information about how seriously wounded they were. "We have sealed off the area and are conducting interviews and will interview those who are injured if they can or are willing to speak,"Stephan Soderholm, spokesman for the police was quoted by TT as saying. Shooting was reported Monday night in southern Swedish city of Malmo. The police have secured the site as a suspected crime scene and had blocked the area. Further investigation is ongoing. RABAT, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Burkina Faso have inked a partnership framework agreement to develop renewable energy, the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) said in a statement on Monday. Inked by Masen's head Mustapha Bakkoury and Burkina Faso's energy minister Bachir Ismael Ouedraogo in Rabat, this agreement seeks to foster bilateral cooperation through sharing of information, expertise and know-how in the area of renewable energy, the statement pointed out. The agreement aims to serve as a platform for the two sides to boost renewable energy share in their respective energy mix. Bakkoury said "we strongly believe that sharing expertise and know-how with our southern and northern neighbours is crucial for technological and economic development of renewable energy to turn it into competitive and accessible technologies." Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 04:55:04|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday welcomed the Afghan government's announcement at the weekend to extend a temporary cease-fire with the Taliban after the Eid al-Fitr holiday. The members of the Security Council also expressed their strong disappointment that the Taliban have not extended their previously announced partial cease-fire, and urged them to reciprocate the government's cease-fire in full, said the council in a press statement. The members of the Security Council reiterated their call upon the Taliban to accept the offer made by the Afghan government in February this year to engage in direct peace talks without any preconditions, said the statement. The council members reiterated the importance of an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process for the long-term prosperity and stability of Afghanistan, and expressed their full support for the Afghan government's efforts to that end. The Afghan government announced on June 7 a week-long temporary cease-fire starting on June 12 till the end of Eid al-Fitr celebrations, and later extended the unilateral cease-fire for 10 days. The Taliban agreed on a three-day partial cease-fire during the Eid al-Fitr holiday and refused to extend it. STOCKHOLM, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Five people were wounded in a shooting on Monday evening near a court house and the police headquarters in the city center of Malmo, southern Sweden. According to the police, the five wounded men were all brought to hospital after the shooting, their identities had still not been confirmed and there was no known culprit, Swedish Television reported on Monday. "There are wounded people who have been brought to hospital by ambulance and some who have gone there in private vehicles. We cannot comment further on their situation," said Fredrik Bratt, a police press spokesperson. Local newspaper Sydsvenskan reported that the incident was a drive-by shooting and took place outside an internet cafe. All five wounded men stood on the pavement outside the internet cafe when an automatic weapon was fired at them from a car.Sydsvenskan reported that three of the five are seriously wounded. The shooting took place in a busy area early in the evening. One witness told Sydsvenskan: "We were having coffee on the square and heard the shooting, but it sounded more like thunder." Another woman who lives in the area, said: "I was standing near the fire station when I heard five gun shots. Then the police came and cordoned off the area. I saw the ambulance, they picked someone up." Security around the hospital was tightened on Monday evening, where the ER department was cordoned off. Both police and emergency rescue personnel were at the scene, where, according to media reports, there were bullet casings strewn on the ground. Swedish TT news agency on Monday quoted police source in Malmo as saying that the shooting, at Drottninggatan in central Malmo, was not terrorism-related, and there was no cause for the public to be alarmed. "We have sealed off the area and are conducting interviews and will interview those who are injured if they can or are willing to speak," Stephan Soderholm, spokesman for the police was quoted by TT as saying. The police have secured the site as a suspected crime scene and had blocked the area. Further investigation is ongoing. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 05:20:08|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close Naked Cowboy Robert John Burck poses for photos at Times Square in New York City, the United States, on June 18, 2018. Forecasted highs for Central Park, New York City, are expected to hit 95 degrees (35 degrees Celsius), which would tie a record that was set back in 1929. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) NEW YORK, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Some schools in the New York metropolitan area, which covers parts of the U.S. states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, closed early due to excessive heat on Monday. Multiple school districts in the tri-state area had early dismissals Monday, from the lower Hudson Valley to north Jersey, according to local media reports. In New Jersey, all Jersey City schools closed at 12:45 p.m., and after school programs were also canceled. However, New York City schools were operating on a normal schedule, the reports said. Parts of the tri-state area could tie or even break record high temperatures to start the workweek as temps are expected to soar into the 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), meteorologists said. Forecasted highs for Central Park, New York City, are expected to hit 95 degrees (35 degrees Celsius), which would tie a record that was set back in 1929. New York State's Health Department and Department of Environmental Conservation has issued a weather advisory for New York City, the Lower Hudson Valley and Long Island for 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday. New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Sunday urged New Yorkers to take precautions against heat related illnesses and limit strenuous outdoor physical activity. GABORONE, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Botswana is working towards finalizing the modalities aimed at eradicating the use of plastic bags across the country, according to a top official of the Botswana's environment ministry. Thabang Botshoma, deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, told Xinhua Monday that his ministry has already developed the modalities for the implementation of regulations that will ban plastic bags. "We are putting measures and systems in place," said Botshoma on the sidelines of a meeting with municipal officials of the City of Francistown in Botswana's second largest city. Botshoma said municipalities should be proactive in ensuring that measures and systems are in place at all cost. He said municipalities are expected to provide residents with waste or plastic disposal bins. "Plastic bags are harmful to animals and the environment. And we are doing everything within our power to ensure cities as well as rural areas are free of plastic bags," he said. Towards the end of last month, the Department of Waste Management and Pollution Control(DWMPC) kicked off nationwide consultations on the planned ban of plastic carrier and flat bags. The government of Botswana is working towards total eradication of plastic bags following the realization that the carrier bags are made of materials which do not biodegrade thereby posing a negative impact on the environment, health and animals. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 05:45:13|Editor: yan Video Player Close LONDON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Swiss master Roger Federer is back to world number one on the latest ATP rankings released on Monday. The 36-year-old is back at No. 1 for the record 310th week after capturing his 98th tour-level title of career in the Stuttgart Open beating Milos Raonic of Canada in the final. The Swiss was making his comeback in grass season having skipped the clay season to rest. Rafael Nadal of Spain dropped down from No. 1 after sitting out last week following his 11th French Open title earlier this month. MEXICO CITY, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Foreign investors consider Mexico as a strong destination among emerging markets due to its attractive pricing, a new report by Citibanamex, the local subsidiary of Citigroup Inc, revealed on Monday. In the report, Citibanamex said that during May, the reduction in prices of Mexican assets, attractive valuations on the stock exchange and the rate of the peso were viewed approvingly by foreign investors. According to the bank, foreign investors pumped 866 million dollars in May into the local stock exchange, bringing the total in the first five months of the year to 2.862 billion dollars. "Foreigners like Mexico and, differing from the outgoing capital flows seen in emerging markets in recent months, the stock exchange in Mexico has remained attractive," read the report by analyst Octavio Garcia. The document said that accumulated capital entering Mexico this year should place Mexico above any other emerging market. According to Citibanamex, foreign resources represent 0.7 percent of the stock market's value as opposed to just 0.1 percent in South Africa and Brazil. The bank said, in May, Mexico saw the largest monthly adjustment in around a decade, due to the U.S. trade situation, especially the placing of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. The peso depreciated by 7.6 percent against the U.S. dollar in May, also due to doubts about the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which are in tense renegotiation among Canada, the United States and Mexico. Citibanamex said several more months are likely needed to settle the future of the landmark trade agreement, with negotiations being complicated by general elections in Mexico in July and the U.S. mid-term elections in November. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 05:50:15|Editor: yan Video Player Close ANKARA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish and U.S. armies have started a patrol mission in the northern Syrian town of Manbij, Turkish leadership announced on Monday. "We had said the terror organizations would get out. They started to get out. The patrolling has started," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a rally in northern Samsun province of Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu detailed the mission, saying that Turkish soldiers have not entered the Manbij city yet, but they will enter stage by stage. The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) will be removed from Manbij and Turkish army will continue to work for stability of the region, he said, noting that they want to implement the Manbij plan in other cities of Syria as well. "I hope we will implement this plan in Manbij, then move to other cities. Our goal is to get YPG out of all the regions they control," the minister said. In a statement on Twitter, the Turkish Armed Forces announced a patrol mission with the United States conducted on Monday between Euphrates Shield area and Manbij. The joint forces carried out patrols in an area overlooking the U.S. base in Syria's Dadat town which lasted around three hours, Anadolu Agency reported. The move comes after a deal between Turkish Foreign Minister and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on June 4 over the Manbij roadmap that brings about the retreat of YPG elements from Manbij. Ankara has long been exerting pressure on Washington for withdrawal of Syrian Kurds in Manbij to the east of the Euphrates River since the group built up its military and administrative power in the region after defeating Islamic State (IS) group there in 2016. Turkey accuses the YPG of having ethnically cleansed Arabs and other minorities from the areas it captured during the Syrian civil war in order to establish a Kurdish entity in northern Syria. Therefore, Turkey asked the United States to establish a new administrative model in Manbij and in other disputed regions where the demography will be fairly represented. The U.S. troops were stationed alongside YPG militants in Manbij following an offensive against the Islamic State (IS), a move irked Ankara, who sees the Kurdish group as Syrian branch of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). On Jan. 20, Turkish troops and the allied Syrian rebels launched an offensive to drive the YPG out of the Afrin district. Ankara warned the United States that its army could move further into Manbij as well, signaling a risk of confrontation with the U.S. soldiers there. Washington had called for restraint, and in March, former U.S. Secretary State Rex Tillerson rushed to Ankara for a meeting with Erdogan to repair their relations, following months of spat mostly because of the U.S. support to Syrian Kurds. A working group was formed after the meeting and the officials outlined a roadmap for Manbij which was kicked off in early June at a meeting of the new U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo and his Turkish counterpart. In the first stage, the plan envisages removal of the YPG from Manbij and patrolling of the U.S. and Turkish army in the region to maintain security. The United States and Turkey will also work together to establish a local administration, upon Ankara's demand to form a city council at which the demographic structure of the region will be reflected. The Manbij roadmap will be a significant step for the two sides from "confidence crisis" to bilateral cooperation, Abdullah Agar, a security expert said. Turkey aims to implement the plan for the east of Euphrates, he said, adding that Ankara sees the region as a threat to its national security. "Turkey wants to eliminate influence of PKK in the region," he said, referring to Kobane province near southern border of Turkey. RABAT, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A two-day international conference opened Monday in the Moroccan capital Rabat to discuss challenges in peacekeeping operations on the African continent. Organized by the Moroccan think-tank OCP Policy Center, the event brings together a hundred of participants including senior military officers, law experts, university professors and representatives of international organizations. Youssef Amrani, Morocco's former foreign minister, said the multidimensional challenges facing Africa, including the persistence of conflicts, terrorism, migration and climate change, should be addressed in depth. He stressed that the complexity and escalation of crises on the continent had demonstrated that peacekeeping operations and military responses alone could not be effective instruments to combat instability, insecurity or violent extremism. It is fundamental to place peacekeeping operations within the framework of a political process, which will go along with political, socio-economic and development reforms at all levels, he added. The conference agenda features political and strategic aspects of peacekeeping operations, achievements made by the UN blue helmets, protection of civilians during peacekeeping operations, peacekeepers' capacity building and the role of the African Union in peacekeeping operations. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 06:05:21|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close Rescued immigrants are seen at a naval base in Tripoli, Libya, on June 18, 2018. Five illegal immigrants were drowned on Monday, and 191 others rescued off the western coast of Libya, Libyan navy spokesperson said. (Xinhua/Hamza Turkia) TRIPOLI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Five illegal immigrants were drowned on Monday, and 191 others rescued off the western coast of Libya, Libyan navy spokesperson said. Two separate operations were carried out by the coast guards, Ayob Qassem, adding that the first one was eight miles off Mellita town in the city of Zuwara, some 120 km west of the capital Tripoli, and rescued 115 illegal immigrants on a rubber boat. "Five bodies of immigrants were recovered," Qassem said. The illegal immigrants were in a bad condition as a result of waves hitting their boat, tearing it apart, and water leaking. Some of them fell and drowned in the sea, Qassem said. The spokesperson said the rescued were taken to Tripoli naval base, and provided with humanitarian and medical assistance. They were then handed over to the anti-illegal immigration department of Tripoli. Qassem also said that 76 others of different African nationalities were rescued in another operation off the coast of the city of Zawiya, some 45 km west of Tripoli, confirming that the migrants were also handed over to the anti-illegal immigration department. Libya is a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants who want to cross the Mediterranean towards Europe, due to the state of insecurity and chaos. Improved weather conditions increase the flows of migrants towards Europe, particularly off the western coast of Libya. HAVANA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Cuban government opened on Monday the 3rd Edition of International Convention and Exhibition of Cuban Industry (CubaIndustria 2018), seeking to attract foreign investors to revitalize the country's economy. The Minister of Industry, Salvador Pardo, highlighted that the meeting is being attended by representatives from around 30 countries, including China, Russia, Spain, Germany and Italy. Pardo stressed that the event is aimed at promoting Cuba's official portfolio of investment and to attract foreign capital and entrepreneurs, in order to establish joint ventures and develop strategic economic sectors. With the participation of a Chinese business delegation, the official confirmed the "excellent" state of bilateral ties between Havana and Beijing. Pardo said Cuba and China have signed relevant cooperation agreements in the spheres of renewable energy and transportation, among other important areas. CubaIndustria 2018 includes a business forum at which Cuban officials will provide insights on the advantages of investing at the island's first Special Economic Development Zone, located at the megaport of Mariel, 50 kilometers west of Havana. The Mariel Special Economic Development Zone is the largest infrastructure project executed by the Cuban government in the last decade and is expected to become the nation's main gateway for foreign trade. Cuba needs over 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in foreign investments annually to achieve sustainable development, according to figures released by the Minister of Foreign Investment and Trade, Rodrigo Malmierca. The arrival of foreign entrepreneurs is not only important due to fresh injection of capital into Cuba but also bringing in modern know-how and high technology that the country needs to update its economic model. DUBLIN, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A total of 75 people have been killed in road accidents in Ireland so far this year, a figure higher than that in the first half of last year, said an official here on Monday. The statistics were revealed while a senior official in charge of the country's road safety issued warnings to road users following a recent string of road crashes that had claimed nine lives over the last nine days in Ireland. Moyagh Murdock, chief executive of Road Safety Authority (RSA), told local media RTE that five more people have been killed so far this year while compared with the first half of last year. She called on drivers to respect the traffic rules,especially the speed limits, and cyclists and pedestrians to wear high visibility clothing to ensure they are seen. The deteriorating tendency shown in the country's road safety situation has obviously made the RSA boss concerned as whether or not her department can achieve a better performance this year than they did last year. Last year the RSA reported a record low in fatal road crashes and road fatalities since 1959. According to the RSA figures, a total of 143 fatal road crashes occurred in Ireland in 2017, leaving 158 people killed. These represented an 18 percent decrease in fatal crashes and a 15 percent drop in deaths over the previous year. The Irish government has set a target to make the country's roads as safe as the best performing countries in the European Union. The government has promised to reduce the road fatalities in the country with a population of nearly 4.8 million people to 124 or fewer by the year 2020, which is a very challenging target in terms of the ratio of the number of road deaths against population. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-19 06:40:27|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close A civilian receives medical treatment at a hospital after wounded in battles in Hodeidah, Yemen, on June 18, 2018. Arab coalition forces on Monday continued air, sea and ground bombardment on Iranian-allied Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. (Xinhua/Emad Aumaisy) SANAA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Arab coalition forces on Monday continued air, sea and ground bombardment on Iranian-allied Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. The coalition, led by armies of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE), launched major assault six days ago aiming at capturing the city's strategic airport in the southern edge of Hodeidah. Human rights activist Adel Bishr of local independent Al-Saleh Charity Foundation told Xinhua that the ground battles were still centered in Manzara village along the Red Sea shore, around 10 km southeast of the airport. Houthi fighters using AK-47 Klashnikov rifles have strongly fought back, and blocked several advancing attempts by the coalition forces, Bishr said. "The airport and all its gates and main roads around it are still under control of Houthi fighters," said Bishr who along with a 10-member team travelled from Sanaa to Hodeidah last week for a humanitarian task. He said the situation inside the city is relatively calm, but the coalition warplanes have conducted tens of airstrikes on the airport, "causing panic among the residents." Houthi-run al-Masira television reported six airstrikes hit al-Durayhemi district and areas around the airport. It said one airstrike hit a house in the district, killing four men and a woman. On Sunday, the television reported 26 airstrikes on the airport. The whole port city of around 600,000 people is still under the control of Houthi fighters, according to Bishr. "Houthi fighters have cut off the Kilo 16 Road linking Hodeidah downtown to the highway leading to the capital Sanaa, and set up dozens of military checkpoints," Bishr said. Nearly 3,000 people had fled Manzara and al-Durayhemi district to schools inside Hodeidah city and some others managed to escape to mountainous districts far away. "I heard from some of the displaced families that they saw dozens of dead fighters from both rival forces lying on the streets in Manzara and along the road leading to the airport," Bishr said. The coalition said it has gathered 20,000 soldiers for the most major battle since more than three years of war, and there will be swift and clean assault to seize the air and sea ports. Houthi media reported that they have dispatched 4,000 fighters in pick-up vehicles for defending the port city. Meanwhile, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told a news conference in Dubai that the coalition forces' offensive in the Yemeni western coast, which leads by his country's forces, are taking into account the humanitarian situations and the population. "Our approach is methodical, gradual to pressure Houthis to do the right thing, which is basically the decision to withdraw unconditionally," Gargash said. Gargash said the coalition leadership is in contact with Martin Griffiths, the UN special envoy for Yemen, to secure a deal with Houthi to retreat from Hodeidah. Griffiths arrived in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Saturday, in renewed effort to stop the fighting in Hodeidah. It is the second official visit to Sanaa by Griffiths in two weeks. Griffiths stressed that the UN is determined to press ahead with the political process to halt the ongoing fighting in the southern port city of Hodeidah, according to the Houthi media reports. On Monday, Griffiths met with Houthi top official Mahdi al-Mashat to discuss the possibility of stopping the war, the rebel-controlled Saba news agency reported, but it provided no further details. Griffiths is expected to leave Sanaa on Tuesday, according to a Houthi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. International humanitarian agencies have warned that an assault on Hodeidah would be a major disaster to the densely populated port city and would block aid supplies to more than 20 million people. Hodeidah is the only lifeline route of supplying imports and humanitarian aid to the northern Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015. The war has killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, and forced 3 million others out of their homes. Oz Clarke is one of the biggest wine experts in the world as well as the ambassador for Hungarian wines. According to boraszportal.hu, Clarke believes in a bright future for Hungarian wines and he even revealed his top 10 list of wines that are most likely to be a hit on the international market. Oz Clarke visited the Hungarian Embassy in London back in May where a luncheon along with a wine tasting was held. Visitors were able to taste around 70 kinds of Hungarian wines, selected by the Embassy. Oz Clarke was very enthusiastic when he asked about the wines and specifically highlighted the great tradition of wine production in Hungary. As an expert, he probably knows what he is talking about. After all, a lot of research went into his 2015 book in which he claimed that the Tokaj region was a real trailblazer in some sense. During this tasting, Clarke emphasised that this 21st-century-era of wines brought about people realising that international brands are now a thing of the past. The younger generation does not want to drink what their parents did, they want to explore and gain experiences. Therefore, Clarke believes that the younger generation would prefer to return to the local aboriginal kinds of wines instead of consuming the big international types. Central Europe, specifically Hungary, are in an especially advantageous position. In fact, Oz Clarke drew attention to the types that have been forgotten or even altogether unknown. These include Hungarian types like furmint, harslevelu, jardovany as well as kekfrankos, although, considering the pronunciation of these names, their total acceptance by the international scene may take a little longer. Nevertheless, here is the list of top ten Hungarian wines that Oz Clarke recommends: 1. Majoros Dry Muskotaly, (2015, Tokaj) This fresh, vibrant wine includes a pinch of grapefruit and orange peel along with some flowery flavours. 2. Kolonics Juhfark, (2016, Somlo) This wine has rich flavours as well as a splash of tropical and stone fruits, making it extra creamy. 3. Kikelet Harslevelu, 2015 (Tokaj) This wine has a rich, thick texture and even contains some apple tree blossoms and stone fruit. It has a nice, strong strawy smell. 4. Barta Furmint, (2015, Tokaj) This refreshing wine with lemons acidity and tropical fruits, namely pineapples, is the perfect choice to complement some goat cheese and can be a real people pleaser. 5. Szepsy Birtok Furmint, (2015) With a straw-like colour and essence, this wine has a rich, full taste originating from peaches and pears, with some additional acids. 6. Attila Gere Black Jardovany, (2016) This respected wine has the wonderful smell of black cherries and some slight sparkling taste. The real taste of it emerges once it is in the mouth, it has the smoky essence of black cherries and cranberries. 7. Nimrod Kovacs 777 Pinot Noir, (2015) This tasty fruit bomb contains raspberries and cherries. It got its name after the Dijon 777 Pinot Noir, making a clear reference to Burgundy. 8. Koch Kekfrankos, (2016) With a strong, spicy taste combined with black fruit characteristics and a silky softness, this wine can be a perfect choice. 9. St Andrea Hangacs Eger Bull Blood Superior, (2013) This wine has a base of kekfrankos complemented by merlot, cabernet franc, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon. Its strawberry- and plum-like smell gives it a very sweet first impression. One mouthful reveals tastes of liquorice, ripe black fruits and black olives, giving it an elegant, strong and rich taste. 10. Dobogo Tokay 6 Puttonyos, (2008) Nectarines and apricots give it a beautiful smell. It has a sweet, clean taste that lingers in the mouth for some time, elongating the experience. For the perfect summer getaway, check out this article about beautiful Hungarian wine hotels to visit. Source: Daily News Hungary, boraszportal.hu Debrecen Airport says it is expecting a surge of international visitors for the annual Campus Festival, which runs July 18-22. Festival-goers will find their trip to the eastern Hungarian city greatly facilitated by the offer of a total of 27 scheduled flights by Wizz Air and Lufthansa in the week of the festival. Cities including London, Munich and Paris all have direct flights to Debrecen (165 km east of Budapest). Visitors will then be able to catch scheduled buses to the city center, just 5 km away, hire a car or take a taxi. Laszlo Tamas, Debrecen Airports aviation development director, welcomed the music festivals impact. Now preparing for its 11th year, the Campus Festival in Debrecen is a hugely important and successful cultural and tourism event in Hungary and in the CEE region, he said. Debrecen Airport is very pleased to facilitate visitors coming to Hungary for the festival. This years biggest international stars include Akon and Scooter, alongside numerous Hungarian bands, such as Debrecens native sons Tankcsapda. The government will spend 4,000 billion forints (EUR 12.5bn) on developing public roads and railways by 2022 in order to strengthen Hungarys position in logistics, the foreign minister said. Some 900 kilometres of high-speed roads will be built from 2,500 billion forints, 55% of which will be paid from the central budget and 45% from European Union funds, Peter Szijjarto told an event organised by the Hungarian Export-Import Bank and the Hungarian Export Credit Insurance Company (Exim). A total of 1,500 billion forints will be spent on rail development which will involve modernising 900 kms of tracks, he added. Szijjarto said that during talks in Beijing last week, an agreement was signed about the final timetable for the the Budapest-Belgrade rail project. He also said that the prime ministers of the Visegrad Four Group have agreed to prepare the development of a high-speed rail link between Budapest, Bratislava, Brno and Warsaw. The Hungarian government has approved 1.5 billion forints for the feasibility study of this project, he added. An agreement has been signed with the Romanian government about a high-speed rail link connecting Budapest and Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvar). The Hungarian government has approved 1 billion forints for the feasibility study, he said. MTI Photo: Mathe Zoltan The way and method in which the state wants to place the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) under its purview is unacceptable, Szabolcs Szabo, an MP of opposition green LMP, said at a press conference on Saturday. The government wants to pass a budget act in which a big part of the Academys budget, some 28 billion forints (EUR 86.6m), is placed directly under government influence, Szabo said. The government wants to nationalise part of the Academy, which goes against the principle of freedom of scientific research, he added. Szabo compared the earlier expulsion of Central European University (CEU) to book burning, and the regulation of MTA to burning down the library. He noted a similar measure in 1949, in which two-thirds of the Academys members were expelled. LMP will not support any budget or amendment to legislation that threatens the independence of the Academy, he said. LMP is on the side of the heads of the Academy who are asking the government to withdraw its proposals, he added. Nobody wants to nationalise MTA, Innovation and Technology Minister Laszlo Palkovics said on public television on Saturday, addressing criticism of the planned changes to the Academys budget. Distributing this funding in a more efficient manner serves to achieve better results, and I would like to reach an agreement on this with those in the sciences, he added. Creating a unified policy for innovation and science is entirely a professional matter, one that affects not just funding for MTA, but for the universities and for the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, Palkovics said. MTI Photo: Illyes Tibor Hungary is aware of its strength, weight and responsibilities in the EU and does not seek to assume a political role at the European level, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said addressing a conference marking the first anniversary of the death of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. We are a proud people, which knows itself and assesses the situation realistically. Where we do have definite ambitions is Central Europe and the Visegrad Four, he insisted. He added that Hungary wants to be one of the regions strong and closely cooperating countries which help and encourage each other. He noted that Hungary has serious disputes with Brussels and with some EU members and said it was tempting to believe that Hungary could influence European policies. He added, however, that we must resist that temptation and concentrate on our national interests instead. Hungary acknowledges Polands leading role in central Europe and Hungary, with its own strength, is working to build cooperation between states of central Europe, Orban said. In another development, the prime minister said that although leaders of the European Peoples Party had made mistakes to our detriment Hungarys ruling Fidesz party will stick to the EPP and Helmut Kohls ideals: rather than deserting we will undertake the more difficult task of renewing the EPP and help it find its way back to its Christian Democratic roots. Orban said that the EPP had been slowly but continuously losing its strength during the past 15 years because it had created an antipopulist peoples front as against the emerging new parties. He added, however, that this tendency should be replaced by a Christian Democratic renaissance. MTI Photo: Illyes Tibor President of the United States Donald Trump has called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on the telephone to speak about the new US ambassador to Hungary who is taking his post in Budapest next week, the PMs press chief told MTI on Saturday. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told MTI after the conversation that Trump had said the new ambassador, David Cornstein, is a wonderful person whose arrival ensures a chance to further repair bilateral ties between the two countries. They spoke about the importance of border protection and agreed that a country that cannot defend its own borders is no longer a country, he added. Szijjjarto said Trump had urged Hungary to firmly defend its southern border. The prime minister ensured the president that Hungary is committed to continuing its migration policy and protecting Hungarys borders, he added. The prime minister stressed that it is important to Hungary for the European Union to win back its competitiveness, considering that almost 80 percent of the countrys exports go to other EU member states, Szijjarto said. MTI Photo I was born in Budapest and lived there until I was 30, and then I moved to Budakalasz with my family, where I still live. I am married, my husband Akos, is a service director at an IT company. I am a mother of two fantastic children, both of them are now university students. I have been always very flexible in my career, I graduated as a chemical engineer, but I did not practice my profession for a minute. As a fresh graduate I started to work as a statistician, and changed to controlling in last years. I liked my career all along, but as an employee I always had the feeling that work-life balance is a kind of impossible feat for me. But to start new things, another inspiration was needed, which finally came of course from people I love most. As a mother of two students I had to acknowledge that there is a terribly hard situation for our youngsters here in Hungary. Some years ago so called the first Students Cooperation was introduced, and by now they are widespread all across the country. It is because they offer a very easy to use and favourable service for companies to employ students, but from the perspective of students it is hard to find any other job beyond this contract. That makes our students quite dependent, creating a situation where students often have to work 20-25 hours a week for a very low hourly rate. Because of these we thought it could be a great idea to create a webpage where people can meet and find each others, independently whether they need somebody to help them out, or they just would like to find better working possibilities to earn some extra cash. Since the idea was ready, it was about time for me to start a real journey, where I can compete with myself, and might create something very special and outstanding. Fortunately my family also fell in love with the idea, and they joined me, so here we are, last year we established Click for Work. Results we achieved so far are quite encouraging: students love to join Click for Work, there are more then 500 registered students on the platform by now. Every single day we have registrations from them, they are smart, precise, diligent, and trustworthy, last but not least they speak foreign language, and of course ready to fulfil wide range of tasks. I strongly believe in the success of Click for Work, I think we are lovable, with us valuable time can be gained in creating a real work-life balance. 1. Where did you grow up? Budapest: in Szent Istvan park, on my bike riding across the Pozsonyi Street every single afternoon. 2. If you could be an expat anywhere in the world, where would you choose? Australia of course, any part of it, just to be there. 3. What would you miss most if you moved away from Hungary? First of all my family, but also my friends. Besides the pulse and athmosphere of Budapest and last but not least the smell and colours of Balaton. 4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do? I would organize a walking day in Margaret Island, visitng water birds, with a night bath in Palatinus. 5. What is your favourite food? Lecso with eggs without anything else and dumpling with cottage chees and lot of sugar (turogomboc) 6. What is your favourite sport / form of exercise? I used to ride horses all along when I was teenager, and I still love to do it whenever I can 7. What is your favourite place in Hungary? Szent Istvan park and its sorroundings: Pozsonyi street, quay on Pest side of Danube, Margit Island. Another list would start with Balatonszarszo. 8. What career other than yours would you love to pursue? Professional rider? I would certainly love it... 9. Whats a job you would definitely never want? Anything that you have to do at night. 10. Where did you spend your last vacation? In Balatonszarszo, I spend my every single vacation over there. I love it! 11. Where do you hope to spend your next one? Besides Balaton I also like to go to the sea, so I would love to get to Greece perhaps. 12. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen? I was and still I am an LGT fan and I watched Hair ten times in the cinema. 13. Apart of temptation what can't you resist? If my kids ask for anything. 14. Red wine or white? Red in winter, White in summer :-) 15. Book or movie? Both could be if it is something romantic dramas 16. Morning person or night person? I can not stay awake at night, I really need my pyjamas from 10 oclock in the evening 17. Which social issue do you feel most strongly about? Environmental protection it really occupies me. 18. Buda or Pest side? Of course Pest there is no doubt. 19. Which achievement in your life are you most pleased about? Establishing Click for Work and being so sure about its success. 20. What would you say is your personal motto? Hard work gets the result. If you're flying into or out of Yakima, you can rest assured that airport staff is doing what it can to keep wildlife from interfering with yo GRANGER, Wash. As the state continues to mark newly issued standard drivers licenses as not meeting federal standards, some Yakima Valley r 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... New Delhi: Shiv Sena has lent a voice of support to Arvind Kejriwal and his fellow AAP ministers who have been protesting at Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal's office demanding that he directs striking IAS officer to return to work. Kejriwal, deputy Delhi CM Manish Sisodia and ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, went on a sit-in dharna outside Baijal's office-cum-residence last Monday. Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut said a week later that party chief Uddhav Thackeray has already spoken to Kejriwal and told him he has every right to work for Delhi's development. "This type of movement started by Arvind Kejriwal is a unique one. Uddhav Thackeray had a conversation with him and said that Kejriwal has the right to work for Delhi because they are the elected government. Whatever is happening to them, it's not good for democracy," Raut was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. The Delhi government and the centre have been battling each other with the former accusing the LG of working at the behest of the Modi government. The LGs are appointed by the Centre. Sena too has had rather bitter relations with the Modi government and accusations have flown thick and fast in the recent past. While Sena has not officially broken its alliance with BJP in Maharashtra, voice of support for opposition parties hint that breaking ties cannot be entirely ruled out. Meanwhile, IAS officers in Delhi have said that they are not on strike as alleged by the AAP government. The government has countered saying meeting called by ministers have not been attended by IAS officers and that this has made day-to-day functioning difficult. The matter has been taken to the Delhi High Court which on Monday questioned Kejriwal and AAP ministers' strike at the LG office. A day after Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain was admitted to a hospital following his hunger strike at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijals office, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was on Monday shifted to a hospital after his health deteriorated. Aam Aadmi Party citizen interaction team head Amit Mishra posted on microblogging site Twitter that Sisodia's ketone level on Monday reached 7.4, which was recorded at 6.4 on Sunday. A team of doctors conducted Sisodia's medical check-up at L-G office before the AAP leader was shifted to hospital. The same was confirmed on Twitter by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Manish Sisodia being shifted to hospital https://t.co/3LdQe3jG3z Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 18, 2018 This came a day after Jain was shifted to LNJP hospital in the national capital after his health deteriorated. Both Sisodia and Jain had gone on hunger strike a day after Kejriwal and other AAP leaders began the dharna at L-G office. Jain's health summary on Monday 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 the doorstep ration delivery scheme. NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday continued his sit-in protest at the Lt. Governor`s residence, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "give a green signal" to the IAS officers to end their strike. "I wud urge Hon`ble PM to give green signal to them (IAS officers) to end it now," Kejriwal tweeted. Kejriwal along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and cabinet ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai were camping in the Raj Niwas since June 11 demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared `strike` and wanted the Centre to approve Delhi government`s proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their houses. Jain, who was on an indefinite hunger strike since June 12, was shifted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital here late Sunday night. In another tweet on Monday, Kejriwal said: "Last night, Jain`s ketone levels increased and he complained of headache, body ache, difficulty in breathing and passing urine. So, he had to be shifted to hospital. Now, he is doing well." He said Sisodia, who started his indefinite hunger strike a day after Jain, is fine and "doing well". Kejriwal`s appeal on Monday was backed by actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha. "...Kejriwal has certainly shown statesmanship and has appealed the officers to get back to work. He has moved two steps. Hope the so-called strike of the bureaucrats ends now... After the appeal of Kejriwal, I trust the Prime Minister will also intervene and get the strike over. It will be a good step by him for the people of Delhi and democracy at large. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," the Bharatiya Janata Party (bjp) MP tweeted. On Sunday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members, along with Communist Party of India-Marxist activists, marched from Mandi House metro station towards the Prime Minister`s residence but were stopped by the police at Parliament Street. Four non-BJP Chief Ministers - West Bengal`s Mamata Banerjee, Kerala`s Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka`s H.D. Kumaraswamy and Andhra Pradesh`s N. Chandrababu Naidu - met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday at the NITI Aayog`s fourth general council meeting and urged him to immediately resolve the problems of the Delhi government. NEW DELHI: As the Aam Aadmi Party's strike entered the second week on Monday, party leaders are all set to hold a key meeting at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence around noon on Monday. The slug fest between the Delhi Government and the Centre-appointed Lieutenant Governor failed to die, with now IAS officers coming out in public with allegations that they were "targeted and victimised" for political gains. However, Kejriwal later tried to salvage the situation by sending out an "assurance of safety" to the officers whom he called part of his families. 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'. Four chief ministers from non-BJP ruled states have supported Kejriwal's slugfest against L-G, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene. Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court is likely to hear a plea on Monday seeking direction to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) to ensure that the alleged 'informal strike' by IAS officers of Delhi was called off and they perform their duties as public servants. Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Satyendar 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. The health condition of Jain, who had gone on a hunger strike on Tuesday, deteriorated Sunday night, following which he was rushed to a hospital. His health summary on Monday 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. Guwahati/Agartala/Aizawl/Imphal: The overall flood situation in the north-east continued to improve on Monday, except in Assam, where two more persons died, taking the death toll due to flood-related incidents in the region to 25, officials said. While the water level in the rivers of Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur are receding, it is maintaining a rising trend in the six affected districts of Assam. Two persons died in Cachar and Hailakandi districts in Barak Valley of Assam since Sunday, taking the death toll in the state to 14, according to a report issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) today. A population of 5,48,983 in the districts of Nagaon, Hojai, Golaghat, Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj have been affected by the flood. Karimganj district is the worst hit with the Kushiara, Barak and Longai rivers maintaining a rising trend. A total of 2,34,664 people are affected in the district, the report said. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had directed the Karimganj district authorities to speed up the relief-and-rescue operations and release a one-time financial assistance to the family members of those who died in the flood, official sources said. The ASDMA report said 437 relief camps were set up across the state, where 1,59,652 people had taken shelter. A total crop area of 2,186 hectares had been washed away in the flood, it said, adding that damage to embankments, roads and bridges was reported in Cachar, Hojai, Karbi Anglong East, Dima Hasao, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts. Karbi Anglong East and Dima Hasao had initially been affected by the flood. The water level of the Dhansiri river at Numaligarh in Golaghat, the Barak river at AP Ghat in Cachar and the Katakhal at Matizur in Hailakandi was rising and these rivers were flowing above the danger level, the report said. In Tripura, the flood situation had improved with all the major rivers flowing below the danger level, officials said at Agartala. "The distribution of relief materials, food and medicines is going on in full swing," D Darlong, District Magistrate of Unakoti, which is the worst-hit, said. Over 72,000 people in the district were still staying in the relief camps, he added. The flood has so far claimed three lives in Tripura. Meanwhile, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said regular passenger train service in the Lumding-Badarpur and Badarpur-Agartala sections was restored. The Agartala-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express and the Agartala-Silchar passenger train left the Agartala station today after measuring all the safety norms, NFR Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO) P J Sharma said. The Silchar-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express left from Badarpur, instead of Silchar, for the benefit of thousands of stranded passengers, he added. Tripura and a portion of Assam was cut off from the rest of the country since June 13 due to landslips and submerging of railway tracks at various locations. Normal service was still suspended between Silchar and Badarpur, both in Assam, as some portions of the track between the Panchgram and Katakhal stations were still under the flood waters, Sharma said. In Mizoram, the situation had improved with the water level of three rivers receding, officials said at Aizawl. Normal life resumed at Sairang in Aizawl district and at Bairabi town in Kolasib district, both situated along the Tlawng river after its water level receded. Several houses in Bawrai and Kanhmun villages, along the Langkaih river, were no longer inundated by the flood waters and the displaced people had returned, the officials said. However, some houses remained underwater at Tlabung and the nearby villages, along the Khawthlangtuipui river, bordering Bangladesh, they added. The situation had also improved in Manipur and all the major rivers in Imphal Valley were flowing below the danger level, officials said in Imphal. Thoubal, Imphal West and Imphal East were currently affected by the flood and relief-and-rescue operations were going on in the three districts, they added. The flood has claimed eight lives in the state so far. New Delhi: President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Asaduddin Owaisi said on Monday that both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress were hankering for the Hindu vote bank. He added that the Muslims had always been deceived by saying 'you have a vote-bank'. "The reality is that in last Karnataka polls BJP did not give single Muslim ticket to contest for Assembly elections. There's no Muslim MP in Lok Sabha from BJP. This clearly shows that BJP is not interested in real political empowerment and development of the Muslim community. The same is with the Congress party. Both parties (BJP and Congress) are now hankering for Hindu vote bank. It is a fact that there has never been a Muslim vote-bank. Muslims have always been deceived by saying you have a vote-bank," he said, as per ANI. The same is with the Congress party. Both parties (BJP & Congress) now hankering for Hindu vote bank. It is a fact that there has never been a Muslim vote-bank.Muslims have always been deceived by saying you have a vote-bank: Asaduddin Owaisi on BJP leader MA Naqvi's statement ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 Owaisi was reacting to Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi statement that 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". He had also said on Sunday that 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. "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 had told PTI. On the BJP's defeat in the recent Kairana bypolls, he had said that 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," Minority Affairs Minister had said. He had alleged that the Congress and other rival parties had "always used Muslims for vote bank politics" and had not done anything for their development, PTI had reported. "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," Naqvi had said. The BJP-led NDA government had taken various steps for "restoring the dignity" of Muslims and the BJP was not running after votes, he had maintained. "To vote or not to vote is their democratic right," Naqvi had said. (With Agency inputs) New Delhi/Mumbai/Ahmedabad: 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 bullet train 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 bullet train 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 bullet train -- that will cut down the distance from Mumbai 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 government should ensure that at least one of my two jobless sons gets a government 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 bullet train project. 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 government 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 Maharashtra 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 Maharashtra 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. New Delhi: Emphasising on the need to find a "mutually acceptable solution" on the boundary issue through a meeting of the special representatives, Chinese envoy to India Luo Zhaohui said on Monday that bilateral ties between India and China can't take the strain of another Doklam episode. Delivering a keynote address on 'Beyond Wuhan - How far and fast can China-India relations go' at an event organised by the Chinese embassy, he also said that "some Indian friends" had suggested a trilateral summit comprising India, China and Pakistan, which was a "very constructive" idea. Leaders of China, Russia and Mongolia hold a similar meet, Zhaohui noted. "This is a proposal suggested by some Indian friends and it is a very a good and constructive idea. Maybe not now, but in the future, that is a great idea," he said. Dwelling on Sino-Indian ties, Zhaohui said it is quite natural to have differences but they need to be controlled and managed through cooperation. "We need to control, manage, narrow differences through expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutually acceptable solution through Special Representatives' Meeting while adopting confidence-building measures," he said. "We cannot stand another Doklam (sic)," the envoy added. We cannot stand another Doklam incident. Let's make a joint effort to maintain peace along the border: Luo Zhaohui, Chinese Ambassador to India pic.twitter.com/tGFTlkpvZM ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 Some Indian friends suggested that India, China & Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral summit on the sidelines of SCO. So, if China, Russia & Mongolia can have a trilateral summit, then why not India, China & Pakistan?: Luo Zhaohui, Chinese Ambassador to India pic.twitter.com/hxdMOTAT0d ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China between June to August 2017. One of the immediate fallouts of the Doklam stand-off was the suspension of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Nathu-La side and the annual military exercise between the two countries. China also did not give the hydrological data of the Brahmaputra and the Indus river that originates in Chinese Tibet. Zhaohui said on Monday that China will continue to promote religious exchanges and make arrangements for Indian pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet. Post-Doklam, there have been frequent high-level engagements between the leaders of the two countries. In 2018 alone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met twice in the last two months in Wuhan and Qingdao. Qingdao: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders also held a bilateral meeting. #China pic.twitter.com/fVGC0IFiAD ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2018 Zhaohui noted that security cooperation is one of the three pillars of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an eight-member grouping also comprising India, China and Pakistan. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its members in 2017. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: Delhi Minister Satyender Jain was rushed to a city hospital late Sunday night 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. "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. A day earlier, 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. On Saturday, the sugar level had dipped again to 40 units. His blood pressure reading was 110/70. New Delhi: The Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) on Monday called off its evaluation boycott "in the interest of students" and with assurances from the HRD Ministry that working ad hoc teachers will not be displaced, according to a statement issued by the teachers' body. They had begun the evaluation boycott on May 9. The teachers' body has, however, warned that its members would go on strike if ad hoc teachers are displaced in the new academic session on the basis of the UGC's March 5 notification on faculty reservation. Following an Allahabad High Court order, upheld by the Supreme Court, the University Grants Commission (UGC) on March 5 announced a new mechanism for implementing faculty reservations, which is calculating total posts department-wise rather than institution-wise. The UGC said that its new reservation formula was in response to a direction of the Allahabad High Court in April last year. However, it is believed that the move would cut the number of posts available for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates. The DUTA general body, in its meeting on Monday, decided to take forward its "agitation through alternative modes in the interest of thousands of students", the teachers' body said. It said, "The DUTA noted that the student community has supported the struggle throughout. The DUTA had always tried to ensure that examination results are declared on time so that the interests of students are not hurt. It appeals to all teachers to contribute their best in ensuring that the results are declared on time." The teachers' body will review the situation after the July 2 Supreme Court hearing on the special leave petition filed by the government pertaining to the Reservation Roster. The DUTA said that they will seek a meeting with President Ram Nath Kovind on the matter, and will also hold a protest on July 2. On Sunday, the deadlock between DUTA and the Delhi University administration over several issues, including the UGC notification, ended after a meeting between the vice-chancellor and the office-bearers of the teachers' body. The VC had made an appeal to DUTA to lift its nearly month-long evaluation boycott in the interests of students. The Border Security Force (BSF) has a team of deadly snipers to take on Pakistani soldiers who help terrorists trying to infiltrate into the Indian territory. The BSF has beefed up its team amid intelligence reports that several terrorists are camping near the India-Pakistan border and Line of Control to infiltrate and target pilgrims during Amarnath Yatra. BSF's snipers are trained at Central School of Weapon and Tactics in Indore in Madhya Pradesh. One out of every 100 trainees are selected to be trained as a sniper. All the selected candidates undergo a rigorous training regime over a period of 60 days. How snipers function: The snipers at first conducts a reccee of the area which could be used by the terrorists to infiltrate into the Indian territory. Following the reccee, the snipers identify spots where they can hide and keep an eye on the movements of the enemy. The place must also be suitable for the snipers to attack the enemy. At times, the snipers also enter the enemy territory and take up positions which cannot be located by the Pakistan forces or terrorists. The snipers work on one bullet one target plan and they cannot afford to deviate from the same, as it could have dire and deadly consequences. Weather and landscape conditions also make an operation tough for snipers. Be it a jungle or a snow-clad valley, the snipers need to identify spots where they can hide themselves as well as their weapons. Recently Pakistani Army snipers killed BSF sub inspector SN Yadav and BSF constable V Pandey, who were guarding the border area near Sundarbani. Notwithstanding the losses, the BSF is all geared up to deter any Pakistani adventurism. New Delhi: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rain on the western coastline of India, mainly comprising of isolated places over Goa and Konkan coast. IMD has also warned that isolated places over Kerala, coastal Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar Islands are likely to receive heavy rainfall. Karnataka is likely to receive more showers after the water level in the reservoirs of Cauvery river basin had gone up due to rainfall on Monday. The meteorological department, on their website, also mentioned that thunderstorm will accompany gusty winds and lightning over the eastern coastline of India. The areas include Tamil Nadu, Rayalaseema, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and south interior Karnataka. While eastern and western coastlines are likely to receive rainfall, heat wave conditions will prevail over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and at one or two pockets over Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand. There will not be any significant change in the temperatures over most parts of the country during next 2-3 days, the report said. IMD warning for 19th June - New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department has predicted light rain and thundershowers for the capital and adjoining areas for Monday, with wind speeds possibly reaching up to 60kmph. Delhi has been witnessing a spell of hot and humid weather but the IMD has said that the weather could take a turn around noon on Tuesday. Rain could lead to some relief from the stifling heat and, more importantly, bring down pollution levels in the city. The capital and adjoining areas witnessed dusty conditions last week which led to a major spike in PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels. A haze hovered over the city for most parts of the week with environment ministry blaming dust-laden winds from Rajasthan. While the pollution levels have since climbed down, it remains in the 'poor' to 'very poor' category. The maximum temperature on Monday is likely to stay around 37 degree celsius with humidity in the range of 60 to 80 per cent. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said Yoga makes people better individuals in thought, action, knowledge and devotion. He also said that Yoga is not just a set of exercises that keeps the body fit, it is a 'passport' to health assurance and a key to fitness and wellness. In a video message posted on his Twitter handle, the PM said Yoga is one of the most precious gifts given by the ancient Indian sages to humankind. "Yoga is not only what you practise in the morning. Doing your day-to-day activities with diligence and complete awareness is a form of Yoga as well... Free from illness, a path to wellness - that is the path of Yoga... It teaches us to see others the same as ourselves, Yoga makes us better individuals in thought, action, knowledge and devotion," he said, ahead of the fourth International Yoga Day celebrations on June 21. Referring to the "problems of modern lifestyle", PM Modi said that people suffer from stress-related ailments and also lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. "Stress and depression have become silent killers... In a world suffering from mental stress, Yoga promises calm, in a distracted world, Yoga helps focus, in a world of fear, Yoga promises hope, strength and courage," he said. Yoga is the journey from me to we. It promises balance, calm, helps boost concentration and gives immense strength. As we approach the #4thYogaDay, I urge people around the world to make Yoga a part of their lives. pic.twitter.com/A4zk3ybNye Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 18, 2018 Meanwhile, preparations for the International Yoga Day are underway at the Forest Research Institute (FRI) campus in the city, where PM Modi is scheduled to take part in the event on June 21. As Dehraduns FRI campus is getting readied to welcome PM Shri @narendramodi ji for #IYD celebrations, I am sharing Hindi playlist of PM Modis Yoga videos in 3D animated format https://t.co/9QSG4Hq1PF #InternationalYogaDay #IYD2018 Trivendra S Rawat (@tsrawatbjp) June 18, 2018 Leading a 'walk for Yoga' in the city on Saturday, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat appealed to people to make Yoga an integral part of their lives, saying a healthy India cannot be imagined without yoga becoming part of every Indian's daily routine. PM Modi is likely to arrive in Dehradun at 9 pm on June 20 to participate in the programme to be held at the FRI from 6.45 am to 7.45 am the following morning. He will stay at the Raj Bhawan on the night of June 20 and will take part in the event early next morning at the FRI lawns with its iconic British-era building in the backdrop, along with an estimated crowd of 50,000 people, before leaving for New Delhi. (With PTI inputs) NEW DELHI: China and India should deal with their boundary dispute and move on to singing a friendship treaty and a free trade agreement, Beijing's Ambassador to New Delhi Luo Zhaohui said on Monday. He also said that the scope of relations between India and China has grown beyond the bilateral scope and the two Asian giants find themselves on common ground at multiple international forums. Luo's comments came at a seminar titled 'Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast Can China-India Relations Go' in New Delhi. The tone of his comments reflected the positive turn in Chinese rhetoric against India following the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan in April. "My four-point vision for the future of China-India cooperation is to sign a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, negotiate a bilateral Free Trade Agreement, enhance connectivity and work for early harvest on boundary issues," he said as part of his speech at the seminar. He also presented the '5Cs' that China considers the 'fields of priority' for the progress of relations between India and China: communication, cooperation, contacts, coordination, and control. Luo also underlined the evolving nature of the India-China relationship, and said the two countries are engaging with each other on a global level. "Against the backdrop of anti-globalization and rising protectionism, China and India as major emerging market economies, are faced with the pressure of established powers. We should coordinate our positions China-India relations have gone beyond bilateral scope. We have broad converging interests and face common challenges in Asia and beyond. We need to enhance coordination and cooperation in SCO, BRICS, G20 and join hands to tackle global challenges," Luo said. "We need to control, manage and narrow the differences through expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutual acceptable solution through Special Representatives' Meeting while adopting confidence building measures," he added. Luo also pitched for increased strategic communications and frank dialogue between the two Asian giants, and attempt to convert the present bonhomie between Modi and Xi at a wider people-to-people level. Luo's comments reflect the change in tone that Chinese diplomats and media have made since the Modi-Xi informal summit in Wuhan. The year preceding the meet had seen threats and strong rhetoric against India from the Chinese side, especially in the wake of the Doklam standoff. New Delhi: India on Monday said that matters related to India-Pakistan relations are purely bilateral in nature and there is no scope for an involvement of any third country. India's reaction came after Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui endorsed a trilateral cooperation among India, China and Pakistan. Batting for a trilateral cooperation between India, China and Pakistan under the aegis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Luo had said that it could "in the future" help resolve bilateral issues between New Delhi and Islamabad and help maintain peace. In response to queries on the comments made by the Chinese ambassador to India, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that India had not received any such suggestion from the Chinese government. "We have seen reports on comments made by the Chinese Ambassador in this matter. We have not received any such suggestion from the Chinese government. We consider the statement as the personal opinion of the ambassador. Matters related to India-Pakistan relations are purely bilateral in nature and have no scope for an involvement of any third country," he said, PTI reported. Delivering a keynote address on 'Beyond Wuhan - How far and fast can China-India relations go' at an event organised by the Chinese embassy, Luo had said earlier on Monday that "some Indian friends" had suggested a trilateral summit comprising India, China and Pakistan, which was a "very constructive" idea. Leaders of China, Russia and Mongolia hold a similar meet, he had noted. "This is a proposal suggested by some Indian friends and it is a very a good and constructive idea. Maybe not now, but in the future, that is a great idea," Luo had said. Some Indian friends suggested that India, China & Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral summit on the sidelines of SCO. So, if China, Russia & Mongolia can have a trilateral summit, then why not India, China & Pakistan?: Luo Zhaohui, Chinese Ambassador to India pic.twitter.com/hxdMOTAT0d ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 Dwelling on Sino-Indian ties, he had said it was quite natural to have differences but they need to be controlled and managed through cooperation. "We need to control, manage, narrow differences through expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutually acceptable solution through Special Representatives' Meeting while adopting confidence-building measures," he said. "We cannot stand another Doklam (sic)," the envoy had added. We cannot stand another Doklam incident. Let's make a joint effort to maintain peace along the border: Luo Zhaohui, Chinese Ambassador to India pic.twitter.com/tGFTlkpvZM ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China between June to August 2017. One of the immediate fallouts of the Doklam stand-off was the suspension of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Nathu-La side and the annual military exercise between the two countries. China also did not give the hydrological data of the Brahmaputra and the Indus river that originates in Chinese Tibet. Luo said on Monday that China will continue to promote religious exchanges and make arrangements for Indian pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet. Post-Doklam, there have been frequent high-level engagements between the leaders of the two countries. In 2018 alone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met twice in the last two months in Wuhan and Qingdao. Qingdao: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders also held a bilateral meeting. #China pic.twitter.com/fVGC0IFiAD ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2018 Luo noted that security cooperation is one of the three pillars of the SCO, an eight-member grouping also comprising India, China and Pakistan. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its members in 2017. (With PTI inputs) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been camping at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijals office since Monday last, saying, Karne mein zero, dharne mein hero (zero in action, hero in dharna). As the dharna by Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders at Delhi L-G office entered second week, Naqvi attacked the Delhi Chief Minister saying, 'Karne mein zero, dharne mein hero, Karna kuch nahi dharna sab kuch (zero in action, hero in dharna, has to do nothing but dharna) - This is their mindset. It is destroying the trust people of Delhi had put in them. The attack by the BJP comes even as Kejriwal has received support from various opposition parties, barring the Congress. Last week, Chief Ministers of four states Andhra Pradeshs Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengals Mamata Banerjee, Karnatakas HD Kumaraswamy and Keralas Pinarayi Vijayan went to the L-G office to meet Kejriwal. They were, however, denied the permission for the same. Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Satyendar 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. The health condition of Jain, who had gone on a hunger strike on Tuesday, deteriorated Sunday night, following which he was rushed to a hospital. His health summary on Monday 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. The latest to back the agitation by Kejriwal is BJP leader and actor Shatrughan Sinha, who on Monday said that the Delhi Chief Minister had shown statesmanship with his relentless dharna. Taking to microblogging site Twitter, the BJP leader from Bihar had sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end the impasse between AAP and Delhi L-G. NEW DELHI: The Periyar University, in an official notification, announced that it will release the undergraduate (UG) and post-graduate (PG) examination result today on June 18. Candidates can view their scores on the official website periyaruniversity.ac.in. The UG and PG exams were held in April/May this year. Steps to check Periyar University UG PG Result 2018: Step 1: Visit the official website - periyaruniversity.ac.in Step 2: Look for the tab: UG and PG 2018 results and click on it. Step 3: Now, enter your registration number and date of birth and hit submit The results will be displayed in front of you. Candidates are adviced to take printout of the scores for future reference. Candidates can also choose to apply for revaluation within 10 days of the result declaration. The Government of Tamil Nadu established the Periyar University at Salem which is named after the Great Social Reformer E.V.Ramasamy affectionally called Thanthai Periyar. NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday summoned senior advocate Nalini Chidambaram, wife of former Finance Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram, to appear for questioning in the connection to the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam. Nalini has been asked to appear at ED's CGO Complex office in Kolkata on June 20. Nalini was allegedly paid a legal fee of Rs 1.26 crore by the Saradha group for her appearances in court and the Company Law Board over a television channel purchase deal. This is the fourth notice served to Nalini, the first one being issued on September 7, 2016 with the ED asking her to appear at its Kolkata office as a witness in the Saradha chit fund scam. Nalini and P Chidambaram's son Karti is already being investigated by the ED in two separate money laundering cases of the Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case and he has been questioned multiple times by the agency in context of these cases. A charge sheet was recently filed by the ED against Karti in the Aircel-Maxis case. NEW DELHI/PATNA: Disgruntled BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha once again embarrassed his party by openly supporting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the ongoing tussle between the between AAP and Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal. Taking to Twitter, the actor-turned-polictican wrote, Our dear friend, dynamic & most talked about Chief Minister of Delhi @ArvindKejriwal has certainly shown statesmanship & has appealed the officers to get back to work. He has moved two steps. Hope the so called strike of the bureaucrats ends now. Jai Hind! After the appeal of @arvindkejriwal, I trust the PM will also intervene and get the strike over. It will be a good step by him for the people of Delhi and democracy at large. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step..Jai Hind!, he wrote in a second tweet. Our dear friend, dynamic & most talked about Chief Minister of Delhi @ArvindKejriwal has certainly shown statesmanship & has appealed the officers to get back to work. He has moved two steps. Hope the so called strike of the bureaucrats ends now. Jai Hind! Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) June 18, 2018 After the appeal of @arvindkejriwal, I trust the PM will also intervene and get the strike over. It will be a good step by him for the people of Delhi and democracy at large. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step..Jai Hind! Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) June 18, 2018 Sinha is at odds with the party leadership ever since he was ignored during the 2015 Bihar Assembly election. Over the last few months, Singh made a barrage of attacks on current BJP leadership, even firing salvos at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Last week, in a clear cut show of preferences, Sinha attended the Iftar party at RJD chief Lalu Prasad's residence, instead of the one organized by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar a BJP ally and Janata Dal (United) chief. Sinha was photographed celebrating with sons Tejashwi and Tej Pratap Yadav saying which party would not like to have Sinha on its side. Though, he insisted that no political meanings be attached to his presence among my family friends, the event indicated his future political move. On Sunday, the tug of war between the AAP dispensation and the Lieutenant Governor further complicated after the IAS officers coming out in public alleging that they have been "targeted and victimised" for political gains. 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. Delhi minister Satyendar Jain's condition meanwhile deteoriated, as was rushed to hospital and admitted to the ICU. The AAP-led Delhi government's protest has entered the eight day on Monday. With agency inputs New Delhi: Police in Allahabad arrested three men on charges of planning to carry electronic devices when appearing for the UP Police Public Services Commission constable recruitment exam. The exams is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, and police suspect that the accused were going to walk into the examination hall with the spy devices. News agency ANI reports that the person inside the examination hall would click a photo of the question paper and send it to solvers outside. These solvers would then provide the answers through a spy mike. Police officials suspect that the solvers charge close to Rs 5 lakhs per candidate. Incidents of technology and cutting-edge devices being used for cheating during examinations is becoming increasingly common around the world. Spycams, voice recorders, portable scanners are just some examples of how candidates are attempting to cheat their way past tough questions. Patna: Two Chinese nationals were arrested in a drunken state for violating the liquor ban in force in Bihar, the police said on Monday. The arrests took place on Sunday night. "We have launched a probe to find out how they got the liquor," Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said. The two were associated with the Chinese mobile phone company Oppo. Meanwhile, Oppo India said it had "deep regard and respect for the laws of the land". "The actions by the employees in question were undertaken in their personal capacities and in no way represent the company's views or intentions," a company statement said. "We are cooperating with the local authorities to ensure that the investigation can be done smoothly and will provide all possible information required. We will take necessary action and ensure that this kind of incident does not happen in the future." The guest house rooms where the Chinese were staying was booked in the name of Oppo Mobiles (DS) Pvt Ltd. More than 1.5 lakh persons have been arrested for violating the liquor prohibition in Bihar since it came into effect on April 5, 2016. JALPAIGURI: In what can only be termed as a narrow escape, Range Officer Sanjoy Dutta had a close shave after the python he rescued tried to strangle him. Dutta, a Range Officer at Baikunthapur Forest in West Bengal's Dooars, had reportedly rescued an 18-feet python, weighing 40 kilos from Saheb Bari area of Jalpaiguri district. #WATCH Narrow escape for Sanjoy Dutta, Range Officer of Baikunthapur Forest in Jalpaiguri after a python he rescued from a village almost strangled him to death while he was posing for selfies with locals. #WestBengal pic.twitter.com/KroJHOCOkk ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 After rescuing, Dutta posed for selfied with locals, the massive reptile hanging around his neck. Suddenly, the serpent started to curl around to choke the Range Officer. Dutta is heard saying Kichhu hobe na (Nothing will happen) repeated as locals scream and try to run away. Two more men are seen helping Dutta, as he rushes away from the area in an effort to take the reptile away from the scene. By the end of the 38-second video, Dutta along with his aide successfully manages to control the mammoth python. Srinagar: In the first major anti-terror operation post Ramzaan, four terrorists were killed in an encounter by the security forces on Monday morning in north Kashmir's Bandipora district. The encounter is currently underway. Last week, on June 14, two militants and an Army jawan were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district. On the same day, the government decided to resume anti-terrorist operations, suspended during the month of Ramzan, giving free hand to security forces to deal with the terrorists. On March 16, the government had directed security forces in Jammu and Kashmir to follow what it called "non-initiation of combat operations" during the holy month of Ramzan. Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy met Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday amid reports of differences between Janata Dal Secular (JDS) and Congress lawmakers in Karnataka over tabling of new full-fledged budget for 2018-19. Senior JDS leader Danish Ali and KC Venugopal of the Congress were also part of the meeting between Kumaraswamy and the Gandhi scion. Though details of the meeting are yet to emerge, but the Congress had earlier maintained that there was no need for a fresh budget, insisting that a supplementary budget was enough for the time being. However, the JDS had said that a new budget was needed to demonstrate the direction of the new government. Kumaraswamy had said that he would meet Rahul Gandhi to sort out the issue. Notably, former chief minister Siddaramaiah had expressed strong reservations over presenting the new budget, saying there was no need for the same. To assert his stand, Siddaramaiah had pointed that he had already tabled the budget as CM 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," Siddaramaiah had said. He had advised Kumaraswamy that if he wanted to carry out certain projects and launch some schemes, he could bring out a supplementary budget. Reacting to Siddaramaiah's 'suggestion', Kumaraswamy had told mediapersons in Delhi that the new government needed 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," the Karnataka Chief Minister had said. He also pointed the Congress as well as the JDS made several promises incorporating new programmes. Bhopal: The idea of forming a joint Opposition in Madhya Pradesh to topple the incumbent BJP regime hit a roadblock after Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) decided to contest all 230 Assembly seats alone. Putting the Congree-BSP alliance on the backburner, a senior state BSP leader clairified that the party is not in talks with the Congress for an alliance for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls slated for later this year. According to emerging reports, both the parties are at loggerheads over Gwalior-Chambal region a traditional stronghold for Congress lawmaker Jyotiraditya Scindia which is also a BSP bastion. Hectic negotiations are reportedly ongoing behind the doors with neither party willing to budge on their demands. "I was asked by the media that Congress leaders were saying that there are discussions underway with the BSP for an alliance for the next assembly elections. I clarified that we are not in discussions at the state level and, I think, neither at the central leadership level," BSP state president Narmada Prasad Ahirwar told PTI. "As things stand today, we are going to contest all 230 Assembly seats. I have received no directives in this connection (alliance) from the central leadership," Ahirwar added. The state Congress, meanwhile, has claimed that it never said alliance talks were underway with the BSP. "We never named any party. The Congress only said that we would try to have an alliance with political parties with a similar ideology. We never mentioned the BSP's name. It will depend on the situation when we enter the election phase," Madhya Pradesh Congress' media department's chief Manak Agarwal said. Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh are likely to be held in November-December this year. In the 2013 MP Assembly elections, the Congress and the BSP polled 36.38 per cent and 6.29 per cent of the votes respectively against the BJP's 44.88 per cent. The BJP won 165 seats, the Congress 58, the BSP four while Independents won three seats in the 230-member Assembly. In the 2008 Assembly polls, the Congress and the BSP secured 32.85 and 8.97 per cent votes respectively, which was collectively four per cent more than the 37.64 per cent vote share of the BJP. With PTI inputs Kolkata: Model and Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh has been roped in to endorse the fashionable female wear segment of hosiery brand Dollar Industries, it was announced on Monday. Dollar Industries Managing Director Vinod Kumar Gupta said Chitrangada features in a new ad campaign, shot in Bangkok, that showcases products like leggings, capris and inner wears. The company forayed into the fashionable female wear segment under the brand name Dollar Missy in 2014. "She represents today's elegant and vivacious woman who takes on the world, beaming with confidence. We have recently shot a new ad campaign with her where she showcases our product style with loads of panache," said Gupta in a statement. The company has four manufacturing units in Kolkata, Tirupur (Tamil Nadu), Delhi and Ludhiana, and enjoys a 15 per cent market share in the branded hosiery segment in India. It has recently started a business in the African market with Nigeria to enhance export revenue. The company's existing export markets are the Gulf, Middle East and Nepal. New Delhi: After days of hard work, crazy dance moves and amazing show, DID Lil Masters season 4 got its winner. Hyderabad's Jiya Thakur walked away with the coveted trophy last night and even received a prize money of Rs 5, 00, 000. The 8-year-old dancing doll garnered a maximum number of votes leaving behind Mann Amit, Urva Bhavsar, Taman Gamnu and AP Rockers. Interestingly, she was a wild card entrant in the show and yet she went on to impress the judges and the viewers. ZEE TV official Twitter shared the winning moment pictures. "The super talented girl, Jiya wins the DID Lil Masters Title! Congratulations! #LilMastersFinale" Check it out here: The super talented girl, Jiya wins the DID Lil Masters Title! Congratulations! #LilMastersFinale pic.twitter.com/mCVLSa2s1l Zee TV (@ZeeTV) June 17, 2018 DID Lil Masters season 4 was initially judged by Chitrangada Sen, Marzi Pestonji, and Siddharth Anand but later, Chitrangada was replaced by Farah Khan. TV actor Jay Bhanushali hosted the show. The little girl was thankful to everyone on the show for helping her become a better dancer. Talented choreographer Vaishnavi trained Jiya and the winner was grateful to her mentor as well. Her dance moves left several celebrity judges in awe of Jiya including maverick dancer cum filmmaker Prabhudheva and dhak-dhak girl Madhuri Dixit Nene. Congratulations Jiya Thakur! New Delhi: You might have heard of many bizarre things in life but what you're about to read today will shock you to the core. A man has claimed that he saved his amputated foot after a motorcycle accident back in 2016 so that he could feed some 'human meat' tacos from it to his 'open-minded' friends. As per a Vice.com report, Reddit user IncrediblyShinyStar posted on Twitter, the story of a motorcycle accident. As a result, his foot had to be amputated. There was one question that the victim asked the doctor about the foot, 'Can I keep it?' and the doctor said yes. What happened next, as per the report, is that three weeks after the accident, the man invited his friends to have some ' human shin fajita tacos' and other dishes. The special tacos were made from the same amputated foot that had been resting in the man's freezer. A chef made the 'special dish' for the group which was eaten by the man himself and his friends. Tacos is a Mexican dish that is made by a mixture filled into a folded or rolled tortilla. The mixture might contain anything from vegetables to chicken or meat. In this case, the man decided to use his amputated foot as meat. Grose right? The story doesn't end here. The same report reveals that the meat had been marinated and was served with tomatillo sauce and corn tortillas. The Vice got in touch with the man who prefers to remain anonymous. Recalling his time in the hospital after the accident, the man had told Vice.com- I remember waking up in the hospital many times and just crying, wondering what my life was going to be. I talked with the doctor about what we could do, what was salvageable. But there were bones missing and everything else was garbage. I would never be able to walk on it again. Around a week in I decided to let them cut it off. Kathmandu: 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. 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 USD 20,000-USD 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Amsterdam: A bus struck four people at a Dutch concert in the early hours of Monday morning, killing one and injuring three, hours after R&B artist Bruno Mars had performed, police said. A police statement said the bus drove away from the scene and is being sought. Other media reports described the vehicle as a small white bus. The incident took place at the "PinkPop" concert, a popular festival being held in Limburg province in the south of the Netherlands. A police statement said the street where the incident took place, one of two exits from the concert grounds, had been closed for the investigation. "The bus is being sought," the statement said. An alert service sent by emergency authorities to cell phones in the area warned people to be alert for a Fiat Diablo with the number 257 as part of its license plate. RTL news reported that a trauma helicopter, ambulances and a heavy police presence were at the scene. Bruno Mars was the headline act that closed the three-day concert on Sunday night, hours before the incident took place. Read the original text at 112.ua. Open source President Poroshenko will attend NATO summit held in July. Until then, the law on national security has to be adopted to prove that the Ukrainian parliament has fulfilled its obligations. The Verkhovna Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy expressed his hope that on June 21, he "will be able to put to a vote and get a positive decision on the bill on national security." The presidential version of a bill No. 8068 was not ideal, but structured and logical. It required refinement in some provisions. However, the committee decided to actually rewrite it. Ukraine was not ready to participate in the war not only financially, but also legally. However, today there are three laws, which absolutely do not correspond to the current military-political situation. This is the Law on the Fundamentals of National Security of Ukraine (2003), the Law on Democratic Civilian Control over the Military Organization and Law Enforcement Bodies of the State (2003) and the Defense Planning Organization (2005). Therefore, in February 2018, the President submitted a new bill "On National Security of Ukraine", in which these three documents were optimized, and a new course for the power and defense departments was indicated. What is of fundamental importance: a) the way to the EU and NATO; b) civil democratic control over the Armed Forces, other structures of the security, and defense sector; c) the distribution of powers between the Ministry of Defense (with the civilian minister) and the General Staff of the Armed Forces (where the commander-in-chief and the chief of the General Staff are two different persons, and not one, as now). And in the presidential bill No. 8068, all these issues were logically articulated. Of course, not as flawlessly as would like it to be, but let us speak later about it. We have analyzed the first version of the law on national security right away, as the text appeared in the media ("The Law on National Security: What does it change and why is it for Ukraine?"). After Poroshenkos bill was registered in the Verkhovna Rada, the leaders of several factions said they would not vote for it, therefore, no. 8068 does not cover the whole range of dangers in Ukraine, but only those of the military nature. At the beginning of April, the parliament did pass bill No. 8068 on national security as a basis but sent it for revision to the Committee on National Security and Defense. People's Deputy Ivan Vinnyk, who headed the relevant working group, recently stated that 650 amendments were made to the presidential bill. These amendments have radically changed the document, and not for the better. What was positive in the first draft of the draft law on national security? National interests as an abstract and incomprehensible notion was thrown out of it. The law of Ukraine "On the Fundamentals of National Security of Ukraine" in 2003 contained, for example, the point: "Development of spirituality, moral foundations, intellectual potential of the Ukrainian people, strengthening the physical health of the nation, creating conditions for expanded reproduction of the population, preserving and strengthening the institution of the family." Yes, it sounds proudly and patriotically, but how to protect these values? These things are so subjective for every Ukrainian that in the new law the authors decided to omit them and unite them into three global spheres of national interests: state sovereignty and territorial integrity; development of the economy, civil society, and the growth of the level and quality of life of the population; integration into the EU and membership in NATO. But the Ukrainian deputies are so fond of screaming about spirituality and moral principles that a whole article called "National Values" has been added to the new edition as if they directly affected the defense capability of the country. We read: "the integrity of the Ukrainian humanitarian, cultural, educational, information, and confessional space, the welfare of society and the physical health of the nation, the gene pool of the nation." What is the integrity of the Ukrainian information space? What is the recipe for preserving the gene pool of a nation? But in fact, it is not the worst thing that we got after 650 amendments. Instead of improving Bill No. 8068, the working group confused it and added a bunch of unnecessary sections and paragraphs. It was for this reason that a new bill on national security was created. We have previously talked on democratic control. In short, citizens can control the Armed Forces or other security agencies through their deputies and media. That is, democratic control is automatically laid down in the right to choose those who will exercise this control - the parliament and the president. A "civility" is that it is carried out by civilians (not military) people the president, the parliament, NSDC, Cabinet and local government bodies, and since 2019 the defense minister and his deputies will be civilians. The NGO "Institute of World Politics" in its analysis has noted that, in general, "Bill No. 8068 on National Security of Ukraine" is a step forward in the issues of Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine. Its adoption will allow official Kyiv to fulfill the taken obligations on the Strategic Defense Bulletin ". Speaking about the weaknesses, experts noted that the second reading should detail cybersecurity, because it is poorly articulated, and experts are worried about the situation with the accountability of the SBU, in particular, intelligence agencies. The bottom line is that the bill is trying to prescribe the creation of a commission or body that would have controlled intelligence in a certain way. Mykola Beleskov, the deputy executive director of the Institute for World Politics, writes in his report: "Article 6 of Bill No. 8068 deals with the creation of a parliamentary committee for control functions with respect to law enforcement agencies with special powers and intelligence. The conclusion of the Main Scientific and Expert Department of the Verkhovna Rada Apparatus points out that it is impossible to understand which "law enforcement agencies with special powers" are referred to. The current legislation provides for the existence of a "law enforcement officer, Article 19 of the draft law No. 8068 defines the SBU as "a state special-purpose body with law enforcement functions." This wording in draft law No. 8068 concerning the SBU is not reflected in the current legislation of Ukraine. May 2017, the draft law "On National Security" contained a separate reference to the SBU in Article 6. After the vote of bill No. 8068 on national security, NSDC Secretary Olexandr Turchynov promised that a separate mention of the SBU would be placed in Art. 6 again." So how do we determine who will be accountable to these special bodies of special purpose with special powers? The new version says that the Security Service of Ukraine is accountable to the President of Ukraine and is under the control of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. In accordance with Art. 89 of the Constitution of Ukraine, "In order to ensure unswerving and unconditional compliance by law enforcement agencies with special powers and intelligence agencies with the requirements of the Constitution of Ukraine and Ukrainian legislation regarding the observance and maintenance of human rights and fundamental freedoms during the conduct of intelligence, counterintelligence, operational and investigative activities, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, exercising the powers of parliamentary control, creates a permanent acting Special battening commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (the Special Commission) to a preliminary study, preparation for consideration of the relevant issues. " It is also not clear how exactly this commission will operate. A week ago a working group headed by Deputy Vinnyk presented the revised bill No. 8068 on the Parliamentary Defense Committee. The military-industrial complex is defined not only as state enterprises that are part of the "Ukroboronprom". This is a set of subjects of private or public law, which produce military or dual-use products. This is important because the state pays attention to the development of the state enterprises, this distorts both competition and democratic principles. Now, "Ukroboronprom" is both a regulatory body and an economic entity. This is an unacceptable situation, which entails corruption risks. As a result of the adoption of this bill, the central executive authority will be organized, and the enterprises that are part of the Ukroboronprom concern will fall into the sphere of management of the central executive authority. Probably, we should talk about their corporatization, privatization, because the state independently high-tech industries (conditionally the creation of weapons) cannot effectively retain or develop." Discussions about the privatization of at least some of the enterprises of "Ukroboronprom" have been going on for a long time. For example, the senior defense adviser in Ukraine (from the US) Stephen Silverstein believes that Ukraine could give away at least a few enterprises into private ownership. However, some representatives of Ukroboronprom believe that private enterprises will not cope with the state defense order. And, by the way, speaking about. This is one of the most closed spheres of activity concerning the Ukrainian army. The society does not know about its financing, there is no democratic control as well. And if there are any suspicions, then this is a state secret. Foreign advisers who work under the Ministry of Defense say that it is necessary to open at least some of the information on public procurement since not all of it is classified. The draft law No. 8068 does not contain it. And is also not very clear how the central executive authority, which will control defensive enterprises, will also function. *** The presidential version of the bill No. 8068 was not ideal, but it was at least well structured and logical. It required refinement in some provisions. However, the committee decided to rewrite it, rearrange the paragraphs, for example, in the section on the civil control they managed to hint, they say, "democracy is the democracy, but we have a law on state secrets here." Why they decided to change the section on the vertical of the military command, which was previously written on the model of the alliance countries, it is not clear too. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or 112.International and its owners. Six mortar attacks were observed across the combat area Open source Since the morning of June 17 until currently, the situation in Donbas has remained under control of Ukraine's armed forces. According to the Joint Forces Operation HQ, the Russian mercenaries violated the ceasefire 20 times, which resulted in a combat injury for a Ukrainian serviceman. Over the past 24 hours, most of the skirmishes included the use of small arms. In six of the said 20 cases, the enemy used mortars. All attacks were repelled successfully. In Luhansk region, the militants shelled Krymske and Novotoshkivske. In Donetsk region, they opened fire in Pisky, Starohnativka, Pyshchevyk, Hnutove, Vodyane and Shyrokyne. According to the Ukrainian military, five enemy soldiers sustained wounds in combat. Earlier, 112 International reported that Mayorske, the Ukraine-controlled checkpoint in Donetsk region, got back to work after the halt that lasted since June 16. Joint Forces Operation HQ posted this on Facebook. 'The checkpoint resumed its work on June 18. The said checkpoint - and the rest of those in the combat area works on the schedule', reads the message. The point was closed on Saturday, since the militants ceased to let transports outside from the occupied Horlivka Facebook ATO press center In the fighting zone of Donbas from the beginning of the current day, June 17, the militants violated the truce 3 times, there are no losses in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was reported in the press center of the JFO on its Facebook page. "Russian-occupation forces violated the ceasefire regime 3 times today," the statement said. The headquarters noted that the enemy from 07:00 to 18:00 once opened a provocative fire from small arms at the Ukrainian positions near the settlement of Lebedynske, which is on the Mariupol direction. Yesterday militants violated the ceasefire in Donbas 13 times, of which 2 times opened fire from the weapons banned by the Minsk agreements. Near Zolote village, under the cover of mortars and fire of infantry fighting vehicles, the militants tried to improve their tactical position in the Luhansk direction. "The united forces opened fire in response and did not give the enemy the opportunity to advance in the direction of our positions," the report said. On the Donetsk direction, under the sights of the Russian-occupation troops were the outskirts of Avdiivka and Zaitseve. In the Mariupol direction, the invaders opened fire from grenade launchers and small arms on Vodiane and Shyrokine. During the fighting for the current day, no losses among Ukrainian defenders reported. Earlier we reported that Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is concerned about the movement of Russian military equipment through the territory of the unrecognized Transnistria, which took place on June 14. This is reported on the Foreign Ministry website. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its concern over the actions of the Russian Federation regarding the violation of the regime of the Transnistrian conflict zone, in particular the unauthorized transfer on June 14, 2018 of military equipment and weapons of the Operational Group of Russian Forces in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova, accompanied by unrecognized "law enforcement agencies", the report said. Ukraine stated that Russia violated its obligations in the process of the Transnistrian settlement. Related: Number of tortures decreased in Ukraine, - UN special rapporteur AFP The European Parliament voted in favor of the third Macro-Financial Assistance package worth EUR 1 billion to Ukraine. European lawmakers approved another program of macro-financial assistance for Ukraine with 527 votes in favor of the motion, while 124 members of parliament were against the idea, and another 29 lawmakers abstained from voting. The final decision by the Council of the European Union is expected to be made in the nearest future, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko wrote on his Facebook page, Interfax-Ukraine reports. The Council of the European Union preliminarily approved the motion of another macr-financial assistance package for Ukraine, which is supposed to go towards the countrys efforts to stabilize its domestic economy and implement key structural reforms. According to the Concil of Europe, the further payments will depend on Ukraine showing visible respect for democratic mechanisms, the rule of law, and human rights. The conditions will be written down in a memorandum of understanding between Ukraine and the European Commission, which will be responsible for transferring the funds. Both the Commission and the European External Action Service will monitor whether or not Ukraine fulfills its obligations. Earlier, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the European Commission prepared a joint statement on unfulfilled conditions and the cancellation of the third stage of the previous program. The statement says that the economic policy and financial conditions of the Memorandum of Understanding to be agreed between the EU and Ukraine will include mutual obligations to improve the governance, the administrative capacities and the institutional set-up for anti-corruption measures in Ukraine, namely concerning a verification system for asset declarations, the verification of information on corporations end beneficiaries and a fully operational specialized anti-corruption court based on the recommendations suggested by the Venice Commission. The loans are expected to have a maximum average maturity of 15 years. The money will be divided into two tranches, while the amount of each one will be determined later on. The macro-financial assistance shall be made for a term of two and a half years, beginning on the first day after the Memorandum of Understanding with Ukraine fully enters its legal force. Ukraine has received a total of EUR 2.81 billion of macro-financial assistance from the Union since 2014. The technical mission from the IMF came to a conclusion in November 2017, which resulted in a revision of Ukraines external needs for financing, pointing out an additional gap of some $4.5 billion for 2018 and 2019. 80% of the global freight is transported by sea, while every sixth sailor worldwide is Ukrainian. Ukraine has successfully passed an audit by the International Maritime Organization, the minister of infrastructure of Ukraine Volodymyr Omelyan said, Interfax-Ukraine reports. We were able to organize and prove that Ukraine is a maritime country! As a matter of fact, the result of the audit turned out pleasant not just for us, but to the auditors themselves too. On average, a country gets over 22 recommendations as a result of the audit, whereas only 10 of them were suggested in regards to Ukraine, - Omelyan wrote on his Facebook page. According to the minister, Ukrainian professionals are now being invited to become IMO auditors, while the country itself may now serve as an example of how to prepare for such audits. The official also stressed the imortance of the IMO audit for Ukraine, claiming that almost 80% of the global freight is transported by sea, while every sixth sailor worldwide is Ukrainian. Volodymyr Omelyan also thanked the team assembled by the infrastructure ministry, the chairman of the Ukrainian sea port administration and the government team chaired by the Prime Minister, Volodymyr Groysman. He also thanked the Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Roman Vashchuk and a group of high-raning Canadian experts, who helped the Ukrainian industry pass this audit. As reported earlier, in July 2017, the Ukrainian infrastructure ministry and EDGE, a global technical solutions project funded by the Canadian government signed a joint action plan regarding reforms in the maritime security area. Previously, the authority ruled to suspend the decision of the Stockholm arbitrary court in the case Open source Ukraine's National Joint Stock Company Naftogaz-Ukraine turned to the Appeal Court of Sweden, which previously suspended the implementation of the decision of Stockholm Court of Arbitration in the Naftogaz-Gazprom dispute. The Ukrainian company's chief commercial director Yuriy Vitrenko posted this on Facebook. 'On Monday, we turned to the Appeal Court of Sweden, which considers the appeal against the decision by the Court of Arbitration. Unlike the arbitrary court, where the rules prohibit the public character, the adductions to the Appeal Court are mostly public,' Vitrenko said. Earlier, The Appeal Court of Svea district in Sweden suspended the decision of the Stockholm arbitrary court in the Gazprom-Naftogaz dispute about gas transit contract. According to the medium, Gazprom said it turned to the Appeal Court, asking to appeal the arbitrary decision about the transit contract. 'The Appeal Court agreed that there are enough reasons to suspend the decision of the Stockholm arbitrary. Making such decision leaves NJSC Naftogaz Ukraine without mechanisms to seize Gazprom's assets abroad. Gazprom will use this circumstance during the appeal of the actions of tipstaffs in Switzerland and the Netherlands', the Russian company said as quoted by Interfax. According to the Swedish law, the order of the appeal court cannot be appealed against. The Ukrainian side reported it would file counter-arguments in this case. Naftogaz insists that the decision was made without calling the company - consequently, without taking into account the Ukrainian side's explanations and arguments. The Appeal Court of Svea district did not notify Naftogaz about the claim filed by the Russian company. 'This decision is a temporary one. In the near time, the company will file its explanations and counter-arguments, expecting that the court will take them into account and cancel the decision about the suspension', the message said. So she commented on her telephone conversation with an unknown person, who posed himself as the head of the President's Administration of Ukraine Euromaidanpress A member of the European Parliament, Rebecca Harms, said she was a victim of a disinformation war. So she commented on her telephone conversation with an unknown person who pretended to be the head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine Igor Rainin and said that the head of state intends to present the draft law on equal rights next week. She wrote about this on Twitter after the presidential administration denied the fact of a call to her. "Me and my office have been systematically misinformed regarding the bill on equal rights through fabricated phone and mail, and a person posing himself as head of the presidential administration," she noted. "This was my own experience, connected with the current misinformation war, I apologize for the problems and misunderstandings that this could entail," the MEP added. She stressed that this incident does not affect the fact that the "Kyiv Pride" held on Sunday is a significant success for Ukraine and progress in civil rights and equality of Ukrainians. 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. 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. Related: USA presented 47 requirements for denuclearization to DPRK Long-lasting lack of precipitations may result in the loss of up to half of the gross grain harvest in southern, central and eastern regions Open source About one-quarter of Ukraine's territory suffers from drought, with mostly eastern and southern regions under threat of losing a considerable part of the gross grain harvest. Tetyana Adamenko, the head of Ukraine's Hydrometeorological Centre said this as quoted by Interfax-Ukraine news agency. 'The drought engulfed the southeastern part of Ukraine - mostly Zaporizhya, Kherson and Kharkiv region (the latter is northeastern Ukraine, - 112 International). The rains in these areas were quite irregular; one can say that a strong drought is observed on 25 percent of the country's territory', she said. According to Adamenko, the forecast on the changes in the gross grain harvest will appear by late June. Previously, the All-Ukraine Agrarian Council stated that the long-lasting lack of precipitations may result in the loss of up to half of the gross grain harvest in southern, central and eastern regions. The extreme level of fire danger is currently observed in eastern and southern regions. However, according to the weather forecasters, thunderstorms will take place in various regions across the country; the average temperatures will keep at the rate of 28-34 degrees above Celsius. censor.net.ua The Investigative Committee of Russia opened new criminal cases against Ukrainian servicemen allegedly for "shelling civilians" in Donbas. This is reported on the site of the Committee. This time, Ukrainian servicemen were accused of "shelling" Sakhanki, Zaitseve, Vasylivka, Dokuchaevsk, Oleksandrivka, as well as Kuibyshev district of occupied Donetsk. "As a result of shelling, 10 civilians were injured, houses were destroyed, the City Water Station building of the city of Dokuchaevsk was damaged," declares Russian Federation. Cases are open under Part 1 of Art. 356 (application of prohibited means and methods of warfare) of the Russian Criminal Code. We note that these actions of the Russian Federation Council are not taking place for the first time. Earlier, the Russian department repeatedly accused Ukrainian servicemen of "shelling", while opening new criminal cases. We reported that air power line of Donetsk water filtration plant took damage due to the shelling. This resulted in the shutdown of the facility, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported. Avdiivka's local authorities decided that the local residents will get the industrial water from mobile cisterns of the local municipal enterprise. The restoration works will not be taking place because no safety is guaranteed. 'In case of emergency, the water supply system will be working hourly, using the local storage, which contains up to 4,000 cubic meters of water (it's located in the city); it has enough drinking water to be supplied for four consecutive days. In case there's no water left in the storage tank, the cars will be bringing the water for the locals,' the State Emergency Service reports. Borys Herman suspected in organizing the attempted murder of Babchenko stated that Babchenko was not on the list of 47 Borys Herman suspected in organizing the attempted murder of Babchenko, stated that Babchenkos name was not on the list of 47. Yet, there was Oleksandr Avakov, the son of Ukraines Internal Minister Arsen Avakov. Herman said it before the session of Kyiv Court of Appeal, as Ukrinform reports. Avakov junior was on the list. Babchenko was not, Herman stated. He also claims that he is not a Russian agent and the people from the counterintelligence, where he allegedly worked, did not try to find him or his lawyers after the detention. According to Herman, the SBU counterintelligence was cooperating with him under an oral agreement. His nickname was Herb. On May 31, the suspected in the organization of Babchenko's murder was detained for two months without a right for the bail. On June 1, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yury Lutsenko claimed that thanks to the staging of the murder of Russian journalist Arkadiy Babchenko, the prosecution got the list of the famous Ukrainian and ex-Russian journalist who should have been killed too. Totally, there are 47 people on the list. The searches were carried out in the house of the Crimean Tatar Seyitomer Yunusov in Stary Krym city Russian security forces detained the residents of the Stary Krym city in the annexed Crimea Yunus Seyitomerov and his daughter. This was stated in by the Crimean Solidarity association on Facebook page. "The search was carried out in the city of Stary Krym. The OMON arrived at 06:40 am to Yunus Seyitomerov. His wife and children were at home with him. After the searches, the owner of the house and his daughter were taken to Simferopol", the message says. There are still no commentaries from Russian security officials on this issue. As it was reported earlier, Crimea was annexed by Russia by way of the illegal referendum that was held at the peninsula in March 2014. Earlier the Russian militaries that stayed there without any marking conquered all strategic military objects and building of the force and state bodies. The results of the referendum were not recognized by Ukraine and the world society. The number of the European and world countries, including Ukraine imposed the economic sanctions against Russia. After Russia annexed Crimea, searches and interrogations of the local population are regularly conducted on the peninsula. Human rights defenders characterize this as a "fight against dissent." Open source Ukraines President Petro Poroshenko intends to discuss Russias threats to countrys security in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov with the EU leaders during the Ukraine-EU summit on July 9. President wrote this on his Facebook page. We are counting on a firm position of the EU on the challenges caused by Russia in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. We will discuss this question with the EU leaders at the Summit on July 9, he wrote. As it was reported earlier, Petro Poroshenko, during a meeting in Germany with President of the European Council Donald Tusk, agreed to hold the Jubilee 20th Ukraine-EU summit in the summer of this year in Brussels. The parties at the meeting also discussed the situation in Donbas, the course of the JFO, the violation of the armistice by Russia and the continuation (strengthening) of anti-Russian sanctions. On Monday, European Union extended the sanctions against Russia for Crimeas annexation. It is mentioned that the sanctions will act until June 23, 2019. The anti-Russian sanctions include the import ban on the goods from Crimean and Sevastopol; the ban of investments in the economy of Crimea; denial from tourist services in this area; and the export ban on certain goods and technologies to Crimea - including transport, TV communications and energy. Security Service of Ukraine opened the criminal proceedings against the leader of the right-wing radical movement C14 Yevhen Karas over the actions to Brazilian Rafael Lusvarghi, accused of participating in illegal armed groups in Ukraine. This was announced by Valentyn Rybin, Lusvarghis lawyer on Facebook. "The Chief Department of the Security Service of Ukraine has registered information to the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations on the commission of a terrorist act and kidnapping (of Brazilian Rafael Lusvarghi) by 14 representative in the center of Kyiv on May 04, 2018," he wrote. As it was reported earlier, SBU officers detained Lusvarghi in October 2016 when he was crossing Ukraines border in D terminal of the Boryspil airport. A couple of months later, in January of 2017, Kyiv Pechersky District Court found the Brazilian guilty of the formation of a terrorist organization, of the creations of illegal armed formations and sentenced him to 13 years of imprisonment with a confiscation of property. He became the first non-Russia foreigner sentenced by Kyiv for the participation in Donbas war. Kyiv Court of Appeal canceled the sentence on August 2017 and returned the Lusvarghi case for a retrial. Later, the pre-trial restriction for Lusvarghi was changed. The militant will be released on personal commitment, according to which he cannot leave Kyiv and has to inform the court about the change of residence and appear in court on the first request. Igor Volk, the prosecutor on the case, initiated the change of the preventive measure. He applied to the court with this request on December 15. In around two weeks before the hostage exchange, when Ukraine passed 233 people, 73 prisoners came back to the territory controlled by the Government. The nationalist captured Lusvarghi and brought him to SBU building on May 4. Hi, friends! Its been a while since weve shared a workspace on the blog. Today, were excited to give you a tour of the Daily Disco studio . If you arent familiar with Abbeys work, shes an embroidery queen who makes custom jean jackets, art prints, and more. Keely and I bought this amazing jacket for Elsies baby shower gift and weve been obsessed ever since. Her studio doubles as a workspace and living area. The colors are so bright and happy! When hunting for a studio space to give my company Daily Disco room to grow, I stumbled across the second floor of an old school bakery in St. Louis. It was much larger than what I was needing as a studio, but the space, neighborhood, and smell of fresh baked cookies 24/7 sold me. I worked it out with the bakery to fix up the second half as my home! The living space and studio are connected by the kitchen, which helps them feel like two distinct spaces. Before the bakery opened in the 1970s, the building was a dance hall, which makes it the perfect spot for Daily Disco! The bright studio gets the best natural light, and the rainbow of threads is my favorite part of the decor! It is probably my favorite room, especially when the team is here and the room is filled with music, talking, and the buzz of a chainstitch machine! The chainstitch machines are all from the 1930s or older. This machine was a gift to me from an 83-year-old couple who saw a news segment I was featured in. The machine was his fathers and they wanted to give it to me so that it could have a new life. I use it everyday, and will never forget the kindness of those strangers. This lip wall is the first thing you see when you come in, and we painted it as a team! We used , and did lips instead of eyes. When I moved in, the space was painted orange and black. I painted all the walls a color called , which brightened up the space. It goes back and forth between pink and white depending on the light. The space that needed the most attention was the kitchen. Since it was an office kitchen, it only had a few cabinets and black laminate counters. I painted the cabinets, redid the countertops, and hardware (all for under $200). I did a huge blog post with all of the details . My kitchen splurge was a vintage Turkish rug I got from . My bedroom has a lot of pieces that Ive brought back from Sayulita in Mexico. I love the color and texture in Mexican culture and it makes me so happy to wake up in it! This room is my happy place. My great-grandpa built that coffee table in the 50s and I feel so lucky that its mine! The makes the perfect spot for unwinding after a busy day. Such a fun, cozy space! Check out Daily Discos embroidery and more at daily_disco on Instagram. ???? Credits//Author: Abbey Eilermann. Photography: Emma Lally. Thousands of terrified dogs many of them stolen pets are butchered for human consumption at the annual Yulin dog eating 'celebration' that is slated for June 21. Forced to travel long distances and crammed into crowded wire cages, the dogs languish without food or water as they await their fate. They watch on as those before them have their throats slit. Many are reportedly beaten even burned or boiled alive. The Yulin dog meat festival actually only began in 2010. It was started by dog meat traders as a way to boost business, but has quickly attracted the ire of the international community. As distressing as the news is, there is comfort to be found in the extraordinary mainstream media coverage and the public outrage that is accompanying it. Worldwide, concern for animals and their welfare is on the rise as is the public's determination to force positive change. Brilliant campaign work by Animals Asia and Humane Society International has given global recognition to the victims of this event. This follows years of investigations and on-the-ground work by Animals Asia to end the trade of dogs and cats for food. So intense has the international pressure become to end the Yulin dog meat festival that in 2015 the city of Yulin itself vowed to not support the festival. It still went ahead. But fortunately, fewer dogs were slaughtered. Since then, Yulin authorities have attempted to appease the international community by claiming the event would be cancelled entirely but investigations have revealed that the cruel festival has so far continued. With high profile celebrity support and petitions now reaching the millions (you can sign one here), the unprecedented international pressure on Yulin to permanently cancel the dog eating festival may soon be successful. But without cultural change, any victory is likely to be short lived. Because unless those who have grown up eating dogs learn to widen their circle of compassion to recognise dogs as 'friends', not 'food' China's dogs will always be at risk. And events like the Yulin dog meat festival will continue. Compassion through cultural change To a Westerner, it seems unfathomable that some people might see no ethical problem with consuming 'man's best friend'. Even to Chinese urbanites who have grown to love dogs as pets the practice is unthinkable. But for those whose ancestors have eaten dogs for thousands of years, the power of cultural conditioning is profound. It's nearly impossible to comprehend until you realise that here in Australia we are victims of the very same cultural conditioning. We too have been raised into a society that has normalised the slaughter and consumption of highly intelligent domestic animals animals who are capable of experiencing fear and suffering animals who will show affection, if given the chance. But rather than 'dogs' and 'cats', we call them 'pigs', 'lambs', 'cows' and 'chickens'. We will create a kinder, more caring society for ourselves if we can all widen our circle of compassion to those we have been taught to think of as 'food', rather than 'friend'. Like people in China who value dogs only for their meat, many of us have simply never been given the opportunity to appreciate 'food' animals for the unique and curious individuals that they are. Scientists now know that cows have best friends; that sheep can learn to respond to their own name; that chickens exhibit cognitive abilities beyond that of young children; and that pigs show empathy and can play computer games designed for chimpanzees... And yet our own heritage has paved a pathway that has led us to confine, abuse, and kill these living, breathing individuals en masse in modern day factory farms and slaughterhouses. We kid ourselves that they are just 'dumb animals'. But science has proven they are anything but. For many, the outrage at the thought of 'dog stew' is only matched by the frustration at only being able to register protest by way of a petition signature. But we are not powerless to end this suffering. By making kinder choices, we can impact the lives of needy animals in a very real way, every single day. Take a leap of kindness for animals. Sign a petition to help dogs in China and then join the global kind cooking movement to help equally deserving animals right here at home. Want to help protect all animals from cruelty? YEREVAN, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS. The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia has released details over the arrest of Member of Parliament Manvel Grigoryan and the evidences discovered in the lawmakers properties. The NSS said agents searched Grigoryans compound in the village of Arshaluys in Armavir province on June 16, and his mansion in Ejmiatsin city (Vagharshapat) within the framework of an ongoing criminal case. NSS said agents discovered an arsenal and a collection of dozens of both vintage and modern vehicles in Grigoryans Arshaluys compound. The compound was also used to store military canned food, medication and military uniforms. NSS said the boxes which were supposed to be delivered to soldiers, contained letters addressed to servicemen, which shows that it was aid sent to frontline soldiers in Artsakh during the 2016 April 4-day war days. NSS said it is investigating how the military clothing, medicine and other discoveries have appeared in the MPs compound. Various kinds of foodstuffs aid sent from kindergartens and schools to soldiers have been discovered stored in the compound, NSS said. NSS said it also found foodstuffs labeled For Soldier a special production supplied to the defense ministry which is not available for sale or any other use. The huge amount of weapons and ammunition found in MP Grigoryans compound in the village included more than a dozen anti-tank grenade launchers, 20 hand grenades, over 20,000 various caliber rounds, TNT explosives, and many other types of weapons. Weapons have also been found in the Ejmiatsin mansion, namely 79 rifles, 39 handguns and over 12,000 rounds. Dozens of property ownership licenses have also been found. The collection of vehicles includes motorcycles and snowmobiles, NSS said. The NSS said they also discovered SUVs and an ambulance vehicle which were designated to be used in the military during the 4-day war. The vehicles were donated to the Defense Army of Artsakh by representatives of the Armenian community of Russia, and Grigoryan has misappropriated them, according to the NSS. NSS said it also discovered a private zoo in the premises of the mansion, with bears and a tiger among the animals. The mansion also has a horse track. According to information, Grigoryan has used the military food which was supposed to go to soldiers of the 4-day war to feed the animals of his private zoo. The NSS said the investigation continues and additional information will be provided. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS. The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia has released details over the arrest of Arthur Asatryan, the businessman better known as Don Pipo. Asatryan holds dual Armenia-Russia citizenship. In a statement, the NSS said that a criminal case was launched back in 2017 on the alleged murder plot against Asatryan. Arthur Asatryan, aka Don Pipo, is an Ejmiatsin native who has been residing in Italy. According to some media reports, Asatryan is allegedly tied to organized crime. NSS said that three of the four suspected plotters of the murder have said that they had been kidnapped and taken hostage for three days last year, where theyve been subjected to violence and demanded to name who is behind ordering the murder. A new criminal case was launched later in 2017 on the kidnapping of the three suspects. NSS said it has found a mobile phone video showing the kidnappers threatening and interrogating the three men. The video also shows that the interrogation was carried out by an individual calling himself Pipo, NSS said. Furthermore, the kidnapped men have refused to cooperate with law enforcement agencies. The investigation nevertheless continued, and as result of searching the mansion of Arthur Asatryan in Ejmiatsin on June 16, a big amount of weapons and ammunition was discovered, NSS said. The weapons included AK-74 assault rifles, five handguns and a revolver. Asatryan was detained and later arrested in suspicion of kidnapping and illegal acquisition and possession of firearms. Within the framework of the same criminal case, four Russian citizens have also been arrested. The four suspects are most likely the bodyguards of Asatryan who are involved in the illegal possession of the firearms, NSS said. Investigation continues. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. Vice President of the Republican Party of Armenia, chairman of the foreign relations committee of the parliament Armen Ashotyan has said that if the accusations against MP Manvel Grigoryan prove to be true it would be a deep personal tragedy for him. I treat any accusation regarding the April war [4-day war] with deep sorrow and pain. If proven that the accusations are true, it will be a very deep personal tragedy for me. I dont want the presumption of innocence to be violated, neither do I want political assessments to be made about the new circumstances. This issue is from now on exclusively in the framework of the law. God bless the Armenian soldiers, Ashotyan said on Facebook. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. A group of 25 Permanent Representatives to the OSCE will be traveling to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan from 18 to 22 June 2018, OSCE reported. In all three countries, the ambassadors will meet with representatives of the national authorities and parliaments, as well as with civil society, it said. 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. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenias foreign ministry spokesperson Tigran Balayan says the Azerbaijani media reports on capturing 11,000 hectares of land in the Nakhivejan section are disinformation. He urged to solely rely on the official information of the defense ministry of Armenia. The latest conversation that we had with our colleagues from the defense ministry was half an hour ago, Azerbaijani media reported about the 11,000 hectares yesterday evening and today in the morning that serious battles are underway, an attack is being planned. This all is false, I am asking to rely only on the official information of our defense ministry, which hasnt given any reason for doubt during these years, he said. He said that diplomats of Armenia are notifying the international community about Azerbaijans military build-up at the Armenian border and the Artsakh line of contact. Speaking about the fact that Azerbaijan is carrying out these actions during the regional visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Balayan said: Our approaches are public, we gave a special commentary regarding the killing of a soldier in Artsakh a day ahead of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs visit. A provocation, which resulted in the death of a defense army soldier, this once again shows Azerbaijans contemptuous treatment to its commitments and first of all towards the Co-Chairing countries and the institution of Co-Chairmanship. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. In accordance to past agreements, President Armen Sarkissian has left the country on June 18 to have different meetings abroad. The Presidents Office said Sarkissian will have a number of both official and informal meetings in the UK. The Armenian President will be hosted in the Buckingham Palace. He will also have a farewell meeting as Armenias Ambassador to the UK in the foreign ministry. Then the President will head to France. President Sarkissian will have meetings with French businessmen in Paris to discuss Armenias investment opportunities and present the countrys competitive advantages, the Presidents Office said. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian will have a working meeting in Paris with Michaelle Jean, Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, to discuss the business forum which will take place on the sidelines of the upcoming October summit of the organization in Yerevan. Then on June 26, the President will visit the United States to take part in the annual National Life Festival of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. The festival is dedicated to Armenian cultural legacy. The President will also attend a reception in the US Senate dedicated to the 100th anniversary of establishment of the First Republic of Armenia. Courtesy meetings with foreign ministers of the above-mentioned countries are possible during the visits, the Presidents Office said. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. The Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) has issued a statement about the footage released by the national security service concerning arrested MP Manvel Grigoryan and the charges against the lawmaker. HHK said it was deeply saddened and angered by the video which was presented by the NSS, showing the discoveries at the lawmakers compound. It is hard to believe that this is true. We are stunned and angered that something like this is possible by anyone in our reality, moreover by a general who actively took part in the Artsakh War. This is unacceptable and despicable, HHK said. Citing the presumption of innocence, the HHK said that if Manvel Grigoryan is found guilty he must be held accountable under the entire strictness of the law, regardless of his position. Anyone breaching the law, regardless of past or present official positions, party affiliation, must be held to account before the law, the statement said. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations said search operations for the missing 14 year old boy have been re-launched. Rescuers are carrying out search operations in the area leading to Sovetashen from Ayntap. Police officers, rescuers and volunteers are involved in the search. The boy, Hayk Harutyunyan (pictured in the photo above), a local of a village of Ararat province, has gone missing on June 8. The 14-year-old suffers from autism. Earlier on June 14 Minister of Emergency Situations Hrachya Rostomyan personally ordered officers and rescue service personnel to boost search operations. K9 units were also dispatched to the area. Anyone having any information about the whereabouts of the boy is urged to contact police by dialing 911. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan has commented on the arrest of MP Manvel Grigoryan and the charges brought against him. ARMENPRESS tried to contact the Speaker for his opinion. Knyaz Saroyan, head of the press and PR department of the parliament, conveyed the Speakers response to ARMENPRESS. What has been presented on TV is an occurrence incompatible with moral system of values. I am sure that the judicial-legal bodies will be consistent in order to reveal and hold accountable the [perpetrators]. The worst part is that the children who wrote the letters and were sure that their assistance has reached the soldiers, have been disappointed. Our legislation has all tools to give an appropriate assessment to this act, he said. The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia has released details over the arrest of Member of Parliament Manvel Grigoryan and the evidences discovered in the lawmakers properties. The NSS said agents searched Grigoryans compound in the village of Arshaluys in Armavir province on June 16, and his mansion in Ejmiatsin city (Vagharshapat) within the framework of an ongoing criminal case. NSS said agents discovered an arsenal and a collection of dozens of both vintage and modern vehicles in Grigoryans Arshaluys compound. The compound was also used to store military canned food, medication and military uniforms. NSS said the boxes which were supposed to be delivered to soldiers, contained letters addressed to servicemen, which shows that it was aid sent to frontline soldiers in Artsakh during the 2016 April 4-day war days. NSS said it is investigating how the military clothing, medicine and other discoveries have appeared in the MPs compound. Various kinds of foodstuffs aid sent from kindergartens and schools to soldiers have been discovered stored in the compound, NSS said. NSS said it also found foodstuffs labeled For Soldier a special production supplied to the defense ministry which is not available for sale or any other use. The huge amount of weapons and ammunition found in MP Grigoryans compound in the village included more than a dozen anti-tank grenade launchers, 20 hand grenades, over 20,000 various caliber rounds, TNT explosives, and many other types of weapons. Weapons have also been found in the Ejmiatsin mansion, namely 79 rifles, 39 handguns and over 12,000 rounds. Dozens of property ownership licenses have also been found. The collection of vehicles includes motorcycles and snowmobiles, NSS said. The NSS said they also discovered SUVs and an ambulance vehicle which were designated to be used in the military during the 4-day war. The vehicles were donated to the Defense Army of Artsakh by representatives of the Armenian community of Russia, and Grigoryan has misappropriated them, according to the NSS. NSS said it also discovered a private zoo in the premises of the mansion, with bears and a tiger among the animals. The mansion also has a horse track. According to information, Grigoryan has used the military food which was supposed to go to soldiers of the 4-day war to feed the animals of his private zoo. The NSS said the investigation continues and additional information will be provided. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. There is no clear agreement regarding a meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers yet, Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson Tigran Balayan said at a press briefing. The date of a meeting of the ministers isnt specified yet, if a final agreement is reached about the meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, we will notify in advance on both the location and date. There is no concrete agreement over a meeting of the ministers, he said. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America, together with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, met with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, and President Armen Sarkissian during an introductory visit to Yerevan on 12-14 June, the OSCE office said. The Co-Chairs and the Armenian officials reviewed the status of negotiations and discussed next steps to move the process forward, including a ministerial meeting in the near future. They also exchanged views on the current situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and the line of contact, underscoring the importance of maintaining a constructive environment. The Co-Chairs reiterated their commitment to helping the sides find a peaceful solution to the conflict based on the core principles of the Helsinki Final Act, including the non-use or threat of force, territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples. Armenian officials expressed their support for the work of the OSCE Minsk Group and Personal Representative and their willingness to continue working productively under the auspices of the Co-Chairs. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. The parliament of Armenia will convene an extraordinary sitting on June 19 to debate stripping MP Manvel Grigoryan of immunity. The decision to convene a sitting was made today at a Cabinet meeting. The sitting will begin 11:00 Tuesday. The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia has released details over the arrest of Member of Parliament Manvel Grigoryan and the evidences discovered in the lawmakers properties. Grigoryan was placed under arrest on June 16. The NSS said agents searched Grigoryans compound in the village of Arshaluys in Armavir province on June 16, and his mansion in Ejmiatsin city (Vagharshapat) within the framework of an ongoing criminal case. NSS said agents discovered an arsenal and a collection of dozens of both vintage and modern vehicles in Grigoryans Arshaluys compound. The compound was also used to store military canned food, medication and military uniforms. NSS said the boxes which were supposed to be delivered to soldiers, contained letters addressed to servicemen, which shows that it was aid sent to frontline soldiers in Artsakh during the 2016 April 4-day war days. NSS said it is investigating how the military clothing, medicine and other discoveries have appeared in the MPs compound. Various kinds of foodstuffs aid sent from kindergartens and schools to soldiers have been discovered stored in the compound, NSS said. NSS said it also found foodstuffs labeled For Soldier a special production supplied to the defense ministry which is not available for sale or any other use. The huge amount of weapons and ammunition found in MP Grigoryans compound in the village included more than a dozen anti-tank grenade launchers, 20 hand grenades, over 20,000 various caliber rounds, TNT explosives, and many other types of weapons. Weapons have also been found in the Ejmiatsin mansion, namely 79 rifles, 39 handguns and over 12,000 rounds. Dozens of property ownership licenses have also been found. The collection of vehicles includes motorcycles and snowmobiles, NSS said. The NSS said they also discovered SUVs and an ambulance vehicle which were designated to be used in the military during the 4-day war. The vehicles were donated to the Defense Army of Artsakh by representatives of the Armenian community of Russia, and Grigoryan has misappropriated them, according to the NSS. NSS said it also discovered a private zoo in the premises of the mansion, with bears and a tiger among the animals. The mansion also has a horse track. According to information, Grigoryan has used the military food which was supposed to go to soldiers of the 4-day war to feed the animals of his private zoo. The NSS said the investigation continues and additional information will be provided. Two days after the arrest of Member of Parliament Manvel Grigoryan in suspicion of illegal acquisition and possession of firearms, the Prosecutor Generals office filed a motion on stripping the lawmaker of immunity on June 18, the Prosecutor Generals office said. On June 17, Prosecutor General Arthur Davtyan transferred the investigation from the national security service to the special investigations service. He also tasked to form a task force from detectives of both services. The Prosecutor Generals office said the investigation has revealed sufficient evidence implicating Manvel Grigoryan. Thus, the Prosecutor General applied to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to request the parliament on behalf of the government to convene an extraordinary sitting to debate the motion. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. The investigation into the case regarding MP Manvel Grigoryan is still ongoing and the possible accomplices will be revealed in process, director of the National Security Service Arthur Vanetsyan told reporters. He said that Manvel Grigoryan will not be released from pre-trial detention. But the parliament is yet to debate the issue of stripping the MP of immunity tomorrow. Asked if the NSS was aware about the alleged embezzlement or it only had information about the firearms, the NSS chief said: I dont want to fully disclose the tactical part of our investigation, of course we were aware, he said. The parliament of Armenia will convene an extraordinary sitting on June 19 to debate stripping MP Manvel Grigoryan of immunity. The decision to convene a sitting was made today at a Cabinet meeting. The sitting will begin 11:00 Tuesday. The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia has released details over the arrest of Member of Parliament Manvel Grigoryan and the evidences discovered in the lawmakers properties. Grigoryan was placed under arrest on June 16. The NSS said agents searched Grigoryans compound in the village of Arshaluys in Armavir province on June 16, and his mansion in Ejmiatsin city (Vagharshapat) within the framework of an ongoing criminal case. NSS said agents discovered an arsenal and a collection of dozens of both vintage and modern vehicles in Grigoryans Arshaluys compound. The compound was also used to store military canned food, medication and military uniforms. NSS said the boxes which were supposed to be delivered to soldiers, contained letters addressed to servicemen, which shows that it was aid sent to frontline soldiers in Artsakh during the 2016 April 4-day war days. NSS said it is investigating how the military clothing, medicine and other discoveries have appeared in the MPs compound. Various kinds of foodstuffs aid sent from kindergartens and schools to soldiers have been discovered stored in the compound, NSS said. NSS said it also found foodstuffs labeled For Soldier a special production supplied to the defense ministry which is not available for sale or any other use. The huge amount of weapons and ammunition found in MP Grigoryans compound in the village included more than a dozen anti-tank grenade launchers, 20 hand grenades, over 20,000 various caliber rounds, TNT explosives, and many other types of weapons. Weapons have also been found in the Ejmiatsin mansion, namely 79 rifles, 39 handguns and over 12,000 rounds. Dozens of property ownership licenses have also been found. The collection of vehicles includes motorcycles and snowmobiles, NSS said. The NSS said they also discovered SUVs and an ambulance vehicle which were designated to be used in the military during the 4-day war. The vehicles were donated to the Defense Army of Artsakh by representatives of the Armenian community of Russia, and Grigoryan has misappropriated them, according to the NSS. NSS said it also discovered a private zoo in the premises of the mansion, with bears and a tiger among the animals. The mansion also has a horse track. According to information, Grigoryan has used the military food which was supposed to go to soldiers of the 4-day war to feed the animals of his private zoo. The NSS said the investigation continues and additional information will be provided. Two days after the arrest of Member of Parliament Manvel Grigoryan in suspicion of illegal acquisition and possession of firearms, the Prosecutor Generals office filed a motion on stripping the lawmaker of immunity on June 18, the Prosecutor Generals office said. On June 17, Prosecutor General Arthur Davtyan transferred the investigation from the national security service to the special investigations service. He also tasked to form a task force from detectives of both services. The Prosecutor Generals office said the investigation has revealed sufficient evidence implicating Manvel Grigoryan. Thus, the Prosecutor General applied to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to request the parliament on behalf of the government to convene an extraordinary sitting to debate the motion. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. According to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the case over MP Manvel Grigoryan is the most massive corruption discovery in the history of the third Republic of Armenia. Without violating any presumption of innocence, I want to say for the record that we are dealing with, perhaps, the most large-scale corruption discovery in the history of the third Republic of Armenia and this stands out with the fact that the discoveries are literally shocking, are shocking for the Armenian society, he said at todays Cabinet meeting. The PM said he has personally thanked the NSS director and the agents who took part in the operation. He expressed hope that the investigation of this case will be carried out duly. He said that all possible accomplices of the case, regardless of status or titles or any other circumstances, should be held accountable. The investigation into the case regarding MP Manvel Grigoryan is still ongoing and the possible accomplices will be revealed in process, director of the National Security Service Arthur Vanetsyan told reporters. He said that Manvel Grigoryan will not be released from pre-trial detention. But the parliament is yet to debate the issue of stripping the MP of immunity tomorrow. Asked if the NSS was aware about the alleged embezzlement or it only had information about the firearms, the NSS chief said: I dont want to fully disclose the tactical part of our investigation, of course we were aware, he said. The parliament of Armenia will convene an extraordinary sitting on June 19 to debate stripping MP Manvel Grigoryan of immunity. The decision to convene a sitting was made today at a Cabinet meeting. The sitting will begin 11:00 Tuesday. The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia has released details over the arrest of Member of Parliament Manvel Grigoryan and the evidences discovered in the lawmakers properties. Grigoryan was placed under arrest on June 16. The NSS said agents searched Grigoryans compound in the village of Arshaluys in Armavir province on June 16, and his mansion in Ejmiatsin city (Vagharshapat) within the framework of an ongoing criminal case. NSS said agents discovered an arsenal and a collection of dozens of both vintage and modern vehicles in Grigoryans Arshaluys compound. The compound was also used to store military canned food, medication and military uniforms. NSS said the boxes which were supposed to be delivered to soldiers, contained letters addressed to servicemen, which shows that it was aid sent to frontline soldiers in Artsakh during the 2016 April 4-day war days. NSS said it is investigating how the military clothing, medicine and other discoveries have appeared in the MPs compound. Various kinds of foodstuffs aid sent from kindergartens and schools to soldiers have been discovered stored in the compound, NSS said. NSS said it also found foodstuffs labeled For Soldier a special production supplied to the defense ministry which is not available for sale or any other use. The huge amount of weapons and ammunition found in MP Grigoryans compound in the village included more than a dozen anti-tank grenade launchers, 20 hand grenades, over 20,000 various caliber rounds, TNT explosives, and many other types of weapons. Weapons have also been found in the Ejmiatsin mansion, namely 79 rifles, 39 handguns and over 12,000 rounds. Dozens of property ownership licenses have also been found. The collection of vehicles includes motorcycles and snowmobiles, NSS said. The NSS said they also discovered SUVs and an ambulance vehicle which were designated to be used in the military during the 4-day war. The vehicles were donated to the Defense Army of Artsakh by representatives of the Armenian community of Russia, and Grigoryan has misappropriated them, according to the NSS. NSS said it also discovered a private zoo in the premises of the mansion, with bears and a tiger among the animals. The mansion also has a horse track. According to information, Grigoryan has used the military food which was supposed to go to soldiers of the 4-day war to feed the animals of his private zoo. The NSS said the investigation continues and additional information will be provided. Two days after the arrest of Member of Parliament Manvel Grigoryan in suspicion of illegal acquisition and possession of firearms, the Prosecutor Generals office filed a motion on stripping the lawmaker of immunity on June 18, the Prosecutor Generals office said. On June 17, Prosecutor General Arthur Davtyan transferred the investigation from the national security service to the special investigations service. He also tasked to form a task force from detectives of both services. The Prosecutor Generals office said the investigation has revealed sufficient evidence implicating Manvel Grigoryan. Thus, the Prosecutor General applied to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to request the parliament on behalf of the government to convene an extraordinary sitting to debate the motion. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan has addressed the factions of the parliament with a suggestion to form a working group or launching discussions over the electoral code, the parliaments press service told ARMENPRESS. Taking into account the need to resolve the political situation in the country, the Speaker of Parliament has applied to the parliamentary factions, suggesting forming a working group for launching discussions over the electoral code, the parliaments press service said in a statement. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenias minister of foreign affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held a meeting today with over two dozen of OSCE Permanent Representatives who arrived in Yerevan on a regional visit, the ministry said. The FM greeted the OSCE Ambassadors and stressed that Armenia attaches great importance to multilateral cooperation within the OSCE, as a result of which important reforms have taken place in the country. He said that in turn Armenia has had active participation in all three platforms of the organizations activities and has brought its contribution in raising the efficiency and reputation of the structure. The foreign minister presented the latest developments in Armenia to the OSCE Permanent Reprensentaives, touched upon the ongoing reforms and the new government program. In this context, the role of the civil society and the youth has been stressed. The OSCE Ambassadors said that after a six year hiatus, this regional visit gives a good chance to get acquainted with Armenias political developments and to assess the regional security situation. The sides attached importance to the continuity of OSCE projects in Armenia. In this context, the FM expressed support to initiatives in this direction. The meeting also focused on the governments priorities, regional and international developments and the OSCE. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. There are some tensions in Nakhichevan section of Armenia-Azerbaijan border, but the situation is under control, Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia Gabriel Balayan told the reporters at the National Assembly. You know that journalists and bloggers active in the social networks were invited there. I can say you that there are some moves in their side but not at the expense of our positions or territories, ARMENPRESS reports Balayan as saying. The Deputy Minister assured that the Armenian armed forces keep full control of the situation. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. The EU Delegation to Armenia has not received any signals from the EU member states over delays or complications for the ratification of the Comprehended and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, Head of the Delegation, Ambassador Piotr Switalski told in apres conference on June 18, answering the question of ARMENPRESS news agency. Of course, each country has its own domestic procedure of ratification. Some countries have already ratified the agreement, and this number gradually rises, and we are sure this process will end successfully, Switalski said. According to him, 80% of the provisions of the agreement already entered into force on June 1, and on July 4, after the ratification of the European Parliament, the sides will set to the full implementation of the agreement. Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament David McAllister saluted the unanimous ratification of the agreement by the National Assembly of Armenia, adding that it does not contradict to any other foreign commitment of Armenia. The signing and ratification of the agreement is just the beginning, the important part is its successful implementation. According to me, its beneficial for both sides, he said. Co-Chair of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Sajjad Karim reaffirmed that the ratification process goes on successfully at the member states. The Armenia-EU agreement, CEPA, was signed on November 24, 2017 in Brussels. It has already been ratified by Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Bulgaria. The Armenian parliament has also ratified it. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. The EU is ready to start dialogue with Armenia on establishing a visa free regime, ARMENPRESS reports Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament David McAllister announced in Yerevan, but could not indicate dates. We are ready to start a dialogue on visa liberalization and there are already agreements. But for that we would like to see a diminishing number of illegal Armenian migrants in EU member states, as well as to see productive fight against corruption. There is much to be done but the EU is always ready to support Armenia, David McAllister said. The EU official noted that they understand how important this issue is for Armenian citizens. He highlighted the successful implementation of a number of agreements, including visa facilitation agreement. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by Coordinator of the German Development Bank (KFW) Middle East and South Caucasus region Olaf Zimelka, ARMEN PRESS was informed from the official website of the Prime Minister of Armenia. The PM noted that the Government of Armenia highlights the cooperation with the Bank, emphasizing its important role in different spheres of the economy of Armenia. Pashinyan emphasized the necessity of raising the efficiency of joint credit programs. The Head of the Executive presented to the guests the priorities of the Government, the reforms, particularly aimed at improving the business environment and fostering investments. Olaf Zimelka noted that the German Development Bank is ready for expanding and strengthening the partnership. The interlocutors discussed issues referring to the ongoing and future projects in the spheres of energy, agriculture, infrastructures and other spheres of mutual interest. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. Co-Chair of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Sajjad Karim is concerned over the mobilization of Azerbaijani troops and military equipment along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border from Nakhichevan section and Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line. The EU official, answering the question of ARMENPRESS, said that during his stay in Armenia he has already been informed about that and hoped that the situation will de-escalate and the sides will make more contribution to the already existing negotiations. In addition to that we will observe other measures in support of the mechanism that already exist, he said, adding that the sides will be encouraged to make more contribution to the already existing processes, heading to a final and peaceful settlement. The Defense Ministry of Artsakh informs that during the recent days active moves and mobilization of Azerbaijani troops and military equipment can be noted in different sections of Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line. In the recent period the Azerbaijani side demonstrates evident activity in the information field that is manifested by the spread of various sorts of misinformation and abundance in propagandistic footages. With the main goal to present the achievements of their armed forces properly to the domestic and external audiences, official Baku first started to circulate ungrounded information about the alleged liberation of 11 thousand hectares in section of Nakhichevan, and then posted on the internet the footage of using POLONEZ multiple launch rocket system and Israeli-made LORA long-range artillery system. Parallel to this informational propaganda active moves and mobilization of Azerbaijani troops and military equipment can be noted in different sections of Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line in the recent days. Defense Army front line units watchfully follow the activities of the adversary and take necessary actions stemming from the situation. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan I must confess, when I see an article or a column warning of impending doom in the markets, or that some economic disaster is just around the corner, I think oh brother, here we go again, another doomsayer. My instinct is that whatever is in the article is over-blown or overstated and that the writer is just looking for clicks you might call it click-bait! All that being said, it strikes me as very odd, that several, thats right, several leading Australian economists and market watchers are now on the record warning about the possibility that Australia could be heading for a recession, or a financial crisis of some description. Also read: Are you making yourself poorer instead of richer? Find that hard to believe? Well here they are: Shane Oliver (AMP); Stephen Walters (AICD); Satyajit Das (former investment banker and author); Paul Dales (Capital Economics); and Katrina King (QIC). The Readers Digest version is that, among them, they believe the current economic climate is as good as its going to get, that Europe debt has the potential to produce a global financial contagion; that Australia is at risk of recession in the next 5 years, and that the banking royal commission could bring about a domestic credit crunch. Also read: Aussie dollar slips as the trade spat continues I cant just leave that hanging, so heres more: Recession risk The latest snapshot of the Australian economy known among the pointy heads as gross domestic product or GDP, points to a very healthy economy indeed. The nations pumping out all manner of exports from iron ore, to coal, as well as tourism and education. Lets not forget the million plus jobs created since the Coalition formed government too. So why on earth would there be any mention of a recession? Well the unfortunate reality is that the Australian consumer makes up well over half of the nations economic output. So the consumer needs to be happy and cashed-up if strong economic growth is to look anything like sustainable. Story continues The consumer, however, is not happy. High levels of household debt, combined with low wage growth and the rising cost of living not to mention the ever-increasing amount of insecure work, has led to some misery out there. Also read: How to beat the Aussie market Economists like Stephen Walters argue that unless the consumer comes to the party, economic growth could falter in coming years as export dollars and government spending dry up. Now no one wants to be up to their eye-balls in debt during a recession, so Mr Walters advice? Brace yourself. Literally, thats what he told me, brace yourself. Cut back on unnecessary spending, re-think the holiday to Europe, and bring down your debt. Hes basically saying theres no need to panic, but just make sure youre not caught swimming naked when the tide goes out. Financial Crisis So thats the economy. There are an entirely separate group of worry-warts out there that are concerned Australia might succumb to what Paul Dales describes as a mini domestic financial crisis. His logic is pretty straight forward: the Banking Royal Commission could lead to further credit tightening by the banks, which could then lead to a steeper fall in house prices, which would then hurt the banks, leading to a further tightening in lending standards, and so on and so forth. He describes it as a kind of vicious circle That means that some households lose their jobs, they cant pay their mortgages, which weakens the banking sector, which prompts the banks to tighten lending conditions, which kick-starts the circle again, Mr Dales says. Paul Dales has his critics. Both the chief economist of the Commonwealth Bank, Michael Blythe, and the chief executive of the Australian Industry Group, Innes Willox, reckon he hasnt done his sums correctly. He stands by his reasoning though. Global financial panic Then theres the broader global context. There are still several potential global economic flashpoints. They include southern Europe, emerging markets, and China. All have the potential to spark debt crises, as well as runs on banks and currencies. As QICs head of research Katrina King puts it, theres potential for a financial contagion. Indeed a trade war between the United States and China, or even between America and Canada, would be enough to ruffle market feathers right across the globe. Watch the market So where does all of this leave us? I mean seriously! Im what you might call a markets economist. I began my career in the markets, and much of my thinking revolves around markets. I also love news. Did you know that once upon a time the financial markets were the very first to receive the news? Traders access to Reuters and aap (news wires) meant the next best thing to speaking to a journo, was to speak to a trader. Anyway, what Im getting at is that theres no better place to get the sense of whats going on that to look to the markets. If you look at the value of Australias major banking stocks since 2015, for example, youll notice theyve plunged between 35 and 45 per cent. Thats telling you a lot of confidence has come out of the banking sector especially around its potential to generate wealth. Im not a betting man, but if the banks dont find a more solid platform in the market soon, I suspect some of these what some might call extreme economist views, might actually be taken more seriously. Where does that leave you? Well, for me, Id certainly rather know theres a bumpy road ahead, and strap in, than be caught out, and thrown about. @DaveTaylorNews Dozens of peace protesters arrived in Kabul on Monday after walking hundreds of kilometres across war-battered Afghanistan, as the Taliban ended an unprecedented ceasefire and resumed attacks in several parts of the country. Exhausted after their 700-kilometre (430-mile) 38-day trek, most of it during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, the marchers walked double file through the Afghan capital shouting "We want peace!" and "Stop fighting!" "We want our people to stay united for peace and get rid of this misery for the next generation," Mohammad Naikzad, one of the marchers, told Tolo News. "I am calling on both sides -- the government and the Taliban -- for God's sake... find a way for peace and reconciliation." Fellow peace marcher Karwan also urged both the parties to work together to "bring lasting security in this country". "Enough blood has been shed. So many people have been martyred in this ongoing conflict," he told Tolo News. The Taliban refused to extend their three-day ceasefire beyond Sunday night despite pressure from ordinary people, the government and the international community. Their fighters attacked security forces in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar and Laghman, and in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, officials told AFP. There were few details on casualties. The governor of Ghani Khel district in Nangarhar was shot dead and his bodyguard wounded on Monday, provincial governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP, blaming the Taliban. Defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh said there had been fighting in nine provinces since the end of the Taliban's ceasefire, with 12 soldiers killed or wounded. Around 2,500 Taliban fighters entered Kabul during the three-day ceasefire and most had refused to return to the battlefield, Radmanesh said. "They are tired of war and have given up fighting, but our security and defence forces are ready to prevent and respond to any threat," he added. - War-weary - The peace march, believed to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan, grew out of a sit-in protest and hunger strike in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand which is a Taliban stronghold. That demonstration, which began spontaneously after a car bomb attack in the city on March 23, triggered similar movements by war-weary Afghans nationwide. But when the Taliban and security forces failed to heed their demands to stop fighting, some protesters decided to take their message directly to the country's top leaders. Initially ridiculed for their plan to walk from Helmand to Kabul, the marchers now enjoy strong public support. They are calling for an extended ceasefire, peace talks and a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan -- which is also a key demand of the Taliban. The Taliban announced Sunday they would not extend their ceasefire with Afghan police and troops despite describing the truce as "successful" and a demonstration that the militants were united. "The mujahedeen across the country are ordered to continue their operations against the foreign invaders and their domestic stooges as usual," the group said in a statement. The group also repeated its demand for direct talks with the United States and the withdrawal of foreign forces. The first formal nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US-led invasion had sparked extraordinary scenes of Taliban fighters, security forces and civilians happily celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday together. But the jubilation appeared to alarm Taliban leaders, who on Sunday ordered their fighters to stay at their posts or in areas under their control. Some people took to social media to express disappointment and anger at the Taliban's refusal to extend the truce. "Once again, they have shown that they love shedding the blood of innocent Afghans," Madena Momad wrote on Facebook. Another user wrote: "The Taliban have no respect for the norms and lives of Afghan people." str-mam-emh-us-amj/sm Afghan peace activists shout slogans demanding an end to fighting as they arrive in Kabul An Afghan Taliban militant carries a rocket-propelled grenade as residents celebrate a ceasefire on Saturday More than 20 fighters from an Iraqi paramilitary force key to the battle against the Islamic State group were killed in an eastern Syria air raid the United States linked to Israel. The bombing raid hit Al-Hari, a town controlled by regional militias fighting in Syria's complex seven-year war alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Both Syrian authorities and Iraqi forces pointed the finger at the US-led coalition, which denied it was involved in Sunday night's attack. "We have reasons to believe that it was an Israeli strike," a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity on Monday. The raid slammed into a regime-controlled position in the border town and left at least 52 fighters dead, according to a Britain-based monitor. Among them were fighters from Iraq's powerful Hashed al-Shaabi military alliance, some of whom have crossed into Syria to fight against IS. The Iran-backed Hashed claimed that "US planes fired two guided missiles at a fixed position of Hashed al-Shaabi units on the border with Syria, killing 22 fighters and wounding 12." The bodies of three Iraqi fighters killed in the raid were returned to their hometowns for burial, said AFP's correspondent in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a total of 30 Iraqi forces were among the dead in Al-Hari, as well as 16 Syrian forces and six unidentified fighters. - 'No strikes' - The attack was first reported by Syrian state media, which cited a military source accusing the coalition of bombing one of its positions in Al-Hari. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number or their nationalities. A military source in Syria's Deir Ezzor province where the targeted area lies later said coalition warplanes hit "joint Iraqi-Syrian positions in Al-Hari". The coalition's press office said it had received reports of a strike in the area that had killed and wounded Iraqi fighters, but denied it was involved. "There have been no strikes by US or coalition forces in that area," it said in an email. Hashed said its fighters had been deployed along the porous frontier with Syria on the orders of the Iraqi authorities. However, late Monday the Iraqi military command denied it had positioned forces in Syrian territory, implying the dead fighters had acted without its consent. Regretting the deaths, the command said it had been assured by the coalition that it was not responsible for the strikes. Hashed is vital to the fight against IS in Iraq, but has also battled the jihadists across the border in their eastern Syria bastions. Al-Hari is in oil-rich Deir Ezzor province where a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters and Russia-supported Syrian regime forces are carrying out separate operations against IS. The jihadists have lost most of the territory they controlled in Syria and Iraq but remain in pockets of the eastern desert area including Deir Ezzor. The US and Russian-backed forces have mostly avoided each other thanks to a de-confliction line that runs across the province along the winding Euphrates River. - 'Highest toll' - Syrian troops are battling IS on the western river bank, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fight on the east. Iraqi warplanes also have occasionally bombed IS positions in eastern Syria. Al-Hari lies on the western side, close to the river and the de-confliction line. The buffer has largely been successful in keeping the two offensives apart, but there have been exceptions. The deadliest incident was in February, when US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in Deir Ezzor province, including Russians. "The strike on Al-Hari produced the highest death toll for regime forces since the February incident," Observatory head Abdel Rahman said. Syria's conflict began in 2011 with protests against Assad, but then spiralled into a full-blown war that has drawn in world powers and given rise to jihadists like IS. The strike on Al-Hari came a day after the US-backed SDF announced it had ousted IS from Dashisha, a village to the north in Syria's Hasakeh province. The village had been one of the last IS-controlled areas in a corridor linking Syria with Iraq. "For the first time in four years, Dashisha, a notorious transit town for weapons, fighters and suicide bombers between Iraq and Syria, is no longer controlled by ISIS (IS) terrorists," said Brett McGurk, the US president's special envoy for the war against IS. burs-sl/oh/mtp/amz Map of Syria locating air strike in Al-Hari. The UN envoy for Yemen hopes to relaunch talks on a peace plan next month despite an offensive on the key port city of Hodeida that threatens to escalate the war and trigger a humanitarian disaster, diplomats said Monday. Speaking by videoconference from Sanaa, Martin Griffiths briefed the Security Council behind closed doors on his framework for peace talks even as the Saudi-led coalition pressed on with an assault on the city. A first round of preliminary talks could take place next month to restart negotiations on a political transition, Griffiths told the council, according to two diplomats in the chamber. Following the meeting, Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said council members renewed their call for the port at Hodeida, the entry point for vital aid deliveries and commercial goods, to remain open. "We hope that nothing terrible happens in Hodeida," said Polyansky whose country holds the council presidency this month. Fierce fighting this month has displaced 5,200 families mostly from districts south of the city, UN officials said, adding that the number of those fleeing the violence was expected to rise. The Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive on June 13 to drive out Yemen's Huthi rebels from the Red Sea port city of 600,000. - No deal on Hodeida - Griffiths has been in talks with the Huthis and the coalition about the fate of Hodeida but there has been no breakthrough in the intense negotiations. The coalition has insisted that the Huthis must fully withdraw from the city and turn over the port to UN supervision, but the rebels have so far only agreed to shared control with the United Nations of the port. After days of talks with the Huthis in Sanaa, Griffiths told the council that he was consulting with the coalition on the next steps in his efforts to avoid an all-out battle in Hodeida, diplomats said. The United Nations has warned that an attack on Hodeida port could cripple deliveries of commercial goods and humanitarian aid to millions of people in Yemen who are on the brink of famine. UN aid chief Mark Lowcock told the council that so far, the humanitarian impact had been limited because there had been no large-scale fighting in the city, diplomats said. On Sunday, however, coalition air strikes hit close to an area where the World Food Programme is operating, Lowcock said, according to the council diplomats. The aid chief warned that current food stocks will run out in two months and that it would be "catastrophic" if the fighting lasted longer. More than 22 million people are in need of aid, including 8.4 million who are at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations, which considers Yemen to be the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has been leading a military campaign to push back the Huthis and restore the internationally recognized government to power. The conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead in Yemen, already the Arab world's poorest country. Shiite Huthi rebels during a gathering to mobilize more fighters to the battlefront to fight pro-government forces, in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on June 18, 2018 Hindered by strikes and outdated equipment, French air traffic control is responsible for a third of aviation delays in Europe, Le Parisien said Monday, citing a senate finance committee report. Between 2004 and 2016, French air traffic controllers were on strike 254 days, while second-placed Greece only had 46 days of stoppages, Italy 37 and Germany four, according to the report seen by the daily. "Every day of a strike in France has a much bigger impact on European traffic than (strikes) in other European countries", the report's author, senator Vincent Capo-Canellas, noted after six months of work including numerous field visits. In addition to frequent industrial action France is also the champion for delays, linked to obsolescent equipment, the report said. "Our country is responsible for 33 percent of delays due to air traffic control in Europe," Capo-Canellas said, representing 300 million euros in annual losses for airlines. "In France, the control equipment is outdated," and maintenance costs are high at 136 million euros a year, added Capo-Canellas. "We are way behind our neighbours," the senator complained, despite France having spent more than two billion euros to modernise air traffic control since 2011. The report also noted that the 4,000 French air traffic controllers have to cope with a sharp increase in traffic each year. They controlled more than 3.1 million flights in 2017, up four percent from 2016 and 8.6 percent from 2015. French air traffic control is responsible for a third of delays in Europe, according to a senate report French fullback Benjamin Fall's red card from the second Test against the All Blacks was cancelled Monday in a rare move hailed by France coach Jacques Brunel. "Wisdom has prevailed," Brunel said after a World Rugby judicial panel ruled Fall's mid-air collision with All Blacks fly-half Beauden Barrett was accidental and said he was free to play in next weekend's third Test. Fall "at all times, had his eyes on the ball", the panel said after reviewing video of the sickening impact which saw Barrett plunge head-first to the ground. Barrett is unlikely to play in the third Test having failed a concussion test after being upended by Fall 12 minutes into Saturday's match in Wellington won by New Zealand 26-13. From the angle he saw the players collide, referee Angus Gardner issued the red card under rugby rules, aimed at eliminating head injuries. But immediately after the game, the All Blacks sympathised with Fall. New Zealand coach Steve Hansen appealed for an easing of the rules when dealing with accidental play in which someone was injured. "There's got to be some wriggle room for that. It's spoiling Test matches -- red cards for unintentional incidents," he said. The judicial panel, headed by Australian Adam Casselden, said that unlike the referee they had "the benefit of all the video footage" and after reviewing the evidence agreed to cancel the card. Video footage showed Fall had his eyes on the ball while it was in the air, "which showed, in our opinion, a clear intention, on the part of the player, that he intended to contest it," the committee found. "It is a decision taken with hindsight and discernment," Brunel said. "It takes into account the succession of facts that led to this unintentional collision. Subsequently, wisdom has prevailed." The judicial panel said Fall had collided with All Blacks centre Anton Lienert-Brown just before leaping for the ball and that caused him to lose his balance. By running into Lienert-Brown, Fall "was denied the time and the space to put himself in a position to avoid a collision" with Barrett. "We did not consider that the player's actions, in the circumstances of this case, were deliberate or reckless," it said. A World Rugby judicial panel ruled French fullback Benjamin Fall's mid-air collision with All Blacks fly-half Beauden Barrett was accidental Barrett is unlikely to play in the third Test having failed a concussion test after being upended by Fall 12 minutes into Saturday's match The judicial panel said that unlike the referee they had 'the benefit of all the video footage' and after reviewing the evidence agreed to cancel the card US conglomerate General Electric will have to pay millions of euros in penalties in France if it fails to uphold its pledge to create 1,000 new jobs by year end, a government official said Sunday. GE made the promise as part of its 2014 purchase of Alstom's power and electrical grid businesses, including its prized gas turbine operations, for 12.4 billion euros ($14.4 billion at current rates). Shortly after closing the deal the following year, GE announced plans to cut 6,500 power jobs in Europe because of falling oil and gas prices, and a further 12,000 job cuts in the sector were announced last December. The company's CEO John Flannery told finance ministry officials in Paris last week that he could not honour the French hiring pledge, which has led to just 323 new jobs so far. "The contract called for a 50,000 euro penalty for every job not created," Labour Minister Muriel Penicaud told BFM television on Sunday. If no new jobs are created by the end of the year, GE could be facing a fine of nearly 34 million euros ($39.5 million). The pledge was secured by France's previous Socialist government, and opposition parties have urged the centrist government of President Emmanuel Macron to apply the fine. Macron, a former investment banker, has vowed to make France more attractive to foreign companies, pushing through reforms to make it easier for businesses to hire and fire workers. US giant conglomerate General Electric faces millions in fines if it does not keep promises to create thousands of jobs in France An Iraqi paramilitary force Monday accused the United States of killing 22 of its fighters in an overnight air raid just inside Syria's border with Iraq that a monitor said left dozens dead. "US planes fired two guided missiles at a fixed position of Hashed al-Shaabi units on the border with Syria, killing 22 fighters and wounding 12," said the Iran-backed Hashed (Popular Mobilisation Units). It said the raid took place "700 metres (yards) inside Syria", adding that an investigation had been opened and the results would be passed on to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said earlier that more than 50 fighters allied to the Damascus regime, most of them foreign, were killed in Sunday night's raid on Al-Hari in eastern Syria. It did not say who carried out the attack. Syrian state media, citing a military source, accused the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State jihadist group and said the attack left several dead and wounded, without giving precise figures. The coalition's press office said it had heard reports that a strike in the area of Al-Hari had killed and wounded members of a pro-regime Iraqi group, but denied it was responsible. The Hashed said its fighters were deployed inside Syria north of the Albu Kamal border town "because of the desert nature of the zone and for military imperatives to prevent terrorist infiltration into Iraq". The bodies of at least three fighters of the Hezbollah Brigades, part of the Hashed coalition fighting IS, have been repatriated to the southern Iraqi province of Zi Qar, an AFP correspondent said. Armoured personnel carriers of the Iraqi forces and the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation units) pictured during their advance through Anbar province, east of the city of Rawah in the western desert bordering Syria, on November 25, 2017 Britain's House of Lords inflicted another defeat on the government Monday over its flagship Brexit bill, sending it back to MPs and setting up a fresh showdown between Prime Minister Theresa May and her pro-European rebels. Unelected peers in the upper house voted by 354 to 235 to support a rebel amendment on the role parliament should play if the government fails to secure a deal with the European Union before Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019. "I want to ensure that parliament does have a meaningful vote and I don't want to see that left to chance," said Lord Hailsham, the member of May's Conservative Party who proposed the motion. The amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill was drawn up in consultation with pro-European MPs in the lower House of Commons, who will have a chance to vote on it themselves on Wednesday. They had threatened to rebel on the same issue when they debated the bill last week, but held off following personal assurances from May that she would heed their concerns. However, her compromise amendment fell short of their expectations, and peers agreed to back an alternative so the MPs could vote again when the bill returns to them, in a process known as "ping-pong". May earlier warned that any attempt by parliament to take control of the Brexit negotiations would weaken her hand. "Of course we have been listening to concerns about the role of parliament," she told reporters. "But we need to make sure that parliament can't tie the government's hands in negotiation and can't overturn the will of the British people." Despite the stuttering progress in the talks with Brussels, both sides still hope to reach a deal in October. The government has promised lawmakers a vote on the final deal, but the issue at stake is what happens if they reject it. Pro-Europeans want to ensure there is some way of holding the government to account in what would be a crisis situation. - Cold sweat - The EU (Withdrawal) Bill would formally end Britain's membership of the bloc and transfer more than 40 years of European law on to the British statute books. May is on a tightrope as her Conservative minority government relies on the backing of 10 MPs from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party for a slim majority in the 650-seat elected Commons chamber. Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general who heads up the pro-European faction, told BBC television that a future vote on a Brexit deal could see May tumble. "We could collapse the government, and I assure you I wake up at 2:00 am in a cold sweat thinking about the problems that we have put on our shoulders," he said. An added risk for the rebels is that if May does fall, it could open the door for an arch-Brexiteer to take over. - Brexit dividend - May risked stirring the pot further on Monday by announcing new money for the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) based on a "Brexit dividend". She said part of the 20 billion ($27 billion, 23 billion euros) injection would be funded by "the money we no longer spend on our annual membership subscription to the European Union". The promise to divert money from the EU to the NHS was a key tenet of the pro-Brexit campaign in the 2016 referendum, but highly controversial. Independent experts warn the figures do not add up, arguing the economy is already slowing as a result of Brexit, which will cost far more than membership fees. May admitted some of the money would be funded by taxation, risking provoking the Brexit-supporting right wing of her party, who favour reducing public spending. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May says parliament cannot tie the hands of government in Brexit negotiations An anti-Brexit protest took place outside the Houses of Parliament in London on June 13, 2018 Timeline of the Brexit talks The first non-French person to head the Michelin Guides said Monday that he is leaving the world's most prestigious restaurant guides. American Michael Ellis said that he was joining the Dubai-based luxury hotel chain Jumeirah after seven years with the red guides. The soft-spoken Ellis, who previously worked for the French tyre maker's motorcycle division, has expanded the guides to 31 editions in 30 countries. But there has been controversy about Michelin's decision to allow governments to commission new guides, with new ones for Seoul, Macau, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore all reportedly paid for. Ellis said he will leave in September when he will become head of gastronomy for Jumeirah, which has hotels in the Gulf, China and Europe. "Long live the Michelin guide," Ellis declared as he announced his departure. "The inspectors are the beating heart... their passion and their expertise are without question and I was very honoured to be with them during these seven years." Ellis, who was born in Colorado, made his first trip to France as a teenager and decided he wanted to become a chef. He returned to work in Paris as a commis chef at a Michelin one-star restaurant before realising "that I was probably more cut out to be a client of a restaurant." Ellis has expanded the guides to 31 editions in 30 countries For days, Maria Magdalena Saldana has hooked a gold chain encircling her waist to the gate bulwarking one of Nicaragua's most notorious prisons. And she vows to stay there -- consuming nothing but water -- until President Daniel Ortega's government releases her son, who was detained last week without explanation during a police raid on his house. "As a mother, I am desperate," Saldana pleas, her voice cracking through streaming tears as several security guards observe across the fence. "Let the world know what a Nicaragua mother suffers," she says, clutching her son's release order from a Managua appeals court, which she says has gone ignored. "My heart hurts," she says. "My soul hurts." On June 12, police forcibly arrested her son Wilder Octavio Garcia Saldana, 37, and took him to the infamous El Chipote prison, shrouded in lush vegetation high atop the capital Managua. The institution's reputation for brutality is as deeply entrenched as its underground cells, which reach far beneath a rugged hill in the city's center. Saldana is one of an estimated 2,000 people who have been incarcerated at El Chipote since the start in April of a popular uprising against Ortega, a former leftist guerrilla who since 2007 has gripped power for three consecutive terms. His mother has joined dozens of people protesting the sudden imprisonment of their relatives and friends. "The only 'crime' I think my son has committed is to march," she said, referring to mass anti-government demonstrations that have been met with a bloody crackdown, leaving at least 178 people dead in two months. "He raised the flag of Nicaragua, the patriotic symbol of our country" she cries. "We want liberty." - 'Clear signs of torture' - The compound now known as El Chipote once served as a nerve center of military dictatorship under the Somoza political dynasty, where the primary means to squash rebellion was torture. Ortega himself was held at the complex, while fighting with guerrilla forces that ultimately toppled Somoza. But upon assuming power, Ortega opted to keep the infamous prison open. They baptized it El Chipote after the headquarters of the revered Augusto Sandino, a revolutionary who fought US occupation during the 1920s and 1930s, inspiring Ortega-era rebels decades later. But among Nicaraguans today, the detention center with dark cells the size of closets still stirs fears equal to those that reverberated under Somoza rule. And the allegation from families of detainees and human rights lawyers that Ortega is allowing thousands of his political opponents to be imprisoned has left a particularly bad taste. In just one day, Braulio Abarca, a lawyer at the influential Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH), says his agency received dozens of cases denouncing "illegal detentions with beatings; with cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, and with clear signs of torture perpetrated by the National Police." Some of the detainees, Abarca said, are as young as 15 years old. "The crime in Nicaragua is to be young and defend your homeland," reads one of several signs protesters hoist outside the prison fence. A few feet away from the chained Saldana, 96-year-old Anastacia Morales Centeno clutches her face in her hands, sobbing for her grandson Bernardo. The tiny woman, her face riven with wrinkles, says he was thrown into a truck early one morning by groups of armed paramilitaries loyal to the president. "I cannot rest easy because I didn't resist" the forces who arrested him, she says, as a relative uses an umbrella to shield her from the relentless sun. - 'State of terror' - In the early days of the anti-Ortega protests that began April 18, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said it documented "a pattern of massive and arbitrary arrests." Detainees were sometimes stripped of their belongings and deprived of food and water, the agency said, with some "shaved, handcuffed with rigor and subjected to asphyxiating blows." The legal director of the CENIDH, Gonzalo Carrion, was 18 when the Sandinistas ousted Somoza, and now expresses shock when describing the "tragedy" of the past months. "This police force is at the service of family and power," he says. As Nicaraguans grapple with what Carrion calls "a state of terror," the government refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing. When the Central American country's Catholic bishops moved to rekindle mediation talks, Ortega's foreign minister balked at laying blame on pro-government forces. Late Friday, the bishops announced that rival government and civil delegates had struck a deal to create a "verification" commission, and invite groups including the IACHR to probe the violence that almost daily ends in bloodshed. But Saldana has more immediate concerns. "I will not leave until he gets out of that prison," she says. "We are constantly under attack," she adds, weeping as relatives chant "freedom" behind her. "I'm disappointed in my beautiful Nicaragua." A mother demands the release of her son captured by police and paramilitaries and held at "El Chipote" prison in Managua, on June 16, 2018 Maria Magdalena Saldana declared a hunger strike and has chained herself outside "El Chipote" to demand justice for her son Wilder Octavio Garcia Saldana, who was captured by police and paramilitaries Mothers and grandmothers demand the release of their children captured by police and paramilitary forces and held at "El Chipote" prison Anastacia Morales demands justice for her grandson captured by police and paramilitary forces and held in a cell at "El Chipote" prison Nearly 40 foreign fighters allied to Syria's regime were killed in an overnight bombing raid near the country's eastern border with Iraq, a monitor said on Monday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike was one of the deadliest on forces allied with Syria's government. "Thirty-eight non-Syrian fighters from regime loyalist militias were killed in the night-time raid on Al-Hari, on the Syrian-Iraqi border," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Syrian state media reported the attack overnight, citing a military source and accusing the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group of carrying it out. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number. The coalition did not respond to requests for comment, and the Observatory could not immediately identify who carried out the Al-Hari attack. US-backed fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against small pockets of IS-held territory in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Al-Hari lies. Both sides have mostly avoided running into each other and a de-confliction line exists to avoid such incidents, but there have been exceptions. In May, a dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian army positions that the Observatory and Syrian state media said was carried out by the coalition. The Pentagon denied responsibility. Deadly clashes also broke out in April, but the bloodiest incident yet was in February, when the US-led coalition carried out air strikes that killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in eastern Syria. Both US-backed fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against the Islamic State group in the wartorn Syrian province of Deir Ezzor Syrian state media said overnight Sunday to Monday that US-led coalition aircraft had carried out a deadly strike on a regime position in the country's east near the Iraqi border. Both US-backed Kurdish-led fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are separately fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria's eastern province of Deir Ezzor. "Aircraft of the American coalition bombarded one of our military positions in the area of al-Hari southeast of Albu Kamal" town in Deir Ezzor, state news agency SANA reported a military source as saying, adding a number of people had been killed. IS overran large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring a "caliphate" in areas they controlled. But the jihadists have since lost most of that territory, in Syria seeing their presence largely reduced to the country's vast desert and a few villages near the frontier with Iraq. In the oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and Syrian government forces have carried out parallel but separate offensives against IS. Regime forces control land west of the Euphrates River that runs through the province, while the SDF are battling to expel IS from a string of villages on the river's eastern banks near the Iraqi border. Both sides have mostly avoided running into each other and a deconfliction line exists to avoid such incidents. But there have been exceptions. In April, rare clashes broke out between both sides, killing more than a dozen combatants. In February, the US-led coalition backing the SDF carried out air strikes in Deir Ezzor province that killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters. Washington said the strikes were in retaliation for an attack on its own personnel and SDF forces. Both US-backed Kurdish-led fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are separately fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria's eastern province of Deir Ezzor The UAE, a key player in the coalition battling Huthi rebels in Yemen, on Monday warned the insurgents to withdraw unconditionally from the flashpoint port city of Hodeida, after UN peace efforts fizzled. "There can be no conditions in any offers to withdraw," the United Arab Emirates' minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, told a press conference in Dubai. "If the rebels wanted to set conditions, they should have thought of that a year ago... Now is not the time to negotiate." Huthi rebels have controlled Hodeida, a key entry point for desperately needed aid, since 2014, when they drove the government out of the capital Sanaa and seized large swathes of the country. Neighbouring Saudi Arabia and its allies -- chief among them US-trained UAE troops -- intervened in the conflict on the government's side in March 2015, sparking what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The alliance last week launched a major operation to drive the rebels out of Hodeida, triggering fears of a fresh humanitarian crisis in a country already on the brink of famine. - UN's 'last chance' - Gargash's statement came hours before the UN's top Yemen envoy, Martin Griffiths, was due to brief the Security Council on his efforts to end the crisis over Hodeida, whose port handles over 70 percent of Yemen's imports. Griffiths, who has been in Sanaa since last week, was to brief the Security Council, meeting behind closed doors at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT), diplomats in New York said. Gargash said the Saudi and UAE-led offensive aimed "to help the UN envoy in his last chance to convince the Huthis to withdraw unconditionally from the city and avoid any confrontation". Griffiths held two days of talks with the Huthis over the weekend in Sanaa, but the rebels rejected a ceasefire under current conditions. The head of their unofficial government, Abdulaziz Saleh bin Habtoor, accused Saudi-led forces of "escalating their attacks on the western coast when they felt there were serious moves towards a solution". The rebels, on their Al-Masirah television, reported at least 10 air strikes Monday in different areas of Yemen, including the west coast, although there was no independent confirmation. The Saudi alliance imposed a near-total blockade on Hodeida port earlier this year, alleging Iran was using it as a major conduit for illicit arms deliveries to the Huthis. Gargash said on Monday that his country and its allies aimed to "avoid civilian casualties", adding that the operation was "going very well". Civilians deaths have not yet been confirmed in Hodeida. Four UAE troops have died in the operation, according to state media, while medical and military sources say at least 164 mostly rebel fighters have died. - Thousands displaced - Gargash said the Arab coalition had kept the Hodeida-Sanaa road "open for the Huthi militias to withdraw". The UAE minister denied reports that French troops had been helping the coalition to take Hodeida, but said France had offered to remove mines when it becomes necessary. The Saudi and Emirati-backed assault has displaced thousands of families as loyalist forces battle towards the Red Sea port city. Rights groups, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, have been forced to suspend operations in the area. Since 2015, the war for control of the Arab world's poorest country has killed around 10,000 people and triggered what the UN says is the world's largest single humanitarian crisis. Some 22 million people are now in need of aid in Yemen, with 8.4 million on the brink of starvation. mah-burs/hc/dv An image grab from AFPTV video shows a pro-government Yemen fighter bracing as another fires a recoilless gun in Yemen's Hodeida province on June 16, 2018 The United Nations' Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths descends from a plane in Sanaa on June 16, 2018 for talks on the fighting around the key port city of Hodeida Yemeni pro-government forces man a barricade in Al-Fazah district of Yemen's Hodeida province on June 16, 2018 Shiite Huthi rebels at a gathering to mobilise more fighters for the battlefront against pro-government forces in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida Emirati minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash speaks during a press conference in Dubai on June 18, 2018 Vice President Mike Pence will visit Nucor Steel in Auburn Tuesday to highlight the benefits of a tax overhaul enacted late last year, but another issue could be mentioned: The Trump administration's decision to impose tariffs on steel imports. Trump's Commerce Department conducted Section 232 investigations to determine if aluminum and steel imports threatened U.S. national security. The findings of the inquiries led to 25 percent tariffs on steel imports and 10 percent tariffs on aluminum imports. Earlier this month, the Trump administration opted to apply the tariffs to steel imports from key allies, including Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Nucor is one of the biggest supporters of the tariffs on steel imports. Drew Wilcox, the now-former general manager of the company's mill in Auburn, lauded Trump for imposing the tariffs. "The president has consistently been a strong advocate for holding other countries accountable that systematically and flagrantly violate international trade agreements and free market principles," Wilcox said in March. The action by Trump also drew praise from United Steelworkers, a union representing more than 850,000 workers in several industries. While the union, Nucor and others in the industry support the tariffs, some experts question whether the trade actions will be effective. Dr. Devashish Mitra, an economics and global affairs professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, believes the tariffs will hurt several industries and workers. "Firstly, steel is an input into many products, such as cars and trucks. Also, construction is heavily dependent on steel. Tariffs on the imports of steel will make steel more expensive here, thereby raising the cost of production in steel-using industries and making them less profitable. These steel-using industries will then cut employment," Mitra said. He continued, "In addition, our consumers will end up paying higher prices for those products, which means this will be a tax on our consumers, lowering their real disposable income. As a result, the domestic demand for products will be lower, so output and employment will be lower." The Trump administration's tariffs on steel imports from key allies, including Canada and the European Union, have raised concerns about retaliatory duties. Even the United Steelworkers, which supports the tariffs, believes Canada should be exempt from the trade action. (The union's membership extends into Canada.) Mitra cautioned that U.S. export industries could lose employment, output and profits if countries retaliate and impose tariffs on American products. "For example, other countries are imposing tariffs on many of our agricultural products," he said. "That is going to hurt our farmers and agricultural workers." Small businesses that rely on steel for manufacturing products could be affected by the tariffs. Copper John Corporation, an Auburn-based archery accessories manufacturer, uses steel and other metals to produce its product line. But Doug Springer, the company's co-founder, said the tariffs won't have much of an impact on his business. Springer's main concern is if other countries and trading blocs, namely the European Union, retaliate against U.S.-made goods. "If the EU were to put a tariff on sporting goods in general as opposed to metal items, it could really hurt us because we do a lot of business in Europe and a lot in Asia," he said. But Springer supports Trump's efforts on trade. Based on his own experience exporting goods into international markets, he believes in the notion of fair trade. "These invisible barriers that you hear Trump talk about are not pie in the sky," he said. "They absolutely exist. They are not overwhelming. We still do a lot of business over there. But there are just these insidious little things. It's like New York state's version of taxation versus a southern state's. They just get you every time." Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 5 Vice President Mike Pence's visit to central New York Tuesday will include a stop in Auburn. The White House announced that Pence, a Republican, will visit Nucor Steel to "discuss the positive impact of President Trump's tax reform policies on New York businesses, working Americans, and their families." The schedule released by the White House didn't include the exact time of Pence's visit to Nucor. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary flight restriction from 12:45 to 3 p.m. Tuesday for air space up to 3,000 feet above Auburn, which suggests the vice president will be in the city during that time frame. This will be Pence's first visit to central New York since taking office in January 2017. It will be the first time a vice president has visited Auburn since 2014, when then-Vice President Joe Biden made a surprise trip to Cayuga County for his niece's wedding. Pence is scheduled to arrive at Syracuse Hancock International Airport at 11:35 a.m. Tuesday, according to details of the trip released by the White House. He will then travel to Embassy Suites in Syracuse, where he will headline a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. John Katko. Katko, R-Camillus, is seeking a third term in Congress. Pence's political action committee, the Great America Committee, has donated $5,400 to Katko's re-election campaign. A joint fundraising committee led by Pence and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has contributed $94,349 to Katko's campaign, Federal Election Commission records show. The event at Nucor will follow the Syracuse fundraiser. Nucor has praised the Trump administration for the tax overhaul signed by the president in December. The steel producer said the tax legislation would help the company expand and increase investments. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed by Trump reduced corporate tax rates from 35 to 21 percent and temporarily slashes income tax rates for millions of Americans. Nucor also lauded Trump for imposing tariffs on steel imports. Drew Wilcox, who was the general manager at Nucor Steel Auburn at the time the tariffs were announced, said the company was "pleased that the president has decided to use all the tools at his disposal to send a clear message to foreign competitors that dumping steel products into our market will no longer be tolerated." Jim Cramer, a CNBC anchor, said Nucor is the "single biggest beneficiary" of the tariffs on steel imports. Katko, whose district includes Nucor in Auburn, voted for the tax overhaul and supports the tariffs on steel imports. After visiting Nucor, Pence will return to the Syracuse airport. He will depart for Philadelphia, where he will attend a Republican Governors Association event. Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 13 Funny 3 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 32 June 18, 1993 Two-year-old Katie Schlegel meets 5-year-old Lisa, a baby African elephant, at the Early Childhood Center at the United Church of Auburn. Five feet tall and weighing 1,450 pounds, Lisa mesmerized the young onlookers during her visit to promote The Great American Circus show Sunday at Emerson Park. Performance times are 1 and 4 p.m. OWASCO More than 750 classic and antique cars and thousands of spectators filled Emerson Park in Owasco on Sunday for the Prison City Ramblers's 27th annual Father's Day car show. "This is our big show," said Ed Pinckney, who has served as the president of Prison City Ramblers for 25 years. "It's kind of a Father's Day tradition to have this show." Pinckney said "it's the love of cars that brings everyone together," and the event is truly fueled by the club's "love of cars and people." Not only does the free event allow for families, friends and individuals to admire restored, historic, modern and rebuilt vehicles, all proceeds are donated to local charities, Pinckney said. Once the club pays the bills from the event, Prison City Ramblers gives away the money raised through the 50/50 raffle and other fees to food pantries and soup kitchens that often don't get state aid, Pinckney explained. Aside from perusing the cars on display and benefiting the community, Pinckney and others agreed that a highlight of the event is getting to build relationships with other like-minded people throughout the years. Larry Forbes, of Mexico, N.Y., was showing his 1965 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport on Sunday and said that he "thoroughly enjoys" the show because there are so many cars and owners who share the same admiration for classic and antique cars. Forbes added that it's also fun to see all the families that come through the show for Father's Day. "Car people are all good people," said Hazel Gleason, of Brewerton. Hazel said she and her husband, Bob, have been participating in the Father's Day car show since 2004. The couple agreed that one of their favorite parts about traveling to car shows each weekend is that they get to meet people from all over the state that have something in common. One of the first cars the Gleasons brought to the show in the early 2000s was a 1937 Ford pick-up truck, but this year the couple debuted a purple and silver 1950 Chevrolet Fleetline one of five cars they have built completely from the frame up for the first time. While the couple doesn't count the awards they receive for their cars, because Bob thinks it's bad luck, Hazel said they are "flooded with awards" and their garage and home are filled with them. "We do everything 100 percent," Bob said. "This is the same thing we try to do the best that we can." "It's been a forever thing for us," Hazel said, explaining that Bob was always a "motor head" and they started out in drag racing long before they began building cars. She added that "it's a lot of work, but a lot of fun." Staff writer Megan Ehrhart can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or megan.ehrhart@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @MeganEhrhart. Love 6 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Abortion already is dominating the Supreme Courts new term. A sampling of decisions and comments on the issue by the 9 current justices. City Heather M. Harris, 31, 45 Johnson Dr., Auburn, was charged June 17 with two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Joshua L. Sylvester, 31, 3 Mahaney Ave., Auburn, was picked up June 17 on a bench warrant and charged with two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Gabrielle L. Bochenek, 36, 29 Evans St., Auburn, was charged June 15 with second-degree unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Michael J. Price, 28, 14 Grover St. Apt. 2, Auburn, was charged June 16 with driving while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of at least .08 of 1 percent. Michael D. Richards, 38, 358 Main St. Apt. 1, Aurora, was charged June 17 with fourth-degree criminal mischief. Bill D. Hilliard, 35, 300 Seymour St. Apt. 2, Auburn, was charged June 17 with second-degree obstructing governmental administration. State Jamie L. Warren, 37, Rochester, was picked up June 14 on a fugitive warrant. Michele L. Hall, 33, Fulton, was charged June 16 with two counts of first-degree promoting prison contraband and two counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Rickey E. Smith, 50, Genoa, was charged June 17 with second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree aggravated harassment, and third-degree unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Michael S. Quimby, 34, Cato, was charged June 17 with second-degree obstructing governmental administration. Joshua A. Morrissette, 29, Cayuga, was charged June 16 with first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of at least .08 of 1 percent, felony driving while intoxicated with a previous conviction within 10 years and using a vehicle without an ignition interlock device. Jason M. Gloska, 40, Cato, was charged June 15 with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Wesam H. Aziz, 21, Liverpool, was charged June 15 with second-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child. Zachary R. Picciano, 32, Auburn, was charged June 17 with driving while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of at least .08 of 1 percent. Love 1 Funny 7 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 Throughout my time as state senator, I have been a strong voice against domestic violence and other crimes that target our most vulnerable. A number of laws have been enacted to help innocent victims, provide police and prosecutors with the tools they need to arrest and convict those who commit such heinous acts, and to increase the penalties imposed on the offenders, but there is still work to be done. One key proposal that would add another layer of protection is the Domestic Violence Protection Act, also known as Brittanys Law. Brittanys Law is named for 12 year-old Brittany Passalacqua, who was murdered in Geneva, N.Y. in 2009 along with her mother Helen Buchel by a violent convicted felon who had been released from prison. The killer, John Edward Brown, was on parole at the time of the murder. He was released from prison after serving 2 years of a three-year sentence for assaulting his infant daughter in 2003. Under the bill (S.1107), all individuals convicted of a violent felony would have to register with the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) upon discharge, parole, or release from any state or local facility, hospital, or institution. The registry would be accessible to the public, similar to the registry of sex offenders that the state currently has in place. The legislation also establishes annual registration requirements for offenders to allow local law enforcement agencies and the state to monitor the whereabouts of these individuals. Several other states have already established a violent felony offender registry. New Yorkers have the right to know when violent offenders are living next door, interacting with loved ones, and possibly endangering their lives. A violent felony offender registry will also provide law enforcement officials with an important crime-fighting tool. Brittanys Law is not a new idea. This past week marked the eighth time the senate has passed the bill, though the state assembly has never even voted on the measure. The time is now for the assembly to act before the current legislative session comes to a close. Two other bills to stop sexual exploitation of children and provide safe housing for victims of human trafficking have passed the assembly and just received final approval by the senate. Both measures will go to the governor next for his review. The first bill (S.5988B) creates a critically needed criminal charge of sex trafficking of a child by eliminating the need to prove force, fraud, or coercion where a child under 18 engages in commercial sex. In 2015, New York strengthened its criminal justice response to trafficking by increasing the penalties for traffickers, patronizers, and other exploiters, while providing necessary protections for victims. This bill expands on that law by holding traffickers more accountable for the devastating impact they have on the lives of children they abuse. A second bill (S.8305) establishes short-term and long-term safe houses for victims of human trafficking. Operated by not-for-profit agencies, these residential facilities will also provide a variety of services to support victims including case management, health care, mental health counseling, drug addiction screening and treatment, legal and educational services, job training and placement assistance, among others. In 2016, New York State ranked fifth in the nation for human trafficking with over 332 reported cases, according to the Human Trafficking Hotline. For many survivors of human trafficking fleeing exploitative work or living conditions, one of their immediate needs is a safe, supportive place to stay. Some survivors turn to temporary shelters across the state to meet this need, but these resources are only helpful if a survivor meets each shelter systems particular eligibility requirements and if there is a vacant bed or unit. Under this new legislation, survivors will have access to safe, reliable temporary housing as well as an extensive network of necessary services to support them. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 HIGHTSTOWN, N.J.Industry veteran Rick Sicurella, purchasing manager for East Coast News, is retiring on July 31 after 17 years of service. We are very grateful to Rick for his dedication and many years of service to ECN! said Frank Koretsky, co-founder and owner. We experienced tremendous growth during his time here and he will always be an integral part of the ECN family and history. We wish much happiness to him and his family as he embarks on a new journey that will no doubt be very satisfying and fruitful. I am proud to have created a company culture which fosters long-term careers and rewards dedicated employees with sustainable benefits. We care a great deal about workplace morale and Ricks management skills have set the tone for everyone. A 30-year veteran of the automotive parts industry, Sicurella joined the adult novelty products distributor in 2001 and has served as purchasing manager over the last two decades. During this time Rick oversaw the logistics of ECNs adult novelty business which included not only purchasing and budgetary profit/loss considerations, but also the physical management of a multi-thousand sku inventory, and an internal marketing team, all the while fostering relationships with vendors and creating customer service protocols which would become the industry standard. Of the many tasks involved in purchasing and inventory management Sicurella grew to love the camaraderie at trade shows and events. He loved meeting vendors and getting face time with the people he worked with every day. During his tenure, he developed strong relationships with a variety of top manufacturers such as Cal Exotics, Doc Johnson, Pipe Dream and others. Throughout Sicurellas reign in the purchasing department ECN grew its sales tenfold, going from one central location to warehouses in California and Florida, firmly establishing itself as a top player in the adult novelty segment. Sicurella asserts not every buying decision was always the right one but he blossomed under the support of Frank and Michael. Rick Sicurella has been a staple of our business almost as long as I can remember. He has shown exemplary work ethics at every turn and paved the road for our entire team," says Michael Koretsky co-founder and owner. While I cant imagine what ECN will be like without him, there is no one more deserving of retirement. I wish Rick all the best and hope our paths continue to cross. ECN Vice President Lynda Mort acknowledges the impact Sicurellas retirement is having on her explaining, in the time I have been with ECN, Rick has provided a wealth of knowledge to me and the team. I would not have seen such rapid growth without his support and wisdom, and I have come to rely on him for both guidance and experience. While I am so happy for his transition I will miss him every single day. Having been a motorcycle enthusiast since he was 7, Sicurella expects he will ride his motorcycle more often and plans to tour the country in his recreational vehicle. He says, its been fun and ECN has always treated me well so I am very thankful to management and the entire ECN team. He continues, after being a part of such a great company, its hard to know exactly what the future will hold but Im looking forward to my next step in life which involves spending more time with my family and friends, traveling in our new RV to see all the major league stadiums in the United States, watching sunsets and relaxing. Mort adds, I would like to assure the community that the purchasing manager position is a vital one and at the appropriate time, in the coming month, Ricks replacement will be announced. For now ECN would like to congratulate Rick Sicurella on his retirement and let him enjoy these last days with ECN without the distraction of a new hire. For more information, visit ECN.com. Lovehoney, the top-rated pleasure products e-tailer based in the UK, has received an injection of funds to expand overseas. Investment company Telemos Capital has bought a majority stake in the sex toy retailer. The transaction is Telemos first investment in the UK. Financial details have not been disclosed. Lovehoney has grown into an international success, delivering record sales in the region of 100 million for the year ended March 31, 2018. More than half of sales (60%) came from the UK, with the remainder from Europe, US and Australia, all of which have achieved significant growth in recent years. The business delivered strong compound annual sales growth of roughly 30% in the last three years. In recognition of the business achievements, Lovehoney received the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2016. Following the investment, Lovehoney co-founders Richard Longhurst and Neal Slateford will continue to lead day-to-day operations with Telemos Executive Chairman Philippe Jacobs and Chief Investment Officer Jacob Polny joining the Lovehoney board. The partnership with Telemos highlights the achievements of the Lovehoney management team, which has consistently challenged the market while delivering innovative, high-quality products and exceptional top-line growth. With the backing of Telemos, Lovehoney will accelerate its plans for international expansion, tapping into fragmented and underdeveloped markets and building on its strong consumer engagement. Lovehoney will invest in new technology and marketing, allowing the business to raise its profile in new geographies, and to continue to evolve its excellent customer service, online content, community and innovative new products. Neal Slateford, co-founder of Lovehoney, said, We're excited to be partnering with Telemos as we continue our strategy to grow Lovehoney into the world's leading sexual happiness retailer. This investment shows the strength of online retail and will allow us to break into new markets globally. This is the culmination of 16 years of hard work by our brilliant teams in Bath and our offices worldwide," added Richard Longhurst, co-founder of Lovehoney. "It has been a phenomenal journey for Neal and I and we're beyond excited at our future plans for Lovehoney. Philippe Jacobs, Executive Chairman of Telemos, stated, We are delighted to have made this investment which demonstrates our differentiated thinking and approach. Richard and Neal have created a great company. We are excited to partner with founders with long-term growth aspirations and a desire for a flexible and nimble investor. Jacob Polny, Chief Investment Officer of Telemos, added, We were attracted to Lovehoneys category leadership, the strong own-brand portfolio and the combination of customer service, community and content that truly differentiates the proposition. We look forward to working with Lovehoneys founders and management team to grow the business in the UK and internationally in the years to come. Telemos comprises a team of a highly experienced investment professionals who combine the best of private equity and permanent growth capital. Telemos identifies and supports exceptional management teams in consumer goods, healthcare services and business services to help them realize their long-term objectives. As a flexible and nimble investor, Telemos distinct structure and expertise makes it a leading, new generation European private equity firm, looking to identify and unlock growth opportunities which may be overlooked by traditional investors. Pictured, l-r: Philippe Jacobs, Neal Slateford, Jacob Polny and Richard Longhurst 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. Jones asks Supreme Court to Enforce Law Mandating Detention of Criminal Aliens News Release: "Congress determined that the only way to ensure that aliens convicted of felonies don't commit further crimes and are eventually deported is to detain them while removal proceedings are pending." WASHINGTON, DC Last week, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) called on the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse an appellate court decision that allowed illegal aliens released from criminal incarceration to avoid detention during their removal process. Jones joined with nine other Members of Congress on an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief drafted on a pro bono basis and filed by Washington Legal Foundation. At issue in this case is a 1996 federal statute, 8 U.S.C. 1226(c), that requires the detention of aliens convicted of serious crimes while they contest the government's efforts to deport them. This law requires immigration authorities to detain a criminal alien "when the alien is released" from criminal incarceration and bars them from releasing the alien until removal proceedings are completed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the "when ... released" language indicates that mandatory detention is inapplicable when, for whatever reason, immigration authorities fail to take the alien into custody immediately after his release-for example, when an uncooperative State fails to inform them of an impending release. The members' brief argues that Congress reasonably concluded that unless criminal aliens are detained while they await removal, there exists too great a danger that they will abscond and/or commit new felonies. The brief notes that one of the six criminal aliens released by order of the lower courts was later convicted of first-degree murder. The members also argue that Congress never intended that the obligation to detain and hold criminal aliens should dissipate if immigration officials delay even slightly in taking them into custody. "Our immigration policy in this country has gotten out of control," said Congressman Jones. "In this brief, we ask the court to protect the American people first and foremost. Criminal aliens have no place in our streets." The full amicus brief is attached. For additional information, please contact Allison Tucker in Congressman Jones' office at (202) 225-3415 or allison.tucker@mail.house.gov. Contact: White House White House Press Office President Donald J. Trump has taken a bold first step to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. President Trump held a historic summit with Chairman Kim Jong Un. The summit marked a bold first step to achieving the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. During the summit, North Korea reaffirmed its commitment to complete denuclearization, agreed to help the United States recover POW/MIA remains, and committed to destroying a missile engine testing site. The summit built on the progress President Trump had already achieved, including: The return of three Americans detained in North Korea; ; The March pledge by North Korea to refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests; and The apparent closure of North Korea's nuclear test site.President Trump has ended United States participation in the disastrous Iran deal. President Trump terminated United States participation in the Iran deal, as it failed to protect America's national security interests. The one-sided "deal" gave Iran a windfall of cash, enabling its malign behavior. The President directed his Administration to immediately begin the process of re-imposing sanctions on Iran. The Trump Administration has issued serious sanctions targeting Iranian entities and activities, including: Financial and procurement networks supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force. Iranian entities engaging in human rights abuses and censorship on behalf of the Iranian regime. Iranian individuals providing ballistic missiles and technical expertise to Yemen's Houthis.The Trump Administration has worked with allies to destroy ISIS and liberate territory previously occupied by the self-declared caliphate. President Trump has empowered United States commanders with broad authority to defeat ISIS. ISIS has lost nearly all of its territory, more than half of which has been liberated under the Trump Administration. In December 2017, the Iraqi government announced all Iraqi territory had been liberated from ISIS control. ISIS' self-proclaimed capital city Raqqah was recaptured in October 2017.President Trump has forcefully responded to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons. The President authorized military strikes, responding to the Syrian regime's savage chemical weapons attacks. In April 2018, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France launched strikes against targets associated with the Syrian regime's chemical weapons capabilities. In April 2017, President Trump directed United States military forces to strike a Syrian airfield used in the regime's chemical weapons attack earlier that month. President Trump has joined with allies to call on Syria to fully declare and dismantle its chemical weapons arsenal and to deter chemical weapons use worldwide. Since February 2017, the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has rolled out sanctions targeting 284 individuals and entities responsible for supporting the Syrian regime's use of military force and chemical weapons against civilians.President Trump followed through on his promise to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and open the United States Embassy there. President Trump acted on his pledge to recognize the reality that Jerusalem is Israel's capital and open the United States Embassy there. In December 2017, President Trump announced the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In May 2018, the United States officially opened its Embassy in Jerusalem. Yahoo! JAPAN Yahoo! JAPAN You'll recall that self-published romance author Faleena Hopkins undertook the sociopathic step of registering a trademark on the word "Cocky" in the titles of romance novels and then had her rivals' works removed from Amazon, threatening to sue any writer who used the common word in a title in the future. Hopkins had sought an injunction and restraining order preventing the publication of "Cocktales: The Cocky Collective," a book of short stories written by other writers in protest of Hopkins' trademark trolling; Hopkins also sought to restrain romance writer Tara Crescent (who had written novels whose titles contained "cocky"), publicist Jennifer Watson (who represented "Cocktales"), and lawyer Kevin Kneupper (who had sought to have the trademark on "cocky" re-examined and invalidated. The defendants were given legal/financial assistance by the Romance Writers of America and the Authors Guild, and prevailed in court when judge Alvin Hellerstein found that the trademark was not enforceable against them, because there would be no marketplace confusion among the "sophisticated purchasers" of romance novels, calling "cocky" a "weak trademark" that could only be enforced against direct, deceptive imitation. Unless Hopkins wants to throw good money after bad and continue to fight the case on its merits (a potentially very expensive and likely fruitless effort), this is the end of her trademark. Let's hope that other would-be trademark trolls (like the guy who wants to have the exclusive right to use the word dragon slayer in novel titles) get the message. In the case, heard in a New York court on Friday, judge Alvin Hellerstein described romance readers as "sophisticated purchasers" unlikely to be confused between different authors' books, found that cocky was a "weak trademark", and denied Hopkins's motion for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order to stop the publication of books with the word "cocky" in the title. Kneupper, who was removed from the case, will be allowed to continue his legal challenge to Hopkin's trademark in relation to the word's use in series titles. "Authors should be able to express themselves in their choice of titles," said the Authors Guild in a statement after the hearing. "A single word commonly used in book titles cannot be "owned" by one author. This is especially true when, as here, the word has already been in use by other authors in titles for years." Romance writer's bid to stop authors from using word 'cocky' fails in court [Alison Flood/The Guardian] I have friends in the US seriously looking into moving to Germany. One reason crimes rates are going down fast. From Politico: The new figures show a drop in crime of 5.1 percent over the previous year, with 5.76 million crimes reported. "The number of crimes committed in Germany is the lowest since 1992," Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced at a presentation of 2017 police crime statistics in Berlin. "The frequency of fewer than 7,000 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants is unprecedented, even in a 30-year comparison." Earlier this morning Trump lied in a Tweet, claiming "Crime in Germany is way up," putting the blame on "migrants." However, the areas that have seen the biggest upticks are financial crimes, "which increased 28.7% to 74,070 cases, as the result of a complex investigation which was completed in 2017," anti-Semitics offenses, which rose 2.5% over the previous year ("Almost all of these offenses can be attributed to the right-wing milieu (94%)"), and crimes by left wing extremists rose 15.6%, "largely due to the rioting during the G-20 summit in Hamburg," says the report issued by the German Government. Image: S-F/Shutterstock Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador the front-running candidate for president of Mexico on a largely progressive ticket (tuition breaks, increased aid to seniors, drug war amnesty, though it's a mixed bag, reflecting the weird coalition of left-wing and right-wing parties he's fronting); and he is the target of a bizarre, mass-scale disinformation campaign being carried out by blanket robo-calling. The pending Mexican elections are terrifying corrupt, with over 100 political assassinations of anti-corruption candidates and no end in sight. The robo-calls are a less violent but still very disturbing development. The recorded messages are thick-fingered, cack-handed scare-propaganda ("As you know, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is criticizing major businessmen, which threatens private investment, and the jobs it creates. If you agree that Lopez Obrador picking fights with businessmen even though it risks losing national and foreign investment and job creation, mark one on your phone."), but there's so much of it going on, with so many variations, that it could influence the final vote. It's clear the big data is being employed here. I got the call on foreign investment. Others got calls on education, security, and other issues. Experts have noted that the call can also generate a database by registering whether voters are for or against the candidate. They seemed to be aimed at changing votes. Given the margin AMLO has, the opposition, whoever it is is behind this, would have to flip at least some voters because it can't even win with undecideds. On Twitter the hashtag #GuerraSucioElectoral is trending: Electoral dirty war. The special prosecutor on electoral crimes has agreed to take complaints and look into the calls. Calumnious phone calls from anonymous sources are an ominous sign for the days to come, but it gets worse. There have been over 110 political assassinations since the campaign period began on September 8. Most have been candidates, especially on the local level. These elections are already among the bloodiest in Mexican history. On June 2, for example, four women politicians who were assassinated, including Juana Maldonado, a candidate in Puebla, and Pamela Teran, a candidate in Oaxaca who was murdered with the young photographer assigned to cover her campaign, Maria Del Sol Cruz. Presidential Campaign in Mexico Gets Dirty [Laura Carlsen/The Real News] (via Naked Capitalism) (Image: Eric Fischer, CC-BY) George Lakoff, a cognitive scientist and linguist that studies propaganda, says the way the media reports on Trump's lies actually helps Trump. "Trump needs the media, and the media help him by repeating what he says," he told The Washington Post. He says stories can actually be constructed in a way to make Trump's lies work against him, not for him: Unlike those who insist that what the president says is news and therefore must be reported, Lakoff proposes a radical reimagining of how the news media reports on Trump. Instead of treating the president's every tweet and utterance true or false as newsworthy (and then perhaps fact-checking it later), Lakoff urges the use of what he calls a "truth sandwich." 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. That's the truth sandwich reality, spin, reality all in one tasty, democracy-nourishing meal. When a large corporation in the United States has committed massive fraud, the CEO usually retires with a large bonus and the corporation receives a modest cost-of-business fine. But Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, was actually arrested and detained this morning in his role in the emissions test cheating scandal that has plagued Volkswagen, Audi's parent company. From CNBC: A spokesman for Porsche SE, the company that controls VW and Audi, said Stadler's arrest would be discussed at a supervisory board meeting on Monday. VW admitted in September 2015 to using illegal software to cheat U.S. emissions tests on diesel engines, sparking the biggest crisis in the company's history and leading to a regulatory crackdown across the auto industry. The United States filed criminal charges against former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn in May, but he is unlikely to face U.S. authorities because Germany does not extradite its nationals to countries outside the European Union. Entertainment / Music by Staff reporter Contemporary musician, Andy Muridzo Ngwenya who fell out with Jah Prayzah's Military Touch Movement (MTM) after their record deal went sour earlier this year says he now finds himself stuck with a military stage costume that he was motivated to wear by his mentor and former boss - Jah Prayzah."When I started my music career, being a person that was groomed by Jah Prayzah, he said to me 'I'm a soldier so you need to wear a uniform that's similar to mine'."This is the costume my band and I are using now. I still don't have a decision on whether I should leave this uniform for another attire. For now though, I'm still wearing it," Andy said.Andy (pictured, left with part of his team) terminated his five-year contract with MTM in March saying he was not getting what he had signed for as Jah Prayzah and his team were not assisting him in any way as agreed in the contract.However, speaking on his relationship with Jah Prayzah, Andy said: "It's cool. We talk a lot on the phone. Normally, we're usually busy so I just say hi and he says hi too."On his Munondo album which he released in April, Andy said it was doing quite well as he is getting a lot of invitations to perform at shows and corporate events. He said so many are the bookings that he at times goes for a week without going home as he will be out of Harare performing.He said contrary to belief that most tracks, especially Matomonyomo were dedicated at Jah Prayzah and his MTM stable, the album focused mostly on social life issues. Matomonyomo which talks of a person who is fed up seemed to narrate Andy's ordeal at MTM."When I did the album, I was focusing mostly on people's day to day life. Looking at the track Matomonyomo, there're a lot of people who come in your life and claim to want to help you, but then dump you along the way."This song was me saying I want to do me. The track was not exactly dedicated to MTM, but it was dedicated to everyone who was been given false promises, not only me, but everyone," he said.Other than MTM, Andy's career had been dented by erotic dancer Bev who went to town claiming that she had been impregnated by him. He said he has not spoken to Bev ever since then."We only meet at shows and she does her thing while I concentrate on my slot as well. Even when that issue arose, I never replied."Bev actually tarnished my wife's image and not mine. If I was given an opportunity to reconcile with her I wouldn't."Last week, Andy released a music video for Mudzepete, one of the songs off Munondo. The video recorded by Naxo Films and shot in Uzumba received praise with some urging the artiste to try his hand at acting.Mudzepete (referring to anything that gets people drunk) features Andy's Jeetaz band members."This video was inspired by my rural home in Uzumba where I used to see some old men getting drunk. I imagined one of my grandfather's friends who was called Chinoto he was ever drunk," said Andy."Mudzepete is just a broad term for alcoholic drinks that make people drunk."On the video that has been viewed over 10 000 times on YouTube, Andy's band members are shown having a good time by a watering hole, drinking traditional beers and lagers.The release of this video, Andy said was part of his efforts to vigorously market the new album."I need to market myself everywhere because in the past, I only used to limit myself to performing in Mashonaland. Now, I'm spreading my wings locally as my brand has to be recognised locally before I think of expanding it regionally," he said.Reflecting on his Bulawayo show last month, Andy who can sing eloquently in Ndebele as his father is from Bulawayo said: "The response was perfect because it was my second time performing there."I think I have to work on releasing Ndebele songs as well so that everybody understands what I'll be singing because when I performed there, I could see people dancing but I could tell they weren't understanding. So I realised I have to mix Ndebele and Shona when I sing." News / National by Staff reporter The National Patriotic Front which is backed by former President Robert Mugabe's wife Grace wanted 73 of the 210 House of Assembly seats to join the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance saying it would bring support from all those ZANU-PF members who still support Mugabe, London-based Africa Confidential reported.This probably explains why there was wide speculation that Grace Mugabe wanted to be the Alliance's vice-president.The MDC-T which is the dominant player in the Alliance only had 114 seats reserved for the party with the second highest ranking party being the MDC led by Welshman Ncube which was allocated 31 seats.It is not clear how the seat allocation finally panned out but there have been complaints that Chamisa's MDC-T breached the agreement.The NPF whose main advocate is former Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo endorsed MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa for president last week but the party split last Friday with its leader Ambrose Mutinhiri saying he would not join the Alliance.Mutinhiri was fired by the party but refused to step down and instead fired those behind his firing who included party spokesman Jealousy Mawarire.Mutinhiri successfully registered as a presidential contender yesterday. Mawarire also registered as a parliamentary candidate.It is not yet clear how many candidates registered as NPF candidates and for which faction.The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is publishing the final list of candidates who successfully lodged their papers with the Nomination Court on 25 June.Twenty-three candidates yesterday filed papers to contest as president scuttling Jonathan Moyo's plan for a grand national coalition to beat ZANU-PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa.It is not clear why Moyo needs the grand coalition when he has repeatedly said Mnangagwa cannot win an election since he was beaten twice by Blessing Chebundo in Kwekwe and had to create a new constituency.Chamisa has also betted that he will give Mnangagwa his 18-year-old sister for a wife if he polls more than 5 percent of the vote.A poll conducted in April-May, however, shows that Mnangagwa will beat Chamisa in the coming elections but may not win an outright victory. But 16 to 23 percent of the voters refused to express their opinion which means they can swing the vote either way. News / National by A Mhlongo MDC Alliance spokesperson Welshman Ncube has blamed MDC leader, Nelson Chamisa for the Nomination Court chaos."I suppose we were busy grabbing seats from each other and forgot that the real enemy is Zanu PF. As far as I know, Insiza North was allocated to the MDC-T and I have not been briefed as to why they failed to field a candidate. These are self-inflicted wounds," Ncube, who doubles as MDC leader."We had candidates in these areas including wards, but they were told they could not contest. The people who were authorising our candidates decided in their wisdom or lack thereof to instead sign for aspiring candidates from the MDC-T who unfortunately were not registered in those wards and they were disqualified on that basis, so we lost.""As principals, we had agreed that we would create an inclusive platform in which all partners were represented to authorise candidates, but our colleagues in the MDC-T decided to create an exclusive framework. It basically meant that any other candidate that the MDC-T guys did not like would not have their papers signed, but instead aspiring candidates from their party would be allowed."This resulted in sitting councillors in the Matabeleland provinces held by our party (MDC) failing to file their nomination papers. As things stand most alliance partners are not contesting in local council countrywide except the MDC-T. Our proportional representation sitting MP Nomalanga Khumalo was also denied the right to file her papers after the MDC-T people refused to sign for her," Ncube charged.Ncube also said: "We are in the alliance because the majority of the people want us to unite. It is the only way we can give our people a chance. I have spoken to other partners and they remain committed. But, we will have to speak to each other honestly and openly about what should not have happened and hope we will continue as a unit after that. The good part is nothing happened that we did not expect." News / National by Byo24News Reporter The British Embassy has stoked a social media after it posted that it has got access to a consolidated voters' roll ahead of contesting political parties and candidates.Posting on the mission's official twitter handle, @UKinZimbabwe the embassy said their "team was able to obtain a searchable copy - in Excel format - of the voters' roll from @ZECZim offices in Harare this morning."It took about two hours, but we came away with a disc."Zimbabweans reacted angrily to the post with @albertmachinda asking "What nonsense is this? How do you obtain the roll when candidates are failing to? Are you running in this election," he said in a response directed at the embassy.@JoramMubaiwa said it is weird that the embassy got the voters' roll ahead of locals."This weird. Anyway these guys are always on the wrong side of history. Always," he said.One @mafaro35 said it is clear that the Zimbabwe Elections Commission does not have a relationship with the citizens."Trying to force relationships will never work. It is clear ZEC has no relationship with the general Zimbabwean population. All parties should withdraw from this election and allow ZEC , Zanupf and @UKinZimbabwe to chart the way forward on their own." Opinion / Columnist President Emerson Mnangagwa is breathtakingly naive; that is the one thing that has come through again and again ever since he took centre stage last November. Remember the coup that was "a military assisted transition"; well he has now come up with something even more unbelievably naive."We want our elections to be free, fair, transparent and credible," said Mr. Mnangagwa, repeating what has become a mantra for his ZANU-PF party."The 75-year-old has been accused of having a hand in manipulating presidential polls in 2008, when the opposition Movement of Democratic Change won the first round but lost following a violent runoff campaign," reported Spotlight Zimbabwe, quoting The Wall Street Journal."Mr. Mnangagwa has denied rigging that vote and other disputed elections, although he appeared to come close to conceding that previous polls haven't always been free and fair."The question of free elections, now, I have said in the past we did not allow," he said, before launching into another, newly familiar phrase: Let "bygones be bygones."Here President Mnangagwa is admitting, or be it grudgingly, for the first time ever, that Zanu PF has rigged elections in the past. However, he has pointedly refused to implement even one democratic reform. Indeed he has mockingly dismissed those calling for reforms."Zanu PF ichatonga! Igotonga! Imi muchingo hukura! Nokuhukura!" (Zanu PF will rule! And rule! Whilst you (calling for reforms) bark! And bark!) President Mnangagwa has often said before the November coup and has publically repeated the same thing on at least two different occasions.In a recent article, Professor Jonathan Moyo, who was Zanu PF's principal strategist but is now in self-imposed exile because he was in the losing Zanu PF faction after the coup, has given details of how Zanu PF has rigged elections in the past and is doing so again this year."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."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!"ZEC has failed to register 7 million voters because the exercise was started very late, to produce a verified voters' roll before nomination day, there other sources confirming that there is indeed a 16 member Chinese team of BVR & cyber experts in the country, etc.; proof that "ZEC is rigging tool!"President Mnangagwa can claim these elections are free, fair and credible as many times as he wishes but, as we can see, with no reforms in place, there nothing to stop the Zanu PF blatantly rigging the elections again. He is being very naive to suggest these elections will be free and fair because he has argued to let bygone be bygones.Zimbabwe is in a very serious economic mess; unemployment soar to the dizzying heights of 90%, the country's education and health services have all but collapse, etc. The root cause of the mess is because the country is stuck, for the last 38 years and counting, with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship that has rigged elections to stay in power. The only way out of this mess is for the country to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop the vote rigging.It is already clear that Zanu PF is rigging this year's elections. What matters now is to make sure that the party does not get away with another rigged election as has happened in the past. President Mnangagwa has promised free, fair and credible elections, if he fails to deliver free elections then he and his junta friends must step down to allow the appointment of an interim administration that will implement the reforms. Opinion / Columnist All the 22 opposition candidates contesting this presidential election must, for once, agree on one thing, that is to boycott the elections and create a legitimacy crisis for this competitive authoritarianism being fronted by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Zanu-PF.It is quite clear that time is running out for Mnangagwa and Zec to run a fair vote.On Friday, the High Court ordered Zec to release the provisional voters' roll. Did Zec have to be ordered to do this?Zec chairperson Priscilla Chigumba was at pains on Friday to defend herself after the voters' roll debacle.Today, the High Court in Harare is due to hear two cases brought by legal watchdog Veritas seeking an order compelling Zec to comply with its constitutional duty to administer a transparent general election and to promote transparency in all its operations.Both cases raise constitutional issues affecting the Electoral Act and the Zec's functions under the Constitution and the Electoral Act.After staging the military-engineered ouster of Robert Mugabe which had the backing of millions of Zimbabweans, there has been somewhat a liberalising outcome, which has seen the rise of a new government that is considerably less authoritarian than its predecessor.But this charade by ED to say the right things and do the opposite should not fool anyone.Things are not looking good for ED's attempts to secure legitimacy through free, fair, and credible elections.Zec has been dragged to court to force it to discharge its legal duty to disclose all of its standard operating procedures, to avail the voters' roll, to disclose the criteria for screening and selecting persons seconded to Zec, sealing and storage of ballot boxes, voters' rolls, ballot papers, tallying of votes and any other electoral papers. It has so far failed to do this.There are escalating fears that the incumbent and his ruling Zanu-PF party are typically resorting to fraud to attempt to ensure electoral victory.While the choice made by opposition elites to form strategic coalitions for the purpose of mounting a credible challenge to the ruling party or candidate in national elections is noble, they are clearly being used to legitimise ED and his ruling Zanu-PF's electoral fraud.Where are the ballot papers being printed, why is Zec stuffed by securocrats?After filing nomination papers last week, the opposition must proceed to announce a major boycott of the election until their demands are met.They are being used to chlorinate or deodorise the coupsters. If they participate, they will lose dismally and when they complain, their remonstrations will just be dismissed as sour grapes.And, there is a method to the madness.There have been bogus opinion polls giving ED 70 percent to prime the electorate for such an outcome.There are fears the ballot fraud will be at an "industrial scale" as already alluded to.So boycotting elections is the only way to participate.The regime is desperate for legitimacy after overthrowing the constitutional order.The opposition must refuse to participate if it doesn't have the voter register, does not know where the ballots are printed, where the BVR servers are, and Zec is not demilitarised.They should just say "tongai tione". Finish and klaar.In competitive electoral authoritarian regimes like the one we have, elections are foreign policy tools used by the regime to reproduce itself, but it's quite clear the electoral context, environment and administration have been deftly choreographed to deliver a predetermined outcome of regime retention and continuity. Oil has pulled back sharply in recent days to see Brent slipping well below US$75 a barrel over concerns of rising U.S. oil output and signs that both OPEC and Russia are considering boosting production. This has dampened claims that Brent will reach US$100 a barrel before the end of 2018. Nonetheless, that shouldnt prevent investors from bolstering their exposure to crude, because there is a range of indicators that higher oil is here to stay. Because Brent is trading at over US$70 a barrel, the majority of upstream oil companies with operations outside North America will experience a solid lift in profitability in coming months. One driller that stands out is one of the very few that didnt slash or even eliminate its dividend in response to the prolonged slump in crude: Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSX:VET)(NYSE:VET). Now what? Vermilion owns and operates a globally diversified portfolio of oil and natural gas assets across North America, Europe, and Australia. That acreage gives it net oil reserves of 270 million barrels valued at $4 billion, or $32 per share, after income taxes and the application of a 10% discount rate in accordance with industry methodology. While that is almost $13 less per share than Vermilions market price, it shouldnt deter investors. You see, Vermilion, unlike many of its peers, has been trading at a premium to its reserves, because it has not experienced any of the issues or committed the same errors that they have. Contrary to Baytex Energy Corp. or Pengrowth Energy Corp., it didnt overload its balance sheet with a significant amount of debt, leaving it precariously exposed to sharply weaker oil. And unlike Crescent Point Energy Corp., which has a long and controversial history of issuing equity to fund acquisitions, it isnt a serial diluter of existing shareholders. Furthermore, the value of Vermilions oil reserves is poised to expand significantly. The two acquisitions it completed this year will increase its volume, further boosting its value. Story continues Concurrently, the value of Vermilions reserves will increase because the assumed oil prices used to calculate their value, $59 a barrel for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and US$65.50 for Brent, are lower than the market price for both benchmarks. As the value of Vermilions oil reserves grows, it will push its share price higher. The companys value will also grow because earnings are expected to rise at a rapid rate. Not only has Vermilion steadily expanded production from existing operations, but the May 2018 purchase of Spartan Energy Corp. for $1.4 billion and an earlier January deal will give annual production a solid lift. In fact, 2018 oil production is forecast to average as high as 90,000 barrels daily, which represents an impressive 32% increase over 2017 average daily production of 68,021. Vermilions profitability also remains high, despite a slight increase in first-quarter operating and transportation costs compared to a year earlier. For the first quarter, it reported an operating netback of $31.05 per barrel produced compared to $20.71 for Baytex and Pengrowths $24.04. That higher profitability can be attributed to the quality of its assets, the absence of deeply discounted Canadian heavy oil from its production mix and ability to access Brent pricing, which trades at a premium of almost US$9 a barrel compared to WTI. So what? Vermilion is a very attractive play on higher oil because of its ability to grow production, the rising value of its oil reserves, its solid balance sheet, and its ability to access Brent pricing for a proportion of its oil production. While investors wait for those attributes to give its stock a long-awaited boost, they will be rewarded by its sustainable monthly dividend, which yields a juicy 6%. More reading Fool contributor Matt Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The top U.N. human rights official called on the Trump administration on Monday to halt its "unconscionable" policy of forcibly separating children from migrant parents irregularly entering the country via Mexico. 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 as the Trump administration implements stricter border enforcement policies. Administration officials say the tactic is necessary to secure the border and suggest it will act as a deterrent to illegal immigration. But Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the policies "punish children for their parents' actions". "The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable. I call on the United States to immediately end the practice of forcible separation of these children," Zeid said in his final speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council before his term in office ends. The U.S. delegation, led by Geneva-based diplomat Jason Mack, did not refer to migration issues in its subsequent speech upholding LGBTi rights and denouncing violence and discrimination against homosexual and transgender people. Reuters quoted activists and diplomats on Thursday as saying that talks with the United States over how to reform the main U.N. rights body have failed to meet Washington's demands, especially over its treatment of Israel, suggesting that the Trump administration will quit the forum. STANDING OVATION Britain's foreign secretary Boris Johnson praised the council for shining a light on appalling violations worldwide, saying it was part of the rules-based international system. But Britain shared the view with the United States that maintaining a permanent agenda item focusing solely on Israel and the Palestinian territories was "damaging", Johnson said. Zeid said that "longstanding, grave and systematic" human rights violations continued in North Korea and urged Pyongyang to cooperate with the U.N. investigator on the isolated country whose mandate it does not recognise. He cited clear indications of "well-organised, widespread and systematic attacks" continuing against Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar, "amounting possibly to acts of genocide", while conflict has escalated in Kachin and Shan states. The Myanmar government's efforts to prosecute perpetrators have lacked credibility and human rights monitors must be on the ground before Rohingya refugees return from Bangladesh, he said. Myanmar has denied nearly all of the allegations, saying its security forces have been waging a legitimate counter-insurgency operation against what it calls Rohingya terrorists. Zeid accused China of preventing independent activists from testifying before U.N. rights bodies and voiced concern that conditions were "fast deteriorating" in the autonomous regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. Yang Zhilun, of China's Foreign Ministry, did not directly address his remarks, but said that all citizens exercising their right to assembly and demonstration must abide by the law and not harm "national, social and collective rights". Zeid urged the 47-member forum to set up international commissions on alleged violations in Venezuela and Nicaragua. Zeid, whose four-year term finishes at the end of August, received a standing ovation at the end of his remarks. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Toby Chopra and Alison Williams) The question of what constitutes quality of life is one often pondered in healthcare, and it is also one that Jesus addresses. In John chapter 10, verses 10-11, Jesus says, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." God, who created life and gave us breath, wants us to experience it abundantly. He so earnestly desires that we experience this life in Him, that He sent Jesus to die on the cross and conquer death. It is through faith in Him, that we experience His grace and share in His life. I realise that in every consult I do as a doctor, I have the precious opportunity to save lives, and not just physically. Moreover, I have this same opportunity to save lives outside the doctor's office, and we all do. God has given us abundant life, and He commands us to share this life with others so what does this look like? There is life in joy, even through suffering Quality of life is often associated with the perception of happiness; how satisfied are we with our ability to function day to day? The joy God offers finds its source not in daily function, but in daily communion; do we hope in God today? Joy helps us to love people even when we might be having a tough time ourselves. It keeps us going even when our physical function is limited. It shows us a satisfaction and a gladness that reaches deeper and lasts longer than what we know as happiness. Love is what helps us work through a busy day, keep a smile, and return the following day with the same attitude refreshed. "The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him." (Psalm chapter 28, verse 7) God's life comforts the lonely The life we have in Christ was never meant to be a secret, but to be freely shared with all. Jesus reached out to prostitutes, tax collectors, and widows; and he reaches out to us in the loneliness created by sin when it separates us from God. He gives life in the shade of His presence and His lovingkindness. When we see people alone, hurting, afraid or uncertain, we have that same life to give them. It comes in the arm of embrace, the word of encouragement, the walk of friendship. One day, there will be no more sin and no more crying, but until then we have every opportunity to bring the comfort of Christ into our broken world. Isaiah chapter 61, verse 3 speaks about Jesus who was anointed to: console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Relationship is important to life Our world is curious to discover the fountain of life; what might help us to live longer, and better? Aged care services promote group activities, home supports bring personal contact with practical help, and mental health facilitators encourage community. What is it about relationships that foster life? I greatly appreciate the blessing of fellowship, and it is something I thank God for often. Relationships are an avenue for the love of God to be released. They offer a reminder of identity (we are loved), community (we are in this together), encouragement (we can do this together), and hope (there is good to come). These are qualities of life-giving relationships like those referred to in Ecclesiastes chapter 4, verses 9-10: "Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up." God's life heals pain with hope The one greatest thing about the life of God is that it saves; it really saves. It overcomes death through the gift of eternal life found in the righteousness of Christ, and it saves our hearts daily with this hope. This hope gives us a life that overcomes every pain, discouragement and feeling of inadequacy we have and will ever face. Gods life has saved me, and I want the whole world to experience it. We have the opportunity every day to release the life of God to others. We give life to their hearts through joy; we give life in their dark moments through comfort and kindness; we give life through genuine loving relationships; and we give life through bringing hope to our broken world. The life of God lives in us, and it is a light we ought to shine out brightly. So, let us live it out and see lives saved! "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house." (Matthew chapter 5, verses 14-15) Kristen is a family doctor, and author of the e-book An Internship with Jesus. She lives with her husband in Adelaide and writes a weekly blog (lostnowfoundk) on life with God. Her second blog, Lily of the Valleys-K, aims to share her love for Jesus through music and art. See Kristens other articles at: https://lostnowfoundk.com/an-internship-with-jesus-ebook-christian-today-articles/ The Persian King is a line produced by Gran Habano Cigars. The cigars in the Persian King line are unbanded and are highlighted by a claro leaf that covers the footer and twisted at the end. For several years, the Persian King line flew under the radar in the Gran Habano portfolio. In 2016, that changed when Gran Habano introduced a maduro counterpart to the natural Persian King offering. Today, we take a look at the original Gran Habano Persian King natural in a size known as the Rajah which is a classic 6 x 50 Toro. Gran Habano Cigars is the company owned by the father-son team of Guilliermo and George Rico. The Rico familys involvement can be traced back to 1920 when Guillermos grandfather started growing tobacco. Today, the Rico family owns and operates the G.R. Tabacaleras Unidas SA located in Danli, Honduras, with U.S. based distribution operation in Miami, Florida. Without further ado, lets break down the Gran Habano Persian King Rajah and see what this cigar brings to the table. SPECIFICATIONS Blend Profile The Gran Habano Persian King is listed as a 100% Nicaraguan puro. Other than the origins of the tobacco, most of the details of the blend are shrouded in mystery. As mentioned above, the leaf covering the foot is a claro a lighter colored leaf, but no specifics on that leaf have been disclosed. Wrapper: Nicaraguan Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Country of Origin: Honduras (G.R. Tabacaleras Unidas SA) Vitolas Available The Gran Habano Persian King is available in two sizes. Each is packaged in 50-count cabinet boxes. Rajah: 6 x 50 Tiger: 6 x 60 Appearance The Nicaraguan wrapper of the Gran Habano Persian King Rajah had a medium brown color to it. There was a light coating of oil on the surface of the wrapper. The surface of the wrapper was slightly bumpy. There were a few visible veins, but most of the wrapper seams were hidden. The cigar also featured a flat Cuban-style cap on it. The claro leaf covers the footer and extends close to an inch of the base of the cigar and is twisted at the end. PERFORMANCE Pre-Light Draw A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Gran Habano Persian King Rajah. Once the cap was removed, I commenced with the pre-light draw ritual. The covered footer contributed to the Persian King Rajah having a subtle flavor profile. The cold draw delivered notes of cream, wood and a floral-like sweetness. While this wasnt the most exciting of pre-light draws, there was no loss of points here as the pre-light draw is not scored. At this point, I was ready to light up the Gran Habano Persian King Rajah and see what the smoking phase would deliver. Tasting Notes The Persian King Rajah started out with a combination of cream, cedar, and classic wood notes. During the claro-covered section of the cigar, the cream notes were the primary ones. Concurrently, there was an additional layer of cedar on the retro-hale. As the Persian King Rajah moved to the natural wrapper section, notes of natural tobacco, mixed fruit, and earth surfaced. These became the primary notes early on. The cream notes became secondary and were joined by some bakers spice notes. Both the classic wood and cedar notes on the tongue dissipated. As the cigar experience moved through the first half, the sweetness from the natural tobacco and fruit-like notes were in control. Meanwhile, on the retro-hale, the cedar remained, but now some black pepper was mixed in. As the Persian King Rajah moved into the second third, the natural tobacco remained grounded in the forefront. The earth and fruit notes varied at intensity levels. By the midway point, the fruit notes receded into the background joining the cream and bakers spice. Moving into the second half, there was a slight increase in the bakers spice. The last third saw the natural tobacco notes diminish, leaving the earth notes as sole primary note. The natural tobacco, cream, and bakers spice were now all complementary secondary notes. During this stage, there was a slight uptick in bakers spice, but overall, it didnt overpower the flavor profile. This is the way the Persian King Rajah came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature. Burn Each time I burned through the Persian King Rajah, the burn was near perfect. This cigar maintained a straight burn path and straight burn line requiring very little maintenance along the way. The resulting ash was firm with a charcoal gray color. The burn temperature was ideal. The burn rate was a little slow on this cigar, but the only difference is it slightly lengthened the cigar experience in duration (I smoked these in close to two hours). It is also worth noting that the burn transitioned from the claro section to the natural section flawlessly. Given this burn scored very high, it earns the Cigar Coop Exceptional rating. Draw The draw performed excellently as well. It had just the right touch of resistance to it. There was an ample amount of smoke production during the smoking experience as well. Strength and Body From a strength perspective, the Persian King Rajah started out on the upper end of mild to medium as it burned through the claro section. Once it crossed to the natural wrapper section, the strength level progressed to medium and remained relatively constant. Meanwhile, the flavors started out medium-bodied in the claro section and continued into the natural section as medium. During the first half, there was a gradual increase in body and by the second half, the body moved to medium to full. The body continued to gradually ramp up during the second half, but didnt quite reach full. In terms of strength versus body, I found the body had the edge from start to finish. OVERALL ASSESSMENT Final Thoughts Ive mentioned it before, when it comes to delivering an excellent cigar under the $8.00 standpoint, Gran Habano is a brand that should not be overlooked. Coming in at under $6.00, the Gran Habano Persian King Rajah is a bonus. Its a cigar that delivered in a lot of areas: it had very good flavor, a nice amount of complexity. and had excellent construction. Each time I smoke this cigar, I seem to find something more to like about it. I also think this blend has some excellent long-term aging potential. This is a cigar I would recommend to an experienced cigar enthusiast or a novice looking for something in the medium/medium plus range. As for myself, the Persian King Rajah is a cigar Id smoke again. With 50-count boxes, its not practical for a box purchase, but definitely worthy of multiples for the humidor. Summary Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Fruit, Cedar, Classic Wood, Cream, Bakers spice Burn: Exceptional Draw: Excellent Complexity: Medium to High Strength: Mild to Medium (Claro Section), Medium (Remainder) Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half) Finish: Excellent Rating Value: Buy Multiples Score: 91 References News: n/a Price: ~$5.75 Source: Gran Habano Brand Reference: Gran Habano Photo Credits: Cigar Coop Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Nairobi, June 18, 2018Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni should stop making statements that denigrate and threaten the press, and ensure that his government does not take actions that conflate journalism with terrorism or national security threats, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 11, while attending the funeral of ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) legislator Ibrahim Abiriga, Museveni and NRM Secretary General Justine Kasule Lumumba publicly called for the need to censor radio and social media, according to a report by NTV Uganda. Abiriga on June 8 was shot by unknown assailants near his home in Wakiso District, near the capital Kampala, according to media reports. Abiriga was a prominent proponent of a January law that removed presidential age limits, according to media reports. In a June 10 statement, Museveni said there was a high probability that the killing was politically motivated and he has since vowed a crackdown on crime in Uganda. Lumumba claimed that social media was being used to fuel a hate campaign against Museveni and the NRM, according to the NTV report. Subsequently, Museveni in a June 14 televised speech criticized newspapers coverage of Ugandas 2018-19 budget and the countrys debt, calling the privately owned Daily Monitor newspaperwhich is owned by the same parent company as NTVevil and the Red Pepper tabloid stupid. He also warned he would do something if the Daily Monitors debt talk did not stop, according to the footage and a report by The Observer newspaper. President Yoweri Musevenis demonizing statements and threats to Ugandan media serve to intimidate journalists, promote self-censorship, and put journalists at risk by offering license for others to attack the press, said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal from New York. Museveni should halt this rhetoric and commit his government to promoting respect for press freedom and the safety of journalists. Separately on June 11, General Elly Tumwine, Ugandas security minister, accused the media of contributing to terrorism and creating alarmism. On June 13, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), the national broadcasting regulator, alleged in a statement that media houses gave people a platform to express hatred, discrimination and stereotypes in their coverage of the Abiriga murder. The UCC warned that it would institute criminal proceedings and revoke licenses of those found in breach of standards. Information Minister Frank Tumwebaze on June 15 told CPJ that Musevenis statements about the budget were a critique of partisanship and a lack of professionalism in the media. He added that the government would not take any unlawful action against the press. The UCCs acting executive director, Fred Otunnu, on June 15 told CPJ that the June 13 statement was a reminder to broadcasters to adhere to their professional standards as journalists and avoid providing a platform to wrong elements who are inciting violence. In the past week, journalists in Uganda also faced physical attacks from members of the public. On June 10, crowds attacked several journalists during preparations for the funeral of Abiriga in Arua, a district in Northern Uganda, according to an NBS report. NBS cameraman Thomas Kitimbo told CPJ that he received minor injuries to his head during the attack, but was rescued by his colleagues and police officers. Robert Kayongo, a reporter with BBS Television, told CPJ that he and his cameraman also suffered minor injuries during the attack. NTV cameraman Galiwango Ronald told CPJ that he narrowly escaped a similar attack. Banks Board Bureau (BBB) has recommended 22 general managers to be elevated as executive directors at the various public sector banks (PSBs). This is the first major exercise undertaken by reconstituted BBB, headed by newly appointed Chairman BP Sharma, former Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training. These recommendations were based on interactions held by BBB with eligible candidates from PSBs towards appointment against vacancies in PSBs for the period 2018-19. Now, Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister will take the final decision in this regard. Banks Board Bureau (BBB) BBB is super authority (autonomous and self-governing body) of Central Government comprising eminent professionals and officials to improve governance of PSBs. It was announced by Union Government in August 2015 as part of seven point Indradhanush Mission to revamp PSBs. It was set up in February 2016 under chairmanship of former CAG Vinod Rai based on recommendations of RBI-appointed Nayak Committee. It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Mandate: Its broad agenda is to improve governance at state-owned lenders. Its mandate also involves advising government on top-level appointments in PSBs and assisting banks with capital-raising plans through innovative financial methods and instruments as well as strategies to deal with issues of stressed assets or bad loans. Composition: BBB comprises of three ex-officio members (from government) and three expert members, two of which are from private sector in addition to Chairman. Team of specialists from US held meeting with their counterparts on Indian side in New Delhi to negotiate text of Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), a foundational military communications agreement. The meeting was held as part of preparations for 2+2 dialogue between foreign and defence ministers of India and US scheduled to be held in Washington in July 2018. Key Facts This meeting has resumed talks on COMCASA and it will try to address Indias observations on it. India was not keen on signing two other foundational agreements COMCASA and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA) after it had signed military logistics agreement with US in 2016. Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) COMCASA is one of three foundational agreements that guide US high technology cooperation in defence sector with other countries. It was earlier called Communication and Information on Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) before name was changed to reflect its India-specific nature. Other two agreements are Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and BECA. COMCASA is meant to facilitate use of high-end secured communication equipment to be installed on military platforms being sold to India by US to fully exploit their potential. It essentially provides legal framework for transfer of communication security equipment from US to India that will facilitate interoperability between armed forces of both countries and potentially with other militaries that use US-origin systems for secure data links. Interoperability in this case means that there will be access to encrypted and secret technologies or communications. India is currently dependent on commercially available and less secure communication systems on high-end US defence platforms like C-130Js and P8I maritime surveillance aircraft. Indias Reservations Officials from Defence ministry have held reservations about signing COMCASA as they fear USs intrusive access to Indian military communication systems. They also fear that indigenous Indian military and large quantity of Russian-origin platforms may not be compatible with COMCASA. Karnataka: Water off Karwars coast turns black by Deepak Kumar Shenvi June 18,2018 | Source: The Times of India Dozens of people turned out to catch a glimpse of the Arabian Sea off Karwar coast on Thursday after the water turned black. This rare phenomenon was first noticed by morning joggers on the beach. As the news spread, a large number of people rushed to the beach to witness the black sea. We found the sea rough and the water had turned black, one jogger said. Normally, the water is blue. This is really a rare phenomenon. Many fishermen too said they havent seen anything quite like it. We are not allowed to fish in mid-sea till July 31as the government has banned fishing for two months, one fisherman said. We do not know whether this black water has spread to mid-sea or is limited to the area near the shore. Scientists at Karnataka Universitys department of studies in marine biology (DSMB) in Karwar, who have collected samples of the water, said it was a natural phenomenon and there is no need to worry. Prof Jagannath Rathod, head of DSMB, said heavy rain over the last four days in the district is the cause. Rainwater which flows into streams and rivers carried with it organic waste from forests, Rathod said. The river water flows into the sea and decomposed organic waste like leaves of trees have mixed with sea water. Since the sea is volatile, this waste is being washed to the shore and that is the reason why the water looks black when one sees it from the beach. Scientists said another reason is dredging work at Karwar port area carried out six months ago. About 17 lakh cubic meters of silt was removed and dumped mid-sea, about 25 nautical miles away from Karwar shore. Rathod said the silt mixed with the rough sea water, resulting in a change in the colour of the water. This colour can be seen till Polem beach in Goa adjacent to Karwar beach, Rathod said. DSMB scientists collected water samples for analysis. Nepal: Fish imports from India hits local farmers June 18,2018 | Source: The Himalayan Times Import of fish in huge quantities from India has hit fish farmers hard in Jhapa. Nepali fish farmers say they are facing difficulty competing in the market as fish imported from India are much cheaper than Nepali fish. Dead fish are imported via Jhapas Kakadvitta, Bhadrapur and other border points. Such fish are supplied to hilly districts in the east. According to transporter Sudip Chaurasiya, dead fish imported in cartoons are supplied to the markets in different places of the country. Nepali traders demand dead fish as they make huge profit out of it, Chaurasiya said. He said that he brought 2,000 kg fish imported from India a daily basis. Dead fish are openly imported due to lack of security check at the border point. Consumers do not care about the quality. They just care about the price, said Tara Sitaula, a local. According to Sitaula, sale of dead fish is higher than that of live fish in Jhapa. Technicians at Livestock Quarantine Check Post in Kakadvitta easily give permission for import of such fish. Fish farmer Khem Baral at Jhapas Buttabari said local fish failed to get market due to the import of cheap fish from India. One kg dead fish from India costs anything from Rs 180 to Rs 200 while local fish costs Rs 400 to 700 per kg, Baral said, adding that despite the government s efforts to promote fish farming in the country, import of fish from India had hit the local farmers hard. District Agriculture Development Office, Jhapa, stated that fish from India fulfilled 60 per cent of the demand for fish in Nepal. Jhapa produces up to 1,080 tonnes of fish in a year. Luo Zhaohui was delivering a keynote address on Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India Relations Go at an event organised by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi. (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: The Congress has condemned a recent statement by the Chinese envoy to India where he suggested that China, India and Pakistan be in a trilateral summit. Congress leader Manish Tiwari said: We hope the government of India will also condemn his statement. Our stand has been that issues between India and Pakistan be solved bilaterally. Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui on Monday said at an event in New Delhi that some Indian friends had suggested a trilateral summit comprising India, China and Pakistan would be a very constructive idea. Leaders of China, Russia and Mongolia hold a similar meet, he noted. This is a proposal suggested by some Indian friends and it is a very a good and constructive idea. Maybe not now, but in the future, that is the great idea. Bilateral ties between India and China cant take the strain of another Doklam episode, the Chinese envoy also said, emphasising on the need to find a mutually acceptable solution on the boundary issue through a meeting of the Special Representatives.Dwelling on Sino-Indian ties, he said it is quite natural to have differences but they need to be controlled and managed through cooperation. We need to control, manage, narrow differences through expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutual acceptable solution through Special Representatives Meeting while adopting confidence building measures, he said. We cannot stand another Doklam (sic), the envoy said. He was delivering a keynote address on Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India Relations Go at an event organised by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi. Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China between June to Augustin 2017. One of the immediate fallouts of the Doklam stand-off was the suspension of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Nathu-La side and the annual military exercise between the two countries. China also did not give the hydrological data of the Brahmaputra and the Indus river that originates in Chinese Tibet. The envoy said on Monday China will continue to promote religious exchanges and make arrangements for Indian pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet. Post-Doklam, there have been frequent high-level engagements between the leaders of the two countries. This year alone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met twice in the last two months in Wuhan and Qingdao. Luo said the two leaders are also likely to meet on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit and G20 Summit later in 2018. He noted that security cooperation is one of the three pillars of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an eight-member grouping also comprising India, China and Pakistan. The envoy added that relations between India and China have gone beyond the bilateral scope. We need to enhance coordination and cooperation in SCO, BRICS and join hands to tackle social challenges, he said. Responding to a question on India-China cooperation in Afghanistan, Luo said the two countries have identified a programme to train Afghan public servants and diplomats. This is a first step and in future, there is more..., he said. In the informal summit between Modi and Xi at the Wuhan, the two countries had agreed to work jointly on an economic project in Afghanistan. Luo Zhaohui was delivering a keynote address on Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India Relations Go at an event organised by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi. (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: Bilateral ties between India and China cant take the strain of another Doklam episode, Chinese envoy to India Luo Zhaohui said on Monday, emphasising on the need to find a mutually acceptable solution on the boundary issue through a meeting of the Special Representatives. The Chinese envoy said at an event here that some Indian friends had suggested a trilateral summit comprising India, China and Pakistan, which was a very constructive idea. Dwelling on Sino-Indian ties, he said it is quite natural to have differences but they need to be controlled and managed through cooperation. We need to control, manage, narrow differences through expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutual acceptable solution through Special Representatives' Meeting while adopting confidence building measures, he said. We cannot stand another Doklam (sic), the envoy said. He was delivering a keynote address on Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India Relations Go at an event organised by the Chinese Embassy here. Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China between June to August last year. One of the immediate fallouts of the Doklam stand-off was the suspension of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Nathu-La side and the annual military exercise between the two countries. China also did not give the hydrological data of the Brahmaputra and the Indus river that originates in Chinese Tibet. The envoy on Monday said China will continue to promote religious exchanges and make arrangements for Indian pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet. Post-Doklam, there have been frequent high-level engagements between the leaders of the two countries. This year alone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met twice in the last two months in Wuhan and Qingdao. Luo said the two leaders are also likely to meet on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit and G20 Summit later this year. He noted that security cooperation is one of the three pillars of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an eight-member grouping also comprising India, China and Pakistan. The envoy said the proposal of India, China and Pakistan holding a trilateral summit was very constructive. Leaders of China, Russia and Mongolia hold a similar meet, he noted. This is a proposal suggested by some Indian friends and it is a very a good and constructive idea. Maybe not now, but in the future, that is the great idea. Poland puts pressure on EU in Nord Stream 2 case The official says the EU ambassadors will deal with the amendments in late June. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Crimea faces lack of gas at filling stations At the same time, only minibus and taxi drivers could get gas by fuel vouchers. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter The measures apply to EU persons and EU based companies. On June 18, 2018, the European Council extended the restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia until June 23, 2019. "The measures apply to EU persons and EU based companies. They are limited to the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol," the European Council said in a press release. Read alsoUkraine, three other countries align with EU Council's sanctions decision following Putin's "elections" in occupied Crimea The sanctions include prohibitions on: imports of products originating in Crimea or Sevastopol into the EU; investment in Crimea or Sevastopol, meaning that no Europeans nor EU-based companies can buy real estate or entities in Crimea, finance Crimean companies or supply related services; tourism services in Crimea or Sevastopol, in particular, European cruise ships cannot call at ports in the Crimean peninsula, except in case of emergency; exports of certain goods and technologies to Crimean companies or for use in Crimea in the transport, telecommunications and energy sectors and related to the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources. Technical assistance, brokering, construction or engineering services related to infrastructure in these sectors must not be provided either. As stated in the declaration by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on behalf of the EU on March 16, 2018, the EU remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Four years on from the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, the EU reiterated that it does not recognize and continues to condemn this violation of international law. Naftogaz challenges decision of Swedish court on Stockholm Arbitration Naftogaz says Gazprom will pay the debt in full and reimburse all related costs. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Last week, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman declared war on law enforcers who continue to exert unlawful pressure on businesses; the National Bank released its new financial stability report, pointing out major risks; and the Swedish Court of Appeal suspended execution of the Stockholm arbitration award obliging Russian Gazprom to pay $2.6 billion in favor of Naftogaz. At a regular government meeting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Volodymyr said that, despite the law adopted by parliament aimed at halting unlawful raids of businesses on the part of law enforcers, in some regions, up to 80% of court decisions warranting searches and other investigative actions have signs of deliberate pressure. The law, which entered into force in December last year, introduced compulsory video-recording of searches, mandatory presence of a lawyer during investigative actions, as well as a ban on re-opening criminal cases on the same charges. However, some law enforcers turned out to be creative enough to keep finding ways to circumvent the norms of the new legislation. For example, criminal cases were reopened, with a slightly different wording. In addition, large teams would raid the premises of targeted businesses, with only a single lawyer allowed to monitor the process and therefore unable to ensure that there are no violations. The head of the government commented on the situation quite emotionally. "This is a moral issue, absolutely. There have been two revolutions in the country. People died on the Maidan, willing to build a totally different country. Today, our people, our soldiers, are at war on our eastern border. Meanwhile, in the rear, rats are coming out. These rats initiate all these schemes. And so I believe that it's time to purge our law enforcement system. I believe that for each of the unscrupulous law enforcers, responsibility should be laid on those who appointed them," said the prime minister. Also, Groysman quite surprisingly stated that he was aware of provocations being plotted against him personally and the government as a whole for their tough stance on the issue of eliminating deliberate pressure on businesses, and therefore suggested toughening the norms of the said law. In particular, the amendments submitted to the Verkhovna Rada foresee that entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to file with courts their complaints against the actions of a particular law enforcer, so that an official probe is appointed and, in case if any violations are revealed, they could be brought to disciplinary and financial responsibility. At the same time, a period within which a business can claim damages that resulted from the illegal actions of law enforcers is proposed to be made indefinite (now it's six months). Also, if the Verkhovna Rada approves the changes, businesses will have the opportunity to challenge in courts the reopened criminal cases. "Perhaps the proposed changes do not seem as substantial as the law itself, but it is these details that are exploited to exert pressure on businesses," said Minister of Justice Pavlo Petrenko. Time will show whether such changes are effective, but the ultimate instance of opposition to unscrupulous law enforcers will be the Ukrainian court. According to a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce, about 90% of businesses in 2017 considered the judiciary of one of the most corrupt branches of power in Ukraine. Risks for financial stability The National Bank of Ukraine last week issued a report on financial stability, confirming the fears of most economists and businesses - getting assistance from international financial organizations will become critical for the country in the coming months. The regulator notes that repayment and servicing of external debt starts to put pressure on international reserves, which for the first five months of 2018 decreased by 3.7%, down to $18.1 billion. By the end of the year, the amount of payments on debts will exceed $2 billion, and in 2019 it will be more than $6 billion. "The current level of reserves is still comfortable, however, its decline could provoke devaluation expectations and affect the balance in the foreign exchange market and willingness of external creditors to refinance debts of the private sector," the report says. The National Bank notes that under any scenario of development of relations with the International Monetary Fund, Ukraine will have to enter the international borrowing market amid growth in the yield of Eurobonds due to the tight monetary policy of the United States. "The lack of cooperation with the IMF will significantly increase Ukraine's sovereign risk. Therefore, external borrowing can become extremely costly not only for the government, but also for Ukrainian companies, in particular for those who will need to refinance their external debt," the report says. In support of fears of hryvnia devaluation risks, the National Bank did not dare cancel the requirement of a compulsory sale of 50% of currency earnings by exporters, extending it to the middle of December. The positive macroeconomic news last week was the European Parliament's approval of the third package of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine totaling EUR 1 billion. Thus, before the end of June, the European Council could green-light the allocation of funds so necessary for our country, after which the final conditions for their receipt will be determined. Nevertheless, an obvious condition for the receipt of macro-financial assistance from the European Union will be continued cooperation with the IMF, which the National Bank expects to see before autumn. Suspension of Stockholm Arbitration award On Thursday, the saga around the implementation of the Stockholm Arbitration award, according to which the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom is obliged to pay Naftogaz almost $2.6 billion, saw a new turn. The Svea Court of Appeal ruled to suspend the debt collection procedure. Gazprom immediately announced that they would use the decision to suspend the procedure for the arrest by Naftogaz of their assets in international jurisdictions. The Ukrainian company reported that the decision was taken by the court without Naftogaz's presence and, accordingly, without taking into account the explanations and arguments that would have been submitted by the company had the court notified Naftogaz of such an appeal by Gazprom and the fact of its consideration by the court. The company will soon file its detailed explanations and counterarguments and expects that, taking them into account, the court will cancel the decision to suspend the process. Also, Naftogaz noted that the court's decision did not lead to the cancellation of the Arbitration award and did not give Gazprom the opportunity to demand from Naftogaz the return of $2.1 billion already accounted for by the arbitration award as compensation. In addition, the decision of the Court of Appeal does not lead to the automatic cancellation of existing decisions on the seizure of Gazprom's assets in different jurisdictions. Time will show what other turns the story might take, but it is obvious that Naftogaz will hardly be able to quickly recover funds from Gazprom. In conditions where Gazprom refuses to fulfill its contractual obligations and remains an unreliable gas supplier, the Ukrainian authorities continue to look for opportunities to diversify supplies. Last week, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko took part in the ceremony of launching the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline from Azerbaijan to the EU via Turkey. According to the head of the Ukrainian state, our country in the long term will be able to receive Caspian gas using new transit capacities. And it seems that lowering the risks of Russian energy blackmail will be one of Ukraine's key tasks in the near future. This week promises to be rich in important economic events - the International Monetary Fund could publicly announce its assessment of the Anti-Corruption Court law, the Ministry of Finance will consult with the IMF on the impact of raising gas prices on the budget deficit, while the State Statistics Service will release a report on Ukraine's industrial output in January-May . Maksym Shevchenko If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Poroshenko says the construction of Nord Stream 2 will deprive Ukraine of up to $3 billion for the state budget, an amount that equals the countrys entire annual defense expenditures. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced that he has ordered the creation of a group lobbyists based in Brussels who will help build support that would put a stop to the construction of Russias Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which is set to carry natural gas from Vyborg in the Russian Federation to the German city of Greifswald via the Baltic Sea. We are now creating a group in the EU to stop the construction of North Stream-2. That is why we are actively negotiating with Germany. We are inviting them to create an international consortium to help manage Ukraines state gas transportation system, Poroshenko wrote, according to New Europe. Poroshenko says the construction of Nord Stream 2 will deprive Ukraine of up to $3 billion for the state budget, an amount that equals the countrys entire annual defense expenditures. The Ukrainian president did not provide any further details on the identities of the lobbyists or what sort of policy tools theyll be equipped with, but emphasized that the U.S. is also determined to stop the project in order to ensure that the existing sanctions regime remains in place. Read alsoPoland puts pressure on EU in Nord Stream 2 case Nord Stream 2 is designed to bring Russian gas to Europe by using a newly-built pipeline that runs under the Baltic Sea. The project passes through the territorial waters or exclusive economic zones of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. In March, Germany granted permits to Gazprom the Russian energy giant with a majority share in Nord Stream-2 to finish with the pipelines construction. The move followed similar approvals by the governments of Finland and Sweden. Ukraine, Poland, and some other countries in Eastern Europe have strongly opposed the Nord Stream-2 project as they have warned that it will increase the EUs dependence on Russian energy and undermine the blocs strategic interests. Though GDPRs multi-billion dollar costs keep escalating as companies bridge gaps in awareness and readiness, privacy advocates and EU regulators remain hopeful that first-moving compliers and digital users will derive some form of competitive advantage from complying with the new rule. The requirement that companies check the lawful origin of the data they hold even when collected by third parties, the rationale goes, will spark a rush to compliance as companies seek to surpass competitors by appearing GDPR-ready for business. A more far-fetched line of argument anticipates companies will proactively map out the data they store in order better to take stock of what parts of it they can monetize in the future the very activity that GDPR is hell-bent on taming. If both of those arguments hold as true as proponents posit, it is hard to see why 40 percent of surveyed companies told the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) in a poll back in April that they would not be in compliance before the May 25 deadline. On top of the ever-growing compliance tabs surveyed in an earlier column - $18 million per FTSE500 company according to Ernst & Young and the IAPP - a few issues are likely to further debunk GDPRs pretense of handing a competitive edge to digital customers and companies. Given the rules vagueness, opacity, and the uncertainty over the degree of enforcement, full-fledged implementation is far from a foregone conclusion even inside the EU. Giovanni Buttarelli, the EUs coordinator of enforcement efforts, warned in December 2017 that the staff of 2,500 at the European Data Protection Supervisor (EPDS) he leads was unready to oversee compliance with such a far-reaching rule. Staff and budgets at the EDPS and the 27 member-state Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) in charge of locally enforcing GDPR have indeed been sluggish to catch up with the vast demands of implementing the rule. At the 2017 International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, the annual gathering of the worlds privacy supervisory authorities, data turned in by attendants revealed the EUs enforcement infrastructure to be woefully unprepared to implement GDPR, one year away from it coming into force. Mexicos DPA employs double the combined staff of EDPS and the 28 member-state DPAs per internet user and draws on a budget-per-user 1.5 times larger. In September last year, the head of the UKs DPA complained to the Financial Times about the small staff she oversees and the dismal pay levels that make it hard to retain scarce privacy expertise. There are also wide disparities in enforcement capabilities across member states, which seem to bear little relation to data-sharing activities on regulators plates. With 40 times the population of internet users, the budget at Romanias DPA is a third of Maltas DPAs. With the EUs infinitesimal budget - less than one percent of GDP - and a fixed pool of qualified privacy experts, strained budgets and staff shortages can be expected to grow worse in the near future. Even if personnel and funding kick in high gear in the early months of GDPRs effective life, the threat of mammoth fines will likely stay unmatched by DPAs zeal to enforce them. Furthermore, by leaving enforcement to locally-appointed and locally-accountable authorities, the EU has sowed incentives for laxness in jurisdictions looking to free-ride on GDPRs hype without relinquishing the pull factor of lower tax rates and slimmer regulations on foreign tech. Bulgaria, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Romania have yet to issue specific enforcement guidelines to their DPAs. In the UK, despite Secretary of State for Digital Matt Hancocks assurances to the contrary, Brexit may present an opportunity for Westminster to pick up some slack by departing from the tough tone of GDPR. As the EUs enforcement apparatus is shown unable to fulfill even GDPRs elementary promise of harmonizing the patchwork of member-state regulatory frameworks, much of the apparent benefit of early compliance for companies will begin to fade. As explained by Michael Morgan, head of the privacy practice at law firm McDermott Will and Emery, companies are taking a look at what makes the most sense for them given the range of considerations, including the scope of their global operations and customer base. Indeed, predictions of a worldwide rush to comply with GDPR generally underestimate tech companies ability to internally segment their customer base and eventually leave the tougher-to-reach EU market out on major innovations down the line. The ad-tech industry, potentially the worst hit by GDPRs requirement of unequivocal consent to collect and process personal data, shows worrying signs of what could await EU users of ad-supported free sites if advertisers choose to shut down EU operations. Cross-device ad platform Drawbridge, for instance, was first to wind down its ad business in Europe back in March this year. EU users could soon wake up to the downsides of GDPR as they start hitting paywalls on previously free sites if more companies follow suit. The consequences for long-term investment in innovative technologies could be even more. The EU hopes that its long-haul efforts to harmonize its digital market, along with its almost 434 million internet users, will act as catalysts for seismic technological breakthroughs. The reality, though, is that over half of the so-called digital single market is made up of US-based online services, and the EU has lagged far behind other hotspots of innovation through the past decade. With nearly seven percent of the worlds population, the EU was home to far less than its share of patents granted between 2010 and 2016, per data by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Namely, 4.3 percent in audio-visual technologies, 3 percent in computing and a dismal 1 percent in IT methods for management - all fields with much to lose from GDPRs constraints on data collection. In short, the EUs privacy landscape will likely fall short of full-fledged harmonization as long as the enforcement infrastructure in place itself stays fragmented. Coupled with the lack of teeth of member-state DPAs, fines may turn out to be more bark than bite. As the crippling costs and burdens of GDPR keep coming to light along the sluggish road to compliance, the illusion of any first-mover advantages will likely vanish. Jorge Gonzalez-Gallarza is a policy associate at Economics21. Follow him on Twitter here. Interested in real economic insights? Want to stay ahead of the competition? Each weekday morning, e21 delivers a short email that includes e21 exclusive commentaries and the latest market news and updates from Washington. Sign up for the e21 Morning Ebrief. The United States Postal Office (USPS), an independent agency of the federal government, likes to present itself as a business. The Postal Service also wants to dabble in other businesses such as grocery delivery and banking. It claims to put information and technology at the center of its business strategies, while receiving zero taxpayer dollars for operating expenses. This illusion, though, is easily shattered on all fronts with just a small peek at agency data. As the inspector general (IG) has repeatedly documented, the Postal Service routinely fails to perform basic bureaucratic functions, to the detriment of hundreds of millions of customers. And, since taxpayers do in fact foot the bill for Postal Service expenses, Congress should conduct more oversight over the ailing agency. Congress has allowed the Postal Service a reprieve for billions of dollars worth of corporate taxes, and permits the agency to take advantage of sweetheart loan deals. Tying access to finance to, say, more consistent use of labor modeling and performance evaluation tools could go a long way toward improving postal performance. Congress must also stop the Postal Service from getting involved in unrelated business ventures. If the Postal Service is struggling to use sound hiring and employment management practices for its core mission of delivering mail, it should not be expected to have success with non-postal related business. In assessing agency conduct and performance, few reports are as comprehensive as the IGs Semiannual Report to Congress. In the Spring 2018 analysis, acting IG Tammy Whitcomb offered a disappointing take on Postal Service management, efficiency, and performance. According to the IG, big picture consumer survey results are certainly not encouraging, with three-year declines in recent USPS delivery performance, delivery accuracy, tracking information accuracy, and carrier friendliness and courtesy. Examples of mismanagement, both at a national and local level, are far-flung. The Postal Service is supposed to use a modeling tool to dole out job assignments based on mail processing volume, but regular deviations result in increased overtime and lower employee productivity. The IG estimates that a more thorough use of its own modeling tools would save the Postal Service $420 million in labor costs alone. But assigning employees requires a thorough, well-documented hiring process in the first place. On this basic function, the Postal Service again comes up short. In the IGs analysis of non-career employee background screening in the Los Angeles District, the IG found that HR officials were not doing their due diligence. Of the 33 hired applicants analyzed in the report, 11 had automatic disqualifying driving eligibility factors and 7 had disqualifying criminal suitability factors. Maybe bad employees slip through the cracks, but at least performance evaluation reviews can be used to hold them accountable. Too bad, then, that 13 of 13 (100 percent) 90-day performance evaluation reviews were not maintained in the electronic official personnel file, as required. This permissive culture and poor documentation lead to further poor behavior, contributing to the Postal Services mammoth financial problems. Too often contractors fail to satisfactorily perform a service requested by the Postal Service due to avoidable mistakes on the part of the contractor. These chargeable irregularities should result in the Postal Service getting refunds from contractors. But, due to the lack of necessary paperwork and complete reviews, the Postal Service misplaces tens of millions of dollars nationwide to lost contracts. For the Chicago Network Distribution Center alone, the Postal Services IG estimates that $7 million is at risk for a mere 11 contracts renewed during the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years. It is all too easy, however, to point to the many problems with USPS without offering solutions. The federal government has financial leverage over the Postal Service and should use this leverage to incentivize more rigorous compliance efforts by top brass. Ultimately, if the USPS is to present itself as a business, it must prove it can provide a useful service in an efficient, expedient way. Ross Marchand is the director of policy for the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. Interested in real economic insights? Want to stay ahead of the competition? Each weekday morning, E21 delivers a short email that includes E21 exclusive commentaries and the latest market news and updates from Washington. Sign up for the E21 Morning Ebrief. The United States has expressed deep concern over the arrest once again -- of renowned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a written statement that Ms. Sotoudeh was reportedly arrested at her home [June 13] and taken to Evin Prison, the notorious prison the U.S. Department of Treasury designated last month in connection with its involvement in the Government of Irans human rights abuses. Ms. Sotoudehs husband Reza Khandan reportedly told the Iranian Students News Agency that the agents who detained her said she must start serving a five year prison sentence, but that neither he nor his wife were informed about what crime she had supposedly committed. Ms. Sotoudeh, who previously spent three years in prison on trumped up national security charges, is one of the most prominent human rights defenders in Iran. Her clients have included political dissidents like Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, members of the Bahai community, as well as abused women and children. In 2012 she received the prestigious Sakharov prize from the European Parliament for her dedication to human rights and freedom of thought. In recent weeks and months, Ms. Sotoudeh has been vocal on a number of issues. She has criticized Irans judiciary over its decision to allow an individual charged with security crimes to only choose a defense lawyer from a state-approved list of 20 people. She has also represented several women who were arrested for peacefully protesting the compulsory hijab. Since January dozens of women in Iran have been detained for removing their hijab in public. Spokesperson Nauert noted that Ms. Sotoudeh has spent the past several years harassed by the Iranian regimefor daring to defend the rights of those in Iran. Human rights monitors have also denounced Ms. Sotoudehs arrest. Amnesty International referred to it as an outrageous attack on a brave and prolific human rights defender. Human Rights Watch called her a champion for her tireless defense of the rights of the Iranian people. State Department Spokesperson Nauert said the United States applaud[s] Ms. Sotoudehs bravery and her fight for the long-suffering victims of the regime. We call on Iranian authorities to release her immediately, along with the hundreds of others who are currently imprisoned simply for expressing their views and desires for a better life. Ukrainian authorities are creating a group in the European Union, which task is to stop building of the second section of the Russian Nord Steam 2 gas pipeline bypassing Ukraine. They are also negotiating with Germany on the creation of an international consortium to manage the Ukrainian gas transport system (GST), Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said. "Nord Stream-2 is an absolutely political project against Ukraine, which has no economic component, trying to take away from Ukraine a budget of almost $3 billion. However, I am convinced that with joint, united efforts we will be able to stop it... That is why we are now creating a group in the European Union, which should stop the Nord Stream 2. That is why we are actively negotiating with Germany. We invite them to create an international consortium for the management of the gas transportation system of Ukraine," Poroshenko wrote in his report in the Medium online platform for social journalism. At the same time, the President of Ukraine said that the condition for the participation of Germany in the international consortium for the management of the Ukrainian GTS "is the stop of Nord Stream 2." "Let's say that our partners from the United States are also determined, and no one will oppose U.S. sanctions," the president said. The head of state said that he would not disclose all the tools that the Ukrainian side uses to stop the construction of Nord Stream 2. "But I want to emphasize separately that this is very important for us, and I hope that the construction will be stopped," the president added. Ukraine has successfully passed the International Maritime Organization (IMO) audit, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan has said. "We were able to organize ourselves and proved that Ukraine is a maritime state! The result of the audit gladdened not only us, but also international auditors. With an average number of comments on the audit results for each country being more than 22, Ukraine has less than 10, and only one waring," Omelyan wrote on his Facebook page. According to him, now Ukrainian experts are invited to become IMO auditors, and Ukraine will be an example for other states, how to prepare for the audits. The minister also pointed out the importance of the IMO audit for Ukraine, saying that 80% of the global freight traffic is by sea, and every sixth sailor in the world is Ukrainian. The minister expressed his gratitude to the team of the Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine, the head of the Ukrainian Sea Port Authority and the government team headed by Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, as well as special thanks to Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Roman Vashchuk and a group of high-ranking Canadian experts who helped the Ukrainian industry pass this audit. As reported, in July 2017, the Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine and the EDGE international technical assistance project, funded by the government of Canada, signed a joint action plan to support reforms in the maritime security sector. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, together with law enforcement agencies, has worked out a general action plan aimed at effectively combating smuggling and shadow schemes at customs. "The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, together with law enforcement agencies, the Prosecutor General's Office, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, the State Fiscal Service, has drafted an action plan aimed at effectively combating smuggling and shadow schemes at customs," the government's press service said, with reference to Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. According to the report, major provisions of the document were discussed on Monday, June 18, during a special meeting on problems recorded at the border. The prime minister said that the entire law enforcement bloc had shown "complete readiness and determination to fight smuggling." "We have a plan. We are presenting it. I warn everyone - take care and start serving the state. Every hryvnia should be in the budget. This is fundamentally important to me as prime minister and to all participants in today's coordination meeting," Groysman said. The High Anti-Corruption Court will start operating before the end of 2018, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said. "I will do everything possible to establish an anti-corruption court before the presidential campaign," Poroshenko said in an interview with Ukrainian television channels on Saturday night, the president's website said. According to him, it is not only about creating conditions for the competition, but also about completing the contest, forming a court and launching it. The president is not sure whether his initiative to launch the work of the High Anti-Corruption Court will be supported by Ukrainian politicians, but he is sure that it will be supported by the Ukrainian people and international partners. "And, of course, this initiative will be supported by Ukrainian society. And no doubt, this initiative will be supported by our partners," Poroshenko noted. All cases of corruption crimes should be transferred to the newly created High Anti-Corruption Court, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has said. "The position of the president is absolutely clear - it is written and I ask to double-check it in the bill that was registered on December 22. This norm was defined absolutely clearly in the bill: that all the cases, which at the time of the creation of the Anti-Corruption Court were transferred to some courts, should be immediately redirected to the Anti-Corruption Court," Poroshenko said in an interview with Ukrainian television channels on Saturday, the presidential website said. The Administration of the president declares that they are not preparing any draft laws on equality of rights and did not discuss this topic with deputy of the European Parliament Rebecca Harms. "No one from the Administration called Rebecca Harms and discussed this topic with her. There is a high probability that she was pulled a trick on," the presidential administration told the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Sunday afternoon. Earlier on Sunday, Harms told reporters that she had a conversation with representatives of the presidential administration, who allegedly rendered her the words of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko about his intention to submit a draft law on equal rights next week. Advisor of Harms Maxim Eristavi said that the interlocutor of the MEP presented himself as the head of the presidential administration, Ihor Rainin, who, on president's instructions, informed about the legislative initiative that "will cover the rights of LGBT of Ukrainians, within the framework of European legislative standards." Russia's hybrid military forces have mounted 20 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as wounded in action (WIA), the press centre of the Joint Forces Operation has said. "The enemy violated the ceasefire regime for the last twenty days, six of them with the use of mortars. Units of the JFO prevented the provocative actions of the enemy and gave an adequate response," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on June 18, 2018. There was an activation of Russian occupation troops in the evening and at night. In the Luhansk sector, at about 19:00 and at midnight, the invaders opened fire from mortars at the Ukrainian positions near the villages of Krymske and Novotoshkivske. One Ukrainian soldier was wounded during the shelling in Krymske. The enemy also used proscribed weapons in the Donetsk sector near the villages of Pisky and Starohnativka, and the town of Volnovakha. In the Mariupol sector, fighting continued with the use of small arms near the villages of Pyschevyk, Hnutove, Vodiane and Shyrokyne. "The proper engineering equipment of our positions and an adequate response of the Joint Forces prevented the loss of personnel and more activation of the enemy," the JFO HQ said. According to intelligence reports, the enemy suffered losses in the last day: five occupiers were wounded. There have been no casualties among our troops over the past day," reads the report. According to intelligence reports, five militants were wounded in the last day. EU's extension of sanctions against Russia speaks of unity of member states as regards territorial integrity of Ukraine Mingarelli Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli is sure that the EU's prolongation of sanctions against Russia shows that all EU member states are united in the issue of ensuring the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Today, the EU has decided to extend sanctions against Russia for the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula and Sevastopol for one year. And this is clear evidence that all EU member states are united in the matter of ensuring that while the territorial integrity of this country - Ukraine - will not be restored, those who violate international law, will be paying for this, Mingarelli told reporters in Kyiv on Monday. Earlier in the day, the EU Council extended sanctions in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia until June 23, 2019. Poroshenko says there will be no revision of decentralization in Ukraine during his presidency Decentralization meets the interests of Ukrainians, has become "vaccination" against federalization, and in this regard this course will remain unchanged, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said. "First of all, this [decentralization] will raise the quality of people's lives. I want to assure you that despite the fact that decentralization is my brainchild, I am convinced that this should be a matter of our joint work, and I will persistently work on this project as long as the Ukrainian people leave me in power. As long as I'm president, I will not allow revision of this course," Poroshenko said during his speech at the 14th Ukrainian Municipal Forum in Kyiv on Monday. He added: "I believe that I am absolutely convinced that it meets the interests of the communities, meets the interests of the residents, meets the interests of all citizens of Ukraine." He also expects the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and representatives of local government agencies "to make decentralization profitable for all." Poroshenko recalled that he, as president of Ukraine, together with other political leaders of the country, had launched decentralization reform four years ago, which became one of the most effective. "Decentralization has brought the authorities closer to people, and I am confident that for the future, for many years it has become very effective vaccination against federalization. Look, nobody even has thought about federalization over the last three years. Why did it happen? Effective decentralization," he said. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is protesting against the refusal for Ukrainian human rights commissioner Liudmyla Denisova to visit Ukrainian political prisoner, journalist Roman Sushchenko, who is being held in Russia. "Russia's total failure to comply with the agreements reached. Russia conceals the truth about Ukrainian political prisoners - captives of the Kremlin. This time, despite the permission to visit Sushchenko, the Ukrainian ombudsperson was denied a meeting with a prisoner of the Kremlin. We express our protest," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariana Betsa wrote on Twitter on Monday. Earlier on this day, Denisova reported that the Ukrainian side had submitted documents to the administration of the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow for a meeting with Sushchenko. "The permission is written out for June 18, so we will wait for us to be let in," she said. However, later Denisova reported on Facebook that a deputy head of the institution had come out to her and said that documents on the meeting with Sushchenko had been returned to the Moscow City Court. "When asked whether it was refusal, the answer was made - go to court, everyone knows there," she wrote. A member of the Islamic Republics Expediency Council, a body that advises the Supreme Leader, has cautioned about foreign intelligence services infiltrating state institutes in Iran. Speaking to state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA) June 17, council member Majid Ansari stressed the need to identify foreign agents who have infiltrated government entities in the country. The mid-ranking cleric described the consequences of the foreign intelligence infiltration as disastrous. Ansari, who previously worked as President Hasan Rouhanis deputy for legal affairs, implied in his statement that the infiltrators can be found among critics of the government and in conservative camps. A group that claims to be revolutionary and in support of the Guardianship of the [Islamic] Jurist has gone even further and acted to create division among figures responsible for running different state entities, Ansari noted. He did not accuse any officials by name of working for foreign intelligence and did not specify which institutions he believes are compromised. Ansari also accused the media of trying to weaken President Rouhanis administration. A glance at a collection of headlines and political analyses from a number of well-known media from the past year would suffice to show that they are similar to Israelis and anti-Islamic Revolution media, including the ones run by the Munafiqeen (Mujahdin-e Khalq-e Iran Organization, MKO), Ansari said. Ansari was apparently referring to dailies and news websites such as Kayhan newspaper, Fars, and Tasnim. Daily Kayhan is run by a manager directly appointed by the Islamic Republics Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while Fars News Agency (FNA) and Tasnim news websites are affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). From the very beginning of the formation of the current administration, these media have been attempting to weaken the government, spreading disappointment among the people and smearing the eminent house of [the founder of the Islamic Republic] by insulting its members, Ansari said. Such actions are the signs of infiltration of the enemies elements into these media and entities. Ansari cited the recital of anti-government poems at two past Eid al-Fitr (end of fasting month of Ramadan) ceremonies attended by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Last Friday, during a ceremony celebrating the end of Ramadan, a renowned Shiite eulogist, Maytham Motiee, repeated his performance from last years ceremony by reciting a vitriolic poem criticizing Rouhanis administration, particularly its position on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers. The poem was recited while Khamenei and Rouhani were present at the ceremony, and the full text of the poem was later published on Khameneis official website. In recent years, officials have repeatedly reported the arrests of elements charged with espionage for foreign governments, particularly Israel. Neither the names of these individuals nor any details about their cases have ever been disclosed. A website supporting the Islamic Republics previous Prime Minister, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has been under house arrest since February 2011, reported in 2015 that two authorities working on the Israel Desk at the IRGCs intelligence organization and Intelligence Ministry had been charged with espionage for Israel and arrested. Intelligence Ministry officials neither confirm nor deny the story. 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. Israeli authorities have arrested a former cabinet minister once imprisoned for trying to smuggle drugs, this time on suspicion of spying for arch-foe Iran, the countrys internal security service says. The Shin Bet security service said in a June 18 statement that Gonen Segev was indicted on charges of "committing offenses of assisting the enemy in war and spying against the state of Israel." Segev, who served as energy minister from 1995 to 1996 under Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, was convicted in 2005 of attempting to smuggle 32,000 chocolate-covered ecstasy pills from the Netherlands to Israel, using an expired diplomatic passport. Segev, who was released from prison in 2007, had been living in Africa in recent years. He was extradited from Equatorial Guinea and arrested upon arrival in Israel last month. The Shin Bet said Segev was recruited by Iranian intelligence and served as an agent," adding that he made contact with officials at the Iranian Embassy in Nigeria in 2012 and visited Iran twice for meetings with his handlers. The former minister, 62, tried to connect Israeli citizens with ties to Israel's security and foreign relations sectors to Iranian agents posing as "innocent business officials," according to the statement. Segev allegedly communicated with his operators through a "secret communications system to encrypt messages" and supplied Iran with "information related to the energy sector, security sites in Israel, and officials in political and security institutions." In a statement, Segev's lawyers did not reject or accept the accusations but said that the indictment "portrays a different picture" than what the Shin Bet said. Based on reporting by dpa, Reuters, and AP Security forces have arrested one of the men suspected of kidnapping dozens of girls and young women in the city of Iranshahr, southeast Iran, the local prosecutor has announced. Iranshahr, a city of 150,000 located in the mainly Baluchi Sunni province of Sistan and Baluchestan, has experienced a spate of kidnappings in recent weeks. Residents learned about the abductions from the citys Friday prayer leader, Sunni cleric Molawi Tayyib MullaZahei, who spoke about the unprecedented series of kidnappings in his June 15 sermon. MullaZahei said the families of the girls had personally informed him about the kidnappings, and urged the citys Governor, who was in attendance at the prayer meeting celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan, to find those responsible. Following MullaZaheis sermon, hundreds of angry residents assembled in front of the governors office two days later to demand authorities find the culprits and bring them to justice. The same day, state-run Iran Labor News Agency (ILNA) cited Iranshahrs Revolution and Public Prosecutor Mohammad Khani as saying, One of the elements suspected of kidnapping girls in Iranshahr has been arrested by the security forces, adding, The investigation about the motives behind the kidnappings and efforts to identify the remaining suspects are currently underway. MullaZahei said police told him the man in custody, who the cleric described as wealthy and affluent, had confessed to kidnapping and raping 41 girls and young women. He recounted the story of one young woman, who was reportedly kidnapped during Ramadan on her way home from work by an unknown number of people who took her away in a vehicle. The wolves (kidnappers) kept the girl as their captive until late evening, MullahZahei disclosed, saying the girls father personally reported the incident to him. Iranshahrs Governor, Nabee Bakhsh Davoodee, issued a statement confirming the principal suspect in the recent shameful case had been identified and arrested within hours after the latest kidnapping was reported. While promising to investigate the case thoroughly, Davoodee cautioned residents against illegal and emotional reactions. In an interview with ILNA, the governor admitted the total number of victims in the case is still unknown. Describing the case as complicated, Davoodi noted, Proving a rape case requires lengthy specialized tests and investigation, and soon the outcome will be published. In the meantime, Iranshahrs representative to parliament, Mohammad Naeem Amini Fard, has said four victims of the recent series of kidnappings and rapes have been medically tested and supported clinically. BEIRUT, June 18 (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." Baku, Azerbaijan, June 18 By Fikret Dolukhanov - Trend: Thorbjrn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE), has always had a pro-Armenian stance and a biased attitude towards Azerbaijan, Hikmet Hajiyev, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told Trend June 18. He was commenting on the statement made by the press secretary of Armenian Foreign Ministry Tigran Balayan about the allegedly possible suspension of Azerbaijan's membership in the Council of Europe. Hajiyev noted that thanks to the press secretary of Armenian Foreign Ministry, the general public learned about what everyone knew about Jagland on the sidelines of the Council of Europe. "It seems that the Secretary General of the Council of Europe has authorized the Armenian Foreign Ministry to speak on his behalf. Finally, all masks fell down," Hajiyev said. Earlier, Armenian media quoted Tigran Balayan as saying that Jagland has allegedly initiated suspension of Azerbaijan's membership in the Council of Europe. At the same time, Balayan noted that this is quite a long-term process." However, Balayan didnt explain about which process he was talking about. @FDolukhanov Baku, Azerbaijan, June 18 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 102 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said June 18. 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 18 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: Commissioning of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project is primarily of great importance in terms of strengthening the Azerbaijani economy, Azerbaijani MP Tahir Rzayev told Trend. He noted that this project is very important also in terms of ensuring the energy security of Europe. The biggest significance of this project is that it will give strong impetus to further strengthening the economy, increasing the international prestige of Azerbaijan, he said. Of course, this project will also ensure the energy security of many European countries, and big investments will be attracted to Azerbaijan. A ceremony to launch TANAP took place June 12 in the Turkish city of Eskisehir. TANAP, together with Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which provides for the transportation of gas from the Azerbaijani field Shah Deniz to Europe. The initial capacity of TANAP is expected to be 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year. About six billion cubic meters will be supplied to Turkey, and the rest to Europe. After completion of the TAP, the gas will reach Europe in early 2020. The share distribution in TANAP is as follows: Southern Gas Corridor CJSC - 51 percent, SOCAR Turkey Enerji - 7 percent, Botas - 30 percent, and BP - 12 percent. The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor project was held in Baku on May 29. The gas from the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field has already gone through the first segment of the Southern Gas Corridor - from the Sangachal terminal to the expanded South Caucasus Pipeline. The Southern Gas Corridor, which costs more than $40 billion, is one of the priority projects for the EU and provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 18 Trend: Former deputy defense minister, national hero of Armenia Manvel Grigoryan participated in numerous war crimes such as the Khojaly genocide, looting of property of Azerbaijani residents during the occupation of Fizuli and Jabrayil districts of Azerbaijan, torture and mass killing of prisoners of war, as well as taking hostage of civilians, their torturing and murder, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry, told Trend June 18. He was commenting on the arrest of former deputy defense minister of Armenia Manvel Grigoryan. In his interview in 2014 with the Armenian bureau of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Grigoryan openly and proudly stated that he was returning from the Karabakh war with hundreds of Azerbaijani hostages and forced them to work in his home, Hajiyev said. He noted that Manvel Grigoryan, accused of violating the Geneva Conventions by such actions, contemptuously stated that he doesnt recognize the Geneva Conventions and is proud to be an Armenian. Unfortunately, the criminal case initiated against Manvel Grigoryan is limited only to economic crimes committed in Armenia, Hajiyev added. The crimes committed by him during the war, in particular actions against hundreds of Azerbaijanis that he held captive, as he himself admitted, must be investigated. Hajiyev expressed hope that international organizations for human rights protection, including the Council of Europe, will be active in this issue. 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 18 By Ali Mustafayev Trend: A private airline from Pakistan has expressed an interest in starting direct flights to Baku, and currently negotiates with Azerbaijani side on terms and conditions of such cooperation, Ambassador of Pakistan to Azerbaijan Saeed Khan Mohmand told Trend. "Azerbaijan and Pakistan have great potential in tourism cooperation, and we have already seen a 400 percent increase in tourist turnover in last 2 years. We hope this fact will give an impetus to opening direct flights between our countries soon," said the ambassador. He added that the start of direct flights will not only increase tourism ties, but boost trade and economic activity between the two sides. In 2017 the number of Pakistani citizens, visiting Azerbaijan was between 20,000 25,000 people, and this number is expected to increase. "The number of people in Azerbaijan, who learn about Pakistan, increases, as well as the number of Pakistani citizens getting acquainted with Azerbaijan, who wishes to visit this country," said Mohmand. Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Pakistan amounted to $5.2 million. Around $402,470 of this amount accounted for export of Azerbaijans products to Pakistan, and $4.8 million accounted for import of Pakistani products to Azerbaijan. Follow the author on Twitter: @Ali_Mustafayev_ Baku, Azerbaijan, June 5 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has invested over 250 million euros in Turkmenistans medium-sized private companies, the EBRD told Trend. "Medium-sized private companies, including those in the agriculture and food production sectors, are one of the main priorities for the EBRD in Turkmenistan, where the EBRD has so far invested over 250 million euros," said the bank. Ninety percent of the Banks investments in the country support local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), said the EBRD. The bank also answered a question about possibility of issuing a loan for further development of Turkmenistans Galkynysh gas field. "We certainly dont want to speculate on what may happen to an individual project. Once it reaches a certain stage we publish a project summary, which is available on our website," said the EBRD. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has recently ordered to intensify work to attract foreign investment for the development of the Galkynysh gas field. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, construction of which began in December 2015, originates from this source of raw materials. The head of state instructed to speed up the implementation of the project of construction of this transnational energy bridge. Galkynysh is the second largest gas field in the world and is already one of the raw sources of Turkmen gas supplies to China. According to independent audit, the reserves of Galkynysh field together with the Yashlar and Garkel fields total to 27.4 trillion cubic meters of gas. In July 2017, it was announced that in the near future it is planned to start the third stage of the development of Galkynysh field, which will increase the production capacity by another 33 billion cubic meters of commercial gas per year with the expectation of supplies to South Asia. To date, production facilities of the first stage, with a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters of commercial gas per year, have been commissioned here, and in 2014 the second stage with a similar capacity was launched. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, June 18 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: On June 20-21, Ashgabat will host an international conference as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on cooperation in financing issues in the Great Silk Road region, the Turkmen government said in a message June 18. Topical directions of cooperation on the SDGs will be brought to the agenda of the conference. It is planned to adopt the final document following the conference. SDGs are of comprehensive and indivisible nature and ensure the balance of all components of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental one. The SDGs include the universal elimination of poverty in all its forms, ensuring food safety, quality education, gender equality, rational use of water resources, taking urgent measures to combat climate change, protect marine resources, etc. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, June 18 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: A trade fair titled Trade and Services 2018 is scheduled to be held June 26-28 in Ashgabat, the Turkmenistan TV channel reported June 18. The event will be organized by the countrys Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations. The main goal of the trade fair is to familiarize its participants with the activities of shopping centers, markets, catering outlets in all regions, as well as facilities providing household services to the population. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 18 By Azad Hasanli Trend: The Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry of Azerbaijans National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) has announced a tender for technical support services for the SERP software modules. Documents for participation in the tender are accepted until 10:00 (GMT +4) June 25, 2018. For more information, please call: (+994 12) 538-92-80. Address: 5 Mammad Rahim Str., Baku, AZ1073. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli Baku, Azerbaijan, June 18 Trend: Kyrgyz migrants working abroad have transferred more than $700 million to their homeland since early 2018, the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan said in a message June 18, TASS news agency reported. This is $84.5 million more than in the same period last year, the bank said. The National Bank of Kyrgyzstan noted that about 95 percent of the total value of funds comes from Kyrgyz migrants working in Russia. Over the past year, Kyrgyz migrant workers transferred about $2.4 billion to their homeland, $2.2 billion of which were sent from Russia. The State Migration Service under the government of Kyrgyzstan said that about 800,000 Kyrgyz citizens are temporarily working abroad. More than 600,000 of them work in Russia and about 30,000-50,000 in Kazakhstan, while the rest work in Turkey, South Korea, countries of Europe and the US. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 18 Trend: Prices for fuel and lubricants - liquefied gas, gasoline and diesel fuel - have increased in Tajikistan, Sputnik Tajikistan news agency reported. In particular, gasoline prices went up by 0.5 somoni and reached 7-7.2 somoni per liter. Diesel fuel prices went up by 0.4 somoni and reached 7.40 somoni per liter. Liquefied gas at gas filling stations of Dushanbe city in recent days has risen in price from 3.40 to 3.90-4 somoni per liter. The reason for the increase in prices, for example, for liquefied gas, may be related to the increase in prices for this product in Kazakhstan. Tajikistan imports from Kazakhstan about 70 percent of liquefied gas from the total volume of imports of this product. Tajikistans annual demand in liquefied gas is about 400,000 tons. More than 60 percent of car owners use liquefied gas in Tajikistan. (9.0912 Somoni = 1 USD on June 18) Tehran, Iran, June 18 By A. Shirazi - Trend: The director of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) and the Iranian deputy oil minister Hamid Reza Araqi said the country has for the first time managed to attract $2 billion foreign investment through build-operate-transfer (BOT) contracts. "Our gas exports to Baghdad and Basra as well as the completion of the 6th national gas trunkline (IGAT-6) are among the projects financed through BOT contracts," Araqi said, according to SHANA news agency. These projects will help bring back the governments capital to the country, he added. "Through employing BOT contracts at National Iranian Gas Company, $2 billion capital has been invested in the country for the first time ever". Araqi said the government will continue to use pipes to export gas to neighboring countries. "But for far away countries, we plan to achieve the technology for Mini-LNG plants," he further added. The Sixth Iran Gas Trunkline (IGAT-6)a major component of the national gas gridwill go on stream by the end of the current fiscal year that ends in March 2019. Upon completion, IGAT-6 pipeline project will raise gas supply by 50-60 million cubic meters daily. Some 100 kilometers of the 56-inch diameter pipeline are still under construction. Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh said that Iran is on pace to boost gas production to 1 billion cubic meters a day by March 2019, roughly the same time that all South Pars phases are planned to be up and running. The gas field, whose development has been divided into 28 phases, is located in the Persian Gulf straddling the maritime border between Iran and Qatar. It covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, of which 3,700 square kilometers belongs to Iran. It is estimated that the Iranian section of the field contains 14 trillion cubic meters of gas and 18 billion barrels of condensates in place. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 18 By Umid Niayesh - Trend: Irans exports to Italy witnessed a huge rise by 157 percent in terms of value during the current fiscal year, started March 20, 2018, the Islamic Republics commercial attache to Italy, Mohammad Razi, said. Iran exported $82.252 million worth of commodities to the European country in the first two months of the current fiscal year (March 20-May 21) compared to $32.06 million of exports in the same period of the preceding year, Razi said, Press Office of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran noted in a statement. The volume of Irans exports to Italy amounted to 163,227 tons in the same span of time, 249.5 percent more year-on-year, the official added. The exports to the European country was equal to 1.06 percent of Irans overall non-oil exports in terms of value and 0.87 percent in terms of volume, during the 2-month period. Iran mainly exports pistachio, saffron, steel parts, urea, petrochemical products and gas condensates to Italy. Irans non-oil exports, including condensates witnessed an increase by over 22 percent during the first two months of the current fiscal year and reached $7.739 billion. The volume of the exported goods reached 18.8 million tons in the 2-month period. The country includes gas condensate and some raw hydrocarbon products, like propane, butane, etc. in its non-oil export basket. Iran exported $423 million worth of goods to Italy in the last fiscal year, ended March 20, which made the European country 14th destination of Irans commodities in the period. However, the value of Irans exports to Italy witnessed a fall by 8 percent, year-on-year. The Islamic Republic exported 765,000 tons of goods to the European country in the same span of time, 1 percent less compared to the preceding year. Meanwhile the Islamic Republic imports from Italy registered a rise by 16 percent to $1,428 million in the 12-month period. Tehran, Iran, June 18 By A. Shirazi - Trend: Pakistan has reduced anti-dumping duties on import of sulfuric acid from Iran, Morad Nemati, Iran's commercial attache in the Asian country, said. Thanks to efforts by Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) as well as Irans commercial office in Pakistan, anti-dumping duties on the export of Irans sulfuric acid to Pakistan has decreased, Nemati said on June 18, according to the portal of TPOI. Sulfuric acid is used as a catalyst in alkylation reactions, petroleum refining, manufacture of detergents, paints, dyes, fibers, etc. It is also used as the electrolyte in the lead-acid battery that is the usual battery in automobiles. The move can help Iranian producers to increase sulfuric acid exports to Pakistan for use in detergent and hygienic products, he added. Iran is self-sufficient in the production of detergent and hygienic products. Domestic brands have long dominated the market, alongside a few foreign brands that have found their way on to the shelves. In 2016, high-ranking officials from Iran and Pakistan signed six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various areas, including health, commerce, security and foreign services. The documents were signed in a ceremony in Islamabad on March 26, attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Pakistani then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Tehran, Iran, June 18 By A. Shirazi - Trend: An official with Hamedan Chamber of Commerce said an Iranian trade delegation comprised of economic activists from the western province would travel to Indonesia in the near future. The business delegation (from Hamedan province) will visit Indonesia soon, Hamid Reza Rahbar said on June 18 during a meeting with Indonesian Ambassador to Iran Octavino Alimudin. He further said that 23,000 individuals are currently working at 946 industrial and production units across the province. Alimudin, for his part, stressed the need for the expansion of ties between the two nations in various fields, saying that Indonesia can export palm oil, mango, spices, and olive to the Islamic Republic. He added that Iran is famous for its pistachios worldwide, noting that the Southeast Asian country, however, is ready to import walnuts from Hamedan. Irans trade with Indonesia totaled 1.89 million tons worth $733.62 million during the 11 months to Feb. 19, registering a 77.19 percent and 28.11 percent growth in tonnage and value respectively compared with last years corresponding period, the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration announced recently. Iran exported 1.59 million tons of goods worth $505.72 million to Indonesia during the period, registering a whopping 105.66 percent and 248.21 percent growth respectively year-on-year. Exports to Indonesia had 1.36 percent and 1.21 percent share in tonnage and value of Irans total non-oil exports during the 11-month period, making it Irans 10th biggest export destination. Indonesia exported 292,159 tons of commodities worth $227.90 million to Iran during the same period, up by 0.82 percent in tonnage and by 29.21 percent in value YOY (Year over year). Imports from Indonesia made up 0.96 percent and 0.46 percent of the total volume and value of Irans imports respectively. As such, Indonesia was the 26th biggest exporter of goods to Iran during the period. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 18 Trend: Irans President Hassan Rouhani will pay an official visit to Switzerland and Austria in coming weeks, the official website of the president said June 18. Heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation, Rouhani will visit the two European countries at the invitation of the counterparts in early July. Rouhani will travel first to Bern for a two-day visit, where he is scheduled to meet with the President of Switzerland Alain Berset and Iranians residing in the country, and attend the ceremony for signing of different cooperation documents in political, economic and cultural fields. the Swiss government said in a statement on June 18 that a number of agreements and declarations of intent were expected to be signed during the visit, including the Iran nuclear agreement and the situation in the Near and Middle East. Further issues include the protecting power mandate which Switzerland exercises on behalf of the US in Iran (since 1980), and that on behalf of Iran in Saudi Arabia and of Saudi Arabia in Iran, which recently came into effect, the statement said. The Iranian president will then leave Bern heading for Vienna, Austria and meet with the senior Austrian officials including Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and similarly oversee the signing of several documents for cooperation. Rouhani will be accompanied by a number of ministers including foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and political and economic officials, as well as entrepreneurs and the representatives of Iranian private sector. The visit comes after the US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal, signed between Tehran and the six world powers in 2015. Following the US decision, Iran said it will not continue the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA aka nuclear deal) without receiving enough guarantees from three European countries, including the UK, France, and Germany. European countries are trying to save the deal and ensure that Iran remains in the agreement through pledging incentives to the Islamic Republic. The recent agreement to change Macedonia's name to the Republic of North Macedonia will help ensure security in the volatile Balkans region, Dimitrios Papadimoulis, a member of the European Parliament from Greece's ruling coalition of the left (Syriza) told Sputnik on Monday. "This agreement can open the door for EU membership. The Greek government strongly supports this option as it can secure stability and cooperation in the Balkans, i.e. a region that has long suffered by wars and ethnic clashes," Papadimoulis said. Macedonias accession to the European Union remains blocked by Greece over a decades long dispute, where Athens has claimed that Macedonia might have territorial claims over Greeces own region of the same name. The spokesman of the ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia party told Sputnik that the signing of the agreement between Greece and Macedonia on the name change is a positive step for the two countries. "This agreement is good for everyone, for Macedonians and the Greeks, also the region. This agreement solved a very huge problem which was not solved in the past 20 years or more. So this agreement is a very huge step for Macedonia, Greece, and the region," the spokesman said. Papadimoulis added that the signing of the agreement will also put an end to a nationalist "frenzy" in both countries while improving bilateral relations. On Sunday, the foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia signed an agreement on the new constitutional name of the Western Balkan nation, which was known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) since 1995. Macedonia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. In the 1995 interim bilateral accord, Greece agreed that the term FYROM would be applied to Macedonia until the dispute over potential territorial claims was settled. Chinas central bank said on Monday it had set up a unit to track domestic and international financial risks and help guide and stabilize market expectations, Reuters reports. In a statement posted on its website, the Peoples Bank of China also said that a stable and neutral monetary policy had achieved fairly good results, and financial market liquidity was reasonable and stable. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman on Monday, the Israel Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. The two discussed "regional developments, advancing political process and bilateral economic ties," the statement read. Netanyahu also reiterated Israel's commitment to preserving the status quo in Jerusalem's holy sites, the statement added. The rare meeting comes in the week of a planned visit by U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and special advisor, Jared Kushner, and U.S. Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, to the region to discuss peace and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis office on Sunday extended a unilateral ceasefire with Taliban militants, due to end on Wednesday June 20, by 10 days, Reuters reported. Afghan security forces can defend themselves against any attack, Durani Waziri, spokeswoman for the presidential palace, told Reuters. At least three people were killed and 51 injured in Japan after a tremor hit the western part of the Asian nation, Sputnik reported citing local media. Earlier in the day, Japan's Meteorological Agency reported that a 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit western Japan, particularly the Osaka prefecture. Soon after that the agency updated the magnitude up to 6.1. According to the NHK broadcaster, Police in Osaka Prefecture reported 3 people dead. At least 51 people have been reported injured in four prefectures, including Osaka and Hyogo. Also, Disaster Management Minister Hachiro Okonogi said that there are reports of people being buried under collapsed buildings, according to the broadcaster. The tremor has also resulted in partial suspension of bullet train services, as well as of airport activities, the media outlet added. The news portal reported that nuclear reactors located in the region near the territory hit by the earthquake had not been affected by the natural disaster. Japan is a seismically active region. In March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude offshore earthquake triggered a 46-foot tsunami that hit Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, leading to the leakage of radioactive materials and the shutdown of the plant. The accident is considered to be the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed on Saturday the Afghan government's announcement of a unilateral extension of the ceasefire with the Taliban, Xinhua reported. 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. High representatives of the countries acting as guarantors of ceasefire in Syria - Russia, Iran and Turkey - meet in Geneva on Monday to discuss the setting up of the Syrian Constitutional Committee with the special envoy of the UN Secretary General for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, TASS reports. The Russian Delegation includes Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin and the Russian Presidents special envoy, Alexander Lavrentyev. The parties to the discussions will spend the whole day in bilateral consultations and a plenary session will likely be held on Tuesday, June 19. In essence, the countries united in the Astana format of negotiations on Syria will hold a visiting session in Geneva. Staffan de Mistura has been actively holding consultations in the past months. He visited Egypt on June 11, Teheran on June 9 and Istanbul on June 6. While in Turkey, he had meetings with Turkish government officials and the Syrian opposition - the High Negotiating Committee and the National Coalition of Syrian Opposition and Revolutionary Forces. De Mistura said on June 12 in Cairo the further continuation of the Syrian conflict would pose danger for security across the entire region. He invited the official representatives of France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the US to the consultations in Geneva. De Mistura will continue consultations after the trilateral Russian-Iranian-Turkish meeting. Representatives of the Syrian opposition, too, are expected to come to Geneva. Unlike the Syrian government, they have not submitted their lists of delegates for taking part in the formation of the constitutional committee but De Mistura said serious efforts were underway to draw the opposition list. Agreement on setting up the constitution committee was reached on January 30 at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi. The committee will draft proposals for Syrias new constitution in cooperation with De Mistura. As many as 150 persons have been nominated for the committee to date and 100 of them are representatives of the government or moderate [internal] opposition. The opposition based outside of Syria has named 50 delegates so far. On the face of it, De Mistura believes that the committees membership should be limited to 50 persons in all Convocation of the 2nd Syrian National Dialogue Congress depends on progress with this issue. The special envoy of the Russian President to the Middle East and North Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov says the problem will be discussed, too. "When theres more clarity on the setting up of the constitution commission and on how it will function, then well look at organizing a new meeting for endorsing the decisions that will be taken in the light of setting up of the commission," Bogdanov said. Moscow has said more than once only the Syrians themselves can map out their countrys destiny at the conference table in line with the UN Security Council resolution 2254. Russian diplomats concentrate substantial efforts on creating the basis for pan-Syrian dialogue. "Russia has never positioned itself as a side in the inter-Syrian confrontation," Bogdanov said in this connection. "We have been urging the Syrians from the very start to launch a broad dialogue. Today, too, Russia doesnt see any other opportunity for settling the Syrian conflict than on the basis of Resolution 2254, which envisions joint steps by the parties to the conflict on the constitutional reform and organizing fair election where all the Syrians will take part under UN supervision.". Baku, Azerbaijan, June 18 Trend: Turkey plans to build a scientific base in Antarctica by 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted. Earlier, Turkey didnt have polar scientific research stations, but the situation will change in 2019, he said. Thus, Turkey will enter the list of countries that already have scientific research stations in Antarctica, he noted. Units of the US Air Force or the coalition did not deliver airstrikes in the vicinity of Bukamal, Marine Maj. Adrian Rankine-Galloway, a spokesman for the Department of Defense told TASS on Tuesday. He said it after TASS had asked him to comment on a report by SANA news agency the US-led coalition had delivered an airstrike at the army positions to the southeast of Bukamal, Deir ez-Zor Governorate. "We (US or Coalition) havent carried out a strike in Abu Kamal," Maj. Rankine-Galloway said. SANA quoted a well-informed source in the military as saying the airstrike had left a number of people dead or wounded. Hundreds of Syrians have died or received wounds in the Governorates of Deir ez-Zor, Al-Hasakah and Raqqa since the beginning of the year during the air raids by the US and/or its allies. The Syrian government has more than once demanded that the UN Security Council condemn the strikes, which claim the lives of peaceful civilians and inflict material damage to economic facilities. KYODO NEWS - Jun 19, 2018 - 12:43 | All, World, Urgent South Korea said Tuesday it has agreed with the United States to suspend a major joint military exercise held every August as their tensions with North Korea have significantly subsided following historic summits. The decision, also announced by Washington, came a week after U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly said following his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore that he wants to halt "war games" with South Korea, calling them "tremendously expensive" and "very provocative." All planning activities for the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise have been suspended, the defense ministries of the two countries said. Coupled with Trump's suggestion of scaling down U.S. forces in South Korea, the suspension could strengthen concerns among Washington's allies in Asia over whether it would sustain a pivotal role in the region's security architecture. "There is no impact on Pacific exercises outside of the Korean Peninsula," the Pentagon said in a statement as it announced the suspension of the annual exercise. "We are still coordinating additional actions. No decisions on subsequent war games have been made." Trump said after the Singapore meeting that joint military exercises with South Korea could be halted as long as North Korea continues denuclearization talks in good faith. North Korea has long denounced military exercises between the two countries as a rehearsal for invasion and tensions around the Korean Peninsula have escalated when they are conducted. Choi Hyun Soo, a spokesman for South Korea's Defense Ministry, told reporters that the two countries hope to see some concrete actions from North Korea following their latest decision. Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton will meet later this week to discuss the next moves. On Monday, Pompeo said he is likely to make yet another visit to North Korea "before too terribly long" to follow up the unprecedented summit on June 12. "We still have to flesh out all the things that underlay the commitments that were made that day in Singapore," Pompeo said at an event in Detroit. When he met with Trump, Kim also committed to "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which he first promised during a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae In in late April. But the agreement between the U.S. and North Korean leaders lacked details on how to proceed toward that goal. Ulchi Freedom Guardian is a largely computer-simulated command post exercise that last year involved 17,500 U.S. service members, with 3,000 coming from outside South Korea. They were joined by some 50,000 South Korean troops and hundreds of thousands of South Korean government personnel all the way up to the Cabinet level. U.S.-led United Nations Command forces from seven other countries -- Australia, Britain, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, New Zealand and the Netherlands -- also have participated. Besides that exercise, another large one, Key Resolve, is held each spring, while numerous smaller ones also take place. South Korea and the United States have claimed that their regular military exercises, such as Max Thunder that ran for two weeks through late last month, are defensive in nature. Currently, the United States has about 28,000 soldiers in South Korea. In 1994, the United States and South Korea canceled their long-running military exercise known as Team Spirit on the premise that North Korea would freeze its nuclear development program in return for economic assistance under the Agreed Framework. Trump's intention to halt the military exercises was immediately welcomed by China after he announced it during a post-summit press conference in Singapore. For years, China has said the "root cause" of the North Korean nuclear issue stems from disagreements between Washington and Pyongyang. When tensions were extremely high until this year over North Korea, China advocated the idea of the so-called "double suspension" -- simultaneously freezing Pyongyang's nuclear program and Washington-Seoul military exercises. On Tuesday, China's official media said that the North Korean leader will make a two-day visit to Beijing. KYODO NEWS - Jun 18, 2018 - 09:03 | All, World China has sounded out Japan and South Korea to hold a trilateral summit again in December in Beijing, hoping to further ramp up cooperation to denuclearize North Korea, diplomatic sources said Sunday. With the leaders of Japan, China and South Korea having met for a summit in Tokyo just last month, it is unusual for a trilateral meeting at this level to be held again in the same year. China, a key economic benefactor of North Korea, appears to be pushing for a successive summit with its neighbors to ensure that it has the lead in the North Korean nuclear issue, following the recent historic U.S.-North Korea summit, some political commentators say. Last Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a summit in Singapore during which Kim promised to work toward the "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. It was the first-ever summit between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. The Chinese government also told Japan that it will receive Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for an official visit to China around the time of the envisaged trilateral summit, the sources said. When Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Moon Jae In met in May, they agreed to work together toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea. Meeting Li bilaterally, Abe expressed a desire to visit China by the end of this year. By organizing a second trilateral summit this year, China may want to demonstrate the partnership between the three Northeast Asian countries to the United States, as Beijing and Washington have been increasingly mired in a trade dispute. KYODO NEWS - Jun 18, 2018 - 21:46 | All, World Japan's trade ministry expressed concern Monday about protectionist practices to correct economic imbalances, in a thinly veiled criticism of trade policy under U.S. President Donald Trump. In an annual trade report, the ministry warned against the negative impact of taking retaliatory measures against one country's policy, adding that Japan will seek to resolve trade issues based on international rules, particularly those of the World Trade Organization. Trump's "America First" trade policy has drawn criticism from his country's major trading partners. The United States, citing the need to defend national security, has imposed higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from countries including longtime ally Japan. Tokyo's lobbying of Washington to exempt it from the increased tariffs -- 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum -- however, has been so far unsuccessful. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which released the annual report, said it is keeping the option of starting a dispute settlement process under the WTO. Tokyo has already notified the international body of its intention to consider "rebalancing" steps in response to the U.S. tariffs. "It should be noted that the negative impact will spread globally from turning to restrictive trade policy to correct economic imbalances and taking one retaliatory measure after another," the ministry's report said. "In a certain developed country, a swing back to (steps based on) result-oriented criteria has been emerging," the report said. Under such criteria, a country judges another country's trade policy and measures as "unfair" based solely on results it views as unfavorable. The "result-oriented" approach tends to lack objectivity and could lead to managed trade, the ministry said in the report, adding that the fairness of a country's trade policy or measures should be judged by internationally agreed rules. The release of the 2018 report came as Trump's trade policy continued to grab global attention. The standoff over the U.S. tariffs was evident in the recent summit meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, with fears of a trade war having rattled global financial markets. The imposition of the tariffs "would cause turmoil in global steel and aluminum markets and have a major negative impact on the multilateral trading system as a whole," the ministry said. On top of the existing steps, the United States has launched a national security investigation into auto imports, sparking fears that the potential slapping of new tariffs would have a significant bearing on Japanese and other foreign automakers. Japan has been calling for the establishment of multilateral free trade arrangements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership despite the abrupt U.S. pullout after Trump took office. Trump favors bilateral rather than multilateral deals, but Tokyo is seen as reluctant to start negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement. This year's report also takes issue with China's subsidies for aluminum and South Korea's antidumping duties on stainless steel bars. The report on compliance with trade agreements by major trading partners has been compiled every year since 1992. The ministry incorporates opinions from outside experts and decides how to address pressing trade issues. Higher education institutions will remain closed on Monday. Several Kerala varsities too have cancelled examinations scheduled on the day. Researchers from Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin have successfully tested a new technology for use in the assessment of overweight adolescents with liver disease. Known as 'time-harmonic elastography' (THE), the technology enables physicians to determine the disease's severity without having to resort to invasive liver biopsies. The results of this research have been published in Radiology*. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common chronic liver disease in overweight adolescents. In most cases, the disease will remain stable for decades without causing significant impairment of liver function. If the disease progresses, persistent inflammation in the liver will cause the formation of excess connective tissue - a stage known as liver fibrosis. Eventually, the disease may damage the liver's entire cellular structure, resulting in what is known as 'liver cirrhosis'. "Time-harmonic elastography is a new, ultrasound-based technology used to measure liver fibrosis. It works without the need for invasive liver biopsies," explains Dr. Christian Hudert, a pediatric gastroenterologist from Charite's Center for chronically sick children (SPZ). Until now, the grading and staging of liver disease has only been possible through the analysis of tissues taken at biopsy. Elastography is capable of visualizing differences in the elasticity of different tissues. In patients with liver fibrosis, excess connective tissue causes the liver to be stiffer than a normal liver and means that liver stiffness constitutes a measure of disease progression. The trolley on which the patient is positioned during their examination is a special and defining characteristic of Charite's THE technology. This trolley produces vibrational waves, which are not unlike those produced by a massage chair. Using ultrasound technology, these waves are then measured inside the liver tissue, thus providing information on liver stiffness. In contrast to previous elastography techniques, this technology is capable of taking measurements at greater tissue depths, making it particularly suitable for use in obese patients. This study used the newly-developed technology to examine 67 adolescents with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Liver stiffness measurements were used to determine the degree of fibrosis present. Summing up the study's findings, Dr. Hudert explains: "The THE technology was shown to be capable of accurately distinguishing between patients with no fibrosis or mild fibrosis and patients with moderate or advanced fibrosis." Should the technology prove successful in further studies, it may eventually reduce the need for patients to undergo invasive liver biopsies. The THE method is also particularly suitable for use in the long-term monitoring of patients and may help to verify the success of weight loss treatment options as well as their impact on the outcome of liver disease. ### *Hudert CA, Tzschatzsch H, Guo J, Rudolph B, Blaker H, Loddenkemper C, Luck W, Muller H-P et al. US Time-Harmonic Elastography: Detection of Liver Fibrosis in Adolescents with Extreme Obesity with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Radiology, May 15 2018. DOI: 10.1148/radiol.2018172928. 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: (New throughout, adds China tariff details, OPEC background) By Ernest Scheyder VIENNA, June 18 (Reuters) - Harold Hamm, founder and chief executive officer of Continental Resources Inc, has canceled a scheduled appearance at an OPEC event this week in Vienna, a company spokeswoman said. Hamm is the third of five U.S. shale executives to withdraw from a scheduled speaking slot at the OPEC meeting in Vienna. His withdrawal comes days after a trade skirmish between China and the United States intensified, with China imposing $50 billion in tariffs on U.S. crude oil and other goods, a retaliatory measure on Washington's tariffs of Chinese products. Continental, the largest oil producer in North Dakota's Bakken shale formation, has been a key supplier of crude oil to China, shipping more than 1 million barrels to the country since a U.S. crude export ban was lifted in 2015. It was unclear how China will replace that source of crude, but several OPEC countries produce crude grades similar to Continental's Bakken wells. Continental spokeswoman Kristin Thomas confirmed Hamm's withdrawal, saying the event did not fit with his schedule. The company did not immediately respond to requests for further comment on the China tariffs. Hamm, who was an informal campaign adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump in 2016 and was considered for a U.S. Cabinet post, had been listed since at least March on the OPEC International Seminar's website as a speaker https://www.opecseminar.org/programme-opec-international-seminar.htm. His attendance had been widely anticipated as he had derided OPEC as a "toothless tiger" in 2014. Trump also chided OPEC last week, blaming the group for rising oil prices and saying its 14 members were "at it again." Yet, Hamm has appeared in recent months to be trying to reach a more conciliatory tone with OPEC producers. Last month he attended a board meeting of Saudi Aramco, the oil producer controlled by OPEC's largest member, Saudi Arabia. Story continues He has also begun asking fellow shale producers to focus more on profitability and less on profligate production. Hamm's withdrawal leaves only two U.S. shale executives confirmed to speak at the event, out of an original five. Centennial Resource Development Inc CEO Mark Papa and ConocoPhillips Ryan Lance also withdrew from the OPEC event. Lance himself pulled out because of concerns his participation would seem as if he were the designate U.S. representative at such a forum, according to a source familiar with the company's thinking. Pioneer Natural Resources Co Executive Chairman Scott Sheffield and Hess Corp Chief Executive John Hess are still slated to attend. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by David Gregorio) Oil prices are heading southward on global supply glut. OPEC countries are planning to raise production levels shortly that could disrupt the supply-demand balance. In fact, concerns about increased output amplified due to Chinese tariffs on energy imports from the United States. Fall in oil prices are a dampener for energy stocks. But why are energy sector insiders buying again? That is because there are several underlying factors that are expected to push oil prices upward in the near term. Before we look at the factors and stocks that insiders are buying, lets look at what is dragging oil prices down for the time being. OPEC and its Allies Agree to Boost Output OPEC and its allies including Russia had decided to hold back output by nearly 1.8 million barrels a day beginning in 2017. That agreement is, however, set to expire by the end of this year. In fact, major oil producers will meet on Jun 22 in Vienna to decide the fate of further oil production. Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the OPEC is considering a production boost of 500,000 to 1 million barrels a day. The Saudis have already raised output level last month by 100,000 barrels a day. Russia too is contemplating an increase of about 1.5 million barrels a day, as per commodity analysts led by Eugen Weinberg at Commerzbank. U.S. crude production, in the meantime, is forecast to touch an annual record of 10.79 million barrels a day this year, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Data from oil-field services firm Baker Hughes additionally revealed that the number of active U.S. rigs drilling for oil, better known as the gauge of domestic production activity, rose by 1 to 863 last week, leading to the fourth-straight weekly jump. This oil supply glut has weakened oil prices. The West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange, declined by $1.83, or 2.8%, to settle at $65.06 a barrel on Jun 15, while the Brent crude, the global benchmark lost $2.50, or 3.4%, to reach $73.44 a barrel. Story continues Trade War Fears Intensify Pressure Building on Jun 15s slide, oil prices continue their downward journey, thanks to the trade war between the United States and China. The White House will impose a 25% tariff on $50 billion Chinese imports, which has increased the chances of a confrontation with China over trade. China has accused the United States for ratcheting a trade war. The Chinese government said that it will respond accordingly to U.S. tariffs. Energy-related products have been targeted as China prepares retaliatory tariffs against the United States. This means that China, the world's biggest importer of oil could shun U.S. items at a time when exports of crude, coal and liquefied natural gas to Asia have been steadily increasing (read more: Trade War Fears Grip Wall Street: Buy 5 Ultra-Safe Stocks). Insiders Are Buying The drop in oil prices is, no doubt, taking a toll on energy players. But insiders in energy companies have been purchasing a lot of shares. They believe that several underlying factors will drive oil prices in the near term. Supply-demand disparity does remain. But since a recession does not seem to be in the horizon, global demand growth will eventually scale north. Supply growth, on the other hand, could face constraints due to chronic underinvestment in long-term projects by major oil companies in the last three years. By the way, geopolitical risks remain elevated in places like Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, Libya and Nigeria to name a few. This in turn can anytime propel oil prices. And if Saudi Arabias intention to increase production level is bothersome, then one should remember that there is already a cap on how much it can produce since it is near its limit. Needless to say, global production will automatically tank as wells run dry. All these explain why insiders have bought over $12 million worth of stock at a dozen energy companies. Insider buying may not guarantee an uptick in oil prices, but, it does show that the energy stocks are oversold, ready to bounce back anytime soon. Let us, thus, have a look at three energy companies that are poised to do well from here and the ones that insiders are currently buying. Continental Resources, Inc. CLR explores for, develops, and produces crude oil and natural gas properties in the north, south, and east regions of the United States. Insider purchase: $8.8 million by CEO Harold Hamm at $65.30 on May 29. In the last 60 days, seventeen earnings estimates moved north, while none moved south for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings increased 28% in the same period. The stocks estimated growth rate for the current year is 517.7% versus the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industrys projected rally of 23.4%. Continental Resources, Inc. Price and Consensus Continental Resources, Inc. Price and Consensus Continental Resources, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Continental Resources, Inc. Quote Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation COG an independent oil and gas company, explores for, exploits, develops, produces, and markets natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids in the United States. Insider purchase: $1.1 million by Director Robert Kelley, at $22.25 on May 29. In the last 30 days, five earnings estimates moved north, while one moved south for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings moved up 1.9% in the same period. The stocks estimated growth rate for the current year is 107.6% versus the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industrys projected rally of 23.4%. Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation Price and Consensus Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation Price and Consensus Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation price-consensus-chart | Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation Quote ProPetro Holding Corp. PUMP, an oilfield services company, provides pressure pumping and other related services. Insider purchase: $205,800 by Director Pryor Blackwell at $15.36 on Jun 7. In the last 60 days, six earnings estimates moved north, while one moved south for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings moved 6.9% higher in the same period. The stocks estimated growth rate for the current year is 1,162.5% versus the Oil and Gas - Field Services industrys projected rally of 12%. ProPetro Holding Corp. Price and Consensus ProPetro Holding Corp. Price and Consensus ProPetro Holding Corp. price-consensus-chart | ProPetro Holding Corp. Quote While Continental Resources currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Cabot Oil & Gas and ProPetro Holding have a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> 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 Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (COG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR) : Free Stock Analysis Report ProPetro Holding Corp. (PUMP) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Has Waste Management (WM) Outpaced Other Business Services Stocks This Year? Is (WM) Outperforming Other Business Services Stocks This Year? Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM recently disclosed its intention to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the east coast of Australia. The largest publicly traded energy company is one of the leading gas suppliers in the southeastern part of Australia and the move is expected to retain its hold in the market, while staying ahead of competitors. The primary reason for the import is gas shortage, which is anticipated to hit the market in 2021. The Requirement for LNG Imports Although Australia is presently the second-largest global LNG provider, the domestic market has witnessed a price hike due to lower supplies. Supply from coal-seam gas reserves has failed to keep up with growing demand. Moreover, plummeting supply from the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture between ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton Petroleum (Bass Strait) Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of BHP Billiton Ltd. BHP, is an added concern. As it is, long-term export deals have left reduced LNG for the domestic market. The market situation has made LNG import profitable for the companies, which ExxonMobil can address with its new plan. AGL Energy, an Australian utility, is also planning on a similar import project, which can come online in 2021. Moreover, a consortium between Australian Industrial Energy, JERA, a Japanese energy trader and Marubeni Corp. expects to start LNG import from 2020. Backup Plans To address the shortage of LNG in the market, ExxonMobil is considering other measures including imports in Victoria, an Australian state. The company is intensifying exploration offshore Victoria. Additionally, it is also looking to develop the West Barracouta gas field, which can become a feasible remedy for gas shortage in Australia. ExxonMobil expects its new import facility to come online by 2022. Notably, the company also has the option of using its existing Longford infrastructure in Victoria for imports. Price Performance Irving, TX-based ExxonMobil has lost 2.5% of its value in the past year against 15.7% rally of the industry it belongs to. Story continues Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider Currently, ExxonMobil carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors interested in the Energy sector can opt for some better-ranked stocks like Delek US Holdings, Inc. DK and HollyFrontier Corp. HFC, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Brentwood, TN-based Delek is an energy company. The companys top line for 2018 is anticipated to improve 39.2% year over year, while its bottom line is expected to increase 293.7%. Dallas, TX-based HollyFrontier is an independent refining company. For 2018, its bottom line is likely to be up 153%. In the last four reported quarters, the company delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 41.3%. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> 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 BHP Billiton Limited (BHP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Delek US Holdings, Inc. (DK) : Free Stock Analysis Report HollyFrontier Corporation (HFC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. MELBOURNE, June 18 (Reuters) - ExxonMobil Corp, southeastern Australia's biggest gas supplier, is considering importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) to help plug a looming gas shortage from 2021 and protect its market share. The move would compete with plans by both Australia's no.2 energy retailer AGL Energy to start importing LNG by 2021 and a consortium involving Japan's JERA to start imports from 2020. ExxonMobil is also stepping up exploration off the coast of Victoria and considering developing a gas field called West Barracouta close to an existing field, it said in an emailed statement on Monday. "Combined with the existing Gippsland resource and infrastructure, an LNG import facility could ensure ExxonMobil can continue to meet our customers' needs," the company said. The facility could open by 2022, it said. Australia's energy market operator warned in March that Victoria, the country's biggest gas consuming state, could face shortages from mid-2021 due to a rapid drop in supply from the the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture, owned by ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton. Output from the Gippsland Basin, the state's mainstay supplier over the past 50 years, is expected to fall to just half of 2018 levels by 2022, it said. Even though Australia is set to challenge Qatar as the world's top LNG exporter, local gas supplies are under threat due to field declines and long-term export contracts. ExxonMobil could use a lot of its existing infrastructure at Longford in Victoria for an LNG import facility. The company declined to comment on an estimate by Macquarie analysts cited in The Australian newspaper that it could build import facilities for around A$100 million ($74 million), less than half the estimated cost of the two rival LNG import plans. AGL is working toward a final investment decision for its import plans by June 2019. "If we saw some new supply come to market that fundamentally changed that market dynamic, we would revisit the business case, but we haven't seen that to date," AGL General Manager Phaedra Deckart told Reuters in an interview last week. Story continues She said rising LNG prices would not deter the company from going ahead with the plan. "It's not about what price can we bring LNG into the market. It's about meeting the needs of our 1.4 million gas customers and the 10 large industrial customers that have executed (tentative agreements) with us and are looking for a new source of supply to meet that shortfall beyond 2020." ($1 = 1.3450 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Sonali Paul; editing by Richard Pullin) Trump Kim summit Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Journalists covering President Donald Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore this week were given free USB-powered fans as a gift. Security experts say anyone who plugs the fans in is at risk of getting hacked. Journalists covering this week's summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore were given a fun gift bag containing a water bottle, a trial to the Straits Times newspaper, and a tourism guide to the island where the leaders' meeting took place. It also included a tiny fan that plugs into a mini-USB port or iPhone Lightning port for power, according to tweets from the historic summit. It could be a nice gesture from the hosts. As the Dutch journalist Harald Doornbos wrote in a tweet about the fan, "it is pretty hot here in Singapore," according to a translation from the BBC. Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1005746788303867905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 13/ Handig. In de persmap voor de #KimTrumpSummit zit een mini usb fan. Handig om koel te blijven tijdens het schrijven. Het is hier in Singapore idd vrij heet. 33C of zo. Maar haalt het niet bij Dubai, koning van de oven. pic.twitter.com/6tQd5d7gCW Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1005758148412444673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Media goody bag: Mini USB fan, hand-held fan with #TrumpKim on either side to blow around all the hot air.... and a fun guide to Sentosa. NB: that's not the delegations playing beach volleyball. pic.twitter.com/fbdKVzr0Cn But security experts around the web warned that the fan may not just be a way to stay cool. It could be a Trojan horse designed to steal data from any journalist who plugged the fan into his or her device. Anything that plugs into a USB port could allow an attacker to get malicious software onto your computer. It's how the notorious Stuxnet worm infected its targets, and many big companies worried about information security forbid their employees from plugging anything into a USB port. Story continues Twitter exploded with security experts telling journalists not to plug the fan in. It could install keylogger software, or hack their email, they warned: Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1006288000106549248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw So, um, summit journalists. Do not plug this in. Do not keep it. Drop it in a public trash can or send it to your friendly neighborhood security researcher. Call any computer science department and donate it for a class exercise. Id be glad to take one off your hands, btw. https://t.co/vz8xjUIjVz Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1005849152096387072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw A free USB fan for journalists covering talks in Singapore, how cool! (Because its impossible for USB devices to spread malware or exfiltrate data, right?) https://t.co/Hin3erdWbQ Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1006350065470976005?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw tearing into potentially-bugged things is my jam. anyone I know in SG for summit get one they have not already thrown away? (DM) https://t.co/xd43HZOk6f Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1006312763445137408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw If you're thinking "I need to stay cool, I could use one of these," come talk to me. I'll kick you in the shin really hard. Then the ice you use to reduce swelling will keep you cool. Bonus: the medical bills will cost less than the inevitable incident response this thing brings. https://t.co/w8FV9BSBkA Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1006280251243159552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw This is a pretty obvious way to break into journalist's laptops. Hope you didn't bring your primary device. https://t.co/PFVApZ1cPJ North Korea has become a hacking superpower in recent years, according to The Wall Street Journal. The country has been linked to attacks like the "Wannacry" ransomware. But North Korea has no known connection to the fans, according to the BBC. Of course, the USB fan could just be that a way to stay cool at a hot summit. But it's probably not worth the risk to find out. NOW WATCH: Here's why coating our streets white could help lower temperatures in the summer See Also: FILE PHOTO: A sign outside the headquarters of JP Morgan Chase & Co in New York, U.S., September 19, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase Bank NA (JPM_pd.N) will have to pay a $65 million civil penalty to settle charges that it attempted manipulating ISDAfix benchmark swap rates between 2007 and 2012, the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission said on Monday. The derivatives regulator said the bank made false reports and attempted to manipulate the U.S. Dollar International Swaps and Derivatives Association Fix to benefit its derivatives positions. ISDAfix rates are used to help value the cash settlement of options on interest rate swaps and other products. Pension funds and local governments often rely on products priced off the benchmark rate to help hedge against future interest rate changes. The benchmark swap rates and spreads that are published daily indicate the prevailing mid-market rate, at a specific time of day, for the fixed leg of a standard fixed-for-floating interest rate swap. "We're pleased to have this matter behind us," JPMorgan spokeswoman Jessica Francisco said.Other big banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Barclays PLC and Citigroup Inc had to settle similar charges relating to ISDAfix benchmark case with the regulator in 2015 and 2016. (Reporting by Tim Ahmann, Diptendu Lahiri and Nikhil Subba; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Bill Trott and Arun Koyyur) Extends Industry Leadership Through Innovations in Material Sciences and Manufacturing; Driving the Cost of Production Lower for Continued Demand Creation ORLANDO, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 18, 2018 / LightPath Technologies, Inc. (LPTH) ("LightPath," the "Company" or "we"), a leading vertically integrated global manufacturer, distributor and integrator of proprietary optical and infrared components and high-level assemblies, announced today its comprehensive production capabilities and global availability for a new line of infrared lenses made of a chalcogenide compound. This compound is developed and produced internally by LightPath to produce Black DiamondTM glass and marketed as BD6. LightPath's new chalcogenide line of infrared lenses is an ideal alternative to products made from Germanium. LightPath's BD6 (As40Se60 chalcogenide glass) is now being produced in high volumes in its Orlando, Florida facility for use in a large number of infrared applications. In addition to molding, BD6 material can be fabricated into optical elements via precision diamond turning. A number of optical coating options, including DLC, are available and suitable for varied customer requirements. "Our work with chalcogenide glass for infrared lenses is state of the art," said Jim Gaynor, President and Chief Executive Officer of LightPath. "LightPath is one of the few manufacturers in the world to possess the broad breadth of capabilities, which includes our internally melted glass, our vertically integrated processing, and the different ways in which the glass is transformed at production level quantities into highly technical IR lenses. LightPath has the unique capability with the expertise to perform both diamond turning and precision molding for chalcogenide glass. This enables us to make high-performance lenses of virtually any size." Mr. Gaynor continued, "Beyond the performance qualities this product offers to our customers, we have improved control of the supply chain -- since we are the supply chain -- and may now better regulate the primary cost of materials used in our largest segment of consolidated revenues. We are now actively working with our existing customers to convert them to our own material and have begun a global marketing campaign to introduce our new line of lenses. In turn, as we have previously demonstrated significant demand creation through reduced prices while yielding margin enhancements for our visible optics product lines, we believe a similar course will be defined for our infrared product line." Story continues LightPath now has significant capacity to make enough high-quality BD6 glass to meet its forecasted demand for precision molded IR lenses. LightPath's glass manufacturing and molding capabilities were recently augmented, as part of a vertical integration strategy, which has been driven by the market's increasing requirement for low-cost infrared optics applications. Infrared optics is a fast-growing sector of the industrial technology market. Demand is being experienced for end markets that include infrared imaging security and surveillance cameras, automotive sensors, commercial uses, firefighting and outdoor sporting applications. In its most recent fiscal quarter, LightPath reported that revenues generated by its infrared products surpassed revenue generated by its precision molded optics or visible products. Revenues generated by the Company's infrared products was approximately $4.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2018, an increase of approximately 10% from the third quarter of fiscal 2017. This strategic business has contributed to the Company's growth, with sales generated in Asia, Europe, and the United States. MarketsandMarkets reported the infrared imaging market will grow by 40% from US$5.2 billion in 2018 to US$7.3 billion by 2023. LightPath has been investing in its manufacturing facilities in Zhenjiang, China, Riga, Latvia and Orlando, Florida to lower the cost of producing infrared products, which will also give the Company redundancies to prevent capacity constraint issues as the infrared business continues to grow. Offering a talented team of experienced optical designers and engineers, LightPath is able to melt its own glass for IR applications, provide lens design, prototyping, testing, pilot production and high volume precision lens manufacturing services of the highest quality and excellent value. LightPath is now making production quantities of Black Diamond 6 (BD6) chalcogenide glass which is inherently optically athermal in addition to offering great transmission over a very wide range of temperature. The material has similar target properties to germanium, commonly and increasingly used as a polymerization catalyst and for military, communications, electronics, fiber optics, infrared optics and solar power applications. LightPath continues to develop improved capabilities for its infrared product line that will cover most requirements in the commercial and military high-volume and custom application markets. Black DiamondTM glass is ideal for use in medium-wave IR (MWIR) and long-wave IR (LWIR) thermal imaging systems and gains acceptance in the marketplace over expensive Germanium optics. LightPath offers a cost-effective alternative using its in-house manufacturing process for chalcogenide glass. The raw material of Germanium (chemical element symbol Ge and atomic number 32), the key material historically used in IR lens production, has experienced significant price appreciation over the past few years, with occasional short-term spot price anomalies under a variety of circumstances. Overall production and availability is somewhat limited. China is recognized as a world leader in the production and consumption of Germanium. As a result, prices for Germanium have increased from approximately $1,500 per kilogram in the first quarter of 2017 to over $2,300 per kilogram in the first quarter of 2018, according to the strategic metals research of Kitco Metals. This price appreciation and issues surrounding availability of the mineral for production quantities has led LightPath to develop its alternative solution using chalcogenide to make Black DiamondTM glass. About LightPath Technologies: LightPath Technologies, Inc. (LPTH) is a leading global, vertically integrated provider of optics, photonics and infrared solutions for the industrial, defense, telecommunications, testing and measurement, and medical industries. LightPath designs, manufactures, and distributes proprietary optical and infrared components including molded glass aspheric lenses and assemblies, infrared lenses and thermal imaging assemblies, fused fiber collimators, and gradient index GRADIUM lenses. LightPath also offers custom optical assemblies, including full engineering design support. The Company is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, with manufacturing and sales offices in Irvington, New York, Riga, Latvia and Zhenjiang and Shanghai, China. Thru its wholly-owned subsidiary ISP Optics Corporation, LightPath manufactures and offers a full range of infrared products from high-performance MWIR and LWIR lenses and lens assemblies. LightPath's infrared lens assembly product line includes a thermal lens system used in cooled and uncooled thermal imaging cameras. Manufacturing is performed in-house to provide precision optical components including spherical, aspherical and diffractive coated infrared lenses. LightPath's optics processes allow it to manufacture its products from all important types of infrared materials and crystals. Manufacturing processes include CNC grinding and CNC polishing, diamond turning, continuous and conventional polishing, optical contacting and advanced coating technologies. For more information on LightPath and its businesses, please visit www.lightpath.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes statements that constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our ability to expand our presence in certain markets, future sales growth, continuing reductions in cash usage and implementation of new distribution channels. This information may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, factors detailed by LightPath Technologies, Inc. in its public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, we do not have any intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contacts At the Company: Devin Standard Vice President of Corporate Development 407-382-4003 Ext 369 dstandard@lightpath.com Investor Relations: Jordan Darrow Darrow Associates 512-551-9296 jdarrow@darrowir.com SOURCE: LightPath Technologies, Inc. By Jessica Resnick-Ault NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday in volatile trade as this week's OPEC meeting raised the spectre of production increases and as investors assessed the impact of a trade dispute between the United States and China. U.S. crude oil (CLc1) edged up 43 cents a barrel to $65.49 by 1:15 p.m. EDT (1715 GMT). The contract earlier traded at a two-month low of $63.59. Brent crude (LCOc1) jumped $1.55 to $74.99 a barrel. U.S. crude's discount to Brent (WTCLc1-LCOc1) widened to as much as $9.73 a barrel, after narrowing Friday. China's trade restrictions could leave the growing volumes of U.S. crude from shale without a buyer, traders said. While the volumes would ultimately get shipped elsewhere, absent China the price could be depressed, traders said. In May, Brent hit a 3-1/2-year high above $80 a barrel, but has slid since then on reports that top suppliers Saudi Arabia and Russia will increase production. "Volatility is going to be pretty high this week," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho in New York. Indications from OPEC members and other large producers on the scale of potential production increases are likely to drive the market, he said. "Oil prices are reversing this mornings bout of weakness as bottom pickers enter the fray ahead of this weeks crucial OPEC/non-OPEC meeting," said Stephen Brennock, analyst at London brokerage PVM Oil Associates. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied oil producers including Russia meet on June 22 in Vienna. Russia and OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia are pushing for higher output. Story continues Over the weekend, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak indicated the countries, which have cut production, would now consider increasing output 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) in the third quarter only, the TASS news agency reported. Yet any output increase agreement could be muted because other OPEC members including Iraq said last week that production cuts should be maintained because prices still need support. Rising output from U.S. shale has stoked worries about potential oversupply. Five shale executives were set to speak at the OPEC seminar this week, but three, including Continental Resources Chief Executive Harold Hamm, have withdrawn. Despite potential downward pressure from large producers increasing output, Goldman Sachs maintained its bullish outlook. The bank said "the oil market remains in deficit ... requiring higher core OPEC and Russia production to avoid a stock-out by year-end". The bank said it expected OPEC and Russian output to rise 1 million bpd by year-end and another 0.5 million bpd in the first half of 2019. Societe Generale said it expects Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait to increase output by a combined 500,000 bpd beginning in July, and Russia to increase by 200,000 bpd within two to three months. "The focus will be on replacing Venezuelan losses," the bank said. Adding extra pressure are global trade tensions. U.S. President Donald Trump last week pushed ahead with tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, starting on July 6. China retaliated by imposing import duties on U.S. products, and suggesting that crude oil tariffs were planned. "It's more of a threat than anything," said Joe McMonigle, senior energy policy analyst at Hedgeye Potomac Research. "They're trying to gain leverage in a soft spot for Trump to use for other concessions later." Benjamin Lu of brokerage Phillip Futures said Beijing's retaliation had spooked oil investors: "These punitive measures on bilateral trade have unnerved investors as it hurts global economic growth." U.S. bank Morgan Stanley said in a note to clients that the trade spat meant that economic "downside risks have risen". U.S. oil exports have boomed in the last two years as shale oil production has surged, with China becoming one of the biggest buyers. (Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein in Singapore and Christopher Johnson in London; editing by David Gregorio and Cynthia Osterman) Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B) stock is the Taj Mahal of company stocks, long known for its sky-high Class A share price and for its iconic -- and refreshingly unassuming -- chairman, president and CEO, Warren Buffett. The Omaha, Nebraska-based company operates in the financial services sector (particularly insurance) and also operates in the freight transportation, real estate brokerage, energy, utility and diversified manufacturing sectors. The company, founded in 1889, boasts 377,000 employees, and many staffers are likely wondering what a post-Buffett Berkshire Hathaway would look like. [See: 9 Dividend Aristocrats for Stable Income.] Buffett is still at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway, and seems as vibrant and on the ball as ever. But the Oracle of Omaha is 87 years old and talk of a change at the of the company is on the rise. Buffett himself has acknowledged the need for new blood at Berkshire Hathaway, and has installed two senior portfolio managers, Ted Weschler and Todd Combs, to steer the investment management side of the company going forward. Buffett is bullish on that move, calling the rise of both Weschler and Combs at Berkshire Hathaway "one of the best moves" the company has ever made. Together, they've built a broadly diversified investment portfolio stocked full of dozens of subsidiary companies across myriad industries, and stock holdings in over 40 companies -- all under the sturdy roof of a single company. Can the good times last at Berkshire Hathaway? Stock market experts seem to think so, but there may be some clouds on the horizon for the company. Berkshire Hathaway stock at a glance. Berkshire Hathaway's Class A stock price stands at $287,600, with a one-year analyst target estimate of $348,000 per share. Berkshire's Class B stock is a more achievable goal for Berkshire investors, and currently trades at $191 per share. The company's stock is returning nearly 12 percent over the last year, and Berkshire Hathaway is, as always, flush with cash. Two of its dominant industries -- utilities and insurance -- are seeing a big demand for products and services, but high costs in another BRK segment -- transportation and railroad operations -- could tamp down the company's stock price going forward. Story continues Even so, stock market experts remain fairly bullish on Berkshire Hathaway. "Berkshire Hathaway is an interesting story," says Robert Johnson, principal at the Fed Policy Investment Research Group in Charlottesville, Virginia. "Increasingly, it's a conglomerate composed of over 80 different operating companies in a wide variety of industries. BRK is now a bet on the capital allocation ability of Warren Buffett and his management team." Berkshire has a "terrific structure" from which to allocate capital from businesses with limited growth prospects to those with more attractive growth prospects. "That is difficult to do within a typical corporate structure concentrated in one industry or business," Johnson says. Pros of buying Berkshire Hathaway stock. Berkshire Hathaway's stock value remains robust, primarily because of its solid core holdings, which include some of the biggest brand names in America. "According to his recent shareholder letter, Berkshire owns roughly 17 percent of American Express ( AXP), 7 percent of Bank of America ( BAC) and 9.4 percent of Coca-Cola ( KO) ," says Sam G. Huszczo, a financial planner at SGH Wealth Management, in Detroit. "These are huge percentage ownerships in pillars of the American economy." It's no secret why Berkshire Hathaway stock has performed so well for so long. "Berkshire has approximately $100 billion in unrealized gains," Huszczo says. "Buffet is a long-term stockholder who can stomach volatility better than maybe any other investor before him." Berkshire is currently selling at a below market average price/earnings ratio and its earnings are projected to grow at an above market average rate over the next few years, says David Kass, a finance professor at University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. "Its intrinsic value is likely at least 10 percent above its current share price. Therefore, it's undervalued and should be outperforming the market over the near future." [See: 7 of the Best Bank Stocks to Buy for 2018.] The company's largest holdings include Apple ( AAPL), Wells Fargo & Co. ( WFC), Kraft Heinz Co. ( KHC), Bank of America, and Coca-Cola. "Apple is Berkshire's largest holding and Berkshire has been adding to it in recent quarters," Kass says. "It has a below market average price-earnings ratio and above-average projected growth. Apple's iPhone customers are very loyal and over 90 percent upgrade their iPhones every two to three years. Apple appears to be undervalued." Bank of America has successfully dealt with problems stemming from the financial crisis, and is well-managed and growing nicely, Kass says. "It, too, appears to be undervalued," he adds. Kraft Heinz's specialty of turning food companies around should result in a higher stock price after it announces its next acquisition, Kass says. "Additionally, Wells Fargo should resume its growth and profitability over the next year or two after it recovers from the reputational damage of the scandal where many of its customers were charged for services that they did not request," he says. Cons of buying Berkshire Hathaway stock. At 87, Buffett won't be able to drive Berkshire Hathaway forward forever. "At that point, is Buffett's eventual retirement already baked into the price of Berkshire, as people recognize this as inevitable?" Huszczo says. "This could be seen as a reason that Berkshire hasn't performed as well as of late, because investors find it hard to commit to the ship whose captain will soon retire." In all likelihood, when Buffett does retire, people will panic, Huszczo says, "No matter how prepared you are for a death in the family, it's never really easy to handle." Weighing the pros and cons of buying Berkshire stock should also include a candid assessment of your investment goals and interest. "BRK stock is great for value investors with long-term horizons, but not so much for aggressive traders seeking high returns," says John Kilhefner, analyst and deputy managing editor at InvestorPlace.com. "So long as there's the overhang of the investigation into [President Donald] Trump's personal lawyer, the Russia investigation and geopolitical concerns such as Syria, volatility will remain in the market. That will push investors into, or to add on to, a position in BRK.B stock." The bottom line. Even without Buffett at the helm, Berkshire Hathaway will carry on the same leadership position in the markets, Kilhefner says. "Buffett himself once said that he prefers to invest in companies that are so wonderful an idiot can run them, because some day one will. Buffett has also created Berkshire in that 'wonderful' model, but rest assured that the person who Buffett has selected to succeed him will be no fool," Kilhefner says. "They just may be the right person to make the calls that Buffett refused to, or could no longer see, in his advanced age." Other say it's not realistic to expect the same level of portfolio success Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway have provided. "BRK has historically done very well for its shareholders," says Eric Wightman, a partner at XML Financial Group in Vienna, Virginia. "According to their last annual report, since 1965 shares have grown, on average, almost 21 percent per year versus almost 10 percent for the S&P 500. Yes, that's more than double the S&P for the 52 years and if you think about the effects of compounding, shareholders have benefited even more." [See: Artificial Intelligence Stocks: The 10 Best AI Companies.] During that time frame Berkshire had returned 2,404,748 percent versus the S&P 500's return of 15,508 percent, Wightman adds. "That's a substantial amount. Using a more relevant time frame, over the last 10 years the shares have increased over 210 percent and rose about 550 percent over the last 20 years," he says. Wightman doesn't think that'll be the case going forward. "I would be surprised to see them grow more than say 9 percent per year going forward, but I'd also be very surprised to see them growing less than 6 percent per year," he says. "That's not a bad outcome for most investors if I'm right." More From US News & World Report Why Is RLI Corp. (RLI) Up 3.4% Since Last Earnings Report? RLI Corp. (RLI) reported earnings 30 days ago. What's next for the stock? We take a look at earnings estimates for some clues. Following months of negotiations, the United States and China are again on the brink of an all-out trade war. The United States has targeted a flurry of Chinese goods, while China has vowed to respond with tariffs of its own, which could hurt U.S. businesses. Trade wars are never good for the economy and squeeze corporate profit margins. Thus, this escalating trade tension is weighing on investors risk appetite. This, in turn, calls for investing in low beta defensive companies. Such stocks provide risk-adjusted returns and steady earnings regardless of the state of the equity market. Trump Announces Tariffs on Chinese Goods The White House will impose a 25% tariff on $50 billion Chinese imports, which has increased the chances of a confrontation with China over trade.. The United States has decided to penalize China for stealing American technology and of course trade secrets. Chinese aerospace, robotics, manufacturing and auto makers will mostly be targeted. The tariffs will be passed in two phases. More than 800 Chinese exports, worth $34 billion, will be subject to tariffs beginning in July and another 280 or so will go through a public comment period and take effect later. Trump gave the green light after meeting top economic officials last week, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Trump said that trade between two of the worlds largest economies has been very unfair, for a very long time and that the situation is no longer sustainable. U.S.-China Trade Trump has, in fact, kept the doors open for further escalation if China imposes retaliatory tariffs. He had earlier suggested that tariffs could apply to as much as $100 billion worth of Chinese goods. China Vows to Retaliate, Blames U.S. of Firing the First Shot China has accused the United States for ratcheting a trade war. The Chinese government said that it will respond accordingly to U.S. tariffs. China has vowed to impose tariffs on 545 U.S. goods worth $34 billion. These include agricultural products, automobiles and seafood. The tariffs are expected to get implemented from Jul 6. Beijing will impose tariffs on another 114 U.S. goods like chemicals, medical equipment and energy products later. Story continues Beijing confirmed that it will immediately launch tariff measures that will match the scale and intensity of those launched by the United States. Beijing added that all economic and trade agreements reached by previous negotiations will be nullified at the same time. That includes a deal to increase purchases of American energy and agricultural products. Chinas Commerce Ministry, by the way, urged all the countries to act together to stop such a trade war for the benefit of business houses and safeguard the common interest of all mankind. American Businesses Brace for More Pain American companies are poised to bear the brunt of a trade war. They say that the cost of critical supplies needed to make products could jump in the near term. Multinationals, in particular, remain worried about their future ability to do trade in China. Needless to say that China is a massive market for them. Semiconductor companies including QUALCOMM Incorporated QCOM and Intel Corporation INTC were taken aback after the U.S. government decided to impose tariffs on computer chips imported from China. The Semiconductor Industry Association raised concerns by saying while the U.S. semiconductor industry shares the Trump administration's concerns about China's forced technology transfer and intellectual property practices, the proposed imposition of tariffs on semiconductors from China, most of which are actually researched, designed, and manufactured in the U.S., is counterproductive. Other multinationals like The Boeing Company BA are caught in the crosshairs of the trade war. For Boeing, China is a big market. After all, the airline manufacturer previously said that it expects China to spend almost $1.1 trillion in the next 20 years by acquiring more than 7,200 new airplanes. Lest we forget that China had threatened to buy Airbus instead of Boeing if the United States gets involved in a trade fight. Wall Street Takes a Beating on Trade Worries Geopolitical tensions are, thus, headwinds for companies as they erode profit margins and affect the overall economy. U.S. bourses did close lower after Washington-Beijing exchanged blows due to the ongoing trade dispute. 5 Ultra-Safe Stocks to Buy Now As the markets are plagued with trade related uncertainty, defensive stocks seem to be the safest investment option. Such stocks are generally non-cyclical, or companies whose business performance and sales are not highly correlated with the activities in the broader market. Their products are in constant demand irrespective of market volatility and such names include companies from the utilities and consumer staples sectors. Utilities are deemed defensive stocks as electricity, gas and water are essentials. Food, beverage and tobacco companies are true defensive plays as demand for such staple stocks remains unaltered during market gyrations. Further, only low-beta stocks from such defensive companies have been selected. After all, low-beta stocks are the ones that are less correlated to the index and tend to be less volatile. In this case, a low beta ranges from 0 to 1. We have selected five such stocks that hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Ameren Corporation AEE operates as a public utility holding company. It has a beta of 0.27. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings rose 0.3% in the last 60 days. The stocks expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 7.4% versus the Utility - Electric Power industrys estimated rally of 6.4%. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. CNP offers electric transmission and distribution services to retail electric providers, municipalities, electric cooperatives, and other distribution companies. It has a beta of 0.53. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings rose 2.6% in the last 60 days. The stocks expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 16.1% versus the Utility - Electric Power industrys estimated rally of 6.4%. South Jersey Industries, Inc. SJI provides energy-related products and services. The company engages in the purchase, transmission, and sale of natural gas. It has a beta of 0.59. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings rose 0.6% in the last 90 days. The stocks expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 29.3% versus the Utility - Gas Distribution industrys estimated rally of 6.2%. The Boston Beer Company, Inc. SAM produces and sells alcohol beverages primarily in the United States. It has a beta of 0.54. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings surged 9.7% in the last 60 days. The stocks expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 22.6% versus the Beverages - Alcohol industrys estimated rally of 14.3%. Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. OLLI operates as a retailer of brand name merchandise. The company offers food products, housewares, books and stationery, bed and bath products, floor coverings, electronics, and toys. It has a beta of 0.18. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings increased 3.6% in the last 60 days. The stocks expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 36.8% versus the Consumer Products - Staples industrys estimated rally of 12.1%. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> 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 Ameren Corporation (AEE) : Free Stock Analysis Report CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) : Free Stock Analysis Report South Jersey Industries, Inc. (SJI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. (OLLI) : Free Stock Analysis Report QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Boeing Company (BA) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Boston Beer Company, Inc. (SAM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Intel Corporation (INTC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Shares of Cameco Corp. (NYSE: CCJ) are down nearly 80% from highs they reached in the mid-2000s. Falling uranium prices have been the primary reason for the decline, since this giant Canadian uranium miner is strictly focused on the nuclear fuel. At this point, there doesn't appear to be a dramatic and imminent upturn in the uranium market's future. However, it looks like Cameco is taking all of the right steps to get its mojo back when prices do start to turn higher. Here's what you need to know before you buy Cameco stock. We can't control the price Uranium is a commodity and the price of the nuclear material is based on supply and demand. Cameco makes heavy use of long-term contracts to help offset the impact of commodity price volatility, softening the blow of low commodity prices. For example, Cameco's realized price for uranium was roughly twice the spot price in the first quarter. However, that doesn't change the long-term trend of weak prices in the uranium market. It just makes it slightly less painful. A nuclear power plant with red flowers in the foreground Image source: Getty Images In fact, from a big-picture perspective, Cameco won't really get back its mojo back until uranium prices rebound. That's part and parcel of being a one-trick pony focused exclusively on the nuclear fuel. But Cameco isn't sitting around and waiting for better days. It's making moves right now to set itself up for a better future. Aggressive actions One of the most important moves Cameco has made is to trim its production. Its biggest effort on this front came in late 2017, when it announced plans to suspend production at its McArthur River and Key Lake operations. During the fourth-quarter conference call, it further noted that it would start buying uranium on the spot market because that was a cheaper option than mining the uranium itself. In essence, it preferred to fulfill its contractual commitments with other companies' uranium so it could benefit in the future from its low-cost reserves when prices were higher. Story continues CCJ Chart CCJ data by YCharts. This is the closest that Cameco can come to directly impacting the price of uranium. It is, in effect, pulling supply out of the market to help get supply and demand back into balance. When that happens, uranium prices should begin to rebound. Industry watchers estimate that Cameco's cuts will reduce supply by 12% in 2018. Other large miners have been trimming production, too. Add these efforts to the expected future demand from continued construction of nuclear power plants, largely in Asia, and there's a reason to have a positive outlook for uranium prices. The problem is getting from the low prices of today to a future in which uranium prices are higher. Supply and demand aren't going to balance out overnight. This is where the second most important effort taking shape at Cameco comes into play. The curtailments the company has been putting in place not only reduce the supply of the nuclear fuel, but they also lower its operating costs. On an absolute basis Cameco's cash cost for mining uranium fell 38% year over year in the first quarter (planned production cuts led to higher per-pound figures, which can obscure the value of the cuts). It was also able to trim its SG&A expenses by nearly 15%. Keeping its operating costs low is vital in a difficult market, but that alone isn't enough. Cameco has lost money in each of the last two years. Although the red ink was partly driven by one-time costs for shutting operations, it has to have a strong financial backstop to survive periods of weakness like this. Luckily Cameco's foundation is rock solid. The miner's cash balance increased by nearly 40% in the first three months of 2018. It didn't issue stock or additional debt during the quarter, either. The extra money was generated by its business and is an initial sign of success in its efforts to adjust to the current market. The company's current ratio, meanwhile, is a robust 6.65 times, suggesting it can cover its near-term bills more than six times over. That, by the way, was an improvement from around 5.2 at the end of 2017. A conservative management approach has left Cameco in a good position to deal with any near-term issues. CCJ Current Ratio (Quarterly) Chart CCJ Current Ratio (Quarterly) data by YCharts. Looking further out, Cameco is also on solid footing. Long-term debt makes up around 23% of the company's capital structure. That's a modest amount of leverage for any company. Notably, it has held long-term debt at roughly the same dollar level for the last three calendar years. All in, it doesn't appear to be leaning too hard on the balance sheet to keep itself going. Some mojo around the corner At the end of the day, Cameco getting back in the groove depends heavily on a recovery in uranium prices. Though it's doing its part to alleviate the current supply/demand imbalance by trimming production, it still has to wait for the uranium market to improve. In the meantime, it's cutting operating costs and maintaining a conservative approach with its balance sheet so it can get from today's difficult market to a future in which increased demand from nuclear construction and reduced supply lead to higher uranium prices. That's when Cameco's mojo will be on full display -- but it's building the foundation for that upturn today. More From The Motley Fool Reuben Gregg Brewer 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. Crude oil has been on a blistering pace over the past year. The price of a barrel of Brent, the global benchmark, is up nearly 60%, while its U.S. counterpart, WTI, has risen more than 40%. Because of that, oil stocks have rallied sharply, with the average one held by the iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF up almost 30%. However, given the current state of the oil market, oil stocks could have much further to run, which means there's still plenty of opportunity for investors. An oil pump with the sun bursting through. Image source: Getty Images. Drilling down into the oil market The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently released its monthly oil market report, which provided its first glimpse at 2019. The IEA noted that the rapid rise in oil prices over the past year has started to cool off demand, which was red-hot to start 2018. However, even though the IEA pared its 2018 demand growth forecast back slightly to 1.4 million barrels per day (BPD), it doesn't anticipate a further slowdown in 2019. Instead, it expects oil demand to maintain its current pace and rise by another 1.4 million BPD next year. Meanwhile, the IEA sees oil production rising to roughly match demand. The U.S. will lead the charge, contributing about 75% of the increase in supplies next year. Meanwhile, OPEC appears poised to boost its output in 2019. However, supply issues in Venezuela and the impact of new sanctions on Iran likely will offset much of that increase. Because of that, the IEA concluded that the "market will be finely balanced next year." That leads it to believe that oil prices will remain around the current level even if OPEC boosts its output to compensate for the supply issues in Iran and Venezuela. However, it also warned that those supply concerns leave the oil market "vulnerable to prices rising higher in the event of further disruption" in supply. An oil pump with stacks of $100 bills in the back ground. Image source: Getty Images. Oil stocks with ample upside The IEA's forecast bodes well for oil stocks, especially those that have underperformed during the rally over the past year. Two that stand out are Newfield Exploration (NYSE: NFX) and Apache (NYSE: APA), since both have lost value even though oil has been red-hot. Because of that, they trade at dirt cheap valuations versus their peers. That underperformance doesn't make sense given the growth these companies can deliver at much lower oil prices. Story continues In Newfield's case, it expects to grow production per debt-adjusted share -- which takes into account debt reduction and stock buybacks -- by a 15% to 20% compound annual rate through 2020. Further, Newfield can achieve that fast-paced growth while living within the cash flows it can generate at $55 oil, which is well below the current price, implying that the company can produce a gusher of free cash in the coming years. Meanwhile, Apache sees output rising at an 11% to 13% annual rate through 2020. That growth should lift these oil stocks even if oil prices slip from here. Another oil stock that could be a standout performer in the coming years is Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL). For starters, its stock has significantly underperformed the iShares E&P ETF, only gaining about 16% over the past year. That trend could reverse as Noble's operations kick into high gear in the next couple of years. Under the company's current forecast, at an average oil price of $50 a barrel, Noble can grow production at a 20% compound annual rate through 2020 and generate $1.5 billion of excess cash. Noble Energy plans to return a significant portion of that money to investors via its share repurchase program and has already authorized a $750 million buyback. Given that similar programs have fueled big-time outperformance from rivals, Noble's stock could be a top performer in the coming years. In addition to the potential of these underperformers, there's still untapped upside from oil stocks that have risen sharply over the past year. That's because many of them are using their windfall from higher oil prices to buy back significant amounts of their still-cheap shares. Devon Energy, for example, could potentially retire 20% of its outstanding stock by the end of next year. Meanwhile, several others have multibillion-dollar buybacks underway that should push their shares even higher. Still in the early innings of the recovery On the one hand, it seems as though oil might be topping out, especially as OPEC winds down its production reduction agreement. However, even if that happens, the current crude price is well above the level most oil stocks need to fund their growth plans. Because of that, they should still have plenty of upside from here, especially those that missed the rally over the past year or have big-time buybacks underway. More From The Motley Fool Matthew DiLallo 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. Belgrade (AFP) - "Join us comrade!" tourists are warmly greeted, as they climb into a vintage car that is no longer produced for a visit back in time to a country that no longer exists. As a symbol of the former Yugoslavia, the Yugo car is back in vogue on Belgrade's streets. Like in other places once stranded behind the detested Iron Curtain, the Serbian capital has found a unique way to cater for a surge in interest and even nostalgia for life under communism. On a three-hour tour, visitors see some of Yugoslavia's most significant sites, seated in one of the once ubiquitous Yugos, ending up at the Museum of History of Yugoslavia which holds dictator Josip Broz Tito's mausoleum. "People come to experience rides in an iconic car and it is something they cannot experience anywhere else in the world actually," Jovana Stojiljkovic, who manages the Yugotour travel agency, told AFP. The last Yugo cars were produced a decade ago, but, says Stojiljkovic, they are still a hit among tourists for the "Rise and Fall of a Nation" tour, on which most clients are foreigners. "It's something similar to a Trabant (East German car) tour in Berlin," she says. - Made in Yugoslavia - For vintage car aficionados, Belgrade has a lot to offer, with sightings of American Chryslers or Ford limousines not uncommon. And for the handful of "Made in Yugoslavia" makes of car, thousands still rumble around on Balkans roads more than 25 years after Yugoslavia's collapse. As well as the Yugo, the small Fica and Zastava 101, all produced at the Zastava plant in the central town of Kragujevac, were the pride of communist Yugoslavia. They were highly popular due to their low price. But the Yugo car was also often the butt of jokes over its design and unreliability. It even appeared in the 1995 Hollywood blockbuster "Die Hard With a Vengeance" with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. Now it is tourists from all over the world climbing into the Yugos, which in their heyday were exported from Yugoslavia to 74 countries, including Egypt, India and even the United States. Story continues Described by the communist authorities as the "deal of the century" for the US market, the Yugo had only limited success there, however. - 'View of history' - When Stojiljkovic was born in 1992, Yugoslavia had already fallen apart in a series of bloody wars and most of its republics were already independent states. But by the age of 25, she had launched a career in preserving the memory of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRJ) and telling its story, coinciding with a wave of "Yugonostalgia" among some for a period viewed as having enjoyed peace and relative prosperity before the onset of the conflicts. Dennis Bertelsen, a 38-year-old Dane on a weekend visit to the city, was among the hundreds of thousands of tourists descending on Belgrade -- it hosted one million last year, 835,000 of whom were from abroad, according to official figures. With his three friends, he said he took the tour "to get a view of the history and what actually had been the development and downfall of Yugoslavia". The itinerary includes passing by the famous Hotel Jugoslavija on the Danube river bank, one of the country's most luxurious at the time. Guests included US presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter as well as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. The hotel has been out of service since it was hit in a 1999 NATO bombing campaign to force the then Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his troops from Kosovo but the building still has a mythical status. - 'Commercialisation' - Polish student Dominik Wojciechowski came across the tour while researching the Fica car for his photo-art project on so-called Yugonostalgia, a feeling still present in all the countries that emerged after Yugoslavia's collapse, although much less in Croatia where a national sense of being Croat is ultra dominant. "I am interested in this process of commercialisation of Yugonostalgia and how people today are trying to preserve knowledge of Yugoslavia, while the older generation even (attempts) to return to these times," the 25-year-old said. For him, the most impressive part of the tour was a 30-floor twin tower called Genex, or Western Gates of Belgrade, still among the tallest in the city. "You stand below it and look up how big it is and feel this grandiosity of Yugoslavia and how powerful it was," he said. Most tourists know very little about Yugoslavia, its 22 million people and dictator Tito who led it from the end of World War II until his death in 1980. A decade later, the federation comprising six republics -- Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia -- collapsed in a series of wars that claimed more than 130,000 lives. Although Stojiljkovic never lived in Yugoslavia she said she nevertheless knows a lot about it. "I have heard all the stories from my parents, their friends and the rest of my family, so based on their experience it was a really nice time, they had a good time," she said. And she herself is now the proud owner of two Fica cars, which, she said, was "to show to the rest of the world what they meant to us". Because why on earth should a person need to be aware of their surroundings, the Chinese city of Xi'an in Shaanxi provence has a designated sidewalk for slow-walking texters, aka phubbers (previously: a similar lane in another city). Some more info while I run to lunch and yell, "Look out, shark!" at anyone staring at their phone. The lane is painted red, green and blue, and is 80cm wide and 100m long. Pictures of smartphones along the route distinguish it from an ordinary pedestrian lane. Shaanxi Online says that a large shopping mall, which looks onto the street, had been pushing to have the lane for a month. It says that cars often come onto the pavement, which is a busy channel for pedestrians who might not be paying attention to their surroundings. Personally, I never text and walk. You know why? "You never walk." I hate it. The only things worse than walking are jogging and running. "Wow. On a scale from one to ten, just how unhealthy are you, GW?" UNINSURABLE. Thanks to Amelie, who agrees being aware of your surroundings is a dying art. HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, June 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Erdene Resource Development Corp. (TSX:ERD) ("Erdene" or "Company") is pleased to announce that it has launched a secondary listing of its common shares on the Mongolian Stock Exchange (MSE) and closed the associated offering of 4,000,000 common shares to Mongolian residents (Mongolia Offering). The Companys common shares issued under the Mongolia Offering will commence trading under the symbol ERDN on the MSE on or about June 19, 2018, as the first cross-listed and currently only precious metals exploration and development company listed on the MSE. The Government of Mongolia has long expressed interest in having international investors list their mining and exploration projects on the MSE as a means to develop its capital market while providing shared benefits to local investors, said Peter Akerley, President and CEO of Erdene. Our listing is the result of two years of active collaboration with the Government of Mongolia to develop the necessary framework to accommodate cross listing of companies that are listed on international exchanges. Today we have added a significant number of new Mongolian shareholders to Erdene by way of our offering in Mongolia and MSE listing. The high level of investor and public interest in this offering has only strengthened our belief in the important role the local capital markets have in financing mineral exploration and development opportunities. We would like to welcome Erdene on the Mongolian Stock Exchange as the first cross-listed company in Mongolia, said Altai Khangai, the CEO of the MSE. This opens tremendous opportunity for the Company to connect with its stakeholders in the country. Mr. Sumiyabazar Dolgorsuren, Mongolias Minister of Mining and Heavy Industry, added: Erdene Resource Development is the first to cross list its shares in Mongolia, and we are grateful that mining companies are looking to be transparent and open to the Mongolian public. Offering Terms Pursuant to the Mongolia Offering, Erdene has sold 4,000,000 common shares at a price of $0.34 (or 640 Mongolian Tugrik) per share for gross proceeds of $1,375,604 (based on todays Tugrik/CAD rate of 1861) under a prospectus prepared pursuant to Mongolian laws. The Company paid a cash commission of 7% of the gross proceeds to the underwriters of the Mongolia Offering. The Mongolia Offering was oversubscribed by 66%, however, the Company limited the issuance to 4 million shares, which were distributed to subscribers pro-rata. The shares issued under the Mongolia Offering are expected to commence trading on the MSE on or about June 19, 2018. Under current Mongolian regulations, the shares listed on the MSE may only be traded through the facilities of the MSE until de-listed or until cross-border trades are permitted by Mongolian authorities. In addition, all shares issued pursuant to the Mongolia Offering are subject to a four-month hold period in Canada from the closing date of the Mongolia Offering. Proceeds of the Mongolia Offering will be used to advance the Company's Bayan Khundii and Altan Nar gold projects, and to further explore and develop the Companys other gold properties in southwest Mongolia, as well as for general corporate purposes. About Erdene Erdene Resource Development Corp. is a Canada-based resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of base and precious metals in underexplored and highly prospective Mongolia. The Company has interests in four exploration licenses and a mining license in southwest Mongolia, where exploration success has led to the discovery and definition of several prospects and deposits including: Bayan Khundii the Companys flagship and newly discovered, high-grade, near-surface gold project; Altan Nar an extensive, high-grade, near-surface, gold-polymetallic project located 16 kilometres northwest of Bayan Khundii; Altan Arrow an early-stage, high-grade gold-silver project 3.5 kilometres north of Bayan Khundii; Ulaan a recently acquired copper-gold porphyry prospect adjacent to Bayan Khundii; Khuvyn Khar an early-stage, copper-silver porphyry project; Nomin Tal a narrow, high-grade copper-gold discovery; and Zuun Mod a large molybdenum-copper porphyry deposit. In addition to the above projects, Erdene has an Alliance with Teck Resources Limited on regional copper-gold exploration in the prospective Trans Altai region of southwest Mongolia. The Bayan Khundii and Altan Nar licenses have a 2% net smelter returns royalty (NSR Royalty) in favour of Sandstorm Gold Ltd. with a buy-back option to reduce the NSR Royalty to 1%. For further information on the Company, please visit www.erdene.com. After giving effect to the Mongolia Offering, Erdene has 161,682,041 issued and outstanding common shares and a fully diluted position of 183,141,320 common shares. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information regarding Erdene contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Erdene believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Erdene cautions that actual performance will be affected by many factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Erdene currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS RELEASE New acquisitions strengthen UBMs position as the leading organizer of healthcare events in Latin America ExpoMed is the market leader in Mexico and Live Healthcare allows UBM Brazil to offer complete coverage of the Brazilian healthcare market NEW YORK, June 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UBM plc, the worlds largest pure-play business-to-business events organizer and marketing services organization, today announced that its Latin America businesses have acquired ExpoMed (Mexico) from LIVEMED and Live Healthcare (Brazil) from founders Dr. Vitor Assentuno and Dr. Raphael Gordilho. Through these acquisitions, UBM continues to grow its portfolio of healthcare events and further expands its position as a leader in the Latin America healthcare sector. Healthcare is a strategic vertical for UBM Americas, particularly in Mexico and Brazil, where public and private healthcare spending and service markets are growing rapidly, said Scott Schulman, CEO, UBM Americas. With ExpoMeds leading position in Mexico, and Live Healthcares complementary fit with UBM Brazils existing Hospitalar event, we are confident that these two bolt-on acquisitions will greatly contribute to the long-term growth of our healthcare portfolio -- and our position as a leader in the Latin America healthcare market. ExpoMed ExpoMed is Mexicos leading, annual healthcare exhibition and runs each June in Mexico City. It is known for connecting vendors of medical equipment to buyers and executives from private and public hospitals, clinics, and distributors. ExpoMed is considered the must-attend healthcare event in Mexico. The 2018 edition took place June 6-8. ExpoMed is by far the largest healthcare event in Mexico and adds another market-leading brand to our portfolio. The acquisition gives us the opportunity to serve the second-largest medical device market in Latin America and to pursue synergies with our healthcare portfolio in Brazil, said Jaime Salazar Figueroa, Director General and Managing Director, UBM Mexico. Live Healthcare Live Healthcare is a platform that connects major healthcare players to inspire industry change and empower leaders. Live brings with it the Saude Business Forum (SBF), which focuses on executive networking and one-on-one meetings for healthcare CEOs and innovative vendors, as well as Healthcare Innovation Show (HIS), a technology and innovation exhibition attended by senior healthcare executives. Live also runs the healthcare portal saudebusiness.com, which drives database and community engagement for the events. HIS will take place September 19-20 at the Sao Paulo Expo, Sao Paulo and SBF will run in the first half of 2019. The healthcare industry is a significant growth segment for UBM globally, but particularly in Brazil, said Jean-Francois Quentin, CEO of UBM Brazil. Live Healthcare is a great strategic fit with our portfolio and will allow us to serve all segments of the healthcare industry with high-quality content and focused face-to-face interactions. The Live Healthcare portfolio will also allow us to enhance Hospitalars positioning and achieve our goal of contributing to the growth of such an important industry from both economic and social standpoints. Media Contact: Beth Cowperthwaite Vice President, Corporate Communication, UBM Americas Beth.cowperthwaite@ubm.com 203-414-0865 Notes to Editors 1. About UBM plc UBM plc is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world. In an increasingly digital world, the value of connecting on a meaningful, human level has never been more important. At UBM, our deep knowledge and passion for the industry sectors we serve allow us to create valuable experiences where people can succeed. At our events people build relationships, close deals and grow their businesses. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors from fashion to pharmaceutical ingredients. These global networks, skilled, passionate people and market-leading events provide exciting opportunities for business people to achieve their ambitions. For more information, go to www.ubm.com; for UBM corporate news, follow us on Twitter at @UBM, UBM Plc LinkedIn 2. About UBM Americas UBM Americas, a part of UBM plc, delivers events and marketing services in the fashion, technology, licensing, advanced manufacturing, automotive and powersports, healthcare, veterinary and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Through a range of aligned interactive environments, both physical and digital, UBM Americas increases business effectiveness for customers and audiences through meaningful experiences, knowledge and connections. The division also includes UBM Brazils market leading events in construction, cargo transportation, logistics & international trade, and agricultural production; and UBM Mexico's, construction and hospitality services shows. For more information, visit: www.ubmamericas.com CHARLTON, Mass., June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nexamp, Inc., a leading provider of solar energy solutions, today announced the operation of a 2.6 megawatt community solar project in Charlton, Mass., the fourth of its kind in the Worcester County community. Having completed construction at the end of 2017, the 8,100-panel facility was recently approved for operations by the local utility, and has begun generating renewable energy and savings for local partners. Through the Commonwealths widely popular net metering program, Perkins - a human service agency in Lancaster, Mass. that served over 1,300 children, youth and adults with educational, developmental and mental health challenges last year - will benefit from lower operating costs through direct electricity cost savings. The savings derived by the Perkins facility is estimated at nearly $50,000 in the first year alone and $1 million over the projects lifetime, freeing up funds to expand programs and operations that support families across central Massachusetts. Paired with an existing rooftop array on our Janeway Education Center, Nexamps community solar project will help Perkins offset 90 percent of its electricity usage from the sun, said Michael Ames, President and CEO of Perkins. This project not only promotes sustainability in the region, but allows Perkins to free up funds to better serve the children, youth, adults and families who seek our services each year. Additionally, over 70 residents, small businesses and nonprofits have subscribed through Nexamp's Solarize My Bill community solar program and will benefit from utility cost savings generated by the solar array. Between the community solar subscribers and Perkins, the Sampson Road solar array is expected to save ratepayers millions throughout the projects lifetime. The Sampson Road solar project will produce enough electricity equivalent to offset 5,164,000 pounds of carbon dioxide or 553 cars off the road annually. These community solar projects continue to demonstrate the immense potential of thoughtful policy in the Commonwealth, Nexamp CEO Zaid Ashai said. In helping Massachusetts meet its clean energy goals, were also able to directly assist local ratepayers and providers of critical community services, like Perkins. Its a model were discussing with policymakers across the country, and Massachusetts has an opportunity to continue to lead the way. With nearly 100 employees, Nexamp continues to expand and fuel the local clean energy transition through a commitment to the escalating community solar market in the Bay State. By the end of 2018, the company is slated to serve thousands of Massachusetts households, small businesses, and non-profits across nearly 30 community solar projects. As it awaits the implementation of the long-anticipated Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program, the company continues to expand operations in several new community solar markets, including New York, Illinois, and Maryland. About Nexamp Nexamp is leading the transformation to the new energy economy with proven solutions for the deployment and operation of solar energy assets. Our comprehensive capabilities span the entire solar project lifecycle from project development, design and construction, through financing, operations and maintenance. Our integrated, best-in class solutions make solar energy simple and profitable for our clients and partners, and make an impact every day. With a rapidly expanding network of property owners, businesses, communities and residents benefitting from our growing portfolio of solar assets across the US, Nexamp and our partners are laying the groundwork for a cleaner, more secure energy future. For more information, please visit www.Nexamp.com. About Perkins Perkins is a multi-faceted human service agency providing a variety of innovative special educational, vocational, and community-based services. Perkins mission is to promote meaningful well-being for children, youth and adults facing learning, developmental, or mental health challenges. For more information please visit Perkins website, www.Perkinsprograms.org. For Media Inquiries: Emma Lasch nexamp@matternow.com 617-874-5069 - Planting 24,640 industrial hemp clones in 3 strains - The partners retained a local consultant to assist in overseeing the test - Executed documents and a picture of the seedlings has been posted to OTCMarkets.com COCONUT CREEK, Fla., June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Via OTC PR Wire -- Bahamas Development Corporation (OTCPINK:BDCI) subsidiary company Global Consortium, Inc., dba Cannabis Consortium has partnered with Green Matter Holdings, LLC and moved forward with the 15-acre industrial hemp farm test. The partners have hired a local company to supply the farmer with 24,640 industrial hemp clones at the cost of $5.00 per clone in 3 different strains to be planted on the test site. The farmer is responsible for planting, caring and harvesting the crops. The partners will pay the farmer a total of $100,000 in between the time of the execution of the agreement and harvesting the crops. The local company has been retained as a consultant to supply the clones and help oversee the planting, growing, and harvesting of the industrial hemp. The partners will share the expenses 50/50 associated with the planting, irrigation, weed control, drip line, mulch system, filters, mainline, mulch plastic components, clones, fertilizer and the harvesting expense of the industrial hemp. The farmer estimates two crop grows annually. If the initial test is proven, the next step is to plant up to 600 acres of hemp. Originally we were led to believe there were as many as 800 acres available to plant. The actual total available acreage after the test is 600 acres. If all 600 acres are planted, the estimated gross revenue expected to accrue annually is $120,000,000 minus $20,000,000 in operating expenses, resulting in a net of $100,000,000. Bahamas Development Corporation, in compliance with SEC regulations, may in the future use social media outlets like Facebook or Twitter and its own website to announce key information in compliance with Reg FD. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in Section 27(a) of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, estimates of services and equipment markets, release of corporate apps, growth of platform, target markets, product releases, product demand and, business strategy. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects and development stage companies. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also consider that any investment in securities is at risk. Details of the Company's business, finances, appointments and agreements can be found as part of the Company's continuous public disclosure on otcmarkets.com. For additional information about this release please contact: Investor Relations: English French German Creation of two new companies: Business Solutions Italia & Business Remote Solutions Italia A partnership completed by a 30m contract over 5 years. SOLUTIONS 30 Italia, leader in Solutions for New Technologies and Smart Devices, achieves today a strategic agreement with DXC Technology Italia, a service-sector company born from the merger of CSC and the Enterprise Services business of Hewlett-Packard, to provide local services for digital solutions. The company will offer higher added-value services and have access to cutting-edge solutions, iron-clad processes and use economies of scale hanks to the synergies between the two groups. And through this accomplishment, SOLUTIONS 30 consolidates its position in Italy. DXC Technology (DXC: NYSE) is a top-tier IT international group: its mission is to support innovation. Created by the merger between CSC and the Enterprise Services business of Hewlett-Packard, the Group is 6000 clients' strong in 70 countries. With its know-how, its teams and an extensive partner network, DXC offers a broad portfolio of services and next-generation IT solutions. The integration of DXC activities consolidates SOLUTIONS 30's position in Italy, as a business partner for IT services at a local level. SOLUTIONS 30 strengthens its teams with technical experts with a recognized background in a rich diversity of support activities. This team will be a significant growth driver for the Group. The two business units joining forces with SOLUTIONS 30 are specialized in counseling and support activities for a large panel of clients, with a solid expertise in services centers ("service desk"). "As part of this agreement, SOLUTIONS 30 signed a 30m contract over five years with DXC to manage activities for Key Accounts. These clients will be in the care of the Group's two new subsidiaries, Business Solutions Italia and Business Remote Solutions Italia, explains Ruggero Fortis, General Manager for Solutions 30 Italy. With this operation, SOLUTIONS 30 continues to replicate the French model at an international scale and reinforces its presence at the side of leading companies, to accompany their outsourcing and digital transformation operations." Going forward with its offensive but selective acquisition strategy, the SOLUTIONS 30 Group intends to continue to strengthen its position as a European leader and constantly seek opportunities for external growth in all the countries in which it operates. About SOLUTIONS 30 The SOLUTIONS 30 Group is Europe's leading provider of Solutions for New Technologies. Its mission is to grant individuals and businesses alike access to technological changes that transform our daily lives: computers and the Internet in the past, today's digital changes, and future technology that will make the world ever more connected in real time. Since its founding, the Group has handled more than 10 million service calls by drawing on a network of 6,000 regional technicians. SOLUTIONS 30 currently covers the whole of France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain. SOLUTIONS 30 S.E.'s capital comprises 24,179,812 shares, with an identical number of theoretical and exercisable voting rights. Solutions 30 S.E. is listed on the Alternext market (ISIN FR0013188844 - code ALS30), eligible for the PEA-PME share savings plan, and on the Frankfurt stock exchange on the Xetra electronic system (ISIN FR0013188844 - code 30L2) Indexes: MSCI Europe Small Cap | Tech40 | CAC PME For more information, go to: www.solutions30.com Contacts - Solutions 30 English French MONTREAL, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WSP Global Inc. (TSX:WSP) (WSP or the Corporation), today announced that Hugo Blasutta, President and Chief Executive Officer of WSP in Canada, will leave the Corporation at the end of the year. The search process to identify a successor will begin soon and the transition plan will be developed and implemented with Mr. Blasutta. Mr. Blasutta has served as President and CEO of WSP in Canada since June 2016. Prior to this, he served as President and CEO of MMM Group Limited, acquired by WSP in October 2015. I would like to thank Hugo for his dedication to the Corporation and wish him success in his future endeavors. Under his tenure, we made progress on many fronts and improved our business performance, said Alexandre LHeureux, President and CEO of WSP. ABOUT WSP As one of the world's leading professional services firms, WSP provides technical expertise and strategic advice to clients in the Transportation & Infrastructure, Property & Buildings, Environment, Industry, Resources (including Mining and Oil & Gas) and Power & Energy sectors. We also offer highly specialized services in project delivery and strategic consulting. Our experts include engineers, advisors, technicians, scientists, architects, planners, surveyors and environmental specialists, as well as other design, program and construction management professionals. With approximately 43,000 talented people in 550 offices across 40 countries, we are uniquely positioned to deliver successful and sustainable projects, wherever our clients need us. www.wsp.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain information regarding WSP contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although WSP believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and may be based on assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. WSP's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The complete version of the cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements as well as a description of the relevant assumptions and risk factors likely to affect WSP's actual or projected results are included in the Managements Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2017, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and WSP does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless expressly required by applicable securities laws. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Isabelle Adjahi Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications WSP Global Inc. Tel: (438) 843-7548 isabelle.adjahi@wsp.com Wed, 10/20 (12pm ET): 4 Things Booth Interviewers Trying to Know in Your Interview | Booth Interview Tips VANCOUVER, British Columbia and PERTH, Australia, June 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- South32 Limited (ASX:S32) (JSE:S32) (LSE:S32) (ADR:SOUHY) (South32) and Arizona Mining Inc. (TSX:AZ) (Arizona Mining) announced today that they have entered into an agreement for South32 to acquire the remaining 83 per cent of issued and outstanding shares of Arizona Mining via a plan of arrangement, representing a fully funded, all cash offer of US$1.3 billion1 (C$1.8 billion). The offer price of C$6.20 per share represents a 50 per cent premium to the closing price on 15 June and implies a total equity value for Arizona Mining of US$1.6 billion1 (C$2.1 billion). Directors and officers of Arizona Mining, who own 34 per cent of the common shares on issue, have entered into voting support agreements and the directors of Arizona Mining entitled to vote, have unanimously recommended to their shareholders that they vote in favour of the transaction. Arizona Mining is the owner of the Hermosa Project, containing the high grade base metals Taylor deposit, the Central zinc, manganese and silver oxide resource and an extensive, highly prospective land package with potential for discovery of polymetallic and copper mineralisation. The Taylor deposit is a greenfield development project that has a reported resource of 101 million short tons2,[3] (Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources) at 10.4% zinc equivalent grade and is open at depth and laterally. The project is located close to key infrastructure in an attractive mining jurisdiction. A Preliminary Economic Assessment completed by Arizona Mining in January 2018 indicated that this low cost, long life project has the potential to deliver a very high Internal Rate of Return on investment2. South32 Chief Executive Officer, Graham Kerr said: Our all cash offer for Arizona Mining will allow us to optimise the design and development of one of the most exciting base metal projects in the industry. We have been a major shareholder in Arizona Mining since May 2017 and an active participant in the Hermosa Project with representation on the operations committee and a nominee on the board of directors. Our deep understanding of this high grade resource and surrounding tenement package, and extensive experience at Cannington, makes us the natural owner of this project and ensures we are well positioned to bring it to development, delivering significant value to our shareholders. Arizona Mining founder and Executive Chairman, Richard Warke said: South32s all cash offer of C$6.20 per share represents a premium reflective of the truly world class nature of the Hermosa Project and allows shareholders to realise immediate value. In addition, the transaction is not contingent on financing, which significantly reduces transaction risk. Our board of directors and a special committee of three independent members from the board of directors evaluated this offer and determined that it represented the best outcome for all shareholders. Importantly, South32 knows the asset well and understands the significance of the strong relationships that we have built in Arizona with all of our stakeholders. I wish South32 all the best in developing Hermosa and the Taylor deposit. Terms of the Transaction4 The Transaction will be effected by way of a statutory plan of arrangement pursuant to the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (BCBCA) and will require the approval of: at least 66.67 per cent of votes cast by Arizona Mining shareholders at a shareholder meeting expected to take place in the September 2018 quarter. South32 is eligible to vote its existing 53.2 million common shares in Arizona Mining, equivalent to 17 per cent of the common shares outstanding, in favour of the Transaction; and a simple majority of the votes cast by Arizona Mining shareholders, excluding South32 and any other persons required to be excluded in accordance with Multilateral Instrument 61-101 of the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. No vote will be required by South32 shareholders in connection with the Transaction. As part of the Transaction, South32 will either acquire or cancel the outstanding options and warrants in Arizona Mining. The holders of options and warrants that are in-the-money will receive cash consideration equal to the purchase price less the exercise price of each Arizona Mining option or warrant. South32 has also entered into an arrangement designed to manage foreign exchange rate exposure associated with the Transaction. The Arrangement Agreement includes customary deal protection provisions including a non-solicitation clause, notification rights and a right to match in the event of a superior proposal, as well as a C$67 million termination fee payable by Arizona Mining to South32 under certain circumstances. In addition to a positive shareholder vote, the Transaction remains subject to a limited number of conditions, a full list of which is set out in the Arrangement Agreement, including: receipt of interim and final court orders pursuant to the statutory arrangement provisions of the BCBCA; no material adverse effect concerning Arizona Mining; and other customary conditions for a transaction of this nature. The Transaction is not subject to any regulatory approvals. Subject to the conditions precedent being met, the Transaction is expected to close in the September 2018 quarter. South32 has retained Goldman Sachs as lead financial adviser, Canaccord Genuity as financial adviser, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP as Canadian legal adviser and Perkins Coie as US legal adviser, in relation to the Transaction. Arizona Mining has retained Scotiabank as lead financial adviser, Maxit Capital as financial adviser to the special committee and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg as legal adviser, in relation to the Transaction. Board Recommendation and Voting Support Agreements The Arrangement Agreement has been unanimously approved by the directors of Arizona Mining entitled to vote who have recommended that Arizona Mining shareholders vote in favour of the Transaction. Scotiabank has provided an opinion to the Arizona Mining board of directors and Maxit Capital has provided an opinion to the Arizona Mining special committee stating that, and based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations, and qualifications set forth therein, the consideration offered pursuant to the Transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Arizona Mining shareholders, excluding South32. South32 has entered into voting support agreements with all directors and senior officers of Arizona Mining who hold common shares, including the founder and Executive Chairman, pursuant to which these shareholders agree to vote in favour of the Transaction subject to the terms and conditions of such agreements. This group of shareholders collectively represents 34 per cent of Arizona Minings outstanding common shares. Arizona Mining interim financing In connection with the Transaction, South32 will provide Arizona Mining with a C$70 million working capital facility at commercial rates (the Facility). The Facility comprises an initial tranche of C$40 million available following signing and subsequent tranches up to a total of C$30 million, subject to South32s consent. The Facility is being provided for agreed upon working capital and capital expenditure purposes based on the most recent operational budget for the Hermosa Project. In certain circumstances the Facility can be repaid in Arizona Mining shares at South32s election, but only to the extent South32s ownership of Arizona Mining does not exceed 19.9 per cent. Conference call South32 will hold a conference call at 7:30am Australian Western Standard Time on 18 June 2018 to discuss the Transaction, the details of which are as follows: Conference ID: 538881 Australia: 1 800 558 698 South Africa: 0800 999 976 United States: (855) 881 1339 Singapore: 800 101 2785 United Kingdom: 0800 051 8245 International: +612 9007 3187 About South32 South32 is a globally diversified mining and metals company with high quality operations in Australia, Southern Africa and South America. Our purpose is to make a difference by developing natural resources, improving peoples lives now and for generations to come. We are trusted by our owners and partners to realise the potential of their resources. We have a simple strategy to maximise the potential of our assets and shareholder returns by optimising our existing operations, unlocking their potential and identifying new opportunities to compete for capital. About Arizona Mining Arizona Mining is a mineral exploration and development company focused on the exploration and development of its 100 per cent owned zinc-lead-silver Hermosa Project located in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. Hermosa has 554 acres of private, patented mining claims and district exploration potential within 20,500 acres of unpatented mining claims. It comprises two deposits, the flagship Taylor deposit, a zinc-lead-silver sulphide and the Central deposit, a zinc-manganese-silver manto oxide. Further information JSE Sponsor: UBS South Africa (Pty) Ltd 18 June 2018 SOUTH32 INVESTOR RELATIONS Alex Volante T +61 403 328 408 M +44 7468 353 005 E Alex.Volante@south32.net Tom Gallop T +61 8 9324 9030 M +61 439 353 948 E Tom.Gallop@south32.net SOUTH32 MEDIA RELATIONS James Clothier T +61 8 9324 9697 M +61 413 391 031 E James.Clothier@south32.net Jenny White T +44 20 7798 1773 M +44 798 388 7467 E Jenny.White@south32.net ARIZONA MINING INVESTOR RELATIONS & CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Susan Muir T +1 416 366 5678 x 202 E smuir@arizonamining.com Jerrold Annett T +1 416 366 5678 x 207 E jannett@arizonamining.com This announcement contains inside information. Further information regarding the Transaction can be found in the Arrangement Agreement and will also be included in an information circular, which is expected to be filed and mailed to Arizona Mining shareholders in July 2018. These key documents will also be available online at www.arizonamining.com and www.sedar.com. Further information on South32 can be found at www.south32.net. Forward-looking statements This release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements about currency exchange rates, commodity prices, production forecasts, plans, development decisions, exploration and capital expenditure. These forward-looking statements reflect expectations at the date of this release; however, they are not guarantees or predictions of future performance. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, and which may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements contained in this release. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable laws or regulations, neither South32 Limited nor Arizona Mining Inc. undertakes to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or future events. Mineral Resources clarifying statements The estimates of Mineral Resources for the Hermosa Project (Arizona Mining) are foreign estimates under the ASX Listing Rules reported in accordance with the National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) and filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) on 16 January 2018. In accordance with National Instrument 43-101, Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of mineral resources will be converted to Mineral Reserves. Inferred Mineral Resources are based on limited drilling which suggests the greatest uncertainty for a resource estimate and that geological continuity is only implied. Additional drilling will be required to verify geological and mineralisation continuity and there is no certainty that all of the Inferred Resources will be converted to Measured and Indicated Resources. Quantity and grades are estimates and are rounded to reflect the fact that the resource estimate is an approximation. The categories of Mineral Resource classification used are in accordance with NI 43-101. NI 43-101 is a qualifying foreign estimate (Chapter 19, ASX Listing Rules) and has similar categories of resource classification as the JORC Code (Appendix 5A, ASX Listing Rules). South32 considers these estimates to be both relevant and material to South32 given that this project has the potential to be a material project to South32. Reliability of estimate: South32 has experience of managing similar operations to the Hermosa Project. South32s key technical and operational personnel conducted site visits as part of the due diligence process. Arizona Mining provided information used to estimate Mineral Resources to South32 for review. The estimates of Mineral Resources were reported in compliance with NI 43-101 using independent consultants, AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd (AMC). The Qualified Person (as required by Canadian securities regulatory authorities) for the Mineral Resource estimate was Dinara Nussipakynova, P.Geo, an employee of AMC. The basis for the estimate as provided to South32 consists of a geological database incorporating geology, analytical results and surface topography. Mining and processing recoveries are based on the PEA completed by Arizona Mining for the Hermosa Project (Taylor and Central Deposit). The PEA dated 16 January 2018 is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). South32 believes that the information provided is the most recent publicly available. Following completion of the transaction it is South32s intention to conduct a work program to increase confidence in the resource to ensure that resources are reported in accordance with the JORC Code. The work program will include additional exploration by means of drilling and is anticipated to be completed within three years and will be funded using internal cash reserves. Cautionary statement: The estimates of Mineral Resources for the Hermosa Project (Arizona Mining) are foreign estimates under the ASX Listing Rules and are not reported in accordance with the JORC Code. Competent persons have not done sufficient work to classify the foreign estimates as Mineral Resources in accordance with the JORC Code. It is uncertain, that following evaluation and further exploration, the foreign estimates will be able to be reported as Mineral Resources in accordance with the JORC code. Competent persons statement In accordance with ASX listing rule 5.12, Matthew Readford, a Competent Person, employee of South32 and Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, confirms the information in this market announcement that relates to the Hermosa Project NI 43-101 foreign estimate filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) on 16 January 2018 is an accurate representation of the available data and studies for Hermosa Project provided to South32 by Arizona Mining. Matthew Readford has sufficient relevant experience for the type of deposit and method of extraction to qualify as a competent person in accordance with the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (The JORC Code). Mr Readford consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on their information in the form and context in which it appears. 1 Based on a CAD/USD exchange rate of 0.7574 as of 15 June 2018. 2 The information in this announcement that relates to the Mineral Resource estimates and the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) of Hermosa Project (Taylor and Central Deposit) is based on the National instrument 43-101 Technical Report dated 16 January 2018 and filed by Arizona Mining on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 as required by Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Quantities are stated in short tons. Commodity weights of measure are in ounces per short ton (oz/ton) or percent (%) unless stated otherwise. See also Mineral Resources clarifying statements in this market announcement. 3 The estimates of the Taylor sulphide Mineral Resources contain 15.2 million tons of Measured Mineral Resource (4.0% Zn, 4.0% Pb & 1.6 g/t Ag) and 85.8 million tons of Indicated Mineral Resource (4.2% Zn, 4.0% Pb & 2.2 g/t Ag). The % Zinc equivalent calculation including assumptions are available in the PEA of Hermosa Project (Taylor and Central Deposit) dated 16 January 2018, filed by Arizona Mining on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). 4 Capitalised terms have meanings defined in the Arrangement Agreement. Depends on your needs, but I am generally satisfied with what I've seen so far. I am a student in San Francisco campus, and this is truly outstanding place to live and study. Since I am into tech entrepreneurship (startups etc..) this is probably the best place to be. Some impressions about first two months are:- It is much different experience than the one I had back in Europe.- School is highly innovative in terms of education, we all got iPads and their use in everyday work is more than embraced- Faculty is generally nice, and most of professors are kind and ready to help you. I am currently working with one, and they are more than happy to write a recommendation for you (of course if you prove yourself)- Studying with the students from 98 different countries is amazing, you don't get a chance to work in such a diverse environment every day.Back to these comments up there:Hult doesn't claim it is the best school out there, but it offers a lot. Especially if you want to experience studying in two or three different countries in one year. I think that MBA is generally in crisis, not just at Hult, there is less and less students because of the global economic crisis. This means that a selection process is not so strict and that's why these things happen. Ask people from other schools as well.To sum up, I really enjoyed these two months and never regretted the decision to come here. It is a huge change in my life, and the fact that you have a business contacts everywhere in the world could be a huge game changer in such a competitive job market. Anyways, if you have any other questions I am on your service Profile evaluation request. impact of entrepreneurial exp. and weight. [ #permalink EDUCATION: 10th class: 87.69% 12th class: 88.40% Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering, 2016 Pass out. L.D College of Engineering, Ahmedabad, Gujarat with 68.85% PGDM Financial Management,(1 year evening course) B K School Of Business Management, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (Result Pending) GMAT: Date: 19th may 2018 Verbal: 31 / 62 percentile Quantitative: 50 / 86 percentile Total: 690 / 86 percentile IR: 7/8 AWA: 4/6 EXPERIENCE: A V Global Enterprise Managing Partner March 2017 Present Dealing with brokers in agriculture market. Obtaining tenders and orders from reverse auctions. Delivery and supply of Cattle feed raw material to Indias largest dairy Amul and other private institutions Turnover of nearly 6 crores in orders and supplies and 2000 MT of successful deliveries. ADANI POWER LIMITED, Ahmedabad Graduate Engineer Trainee June 2016 August 2016 Conducted procurement process Executed full process of purchasing from purchase requisition to issue a purchase order. Analyzed vendor selection and evaluation process. Negotiated commercial terms like taxes and bank guarantees. Ventured into food business by taking franchise of a well-known pizza joint. Sold my stake after 3 months with profit. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES/ CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT: An active member of Yuva unstoppable NGO from sept. 13 till sept. 15. Led a team for registration and data management GTU TECHFEST 14 , GTU TECHFEST 15. In GTU TECHFEST 2014 we successfully managed 10,000 entries from all over the Gujarat state. Organized and volunteered in spandan 12, spandan 13 and spandan 14 cultural festival of LDCE. In which we organized a concert of Benny Dayal and Anushka Manchanda in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Served as a campus ambassador of Gujarat region in IIT KGP Ecell.in which we organized seminar to create awareness of entrepreneurship and did marketing of empressario competition. Played state level Badminton tournament on behalf of banaskantha district. Have been the part of scout and guide in primary school and have been actively participating in trekking, hiking and other activities with different groups as well as solo. Have done introductory courses on Spanish (1-month beginners course), import and export course and accounting & finance course in 2016-17. Profile evaluation request. impact of entrepreneurial exp. and weight. [ #permalink EDUCATION: 10th class: 87.69% 12th class: 88.40% Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering, 2016 Pass out. L.D College of Engineering, Ahmedabad, Gujarat with 7.38/10 CGPA PGDM Financial Management,(1 year evening course) B K School Of Business Management, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (Result Pending) GMAT: Date: 19th may 2018 Verbal: 31 / 62 percentile Quantitative: 50 / 86 percentile Total: 690 / 86 percentile IR: 7/8 AWA: 4/6 EXPERIENCE: A V Global Enterprise Managing Partner March 2017 Present Dealing with brokers in agriculture market. Obtaining tenders and orders from reverse auctions. Delivery and supply of Cattle feed raw material to Indias largest dairy Amul and other private institutions Turnover of nearly 6 crores in orders and supplies and 2000 MT of successful deliveries. ADANI POWER LIMITED, Ahmedabad Graduate Engineer Trainee June 2016 August 2016 Conducted procurement process Executed full process of purchasing from purchase requisition to issue a purchase order. Analyzed vendor selection and evaluation process. Negotiated commercial terms like taxes and bank guarantees. Ventured into food business by taking franchise of a well-known pizza joint. Sold my stake after 3 months with profit. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES/ CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT: An active member of Yuva unstoppable NGO from sept. 13 till sept. 15. Led a team for registration and data management GTU TECHFEST 14 , GTU TECHFEST 15. In GTU TECHFEST 2014 we successfully managed 10,000 entries from all over the Gujarat state. Organized and volunteered in spandan 12, spandan 13 and spandan 14 cultural festival of LDCE. In which we organized a concert of Benny Dayal and Anushka Manchanda in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Served as a campus ambassador of Gujarat region in IIT KGP Ecell.in which we organized seminar to create awareness of entrepreneurship and did marketing of empressario competition. Played state level Badminton tournament on behalf of banaskantha district. Have been the part of scout and guide in primary school and have been actively participating in trekking, hiking and other activities with different groups as well as solo. Have done introductory courses on Spanish (1-month beginners course), import and export course and accounting & finance course in 2016-17. Official Explanation 1. It can be inferred from the passage that members of the classical realist school would be LEAST likely to support Explanation This is an inference question. Because the entire passage details the classical realist school of thought, your best bet is to start with the answers. Look at each answer choice and see if you can find support for it in the passage. Because this question asks you to find the choice realists would LEAST likely support, the answers with supporting evidence are the wrong answers. Choices A and D are supported by the passage because the second paragraph states that classical realists believe that every nation must take care of its own security needs and that war is a constant threat. Choice C is supported because the fourth power discusses the formulation of a national interest. Choice E is okay as well because the second paragraph states that alliances are one way nations can address their security concerns. That leaves choice B as the correct answer. The third paragraph states that realists do not believe wars can be attributed to flawed sociopolitical systems, so trying to increase security by sending humanitarian aid would probably not be supported by classical realists. Answer: B 2. Which of the following, if true, would best support the classical realist theory of international conflict as it is described in the passage? Explanation This is an apply information question. In order to answer it, you must first go to the passage to understand the theory of conflict. This information is found in the second paragraph: In the absence of any prevailing global authority, each nation is required to address its own security needs. Next, you have to figure out which choice best supports this view. Choice A doesnt do much.The classical realist school isnt concerned with the actions of dictators. Choice B seems to hurt the theory. It states that there is a prevailing global authority and yet conflict continues. Choice C just states that war is a persistent problem, but it doesnt address the causes of it, so this choice doesnt necessarily support the theory. Choice D does support the theory because it shows that the presence of a global authority reduces war. Remember, the realist view argued that the lack of a global authority led to war, so the presence of a global authority should reduce war. That is what choice D states. Choice E doesnt address the causes of war or the presence of a global authority. Answer: D 3. According to the passage, the formation of a national interest serves what function in the classical realist theory of war and peace? Explanation This is a supporting idea question. Go back to the part of the passage that discusses national interest. The answer to this question is in the fourth paragraph, where the author states Because classical realists see international relations as a continuing struggle for dominance, the nation can not be viewed as a collection of individuals with disparate wants, goals, and ideologies.The realist view requires the formulation of a national interest Thus, in order for the theory to work, there must be the idea of a national interest. This is what choice B states. Choices A and D are not supported. Choice C is not close enough, since there is no mention of relative importance. Choice E has a similar problem; the passage says it receives criticism, but doesnt say most. Answer: B 4. The author most likely regards the classical realist theory of international relations with Explanation This is a tone question. Some tone questions require you to consider the passage as a whole, while some ask about a specific part. This is a more general tone question. The passage describes the classical realist view and the author ends by stating that the theory has had successes in describing relations in the world.Thus, the tone must be somewhat positive. That leaves only choices D and E as possibilities. Between the two, choice D is too strong. Passages on the GMAT rarely if ever will contain glowing approval for their topics. Answer: E English German REACT assesses clazosentan for the prevention of clinical deterioration due to vasospasm-related delayed cerebral ischemia following subarachnoid hemorrhage Japanese registration program with clazosentan is on-track to deliver results by year-end Idorsia establishes Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Japan Idorsia to host an investor webcast to discuss the Phase 3 program today at 14:00hrs CEST Allschwil, Switzerland - June 18, 2018 Idorsia Ltd (SIX: IDIA) today announced that it is initiating a Phase 3 study, REACT, to investigate the efficacy and safety of clazosentan for the prevention of clinical deterioration due to vasospasm-related delayed cerebral ischemia in patients following an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. About aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral vasospasm Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a sudden life-threatening bleeding occurring in the subarachnoid space. It is caused by the rupture of an aneurysm - a weak, bulging spot on the wall of a cerebral artery. Emergency surgical repair (endovascular coiling or microsurgical clipping) is required to stop the hemorrhage. The bleeding and the release of a vasoconstrictor, endothelin, by the neighboring vascular endothelium, causes many patients to experience vasospasm (constriction of arteries in the brain). This diminishes blood flow to the brain and as a consequence, about one third of patients experience worsening of their neurological condition. Patients with thick and diffuse blot clots are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing cerebral vasospasm. Today, patients with vasospasm are typically treated with hemodynamic therapy, or more invasive neurovascular intervention such as balloon angioplasty or intra-arterial administration of vasodilators. E. Francois Aldrich, M.B., Ch.B., M. Med., F.C.S. Professor of Neurosurgery, Chief of Cerebrovascular Surgery Neurosurgery, University of Maryland commented: "It is very frustrating to see our patients survive the initial trauma of the brain hemorrhage and seemingly make a recovery, only for the vasospasm to take hold and cause significant long-term damage. Current 'rescue' therapy for cerebral vasospasm involves invasive neurovascular intervention that often needs to be repeated multiple times over the course of several days, needs to be performed by highly-trained specialists in an intensive care setting, and is itself associated with medical risks. Clazosentan may avoid or reduce this considerable ordeal for the patient, and the healthcare team." About clazosentan Several studies have built our understanding of clazosentan, an intravenous endothelin receptor antagonist, regarding its impact on preventing or reversing cerebral vasospasm. These studies suggest that clazosentan has the potential to prevent vasospasm-related delayed cerebral ischemia and to decrease the need for invasive neurovascular intervention. Martine Clozel, MD and Chief Scientific Officer, commented: "We know that endothelin plays a major role in cerebral vasospasm after aSAH. Clazosentan is an endothelin receptor antagonist which was optimized for its potential to be active in the brain and adapted to intensive care administration. Clinical studies with clazosentan have built a deep understanding of its role in preventing or reversing cerebral vasospasm. I am confident that we can now show that clazosentan can prevent vasospasm-related clinical deterioration in high risk patients." About the REACT study REACT is a prospective, multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, Phase 3 study to assess the efficacy and safety of clazosentan in preventing clinical deterioration due to vasospasm-related delayed cerebral ischemia, in adult patients with aSAH. Approximately 400 patients, regardless of whether their hemorrhage has been treated with surgical clipping or endovascular coiling are expected to be enrolled. Patients will be enrolled from 100 trial sites across 15 countries who will be randomized to either 15 mg/hr clazosentan or placebo for a treatment period of up to 14 days. The study is expected to run for around 27 months. REACT will enroll aSAH patients identified as being at high-risk of developing delayed ischemic neurological deficit because of high volume of their hemorrhage, as assessed by CT scan on hospital admission. Patients experiencing asymptomatic moderate to severe cerebral vasospasm within 14 days of securing the aneurysm may also be included. Guy Braunstein, MD and Head of Global Clinical Development, commented: "REACT builds on the learnings from previous clinical studies with clazosentan, which have served to identify the optimal treatment dose and the characteristics of the patient that are most likely to benefit from treatment. Those studies have also established an extensive safety profile with over 1'800 patients treated. Compared to current acute intra-arterial intervention that only targets vasospasm in major blood vessels, clazosentan reaches the smaller blood vessels. It therefore has a potential to an effect across the whole brain circulation." About the registration program in Japan A Phase 2 study in Japanese and Korean patients showed that 10 mg/hr clazosentan significantly reduced vasospasm, and vasospasm-related morbidity and mortality events. On that basis, a registration program was initiated with clazosentan in Japan in May 2016. Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is a significant problem in Japan with a prevalence around twice as high as in the rest of the world. The program consists of two prospective, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies to assess the efficacy and safety of clazosentan in reducing vasospasm, and vasospasm-related morbidity and mortality events in adult patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Patients are randomized to either 10 mg/hr clazosentan or placebo for up to a cumulative maximum of 15 days following the onset of aSAH. The two studies follow the same study design, with one enrolling patients whose aSAH was treated by surgical clipping and the other enrolling patients who were treated for aSAH by endovascular coiling. Both studies are close to full recruitment with 160 patients in each study and results are expected by the end of 2018. About Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Japan Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Japan was established under leadership of Dr Satoshi Tanaka in 2018 in preparation for the potential launch of Idorsia's first product, clazosentan for the prevention of cerebral vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. The organization, led by Satoshi and his professional team, also conducts clinical development of Idorsia's innovative and promising compounds for the specific needs of the Japanese Health Authority and has a central role for East Asian cross-border clinical development activities, such as in South Korea. Jean-Paul Clozel, MD and CEO, commented: "I am very pleased to announce the establishment of Idorsia Japan relatively early in the life of Idorsia. From our previous experience we recognize that Japan can be a very important contributor to both global clinical development and commercial success. Led by Dr. Satoshi Tanaka, the organization is preparing for success of the ongoing Japanese registration program with clazosentan, which has the potential to become Idorsia's first marketed product. We will then also leverage our presence in Japan to advance the global development programs with our portfolio of drugs in other indications." Notes to the editor About Dr. E. Francois Aldrich Dr. Aldrich joined the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Maryland in 1993 after six years on the faculty at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He has over 30 years neurosurgical experience where he has dedicated his career to the microsurgical treatment of a wide variety of complex neurosurgical cases in adults. He has consistently received many 'U.S. News, Top Doc' awards and is regularly included in the 'America's Best Physicians' list. Dr. Aldrich is a Professor of Neurosurgery, Vice Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, Residency Program Director and has served on the institutional review board for the last 20 years. He is the head of cerebrovascular surgery and is an expert in the surgical treatment of ruptured and unruptured cerebral aneurysms as well as other brain blood vessel abnormalities. This is also the main focus of his clinical research. He is heavily involved in the design, and execution of multiple multinational studies in the treatment vasospasm, a potentially fatal condition that follows aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. New surgical techniques are being investigated for the treatment of interventricular and intracerebral hemorrhage. He also serves has the principal investigator on many of these studies. References Macdonald R L, et al. Stroke. 2012; 43(6):1463-9. Macdonald R L, et al. The Lancet. Neurology, 2011; 10(7):618-625. Macdonald R L, et al. Stroke 2008; 39:3015-3021. Vajkoczy P, et al. Journal of Neurosurgery 2005; 103:9-17. Roux S. et al. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1997; 283:1110-1118. Investor webcast An investor conference call and webcast will be held to discuss the Global Phase 3 program, the Japanese registration program and the establishment of Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Japan. The call will start with presentations by senior management, followed by a Q&A session (live access to the speakers). Date: Monday June 18, 2018 Time: 14:00 CEST | 13:00 BST | 08:00 EDT Webcast participants should visit Idorsia's website www.idorsia.com 10-15 minutes before the webcast is due to start. Conference call participants should start calling the number below 10-15 minutes before the conference is due to start. Dial-in: CH: +41 (0)44 580 65 22 | UK: +44 203 009 2470 | US: +1 877 423 0830 PIN: 66706100# About Idorsia Idorsia Ltd is reaching out for more - We have more ideas, we see more opportunities and we want to help more patients. In order to achieve this, we will develop Idorsia into one of Europe's leading biopharmaceutical companies, with a strong scientific core. Headquartered in Switzerland - a biotech-hub of Europe - Idorsia is specialized in the discovery and development of small molecules, to transform the horizon of therapeutic options. Idorsia has a broad portfolio of innovative drugs in the pipeline, an experienced team, a fully-functional research center, and a strong balance sheet - the ideal constellation to bringing R&D efforts to business success. Idorsia was listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: IDIA) in June 2017 and has over 650 highly qualified specialists dedicated to realizing our ambitious targets. For further information please contact: Andrew C. Weiss Senior Vice President, Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Hegenheimermattweg 91, CH-4123 Allschwil +41 (0) 58 844 10 10 www.idorsia.com The above information contains certain "forward-looking statements", relating to the company's business, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "estimates", "believes", "expects", "may", "are expected to", "will", "will continue", "should", "would be", "seeks", "pending" or "anticipates" or similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Such statements include descriptions of the company's investment and research and development programs and anticipated expenditures in connection therewith, descriptions of new products expected to be introduced by the company and anticipated customer demand for such products and products in the company's existing portfolio. Such statements reflect the current views of the company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. When it comes to calf housing, we often think about whats around the animal (including pen walls and air movement), but how much consideration is given to what lies beneath the calf as bedding? This factor may be equally important, especially in cold weather. At the Dairy Calf and Heifer Associations annual conference held in Milwaukee, Wis., Ken Nordlund, emeritus professor with the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, spoke about calf housing. In particular, he focused on ventilation and research that had been done on farms by Nordlund and his colleagues. He pointed to three factors they found to be associated with a lower risk of respiratory disease in calf barns: 1. Cleaner air (lower airborne bacterial counts) 2. Depth of bedding (the ability to nest) 3. Solid panel between each calf (to avoid cross-contamination) In regard to bedding, Nordlund shared data from barns with medium to poor air quality. In those barns, among the calves that had plenty of deep straw to nestle in, the rate of respiratory disease was 25 percent. For calves that didnt have deep bedding, the respiratory disease rate rose to 55 percent. We talk a lot about ventilation, but in the winter, we can do as much with bedding as we can in clean air, Nordlund said. How do you know if you are using enough bedding? Nordlund shared a three-point scale for bedding depth. 1. If the calf is simply lying on the bedding with its hooves and hocks visible, that is a nesting score of one. 2. If a leg is partly showing, but not the hoof, that is considered a nesting score of two. 3. A nesting score of three is assigned when the lower leg cant be seen at all, explained Nordlund. That was the level of bedding connected with reduced respiratory disease in their study. To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com. (c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2018 June 4, 2018 Did Democrat New Hampshire congressman Arnim Zola deface President Donald Trump's limousine with swastikas? No, that's not true: the news was invented by a Facebook page that was set up to troll conservatives and Trump supporters into sharing fake news so the fans of the page can then laugh at them. It is not real, the story did not happen. A meme making the claim originated in a post published on June 16, 2018 by Facebook page "America's Last Line Of Defense" (archived here) which describes itself as: Nothing on this page is real. It is a collection of the satirical whimsies of liberal trolls masquerading as conservatives.... The meme carried following caption: This is New Hampshire Congressman Arnim Zola, (D). He was arrested thursday when caught by Capitol Police defacing the presidential limousine with swastikas. We were unable to identify the man in the picture but he's been used as a "lawyer meme" since at least 2017: Why do I need "Trial Lawyer?" Aren't they all the same? Not BTSLs - J. Steele Olmstead, P.A. Many folks who see billboards and Television commercials for lawyers assume they are looking at "trial lawyers." As the old saying goes: "When you assume....." To call such lawyers "trial lawyers," could not be any farther from the truth. A more accurate description for them would be "plaintiff mills." (You can create your own memes with this picture at imgflip.com here) One thing we do know for sure: Arnim Zola is not a real congressman. Arnim Zola - Wikipedia Arnim Zola is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books by Marvel Comics. He is a master of biochemistry and is an enemy of Captain America and the Avengers. He first appeared in Captain America #208 (April 1977), created by writer/artist Jack Kirby. So don't fall for this meme! CALGARY, Alberta, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NXT Energy Solutions Inc. (NXT or the "Company") (TSX:SFD) (OTC QB:NSFDF) today announced it has closed on an additional $2,200,000 of its previously announced Private Placement on June 15, 2018 and is pleased to provide an operational update. Closing of a Further $2,200,000 of the Second Tranche of the Private Placement On February 16, 2018, we announced a three-tranche private placement of 10,905,212 Units at a price of $0.924 per Unit for total gross proceeds of approximately $10,076,416 (Private Placement) to Alberta Green Ventures Limited Partnership (the "Subscriber"). Each Unit consists of one Common Share and one-third of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"), and each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of $1.20 for twelve (12) months from closing of the first tranche of the Private Placement. The first tranche of the Private Placement was completed on February 16, 2018, and the Company received approximately $4,310,500 in connection with the issuance of 4,665,043 Units. The second tranche of the Private Placement consists of 5,538,203 Units for gross proceeds of approximately $5,117,300. On May 15, 2018, the Company closed on a portion of the second tranche in the amount of $2,000,000 by issuing a further 2,164,502 Units. As a result, the Subscriber owned a total of 6,829,545 Units representing approximately 14.0% of the Companys 64,997,345 outstanding Common Shares at the time (including the Common Shares to be issued upon exercise of the Warrants) and became an Insider of the Company for securities law purposes. On May 15, 2018, the Company agreed to an extension on closing the second and third tranches of the Private Placement until June 15, 2018. Approval for the extension was received by the TSX subject to Shareholder approval for the subscription price of $0.924 per Unit, which was received at the Companys annual and special meeting of shareholders held on June 7, 2018 (the AGM). On June 15, 2018, the Company closed on a further portion of the second tranche in the amount of $2,200,000 by issuing a further 2,380,952 Units for gross proceeds of approximately $2,200,000. The Unit price of $0.924 represents a premium of approximately 7.3% to NXTs 5-day weighted average trading price immediately prior to June 15 of $0.86/share. As a result of this closing and our two prior closings announced on February 20, 2018 and May 16, 2018, NXT has closed on a total financing amount of $8,510,500 and issued a total of 9,210,497 Units to the Subscriber representing approximately 18.2% of the Companys 67,378,297 outstanding Common Shares (including the Common Shares to be issued upon exercise of the Warrants). The Subscriber has requested a further extension to July 3, 2018 to close the remaining portion of the second tranche, consisting of the issuance of 992,749 Units for gross proceeds of approximately $917,300, and the third tranche, consisting of the issuance of 701,966 Units for gross proceeds of approximately $648,616, which in aggregate will now consist of 1,694,715 Units for gross proceeds of approximately $1,565,916. The Company has agreed to the extension and has received approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange. Operational Update On June 7, 2018, the Company reconvened, in Calgary, its AGM, that was adjourned on May 16, and provided a short update to shareholders in attendance. The annual presentation to shareholders is available on our website at www.nxtenergy.com and a short trading and operations update follows. George Liszicasz, President, and CEO of NXT commented: It has been a difficult time for exploration in the oil and gas industry over the past couple of years with low oil prices and a focus on shale oil development. However, as oil prices have moved up significantly we are confident we will obtain sales for the Company given the excellent historical drilling results associated with the utilization of the SFD technology. Despite the absence of new contracts, we have achieved a number of positives steps for the Company over this period that will provide a framework for future success including: reorganized management, reduced corporate costs and overhead, a refocused business strategy, global patent protection, a strengthened balance sheet by securing substantial new funding, an enhanced marketing program and initiation of a new business line for NXT of SFD related to multi-client data acquisition and data sales beginning in the Gulf of Mexico. With a healthy balance sheet and no debt, the Company is now focused on advancing and closing several current contract discussions. We also greatly appreciate the continued support of Alberta Green Ventures in closing this further tranche of our funding and believe it is a strong indication of confidence in NXTs business plan and prospects. We especially want to thank our shareholders for the continued patience and confidence they have shown in NXT. Asia In Sri Lanka, SHINE Quests FZC (SQ) has informed us that they have made progress in financing arrangements on a contract for a larger scale infrastructure and resource development within the Mannar Basin which will include a commitment to use SFD. SQ is now focused on securing government approvals for the financing from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sri Lanka. The Company expects to provide a further update in the reporting of its second quarter financial results for 2018. In Indonesia, NXTs appointed sales representative, Generation Resource Discoveries (GRD) entered into an MOU with the Government of Aceh in February to finance and carry out a geophysical survey over an area of up to 20,000 km2 in the underexplored but proven North Sumatra basin offshore Aceh. As part of the MOU, GRD has proposed to utilize NXTs SFD survey technology for a part of a geophysical data acquisition. GRD has targeted securing of permits and funding for the geophysical survey by the end of August 2018. SFD survey contract discussions will begin thereafter. Latin America NXT has engaged in active discussions with both state-owned and privately owned oil & gas companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico on NXTs multi-client SFD survey data in the region. In June 2017, NXT acquired SFD data over approximately 8,900 km2 of offshore exploration acreage in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to creating a new potential revenue stream for the Company, our multi-client data is proprietary property of NXT and can be sold to multiple parties without NXT having to incur additional costs to collect further SFD data. NXT also believes a successful initial sale of its multi-client data in the Gulf of Mexico will support future multi-client data sales as exploration interest builds in the Gulf of Mexico region. During the first quarter NXT also engaged two new sales agents in Latin America focused in Mexico and Peru. Africa NXT has reinitiated discussions with the governments of Ghana and Nigeria regarding potential SFD surveys for offshore exploration acreage. In addition, NXT will also be presenting at the 4th Annual Upstream West Africa Summit from June 20 to June 22 in Dakar, Senegal. North America NXT has engaged in discussions with private counterparties in Canada and the USA regarding the utilization of SFD for the identification of new reservoir horizons with limited prior geophysical information in mature conventional and unconventional areas. These discussions are currently focused on heavy oil resources and other previously untapped unconventional resources. NXT also plans to employ a new contracting strategy in these discussions where the Company conducts SFD surveys incrementally on a cost-plus basis and in return for a lower upfront charge is granted other contractual benefits, such as overriding royalties over areas where the SFD surveys would be conducted. This alternative contracting approach would generate lower upfront revenue for NXT relative to our traditional fee for survey strategy, however, it would provide potential future benefits further up the value chain upon drilling success associated with discovered resources and create a win-win contracting approach. About NXT Energy Solutions Inc. NXT Energy Solutions Inc. is a Calgary-based technology company whose proprietary SFD survey system utilizes quantum-scale sensors to detect gravity field perturbations in an airborne survey method which can be used both onshore and offshore to remotely identify areas with exploration potential for traps and reservoirs. The SFD survey system enables our clients to focus their hydrocarbon exploration decisions concerning land commitments, data acquisition expenditures and prospect prioritization on areas with the greatest potential. SFD is environmentally friendly and unaffected by ground security issues or difficult terrain, and is the registered trademark of NXT Energy Solutions Inc. NXT Energy Solutions Inc. provides its clients with an effective and reliable method to reduce time, costs, and risks related to exploration. Contact Information For investor and media inquiries please contact: Mr. George Liszicasz President & CEO +1-403-206-0800 nxt_info@nxtenergy.com www.nxtenergy.com Mr. Jakub Brogowski Chief Financial Officer +1-403-206-0807 nxt_info@nxtenergy.com www.nxtenergy.com Forward-Looking Statements Certain information provided in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, the satisfaction of all required conditions (including regulatory and shareholder approvals) for completion of the Private Placement, the completion of the second and third tranches of the Private Placement, and the planned timing of the AGM. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Risk factors facing the Company are described in its most recent MD&A for the period ended March 31, 2018, which has been filed electronically by means of the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval ("SEDAR") located at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company assumes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or otherwise, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. IRIDEOS Enhances Recent Strategic Acquisitions With Purchase of Leading Italian-Based Network and Cloud Services Provider MILAN, Italy, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IRIDEOS, the new Italian ICT provider for Businesses and Public Administration, announces today the acquisition of Enter, a leader in network and cloud services based in Italy. This purchase is the most recent of IRIDEOS acquisitions as the company works to consolidate the cloud and data center market throughout Italy. "With this new acquisition, our growth path continues, focused on strengthening our assets and skills in the Italian ICT space, says Mauro Maia, CEO of IRIDEOS. A wider portfolio of services is now available for our customers, with new cloud solutions and international connectivity." As a leading ISP focused on providing global network connectivity, Enters IP backbone spans 35+ Points of Presence (PoPs) worldwide, providing a wide range of network services, including Ethernet, VPN and cloud interconnection. Enter also provides Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solutions, the first European, OpenStack-based service of its kind. This comprehensive solution provides customers with the computing, storage, network, DNS and CDN solutions they require to build an effective cloud solution. This is an exciting time for the Italian telecommunications industry as IRIDEOS works to consolidate cloud, network and data center providers throughout the region, shares Ivan Botta, CEO, Enter. We look forward to joining IRIDEOS as we work together to provide solutions that exceed customer expectations. As a result of this strategic acquisition, Enter will be part of a wider portfolio of services with a densified fiber footprint and additional colocation opportunities throughout the Italian market and will continue to deliver high-quality cloud and connectivity solutions to users around the globe. IRIDEOS purchase of Enter follows the recent acquisitions of Infracom Italia, KPNQwest Italia, MC-link and BiG TLC. As a result of these purchases, the IRIDEOS technological platform now integrates 12 data centers across Milan, Rome, Trento, and Verona, the largest Italian private Internet exchange (Avalon) and 15,000 km of proprietary optical fiber along the major highways. For more information about IRIDEOS, visit www.irideos.it/en/. To learn more about Enter, visit www.enter.it/en/ About IRIDEOS IRIDEOS is the new Italian ICT provider for Businesses and Public Administration. 80% owned by F2i SGR and 20% by the European fund Marguerite, IRIDEOS aggregates and consolidates the assets and skills of four Italian operators focused on business customers: Infracom, KPNQWest Italia, MC-link and BiG TLC. IRIDEOS solutions combine cloud, data center, optical fiber, security and managed services, leveraging a technological platform that integrates 10 data centers in Milan, Rome, Trento and Verona, the largest Italian private Internet exchange (Avalon) and a fiber-optic network of over 15,000 km along the major highways. About Enter Enter is a leading European network and cloud provider focused on providing connectivity, data center and internet solutions throughout Europe, the U.S. and Asia-Pacific. The company's IP backbone spans Europe's largest PoPs (Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Madrid, Stockholm, Brussels, Vienna, Prague and Budapest), as well as the U.S. (New York) and Far East (Hong Kong). In 2012, the company developed Enter Cloud Suite, the first European, OpenStack- based cloud IaaS service available in Milan, Frankfurt and Amsterdam, and is one of the official cloud platforms of 52 European institutions and agencies, such as the European Parliament and Court of Justice. MEDIA CONTACT: Giuseppe Sammartino External Relations IRIDEOS S.p.A. Mobile +39 335.3000.24 gsam.ext@irideos.it www.irideos.it iMiller Public Relations for Enter +1.866.307.2510 media@ente.eu 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 LAS VEGAS, NV, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freedom Leaf, Inc. (OTCQB: FRLF), a group of international vertically integrated hemp businesses focused on health, wellness, education and media products, has acquired a 430,000-square-foot greenhouse complex near Valencia, Spain for 4,100,000 ($4.75 million) 3916'46.0"N 027'31.1"W The facility is fully operational and is equipped for light deprivation to force plants to flower, which will allow it to produce up to four crops per year. Over 100,000 hemp seedlings have already been planted with more being planted everyday till the end of this month. The facility is projected to yield over 100,000 plants this first summer crop, with an approximate yield of 200-400 grams per plant. Currently, in Europe, hemp bud sells for 45 to $450 per kg based on the quality of the seed stock and strain. Clifford J. Perry, Freedom Leaf co-founder and CEO, explained: With this acquisition, Freedom Leaf intends to become the largest indoor hemp producer in Europe, where there is a booming market for CBD products. We expect to have the facility in full production by early 2019. It will replace our much smaller operation near Elche, as we have dissolved our previous arrangement with Green Market Europe by mutual agreement. Perry added, We currently have orders in excess of 3,000 kilos of European-Certified (low THC.02%), industrial hemp for flower and full spectrum oil extraction with projected sales of close to $600,0000 in November of 2018. When in full operation in 2019, with state of the art upgrades, we anticipate this facility will produce over 50,000 kilos of high-grade industrial hemp per year. When recreational cannabis is legalized, it will be easy for us to convert our production to meet that demand. The facility was formerly the largest poinsettia nursery in Europe with advanced technologies, such as: triple galvanized steel girder erection, polished concreate floors, fully EU compliant electrical, hydraulic heating and ventilation integrated control center systems; sliding bench hydroponic flood tables that maximize plant density, accelerate crop turnover and ultimately result in increased yield per square foot and economic efficiencies (costs per gram); transparent ceiling lenses that ensure optimal light penetration, shadow reduction and diffusion to support plant growth and ultimately reduce electrical consumption; formulated custom nutrient delivery systems optimized for specific strain growing in the facility at any time. With our water redundancy supply (four independent water supplies) the irrigation system reduces waste and supports plant health; tried and true HVAC system ensuring optimized climate conditions; precipitation collection for reuse within the facility and irrigation processes. and low-carbon footprint design. Freedom Leaf co-founder Richard Cowan noted: Europe is also moving rapidly toward the recognition of the medical value of full spectrum (high THC) medical cannabis (marijuana). Last week, the Parliament of the Valencian Province/State voted overwhelmingly to create a parliamentary commission to study how to legalize the cultivation and use of high-THC medical marijuana. This proposal will put pressure on the new national government in Madrid to take a more progressive stance on cannabis legalization. The European potential market for recreational cannabis is estimated to be larger than the U.S. market. Marijuana Business Daily reports, Europe could become the worlds largest legal cannabis market over the next five years if every or most of the continents roughly 50 nations introduces legislation and regulations, according to a new report. The second edition of the European Cannabis Report produced by London-based advisory group Prohibition Partners suggests that with 12% of the continents 739 million people being either irregular and intensive cannabis consumers, Europes annual: Overall marijuana market will reach 56.2 billion ($66.8 billion) Potential medical marijuana market will hit 35.7 billion ($42.8 billion) Potential recreational market value will reach 20.5 billion ($24 billion) Estimated hemp market will hit 48.9 million ($57.2 billion). About Freedom Leaf, Inc. Freedom Leaf, Inc. , The Marijuana Legalization Company, is a group of diversified, international, vertically-integrated hemp businesses concentrating on health, wellness, and education as well as cannabis media companies. Freedom Leaf Inc. is a fully-reporting and audited publicly-traded company under the symbol (OTCQB: FRLF ). Freedom Leaf Inc. has been a leading go-to resource in the cannabis, medical marijuana and industrial hemp industries since 2014, founded by professionals with over 200 years combined experience in marijuana legalization advocacy. FRLF is building a diverse portfolio of valuable businesses through strategic mergers, acquisitions, and acceleration projects across the industry. FRLFs large portfolio of acquisitions and properties includes: our recently acquired full spectrum hemp oil product line - Irie CBD ; our wholly-owned hemp extraction division - Leafceuticals, Inc. ; our exclusive health and wellness full spectrum hemp oil brand - Hempology , our just-acquired indoor hemp greenhouse in Valencia, Spain for the cultivation of Hemp; our hemp-based rolling paper company - Plants to Paper ; two of the largest Spanish-speaking cannabis web portals in the world - LaMarihuana.com and Marihuana-Medicinal.com , and of course our flagship publication - Freedom Leaf Magazine . Utilizing these mergers and acquisitions, Freedom Leaf Inc. is continually building a solid foundation for our vertically-integrated hemp company to maximize both revenue growth, and net profit, which will increase our shareholders value. Our cultivation and extraction divisions allow FRLF to grow and source our own hemp CBD, which allows dramatically lower production costs for our wholly-owned CBD product lines, thereby generating more revenue for each product sold. We formulate and manufacture the majority of our products in our own in-house formulation centers, also greatly reducing our costs and increasing revenue. In addition, our extensive domestic and international media companies ensure we can continuously direct traffic to our many ecommerce sites and nationwide retail locations. Freedom Leaf Inc. also sells licenses to use the Freedom Leaf brand in different countries and states across the globe. We have entered into three license agreements: for Spain and Portugal, for The Netherlands, and for Southern California. Freedom Leaf, Inc. does not handle, grow, sell, or dispense marijuana or related products. All of our European activities are in full compliance with relevant EU laws. Safe Harbor Statement Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as Freedom Leaf, Inc. or its management "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "foresees," "forecasts," "estimates" or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements herein that describe the Company's business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include the uncertainty regarding viability and market acceptance of the Company's products and services, changes in relationships with third parties, and other factors described in the Company's most recent periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K dated June 30, 2016 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. NEWPORT BEACH, CA, June 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DPW Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American: DPW) ("DPW" or the "Company"), a diversified holding company, announced today that the independent directors of DPW who comprise the membership of the Compensation Committee (the Committee) have completed and recommended approval of the proposed Executive Employment Agreement (the Agreement) with Milton Todd Ault, III, the Companys Chairman and CEO. The Board of Directors subsequently approved the Agreement. In 2016, before Mr. Aults arrival, DPW was on the verge of being delisted from the NYSE American due to sustained losses and a shortfall in net equity. Mr. Ault spearheaded the purchase by Philou Ventures, LLC which invested $1,500,000 to buy a significant interest in the Company and which subsequently invested another $1,250,000. During his relatively brief tenure with the Company, Mr. Ault has caused DPW to take a number of steps, including the completion of several significant strategic acquisitions, resulting in the following accomplishments: Increased market capitalization by an order of magnitude; On target to increase annual revenues six-fold; Improved DPW Holdings Stockholders Equity ("Net Equity") six-fold; Secured a $50 million purchase order from MTIX; and Saved the NYSE American Listing The Company acknowledges that these initiatives have been neither easy nor inexpensive to accomplish but were necessary to maintain the Companys eligibility for continued listing on the NYSE American and to sustain its ability to achieve its long-term objectives. Going forward, DPW expects there to be additional financings and acquisitions but that these will occur at a more measured pace. As the business grows, the Company will continue to focus on aggressive top line growth but will also recognize the need to strive for other measures of financial health including ROI, net income and positive cash flow. The vast majority of Mr. Aults future equity awards will not be earned through the mere passage of time, but only upon approval of the Agreement by the Companys stockholders and DPWs achievement of these significant financial targets: 35% year over year revenue growth; GAAP net income of 5% of revenues; and Positive cash flow Upon meeting or exceeding these targets, and if there is an increase in the net market capitalization of DPW, Mr. Ault will receive an award of common shares calculated as a percentage of that increase. Net market capitalization is defined as shares outstanding times the closing market price, minus any equity financings during the target year. See the Companys Current report on Form 8-K for a more complete description of the Agreement. As he has envisioned, Mr. Ault is transitioning the Company from a small entity operating in the power supply market to a holding company with a diverse portfolio of productive assets including cryptocurrency mining, hospitality, aerospace/defense, medical and commercial electronics development and manufacturing, high-tech original equipment manufacturing, consumer self-service financial services and small business commercial lending, with more to come. The members of the Committee have spent many months researching best practices for executive compensation, reviewing plans at similar public companies, studying independent consultants reports, conducting interviews with stockholders and holding many internal meetings, most of which Mr. Ault did not attend. The Committee firmly believes that Mr. Ault, who is already a significant stockholder by virtue of having invested considerable personal resources in the Company and who not only expects to contribute additional capital to the Company over time but devotes virtually all his time and energy to executing his strategy of long-term shareholder value creation, will have his interests completely aligned with all stockholders. The Board of Directors fully supports and agrees with the recommendation of the Committee and has therefore approved the Agreement; as a result, the Agreement is presently in full force excepting only its equity compensation provisions, which will take effect if and when approved by the Companys stockholders, which approval will be sought at the Companys next annual meeting. ABOUT DPW HOLDINGS, INC. Headquartered in Newport Beach, CA, DPW Holdings, Inc., (www.DPWHoldings.com), is a diversified holding company with a growth strategy of acquiring undervalued assets, disruptive technologies, sustainable solutions, and exciting ventures for incubation and development to their full potential for long-term growth and investor returns. DPW, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Coolisys Technologies, Inc., is dedicated to providing world-class technology-based solutions for critical applications and lifesaving services, in which innovation is the main driver. Coolisys serves the defense, aerospace, naval, homeland security, medical, telecom, datacom, and industrial markets. Its growth strategy targets core markets that are characterized by high barriers to entry and that require specialized products and services that are not likely to be commoditized. Through its portfolio companies, Coolisys develops and manufactures cutting-edge switching power products and power solutions utilizing its customized digital power management and resonant topology to achieve the highest efficiency and highest density power converters and inverters; specialized complex airborne high-frequency, radio frequency (RF), and microwave detector-log video amplifiers (DLVA); very high-frequency filters; and naval power conversion and distribution equipment. Coolisys provides its technology and services through its three primary groups: the Power Solutions Group (PSG); the Defense and Aerospace Solutions Group (DSG); and the Advanced Service Industries (ASI) Group. Coolisys manages five divisions, including Digital Power Corporation, www.DigiPwr.com, a leading provider of power electronics technology based in Northern California; Digital Power Limited dba Gresham Power Ltd., www.GreshamPower.com, a designer and manufacturer of power distribution systems primarily for Naval use based in Salisbury, UK; Microphase Corporation, www.MicroPhase.com , a designer and manufacturer of microwave electronics technology based in Shelton, CT; Power-Plus Technical Distributors, www.Power-Plus.com, a value-added distributor based in Sonora, CA; and Enertec Systems, www.Enertec.co.il, a developer and manufacturer of specialized advanced electronic systems for the defense and aerospace sectors based in Karmiel, Israel. Digital Power Lending, LLC, www.DigitalPowerLending.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, is based in Fremont, CA, and is a California private lending company operating under Financial Lenders License ##60DBO-77905 dedicated to strategically providing capital to small and middle size businesses for an equity interest in addition to loan fees and interest. Super Crypto Mining, Inc. www.SuperCryptoMining.com is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, is based in Fremont CA that leverages its engineering expertise and existing locations to create crypto currency mining facilities across the globe. Super Crypto Mining, Inc. operates the branded divisions, Super Crypto Power, www.SuperCryptoPower.com and Super Miner, www.SuperMiner.com. Excelo, LLC, www.Excelo.com, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, is a national search firm specializing in fulfilling strategic executive, professional and hi-tech placements for businesses delivering world-class services. DPW Holdings, Inc.s headquarters is located at 201 Shipyard Way, Suite E, CA 92663; www.DPWHoldings.com. For Investor inquiries: IR@DPWHoldings.com or 1-888-753-2235. News Source: Digital Power Lending, LLC Forward-Looking Statements The foregoing release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding the acquisition and the ability to consummate the acquisition. These forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as believes, plans, anticipates, projects, estimates, expects, intends, strategy, future, opportunity, may, will, should, could, potential, or similar expressions. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of them publicly in light of new information or future events. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors. More information, including potential risk factors, that could affect the Companys business and financial results are included in the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Companys Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. All filings are available at www.sec.gov and on the Companys website at www.DPWHoldings.com. ### As Donald Trump met with Kim Jong Un last week, Irans propaganda network went into overdrive to criticise Trump and reach out to Kim The Iranian Regimes official spokesperson, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, even went so far as to say: We dont know what type of person the North Korean leader is negotiating with. It is not clear that he would not cancel the agreement before returning home. Its obvious that Iran seeks to derail this summit, but why is Iran so determined to undermine the deal? After all, the Regime has frequently claimed that they are not building nuclear weapons and that they oppose them for religious grounds. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei even issued a fatwa against nuclear weapons. Its certainly strange for a Regime that is opposed to nuclear weapons to try to derail a nuclear disarmament summit. Of course, the truth is that the Iranian Regime is not opposed to nuclear weapons. There is plenty of evidence to show that the Regime has been working towards an atomic bomb, even sharing information with other rogue states like North Korea. Additionally, Khamenei has said that countries who surrender their nuclear programme are acting irrationally, citing Libyas Muammar Gaddafi as an example. Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, who is president of the International American Council, wrote: Khameneis fatwa was most likely the exploitation of religion in order to conduct a tactical and political move, while hiding Irans nuclear ambitions. In addition, Irans opposition to such a historic agreement for nuclear disarmament suggests that Tehran is against denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the advancement of peace, security and stability across the world. Furthermore, Irans strong opposition to the rapprochement between the US and North Korea is due to several other reasons. The Iranian Regime has no wish to see the Singapore summit succeed, as the mullahs have been following North Koreas nuclear model for a long time and are unwilling to give up the partnership that could help Iran obtain the bomb. After all, North Korea has been conducting nuclear tests without foreign intervention and using its nuclear programme to further its ambitions for decades now. Furthermore, they were one of the only countries that might come to Irans aid if the international community cracked down on it. This treaty means an end to that. Of course, Iranian interference wont stop the US from trying to secure a non-nuclear North Korea, but there is still the issue of how to stop Iran from interfering. Well, that would be achieved by supporting the Iranian peoples call for regime change. If the US wants to stop the mullahs, they should consider sending a delegation to the Free Iran gathering in Paris on June 30, where National Security Advisor John Bolton spoke last year. Well Ehud Schneorson said, on Sunday, that during any future conflict with Iran or Hezbollah, we should use cyber warfare to attack their energy infrastructure. He said: Energy is a major pillar of economies, and for some it is their cardiovascular system. This is true, Irans oil and gas sectors are practically the only thing that is keeping their failing economy alive and keeping their suppressive forces fighting. By targeting the energy sector, Irans enemies would basically cut the Regimes forces off at their knees, which would be more beneficial than neutralizing their weapons systems. It is also much more humane and less risky to target the energy sector, rather than the healthcare or banking systems that are routinely targeted by hackers attacking the West. It would not harm the Iranian people or have a butterfly effect on the international financial markets. If such an attack on the energy sector was carefully planned and executed, then it would allow for multiple follow up attacks to go unnoticed, thus further weakening the Regime. Stopping cyber attacks Of course, the biggest issue is preventing cyber attacks from Iran that can target the defence, healthcare, and banking systems. Some people like Yaron Rosen have advocated a cyberspace SWAT team and system of deterrence, but this would likely be a tough thing to implement. Instead, one thing that is likely to work is offering support to the Iranian people and their organised resistance forces as the fight for regime change. Regime change The mullahs do not have the military capability for an actual war, which is why they resort to using suppressive proxies, like Hezbollah and Hamas, across the Middle East as well as cyber warfare. The Regime is even scared of its own people, seeking to suppress protest and civil disobedience through all possible means. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) is dedicated to a free and democratic Iran that does not use cyber warfare against the West and strives for peace. We know that this is not possible from the mullahs they have not changed their behaviour in the past 40 years. Thats why Regime change, which will be the main topic at the NCRIs Free Iran gathering in Paris on June 30, is the only option. Lebanon and Syria havent managed to finalise this dispute, but, as with many conflicts in the region, Iran may actually be to blame. The reason is related to Hezbollahs weaponry. If Shebaa Farms status remains undetermined, then Syria and Iran can claim that UN Resolutions 1559 and 1701 (confiscating illegal arms) have not been fully implemented. There are many people working to resolve the border dispute, with Western sources in Beirut pointing out that Israel has reached out to Lebanon on multiple occasions, through the US and Russia, to solve the dispute and agree to borderlines. While the US is a long-term ally of Israel, you can see Russias more recent support in Syria, where it has worked to keep Iranian troops away from Israels border and from the Golan Heights. So Iran is now in a tough position, with the looming possibility of its Lebanese Hezbollah proxy building relations with Russia and possibly withdrawing from Syria in order to redraw the boundary lines in Lebanons favour. After all, if Lebanon does not move to resolve the border crisis, then it may be left out of any international protection. It seems likely that these agreements being reached regarding Iran in South Syria and the Lebanon-Israel border will not be separate, meaning that Irans influence in Syria and then in Lebanon will be limited. Iran will not accept this willingly and even the Hezbollah leaders have been speaking out against this. Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah recently said that only Bashar al Assad can force Hezbollah to leave Syria, after realising that its dangerous for him to withdraw troops after sacrificing so much, while even Berri said that the withdrawal of troops would not take place before the liberation of Syria. But the truth is that they dont have many options left. They can either start a war with Israel, which will spread from Syria to Lebanon and result in a loss for Iran, or start making some concessions in order to gain at least some benefits from it. Even if Iran and its allies seek not to link the southern Syria and the Israel-Lebanon border dispute issues, they are incredibly intertwined and will not be separated easily. It should be noted that the only way to remove the Iranian Regime from these regional conflicts is through regime change, led by the people. This will be a key discussion topic at the Free Iran Gathering in Paris on June 30. Dublin, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Grounding Bars Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2018 To 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The telecommunication grounding bars market was valued at US$ 880.5 Mn in 2016 and expected to reach US$ 1,231.5 Mn in 2025, growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8% from 2017 to 2025. Telecommunication grounding bars is a key component used in the overall telecommunication grounding systems across the world. The TGBs centrally connect various telecommunication systems and equipment stored in telecommunication cabinets within the telecommunication rooms. As per the American National Standard TIA-607-B created by the Telecommunications Industry Association, various metallic components such as enclosures, racks, surge protectors, ladders, routers, switches, cable trays and patch panels, among others require suitable telecommunications grounding. Owing to the regulating framework and mandates the demand for grounding bars is expected to grow continuously throughout the forecast period. A considerable investment in commercial sector coupled with economic development is prominent factors in developing countries of Asia Pacific. Rapidly developing infrastructure in developing countries and flourishing telecommunication sectors provided bright opportunities for grounding bar market to prosper. Furthermore, ever-increasing commercial construction sector coupled with rising demand for high-speed Ethernet for various business purposes, there has been a growing demand for telecommunications grounding systems across the world. However, volatile prices of copper offer a major restraint to the grounding bars market. Manufacturers find it difficult to maintain their profit margins with continuously fluctuating raw material prices. The challenge is expected to retain its impact throughout the forecast period from 2018 to 2026. Competitive Insights: Grounding bars market is quite fragment comprising of several local as well as established manufacturers. The market offers few roadblocks to new entrants as the manufacturing process for grounding bars does not require special skills or equipment. However, the new entrants are required to prepare themselves with robust business strategies before entering into the market in order to survive stiff competition. Similarly, established manufacturers also need to be on their toes with strategies such as acquisitions. For instance, in 2015, Pentair acquired Erico, a strategy which is in line with Pentair's focus to expand its presence in the commercial and industrial sectors. Brand promotion is another major strategy adopted by the companies. Recently, Harger attended the International Converting Exhibition in Orlando, USA. The company exhibited its various products including grounding products in the exhibition. Similarly, Pentair Plc, the parent company of Erico, exhibited the products of its four brands including Erico, at the Hannover Messe in Hannover, Germany. Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1 Preface 1.1 Report Description 1.2 Research Scope 1.3 Market Segmentation 1.4 Research Methodology Chapter 2 Executive Summary 2.1 Market Snapshot: Global Grounding Bars Market 2.2 Global Grounding Bars Market, By Product Type 2.3 Global Grounding Bars Market, By Geography Chapter 3 Market Dynamics 3.1 Product and Market Insights 3.1.1 Global Grounding Bars Market Value and Growth, 2015 - 2025, (US$ Mn) (Y-o-Y %) 3.2 Market Dynamics 3.2.1 Market Drivers 3.2.1.1 Revival of the Commercial Construction Industry Post Economic Recession 3.2.1.2 Increasing Network Data Usage 3.2.2 Market Challenges 3.2.2.1 Volatile Raw Material Prices 3.2.3 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Challenges 3.3 Key Trend Analysis 3.4 Attractive Investment Proposition 3.5 Competitive Landscape 3.5.1 Market Positioning of Key Telecommunication Grounding Bar Vendors 3.6 Major Strategies Adopted by the Leading Market Players 3.6.1 Acquisitions 3.6.2 Strategic Alliances 3.6.3 Brand Promotion Chapter 4 Global Grounding Bars Market, By Type 4.1 Comparative Analysis 4.2 Telecom Grounding Bars 4.3 Telecom Main Grounding Bars Chapter 5 North America Grounding Bars Market Chapter 6 Europe Grounding Bars Market Chapter 7 Asia Pacific Grounding Bars Market Chapter 8 Rest of the World (RoW) Grounding Bars Market Chapter 9 Company Profiles Erico International Corporation Storm Power Components Photon Communications & Electrical Supply, Co. Chatsworth Products, Inc. HDG Telecom Equipments Co., Ltd. Panduit Corp. Metal Gems Harger Lightning & Grounding Eaton Corporation Plc EMS Industrial & Service Company For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/pgsdk7/global_grounding?w=12 DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- J. Scott Penny, Chief Acquisitions Officer of Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO), and Craig S. Balco, Sr. and Christopher L. Fuller, the principals of C & C Risk Services, LLC, today announced that a subsidiary of Brown & Brown, Inc., has acquired substantially all of the assets of C & C Risk Services. Founded in 2013 by Craig Balco and Chris Fuller, C & C Risk Services is a managing general agent providing excess public entity insurance coverage to municipalities in Texas and Florida. The firm has annual revenues of approximately $1 million. Following the acquisition, C & C Risk Services will operate as part of Brown & Browns Wholesale Brokerage Division from its existing Texas and Florida locations. Anthony T. Strianese, President of Brown & Browns Wholesale Brokerage Division, stated, Craig and Chris bring great experience and expertise in the excess public entity insurance market. We are proud to welcome them to the Brown & Brown family and look forward to their growth in Texas, Florida, and beyond. Brown & Brown, Inc., through its subsidiaries, offers a broad range of insurance products and related services. Additionally, certain Brown & Brown subsidiaries offer a variety of risk management, third-party administration, and other services. Serving business, public entity, individual, trade and professional association clients nationwide, Brown & Brown is ranked by Business Insurance magazine as the United States sixth largest independent insurance intermediary. Brown & Browns Web address is www.bbinsurance.com. This press release may contain certain statements relating to future results which are forward-looking statements, including those associated with this acquisition. These statements are not historical facts, but instead represent only Brown & Browns current belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Brown & Browns control. It is possible that Brown & Browns actual results and financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements. Further information concerning Brown & Brown and its business, including factors that potentially could materially affect Brown & Browns financial results and condition, as well as its other achievements, is contained in Brown & Browns filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such factors include those factors relevant to Brown & Browns consummation and integration of the announced acquisition, including any matters analyzed in the due diligence process, and material adverse changes in the business and financial condition of the seller, the buyer, or both, and their respective customers. All forward-looking statements made herein are made only as of the date of this release, and Brown & Brown does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or correct any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur or of which Brown & Brown hereafter becomes aware. R. Andrew Watts Chief Financial Officer (386) 239-5770 TORONTO, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a release issued under the same headline earlier today by James E. Wagner Cultivation Corporation (TSX VENTURE:JWCA), please note that the date the LOI was signed has been added to the first paragraph. The corrected release follows: James E. Wagner Cultivation Corporation (TSX VENTURE:JWCA) ("JWC" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that on June 14, 2018, it entered into a letter of intent ("LOI") with Medipharm Labs Inc. ("MediPharm") pursuant to which the parties have agreed to negotiate a potential commercial arrangement whereby MediPharm will initiate a cannabis concentrate program for JWC that will involve JWC providing MediPharm with dried cannabis to use for the purposes of creating cannabis oil (the "Program"). Upon execution of a definitive agreement in respect of the Program and subject to the bulk transfer approval of Health Canada, JWC will ship dried cannabis to MediPharm which MediPharm will use to produce cannabis oil. The parties intend that under the Program, MediPharm may provide cannabis oil to JWC or to other licensed producers of medical cannabis at the direction of JWC. Alternatively, JWC may release the cannabis extract for use by MediPharm. The Program will be established at no capital cost to JWC; however, MediPharm will charge JWC processing fees for the cannabis oil produced, and the revenue earned on sales of cannabis oil by MediPharm will be shared between MediPharm and JWC. The parties intend that the term of the Program will be three years. This will provide JWC with a strategy for providing cannabis oil to patients. Nathan Woodworth, JWCs President and Chief Executive Officer, said: "JWC is a licensed producer of medical cannabis located in Kitchener, Ontario. By exclusively employing our proprietary aeroponic platform, GrowthStorm, we are able to grow clean and consistent medical cannabis in our state of the art facility. JWC grew from starting as a family business, founded on family values. Since our inception as a group of patients and growers under the MMAR, we have remained focused on providing the best possible patient experience. We are very excited to enter into a relationship with MediPharm, which will allow us to provide our patients with convenient, effective edible cannabis oil products. The relationship with MediPharm will facilitate and expedite our ability to obtain the necessary licence amendments which will enable us to produce and then sell extract products derived from our quality-controlled plant material. We strongly believe that this is an important option for many patients, as an alternative method of dosing and ingestion. In its relationship with MediPharm, JWC will be able to provide a line of cannabis oils which will perfectly complement the other products offered by the Company." The implementation of the Program is subject to the completion of each parties due diligence and the negotiation and execution of a definitive agreement in respect of the Program. About MediPharm Labs Inc. MediPharm is a licensed producer of medical cannabis under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. MediPharm is Canadas first Licensed Producer approved solely for cannabis oil production. MediPharm anticipates receiving its license to sell cannabis oil in fall 2018. MediPharm produces a number of cannabis concentrate products approved by Health Canada, including purified cannabinoids, sublingual drops, diluted cannabis oil, soft gel capsules, formulated vape cartridges and tabs and pills. For additional information about MediPharm, please see the companys website: www.medipharmlabs.com. About James E. Wagner Cultivation Corporation JWC is a premier cannabis business that focuses on growing its cannabis aeroponically, using cutting edge cannabis technologies and growing practices. Although many methods are used to produce cannabis under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, it is important to note that these methods will often result in a variety of different outcomes. Through its various proprietary technologies involved in all stages of the growing process, JWC prides itself on continuing to provide patients with clean, consistent medical cannabis products of high quality. For additional information about JWC, please refer to JWCs profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or the Companys website: https://www.jwcmed.com/home.html Notice regarding forward-looking statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements about JWC and its business which may include, but is not limited to, risk, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur by certain specified dates or at all and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting JWC. For example, there can be no guarantee that JWC will enter into a definitive agreement in respect of the Program, or that such definitive agreement will be negotiated on the same terms as set out in the LOI. Other risk factors include risks regarding the cannabis industry, economic factors, the equity markets generally and risks associated with growth and competition. Although JWC has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For more information about this release, please contact Nathan Woodworth, the President and Chief Executive Officer of JWC: Email: nathan@jwcmed.com Phone: (519) 594-0144 x421 NEW YORK, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Correlata, a global provider of data center analytics solutions, announced today it has been selected as a finalist for Red Herring's Top 100 North America award, a prestigious list honoring the years most promising private technology ventures from the North American business region. The Red Herring editorial team selected the most innovative companies from a pool of hundreds from across North America. The nominees are evaluated on 20 main quantitative and qualitative criterion, which include disruptive impact, market footprint, proof of concept, financial performance, technology innovation, social value, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries. This unique assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the track record and standing of a company, which allows Red Herring to see past the buzz and make the list a valuable instrument for discovering and advocating the greatest business opportunities in the industry. "This year was rewarding, beyond all expectations" said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. "There are many great companies generating really innovative and disruptive products in North America. We had a very difficult time narrowing the pool and selecting the finalists. Correlata shows great promise and therefore deserves to be among the finalists. Now were faced with the difficult task of selecting the Top 100 winners of Red Herring North America. We know that the 2018 crop will grow into some amazing companies that are sure to make an impact." Finalists for the 2018 edition of the Red Herring 100 North America award are selected based upon their technological innovation, management strength, market size, investor record, customer acquisition, and financial health. During the months leading up to the announcement, Red Herring reviewed over 1200 companies in the telecommunications, security, cloud, software, hardware, biotech, mobile and other industries that completed their submissions to qualify for the award. The finalists are invited to present their winning strategies at the Red Herring North America Forum in Marina Del Rey, June 18-20, 2018. The Top 100 winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony on the evening of June 20 at the event. ABOUT CORRELATA: Founded in 2010, with dual headquarters in New York and Israel, Correlata is delivering world-class data center solutions providing vertical and horizontal visibility between management and its facilitators. Correlata partners with leading Fortune 500 companies to include IBM and extends its value to the GSA and the European Commission SME Instrument. More information can be found at www.correlata.com and @Correlata Energy Industry Continues to Court Younger, More Diverse Workforce As workers in the energy sector reach retirement age, the need to recruit, train and hire younger, more diverse talent will increase, dramatically. Thats why the American Petroleum Institute (API), the only national trade association that represents all aspects of Americas oil and natural gas industry,according to the groups website, has increased their outreach and engagement efforts in the Black community. According to a report by IHS Global prepared for API, nearly 1.9 million direct job opportunities are projected through 2035 in the oil and natural gas and petrochemical industries and African Americans and Hispanics will account for over 80 percent of the net increase in the labor force from 2015 to 2035. ADVERTISEMENT David McGowan, the executive director of the North Carolina Petroleum Council (NCPC), said that the oil and natural gas industry absolutely sees the value in the ability of the Black Press to reach audiences that can benefit from learning more about opportunities in the energy sector; thats especially true when it comes to reaching Black families with young children. The key, McGowan said, is to empower parents and students, beginning in elementary school, with information about the importance of a rigorous education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics commonly known as STEM. Starting that conversation early with students and encouraging them to look at fields of study that would prepare them for any type of energy industry career path, whether that path is in oil and natural gas, electric utilities, wind, solar or renewablesif they have that STEM background theyre going to be better served as students and as future professionals than if they didnt have that background, McGowan said. NCPC is the division of API that represents the oil and natural gas industry in North Carolina. McGowan joined API after serving as the director of regulatory affairs for the North Carolina Association of Realtors. McGowan recently met with the North Carolina Black Press Association to discuss strategies for improving energy literacy and sharing aspects of the industry that many families in the Black community dont know exist. It was a great first step in opening, what I hope will be, an on-going dialogue and relationship, McGowan said. Thats the model that we want to employ throughout our state network, because we recognize the value in those relationships. ADVERTISEMENT API partnered with the National Newspaper Publishers Association to increase the awareness about job and business opportunities in the energy sector. The NNPA is a trade group that represents more than 200 Black-owned media companies in the United States, that reach more than 20 million readers, combined, in print and online every week. We not only have a need for a diverse workforce, but also a younger workforce, McGowan said. We need new workers to come into the industry. McGowan said that a critical component to NCPCs outreach efforts in North Carolina also includes engagement with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the state. In a partnership with the American Association of Blacks in Energy, NCPC hosted an event about opportunities in the energy sector at Winston-Salem State University. NCPC also invited HBCU students from schools like Johnson C. Smith University to attend an event focused on the oil and natural gas industry at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Were not neglecting college students, thats still an important outreach avenue for us, but weve seen, more recently, that its also important to start getting in front of these students earlier, McGowan said. We start [reaching] them at the elementary, middle and high school levels so that they are aware of the opportunities in [STEM careers] and so that theyre best prepared to take advantage of those opportunities when they get to college. Touting the creation of job and business opportunities, McGowan said that his group advocates for expanding access to offshore environments and offshore waters off the coast of North Carolina for energy exploration and production in the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier this year, The News and Observer reported that, Supporters and opponents of offshore drilling gathered in Raleigh for the states only public hearing on the Trump administrations controversial plan to open up the Atlantic coast for oil and gas exploration. While supporters of offshore drilling in North Carolina said that the oil and gas industry would create good-paying, full-time jobs to prospect and later drill for oil and natural gas, opponents argued that oil spills would be an ever-present threat to the states environment, its tourism and fishing industries, and coastal peoples way of life, The Observer reported. The Virginian-Pilot reported that, President Donald Trumps vision for dramatically expanding offshore exploration for oil and natural gas in the U.S., calls for the largest auction of offshore leases in U.S. historya total of 47 sales between2019 and 2024, compared with 11 that had been scheduled in the 2017-2022 plan ironed out under President Barack Obama. The plan also includes three lease sales in the region that include federal waters off Virginia and North Carolina, The Virginian-Pilot reported. Still, McGowan said that, based on research provided by API,more than 50,000 jobs would be created by 2035, if offshore drilling and exploration moved forward off the coast of North Carolina. McGowan continued: That could be a tremendous opportunity, not only from an employment standpoint, but also from an economic development standpoint, as well. The policy of separating children from parents illegally seeking entry at the United States border is dividing Americans. More Republicans spoke out against the policy as Democrats called for changes. In April, the administration of President Donald Trump announced a zero-tolerance policy that brings legal action in all cases of illegal entry at the U.S. border. Under the policy, U.S. federal agents separate parents, who are seeking asylum or attempting to enter the U.S. illegally, from their children. U.S. law bans detaining children with their parents because the children are not charged with a crime and the parents are. But the law was rarely enforced under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Over a six-week period ending in May, U.S. Homeland Security officials said that nearly 2,000 children had been separated from their families. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended the policy during a speech in Fort Wayne, Indiana last week. He said, Having children does not give you immunity from arrest and prosecution. Sessions added, The law requires that children who cannot be with their parents be placed within the custody of DHS [Department of Homeland Security] within 72 hours, something entirely different than the criminal justice system. Critics of the policy Some American religious leaders, however, denounced the policy. At a conference of U.S. Catholic bishops, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo said in a statement, At its core, asylum is an instrument to preserve the right to life. He added, While protecting our borders is important, we can and must do better as a government, and as a society, to find other ways to ensure that safety. Separating babies from their mothers is not the answer and is immoral." Speaking to the Christian Broadcasting Network, Reverend Franklin Graham, a long-time supporter of President Trump, called the policy disgraceful. But he blamed "politicians for the last 20, 30 years that have allowed this to escalate to the point where it is today. Over the weekend, more Republicans added their opposition to the policy. Former first lady Laura Bush voiced her opinion in The Washington Post newspaper. I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral, she said. She compared it to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Senator Susan Collins of Maine said she supports tighter border security. But the Republican senator is concerned about the child separation policy. She said, What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you. Even first lady Melania Trump, who has not entered policy debates, voiced her opinion on the emotional issue. Her spokeswoman said, 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." Is it policy or politics? Trump has blamed the Democratic Party for actions that separate children from parents when families illegally cross the border with Mexico. The president wrote on Twitter that the Democrats were responsible for the legislation. He then said that any immigration bill should provide money for a wall at the border with Mexico. He called for an end to a policy of catching and then releasing people charged with entering the country illegally. And he called for major changes to immigration laws. Adam Schiff is a Democratic member of Congress from California. On a Sunday morning news program, NBCs Meet the Press, he accused the Trump administration of using the issue to gain support for building a border wall. He said Trump was trying to force Congress to pass legislation. Kellyanne Conway is an advisor to the president. She rejected the idea that Trump is using the policy to force negotiation on immigration and the border wall. She was asked whether the president was willing to end the policy. Conway said, The president is ready to get meaningful immigration reform across the board. Trump plans to meet with House Republicans on Tuesday to discuss pending immigration legislation. Im Mario Ritter. Hai Do wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story zero-tolerance adj. to apply the rule without exceptions immunity n. to being subject to some burden or legal requirement prosecution n. facing legal action in a court of law custody n. the care or guardianship of someone allow v. to permit, to let happen escalate v. to become more intense appreciate v. to understand internment n. to be detained in a place away from others sides of the aisle expression both sides of an argument, of both political parties across the board expression in all cases pending adj. not yet decided or acted on South Korean officials are reacting carefully to the expected suspension of large U.S.-South Korea military exercises. An announcement could come this week to suspend the major joint military exercises, South Koreas Yonhap news agency reports. Those exercises usually involve troops, warplanes, ships and other military weapons from U.S. bases around the world. Yonhap said, however, that some joint training would continue. The issue is being discussed On Monday, the South Korean defense minister said the issue is still being discussed. A Defense Ministry spokesperson said, We are still discussing about it. Nothing has yet been decided, and it is still in discussion. On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that he wanted to cancel what he called the U.S.-South Korean war games. The suspension would continue while the U.S. and North Korea negotiate an end to the Norths nuclear program. The South Korean government and U.S. military officials were not told before Trumps announcement. He made the statement after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12. However, South Korean President Moon Jae-in asked for cooperation on the issue. Moon said there was a need to be flexible on possibly easing military pressure on North Korea if the denuclearization process continues. Critics say agreement lacks details Critics of the denuclearization agreement reached in Singapore between Trump and Kim say it lacks important details. They say it does not discuss the range of nuclear weapons to be included or provide a time limit or verification requirements. Critics also oppose the presidents decision to end major joint military exercises without getting any major concession in return from North Korea. Moon Chung-in is a special adviser to South Koreas president. He supports increased discussion with North Korea. He considers Trumps good relations with Kim and his decision to suspend the exercises as parts of a diplomatic plan that is getting clearer. His remarks on the possible suspension of the R.O.K. [Republic of Korea]-U.S. combined military exercises in August, I think the remarks are extremely strategic, said Moon. Moon Chung-in also said that Trumps decision was a good answer to North Korea. North Korea has said it will suspend nuclear and missile tests for seven months. It has agreed to discuss denuclearization and to close a nuclear test area. Ending the joint exercises, Moon said, puts pressure on North Korea to be reasonable as the two sides discuss the process ahead. For North Korea, this includes permitting outside inspectors into the country. It also involves agreeing to destroy all its nuclear weapons, accepting limits on ballistic missiles and other threatening weapons and destroying its weapons of mass destruction. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said strong United Nations sanctions block 90 percent of North Korean trade. He said sanctions will stay in place until the denuclearization process begins. Moon said, I think the two will reach a compromiseI believe that they will find a midway point. Many North Korea security experts do not believe Kim will completely give up his nuclear weapons. They say the weapons are important to maintaining his familys leadership of the country. Both Trump and President Moon are testing that possibility, their supporters say. South Korea has been in talks with North Korea to ease tensions along the heavily militarized border. The two sides are discussing the possibility of sending a joint team to the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia. They also are making efforts to organize reunions in August for families that have been separated since the division of Korea at the end of World War II. Im Kelly Jean Kelly. VOAs Brian Padden reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story flexible adj. ready and able to change or adapt range n. the level of degrees on a scale verification n. the process of establishing the truth concession n. the thing that is given in response to demands strategic adj. carefully designed or planned for ones own interest ballistic - adj. a long range missile sanctions n. punishment imposed on a country with regards to trade or economy LONDON, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maru Group (Maru or the Group), the technology-enabled customer insights company, today announces Maru/Blues acquisition of Tu Cuentas, a Hispanic research panel targeting Spanish speaking communities in the U.S. The addition of Tu Cuentas to Maru/Blues range of Market Research Online Communities will significantly strengthen the companys research capabilities with the Hispanic population. Founded in 2010, Tu Cuentas is a Hispanic market research panel with over 8,000 registered members in the U.S. Its proprietary online research platform targets Hispanic communities and gathers insights from both open community discussions and private Market Research Online Communities. Launched in April 2018, Maru/Blue provides its clients access to high-quality known respondents from market communities. In addition to the rich insights delivered by Maru/Blues well-established market research communities, Springboard America, Springboard America Business, Maru Voice Canada, and Maru Voice Canada Business, Tu Cuentas will provide Maru/Blues clients with new access to well-curated responses from a deeply-engaged Hispanic community. Ged Parton, CEO of Maru Group said: This is an exciting time for Maru Group. We have recently launched Maru/Blue, opened a new hub in Latin America and made a raft of senior appointments across the Group in the first half of 2018. Our acquisition of Tu Cuentas represents another strategic addition to the Group that will consolidate and enhance Marus insight capabilities within one of Americas largest communities. Rob Berger, Managing Director of Maru/Blue added: Maru/Blue is committed to providing clients with high-quality, reliable and actionable insights from a range of quality sources. The addition of Tu Cuentas well-established community to our bank of capabilities will greatly enhance our offering, adding valuable insight from the U.S. significant Hispanic population. Notes to editors: About Maru Group Maru Group (Maru or The Group) is a technology-enabled market and customer insights company, whose brands are leading the way in the provision of research, insight and advisory services powered by cutting-edge technology and innovation. The Group is quickly emerging as an exciting challenger brand, disrupting the traditional market research and insights industry. Established in 2016 by industry veteran Ged Parton, Maru uses in-depth knowledge of industry sectors and its state-of-the-art technologies to equip its clients with targeted and relevant insights at speed. These insights enable Marus clients to adapt their corporate strategy and innovate quickly to stay ahead of the competition. The Group is developing a portfolio of market-leading companies with growth characteristics, talented management teams and collaborative cultures that prize intellectual generosity. Maru is backed by Primary Capital Partners LLP, a UK-based provider of private equity finance for high potential and growth companies. For more information please visit: https://www.marugroup.net About Maru/Blue Maru/Blue is a premium quality data services firm that provides reliable global data connections for brands, agencies, and market research. We create value for our clients by connecting them with expertly profiled known respondents. The result? Reliable, reproducible insights. We deliver instant access to the general population, specific markets, and your or your competitors customers. We began disrupting the market community industry in 2000. Our market communities broke new ground, adding depth and richness to clients understanding of what motivates their customers and shapes their markets. Now, as part of the Maru Group, we continue to provide reliable global data connections for agencies, brands, and market research firms. Springboard America, and Maru Voice Canada, established more than a decade ago, are a testament to our commitment and depth of engagement. More recently we developed the Maru Voice Business Canada and Springboard America Business Forum, both an excellent source for business to business research. For more information please visit: https://www.marublue.net Local artist Season Lao is showcasing his artworks in his solo exhibition titled The Art of Silence an expression of his photography at Creative Spot, the gallerys first exhibition. Currently based in Japan, Lao showcases his artworks through photography, yet uses a series of techniques including the use of raw paper and ink painting. After the 311 Great East Japan Earthquake, he focused on publishing works in the field of contemporary art. Its a very traditional method. Its the kind of paper that [was] originally used for these artworks, the artist explained to the Times. The artist uses mulberry paper and collaborates with a paper artist to produce his artworks. Lao said he expresses himself through the artworks he makes, aiming to raise awareness of rapid globalization and the effects of consumerism. All these result in several social issues so I want to portray that there are a lot of cities that are rapidly developing because of both globalization and consumerism, said Lao. Lao is in the region for this solo exhibition and for the exhibition titled Unknown Asia, in which he curated the artworks of three Japanese artists. The artist is also set to hold a talk on Saturday at Creative Macau, to speak on exhibition projects in Japan and those concurrent with Unknown Asia Art Exchange Osaka. According to Lao, local artists are more privileged to be able to showcase their artworks in Macau due to the support of the local government. However, he noted that the city should also be promoting local artworks to areas outside of the SAR. People always say that Macau is an international city but its not like that with art. [Local artworks] should not just be in Macau, it needs to be taken to other cities too, Lao explicated. Macau government promotes a lot of artists in Macau but the problem is that they just promote them here. We have to bring our own concept and philosophy to other people and let them see our techniques, he added. Lao suggested that curators from outside the region should be invited to curate exhibitions in Macau to expand the local artists connections. He noted that Hong Kong holds several art fairs and shows in its galleries in Central, yet lamented that it is rare to see the artworks of Macau artists in the fairs. Macau is so close yet they do not know about the artists [artworks]. It is important to [internationalize] the artworks of local artists as well, Lao reiterated. Lao has 15 exhibitions this year, participating in a series of art fairs including events in Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, United States, Shanghai, Korea and Hong Kong. He is also set to hold his solo exhibition in cities including Tokyo, Fukuoka, Seoul and Milan. The Macau exhibition will remain at Creative Spot until June 22. Australia will begin negotiations with the European Union on a free-trade agreement covering a market with 500 million people and worth USD17.3 trillion, making it one of the countrys biggest potential deals. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls government will start negotiations with EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom in Brussels next month to secure better access for Australian agricultural products, Trade Minister Steve Ciobo said in an emailed statement. Trade on commodities including beef, sheep meat, sugar, cheese and rice are significantly constrained by EU tariffs. This is significant for Australian businesses. Were opening the door to theworlds largest markets and giving them a competitive advantage, Ciobo said. We will now have agreements, or negotiations underway, with all of our top 10 trading partners. The negotiations come amid a developing trade war between the U.S. and China, with President Donald Trump last week slapping duties on $50 billion of Chinese imports and drawing a swift in-kind response from Beijing. The EU is also embroiled in a difficult negotiation with the U.K. over Britains plans to leave the European bloc. In addition to reducing specific European tariffs on products including almonds, silicon and automotive parts, Australia wants to lock in access for services exporters in sectors including education, financial and professional services, Ciobo said. While countries are building barriers, we are knocking them down to createnew opportunities for Australian businesses, Ciobo said. Bloomberg Hong Kongs legislature has passed a bill that will allow Chinese authorities to enforce their own laws within a portion of the semi-autonomous territory, setting off alarm bells among those concerned about Beijings tightening grip. Independent lawmakers believe the bill governing the Hong Kong terminus of the rail link from the Chinese city of Guangzhou contravenes the Basic Law, the citys mini-constitution that was adopted after the former British colony was handed over to China in 1997. The bill passed late Thursday allows passengers to clear Chinese border checks inside Hong Kong at the end of the 26-kilometer (16-mile) high-speed rail line, which is to open in the third quarter of 2018. That will permit Chinese police to enforce mainland Chinese laws within the terminus, the first time such rights have been granted within Hong Kongs territory. The move comes as Beijing is seen as stepping up pressure on the territorys legal system and civil liberties that are supposed to be preserved until 2047, apart from legal matters related to defense, foreign affairs and national security. Hong Kong residents enjoy rights such as freedom of speech and assembly that are routinely violated on the mainland. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the legislatures offices Thursday to watch a live broadcast of the debate and the vote that followed. Tanya Chan, a member of Hong Kongs legislature, was among those opposed to the move. Obviously this co-location arrangement violates the Basic Law, as well as very common legal practices in Hong Kong, Chan said. Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association Philip Dykes said the decision set a worrisome precedent because people entering the zone could be found in violation of mainland Chinese laws they werent aware of and whisked off to detention. And the concern is, in the future, if this can be done for a railway station, it might also be done for some other reasons, some other purposes, Dykes said. AP 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 an Ecuadorian pizza shop employee 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 didnt 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 shes 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. AP Thousands of residents joined a protest criticizing the governments proposal to amend the road traffic law, which includes the surge in fines, in a rally organized on Saturday. Although the government suspended public consultation on the proposed amendment of the Road Traffic Law, the rally went on with many demonstrators chanting calls for some government officials to step down while they marched from Vasco Da Gama Square to Nam Van. According to organizers, around 3,500 participated in the march, while police figures show that there were 2,500 in attendance. The Transport Bureau (DSAT) recently proposed to double fines, with high fines issued in instances of recidivism (the tendency of offenders to reoffend). I know that the government cancelled the consultation, but people are still getting angry, said Luis Leong, from the Macau Community Development Initiative, one of the organizers of the protest, according to a TDM report. At least three groups representing different sectors handed their petition in to the office of the Chief Executive. One group was calling on the government to focus on other traffic issues including the limitation on the number of vehicles, while a taxi drivers group called for the creation of organized and legal drop-off and pickup areas. Lawmaker Jose Pereira Coutinho, who was present at the protest, slammed the government for failing to recall the march organized last year, protesting fee hikes for several DSAT-related services, which attracted some 5,000 people. The government is making this kind of wrong decision for the second time. The government has not learned its lesson and it seems that they are out of touch with peoples difficulties of living in Macau, Coutinho told the times. According to him, the suspended public consultation, which was supposed to commence on June 28, was just a performance. What is the use of consulting the people when in the governments [agenda], they have already set up and fixed that and took the decision of increasing the fines. Its just a performance consultation, the lawmaker criticized. Since the cost of living is high in the city, he remarked that traffic fees would be a burden to many, particularly due to the lack of parking spaces. According to Coutinho, authorities should have solved the regions problem of vehicle parking spaces, and suggested that government cars should not occupy reserved spaces in public parking spaces particularly in the public parking in the north area. The government should construct buildings to put all their government vehicles inside their premises and not [compete] with the public on these spaces, he said. The lawmaker told the Times that he has already submitted a public interpellation to discuss the matter and hopes that officials can explain the policies of unrestricted importation of cars. We hope that someone will be accountable for this mess, Coutinho added. LV Enrollment for the fifth module of the Global Leadership Development Program Series: International Integrated Resort Management is now open. The University of Macaus (UM) Asia-Pacific Academy of Economics and Management (APAEM) and the Faculty of Business Administration (FBA) jointly organize the event. The program will take place in Kyushu and Nagasaki, Japan, from July 21 to 23. Scholars and industry experts from Macau and Japan will give lectures and exchange ideas with the participants during the program. The three-day module will be focused on the current development of integrated resorts in Japan. Participants will have the opportunity to learn theoretical knowledge from scholars from Macau and Japan, hear industry leaders share their experience and insights, go on site visits, and take part in group discussions and cultural exchange activities. This module is specially designed for senior executives working in international integrated resorts or the gaming industry; senior government officials; as well as scholars, researchers, senior consultants, and administrative personnel in related fields. Every year, the APAEM organizes a variety of executive development programs and invites scholars and industry experts to give lectures on various topics, with the aim of nurturing more internationally competitive and socially responsible leaders for Macau and the Asia-Pacific region. The previous four modules, focused on hospitality and MICE, were held in Macau, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Singapore and Seoul (South Korea). Interested parties may submit their completed enrollment form and required documents to the APAEM by June 30. The Bai Dai Integrated Resort Project in Phu Quoc, Vietnams largest island in the southernmost province of Kien Giang, will be the first casino in the country to accept Vietnamese players. The initiative was proposed as a three-year-long trial project and carried out by the government by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the Hanoi Times reported. The proposal is expected to get the green light from the government and is said to be able to, contribute to local socio-economic development in general and for tourism development in Phu Quoc in particular, said the MPI. Approval is also expected to help refine the legal and institutional framework on casino businesses, which are considered as conditional businesses in Vietnam, subject to approval from the Prime Minister. In January Government Decree No. 03 took effect. The 3-year pilot scheme provided a legal framework for casino businesses, a bill that was seen as an effort by government to legalize casino businesses and to grant locals permission to play. Previously, only foreign passport holders were allowed to gamble in the countrys 30 casinos and electronic gaming parlors. The decree also allowed local Vietnamese citizens older than 21 and who have a regular income of at least VND10 million (MOP 3,541) per month to access and play at Vietnam-based casinos. In order to access a casino in Vietnam, locals must buy an entrance ticket costing VND1 million (MOP354) and which is valid for 24 consecutive hours, or a VND25 million (MOP 8,858) ticket valid for one month. All revenue from the tickets go to the budget of the province where the casino is located. Macau investors are involved in several casinos in Vietnam, such as the USD4 billion South Hoi An integrated casino-resort located in the central province of Quang Nam. According to the Hanoi Times, construction was started in 2016 through a collaboration with VinaCapital, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (Hong Kong) and SunCity Group (Macau). The first phase of the project is expected to be launched by early 2019. Once completed, it will be the second-largest casino in Vietnam after the Grand Ho Tram Strip resort and casino complex. Home to some of the busiest flight routes in Europe, whisking passengers across a rugged and mountainous landscape, Norways aviation industry now readies to go electric. Norway is one of Teslas biggest markets, with about 8,500 cars sold last year. Now, the country whose tourism sales pitch is Powered by Nature wants to be a pioneer in the market for electric planes. Wideroe, a local airline that operates small planes on short haul flights, sees no major technological barriers ahead and plans to launch its first commercial aircraft propelled by some form of electric power within the next 10 years. Today, we fly the smallest aircraft on the shortest routes, based on an aging technology that was developed in the 1970s, Wideroes Chief Executive Officer Stein Nilsen said in an interview. Theres been much development in the aviation sector, but not on the smallest aircraft. Monday marks the inaugural flight of an electric two-seater plane, which will take off from Oslo Airport with the countrys transport minister as a passenger. The plane, made by Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel, can fly for up to one hour. Avinor, a state-owned company that operates the countrys airports, say the short test flight will demonstrate the feasibility of pollution-free aviation. Western Europes largest exporter of oil and gas has pledged to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 40 percent by 2030. About half of all new cars sold there are electric (Germany only recently leapfrogged Norway as Europes biggest market for electric cars), and battery-powered ferry boats are also being built. The thrust to electric planes should cut emissions further, though environmentalists are skeptical. The growth in both Norwegian and international aviation is one of the big drivers of climate change, which is completely out of control, said Truls Gulowsen, head of Greenpeace in Norway. Even if theres a small chance that well be able to get some small electric aircraft in the air covering short distances, theres no indication that well be able to replace todays medium and long haul distances with electric propulsion. That message fails to resonate with Wideroe, which likens whats happening in the aviation industry to the rapid transformation currently underway in the automobile industry. Those who need to drive fossil fueled cars will still buy these cars, but (the industrys) total emissions are nevertheless coming down, Wideroes Nilsen said. We must have a similar view for the aviation industry. Norwegian Air ASA, Norways largest airline and Europes third-largest low-cost carrier, has already expanded its fleet with fuel-efficient aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 MAX. But like other major airlines has no plans to go electric until the technology matures. When electric aircraft are able to replace todays commercial machines, we will of course be interested, spokesman Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen said. Wideroe is far more ambitious. It currently operates 40 Bombardier Inc. Dash 8 turboprop planes and carries 2.8 million passengers each year. It wants to replace its entire fleet with new technology by 2030. We have reached out to manufacturers to motivate them to create an aircraft designed for Norway with a new technological platform, the CEO said. One of those manufacturers is Zunum Aero, a Boeing Co.-backed startup that plans to deliver its first hybrid-electric plane to JetSuite Inc. in 2022. The plane will have a range of 700 miles and seat up to 12 passengers. When large research and development resources move in the same direction, things tend to move fast, Stein Nilsen said. But creating an aircraft that will withstand the unapologetic weather conditions of northern Norway may pose a challenge. We dont see any technological barriers that will make this impossible to achieve, Nilsen said. Sveinung Sleire, Bloomberg 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 warrants 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 of Sony suffered a crippling hack prior to its release of The Interview, a film centered on a screwball satire of Kim. The unprecedented corporate cyberattack cost Sony more than USD100 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. AP MONTREAL, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd (the Company or Osisko) (TSX:OR) (NYSE:OR) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding term sheet to provide Falco Resources Ltd. (Falco) (TSXV:FPC) with a senior secured silver stream credit facility (Silver Stream) with reference to up to 100% of the future silver produced from the Horne 5 property (Horne 5 or the Project) located in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec from Falco. As part of the Silver Stream, Osisko will make staged upfront cash deposits to Falco of up to C$180 million and will make ongoing payments equal to 20% of the spot price of silver, to a maximum of US$6 per ounce. Today's announcement marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Osisko. The Horne 5 Silver Stream takes our Accelerator model from concept to reality, and validates the effort our team has put forward in supporting the advancement of the Project through the development and the feasibility study. With this commitment, Osisko looks forward to supporting another great mine build in Quebec, one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world, commented Sean Roosen, Chair and CEO of Osisko. Horne 5 is a development-stage project located in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. Horne 5 is located in the former Horne mine that was operated by Noranda from 1927 to 1976 and produced 11.6 million ounces of gold and 2.5 billion pounds of copper. Falco completed a feasibility study for the Project in 2017 that demonstrated positive economics, and estimated annual payable gold production of 219,000 ounces at US$399 per gold ounce over a 15 year life of mine. Falco is currently in the permitting process and working on obtaining all third-party approvals to advance project construction. Osisko is the largest shareholder of Falco and currently owns 12.7% of its issued and outstanding common shares of Falco. Concurrent to the announcement of the Silver Stream, Osisko is also announcing the purchase from Falco of a secured debenture having a principal amount of C$7,000,000 (Debenture). Benefits to Osisko The Silver Stream on Horne 5 will provide Osisko with: A significant silver streaming interest on an advanced North American project; Mid-term cash flow from Quebec, one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world; Upside potential through further resource conversion and exploration at Horne 5; and Maintains the Companys focus on low-risk jurisdictions. The Silver Stream Purchase Pursuant to a silver purchase agreement to be entered into by Osisko and Falco, Osisko will purchase up to 100% of the refined silver from the Project. Payable silver under the Silver Stream will be subject to minimum payability rates based on the product produced. As consideration for the Silver Stream, Osisko will pay to Falco staged upfront cash deposits of up to C$180 million (the Deposit) plus ongoing payments equal to 20% of the spot price of silver on the day that refined silver is delivered, to a maximum of US$6 per ounce of refined silver. The silver produced from the Project and properties within a 5 km area of interest will be subject to the Silver Stream transaction. Stream Installments: The Deposit will be paid in four installments thus earning Osisko a perpetual 90% silver stream in respect of future silver produced from the Property. The installments will be as follows: A first deposit of $25 million on closing of the Silver Stream, net of any amounts owing by Falco to Osisko; A second deposit of $20 million upon Falco receiving all necessary material third-party approvals, licenses, rights of way, and surface rights in regards to the Project; A third deposit of $35 million following receipt of all material permits required for the construction of a mine on the Project, a positive construction decision for the Project, and raising a minimum of $100 million in equity, joint venture or any other non-debt financing for the construction of the mine; and A fourth deposit of $60 million upon the total projected capital expenditure for the Project having been demonstrated to be financed. Optional Fifth Installment: Concurrently with the fourth deposit, Osisko may elect, in its sole discretion, to increase the Silver Stream to a perpetual 100% of future silver produced from the Property by making an additional fifth deposit of $40 million. The optional installment will be payable on a pro rata basis with the fourth installment. The Silver Stream will be secured by a first priority lien on the Project and all assets of Falco. Closing of the Silver Stream is anticipated to occur in September 2018 and is subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, including the finalization of definitive documents, obtaining regulatory approvals, consents from third parties and approval from a majority of the disinterested shareholders of Falco (the Disinterested Shareholder Approval). Pursuant to an agreement between Falco and Glencore Canada Corporation (Glencore), the Silver Stream is subject to a right of first refusal in favor of Glencore. Following the execution of binding term sheets between Falco and Osisko, a formal notice was sent to Glencore. Glencore shall have a period of 60 days to notify Falco in the event that it wishes to purchase the stream agreement in accordance with the terms described therein. The Debenture Osisko shall purchase from Falco a Debenture having a principal amount of C$7,000,000 (the Principal). Upon receipt of Disinterested Shareholder Approval, the Debenture shall be convertible (the Conversion) into units of Falco (the Units). There will be no interest payable at any time on the outstanding Principal of the Debenture unless Falco fails to obtain Disinterested Shareholder Approval for the Conversion, in which case interest shall accrue retroactively from the closing date of the Debenture transaction at a rate per annum that is equal to 7%, compounded quarterly. Accrued interest shall be payable upon repayment of the Principal when due, as per the terms of the Debenture. The maturity date of the Debenture shall be the earlier of (i) the date of the meeting of the Falco shareholders to be held to obtain the Disinterested Shareholder Approval and (ii) December 31st, 2018. On the date upon which Falco obtains the Disinterested Shareholder Approval from shareholders for the Conversion, the Debenture shall be converted into such number of Units of Falco that is equal to the Principal divided by a conversion price, as described below. The conversion price for the Debenture shall be the higher of (i) the 10-day volume weighted average price (VWAP) of Falcos shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) on the date of announcement of the Debenture and (ii) the 5-day VWAP of Falcos shares on the TSXV following the date hereof for which the maximum allowable discount allowed by the TSXV shall be applied (the Conversion Price). Each Unit shall consist of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant shall entitle the holder to purchase one common share of Falco, subject to customary anti-dilution clauses, at a price that represents a 30% premium to the Conversion Price for a period of thirty-six (36) months from the date the Units are issued. The closing of the Debenture is expected to occur at the end of June, 2018 and is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. The Units, if issued following receipt of the Disinterested Shareholder Approval, will be subject to a hold period of four months from the date that the Debenture is issued in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. Related Party Transactions The Silver Stream and the Debenture are considered related party transactions for Falco under Regulation 61-101 respecting Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (Regulation 61-101). Osisko understands that Falco is exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation in connection with the Silver Stream and the Debenture pursuant to the exemption in section 5.5(b) of Regulation 61-101, as the shares of the Falco are not listed on any of the specified markets. The Silver Stream and the Conversion of the Debenture are subject to receipt of the Disinterested Shareholder Approval of Falco. The Debenture is exempt from disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to section 5.7(1)(f) of Regulation 61-101, as the Debenture, at the time of closing, (i) is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into equity or voting securities of Falco or a subsidiary of the Company without Disinterested Shareholder Approval, and (ii) is on reasonable commercial terms that are not less advantageous to the Company than if the Debenture was obtained from an arm's length party. The special meeting of shareholders of Falco to obtain the Disinterested Shareholder Approval for the Silver Stream and the Conversion of the Debenture is expected to occur in September, 2018. About Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd is an intermediate precious metal royalty company focused on the Americas that commenced activities in June 2014. Osisko holds a North American focused portfolio of over 130 royalties, streams and precious metal offtakes. Osiskos portfolio is anchored by five cornerstone assets, including a 5% NSR royalty on the Canadian Malartic Mine, which is the largest gold mine in Canada. Osisko also owns a portfolio of publicly held resource companies, including a 15.5% interest in Osisko Mining Inc., a 12.7% interest in Falco Resources Ltd. and a 32.4% in Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd. Osiskos head office is located at 1100 Avenue des Canadiens-de Montreal, Suite 300, Montreal, Quebec, H3B 2S2. For further information please contact, please contact Osisko Gold Royalties: Joseph de la Plante Vice President, Corporate Development Tel. (514) 940-0670 jdelaplante@osiskogr.com Forward-looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may be deemed forwardlooking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. These forwardlooking statements, by their nature, require Osisko to make certain assumptions and necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forwardlooking statements. Forwardlooking statements are not guarantees of performance. These forwardlooking statements, may involve, but are not limited to the finalization of definitive agreements relating to the Silver Stream facility and the Debenture, the terms and conditions of the Silver Stream facility, the Debenture and the Conversion of the Debenture, the anticipated date of the shareholder meeting of Falco, the anticipated closing date of the Debenture and the Silver Stream and the amount and terms of deposit payments to be made by Osisko under the Silver Stream facility, the anticipated benefits deriving from the investment and transaction between Osisko and Falco, the receipt of third party consents and regulatory approvals. Words such as may, will, would, could, expect, believe, plan, anticipate, intend, estimate, continue, or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and the conditional, are intended to identify forwardlooking statements. Information contained in forwardlooking statements is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including the receipt of regulatory approvals, Disinterested Shareholder Approval and third party consents, and the finalization of definitive agreements relating to the Silver Stream facility and the Debenture, managements perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. Osisko considers its assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, but cautions the reader that their assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Osisko, may ultimately prove to be incorrect since they are subject to risks and uncertainties that affect Osisko and its business. For additional information with respect to these and other factors and assumptions underlying the forwardlooking statements made in this press release, see the section entitled Risk Factors in the most recent Annual Information Form of Osisko which is filed with the Canadian securities commissions and available electronically under Osiskos issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available electronically under Osiskos issuer profile on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. The forward looking information set forth herein reflects Osiskos expectations as at the date of this press release and is subject to change after such date. Osisko disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. Thailands Crown Property Bureau said its assets are now held in the name of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, clarifying how a legal change last year affects billions of dollars of holdings. The law enacted in 2017 means that Crown Property Assets are to be transferred and revert to the ownership of the king and that the bureaus investments will now be held in the name of His Majesty, the bureau said in an undated statement on its website. All shareholdings will now be held in the kings name and crown property assets will be subject to tax, a change from the bureaus exempt status, according to the statement. The full value of the bureaus real estate and other holdings isnt clear. Its stakes in Siam Commercial Bank Pcl and Siam Cement Pcl, two major listed Thai firms, are worth more than USD7 billion combined, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The registration of the kings name as a shareholder in Siam Commercial Bank and Siam Cement shows that the monarch intends to contribute to the administration of the enterprises to ensure that they will continue to thrive and prosper for the future benefits of Thailand, according to the statement. Vajiralongkorn ascended to the throne in 2016 after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He increased his control over the eight-decade-old bureau in July last year, when he was given discretion over the crowns assets. In October, the bureau transferred a 3.3 percent stake in Siam Commercial Bank, worth more than $500 million at the time, in the name of the king. In March 2018, the monarch emerged with a shareholding worth more than $100 million in Siam Cement, with the bureaus stake dropping by a similar amount. Siam Commercial Bank, established over a century ago by royal charter, is Thailands oldest homegrown lender and the nations second-largest by assets. Siam Cement was set up in 1913 following a royal decree to produce more of the building material. Its the sixth-biggest firm in Thailand by market capitalization. Sunil Jagtiani, Bloomberg Chinas response to U.S. tariffs aims to hit the Trump administration right in its natural resources. The worlds largest commodities consumer on Friday said it will levy a first round of tariffs on USD34 billion worth of U.S. agriculture products, as well as automobiles, starting July 6. Another $16 billion in goods, including coal and oil, will be subject to tariffs later. The escalating dispute sent the prices of everything from soybeans to copper lower and hit the shares of U.S. coal producers while boosting the prospects for alternative suppliers like Brazil. By focusing on agriculture and energy, the tariffs target rural communities in states that voted for Trump in 2016. Beijings announcement came less than 12 hours after the U.S. released its list of $50 billion worth of Chinese products subject to tariffs. As recently as May, the Asian nation said it would seek to buy more U.S. agricultural and energy products as part of a tentative trade truce between the two countries. AGRICULTURE Farm commodities have been a key battleground in the trade war between the worlds two biggest economies. In April, the Asian nation started levying additional taxes on American fruit, nuts, pork and wine in response to Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum. Products affected include soy, corn, wheat, rice, sorghum, beef, pork, poultry, fish, dairy products, nuts and vegetables. The list covers almost all farm products imported from the U.S., said Li Qiang, chief analyst with Shanghai JC Intelligence Co. Ltd. Given Chinas big trade surplus with the U.S., it will be more difficult and complicated for China in the future to retaliate if Washington expands the tariff to cover more products, said Li. The new list includes more agricultural produce, including dairy, alfalfa and seafood, than its initial list published in April. In 2017, Chinas agriculture imports from U.S. were worth $24.1 billion, the Peoples Daily reported on May 24, citing customs data. Thats about 19 percent of total farm imports worth $125.86 billion, according to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs data. COAL The coal tariffs strike at the heart of Trumps energy agenda. Since he was elected, the president has been trying to make good on a campaign promise to revive Americas coal industry. They also come as U.S. miners have grown increasingly dependent on foreign markets for growth. U.S. coal exports jumped by 61 percent in 2017 as shipments to Asia more than doubled. A few weeks ago, China was looking at buying more from the U.S.. While its pursuing a long-term goal of using less coal, the country still produces, consumes and imports more than any other nation. It purchased 271 million metric tons from overseas last year, according to customs data. The U.S. exported about 3.2 million short tons to China, data from the Energy Information Administration show. The total value of U.S. coal exported to China last year was about $395 million, based on an average price of $122 per ton, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. About 90 percent was metallurgical coal, which is used to make steel. CRUDE China has been a key recipient of American oil since a 40-year U.S. ban on exports was ended by then-President Barack Obama in 2015. The Asian nation is helping drive a surge in exports from the U.S. China imported 18.4 million barrels of American crude and oil products in March, making it the third-biggest customer behind Mexico and Canada. For China, the biggest importer of oil in the world, U.S. crude is just a small part of its portfolio, with major suppliers like Saudi Arabia and Russia having the biggest shares. China spent $162.3 billion on crude purchases in 2017, with just $3.16 billion of that going to the U.S. GAS China also said it would place tariffs on imports of natural gas, but its list only specifies the fuel in gaseous form, not the liquefied natural gas that it currently imports by ship from the U.S. China is the third-largest buyer of U.S. LNG, after Mexico and South Korea. Record production from Americas shale plays has allowed the U.S. to become a net exporter of the fuel for the first time since the 1950s. The Asian nation is set to become the worlds largest importer of LNG in the next decade, and several proposed U.S. export projects are seeking long-term buyers to finance construction. Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecasts Chinas imports will grow to 82 million tons a year by 2030, but the country has long-term contracts to supply just 42.5 million tons by then. There have been signs of growing cooperation between the two countries. Earlier this year, China National Petroleum Corp. signed a 25-year deal with Cheniere Energy Inc. to buy U.S. gas. China Petrochemical Corp. has signed a joint development agreement with a proposed export plant in Alaska, and China Gas Holdings Ltd. has agreed to purchase 3 million tons of LNG a year from Delfin LNGs proposed plant in the Gulf of Mexico. CARS, WHISKEY While U.S. automakers import few vehicles into China, the tariffs pose a significant threat to BMW AG and Daimler AGs American factories that make vehicles both for domestic buyers and export markets. Tesla Inc. also builds all of its vehicles in Fremont, California, and the tariffs could compromise affordability in its second-biggest market in the world. Revenue from deliveries to China surged 90 percent last year to $2.03 billion. Other iconic American products on the list, like whiskey, may be more symbolic. Last year, China imported only $12.8 million worth of U.S. spirits, about 70 percent of which was whiskey, according to the Distilled Spirits Council. Brown-Forman Corp., the maker of Jack Daniels, doesnt even list China as a top 10 market, though net sales growth there was in the double digits last year. On Saturday, Chinas Commerce Ministry announced it will collect anti-dumping deposits on imports of hydriodic acid and ethanolamine from the U.S., of which Iofina Chemical Inc. and Dow Chemical Co. are major suppliers. Alexander Kwiatkowski, Bloomberg At least one person was killed and about two dozen others wounded on Saturday as protests against Indian rule followed by clashes erupted in Indian-controlled Kashmir shortly after Eid prayers, police and residents said. Meanwhile, the Indian military said a soldier was killed early Saturday after its patrol came under fire from Pakistani soldiers along the highly militarized Line of Control that divides disputed Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Shouting Go India, go back and We want freedom, hundreds of people began marching in the southern Anantnag area but were confronted by government forces firing tear gas, leading to clashes with stone-throwing protesters. The use of force intensified as the protesters barraged police and paramilitary soldiers with a hail of stones while the troops fired shotgun pellets, injuring at least 17 people. One young man among the injured died at a hospital. He suffered pellet injuries in his head and throat while at least nine other men among the injured were hit by pellets in their eyes, medics said. However, police said in a statement that a preliminary investigation revealed that the young man died when a hand grenade exploded in his hand, a claim refuted by local residents. Protests and clashes also were reported at several places across Kashmir, including the main city of Srinagar, after Eid prayers concluded. At least seven protesters also were injured in southern Shopian area. Muslim Kashmiris on Saturday were celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan and its daytime fasting. The Indian military said one soldier was killed after Pakistani soldiers fired mortars and guns and called it an unprovoked violation of the 2003 cease-fire agreement between the rivals. Pakistan did not immediately comment. In the past, each country has accused the other of initiating border skirmishes and violating the cease-fire agreement. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan territory divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan but claimed by both in its entirety. In recent years, the Indian-controlled portion has seen renewed rebel attacks and repeated public protests against Indian rule. Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989, demanding that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies. Most Kashmiris support the rebels cause while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown. AP The British Consulate-General for Hong Kong and Macau commemorated the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, on Thursday at Macau Tower. Officially celebrated every second Saturday of June, the celebration also marks the regions national day, as well as marking 100 years of womens suffrage. I think time has just demonstrated that women are just capable as men in casting their votes well. [] It has been a major milestone for the UK said the Consul-General Andrew Heyn, during his short speech. Were not there yet by any means. We still have issues such as the gender pay gap, [] social mobility, equal opportunities to express themselves and harness their talents, the official then added. Meanwhile, Heyn recalled that the consulate has had a series of collaborations with local authorities including its participation in the 2nd International Film Festival & Awards Macao, which showed family movie Paddington 2 as the opening film. He noted that the consulate is continually working with both local government and business representatives. Were looking at a number of things particularly in the area of financial transparency and fighting money laundering together and also some business corporations as well. So both government and business, he told the Times. Questioned as to whether some of the plans will be integrated this year, Heyn noted, I hope so. Were very hopeful that were going to get some contracts signed. Meanwhile Secretary for Administration and Justice Sonia Chan, who also graced the event, said the partnership between Macau and the U.K. has been growing steadily over the year. [] Apart from our close trade and economic links, we also share deep cultural connections. Macau and the U.K. will continue to cooperate closely to elevate our ties in various fields to new heights, Chan concluded, proposing a toast to the health of the Queen and to the happiness of the people of the U.K. LV 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. 5 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 China Hydroelectric Corporation is a developer, owner and operator of small hydroelectric power projects in China. The projects are located in Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan and Sichuan. As of December 31, 2012, wholly owns 22 operating hydroelectric power projects and have controlling interests in three operating hydroelectric power projects. In March 2012, the Company sold 100% of the Yuanping hydroelectric power project. In April 2013, the Company sold the Yuheng hydroelectric power project, a 30 megawatt (MW) project located in Fujian province. In July 2014, the Company announced that it has completed the merger with CPT Wyndham Sub Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CPT Wyndham Holdings Ltd. Read More Germanys political crisis is about the future of Europe The CSUs unilateralism is in conflict with Merkels support for European integration Wolfgang Munchau Horst Seehofer, interior minister and chairman of the CSU, has triggered Chancellor Angela Merkel's most serious government crisis AFP Can you say No to a German chancellor when all she is asking you for is 14 days? There is one man who did. Horst Seehofer, interior minister and chairman of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union, has managed to trigger the most serious government crisis Ms Merkel has faced as chancellor. He wants German border guards to reject entry by asylum seekers registered in other EU countries. Ms Merkel wants a European solution and has asked him to wait until the EU summit at the end of the month. The 46 CSU members of the Bundestag unanimously backed Mr Seehofer. One of them said Ms Merkel has failed to come up with an EU-wide deal for three years. What difference will two weeks make? The CSU, under pressure from the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany, seeks to position itself as tough on immigration ahead of the October Bavarian state elections. Over the weekend, the situation remained tense. The conflict could come to a climax this week. Under German law, the interior minister has executive powers that would allow him to impose a ban without approval by the chancellor. If he did, Ms Merkel could sack him, and in doing so, cause the coalition to lose its majority. There may even be new elections. The union between the parties, dating back to 1949, may end. There is a compromise on the table that could buy a truce for a few days. However, the unity between Ms Merkel and the CSU appears permanently fractured. This conflict is not about 14 days here or there, but about the CSUs unilateralism versus Ms Merkels support for European integration. It is the essential conflict in European politics of our time. Ms Merkel has no majority in the country for her liberal refugee policies. She opened the border to refugees in 2015 but without making sure that there was sufficient political and logistic support. Ms Merkels general strategy of procrastination has reached the end of the line. Mr Seehofer wants a firm policy on immigration. And Emmanuel Macron, the French president, demands a response on the reform of the eurozone. And they both want it now. She is also under pressure from Donald Trump. The US president is openly attacking her on two other areas where she procrastinated. One is her stated commitment to raise German defence spending to 2 per cent of economic output. The other is a reduction in Germanys excessive trade surpluses. The CSU is now positioning itself as the German Trump party. Markus Soder, Bavarian prime minister, talked about an end of orderly multilateralism. The implication is that Germany should take matters into its own hands. He might as well have said: Germany first. Ms Merkel is not going to get a broad EU-level refugee deal now. Her best hope lies in a series of bilateral treaties with those EU countries where most of the refugees arrive Italy, Greece and Spain. But just think about the possible trade-offs the leaders of these countries would demand: Greek debt relief; an Italian exemption from the eurozones budget rules; maybe changes to the statutes of the European Central Bank. Elections are coming up in Greece. The new Italian government has a long list of demands that would drive German conservatives into a state of permanent depression. And Mariano Rajoy, Ms Merkels staunchest ally in the EuropeanCouncil, is no longer Spains prime minister. There exists a theoretical pro-European outcome to this crisis. Ms Merkel could get her EU-wide refugee deal and in turn, would accept Mr Macrons eurozone reform and whatever Italy and Greece will be demanding as well. But it is not hard to see how this could go wrong. The eurozone debate in Germany derailed a long time ago. I see no chance of Germany being able to offer the trade-offs needed for a wide-ranging refugee deal. A more likely scenario is a strategic alliance between Mr Seehofer and Matteo Salvini, the new Italian interior minister and leader of the League. They are united in their unilateralism. Sebastian Kurz, the conservative Austrian chancellor, might join that coalition of the unwilling. Many people have admired Ms Merkels pragmatism and her managerial style. But the trade-off has been a persistent failure to solve problems. The photo from the G7 summit of world leaders in Canada, showing her in a defiant posture opposite Mr Trump, is an optical illusion. She is not standing up to anyone, not even to Mr Seehofer. Paul Thiruchelvam, breast cancer researcher and surgeon, says online tests may be misleading. Credit: Imperial College London We have never been so fascinated by the secrets inside our cells. Tests that analyse our genetic make-upthe DNA packaged inside every cell of the human body are more popular than ever. Requiring just a swab of saliva, some kits offer a peek into the past, and tell you where your ancestors hailed from. Others provide information closer to home, and reveal whether you carry faulty genes that increase the risk of disease. DNA analysis firm 23andMe recently gained approval from the U.S Food and Drug Administration to launch a kit that tests for gene mutations that increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The company hailed the decision as a "milestone in consumer health empowerment". So do these online tests mark a leap in cancer prevention? Not according to Paul Thiruchelvam, a breast cancer researcher and surgeon from Imperial's Department of Surgery and Cancer. He wrote recently in The Lancet medical journal that these tests could be misleadingand potentially harmful. Here he explains why. What are your concerns about these tests? Our biggest concern with this direct to consumer test is the potential for false reassurance. Up to one in five breast cancers are thought to be due to faulty genes. In many cases, these faults are in two genesBRCA1 and BRCA2. Faulty copies of these BRCA genes results in a 40 to 70 per cent lifetime risk of breast cancer, compared to a 12 per cent risk in the general population. Moreover, the risk of ovarian cancer risk is 20 to 55 per cent with a faulty BRCA gene, compared to 1 to 2 per cent in the population. Whilst 23andme can detect a BRCA1/2 mutation with high accuracy and precision, a major caveat is that they only test for three possible faults or mutations out of more than a thousand mutations in the BRCA genes that raise cancer risk. Furthermore, the three mutations it looks for are most commonly found in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, but rarer in other populations. A negative result means that the individual will not have these three BRCA1/2 mutations, but they may have others. Additionally, there many other types of faulty genesaside from BRCA1 and 2that can increase breast cancer risk such as ATM, CHEK2, PALB2, PTEN and TP53, yet the 23andMe kit doesn't test for these. Up to one in five breast cancers are thought to be linked to faulty genes. Credit: Imperial College London So these tests don't provide a complete picture? Exactly. Imagine the scenario: someone's relative has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, and they decide to take the online test. The results tell them they don't carry the faulty BRCA gene, and they may be false reassured by the negative result. Armed with these test results, this individual may not be as vigilant at looking for breast cancer symptoms as they should be. They may have one of the many other faulty cancer genes the online kit doesn't test for and they simply would not know. However, if they were to avoid this test and go straight to their GP, they could be referred to a specialist. Their doctor may be able to arrange regular checks if requiredcalled surveillanceto monitor for any signs of cancer. Is genetic testing available on the NHS? Yes. If a person is worried about their cancer risk a trained healthcare professional will be able to take a thorough family history, and then, if appropriate, refer them for genetic testing. These tests, unlike the online test, test for many mutations in the genes linked to breast cancer. If a patient is found to have a faulty genewhat next? This is another concern. In our clinic, when a patient is found to carry a faulty gene, they will see a genetic specialist who will counsel them of their cancer risk before testing and advise them of their options in the event of a positive result. 23andMe customers are signposted on the website to a genetic counsellor but an individual receiving these results online will not have immediate support or guidance. This is what we're starting to find in clinicmy colleagues are seeing patients who have taken the online tests, are having difficulty interpreting their results, and they don't know whether the implications are positive or negative. What's your view on these tests? There is no doubt the online genetic test market will continue to grow as the price of testing reduces. Genetic tests have transformed cancer treatmentand will continue to improve patients' lives. There is no doubt that other models of genetic testing need to be explored to overcome the shortcomings of current models of testing. Many experts believe all breast cancer patients should be testedregardless of family history. This is because studies have demonstrated that only half of BRCA-positive cancer patients have a strong family history. At the moment, if an individual doesn't achieve a threshold for testing based on a history of family members with breast or ovarian cancer they may not receive genetic testing. This means a potential BRCA mutation would be missed. Other cancer specialists have gone one step further and predict whole population testing for faulty cancer genes in as little as ten years. Whilst online testing enables democratisation of health information and empowers people to take control of their lives and potential risks, it also means that data is being given to individuals who might not be adequately prepared to hear it. Although people may think they are doing themselves a service by taking these tests, they are actually doing themselves a great disservice. "Pervasive genetic testing" by Paul Thiruchelvam, Carla Fisher, Daniel Leff and Susan Domchek is published in The Lancet More information: Paul T R Thiruchelvam et al. Pervasive genetic testing, The Lancet (2018). Journal information: The Lancet Paul T R Thiruchelvam et al. Pervasive genetic testing,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30997-8 To reduce the incidence of hepatitis B in Canada and to reduce mother-to-child transmission, it is vital that we vaccinate all infants at birth. Credit: Shutterstock In Canada, around 230,000 people are currently infected with hepatitis B, and a further 250,000 with hepatitis C. Both hepatitis B and hepatitis C are serious liver infections which, if left untreated, can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer and early death. In 2016, Canada was one of 194 nations globally to sign up to World Health Organisation (WHO) targets to eliminate both diseases by 2030. These targets require 90 per cent of children to have received the three doses of hepatitis B vaccination by 2030. They also entail a 90 per cent reduction in mother-to-child transmission of the virus. This week, I will be chairing the Global Hepatitis Summit in Toronto (June 14-17). At this summit, we will be appealing for all Canadian children to be offered the hepatitis B vaccine, as currently recommended by WHO. Right now, most provinces vaccinate children when they are much older, with some such as Ontario and Nova Scotia leaving it as late as 12 years old. It is time we offered all children in Canada protection from hepatitis B from the moment they are born, as already happens in most developed countries and also many developing countries. Children at highest risk Sexual activity is one of the ways hepatitis B can be transmitted. This has led to the misconception that we only need to offer older children vaccination, in the years before they become sexually active. However, all babies and young children face other risks of blood to blood transmission from the moment they are born. Hepatitis B can be transmitted at home, at school playing together with other children and in many other places. Another problem is that in Canada we only vaccinate children at birth when we know the mother has hepatitis B in order to prevent transmission at birth. This adds a lot of complexity to the system and is prone to errors. If the systems fails, children will be unnecessarily infected with this terrible virus at birth. Hepatitis B also hits babies and young children much harder than adults. More than 90 per cent of those infected will develop a chronic hepatitis B infection. And chronic infections can, if left untreated, cause progression to liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. While the risk of this progression is highest when infected under the age of one, up to 50 per cent of young children between one and five years who are infected will develop a chronic hepatitis B infection. For anyone over 18, this risk is reduced to five to 10 per cent of those infected. Almost half of children under five who are infected will develop a chronic hepatitis B infection. Credit: Shutterstock A vaccination lottery WHO recommends that all infants should receive their first dose of vaccine as soon as possible after birth, preferably within 24 hours. Yet Canada's hepatitis B vaccination policy varies widely between provinces and territories. Most of the provinces with large populations vaccinate children when they are long past infancy: Manitoba at age nine years, Alberta at 10 years, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador at age 11, and Ontario and Nova Scotia at 12. British Columbia introduced vaccination for very young infants from age two months in 2001. Quebec did the same in 2013, although the province still vaccinates older children at nine years who are not covered by their new program. Prince Edward Island and the Yukon also vaccinate young children from age two months, but it is only in New Brunswick, and the sparsely populated Nunavut and Northwest Territories, that all children are offered vaccination at birth. Since all children across Canada will eventually be offered vaccination regardless of where they live, why don't we just remove this lottery and routinely vaccinate them all from birth? This is the best way to ensure that they are all vaccinated and none slip through the system. This will reduce new cases of hepatitis B among children to near zero and remove the chance that any of them will become chronically infected. It is also much easier logistically to vaccinate children at birth. After the first dose, the two follow-up vaccinations can be combined with other routine vaccines given in the first year. And this protection will usually last a lifetime. Prevention of cirrhosis and liver cancer At the moment, hepatitis B infection is treatable, but not curable. For those on treatment, this is usually lifelong and helps prevent progression of liver damage to full blown cirrhosis and liver cancer. Also at this week's Global Hepatitis Summit, we will discuss a range of new therapies on the horizon to treat those people with the virus. But as with any disease, the best way to deal with it is prevention. This is why we appeal to provincial and territorial governments across Canada to vaccinate all children from birth to prevent any of them contracting this terrible virus. Explore further Experts demand better prevention, treatment for children with hepatitis Credit: CC0 Public Domain The effects of sibling relationships may go beyond childhood bickering and bonding, according to Penn State researchers who found that these relationships may predict similarities and differences in siblings' education later in life. In a study spanning about 15 years, the researchers found that when siblings felt more warmth toward each other in childhood, they were more likely to achieve similar levels of education. But, when siblings felt that their parents' treatment of themselves versus their sibling was unfair, or when their fathers spent more time with one sibling than the other, those siblings achieved different levels of education. Xiaoran Sun, a doctoral candidate in human development and family studies, said the results held up even when the researchers controlled for the siblings' grade-point averages across childhood and adolescence, suggesting that school achievement may not be the only factor determining what level of education a person achieves. "While school is obviously important, this study helps show that what goes on inside families can have an impact, as well," said Susan McHale, distinguished professor of human development and family studies. "Warmth from siblings may not mean you're more likely to go to college, but it seems to be a factor in how similarly the two siblings turn out. People don't tend to think about siblings being important to academic achievement, but our findings highlight the importance of family experiencesbeyond what happens at school." Previous research has shown that graduating college has an impact on an individual's employment, health and the way they form families of their own. While it's been shown that parenting can affect educational achievement, little work has been done to study whether siblings have an effect. "A lot of research on child development focuses on one child in the family, with the assumption that if you know what happens to this one child, you know how families operate to socialize children," McHale said. "But in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world, more children grow up in a home with a sibling than with a father figure. So by studying siblings, you start to get a better sense of the larger family context of development." The researchers followed the two oldest siblings from 152 families from middle childhood through their mid-twenties. The families lived in central Pennsylvania and were mainly European-American. When the siblings were an average of 11.8 and 9.2 years old, the researchers measured warmth by asking the children questions, like how often they turned to their sibling for advice or support. Additionally, the researchers gathered data on whether the parents treated their children differently, and whether the siblings thought this different treatment was fair or not. They also measured how much time the siblings spent alone with their mothers and fathers. When the siblings were around 26 years old, the researchers followed up to ask each sibling about their highest level of completed education. "The sibling relationship factors that we tested did not predict whether an individual sibling would graduate from college or not, but we did find predictors of whether siblings would achieve different levels of education," said Sun. "The findings provide clues about how sibling relationships can affect education pathways." The researchers said there are a few possible explanations for the findings, which were recently published in the journal Child Development. Sun said that when siblings feel more warmth for each other, they have a closer relationship in general, and thus may be more likely to follow similar paths in their education achievement. "When two people are closer to each other, they tend to treat each other as role models," Sun said. "And this could be for better or for worse. They can be 'partners in crime,' as some prior work suggests, or partners in achievement, as we found. It's not that siblings who are close are more likely to graduate from college, they're just more likely to end up with the same level of education, either graduating from college or not." McHale said that for the siblings who ended up with different levels of education, the perception of their parents treating them differently and unfairly may have been part of what drove their different choices. "Children are vigilant in noticing how they're treated relative to their siblings, and parents need to be aware of this and on their guard," McHale said. "Many parents treat their children differently and have very good reasons to do so, but children need to understand parents' reasons, and parents have to have conversations with their children to explain those reasons. If kids perceive their treatment as fair or justified, even if it's different from their siblings', then there's not the same negative effect." Sun said the results could help design future interventions that focus on siblings. The researchers said that it may be helpful to design studies that could explore the possible causal role of sibling relationships on education, as well as studies of more diverse populations. Explore further Siblings' experiences in middle childhood predict differences in college graduation status More information: Xiaoran Sun et al, Sibling Experiences in Middle Childhood Predict Sibling Differences in College Graduation, Child Development (2018). Journal information: Child Development Xiaoran Sun et al, Sibling Experiences in Middle Childhood Predict Sibling Differences in College Graduation,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13047 Researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, Virginia, have identified a promising target to reverse the development of high-risk neuroblastoma and potentially inform the creation of novel combination therapies for the disease. Neuroblastoma, a cancer that begins in nerve tissue, is one of the most common pediatric solid tumors, accounting for about 700 new cases per year in the United States. The tumors are usually diagnosed in children younger than five years old, according to the American Cancer Society. High-risk neuroblastoma is the most dangerous form of this cancer and is often distinguished by the overexpression of the MYCN protein. There are no drugs that are currently approved to treat MYCN-amplified disease, which represents about one-fourth of all neuroblastomas and has a survival rate below 50 percent. Many cancers are caused by changes in a person's DNA, but it is becoming more evident that changes in a person's epigenome are also responsible for the development of many cancers, specifically pediatric cancers like neuroblastoma. The epigenome is essentially the chemical command center that tells individual genes what to do. Epigenetic drugs target the epigenome and are currently in high demand by many pharmaceutical companies. A new study, led by Anthony Faber, Ph.D., member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at VCU Massey Cancer Center, found that a novel epigenetic drug known as a H3K27me demethylase inhibitor can be used in combination with an existing drug called venetoclax to more effectively kill high-risk neuroblastoma cells. "This research demonstrates one of the first examples of how epigenetic inhibitors and B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) inhibitors can be rationally combined. This is particularly exciting because BCL-2 inhibitors are already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration," Faber said, adding that BCL-2 is a primary protein involved in the regulation of cell death (apoptosis). H3K27me refers to a modification (methylation) on a specific group of proteins called histones; histone methylation leads to decreased expression of genes. A demethlyase is a protein that can slow or stop the course of histone methylation. Faber's research, recently published in Science Translational Medicine, showed that H3K27me demethylase inhibition increases H3K27me to initiate cell differentiation, a natural biological process where cells evolve into more specialized cells. One of the primary characteristics of high-risk neuroblastoma is that the cells resist differentiation and therefore cannot mature normally. "Pro-differentiation drugs have long been used as part of treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma. We believe this is a really interesting finding because it demonstrates that differentiation problems involve errant histone demethylation. As a result, a normally growing cell is likely stopped in its tracks, essentially getting stuck before it can differentiate. This interruption provides a dangerous window of time for the cell to become cancerous before the body can naturally clear it," said Faber, who is also a Harrison Endowed Scholar in Cancer Research at Massey and an assistant professor in oral and craniofacial biology at the Philips Institute for Oral Health Research at the VCU School of Dentistry. "Moreover, the fact that this demethylation error can be targeted and readily reversed long after the cancer grows was somewhat surprising to us, and we think it is a critical insight into how we can potentially treat high-risk neuroblastoma." In addition to reversing neuroblastoma cells' inability to differentiate, H3K27me demethylase inhibitors were found to instigate cellular stress. This stress forced the neuroblastoma cells to become much more malleable and therefore more vulnerable to venetoclax, a BCL-2 inhibitor. Faber had previously shown that venetoclax was individually successful in the treatment of neuroblastoma, specifically high-risk tumors characterized by the overexpression of MYCN. The new study suggests that combining venetoclax with the new epigenetic drug may be even more effective. "H3K27 demethylation inhibition is a promising therapeutic target to treat high-risk neuroblastoma, and H3K27 demethylation can be part of rational combination therapies to induce anti-neuroblastoma activity," Faber said. Looking forward, Faber said that he and his research team will continue to collaborate with AbbVie Inc., the pharmaceutical company responsible for manufacturing venetoclax, to transition the combination of venetoclax and epigenetic drugs into clinical trials for neuroblastoma. Explore further A new target for neuroblastoma More information: Timothy L. Lochmann et al. Targeted inhibition of histone H3K27 demethylation is effective in high-risk neuroblastoma, Science Translational Medicine (2018). Journal information: Science Translational Medicine Timothy L. Lochmann et al. Targeted inhibition of histone H3K27 demethylation is effective in high-risk neuroblastoma,(2018). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aao4680 For the sixth time since November, a financially struggling cab driver has taken his own life in New Yorkthe latest in a string of driver suicides spurred by what advocates say is a political failure to regulate the thousands of new for-hire vehicles arriving each month on the city's streets. On Friday, Abdul Saleh, a 59-year-old Yemeni immigrant who'd driven a yellow cab for three decades, was found dead in a rented Brooklyn room. According to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a nonprofit group that represents drivers, a significant drop-off in ridership caused by the boom in competition had left Saleh unable to make weekly payments on his medallion, which he leased with a driving partner. After working a full week, he was still $300 short on his last medallion payment, and took home no profit for himself, the group said. "Abdul Saleh took his life because he saw no end to the burden of poverty," TWA Director Bhairavi Desai said in a statement. "He was exhausted by the cruelty of ending each 12-hour workday with less in his pocket than the day before. Many aging drivers no longer see retirement in sight and can't imagine continuing to work such a grueling job until their last day on earth." They were New Yorkers and we should never forget them. @RepEspaillat speaks at an NYC Taxi Workers press conference following the suicide of cab driver Abdul Saleh. This is the 6th cabby suicide since November. pic.twitter.com/bqmOVSyfFY Rebecca Liebson (@RebeccaLiebson) June 18, 2018 I think shes a nice lady. But this is a crisis where six men have taken their lives Espaillat says https://t.co/cEVhlXNlUB Noah Manskar (@noahmanskar) June 18, 2018 On Monday, drivers and supportive politicians rallied outside City Hall to call on the Taxi and Limousine Commission and City Council to take action on a host of measures aimed at ameliorating the drivers' crisis. Those demands include instituting a cap on the number of for-hire vehicles allowed on the city's streets, establishing the regulated taxi meter as a minimum rate of fare for app-based services, and passing equal labor laws for drivers across all sectors. As they've done at more than half-a-dozen rallies this year, drivers held signs commemorating the lives of other suicide victims, while blaming lawmakers for the deaths of their "brothers." Most recently, the body of Yu Mein Kenny Chow, a yellow cab driver who owed $700,000 on his medallion, was found in the East River. In the six months prior, owner-driver Nicanor Ochisor, livery driver Danilo Corporan Castillo, livery driver Alfredo Perez, and black car driver Douglas Schifter committed suicide. It's impossible to know the many factors that led to their deaths, but the TWA maintains that the current state of the industry is to blame. Schifter shot himself outside City Hall, leaving behind a lengthy Facebook note in which he laid the blame for his financial woes on "stupid greedy uncaring politicians." U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat was also on hand for Monday's rally, where he called on TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi to step down because of the suicides. Meanwhile, Ruben Diaz Sr., the chair of the newly-formed City Council Committee on For-Hire Vehicles, is reportedly waiting on the green light from City Council Speaker Corey Johnson to vote on a package of bills that would bring tighter regulation to the app-based companies. That legislation would create restrictions on the companies' bases, a prohibition on drivers working for more than one app-based service, and a $2,000 yearly license fee for all app-based vehicles. (Johnson did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Gothamist). Another long-stalled bill would place a one-year cap on for-hire vehicle licensessomething Mayor Bill de Blasio famously supported three years ago, before abruptly changing his mind. But the recent suicides and reports of widespread financial devastation may be forcing the mayor to switch his position once again. On a recent Brian Lehrer appearance, de Blasio conceded that the situation had worsened, adding that "caps are the kind of thing we need to talk about again." Until such action is taken, members of the Taxi Workers Alliance have vowed to protest outside City Hall daily. "We will not allow the status quo of callousness toward struggling drivers to continue for one more day," Desair said. "Suicide can't be the only way that desperate poor people find mercy." If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional. Robot-assisted eye surgery: Professor Robert MacLaren steers the robot in its first live operation. Credit: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Researchers from the University of Oxford have completed the first successful trial of robot-assisted retinal surgery. The trial, supported by the National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, took place at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital. It involved 12 patients and is published this week in Nature Biomedical Engineering. Half were randomly allocated robot-assisted surgery and the other half to standard manual surgery to remove a membrane from the back of the eye. Using the robot, the surgeon was able to perform the procedure with equal or better efficacy than in the traditional manual approach. In the second phase of the trial, the team used the robot to insert a fine needle under the retina to dissolve blood in three patients who had age-related macular degeneration. All experienced an improvement in their vision as a result. Robert MacLaren, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, said: "This is a huge leap forward for delicate and technically difficult surgery, which in time should significantly improve the quality and safety of this kind of operation. The trial also showed that the robot has great potential for extending the boundaries of what we can currently achieve. "Our next step will be to use the robotic surgical device for precise and minimally traumatic delivery of a gene therapy to the retina, which will be another first-in-man achievement and is set to commence in early 2019." Professor Marc D de Smet, Chief Medical Officer of Preceyes BV, the Dutch medical robotics firm that designed and developed the PRECEYES Surgical System, said: "The current trial demonstrated and confirmed the safety and precision of our design. Providing precision, accuracy and stability beyond human capabilities are pre-requisites to push the boundaries of existing surgeries and standardising current procedures." The surgery involved the dissection of the epiretinal membrane and inner limiting membrane over the macula, the central region of the retina responsible for fine visual acuity, in six of the patients, as well as the injection of a therapeutic drug (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator) under the retina to displace sight-threatening haemorrhage in three patients. In 2016, Oxford University signed an agreement with Preceyes to test the robotic surgical system, and a team led by eye surgeon and researcher Professor Robert MacLaren began the human clinical trials using the PRECEYES Surgical System. Explore further Surgeons perform world's first operation inside the eye using a robot 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 percent 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 18 months later, the results were impressive. Compared with a 4 percent smoking cessation rate in the general population, 17 percent of smokers in the study had given up, and sustained weight loss had been achieved by 13.7 percent of participants. Overall, risk-reducing behaviour such as weight loss, giving up smoking, or visiting a doctor was 32.4 percent in those with a predicted CVD risk of more than 10 percent and 18.4 percent in those at lower risk. "As many as 40 percent 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." Explore further Obesity linked to increased risk of taking up smoking and smoking frequency Intravenous (IV) acetaminophen is no more effective than oral acetaminophen for patients undergoing colorectal procedures, Mount Sinai researchers report in a first-of-its-kind study. These findings suggest that eliminating use of IV acetaminophen, which is much more expensive than its oral counterpart, may result in very significant cost savings for hospitals with no impact on the patient experience or outcomes. The study, published in the July issue of Anesthesiology, found that IV acetaminophen, as currently used, does not meaningfully decrease opioid use after surgery, especially when compared to patients who are given oral acetaminophen (sold under the brand name Tylenol and others). "With any new drug that is introduced to the U.S. market, it is very important to monitor how it is used and if this results in the desired outcomes. Our study results do not support routine use of IV acetaminophen," explained lead investigator Jashvant Poeran, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Population Health and Health Science Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Scientists from the Department of Population Health and Health Science Policy and the Department of Anesthesiology at the Icahn School of Medicine looked into this topic because there is increasing pressure to reduce opioid use in patients hospitalized for surgery, while also minimizing pain. Non-opioid pain medications such as IV acetaminophen are a common substitute for opioids, but it was unclear how effective this drug was for surgery patients. IV acetaminophen was introduced in the United States in 2010, and there has been a spike in use since then. The cost of IV acetaminophen increased by 300 percent in 2014, prompting scrutiny of its use. It is much more expensive than other non opioid alternatives and its oral counterpart. The Mount Sinai team analyzed data of 181,640 patients undergoing open colectomy surgery in 602 hospitals across the United States from 2011-2016. This procedure was selected because these patients don't always tolerate oral medication well. Among the patients studied, researchers found that IV acetaminophen was used in a minority (25.1 percent) of cases, of which nearly half received only one dose, on the day of surgery. In these patients, IV acetaminophen use was not associated with clinically significant reductions in opioid utilization. By comparison, oral acetaminophen appeared equivalent or superior, especially in patents receiving more than one dose on the day of surgery. These results suggest IV acetaminophen is not always used in the most appropriate way, as one dose may not be enough to affect opioid utilization. The study goes on to show that IV acetaminophen may not be any more effective than its oral counterpart and therefore does not support routine use of this intravenous drug. Researchers say there may be a place for IV acetaminophen among those who cannot tolerate oral medication, but follow-up studies should be done to figure out what the most effective dosing regimen is. "It is important that we that we identify optimal dosing strategies and patients that are most likely to benefit from this relatively new drug. Especially among patients undergoing colorectal surgery, there may be a group of patients that do not tolerate oral medications," said Dr. Poeran. "This may be less of an issue among patients undergoing other types of surgery, such as hip and knee replacement surgery, and these results further emphasize a more targeted approach in determining who benefits most." "A wide variety of non-opioid adjuvants are available for use, but our knowledge of what works best in whom is still in its infancy," added Andrew Leibowitz, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Chair of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine for the Mount Sinai Health System. "Intuitively, greater effectiveness is expected with more different classes of medications administered while also decreasing side effects of any one of them. This, however, might not be true so research like this is necessary and very important." The study team is currently addressing this same question in other types of surgery, such as hip, knee and shoulder replacement, and anticipates more findings in the near future. While the current study demonstrates limited effects of IV acetaminophen, benefits may be more pronounced in other surgeries with a different patient population. This microscopic image shows the presence of basic myelin protein and normal oligodendrocyte cell differentiation in the brain of a mouse. The cells form a protective sheath of insulation around nerves in the outer layers of the brain. Researchers report in Developmental Cell that mutation or loss of a gene called CHD8 hinders formation of the sheath in developing oligodendrocytes, causing neurological defects in the animals. CHD8 is one of the highest risk-susceptibility genes for autism. Credit: Cincinnati Children's New preclinical research shows a gene already linked to a subset of people with autism spectrum disorder is critical to healthy neuronal connections in the developing brain, and its loss can harm those connections to help fuel the complex developmental condition. Scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center report in Developmental Cell their data clarify the biological role of the gene CHD8 and its protein CHD8 in developing oligodendrocytes, cells that form a protective insulation around nerves. The sheath supports neuronal connections in the brain and manifest themselves in white matter. Although previous studies show disruptive mutations in CHD8 cause autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and abnormalities in the brain's white matter, the underlying biology has been a mystery. The current study, published online June 18, shows that disruption of CHD8 hinders the production and maintenance of nerve insulationharming the brain's neuronal connections and contributing to white matter damage. In laboratory mouse models genetically engineered to not express the CHD8 protein in the oligodendrocytes, the animals exhibited behavioral anomalies and seizures, according to lead study investigator Q. Richard Lu, Ph.D., Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology. "So far no treatment is available for autism patients with mutations in CHD8, one of the highest risk-susceptibility genes for autism," Lu said. "Current studies are still at a very early stage in terms of therapeutic agents, but our findings present a potential strategy to restore the function of faulty CHD8-dependent processes." Reversing Damage Scientists found the strategy by using a number of experimental procedures with mice, including ChIP-Seq analysis of specific DNA-binding sites in developing oligodendrocytes, which helped them unravel biological processes. Their data showed that CHD8 loss or mutation reduces the function of what is known as a histone methyltransferase, which helps activate target genes needed for oligodendrocyte development. They then figured out that using an experimental compound (CPI-455), which inhibits a different molecule linked to CHD8 called histone demethylase, rescued the development of oligodendrocytes. This reversed white matter defects in CHD8-mutant mice and reduced neurological problems in the animals. Lu said the findings suggest that modulating the activity of CHD8 and the molecules that control it has the potential to enhance the generation of neuronal insulation in people with ASDs. He also stressed it will be years before knowing if the research will translate to clinical care in patients. Additional studies are needed to verify the current study's findings, identify a suitable drug, and test its safety and effectiveness in laboratory models. Unlocking the Code CHD8 functions in the cell nucleus. It essentially unlocks the double-helix structure in the nucleus that contains DNA and RNA coding molecules. This allows changes to the helix's genetic and molecular composition that support the development of oligodendrocytes and nerve insulation by regulating levels of encoded gene products. When mutations or loss of CDH8 occur, it results in harmful remodeling of molecular components in the helix (referred to as chromatin). Explore further Study shows connection between key autism risk genes in the human brain Minna Johansson, M.D./Ph.D. student, Sahlgrenska Academy. Credit: Fredrik Johansson Screening programs for aortic aneurysms in the abdomen is now being questioned in a study published in The Lancet. As the condition becomes less common, general ultrasound scans for 65-year-old men may do more harm than good, the researchers assert. "You run the risk of both over-diagnosing and over-treating a disease that does not at all represent the same problem anymore, which is a very positive development," says Minna Johansson, specialist in family medicine, Ph.D. student at Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden, and the lead author of the article. Aortic aneurysms in the abdomen, or abdominal aortic aneurysms, are a localized enlargement of the aorta. The condition mainly affects older men, is strongly linked to smoking, but there usually are no symptoms. If the artery ruptures, however, the mortality rate is more than 80 percent. The purpose of screening is to find the aneurysms before symptoms and thereby enable preventive surgery. On the downside, screening finds aortic aneurysms that never would have ruptured or caused symptoms even if they remained undetected. This means that screening leads some men to undergo a surgery that will not benefit them but that poses a risk of serious complications and even death. In addition, the diagnosis can lead to anxiety, described by patients as "living with a ticking time bomb in the stomach." In the current study, information on 25,265 older men who were screened was compared with an age-matched control group of 106,087 men who had not been screened. It was possible to compare contemporaneous groups of screened and non-screened men because the screening program was introduced in Swedish administrative regions in stages during the 2006-2015 period. The researchers also studied the incidence and mortality from abdominal aortic aneurysms among all Swedish men between the ages of 40 and 99 from 1987 to 2015. It was already known that the disease decreased during the period, but the role screening played was not known. "Mortality has declined by over 70 percent, and this trend was seen in both screened and unscreened counties and in both screened and unscreened age groups," Minna Johansson says. "If the screening program had any impact at all on the decline, it was very small. This very positive reduction in mortality was probably due to a decline in smoking". The researchers argue that time outpaced the studies that formed the basis for introduction of the screening program. In the current study, it appeared that only seven percent of the mortality reduction from abdominal aortic aneurysms that were ascertained in the largest randomized study in the field remained in today's setting. This effect was so small that it is uncertain whether it actually existed. The decreasing mortality of the disease for reasons other than screening has led to growing problems with over-diagnosing and over-treatment. Therefore, the balance between the benefits and harms has changed for the worse, the study shows. Of 10,000 men summoned for screening, at best two will have avoided death from abdominal aortic aneurysms after six years. At the same time, 49 men receive a diagnosis that would never have caused health problems, and of them 19 will undergo preventive surgery that they therefore cannot benefit from, but nevertheless still comes with a risk of death and serious complications. An alternative to current screening, to which over 80 percent of all older men in Sweden attend, may be to screen only men at high risk, such as current and former heavy smokers and people in families with a history of the disease. Another option is to focus more on reducing smoking in the population in general, which would also lead to many other important health benefits. Minna Johanson and her co-authors anticipate continued discussion on the issue. "This is a difficult ethical dilemma. It's important that the men who are summoned for screening are informed that there are serious risks arising from participation and that the chance to benefit is at best very small today. We came to the conclusion that it is doubtful that the benefits of screening outweigh the harms and that the Swedish screening program should therefore be revisited," says Minna Johansson. Explore further Study questions the benefits of abdominal aortic aneurysm screening in men More information: Minna Johansson et al, Benefits and harms of screening men for abdominal aortic aneurysm in Sweden: a registry-based cohort study, The Lancet (2018). Journal information: The Lancet Minna Johansson et al, Benefits and harms of screening men for abdominal aortic aneurysm in Sweden: a registry-based cohort study,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31031-6 Almost half of the cancer doctors surveyed by Harvard psychiatrist Ilana Braun said they recommend medical marijuana to patients while less than a third said they felt knowledgable enough to do so. Credit: Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer As more states legalize medical marijuana, two key groupsresearchers whose job is it to understand its benefits and drawbacks, and physicians charged with advising potential usersare struggling to catch up with policymakers. Ilana Braun, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and chief of the division of adult psychosocial oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, led a survey of cancer physicians around the country, exploring their attitudes and actions on medical marijuana. The survey was sent to 200 oncologists, with a 63 percent response rate. We asked Braun to outline her findings, which were published last month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. GAZETTE: What are the highlights of the survey? BRAUN: I think the key messages from the data are, first of all, though almost half of oncologists surveyed recommend medical marijuana clinically, less than a third feel equipped with enough knowledge to make such recommendations. Our second key message is that medical marijuana is a salient topic in today's cancer care. Eighty percent of oncologists we surveyed hold discussions with patients about medical marijuana. Sixty-seven percent believe it to be useful as an adjunct to standard pain management, and 68 percent for poor appetite cachexia [illness-related weight loss and frailty]. The third key message is that there are some nonmedical variables that affect how oncologists approach medical marijuana, and these include region of practice, practice setting, and the number of patients they see. GAZETTE: So a significant percentage of oncologists who recommend medical marijuana to their patients also say they didn't feel knowledgeable enough to do so. How do we make sense of that? I assume it's not as simple as these folks being bad doctors. BRAUN: Right, and I don't want to imply that. Unfortunately, our survey wasn't designed to drill down into why this might be the case, but it's definitely curious and we need to explore more. GAZETTE: Is this an education problem or a research problem? BRAUN: I think it's probably a little bit of both. There isn't a lot of high-quality research done in oncology regarding medical marijuana. So we probably need some clinical-effectiveness trials involving medical marijuana in oncologyand in other illnessesand then I think we probably need more research in how to best inform medical professionals, particularly oncologists, who are frequently confronted with this issue. GAZETTE: How do physicians, once they become licensed and go out into practice, keep up on recent developments like the advent of medical marijuana? BRAUN: That's a good question. We all take it upon ourselves to read scientific literature that comes out. We have journals like the New England Journal of Medicine, or our specialty journals. We try to read those. Then we're obligated by licensing bodies to complete continuing medical education credits, otherwise known as CMEs. In that context, we go to national conferences or do online modules, so we are constantly trying to broaden our knowledge and keep current. And then many of us are obligated to retest at regular intervals, let's say every 10 years. GAZETTE: Do we know whether there are CMEs specifically about medical marijuana? BRAUN: There certainly are. I believe that in the state of New York, in order to become a physician who can formally recommend medical marijuana to patients, you need to complete a four-hour CME requirement. It's a state-organized curriculum. In Massachusetts, you have to complete two of what we call level 1 CMEs on medical marijuana, so a two-hour course. GAZETTE: What do we know about the medical benefits of marijuana, for pain, nausea, anxietysome of these conditions that it's potentially useful for? BRAUN: Randomized control trials of whole-plant medical marijuana haven't been carried out in cancer patients, so oncology often draws from evidence in clinical trials carried out on other diseases and also from clinical trials carried out with pharmaceutical cannabinoids [the active compounds in marijuana]. Maybe pharmaceutical cannabinoids have one active ingredient, or two active ingredientsthey may be synthetic, they may be herb-derivedbut it's different from marijuana. We extrapolate from those. In that context, the indication that probably has the strongest evidence base is pain. There have been more than half a dozen good, randomized control trials of whole-plant medical marijuana for pain management. GAZETTE: And they showed that it's effective? BRAUN: They showed that it's effective. And there are FDA-approved cannabinoid pharmaceuticals that you can get at the pharmacy, dronabinol being one of them. It's FDA-approved for weight-loss cachexia. I'm sure oncologists are extrapolating from their knowledge of this drug that they use all the time in the clinic. GAZETTE: Why is it important that the usefulness of medical marijuana be tested specifically in an oncology setting? BRAUN: Other studies are usually done in very specific populations. It's not clear you can generalize them to another disease. GAZETTE: Without the studies that you believe are still needed, is marijuana legalization premature? BRAUN: It's a complex issue. Something like 30 states and the District of Columbia have comprehensive medical marijuana laws, and then many additional states have less-comprehensive but still some form of medical marijuana. Given that these medical marijuana laws are so popular on a state level, I think that we need to catch up with the science. GAZETTE: Why did you do this study? BRAUN: I worked clinically with cancer patients and found that the topic of medical marijuana comes up frequently in the exam room. Second, 30 states and the District of Columbia have these comprehensive medical marijuana laws, and the vast majority name cancer as a qualifying condition. Very few other conditions exist in almost every state lawcancer and HIV/AIDSand yet the views of oncologists regarding medical marijuana had not been explored. So I thought this was a hole in the literature that should be plugged. Explore further Many oncologists recommend medical marijuana clinically despite not feeling sufficiently knowledgeable to do so This story is published courtesy of the Harvard Gazette, Harvard University's official newspaper. For additional university news, visit Harvard.edu. Not all transgender people will seek health care, but the ones who do need to feel supported. Credit: www.shutterstock.com Today the first guidelines specific to the health-care needs of transgender and gender diverse children and adolescents have been released in the Medical Journal of Australia Gender identity is a person's innermost sense of who they are male, female, a blend of both or neither. Most children grow up thinking of themselves as a girl or a boy and don't question their gender. But some children and teenagers identify as a gender that's different to the sex they were assigned at birth. This is often referred to as being gender diverse, or transgender. Being transgender or gender diverse is now largely viewed as part of the natural spectrum of human diversity. For some people, this is just part of who they are, and it's not a cause of concern. Others experience gender dysphoria the distress related to the mismatch between one's sex and gender. It's the reason many seek help from health-care professionals. Why the guidelines were needed Our clinic is the largest paediatric gender service in Australia. In the last five years referrals to our service have increased tenfold. Rising referral rates have also been reported in many other countries across the Western world. Although older international treatment guidelines exist, these are no longer fully reflective of current practices. They also focus on adults and not exclusively children and adolescents. This is important because children and adolescents are continually developing in a social, emotional and physical sense. They also exist within the context of a family and school. So taking a developmental perspective is central to providing good care. The new guidelines were developed in consultation with not only clinicians who work in the area of child and adolescent transgender health across Australia, but also members of the transgender community, their families, and relevant support organisations. And they draw on findings and recommendations from previous studies. What they outline Although more research is needed, we know supportive, gender affirming care during childhood and adolescence contributes to improved mental health and well-being. As gender diversity is an unfamiliar area for many people, the guidelines include a list of commonly used terms. Language is rapidly evolving and people may use words in different ways. An important part of providing affirming and respectful care is to understand and use inclusive language. For example, when we see young people, we often ask what name and pronouns they would like used to build rapport and affirm their gender identity. The guidelines also outline general principles for the care of transgender and gender diverse children and adolescents: decisions about affirming a young person's gender identity should be driven primarily by the child or adolescent, in conjunction with their family and health-care providers every child or adolescent who presents with concerns about their gender identity is unique and has their own individual needs. So the options for intervention appropriate for one person might not be helpful for another "conversion" or "reparative" therapieswhich attempt to change someone's gender identity to be more aligned with their sex assigned at birthare strongly condemned. The guidelines provide separate sections on providing care for children before and after puberty begins. This is important because the physical changes of puberty often trigger heightened distress, and support options differ. The guidelines emphasise that providing gender-related health care to a young person requires many different approaches. This may include psychological support, social transition, voice and communication training, fertility counselling, hormonal intervention and surgery. Many professionals may be involved, and the guidelines separately outline roles for mental health clinicians, paediatricians, endocrinologists, fertility specialists, nurses, speech therapists, GPs, bioethicists and lawyers. But not all of these will be applicable to a given individual. It's important to remember many transgender and gender diverse young people will choose not to access gender-related health care at all. As a relatively new endeavour, gender-related health care for children and adolescents is surrounded by myths and misinformation. Accessing reliable, up-to-date information can be challenging for clinicians, patients and families. We hope our guidelines ease this challenge and help young people access supportive, gender affirming care that helps them to lead happy and authentic lives. Explore further Transgender youth more often diagnosed with mental health conditions This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. A Brooklyn man was pronounced dead after falling from his bike while riding over the Manhattan Bridge on Sunday afternoon, authorities said, though his actual cause of death remains unclear. According to police, Philip Ginsberg, 36, was riding in the bridge's Brooklyn-bound bike path lane with a group of cyclists when he abruptly lost consciousness. A preliminary investigation found that he "fell off his bicycle and struck his head on one of the bridge's support beams." A police spokesperson told Gothamist that it's believed he suffered a medical episode. Ginsberg, who was wearing a helmet when he fell, was unconscious when first responders arrived on the scene. He was subsequently transported to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Lower Manhattan hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Manhattan Bridge bike path remained closed for much of Sunday afternoon, but has since reopened. The NYPD's Highway Patrol Collision Investigation Squad is looking into the incident. The city medical examine's office will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death. We'll update as more information becomes available. UPDATE: Members of Philip Ginsberg's cycling team, some of whom were riding with him on Sunday, have released a statement remembering him as a "a sweetheart, [who] loved bike racing, was always positive and optimistic and was everybodys 'mate.'" They also noted that doctors indicated his death was caused by a cardiac event, and not from injuries sustained when he lost control of his bicycle. You can read the full statement here. LONDON Only a few months ago, the global economy appeared to be humming, with all major nations growing in unison. Now, the worlds fortunes are imperiled by an unfolding trade war. As the Trump administration imposes tariffs on allies and rivals alike, provoking broad retaliation, global commerce is suffering disruption, flashing signs of strains that could hamper economic growth. The latest escalation came on Friday, when President Trump announced fresh tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods, prompting swift retribution from Beijing. As the conflict broadens, shipments are slowing at ports and airfreight terminals around the world. Prices for crucial raw materials are rising. At factories from Germany to Mexico, orders are being cut and investments delayed. American farmers are losing sales as trading partners hit back with duties of their own. Workers in a Canadian steel mill scrambled to recall rail cars headed to the United States border after Mr. Trump this month slapped tariffs on imported metals. A Seattle customer soon canceled an order. A Queens father who's lived in the United States for nearly two decades is facing deportation back to his native country of China, after he was arrested by ICE agents while interviewing for a green card last month. Xiu Qing You, 39, has lived in Flushing, Queens since coming to the United States in 2000 to escape religious persecution. He runs a nail salon in Connecticut with his wife, a U.S. citizen; is a father to two young children; and has no criminal record. Though he was issued an order of deportation in 2002, his lawyers say that he only became a target for removal under President Trump's immigration crackdown. (Provided by Yee Ling Poon) Ive had so much pressure to deal with, his wife Yu Mei Chen said through a translator during an emergency rally on Monday, AM New York reports. We are so lost. Speaking of their 4-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, she added, "They miss their father. He has been a perfect father. Chen says she was asked to leave the room during the green card interview on May 23rd, and was left speechless when she learned that ICE agents had taken her husband into custody. She still hasn't been able to share the truth with her children. "Sometimes Ill say dad will come back soon," she told NBC News, through tears. "Ill say he went off to work elsewhere," You's attorney Yee Ling Poon tells Gothamist she filed a habeas corpus petition for a temporary stay of removal on Monday. Still, his deportation could happen "any day now," she says. According to the Legal Aid Society, which is serving as You's co-counsel alongside Poon, unexpected detentions of those who'd previously attended check-ins and interviews without problems are becoming increasingly common. "It's not like in the Obama years with prosecutorial discretion, where folks like Mr. You were just not a priority," Redmond Haskins, a spokesperson for the Legal Aid Society, told Gothamist. "But in these times, it's really not that out of the ordinary." Haskins also noted the similarities between You and Pablo Villavicencio, the Long Island deliveryman detained while delivering pizza to Fort Hamilton earlier this month. Both are married to U.S. citizens, and both have pending applications for green cards. Both men are also currently awaiting deportation at facilities in New JerseyVillavicencio in Hudson County Correctional Facility and You in Bergen County Jail. (Provided by Yee Ling Poon) A spokesperson for Governor Andrew Cuomo's office did not respond to a Gothamist inquiry about whether the state would offer to pay for You's legal services, or whether the governor would be issuing a statement of support to a judge on You's behalf, as he did for Villavicencio. Several other politicians have voiced their support for the Chinese immigrant, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who over the weekend called You's detention "abject cruelty." "Mr. You is part of a sad and frankly un-American trend that has seen many people who are just trying to make a life in the U.S. end up behind bars," echoed City Council Speaker Corey Johnson in a statement. "We must fight these un-American incarcerations. They hurt not only the You family, but all Americans who care about decency and justice." Foxconn has announced it will establish its North American headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Reuters reported. The company has purchased a seven-storey building in the citys downtown area, which it said will support more than 500 employees. Foxconn previously announced that it would build a display manufacturing facility in Wisconsin, which would support over 13,000 employees. The company currently employees more than one million people worldwide and is the largest contract electronics manufacturer in the world. Foxconns plan to set up a US-based office and manufacturing facility comes after pressure from the Trump administration to invest in the country. Didier Lombard, the former chief executive officer of France Telecom, will stand trial for moral harassment, a decade after a wave of employee suicides coincided with the restructuring he led. The onetime monopoly, now known as Orange SA, and six of its executives have also been indicted on charges of moral harassment or abetting moral harassment, according to a statement from the companys telecommunications workers union, CFE-CGC. The union, citing an indictment, said the case should reach the courts next year. An official at the Paris prosecutors office who couldnt be identified by name in line with policy confirmed the indictment of Lombard and France Telecom, without providing details on the charges. Orange denied that its policies destabilized employees. Orange will explain its position at the public hearing that will be scheduled in the coming months, it said in an email. Current chief executive officer, Stephane Richard, has not been charged, but Brigitte Dumont, who oversees corporate and social responsibility, will stand trial, the union said. The law practice of Jean Veil, Lombards attorney, didnt immediately reply to an emailed request for comment outside of business hours. More than 30 employees of France Telecom committed suicide between 2008 and 2010 as reorganization efforts to make the former monopoly more competitive contributed to workers psychological issues, a labor union said at the time. France Telecom suspended its restructuring plans in 2009 and Lombard stepped down in 2010. In those years, most of its workers had protected status that made it difficult to fire them, so the company gave some employees meaningless jobs to force them out, driving some to take their own lives, the union said. Now read: Qualcomm cuts up to half the jobs in its data centre unit With the return of Eskom load shedding, many South Africans are suffering extended periods without electricity. While you can view the load shedding schedule ahead of time and make changes to your day to lessen its impact, the only truly unaffected South Africans will be those living off the grid. Once such family is the Pretoria-based Dreckmeyrs, who have lived completely off the grid for around 10 years. Their home is powered by a 5kW-per-hour solar array paired with a 2kW-per-hour wind turbine, allowing the house to constantly generate electricity. The systems are managed by an intelligent IoT system which can provide the residents with various notifications and alerts dynamically. Inus Dreckmeyr is an electrical engineer and CEO of Netshield South Africa, and has leveraged his expertise in the industry to build his homes renewable energy system. Our system supplies power to our household housing five people, said Dreckmeyr. We have no connection to the grid and supply our own water from an on-property borehole. Dreckmeyr said his household energy system and its energy consumption has changed in recent years, and told MyBroadband that there are multiple ways to optimise energy usage. Optimisation is key Dreckmeyr said living with their energy system made his family learn more about electricity optimisation and efficient appliances. Initially, when we moved in after the construction and completion of the house, we used the same household appliances as we used in our previous house, he said. There was no direct change to any appliances as such, but everyone in the household became more energy-conscious and changed their lifestyle to improve their energy consumption. The house was also fitted with LED lighting to improve power consumption, with high-intensity lighting for reading still available. As household appliances fail and needed replacing, we ensured that all the new appliances are as energy-efficient as possible at least A++ rated, said Dreckmeyr. But the more critical change we made was becoming much more energy efficient and energy wise, using energy when it is available instead of storing for later use. Thus, swimming pool pumps and water extraction from the borehole is done during periods when there is an abundance of energy from our solar array, which would be wasted if not used in these applications. IoT management Dreckmeyrs system is managed by a simple IoT system, which monitors almost every facet of the installation. This includes: Solar array alignment Solar array production MPPTs Inverters Battery temperature Roof temperature Air flow Instant and accumulative consumption Generator fuel Surge protection elements The system then alerts residents in accordance with preset exceptions, or when a piece of equipment fails or malfunctions. Using a simple but effective IoT implementation like this can dramatically reduce the amount of work required to keep the energy system running, he said. Living off the grid enhances your lifestyle and teaches your kids the value of green energy and the consideration of our planet, added Dreckmeyr. More people should do this to experience the absolute thrill of energy independence. No load shedding, no effects from Eskom strikes, no energy bill, no increase in energy costs, and best of all our lights are always on. For a visual guide to Dreckmeyrs energy installation, check out these photos. Now read: Eskom starts Stage 1 load shedding While South Africa does not have its own dedicated space programme to send rockets into orbit, it does have private entities which are involved in the space industry. One of these entities is the Space Advisory Company (SAC), a space engineering consultancy based in Somerset West, South Africa. SAC employs over 50 people and designs hardware for use in outer space, including spacecraft sub-systems and complete spacecraft. The company recently manufactured a digital controller unit for use in the Netherlands-China Low Frequency Orbiter, which is currently situated 80,000km beyond the moon at the second Earth-Moon Lagrange point. MyBroadband spoke to SAC CEO Duncan Stanton about the scope of the companys work, and what they currently focus their efforts on. Design and development Stanton said the company designs hardware for use in outer space, a task which presents unique challenges such as accounting for thermal stress and radiation exposure. SAC is predominately a space engineering consultancy, with a focus on design and development, said Stanton. We therefore take the responsibility of the design of the hardware, be it digital or mechanical, outsource the raw manufacturing, and then take the responsibility to assemble, integrate, and test the various sub-systems and systems that form part of the spacecraft, or the complete spacecraft. When building this type of hardware, the company is forced to adapt its designs to the harsh environment of space and build systems which can handle significant and rapid thermal changes, powerful vibration, and acoustic and radiation exposure. They must also be able to operate in a vacuum. Having the skills, tools, and capabilities to design for these conditions and understanding what is possible from the local and international hardware manufacturing vendors is a key to our success, said Stanton. Increased local funding for space engineering is required to grow South Africas contribution to the space industry, however. It is a rewarding challenge running a completely privately-owned space company from the tip of Africa, he said. The level of investment in space engineering within the national space programme remains largely insufficient to leverage the capability and ingenuity of our local South African workforce. He added that more local support for research and development is key to the generation of intellectual property which can be licensed and exported, and could create more jobs and income in the technology sector. In order to remain sustainable, the majority of the work is performed with international clients, said Stanton. Being able to compete internationally underlines the world-class ability of the staff within SAC. Successful projects SAC has designed an incredible array of hardware which has been implemented everywhere from the Earths surface to far into outer space. Starting on Earth, we provide the core systems engineering capacity for the Science Data Processor for the Square Kilometre Array project, said Stanton. Rapidly climbing in altitude to around 400km, and travelling at more than 7.5 kilometres a second, SAC successfully demonstrated an operational camera product, called the Gecko. The Gecko camera was designed, developed, and assembled in-house at SAC, and boasts impressive capabilities. What makes this product unique is the overall performance squeezed into the palm of your hand. It has the ability to take more than 4,000 colour images of Earth at a resolution of around 30 metres, protected against the very rough ride to space, and able to endure the harsh environment of space for a number of years of operation, said Stanton. SAC was also contracted by SCS-Space for the design and delivery of the nSight-1 satellite, which houses the Gecko camera and is currently orbiting Earth. Besides being involved in a number of current remote sensing satellite and payload projects, of which a few are designated for launch during this year, the highlight achieved in terms of altitude is just about 500,000 kilometres, said Stanton. Aboard the Change-4 relay satellite, launched on 21 May, is a very specialised and sensitive radio astronomy instrument, he said. The controller unit for this instrument was designed and supplied by SAC to Radboud University as part of the Netherlands-China Low Frequency Explorer, to be deployed around 80,000 kilometres beyond the moon. Stanton said the company believes this is the furthest a wholly South African-designed and supplied advanced digital processing piece of hardware has ever been from the Earths surface. Now read: SpaceX Moon tourism mission delayed A man who had been drinking was found bleeding and wandering the street near Lena Drive at 10:21 p.m. Friday, American Canyon Police reported. Police sent the man to the hospital to be treated for his injuries, then interviewed his alleged assailant, Jacob Michael Abelar, 34, at his home, Police Chief Oscar Ortiz said. Officers ended up arresting Abelar for investigation of battery. He was booked into the Napa County jail, then released on $50,000 bail. The investigation is continuing, Ortiz said. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Researchers at UC Davis' Environmental Health Sciences Center are looking for new mothers and pregnant women who experienced the North Bay fires to serve as subjects for a new study on the potential effects of exposure to toxic smoke and ash on expectant mothers and their infants. Participants in the Bio-Specimen Assessment of Fire Effects Study, or B-SAFE, must have lived or worked in areas affected by the October 2017 fires -- including Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Napa, Solano, Nevada or Yuba counties. They also must be willing to provide test samples of their blood, hair and breast milk, their babies' saliva, and the placenta and umbilical cord blood of women who have not yet given birth. Scientists from Davis will make home visits to collect the samples and will compensate participants for their time. The study, one of several post-fire research projects under way at the health sciences center, seeks to yield information about the implications of wildfires for the health of expectant mothers and their babies, but particularly where the fires burn in developed areas, destroying thousands of homes and everything in them: solvents, glues, metals, formaldehydes and halogens used in construction, as well as cleaning supplies, electronics, paints, insecticides and other substances stored inside. Without a substantial increase, grant levels will have remained below the deep poverty line for 11 years in a row, Mitchell said after her bill passed. To me, this is entirely unacceptable. So, thats how the Senate responded on welfare of the traditional kind. But just before taking up SB 982, the Senate passed a welfare bill of another kind, also carried by Mitchell. Senate Bill 951, approved by a 37-2 vote, would continue and expand the states tax credit subsidies to film production, up to $330 million a year. Mitchell and other senatorial advocates pictured it as supporting a vital economic activity Californias premier industry in her words that is being threatened by runaway production to other states and nations because of their incentives. While Californias liberal Democratic politicians often decry corporate tax loopholes, they are making a very pointed exception for this one industry, whose corporate and union leaders are dependable supporters of Democratic candidates and causes. In fact, the film industry, despite its very high cultural profile, is an almost infinitesimal factor in the states $2.6 trillion economy, and not even very important in Southern California. I am a Napa native. I grew up at Monticello Park and now own a home on the Hidden Hills side of town. These are well planned neighborhoods where Napans live and that add value to our community and, to me, exemplifies how Napa neighborhoods should look. Napa Oaks offers all of this and more, with consideration to protected open space and protected mature trees plus the public benefits of hiking trails and trailhead. All of this, while giving attention to traffic and water in the surrounding neighborhoods and contributing to work force housing needs. I have had the opportunity to tour the proposed building site, and this is not untouched wild land. The acres of hidden, tucked away land was graded decades ago and it is prime for adding to the solution of our housing shortage. Avoiding all-too-common high-density housing, Napa Oaks stays true to what I have come to appreciate in the neighborhoods in Napa that I desire to live and gather as a community. Please dont turn away a developer willing to provide these community benefits in a time of housing shortage. Please recommend approval of Napa Oaks, a neighborhood Napa can be proud of. Jenny Gass Napa Armenia local elections: Voter turnout at 33.23% as of 8pm when polls closed Lawyer: Purpose of this Armenia police search was to disrupt work of Goris mayor blocs election headquarters UK very interested in Turkish drone program, says Turkey official Germany still tops EU countries list of asylum seekers Armenia local elections: Voter turnout at 25.57% as of 5pm 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 The mayor of Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia, Karen Grigoryan has resigned. I, Karen Grigoryan, submit my resignation by my will, he wrote on Facebook. On Sunday morning, Grigoryan had met with governor Gagik Mirijanyan of Armavir Province, whereupon he had announced that he will continue to serve as mayor. But sometime thereafter, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated on livestream that Karen Grigoryans father, Yerkrapah (Defender of the Land) Volunteer Union Chairman and National Assembly Republican Party of Armenia Faction MP, General Manvel Grigoryan, was suspected not solely of illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, but also of appropriating the goods which schoolchildren had sent for military servicemen as assistance. Subsequently, the National Security Service disseminated a statement and footage to this effect. As reported earlier, Manvel Grigoryan was arrested within the framework of the criminal case that was filed into the finding of illegal weapons and ammunition in his summer residence. YEREVAN. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has left the country to conduct a series of meetings abroad. The President will hold a number of official as well as unofficial meetings at the United Kingdom. Armen Sarkissian will be hosted at the Buckingham Palace. As former Ambassador of Armenia to the UK, he will hold farewell meetings at the Foreign Office, presidents press office reported. From London the President of Armenia will travel to France. In Paris, Armen Sarkissian will have meetings with the representatives of business circles of France to present Armenias comparative advantages and discuss investment opportunities. In Paris, President Sarkissian will also have a working meeting with the Secretary General of the International Organization of Francophonie Michaelle Jean. They will discuss issues related to the organization of a business forum in the framework of the Summit of Francophonie to be held in Yerevan on October 7-12. On June 26, Armen Sarkissian will leave for Washington, where he will participate at the annual Folklife Festival conducted at the one of scientific and cultural centers of the United States, Smithsonian Institute. The Festival will be dedicated to the Armenian cultural heritage. In Washington, President Sarkissian will also attend a reception at the US Senate dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. While visiting the mentioned above countries, President Sarkissian may also hold meetings with the leaders of the foreign offices of the respective states. Armenia local elections: Voter turnout at 33.23% as of 8pm when polls closed Serie A: Napoli achieve 8th consecutive win (VIDEO) Premier League: Tottenham beat Newcastle (VIDEO) Lawyer: Purpose of this Armenia police search was to disrupt work of Goris mayor blocs election headquarters Conor McGregor punches Italian DJ in the face La Liga: Sevilla win, tie with Real and Atletico (VIDEO) UK very interested in Turkish drone program, says Turkey official Bundesliga: Bayern record impressive win (VIDEO) Germany still tops EU countries list of asylum seekers Armenia local elections: Voter turnout at 25.57% as of 5pm Premier League: Everton lose at home to West Ham (PHOTO, VIDEO) 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 Zidane announces his choice in 2021 Ballon dOr race Netflix estimates Squid Game profits at $900m Russian-Egyptian military exercise to be held in Egypt Megan Fox, Brian Austin Green formally divorced Hurricane Pamela leaves at least 9,000 victims in Nayarit state of Mexico Armenias FC Shirak player dies 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 Ibrahimovic: You walk, I fly (PHOTO) Newcastle have right to make 225m worth of transfers in January 1,697 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia What types of fast food are useful? 17 American Christian missionaries, their families kidnapped in Haiti Britney Spears wants to leave US 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) La Liga: Real Sociedad top current standings WHO recommends third COVID-19 vaccine Serie A: Milan climb to first place (VIDEO) 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 Actor Sean Penn divorces his young wife a year after the wedding Meghan Markle plans to return to cinema I went to premiere: Daniel Craig's Swan Song - "No Time to Die" (NO SPOILERS) 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 Sergio Ramos congratulates Joaquin Caparros by posting nearly 20-year-old photo 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 How is brain trauma dangerous for women? 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 FC Pyunik and FC Alashkert tie match Bayern Munich extend contract with 21-year-old player (PHOTO) 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 On June 14, Armenian Police issued a statement about twelve companies in Yerevan that fraudulently appropriated funds from the state budget. With the help of some intermediaries, they issued and signed phony checks and inspection cards for vehicles, which are usually presented to vehicle inspection centers. The directors of the companies then presented the fake documents to the Ministry of Finance and fraudulently received amount of AMD 1.310 billion (2.7 million USD) from the state budget. To do this, the companies used their licenses for inspecting vehicles provided by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. One of this companies is Robert Taron LLC, which actually belongs to Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan, though it is registered in other peoples names. The company was founded by Robert Sargsyan, Margaryans brother-in-law, in 1999. Taron Margaryan was the registered owner in 2008-2010. From 2010, 100% shares of the company officially belonged to the mayor's assistant Armen Buniatyan, who left the company and his job at the municipality in March of this year. The current registered owner of the company is Yeghishe Avagyan. Armen Buniatyan Robert Taron also serves its former owners A contract between the Yerevan Municipality and Robert Taron was signed on April 12, 2018, as reported on www.armeps.am. Its a one-million-dram car rental service contract, by which the company is obliged to provide high-quality services to Yerevans Avan Administrative District by December 25. The contract obligates the company's taxi service vehicles to transport the staff of the administrative district. Top photo: Mayor Taron Margaryan and Armen Buniatyan IS Claims 3 Attacks in Somalia in 3 Consecutive Days Army preparing for irregular warfare using electronic and cyber operations as Russia, China rise For hundreds of years the nature of warfare had not changed because the weapons of war remained relatively the same. Smoothbore firearms and cannon did not significantly alter battlefield tactics until the American Civil War, when rifling was added to smoothbore weapons. From that period, warfare and weapons technology underwent substantial changes and improvements every generation, making them far more accurate, lethal, and with much longer ranges. Today, however, technology in the form of electronics and cyber systems is the primary driver of military tactics, and will unquestionably be employed by all parties in the next great power conflict. Thats why the U.S. Army is bolstering its own capabilities in the fields of electronic and cyber warfare. As reported by Fifth Domain, over the next decade the Army will prepare units to incorporate both kinds of warfare as it prepares to face down Russia and/or China, both of which are revisionist powers who are developing similar capabilities of their own. Secretary of the Army Mark Esper noted that soldiers with the 1st Calvary Division based at Fort Hood, Texas, are already training for such high intensity conflicts based on similar operations conducted by Russian forces operating in and near eastern Ukraine. During a recent visit to a 1st Calvary training site, Esper noted that troops were dealing with drones, they were dealing with intermittent communications, they were dealing with cyber attacks, and that really gave me a good feel that we were on the right path. Electronic warfare often involves jamming radio and satellite signals, which not only impedes communications but can also disrupt satellite-fed targeting data streams, making it difficult to launch precision strikes against enemy targets. Cyber attacks, of course, are also used to disrupt communications and targeting systems both on the ground and in the air. Esper noted that in the future, battles will take place much more swiftly and involve constant surveillance as well as subject all weapons systems to disruptions and even destruction. It will be a fight that will involve threats from a range of domains, said Esper, including air, land, sea, space, cyberspace. Eye-watering The new and developing electronic warfare (EW) and cyber war tactics are evolving, and the service is working on the development of automatic systems, artificial intelligence, and robotics in order to bolster effectiveness, lethality, and options for battlefield commanders all while making units less dependent on logistics columns. (Related: AI is the new weapon of choice in the global arms race: Advanced technology using intelligent software could lead to an automated Cold War) The Army has asked Congress for $429.4 million for research and development of EW and cyber war systems development through fiscal year 2023, Fifth Domain noted, adding: The Army is already attempting to infuse cyber and electronic warfare into brigades. Each unit now includes a cyber and electromagnetic activity planner to bolster digital fighting options for commandeers. Military officials have previously told Fifth Domain that some units are training for counter-drone capability. ISIS and other rebel forces have used crude explosive devices fitted to drones with moderate success in Syria and Iraq, reports have noted. As for EW systems, Russia is winning that development battle, according to experts. Foreign Policy reported in October 2015 that Russian forces were using EW to successfully block communications and jam signals set by drones in both Syria and the Ukraine. Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, then-commander of U.S. Army units in Europe, described Russias EW capabilities at the time as eye-watering. And Ronald Pontius, deputy to Army Cyber Commands chief, Lt. Gen. Edward Cardon, told conference attendees that month that you cant but come to the conclusion that were not making progress at the pace the threat demands. Progress is being made now, though its certain the U.S. after more than 15 years fighting low-intensity wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is playing catch-up to Russia in these domains. Read more about cyber war and electronic warfare at Cyberwar.news. J.D. Heyes is also editor-in-chief of The National Sentinel. Sources include: ForeignPolicy.com FifthDomain.com Employees at a Yerevan sewing plant have gone on strike and are demanding a wage increase. One of the workers at the plant, located on Gajegordz Street and operated by WKS Armenia LLC, told Hetq that he and the others now receive 30,000-45,000 drams monthly. All of us have now decided to strike. If they dont meet our demands, well write our resignation papers and leave, said the employee who wished to remain anonymous. The employee claims the company brings in workers from communities outside Yerevan and mostly pays low wages. They say, this is the job. If you want it, fine, if not, leave, the employee told Hetq. Zayn on whether he'd ever run for office: "Maybe. It'd be cool" https://t.co/py51CyXokj pic.twitter.com/T44HYtRDlv GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) June 18, 2018 American GQ styled Zayn like Lupin the Third meets Bazz Luhrrman's Romeo for his first cover for the magazine (he's appeared three times on the cover of British GQ). He talks to Carrie Battan about his carreer, not wanting to be famous, his relationship with Gigi Hadid and even politics. Battan ends up getting ghosted by the pop star.Battan tweeted: @cbattan On attending the 2016 MET gala: "I did go, but I didn't go there to be like, 'Yo, take me serious,' " he remembers. "I was taking the piss! I went there as my favorite Mortal Kombat character, Jax."He continues: "The Met Gala is not necessarily anything that I ever knew about or was about. But my [former] stylistwould say to me, 'This is really good for you to do.' And no matter how strong you are mentally, you can always be swayed to do certain things. Now, it's not something I would go to. I'd rather be sitting at my house, doing something productive, than dressing up in really expensive clothes and being photographed on a red carpet. To do the self-indulgentthing on the red carpet, it's not me." Zayn left Los Angeles for New York because, "It got too crazy. I just got too much into the party scene. Just going out all the time. And I was too distracted." He's thankful for meeting Gigi and maintains a friendship with her, as well as a close connection with her mother, Yolanda - a fellow Capricorn.He ends up having to use the toilet, but the interviewer notices him leaving, "as I prepared to launch into more conversation, he asked Carolina where he could nd the toilets. She pointed him toward a porta-potty on dry land, and Taryn wordlessly followed behind him, obviously accustomed to this ritual. Before I could get my bearings, he was zipping off into the parking lot adjacent to the tanker, no doubt scurrying home to his fortress of solitude and cigarette smoke in SoHo. I'd been Zayned.We were supposed to hang out the following week, and I patiently waited for him to reach out. But I knew that he never would. And much as I'd like to be the exception to the Laws of Zayn's Nature, I get it. Who among us has never fantasized about blowing off pesky professional obligations we deem useless? Zayndriven by a spirit that is part self-destruction, part self-preservation, part youthful punk contrarianismactually has the balls to live that fantasy. It's self-absorbed, immature, and unprofessional. I'd be offended if I didn't think it was so fucking cool. A tortilla thats flat on the bottom and what else was them at commercial about? Reply Thread Link I feel like it was about hard and soft tortillas. Reply Parent Thread Link hard or soft tacos! Reply Parent Thread Link disneyland is always so fucking packed now Reply Thread Link It was actually p light this weekend according to the crowd tracker. Ya gotta learn them secrets to rising 10+ rides in a day, fast passes, etc Reply Parent Thread Link Yikes hasnt it always been packed? I havent been in well over a decade so the idea of it being even more packed is awful Reply Parent Thread Link So is Disney World. Theres never really an off season anymore like there used to be. They lifted my passes blackout dates for the month of June (its usually blacked out June through August) and all I could think of was, Uggg...but the crowds are sooooo much worse in the summer. . Which never makes sense to me because anyone who willingly travels to Orlando in the summer is in for a world of misery. But I live here and you spend the money on passes, you feel like you should use them. But Im always perfectly happy being blacked out in the summer time. Reply Parent Thread Link Age-gap discussion post? Hollywood spent so much time telling me that women are over the hill after 30 but irl all the age gaps I know are older women/younger men. Reply Thread Link Im seeing it more and more which is cool. I think I got ruined because I made the mistake of reading TheRedPill on reddit and now suspect every man thinks women over 30 are used up old hags not worthy of acknowledgement Reply Parent Thread Link Personally I see a lot of (much) older man/younger woman. I like when I see the reverse :) Reply Parent Thread Link This older woman/younger woman erasure! ;) Other than my own, I don't actually think I know any relationships that have an age gap bigger than 3 or 4 years. I never considered that before. Reply Parent Thread Link lol and here I am worried about starting a relationship with a 20 year old guy at 28 Reply Parent Thread Link Can't get a man and never been to Disneyland. -_- Reply Thread Link Good for ha. If it was reversed and the man was Heidis age and the woman was Toms no one would bat an eye or mention it Reply Thread Link I dont believe for a second that theyre dating for real. Reply Thread Link I find something creepy/clingy/possessive about him hanging on her. He wants to use her fame? And she wants a young hot guy? Reply Parent Thread Link I mean, it's not like this is her first younger boyfriend Reply Parent Thread Link Man I was supposed to go this weekend. Rip. I wanna get stoned again and go on all the rides. I LOVE Jungle Cruise and it was 1000000x funnier riding while high. I marched my ass down to their city hall to give this dude all the praise for dealing with my stoned ass laughing throughout the entire ride Edited at 2018-06-18 06:42 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link um, YES!! I was riding it all day, taking bites out of this sour rope I got after every ride, or while standing in line to make sure it hit at the right time. I dabbed on Space Mountain (my bff really hates when I do that lmao) and I was just... laughing my ass off during the whole ride! I dont think I want to go to Disneyland sober again, honestly! Oh I want to try that too! They did it on Reply All and I feel like if I do microdoses like they did I would do pretty well, you know? oh my god going on jungle cruise and space mountain while on this WOULD be a revaluation! Youre right!!! ETA: are you based in CA? Edited at 2018-06-18 07:07 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Good for her...improved tbh. I'm all for age gap (like only if it's more than 20 years of difference i will cringe) my mother is 5 years older than my dad but my dad looks way older so. Disneyland i never went...Disneyworld a lot of times but the last time I went was 2001 :( Reply Thread Link IDK why this is so shocking to TH fans, they're acting all offended like he personally hurt them. He's dated much older women since he was a teenager. He was married to Ria who's like 10 yrs older. But then TH fans are embarrassingly emotional over every move the twins make. They act betrayed that Bill does gay shit, too, bc he ~cANNOT BE GAY~ Reply Thread Link Get that damn good D, sis. Lucky ha! I cannot even snatch up a fine ass gentleman with a real good big dick, such a rare species... Reply Thread Link Also re: age gap, idk. I'm 29 and my bf is 58 but we also met under...weird circumstances? I was doing makeup at a Halloween thing he performs at every year so we added each other on facebook, but we bonded about 6 months later over his wife having died the year before and my dad having just died. I think if we hadn't bonded over grief like that we wouldn't have ended up together. We're kind of stuck w each other as friends regardless of whatever happens bc of it, too. He's been there every step of the way during my recovery from an eating disorder and I don't think I could be doing it without him. Big age gaps don't really bother me anyways as long as the younger person is older than mid 20's. I just feel like teens and early 20's is such a weird time in your life. You're learning how to be independent, you're probably still in school, you're still developing mentally. Probably never had a full time job or bills to pay, probably still live with your parents. It feels like an older person is usually looking for someone who's vulnerable (especially if the younger one is still in their teens) Once you hit mid 20's and above, and especially once you hit 30's, there's some life experience there, and people aren't as vulnerable most of the time. Reply Thread Link I mostly agree with you, except when there's a big diference in class between the couple. Then it can create a weird power dynamic. Or when the guy only dates younger women. Reply Parent Thread Link Good point, that definitely creates an uneven dynamic too. When guys only date younger women it sends up ALL THE RED FLAGS to me. Like honestly it just screams "I want to manipulate you" =/ Reply Parent Thread Link He actually looks cute here, I am surprised. Good for her Heidi Reply Thread Link Those rose gold ears are always in stock now! Oh my the french section looks dreamy *heart eyes Reply Parent Thread Link I wish we had a Ratatouille ride :( Reply Parent Thread Link I'm going to Disneyland next month for my birthday! Probably will be super packed but whatever. My mom has a conference that week in Anaheim so she offered to fly the SO and me out there. My sister lives in LA so we'll get to see them that Saturday probably so it'll be good. Plus my SO hasn't been to Disneyland since he was four (so... 28 years ago) so I'm excited to take him. Reply Thread Link I love the blue bayou but I wish they had a better menu you'd think they would too with club 33 right there Reply Parent Thread Link Soooo Trump is apparently trying to incite shit in Germany via Twitter. Plus someone I know shared on FB these disgusting comments from a FB group called God Trump Dank Meme Stash where they were saying these disgusting things about that littly boy in a cage crying. Ugh. I hate this world. Reply Thread Link I just don't understand. There's child camps in the USA. Like wtf is going on in the USA. You have camps full of children who have been taken from their parents. It's crazy that noone is saying anything. It's messed up how dehumanized immigrant kids have become. They're seen lower than trash by White America. It's sickening. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I won't even repeat the horrible things I read. It made me cry. Some people are truly sick and fucked up in the head. Reply Parent Thread Link I agree. When do people start protesting that shit hole IRL? Reply Parent Thread Link that social credit score was some black mirror shit Reply Thread Link What do you mean, what's become of him in recent years? Reply Parent Thread Link Xi Jinping needs to stop stanning Black Mirror tbh Reply Thread Link Awful. I need these trash men to die ASAP. Reply Thread Link Well this is terrifying. My mother has been suspicious of Chinas expansion into Africa but I just thought she was paranoid. Welp. Reply Thread Link nah like China as a part of their belt and road initiative are slowly carrying out economic colonisation across Africa and SE Asia. Tons of debt is owed to them by countries who potentially may not be able to repay them plus interest. Im terrified that in a few years we will see a bunch of countries defaulting. Reply Parent Thread Link This sounds terrifying. I wish other countries would leave African countries alone to prosper instead of always trying to take advantage of their resources. Reply Parent Thread Link I remember some African President talking up xi and China, he said "we welcome China, who has never been our colonizer!" money rules the world, they west won't stop China because they've got cash to burn and the leaders of almost every African nation will sell their country for parts just to make a quick buck. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link 49 senators (All democrats + Sanders and Kings) are cosponsoring Feinstein's Keep Families Together act. Would they need 50 or 60 votes to pass it in the senate? I'm always confused as to when they can make do with 50 votes and when they need 60. Reply Thread Link More than five comments, op Reply Thread Link Haha its a definite rarity but I appreciate it when it happens. <3 Reply Parent Thread Link Thank you for this post! Jesus Christ it's only been a year! Trump has got to go sessions has got to go! I want them all imprisoned. Reply Thread Link China's policy in the South China Sea and the way no one really dares to bother them is legit terrifying. In the meanwhile, they've gone from rocks to a fully functioning military base there while the world wrings their hands. Reply Thread Link We are. Whoever is in it, China will win in the end. Reply Parent Thread Link i unironically support xi jinping Reply Thread Link So you support my people (Filipinos) being threatened everyday with colonization? You support this fucking trash trying to steal our land? You support his navy trying to kill innocent Filipino Fishermen and trying to stop their livelihood? You support Chinese businessmen trying to kick out indigenous people in their own land in Boracay Island just so they can create multiple hotels for Chinese Tourists? You support brown people especially Filipino maids being battered, abused, or even killed because of how East Asian people look down on brown Asians? Cuz fuck u Reply Parent Thread Link i don't approve of chinese militarization of the south china sea, nor do i approve of the others you mentioned. i only support him for braving american aggression, especially since obama's policy of pivot to asia is designed to contain and surround china. i'm not here for that. Edited at 2018-06-19 12:38 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Fuck this motherfucker and fuck China! Reply Thread Link http://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1008720946319052800 Edited at 2018-06-18 09:46 pm (UTC) I hate everything and it just keeps getting worse and WHERE ARE THE GIRLS? Reply Thread Link And there it is. Fuck humanity. Reply Parent Thread Link yep. I cant even describe the rage I feel Reply Parent Thread Link Take him in the middle of a field and shoot him dead Reply Parent Thread Expand Link exactly where are the girls and where are the babies? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Oh, WTF!!!!!! Burn him at the stake please. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link XXXTentacion assassin, I've got a new job for you! On a more serious note, I'm sure this is happening far too much. You've got a group of people with power who are mostly men overseeing those with no power and with little oversight from the outside. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link w o w Reply Parent Thread Expand Link this is horrifying. i'm so afraid for all the young women trapped in these places, they really have no place to run and i have no doubt they deal with "report and get deported" type of threats all the time. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Terrible. They are setting these kids up to be victimized by deviants like this. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Oh no. :( He can burn in hell. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link What?! We still have no idea where the girls are?! This is getting scary as hell. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Chop away his dick and let him bleed to death. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link kill em Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Jfc Reply Parent Thread Expand Link this shit low-key makes me wanna die Reply Parent Thread Expand Link cool, i'm hopping on a plane from australia to here and i'm gonna bring with me the most dangerous spider and watch him slowly die. fucker. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I hope he's eaten alive in prison. And I mean that literally. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link No matter your feelings about immigration- no human can hear this and say that these crimes against humanity, children held as prisoners, is justified under ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. Call your senators, mobilize, take action. LISTEN AND ACT! https://t.co/2lAOX9XS4Z Jaime King (@Jaime_King) June 18, 2018 You cant simultaneously argue that family separation isnt happening, that its being used as a deterrent, that the Bible justifies it and that its @TheDemocrats fault. @POTUS is not being served well by his advisors on this issue. Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) June 18, 2018 It is not our policy to conduct this policy which is only our policy because we want Congress to change our policy. Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) June 18, 2018 Reply Thread Link when I saw the mooch say that on CNN this morning with Alyson camerota my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe he grew a smidge of a spine to call him out on it. Reply Parent Thread Link He's just an opportunist Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Oh "POTUS" is absolutely being served well by his advisors, many of whom are barely concealed white supremacists. This is what he wants because it's what many of his voters want. "Financially insecure" my fucking ass. The next twat liberal white guy who tries to tell me that we just need to "listen to these poor, misunderstood" fucks is going to get an earful. Reply Parent Thread Link well im just going to spend the day crying after listening to just 10 seconds of that audio Reply Parent Thread Link God bless whoever snuck that recorder in there and captured that. Reply Parent Thread Link man i couldnt listen for more than a few seconds to that audio, my heart is breaking. is there anything i can do (as a canadian)? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I listened to the audio and I feel like dying Reply Parent Thread Link Join the June 30th protests! https://act.moveon.org/event/families-belong-together/ Reply Parent Thread Link This whole thing is so heartbreaking. I wish I could do something to help those poor families :( Reply Thread Link Donate and march at the planned protest thats going to be announced soon. Call your reps and RAISE HELL. Reply Parent Thread Link https://www.facebook.com/donate/490507544717085/ ty <3 hey sis, can you add this link to the post? they are taking donations for bail money for the parents being heldty <3 Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I've been donating, i've been calling all my representatives and even representatives that aren't mine. I just don't know what to do. I can't wait until November, this is just fucking heartbreaking. I'll honestly host a family in my 1 bedroom apartment if that's an option, I just can't watch news of this fucking sadistic policy anymore edit: I re-read this and feel like I came off like was complaining in response to @reluctantlylove, but I was just venting in general. I just want November to come already. Edited at 2018-06-18 10:16 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link The Florence Project provides legal aid to undocumented minors in Arizona Reply Parent Thread Link If you're in the US, contact your Senators. If they are Democrat, you don't need to. If they are GOP, get in touch and bug them to sign on to SB 3036. It's a bill to stop this now, and to keep it from happening again. All the dems are on board (Manchin dragging his damn feet as usual), but no repub has signed on to support it. You can text "RESIST" to 50409. It'll take you through getting in touch with reps step by step. It's really helpful. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Call your reps every day and get out and vote in November. Take as many people with you as you can. Reply Parent Thread Link "Celebs react to children held in concentration camps" I don't want to live on this planet anymore tbh. This is sf depressing Reply Thread Link Fucking evil people. Someone needs to take them out tbh Reply Thread Link The audio of the kids crying for their parents is heart breaking. Reply Thread Link With every passing day, I become more concerned (and terrified) for where all of this is going. Im scared that we are approaching the point of no return. Reply Thread Link Same. I am anxious all day long. Reply Parent Thread Link I think it's too late tbh at least for the US Reply Parent Thread Link i hope the government reaches a point of self-implosion tbh then clear up the dust and start anew Reply Parent Thread Link I think we're already at the point of no return tbh. This is the true colors of the Republican party. They are in charge of every branch of government and they are allowing every single bit of this to happen unchecked. Reply Parent Thread Link I've heard some people say they think this administration is white supremacy's last stand, but with each passing day it gets worse and Trump followers get more deeply devoted and I dont see how those people imagine it turning around. Like what is it going to take for trump supporters to reverse course and admit how destructive this administration is? Reply Parent Thread Link They'll have to die in a nuclear blast. And even if they could still somehow talk, they would go down saying it was worth it. LBR, some would be outright gleeful. Basically, nothing will make them change. I've completely switched focus from trying to talk sense into people at this point. There is no sense for them. People who haven't had their minds changed at this point almost never will. Instead I'm focusing my energy on helping people who are being destroyed by this admin. There's someone / at least one family in every community who needs help. Reply Parent Thread Link Trump is getting relected and will win with no hacking involved this time. People need to stop being delusional. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I think we're there. Even if you clean house and fire off the Republicans into the sun, what the fuck do you do about the supporters who hold the same beliefs? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I think this year has shown the limitations of politics and how truly oppressive our government could become, especially with the erosion of any privacy protection. The government would come down on us so hard for even thinking about a revolt. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah i think we're totally there. too much damage has been done. the far-right is now mainstream. the whole world (america) just doesn't realize it bc of normalization, desensitization blah blah etc. the protests, outrage i feel, have died down. it's like turning into white noise now but like ffs it's summer, can we just get another massive march/protest before august? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link That border patrol agent making fucking jokes about it is pure evil. Next Democratic presidential candidate had better make abolishing ICE part of their platform. Reply Thread Link I agree. Ive decided not to vote for any democrat who supports ICE. This has to be one of the top issues we need to press the democratic candidates about. Reply Parent Thread Link and to top it off he's speaking in Spanish! We got our own complicit in all of this like are you fucking kidding me?? Reply Parent Thread Link The Nazis used to promote particular Jews to "special positions" within the camps, often forcing them to condemn "their own" in order to save themselves. It's one of the oldest tricks in the book. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Good fucking luck. The ONLY democrat Ive seen even talking about it is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez running in NY14. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link That dick needs to be stomped in the throat. Reply Parent Thread Link https://www.facebook.com/donate/490507544717085/ Hey all please donate if you can. Trying to get as much bail money as possible so the parents can be released and reunited with their children asap. Reply Thread Link Another first lady heard from: Rosalynn Carter releases statement saying "The practice and policy today of removing children from their parents' care at our border with Mexico is disgraceful and a shame to our country." Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) June 18, 2018 Reply Thread Link All 5 First Ladies have now spoken out against this horrific policy of Trvmp, torturing children and their families. It's inhuman, but that's Trvmp. How did we get here? Register and vote Democrat in the midterms. It's clear the GOP will do nothing to stop him. Reply Parent Thread Link Melania didn't speak out against shit. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link remember how the right-wing nutjobs have been crying out about how they really just CARE about the *white* children and that's why they have to threaten to shoot up pizza parlors and vote for Trump? Reply Thread Link I feel fucking hopeless What do we do short of storming these facilities and forcing the release of these children? Reply Thread Link Just imagine the abuse that is taking place as we all know what men in power do. I hope Trump faces the ounce of horror this kids are facing. Scum. Reply Thread Link Here's a form to copy/paste if you don't know what to say: Please support Senator Feinstein's Keep Families Together Act. The Trump Administration's zero tolerance policy is only harming families, adding a strain on the system, and causing incalcuable emotional and physical damage to many of these young children. This bill would ensure that families would only be separated in the most extreme circumstances, including situations where the child or children were at risk. President Trump has said he is open to the idea of a bill to keep families together, please consider adding your name to this bill. Reply Parent Thread Link thank you Reply Parent Thread Link All Dems (and Dem caucusing) Senators have signed on to cosponsor Feinsteins Keeping Families Together bill so Republicans need to quit trying it with the but its the Democrats law! excuse. Reply Thread Link And they all keep talking about how awful it is to separate families and have yet to sign on to Feinstein's bill. They all are fucking assholes who are scared of Trump and his deplorables. Reply Parent Thread Link In the latest signal that the upcoming OPEC+ meeting in Vienna could end in disaster, Irans OPEC representative said the country will veto any proposal for a production increase with the support of Venezuela and Iraq. Saudi Arabia and Russia will propose an increase in production beginning from July 1, with the range of the suggested increase at between 500,000 bpd and 1.5 million bpd. However, Three OPEC founders are going to stop it, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili told Bloomberg, adding If the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Russia want to increase production, this requires unanimity. If the two want to act alone, thats a breach of the cooperation agreement. The warning comes on the heels of an announcement by Russias Alexander Novak that Moscow and Riyadh had agreed to make their oil market partnership permanent, with a clause in their bilateral agreement stipulating that they could intervene to raise or lower production as they see fit. Yet it is easier for Saudi Arabia and Russia to start pumping more since they are now producing below capacity. Venezuela, however, is already struggling with an inexorable decline in its oil production, which to a significant extent drove the overcompliance of the OPEC+ bloc with the agreed production cuts. Related: Venezuela Forced To Shut Down Production As Operations Fall Apart Iran will also find it difficult to increase production, especially in the face of renewed U.S. sanctions. Iraq, for its part, is eager to expand its production capacity but it will take time to do so. So, right now these three OPEC members are at a clear disadvantage to those capable of quickly restoring pre-agreement production levels. Since any decision by OPEC needs to be unanimous, and the chances of that happening are slim, what we are increasingly likely to see on Friday is what Ardebili referred to as a breach of the cooperation agreement. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: OPEC producers are trying to negotiate a compromise deal that could result in the cartel boosting production by between 300,000 bpd and 600,000 bpd over the next few months, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people briefed on the talks. OPECs largest producer and de facto leader Saudi Arabia and Russia, the leader of the non-OPEC group of producers in the OPEC/NOPEC production deal, are lobbying for reversing some of the production cuts that have been in place since January 2017. But some OPEC membersincluding Iran, Venezuela, and Iraqare opposing an increase in production and argue that the pact should stay in tact through the end of 2018, as planned. The three biggest dissenters with the Saudi-led campaign to boost production will veto Riyadhs proposal at this weeks meeting in Vienna, Irans OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili told Bloomberg over the weekend. Three OPEC founders are going to stop it, Kazempour Ardebili told Bloomberg on Sunday, referring to the Saudi push for boosting oil production. If the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Russia want to increase production, this requires unanimity. If the two want to act alone, thats a breach of the cooperation agreement, Irans representative to the cartel said. Although Iran is firmly against any production boost, officials from several other OPEC countries believe that the cartel can reach a deal on a relatively modest increase, according to Bloombergs sources. Related: Why There Wont Be An OPEC For Battery Metals Some OPEC producers would favor an increase at the lower end of the 300,000 bpd-600,000 bpd range, one of the sources said. Meanwhile, Russias Energy Minister Alexander Novak said in Saudi Arabia on Saturday that Russia and Saudi Arabia would ask OPEC to increase production by 1.5 million bpd in the third quarter only, because of the high seasonal demand, and re-evaluate the boost in September. OPEC is up for a heated meeting later this week, at which various proposals will be discussed. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Russia and Saudi Arabia have agreed to extend their oil partnership indefinitely, with the agreement stipulating that they could move to regulate oil production at any moment, TASS reports, quoting Energy Minister Alexander Novak. "I think that the framework is the same (the current agreement). It will simply be institutionalized, and will not specify particular volumes. Most likely it will stipulate the possibility of decision-making if needed, Novak said. The news is a confirmation of what everyone was expecting from the largest participants in the OPEC+ deal. However, the significance of this agreement is only hypothetical: the terms cited by Novak are very general andhardly surprisinglythere are no stipulations concerning specific production volumes. Russia and OPEC are meeting next Friday to discuss the future of the production cut deal. Moscow and Riyadh have made it clear they are in favor of a return to higher production to keep a lid on prices but other OPEC members, notably Iraq and Iran, are against it. Related: The Fed Is Driving Down Oil Prices On Saturday, Novak said he and his Saudi counterpart Khalid al-Falih had agreed to propose to the group to up production by 1.5 million bpd beginning in July. The final decision needs to be unanimous for OPEC, however, and many analysts expect the meeting to be a disaster. "We are only proposing this for the third quarter. In September we will review the situation in the market and decide the future course," the minister said. The need to increase production emerged as Venezuelas production is in free fall and Iranian production is threatened by the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions. At the same time, global demand is growing according to most forecasts, which pushed Brent crude to over US$80 a barrel in April. This, however, proved too expensive for the worlds biggest consumers China and Indiaas well as from President Trumpand calls for reining in the price followed. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have one big problem that researchers are dedicating a lot of time to: their cathodes. Now, a team from the University of Maryland, the Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the U.S. Army Research Lab claims to have made a breakthrough in solving the problem. Cathodes, unlike anodes, tend to have a very limited capacity. As one of the lead authors in the new research puts it, Cathode materials are always the bottleneck for further improving the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. So the team set out to improve the energy density of the cathode by using an unlikely material: iron. They used a new form of iron trifluoride, which is cheap, easy to come by, and environmentally friendly. More importantly, iron trifluoride can transfer more than one electron when the battery discharges and charges, which makes such a battery theoretically much more efficient than comparable ones. However, iron trifluoride doesnt exactly have a good track record in batteries: it has low energy efficiency, slow reaction rate, and it also comes with side reactions that compromise the rechargeability of the battery it is used in. To tackle these challenges and make iron trifluoride actually usable, they added oxygen and cobalt atoms to the cathode rods they worked with. Before adding them, the battery worked by converting lithium ions into iron and lithium fluoride in the cathode. The reverse reaction, however, was not possible. After adding the cobalt and the oxygen atoms, the reaction became reversible. Related: Iran Warns North Korea About The United States After this, the team did a lot of measurement and analysis work to confirm they had actually solved irons battery problem. It seems they have, but the applicability of this solution is yet to be determined. If iron trifluoride batteries become a mass thing, they could accelerate the adoption of grid-scale energy storage installationsthese are urgently needed to eliminate the number-one problem of solar and wind energy: their intermittent nature. Yet there have been so many breakthroughs in battery technology that it has been difficult to single out the ones that have the best chance of going mainstream. Lots of scientists are looking for cheaper, more efficient materials to use in lithium-ion batteries, and many are actually looking for substitutes to lithium-ion technology. Australian researchers recently announced a battery that works with just water and carbon, breaking down the water into its constituent elements, with the hydrogen bonding with the carbon electrode during the charging phase. The discharge reverses the reaction, and the hydrogen leaves the carbon cathode to bind with oxygen and turn back into water. Related: Venezuela Forced To Shut Down Production As Operations Fall Apart Another recent announcement in the battery field also deals with hydrolysis, but with the addition of manganese to facilitate the reaction. The researchers behind this battery say its very energy dense, at 140 Wh/kg, durable, with a lifecycle of 10,000 charge-discharge cycles, and is easily scalable, which would make it perfect for energy storage systems at solar and wind farms. Battery development is definitely a hot space right now, what with the great expectations about EVs and renewable energy. Yet most breakthroughs have only taken place in the lab. It will be some time before we know for sure which promising batteries actually live up to the promise. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Iran has effectively won the struggle to dominate the future of Iraq. It has done so against the formidable Shiite Arab populace, and after nearly a month of raw pressure, manipulations, special operations, threats and cajoling. This victory is a major step in Irans determination to consolidate the on-land corridor to the Mediterranean. At the same time, Turkish forces have taken advantage of the momentum to launch a major military operation against Turkish Kurd forces, deep inside Iraqi Kurdistan, with the acquiescence of Baghdad and the US. The Iraqi election of May 12, 2018 the catalyst for the Iranian intervention was but the harbinger of a greater threat looming. Thus even as the final election results are still being challenged, calculated, manipulated, and abused the key outcome is clear: The future government in Baghdad will be dominated by pro-Iran Shiites. Moreover, Iraqs complex election procedures, which are based on showings at the province-level and the national-level, create a discrepancy between the overall numbers of votes a party or movement gets and its number of seats in Parliament. Three Shia parties made discernable showings in the May election. The two victorious parties are Moqtada al-Sadrs Al-Sayirun (Marching [Toward Reform]) Alliance of populist Arab Shiites with the Communist Party, and Hadi al-Amiris Al-Fatih (Conquest) Alliance based on the Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units or Peoples Mobilization Forces) which distinguished themselves in fighting against Sunni jihadists throughout al-Jazira (that is, both in Iraq and Syria). Each alliance received about 30 percent of the popular votes. The party which is affiliated with the political establishment in Baghdad Haider al-Abadis Nasr (Victory) Coalition won about 20 percent of the votes. All the other parties mainly Kurdish and Sunni Arab, but also Nouri al-Maliki State of Law Coalition, Ammar al-Hakims Al-Hikma (Wisdom) Front and Ayad Allawis Al-Wataniya (Patriotism) Party had lower showings, reflecting the declining demographic power of their constituencies and the evaporating faith and interest in the all-Iraqi political system of their core followers. Thus, the tabulation of the numbers of seats in Parliament boosted the smaller parties and thus only partially reflects the grassroots dynamics. On May 21, 2018, the initial distribution of seats of the main parties was as follows: Sayirun (Sadr) 54 seats Fatih (Amiri) 47 seats Nasr (Abadi) 42 seats KDP (Barzani) 26 seats State of Law (Maliki) 25 seats Wataniya (Allawi) 21 seats Hikma Front (Hakim) 19 seats Qarar (Nujaifi) 19 seats PUK (Talabani) 17 seats All the other parties won five or less seats each. However, the actual numbers of votes received by the main parties reflect the irreconcilable polarization of the Shiite population. There is an almost equal division between those Shia Arabs who are anti-Persian, and the Iran-dominated pan-Shiite Arabs. Both population groupings are extremely hostile toward each other to the point of fratricidal fighting. The Sadr-led camp appeals to the downtrodden impoverished Shia masses whose ancestors borne the brunt of the fighting against Iran in the 1980s, and who have been neglected by, and did not benefit from, the US- and Iran-sponsored economic programs. The Amiri-led camp appeals to the radicalized Shiite youth who yearn for revenge against the Sunni world and who joined the Iran-controlled militias in order to fight Sunni jihadists and for the ascent of Shia Islam. Abadis camp appeals to the Shiite urban elites who largely support Shiite Arabism, while Malikis camp appeals to the Shiite urban elites who largely support pro-Iran pan-Shiism. Rhetoric in Western media notwithstanding, there are no longer any nationalist Iraqis anywhere to be found. Nor are there any pro-American politicians in position of power and influence. Thus, the results also mean that the several tens of millions of dollars (from the US taxpayers and the Saudi royal family) distributed in recent weeks by al-Mukhabarat al-Amriki (US Intelligence) as bribes in order to tilt the election in favor of the ostensibly pro-US candidates failed to deliver. Significantly, this polarization is deeply rooted, has been intensifying for at least a year, and is yet to climax. At the core is the inclination of Shia leaders to acknowledge the break-up of Iraq in order to secure the survival and empowerment of Iraqs distinct Shiite Arab population, and thus achieve freedom from the stifling Iranian embrace and de facto annexation. These leaders are convinced that the fate of Baghdad and the Shiite Arabs will be determined by the success of their efforts to prevent that Iranian de facto annexation and Persianization of Shiite Iraq. Tehran is cognizant of the fateful struggle unfolding in Shia Iraq and is committed to preserve its gains virtually regardless of the cost. Indicative of the importance of this struggle are the leading role of the Pasdarans Jaysh al-Qods and particularly Chief Commander Maj.-Gen. Qassem Soleimani and his right-hand man Brig.-Gen. Iraj Masjedi who, since April 2017, is also Irans Ambassador to Iraq. After numerous and frequently contradictory political maneuvers, Sadr announced on June 7, 2018, a tentative fragile coalition effort. There would be a political alliance between Sadrs Sayirun, Hakims Hikma and Allawis Wataniya: a total of 95 seats. Meanwhile, anti-Shia terrorism, especially in Sadr City and the greater Baghdad area, continued to escalate, hurting Sadrs hardcore constituents. As well, pressure mounted on Sadr to form a coalition with Amiri and other Iran-dominated parties. Most significant was the appeal of Grand Ayatollah Kazem Husseini Haeri (Sadrs revered Marja al-Taqlid) who favored the cooperation with Amiri and Hakim. Other Qom notables known for their support of the Najf Marjaiyya also implored Sadr to reach out to pan-Shiite powers. On the morning of June 10, 2018, the heated struggles over the corruption of the elections culminated in the arson and burning down of the ballot box storage site in Baghdad. The damage makes it impossible to carry out the manual recount favored by Abadi and many politicians considered pro-American. However, Sadr was the most adversely affected victim of the fire. Within hours of the fire, Soleimani and Ayatollah Khameneis powerful son, Mojtaba Khamenei (the de facto chief of Irans foreign intelligence and security forces), arrived in Baghdad as guests of Ambassador Masjedi. Soleimani has come to end tensions between Shia political blocs and the Al-Hashd al-Shaabi militias, explained Shiite seniors. Tehran was alarmed by the potential of a widening crisis with Sadrs supporters. The crisis has taken a new turn as there are accusations of a [pro-Iran] Shia group being involved in the fire, especially because most of the burnt ballot boxes were from area won by Moqtada al-Sadr, the seniors elaborated. Sadr was likely the target of the incident and his supporters are promoting this theory. That night, Masjedi organized a special Iftar Dinner in honor of Soleimani and Khamenei which was attended by Maliki, Amiri, as well as numerous pro-Iran Shiite notables, officials and politicians. The conversation around the Iftar table focused on the imperative to form a solid Shiite majority bloc which will be tasked to shape the upcoming government irrespective of differences among its members. Soleimani and Khamenei stressed that Tehran expects all Shiite allies to reach out to Sadr in order to exclude Abadi, Sunni Arab, and Kurdish leaders from the government, as well as negate any calls for repeat elections. Meanwhile, Sadr was cognizant of the escalating crisis. The next day, June 11, 2018, he warned that Iraq remained in a fragile state on the verge of a civil war if the crisis was not defused. Iraq is in danger, he stated, because the arsonists are trying to drag Iraq into civil war. Throughout, the Iranians and their allies continued to pressure Sadr and his allies to form an all-inclusive Shiite coalition which would be beholden to Tehran. On June 12, 2018, Sadr capitulated and announced an alliance with Amiri and the Al-Hashd al-Shaabi. An alliance has been formed between the Sayirun alliance and Fatih to create the largest bloc, Sadr said. This move comes from a spirit of patriotism. Sadr explained that after meeting in Najf with Amiri, they agreed that it was imperative to end the suffering of this nation [Ummah] and of the people. Our new alliance is a nationalist [Qaumi] one. Amiris spokesman Ahmad al-Assadi added that the new alliance will not to exclude anyone, it will become a basis to form a national government based on service. Sadr clarified that his earlier alliance with Hakim and Allawi remains in effect. This means that the new coalition has 141 seats: Sadr 54, Amiri 47, Hakim 19, and Allawi 21. To form a new government, a coalition requires 165 seats out of the 329 members of the Council of Representatives (Majlis an-Nuww?b al-?Ir?qiyy). Maliki has the missing 25 seats to reach a total of 166 seats. Back on June 10, 2018, Soleimani and Khamenei promised to deliver Maliki. Indeed, Maliki tacitly promised to join Sadr and Amiri on June 13, 2018. However, Sadr remains interested in some Sunni Arab and Kurdish token presence which Allawi can deliver. As a result of all this, Iraq is about to have a de facto Shiite Government which is beholden to Iran and inherently hostile to the United States and the West. This Shiite Government, however, only papers over the profound crisis dividing the Shiites of Iraq: the schism between Shiite Arabs and pro-Iran pan-Shiites. Related: Oil Demand Growth Could Start To Soften Soon The roots of the crisis are in an issue which is of far greater importance than political power and influence in Baghdad. Najaf and Karbala were the dominant centers of Shiite Islam between the second half of Seventh Century and 1979 when the Shiite leadership was massacred by Baathist leader Saddam Hussein. The survivors of that massacre accepted the invitation of Irans Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (who himself was sheltered in Najaf from the wrath of the Shah of Iran between 1964 and 1978) to escape to Iran. Consequently, Qom has become the center of Shiite Islam with Iranian clerics, all devotees of Khomeini and Khamenei, assuming prominence. Since 2004, the leadership in Qom resisted all efforts to revive the prominence of Najaf and Karbala. In Summer 2017, the crisis reached a critical point with the impending death of Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Hosseini Sistani, the extremely popular spiritual leader of Shiite Iraq who is now 88 years old and in failing health. Hence, Qom and Tehran resolved to empower an Iran-controlled cleric as Sistanis successor in Najaf. Desperate, Sadr traveled in Summer 2017 to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He advocated an all-Arab unified front against the Iranian onslaught and called for ending the sectarian schism Sunni versus Shiite in favor of reviving the heritage conflict between Arabs and Persians. Alarmed, Iran increased pressure on Sistani and his inner-circle to accept and legitimize their selected successor: Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi. In September 2017, Shahroudi traveled to Iraq and was rebuffed in a most insulting manner. First, Sistani would not accept the message from Tehran and refused to meet with him. As well, Sadr refused to meet, citing the issue of improper Iranian intervention in Iraqi political affairs. Consequently, Shahroudi also failed to meet with the other four leading religious authorities in Najaf. Outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was cognizant that Tehran would avenge the humiliation and rejection of Shahroudi. As a result, he appealed in early October 2017 to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi for help against Iran, citing the conclusions of Sadrs visits. King Salman bin Abd al-Aziz al Saud responded quickly and invited Abadi. By the time Abadi arrived in Riyadh on October 20, 2018, Iran-sponsored Al-Hashd al-Shaabi forces under the command of Soleimani and Amiri took over Kirkuk and other key Kurdish sites, ostensibly in the name of Baghdad. Having realized the enormity of the Iranian challenge, Riyadh decided to bring in the Trump Administration in order to foster a stronger alliance against Iran. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson rushed to Riyadh as Abadi was asked to wait for him. Upon arrival, Tillerson would not listen and only made demands. Trump insisted, he said, that it was imperative to sustain a unified Iraq with a centralized government even if this was the Iranian primary instrument for crushing Shiite Arab identity and aspirations. He demanded the unilateral disbanding of the Al-Hashd al-Shaabi, oblivious to the fury of Iranian reaction. He also instructed Riyadh to compromise with Qatar. Tillerson then left for Qatar, further infuriating the Saudis. Petrified by the US hostility toward their initiatives, Saudi leaders told Abadi they would not help Baghdad against Tehran. Browbeaten, Abadi decided to travel to Amman, Ankara, and Tehran in order to gain their instructions and blessing for Baghdads next moves. In Amman, he summoned Sadr for urgent consultations. Sadr was very pessimistic, given the Iranian audacity and high-profile presence in northern Iraq and eastern Syria. The next day, Abadi had to break his trip and return to Baghdad to deal with a surprise visit by Tillerson. Tillerson reiterated the reaffirmation of US support for a unified Iraq and did not criticize Abadis acknowledged subservience to Iran. Contradicting Tillerson, Abadi insisted that Al-Hashd al-Shaabi is part of the Iraqi institutions and not an Iranian proxy. Al-Hashd al-Shaabi fighters should be encouraged because they will be the hope of the country and the region. Abadi resumed traveling in late October 2017. In Ankara, Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Abadi agreed on joint political, economic and military measures to suppress the Kurdish challenge. In Tehran, all the leaders reiterated Irans commitment to a strong central Shiite government and promised support for Abadis efforts to boost national unity. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei demanded that Iraq should not rely on the United States in its fight against both Sunni jihadism and Kurdish secessionism. The Shiite brotherhood of Iranians and Iraqis was the key. [Shiite] unity was the most important factor in your gains against terrorists and their supporters ... Dont trust America ... It will harm you in the future, Khamenei told Abadi. Khamenei, his closest assistants and the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) High Command did not trust Abadi. Tehran notified Masjedi and other stalwarts in Baghdad. On November 1, 2017, Amiri went to the Marjaiyya (the Shiite highest religious jurisprudence) in the holy city of Najaf in order to receive a religious edict and guidelines for managing the enduring conflict with the Kurds. All future negotiations must abide by the strict interpretation of Shiite jurisprudence; a constraint aimed to stall any meaningful discussions. The edict effectively deprived Abadi of power to manage Iraqs crises. By now, official Baghdad had to cope with Al-Hashd al-Shaabi and their Iranian patrons. By mid-December 2017, Sistani, Sadr, and Abadi urged all Shiite militias to continue fighting for Iraq while under State authority. Amiri concurred that in the long term they must be both under the Iraqi State and with a say in the governing of the Iraqi State. Grand Ayatollah Sistani reacted with fury, stating that it was wrong for Al-Hashd al-Shaabi to participate in any elections. Tehran correctly interpreted Ayatollah Sistanis statement as criticism of the growing Iranian influence in Iraq. Prime Minister Abadi, however, could not survive a direct confrontation with Tehran and launched complex negotiations with Amiri and, in reality, Maj.-Gen. Soleimani. In mid-January 2018, Abadi announced that in the May 2018 election he would be heading a coalition bloc comprised of his old followers and Al-Hashd al-Shaabi. Abadis announcement was harshly criticized by Sadr and his supporters. The next day, Abadi reversed himself and announced that Al-Hashd al-Shaabi would run separately in the May election because he and Amiri disagreed on the conditions for a coalition. Amiri hardened his position on instructions from Soleimani. Still, Prime Minister Abadi could not afford to completely alienate Al-Hashd al-Shaabi and their followers. Hence, in early March 2018, he signed a decree that formalized the integration of the force into the Iraqi Armed Forces. That would also put the force under the command of Abadi in his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Quds force commander Soleimani would have nothing of this. A few days later, Al-Hashd al-Shaabi spokesman Naim al-Abudi formally thanked Abadi for his good will but stated that they will not be merged into any of the countrys security institutions. Abudi reminded the Prime Minister that Al-Hashd al-Shaabi was 140,000-strong, including 122,000 fighters. Meanwhile, the Shahroudi issue became irrelevant on its own. Back in Autumn 2017, soon after his return from Iraq, he started complaining about weakness and his health. He was diagnosed with a relatively endemic gastronomical disorder; that is, cancer. In mid-December 2017, he was sent for specialized treatment in a private hospital in Hanover. However, German politicians demanded his arrest for crimes against humanity. In early January 2018, Shahroudi fled on an Iran Air flight from Hamburg to Tehran. By then, his medical treatment was far from over. Shahroudi resumed his role as the Chairman of the Iranian Expediency Council, but his health continued to deteriorate. Hence, in the months leading to the Iraqi election, Tehran focused on undermining the Arab Shiite identity (the Sadr camp) and the Iraqi political-economic elites (the Abadi camp). Tehran was able to exploit the popular glory of the triumphs over the Kurds and Sunni jihadists, the Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (the Amiri camp) and the immense profits of Shiite elites from relations with Iran (mainly the Maliki camp but also the Hakim camp). Hence, by the time the election took place in mid-May 2018 the Iraqi Shiite population was broken and polarized. The non-Shiite population mainly Sunni Arabs and Kurds had long been completely alienated from the concept of Iraq and the legitimacy of Baghdad. The popular grassroots abandonment of the entire concept of Iraq the state also manifested itself in the dramatic drop in voter participation from more than 60 percent in previous elections to 44.5 percent in the May 2018 elections. As the results of the election were becoming clear, Sadr started to discuss the formation of a government. Sadr did so from his unique position as undisputed political-religious leader of the Shiite Arab camp while not a candidate for Prime Minister or any other official position (since he himself did not register as a candidate and thus did not run in the election). This distinction gave Sadr moral authority in the complex negotiations. Rhetoric notwithstanding, it was clear to all that the new government would be Shiite dominated. On May 20, 2018, Ammar al-Hakim predicted the forming in the next 72 hours of a coalition government comprised of Sadrs Sayirun, Amiris Fatih, Abadis Nasr, and Hakims own Hikma blocs. Amiri rushed to call the claim baseless. However, Sadr and Amiri held lengthy meetings on the joint formation of what Sadr called an inclusive government, a paternal government, and a government which must include the participation of all the winning blocs. Amiri expressed his support for the principles raised by Sadr and urged that the forming of a government be sped up. As the results of the election were becoming clear, Brett McGurk, the US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, rushed to Baghdad to try to salvage the US standing after the millions of CIA bribes did not deliver electoral triumph for Abadi. He met with several Iraqi politicians who impressed the imperative of a Sadr-influenced Shiite-dominated government, the extent of Iranian influence, and the irrelevance of the US. Having failed to convince the key Shiite parties to empower Abadi as the anti-Sadr/anti-Amiri leader, McGurk traveled to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah in order to convince the Kurds, who had declared boycott of Baghdad politics, to change their mind and join an Abadi-run coalition. McGurks heavy-handed intervention, coming on top the CIAs bribes and pressure, further infuriated the entire Shiite Arab elite. All this expedited the success of the other foreign intervention in Baghdad: that of Iran. Qassem Soleimani also rushed to Baghdad once Sadrs victory was confirmed in order to salvage Irans preeminence. Together with Masjedi, Maj.-Gen. Soleimani met repeatedly with all the Shiite leaders including Sadr and Abadi. Sadr stressed the crucial significance of retaining Iraqs unique identity. He also thanked Iran for its help against the Sunni jihadists and expressed hope for a marked increase in the economic and religious relations. Abadi effectively raised hands as to confronting Irans dominance and so acknowledged to Soleimani. Talking to confidants, Abadi expressed little hope that the US would remain in Iraq and somewhat balance the Iranian overwhelming influence. The Shiite leaders were in agreement that Soleimani and Masjedi were extremely knowledgeable, forthcoming, and ready to listen to their interlocutors. At the same time, Soleimani was very self-assured and conveyed Tehrans supremacy. He told all the Shiite leaders he met in the second half of May 2018 that Tehran would accept and support any government in Baghdad provided it was Shia-dominated, supported the Iranian regional strategy, and was not a US puppet. None of the Iraqi leaders objected. The resignation, at least to some extent, of the Shiite leadership to subservience to Iran does not mean the disappearance or resolution of the profound differences within Shiite Iraq. Nor is there any acceptance of Irans role among the Sunni Arab, Kurdish, and other minority communities. On the contrary, the pressure wrought by Iran and its key proxies from Al-Hashd al-Shaabi to key segments of Iraqi Intelligence only heightens the anxieties of the traditional Shiite Arab communities. The recognition that there was no escape from the Iranian predominance, given the refusal of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Sheikhdoms to help, added to the despair of Shia Arab leaders. And hovering above all was the inevitable core crisis over Ayatollah Sistanis successor when the vital core interests of the pan-Shiites and Shiite Arabs would clash and prove irreconcilable. All of these dynamics laid the groundwork for an eruption within the Shiite community. Hence, Kurdish senior intelligence officials warned already in mid-May 2018: Iraq is on the brink of civil war. Such a civil war was now virtually inevitable because of the grassroots rejection of the empowerment and presence of Iranian commanders and leaders within Iraqi politics. Moreover, any inner-Shiite conflagration would likely expand into a wider civil war where the Sunni Arabs and the Kurds would exploit the chaos to free themselves from the Iraqi Shiite and Iranian yoke. There was widespread conviction among the Sunni Arab, Kurdish, and other minority communities that decisive fighting over their own self-identities and survival was imminent. Co-existence between the Shiites and the Kurds and Sunni Arabs broke down when the active presence of Iranian-affiliated militias in Iraq became the main instrument for oppressing the non-Shiite minorities. In the coming weeks, in other words as the Shiite pro-Iran character of the new government in Baghdad become pronounced through June 2018, Iraq will witness more escalations, and the sectarian tensions will further increase in many cities across the country. The impending civil war Iraq would benefit Iran, warned the officials. In the month following the election, the slide toward a Sadr-led, Iranian-dominated new government only hastened the polarization within, and fracturing of, Iraqs Shiite populace, as well as alienating the Kurds, Sunni Arabs, and other minorities. Smarting from the recent US betrayals of both the Syrian Kurds and the Iraqi Kurds, as well as from Baghdads ignoring and rejection of their offers to join a new Iraqi government, Kurdish leaders resumed the quest for stronger self-rule. Given the repeated violent clashes with Al-Hashd al-Shaabi forces since late September 2017, the prospects of Al-Hashd al-Shaabi having a central role in a government in Baghdad was of profound concern to all Kurds. Kurdistan anticipates renewed confrontation, and even military clashes, with Baghdad. Meanwhile, neither Iran nor Turkey would accept a Kurdish entity and loss of dominance along their borders with Iraq. Both states committed to intervening in order to suppress the ascent of any Kurdish entity. In early June 2018, Kurdish leaders anticipated a major conflict with Turkey very soon. A senior PKK leader warned of the hot summer ahead. There are increasing signs of an imminent full-scale invasion of Iraqi Kurdish territory, including the mountainous Qandil region of northern Iraq, in an attempt to further encircle and strangle the only place of freedom in the region, he said. The outcome of this drive would likely determine the future not only of Iraq, but of the greater Middle East. This is because the entire Bilad al-Sham was ready for a widespread eruption of violence; and any insurrection or conflagration in Iraq will provide the sought-after spark. In early June 2018, Turkey markedly escalated its foray into Iraqi Kurdistan, ostensibly in pursuit of the Kurdish PKK (Kurdish Workers Party: Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan). Turkish forces seized vast tracks of land inside northern Iraq. On June 2, 2018, the Turkish forces were already 26 to 27 km deep inside Iraqi territory. Over the next week, they seized several villages and the entire tri-border area with Iran. On June 7, 2018, Ankara announced that the main objectives of the offensive were the PKK headquarters in the Qandil Mountains near the Iranian border. The Turkish army was already holding about 400 sq.km, having captured the Bradost region and entered the Barazgir valley, the gateway to Qandil. The Turkish forward bases established some 30 km inside Iraqi Kurdistan were defined as the First step toward Qandil. Meanwhile, the Turkish military also established 11 bases along the 23km-long-border in order to prevent possible infiltration into Turkey. On June 8, 2018, Ankara committed to clearing the PKK from Qandil, Sinjar and Makhmour with an extensive military operation. On June 11, 2018, Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdo?an announced the launch of anti-terror operations deep inside Iraqi territory in order to finally resolve the PKK problem. Weve started anti-terror operations in Qandil and Sinjar, Erdo?an declared. Qandil will not be a threat, a source of terror for our people any more. We will drain the terror swamp in Qandil as we did in Afrin, Jarablus, Azaz, al-Bab [in northern Syria]. ... Our goal is to drain the biggest of the swamps. From the very beginning, Baghdad gave its consent to the Turkish incursion with some Iraqi generals cheering the destruction of the Kurds which they could not accomplish because of lack of military capabilities. Official Washington also endorsed the Turkish incursion. Operations by Turkey in Iraq are done through close cooperation with the government of Iraq, explained Col. Sean Ryan of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). Turkey is a close ally ... and the Coalition does not foresee conflict with our mission to defeat Daesh [DIISH/IS]. Most important for Ankara has been Tehrans understanding of, and support for, the anti-Kurdish operations. The second phase [of the Turkish incursion] is a Qandil operation to be carried out in cooperation with Iraq and Iran, Turkey stressed on June 7, 2018. Ankara is looking anew at a regional operation stretching from the Mediterranean to the Iranian border. Manbij is set to be the first step in establishing the safe corridor that will encompass eastern Euphrates regions in Syria at a depth of 30-40 kilometers along Turkeys southern borders ... until it converges with the safe zones created in northern Iraq. On June 12, 2-18, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli noted that Iran declined to join the Turkish operations but was supporting the Turkish offensive against the PKK including the operations in the Qandil Mountain range near the Iranian border. Our offer to Iran was to carry out the operation together. Iran, in its remarks at least, has voiced very important support, Canikli stressed. The Kremlin, on the other hand, was most alarmed by these developments. Any eruption in Iraq be it a Shiite civil war or escalation of the clash with the Kurds would set the entire region aflame. Such violence would inevitably reverse the strategic achievements and vital interests of Russia. Therefore, Russia initiated an effort to improve the military coordination and cooperation of Syria, Iraq and Iran in order to reduce the chances for accidental eruption. Related: Why There Wont Be An OPEC For Battery Metals On June 14, 2018, senior military commanders from Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Russia met in Baghdad to discuss regional security and their continued cooperation in the battle against terrorism. Russian senior officials noted that the representatives of the four countries emphasized the need to continue and expand cooperation in [the] fight against terrorism. The Kremlin hoped that the Russian military retained sufficient influence to restrain the local forces from escalating localized conflagration, as well as to guarantee their conforming to Russias understandings with other neighboring countries. By mid-June 2018, the crisis in Baghdad was far from over. But it was clear to all that the new government would be predominantly Shiite, Iran-dominated and anti-American. Karim al-Nuri, a senior leader at the Fatih Alliance and Al-Hashd al-Shaabi, noted that the new coalition conforms with Iran and serves the interests of all stakeholders, including Iran. The Iraqi Communist Party, part of Sadrs Al-Sayirun Alliance, issued a communique explaining that the alliance with Al-Hashd al-Shaabi was agreed to in order to help prevent the country from being exposed to serious dangers that would intensify conflicts across Iraq. The Communist Partys communique contrasted Sadrs conciliatory move with some Iraqi political parties which kept resorting to measures that would endanger the country in an attempt to prevent conditions for a smooth and peaceful transition of power. The Communist Partys communique hinted at outgoing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who was still trying to propose a coalition in which he would be the compromise Prime Minister in order to deprive both Sadr and Amiri of power. Initially, Abadi believed that the US would support his initiative if only to block the ascent of both Sadr and Amiri. However, by mid-June 2018, Abadi realized that there was no chance to prevent the Iran-supported Shiite bloc from rising to power. Hence, on June 14, 2018, Abadi urged all key leaders to convene after the 20th and bring the crisis to an end. I extend an invitation to political blocs to hold a high-profile meeting after the end Eid al-Fitr feast, at a place to be named based on consultations to protect the homeland and citizens, ensure the soundness of the political process and democratic gains and to agree on specific mechanisms to hasten the formation of constitutional institutions in the best form possible, he wrote to Sadr, Amiri, and other leaders. Abadi called for a unified stance of all pertinent leaders in order to adopt the next program to govern the country. Tehran tacitly endorsed the initiative only if it would lead to the consolidation in power of the Shiite bloc. By Yossef Bodansky via GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs. More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: 22 boxes of food, medical supplies and clothes donated by a Gyumri scientific research institute for Armenian troops on the frontline line turned up yesterday when National Security Service staffers inspected the summer resort home of MP Manvel Grigroyan. John Karapetyan, Director of the A. Nazarov Institute of Geophysics and Engineering Seismology (IGES), told Hetq that he delivered 22 boxes of supplies (food, medicine, cigarettes) to the Yerkrapah Unions Shirak Council. He was given a receipt. The Yerkrapah Union is a group of several thousand Karabakh War veterans headed by by Manvel Grigoryan. Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza MANILA, Philippines Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza has left for Oslo, Norway on Monday, June 18. Dureza will attend a peace forum which will be participated by peace negotiators from various countries. The presidential advisers trip aims to share the Philippines experiences on peace negotiations and to learn from the experiences of other countries too. They try and gather together all the people who are involved in peace negotiations in different countries in the world. That will be a location for us to share experiences, share also mistakes so that we learn from them, Dureza said. He is also set to meet with the new Norwegian foreign minister to report the state of the peace negotiations in the Philippines. He said this is also a chance to thank Norway for its strong support in the Philippines efforts in promoting peace between the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Norway serves as the mediator for peace negotiations between the government and the CPP-NPA. Before returning to the country, Dureza will visit and meet the Filipino community in Norway to report the situation of the nation under the Duterte administration. Asher Cadapan | UNTV News & Rescue The post Dureza flies to Oslo peace forum; will update Norway on peace talks with Reds appeared first on UNTV News. Israel's use of live ammunition against Palestinian protesters in Gaza has left health workers struggling to cope with an unprecedented crisis, with more than 13,000 wounded, a senior Red Cross official said Monday. At least 132 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the protests at the border with Gaza began at the end of March. Robert Mardini, head of Middle East for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told reporters that the "vast majority" of the 13,000 hospitalized protesters had suffered severe wounds, including multiple gunshot wounds. "This is I think a crisis of unprecedented magnitude in the Gaza Strip," said Mardini. The wounded caseload from the seven weeks of protest had surpassed that of the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. The Red Cross is planning to open a new 50-bed surgery unit at Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital to help deal with the surge in gunshot wounds. Some 1,400 patients have been hit by three to five bullets, many in the legs, which require several complex orthopedic and reconstructive surgeries. Israel maintains the use of live ammunition is necessary to defend its borders and stop infiltrations. It accuses Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas of seeking to use the protests as cover for attacks. Mardini said the Red Cross was holding talks with Israeli defense forces to minimize civilian harm. As a result of the talks, the Palestinian Red Cross has been able to send aid workers near the fence to evacuate the wounded to safety. The protests peaked on May 14 when at least 61 Palestinians were killed as thousands approached the heavily guarded border fence on the same day the United States moved its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. FILE PHOTO: Communist Party of the Philippines, New Peoples Army, National Democratic Front of the Philippines and the incoming government peace panel during the formal resumption of peace talks at Oslo, Norway on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. (Photo courtesy: Jesus Durezas Facebook account.) MANILA, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte wants peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF) to be held in the country. In a press briefing, Malacanang explained that this matter concerns Filipinos, hence it should be resolved in Philippine soil. The Palace added that instead of spending money for peace negotiations abroad, it should be used in ensuring security and sustaining the needs of the leftist group here. There is no need to travel outside the country if we are going to talk about peace. We are Filipinos and these talks are about Filipinos, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. And if the formal talks push through, Roque believes there is no longer need for a third party facilitator. The Royal Norwegian government has been mediating the peace negotiations of the Philippine government and NDF peace panels since 2001. However, the administration is still open to the assistance of other countries that wish to help the Philippines attain lasting peace. Any party who wants to help and who has been involved in the process can help, but the point of our president is: why do we have to hold our peace talks in other countries, said Roque. Meanwhile, Malacanang denied that the stand-down agreement released by the leftist group over the weekend is an official document. The deal signed by both panels is to prepare for the supposed resumption of peace talks on June 28th but Roque said it has to be verified. The government also rebutted the statement of CPP founder Jose Maria Sison who alleged that the military is preparing for an all-out war against the New Peoples Army, hence the postponement of the negotiations. Absolutely without basis po. You all know what are the activities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines currently. We have not heard of offensives directed against the CPP-NPA so I appeal to the CPP-NDF to be careful with their public declarations, said Roque. Rosalie Coz | UNTV News & Rescue The post Malacanang insists on holding GRP-NDFP peace talks in PH appeared first on UNTV News. AccorHotels has signed an agreement with Thailand-based real estate developer Khaolak Inter Co., Ltd. on 15 June 2018 to launch the brand new 251-room Pullman Khao Lak Resort opening in 2021. The resort is the groups second partnership with Khao Lak Inter Co., Ltd.s following the opening of Novotel Phuket Patong in 1996. Renowned for its stylish contemporary design, Pullman is where the new global nomads find inspiration and make connections. Differentiating from its neighbouring resort island of Phuket, the coastal town of Khao Lak is sought out for its uncrowded beaches, magnificent offshore islands, and pristine nature. The world-renowned SCUBA dive and snorkelling hotspots of Surin Islands and Similan Islands are just 1.5 hours off the beach-rimmed coastline by speedboat. This partnership marks an important step for AccorHotels and we are very excited to partner with Khaolak Inter Co., Ltd. to expand our portfolio in Southern Thailand with the Pullman brand. Pullman represents global nomads of hyper-connected travellers and sophisticated explorers who enjoy combining work and pleasure. said Patrick Basset, Chief Operating Officer AccorHotels Upper Southeast & Northeast Asia and the Maldives. Located just an hours drive north of Phuket Island on the gorgeous Andaman seaboard, Khao Lak is one of Thailands most peaceful resort destinations. A rare oasis for a private getaway and relaxation, Pullman Khao Lak Resort offers beachfront accommodation with expansive white sandy beaches. Designed by award winning Tierra, Design and Hypothesis, Pullman Khao Lak is situated in a tranquil stretch of gentle-sloping beach in Khao Lak near to the historical heritage town of Ta Kua Pa. The resort boasts 50 family suites and a large kids club specially designed for guests travelling with children. For couples and business travelers looking for a peaceful getaway, the resort also offers 7 private villas and an adult-only infinity pool that overlooks the sparkling blue waters of the Andaman. We look forward to another exciting partnership with AccorHotels with the launch of Pullman Khao Lak. The resort offers travellers a gorgeous backdrop of the islands sunsets with stunning views of its surrounding nature that showcases a rich historical local culture. The combined expertise with AccorHotels will give us an opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of the local community in the area. said Michael Choo, Director of Khao Lak Inter Co., Ltd. To wine and dine, the resort offers an all-day dining, a specialty restaurant and lobby bar. Wellness facilities include three pools, health and fitness centre, a beach club and a spa. For meetings, weddings and corporate events, the resort features two meeting rooms with two breakout rooms. The favoured flight gateway to Khao Lak is 80 kilometres south in Phuket International Airport, which welcomed the opening of a new terminal last year. Should ongoing plans of Phang Nga Airport come to fruition, it will provide the first commercial aviation gateway to Khao Lak, bringing travellers one step closer to the tropical beauty of Khao Lak and Phang Nga Province. There are currently over 120 Pullman hotels in 33 countries worldwide and Asia Pacific accounts for more than 70 hotels and resorts and more than 21,000 rooms. Pullman will continue to expand its portfolio with Pullman Nadi Bay Resort and Spa in Fiji; Pullman Doha in Qatar; Pullman Mandalay Mingalar in Myanmar; Pullman Westlands in Nairobi; Pullman Luang Prabang in Laos; and Pullman Tokyo Tamachi in Japan. The Niassa Reserve in Mozambique. Researchers argue that the world needs more diverse, ambitious and area-specific targets for retaining important natural systems to safeguard humanity. Credit: JB Deffontaines University of Queensland (UQ) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) researchers argue that the world needs more diverse, ambitious and area-specific targets for retaining important natural systems to safeguard humanity. The findings are published in Nature Ecology and Evolution. The researchers say that current conservation targets such as Aichi Target 11, established by the Convention on Biological Diversity, currently lack the scope required to support the critical services that nature provides. The authors note that even if fully achieved, Aichi Target 11 potentially leaves 83 percent of the land and 90 percent of the ocean not effectively conserved. Most evolutionary processes, ecological functions and biota are, and probably will always be, beyond the boundaries of nationally gazetted protected areas. This means that most of the ecosystem services on which humanity relies will be provided predominantly by areas that are not officially protected. Achieving the objectives reflected in the other Aichi Targets, and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, depends heavily on what happens in that 83-90 percent, the authors say. "Humanity asks a lot of the natural world. We need it to purify our water and air, to maintain our soils, and to regulate our climate," said lead author Associate Professor Maron of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at UQ. "Yet even as we increase the extent of protected areas, they don't necessarily prevent the loss of natural systems. They're often located in areas that might not have been lost anywayand the current target of protecting 17 percent of terrestrial systems will never be enough to protect species as well as provide the benefits humanity needs." The authors argue for the need to retain enough of the Earth's natural systems in the right places, to preserve healthy watersheds, to store carbon, to protect the last wilderness areas, and to maintain human-nature interactions, but at the moment we don't have specific, area-based targets for all these goals. In the article, the researchers say that that reforms are urgently needed on how we make decisions about what nature must be retained, and where.Said senior author James Watson of UQ and WCS: "It is clear that we are running out of time. Every time we analyze humanity's footprint on the planet, we see broad-scale alteration of the last remaining intact, functioning systems. These losses are irreversible and we must acknowledge that the status quo is failing nature and humanity." Recent calls for the protection of "half earth" and "nature needs half," calling for conservation of 50 percent of the planet, are bold, but the researchers believe this may still fall short of what is needed for the integrity of critical earth systems, like a stable climate. Said Watson: "We need a big, bold plan. There is no doubt that when we add up the different environmental goals to halt biodiversity loss, stabilize run-away climate change and to ensure other critical ecosystems services such as pollination and clean water are maintained, we will need far more than 50 percent of the earth's natural systems to remain intact. And we must remember that most nations have committed to this in various environmental treaties. It is time for nations to embrace a diverse set of bold retention targets to limit the ongoing erosion of the nature humanity relies upon." The paper was published as conservationists gather this week in Oxford for a major international conference on Intact Forests in the 21st Century hosted by the University of Oxford and WCS. The conference will bring together leading scientists, researchers, policy experts and practitioners from around the world to review and debate the current state of knowledge relating to intact forests, their values, the threats they face, and the most appropriate responses. Explore further Study shows one third of world's protected areas degraded by human activities More information: Martine Maron et al, Bold nature retention targets are essential for the global environment agenda, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2018). Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution Martine Maron et al, Bold nature retention targets are essential for the global environment agenda,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0595-2 Artist's rendering of the CAESAR spacecraft acquiring a sample from the comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko. Credit: NASA A proposed space mission known as the Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return (CAESAR) could expand the knowledge of the origin and history of the comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko. If selected by NASA, it will return a sample from this comet to Earth, enabling scientists to study the leftover material from the formation of our Solar System. CAESAR is one of the two finalists for NASA's next mission under the New Frontiers program. The project will receive funding through the end of 2018 to further develop and mature the mission concept. The decision whether or not CAESAR is selected for the development and launch will be made by the agency in the spring of 2019. "We are just beginning Phase A of the mission. The focus of Phase A is developing and defining the project requirements and cost/schedule basis, and designing a plan for implementation," said CAESAR Principal Investigator Steve Squyres of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The CAESAR probe will be based on Orbital ATK's GEOStar-3 electric propulsion spacecraft, with a configuration that emulates the arrangement used for NASA's Dawn mission. Power for the spacecraft will be provided by large Roll-Out Solar Arrays built by Deployable Space Systems. The science payload of CAESAR will be dedicated to sample acquisition and preservation, and consists primarily of a Sample Acquisition System (SAS), a Sample Containment System (SCS), and a Gas Containment System (GCS). The final element of the science payload is a Camera Suite designed for selecting the sample site and documenting the sampling process. At the comet, SAS should acquire the sample and SCS should store the solid sample. The GCS is designed to store volatile materials that evolve from the solid sample. After completing its science mission at 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko, the SCS and the GCS components will return to Earth aboard the spacecraft. "CAESAR is a sample return mission. All aspects of the mission have been designed to maximize the scientific value of the returned sample. So the main CAESAR science will take place in laboratories on Earth, using state-of-the-art instrumentation to analyze both non-volatile and volatile material from comet 67P," Squyres said. CAESAR will be the second mission to 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko. The first spacecraft sent to this comet was ESA's Rosetta, which arrived there in August 2014. The mission's Philae lander performed the first successful landing on a comet in November 2014. In general, Rosetta delivered crucial information improving our understanding of comets. The results provided by the spacecraft suggest that comets are ancient leftovers of early solar system formation, rather than fragments of collisions between larger bodies later on. Now, scientists believe that the CAESAR mission seen as Rosetta's successor will be even more fruitful when it comes to acquiring essential scientific data. "Rosetta laid the groundwork for CAESAR by providing detailed remote sensing and in situ investigation of the nucleus of 67P. The information gathered by Rosetta is part of what makes CAESAR possible. CAESAR will make a quantum leap beyond Rosetta by acquiring a sample from the nucleus of 67P and bringing it back for analysis in laboratories on Earth," Squyres noted. However, Squyres said that NASA's Stardust is more scientifically comparable to CAESAR. It returned a sample from the coma of the comet 81P/Wild. The material was collected by flying through 81P's coma in January 2004 at more than 13,400 mph. The total sample mass collected by the spacecraft was about 1 milligram, and the samples were significantly modified by heating during the high-speed collection process. "In contrast, CAESAR will collect about 100 grams of sample, 100,000 times more than Stardust. The CAESAR sample will be collected at ambient comet temperatures, and protected from alteration all the way through the Earth return process. The Stardust mission was a substantial achievement, and provided significant discoveries regarding the nature and origin of comets. CAESAR will be a quantum leap beyond Stardust," Squyres said. Millions of miniecosystem droplets can be generated quickly for rapidly antibody testing. Credit: Lerner Lab / Scripps Research Scripps Research scientists have solved a major problem in chemistry and drug development by using droplet-sized 'miniecosystems' to quickly see if a molecule can function as a potential therapeutic. As they report today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the new method will let researchers save critical time and funding by simultaneously testing how drug candidates bind to their cellular targets and alter cell function. The Scripps Research scientists used the technique to assess the therapeutic potential of antibodies, Y-shaped immune system proteins that are the focus of much drug discovery research. "This could save a lot of time in drug discovery by reducing the steps needed to assess drug candidates," says Tianqing Zheng, Ph.D., postdoctoral associate on Scripps Research's California campus and first author of the new study. The study builds on 30 years of research led by study senior author Richard Lerner, MD, Lita Annenberg Hazen Professor of Immunochemistry at Scripps Research, to take advantage of antibody phage display, a technology that scientists can use to label and test antibodies for their ability to bind to a biological target. Antibody phage display technology has propelled the development of pharmaceuticals, from cancer drugs to the blockbuster therapeutic Humira. But scientists using this method still face a bottleneck: in the vast group of antibodies with a binding affinity for the disease target, there may be only a few antibodies that have the right biological functions. Testing these antibodies for function adds time and expense to the drug discovery process. The new miniecosystem method tests for affinity and function at the same time. The miniecosystems are held in droplets the size of a picoliteror one-trillionth of a liter. In these cramped quarters, the researchers brought together a mammalian cell and E. coli bacteria. The bacteria produce phage that serve as carriers for antibody drug candidates. These antibodies on phage surface can interact with the mammalian cell in the same miniecosystem. "Co-cultivation of mammalian and bacteria cells in mini-ecosystems makes it possible to select functional antibodies directly with phage display," Zheng says. The mammalian cell in the droplet is engineered to express a fluorescent protein if properly targeted by an antibody. This means that in one step, scientists can test antibody affinity and function, potentially making drug discovery more time- and cost-effective. To test their new system, the researchers quickly generated millions of miniecosystems with mammalian cells and bacteria that produce phage-tethered antibodies. They tested these antibodies against a real biological target: a receptor on brain cells, called TrkB. The system worked. On top of that, the researchers were surprised to see that the antibodies did a better job at targeting TrkB when attached to phage, rather than the antibody alone, as they had been in previous studies. Zheng says the next step is to apply this method to select functional antibodies against many more targets of interest. Additional authors of the study, "Antibody selection using clonal cocultivation of Escherichia coli and eukaryotic cells in miniecosystems," were Jia Xie, Lacey Douthit and Peng Wu of Scripps Research; Zhuo Yang of ShanghaiTech University; and Bingbing Shi of Peking University and The University of Hong Kong. Explore further Two-pronged antibodies draw immune killers directly to cancer cells More information: Tianqing Zheng el al., "Antibody selection using clonal cocultivation of Escherichia coli and eukaryotic cells in miniecosystems," PNAS (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Tianqing Zheng el al., "Antibody selection using clonal cocultivation of Escherichia coli and eukaryotic cells in miniecosystems,"(2018). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1806718115 Credit: CC0 Public Domain One of the joys of shopping for many people is the opportunity to brag about their purchases to friends and others. But new research found one common situation in which people would rather not discuss what they just bought: when they're feeling like money is a little tight. In a series of studies, researchers found that consumers who felt financially constrained didn't want to talk about their purchases, large or small, with friends or strangers, face-to-face or online. "It wasn't about what other people might think or what they bought. Consumers who feel poor at the moment don't want to talk about their purchases because it reinforces negative feelings about their unpleasant financial state," said Anna Paley, lead author of the study and a visiting scholar in marketing at The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. One reason that the results are so interesting, Paley said, was because they could have gone in the other direction. "One plausible theory was that consumers who felt poor would chat more about their purchases as a way to show their spending ability and validate their decision to spend the money," she said. "But that's not what we found." Paley emphasized that this study wasn't about whether people were rich or poor. This was about the feeling that they didn't have as much money as they wanted. "Millionaires can feel financially constrained too," she said. Paley conducted the study with Stephanie Tully of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California and Eesha Sharma of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Their results appear online in the Journal of Consumer Research. The researchers conducted seven studies. In one study, the researchers found that participants who reported feeling financially constrained also were less likely to talk about products they bought with friends, family members and colleagues. The results held even after taking into account the income of participants. "This suggests that our results can't be explained by differences in objective wealth," Paley said. A second study recruited online participants. They were told the study was about "what people talk about." All of them answered questions probing how financially constrained they felt. Participants had the choice of posting in one of two chat roomsone called "recent purchases" and the other called "local/state parks." The researchers chose this topic because in a previous study, a separate group of people had rated parks to be a less interesting topic than recent purchases. Nearly two-thirds of participants chose to discuss recent purchases rather than parks. But participants who felt financially constrained were significantly more likely to post in the parks chat room. "Consumers who felt poorer would rather talk about a less interesting topic than discuss what they bought recently," Paley said. The results held up in another study in which the researchers induced some participants to feel poorer by writing about aspects of their financial situation that made them feel like they didn't have enough money. These participants were less likely to say they would talk about an upcoming purchase than participants who wrote about another subject. In this study, the researchers also asked participants to report on how talking about a purchase would make them feel about their financial situation. "We found that financially constrained consumers expected less enjoyment from talking about their purchases because it would bring up negative feelings about their money situation," she said. The researchers found a few exceptions in other studies. When people thought about their purchases as expenditures of their time rather than expenditures of their money, even those who felt money was tight would talk about them. The same went for gifts and tickets to a free event. The findings are important for marketers because consumers consistently rate word-of-mouth as one of the most trustworthy and credible sources of information about products and services, Paley said. Their findings suggest some things marketers can do to encourage word-of-mouth. "Word-of-mouth campaigns will be more effective if marketers can separate the cost of the item from the experience of sharing the purchase," she said. For example, many online retailers send people a receipt after a purchase with a request that they share about what they bought with friends on social media. "If the money you spent is right there in front of you on your receipt and you're feeling a little poor at the moment, you're not going to want to share," she said. "Marketers should consider separating receipts and sharing requests." More information: Anna Paley et al. Too Constrained to Converse: The Effect of Financial Constraints on Word-of-Mouth, Journal of Consumer Research (2018). Journal information: Journal of Consumer Research Anna Paley et al. Too Constrained to Converse: The Effect of Financial Constraints on Word-of-Mouth,(2018). DOI: 10.1093/jcr/ucy040 Nebraska researchers have devised a more efficient and accurate way to scan the structural properties of plants. Credit: Yufeng Ge | Suresh Thapa | Scott Schrage A potted nine-leaf corn plant sits on a Frisbee-sized plate. The tandem begins rotating like the centerpiece atop a giant music box, three degrees per second, and after two minutes the plant has pirouetted to its original position. Another minute passes, and on a nearby screen appears a digital 3-D image in the palette of Dr. Seuss: magenta and teal and yellow, each leaf rendered in a different hue but nearly identical to its actual counterpart in shape, size and angle. That rendering and its associated data come courtesy of LiDAR, a technology that fires pulsed laser light at a surface and measures the time it takes for those pulses to reflect backthe greater the delay, the greater the distance. By scanning a plant throughout its rotation, this 360-degree LiDAR technique can collect millions of 3-D coordinates that a sophisticated algorithm then clusters and digitally molds into the components of the plant: leaves, stalks, ears. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Yufeng Ge, Suresh Thapa and their colleagues have devised the approach as a way to automatically and efficiently gather data about a plant's phenotype: the physical traits that emerge from its genetic code. The faster and more accurately phenotypic data can be collected, the more easily researchers can compare crops that have been bred or genetically engineered for specific traitsideally those that help produce more food. Accelerating that effort is especially important, the researchers said, to meet the food demands of a global population expected to grow from about 7.5 billion people today to nearly 10 billion in 2050. "We can already do DNA sequencing and genomic research very rapidly," said Ge, assistant professor of biological systems engineering. "To use that information more effectively, you have to pair it with phenotyping data. That will allow you to go back and investigate the genetic information more closely. But that is now (reaching) a bottleneck, because we can't do that as fast as we want at a low cost." At three minutes per plant, the team's set-up operates substantially faster than most other phenotyping techniques, Ge said. But speed matters little without accuracy, so the team also used the system to estimate four traits of corn and sorghum plants. The first two traitsthe surface area of individual leaves and all leaves on a planthelp determine how much energy-producing photosynthesis the plant can perform. The other twothe angle at which leaves protrude from a stalk and how much those angles vary within a plantinfluence both photosynthesis and how densely a crop can be planted in a field. Comparing the system's estimates with careful measurements of the corn and sorghum plants revealed promising results: 91 percent agreement on the surface area of individual leaves and 95 percent on total leaf area. The accuracy of angular estimates was generally lower but still ranged from 72 percent to 90 percent, depending on the variable and type of plant. Camera shy To date, the most common form of 3-D phenotyping has relied on stereo-vision: two cameras that simultaneously capture images of a plant and merge their perspectives into an approximation of 3-D by identifying the same points from both images. Though imaging has revolutionized phenotyping in many ways, it does have shortcomings. The shortest, Ge said, is an inevitable loss of spatial information during the translation from 3-D to 2-D, especially when one part of a plant blocks a camera's view of another part. "It has been particularly challenging for traits like leaf area and leaf angle, because the image does not preserve those traits very well," Ge said. The 360-degree LiDAR approach contends with fewer of those issues, the researchers said, and demands fewer computational resources when constructing a 3-D image from its data. "LiDAR is advantageous in terms of the throughput and speed and in terms of accuracy and resolution," said Thapa, doctoral student in biological systems engineering. "And it's becoming more economical (than before)." Going forward, the team wants to introduce lasers of different colors to its LiDAR set-up. The way a plant reflects those additional lasers will help indicate how it uptakes water and nitrogenthe essentials of plant growthand produces the chlorophyll necessary for photosynthesis. "If we can tackle those three (variables) on the chemical side and these other four (variables) on the morphological side, and then combine them, we'll have seven properties that we can measure simultaneously," Ge said. "Then I will be really happy." The researchers reported their new approach in the journal Sensors. Ge and Thapa authored the study with Hongfeng Yu, associate professor of computer science and engineering; Feiyu Zhu, doctoral student in computer science and engineering; and Harkamal Walia, associate professor of agronomy and horticulture. Explore further From Alaska to Amazoniafirst global maps of traits that drive vegetation growth More information: Suresh Thapa et al. A Novel LiDAR-Based Instrument for High-Throughput, 3D Measurement of Morphological Traits in Maize and Sorghum, Sensors (2018). Suresh Thapa et al. A Novel LiDAR-Based Instrument for High-Throughput, 3D Measurement of Morphological Traits in Maize and Sorghum,(2018). DOI: 10.3390/s18041187 The southern San Andreas Fault slices across the Carrizo Plain in California. Both the northern and southern sections of the San Andreas have seen large, destructive earthquakes, but the central section between them has remained largely quiet. Work by ASU geophysicists suggests the central section moves in a previously unsuspected way that makes big quakes more likely. Credit: US Geological Survey Geologists have long thought that the central section of California's famed San Andreas Faultfrom San Juan Bautista southward to Parkfield, a distance of about 80 mileshas a steady creeping movement that provides a safe release of energy. Creep on the central San Andreas during the past several decades, so the thinking goes, has reduced the chance of a big quake that ruptures the entire fault from north to south. However new research by two Arizona State University geophysicists shows that the earth movements along this central section have not been smooth and steady, as previously thought. Instead, the activity has been a sequence of small stick-and-slip movementssometimes called "slow earthquakes"that release energy over a period of months. Although these slow earthquakes pass unnoticed by people, the researchers say they can trigger large destructive quakes in their surroundings. One such quake was the magnitude 6 event that shook Parkfield in 2004. "What looked like steady, continuous creep was actually made of episodes of acceleration and deceleration along the fault," says Mostafa Khoshmanesh, a graduate research assistant in ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE). He is the lead author of a Nature Geoscience paper reporting on the research. Syntheric aperture radar data for 2003 to 2010 let the team map the average rate of movement for the ground flanking the central section of the San Andreas Fault (black line). Red shows ground movement toward the southeast, and blue to the northwest. The intensity of the color shows how fast areas moved on average, with paler colors showing less movement. Credit: M. Khoshmanesh/Arizona State University "We found that movement on the fault began every one to two years and lasted for several months before stopping," says Manoochehr Shirzaei, assistant professor in SESE and co-author of the paper. "These episodic slow earthquakes lead to increased stress on the locked segments of the fault to the north and south of the central section," Shirzaei says. He points out that these flanking sections experienced two magnitude 7.9 earthquakes, in 1857 (Fort Tejon) and 1906 (San Francisco). The scientists also suggest a mechanism that might cause the stop-and-go movements. "Fault rocks contain a fluid phase that's trapped in gaps between particles, called pore spaces," Khoshmanesh says. "Periodic compacting of fault materials causes a brief rise in fluid pressure, which unclamps the fault and eases the movement." From 2003 to 2010 (bottom scale), portions of the fault at different distances from Parkfield (left scale) moved at varying rates. Red shows periods when the movement was greater than average, blue when it was less. The overall message is that the central San Andreas does not move in a smooth, steady creep as long assumed, but speeds up and slows down in different places at different times. Credit: M. Khoshmanesh/Arizona State University Looking underground from Earth orbit The two scientists used synthetic aperture radar data from orbit for the years 2003 to 2010. This data let them map month-to-month changes in the ground along the central part of the San Andreas. They combined the detailed ground movement observations with seismic records into a mathematical model. The model let them explore the driving mechanism of slow earthquakes and their link to big nearby quakes. "We found that this part of the fault has an average movement of about three centimeters a year, a little more than an inch," says Khoshmanesh. "But at times the movement stops entirely, and at other times it has moved as much as 10 centimeters a year, or about four inches." The picture of the central San Andreas Fault emerging from their work suggests that its stick-and-slip motion resembles on a small timescale how the other parts of the San Andreas Fault move. They note that the new observation is significant because it uncovers a new type of fault motion and earthquake triggering mechanism, which is not accounted for in current models of earthquake hazards used for California. As Shirzaei explains, "Based on our observations, we believe that seismic hazard in California is something that varies over time and is probably higher than what people have thought up to now." He adds that accurate estimates of this varying hazard are essential to include in operational earthquake forecasting systems. As Khoshmanesh says, "Based on current time-independent models, there's a 75% chance for an earthquake of magnitude 7 or larger in both northern and southern California within next 30 years." Explore further Parkfield segment of San Andreas fault may host occasional large earthquakes More information: Mostafa Khoshmanesh et al, Episodic creep events on the San Andreas Fault caused by pore pressure variations, Nature Geoscience (2018). Journal information: Nature Geoscience Mostafa Khoshmanesh et al, Episodic creep events on the San Andreas Fault caused by pore pressure variations,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-018-0160-2 Artsrun Hovhannisyan, press secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, today talked to journalists about the inspection at Manvel Grigoryans summer house and the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union (YVU), headed by Grigoryan. Hovhannisyan said that for years, the Ministry of Defense had provided the YVU with food, clothes and other items, marked For Soldiers. As for the allocation procedure of these provisions, Hovhannisyan says that the YVU usually applies to the Ministry of Defense for various supplies, as reserves, for their annual camps. He adds that during and after the April War, there were volunteer groups in Artsakh supplied by the Ministry of Defense with food, clothing, etc. Hovhannisyan says that the investigation should reveal the way these supplies confiscated by law enforcement wound up in Grigoryans house. As for the donated supplies, Hovhannisyan said he could not officially comment on this, since the Ministry of Defense had no oversight functions there. Hovhannisyan added that there was no oversight to verify the targeted use of the supplies provided to the YVU. The Ministry of Defense has provided similar supplies also to other structures and NGOs dealing with reserve officer training. Regarding the large cache of weapons found in Grigoryans house, Hovhannisyan reminded reporters that an investigation was ongoing, adding however, that there were uncovered weapons that could not be considered legitimate. UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab researchers have tweaked a natural human enzyme to create a process that can lengthen oligonucleotide chains repetitively. Tests show the technique has promise to produce more accurate and thus longer chains, faster, cheaper and without toxic waste. Credit: Marilyn Chung, Berkeley Lab Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have invented a new way to synthesize DNA that promises to be easier and faster, does not require the use of toxic chemicals and is potentially more accurate. With greater accuracy, the technique could produce DNA strands 10 times longer than today's methods. The researchers say the ease of use could lead to ubiquitous "DNA printers" in research labs, akin to the 3-D printers in many workshops today. "If you're a mechanical engineer, it's really nice to have a 3-D printer in your shop that can print out a part overnight so you can test it the next morning," said UC Berkeley graduate student Dan Arlow. "If you're a researcher or bioengineer and you have an instrument that streamlines DNA synthesis, a 'DNA printer,' you can test your ideas faster and try out more new ideas. I think it will lead to a lot of innovation." Arlow and colleague Sebastian Palluk, a doctoral student at the Technische Universitat Darmstadt in Germany and a visiting student at Berkeley Lab, detail their new method in paper appearing online June 18 and scheduled for publication in the July issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology. They and their colleagues conducted the research at the Department of Energy's Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville, California. "I personally think Dan and Sebastian's new method could revolutionize how we make DNA," said Jay Keasling, a UC Berkeley professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, senior faculty scientist at Berkeley Lab and chief executive officer of JBEI. Palluk came from Germany specifically to work with Arlow on the DNA synthesis problem in Keasling's lab, which has been a pioneer in the field of synthetic biology. Keasling and JBEI scientists specialize in adding genes to microbes, mostly yeast and bacteria, to produce useful productsdrugs, fuels, industrial chemicalssustainably, with the least toxic byproducts and lowest energy use. "We believe that increased access to DNA constructs will speed up the development of new cures for diseases and simplify the production of new medicines," Palluk said. 40-year old synthesis process Synthesizing DNA is a growing business as companies order custom-made genes so they can produce biologic drugs, industrial enzymes or useful chemicals in vats of microbes. Researchers purchase synthetic genes to insert into plants or animals or try out new CRISPR-based disease therapies. Some scientists have even proposed storing information in DNA, much like digital data is stored today in computer hard drives, since a gram of DNA could theoretically store the equivalent of 50 million DVDs and should be stable for centuries. However, that would mean synthesizing immensely larger quantities of DNA strands than those used in the biotech industry today. All of these applications require that the synthesis process faithfully produces the desired sequence of nucleotides or basesthe building blocks of DNAin each of millions or even billions of copies of DNA molecules. Current DNA synthesis, which dates from 1981 and uses techniques from organic chemistry labs, is limited to directly producing so-called oligonucleotides about 200 bases long, because inevitable errors in the process lead to a low yield of correct sequences as the length increases. To assemble even a small gene, scientists have to synthesize it piecemeal, in segments about 200 bases long, and then stitch them together. This is time consuming, often requires multiple attempts and sometimes fails completely. In addition, when ordered from synthesis companies like Twist Biosciences Inc. and Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), the turnaround time for one small gene around 1,500 bases long can be two weeks at a cost of $300, limiting the number of genetic tweaks researchers can afford to try and the speed with which they can experiment. Synthetic biologists like Keasling, Arlow and Palluk often insert a dozen different genes at once into a microbe to get it to produce a desired chemical, and each gene presents its own synthesis problems. "As a student in Germany, I was part of an international synthetic biology competition, iGEM, where we tried to get E. coli bacteria to degrade plastic waste. But I soon realized that most of the research time was spent just getting all the DNA together, not doing the experiments to see if the engineered cells could break down the plastic. This really motivated me to look into the DNA synthesis process," Palluk said. Chemical DNA synthesis also requires using a particular type of activated DNA building block that is toxic, and repeated cycles of washing with petroleum-derived solvents. The problem of waste disposal and the fact that the process is finicky because it is extremely sensitive to moisture are reasons researchers have gotten rid of their personal oligonucleotide synthesizers and now have their DNA synthesized by specialized companies, Arlow said. Tapping the immune system The new technique relies on a DNA-synthesizing enzyme found in cells of the immune system that naturally has the ability to add nucleotides to an existing DNA molecule in water, where DNA is most stable. The technique promises improved precision, which could allow synthesis of DNA strands 10 times longer, or several thousand bases longthe size of a medium-sized gene. "We have come up with a novel way to synthesize DNA that harnesses the machinery that nature itself uses to make DNA," Palluk said. "This approach is promising because enzymes have evolved for millions of years to perform this exact chemistry." Cell's do not typically synthesize DNA from scratch; they mostly copy it with the help of a lot of different polymerase enzymes that build on DNA templates already in the cell. In the 1960s, however, scientists found an unusual polymerase that doesn't rely on an existing DNA template, but randomly adds nucleotides to genes that make antibodies for use in the immune system. Called terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), the enzyme creates random variation in these genes so that the resulting antibody proteins are better able to target never-before-seen invaders. TdT works equally well adding all four DNA nucleotides, does not have side-reactions that could screw up the resulting molecule, and is very fast, extending DNA by about 200 bases per minute if you let it free-wheel, Palluk said. Numerous labs over the years tried to harness this enzyme to synthesize desired DNA sequences, but the enzyme was hard to control. The key requirement is to figure out how to get the enzyme to add one nucleotide and then stop, so that the desired sequence can be synthesized one base at a time. All of the previous proposals tried to achieve that control by using modified nucleotides that have a special blocking group that prevents multiple additions. After the DNA molecules have been extended by a blocked nucleotide, the blocking groups are removed to enable the next addition. "Those approaches all have a lot in common with Next-Generation Sequencing technologies," Palluk said, referring to the state-of-the-art technique for reading out genetic sequences, which works by using a template-dependent polymerase to sequentially add blocked nucleotides that fluoresce in different colors to indicate which of the four possible bases was added. While the DNA-copying enzymes used in sequencing are able to accommodate a blocking group on the nucleotide being added, TdT is not. Its reactive site is too tight to fit a blocking group when the nucleotide is positioned correctly for the reaction. Arlow's idea was to securely tether an unblocked nucleotide to TdT, so that after the nucleotide is added to a growing DNA molecule, the enzyme remains attached and itself protects the end of the chain from further additions. After the DNA molecule has been extended, they cut the linking tether to release the enzyme and re-expose the end for the next addition. In their first trials10 cycles using the engineered TdT enzyme to create a 10-base oligonucleotidethe Berkeley researchers showed that their faster and simpler technique is nearly as accurate in each step of the synthesis as current techniques. "When we analyzed the products using NGS, we were able to determine that about 80 percent of the molecules had the desired 10-base sequence," Arlow said. "That means, on average, the yield of each step was around 98 percent, which is not too bad for a first go at this 50-plus-year-old problem. We want to get to 99.9 percent in order to make gene-length DNA." Once they can reach 99.9 percent fidelity, they can synthesize a 1,000-base-long molecule in one go with a yield of more than 35 percent, which is completely impossible with current chemical synthesis techniques, Palluk said. "By directly synthesizing longer DNA molecules, the need to stitch oligonucleotides together and the limitations arising from this tedious process could be reduced. Our dream is to directly synthesize gene-length sequences and get them to researchers within few days," he said. "Our hope is that the technology will make it easier for bioengineers to more quickly figure out how to biomanufacture useful products, which could lead to more sustainable processes for producing the things that we all depend on in the world, including clothing, fuel and food, in a way that requires less petroleum," Arlow said. Explore further New technology for enzyme design More information: De novo DNA synthesis using polymerase-nucleotide conjugates, Nature Biotechnology (2018). DOI: 10.1038/Nbt.4173 , Journal information: Nature Biotechnology De novo DNA synthesis using polymerase-nucleotide conjugates,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/Nbt.4173 , www.nature.com/articles/Nbt.4173 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 proven that there is 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 important to the population, are never advanced," says Jesper Lassen. 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," says Jesper Lassen. Explore further Study finds consumer knowledge gap on genetically modified food More information: Jesper Lassen, Listened to, but not heard! The failure to represent the public in genetically modified food policies, Public Understanding of Science (2018). Journal information: Public Understanding of Science Jesper Lassen, Listened to, but not heard! The failure to represent the public in genetically modified food policies,(2018). DOI: 10.1177/0963662518766286 There are growing concerns about the potential risks of AI and mounting criticism of technology giants. In the wake of what has been called an AI backlash or "techlash", states and businesses are waking up to the fact that the design and development of AI have to be ethical, benefit society and protect human rights. In the last few months, Google has faced protests from its own staff against the company's AI work with the US military. The US Department of Defense contracted Google to develop AI for analysing drone footage in what is known as "Project Maven". A Google spokesperson was reported to have said: "the backlash has been terrible for the company" and "it is incumbent on us to show leadership." She referred to "plans to unveil new ethical principles." These principles have now been released. Google's chief executive, Sundar Pichar, acknowledged that "this area is dynamic and evolving" and said that Google would be willing "to adapt our approach as we learn over time." This is important because, while the principles are a start, more work and more concrete commitments are needed if Google is going to become effective in protecting human rights. Google's principles on AI Be socially beneficial. Avoid creating or reinforcing unfair bias. Be built and tested for safety. Be accountable to people. Incorporate privacy design principles. Uphold high standards of scientific excellence. Be made available for uses that accord with these principles. Google also commits to not pursuing: Technologies that cause or are likely to cause overall harm. Weapons or other technologies whose principal purpose or implementation is to cause or directly facilitate injury to people. Technologies that gather or use information for surveillance, violating internationally accepted norms. Technologies whose purpose contravenes widely accepted principles of international law and human rights. But there are few specifics on how it will actually do so. AI applications can cause a wide range of harms Google's principles recognise AI's risk of bias and its threat to privacy. This is important in light of the findings that Google search algorithms can reproduce racial and gender stereotypes. But the principles fail to acknowledge the wider risks to all human rights and the need for them to be protected. For example, biased algorithms not only result in discrimination but can also affect access to job opportunities. Aside from the search engine, Google's other businesses could also raise human rights issues. Google created the company Jigsaw, which uses AI to curate online content in an attempt to address abusive language, threats, and harassment online. But content moderation can also pose threats to the right to freedom of expression. Google Brain is using machine learning to predict health outcomes from medical records, and Google Cloud will be collaborating with Fitbit. Both of these examples raise privacy and data protection concerns. Our colleagues have also questioned whether partnerships such as Google DeepMind and the NHS benefit or undermine states' obligations to put in place a healthcare system that "provides equality of opportunity for people to enjoy the highest attainable level of health." What should Google do? Google's overall approach should be based on finding ways for AI to be beneficial to society without violating human rights. Explaining its first principle to be "socially beneficial," Google says that it would only "proceed where we believe that the overall likely benefits substantially exceed the foreseeable risks and downsides." But an approach that balances the risks against the benefits is not compatible with human rights. A state or business, such as Google, cannot develop an AI that promises to benefit some people at the expense of the human rights of a few or a particular community. Rather, it has to find a way to ensure that AI does not harm human rights. So, Google needs to fully consider the effects of AI on human rights throughout its development and deployment. Especially so, because risks can arise even if the technology is not designed for harmful purposes. International human rights standards and norms including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights cover both the purpose and the effect of actions by businesses, including Google, on human rights. These existing responsibilities need to be much more clearly reflected in Google's principles, particularly on the positive action that Google will take to protect harm to human rights, even if unintentional. To be responsible over how it develops and deploys AI, Google needs to move beyond the current tentative language about encouraging architectures of privacy and ensuring "appropriate human direction and control" without explaining who decides what is appropriate and on what basis. It needs to embed human rights into the design of AI and incorporate safeguards such as human rights impact assessments and independent oversight and review processes into the principles. The principles should also detail how harms to human rights will be remedied and how individuals and groups affected can bring a claim, which is currently absent. The way forward? Launching the principles, Google's CEO Sundar Pichar recognised that the way in which AI is developed and used will have "a significant impact on society for many years to come." Google's pioneering role in AI means that the company, according to Sundar, "feel[s] a deep responsibility to get this right." Although the principles are an important start, they need much more development if we are to be assured that our human rights will be protected. The next step is for Google to embed human rights, safeguards and accountability processes throughout their AI development. That is what is needed to "get this right." Explore further Google rules out using artificial intelligence for weapons (Update) This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. James Hansen sits for a portrait in his home in New York on April 12, 2018. NASA's top climate scientist in 1988, Hansen warned the world on a record hot June day 30 years ago that global warming was here and worsening. In a scientific study that came out a couple months later, he even forecast how warm it would get, depending on emissions of heat-trapping gases. (AP Photo/Marshall Ritzel) James Hansen wishes he was wrong. He wasn't. NASA's top climate scientist in 1988, Hansen warned the world on a record hot June day 30 years ago that global warming was here and worsening. In a scientific study that came out a couple months later, he even forecast how warm it would get, depending on emissions of heat-trapping gases. The hotter world that Hansen envisioned in 1988 has pretty much come true so far, more or less. Three decades later, most climate scientists interviewed rave about the accuracy of Hansen's predictions given the technology of the time. Hansen won't say, "I told you so." "I don't want to be right in that sense," Hansen told The Associated Press, in an interview is his New York penthouse apartment. That's because being right means the world is warming at an unprecedented pace and ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland are melting. Hansen said what he really wishes happened is "that the warning be heeded and actions be taken." They weren't. Hansen, now 77, regrets not being "able to make this story clear enough for the public." Global warming was not what Hansen set out to study when he joined NASA in 1972. The Iowa native studied Venusa planet with a runaway greenhouse-effect runwhen he got interested in Earth's ozone hole. As he created computer simulations, he realized that "this planet was more interesting than Venus." And more important. In this May 9, 1989 file photo, Dr. James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, testifies before a Senate Transportation subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., a year after his history-making testimony telling the world that global warming was here and would get worse. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File) In his 1988 study, Hansen and colleagues used three different scenarios for emissions of heat-trapping gaseshigh, low and medium. Hansen and other scientists concentrated on the middle scenario. Hansen projected that by 2017, the globe's five-year average temperature would be about 1.85 degrees (1.03 degree Celsius) higher than the 1950 to 1980 NASA-calculated average. NASA's five-year average global temperature ending in 2017 was 1.48 degrees above the 30-year average. (He did not take into account that the sun would be cooling a tad, which would reduce warming nearly two-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit, said the Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Jeff Severinghaus.) Hansen also predicted a certain number of days of extreme weathertemperature above 95 degrees, freezing days, and nights when the temperatures that don't drop below 75per year for four U.S. cities in the decade of the 2010s. Hansen's forecast generally underestimated this decade's warming in Washington, overestimated it in Omaha, was about right in New York and mixed in Memphis. Clara Deser, climate analysis chief at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said Hansen's global temperature forecast was "incredible" and his extremes for the cities were "astounding" in their accuracy. Berkeley Earth's Zeke Hausfather gives Hansen's predictions a 7 or 8 for accuracy, out of 10; he said Hansen calculated that the climate would respond a bit more to carbon dioxide than scientists now think. University of Alabama Huntsville's John Christy, a favorite of those who downplay climate change, disagreed. Using mathematical formulas to examine Hansen's projections, he concluded: "Hansen's predictions were wrong as demonstrated by hypothesis testing." Hansen had testified before Congress on climate change at a fall 1987 hearing that didn't get much attentionlikely because it was a cool day, he figured. So the next hearing was scheduled for the next summer, and the weather added heat to Hansen's words. At 2 p.m., the temperature hit a record high 98 degrees and felt like 102. In this June 23, 2008 file photo, James Hansen, a leading researcher on global warming, gives a briefing on global warming on Capitol Hill in Washington. NASA's top climate scientist in 1988, Hansen warned the world on a record hot June day that global warming was here and worsening. In a scientific study that came out a couple months later, he even forecast how warm it would get, depending on emissions of heat-trapping gases. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) It was then and there that Hansen went out on a limb and proclaimed that global warming was already here. Until then most scientists merely warned of future warming. He left NASA in 2013, devoting more time to what he calls his "anti-government job" of advocacy. Hansen, still at Columbia University, has been arrested five times for environmental protests. Each time, he hoped to go to trial "to draw attention to the issues" but the cases were dropped. He writes about saving the planet for his grandchildren, including one who is suing the federal government over global warming inaction. His advocacy has been criticized by scientific colleagues, but he makes no apologies. "If scientists are not allowed to talk about the policy implications of the science, who is going to do that? People with financial interests?" Hansen asked. Explore further AP Was There: The age of climate change begins 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Wheat sales contribute about Can$11 billion (US$8 billion) to the Canadian economy each year The world's sixth largest wheat producer sought to reassure trading partners on Monday that genetically modified wheat plants discovered on an Alberta farm were few and posed no food safety risks, after Japan and South Korea halted Canadian wheat imports. Wheat sales contribute about Can$11 billion (US$8 billion) to the Canadian economy each year. The temporary import bans were another blow to Canadian farmers who faced costly delays in getting grains to markets this year due to a disruption in rail shipping to ports blamed on winter storms. "South Korea and Japan have initiated a temporary suspension of trade in wheat while they undertake a review of the comprehensive investigation and testing already completed by Canadian officials," trade department spokesman Jesse Wilson told AFP. "That testing concluded that this wheat is not in the food supply, it has never been approved or used in trade and that the wheat was isolated to a few plants along an access road," he said in an email. Ottawa, he added, "is working with foreign trading partners to ensure they have all the necessary information to make informed decisions and limit market disruptions." The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced on June 14 that a genetically modified (GM) wheat plot was discovered last summer by a farmer in Alberta who was surprised to see wheat resist after a Roundup spray. Canadian authorities determined the herbicide-tolerant wheat was a banned Monsanto GM wheat line (MON71200), which had been used in several confined field trials two decades ago in Canada and the United States. The stray GM wheat was found about 300 kilometers (185 miles) from one of those testing sites. Unauthorized GM wheat was also found in US states of Oregon in 2013, Montana in 2014 and Washington two years ago. But these were not the same strains as those found in Canada. Explore further Unapproved genetically modified wheat found in Washington 2018 AFP Credit: CC0 Public Domain A massive study of nearly 1800 tropical coral reefs around the world has found that marine reserves near heavily populated areas struggle to do their jobbut are a vast improvement over having no protection at all. Professor Josh Cinner from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University led a team of 37 scientists examining the effectiveness of different reef conservation strategies. "Fish stocks were extremely depleted on reefs that were accessible to large human populations. Compared to marine reserves far from these human pressures, reserves near high human pressure had only a quarter of the fish and were a hundred times less likely to have top predators such as sharks," said Professor Cinner. The scientists also studied how differences in ecological conditions between marine reserves, where fishing is prohibited, and places open to fishing changed as human pressures increased. "This tells you where you can get the biggest impact from implementing conservation," said Professor Cinner. "A really novel and exciting part of our study found that the greatest difference in fish biomass between marine reserves and places open to fishing was in locations with medium to high human pressure. This means that, for most fisheries species, marine reserves have the biggest bang where human pressures are medium to high," he said. For example, on reefs subject to high human pressure, marine reserves had five times more fish than openly fished reefsa benefit that can spillover into the depleted fisheries in surrounding areas. "However, top predators such as sharks were a different kettle of fish," said co-author Dr. Aaron MacNeil from Dalhousie University. The scientists encountered top predators on less than 30% of their surveys conducted all across the globe, and very rarely in locations where human pressures were high. "You'd have to do about 200 dives to see a top predator in reserves with the highest human pressure. But where human pressure was low, you'd be likely to see predators more than half the time," said Dr. MacNeil. Dr. Michele Barnes from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at JCU said that in many places, social, economic, and cultural realities mean that marine reserves that entirely prohibit fishing are not an option. "So, we also looked at how effective other forms of reef conservation were, such as restricting the types of fishing gear that people use. Our results were promisingthese restrictions certainly had better outcomes than doing nothing, but not as good as marine reserves. They were a sort of compromise," she said. Professor Cinner said the study makes clear the benefits and limitations of implementing key coral reef conservation strategies in different types of locations. "Our research shows where managers will be able to maximise certain goals, such as sustaining top predators or improving the biomass of key fisheries species, and likewise, where they will be wasting their time," he said. Explore further Research finds marine reserves sustain broader fishing efforts More information: Joshua E. Cinner el al., "Gravity of human impacts mediates coral reef conservation gains," PNAS (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Joshua E. Cinner el al., "Gravity of human impacts mediates coral reef conservation gains,"(2018). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1708001115 HiRISE image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) showing an impact crater that triggered a slope streak. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona In 2006, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) established orbit around the Red Planet. Using an advanced suite of scientific instruments which include cameras, spectrometers, and radar this spacecraft has been analyzing landforms, geology, minerals and ice on Mars for years and assisting with other missions. While the mission was only meant to last two years, the orbiter has remained in operation for the past twelve. In that time, the MRO has acted as a relay for other missions to send information back to Earth and provided a wealth of information of its own on the Red Planet. Most recently, it captured an image of an impact crater that caused a landslide, which left a long, dark streak along the crater wall. Such streaks are created when dry dust collapses down the edge of a Martian hill, leaving behind dark swaths. In this respect, these avalanches are not unlike Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL), where seasonal dark streaks appear along slopes during warmer days on Mars. These are believed to be caused by either salt water flows or dry dust grains falling naturally. In this case, however, the dry dust on the slope was destabilized by the meteor's impact, which exposed darker material beneath. The impact that created the crater is believed to have happened about ten years ago. And while the crater itself (shown above) is only 5 meters (16.4 feet) across, the streak it resulted in is 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) long! The image also captured the faded scar of an old avalanche, which is visible to the side of the new dark streak. Close up of the crater captured by the MROs HiRISE instrument. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona The image was captured by the MRO's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), which is operated by researchers at the Planetary Image Research Laboratory (PIRL), part of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) at the University of Arizona, Tucson. This is just the latest in a long-line of images and data packages sent back by the MRO. By providing daily reports on Mars' weather and surface conditions, and studying potential landing sites, the MRO also paves the way for future spacecraft and surface missions. In the future, the orbiter will serve as a highly capable relay satellite for missions like NASA's Mars 2020 rover, which will continue in the hunt for signs of past life on Mars. At present, the MRO has enough propellant to keep functioning into the 2030s, and given its intrinsic value to the study of Mars, it is likely to remain in operation right up until it exhausts its fuel. Perhaps it will even be working when astronauts arrived on the Red Planet? Wider-angle view of the impact crater captured by the MROs HiRISE instrument and the resulting dark streak. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona Figure: Left: This is a digitalized 3D natural rock, Center: Spheres cloud representing pore topological features, Right: Persistence diagram. Credit: International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER) / Institute of Mathematics for Industry (IMI), Kyushu University Based on persistent homology theory, researchers from Japan's Kyushu University presented a new parameter and a new method for evaluating the heterogeneity of porosity Fukuoka, JapanWhether or not we realize it, mathematics permeates our lives in countless ways. Sometimes, the role of mathematics is difficult to grasp, but other times it's rock solid. Although the mineral grains that form a rock are important, it is the poresthe empty spaces between those grainsthat often carry vital resources such as oil, gas, and drinking water. The geometry of pores can strongly affect the storage, flow, and extraction of those resources. Thus, improving understanding of pore geometry is of great interest to many researchers and industry professionals. In a fusion of mathematics and earth science, researchers from the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER) and the Institute of Mathematics for Industry (IMI) of Kyushu University have now developed an innovative method to characterize pore geometry, based on a concept called persistent homology theory, as reported in a study published in Water Resources Research. An important difference between natural rocks and artificial media is that the physical characteristics of rock tend to be relatively heterogeneous. This state-of-the-art method is particularly useful for characterizing that heterogeneity in pores. The study's first author, Fei Jiang, explains, "In the proposed method, complex pore geometry is first transformed into sphere cloud data. Then, a persistence diagram is calculated from the point cloud. A new parameter, the distance index H as a metric, is derived from the persistence diagram, and is proposed to characterize the degree of rock heterogeneity." A strong relationship was confirmed between heterogeneity and the distance index H. In addition, a new empirical equation using this metric H is proposed to predict the effective elastic modulus of rocks. "To test the newly proposed method based on the geometry of real rocks, four types of rock with different pore structures, including two carbonates and two sandstones, were investigated," co-author Takeshi Tsuji explains. "Persistence diagram analysis was more effective for quantitatively estimating the heterogeneity of relatively homogeneous sandstone compared with the conventional method. This new method was also superior in terms of distinguishing the different rock types." Additional advantages of this method of analysis are that the persistence diagram is relatively stable with small changes in pore space, and the distance index H can be calculated very efficiently. Information extracted from persistence diagram analysis can be used to directly predict physical properties (such as permeability and elasticity) based on the microstructures of rocks. Thus, persistence diagram analysis may prove to be an important new tool for understanding the heterogeneity of pores in different rock types. Explore further Simulation method helps combat climate change, boost energy supply More information: Fei Jiang et al, Pore Geometry Characterization by Persistent Homology Theory, Water Resources Research (2018). Journal information: Water Resources Research Fei Jiang et al, Pore Geometry Characterization by Persistent Homology Theory,(2018). DOI: 10.1029/2017WR021864 Provided by Kyushu University, I2CNER Dr Szymon Kubal pictured with a vessel of molten steel at the Tata Steel Port Talbot works. Credit: Tata Steel Steelworkers will be able to monitor in real time the temperature and chemical composition in molten metal furnaces, saving each steel plant up to 4.5 million a year, thanks to a new laser technology developed by a Swansea University spin-out company. The new technology has won the Materials Science Venture Prize awarded by The Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers, and worth 25,000. Swansea University is the first institution to have won this prestigious award twice, both times for its pioneering work on steel. Currently in steelmaking, production is halted while disposable probes are immersed into the molten metal to measure temperature and take samples. This is inefficient as it takes up time, requires expensive probes and reduces productivity. In contrast, the new technology uses lasers projected into the molten furnace which monitor the contents continually. There is no need for disposable probes and crucially production does not need to be stopped. The technology is being developed by Swansea University spin-out company Kubal-Wraith Ltd. Dr Szymon Kubal of Tata Steel, research fellow at Swansea University, said: "Our new technology allows a laser beam to be projected into a molten furnace through a channel called a tuyere in the furnace wall. We exploit the latest gas injection techniques to protect the data channel. One difficulty was testing our innovations in an operational steel plant under production conditions. However, by working with Tata Steel UK we are able to undertake full-scale trials." The technology is also applicable to other metals such as aluminium, copper and nickel. World Steel Association data indicates there are more than 1000 molten metal furnaces worldwide, which could see benefits in cost and productivity by using the new method of monitoring. The team, led by Dr Szymon Kubal, includes Swansea University College of Engineering experts Dr Cameron Pleydell-Pearce and Dr Adrian Walters. Professor Bill Bonfield, chairman of the Armourers and Brasiers Venture Prize judging panel, said: "This project shows how research and innovation has the potential to transform long-established manufacturing processes. Our prize looks to encourage scientific entrepreneurship in the UK and provide funding to help innovative developments like this realise their potential." Dr Adrian Walters, Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence at Swansea University, said: "Swansea University also won the Venture Prize in 2016 with a pioneering method of tackling corrosion, improving steel-based products, whereas this year's winner improves the first stage of the steel manufacturing process. It shows that Swansea University is delivering innovation right across the steel industry." Dr Gerry Ronan, Head of Intellectual Property for Swansea University, said: "This is a highly prestigious and competitive award and offers a great deal of credibility to an early stage start-up. This second award in three years shows the strength of expertise in material science at Swansea and also the quality of the commercial opportunities that the University creates. It is also a credit to Dr Adrian Walters, who has worked closely with both of these successful teams." Explore further How best to stir a steel furnace, and beat corrosion The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Yale University have created a plan to preserve one of the last intact forest strongholds for the jaguar and other iconic species in Central America: the Moskitia Forest Corridor. Credit: WCS The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Yale University have created a plan to preserve one of the last intact forest strongholds for the jaguar and other iconic species in Central America: the Moskitia Forest Corridor. Released today, the reporttitled "Stopping the Tide: A Strategy for Maintaining Forest Connectivity within the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor"lays out recommendations on how to protect the ecologically vital forest landscape that straddles both Honduras and Nicaragua. One of the primary findings of the report is that conservation efforts should be focused on four "pinch points" where forest connectivity is threatened. "As one of the largest remaining forest blocks in Central America, this forest corridor is critical to conserve widely ranging species such as jaguars and white-lipped peccaries" said Dr. John Polisar, one of the study's authors and WCS's Jaguar Program Coordinator. "These species are found in Nicaragua's Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, and across river valleys in Honduras such as the recently investigated "Lost City" site in in the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve. Maintaining the pinch points that connect forests and wildlife is a top priority." [Read a recently published article on a rapid ecological assessment of the "Lost City" site by conservationists in the Moskitia forest of Honduras here]. The "Stopping the Tide" study found that deforestation in the bi-national Moskitia forest corridor due to unregulated cattle ranching and human settlement has rapidly expanded into protected areas to consume forest habitat, placing the Rio Platano World Heritage site on UNESCO's "in danger" list. The authors noted that low institutional presence has left these protected areas poorly defended against these threats. The forests of La Moskitia are home to Mayangna, Miskitu, Tawahka, and Pech indigenous communities who seek to maintain the forest and the ecosystem services it provides. The report recommends giving continued attention to the property rights of these indigenous groups and providing assistance in their interests to be effective stewards of the forest and wildlife. The authors prioritize capacity building for local communities and protected area personnel that includes the implementation of SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) for patrols to monitor the status of remote forests and facilitate enforcement in areas already impacted by harmful activities. The report also emphasizes the importance of partnerships with local communities to strengthen environmentally sustainable livelihoods such as cacao farming and timber certification programs. In the few zones where raising livestock is legal, the report recommends implementing approaches to reduce deforestation from cattle ranching, improving livestock health and nutrition in space efficient production that decreases the need for deforestation, with producers committing to maintain forest. In preparing this report WCS worked with Yale's Environmental Protection Clinic, which pairs graduate students with organizations that address the intersection between law, policy, and environmental threats. "This report highlights the challenges of evaluating gaps and opportunities for conservation in remote areas and is an example of a productive and innovative collaboration between a conservation organization and graduate programs in environmental studies, in particular in identifying priority areas and the actions needed to maintain biodiversity on a large landscape level" said Manus McCaffery, one of the Yale Graduate students who contributed to this report. "Recent discoveries have highlighted the archaeological and biological importance of the Moskitia forest" said Dr. Jeremy Radachowsky, WCS Director for Mesoamerica and the Caribbean. "However, this exceptional patrimony is in real danger of being degraded and lost within the next few years. Now the urgent challenge is coming together as humanity, joining forces with local communities and Honduran institutions, to ensure that one of Central America's most intact forests and its cultural heritage lasts forever." WCS has long prioritized the protection of intact forest landscapes for their confluence of globally significant values such as conserving biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and sustaining imperiled cultures. A recently published paper in Nature Ecology and Evolution by WCS and other organizations documents how intact forests benefit wildlife and human populations alike, and how their protection should be a key component of national and global environmental efforts. Explore further People and wildlife now threatened by rapid destruction of central America's forests More information: James E. M. Watson et al. The exceptional value of intact forest ecosystems, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2018). Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution James E. M. Watson et al. The exceptional value of intact forest ecosystems,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0490-x A particle detector at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe. UVA physicists have been involved with projects there since it was built, and have contributed instruments built at UVA. Credit: CERN University of Virginia physicists have recently played key roles in new particle physics discoveries. The scientists are involved with large international collaborations using major facilities designed for expanding our knowledge of the most intimate details of how the smallest known pieces of atoms may have given birth to the universe. The research projects are led at UVA by physicist Craig Dukes, working with the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermi National Laboratory in Illinois; Chris Neu, who works with the Large Hadron Collider in Europe; and Kent Paschke, who works with the DOE's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, or Jefferson Lab, in Newport News. Dukes, Neu and their teams are part of UVA's High Energy Physics Laboratory, which is dedicated to answering fundamental questions involving the makings of everything. The work is "high energy" because it requires huge electronic devices to create controlled collisions between protons, designed to break them apart and expose their constituent particles, or to travel lengthy distances and undergo changes as they go. Paschke, who also is in the UVA Physics Department, focuses on projects with Jefferson Lab. All of the experiments require high-powered, big-data computers and computing techniques to help researchers glean understanding in extreme detail made from billions of particle interactions. Higgs and Quarks For the first time, scientists have measured the direct interaction of the Higgs boson (sometimes called the "God particle") with another type of heavy particle called "top quarks." The Higgs boson, which was theorized in the 1960s and creates a field through which all other matter exists, was famously confirmed in 2012 by experiments at the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland. UVA researchers played key roles in that discovery. This linkage between the Higgs and top quarks is important because, in theory, particles gain their mass by interacting with the Higgs field, and mass is needed for things to exist. This is a fundamental part of the Standard Model of Physics, which attempts to explain how elementary particles the particles that make up the very universe operate. It has long made sense to physicists that Higgs particles and top quarks would interact, but it needed to be proven. Through a long series of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, scientists have proven that indeed they do. Neu, a longtime UVA professor of physics, and his team played a major role in the discovery, published recently in the prominent journal Physical Review Letters. "Scientists needed precise theoretical predictions for the characteristics of background processes as well as the development of powerful data-analysis methods which use machine learning to teach a computer to distinguish signal events from background," Neu said. "UVA students and postdocs have been working on both these vital aspects of the analysis over the last seven years." Neu noted that the finding is an important step in furthering the understanding of the Higgs boson and its role in interactions between other particles, but noted there still is plenty of room for discovery of currently unknown phenomena. "In the coming years, much more data will be collected and the precision will be improved, in order to see if the Higgs reveals the presence of physics beyond the Standard Model," he said. "This is exciting because we know that the Standard Model is an incomplete theory; if we are ever going to understand, for instance, the nature of dark matter, it could come from finding a discrepancy in what we observe regarding the Higgs compared to the commonly accepted prediction of what might be happening." Understanding Neutrinos For more than three years, scientists have been observing particles called neutrinos as they oscillate from one type to another over a distance of 500 miles. In a massive $300 million project at Fermilab called NOvA, the purpose is to discover more about neutrinos ghostly and abundant particles that travel through matter, mostly without leaving a trace. It's important because the universe, in its present state, is a result of particle interactions that occurred in the first seconds after the Big Bang nearly 14 billion years ago. The experiment's long-term goal is to look for similarities and differences in how neutrinos and antineutrinos change from one type in this case, muon into one of the other two types, electron or tau. Precisely measuring this change in both neutrinos and antineutrinos, and then comparing them, will help scientists unlock the secrets that these particles hold about how the universe continues to operate at its smallest level the level that composes the big things: galaxies, stars, planets, beer. Now, researchers, including a group led by UVA physics professor Craig Dukes, have seen strong evidence of muon antineutrinos oscillating into electron antineutrinos, a phenomenon that had never been unambiguously observed. NOvA uses two large particle detectors a smaller one at Fermilab in Illinois and a much larger one 500 miles away in northern Minnesota to study a beam of particles generated by Fermilab's accelerator complex and sent directly through Earth, no tunnel required (neutrinos travel essentially unimpeded through matter). The key to NOvA's science program is comparing the rate at which electron neutrinos appear in the far detector with the rate that electron antineutrinos appear. A precise measurement of those differences will allow NOvA to achieve one of its main science goals: to determine which of the three types of neutrinos is the heaviest and which the lightest, all part of the quest to puzzle out the hows and whys of existence. Some of the detector instruments at Fermilab were designed and built at UVA's High Energy Physics Lab. The Weak Side of the Proton A new result from a large experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility provides a precision test of the "weak force," which, while weak-sounding, is one of four fundamental forces in nature. The finding, published in the journal Nature, provides a window to potential new particles that might be further explored at the Large Hadron Collider. While the weak force is difficult to observe directly, its influence can be felt in our everyday world. For example, it initiates the chain of reactions that power the sun, and it provides a mechanism for radioactive decays that partially heat the Earth's core and that also enable doctors to detect disease inside the body without surgery. Now, the researchers, including Paschke and his UVA collaborator, physicist Gordon Cates, have revealed one of the weak force's secrets: the precise strength of its grip on the proton. They did this by measuring the proton's weak charge to high precision, which they probed using high-quality beams available at Jefferson Lab's Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility. The proton's weak charge is analogous to its more familiar electric charge, a measure of the influence the proton experiences from the electromagnetic force. These two interactions are closely related in the Standard Model, which describes the electromagnetic and weak forces as two different aspects of a single force that interacts with subatomic particles. To measure the proton's weak charge, an intense beam of electrons was directed onto a target containing cold liquid hydrogen, and the electrons scattered from this target were detected in a precise, custom-built measuring apparatus. The key to the experiment is that the electrons in the beam were highly polarized prepared prior to acceleration to be mostly "spinning" in one direction, parallel or anti-parallel to the beam direction. With the direction of polarization rapidly reversed in a controlled manner, the experimenters were able to latch onto the weak interaction's unique property of parity (akin to mirror symmetry) violation, in order to isolate its tiny effects to high precision: A different scattering rate by about two parts in 10 million was measured for the two beam polarization states. The proton's weak charge was found to be in excellent agreement with predictions of the Standard Model, which takes into account all known subatomic particles and the forces that act on them. Because the proton's weak charge is so precisely predicted in this model, the result provides insight into predictions of thus far unobserved heavy particles, such as those that may be produced by the Large Hadron Collider or future high-energy particle accelerators. Explore further Precision measurement of the proton's weak charge narrows the search for new physics The Pacific Ocean teems with phytoplankton along the West Coast of the United States, as captured by the MODIS instrument on NASAs Aqua satellite. Satellites can track phytoplankton blooms, which occur when these plant-like organisms receive optimal amounts of sunlight and nutrients. Phytoplankton play an important role in removing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Credits: NASA A large multidisciplinary team of scientists, equipped with advanced underwater robotics and an array of analytical instrumentation, will set sail for the northeastern Pacific Ocean this August. The team's mission for NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) is to study the life and death of the small organisms that play a critical role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and in the ocean's carbon cycle. More than 100 scientists and crew from more than 20 research institutions will embark from Seattle for NASA's Export Processes in the Ocean from Remote Sensing (EXPORTS) oceanographic campaign. EXPORTS is the first coordinated multidisciplinary science campaign of its kind to study the fates and carbon cycle impacts of microscopic plankton using two research vessels and several underwater robotic platforms. The research vessels, the R/V Revelle and R/V Sally Ride, operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, will sail west 200 miles into the open ocean. From these seaborne laboratories, researchers will explore the plankton, as well as the chemical and physical properties of the ocean from the surface to half a mile below into the twilight zone, a region with little or no sunlight where the carbon from the plankton can be sequestered, or kept out of the atmosphere, for periods ranging from decades to thousands of years. "By employing two ships we'll be able to observe complex oceanographic processes that vary both in space and time that we wouldn't be able to capture with a single ship," said Paula Bontempi, program manager for Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry at NASA Headquarters. Phytoplankton are tiny, plant-like organisms that live in the sunlit upper ocean. They use sunlight and dissolved carbon dioxide that enters the upper ocean from the atmosphere to grow through photosynthesis, which is one way that ocean organisms cycle carbon. As primary producers, phytoplankton play an important role in removing atmospheric carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. When phytoplankton are consumed by plankton or die, their remains sink and some fraction of their carbon is exported to depth. While the major export pathways of how carbon moves through the ocean are known, the magnitude of the carbon flows in the different oceanic pathways and their dependence on ecosystem characteristics are poorly known. Scientists on the EXPORTS team are investigating how much carbon moves through the ocean within the upper sunlit layer and into the twilight zone and how ocean ecological processes affect carbon fate and sequestration. This information is needed to predict how much carbon will cycle back into the atmosphere over what time scales, or how much carbon is exported to ocean depths. "The carbon humans are putting into the atmosphere is warming Earth," says Mike Sieracki, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences. "Much of that carbon eventually finds its way into the ocean and is transported to the deep ocean, where it is sequestered and will not return to the atmosphere for a long time. This project will help us understand the biological and chemical processes that remove the carbon, and establish a foundation for monitoring these processes as the climate changes." Seven years in the making, the 2018 campaign has been a huge undertaking, said David Siegel, EXPORTS science lead from the University of California, Santa Barbara. During the EXPORTS campaign, the Imaging Flow Cytobot will give scientists a continuous view of plankton diversity in the northeast Pacific. This collage represents just a small number of the different plankton types that inhabit Earths ocean. Credits: WHOI/Heidi Sosik "The impact the EXPORTS data will have for understanding how our planet is changing will be significant," Siegel said. "NASA's ocean color satellite record shows us these ecosystems are highly sensitive to climate variability. Changes in phytoplankton populations affect the marine food web since phytoplankton are eaten by many animal species big and small. The stakes are high." The long-term removal of organic carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean depths is known as the biological pump, which operates through three main processes. First, carbon-laden particles from the ocean's surface sink through gravity, as happens with dead phytoplankton or feces produced by small animals called zooplankton. Second, zooplankton migrate daily close to the ocean's surface to feed on phytoplankton and return to the twilight zone during nighttime. Third, physical processes in the ocean, such as the large global overturning circulation of the oceans and smaller-scale turbulent eddies, transport suspended and dissolved carbon to great depths. NASA's satellites provide a variety of measurements of the ocean's uppermost layer, such as temperature, salinity and the concentration of a pigment found in all plants called chlorophyll. EXPORTS will provide data on the role of phytoplankton and plankton in the biological pump and the export of carbon, information important to planning observations and technologies needed for future Earth-observing satellite missions. "We've designed EXPORTS to observe simultaneously the three basic mechanisms by which carbon is exported from the upper ocean to depth," Siegel said. "We're trying to better understand the biology and ecology of phytoplankton in the surface water, how those characteristics drive the transport of carbon to the twilight zone, and then what happens to the carbon in the deeper water." Among the many technologies being used is an autonomous platform called a "Wirewalker" that uses wave energy to move instruments along a taut wire from the surface to 1,600 feet (500 meters) in depth while measuring temperature, salinity, oxygen, carbon, and chlorophyll concentration. A 6.5 foot-long (2 meter-long) remote-controlled underwater vehicle called the Seaglider will gather similar measurements, but at depths as much as 3,200 feet (1,000 meters.) On board the ship, samples will be collected for genomic sequencers to assess the composition of the phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacterial and archaeal communities. New microscopic imaging tools also will be used by EXPORTS scientists, including a high throughput microscope called the Imaging FlowCytobot that will provide real-time, high-resolution images of billions of individual phytoplankton. The Underwater Vision Profiler will measure the sizes of sinking aggregate particles and collect images of zooplankton organisms. Mounted on the ship's superstructure will be optical instruments that will measure the ocean's color at very high spectral resolution, from the ultraviolet wavelengths to the shortwave infrared bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Phytoplankton have distinct spectral "signatures"colors of light they absorb and scatter. By identifying those signatures scientists will be able to develop algorithms for future satellite ocean color missions such as NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission. From space, PACE will use similar optical instruments to distinguish the type and amount of phytoplankton present in the ocean. "What we will learn from EXPORTS will give us a deeper understanding of how plankton species and other microorganisms such as bacteria interact with their environment," said Bontempi. "Not only will we be able to use this information to develop new approaches to identifying and quantifying plankton species from space, we'll be able to predict how much carbon will cycle back into the atmosphere and how much will be transported to the ocean depths for the long term." Explore further NASA taking stock of phytoplankton populations in the Pacific A home goes up on the shore in the Indian Beach neighborhood of Sarasota, Florida, a state which faces the highest risk of property loss in the US due to sea level rise Along Florida's sun-splashed shorelines, home prices are on the rise, developers are busy building new complexes, and listings just blocks from the beach describe homes that are "not in a flood zone," meaning no flood insurance is required. But experts warn that ignoring sea level rise won't prevent a looming economic crisis caused by water-logged homes that will someday become unsafe, uninhabitable and too costly to insure. A reality check may come sooner than many may think, according to a report out Monday by the Union of Concerned Scientists, which finds as many as 64,000 coastal residences worth $26 billion in Florida are at risk of chronic flooding in the next 30 years, the life of a typical mortgage. Across the United States, 311,000 coastal homes with a collective market value of about $120 billion in today's dollars are at risk of chronic flooding by 2045, it said. By century's end, if current trends continue, more than $1 trillion in commercial and private US property may be at risk, "with Florida's coastal real estate among the most exposed," said the report. And it's not because of the increased risk of hurricanes or storm surge. Rather, the danger comes from flooding due to hide tidessometimes called sunny day floods, or nuisance floodingwhen water pools into streets, sidewalks, storefronts and homes. "This risk is relatively near term, well before places go underwater completely, and even in the absence of storms," said Rachel Cleetus, lead economist and policy director with the Climate and Energy program at the UCS. Coastal real estate markets are not currently factoring in these risks, she told AFP. "But market perceptions can shift and they can shift quickly in some places," she added, describing a market correction as "inevitable." 'Slow moving disaster' To make the risks more clear to people, UCS released a searchable online map that shows where the risks are highest, available at www.ucsusa.org/underwater. The online realty site Zillow provided data for the analysis but did not take part in the scientific research. The projections use a high-end scenario for sea level rise because that is an "appropriately conservative projection to use" when estimating risk to homes, often people's largest asset, Cleetus said. Chronic inundation is defined in the report as flooding that happens at least 26 times a year. By 2045, rising seas are expected to bring an extra 1.8 feet (55 centimeters) of water along Florida's coast, according to the UCS report. By 2100, Florida can expect an average of 6.4 extra feet of wateran awful lot given that the state's average elevation above sea level is only about six feet, with many places three feet or below. "This is a slow-moving disaster," said Cleetus. The low-lying Tampa Bay area, Miami and the island chain known as The Keys face the most peril from sea level rise. One worry is that insurance premiums will rise so much that coastal homes become unaffordable for those with fixed or lower incomes. A report by the Union of Concerned Scientists found as many as 64,000 coastal residences worth $26 billion in Florida are at risk of chronic flooding in the next 30 years Local governments may decide to cut power and water to flooded neighborhoods. Many will risk losing their largest financial asset - their homes. And municipalities will forfeit huge amounts of revenue from property taxes. In Florida alone, the "homes at risk by 2100 currently contribute roughly $5 billion collectively in annual property tax revenue," said the report. 'If it rains where you are...' The problem of outdated flood maps long predates US President Donald Trump, who has called global warming a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, quit the Paris climate accords and rolled back environmental protections since taking office. According to Desiree Companion, a certified floodplain manager employed by Sarasota County, the US government-issued flood maps that people consult when building or buying a home are decades old in many places. During a free seminar at a local library this month, she said residents often tell her they don't need flood insurance because they aren't in a high-risk zone. "If it rains where you are, you'd best be getting it," she told the seven people gathered in a library meeting room, where most of the 50 seats were empty. Federal flood maps are based on risk of a "100-year-event," defined as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain falling in 24 hours, she explained. Last year's Hurricane Harvey dropped 51 inches over Texas in that amount of time. "Everybody is in a flood zone," she said. Who is to blame? Inaccurate flood risk information is just one of many factors fueling the crisis, said Jeffrey Huber, an assistant professor in the school of architecture at Florida Atlantic University. "Nowhere is a realtor required to actually tell someone that the property they are purchasing is vulnerable to sea level rise," he told AFP. "Who is telling them that their property is vulnerable if not a realtor? If not an architect?" Most developers know, and so do most municipalities, he added. "The general audience isn't necessarily educated enough to know." Solutions may be complex, but making significant cuts to greenhouse gas emissions would help, said report co-author Astrid Caldas, a senior scientist at UCS. As much as 85 percent of the property at risk might be saved if the Paris Agreement goals for limiting global warming are met, she said. "The longer we wait to drastically reduce emissions, the less likely it is that we will achieve this outcome." Explore further US property crisis looms as sea level rises, experts warn 2018 AFP Culture of a thiocarboxylic acid producing strain of bacteria. Credit: Shen Lab / The Scripps Research Institute Bacteria found in soil may harbor a potential game-changer for drug design. A new study by Scripps Research, published today in Nature Communications, suggests scientists could build better drugs by learning from bacteria-derived molecules called thiocarboxylic acids. The finding comes from Ben Shen, Ph.D., and his colleagues on the Florida campus of Scripps Research. The team investigates "natural products" made by organisms such as soil-dwelling bacteria. "We use natural products as an inspiration for chemistry, biology and drug discovery," says Shen, professor and co-chair of the Department of Chemistry at Scripps Research. Thiocarboxylic acids caught Shen's attention because of their rarity in nature and similarity to lab-made molecules called carboxylic acids. Carboxylic acids are good "warheads" because they can home in on biological targets, making them a key ingredient in many antibiotics, heart disease medications, and more. Shen and his colleagues took a closer look at two natural products, platensimycin and platencin, that have been extensively investigated as potential antibiotics. Much to their surprise, platensimycin and platencin, which have been known for over a decade to be carboxylic acids, are actually made by bacteria as thiocarboxylic acids. The researchers revealed, for the first time, the exact genes, and the enzymes they encode, that bacteria use to create thiocarboxylic acids. From there, the scientists set out to test whether nature-made thiocarboxylic acids could also act as biological warheads. The researchers discovered that, as antibiotics, platensimycin and platencin thiocarboxylic acids appeared to bind to their biological targets even better than their carboxylic acid counterparts. "That was exciting to see," Shen says. "We've now identified thiocarboxylic acids as natural products that can be used as drugs, and thiocarboxylic acids as warheads should be applicable to man-made drugs as well." Interestingly, thiocarboxylic acids appear to have been hiding in plain sight. The molecules were thought to be rare and have not been appreciated to date as a family of natural products. Thanks to the current findings, the researchers now know how these producst are made in nature. Upon searching databases of bacterial genomes, the researchers found that many species of bacteria around the world have the genes to produce thiocarboxylic acids. "There are many, many thiocarboxylic acid natural products waiting to be discovered, making them a treasure trove of potential new drug leads or drugs" says Shen. Explore further Blueprints for anti-cancer drugs discovered in bacterial genomes More information: "Biosynthesis of thiocarboxylic acid-containing natural products," Nature Communications (2018). Journal information: Nature Communications "Biosynthesis of thiocarboxylic acid-containing natural products,"(2018). Scientists at Fermilab use the MINERvA to make measurements of neutrino interactions that can support the work of other neutrino experiments. Credit: Reidar Hahn Scientists study tiny particles called neutrinos to learn about how our universe evolved. These particles, well-known for being tough to detect, could tell the story of how matter won out over antimatter a fraction of a second after the Big Bang and, consequently, why we're here at all. Getting to the bottom of that split-second history means uncovering the differences, if any, between the neutrino and its antimatter counterpart, the antineutrino. The MINERvA neutrino experiment at Fermilab recently added some detail to the behavior profiles of neutrinos and antineutrinos: Scientists measured the likelihood that these famously fleeting particles would stop in the MINERvA detector. In particular, they looked at cases in which an antineutrino interacting in the detector produced another particle, a neutronthat familiar particle that, along with the proton, makes up an atom's nucleus. MINERvA's studies of such cases benefit other neutrino experiments, which can use the results to refine their own measurements of similar interactions. It's typical to study the particles produced by the interaction of a neutrino (or antineutrino) to get a bead on the neutrino's behavior. Neutrinos are effortless escape artists, and their Houdini-like nature makes it difficult to measure their energies directly. They sail unimpeded through everythingeven lead. Scientists are tipped off to the rare neutrino interaction by the production of other, more easily detected particles. They measure and sum the energies of these exiting particles and thus indirectly measure the energy of the neutrino that kicked everything off. This particular MINERvA studyantineutrino enters, neutron leavesis a difficult case. Most postinteraction particles deposit their energies in the particle detector, leaving tracks that scientists can trace back to the original antineutrino (or neutrino, as the case may be). But in this experiment, the neutron doesn't. It holds on to its energy, leaving almost none in the detector. The result is a practically untraceable, unaccounted energy that can't easily be entered in the energy books. And unfortunately, antineutrinos are good at producing energy-absconding neutrons. Researchers make the best of missing-energy situations. They predict, based on other studies, how much energy is lost and correct for it. To give the scientific community a data-based, predictive tool for missing-energy moments, MINERvA collected data from the worst-case situation: An antineutrino strikes a nucleus in the detector and knocks out the untraceable neutron so nearly all of the energy bestowed to the nucleus goes "poof." (These interactions also produce positively charged particles called muons which signal the antineutrino interaction.) By studying this particular disappearing act, scientists could directly measure the effects of the missing energy. Other researchers can now look for these effects, applying the lessons learned to similar cases. For example, researchers on Fermilab's largest operating neutrino experiment, NOvA, and the Japanese T2K experiment will use this technique in their antineutrino measurements. And the Fermilab-hosted international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, centerpiece of a world-leading neutrino program, will also benefit from this once it begins collecting data in the 2020s. The neutron production case is just one type of missing-energy interaction, one of many. So the model that comes out of this MINERvA study is an admittedly imperfect one. There can't be a one-size-fits-all-missing-energy-scenarios model. But it still provides a useful tool for piecing together a neutrino's energyand that's a tough task no matter what particles come out of the interaction. "This analysis is a great testament to both the detector's ability to measure neutrino interactions and to the collaboration's ability to develop new strategies," said Fermilab scientist and MINERvA co-spokesperson Deborah Harris. "When we started MINERvA, this analysis was not even a gleam in anyone's eye." There's a bonus to this recent study, too, one that bolsters an investigation conducted last year. For the earlier investigation, MINERvA focused on neutrino (instead of antineutrino) interactions that knocked out proton-neutron pairs (instead of lone neutrons or protons). In a detector such as MINERvA, a proton's energy is much easier to measure than a neutron's, so the earlier study presumably yielded more precise measurements than the recent antineutrino study. How good were these measurements? MINERvA scientists plugged the values of the earlier neutrino study into a model of this recent antineutrino study to see what would pop out. Lo and behold, the adjustment to the antineutrino model improved its ability to predict the data. The combination of the two studies gives the neutrino physics community new information about how well models do and where they fall short. Searches for the phenomenon known as CP violationthe thing that makes matter special compared to antimatter and enabled it to conquer in the post-Big Bang battledepend on comparing neutrino and antineutrino samples and looking for small differences. Large, unknown differences between neutrino and antineutrino reaction products would hide the presence or absence of CP signatures. "We are no longer worried about large differences, and our neutrino program can work with small adjustments to known differences," said University of MinnesotaDuluth physicist Rik Gran, lead author on this result. MINERvA is homing in on models that, with each new test, better describe both neutrino and antineutrino dataand thus the story of how the universe came to be. These results appeared on June 1, 2018, in Physical Review Letters. Explore further The secret to measuring an antineutrino's energy More information: R. Gran et al. Antineutrino Charged-Current Reactions on Hydrocarbon with Low Momentum Transfer, Physical Review Letters (2018). Journal information: Physical Review Letters R. Gran et al. Antineutrino Charged-Current Reactions on Hydrocarbon with Low Momentum Transfer,(2018). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.221805 Less than three months after being charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC) with "massive fraud" and barred from being the CEO of a public company for ten years, entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes is reportedly on the hunt for investors for a new company. She is still allowed to be the CEO of a privately held company but would-be investors should heed the lessons from Holmes' last venture, Theranos. In 2003, 19-year-old Holmes dropped out of Stanford and founded the health tech firm, Theranos. It worked in "stealth mode" for a decade while developing new technology to perform many standard medical tests using only a single drop of blood. After unveiling the company's device and its plans to revolutionise the healthcare industry, Holmes was heavily profiled in the media and embraced the role of guru. Holmes had a US$4.5 billion share of the company, which was valued at US$9 billion at its peak in 2014. But, in March 2018 the SEC charged Holmes and Theranos "with raising more than US$700m from investors through an elaborate, years-long fraud in which they exaggerated or made false statements about the company's technology, business, and financial performance." Neither Holmes nor the company admitted (or denied any wrongdoing) but agreed to a settlement that effectively stripped Holmes of control of her company and she was fined US$500,000. There are lessons that we can learn from this spectacular fall. At first glance, it raises concerns about the role of board members in carrying out their clear fiduciary duties. For a US corporation this includes, but is not limited to, "the duty of care": to exercise one's independent judgement with skill and diligence. Theranos' board seemingly overlooked a systemic and long-term fraud. And yet its members were preeminent public figures three former cabinet secretaries, two former senators, as well as retired high-ranking military officials. While Theranos' board has been criticised for not including industry experts, its members were highly knowledgeable about governance, and would have been aware of their fiduciary responsibilities. There are three insights from Theranos' failure, which apply to any new company and would-be board members of Holmes' next venture. 1. The danger of sticking to what you know We know from the study of group dynamics that groups talk about what they know. Members of any group including boards discuss topics such as what they accomplished together, the good old days, common friends and the familiar. The dark side of this underlying, subconscious force is that groups do not talk about what they do not know. So, while the Theranos board members could add value to Theranos they were knowledgeable and competent in their fields they, too, were subject to the forces of group dynamics and we can speculate on whether they might have avoided discussions of the unknown. Did they, for example, deeply interrogate Holmes' technological tool box to understand the company's main product? You simply cannot talk about what you do not have the knowledge base for. 2. Watch out for fairy tales Theranos was a Silicon Valley fairy tale. A young, charismatic CEO proposes a revolutionary, industry changing idea that will heap rewards on all involved. These seductive, too-good-to-be-true stories do become real in Silicon Valley think Facebook, Google, Apple. But Theranos had the elements of a modern Rumpelstiltskin with the false promise of gold being spun from nothing. Holmes a college dropout, visionary and charismatic entrepreneur claimed Theranos would revolutionise the healthcare industry with its ability to perform 240 common blood diagnostic tests with a single drop of blood. It's the role of the board to truly understand their company's product and ask the difficult questions we therefore have to question whether Theranos' board might have enabled or failed to stop the creation of this particular fairy tale. 3. Spot self-deception Finally, as CEO, surely Holmes knew that her company's technology did not perform as promised. Yet she repeatedly, convincingly and passionately maintained that it did. This begs the question: at what level was she deceiving herself? It also raises the issue of how our culture likes to create heroes so much that some become completely invested in their own hype. Still, neither Holmes nor Theranos admits any wrongdoing. Holmes' behaviour as CEO of Theranos is similar to that of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong in that they both were unshaken in their belief in themselves despite being exposed to the public. Ultimately, all groups boards, teams, families are subject to unconscious processes. The decisions that boards make are the outcome of just such group processes. Therefore, members need to build their awareness of unconscious dynamics within their group. Developing this kind of insight takes work, and is extremely uncomfortable. But doing so can help the board carry out its fiduciary duties more effectively. It can also help board members spot self-delusion in leaders. Explore further Former Theranos biotech star indicted on fraud charges This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Credit: Mark Strozier, Shutterstock An ocean energy technology project that will harness tidal power has successfully produced electricity during towing tests. Efforts to increase power generation by renewables continue unabated, thanks to the need to meet rising global energy demand and mitigate climate change. According to a report by the International Energy Agency, the share of renewables in power generation will reach 30 percent in 2022, up from 24 percent in 2016. Although tidal and wave energy currently makes only a small contribution to electricity production, these sources are increasingly deployed in order to diversify the world's renewable energy supply. A Spanish tidal energy developer, Magallanes Renovables, has been testing its platform 'ATIR' since 2017 as part of the EU-funded OCEAN_2G project. The company has been validating the second-generation (2G) 2 MW device in the controlled marine environment of the Spanish bay of Vigo. It recently entered into an agreement with the European Marine Energy Centre Ltd (EMEC) for the next phase of its energy prototype demonstration. Grid-connected tests Quoted in a press release by EMEC, Alejandro Marques de Magallanes, CEO of Magallanes Renovables, said: "We've been busy testing our device here in Vigo and we are pleased to have already successfully generated electric power during our towing tests. We will continue to optimise the system in order to extract more energy, to ensure the device is performing to its optimum capability." The same press release states that the next steps will see the full-scale device being towed to Scotland's Orkney. The operational performance of the system will then be demonstrated at EMEC's grid-connected tidal test site at the Fall of Warness. EMEC Managing Director Neil Kermode added in the press release: "We look forward to welcoming Magallanes Renovables back to Orkney after the success of previous tests at EMEC in 2014. This project is yet another positive step change for the tidal energy market and 2018 is shaping up to be another busy year at our test centre." As indicated on CORDIS, Magallanes Renovables "has designed, built and tested the 1:10 scale platform in open water conditions, and at this stage it's finalising the construction of a full size prototype." The ongoing OCEAN_2G (Second Generation technologies in ocean Energy) project aims to test, validate and pre-certify an innovative 2 MW tidal energy platform solution, progressing it towards commercialisation. The Magallanes Renovables website states that the project uses floating technology with no type of barrage or dam, without requiring constructions or pillars on the sea bottom. Hence, it can be installed in any area in the world. It notes that the system has a low maintenance cost "since it makes it possible to access the platform for checking, repairs or any other operation, by boat or ship." Explore further Tidal turbine success signals buoyant future for marine-based energy More information: OCEAN 2G project: OCEAN 2G project: cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/207910_en.html Three examples of the tissue shapes the team created. The black and white square, circle and triangle on the left correspond to the cells that were illuminated. On the right, three fruit fly embryos are shown in cyan, magenta and yellow, demonstrating how the illuminated cells folded inwards after the light-activation. IMAGE: Stefano De Renzis, EMBL Credit: Stefano De Renzis, EMBL Constructing biological tissues, such as skin, muscle, or bone, in customized shapes is now one step closer. Researchers at EMBL have succeeded in guiding the folding and thus shape of tissues with optogenetics: a technique to control protein activity with light. Nature Communications publishes their results, with implications for regenerative medicine, on 18 June. The changing of tissue shapes in an embryo is essential for healthy development. Stefano De Renzis and his group members at EMBL are interested in the mechanisms behind these shape transitions, also called morphogenesis. They use optogeneticsa technique providing precise light-mediated control of protein activityto study changes in tissue shapes. Uncoupling the link between shape and function In the current paper, Emiliano Izquierdo, Theresa Quinkler, and Stefano De Renzis used optogenetics to reconstruct epithelial folding: a fundamental process during development, where cells move inwards and fold into the embryo, eventually giving rise to internal tissues like muscles, for example. Remarkably, they achieved this in cells that normally do not undergo this process. De Renzis, who led the study: "We've uncoupled the link between the shape and function of a cell. This allows us to, for the first time, built tissues in certain shape without affecting the cell's expertise." Example of optogenetics-guided tissue folding. The top image shows an embryo 10 minutes after illumination, and the bottom one 13 minutes afterwards: light-activated cells have folded inwards and thus moved downwards, creating a furrow. Credit: Stefano De Renzis, EMBL Precise control "The great thing about using optogenetics to guide morphogenesis is that it is a very precise technique", says Emiliano Izquierdo, first author of the study. "We were able to define various shapes, and by alternating the timing and strength of illumination, we could control how far the cells folded inwards." From fruit fly to the clinic? The research was done in developing fruit flies, but since epithelial folding is a conserved process across evolution, De Renzis expects these methods to also be applicable in other organisms and ex vivo stem cell culture systems. In that case, optogenetics could be an ideal technique for reconstructing and directing tissue development, which could be used to (re)build artificial tissues in regenerative medicine. Explore further Shaping contraction More information: Emiliano Izquierdo et al, Guided morphogenesis through optogenetic activation of Rho signalling during early Drosophila embryogenesis, Nature Communications (2018). Journal information: Nature Communications Emiliano Izquierdo et al, Guided morphogenesis through optogenetic activation of Rho signalling during early Drosophila embryogenesis,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04754-z US President Donald Trump orders the creation of a new space force with the aim of ensuring "American dominance" in space President Donald Trump boasted Monday of the US commercial space industry's deep wallet and enterprising spirit, and vowed US dominance in exploration of the Moon and Mars, as well as any future space race. "America will always be the first in space," Trump said during a speech at the White House. "We don't want China and Russia and other countries leading us. We've always led," he added. "My administration is reclaiming America's heritage as the world's greatest space-faring nation." The US president called for the Pentagon to create a new America "Space Force" that would become the sixth branch of the American military but requires Congressional approval to take effect. The idea, which Trump has floated before, has stoked controversy at the Pentagon and among lawmakers. "We are going to have the Air Force, and we are going to have the Space Force, separate but equal," Trump said. At the Pentagon, spokeswoman Dana White said "our policy board will begin working on this issue, which has implications for intelligence operations for the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy. "Working with Congress, this will be a deliberate process with a great deal of input from multiple stakeholders," White added. The creation of a new branch of the military cannot happen from one day to the next, as Congress would have to pass a law authorizing it first. House Armed Services Ranking Member Adam Smith, a Democrat, said "any change of this kind would have to be legislated by Congress." "If President Trump wants to make such a change within the military services, he should come discuss his proposal with us," he added. 'Rich guys like rockets' Since his election, Trump has repeatedly vowed to send people back to the Moon for the first time since 1972, in preparation for the first human missions to Mars in the coming decades. "When it comes to defending America it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space, we must have American dominance in space," Trump said. He has also promised fewer regulations, so as to speed up the process private industries must go through before launching a rocket or satellite. The US commercial space sector is booming, while NASA has shifted from its role as a launcher of rockets during the Apollo era (1961-1972) and the space shuttle era (1981-2011) to mainly a client. The US space agency has contracted SpaceX and Orbital ATK to ferry supplies to the International Space Station since 2012. NASA has been unable to send astronauts to space since the shuttle program ended in 2011, and relies on Russian Soyuz spaceships in the meantime. SpaceX and Boeing are expected to start regular astronaut missions to low-Earth orbit next year. Trump wants to privatize the ISS after 2025, another controversial notion in Congress, in order to spend more money on NASA and returning astronauts to the Moon. "This time we will establish a long-term presence," Trump said. NASA is working on its most powerful rocket ever, called the Space Launch System, or SLS, to launch astronauts and their equipment to the Moon and one day, Mars. The US space agency also wants to build a lunar outpost. But private industry will have a role in that, too. NASA has already sought out mission concepts for delivering materials to the surface of the Moon. "Rich guys seem to like rockets," Trump said. "As long as it's an American rich person, that's good, they can beat us." Meanwhile, Trump has signed two directivesone that transfers certain powers from the Pentagon to the Commerce Department, including the regulation of private satellites. Another directive on space traffic management is aimed at boosting public-private monitoring of objects in orbit so as to avoid collisions and debris strikes. A White House statement said the move "seeks to reduce the growing threat of orbital debris to the common interest of all nations." The Defense Department says there are 20,000 pieces of space debris and 800 operational US satellites circling Earth, a number that grows every year. 2018 AFP AURORA - Republican Governor Bruce Rauner celebrated Father's Day by marching in west suburban Aurora's first Gay Pride Parade Sunday. (More HERE) Just a few years ago, Aurora's downtown was the site of a rally for traditional marriage - with local church members encouraging their state lawmakers to support one-man/ one-woman marriage. What a difference five years make, eh? David E. Smith, executive director of Illinois Family Institute, helped organize that rally in 2013. Here's what he had to say today: June 18, 2018 in Utility (E) [prMac.com] Denver, Colorado - St. Clair Software is happy to release version 5.2.5 of Default Folder X today. This update of its award-winning utility for enhancing Open and Save dialogs adds preliminary support for Apple's next release of macOS, code named 'Mojave'. Default Folder X's controls are available in Mojave file dialogs, but Dark Mode support is still to come. This version also provides an option to sort all folders in Default Folder X's menus by date, adds default folders that can be triggered manually from its Favorites menu, and corrects bugs and user-reported issues. Default Folder X's custom keyboard shortcuts put your favorite and recent folders at your fingertips. Pop-up menus let you quickly navigate your folders and open Finder windows. Previews, file information, Spotlight tagging and comments are there when you need them. Open, save, and get back to work: Default Folder X speeds your workflow by making file management fast and efficient. The changes in Default Folder X 5.2.5 include: * Support for Open and Save dialogs in Mojave * An option to sort all subfolders in Default Folder X's hierarchical menus by date * You can specify a default folder for an application that is only used when manually selected from the Favorites menu * Fixed a number of user interface inconsistencies, bugs and crashes * Support for the Oxygen XML Editor For a complete change history, visit the URL listed below. System Requirements: * macOS 10.10 through 10.14 beta Pricing and Availability: Default Folder X 5.2.5 is a free update for existing version 5 users. New licenses are $34.95 (USD) and upgrades from version 4 and prior are $14.95. Please see the St. Clair Software web site for screenshots, a full change log, and additional feature information. St. Clair Software strongly recommends that anyone using Default Folder X install this update. Based in Denver, Colorado, St. Clair Software is a privately held company that has been specializing in utilities and custom software solutions for the Macintosh since 1988. St. Clair Software can be contacted at: St. Clair Software, 271 S. Emerson Street, Denver, CO, USA 80209. Copyright (C) 1988-2018 St. Clair Software. All Rights Reserved. Apple, Macintosh, macOS and Finder are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. ### iStock/Thinkstock(ATHENS) -- Since its independence in 1991, the Republic of Macedonia has been fighting with neighboring Greece over the countrys name. On Sunday, Macedonia and Greece signed a historic deal aimed at settling the name dispute that has lasted longer than the 14 years it took Alexander the Great to conquer the world. If the agreement wins approval in both nations, the former Yugoslav republic will be known as the Republic of North Macedonia. "This is a brave, historic and necessary step for our peoples, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said as he and his Macedonian counterpart, Zoran Zaev, watched their foreign ministers sign the agreement on Lake Prespa, where Greece borders Macedonia. The argument may be one of the strangest disputes in international politics. When Yugoslavia broke into pieces, one region declared itself the Republic of Macedonia. Greece, its southern neighbor, has a northern province called Macedonia that was the cradle of its society during the Alexander the Great era. Greece considers Macedonia a non-negotiable part of its history and because of its objection to the new Balkan country's name, it refused to let the Republic of Macedonia join either the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the European Union until the name was changed. The Republic of Macedonia got a United Nations seat by agreeing to be called The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for all official purposes, but this was not meant to be a permanent solution. The new country argued that it also has a claim to the disputed name. The agreement on the new name, North Macedonia, suggests that neither state has a monopoly on the historic legacy of the region. For the new name to take effect, the Republic of Macedonia's parliament needs to approve the deal with Greece, followed by a referendum laster his year in which voters will have a say. Also, constitutional changes in the Republic of Macedonia, a key Greek demand, need a two-thirds majority in parliament, which Mr. Zaev does not currently have. After the referendum and constitutional changes in the Republic of Macedonia, Greek parliament needs to ratify the deal -- though nationalist and opposition parties have vowed to resist it. In Greece, Tsipras survived a no-confidence vote on June 16 over the deal, with accusations that he made too many concessions. As a sign of goodwill, the Republic of Macedonia also agreed to rename huge statues erected in recent years in its capital honoring the ancient warrior kings -- Alexander the Great and his father, Filip of Macedon, as well as Alexander's mother, Olympia. The statues are now to be marked in honor of Greek-North Macedonian friendship, an official of North Macedonia told ABC News. Protests against the name change turned violent in Skopje, the capital of the nation of Macedonia, as demonstrators clashed with police, according to local reports. Video posted on social media showed protesters standing on top of police vehicles and pushing against barricades erected near Macedonias National Assembly building. Some demonstrators chanted "Macedonia: We won't give up the name," while others sang patriotic songs, and shouted chants in support of Macedonias president, Gjorge Ivanov, according to video from the scene. Officers appeared to use flash grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowds amid reports of protesters attacking officers with rocks and bottles, local news outlet Radio Free Europe reported late Sunday. There were no injuries immediately reported. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Robbie Kaye is a native of New York, studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and photography at USC. She has written songs for Warner Bros. and Disney, and has exhibited her photographs and paintings internationally. More people died in the first three days of this years heatwave in Karachi than in terrorism attacks throughout this year, according to Adil Najam, a Pakistan-born expert in climate change and development. Najam is dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University in the United States, has served as vice-chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and has held advisory positions in a number of international organisations. Climate change may not be the cause of the heatwave, he says, but it exacerbates it. The citys death toll surpassed 65 last month. SciDev.Net caught up with Najam to discuss his views on how to adapt to the ongoing impacts of climate change. What does it mean that we live in a time when climate change is already happening, that we must adapt? What it means is that yes the challenge of mitigation is there, but impacts are already with us. Real people in real places have to now face the challenge of adapting to those impacts. Karachi, which is [Pakistans] largest city [with] 30 million people, is one of the many places in South Asia in the grips of this massive heatwave. Now academics get into this argument about, you know, is this really climate change, how much of it is natural, how much of it is climate. For real people that's not the issue. The issue is that year after year after year, they are seeing the frequency of these impacts increasing. And we always knew this is how it would increase. It's not as if one day suddenly nature will announce 'climate change is here and now I'm going to throw all these things at you'. It is just that the threshold keeps going up and up and up. So that to me is one of the great truths that has to be acknowledged by everyone, including the climate community: that the age of adaptation is here. What does that mean? What that means is that we have to look at policy, and maybe even science, differently. In the case of Pakistan, what do you think needs to be done? In some ways adaptation has brought a lot more attention on climate change in developing countries. I'm from Pakistan, I worked in Pakistan for 30 years. It was very difficult to get people interested in climate change. But now, because the impacts are there, everyone starts seeing it as an issue. When a crisis hits and you have to adapt immediately, you leave everything else and you focus on the immediate. And the immediate is about dehydration, about figuring out where people are having heat strokes. But the other thing you talk about is that, [in] our urban centres in particular, we're denuding them of trees. We think of trees as a producer for example of oxygen. But in a heat wave, they become the principle providers of shade. One last thing on Pakistan: Pakistan I would wager is about to see another flood, and it is about to see another drought, all at the same time. That's the reality of local climate change: it's in different parts of the country, but here you are, an under-resourced, poor country, and climate change will start forcing you to deal with these dissipated fights in different parts. You believe that the climate community is resistant to the development work needed for us to adapt to climate change. Can you give an example? I've been working on climate now for all my professional life. I've always been a person who's tried to bring development into climate, and it's always been this bit of resistance. Our mindset, especially our science mindset in climate, is very carbon-centric: climate change is essentially carbon management. What the age of adaptation says is that a lot of what needs to be done is not about carbon at all it is predominantly about water. Entire generations of very good, very well-meaning people, whose training has entirely been in carbon management, then start resisting that. So you get an adaptation fund and now you've got to figure out what to do with it. The best response may actually be just building better houses; it may actually be better infrastructure. And yet the impulse of the climate person is, 'no but it has to be somehow related to climate directly'. Well, we failed in climate directly, that's why we have to do this. The system is such that it resists a development focus. You mentioned earlier that we need to do science differently in what way? I don't want to be unfair it's not as if adaptation science isn't being done. I think young researchers in particular have figured out that there's a niche and this is something that's going to grow. Adaptation [research] has to be done one community, one village, one household at a time. And that's one of the difficult things about adaptation: there aren't these big global solutions like [electric car maker] Tesla. Or at least, for the most part it is local. So yes you are seeing it, but the top level the most talked-about research still tends to be on [mitigation]. I think one of the [areas] where research isn't being done is in translating adaptation activities to development and policy interventions. To the extent that science is already there, we need to increase it, but then we need to bring it closer to policy. So what does this mean? If you can find better crops that use less water, that is one thing, but then what is the type of policy that makes people who have been doing things one way [over] the last 300 years shift? What is the type of incentives that cities need to prepare for heatwaves? What are the types of policies that will accelerate advances in building technologies? To turn local research into policy you need to maybe have many examples pointing in the same direction. How do you generalise from the locality? If you think about development research vs traditional climate research, there is a difference. Traditional climate research has been wonderful it's been one of the great successes of the last 20-30 years. But its model has been, scientists from all across the world converge, build these large models, put their knowledge together, and understand these large systems because that was the nature of the problem. I think what we now need to do is learn from development research, because [it] has always been about the more local. [It] knows a few things about how to take those local results and start packaging them into national and regional policies. The other thing is, in mitigation research our goal was always to move global policy. It is only now that we've started talking about cities etc. In adaptation we have to focus on national, local, regional policy from the beginning. Because you won't get a global agreement on adaptation that works for the fisherfolk in the Sundurband in Bangladesh and the villager in the Thar desert in Pakistan. Do you see scope for the IPCC to champion this? The fact is the IPCC (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) was ahead of the curve in at least talking about adaptation. The role it [now] has to play is, in its adaptation report, to start consolidating adaptation science differently. Because again, as a global process, it is stuck in starting from the global and maybe getting down to regional and, because of the political hurdles, being very shy of even talking national. And maybe then it gives examples at the local. What I would like [the IPCC] to do is to put its minds together to excite potential on adaptation both for its dangers, and for its potential. Because I think that's how you will excite people. I think that's what happened with mitigation. This Q&A was edited for brevity and clarity. Deregistered cars seized by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). (Photo: Facebook/LTA) A total of 120 deregistered vehicles, mostly saloon cars, were seized by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) at several locations earlier this month. LTA said in a statement on Monday (18 June) it carried out a sting operation on 7 June that netted the vehicles possessed by car dealers and owners that had either been declared as exported, or kept longer than the permissible deadline for them to be disposed. The owners of the raided premises were assisting in investigations, the LTA added. Most vehicles in Singapore are allowed to be registered for 10 years before requiring a renewal of their Certificate of Entitlement (COE). Upon reaching 10 years of age, unless renewed, vehicles are supposed to be disposed of within a month of deregistration, either at an LTA-authorised scrapyard, LTA-authorised Export Processing Zone or exported abroad. LTA reminded vehicle owners that they have to submit proof to the authority that a deregistered vehicle has been disposed of. Anyone who possesses, uses or allows to be used a deregistered vehicle beyond the permissible deadline can be charged in court and fined up to $2,000 or jailed up to three months, or both, for the first offence. Repeat offenders face a fine of up to $5,000 or jailed up to six months, or both. In addition, any person found guilty of making a false declaration to the LTA on the disposal of a deregistered vehicle may be fined up to $5,000 or jailed up to 12 months, or both. The authority added that deregistered vehicles are uninsured, and anyone found guilty of driving an uninsured vehicle faces a fine of up to $1,000, a jail term of three months, or both, and disqualification from driving for at least a year. Related stories: 10 PMDs including 64kg e-scooter seized during enforcement operations: LTA Changi viaduct collapse: Construction firm and 5 individuals charged Dozens of peace protesters arrived in Kabul on Monday after walking hundreds of kilometres across war-battered Afghanistan, as the Taliban ended an unprecedented ceasefire and resumed attacks in parts of the country. Exhausted after their 700-kilometre (430-mile) trek, most of it during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, the marchers walked double file through the Afghan capital shouting "We want peace!" and "Stop fighting!" "We want our people to stay united for peace and get rid of this misery for the next generation," Mohammad Naikzad, one of the marchers, told Tolo News. "I am calling on both sides -- the government and the Taliban -- for God's sake... find a way for peace and reconciliation." Fellow peace marcher Karwan urged the Taliban and the government to work together to "bring lasting security in this country". "Enough blood has been shed. So many people have been martyred in this ongoing conflict," he told Tolo News. The Taliban refused to extend their three-day ceasefire beyond Sunday night despite pressure from ordinary Afghans, the government and the international community. Taliban fighters attacked security forces in numerous districts of eastern and southern Afghanistan, officials told AFP, but there were no details on casualties. Defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh told AFP there had been "very few" reports of fighting since the government on Saturday extended its own ceasefire with the Taliban for another 10 days. "We hope the Taliban accept the Afghan nation's call for peace," Radmanesh added. - War-weary - The peace march, believed to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan, emerged from a sit-in protest and hunger strike in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand which is a Taliban stronghold. That demonstration, which began spontaneously after a car bomb attack in the city on March 23, triggered similar movements by war-weary Afghans nationwide. But when the Taliban and security forces failed to heed their demands to stop fighting, some protesters decided to take their message directly to the country's top leaders. Initially ridiculed for their plan to walk from Helmand to Kabul, the marchers now enjoy strong public support. They are calling for an extended ceasefire, peace talks and a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan -- which is also a key demand of the Taliban. The Taliban announced Sunday they would not extend their ceasefire with Afghan police and troops despite describing the truce as "successful" and a demonstration that the militants were united. "The mujahedeen across the country are ordered to continue their operations against the foreign invaders and their domestic stooges as usual," the group said in a statement. The first formal nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US-led invasion had sparked extraordinary scenes of Taliban fighters, security forces and civilians happily celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday together. Some people took to social media to express their disappointment and anger at the Taliban's refusal to extend the truce. "Once again, they have shown that they love shedding the blood of innocent Afghans," Madena Momad wrote on Facebook. Another user wrote: "The Taliban have no respect for the norms and lives of Afghan people." str-mam-emh-amj/sm Canada is set to become the first G7 country to legalize cannabis after lawmakers on Monday passed a bill that would allow free consumption of the mind-altering drug. Passed by 205 votes to 82 in the House of Commons, the legislation must still pass the Senate -- which could delay, but not block it -- and receive royal assent by the governor general before becoming law, likely by September. Legalizing weed was a 2015 campaign promise of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has acknowledged smoking a joint with friends "five or six times" including since being elected as an MP. The Liberal government's pointman on the pot file, Bill Blair, said at the weekend it was "probably looking at a date of implementation somewhere toward the beginning of September, perhaps mid-September." Uruguay approved the recreational usage of marijuana five years ago and nine US states and the capital Washington have done so too, but Canada will be the first G7 country to take the step. An initial July 1 target was set for ending the pot prohibition that dates back to 1923, although it was effectively legalized for medical use nearly two decades ago. Despite setbacks, Trudeau has insisted his government would move to legalize the production, sale and consumption of the psychoactive drug before facing the electorate again in 2019. Last week, the government rejected 13 out of 46 amendments to the bill proposed by the Senate after several months of study, with Trudeau's health minister rising to defend home cultivation of cannabis and branded pot swag. "Canadians are allowed to make beer at home, or wine," Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said at the time. "It is already possible for Canadians to grow cannabis for medical purposes and we absolutely believe the legislation should be consistent when it comes to recreational cannabis." The government, she said, would follow its expert panel's recommendation to allow at-home cultivation of up to four pot plants for personal use. As for the proposed advertising restrictions, she said the bill already contains limits such as a requirement for plain packaging. - Cannabis trendsetter? - Once the law is enacted, Canadians over the age of 18 (19 in some regions) will be able to buy a gram of pot for about Can$10 or less, from a patchwork of authorized private and public retail stores or by mail order, with each province and territory responsible for setting up distribution. Personal possession will be limited to 30 grams (one ounce). Statistics Canada has estimated that the market will be worth Can$5.7 billion ($4.5 billion US), based on last year's consumption data. Finance Minister Bill Morneau estimated the cannabis tax haul will be about Can$400 million, but Ottawa has agreed to retain only 25 percent of these monies, with the rest going into provincial government coffers. In an interview with AFP last month, Trudeau said the world was closely watching Canada's pot plans and predicted other countries might follow suit. "There is a lot of interest from our allies in what we're doing," he said. "They recognize that Canada is being daring... and recognize that the current regime (of prohibition) does not work, that it's not preventing young people from having easy access to cannabis." The prime minister argued that creating a regulated market would take the drug out of the hands of crime groups and "better protect communities and children." Yet he added the allies he spoke with ahead of a recent G7 summit in Quebec "are interested in seeing how things go... before they try it," without specifying which nations. By Alonso Soto and Oswaldo Rivas MANAGUA, Nicaragua (Reuters) - Eight people died on Saturday in a shoot-out 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. Nicaragua's crisis, the country's 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 shoot-out. "We were going to sleep in peace and tranquility. And what's 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 leave this table, and we're not going to let that happen... it's the only way to put an end to this," he added. 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 on Monday. Responding to Saturday's unexpected flare-up, the national police in a statement attributed the morning's 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. Story continues 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 firemen 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 building's owner who died in the blaze, told Reuters outside the smoking wreckage. Ortega's 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. (Additional reporting by Delphine Schrank and Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City; Editing by Daina Beth Solomon and David Gregorio) More than 20 fighters from an Iraqi paramilitary force key to the battle against the Islamic State group were killed in an eastern Syria air raid the United States linked to Israel. The bombing raid hit Al-Hari, a town controlled by regional militias fighting in Syria's complex seven-year war alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Both Syrian authorities and Iraqi forces pointed the finger at the US-led coalition, which denied it was involved in Sunday night's attack. "We have reasons to believe that it was an Israeli strike," a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity on Monday. The raid slammed into a regime-controlled position in the border town and left at least 52 fighters dead, according to a Britain-based monitor. Among them were fighters from Iraq's powerful Hashed al-Shaabi military alliance, some of whom have crossed into Syria to fight against IS. The Iran-backed Hashed claimed that "US planes fired two guided missiles at a fixed position of Hashed al-Shaabi units on the border with Syria, killing 22 fighters and wounding 12." The bodies of three Iraqi fighters killed in the raid were returned to their hometowns for burial, said AFP's correspondent in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a total of 30 Iraqi forces were among the dead in Al-Hari, as well as 16 Syrian forces and six unidentified fighters. - 'No strikes' - The attack was first reported by Syrian state media, which cited a military source accusing the coalition of bombing one of its positions in Al-Hari. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number or their nationalities. A military source in Syria's Deir Ezzor province where the targeted area lies later said coalition warplanes hit "joint Iraqi-Syrian positions in Al-Hari". The coalition's press office said it had received reports of a strike in the area that had killed and wounded Iraqi fighters, but denied it was involved. "There have been no strikes by US or coalition forces in that area," it said in an email. Hashed said its fighters had been deployed along the porous frontier with Syria on the orders of the Iraqi authorities. However, late Monday the Iraqi military command denied it had positioned forces in Syrian territory, implying the dead fighters had acted without its consent. Regretting the deaths, the command said it had been assured by the coalition that it was not responsible for the strikes. Hashed is vital to the fight against IS in Iraq, but has also battled the jihadists across the border in their eastern Syria bastions. Al-Hari is in oil-rich Deir Ezzor province where a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters and Russia-supported Syrian regime forces are carrying out separate operations against IS. The jihadists have lost most of the territory they controlled in Syria and Iraq but remain in pockets of the eastern desert area including Deir Ezzor. The US and Russian-backed forces have mostly avoided each other thanks to a de-confliction line that runs across the province along the winding Euphrates River. - 'Highest toll' - Syrian troops are battling IS on the western river bank, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fight on the east. Iraqi warplanes also have occasionally bombed IS positions in eastern Syria. Al-Hari lies on the western side, close to the river and the de-confliction line. The buffer has largely been successful in keeping the two offensives apart, but there have been exceptions. The deadliest incident was in February, when US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in Deir Ezzor province, including Russians. "The strike on Al-Hari produced the highest death toll for regime forces since the February incident," Observatory head Abdel Rahman said. Syria's conflict began in 2011 with protests against Assad, but then spiralled into a full-blown war that has drawn in world powers and given rise to jihadists like IS. The strike on Al-Hari came a day after the US-backed SDF announced it had ousted IS from Dashisha, a village to the north in Syria's Hasakeh province. The village had been one of the last IS-controlled areas in a corridor linking Syria with Iraq. "For the first time in four years, Dashisha, a notorious transit town for weapons, fighters and suicide bombers between Iraq and Syria, is no longer controlled by ISIS (IS) terrorists," said Brett McGurk, the US president's special envoy for the war against IS. burs-sl/oh/mtp/amz Almost half of the 630 migrants that were rescued from the Mediterranean and arrived in Spain's port of Valencia at the weekend want to seek asylum in France, the Spanish government said Monday. The migrants arrived in Spain on Sunday in three vessels, including the rescue ship Aquarius, after being turned away by Italy and Malta last week. "Almost half the migrants have shown their willingness to seek asylum in France, which offered to welcome some of the people travelling on the ship," Spain's new socialist government said in a statement. The majority of the 630 migrants are from Africa, including 450 men and 80 women, of which at least seven are pregnant, as well as 89 adolescents and 11 children under the age of 13, according to the Valencia authorities. The Aquarius, run by French charity SOS Mediterranee, rescued them off Libya's coast on June 9 and Italy and Malta's refusal to let the ship dock led to an international outcry before Spain stepped in to help. Madrid on Saturday said it had accepted an offer from France -- who had angered Rome by branding it irresponsible -- to welcome Aquarius migrants who "meet the criteria for asylum". France will examine asylum requests from Aquarius migrants who want to come over from Spain on a "case-by-case basis", government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said Sunday, adding it was "impossible" to know how many will arrive. - Interviews - Pascal Brice, director-general of France's refugee protection office Ofpra, told AFP that one of his teams would travel to Valencia soon. "As soon as the Spanish authorities have informed us of the number of people concerned, a team from Ofpra will go on site to conduct the interviews and ensure that people are covered by the right to asylum," he said, adding that the process should take place this week. Local leaders on the French island of Corsica had offered to welcome the Aquarius, but the move was slapped down by the central government, which argued that under international law the ship had to dock at the closest port. A majority of the French public, 56 percent, back the government's decision, an opinion poll released Monday showed. In Spain the migrants were granted authorisation to remain in the country for 45 days while each individuals legal case is studied. Those who file a demand for asylum will be able to stay in the country while immigration services consider their request, a process that takes up to six months, said Paloma Favieres of the Spanish Commission for Refugees (CEAR). - Open to immigrants - While several European Union nations have adopted a harder line against refugees, Spain's new Socialist government has announced a series of measures to help migrants since it came to power earlier this month, in a break with the policies of its conservative predecessor. Last week the government said it would restore public health care to foreigners without residence permits and said it wants to remove the barbed wire that tops the border fences of Ceuta and Melilla, the two Spanish enclaves in North Africa. Those fences are often stormed by migrants trying to reach Spanish territory from Africa. Traditionally a nation that sent immigrants abroad, Spain is one of the European Union's most tolerant when it comes to immigration, according to an october 2017 Eurobarometer survey carried out for the European Commission. It found that only 26 percent of Spaniards feel the arrival of immigrants from outside of Europe is "mainly a problem", compared to an average of 38 percent in the entire European Union. The Spanish coast guard said it rescued over 1,400 migrants between Friday and Sunday who were trying to reach Spain, the third busiest gateway for migrants into Europe after Italy and Greece. BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces, a grouping of mostly Iran-backed Shi'ite paramilitaries, said on Monday a U.S. air strike on the Iraqi border with Syria killed 22 of its members and wounded 12 others. "At 10 pm last night a U.S. plane hit a standing headquarters of the Popular Mobilisation Forces defending the border strip with Syria, using two guided missiles, which led to the martyrdom of 22 fighters," it said in a statement. It demanded an explanation from the United States. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing, Ahmed Aboulenein and Ali Abdelaty; Editing by Alison Williams and Peter Graff) PHOTO: Singapore Police Force A man who sent hoax bomb threats through letters to the Parliament House and the Special Operations Command (SOC) was jailed six months on Monday (18 June). Part time waiter Albert Pang Tze Kaan, 46, who also sent a bomb threat to a 7-Eleven outlet in Tanjong Katong Road, pleaded guilty to three counts of communicating false information under the United Nations (Anti-terrorism measures) regulations. Pang had sent registered letters with the words BOMB INSIDE written on them to the three locations. A psychiatric report tendered to the State Courts shows that Pang was assessed to have a personality disorder marked by schizophrenia, paranoia, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Pang admitted that sometime in April, he was unhappy about certain political issues in Singapore and wanted to create chaos by sending the letters. He used alphabetical stencils and a black marker to write the words BOMB INSIDE on several pieces of A4-size paper before mailing the letters out anonymously. Pang had checked the internet for the postal addresses of the SOC, the 7-Eleven outlet and Parliament House. A worker at Parliament House opened the letter that was sent by Pang on 12 April and brought it to the security staff for assistance. On the same day, the staff at the 7-Eleven outlet received one of Pangs letters. The next day, a worker at SOC alerted the management on the letter sent by Pang. The police were informed about the threats in the three incidents. Five police cars were deployed to the locations. Deputy Public Prosecutor Haniza Abnass sought a jail term of six months, citing the need to deter similar offenders and the difficulty in detecting the acts. Pang had targeted high value areas such as the Parliament House and caused alarm, the prosecutor added. Pang, who was unrepresented, told the court, I want you to set me free. I want to be free for eternity. District Judge Jasvender Kaur noted that Pang had planned and targeted two sensitive locations. I hope you will come to terms with your condition and seek help from the Institute of Mental Health, the judge told Pang. Under the United Nations Act, Pang could have been jailed up to 10 years and/or fined $500,000 for each offence. Pet fashion designer Sia Aiwei in her workshop at home with her cat Captain. (Photo: Abdul Rahman Azhari/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore) Our pets are a very important part of our lives. If we can afford it, I think we should give them the best, because they give us their best, says Sia Aiwei, founder of pet fashion label The Pets Couture. Indeed, the 40-year-old, who has six cats of her own, has dedicated her career to making pets look and feel their best Sia has been designing fashion accessories for cats and dogs for more than seven years. Sias designs range from the glamorous and luxurious to punk and gothic. She specialises in crafting beautiful and fanciful collars that are covered in a bewildering range of decorations such as lacy frills, metal studs and colourful crystals. All of Sias works are painstakingly made by hand in a workshop in her home, a flat in Marine Parade. She sources her materials mainly from South Korea and Hong Kong. There are other pet fashion labels in Singapore, including Ohpopdog, Dress A Pet and Little Cherry, but Sia was the first to start offering such services commercially in 2010. These pet apparel companies provide clothing and accessories for animals, though Sia specialises in stylish collars, besides other accessories such as caps, scarves and bowties. Aiwei was the first pet fashion designer in Singapore, says Angie Lim, publisher of Clubpets magazine, who has been in the pet magazine industry for 16 years. She has great passion and love for pets, which motivates her to come up with the lovely collar designs she has created over the past decade. We have featured her collars in our magazine covers and fashion spreads numerous times over the years. Prices for The Pets Coutures products range from $16 for bowties to $42 for collars. Customised collar designs may cost from $320 to $420, says Sia, depending on their size. The company has an online store and also sells its products through retail chain Pet Lovers Centre. The brand sells around 50 to 80 collars per collection, says Sia, as well as hundreds of scarves per month. Story continues Some of pet fashion designer Sia Aiweis creations. (Photo: Abdul Rahman Azhari/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore) Designing for celebrities, animal and human Besides being a pioneer in the local pet fashion scene, Sia also has the claim to fame of designing for a couple of the most famous cats in the world Nala from the US and Brother Cream from Hong Kong. Nala was crowned the most popular cat on Instagram by the Guinness Book of World Records last year, with 3.6 million followers on the social media platform so far. The blue-eyed tabby recently appeared on the Steve Harvey talk show in April wearing a pink frilly collar designed by Sia. Sia, being a fan of Nala herself, had made collars for the cute kitty a few years ago and sent them to her owners in the US. It was just purely a fan moment, that I wanted to design something for her, said Sia. One was a bowtie and one was a fancy lacy collar, something very feminine. A picture in Sias home of Nala, Instagrams most-followed cat, and one of the collars that Sia designed for it. (Photo: Abdul Rahman Azhari/Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore) Sia has also designed several collars over the years for another famous cat Hong Kongs convenience store cat, Brother Cream, who has been featured widely in international media. Creams owners asked Sia to design a collar for him on his 10th birthday bash in honour of a charity foundation for strays set up in his name. Besides cat celebrities, Sia has also created designs for the pets of many celebrities, including comedian Kumar and actors Utt, Desmond Tan, Ian Fang and Andrea De Cruz. In fact, Thai-American actor-host Utt is a friend of Sias, and the two work together on a line of collars for The Pets Couture. Labour of love Sia started making pet collars for sale through a blogshop at the end of 2010. The former art director at an advertising agency had to leave her job to take care of her sick mother. At the same time, she was fostering two kittens that she had rescued from the streets. She began sewing bells onto the kittens collars so it was easier to find them when they scampered out of sight and her hobby eventually became a business. Asked what her design philosophy is, Sia says, One word that describes my designs is love. My works represent the deep bond between pets and their owners. I do not compromise on my materials, she adds, pointing out that most of her collars are made with Swarovski crystals. Sia will do what it takes to perfect her designs. Sometimes I have to sew with pliers as the fabric is too thick for large dogs, and my skin will tear from intensive sewing, she said. The animal lover has a big heart for strays. She previously worked on an adoption drive with animal shelters Gentle Paws and Metta Cats, photographing dogs and cats glammed up with her collars for the publicity programme. The response was very good and half of them were adopted after the project, says Sia. She currently has plans to work with a photographer to showcase animals from shelters every month, and hopes to eventually create a photo exhibition to raise funds. Aiwei is a humble and hardworking lady who helps out in the community whenever she can, says Lim. Shes a sincere and compassionate pet lover whos really dedicated to being the best in what she does. Follow Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore on Facebook. Hardliners in Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc on Monday gave her a two-week ultimatum to tighten asylum rules or risk pitching Germany into a political crisis that would rattle Europe, as US President Donald Trump poured fuel on the fire. A defiant Interior Minister Horst Seehofer warned that he would give Merkel a fortnight to find a European deal to curb new arrivals by a June 28-29 EU summit, failing which he vowed to order border police to turn back migrants. Merkel immediately rejected the threat, saying there would be "no automatism" if no European deal was found, and warned Seehofer and his Bavarian CSU party that she is ultimately in charge of government policy. A top CSU official, Markus Soeder, insisted: "For us it is clear there will be automatism" and added that the results of the EU summit would be reviewed by Seehofer. Wading into the crisis, Trump tweeted: "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!" The sharp escalation of tensions between Merkel and her long-time Bavarian allies came 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. Arriving for talks with Merkel on Monday evening, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stressed that his country cannot be left alone to deal with the influx. "Italian borders are European borders. We must act together on several fronts rather than accept divisions in Europe on responsibility and solidarity," he warned. Merkel therefore needs to balance Seehofer's demands to turn away migrants who have been registered in another EU country -- often Italy or Greece as their first port of call -- with the frontline nations' call for solidarity. - 'No grip' on migration ' Popular misgivings over the 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 in September's election handed veteran leader Merkel her worst score ever, giving seats for the first time to the far-right anti-Islam AfD. Several high-profile crimes by migrants have also fuelled public anger. They include a deadly 2016 Christmas market attack by a failed Tunisian asylum seeker and the rape-murder in May of a teenage girl, allegedly by an Iraqi. Seehofer has been one of the fiercest critics of Merkel's liberal stance under which over one million asylum seekers have been admitted into the country since 2015. Stressing that Germany must change direction on immigration, Seehofer said: "I cannot say that we have a grip on the issue." Seehofer, who took on the interior ministry portfolio less than 100 days ago, said he had only recently learnt that migrants who had already been denied asylum by Germany and been issued re-entry bans were still being allowed back in. "In essence, that is a scandal," he said, promising to reverse the practice immediately. 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. But Merkel says Seehofer's unilateral measure would leave countries at the EU's southern periphery alone to deal with the influx. Instead, she wants to find a common European solution at the EU summit in Brussels. "Turning away migrants at our borders at the heart of Europe will lead to negative domino effects that could hurt Germany, and put into question European unity," she warned. - 'Almost a miracle' - Merkel now faces the challenge of persuading EU governments to sign up to a common plan on 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, and Austria has also taken an uncompromising stance. Merkel will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Germany on Tuesday. 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 EU summit. "It would be almost a miracle if she emerges a winner from the next EU summit," Welt daily said. But the chancellor may have no choice, given Seehofer's vow to launch the nuclear option of shutting Germany's borders in defiance of her -- an act of rebellion which would force his sacking. That, an unnamed CDU source told Bild daily, "would be the end of the government and the alliance between CDU and CSU". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan's King Abdullah II held rare talks in Jordan on Monday focused on the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process and on the Jerusalem issue. Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab countries to have peace treaties with Israel, and Monday's visit was Netanyahu's first to the kingdom since 2014. The king stressed "the need to advance in the efforts to find a settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of a two-state solution", the Jordanian royal court said, referring to the creation of a Palestinian state. "The only way to achieve peace and stability in the region" is a solution to "allow the creation of a Palestinian state on the lines of June 1967 with east Jerusalem as the capital, which would live in peace and security alongside Israel," he was quoted as saying. King Abdullah said the question of Jerusalem -- one of the thorniest issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- was "the key to achieving peace". The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, but Israel considers the entire city to be its eternal and indivisible capital. "The king and the prime minister discussed regional developments as well as advancing the peace process and bilateral relations," the Israeli leader's spokesman Ofir Gendelman tweeted. "Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Israel's commitment to maintaining the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem," he added. Under the status quo agreement, only Muslims are allowed to pray at the Al-Aqsa/Temple Mount site, while Jews may visit but not pray -- instead worshipping at the Western Wall. Israel and Jordan signed a treaty ending 46 years of aggression in 1994 that recognises the kingdom's "historic role" in the management of holy Muslim sites in Jerusalem. Israel appointed a new ambassador to Amman in February as ties between the two sides normalised after the killing of two Jordanians by a security guard for the Israeli embassy in July last year. In January, the Jewish state apologised and offered compensation for the two deaths along with that of a Jordanian judge killed by an Israeli soldier at the border between the two countries in 2014. For days, Maria Magdalena Saldana has hooked a gold chain encircling her waist to the gate bulwarking one of Nicaragua's most notorious prisons. And she vows to stay there -- consuming nothing but water -- until President Daniel Ortega's government releases her son, who was detained last week without explanation during a police raid on his house. "As a mother, I am desperate," Saldana pleas, her voice cracking through streaming tears as several security guards observe across the fence. "Let the world know what a Nicaragua mother suffers," she says, clutching her son's release order from a Managua appeals court, which she says has gone ignored. "My heart hurts," she says. "My soul hurts." On June 12, police forcibly arrested her son Wilder Octavio Garcia Saldana, 37, and took him to the infamous El Chipote prison, shrouded in lush vegetation high atop the capital Managua. The institution's reputation for brutality is as deeply entrenched as its underground cells, which reach far beneath a rugged hill in the city's center. Saldana is one of an estimated 2,000 people who have been incarcerated at El Chipote since the start in April of a popular uprising against Ortega, a former leftist guerrilla who since 2007 has gripped power for three consecutive terms. His mother has joined dozens of people protesting the sudden imprisonment of their relatives and friends. "The only 'crime' I think my son has committed is to march," she said, referring to mass anti-government demonstrations that have been met with a bloody crackdown, leaving at least 178 people dead in two months. "He raised the flag of Nicaragua, the patriotic symbol of our country" she cries. "We want liberty." - 'Clear signs of torture' - The compound now known as El Chipote once served as a nerve center of military dictatorship under the Somoza political dynasty, where the primary means to squash rebellion was torture. Ortega himself was held at the complex, while fighting with guerrilla forces that ultimately toppled Somoza. But upon assuming power, Ortega opted to keep the infamous prison open. They baptized it El Chipote after the headquarters of the revered Augusto Sandino, a revolutionary who fought US occupation during the 1920s and 1930s, inspiring Ortega-era rebels decades later. But among Nicaraguans today, the detention center with dark cells the size of closets still stirs fears equal to those that reverberated under Somoza rule. And the allegation from families of detainees and human rights lawyers that Ortega is allowing thousands of his political opponents to be imprisoned has left a particularly bad taste. In just one day, Braulio Abarca, a lawyer at the influential Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH), says his agency received dozens of cases denouncing "illegal detentions with beatings; with cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, and with clear signs of torture perpetrated by the National Police." Some of the detainees, Abarca said, are as young as 15 years old. "The crime in Nicaragua is to be young and defend your homeland," reads one of several signs protesters hoist outside the prison fence. A few feet away from the chained Saldana, 96-year-old Anastacia Morales Centeno clutches her face in her hands, sobbing for her grandson Bernardo. The tiny woman, her face riven with wrinkles, says he was thrown into a truck early one morning by groups of armed paramilitaries loyal to the president. "I cannot rest easy because I didn't resist" the forces who arrested him, she says, as a relative uses an umbrella to shield her from the relentless sun. - 'State of terror' - In the early days of the anti-Ortega protests that began April 18, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said it documented "a pattern of massive and arbitrary arrests." Detainees were sometimes stripped of their belongings and deprived of food and water, the agency said, with some "shaved, handcuffed with rigor and subjected to asphyxiating blows." The legal director of the CENIDH, Gonzalo Carrion, was 18 when the Sandinistas ousted Somoza, and now expresses shock when describing the "tragedy" of the past months. "This police force is at the service of family and power," he says. As Nicaraguans grapple with what Carrion calls "a state of terror," the government refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing. When the Central American country's Catholic bishops moved to rekindle mediation talks, Ortega's foreign minister balked at laying blame on pro-government forces. Late Friday, the bishops announced that rival government and civil delegates had struck a deal to create a "verification" commission, and invite groups including the IACHR to probe the violence that almost daily ends in bloodshed. But Saldana has more immediate concerns. "I will not leave until he gets out of that prison," she says. "We are constantly under attack," she adds, weeping as relatives chant "freedom" behind her. "I'm disappointed in my beautiful Nicaragua." A dear friend once told me that her motto in life was to stay uncomfortable. She urged me to break out of the bubble I lived in to truly learn what life was about. Over the years, Ive had to concede with her. Comfort is great when used as a benchmark, but its a lousy teacher. As much as I dislike change and being uncomfortable, I hate the ennui that comes with routine more. My loathing of boredom is why I accepted the challenge of documenting a stay in the worst hotel in the country. After spending an afternoon trawling the annals of TripAdvisor for the most abysmal room for rent, I eventually find what nobody looks for and book a night in complaint paradise. This was Singapore. How bad could it be? At 1:45 PM on a sweltering Tuesday, I am in the heart of Bencoolen, staring up a dim and dusty stairwell that leads to my nondescript hostel on the second floor. (My editor deemed any hotel room too luxurious.) Commending myself for packing light, I make the steep climb up the stairs only to be greeted by a middle-aged woman who grumpily chin-juts in the direction of the reception a few feet away, while eyeing me from head to toe. Not wanting to make an immediate enemy out of dragon-lady, I obey her unspoken order and flash my best smile at the old man behind the desk. Thankfully, hes a tad friendlier. We settle the necessary paperwork in broken mandarin before he hands me my room key and a welcome package consisting of one toilet roll, two microscopic bars of soap, two garish towels, and one paper-thin bedsheet. Hands full from the hostels gifts, I follow the warden down corridors haphazardly decorated with old mattresses, cardboard boxes, and a hodgepodge of old furniture until we emerge from the fire hazards and arrive at room cell 217. A grand tour of my new home takes all of three seconds. Bed. Shower. Table. Well, at least the reviews on TripAdvisor were accurate. At this point, the warden decides that his job is done and turns to leave. Snapping out of my shock, I ask him where the lavatory is. He points to the shower area in the corner and grunts, This one can bathe, can urine. But if stomach pain, got shared toilet down the hall. Story continues So hes telling me that its fine to pee in the shower even if I didnt actually bathe? Youre joking, mate. The shower-cum-urinal is in-suite not en-suite and the bed is literally. Right. There. Before I get the chance to point out that Im not a bloody animal, hes gone. Left alone, things start to really go downhill. First of all, with the door closed the place smells like ass. You know that musty smell in the back of an old closet? Combine that with the pungent stench of ammonia and the sour scent of a wet towel. Then multiply the sum by a thousand. And another thousand after that. Somewhere, a certain fuhrer wouldve been proud. Collapsing into bed at the thought of having to spend the next 24 hours in this hellhole, I stare dejectedly at the ceiling and to my horror, discover that Im not quite as alone as I assumed. In each corner of my humble abode are dozens of dead flies trapped in huge cobwebs. 15 minutes later, every surface of my body in contact with the mattress starts to itch, confirming that its not just my spirit being eaten alive. But I am a survivor. I am going to stay and learn something about myself. Most importantly I am a millennial. Whipping out my trusty iPhone, I turn to Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for distractions from my suffering and surprise surprise, it works. The incomprehensible shouting from adjacent rooms becomes a quiet murmur and even the incessant itching is kept at bay. The whole afternoon and evening is spent being held captive by my charging cable. Because my room cell slum is windowless and Im largely oblivious to the outside world save for the occasional trip to the washroom (the one down the hall), the next thing I know, its close to midnight. I put the phone away and amazingly, somewhere in the semi-darkness, sleep claims yet another victim. A mere two hours later, however, the sound of a door slamming in the distance rudely rouses me from my slumber and straight away my entire body is subjected to the insufferable itch thats back with a vengeance. In fact, its so bad that I spring up and just stand in the middle of the room, thinking of my options. On one hand, quitting seemed like a cheap way to go. On the other, what more could be gained from trying to last till morning? Eventually, the thought of mites cavorting at the base of my hair follicles and burrowing into my skin becomes too much. Flinging my room key at the reception, I leave. As soon as I get home, I strip and throw everything away. My clothes, shoes, bag and whatever else that entered the slum are all immediately chucked into the rubbish chute because there was no way in hell bedbugs were entering my home. I then proceeded to take the longest, most thorough shower of my life. Somewhere around my fifth hair wash, I realise that me leaving was less a sign of my weakness than it was a testament to my neighbours strength. Whenever I made the trip to the communal bathroom, Id always keep an eye out for the hostels other clientele just to see who else was crazy enough to rent a bed there. Instead of bumping into frazzled European backpackers, what I often saw were Thai and Burmese nationals sharing a joke I couldnt understand while cigarettes dangled between their fingers. What I had so casually called a slum was, in essence, still a roof over my head and a place to crash for the night. It was all they ever needed. Accommodations as nasty as these exist because there is still a demand for them. For some people, a cheap bed in a run-down hostel is all they can afford. Naturally, this makes their experience of Singapore vastly different from the average tourist who gets to enjoy rooftop pools and room service. Still, we dont always wonder where the man in the street calls home. For many of us who travel, even the shittiest place we stay in is actually still decent. Having only spent one night in this hostel, choosing to stay uncomfortable taught me a lesson in perspective. I didnt even need to leave the country to get itjust my comfort zone. As the first rays of light dilute the inky blackness of the night sky, I finally crawl into my own bed exhausted, but with a much greater appreciation for all the creature comforts I so often took for granted. One thing will never change though: no matter how desperate I am, youll never catch me peeing in a shower. We have deliberately left out the name of the hostel, but some quick googling should satisfy your curiosity. Have something to say about this story? Write in: community@ricemedia.co. The post One Night in the Worst Room in Singapore, According to TripAdvisor appeared first on RICE. A Canadian judge on Monday sentenced a Somali national to 15 years in prison for his role in the 2008 kidnapping of a Canadian and an Australian journalist. Ali Omar Ader, 40, was arrested in 2015 after being lured to Canada by federal police acting as publishers offering him a lucrative book deal. In December, he was found guilty of hostage-taking. Under the terms of the sentence, Ader will be eligible for parole in nine years. Amanda Lindhout,37, and Nigel Brennan, 46, were working as freelance journalists when they were abducted near Mogadishu as they travelled to camps housing refugees who had fled fighting in the lawless Somali capital. They were released after 15 months captivity in November, 2009, an ordeal that resulted in severe post-traumatic stress from which they still suffer. Ader initially denied any significant involvement in the kidnappings, but later apologized for his crimes. Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Smith ruled he was a "willing participant" in the plot to kidnap the pair. Ader's claim during the trial that he had been forced to serve as a negotiator and translator for a criminal gang was "completely unbelievable," the judge said. Kidnapping foreigners at that time was rampant in Somalia, a country in the Horn of Africa that has been ravaged by cycles of devastating violence and lawlessness. Ader made telephone calls to the hostages' families in Canada and Australia to demand a ransom for their release. At one point he arranged a call to Lindhout's mother to let her hear her daughter's screams as she was held with a knife pressed to her throat. Lindhout, a Canadian, wept at the trial as she recalled being beaten and tortured by her captors. Brennan, the Australian, has recounted being pistol-whipped and chained for months, hearing Lindhout's screams from torture in an adjoining room. Both said in statements to the court that they continue to suffer from nightmares and panic attacks. Lindhout said she also has been unable to sleep, eat properly and sustain friendships. 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. The United Arab Emirates, part of a Saudi-led Arab military alliance in Yemen, on Monday warned Huthi rebels to withdraw from the key port city of Hodeida as coalition-backed government forces advance. The "Hodeida port operation will continue unless rebels withdraw unconditionally," UAE minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash told a press conference in Dubai. He said the Arab coalition, which last week launched an assault to oust the Iran-backed insurgents from the Red Sea port city, has kept the Hodeida-Sanaa road "open for the Huthi militias to withdraw". Gargash said the operation aims to pressure the Huthis to withdraw from the city and avoid civilian casualties. Speaking after United Nations ceasefire efforts in Yemen appeared to have fizzled over the weekend, he said the assault aims "to help the UN envoy (Martin Griffiths) in his last chance to convince the Huthis to withdraw unconditionally from the city and avoid any confrontation," he said. "If this does not happen, be assured we are determined to achieve our targets," he said. "This is not the time to negotiate." Gargash also accused Iran of using Hodeida port to smuggle sophisticated arms to the Huthis, including ballistic missiles, scores of which have been fired on Saudi Arabia. The "Iranian fingerprint is all over these arms," he said. He also denied that French troops have been helping the Arab coalition to take Hodeida, but admitted that France has offered to remove mines when it becomes necessary. Late last week, the Diamond Footwear European Summer Tour departed from France and made its merry way over the English Channel, with the assembled crew of Jamie Foy, Brandon Biebel, Torey Pudwill, Boo Johnson and Nick Tucker finding themselves in our nations capital for a weekend of skate-tourism, though obviously there was a Saturday afternoon appearance at Slam City and a packed out demo at Southbank thrown in for good measure. On the Friday morning, before the London leg of the tour got into full swing, we managed to grab an hour at Mile End skatepark with everyones favourite Florida born big lad, and the deserved winner of Thrasher Magazines coveted 2017 Skater of the Year accolade, Jamie Foy. Read on to find out what Jamie has to say about his recent travels, life at Diamond Footwear, filming with Ty Evans and his thoughts on London, then enjoy the clip he managed to bang out in 30 minutes before hopping on the Central Line to further explore the streets of the Big Smoke To start with congratulations on the Skater of the Year win. Thank you very much. What were the reasons behind you guys heading off to Australia to celebrate? One of the main reasons was that me and the homies I was taking on the trip had never been to Australia, and asking people where some of the best places are to skate, thats always one of the countries that pops up. We were skating around, and each spot that we went to would have three different spots, so it was kinda crazy. It felt like we were almost on the East Coast of The States because it had those types of spots, but we were in Australia so it was a little bit rugged, but still some of the spots were really perfect. I wanted all the homies that I was taking to be stoked to go somewhere that theyd always wanted to go and theyd never been, and I feel thats the best way to get the most footage and to keep the hype up, so thats how we picked that one. It was a lot of fun. Watching Pedro Delfino, Alex Sorgente and Zion Wright skating bowls and vert, did you get hyped to hit some transitions yourself whilst you were out there? Oh, of course. Every time I watch them skate I get hyped to skate some transition. We went to this one vert ramp its pretty famous, its one of the more famous vert ramps there I guess it used to be a little smaller but now its 13 foot and all metal, and Pedro was fucking that shit up, he was just killing it, doing his inverts, his airs, grinds, just hauling ass. Watching that, Im like they make it look so fun and easy and good at the same timeI want to get there! Ive always been practicing my tranny so that way when we go out and skate, I can skate with all the homies. I dont wanna be the one sat there at the ramp like I wish I could do that, I try to go out there and do it. Moving onto the Diamond Footwear European Summer Tour that youre currently on, you guys were just in France. How did you find the cities over there? Has it been strictly skating or have you found time to fit in some tourist business too? I got in one day late (to Paris), and they did all the tourist stuff on the first day, like they went to the Eiffel Tower. I honestly didnt get to go to the Eiffel Tower but I saw it from afar, I saw it in the distance though, so thats cool. The main thing I was stoked on was the skate tourism we went to the double set that the Emerica guys skated a bunch, that really perfect marble one, and then all these other spots, all these ledges that are super good granite with great edges they make great noises when you grind them its so satisfying. Going out there was cool because we did a good amount of skating. There were definitely some spots that we didnt get to hit that I wanted to, but the next time I go there Im definitely going to check them out. When and how did the opportunity to ride for Diamond Footwear come about? It was about two years ago I was riding for Nike SB flow at the time, before Diamond, and I had a homie that worked at The Berrics and someone hit them up to get my contact infoand that someone was Torey (laughs). I got wind, my homie hit me up like hey dude, someomes gunna approach you with an offer for a company, it should be pretty cool, I was like oh sick, because I was flow for everything at the time, Id never had someone come at me with an offer for anything. I was like who, man? and he was like I dont wanna tell you, I dont wanna tell you! but I got it out of him, so I was waiting for it. Eventually Torey hit me up, we talked for like two to three hours on the phone, I went to Biebels and tried out some shoes and stuff, then I talked to Nike about it, and for me I think it was just a better look to go to Diamond. I was super stoked because it was a small squad, they were hyped to have me on and do stuff and start the relationship right away. They welcomed me with open arms and its been great times ever since. Youre currently working on a shoe for Diamond, right? Yeah! Hows that shaping up? Its shaping up good! Weve got the Deathwish collab with the Diamond Select Hi. I wanted to make it look kinda simple because I like all black shoes and it goes well with the Deathwish vibe I feel. I threw some red on there with the Death spray in the middle, going all the way down the tongue to the toe, and then we had to keep it a little classy with the embroidery on some parts of the back and the sides. Im stoked on it its a great shoe to skate in. Having been involved in a wide array of video projects this past year, how does it compare filming for a Deathwish project to filming with Ty Evans for The Flat Earth? With the latter, was there an extra element of pressure to not crash into extremely expensive camera equipment? Yeah, yeah (laughs). It was definitely different; skating with Ty was a whole eye-opening experience, but a great eye-opening experience. Ty is one of the best dudes, and hes super motivated. Whenever wed go to a spot, if we were wanting to skate it but there was something wrong with it, as soon as wed point it out, Ty would be like Ill fix it! Hes the first one on it; thats almost like his part of skating hes the filmer, but to help us get the trick, hell fix the spot if he has to, and hes always stoked to do that. Having Ty be there and be super stoked, he pushes you to do tricks that he wants to see you do and that he wants to film, but he sees the stuff in you that you want to do, which is why I feel that hes so passionate about what he does he wants to help you be the best you can be at the same time as being the best that he can be. Theres always super positive vibes with him. (Filming for The Flat Earth) was a lot of pressure on myself I feel like, because I wanted to do the best I could because Ty was doing the best he could. He helped me do tricks I didnt think I could do; there were some tricks that were just dreams, but I told him about them and he was like lets go! and then you get there and youre like I dont even wanna try this right now but youre here, youre so down, I told you yeahIve gotta do it! then it just happens. Ty keeps the hype up and gets you to do stuff youve always wanted to do, and sometimes you make stuff you honestly didnt think you could do. Its great. Youve been in London quite a bit recently how have you found the city, and what are some of your best memories from the time youve spent here? Definitely my best memory so far is just being out here with my mum. She came out here for Street League two weeks ago, so that was cool because we were staying in the same hotel and we got to hang out. Shes always down, she was walking while me and the homies were skating around; shes always down to just come along. She wants to see the skate sights too because she grew up with it as well. Ive been skating since I was 1 and shes always been super supportive so skating is in her life too, 100%. She loves it. Thats one of my best memories. Its been cool coming here because I love that everyone speaks English, which makes things super easy (laughs), it helps everything out a lot. Also the city is beautiful; there are so many bricks and so much graffitiit kinda makes you feel like youre in a skate town at times, you can take the train to so many spots and plazas; Ive been having a lot of fun times out here. Lastly, whats next for Jamie Foy? Im gunna keep doing the same things Ive been doing. All I do is skate pretty much, so Ive been filming with the homies back home; Im always working on some type of project, because if Im not then Im probably just skating a skatepark, and that gets a little boring; you always have to get out of the park. Some homies are coming up right now, like Tyson (Peterson) just went pro and all that, so its sick seeing the boys come up, and I feel like theres one giant hype generated behind Florida with everyone hyping each other up. Its been a sick year. Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will Favorite posts | Manifold podcast | Twitter: @hsu_steve Should we be worried about surging Antarctic ice melt and sea level rise? Posted on 18 June 2018 by dana1981 Theres recently been a spate of sea level rise denial in the conservative media, but in reality, sea level rise is accelerating and melting ice is playing an increasingly large role. In the first half of the 20th Century, average global sea level rose by about 1.4 millimeters per year (mm/yr). Since 1993, that rate has more than doubled to 3.2 mm/yr. And since 2012, its jumped to 4.5 mm/yr. Global mean sea level data from the Colorado University Sea Level Research Group, with 4-to-5-year linear trends shown in black and red. Illustration: Dana Nuccitelli Thermal expansion (ocean water expanding as it warms) continues to play the biggest role in sea level rise, but its contribution of about 1.3 mm/yr is now responsible for a smaller proportion of total sea level rise (30% in recent years) than its contribution since the 1990s (40% of the total). Thats because of the acceleration in melting ice. Glacier melt is accelerating, recently contributing about 0.75 mm/yr to sea level rise, up from 0.65 mm/yr since the 1990s. But the biggest jumps have come from ice in Greenland and Antarctica. Greenland had been responsible for about 0.48 mm/yr sea level rise since 1990, but in recent years is up to 0.78 mm/yr. A recent study in Nature Climate Change found that Greenland contributed about 5% to sea level rise in 1993 and 25% in 2014. Antarctica is a huge question mark with warning signs Another recent paper published in Earths Future found that rapid losses from Antarctic ice are plausible. The study found that in moderate to high carbon-emission scenarios, an average expected sea level rise of 2 to 2.5 feet by 2100 could actually become 3 to 5 feet once Antarctic ice sheet dynamics are taken into account. The vast majority of Antarcticas current ice loss is coming from West Antarctica, where about 75% of the glaciers are located below sea level. In East Antarctica, which has so far remained stable, only about 35% of the glaciers are below sea level. Warming ocean waters are melting the Antarctic ice from below, which is particularly problematic for that low-lying ice in West Antarctica. Research suggests that the collapse of the Western Antarctic ice sheet is already unstoppable. The amount of ice loss across Antarctica in total (purple), and in West Antarctica (green), East Antarctica (yellow) and the Antarctic Peninsula (red). Illustration: Shepherd et al. (2018), Nature Should we be worried? Short-term variations in sea level rise do happen. Sea level actually briefly fell in 2010 due to a strong La Nina cycle, which typically results in an increase of rain and snow falling over land. This resulted in a number of epic deluges and flooding across the globe; more water on land temporarily meant less in the ocean. However, Antarctica and Greenland could potentially cause rapid sea level rise. As James Hansen explains in the video below, there have been periods in the not-so-distant past when sea levels rose at an average rate of 1 meter every 20 years. Click here to read the rest For reasons that are not entirely clear to me, Elon Musk decided to troll some socialists on Friday. Those who proclaim themselves socialists are usually depressing, have no sense of humor & attended an expensive college. Fate loves irony. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 15, 2018 Advertisement He kept trolling over the weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No sense of humor is certainly proving itself true. Good grief! How many socialists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Answer: Thats not funny!! Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 16, 2018 By the way, I am actually a socialist. Just not the kind that shifts resources from most productive to least productive, pretending to do good, while actually causing harm. True socialism seeks greatest good for all. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 16, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement There are, of course, much more important issues in the world right now than a billionaires Twitter taunts. Children are being torn from their parents at the border, and the Trump administration is gearing up to strip more naturalized Americans of their citizenship based on technicalities. Elon Musks dime-store political philosophizing at the expense of rose Twitter is not that important, even if he is an influential, powerful guy. But I do want to take a moment to unpack this troll just a bit, because it is kind of amazing. While socialism is a somewhat fuzzy term these days, its generally understood to mean a political system where the government engages in a good deal of wealth redistribution. When Musk says, True socialism seeks the greatest good for all and that he does not support a redistribution of wealth to the least productive, it sounds a lot like hes talking about Pareto efficiency, a theoretical state where absolutely nobody can get richer without somebody else becoming poorer. In a Pareto equilibrium, you could have a society thats collectively as well-off as possiblethats Musks greatest good for all lineeven if the majority might be a lot better off with a bit of redistribution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For a long while, economists tended to view Pareto efficiency as the end-all-be-all of policy design. This wasnt entirely bad, since it tended to focus researchers on ideas that might lift all boats, or at least lift some without sinking others. But it also partly explained the professions free-market leanings, since, in theory at least, letting capitalism do its thing is a good way of maximizing total resources on paper, if not creating a just or livable society. Socialists, meanwhile, tend to care less about Pareto optimality and think more about how resources are distributed among people. Of course, Im simplifying a bit here. Plenty of left-leaning but mainstream economists also care about distribution these days. Plenty of DSA members think we could potentially be a richer country overall with a different economic system. And, to get technical about it, there are Pareto-optimal models that allow for some redistribution. But historically, whether you cared about maxing out societys wealth or making sure it was fairly divided has been a fundamental split between laissez-faire types and socialists. In other words, Musk more or less seems to be redefining socialism as capitalism. Way to flip the script Elon! In light of recent sexual assault allegations, Talking With Chris Hardwick has been pulled off of AMC. Chris Hardwick also hosts The Wall on NBC, but the network is currently assessing the situation, according to a statement given to Deadline. Hardwick was accused of sexually assaulting his former girlfriend, actress Chloe Dykstra. She made her claims in a Medium post that detailed an abusive relationship with an unnamed man who she identified as has having gone from mildly successful podcaster to a powerhouse CEO of his own company. Hardwick effectively acknowledged he was the subject of Dykstras post in a statement, but denied the more serious charges: 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. The talk show host was also pulled from his scheduled appearances as a panel moderator for AMC and BBC America at San Diego Comic-Con in July, and Nerdist, the company he founded, issued a statement saying that he had no operational involvement with the company for the previous two years, and was removing all reference to Hardwick from the site. AMC was mum on the future of the Hardwick-hosted Talking Dead, which is still scheduled to return in October with a new season of The Walking Dead. Here is an unusually Orwellian lie from Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen: We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 Advertisement And here, because theres no way to respond to this kind of thing substantively without losing your goddamned mind, are five limericks: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are not stealing kids at the borders, Were not giving them panic disorders, And those screams that you hear Arent from children in fear, But we wont be admitting reporters. Even back in the dark middle ages, People rarely put children in cages, But our motives arent tribal, Were inspired by the bible: The part that says sin pays good wages. Responding to war crimes with limericks, Is a bullshit performative gimerick. This pre-emptive admission Gives me lifetime permission, To pursue all my stupidest whimericks. Its not nice to call right-wingers racists, At the most you should call them birthplacists. Only hemming and hawing, Can keep them from withdrawing, Till our countrys a total disgracist. The immigrant threat must be banished, Even if a few toddlers get vanished. If their parents had cared, They would never have dared, To have come over here speaking Spanish. Jeff Flake and Paul Ryan really shouldnt have. The outgoing Arizona senator recently posted a photo on his Twitter feed showing him and an adorable baby sharing a moment. Politics can be fleeting, but families are forever, Flake wrote. Flakes tweet prompted a flood of angry responses: Right up until theyre separated at the border, Imagine fearing for your life and taking that baby to somewhere you thought was safe. And then they rip baby from your arms, Did you go to the @IvankaTrump school of public relations? Then, on Saturday, Paul Ryan tweeted a Fathers Day sentimentMy life changed the day I became a fatherwhich made Twitter see red all over again. Advertisement Politics can be fleeting, but families are forever pic.twitter.com/Zj0jOtCJwy Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) June 10, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My life changed the day I became a father. Liza, Charlie, and Sam are my highest priority. Wishing all of the dads out there a happy early #FathersDay pic.twitter.com/w3UsSkR4Lf Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) June 16, 2018 Advertisement They look so innocent. Theyre not innocent, the president warned about the group he called alien minors last month. Trump was warning listeners not to think of migrant children as kidsnot like our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and neighbors. Although, sniffing the political wind, he later distanced himself from his administrations family separation policy, he was at his most honest in that moment. Because in the United States, we have unequal childhoods: one imagined sanctuary space of innocence, love, and learning, reserved for upper- and middle-class white kids like the ones related to Republican politicians, and an uncertain fate for everyone else. Advertisement Like so many cruelties that have intensified under Trumpism, the idea that only white American children are truly innocent and worthy of protection isnt his inventionits just subtext, made text. As historian Tera Hunter wrote in the New York Times, child-snatching has a long history in the United States. Black parents in slavery and Native American parents facing white colonialism had children sold, killed, or put into boarding schools and re-educated out of their culture. Nits make lice, Col. John Chivington is supposed to have said before the Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado in 1864, when his soldiers killed a group of Cheyenne and Arapaho, women, children, and all. Part of the rationale for these atrocities was that these children are not really children, in the way white people understand itthose families were not really families, and those people were not really people. Advertisement Advertisement We dont have slavery or child labor anymore (though just wait), but we kept the culture that gifts some children more childishness than others. By the mid-nineteenth century, sentimental culture had woven childhood and innocence together wholly, historian Robin Bernstein writes. This innocence was raced white. Nor did this idea change after the end of slavery. Bernstein analyzes the figure of the pickaninny, a caricature with origins in Uncle Toms Cabins child character Topsy. Bernstein describes theatrical productions of Uncle Toms Cabin that paired angelic white children with pickaninnies so grotesque as to suggest that only white children were children. Pickaninnies were trickster figures, odd and goblin-like (as Harriet Beecher Stowe described Topsy)knowing too much, instead of too little. Advertisement Advertisement In the course of the refinement of the pickaninny caricature in American culture, humorous postcards joked about black children being used as alligator bait. The alligator bait stories that circulated in newspapers at the time, and that are probably folklore, often included mention of a willing mother lending her child to alligator hunters, for a price. The slanderous implication was that the black family didnt value its childrenso why should white people? The idea that only white American children are truly innocent isnt Trumps inventionits just subtext, made text. This adultification of black and brown kids has been durable across our history. Contemporary researchers have found that black kids of school ageboth boys and girlsare perceived as older, more knowledgeable, more independent. This misperception is dangerous, as when a police officer killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice, later reporting the shooting of a 20-year-old suspect. Even when not deadly, the misperception brings new trauma to nonwhite childrens lives. Witness the recent cellphone footage of Michael Thomas Jr., a 10-year-old Chicago boy, handcuffed by police in a case of mistaken identity or older recordings of Dajerria Becton, the 15-year-old girl a cop slammed to the ground at a pool party in McKinney, Texas, in 2015. Even as these children encountered police, they showed they were children: Thomas was so scared that he wet his pants; Becton cried for her mother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement America is the only country that hasnt ratified the U.N.s almost 30-year-old Convention on the Rights of the Child, which calls on signatories to protect children from child marriage and forced labor, and provide them with the right to legal representation, good education, and quality health care. (The convention also contains a provision on separation, stipulating that states shall ensure that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their will, except when competent authorities subject to judicial review determine, in accordance with applicable law and procedures, that such separation is necessary for the best interests of the child.) Democratic and Republican presidents alike have resisted ratification (even Barack Obama, who called our nonratification embarrassing in 2008 on the campaign trail). Wed need two-thirds of senators to ratify, and the treaty is politically toxic because of concerns about national sovereignty. Advertisement Whatever the reasons for our failure to ratify, we dont meet the standards set by the treaty, and black and brown children suffer most from it. In 2016, 41 percent of American children lived in low-income households; rates of poverty were higher for Native American, black, and Hispanic kids. Our country is the only country to sentence offenders under the age of 18 to life in prison without parole. Mass incarceration affects black and brown and poor children disproportionately, when their parents go to prison; contrary to the Trump administrations position, thats a tragedy, too. Advertisement Advertisement Were not even that committed to providing certain protections for white American kids. The right sneers at the very idea of childhood trauma (buck up, snowflake), even when its experienced by suburban, privileged kids like the Parkland, Florida, school shooting survivors. Gun rights for adults are more important than the rights of kids at Sandy Hook to live or the rights of todays kindergarteners not to have to experience the trauma of active-shooter drills. Some on the right will invent conspiracy theories about Sandy Hooks very existence in order to avoid admitting this fact to themselves; others fall back on the toughen up defense, telling everyone who will listen that kids who are scared just need to realize that heythe world is hard. Given that the right remains unmoved by white American kids impassioned claims to physical safety and feelings of security, its easy to see how commenters on social media could take a look at a horrifying detention center for migrant children, like the one MSNBCs Jacob Soboroff toured recently, and say things like These kids are getting meals, shelter, and foodand babysitters! Unmoved by our psychological arguments about the trauma of separation, such defenders of Trump can read stories like 5-year-old Joses and shrug their shoulders; hell get over it, or he wont. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sorry, Sen. Flake: Politics and childhood dont exist in separate spheres. Thats a mirage for the privileged. Although were extremely sentimental about the idea of childhood, we dont have much of a consensus on what rights children should have, just for being children. A decision to provide every kid with the things we know they needquality day care and quality schools; healthy food and enough of it; good medical care; shelter from violence; a minimal share of trauma, stress, and fearwould mean a commitment to a broader anti-racist, intergenerational vision of human rights. And thats a commitment were just not willing to make. Justice Hamlet lives. For years, those whod like the Supreme Court to rein in partisan gerrymanders have been teeing up cases with various theories to try to get Justice Anthony Kennedy, the swing Justice, to agree that sometimes the drawing of district lines to favor Republicans or Democrats goes too far. In 2004, Kennedy famously wrote an opinion that both kept the door open for future redistricting challenges but also rejected a variety of legal theories that had been paraded before him like beauty pageant contestants for separating permissible from impermissible consideration of political party in drawing congressional and state legislative district lines. Since then, plaintiffs have tried to get new cases before the court for Kennedy to make up his mind. Advertisement On Monday, the Supreme Court ducked the issue again, after years of plaintiffs litigating cases in Wisconsin and Maryland in hopes of prompting a larger ruling. The court sent Gill v. Whitford, the Wisconsin case, back for partisan gerrymandering challenges to be litigated on a district-by-district, rather than statewide, basis. According to the opinion, plaintiffs had no standing to assert a statewide injury. The court also said preliminary relief was not proper in Benisek v. Lamone, the Maryland case, sending it back to the lower court to determine whether relief is warranted when the case is fully complete. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The courts savviest justices on the right and left, Roberts and Kagan, are continuing a battle for the soul of Justice Kennedy on the question of politics in redistricting. Although people will focus on the courts ducking of the issue, whats really going on is that two of the courts savviest justices on the right and left, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Elena Kagan, are continuing a battle for the soul of Justice Kennedy on the question of politics in redistricting, and Kennedy, who apparently is not leaving the court anytime soon, watches, broods, and stays silent. Advertisement Roberts wrote a majority opinion for seven Justices, all but Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, who wrote in their dissent that they would have dismissed the case on standing grounds entirely and not given the plaintiffs another chance in the district court. Roberts decided the case on technical grounds, rejecting fancy mathematical tests for measuring the partisan bias of plans on a statewide basis and saying that plaintiffs need to allege and prove harm within each district. Roberts opinion is deceptively minimalist, as is his style. All the court decided was that these questions need to be assessed on a district-by-district level. The court explicitly said it was saying nothing about whether there were standards to separate permissible from impermissible use of partisan information in drawing district lines. Indeed, it would be perfectly consistent with Roberts opinion for the court to say, in a few years when the case comes back: Sorry, youve met the standing requirements, but you have no injury. Case closed. Advertisement Advertisement Justice Kagan signed onto that majority opinion but did two things in a separate concurring opinion for herself and the other liberal justices. First, she said it should be relatively easy to meet the standing requirements in a district-by-district claim, regardless of whether one sits in a district that is packed (cram lots of people of one party into a single district) or cracked (spread voters from one party around). She suggested that if the substantive standard for proving partisan gerrymandering is bad partisan intent, it will be pretty easy to prove injury in these districts. Advertisement Second, and more to the point of enticing Justice Hamlet, Justice Kagan glommed onto Justice Kennedys favorite theory for whats wrong with partisan gerrymandering: It is a First Amendment associational injury. In Justice Kennedys thinking, partisan gerrymandering might be unconstitutional if people are suffering in their political representation solely because they are members of one party or another. Justice Kagan not only fleshed out and endorsed that theory (the beauty pageant again). She also tried to prebut any standing objections, suggesting that state political parties would be in an excellent legal position to assert a First Amendment injury across an entire state when the state has engaged in egregious redistricting. Advertisement Advertisement Its a nice theory, but it only works with Justice Kennedy coming along. And Kennedy did not come along for the ride Monday with Justice Kagan. He didnt reject it either, leaving him where hes been since 2004, in the middle, watching the action around him. When the court took the Benisek case from Maryland, I was puzzled. It was a preliminary case, where the issues were not fully baked, and the court could have simply held the case for resolution of the Wisconsin case. But the court took this one, perhaps so that it could have one case involving a Democratic gerrymander and one involving a Republican gerrymander at the same time. After oral argument in Benisek, the writing was on the wall, and I wrote that I thought the court would duck the merits in both cases. Justice Kennedy seemed no closer to a resolution of the issue. And now the court has put the question off again. Advertisement Justice Kennedy will get another chance to weigh in very soon if he desires, in a case tailor-made for his First Amendment theory. After North Carolinas congressional redistricting was declared a racial gerrymander, it came up with a new planin a 50-50 state, it made 10 of the states congressional districts Republican and three Democratic. That decision has been challenged as a partisan gerrymander, and a petition in that case awaits action by the court. Advertisement Advertisement North Carolina was explicit it was making a partisan choice, to blunt the claim that it was making a racial choice. It looks like a Kennedy-like First Amendment injury. North Carolina state Rep. David Lewis said he propose[d] that [the committee] draw the maps to give a partisan advantage to 10 Republicans and 3 Democrats because [he] d[id] not believe it [would be] possible to draw a map with 11 Republicans and 2 Democrats. The court will likely remand the North Carolina case to reconsider in light of Mondays rulings, because it has a similar standing problem to the Gill case. But the lower court will likely act quickly after remand, and the case likely will be back before the Supreme Court early next term. At that point, Justice Hamlet, should he decide to actually make a decision, could take that case and settle this whole thing. But dont hold your breath. The justices of the Supreme Court can agree on at least one thingthey do not want to rule on the constitutionality of partisan gerrymandering in 2018. On Monday, the court punted two major political redistricting cases: Gill v. Whitford, a challenge to Wisconsins Republican gerrymander, and Benisek v. Lamone, a challenge to Marylands Democratic gerrymander. Together, Gill and Benisek presented the Supreme Court with an opportunity to finally decide whether legislators violate the Constitution when they draw districts designed to dilute the power of voters ballots on the basis of their political associations. Instead, the court shooed away both cases on plausible but not entirely satisfactory grounds. Its nondecision will allow partisan gerrymandering to continue for the time being. Yet Justice Elena Kagans concurring opinion provides a road map for voting rights advocates to follow in the futureone that might attract Justice Anthony Kennedys vote if he remains on the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ironically, Gills assault on Wisconsins gerrymander failed for precisely the reason that so many advocates thought it would succeed. In 2004, the Supreme Court splintered on the question of whether the judiciary can strike down a legislative map drawn along unduly political lines. Kennedy declared that courts might be able to, because partisan gerrymandering constitutes a genuine threat to voters First Amendment rights to free association and expression. But first, Kennedy wrote, the courts would need reliable, manageable, and consistent judicial standards to determine when, exactly, a gerrymander infringes upon these rights. Gill marked an effort to hand Kennedy that standard, in the form of the efficiency gap. This formula measures two types of wasted votes: lost votes cast for a defeated candidate and surplus votes cast for a winning candidate that werent necessary for her to win. As its creator explains it, the efficiency gap measures the difference between the parties respective wasted votes in an election, divided by the total number of votes cast. A large efficiency gap indicates a particularly egregious partisan gerrymander; an efficiency gap of 7 percent can entrench the majority partys power indefinitely. Wisconsins GOP-drawn gerrymander has an efficiency gap of 13 percent, indicating that Democrats could not possibly win back a majority in the state legislature. The Gill plaintiffs used this calculation as proof that Wisconsin Republicans had trammeled their First Amendment rights. Advertisement Advertisement But heres the problem: In order to bring a lawsuit in federal court, an individual must have standinga particularized injury that burdens their rights individually. And in Gill, the group of voters who sued Wisconsin Republicans had not proved that their specific votes had been diluted on account of their association with the Democratic Party. Instead, Chief Justice Roberts wrote in his majority opinion, they rested their case on a theory of statewide injury to Wisconsin Democrats. This statewide injury, Roberts held, was not sufficiently particularized to give the plaintiffs standing to sue. So he sent the case back down to the lower court, giving the plaintiffs another opportunity to prove that Wisconsins gerrymander directly injures them. Advertisement Advertisement Six other justices, including Kennedy, joined all of Roberts opinion. Justice Samuel Alito signed on, as did the liberal justicesRuth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Kagan. Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch wrote separately to explain that they would have simply dismissed the case without giving the plaintiffs another chance to prove that they have standing. Kagan, on the other hand, wrote a concurring opinion, joined by the other three liberals, effectively providing the plaintiffs with guidance on how to prove standing next time around. After reiterating that partisan gerrymandering is incompatible with democratic principles, Kagan explained that the plaintiffs should now introduce evidence that their individual districts were drawn to dilute Democratic votes. Moreover, the lower court should still consider statewide evidence, such as GOP mapmakers explicit desire to create a map that disfavored Democrats. Taken together, this evidence should suffice to give the plaintiffs standing. Advertisement Advertisement But Kagan went further, giving the plaintiffs a different route to victory on their second try. The justice explained that partisan gerrymandering may burden a voters constitutional rights even if she does not live in a gerrymandered district. In Wisconsin, for example, all members of the state Democratic party are deprived of their natural political strength by a partisan gerrymander. As a result, members of this disfavored party may face difficulties fundraising, registering voters, attracting volunteers, generating support from independents, and recruiting candidates to run for office. Individual voters may have standing, Kagan wrote, when mapmakers burden their associational rights in this manner. And their injurya broad harm to their First Amendment rights of associationwould be fairly easy to prove. Advertisement With Gill set aside, the court unanimously punted on Benisek, essentially declaring that because it didnt decide Gill, it cant decide Benisek either. Benisek involved a different challenge to partisan gerrymandering: The Republican plaintiff alleged that Maryland Democrats had retaliated against him by diluting his vote due to his association with the Republican Party, in violation of the First Amendment. In the court below, a 21 majority refused to invalidate the gerrymandered district, explaining that it would prefer to await firmer guidance from SCOTUS in Gill. But of course, SCOTUS has now declined to provide such guidance. So the justices simply affirmed the lower courts decision in light of these particular circumstances. Advertisement Advertisement The outcomes in Gill and Benisek are obviously a major disappointment for voting rights advocates. But these rulings dont extinguish hope for a solution; Kagans concurring opinion lights a path forward that the Wisconsin plaintiffs should follow. Its notable, though, that Kennedy declined to join her opinion, indicating that the justice may have given up hope on identifying a standard to help the court distinguish especially bad gerrymanders. Without Kennedys vote, opponents of political redistricting may well be doomed. On the other hand, Kennedy (along with Roberts and Alito) declined to dismiss Gill outright, suggesting that the justice might welcome another challenge. All in all, Gill and Benisek leave advocates roughly where they started: feeling around in the dark for a brilliant solution to this enduring problem that can garner five votes on the Supreme Court. A speech by Jeff Sessions in New Orleans sparked chaos on Monday as crowds protesting the Trump administration policy that separates families at the border blocked a street, leading to several arrests and one person sustaining injuries after being struck by a truck, according to reporters on the scene. Sessions was speaking at a meeting of the National Sheriffs Association to accept a lifetime achievement award. In his speech, he called for stronger mandatory minimum sentences and a border wall. And while he said that we do not want to separate parents from their children, he defended the administrations zero-tolerance policy and reiterated that people crossing the border with children are criminals and, often, gang members: Advertisement After the policies of the last eight years, we had hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minors. These are people, children, young people that came without adults and their parents. Coming through our borders. Which has led to a resurgence of the violent MS-13 gang terrorizing high schools and even middle schools in Maryland and Long Island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Sessions spoke, protesters gathered to protest the zero-tolerance policy as cruel and inhumane. One demonstrator was reportedly struck by a vehicle, although whether the driver hit the protester intentionally is still unclear. Photo: Woman struck by truck as protestors block street during family separation protest outside Jeff Sessions speech pic.twitter.com/qdwwIT5eZI Michael DeMocker (@MichaelDeMocker) June 18, 2018 Advertisement According to a tweet by BuzzFeed News reporter John Stanton, the protester, Susan Morrison, was not seriously injured. Morrison told Stanton that the driver was cursing at protesters before he hit her. New Orleans police investigated and issued the following statement: Statement from the New Orleans Police Department re: truck driver that struck a protester outside Sessions speech. CC @jonwalczak @dcbigjohn @mgsledge pic.twitter.com/qOmLBdNTnl Noor Al-Sibai (@nooralsibai) June 18, 2018 Advertisement Meanwhile, protesters continued to come into conflict with police, and at least five were reportedly arrested. Advertisement Protestors clashing with police and deputies outside Morial Convention Center in New Orleans where AG Jeff Sessions is speaking. Protestors oppose immigration policy that separates children and parents at the Mexico border. pic.twitter.com/gVMxm0K377 Paul Murphy (@PMurphyWWL) June 18, 2018 Advertisement Protesters against Trump administration immigration policies outside the National Sheriffs Association meeting in New Orleans where AG Sessions and DHS Sec Nielsen ate speaking pic.twitter.com/xfk4TizLEi john r stanton (@dcbigjohn) June 18, 2018 Advertisement Police have detained at least one protester at Sessions speech pic.twitter.com/eesOCPxy0H john r stanton (@dcbigjohn) June 18, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement At least one person detained and brought into the conference center, screams fuck Jeff Sessions inside pic.twitter.com/J6SLrva8A7 Andy Campbell (@AndyBCampbell) June 18, 2018 At least three more detained in confrontation with officers outside the convention center in New Orleans pic.twitter.com/F6OMSl7RlN Andy Campbell (@AndyBCampbell) June 18, 2018 Advertisement Heres the video of protesters outside the convention center chanting arrest Jeff Sessions #Sheriffs2018 pic.twitter.com/ARzlThRe60 Tess Owen (@misstessowen) June 18, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also at the event, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana told the assembled sheriffs that a House immigration bill would include language to properly compensate local sheriffs for holding immigrants. Advertisement And Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said it was a luxury to pretend that all individuals coming to this country as a family unit are in fact a family, portraying the Trump administration policy as an ugly but necessary form of upholding the law: Lets be honest. There are some who would like us to look the other way when dealing with families at the border and not enforce the law passed by congress. Including unfortunately some members of congress, past administrations may have done so, but we will not. The statements follow a weekend of calls, from members of both parties, for the administration to halt its practice of separating children from their parents at the border. Trump has asserted, baselessly, that the Democrats in Congress are to blame for the practice. Nielsen has also said, in a remarkable rejection of the truth, that the administration does not have a policy of separating families. Former first lady Laura Bush, a figure popular among conservatives, spoke out against the Trump administrations policy of separating children and their parents at the border with a Washington Post op-ed published Sunday in which she called the policy cruel and immoral and compared it to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. In the column, Bush said she appreciate[s] the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but did not shy away from blaming the Trump administration for its zero-tolerance policy, which she described as cruel and unjust. It is immoral, she wrote. And it breaks my heart. Advertisement The post, like the march to a tent city for migrant children led by Texas Rep. Beto ORourke and the surprise visit to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center by a group of Democratic lawmakers to talk to immigrants separated from their families, was timed to draw attention from a public celebrating Fathers Day and the relationships between parents and children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, officials from the Department of Homeland Security told reporters that nearly 2,000 children were separated from their parents from mid-April to the end of May. Bush noted in particular that many of the children were younger than 4 and compared the practice to past cruelties inflicted by the U.S. government on its own people: Advertisement Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso. These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history. She then pleaded, rather optimistically, to the ideals of the public: Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war. We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parentsand to stop separating parents and children in the first place. Advertisement Advertisement The current first lady, Melania Trump, also issued a statement on Sunday about the plight of these migrant children, saying she hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform, which misleadingly implies that the situation was created by congressional inaction, rather than by administration policy. President Donald Trump has also falsely asserted that the zero-tolerance policy is the Democrats law, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen falsely said on Twitter that we do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. The FBI has a lot of data that President Donald Trumps attorney (and personal fixer) likely never wanted the feds to see. Investigators were able to put together some 16 pages of shredded documents that were recovered during raids. And they were also able to restore some 700 pages of messages that were on phones seized from Cohen and had been sent using encrypted messaging programs. In a court filing, prosecutors said all that material has now been turned over to Cohens lawyers. And there may be more coming as investigators are still trying to get information from another phone seized during the raid. Advertisement News of all these documents comes as it is becoming increasingly clear Cohen seems willing to cooperate with investigators. Cohen has apparently told family and friends he is willing to cooperate, noting he is angry at the way the president has treated him, CNN reported. Earlier, CBS News had reported that Cohen is feeling increasingly isolated and thinks the president and his allies have turned against him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts say that if Cohen was already thinking about cooperating, news of the recovery of the shredded documents and encrypted messages only makes it more likely. The governments disclosure of the reconstruction of shredded documents and 731 pages of encrypted messages will add to the pressure on Cohen and the worries of the many who have communicated with him, said Kendall Coffey, a former U.S. Attorney in Miami. There also seems to be little question that Robert Mueller is interested in Cohen. A former member of the Ukrainian parliament who was questioned by Muellers grand jury last week told ABC News that the investigation seems to focus on the presidents former personal lawyer. My personal opinion is that Michael Cohen is the target of this investigation, Andrii Artemenko told ABC News. I cant share with you the details of the questions, but from my understanding, theyre keeping going with this investigation. Last week, a major survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported some disturbing trends among U.S. high school students. Rates of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and suicide planning are all up from 2007, according to the results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a biannual effort that gathers data from almost 15,000 teenagers across the country. In 2017, when the most recent iteration of this survey was conducted, almost 14 percent of students reported having made a suicide plan, compared to 11 percent in 2007. Advertisement Though rates of alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana use are down from a decade ago, 1 in 7 students say theyve abused prescription opioids. (This is the first year the question has been posed, but even without a trend-line, that proportion is cause for alarm.) Another bit of dispiriting data: Five percent of students report having been forced to have sexual intercourse. This aggregate statistic masks a wide discrepancy. One in 10 female students said theyd been forced to have sex, compared to 1 in 28 male students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is how surveys workfor as much as they illuminate, their averages can also obscure. The CDCs researchers have painstakingly disaggregated the survey data by gender, race, and geographic location to better illustrate the disparities in American teenage life. But some marginalized demographic groups remain hidden in the data. Until recently, states could choose to opt in to a pair of questions that asked students about their sexual identities and the sexes of their sexual partners, which served to produce more accurate data on the lives of lesbian, gay, and bisexual students. Many states did not. Beginning with the 2015 survey, those sexual minority demographic questions became standard, making last weeks report only the second nationally representative survey of LGBTQ high school students in U.S. history. Advertisement The results are rather grim. For every variable explored in this report, lesbian, gay, or bisexual students were at significantly higher risk than heterosexual students, the CDCs report states. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual students, and those who reported having sex with people of the same sex, were more likely than their straight-identified peers to report substance use and abuse, suicidal ideation and attempts, and being victimized by bullying and violence. As a whole, the report paints a picture of an intersection of failing systemsstructures of politics, health care, education, and parenthoodthat sentence sexual minority youth to adolescent years of fear, loneliness, and bodily harm. Advertisement According to the survey results, LGB students are twice as likely as their heterosexual counterparts to have misused prescription opioids, twice as likely to have used any of a select list of illegal drugs (including cocaine, ecstasy, hallucinogens, heroin, and meth), and more than three times as likely to have injected illegal drugs. People not sure of their sexual identity were more than six times as likely as their straight peers to have injected drugs. While the percentage of straight students who reported being forced into sex remained constant from 2015 to 2017 at 5 percent, the rate among LGB-identified students rose 4 percentage points: Now, between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 LGB students say theyve been forced to have sexual intercourse, more than twice the overall rate among female students. Advertisement Advertisement LGB students are almost twice as likely as heterosexual ones to miss school because they fear for their safety, and for good reason: Theyre also about twice as likely to be threatened with or injured by a weapon at school. Rates of physical and sexual dating violence are down among both straight and LGB-identified students as compared to 2015, but wide gaps remain. More than 17.2 percent of LGB students said theyd experienced physical dating violence, and almost 16 percent reported sexual dating violence. Theyre almost three times as likely as their straight peers to suffer either. Advertisement The suicide and depression portion of the survey is perhaps the most troubling, both because the disparities are widest there and because the high rates among sexual minority students seem most directly attributable to a homophobic society that diminishes their worth and fails to meet their needs. Sixty-three percent of LGB students said they had recently experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, compared to just under 28 percent of straight ones. Almost four times as many LGB students as heterosexual onesa full 38 percentsaid theyd made a suicide plan. And, while 1 in 20 straight students reported attempting suicide in the year before the survey, 23 percent of LGB students said the same. When nearly 1 in 4 youths of any defined demographic try to die by suicide in a years time, it should qualify as a national emergency. Advertisement These survey results present policymakers with a moral imperative to combat this crisis among sexual minorities in U.S. high schools. They also underscore the importance of an additional set of questions the CDC would do well to adopt. Currently, there are no mandatory questions on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey that would identify data from transgender students, a growing population of youths that are even more vulnerable than their lesbian, gay, and bisexual peers. Advertisement Advertisement In the absence of any concerted government effort to track trans wellbeing, NGOs and advocacy groups have attempted to fill the gap. The National Center for Transgender Equality has been at the vanguard of surveying trans Americans in place of federal data-collecting agencies. In 2009, NCTE and the National LGBTQ Task Force broke new ground with its landmark National Transgender Discrimination Survey, the first and most comprehensive record of its kind. NCTE followed up that success in 2015 with the largest trans survey ever, a document that tabulated the experiences of 27,715 transgender people from around the country. Advertisement Because of these efforts, advocates and lawmakers have real data to back up their recommendations for policies and programs that improve trans peoples lives. I still remember the chill I got when I read the 2015 survey results, in which 40 percent of the more than 27,000 trans people surveyed reported having attempted suicide in their lifetimes. If youd asked me to speculate on whether trans people attempt suicide at higher rates than the American population as a whole, Id have guessed with great confidence that they did. But to put an enormous sample size and a specific number to that fact is to make it more realand, most importantly, actionableto those who might otherwise doubt the magnitude of trans suffering and resilience in this country. Because of the CDCs questions on sexual identity, we know a little bit more about the barriers to a happy, healthy adolescence that LGB students face. Until the agency starts letting trans students identify themselves, we can only wonder and worry about theirs. On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear Rhines v. South Dakota, a disturbing case that sits at the intersection of anti-gay animus and capital punishment. The justices decision clears the way for South Dakota to execute a man, Charles Rhines, who may have been sentenced to death by a homophobic jury because he is gay. Rhines never had a great chance of getting his case to SCOTUS. But the courts refusal to hear his appeal is still a disappointing dodge, one that undermines gay Americans Sixth Amendment right to an impartial jury. Advertisement The facts of Rhines are both grisly and bizarre. In 1992, Donnivan Schaeffer caught Rhines robbing the doughnut shop where he worked. Rhines promptly stabbed Schaeffer with a hunting knife, killing him; he later confessed to the crime. Prosecutors tried him for first-degree murder and asked all but one of the jurors whether they would harbor bias against him due to his homosexuality. Ten jurors said no; one said that homosexuality was sinful but that Rhines orientation wouldnt affect her decision in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During trial, prosecutors brought witnesses who testifiedarguably gratuitouslyabout Rhines sexuality. One noted that she had seen her husband cuddling with Rhines and that Rhines said he hated her because her husband loved her instead of him. Another testified that he had a sexual relationship with Rhines. The jury found Rhines guilty and proceeded to decide whether to sentence him to death or to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Advertisement Thats where deliberations went truly off the rails. The jury sent the trial judge a note posing several questions about the consequences of life without parole. Multiple questions seemed to indicate that jurors were concerned that Rhines, as a gay man, would enjoy himself too much in prison. Would Rhines, they wondered, be able to mix with the general inmate population? Could he brag about his crime to young men? Could he marry or have conjugal visits? Would he ever have a cellmate? After the judge responded that he could not answer these questions, the jury sentenced him to death. Later, several jurors issued sworn declarations confirming that deliberations were tainted by anti-gay bias. One juror stated that other jurors knew that [Rhines] was a homosexual and thought that he shouldnt be able to spend his life with men in prison. Another remembered hearing a juror say that if hes gay wed be sending him where he wants to go. And a third juror said that there was lots of discussion of homosexuality and a lot of disgust over Rhines orientation. Advertisement Advertisement In his appeal, Rhines argued that these declarations are a smoking gun that prove his sentence violated the Sixth and 14th Amendments guarantee of an impartial jury in all criminal prosecutions. But there was a problem: Like many states, South Dakota has a no impeachment rule that bars defendants from impeaching jury verdicts with evidence of statements made during deliberations. The juror declarations, shocking as they are, clearly fall under this rule. So state law prohibits Rhines from using them to attack his sentence. Advertisement The Supreme Court, however gave Rhines a glimmer of hope in the form of 2017s Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado. In that landmark decision, the court held that the no impeachment rule must give way when a juror comes forward with compelling evidence that another juror made clear and explicit statements indicating that racial animus was a significant motivating factor in his or her vote to convict. If racial animus is bad enough to override the no-impeachment rule, Rhines argued, shouldnt anti-gay animus be, too? After all, state-sponsored anti-gay animus is also unconstitutional. The principle laid down in Pena-Rodriguez with regard to race, Rhines insisted, should logically extend to sexual orientation, as well. Advertisement Advertisement But the Supreme Court, it seems, has no appetite to consider that question. Its hesitation to expand Pena-Rodriguez to gay defendants is regrettable but understandable. The justices grappled with precisely this question during oral arguments in Pena-Rodriguez Chief Justice John Roberts asked Jeffrey Fisher, who represented the defendant, why his argument was limited to race and did not extend to sexual orientation. Fisher responded, in short, that racism is uniquely evil, so the court can create race-specific rules in the jury context; we do not, he said, leave any stones unturned when it comes to race. He added, though, that the justices might later extend the rule to sex and beyond. The court has not yet had an opportunity to take up Fishers offer and extend Pena-Rodriguez to sex. Perhaps thats for the best; after issuing a major decision that unsettles precedent, the justices prefer to sit back and watch it percolate in the lower courts before revisiting and revising it. Their refusal to hear Rhines, which was apparently unanimous, suggests the court isnt ready to clamp down further on bias in the jury room. Thats terrible news for Rhines, and for other gay people who face homophobic juries. But it doesnt forestall a future court from returning to Pena-Rodriguez and broadening it to protect gay defendants. With his administration under fire for its draconian border policies, President Donald Trump decided Monday morning to wade into another countrys immigration debate, tweeting, 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! He then added, We dont want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us! Advertisement The first thing to note about this is that its wrong. Germanys crime rate was at its lowest last year since 1992, with dramatic reductions in burglaries and youth-related violence. However, a number of high-profile crimes, including the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl by an Iraqi asylum-seeker last month and the 2016 terrorist attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, have stoked opposition to the governments migration policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The political crisis Trump refers to, however, is real and quite serious, though it had shown some signs of abating on the same day he started tweeting. The root of the crisis is a dispute between Chancellor Angela Merkel and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who is also the leader of the Christian Social Union, the more conservative Bavarian sister party of Merkels Christian Democratic Union. Seehofer has been a critic of Merkels migration policies since 2015, when she opened Germanys borders to asylum-seekers and nearly 900,000 entered the country. (Numbers are down significantly since then.) The majority of migrants enter Germany through Bavaria, on the southern border with Austria. Advertisement Seehofer has vowed to introduce police controls on the southern border and turn refugees away if they have already applied for asylum in other EU countries. Merkel has rejected his proposal, arguing that unilateral border controls would violate EU rules and place increasing pressure on countries like Greece and Italy that, for geographic reasons, have borne the brunt of the migrant influx. If Seehofer institutes his plan, Merkel will have little choice but to fire him. That would likely lead to the collapse of the fragile coalition government, which took nearly six months to form. It would also most likely be the end of the line for Merkel, the longest-serving head of government in the EU. Advertisement On Monday, Seehofer agreed to put his plan on hold, giving Merkel two weeks to work out a deal with other EU countries to further limit immigration. Merkel has had close calls before, and its quite possible the two sides will iron out a compromise that keeps the coalition together, but the underlying tensions arent going away. While Merkel defends the status quo, Seehoferwhose CSU is facing a strong challenge from the far-right Alternative for Germany in upcoming state electionshas moved to associate himself with Europes insurgent populists. He hosted Hungarys authoritarian leader Viktor Orban at a party in January. Last week, he and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, whose coalition includes the far-right Freedom Party, announced their support for an axis of the willing of Germany, Austria, and Italy to tackle illegal migrationan unfortunate name given the countries involved. Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. is more or less part of that axis as well. The U.S. ambassador to Berlin, Richard Grenell, angered many Germans this month when he said in an interview that he wanted to empower other conservatives throughout Europe and dubbed Kurz a rock star. Grenell and the U.S. State Department denied that this was a statement of support for any particular German political party, but its hard to argue that Trumps tweet Monday was anything other than a political attack on Merkel, whose insane immigration policies the president has repeatedly used as a foil. Its also interesting that Trumps latest statement comes just three days after he tweeted that he has a great relationship with Merkel and that the Fake News Media had made up the tension between them. If nothing else, Trumps tweet Monday, which appears to endorse of the arguments of those trying to unseat Merkel, isnt going to help that relationship. Advertisement Advertisement Germany and the U.S. are very different countries, and few parallels can be drawn between their migration experiences over the past few years, but there may be some lessons for America in its current political crisis. While Germany doesnt do anything as drastic as separating migrants from their children at the borderno democratic country doesit has had a fierce debate over the past few years on the question of family reunification, whether people whod been granted asylum or refugee status should be able to bring immediate family members to Germany with them. A law passed in 2016 and supported by Merkel suspended family reunification for refugees with limited protected status. Seehofers CSU favors a complete end to family reunification as a means to limit the total number of arrivals, while CSUs coalition partners in the center-left Social Democratic Party want to end the restrictions and allow reunifications. The issue was a major sticking point early this spring in forming the current German government, though a compromise was hammered out in May. Advertisement Advertisement But family separation can exacerbate many of the difficulties refugees already face in integrating in their new homes. As Vauhini Vara wrote for Foreign Policy in April: Advertisement Studies of Sudanese refugees in Australia and of Kosovar Albanian refugees in the U.K. have found that refugees separated from their families experience high rates of mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression. And according to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), such stress can inhibit [refugees] ability to learn a new language, search for a job and adapt to their country of asylum. Coming full circle to the main justification used by restrictionists like Trump and Seehoferconcern about crimea study on immigrant crime in Germany published this year by Swiss researchers made the case that policies enacted to deter asylum-seeking were actually exacerbating criminality, creating large populations of single men unable to get work, living in legal limbo and threatened with deportation, and cut off from relatives. In this situation, the argument that these migrants wont be able to integrate into their new countries becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. President Trump and his attorneys used to demand a high standard for proving collusion. Words alone, they argued, werent enough. Trump and his aides might have met secretly with Russians, solicited campaign help, received campaign help, and done favors for Russia. But without proof that all these words and deeds were connected, they insisted, there was no basis for investigation. We can now junk that argument, because Trump and his lawyers have shown they dont believe it. They believe that corrupt words are sufficient to investigate, terminate, and jail a public official. Thats the standard theyre applying to FBI employees involved in the Hillary Clinton email investigation and the Russia investigation. And if its the right standard for other executive branch employees, its the right standard for the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, the Justice Departments inspector general released a report on the Clinton investigation. The report says several FBI employees who played critical roles in the investigation sent political messages that created the appearance of bias. One employee, Lisa Page, asked in an August 2016 text: [Trumps] not ever going to become president, right? Right?! Another, Peter Strzok, replied: No. No hes not. Well stop it. The report condemns these messages. But it repeatedly says we found no evidence that investigative or prosecutorial decisions were based on improper considerations or influenced by bias. The FBI, in a statement attached to the report by Trumps handpicked director, Christopher Wray, agrees that there was no evidence of bias or other improper considerations affecting the handling of the investigation. Advertisement If conspiratorial words warrant imprisonment, or at least removal from office, what are we to make of the messages exchanged during the 2016 election between Trump, his son, his aides, and his Russian benefactors? Trump rejects this distinction between words and deeds. He says Strzoks words are proof of corruption. They were plotting against my election, the president told Fox News on Friday. As to the lack of evidence that bias affected the investigation, Trump scoffed: That one sentence of conclusion was ridiculous. Donald Trump Jr. made the same case in a Thursday night interview on Fox. So did Trumps White House counselor, Kellyanne Conway, on Sunday. Although people say that, Oh, the actions werent biased, the people certainly were biased, Conway told NBCs Chuck Todd. In an exchange on Fox and Friends, Brian Kilmeade pointed out that we just have words from Strzok and Page. Kilmeade asked Trumps attorney, Rudy Giuliani: Are words enough? Giuliani replied: Absolutely. I mean, words are the making of a conspiracy. In an interview with Sean Hannity, Giuliani concluded that based on the IGs findings, special counsel Robert Mueller should be suspended, and Strzok should be in jail by the end of next week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can argue that this standard for dismissing public employees, and certainly for jailing them, is too harsh. But lets indulge the president and others who advocate this standard, by applying it to them. If conspiratorial words warrant imprisonment, or at least removal from office, what are we to make of the messages exchanged during the 2016 election between Trump, his son, his aides, and his Russian benefactors? In March 2016, Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort emailed a contact in Ukraine, asking how he could use his position to get whole with a Russian oligarch to whom Manafort owed money. In April 2016, a Russian agent told Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos that Russia had dirt on Clinton, in the form of thousands of emails. The next day, Papadopoulos told fellow Trump adviser Stephen Miller that he had interesting messages coming in from Moscow about a trip when the time is right. Advertisement That May, Trump Jr. met with a deputy governor of Russias central bank to open a communication channel between Russia and the campaign. Also that month, Trumps friend Roger Stoneat the behest of Trump campaign aide Michael Caputomet with a Russian who was offering dirt on Clinton. The meeting was documented in text messages, which Stone and Caputo later failed to disclose to investigators. Advertisement In June 2016, Trump Jr. received an email from Rob Goldstone, an intermediary for a Russian oligarch, offering to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary as part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump. Trump Jr. wrote back: If its what you say I love it. Six days later, Trump Jr., Manafort, and Jared Kushner met in Trump Tower with a Russian agent who was supposed to deliver the dirt. So I believe you have some information for us, Trump Jr. told her. Advertisement Advertisement She didnt provide the dirt. But five days after the meeting, the Washington Post reported that Russia had hacked the Democratic National Committee. The Trump campaign dismissed the report and said the DNC had faked the hack. Several weeks later, Trump aides intervened to block Republican platform language that challenged Russias invasion of Ukraine. On July 22, WikiLeaks began to publish emails from the DNC hack. Five days after that, at a press conference, Trump said of Clintons emails: Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. On Aug. 8, Stone exchanged text messages with an agent for the DNC hackers. From August through October, the hackers and WikiLeaks repeatedly released material that Stone had publicly predicted. Trump spoke regularly with Stone and made the WikiLeaks material a centerpiece of his campaign. He praised and defended Russian President Vladimir Putin. WikiLeaks also exchanged direct messages with Trump Jr., offering campaign assistance and seeking an ambassadorship for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Advertisement Advertisement After the election, Trump and his aides said none of this mattered. They argued that their conspiratorial words werent provably connected to what Trump had done for Russia or what Russia had done for Trump. There was no further contact or follow-up of any kind, Trump Jr. said of his meeting at Trump Tower. Zero happened from the meeting, said the president. No action was taken, no follow-up whatsoever, said Conway. There was absolutely no follow-up, said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Nothing happened as a result, said Trumps attorney, Jay Sekulow. To this day, Giuliani dismisses the meeting as meaningless on the grounds that it led to nothing. These are lies. There were subsequent emails between Goldstone, Donald Trumps personal assistant Rhona Graff, and Steve Bannon, explicitly written on behalf of the oligarch in whose name the June meeting was arranged. During the transition, Trumps aides secretly met with Russian officials and secretly discussed easing sanctions. In February 2017, Trump asked thenFBI Director James Comey to drop an investigation of these secret talks, saying, I hope you can let this go. When Comey failed to comply, Trump fired him. The next day, in a private meeting, Trump told Russias foreign minister: I just fired the head of the FBI. I faced great pressure because of Russia. Thats taken off. Now Trump is demanding that Russia be readmitted to the G-7, from which it had been evicted for invading and annexing part of Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the texts between Strzok and Page provide a molehill of evidence of corruption at the FBI, then the messages sent by Trump, Trump Jr., Manafort, Stone, Kushner, Caputo, Papadopoulos, Michael Flynn, and other Trump accomplices provide a mountain of evidence of collusion with Russia. Theres no universe in which Well stop it is incriminating but I believe you have some information for us, I hope you can let this go, and I faced great pressure because of Russiathats taken off arent. In fact, the main difference between Strzok and Trump is that in the IG report, Strzok says he wouldnt have let bias affect his investigative decisions. Trump, his son, and his aides say just the opposite: that the only reason they didnt use the dirt promised in the Trump Tower meeting is that the Russians didnt deliver it. Advertisement Giuliani says Strzoks texts warrant a hard look at everything he did afterward. He was engaged in clearly very, very suspicious activitythese strange conversations about how he was going to stop Trump, the former mayor argued Sunday on Face the Nation. Who is to say, Giuliani asked, that the subsequent Russia probe wasnt part of that effort? That needs to be investigated. Same to you, Rudy. Your client, his family, and his henchmen are up to their eyeballs in suspicious conversations that seem highly related to what hes done for Russia and what Russia has done for him. By your standards, they should be in jail. Last year was the third hottest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Well probably see more of that, thanks to our warming climate: According to the most recent National Climate Assessment were on track to see average temperatures rise another 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit across the United Sates by the end of this century. 2017 also marked the first time that the United States has seen an increase in homelessness in almost a decade, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The number of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness rose by 9 percent between 2016 and 2017. More than 180,000 Americans were living exposed to the elements on any single night that year. Advertisement Extreme heat is already the leading cause of weather-related death in the United States. If the number of homeless people continues to increase alongside temperatures, it will be a recipe for serious health consequences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several factors contribute to exacerbate the magnitude of this looming public health crisis. For one, unless we do something to curb global emissions, the National Climate Assessment says our hottest days will see increases of 8 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century. That means that a heat wave with a daytime high of 110 degrees today could be as hot at 125 degrees in less than 100 years. To make matters worse, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island amplifies this effect in major U.S. cities. Not only do urban heat islands increase local temperatures, they can prevent natural nighttime cooling and raise nighttime lows. According to researchers in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University, where I also work, with continued urbanization, Phoenixs urban heat island could cause extreme nighttime lows to increase by as much as 12 degrees, from 86 degrees to 98 degrees, by 2050, which could increase heat-related deaths in the city by 300 percent. (Disclosure: ASU is a partner with Slate and New America in Future Tense.) Surely, these effects will be felt most by people who do not have access to adequate cooling, like unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness. Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, if trends in national homelessness are any indication, there is reason to expect that a disproportionate number of people experiencing homelessness will live in major cities just like Phoenix, and a majority of those people will be fundamentally unprotected from the effects of raising temperatures. There is also evidence that the majority of unsheltered homeless populations in the country reside in warm climates. According to the same HUD report, California and Florida ranked highest in the nation for the number of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness in one state; together, they accounted for 53 percent of all unsheltered homelessness in the country. Advertisement While it may be tempting to see climate change, and weather-related hazards in general, as natural problems, they are fundamentally attributable to social processes. This concept, often called social vulnerability, is a common framework for unpacking the effects of extreme weather on people and communities. Though scientists and politicians alike acknowledge that social vulnerability plays an important role in causing heat-related death and illness, little has been done to address the problem. Advertisement Over the summer of 2016, Christine DeMyers, a Ph.D. student in anthropology at ASU spent time interviewing people experiencing homelessness in Phoenix to learn about their access to water. The homeless population was subject to the injustice of disproportionately living in areas with environmental hazards, the urban heat island effect, a lack of vegetation, and a lack of adequately maintained public parks, DeMyers concluded in her paper. The people she interviewed were at increased risk of dehydration and heat exhaustionas you might expect, because they spent more time outdoors in hot places and lacked access to water that could otherwise be used to keep cool and hydrated. Advertisement According to research from the University of South Florida, in 2016, 55 percent of people experiencing homelessness in Pasco County, Florida, were concerned about their health during hot weather, yet less than half could identify symptoms associated with heat illness. Twelve percent of the people in the study also lacked access to reliable drinking water. This is even more concerning when you consider that research from the University of Toronto showed that homeless populations in developed nations were disproportionally vulnerable to the heat due to complications from other chronic illnesses. Advertisement To adequately address climate change, and the existing problems it exacerbates, we need to change the way our society fundamentally functions. Meanwhile, new research recently submitted for peer review to the journal Environmental Research Letters by Hana Putnam and colleagues at ASU and the Arizona State Health Department drives home the point that social interventions may matter more than direct heat mitigation when trying to protect public health. Although scientists are not able to establish when climate change causes specific weather deterministically, they can assess the likelihood that various extreme events would have happened in a pre-industrial climate vs. a modern climate. Today, climate change has made the probability of extreme heat more likely. In that vein, summer 2016 was the fourth hottest on record in Arizonas Maricopa County. That same summer experienced a 75 percent increase in heat-associated deaths. But the abnormal heat itself was not to blameat least not entirely. Putnam and her colleagues estimated that according to historical temperature and mortality data, Maricopa County should have experienced approximately 80 heat-associated deaths in 2016. In reality, at least 150 people died that year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, what caused the increase in fatalities? Between 2015 and 2016, Maricopa County experienced a 25 percent increase in the number of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness. The mortality data shows that the percentage of heat-associated deaths from homeless populations more than doubledfrom 13 percent to 33 percent that year. Based on these numbers, it seems likely that the increase in unsheltered homelessness played a larger role in the deaths that summer than the blistering heat itself. While climate change is going to make this problem more urgent, the solution cannot be simply to reduce emissions or plant trees. We have to care for our neighbors, fund shelters, and curb gentrification. There are many ways you can help prevent deaths this summer. Most cities have cooling centers where people can go freely on extreme heat days. Finding out what services are available in your area and sharing that information with those in less fortunate circumstances could help save lives. If you are able to assist someone in getting to a cooler place, thats even better. If that sounds beyond your means, cold bottles of water are always welcome when the mercury risescarry some around and hand them out to people you walk by. In addition to water, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, and umbrellas can help people stay cool, and bus passes or tickets to a movie can give someone an air-conditioned place to go for a while. Perhaps most importantly, if you see someone who looks passed out during a heat wave, dont assume they are OK. Check on them or call a paramedic. All too often we are told that individuals can fix climate change. In reality, though, climate change isnt something easily or effectively solved with lifestyle choices. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only 11 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are from homes and businesses. To adequately address climate change and the existing problems it exacerbates, we need to change the way our society fundamentally functions. Addressing social problems like homelessness directly may do more to mitigate extreme heat effects than emissions reductions or urban greening ever will. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Two massive conglomerates are fighting it out over which one of them will get to buy a third huge companyits 2018, what else is new? These sorts of corporate machinations are usually of little interest to nonshareholders, but in the case of Disney and Comcasts battle for 21st Century Foxthe parent of the 20th Century Fox movie studio, FX, National Geographic, and moresuperhero fans are sitting up and taking notice. Why? Because this could have implications for their beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe. Advertisement Disney is the current owner of Marvel Studios, keepers of the MCU, the behemoth whose movies and characters like the Avengers, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more have brought in billions of dollars over the past decade. But some of the movie rights to Marvel characters still rest with other companies due to deals that predate the MCU. If Disney were to take ownership of Fox, it would mean that characters that Fox owns the movie rights to, which notably includes the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, could potentially join the MCU stable, a prospect that many fans find irresistible. It would mean Wolverine could fight evil side by side with Iron Man and Captain America, that the Avengers squad would roll even deeper next time theres an infinity war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the Verge points out, this has led to a curious situation: Superhero fans are now declaring sides in a multibillion-dollar merger. On Twitter, fans are pleading with Comcast to bow out of the fight and treating Disney as not its fellow super-corporation but a likable underdog that deserves to beat big, bad Comcast. These fans dont seem to recognize that both are huge companies, and both care much more about maximizing profits than they do about fans MCU sequel fantasiesalthough in the case of Disney, profits and sequel fantasies probably align. wtf is @comcast trying to over bid @Disney !!! look we the people have waited to long to see the xmen join the mcu @MarvelStudios @Marvel !! let us have our moment and make your bids on something else! pic.twitter.com/vf6nWDEq3g F.R 11/14 (@ThatScorpboy) June 18, 2018 Advertisement Comcast needs to fuck off and let Disney buy Fox because I need F4 and Xmen in the MCU BYE. My faves deserve to be done RIGHT and be connected to my other favorite characters Eion (@canaryvision) June 18, 2018 Advertisement If Comcast messes up this X-Men/MCU deal for Disney, I may hurt someone. Joseph (@BuckeyevsTworld) June 17, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Comcast is trying to outbid Disney for 21st Century Fox assets and Im gonna need hem to chill because I need the X-Men to be in the MCU pic.twitter.com/hz7Kl0lwNX Joseph (@Jooee___) June 13, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement can comcast gtfo with that offer and let disney buy fox so we can get the x-men in the MCU please & thank you. Adam Hairston (@adamhaterston) June 14, 2018 NO! We are not letting Comcast gettting there greedy little Hands on Fox cause we don't want Fox and Dreamworks together again! Fox belongs to #TeamDisney Comcast is an evil Greedy company that just wants everything! John Oscar Horton 3 (@3Joh226677) June 13, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Comcast prevails in this contest, it would mean no X-Men in the MCU anytime soon. It would also mean a lot of other things: A cable and internet behemoth like Comcast owning more content raises serious antitrust concerns, although so does a content company like Disney taking over a content company like Fox. Either way, its hard to focus on ones anti-monopolistic anxieties when the crossover possibilities are so tantalizing. Then again, for those of us who think there are already more than enough MCU movies, it might be enough to make you root for Comcast. Watch the birdie! Bird-watching towers to be installed at the Hrhovske ponds in Slovensky Kras, the ideal place to watch water birds. More information about travelling in Slovakia Please see our Please see our Spectacular Slovakia travel guide The Slovensky Kras National Park, in cooperation with the Aggtelek National Park in Hungary, jointly run the Birds of Paradise project. This project is focused on improving the nesting conditions for chosen species of birds. The aim is also to construct basic infrastructure for excursions and days out in the area. We would like to build lookout towers in the locality of the Hrhovske ponds and in the Hungarian area near the Rakaca Reservoir, said zoologist Milan Oleksak from State Nature Protection SR National Park Slovensky Kras, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Water birds at the water basin are easily observable for the lay-public and the towers should be ready for their first visitors by the end of the year. Part of the project is also to support the ornithological centre in the villages of Drienovec in Slovakia and Szalonna in Hungary, located 24 km apart in the Bodva river basin. We are devoted to watching bird migration which always catches peoples attention, explains Oleksak, as cited by TASR, adding that this means observing where birds fly, their numbers and whether that number increases or decreases each year. 18. Jun 2018 at 14:15 | TASR, Compiled by Spectator staff Czech PM files lawsuit against Slovakia at ECHR Czech Premier Andrej Babis sues his homeland in the European Court for Human Rights in connection with records proving his collaboration with the communist-era secret police. Czech prime minister-designate Andrej Babis, who is of Slovak origin, has filed a lawsuit against his former country at the European Court of Human Rights to achieve an official declaration that he did not knowingly collaborate with the communist secret police, the StB, Czech news website Seznam Zpravy reported on June 15. Read also: Read also: Babis loses dispute over his collaboration with the communist secret police Read more Babis confirmed this by sending a text message to Seznam. Yes, yesterday, read the text. According to Seznam, the lawsuit was presented by Babis Slovak lawyer Vojtech Agner. Babis sued UPN In February, the Bratislava Regional Court rejected Babis suit against Slovakias Nations Memory Institute (UPN) after the institute released StB records that referred to Babis as a collaborator with the communist-era secret police under the code name Bures, the TASR newswire wrote. This ruling followed a Constitutional Court decision last year that overturned a ruling by the Slovak Supreme Court and earlier that of a district court, that Babis registration as an StB agent was unjustified. Read also: Read also: Babis did not re-write the past Read more The UPN at the time welcomed the court decision, claiming that it did not interfere with Babis right to a good reputation by releasing copies of the StB files, as it is mandated to engage in such activity by law. Nevertheless, an expert pointed out that the Bratislava court only ruled that the UPN should not have been sued for releasing copies of the files; it was not decided whether Babis was correctly listed in the StB records. Slovak reaction Anyone has the right to lodge a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights, the Slovak Justice Ministry stated in response to Babis lawsuit. If [the European Court of Human Rights] has studied the rulings of the domestic courts, it will declare the petition unjustified and it will drop it without notifying the Government, Justice Ministry spokesperson Zuzana Drobova said, as quoted by TASR. Read also: Read also: Babis sues the Slovak daily, wants 1 million Read more Conversely if the court, after an initial examination of the complaint, decides to notify [the Slovak government], the Slovak Republic will continue with the dispute before the European Court of Human Rights based on verdicts made by the domestic courts, she added. 18. Jun 2018 at 13:09 | Compiled by Spectator staff Japanese company to start production near Kosice The New Japanese investor will allegedly open up more than 1,000 jobs. The new plant of the Japanese company MinebeaMitsumi, close to the eastern-Slovak city of Kosice, is now open and is expected to employ around 1,100 workers, the Pravda daily wrote on June 16. The production of automotive parts one of the biggest investments in eastern Slovakia in the past decade starts this week, the daily reported. The Slovak plant of Minebea was ceremonially opened on June 15. We will produce drive systems, BLDC engines, sensors and components, mostly for the automotive industry in huge numbers, general manager of Minebea Slovakia and CEO of Minebea Europe Jorg Hoffmann told the TASR newswire. Later, 2,000 more jobs should be added in a step that will see MinebeaMitsumi invest more than 60 million in the upcoming years. Reasons and plans The decision to move the plant here was probably motivated by the local currency, the economic and political stability but also state aid of almost 200 million, Pravda pointed out. In the future, the company plans to launch an R& D centre in its eastern-Slovak plant, according to Pravda. The launch of production is planned in several phases. Who/what is Minebea MinebeaMitsumi has so far produced its goods mostly in Asia, importing them to Europe. Through the Kosice plant, it will boost its position in Europe, TASR wrote. Research and development currently takes place at the company centre in Germany but they have problems finding suitable experts, Hoffmann told the newswire. The Technical University in Kosice is able to prepare the people we need, he noted. Good news for the city and the country Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini deems the investment good news for Kosice and the whole of Slovakia, as cited by TASR. Especially, he stressed, the planned R&D centre. The construction of the plant near Kosice airport took less than 10 months. MinebeaMitsumi president Yoshihisa Kainuma said his company is striving to put the plant into full operation as soon as possible and to expand it in the future. 18. Jun 2018 at 13:48 | Compiled by Spectator staff International gang manufactured fake Marlboro cigarettes in Slovakia Police uncover the largest illegal manufacturer of cigarettes in Slovak history. Font size: A - | A + In cooperation with customs authorities, the Financial Administrations Criminal Office has busted the largest illegal cigarette production and distribution ring in the history of Slovakia. During the crackdown, they seized 10.5 million cigarettes falsely labelled as a global brand along with six tonnes of tobacco ingredients. Added-value and excise tax evasion are estimated at about 5 million. As well as the savings in taxes, the bust means the protection of health of those who might have smoked these cigarettes. As absurd as this sounds in regards to cigarettes, as these are illegal cigarettes the tobacco from which they are manufactured could also contain substances that are not used in normal cigarettes and might be harmful, said Frantisek Imrecze, president of the Financial Administration, as cited by the TASR newswire. The crackdown in Revuca (Banska Bystrica Region) saw the participation of 50-70 financial police and customs officers. The raid took place after six months of surveillance of the manufacture. The cigarettes were reportedly labelled as Marlboros and according to experts they were very good fakes. They were not planned for Slovak consumption but were supposed to be smuggled to the German and British markets by a Slovak-Bulgarian gang. 18. Jun 2018 at 20:28 | Compiled by Spectator staff Farmers on tractors head to Bratislava for better justice and transparency Traffic flow in Bratislava may collapse completely. Farmers dissatisfied with the situation in the Slovak agricultural sector began the journey from Michalovce in eastern Slovakia across the country to Bratislava by tractor in protest. Other protesting farmers and their tractors will join the convoy along the way. One hundred days have elapsed since the scandal broke and nothing significant has happened, said Patrik Magdosko representing the Initiative of Farmers, sheltering small and medium-sized farmers from the whole of Slovakia, as cited by the TASR newswire. So, we are going to Bratislava to start a dialogue. They chose this form of protest because they did not see any other way to make themselves heard. The problems of the farmers came to light after the murder of investigate journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee in late February. They must see that this is really an existential problem for farmers, said Magdosko. By their protest, the farmers are hoping to prompt some action in finding solutions to the problems they listed in the so-called Kosice Appeal. In particular, they are demanding the creation of a special investigation team to look into the cases of oppressed farmers, to ensure that the Agricultural Payment Agency pays farm subsidies only to an entity that has a valid legal relationship to the subsidized land, and the creation of fair and transparent rules for the distribution of usage rights to the land, the organisation Rural Platform informed. Read also: Read also: Five things that the murders of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova have changed Read more The tractors are taking both the so-called lower route from Michalovce to Bratislava and the upper route from Bardejov to Bratislava. Tractors will also set off on the route between Orava and Bratislava and Velky Meder and Bratislava on Tuesday. They plan to arrive in the Capital on the evening of Tuesday, June 19, at around 19:00. The following day they intend to visit parliament and the main points in the city. The police warned that the protesting farmers do not have any exemption from the ban of tractors on highways and dual carriageways. If they reach Bratislava, the police are prepared to set a route for them or ban them from driving further, if necessary, for security reasons and to ensure the smooth flow of traffic in the Capital. The traffic in the city is already complicated by extensive road-works. The unorganised presence of tractors would contribute to an absolute collapse in the flow of traffic, the Police Presidium writes. If the farmers arrive on tractors in spite of this, the police will use their legal powers to either set the route or ban further travel, if necessary. 18. Jun 2018 at 20:20 | Compiled by Spectator staff Hoax: Beware of HIV-infected oranges One joke got out of hand while a false declaration was used to promote the anti-immigrant agenda. Here are some recent hoaxes spreading on social media. Several poor-quality shots of sliced oranges with red spots and a brief description stating they come from Libya were used to spread a popular rumour: the oranges were sprayed with blood infected with the HIV virus. Croatian customs officers were said to have made this socking discovery, the Sme daily wrote recently. More then 8,000 people on Facebook shared the fake information that has been spreading for at least three years. In August 2017, the antipropaganda.sk website was already writing about the hoax. More recent alarm The Czech version of the hoax has been spreading since at least spring 2016. The current version of the hoax is probably identical to the one Antipropaganda noticed: it's in the Czech language, and both versions contain the same typo instead of pomerance (oranges), it reads pomenance. In 2016, more than 16,000 people shared this status. HIV does not spread through food The English version has been spread since February 2015, and was analysed by the snopes.com website. The server reminded readers that even if someone really injected the HIV virus into oranges, one cannot get infected in this way. Except for rare cases when children ate a meal previously chewed by an HIV-infected person, this virus cannot spread via meals, Snopes writes. The virus cannot live for long outside of the human body nor survive cooking or exposure to stomach acids. Joke looses control Sometimes there is no bad intention or efforts to impact public opinion behind a hoax: from time to time, a mere joke morphs into hoax that isn't too amusing. Recently, Czech social media has been flooded by the news that Prague will lose one of its most famous monuments. The popular Charles Bridge is allegedly damaged beyond repair, and thus, it has to be demolished. Instead, a modern replica will be built. This is not the case, however. A man named Martin Topic created a paste-up that looks like an article from the Czech website iDnes concerning the end of a famous monument. The article states that the walls, thought to be 700 years old, cannot be renovated anymore, and the city has to get rid of the bridge. It claims the European Union ordered the bridge's demolition as it does not fulfill EU standards anymore, and this news has to be shared. The author intended this as a joke, targeting fans of such hoaxes and fake news by sending it to several groups in which they meet. In fact, he only misrepresented the original news about the demolition of the Vyton Bridge, according to the Manipulatori.cz website. Facts and fiction The Vyton Bridge is the Prague railway bridge that has so many problems it doesn't make sense to repair it, according to Czech railways. As it is protected by the Monuments Board, however, it could be replaced by an exact replica. But hoax enthusiasts did not bother to check on anything, resulting not only in rude and enraged comments but also the spread of news that was originally meant as a mere joke. Is there any lesson to learn? Hardly, if you know how embarrassing it is to explain the meaning of jokes, Sme wrote. Monaco is not Marrakesh In May, people started sharing information on the Monaco Declaration, according to which Slovakia has to accept 11,000 Africans, starting on July 1, 2018. After someone noticed that there is no such thing as the Monaco Declaration but rather the Marrakesh Declaration, the hoax was updated and the alarming news continued to spread, the Dennik N daily wrote. The first website to share this hoax was the Czech disinformation website Parlamentni Listy, according to Czech TV. On May 7, it published a story headlined Africans to Europe, Babis minister signed in Africa. Hungary: this will change the population of Europe, let us not sign it. The story spread en mass across Facebook, while other Czech and Slovak websites immediately grasped the issue. An avalanche of migrants from Africa is being prepared, supported by the legislation on the European and national levels, the Slobodny Vyber website wrote one day later. Slovak politicians use the hoax For example, the Supreme Court Justice and potential presidential candidate, Stefan Harabin, recorded a video in which he said that 150 to 200 million Africans will arrive in Europe. This is a fatal threat to citizens of Slovakia, and an existential threat to our sovereign state, he noted for the video, which has more than 40,000 clicks. Do our families want to have children raped, do we want to have window shops broken and zones where even police do not dare to enter? he asks. The Facebook site Zdrojj then published a picture where duties allegedly steaming from the Marrakesh Declaration are listed, garnering around 300,000 shares in two days. This is the third most successful disinformation news in the whole week, according to the blbec.online project. The extreme right LSNS party also joined in, according to Dennik N. Its MP Natalia Grausova described at a parliamentary session in mid-May how Slovakia would be obliged to accept Africans and pay for their accommodation, paired with 800 in pocket money and other benefits. The state tried to officially disprove these rumours through repeated explanations by the Foreign Ministry. The Facebook site for the police joined in, calling it nonsense and an absolute hoax. The Foreign Ministrys state secretary Ivan Korcok warned of the hoax through a special status on his Facebook profile. The Marrakesh Declaration can be read in English on the European Commission websites. It was created as part of the so-called Rabat process, a long-term dialogue of European and African countries on solutions in the sphere of migration. What is the Marrakesh Declaration? The latest conference concerning the declaration took place in Marrakesh, Morocco, and one of the participants was Czech Interior Minister Lubomir Metnar; on the Slovak side, nobody participated. Moreover, none of the Slovak ministers even formally signed it. Slovak diplomacy joined the declaration with the Slovak ambassador to Brussels expressing his support remotely. The working agreement does not mention anything about Slovakia being forced to accept Africans. The Marrakesh Declaration is not an international contract obliging Slovakia to anything. It is a mere political declaration which is legally non-binding, according to Dennik N. 18. Jun 2018 at 22:53 | Compiled by Spectator staff Whether youve worked in coffee shops or simply patronize them, its not rare to witness the amount of waste created. Not only does your favorite to-go coffee spot most likely employ single-use plastic cups and straws for iced drinks, but the packaging used to ship these items to spaces is incredibly wasteful as well. According to the LA Times, Half a billion plastic straws are used and discarded every day. Some lawmakers are finally taking this more seriously. So far, Malibu, Berkeley, San Luis Obispo, Seattle, Miami Beach, and Fort Myers, Florida are all cities that have banned or limited the use of plastic straws. According to The New York Times, Its not just happening in the United States. Scotland plans to be rid of plastic straws by 2019, and Taiwan is banning single-use plastic items, including straws, cups and shopping bags, by 2030. Additionally, some restaurants are donning a straws-on-request-only format. And in the coffee world, companies have emerged with creative strategies for sustainable straw alternatives. Some places such as Austin, Texas in.gredients is the countrys first zero-waste grocer, sell in bulk and requires customers to bring their own bags. Imagine if a coffee shop decided to operate under this model how much plastic we could save? Stores, such as Brooklyns Package Free Shop sell insulated coffee cups for under $20. Financially, it would be incredibly cheap business to run with onus on the customer but would obviously take a marketing hurdle to remind consumers to always have their reusable straws and cups on their person. There are straws made out of cornstarch, hay, and even coffee grounds. Straws made by Oklahomas Hay! Straws are currently being used by Fair Fellow Coffee, in Tulsa, and are under experimentation by cocktail expert Arley Marks for a new menu item at New Yorks Lalito restaurant. Hay! Straws are a byproduct of wheat production. Once the wheat is harvested the stems are trimmed and made into hay for animal feed or, in our case, straws, according to the companys website. In May, Danny Meyers Union Square Hospitality Group in New York (which has an interest in Joe Coffee Company) announced that all the groups related restaurants would eliminate plastic straws and switch to biodegradeable options in 2018. While many new companies are creating biodegradables, few have focused the conversation around how they may potentially affect mouthfeel and flavor profiles in the coffee sphere. Loliware, a company originally discovered and later funded by Mark Cuban on Shark Tank, makes edible, biodegradable products under the biodegr(edible) portmanteau. While the company originally started with flavored, biodegradeable cups in flavors like Matcha, Yuzu Citrus, and Vanilla Bean, theyve moved into the straw sector, seeing a new opportunity to have their products used across the beverage space, habitually. In an interview with Fast Company, Chelsea Briganti, one of the founders of Loliware, writes, You can imagine drinking your cold-brewed coffee with a vanilla straw or a caramel strawWe think that will really increase this movement around plastic-free, because were not telling the consumer, hey, you cant have your straw. Were providing them a solution to the plastic straw crisis while also giving them a fun experience on top of that. Its not about the consumer sacrificing anymore, its about the consumer having fun and being sustainable at the same time. While coffee purists might not be the target market for caramel straws, Loliware and HAY! alike have begun to infiltrate their products into the cocktail space (Loliware just rolled out a new partnership with Pernod Ricard). Im interested to see how this could potentially develop the coffee industry as well. Not only could these products create a more sustainable (and yes, whimsical) alternative to plastics, but they also represent a new era of the coffee shop as we know it. This goes beyond the customer is always right code of conduct or shifting menus subscribing to the latest coffee fad. Rather, the future of coffee shops must quench the thirst for transparency for their own goodto create a sustainable generation of engaged coffee enthusiasts. Emma Orlow is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn, writing for Saveur, Dazed Magazine, and MOLD. This is Emma Orlows first feature for Sprudge. Top photo courtesy of Hay Straws. Gildan Activewear Inc. manufactures and sells various apparel products in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It provides various activewear products, including T-shirts, fleece tops and bottoms, and sport shirts under the Gildan, Gildan Performance, Gildan Hammer, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, Anvil by Gildan, Alstyle, Prim + Preux, and GoldToe brands. The company also offers hosiery products comprising athletic; dress; and casual, liner, therapeutic, and workwear socks, as well as sheer panty hoses, tights, and leggings under the brands of Gildan, Under Armour, GoldToe, PowerSox, GT a GoldToe Brand, Silver Toe, Signature Gold by Goldtoe, Peds, MediPeds, Kushyfoot, Therapy Plus, All Pro, Secret, Silks, Secret Silky, and American Apparel. In addition, it provides men's and boys' underwear products, and ladies panties under the Gildan and Gildan Platinum brand names; and ladies' shapewear, intimates, and accessories under the Secret and Secret Silky brands. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors, screen printers, or embellishers, as well as to retailers and consumer brand companies. The company was formerly known as Textiles Gildan Inc. and changed its name to Gildan Activewear Inc. in March 1995. Gildan Activewear Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Read More Vietnamese photographer Thai Phien has finally been able to introduce his proud collection of nude photos to a wider public through an ongoing exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City, after several years of careful preparation despite regulatory hindrances. The June 16 - 20 exhibition, bearing a graceful name, Mien Co Tich, or Fairyland, is receiving positive feedback from visitors. All of the 26 photos featured in the show were handpicked from Thai Phiens nude photo book, which was released two months ago. The artworks express respect and honor toward the beauty of women through the lens of the 58-year-old photographer. Thai Phien even offers free soft drinks and parking to visitors to his exhibition, using money from his own pocket. While the display did not attract many visitors on its opening day, the crowd of audience got larger on Sunday. People of all ages, including students and the elderly, all spent a considerable amount of time admiring the bold yet subtle and delicate artworks by the photography artist. Three college students watch photos on display at the "Mien Co Tich" exhibition. Photo: Tuoi Tre The works of Thai Phien always give me a certain respect for the beauty of humans and the best pulchritude of a woman through her feminine images and curves, Nhung, a visitor, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. Nhung visited the exhibition with her fiance, and the young woman would spend several minutes standing in front of each photo as if she were enchanted by it, before exclaiming, Very nice, very artistic and very emotional! Most of the visitors to the exhibition recognized that Thai Phien's nude photography works contain high-quality art and do not leave any unesthetic, offensive impressions on the viewers. Nhung and her fiance watch a photo on display at the "Mien Co Tich" exhibition. Photo: Tuoi Tre Nude pictures are everywhere on the Internet. But Thai Phien has emerged as the first artist in Vietnam who is able to take nude photos that are beautiful and artistic enough to persuade regulators to allow them to be on public display. The artists must put all their minds and hearts into their brainchildren, Thai Phien said, referring to the nuance of taking nude photos. The artist also addressed the common prejudice against nude art in Vietnam, underlining that one must have an esthetic view to thoroughly understand all the beauty of nude photography. One of the nude photos on display at the "Mien Co Tich" exhibition. Photo: Tuoi Tre First and possible the last Thai Phien revealed that the exhibition is the sweet result of his ten-year effort to obtain a permit for a nude photo display, highlighted by several failed attempts. Thai Phien told Tuoi Tre that he had wanted to give up many times. I thought I would never make it, even though it has been my dream for a long time to hold an exhibition for all my brainchildren, the photographer said. Thai Phien has failed in two of his three attempts to obtain a permit to run his nude photo exhibition in the last ten years. I did receive a license in the other attempt, but it was canceled at the last minute, he added. One of the nude photos on display at the "Mien Co Tich" exhibition. Photo: Tuoi Tre Thai Phien said those failures have greatly discouraged him from initiating yet another permission-seeking process. The ego of an artist sometimes made me think that I did not need an exhibition anymore, Thai Phien recalled. So this might be the last time I have done [such an exhibition like] this, he concluded with disappointment. One of the nude photos on display at the "Mien Co Tich" exhibition. Photo: Tuoi Tre However, the 58-year-old photographer still hopes that more quality nude art exhibitions will continue to be introduced to the public, instead of being only known within the walls of photography associations. Mien Co Tich is taking place with free admission at the Ho Chi Minh City Photography Association at 122 Suong Nguyet Anh, District 1 from June 16 to 20. On July 23, Thai Phien will bring the exhibition to Hanoi. A young man immerses himself in one of the nude photos on display at the "Mien Co Tich" exhibition. Photo: Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A man has been arrested for posing as a police officer to incite disruptive behaviors among participants of a street gathering in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday, following the captures of three other men who attempted a similar stunt the day before. Tran Quoc Tuan, 23, was apprehended on Sunday while donning a police vest and helmet and carrying a counterfeit police ID, according to Ho Chi Minh City police. He was among participants of a street gathering in the southern Vietnamese city the same morning, whom police say displayed behaviors disruptive to public order. Some people were questioned and released, while Tuan is still kept in detention for further investigation into his motive behind disguising as law enforcement. On Saturday, police arrested three people attempting a similar stunt in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. It is not clear whether the men are linked. The municipal police also discredited the authenticity of clips posted on social media showing huge crowds of people occupying city streets and causing traffic congestion on Sunday. The footage had been filmed during old events and re-uploaded with the purpose of distorting the truth and instigating public disorder in the city, they say. Streets in downtown Ho Chi Minh City and near its Tan Son Nhat International Airport were not crowded on Sunday morning, as police could be seen guarding key locations to maintain order. Since marches began last Sunday, seven people have been prosecuted in the southern metropolis for behaviors including disrupting public security and order, acting against on-duty officers, and destroying properties, according to the police. People carrying signs and banners gather at a park near the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City to protest a draft law on June 10, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre Thousands took to the streets in Ho Chi Minh City and other parts of the country last Sunday to protest a draft law which allowed potential foreign investors to lease land for up to 99 years in Vietnams new special economic zones. The zones Phu Quoc, Van Don, and Bac Van Phong are to be located in Kien Giang, Quang Ninh and Khanh Hoa Provinces in southern, northern and south-central Vietnam, respectively. Since then, the countrys lawmaking National Assembly has agreed to delay consideration of the bill until October, when the government is expected to unveil an updated version of the legislation without the 99-year lease period. Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, on Sunday called for the people to remain calm and have complete faith in the leadership of the Party and the government as he met constituents in Hanoi. Nobody is so naive that they would offer their motherland to foreigners, he said, addressing concerns that the long lease term would pose a threat to national security. Every conspiracy to sabotage must be annihilated, Trong stressed. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Households affected by relocation that encounter difficulties in finding another place to live will receive support from Ho Chi Minh City authorities to buy or rent affordable apartments in social housing projects, according to a plan drafted by the municipal construction department. In a move greeted with appreciation from poor urban dwellers, the construction department has suggested that the Ho Chi Minh City administration allocate 10,000 social housing apartments to residents who will be forced to relocate under the governments gentrification efforts from now to 2020. Displaced families covered by this policy are those who fail to afford an apartment, or are ineligible for compensation for their legally demolished houses, while having no other places to live, Phan Truong Son, a department official, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. Families along canals that need refashioning in the city will most likely benefit from the initiative. The government will help the affected residents by giving them priority or financial assistance in leasing and buying the designated social housing apartments, Son said. This new re-housing plan diverges greatly from the current one, which simply pays recompense for displaced city dwellers and expects them to purchase accommodation by themselves. Several apartment projects exclusively for relocated families have been implemented in Ho Chi Minh City, but most of them are lying idle, according to Son. The metropolis has 4,719 apartments for relocated families, and is constructing 10,642 more by 2020, Son added. Stilted houses are seen along the Van Thanh Ditch in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre The policy is expected to facilitate the implementation of future relocation projects and ensure that the lives of displaced people in the new living environment will not be worse, said Du Phuoc Tan, an official from the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies. Tan said relocation efforts were impeded as people whose houses were to be brought down refused to be relocated unless they were given bigger compensation than offered by the government. Those who obtained the money went to the outskirts to purchase unlicensed housing lots, which created a new slum and hindered local security control, Tan added. Hopes and doubts Many residents welcomed the policy, with some expressing misgivings. The governments assistance in buying an apartment is exactly what Im waiting for, said Cao Minh Dat, who has been unable to afford a house in Ho Chi Minh City while facing land withdrawal. Nguyen Minh Tri, 39, said he would be happy to receive a new apartment with the government's help, as authorities intend to clear thousands of families from an urban slum along the Doi Canal in District 8, where he has lived with seven other members. Nguyen Minh Tri (foreground) and his family pose for a photo in his house along the Doi Canal in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre Tris 23-square-meter house has the facade facing the road and the rear overlooking the canal, over which he built a bathroom with a hole in the floor for direct daily disposal of human waste. His building, with its parts on the bank and over the body of water, looks more stable than many of its neighboring shacks that float completely on the canal, only remaining connected to the shore by wooden planks. Nguyen Van Khanh has lived in such a structure for 20 years with nine other family members, and usually with chickens kept in a cage. He remained pessimistic about his future, saying that he cannot purchase an apartment even when the authorities help him buy or lease it, because his family often does not earn enough money for daily expenses. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Adriano Zumbo will feature in a new Netflix cooking contest, Sugar Rush. Described as a relentlessly fast-paced baking competition that challenges dessert bakers against the clock, the 8 part series is hosted by Hunter March. Zumbo will judge alongside LA-based pastry chef Candace Nelson. He has previously featured in Zumbos Just Desserts, MasterChef and SBS series Zumbo. The series is produced by Magical Elves (US) who produce Nailed it!, Top Chef and Project Runway. An airdate is yet to be announced. Samantha Armytage, David Koch, Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur are amongst Seven personalities who wont be attending the Logies this year. News Corp reports Seven is sending a trimmed-down stable of stars to the Gold Coast, largely due to the increased costs involved. The change of location, to the Gold Coast from Melbourne, has made life difficult, a spokeswoman said. The team from The Daily Edition and many of Seven News faces will also not attend. Sunrise first began non-attendance back in 2016 when it could not stage a morning broadcast at Crown.Edwina Bartholemew and Sam Mac will be attending for showbiz reports. Seven views the event as a boon for Nine and prefers to get behind the AACTA Awards which it broadcasts in December. The cost of attending will also impact other networks with many expected to send nominees and select other talent to the Queensland event. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has been released in the UK ahead of this weekends US release, which is strange, because its a very America-centric Film. It was produced in America and it stars a cast of US actors and its set around their continent and it has a lot of hidden references to their controversial leader, President Donald Trump. The jokes come as a surprise, since this is a family-friendly adventure movie and not The Daily Show. Early in the film, a BBC News report announces the situation with Isla Nublar and the legal issues involved with the dinosaurs that are stuck there with an active volcano. Beady-eyed viewers will have noticed a politically-charged comment that appears in the ribbon at the bottom of the screen with various headlines streaming across from right to left, just like a normal TV news report. There are references to the company InGen and how the international political leaders are handling the cloning issues raised by the scientists at Jurassic Park (or, now, Jurassic World). And then comes an interesting one: US President questions the existence of dinosaurs in the first place. Its a sly little nod, since it doesnt name him specifically, but it does allude to his penchant for calling out fake news as he sees it. Frankly, that quote wouldnt be too surprising if it was real. Thats the first and most blatant of several Trump references in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. One villainous character uses the term nasty woman At one point, the villainous Wheatley character refers to the strong female role of Zia as a nasty woman, which is a wink to the divisive comment made by Trump during one of his final debates with Hillary Clinton, a term which became a feminist movement in its own right in the weeks that followed. Also, the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom villain played by Toby Jones has an amusing hairpiece reminiscent of the sitting POTUS. First, late-night talk shows and sketch comedy series became overrun with references to President Trump and jokes about his policies and his tweets and his public appearances. And then films such as Bad Neighbours 2 started slipping them in whenever the actors would improvise one or if the production was fast-tracked and would be out in time for that to still be topical, as was the case with the Seth Rogen-starring sequel. And now, Trump jokes are even in the summer tentpole dinosaur blockbusters. Riverdales' cast seem to have a great chemistry with each other. In fact, this sparked a rumour that maybe some of the partners on screen are also partners in real life. Although none of them confirmed these rumours, there some things they cant deny, especially when they are in the public eye. Both E! Online and Inquirer.net looked at some of them. Like the characters and the roles that they portray, it may be hard not to fall in love with your co-star. They are just human like us and for the past couple of weeks, it seems that Riverdale fans have a good idea about Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinharts relationship, the Inquirer.net noted. Reinhart and Sprouse A rumour started when Sprouse and Reinhart were seen together doing cool stuff. Both of them tried to deny the rumour until they made an appearance at the Met Gala 2018. The two stars look adorable together. In addition to that, prior to attending the Met Gala, Sprouse was active on his social media account, posting multiple pictures of Lili and their vacation. Inquirer.net wrote that they had been spotted kissing in Paris in April. Lili Reinhart lashes out at her critics As for Lili Reinhart, who plays the role of Betty Cooper, Inquiter.net reported that she made the headlines a few weeks ago because of an Instagram picture that she posted. The photo posted wasnt alarming or x-rated as initial reports had stated. However, it raised eyebrows when people speculated about her getting bigger and probably being pregnant. The 21-year-old actress from Cleveland didnt hold back her opinion about her being body-shamed by the public. She was unapologetic about, it which definitely silenced her critics. Its unfortunate that one unflattering photo of my stomach circulating the internet causes hundreds of people to think that Im pregnant, said Reinhart in a caption post according to the news outlet. She went on to say that sometimes her weight fluctuates. K.J Apa dating a model? The main man of Riverdale, K.J Apa (Archie Andrews), is very secretive about any real-life partners, E! Online reported. However, they noted that he was spotted at an airport with a model named Corinne Isherwood. It is just a matter of time until he opens up about the person who may have caught his heart. Right now, he is busy doing multiple projects, including a new romantic comedy series titled The Last Summer. Camila Mendes is officially single It may be hard to believe that the actress who portrays Veronica Lodge is currently single. The Brazilian-American who was, by the way, one of the most searched actresses a few months ago was seen alone lately during recent parties. The most notable relationship that she had was with Ian Wallace, who is a well-known filmmaker, but right now, she seems to be free, E! Online affirms. Also, theres a photo online of her, KJ and newcomer Charles Melton being silly and eating pizza together, which ignited speculation that she has moved on from Wallace. The American Civil Liberties Union is delivering a petition to Amazon's Seattle headquarters today with more than 150,000 signatures. They are requesting for Amazon to stop providing the government with facial recognition technology. "Amazon has entered the surveillance business, and they're selling to the government," reads the online ACLU petition, which has nearly 60,000 signatures of the 75,000 they want. Other organizations like Demand Progress and Fight for the Future acted in conjunction with the ACLU and collected more than 90,000 signatures elsewhere. SEE ALSO: Amazon is under fire for selling facial recognition tools to cops "Amazon's product, Rekognition, has the power to identify people in real time, in photos of large groups of people, and in crowded events and public places. At a time when we're joining public protests at unprecedented levels, and discriminatory policing continues to terrorize communities of color, handing this surveillance technology over to the government threatens our civil rights and liberties," says the petition letter. This is just the latest step in a series of recent actions that the ACLU has taken against artificial intelligence, especially regarding facial recognition due to privacy concerns and its troubling effects. The ACLU in 2013 helped draft a document of facial recognition best practices with the government and consistently releases guidances on surveillance and tech privacy. It has also specifically warned against Amazon's push into artificial intelligence, which was how the ACLU discovered that Amazon was contacting different government agencies to see whether they wanted to use Rekognition. Rekognition is branded by Amazon as affordable deep-learning technology that can constantly learn and recognize different objects it does not require previous machine learning knowledge to operate. The technology is so powerful that it has the ability to recognize and identify every face in a crowd, and Nicole Ozer, ACLU of California technology and civil liberties director, said amid a time when communities are under attack and public protest is at an "all-time high," it is problematic that Amazon is selling technology that is "primed" for surveillance. Story continues "The demand is to stop selling it to the government," Ozer said. "This demand is not about banning any technology or stopping any technology. But this face surveillance should not be in the hands of the government, particularly in the current political climate." Multiple ACLU chapters filed public records requests about Rekognition, and once they discovered Amazon's government partnerships using Rekognition, the ACLU has fought alongside other advocacy groups like Electronic Frontier Foundation against the corporation's government partnerships. They sent a letter to Amazon boss Jeff Bezos last month with 35 other non-ACLU affiliated groups including Human Rights Watch that expressed concern over the e-commerce giant's role in powering a "government surveillance system." They're sending another letter today (which says the same thing word-for-word), though this time, more than 70 advocacy organizations signed onto it. Ozer said that Amazon's undisclosed business deals undermined customer and community trust, since the people being surveilled almost certainly use Amazon. Florida and Oregon government agencies already use the face recognition technology, and government agencies in Arizona as well as California are seeking more information. "Those systems should be dismantled," Ozer said. "In both those communities [Florida and Oregon] there was not public debate or discussion this was done in secret." She said if the ACLU had not filed for the information, there might still not have been community discussions about the governments' new surveillance methods. Ozer said that delivering the petition with so many signatures represents the mass outrage over fueling a surveillance state from Amazon's diverse customer base. Their petition delivery follows letters from 19 Amazon shareholders and the Congressional Black Caucus expressing their concerns over how the company was letting the government weaponize their technology. But it's not all bad news. Rekognition is structured as an online service, so Amazon has complete control over who can access the information. That means, she said, the company has the ability to restrict who can access its wide-reaching database. The goal of the petition is for Amazon to stop sharing the information with the government agencies using Rekognition so that those who are already vulnerable are not put into a more precarious position. "We only have to read the president's tweets every hour to know how many communities are under fire," Ozer said. "Amazon's face recognition technology is really further powering really dangerous surveillance." Amazon did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publishing. We will update this story if and when we get a response. UPDATE: June 18, 2018, 4:47 p.m. EDT: Amazon has returned our request for an interview, but declined to comment on the story. Shares (Berlin: DI6.BE - news) in Norwegian Air soared almost 10% after the boss of Lufthansa (Xetra: LHAB.DE - news) said the German airline was interested in making a bid for the low-cost airline. Carsten Spohr told the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung: "In Europe, everyone is talking to everyone. There's a new wave of consolidation approaching. That means we are also in contact with Norwegian." He added: "Takeovers are always a question of strategic value, the price and anti-trust. There are no easy answers." The airline's rapid expansion with flights costing as little as 99 from Edinburgh and Dublin to New York has attracted the attention of several suitors. It carries more than 30 million passengers a year, including 5.2 million from the UK. IAG, the owner of British Airways, bought a 4.6% stake in the Nordic carrier in April . IAG has made two offers for the airline, both were rejected. A Norwegian spokesperson said: "Norwegian confirms that it has received enquiries from several parties following the International Airlines Group's (IAG) acquisition of 4.6% of the shares in the company. "These parties have expressed indicative and preliminary interest in share acquisitions, mergers, structured transactions, financing of the Group and various forms of operational and financial cooperation. "Norwegian believes that interest from several parties demonstrates the attractiveness of our business." As well as British Airways, Anglo-Spanish firm IAG also owns Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling. It also recently launched a budget long-haul operator called Level. For its part, Lufthansa owns its own low-cost brand Eurowings. Consolidation in the European airline industry has been sparked by rising fuel prices and the collapse of Air Berlin (LSE: 0GPE.L - news) and Monarch. Norwegian's shares rose 9.8% to NKr273 (25.15) in early afternoon trading on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Deutsche Lufthansa (IOB: 0H4A.IL - news) 's stock slipped 0.6% in Frankfurt and IAG rose 0.2% to 715p in London. (Reuters) - Shares in drugmaker Indivior rose on Monday after a U.S. Court granted a temporary restraining order blocking Dr. Reddy's Laboratories from launching a generic version of Indivior's best-selling opioid addiction treatment. Indivior shares rose more than 6 percent in early trade, after falling by nearly a third on Friday after Dr Reddy's and U.S.-based Mylan NV received FDA approval for a generic version of Suboxone Film, which generates 80 percent of Indivior's revenue. Indivior said on Saturday that the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey granted it a temporary restraining order, which will remain in place pending a hearing on the preliminary injunction motion filed by Indivior on Friday. "We are pleased that the Court has granted our request for a temporary restraining order... We will continue to pursue all legal avenues against Dr. Reddy's to protect our Suboxone Film patent," Indivior Chief Executive Shaun Thaxter said. A hearing on the preliminary injunction motion has been scheduled for June 28, and the company will seek to extend the cessation of launch activities by Dr. Reddy's pending the outcome of the recently filed litigation against Dr Reddy's. Dr Reddy's said on Friday it would launch its new drug regardless of the legal squabble. Generic rivals in tablet form are already on the U.S. market, which is grappling with an opioid addiction epidemic that killed 33,000 people in 2015, but Suboxone Film leads the market with its version which is placed under the tongue to suppress cravings. Indivior stuck to its 2018 revenue guidance on Friday but said it would revisit the forecast if Dr. Reddy's launches the cheaper drug. It said Dr. Reddy's launch could "potentially result in a rapid and material loss of market share for the drug in the U.S., an effect that could occur within months of a successful launch of a generic film alternative." Indivior also said it was considering a potential launch of its own generic and operational cost cuts in response. It said its contingency plans would also focus on optimising the launch of Sublocade, a once-a-month injectable drug to suppress opioid craving that it launched in the United States in February. (Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru) * OPEC likely to loosen supply curbs at Friday meeting * Saudi Arabia, Russia look set to increase output * China, big buyer of U.S. crude, threatens oil import duties * U.S. shale output seen at record 7.3 million bpd in July - EIA (Updates with settlement price, adds U.S. shale output forecast) By Jessica Resnick-Ault NEW YORK, June 18 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday in volatile trade as market participants lowered their expectations for how much OPEC might increase production and investors assessed the impact of a trade dispute between the United States and China. U.S. crude oil rose 79 cents a barrel to settle at $65.85. The contract traded at a two-month low of $63.59 early in the session. Brent crude jumped $1.90 to $75.34 a barrel. U.S. crude's discount to Brent (WTCLc1-LCOc1) widened to as much as $9.75 a barrel, after narrowing on Friday. China imposed import duties on U.S. products on Friday, and suggested that crude oil tariffs were planned. That could leave growing volumes of U.S. crude from shale without a buyer, traders said. While the volumes would ultimately get shipped elsewhere, absent China the price could be depressed, traders said. Meanwhile, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied oil producers including Russia meet on June 22 in Vienna. Russia and OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia are pushing for higher output. In May, Brent hit a 3-1/2-year high above $80 a barrel, but has since slid on reports of the potential production increases. "Volatility is going to be pretty high this week," said Bob (Shanghai: 601169.SS - news) Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho in New York. Indications from OPEC members and other large producers on the scale of potential output increases are likely to drive the market, he said. Russia and Saudi Arabia have put forward a proposal to increase production from OPEC and non-OPEC countries by 1.5 million barrels per day, Ecuador's oil minister said on Monday. Story continues But OPEC's second- and third-largest producers, Iraq and Iran, have said they would oppose steep output increases as it would breach previous agreements to keep production cuts in place until the end of the year. The market traded higher on expectations that the production increases could be less than the full 1.5 million bpd, at 300,000 to 600,000 bpd, said Gene McGillian, director of market research at Tradition Energy in Stamford. Supply disruptions in Venezuela and Libya also supported the market, he said. Venezuela's state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela has seen its operations mired by problems ranging from fast-declining crude production and poor refining due to a lack of equipment, to obstacles for exporting oil amid port congestion and financial sanctions. Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said storage capacity at Ras Lanuf port had been cut by 400,000 barrels after a second crude oil tank was set on fire amid fighting between rival factions for control of two key export terminals. Rising output from U.S. shale has stoked worries about potential oversupply, however. Five U.S. shale executives were set to speak at the OPEC seminar this week, but three, including Continental Resources Chief Executive Harold Hamm, have withdrawn. U.S. crude production from major shale formations is expected to rise 141,000 barrels per day (bpd) in July from the previous month to a record 7.34 million bpd, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a monthly productivity report on Monday. Despite potential downward pressure from large producers increasing output, Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS-PB - news) maintained its bullish outlook. The bank said "the oil market remains in deficit ... requiring higher core OPEC and Russia production to avoid a stock-out by year-end". The bank said it expected OPEC and Russian output to rise 1 million bpd by year-end and another 0.5 million bpd in the first half of 2019. Societe Generale (Swiss: 519928.SW - news) said it expects Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait to increase output by a combined 500,000 bpd beginning in July, and Russia to increase by 200,000 bpd within two to three months. "The focus will be on replacing Venezuelan losses," the bank said. Adding extra pressure are global trade tensions. U.S. President Donald Trump last week pushed ahead with tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, starting on July 6, leading China to retaliate with the threatened oil tariffs. "It's more of a threat than anything," said Joe McMonigle, senior energy policy analyst at Hedgeye Potomac Research. "They're trying to gain leverage in a soft spot for Trump to use for other concessions later." (Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein in Singapore and Christopher Johnson in London; editing by Cynthia Osterman and Rosalba O'Brien) The company logo for Unilever is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., February 17, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo By Martinne Geller LONDON (Reuters) - Consumer goods giant Unilever, the world's second-biggest advertiser, is cutting ties with digital media "influencers" that buy followers, saying it wants to help make advertising more transparent. With big brands advertising more on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, a cottage industry of "influencers" has sprung up, in which celebrities and other popular people earn money by posting about products. But their audience numbers, which often dictate their fees, can be enhanced by purchasing followers. The practice of buying followers risks eroding trust and therefore damaging one of the fastest-growing areas of advertising - the billion-dollar-a-year market now known as "influencer marketing" - and Unilever says it wants it to stop. Its chief marketing officer, Keith Weed, will pledge on Monday that the maker of Dove soap and Hellmann's mayonnaise will never buy followers or work with influencers who buy followers. It will also prioritise social media platforms that take action to stamp out fraud and increase transparency. "Trust comes on foot and leaves on horseback, and we could very quickly see the whole influencer space be undermined," Weed told Reuters. "There are lots of great influencers out there, but there are a few bad apples spoiling the barrel and the trouble is, everyone goes down once the trust is undermined." The announcement comes four months after Weed made waves by threatening to pull investment from digital platforms such as Facebook and Google if they did not take steps to improve consumer trust and eradicate "toxic" online content. It also comes as Unilever and rival Procter & Gamble audit their advertising spending and agency relationships in efforts to operate more efficiently as sales growth of consumer packaged goods slows. They are working with fewer agencies, creating fewer ads and bringing some marketing work in-house. Story continues PAYING FOR BOTS Fake followers are often machine-generated profiles fuelled by "bots" or software applications that mimic human behaviour. They can "like" or comment on posts, giving the impression of popularity or engagement. It is hard to pinpoint how prevalent the practice of buying followers is, but Weed said he has heard estimates that as much as 40 percent of influencers have been involved at some point, sometimes accidentally. Peter Stork, co-founder of influencer marketing measurement firm Points North Group, says all companies he has analysed have fallen prey, including Unilever. Besides misleading consumers, Storck says bots waste money, since brands are spending to reach eyeballs that do not exist, making it even harder to gauge return on digital investments. "They don't know what they're getting for it, and they spend a lot of money giving impressions to bots," he said. A study last year by Rakuten Marketing said some UK marketers were willing to pay celebrity influencers more than 75,000 pounds for a single Facebook post. A "micro-influencer," with fewer than 10,000 followers, might earn as much as 1,500 pounds, it said. Weed declined to say how much Unilever paid its influencers. He said the company does not now have "a major issue" with fake followers since it already cleaned up its stable of partners. Unilever spent 7.7 billion euros (6.72 billion pounds) on marketing last year. Of that, only "tens of millions" was on influencer marketing, but Weed predicts that will grow. (Reporting by Martinne Geller; Editing by Susan Fenton) Ethel the dog was once destined to be a meal, but now shes living large with 10 other dogs in her Santa Rosa, California home. Shes one of many dogs rescued from the dog meat trade who now live with loving families in the U.S. Humane Society International estimates that people kill 30 million dogs and cats every year to eat, and a third of them are slaughtered in China. Most famously, during the 10-day annual Lychee and Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, vendors kill an estimated 10,000 dogs to serve as food. The 2018 festival will run from June 21-30 and is controversial among Americans and Chinese people alike. DogRescue STR/AFP/Getty Images Trending: The Division Patch 1.8.2 Has Exclusive Rewards for The Division 2 There is hope for some dogs, though. Documentarian and rescuer Odessa Gunn told Newsweek that dog-loving rescuers in China can legally intercept dog meat trucks on their way to slaughter. If the drivers dont have paperwork proving that they or the company actually own the dogswhich they never do, Gunn said the rescuers can confiscate the dogs. Gunn has volunteered in China and witnessed this process. Then those rescuers will scan those dogs for identifying microchips and try to return them to their owners, as some turn out to be stolen pets. Sometimes larger breeds come from dog farms wherein farmers breed and raise them for slaughter. When Chinese rescuers confiscate dogs but cant find the original owners, theyll go to local rescues. In some cases, American animal rescue groups will step in and bring animals stateside. Don't miss: Several Undocumented Immigrants Dead After SUV Flips in Texas Border Patrol Car Chase Story continues A rescue from the state of New York took in 200 dogs from Henan province earlier this year, sparing them from the hot pot. A San Diego rescue transported 18 dogs to Southern California and a golden retriever rescue in Massachusetts saved five dogs from the meat trade. Some who criticize the consumption of dogs have taken to the internet in the hopes of getting the dog meat festival banned. For example, a Change.org petition to stop the festival is nearing 3 million signatures as of this writing. Ethel Courtesy of Odessa Gunn Most popular: Dinosaurs After Jurassic Park: Paleontologists on Whats Changed, 25 Years Later However, outrage about animal mistreatment brings up ethical quandaries. How can westerners, who eat cow, pigs and chickens by the billions, condemn eating dogs? Most Chinese people dont eat dog, but even if they did, some argue that protesting dog meat while eating bacon and clad in leather is racist and imperialist. Its hard to imagine someone coming to the U.S. to rescue pigs or cattle. Still, as dogs are cute and popular pets across the world, rescuers will continue their work whether the meat festival tradition continues or not. The need [for rescuers] is so immense over there you cant even imagine, Gunn said. Ethel was one of the lucky ones. The 15-year-old chihuahua went to Compassion Without Borders, a group that brings animals from other countries in need of rescue into the United States. From there, Gunn adopted Ethel. Ethel, despite everything shes been through, is extraordinarily sweet and loving and happy, Christi Camblor, executive director of Compassion without Borders, told Newsweek. Were really grateful to have her healthy and happy so she can move onto a phase in life where she gets the love and care she deserves. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek The EU Withdrawal Bill is heading back to the House of Lords (Rex) Theresa May is facing another parliamentary defeat over Brexit as the EU Withdrawal Bill returns to the House of Lords today. Peers are set to vote against the Government to bring in an amendment that would give MPs a meaningful vote on the deal offered by Brussels. The vote would give the Commons the power to reject a no deal Brexit, and could see backbenchers send ministers back to the negotiating table if the offer doesnt meet their expectations. The Lords have already approved a similar amendment, which the Commons later removed, as the bill ping-ponged between the houses. Find out more about ping pong ahead of 3pm #HouseofLords consideration of @HouseofCommons changes https://t.co/TGQCRWtXM2 pic.twitter.com/tM3Nsc3Sdw House of Lords (@UKHouseofLords) June 18, 2018 Heres the lowdown on the divisions The House of Lords are likely to send amendments back to the Commons (Rex) What is the EU (Withdrawal) Bill? The bill is the Conservative Governments flagship piece of Brexit legislation. It will eventually transpose EU law into the UK statute book. The legislation has passed through both houses already as Lords and MPs struggle to come to an agreement on the final state of the bill. The Government was defeated 15 times by the Lords, who voted through a number of amendments, although all of these except for one were then removed again in the Commons. The PM avoided a mayor rebellion by MPs last week on the issue of a meaningful vote by offering significant concessions to pro-EU rebels. However she was later seen to backtrack on her promises, infuriating wayward backbenchers including Dominic Grieve. Mr Grieve has now tabled a new amendment via Viscount Hailsham, consisting of compromise amendment he said he agreed with Theresa May last week. Story continues One of the amendments gives MPs the power to reject the final Brexit deal agreed between the Government and the EU (Rex) What is going to happen today in the House of Lords? Peers are likely to vote through the new amendment. After a debate, the vote will take place at around 6.30pm. Dominic Grieve said rebels could potentially bring down the Government (PA) Is the Government going to be defeated? In terms of the House of Lords, the Government will more than likely face a fresh headache. When the bill goes back (again) to the Commons this week, the outcome is less predictable. While there are anti-Brexit rebels who want a meaningful vote on the final deal, some may still vote with the Prime Minister over fears a defeat could threaten her leadership, and possibly bring down the Government altogether. Mr Grieve himself said yesterday warned that the Tory rebels he leads could collapse the Government if they disagree with the final outcome of withdrawal talks and had the right to a proper say on Brexit. However, Labour has its own splits, with Leave-supporting opposition MPs shoring up the numbers for the Government in Brexit votes. Theresa May is facing fresh defeat over the bill (Rex) What does all this mean for Brexit? A meaningful vote amendment would essentially take the no deal option off the table. With the Government forced to give MPs a vote on the final outcome, it is highly unlikely they would vote to leave the EU without any deal in place. This would potentially stop Brexit in its tracks, with Remainers likely to argue that either a second referendum would be needed or Brexit should simply be blocked altogether. All the key events leading up to Brexit in 2019 What happens next? Other key pieces of Brexit legislation are still to be negotiated over the coming months, including the trade bill, where the Government could be defeated over the issue of membership of the customs union. Talks on the transition period and the single market are also set to go ahead, with more votes causing fresh headaches for the Government. Any outstanding issues must be resolved at an EU summit in December, and the withdrawal treaty must be improved by February 2019 one month before Britain finally leaves the EU. Hundreds of protesters gathered in the Macedonian capital of Skopje on Sunday, June 17, following the signing of an agreement to rename the country. The foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia met at Lake Prespa on Sunday and signed a deal to change the name of the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia, a deal that angered nationalists in both countries, Radio Free Europe reported. The accord will need to be approved by both parliaments and a referendum in Macedonia, which declared itself independent in 1991. Due to territorial concerns over a region of Northern Greece also named Macedonia, Athens has never recognized the Balkan countrys claim to the name Republic of Macedonia. Because of this dispute, Macedonia has been admitted into the United Nations under the provisional name the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, often abbreviated as FYROM. This video shows the protest, where tear gas was reportedly fired. Credit: Martin Stefanovski via Storyful Conspiracy theories are popular and there is no doubt that the internet has fuelled them on. From the theory that 9/11 was an inside job to the idea that reptilian humanoids rule the world, conspiracy theories have found a natural home online. But the extent to which we can actually attribute their popularity to the internet is a question that has concerned scholars for many years. And the answer is not very straightforward. While some argue that conspiracy theories flourish on the internet and social media, there is not yet any evidence that this is true. Conspiracy theories have always been with us. But today the internet fuels them in new ways and enables the deepening of conspiracy theorising in some online communities. A long history Conspiracy theories feature prominently in current political contexts, but they have a long history. Antisemitic conspiracy theories concerning the supposedly evil and controlling acts of Jewish people date back to antiquity, and still exist today. There is even good evidence that conspiracy theories were common in ancient Rome. So we know that conspiracy theories flourished perfectly well without the internet. Read more: Antisemitism: how the origins of historys oldest hatred still hold sway today podcast Contrary to what you might think, there is no evidence that people are more prone to believing in conspiracy theories now than they were prior to the internet. An analysis of published letters to the editor of the New York Times showed that, between 1897 and 2010, apart from a couple of peaks during the global depression in the late 1800s, and the fear of communism during the 1950s, conspiracy theorising had not increased. People appear to have always found conspiracy theories interesting and worth entertaining. But there is strong evidence that some people adopt conspiracy theories more than others and that belief in conspiracy theories seems particularly strong among people with unsatisfied psychological needs. Story continues All people need to feel that they know the truth. They also need to feel safe and secure. And people need to feel good about themselves and the groups they belong to. For people who dont have these needs met, conspiracy theories become particularly appealing. It is for these people who may be more inclined toward conspiracy theorising in the first place that we see the greatest impact of the internet. How the internet fuels conspiracy theories Conspiracy theories do not bounce indiscriminately from person to person over the internet. Not everyone reads them, and they are certainly not adopted and shared by everyone. Instead, conspiracy theories tend to be shared within communities that already agree with them. For example, a person who strongly believes that 9/11 was an inside job is likely to join an internet group and communicate with others who also agree the same. A person who does not already believe in this conspiracy theory is unlikely to join such a group, or share its material. So, rather than increasing belief in conspiracy theories generally, the internet plays a crucial role in fostering distinct and polarised online communities among conspiracy believers. Believers share their opinions and evidence with other believers but are less willing to share with people who are critical of conspiracy theories. So with the internet, conspiracy groups become more homogeneous and their beliefs become even stronger over time. flickr/michaelirving To illustrate this effect, one study showed that if internet users shared conspiracy-related information, they tended to ignore information that ran contrary to the conspiracy theory. In other words, they filtered out information that was not consistent with their pre-existing views. These people also tended to share the conspiracy-related information with other conspiracy believers rather than non-believers. This style of communication creates echo chambers where information is only consumed and shared if it reinforces what people already think. In closed communication such as this, beliefs in conspiracy theories can become stronger and more separated from the opinions of non-believers. A 2015 study showed that believers in one conspiracy theory are also more likely to share completely new, unrelated, and made-up conspiracy theories. Users who believed more traditional conspiracy theories were likely to share new, clearly false and easily verifiable conspiracy theories, such as the idea that infinite energy had been discovered. The study demonstrated that conspiracy internet users are uncritically distributing and endorsing even deliberately false, extremely implausible material. Why is this dangerous? Well, some conspiracy theories are dangerous. Consider anti-vaccine conspiracy theories proposing that vaccines are harmful and that the harms are covered up by pharmaceutical companies and governments. Even though they are false, these conspiracy theories discourage people from having their children vaccinated. Or, consider conspiracy theories that climate change is a hoax created by climate scientists to secure more research funding. Despite abundant evidence that climate change is not a hoax, these conspiracy theories discourage people from taking action to reduce their carbon footprint. Conspiracy theories can have powerful consequences, but we are still learning about when and how people communicate conspiracy theories and why people adopt them in preference to more conventional explanations. Understanding more about how conspiracy theories move about on the internet and social networks will play a crucial part in developing the best ways to respond to them. Read more: How conspiracy theories feed political fragmentation This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The Conversation Karen Douglas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. 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 organizations 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. 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) A 20-year-old Mississippi man was arrested after he was found in a cemetery with a group of five girls, two of them unconscious, who were intoxicated on marijuana and the tranquilizer Xanax. Authorities say that Jordan Lamar McClain, 20 picked up five girls aged 11-16 from foster care in Mobile, Alabama, and drove them to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, reported WLOX and the Sun Herald. 16995992_G Handout Trending: WWE Money in the Bank 2018 Results: Who Will Win Both Ladder Matches? He allegedly met a 16-year-old girl on Facebook, and on Saturday drove to the foster care home and picked her up, along with four other girls. A resident saw the group on a beach, and called police because they appeared to be intoxicated. After searching the area, police found McClain and the children in a cemetery, where two of the girls were unconscious. The girls were taken to hospital for treatment, and later released. Don't miss: The Division Patch 1.8.2 Has Exclusive Rewards for The Division 2 All of the girls were found to be under the influence of marijuana and Xanax, allegedly given to them by McClain. Authorities later returned the girls to the foster care home. McClain is being held at Jackson County Adult Detention Center on three counts of felony child abuse with serious bodily harm. His bond is set at $8,400 on each charge. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Commercial podcasting producer and platform provider Audioboom Group updated the market on its Audioboom Originals Network on Monday, announcing the launch of new, higher margin owned shows. The AIM-traded firm said the Audioboom Originals Network (AOM), launched in 2017, was owned and operated by Audioboom. It said that, given its success to date, it had assigned a portion of the funds raised earlier in June to further expand production. To date, AON has produced 11 shows, including political talk show 'The 45th'; sci-fi-fi comedy 'Mission to Zyxx'; black ops documentary 'Covert', and true crime history podcast, 'Mafia'. The company said the latter two shows were a co-production between Audioboom and UK-based video production company World Media Rights. 'Covert' and 'Mafia' were based on their successful television series, 'Mafia's Greatest Hits' and 'Black Ops'. Thus far, 'Mafia' was Audioboom's most successful original content production with more than 175,000 listens per episode in its first season. The second season of 'Mafia' was set to premier on 20 June. Additionally, Audioboom said it would launch three more shows by the end of the third quarter, including the tentatively titled 'Dead Man Talking' which would investigate the confessions of Angel Maturino Resendiz, aka 'The Railroad Killer', whose admission to a string of murders was captured on tape. Hosted by British journalist Alex Hannaford, 'Dead Man Talking' was slated for release on 25 September. As it announced on 8 June, the company's board believed that the leading AON podcasts had individual annual revenue potentials of between $0.1m and $0.9m. It said that importantly, it believed that original content generated a higher margin for Audioboom and it viewed the creation of AON original content as being central to the success of the company's business model. Additionally, Audioboom said it had finalised a production, advertising sales and distribution deal with US cable and satellite television company A+E Networks. Audioboom, which opened production studios in New York City and Los Angeles to coincide with the launch of AON in 2017, would produce podcasts based on existing A+E Networks programmes, as well as new shows unique to on-demand audio. It said it would work closely with the satellite television company to develop a pipeline of audio content which would be available from AON. The potential to drive higher margin returns by expanding AON's portfolio remains a cornerstone of our growth strategy, said Audioboom chief executive Rob Proctor. The success to date underpins our desire to build on the strong momentum achieved as we look for innovative ways to capture increased audience share and grow our revenue streams. We've already seen podcasts becoming a go-to inspiration for television producers and we're excited to explore the flip side of that phenomenon by partnering with World Media Rights and A+E Networks to produce great new podcasts inspired by must-see TV. Irish gold and zinc exploration company Connemara Mining announced results from hole G11-2638-01 at the Stonepark Zinc Project on Monday, which was drilled into a key area of known high-grade mineralisation on the presumed eastern edge of the recently-announced maiden inferred mineral resource estimate. The AIM-traded firms joint venture partner, Group Eleven Resources, is the project operator. It said the G11-2638-01 hole intersected 5.40m of 25.0% zinc and 7.2% lead, and 12.2 g/t silver, verifying one of the high-grade zones within the Stonepark resource. Connemara said the robust mineralisation was interpreted to be open eastwards toward Glencore's neighbouring Pallasgreen deposit. We are very pleased with these grades from the first new hole at Stonepark since 2012 and with progress following on from the recent announcement of a maiden resource, said Connemara chief executive Patrick Cullen. The results underline the high grade nature of the deposit. Cullen said the decision to drill inclined holes had yielded immediate results by giving better structural information. This has opened the deposit eastwards, presenting opportunity to increase the Resource towards Glencore's Pallasgreen deposit. The strategic value of the location of Stonepark should not be overlooked, it lies adjacent to Pallasgreen. These deposits are Ireland's two largest undeveloped zinc-lead Resources by metal contained. British newspaper, magazine and digital publisher Reach revealed on Monday that the group's finance director and company secretary Vijay Vaghela would be standing down from the group after more than two decades of service. Vaghela, who had been with the business for almost 24 years, has a 12-month notice period and will remain in his position until a successor has been recruited to ensure an orderly handover. Simon Fox, Reach's chief executive, said, "I am hugely grateful to Vijay for the extraordinary impact he has had on the business over the past 24 years. He will leave the business in a strong state, having delivered a transformational acquisition, renegotiated the triennial pension funding valuations and put in place a 4-year finance facility." Vaghela added, "The business has changed significantly since I joined Mirror Group in 1994. I am proud of what the business has achieved over the years and am pleased that I had the opportunity to work with many talented individuals." As of 1415 BST, Reach shares had fallen 4.86% to 72.50p. Monday, June 18, 2018 Unraveling Of Martinez Administration Quickens With State Police Scandal, CYFD Woes And PED Fallout --The State Police Chief is now The state paid at least $200,000 in a settlement with a former member of Gov. Martinezs security detail, but a new lawsuit filed by current and retired law enforcement officers alleges the agent had been removed from the job after he was caught gambling on duty. It also suggests the payout was ostensibly to allow him to reimburse Martinez, who the officers claim loaned him thousands of dollars. The allegations are just one part of the lawsuit filed against State Police Chief Pete Kassetas claiming he harassed and discriminated against employees while enjoying protection from the governor. --The Children Youth and Families Department --Public Education Department. Even GOP Governor nominee Steve Pearce is What a mess. It will be either Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham or Republican Steve Pearce who will be charged with cleaning it up. Lujan Grisham is said to have served in the cabinet of state governors longer than anyone and her advocates say she is more than qualified to institute needed reforms. But foes claim her state tenure was marked by Pearce is a tough talker and knowledgeable. His supporters say he means business and will turn around state government as if it were a business. But he has little executive experience and his bull in the china closet mentality may stymie him. Also, he would have to deal with a Dem dominated Legislature. CYFD TODAY Sec. Jacobson (Journal) CYFD has become what the state corrections department was back in the old days--a tinder box waiting to explode on the Governor's desk which it does repeatedly and often horrifically. CYFD Secretary Monique Jacobson is polishing her resume in her final months in office, recently touting Jacobson preformed well as state tourism secretary but her three and half year tenure at CYFD has been deeply troubled. Her appointment was criticized as blatantly political since she had no experience in CYFD issues. But she was given the reins, was unable to change the culture of the agency and here we are. Governor Martinez isn't saying much of anything about any of the breakdowns in state government or even on the matter of ABQ GOP State Rep. Monica Youngblood, a longtime Martinez ally, being arrested for aggravated DWI even though anti-DWI has been one of this Governor's banner issues. One of our Alligators aptly sums up the fading days of Martinez this way: These days, Susana seems to have her gaze firmly fixed over the shoulders of any and all that she deals with concerning the worse-than-before state she is soon to leave NM in, with a laser focus constantly scanning the horizon for any potential shot that may yet open up for a Trump administration appointment. Sort of the Chris Christie of the West, On his way out he didn't give a rip about what was going on in his state of New Jersey, he only cared about the state of his personal options to cash in on his time in office. In other words, the conduct underlying this lawsuit involving the state police chief arose on the watch of an executive who really doesn't care what's going on in her government because she's already focused elsewhere. THE BOTTOM LINES In Santa Fe over the weekend we ran into Mayor Alan Webber and asked him what has most surprised him about his You're always on. It's pretty much nonstop. That's the biggest surprise. Webber is the city's first full-time Mayor and receives a salary of $110,000 per year. The citizens seem intent on getting their money's worth. This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. ( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2018 The Martinez administration has been a slow motion train wreck ever since the infamous pizza party of December 2015 that cracked her approval ratings and led to a loss of confidence in state government leadership. Now with just over six months left in her second and final term, the unraveling of the administration has quickened. Here's how:--The State Police Chief is now mired in scandal which has also entangled the Governor:--The Children Youth and Families Department announces disciplinary action against 11 of its employees who were involved in the case of a 7 year old ABQ girl who was put into prostitution by her family. That notorious case follows the murders of 7 years old Omaree Varela and 10 year old Victoria Martens, cases that also blackened the record of CYFD.--Public Education Department. Even GOP Governor nominee Steve Pearce is now rejecting one of the pillars of the state Public Education Department--the controversial teacher evaluations--leaving another major state department in need of new leadership and a culture change.What a mess.It will be either Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham or Republican Steve Pearce who will be charged with cleaning it up.Lujan Grisham is said to have served in the cabinet of state governors longer than anyone and her advocates say she is more than qualified to institute needed reforms. But foes claim her state tenure was marked by serious mismanagement Pearce is a tough talker and knowledgeable. His supporters say he means business and will turn around state government as if it were a business. But he has little executive experience and his bull in the china closet mentality may stymie him. Also, he would have to deal with a Dem dominated Legislature.CYFD has become what the state corrections department was back in the old days--a tinder box waiting to explode on the Governor's desk which it does repeatedly and often horrifically.CYFD Secretary Monique Jacobson is polishing her resume in her final months in office, recently touting her performance before a business group. She won media praise for disciplining the CYFD personnel in the case of the 7 year old, but she refuses to release the names or the punishment, apparently in defiance of state law. Also, what about discipline for her performance? Where is the accountability there?Jacobson preformed well as state tourism secretary but her three and half year tenure at CYFD has been deeply troubled. Her appointment was criticized as blatantly political since she had no experience in CYFD issues. But she was given the reins, was unable to change the culture of the agency and here we are.Governor Martinez isn't saying much of anything about any of the breakdowns in state government or even on the matter of ABQ GOP State Rep. Monica Youngblood, a longtime Martinez ally, being arrested for aggravated DWI even though anti-DWI has been one of this Governor's banner issues. One of our Alligators aptly sums up the fading days of Martinez this way:In Santa Fe over the weekend we ran into Mayor Alan Webber and asked him what has most surprised him about his new job Webber is the city's first full-time Mayor and receives a salary of $110,000 per year. The citizens seem intent on getting their money's worth.This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Africa-focused oil and gas firm Savannah Petroleum on Monday appointed current non-executive director David Clarkson as chief operating officer with immediate effect. Clarkson, who has previously been a member of BP's group leadership team, will be accountable for all aspects of the AIM traded firms technical and operational activities, such as HSSE, executing capital investment plans, work programme, budget and delivery of development projects. Clarkson has over four decades of experience in the oil and gas industry and has been senior vice president for projects and engineering in the upstream business. Andrew Knott, chief executive of Savannah Petroleum, said: "I am very pleased to welcome David to our executive team. He has a proven track record of delivering upstream projects in emerging market environments, and I am confident that his technical expertise, development leadership experience and enthusiasm will be of great benefit to Savannah." Chairman Steve Jenkins highlighted Clarkson's international oil and gas experience as the company works towards both the creation of a potential early production scheme in Niger and the full integration of the Seven Assets in Nigeria into the business. As of 0957 BST, Savannah Petroleums shares were up 1.89% at 32.30p. Commodities were little changed at the start of the week, with a rebound in Brent crude oil futures offsetting weakness in the agricultural space. Oil futures had come under heavy selling pressure on Friday amid speculation that Saudi and Russia were set to push through a hefty increase in production at the next OPEC ministerial meeting, on 20-21 June. Yet according to Capital Economics, the main trigger behind the selling had been a Chinese threat to impose tariffs on US oil exports if Washington ratcheted up the trade spat. Come Monday however, Bloomberg was reporting that OPEC was mulling a smaller compromise deal for an increase in the group's - including Russia - combined output of between 300,000 and 600,000 barrels per day over the next few months. Meanwhile, and regarding the threat of Chinese sanctions, Capital Economics said they would not have a significant on global oil demand, nor did the consultancy anticipate a slump in world trade. Increased tariffs on the other hand, especially on commodity imports, would pose a "clear downside risk", Capital Economics said. Likewise, prices might retreat if China opted to source more oil from Iran or if it scaled back purchases for its strategic reserves, for which it had been purchasing supplies at a pace of around 0.5m b/d over the first four months of the year. Against that backdrop, as of 2026 BST front month Brent crude oil futures were adding 2.60% to $75.35 a barrel, alongside gains of 2.18% to $2.1325 a gallon for July 2018-dated NYMEX heating oil futures. In parallel, the US dollar index was trading just 0.01% higher to 94.7940, while the Bloomberg commodity index was 0.09% lower at 87.63. In the agricultural space, September wheat on CBoT was down by 2.34% to $5.0150 a bushel, while ICE-traded cotton was retreating 2.31% to $0.8777 per pound. The economic calendar for Tuesday is quite sparse, but a fair bit will be going on in the background with many of the world's top central bankers already in Sintra, Portugal, for the European Central Bank's summer forum - at an important juncture for the world economy. Against that backdrop, overnight investors will be keeping an eye on the release of the minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia's last policy meeting. The minutes will be published at a time when the wheels of global monetary policy are continuing to turn, albeit not yet in all jurisdictions, including Down Under, in China and in Japan. On a related note, according to Bloomberg, at $11.8trn larger than after the fall of Lehman Brothers, the combined balance sheets of the world's main central banks was just a tad smaller than at its peak value of $12.3trn. That compared to a global equity market capitalisation of approximately $90trn as of January 2018, said strategists at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch, versus $30trn as of March 2009, with global financial assets now standing at $180trn or 226% of world GDP - an all-time high. Of interest as well, although they rarely elicit much of a reaction, Eurostat was set to release April current account data for the single currency bloc. At the last G7 summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had argued that taking into account trade in services then the US was in fact running a surplus against her country. In any case, the alleged imbalance between German savings and consumption had been a bone contention between Berlin and other capitals for close to two decades. Naturally, there was abundant scope for any headlines regarding the ongoing China-US trade spat which might emerge to rapidly dominate the price action in financial markets. Brexit negotiators would also be headed back to Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday. On the corporate front meantime, the US would be in the spotlight, albeit in a somewhat indirect fashion, with two of the most highly US-exposed companies on the London market set to update shareholders: Ashtead and Ferguson (ex-Wolseley). For the former, analysts at Numis had forecast profits before tax 934m, with EBITDA in its US-focused Sunbelt arm expected to return to year-on-year growth following "significant" investment in its fleet over the previous 12 months. Numis's Steve Woolf also said he would be monitoring the outfit's guidance on capex as a gauge of management's confidence in the outlook. Tuesday June 19 INTERIMS Benchmark Holdings INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Fidelity Special Values, Mobeus Income & Growth 4 Vct INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Building Permits (US) (13:30) Current Account (EU) (09:00) Housing Starts (US) (13:30) Q3 Ferguson Q4 Ashtead Group FINALS Accsys Technologies, Ashtead Group, Bonmarche Holdings, Braveheart Investment Group, Castleton Technology, Flybe Group, Footasylum, Gresham House Strategic , Telecom Plus ANNUAL REPORT Biffa IMSS Ferguson AGMS Caspian Sunrise , Evraz, London & Associated Properties, Luceco , Metals Exploration, Motif Bio, Nautilus Marine Services, NB Distressed Debt Investment Fund Limited, Ranger Direct Lending Fund, Ranger Direct Lending ZDP Shs, Science In Sport, Slingsby H.C, Strategic Minerals, Trinity Exploration & Production, Trufin, Water Intelligence FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Aurora Investment Trust, Taptica International (DI) Google said it will buy $550m of shares in Chinese e-commerce company JD.com as part of a collaboration to expand the search behemoth's reach in South East Asia. Google's purchase of 27.1m shares in JD.com, bought at $20.29 per share, equates to less than 1% stake. The two companies plan to collaborate on a set of strategic initiatives including the combination of JDs supply chain and logistics background with Googles tech to develop retail solutions in south east Asia, Europe and the US. Aside from Google entering the Chinese e-commerce market where its main products of its search engine, maps, Gmail and YouTube remain banned, the move will also benefit JD which could use Googles parent company Alphabet to enter European markets. "This partnership with Google opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers throughout the world," JD's chief strategy officer, Jianwen Liao, said in a statement Monday. Google and JD had teamed up funding Indonesias Go-Jek, a new competitor in the ride-hailing business in Southeast Asia. China has retaliated and hit US with $34bn tariffs on over 600 products including whiskey, electrical cars and soy, while state media attacked the US president Donald Trumps actions. After the White House announced on Friday that it would impose 25% tariffs on Chinese products worth $34bn, with another $16bn targeted at a later date, Beijing answered with sanctions that state media called "responsive, passive and reciprocal". The US was initially planning on hitting China with tariffs worth $50bn but the list of items was reduced, although the remaining $16bn are to undergo further review in July before being added to the tariff list. Chinese state media also attacked the US president over the weekend for escalating the possibility of a trade war. State-run tabloid Global Times said: The unpredictability of the Trump administration has become mundane, or even boring for China. It reinforces the difference in images of the two countries: one challenges the foundation of global trade through sudden attacks; and one that is prepared to defend itself in a trade war that it cannot avoid. Chinas official Xinhua news agency added: The wise man builds bridges, the fool builds walls. With economic globalisation there are no secluded and isolated islands. It maintained that China "does not want the trade war", but in the face of a "capricious" Washington, "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". Analysts believe that trade tensions could still escalate further as the US was looking at an additional $100bn worth of tariffs on Chinese products. Rebecca OKeeffe, head of investment at Interactive Investor, said Trumps aggressive negotiating style is not a bluff and his latest tariffs on Chinese products come with pronounced risks for global economy: The real danger is that the Chinese retaliation may start a chain reaction that is difficult to stop especially as Trump likes to have the last word. The current position on tariffs is unlikely to cause a full-blown rout for markets, but the prospect of further escalation and reprisals could cause considerable damage to the global economy, increasing the risks and anxiety, she added. Jasper Lawler, analyst at London Capital Group said on Monday: The tit for tat response is putting the two powers a step closer to an all-out global trade war. Investors will now be watching carefully for Trumps response with further measures expected. The overriding concern here is how this is going to escalate with potential fallout being a slowdown in world trade and a drop-in business sentiment. European equity markets were all lower on Monday, with Asia mostly swathed in red too. 1700:Close A bounce in oil majors' shares after Friday's bout of selling helped pull the Footsie off its intra-day lows, with the top-flight index outperforming its peers across the Channel at the start of the week. Supporting that move was a rally in Brent crude oil futures on the back of reports suggesting that OPEC+ countries were not set to deliver as large an output hike as some might have hoped for when they next met on 20-21 June, in Vienna. Weakness in Sterling amid talk of disarray in Westminster may also have lent a helping hand ahead of a vote in the Lords on Tory rebels' demand that Parliament should have a vote in case of a no-deal Brexit. Lawmakers in Westminster weren't alone, with those in Berlin also reportedly struggling to beat back the populists in their ranks. All throughout, traders were watching for any fresh news on the global trade front, which might all too easily sway prices in one direction or the other. Market participants were likely to do so as well on Tuesday, although they would also be keeping an eye out for any remarks from some of the world's top central bankers who had gathered for the European Central Bank's forum in Sintra, Portugal. FTSE 100 down 2.58 points to 7,631.33. 1605: The Dow Jones dropped more than 200-points in early trade to around 24,800 but is erasing the worst of those losses now. "The index is struggling under the weight of the escalating US-China trade war," says Connor Campbell at SpreadEx, "with Trumps decision to push forward with tariffs on Beijing last Friday causing another nasty flare-up of international posturing." He observes that the Eurozone indices, softened up by the trade war stuff, have also been susceptible to the political problems in Germany, with the clash between Angela Merkel and coalition partners bloodying the regions trading rooms. The DAX dropped 1.8%, wiping out the post-ECB growth seen last week, and leaving it struggling to hold above 12800; the CAC was in-step with its German sibling, falling 1.6%, with the IBEX down 1.1% and the FTSE MIB slipping 0.6%. "Though still at its worst intraday price since the end of May, shedding half a percent to return to 7600, the FTSE managed to avoid the pain seen elsewhere. Thats likely because Brent Crude rebounded by 1.3%, lifting BP and Shell alongside it, while the pound fell 0.3% against both the dollar and the euro as it speculates about Thursdays Bank of England meeting." 1536: The ECB will start raising interest rates in September 2019, Capital Economics reckons, not long before we judge that the US Fed will start to cut. "Such divergence between the two central banks would be almost unprecedented and have important implications for financial markets." The ECB has only hiked once when the Fed was cutting, a mis-move back in 2008, and before the ECB existed, the German Bundesbank only raised interest rates during a Fed easing cycle during Germany's reunification-fuelled boom of the early 1990s. Economist Jennifer McKeown justified the firm's controversial view noting that the spare capacity in the eurozone economy and solid domestic fundamentals, will mean the eurozone "will catch a less severe cold than it might ordinarily when the US "sneezes'", plus the delay between the first Fed rate hike and the first ECB hike will be about four years, with Capital Economics' forecasts implying only a partial reversal of what has been a huge divergence between the two central banks. Thirdly, even after our envisaged rate hikes, the level would still be much lower than in the US and the ECBs policy stance would be accommodative, with real rates remaining negative. "If we are right, our policy forecasts could have significant financial market implications," McKeown said, with the euro seen rising from about $1.15 at the end of this year to $1.20 in 2019 and $1.25 in 2020; US Treasury yields rising a little further by the end of this year but dropping back from 2019 in anticipation of policy loosening as the 10-year Bund yield "should rise somewhat" to end 2020 at 1.25% 100bp below the US equivalent. 1312: Front month Brent crude oil futures are up by 1.26% on the back of a Bloomberg report that OPEC+ members may be negotiating an output increase of between 300,000 and 600,000 barrels a day. Ahead of OPEC's next meeting, on 20-21 June, analysts at Kepler Cheuvreux are saying: "There is arguably a need for more OPEC oil. Any decision beyond 500kb/d will likely be subject to Iran and Venezuela's future trajectory. We would not bet on any mistake by Saudi Arabia to raise output beyond what is needed by the markets." Also helping to lift crude futures, on Friday Baker Hughes reported that the US oil rig count declined by three over the latest week. 1129: After the weekend saw Theresa May announce that, as part of a 10-year plan, funding for the NHS would be increased by 20bn a year by 2022, analysts at Berenberg believe that the medium-term potential acceleration in NHS volume growth for Spire Healthcare outweighs longer-term potential lower self-pay growth. The changes should increase the annual funding uplift by around 1% a year from the level over the last two years, and by 2% from increases over 2010-2015. "NHS finances are in a parlous state, and have resulted in increasing waiting lists, so this should serve to ameliorate these pressures. However, in the longer run, this level of increase may still be insufficient to deal with the demographic drivers of healthcare demand in the country, and one commentator described the funding as just a 'giant sticking plaster'. 1038: Bonds have rallied, with yields generally down 1-2bps this morning, notes TD Securities ahead of the US open. West Texas International's losses have eased somewhat, with the crude measure sitting around $64.75 a barrel. The yen is up slightly, euro flat, sterling down, and . After last week's CB disruptions, all eyes on the BoE & Norges Bank later this week, as well as a plethora of speakers at Sintra and Carney's Mansion House speech Thursday night. 1036: There are reports that the Swedish Democrats want an EU referendum, sending the krona sharply higher. The party was the country's third-largest at the last election. 0924: RBC Capital Markets upgrade AB Foods to 'outperform' as analysts see potential for Primark's LFL sales to improve, added to margin upside driven by better buying and inventory control. Concerns over performance in the US "have been overdone". Global apparel peers have re-rated recently and RBC has raised its earnings forecasts slightly and the price target to 31 from 28. Goldman Sachs has put out a note on Tesco with a new 275p price target that offers 8% upside and keeps the recommendation at 'buy'. The note follows first-quarter results that surprised positively, helped by Bookers to contribute to Tescos highest UK LFL ex fuel growth in almost 10 years of 3.5% and comes on the back of full year results that showed a significant UK margin beat and was in tandem with a significant slowdown in discounter market share gains. "While these key elements of the investment case are playing out, we also note that Asda has started to gain share and Kantar pricing data suggests Tesco has invested less than peers recently, historically a lead indicator of share losses." However, at circa 12 times next-12-months EBIT, with a compound annual growth rate of circa 12% pro-forma over the next three years, we see valuation support. With . 0920: The pound is down 0.3% to 1.3234, not too far from November-equalling lows seen earlier in the month. 0911: After Virgin Media accepted the takeover offer from CYBG, the share price moves pretty muted, notes Artjom Hatsaturjants at Accendo Markets, observing that while there is still some space to the implied 371p per share offer, investors are not rushing to fill the gap. "A muted reaction to the merger also reflected disappointment that it wasnt sweetened by any cash (remember, cash is king in M&A), as well as the limited improvement on the original offer (+3.3% from implied 359p/share on 4 May). Still, given the gruelling competitive environment for challenger banks, investors were relieved that the merger was going through at all." He says much work remains ahead, especially to integrate the two banks IT systems, with the lesson of TSB's IT meltdown not lost on anyone. "With CYBG CFO projecting 30% savings from operational efficiencies, the fear is that the cuts may go too far and affect one part of the business that the banks absolutely have to get right." 0847: Oil prices are down 4% from Friday's US rig count data, notes FXPro, with OPEC and non- OPEC members due to meet in Vienna on Thursday for the start of a three-day summit where production cuts are on the agenda. US Rig counts on Friday showed an increase of 1 to 863 as more US production comes online. "The market expects production cuts to be eased adding more supply to the market and putting downward pressure on prices. The meeting is set to be contentious as Saudi Arabia and Russia are said to back the proposal to increase production by 1.5m barrels per day, in order to maintain their market share, while Iran, Iraq and Venezuela are set to block the proposal fearing lower prices and market instability. USDCAD traded higher to the 1.32000 level as oil fell." 0845: China has retaliated and hit US with $34bn tariffs on over 600 products including whiskey, electrical cars and soy, while state media attacked the US president Donald Trumps actions. After the White House announced on Friday that it would impose 25% tariffs on Chinese products worth $34bn, with another $16bn targeted at a later date, Beijing answered with sanctions that state media called "responsive, passive and reciprocal". 0803: A draft third iteration of South Africa's new mining charter recognises past 26% empowerment, but all companies must now meet a new 30% target in the next few years. The draft version of the controversial charter "contained positives and negatives, but overall, we were disappointed" says analyst Yuen Low at Shore Capital. "Most significantly, there was a major concession to regarding the all-important principle of once empowered, always empowered. Consequently, where the 26% BEE (black economic empowerment) ownership target level as been achieved in the past but BEE partners subsequently exited, companies will not be required to top up to 26% again. "Disappointingly, however, all companies will now be required to meet a 30% target within the next five years." 0755: Rabobank thinks that equity markets are being too sanguine about the the trade tit-for-tat between China and the US. To summarise, on Friday, the White House proceeded with $34bn of 25% tariffs on Chinese exports with another $16bn waiting in the wings. China has made clear again that it will retaliate immediately and will aim to hit the US agricultural sector that is President Trumps base, which will prove hugely disruptive to global agri markets. But the US announcement also made clear that if China retaliates then the US will once again up the ante. "So what do markets make of this so far? Well, not a lot to be honest," Rabobank says. "Especially equities, which jumped in the US on Friday. One thing is therefore evident. Either markets are not pricing this all correctly, or everything we are repeatedly told about the damage that trade wars do is wrong. Which one is it? It looks like we might soon find out." The House of Lords is set to vote down the governments Brexit bill and the meaningful vote on Monday setting up a showdown with rebel lawmakers in the Commons on Wednesday. The pressure will pile on Prime Minister Theresa May as she confronts opposition from all sides and stands with a wafer-thin majority. Pro-EU Tories have warned that they will vote down the governments plans for what should happen in the scenario of a no-deal Brexit. They argue that Parliament should be given power to take over negotiations if no deal is agreed or if the agreement made with the EU is deemed unacceptable. Last week the government conceded to giving parliament a symbolic vote on the governments strategy if there is no agreement with the EU. Former attorney general and leading rebel Dominic Grieve drafted his own version of the amendment but was shot down by ministers. Grieve said over the weekend that the current arrangement promised by the government was valueless. It is expected that the Lords will overturn the governments symbolic vote and will move towards an amendment closer to Grieves proposal. According to Bloomberg, some MPs warn they could move to oust the Prime Minister and collapse the government if they voted against the Brexit deal. On the other hand, May is still facing challenges to please hard-line Tory Brexiteers who would happily exit the block without a deal. The PM stands on the edge of a knife as she tries to move Brexit negotiations forward without upsetting either side of her conflicted party. Theresa May said the government planned to provide the NHS an extra 394m a week, funded from increased tax contributions. May gave a speech on Monday, following up on TV appearances over the weekend, but admitted the extra 20bn in funding by 2023 for the health system would be funded by tax rises rather than purely from a Brexit dividend, meaning money that would no longer be payed to the EU. "The NHS will be growing significantly faster than the economy as a whole, reflecting the fact that the NHS is this government's number one spending priority." She added: "Some of the extra funding I am promising will come from using the money we will no longer spend on our annual membership subscription to the European Union after we have left." But she conceded that "taxpayers will have to contribute a bit more in a fair and balanced way to support the NHS we all use". Minister Jeremy Hunt also said on Monday there would have to be an "increased burden of taxation" to fund the 3.4% average annual rises in NHS budget. Economists say it is unlikely there will be a Brexit dividend before 2023 since the UK will continue to pay the EU during transition and into the 2020s. Earlier this year, Chancellor Philip Hammond warned that public spending could not increase due to the economic uncertainty the UK was suffering over Brexit. In her speech Theresa May said the long-term plan for the NHS should include plans for mental health and social care. She also said she wanted the UK to be at the forefront of the revolution of how artificial intelligence can transform healthcare. May added that the NHS should work towards reducing the dependence on doctors from countries where medical staff are in short supplies. Searching for late Pleistocene-aged fossils by digging holes adjacent a water canal near the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Brunswick, Georgia, may not appeal to some college students, but it did for University of North Georgia (UNG) faculty members David and Jessica Patterson, alumna Kayla Allen and nine undergraduates. "It was an eye-opening experience," said Allen, who had been on a previous fossil expedition in Africa where, unlike this trip, she found and collected hundreds of specimens. "My favorite part was seeing how dedicated everyone was to get out and dig these holes." Funded through a UNG Presidential Incentive Award, the trip in late May and early June yielded only a few marine fossils such as stingray teeth and small bone fragments, said Dr. David Patterson, assistant professor of biology at UNG. "We collected those and sent them to Georgia College & State University (GCSU) in Milledgeville, Georgia," he said. Patterson explained GCSU will house the fossils and its students will collaborate with UNG students to create a Coastal Georgia Fossil Database, which will feature new and existing fossil collections. The holes that UNG students dug in the mosquito-infested land did not produce any fossils, but that didn't stop their enthusiasm. "No one was complaining," Allen said. "No one was in a bad mood." The fieldwork did provide plenty of data to examine and analyze. "Now that we understand the geology of the area better, we have a better idea of where the fossils are and the area where we can find them," Patterson said. "Next time, we can really concentrate on these specific places." Providing the geological information was Dr. Christopher Seminack and two of his students with the assistance of ground-penetrating radar. Essentially, the device takes an X-ray of the ground and shows the different layers of the earth, including potential areas for fossil deposits. Seminack, assistant professor of geology at UNG, used the device earlier in May for his own research trip on Sapelo Island, about 33 miles northeast of Brunswick. On the island, Seminack and a couple of students looked for erosion from past storms and eroded layers of the beach. "We can get a better understanding of how past storms affected the barrier islands and what we can expect in the future," he said. UNG students Ken Taylor, left, and Santa Hernandez analyze samples and data from their recent trip to Sapelo Island. Seminack and his students also collected sediment samples to analyze at UNG. Once the undergraduate students complete the study, they can write a thesis and present it at a geological conference. Supplying students with fieldwork and its accompanying research is a goal of Seminack and Patterson's trips. "The fieldwork gives them an appreciation of how much effort it takes to collect the data and analyze it," Seminack said. "It really opens their eyes." Patterson said its a great way to train students to ask questions and search for the answers. "The purpose of the project is to find fossils and better understand the animals that lived in the region 20,000 years ago," he said. "We can find out why they went extinct and how they are different from animals on earth today." Both faculty members hope the data collected will lead to future research trips and outside funding and grants. For information about their research, visit the SCALE lab website. Rob Rogers had worked for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for 25 years but was fired on Thursday, June 14. The fact itself may not be very interesting, since there is always someone out there who, sadly, must pack his things and look for another job. It is not pleasant, but it is also not unusual. But there is more to Rob Rogers' story than just that. After all, it is not every day that a person is fired for doing his job, right? Well, that is exactly the case of Mr. Rogers, who was dismissed for making fun of Donald Trump. But, taking into consideration that he was an editorial cartoonist, what else was he supposed to do? Satire was what he did for a living. However, it was not enough that Rogers' cartoons were funny. It turned out that the new management also wanted them to be in accord with "the philosophy of the newspaper". Rogers' views allegedly did not reflect 'the philosophy of the newspaper' Mr. Rogers wrote a letter to the New York Times, in which he told his story. Later, in an interview on CNN, viewers learned even more details about the case. Rogers' dismissal did not come out of the blue - it was rather a consequence of the steady evolution of his newspaper. A few months ago, Rogers was allegedly informed that according to the management's new policy the editorial cartoonist's views should be in accord with "the philosophy of the newspaper." That was something new to Rogers, in whose opinion cartoonists are not supposed to just illustrate somebody elses politics, but their job is to provoke readers in a way that words alone cannot. Rogers was deemed 'obsessed with Trump' Rogers acknowledges that The Post-Gazette has come a long way before changing into what it is now. It started as a liberal newspaper, but open to other ideas. The paper commenced modifying its line in 2010 when it endorsed the Republican candidate for the governor of Pennsylvania. This came as a big surprise to a majority of the readers. Discuss this news on Eunomia The next big step was taken in 2015 when the editorial page editor took a buyout after the publisher said that The Gazette might endorse Trump. "Then," writes Rogers, "early this year, we published openly racist editorials." In March the management told Rogers' that his cartoons concerning Donald Trump were too angry and even that he was obsessed with Trump. Politico cited John Block, editor-in-chief of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as saying, "Hes just become too angry for his health or for his own good. Over a three month period, almost 20 of Mr. Rogers' cartoons or proposals were rejected. This was a straight path leading to him being fired on Thursday, this week. Just before 3 AM EST early Sunday morning (June 17), 17 people were shot at a 24-hour art festival that was being hosted in Trenton, New Jersey. The annual event was attended by over 1,000 people this year. Among those shot was a 13-year-old boy, one four people listed in critical condition, according to early CNN reports. Officials say that one of three suspects was killed in an exchange of gunshots with law enforcement, and the other suspect is in custody. The gunfire sparked a frenzied fear for those attending the art festival that showcases artists and musicians each year. Witnesses told the media that the area is known to be safe and not generally plagued by gun violence. However, that seemed to change overnightliterally. Gang fistfight turns into a fight with bullets This incident was not one of a lone shooter like the Waffle House incident. Instead, it was an occurrence that was initiated by gang presence which was something that could have been avoided. According to law enforcement officials who updated the public on the shooting at a briefing, they told reporters that prior to shots being fired, several fights broke out between rival gang members and organizers tried to break it up. When shots were fired, there was a rush and stampede of screaming people who tried to escape the bullets. Edward Forchion who was at the festival and witnessed the assault told WPVI, a local tv station, that there were about 10 rapid shots fired in the door where he was. Forchion described how he could hear and feel the sounds of the shots fired. Another witness said that when the shots began, she thought they were firecrackers because the shots were so close in succession, and then "all hell broke loose. Discuss this news on Eunomia " CNNs Brynn Gingras reported on the traumatic incident at this year's festival which is in its 12th year. The event started Saturday (June 16) at 3 PM and was supposed to continue until 3 PM Sunday afternoon (June 17), however, the remainder of the art festival was canceled due to the shooting. Suspects responsible for the tragedy The Trenton prosecutors office told reporters that homicide investigators are in charge of the investigation because of the fatality of one of the three suspects. The ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms) is also involved in because there were multiple weapons found in the room where the shooting took place. According to Trenton Police, the suspect who was killed was a 33-year-old man who was just been released from jail on homicide charges and was currently on parole. One of the remaining two suspects is in the hospital in critical condition, and the third is in police custody on weapons charges. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America reps at the art festival The irony of the shooting was that representatives from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America were present at the festival in their advocacy booth. They attended the festival last year and again this year, according to the New Jersey Chapter Leader Brett Sabo, who spoke to CNN in an interview Sunday afternoon (June 17) from Washington, D.C. Sabo spoke about the tough gun laws in Jersey but noted that there is still a need for federal laws to keep citizens safe. Sabo noted there were six bills signed last week in New Jersey but that There is only so much we can do. States hands are tied and the government will not help us. The Moms want change and clearly outlined their requests Governor Murphy (NJ) has been working with the Moms on the next steps and focus of their mission on gun reform. Sabo said it was important for New Jersey to work with neighboring states on transparency and accountability for illegal guns that are trafficked, something that was a huge problem in Jersey. However, this would "require the cooperation of other states to help reduce the problem." Sabo also said the group wanted to see universal background checks become federal law and wanted to fight conceal-and-carry reciprocity at the federal level, asserting that it would "help to keep all Americans safe and right now this law puts states in danger." These are some of the same requests that have been put before the Trump administration by many Americans, including the Parkland students who suffered great losses after their school was massacred on Feb 14 of this year. New Jerseys governor, Phil Murphy, visited the scene to survey the aftermath. He spoke to reporters at the site and said the situation as "an awful, awful tragedy and yet another example of senseless gun violence." US Border Patrol maintains a strict vigil, especially at the Mexican border to prevent entry of illegal immigrants into the country. The illegals resort to various means and one of these is to hide in vehicles and try to escape the eyes of the law. However, an SUV containing 14 people failed when chased by Border Patrol agents in Texas and it overturned. The occupants were thrown out and four of them died on the spot while the fifth succumbed to his injuries in the hospital, Sky News reported. Sky noted the vehicle was speeding and that the incident took place on Texas Highway 85, about 90 miles from the Mexican border. Initial reports indicate that the SUV went off the road and the driver lost control due to the gravel. Five people died in SUV accident One of the tasks of Border Patrol agents is to ensure that illegal immigrants do not enter America. Many of them try to cross over in desperation because they want to leave their country for different reasons and make a dash for America in search of better living conditions. The men guarding the border apprehend them and prevail upon them to follow the laid down procedures. In this case, the SUV made an attempt to escape and ended up in an accident near the Mexican border in Texas. Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd confirmed that accidents of this nature are not new and the borders must be made more secure, CNN reported. Most of the occupants did not have any legal authority to be residing in the US. The driver and one passenger, believed to be US citizens, have been arrested. Border Patrol agents required to be alert The incident appeared to be a planned activity with the involvement of three vehicles. CNN reports that a Border Patrol agent in Carrizo Springs suspected something was amiss when three vehicles went past him on a rural highway. Discuss this news on Eunomia He stopped one of them and relayed information about the remaining two to his colleagues. Based on that input, a second agent stopped the second vehicle. They arrested some people as well, but the third vehicle fled the spot. It was traveling at more than 100 mph and when the police gave chase it overturned near the Mexican border in Texas and killed five men who are believed to be illegal immigrants. In the opinion of Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd, it is necessary to have the US-Mexico border wall as proposed by President Donald Trump. Only, the wall should have provisions for installing cameras and sensors as well, to make it more effective. Aspyn Brown of "Sister Wives" is now married to Mitch Thompson. These two shared a while back that they were engaged. The fans haven't got the chance to get to know Mitch much on the last seasons of the show, but hopefully, he will be on the new season more. People shared the details about their big wedding. Aspyn's wedding in Utah The wedding was with 120 guests Sunday at La Caille restaurant in Sandy, Utah. This wasn't a huge wedding, so Kody had to be happy about that and it must have been easier on his budget. Her dress was by Alfred Angelo and was satin and beaded. It sounds like Aspyn looked amazing. The reception actually had 400 people at it, so they invited several more to the reception than just the wedding. It was held in the greenhouse at the restaurant. Her husband Mitch and Kody Brown both wore kilts in the wedding. On the new season, they should share some about how the decision came up for Kody to wear one as well. Her mom Christine is seen looking pretty in green while the other moms have on blue dresses. Mitch's mom made hats for all of the moms as well. One thing that was different was that they didn't actually have a bridal party. This sounds like it was a really simple wedding for Aspyn and Mitch. Aspyn shared how they picked out the venue saying, "Its beautiful on its own, so we didnt have to do much. Theres flowers, a beautiful view and a pond. We didnt have to do much for decor because the venue is already great on its own. It takes away from us having to worry about a lot of details and allows us and our families to just enjoy it." Aspyn and Mitch together During the last season of "Sister Wives," Mitch showed up and the viewers got to meet him. Discuss this news on Eunomia They didn't show a lot about him, but Aspyn shared that they have been friends for a while before he was on the show or they started dating each other. Thompson is of Scottish heritage, which explains the kilts and also the hats that his mother made for her moms. The couple has already been wearing rings for a while, so they saw no reason at all to exchange them during the ceremony. Instead, they have had them on already. They also wrote their own vows, which is really sweet. They got engaged to each other back in January of 2018. Their engagement only lasted about six months before the couple decided to tie the knot. Don't miss the new season of "Sister Wives" when it airs on TLC. It will be back, but they haven't shared an exact date of when the show will come back again. 4 workers, trapped in Arun III tunnel, rescued safely Four workers, trapped after a landslide buried a tunnel of the Arun III Hydropower Project in Sankhuwasabha district on Friday, were rescued alive after 39 hours on Sunday. Bring back for better Sentence transfer is a reformative justice tool that protects the rights of migrants The following companies are subsidiares of Danaher: AB SCIEX, AB Sciex Germany GmbH, AB Sciex LLC, AB Sciex LP, AB Sciex Pte Ltd., Accu-Sort Systems, Acme Cleveland Corporation, Advanced Vision Technology, American Precision Industries, Applied Biosystems, Applitek NV, Aquatic Infomatics ULC, Aquatic Informatics, Armstrong Tools, BC Distribution BV, Beckman Coulter, Beckman Coulter Australia Pty Ltd, Beckman Coulter Biotechnology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Beckman Coulter Biyomedikal Urunler Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited [irketi], Beckman Coulter Canada LP, Beckman Coulter Commercial Enterprise (China) Co. 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Ltd., Pall International Sarl, Pall Italia Srl, Pall Korea Ltd., Pall Life Sciences Belgium BV, Pall Life Sciences Puerto Rico LLC, Pall Manufacturing UK Limited, Pall Medistad BV, Pall Netherlands BV Irish Branch, Pall Technology UK Limited, PaloDEX, Pantone LLC, Pelton & Crane, Phenomenex, Phenomenex Inc., Precision NanoSystems, QHC Ireland Finance Limited, Radiometer, Radiometer Basel AG, Radiometer K.K., Radiometer Medical ApS, Radiometer Medical Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Radiometer Turku Oy, Raytek, Reytek Corporation, SH Switzerland Finance Sarl, Sea-Bird Electronics Inc., SenDx Medical Inc., Shanghai AB Sciex Analytical Instrument Trading Co. Ltd., Sutron, Sybron Dental Specialties, TCIL Ireland Finance Ltd., Tektronix, Thomson Industries, Tianjin Bonna-Agela Technologies Co. Ltd., Trojan Technologies, Trojan Technologies Group ULC, VSS Monitoring, Videojet Do Brasil Comercio de Equipamentos Para Codificacao Industrial Ltda., Videojet Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Videojet Technologies Europe B.V., Videojet Technologies Inc., Viridor Waste Management Limited, Vision Systems Limited, Willett International, X-Ray Optical Systems Inc., X-Rite, X-Rite Europe GmbH, X-Rite Incorporated, X-Rite Switzerland GmbH, XOS, Yukon Hong Kong Holding Limited, and Zhuhai S.E.Z. Videojet Electronics Ltd.. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. is an international offshore energy company. It focuses on subsea construction, maintenance and salvage services to the offshore natural gas and oil industry. The firm also provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on well intervention and robotics operations. The company operates through three segments: Well Intervention, Robotics and Production Facilities. The Well Intervention segment offers vessels and related equipment that are used to perform well intervention services primarily in the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea regions. The Robotics segment involves four chartered vessels and also includes ROVs, trenchers and ROVDrills designed to complement offshore construction and well intervention services. The Production Facilities segment includes its investment in the Helix Producer I and Kommandor LLC. Helix Energy Solutions Group was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. Read More Fortis Inc. operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 433,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 98,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,233 megawatts (MW), including 59 MW of solar capacity. The company also sells wholesale electricity to other entities in the western United States; owns gas-fired and hydroelectric generating capacity totaling 65 MW; and distributes natural gas to approximately 1,048,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, it owns and operates the electricity distribution system that serves approximately 572,000 customers in southern and central Alberta; owns 4 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 225 MW; and provides operation, maintenance, and management services to five hydroelectric generating facilities. Further, the company distributes electricity in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador with an installed generating capacity of 143 MW; and on Prince Edward Island with a generating capacity of 130 MW. Additionally, it provides integrated electric utility service to approximately 67,000 customers in Ontario; approximately 270,000 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador; approximately 31,000 customers on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and approximately 15,000 customers on certain islands in Turks and Caicos. The company also holds long-term contracted generation assets in Belize consisting of 3 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 51 MW; and the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility. It also owns and operates approximately 91,000 circuit Kilometers (km) of distribution lines; and approximately 49,500 km of natural gas pipelines. Fortis Inc. was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. John's, Canada. Read More 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 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 Child, two men dead and hundreds injured in Japan earthquake A strong earthquake in Osaka, Japan has killed at least three people, including a child, and injured more than 200, BBC reported. by Hari Balasubramanian I finished reading War and Peace recently. It took me three years but I did try to read it carefully. Tolstoy defined art as that human activity which consists in one person's consciously conveying to others, by certain external signs, the feelings he or she has experienced, and in others being infected by those feelings and also experiencing them. This is a wonderfully robust definition especially because it does not impose which types of human activity or external signs qualify. And I was certainly infected by the themes of War and Peace: I felt on many occasions that the book was speaking especially to me. I took notes and copied down everything that struck me. War and Peace operates in two distinct parts. There's the story of two upper class Russian families and individuals the Bolkonskys, the Rostovs and the inimitable Pierre Bezukhov whose lives are directly affected by the Napoleonic wars from 1805-1812, including the French invasion of and subsequent retreat from Moscow. Here the narrative flows so seamlessly from one character to another, from one high society intrigue to the next, and so clear is the psychological detailing that it never feels like anything is being overdone. This despite the fact that Tolstoy likes to intervene constantly. His style goes against the show but don't tell advice that is nowadays given to writers. He takes great pains to tell us what's going on in each character's mind, how things have changed since we last met this or that person. Everything, internal or external estates, battlegrounds, soirees, dinners, military offices, forests is described with great precision. Sudden twists are not Tolstoy's style; the suspense instead comes from how a character will respond to changes in her circumstances. The other part of War and Peace consists of what can only be called the author's own essays. Tolstoy inserts them throughout the book at regular intervals, having put the story on pause. The essays, though long-winded and difficult to get through, are nevertheless an integral part of the book. Tolstoy uses them to continually emphasize how difficult it is to attribute causes to events in history, how the so called big men such as Napoleon (whom Tolstoy particularly dislikes) do not have the kind of agency that historians like to credit them. The gist of these essays is best illustrated by an analogy Tolstoy uses. In classical mechanics, Tolstoy notes, the continuous motion of an object or a combination of objects is accurately described and predicted by the integration of infinitesimally small quantities. The development of calculus in the 17th century made this possible. Likewise history too is continuous and can only be approached as an integral, as the sum of all individual wills. The historian's typical approach, however, is to isolate discrete events or periods, assume that they are independent, and assign proximate discrete causes to the events. By this method, powerful individuals such as Napoleon, are said to cause events and drive history. But are such conclusions really correct? What of the wills the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and other citizens across Europe and Russia who were involved? In Tolstoy's view only by admitting an infinitesimal unit for observation a differential of history, that is, the uniform strivings of people and attaining to the art of integrating them (taking the sums of these infinitesimal quantities) can we hope to comprehend the laws of history. Tolstoy wrote this in the 1860s. In 2015, the laws of history are still not clear. There seems to be no way to define a differential of history let alone integrate individual wills. We still have lengthy, inconclusive debates on what exactly caused an event. We can sense, intuitively, that there are innumerable causes which we cannot fully list, all of which interact in complex ways. Nicholas Nassim Taleb described it well in The Black Swan: History is opaque. You see what comes out, not the script that produces events, the generator of history. The Inner Work of Pierre Bezukhov There's a lot more one can say about the analytical or theoretical parts of War and Peace. But the main focus of this piece is Pierre Bezukhov. Pierre Bezukhov and two pairs of siblings Natasha and Nikolai Rostov; Marya and Andrei Bolkonsky make up the five major characters of the book. Each has a different personality but they share important features. They are all extremely sincere. They introspect a lot, learn lessons from the major events in their lives and are aware of their flaws. They continuously seek happiness, the kind of happiness that does not depend on external circumstances. At least three of them Pierre, Andrei and Marya are engaged in some kind of religious or spiritual search or a search for meaning and wisdom. The phrase that comes up in the book a few times is inner work. And I felt the inner work of Pierre Bezukhov especially crystallizes what Tolstoy is trying to convey. In what follows, I provide a compressed chronological version of Pierre's development in three parts along with key quotes. I can't claim that what I present is original. War and Peace has been endlessly analyzed and I may well be repeating what more qualified readers and critics have already noted. Also there are spoilers here, though I tried to minimize them by mainly focusing on Pierre's questions. All the quotes are from the acclaimed Pevear-Volokhonsky translation. The artistic rendition of Pierre Bezukhov by D. Shmarinov is from this website. The collage of Napoleon's invasion and retreat from Russia is from here. What for? Why? What's going on in the world? When War and Peace begins in 1805, Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a wealthy count, has just returned from Europe. He is a good-natured but bumbling, absent-minded and somewhat naive. He admires Napoleon. He is not particularly interested in wealth but loves the good life. Physically, he is big and fat; he eats and drinks a lot. His father's exceptional wealth, which he accidentally inherits, brings him naturally into the orbit of Russian high society. He is introduced to Elena, the daughter of the well connected Prince Kuragin. Infatuated with Elena's beauty, he marries her. But quickly it becomes clear there is no real connection. When Elena flirts with a Russian officer, Dolokhov, Pierre nonetheless becomes jealous and challenges Dolokhov to a duel. He injures Dolokhov in the leg but the matter is hushed up. Pierre gets away with the implications. Afterwards Pierre has a quarrel with Elena who taunts him, and they separate. This is exactly the point at which Pierre's inner work begins. While traveling, he has a chance meeting with a man who belongs to the brotherhood of Freemasons. Pierre has no belief in God or religious abstractions. In the past he even made fun of Masonic beliefs. But Pierre is fascinated by this stranger who argues convincingly that the supreme wisdom is not based on reason alone and can only be obtained by purifying oneself inwardly. With his life in disarray, Pierre is eager to embrace something that will give him purpose. He becomes a Mason, putting himself through the cultish initiation rituals of the brotherhood. Despite the strangeness of these rituals, Pierre is rejuvenated by the message of the Masons that the source of blessedness is not outside, but inside us. Moments like this, however, are always fleeting in Tolstoy's world. Like life itself everything moves and changes. Just when you think there is some kind of stability, it begins to disappear. So it is with Pierre's Masonic moment. Even as he becomes an advocate of his new beliefs, Pierre notices that his excesses in food, wine and the amusements of bachelor parties (Tolstoy's phrase for the company of women) continue as before. As he participates in events of the society around him and leads a dissipated life, a doubt keeps nagging him: What for? Why? What's going on in the world? He also notices that everyone around him seems to be doing something to distract themselves so as to fill the gaps in their life: Sometimes Pierre remembered stories he had heard about how soldiers at war, taking cover under enemy fire, when there is nothing to do, try to find some occupation for themselves so as to endure the danger more easily. And to Pierre all people seemed to be such soldiers, saving themselves from life; some with ambition, some with cards, some with drafting laws, some with women, some with playthings, some with horses, some with politics, some with hunting, some with wine, some with affairs of the state. Nothing is trivial or important, it's all the same; only save yourself from it as best you can! thought Pierre. Only not to see it, that dreadful it. [Tolstoy's italics.] How relevant these observations are even today! As if the activities of our physical self aren't enough all the occupations and hobbies Pierre mentions above we now have the innumerable pleasures and distractions of a life online! I was also struck by the claim: Nothing is trivial or important; it's all the same. A limit to suffering and a limit to freedom In 1811 and 1812 the years the Great Comet could be seen in the night sky Pierre is caught up in the Russian resistance to the looming French advance. It endows Pierre, whose life had been drifting aimlessly, with a new purpose. He is not capable of serving as a soldier. But he attends meetings where funds are being raised for the militia; he cooks up occult theories that suggest that he himself will somehow obstruct Napoleon's apocalyptic advance. He feels a need to undertake something and sacrifice something though he cannot articulate what he wanted to sacrifice it for. This begins a fascinating phase where the clumsy and militarily clueless Pierre walks straight into the war when all other citizens are trying to escape. We see the great Battle of Borodino through Pierre who, in good humor, blunders on to the most dangerous parts of the battlefield. Initially considered a nuisance, the soldiers slowly take a liking to this strangely dressed Russian count unexpectedly in their midst. We see him on the retreat along with soldiers. We see the burning of Moscow after the city has emptied out and Napoleon's army occupies it. Pierre stays on in Moscow, has comical plans of assassinating Napoleon with a pistol he possesses, ends up rescuing those trapped in fires, gets arrested for arson (something he was never guilty of), observes the harrowing public execution of fellow prisoners and himself narrowly escapes from being executed. Finally, he travels as a prisoner along with others under the harshest physical conditions as Napoleon's army begins to retreat from Moscow. It is in these challenging external circumstances the three week walk in captivity, away from Moscow that Pierre gains his deepest insights. He learns not with his mind, but with his whole being. He notices, to his own surprise, his ability to adapt to the difficulties very well. Depleted French reserves mean that Pierre is fed horsemeat, which he finds tasty and nutritious and the saltpeter bouquet of gunpowder they used instead of salt was even agreeable. It is fall, the weather is cold, but walking keeps him warm and even the lice that ate him warmed his body pleasantly. His feet are full of sores and are frightful to look at, but Pierre simply and very naturally thinks of other things. This teaches him the saving power of the shifting of attention that has been put in man, similar to the safety valve in steam engines, which releases the extra steam as soon as the pressure exceeds a certain norm. A fellow prisoner, a peasant foot-soldier named Platon Karataev, inspires Pierre with his genuine simplicity and cheer. Pierre realizes that as there is no situation in the world in which a man can be happy and perfectly free, so there is no situation in which he can be perfectly unhappy and unfree. Further: He had learned that there is a limit to suffering and a limit to freedom, and those limits are very close; that a man who suffers because one leaf is askew in his bed of roses, suffers as much as he now suffered falling asleep on the bare, damp ground, one side getting cold as the other warmed up; that when he used to put on his tight ballroom shoes, he suffered just as much as now, when he walked quite barefoot (his shoes had long since worn out) and his feet were covered with sores. He learned that when, by his own will, as it had seemed to him, he had married his wife, he had been no more free than now, when he was locked in a stable for the night. What really elevates these sentences is the quality of the examples and the contrasts they set up. The claims are simple yet striking. They are those truths that we perhaps know intuitively but have not articulated yet. People must join hands Pierre is eventually rescued, and with the war finally reaching its end, he returns to normal life. Even though he falls ill, he is filled joy and recovers. When, by old habit, he asks himself: Well, and what then? What am I going to do? immediately the answer comes to him: Nothing. I'll live. Ah, how nice! The search for a purpose, Pierre has realized, is precisely that which keeps one unhappy. The purpose seems simply to live, to get on with things cheerfully if possible, rather than looking for abstractions. Pierre has emerged a renewed man. But just because we've gained some wisdom does not necessarily mean that we will adhere to it all the time. We see this again and again in War and Peace. (It also works the other way: a lack of enthusiasm for life never lasts either and a person finds himself revived one way or another.) Prince Andrei, Pierre's friend, keeps experiencing blissful moments when he feels that the world has been transcended. Such as when, lying injured at the Battle of Austerlitz, he glimpses something indescribably special in the lofty sky, something that renders everything else insignificant. But however profound such moments may be, they always fade. Prince Andrei's sister, Marya Bolkonsky, who unlike her atheist brother and father, is devout, has an unshakeable faith, and tries very hard to elevate her character through religion Marya discovers again and again that despite her best efforts and sincere intentions all kinds of irritations and jealousies torment her. Pierre changes at the end too, but it's a lot more subtle. The Epilogue is set a few years after the war. Pierre is happily married and has children. He retains much of his newfound joy in life; people still love to be around him. You would think this would be a good way to finish, literally a happily ever after ending. But somehow, inexplicably, Pierre now decides to participate in political intrigue. He has just returned from an important meeting in Petersburg. He feels the current administration in Petersburg is not doing the right things, there's thievery in the courts, what is young and honest, they destroy. So people must join hands, in order to avoid the general catastrophe. War and Peace ends with Pierre hinting at the creation of a rebel group something's cooking, and it will eventually lead to the Decembrists revolt of 1825. So Pierre, who had learned from his experiences in war a few years back that there is no need for abstract purposes, now ends up again arguing for and participating in one. To the very end, Tolstoy remains faithful to the fact that not even the most profound realizations withstand the dynamism and change that is life. Jennifer Ouellette in Quanta: Gerardo Ortiz remembers well the time in 2010 when he first heard his Indiana University colleague John Beggs talk about the hotly debated critical brain hypothesis, an attempt at a grand unified theory of how the brain works. Ortiz was intrigued by the notion that the brain might stay balanced at the critical point between two phases, like the freezing point where water turns into ice. A condensed matter physicist, Ortiz had studied critical phenomena in many different systems. He also had a brother with schizophrenia and a colleague who suffered from epilepsy, which gave him a personal interest in how the brain works, or doesnt. Ortiz promptly identified one of the knottier problems with the hypothesis: Its very difficult to maintain a perfect tipping point in a messy biological system like the brain. The puzzle compelled him to join forces with Beggs to investigate further. Ortizs criticism has beleaguered the theory ever since the late Danish physicist Per Bak proposed it in 1992. Bak suggested that the brain exhibits self-organized criticality, tuning to its critical point automatically. Its exquisitely ordered complexity and thinking ability arise spontaneously, he contended, from the disordered electrical activity of neurons. More here. by Thomas Manuel In 1320, Giovanni Mauro da Carignano, the rector of a church in Genoa, made a map of the Mediterranean world that marked near the Nile Valley a land called Terra Abaise inhabited by Christiani Nigri. Terra Abaise or Abyssinia was apparently inhabited by black Christians. How did Carignano know this? Apparently, he met them. A 15th century text says that in 1306, a group of 30 ambassadors from Abyssinia travelled to Italy to meet the Pope Clement V and talk diplomacy. The historian Matteo Salvadore writes that if this group is accepted as an embassy, they would be the first recorded African embassy to a European sovereign. This was the first of a series of attempts by the Ethiopian empire to make contact with the Christian nations of Europe based on their common religious identity. While it is of little moral solace that those ages were more divided based on religion than race, Salvadore makes a great case for the Ethiopians being welcomed as Christian allies without any derogatory assertions around their colour or allegations of barbarism. In 1402, another group of Ethiopians showed up in Venice. This group was led by an Italian who had travelled to Ethiopia as a trader but had there been commissioned by the Ethiopian negus or emperor Dawit 1 to lead a diplomatic mission back to Italy. The main aim of the mission seemed to be religious. They came back with chalices, crosses, holy relics and other sacred objects. It also seems to be the case that, as a result of this mission, a fragment of the True Cross (the one that Jesus died on) was sent to Ethiopia by the Doge of Venice. But along with these pious requests were also more pragmatic ones requests for artisans and technologies to help aid in the expansion and development of the empire. In 1427, the Ethiopian negus Yeshaq sent a mission to the King of Aragon in Valencia to open diplomatic channels and to request that skilled artisans be sent to his country. The Aragonese king was clearly delighted to make contact with this nation and even went so far as to propose a royal marriage between the two nations to make the alliance between them official. He also sent craftsmen and artisans. But sadly, neither the people nor the letter made it back to Yeshaq. They wouldve had to travel through Egypt and at that point of time, it was unlikely that Muslim rulers of those lands wouldve looked kindly on communications between these Christian states. In the end, the proposed marriages never took place, leaving us another fascinating counterfactual to ponder. By this point, it is clear that the Ethiopian nation was taken seriously as equals in Europe. In 1441, the Pope Eugene IV organizes an ecumenical council in Florence to discuss among other things the union of the various churches. But the delegation of Ethiopian monks that attended came from the Jerusalem convent of the Ethiopian church and had no sanction to discuss something as grand as a merger. Their deposition at the council speaks volumes for their deferent-but-equal attitude to the Western church: It is evident that all the people who departed from you ended up in ruin; but we, of all heresies departed from the Roman chair, are still strong, powerful and free. [. . .] Our strangeness is to be imputed to the long distance and to the perils dividing us and for the negligence of our past pastors. However we do not have recollection of your visits, for the purpose of taking care of our lost flock, we think it is for more than 800 years that the Popes have not dispatched somebody to tell us may God bless you. (Translation by Salvadore) By this time, Rome had become a regular site of pilgrimage for Ethiopian monks who wished to study and research. The Santo Stefano degli Abissini was dedicated to taking care of them. In fact, Ethiopian Christianity seems to have so been so well-respected that one 16th century commentator wrote, We who profess Christianity ought to be ashamed of ourselves, since the Ethiopians seem to surpass us in regard to the cult and observance of the religion. The joyous welcome meted out to Ethiopian delegations definitely has something to do with the conflation of the ruler of Ethiopia and the mythical figure of Prester John. For those who have never heard of Prester John, he was a kind of Christian legend: a far-away Indian king of a powerful Christian kingdom surrounded by infidels. No such kingdom or king has been found to match the picture painted of him. Many scholars have argued that the myth was invented for political reasons. With the rise of Ethiopia in European consciousness, Prester John moved from being an Indian king to an African one. (Of course, its good to remember that back then, the Indies or India basically meant everywhere from East Africa, the Middle East, central Asia to actual India). Whats even more interesting is that the Ethiopians had a similar myth regarding a king of the Franks who would come to their aid and put to an end to their enemies. Salvadore argues, very intriguingly, that on both sides of the Ethio-European contact zone the figure of a distant and powerful Christian king became the main character of an inventive ploy meant to resolve the tension between the present and future conditions of Christianity in the face of a Muslim onslaught. Over the course of the 1500s, the requests from Ethiopia did take a military slant with more fervent requests for weapons and aid against the neighboring Muslim nations. They were essentially asking for a joint anti-Muslim crusade. A joint military action did finally end up taking place but it wasnt a crusade. In 1541, the Portuguese came to their aid against the onslaught of the neighbouring kingdom of Adal. If they hadnt interfered, the Ethiopian nation wouldve probably fallen. But with this intervention, Ethiopia also became an official destination for the Jesuits from Portugal who aggressively tried to convert the inhabitants to catholicism. Of course, this kind of behaviour quickly changed the attitude to Europeans and the idea of Christian brotherhood across nations mostly went up in smoke. References: 1. Matteo Salvadore, The Ethiopian Age of Exploration: Prester Johns Discovery of Europe, 1306 1458, Journal of World History, 2011. 2. Matteo Salvadore, The African Prester John and the Birth of Ethiopian-European Relations, 14021555, Routledge, 2017 Rory Smith at CNN: IQ scores have been steadily falling for the past few decades, and environmental factors are to blame, a new study says. The research suggests that genes arent whats driving the decline in IQ scores, according to the study, published Monday. Norwegian researchers analyzed the IQ scores of Norwegian men born between 1962 and 1991 and found that scores increased by almost 3 percentage points each decade for those born between 1962 to 1975 but then saw a steady decline among those born after 1975. Similar studies in Denmark, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Finland and Estonia have demonstrated a similar downward trend in IQ scores, said Ole Rogeberg, a senior research fellow at the Ragnar Frisch Center for Economic Research in Norway and co-author of the new study. More here. Win McNamee/Getty Images Social Security and health care will be the two most important issues on the minds of older Florida voters when they cast their ballots in the congressional midterm elections, according to a new Politico/AARP poll. The poll also revealed that 50-plus voters are pessimistic about having enough money to retire and believe future generations will be worse off financially than Americans are today. The poll is the first in a series of public opinion surveys reporting on the attitudes and opinions of voters in a number of battleground states, with a focus on the 50-plus electorate. AARP has partnered with Politico Magazine to demonstrate how important the 50-plus voter is in determining the makeup of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as well as state races across the nation. As part of the collaboration with AARP, Politico Magazine will produce a series called The Deciders to examine more closely the hot-button issues that motivate older Americans, from Gen Xers and boomers to the Silent Generation and the Greatest Generation. Over the past four decades, older Americans have turned out to vote in far greater numbers than younger citizens. In Florida, 39 percent of its population is over the age of 50. Candidates who ignore the issues that matter to voters age 50 and up do so at their own peril, says Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer. Older voters were decisive in the last two elections, and they will likely be decisive this year as well. AARP is making sure that older voters are energized to go to the polls and know where candidates stand on the issues they care about. Earlier this year, AARP launched Be the Difference. Vote, a multifaceted campaign designed to maximize the influence of 50-plus voters in the upcoming elections. The campaign will highlight issues like Social Security, Medicare and financial security, topics that older Americans are especially concerned about, as the Florida poll illustrates. 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. Errant Indian firm to outsource remaining tasks Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the state-owned power utility has convinced the Indian contractor hired to handle hydro mechanical work of 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project to outsource its remaining tasks to another firm. On June 5, Mexico, in retaliation for the Trump administration slapping tariffs on Mexican and other countries steel and aluminum imports to the U.S., announced its own tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum imports. The tariffs will range between 15 and 25 percent. On June 6, this is how my day unfolded: phone call to me from one of my associates: Whats going on with Mexicos imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum? Can you find out if this affects companies participating in Mexicos maquila industry? My phone call to the U.S. Department of Commerce: Can you provide me with specific information on Mexicos tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum? And how they will be implemented and in what sectors? USDOC response: We dont have any specifics at this point, but lets see if our people in Washington, D.C., have any information. My next phone call, to Mexicos Secretariat of the Economy: How will the tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum imports be implemented, and will companies shipping steel and steel components operating within Mexicos maquiladora industry be affected? The secretariats response: The official decreto (decree) on the new tariffs has not yet been published, so we dont have any information at this time. However, we will contact Mexico City to see if we can provide you with any specific information. The U.S. Department of Commerce sends me a slew of links to study more about U.S. steel and aluminum exports to Mexico. This is good information, but it doesnt discuss specifics of Mexicos new tariffs. I keep following up with officials at Mexicos Secretariat of the Economy, but until the official decree is published, they cannot provide me with any specific information. As all of this is taking place, I am receiving calls from U.S. companies that ship steel to Mexico, and American and Mexican reporters trying to grasp what effects the new tariffs will have on U.S.-Mexican trade. I have to punt on the issue, because I, like everybody else, am in the dark as to the specifics of tariffs. The lack of information from both sides increases the apprehension. Finally, the decree is published, and my friend at the secretariat forwards me the link. I take a couple of hours to read through the whole document, which is written in Spanish legalese and difficult even for a Spanish speaker to understand at first reading. The document goes through the rights of the Mexican government to defend its self-interests, and finally, charts of steel categories and the associated tariffs that are being imposed are clearly listed. Still, no definitive information on whether U.S. steel/aluminum exports within the maquiladora framework will be affected. Finally, I zero in on two paragraphs that specify in what sectors the tariffs will be applied, and a reference to the fact that they wont be imposed on firms that are already participating in a tariff deferral program (i.e., the maquila industry). Voila! I call my contacts and translate the passages into English. One of my friends actually uses online translation software, and the translation is almost identical to my spoken translation. An air of collective relief ensues. However, everybody is exasperated by the official announcements that are made without specific information for companies that could be directly affected by the tariffs. Trump might not have believed that Mexico or Canada would retaliate against U.S. tariffs that he imposed on steel and aluminum imports from these countries. Both countries are proving him wrong. Some estimates say that U.S. and Mexican companies operating within Mexicos maquiladora program account for nearly 80 percent of U.S.-Mexican trade. Because the maquiladora industry is such a huge generator of production and exports between the U.S. and Mexico; and this sector appears untouched, and the U.S. is imposing tariffs on Mexican steel/aluminum in products imported into the U.S., and in reality, this is a small percentage of overall Mexican exports to the U.S., what is really happening? Politics are what is happening. Mexico got blindsided by the Trump administration and it was forced to retaliate; however, it is essentially playing the same game as Trump by imposing tariffs where they will have the smallest effect. In the meantime, a waiting game ensues to see what the other side will do next, with both sides keeping their heavy ammunition tariffs that could be imposed on larger trade flows between the two countries on standby if necessary. Who is being affected? Mostly, U.S. companies that ship billions of dollars of exports, including metals, to Mexico. As one of my colleagues in the steel industry who ships hundreds of millions of dollars of metals to Mexico each year told me, I could add another production line and hire another 12 employees, but I am not going to do this under this environment of uncertainty. Things could change again tomorrow. I am spending so much time on this issue, which is taking me away from my actual work. How many more companies are postponing new investments and putting off on hiring new employees because of the unstable circus that has been created by this tit-for-tat situation that should not have been started in the first place? Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the International Business Accelerator, a nonprofit trade counseling program of the New Mexico Small Business Development Centers Network. He can be reached at 575-589-2200 or at jerry@nmiba.com. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal The past few months were a time of transition for TriCore Reference Laboratories, an Albuquerque-based organization that provides laboratory and related services throughout the state. At the end of last year, Khosrow Shotorbani, the companys chief executive officer and a high-profile figure in the New Mexico health care industry, quietly left the company. In March, TriCores chief financial officer, Kent Gordon, departed the organization and was replaced by Renee Ennis of Presbyterian Healthcare Services. But TriCores new CEO, Dr. Michael Crossey, dismisses any notion of turmoil within the company. We had an exceptional team then, and we have an exception team now, said Crossey, who served as chief medical officer before Shotobanis departure and was named the long-term head of the organization in March. It would be odd for an organization of our size to not see some transition as we look toward the future. At the same time TriCore is evaluating its future, it is also honoring its past: The companys 20th anniversary is later this summer. A TriCore spokeswoman said the organization is still deciding exactly what to do to celebrate the anniversary, though it will definitely include recognition of TriCores 1,300 employees, a head count that has more than doubled since 1998. In anticipation of its coming milestone, Crossey led the Journal on a tour of TriCores core lab and discussed the companys current operations and plans going forward. Automation hits lab TriCore is a not-for-profit organization co-sponsored by Presbyterian Healthcare Services and the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. According to its Form 990 filings with the Internal Revenue Service, the company earned about $84 million in revenue in 2016, the most recent year for which such information is publicly available. TriCore has 30 patient care sites throughout the state, and in addition to Presbyterian and UNM, it processes thousands of lab tests for Lovelace and the New Mexico Cancer Center, among others. The companys core labs perform about 10.5 million clinical tests a year, everything from the esoteric (like complex genetic tests) to the routine (including complete blood counts and urine tests). Its those routine tests that account for the bulk of the 10.5 million tests, and Crossey said that handling them efficiently has been one of the keys to TriCores success. For one thing, by handling routine tests, hospitals are able to focus on testing for patients in the emergency department and intensive care unit. For another, the company is able to process a much higher volume of incoming work. There are benefits for the staff, too, Crossey said. Automation has hit the clinical lab, said Crossey. When routine tests are increasingly automated, its the problem specimens that become a focus for technicians, which are more intellectually challenging. Among the tests that TriCore processes primarily through automation: Pap smears and urine samples. Implementing that technology has not led to job losses, according to Crossey, but rather a shift to having staff handle tests that are flagged as abnormal and those that require more complicated analysis. When the Journal visited the core lab in May, urine samples were being fed through a $2 million machine from Italian company Copan Diagnostics Inc. TriCore was the first lab in the U.S. to install the system and have it fully integrated into its operations, according to Crossey. Automation and other technological advances have also allowed the company to keep more of its work within New Mexico, because the company has the capacity to handle a greater volume of routine tests and has been able to invest in resources to handle more complicated services. Crossey said that in the early days, TriCore sent about 30 percent of its tests out of state for processing; that number is now 1.5 percent. Its so important to shift the load to in-state, he said. You can send something to Denver, Dallas, or Phoenix, but those results are going to take at least three days. And when youre a patient waiting to hear about cancer treatment, those are three very long days. Looking forward Not all of the companys expansion over the past two decades can be attributed to organizational planning, Crossey acknowledges. TriCores toxicology operations those that deal with detecting the presence of substances with adverse effects have been in high demand in recent years for reasons outside the companys control. Unfortunately, theres been a lot of growth, he said. Theres a one-to-one correlation with the opioid crisis. He says he is hopeful that TriCores services can provide useful support to patients and physicians as the state tackles the epidemic. As for the future, Crossey said the company will explore the digital imaging of slides and means of sharing those images, much the way medical professionals handle X-ray images. Theres also the labs partnership with health care company Roche, through which TriCore staff tests devices for the multinational corporation. Its part of our strategy to diversify, and culturally its a great fit, too, because our staff loves to try new things, Crossey said. Perhaps the greatest question for the company in the coming years will be the extent to which it is able to live up to an initiative highly publicized by Crosseys predecessor, Shotorbani: finding ways to harness the massive amounts of data being processed through TriCore and using them to help physicians better understand the populations they serve. Crossey, who said that labs produce about 70 percent of the data found in any given patients chart, said exploring the world of data analytics is still a priority for the company. One thing likely to stay constant is the companys focus on keeping operations close to home. Crossey said there is no strategy in place to turn TriCore into a national lab two decades after it was founded, and he has no desire to do so. I just want to be the best regional lab, he said. An Albuquerque woman is charged with vehicular homicide in connection to a crash early Sunday that left a pedestrian dead, according to court documents. Carlos Medrano-Olivas was transported from the scene and died soon after. Valerie Nieto, 30, is charged with homicide by vehicle. Nieto told police that she was driving on Montano when another driver ran a red light at Pan American and hit her Dodge Journey, causing it to roll, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. A semi-truck driver who witnessed the crash also told officers that Nieto had a green light at the time of the collision, which happened around 1 a.m. Sunday. Its not clear from the criminal complaint what happened to the vehicle that hit Nieto. Police said Nieto smelled of alcohol and a breath test later showed that she was at or above the legal limit. A police spokesman was unable to provide additional details Sunday. Its hard to imagine theres a lawmaker out there who doesnt know Racheal Gonzales or hasnt heard what she has to say. Because what she says is important and because she is just that persistent. Gonzales, you may recall, is the woman behind the eponymous Racheals Law, which allows no-contact orders to be granted for any length of time, including permanently, as part of a rapists sentencing or after the offenders release from prison. It also keeps survivors from having to face their abusers again by permitting them to be represented by attorneys rather than be present themselves at hearings on the orders. Gonzales, raped at knifepoint as a child, sent thousands of emails, made hundreds of calls, shook hands, rubbed elbows and stayed in the faces of state senators and representatives and anybody else she could enlist to get her bill passed. Finally, after three legislative sessions, the bill became law in 2016. It was a lesson, she said, in civics, the civil way of speaking up and the power each citizen has to create change. But it also taught her that some elected politicians are harder than others to reach and some seem perfectly happy to be unreachable. That, she said, isnt cool. If someone cannot pick up the phone or return a call, they dont deserve to sit in that seat and represent us, she said. They just dont. Gonzales, who continues to advocate on behalf of children who are victims of sexual assault and abuse, wrote about her experiences in reaching out to candidates and incumbents during the just-concluded primary election season in an op-ed that ran in the Journal on June 2. While advocating as a volunteer for the thousands of voiceless abused children, domestic violence victims and sexual assault victims in the New Mexico capital for five years, I learned that some legislators have compassion for issues and some have their own agenda, she wrote. How did I come to this conclusion? Unreturned phone calls and emails from some N.M. lawmakers. Many candidates, she said, responded to her. But at least two candidates did not including Patricia Roybal Caballero, the Democrat state representative from Gonzales district in the South Valley since 2013. Roybal Caballero has not returned an email or call since the early days when Racheals Law was a budding idea, she said. Racheals Law and the advocacy I do for countless victims might have gone nowhere had I been discouraged with the response from Roybal Caballero and given up, she said. I wonder how many other constituents have tried to reach out to her and got nowhere and were not as persistent as I was. Before the primary election, Gonzales said she decided to reach out again to Roybal Caballero in the hopes of hearing an explanation for the silence. Maybe her emails never arrived. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. She posted comments polite but pointed ones, she said on Roybal Candelarias Adelante New Mexico page on Facebook. Instead of an explanation, she was blocked. When Caballero blocked me, she took away my right to let other constituents know of my experience with her, Gonzales said. It was basically a slap in the face. On Thursday, Gonzales filed a complaint with the Attorney Generals Office against Roybal Caballero and another candidate. Upon review of the Governmental Conduct Act, I hope that this situation will be taken seriously, she wrote, referring to the state compliance guide that establishes parameters for ethical and legal conduct of public officers and employees at all levels of government. Roybal Caballero initially said she would respond to Gonzales allegation, but later declined because of the Attorney Generals Office complaint. Upon review of the documents you sent, I have no choice but to refrain from a response, as I will have to confer with my attorney concerning the complaint you note was filed, she wrote. Thank you for your inquiry. Being blocked on social media has recently come under scrutiny after a federal judge ruled last month that President Trump violated the constitutional rights of Americans when he blocked people who criticized him. Some legal experts say the ruling, which Trump is appealing, sets a precedent that other public officials will be under pressure to follow. But Gonzales said shortly after she filed her complaints, the Attorney Generals Office told her that there is no law in New Mexico yet that governs being blocked on social media. And so that has inspired another reason for Gonzales to speak up, another bill to get behind. I think its time to get it introduced and passed, she said. Lets hope when she and others call, our elected officials remember to be responsive to the people they serve. UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, jkrueger@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal TORNILLO, Texas New Mexicans were among hundreds of families who on Fathers Day protested the separation of children from their parents outside a tent city set up as a temporary shelter for immigrant kids. Parents, some pushing strollers, others carrying babies and small children, walked along a rural road outside this small town about 45 miles southeast of El Paso on the Mexican border. Large white tents visible in the distance behind a security fence marked the site of a federal temporary shelter for immigrant children the government set up a few days ago. The protest crowd swelled to as many as 1,000 people from across the southwest border region, chanting free the children and singing The Star-Spangled Banner. Father Tom Smith, director of the Holy Cross Retreat Center in Las Cruces, led the group, gathered around the security fence, in prayer. The story of Jesus, let the children come to me. This is not a time to separate families, Lord, but to bring them together, said Smith. Nearly 2,000 children have been taken from their parents since Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered the prosecution of anyone crossing the border illegally to crack down on human smuggling and also deter Central American families from trying to cross. Many are seeking asylum from gang violence, according to lawyers and immigrant rights organizations. Its a monstrous, evil policy and it needs to be changed. And its not going to change unless we all speak out. Thats why were here, said State Rep. Bill McCamely, of Las Cruces. Since children cannot be held with their parents in adult jails or detention centers, they are transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services, which set up the temporary shelter for unaccompanied alien children this week. The federal government has been coping with overcrowding at facilities for children, according to the agency. Jeff Dray, a father and president of the Veterans Democratic Council of Dona Ana County also attended the protest. What theyre doing with the zero tolerance policy in arresting the parents and then detaining the children and putting them in tents in the middle of the desert is completely immoral and it needs to stop, said Dray. The call to action on Fathers Day came less than 24 hours earlier from U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke D-TX, who is challenging Sen. Ted Cruz in November. U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., grandson of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, made a surprise appearance at the protest where he was met with cheers as he walked through the crowd to join immigrant advocates, human rights and religious leaders speaking against separating families. There are many in this crowd whose families, whose own story is the same. Jimenez, Martinez, or ORourke. This one is Kennedy, he said referring to his familys Irish roots. We fight for these kids. We fight for their parents, not just because theyre kids, but because this is the story of our country, the nation that we have built. News of the tents going up near the tiny town of Tornillo galvanized opposition, including from some Republicans. U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, whose district includes the region where the temporary shelter is located, toured the large air-conditioned tents Friday night. There are 360 beds and more could be added as needed, according to Hurd. 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, Hurd said in an interview with an El Paso television station. ORourke says the policy of taking kids from their parents doesnt reflect American values. We would like to think and we try to tell ourselves, this is not America, this is not us, this is not what we do, said ORourke. But ladies and gentleman, at this moment, this is America. This is us. This is what we are doing. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Local beer and live music helped revive downtown Truth or Consequences. Now state lawmakers are wondering if similar ingredients can help Main Streets in smaller cities across New Mexico. Members of a legislative committee agreed this summer to take a look at New Mexicos complex system of liquor licenses, along with other ideas to help downtowns, with an eye on proposing changes in the 2019 session. They highlighted the Truth or Consequences Brewing Co. as an example of the power of offering visitors an Oasis Ale or Hot Springs Lager local beers on tap in TorC. The new brewery is so successful that other businesses are staying open later to take advantage of the extra traffic, and the establishment has emerged as a venue for live music, Rep. Rebecca Dow, R-Truth or Consequences, said in an interview. What its done for the downtown area is amazing, she said. The brewery benefited from state help, underscoring the possibility that the idea might be replicated in other parts of New Mexico. About $125,000 in state funding helped renovate a building for Truth or Consequences Brewing Co. under the Local Economic Development Act making it one of about a half dozen breweries or distilleries from Silver City to Santa Fe to benefit from the program over the past three years. And the brewery was able to avoid the need for a full liquor license, in part, because it makes its own beer on site. Its an example, some lawmakers say, of the flexibility theyd like to see extended to other parts of New Mexicos complex liquor license system. A small brewers license, of course, isnt an option for, say, a restaurant that simply wants to offer margaritas made with tequila. The sale of whiskey, vodka and other spirits requires a different license thats more difficult to get. But several lawmakers said small towns might benefit from making the full license more accessible, partly because the full licenses are largely concentrated in New Mexicos largest cities. Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington, put it this way: No one should have to drink a margarita made with wine. Often, he said, chain restaurants a Chilis or Applebees, for example are the only ones in smaller cities that can afford the liquor license that allows the sale of cocktails made with spirits. Thats a turnoff, he said, for tourists who might be looking for a local restaurant with New Mexico drinks. People will travel to go have a drink and a steak, House Minority Whip Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, said in a recent meeting of the Legislatures Economic and Rural Development Committee. The big box restaurants, they can afford it, but the mom-and-pop restaurant thats a good steak house isnt able to do it. Sharer said Farmingtons downtown has unique old buildings and the potential to draw people in who want to experience Navajo culture. But it doesnt attract tourists and out-of-town visitors the way Durango an hour north, in Colorado does, they said. All over New Mexico, Sharer said, weve got small towns that are dying. Quota system Revitalizing downtowns, of course, isnt a problem anyone expects to be solved through alcohol sales alone. But some lawmakers say New Mexicos complex system of liquor licenses which limits the supply of certain kinds of licenses doesnt help. Sen. Ron Griggs, R-Alamogordo, said that a disproportionate number of full dispenser licenses allowing the sale of spirits are in the states largest cities. A quota system developed in the 1980s caps the number of certain licenses, making them extremely expensive, he said. In some cases, it can cost $250,000 to $1 million to buy a license from someone willing to sell, Griggs said. For a national chain, Griggs said, that could be the difference between coming to Alamogordo or not coming to Alamogordo. And if a national restaurant does build in a small town, he said, that puts pressure on local restaurants that might not have the money to buy a competing license. Griggs has repeatedly introduced legislation aimed at revising New Mexicos liquor license system. Hed like to make the system more flexible so its easier for people to do business and meet customer demand. But people who own one of the limited liquor licenses, naturally, dont want to see their investment damaged. Finding the right answer has been really difficult, Griggs said. State Rep. Debbie Rodella, an Espanola Democrat who serves as chairwoman of the Economic and Rural Development Committee, said she will add the issue to the committees agenda ahead of the 2019 legislative session. Montoya, the representative from Farmington, suggested the next session is the right time to consider the liquor license system. In election years, he said, everybodys afraid to touch the subject. The Martinez administration, in turn, says the state has already made a variety of changes including to the liquor license system to help small breweries, wineries and distilleries. Feels energetic The increased business activity in Truth or Consequences has the attention of state officials. Truth or Consequences Brewing has transformed downtown TorC, said Mark Roper of the state Economic Development Department. Truth or Consequences is about 75 miles north of Las Cruces, near Elephant Butte reservoir and Spaceport America. It has a collection of hot springs. The town is named after a 1940s and 50s radio quiz show, Truth or Consequences. The show mixed trivia questions with embarrassing stunts. Marianne Blaue, owner of Truth or Consequences Brewing, which opened last year, said the states economic development grant helped renovate a building in the core of the city, ensuring the brewery didnt have to build a new structure. Her company had to commit to creating eight to 10 manufacturing jobs over five years or clawback provisions will kick in. In the meantime, she said, the live music, neon lights and on-street parking have helped make for a livelier downtown. It just feels energetic, Blaue said in an interview. You can tell people are out and things are happening. DONT DRIVE ON MONDAYS, FRIDAYS OR SATURDAYS: Thats according to a new study by Avvo, a Seattle, Wash.,-based legal organization that analyzes the average day and time of fatal vehicle crashes in America. According to its breakdown of 2016 data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), New Mexico is a good place to stay put on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. Thats because on those days, we ranked in the top five states for deadly crashes. Were in second place on Mondays, behind Mississippi, with 3.2 fatal wrecks per 100,000 residents. Were in third place on Fridays, behind Mississippi and Alabama, again with 3.2 fatal wrecks per 100,000 residents. And were in fourth place on Saturdays, behind Mississippi, Montana and South Carolina, with 3.9 fatal wrecks per 100,000 residents. Break it down further by time of day, and you just do not want to be on New Mexico roads at 4 p.m. The report says it has already been established that 4 p.m. to 6:59 p.m. is the deadliest time of day overall but which states bear the brunt of those fatal hours? When 4 p.m. hit, Wisconsin and New Mexico experienced the highest rate of road fatalities in the country, with 1.7 crash fatalities per 100,000 residents. And it got worse as it got later in the Land of Enchantment. Between 7 p.m. and 9:59 p.m. New Mexico is the deadliest state in the country with 4.2 fatal crashes per 100,000 residents. See the full report at www.avvo.com/fatal-car-accidents. WHY THE ATRISCO VISTA SPEED-LIMIT DROP? Liz Osmun emails, I have no idea who else to contact regarding Atrisco Vista. Why on earth has the speed limit on that road been reduced to 40 mph from the Paseo (del Norte) corner to Interstate 40? It makes no sense being that low, and when we follow that silly limit we create traffic jams and folks pass us, even in no-passing zones. The road would be much safer if there were simply a reasonable speed limit all the way. The city maintains it has found the safest speed limit. Johnny Chandler, public information coordinator for the Department of Municipal Development, says officials there understand that Atrisco Vista is a roadway that does not see a lot of traffic, and the surrounding area appears wide open. Atrisco Vista from I-40 to Paseo Del Norte has recently undergone improvements with additional stripping and signage. Based on the geometry of the roadway and engineering design speed, the previous speed limit was too fast. AND WHERE ARE THE VENTURA SPEED LIMIT SIGNS? Bill C. says in an email, I have noticed that a speed limit sign has disappeared from northbound Ventura, from the Academy Road intersection. Prior travel on this route, leaving Layton, was at 25 mph, residential. A sign posting 35 mph about 100 yards north of the Academy intersection was present until sometime recently, maybe three months ago? No sign now until almost .3 miles further north, where the 35 mph pre-existing sign continues. My impression of the law is that until reaching the existing sign, 25 mph is still the speed limit. What happened to the (missing) sign? Chandler says the Department of Municipal Development has replaced the 35 mph speed limit sign at the location in question. City ordinance states that the speed limit on roads without a sign is defaulted at 25 mph. If any city of Albuquerque sign is missing for any reason, we encourage all community members to call 311, and the sign will be replaced as soon as possible. Editorial page editor DVal Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M. 87103. The Bernalillo-based Coronado Historic Site and the Friends of Coronado Historic Site have won a prestigious national leadership award for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. The American Association for State and Local History has given the pair an Award of Merit for Dig Kuaua, according to a news release. Dig Kuaua part of the Coronado Historic Site was a community project that took place over the summer of 2017. It featured 75 local volunteers and allowed more than 4,000 visitors to get an up-close view of real archaeology, organizers said. Artifacts discovered there represent the last 2,000 years of human history in New Mexico. As a joint effort with Coronado Historic Site, the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies and the Friends of Coronado Historic Site, the dig identified new sites and expanded the boundaries of Kuaua Pueblo, revealing previously undocumented rooms, according to the release. One unexpected benefit has been that professional archaeologists, graduate students and even avocational researchers have begun new projects since the end of the dig, organizers said. The award will be presented at a special banquet during the 2018 AASLH annual meeting in Kansas City, Mo., on Sept. 28. We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com. Coronado Historic Site earns national preservation award WASHINGTON Special counsel Robert Mueller is examining a previously undisclosed meeting between longtime Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone and a Russian figure who allegedly tried to sell him dirt on Hillary Clinton. The meeting between Stone and a man who identified himself as Henry Greenberg was described in a pair of letters sent Friday to the House Intelligence Committee and first reported by The Washington Post. Stone and Michael Caputo, a Trump campaign aide who arranged the 2016 meeting, did not disclose the contact in their interviews with the committee. But they now believe the man was an FBI informant trying to set them up in a bid to undermine Trumps campaign. Greenberg could not immediately be reached for comment, but in a text to the Post he denied he was working for the FBI when he met with Stone. The letters obtained by The Associated Press and written by Stone and Caputos lawyers say that, in late May 2016, Caputo received a call from his Russian business partner introducing him to Greenberg, who claimed he had information about Clinton that he wanted to share with the campaign. Caputo suggested Greenberg meet with Stone, who had left the campaign in 2015 but remained an informal Trump adviser. At Caputos request, Stone met with Greenberg at a Florida cafe, where Greenberg asked for $2 million in exchange for the information, according to Stones lawyer. Stone swiftly rejected the offer, explaining that neither he nor Trump would ever pay for political information, his lawyer wrote. Both men say they quickly forgot about the episode, which marks the latest in a long list of unusual contacts between Russians and Trump campaign officials as well as offers of help. The special counsel has spent months investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump campaign aides played any role in the foreign interference plot. Trump and his lawyer, meanwhile, have tried to discredit the investigation, insisting its unfounded and plagued by misconduct and political bias. WITCH HUNT! Trump tweeted on Sunday, insisting: 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! As part of their campaign, Trump and his loyalists have tried to convince the public that the FBI violated its usual operating procedures, including installing spies inside Trumps campaign, though theres no evidence thats the case. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a member of Trumps legal team, on Sunday dismissed the significance of the Stone meeting. So, yes, 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, he said in an interview with CBSs Face the Nation, adding that Muellers team can investigate from here to, you know, to Timbuktu, and theyre not going to find a darn thing. Both Stone and Caputo failed to disclose the Greenberg meeting in their interviews with the House Intelligence Committee an omission their lawyers said was accidental. Caputos lawyer, Dennis Vacco, said his client had simply forgotten about this brief encounter in 2016, and only remembered it as he was preparing for his interview with Muellers team. Caputo told the AP that Muellers team asked him at length about the meeting. They knew more than I did, which set off alarms. I thought was this a setup? he recalled. Caputo said he hired investigators using money from his legal defense fund to dig into Greenbergs background and has produced a dossier with the findings, which Stone endorses. Mr. Stone believes it is likely that Mr. Greenberg was actively working on behalf of the FBI at the time of their meeting with the intention of entrapping Mr. Stone and to infiltrate and compromise the Trump effort, his lawyer, Grant J. Smith, wrote. The FBI declined to comment, but has said its counterintelligence investigation didnt begin until July 2016, two months after the meeting. The Washington Post, citing interviews and documents, reported that Greenberg has at times used the name Henry Oknyansky, and claimed in a 2015 court filing he had been providing information to the FBI for 17 years. The Post notes the meeting happened around the same time that others members of the Trump campaign were being approached by people with Russian ties offering dirt on Clinton. Several members of the campaign were also approached by another U.S. government informant in a possible bid to glean intelligence on Russian efforts to sway the race. Several news outlets including the Post, The Wall Street Journal and NBC News have identified an FBI confidential source as Cambridge University professor Stefan A. Halper. ASPEN, Colo. The wife of a Maryland man who died during a rafting trip down the Roaring Fork River filed a lawsuit accusing a Colorado rafting company of negligence and fraud. The Aspen Times reports Allison Parker filed a lawsuit Friday against Aspen Whitewater Rafting in the death of her husband, James Abromitis, who died June 15, 2016, after he was ejected from a boat two separate times. The lawsuit claims the company knowingly misrepresented and concealed the nature and danger of the water, and then engaged in grossly negligent and intentionally reckless conduct causing Abromitis to be tossed twice from the boat. Aspen Whitewater Rafting owner Jim Ingram said he didnt know about the lawsuit and referred questions to his lawyer. That lawyer did not return a phone message seeking comment. ___ Information from: The Aspen Times, http://www.aspentimes.com/ Minister Mahaseth assures contractors of no arrest Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth has assured construction project contractors that the government would no longer arrest them for non-performance or under-performance, informed people on both sides said. LAS CRUCES, N.M. Police have charged two teens for damaging a memorial to Vietnam War veterans and a Vietnam War-era Huey Helicopter at a New Mexico park. KVIA-TV in Las Cruces reports 18-year-old Marvin Reyes and a 16-year-old boy were charged last week with one count each of criminal damage to property. The charges come after police received reports last month that teens had damaged the Vietnam War Memorial at Veterans Park in Las Cruces. Police arrived to find damage to the Huey helicopter mounted high above the memorial. Investigators said damage to the helicopter included a cracked windshield, a shattered downward vision window and a broken searchlight. No attorneys are listed for the suspects. BROWNSVILLE, Texas An audio recording that appears to capture the heartbreaking voices of small Spanish-speaking children crying out for their parents at a U.S. immigration facility took center stage Monday in the growing uproar over the Trump administrations policy of separating immigrant children from their parents. Papa! Papa! one child is heard weeping in the audio file that was first reported by the nonprofit ProPublica and later provided to The Associated Press. Human rights attorney Jennifer Harbury said she received the tape from a whistleblower and told ProPublica it was recorded in the last week. She did not provide details about where exactly it was recorded. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said she had not heard the audio but said children taken into custody by the government are being treated humanely. She said the government has high standards for detention centers and the children are well cared for, stressing that Congress needs to plug loopholes in the law so families can stay together. The audio surfaced as politicians and advocates flocked to the U.S.-Mexico border to visit U.S. immigration detention centers and turn up the pressure on the Trump administration. And the backlash over the policy widened. The Mormon church said it is deeply troubled by the separation of families at the border and urged national leaders to find compassionate solutions. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, reversed a decision to send a National Guard helicopter from his state to the Mexican border to assist in a deployment, citing the administrations cruel and inhumane policy. At the border, an estimated 80 people pleaded guilty Monday to immigration charges, including some who asked the judge questions such as Whats going to happen to my daughter? and What will happen to my son? Attorneys at the hearings said the immigrants had brought two dozen boys and girls with them to the U.S., and the judge replied that he didnt know what would happen to their children. Several groups of lawmakers toured a nearby facility in Brownsville, Texas, that houses hundreds of immigrant children. Democratic Rep. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico said the location was a former hospital converted into living quarters for children, with rooms divided by age group. There was even a small room for infants, complete with two high chairs, where two baby boys wore matching rugby style shirts with orange and white stripes. Another group of lawmakers on Sunday visited an old warehouse in McAllen, Texas, where hundreds of children are being held in cages created by metal fencing. One cage held 20 youngsters. More than 1,100 people were inside the large, dark facility, which is divided into separate wings for unaccompanied children, adults on their own, and mothers and fathers with children. In Texas Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for people trying to enter the U.S., Border Patrol officials say they must crack down on migrants and separate adults from children as a deterrent to others trying to get into the U.S. illegally. When you exempt a group of people from the law that creates a draw, said Manuel Padilla, the Border Patrols chief agent there. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, speaking to reporters during a tour of San Diego immigration detention facilities with Rep. Juan Vargas and other House Democrats, said family separation is a heartbreaking, barbarian issue that could be changed in a moment by the president of the United States rescinding his action. It so challenges the conscience of our country that it must be changed and must be changed immediately, she said during a news conference at a San Diego terminal that is connected to the airport in Tijuana, Mexico, by a bridge. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas announced late Monday that he was introducing emergency legislation intended to keep immigrant families together. All Americans are rightly horrified by the images we are seeing on the news, children in tears pulled away from their mothers and fathers, Cruz said. This must stop. President Donald Trump emphatically defended his administrations policy Monday, again falsely blaming Democrats. The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility, he declared. Not on my watch. ___ Snow reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Steve LeBlanc in Boston contributed to this report. Shortlists for Pharma, Health & Wellness, Titanium, Innovation and Glass: The Lion for Change have been announced at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2018. India has secured 19 Shortlists so far. Pharma Lions In Pharma Lions, TBWAIndia has secured three shortlists for its work titled Blink to Speak done for Asha Ek Hope Foundation in three sub-categories Direct to Consumer, Direct to Patient and Non-regulated Direct. Health & Wellness Lions In Health & Wellness, India has secured 10 shortlists. These include three shortlists for Grey India Mumbai for its work The Health Purse (Sehat Ka Batua) done for Mahindra Rise which deals with self examination for breast cancer. DDB Mudra Group Mumbai has also secured three shortlists for Project Free Period done for Johnson & Johnsons brand Stayfree sanitary pads. McCann Health New Delhis work Noon Assembly has secured three shortlists. The campaign was done for Kwality Ltds milk brand. JWT India has secured one shortlist for its work done for UNICEF, titled Every Half Counts. Glass: The Lion for Change Cheil Worldwides campaign for Samsung Technical School Seema Nagar has been shortlisted. The other shortlists include BBDO Indias work titled #StandByToughMoms done for SC Johnsons brand All Out; DDB Mudra Groups Project Free Period done for Stayfree sanitary pads from Johnson & Johnson; and FCB Indias campaign titled Sindoor Khela No conditions apply, done for The Times of India. Titanium Lions In Titanium Lions, India has secured one shortlist DDB Mudra Groups work titled Project Free Period done for Johnson & Johnsons brand Stayfree sanitary pads. Innovation Lions The solitary shortlist for India in Innovation Lions is for Cheil Worldwides work done for Sense International Indias Good Vibes App. The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has confirmed that a total of 32,372 entries have been received into this years awards. Entries have come from 90 countries and have been made into 26 Lions. Early analysis of the numbers provides revealing insights to the creative communications industry, particularly around client engagement with the awards. Philip Thomas, CEO, Ascential Events and Chairman-elect, Cannes Lions, commented, Last year, we made the decision to press the reset button on Cannes Lions. We closed three big Lion awards, and removed and combined many sub-categories. We did it knowing that this would mean a smaller volume of entries, but it was the right decision for the long term. 2018 has seen the closure of three Lions Cyber, Integrated and Promo & Activation and this change, and the removal of more than 120 sub-categories from across the Lions is calculated to have impacted numbers by 13 per cent. Commenting on the effect of Publicis Groupes one year pause from the Festival, Thomas added, As we have seen, many clients have entered Publicis campaigns into the Festival this year to support their partnership and the work they do together. This shows how passionately they feel about the importance of creativity in their business. But obviously, there has been an impact from Publicis temporary decision to step back, and we calculate that impact to account for an 8 per cent drop in the Festivals entry numbers. The 2018 entry numbers have also shown a shift in the type of companies entering the awards with the number of brands entering work increasing by 84 per cent over last year. Jose Papa, Managing Director, Cannes Lions, commented that this was confirmation of marketing leaders increased understanding of the value that creativity has on business and ROI. Another notable change includes an increase in media owners entering work, up 59 per cent on 2017. To reflect the modern creative marketing challenges that face the industry, two new Lions Creative eCommerce and The Sustainable Development Goals were added for 2018 and together have generated 1,166 entries. Additionally, three reimagined Lions Social & Influencer (some categories retained from the Cyber Lions), Industry Craft (some categories retained from Outdoor, Design and Print & Publishing), and Brand Experience & Activation (some categories retained from Promo & Activation) have been launched, generating a further 6,082 entries. Papa also added, In its launch year, weve seen an incredible uptake of the Sustainable Development Goals Lions with 898 entries, while Glass: The Lion for Change, now in its fourth year is also up on entries at 218. Its indicative of an industry that is focusing on using creativity as a driving force for good, and Im proud to say that we donate the revenue from these Lions back to relevant charities. Other trends showing in the entry numbers include an industry-wide, sustained investment in creative effectiveness with entries into The Creative Effectiveness Lion the only global award that recognises the compelling link between award winning creativity and business driving results remaining strong in 2018. Craft is also proving to remain crucial for the industry with entries into the Film Craft Lion up year-on-year to 2,519 and a strong first year for the Industry Craft Lion with 1,720 entries. Global juries are currently convening in Cannes to judge and award creative excellence from across the world. The winners of the Lions will be announced at award shows throughout the Festival from June 18 to 22. Coca-Cola India, one of the countrys leading beverage companies, announced the launch of a new campaign Refreshment Full. Garmi Gul for its leading sparkling beverage Sprite. The new campaign reiterates the brand positioning by emphasizing cut-through clarity, refreshing honesty and takes forward the message of smart thinking. As part of this campaign, Sprite is launching six TV Commercials which have been created on the core message of refreshment. The TVC captures the easy life of various knickknacks such as Russian Dolls, Snow Globe, Bobble heads, in comparison to the difficult life of Sprite which has to refresh consumers in the searing heat of summer. The TVC has been created in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, Oriya and Hindi. For the campaign, Sprite conducted a consumer research to find out the imagery that comes to a consumers mind when they think about summer. This imagery was used to create 100 unique Augmented Reality labels that consumers can scan via www.sprite.in and take their mind off the heat. Commenting on the launch of the new campaign, Abhijit Datta, Director Flavors, Coca-Cola India said, The idea around this campaign was to communicate Sprites promise of being the ultimate refreshment, and doing it in a way that underscores our authenticity and attitude. We wanted to reorient our storytelling style creatively magnifying the difficult job Sprite has to Refresh us all in the scorching heat of the summer, which is a monumental task! The multi-faceted India campaign includes a number of consumer touch points, including multi city marketing activations with 45 special Sprite vans with mist fans and installed sampling canters which will be travelling across 1500 locations in India. Consumers will be able to spot the Sprite Van in their cities and sample chilled Sprite in Thermochromic Ink Cups. Commenting on the idea behind the TVC Ajay Gahlaut, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather, Delhi said, For this summer campaign, we decided to focus on the core refreshment benefit of Sprite. The challenge was to communicate this simple benefit in an engaging and interesting manner and in the typical witty Sprite tone. After many iterations we decided on comparing the uselessness of various strange objects to the usefulness of a bottle of Sprite when it came to refreshing people in the hot Indian summer. The choice of the strange objects was not arbitrary. We chose those that made us giggle the most. To further keep the consumers engaged, Sprite is running a summer contest, where on scanning 30 unique labels, consumers stand a chance to win a trip to Mauritius. Additionally, Sprite is the official sponsor of the IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad this year where the fans can share their unique Sunrisers chant to stand a chance to win tickets along with meet and greet activations with the players. IPG Mediabrands-owned Lodestar UM, one of Indias leading media and marketing services companies, today announced the appointment of Anita Devraj Mookerjee as Head - South. Mookerjee will lead the entire South India operations of LUM, including the agencys Bangalore, Chennai and Kochi operations. Lodestar UMs South India operations is one of the largest in the country and includes marquee clients like Wipro Consumer Care, Accenture, MedLife, Exide Life Insurance, Duroflex, Zivame, Amaron Batteries, Amante and several others. Mookerjee will lead the agencys continued focus on strategic media planning, technology, data, content and ROI driven solutions and deliver on the lines of agencys global philosophy of Better Science, Better Art, Better Outcome. Prior to joining Lodestar UM, Mookerjee was Managing Director of Mediacom Indonesia. Commenting on Mookerjees appointment, Nandini Dias, Chief Executive Officer, Lodestar UM, commented, Our success as a network has been driven by the strength of our people, product and leadership. A comprehensive search for the right leader, led us to Anita, who is the perfect candidate to spearhead the next phase of development in these critical markets. She further added, A performance-oriented, industry leader with a proven track record of success, especially in the areas of business growth, strategy and brand building, Anita will ensure we continue to deliver on the Lodestar UM promise of powerful, creative, insight-driven ideas for our clients. We are delighted to have her on-board and welcome her into the Lodestar UM family. Talking about her new role, Mookerjee said, I spent my formative years in media in Lintas Media Group (now Initiative), where I used to handle ITC. So, this is a home coming for me. She further added, Lodestar UM as an agency has always focussed extensively on its product and people. I am excited and looking forward to reflecting on all my learnings and experiences in India and South East Asia. And of course, collaborating with some of the sharpest minds in the business is an added privilege. Armed with over 19 years of experience in media communications and brand planning, Mookerjee is an alumni of Mumbai University. She started her career with Ogilvy in 1999. In 2005, she joined Lintas Media Group as Business Director. Following a stint of 3 years, Mookerjee joined Mediacom in 2008 as General Manager and overlooked the agencys operations in Bangalore and Chennai. She moved to Mediacom Indonesia in 2012 as Managing Director and spent 5 years with the agency before returning to India. Nepal, Japan likely to sign revised ASA today Nepal and Japan are all set to sign a revised bilateral air services agreement (ASA) on Monday, as part of Nepal Airlines' preparatory works to re-launch flights to the land of the rising sun after a 10-year long wait. New York Times contributors have organized against an attempted rights grab by the newspaper, issued in the form of a work-for-hire contract for the production of drone footage, reports PDN. The contract, distributed in mid May, specifies that The New York Times will own all right, title and interest, including copyright, in the work for all purposes throughout the world. NYT contributors have launched a petition to pressure the newspaper to negotiate a new contract. 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. Four people have been killed in the run-up to Turkeys election, staining what had been a largely peaceful election campaign and exposing electoral fault lines in the final days of the bitterly contested vote. Tensions between supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) erupted into a firefight on June 14 in the mainly Kurdish town of Suruc near the Syrian border. The clash was a brutal reminder of how the battle to form the next Turkish government may come down to how Kurds, about 20% of the electorate, decide to vote. Polls show support for the pro-Kurdish HDP hovering at 10%, the barrier it needs to clear to enter parliament. If it falls short, the AKP should easily win most of the legislatures seats. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is running for re-election in a concurrent presidential poll, seems aware of the risk posed by the HDP, and last week an amateur video recording showed him ordering party officials to carry out special work on voter lists to keep the HDP below the threshold. The clear front-runner for the presidency, Erdogan has indicated he will not rule with a divided government and hinted in an interview with Bloomberg last month that the elections could be repeated to avoid one. On Monday, the Turkish press reported that police detained Fadil Senyasar, whose father and two brothers were killed in Suruc. At least 15 people, including an HDP parliamentary candidate and other party officials, are in custody in connection with the deaths, and prosecutors have classified the investigation as secret. The brother of AKP lawmaker Ibrahim Halil Yildiz was shot to death in the clash. Pro-government media outlets accused the Senyasar family of attacking Yildiz group when he stopped at their store asking for their votes. Erdogan said the armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) had killed Yildiz brother and compared the militants and the HDP to vampires. This incident is a clear example of how the PKK and the HDP have still not abandoned their growth strategy of feeding on Kurds blood, he said. The HDP disputes this version. In a preliminary report obtained by Al-Monitor, the HDP said Yildiz had argued with the Senyasars two days before and that his entourage had armed themselves. A fistfight broke out during a second trip to the family shop and guns were drawn, the report alleged, citing anonymous eyewitnesses and local politicians. The Senyasars were attacked at the local hospital after the father came to see his two sons who were being treated for wounds sustained in the shootout, the report read. The sons died there and the father died a day later at another hospital. The Turkish Medical Association also said that two of the victims had been killed at the Suruc hospital, where security cameras were destroyed. Cellphone footage showed the hospital in a state of disarray. The violence was part of a game to keep the HDP below the vote threshold, Co-chair Pervin Buldan told a campaign rally in Istanbul late on Sunday. Suruc was a provocation ahead of the June 24 election, she said. They think, If we do something like this in Suruc, no one will support the HDP. The government has sought to couple the HDP with the PKK but Buldans party denies direct links with the outlawed group, which has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey at a cost of 40,000 lives. About half of Turkeys estimated 16 million Kurds back the HDP, while the rest support Erdogan, trusting the Turkish strongman to deliver peace and prosperity to their war-torn, impoverished region. The HDP is banking on greater Kurdish support in this election or risks exile from the legislature, the first time a Kurdish party won't be represented in more than a decade. In a twist, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu blamed Muharrem Ince, who is running for president on the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) ticket, for the Suruc attack because of his recent overtures toward Kurdish voters, including a visit to Selahattin Demirtas, the HDPs presidential candidate who has been in prison since November 2016. The reason for and the author of the incident in Suruc is Muharrem Ince. [He] spoiled them and directed them toward violence, he told party members. Unfortunately, there is an alliance of terrorism between the CHP and the HDP. The town of Suruc holds an especially sensitive place in Turkish memory. In 2015, 33 peace activists, most of them of university age, were killed in an Islamic State (IS) suicide bombing there. The attack led to the unraveling of Erdogans initiative to negotiate a settlement with the PKK. This election campaign has seen sporadic episodes of thuggery, mainly in the form of gangs beating up opposition party members at their stands. But it has been spared the bloodshed of the 2015 election, including an IS bombing that killed more than 100 people at a pro-HDP peace rally. Egypts Great Sphinx of Giza is the most instantly recognizable statue associated with Egypt, and Cairo is determined that it remain so. So when a full-size replica of the famous monument reappeared in China's northern Hebei province earlier this month, Egypt's response was swift and stern. The Sphinx has been an issue of diplomatic demarches and complaints to UNESCO, the cultural arm of the United Nations, since a Chinese theme park in Shijiazhuang put it up in 2014. The Chinese officials said that it had been constructed for a dramatic production and that it would be demolished after the filming was done. After two years of intensive appeals to both the Chinese government and UNESCO, Cairo managed to get the Chinese authorities to remove the head from the giant statue. But another two years later, the controversy has returned. Last month, a Chinese news site reported that workers at the theme park had been seen reattaching the statue's head. Egypt protested that the Chinese authorities should have requested a permit from the Egyptian government and is now seeking to destroy the statue for once and all. Elham Salah El-Deen, head of the museums sector at the Ministry of Antiquities, told Al-Monitor that any country wishing to make replicas of Egyptian antiquities has to first obtain permission from Egypts Ministry of Antiquities. Duplication without permission is a violation of both Egypts Antiquities Protection Law, enacted in 1983, and Intellectual Property Rights Protection Law, enacted in 2002, as well as the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), Abdel Rehim Rehan, a professor of archaeology and a member of the Antiquities Committee at the Supreme Council of Culture, told Al-Monitor. According to Rehan, international agreements such as TRIPS, a World Trade Organization agreement that both Egypt and China signed, protect intellectual property rights. Egypt has the right to sue any country that duplicates its antiquities without permission. Under Egyptian law, Egypts Supreme Council for Antiquities is the only body entitled to produce modern versions of antiquities and issue permits for other entities or countries to produce replicas in accordance with its requirements. We monitor the replica creation process and make sure that the replica meets our standards, said Salah El-Deen. She explained that under Egyptian law, replicas identical to the original antiquities are forbidden. What China is trying to do is to create a very similar antiquity, which violates Egyptian law and international regulations, she added. Another ministry official said that Egypt would file another complaint to UNESCO against the reconstruction of the famous Egyptian monument. While the Egyptian authorities debate cultural heritage rights, the tourism sector focuses pragmatically on whether the duplicate, like others around the world, could harm Egypts tourism industry. Many museums all over the world, including the most famous ones, are filled with replicas of Egyptian antiquities. The Egyptian government has to take action against this because many tourists go to such museums to see imitated Egyptian monuments and they do not come to Egypt to see the original ones, Hossam Akawy, the owner of a tourism company, told Al-Monitor. Akawy also said that by establishing a replica of the Sphinx, China can drum up interest in a large numbers of tourists from Asia. That is why Egypt has to take this matter very seriously, he added. Adel Nagi, another tourism company owner, claims just the opposite, saying that China is creating a major promotional campaign for Egypt by erecting the replica. He told Al-Monitor, The replica is proof that the Chinese people are fond of Egyptian culture and civilization, and its construction will attract many tourists from China, which has a large population. Egypts tourism industry has been wobbling since the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. A Russian plane crash over the Sinai Peninsula in October 2015 worsened the industry's situation, with Russia, Britain and Germany suspending flights to Egypt. Egypt has taken a raft of measures over the past few years to attract tourists, including beefing up security at the countrys airports and floating the Egyptian pound, a move that left tourism in Egypt more affordable. Last month, a senior government official told Reuters that Egypts tourism revenues surged by about 83% in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2018, compared to the same period a year earlier, to stand at $2.2 billion. A year after the start of the Saudi-led siege of Qatar, the Gulf Cooperation Council is all but dead. The GCC was created by Saudi King Khalid in May 1981 during the Iran-Iraq War to provide strength through unity for the gulf monarchies; the United States was its midwife. Never a tight union, the GCC nonetheless was a useful means to coordinate policy and enhance the influence of Saudi Arabia and the other five monarchies. The decision announced on June 5, 2017, by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to break relations with Qatar and impose a blockade on trade on the emirate came shortly after President Donald Trumps visit to Riyadh last year, his first foreign stop as president. It remains unclear today how much the Saudis told the Americans about the plan to attack Qatar and how much Trumps team understood what they were told. Confusion was the hallmark of the American response to the blockade. It still is. The Saudis did tip their hand in one way. On May 28, 2017, the 200 surviving male descendants of Muhammad Ibn Abd al Wahhab, the founder of the Islamic sect named for him, published an open letter in the Saudi newspaper Okaz. The front-page letter was addressed to the emir of an unnamed Gulf state. It accused him of failing to follow the truth path of Wahhab and of deviant behavior and demanded that the name of the chief mosque in his emirate be changed from its current name, the Muhammad Ibn Abd al Wahhab Mosque. Only one Gulf state has such a mosque, Qatar, the only other Wahhabi country in the world. It was in effect the excommunication of Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani from the faithful. This religious expulsion preceded the political breakup by a week. It is always far more difficult to resolve a matter of faith and religion than a political dispute. Politics are malleable, religion is doctrine. This spring, one of the descendants of Wahhab, Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Sheikh, became Saudi minister of Islamic affairs. The ministry determines the content of prayers in the kingdoms mosques, a crucial position in the Wahhabi clerical establishment. Abdullatif is a protege and ally of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The crown prince is the architect of the Qatar blockade and likely the key driver behind the letter. Political quarrels between the Saudis and Qataris go back decades. Riyadh has long resented Dohas determination to have an independent foreign policy and its tendency to stick its finger in the Saudi eye. Ambassadors were withdrawn but the spats were kept contained. The quarrels did not affect the GCC from doing its business and holding high-level meetings. Tensions are inherent in the council given the power disparity between the members. The Saudis are the elephant. They always envisioned the GCC to be more like the Warsaw Pact than NATO: an alliance run by one capital rather than a collection of equals. The smaller gulf states knew this and resisted moves for greater unity in military affairs or a single currency because they feared Saudi dominance would be inevitable. Cooperation and consultation but not integration. Prince Mohammed has broken the old way of doing things and thus the GCC. Instead there are now a variety of camps in the monarchies. There is the Saudi camp. The UAE is firmly on board with punishing its political and economical rival Qatar. Abu Dhabi is a strong critic of Al Jazeera, which is based in Doha. Bahrain is an even more zealous member because it has longstanding border disputes with Qatar, some of which are being reopened now. A majority-Shiite state with a minority-Sunni ruling family, Bahrain is dependent on Saudi military forces, which entered the country in the 2011 Arab Spring, for its stability. Kuwait is a partial member of this bloc. It did not break relations with Qatar last year and has quietly tried to mediate the dispute, sometimes with Americas support. But Kuwait is very dependent on Saudi Arabia, especially since the 1990 Iraqi invasion. It follows the Saudi lead on almost all issues given its deep fears of Iraqi irredentism and Iranian interference with its large Shiite population. The Kuwaitis followed the Saudis in committing to a five-year economic aid package for Jordan at the recent Mecca summit convened by King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud to bolster the position of the other Arab monarch in the Middle East. Qatar is on its own. Since it hosts the largest and by far most important American military base in the region, the headquarters of Central Command, Qatar has a unique relationship with Washington. It lobbies for its interests in the United States very aggressively. The blockade has produced an interesting backlash in the tiny country. By all accounts the Qatari citizens (a minority of Qatar's residents, who are overwhelmingly foreign workers) have rallied behind the emir. A Qatari nationalism has emerged far more vibrant than before. Oman stands aloof from the quarrels of its fellow monarchs. Sultan Qaboos has always been a distant figure, rarely attending GCC summits. His sultanate looks to South Asia as much as it looks to the Middle East. Muscat refused to join the Saudi-led war in Yemen three years ago when the rest of the GCC signed up for the Saudi coalition against the Houthis. Oman maintains correct ties with Iran and has helped Qatar cope with the blockade. So the GCC is today broken as never before. The Trump administration has failed to speak with a clear single voice. More importantly, it has been ignored. Two secretaries of state have tried to heal the split as has the secretary of defense, to no avail. It is an extraordinary display of American weakness and impotence. It also means that the united Islamic front against Iran that Trump hailed last year in Riyadh is broken at its front line in the Persian Gulf. With the American violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the isolation of the United States from the P5+1 on the nuclear deal, the unity needed to curb Iran is fragmented both regionally and globally. The GCC secretariat still exists in Riyadh. Inter-Arab cold wars are never permanent. But alliances are built on trust. NATO survived George W. Bushs stupid war in Iraq because of an underlying trust in America. As NATO special adviser at the time, I know, I was there. There is no longer that fundamental trust in America. The GCC was an important American ally now lost to petty intrigue. The former chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, Hassan Firouzabadi, is squatting in a mansion that belonged to the former Shah of Iran, according to a letter published by a conservative university group. The Movement for Justice Seeking Students published the letter, addressed to Tehrans attorney general, June 17. The letter claims that Firouzabadi has been living rent-free for the last 25 years in a 107,000-square-foot estate in Lavasan, a wealthy suburb outside of Tehran often referred to as the Beverly Hills of Iran. According to the letter, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has asked Firouzabadi on two occasions to vacate the premises, but the police forces have not carried out these orders. Allegations that a former official is involved in some form of real estate corruption are not particularly new in Iran. The ownership of the building, however, has raised eyebrows. According to the letter, the mansion belongs to the Executive Headquarters of Imams Directive, an institution that is often called Setad in Persian, which operates directly under Khamenei. Former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini established Setad after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with the intention of distributing abandoned property to charity. Today, Setad is one of the country's wealthiest institutions. Its holdings have gone far beyond the real estate abandoned after the revolution by members of Mohammad Reza Pahlavis government and other wealthy individuals. Perhaps most ominously of all, the group ended the letter by stating that if Firouzabadi continues to refuse to leave the estate, the group would reserve the right to take revolutionary action in emptying out property of the national treasury. In an interview with Fars News, Mohammad Javad Motamedi, the secretary of the student group behind the letter, said Firouzabadi had previously said he would leave the estate by May 21. After he did not do so, the group decided to go public with the letter to the prosecutors office. Firouzabadi served as chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces for 27 years. Khamenei ordered him replaced in 2016 by Mohammad Bagheri, who comes from an intelligence background. Firouzabadi was a strong advocate of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly referred to as the Iranian nuclear deal, which was signed under President Hassan Rouhani. Some social media users speculated that the reason the conservative group targeted Firouzabadi and eventually went public with the letter was his support for Rouhanis signature foreign policy agenda. Firouzabadi, while still serving as chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, had also previously indirectly criticized the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' influence in the realm of media. Some websites speculated that Firouzabadis staunch support for the nuclear deal caused him to fall out of favor with Khamenei. However, by Khamenei's standards, Firouzabadi held the role of chief of staff for an unusually long time, and he continues to serve as an adviser to Khamenei. The alliance formed between the Sairoon Alliance, led by Muqtada al-Sadr, and the Fatah Alliance, led by Hadi al-Amiri, to potentially form a new Iraqi government sent shock waves through the country's civil movements, which had been relying on Sadr to break with the sectarian quotas and alliances that have dominated Iraqi politics for the past 13 years. The Iraqi Communist Party (ICP), headed by Raed Fahmi, described the alliance between Sadr and Amiri as cross-sectarian, but almost 97% of their blocs is Shiite. This has prompted prominent civil society activists to criticize the ICP for its position. The ICP which protested with Sadrists in Baghdad and other cities against corruption and sectarianism beginning in 2015 had allied with Sadr in the May parliamentary elections on the Sairoon list. The ICP leadership considered the alliance with Sadr as a way for the country to a move beyond the sectarian nature of its recent politics, and the party secured two of the 54 seats won by the list. It is the first time that the ICP has made it into parliament with multiple seats. It won a single seat in the 2005 elections, and then failed to win seats in the 2010 and 2014 polls. The ICP, which has long criticized Iranian policies and the blocs affiliated with Fatah, said in a surprising official statement, however, The Fatah-Sairoon alliance contributes to protecting the country from being exposed to serious, dangerous risks, which different forces with various motives are trying to inflict [on Iraq]. The statement stressed that the party is holding onto the Sadr-Amiri alliance, which has led some ICP members to openly criticize their party. ICP leader Jihad Jalil, who had been an active participant in the anti-corruption protests since 2011, posted on Facebook, The statement issued by ICPs political bureau on supporting Sairoons alliance with the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) does not represent me. The political bureau, known for its mismanagement of alliances, is clearly in the wrong here. The Fatah Alliance includes armed Shiite factions from the PMUs close to Iran or even loyal to it. It won 47 seats in May. Jalil told Al-Monitor, Given the project Sairoon and the protest movement had agreed on, the Sairoon-Fatah alliance is way off course. This alliance has a significant number of members in parliament, all of whom share similar principles, so the small number of ICP representatives might not have a say at the end of the day. The ICP leadership, which had criticized party-affiliated armed groups and sectarian-based consensus for years, thus finds itself in a delicate situation, in particular because it has not announced any anticipation of withdrawing from the coalition or taken an opposing stance. Ali al-Sumery, a prominent figure from the 2015 protests in Baghdad who left the protest movement in 2015 after Sadrists joined it and some civil society figures openly identified as Sadrists, told Al-Monitor, The smallest civil forces within Sairoon do not have a say in the coalitions decision-making process. Sadr is the one calling all the shots. Sumery added, Sadrs outlook is the only one that matters. Others follow. ICP sources have informed Al-Monitor that the political bureau supporting the Sadr-Amiri alliance has led some members to resign. Most of those who submitted their resignations are from the younger generation, the source said. This is a normal reaction to a position they did not accept. The ICP, which appears to have managed to steer clear of corruption and violence, now finds itself at a crossroads. It can either withdraw from the Sairoon coalition, keeping the Shiite blocs with close ties to Iran at arms length, or remain in the coalition to ensure access to a ministry in the next government. In the end, ICP's representatives in the next parliament, Fahmi and Haifa al-Amin, will not have much influence while under the thumb of Sairoon and Fatah, which share political and sectarian principles out of sync with those of the ICP. The Israeli ministerial committee on legislation approved a bill criminalizing the filming of Israeli soldiers in the West Bank June 17. Proponents of the legislation, introduced by Knesset member Robert Ilatov of Yisrael Beitenu, argue that it is designed to protect soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces operating alongside Palestinian residents, or as Ilatov himself phrased it, to prevent filming meant to undermine the spirit of the IDF soldiers [and of] residents of the State of Israel or to damage state security. The version of the bill approved by the ministerial committee imposes jail terms of five to 10 years on violators. The center-right Kulanu of Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, considered the government coalitions liberal standard-bearer, supports the bill. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit informed the ministers prior to their vote that he opposes the law because it is unconstitutional. Nonetheless, the ministers gave Ilatov the green light to present the bill for an initial vote by the Knesset plenum on June 20, with a promise that its language would be amended before it comes up for further approval to satisfy Mandelbilt's reservations. However, even if changes are introduced along the way, the bills authors clearly have one goal in mind: to conceal the goings-on in West Bank areas from the Israeli and international public. Ilatov, the chair of the Yisrael Beitenu Knesset faction, is known as the executor of legislative initiatives by his party leader, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman. Immediately following approval of the bill, Liberman tweeted a harsh attack reminiscent of oppressive regimes against human rights organizations and leftist activists who document soldiers activities in the territories. Israeli soldiers are under attack from Israel haters and terror supporters at home seeking to discredit, humiliate and harm them. Lets put an end to this! he wrote. Liberman and his faction recently increased their broadsides and legislation directed against Israels Arab minority in a bid to prop up their partys stagnant polling figures. Nonetheless, all the members of the ministerial committee from all six coalition parties voted in favor of the bill. Several hours before the vote, settlement supporters injured 11 police officers while protesting a court order to demolish buildings erected illegally in the northern West Bank outpost of Tapuach. Neither Liberman nor Education Minister Naftali Bennett spoke out against the violence directed at police. If the government adopts laws preventing the documentation of events in the occupied territories, they will be able to not only continue ignoring events that embarrass the political right, but conceal them altogether. Ilatovs current bill takes care of IDF soldiers, but could be expanded to include all security forces in the West Bank so that settler violence against police forces will remain hidden from public view, too. Knesset member Tamar Zandberg, chair of leftist Meretz, lashed out at the bills sponsors, saying, If the government is so intent on looking out for IDF soldiers, it should be dealing with settlers who dismantle military vehicles, injure police and throw stones at soldiers. The truth is that the bill is meant to undermine Israeli human rights groups, especially the activities of BTselem. For years, the organizations Camera Project has provided Israelis and foreigners with unique documentation of Israels occupation and placed before the government a mirror reflecting the troubling reality that it prefers to ignore. The Camera Project was launched in 2005 when heads of the organization realized that one photo aired on television or posted on social media is worth more than a thousand words written in reports, important as they are. BTselem handed out video cameras to its researchers and to Palestinian residents, and the results have become a vital element of the groups work. In 2015, it documented the shooting of a 17-year-old Palestinian, Mohammed Hani al-Kasbeh, by a brigade commander, Col. Yisrael Shomer, whose jeep had come under a hail of stones. The video showed that the youth had been throwing stones but had started running away and that Shomer was not in mortal danger at the time he fired. Rather, he chased the youth and shot him dead. Despite calls to indict Shomer, the IDF prosecutor decided to close the case. He accepted the claim that Shomer shot in the framework of the militarys procedure for arresting suspects, that the fire was justified and that it was meant to arrest the youth. The prosecutor found that Shomer had fired while moving and not standing still, which is why the shooting was not accurate and resulted in the death of the Palestinian youth. BTselem claimed that these explanations were an army cover-up. In 2014, BTselem disseminated security camera footage from the West Bank village of Bitunya in which an Israeli border police officer was seen shooting a Palestinian youth dead, even though he was not in mortal danger. In a plea bargain about two months ago, the police officer was convicted of causing the youths death and sentenced to nine months in jail. One of BTselems most troubling video clips, which resonated around the world, was the 2013 arrest of 5-year-old Wadia Masawed for throwing stones at soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron. When the soldiers arrested him, the boy burst into heartbreaking sobs. Former BTselem director Jessica Montell wondered at the time how the soldiers at the scene, including their commanders and senior officers, did not realize they had no legal grounds for arresting such a young boy. However, by far the most controversial BTselem video documentation was the March 2016 footage showing soldier Elor Azaria shooting an injured and disarmed Palestinian in the head. According to publications, Azaria acted on his own, against the judgment of present commanders and even endangered other IDF troops there. Still, the incident was not immediately reported and Azaria was not arrested on the spot. It was the publication by BTselem of the video that set off a public storm and led to an inquiry. The video was the evidence that prompted IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkots demand for Azaria's indictment, saying, "This is not the IDF. These are not IDF values nor IDF culture." Without the BTselem cameras at the scene, the public would have probably been informed of the incident by a military spokesperson who would probably have reported that a soldier had thwarted a terrorist attack by shooting the terrorist dead. Azaria was sentenced earlier this year to 18 months in jail but was released in May when his sentence was reduced to nine months including time served. Liberman stood by Azaria throughout the legal proceedings, just as he is now backing the legislation to conceal IDF activities in the territories. If the Knesset gives final approval to the current version of the bill, soldiers who violate the law and military orders will no longer need his support because their actions will be hidden from the public eye. Oli consults with ex-PMs on China visit Ahead of his visit to China that begins on Tuesday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli held consultations with former PMs on Sunday. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Palestine is joining 102 countries that have abolished the death penalty and 33 others that have suspended it. On June 6, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed documents to accede to seven international conventions and treaties, including one on abolition of the death penalty. Abbas instructed Foreign Minister Riad Malki to handle the procedures to implement these conventions. Abbas signed the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the UN in 1989, aimed at abolishing the death penalty and stipulating, No one within the jurisdiction of a state party to the present protocol shall be executed, and each state party shall take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty within its jurisdiction. Public Prosecutor Ahmed Barak told Al-Monitor that current Palestinian Basic Law allows for the death penalty but requires that it be implemented with the approval of the Palestinian Authority (PA) president. The PA in the West Bank currently applies the Jordanian Penal Code No. 16 of 1960, many articles of which stipulate the death penalty, while the Gaza Strip abides by the British Mandatory Penal Code No. 74 of 1936, which also provides for the death penalty. The new protocol will go into effect in three months. Barak added that authorities will take the necessary legal and legislative measures to amend Palestinian laws to align with the protocol. Barak pointed out that countries around the world are divided into three schools: the first allows the death penalty, which is applied in certain states in the United States as well as most Arab countries; the second provides for the death penalty but does not actually apply it; and the third does not condone the death penalty and imposes a life sentence instead. In the Palestinian territories, between 1994 when the PA was founded and the end of 2017, 41 executions were carried out, 39 of them in the Gaza Strip and two in the West Bank in 2001 that were approved by late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Among the executions carried out in the Gaza Strip, 28 were conducted after Hamas took over in 2007 without Abbas' approval. Abbas allowed the death sentence to be carried out with his permission for the last time in 2005. The prisoners had been sentenced years before. The proposed death penalty ban faces obstacles in the Palestinian territories where the PA lacks control, specifically in the Gaza Strip. Ahmed Abu Halabiya, who represents Hamas on the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in Gaza, has rejected the protocol because, he told Al-Monitor, it violates laws the PA had passed since it was founded. Abu Halabiya said the proposal doesn't serve Palestinian societys best interest because the death penalty protects society. He said Abbas signed the protocol to win the approval of international bodies, which he did not name. He noted that, regardless of Abbas' signature on the protocol to abolish it, Hamas will continue to support the death penalty, specifically against murderers, drug traffickers and those found guilty of colluding with Israel. He said Abbas' action is contrary to the Basic Law. However, Rabah Muhanna, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestines (PFLP) political bureau, told Al-Monitor, When the PLC is asked to amend the Basic Law and remove the article that provides for the death penalty, PFLP representatives at the PLC will certainly support abolishing the death penalty and replacing it with a sentence as severe as life imprisonment. The protocol signing received broad acclaim among human rights institutions in the Palestinian territories, especially since these institutions have been calling on Palestinians for decades to abolish the death penalty, stating it is inhumane and ineffective as a deterrent to crime. Issam Younis, the director of Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza, told Al-Monitor that many countries in the world that use the death penalty still have high crime rates. Abbas' signature on the protocol is a step in the right direction, he said, yet all conventions the PA recently joined need to be compatible with all Palestinian legislation so they can be applied in real life, otherwise they would be worthless. Yasser al-Amouri, a professor of international law at Birzeit University, called on Abbas to take the appropriate actions to suspend all provisions stipulating the death penalty in the Palestinian territories until the laws can be amended to create a legal system consistent with the international treaties and conventions the PA has joined. Amouri said the PAs accession to this protocol is an advanced step in defending the right to life. He called on Palestinian legislative authorities to find alternatives to laws that have become outdated and are incompatible with civilizational development. ISTANBUL Altan (a pseudonym) cried for two hours after his doctor told him he was infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Following his diagnosis, he searched online for more information about the disease, as he had not learned about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) while in school. During his research, the 29-year-old realized he wasnt alone. Until Turkey's Ministry of Health released a report last year about HIV/AIDS, it had simply advocated for abstinence. The number of people with HIV in Turkey has spiked 465% in a decade, the highest HIV growth rate in the world, according to Hacettepe University in Ankara, one of the researchers of the report. According to information from the 2017 National AIDS Congress, 45,000 cases of HIV have gone unreported while 16,700 people live with the disease on the record. Every year, roughly 100 people in Turkey who are HIV positive develop AIDS. In an email to Al-Monitor, the Ministry of Health stated that it had ramped up awareness campaigns in universities in response to the sharp increase in HIV cases. No further details were provided. Turkey is also opening more health centers where people can take the HIV blood test anonymously at no cost, and get counseling on treatment and support services. Since 2012, Turkey has been offering those who are HIV positive the newest medication free of charge, a service even critics of the government say is praiseworthy. Activists and the Health Ministry say reasons for the sharp rise in HIV cases vary, but the main cause is unprotected sex. The fundamental obstacle in the fight against HIV/AIDS constitutes of protective measures. However, the development of desired behavioral change in people and in society at large can take many years, the Health Ministry said in its email. As in many other countries in the world, it is necessary to raise public awareness. But activists say that raising awareness isnt effective when it is not consistently done. Turkish media, businesses and the education sector all have to participate to teach the public, and at the moment, they dont. The Ministry of Education told Al-Monitor in an email that in both primary and middle schools, general reproductive health information is taught but not specifically HIV/AIDS or other STDs. Condoms are thought of as a way to prevent pregnancy, but when you are having sex for pleasure most people do not think they have to use them, said Canberk Harmanci, the project coordinator for Positive Living Association, one of the few Turkish nongovernmental organizations providing HIV/AIDS patients with therapy, legal aid and medical treatment. Harmanci told Al-Monitor that even Turkish companies that make condoms do not want to associate their product with a disease on billboards and in TV ads. The lack of awareness in preventing STDs is clearly driving up the HIV statistics, he said, adding that anecdotal research shows the increase in mobile dating apps since 2010 has made sex more readily available. Infected tourists and refugees who pass the disease on to Turkish citizens also are increasing the HIV rate, the Health Ministry said. Altan cast his eyes down and folded his arms around his thin chest when asked how he contracted HIV. I made a mistake. I had unprotected sex even though I knew I shouldnt, he said. He said his conservative, religious family miles away do not know he is gay or HIV positive. Altan graduated as a teacher but eventually got a job in a large Turkish company in Istanbul as a quality control inspector. By law, he is not required to reveal his HIV status because it is not an airborne disease, but his company requested its employees to take part in an in-house health inspection; the blood test revealed Altans HIV status to his employer in April. They gave me two options: resign or get fired, he said. I told them, 'Kill me but dont discriminate against me.' I felt suicidal; I wanted to jump out of the fourth-floor window. Altan got in touch with the Positive Living Association through which he sought legal help to sue his company, which eventually fired Altan. He is taking the company which he didnt want to identify by name because of the court case to the Constitutional Court to get workers compensation. A handful of nonprofits advocate for HIV/AIDS patients, who are socially ostracized and discriminated against in the workplace. There is little to no Turkish government funding for these organizations, and Positive Living relies on United Nations and other foreign funders. Turkish doctors and activists working in the infectious-disease field say while the medication HIV patients are to take once a day can help them lead a fairly normal life, their immune system may weaken as they age. Other countries have decreased the HIV infection rate through awareness campaigns and education tools, but the stigma and ignorance about STDs in Turkey have prevented tangible change so far. Even some doctors and nurses discriminate against HIV patients because they dont know the facts. In January, a doctor refused to operate on an HIV-infected pregnant woman in Diyarbakir. One doctor told Al-Monitor that whoever wins in the elections June 24 the conservative, religious President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party or the secular opposition should drop the abstinence rhetoric and face the reality that Turks are having unprotected premarital, extramarital and gay sex. Turkey likes to pretend that only gays are the problem and the rest of us only have sex within marriage. Yes, the rate of HIV tends to be higher among gay men, but I have patients who are married men and women men who cheat on their wives and then infect them with STDs, said the family doctor, who didnt want to be identified, fearing repercussions from her employer. HIV is a disease that is spreading to Turkish families. In 2016, Health Ministry figures showed that roughly two-thirds of the sexually transmitted cases of the infection resulted from heterosexual intercourse. Altan, in the meantime, is practicing a healthier lifestyle, eating better, exercising and using protection with his partners. But he is financially strapped, bunking with friends and waiting for the outcome of his workers compensation case. Im going through a stressful period. Sometimes I think its better if Im isolated and alone so I dont bother anyone, he said. Ozge Sebzeci contributed to this story. In the early weeks of 2018, it seemed everyone was taking selfies. Which may not seem unusual given the current climate of social media use throughout the world. However, the selfies taken in mid-January were slightly different--they were a little more artsy. After being taken, they were matched with a counterpart, a doppelganger of sorts, in the way of a piece of artwork from the Google Arts & Culture app's extensive archive of fine art. Everywhere you looked--Facebook, Instagram, Twitter--these selfies and their matching pairs were shared. In Google's Paris office, the news that the latest feature from its Arts & Culture app had gone viral was met with excitement and maybe a twinge of nervousness. The app, which gives its users access to fine art from museums and collections across the globe, has been around since 2011, but it wasn't until the selfie feature debuted in late 2017 that it really took off. Team members worked round the clock, on a weekend nonetheless, to ensure the app could support the massive influx of new downloads from people eager to check out the Internet's latest craze. As the feature's influence spread to Birmingham, a fellow Magic City native was experiencing the app's success a little differently, as she was part of the team that created the vision for and helped develop the new feature. Google Product Manager Michelle Luo was born and raised here in Birmingham, but now lives and works in Paris as part of the 50-person team behind Google's Arts & Culture app. The 26-year-old Harvard grad describes the experience of working on the app during the week after it took off as being "pretty hectic." Luo is a native of Vestavia Hills "When the feature went live in late 2017, not everyone noticed it right away, so it took a while for people to catch on," she says. "The initial upswing in usage of the feature happened over a weekend, so that was a bit of a shock for us. We did end up working over the weekend." Luo, who has worked at Google for the past three and a half years is no stranger to hard work, though. She previously worked on Google Maps and G Suite at Google's Mountain View headquarters in California. Before that, she completed two internships with the worldwide technology powerhouse while still in college. She says that after her first experience with the company, in 2012 as part of the weeklong Google Fuse program for students between their first and second years of college, she was sold. "I really appreciated ... how much trust and respect Google gives to its employees," she says. "And the company works with some really cool stuff and at the same time has a really nice company culture. People are willing to help each other out. People are passionate about what they do." After completing the Fuse program, Luo returned to the company the following summer as an engineer intern. She officially joined the Google family as a product manager upon graduation. A year ago, she moved to Paris to join the Arts & Culture team. Though her time working with Google has brought her everywhere from New York to California and Paris, Luo still cites her upbringing in Birmingham as a contributor to her success today. In particular, she says her schooling at Indian Springs School was influential in preparing her for the future. "I loved going to Indian Springs," she says. "I think it's a really great school. We had fantastic teachers across many different disciplines, and a lot of them contributed a lot to me today and taught me a lot." As a lover of both science and math, as well as the arts, Luo says the variety offered at Indian Springs was instrumental in keeping her education challenging, engaging, and well-rounded. Having studied ballet at Birmingham Ballet Academy from age six and piano from age five, both figured prominently into Luo's time growing up--and still do. In fact, one of Luo's favorite things about Paris is her access to art there, including ballet classes. In high school, Luo took classes like calculus, differential equations, and physics. She also took music ensemble and music theory. By the time she graduated and decided to attend Harvard University, she foresaw architecture as a career path that would perfectly marry her equally developed left and right brain. However, Harvard did not offer an architecture major, so she altered her plans to start with an engineering degree and then later pursue a master's in architecture. Everything changed when she discovered computer science. One seemingly insignificant homework assignment to manipulate an outline of a green square through coding, Luo says, was the turning point. "At one point I managed to output a green square, and I was so excited about it that I ran into the common room of my dorm jumping around celebrating, and all my roommates were like 'What's wrong with you?'" she remembers. "The funny thing is, I wasn't even supposed to be making a square, just an outline, but working on a problem and seeing the effect of what I was building right away was so exciting." Luo compares her job as a product manager to performing ballet, in the sense that both require copious amounts of behind the scenes action. "You're working on presenting this very nice experience to the audience and transporting them somewhere else," she says of ballet. "Meanwhile, there's so much activity going on backstage that the audience doesn't ever even see. And that's true of my job now; there's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes in order to create products that are useful or interesting to people around the world." Though Luo plans to remain in Paris for a while longer, continuing to find intersections between technology and art, and sharing them with the world through Google Arts & Culture, she says there's one thing Paris will never have on Birmingham: barbecue. Though Alabama isn't necessarily always the first destination that comes to mind in the technology industry, Luo says she knows of at least one fellow Google employee who also went to Indian Springs and Harvard. Google Cloud's global head of partnerships, Nan Boden, is from Alabama, and of course there's Apple CEO Tim Cook. "I'd say I'm in pretty good company," Luo says. Long before Harvard and Google and a viral selfie feature, when Luo was still in high school, she received an award from local publication Portico naming her one of "21 People Who Will Change the World." Almost 10 years later, it appears that prediction has come true. New Google Arts & Culture Features Art Palette - allows user to explore artwork that have a similar color palette Life Tags - categorizes Life magazine's 4 million photo archive with automatically created labels --Photos courtesy of Michelle Luo and by Camille Froment This story appears in Birmingham magazine's June 2018 issue. Subscribe today! Gov. Kay Ivey this afternoon released a statement against import tariffs the Trump Administration is reportedly considering, saying she believes they would harm Alabama's manufacturers, their suppliers and the livelihoods of Alabama's workers. "Import tariffs, and any retaliatory tariffs on American made goods, will harm Alabama, the companies that have invested billions of dollars in our state, and the thousands of households which are dependent upon those companies for a good-paying job," Ivey said in a statement released by her office. "I strongly oppose any efforts that may harm those companies that employ thousands of Alabamians and contribute billions to our economy. "I am committed to protecting Alabama jobs and consumers, the world over, who are proud to purchase products made in Alabama," Ivey said. These were the first comments Ivey has released publicly in response to tariffs the Trump Administration has imposed on imported steel and aluminum, and an investigation Trump ordered into whether foreign produced vehicles and auto parts are a "national security threat." Both of Alabama's senators, Richard Shelby and Doug Jones, have released statements opposing the tariffs, saying auto levies would "hurt Alabama, plain and simple." In speaking on the tariffs, Ivey mentioned Alabama's five automotive manufacturers and more than 200 supporting suppliers, which she said "have helped establish 'Made in Alabama' as an internationally-respected brand." The past 15 months has seen expansions announced at all of Alabama's auto manufacturers - Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz - and the announcement of the $1.6 billion Mazda Toyota plant in Huntsville, as well as the opening of Birmingham's $120 million Autocar truck plant. In addition, Alabama exported $21.7 billion in goods internationally last year, with $10.9 billion made up of auto exports. Ivey said "this growth could be stymied if tariffs are imposed on the goods we export around the world." She warned that Alabama's largest markets would be affected by tariffs, and would probably respond with some of their own. "The largest importers of Alabama made goods and services were Canada, China, Germany, Mexico and Japan all countries which may be forced to reciprocate in response to any new import tariffs," she said. In fact, once Canada, Mexico and the European Union became subject to a 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum earlier this year, they retaliated with tariffs on U.S. goods across a wide spectrum of products. A Clay County cabinet business will be among the firms looking for new employees at a job fair Tuesday for workers displaced by the sudden closing last Tuesday of the MasterBrand Cabinets plant in Auburn. MasterBrand Cabinets abruptly closed its Auburn plant last week, laying off 445 employees. Tru Cabinetry will be one of the business at the job fair, co-hosted by the City of Auburn and Auburn City Schools, from 3 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday in the Auburn Junior High School gym, 405 S. Dean Road. Those planning to attend the job fair should be prepared to fill out applications and interview on the spot. Auburn officials with its Workforce Development Division began immediately reaching out to businesses in preparation for the job fair following the MasterBrand closing. More than 40 businesses are participating. Cary Cox, the city's workforce development director, said it's great "to see the entire community coming together in this critical time for those who lost their jobs." Tru Cabinetry is looking to fill positions across all departments, including engineers, supervisors, accountants and skilled cabinetry workers. Butch Reimer, president of Tru Cabinetry, an Ashland-based semi-custom cabinet manufacturer, said his company is looking forward to welcoming former MasterBrand workers who are veterans of the industry. "Tru Cabinetry has seen tremendous market growth in recent years, and that means we have a continued demand for additional talent to supply that growth," he said. "We want these displaced workers to know that Tru Cabinetry has a new career for them." A full list of businesses participating in the job fair can be found here. Other efforts are ongoing to connect workers with jobs. An emergency response job fair will be held June 20 in Opelika, and the Alabama Department of Commerce is holding emergency rapid response meetings for the dislocated workers. In addition, Ashland-based company Wellborn Cabinet, Inc. is also looking to hire 50 new employees and hopes to hire now-former employees of MasterBrand Cabinets. This post was edited at 4:45 p.m. June 18 to correct and include more information. Pathway Healthcare now calls Birmingham home - to its corporate headquarters. The drug and alcohol treatment provider opened its offices at St. Vincent's East today, and its location will serve as the company's national training facility for its doctors, nurses and counselors. Pathway Healthcare's Birmingham location 11 Gallery: Pathway Healthcare's Birmingham location Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said the company's move was big not only for Birmingham's corporate image, but also in offering relief for city residents struggling, like the rest of the nation, with drug and alcohol abuse. "Pathway coming here sends a message to the community - hope is here," Woodfin said. "You don't have to live with your addiction alone. We're glad that they're actually adding to the services that they provide." Pathway, which had been based in Texas, specializes in treating opioid use disorder, alcohol dependency, and other drug use disorders through a proprietary care model, combining medication-assisted treatment with behavioral counseling. Pathway Healthcare already has locations in Madison, Hamilton and Mobile. Pathway Chief Medical Officer for Medicine Brent Boyett said the decision to come to Birmingham was made because most of the company's executive staff have connections to the Magic City. Stephen Taylor, a psychiatrist who is the company's chief medical officer for behavioral health, said what's key to Pathway's presence is having offices within St. Vincent's East medical complex. Studies show that recovery programs are more effective in a hospital setting and with a mix of medication and counseling, he said. This approach removes some of the stigma that comes with seeking relief. As Taylor explained, some treatment programs will not accept applicants who are currently on medication to help with addiction. This presents a barrier for some to seeking help. "This is a preventable and treatable disease, and learning to manage it, getting medicine to mitigate withdrawal, along with a counseling, makes a world of difference," he said. A Birmingham police lieutenant accused of sexually abusing a teen relative for years is now in custody. Jefferson County District Attorney Mike Anderton said Lt. Pete Williston was arrested Monday afternoon. He confirmed that Williston checked himself into UAB Hospital over the weekend - which is believed to have happened Friday- and was arrested by Birmingham police as soon as he was released after undergoing psychological evaluation. Williston, a 17-year veteran of the force, was taken to Birmingham police headquarters to sign paperwork and undergo questioning by Morris police detectives, said Morris Police Chief Mike Nazarchyk. Williston, he said, did not answer any questions. He was then brought out the back door of Birmingham headquarters in handcuffs where a patrol car had pulled up to the door. Williston exited the building with a coat over his head. Peter Williston He was then taken to the Jefferson County Jail where authorities began the booking process at 3:1y p.m. The jail lists the charge as rape by force of a female and his bond is set at $50,000. Morris police on Friday obtained a first-degree rape warrant against Williston. Nazarchyk said earlier Monday that they knew where he was and "as soon as he's made available to us" will serve him with the formal warrant. The charge against him is a felony. Nazarchyk said Saturday afternoon that a female reported to the department on May 31 that she had been sexually abused by Williston from 2008 through 2011 when she was 14 years old. She is now 24. "After a thorough investigation, our findings were turned over to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office,'' Nazarchyk said in a prepared statement. He said they notified Birmingham police of the charges against Williston, and he was placed on leave. Anderton said the warrant had not yet been made public because Williston had not been formally served. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, speaking today at a public event, declined to comment because the investigation is ongoing. Before being placed on leave, Williston was serving as the interim commander of the city's East Precinct following the promotion of Allen Treadway to assistant chief. Prior to that, Williston served as the department's public information officer. Efforts to reach Williston for comment have been unsuccessful. It wasn't immediately clear whether he has obtained a lawyer. A Birmingham teen is now formally charged after authorities said he tried to run over two police officers attempting to arrest him last week. Kaia Fortune, an 18-year-old who was shot during the hunt, is charged with two counts of attempted murder, according to court records made public Monday. He had already been sought on two unrelated counts of attempted murder for shootings that happened in 2017 and 2018. The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task force was trying to arrest Fortune when he fled and some kind of chase ensued. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Lt. Jon Riley said the task force officers had blocked in Fortune's vehicle with their vehicles and, as he made his getaway, tried to hit the officers. Shots were fired, but authorities have not said who fired the shots. One of the officers fell on a rock bed and was taken to an area hospital to be checked out. Birmingham police radios indicated shots were fired and it initially sounded as if an officer had been hit. A call for all possible assistance was broadcast. Birmingham police, Jefferson County sheriff's deputies, U.S. Marshals and some ATF agents responded to the scene in the 500 block of Orchid Road off Five Mile Road. Fortune managed to elude law enforcement officers, but a couple of hours later he turned up at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa and was taken into custody. Authorities said Fortune had been shot in the hand and the leg. He was treated and back in jail in Jefferson County by Wednesday night. The State Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe into the shots fired, which is standard operating procedure when a law enforcement officer discharged a weapon. The new charging documents state Fortune "did, with intent to commit the crime of murder...attempt to intentionally cause the death of (the officers) by committing an over act toward the commission of the crime of murder...by trying to strike (them) with a motor vehicle." Fortune is charged with attempted murder in a March 17 when documents state he fired a gun at a woman. The other charges stem from a Dec. 28, 2017 incident during which Fortune is accused of shooting at a man while he was in vehicle. Bond for the two new charges is set at $250,000 each. In all, Fortune is being held on bonds totaling $1 million. A north Jefferson County man is behind bars after authorities say he was caught breaking into a home. Sheriff's deputies on Monday announced the arrest of 26-year-old Jacob Ian Peters. He has been jailed since Thursday. Just before 6 p.m. on June 14, deputies were dispatched to a report of a burglary in progress at a home in the 8600 block of Old Bradford Road north of Pinson, said Chief Deputy Randy Christian. Once on the scene, deputies spotted the suspect - now identified as Peters - running away from the home. Christian said he was captured after a brief foot chase and found to have outstanding warrants for probation violations and burglary. He was taken to the jail where he was held without bond for the outstanding warrants. On Friday, deputies obtained new warrants against Peters charging him with third-degree burglary, resisting arrest, attempting to elude, first-degree theft of property, third-degree criminal mischief and obstructing justice with a false ID. He remains held without bond. A Center Point man stopped for not wearing his seat belt ended up in a lot more trouble. Jefferson County sheriff's deputies on Thursday afternoon stopped 36-year-old Anthony Ray Jenkins on Center Point Parkway. As they spoke with him, they spotted a prescription pill bottle on the floor of the car, said Chief Deputy Randy Christian. They asked him about it, and he said the pills belonged to his aunt and that she must have left the bottle there. Inspection of the bottle, however, showed the name had been scratched off. Deputies then called Jenkins' aunt, who told them she had not left any medication in his car. The bottle contained hydrocodone tablets. A subsequent search of the car turned up more hydrocodone, as well as heroin, marijuana and digital scales. Narcotics investigators then responded to the scene. On Friday, Jenkins was charged with trafficking illegal drugs, unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. He remains held in the Jefferson County Jail on bonds totaling $100,600. Party should be managed well, NC senior leader Poudel says Nepali Congress (NC) senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel has said the party had to face defeat in the elections due to the internal mismanagement. An investigation is underway after a man was found dead on Interstate 65 in Birmingham Monday morning. The discovery was made shortly after 9 a.m. on I-65 southbound just past the Green Springs Avenue exit. Initially Homewood police received the call but it was then turned over to Birmingham. Authorities said a friend of the man's family recognized the vehicle and called 911. He was found slumped over in the dark SUV and pronounced dead on the scene. The death is unclassified at this point but there was no obvious sign of foul play. Birmingham detectives and evidence technicians are on the scene. The vehicle had been parked there for at least a day. Authorities said they are looking into the possible that the death is a drug overdose. President Trump today ordered the Pentagon to begin the process of creating a "Space Force" to join the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard as "the sixth branch of the Armed Forces." The new service branch will be "separate but equal" with the Air Force, Trump said. The order came at the White House as the president opened the third meeting of the revitalized National Space Council chaired by Vice President Mike Pence. "When it comes to defending America, it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space," Trump said. "We must have American dominance in space." "Our destiny beyond the Earth is not only a matter of national identity," Trump said, it is a matter of national security. So important for our military." Trump also signed a presidential directive ordering the creation of a new system for managing space traffic. He called for a "state of the art framework." The new Space Force drew quick opposition from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla) who said in a tweet that such a command is something "generals tell me they don't want." "Thankfully the president can't do it without Congress because now is NOT the time to rip the Air Force apart," Nelson said. "Too many important missions at stake." The president called space "great for the psyche of our country" and said his administration will lease government facilities to American companies pursuing space missions. It's part of his policy "to embrace the budding commercial space industry," Trump said. The third meeting of the National Space Council opened with the president's remarks and his recognition of dignitaries in the audience, including Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt. One of NASA's top field centers, the Marshall Space Flight Center, is located in Huntsville, Ala., and Ivey is a member of the space council's user advisory board. Trump repeated that he loves Alabama and asked Ivey how he is doing in the state. The governor gave the president a thumb's up. (Updated June 18 at 2:15 p.m. CDT to include reaction from Sen. Bill Nelson and at 2:45 p.m. with new details throughout) An Alabama bishop for the United Methodist Church has called on Congress and the President Donald Trump administration to reunite immigrant families that have been separated. "It deeply troubles me and burdens my heart that innocent immigrant children are being separated from their parents," wrote Bishop David Graves, head of the Montgomery-based Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. "It was difficult to celebrate Father's Day knowing these unjust acts were ongoing in this country." Graves cited a statement released by the denomination last week that called the policy of separating children from families "antithetical to the teachings of Christ." Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited the Bible on Thursday, June 14, in his defense of his border policy that is resulting in hundreds of immigrant children being separated from their parents after they enter the U.S. illegally. On Sunday, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, a member of Canterbury United Methodist Church in Mountain Brook, announced he would co-sponsor the "Keep Families Together Act." Here's the full statement from Bishop Graves: As the Bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, it deeply troubles me and burdens my heart that innocent immigrant children are being separated from their parents. It was difficult to celebrate Father's Day knowing these unjust acts were ongoing in this country. Last week the United Methodist Board of Church & Society released this statement. Part of the statement says, "Jesus is our way, our truth, our life. The Christ we follow would have no part in ripping children from their mothers' arms or shunning those fleeing violence. It is unimaginable that faith leaders even have to say that these policies are antithetical to the teachings of Christ." Also, the president of the Council of Bishops, Bishop Ken Carter, joined leaders of other faith organizations urging the U.S. Government to stop its policy of separating immigrant families. "We affirm the family as a foundational societal structure to support human community and understand the household as an estate blessed by God. The security of the family provides critical mental, physical and emotional support to the development and wellbeing of children," said the statement. Click here for complete statement. As United Methodists, we look to scripture and our social principles to guide our thinking and actions in regards to social justice issues. Specifically, the social principles state about immigration, 'The United Methodist Church recognizes, embraces, and affirms all persons, regardless of country of origin, as members of the family of God. We urge society to 'recognize the gifts, contributions, and struggles of those who are immigrants and to advocate for justice for all.'" It is heartbreaking to see families separated, regardless of their citizenship. I implore congress and the current administration to do all in their power to reunite these families. Changes to these laws need to be addressed starting today. Let us join our voices in prayer for the separated families, for those working to end this injustice, and for our nation's leaders. Bishop David Graves Resident Bishop Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church Alabama Power Company is withdrawing from the Business Council of Alabama, "effective immediately," according to a letter from Alabama Power CEO Mark Crosswhite dated Monday. Alabama Power spokesman Michael Sznajderman confirmed the company's decision to leave the BCA, which was first reported by the Alabama Political Reporter, but declined to make further comment at this time. According to the letter, Crosswhite said Alabama Power was leaving the powerful business group because the organization had "needlessly alienated federal and state officials, failed to communicate with its own members, squandered our collective corporate goodwill, allowed its financial health to decline, and become a divisive force in our State." The letter was addressed to BCA Chairman Perry Hand, stating that the power company had expressed concerns with BCA leadership since August 2017, with "no meaningful response." "At this point, further discussions would be fruitless and a waste of everyone's time," Crosswhite wrote. Crosswhite said Alabama Power was a founding member of the BCA, but the company has become "concerned that membership in the BCA has become a liability rather than a benefit." The BCA released to AL.com a letter addressed to Crosswhite in response to Alabama Power's decision, saying the utility had not been a member of the group since April because of nonpayment of dues. "As you know, we have worked diligently to address the concerns and issues you have raised; however, we have not, in good conscience, been able to adhere to the deadline dates you have prescribed to our Executive Committee," said the letter, signed by Hand. The letter then describes numerous conversations between Crosswhite and BCA leadership, in which the letter says Crosswhite "asked that the committee remove our President and CEO [William J. Canary] by May 1 or June 1." The letter says the BCA Executive Committee was scheduled to meet this week to approve a "transition plan" aimed at "having a new CEO installed no later than January 1, 2019." "I have worked to find areas of compromise, but you have made it clear that compromising is not an option," Hand said. "Your letter of today is incredibly disappointing as we have worked diligently to try and address each and every concern you have presented," Hand said in the letter, the full text of which is embedded below. Two Republican state senators said the withdrawal is a major blow for the BCA. "That's a big deal," Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said. "That's a big seismic shift there. I think the question is now, where does the Power Company go? Do they create a whole new organization? Do they maybe join another organization out there?" The BCA has also had a couple of high-profile setbacks on legislation. Ward said an example was the proposal last year to raise the gasoline tax to pay for road infrastructure. The bill was pronounced dead without ever reaching the House floor for a vote. "There was a full court press to pass a gas tax, and that effort failed," Ward said. "I think that was kind of an eye-opener for a lot of folks because BCA was fully behind the gas tax." Ward said the BCA has never been as dominant as the Alabama Education Association was when Democrats controlled the State House. The AEA's influence has waned since Republicans took control of the Legislature in 2010. "There was an assumption that when the Republicans took over the BCA got everything they wanted and that was never really the case," Ward said. "And a lot of that had to do with the changing nature of the Republican Party. You had a lot of populist folks who kind of honestly resented some of the ways that BCA may have tried to persuade them to vote for an issue one way or another." In 2017, the BCA opposed a bill mandating that some group insurance plans cover therapy for autism. Parents and advocates packed committee rooms at the State House in support of the bill, which eventually passed the Senate 33-1 and the House 102-0 despite the opposition from BCA and Blue Cross-Blue Shield. Sen. Dick Brewbaker, R-Montgomery, said the BCA's relationships with some lawmakers have become strained. He said BCA's support of Common Core curriculum standards in schools has also caused some friction. "Some of the positions they've taken on things that didn't have anything to do with business, whether it's Common Core, or autism, or issues like that, it generated a good bit of ill feeling among some Republicans. And I'm sure that hurt their ability to pass legislation in the state Senate," said Brewbaker, who is not running for reelection. Brewbaker said losing Alabama Power as a member is significant. "If you're the on the board of the BCA -- and I'm sure the Southern Company is probably the biggest business interest that operates in Alabama, I can't think of a bigger one -- that is a huge deal," Brewbaker said. Jess Brown, retired professor of political science from Athens State University, said it's likely the BCA-Alabama Power split is limited to a dispute over leadership and not any significant philosophical change. He expects the two organizations to remain largely aligned on key political issues. "The BCA will remain a powerful entity," Brown said. "Alabama Power will remain a powerful entity." According to its web site, the BCA was founded in 1985, with the consolidation of the Alabama Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Alabama. BCA is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The group touts itself as "the voice for Alabama business." This report will be updated as more details become available. AL.com reporters Mike Cason and Bill Thornton contributed to this report. *This post was edited at 8:52 p.m. to correct the name of the National Association of Manufacturers. BCA Response to Alabama Power 61818 on Scribd Tuscaloosa City Schools administrator Andrew Maxey can't turn away from the burden of knowing his district's school libraries need books. A language arts teacher for much of his career, Maxey will soon climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest point and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, and is trying to raise money for new school library books for students in his district as part of the effort. With a goal of $19,341, the height of Mount Kilimanjaro, Maxey had raised only $150 as of publication time. He's paying his own way, so all of the contributions go directly to the libraries. Maxey leaves June 23 to climb the mountain with his father and his brother over a span of nine days. "Six days up, three days down," he said. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, he said, is symbolic of the mountainous effort needed to bring school libraries up to par. In March, he hitched his plan to climb the mountain to a fundraising campaign, dubbed #Kili4Kids, to buy books for his district's school libraries. "It seemed like a great opportunity," he said. Maxey spends his work days advocating for school libraries, but, he said, "This is something I can do on my vacation time. This fundraising is about how I can personally help with this problem," adding, "Getting our libraries in good shape shouldn't be as hard as climbing a mountain." So what's the connection to Kilimanjaro? The height of the mountain, 19,341 feet, represents 1 percent of the total $1.9 million needed to bring Tuscaloosa City's 18 school libraries up to an exemplary standard, using the Alabama State Department of Education's benchmarks, Maxey said. And though it's only one percent of the total, it's worth the effort, Maxey said. "It could be one small step for literacy in my town," he blogged about the campaign, "and one giant trek up a mountain for me." Only four school libraries in Alabama currently meet the exemplary standard, he said, meaning the school's library has 15 to 20 books per student enrolled and, as an example, the average age of the nonfiction book collection is 10 years or less, he said. Maxey's #Kili4Kids campaign is giving him a platform to talk about the plight of school library funding in Alabama. Maxey said his district is committed to improving their 18 libraries, he said, and is looking forward to a July announcement about a future funding drive to purchase books and other materials. Because of that, though, he chose not to ask local businesses and residents for donations to #Kili4Kids, worried his efforts might compete with future donations for the district's libraries. Maxey has offered to carry up to five items to the summit and back again for sponsors donating $1,000 or more but hasn't had any takers so far. Maxey admits he hasn't put a lot of effort into raising money, using social media to make direct asks, tweeting directly to celebrities and philanthropists who might support his effort. And, in the end, he said, "This is really not about advocating for libraries or librarians. This is about advocating for kids." .@LauraBushFdn as a champion of literacy, you know how vital school libraries are to student success. Next month I am climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to support the libraries in our district. Would you sponsor me and spread the word? #Kili4Kids https://t.co/gXUojs5oPT Andrew Maxey, NBCT (@ezigbo_) May 16, 2018 Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Maxey, whose parents are missionaries, grew up in Nigeria, where his parents still live. Though this will be his first big mountain climb, Maxey said his bucket list includes climbing the "seven summits," the highest peak on each continent. Kilimanjaro, he said, requires no technical expertise, but altitude sickness can be a problem. That's why they chose the nine-day plan. Andrew Maxey, his wife, Lori, and their three daughters. Maxey said his wife and three daughters are pulling for him and "think it's pretty cool." "They're into The Amazing Race," Maxey said, and on a recent episode, some of the contestants flew into the city of Kilimanjaro. His daughters got very excited, exclaiming, "Look! That's where you're going!" Though Mount Kilimanjaro is technically not a difficult climb, Maxey has been training, he said, walking five miles every morning and running stadium steps at a local high school a few days each week. The importance of school libraries Maxey knows that strong school libraries help build strong readers. He has been the district's Director of Special Programs since 2015, where he oversees the summer learning program and school libraries among other duties. While there has been a tremendous increase in focus on reading instruction, the focus to provide reading materials through school libraries has been overlooked, he said. "We're trying to get kids to get to be better readers without giving them books," Maxey said. "When kids have books they want to read, they read them." The school library is sometimes the only access students have to books, Maxey said. And while public libraries are available, the number differs greatly by county. For example, Tuscaloosa is one of Alabama's largest counties geographically, he said, but has only three public libraries. Jefferson County has 23 libraries, he said. For students with little access to a public library, Maxey said, "If their school libraries are terrible, that's all they have." Andrew Maxey shows a 1977 book that was still on the shelves in a Tuscaloosa City high school library until earlier this year. Alabama's lawmakers have not provided adequate funding for libraries to purchase new materials over the past decade, leaving many "sad books"---the kind no one wants to read because the book is too old or is literally falling apart---on the shelves, and have made it very hard for schools to purchase new books for their libraries. He carries those "sad books" around in his car as evidence of the need. Losing the funding to purchase library materials has had real consequences, he said, as there is a strong positive correlation between how much independent, self-directed reading students do and the impact that has on test scores. Fewer books mean less self-directed reading, he said. From 2010 until 2015, state lawmakers provided no funding at all for new library materials, when in each of the five years previous, state funding was provided. In 2018, the state provided just under $2 per student for library materials. And while that amount jumps to $6 per student for next school year, prior to 2009, the state provided nearly $13 per student. "I know there are so many things that are important (to fund)," Maxey said, "but, within education, we agree that everything else builds on reading. And we agree that reading is not going well." "If you don't have books to read, you don't become a good reader," Maxey said. "The end." That's why #Kili4Kids is so important to him. Maxey he has packed, unpacked, and repacked to make sure everything on his checklist is there. The reality of the climb is setting in with a bit of nervous excitement, he said. But he's ready. "I'm going to stand on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, and I'm going to do it one step at a time," Maxey said, adding, "We can do this (improve school libraries) one book at a time." Former First Lady Laura Bush has weighed in on the Trump administration policy of separating immigrant children from their parents, calling the practice "immoral." "I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel," Bush wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post. "It is immoral. And it breaks my heart. "Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso. These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history. "Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war," she continued. "We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents -- and to stop separating parents and children in the first place." First Lady Melania Trump has also issued a comment on the policy. "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," spokesperson Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. Foley police have identified 29-year-old Orneal McCaskey aka "OJ" as a suspect in a Monday morning shooting that injured the son of Alabama state Senator Vivian Figures. Police are still searching for McCaskey. Investigators confirmed to AL.com that Akil Figures was shot twice in the leg and thigh, and was transported by private vehicle to South Baldwin Regional Medical Center just before 7 a.m. Monday. Police said this afternoon that Figures was later flown to Sacred Heart Hospital for treatment, but he has since been released. Police said McCaskey drove to the residence at 635 East Azalea Ave. in Foley to confront Figures over a female. The two men then got into an argument in the doorway of the home and McCaskey pulled out a handgun and shot Figures at least twice in the lower hip area, police said. The two men had a brief struggle inside the home then McCaskey fled in a gold or tan colored vehicle, police said. McCaskey is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees him or knows where he is should contact Foley police at 251-943-4431. Attorney General Jeff Sessions says law enforcement officials do not want to separate parents from their children. Sessions was speaking Monday in New Orleans at the National Sheriff's Association conference. He says enforcing immigration laws that result in the separation of children from parents is necessary. Sessions in April announced a zero-tolerance policy where anyone coming across the border will be prosecuted. That means children must be taken from their parents at the border because children can't be sent to jail. He says without enforcing the laws, "we encourage hundreds of thousands of people year to likewise ignore our laws and illegally enter our country." Sessions echoed Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's calls for Congress to change the nation's immigration laws. He says the country is "dedicated to caring for children." The son of Alabama state Senator Vivian Figures was shot in Foley Monday morning, according to local police. "Just before 7 a.m. this Monday morning, Foley police received a call from neighbors that heard a gun shot and a scream coming from 635 East Azalea Ave in Foley," said a Foley Police Department press release. "A car was observed by witnesses leaving the area at a high rate of speed." Investigators confirmed to AL.com that Akil Figures was shot twice in the leg and thigh, and was transported by private vehicle to South Baldwin Regional Medical Center. For the first time, anglers will be allowed to target sharks while fishing from the Gulf State Park Saltwater Fishing Pier. The state is allowing two nights of shark fishing on a trial basis, Tuesday, June 19, and Tuesday, June 26. Anglers are usually not allowed to land sharks on the pier, and instead must cut the line when a shark is hooked. The two shark fishing sessions will each being at 8 p.m. and end at midnight on the respective Tuesdays. Each session is only open to 10 anglers, and the spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To register for a spot as a shark fisherman, visit www.alapark.com/shark-fishing or call the pier manager at (251) 967-FISH. Greg Lein, Alabama State Parks Director, said the shark fishing nights are an experiment. If they are successful, it is possible more dates will be offered. It is illegal to keep several of the shark species anglers are most likely to catch from the pier, and proper identification of shark species is difficult for most recreational fishermen. The end of the pier will be closed to the public during two trial shark fishing nights. For that reason, the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo changed its shark category, making it a catch-and-release category, where fishermen shoot video of each shark they catch instead of land them. When the change was made a few years ago, Rodeo organizers said they did it largely because so many anglers were killing protected shark species and bringing them to the scales. Lein said in a news release that the pier experiment resulted from complaints from pier anglers. "We surveyed pier anglers about their satisfaction with fishing from the pier, and many of them expressed concern that they are not able to catch other species because of the abundance of sharks near the pier. Anglers often catch sharks inadvertently and are required to cut the line when that happens. We're offering these initial shark fishing opportunities on a trial basis," Lein said. I have stood on the Gulf State pier and watched hammerhead sharks swimming among the pilings. I've also seen bull sharks around the pier and lots of small blacktips. It's a sure bet that sharks will be caught during the Tuesday sessions. The big question is what will anglers do with the sharks they catch? To my palette, sharks are not particularly tasty at the table. In fact, I kept a few in my younger days out of curiosity, but quickly decided I'd rather eat other species. One of my key complaints - shark meat smells of urine as you clean it. To remove that odor requires soaking in various liquids, such as lemon water. Still, some people love catching sharks, and even eating them. To each his own. Plan to gift two rhinos to China ahead of PM visit falls through The governments plan to present a pair of one-horned rhinos to China ahead of Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis visit is unlikely to come to fruition. Desperately trying to justify the killing of unarmed protesters, Israel once again uses its human shields mantra. Nicola Perugini is lecturer at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh. It has become part of a macabre ritual. Each week, thousands of Palestinians stride towards the fence surrounding the small swath of land in which they have been imprisoned for years, as Israeli snipers pick their victims and shoot. Since March 30, 132 Palestinians have been killed and over 13,000 have been injured as they have courageously protested the effects of Israels ongoing military siege on Gaza. To some, the Palestinian march might look suicidal, but to Palestinians, it is the ultimate act of peaceful resistance. Malnutrition, lack of drinking water, daily electricity outages, massive unemployment, and extreme poverty are not abstract slogans for the civilians who have participated in these demonstrations. So, week in and week out, they march towards the fence in the hope that the world will hear their anguish and that some country, some leader, or even some movement will support their cause and help them break the siege. But each week, Israel is trying hard to push a different narrative. The Israeli military has been disseminating on social media images and videos of young children at protests. One short clip plays a lullaby interrupted by the sound of gunfire and rhetorically asks: Where are the children of Gaza today? After showing children amid the protesters, it then displays the word here in all caps across the screen. Such videos are used as the ultimate proof that Palestinians are deploying children as human shields. Israels human shield propaganda has also been applied on civilian adults. Following international outrage at the slaying of 21-year-old Razan Al-Najjar, who was killed while treating an injured protester, the Israeli army circulated an edited clip entitled Hamas uses Paramedics as Human Shields. The video is based on an interview with Al Mayadeen TV in which Razan described her work as a medic: My name is Razan Al-Najjar. Im here on the front lines as a human shield to protect and save the wounded on the front lines. The Israeli armys media unit conveniently edited the interview, omitting Razans claim that, for her, shielding the wounded is part of her responsibility as a medical worker. They also artfully ignored another clip posted on the New York Times website, where she describes the protests as an attempt to send a message to the world: without weapons, we can do anything. Israel justifies its violent attacks by continuously accusing Hamas of using human shields, desperately hoping to stir moral indignation while also trying to muster a legal defence for the indefencible. Morally, the charge intimates that the Palestinians are savages. Not unlike imagined barbaric pagans who offered their children to the gods, it suggests that the Palestinians of Gaza have no problem sending their sons and daughters to the front lines. The subtext is that civilised people protect their children while Palestinians sacrifice them. Legally, a human shield is a civilian who is used in order to render a legitimate military target immune from attack. By accusing Hamas of deploying human shields, Israel hopes to shift the blame from the hunter to the prey, since, according to international law, the party responsible for the death of human shields is not the one killing them but the one using them. This is precisely the message Danny Danon, Israels ambassador to the United Nations conveyed in a letter he sent to the Security Council: [the] terrorists continue to hide behind innocent children to ensure their own survival. With this statement, Danon not only shifts the blame but, in effect, also categorises anyone who participates in the March of Return as a military target. Exactly because human shields, by definition, defend legitimate military targets, the seemingly endless accusation that Palestinians use human shields to protect demonstrators reveals that for Israel all Palestinian protesters are fair game. But despite Israels best efforts, the human shield argument is increasingly failing to convince. In a recent report, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of perpetrating war crimes in its efforts to suppress Palestinian demands for liberation. Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution with overwhelming majority condemning Israels use of indiscriminate force, while UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein called for an investigation. What is even more frightening, however, is that Gaza is not particularly unique. From Venezuela, where priests defended anti-government activists from the lethal violence of riot police, to South Africa, where white students shielded black students as they rallied against unaffordable tuition fees, to the United States, where veterans tried to protect peaceful Native Americans who were being brutally attacked by security dogs, blasted with water cannons in subzero temperatures, and fired on with rubber bullets at Standing Rock Reservation, more and more people are either being framed as human shields or are actually serving as human shields. In spite of the differences between these contexts, the figure of the human shield whether used to justify colonial violence or to protect demonstrators has become omnipresent in our contemporary political landscape. This, in turn, suggests that protesters are increasingly conceived as lawful targets and that the repertoires of violence as well as the legal justifications used in war have entered the realm of civilian life and are being normalised. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Russia might benefit marginally from a collapsing Iran nuclear deal but it does not see it as a positive development. On May 8, US President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and re-impose tough sanction on Iran. This move sent his European allies scrambling to save the deal, while Iranian officials rushed to China and Russia to seek reassurance. Meanwhile, some analysts have suggested that Moscow stands to benefit from Trumps decision to leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and is much more interested in preserving the US sanctions than lifting them. While there is some truth to these speculations, the reality is much more complicated than that. Does Russia benefit economically? The sanctions that remained in place after the adoption of the JCPOA in 2015 completely suited Russian interests as they prevented many Western investors from entering the Iranian economy. On the other hand, they were hardly a barrier for Russian companies to enter the Iranian market. As a result, the whole of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018 was a period of unprecedented intense activity for Russian business in Iran. {articleGUID} Yet, the Russian government never wanted the full collapse of the deal and the imposition of tougher sanctions on Iran. The secondary sanctions that Trumps decision brought back do not really mean more economic opportunities for Russian companies. On the contrary, given its close economic relations and integration with the West, big Russian business will have to start decreasing its presence in the country. The Russian-Middle Eastern Export Center a company established by Igor Chaika, the son of Russias general prosecutor was among the first to pull out; it was supposed to build desalination facilities in Iran. Then Russias second-biggest oil producer Lukoil followed suit, declaring its decision to put on hold plans to develop projects in the country. There are high chances that another Russian oil company Tatneft will follow the example of Lukoil and also withdraw from negotiations with Iranian partners. Of course, the re-imposition of tougher US sanction will not necessarily mean that Russian-Iranian economic ties will be cut completely. They will definitely survive, but will be limited to a small number of joint projects such as the construction of the Bushehr and Sirik power plants, as well as some railway developments. State-owned Rosneft might also be compelled to stay in Iran due to political considerations in Moscow. However, Iran once again will become a no-go area for major Russian and Western investment, as it was before 2015. Russia will also not benefit from Irans withdrawal from the oil market. In the short-run, this might cause a temporary hike in oil prices, but Moscow is not really after such a development. Unlike the mid-2000s when Russian energy companies were blindly pursuing higher oil prices, today they are much more concerned about their stability than their constant growth. Russia is concerned that rising oil prices could encourage an increase in output by its energy rivals which could in turn boost the development of alternative energy resources and in the long-run shrink demand. That migh actually bring down oil prices permanently something Moscow definitely wants to avoid. The Russians are not interested in the further increase of oil prices. Currently, the Kremlin would like to keep them between $65 and $75 a barrel, as this would suit its domestic economic interests and would prevent the market from overheating. The potential drop in Irans oil production coupled with the unfolding crisis in the Venezuelan oil industry might make achieving this task difficult. Does Russia benefit politically? Trumps decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal undoubtedly pushed Iran closer to Russia. At the same time, the tensions between the US and EU over the JCPOA provided the Kremlin with an opportunity to restore dialogue with the Europeans. Both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macronpaid visits to Russia in the past few months and it seemed that Moscows status as a signatory of the JCPOA could be used to create a split in the Western anti-Russia camp. Yet, Moscow does not see the collapse of the deal as a positive political development. It hoped that the JCPOA would guarantee that Iran will not become another hot spot on the periphery of its post-Soviet space. The deal was meant to guarantee that the US and Israel would not engage in hostile actions or military aggression against Tehran and to help the country stabilise its economy and domestic politics. After May 8, there is an increasing chance of internal or external tensions escalating about which Moscow is deeply concerned. The JCPOA was also meant to end Irans pariah status and gradually reintegrate it into the international community. This would have allowed Russia to cooperate with the Islamic Republic more actively on regional affairs without the danger of being accused of creating unholy alliances. The JCPOA would have also allowed the international community to keep Tehrans nuclear programme under control. The Russian government was and still is not interested in seeing Iran acquire a nuclear arsenal. It believes that this would drastically change the balance of power in the region which would not be in Russias interest. A nuclear Iran would stimulate other, less-stable Middle Eastern countries to pursue nuclear programmes which could destabilise the region. After the US withdrawal, Moscow does not have many options. It might go back to how it operated under the Obama administrations sanctions regime, when most business between the two countries was done within the space of the grey economy. Business relations back then were heavily dominated by small and medium enterprises which were not connected to Western markets and hence, were not affected by US sanctions. Russia can also seek legal ways to avoid the US sanctions through, for example, the oil-for-goods programme (a barter deal that allows Tehran to pay for Russian goods and investments with oil) or the use of national currencies instead of the US dollar to carry out transactions. It could also try to use cryptocurrencies to facilitate trade. In the end, Russia will try to do as much as it can within the narrow space the Trump administration has left for Iran on the international scene. One thing is certain, however: Russia is unlikely to abandon Iran in the face of US hostility. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. The unconventional alliance between Erdogans AK Party and MHP seeks to make him Turkeys first executive president. Istanbul, Turkey On the streets of Turkeys largest city, enthusiastic supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan are hard at work to ensure a win both for the Turkish president and his partys bloc on the June 24 polls. Confident of a victory in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary races, they can be found in almost every square of the Istanbul metropolis, handing leaflets to passers-by and urging them to vote for the Justice and Development Partys (AK Party) 64-year-old leader. We will make Erdogan the executive president, volunteer Mehmet Kara says passionately, using the word baskan, the term Turks use for presidents in the United States. He is the best thing that happened to this country and we are working to achieve that, adds the 25-year-old, his voice gradually drowned out by loud music as other banner-waving supporters nearby break into AK Party campaign songs. Turkeys presidential office will be significantly empowered following Sundays snap polls, which, for the first time in Turkish history, are scheduled to take place on the same day as the general elections. Erdogan, hoping to keep his seat with increased powers, has entered the race in the face of a depreciating lira, straining relations with the West and criticism from rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Right Watch over, what they call the deterioration of the human rights and the rule of law in the country. {articleGUID} In the parliamentary race, the AK Party joined forces with the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) to form the Peoples Alliance bloc, in line with a recently introduced law that allows political parties to establish election alliances. Erdogan is the blocs joint presidential candidate. Their main rival is another alliance formed by the main opposition centre-left Republican Peoples Party (CHP) and right-wing IYI (Good) Party, which includes ex-MHP seniors, as well as two smaller parties. The pro-Kurdish Democratic Peoples Party (HDP) is also predicted to pass the election threshold and enter parliament. In the past, Turkeys unusually high threshold of 10 percent prevented small parties from making their way to parliament. Under the new legislation, if an alliance hits the mark, each party in it will be considered to have surpassed the election threshold and be represented in parliament. MHP support in referendum The cooperation between the AK Party and the MHP has been on the Turkish political scene since late 2016, with both parties supporting the yes vote in a key constitutional referendum last year. Narrowly passed, the April 2017 referendum approved major constitutional changes that will largely come into force after this weeks elections. They are set to empower the next president with significant executive powers, abolish the prime ministry and remove the monitoring role of parliament, among other changes. {articleGUID} The polls on Sunday will be held under a state of emergency, in place since July 2016 following a failed deadly coup blamed by the government on the movement of Fethullah Gulen, a US-based self-exiled religious leader. The AK Party-MHP alliance represents the people as it is stated in the name, against the forces who want to steal the will of the people, Kara told Al Jazeera in the Istanbul district of Eminonu, apparently referring to the coup attempt two years ago. Thirty-nine-year-old Ahmet Kinac, an MHP voter, also said the partnership between the two parties is crucial for Turkey to avoid a repeat of a military intervention. This is not an election partnership; this is a crucial cooperation the only arrangement that would protect our country from another July 15, Kinac, who works for a private company, told Al Jazeera, referring to the date of the failed putsch. Political rivals However, an AK Party-MHP alliance would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, as both parties were sharply at odds in a number of issues. In 2014, the MHP supported a joint opposition candidate in the presidential race against Erdogan. Its leader, Devlet Bahceli, was a harsh critic of Erdogans push for an executive presidency, as well as his policies on the economy, foreign affairs and in particular the Kurdish issue until 2016. Regardless of the reasons for its making, be they political calculations, recently converging policies or the coup attempt, the alliance seems to be benefitting both sides. Ali Recai Ogcem, AK Party voter The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Turkish state were engaged in a war for almost 30 years until a 2013 truce was declared and peace talks were launched. The ceasefire largely held until the summer of 2015, when the two sides once again engaged in escalating clashes and Ankara launched a military campaign against the PKK. According to Taha Akyol, a Turkish senior political analyst and columnist, the nationalist MHP could only consider an alliance with the AK Party after a drastic change in the latters approach to the PKK. The peace process was making the AK Party lose votes, as Erdogan also said in 2015, amid escalating violence coming from the PKK, Akyol told Al Jazeera. The AK Partys departure from the peace process is one of the factors that facilitated the cooperation with the MHP. Recep Tayyip Erdogan hopes to keep his seat with increased powers [Umut Uras/Al Jazeera] In the June 2015, the AK Party lost its parliamentary majority, while the pro-Kurdish HDP passed, for the first time, the 10 percent threshold to enter parliament with a significant number of MPs. Nevertheless, Erdogans party won the majority back in the November of the same year, after the poles-apart three opposition parties failed to form a coalition government. Akyol also said that Erdogan and the AK Party needed the MHP to get a yes vote in last years referendum passed with just 51 percent of the votes and to have a shot at executive presidency in the coming elections. Bahcelis trouble On the other hand, the MHPs leadership went through tough times in late 2015 and 2016. Bahceli, the MHP leader, was challenged by some of the partys senior members opposing his policies and claiming that he could not tap into Turkeys nationalist voter base. At the end of a long struggle within the party, former Interior Minister Meral Aksener and her allies were barred from challenging Bahceli due to a decision by a local election body. {articleGUID} They were later sacked from the MHP and shortly afterwards, they formed IYI Party, which makes its electoral debut on Sunday. Bahceli needed support to remain in power [as MHP leader] at this point because the opposition movement in his party found support in the party base, said Akyol told. The stance the judiciary and pro-government media took at that time show that he secured this support. Akyol said it would have been impossible for the MHP to surpass the election threshold by itself, following Bahcelis clinging to power and the departure of Aksener and her allies from the party. Ali Recai Ogcem, an AK Party voter, believes the two parties that have formed Peoples Alliance bloc have managed the partnership well so far. Regardless of the reasons for its making, be their political calculations, recently converging policies or the coup attempt, the alliance seems to be benefitting both sides, the 29-year-old PhD candidate, told Al Jazeera. Follow Umut Uras on Twitter: Um_uras Taliban announce they will resume fighting on Monday as the three-day ceasefire on Eid-al-Fitr comes to an end. On the final day of a three-day Eid al-Fitr ceasefire, the Taliban said they would resume fighting, despite President Ashraf Ghanis announcement that the government was extending its own ceasefire with the group by 10 days. In the statement on Sunday, the Taliban repeated their preconditions for peace talks, including that they would only negotiate directly with the US and that foreign forces should leave Afghanistan. Our fighters will now resume their operations across the country against the foreign invaders and their internal puppets, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Al Jazeera. In an unexpected move, Ghani on June 5 announced an unconditional ceasefire with the Taliban until June 20, coinciding with the end of Ramadan. On June 9, the Taliban announced that their fighters would stop attacking Afghan security forces for the three days of Eid for the first time in the nearly 17-year conflict. Hundreds of soldiers and police officers have been killed since the Taliban launched their spring offensive in April this year in a bid to control large swaths of the country. Extreme happiness The first day of the ceasefire on Friday started with Taliban, civilians and officials offering Eid prayers together in mosques across the country. Pictures and videos emerged on social media later that day of Afghans celebrating Eid with men identified by them as Taliban fighters. It was a moment of extreme happiness for us that we got to celebrate Eid this way without any fear, Zahid Khan, a resident of Jalalabad told Al Jazeera. The celebrations were cut short with a first attack claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) on Saturday that killed at least 30 people and wounded more than 65 in Nangarhar province. The second attack, a suicide bombing in Jalalabad on Sunday, close to the governors office in Nangarhar province, killed at least 18 people. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Wounded men were carried to a hospital after a car bombing in Jalalabad on June 17 [Parwiz/Reuters] On the day of Eid when everyone came together, an attack by ISIL made many people cry for their lost ones, Nikzad, a Kabul resident told Al Jazeera. Peace is not easy to achieve in this country. Support and welcome of Taliban The Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Al Jazeera that the three-day ceasefire across the country proves that the group is unified and trustworthy. The way our fighters were welcomed by the people proves that our demands and the nations are identical all want the withdrawal of foreign invaders and establishment of an Islamic government, he said. Mujahid also stressed that no talks were taking place with the government. However, Zahid Khan, the Jalalabad resident said he just wants peace across the country. Enough of bloodshed and tears, when peace is possible, we should sustain it, he said. Hundreds protest against policy of separating children from those caught crossing the US-Mexico border. Pressure is mounting on US President Donald Trump to reverse his policy of separating children from refugees and migrants who cross the US-Mexico border. Families belong together, protesters chanted on Sunday, as hundreds gathered outside detention centres in the states of Texas and New Jersey, calling for an end to the practice. In May, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a zero tolerance approach towards migrants and refugees who cross the US southern border without documents, promising to prosecute those who did so. Part of that approach has been separating children from their parents who are detained. A Department of Homeland Security spokesman told reporters last week that 1,995 minors were separated from 1,940 adults who crossed the US border without documents between April 19 and May 31. Sundays protests coincided with the celebration of Fathers Day in the US, and drew several legislators from the Democratic Party. New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney shared the stories of five men detained in the New Jersey facility who were separated from their families. All 5 of these men brought their families to the US to escape #gangviolence in their home countries, she said on Twitter. They came hoping for a better, safer life for their loved ones. Instead they were separated from their children & have received no update on their children since being detained. One man broke down when telling me about how his young daughter was ripped from his arms. This is inhumane and traumatizing. Carolyn B. Maloney (@RepMaloney) June 17, 2018 Other members of Congress toured a converted Walmart supermarket that is housing about 1,500 children, dozens of whom have been separated from their parents under the zero-tolerance policy. They call it zero tolerance, but a better name for it is zero humanity, and theres zero logic to this policy, said Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon said while touring the facility. Its completely unacceptable under any moral code or under any religious tradition to injure children, inflict trauma on them in order to send some political message to adults somewhere overseas, he said. People participate in a protest against recent US immigration policy in Texas on Sunday [Monica Lozano/Reuters] Protesters also marched to the newly-erected tent city in Tornillo, Texas, where hundreds of boys will be housed, according to Congressman Will Hurd, who toured the area over the weekend. The US Department of Health and Human Services announced the opening of the shelter last week. Reminiscent of Japanese-American internment camps Democrat senators are attempting to drum up support in Congress to legislate against the policy, including proposing a law that would ban the practice. Named the Keep Families Together Act, the bill, if passed, would ban the separation of a child from a parent or guardian unless there was a risk of abuse or neglect stemming from the parents custody of the child. Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein said the bill had picked up support from 48 senators. Were making progress, but we still need Republicans to join, she wrote on Twitter. While no Republicans have signed up to back the bill, others within the party establishment have spoken out. These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in US history. Former First Lady Laura Bush, writing in the Washington Post Former First Lady Laura Bush, the wife of former Republican President George W Bush, wrote an editorial in the Washington Post newspaper, in which she said the policy of zero tolerance breaks her heart. Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso, she wrote. A bus full of children separated from their families, just passed us. On #FathersDay #KeepFamiliesTogether pic.twitter.com/TSFKsd5Bmq Susie Haslett (@sueqhaslett) June 17, 2018 These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in US history. Current First Lady Melania Trump has also weighed in on the issue but stopped short of calling for the policy to be scrapped. The first lady said she hates to see children separated from their families and that she hoped Republicans and Democrats could come together to achieve successful immigration reform, in a statement her spokesperson made to CNN. Violates childrens rights Her husbands administration has shown little sign that it will budge on the issue and has instead doubled down, even citing the Bible to justify its conduct. Trump and his supporters have also repeatedly falsely blamed the Democrats for his administrations policy of separating families, saying that its their law. However, there is no statute that requires children to be separated from their parents at the border. Others have defended the policy by citing the safety and security of the children. Rights groups and others, including the UN, however, have said the practice violates the rights of the child. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote on Twitter: There is no way to rationalize ripping families apart There is no way to rationalize ripping families apart, @SenatorCollins. You should stop trying. #FamiliesBelongTogether https://t.co/Su7eaFzD1U ACLU (@ACLU) June 17, 2018 President Trump campaigned on a platform to cut off the flow of immigrants entering the US through Mexico and repeatedly characterised those coming through as potential rapists and criminals. Battle for Hudaida could make Yemens humanitarian crisis worse if Saudi-led coalition takes the vital port of Hudaida, food imports for 70 percent of the population may be at risk. Acapulco suffered some wind damage but flooding rains have been the mark of this months cyclones. Carlotta was recognised as a developing tropical depression last Thursday, in the eastern Pacific, off the coast of the Mexican state of Guerrero. It strengthened and headed directly for the coast, putting Acapulco into the tropical storm warning envelope. By late Saturday, the winds were blowing at just over 100 kilometres per hour as Tropical Storm Carlotta followed the coastline past Acapulco. Wind gusts were strong enough to bring down trees in Acapulco and many houses were flooded. The rain gauge recorded 72mm on Saturday night. The impact was relatively light and during Sunday, Carlotta went back out to sea. At the moment, the sea surface temperatures along this part of the Mexican coast are a little lower than average. This is also true around Baja California and California itself. Offshore from Manzanillo, it is 26C, nearly three degrees below normal and not enough to sustain a hurricane. Carlotta is the third named storm off the Mexican coast so far this month the first two reaching, briefly, Category 4 status on the international Saffir-Simpson scale. The second, Hurricane Bud which was much further out in the Pacific, lost strength very quickly as it headed for Baja California. Tropical Depression Carlotta is heading back to land now, with a likely complete disintegration over coastal Michoacan, the next state up from Guerrero. It may cause some more minor flooding. UN secretary-general spokesperson says fighting near Hudaida has resulted in displacement of 26,000 people. Tens of thousands of residents have fled the fighting along Yemens western coastline where pro-government fighters backed by a Saudi-led coalition are engaged in fierce battles with Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters on Monday that about 5,200 families, or around 26,000 people, have sought safety within their own districts or in other parts of Hudaida governorate. The number is expected to increase as hostilities continue, he said. Earlier, UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein voiced concern that the Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates-led military operation in Yemen could endanger millions of civilians. I emphasise my grave worry regarding the Saudi and Emirati-led coalitions ongoing attacks in Hudaida which could result in enormous civilian casualties and have a disastrous impact on life-saving humanitarian aid to millions of people which comes through the port, al-Hussein said on Monday. He was speaking at the opening session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where he gave an overview of the overall human rights situation while denouncing the threat of growing chauvinistic nationalism around the world. On Monday, Saudi and UAE Apache attack helicopters pounded Houthi positions as civilians fled in search of shelter from the biggest battle of the war in three years. The attack reportedly targeted Houthi snipers and fighters positioned on the rooftops of schools and homes in the Manzar neighbourhood near Hudaidas airport compound, residents said, in fighting that has wounded dozens of civilians and prevented aid organisations from reaching parts of the city. While most of the intense fighting is in Hudaida, Houthi media reported over 40 air strikes in other parts of Yemen over the past 24 hours. Losing Hudaida would seriously weaken the Houthis by severing supply lines from the Red Sea to their stronghold in the capital Sanaa, and depriving an estimated 70 percent of the population access to food and medicine. It could also give an edge to the Western-backed Saudi and UAE-led coalition that, despite superior weaponry and firepower, has failed to defeat the Houthis in a war that has killed 10,000 people and created the worlds most urgent humanitarian crisis. The battle for Hudaida, launched six days ago, could drag on, inflicting more suffering on civilians who have already endured air raids, port blockades, hunger and a cholera epidemic. In a post on social media late on Sunday, Anwar Gargash, the UAEs minister of state for foreign affairs, said that a coalition victory in Hudaida will pull the Houthis back to the negotiating table. No electricity, no water Yehia Tanani said he and his family left al-Mandhar three days ago and walked for 3km, hiding behind walls and under trees to avoid air raids, before first finding shelter at a fish farm. Others stayed to care for family members and cattle. They told us that some humanitarian organisations are going to send buses but then they said no buses could come in or out. So we started walking on foot carrying our children, sitting every while for rest while the Apaches hovered above us. We were scared not knowing if wed be shot or not, he said. Now, were in this school, no mattresses, no electricity, no water, no bathrooms, nothing. And we have children who need medicine, food, anything, but we dont have anything, he said, sitting on the floor of an empty classroom of a school being used to house those displaced by the fighting. Children slept on the floor of empty classrooms while others sat forlornly in the courtyard, where a few items of clothing and blankets were draped over balconies and upturned desks. The Saudi-led coalition said it could take Hudaida quickly enough to avoid interrupting aid and that it would focus on capturing the airport and port and avoid street fighting. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mohammed al-Bekheti, a Houthi spokesman, denied reports that the UN special envoy to Yemen had asked the Houthis to hand over their weapons in return for Saudis stopping their attacks. [They] are lying to people by claiming that the UN envoy is carrying such demands. This is because they are trying to justify their military defeats and failures, he said. The coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to restore the internationally recognised government driven into exile by the Houthis, and thwart what Riyadh and Abu Dhabi see as efforts by regional adversary Iran to dominate the region. The Houthis rule the most populous areas of chronically unstable Yemen, a poor nation of about 30 million people. Horst Seehofer backs down, says he will not bypass Angela Merkel by turning away migrants yet, awaiting EU solution. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has backed down from a threat to bypass Chancellor Angela Merkel in a disagreement over immigration policy, bringing reprieve to Merkels biggest political crisis to date. Seehofer on Monday agreed to implement his immigration master plan step by step, stopping short of unilaterally enforcing a policy opposed by Merkel while she attempts to find a solution at European level. Merkel has been in disagreement with the leader of her Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), over a point in Seehofers plan that would see Germany turn away all migrants who have already registered elsewhere in the EU. That proposal would see Europes south bear the brunt of the inflow of migrants and refugees. Both Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and her Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU) held meetings on Monday to discuss the next steps in the disagreement. At a press conference afterwards, Merkel said she would hold talks at an upcoming EU summit and report back to her party by July 1. The chancellor emphasised she does not want to see Germany unilaterally turn back migrants at the countrys borders. Seehofer on Monday said hed be glad to see a European agreement but that we want this national solution unless a European solution comes together. We wish the chancellor much luck, he told a press conference. Step by step Over the weekend, Seehofer had signalled he would hold off on implementing the measure until after an EU summit on migration and asylum policy that is scheduled for the end of the month. On Monday, German news agency DPA reported Germany would implement the plan step by step, starting with the rejection of migrants who have already been deported or have an entry ban. If Merkel fails to make deals with her European counterparts, Seehofer could still go ahead with instructing police to turn away all migrants who have registered elsewhere in the EU. Doing that unilaterally and with Merkels explicit opposition could lead to the collapse of the German government, which was sworn in only three months ago. On Monday, Merkel will host the new Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, who is heading a government with an anti-immigration agenda. Death sentence widely criticised, with many saying that 51-year-old Mohammad Salas did not receive a fair trial. A member of a Sufi order has been hanged in Iran over a bus-ramming incident that killed three police officers and two security force members during protests in February in Tehran. The man, identified by the Tasnim news agency as Mohammad Salas, received the death sentence in March and was executed at a correction facility on Monday. Salas is a member of the Gonabadi Dervish group, which has been protesting in the Iranian capital against alleged religious repression by the government, and the reported threat of arrest of its leader, the 90-year-old Noor Ali Tabandeh. Salas reportedly drove the bus that ran over the officers, as they tried to contain the protests in the Pasdaran district of Tehran. At least 30 other police officers were injured in the incident, according to Tasnim. The incident in February was partly captured on video and circulated widely online. Iranian Dervish community of Gonabad clash with police in northern Tehran, near their spiritual leader's house 3 police reprtdly dead after a minibus ran them over. State TV: Driver was Dervish protestor 2nd runaway car injured 3 more police 160 Dervishes arrested pic.twitter.com/tDXHfxXawi Ali Noorani (@ali_noorani_teh) February 19, 2018 The death sentence was criticised on social media in recent days, with many saying the 51-year-old had not received a fair trial. In a statement on Monday, Amnesty International said it was shocked and saddened at the news of Salas execution. We are shocked and saddened to announce that Mohammad Salas was executed this morning. We'll have more later but for now we are reposting our press release from yesterday, which details our concerns regarding his grossly unfair trial https://t.co/3JtimWOHiH #SaveSalas #_ pic.twitter.com/dX5aqnU18G Amnesty Iran (@AmnestyIran) June 18, 2018 Media reports said that Salas had filed a confession after his arrest, but he later retracted it and said that he had confessed under duress. In an audio statement released by Salas lawyer, Salas was quoted as saying, I cannot even kill an ant, according to a report by the group, Iran Human Rights Monitor. The Center for Human Rights in Iran also quoted Salas as saying that his conscience is clear. Witnesses apparently said that someone else was behind the wheel of the bus. An appeal filed by Salas lawyer was rejected. At least 300 members of the Gonabadi Dervish group were also arrested at the protests. In January, at least 10 members of the group were imprisoned in southern Fars province. Other followers are reportedly held at Tehrans Evin Prison. The Gonabadi Dervish followers are Shia Muslims, like the majority of Iranians, but they follow a mystical path and do not obey the countrys official religious leaders. This has created tensions between the group and Irans conservative leadership. According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran, the Sufi Muslims are viewed as a threat to mainstream Shia Islam in the country, and its religious establishment frowns upon conversions. For centuries, however, Iran has allowed other major religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism to exist in the country. Private sector in Nepal for joint venture with Chinese investors The private sector has stressed that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's official visit to China should be made fruitful as it offered an important opportunities to Nepal to boost its trade and bilateral cooperation with its northern neighbour. Israeli authorities indict former energy minister for allegedly acting as an agent on behalf of Iranian intelligence. A former Israeli cabinet minister, once imprisoned for trying to smuggle ecstasy pills, has been charged with spying for Iran, according to security officials in Israel. Gonen Segev, who had been living in Nigeria, was arrested during a visit to Equatorial Guinea and extradited to Israel in May on suspicion of committing offenses of assisting the enemy in war and spying against the state of Israel, the Shin Bet security agency said on Monday. It added that Segev, an Israeli energy minister in mid-1990s, acted as an agent for Iranian intelligence and relayed information connected to the energy market and security sites in Israel including buildings and officials in political and security organisations. The Shin Bet said Segev, 62, put some Israelis involved in the security sector in contact with Iranian intelligence agents, introducing the Iranians as businessmen. Segevs lawyers released a statement saying that most details from the indictment remained a secret, as requested by the state. Even at this early stage it can be said that the permitted publication attributes extreme gravity to the events, even though within the indictment, of which the full details remain confidential, a different picture is painted, said the statement. The developments come weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a theatrical presentation as he unveiled what he said was a cache of Iranian files purporting to show evidence that Tehran pursued a secret nuclear programme. Segev, a physician, was charged in 2004 with trying to smuggle 30,000 ecstasy tablets into Israel from the Netherlands, using a diplomatic passport with a falsified expiry date. The following year he admitted the charges as part of a plea bargain agreement. He left Israel in 2007 after his release from prison. Palestinians have been protesting Israeli occupation along the border by sending burning kites to the Israeli side. Israeli jets have struck nine targets belonging to Hamas, the group that controls the Gaza Strip, in response to incendiary kites and balloons Palestinians sent across the border, the military said. The attacks, which came early on Monday, were accompanied by sirens sounding in Israeli areas near the Gaza Strip at daybreak. It was not immediately clear what was struck or whether there were casualties. In recent weeks, Palestinians have been attaching oil-soaked rags to kites and flying them over the Gaza border fence to start fires in Israeli territory. So far, no Israelis have been hurt by the fires, but they have caused $2.5m in damage to farmland, according to Israels government. Israel had been using drones to intercept the kites, but Palestinians have had some success in bringing down the drones. The Israeli military has fired warning shots from the air and destroyed property belonging to the kite launchers. Some Israeli ministers have called for those launchers to be targeted directly. {articleGUID} Meanwhile, a Palestinian man died in unclear circumstances near the Israel-Gaza border on Monday. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 24-year-old Sabri Abu Khader died an hour after arriving at the hospital, without specifying the cause of his death. At least 125 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops during mass demonstrations along the Gaza border since March 30. The protests have called for the right of return for refugees to their lands that their families fled or were driven from during Israels founding 70 years ago. Israels deadly tactics in confronting the weekly Friday protests have drawn international condemnation. Around two million people live in Gaza, most of them the stateless descendants of refugees from what is now Israel. The territory has been controlled by Hamas for more than a decade, during which it has fought three wars against Israel. Israel and Egypt maintain a blockade of the strip, citing security reasons, which has caused an economic crisis and collapse in living standards there over the past decade. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met with Jordans King Abdullah II in Amman to discuss regional developments in a quick visit to the Jordanian capital. Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Israels commitment to maintaining the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem, a statement from Netanyahus office said on Monday. Jordan is the official custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. According to Jordans official news agency Petra, King Abdullah II stressed that Jerusalem is as important for Muslims and Christians is as it is for Jews and that the issue of the holy city must be settled within final status agreements on the basis of a two-state solution. A number of bilateral issues were discussed in the meeting, in addition to advancing the two-state solution as the only way to achieve peace and stability in the region. The Palestinian Authority government has long advocated for a state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as their capital, but many Palestinians view this as an impossible solution, due to the continuous Israeli construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahus visit came ahead of an official visit by Jason Greenblatt, the US President Donald Trumps special envoy to the Middle East peace process, and Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, to the region. Last month, Trump officially relocated Washingtons embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in a controversial move that angered Palestinians and sparked widespread international condemnation. The US delegations trip includes stops in Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The 41-year-old protege of former President Uribe has promised to make changes to the 2016 peace deal with the FARC. Conservative Ivan Duque has won the first presidential election in Colombia since the 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels. The 41-year-old protege of former President Alvaro Uribe has promised to make changes to the landmark deal, casting a level of uncertainty over the peace process, which formally ended more than 50 years of conflict with the rebel group. Duque is the son of a former governor and energy minister, and has been interested in politics from a young age. Oscar Castano, a childhood friend, recalled how a young Duque would wake up by 5am and read the politics section of the local newspaper. He memorised speeches of Colombian political luminaries, and debated with lawmakers on the left and right who passed through his house. Duque holds a law degree and a major in Philosophy and a Masters in Public Policy Management from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. His career started in 1999 as a consultant, and he later served as an adviser at the Colombian Ministry of Finance. Duque also served a period as international adviser of Uribe, and from 2001 to 2013, he was a senior adviser at Inter-American Development Bank. Uncertainty over FARC deal Duque is supported by Uribe, one of the FARC 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. Duque has openly criticised current President Jose Manuel Santos, particularly his handling of the peace process, describing it as a monument to impunity and the way the relations with Venezuela has been handled. I have always said that its not about destroying or ripping up the accords, but about making significant changes to the elements that affect the rule of law, Duque told Spanish Newspaper, El Pais. Tensions over the deal became apparent in the immediate aftermath of Duques 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 centre 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. It remains unclear what changes Duque can and will make to the agreement. He has said he wants to keep ex-FARC rebels from serving in Congress. The agreement allowed the group to transform itself into a political party. I have always said that it's not about destroying or ripping up the accords, but about making significant changes to the elements that affect the rule of law. Ivan Duque Critics fear Duque will be little more than a puppet of former President Uribe, but those in the business community welcome his economic policies. He thinks that we need to keep growing. That we need to insert ourselves in the international economic networks and that we need to bring more money to the country and more progress conceived in economic terms, Sandra Borda, a political analyst told Al Jazeera. A lot is at stake for Colombias $324bn economy, he has promised to keep investors happy by cutting business taxes, bolstering the oil and coal sectors top exports and helping manufacturers. Duque has vowed to close the poverty gap, simplify the countrys tax code and pursue the complete eradication of coca in line with his tough stance on drugs. More than 200 injured by earthquake that struck during morning rush hour in Osaka Prefecture, officials say. At least three people, including a child, were killed after a strong earthquake rocked the Japanese city of Osaka during the morning rush hour, government officials said. The 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck just before 8:00am (23:00 GMT) on Monday, knocking over walls and injuring at least 230 people. We are doing our best to respond to this disaster urgently as some areas still cannot access gas or water. As of now, there is no damage at nuclear power facilities such as Takahama nuclear power plant and Oi nuclear power plant, Yoshide Suga, Japans chief cabinet secretary, told a news conference. Local police said the child who was killed was a nine-year-old girl who lived in the city of Takatsuki, north of Osaka, where a wall collapsed on her at school. National broadcast NHK said an elderly man was also killed by a collapsing wall, while another was trapped below a bookcase at home. Water flows out from cracks in a road damaged by an earthquake in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture [Kyodo/Reuters] Multiple small aftershocks followed the quake, prompting warnings from an official of Japans meteorological agency to remain on guard. There are fears that the risk of house collapses and landslides has increased in the areas shaken strongly, said Toshiyuki Matsumori, in charge of monitoring quakes at the agency. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Regulation Authority said it had detected no problems at its local nuclear power plants. The quake did not trigger tsunami warnings. Strong vertical jolt Despite its relatively low magnitude, the quake left many residents shaken and fearing the worst. The floor moved violently. It was a strong vertical jolt. Nearly all of the dishes fell and shattered on the floor, Kaori Iwakiri, a 50-year-old nurse in Moriguchi just north of Osaka city said. My parents suffered a blackout and they have no water. I plan to take water to them now. Iwakiri said. Eiji Shibuya, 52, said the tremor reminded him of the devastating 1995 Kobe earthquake, which killed nearly 6,500 people. {articleGUID} I was stunned. I couldnt do anything, he told AFP news agency from Itami, a city in eastern Osaka region. I was worried about my son as he had just left for his high school. I was relieved when I confirmed he was safe. Japan sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire where a large proportion of the worlds earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded. On March 11, 2011, a devastating magnitude 9.0 quake struck under the Pacific Ocean, and the resulting tsunami caused widespread damage and claimed thousands of lives. It also sent three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, causing Japans worst post-war disaster and the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986. Haftars forces in bid to regain control of Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra oil terminals in Libyas northeastern oil crescent. The self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar have mobilised to drive out rival groups from the countrys northeastern oil crescent, according to security forces in Ajdabiya. Haftars LNA announced on Sunday a major offensive after his forces lost control on Thursday of the Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra oil terminals located about 650km east of Tripoli to armed groups that attacked the area. The LNAs air force on Sunday also 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 LNA controls most of eastern Libya and is opposed to an internationally recognised government based in Tripoli, which has itself condemned Thursdays militia attacks. Ibrahim Jadhran, who heads the Petroleum Facilities Guard, said in a video on Thursday that he had formed an alliance to retake oil terminals seized by Haftars forces in September 2016. Jadhran controlled the terminals for years following the 2011 overthrow and killing of long-time Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, but were eventually forced out by the LNA. National disaster The Red Crescent in Ajdabiya, 150km east of Ras Lanuf, on Friday said it received 28 bodies, without specifying to which group they belonged. The National Oil Corporation (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 Jadhrans militia to prevent an environmental disaster and further destruction of key infrastructure. {articleGUID} 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. Libyas economy relies heavily on oil, with production at 1.6 million barrels a day under Gaddafi. The 2011 uprising against Gaddafi saw production fall to about 20 percent of that level, before recovering to over one million barrels a day by the end of 2017. Ankara says independent patrol missions by Turkish and US forces under way, part of roadmap agreed by both countries. The Turkish army has said its forces have begun patrols along the outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Manbij, in cooperation with US soldiers in the area. The announcement on Monday came after Turkish and US military officials agreed earlier this month to a plan for the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters considered terrorists by Ankara from the city. The Turkish army announced on Monday the launch of the operation between Manbij and an area it controls after one of its two cross-border military campaigns along with Syrian rebels in the past two years. As per the Manbij Roadmap and Safety Principles previously agreed upon, independent patrol activities by soldiers of Turkish Armed Forces and US Armed Forces have begun on the line between (the Turkish-controlled) area and Manbij, Turkeys armed forces said on Twitter. Addressing supporters at an election rally in the Black Sea province of Samsun, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: We had said that terror organisations will leave Manbij. We had also talked about patrol missions in Manbij, he added, ahead of the countrys key presidential and parliamentary polls on Sunday. Al Jazeeras Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said the patrol operations took place near the Sajour River area. According to Ankara, 190 Turkish troops are deployed there, Koseoglu said. More troops will be deployed by July 5 to the Manbij area for joint patrolling operations. US-Turkey roadmap Manbij was formerly controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group before being seized by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in 2016, a US-backed umbrella group dominated by the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG). However, Turkey considers the YPG to have ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and views both as terrorist organisations. {articleGUID} Turkey was infuriated by US support for the Kurdish fighters and threatened to push its offensive in the Afrin region of northern Syria further east to Manbij, risking a confrontation with American troops stationed there. The issue of Manbij had become a major flashpoint between the two NATO allies. But on June 4, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo endorsed a roadmap for the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters from Manbij and agreed to jointly secure the city. A day later, the YPG, which controls large areas in northern Syria on the borders with Turkey, announced that it had withdrawn its military advisers from Manbij. Turkey says it receives security threats from its southern border mainly by the YPG and PKK, Koseoglu said. It wants to clear its borders from these threats. She added: Turkey insists that Manbij is an Arab-dominated city and should be stabilised and given back to its real owners. The Turkish foreign minister also said that Turkish troops would also make their way into Manbij. The roadmap has begun to be implemented, Cavusoglu said. Our soldiers will also enter Manbij, step by step. In this process, the YPG will be pushed out of Manbij. We will be there and make sure that they have left. The aim of the operation is to establish stability in the region held by the YPG, he added. US: DHS denies separating families seeking asylum Head of the Department of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, has denied reports that federal authorities have been separating immigrant children from their parents seeking asylum when apprehended at the border. Top army officials say Lieutenant Colonel Issac Zida should lead country after protests forced president to step down. Burkina Fasos top military officials have thrown their support behind presidential guard Lieutenant Colonel Issac Zida as leader of a transitional government after President Blaise Compaore was forced from power, the Reuters news agency has reported. The move on Saturday sidelines Compaore loyalist General Honore Traore, the joint chief of staff, who had announced a competing plan to lead the country following Zidas departure. Lieutenant Colonel Yacouba Issac Zida has been elected unanimously to lead the transition period opened after the departure of President Blaise Compaore, read a statement issued after military chiefs met to discuss who should take power. The statement came shortly after Burkina Fasos deposed president reportedly arrived in neighbouring Ivory Coast, less than 24 hours after being forced from power. KEY FACTS Population: 16.9 million. Nearly half the population lives on less than $1 a day. Landlocked state bordering Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo and Ghana. Became independent from France in 1960. Economy based on agriculture. Main exports are gold and cotton. Compaore, who resigned on Friday amid mass protests against his 27-year rule, arrived in the capital Yamoussoukro on Saturday with his family. The services of the President hotel in Yamoussoukro served him [Compaore] dinner yesterday [Friday] and breakfast this morning [Saturday], a hotel employee told the AFP news agency. A local resident told the AFP he saw a long cortege of around 30 cars going in the direction of the villa, which is used as a semi-official residence for foreign dignitaries. Zida and Traore both announced they would lead a transition to democracy after Compaore was pushed out. Zida said in a recorded address posted early on Saturday on the website of a national television station that he was filling the vacuum. While we wait to define in a consensual manner, with all of the political parties and civil society organisations, the contours and composition of this peaceful democratic transition, Zida said. I will henceforth assume, from today, the responsibilities of the head of this transition and the head of state. The announcement came just hours after Traore made the same declaration. It was not immediately clear if Traore accepted Zidas announcement on Saturday. When he resigned, Compaore had said a vote would be held in 90 days, but Zida said the length and make-up of the transitional body will be decided later. Jen Psaki, spokesperson for the US State Department, called for democratic elections. We condemn any attempts by the military or other parties to take advantage of the situation for unconstitutional gain and call on all parties to respect the peoples support for the democratic process, she said in a statement released late on Friday. Semi-authoritarian rule Compaore stepped down after protesters stormed the countrys parliament and set it on fire as he was seeking to pass a vote that would allow his re-election for the fifth term. While he was respected on the international stage, critics noted that, under Compaores semi-authoritarian rule, the country of 18 million people remained mired in poverty. The landlocked countrys fortunes rise and fall with gold and cotton prices and adequate rain in a region plagued by drought. Compaores exit will have significance throughout the region, where many leaders have pushed through constitutional changes to prolong their rule and others are attempting to, West Africa expert, Philippe Hugon, said. Its obvious that what happened will have an echo in other countries, said Hugon of the Institute for Strategic and International Relations. In the end, Compaore was pushed from power by violent protests and an emboldened opposition that would accept nothing short of his resignation. I declare that Im leaving power, Compaore said in a statement. For my part, I think I have fulfilled my duty. Thousands of opposition protesters gathered Friday in a square in the capital and burst into cheers when they heard the announcement of his resignation on hand-held radios. This is a new revolution and a chance to get it right, said Donald Fayama, a shopkeeper who was among the demonstrators. At least tomorrow, we are not going to wake up with the same face of the same president. Burkina Faso hosts French special forces and serves as an important ally of both France and the United States in the fight against Islamic militants in West Africa. Mathieu Hilgers, a University of Brussels professor and author of several books on Burkina Faso, said there could be a real danger if the countrys transition takes too long. There is clearly some motivation to make the process go as fast as possible, because indeed nobody wants the military to [stay in power] longer, Hilgers told Al Jazeera. Northwestern border crossing with Croatia briefly closed to prevent about 100 people from entering the European Union. Bosnian border police have stopped about 100 refugees and migrants from reaching the border with Croatia, a member of the European Union, amid a rise in the influx of people heading through the Balkans towards Western Europe. The group of people attempted on Monday to reach the border, but police reacted quickly by blocking the two roads that lead to the closed-down crossing, Al Jazeeras Josip Saric, reporting from Velika Kladusa in northwestern Bosnia, said. Croatia also mobilised police on its side of the border, according to Anel Ramic, interior minister of the Bosnian northwestern Unsko-Sanski canton. Croatia sealed its borders, Ramic said at a news conference in the Bosnian town of Bihac. The group had moved towards Croatia from the nearby town of Velika Kladusa. An estimated 3,000 refugees and migrants are currently spread across the area. Many have attempted to cross into Croatia and are turned back sometimes, five, six or 10 times. But they dont give up; they keep trying, Al Jazeeras Saric said. He added that there is frustration among residents in the small town of Velika Kladusa as an estimated 50-70 migrants continue to arrive daily. Residents arent satisfied with todays situation. They are demanding from authorities a higher number of special police not traffic police who have been dealing with this and theyre worried that these situations could happen again and could turn into something else. The International Red Cross says the number of people migrating through the Balkans is on the rise and that they are in dire need of basic humanitarian support. Authorities in Bosnia have struggled with the influx of thousands of people from the Middle East, Africa and Asia as many head there to avoid more heavily guarded routes through the Balkans in their bid to reach the EU. Peter Van der Auweraert, from the International Organization for Migration, tweeted that the attempted group crossing on Monday was a very worrying development that risked creating a backlash. Van der Auweraert explained in a phone interview with The Associated Press that the migrant influx has already put pressure on post-war Bosnia and that any incidents could further strain the situation. Bosnians might start viewing migrants as troublemakers rather than people in need of help, he said. #BREAKING @UNmigration #Bosnia #migrant protection team are witnessing group irregular border crossing attempt towards #Croatia in Velika Kladusha. Very worrying development that risks to create backlash that is not in interest of anyone. pic.twitter.com/jlrCH95MPt Peter Van der Auweraert (@PeterAuweraert) June 18, 2018 Another video made by team @UNmigration #bosnia of #migrants #refugees walking to Velika Kladusa Maljevac border crossing at 1pm this afternoon @IOM_ROVienna pic.twitter.com/b55PGow9H8 Peter Van der Auweraert (@PeterAuweraert) June 18, 2018 2018 a record year The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Monday that more than 5,600 migrants have reached Bosnia and Herzegovina so far this year, compared with only 754 in all of 2017. The Red Cross also said that in Montenegro, 557 asylum requests were registered in May, the highest monthly figure in five years. Simon Missiri, regional director for Europe, said his groups Balkan offices need more assistance to help cope with the increased numbers. Hundreds of thousands of people passed through the Balkans towards Europe at the peak of the mass migration in 2015. The flow eased for a while but has recently picked up pace with the new route through Bosnia. Since peaking in 2015, the migrants use of the Balkan route towards Western Europe has been impaired in part by Hungarys construction of razor-wire fences on its southern borders. 33kg gold smuggling case: Probe teams tenure extended The government has given a one-month extension to the probe team formed to investigate the 33 kg gold smuggling case. Israel has approved permits for only a third of injured demonstrators to cross Erez checkpoint for treatment, WHO says. The only way Sari al-Shubaki can now communicate is by closing and opening his eyelids. An Israeli sniper shot him in the neck with a live bullet during demonstrations in Gaza on the morning of May 14. Since then, the 22-year-old has been paralysed. A fragment of the bullet is still stuck between his shoulder and neck. For the past month he has been lying in the intensive care unit at Gaza Citys Al Shifa Hospital in critical condition. Since then, his family has been waiting for Israel to approve his exit permit to leave through the Israeli-controlled Erez checkpoint, known to Palestinians as Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza to receive treatment. The day after Sari was shot, doctors said they would transfer him for treatment in Egypt, but a special ICU ambulance required to move him never came as promised, according to his father, Dawud al-Shubaki. I dont know if its the truth or if its because they see him as a hopeless case. I think they seem to prioritise cases since theres many injured people, Dawuf told to Al Jazeera from Al Shifa. Out of options, Dawud has been protesting in the hospitals yard to raise awareness about his sons condition and get help for him. Theres still hope. Hes conscious. Now weve heard from St. Josephs Hospital in Jerusalem that theyre ready to receive him, but how long will that take? The injured person that was next to his bed yesterday died today, Dawud said. I call on any human that still has a merciful heart to help my son undergo the treatment that he needs. Just get him out. We cant bear losing him. If we lose him, it will be a catastrophe for the whole family, Dawud said, breaking down in tears. Since the March of Great Return protests began on March 30, Israeli forces have killed at least 129 Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave and wounded more than 13,000 people. Amid a lack of adequate resources to provide basic treatment to patient, doctors in the impoverished Gaza Strip typically refer patients to hospitals in Israel, the occupied West Bank and sometimes Jordan. But to get there a patient requires receiving Israeli-issued permits, which are often rejected without any explanation offered or too time consuming to obtain for urgent medical conditions. The other option is to leave through the southern Rafah border crossing for treatment in Egypt but this is often set back with delays. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of June 3, 12 out of 22 injured patients were allowed to cross Rafah to receive treatment in Egypt. Due to the 11-year Israeli-Egyptian blockade, patients in Gaza have long faced hurdles in leaving Gaza to undergo vital treatment, which has resulted in a slow death for many, but injured demonstrators are now facing even more stringent barriers in crossing Erez. According to a new report by WHO, only a third of Palestinians injured during demonstrations since the start of the March of Great Return movement 30 have had their exit permits approved by Israeli authorities. The mother of an injured Palestinian sits next to him as he lies on a bed at a hospital in Gaza City [Mohammed Salem/Reuters] As of June 3, of the 66 injured demonstrators that applied for referral to Erez, only 22 were approved compared to a 60 percent approval rate for the first quarter of 2018. Thirty-three, or 50 percent, were denied significantly lower than the rate of eight per cent for the first quarter in 2018. The rest are still waiting, while two of the referred patients died. It has been decided that every request for entry into Israel for the purpose of medical treatment submitted by an active terrorist or rioter who took place in the violent events near the fence will be rejected out of hand, a spokesperson from COGAT, the bureaucratic arm of Israels military occupation commented in an email to Al Jazeera. Punitive and vindictive policy According to Adalah The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights, Israels rejection of evacuations of injured demonstrators serves as a form of punishment. Prior to April 15, none of the injured during the March of Great Return rallies were granted approval to cross Erez for treatment. Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights and Adalah had to launch petitions to the Israeli Supreme Court in order for Palestinian patients to be evacuated through Erez. On April 16, three Israeli Supreme Court justices unanimously ruled that 20-year-old Yousef Kronz, wounded by Israeli military gunfire, was permitted to leave Gaza for urgent medical care in Ramallah to save his remaining leg. Due to the delay imposed by the Israeli military and court regarding his initial request for evacuation which had been filed more than two weeks prior, Kronz already had one leg amputated, according to Adalah. The court ruled that Kronz posed no security risk and that his medical situation posed a complete change in the essence of his life. From our experience in the Kronz case, the Israeli military seeks to implement a punitive and vindictive policy of denying Gaza residents access to life-saving medical treatment in the West Bank simply because they participated in a protest, said Mati Milstein, international media coordinator for Adalah. In fact, during the court hearings, state representatives made clear that Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman had decided to prevent the evacuation for urgent medical care of wounded Gazans who had participated in protests and sit-in demonstrations even at the cost of amputation. An injured Palestinian lies on a bed in the corridor of a hospital in Gaza City on May 15 [Mohammed Salem/Reuters] Under international humanitarian law, Israel as the occupying power is obliged to ensure Palestinians access to treatment and to maintain its medical facilities, hospitals and services in the occupied territories. Yet, for the Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) delegation who visited Gaza last April, operating in the citys most advanced hospital felt like going back several decades. Dr Jamal Hijazi, of Shaare Tzedek Medical Centre in Jerusalem, explained that there were no antibiotics; patients were expected to bring their own. There were no disinfectants either, and medical staff would use saline solution instead, raising the likelihood of infection. PHRI said m edical staff repeatedly use disposable products, as well as expired medicines. There is also a shortage of basic supplies such as gauze, morphine, surgical sutures, anesthetics and external fixators for leg fractures. The injured were not treated appropriately, and some paid for it with their lives, PHRI said in its latest report, referring to the heavy casualties in Gaza on May 14. Forced to scavenge for remains of medical equipment and medicines whatever they could lay their hands on the doctors felt like homeless persons begging for alms. The injured were not treated appropriately, and some paid for it with their lives. Physicians for Human Rights Israel A man tries climb into a hospital window to see a relative who was shot after the hospital closed its doors due to an overflow of patients on May 14 in Gaza City [Spencer Platt/Getty Images] Nothing to do but wait Paramedic Mazen Jabreel Hasna underwent six surgeries to save his right leg after being shot with an explosive bullet on April 27 in Gazas Malaka area. Doctors said they would transfer the 33-year-old to Egypt or Jordan for surgery but this has still not happened. As he waits for his permit, he worries that the artificial arteries doctors used to save his leg could soon explode or become diseased as they arent the right size. Im waiting now and God willing, Ill be able to do it before something goes wrong, Hasna said. Omar al-Housh, 25, is also waiting for a permit to leave Gaza for surgery. The pain is constant, he says. Day and night. He spends all his time in bed, unable to even use crutches and keeps his injured leg covered with a sheet; he hasnt dared to look at it since an Israeli sniper shot him with an explosive bullet on May 14. His brother showed photos of Omars injured leg a gaping wound stretches from his thigh to the ankle, his muscles and tissue fully exposed. The hospital called for urgent blood donations when Omar arrived. He received more than 60 blood units due to his damaged vessels and veins and underwent three operations to save his leg. Omar said the day after he was shot, his referral to Egypt for treatment was denied. He is currently on a waiting list to undergo an operation in Jordan, since the suture used to stitch his damaged veins and vessels isnt the right type and his fractured bones are partly out of position. He waits for a permit from Israeli and Jordanian authorities, but he has already been denied entry repeatedly. It takes so long and Im afraid Ill be denied entry by Israel or Jordan once again, Omar said. What the doctors did was a short-term, temporary surgery to avoid my injury getting worse. I want to be able to walk again, Omar said, adding that his struggle has also become a mental one as he suffers from nightmares and flashbacks. Omar had worked occasionally as a fisherman with his brother, but he and his family cannot afford his medication and painkillers, adding to their worries. Every day he needs painkillers and injections or else he wakes up the whole neighbourhood with his screams, but I cant always afford them, said his father, Younis al-Housh said, a teacher. The other day he asked me not to get him the injections and medication because he felt hes burdening us. See how cruel life has become here? But whats important now is that we want him to receive treatment outside and be able to walk. Follow Mersiha Gadzo on Twitter @MersihaGadzo A Guide to Spygate The FBI is many things to many people, but seen from the inside where I spent my career as an FBI agent, most of all it is a bureaucracy. The evident abuses of the vast investigatory powers of the Bureau to surveil the campaign of Donald Trump has left a paper and electronic trail as it jumped through the many procedural hoops required for Spygate to unfold. Based on a clue from the Strzok-Page texts and my understanding of the rules the FBI has to play by, it is possible to piece together a picture of how and why surveillance of the Trump campaign probably unfolded. But in order to understand what happened, we'll need to explore the nature of FBI investigations, because the type of investigation controls, to some extent, the type of investigative techniques that are authorized. All this is set out in detail in the Attorney General Guidelines For Domestic FBI Operations (AGG) and the FBI Domestic Investigations And Operations Guide (DIOG). Basically, there are three types of FBI investigations that involve opening an investigative case file: 1) Assessments, 2) Preliminary Investigations, and 3) Full Investigations. The latter two are grouped as "Predicated Investigations" because, unlike in the case of an Assessment, an agent will need to present some degree of factual predication before he can open one of these types of investigation. The type of investigation that is opened will depend upon the factual situation, and if additional facts are developed in the course of the investigation, the type of investigation may be upgraded. As far as investigative techniques go, the Assessment serves as a baseline -- any technique that can be used in an Assessment can also be used in a Preliminary or Full Investigation. For our purposes, the important point is that the use of existing informants (Confidential Human Sources/CHS) or the recruitment of new informants is authorized for ALL three types of investigations. There has been some confusion recently regarding the use of informants before a "formal" case has been opened. The confusion arises because Assessments are sometimes conflated with the informal initial checking of investigative leads conducted to determine whether or not to open an investigative case file. That type of informal checking can only be conducted using public information, not through the use of informants. Once an agent has gathered enough facts to direct an informant to target specific persons he will certainly have enough "predication" to warrant opening at least a Preliminary Investigation. And that targeting of specific individuals is precisely what we're dealing with in Spygate. What, then, is the distinction between the Preliminary and the Full Investigation? Briefly, the Preliminary Investigation requires a significantly lower level of predication than a Full Investigation. Whereas a Preliminary Investigation can be opened simply on the basis of "information or allegations," a Full Investigation requires "an articulable factual basis." If we plug those phrases into the formulations that we find in the AGG , the significance will become very apparent. Note, first, in the case of the Preliminary Investigation that the predication can be somewhat speculative, as evidenced by use of the word "may." Predication Required for Preliminary Investigations 1. A Preliminary Investigation may be initiated on the basis of information or an allegation indicating that an activity constituting a threat to the national security has or may have occurred, is or may be occurring, or will or may occur. Or, 2. A Preliminary Investigation may be initiated on the basis of information or an allegation indicating that an individual, group, or organization may be a target of attack, victimization, infiltration, or recruitment in connection with a threat to the national security. In other words, a Preliminary Investigation can be opened even though the factual basis of the "threat to national security" hasn't been verified -- as long as the "information or allegation" "may" be credible. Naturally, those issues must be presented in detail in an opening Electronic Communication (EC). Recall that informants can be used in the course of a Preliminary Investigation. Now, suppose that the FBI learns that a presidential campaign is seeking or being offered "dirt" on its opponent from a hostile foreign power -- Russia, for example. The FBI could arguably be justified in regarding this as constituting a possible threat to the national security, opening a Preliminary Investigation, and deploying informants to learn more. The real problem, as it seems to me, would be if the use of informants should turn into an effort not to discover the truth but to produce inculpatory evidence. And here, I think, we see where James Clapper's we were only trying to protect Trump talking point comes into play. An effort to protect an individual or group would be a valid purpose for opening a Preliminary Investigation, but is that in fact how the FBI ran their investigation of the Trump campaign? To come to an informed decision, we would need to look at the entire circumstances -- did the FBI in fact take steps to protect or warn the Trump campaign, what were those steps, etc. Now, when we turn to the Full Investigation, on the other hand, the speculative element disappears. Predication Required for Full Investigations A Full Investigation may be initiated if there is an articulable factual basis for the investigation that reasonably indicates that one of the two conditions specified above (with regard to Preliminary Investigations) actually exists. This suggests why the FBI and DoJ are so intent on preventing Congress from reading the EC that opened the Full Investigation on July 31, 2016. The EC would have had to state the "articulable factual basis" for the investigation. In other words, the EC would have had to assert that there were specific, verified facts indicating a threat to national security, and it would have had to explicitly state what those facts were. When someone determinedly attempts to withhold a document of that sort from Congress I think we're entitled to draw some adverse conclusions. Now let's try to place all this into perspective. If you accept the argument that a presidential campaign that seeks "dirt" on its opponent from a hostile foreign power (Russia) is engaged in conduct that arguably constitutes activity that is a "threat to the national security," and if you further accept that the FBI's claims regarding its Papadopoulos narrative are credible, then you may be inclined to agree with Trey Gowdy's and Paul Ryans notion that the FBI was acting properly. Or, to be more specific, you may be inclined to agree that a Preliminary Investigation was warranted, since the AGG allow for a Preliminary Investigation to be "initiated on the basis of information or an allegation" of a "threat to the national security." "Information or an allegation" is a fairly low bar. But, if the matter were that simple, why wouldn't the FBI simply open a Preliminary Investigation and target their informants against the Trump campaign? Why bother with a Full Investigation at all, as we know they later did? I suggest that there's a relatively straightforward answer to these questions. Virtually all commentary that I've read focuses on the initiation by the FBI of a Full Investigation on July 31, 2016. Commentators who have constructed timelines of events -- an excellent idea, in and of itself -- then often argue that the use of informants or "spies" against the Trump campaign prior to July 31, 2016 -- for which there is considerable evidence -- violated the AGG, since the FBI would have been targeting informants without an open investigation. While it's possible that the FBI willfully violated the AGG in this manner, it seems unlikely -- bureaucracies don't often operate in such a reckless fashion. They seek to keep their backsides covered at all times. Moreover, this view ignores an important possibility, namely, that before the Full Investigation was initiated (July 31, 2016) there may have been a Preliminary Investigation opened that was being actively worked. This approach -- use of a Preliminary Investigation as a prior stage before going for a Full Investigation -- is actually quite common in counterintelligence work and fits better with the usual careful bureaucratic approach. It also, intriguingly, dovetails with President Obama's reported admonition to "do it by the book" (see below). But, you ask, if that was the case, wouldn't the FBI have been eager to inform Congress that it had been following all the rules? The use of informants against a presidential campaign might be politically embarrassing, but the idea that it was done illegally would be far worse than if it had actually been done legally, under the authority of a Preliminary Investigation, right? Maybe not. It's possible that the FBI may have had an arguably justifiable Preliminary Investigation open in the Spring of 2016, but are now desperate to conceal what they were doing with that Preliminary Investigation. The reason is suggested by D. Manny . In a Strzok/Page text dated 4/30/16 we read: "So now we've switched from the Patriot Act to a wire carrying current (redacted)". What does this mean? D. Manny explains: 2. The Patriot Act is the broad legislation that the government used to conduct much of its "eavesdropping" via 702 queries on the American public -- and Donald Trump. 3. We know that because of the valiant efforts of Admiral Rogers, the 702 queries were abruptly halted on April 18, 2016 when widespread and suspicious abuse was found -- abuse we have widely attributed to contractors and others in the #Spygate scandal. ... 5. What I basically just read, is an admission by Peter Strzok, that they were forced to stop using the "Patriot Act" (702 abuse) and switch to using "A WIRE CARRYING current" What? Spy? Informant? Was someone literally wearing a WIRE for the FBI? Inside the campaign? IN APRIL?! This is exactly what I discussed in Crossfire Hurricane: The How and Why . What D. Manny is referring to as "702 abuse" is the FBI's abuse of NSA data, by allowing access to it by private contractors -- almost certainly including Glenn Simpson's Fusion GPS. As I argued, when NSA's Mike Rogers abruptly shut off FBI access to 702 derived data, the FBI was forced to look for an alternative source of Electronic Surveillance data. That source could only come through FISA. The Need for a Full Investigation The hang-up was this: To get a FISA warrant you need more than just a Preliminary Investigation; you need a Full Investigation, and that whole process can take months. In fact, the FBI didn't get its Full Investigation until the end of July, basically 3 months after the NSA pulled the plug on them. What could the FBI do in the meantime as a stopgap? D. Manny is arguing that the FBI made use of another investigative technique that's authorized under a PI: consensual monitoring, i.e., consensual recording of conversations, "wearing a wire." So the meaning of the cryptic Strzok/Page text becomes clear as a complaint or lament: We had the full run of NSA data and now, thanks to Mike Rogers, we're reduced to consensual monitoring -- a far more cumbersome and less productive method, in the circumstances. Again, consensual monitoring could be perfectly legal under a Preliminary Investigation, although the American public might react very negatively if this fact became known. But the reality may be even worse than the FBI targeting and recording conversations with hapless would-be Trump advisers such as George Papadopoulos and Carter Page. We now know that the FBI was very busy examining the Trump campaign during the Spring of 2016, but the results weren't proving to be terribly promising -- not if the aim was to derail the Trump campaign. Something far more dramatic was needed. The Trump Tower Meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya This is the context in which we need to view the June 9, 2016, meeting at Trump Tower between Donald Trump, Jr., and Paul Manafort from the Trump campaign and a group headed by the dodgy Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya. Recall how that meeting went down. Veselnitskaya had claimed to have "dirt" on Hillary but, when she turned up at Trump Tower, instead of dishing the "dirt" she kept yammering about the Magnitsky Act sanctions. I suggest that what was going on was an attempt by Veselnitskaya to elicit from the Trump campaign an offer of a quid pro quo -- an offer to act on or reconsider sanctions against Russia in exchange for the previously promised "dirt" on Hillary. I really can't see any other way to understand that meeting and Veselnitskaya's behavior, and any hint of a quid pro quo of any sort would have served the purpose. Fortunately, Don Jr. didn't bite, and instead terminated the meeting. If he had discussed or hinted at a possible quid pro quo of any sort that could have spelled the end of the Trump campaign -- especially if the meeting had been the subject of consensual monitoring, was recorded using one or several techniques. The FBI may well have been behind this attempted setup, this endeavor to utterly derail the Trump campaign, using techniques that are authorized under a Preliminary Investigation. Obviously, I don't know this for a fact, but the circumstantial evidence certainly points in that direction. Remember that this meeting took place in the context of months of FBI activity with regard to the Trump campaign. Veselnitskaya was only able to enter the US on a special Visa, approved by AG Lynch. Both shortly before and after the Trump Tower meeting, Veselnitskaya met with Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS, whose FBI connections are now well known. And, finally, if D. Manny is correct, Peter Strzok had already discussed the use of consensual monitoring, going forward from 4/30/16. If this is, indeed, how things went down, it's easy to imagine the disappointment at the FBI and DoJ. The mining of NSA data for political intelligence had been shut down by NSA's Mike Rogers. The targeting of Trump campaign associates wasn't producing the type of results that would have a guaranteed impact on the Trump campaign. And now, the best opportunity so far of delivering a kill shot to the Trump campaign had flopped. What was really needed was a FISA warrant that could be used against the Trump campaign, but to have even a chance at FISA they first needed a Full Investigation on someone close to the campaign. There were two possibilities, it seems. The FBI could resurrect 10 year old charges against Paul Manafort. Sharyl Attkisson tells us that at the time of the Trump Tower meeting the FBI had no FISA on Manafort, but that it soon afterwards restarted a FISA on him. Obviously, a FISA on Trump's campaign manager would be a goldmine of political intelligence. And then, conveniently, there was the Carter Page angle: Christopher Steele had begun submitting his memos that became the famous "dossier," and by July, thanks to Page's trip to Moscow, the FBI was able to open a Full Investigation on Page -- their former informant. It's possible that by this time -- with a restarted FISA on Manafort either in place or in contemplation -- the FBI felt they were making progress, getting back into the position that they had lost when Admiral Rogers pulled the NSA data plug on them. But all was not well, as the FBI may have already been aware. In fact, by August 16 we find Strzok/Page texting about the need for an "insurance policy." Could that need have been triggered by Manafort's rapidly declining influence in the Trump campaign? Indeed, on the very next day Manafort was on the outs and resigned two days later. On August 14 The New York Times had reported on Manafort's connections to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Russian Party of Regions. Manafort may have illegally received $12.7 million in off-the-books funds from the Party of Regions. On August 17, 2016, Donald Trump received his first security briefing. The same day, August 17, Trump shook up his campaign organization in a way that appeared to minimize Manafort's role. It was reported that members of Trump's family, particularly Jared Kushner, who had originally been a strong backer of Manafort, had become uneasy about his Russian connections and suspected that he had not been forthright about them. Manafort stated in an internal staff memorandum that he would "remain the campaign chairman and chief strategist, providing the big-picture, long-range campaign vision." However, two days later, Trump announced his acceptance of Manafort's resignation from the campaign ... And that's when the FBI began scrambling to get a FISA on Carter Page. An initiation of a Full Investigation is required before a FISA order can be obtained, and the FBI had the required Full Investigation in place, against Carter Page. The initiation of that Full Investigation had undoubtedly required some pushing of the envelope, since the predication for the Full Investigation, the "articulable factual basis," had almost certainly been the Steele "dossier," now known to be unverified. Even with the Full Investigation in place, however, a FISA was far from a certainty. As we've seen, Preliminary or Full Investigations can be opened on a claimed purpose of protecting Americans (for example, Donald Trump) from the intelligence activity of a hostile foreign power, such as Russia. However, if you go in front of the FISA court (FISC) and ask for a FISA order on an American citizen to "protect" him from intelligence activity, you'll be tossed out on your ear. The problem is that FISA requires a showing that the person targeted (Carter Page) is "knowingly engage[d] in clandestine intelligence gathering activities for or on behalf of a foreign power, which activities involve or may involve a violation of the criminal statutes of the United States." Thats a tough hill to climb and, as I've argued in the past , the FBI's FISA application likely went well beyond "pushing the envelope" into the realm of sheer invention; witness James Comey's admission that the dossier remains "unverified," even though, according to Andrew McCabe, it was crucial to ultimately obtaining the FISA (late October, 2016). In point of fact, as part of the FISA application process, the FBI and DoJ would be required to state to the FISA court that what they were presenting was verified information with a high degree of reliability. And they would know that to be false. Moreover, the required showing under FISA that Carter Page -- whom the FBI had targeted with informants only a few months earlier -- was an "agent of a foreign power" engaged in "clandestine intelligence activities" for or on behalf of Russia militates strongly against the Clapper claim that "we were only trying to help and protect." Even if by pushing the envelope the use of informants could be justified under a Preliminary Investigation, FISA is far too specific in its requirements to justify "secret surveillance warrants" simply on the basis of a supposed (or "arguable") "threat to national security." That simply won't fly. And this is why access to the FISA application that the leadership of the FBI and DoJ signed off on remains of paramount importance for investigators, along with the EC that supposedly justified the Full Investigation. One final point. These considerations may shed some light on the thinking that went on in the White House as these events unfolded, as suggested by Susan Rice's "email to self." If President Obama did, in fact, state that everything should be done "by the book," that would help explain why the FBI jumped through all these hoops in the effort to cover their actions. To all appearances, the FBI and DoJ were operating "by the book." It's only when you examine the details -- and especially the FISA details -- that you begin to see what a threat their activities constituted to our republic. Mark Wauck is a retired FBI agent. He blogs on religion, philosophy, and FISA at meaninginhistory . China's Next War Despite being two of the worlds three remaining communist states, China and Vietnam look to be on the verge of war. Vietnam is an obstacle to Chinas ambitions for East Asian hegemony. One of truisms from popular culture is that one should never get involved in a land war in Asia. The mistake of getting involved in a land war in Asia is hard to avoid if one of your neighboring countries is set upon attacking you, which is Vietnams fate. If China is going to attack Vietnam, there would be satellite evidence of Chinese preparations, and so there is. Following is a satellite photo of 36 acres of new, red-roofed buildings at army base in China 10 km north of the border at 24 24 40 N, 106 42 26: It is across the road from an existing army base, which can be identified as a military base by the running track. Most large Chinese military bases have a running track. One thing that is different about these new buildings is that they have red roofs in a region that is mostly blue roofs, suggesting the materials ordering decision was made far to the north in Beijing. Another thing different about these buildings is that they are hard to access with small gaps between them. Which suggests they are for storage for things that wont be accessed often, such as archives, or accessed only once for hiding tanks, artillery, armored personnel carriers prior to an attack into Vietnam. The last time China invaded Vietnam was from the predawn hours of February 17 to March 16, 1979. In line with the flexibility of Chinese strategic theory, this was called a Self-Defensive Counterattack Against Vietnam. China continued attacking Vietnam on and off up to 1991. A part of Ha Giang Province was on the receiving end of over 2 million Chinese artillery rounds from 1984 to 1989. China still occupies three fingers of land from the 1979 conflict and that rankles the Vietnamese army. Many Vietnamese army officers expect to die in the coming war with China but their first battle is on the home front. Earlier this year a brave party member stood up in a large meeting of the Communist Party of Vietnam and named names of senior party officials who had accepted Chinese bribes with respect to the sale of 99 year leases to Chinese interests. The army protected this brave party member from being arrested. Soon after there were protests in a number of Vietnamese cities against corruption and Chinese influence. In the last few days Vietnamese soldiers have been more evident in the cities which suggests that they have been brought in to protect prostestors from the police who are detested for being venal. The Vietnamese police often try to shake down members of the public for imagined infringements. There is potential for a coup by the Vietnamese army. The Chinese army will be involved in the coming war in a big way because they couldnt let the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force and Peoples Liberation Army Navy get all the glory. The most likely, Chinese strategy is to seize land along the border in order to make Vietnam give up its 21 bases and outposts in the Spratly Islands, most of which are manned by a platoon-sized force. They have been told to fight to the death. In the 1979 war Vietnam decided to hold its best troops in reserve to halt a Chinese lunge at Hanoi and thus there were heavy casualties in the Vietnamese militia doing the fighting along the border, some 22,000. This time around Vietnam has its three best divisions north of Hanoi. The Trump administration recently decided to resume funding the White Helmets in Syria which are part of the Sunni propaganda effort, and sent them $6.6 million. A far better use of spare funds like that would be to send Vietnam anti-tank guided missiles such as the AT4 and the BGM-71. It is important that Chinas attack into Vietnam be as expensive for them as possible. The best chance for long term peace after Chinas war of choice will be from regime change in China. David Archibald is the author of American Gripen: The Solution to the F-35 Nightmare Is Trump Pivoting East in Europe? As Trump haters are having yet another field day on account of his ostensible faux pas at the G-7 meeting in Canada, and leftist pundits fall over each other screaming that Trump has no strategic vision, as others just as self-assuredly accuse him of planning to break the West, which, on the face of it, requires plenty of strategic vision. While this silliness continues to rapidly declining effect, there are now signs that the White House is putting together a robust strategy in Europe that was missing until now. It comes in the shape of A. Wess Mitchell, who was just appointed the point man at the State Department for Europe and Eurasia. The significance of this appointment, which was missed in the cacophony of anti-Trump perorations, was much on display at the very first programmatic speech he gave last week at the Heritage Foundation. Before delving into the speech, a couple of words about his background, which is important part of his appointment. Mitchell is a bona fide expert on Eastern Europe with three books to his credit and, more importantly, the long-term leader of CEPA (Center for European Policy Analysis), the only Washington think tank dedicated to the study of Eastern Europe. Mitchell started his speech with a ringing endorsement of the Western alliance and the civilization undergirding it, which guaranteed democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. But he also noted that the West collectively is under-prepared for its defense. There are a number of reasons for that, including the dismal legacy the Trump administration inherited from President Obama with its failed reset of relations with Russia, conflict in Ukraine, policy failure in Syria, and the largest ever Muslim migration to Europe. But, more importantly, Mitchell underscored, preserving the West cannot happen without a strong and free Europe, which is a vital interest of the United States. And here he did not diplomatically avoid naming names and identifying problems. It is Russia and China who want to break the West, he said and EU allies (read Western Europe) who are showing insufficient willingness to defend their own continent. He further singled out specific European policies that the U.S. consider counterproductive -- the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the Iran agreement. The first one is clearly directed against the interests of Eastern Europe and will benefit Russias monopolistic gas hegemony and make NATOs eastern flank more vulnerable. Though Mitchell did not say it, Germany is the clear culprit here, as the above well-documented CEPA study proves. The Iran agreement, which is still supported by the EU even after the U.S. pulled out of it, allowed the expansion of Teherans influence to the borders of Israel, the largest such expansion since antiquity, Mitchell noted, and represents a clear danger for the West in Washingtons view. Mitchell did not dwell on the current background of the alliances politics, but there is no doubt that it was a motivating factor for this groundbreaking policy statement. And that background includes the flat-out refusal by Germany to commit to spending 2% of GDP on defense, except in the very distant future, which makes the largest economy in Europe a consumer, rather than a contributor to collective security. Compare this attitude to the enthusiastic support for NATOs role by nine Eastern European countries (known as the Bucharest 9) which met in Warsaw, as Mitchell was speaking, and endorsed a greater role for the alliance in the East. It is this clear and widening fault line that has prompted numerous pundits to speculate that Trump may be pivoting to the East in Europe, while others have interpreted it as a declaration of war on Russia. There are other pregnant developments on the old continent that cannot but affect the cohesion of the Atlantic alliance -- from Italys new Eurosceptic government closing its harbors to migrant vessels to a fundamental and widening conflict over immigration by the two ruling parties, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and the Christian Social Union (CSU) in Germany. The CSU, which is Bavaria-based, wants to turn back migrants at the border, while Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is to blame for the migrant debacle, is doing everything possible to avoid that and thus admit that she was wrong all along. It may be a long shot, but a turn to the right in Germany, may be the best news for Trump and NATO yet. Alex Alexiev is chairman of the Center for Balkan Black Sea Studies (cbbss.org). He could be reached at alexievalex4@gmail.com. Five people were killed and several others were injured on Sunday in a high-speed car chase involving Border Patrol and an SUV allegedly carrying illegal aliens from Mexico into Texas. The press is reporting another mass-casualty crash near the Texas-Mexico border, based on a Border Patrol vehicle chasing a smuggler's car loaded with illegal aliens, driving at 100 miles per hour. NBC News reports that at around 11 a.m. on Sunday, immigration officials stationed near the town of Big Wells in southwest Texas spotted three SUVs they believed to be smuggling undocumented immigrants [sic]. Agents stopped two of the cars, they said, but chased after a third, which was reportedly speeding along Highway 85 at around 100 miles per hour. Border Patrol agents and a local sheriff's deputy chased the car until it ran off the road, ejecting several passengers. "Border patrol was pursuing a vehicle, a Chevrolet Suburban, and one of my deputies assisted and took over the pursuit just west of Big Wells," Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd told ABC News. "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." To ordinary Americans, the fault here is completely that of the smuggling syndicate's driver, who, like a bank-robber, was driving at an illegal speed in an attempt to get away with an even bigger illegal activity. Smugglers and the people who run human-smuggling rackets are a vicious bunch. Many are Mafia. Many are cartel members. All of them are human-traffickers, and their human cargos are a commodity to them. They charge exorbitant fees for border crossings, and some collect on those debts by enslaving their human traffic. They have been known to crash cars repeatedly when in hot pursuit with border agents, as this new case shows. They've also left people in overcrowded trucks in the desert to suffocate and have abandoned border-crossers, including women and children, in the blazing hot desert wilderness to die. It's nothing to them to drive at 100 miles per hour to avoid lawmen and risk not only their "cargo's" lives, but those of lawmen and innocent bystanders, too. They're that inhuman. The blame for this crash is completely on them. Yet, incredibly, the left and its press allies have already begun blaming the Border Patrol instead of the cartel smugglers: Here is what Jezebel reported: But the conversation surrounding border security has sharply increased over the last few weeks, both with the implementation of the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy regarding undocumented immigrants [sic], and the revelation that immigration officials have been separating caught migrants from their children at the border. NPR linked it to the separation of children issue, too: The deadly car crash came hours before a group of Democratic legislators arrived at the largest immigrant [sic] children's holding facility in Brownsville, Texas and shortly after a group of New York and New Jersey Democrats visited a detention center in Elizabeth, N.J. In recent months the Trump administration has come under attack for implementing a "zero tolerance" immigration policy that includes arresting and separating undocumented [sic] parents from their children as they are caught crossing the border. Both CNN and an NBC affiliate juxtaposed news of the carnage with statements from Border Patrol efforts suggesting that the lawmen were doing their job, or "good police work," in a bid to make them look like heartless monsters, a distortion of context if there ever was one. Those manipulations can be read here and here. And open-borders activists have long claimed that Border Patrol lawmen were using car chases as a "weapon" to kill illegal aliens. That baroque claim has been gladly printed by The Guardian, which sees nothing strange or worth pursuing further about it. The sad truth remains high-speed driving by criminals engaged in human-smuggling is a sad reality that conflicts sharply with normal border enforcement. Either we have border enforcement or we allow smugglers to ferry their human cargo in without interception, a policy that will only ensure more of it. All of the lawmen quoted say it improves the case for a wall. We tolerate crashes, we let smugglers run free, or we build a wall. For most Americans, the third alternative is the only legitimate one. A GOP pick-up of a Democrat-held Senate seat looks a lot more likely now that a review of official filings reveals apparent travel on the taxpayers' dime to a fundraiser in California. Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) used taxpayer money to pay for travel from a visit to California for a lucrative campaign fundraiser, according to official expenditure reports. Manchin's office made a $1,515.65 disbursement for four flights taken by the West Virginia Democrat, disclosed on page B-1429 of the Secretary of the Senate's report of Senate expenditures from April 1, 2017, to Sep. 30, 2017. The expenditure covered three July flights between Charleston, W. Va., and Washington, D.C., and an Aug. 9 flight from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh. A review of Manchin's campaign finance filings indicates the purpose of the trip was an Aug. 9 fundraiser at the Los Angeles headquarters of the Capital Group, a financial services firm. Contribution records sorted by the Washington Free Beacon show the company's employees contributed $62,100 to Manchin on Aug. 9 and a total of $99,900 to him during the fundraising quarter. The Manchin campaign made a $1,739.54 disbursement to Michael Downer, a top company executive, for "catering" on Aug. 17. Downer's listed address on the disbursement is the address for the Capital Group's Los Angeles offices. Manchin's office is disputing the report, but with no specifics. Since the check was written to the company where the fundraiser happened, it's hard to understand what official Senate business was being undertaken that needed so much catering. Manchin, a former governor of West Virginia, is well liked in that Trump-loving state and has been proclaiming his affinity for Trump as November approaches. But West Virginians are not likely to be favorably impressed by this incident and by his affinity for big-bucks investment firms: The amount of money Manchin received from Capital Group during the quarter exceeded the amount he received in contributions from West Virginians, which was $80,201.96. It accounted for more than 15 percent of the $658,402 he received in individual contributions that quarter[.] West Virginia was already a good chance for a GOP pick-up. Now it is even a better opportunity. Michael Hayden isn't a Holocaust-denier, but he's acting like one Former CIA director Michael Hayden compared the temporary separation of the children of illegals from their parents to the separation of Jewish children from their parents at the concentration camps in Nazi Germany. Based on history, that means that Hayden is saying that temporarily separating parents who have been arrested for criminal acts from their children is on par with murdering children because they are Jewish. No sane and honest person could say that. There seem to be three possible explanations for Hayden's comment: 1. Hayden is a vicious anti-Semite who says killing a Jewish child is on par with causing a non-Jewish child to suffer. 2. Hayden is a Holocaust-denier who doesn't believe that Jewish children were killed in Nazi concentration camps. 3. Hayden is a leftist who will say anything in order to attack Trump even when he knows it isn't true. Given that such separations occurred under Obama and Hayden didn't comment on them, it appears that option 3 is the most likely one, but even if that is the case, it shows a great deal of anti-Semitism to so trivialize the Nazis' genocide against Jews in order to score political points against Trump. His comment is really obscene, given that if the family doesn't try to sneak into the country illegally, but applies for asylum, separations don't occur. If an American kid's parents commit a crime, she doesn't get to accompany her parents to prison, so the illegals are being treated precisely as Americans are treated. As is normal for leftists, he's blaming Trump for the free choice of the parents to break the law and sneak into the U.S. For leftists, criminals are never responsible for the consequences of their own choices. It's scary that a person like Hayden was actually in charge of key components of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Perhaps Congress should investigate if he misused his authority to spy on political figures he didn't like. You can read more of Tom's rants at his blog, Conversations about the obvious, and feel free to follow him on Twitter. No 'immigrants' were killed in high-speed chase with Border Patrol The media, including, incredibly, Drudge, were reporting that "immigrants" had been killed in a high-speed chase with the Border Patrol. I investigated the news reports, and I can assure you that there is no evidence that a single immigrant was harmed. This is a classic example of fake news. The Border Patrol gave chase to three suspicious vehicles in south Texas. One of the vehicles, filled with 14 people, fled at 100 miles per hour and flipped over, ejecting a number of occupants. At least five people were killed and several others injured when an SUV believed to be carrying undocumented immigrants [sic] crashed in southern Texas after being chased by Border Patrol agents. The occupants, however, were not immigrants of any kind. Immigrants don't squeeze 14 people into an SUV and run away from the Border Patrol. That's what illegal aliens do. The HuffPo's headline, "Texas Border Patrol Chase Ends In Crash, Killing At Least 5 Immigrants," mirrors Drudge and other sources, which also call them immigrants. Now, I'm sure, in the wake of this disaster, the Border Patrol will be blamed it shouldn't have been pursuing these illegal aliens! Or the Border Patrol will be second-guessed did it really have to pursue them when they were speeding so fast? Forgetting about the fact that it was the illegal aliens, and their smuggler, who created unsafe conditions by packing 14 people into an SUV and driving at wildly unsafe speeds. Have you ever seen a single article blaming smugglers for the deaths of illegals? Have you ever seen a single article blaming illegals for their own recklessness? As with the policy of child separations, liberals will tell you they are angry about what happened, but they will be careful not to say what should happen. Even now, they still are afraid to say what they openly want: totally open borders and a dismantling of ICE and the Border Patrol. But in fact, if we had a secure border, these kinds of deaths would be avoided something Democrats don't want to discuss. Expect the Border Patrol to take a lot of second-guessing in the next few days, and expect smugglers and illegal aliens (sorry, I mean "immigrants") to be portrayed purely as victims. While the death of anyone is regrettable, at least we can take some comfort in the fact that no genuine immigrants or American citizens were harmed. Ed Straker is the senior writer at Newsmachete.com. Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, was one of five candidates for the honor. A school in Mountain View, California will be named after an illegal alien who came to the U.S. in 1993 from the Philippines when he was 12. CNN: "I don't really have words for how meaningful this honor is, I've been speechless for a few days," Vargas, 37, told CNN. "I hope that this is a school where students and their families feel welcome in America, no matter where they come from." The goal is for the school near San Jose to open for grades K-5 in 2019, according to Mountain View Whisman School District documents. The school board approved the naming last week after Vargas was one of five people whose names were suggested for the new school by members of the community. As a product of the district's schools, Vargas said he was overwhelmed by "this totally unexpected and deeply meaningful honor." "I think every undocumented immigrant [sic] in this country wherever you are ... from the big regions to the small towns, we're defined by our communities. I grew up in that community. This feels so special," he said. While the award was an honor to him, some have taken to social media to express their anger that "an illegal immigrant's [sic]" name is on a school. One person posting on the Twitter account of Vargas' organization referred to him as "a cheat and a liar." In case you were wondering why Vargas hasn't been apprehended and deported, he was actually detained in 2014 and ordered to appear before a judge. But the notice was apparently never filed, and nothing ever came of his case. "So basically, like the 11 million immigrants in this country, I am in limbo land," he said. Vargas also said he's been openly vocal about what it means to be undocumented and that immigration is the "most misunderstood issue in American society." Part of that misunderstanding, he says, is what led to the misuse of the word "illegal." "It's inhumane for news organizations to call these kids and their parents illegal," he said. Branding people "illegal," he says, makes them seem less than human. First, Vargas is not an "immigrant." That is a legal definition of someone who comes to the U.S. legally. And calling an illegal alien "illegal" does not make him "less human." It makes him...well, illegal. That these definitions have been obscured by rank emotionalism is reprehensible and immoral. We have named schools after other lawbreakers as well. Civil rights icons like Martin Luther King went to jail to highlight unjust laws. But King and others were practicing civil disobedience, where they were willing to accept their punishment for breaking the law. Vargas broke the law and entered the U.S. illegally "for a better life" or, more specifically, to make more money. His lawbreaking was not a selfless act to right a wrong; it was a selfish act to improve his economic situation. If we're going to name schools after lawbreakers who sought to better their personal financial situation, here are a few other suggestions: Jesse James Middle School John Dillinger High School Al Capone Academy Lucky Luciano Charter School It's a travesty, but it's completely understandable in the context that there is a concerted effort to blur distinctions between those who wait years and follow all the rules to enter the U.S. legally, and those who jump the border ahead of them. It's an issue of "fairness" that somehow never makes it to the agendas of social justice warriors and other leftists. At issue is the practice of partisan gerrymandering drawing congressional district lines that favor one party or the other. The practice is as old as America itself, but in the last few decades, the ability of the parties to carve out safe seats (seats where an incumbent is virtually guaranteed victory) has never been easier. Reams of census data combined with voting records allows the parties to draw lines with surgical precision. Heading into the final weeks of its term, the Supreme Court is set to decide two cases that may have a huge impact on our elections. The court will try to come to grips with the problem. The Hill: Kennedy signaled at the time that while the court did not have a clear solution then, one could be found eventually. "That no such standard has emerged in this case should not be taken to prove that none will emerge in the future," he said. But it's anyone's guess whether Kennedy and other justices have since settled on a standard. "Legislators have taken advantage of computer mapping and the ability to identify the likely votes of virtually every voter to really warp the democratic system, and I think the court recognizes that or at least five justice recognize that," said David Cole, national legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union. Democrats are always claiming that the GOP targets minorities to dilute district voting. Republicans claim partisanship as well. The court has two cases before it to resolve in the coming weeks Gill v. Whitford, a challenge to Wisconsin's 2011 redistricting plan, and Benisek v. Lamone, a challenge to the lines of Maryland's 6th District, currently represented by Rep. John Delaney (D). In the Wisconsin case, Democratic voters argue that the Republican-controlled legislature drew the districts with a discriminatory intent to dilute the Democrats' voting power throughout the state. In Maryland, Republicans are the ones arguing Democrats put them at a disadvantage. They claim top Democrats in the state in 2011 drew the district lines intentionally to dilute the votes of Republicans and their support for the incumbent, then-Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R). The Supreme Court has yet to rule in either case, despite having heard arguments in the Wisconsin challenge on the second day of the court's term last year. Adam Feldman, the creator and author of the blog Empirical SCOTUS, said that only 10 cases have taken longer to decide since 1946. "I have to think the hold up is that they're trying to decide these cases together and they're having an issue with Gill," he told The Hill. Mixed up in the answer to this dilemma are the "one man, one vote" rulings by the Supreme Court in the 1960s. Southern states used to deliberately dilute the black vote by drawing lines to prevent black representation. The rulings have resulted in several cases where GOP-drawn districts were overturned, despite evidence that concentrating the black vote in a few districts actually leads to fewer black representatives. As long as the parties are able to use computers to draw district lines, gerrymandering will be with us. But if SCOTUS can come up with a basic standard, it should result in fewer challenges. It could also simplify the redistricting process and lessen confusion. I happen to think the current system favors Democrats, and recent court cases would confirm that. But creating a clear standard by which the lines can be drawn with rough equality would probably help Republicans more. SC tells poll body to clarify over NCP The Supreme Court has issued a show cause notice to the Election Commission, asking why the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) was registered without ensuring 33 percent representation of women as required by the constitution and the Political Party Registration Act. South Korea has just offered the first test of North Korea's sincerity: the Kim regime is being asked to blunt the edge of its dagger at the throat of South Korea by moving its long-range artillery away from the border between the two halves of the country. The North's 14,100 artillery pieces, including 5,500 multiple rocket-launchers, have been the regime's primary deterrent to an invasion or other regime-change moves because of its ability to inflict horrendous mass casualties on Seoul's population of around 25 million and demolish much of the glittering capital city. 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." 152mm M1974 Tokch'on North Korea Victory Day, 2013 01. (Wikimedia Commons.) That the request comes from the South is highly significant. Critics of President Trump's summit argue that North Korea is splitting away South Korea from its alliance with the U.S. and warn that Trump's suspension of planned war games with South Korea hands Kim Jong-un a prized concession with nothing to show for in return. Critics ignore the fact that the war games, which are many months in the future, can be restored any time if the North behaves badly. Now the South Korean negotiators have put their Northern cousins on the spot with this request to give up their survival insurance policy. My wild guess is that the North will not want to kill the deal but will ask for steps that would delay the loss of its checkmate capability. There are other less threatening (to Kim) steps that can be taken first as the two Koreas build mutual confidence, such as a partial movement of artillery followed by reciprocal moves from the U.S. and SoKo governments. A kind of mutual assured destruction strip poker, in other words. There could be other confidence-building moves. For example: 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. But the fact that the border artillery is on the table so quickly suggests that the South Koreans believe in Kim's willingness to drop his emerging nuclear blackmail capability and are testing that resolve with the proposal to weaken his ability to inflict unacceptable casualties and damage. There is always the possibility that the North will refuse and thereby put the entire project on hold. So this proposal is indeed a test of the genuineness of Trump's achievement. Stand by for further developments. The North's response will tell us a lot. Her big essay in the Washington Post, blasting the Trump administration for its separation of families crossing the border illegally, is something the leftish political mavens at Axios consider "potentially game-changing." Yet it is particularly hypocritical, given how she and her husband (she's gotten on her only soapbox only because of whom she married) considered President Obama and the Obama administration, no matter what they did, off limits. He "deserves my silence," as former President Bush put it. Lots of deference to the Democrat who spent years on Bush-blaming and absolutely none to the Republican who beat George's brother on a more conservative agenda and triggered the #NeverTrumps. Former first lady Laura Bush is out politicking against our current president on immigration as yet another political backseat driver, quite against the established precedent. The Bushes seem as bitter as the left about Trump's election. Now Laura Bush (who is less loathed by the left than her husband) is out sniping and politicking against Trump over policies established by past presidents. She writes: In the six weeks between April 19 and May 31, the Department of Homeland Security has sent nearly 2,000 children to mass detention centers or foster care. More than 100 of these children are younger than 4 years old. The reason for these separations is a zero-tolerance policy for their parents, who are accused of illegally crossing our borders. I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart. And... Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war. We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents and to stop separating parents and children in the first place. The problem with her carping is that she doesn't offer any solutions. Yes, it's a dilemma to separate children from parents caught illegally crossing our border and, acting on the advice of activists, claiming asylum. But that very setup is the result of a system that incentivizes that particular behavior. In the past, illegal immigrants could cross with kids safe in the assumption that they would be released on the promise of appearing at court date, which resulted in large numbers who never bothered to show up. Releasing such people was the same as letting them live here, given what they got away with. The Trump administration initiated a zero-tolerance policy for all crossers, insisting on some kind of adjudication to disincentivize this kind of behavior, instead of the Obama-Bush policy of drift. As a solution, the former first lady, in the full Miss America world peace tradition, offers nothing more than "we can do better" as the answer, failing to address the issue of incentives or the fact that the border is being repeatedly violated and cartels are being empowered by crossing fees. The alternative to the current setup, unfortunately, is to let illegals go free in the U.S., where large numbers of them do not bother to show up for their court dates. Is that what Laura Bush wants? There are certainly conservatives who think so, given the Bush administration's failed efforts to enact amnesty in 2007, under the then euphemistic title of "Comprehensive Immigration Reform." It's hard to understand what Laura Bush has in mind here. She offers no solutions that address the incentivization of illegal immigration through the use of children, or the other problem, which is that human-smuggling rackets are increasingly common as smugglers claim to be children's "parents," with Border officials apparently expected just to take their word for it. Either we have a border or we don't. The best thing we can do is advise illegals not to come here illegally, but instead follow the law and make their asylum applications either in their first countries of recourse or from the U.S. embassies in their home countries. There also have been proposals floated around to set up new centers outside the U.S. to process these requests, which would resolve the issue of failure to meet court appearances. In other words, work is being done, but no credit from Laura Bush. The reality is, with asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants failing to respect the courts, the only solution is to keep them out of the country to keep them from getting away with their contempt for the law. That raises the question of the other proposed solution, which is to build a wall. That certainly would keep the kids Laura Bush is carping about out of camps. Maybe the most authentic solution in light of this phony child crisis highlighted by Laura Bush really is a wall. Perhaps President Trump should let her know. Image Credit: Manfred Werner via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Samsung has now been ordered to pay $400 million in a dispute of the FinFET chip process for which a patent is held by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Specifically, the case was brought by KAIST IP US. Thats a licensing arm of the university based out of Frisco Texas. FinFET had been co-developed by the company and the university but its KAIST IP that holds the patent. The university was reportedly reluctant to do anything about the Korean tech giant initially due to its belief that FinFET would not really take off. For those who arent aware, FinFET is the current driving solution that allows for chips used in smartphones and other technology to be built on the 10nm process and smaller. Its also used with some 14nm SoCs such as Qualcomms Snapdragon 645 or that same companys 7nm Snapdragon X24 Modem. Samsung has been using FinFET in its devices since at least its Galaxy S7 family of smartphones. Meanwhile, two other companies who utilize the technology in question Qualcomm Inc. and GlobalFoundries Inc. were also involved in the dispute. Neither was ultimately hit with an order to pay for damages. Thats a decision that likely stems from the fact that Samsung was arguably responsible for spreading the technology to other foundries, especially where Qualcomm is concerned. The two companies co-developed the 10nm FinFET process used in last years most powerful smartphones thanks to its use in the Snapdragon 835 SoC and Samsungs Exynos 8895 SoC. Samsung, for its part, released a statement shortly after the verdict was reached. This is not the first patent case the company has been involved in over the past several months. As with that other case, the company has vowed to use every tool at its disposal to fight this one. Thats up to and including the filing of an appeal. That makes sense since the infringement here was determined by the courts to be deliberate or willful. That effectively means that, at the courts discretion, its damages could increase significantly. In fact, KAIST could walk away with approximately $1.2 billion, around three times what was initially ordered. LGs first Android One smartphone may be a T-Mobile exclusive in the United States, according to some hints scattered around the kernel source code of the unreleased LG Stylo 4 handset, XDA Developers reports. The Stylo 4 itself is rumored to be hitting T-Mobiles MetroPCS later today, with the South Korean phone maker already publishing its kernel source code ahead of its official announcement as part of a highly unconventional move. The Android One handset referenced in its siblings kernel sources will also be released outside of the U.S. but its international variant isnt labeled by the sprout codename which has historically been used to denote devices launching as part of Googles stock Android program. Japan and South Korea are two other countries which are specifically referenced in regards to its availability, whereas LG is referring to the smartphone as cv5a, as per the same report. Some industry watchers are now speculating the device is a stateside variant of the LG Q7, a value-oriented offering introduced several weeks back. Based on that possibility and a number of other code hints discovered in the kernel source code of the LG Stylo 4, the Q7 is assumed to be powered by up to 3GB of RAM and Qualcomms Snapdragon 450 chip, though one that has its 64-bit mode disabled. A 5.5-inch FHD+ panel may also be part of the package, together with a 3,000mAh battery, NFC support, and Android 8.1 Oreo. The code lists the T-Mobile version of the device as a product that lacks a fingerprint reader, but its counterpart meant to be sold internationally will reportedly feature that authentication solution. While LG and Googles partnership has been strengthening in recent times, the Seoul-based tech giant has yet to release a single Android One device nearly four years since the stock Android program was first announced. The Stylo 4 itself is expected to eventually launch on a global level, providing consumers with a relatively affordable stylus-equipped smartphone option. An examination of the APK of Instagrams Android application provided details regarding the social media platforms new Usage Insights feature. The presence of this feature was confirmed by Instagrams chief executive officer Kevin Systrom last month and it aims to let users know how much time they have already spent on the social media platform. The latest teardown of the applications APK code shows that the Usage Insight feature includes an option for the user to set how much time they will spend on the social media platform. Once people exceed the time limit, the application will push a notification reminding the user regarding their self-imposed limitation. Also incorporated into the Usage Insights feature is an option to change the type of notifications that the user will get. The Usage Insights feature was first reported last month, and previous leaks already show that users can access the functionality by tapping on the hamburger button located at the upper left-hand corner of the application. Tapping this button will reveal a slide-out menu, which permits users to access features like the Discover People and Usage Insights functionalities. Recent studies show that the increased smartphone use is likely a factor in the increase in cases of depression and suicide among teenagers while there is also a correlation between the time spent on social media with the uptick in cases of anxiety among individuals above thirty years of age. These researches have influenced tech companies to develop their own ways to improve the overall well-being of users by cutting back peoples screen time. Aside from the Usage Insight feature, Instagram has also recently introduced the Youre All Caught Up notice, which informs the user that they have seen all new posts from the people that they follow. On the other hand, Google also recently launched the Digital Wellbeing initiative. This measure aims to remove features that can distract the user while also reminding people when they have already spent too much time on their smartphones. The tech firm also introduced a number of features in Android P that help people monitor the time spent on their smartphone, which could ultimately help people reduce their screen time. LG has just announced a new smartphone, the LG X5 (2018) This is the latest X-branded smartphone in LGs lineup, and it was announced in the companys homeland, Korea. The LG X5 (2018) is an entry-level smartphone, it comes with a modest set of specs, and it is priced at KRW 363,000 ($330). The device will become available via major carriers in South Korea, including SKT, KT, and LG U Plus, and it is still unknown in what other regions is LG planning to release the phone, if it reaches any other regions at all. The LG X5 (2018)s frame is made out of metal, while its back side seems to be made out of plastic, though were basing that opinion on the renders that LG provided, as the company did not clarify what materials it used. The LG X5 (2018) features a single camera on the back, which is flanked by an LED flash. A fingerprint scanner is also included on the back of this phone, along with the X5 branding. LGs logo sits below the phones display, and the device actually has rather thick bezels, though thats not surprising considering this is an entry-level smartphone. The power / lock key sits on the right-hand side of the device, while the volume up and down buttons are included on the left. The devices loudspeaker is located on the back of the phone as well, while a 3.5mm headphone jack and a regular microUSB port are placed on the bottom of the device. The LG X5 (2018) comes in a single color variant, Moroccan Blue, and it does support LG Pay. The LG X5 (2018) features a 5.5-inch HD (1280 x 720) display, along with 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. The device is fueled by the MediaTek MT6750T 64-bit octa-core processor, while a 4,500mAh battery is also a part of the package. Android 8.0 Oreo comes pre-installed on the phone, along with LGs custom UI. A 13-megapixel camera is included on the back of the phone, while youll find a 5-megapixel camera on the phones front side. The device supports Cat. 4 4G LTE connectivity, it measures 154.7 x 78.1 x 8.9mm, and weighs 171 grams. A leaked image depicting what may be early draft listings of Samsungs Galaxy Note 9 appeared online over the weekend, pointing to a 512GB storage model being in the works. The screenshot that can be seen below shows placeholder images which appear to be Galaxy S9 Plus renders, according to the industry insider who originally discovered the listing, having shared it on Twitter this Sunday. Another source with a highly positive track record concerning Samsung-related leaks already claimed the South Korean phone maker is considering releasing a 512GB variant of the Galaxy Note 9 late last month, adding that the company would only pair it with 8GB of RAM. The new leak also indicates that Samsung may be doing away with the 128GB memory configuration of its flagship family, suggesting the Galaxy Note 9 will only be offered with 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB of storage space. While the image may simply be incomplete, delivering four different memory specifications would be an unprecedented move on Samsungs part and hence isnt likely to happen. The next addition to the companys series of high-end phablets is expected to be unveiled in some six weeks time, with a number of recent reports stating the Seoul-based tech giant will be officially announcing it at an August 9 Unpacked event in New York City. The Galaxy Note 9 isnt likely to significantly alter the overall aesthetic of the Galaxy Note 8 and should feature hardware thats similar to the one found inside the Galaxy S9 lineup released in mid-March. Previous reports pointed to Samsung additionally improving the camera setup of the phablet compared to its last commercialized Android flagships but outside of a twin-lens system, no specific details about the imaging experience offered by the Galaxy Note 9 have been rumored so far. If the device truly ends up launching in early August, its likely to go on global sale by the end of that same month. Senior neurosurgeon Dr Upendra Devkota passes away Senior neurosurgeon Dr Upendra Devkota passed away while undergoing treatment at the Bansbari-based Neuro Hospital on Monday, according to a statement released by the hospital. COP26 may be a cop-out in the making COP26 is just about a month away. Delayed for a year by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference has built up even more expectations and momentum during the intervening months The India connection The opening of four new air routes is welcome news but implementation is key Located outside Warwick in the Southern Downs region of southwest Queensland, the project will be built on 150 hectares of land. It was approved earlier this month by a split Southern Downs Regional Council. The projects connection agreement is currently being finalised, Ashurst said. This deal supports UQ's broader initiatives to become energy neutral by 2020 and clearly positions UQ as a market-leading solar generator among Australian universities, said Paul Newman, Ashursts lead partner on the deal. The Warwick Solar Farm will not only position the Southern Downs region as a renewable energy hub, but also demonstrates that Australian universities are emerging participants in the renewable energy sector. UQ will take ownership of the project from Terrain Solar. It will own and operate the project. Newman was assisted by counsel Teresa Scott and lawyers Tristan Shepherd and Eliza Brierley, who are also part of the firms utilities group. Corporate counsel Richard Brockett, senior associates Dallan Pitman and Eliana Breinl, and lawyers Ivan Biros and Connor Davies also worked on the deal. Senior associate Libby McKillop provided resources and native title advice. Partner Mark Disney, counsel Suzanne Cleary and Laura van den Berg, with senior associate Kate Robertson of the firms infrastructure group were also part of the Ashurst team. Partner Damian Salsbury, senior associates Carol Kahler and Kellie Hairsine, and lawyer Emily Reyher worked on real estate issues. Senior associate Paul Wilson and lawyer Amaya Fernandez provided environment law advice. Did anyone else noticed that in Australia (at least in NSW where I live) child care/day care fee is subsidized by the government but the fee for pre-schools is not. Why is it so? LadyRogueRayne said: I've changed my name after we were granted the 820. The only thing left to change is my bank and my passport. I don't apply for the 801 until October, so hopefully there aren't any issues. My thinking is that it definitely shows our continuing relationship. I also updated my IMMI account. Fingers crossed it doesn't cause problems! Click to expand... Same. Only thing that hasn't changed is my passport which I'm waiting to do until after the 801. Not too worried about this being different as I've given immigration my maiden and married name and don't have any conditions on my visa requiring me to use the same name. I use my married name for everything else. If I ever need to show my passport for identification purposes or my visa grant letter (as they both have my maiden name), I just show my Aussie licence with my married name and my legal marriage certificate that lists my maiden name and husband's surname and I've had no issues.I didn't intend to do it until after the 801 but when I applied for my licence, I applied in my maiden name and they called and asked me if I wanted to use my married name. Said yes over the phone and they sent me the licence in my married name and so I started using that. Only downfall is because I signed the form for my licence in my maiden name as that's the name I applied under, when they changed it to my married surname they kept the same signature so now I have to legally sign in my maiden name as my signature needs to match my signature on my licence lol. Won't get that fixed for a few years when it's up for renewal! The auto group has not released any other additional details, limiting itself at saying the investigation is still ongoing and a subsequent hearing would determine whether Stadler would be remanded following the arrest, as BBC reports..The news of Stadlers arrest comes only days after Volkswagen accepted without contesting a huge fine handed by German authorities. On June 13, the Braunschweig public prosecutor fined Volkswagen 1 billion euro.Should Stadler be formally charged, he would become the second high-profile VW executive to be prosecuted on diesel emission cheating charges.Back in May, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) formally charged former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and customers, wire fraud, and conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act.The U.S. believes Winterkorn is in Germany but did not announce yet plans to arrest or extradite him. Volkswagen said in a statement that it does not comment on individual cases.According to the papers filed in court, the CEO was at one point informed of the illegal practices of the company and decided to cover them up.He allegedly found out of the so-called defeat device installed in the carmakers cars in 2014, following a study of West Virginia Universitys Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines, and Emissions.When the groups new CEO, Herbert Diess, took over in April, he promised the new Volkswagen should be more honest, more open, and more truthful.To achieve that, Volkswagen said it would expand its internal whistleblower system and would encourage a culture of constructive dissent.In the years since the dieselgate scandal broke, Volkswagen moved on, with the incident having little effects on the number of cars it sold since. In 2017 alone, the group posted record sales of 10.53 million cars worldwide, making it a contender for the title of world's best selling automaker.The scandal did however result in huge fines for the group and the recall of millions of vehicles, most of which now rust away in parking lots across the globe. Metro cameras caught images of the animal inside the Crystal City Metro station in Arlington last week, in the early hours of morning. Authorities tell The Washington Post they have no way of preventing animals from getting inside, using the entrances at Crystal City, if the existing fences dont do it. The tunnel portal is always open.Though an unusual sight in such a populated area, at least this deer had the good luck of living to tell the story. Because of the electrified rail and the speed of trains, not many animals who wander inside make it out alive. Still, the poor thing must have been terrified, judging by how nervous it was.The deer was not struck by a train. It managed to get out of the station safely on its own through a tunnel and back toward Reagan National Airport, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said, The Post reports.Authorities did whatever they could to ensure the deer returned safely whence it had come, except from sending men down there to catch it.Stessel said it appears the deer got into the tunnel between National Airport and Crystal City and likely came from a wooded area between the stations. Stessel said trains were slowed down while the deer was in the tunnel and station, the publication adds.No commuter was hurt either, though many likely got the surprise of a lifetime except for that one guy who, in the video, is so absorbed by whatever hes doing on his mobile phone that he barely notices the deer running past him. As you'll notice in the Instagram posts at the bottom of the page, the 647 hp supercar carries a wheelchair on its roof.Mentioning the owner of the twin-turbo beast sheds some light on the matter, since we're talking about Jason Watt. A racing driver,, the Danish aficionado suffered a serious motorcycle accident back in 1999, which left him paralyzed from the chest down.However, Watt wouldn't allow the said crash to keep him away from his beloved machines, which is why he carried on racing and even became a team manager. Of course, all his cars now feature special hand-only controls.Retuning to the gear head's Blue Oval halo car adventure, we first wrote about this back in February, when he took delivery of the mid-engine delight.And we are now back on the topic, as we've found that the EcoBoost machine has left its factory Gulf livery behind for what is probably a wrap that says British Racing Green more than anything else. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that the beast had left behind its factory wheels for a pair of custom shoes, which is pretty interesting, given the fact that Ford is only releasing 250 units of the vehicle per year.Watt decided to use the GT for visiting the Le Mans 24 Hour race that took place over the weekend. As such, the Ford's upper section came to accommodate the said wheelchair, along with a piece of luggage.One might wonder how the FGT sprints, now that it has been taken down the practicality route. Well, the clip below should provide a pretty good answer to this question. Of the 4 people he shot, 2 were children and 1 died on the spot. The other remain in hospital and are looking at a full recovery, though their injuries are severe, The Huffington Post reports.Westminster Police confirm that Jeremy John Webster, 23, from Colorado Springs, got into an altercation with a female driver, Megan Bigelow, 41, at an intersection in Westminster. The woman drove off but he followed the vehicle to a parking lot outside a dental office.Once the woman pulled over, he got out of his car and walked over to hers, pulled out a gun and shot her and 2 of her children point-blank. He then started toward his car, but returned to shoot the older boy again.Bigelow and the 8-year-old boy are in critical condition, and the 13-year-old boy died on the scene. The woman had a third son with her in the car, but he managed to flee the scene before the shooting started, and thus escaped unharmed.After shooting the mother and the 2 kids, Webster turned his attention to a bystander, a man watching the scene from a nearby truck. He shot him too. The man had his daughter with him, but she wasnt harmed.It appears as if this incident stemmed from a road rage, Westminster Police Department investigator Cheri Spottke said in a press release. Webster didnt know any of the victims when he opened fire, the investigator added. He didnt say what the earlier altercation had been about not that anything could have possibly justified such a violent act.Webster is now facing charges of first-degree murder with extreme indifference, first-degree murder after deliberation with intent, criminal attempt to commit a class 1 felony, and first-degree assault. Hes looking at a lifetime behind bars, if found guilty. The EcoBoost bearer we're talking about was destroyed by the flames over in Munich, in an incident that took place on Saturday, around 1 PM local time.The circumstances that led to the fire are unknown, with the rumor mill talking about a faulty fuel pressure valve. Regardless, the flames seemed to have consumed the rear section of the vehicle, even touching a part of the passenger cell.Speaking of which, German media reports that the 52-year-old driver, along with his son, who was riding shotgun, managed to get out of the vehicle. And while the emergency responders who arrived at the scene were able to extinguish the fire, it was too late for the vehicle to be saved.And you can see just how severe the damage is in the photos above, with the world now having one less second-generation Ford GT . Nevertheless, with an important section of the vehicle having been spared the fiery ordeal, there should be enthusiasts aiming to buy the remaining parts. It's worth noting that the car only had 70 km (43 miles) on the clock.Oh well, at least the vehicle wasn't reduced to a huge pile of ashes, as it happened to a first-generation GT that recently... showed up for grabs on Copart.The FGT, which had come to the world back in 2005, reportedly burned to a crisp earlier this year, with its remains surprisingly ending up for sale on the said platform. Speeders beware! The Tochigi Prefecture Police have a new arsenal at their disposal. It can sprint from 0 100 km/h in a shade over 3 seconds, has a twin-turbo powerplant and comes with all-wheel drive. Say hello to the Nissan GT-R patrol car. Donated by a local executive for the police force, the newest member of Tochigi's finest is perhaps the quickest squad car in The Land of The Rising Sun. Churning out 570 PS and 633 Nm of torque from its twin-turbo V6, the two-door police vehicle can go from 0 100 km/h in as little as 3.3 seconds. The R35 police car will be deployed to the department's expressway traffic police unit and will be used to catch drivers that are speeding and/or tailgating. Beyond that, the GT-R will also be used in various traffic safety events to encourage safer driving for motorists. With nearly 600 horsepower available on tap, it's safe to say criminals in Tochigi will have their work cut out for them should they try and run from the law. But don't think that the GT-R is Tochigi's only fast car in their garage. The Tochigi Police also have a Nissan 350Z and a Honda NSX at the ready. With these kinds of cars, there is truly no escaping the long arm of the law in Tochigi Prefecture. Tochigi's new R35 GT-R is the first time the model sees action as a police car in Japan. Previous GT-R models such as the R34 and older models have been seen donning police livery in several parts of the country. Beef is an American food icon. Its also the biggest culinary culprit when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. Why it matters: California startups are increasingly targeting carnivores with plant burgers so beef-like they bleed, as you'll see in the above video. Plus, new research is breaking down foods impact on climate change, and potential solutions are emerging to cut down on a potent greenhouse gas that cows emit. This issue matters to me for personal reasons too. I grew up on a cattle ranch in Washington state, and today Im among several landowners supporting our third- and fourth-generation family-run cattle operation. Considering my family and financial ties to this industry, some could argue Im ethically compromised and biased. But after years of reporting on energy and climate issues, I understand my familys business has an environmental impact that exceeds a lot of others. The big picture: Scientists agree Earths temperature is rising from a host of human activities. Fossil fuels emit roughly three-quarters of global heat-trapping gases. Beef, responsible for roughly 6% of greenhouse gas emissions, is the single biggest food factor when it comes to climate change, according to a 2013 United Nations report. The two biggest drivers of beefs climate footprint, per that report: Burps and farts: Oh, grow up and keep reading. Cows emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas, when they burp and, to a much lesser extent, fart. This accounts for nearly half of beefs greenhouse gas emissions. Feed and land use: This includes cattle manure that emits a greenhouse gas called nitrous oxide, how cattle graze on pastures and deforestation, particularly in Brazil. The emotional and cultural role beef plays in America also puts it in societys crosshairs in a way that fossil fuels dont. That makes it more difficult to convince people to eat less meat than switching to renewable energy, experts say. The hamburger and the steak are part of the American culture. Its wrapped up in childhood memories, said Anthony Leiserowitz, a Yale University professor who studies public perceptions of climate change. People just dont have rich layers of meaning wrapped around, say, light bulbs. He recommends focusing on the health impacts of eating beef. There are so many health reasons we should be eating less meat, said Leiserowitz, adding that cutting carbon emissions would be frosting on the cake. Global beef demand is projected to nearly double by 2050, fueled by booming populations in China and India, according to the World Resources Institute, an environmental think tank. Given that anticipated growth, two avenues are emerging to limit associated rise in greenhouse gas emissions: Make real beef more environmentally friendly, or convince people to eat something else. On the something else side, the hottest trend today is beef-like burgers from plant material. One kind, called the Impossible Burger, is targeting carnivore eaters. It looks, tastes and feels like a real burger. It even bleeds and sizzles like one. It has its share of controversies, though, including how its main plant-derived ingredient is genetically modified and that its nutritional content is comparable to real beef, canceling out any health benefits. Impossible Foods, the California startup behind the burger, did not make available anyone for comment by publication time. On the real beef side, Elm Innovations, a nonprofit founded in 2016, is working with researchers at University of California, Davis, to feed cattle a supplement of particular kind of seaweed. The seaweed very dramatically reduces cow-burped methane to the tune of 50% or greater, which is extremely large, said the groups founder, Joan King Salwen, whose family had a cattle and sheep ranch. The beef industry itself and companies that sell it, like McDonalds, are increasingly realizing the importance of addressing the issue. Earlier this year McDonalds announced its McDonalds works with companies that own live herds through the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, whose members include the National Cattleman's Beef Association. "We recognize that we of course have a significant carbon footprint so we want to work to improve that," said Ashley McDonald, the industry group's senior director of sustainability. What could be next: The World Resources Institute is working toward reducing the projected global growth in beef demand over the next 30 years. The U.S. cattle industry has among the most sustainable practices in the world, so the group suggests exporting more American beef and reducing production elsewhere. If we were to cut back on U.S. beef consumption by half, that doesnt mean put half of U.S. beef producers out of business," said Rich Waite, an associate at the World Resources Institute's food program. "It could just mean expanding exports to countries where beef consumption is going to be doubling." Former President Bill Clinton was discharged from the University of California, Irvine Medical Center on Sunday, nearly a week after he was admitted for a non-COVID-related infection, according to his spokesperson Angel Urena. What they're saying: "His fever and white blood cell count are normalized and he will return home to New York to finish his course of antibiotics," wrote Dr. Alpesh Amin, who has been overseeing the team of doctors treating Clinton. "On behalf of everyone at UC Irvine Medical Center, we were honored to have treated him and will continue to monitor his progress." Worth noting: Clinton had a urinary tract infection that spread to his bloodstream, per CNN. More than 600 migrants who were rescued from the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast arrived in Spain Sunday on three ships a week after Italys new populist, right-wing government and Malta blocked the vessels from docking on their shores. Why it matters: The refusal by both countries to aid the asylum seekers and Italy's insinuation that the group was an "army of fake refugees" have exacerbated Europes latest battle over immigration, triggering strong reactions from humanitarian aid groups and other European countries. What's happening: The migrants will be granted a special humanitarian permit to stay in Spain for 45 days, while Spanish authorities review their cases to determine who may qualify for asylum status, the AP reports. Authorities reportedly say dozens are minors who traveled without parents. The migrants were from 31 different nationalities some are from Sudan, Algeria, Eritrea and Nigeria. The backdrop: The influx of refugees and migrants fleeing from war- and poverty-ravaged countries to Europe has heightened pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said this weekend the migration crisis needs a 'European solution.' For several days in Afghanistan, civilians, troops and Taliban fighters happily mingled together, exchanging hugs and sweets during the Eid holiday. But now an all-too-brief Taliban ceasefire has ended, despite Kabul's request that it be extended. What's next: The insurgents are headed back to the battlefield. This is no surprise: As long the Taliban believes it's winning the war and it very much does it won't stop fighting. And especially not on the Afghan government's terms. It's easy to dismiss the Taliban's return to the battlefield as one more failed attempt to achieve peace. But in fact, the temporary truce has several silver linings for a nation badly in need of optimism: The fact that the Taliban stopped fighting for the first time, even if only for a few days, represents a major new building block. The ceasefire has strengthened a national consensus for peace. As their beaming faces in photos that went viral made clear, Afghan civilians, and, most surprisingly, Taliban foot soldiers, genuinely enjoyed their brief time together in peace. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will now have more political space and public support to push forward on reconciliation. And Taliban leaders now face the uncomfortable prospect of their rank and file growing increasingly uncomfortable about fighting. The bottom line: Peace isn't about to break out across Afghanistan, but the country got a tantalizing taste of it over the last few days. That experience should help strengthen the country's pursuit of a reconciliation that now seems a bit more achievable, even if far down the road. Michael Kugelman is deputy director and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center. President Donald Trump said today that he is "directing" the Pentagon establish a space force as the sixth branch of the Armed Forces, to be called the Space Force. Why it matters: If a Space Force is created, it would be the 6th branch of the Armed Forces, and its duties are as yet unclear. Trump said he would be "honored" if General Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would direct it. Dunford, who was present at the ceremony, expressed support for the announcement when Trump said he wanted him to lead it. Trump: "We are going to have the Air Force and we are going to have the Space Force. Separate but equal. It is going to be something so important...General Dunford, if you would carry that assignment out I would be very greatly honored also. Where is General Dunford? General? Got it? Gen. Dunford: "We got you." "We got you." Trump: Lets go get it, General. "It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space," Trump said. "We must have American dominance in space," Trump said at a meeting of the U.S. Space Council. Details: Trump did not go into detail about what such a force would do or how it would overlap with existing space-oriented branches of the Air Force, such as the Air Force Space Command. However, this is not the first time that Trump has mentioned the idea for such an entity. Confirmation: The White House confirmed Trump's action. "Today at the National Space Council meeting, the President directed the Department of Defense to immediate[ly] begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces," Raj Shah, principal deputy White House press secretary, told Axios in a statement. "The Presidents National Strategy for Space calls for American leadership, preeminence, and freedom of action in space, and he sees a separate service focused on space as a critical piece of that end state. The National Space Council and other White House offices will work closely with the Department of Defense on successful implementation of the Presidents direction." Raj Shah The Chief Pentagon Spokesperson, Dana White, told Axios in a statement that the Pentagon understands "the President's guidance" and that its "Policy Board will begin working on this issue" along with Congress. A spokesman for the Air Force earlier in the day said he could not comment on whether the Pentagon has received a directive from the White House. "We understand the President's guidance. Our Policy Board will begin working on this issue, which has implications for intelligence operations for the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy. Working with Congress, this will be a deliberate process with a great deal of input from multiple stakeholders." Dana White Notable: From Capitol Hill: Sen. Bill Nelson, the top Democrat of the Senate Commerce committee, said generals have been telling him they don't want a Space Force. According to Politico, the Pentagon had contracted with CNA Corp. early in June to study the creation of a space force. It is unlikely that study was completed by Monday. Editor's note: This article has been updated to include a White House statement. The embattled mayor of the Armenian town of Echmiadzin resigned late on Sunday after law-enforcement authorities made new and far more embarrassing accusations against his father, retired General Manvel Grigorian, arrested by them. The National Security Service (NSS) claimed to have found in Grigorians mansions not only large quantities of illegal acquired weapons but also large stockpiles of food and other supplies meant for Armenian army soldiers. The NSS accused him of misappropriating those items. The allegations, backed up by an official video of searches conducted by security officers, caused widespread shock and outrage in Armenia. They led the former ruling Republican Party (HHK), to which Grigorian has long been allied, to stop describing the criminal case against him as politically motivated. The once powerful general, who served as deputy defense minister from 2000-2008, was taken into custody on Saturday on the third day of street protests against his son Karen, who has been Echmiadzins mayor for almost a decade. The protests were reportedly organized by Artur Asatrian, an Echmiadzin native whom Armenian media outlets have long described as a crime figure. Asatrian, who is better known to the public with his Don Pippo nickname, and his four bodyguards were also arrested on Saturday. The NSS accused them of illegal arms possession and kidnappings. Mayor Grigorian staged a counterdemonstration of his supporters and rejected calls for his resignation as the security service raided his fathers two opulent villas located in Echmiadzin and a nearby village. The NSS initially claimed to have found and confiscated only illegally acquired weapons and ammunition stashed there. The HHK, which is headed by former President Serzh Sarkisian, was quick to condemn Manvel Grigorians arrest and demand his release. Also, more than a hundred people protested against his detention outside the NSS headquarters in Yerevan on Saturday night. The protesters were mostly members of the Yerkrapah Union of Nagorno-Karabakh war veterans. Grigorian, who was a prominent field commander during the war, has led the union for nearly two decades. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian defended the arrest in a video address to the nation aired through Facebook on Sunday afternoon. He was the first to announce that Grigorian is also suspected of large-scale embezzlement. There are strong suspicions that he misappropriated aid sent to the people of Karabakh and the army and these suspicions are substantiated by the results of searches conducted at his properties, said Pashinian. Nobody denies that Manvel Grigorian is a hero of Artsakh (Karabakh), Pashinian went on. But even the heroes have no right to steal aid sent by schoolchildren in Gyumri, Echmiadzin and Yerevan to soldiers fighting on the frontlines and to feed his wild animals with it. The NSS released the video later in the day. It showed NSS officers discovering large amounts of underwear, medication and field rations for soldiers provided by the Armenian Defense Ministry as well as other food donated by ordinary Armenians at a sprawling compound in Grigorians native village, Arshaluys. The donations were made by local communities, public schools and other civilian institutions during the April 2016 war in Karabakh. Some of the food parcels purportedly found in Grigorians villa contained letters of support written by schoolchildren to Armenian frontline troops. It emerged that Manvel Grigorian has used the food meant for soldiers participating in the four-day April [2016] war for feeding animals of his private zoo, the NSS charged in a statement. It said Grigorian also misappropriated several vehicles that were donated to the military two years ago. The video also featured many weapons, including rocket-propelled grenade launchers, as well as several dozen expensive and retro cars parked in the Arshaluys compound. It was swiftly aired by Armenias main TV channels and widely shared on social media. I, Karen Grigorian, am resigning by my will, the Echmiadzin mayor said in a late-night Facebook post. He did not elaborate. The HHK reacted to the embarrassing video on Monday with a statement which called the ex-generals alleged corruption unacceptable and outrageous. We are shocked and outraged that such things could have possibly been done by anyone, especially a general who had actively participated in the Artsakh war, read an HHK statement. While respecting the presumption of innocence, we are declaring that if the accusations levelled against Manvel Grigorian are proved in a manner defined by the law he must be legally and strictly held accountable, it said. The HHK spokesman, Eduard Sharmazanov, indicated earlier in the day that the former ruling party no longer regards the high-profile case as politically motivated. I must declare that the matter lies in a purely legal domain and we must allow investigators to carry out further actions in a manner defined by the law, said Sharmazanov. If it turns out that all this is true, there can be no justification for it, he added. The HHK did not clarify whether its lawmakers will vote for allowing law-enforcement authorities to press charges against Manvel Grigorian, who was reelected to the Armenian parliament on the HHK ticket last year. Members of the parliament cannot be formally charged and kept under arrest for more than three days without the National Assemblys consent. The HHK still has the largest faction in the parliament. Armenias Office of the Prosecutor-General said investigators have already collected sufficient evidence for having Grigorians immunity from prosecution lifted. It said Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian has therefore asked the Armenian government to call an emergency session of the parliament for that purpose. Meanwhile, Manvel Grigorians lawyer, Hrant Ananian, said he was taken aback by the NSS revelations and decided to stop representing the 61-year-old ex-general. When I was taking over the case those circumstances were not known to me, he told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian pledged to continue combatting corruption in Armenia in the most resolute way on Monday following the arrest of a retired army general accused of illegal arms possession and embezzlement. Pashinian suggested that Manvel Grigorian is facing grave criminal charges as a result of the most large-scale corruption revelation in the countrys post-Soviet history. I want to once again make clear that there will be no compromise with corruption, that corruption in the Republic of Armenia will be rooted out, and let nobody doubt that we will achieve this goal with the most resolute and most effective steps, Pashinian told an emergency session of his cabinet. We can now explicitly note that our long-standing claims that the country is systematically plundered are being borne out and all participants of this plunder must be exposed and held accountable, he said. The premier spoke before ministers approved his proposal to initiate an extraordinary session of the Armenian parliament on Tuesday. The National Assembly will meet to discuss law-enforcement authorities request to lift Grigorians immunity from prosecution. Grigorian, who represents the former ruling Republican Party (HHK) in the parliament, was arrested by the National Security Service (NSS) on Saturday on suspicion of illegal arms possession. The NSS also accused him of embezzling large amounts of food and other supplies meant for Armenian military personnel. The 61-year-old ex-general, who has been a key backer of former President Serzh Sarkisian, denied any wrongdoing immediately after being taken into custody. Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian said earlier on Monday that there is sufficient evidence to press criminal charges against Grigorian. For his part, Artur Vanetsian, the NSS director also present at the cabinet meeting, expressed confidence that the case will have a judicial conclusion. Pashinian praised the NSS for exposing the alleged abuses. He hinted that more high-profile arrests could be made as part of the ongoing investigation which will now be conducted by another law-enforcement body, the Special Investigative Service. I as well as the Armenian public see no obstacles to identifying all participants of this case and holding them accountable, regardless of their ranks, statuses or related circumstances, said the premier. This case must be solved in full. Pashinian pledged to eradicate endemic corruption immediately after he swept to power last month in a wave of mass protests organized by him against the countrys previous leadership. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian voiced strong support for Bako Sahakian, Nagorno-Karabakhs president, during a weekend trip to the region which followed a series of anti-government protests in Stepanakert. The protests were sparked by a June 1 violent dispute between several officers of Karabakhs National Security Service (NSS) and other local residents. About 200 people blocked Stepanakerts main avenue for four days, demanding the resignation of the NSS and police chiefs. Three NSS officers were arrested and the Karabakh government pledged to ensure an objective criminal investigation. The protests ended only after a June 4 appeal from Pashinian. Two days later, the chiefs of the local police and NSS as well as the Karabakh state minister, Arayik Harutiunian, tendered their resignations. Sahakian, in power since 2007, went on to announce on June 11 that he will not again seek reelection when his current term in office ends in 2020. The move failed to satisfy a local opposition party that demanded Sahakians immediate resignation last week during demonstrations that attracted only several dozen people. Riot police prevented them from rallying in the Karabakh capitals central square. Pashinian travelled to Karabakh on Saturday for a second time since being elected Armenias prime minister on May 8. Accompanied by Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, he and Sahakian attended a mass at a newly built church in the town of Chartar and visited a nearby section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani line of contact. The two men then held talks in Stepanakert, with Pashinian praising what he called Sahakians readiness to make real and substantive changes.On this issue I want to express our unconditional support for our Artsakh (Karabakh) colleagues and President Bako Sahakian personally, he said. Armenias government unconditionally supports your political course, added the premier. Pashinian further underlined that backing when he took a selfie of him and the Karabakh leader as they walked in Stepanakert late in the evening. He posted the photograph on his Facebook page followed by hundreds of thousands of Armenians. Sahakian thanked Pashinian for the show of support in a letter sent on Monday. He said that for their part the Karabakh authorities fully support Pashinians efforts to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in Mother Armenia. By Trend Azerbaijan's company Simbrella gets ready to export "WokiFi" service to the markets of Great Britain, Greece, Qatar and Dubai, the company told Trend. WokiFi service allows tourists to rent portable 3G / 4G Wi-Fi routers for universal access to the Internet. The service is being promoted together with the hotels. The company said that the primary agreement on possible expansion of the service to the markets of these countries was achieved within the major IMEX-2018 Expo held in Frankfurt in May. "WokiFi was presented at the national stand of Azerbaijan together with the Azerbaijan Convention Bureau. The solution aroused great interest among visitors," the company said. "We were able to hold a series of meetings with business representatives. Now we are planning to enter the markets of Great Britain, Greece, Qatar and Dubai. We have certain activity in these countries. However, we first of all should negotiate with operators before entering a market of any country. For example, today, certain difficulties exists regarding entering the Dubai market. Here, it is quite difficult to agree with the operator, rather than with a hotel. If we manage to come to an agreement, then this will be the most ideal market for business development," the company said. Presently, WokiFi service is offered at Sultan Inn Boutique Hotel, Seven Rooms Boutique Hotel, Sahil Hostel & Hotel, Boulevard Side Hotel and Excelsior Hotel & Spa Baku. Each hotel has the right to independently form its own pricing policy for this service and offer various packages. For example, now the hotels are practicing three tariff plans cost $3, $5 and $10, offering 300 megabytes, 500 megabytes and one gigabyte of internet traffic, respectively. The offered packages are valid for one day. A tourist when connecting to the internet through a router is automatically redirected to the hotel page, where he/she can choose the necessary tariff package. Furthermore, the cost of the ordered packages is included in the total cost of living in the hotel. The advantage of the WokiFi service is that tourist has access to the internet wherever he/she goes inside the country, while up to 10 people can connect to each device. Today, talks are underway to expand the service in such hotels of Baku as Marriott, Park Inn, Hyatt Regency, Boulevard Hotel and Holiday Inn. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend 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". --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are cooperating to combat desertification and drought in different parts of the country, the FAO representative ad interim to the country said. Iran and FAO are closely cooperating and implementing joint national and regional projects to combat desertification and drought in different parts of the country, Rao Matta said on June 17 during a conference in Iran's northern city of Karaj, west of Tehran, the official website of FAO reported. By Trend A Turkish-flagged cargo ship was sinking off the Croatian coast on June 17 and its 13-member crew was being taken off with no pollution detected for now, the Croat transport ministry said, Hurriyet Daily News reported. The evacuation of the crew - including 11 Turkish and two Indian nationals -- started at 0405 GMT and no one was injured. The ship was sinking north of Vis island in the centre of the Adriatic, a ministry statement said, adding that precautions were being taken to prevent pollution. The ship carrying 3,000 tonnes tons of sinter magnesite, used in the production of high-temperature resistant materials, as well as 70 tons of fuel and lubricants, it added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Kamila Aliyeva The Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved another loan in the amount of $198 million for Uzbekistan. The funds will scale up ADBs support in enhancing horticulture value chain development in all 12 regions in Uzbekistan as well as in Karakalpakstan, the press service of the bank said on June 15. More horticulture farmers and enterprises along the horticulture value chain will be able to access long-term financing from this additional support. The project will help promote long-term economic and environmental sustainability and enhance profitability for farmers and agribusiness enterprises, ADB Senior Natural Resources and Agriculture Economist for Central and West Asia Bui Minh Giap. The additional funds will complement the existing Horticulture Value Chain Development Project launched in November 2016, which allowed the government to provide subsidiary loans to participating financial institutions (PFIs). The project aimed to help PFIs expand their lending portfolio to interested and qualified farmers and enterprises to finance horticulture operations, including planting materials, greenhouses, intensive orchards, processing and storage facilities, and machinery and equipment. The $198 million loan will help scale up the outreach of seven of the projects PFIs -- namely Asaka Bank, Davr Bank, Ipak Yuli Bank, Ipoteka Bank, National Bank of Uzbekistan, Turon Bank, and Uzpromstroybank -- and improve access of farmers, agro-processing enterprises, owners and operators of cold storage facilities, and trading and logistics service suppliers to market-based bank finance. This includes enabling enterprises under the existing project to expand operations, the bank said. The additional financing will also increase farm productivity in the country by improving processing and storage capacity and reducing post-harvest losses through the establishment and upgrade of intensive orchards; modern water- and energy-efficient greenhouses; and processing, storage, and refrigeration facilities. The project will help improve Uzbekistans agriculture sector, a key contributor in the economy accounting for 32 percent of the countrys total employment and a significant portion of income in rural areas. Uzbekistan joined the ADB in August 1995. The ADB program in Uzbekistan has provided loans, grants and technical assistance to grow the countrys economy and improve the lives of people, particularly the poor, women, children and other vulnerable groups. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Kamila Aliyeva The Uzbek national air carrier, Uzbekistan Airways, plans to receive two Airbus A320 neo planes in December 2018, according to the company's deputy general director Gennadiy Kharlap. We hope to get both planes in December of this year. But frankly speaking, Airbus has certain problems with timely deliveries of aircraft. Their factories do not have time to produce engines. Already more than 100 aircraft are idle waiting for engines. Therefore, maybe we will have a slight delay, but we are doing our best to make the planes come on time, Kharlap told Podrobno.uz. These will be the newest in its segment aircraft, equipped with wi-fi and monitors in each seat, he noted. The aircraft will cover the whole Europe by means of the fact that it is 20 percent more economical than its predecessor, and its range is increased from 4,500 kilometers to more than 6,000. This will allow it to fly to Frankfurt, Paris, London, Milan and Rome. Airbus A320 neo is designed for 150 people, with 12 of them in the business class, and 138 - in the economic class, he said. The Airbus A320 neo is a version of the narrow-body Airbus A320 equipped with new engines, more economical and environmentally friendly than the base model, produced in 2014. Uzbekistan Airways was established on January 28, 1992 upon the presidential decree, wholly owned by the state. The aircraft fleet of the Uzbek airline currently consists of modern and comfortable Boeing-757/767, Boeing-787-8 Dreamliner, A320 aircraft, as well as cargo plane Boeing-767-300BCF. The Uzbek airline operates flights to over 20 cities in Europe, America, the Middle East, Asia, 22 cities of the CIS countries and 11 destinations on local airlines. Uzbekistan Airways has 11 airports located on the territory of Uzbekistan, six of which are international. The company has representative offices in 25 countries. Uzbekistan Airways transported more than 2.703 million passengers in 2017. Last year, Uzbekistan Airways performed 22,950 flights compared to 22,387 flights in 2016. --- Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The director of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) and the Iranian deputy oil minister Hamid Reza Araqi said the country has for the first time managed to attract $2 billion foreign investment through build-operate-transfer (BOT) contracts. "Our gas exports to Baghdad and Basra as well as the completion of the 6th national gas trunkline (IGAT-6) are among the projects financed through BOT contracts," Araqi said, according to SHANA news agency. These projects will help bring back the governments capital to the country, he added. "Through employing BOT contracts at National Iranian Gas Company, $2 billion capital has been invested in the country for the first time ever". Araqi said the government will continue to use pipes to export gas to neighboring countries. "But for far away countries, we plan to achieve the technology for Mini-LNG plants," he further added. The Sixth Iran Gas Trunkline (IGAT-6)a major component of the national gas gridwill go on stream by the end of the current fiscal year that ends in March 2019. Upon completion, IGAT-6 pipeline project will raise gas supply by 50-60 million cubic meters daily. Some 100 kilometers of the 56-inch diameter pipeline are still under construction. Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh said that Iran is on pace to boost gas production to 1 billion cubic meters a day by March 2019, roughly the same time that all South Pars phases are planned to be up and running. The gas field, whose development has been divided into 28 phases, is located in the Persian Gulf straddling the maritime border between Iran and Qatar. It covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, of which 3,700 square kilometers belongs to Iran. It is estimated that the Iranian section of the field contains 14 trillion cubic meters of gas and 18 billion barrels of condensates in place. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Beaumont Community Players announced Monday it has agreed to a partnership with the Logon Cafe, beginning in October, for the restaurant to provide catering during the theatre company's opening night receptions. "On the opening night of each of BCP's eight productions a small catered reception is held in the lobby of the Betty Greenberg Center for Performing Arts," BCP said in a statement. WASHINGTON Imagine this storyline: One of the largest oil companies in the world becomes the victim of a left-wing conspiracy, funded by wealthy liberals who convince Democratic attorneys general across the nation to sue the company to stop it from offering different views about climate change. What sounds like the stuff of a bad Hollywood thriller is in fact the narrative Exxon Mobil's attorneys are telling as they seek to defend the company from myriad lawsuits and investigations into what oil companies knew about climate change and when they knew it. With a surprising procedural victory in a Texas court recently, Exxon is attempting what it and other oil companies can say or not say about climate change and the impact on their businesses, seeking to build on legal rulings that have expanded corporations' rights of free speech in recent years, legal scholars say. The U.S. government has long limited First Amendment protections for corporations, prohibiting them from making false statements to further business interests astaple of U.S. consumer protection laws going back to the days of snake oil salesmen peddling so-called magic elixirs. But Exxon's case could test how far the courts are willing to go to uphold governments' ability to regulate commercial speech. Exxon is arguing that the state and local governments suing the company have gone too far, trying to impose an Orwellian code of conduct to drown out those who call attention to uncertainties about how climate change will play out over the long term and affect the global economy. "Exxon is framing (climate change) as a legitimate political debate in which they are a participant, rather than a for-profit company trying to make a buck," said Tamara Piety, a law professor at University of Tulsa. "There has been a growing movement (among corporations) to raise the First Amendment. If something can be proven to be unconstitutional it's completely off the table" Over the past two decades, companies have successfully used the free speech strategy to challenge government regulations on everything from the placement of workplace signs explaining employee rights to the distribution of patients' medical data. A key win for corporate America came in 2010 Citizens United case, when the Supreme Court ruled that limits on corporate spending in political campaigns violated companies' free speech rights. Now Exxon is seeking to expand corporate rights one step further, arguing that the government legal action, based on the company's past statements, is little more than leverage to get oil companies to agree to a wide-arching climate change deal that would restrict what they can say about the issue in violation of "of Exxon Mobil's constitutional rights." That includes investigations launched by the New York and Massachusetts attorneys general into whether Exxon lied to shareholders and consumers about the risks of climate change to the environment and its business, and lawsuits filed by cities and counties in California and Colorado, which are seeking damages from Exxon and other oil companies for the costs of rising sea levels and increased wildfires. Exxon in January asked a state court in Fort Worth to order more than a dozen city and county officials from California to sit for depositions by Exxon's attorneys to determine whether they are conspiring with plaintiffs' attorneys and environmentalist activists to force Exxon into accepting a deal. A New York federal judge in March dismissed a similar request by Exxon to depose the New York and Massachusetts attorneys general, ruling it was based on "extremely thin allegations and speculative inference," but the Texas judge, R.H. Wallace Jr., decided to give the company more room to prove its claim, ruling in April that Exxon could begin making requests to depose specific officials. Exxon declined to comment. But James Coleman, a law professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and a contributor to the conservative Federalist Society, said Exxon, which has come out in support of the Paris climate accords and a national carbon tax, is simply protecting its First Amendment rights to communicate about climate change and the effects on its finances as it sees fit. "It's an unusual claim (by Exxon) but it doesn't mean it's wrong," he said. "The government can make you give accurate information, but the government can't force you to say things you disagree with. For instance, the government couldn't make Exxon say climate change is the defining challenge of our time, even if they consider it a fact." San Francisco and other California communities are challenging Wallace's ruling in the Texas Second Circuit Court of Appeals, potentially setting the case on a path to the Texas Supreme Court. And considering the political makeup of the state's high court, Exxon stands a good chance of winning its argument, said Tom McGarity, a law professor at the University of Texas, who sits on an advisory board to the California plaintiffs. "It presents a very sympathetic venue," he said. "It's a pro-business Supreme Court." Conspiracy The case in Texas comes three years into a legal campaign against Exxon and other oil companies. In Exxon's telling, it all stems from meeting of environmental activists in the beach town of La Jolla, Calif. in 2012. Activists and attorneys discussed a strategy for addressing climate change based on the tobacco lawsuits of the 1990s, which successfully argued tobacco companies were liable for smokers' deaths because executives knew the risks, but still claimed publicly they did not, according to an account of the meeting published by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental group that helped organize the event If Exxon and other oil companies could be shown to have known the risks to health and safety of climate change, but did nothing to warn the public and investors, then perhaps activists could create a groundswell of public outrage to change the political and economic landscape for oil companies, much as they had for tobacco companies. "We wrote up a report so other lawyers and policymakers could pick up on those lessons (from tobacco) and use them, like you would any science you would hope is actionable," said Peter Frumhoff, head of policy and science at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "The first tenet of good science is being transparent." But the activists also gave Exxon apotential weapon to counterattack. The company's lawyers have focused on one line in the Union of Concerned Scientists account, in which activists describe how they could could use litigation for "maintaining pressure on the industry that could eventually lead to its support for legislative and regulatory responses to global warming." That game plan, Exxon lawyers said, was then adopted by government prosecutors, including the former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who recently resigned amid allegations of sexual abuse. Wallace, the Texas judge, agreed with the company lawyers, writing that environmentalists who attended the La Jolla meeting "aimed to chill and suppress Exxon Mobil's speech." California and Colorado officials dismiss Exxon's legal maneuvers as little more than intimidation tactics aimed at frightening and bogging them down in paper work. A spokesman for the New York Attorney General's Office called Exxon's strategy an attempt to "distract and deflect from the facts at hand." Public Opinion Within conservative circles, Exxon's conspiracy message seems to be gaining traction. Earlier this year, David Bookbinder, an attorney with the libertarian Niskanen Center, filed suit against Exxon and the Canadian oil company Suncor, claiming they were responsible for the costs sustained by Colorado local governments in fighting wildfires and other effects of climate change. A few weeks later, he began seeing his name pop up on conservative websites, including the Daily Caller and one owned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Articles suggested Bookbinder and his colleagues were part of a conspiracy funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a New York charity with more than $800 million in assets that is overseen by the descendants of the late oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, whose Standard Oil was the precursor to Exxon Mobil. The claim was based on a $200,000 grant the Niskanen Center received shortly before the Colorado lawsuit was filed. Bookbinder said the grant had nothing to do with the lawsuit and scoffed at the idea his plaintiffs were part of a conspiracy to damage Exxon. "My clients don't want Exxon out of business," he said. "Then they don't get paid." The Rockefeller Brothers Fund said in a statement that it does consider a willingness to take oil companies to court in awarding grants to climate activists."Litigation is one tool that can help to level the playing field by leaning into legal standards that are meant to serve the common good," the statement said. In its legal filings, Exxon maintains that the Rockefellers and the hedge fund billionaire Tom Steyer, who is funding a campaign to impeach President Donald Trump, are behind the wave of litigation. Exxon lawyers cited a $30,000 campaign donation Steyer made to a former mayor of San Francisco shortly before that city filed suit, as well as a Columbia Journalism School investigation into how Exxon's past statements questioning climate science conflicted with what its scientists were saying internally. The Rockefeller Family Fund, another charity controlled by Rockefeller descendants, funded the Columbia investigation. There's nothing illegal about using money to try to influence a company's behavior. But that's besides the point for Exxon. Just as climate activists succeeded in convincing more Americans that climate change is a large and growing threat , Exxon wants to promote the idea of a liberal conspiracy to undermine a fossil fuel industry that employs hundreds of thousands of people and literally fuels the U.S. and global economies. Exxon is now considering an appeal of a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that found the state's Attorney General's Office had not violated the company's constitutional rights when it demanded the company turn over documents. Such an appeal would go to the U.S. Supreme Court, where Exxon's success in convincing the public of its liberal conspiracy narrative could make the difference between winning and losing. "I don't think the Supreme Court is completely oblivious to public opinion," said Piety, the Tulsa law professor, "and the more Exxon can marshal public opinion, the better chance they have of convincing the courts." James.Osborne@Chron.com Twitter.com/OsborneJa When Paul Kessler served with the U.S. Army Air Corps in Gander, Newfoundland, in World War II, servicing B-17 bombers flying to and from England, conditions were so rough that mail had to be parachuted in from planes overhead. Heavy snow and desolate terrain made landing dangerous. Sometimes they would plow the roadways, said Kessler, 96, but most of the time it was simply miserable. They sent people out of there in straight jackets, he remembered. Somehow, the boy who was B.O.I., or Born on the Island, as native Galvestonians referred to themselves, made it through his two-year tour. I was a Texas boy, he said, grinning. When Kessler was discharged, he returned to Houston, where his family had moved during the Great Depression. He found work with a steel company and was soon offered a position at its Beaumont site. After moving, he was invited by a co-worker to meet the mans fiancee. He remembers that visit. A friend of the bride-to-be sat in a corner making out wedding invitations. Her name was Geraldine, though she went by Jerry. One year later, I married that girl, Kessler said. That year, 1950, he got a new job with Sampson Steel Corp., where he stayed almost 40 years before retiring. In that time, he and his wife built a home in Old Town and had two daughters. Kessler lost his wife of 41 years in 1991 but remained in the home they built together until 1999. He downsized to a townhome and after 18 years moved into an independent living apartment at Calder Woods. Kessler joins in some of the facilitys social activities but prefers to maintain his independent schedule. He works out at 4:30 a.m. daily at a nearby World Gym, performing a fitness regimen he has maintained for 66 years. . While working out keeps him physically fit, he says a willingness to try new things, including his hand at modern technology, is equally good for mental and spiritual fitness. While many of his peers shy from computer apps and new media, Kessler said, It doesnt bother me at all. I just practice and practice until I learn how to do it. Granddaughter Tracy Leiman described her Paw Paw as a young guy stuck in an old mans body. Hes never skipped a beat and always kept up with the times. Three-quarters of a century after his WW II service, Kessler again finds himself in long-distance communication with family. One daughter, Marilyn Kessler, lives in California. The other, Arlene Gerger, lives in Houston, as do her two daughters, Leiman and Emily Segal, their spouses and their three children. A fourth great-grandchild is due soon. Kessler talks daily with his children and grandchildren on the phone. His daughter Marilyns voice is the last he hears every night before he goes to bed. Being open-minded to new technology, Kessler didnt hesitate when daughter Arlene suggested he get on Skype, a webcam program that allows people to communicate over the Internet. Skype has added a much-valued layer to communication with family. Recently Kessler talked live with his Tracy, who answered his call after returning from a trip to the grocery store. We went to get some cereal, her son Jack, 2, tells him. What did you get? Kessler asks. Raisin Bran. Oh, Raisin Bran, I thought youd be getting Lucky Charms. No, they were out of Lucky Charms, Tracy said. She positions her phone camera so Kessler can see her belly. She is due to give birth to his next great-granddaughter in a few days. Youre carrying quite a load, Kessler jokes. She promises to Skype him from the hospital so he can see the baby the first day. Sharing in these moments and watching as his great grandchildren grow has been a gift from modern technology for Kessler, who otherwise might remain a faceless voice in their earliest memories. Being able to see the great-grandchildren interact allows all of us to enjoy a special relationship between generations, Leiman said. I just love seeing them grow up, Kessler said. Although he isnt physically present in their day-to-day lives, Skyping is almost like being there. The years go by so fast. kbrent@beaumontenterprise.com When Southeast Texas students return to school this fall, they'll likely see a larger armed presence on campus, as more districts look to add police officers or arm their own staff. "I don't think it's exaggerating to say that all of them are at least discussing the combinations of adding law enforcement or arming teachers or both," Region 5 Executive Director Danny Lovett said of the 35 districts in the area. Until recently, having a police department within the school district was considered the best option, and marshals or guardians were seen as a more feasible alternative for smaller districts with less money to spend on personnel. Now, some districts are now considering employing both to shorten response time in an active shooter situation, Lovett said. During a region-wide School Safety Summit last week, "every superintendent in that room could quote their response time from law enforcement," he said, signaling a heightened awareness of the issue. That's likely due in part to the shooting at Santa Fe High School last month and the spree of copycat threats that followed. "With it happening in Santa Fe, it brings it closer to home," he said, especially "in a school that most of us considered to be pretty well prepared." RELATED: Santa Fe High School valedictorian gives a touching speech everyone should hear At least four districts in the region will have armed staff this fall under state laws that allow designated school employees to carry a concealed weapon in gun-free zones. West Hardin and High Island already have armed guardians, a decision the districts made based on distance and emergency response time from local law enforcement. Orangefield and Deweyville approved appointing marshals this spring, and more could follow. Hamshire-Fannett ISD said last month that "its board has begun discussions regarding concealed carry by trained staff and will continue those discussions." A decision hasn't been made yet, Superintendent Dwaine Augustine said. The guardian plan has fewer restrictions on who can carry guns and less training requirements than the marshal program. While the early adopters of both options were districts far from their local law enforcement, others that aren't as isolated are considering them now, Lovett said. Districts that have their own police departments and those that employ school resource officers or have law enforcement assigned to campuses, are reevaluating staffing and response time, Lovett said. Some smaller districts are also looking to add police departments, which previously were only in the region's larger ones. Warren ISD's board of trustees voted on resolutions to form a police department and hire a security officer this spring. Lumberton ISD's Gretchen Scoggins said that while many of the options available to schools "were designed for places without a city police force, in locations with longer response times," the district is considering them. More than 170 districts statewide have armed guardians or marshals, according to the Texas Association of School Boards. Along with increasing armed presence, Lovett said local districts are looking at ways to lock classroom doors, and increase mental health screening and social media monitoring to identify students "who could be a risk to hurt themselves or others." He expects districts will be invited to a Mental Health First Aid training this year, he said, and Region 5 is looking at putting together a consortium to purchase software that alerts districts about students' social media posts that have concerning keywords. The program is "pretty expensive for a smaller school," he said, but could be more accessible if it's used through the education service center. Improving safety and security comes at a steep cost, ranging from software to salaries for counselors and police officers and physical upgrades like locks and sealed entryways. Deweyville superintendent Keith Jones asked for teachers and community members to join a team applying for school safety grants. After consulting with teachers and experts, the district put together plans "to increase the lighting and security camera coverage, harden the entrances, limit access to students, train faculty and students on how to respond in a threat situation," he told The Enterprise, in addition to training marshals. "Having been decimated by catastrophic flooding twice, we do not have the financial resources some of our neighbors enjoy," he said. Scoggins said that while Lumberton expects to receive some federal funding for school safety, the preliminary estimates are "not even close" to covering all the possible upgrades. "We used to train to lock the doors and cover the windows, turn off the lights, get in a corner and be as quiet and still as possible," she said. Over the last several years, that has shifted to include more options to react to different situations, often referred to "Run, Hide, Fight." Experts disagree on the best approach to an armed intruder some suggest trying to distract or disarm the shooter, while others still recommend hiding. Augustine said his staff will be trained this year in the ALICE method of responding to an active shooter "Alert, Lock-down, Inform, Counter, Evacuate." "It's not simply responding in one way, it's how do you an adapt to what's happening in an environment," he said. "That's something we talk about, especially to our teachers and new teachers," Scoggins said. "You are the adult, you are the education professional, you need to make the best decisions you have with the information you have," which might include moving to a safer location instead of the traditional lockdown. They're also focusing on getting students, and faith-based and community organizations involved to "try to work on the social-emotional side of things," Augustine said. Hamshire-Fannett's plans include bringing in counselors and working on educating families and students about mental health resources and ways to report their concerns, Augustine said. Districts are also balancing addressing their concerns with students and avoiding putting a spotlight on the threats they face. "As we take these steps, we are focusing on maintaining the atmosphere that makes this school special," Keith Jones said. "We intend to make things more safe without drawing too much attention to the threats that have prompted these changes." LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/LizTeitz Here are the five most popular gastroenterology and endoscopy stories for the week of June 11 to June 15, 2018: 1. 15 statistics on GI starting salary Click here 2. West Virginia physician accused of sexual assault faces more charges 4 insights Click here 3. 62% of this patient group saw jump in rectal cancer rate Click here 4. Hennepin Healthcare installs 1st automated endoscope reprocessor in the US 4 insights Click here 5. 5 insights from outgoing AGA President Dr. Sheila Crowe Click here Courtnee Austin, a Jefferson County, Alabama, inmate, escaped police custody June 16 by climbing through the ceiling of Birmingham-based UAB Hospital, according to AL.com. Mr. Austin was taken to the hospital June 11 after he allegedly swallowed a razor blade. Staff at the hospital conducted an X-ray, which verified an object in his system. Although Mr. Austin was guarded and restrained with leg irons and handcuffs during his hospitalization, a hospital staff member asked that the restraints be removed so he could shower. A deputy was keeping watch outside the bathroom door, when he heard a thump and looked in to see Mr. Austin climbing into the ceiling, the website reported. Mr. Austin navigated his way to an exit, where Mr. Austin then carjacked a hospital employee and drove off, AL.com reported. Mr. Austin was recaptured June 17 and returned to custody. He was initially arrested May 24 on first-degree rape, fist-degree sodomy, fist-degree robbery and attempted murder charges. He will now face additional charges of escape and theft of a motor vehicle. Gilbert (Ariz.) Hospital and Florence (Ariz.) Hospital at Anthem, both owned by Gilbert-based New Vision Health, provided little notice before shutting down. The two hospitals entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late May after creditors filed involuntary bankruptcy petitions for the hospitals, seeking to collect $1.96 million they claim the hospitals owe. Involuntary bankruptcy is a legal proceeding used by creditors who feel they will not be paid unless a company enters bankruptcy. In court documents filed May 1, creditors claimed the two Arizona hospitals failed to make lease payments for months and that the facilities are "on the brink of complete shutdown." After creditors ask the court to initiate bankruptcy proceedings, the debtor has the opportunity to contest the petition. The two Arizona hospitals failed to contest the petition within the required 21-day timeline, and the court subsequently granted creditors' request for relief through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. The financial troubles forced the two hospitals to close. After initially announcing the two facilities would close June 15, officials slightly extended the timeline. Gilbert Hospital closed June 16 and Florence Hospital closed June 18, according to azcentral. "I'd like to stress that patient care was never in jeopardy, but the ability to sustain the minimum level of operations was simply too great of a financial burden moving forward," Jeremiah Foster, a receiver in the bankruptcy case, said in a statement. This is the second time Gilbert Hospital and Florence Hospital have landed in bankruptcy court. The hospitals filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2014, according to court documents. More articles on healthcare finance: Kansas hospital loses Medicare billing privileges, may be forced to close University Hospitals launches bundled payment program with Walmart 7 hospitals with strong finances A Mississippi law could help patients reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs, but not all medical providers know about the legislation, according to a Clarion Ledger report. The law, passed in 2013, prohibits balance billing, which happens when a healthcare provider charges an amount for their services, and the patient is responsible for costs not covered by insurance. It typically happens when the provider is not part of the patient's insurance network. Although this law is in place, balance billing is still seen by Michelle Fuller, an employee benefit adviser in Hattiesburg, Miss. "Medical providers, a lot of them, truly are not aware of this law," she told the Clarion Ledger. "When we make them aware of it, and the administrators find that it is a legitimate law, they write off the balance bill." One issue acknowledged by Ms. Fuller is that the law is not consistently enforced. The Mississippi Insurance Department and the Mississippi attorney general told the Clarion Ledger they can help mediate balanced bills for patients but also are unable to provide enforcement of the law. The state insurance department pointed to success with those mediation efforts. However, the department also said the state's balance billing law typically does little to lower air ambulance costs. This is because under federal law, air ambulances are considered air carriers and have few restrictions on the amount they can charge for rides, reports Bloomberg. Mississippi, along with at least 14 other states, has limited protections for consumers from balance billing. The Mississippi law stipulates providers may not send a balance bill to a patient if the provider accepts any insurance payment, according to the Clarion Ledger. But the publication notes the law would not apply if the provider in the beginning refuses to accept the coverage. Read the full Clarion Ledger report here. More articles on healthcare finance: Fitch: State governments will spend 8% more on healthcare by 2025 8 recent hospital, health system outlook and credit rating actions Growth in uninsured rate could ultimately affect nonprofit hospital ratings, S&P says Kalispell (Mont.) Regional Healthcare is under federal investigation by the HHS Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice over compensation for certain physicians, and was required to set aside $21.5 million in anticipation of the settlement, Daily Inter Lake reports. Four things to know: 1. In a memo sent to staff June 15, the hospital system denied allegations of wrongdoing. "We do not agree with the allegations and deny any wrongdoing. We have responded to the government's requests for information and have cooperated fully with the investigation. We are hopeful for a quick resolution," wrote Mellody Sharpton, Kalispell Regional's director of communications and marketing. 2. In anticipation of a potential settlement of the probe, the health system was required to set aside $21.5 million, Ms. Sharpton confirmed. 3. January's Medicaid reimbursement cuts as well as several large infrastructure projects including the $40 million Montana Children's Medical Center and the $12.9 million Digestive Health Institute "stressed the financial performance of the organization," Kalispell Regional Healthcare President and CEO Pamela Robertson told Daily Inter Lake. But Ms. Robertson expressed optimism in the system's investments and three-year financial plan. "We have made significant investments, and those significant investments will pay a financial dividend in the future. We are optimistic about the future of Kalispell Regional Healthcare, and we are committed to continuing to serve the Flathead Valley and the communities outside the Valley that we currently serve," she told Daily Inter Lake. 4. The June 15 memo to staff echoed Ms. Robertson's positive outlook, according to Daily Inter Lake. "KRH is committed to promoting the health and well-being of the communities we serve, and our investment in talent, facilities and technology is a reflection of that commitment. Montanans deserve to have a high level of healthcare in their own communities, reducing the travel burden on families seeking specialty care." David S. Guzick, MD, PhD, senior vice president for health affairs and president of Gainesville-based University of Florida Health, is stepping down July 1, according to The Gainesville Sun. Dr. Guzick wrote in a letter to his colleagues that his "experience as a cancer patient in the summer and fall of 2017 was transformative in terms of how I think about the remainder of my career and life," according to the report. His cancer experience caused him to re-evaluate his goals moving forward. "What comes next? Do I continue what Im doing, or do I explore other paths?" he wrote in the letter. Dr. Guzick assumed his current roles in 2009. During his tenure, UF Health opened two hospitals at the Shands complex in Gainesville as well as other new clinics and facilities. Prior to joining UF Health, Dr. Guzick was dean of the school of medicine and dentistry at University of Rochester (N.Y.). A reproductive endocrinology specialist, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 2008. The Massachusetts House will take on a healthcare reform bill this coming week that calls for nearly $450 million in assessments on large hospitals, according to the Bristol Herald Courier. The bill would impose one-time fees on hospitals that have more than $700 million in net assets and a patient population with fewer than 60 percent Medicaid patients. It's lawmakers' latest effort to rein in healthcare costs and seek more parity between large Boston teaching hospitals and smaller community hospitals in the state, the newspaper reported. Republican legislators have unsuccessfully requested more time to review the legislation, but it is expected to reach the House floor later this week. Los Angeles police on June 14 raided the home of George Tyndall, MD, a former University of Southern California gynecologist accused of sexually mistreating patients, reports the Los Angeles Times. In addition, police searched a storage facility. Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Billy Hayes did not provide a lot of details to the LA Times about the search, except to say police spoke with Dr. Tyndall and seized evidence. Dr. Tyndall continued to see patients for at least three decades, even though there were sexual harassment complaints filed against him. The Los Angeles-based university suspended the physician in 2016 after a complaint from a nurse and forced him resign from USC in 2017 after an internal investigation. There was public outcry from students, faculty, alumni and others after it was learned the university reportedly did not immediately report sexual harassment allegations against Dr. Tyndall to the Medical Board of California, and only did so after the university was approached by the LA Times for an investigation published May 16. USC students sued the university over the scandal. Thousands of people also signed petitions calling on C.L. Max Nikias, PhD, president of USC to resign or be placed on leave. In May, Dr. Nikias agreed to resign. The LA Times could not immediately reach Dr. Tyndall for comment June 14, but said he has denied wrongdoing and said he is not guilty of sexual mistreatment. He has not been charged by law enforcement. Meanwhile, the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights has started its own investigation into how USC handled accusations against Dr. Tyndall. Numerous patients have also filed civil lawsuits against the former university gynecologist. Alyssa Rege and Alia Paavola contributed to this report. More articles on physician integration issues: California hospital suspends ER physician after video reveals her taunting 20-year-old patient Memo sheds light on tension between Massachusetts General physicians, Partners: 9 things to know Farm at Virginia hospital provides patients with organic produce The following healthcare mergers, acquisitions, partnerships and general transactions took place or were announced during the week of June 11. 1. 9 private equity firms gobbling up healthcare businesses Fifty-two percent of executives are on the hunt for acquisitions in the next year, according to Ernst & Young's 2018 Global Capital Confidence Barometer. 2. Cardinal Health sells majority stake in naviHealth Cardinal Health sold a 55 percent stake in naviHealth a six-year-old, Nashville, Tenn.-based startup that helps manage post-acute care in value-based care arrangements to the New York City-based private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice. 3. Kaiser, Emory Healthcare to partner: 4 things to know Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente and Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare, the $3.3 billion clinical arm of Emory University, revealed plans to collaborate on a new care model to advance care for Kaiser members in the Atlanta metro area, Kaiser announced June 13. 4. Marshfield Clinic Health System to acquire 60-bed Wisconsin hospital Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic Health System revealed plans to acquire Beaver Dam (Wis.) Community Hospitals, Marshfield Clinic announced June 12. 5. Atrium Health pushes to move outside of county lines Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health is looking to change a state law allowing the health system to expand its footprint across the state. 6. Vanderbilt children's hospital to manage NICU at 2 Erlanger hospitals Nashville, Tenn.-based Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt entered into a management services agreement to operate neonatal intensive care unit services at two Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System hospitals, Erlanger announced June 11. 7. Northwestern, Centegra ink definitive agreement to merge Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine and Crystal Lake, Ill.-based Centegra Health System signed a definitive agreement to merge, Northwestern announced June 12. 8. Medpricer and UCHealth sign deal on cost management solutions Medpricer, the leading purchased services cost management solution for the healthcare industry, announced a new partnership with Aurora, Colo.-based UCHealth on June 11. 9. Cleveland Clinic pushes takeover of Florida hospital back up to 2 months Cleveland Clinic is expected to close on its acquisition of Vero Beach, Fla.-based Indian River Medical Center in September or October, officials said June 8. Physicians Regional Medical Group, Physicians Regional Medical Center-Pine Ridge and Physicians Regional Medical Center-Collier Boulevard, all based in Naples, Fla., sued Naples-based NCH Healthcare System in federal court June 12 for allegedly stealing physicians from its practice. Here are five things to know about the lawsuit: 1. The lawsuit alleges NCH and its subsidiaries, Naples (Fla.) Community Hospital and NCHMD, recruited physicians employed by Physicians Regional after Physicians Regional expended the time and resources to develop mature practices for the physicians. 2. At the time NCH allegedly recruited the physicians, NCH allegedly knew the physicians had employment contracts with Physicians Regional that prohibited them from becoming an NCH employee for one year after their employment with Physicians Regional ended. "Regardless, the NCH defendants deliberately acted in concert to recruit, negotiate with, and employ the physicians with full knowledge of the existence of the employment agreements and the restrictive covenant governing each physician," the complaint states. 3. Physicians Regional, which is represented by Lash & Goldberg in Miami, alleges NCH referred physicians to a lawyer who advised them that the restrictive covenant in their employment agreements with Physicians Regional was unenforceable, and they were legally free to sign employment agreements with NCH. "This deceptive misinformation became a part of NCH defendants' recruitment pitch to PRMG physicians to breach their employment agreements with PRMG, made by both the NCH defendants and their counsel in advising the physicians employed by PRMG," the complaint states. 4. Physicians Regional claims it was damaged by NCH's "deceptive and unfair methods" of competition. "Because of the unconscionable conduct of the NCH defendants in poaching PRMG's employed physicians, Physicians Regional experienced a lost of patient relationships with each physician who left PRMG's employment and breached the restrictive covenant when they became employed by NCHMD," the complaint states. 5. Since 2012, Physicians Regional alleges it hired seven physicians whom NCH subsequently recruited and hired in violation of their respective employment agreements with Physicians Regional. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: 3 California physicians charged in $580M billing fraud scheme 11 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements Healthcare executive gets prison time for role in $100M bribery scheme involving 38 physicians An Indiana physician filed a lawsuit in small claims court against Apple CEO Tim Cook, claiming the company disrupted his medical practice by forcing him to update his cellphone to the latest operating system, according to WTHR 13. Here are five things to know: 1. Daniel Dwyer, MD, a family practitioner in Rockville, Ind., told WTHR 13 cellphones were not the norm when he started practicing medicine more than 40 years ago. However, the medical profession has become much more reliant on the technology, especially in communicating with patients. "Any physician uses their [cell] phone a lot," he said. "A patient sent me [a photo via text message] last night because their child had been stung by a wasp or bee, and that was a pretty bad reaction. She wanted to know what to do, and I told her she needs medical attention right away." 2. Like other iPhone consumers, Dr. Dwyer has received countless messages from Apple alerting him when new operating systems are available for his cellphone and recommending he update to the latest software. Dr. Dwyer told the television station he has continuously refused to update his phone to the latest operating system because the last time he did so, his phone "was worse than it was prior to the update," according to the report. 3. Dr. Dwyer said several months ago he attempted to call a pharmacy to get prescription information for a patient, but his phone would not allow him to make the call. Instead, it updated to the latest operating system on its own without giving him the option to disregard the update. "There was no option of 'agree' or 'do it later.' It just went right to update. They were making me push a button to say I agree to it, otherwise I can't use my phone, [but] I didn't agree to it in the first place," he said. "I couldn't use my phone until the update finished. It was a devious trick that they did, and it's not fair. They interrupted my business. Thank goodness it was not a life-threatening situation, but it could have been." 4. Dr. Dwyer said he called and wrote Apple to complain several times, and the company responded with a letter apologizing for any inconvenience the update may have caused. The physician proceeded to bill Apple $200 for his lost productivity, time and frustration. However, the tech company said it could not repay him, prompting Dr. Dwyer to file a lawsuit against the company, according to the report. 5. According to the lawsuit, Apple engaged in business practices that disrupted Dr. Dwyer's medical practice, resulting in frustration and anger. He is seeking $200 in damages payable to the Parke County (Ind.) Food Pantry. To access the full report, click here. Police arrested a 41-year-old man who reportedly fired several shots and threatened to shoot himself near Gilbert, Ariz.-based Banner Gateway Medical Center June 14, AZCentral reports. A police department spokesperson told AZCentral police were called to an area near the hospital just after 1:20 p.m. Thursday following reports of a man with a gun. The spokesperson said there was never an active shooter at the hospital, but the facility was placed on brief lockdown. When confronted, the suspect was initially compliant, but proceeded to fire a round into the air and make "suicidal motions." The individual eventually surrendered and was arrested. No injuries occured. In a June 14 statement to ABC 15 Arizona, Banner Gateway Medical Center said, "A situation occurred this afternoon near the campus of Banner Gateway Medical Center and Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert. An individual with a weapon was taken into custody by the Gilbert Police Department in the parking lot at the medical office building on the campus. No injuries occurred. As a result, Banner Gateway/Banner MD Anderson went on lockdown for a brief period. An all-clear was given and Banner Gateway/Banner MD Anderson are returning to normal operations." Aetna asked a district court to require its former chief Medicare actuary to return documents used to accuse CVS Caremark of overbilling the federal government for prescriptions since 2007, according to a recent court filing. Here are five things to know about the case: 1. Sarah Behnke, Aetna's former chief Medicare actuary, filed a whistle-blower suit against CVS Caremark after her internal investigation found CVS Caremark allegedly inappropriately billed the government $1 billion-plus in fraudulent charges. 2. Aetna placed Ms. Behnke on administrative leave after the whistle-blower suit was unsealed in federal court in early April. The unsealing came as CVS Health, the parent company of CVS Caremark, is attempting to buy Aetna for $69 billion. 3. On June 12, Aetna filed a memorandum with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania requesting the court order Ms. Behnke to immediately return all Aetna documents used in the case. Aetna argued Ms. Behnke took documents containing confidential, proprietary and privileged information without Aetna's authorization, including records and communications involving Aetna's in-house and outside counsel, according to the filing. 4. "They should never have been taken without Aetna's permission, or disclosed to or used by [Berger & Montague, Ms. Behnke's counsel] in the first place," Aetna claimed. "Further, the Court should preclude Berger from using, distributing, or continuing to possess any of these documents, all of which have been improperly obtained, in order to allow Aetna the opportunity to prevent the production of its privileged and protected information." 5. Aetna also asked the court to order the redaction of certain paragraphs from Ms. Behnke's complaint in which the information is used, as well as the destruction of any copies of the documents. Despite openly opposing a proposed deal between Aetna and Humana in 2016, the American Medical Association has not asked antitrust regulators to block CVS Health's proposed $69 billion bid for Aetna, according to Forbes contributor Bruce Jepsen. Here are five takeaways from Mr. Jepsen's article: 1. Vertical integration, or the merging of two companies at different production levels within the same industry, has not generated as much backlash from the AMA as horizontal mergers, or the combination of firms that operate in the same space, like Aetna and Humana. 2. In December 2016, former AMA President Andrew Gurman, MD, issued a statement in support of blocking Aetna's acquisition of Humana. "Together [Aetna and Humana] would create an insurer Goliath with the market power to raise premiums, lower plan quality and eliminate choice for a vulnerable population of seniors in the Medicare Advantage program," Dr. Gurman said in a statement. As it involved two of the four largest sellers of Medicare Advantage plans, a merger would have put seniors at risk, Dr. Gurman said. 3. However, AMA ended its annual House of Delegates meeting June 13 in Chicago without specifically mentioning the CVS Health-Aetna tie-up or other vertical integrations like Cigna's proposed offer to buy Express Scripts. 4. While the AMA played a large role in helping the Justice Department sue to block the Aetna-Humana deal, the organization has not requested antitrust regulators do the same with the CVS Health-Aetna or Cigna-Express Scripts deals. "The time to get that ball rolling would seemingly have happened by now or at least would've been put on the radar of AMA attorneys after a week that the group's House of Delegates debated everything from gun control and medical ethics to issues of transgender patients," according to Mr. Jepsen. 5. Earlier this year, the AMA testified to Congress about its concern over vertical mergers and how they would affect patient healthcare access. Mr. Jepsen said it is possible the AMA will still voice opposition to the CVS Health-Aetna and Cigna-Express Scripts deals. More articles on payer issues: CVS Health to acquire Aetna for $69B: 5 things to know Shareholders approve CVS Health's $69B acquisition of Aetna Shares of CVS Health, Aetna, Cigna, Express Scripts spike after AT&T-Time Warner decision The World Health Organization on June 18 included "Gaming Disorder" in a draft of the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases, causing many healthcare leaders to question whether the U.S. healthcare system is ready to treat patients with the disorder, according to The New York Times. Here are five things to know. 1. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association included "Internet Gaming Disorder" in the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a condition to further explore. However, Internet Gaming Disorder was met with skepticism from health professionals and psychologists. 2. Gaming disorder entails any gaming behaviour that leads to distress or significant impairment. "I have patients who come in suffering from an addiction to Candy Crush Saga, and they're substantially similar to people who come in with a cocaine disorder," Petros Levounis, MD, chairman of the psychiatry department at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in , told NYT. "Their lives are ruined, their interpersonal relationships suffer, their physical condition suffers." 3. Many individuals with gaming disorders seek the help of addiction therapists and specialists for treatment. However, there are few accreditation programs for specialists to treat these disorders, and insurers offer little coverage for treatment. "We don't know how to treat gaming disorder," Nancy Petry, PhD, an addiction expert at the University of Connecticut in Storrs Connecticut, told NYT. "It's such a new condition and phenomenon." 4. The WHO hopes an official classification of gaming disorder will legitimize the disease within the U.S. healthcare system, allowing affected individuals to seek and receive treatment without scrutiny. Its going to untie our hands in terms of treatment, in that well be able to treat patients and get reimbursed," Dr. Levounis told NYT. "We won't have to go dancing around the issue, calling it depression or anxiety or some other consequence of the issue but not the issue itself." 5. The WHO plans to formally adopt gaming disorder as a disease classification next year. More articles on population health: Key ideas to engage patients, motivate populations and improve patient experience 37% of Americans use prescription meds linked to depression Most adults over 35 ignore recommended preventive care, study finds The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services sanctioned CHI Health St. Elizabeth in Lincoln, Neb., after a patient death last November that resulted from injuries sustained during a fall from a bed, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. The state HHS department sent a notice to the hospital in March notifying officials of impending disciplinary action against the facility for its failure to protect the patient last November and at least 40 of 109 other patients who were at risk for injury or death from falls, according to the report. The department initiated an investigation into the hospital in January after an unidentified patient fell from their bed in November 2017, dislocating a hip and suffering a head injury that resulted in bleeding in their brain. The patient reportedly died 10 days after the injury. The department's investigation included an inspection of hospital records and interviews with staff. In the March notice sent to CHI Health St. Elizabeth, the department placed the hospital on probation for one year, issued a fine of $10,000 and required officials to file a report every two weeks detailing how the hospital was conducting its protocols on fall prevention and patient intervention. The department's report found nurses had not been trained to activate bed exit alarms for five types of beds used at the facility by patients at high risk for falls. Staff interviews also showed some nurses had been working in patient care units they did not normally work in and did not effectively communicate information during handoffs of patient care, among other patient intervention techniques that were not in place or were used inconsistently, according to the report. The hospital reportedly reached a settlement with the state HHS department in May, reducing the institution's probation to six months and eliminating the $10,000 fine. Both parties approved the settlement June 5, the Lincoln Journal Star reports. CHI Health St. Elizabeth President Derek Vance said in an emailed statement to the publication the hospital was saddened by the death of the patient. "St. Elizabeth is committed to providing high-quality, reliable patient care. We took immediate action to address the alleged deficiencies," he said. Mr. Vance also noted the state HHS department conducted a follow-up inspection and found the hospital in compliance with requirements related to patient safety. To access the full report, click here. Nurse practitioners may be less likely to inappropriately prescribe antibiotics than physicians, according to data from the athenahealth network. To determine how NPs and MDs differed in their prescribing habits, athenahealth looked at about 1.5 million primary care appointments between 2014 and 2017 with a primary of secondary diagnosis of upper respiratory infection deemed inappropriate for antibiotics, for 1 million patients seen by 4,700 providers active on the athenahealth network since 2013. The data revealed the network's nurse practitioners were 4.8 percent less likely than physicians to prescribe antibiotics inappropriately during their day. The variation could be due to differences in training between physicians and nurse practitioners, Joyce Knestrick, PhD, certified registered nurse practitioner and president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, told athenahealth. Nurse practitioners focus on explaining treatment options in ways patients can easily digest, Dr. Knestrick said. "It's really hard, particularly in primary care, to explain to patients why they shouldn't get an antibiotic, because everybody wants a quick fix," Dr. Knestrick said. "I try to give the patient a little bit of control with some choices." "The more informed the consumer is, the less surprised they're going to be when you don't give them an antibiotic," Dr. Knestrick said. "A few of my patients, when I said, 'I really don't think you need an antibiotic at this point,' they said, 'Oh, you're concerned about an antibiotic resistance.'" Taking the time to educate patients on antibiotic resistance could help prevent the consequences of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. The U.S. Army is responding to a norovirus outbreak at Camp Nuehring and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, according to the Army Times. As of May 29, the U.S. Army reported seven confirmed cases of norovirus, with another 70 individuals exhibiting symptoms of the virus, Kavanaugh Breazeale, deputy of public affairs and communications for U.S. Army Central, told AT. The outbreak is thought to be connected to food and drink supplies on both Army bases. Among those exhibiting norovirus symptoms, 75 were stationed at Camp Arifjan, and two were headquartered at Camp Buehring. Camp Arifjan is not on lockdown, but some soldiers were prohibited from boarding flights leaving the base. Soldiers exhibiting extreme norovirus symptoms were quarantined in camp facilities. "We just don't want it to spread to their families. We don't want them to go home with it,"Mr. Breazeale told AT. More artilces on clinical leadership and infection control: Rush University Medical Center: CMS has miscalculated hospital star ratings since 2016 Nebraska health officials sanction CHI Health St. Elizabeth after patient dies from fall New cholera vaccine works faster than virus spreads Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury, Mass., will reinstate 20 employees who were laid off earlier this month, officials said June 18. Frederica Williams, the health center's CEO, said the layoff reversal is made possible due to "a pathway forward that will put Whittier on a stable financial footing for now." She also credited Boston Mayor Martin Walsh's leadership and guidance, as well as support from others, for the development. She did not go into specifics about what the "pathway" entailed, but she did say, "What we have learned in this process is that we need to review all our programs and staffing to ensure we are properly sized to deliver the best care possible to our community today and into the future." The layoffs happened last week. Leaders with the 1199 Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers East claimed the move was in retaliation for workers' support of organizing efforts. They said the health center engaged in "an extremely aggressive anti-union campaign" after workers revealed May 24 they had launched unionization efforts. Health center officials attributed the layoffs to not receiving two major grants totaling more than $600,000. "The hope was these funds could minimize the current deficit," Ms. Williams said, citing the health center's projected financial loss of $1.2 million. "The substantial deficit for the health center and shrinking funding opportunities to close the growing financial gap are major challenges for an organization our size. Therefore, as the CEO, I took immediate steps to try to stabilize our financial future, which unfortunately included the elimination of some positions on our care team," including physicians, nurses and mental health therapists. Now that those jobs are safe, union officials said workers "can now return to their jobs delivering high quality care to the Boston community." More articles on workforce: Samaritan Medical Center seeks to fill healthcare jobs Looking for a healthcare job? Hiring from New York to Texas What can hospitals do to mitigate workplace violence? Q&A with 2 RWJBarnabas Health execs The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on June 18 ruled a proposed ballot initiative to mandate nurse staffing ratios in hospitals statewide meets constitutional requirements to go before voters, according to the State House News Service. The decision came after a challenge from the hospital-backed Coalition to Protect Patient Safety, which opposes the initiative. The group argued that Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey should not have certified the proposal because the two components of the proposal mandated nurse staffing ratios and layoff protections for employees are not related closely enough to meet legal standards to appear together on one ballot question. But on June 18, the state's highest court ruled the components "form a unified statement of public policy ... and therefore are related." The Committee to Ensure Safe Patient Care, of which the Massachusetts Nurses Association is a member, contends the proposal would improve patient safety and care quality in hospitals by limiting the number of patients assigned to a nurse at a given time and allowing hospitals greater flexibility to adjust staffing according to specific patient needs. The Coalition to Protect Patient Safety, assembled by the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, argues the proposal would negatively impact nurse care delivery and cost the state's healthcare system more than $1 billion the first year. The court's recent decision does not mean the proposal will be included on the November ballot. For that to happen, the Committee to Ensure Safe Patient Care must submit a final round to certified signatures to the secretary of the commonwealth by July 3. In addition to the ruling on the two components of the ballot measure, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court also rejected a ballot proposal to require annual disclosure of financial assets by publicly funded hospitals, according to the Boston Globe. More articles on workforce: Samaritan Medical Center seeks to fill healthcare jobs Looking for a healthcare job? Hiring from New York to Texas What can hospitals do to mitigate workplace violence? Q&A with 2 RWJBarnabas Health Britton Frome, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon and co-founder of Lake Oswego, Ore.-based Go To Ortho. Specializing in microvascular surgery, Dr. Frome is the Oregon Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons' immediate past president. Dr. Frome's professional memberships include the OAOS, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Orthopaedic Trauma Association. Portland Monthly named Dr. Frome a Top Doctor in 2018. Dr. Frome attended medical school at the Philadelphia-based Medical College of Pennsylvania Hahnemann School of Medicine. She completed residency training at Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University and a fellowship at the San Antonio-based University of Texas Health Science Center. To nominate an orthopedic surgeon to be featured, please email Angie Stewart at astewart@beckershealthcare.com. The chief executive of Azamara Club Cruises, the firm which has docked its Pursuit vessel in Belfast for a 50m makeover, said the project could see the "renaissance" of a bygone industry here. Larry Pimentel, whose cruise line is part of the Royal Caribbean family, made the comments as he viewed the progress of his cruise vessel's refit, which is being carried out at Harland and Wolff in Belfast by staff from Newry firm MJM Group. "It is my expectation that this will be the beginning of a burgeoning trade. We'll come to Belfast and bring jobs for the craftsmanship and the bespoke capabilities of a bygone era. I view this as the beginning of something exciting," said Mr Pimentel who was previously chief executive of Cunard Line and Seabourn Cruise Line. And the Miami-based chief believes that other cruise lines around the world will follow Royal Caribbean's lead by bringing more projects here. "This is an experiment whose results are going to be so favourable that I absolutely see additional ships from our fleet coming here. But we all keep an eye on each other and when something works in an area, it's another opportunity and I think the competitors will come here too. "The yard is certainly big enough and now these folks - MJM - have proved they can do it better than anyone else. I personally believe, having been in this business for 30 years, they're the best outfitter in the world. And they exist here and I think that word is going to get out and that means more ships will come here to get work done." MJM, a marine refurbishment specialist, landed a first for the industry when it won the contract for the refit. Headed by Brian McConville, the firm brought Pursuit here in April, the first time Royal Caribbean chose a UK shipyard for a refit. The Pursuit project is due for completion mid-July when family of the tradespeople onboard will be invited to view the ship before anyone else. It's an event that Mr Pimentel said he was "excited to share" with MJM. He also said he expects the ship to return here in 2020 as part of one of its itineraries when "we'll make sure to make that a fantastic moment". "Belfast is part of its history," he said. The search has begun for a "visionary" new chief executive at Catalyst Inc - home to many of Northern Ireland's most successful tech companies. A new chief for the organisation formerly known as the Northern Ireland Science Park will succeed Norman Apsley upon his retirement. Catalyst Inc announced Dr Apsley will retire in the winter, and praised his efforts as head of Catalyst Inc over the last 18 years. "Dr Norman Apsley has devoted his career to enterprise promotion... and is a man at the heart of stimulating innovation in Belfast and wider Northern Ireland," a statement said. "He is an advocate of the talent and ambition of innovators and inventors and his focus is unashamedly on the development and growth of what we term the knowledge economy; that is an economy built upon innovation, entrepreneurship and the intellectual capital within NI." Dr Apsley received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Belfast Telegraph Business Awards in partnership with Ulster Bank. The Science Park started out on a disused site in the Titanic Quarter but has grown into an enterprise centre housing 200 companies employing over 3,000 people. Dr Apsley said: It has been a real privilege to be part of the process that is bringing this land, which we all love, back to life and vitality." US executive search consultancy Korn Ferry is dealing with the recruitment of his successor. As well as Catalyst Inc's Belfast headquarters, it also operates centres in Londonderry and Ballymena. Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke has bid Northern Ireland farewell as filming reportedly wraps on the final season of the fantasy series. The English actress, who has played Daenerys Targaryen since 2011, was spotted in Belfast over the weekend. In a post on her Instagram page, Clarke bid farewell to Northern Ireland after reports she has completed production. The image showed the actress lying on a bed of flowers with the caption: "Hopped on a boat to an island to say goodbye to the land that has been my home away from home for almost a decade. "Its been a trip @gameofthrones thank you for the life I never dreamed Id be able to live and the family Ill never stop missing #lastseasonitis." A number of Clarke's co-stars responded to the post, including Jason Momoa, who played her husband Khal Drogo in season one. He wrote: "Love u. Proud fo you." John Bradley, who played Samwell Tarly, replied: "It's been the best. Ever. And you've been incredible." Clarke and Bradley were spotted together in Belfast on Sunday as they both attended Liam Gallagher's Belsonic concert at the Ormeau Park. The pair were joined by co-star Conleth Hill and showrunner Dan Weiss. Clarke posted a snap of the group on Instagram, telling her followers: "The human embodiment of a wonderwall. Thank you #liamghallager for the reminder.. #90stributebandlookalikes?" The final series of Game of Thrones has been in production in Northern Ireland for a number of months but is believed to have been recently completed. Expand Close Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Titanic studios in Belfast plus a number of exterior locations have been used to depict the fictional land of Westeros since the show premiered. The final series of Game of Thrones will air in 2019. 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 Charlotte Caldwell, the mother of a severely epileptic Northern Ireland boy Billy has said her son's health has "vastly improved" and he has not had a single seizure since he was allowed his treatment over the weekend. The Castlederg woman has now demanded to meet with both the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Sajid Javid urgently within the next 24 hours for assurances moves are made to change the law and for guarantees she will not face another battle to get the life-saving medication. Billy will be discharged from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on Monday. Charlotte said: "Billy is vastly improved. He has not so far had a single seizure since his anti epileptic medication was returned and administered. This is testament to the effectiveness of the treatment, and that mummies and not the Home Office know best." Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he hopes that a review of the law on the medicinal use of cannabis oil can be completed within months. Read More Ms Caldwell had seven bottles of cannabis oil confiscated at Heathrow Airport customs on June 11 after she brought them in from Toronto. After a week-long struggle, Home Secretary Sajid Javid used "an exceptional power" on Saturday to return some of the medication. The emergency measure allowed for one bottle 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. Ms Caldwell credits the oil with keeping the 12-year-old 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. Many other countries, including much of the US, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, have legalised the substance's use medicinally. Ms Caldwell said Billy was able to eat again following the resumption of his treatment, but the last few days, when his seizures had escalated, had been absolutely horrendous. She added: "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." Charlotte Caldwell and her 12 year old son Billy at their Castlederg home in Co Tyrone. Last year Billy became the first in the UK to get legally-prescribed cannabis oil on the NHS for his severe epilepsy. Pic: William Cherry Press Eye Charlotte Caldwell and her 12 year old son Billy at their Castlederg home in Co Tyrone. Last year Billy became the first in the UK to get legally-prescribed cannabis oil on the NHS for his severe epilepsy. Pic: William Cherry Presseye The Northern Ireland Office's mistaken leak of briefing notes for Secretary of State Karen Bradley demonstrated the Caldwell family had been "misled," Billy's mum Charlotte claimed. Billy Caldwell, from Castlederg, was discharged from hospital on Monday afternoon. The 12-year-old was using prescribed cannabis oil to treat epileptic seizures until the Home Office blocked its prescription. Read More Mum Charlotte tried to bring the medication into Heathrow Airport in a last-ditch effort to treat her 12-year-old son Billy, but it was removed by border officials. On Friday Billy's condition deteriorated and he was rushed to hospital. After a week-long struggle, Home Secretary Sajid Javid used "an exceptional power" on Saturday to return one of the seven bottles of medication. On Monday Ms Caldwell said her son's health had improved "vastly" and he had not suffered any seizures once he resumed his treatment. She has demanded urgent meetings with the Home Secretary and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to ensure there is a review of the law and she is not faced with another agonising wait once again to get her son's life-saving medication. In a statement outside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital she said she had read Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley's briefing notes which had been mistakenly been distributed to the Press by an NIO official. "It is apparent that I have been misled from the moment my Billy's anti epileptic medication was confiscated at Heathrow Airport exactly a week ago today," she said. Read More "Those notes revealed that the responsibility for the decision on the import of unlicensed meds is the responsibility of the Home Office. "Two hours after those drugs were confiscated I was invited to meet with Home Office Minister Nick Hurd and five of his officials. "They first suggested that this was a matter for the devolved assembly in Northern Ireland, then they advised me to make a formal application for a licence for Billy's meds. I asked how long it would take, how much would it cost, and whether anybody else had been successful in making an application? "They did not know the answers to any of those questions." Read More Charlotte said how she was then advised to contact three paediatric neurologists based in London to make an appointment. However, despite numerous calls and emails only one returned to say he was too busy. Charlotte said her son's "life-threatening" condition "panicked" the government into action over the weekend. "That he has been discharged and is with me now is testament to the effectiveness of the treatment, and underlines just how vital it is that every child and every family affected should have immediate access to the very same medication," she added. On her demands for a meeting with government ministers, she added: "I will demand that henceforth the Health Department NOT the Home Office takes responsibility for providing access to medicine for these incredibly sick children. "This meeting must take place within 24 hours. Children are suffering beyond imagination." The Home Office has been asked for a response. The health service in Northern Ireland could get a cash boost of up to 700m each year over four years as the Prime Minister unveils a 20bn bonus for the NHS. Theresa May has said the NHS in England is to get an extra 20bn a year by 2023 as a 70th birthday present. The other UK regions, including Northern Ireland, will get a percentage of this, although exact figures will not be known until the Chancellor announces his budget later in the year. The additional money will then be allocated to the Department of Finance, with the first tranche being made available in the 2019/20 financial year. Under normal circumstances, the Finance Minister and Executive would decide how the money would be shared out among the various departments. In the absence of an Executive, however, it is likely this task will fall to the civil servants at Stormont. As a result, the money may not all go towards health and social care in Northern Ireland. Janice Smyth, the director of the Royal College of Nursing in Northern Ireland, welcomed the announcement and stressed that it must all be invested in the NHS. "Everyone knows that the health service is underfunded so any additional money is a good thing," she said. "As far as we are concerned this is money for health and should go to health and nowhere else. "It does have the potential to address the issues being faced by the health service in Northern Ireland and certainly, if I was a patient waiting for a hospital bed or an appointment, I would be thinking that this money was going to enable me to get my care." Leading economist John Simpson said the money is the biggest investment in the health service he has seen in his lifetime and that it could substantially address the ongoing NHS crisis in Northern Ireland. "I would like to see the money go towards addressing hospital waiting lists, with the likes of the elective care centres, and an increase in the number of domiciliary care packages," he said. "It should also be used to address the shortage of doctors and nurses." Ms Smyth said the benefits of the additional cash could be constrained by the current workforce difficulties. In particular, she referred to the thousands of nursing vacancies across the independent and public sectors in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, experts have warned that, contrary to Mrs May's claims of a Brexit dividend funding the cash boost, it is likely that the taxpayer will have to foot the bill. Ulster Bank economist Richard Ramsey said: "At the moment, it would appear this is being funded by borrowed money and going forward, we can't do that. It is going to have to be paid for by increased taxation." The news of the additional funding comes as the health service in Northern Ireland is already benefiting from the DUP's confidence and supply deal with the Tories. Last week, it was announced that some of the money will go towards struggling GP surgeries, and helping to secure the future of the emergency department at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry. The Department of Finance spokesperson said: "The Treasury has yet to advise on the implications for Northern Ireland of the additional funding provided for the NHS in England as announced today. "We would expect to get further detail soon." 82 crimes of sexual messaging with a child were recorded in Northern Ireland last year. (Victoria Jones/PA) The NSPCC Northern Ireland have called for new laws to protect children after 82 crimes of sexual communication with a child were recorded by the PSNI last year. This was a large increase on the previous year's number of 19 The NSPCC said this demonstrated the scale of potential grooming in todays online world and need for robust action to "end the the Wild West Web". Where the victim was identified, girls aged between 12 -15 were recorded in the majority of cases. Following the NSPCCs #WildWestWeb campaign, the UK Government recently announced that laws will be brought in to regulate social networks, to keep children safe and prevent harms such as online grooming. The charity is now campaigning to ensure those laws are sufficiently robust to truly keep children safe. It is calling on the UK Government to create mandatory safety rules that social networks are legally required to follow and to establish an independent regulator to enforce safety laws and fine non-compliant sites The NSPCC also want social media sites to publish annual safety reports and to force platforms to develop technology to detect grooming using algorithms. It comes ahead of the NSPCCs annual flagship conference How Safe Are Our Children? which begins on Wednesday June 20th and has the theme Growing Up Online. PSNI Detective Superintendent Deirdre Bones said the rise was due to the fact that social media helped people communicate more easily with others and created opportunities for them to commit crimes online. "The internet can be a great place but it is important to remember there are people out there who may wish to abuse it," she said. "For parents worried about their children using the internet, our advice is to become net-savvy. The best safeguard against online dangers is being informed. Learn the basics of the internet and find out more about social media. "Have conversations with your children - talk to them about the benefits and dangers of the internet and social media - so that you can empower them to use both safely. "Get to know what they're interested in online and keep an eye on what they are doing. Find out what their favourite websites or social media platforms are and what online games they play." It is important to remember that every single sexual message sent to a child is abuse, which can leave a lasting impact for years to come," said Policy manager for NSPCC Northern Ireland, Colin Reid. Social networks have self-regulated and its absolutely clear that children have been harmed as a result. We would urge the UK government to follow through on their promise and introduce safety rules backed up in law and enforced by an independent regulator with fining powers. Social networks must be forced to design extra protections for children into their platforms, including algorithms to detect online grooming to prevent communicating with children from escalating into something even worse. We would also urge our local politicians, when we gain a new executive, to think of a robust and workable E-Safety strategy to drive this forward locally. We know that the online world is not easy to regulate, but we cannot be complacent when we are talking about child abuse. DUP leader Arlene Foster with Syifaa Nabir at an event last week to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan Arlene Foster will attend a Stormont event this month to recognise the LGBT community's contribution to Northern Ireland. The DUP leader said her party was still maintaining its opposition to same-sex marriage, but she wanted to reach out to acknowledge what the LGBT community had contributed to society and "to recognise the reality of diversity among our citizens". She revealed her intentions in a speech to the DUP executive last Thursday, a copy of which has been obtained by the Belfast Telegraph. Mrs Foster has been invited to the LGBT event by one of Northern Ireland's largest inward investors. "I believe I can hold to my principled position, particularly in reality to the definition of marriage, while respecting the diversity across our society and recognising that sexuality is a matter for the individual," she told party members. "All I ask in return is that my, and our views, are also respected and not the subject of the vilest of abuse as has sometimes been the case by a small minority. "Just because we disagree on marriage does not mean that I can't say that we value those who are LGBT in our society, and they should not be the subject of hate because of their sexuality." She claimed that people who didn't traditionally vote DUP were now considering doing so. "Roman Catholics, Irish speakers and yes, those who are gay and lesbian - I know because I have met people from all of these groups who vote DUP," she said. The DUP leader insisted that unionism needed to be welcoming. "Being Irish in the UK must be as valid an identity as being Scottish or Welsh, or Indian or Latvian. We have everything to gain from respecting cultural difference and we must set an example," she said. It was in unionism's interests that people from all backgrounds felt comfortable in Northern Ireland, she maintained. "Poll after poll, survey after survey, demonstrate that many who support nationalist parties would not contemplate voting to leave the Union," she said. "The surest way to cement the Union is for Northern Ireland to be a warm home for everyone. "We have a reputation for being the kindest and most welcoming people in the world. "Yet, sometimes not always to those who live in the next street. "I want to be a leader who reaches out to promote the value - and values - of the Union." Mrs Foster said that in coming weeks and months the DUP must "re-engage and re-energise our people, and yes we must take our message to places that perhaps may not be traditional to our cause". She said: "I want to genuinely reach out to our minority communities and show them the hand of friendship, recognising they have made Northern Ireland their home. "If we truly believe in equality of opportunity for all in Northern Ireland, then we must respectfully engage and reach out to those who perhaps have not always been respectful of our position. We do so from a position of strength." Mrs Foster said that often in the past year she had felt that the perception of unionists had "not been the reality of where we stand". Unionists now had the opportunity to "shape the future with a generosity of spirit". She said representing Northern Ireland overseas had been "the greatest privilege" of her life. She spoke of her work promoting the economy with the late Martin McGuinness "who I believe also wanted to grow our economy and boost the well-being of our people". The DUP accepted it could govern only if it was able to reach agreement with nationalist and republican politicians, Mrs Foster said. "Sinn Fein also have to accept that partnership government can only operate by accepting and working with unionists and we will only reach agreement when it is a fair and balanced package," she added. "We're willing to work in partnership but it cannot be on the basis of stop/start government." Northern Ireland's top law officer appears set to intervene in a major legal battle which will establish the authority of civil servants to take decisions in the absence of ministers. Attorney General John Larkin QC has raised an issue of devolution at the appeal against a ruling that a permanent secretary lacked the power to approve a 240m waste incinerator on the outskirts of north Belfast. It was also confirmed that a protected costs order will be in place to limit the legal bill for the losing side in the litigation. Senior judges have fast-tracked the case for a one-day hearing at the Court of Appeal in Belfast next week. The Department for Infrastructure is seeking to overturn a verdict that it unlawfully gave the green light for the waste disposal facility at Hightown Quarry in Mallusk without a functioning executive at Stormont. In May the High Court held the senior civil servant who took the decision did not have the required legal power. The judgment is being appealed amid fears it could have wider repercussions for other significant planning applications. At a review hearing today it emerged that the Attorney General has raised a specific point about the interpretation of part of the 1998 Northern Ireland Act. Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan requested a draft notice of devolution to establish its bearing on the case. The incinerator scheme had originally been turned down in 2015 by the then Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan. But a consortium behind the project on behalf of six local councils, Arc21, was given permission after the Planning Appeals Commission recommended approval. In September last year the Department said it was in the public interest for the waste management system to be built, describing it as being of strategic importance for the region. The decision came months after the Stormont Executive collapsed in January 2017. Up to 4,000 letters objecting to the incinerator were lodged, with residents listing concerns about the visual impact, light and noise pollution and health implications. Judicial review proceedings were issued by Colin Buick, chairperson of community group NoArc21. His lawyers argued that the decision lacked the direction and control of a minister required under legislation. With the lawfulness of the planning process set to come under fresh judicial scrutiny, potential legal bills will be capped. David Scoffield QC, for Mr Buick, confirmed: "It's been agreed in principle between ourselves and the appellant that there should be a protective costs order for this stage of the proceedings." Two staff members at a Belfast drive-through fast food outlet fought off two would-be robbers on Saturday night Two staff members at a Belfast drive-through fast food outlet fought off two would-be robbers on Saturday night. Three men had tried to enter the takeaway in Brougham Street through a locked front door at around 10.15pm. Detective sergeant Keith Wilson said: "The suspects then approached the drive-through area of the premises and threatened staff with what was described as a penknife. "A struggle ensued between one of the suspects and two of the staff members, who managed to fight him off." The suspects fled towards North Queen Street. Police are also investigating the report of a theft at the same premises on Wednesday night when a cash till was stolen from the drive-through area. "We are investigating the possibility these two incidents may be linked and would appeal to anyone with information to get in touch," added Det Sgt Wilson. The British Government was "panicked into action" after Northern Ireland boy Billy Caldwell became ill when his cannabis oil medication was confiscated at Heathrow, his mother has claimed. Billy, who is 12-years-old, has epilepsy and suffers severe seizures. He had been taking cannabis oil prescribed by his doctor until the Home Office intervened to stop it. Read More Last week his mother returned from Canada and had the life-saving medication taken from her. Billy was later rushed to hospital on Friday after his debilitating seizures returned. Home Secretary Sajid Javid used emergency powers to allow the child to have one bottle released for treatment on Saturday. The schoolboy was discharged from hospital on Monday. Expand Close Home Secretary Sajid Javid (Dominic Lipinkski/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Home Secretary Sajid Javid (Dominic Lipinkski/PA) Billy's mother, Charlotte Caldwell, has questioned why the government only took action when Billy became unwell again. She said: "The government was panicked into action when my son was rushed to hospital last Friday but ultimately, they have responded very encouragingly. "The speed with which Billy came back from the edge was testament to the effectiveness of the meds. "But it's not over yet for the hundreds of families who are also affected. "Many questions remain unanswered, and only the Health Secretary and Home Secretary can answer them. Expand Close Charlotte Caldwell and her son Billy at Heathrow Airport after having a supply of cannabis oil used to treat his severe epilepsy confiscated on their return from Canada (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Charlotte Caldwell and her son Billy at Heathrow Airport after having a supply of cannabis oil used to treat his severe epilepsy confiscated on their return from Canada (Stefan Rousseau/PA) She added: "I have written to them both, asking to meet, but they have said, once again, there is a process to go through. "I have already witnessed how the glacial process of Government can put children in danger. "We cannot afford any more time wasting process. "I need to meet the Ministers and maintain the momentum. Lives will be both saved and changed immeasurably." The mother of a severely epileptic boy has called for a meeting with Cabinet ministers to discuss rethinking "massively outdated" laws on medical marijuana so that other children can receive treatment. Charlotte Caldwell also said 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. 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". After a week-long struggle, Home Secretary Sajid Javid used "an exceptional power" on Saturday to return some of the medicine confiscated from the mother when she tried to bring it into the UK from Canada. 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, 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". 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. Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald and vice president Michelle ONeill are applauded by party members after McDonalds keynote speech during the Sinn Fein ard fheis at Waterfront Hall The DUP has accused Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald of living in a "fantasy world" after her keynote address to the party's ard fheis. Ms McDonald had claimed the Government was producing fantasy "non-solutions" to the border question over Brexit. In a hard-hitting dismissal of her speech, DUP MP Sammy Wilson said: "When it comes to fantasies, dreams and self-delusion, Sinn Fein are sailing along on the highest clouds. "They think they can keep Northern Ireland in the EU while the rest of the UK leaves. "They promise to deliver on separating Northern Ireland from the UK with a border down the Irish Sea. "Having missed the 2016 deadline of a united Ireland promised to the IRA hard men by Gerry Adams, they now promise they will use Brexit to deliver it." Sinn Fein hoped it could get the Assembly up and running with the condition that the DUP agree to an Irish Language Act that republicans believed could "decolonise and Gaelicise Northern Ireland", Mr Wilson said. "They haven't a chance, they can dream but we will be their worst nightmare," the DUP MP added. "We will use our position at Westminster to ensure the Government keeps its promise to treat Northern Ireland the same as the UK. We will resist any attempts by Sinn Fein to get Stormont running again on their terms and we will argue a strong case for the Union to ensure that support for a united Ireland stays at the paltry 21% in recent polls. Dream on Mary Lou." In her address to delegates at the ard fheis in the Waterfront Hall on Saturday, Ms McDonald said a power-sharing Executive and Assembly in Northern Ireland was the "right thing to do". She said: "We are up for that. Michelle O'Neill stands ready to lead our team into government." But she added: "We need partners who will legislate for the common good, not on the basis of personal prejudice or religious fundamentalism. "Partners who place respect, reconciliation and the rights of citizens, above all else. "Partners with a real commitment to power-sharing - to sharing power, to mutual recognition, to rights. These are things the DUP must embrace." The Sinn Fein president claimed the DUP remained in a "fixed negative space", focused on "facilitating the Tory Brexit". She challenged London and Dublin to "deliver on marriage equality, address the legacy of the past and deliver the Acht na Gaeilge". She said: "People in the north cannot wait while the DUP play political games and go into hiding at Westminster. "The two governments must act to convene the inter-governmental conference without further delay. Unionism cannot and will not hold back the tide of challenge and equality." Ms McDonald also stretched out the hand of friendship to unionists. "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. "We need to find ways of reconciling the past. These aren't easy things to do. People suffered, were hurt, endured pain, inflicted pain. "We can't make that go away but we can say sorry to each other. I believe it is important that we do. As the leader of Sinn Fein, I pledge that we will never forget. We will work tirelessly to ensure we never return to the dark days of conflict." The Sinn Fein president said the "new Ireland" wasn't "some far-off aspiration, some unattainable dream, its foundations must be laid in the here and now". Unionists and republicans faced the challenge of working in common to protect Irish interests on Brexit, she said. "Treading water, fingers crossed and hoping for the best is not a strategy at this time. "Propping up a Tory Government that glories in wilful ignorance and indifference to Ireland is not the way forward. "Allowing the Tories to dodge, equivocate and engage in fantasy non-solutions to the Irish question is most certainly not the answer." If Brexit's architects still couldn't agree what it looked like, that was their problem, Ms McDonald said. "It will not become Ireland's problem. The Tories need to know that. The DUP needs to know that. The upcoming European summit is crunch time," she said. "If the British Government can't 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. This is one test our government cannot fail." Ms McDonald insisted her party's core objective remained Irish unity. "The mechanism for achieving this is set out in the Good Friday Agreement, an Agreement that is now 20 years old," she said. "The work to achieve it must be driven by those of us - in Sinn Fein and beyond - who passionately believe that all of our lives can be so much better in a new Ireland." Pacemaker 09/06/2018 A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 Counter protesters at A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 Counter protesters at A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Credit: Pacemaker A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker Pacemaker 09/06/2018 A rally at Belfast City hall on Saturday in support of Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, who was jailed for 13 months for contempt of court after broadcasting an hour-long video over Facebook from outside Leeds crown court. Pic Pacemaker A new far-right group trying to establish itself in Belfast has hit out at allegations it has links to neo-Nazis. Generation Identity, Britains most active far-right group, was responding to articles revealing their move to Northern Ireland and presence at a Free Tommy Robinson rally at City Hall last week. Read More Active in 13 countries across Europe and North America, Generation Identity have already staged half a dozen public actions in Belfast since August last year. Last weekend, several far-right demonstrators were pictured at the Free Tommy Robinson rally in front of City Hall giving Nazi salutes - and in the crowd next to them flew the distinctive flag of Generation Identity. The group has since said the man giving the salute was not a GI member and was doing so in response to being called a Nazi. This is typical for the media to use dirty tactics and deceit to paint all patriotic attendees with the same brush, the group wrote on their website. [Neo-Nazi] is a term Generation Identity vehemently rejects. We have on numerous occasions outlined how our group does not provide a platform for Nazi or fascist views. The group said one of their former members had previously been a member of a proscribed organisation, but was let go when this came to light. GI believe in ethnopluralism and remigration, ideas advocacy group Hope Not Hate has branded far more extreme and race-based than anything posited by groups like the English Defence League (EDL). Ethnopluarlism dictates that different ethnic groups ought to live in separation from one another out of respect for their right to difference. Remigration refers to the physical repatriation of any illegal immigrants to their country of origin. According to Hope not Hate, GIs current crop of activists, thought to be less than 100 in the UK and Ireland but into the thousands across Europe, are drawn from a range of organisations across Britains far-right. These include the now-proscribed neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action, a member of whom last week admitted plotting to kill a Labour MP and threatening to kill a police detective investigating him for child grooming. One of GIs most notable actions was its Defend Europe mission, which managed to raise tens of thousands of euro to buy a ship to block refugee vessels carrying migrants across the Mediterranean in the summer of 2017. In January, the group held their first new activists meeting in Belfast, followed by a full conference in March and further meetings. Other controversial actions carried out by GI in England include having an activist dress up as Londons Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan, accompanied by people in niqabs, walk around Westminster Abbey asking people to sign a petition to ban Christmas. They have also been pictured handing out warm pork suppers to homeless people with a view to excluding Muslims. Declan Loy with his wife Karen and three children, Eva Nicole, Kian and Jenna Declan Loy at the finishing line of one of his events A father from Northern Ireland was celebrating a very special Fathers' Day yesterday after smashing his way into the Guinness Book of World Records. Declan Loy - dubbed 'Iron Dad' - completed his 25th gruelling Ironman triathlon in a year on Saturday at an event in Estonia to seize the Guinness World record. Ironman competitions are intensely punishing, with contestants having to complete a 1.9km swim, a 90km cycle and a 21.3km run. It's a tremendous achievement for the 44-year-old Newry man, who only began training for the extreme endurance sport 20 months ago, after he decided he wanted to raise funds for Super You, a youth suicide prevention charity. Super You provides live events to educate families and children in the areas of empowerment and mental and emotional wellbeing, as well as providing online training, and funding projects which provide practical support to families experiencing pressure in life. Declan has travelled the world in pursuit of his Ironman dream, to countries including Cyprus, Sardinia, Turkey, the USA, Austria, Dubai, Bahrain, Sri Lanka, and Spain, as well as the UK. There are more countries still to go as he aims to add five more Ironman races to reach his personal target of 30 in a single year. To date he has swum 47.5km, cycled 2,250km and run 532.5km. When he's not competing in triathlons, Declan is one of Ireland's best-known motivational speakers. An author, speaker, entrepreneur and decision-making mentor, Declan's website describes him as an expert in influence, human performance and business development. Big-hearted Declan said: "Over the last three or four years all I have heard of is one teenager after another committing suicide and this touched my heart, as I would never want to see this happen to any family. "Especially when I know key tools that could help anyone not to do such things. "I felt drawn to help," he said. Declan, who now lives in Castlebellingham, Co Louth with his wife Karen and three children - Eva Nicole, Cian and Jenna - said yesterday: "Whatever we focus on, we get more of, hence if we focus on failure, failure comes, or if we focus on success, success comes. "If we focus on how we cure a problem the problem grows, but if we focus on digging up the roots of the problem so the problem doesn't exist, then we can change society for the better. "The best way to show people how to deal with challenges in life is to create a massive challenge for yourself - and show that the impossible is possible! "The recent recessionary years have seen families endure enormous pressure. "Many lost their main source of income, many also lost their home. "Such experiences leave lasting scars and despite the best efforts of parents to protect the kids, it's their experience too. "I am saddened when I hear and see stories of people using anti-depressants, drugs, alcohol etc to help cope with the challenges life throws at us. "It's even more tragic to hear of a teenager or parent taking their own life - the family unit will be affected forever." Speaking moments after he had completed his record breaking 25th Ironman event in Estonia, Declan reaffirmed his commitment to achieve his goal. "It's a bit surreal, a bit of a dream come true!" he said. "It would have been easy for me to just stop after 25, having broken the World Record - but I've committed to do 30 - and it's very important in life that you follow through to the end," he added. Declan's next race will be the Islander triathlon, which takes place on June 23 at Colchester in England. Theresa May has poured cold water on the idea of a full-scale review of the laws on medicinal cannabis, despite an admission from Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt that the UK had not got the legal position right. The hopes of families of children like 12-year-old epilepsy patient Billy Caldwell were raised when Mr Hunt said that a review had been launched by Home Secretary Sajid Javid and would be concluded as quickly as we possibly can. But the Home Office was unable to immediately confirm whether a review was in fact taking place, and Theresa Mays official spokesman appeared to distance the Prime Minister from the idea. Asked about the issue following a speech on NHS funding in London, Mrs May said only that the option already existed to provide licences for the medical use of cannabis on the basis of clinical advice. Expand Close Prime Minister Theresa May answered questions on medical marijuana following a speech on the NHS (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prime Minister Theresa May answered questions on medical marijuana following a speech on the NHS (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Do we need to look at these cases and consider what weve got in place? Yes, said the Prime Minister. But what needs to drive us in all these cases has to be what clinicians are saying about these issues. Theres a very good reason why weve got a set of rules around cannabis and other drugs, because of the impact that they have on peoples lives, and we must never forget that. Mr Javid intervened over the weekend on the grounds of urgent medical need to grant a 20-day licence for Billy to be treated with cannabis oil, after he suffered seizures following the confiscation at Heathrow Airport of supplies brought by his mother from Canada. Expand Close Charlotte Caldwell and her son Billy at Heathrow Airport after having a supply of cannabis oil used to treat his severe epilepsy confiscated on their return from Canada (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Charlotte Caldwell and her son Billy at Heathrow Airport after having a supply of cannabis oil used to treat his severe epilepsy confiscated on their return from Canada (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that Mr Javid had acted extremely decisively in the case, adding: What he has announced yesterday is that he is going to review the law around this as quickly as he can. The Health Secretary added: I dont think anyone who followed that story could sensibly say that we are getting the law on this kind of thing right. Challenged over whether the legal situation could remain unchanged for weeks or months in the face of cases like Billys, Mr Hunt replied: I sincerely hope not. He added: It does take time, because weve got to not only look at the law, weve got to look at the clinical evidence and make sure there are no unintended consequences. But I think we all know that we need to find a different way. Expand Close Jeremy Hunt suggested that a review of the use of cannabis oil for medical purposes would be completed as quickly as possible (Peter Byrne/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jeremy Hunt suggested that a review of the use of cannabis oil for medical purposes would be completed as quickly as possible (Peter Byrne/PA) But when the PMs official spokesman was asked at a regular Westminster media briefing whether a review of the law was under way, he replied: We have reviewed this individual case and a decision has been taken based on clinical advice. Beyond that, I dont have anything specific for you, beyond saying that we will continue to look at clinical evidence and take decisions on that basis. The spokesman added: In terms of the Health Secretary this morning, I think he said we have to look at the law and the clinical evidence. I think thats something that we are alive to. But equally, going forward, any decisions will have to be made on the basis of clinical evidence and how to provide the best treatment. Billys mother Charlotte Caldwell, of Castlederg in County Tyrone, has called for an urgent meeting with Mr Javid and Mr Hunt to discuss the positive impact on her sons condition of cannabis oil, which is restricted in the UK but legal elsewhere in the world. She credits the oils active ingredient THC with keeping Billys seizures at bay, saying he was seizure-free for more than 300 days while using it. After an absolutely horrendous period of escalating seizures following the confiscation of his supplies at Heathrow, he was now eating again and less affected by his epilepsy, she said. 2/3 This is a very complex situation, but our immediate priority is making sure Billy receives the most effective treatment possible in a safe way. Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) June 16, 2018 Another Northern Irish mother of a child with epilepsy said her six-year-old daughter Sophia was at risk of death without the banned treatment. Danielle Davis, from Newtownards, told Today: Sophia definitely needs whole-plant medicinal cannabis with THC. If Sophia doesnt have this and her seizures continue, we could be visiting a headstone. I honestly pray to God that it is not too late. That would be heartbreaking if it took so long to sign off on something that my daughters life is taken. Former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg said that ministers resistance to legalising medicinal cannabis was based on prejudice. He said: It is pathetic and I saw it for myself in Government this bone-headed triumph of prejudice over evidence. The active substance in these cannabis-derived medicines is less harmful than stuff you can get across the counter from a chemist. When I was in Government, I certainly couldnt get Theresa May and the Home Office and indeed other parts of the Government to just address the evidence. That poor mother is finding herself in this heartbreaking situation because politicians cant separate off the issue of medicinal cannabis to help her child from their wider prejudice about drugs generally. Labour MP Andy McDonald, whose son Rory died as a result of epilepsy, wrote to Mr Javid calling for a blanket exemption on the use of cannabis oil to alleviate epilepsy, along with measures to ensure supplies of the substance. Mr McDonald wrote: I am firmly of the view that when paediatricians and neurologists are struggling with intractable epilepsy cases, if in their considered medial view cannabis oil would be efficacious, then they should be permitted to administer it, safe in the knowledge that it is lawful to do so. I make no comment about the administration of cannabis oil more widely and restrict my appeal to these highly specific cases, but speaking as a parent who lost a beloved son to intractable epilepsy I have to speak out in the hope that further deaths can be avoided and that families are spared the unbearable pain of losing a child. The Northern Ireland Office has mistakenly sent out Secretary of State Karen Bradley's briefing notes ahead of a event on Monday. It outlines the reasons behind Monday's event, directions to it, what will happen and who is coordinating each aspect of the visit and Mrs Bradley's speaking notes - details of which can not be reported due to an embargo. However, it goes on to outline that a "limited number of journalists" will be allowed to ask questions, "likely to be on talks, MLA pay, legacy, abortion, Brexit". Read More Below is briefing lines related to "current NI media stories" the NIO thought likely the minister would be quizzed on and possibly "pressed on". 'Fears growing' over post-Brexit border and Brexit votes: Border issues 'not given enough time' Context: Concern over the Irish border in the event of a hard Brexit is growing, according to a university study. The report on the views of those living on both sides of the border was completed by researchers at Queen's University Belfast. It indicated that half of residents are against a technological solution to custom checks. The government has been criticised for not allowing time to debate the Irish border during a series of key Brexit votes at Westminster. Only 15 minutes was set aside for debating changes to devolved powers proposed by the Lords in the EU Withdrawal bill. SNP MPs walked out of the House of Commons chamber during PMQs on 13 June 2018, after their Westminster leader Ian Blackford was removed by the Speaker. Not giving Blackford the opportunity to speak? Not true. The SNP was about to be granted a debate on how the devolution aspects of the EU Withdrawal Bill. Disappointing that they chose not to take this opportunity to take this forward. Will their debate be granted? Understand a debate under SO24 has been granted. Entirely a matter for the Speaker of the House. Almost no debate yesterday on the important issue of the role devolved administrations will play in the Brexit process? The House agreed to the Programme Motion which allocated enough time to discuss devolved matters in the Bill. However, due to the number of divisions pushed to a vote this time was restricted. This was not a decision or choice by the Government. On further engagement with DAs (devolved areas): Our amendment respects the devolution settlement as agreed with the Welsh Government. We spent the last year negotiating with the Welsh and Scottish Governments and the amendment we have put forward sees the vast majority of EU powers with devolved responsibilities automatically flow to Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Scottish Government to create the UK-wide legal frameworks we need to protect the UK internal market a market which is vital for business and jobs in Scotland. Digital Registration and the electoral consultation response Context: Electoral digital registration which has been available in GB since 2014 is being rolled out to NI on Monday 18th by the Chief Electoral Officer. Digital registration is not replacing the paper application system which remains in place for those that wish to use it but we expect that as in the rest of the UK the majority of people will chose to use the new online system to register. All the parties have welcomed the introduction of the system. The consultation response, although containing no decisions, will be more controversial. It will be interpreted as opening the door to the closure of regional electoral offices. It is important to be clear that decisions on the future structure of the Electoral Office are and operational matter for the CEO not matters for ministers. * I would like to take this opportunity welcome today's launch of digital registration. This is an exciting step forward for NI. People will be able to register to vote quickly and easily on their phone, tablet or computer anywhere that is convenient for them. It provides for NI the same element of choice that is already available to the rest of the UK. [On consultation response - if raised] * I am aware that the response to the consultation on the future of electoral delivery in NI has been published today. It will now be for the Chief Electoral Officer to consider how she wishes to move forward. * The Electoral Office is independent. Decisions on the structure and makeup of the Electoral Office are operational matters for the CEO. * Digital registration will be an additional option to paper registration it wont replace it, so those who wish to continue to register by post/ in person can do so. Further delay in MLA pay: Context: The News Letter's Sam McBride wrote on 15 June 2018 that the Secretary of State has "declined to explain what has cause months of delay in cutting the pay of MLAs while Stormont lies empty". * The Secretary of State has made clear that she is minded to reduce MLA pay in line with the recommendations of Trevor Reaney. This remains her position. Billy Caldwell Case Context: A 12-year-old boy from County Tyrone has suffered an epileptic seizure hours after cannabis oil brought from Canada was confiscated at Heathrow Airport, his mother has said. Charlotte Caldwell said her son Billy had suffered a "small 30 second seizure", the first in almost a year, on Tuesday morning. The cannabis oil was removed from Ms Caldwell at the airport on Monday. She has called on Home Office minister Nick Hurd to return the medication. Ms Caldwell posted a video of her son having the seizure on social media. Nick Hurd met Ms Caldwell on Monday and advised her that despite these extremely difficult circumstances, it is unlawful to possess Schedule 1 drugs such as those seized at the border on Monday morning, without a licence. The Minister urged the family to explore licensing options with the Department of Health Northern Ireland. This is a Home Office lead, but we can provide the following lines should we be asked for comment: * Any parent will want to do whatever they can to alleviate the symptoms of their child when suffering from a debilitating illness. Nevertheless, it is important that medicines are thoroughly tested to ensure they meet rigorous standards so that doctors and patients are assured of their efficacy, quality and safety. Further lines * In Northern Ireland licensing decisions are devolved and any applications would be considered by the Department of Health Northern Ireland. In the case of import or export licensing, the Home Office discharges this function for Northern Ireland and is the appropriate issuing authority for the UK. * Whilst we recognise that people with debilitating illnesses are looking to alleviate their symptoms, it is important that medicines are thoroughly tested to ensure they meet rigorous standards so that doctors and patients are assured of their efficacy, quality and safety. [NIO emphasis] * Cannabis is listed as a Schedule 1 drug as in its raw form it is not recognised in the UK as having any medicinal benefit and is therefore subject to strict control restrictions. * It is unlawful to import, possess, supply or produce products containing, or consisting of, cannabis except under licence. Grenfell/Belfast Towerblock fire safety issues Context: One year on from the Grenfell Towerblock tragedy, sixty people, many of them elderly and vulnerable, have been told they must leave their homes in Block B, Russell Court, on Belfasts Lisburn Road. The tower block is owned by Radius Housing who took the decision to close it after a group of experts reported a significant shortfall in fire safety measures at the building. All of the residents will be moved out within four weeks. In the meantime, marshals are on duty 24 hours per day to ensure that everyone remains safe. The fire alarm system in the building has been enhanced and water services and emergency procedures have been checked. * Nothing is more important than ensuring people are safe in their homes. * The safety of residents is absolutely paramount but this will undoubtedly cause huge disruption and concern for residents in Russell Court. * Fire safety marshals will be on alert around the clock while residents move out over the next four weeks * The NI Department for Communities is working closely with Radius Housing and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to ensure that affected individuals are rehoused. * My Department will continue to keep close contact with officials from the Northern Ireland Civil Service on how residents are being rehoused and supported through this process. DUP 'fines politicians for media interviews' Context: The DUP has declined to comment on claims it fines its politicians if they talk to the media without permission. A DUP insider told the BBC's Nolan Show politicians are forced to pay as much as 1,000 if they break internal protocol on dealing with the press. The DUP said it operated under a constitution and a code of conduct, passed by its executive. The BBC has seen a letter signed by the DUP's chief executive imposing a fine on an elected representative. While the politician was asked to pay a 100 fine, the BBC understands repeat offenders might face higher charges of 500 or 1,000. The other main Stormont parties all told the BBC they do not impose similar penalties. This is unlikely to be something that you will wish to comment on beyond noting that it is a matter for the DUP. DEPARTMENTAL CORE NARRATIVE RESTORATION OF AN EXECUTIVE * The Governments top priority remains the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland. * My focus remains on redoubling efforts to restore a locally elected, democratically accountable devolved government in Northern Ireland. Engaging closely with the political parties, and the Irish Government as appropriate, to encourage and support work towards an accommodation to restore the Executive. * The UK Government also has a responsibility to ensure good governance and the continued delivery of public services. Thats why, with great reluctance, we intervened to set budget allocations for NI departments for 2018-19. * I continue to keep available a range of options for supporting the process and encouraging the parties to achieve the positive outcome we all deeply want. * I continue to keep under review my statutory obligation to call an Assembly Election. [Our principles] * We will take those decisions which are necessary to provide good governance and political stability for Northern Ireland - consistent always with restoring the Executive and local decision-making at the earliest possible opportunity. * We will continue to implement our obligations under the Agreement and its successors where possible - always working for the good of the community as a whole. * We will continue to work with all the Northern Ireland parties - and with the Irish Government as appropriate - to remove the barriers to restoring the Executive and a fully functioning Assembly. Border Poll * As we have made repeatedly clear, we continue to believe that a majority in Northern Ireland are committed to the Union, and therefore the tests for a border poll have not been met. On this basis, UKG has no plans to hold a border poll. * As the Taoiseach himself acknowledged, continued discussion about a border poll at this time is unhelpful and unnecessary. BUICK - [Civil Service decision to appeal Hightown incinerator ruling it didn't have power to allow planning permission.] * Considering the importance of this judgment and the questions of law involved, I understand and welcome the NICS decision to appeal. It will be valuable to have these issues fully tested by the Courts so that there is clarity about the implications of the judgment. As these legal proceedings are ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time. * I recognise, however, that in the ongoing absence of locally appointed Ministers from the elected NI political parties, the civil servants in Northern Ireland have been left with the responsibility of ensuring governance in Northern Ireland. Since January last year, the NI Civil Service has continued to manage and maintain the delivery of vital public services in Northern Ireland in very difficult circumstances. The NICS and are to be commended for the work they have and continue to do in the public interest. * But, I remain firm in my view that it is absolutely crucial that we secure the return of a functioning, effective, devolved government in Northern Ireland, to get back to the business of governing and to take the strategic decisions that affect the long-term future of Northern Ireland and its people. EU EXIT NEGOTIATIONS Top Lines * We welcome the progress we made at March European Council, including progress on the Withdrawal Agreement and agreeing the Implementation Period. We want to get onto the future relationship as quickly as possible - both on the economic and the security partnership. * We recognise the need to address the remaining areas on the withdrawal. On Northern Ireland / Ireland, we need to come up with a solution which works for communities on both sides, recognising the unique social, political and economic circumstances of the border. We are clear in our objectives of protecting the Belfast Agreement, avoiding a hard border (with no physical infrastructure or related checks and controls) and protecting the economic and constitutional integrity of the UK. * We have been undertaking an intensive work programme with the Commission and Irish on solutions since the March Council. We have engaged in a detailed process and schedule of meetings that look at the issues and solutions covering the areas in their draft protocol (with solutions going no further than the PMs Mansion House speech). This covers a range of issues from customs and SPS through to citizenship rights under the Belfast Agreement. As the PM set out in her letter to Donald Tusk, we are committed to translating plan C into legal text in the Withdrawal Agreement. * In our view, we need to address the border through discussions on our future trading relationship with the EU - that's why were keen to get on with discussing the future. Future Economic Partnership * The UK is seeking the broadest and deepest possible agreement that covers more sectors and co-operates more fully than any other Free Trade Agreement. We want an economic partnership that delivers the maximum benefits for our economies while respecting the integrity of each others institutions. We start from a unique position - on day one we will have exactly the same rules and regulations. A new trading agreement should reflect this starting point. Temporary Customs Arrangement (the backstop) * The UK has been clear that we are committed to turning all of the commitments made under the Joint Report into legally binding text. There are some aspects of the Commissions proposals which we agree with, particularly the preservation of the Common Travel Area. * However, the PM has made our position on the other elements of the draft text clear, and said that we could never accept this. That remains our position, and that is why those parts are marked as not agreed in the Withdrawal treaty text. * While the UK believes that these commitments can be fulfilled through the overall UK-EU future partnership, it is also necessary to ensure there is a backstop solution for the Northern Ireland border that both avoids a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and protects the constitutional integrity of the UK internal market. * We have agreed that, at least, the so called backstop option should be translated in legally binding form in to the Withdrawal Agreement. * The UKs proposal on the customs elements of a temporary backstop is that a Temporary Customs Arrangement should exist between the UK and the EU. This will ensure that if a customs arrangement with the EU is not in place by the end of the Implementation Period there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, or between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. We are clear this would only be used in very specific circumstances and that it will be strictly time-limited. It is not our preferred option. * The Prime Minister set out, on 7 June, that we are committed to making sure that the future arrangements are in place by the end of December 2021 at the very latest. She also set out that we will not sign up for anything which means the EU can hold the UK in this temporary backstop against its will. At the point that the new customs arrangement is ready the backstop will end. * We look forward to discussing this further with the EU. ABORTION IN NORTHERN IRELAND Context: On 12 June 2018, Amnesty International criticised Karen Bradley's claim that parliament was not qualified to change Northern Irelands abortion regime and her further contention that people in Northern Ireland did not want Westminster to take responsibility for the issue. The Government is facing mounting pressure to reform the strict abortion laws in Northern Ireland after Supreme Court judges expressed the view that the law is incompatible with human rights legislation insofar as it prohibits abortion on the grounds of fatal fetal abnormality; rape and incest (though no formal declaration of incompatibility was made by the Court, given the standing issues of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission) Top lines * The Government believes this is a matter for the people of Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland politicians. * Abortion is an extremely sensitive issue, and we recognise the strongly held views on all sides of the debate in Northern Ireland. * The Government thinks it is absolutely essential that a devolved government in Northern Ireland is restored, so that locally elected, democratically accountable politicians can debate fundamental changes to policy on abortion, and the people of Northern Ireland have a direct say in the process. * Our key priority is to redouble our efforts to restore power-sharing, so that the people of Northern Ireland can decide what is right for Northern Ireland, rather than Westminster speaking on their behalf. . If asked about the Supreme Court judgment * The Government is carefully considering the full judgment. * This is clearly a complex area of law, and an extremely sensitive subject matter, which raises a number of different issues to consider. Does the abortion referendum result in Ireland not change things? * The referendum in Ireland has not changed the UK Governments successive approach to how abortion is dealt with in Northern Ireland. * It is important to be clear. The referendum was not a vote on how the law should be reformed. In Ireland, a change of constitution requires a referendum before introducing new legislation. * The Irish Government and Dail will now debate and pass the legislation to put in place in Ireland. What will the UK Government do to recognise the fact that Northern Ireland will soon have the most restrictive abortion law of any part of the British Isles? * We are committed to restoring locally elected, democratically accountable devolved government in Northern Ireland, so that fundamental changes can be made in Northern Ireland. * And action has already been taken in this area. We have put in place arrangements that mean women from Northern Ireland will not be charged for termination of pregnancy services in England, with travel support available for those women who find themselves in a financial hardship situation. * We believe this approach strikes an appropriate balance between the devolved position of abortion in Northern Ireland, and allowing women normally resident in Northern Ireland to have access to abortion services in England within the bounds of the law. If the Irish Government extends provision of abortion services to women normally resident in Northern Ireland, wont this increase pressure for Northern Ireland to update its abortion law? * It would not be appropriate to speculate on what approach may or may not be adopted following the referendum. That is a matter for the Irish Government and the Irish Parliament. * The UK Government has already put in place arrangements to allow women normally resident in Northern Ireland to have access to safe abortion services in England within the bounds of the law. * Since the 29th June last year no Northern Irish women have been charged for abortion procedures performed in England. * But this decision does not change the fact that abortion is a devolved issue, and therefore rightly one for the Northern Ireland Assembly to debate. If asked whether the Government agrees that abortion is a human rights issue: * The UK has a longstanding tradition of ensuring our rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations. * Rights are protected domestically through the Human Rights Act 1998 and through the devolution statutes, as well as other key pieces of legislation and the common law. * Abortion raises complex human rights issues, as has been recognised by the courts when considering these matters. * The Government is carefully considering the recent Supreme Court full judgment. If asked why the Government will not just repeal sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 to legalise abortion in NI * We have no plans to amend the law on abortion in either England and Wales or Northern Ireland. * This is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, and ultimately this is an issue for a restored Assembly to consider, where the decision can be taken by locally elected, locally accountable politicians. [If pressed: repealing those sections do not solve the issue, and without any new provisions, offer no safeguards for women. It is not appropriate to leave a gap in the law. A new legal framework would be needed to replace those provisions, which is rightly a matter for locally accountable politicians in Northern Ireland to decide its policy on.] Is the Government against extending abortion rights to Northern Ireland? * We are very clear that abortion is a devolved issue and the Assembly is the proper place for such legislation for Northern Ireland to be considered. * The Government therefore has no plans to introduce legislation changing Northern Irelands abortion law. We are committed to restoring locally elected, democratically accountable devolved government in Northern Ireland. * But that does not prevent others from introducing such legislation if they so wish. * In such circumstances, it is worth reiterating two important considerations: One, the power of Westminster, as the sovereign Parliament, to legislate remains; and Two, the Governments policy is to allow a free vote on matters of conscience such as abortion. LEGACY ISSUES Top lines * Building on the good progress made on proposals to address the legacy of the past, this Government believes that now is the time to seek wider views. That is why on 11 May, the Secretary of State launched a consultation to provide everyone who has an interest, with the opportunity to see the proposed way forward and contribute to the discussion on the issues. * This is an open consultation and we want everyone to have their say on how the new legacy institutions would work in practice. * There is broad agreement amongst victims and survivors that the legacy institutions as they are currently set up are not working well for anyone. * As our Northern Ireland manifesto at the last Election made clear the Government remains committed to the implementation of the legacy institutions in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement. * We believe that the legacy institutions have the potential to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors and for all those affected by the Troubles. The new institutions will be under legal obligations to operate in ways that are fair, balanced and proportionate. * The HIU will deal with deaths in chronological order and ensure that unresolved deaths - including hundreds of murders caused by terrorists - are investigated. [if raised]: accusations that PM was wrong and the legacy system is balanced * A number of terrorist murders from the Troubles are actively under investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other police forces. I am clear that under current mechanisms for investigating the past there is a disproportionate focus on former members of the armed forces and the Police. The Government is committed to ensuring that all outstanding deaths in Northern Ireland should be investigated in ways that are fair, balanced and proportionate * The point the Prime Minister was making was that we want to see all outstanding deaths in Northern Ireland investigated in a fair, balanced and proportionate way to ensure the system does not focus disproportionately on the security forces. * We want the HIU set up to look at all outstanding cases, and to investigate in chronological order, so that there is no unfair focus. Statute of Limitations * Our Northern Ireland manifesto made clear, any approach to the past must be consistent with the rule of law. Any amnesty or statute of limitations would need to apply to all those involved in Troubles-related incidents, including former terrorists, if the UK is to comply with international law. To imply otherwise would be to mislead veterans. * A statute of limitations does not remove the need to have Article 2 compliant investigation where individuals have been killed as a result of the use of force by the state. * We must remember that in Northern Ireland, our soldiers put their lives on the line to uphold the rule of law. Many people in Northern Ireland still cling to the hope that the law will see justice done for the many terrible crimes that took place during the Troubles. For that reason, we need to be aware that within Northern Ireland there is widespread opposition to any form of statute of limitations - from victims and survivors from all parts of the community; from political parties; from many veterans who live in Northern Ireland; and from former and serving police officers. * It is better to have the HIU, a carefully designed Article 2 compliant mechanism which would only re-investigate in specific circumstances set out in the legislation. The HIU will have a duty to act in a manner which is fair, balanced and proportionate. Treating veterans fairly * The current mechanisms for investigating the past are not delivering for victims. Right now too many cases are not being investigated, including hundreds of murders by terrorists. * Implementing the consultation proposals will create the Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) which will be under a statutory duty to aim to complete its work within 5 years and to deal with deaths in chronological order. * The HIU will be under a legal duty to be fair, balanced and proportionate, to ensure that our veterans are not unfairly treated or disproportionately investigated. * The HIU cannot unnecessarily duplicate any investigation or part of it. It will look at more deaths of security forces than deaths by security forces. Support for veterans * Where veterans face allegations in connection with events arising from their duties, they receive full legal support and representation (including the services of a barrister, where this is appropriate) for as long as is necessary. This applies regardless of how long the veteran served, the duration of any proceedings, or how long ago the events occurred. * In addition to legal support, a range of welfare and pastoral support is available, depending on the needs of the individual veteran. Sometimes this is delivered through the MODs Veterans UK, and the Regimental Association or equivalent organisation can also be involved, as can appropriate charities, depending on circumstances. Inquest Funding * Inquest reform is essential if the inquest system is to work effectively. The Government continues to support reform of the legacy inquest system. * However, this is a devolved matter and it will be for the devolved administration to make a decision on inquest funding. * [if pressed on whether it will consider the any business case on legacy funding] The UK Government will continue to ensure that it meets all its legal obligations in respect of legacy inquests Victims Pension * I have been deeply moved listening to the victims and survivors I have met in recent months, including those living with severe injuries as a result of the Troubles. * Work on a pension is properly for the Executive to take forward. It is one of the many reasons why it is so important to have an Executive restored. However, the Government is aware of how deeply upsetting and frustrating this delay is for those who suffered so much during the Troubles. * That is why I have commissioned advice from the Victims Commissioner in Northern Ireland on a victims pension. This is an important issue for the UK Government and we want to ensure that progress is made. * The Government believes that once updated advice is received, consideration must be given to agrees how a pension could be brought forward in a way that has the support of, and meets the needs of, victims and survivors in Northern Ireland. ECONOMIC ISSUES Budget * In the continued absence of an Executive, I set out a NI Budget for the 2018-19 financial year in a Statement * I am planning now to take forward a Budget Bill to put this budget position on a legal footing, providing certainty on finances, in order to protect delivery of public services and ensure good governance. City Deals * The Government is committed to a comprehensive and ambitious set of city deals across Northern Ireland to boost investment and help unlock Northern Irelands full potential. * I understand that the Belfast City Regions has now presented its initial proposals to officials from the NICS and UK Government, and that work is ongoing to refine projects and develop the appropriate business cases. * I welcome this progress, and officials from UKG will continue to support the development of a set of city deal. There remains more work to be done, but it is important that progress continues. Local Government Services Review * I understand your calls for a review of local government services, however, you will understand that this is a devolved matter and not one for the UK Government. * This is one of many areas which show just how important it is to have a restored Executive back in place and making the strategic decisions required in the interests of the whole community. And that is why restoring devolution remains our overriding priority. Karen Bradley is pictured at a press conference in Omagh. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Karen Bradley is pictured at the Strule Shared Education Campus Project along with John Smith, Deputy Secretary and Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the SSEC Programme and Jennifer Morgan, Strule Construction Director. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Karen Bradley is pictured at a press conference in Omagh. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Karen Bradley is pictured meeting pupils and teachers from Arvalee School and Resource Centre, Loreto Grammar School, Sacred Heart College, Omagh High School, Christian Brothers Grammar School and Omagh Academy. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Karen Bradley is pictured meeting pupils and teachers from Arvalee School and Resource Centre, Loreto Grammar School, Sacred Heart College, Omagh High School, Christian Brothers Grammar School and Omagh Academy. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Karen Bradley is pictured meeting pupils and teachers from Arvalee School and Resource Centre, Loreto Grammar School, Sacred Heart College, Omagh High School, Christian Brothers Grammar School and Omagh Academy. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Karen Bradley is pictured meeting pupils and teachers from Arvalee School and Resource Centre, Loreto Grammar School, Sacred Heart College, Omagh High School, Christian Brothers Grammar School and Omagh Academy. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Karen Bradley is pictured with Jonathan Gray, Principal of Arvalee School and Resource Centre and Head Girl Shannon Kelly and Head Boy Iain Walker. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Karen Bradley is pictured with Jonathan Gray, Principal of Arvalee School and Resource Centre and Head Girl Shannon Kelly. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Karen Bradley is pictured with Jonathan Gray, Principal of Arvalee School and Resource Centre. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Karen Bradley is pictured with Jonathan Gray, Principal of Arvalee School and Resource Centre and Head Girl Shannon Kelly and Head Boy Iain Walker. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Karen Bradley is pictured meeting pupils and teachers from Arvalee School and Resource Centre, Loreto Grammar School, Sacred Heart College, Omagh High School, Christian Brothers Grammar School and Omagh Academy. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP has announced the allocation of 140m of UK Government funding to support the development of the new Strule Shared Education Campus Project. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. A shared education campus in Omagh has received a 140 million Government funding boost. Strule will be the largest of its kind in Northern Ireland and will bring together more than 4,000 pupils from six schools and all backgrounds. It will offer collaborative education opportunities to students across the Steam (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) area of the curriculum. Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley said: UK Government funding will help support integrated and shared education in Northern Ireland and break down barriers through cohesion to give young people the valuable skills they need to succeed. She visited the site on Monday but said an Executive should be restored at Stormont to build on her announcement. She said the sharing of facilities, skills and resources will enable a more flexible approach to learning with enhanced curriculum choices, encouraging young people to flourish. The Secretary of State was welcomed to the Strule Campus, a huge building site, by John Smith, deputy secretary at the Department of Education and Jennifer Morgan, construction director, for a tour, during which she heard about the scale and ambition of the project. At Arvalee School and Resource Centre, a special needs school on the edge of the site and the first school to move to the new shared location, she was greeted by the principal, Jonathan Gray, and John Hall, chairman of the schools board of governors, for a tour of the school and grounds. She also met the principals of the other five schools involved in the project, as well as a number of pupils from all six schools. Strule is the only campus in Northern Ireland where students with moderate and severe learning difficulties will be educated alongside mainstream schools. It is our ambition that we ensure all young people can benefit from a high-class education and fulfil their potential, irrespective of their backgroundKaren Bradley Ms Bradley added: Our strong commitment has been demonstrated in recent years in the 2013 Economic Pact with the Executive and in both the Stormont House and Fresh Start Agreements. It is our ambition that we ensure all young people can benefit from a high-class education and fulfil their potential, irrespective of their background. The Strule project demonstrates the huge importance of devolved government in Northern Ireland to drive forward projects like this for the benefit of the whole community. Two of the wreaths which were dumped in the nearby river Wreaths placed on a memorial in a Co Down town have been thrown into the local river. At around 10.30am yesterday police received a report that the memorial at Bridge Street in Kilkeel had been targeted. Newry, Mourne and Down independent councillor Henry Reilly hit out at those responsible. "I am disgusted that anyone would be motivated to disrespect the memorial in such a fashion," he said. "The memorial was not created as a political project but solely as a means of respecting the memory of all those who died in our council area due to their service. "Those named on the memorial represent both Protestant and Catholic and people of all faiths and backgrounds. "The people who would even contemplate desecrating wreaths laid in their memory should consider the degree of sacrifice made by those police and military, but also the continued pain and suffering of their loved ones. "I am very grateful to the young people who rallied round this morning and actually went into the adjacent Kilkeel river to retrieve several of the wreaths. "This is the first time there has been such an attack since the memorial was created 11 years ago and I sincerely hope it will be the last. "Respecting the deceased is not too much to ask." PSNI Inspector John Allen said: "I am appealing to anyone who knows anything about this incident, or who has been in the area in recent days and noticed any suspicious activity, to contact police in Ardmore on the non emergency number 101, quoting reference number 524 of 17/06/18. "Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime." Rev William Anderson (centre) with imperial grand registrar Billy Scott (right) and imperial grand treasurer David Livingstone following the meeting of the institutions grand council in Co Monaghan Rev William Anderson has been elected as the new sovereign grand master of the Royal Black Institution following a meeting of the order's ruling body in Co Monaghan. The Church of Ireland minister from Co Armagh succeeds Millar Farr, who announced he was stepping down last month. He had served as grand master for 10 years. Saturday's biannual meeting of the organisation's grand council took place at the Union Hall in Newbliss, Co Monaghan. It is the first time the institution has selected its new leader at a meeting held in the Republic. Rev Anderson, who is currently the minister of the Tullanisken and Clonoe parishes in Co Tyrone, said: "I am extremely honoured to be elected sovereign grand master... and very humbled to be following in the footsteps of those who have served in the post previously. "Like my predecessors before me, I pledge to represent the membership to the best of my ability at all times, and in so doing, uphold the Christian ethos of the institution, to promote the Reformed faith, and to continue our long-standing track record of exceptional charitable outreach. The new sovereign grand master paid tribute to the "outstanding leadership" of his predecessor Mr Farr, who he maintained over the past decade had led the oOrder with "great foresight", enhancing its position in the mainstream of community life. He added: "This is a very exciting time for the institution as we proceed with plans to develop our new headquarters in Co Armagh, which we anticipate will open to the public in 2020. "Such a major development has energised and enthused our membership, as we count down to our traditional flagship parades this summer." Rev Anderson's first appearance as sovereign grand master will be at the annual Sham Fight in Scarva next month. Banned Derry Civil Rights march broken up by RUC batons in presence of Gerry Fitt MP, three British Labour MPs and television crew. Two nights of rioting ensued. 5/10/1968. Bloody sunday in Derry 1972 when members of the parachute regiment opened fire on a banned Civil Rights march Banned Derry Civil Rights march broken up by RUC batons in presence of Gerry Fitt MP, three British Labour MPs and television crew. Two nights of rioting ensued. 5/10/1968. PACEMAKER BELFAST - FLASHBACK - Bloody sunday in Derry 1972 when members of the parachute regiment opened fire on a banned Civil Rights march through the city.PICTURE CREDIT PACEMAKER PRESS The first civil rights march from Coalisland to Dungannon in 1968 Students take part in a sit-down protest in Linenhall Street during a civil rights march in 1968 Bloody Sunday - when members of the parachute regiment opened fire on a banned Civil Rights marc. PACEMAKER PRESS Sinn Fein are set to hold a commemorative march from Coalisland to Dungannon 50 years after a historic civil rights march took place along the same route. They will launch the march at Caledon Court House on Monday to mark the 50th anniversary of the civil rights campaign. The march will take place on Saturday August 18 and will follow the route of the original Civil Rights 1968 march from Coalisland to Dungannon. In 1968 Nationalist MP Austin Currie and a number of others squatted in a house in Calendon, Co Tyrone in protest at the decision to allocate the house to an unmarried Protestant woman ahead of Catholic families in the area. The incident led to the first civil rights march of the era on August 24, 1968 when the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, the Campaign for Social Justice and others marched from Coalisland to Dungannon. This year marks 50 years since the beginning of the civil rights movement when thousands of citizens took to the streets to demand their rights and entitlement's," Mid-Ulster MP Francie Molloy said. To mark the anniversary, Sinn Fein have organised a commemorative march from Coalisland to Dungannon, along the route of the original civil rights march. The venue for todays launch, Caledon Court House, holds massive historical significance as this was the venue for the Caledon Eviction, resulting in pickets and protests and the energising of people across the north to join the civil rights Movement. Mr Molloy said that civil rights were still being denied to people in Northern Ireland. The same struggle continues against people in our society today. Citizens in the north still face attacks on their civil rights through the continued denial of rights to LGBT+ couples, Irish language speakers, and bereaved families seeking a coroners inquest," he said. Once again, we need to hear the voices of young people and progressives, echoing those who found their voice against discrimination decades ago. Its time to stand up, mobilise, and fight for your rights. Join us at Coalisland Square on Saturday 18th August. In February former MP Bernadette McAliskey branded Sinn Fein MLA Declan Kearney "delusional" after he claimed republicans inspired the civil rights campaign. Sinn Fein's national chairperson Declan Kearney said that decisions made by the IRA and Sinn Fein leadership helped form the civil rights movement 50 years ago. But Mrs McAliskey, a civil rights veteran, hit out at the South Antrim MLA's comments, saying he was guilty of "silly rambling". It is now long overdue for the UK to make a permanent and compassionate decision on the use of medicinal cannabis oil, the Ulster Unionists have said. Roy Beggs MLA is one of a number of politicians to support changing laws surrounding medical marijuana after a severely epileptic boy's high-profile battle for treatment. Mr Beggs said: "It is frankly outrageous the Caldwells were forced to fly to Canada for a six-month supply of the prescribed medication, only for it to be later cruelly seized at the airport. "Charlotte Caldwell has not only been an enduring hero to her son Billy, but also to the thousands of other people across the UK campaigning for an evidence-based approach to the use of medicinal cannabis oil. "In 2018 it is simply not good enough that increasingly archaic legal restrictions were put in the way of delivering the best possible care to a 12-year-old boy. "The time is long-overdue for the UK to make a final decision on the medical use of cannabis oil. It works in the case of Billy Caldwell, and there is an ever-growing evidence base of it working for many other conditions. "Until then, I fear the Caldwells won't be the only family to get caught up in the legal ambiguity surrounding the use of the medication." Green Party in NI leader Steven Agnew said the initial decision to take Billy's medication away was "senseless and cruel". "I wish Billy well and hope that his condition improves as the cannabis oil is administered," he said. "However, I am minded of the many other Billys out there - children and adults with conditions that could be improved by the use of cannabis oil. "This medicine helps Billy, so why shouldn't everyone in a similar medical position be given access to it?" Sinn Fein MP Orfhlaith Begley described the Home Office decision as "life-saving". She said: "Billy should never have been put in that position. "The treatment was clearly working for him and he deteriorated badly once it ended, yet it still took intense lobbying to get the Home Office to reverse this cruel decision." SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan said the Home Office was "completely wrong to confiscate Billy's cannabis oil" in the first instance. "This issue could have been completely prevented to begin with and never needed to happen," he said. "I am however delighted that the decision has been overturned and Billy will be able to start treatment again soon. "The SDLP will continue to lobby for reform of laws relating to the use of cannabis oil as a medical treatment. No person or child should be allowed to suffer needlessly when there's a clinical need for treatment." Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald will be frozen out of talks to form the next Irish Government because the contenders for Taoiseach still view her party as soft on crime. The Dublin TD has called for Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin to "wake up and smell the coffee" - but both men have said they will not do business with her. The Taoiseach said: "Sinn Fein is not a normal party. "They're soft on crime; we can see that by the fact that they are opposing the renewal of the Special Criminal Court." He added that a TD who was recently convicted of engaging in abusive behaviour to a garda has faced no sanction to date. "Everybody makes mistakes but surely there has to be some consequences for that?" he said. Sinn Fein said the TD, Pat Buckley, has apologised and the party will look at the issue following the conclusion of his case. A sentencing date is due to be held in November. Fine Gael has long promoted itself as the party of law and order, leading Mr Varadkar to argue that while he will work with Sinn Fein in the Dail, he will not form a government with them. "Sinn Fein is the second biggest party in Northern Ireland so of course we have to work with them and deal with them just as we do the DUP, the UUP, Alliance - but that's a very big difference from forming a government," he said. Mr Varadkar said that despite Ms McDonald's public statements about wanting to form a government, there has been no private behind-the-scenes overtures from the party. Speaking on RTE's The Week In Politics, Ms McDonald dismissed the idea that her party is not fit for office as "a load of bunkum" and said her party are "not going to sit on the sidelines". Meanwhile, Mr Martin accused Ms McDonald of making a "flat" speech at her party's ard fheis that was devoid of any substance. He also hit out at the party for failing to unequivocally condemn the murders of Paul Quinn and Robert McCartney and the La Mon bombing. 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. "I think what is revealing in the last week and revealing from Mary Lou McDonald's 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. Fianna Fail's confidence and supply arrangement with Fine Gael underpinning the minority government is nearing the end of its 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 don't change the party." Robin Walker supports co-operation with the EU on security matters after Brexit (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/PA) The Government has said it is in everybodys interest for co-operation with Europe on security matters to continue after Brexit. The European Arrest Warrant has helped apprehend thousands and has been an important tool for police on both sides of the Irish border pursuing fugitives. Under-secretary of state in the Brexit Department Robin Walker said he would have preferred negotiations to have made greater progress on security matters. We do think that when people take a long, hard look at this they will recognise it is in the EU and in the UK's interests for these mechanisms to continueBrexit minister Robin Walker He added: We are pushing ahead with a very ambitious approach to the future security partnership. All the evidence is that there is very strong interest in continuing co-operation in this area. He gave evidence to the House of Lords EU Select Committee in Westminster. We do think that when people take a long, hard look at this they will recognise it is in the EU and in the UKs interests for these mechanisms to continue. The Irish border is one of the most vexed issues still facing negotiators in Brussels. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) enjoy a close working relationship with their Garda colleagues on the frontier. PSNI chief constable George Hamilton has said he is drawing up a business case for extra resources which may be needed to police the more than 300 miles of border and hundreds of crossing points. Charlotte Caldwell and her son Billy outside the Home Office (Yui Mok/PA) The Home Office is to establish an expert panel of doctors to advise on prescriptions for cannabis-based medicine. Home Office minister Nick Hurd told MPs the panel would advise ministers on any individual applications to prescribe cannabis-based medications. Read More It comes following the high profile case of Billy Caldwell, the Northern Ireland boy who suffers severe seizures. He had been taking cannabis oil prescribed by his doctor until the Home Office intervened to stop it. Last week his mother returned from Canada and had the life-saving medication taken from her. Billy (12) was later rushed to hospital on Friday after his debilitating seizures returned. Read More Home Secretary Sajid Javid used emergency powers to allow the child to have one bottle released for treatment on Saturday. The schoolboy was discharged from hospital on Monday. Mother Charlotte has demanded an urgent meeting with both Mr Javid and the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to ensure she does not have to face another agonising wait on treatment and for a change to the law. Read More "I can announce the government is establishing an expert panel of clinicians to advise ministers on any individual applications to prescribe cannabis-based medicine," Nick Hurd told the Commons during an urgent question in the chamber. He said a clinician "must be at the heart of the issue". Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott responded deriding the announcement as "simply not fit for purpose". It is nearly the sixth anniversary of Julian Assange living inside the Ecuadorian embassy (Dominic Lipinski/PA) A lawyer for Julian Assange has urged the United Nations to make an official visit to see the impact on the WikiLeaks founder of living inside the Ecuadorian embassy for the past six years. Jennifer Robinson told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that Mr Assange was unable to obtain proper medical attention and was being denied sunlight or outdoor access. A vigil will be held outside the embassy in London on Tuesday evening, six years to the day since he arrived, later to be granted political asylum. Ms Robinson told the UN that the British authorities had made it clear that if Mr Assange leaves the embassy to seek medical treatment he will be arrested. The UK is showing deliberate disregard for his medical needsJennifer Robinson, WikiLeaks legal officer The US administration has said that prosecuting him is a priority, said Ms Robinson. He cannot leave the embassy because the UK will not provide assurances against extradition to the US. The UK is showing deliberate disregard for his medical needs, she said, adding that the UN should send a special rapporteur to visit the embassy. His confinement in the embassy is having a severe impact on his physical and mental health, she said. He was being asked to choose between his human right to asylum and his human right to medical treatment, said Ms Robinson, adding: No-one should have to make that choice. She reminded the council that in 2016 the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said that Mr Assange was being arbitrarily detained. It called on the Swedish and British authorities to end his deprivation of liberty, respect his physical integrity and freedom of movement, and afford him the right to compensation. Mr Assanges internet access was cut off in March and restrictions were placed on who can visit him after he tweeted his support for separatist movements in Catalonia in Spain. Ms Robinson visited him earlier this month, with officials from the Australian High Commission in London. An embarrassing blunder by an official at the NIO has given a unique insight into the Government's thinking on matters affecting Northern Ireland - on everything from Brexit to how the DUP fines its own politicians. Yesterday, the NIO issued an announcement to the Press regarding a visit by the Secretary of State, Karen Bradley - but included much more than intended. Read More Attached to the notice was a series of briefing notes for the Northern Ireland Secretary on current issues, outlining the Government's position on matters as diverse as abortion, legacy issues, cutting MLAs' pay, a border poll, and the provision of cannabis oil for epileptic Co Tyrone boy Billy Caldwell. A spokesperson at the NIO blamed "human error" for the email being sent to the Press. One section advises the Secretary of State on what to say if asked about relaxing the laws on abortion here, via the repeal of parts of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. "We have no plans to amend the law on abortion in either England and Wales or Northern Ireland," Mrs Bradley is advised to say. "This is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, and ultimately this is an issue for a restored Assembly to consider, where the decision can be taken by locally elected, locally accountable politicians." However, if the NI Secretary is "pressed", she is urged to say that "repealing those sections do not solve the issue, and without any new provisions, offer no safeguards for women. It is not appropriate to leave a gap in the law. A new legal framework would be needed to replace those provisions, which is rightly a matter for locally accountable politicians in Northern Ireland to decide its policy on". On calls for a border poll, Mrs Bradley is advised to say that "we continue to believe that a majority in Northern Ireland are committed to the Union, and therefore the tests for a border poll have not been met". "On this basis, UKG (UK Government) has no plans to hold a border poll." Ms Bradley is advised to invoke Irish premier Leo Varadkar in order to fend off questions about any potential referendum on Irish unity. "As the Taoiseach himself acknowledged, continued discussion about a border poll at this time is unhelpful and unnecessary." The Secretary of State has been accused of dithering over making cuts to MLAs' pay in a bid to inject fresh momentum into the stalled talks to restore Stormont. But it appears that there is no movement here. The stock answer remains: "The Secretary of State has made clear that she is minded to reduce MLA pay in line with the recommendations of (former Assembly chief executive) Trevor Reaney. This remains her position." The briefing notes point out that the Home Office is taking the lead on why it confiscated - and then returned - cannabis oil to Castlederg boy Billy Caldwell, who relies on the drug to prevent life-threatening seizures. The lines provided to Mrs Bradley are: "Any parent will want to do whatever they can to alleviate the symptoms of their child when suffering from a debilitating illness. "Nevertheless, it is important that medicines are thoroughly tested to ensure they meet rigorous standards so that doctors and patients are assured of their efficacy, quality and safety." Recently, it was revealed that the DUP fines its politicians who talk to the media without permission. If asked about this, Mrs Bradley is advised that "this is unlikely to be something that you will wish to comment on beyond noting that it is a matter for the DUP" - whose MPs' votes prop up her party's Government. Despite stressing the need to restore Stormont, the document reveals no fresh thinking on how this will be done, revealing a series of lines that have been repeated endlessly in recent months. These include: "I continue to keep available a range of options for supporting the process and encouraging the parties to achieve the positive outcome we all deeply want. "I continue to keep under review my statutory obligation to call an Assembly election." On the Brexit 'backstop', the NI Secretary is advised to say: "The UK's proposal on the customs elements of a temporary backstop is that a Temporary Customs Arrangement should exist between the UK and the EU. "This will ensure that if a customs arrangement with the EU is not in place by the end of the Implementation Period there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, or between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. We are clear this would only be used in very specific circumstances and that it will be strictly time-limited. It is not our preferred option." There has been much debate over a statute of limitations for soldiers accused of offences during the Troubles. Mrs Bradley is advised, however, to say that any such amnesty "would need to apply to all those involved in Troubles-related incidents, including former terrorists, if the UK is to comply with international law". 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. It comes as the Pope prepares to attend the World Meeting of Families in Dublin in August, in the wake of the referendum in the Republic to relax the law on abortion. Francis 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 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". Meanwhile, former Irish president Mary McAleese has said she has not gone to confession after voting Yes in last month's abortion referendum and has "no intention whatsoever" to do so. She spoke out following comments by Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran that Catholics who had voted Yes, intending that abortion would be the outcome of their vote, should go to confession. Appearing at a conference at the weekend, organised by the Catholic lay group We Are Church Ireland in Dublin's Gonzaga College, Belfast-born Dr McAleese told former TV3 journalist Ursula Halligan: "I had no hesitation at the end of the day when it came to the vote - I absolutely voted Yes." She added that, since voting, she has not gone to confession to repent her decision and has "no intention whatsoever" of doing so. Asked about Bishop Doran's stance on confession, Dr McAleese said: "These are man-made rules, these are not statements of an infallible Church." Meanwhile, Dr McAleese also revealed that she will take part in her first gay pride march in Dublin at this end of this month. The Dublin Pride march which takes place on June 30 is themed 'We Are Family', a reference to the Catholic Church's World Meeting of Families. She said she will be taking part in the march with "my gay son and his wonderful husband". More than 300 migrants who are in Spain after their rescue boat was rejected by other European governments are requesting to be granted asylum in France, a top Spanish official has said. Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo told Spanish radio Cadena Ser that half of the 630 migrants who arrived at the Spanish port of Valencia on Sunday on ships including the rescue boat Aquarius expressed such a desire. Expand Close Migrants arrive at the port of Valencia (Alberto Saiz/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Migrants arrive at the port of Valencia (Alberto Saiz/AP) She called the agreement with France an example of co-operation within the European Union. The Aquarius completed a 930-mile journey from Sicily to Valencia, ending a week-long ordeal for the 630 people rescued from the Mediterranean Sea, only to be rejected by Italy and Malta. Spains new centre-left government granted the migrants 45-day stays to sort out their legal status. The attacker was detained, French media said (John Giles/PA) 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. Former DUP leader Peter Robinson at Queens University Belfast with (from left) Professor Richard English, Professor James McElnay and Professor John Brewe Universities are increasingly under pressure from bullying lobby groups to abandon free speech. Consider this ludicrous letter of protest produced last week by 37 Queen's academics. "We the undersigned," it begins, "members of the school of history, anthropology, politics and philosophy, the department of law, the department of sociology, the department of English, and associate fellows of the George Mitchell Institute, are writing to express our deep concern and profound regret at the recent appointment of Peter Robinson to an honorary professorship at Queen's University Belfast". They complained that Mr Robinson had in 2008 defended calling homosexuality an "abomination" and in 2014 had failed to distance himself from "the Islamophobic sentiments" of a pastor who had claimed that Islam is "Satanic" and "heretical". If Queen's and the George Mitchell Institute wanted to help create "an inclusive, secure and enriched society", why was it "honouring and magnifying the views" of this person by "weaving hostility to LGBT+ and Muslim staff and students into the fabric of the University?". They demanded the institute distance itself from Mr Robinson's "repugnant" views, and explain his appointment: his "intolerant views" had been publicly known and the academic institutions involved were supposed to act with "caution and sensitivity to the entire academic community when conferring such honours on controversial figures". At the risk of having some of the 37 demand that my honorary degree from Queen's be withdrawn forthwith, I should mention that in recent years as a result of criticising some LGBT activists and the Muslim Council of Britain, I've had the distinction of being labelled both transphobic and Islamophobic. I'm neither, but I wear such accusations with pride. In 2008 Mr Robinson justified his wife Iris's denunciation of homosexuality as an "abomination" on the grounds that she was quoting from the Bible. Which she was. In 2014 he defended the right of Pastor James McConnell to criticise what he thought was "false doctrine", said he knew him as a preacher of love, not hate, and said he himself wouldn't trust Muslims who had been involved in terrorism or who were devoted to Sharia law, but would "trust them in day-to-day activities". Pastor McConnell's sermon was private, but when Dr Raied Al-Wazzan of the Belfast Islamic Centre - one of those who met Arlene Foster on Friday - heard about it, he reported it to police as a hate crime. What gave this a certain piquancy was that a few months previously Dr Al-Wazzan had said that Isis had been a positive force in making Mosul, his home city in Iraq, "the most peaceful city in the world", which indeed it had, by enforcing a vicious version of Sharia law which included executing gay people, slaughtering the opposition, and driving the surviving Christians into the wilderness. When Dr Al-Wazzan got into trouble, Pastor McConnell had publicly said that while he strongly disagreed with him, he supported his right to say what he believed. Who is the bigot? Reassuringly for free speech advocates, Mrs Robinson wasn't prosecuted and Pastor McConnell was found not guilty, but even after his private and public apologies for upsetting Muslims, Mr Robinson remains persona non grata to the 37. What fascinates me is that they seem unbothered about the appointment of Mitchel McLaughlin to the other honorary professorship. Mr McLaughlin has been a Sinn Fein activist for more than 50 years and an IRA apologist through the decades of murder and mutilation, including the assassination of Edgar Graham on the Queen's campus. In 2005, on RTE, under acute questioning from Justice Minister Michael McDowell, Mr McLaughlin said that though he thought the murder of Jean McConville was "wrong", it wasn't a "crime", as it had been authorised by an IRA court martial and the IRA was "the only legitimate government of Ireland". He was, he said, "entitled to his view". As indeed he was and is, but so were the Robinsons and Pastor McConnell. Peter Robinson's debut lecture was thoughtful and positive. I hope Mr McLaughlin's will be the same. It seems that Queen's has no intention of yielding to people who have forgotten that a major job of universities is to foster robust debate. Is it too much to hope the 37 will realise they've behaved like prats? DUP leader Arlene Foster has taken significant steps in the past week to reposition her party, and this is to be welcomed. Her engagement with the GAA in Co Fermanagh underlines at a visible public level what has been going on at the grassroots. This includes her visit to the Eid celebrations, which was another example of reaching out, this time to the Muslim community. Last week she told a private meeting of the party's AGM that she had accepted an invitation from one of our largest inward investors to attend a Stormont event that will recognise the contribution of the LGBT community to Northern Ireland. This is clearly the right move, and sets an important new agenda for the DUP in a period of great change. Mrs Foster has already underlined the primacy of the Union as the key objective of any unionist party. In so doing she has begun to describe her vision of that Union, and of Northern Ireland as a place to live where people on all sides can be comfortable with diversity of opinion, belief, ethnicity and lifestyle. Regrettably, in the past the DUP has appeared hostile to gay rights at a time when the law was changing. And it must be said that this attitude is still evident among some elements within the party. This has been a constant and most useful source of criticism for opponents of the DUP and of the Union itself. And it certainly has made life difficult for DUP members, or their family members, who are gay. Mrs Foster is taking a courageous political step in so acknowledging the contribution of the LGBT community, and this is what leadership looks like. Undoubtedly she will have critics in her own party and elsewhere, but this is the only viable route of plurality the DUP can take in order to have a large enough mandate to keep Northern Ireland in the Union. In this context it is significant that Mrs Foster also referred to the Irish identity and Irish speakers, and claimed that some of these are considering voting DUP, as well as Catholics and gays. Those in the party who may criticise her should note that Mrs Foster has underlined her belief in traditional marriage. She told the private meeting: "We are not changing our policy on marriage, but I am reaching out to acknowledge the contribution made by a section of our community. "Just because we disagree on marriage does not mean that I can't say that we value those who are LGBT in our society, and they should not be the subject of hate because of their sexuality." She also reminded people that "everyone is equal under the law and equally subject to the law". In saying this, Mrs Foster is showing strongly that it is possible to retain private opinions while supporting the reality of the law. The steps she has taken recently will draw some of the sting out of the criticisms levelled at the DUP. This is the party reflecting on what it needs to do to protect the Union. She summed up the position clearly by saying: "We have everything to gain from respecting cultural difference and we must set an example." Mrs Foster's actions have been most newsworthy recently, and the DUP needs to reach the position where such initiative and outreach seem as routine as a walk in the park. At last, thankfully, it has begun that process. This screen grab shows a notice by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) ordering the blocking of the news website bdnews24.com, and which was published by the website on its homepage, June 18, 2018. Updated at 7:31 a.m. ET on 2018-06-19 The Bangladesh government blocked the countrys first online news portal for a few hours Monday, accusing the website of publishing objectionable comments in one news item, in a move that quickly ignited a social-media backlash. Monirul Islam, news editor of bdnews24.com, expressed surprise over the action taken by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). The BTRC decision has surprised us, Islam told BenarNews. We dont know the reason for the move. We havent been informed about it. BTRC ordered all international internet gateway operators and mobile phone service providers to block the website starting at about 5:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. on Monday. The letter, signed by BTRC senior assistant director Touseef Shahriar, did not provide any reason for the order. The BTRC action came hours after the website reported that Lt. Gen. Aziz Ahmed, a former director-general of the Border Guard Bangladesh, had been named the next army chief of staff. Bdnews24.com added some objectionable comments in one of their news items. So, it was blocked for some time, BTRC chairman Shahjahan Mahmood told BenarNews. The site was reopened after they dropped the objectionable comments. Mahmood did not specify which news item contained the objectionable comments, but sources said that when the site was unblocked hours later, a few lines had been removed on the story about Ahmeds appointment as army chief. Bdnews24.com, which describes itself as the largest news publisher in the country with 10 million unique visitors and 100 million page views each month, quoted BTRC acting chief Jahururl Haque as saying that government high-ups had ordered the shutdown. It said the brief blockage had affected a large, but unspecified number of its readers for hours. It was not the first time that the government of the South Asian country had blocked websites. In May 2017, BTRC blocked the Swedish Radio website after it had published a purported recording of an interview with a high-ranking officer of the police force Rapid Action Battalion. The interview allegedly described the elite units violent methods in the nation of more than 163 million people. A year earlier, in August 2016, the BTRC blocked 35 news websites without providing any reason. For about 18 hours on June 1, the BTRC also blocked the website of the Daily Star, the countrys leading English daily. Move angers social media users Bdnews24.com subscribers protested the governments sudden decision and started a hashtag campaign, free BDNEWS24.com. Rakib Ahmed, a professor at Jahangirnagar University, ridiculed the government on his Facebook page over its move against the news website. You cant block an established and renowned media house without explanation. This is unfair. People get involved with media outlets in many ways, he said. Learn to deal with criticism positively. CORRECTION: Monirul Islam, news editor of bdnews24.com, did not mention what could have caused the temporary blocking of the news website. Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Khaleda Zia is escorted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in Dhaka for an examination, April 7, 201 The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party said Monday that the health of its imprisoned chief, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, had deteriorated to the point she could no longer walk by herself. BNP officials questioned why the government had denied permission for Zia, 72, to seek treatment at her preferred United Hospital, a private facility in Dhaka. Earlier this month, BNP officials reported that she had suffered a mild stroke in prison, where she was sentenced four months ago on corruption charges. What we have come to know is that her condition worsened. She cannot walk without support from others. We are worried about her, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a former minister and member of the BNPs top standing committee, told BenarNews on Monday night. He accused the government of covering up the truth about Zias health since she was convicted on Feb. 8 and sentenced to five years in prison. Her conviction effectively disqualified Zia from contending in Bangladeshs next general election, due to take place sometime in December. We repeatedly urged the government to allow her to get treatment at the United Hospital where she had been treated before. But the government has not been listening to our demand, Hossain said. If any harm is done to her, the government must shoulder the responsibility. Refuting BNPs statement, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said Zia was in good health but had refused treatment from two of the best hospitals in Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital and the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) which are both public. He said she wanted to be taken to United Hospital so doctors could determine that she needed to leave the country for special care. Khan also challenged BNPs report on Zias condition. She has been in very good health. Her blood pressure and sugar level are quite normal, he told BenarNews. Her party men have been making false claims that she cannot walk by herself. I sent the inspector general of prisons to see Zia to ask if she would take treatment at CMH or BSMMU. She rejected the offer, he said. Syed Iftekhar Uddin, the inspector general of prisons, is a physician. Her motive is clear. If allowed to go to United Hospital, her doctors would suggest the she must be sent abroad for treatment. The doctors at BSMMU or CMH are quite capable of treating Zia, Khan said. Family visits On Saturday, 20 family members spent two hours with Zia at the old jail on Nazimuddin Road in Dhaka where she is the only prisoner. The jail is guarded by police and members of the Rapid Action Battalion, an elite force that Zia created while serving as prime minister. Meanwhile, BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other leaders were denied access by prison officials. After speaking with family members, Alamgir on Sunday told reporters about Zias health. What we heard from them cannot but make us worried. Her condition deteriorated further. Now, she cannot walk without support from others, Alamgir said. On Monday, BNP Senior Joint Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi discussed Zias need for special care. The United Hospital has the facilities to do x-rays of the metallic plate fitted into Zias knees, Rizvi said, adding that its CT scanner and MRI machine met the highest standards. Her personal physicians suggested getting treatment from United Hospital, he said, adding that current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was treated at the private Square Hospital when she was imprisoned in 2007 and 2008. Prison rules do not allow for treatment at private hospitals, Khan said. A soldier secures a bridge inside the main battle area controlled last year by pro-Islamic State militants at the height of the siege in Marawi City in the southern Philippines, June 14, 2018. Philippine security forces killed at least five suspected militants in fresh airstrikes targeting Filipino fighters allied with the extremist group Islamic State (IS) who had escaped from the southern city of Marawi last year, officials said Monday. The target of the air and ground assault operation, which displaced more than 1,500 families, was a group led by Humam Abdul Najib (also known as Abu Dar). He is a cousin of Omarkhayyam Maute, one of the key Filipino leaders of the Marawi siege who was killed in October 2017 along with IS leader Isnilon Hapilon, when the five-month battle there ended. The firefight was part of the fulfillment of the promise of the military to go after the remnants of the Maute-ISIS group, ground commander Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said, using another acronym of Islamic State. This was the result of months-long intelligence operations as well as the cooperation of the local government and the citizens, he said, adding that as of now, there are reports indicating that five militants have been killed. Brawner said the assaults on Sunday provoked fighting in Tubaran, a town in Lanao del Sur province where troops found empty ammunition boxes in a captured militant camp. He said ground forces were under orders to terminate the remaining forces of the enemy by hitting their lairs. Our target is Abu Dar. He is the only remaining leader of Marawi siege alive, he said. Born on Mindanao island and educated at an Islamic school in the northern Philippines, Abu Dar was reported to have undergone explosives training in Afghanistan in 2005, before returning to Mindanao in 2012. He co-founded the militant group Khilafa Islamiyah Mindanao (KIM), which operated in areas near Marawi, intelligence officials said. Before the siege in Marawi last year, Abu Dar was helping foreign fighters enter Mindanao, by putting them up in areas near Marawi and laying the groundwork for the eventual siege, they added. Brawner said Abu Dars group has continued recruiting by using money to lure teenagers to the IS fold. They are just small but their recruitment is ongoing. If we talk about seasoned fighters, there are only a few of them now, Brawner said. A 21-year-old militant who managed to escape last years siege told BenarNews that 200 fighters had recently joined the organization. In Manila, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said militants operating in the south would have a hard time gaining traction in the region. It looks like theres a successor for the leader of Maute and they were able to engage in firefights with our troops. But theres no need to worry because they only have few members and, with the martial law, they will have a hard time making tangible gains, Roque said. Mautes group joined forces with Hapilons faction in May 2017, taking over the Islamic city of Marawi and triggering the fiercest fighting not seen in the south in recent years. They were backed by fighters from Southeast Asia and the Middle East. More than 1,200 people were killed in the fighting, most of them militants. A U.S. Marine with the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade practices soccer while he and his comrades wait to take part in a live-fire amphibious landing exercise in Tarlac province, north of the Philippine capital Manila, Oct. 10, 2016. Philippine authorities have arrested two Filipino fugitives for the killing of a U.S. marine major six years ago, the government said Monday. Agents with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last week separately arrested Galicano Datu and Crispin dela Paz, according to bureau director Dante Gierran. The two had been charged and convicted in the killing of Maj. George Anikow, the husband of a U.S. Embassy employee in Manila, during a street brawl in Makati, the Philippine capitals financial district, on Nov. 24, 2012. Gierran said the operation against the two was carried out with the help of the embassy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) so they could serve their sentence of killing a decorated American marine officer. Through continuous efforts and various ways to gather information from other sources, the subjects were arrested in isolated places different from the addresses stated on the warrant, as the subjects were deliberately hiding to evade arrest, he said. Anikow was stabbed and killed in a brawl when he and the Filipinos got into an argument when he accosted them as they sought to enter the gates of a private village in Makati, according to court testimony during the trial of the two men. The killing was among high-profile cases in the Philippines, a country where a notorious crime rate gave rise to the strongman rule of Rodrigo Duterte, who became president in 2016 on the promise of making the country peaceful. Thousands have died in his administrations crackdown on illegal drugs and crime, rights groups say. The suspects in Anikows killing had been granted bail, but were convicted while they were out. Two others charged with them were acquitted. Datu and dela Paz were not hauled to jail but were asked to report periodically to penal officers, an arrangement that the U.S. government had protested. Their charges were also downgraded from murder to the lesser degree of homicide. But the judge who handled the case was suspended recently by the Supreme Court for gross ignorance of the law, paving the way for the arrest order, Gierran said. In a statement issued on Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said the arrests brought some measure of justice to the senseless crime. We appreciate the cooperation of Philippine law enforcement authorities in locating and apprehending the perpetrators, the embassy said. Catholic devotees led by seminarians from Mary Help of Christians Seminaries in northern Nueva Ecija province protest drug killings under the regime of President Rodrigo Duterte, June 18, 2018. The Philippine Justice Department on Monday defied President Rodrigo Dutertes order to deport an Australian nun, saying immigration officials had no legal basis to expel her because she had joined street protests against his governments war on drugs. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) had given Sister Patricia Fox, 71, until June 18 to leave the Philippines, but the nun had filed an appeal and vowed to exhaust all means to fight her deportation. She elevated the case to the justice department. Our existing immigration laws outline what the BI can do to foreigners and their papers including visas when they commit certain acts within Philippine territory, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a resolution, according to his office. What the BI did in this case is beyond what the law provides, that is why it has to be struck down. The BI cannot simply create new procedures or new grounds to withdraw a visa already granted to a foreigner, Guevarra said. The secretary noted that while Philippine immigration laws gave the BI broad powers in regulating the entry and stay of foreigners in the country, visa forfeiture was not among those powers. Our existing immigration laws outline what the BI can do to foreigners and their papers including visas when they commit certain acts within Philippine territory. What the BI did in this case is beyond what the law provides, that is why it has to be struck down, Guevarra said. Last month, a group of lawmakers filed a bill seeking to grant Filipino citizenship to Fox in recognition of her selfless service to poor Filipinos. Immigration agents detained Fox in April for allegedly violating the terms of her religious visa. She was found to have engaged in activities that apparently offended Duterte, including attending rallies that questioned his war on drugs that has left thousands dead. She was the second foreign activist ordered out of the country. Authorities deported an Italian activist blacklisted by the government. Mark Navales in Cotabato City contributed to this report. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha (left), speaks to Myanmar President Win Myin, as Myanmar first lady Cho Cho (third from left), talks to Prayuths wife, Naraporn Chan-o-cha, at the Government House in Bangkok, June 14, 2018. Thailand has proposed starting a new Southeast Asian fund to boost sources of financing for transportation infrastructure and other projects in five Mekong River basin countries. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha made the proposal Saturday during a speech in Bangkok at the eighth Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) summit, which was attended by leaders of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Thailand has attached great importance to the issue of sustainability of the source of financing and, therefore, has proposed to related financial agencies to consider possible models for an ACMECS Fund for financing projects, Prayuth said. Because Bangkok is spearheading the fund, it will contribute seed money, Prayuth said, without elaborating. The prime minister made the proposal about the fund on the same day that leaders of the five-member economic bloc adopted a five-year master plan, which Prayuth had described as the first of its kind in the sub-region. The master plan aims at propelling the economy in the basin by harmonizing trade and investment rules, he said. Prayuth said senior financial officials from the five nations would meet in Thailand later this year to discuss details for establishing the fund. He did not provide more information, but Reuters quoted Thai foreign ministry official Arthayud Srisamoot as saying that the fund would raise money through the sale of stocks and bonds by issuing debts for projects. There is a sense among these countries to try to engage more within this region before going out to China, to South Korea, Japan and India, Arthayud told the news agency. ACMECS, whose acronym represents the three major rivers in the sub-region, including the Mekong, was established in 2003 to strengthen bilateral economic collaboration and narrow development gaps within the five ACMECS countries, which are also members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Thai officials believe the nations infrastructural development could connect with the other countries through the ACMECS master plan, potentially increasing trade values and investment along the border, Prayuth told a news conference. That creates jobs, incomes, narrowing development gaps and boosting economic growth in our region, Prayuth said. It was not immediately clear how the proposed fund would affect Chinas investments in the region, where Beijing has allocated billions of dollars through its Belt and Road initiative, Chinese President Xi Jingpings economic crown jewel that was launched in 2013. Beijing has backed infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia, including a $5.5 billion railway plan to link Thailands eastern seaboard with southern China, as part of the geopolitical strategy aimed at reviving the ancient Silk Road trading routes with a global network of roads, ports and railways. The proposed ACMECS fund will belong to the five ACMECS members, Nikorndesh Palangura, director-general of the Thai Department of International Affairs, told a news briefing. The reason why Thailand initiated the idea of establishing the fund was that we saw a real need that we, at least partially, can become self-sufficient, in a way, he said. Hot! Kriti Sanons Red Velvet Gown Is Setting Our Screens On Fire. Bollywood Wardrobe Devika Kriti Sanon is dropping bomb after bomb lately. The actress has been giving us wardrobe goals and making our pulses beat faster. She has gradually made it into the best-dressed celebrities list and is slowly becoming our favourite fashionista. Kriti, whose style sense is very feminine and casual, showed us her sexy version by donning something super seductive. She turned her lazy Monday into a glamorous day by wearing a velvet attire. Well, our screens were definitely on fire. The actress was comfortably posed and looked the world straight in the eye. Her photoshoot was for Faces Canada and well, her dress was designed, so that it could complement her lip shade and accentuate her look. With this attire, Kriti channelled the fashion sense of Marilyn Monroe and wow the dress hugged her body so perfectly, as she was sprawled a bit lazily on the ottoman. Her outfit featured a deep slit but she didn't seem to mind it at all. The diva accessorised her sexy look with elegant rings that seemed to go well with her outfit. Her lips were painted red which increased her hotness level a notch. Her hairdo was a cross between messy and impeccable. Kriti's side-swept hair enhanced her look to a whole new level. Kriti Sanon is making us go green with envy, as she is making most of her Monday and that too stylishly. We are speechless and are completely wooed. Are you too? Particularly during my sojourns in South Africa, it may not be possible for me to perform the moderation function speedily. I regret the necessity of moderation but it has been rendered inevitable by the behaviour of a particular commentator whose contributions will always and without exception be rejected. No correspondence will be entered into regarding moderation decisions. Readers are invited to comment on blog posts. All comments require to be pre-moderated by me, and I shall reject all (a) that are not related to the Lockerbie disaster or (b) that fail to meet my -- perhaps idiosyncratic -- standards of courtesy towards other contributors. Comments will not be rejected simply because I disagree with them or because I, or other contributors, find them irritating. But comments will be rejected if they distort or misrepresent the evidence; are defamatory; or if they risk embroiling me, as publisher, in defamation proceedings. I am perfectly relaxed about being sued in respect of material which I personally have posted -- but not in respect of material that others wish to post as comments and which, in any case, I often strongly disagree with. Lunaticoutpost.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program , anaffiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.Amazon, the Amazon logo, MYHABIT, and the MYHABIT logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.Don't be a pest to the forum.No profanity in thread-titles or usernamesNo excessive profanity in postsNo Racism, Antisemitism + HateNo calls for violence against anyone..This website exists for fun and discussion only. 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Graham Healy, former managing director in the Accenture Health and Public Service operating group, has been appointed to lead the team. Established by Accenture and Microsoft in 2000, Avanade today has 30,000+ professionals who provide digital, IT and advisory services to clients all over the world across a range of industries including retail, banking and healthcare. Avanades presence in Dublins Grand Canal Square represents the 24th location in the companys expanding global footprint. The digital world is changing the way organizations engage with their customers and their employees, said Darren Hardman, President, Europe, and UK & I General Manager. With demand across Europe for Microsoft growing fast, Im delighted that were able to help clients in Ireland tap into the benefits of cloud and digital technologies. Newly appointed country manager Graham Healy said: Im truly excited about taking the helm at Avanade Ireland. We have a tremendous opportunity to bring the most innovative thinking and capabilities to our clients. Longer term, my goal is to position Avanade as the leading digital innovator in Ireland. Alastair Blair, Country Managing Director for Accenture Ireland, said: Were delighted to welcome Avanade to Ireland. Our clients are constantly looking for new ways to understand and serve their customers and to create new markets and products. "Together Avanade, Accenture and Microsoft can help companies to harness the power of the cloud and artificial intelligence to drive their digital strategies forward. Aisling Curtis, Commercial Director, Microsoft Ireland added: Microsofts partnership with Accenture through Avanade has been a huge success story worldwide. Establishing Avanade in Ireland will help to empower and digitally transform our customers, the way they work, and the experiences they provide for their customers. Avanade is interested in recruiting people who have a passion for Microsoft technologies and whose skills reflect market trends. Right now, for Avanade, areas like CRM, Digital, Cloud and AI are of particular interest. IT specialists with these skills are encouraged to visit www.avanade.ie to check for open roles. Avanade Ireland will initially share an office with Accenture at Grand Canal Square, Dublin. - Digital Desk By Kyran Fitzgerald Most of us have heard all about the gig economy all those perspiring Deliveroo cyclists and exhausted Uber drivers, slaving away for pin money. A very bad thing it is, we are assured, by those who fret about a return to work practices best described by the novelist, Charles Dickens. Technology enabled as they may be, these workers are as far from the cosseted world of Silicon Valley as can be imagined. There is indeed no shortage of exploitation of the young as has been the case, no doubt, ever since the cavemen first wielded their clubs. Out in the jobs market, however, something rather more interesting is occurring. The whole idea of temporary work is undergoing a major rethink and a large expansion in the number of people working for high wages in various forms of temporary, or contingent, employment has been taking place. Consultancy group Accenture, in 2015, published a report on the rise of what is now known as the extended workforce. Temporary or contingent workers, these days, are as often as not better paid than the permanent staff alongside whom they now frequently work. Accenture reported that the worldwide annual spend on contingent labour reached $300bn (258.5bn) in 2015 while the proportion of Americas workforce made up of independent workers freelancers, contractors, temps had risen from 6% in 1989 to 33% by the mid-2010s. Upwards of 80% of freelancers now have professional degrees, working in sectors such as engineering, healthcare, accountancy, and finance. The extended workforce is increasingly mobile, global, and borderless. It is being driven by online contractor exchanges. Firms pay per transaction for this outsourced talent drawn from The Cloud. In Dublin, last week, international recruiters and HR executives gathered to consider this growing trend under the umbrella of the World Employment Conference (WEC). This international group was holding its annual conference. WEC vice president Annemarie Muntz suggested that some are slow to grasp the significance of this trend and to adapt to this new reality. Flexible workers still have difficulty securing a mortgage. Banks are so conservative. They look at peoples past, not at their prospects, said Ms Muntz. Yet, she argues, many newcomers to the jobs market nowadays are looking for two, three, even four jobs, allowing them maximum flexibility. Her colleague, Hans Leenje, suggested that trade unions too need to adapt to a situation where a large number of people move in and out of organisations as project workers and where core, permanent workforces are diminished in number. Increasingly, organisations will have to adapt and start thinking in terms of total talent management of a workforce that is much more diverse, not merely in background, but in terms of the level and type of commitment it brings to the company in question. Flexible working often suits people, particularly those who wish to make their work serve their wider lives rather than vice versa as has become the case in our long hours working culture. Occupational psychologist Amy Smyth pointed to the skills churn in companies which see themselves as mere consumers of work, less willing than previously to invest in their people. But the rapidity of technological change means that more and more tasks are rendered obsolete. One estimate is that close to one-half of white-collar tasks will be replaced by algorithms. Workers will have to be retrained to remain useful and companies will have to recommit to skills development. Not merely are firms increasingly outsourcing work, they are also engaging in more collaborations with other companies. Accenture cites the example of Proctor & Gamble which has entered into more than 1,000 agreements with innovation partners. The consultancy refers to the web of cross-organisational relationships that form part of a new supply chain of talent. Royal Bank of Canada has established a steering committee of managers with responsibility for its diverse, extended workforce while other firms have established talent management offices reporting directly to the top, the CEO. Data analytics is being used to assess the performance of short-term workers and, increasingly, HR managers are being advised to see themselves as talent brokers rather than as personnel managers. Public bodies, State organisations, struggling with skill shortages in key areas need to rethink the way they access the labour market. The idea of adding large numbers to permanent workforces in response to perceived demand may have to be closely questioned in an environment where gaps can now be filled much more easily on a short-term basis, based on a matching up between supply and demand. In the health sector, where the workforce has become more feminised and where younger professionals in general crave more time with family, outsourced working, particularly that based on project work, has attractions for both sides of the labour market transaction. There is also quite a large group of professionals, such as doctors and teachers, to whom short-term contact with organisations after retirement from permanent posts can prove beneficial. The organisation retains their experience while they continue to contribute their expertise Organised groups such as trade unions and professional bodies along with hidebound management should not be allowed to block changes which could operate both to the wider public good and in the interests of individuals with much still to contribute. There are many ways of filling up the talent pool without adding unnecessarily to the long-term cost base. The largest grant ever to research autism has been awarded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative. Forty-eight universities and research institutions including Trinity College Dublin, will take part in the trials and study the condition. 115m in funding will be used to increase understanding of autism and to help develop therapies to improve health outcomes. Commenting on the significance of Trinity College Dublins participation in the European research consortium, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Louise Gallagher said: I am delighted that we are participating in the worlds largest autism funding award which will further advance our understanding of autism and help develop new therapies to improve health outcomes and quality of life for autistic people. Our inclusion in this programme recognises the strength of autism research in Ireland and the contribution that Irish autistic people, their families and advocates, researchers and Irish funding agencies have made to autism research over the years. Researchers at Trinity College Dublin will contribute to the advancement of personalised approaches to therapies for Autism Spectrum Disorder. This project builds on our ongoing research investigating rare genetic changes that are associated with autism symptoms. Trinity researchers will focus on investigating individuals who carry deletions in genes specifically related to the structure and function of brain synapses (or brain cells). They aim to find biomarkers that can help identify specific biological pathways involved in brain development. The researchers will be engaging in a pan-European clinical trials network to investigate new therapies specifically targeting disabling symptoms and improving quality of life while also retaining unique autistic strengths. - Digital Desk The Port of Cork marked a major milestone for the company today with the launch of the new Cork Container Terminal development in Ringaskiddy. The Cork Container Terminal will initially offer a 360-metre quay with 13-metre depth alongside and will enable larger ships to berth in Ringaskiddy. The development also includes the construction of a 13.5 hectare terminal and associated buildings as well as two ship to shore gantry cranes and container handling equipment. The requirement for the development of new container handling facilities at Ringaskiddy was identified in the Port of Corks Strategic Development plan in 2010. It will accommodate current and future container shipping which can be serviced by modern and efficient cargo handling equipment with innovative terminal operating and vehicle booking systems. The Port of Cork anticipates that Cork Container Terminal will become operational by 2020. Chairman of the Port of Cork, Mr John Mullins said: The Port of Corks redevelopment at Ringaskiddy is a key growth enabler for both Cork city and region as well as the national economy and will enable the Port to deliver more efficient container handling facilities, replacing the existing container terminal at Tivoli, and securing the Cork Container Terminal as an international gateway for trade well into the future. He continued: The transfer of Port-related activities from the city and Tivoli will create a real opportunity for Cork Dockland sites to be redeveloped in the near future. Representing an investment of 80m, the development is being funded by the Port through an innovative and award-winning financing structure comprising Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c, the European Investment Bank, and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), and also by including European Union Connecting Europe Facility funds and self-finance. The Port of Cork awarded the developments civil engineering contract to BAM Civil Ltd., part of the multi-national construction group, Royal BAM Group of the Netherlands. Port of Cork Chief Executive, Brendan Keating said: This development will secure the future for the Port of Cork, and ensure the trade gains are translated into significant economic benefits for the people of Cork and the Munster region, as well as the national economy. "As part of this redevelopment, the Port of Cork will deliver a public marine leisure amenity at Paddys Point and has also committed a 1m community gain fund for the Ringaskiddy area for the development of an enhanced public realm scheme. "We look forward to supporting the community and Cork County Council as they prepare and implement the scheme. Donal Murphy, Head of Infrastructure and Credit Investments at ISIF said: This is an important investment for ISIF that demonstrates our commitment to investing in key infrastructure throughout Ireland on a commercial basis. "It is the latest investment from our Connectivity Fund, which was established with proceeds from the sale of the States shareholding in Aer Lingus. "ISIF is using its ability to act as a long-term provider of capital to back the Port of Cork with flexible funding that is tailored to its specific needs. We expect this investment will underpin significant economic activity in the southern region. It will also enhance Irelands transport and supply chain links with major EU markets and help Irish exporters to access these markets post-Brexit. Conor Morgan, AIB Corporate Banking said As the Port of Corks long-term relationship bank, AIB Corporate Banking is delighted to provide this financing for the Port of Cork to back their strategic development at Ringaskiddy Port. "Following a funding process of over two years, an innovative transaction structure was put in place involving senior debt from AIB and EIB and junior debt from ISIF. "As a key infrastructure deal supporting the growth of the Irish economy, the project increases future capacity at the port and brings major strategic value to the city of Cork and the Munster region. Andrew McDowell, European Investment Bank Vice President said The redevelopment of Ringaskiddy will transform links between Ireland, Europe and the world, support exports by Irish business and create a world-class maritime logistics hub. "The European Investment Bank is pleased to provide a EUR 30 million 18 year long-term loan alongside financing from leading Irish institutions for this crucial investment for Cork and Ireland. "EIB support reflects the economic benefits and urban redevelopment to be unlocked in the coming years and the importance of ensuring alternative transport routes given export growth and ongoing uncertainties related to Brexit. - Digital Desk Vodafone has announced that it is recruiting 50 people to join its international digital sales team at its European Sales Centre Vodafone Red Edge in Carrickmines in Dublin. Vodafone Red Edge provides specialist inside sales capability powered by Vodafones leading-edge technology to support business customers all over the world. The 50 new jobs, created as part of Vodafones ongoing strategy to build its digital sales capability, will support its Global Enterprise Accounts covering the US, Northern Europe and Central and Eastern European markets; and has resulted in the creation of roles in a variety of areas including - Inside Sales Managers, National Account Managers, Specialist Sales (with German) and Collaborative Sales roles. Speaking about the new roles, Anne OLeary, CEO Vodafone Ireland said: We are delighted to be supporting Vodafones global presence here in Ireland, which is a clear sign of our continued investment and commitment here. "Vodafone Red Edge was established in Ireland ahead of other locations, primarily because of the countrys large population of highly skilled and talented graduates and workforce. We are looking for dynamic individuals who will work hard to understand our customers needs and who have a passion for technology and innovation. Recruitment for the new roles has already begun and employees will gain access to internationally recognised business analytics and sales training, which will provide career development opportunities across the Vodafone Group. Vodafone Red Edge was officially opened in Carrickmines in July 2015 by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, creating 200 permanent jobs and committing to investing 60m over five years. Further information on the roles is available here, simply enter the keyword Inside Sales. For more information on the organisation, search #VodafoneREDEdge - Digital Desk By Sonya McLean and Fiona Ferguson A 78-year-old man who regularly raped his daughter while her mother was at work has been jailed for four years. The now 54-year-old woman stated in her victim impact report: A child should feel safe in their own home, in their own bed, but you took that from me. I now know that you are a predator, a master manipulator and are very good at acting like the victim. I don't know what other damage you have done. The man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to five sample charges of carnal knowledge without the girl's consent on dates between July 1973 and November 1974 at the family home in Co Mayo. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said the three core factors were the effect the offences had on the victim, the age of the accused and the state of health of the accused man. The idea of a father abusing his daughter in this manner is shocking, said the judge. One is constantly appalled by the depravity involved in this type of offence, he added. He noted the extensive medical problems of the accused and his precarious state of health. Mr Justice McCarthy imposed a four-year sentence which he backdated to May when the man first went into custody. He said the sentence was very substantially less than would otherwise have been imposed due to the accused man's age and state of health. Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting said it was the State's case that the woman was raped on a regular basis from 1972 to 1975, while she was aged between nine and 12 years old. A local detective garda said the woman first contacted gardai in 2015 having until then put the abuse to the back of her mind. She said her father would bring her into her parents' bedroom, while her mother was out at work, lean her over the bed, lift up her clothes and rape her. Sometimes he would promise to buy her clothes. The detective read the woman's victim impact statement in which she said her father had caused so much pain and suffering. When I look at your grandchildren, I cannot understand how a parent can take away an innocence and damage a relationship like that forever, the woman said. She said she had somehow gathered the strength to maintain a marriage and has two amazing children, adding that moving out of Ireland helped her. I never trusted you and never wanted to be anywhere near you. The abuse you perpetrated on me has done untold damage to the relationships in our family and has caused isolation for me and further suffering, the woman continued. The garda agreed with Michael Bowman SC, defending, that the moment his client was arrested he acknowledged what he had done. She accepted that he told gardai: I'm terribly sorry that it happened. It's 100 percent wrong, I was 100 percent wrong. I just wish I could turn back the clock. The court heard that the man was raised in Donegal by his grandparents believing them to be his biological parents, when in fact the woman he believed was his sister was actually his mother. Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 5 Vote(s) - 3.4 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Page: 1 2 Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart Laserz let there be light User ID: 361628 06-18-2018 03:16 AM Posts: 40,974 Post: #1 Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart Advertisement While no official details have been released, the incident is happening at the Walmart on Littlerock Rd SW, located near several businesses, including a Home Depot and a Toyota dealership. KING 5 crews are en route to the scene. https://www.king5.com/article/news/local...-565164739 Darren Gossler of Elma was in the store when the shooting started. He tweeted: "I was in the dairy section. Heard about 5 or 6 pops. Ran out a side emergency exit and attempted to run to my car in the parking lot but heard 4 more pops in the lot. Caught a quick glimpse of a male with what appeared to be a handgun http://www.theolympian.com/news/local/ar...62194.html #BREAKING: a SHOOTING at the #Tumwater Walmart. Thurston County dispatch tells me at least two people shot, could be more. Scene started outside and ended up inside. Fire department is calling this a mass casulty incident. Im on my way. @KIRO7Seattle https://twitter.com/DeedeeKIRO7/status/1...5697433602 Emergency operators confirm there has been a shooting at the Walmart in Tumwater involving multiple victims.While no official details have been released, the incident is happening at the Walmart on Littlerock Rd SW, located near several businesses, including a Home Depot and a Toyota dealership.KING 5 crews are en route to the scene.Darren Gossler of Elma was in the store when the shooting started. He tweeted: "I was in the dairy section. Heard about 5 or 6 pops. Ran out a side emergency exit and attempted to run to my car in the parking lot but heard 4 more pops in the lot. Caught a quick glimpse of a male with what appeared to be a handgun#BREAKING: a SHOOTING at the #Tumwater Walmart. Thurston County dispatch tells me at least two people shot, could be more. Scene started outside and ended up inside. Fire department is calling this a mass casulty incident. Im on my way. @KIRO7Seattle Laserz let there be light User ID: 361628 06-18-2018 03:23 AM Posts: 40,974 Post: #2 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart Emergency dispatchers in Thurston County told Q13 Fox that it's likely there are injuries, but none were immediately confirmed. Officials said 911 reports indicated shots were fired both inside and outside of the store, according to The Olympian. Tumwater is about an hour's drive southwest of Seattle. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/17/sho...state.html Police in Washington state are responding to reports of a shooting at a Walmart Supercenter in Tumwater.Emergency dispatchers in Thurston County told Q13 Fox that it's likely there are injuries, but none were immediately confirmed.Officials said 911 reports indicated shots were fired both inside and outside of the store, according to The Olympian.Tumwater is about an hour's drive southwest of Seattle. Laserz let there be light User ID: 361628 06-18-2018 03:31 AM Posts: 40,974 Post: #3 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart https://www.kiro7.com/live-stream Live feed: eer ggenoo (no relation) User ID: 444029 06-18-2018 03:32 AM Posts: 76,210 Post: #4 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart : ( Laserz let there be light User ID: 361628 06-18-2018 03:35 AM Posts: 40,974 Post: #5 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart The crime scene is spread out over several locations in town.... starting at a car dealership. First reports claim there are more than one suspect Reports say that one suspect was shot by a civilian. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 446425 06-18-2018 03:43 AM Post: #6 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart Fork Wrote: (06-18-2018 03:35 AM) The crime scene is spread out over several locations in town.... starting at a car dealership. First reports claim there are more than one suspect Reports say that one suspect was shot by a civilian. Score one for the good guy with a gun. Hopefully it was a fatal wound Score one for the good guy with a gun. Hopefully it was a fatal wound Laserz let there be light User ID: 361628 06-18-2018 03:43 AM Posts: 40,974 Post: #7 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart Dispatchers received several calls reporting gunfire at the Walmart on 5900 Littlerock Road SW around 5 p.m. The ordeal began with a fight in the parking lot and went inside the store, dispatchers said. http://komonews.com/news/local/police-re...er-walmart It's unclear how many have been wounded or what the conditions were of any victims, but initial reports were that two people had been shot, according to Thurston County dispatchers.Dispatchers received several calls reporting gunfire at the Walmart on 5900 Littlerock Road SW around 5 p.m. The ordeal began with a fight in the parking lot and went inside the store, dispatchers said. The Ghost Of LOP Registered User User ID: 267068 06-18-2018 03:46 AM Posts: 41,954 Post: #8 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart Thank you online ordering for bringing to my door. Now I remember why I don't like to go places to shop any more..Thank you online ordering for bringing to my door. I am so confused !!! Laserz let there be light User ID: 361628 06-18-2018 03:47 AM Posts: 40,974 Post: #9 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart The Ghost Of LOP Wrote: (06-18-2018 03:46 AM) Now I remember why I don't like to go places to shop any more.. Thank you online ordering for bringing to my door. Mr ifnoc nli lop guest User ID: 446487 06-18-2018 03:47 AM Post: #10 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart Somebody shoot these patriotically oriented sycophant! LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 446072 06-18-2018 03:51 AM Post: #11 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart Tumwater, WA is home to a population of 21,684 people, from which 97.6% are citizens. The ethnic composition of the population of Tumwater, WA is composed of 17,291 White residents (79.7%), 1,342 Two+ residents (6.19%), 992 Hispanic residents (4.57%), 954 Asian residents (4.4%), and 768 Black residents (3.54%). LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 446425 06-18-2018 03:55 AM Post: #12 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart LoP Guest Wrote: (06-18-2018 03:51 AM) Tumwater, WA is home to a population of 21,684 people, from which 97.6% are citizens. The ethnic composition of the population of Tumwater, WA is composed of 17,291 White residents (79.7%), 1,342 Two+ residents (6.19%), 992 Hispanic residents (4.57%), 954 Asian residents (4.4%), and 768 Black residents (3.54%). Yeah it's just down the road from me, quiet town, lotta state offices since the late 90's there. Yeah it's just down the road from me, quiet town, lotta state offices since the late 90's there. eer ggenoo (no relation) User ID: 444029 06-18-2018 03:56 AM Posts: 76,210 Post: #13 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart LoP Guest Wrote: (06-18-2018 03:51 AM) Tumwater, WA is home to a population of 21,684 people, from which 97.6% are citizens. The ethnic composition of the population of Tumwater, WA is composed of 17,291 White residents (79.7%), 1,342 Two+ residents (6.19%), 992 Hispanic residents (4.57%), 954 Asian residents (4.4%), and 768 Black residents (3.54%). ??? ??? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 446425 06-18-2018 03:57 AM Post: #14 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart DUI suspect tried to carjack a guy at walmart and a civilian shot and killed the suspect. Two victims shot, suspect dead. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 446425 06-18-2018 03:59 AM Post: #15 RE: Shooting at Tumwater Washington Walmart Imagine that a good guy with a gun stopped a bad guy from hurting anyone else. There are still those who do the right thing. HOOAH Advertisement Update - 6.35pm: 16-year-old Ahmed Salah has been found safe and well. Gardai would like to thank the public for their assistance. Earlier: Boy, 16, missing in Dublin since Friday Gardai are seeking the public's help to find 16-year-old Ahmed Salah. Ahmed is missing from the Templeogue area in Dublin since Friday, June 15. Ahmed is 182cm in height, medium build, brown eyes and black hair. When last he was wearing black jeans, black shirt, dark grey jacket and a wool hat. Anyone with information is asked to contact Terenure Garda Station on 01 666 6400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station. Digital Desk A Cork man has revealed his own journey from hell after a drunken passenger on a Ryanair flight vomited all over him. Conor Lyden was travelling on board a Ryanair flight from Cork to Malaga on May 27 which took off at approximately 3pm. He told Joe Duffy's Liveline show how he noticed a passenger at the boarding gate, who was heavily intoxicated, attempting to board the plane with two full alcoholic drinks in his hand. Mr Lyden said the man was told that taking the drinks on board would not be allowed but was then allowed to finish them quickly in the presence of airport staff and then board the plane. The Cork man revealed that when on the plane the man was extremely disruptive before the flight even began to move with staff having to tell him to be quiet and to sit down on several occasions. Mr Lyden revealed how the man then proceeded to vomit all over him, down his chest and his laptop. "He came stumbling down the aisle behind me and vomited all over my head, down my front and my laptop which is no longer working." Mr Lydon then revealed how he had to sit for the next two hours of the flight without a change of clothes. The Cork man's story is the latest in a series of issues around alcohol on flights and has raised questions about the ability of passengers to access alcohol before and during flights. In a statement, Ryanair said: Cabin crew on board this flight provided assistance to the customer in question, who confirmed their laptop was working normally. Our customer service team have since liaised with this customer and asked them to submit and receipts for dry cleaning expenses. "As the largest airline in Europe, Ryanair's number one priority is the safety of our customers, crew and aircraft and has a zero-tolerance policy towards alcohol and disruptive behaviour. Ryanair does not allow intoxicated passengers onboard our aircraft. We operate strict guidelines for the carriage of customers who are disruptive or appear to be under the influence of alcohol. "Its completely unfair that airports can profit from the unlimited sale of alcohol to passengers and leave the airlines to deal with the safety consequences. This is a particular problem during flight delays when airports apply no limit to the sale of alcohol in airside bars and restaurants. "This is an issue which the airports must now address and we are calling for significant changes to prohibit the sale of alcohol at airports, particularly with early morning flights and when flights are delayed. - Digital Desk By Ann O'Loughlin A secondary school which expelled a first year male pupil over an incident in a locker room with a female student has been given permission by the High Court to challenge a decision overturning his expulsion. The court heard the boy was suspended last December following an incident in the locker area of the school in which the female student said something happened which was inappropriate. No further details of the incident were given in court. The board of management initially suspended the boy and later expelled him. His parents appealed the decision to the Department of Education which appointed a committee under Section 29 of the 1998 Education Act (known as a "Section 29 Committee) to consider the appeal. The committee overturned the board's decision and the board then sought a judicial a review in the High Court. Counsel for the school said the Section 29 committee was obliged under the Act to reconsider the decision of the board of management but what had happened in this case was it had looked at whether the suspension procedures, taken before the expulsion decision, were correct and had decided they were not. This is not the function of the Section 29 committee, counsel said. The boy's parents had not attended the first meeting of the board when the expulsion decision was made but had turned up for a second meeting where the decision was confirmed. It had also been indicated by the boy's mother that her son was being withdrawn and a place in another school would be found for him. As a result of the Section 29 committee decision, he returned to; the school for a few days at the end of the last term his year. The school was anxious to have the matter dealt with by the High Court before the beginning of the new school term in September, the court was told. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan granted leave to seek judicial review and said, because of the urgency of the matter, it should come back before him next week. The application, which was against the secretary general of the Department of Education and Skills and members of the Section 29 committee, with the mother as a notice party, was brought on an ex-parte , one side only represented basis. Nothing can be published to identify the boy or the school, by order of the court. Ireland is the second worst country in Europe when it comes to tackling climate change, with Poland at the bottom of the pile. That is according to Climate Action Network, which examined efforts by EU members in setting ambitious climate and energy policies and reducing carbon emissions. An Irish nurse helping migrants on the rescue ship the Aquarius says 'vulnerable people should not be used as pawns in a political game'. The ship was turned away from Italy and Malta last week, before finally reaching sanctuary in Spain. Passengers on board included unaccompanied children, pregnant mothers and torture victims. Nurse Aoife Ni Mhurchu helped to care for hundreds of refugees on board. She says it was a reckless decision to turn them away. "It was an anxious time for the people on board because the ship was actually stopped halfway between Malta and Italy [for] 24 hours," she said. The people on board were very fearful that they would be returned to Libya. We even had one man who had to be briefly sedated because he was a victim of torture and he was very concerned that we were going to return him to Libya. Ms Ni Mhurchu says politics was put before the lives of these people, some of whom were very ill. "The majority of these were chemical burns which required wound care, regular analgesia throughout. "Then with the deteriorating weather conditions, it was just really challenging because we had to move everybody inside the ship. We adapted the workspace, we adapted the sleeping area, but it was quite difficult because even for people to move out to the toilet they had to climb over each other. Digital Desk By Jessica Magee A homeless man who repeatedly stole toothbrushes from Boots despite being arrested several times has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. Mareks Treinovskis (32) went into the Grafton Street branch of Boots pharmacy eight times last year to steal electric toothbrushes and razors worth a total of 4,323, a court heard. None of the toothbrushes were ever recovered. However, after one theft, gardai apprehended Treinovskis outside the Grafton Street store and seized almost 400 worth of stolen Gillette razors from him. Passing sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today, Judge Melanie Greally asked the investigating garda if anything particular had drawn the accused to the Grafton Street branch of Boots. The garda replied that Treinovskis kind of figured out that the security guard at the Grafton St store did not start work until 11am, and that all of the thefts had taken place between 8.30am and 9am. Treinovskis pleaded guilty to four counts of theft carried out between February 20 and September 25, 2017. A further four counts were taken into consideration. The investigating garda told Tom Neville BL, prosecuting, that Treinovskis was first arrested in April last year after being identified on CCTV carrying out two separate thefts of Braun electric shavers and an electric toothbrush. He was remanded on bail but continued to steal Oral B electric toothbrushes and razors from the store three more times before being arrested again last September. Treinovskis was again charged and remanded on bail but carried out three further thefts of toothbrushes at the store until he was arrested a final time and went into custody last November. He has 56 previous convictions, all of which were dealt with at District Court level, including theft, criminal damage and road traffic matters. Aoife O'Halloran BL, defending, said Treinovskis had stolen the goods to feed his heroin addiction. She said her client had arrived in Ireland from Latvia during the Celtic Tiger and had worked in construction for eight years. Ms O'Halloran said Treinovskis had been drinking with friends a number of years ago and had been offered a joint which he thought was cannabis, but turned out to have been laced with heroin. Since then, she said, Treinovskis had struggled with heroin addiction on and off but was now clean of all drugs and attending a treatment programme at Merchants' Quay. The court heard that Treinovskis has a young daughter with whom he has intermittent contact although he would like to remedy this. Judge Greally accepted that Treinovskis had had a good work record and good relationships, but that his addiction to heroin had rendered all of that part of his past. She said although Treinovskis claimed to be drug-free, she had no evidence to support this. Treinovskis was sentenced to 18 months on all counts, backdated to November 11, 2017. A business analyst from Co Meath will be sentenced next month for raping a woman he met on an online dating app. Martin Sherlock, of Athlumney Wood in Navan, Co Meath admitted hearing the woman say "no" but claimed it was consensual. Mr Sherlock and the woman arranged to meet at her home in Dublin in August 2015 after meeting on an online dating app called Badoo. She wasn't sure if he was actually going to call on the night in question and was getting ready for bed after having consensual sexual relations with another man when Mr Sherlock contacted her to say he would call over for a chat. His trial heard there was some consensual kissing but she told him she did not want to have sex with him without a condom. She said she asked him to stop but eventually just decided to let it happen in the hope he would go home afterwards. On his way out, he stole her mobile phone and sold it to a shop in Dublin city where it was later recovered by gardai. Sherlock was living with his girlfriend at the time and his now fiance pleaded for leniency at his sentence hearing today. In her victim impact statement, the woman said she was shocked when she heard he was living with his girlfriend and said she felt like an idiot. Sherlock was taken into custody this afternoon and will be sentenced on July 2. A spokesperson for the Badoo dating app said: "As the world's largest social discovery network, we endeavour to facilitate meaningful connections and pride ourselves on the safety of our users. We enforce strict verification processes, continual moderation across the app and take a zero-tolerance approach to negative behaviour. "We urge our users to report anything untoward whilst using the platform, and to treat all face-to-face social interactions with an air of caution, as they would in any other day-to-day circumstances. We have a 24/7 support team in place, and are here to advise whenever we are needed. The safety of our users is our number one priority." - Digital Desk By Isabel Hayes & Brion Hoban A Marks and Spencer employee who stole nearly 25,000 in cash from the shop floor over a three-month period has been jailed for six months. John Downes (56) of Belville Court, Johnstown Road, Cabinteely, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five counts of stealing cash from the store's Dundrum branch between April and July 2016. Judge Martina Baxter sentenced Downes to two years' imprisonment with final 18 months suspended, provided he keep the peace and be of good behaviour on his release. Garda Michael Lynch told Eoin Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that Downes started working for Marks and Spencer in November 2014. On July 7, 2016, a store security guard was watching CCTV footage when he saw Downes, who was working on a till, put a number of cash bills in his pocket. Downes then transferred the money to his sock. When confronted by the security and the store operations manager, Downes initially denied stealing any cash, before he eventually produced 650 in notes that he had taken from the till. He said it was his first time stealing from the store. He was suspended on full pay pending an investigation. Gardai investigating the case found Downes was driving a BMW car with a 152 registration plate. They also discovered 950 in cash in his bedroom, which he admitted he had taken from the store. When interviewed by gardai, Downes made full admissions to stealing the cash over a period of time. He told them he was in a considerable amount of debt due to the breakdown of his marriage and the closure of his printing business. The total amount stolen was 24,650. Downes took the money on 54 separate occasions. He said he was severely depressed and struggling to make ends meet, Gda Lynch said. Downes also apologised for his actions and said he was ashamed and remorseful. He told gardai: I've never been in trouble before and that it was a few moments of madness. He has since repaid the money to the store. Tom Neville BL, defending, said his client was under severe financial difficulties at the time of his offending. His print business closed in 2015 and he also had to move out of the family home following the breakdown of his marriage. He had a number of outstanding debts, including rent and management fees. Because he had been self-employed, he had trouble accessing social welfare support. He does not have a private pension. Mr Neville said his client was extremely remorseful for his actions and had gone to great efforts to ensure he repaid his former employer. The court heard the BMW he was driving had been leased and he no longer has it. Judge Baxter said Downes' guilty plea and his co-operation with gardai were mitigating factors. She said that the crime was exacerbated by the "breach of trust" it represented. The sentence was backdated to March 23 of this year when Downes was first remanded into custody. Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 2 Vote(s) - 1 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Leave. EU faces new questions over contacts with Russia spo snouou Vocem sine nomine audivit! User ID: 350320 06-18-2018 04:38 AM Posts: 67,593 Post: #1 Leave. EU faces new questions over contacts with Russia Advertisement Quote: Wigmore kept trying to make the point that their contact with the Russian embassy was around social occasions, but we believe it went much further. On the surface, these documents didnt hold any interest to the Russians, so why did they appear to pass them on? And why then deny it? Why did they mislead the committee about the true nature of their relationship? What are they trying to hide? The Observer has also seen what appears to be a discussion between the Leave.EU social media team and Wigmore and Banks in March 2016, three months before the referendum. On 11 March 2016 the Russian embassy put out a press release attacking Philip Hammond, the then foreign secretary, for suggesting that the only country who would like us to leave the EU is Russia. Ian Lucas, Labour MP for Wrexham, who is also on the committee, said: There has been a coordinated attempt to attack, bully and intimidate anyone asking questions about this, including MPs. But what the evidence is showing is an intimate business relationship with a hostile foreign government that was being built up in the period before the summer of 2016 that needs to be in the public domain. The Observer has seen a series of exchanges that suggest a picture of communications between the embassy and the Leave.EU campaign running up to the referendum which continued in the period after Farage became an active supporter and campaigner for Trump. In October the Russian ambassador, Alexander Yakovenko, was identified by US special counsel Robert Mueller as a high-level intermediary between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. The documents about Cottrells arrest appear to have been handed over during a period in which Trumps campaign manager, Paul Manafort, had his business dealings in Ukraine exposed and was replaced by Steve Bannon. The New York Times published a story about a secret ledger of payments to Manafort that were paid via the British Virgin Islands, Belize and the Seychelles on 14 August 2016. On 19 August, the day that Bannon became campaign manager, Wigmore and Banks were invited to lunch at the embassy with Yakovenko. And on 20 August, documents suggest, Wigmore appears to have sent the papers about Cottrells arrest. A few days later Farage, along with Wigmore and Banks, travelled to meet Trump in Mississippi, where he introduced the crowd to Mr Brexit and promised to deliver Brexit plus. more: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018...dy-wigmore Trump and Brexit, joined at the hip. more:Trump and Brexit, joined at the hip. spo snouou Vocem sine nomine audivit! User ID: 350320 06-18-2018 04:45 AM Posts: 67,593 Post: #2 RE: Leave. EU faces new questions over contacts with Russia Arron Banks and Brexits offshore secrets Quote: By 2015, as the Brexit referendum neared and Banks political fortunes went from strength to strength, Southern Rock was teetering on the edge. The rescue, when it came, was dramatic. ICS Risk Solutions, a holding company on the Isle of Man, agreed to pump 77.7 million into Southern Rock to save it from collapse. In return, ICS would take a slice of the Gibraltar companys future income. The capital injection allowed the loss-making Southern Rock to meet new EU solvency regulations for insurance companies, described by Banks as a good example of something no one really wants being imposed by Brussels. Because Banks owned both ICS and Southern Rock, it is not clear where the new money came from. But the arrival of the funds coincided with changes to the management of ICS. Corporate records show that in April 2015, the day before the initial rescue deal, Louise Kentish, the wife of STMs boss, joined the ICS board. On 24 June 2016, the day after the referendum, Alan Kentish followed, along with two other new directorsthe former and current chairmen of STM. Bankss ties to Kentish and STM go back to at least 2004, when Kentish became a founding director of Southern Rock. Banks in turn invested in STM and was its largest shareholder before selling his stake in early 2015. More recently, Kentish, Banks and another STM founder co-invested in Legal Protection Group, a broker of insurance for lawyers and doctors that operates from Bankss Bristol headquarters. The arrival of Bankss longstanding STM contacts at ICS at the time it found the money to save Southern Rock suggests they may hold the secret to the real source of the bailout funds that ensured Banks financial survival as he pumped millions into Leave.EU. Public records suggest there may be an undeclared shareholder in ICS. Banks has said he owns 90 per cent of the company, with management and staff holding the rest. But the filings state he owns lessbetween 50 per cent and 75 per centwith no information on the remainder. Banks declined to answer questions about the holdings. SourceMaterial understands that Gibraltars Financial Services Commission is closely monitoring the arrangement between ICS and Southern Rock. STMs spokesman, who also responded on behalf of Kentish and the other STM directors, said the rescue did not involve STM in any way. He also suggested the bailout was spread over several years to mend the balance sheet without a single large cash injection. He did not address the origin of the funds. Offshore controversies Alan Kentish with colleague Therese Neish. Image, YouTube, fair use Kentish and STM specialise in keeping secrets. A core line of STMs business is setting up offshore trusts, opaque financial structures that make it difficult to trace who ultimately owns the assets in them. In 2002 STM was sued by the UK tax authorities after it set up a trust for an alleged fraudster suspected of masterminding a 100 million VAT scam. Kentishs arrest in Gibraltar, after which he resigned as a director of Legal Protection Group and ICS, is one of several subsequent brushes with the authorities. Early in 2017, STMs Gibraltar offices received a visit from local regulators, who didnt like what they saw. Later that year they told STM they were fundamentally concerned about its compliance with anti-money-laundering rules, according to Gibraltar court filings. STM tried to block publication of the proceedings, the documents show. Particularly worrying to the regulators was the use of STM services to invest pension savings in the Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund, which collapsed in 2016 and is now under investigation by the UKs Serious Fraud Office. Angie Brooks, a director of Pension Life, an advocacy group for pension holders, said that STM should have spotted the red flags in the pension debacle. It was the most toxic mix imaginable. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong and it should have been prevented." STM denies any wrongdoing and is not under investigation itself. Liquidators are attempting to salvage the funds but savers have potentially lost millions. Ukrainian politician It wasnt just Gibraltar. In 2015, STM became the first company in Jersey to be prosecuted for money-laundering compliance failures. STM was managing operations for Henley & Partners, whose business includes helping rich foreign nationals acquire citizenship of tax havens in return for investmentand whose chairman reportedly has ties to Cambridge Analytica, the election advisor accused of misusing Facebook data and entrapping politicians to skew elections around the world. more: https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/brexiti...-secrets-0 more: spo snouou Vocem sine nomine audivit! User ID: 350320 06-18-2018 05:41 AM Posts: 67,593 Post: #3 RE: Leave. EU faces new questions over contacts with Russia nationalism, sectarianism, tribalism and populism Strategos Against Dystopia User ID: 441784 06-18-2018 05:45 AM Posts: 9,565 Post: #4 RE: Leave. EU faces new questions over contacts with Russia spo snouou Wrote: (06-18-2018 04:38 AM) Quote: Wigmore kept trying to make the point that their contact with the Russian embassy was around social occasions, but we believe it went much further. On the surface, these documents didnt hold any interest to the Russians, so why did they appear to pass them on? And why then deny it? Why did they mislead the committee about the true nature of their relationship? What are they trying to hide? The Observer has also seen what appears to be a discussion between the Leave.EU social media team and Wigmore and Banks in March 2016, three months before the referendum. On 11 March 2016 the Russian embassy put out a press release attacking Philip Hammond, the then foreign secretary, for suggesting that the only country who would like us to leave the EU is Russia. Ian Lucas, Labour MP for Wrexham, who is also on the committee, said: There has been a coordinated attempt to attack, bully and intimidate anyone asking questions about this, including MPs. But what the evidence is showing is an intimate business relationship with a hostile foreign government that was being built up in the period before the summer of 2016 that needs to be in the public domain. The Observer has seen a series of exchanges that suggest a picture of communications between the embassy and the Leave.EU campaign running up to the referendum which continued in the period after Farage became an active supporter and campaigner for Trump. In October the Russian ambassador, Alexander Yakovenko, was identified by US special counsel Robert Mueller as a high-level intermediary between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. The documents about Cottrells arrest appear to have been handed over during a period in which Trumps campaign manager, Paul Manafort, had his business dealings in Ukraine exposed and was replaced by Steve Bannon. The New York Times published a story about a secret ledger of payments to Manafort that were paid via the British Virgin Islands, Belize and the Seychelles on 14 August 2016. On 19 August, the day that Bannon became campaign manager, Wigmore and Banks were invited to lunch at the embassy with Yakovenko. And on 20 August, documents suggest, Wigmore appears to have sent the papers about Cottrells arrest. A few days later Farage, along with Wigmore and Banks, travelled to meet Trump in Mississippi, where he introduced the crowd to Mr Brexit and promised to deliver Brexit plus. more: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018...dy-wigmore Trump and Brexit, joined at the hip. Why do you hate brexit? Why do you hate brexit? Strategos Against Dystopia User ID: 441784 06-18-2018 05:46 AM Posts: 9,565 Post: #5 RE: Leave. EU faces new questions over contacts with Russia spo snouou Wrote: (06-18-2018 05:41 AM) nationalism, sectarianism, tribalism and populism Pride month is tribalism. Pride month is tribalism. spo snouou Vocem sine nomine audivit! User ID: 350320 06-18-2018 05:54 AM Posts: 67,593 Post: #6 RE: Leave. EU faces new questions over contacts with Russia Strategos Wrote: (06-18-2018 05:45 AM) Why do you hate brexit? By Sonya McLean Update: Lowry told previous hearing 'alarms bells went off' over company accounts The jury in the trial of Michael Lowry has heard he told a previous hearing alarms bells went off when he realised in 2006 that there was no clear record in his company's accounts of a 2002 payment. It is the State's case that the Independent TD's company, Garuda Ltd, received Stg 248,624 (372,000) in commission from Norpe OY, a refrigeration company based in Finland, in August 2002. It is alleged that Mr Lowry arranged for this payment to be made to a third party, Kevin Phelan, residing in the Isle of Man, and therefore it didn't appear in the company accounts for that year, nor did he declare it as income. It is further alleged that the accounts were then falsified in 2007 to reflect that the payment was received in 2006. Mr Lowry (64) of Glenreigh, Holycross, Co Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four charges of filing incorrect tax returns on dates between August 2002 and August 2007 in relation to a sum of Stg 248,624 received by his company, Garuda Ltd and one charge in relation to failing to keep a proper set of accounts on dates between August 28, 2002 and August 3, 2007. He further pleaded not guilty on behalf of Garuda Ltd to three similar charges in relation to the company's tax affairs and one charge of failing to keep a proper set of accounts on the same dates. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury has been hearing transcripts from an appeals commission at which Mr Lowry successfully challenged a 1.1m tax bill raised against him personally and his company Garuda Ltd. Transcripts from Mr Lowry's testimony before the appeals commission hearing in April 2015 were read out by Remy Farrell SC, prosecuting. Mr Lowry said that in 2002, he wasn't as focused on his business as he should have been. There were many distractions, he said, adding that there was also a general election in May of that year. The jury had previously heard from tax inspector Henry Oliver in the investigation unit of Revenue that he looked into the 372,000 payment in August 2013 and assessed it as an emolument, a wage or salary, earned by Mr Lowry. He said on that basis, he determined that Mr Lowry owed income tax on the figure and Garuda owed PAYE and PRSI on the sum. He assessed the total owed to Revenue, including penalties and fine, as being 1.1m. Mr Lowry told the hearing that commission from Norpe OY due to Garuda in 2002 was diverted for his own personal benefit. He said it should have been treated in the accounts as a repayment to him from Garuda. He had earlier told the hearing that he had lent the company money in anticipation of a tax bill but he wasn't sure if the liability would fall on him personally or Garuda. He said by August 2002, he believed the money owed to him - as reflected in the Director's loan account - was 450,000. Mr Lowry accepted that the director's loan account from year-end 2001 didn't reflect that he had been due that much money but he said he knew he was in credit. I recalled putting the money into the account, he said. Mr Lowry said in the summer of 2002 the assessment was raised by Revenue and it became obvious that the tax liability fell on Garuda and not on him personally. Referring to the commission paid by Norpe, he told the hearing; I lent the money to the company and I was clawing it back when it became available to me. He said he knew that he personally instructed Norpe to make the payment to Kevin Phelan but said he was not able to recall how this was accounted for in Garuda's books. He said he put Mr Phelan in contact with Norpe to facilitate the payment. Mr Lowry told the hearing that alarms bells went off in September 2006, four years later, when he realised there was not a clear record of receipt of the money. He said he rang his accountant, BBT, and informed them that the payment was missed. Mr Lowry said he was told nothing could be done until the year-end, when the accounts were due to be finalised. I simply made a request and they (BBT) rectified the situation. As to the mechanics of it, I didn't have a say in that, he told the hearing. He said on January 15, 2007, a letter was drafted by BBT and he was asked to sign it. The jury had previously heard that this letter stated while the payment from Norpe OY was paid directly to Mr Lowry, it was properly due to the company and therefore should be reflected in the 2006 accounts. It instructed the accountants to set the payment against the director's loan. The trial continues before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury of eight men and three women. Earlier: Woman feared she was going to be killed by burglars as tax inspectors searched Lowry's house, court hears By Sonya McLean A woman who was in Independent TD Michael Lowry's home when Revenue officers raided it was startled and feared she was going to be killed by burglars, a jury has heard. Shelia Hanley, an inspector of taxes, searched Mr Lowry's home on July 23, 2013 on foot of a search warrant, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told. She told Michael O'Higgins SC, defending the TD, It's obviously an unwelcome surprise. She was sufficiently upset that I gave her a glass of water. She did think we were burglars until she said she heard a woman's voice. She rejected the suggestion that the woman, who was unaware officers had entered the house, was crying and saying please don't kill me. Certainly not, Ms Hanley said, before accepting that if the woman had said this, it was never reported to her. She agreed that the woman had been startled. She agreed that Mr Lowry's clothes were searched but couldn't confirm if his underpants had been, although she acknowledged that her colleagues would have searched all drawers, including ones in the bedrooms. She agreed that she and her colleagues were allowed into the gated premises by a tradesman who had been servicing the boiler. She said she rang the doorbell a number of times but there was no answer. A garda, who was there with her, gave her Mr Lowry's mobile number and she called it but there was no reply. Ms Hanley said she was the informed that a door at the back of the premises was open and she and her colleagues decided to enter the house. She instructed a member of the team to text Mr Lowry stating: I am Shelia Hanley. I am a Revenue officer. I am at your house. Please attend. She accepted a suggestion from Mr O'Higgins that if they had not found an open door, she would have made more strenuous efforts to contact him (Mr Lowry) . She added she was not under any obligation to wait for Mr Lowry as the warrant entitled her to enter the house and use force if necessary. Ms Hanley also accepted that an officer was probably searching through the cutlery drawer, adding: People keep documents in drawers. She acknowledged that a small sheaf of documents had been recovered from the house and accepted they were not of evidential value. It is the State's case that Mr Lowry's company, Garuda Ltd, received Stg 248,624 (372,000) in commission from Norpe OY, a refrigeration company based in Finland, in August 2002. It is alleged that Mr Lowry arranged for this payment to be made to a third party, residing in the Isle of Man, and therefore it didn't appear in the company accounts for that year, nor did he declare it as income. It is further alleged that the accounts were then falsified in 2007 to reflect that the payment was received in 2006. Mr Lowry (64) of Glenreigh, Holycross, Co Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four charges of filing incorrect tax returns on dates between August 2002 and August 2007 in relation to a sum of Stg 248,624 received by his company, Garuda Ltd and one charge in relation to failing to keep a proper set of accounts on dates between August 28, 2002 and August 3, 2007. He further pleaded not guilty on behalf of Garuda Ltd to three similar charges in relation to the company's tax affairs and one charge of failing to keep a proper set of accounts on the same dates. The trial continues before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury of eight men and three women. Billionaire Gina Rinehart has thrown her hat in the ring to buy mining minnow Atlas Iron. But rival Fortescue, which holds a 19.9 per cent stake in Atlas, is not walking away, with chief executive Elizabeth Gaines saying the miner was "assessing our options". Redstone Corp, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mrs Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting, on Monday made a cash takeover bid pitched at 4.2 a share, valuing the company at $389.7 million. Gina Rinehart has lobbed a bid for Atlas Iron. Mrs Rinehart last week revealed she had built a 19.96 per cent stake in Atlas after fellow billionaire Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group amassed a similar stake. It remains to be seen how Mr Forrest will respond to Mrs Rinehart's latest move, whose bid trumps the $280 million scrip-based takeover proposed by Mineral Resources in April. South32 says its $US1.3 billion cash offer for Arizona Mining, unveiled on Monday, is a response to the best opportunity that the mid-tier miner has assessed in its three-and-a-half year lifetime. The BHP spin-off is already a major shareholder in Arizona with 17 per cent of its shares, and South32s chief executive Graham Kerr said his company was the natural owner of Arizonas Hermosa project. The directors of Arizona Mining unanimously recommend voting in favour of the transaction. Credit:Peter Braig Arizona Mining is a Canadian-listed company focused on the Hermosa Project, a zinc, lead, silver project located in Arizonas Santa Cruz county. South32 said the Hermosa project was located close to key infrastructure in an attractive mining jurisdiction", with proximity to energy, road and rail. The project was also well positioned for Atlantic and Pacific customer markets. It also makes a lot of sense from a ratings point of view. Before the show's sudden cancellation, ABC had been enjoying huge audience figures, the likes of which it hadn't drawn in decades. As Deadline reported in April, after the Roseanne reboot debuted in March it quickly became the number one program in the United States - a position not held by an ABC show since Who Wants to Be a Millionaire claimed top spot in 1999. It was also the first show from the network show since Home Improvement - we're talking 24 years ago now - to win the key demographic of 18-49-year-old viewers across North America. For one thing, such a broad audience range would likely indicate a mix of new and returning viewers, which clears the path for ABC to focus the spin-off on the younger Roseanne characters, as has been rumoured. For another thing, ratings like that don't come around all that often. While executives pushing the revival would have been cautiously optimistic about the show's success, it's safe to say the actual figures it pulled in far exceeded expectations. It's not much of a stretch, then, to assume ABC would be very keen to get their cash cow back into a key timeslot on American TV schedules. Of course, as a source quoted by the paper noted, the spin-off deal still hinges on Barr's sign-off, and insiders are wary of her "volatile disposition". Colin Winchester was shot dead in his car. At 41 years old, intelligent and physically fit, Mr Eastman felt he had been left on the "scrap heap". Mr Thangaraj said Mr Eastman was not flush with cash, and the public service was not only where the man felt best-suited, but was a way out of the public housing flat he had found himself living in. But as his battle to return the public service continued, Mr Eastman was accused of assaulting a neighbour. Mr Thangaraj said Mr Eastman feared the consequences of a conviction for his return to the public service. The Crown case against Mr Eastman is circumstantial, and prosecutors drew out the threads of evidence that would make up their case against him. Police search the scene for clues on January 12, 1989, after Colin Winchester's murder. Credit:Canberra Times They pointed to a motive in Mr Eastman's frustrating attempts to return to the public service and the assault of his the neighbour, Andrew Russo, and resulting charge of assault. There were his efforts to buy a gun in the months before the alleged murder, and Mr Eastman's eventual purchase of what prosecutors say was the murder weapon - a Ruger 10/22 - from Louis Klarenbeek. The murder weapon was never found. Prosecutors also raised questions about Mr Eastman's unsatisfactory responses to police when asked where he was the night of the murder. The police investigation was, Mr Thangaraj told the jury, unsurprisingly, the largest in Canberra's history and one of the biggest in the country. Mr Thangaraj said the investigation followed hundreds of leads, and the Crown would address the other potential suspects in the killing that were eventually ruled out, including the Mafia. The Mafia, he said, would not buy a weapon from a man who sold guns from a Queanbeyan backyard and advertised in The Canberra Times, nor would they walk down the street with it over their shoulder. The court further heard the murder weapon had been fitted with a silencer, however, two shots had been heard on the night of Mr Winchester's alleged execution. Mr Thangaraj said the killer had used supersonic ammunition, which created a sound as it broke the sound barrier, irrespective of whether a silencer had been fitted. This was not the work of a professional, he said, as the shooter had used ammunition that defeated the purpose of the silencer. Prosecutors will rely, too, on Mr Eastman's own mutterings to himself, captured by listening devices planted in his flat during the police investigation. The trial also heard that in the months before Mr Winchester was killed, Mr Eastman allegedly told his solicitor he would kill the police officer and the ombudsman. He wrote a letter to a confidant Irene Finke, telling her that he would probably kill someone to get attention paid to "the injustice that's been done to me", the court heard. And Mr Thangaraj said that weeks before Mr Winchester's alleged murder, Mr Eastman met with the police chief and shadow attorney-general, wanting them to drop the assault charges against him. It was his life, and a better living situation, that were at stake. But the meeting did not go well for Mr Eastman, the prosecutor said; he felt he was"fobbed off". He came to believe police were to blame for the charges, and that they had behaved corruptly. "Mr Eastman had a new enemy, and his rage a new outlet," Mr Thangaraj said. Mr Thangaraj said within weeks of that meeting, Mr Eastman "bought the murder weapon". Mr Eastman wanted revenge, the prosecutor said, and he threatened to get back at police. He wanted to murder Mr Winchester before the hearing for the assault on January 12, Mr Thangaraj said. Mr Eastman told his general practitioner Dr Dennis Roantree that the police should be taught a lesson. "The police were taught the harshest of lessons, Mr Thangaraj told the jury, "and Mr Eastman made good on those threats." There is a difference of more than 3 million trips a year between Brisbanes most and least popular bus routes. At a Brisbane City Council 2018-19 budget information session, public and active transport chairman Adrian Schrinner revealed the performance of some of Brisbane's bus routes. The Blue City Glider bus carried $2.8 million people in 2017. Credit:Michelle Smith Route 66, which travels along the busway to connect the University of Queensland and the Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital, was Brisbanes most popular bus route, carrying 3.1 million people a year. A Monday-to-Friday loop service running from Deagon to Shorncliffe had the lowest patronage, with 1968 passengers in a year. Melbourne Express, Tuesday, June 19, 2018 Were sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss A $1 million house in Melbourne's south-east has been trashed by a group of youths during an out-of-control party. Partygoers tore plaster off the walls, kicked in doors, ripped up carpet and smashed bottles inside the house which was rented out through Booking.com. Walls kicked in Credit:Seven News Drugs were also found inside the Mimosa Road house in Carnegie on Saturday night. Its terrible, we are heartbroken, Yuki Chan, a friend of the owner, told Channel Seven. The boy was hit while the car was travelling at a low speed near Shelley Street, and he was rushed to hospital with minor injuries. Just half an hour later a car ploughed through the front fence of a home in Brunswick Junction in the South West, and a truck crashed into a power pole in Bentley. Western Power was called to the scene in Bentley to attend to wires that became dislodged from the pole during the crash and no one was injured. A crash in Leeming forced the closure of the right lane, while a crash near Hutton Street in Osborne Park brought traffic to a standstill on the Mitchell Freeway just after peak hour. The Kwinana Freeway is also currently recovering after a crash near Bateman caused the closure of the emergency lane. Of all the violent deaths of women, the death of Eurydice Dixon, the 22-year-old rising comic, is one we can embrace when we signal our opposition to violence against women. We see it's not her fault. A stranger allegedly killed her and no one could predict that. It could not have been her fault. In the contemporary era, the story of Eurydice Dixon begins with Anita Cobby, the kind and beautiful nurse, also murdered by strangers. Janine Balding. Jill Meagher. Even school teacher Stephanie Scott who knew her murderer only in passing. To us all, these are senseless deaths, unexpected. And so infrequent they fulfil that strange news criterion of the odd, the unusual. Eurydice Dixon, whose body was found on a soccer field in the city's inner north. So we do the small and the manageable to gain control and mastery over this hideous life. We share those photos, we go to vigils. We insist that the police and journalists use the appropriate language. Well, good, small, manageable. But I challenge you to do more than that now. For every time you tut and tsk at the use of language, or the reliance on policing women's behaviour, do one more thing. Challenge the structures which allow this to happen. Insist your local politician knows how many women are killed each year. Ask why they refuse to fund that most basic of needs, safe shelter; why they refuse to fund the struggle to stop violence against women. The Barr government is at risk of "tax leakage" as residents escape across the border to avoid rate rises, economic analysts have warned. The exodus could also damage the ACT's economy in the longer term, according to a Pegasus Economics review of the 2018 budget. Treasurer Andrew Barr hands down the 2018 ACT Budget. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong The government again hiked rates in its latest budget as part of a broader transition away from stamp duty to broad-based land taxes. While stamp duty will be abolished for certain first home buyers next year, rates for detached homeowners will rise on average by 7 per cent, while unit owners face an increase of 10 per cent. Wayne Swan has pledged to steel Labor to better "fight conservative fire with fire", after the former treasurer was emphatically elected as his party's next national president, easily defeating the Left incumbent, Mark Butler. Mr Swan's surprisingly strong win came from running a campaign that many Labor members saw as pitched to the left of Mr Butler - a fact that has raised some eyebrows. Labor MP Wayne Swan in his Parliament House office after being named Labor's new national president on Monday. Credit:Alex Ellighausen The former deputy prime minister immediately used his win to slam the Turnbull Coalition government as hostage to a right-wing ideology in which Australia was treated as a business rather than a society. Acknowledging that he had hardened his antipathy to the business sector after his bitter experiences as a treasurer seeking to introduce a mining super profits tax, he said it was clear most corporations were "brutally selfish" and many refused to understand their responsibilities to the national interest. 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. Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen took to Twitter late in the day in an effort to clarify the administration's handling of undocumented immigrant children. First Lady Melania Trump, herself an immigrant, made a rare foray into policy matters on Sunday with a statement that the US must be a country that "governs with heart". President Donald Trump's policy of separating immigrant children from parents who illegally cross the Mexican border threatens to balloon into an election-year headache for Republicans, as the President's administration struggles to explain and defend a practice questioned even by his wife. US President Donald Trump's wife Melania has tweeted her opposition to the separation of children from their parents at America's southern border. Credit:AP "We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period," Ms Nielsen said in one tweet, a statement that contradicts the President. Mr Trump has acknowledged that the policy exists, but has refused to accept responsibility for it, instead pinning the blame on Democrats. Several prominent Democrats, meanwhile, spent Father's Day crisscrossing the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to meet US border authorities and tour detention centers for apprehended children, including a former Walmart store that's been converted into a shelter for nearly 1500 immigrant boys. A delegation to McAllen, Texas, was led by senators Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Senator Merkley hasn't ruled out running for president in 2020, while Senator Van Hollen is in charge of Senate Democrats' 2018 campaign committee. "What the President has discovered is this policy, which he put in place six weeks ago, is creating an uproar among the American people," Senator Van Hollen said in an interview in Brownsville, Texas. "This is something that transcends politics. This is about moms and dads imagining their children being taken from them." Trump administration officials say the policy is intended to deter undocumented immigrants from making the trek to the US border with their children. But the President himself has repeatedly blamed Democrats, citing an unspecified law that he says requires children to be taken from parents who cross the border illegally. Loading Whats happening at the border is new, too. For most of US history, migrants could cross the southern border freely. In the mid-20th century, new restrictions were added, but border crossings werent a big deal. Crossing the border without authorisation was (and still is) a minor crime literally, a misdemeanour. Being in the country illegally isnt a crime at all, but a civil violation. You could technically be arrested for an unauthorised crossing, but unless you were involved in serious criminal activities, you were let out on bond and able to move freely with your family. As the border has become increasingly militarised over the past few decades, thats changed a bit but not much. Under the Obama administration, generally only migrants with criminal records were incarcerated and fast-tracked for deportation. And refugees were treated in accordance with international law: allowed to apply for asylum and settle in the country as they awaited the adjudication of their status. When masses of unaccompanied minors approached the border in 2014, the Obama administration set up facilities where they could be housed until they were united with family or moved into foster homes. The Trump administration has upended all of that. By creating a zero-tolerance policy that requires all border-crossers even asylum-seekers to be immediately imprisoned, they have created a situation in which all children are taken from their parents. (For humanitarian reasons, children cannot be held in detention centres in the US.) And they are doing so intentionally. Sessions has vigorously defended the policy, as has chief of staff John Kelly, who calls it a tough deterrent. Trump himself seems mostly interested in using the policy as leverage to get a border wall. Even First Lady Melania Trump has argued that, while she "hates" that families are being torn apart, she believes people must "follow all laws". Latest News Spending surge felt across several industries as NSW reopens CBA Even luggage stores are experiencing an 830% increase SocietyOne inks warehouse funding deal with Westpac Big Four bank steps in to provide personal lender with $200m warehouse As the Australian Banking Association (ABA) kicks off its campaign to end elder financial abuse, one non-bank says weve all got a part to play. The ABA has joined forces with National Seniors, the Council on the Ageing, the Older Persons Action Network and the Finance Sector Union to head up a drive for change. The campaign hopes for change to allow bank staff to properly detect and safely report elder financial abuse. Currently there is no one place in Australia for staff to report suspected abuse. In February, Australias banks renewed their push for change and called on the federal, state and territory governments to have key policy changes decided by Christmas. These changes are: standardised Power of Attorney orders across state and territories, an online register of Power of Attorney Orders, and a designated safe place for local bank staff and members of the public to report suspected abuse. Brokers are well positioned to spot financial abuse, particularly when it comes to dealing with reverse mortgages. Pensioners are able to take out funds against their property for a number of reasons, including holidays, living expenses or just as a buffer to live comfortably. But Heartland Seniors Finance has encouraged its staff to look carefully for red flags and make sure these requests add up. CEO Andrew Ford said the bank has seen many examples of elderly people trying to take out loans after falling for offshore scams. While the company is not a member of the ABA it strongly supports what the association is campaigning for, in particular providing that clear place to go when there are concerns. Ford added, Weve got a really strong duty of care for our customers that goes beyond regulatory requirement to make sure that were doing everything we can to detect and prevent elder financial abuse. Brokers need to make sure theyre playing their part and look out for anything unusual or anything that indicates potential financial abuse. For us it involves taking extra care when theres a power of attorney involved or if doing a reverse mortgage and theres gifting involved. Look out for those potential red flags. If they are there then I would recommend talking to the customer and trying to get them alone, or thats probably a chance to talk to the Australian Banking Association about what they should do there. If a broker becomes aware of something, we recommend they talk to an elder financial abuse hotline in each state. Its about the behaviour. Some of it comes down to the purpose of what theyre looking to borrow for and then also the behaviour of the applicant or a family member. Really it comes down to that and the broker using their experience and intuition to say, does this add up? If it doesnt, as what were required to do under our duty of care and under our regulatory environment, is to make reasonable enquiries to verify those. Related stories: Reverse mortgages securing aged care places Reverse mortgage plans a positive step FBAA commissions reverse mortgage training Latest News Spending surge felt across several industries as NSW reopens CBA Even luggage stores are experiencing an 830% increase SocietyOne inks warehouse funding deal with Westpac Big Four bank steps in to provide personal lender with $200m warehouse Two New South Wales mortgage brokers are the latest franchise owners to join the team at MoneyQuest. The national mortgage brokerage will now have a presence in Wollongong and Dubbo, with businesses run by Paul Wright and Matt Wright. The pair began broking in 2002 and 2003 respectively and in 2017 wrote $175million worth of loans between them. Paul Wright said, I joined MoneyQuest to be able to work alongside people I know and trust who have the experience and runs on the board to assist with the continued growth of my business. I continue to have big expansion aspirations and it was important to partner with a branded group that really does walk the talk. Matt said, Firstly, I have a great deal of trust in the management team. They offer many years of experience, a high level of integrity and have great respect in the industry. I also believe they understand the day to day challenges of brokers, especially in todays challenging environment. The business employs several experts in their field, particularly with regards to operations and marketing support. MoneyQuest managing director, Michael Russell, said, We are thrilled to welcome aboard two franchises with such an outstanding reputation. Both Paul and Matt are pillars in their respective communities and allow us to take the MoneyQuest brand proposition into two thriving regional centres. I have had the pleasure of working with both Paul and Matt in a prior role and am very excited to have that opportunity once again. Related stories: Brokerage unveils four new appointments Mortgage franchise adopts rapid loan technology BDM moves to fintech to grow online referrals Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC A woman was killed and her son critically injured in a traffic accident on Seaview Avenue in Canarsie on June 12. Shaena Sinclair of Canarsie was walking on the sidewalk with her 6-year-old son at the intersection of Remsen and Seaview avenues around 8:50 pm when the driver of a Toyota sport-utility vehicle slammed into the passenger side of a Honda sedan making a left turn onto Remsen Avenue, police said. That crash made the driver of the Honda lose control, jump the curb, and then slam into Sinclair and her son on the sidewalk, according to cops. Paramedics found Sinclair unconscious and unresponsive, and her son conscious but with a head injury. Both were rushed to Brookdale Hospital, where Sinclair was pronounced dead and he son was listed in critical condition, authorities said. The 6-year-old was listed in critical but stable condition, with a head injury, said a police spokesman. The incident is under investigation by the Police Departments Collision Investigation Squad, and there have been no arrests, the spokesman said. Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC Preservationists are crying foul play after a blaze tore through a vacant Red Hook warehouse on Thursday night, just weeks after a coalition of locals asked the city to landmark the building. The 1886 structure known then as the S.W. Bowne Grain Storehouse on the Red HookGowanus border is currently owned by a developer, and is among a few dozen buildings Gowanusuars proposed be landmarked before officials vote on a plan to rezone part of their neighborhood, which is why the late-night flames seemed cause for alarm, a landmarking advocate said. The timing of the fire immediately on the heels of outreach to the owner paints it in an incredibly suspicious light, said Gowanus Landmarking Coalition member Brad Vogel. New Yorks Bravest rushed to quench the inferno at the Smith Street warehouse on the banks of the Gowanus Canal at 11:15 pm, finally extinguishing it 30 minutes past midnight, according to a Fire Department spokesman, who said marine units also battled the blaze from the fetid waterway itself. Flames tore through the top two floors of the four-story building between Creamer and Bay streets, but injured no one, according to firefighter Chris Berke. The ancient warehouses owner, developer the Chetrit Group which is behind a Chrysler-building-sized skyscraper rising Downtown and the slow-going restoration of Brooklyn Heightss Bossert Hotel filed preliminary paperwork to raze it last September, roughly three years after the Department of Buildings issued a full-vacate order for the structure in 2014, warning it was unstable and could collapse, according to an agency rep. But Buildings Department officials couldnt sign off on the warehouses demolition because the application submitted last year was incomplete, an agency rep said. And locals started to suspect something nefarious was up when someone spotted a sneak doing possibly illegal work on the old buildings roof earlier this month, according to the Red Hook councilman, who blasted Chetrit Group brass for neglecting the warehouse and demanded fire marshals determine and disclose the cause of the recent inferno. It occurred after the community raised alarms about recent, potentially illegal construction activity on the roof, and after my office and community leaders took steps to start landmarking the building, said Councilman Carlos Menchaca. The Chetrit Group has created a local nuisance for many years. The Buildings Department rep said its inspectors did not investigate the accusation of illegal work at the site, which was made via 311 on May 18, roughly a month before the fire. A rep for the developer didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. 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. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz said on Monday that all its diesel models in India from now on will have engines which comply with Bharat Stage (BS) VI emission norms. The company, which launched Mercedes-AMG S 63 Coupe starting at Rs 25.5 million, has already launched one BS VI compliant diesel model S-Class ( S 350 d) in the country in February this year. "Going forward, all the diesel engines we plan to launch in the country will be BS VI compliant only. The government deadline of April 2020 does not pose any challenge for us as we are way ahead of that timeline," Mercedes-Benz India VP Sales and Marketing Michael Jopp told PTI. The company also plans to upgrade its petrol models to BS VI going ahead, he added. "From a volume perspective, we consider diesel more important as 75 per cent of our current sales come from diesel models. That is why we are focussing on diesel engines first," Jopp said. When asked if the technology upgrade would also lead to increase in product prices, Jopp said: "There will be a price increase for the new cars because of the additional cost of the technology." He said however that the company is yet to work out the exact details of the price increase for future models. assembles all its diesel engines at its Chakan (near Pune) facility. The company has already invested around Rs 22 billion on the plant till date. Jopp said the company's BS VI diesel engines can run on BS IV fuel which is currently available across the country. "The technology which we are using in our engines is superior and it does not require BS VI fuel. So we can sell models across the country. We have extensively tested our vehicles with BS IV fuel last year to make sure there are no issues," Jopp said. emission norms are set to be implemented in India from April 2020. When asked about sales growth expectations in the country, Jopp said the company expected to log in double-digit growth this year as well. Last year, the company had sold 15,330 units to record 16 per cent sales growth over 2016. In the first quarter of the current year, the company has already sold 4,556 units, a 25 per cent growth over the same period of last year. On the latest launch, the company's 7th product introduction in the country during the year so far, Jopp said: "With the launch of AMG S 63 Coupe, we are further strengthening our lead in the performance and dream car line-up in India." The model comes with a new 4.0-litre V8 bi-turbo engine which can help the sedan accelerate from standstill to 100 Km/h in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of 300 km/h. The Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) recently released a report on the impact of seasons and other external factors on viewership. For the purpose of this analysis, the agency has considered the 15 years and above segment as the target group (TG) since the kids TG has not been considered to maintain consistency in analysis. Quarterly trends The April-June quarter is traditionally the least performing quarter, as the viewership is seen to dip during this period. This could be because of summer vacations in schools and colleges combined with a possible increase ... Indias annual campaign at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity (Cannes Lions) will begin on Monday. It will be the first edition when the advertising event will take place for five days, as opposed to nearly eight days earlier. While Indian agencies will be looking to put up a strong show after a haul of 40 Lions (trophies) last year, the spotlight will be on the Pandey and Akali brothers. Piyush and Prasoon Pandey will be conferred a lifetime achievement award, called the Lion of St Mark, on the last day of the festival. The celebrated admen are the first ... The Income Tax Department on Monday filed a review petition in the Madras High Court challenging an interim verdict asking it to provide copies of prosecution sanction order and its complaint to the family members of former union minister P Chidambaram, facing charges of not disclosing some foreign assets in their tax returns. In another related development, the department also filed a counter to the petitions filed by Chidambaram's wife Nalini, son Karti and daughter-in-law Srinidhi and a firm, challenging the complaints filed on May 11 in a court here for alleged non-disclosure of assets in the 2016-17 returns. The department has initiated prosecution for 'non-disclosure' of a property at Cambridge in the UK and with regard to certain investments in Nano Holdings LLC in the USA by the petitioners. Passing the interim order on the petitions on June 12, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice P T Asha had directed the I-T Departmant to furnish copies of the sanction order for prosecution against them under the black money act and the prosecution complaints lodged in a court here. The petitioners, including Chess Global Advisory, a company linked to Karti, have challenged the prosecution, contending that the person who issued the sanction for prosecution was not the competent officer and the court in which the prosecution complaint had been filed was also not the competent forum. In its review petition, filed on June 14, the department contended that the sanction order was an administrative order and had been filed along with the complaint in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court. It would be served on the assesses (petitioners) by the court concerned as per the procedure contemplated under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) on their appearance pursuant to the summons, the I-T Department said. It further submitted that the request of the assesses vide a May 14 letter to the Income Tax authorities to furnish the documents was rejected by an order on May 21. They have not filed any petitions against the rejection order and the interim application filed by the assesses are beyond the scope of a writ petition. The I-T Department in its counter said that as per Section 55 of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, the Principal Commissioner of I-T was one of the authorities whose sanction was required for launching the prosecution. As amended later, the Principal Director of Income Tax or Principal Commissioner of Income Tax was one of the I-T authorities authorised to sanction prosecution. The powers of the Principal Director of the I-T are co-terminus with that of the Principal Commissioner. Hence, the contention of the petitioners that the Principal Director was not the competent officer had no merits, the counter said. On the petitioners' argument that they had filed revised return of income disclosing the assets, it said the object of the black money act was not only assessment of total undisclosed foreign asset and income of an assessee, but also true and full disclosure of such assets to be disclosed voluntarily by a resident assessee in the returns. It was consequent to the receipt of the I-T notice seeking details about the properties abroad that the petitioners filed the revised return, it submitted. Even if the revised return replaces the original return for the purpose of assessment, the proceedings and events resulting in providing the cause of action leading up to the revised return do not get obliterated, the counter said. The benefit under sect 139(1) under the I-T Act related to revised return was not available to the petitioners, who "deliberately omitted" to submit details of foreign assets, it claimed. On the argument that the CMM court was not the competent forum, the counter said as per rules no court inferior to that of a metropolitan magistrate or magistrate of first class shall try any offence under the black money act. Since the prosecution complaint had been filed before the CMM court, the contention was not tenable on merits, it added. Bilateral ties between India and China can't take the strain of another episode, envoy to India said on Monday, emphasising on the need to find a "mutually acceptable solution" on the boundary issue through a meeting of the Special Representatives. The envoy said at an event here that "some Indian friends" had suggested a trilateral summit comprising India, China and Pakistan, which was a "very constructive" idea. Dwelling on Sino-Indian ties, he said it is quite natural to have differences but they need to be controlled and managed through cooperation. "We need to control, manage, narrow differences through expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutually acceptable solution through Special Representatives' Meeting while adopting confidence-building measures," he said. "We cannot stand another (sic)," the envoy said. He was delivering a keynote address on 'Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India Relations Go' at an event organised by the Embassy here. Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day stand-off at the tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China between June to August last year. One of the immediate fallouts of the Doklam stand-off was the suspension of the Yatra from Nathu-La side and the annual military exercise between the two countries. China also did not give the hydrological data of the Brahmaputra and the Indus river that originates in Chinese Tibet. The envoy today said China will continue to promote religious exchanges and make arrangements for Indian pilgrims going to in Tibet. Post-Doklam, there have been frequent high-level engagements between the leaders of the two countries. This year alone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met twice in the last two months in Wuhan and Qingdao. Luo said the two leaders are also likely to meet on the sidelines of the Summit and Summit later this year. He noted that security cooperation is one of the three pillars of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an eight-member grouping also comprising India, China and Pakistan. The envoy said the proposal of India, China and Pakistan holding a trilateral summit was "very constructive". Leaders of China, Russia and Mongolia hold a similar meet, he noted. "This is a proposal suggested by some Indian friends and it is a very a good and constructive idea. Maybe not now, but in the future, that is the great idea." The envoy added that relations between India and China have gone beyond the bilateral scope. "We need to enhance coordination and cooperation in SCO, and join hands to tackle social challenges," he said. Responding to a question on India-China cooperation in Afghanistan, Luo said the two countries have identified a programme to train Afghan public servants and diplomats. "This is a first step and in future, there is more...," he said. In the informal summit between Modi and Xi at the Wuhan, the two countries had agreed to work jointly on an economic project in Afghanistan. Is Prime Minister expected to respond each time a "dog dies in Karnataka", Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik asked in a reference to the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, drawing a furious reaction from the Congress today. Muthalik made the comment during an interaction with the public here yesterday. "Everyone is saying that Hindu groups conspired to kill Gauri Lankesh, but two murders in Maharashtra and two in Karnataka took place during Congress' rule," he said, referring to the killings of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, Left leader Govind Pansare, Kannada writer M M Kalburagi and Lankesh. "No one questioned the Congress government's failure... instead these Left-leaning intellectuals ask Prime Minister to speak on Gauri Lankesh's death," he said. "Do you expect Modi to respond every time a dog dies in Karnataka?" he asked. The remark comparing the slain journalist to a dog was disgusting, said Congress spokesperson and asked if Modi was going to condone these remarks. "Disgusting, nauseating, revolting... vigilante group Sri Ram Sene's Head Pramod Muthalik compares assassinated journalist to a dog." "Mr Prime Minister @narendramodi you did not condemn Gauri Lankesh's murder are you now going to condone this too," Tiwari said on Twitter. Clarifying that he did not mean to compare Lankesh to a dog, Muthalik today said he only wanted to know if the prime minister should react to each and every death (in the state). The Sri Ram Sene came under the police scanner after the Special Investigation Team probing the murder case recently summoned Rakesh Math, the Vijayapura district president of the fringe right-wing outfit, for questioning. Distancing himself and his organisation from Parashuram Waghmare, the prime accused in the Lankesh murder, Muthalik said, "There is no connection between Sri Ram Sene and Waghmare. He is not a member of the organisation." Gauri Lankesh, a Left-leaning journalist and a strong critic, was shot-dead from a close range by motorbike-borne assailants in front of her house on September 5 last year. Her murder had triggered nationwide outrage. The government plans to expand its to one lakh seats, and will also set up India's largest National data centre in Bhopal, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Monday. "We want to make India a hub for BPO movement," Prasad said at a conference to highlight the achievements of IT and Electronics Ministry over the last four years. The government will increase the capacity under the to one lakh seats from the current 48,000 seats, he said, adding that initiative has not only created new job opportunities but also ensured that people in smaller towns find employment closer home. "BPOs are going to start soon in smaller cities like Gaya and Gazipur...They are already operational in Guwahati, Muzaffarpur, Patna and other places...in all 91 in 27 States...So our efforts that youth should find employment near their cities and towns, have materialised," the minister said. Allocation of 31,732 seats for BPO units operating from smaller towns have created new employment avenues with potential to offer nearly 200,000 direct and indirect jobs to youth under India and North East BPO promotion scheme, he added. Prasad also said that the fifth 'National Data Centre' - the largest of such centres - will come up in Bhopal with capacity of five lakh virtual servers. The National Data Centres - that host government websites, services and apps - are currently operational at four locations - Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi and Bhubaneswar. Prasad last month, had inaugurated the cloud-enabled National Data Centre in Bubaneswar, which is spread over 40,000 square feet. The data centre will host new as well as existing applications of Central and state governments with ability to support 35,000 virtual servers. "Bhopal data centre is important as India is becoming big centre of data...the huge population has become digitally reliant. We want to create a robust data centre...NIC is working on it," the minister said. National Informatics Centre (NIC) provides technology support to governance services and hosts nearly 10,000 websites of the government. A senior NIC official said that the work on new Bhopal centre has already started and it will be operational in two years or so. The minister further said that 12.3 million rural adults have been trained so far under Pradhan Mantri Digital Saksharta Abhiyan. This includes 6.3 million candidates who have already received their certification. Commenting on the digital payments initiative, the IT ministry said that the monthly BHIM-UPI transactions touched a record high of 19 crore transactions worth 270 billion in April 2018. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government is committed to meet the target of 3.3 per cent for the current fiscal, interim Finance Minister said. The government will maintain stability in the and meet all economic parameters fixed by the government, he said today at an event in New Delhi. "I can assure that we will meet the target of 3.3 per cent, despite this being an election year," he said. stood at 3.53 per cent of the GDP, broadly in line with the government's revised estimates for 2017-18. The revenue deficit was 2.65 per cent of the GDP. In absolute terms, the fiscal deficit was Rs 5.91 trillion, or 99.5 per cent, of the estimates. The government, in the in February, had revised the for 2017-18 to 3.5 per cent from the earlier estimate of 3.2 per cent. Can a stranger know everything about me, even my secrets, without my knowledge? This is a common question in netizens' minds in the post-Facebook-Cambridge Analytica episode. India stands at an important juncture on data security as former Supreme Court judge B N Srikrishna, who is heading an effort to draft new privacy laws, is likely to send a Bill to the government by the end of this month. According to Bloomberg, a committee headed by Srikrishna was set to send its Bill last week. Now, reports have emerged that the submission has been delayed. Here's what you ... Google will invest $550 million in Chinese e-commerce powerhouse JD.com, part of the US internet giant's efforts to expand its presence in fast-growing Asian markets and battle rivals, including Amazon.com. The two companies described the investment as one piece of a broader partnership that will include the promotion of JD.com products on Google's shopping service. This could help JD.com expand beyond its base in China and Southeast Asia and establish a meaningful presence in US and European markets. Company officials said the agreement initially would not involve any ... Boeing has reorganised its sales operations as part of a push into services that has helped it take a lead over rival jet maker Airbus this year. Boeing set up a standalone division in 2017 to build a $50 billion business in services for civil and defence aircraft. These can include repairs, crew rostering, parts and even wind forecasts. It previously offered fewer, more dispersed services. Now sales of jetliner services have been brought under the same umbrella as plane sales, headed by senior vice president Ihssane Mounir, Boeing Co's overall commercial sales ... The "zero-tolerance" border security policy implemented by President Donald Trump's administration has sparked outrage on both sides of the political aisle and took on particular resonance as America celebrated Father's Day. Democratic and Republican lawmakers upped the ante on the thorny issue of the separation of migrant children from their parents at the US border, as First Lady made a rare political plea to end the deeply controversial practice. The US president's son, Jr, shared pictures of his children and tweeted that he had an awesome father's day. He even wished his father and said that Trump senior is the 'best potus and dad'.Trump has said he wants the separations to end, but continues to blame opposition Democrats for the crisis, which critics say is one of his own making. His wife, who does not often wade into the political arena, did not denounce his administration's policy, but instead called for bipartisan immigration reform to fix the issue. "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," her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN. "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." Immigration is one of the most divisive, hot-button crises plaguing the Trump administration. During one recent six-week period, the government said nearly 2,000 minors were separated from their parents or adult guardians -- a figure that only stoked the firestorm. The number of separations has jumped since early May, when Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that all migrants illegally crossing the US border with Mexico would be arrested, regardless of whether the adults were seeking asylum. Since children cannot be sent to the facilities where their parents are held, they are separated. Some of Trump's fellow Republicans have said the policy must end. "What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you," Senator Susan Collins told CBS television's "Face the Nation" news program. "That's traumatizing to the children who are innocent victims, and it is contrary to our values in this country." Amid deep divisions, congressional Republicans have struggled to craft a viable immigration plan. The Republican-led House of Representatives may vote this week on two immigration measures -- a hardline bill and a compromise measure that would limit legal immigration while also ending family separations. After touring a processing center in McAllen, Texas on Sunday, a group of Democratic lawmakers warned of the "irreparable harm" caused by the separations, repeating a phrase used by the American Academy of Pediatrics. "This new policy of the Trump administration... is undermining the founding values of this country," said Representative David Cicilline. "We saw the fear in the eyes of these children who are wondering when they will see their parent ever again. It's a disgrace, it's shameful and it's un-American. (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.) Opec is discussing a relatively modest production increase before its meeting in Vienna this week, an attempt to bridge the gap between Russias push for a big rise and Irans insistence that no change is needed. While a compromise may be necessary to overcome vocal opposition from Tehran, Baghdad and Caracas, it could mean the resulting supply boost is smaller than oil traders or indeed the US President Donald Trump had been anticipating. 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. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Norms for creating three million tonnes of sugar buffer stock have been notified by the Union Ministry of Consumers Affairs and Public Distribution. According to the notification, instead of buying sugar from mills, the government will finance the cost of sugar and storage will be at mill-owned godowns, along with sugar pledged by mills with banks. It will also bear a finance cost of 12 per cent a year or actual interest charged by the banks, whichever is lower, along with insurance and storage charges at 1.5 per cent a year. What has irked the mills is that the sugar price of ... The Shiv Sena on Monday defended Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has staged a sit-in protest at Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal's office. Terming the protest as "unique", Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut told ANI, "Chief Minister Kejriwal has the right to work for the capital because they are the elected government." He also stated that in an order to express his solidarity, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray spoke to Kejriwal and discussed the ongoing situation in Delhi. "The type of movement Arvind Kejriwal has started is a unique one. Uddhav Thackeray had a conversation with him and said that Kejriwal has the right to work for Delhi because they are the elected government, whatever is happening to them, it's not good for democracy," he said. Kejriwal, along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Cabinet ministers Satyendra Jain and Gopal Rai, has been camping at Raj Niwas since June 11 demanding a direction to the 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 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." However, the IAS Association yesterday refuted the allegation and said that Delhi's bureaucrats are "not on a strike. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is on a hunger strike at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office, was admitted to hospital on Monday after his health deteriorated. Sisodia was taken to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital after his urine ketone level reached 7.4mmol/L during the 'dharna' by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at the Raj Niwas. This came after Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Kumar Jain was admitted to the same hospital on late Sunday night after the hunger strike took a toll on his health. Sisodia, Jain and Kejriwal, along with Cabinet minister Gopal Rai have been on a sit-in strike since last one week. The strike was called to demand a direction to the IAS officers working under the Delhi administration to end their 'undeclared strike', among other demands. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu earlier extended their support to Kejriwal and requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene into the matter. Extending their support to Kejriwal, the four chief ministers held a joint press conference outside Baijal's office on Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) American actress Heather Locklear was hospitalised after she threatened to kill herself. Heather has been taken for a psychiatric evaluation after a family member called the police and said they were concerned about her behaviour. A source close to Heather told TMZ that the 56-year-old was disturbed during the day, following which her parents visited her. That is when Heather got violent, choked her mother and hit her father. Law enforcement sources said that the family member had also called 911 the previous afternoon to report they were concerned for Heather. According to the dispatch audio, the caller claimed Heather was acting erratically and threatening to hurt herself. The caller said that Heather was trying to find a gun to shoot herself, reported TMZ. The 'Melrose Place' actress was then taken to a hospital. Heather's hospitalisation comes three months after she was arrested following an alleged domestic dispute. Her bail was set at 20,000 USD and the 'Spin City' star was soon released. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The two-day visit by Army chief General Bipin Rawat to the AEC Training College and Centre at Pachmarhi ended on Sunday. He was accompanied by his wife Madhulika Rawat, President, Army Wives Welfare Association and a delegation of other officers from the HQs which included Lieutenant General Rajesh Rana,VSM, General Officer Commanding, Madhya Bharat Area and Maj Gen Arun Kumar Vyas, Additional Director General of Military Training (Army Education) amongst others. Prior to the Chief's visit, the then Chief of the Army Staff, Gen VK Singh had visited AEC Training College and Centre in 2012. As AEC Training College and Center is known for imparting training in Foreign Languages and Military Music, on 16 June, a band concert was organised showcasing the martial music skills of the trainees and instructors. Madhulika Rawat also graced the occasion by making her presence during the conduct of Family Welfare activities by Station ladies. The event was also highlighted by an exhibition of creative work by station ladies in which Madhulika Rawat felicitated all the participants. The Chief was briefed about the training infrastructure and courses conducted at AEC Training College and Centre on his two-day visit here. He visited the Foreign Languages Departments where he was shown the state of the art Language Lab, the Map Craft Dept which runs pivotal courses in navigation for the Indian Army and the Dept of English where courses are run for enhancing English communication skills of own personnel as well as from friendly foreign countries. The General Officer lauded the efforts put in by AEC Training College and Centre for integrating latest technologically aided methodology in imparting quality training to all personnel of the elite Indian Army. Known for its astounding beauty and lush green ambience, the Chief was smitten by beautiful scenic location of Pachmarhi hill station. After a fruitful visit the Chief left for New Delhi on on Sunday night. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will observe the 1975 Emergency Anniversary as a 'Black Day'. June 25 marks the day when Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had declared a state of emergency in the country. Senior BJP leaders have often attacked the Congress over the move, branding it as undemocratic and intolerant. Emergency was declared for a 21-month period from 1975 to 1977 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Officially issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352 of the Constitution due of the prevailing "internal disturbance", the Emergency was in effect from June 25, 1975, until its withdrawal on March 21, 1977. The order vested upon the Prime Minister the authority to rule by decree, allowing elections to be suspended and civil liberties to be curbed. The final decision to impose an emergency was proposed by Indira Gandhi, agreed upon by the president of India, and thereafter ratified by the cabinet and the parliament (from July to August 1975), based on the rationale that there were imminent internal and external threats to the Indian state. The Emergency is considered to be one of the most controversial periods of independent India's history. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on Monday proposed a trilateral summit between three neighbouring countries of China, India and Pakistan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Addressing media at the Institute of Chinese Studies, he said, "If China-Russia-Mongolia trilateral is possible then why don't we try working China-India-Pakistan out." Luo further emphasised on 5Cs- communication, cooperation, contacts, coordination and control that can help promote China-India relations. "Now I want to share with you the fields of priority with #5Cs to promote #China-#India relations, namely #communication, #cooperation, #contacts, #coordination, and #control," he tweeted. He concluded by encouraging cultural exchange mechanism in fields of movie, sports, tourism, museum, youth. "China will continue to promote religious exchanges, arrange pilgrims by Indian Yatris to Kailash Manasarovar in China's Tibet," he added. In April this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Wuhan to discuss bilateral issues and narrow down the differences between two Asian giants. They later met at sidelines of SCO and decided that the second round of informal meeting will be held in India next year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday filed a fresh chargesheet against liquor baron Vijay Mallya and United Breweries Holdings Ltd (UBHL) on charges of money laundering. The ED filed a prosecution complaint before a special Mumbai court under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). In its chargesheet, the ED named Mallya, his company Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) and UBHL among others. "These companies were not having any actual activity and independent source of income. Mallya was controlling all the group companies through his office personnel. The Directors in the said companies were namesake or dummy Directors, acting on the directions of office personnel of M/s UB Group, who were at the command of Mallya," read a statement. Mallya, 62, is facing a trial for the UK Court to rule if he can be extradited to India to face charges for financial irregularities involving a total amount of Rs 9,000 crore, as well as money laundering cases. In April last year, Mallya was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant but was subsequently released on bail against a bond worth 650,000 pounds. A month later, the Liquor Baron lost a lawsuit filed in London by a consortium of Indian banks seeking to collect the amount of Rs 10,000 crore amid allegations that he committed massive fraud. A judge ruled that the consortium of lenders, including IDBI Bank, could impose an Indian court's decision against Mallya, who was found to have willfully defaulted on USD 1.4 billion in debt taken by his now-defunct airline Kingfisher. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Communist Party of India (CPI) Secretary Atul Kumar Anjan on Monday condemned the Governors across the country, calling them the Centre's "barking dogs." "Is there any need for having Governors in India when they become barking dogs of the Centre's government in all states? Today its BJP, tomorrow somebody else will be there. Governors need to understand their limits otherwise millions and billions of money will continue to spend on leisure," Anjan told media here. "Ram Naik is not the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. He has opened a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office," added Anjan, when asked about the Aam Aadmi Party's sit-in protest at Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office. Anjan addressed the media after conducting a meeting of the Communist Party of India leaders of the state. He further requested President Ram Nath Kovind to look into the work of all the Governors. "I want to request President Ram Nath Kovind, with whom I share good relation, to make these Governors learn new conduct. Recently you called a meeting wherein Governors from various states came, but they didn't learn anything. It's important to create a new 'Do's and Don'ts' for them," he said. "Something needs to be done otherwise this position will go a level down in the mindsets of people and will only look like a barking dog," he added. Later, while speaking to ANI, Anjan said: "Uttar Pradesh Governor is sitting at a very respectable position. He is sitting in a democratic position. He is destroying the image of his own position. What happened in Goa, Manipur and other places was that not unconstitutional? What all happened in Karnataka that we all have witnessed clearly last month. A similar incident is happening in Puducherry now. He added: "So, now the Governors will dance and bark as per the tunes and directions given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh ji and also the central government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Greece and Macedonia setting aside 27-year-old dispute over the latter's name, signed an agreement that changed Macedonia's name to the Republic of Northern Macedonia on Sunday. This new name for the Balkan state will pave the way for Macedonia's admission to the European Union and NATO. The foreign minister of Greece Nikos Kotzias and his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Dimitrov signed an accord to rename the former Yugoslav republic despite of protests on both sides over a deal seen as a national sellout, The Himalayan Times reported. The deal was sealed in the presence of European and United Nations officials. This move comes a day after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras survived a no-confidence vote mounted by Greece's opposition in parliament over his handling of the dispute. On the same day (June 16), thousands of protesters, shouted "Traitor, traitor!" outside the parliament building, as the lawmakers debated inside. The agreement requires nod of parliaments of the two sides and a referendum in Macedonia. The agreement seems to be in limbo as it faces stiff opposition from the Greek public. The Macedonia's president has also vowed to block the deal. After the deal is approved, Greece will lift its objections to the renamed nation joining the European Union (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." The Himalayan Times quoted Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev as saying. Since 1991, both the countries have been in dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name, arguing it could imply territorial claims over the Greek province of Macedonia, ancient Greek culture and its civilization. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors are keeping the wife of former Pakistani Premier Kulsoom Nawaz on the life support machine for now. The condition of ailing Kulsoom has further deteriorated, as per The Nation. Kulsoom was shifted to intensive care on June 14, after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was then put on life support and is undergoing treatment. Same day, Sharif with his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, had reached London. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday arrived in London to see his ailing sister-in-law. Following the advice by the doctors, Nawaz and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz have delayed their return to Pakistan. The counsels for Nawaz and Maryam have been asked to seek exemption from appearance in the accountability court of Islamabad. With the exemption request, they will also submit Kulsoom's medical report and the doctor's letter. Last week, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had permitted both the father-daughter duo to fly to London. On June 7, they were given a five-day exemption from the appearance before the accountability court in the corruption cases. Meanwhile, the doctors and Sharif family are yet to decide whether to remove Kulsoom's life support or not. Nawaz said, his wife was critical and still sedated. Begum Kulsoom Nawaz has 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.) Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh appealing for higher allocation of funds for drought relief in the state. In a letter to the Home Minister, Kumaraswamy requested a revision of the Centre-approved funds worth Rs 1, 527 crore for Karnataka's State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), as it is only a fraction of what several other states. "Karnataka State is prone to natural disasters like drought, flood, hailstorm, excessive rainfall, lightening etc. In the past 17 years, state has faced 13 droughts of varied intensity. As far as the SDRF allocation is concerned, Karnataka has been allocated only Rs.1, 527 crore for five year period from 2015-16 to 2019-20," the letter read. "Other states such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have been allocated Rs.8,195 crore, Rs.6094 crore and Rs.4847 crore and Rs.3394 crore respectively. Hence, State Government had requested for enhancement of SDRF allocation to Rs.3, 050.72crores," the letter added. Kumaraswamy further said that the Karnataka Government had submitted a comprehensive memorandum on May 7, 2016, requesting for additional allocation. "The State Government had submitted a comprehensive memorandum on May 7, 2016; requesting for an additional allocation of Rs.12, 272.21crore as central assistance for various drought proofing measures," the letter further noted. "Now, the Fifteenth Finance Commission has already been constituted and it is earnestly requested that Government of India should make appropriate recommendation to base the allocation of SDRF on the hazard vulnerability risk profiles of the States," it added. The SDRF is available to states for disaster response and is constituted under Section 48 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The funds are used to meet expenditures for providing relief to victims of disasters. According to media reports, water shortage hit almost all parts of Karnataka earlier in the year and 160 out of the state's 176 taluks were officially declared drought-hit. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's Election Commission on Monday accepted nomination papers filed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's, daughter Maryam Nawaz. Maryam is expected to contest the July 25 elections from two constituencies of Lahore National Assembly (NA) 125 and NA-127. Earlier, Maryam announced that she would contest elections from NA-120, which is considered as the bastion of the Sharif family and was represented by Nawaz himself, and later by his wife, Kulsoom Nawaz. Maryam Nawaz, along with Nawaz Sharif, is currently in London to attend to her mother, who is admitted to a hospital there. Kulsoom is currently on a support machine due to her failing health, after she suffered a cardiac arrest earlier on June 15. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States first lady Melania Trump on Sunday, while weighing on immigration crisis taking place at America's borders, said she "hates to see children separated from their families." "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," her communications director, Stephanie Grisham, told CNN on Sunday. Nearly 2,000 children were taken away from their parents in a six-week period in April and May under the new Trump administration policy. This comes in the backdrop of a new "zero-tolerance" policy on the border announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in April to prosecute immigrants for entering the country illegally, as per media reports. By virtue of this policy, families who crossed together illegally would in some cases be separated, prompting a sweeping outcry from Democrats and immigration advocates. Parents have since been arrested and placed in quick federal court proceedings near the border, while children are placed in shelters. Trump has repeatedly blamed the Democrats for the situation. "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, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!" Trump tweeted on Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chief Dr. Tahirul Qadri on Sunday slammed the country's law by saying that four years after the Model Town tragedy, the accused involved are still roaming free. The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had earlier ordered to announce a verdict in the case within 15 days. His orders, however, were not implemented, Qadri added. "We are not disappointed and we will continue our struggle for provision of justice," Dunya News quoted Qadri as saying. The PAT Chief demanded suspension of the people responsible for the tragedy, claiming that the families of deceased party workers were being harassed by them. The Model Town Massacre, also known as the Model Town tragedy or the Lahore massacre, was a violent clash that happened between the Punjab Police and Pakistan Awami Tehreek activists on 17 June 2014. Several protesters were killed by the police gunfire during the incident, which took place outside the Qadri's residence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Oscar award-winning actor Nicolas Cage walked the red carpet at the Shanghai International Film Festival held this weekend here. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy Award-winner was there to promote his next film project 'Primal'. In a media briefing at the opening ceremony, Cage thanked his Chinese fans for their loyalty. "The Super 8 feeling (personal philosophy of film-making) is what my brother and I used to feel when we made movies in the backyard with the camera our dad bought us when we were kids. I didn't care about awards or money; it was simply because we loved making the movie and telling a story," he said. Cage summarised the movie for the press saying it was a completely original concept and he loved the script the moment he read it. He also brought along an unfinished footage of the movie and said it will be "very exciting in the grand tradition of adventure films." Nicolas has starred in over 80 films and has received an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For over 2.5 years, 19-year-old Zinatu Umar, a schoolgirl from Nigeria, was left bedridden following a near fatal car accident in September 2016. Travelling at the time in a vehicle with her school friends, she was rushed to a local hospital, where primary treatment was administered. The doctors revealed that she had sustained injuries from her hips to her feet and required surgery. Her femur was plated (bone extended from hip to the knee) and a grip was put in place for the hip to function, she was subsequently discharged. In February 2017, she underwent another surgery; local doctors had recommended a corrective procedure for her hip deformity. However, her condition had worsened. Due to lack of technological advancements and expertise, doctors in Nigeria stated that her condition could not be fixed. The young girl had to bear with her hip sticking out of the socket (area of the thigh bone) as the ball and socket had completely shattered. This left her bed bound at home, unable to walk,making her miss school. With hope on any improvement fading, she was being looked after by her father, a civil servant. After some research on the internet, Zinatu and her family with an optimistic approach came to Mumbai where she met Dr Kaushal Malhan, Sr. Knee & Hip Surgeon at Fortis Hospital, Mulund. Post evaluation of her hip and knee, it was found that her hip, the socket and the ball were shattered. Dr.Malhan recommended for her to undergo Total Hip Replacement(THR) and reconstruction surgery. The procedure was conducted reconstructing the hip and socket through grafting of the bone. The surgery was successful with an implantation of the new ball and socket to the affected hip. Talking about the successful outcome, Dr Kaushal Malhan, Senior Knee and Hip Surgeon at Fortis Hospital, Mulund said, "The patient had not gone to school for over a year and was completely bed ridden. She was looked after by her father and sister continuously, not one to give up hope, she pushed herself to get the right treatment. Post-op she is now able to walk by putting half her weight on the knees by using crutches; has been put on medications and will soon return home, start going to school and continue with her further studies." Total hip replacement and reconstructive surgery is a procedure where the damaged ball and socket of the hip joint are completely removed and are replaced with locally available bones. The entire surgery was conducted within 2.5 hours; the patient was monitored continuously post-op and was discharged within a week. Speaking about the treatment provided, Zinatu Umar said," I am unable to express how difficult this phase was for me. The pain has now disappeared and I look forward to walking normally like before. I will soon go back to school and pursue my dream of becoming a doctor. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the killing of veteran journalist Syed Shujaat Bukhari and Army jawan Aurangzeb, the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) said it has not invited ministers or ambassadors of Pakistan. In an interview to ANI, MRM convenor Mohammad Afzal said no invitation will be sent to Pakistan, unless it curbs terrorism. "Considering the condition in Jammu and Kashmir and the rise in terrorism, Pakistan minister sand ambassadors will not be given any invite, unless they stop terrorism. Also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh have clearly stated that bilateral talks and terror attacks cannot go hand-in-hand," he said. To continue the merriment and peace of Eid-ul-Fitr, the MRM - a Muslim wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has organised a program at the Parliament's Annexe building from 3:00 pm on Tuesday. Along with Prime Minister Modi and Rajnath, the forum has also invited many and international Muslim leaders for the event. Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the culmination of the fasting month of Ramzan, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide. The festival is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of Islamic lunar calendar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday once again lashed out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira for supporting Sikh Referendum 2020 and said it was the "imagination of people abroad." Sikh Referendum 2020 has been propounded by Sikh radicals for the creation of Khalistan. "Referendum is the imagination of people abroad. Everybody knows there is no referendum in Punjab. We want peace in Punjab, peace means stability, peace means everything should happen normally," Singh told media here. This is not the first time when Singh criticized Khaira. Over the weekend, Singh condemned him for backing secessionism with his categorical support for Sikh Referendum 2020. In a statement issued on his behalf, the Chief Minister termed Khaira's statement favouring the Referendum as unfortunate and added that the Leader of the Opposition seemed to be indulging in his usual political antics and theatrics, without any sense of the history of Punjab. Meanwhile, on his part, Khaira, earlier in an interview with ANI, clarified that he had never supported the cause. "Someone had published a concocted report in a newspaper. Following that, Capt Amarinder Singh is reacting. The fact is I've contested five elections with allegiance to the Indian constitution. I have never supported the cause of the Referendum," Khaira told ANI. On a similar note, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have demanded the resignation of Khaira for supporting Referendum 2020. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Monday issued a notice to journalist Upendra Rai on the plea of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking cancellation of his bail in connection with a money laundering case. The Court has also sought his reply by July 6 on the CBI's appeal against the trial court's June 8 decision of granting him bail. On Saturday, Rai's Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody was extended by five days in connection with the same. Rai was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), soon after a Delhi court granted him bail in another case registered by the CBI. Earlier, a special CBI court had granted bail to Rai, accused of being involved in dubious financial transactions and holding an airport security pass, issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), by furnishing false information. Rai, whose name figures in two FIRs filed by the CBI, was arrested on May 3. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan is scheduled to appear before returning officer today for scrutiny of nomination papers for NA-53. The court has ordered the PTI chairman to submit a reply over objections raised against his candidacy. Politicians contesting from NA-53 include PML-N's Barrister Zafarullah, Mehtab Abbasi and PTI's Ilyas Meherbaan, Dunya News reported. By Tuesday (June 19), the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will complete scrutinising the nomination papers filed by candidates for upcoming general elections. A total of 21,482 nomination papers have been filed across the country. On June 12, Imran's nomination papers, filed from NA-243 Karachi, were challenged by a citizen named Abdul Wahab Baloch over the Sita White case. The verdict on the petition will be announced on June 19. The PTI chairman has submitted nominations from National Assembly constituencies in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Mianwali. Polling will be conducted on July 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Ram Nath Kovind was accorded ceremonial reception by his Greek counterpart Pavlopoulos at the Presidential Mansion in Athens on Monday. President Kovind, who is on a two-day visit to Greece, held bilateral talks with Greek Prime Minister AlexisTsipras over a range of bilateral issues while focusing on expanding "cooperation in a multilateral arena". He also held a one-on-one discussion with opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in which he highlighted the previous visits by ministers of both countries including the recent one by India's State Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on April 18. During the discussion with Mitsotakis, President Kovind said his visit aims at strengthening the "warm and friendly" Indo-Greece relations. He also spoke of the contributions made by Greece to the human civilizations. Later in the day, President Kovind will attend a business-level meeting in Athens. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Police has filed a complaint and initiated a probe to nab the accused after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Nandkishore Gurjar was attacked by miscreants in Sahibabad. Speaking to ANI, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ghaziabad, Vaibhav Krishna said, "A complaint has been filed. Some shots were fired on the vehicle of the MLA. His private gunner also retaliated. The investigation is underway." The incident took place at around 10.30 pm yesterday near Hindon bridge in Farukhnagar. According to reports, four bike-borne assailants approached near MLA's vehicle and opened fire at him. The MLA was on his way to his native village. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a bid to strengthen India's strategic alliance with Mongolia, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to embark on an official three-day visit to Ulaanbaatar on June 21. After participating in Yoga sessions in Lucknow on the occasion of International Yoga Day on June 21, Rajnath will depart for Mongolia, where he is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with the Mongolian President, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and his counterpart. The representatives of the two nations will discuss key topics such as bilateral relations, security, etc. Rajnath is scheduled to return to India on June 24. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Ram Sene (SRS) president Pramod Muthalik has courted a controversy by comparing slain journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh's death to a dog's death. Addressing a gathering here on Sunday, Muthalik lambasted at critics and said that no one questioned the murder of four journalists in both Maharashtra and Karnataka which took place during the previous Congress government's tenure. "No one questioned the Congress government's failure. Instead, they are asking why is Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi silent and not speaking on Gauri Lankesh's death. Many wanted PM Modi to react after Gauri Lankesh's death. Why should Modi react if some dog dies in Karnataka?" Further, he once again clarified that Parshuram Waghmare, who is the main accused in Lankesh murder case was not associated with SRS. Earlier, a photograph of Waghmare posing with Muthalik had surfaced, causing massive flak. "Sri Ram Sena has no connection with Parashuram. I don't know what has he said before the Special Investigation Team (SIT). There are so many people who click photos with me, just by clicking photos someone will not become a SRS worker," Muthalik told ANI earlier on Sunday. Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said that charge sheet will be filed once the probe in the murder case is completed. "I do not want to reveal anything as the investigation is going on, any statements of mine shouldn't affect the investigation. Once the probe is complete charge sheet will be filed and further process of law will take place," Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru. On June 12, the SIT arrested Waghmare in Karnataka's Sindhagi city, who is suspected to have killed Lankesh. Furthermore, five persons - K.T. Naveen Kumar alias Hotte Manja, Amol Kale, Manohar Edve, Sujeeth Kumar alias Praveen and Amit Degvekar were arrested in connection with the case. For those unversed, Lankesh was shot dead outside her Bengaluru residence on September 5, 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States President Donald Trump on Sunday defended his policy of separating children from their families illegally crossing the southern US-Mexico border. In a series of tweets, he said that children were being used "by the worst criminals on earth" to get into the US. "Children are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country. Has anyone been looking at the Crime taking place south of the border? It is historic, with some countries the most dangerous places in the Not going to happen in the U.S." Trump tweeted. Trump also batted for stringent immigration laws in the country. As per the Voice of America, the migrant children are labelled as "unaccompanied minors" and sent to the government's custody or foster care, while their parents are labelled "criminals" and sent to jail. Trump warned that the US needed to avoid migration problems affecting Europe, adding, "(illegal immigration) crime in Germany is way up." As reported by the Hill, the Trump's immigration policy is facing a backlash from both Democrats and Republicans, who call it inhuman to separate the minors from their families during immigration. Trump is scheduled to meet Republican lawmakers on Tuesday, to address immigration measures including the family separation issues. The issue of forcing children to leave their immigrant families may act against the ruling party, before the November's midterm elections. Earlier in the day, US first lady Melania Trump said that she "hates to see children separated from their families" at America's border. As per several media reports, around 2,000 children belonging to immigrant families have been taken into custody under Trump's administration. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States President Donald Trump, yet again has taken aim at Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Trump while launching a scathing attack at the FBI tweeted quoting Congressman Trey Gowdy, chair of the House Oversight Committee, "The highest level of bias I've ever witnessed in any law enforcement officer." Trey Gowdy on the FBI's own, Peter Strzok. Also remember that they all worked for Slippery James Comey and that Comey is best friends with Robert Mueller. A really sick deal, isn't it?." On a related note, Strzok is willing to testify before the House Judiciary Committee or any other congressional committee without immunity and would not invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in response to questions. Strzok's lawyer, Aitan Goelman, wrote in the letter that his client "has been fully cooperative with the DOJ Office of Inspector General" and "intends to voluntarily appear and testify before your committee and any other Congressional committee that invites him." The recent development comes after the United States Justice Department on Thursday issued a report with respect to the case of Hillary Clinton's mail server. The report drafted by Horowitz retrieved new text messages exchanged between agent Peter Strzok, and FBI lawyer Lisa Page who are considered to be in a relationship, according to several media reports. The report mentioned the texts to be 'disappointing' and said it could lead to the questioning of the integrity of the 2016 Clinton probe. Further, a slew of anti-Trump messages were found to be exchanged between the two via government devices. One of them was about Strzok vowing to 'stop' Trump from being elected just months before the presidential election. On August 8, 2016, Page had sent a message to Strzok asking "[Trump's] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!" and Strzok replied "No. No he won't. We'll stop it." Meanwhile, Comey was fired from his post last year in May by Trump. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress Party on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify who India's Finance Minister really is. "Who is the Finance Minister of India? PMO's website says one thing, Finance Ministry website tells another story. The gentleman designated without portfolio on PMO website, is holding meetings via video conference. Prime Minister needs to tell country who is his Finance Minister," Congress leader Manish Tewari said at a press conference here. As per Prime Minister's Office (PMO) website, Arun Jaitley is mentioned as a 'Minister without Portfolio', while Piyush Goyal has been designated as the minister holding Finance Ministry and Corporate Affairs portfolio. On the other hand, Ministry of Finance's website recognises Jaitley as the Finance Minister. The Congress leader also condemned the Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui's statement endorsing a trilateral summit between India, China and Pakistan to resolve issues. "We strongly condemn the statement of the Chinese ambassador. We hope government of India will also condemn his statement. Our stand has been that the issues between India and Pakistan should be solved bilaterally," Tewari stated. Earlier, Chinese envoy Zhaohui suggested the idea of trilateral cooperation between India, China and Pakistan under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), saying it could help resolve issues. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Estranged Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Chaudhry Nisar cited Kulsoom Nawaz's ill -health for not highlighting the wrongdoings by former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz. "I wanted to [speak openly] about PML-N and Nawaz Sharif, about what has been happening in the past few months, and the role of Nawaz and Maryam, but now is not the time [due to Begum Kulsoom's ill health]," Nisar said while addressing a corner meeting in Rawalpindi, as reported by Geo News. Nisar said that he had carried the burden of Nawaz for the past 34 years and that, "Nawaz and his family are indebted to me. I do not owe [them] anything." He recalled the time when PML (N) was formed as he said that none of the founding members are now in the party. Nisar also depicted a possibility of permanently parting ways with Nawaz, as he had earlier filed his nomination papers from Taxila and Rawalpindi to contest elections as an independent candidate. While supporting his decision of refraining to talk about Maryam and Nawaz while they both are undergoing a difficult period, Nisar said, "I am answerable to Allah, the public, and Nawaz. My opponents should know that I am not alone." Meanwhile, Kulsoom Nawaz has been kept on a life support in the Intensive Care Unit of a London hospital as her health deteriorated after suffering from a cardiac arrest. She 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.) The Bank has approved $700 million to help Bangladesh achieve its for all vision by improving the primary sector. The Quality Learning for All Program (QLEAP) will cover more than 18 million children studying in pre-primary level to grade 5. It will also finance implementation of the government's Fourth Primary Development Program (PEDP4), Dhaka Tribune reported. The Bank praised Bangladesh's progress in improving access to education. "Today almost every child steps into a classroom and eight out of 10 children completes primary education," Dhaka Tribune quoted Qimiao Fan, the Bank country director for Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal as saying. World Bank Team Leader for the project Syed Rashed Al Zayed said the project will build about 95,000 classrooms, teachers' rooms, and multipurpose rooms. It will also build 80,000 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) blocks and 15,000 safe water sources. The projects will provide recruitment to about 100,000 teachers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Key benchmark indices were trading lower in early trade due to negative global cues. At 9:19 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 13.29 points or 0.04% at 35,608.85. The Nifty 50 index was down 4.05 points or 0.04% at 10,813.65. Among secondary barometers,the BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.22%. The BSE Small-Cap index was down 0.03%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was negative. On BSE, 526 shares rose and 545 shares fell. A total of 53 shares were unchanged. Overseas, Asian shares fell as investors digested the escalation in trade tensions between the US and China after both countries announced tariffs last week. Markets in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indonesia were closed on Monday for holidays. Trump administration last week said it will impose a 25% tariff on a list of 818 items of Chinese goods worth around $34 billion beginning 6 July. Measures affecting an additional 284 products worth $16 billion will be subject to review before taking effect. In response, China said a 25% tariff will be implemented on US goods, including soybeans and electric vehicles, worth $34 billion starting 6 July. Another list of US imports worth $16 billion will be subject to review before being applied. US stocks ended lower on Friday, but well off the lows of the sessions as investors looked past signs of escalating Washington-Beijing trade tensions. On the data front, the Empire State manufacturing survey rose 4.9 points in June to a reading of 25, the highest reading since October. Separately, manufacturing production declined 0.7% in May, while capacity utilization dropped to 77.9% from 78.1% in the previous month. Further, the University of Michigan's gauge of consumer sentiment rose to 99.3 in June. Back home, the S&P BSE Sensex, a gauge comprising 30 top shares, is reconstituted today, 18 June 2018. As a part of the rejig, Vedanta has replaced Dr Reddy's Laboratories in the Sensex pack. Vedanta was down 2.20%. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories was down 1.67%. The drug maker announced that following the launch of its generic Buprenorphine and Naloxone Sublingual Film in the US Market, the US District Court for the District of New Jersey has received and reviewed an emergency application from the plaintiffs in the current patent litigation for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Dr. Reddy's Laboratories. The announcement was made on Saturday, 16 June 2018. Pending a hearing and decision on the injunction application, the court has issued a temporary restraining order against Dr. Reddy's with respect to further sales and commercialization of Buprenorphine and Naloxone Sublingual Film within the U.S. The court order does not include a prohibition on commercial manufacturing of the product. The plaintiffs will be required to post a bond or other security totaling $18 million (USO) to satisfy any losses or damages incurred by Dr. Reddy's during the period of the temporary restraining order. The court has scheduled an expedited hearing of the preliminary injunction for Thursday, June 28, and a ruling is expected soon thereafter. The proceeding only involves one patent. Dr. Reddy's remains confident in its legal positions on this patent and believes it will prevail on the issues raised with respect to the application for injunction. Panacea Biotec was up 4.53%. The company along with its partner, Apotex Inc. and Apotex Corp. (Apotex) have entered into a settlement agreement dated 13 June 2018, with Celgene Corporation, a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in USA and its subsidiary Abraxis BioScience, LLC, for settlement of disputes regarding patents covering Abraxane drug product and the company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for paclitaxel protein bound particles for injectable suspension, 100mg/vial, a generic version of Abraxane. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 15 June 2018. PNC Infratech was down 3.22%. The company announced the decision of UP Government to re-invite bids for Purvanchal Expressway. The company has earlier informed on 24 May 2018 that it was declared as L1 (lowest) bidder for the 4th package of the Purvanchal Expressway Project on EPC basis for a quoted price of Rs 1738.44 crore, which now stands cancelled. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 15 June 2018. Kanoria Chemicals & Industries was up 5.69%. The company is setting up a Formaldehyde plant with a capacity of 1,00,000 TPA at Naidupeta, District Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. The company has received the Environmental Clearance for the same from the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 15 June 2018. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday said that all Hindu terrorists caught in the past have had been associated somehow with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). "All Hindu terrorists who have ever been caught have association with RSS in some way or the other. Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, was also part of RSS. "So, this ideology is spreading hatred, hatred breeds violence, and from violence is bred terrorism," he told a media channel. Asked to comment, Congress's spokesman Manish Tewari said he was not aware of Digvijaya Singh's remarks. --IANS vn-sid/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Anupam Kher says depression is still considered to be a taboo, and he hopes to bring a change by doing his bit. The actor has released a video on YouTube encouraging people to overcome depression and not shy away from coming out in the open about the issue. "There is still a taboo associated with depression. People shy away from coming out in the open and discussing it. This even affects not just the victim but their near and dear one's too," Anupam said in a statement to IANS. "A day before my father passed away, he gave me the message of living life to the fullest and that's what I hope to encourage people to do with this video," he added. The actor will soon be honoured with the Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema Award at the 19th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards to be held in Bangkok later this month. Anupam, who has starred in over 500 films including international films, started his career in 1984 with "Saaransh". Over his three-decade long journey in Hindi filmdom, he has also appeared in many acclaimed international films such as the Golden Globe nominated "Bend It Like Beckham", Ang Lee's Golden Lion-winning "Lust", and David O. Russell's Oscar-winning "Silver Linings Playbook". He has also been honoured with the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribution in the field of cinema and arts. --IANS sug/rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rupert Stadler, the Chief Executive of German carmaker Audi, was arrested on Monday in connection with an investigation into the diesel emissions scandal. German prosecutors named Stadler and one other Audi executive as suspects for fraud and false advertisement in the car maker's continuing emissions scandal, Efe news reported. Nicolai Laude, a spokesperson for Audi's parent company Volkswagen, confirmed that Stadler had been arrested but he declined to comment on the investigation. He said the company's supervisory board would soon discuss the matter. "The principle of the presumption of innocence continues to apply to Stadler," he added. Munich prosecutors said they had acted because of risk that Stadler might seek to suppress evidence, CNN said. They added that Stadler would be questioned by Wednesday, once he had spoken to his lawyers. Shares in Volkswagen dropped by 2 per cent in Frankfurt. Prosecutors said last week they had searched Stadler's home for evidence as part of an investigation that has been underway for over a year. The arrest came just days after Germany imposed a $1.2 billion penalty on Volkswagen for rigging diesel engine emissions worldwide. Volkswagen first admitted in 2015 it had rigged millions of diesel engines to cheat on emissions tests. Diesel cars from Volkswagen and its Audi subsidiary cheated on clean air rules with software that made emissions look less toxic than they actually were. Martin Winterkorn, the former chief executive officer of Volkswagen, was indicted in May by US prosecutors. He was charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud American customers and violate the Clean Air Act. --IANS soni/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid growing restlessness over seat sharing for the 2019 elections among the allies of the BJP-led NDA in Bihar, a senior BJP leader on Monday said the party would contest from all Lok Sabha seats it won last time in the state. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Rajender Singh said there would be no compromise on the sitting seats. "BJP would contest all seats it won last time and the seats being represented by the party in the Lok Sabha," he said. In 2014, the BJP had won 23 of 40 Lok Sabha seats and its allies -- Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) -- had won six and three seats, respectively. Interestingly, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had contested 2014 polls on its own and won only two of the 40 seats. After Singh said that the party would not share its winning seat with allies, particularly the JD-U that joined hands with the BJP only last July to form government in the state, JD-U spokesperson Sanjay Singh said if the BJP was confident to win all seats, it did not need any allies. Sanjay Singh advised the BJP leader to avoid making such statements in public ahead of the general elections. There are reports of growing differences among constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over seat sharing for the 2019 polls. Citing lack of coordination in the BJP-led NDA, RLSP chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha earlier this month demanded a decision on distribution of seats among the allies for the parliamentary elections. Soon after, the LJP of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan also said that it would not compromise on the seats held by it and supported the contention of Kushwaha. Two senior JD-U leaders -- Pawan Verma and K.C. Tyagi -- also claimed that Nitish Kumar would spearhead the NDA challenge next year, and later other party leaders said that the party would contest 25 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar as it did in 2009 as an ally of the NDA. Such demands may spell trouble for the NDA in Bihar with regard to seat sharing. Apparently, the BJP is keen to play the "big brother" in the backdrop of its better-than-expected performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. --IANS ik/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Model and Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh has been roped in to endorse the fashionable female wear segment of hosiery brand Dollar Industries, it was announced on Monday. Dollar Industries Managing Director Vinod Kumar Gupta said Chitrangada features in a new ad campaign, shot in Bangkok, that showcases products like leggings, capris and inner wears. The company forayed into the fashionable female wear segment under the brand name Dollar Missy in 2014. "She represents today's elegant and vivacious woman who takes on the world, beaming with confidence. We have recently shot a new ad campaign with her where she showcases our product style with loads of panache," said Gupta in a statement. The company has four manufacturing units in Kolkata, Tirupur (Tamil Nadu), Delhi and Ludhiana, and enjoys a 15 per cent market share in the branded hosiery segment in India. It has recently started business in the African market with Nigeria to enhance export revenue. The company's existing export markets are the Gulf, Middle East and Nepal. --IANS ssp/vd/him/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress "strongly condemned" Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui's pitch on Monday for an India-China-Pakistan trilateral meeting under the SCO framework, and called on the government to do the same. The party also said that all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan will have to be resolved bilaterally in terms of the spirit of the Shimla agreement. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: "We strongly condemn the statement of the Chinese ambassador. We expect the government of India to strongly condemn this unwarranted suggestion which has been made by the Chinese Ambassador. "It seems that the Chinese ambassador is not cognizant about the India-Pakistan paradigm. We have maintained and continue to maitain that whatever issues or whatever outstanding issues there are with Pakistan have to be resolved in a bilateral format." "There is absolutely no place for any third party intervention in so far as India and Pakistan and its outstanding disputes are concerned. "This has been the consistent position of governments across different administrations from 1972 onwards when the Shimla agreement was signed. "There is absolutely no scope of any third party intervention and we stand by the spirit of the Shimla agreement as well as the resolution passed by the Indian Parliament in 1994 and 2013 respectively," he added. On the Chinese Ambassador saying bilateral ties between India and China can't take the strain of another Doklam episode, Tewari said: "Doklam did not happen in Pakistani territory. The stand-off happened in Bhutanese territory. How is the statement even relevant to what transpired in Doklam." --IANS sid/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Monday said the stalemate in Delhi is "extremely unfortunate" while maintaining that opposition unity was important to safeguard the idea of India and "all right thinking, progressive and pluralistic forces must come together". On non-BJP Chief Ministers supporting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's cause, the party said there was still time for 2019 Lok Sabha election and they were observing the situation. "What is happening in Delhi is an extremely unfortunate situation. It is an evolving situation. We are observing the situation very carefully," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari. "I would like to underscore that the basis of opposition unity is the larger cause of safeguarding and furthering the idea of India and for that it is important, it is the demand of time that all right thinking progressive and pluralistic forces must come together... there is still time for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections," he added. 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. Even Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, of the Congress, accusing Lt Governor Kiran Bedi of interfering in the functioning of his state, had supported Kejriwal's sit-in protest. Kejriwal on Monday continued his sit-in protest at the Lt. Governor's (Anil Baijal) residence, urging Modi to "give a green signal" to the IAS officers to end their strike. --IANS sid/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi University colleges on Monday announced their first cut-off list for admission, with Lady Shriram College setting it highest of them all for its B.A. (Programme) course at 98.75 per cent. For its Psychology course, the college set its cut off at 98.25 per cent. Hindu College set the cut-off at 98 per cent for its English Honours and B.A. (Honours) Economics course. The cut-off for Hansraj College was same for Economics as Hindu College, but for English it was a little less at 97.25 per cent. Shri Ram College of Commerce set the cut-off for Economics at 98.50 and for B.Com (Honours) course at 97.75 per cent, lesser than Shivaji College which asked 98 per cent for the same course. --IANS vn/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Centre's Special Representative Dineshwar Sharma on Monday visited the family of slain 'Rising Kashmir' editor Shujaat Bukhari to offer his condolences. Sharma went to Kreeri town of Baramulla district to console the bereaved family who observed the 4th day 'Fateha' (funeral prayers) on Monday. A large number of sympathizers including academicians, members of civil society, mainstream and separatist politicians and civil servants, offered prayers at the grave of the slain journalist. A special investigation team (SIT), supervised by a Deputy Inspector General of Police, is probing the assassination of Bukhari. Three motorcycle-borne assailants fired at Bukhari and two of his security guards in the Press Enclave area of Srinagar on June 15 killing all the three. One suspect has so far been arrested in this case. Sources, however, said the SIT has ascertained the identity of the assassins who are still at large. --IANS sq/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former federal ethics chief Walter Shaub has called on US President Donald Trump to end his migrant policies at the US border, referring to them as "monstrous". "Dry your eyes and focus. Your problems are nothing compared to the problems you're creating for the terrified children you're ripping from the arms of desperate parents at the border. This is monstrous. Stop it. Stop it now!" Shaub said in a tweet directed at Trump on Sunday. He was referring to the administration's "zero tolerance" migrant policy at the country's border, which has resulted in the separation of families who have crossed into the US illegally. The immigration policy and resulting separations of undocumented parents and kids is exploding into the "most emotive and politically unpredictable" test of Trump's effort to change the character of America, CNN said. The policy charges every adult caught crossing the border illegally with federal crimes, as opposed to referring those with children mainly to immigration courts, as previous administrations did, according to media reports. Because the US government is charging the parents in the criminal justice system, children are separated from them, without a clear procedure for their reunification aside from hotlines the parents can call to try to track down their children. Shaub had earlier blasted Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, calling her a "liar" after she defended the Trump administration's migrant policies on Twitter. "Sorry, @SecNielsen, that was probably confusing. I don't mean to be unfair. Let me try to put it in terms you'll understand: Liar. Period," Shaub said. Nielsen denied in a series of tweets on Sunday that the administration had a policy of separating families at the border. Nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents and guardians and placed into holding facilities between April 19 and May 31 of this year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) France is threatening to take the unusual step of fining General Electric if it fails to create a set number of jobs in the country. It is claimed the US industrial giant will renege on a pledge to produce 1,000 new jobs by the end of the year. Labour Minister Muriel Penicaud said GE would face a Euro 50,000 penalty for every job not created. The move could be a test of President Emmanuel Macron's bid to push through more business-friendly policies, reports BBC. GE had committed to create a net 1,000 new jobs by the end of this year when it bought the energy business of France's Alstom in 2014. The US company was in competition for Alstom with Siemens of Germany. But GE had created only 323 jobs by the end of April, the Finance Ministry said last week. GE chief executive John Flannery informed French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire last week that the target was now "out of reach" because of difficult market conditions. The minister urged GE to "take all necessary measures to comply to the best of its abilities". On Sunday, Penicaud went further, telling BFM television: "The [Alstom] contract called for a Euro 50,000 penalty for every job not created." According to Reuters, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux, added: "Sanctions must set an example. Euro 50,000 should be applied by the end of the year if GE does not stick to its commitments." While the sums involved are small for a company the size of GE - perhaps a total maximum of Euro 34m - the move runs counter to the government's bid to liberalise labour markets. Macron, a former investment banker, has vowed to make France more attractive to foreign companies, pushing through reforms to make it easier for businesses to hire and fire workers. The agreement to create the jobs was secured by France's previous Socialist government, and opposition parties are also now urging Mr Macron to apply the fine. GE agreed to the job creation as part of its purchase of Alstom's power and electrical grid businesses, including its prized gas turbine operations, for 12.4bn (10.8bn). Shortly after the takeover GE announced plans to cut 6,500 power jobs in Europe because of falling oil and gas prices, and a further 12,000 job cuts in the sector were announced last December. GE could not be reached for comment. --IANS nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Goa and Hawaii will soon sign a memorandum of understanding making them sister states, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Monday after the Cabinet formally approved the proposal. "Goa is going to sign sister state agreement. The Cabinet has given approval. The process started when I was Defence Minister. "(Hawaiian) Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has a keen interest in Indian culture. She moved a proposal and the Governor supported it," Parrikar told reporters after a meeting of the state Cabinet. (Gabbard is the first Samoan American and the first Hindu member of the US Congress.) He said the recent earthquake in Hawaii had delayed the process, adding that the sister-state relationship could cover exchanges in the fields of culture, education, tourism and others. Parrikar said that during his visit to Hawaii as Defence Minister, he witnessed several similarities shared by the tropical US state and Goa. "If you go to Hawaii and if you wake up in then morning, without knowing where you are, you will think you are in Goa. I have been there for three days to visit Pacific command as Defence minister. I was surprised to see that it looks exactly like Goa. "Their food habits are also like us, fish, rice and coconut is abundant. It looks like Goa, the two have a lot of similarities and they are interested in having sister-state relationship... Once we sign it, we will formulate a programme and accordingly we will work on it," the Chief Minister said. Parrikar, who attended his first Cabinet meeting upon returning to Goa after more than three months of treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer in the US and in Mumbai, also said that resolving infrastructure bottlenecks, boosting the education sector and resolving the mining crisis were some of the priorities for him. --IANS maya/him/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian parliament, on Monday met her Finnish counterpart Paula Risikko and said that both the countries enjoyed warm and friendly relations based on common values such as a commitment to democracy and rule of law. Mahajan said the top leadership of the two countries have provided a "new momentum" to the bilateral relations. "India and Finland have enjoyed warm and friendly relations which are based on common values such as a commitment to democracy and rule of law. The bilateral cooperation has become increasingly multifaceted and dynamic in the recent years," Mahajan said, according to an official statement. Referring to the first ever India-Nordic Summit held on April 17 this year in Stockholm on the sidelines of which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Finnish counterpart Juha Sipila had a meeting, she said that their discussions had provided a new momentum to the ongoing engagements between the two countries. "India is keen to increase parliamentary exchanges with Finland which would enhance people to people contacts and awareness about each other's countries and policies, among parliamentarians," the Indian Speaker said. She said that Speaker's Research Initiative (SRI) in India's Parliament, which offers one and three months' internship programmes for young people in India to familarise them with Parliamentary functioning and legislative process, could be offered to the youth from Finland. Noting that India-Finland economic and commercial engagements had acquired more diversity in recent years, with investments being made by both sides, Mahajan urged Finland to give a boost to such engagement -- by supporting visits of Finnish companies to India so that they could get first-hand knowledge of the potential of India. "There is also a welcome trend of Finnish companies manufacturing in India," she said. Referring to the ongoing cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy especially renewable energy, Mahajan said she felt that Finland's technologies and know-how in these areas could be very useful as India is reducing fossil fuel consumptions and emissions of GHGs. She expressed satisfaction at the ongoing cooperation in science and technology and the joint research activities with Indian agencies. Mahajan also said that vocational education is one area in which there could be a mutually beneficial collaboration, especially under India's flagship initiative Skill India. She said that Risikko appreciated the developmental work and reforms taking place in India and mentioned that in the last four years, the country has greatly transformed itself. Risikko also congratulated Mahajan on her hometown Indore being nominated as the Number 1 clean city in the country. --IANS bns/him/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and Italy reviewed their bilateral relationship and agreed to identify new areas of cooperation during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's two-day visit to Italy, the External Affairs Ministry said on Monday. According to a statement issued by the ministry, Sushma Swaraj on Monday called on Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who assumed office on June 1, and reiterated India's desire to strengthen bilateral relations with Italy. She also conveyed the need for India and Italy to continue to work together and coordinate positions in multilateral forums. "Both sides agreed to mutually identify new areas of cooperation to boost trade and investment linkages," the statement said. After calling on Prime Minister Conte, Sushma Swaraj held a bilateral meeting with Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Enzo Moavero Milanesi during the course of which the two sides reviewed various aspects of the bilateral relationship and exchanged views on international and regional issues of common interest. To augment collaboration in areas of mutual benefit, the Ministers agreed to hold the next meeting of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) in India later this year, according to the statement. Sushma Swaraj reached Rome on Sunday on the first leg of her week-long four nation tour of Europe that will also see her visiting France, Luxembourg and Belgium. --IANS ab/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh who was injured in a car accident, has been airlifted to a hospital in Thailand and his condition was now stable, an official said on Monday. Ranariddh, who is also the Funcinpec Party president, was injured in the accident on Sunday in Sihanouk province. His 39-year-old wife Ouk Phalla died on the spot. Funcinpec Party's Secretary General Yim Savy told Xinhua that "some of the prince's ribs were broken" and "one of his (right) leg's calf bones fractured". "But his condition is stable, he is conscious and can speak normally," Yim said. Both Ranariddh and his wife were in the fray for Cambodia's general elections, which is scheduled for July 29. Ranariddh is a son of late King Norodom Sihanouk. He 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. --IANS ksk/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra government and a US-India panel have announced three new projects in the state, an official said here on Monday. The state will sign an agreement with the Network for Global Innovation (NGIN) to develop a clean tech incubator ecosystem in Maharashtra to accelerate adoption of sustainable technologies and encourage trade and investment in these sectors. Along with the US-India State and Urban Initiative, it will collaborate on the development and implementation of a 'High Performance Innovation Ecosystem' including planning, funding, build-out and ongoing operations, with plans to invite a state-based nominee organisation to become a member of the NGIN. The Georgia Institute of Technology will launch a new pilot research project to understand the consumer dynamics and responsiveness to adoption of new technologies in the state electricity sector. The project, "The Impact of Consumer Behaviour on Efficiency and Sustainability in India's Power Sector", will be led by Georgia Tech's assistant professor Anjali Thomas Bohlken and associate professor Usha Nair-Reichert, with support from the Strategic Energy Initiative. Finally, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will host an Urban Mobility Lab in August as part of the Lighthouse City initiative launched after a competition last year, jointly with NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute, Colorado. The Urban Mobility Lab will advance the design, integration and implementation of new solutions for complex transportation challenges and how these ideas can be replicated and scaled. The goal would be to upgrade transportation services to cater to the needs of rapidly growing cities, with operational efficiency, and simultaneous reduction of pollution, congestion and petroleum demands. The announcements were made during Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' visit to Washington D.C. last week at a public forum co-hosted by CSIS Wadhwani Chair and India Initiative at Georgetown University, which he addressed. Funded by the Department of State, the US-India State and Urban Initiative promotes energy security and energy sector reform through direct engagement between Washington and Indian sub-national entities. It builds productive partnerships that can help India achieve its energy goals; and establish close, sustainable working relationships among Indian sub-national officials with their US counterparts and other civil society organisations working in the areas of governance and energy, besides roping in the private sector. --IANS qn/ksk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US First Lady Melania Trump has spoken against a controversial administration policy that separates immigrant parents from their children at the Mexico border, media reports said. "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," her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement on Sunday night. "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." The policy charges every adult caught crossing the border illegally with federal crimes, as opposed to referring those with children mainly to immigration courts, as previous administrations did, reports CNN. Because the government is charging the parents in the criminal justice system, children are separated from them, without a clear procedure for their reunification aside from hotlines the parents can call to try to track their children down. The policy to refer all adults for charges was publicly announced May 7, but the Justice Department announced it would prosecute 100 per cent of the cases referred to it at the beginning of April. Nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents and guardians and placed into holding facilities between April 19 and May 31 of this year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. President Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed the Democrats for the situation despite his administration instituting the policy change. "Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change!" he tweeted on Saturday. "This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!" The policy has garnered widespread condemnation. Former First Lady Laura Bush labelled it as "immoral". "This zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," she wrote in the Washington Post. "Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert. "These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War Two, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in US history," she added. On Sunday, Democratic lawmakers visited a detention centre outside New York City and headed to Texas to inspect facilities where children have been detained. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Like Janus, the Greek god, the Indian monsoon has two faces, according to a report by researchers from Germany in the journal "Science". The report says the monsoon convection not only transports pollutants upward all the way to the stratosphere (that starts at 18 km), from where they disperse globally, but it simultaneously provides a "cleansing mechanism" by removing particulate pollutants by precipitation with a key role played by lightning. About two decades ago, the Indian Ocean Experiment uncovered a large pollution haze from biofuel use, agricultural burning and fossil fuel combustion, downwind of South Asia during the dry winter monsoon (December to March). But its fate during the wet summer monsoon (May to September) had been unclear till now. J. Lelieveld at Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz and co-workers say they have now for the first time performed chemistry measurements by sampling the summer monsoon outflow in the upper troposphere (between 9 and 15 km altitude). The study, carried out using a research aircraft that flew from the Eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus) to the Indian Ocean (Maldives), "aimed at atmospheric impacts of associated air pollution emissions on regional and global scales during the South Asian summer monsoon", says their report. "The measurements, supported by computer model calculations, show that the monsoon sustains a remarkably efficient cleansing mechanism in which contaminants are rapidly oxidised and deposited to Earth's surface," the researchers say. About 80 per cent of all reactive sulfur emissions in South Asia, from large-scale coal burning in China and India, "are removed by precipitation largely as sulfate". However, some pollutants are lofted above the monsoon clouds, and chemically processed in a reactive reservoir before being redistributed globally. The researchers are able to show that ground-based sources of pollution can reach the stratosphere during the monsoon. "Our hypothesis is that the monsoon anticyclone is infused by South Asian convection that carries air pollution emissions upward from this region, with possible additional contributions from East Asia and Africa," the authors say. According to the researchers, the monsoon behaves like the two faces of Janus -- transferring pollutants from the surface upward while sustaining an effective cleansing mechanism that curbs the impacts of the pollutants on the surface. Once in the upper troposphere, pollutants accumulate and are chemically processed in a reactive reservoir for weeks and reaction products disperse globally including to the stratosphere. "It is expected that the rapidly increasing South Asian emissions will intensify the flux of pollutants through the anticyclone in the years to come," the report says. J. Srinivasan, Distinguished Scientist at Divecha Centre for Climate Change in Bengaluru, told IANS: "It is an interesting paper." Srinivasan said that recent work done by Prof S.K. Satheesh of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru has shown that emissions of soot from high flying aircraft can also impact the stratosphere. Such studies are important as "we need to control air pollution in India because it has adverse impact on our health". (K.S. Jayaraman is a veteran science journalist. He can be contacted at killugudi@hotmail.com) --IANS ksj/him/tb/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Heavy and incessant rains, since the onset of the southwest monsoon in Karnataka this month, have raised water levels in the state's reservoirs, said an official on Monday. "The water levels in the reservoirs in the Cauvery river basin have gone up due to the rains in the catchment areas over the last fortnight," Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) Director G.S. Srinivasa Reddy told IANS here. Kabini reservoir in Mysuru district has been filled up to its maximum capacity of 16 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) due to the monsoon rains, and the district authorities have been releasing the excess water back into the river. The water level of Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam in Mandya district has gone beyond 100 feet of its total 124 feet capacity due to the incessant rainfall, Reddy said. "The water level in KRS dam is the highest it has been in nearly a decade. But the water inflow into these dams in the Cauvery river basin has come down over the past two days as rains have receded," he added. Copious rains had also sent rivers like Cauvery, Tunga, Bhadra and Netravathi into spate, flooding roads and highways, submerging bridges and causing landslides in the Western Ghats that disrupted train and bus services in coastal, central and Malnad regions of the southern state. Overall, the districts of the state have recorded an average of 96 per cent excess rainfall in the first fortnight of this month. According to the data from the India Meteorological Department's Bengaluru centre, coastal and southern districts like Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Bagalkote, Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Hassan and Kodagu have received a large excess of rainfall. While Ballari, Chamarajanagar and Mandya have received normal rainfall, Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara and Tumakuru districts have been facing a deficit in rainfall. The monsoon, which currently has a subdued activity in the state, is expected to have a revival after June 22, when Bengaluru and other surrounding districts are expected to witness the monsoon rains, the weather office said. --IANS bha/vd (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 is embarking on a six-day official visit to China starting from Tuesday, his second trip to a foreign country after India, since taking power in the Himalayan nation. During his visit, Oli will meet Chinese President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang and other senior Chinese leaders in Beijing. He will lead a 100-plus delegation to China. China and Nepal will reach an understanding to undertake a survey and prepare a detailed project report of Trans-Himalayan economic corridor. Several projects related to energy, connectivity, rail, road, optical fibres and cross border connectivity are also on the prime agenda of Oli, who has been claiming balanced foreign policy between India and China. Briefing the Nepali Parliament on Monday, the Prime Minister said that an agreement to conduct a survey to bring Chinese railway to Kathmandu will be materialized during his visit. According to the officials, China will initially bear the cost of survey of the 121-km-long Kerung-Kathmandu railway. After that, the exact size of the investment and other features of the railway will be ascertained. Officials here said that the chance of Nepal and China signing the Protocol to Transit and Transport Agreement during Oli's visit was unlikely. They, however, said that a pact on Joint Co-ordination and Implementation Mechanism to accord monitors progress of projects funded by China in Nepal will be signed. Both sides will sign a joint venture for producing 1,000 MW energy in one of a major river of Nepal and cooperation in agriculture sector. Kathmandu and Beijing are also likely to agree on opening new eight trading points between Nepal and Tibet. The move will enable the Himalayan nation to use Tibetan highway to ferry goods and logistics to its northern part close to Tibet, but difficult to access from other parts of Nepal. Another agreement likely to be signed is building oil storage facilities in Nepal with China's help. Nepal has approved China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and receives its largest foreign aid from Beijing. Nepali officials said that dozens of projects will be discussed with China under the BRI framework. --IANS giri/soni/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that he would not compromise with crime, corruption and communalism. Without naming ally BJP, Nitish Kumar taunted it, saying that there is no question of keeping silent on communalism and compromising with communal Speaking at a function here, the Chief Minister also reiterated that he will not give up demand of special category status for Bihar. "I had raised thus demand on Sunday at a meeting of NITI Aayog in Delhi," he said, adding that special category is must for development of Bihar. --IANS ik/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the BJP for their protests leading to a stalemate in the city, while accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring the criris. "Delhi CM, sitting in Dharna at LG office. BJP sitting in Dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences. PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos and disorder. "People of Delhi are the victims, as this drama plays out," he said in a series of tweets. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday continued his sit-in protest at the Lt. Governor's residence, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "give a green signal" to the IAS officers to end their strike. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday continued its counter-protest against Kejriwal's stir. --IANS sid/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is to visit Mongolia to attend a two-day official programme aimed at enhancing India's alliance with the country, bordered by China and Russia. He will leave Delhi on June 21 with a delegation comprising a Joint Secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs, Director General of Border Security Force K.K. Sharma and an Additional Secretary, Disaster Management in Ministry of Home Affairs. Rajnath will meet the Mongolian President, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister during the official programme scheduled on June 22 and 23, a Home Ministry official said. "The Minister is to participate in a ground breaking ceremony of an oil refinery in Mongolia on June 22 and also to attend a meeting with its border protection force." He will return back on June 24. His meeting with Mongolian government is scheduled in the wake of disaster management summit being held there next month. Governments from the world's most disaster-prone region will meet in Mongolia in July to discuss acceleration of efforts vital for the sustainable future of the region including how to prevent disasters and tackle climate change while reviewing progress in reducing disaster losses. The Government of Mongolia and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction to host the 2018 Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction between July 3 and 6 in Ulaanbaatar City under the theme "Preventing Disaster Risk: Protecting Sustainable Development." --IANS rak/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hold an urgent hearing of a plea by the Centre challenging a 2017 NGT order banning any activity including construction in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) till a Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) was finalised. Observing that "you (the Centre) should be happy", a vacation bench of Justice S. Abdul Nazeer and Justice Indu Malhotra said the matter will be listed for hearing after two weeks. As Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee said that there were "exceptions" warranting the Centre to move, Justice Nazeer sought to know what these exceptions were. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) in its November last year order to different states banned any new activity in the CRZ till the CZMP was finalised. The green panel's Pune bench order was issued on a plea filed by NGO Vanashakti asking for the draft plans to be published. --IANS pk-gt/him/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With some medical colleges run by the Bihar government found to be deficient in facilities and declared unfit for further admissions, the Supreme Court on Monday slammed the state government, saying: "You are going to treat human beings, not animals." "What would happen to the patients if you have an infrastructure like this? You are going to treat human beings, not animals. In a previous judgment, we have already said you are producing half-baked doctors," a bench of Justice S. Abdul Nazeer and Justice Indu Malhotra said while censuring the Bihar government. The governments of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand had approached the apex court against a Medical Council of India (MCI) order prohibiting this year's admission of students in medical colleges after they were found to be deficient in facilities. As the counselling for admission to MBBS course is set to begin from Tuesday, the state governments said they have taken various steps to remove or rectify all the deficiencies pointed out by the MCI and assured the bench that they were committed to take the measures and steps to rectify the remaining deficiencies as soon as possible. After the Centre asked the bench to let the colleges take admission of students and the MCI will inspect them again after three months, the court said: "We hereby direct that in view of the undertakings submitted by the Principal Secretary of each of the three states, permission is granted to the aforesaid government medical colleges for admission to the MBBS course for the current academic year 2018-19. "The seats in the aforesaid government medical colleges will be included in the seat matrix, for which counselling is scheduled to take place on June 19," stated the order. It added that the MCI will carry out an inspection after three months to "verify that the state governments have in fact carried out compliance to rectify the deficiencies pointed out". If the deficiencies are not removed within the period specified, "the Principal Secretary of each of the states will be held personally responsible for non-compliance with the orders passed by this court", said the bench. The court earlier asked the state governments to explain by June 18 the nature of deficiencies, pointed out by the MCI, if those are rectified or not, a clear-cut timeline within which those deficiencies will be rectified. The MCI had disallowed any admission in three medical colleges run by the Bihar government -- Government Medical College, Bettiah, Vardhaman Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), Pawapuri, and Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH), Gaya. Uttar Pradesh's four medical colleges which were denied by the MCI to admit students were Government Allopathic Medical College, Banda, Government Medical College (Shaikh-UlHind-Maulana Mohmood Hassan Medical College), Saharanpur, Government Medical College and Super Specialty Hospital, Azamgarh, and Rajkiya Medical College, Jalaun. M.G.M. Medical College of Jharkhand failed to get the MCI's clearance for admission due to lack of requisite facilities. --IANS gt/him/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister Vijay Goel on Monday described as "shocking" the support by four Chief Ministers to their Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that he has "no faith" in the Constitution. "It is shocking that you (Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandra Babu Naidu) along with three other Chief Ministers (West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan and Karnataka's H.D. Kumaraswamy) have come out in support of the Kejriwal government and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to resolve the deadlock with the bureaucracy in the capital," Goel said in his letter to Naidu. His remarks came two days after the four Chief ministers met Kejriwal's family in Delhi to show their solidarity with him. The four had also urged the Prime Minister to intervene to resolve the Delhi government's deadlock with the bureaucrats. Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, and ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai began their unprecedented strike at Raj Niwas on June 11 demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike and urging the Centre to approve the Delhi government's proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their houses. Sisodia and Jain, who also began a hunger strike, have been subsequently hospitalised. Attacking the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Goel said, "I would like to inform that Kejriwal has no faith in the Constitution and not on once but on multiple occasions his behaviour in public life is in tune with that of an anarchist. "He does not believe in the values enshrined in our Constitution and despite holding a Constitutional post has no regard to the dignity and honour of these posts." Describing three years of the AAP government as a "black spot" in the history of the country's robust democratic system, he urged the four Chief Ministers to desist from supporting Kejriwal in the larger interest of protecting the constitutional values. --IANS aks/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal continued his protest at Raj Niwas for the eighth day on Monday while his deputy Manish Sisodia was moved to a hospital as IAS officers, accused of non-cooperation, offered to talk to Kejriwal. Sisodia, on hunger strike since June 13, was taken to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital after his ketone level reached 7.4, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sources said. The Shiv Sena and Janata Dal-United, both BJP allies, came out in support of Kejriwal. The Samajwadi Party backed the AAP against the central government. But Congress President Rahul Gandhi slammed both Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the stalemate. The AAP plans to start a campaign from Tuesday to reach out to at least 10 lakh households in Delhi. Kejriwal and three of his Ministers - Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai - begun their unprecedented strike at Raj Niwas on June 11 demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike and urging the Centre to approve the Delhi government's proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their houses. Jain, who was also on indefinite hunger strike since June 12, was moved to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital on Sunday night. This has left Kejriwal and Rai at the office-cum-residence of Lt Governor Anil Baijal. Meanwhile, in the first sign of apparent rapprochement, IAS officers in Delhi on Monday said they were open to formal discussions to end the impasse in Delhi, a day after Kejriwal assured them their safety and dignity. The IAS AGMUT (Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) Association said the officers looked forward to concrete interventions for their security and dignity. "The Officers... welcome Chief Minister's appeal. We reiterate that we continue to be at work with full dedication and vigour. We look forward to concrete interventions for our security and dignity. We are open to formal discussions with the Chief Minister," the Association tweeted. In response, Sisodia tweeted from his hospital bed: "That's precisely why we have been sitting at Raj Niwas for so many days requesting the LG to call all stakeholders and end this impasse. "The LG is head of both 'services' and 'security'. So, the meeting should take place in his presence so that assurances related to those subjects could be given," Sisodia said. On Sunday, Kejriwal said: "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." The protest had evoked sympathy for Kejriwal from the Chief Ministers of Kerala, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka as well as leaders of the CPI, CPI-M, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, RJD and the Samajwadi Party. Samajwadi Party leader and MP Ram Gopal Yadav, who went to meet Jain and Sisodia in hospital on Monday, said it was "unfortunate" that a government working for the welfare of Delhi was obstructed by the Lt. Governor. "In democratic history, it is unheard of that IAS officers go on a strike. It is my appeal to the Prime Minister and the Lt. Governor that they talk about this issue," he said. The Shiv Sena, which along with the BJP rules Maharashtra, came out in support of Kejriwal, a day after the Delhi Chief Minister spoke to party chief Uddhav Thackeray. But Rahul Gandhi hit out at Kejriwal and the BJP for their protests leading to a stalemate in the city while accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring the criris. "Delhi CM, sitting in Dharna at LG office. BJP sitting in Dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences. PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos and disorder. "People of Delhi are the victims, as this drama plays out," he said in a series of tweets. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday continued its counter-protest against Kejriwal's stir. --IANS sd-nks/ps/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Director Sriram Raghavan and producer Dinesh Vijan have teamed up once again after "Badlapur" for the biopic of on Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was posthumously awarded a Param Vir Chakra (PVC) the nation's highest honour for gallantry during the 1971 war with Pakistan.. The official Twitter account of the production company Maddock Films tweeted on Monday morning that the duo will bring the spectacular life of Khetarpal on the silver screen. A tweet from Maddock Films read: "Dinesh Vijan and Sriram Raghavan team up once again after 'Badlapur' to bring to life the spectacular story of Param Vir Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal!" "When I heard the story of Arun Khetarapal, I was inspired. He is the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. What he did and the kind of life he lived was absolutely exemplary and unbelievable," Vijan said in a statement. He says it is a huge huge responsibility to make a film with such an inspirational message. "Arun involves a lot of passion since we all are moved by it. We are doing our homework," he added. Talking abour working with Raghavan: "Sriram is one of the most talented directors around, and (writer) Ritesh (Shah) is as passionate, so I feel it's the perfect team." The script of the film is likely to be finalised in the next couple of weeks. The makers will need six months of prep and so the film is expected to go on floors next year. Raghavan is known for directing films like "Ek Hasina Thi", "Johnny Gaddaar" and "Agent Vinod". --IANS dc/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Democrat lawmakers have expanded their campaign highlighting President Donald Trump's administrations forced separation of migrant children from their families at the Mexico border, a media report said. Against a notable silence on the part of many Republicans, the Democratic lawmakers on Sunday visited a detention centre outside New York City and headed to Texas to inspect facilities where children have been detained, reports The Washington Post. In McAllen, Texas, where several Democratic lawmakers toured a facility, state Representative Vicente Gonzalez estimated that he saw about 100 children younger than six. "It was orderly, but it was far from what I would call humane," he said. Seven Democratic members of Congress spentSunday 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 New York Representative Adriano Espaillat. Trump has falsely blamed the separations on a law he said was written by Democrats, The Washington Post reported. But the separations instead largely stem from a "zero-tolerance" policy announced 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 previous two administrations. Trump remained silent on the issue before tweeting on Sunday evening that Democrats should work with Republicans on an immigration solution before the midterm elections "because you are going to lose!" US officials have said that the number of families who could be broken up might double and that the number of children who have 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. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alleging "gross economic mismanagement" over the past four years, Congress on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was the country's Finance Minister, while saying "social disharmony is the enemy of economic development". "The PMO's website says one thing, the website of the Finance Ministry tells another story. The gentleman, who is designated as the minister without portfolio on the website of the PMO (Arun Jaitley), there are reports that he is holding video conferences with the officials of the Finance Ministry," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari. He also said that the government and the Prime Minister "have not understood one simple equation that social disharmony and economic progress cannot go hand in hand". "Social disharmony is the enemy of economic development. Unfortunately the spectre of social intolerance which has been created by the Modi government and their ideological fellow travellers is a complete anathema and is totally detrimental to any sustained substantive economic activity," Tewari added. Tewari also sought to know whu "the revised GDP series going back to financial year 2011 has still not been put in the public domain despite the fact that base year for calculating the GDP was revised in the year 2015". "According to economists, the GDP rate on the new base year between 2004 and 2009 which was the first term of the UPA government, the average comes to 9.8 per cent and for the second term (from 2009 to 2014) it comes to 7.5 per cent. "The growth rate between 2014 and 2018 as per the revised calculations comes to 7.1 per cent. Is it not a fact that government does not want to release the data as it expose the policy paralysis of the government," he added. The Congress leader also asked why investment by domestic corporates into the economy grew by only 5.7 per cent in 2016-17. "Is it not a fact that the Current Account Deficit for the current fiscal has widened to such an extent that international financial institutions are raising serious questions...," he asked. "Is it not a fact that between 2014 and 2018 the banking system wrote off loans worth Rs. 3,92,765 crore as unrecoverable loans. Nirav Modi is just a symptom of the larger malaise which has afflicted economic management". Tewari also said according to the International Labour Organization, only 8,23,000 jobs were created in the first three years of this government, or roughly 2.5 lakh per year though Modi had promised two crore jobs each year. --IANS sid/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Its a strange if not perplexing paradox that Narendra Modi, whose eloquence and communication skills are possibly unrivalled and definitely unsurpassed, is often disturbingly, if not distressingly, silent on issues that trouble Indians and have even become a cause of deep anguish. This failure or refusal to speak is, perhaps, the source of his most critical political lapse. Indeed, as we approach the 2019 elections, its, arguably, the reason so many are disillusioned with him. Consider the multitude of times the Prime Minister has kept silent whilst the country waited in ... The streets across the state, barring the Barak Valley, have been witness to a slew of protests, aimed at the Narendra Modi governments move to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, to accommodate citizens of Bangladesh, besides two other countries, as Indians on religious lines. In a state that left hundreds dead and many injured during a mass agitation against undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh, leading to an agreement with the central government to expel those foreigners who entered the state after March 25, 1971, the Citizenship ... 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. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The (BSP) on Sunday said that it was not in talks with the for an alliance for the Assembly polls slated for later this year. A senior state leader added that the party would, as things stand today, contest all 230 Assembly seats in the state. Talking to PTI, state president Narmada Prasad Ahirwar said, "I was asked by the media that leaders were saying that there are discussions underway with the for an alliance for the next assembly elections. I clarified that we are not in discussions at the state level and, I think, neither at the central leadership level." "As things stand today, we are going to contest all 230 Assembly seats. I have received no directives in this connection (alliance) from the central leadership," Ahirwar said. The state Congress, meanwhile, has claimed that it never said alliance talks were underway with the BSP. "We never named any party. The only said that we would try to have an alliance with political parties with a similar ideology. We never mentioned the BSP's name. It will depend on the situation when we enter the election phase," Congress' media department's chief Manak Agarwal said. Assembly polls in are likely to be held in November-December this year. In the 2013 MP Assembly elections, the Congress and the BSP polled 36.38 per cent and 6.29 per cent of the votes respectively against the BJP's 44.88 per cent. The BJP won 165 seats, the Congress 58, the BSP four while Independents won three seats in the 230-member Assembly. In the 2008 Assembly polls, the Congress and the BSP secured 32.85 and 8.97 per cent votes respectively, which was collectively four per cent more than the 37.64 per cent vote share of the BJP. Gunshots rang out in north Delhi's Burari area today as members of a criminal gang opened fire at a group of men, suspected to be the members of a rival gang, killing three persons, including a woman passerby, police said. Five persons were injured after suspected members of the Gogi gang, believed to be involved in cases of murder in the city, opened fire at four men coming out of a gym. Police said around eight to nine rounds were fired by the Gogi gang members for around five minutes. It is suspected that Jitender Gogi, kingpin of the Gogi gang, carrying a cash reward of Rs 4 lakh on his head, was also inside the car, along with his gang members, they said. The probe in the case has been taken over by the Special Cell, they added. "It cannot be said with certainty that the incident was a fallout of rivalry between members of the Gogi and Tillu gangs. It cannot be said with certainty that the victims were members of the Tillu gang. They are residents of Tajpur village here, which also happens to be the native place of Sunil alias Tillu, kingpin of the Tillu gang, but it cannot be said with confirmation that victims belonged to the Tillu gang," an officer from the Special Cell said. According to a senior police officer, the fight started when four residents of Tajpur village, who were boarding a Scorpio vehicle after coming out of a gym, were hit by a Fortuner, allegedly being driven by members of the Gogi gang from the backside. The occupants of the Fortuner started firing indiscriminately at the Scorpio. Two of the victims -- Mukul and Himanshu -- could not get inside the car and started running to save their lives. Two others, identified as Jitender and Surender, were in the car and started driving to save themselves from the barrage of bullets being fired. Mukul was shot dead and it is suspected that he received three-four bullet injuries. Himanshu, who was also running to escape from the indiscriminate firing, sustained a bullet injury in his thigh. Jitender and Surender, who were in the car, were found in an injured condition in the lane behind the place of the incident. A motorcycle rider was hit by the speeding Scorpio and died in the accident. Later, the Fortuner car, in which the Gogi gang members had arrived, was found outside the Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, with a man's body inside. It is suspected that the man is Sanjeet, a member of the Gogi gang, though police are yet to confirm his identity. The man had one bullet injury in his leg, suspected to have been inflicted by one of his gang members during the attack. He died due to excessive bleeding. A 37-year-old woman, identified as Sangeeta, who happened to be passing by, was also killed, police said. The injured were identified as Himanshu, Jitender and Surender and two passersby Vashisht and Sachin. Surender and Jitender are currently undergoing treatment at the Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, while Himanshu is admitted to the Sant Parmanand Hospital. The two injured passersby are in the LNJP Hospital, police said. A senior officer, privy to the probe, said that the incident is suspected to be a fallout of a personal enmity. "Mukul's maternal uncle, Deepak, was allegedly killed by Gogi in 2015. Mukul was following up on that case and was arranging witnesses. Deepak allegedly had an affair with Gogi's cousin and used to boast about it and say he is Gogi's 'jija', which enraged the latter who killed him," the officer said. Police have not completely ruled out the gang rivalry angle and are also probing whether the incident had anything to do with the rivalry between the Gogi and Tillu gangs that had begun in 2010 during the Delhi University elections. The two gangs have killed each other's members earlier to gain supremacy, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The AAP today asked the IAS officers in the Delhi government to end their "strike" and said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal assuring safety to them is a "good step forward" and now it is the "responsibility" of the Centre and bureaucrats' fraternity to reciprocate. A day after AAP workers held a protest march in the heart of Delhi in support of the ongoing sit-in by the party's national convener and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, and his two cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor's office, senior leader Sanjay Singh said it was a message that people of Delhi won't stay quiet if they are "made to suffer". "Chief Minister Kejriwal has assured the IAS officers that he would ensure their safety saying they were part of his family. It is a good step, new initiative by him. "Now, it is the responsibility of the Centre, the Lt Governor and the IAS association to take two steps forward from their sides in favour of people of Delhi and end the strike," he told reporters. An end of the "strike" by IAS officers would ensure that pending work such as CCTV installation, air pollution control, education, mid-day meal scheme are completed, Singh said. The Delhi IAS association, yesterday in a press conference, had asked the Arvind Kejriwal government not to use its officers for "political gains" and rebutted the AAP's claim that they were on strike. "Yesterday's march was a message that Delhi is in trouble, facing problems, related to water, ration and pollution. The protest was a signal that people of Delhi won't stay quiet and the agitation can assume an even bigger form if our voices are not heard," Singh said. He warned that people will again take to the streets and the AAP will expand its agitation if the "strike" does not end. "We will launch a campaign to collect signatures of 10 lakh people against the strike from tomorrow. A much bigger march than yesterday's massive protest will be taken out to hand over the signatures to Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Singh said. Several AAP leaders and a large number of party workers yesterday flooded the streets of Lutyens' Delhi as they sought to march to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, the official residence of the prime minister. The march began from Mandi House, but the agitators were stopped at Parliament Street police station. Singh said it was surprising that IAS officers in Delhi government claimed to be "frightened" after the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by AAP MLAs in February. "Its laughable. If anyone, who is frightened and scared at the moment, they are AAP leaders and MLAs, who have faced dozens of cases and arrests. Police is always ready to arrest them at the slightest of excuse and trivial complaints," he said. "CBI is sent after our CM, deputy CM, health minister, and they (IAS officers) are saying that they are feeling afraid," Singh said in a mocking tone. Kejriwal, through his assurance to the IAS officers, had sought to break the four-month-long impasse between the AAP dispensation and the officers over the alleged assault on Prakash. Singh today said that Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues were forced to hold sit-in at Lt Governor Anil Baijal's office after every effort to end the IAS officers "strike" failed. Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court today virtually disapproved of the sit-in led by Kejriwal at the lieutenant governor's office and asked the AAP government who had authorised such a protest. Singh also alleged that Congress was "speaking the language of the BJP", and said, "They will be mentioned in the history pages in black letters for this." The AAP was the first one to speak out when attempts were made to "murder democracy", be it in Manipur, Goa or Karnataka. The Congress should reconsider its "silence, at a time when the elected government of Delhi is not being allowed to work", he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Aam Aadmi Party today attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi for criticising Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his sit-in at the Lieutenant Governor's office. Talking to reporters here, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said that Gandhi is speaking the "language of BJP", challenging him to ask his Delhi unit's leaders to go on hunger strike for even two days. Earlier in the day, Gandhi tweeted, "Delhi CM, sitting in dharna at LG office. BJP sitting in dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences. PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos and disorder. People of Delhi are the victims, as this drama plays out." Another AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj asked the Congress president that instead of listening to Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) chief Ajay Maken, he should talk to his elected Puducherry chief minister. Kejriwal, along with his colleagues, have been at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office since June 13, demanding a direction to IAS officers to end what the AAP describes a "strike" and approval of the doorstep ration delivery scheme. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who has been on hunger strike since June 13 at the lieutenant governor's office, was today taken to hospital after his health deteriorated, a day after his colleague Satyendar Jain was hospitalised. Sisodia was rushed to the LNJP Hospital here around 3 pm after the ketone level in his urine rose sharply and his sugar level slumped, a senior doctor told PTI. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted about his deputy's hospitalisation. "Manish Sisodia being shifted to hospital," he said on Twitter. Health Minister Satyendar Jain was late last night hospitalised after his condition had deteriorated. He was taken to the LNJP Hospital where his condition is stable, doctors said today. On Saturday, a team of doctors had examined Sisodia and Jain. While Jain went on indefinite fast at the LG's office on Tuesday, Sisodia had been on a hunger strike since Wednesday. According to a doctor, his blood sugar level yesterday was 49 units (mg/dL) while the ketone level was found to be "large". However, his blood pressure reading was 120/82. "Manish Sisodia's ketone level reaches 7.4. Yesterday it was 6.4. ideally it should be zero. 2+ level is considered to be danger zone. Team of doctors reaching LG house to see him (sic)," AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj tweeted less than an hour before he was hospitalised. Kejriwal, along with his colleagues, have been at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office since June 13, demanding a direction to IAS officers to end what the AAP describes a "strike" and approval of the doorstep ration delivery scheme. The condition of Jain is stable even though he has been kept in the ICU of the LNJP Hospital, a doctor said. J C Passey, medical superintendent of the LNJP Hospital, said that Jain was shifted at 11.50 pm yesterday after he complained of headache, nausea, abdomen pain, respiratory difficulties and urine retention. Passey said he is not taking food orally and is being given glucose, electrolytes and medication for symptomatic relief intravenously. "Our team of specialists has examined him again today and has advised some investigations. He is likely to be kept in the ICU for the next 24 hours for observation," he said. Meanwhile, SP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav visited both the Delhi ministers at the hospital. "Samajwadi Party Leader & Rajyasabha MP Prof Ram Gopal Yadav met Dy CM @msisodia in LNJP Hospital & assured him full support (sic)," the AAP said on its official Twitter handle and shared pictures of his visit. "Samajwadi Party Leader & Rajyasabha MP Prof Ram Gopal Yadav also met Delhi Health Min. @SatyendarJain in LNJP Hospital & appreciated his efforts in strengthening Health system of Delhi," it said. Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot also visited Jain in the hospital and shared a picture on Twitter. "Went to LNJP hospital ICU to enquire about health of @SatyendarJain. We pray to god for his speedy recovery," he tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Homeland" star Claire Danes says the success of HBO 2010 TV movie "Temple Grandin" made her realise that she could no longer play "the girlfriend role". The 39-year-old actor, who received critical acclaim for playing the title role of an autistic woman in the film, said she decided to wait for meatier characters which were tough to come by. "It was an awkward period because I felt so stretched and so revived and robust as a performer, I felt very alive and ready, and there just wasn't anything worthy of attaching myself to. "After having met that challenge creatively, I just had less patience for 'the girlfriend role,' and I just couldn't bring myself to do something two-dimensional, so I chose not to do anything at all, which was tough. It was kind of crushing after a certain point," Danes told The Hollywood Reporter. The actor shot to fame at age of 14 with "My So-Called Life" and went on to reject projects such as "Schindler's List" and "Titanic". Danes chose to star in the award-winning CIA drama, "Homeland" over Clint Eastwood's "J Edgar", opposite her "Romeo+Juliet" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- According to a new study by Analytics India Magazine in association with AnalytixLabs, the data science, analytics and big data industry generates over $2.71 billion in revenues annually. It is also estimated to be growing at a healthy rate of 33.5% CAGR. (Logo: ) The study suggests that a sizeable 22% of the total revenue generated can be attributed to big data; whereas advanced analytics, predictive modelling and data science together contribute a total of 11%. Just like last year, the maximum revenue from analytics exports comes from the US, amounting to 64% of the revenue generated, which has increased by 45% year-on-year. UK comes a distant second at 9.6%, and only 4.7% of analytics revenues is coming from Indian firms. According to the study, banking & finance continues to be the largest sector being served by analytics in India, contributing about $1 billion in revenues. It is followed by marketing and advertising, ecommerce, and others. Travel and hospitality industry saw the biggest jump in analytics revenues, from $34 millions to $54 millions, a jump of 61 percent. In terms of cities, a sizeable $759 million comes from Delhi and NCR, which is followed by Bengaluru at 27% percent. The study suggests interesting numbers in terms of work experience of analytics professionals. The average work experience of analytics professionals in India is 7.9 years, which is up from 7.7 years from last year. Also, 16,000 freshers were added to analytics workforce in India this year. Of the total analytics professionals, almost 40 percent in India are employed with large-sized companies, which is followed by 32 percent and 28 percent respectively, for mid-sized organisations and startups. Sumeet Bansal, Founder and CEO, AnalytixLabs said, "A thriving CAGR of over 33% reaffirms the spike of data science adoption we have seen in last one year. Recently we have seen strong demand even from sectors like manufacturing, infrastructure, power and energy, which traditionally used to have relatively lower analytics penetration. Addition of 16000 fresher candidates in analytics workforce is another beacon of sustained growth and encouraging trend for data science professionals." Bhasker Gupta, Founder and CEO, Analytics India Magazine said, "The numbers suggest that analytics and data science industry in India is growing at an exponential rate, with the industry expected to grow seven times in the next seven years. Startups have contributed significantly to the overall output of analytics in India. Also, though small in absolute term, the overall impact has increased significantly with small to midsize organizations in India." Overall, the study paints a positive picture for Indian analytics industry, and suggests that startups to large-sized companies contributing to overall output of analytics in India. About Analytics India Magazine: Founded in 2012, Analytics India Magazine has since been dedicated to passionately championing and promoting the analytics ecosystem in India. It chronicles the technological progress in the space of analytics, artificial intelligence, data science, big data by highlighting the innovations, players in the field, challenges shaping the future, through the promotion and discussion of ideas and thoughts by smart, ardent, action-oriented individuals who want to change the world. It has been a pre-eminent source of news, information and analysis for the Indian analytics ecosystem by covering opinions, analysis and insights on the key breakthroughs and developments in data-driven technologies as well as highlighting how they are being leverages for future impact. Visit AIM at About AnalytixLabs: AnalytixLabs pioneers in analytics training since 2011 and as one of the first analytics training institutes, it is widely acclaimed and known for high quality training by industry experts themselves. After establishing themselves as the top analytics training institute in Delhi NCR, they slowly and steadily progressed to earn the same reputation pan India based on their stellar record and student satisfaction. They are focused at helping their clients develop skills in basic and advanced analytics to enable them to emerge as 'Industry Ready' professionals and enhance their career opportunities. It was co-founded by Sumeet Bansal, Ankita Gupta and Chandra Mouli. Their students are placed in leading companies across industries like Accenture, American Express, AbsolutData, Axtria, Bank of America and McKinsey. Media Contact: Bhasker Gupta info@analyticsindiamag.com (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) City police today arrested one more person in the Call Detail Record (CDR) case, taking the number of arrested accused to 16. The Crime Branch of city police busted a racket earlier this year with the arrest of four private detectives who allegedly obtained CDRs illegally from the mobile service providers. Saurabh Sahu, a Delhi resident, was arrested today and produced before a court which remanded him in police custody till June 29, said DCP (Crime) Abhishek Trimukhi. Sahu had been earlier arrested by the police in the national capital in 2016 alongwith a sub-inspector of police from Jaipur in a similar case, police said. The investigation by the Thane police has thrown up the names of a few Bollywood personalities, some of whom were called by the police for questioning. Most of those arrested in the case have got bail. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief of Army Staff Gen Bipin Rawat today met the parents and other family members of rifleman Aurangzeb, who was abducted and killed by terrorists last week in Pulwama district of south Kashmir. Rawat along with senior Army officials went all the way to the remote Salani hamlet in the frontier Poonch district and conveyed to the family that forces stood with them in their hour of grief. Aurangzeb, who belonged to the 44, Rashtriya Rifles, was on way home to celebrate Eid when terrorists abducted him. Gen Rawat flew from New Delhi to Jammu, where he was received by Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, officials told PTI. Accompanied by officials, Rawat flew to Poonch from Jammu technical airport and was received by commanders in the frontier district, they said. Rawat met the family of the deceased soldier and spent over 30 minutes with the parents of Aurangzeb. Earlier, Aurangzeb's family had made an emotional appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Army, besides the Jammu and Kashmir government, to eliminate militancy from the state and avenge the martyrdom of their kin. "My son has laid down his life for the country. He was a brave soldier. I and my sons will also sacrifice (ourselves) for the nation. We want goons to be wiped out," Mohammad Hanief, Aurangzeb's father and a former Sepoy of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, had said. "I give PM Modi 72 hours to avenge my son's death or else we are ready to take revenge on our own. Kashmir is ours. We must not let Kashmir burn. Instead, we must eliminate the goons who are destroying the Valley," Hanief had said. In a video, widely seen on social media, an emotional Hanief can be seen asking why Pakistani flags were waved in Kashmir. 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.) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today requested Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts to set up cancer hospitals in the state. Khandu met Tata at Guwahati and said Arunachal Pradesh has been recording a very high rate of cancer cases. "Our patients go all the way to Mumbai to Tata Memorial Hospital and Cancer Research Institute to get treatment for their ailments incurring huge expenditures. If such centers come up in Arunachal, it will be of much respite to the people," Khandu said, according to an official release. Tata in principal agreed to set up two specialty cancer centres in Arunachal. He also agreed to visit Arunachal soon to finalise the project, the release said. Khandu attended the ground breaking ceremony of cancer centers and launch of first of its kind cancer care programme in Assam being spearheaded by Government of Assam in collaboration with Tata Trusts. Tata trust is putting up 19 new specialty cancer centres in Assam. Khandu hoped the cancer centres would immensely benefit the patients from Arunachal Pradesh and other parts of Northeast, the release said. The Arunachal Pradesh chief minister said, the BJP government in the Centre and the state is focused completely towards the welfare and wellbeing of the people. "The massive development in last couple of years is the result of the optimistic attention of the Centre towards northeast through Modis Act East Policy," he added. Khandu also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP president Amit Shah under whose guidance and directions, the Northeast is witnessing the light of progress in all fields, the release added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The overall flood situation in the north-east continued to improve today, except in Assam, where two more persons died, taking the death toll due to flood-related incidents in the region to 25, officials said. While the water level in the rivers of Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur are receding, it is maintaining a rising trend in the six affected districts of Assam. Two persons died in Cachar and Hailakandi districts in Barak Valley of Assam since yesterday, taking the death toll in the state to 14, according to a report issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) today. A population of 5,48,983 in the districts of Nagaon, Hojai, Golaghat, Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj have been affected by the flood. Karimganj district is the worst hit with the Kushiara, Barak and Longai rivers maintaining a rising trend. A total of 2,34,664 people are affected in the district, the report said. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had directed the Karimganj district authorities to speed up the relief-and-rescue operations and release a one-time financial assistance to the family members of those who died in the flood, official sources said. The ASDMA report said 437 relief camps were set up across the state, where 1,59,652 people had taken shelter. A total crop area of 2,186 hectares had been washed away in the flood, it said, adding that damage to embankments, roads and bridges was reported in Cachar, Hojai, Karbi Anglong East, Dima Hasao, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts. Karbi Anglong East and Dima Hasao had initially been affected by the flood. The water level of the Dhansiri river at Numaligarh in Golaghat, the Barak river at AP Ghat in Cachar and the Katakhal at Matizur in Hailakandi was rising and these rivers were flowing above the danger level, the report said. In Tripura, the flood situation had improved with all the major rivers flowing below the danger level, officials said at Agartala. "The distribution of relief materials, food and medicines is going on in full swing," D Darlong, District Magistrate of Unakoti, which is the worst-hit, said. Over 72,000 people in the district were still staying in the relief camps, he added. The flood has so far claimed three lives in Tripura. Meanwhile, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said regular passenger train service in the Lumding-Badarpur and Badarpur-Agartala sections was restored. The Agartala-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express and the Agartala-Silchar passenger train left the Agartala station today after measuring all the safety norms, NFR Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO) P J Sharma said. The Silchar-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express left from Badarpur, instead of Silchar, for the benefit of thousands of stranded passengers, he added. Tripura and a portion of Assam was cut off from the rest of the country since June 13 due to landslips and submerging of railway tracks at various locations. Normal service was still suspended between Silchar and Badarpur, both in Assam, as some portions of the track between the Panchgram and Katakhal stations were still under the flood waters, Sharma said. In Mizoram, the situation had improved with the water level of three rivers receding, officials said at Aizawl. Normal life resumed at Sairang in Aizawl district and at Bairabi town in Kolasib district, both situated along the Tlawng river, after its water level receded. Several houses in Bawrai and Kanhmun villages, along the Langkaih river, were no longer inundated by the flood waters and the displaced people had returned, the officials said. However, some houses remained under water at Tlabung and the nearby villages, along the Khawthlangtuipui river, bordering Bangladesh, they added. The situation had also improved in Manipur and all the major rivers in Imphal Valley were flowing below the danger level, officials said in Imphal. Thoubal, Imphal West and Imphal East were currently affected by the flood and relief-and-rescue operations were going on in the three districts, they added. The flood has claimed eight lives in the state so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In order to provide cheaper medical treatment to economically-weaker sections of the society, the BJP has launched a special health centre in the city. The centre, "Janata Clinic", has been apparently modelled on the lines of Delhi's "Mohalla Clinic", but the party said its project is different than the one operating in the national capital. The BJP's initiative is limited to the Indore city and the state government is not involved in it. Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Jayant Malaiya formally inaugurated the first "Janata Clinic" in Ram Nagar under ward number 6 of the city. Talking to reporters, Malaiya said, "Our party has taken the initiative to open Janata Clinic to provide medical facilities to the poor at very affordable rates." Replying to a question, he said this non-governmental initiative has nothing to do with the Mohalla Clinic model of Delhi's AAP government. The project was developed by local corporator Deepak Jain "Teenu", who said patients would be charged Rs 10 for the doctor's consultation and medicines at the clinic. Along with this, pathology tests would be done at the rates which would be nearly 80 per cent less than the market rates. Similar clinics would be gradually opened in other parts of the city, Jain said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP, a member of Jammu and Kashmir's ruling alliance with the PDP, today said it was against the proposal for allotment of government land to Jamiat Ahle Hadees (JAH). Recently, the JAH's state secretary general approached Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti with a representation requesting allotment of land for Eidgah on permanent basis. According to media reports, Mufti wrote a letter to the divisional commissioner's office for allotment of 50 kanal (6.25 acres approx) of land to the religious organisation. The BJP is opposed to any such move, the party's state spokesperson Brig (Retd) Anil Gupta told reporters here. He alleged that the JAH was spreading Wahhabi or fundamentalist Islam, adding that the recent killings in Kashmir were a manifestation of this ideology. The JAH is a Sunni sectarian organisation that is funded by petro-dollars from Saudi Arabia, Gupta claimed. The BJP spokesperson added that the JAH allegedly had links with the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and is suspected of sheltering terrorists from the neighbouring country. He claimed that the organisation had gained 25 lakh members, over 20 per cent of Jammu and Kashmir's Muslims, within a decade-and-a-half. Gupta said a proposal by the organisation for construction of a Rs 200-crore Islamic university, Trans World Muslim University (TWMU), affiliated to Saudi institutions in Hyderpora had been opposed by the then state chief of the ruling Congress Saifuddin Din Soz in October 2010. This, Gupta said, had been done due to concerns expressed by the security agencies. The proposal was later referred to a select committee and about 100 kanal (12.5 acres approx) of land had been allotted for the varsity, he added. If there is no land for Sainik Colony in Srinagar, then where has land come for allotment to JAH, Gupta asked. The JAH had sought land at Khadi Mill in Allochi Bagh, behind court complex Mooninabad and at dairy farm near Bemina crossing in Srinagar city in its representation to Mufti. Last week, Union Minister Jitendra Singh had said that the Centre would take due cognizance of the land allotment proposal, if there is any pitfall. The divisional commissioner of Kashmir has written a letter to the deputy commissioner of Srinagar asking for a report about allotment of land to JAH. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The West Bengal BJP unit today staged protest rallies in various parts of the state against the killing of two party workers in Purulia district a few days back. The BJP state unit organized protest rallies in Murshidabad, Hoogly, Alipurduar and East Midnapore districts and submitted deputation to the district magistrates regarding the worsening law and order situation. "Tomorrow we will organize protest rallies in other districts against the misrule of the TMC government and killing of two of our activists in Purulia few days back," BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu. The party has planned to organize protest programs and demonstrations in West Bengal and New Delhi during the period of June 18-June 24, protesting against the alleged killings of two BJP activists Dulal Kumar and Trilochan Mahato, BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha had said. Two BJP activists 35-year-old Kumar and 20-year -old Mahato were found hanging in West Bengal's Purulia district on June 2 and May 31 respectively in two separate incidents in a span of three days. The BJP's Delhi unit today staged a protest against the alleged killing of two party workers in West Bengal and the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scores of BJP workers today staged a protest at the Trinmool Congress (TMC) office here over the "recent killings of two BJP workers" in West Bengal. In a statement issued by the party, senior BJP leader Roopa Ganguly said that whatever is happening under the rule of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Bengal is a "black chapter in the history of the state". A situation has been created in West Bengal wherein a village is deprived of government schemes if its residents supported any party other than the TMC, Ganguly said. According to the statement, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwar said, "There is provision of secularism in the Constitution of India but Mamata Banerjee encourages religious appeasement for her political gain." On Saturday, Mamata Banerjee, along with Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, met the family members of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence. All four chief ministers of non BJP-ruled states expressed support to Kejriwal, who along with his cabinet colleagues have stayed put at the office of Lt Governor Anil Baijal over their demands, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bryce Dallas Howard has revealed she passed out from fear while shooting for "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom". The 37-year-old actor, who reprised her role of Claire, said when they were filming a stunt involving a gyrosphere falling off a cliff, director JA Bayona wanted her reaction to be realistic, so he decided to build a rollercoaster and have her do the take again and again, DigitalSpy reported. "JA Bayona decided to have a rollercoaster built. So we could experience zero gravity so we could actually fall faster," she told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. Howard admitted she was gutted during the filming as she is not an adventurous person at heart. "I was so scared. Normally with stunts, with each take you get more and more confident. With each take my panic increased substantially. "And by the fifth or sixth take, you know there's so much fear, and I just blacked out. Then it stopped and I came to. It was crazy, I passed out," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Canadian leaders today condemned a "brazen" act of arson at an Alberta mosque as Muslims around the world celebrated the end of Ramadan. The mosque in the town of Edson was set ablaze Saturday night, blackening the entrance to the building but otherwise causing no injuries and little damage. "All of Canada stands together with the community against this brazen act, which is under investigation. Everyone has the right to practice their faith without fear," Canada's Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said on Twitter. Surveillance footage showed a person in a dark hoodie carrying a jerrycan fleeing the mosque at about 11 pm local time Saturday. The 30-year-old mosque serves as a place of worship for 15 families in Edson, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Edmonton. Alberta's social democratic Premier Rachel Notley called the arson an "affront to all Albertans" and she renewed her government's commitment to "fighting racism in all its forms." The province's Conservative leader Jason Kenney called it "an attack on freedom" while vowing solidarity "with our Muslim neighbours against such acts of hatred. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Central Water Commission (CWC) has entered into an agreement with Google to improve flood forecast systems and disseminate flood-related information by using technology developed by the tech giant. "The initiative is likely to help crisis management agencies to deal extreme hydrological events in a better manner. Under this agreement, the CWC and Google will share technical expertise in various fields, including geospatial mapping and analysis of hydrological observation data," the Water Resources Ministry said in an official statement. The CWC, which is an apex technical organisation in the field of water resources, will use Google technology to improve flood prediction systems and will also use tech giant's earth engine to visualise and improve flood management. Water Resources minister Nitin Gadkari also expressed hope that the collaboration with Google will help in effective flood management in India. This initiative on flood forecast is likely to meet the much-awaited demand of the inhabitants of the flood-prone areas for inundation warnings with sufficient lead time. Till 2016, the CWC was disseminating flood levels with maximum lead time of one day. During the flood season of 2017, the CWC resorted to rainfall-based modelling and issued flood advisories on a trial basis with 3 days lead time. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A chinese national has been arrested for consuming liquor in the dry state here while another one, alleged to be in possession of the contraband liquid is being searched, the police said today. Besides the two Chinese nationals, allegedly found on the wrong side of Bihar's prohibition law, seven of their associates were detained for interrogation but released later. Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj told reporters that the police raided a guest house of a private mobile company in the city late last night on a tip-off that some people were consuming alcohol in violation of the state's prohibition law, enforced for over the last two years. Nitish Kumar government introduced complete ban on the sale and consumption of liquor in the state in April 2016. One of the Chinese nationals, identified as Tiandong, was found in a drunken state and two bottles of liquor were found inside his room, the SSP said adding that he was arrested. A bottle of liquor was also recovered from the room of Wu Chuangyong, who was not at the guest house, the SSP said adding that he was said to be away in some other town for professional reasons and police was making efforts to nab him. Seven other Chinese nationals, including two women, were also staying at the guest house, but nothing objectionable was found in their possession and they were let off after questioning, the SSP said. Meanwhile, the passports and visas of all the Chinese nationals, who claimed to be working for the mobile company, have been seized by the police, said the SSP, adding that the validity and authenticity of their travel documents are being verfied by the police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey today sought enhanced participation by state health ministers in the National Health Mission, saying NHM has led to improved health outcomes and strengthened public health systems. Releasing the 11th Common Review Mission report, Choubey said up to 70 per cent of health-related work in states is done through NHM. "NHM has a huge responsibility in making India healthy and disease-free. It has led to improved health outcomes and health indicators due to strengthened system of healthcare delivery. It continues to play an important role in strengthening public health systems at the state and sub-district levels," Choubey said. He said state health ministers should be adequately informed about NHM. The main components of NHM include strengthening the health system in rural and urban areas, improving the maternal, neonatal- child and adolescent health and focusing on communicable and non-communicable diseases. Choubey said India has registered a record 22 per cent reduction in maternal mortality rate since 2013, the highest percentage decline so far when compared to all previous reductions in MMRs as per the earlier rounds of Sample Registration System. "MMR of India has declined from 167 in 2011-2013 to 130 in 2014-2016. It is because of the joint efforts of the Ministry and the States. I congratulate the states and all stakeholders associated with this achievement," Choubey said. Health Secretary Preeti Sudan said the ministry has undertaken an initiative to strengthen sub-health centres as health and wellness centres in a phased manner so as to meet the commitment of operationalising 1,50,000 HWCs by 2022. She said NHM needs to look at anti-microbial resistance, especially in SNCUs and should ensure that they are infection free. She also emphasized on the need for developing specific time bound strategy for leprosy and kala-azar districts. The 11th CRM team visited 16 states/UTs, of which four were northeastern states, six were high focus states and six were non-high focus states. The terms of reference include service delivery, quality assurance, community processes; information and knowledge, healthcare financing; procurement of drugs, diagnostics and supply chain management and governance and management. The CRM report spans all aspects of health system reform and uses a mix of methods- including secondary data review, rapid assessment of facilities, and implementer and beneficiary perspectives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CIC has directed the government to proactively disclose on its website the details of works undertaken under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) in every constituency. The directive came after the Central Information Commission (CIC) was told by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI) that it releases the MPLADS funds, but does not keep a record of the works done, except statistics. Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu said the ministry was receiving utilisation certificates from district authority, but did not upload any utilisation detail on the website. He said it was also not known whether these certificates contained physical details of the actual works. Every Member of Parliament (MP) gets Rs 5 crore annually to undertake development works of his choice in his constituency, known as the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). The case pertains to one Prashant Jain who had sought the details of work done by Narendra Singh Tomar in his Lok Sabha constituency of Gwalior from the MPLADS funds. Jain had sought details of the amount spent or donated on persons and institutions from the minister's MP quota in his parliamentary area, and the works done in the constituency between January 2015 and August 2017. The appellant told the Commission that neither the MoSPI nor the district administration provided him with the necessary information. Jain said as a citizen of the country, he had every right to know about the way the funds were being utilised, and the same was in public interest. Acharyulu pointed out, "The entire progress report is reduced into some statistics, which does not give any information to the seeker as to what work was taken and to what extent it was completed, how much was left, when it would be completed and the reasons for delay, if any. This report hides more than revealing". He noted that the district authority "hid the information" by furnishing some numbers and not communicating about any stage of work, benefits or beneficiaries. "This amounts to denial of right to information to MoSPI, MP and the people. They have a duty to provide clear information about the progress of work under MPLADS to MP, voters and the ministry which is funding the works," the information commissioner said. Exercising his powers under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Acharyulu directed the district administration to publish information about the progress of work regularly on its web site. The official also noted that the MoSPI officials failed to check the proper utilisation of MPLADS funds "It is not explained why they did not bother about proper utilisation of funds. Has the ministry confined itself to maintain some ambiguous statistics and totally ignore the program implementation? They have a duty to secure details of utilisation instead of accepting just numbers," he said. Acharyulu directed the ministry to publish MP-wise, constituency-wise and work-wise details procured from the district administration and ensure the publication of the same in public domain by both local administration and the ministry. The information commissioner also directed Tomar to inform the appellant about the works he recommended and their progress as well as the projects rejected by him. The official added that if any MP had not recommended works for any part of the fund, he had a legal and moral duty to explain the reasons for not recommending works to the extent of Rs 25 crore. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress today condemned the Chinese ambassador's statement endorsing trilateral cooperation comprising India, China and Pakistan to resolve bilateral issues between New Delhi and Islamabad, and asserted that there was no scope for any third party intervention. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the Government of India should also strongly condemn the "unwarranted suggestion" of the Chinese Ambassador, Luo Zhaohui, and that all issues between India and Pakistan would be resolved as per the Shimla Agreement. "We strongly condemn the statement of Chinese Ambassador. We expect the Government of India to strongly condemn this unwarranted suggestion which has been made by the Chinese Ambassador. It seems that the Chinese Ambassador is not cognizant about India-Pakistan paradigm. "We have maintained and continue to maintain that whatever issues or whatever outstanding issues there are qua Pakistan has to be resolved in a bilateral format. There absolutely is no place for any third party intervention insofar as India and Pakistan and its outstanding disputes are concerned," he told reporters. The Congress leader said this has been the consistent position of all dispensations at the Centre since 1972 when the Shimla Agreement was signed between India and Pakistan. Earlier, Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui suggested the idea of trilateral cooperation between India, China and Pakistan under the aegis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), saying it could "in the future" help resolve bilateral issues between New Delhi and Islamabad and help maintain peace. He said "some Indian friends" had suggested trilateral cooperation comprising India, China and Pakistan under the aegis of the SCO, which was a "very constructive idea". "Security cooperation is one of the three pillars of the SCO. Some Indian friends suggested that China, India and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral cooperation under the SCO," he said in his keynote address on 'Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India Relations Go' at an event organised by the Chinese Embassy here. Responding to a question on whether a trilateral meet between the Asian neighbours will help in solving the India-Pakistan dispute, he said he personally considered it "a good and constructive idea". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP's Delhi unit today staged a protest against the alleged killing of two party workers in West Bengal and the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Targeting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the issues, the unit's members took out a protest march this morning from Trimurti road, but were stopped by police before they could reach the state's guesthouse at Chanakyapuri, where the CM was staying. Banerjee, who is also the TMC's chief, was in Delhi to attend the Niti Aayog Governing Council meet. She left for Kolkata in the afternoon. The march was led by BJP Delhi president Manoj Tiwari and MPs Rupa Ganguly and Ramesh Bidhuri. Other party leaders from the national capital and Bengal also participated in the protest. "There is no law and order in the state (Bengal). People are scared to come out of their houses. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has recently murdered two of our workers and the police is trying to cover it up, saying they committed suicide. "Mamata Banerjee cannot control her own state, but she is in Delhi to show solidarity to Delhi chief minister (Arvind Kejriwal) who is also not being able to control his state," Ganguly, a BJP MP from West Bengal, told PTI. Protest marches would be taken out in West Bengal and other parts of the country. The people would rise against the atrocities committed by the state government, she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Congress today accused the AAP and BJP of being involved in "air conditioned dharna politics" at a time when people in the national capital were facing "water crisis" and air pollution issues. In a meeting chaired by Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken, a resolution was passed that sought attention of the chief ministers who visited Delhi and extended support to their Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal. "The resolution condemns the air-conditioned dharna of the Kejriwal government and the BJP leaders at a time when the city is facing acute water and power shortage, severe air pollution and sanitation crisis," Maken said. The Congress resolution also sought the attention of the chief Ministers who extended their support to Kejriwal, he said. "Kejriwal is trying to find an escape route from his non-performance in the last three and a half years, and the resolution appeals to the ruling parties at the Centre and Delhi to resolve the impasse at the earliest as the national capital has already suffered enough," he said. Maken alleged that the AAP and BJP jostled on "superfluous issues" but helped one another on "core issues". "The entire Anna Movement (started in 2011) was aimed at targeting the Congress. The BJP and the RSS were behind this movement and Kejriwal, through this movement, was responsible for bringing Narendra Modi and the BJP to power," the Delhi Congress chief said. Kejriwal is now trying to "cover-up his governance failures" by "blaming" the administrative setup of Delhi and "non-cooperation" by the bureaucracy, Maken alleged. Referring to the tussle between the AAP government and IAS officers after the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, he said, "Kejriwal never tried to reach out to the bureaucracy and assuage their feelings." The Congress resolution has also taken strong exception to the conduct of the BJP in Delhi. "It is utterly shocking that the elected leaders of the BJP are answering Kejriwal's drama with their own theatrical performance," it said. BJP legislators and its West Delhi MP are on a hunger strike at the chief minister's office in the Delhi Secretariat demanding that Kejriwal resume work and address water "crisis" in the city. As Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's sit-in at the lieutenant governor's office entered the 8th day today, the Delhi government and its IAS officers showed signs of a thaw with both sides expressing readiness for talks to end the impasse. The development came on a day the Delhi High Court virtually disapproved of the sit-in led by Kejriwal and asked the AAP government who had authorised such a protest even as Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who was on a hunger strike since June 13 at the LG's office, was taken to hospital after his health deteriorated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's sit-in at the lieutenant governor's office entered the 8th day, the Delhi government and its IAS officers today showed signs of a thaw with both sides expressing their readiness for talks to end the impasse. The development came on a day the Delhi High Court virtually disapproved of the sit-in led by Kejriwal and asked the AAP government who had authorised such a protest even as Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who was on a hunger strike since June 13 at the LG's office, was taken to hospital after his health deteriorated. Later in the day, Sisodia wrote LG Anil Baijal requesting him to call a meeting between AAP ministers and the bureaucrats to resolve the issue. The chief minister had assured the officers yesterday he would ensure their safety and security. The officers today welcomed Kejriwal's assurance about their safety, saying they are open to formal discussions with the chief minister on the matter. After Sisodia's letter, Kejriwal tweeted, "I hope LG calls a meeting soonest to resolve this issue. (sic)." The AAP said that the chief minister's assurance was a "good step forward", adding now it was the "responsibility" of the Centre and bureaucrats' fraternity to reciprocate. The officers said that they looked forward to "concrete interventions" for their security and dignity, a move that may break the four-month-long impasse between the AAP dispensation and the bureaucrats following an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by some ruling party MLAs at the chief minister's residence in February. The association of officers of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union territories) cadre said that they continue to be at work with "full dedication" and "vigour", rebutting the AAP charge that they were on strike. Sisodia, in his letter to Baijal, said, "As the matter of security and services come under you, we want this meeting to be held under your chairmanship so that whatever assurance we will have to give, will give, and also, whatever comes under you, you give." He also said, "I hope that you will call all stakeholders at the earliest and find a solution to this (impasse)."Kejriwal, along with his colleagues, have been holding a protest at LG's office demanding a direction to the officers to end their"strike" and approval of the doorstep ration delivery scheme. Amid the tug of war, Kejriwal called up Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and apprised him about the situation in the national capital. Media advisor to Thackeray, Harshal Pradhan, said Kejriwal called Thackeray yesterday. "Uddhav ji feels that the duly-elected government by people of Delhi should be allowed to function sans any hindrance in its working," he said. "This, however, does not amount to the Shiv Sena, a key NDA constituent, supporting Kejriwal and the AAP," Pradhan said, dismissing media reports in this connection. Meanwhile, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of turning a blind eye to the "anarchy" in Delhi and aiding "chaos and disorder" in the national capital, where Kejriwal as well as the BJP are staging competing sit-ins. "Delhi CM, sitting in dharna at LG office. BJP sitting in dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences. "PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos and disorder. People of Delhi are the victims, as this drama plays out," Gandhi said on Twitter. Late last night, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who on an indefinite fast, was hospitalised after his condition had deteriorated. He was taken to the LNJP Hospital where his condition is stable, doctors said today. A day after chief ministers of four non-BJP ruled states -- West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala -- urged Modi to resolve the issue, the AAP got support from another political party -- the Samajwadi Party (SP). Senior SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav, who met Sisodia and Jain at the hospital, said that if need be, "we will also sit on dharna". With AAP workers holding a protest march yesterday in the heart of Delhi in support of the sit-in, party leader Sanjay Singh today said it was a message that the people of Delhi will not stay quiet if they are "made to suffer". "Now, it is the responsibility of the Centre, the lieutenant governor and the IAS association to take two steps forward from their sides in favour of people of Delhi and end the strike," he told reporters. An end of the "strike" by IAS officers would ensure that pending work such as CCTV installation, air pollution control, education and mid-day meal scheme are completed, Singh said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Preparations for the International Yoga Day are underway at the Forest Research Institute (FRI) campus in the city, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to take part in the event on June 21. The FRI campus was closed for visitors for two days to prepare the venue for the event, while women officials led a 'Walk for Yoga' through the main roads of the city to motivate people to turn up in large numbers to ensure its success. Preparations are underway on a large scale in the city for over a week to organise the yoga day function here, with top administrative officials visiting the venue on a daily basis to see if everything was in place. The routes, from where the prime minister's convoy is likely to pass, is being repaired on a war footing with the potholes being filled up, a fresh coat of asphalt being laid on them and the dividers being painted afresh. A release from the FRI said its campus will remain closed on June 19-20 asvarious measures are being undertaken to clean its premises, spread over an area of about 500 hectares. All kinds of waste, including polythene and plastic litters, will be collected and disposed of over the next two days, it said regretting the inconvenience caused to the people by the closure. Several'Walk for Yoga' have been held in the city since Saturday, including the ones by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and his Cabinet colleagues, police officials led by Director General of Police Anil Raturi. Leading a 'Walk for Yoga' in the city on Saturday, the chief minister appealed to people to make yoga an integral part of their lives, saying a healthy India cannot be imagined without yoga becoming part of every Indian's daily routine. Similar appeals were made by the DGP and Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh, who flagged off a 'Walk for Yoga' by the women officials. The pradesh BJP will also conduct a 'Walk for Yoga' tomorrow a day ahead of the PM's arrival here as part of the awareness campaign. Modi is likely to arrive here at 9 PM on June 20 to participate in the programme to be held at the FRI from 6.45 AM to 7.45 AM the following morning. The prime minister will stay at the Raj Bhawan on the night of June 20 and will take part in the event early next morning at the FRI lawns with its iconic British-era building in the backdrop, along with an estimated crowd of 50,000 people, before leaving for New Delhi, an official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi University Teachers' Association today called off its evaluation boycott "in the interest of students" and with assurances from the HRD Ministry that working ad hoc teachers will not be displaced, according to a statement issued by the teachers' body. They had begun the evaluation boycott on May 9. The teachers' body has, however, warned that its members would go on strike if ad hoc teachers are displaced in the new academic session on the basis of the UGC's March 5 notification on faculty reservation. Following an Allahabad High Court order, upheld by the Supreme Court, the University Grants Commission (UGC) on March 5 announced a new mechanism for implementing faculty reservations, which is calculating total posts department-wise rather than institution-wise. The UGC said that its new reservation formula was in response to a direction of the Allahabad High Court in April last year. However, it is believed that the move would cut the number of posts available for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates. The DUTA general body, in its meeting today, decided to take forward its "agitation through alternative modes in the interest of thousands of students", the teachers' body said. It said, "The DUTA noted that the student community has supported the struggle throughout. The DUTA had always tried to ensure that examination results are declared on time so that the interests of students are not hurt. It appeals to all teachers to contribute their best in ensuring that the results are declared on time." The teachers' body will review the situation after the July 2 Supreme Court hearing on the special leave petition filed by the government pertaining to the Reservation Roster. The DUTA said that they will seek a meeting with President Ram Nath Kovind on the matter, and will also hold a protest on July 2. Yesterday, the deadlock between DUTA and the Delhi University administration over several issues, including the UGC notification, ended after a meeting between the vice-chancellor and the office-bearers of the teachers' body. The VC had made an appeal to DUTA to lift its nearly month-long evaluation boycott in the interests of students. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police today arrested eight persons, including five minors, for allegedly playing anti-national song, usually sung by Pakistani Mujahids, on the eve of Eid, in Bihar's Rohtas district, a senior police officer said today. A video had gone viral yesterday in this regard that showed anti-national song usually sung by Pakistani Mujahids being played on Friday night, a day before Eid-Ul-Fitra, at Dhus locality in Nasriganj postal road under Nasriganj police station area of the district. Superintendent of Police Satyaveer Singh said that police have taken cognisance of the video and has arrested eight persons, including five minors, after an FIR was lodged against 15-20 unknown persons in this regard. Terming the incident as serious, Singh said stern action will be taken against those found indulging in vitiating the law and order situation through such act. Bikramganj Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Raj Kumar Singh has been asked to inquire into the entire incident, he added. The video has been sent to Forensice Science Laboratory (FSL), Patna for examining its veracity and authenticity, the SP said. FIR has been lodged under section 143, 124A, 153A, 295A of IPC and section 9 of Loudspeaker Act against all the 15-20 accused persons, the SP said. Organiser Raja Khan, DJ player-cum-owner Ashish Kumar and Vehicle driver Mukesh Kumar, all three aged around 20 years, have been arrested, he said adding that other five minors, aged between 14-17 years, have been forwarded to remand home. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bangladesh's imprisoned former prime minister Khaleda Zia is critically ill and not able to walk on her own, a senior leader of the main opposition BNP has said. The 72-year-old three-time former premier was jailed for five years in February in connection with the embezzlement of 21 million taka (about USD 250,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her late husband Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler-turned-politician. Khaleda used to walk to the family members whenever they visited her at the jail but now she is critically ill, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was quoted as saying by The Daily Star. He urged the government to let her take treatment according to her wish and take proper measures in this regard. Fakhrul, quoting the relatives of Zia's relatives, claimed that she is not able to even walk on her own. She is lodged at a 200-year-old prison in Dhaka for the last four months. Last Month, Zia was granted bail by the Supreme Court which upheld a high court order in her favour considering her old age and health issues. Her lawyers, however, said that the verdict was unlikely to bring her out of prison as her bail pleas in at least five similar cases were pending. Zia's imprisonment has led to a question mark over the BNP's participation in the elections in December this year as the party said it would not take part in the polls without her. The BNP-led four-party alliance, with fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami being a crucial partner, boycotted the last elections in 2014, protesting against prime minister Sheikh Hasina's scrapping of the practice of having a caretaker government oversee elections. The BNP had termed the elections as "farcical". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat today visited forward areas in Jammu and Kashmir today and reviewed the security situation along the borderline as well as in the hinterland. Rawat reviewed the security situation of J&K during his visit to forward areas today, a defence spokesman said. He was briefed by Lt Gen Saranjeet Singh, GOC, White Knight Corps, on the prevailing security situation. Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, Army Commander, Northern Command accompanied the chief of Army staff during his visit, the official said. The Army chief visited deceased Rifleman Aurangzeb's native village, Salani, Poonch to meet the bereaved family and condoled the death. Speaking to the father of the brave-heart, the COAS assured all possible assistance to the family, the official added. He assured the family, that the supreme sacrifice rendered by the brave son of India will not go in vain, the spokesman said. The Army chief, during his visit to forward areas, also interacted with soldiers and complemented them for their professionalism, selfless commitment and loyalty. He exhorted the troops to continue to work with zeal and dedication to overcome the challenges posted by weather, enemy and terrorism. The Army Chief commended the synergy between all security agencies and civil administration in Jammu and Kashmir, the official said. Rawat also visited northern command, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government is committed to meeting the fiscal deficit target of 3.3 per cent for the current fiscal despite it being an election year, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said today. He also said that there will not be a spending cut to meet the target as the government has enough alternative resources for planned expenditure. Fiscal deficit stood at 3.53 per cent of the GDP, broadly in line with the government's revised estimates for 2017-18. "Fiscal digit this year will be down to 3.3 per cent and I can assure you that we are monitoring and working to ensure that fiscal deficit will be contained at 3.3 per cent despite this being an election year, despite this being a year traditionally, and I will urge you to look at history be it 2013-14, be it 2007-08 or 2008-09, where fiscal deficits, microeconomic stability, good governance -- all were thrown to the wind for political exigencies," Goyal said. In the Union Budget 2018-19 presented in February, the government had revised the fiscal deficit target for 2017-18 to 3.5 per cent from the earlier estimate of 3.2 per cent. In absolute terms, the fiscal deficit was Rs 5.91 lakh crore, or 99.5 per cent, of the Budget estimates. Addressing an event organised by industry body CII, Goyal said, the government will maintain stability in the economy and meet all economic parameters. "You have a government today which is willing to say we will meet the aspirations of the people of India. We will meet our objectives of good governance. We will meet our objective for society to reach benefits of growth to poorest of the poor but we will also strengthen the Indian economy," he said. Asked if the rise in oil prices will have impact on the fiscal deficit, Goyal said this government has been very responsible, both in the management in the economy and management of prices. "We have factored in what would be the increased oil price. Some of it were factored before the budget. Some of it we have now. And with alternate sources... without cut in expenditure, we will be able to meet the fiscal deficit," he said. On including petroleum products under Goods and Services Tax (GST), he said that's really a decision that GST council has to take because at end of the day the government is not alone on that. He said: "We have maintained the dignity of the GST council to have unanimous decisions and the good part is that the federal structure, even though it has different political ideologies in different states, they have all worked together to ensure the success of GST and maybe in the next meeting there could be a discussion on this. "I believe in the past they had discussed this issue since the consensus didn't come through it hasn't yet come under the GST". On Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), he said that 481 centrally sponsored schemes have come under this scheme, and Rs 3.65 lakh crore has been directly transferred to bank accounts of beneficiaries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The commerce ministry has commissioned a study on ways to boost the export of pharmaceutical products to China. The study aims to have a proper understanding of Chinese market and to help the domestic pharma industry to evolve appropriate and focussed strategy for the entry of the Indian generic drugs, the ministry said. The move assumes significance as China is among the world's most attractive markets for pharmaceuticals and medical products. "The Department of Commerce in coordination with Embassy of India at Beijing commissioned a study on enhancing Indian exports of pharmaceutical products to China," it said in a statement. The study examines the healthcare market, pharmaceutical market, distribution system, procurement and bidding process and the regulatory landscape in China, it added. It also suggests ways to access the Chinese market. China's healthcare sector continues to grow rapidly with spending projected to grow from USD 357 billion in 2011 to USD 1 trillion in 2020, it added. India wants greater market access in China for its pharma products with a view to bridge the widening trade deficit with the country, which has touched USD 63.12 billion in 2017-18. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahead of elections for the heads of district and taluka panchayats, the Gujarat Congress has shifted its councillors out of the state, fearing attempts to lure them by the ruling BJP. Elected members of district panchayats have been shifted till the elections for the posts of president and vice president, said Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi. "To stop the BJP from luring Congress councillors to capture Congress-ruled district panchayats, we have shifted our councillors out of the state. This was necessary to thwart the BJP's attempt to acquire power through money," he said. Local bodies in Gujarat, though having a tenure of five years, elect new heads midway through the term. Elections for heads of over 200 taluka panchayats will be held tomorrow, and that of 31 district panchayats will be held on Wednesday. A majority of these local bodies are currently controlled by the Congress. Party sources said that Congress councillors of Ahmedabad, Surendranagar and Patan district panchayats (all ruled by the Congress) have been shifted to hotels in Rajasthan and the Union Territory of Diu. Taluka panchayat members too have been kept together at various places in Gujarat, they said. Gujarat Congress in-charge Rajiv Satav today held a meeting with party observers to take a stock of the situation. "The BJP is known for misusing power....Recently we have seen it in Gujarat. But this sends a message among the masses that the BJP is using money power to snatch power. It will have to pay the price for this," Satav told reporters. The opposition party has also sent a letter to the state chief secretary J N Singh. "In view of the unfair means adopted by the ruling BJP to acquire power by hook or by crook, we urge you to deploy adequate police force during the polls....We also urge you to do videography of the elections on June 19 and 20," the letter stated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three motorcycle borne gunmen today fired and injured a petrol pump employee before looting Rs 10 lakh from him in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, police said. The incident occurred at Bhawanipur area when the petrol pump employee was going on a motorcycle to deposit Rs 10 lakh at a nationalised bank branch. The gunmen fired and injured him, and fled with a bag containing the cash. The injured man has been admitted to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital here and he is stated to be out of danger, police said. Raids are being conducted to capture the culprits. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three major Holy Land churches implored Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today to prevent the advancement of a draft bill they said was aimed at expropriating their lands. Heads of the Armenian, Greek Orthodox and Catholic churches in Jerusalem also accused the Israeli authorities of failing to keep a committment made just a few months ago that brought an end to a major crisis between the sides. In February, the Jerusalem municipality began enforcing tax collection on church property, while separately lawmakers in the parliament worked on advancing a law that would allow expropriation of church property. The church leaders in protest closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site in Jerusalem where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried, following which Israeli authorities froze both the tax measures and the legislation, committing to a dialogue with the Christians over the issues. Rachel Azaria, a lawmaker with the centrist coalition party Kulanu, recently renewed work on a slightly revised bill that does not mention churches but would let the state expropriate the rights over lands sold by such bodies in Jerusalem, while offering compensation. In their Monday letter to Netanyahu, the Christian leaders slammed the "scandalous bill," accusing its backers of an "unprecedented attack against the Christians of the Land". "Certain elements in the government of Israel are still attempting to promote divisive, racist and subversive agendas, thereby undermining the Status Quo and targeting the Christian community on the basis of extraneous and populist considerations," they said. The church leaders also said that despite the Israeli committment to communicate on these issues via a specially appointed committee headed by Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, "no dialogue whatsoever has taken place with us" since the end of February. "We view such conduct, from those who promote the bill, as a flagrant violation and undermining of Your Excellency's commitment and of the basic and fundamental freedom of worship," the church leaders said. They urged Netanyahu to swiftly "block the bill whose unilateral promotion will compel the Churches to reciprocate". Large swathes of Jerusalem are owned by various churches, which in many cases reached long-term leasing agreements with the state. Residents living in homes on such lands fear the churches could sell the lands to private developers, who would be free to do as they wish with their property, including raising rents or razing existing structures. Azaria said her bill did not single out churches, and was aimed at solving the problem of "thousands of Jerusalem residents who could lose their homes due to the demands of developers". There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu's office while Hanegbi refused to comment. A spokeswoman for Azaria told AFP the bill was coordinated with Netanyahu and Hanegbi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haryana Women and Child Development Minister Kavita Jain today stressed upon the need of launching a major campaign to check crime against children. Jain stressed upon the need to prevent crime against children and to prevent them from committing crimes as well. The minister was speaking here during the two-day North-West Regional Review Conference organised for deliberation on Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 and restorative justice, an official release said. The Juvenile Justice Act comprises of all rights of children, from right to education, equality, privacy and fight against any crime against them, Jain said. She said emphasis should be laid on how the victim and children involved in crime are rehabilitated under the Act and whether they are assured of their rights through this law or not. The JJ Act encourages children to fight for their rights, she added. Jain said the state government is making efforts for the all round development of children. In view of rising crime against small girls, the state government has made a provision of punishment of death for those found guilty of raping a girl up to 12 years of age. She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign from Haryana in 2015. "Since then, Haryana has made considerable progress in improving the sex ratio in the state. The state was also awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition of our success in improving female sex ratio at birth," she added. As many as 127 participants from Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Delhi were present at the event. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hyundai Motor today announced making India and the US as regional headquarters, a move that would provide more functional autonomy for its business activities in these regions. As part of the organisational changes, the company has also elevated Europe as regional headquarters as it plans to grant greater autonomy to each region in an effort to spur sustainable growth and enhance innovation, the South Korean company said in a statement. The changes, which are in line with last October's restructuring at Hyundai's headquarters in Seoul, would be effective from July 2. "The regional groups, in close collaboration with corporate headquarters, will play a hub role to lead continuous innovation within each market and advance Hyundai's global business operations to the next level," the company said. Hyundai Motor India headquarters will support the company to further enhance operations in the market, under the leadership of executive vice president YK Koo, the current managing director of Hyundai Motor India, it added. Similarly, Hyundai Motor North America headquarters will encompass Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, the company's production hub for the Americas, and three sales units Hyundai Motor America, Hyundai Motor Canada and Hyundai Motor Mexico. Besides, Hyundai Motor Europe headquarters will expand Hyundai Motor Europe (HME)'s current role beyond sales operations, bringing under its wing Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMMC) and Hyundai Assan Otomotiv Sanayi Ve Ticaret (HAOS: Turkey manufacturing joint venture). Hyundai aims to complete global reorganisation by 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The students of Indian Institute of Technology-ISM (Dhanbad) today attended their convocation wearing kurta-pyjamas instead of colonial-era gowns. Boys wore pale white or cream coloured kurta-pyjama, while girls wore offwhite sari. Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines)- Dhanbad director Rajiv Shekhar and other officials were also dressed in kurta pyjamas and many students took the convocation pledge in Sanskrit. This was the first convocation of the institute after it attained the IIT status on September 6, 2016. The students previously used to wear the colonial-era gown for convocation. The change has been effected to promote the traditional Indian attire. Around 750 students of PhD, M Tech, MBA, MTech, MSc were conferred awards and degrees at the convocation, Dean of Infrastructure J K Nayak said. IIT-Kanpur students too had received their degree wearing traditional Indian dresses during their convocation last year. Sunil Kumar Barnwal, principal secretary to Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, received his PhD degree wearing a cream-coloured kurta pyjama at the function. Addressing the gathering, chief guest Ashutosh Sharma urged the students to take technologies from research lab to society to make an impact in the lives of ordinary citizens. Sharma said there is a need to innovate for sustainable growth and societal well-being. "The country has emerged as one of the world's largest economies, it needs to move away from being a net consumer of knowledge to a net producer of knowledge," he said. Sharma said realising the importance of innovation and technology for development, the Union government has approved implementation of Prime Minister Research Fellow scheme for PhD students. "The scheme would help tapping the pool for indigenous research in cutting-edge of science and technology domain. Research under the scheme will address national priorities," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For the first time, a yoga session was organised in the Australian Parliament today with several lawmakers including former prime minister Tony Abbott performing various asanas in the federal legislature. Marking the fourth International Day of Yoga which is on June 21, over 50 people attended the two-hour long event organised by Melbourne-based Vasudeva Kriya Yoga group at Parliament's community hall in Canberra. "It's great that we are acknowledging that (Yoga day) here in Australian parliament today," Abbott said. "It's wonderful to see that so many Australians of Indian background are practising yoga and it's also great to see that so many Australians generally are interested in Yoga," the former premier said. Practicising yoga could help politicians living a stressful and busy social lives, the 60-year-old leader said. "India is the world's emerging democratic superpower and yoga is something associated with India. It's good to see this splendid Indian export is more and more taken up throughout the world," Abbott said. According toRajendra Yenkannamoole, founder of Vasudeva Kriya Yoga, it was the first time that International Yoga day was celebrated in any Parliament in the world. "It was a very successful and historicevent. We are planning to make it even bigger in coming years in Australia," he said, adding that Victorian Parliament was also gearing up to hold a similar event in its Queen Hall on June 21 with state parliamentarians and community members. Others who attended the event were multi-cultural minister Alan Tudge, Senator James Paterson, parliamentarians Julian Hill and Tim Wilson and Indian High Commissioner to Australia A M Gondane among others. "It's an important recognition to Yoga given by the Australian government," according to Tushar Balapure, coordinator of the event. "For any government, community health is a top priority and yoga should become a part of promoting health and well-being across the globe," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bilateral ties between India and China can't take the strain of another Doklam episode, Chinese envoy to India Luo Zhaohui said today, emphasising the need to find a "mutually acceptable solution" on the boundary issue through a meeting of Special Representatives. The Chinese envoy said "some Indian friends" had suggested trilateral cooperation comprising India, China and Pakistan under the aegis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which was a "very constructive" idea. "Security cooperation is one of the three pillars of the SCO. Some Indian friends suggested that China, India and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral cooperation under the SCO," he said in his keynote address on 'Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India Relations Go' at an event organised by the Chinese Embassy here. Responding to a question on whether a trilateral between the Asian neighbours will help in solving the India-Pakistan dispute, he said he personally considers it "a good and constructive idea". "Maybe not now, but in the future, that is the great idea. It will help to resolve bilateral issues and help to maintain peace and tranquillity," he said. Dwelling on Sino-Indian ties, the envoy said it is quite natural to have differences with neighbours but they need to be controlled and managed through cooperation. "We need to narrow differences through expanding cooperation. However, it does not mean that differences would be ignored. The boundary question between our two countries was left over by history. We need to build on convergence to find a mutual acceptable solution through the Special Representatives Meeting while adopting confidence building measures to maintain the peace and tranquillity along the border," he said. "We cannot stand another Doklam (sic)," the envoy said. Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China between June to August last year. Luo also suggested that India and China should think about signing a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. He said a draft on this was provided to the Indian side about 10 years ago. One of the immediate fallouts of the Doklam stand-off was the suspension of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Nathu-La side and the annual military exercise between the two countries. China also did not give the hydrological data of the Brahmaputra and the Indus river that originates in Chinese Tibet. The envoy today said China will continue to promote religious exchanges and make arrangements for Indian pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet. Post-Doklam, there have been frequent high-level engagements between the leaders of the two countries. Luo said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who met twice in the last two months in Wuhan and Qingdao, are also likely to meet on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit and G20 Summit later this year. The Chinese defence minister and the minister for public security will visit India and the Special Representative Meeting on boundary issue will be held in Beijing this year, he added. Relations between India and China have gone beyond the bilateral scope, Luo stressed. "We need to enhance coordination and cooperation in SCO, BRICS and join hands to tackle social challenges," he said. Responding to a question on India-China cooperation in Afghanistan, Luo said the two countries have identified a programme to train Afghan public servants and diplomats. "This is a first step and in future, there is more...," he said. In the informal summit between Modi and Xi at the Wuhan, the two countries had agreed to work jointly on an economic project in Afghanistan. The envoy also called for cooperation between India and China to coordinate each other's positions on issues like rising protectionism globally. "Against the backdrop of anti-globalisation and rising protectionism, China and India, as major emerging market economies, are faced with the pressure of established powers. We should coordinate our positions and also explore ways to be with each other," the envoy said without naming the US. The US has slapped high tariffs on certain steel and aluminum products, which has led to a trade-war kind of a situation as other nations too are raising their tariff walls. He said China will import more sugar, non-Basmati rice and high quality medicines from India to reduce trade imbalance. In 2017-18, the trade-deficit (difference between imports and exports) between India and China stood at USD 63 billion. "We (China) would also like to negotiate a regional trade arrangement with India to expand trade relations," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There is a huge potential for India and Greece to collaborate in areas like infrastructure, supply chain, energy and services, President Ram Nath Kovind has said as he highlighted investment opportunities in India which is striving to become a USD 5 trillion economy and the world's third largest consumer market by 2025. Kovind, the first Indian president to travel to Greece in 11 years, arrived here on Saturday on the first leg of his three-nation tour. Addressing the diaspora here, he said his visit will strengthen ties between India and Greece. Kovind praised overseas Indians for playing an important role in improving bilateral relations. "Greece and India presented the ideals of civilisation and culture in the ancient world. The relations between the two countries are very old and deep. Greek historian Megasthenes introduced India to the world through his book 'Indica'. Greek warrior Seleucus' daughter was married to emperor Chandragupta. We can find details of the deep relationship between India and Greece in history books ," the president said. "We are working towards making India a USD 5 trillion economy and the world's third largest consumer market by 2025. According to the World Bank and the IMF, our growth rate is going to be high," he said. Currently India's economy is estimated at USD 2.5 trillion. Kovind said India had a very strong position in the world with the perspective of democracy, demographic divided and demand. India has undertaken many reforms to like the Goods and Services Tax and digitisation to make the economy simple and transparent. He said there is a huge potential for collaboration between the two nations in infrastructure, supply chain, energy, handicrafts and services as India is trying to improve and expand these areas. "There is a huge potential between India and Greece to increase business and investment," he said, adding that the diaspora has a role in strengthening bilateral economic ties. "We are proud of our overseas Indians and their successes. Today there are plenty of opportunities for business, innovation and investment in India. I hope that whatever you can do for the development of India for the motherland, you will do that," he said. He asked the community members to visit the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi to know more about India. He invited them to participate in the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas to be held in Varanasi from January 21 to 23 next year. India-Greece bilateral trade stands at USD 530 million and some Indian companies are also present in the infrastructure, pharmaceutical and steel sectors in the central European nation. Greece is home to a 12,000-strong Indian diaspora. Kovind will also travel to Surinam and Cuba during his trip. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The billion-dollar acquisition of BPO firm Intelenet will help Teleperformance strengthen its presence in the Indian market and the combined entity has the potential to generate USD 500 million in revenue annually, Intelenet CEO Bhupender Singh said today. French outsourcing firm Teleperformance had announced the acquisition of Intelenet from private equity major Blackstone last week for USD 1 billion. The transaction is expected to close by September 30, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Teleperformance was actually looking at building up its scale in India, both for international as well as local business, Singh told reporters. "The combined Intelenet-Teleperformance, both actually at this stage are high growth companies. We are looking at, between the two of us, another USD 500 million in revenue every year," Singh told reporters. While Teleperformance has its own team of about 2,500 people supporting its India domestic business, the company is looking at further strengthening the operations through Intelenet. "The intention at this stage is to keep it within the fold... We (Intelenet) are possibly one of the few companies in this sector which is actually profitable and we are growing at about 15 per cent. So there is no reason why we should not keep it. It is an attractive business from that perspective," he said. Euronext-listed Teleperformance, which reported consolidated revenue of about USD 4.7 billion, has 2.23 lakh employees across 350 contact centres in 76 countries. The deal, upon closing, is expected to be immediately accretive for Teleperformance shareholders, with a positive impact of around over 10 per cent on the group's earnings per share in 2018 on a pro forma basis. Intelenet, which was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Mumbai, had posted revenue of USD 449 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. For fiscal 2019, the company forecast significant additional revenue growth of at least 10 per cent and increased profitability. Intelenet has 55,000 people and over 40 global delivery centres in eight countries. It serves over 110 clients in over 25 languages from across industry verticals like banking and financial services, travel, healthcare, retail and e-retail. Blackstone had first invested in Intelenet in 2007 and in 2011, sold the latter to UK's Serco Group for 250 million pounds or then USD 383 million. In 2013, Blackstone bought back Intelenet from Serco for 250 million pounds (Rs 2,558 crore). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Iraqi paramilitary force today accused the United States of killing 22 of its fighters in an overnight air raid just inside Syria's border with Iraq that a monitor said left dozens dead. "US planes fired two guided missiles at a fixed position of Hashed al-Shaabi units on the border with Syria, killing 22 fighters and wounding 12," said the Iran-backed Hashed (Popular Mobilisation Units). It said the raid took place "700 metres (yards) inside Syria". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said earlier that more than 50 fighters allied to the Damascus regime, most of them foreign, were killed in yesterday night's raid on Al-Hari in eastern Syria. Syrian state media, citing a military source, accused the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State jihadist group of having carried out the raid. Several people were killed and wounded, state media said, without giving precise figures. The coalition's press office said it had heard reports that a strike in the area of Al-Hari had killed and wounded members of a pro-regime Iraqi group, but denied it was responsible. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister today urged citizens to pay their due share of taxes "honestly" to reduce dependence on oil as a revenue source, and virtually ruled out any cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel saying it could prove to be counter-productive. While salaried class pay their due share of taxes, Jaitley said "most other sections" have to improve their tax payment record, which is keeping India "far from being a tax-compliant society". "My earnest appeal, therefore, to political leaders and opinion makers ...would be that evasion in the non-oil tax category must be stopped and, if people pay their taxes honestly, the high dependence on oil products for taxation eventually comes down. In the medium and long run, upsetting the fiscal maths can prove counter-productive," Jaitley said. In a facebook post titled 'The Economy and the Markets Reward Structural Reforms and Fiscal Prudence', Jaitley said in last four years, central government's tax-GDP ratio has improved from 10 per cent to 11.5 per cent. Almost half of this, 0.72 per cent of GDP, accounts for an increase in non-oil tax-GDP ratio. The level of non-oil taxes to GDP at 9.8 per cent in 2017-18 is the highest since 2007-08 - a year in which our revenue position was boosted by buoyant international environment, he said. "This government has established a very strong reputation for fiscal prudence and macro-economically responsible behaviour. We know what happened during the Taper Tantrum of 2013. Fiscal indiscipline can lead to borrowing more and obviously increase the cost of debt. "Reliefs to consumers can only be given by a fiscally responsible and a financially sound central government, and the states which are earning extra due to abnormal increase in oil prices," Jaitley said. In an apparent dig at senior Congress leader P Chidambaram's remark that tax on oil should be cut by Rs 25 per litre, Jaitley retorted "this is a 'trap' suggestion". Without naming Chidambaram, Jaitley noted that the "distinguished predecessor" had "never endeavoured to do so himself." "It is intended to push India into an unmanageable debt - something which the UPA government left as its legacy. We must remember that the economy and the markets reward structural reforms, fiscal prudence, and macro-economic stability. "They punish fiscal indiscipline and irresponsibility. The transformation from UPA's "policy paralysis" to the NDA's "fastest growing economy" conclusively demonstrates this. The government is aspiring to improve the tax-GDP ratio," Jaitley said. Chidambaram had last week claimed that it was possible for the centre to cut tax by up to Rs 25 per litre on petrol prices but the Modi-government will not do so. As per government estimates, every rupee cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel will result in a revenue loss of about Rs 13,000 crore. The price of Indian basket of crude surged from USD 66 a barrel in April to around USD 74 currently. Jaitley said despite higher compliances in new system, as far as the non-oil taxes are concerned, India is still far from being a tax complaint society. "Salaried employees is one category of tax compliant assessees. Most other sections still have to improve their track record. The effort for next few years has to be to replicate the last four years and improve India's tax to GDP ratio by another 1.5 per cent. "The increase must come from the non-oil segment since there is scope for improvement," he said. These additions, Jaitley said, have to come by more and more people performing their patriotic duty of paying the non-oil taxes to the State. "The tragedy of the honest tax payer is that he not only pays his own share of taxes but also has to compensate for the evader," he said. Jaitley said the central government collects taxes in the form of income tax, its own share of GST and the customs duty. 42 per cent of the central government taxes are shared with the states. State governments collect their 50 per cent from GST besides their local taxes. These are independent of taxes on petroleum products. The states charge ad valorem taxes on oil. If oil prices go up, states earn more, he said. Union minister Arun Jaitley along with senior ministerial colleagues and officials today discussed the future course of action for debt-laden Air India, weeks after its strategic disinvestment proposal failed to attract any bidders, sources said. The meeting was attended by Piyush Goyal, who has been temporarily given the charge of finance ministry, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and other senior officials. According to sources, the meeting, chaired by Jaitley, took stock of the developments related to debt-laden Air India and discussed the way forward. The report prepared by consultancy EY, the transaction advisor for Air India's proposed strategic disinvestment, was discussed. The report has listed out the reasons for the disinvestment failing to elicit any initial bids as the deadline ended on May 31, sources said. Last week, a source had said the government was considering listing of debt-laden Air India after the proposal for 76 per cent strategic stake sale failed to attract any bidders. In a major setback, the government on May 31 said that no initial bids were received for the proposed stake sale in Air India and that various options would be explored for the airline's future. The government proposed to offload 76 per cent equity share capital of the national carrier as well as transfer the management control to private players, as per the preliminary information memorandum. The transaction would have involved Air India, its low cost arm Air India Express and Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt Ltd. The latter is an equal joint venture between the national carrier and Singapore-based SATS Ltd. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jammu and Kashmir Minister Javaid Mustafa Mir flagged off the annual pilgrimage to Mata Kheer Bhawani shrine in Tulmulla of Ganderbal district from Nagrota in the outskirts of Jammu city today. The Kheer Bhawani festival is expected to witness an increased pilgrim foot-fall compared to the last few years. Over 3000 pilgrims have already registered themselves for the yatra, officials said. Every year on June 20, Kheer Bhawani melas are organised at five shrines across Kashmir. These are Ragnya Bagwati shrine at Tulmul in Ganderbal, Ragyna Bagwati shrine at Manzgam in Kulgam, Tripursundri shrine at Devsar in Kulgam, Ragnya Bagwati shrine at Logripora in Anantnag and Ragnya Bagwati temple complex at Tikkar in Kupawara. "Over 3,000 pilgrims have registered themselves so far. There will a larger foot fall of pilgrims at these shrines during the melas this year compared to last year," Shri Mata Kheer Bhawani temple committee president Kiran Watal said. Over 1,000 pilgrims have left in convoy of vehicles, which was flagged off the Minister, Watal said. At the flagging-off ceremony, the state minister for disaster management, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction said the government has made proper arrangements for the pilgrims and elaborate security measures have been taken to make the yatra safe and secure. Jammu and Kashmir is a unique bouquet of diverse cultures and the government is making every possible effort to preserve and promote state's cultural wealth," Mir said. The administration has appealed to the pilgrims to make this pilgrimage 'polythene-free'. Besides Mir, IGP of Jammu S D Singh, Deputy Commissioner Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, Commissioner of Relief M.L Raina and others attended the flagging-off event. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ) Amid the tug of war between the AAP dispensation and Lieutenant Governor, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called up Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and apprised him about the situation in the national capital. Media advisor to Thackeray, Harshal Pradhan, said Kejriwal called Thackeray yesterday. "Uddhav ji feels that the duly-elected government by people of Delhi should be allowed to function sans any hindrance in its working," he said. "This, however, does not amount to the Shiv Sena, a key NDA constituent, supporting Kejriwal and the AAP," Pradhan said, dismissing media reports in this connection. The AAP-led government is locked in a war with L-G Anil Baijal over administrative issues since a week. The AAP today thanked the Shiv Sena and the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for supporting it against the "unprecedented murder of democracy" in Delhi. "It is a true statesmanship to stand up for democracy keeping aside differences," AAP spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon said. The MNS had last week asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if it was not his job to resolve the deadlock between Kejriwal and bureaucrats which was causing "inconvenience" to people. MNS spokesperson Anil Shidore, in a tweet, had also asked if Modi allegedly wanted to suggest that people would get facilities only if the BJP is in power from the Centre to the local-level. "Kejriwal called up Uddhav ji yesterday. He gave information about the situation in Delhi, to which Uddhav ji said no hurdle be created in the functioning of a duly-elected government. Instead, they should be extended all cooperation," he said. "This does not amount to supporting Kejriwal and his party. The Shiv Sena only wants to say that when people have given the AAP an opportunity to serve them, allow them to do so," Pradhan said. Menon said Kejriwal had called up Thackeray, who assured support to the AAP over the issue despite the parties being "poles apart ideologically". "Uddhavji has assured support to our party on the issue. I thank the Shiv Sena and the MNS for supporting AAP against the unprecedented murder of democracy in Delhi," she said. In a statement, the AAP leader added, "Ideologically, our parties are poles apart, and we disagree on most things. But it is true statesmanship when parties can put their policies and differences aside and stand up for democracy and Constitution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy today met Congress president Rahul Gandhi at his residence today and gave him his best wishes ahead of his birthday tomorrow. Kumaraswamy was accompanied by JD-S secretary general Danish Ali, while AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Congress K C Venugopal too was present during the meeting. JD-S sources termed it as a 'courtesy visit' during which the Congress chief assured the new Congress-JDS government in the state of his full support. The Congress and the JD-S have formed the new Karnataka government in a post-poll tie-up after the BJP failed to get a majority of its own. The BJP's BS Yeddyurappa was briefly sworn in as chief minister but had to tender his resignation after he failed to prove his majority. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "A Quiet Place" actor-director John Krasinski, who is all set to return to the series format with spy thriller "Jack Ryan", says it was refreshing to play a real-life superhero like the CIA deskie-turned-field agent in a world obsessed with cape-wearing superhumans. The 38-year-old actor said his character in the Amazon Prime series is like a supercharged version of the actor's former character Jim Halpert on the sitcom "The Office". "I really loved the idea of playing a superhero whose only real superpower is using his brain, and his instincts. It's very inspiring in the world of superheroes and capes and flying and shooting things out of your hands. It's nice to focus on real people and real heroes," Krasinski said. The actor said the series is about the "apolitical" voices in the country, who also need to be heard today. "We have not been telling their stories recently, people who believe in this country in a way that is apolitical, that's about being proud of where you're from, not which side of the aisle you stand on," he said. Krasinki said the role appealed to him after he featured in Michael Bay's Benghazi drama "13 Hours". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of CPI leader Govind Pansare hasn't yet contacted its Karnataka counterpart to interrogate the gang allegedly responsible for killing journalist Gauri Lankesh, a senior police official said today. "No," said a police official when asked whether the Maharashtra SIT had approached them to question the gang. The gang includes Parashuram Waghmare (26), an active member of right-wing group Sri Ram Sene, who allegedly pulled the trigger on Lankesh on September 5, 2017, a charge rejected by his family. The Maharashtra SIT decided to interrogate the gang after a forensic report confirmed that the same weapon was used to kill Lankesh, Pansare and Kannada writer and rationalist M M Kalburgi. The weapon, however, is yet to be traced. According to the Karanataka SIT, the gang has a wide network spread across at least five states and comprises of 60 people drawn from right-wing groups. Pansare was leading a campaign against road toll tax. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on February 20, 2015, days after being shot at by motorcycle-borne assailants in Maharashtra's Kolhapur city. The Maharashtra SIT has not been able to make any major breakthrough in Pansare's murder probe. The arrest of Waghmare and five others by the Karnataka SIT came as the first major lead for the Maharshtra police. The Karnataka SIT has ruled out Waghmare's involvement in the murders of Pansare and Kalburgi. It said the gang was also planning to kill Kannada writer K S Bhagawan, who has often angered the right-wing outfits with his writings and utterances against Hindu gods. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A majority of French citizens support the government's decision not to offer safe harbour to a ship carrying 630 rescued migrants after Italy refused to let it dock, an opinion poll released today showed. Fifty-six per cent of respondents said they backed the government, while 42 per cent said it should have offered to let the ship dock, according to the OpinionWay poll. The Aquarius, run by French charity SOS Mediterranee, was eventually allowed to dock in Spain yesterday after being stranded for days, while both Italy and Malta refused to let the migrants ashore. Local leaders on the French island of Corsica had offered to welcome the Aquarius, but the move was slapped down by the central government, which argued that under international law the ship had to dock at the closest port. Tensions flared after President Emmanuel Macron accused Rome of "irresponsibility", although he later said he had not meant to offend France's southern neighbour. Macron is under pressure to close down migration routes from Africa amid strong anti-immigration sentiment in his country. France has said it will examine asylum requests from Aquarius migrants who want to come over from Spain on a "case-by-case basis", government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said yesterday, although he did not know how many might make the requests. Rome's decision put the migrant influx back to the fore ahead of a EU summit on June 28-29, where leaders are supposed to hammer out an overhaul of the bloc's asylum rules. The OpinionWay poll was carried out among 1,020 adults online from June 13-15. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man has been arrested for allegedly posting an objectionable comment on a messaging app, hurting religious sentiments of a minority community in Kakrala village here, police said today. Amardeep (22) was arrested last evening at Kakrala village under Bhopa police station, Circle Officer (CO) Rajive Kumar said. According to a complaint lodged by a youth Shedab, the accused has hurt the religious sentiments by posting an objectionable comment on WhatsApp, the CO said. Earlier, members of the minority community had protested outside the Bhopa police station demanding Amardeep's arrest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eleven media organisations today urged the Jammu and Kashmir government to bring the killers of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari to book at the earliest, and institute an inquiry into the malicious campaign launched against the scribe before his murder. In a joint statement-cum-resolution, Press Club of India, Indian Women's Press Corps, Press Association, Editors' Guild, South Asian Free Media Association, South Asian Women in Media, Indian Journalists' Union, National Union of Journalists, Foreign Correspondents' Club , Working Camerapersons Association and All India Urdu Editors Conference said the senseless murder of Bukhari demanded accountability at various levels. They said everyone in the country has sovereign right to freedom of speech and expression and increasing intolerance to such freedoms has the potential of "undermining the character and nature of democracy". We demand that the government of Jammu and Kashmir bring the perpetrators of this dastardly crime to book at the earliest. We demand that the government institute a separate inquiry into those who had launched a malicious campaign against Shujaat, they said. The cyber cell of the Union Home Ministry should look into all those IP addresses and their sources from where the malicious campaigns were conducted, the statement said. The organisations said such killings were often preceded by hate messages and malicious campaigns on social media. Various journalists and other civilians have been viciously trolled and targeted. All such instances ought to be monitored by a vigilant government if civilian safety and security is a priority in governance, they said. Several journalists, at a remembrance-cum-solidarity meeting held under the aegis of the journalist organisations, condemned the killing of Bukhari, who was the editor-in-chief of Rising Kashmir. Bukhari (50) along with his two security guards was shot dead by three motorcycle-borne assailants outside his office at Srinagar on June 14. The police have constituted a special investigation team (SIT) under the supervision of Deputy Inspector General (DIG), central Kashmir, to probe the killing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The father of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has spoken about his grief at being unable to walk his daughter down the aisle to wed Prince Harry in Windsor Castle last month. Thomas Markle said he cried as he watched his former actress daughter's wedding on television in a small rented hideout in California and felt jealous that Prince Charles got to perform the role of walking by his daughter. "I absolutely wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle The unfortunate thing for me now is I'm a footnote to the greatest moment in history rather than the dad who walked his daughter down the aisle. That upsets me somewhat," he told ITV's Good Morning Britain' in a video interview from the US. I was honoured, I can't think of a better replacement than someone like Prince Charles. I was thrilled to tears he was doing that, I just wish it had been my hand holding hers not his," he said. The 73-year-old, who says he is still recovering from his heart surgery, said he got to know Prince Harry over the telephone before giving his blessing to their marriage following their engagement in November last year. He said, "Meghan told me first and then a few times after that Harry got on the phone with her and asked for her hand over the phone. I said you're a gentleman, promise me you'll never raise a hand against my daughter and of course I give you my permission". Describing his new son-in-law, the sixth-in-line to the British throne, as a great and interesting guy, Markle said Harry made a great pick in his daughter, who has been a princess since the day she was born. Asked about the possibility of a royal baby being soon on the way, he said his daughter had "wanted children for a long time". Markle also claimed that he discussed politics with his new royal son-in-law, including the US president and Brexit. "I was complaining I didn't like Donald Trump. He said give Donald Trump a chance'. I sort of disagreed with that but I still like Harry. That was his politics, I have my politics," Markle said during the interview. Asked about their Brexit discussion, he said, It was just a loose conversation about something we have to try. There was no real commitment for it. I think he was open to the experiment". In the run-up to the royal wedding on May 19, Markle had become embroiled in controversy over reports he had staged paparazzi photos of himself in wedding-related activities, such as being measured for a new suit. He explained that it was meant to be "a way of improving my look", adding, "Obviously that all went to hell." He said he had apologised to both Harry and Meghan. "I realised it was a serious mistake. It's hard to take it back," said Thomas Markle, who was unable to eventually take part in the wedding ceremony due to heart surgery. Talking about the moment he told his daughter and her husband-to-be that he would not make the wedding, Markle said, "They were disappointed. Meghan cried, I'm sure, and they both said: 'Take care of yourself, we are really worried about you'." Saying he had prepared a speech for the big day, Markle said he had hoped to regale wedding guests with the story of how he had told her about "this nice British guy" before thanking the royal family for welcoming her. "I couldn't be more proud of those two, I think they'll do a fabulous job. They're great and I love then dearly. I'm very happy to have a new son-in-law," said the former Hollywood lighting director who plans to visit London soon to meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the rest of the royal family. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of unidentified men has ransacked five chambers of judicial officers at Naugachhia civil court in Bihar's Bhagalpur district and burnt several case records, police said. It seems the miscreants broke into the chambers around midnight because they wanted to "destroy specific case records", the SP of Naugachhia police district, Nidhi Rani, said. Rani along with Bhagalpur District Judge Ram Shresth Rai visited the court premises today morning to take stock of the situation. Sources in the civil court claimed that the miscreants burned down almost all files in the two offices of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM)and sub-judge of the court, Om Sagar. The chambers of Additional District Judges Vijay Bahadur Yadav, who was recently transferred, and Sujit Kumar Singh were also raided by the criminals, they said, adding that the latches at the office of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) P K Pandey were found broken. ACJM Sagar has lodged an unnamed FIR in the case with Naugachhia police station this morning, the SP said. The police will take help of sniffer dogs to identify and arrest the culprits, she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Admitting that there was a "difference of opinion" between the government and the judiciary on the creation of an all-India judicial service, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said there was a "compelling" need to have a centralised selection process to appoint members of the lower judiciary. He also made it clear that the government did not want to encroach upon the autonomy of the high courts as far as the subordinate judiciary was concerned. "There is a difference of opinion, as far as an all-India judicial service is concerned...the government of India or the state governments have no role," he said. He said that members of the subordinate judiciary are recruited by the high courts or public service commissions on the directions of the high courts. "It is a work in progress...there is a compelling need to have a centralised selection process (for lower courts)," he said. Prasad had last week pitched for a national-level entrance test for "talent infusion" into the subordinate judiciary. He had said the all-India examination would allow the pool of talented young lawyers who graduate every year from national law universities to be part of the subordinate judiciary. The government has in the past proposed an all-India judicial service to be conducted the Union Public Service Commission. But nine high courts have opposed the proposal to have an all-India service for lower judiciary. Eight others have sought changes in the proposed framework and only two have supported the idea. The Narendra Modi government has given a fresh push to the long-pending proposal to set up the new service to have a separate cadre for lower judiciary in the country. The idea was first mooted in the 1960s. Seeking to overcome the divergence of views, the government had recently suggested to the Supreme Court various options, including an NEET-like examination to recruit judges to the lower judiciary. National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is conducted for admission to medical colleges. There were vacancies of 4,452 judges in subordinate courts in the country as per the figures released on December 31, 2015. While the sanctioned strength is 20,502, the actual number of judges and judicial officers in subordinate courts is 16,050. At present, various high courts and state service commissions hold exams to recruit judicial officers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A new book chronicling the life, teachings, and philosophy of Narayana Guru, a 20th century philosopher-poet-saint and social reformer from Kerala, was recently launched here. Titled "Sree Narayana Guru, The Perfect Union of Buddha and Sankara: A Comprehensive Biography", the book by US-based author Asokan Vengassery Krishnan, talks about the life and times of the saint who spearheaded a reform movement in Kerala that rejected caste system. "It is a day of great joy and happiness for me. Everyone has a divine mission to fulfill," Krishnan said, talking about his literary feat that began eight years ago in 2010. The author, who has written extensively on the socio-political scenario in Kerala, added that he was inspired by the Guru's ideology of social equality and spiritual liberation, and that it was his dream to see "grandchildren of grandchildren" lead "a nation without caste". Noted economist and Rajya Sabha Member Narendra Jhadav called the book by Konark Publishers "a well-researched, well-written" work that offered an insight into the personage of the Guru. Drawing parallels between Narayana Guru and 19th century Marathi social reformer Jyotirao Phule, Jadhav said the two directly challenged the caste system. "It needed guts to talk about one religion, one God and one caste system," the politician said reiterating the words of former Indian president A P J Abdul Kalam. Rajya Sabha Member V Muraleedharan said Krishnan's book, being in English, would expand the reach of Narayana Guru's teachings, which until now, were only known in Kerala. "Asokan's book is very contemporary and relevant to the present times. The previous books on Sree Narayana Guru are in Malayalam, and there are no books in Hindi to reach a wider audience," he said. The publishers said they were already receiving offers to bring out Marathi and Hindi translations of the book. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The new West Bengal Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi today claimed that the 2019 Lok Sabha polls would be fought between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and "the rest of India" and his party would form government in the Centre. A close confidante of Rahul Gandhi, Gogoi, who took over the charge of the party's state unit from C P Joshi last month, expressed confidence that Congress will improve its Lok Sabha tally in the next general elections and will form the government. "To make a comeback is in our DNA because our values are in sync with what the society and the country wants and the people of this country are eagerly waiting to oust this anti-people government," Gogoi told reporters. Son of former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, junior Gogoi is presently Lok Sabha member from Kaliabor seat in his native state. "The BJP tries to pitch this question as to who will fight against Modi. My answer is the next Lok Sabha elections will be between Modi and the people of this country. The farmers, business community, students, workers, entrepreneurs are angry against the Modi government," Gogoi said. The people of this country will come out and fight against Narendra Modi government and will defeat the BJP and the RSS, he said. On his maiden visit to the state after taking charge of its Congress unit, Gogoi took stock of the party organization in the state during the last two days. Much to the dismay of the state Congress leadership, engaged in a tooth and nail fight with the TMC leadership, Gogoi, however, refrained from speaking even a "single word" against the TMC government here. Asked how does he plan to counter the TMC in the state which has been poaching on the Congress MLAs and its elected representatives during the last few years, he said "it is too early to reveal our strategy." Gogoi said he would act as a bridge between the party high command and the state leadership and decisions would be taken in the "best interest of the party." "That is why we are having extensive talks with the state leaders and don't want to ignore their views," he said. Asked if there is any chance of an alliance with the TMC for the next Lok Sabha elections, he said "it is too premature" to say anything at this moment as the party is still in the process of listening to every opinion and an appropriate decision would be taken at the appropriate time. Expressing hope of strengthening the party in West Bengal, Gogoi said he would tour the entire state and talk to the grass root leaders to have their feed backs to strengthen the party. "We are going to strenghten the organisation keeping in mind the next Lok Sabha and assembly elections in state," he said. Dwelling upon the violence during the last panchayat elections, he said it was "quite disappointing" to see in the atmosphere in which the rural polls were held in Bengal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Noted social activist Jiten Chakraborty died at a hospital here today, family sources said. He was 82 and is survived by his wife Bijoya Chakraborty, the Guwahati Lok Sabha MP and his daughter the BJP MLA from Hajo constituency Suman Haripriya. Chakraborty had suffered a massive cardiac arrest yesterday and was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition where he died this evening, they said. BJP President Amit Shah visited the hospital in the afternoon to inquire about his condition. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also expressed his grief over Chakraborty's demise and extended his deepest condolences to the bereaved family, an official release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The draft publication of the National Register of Citizens "may be delayed" due to the critical flood situation in Assam's three districts of Barak Valley, its state coordinator Prateek Hajela said here today. As per the Supreme Court order, the second draft of the NRC has to be released on June 30. "We are trying our best to complete the task within the deadline but the flood situation is grim in Barak Valley and if the flood situation does not improve, the June 30 deadline may be missed", Hajela told reporters. He said no decision has been taken yet. "We are monitoring the situation in Karimganj, Cachar and Hailakandi districts and if the situation improves, then it can be possible to meet the deadline," Hajela said. The first draft of the NRC was released on December 31 last and the verification of the second draft was completed by May 31 while the draft publication was scheduled to be released on June 30. The Supreme Court is monitoring the entire NRC updating process in the state. A team of senior government and police officials, led by Chief Secretary T Y Das and Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia have held three meetings so far at the district level to review law and order situation in the run up to the publication of the draft NRC. The deputy commissioners, superintendents of police and other senior officers of police, army and paramilitary forces have been engaged in the discussion. In view of the importance of constant interaction with the people of all walks of life to allay their apprehensions related to the NRC, an exhaustive awareness programme is being launched and an extensive facility has been made available to all to resolve their claims and objections. The high powered team will visit all the remaining districts of Assam in near future before publication of the draft NRC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The NSCN(K), a banned Naga militant outfit, has claimed responsibility for yesterday's ambush with an Assam Rifles patrol party in Nagaland. In a statement today, the outfit claimed that six security personnel were killed on the spot and an equal number injured in the attack. An Assam Rifles official had said yesterday that two Assam Rifles personnel were killed and four others suffered injuries in the ambush by the Naga insurgents near Aboi in Mon district. The Assam Rifles personnel who died on the spot were identified as Havildar Fateh Singh Negi and Sepoy Hungnga Konyak, the official had said. PRO to Assam Rifles' Inspector General Major Vincent Patton reiterated today that two Assam Rifles personnel were killed while four of them were critically injured and undergoing treatment at the Army hospital in Jorhat. The NSCN(K) had abrogated a 14-year-old ceasefire with the Centre in 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said that the state is willing to join the Ayushman Bharat -National Health Protection Scheme (AB-NHPS) if its concerns are addressed. "...We will still be willing to consider joining AB-NHPS in due course if the concerns of the state are addressed adequately," Patnaik wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A copy of the letter was released to the media by the state government. Though he (Patnaik) did not attend the Governing Council Meeting of Niti Aayog on June 16, he had written a letter to Modi on the state's issues. Patnaik's letter to Modi is significant in the backdrop of state Health minister Pratap Jena announcing that Odisha would not join the AB-NHPS as the state's demands are not met by the Centre. While the Centre agreed to include only 61 lakh families in AB-NHPS, Odisha's requirement was 70 lakh families, Jena had said, adding that the state government therefore announced Biju Swastha Kalyan Yojana to provide health assurance to its people. While noting that announcement of the AB-NHPS was a welcome step, Patnaik said the dependence of the scheme on SECC (Soci-Economic Caste Census-2011) data will be a serious handicap in achieving the goal of near universal coverage. "As you will agree, the SECC survey done on the criteria fixed by the UPA government has grave lacunae and many genuine poor have been left out," Patnaik said in the letter. "Due to this reason, whenever our state has implemented any programme, we have gone for near universal coverage - as scheme like Mamata, Rural Housing, State pension for old age and also NFSA," Patnaik said, adding that about 40 lakh people (8 lakh families) who are already covered under Health Assistance Schemes of Odisha will be left out if the state take SECC data as a base. Patnaik said: "We had put forth our concerns regarding genuine beneficiaries being left out. The CEO, PMRSSM has informed that it is not possible to go beyond the ambit of SECC data." Stating that Odisha government has a mandate of providing near universal health coverage, Patnaik said: "In view of same out government has announced a health assurance scheme which will cover 70 lakh families of the state." Patnaik in the letter also reiterated the state's demand of special category status in view high percentage of ST and SC population in Odisha. As the state is also facing frequent natural calamities, it deserve to be accorded "special category status" to fast track the ongoing development and may be treated at par with North-Eastern and Himalayan states for the sharing pattern of Centrally Sponsored Schemes, he said. Patnaik also said that in order to relieve the farmers from agrarian distress, the country should have a National Policy on Loan Waiver. "The state government would be willing to support any initiative taken by the central government in this direction," he said adding that the Government of India should consider creation of a Credit Guarantee Trust for Agriculture on the line of Credit Guarantee Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid rumours that about 600 female boarders of an ashram run by self-styled godman Daati Madan Maharaj has been missing, a team of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) today inspected the facility in Aalawas village in Rajasthan's Pali. The team members spent about six hours in the ashram and checked records related to boarders of the Aashvasan Bal Gram Sansthan. We found that total 709 girls are enrolled with the institution. But currently 236 were present," said a DoSJE official, adding that 54 more boarders reached there by evening as classes resume tomorrow after summer vacation. Rumours have been doing the rounds for the past 2-3 days that there were about 800 girls enrolled with the institution, of whom about 600 have gone missing. We did not find them missing as many of them have left for home during summer vacation," the official said. Recently, a Delhi Police team visited the ashram after a woman disciple accused the self-styled godman of rape. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir, which were suspended by the security agencies for a month on account of Ramzan, would be resumed in "good earnest" once intelligence on militants started coming in, Army sources said today. The Centre had yesterday called off its month-long suspension of operations against terror groups during the holy month of Ramzan in the state and directed the security forces to take "all necessary action" at the earliest to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence. "The operation will start in good earnest as the information (on militants) starts coming in," the sources said. They added that the ceasefire would continue along the Line of Control (LoC). In Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district today, two militants were killed in a gunbattle with the security forces. On Saturday, an Army jawan was killed as Pakistani troopers targeted a patrol party along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Outgoing UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein today commended Sri Lanka for cooperating with the UN system, following a period of fraught ties with the UNHRC over the country's rights record. Hussein was speaking at the 38th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva where he presented his last global update. He praised Sri Lanka for allowing at least five visits by UN rights officials in the last five years. I note and commend the following states which have hosted at least five visits by thematic mandates in the last five years: Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Chile, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Ukraine, the UK and the US, he said. Sri Lanka has extended more cooperation to the UNHRC under Hussein's tenure. The country had received condemnation during Hussein's predecessor Navi Pillay's term as UNHRC chief for not cooperating with the UN rights body after it passed three successive resolutions against Sri Lanka's human rights accountability record following the end of the brutal three-decade civil war in 2009. The resolutions called for an international investigation into alleged war crimes committed by both government troops and LTTE militants during the ethnic conflict. After 2015 when the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa was ousted, the current regime has allowed several visits of UN rapporteurs for first hand inspection of rights conditions. Rajapaksa had rejected the UN resolutions claiming they were attacking the island's sovereignty. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An air strike has killed more than 50 pro-regime fighters in eastern Syria, most of them foreigners, with the US-led coalition denying accusations from Damascus that it was behind the attack. The strike just before midnight hit Al-Hari, a town controlled by regional militias fighting in the complex seven-year war on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the conflict, said 52 pro-regime forces were killed in one of the deadliest air attacks in recent months. "Among them are at least 30 Iraqi fighters and 16 Syrians, including soldiers and members of loyalist militias," the Observatory chief, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP. The nationalities of the remaining six fighters were not immediately known, he said. There are Iraqi, Iranian, Lebanese and even Afghan fighters stationed in the area. According to Abdel Rahman, some wounded fighters were treated in the nearby town of Albu Kamal, while others travelled across the border to Iraq. A military source in Deir Ezzor told AFP the warplanes hit "joint Iraqi-Syrian positions in Al-Hari". The attack was first reported by Syrian state media overnight, which cited a military source and accused the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group of carrying it out. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number or their nationalities. The coalition's press office said it had heard reports that a strike in the area had killed and wounded members of a pro-regime Iraqi militia, but denied it was responsible. "There have been no strikes by US or coalition forces in that area," it told AFP by e-mail. IS overran large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring an Islamic "caliphate" in areas under its control. Separate offensives have since whittled down the jihadists' territory in Syria to just a handful of pockets in the eastern desert, including in the Deir Ezzor province where Al-Hari lies. A US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against those IS-held pockets. The two forces have mostly avoided crashing into each other thanks to a de-confliction line that runs across the province along the winding Euphrates River. Syrian troops are battling IS on the western river bank, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fight on the east. Iraqi warplanes also have occasionally bombed IS positions in Syria's east. Al-Hari lies on the western side, close to the river and the de-confliction line. The buffer has largely been successful in keeping the two offensives apart, but there have been exceptions. Last month a dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian government positions that the Observatory and state media blamed on the coalition. The Pentagon denied responsibility. In February, US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in Deir Ezzor province, including Russians. "The strike on Al-Hari produced the highest death toll for regime forces since the February incident," Observatory head Abdel Rahman told AFP. More than 350,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against Assad's rule. Those demonstrations spiralled into a full-blown war that has drawn in world powers and seen the rise of jihadist forces like IS. The strike on Al-Hari came a day after the US-backed SDF announced it had ousted IS from Dashisha, a village to the north in Syria's Hasakeh province. The village had been one of the last IS-controlled areas on a corridor linking Syria with Iraq. "For the first time in four years, Dashisha, a notorious transit town for weapons, fighters, and suicide bombers between Iraq and Syria, is no longer controlled by ISIS terrorists," Brett McGurk, the US president's special envoy for the war against IS, said today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire today near the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory said. An Israeli army statement said "several terrorists were injured" in an explosion as they attempted to carry out sabotage near the border fence, but made no mention of troops opening fire. The health ministry said in a statement that "Sabri Ahmed Abu Khader, 24, was killed by bullets of the (Israeli) occupation forces." It did not add further details on the circumstances of the incident. At least 131 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire since major border protests broke out at the end of March. No Israelis have been killed. The Israeli army said five "terrorists" had "attempted to sabotage a security infrastructure in the area of the barrier in the northern Gaza Strip". "The security infrastructure exploded," it said in English. "Subsequently, several terrorists were injured." Earlier Monday, Israeli warplanes conducted strikes against nine Hamas "military targets" in the northern Gaza Strip in response to incendiary kites being sent into Israeli territory, the army said. The attacks targeted two Hamas military sites and a munitions manufacturing site, the military said in a statement, without specifying whether the raids had resulted in casualties. Palestinian security sources said nobody was wounded in the morning air strikes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Making his first appearance at an official event following his return from the US, a frail-looking Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today attended a function to mark the Goa Republic Day here. The chief minister, who returned to Goa on Thursday evening after receiving medical treatment in the US for three months, walked without any support at the function at Azad Maidan. He received Governor Mridula Sinha, remained present throughout the one-hour-long function and also walked on wet ground to offer flowers at the memorial of martyrs of the Goa liberation struggle. In his two-minute speech, however, his voice showed weakness and exhaustion. Freedom fighter Ram Manohar Lohia had given a call for a fight against the Portuguese regime on this day in 1946. Parrikar (62) was admitted to a local hospital in February for stomach pain and was diagnosed with a pancreatic ailment. He flew to the US for treatment in the fist week of March. Upon return, he resumed work the very next day. He held a meeting with chief secretary Dharmendra Sharma and principal secretary to the chief minister P Krishnamurthy on Friday. Before that he visited the Devki Krishna Temple and the Mahalaxmi Temple. He also announced a cabinet meeting on Monday and a tentative schedule of the monsoon session. Sources close to the chief minister said he has cut down on activity, doesn't speak for long and avoids physical exhaustion. Officials had earlier said that he would avoid public interactions, but he held a meeting of the BJP's Panaji unit on Saturday and interacted with over 30 senior party workers. While Parrikar's immediate resumption of work won him praise on social media, cabinet colleague Vijay Sardesai advised him to take it easy. "He is all raring to go. The go-getter spirit in him is not letting him take rest. But I advised him to take it easy," said Sardesai, chief of the Goa Forward Party. "Parrikar has a huge willpower. It is this power which got him back recovered from the US," he said. "Infections spread during monsoon. He should be cautious as it can affect his health," Sardesai said. Goa BJP chief Vinay Tendulkar said Parrikar's return has cheered up party workers. "He should take care of his health. But knowing Parrikar, it is difficult to expect him to go slow. He has got Goa in his heart," Tendulkar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today chaired his first Cabinet meeting after coming back from medical treatment in the US as the Cabinet cleared a slew of proposals, including releasing ailing aged prisoners. Parrikar spent nearly three months in the US where he underwent treatment for a pancreatic ailment and returned home last week. Among other decisions, the Cabinet recognised US state of Hawaii as the "sister state to Goa". Talking to reporters after the meeting, Parrikar said even during his US stay, he was in touch with the state administration on a regular basis and participated in all key decisions. "I was absolutely in touch with the state for all decision-making purposes. Every decision was referred to me through e-mail and I used to approve it personally from the US," the 62-year-old BJP chief minister said. "I had a detailed idea of what was happening in Goa," he said, indirectly referring to the Congress allegations that key files were not cleared by him but "someone else". The main opposition party, in fact, hadfiled a formal complaint with the Goa Police's Crime Branch, alleging that "someone else", and not the chief minister", was clearing files. The Cabinet today passed a resolution recommending Governor Mridula Sinha to pardon the aged prisoners who are ailing behind bars. "The Governor had requested me to consider the cases of genuine prisoners who are aged and ailing behind bars. Accordingly, we decided to recommend to the Governor to pardon remaining years of sentence of three prisoners who really deserve leniency," Parrikar said. Among the prisoners is 91-year-old Gurudas Naik who has spent more than ten years behind bars. The other two to get relief are Mario Jose D'Silva (73) and Shivaya Parihar (73). In another significant decision, the Cabinet approved the draft of an agreement to be signed between Goa and State of Hawaii of the USA which will promote both the regions of the world as "sister states". Parrikar said all the necessary approval has been obtained from the external affairs ministry to sign such an agreement with the island state of America. As per the agreement, Goa and Hawaii will recognise that cooperation between the two states will contribute to improving the standards of living of their respective people. "The cooperation would be in the fields of trade, tourism, sports, technology, pharmaceutical, cashew wine business, cultural, culinary and educational exchanges, yoga, ayurvedic and ancient Hawaiian Lomi massage, agriculture, skill development, fisheries and art and culture," he said. The Cabinet also gave approval for summoning the monsoon session of the legislative assembly from July 19, said Parrikar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scientists have discovered a new, pesticide-free way to limit mosquito populations by introducing hungry fishes into the bodies of water where the insects breed. Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada found that hungry minnows feed on mosquito larvae, and can help which dramatically decreases the number of adult mosquitoes capable of carrying the disease. "The best strategies to limit mosquitoes start at the larval stage. Unfortunately, in North America, control efforts are largely limited to larvicides, which require a repeated application and have potentially negative ecological impacts," said Brad Fedy, a researchers at University of Waterloo. "Addressing the problem with minnows provides many benefits in that it is low-maintenance, cost-effective, better for the in many cases, and our health," said Fedy. The study took place over three years and introduced minnows into ten treatment reservoirs. Researchers monitored an additional six non-treated reservoirs. Treatment ponds demonstrated suppressed levels of mosquito larva over each season compared to controls with a model-predicted 114 per cent decrease in larva density within treatment ponds. "There are many potential advantages to using indigenous fish species as an alternative for larval control including lowered environmental impact, decreased costs regarding time and financial inputs, and the potential for the establishment of self-sustaining fish populations," said Fedy. "This isn't a complete solution to the dangers of West Nile, but it should be considered as part of any plan to protect the health of vulnerable populations," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former media baron Peter Mukerjea has agreed to grant divorce to his wife Indrani, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, her lawyer today said. The divorce procedure may take some time as both are in jail, a lawyer representing Indrani in the murder case told reporters outside a Mumbai court. "We have received a reply through registered post from Peter's lawyer and they have agreed to divorce by mutual consent," she said. Peter Mukerjea's lawyers could not be reached for comments. Stating that the marriage had "irretrievably broken down", Indrani had sent a divorce notice to Peter Mukerjea in April this year. Both Indrani and Peter are facing trial in the murder case of Sheena Bora. Sheena (24), Indrani's daughter from an earlier relationship, was allegedly killed in April 2012. The killing came to light in August 2015 when Mukerjeas' former driver Shyamvar Rai spilled the beans when he arrested in another case. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the killing was the fall-out of a financial dispute. Meanwhile, the defence lawyers today completed the cross-examination of Pradeep Waghmare, a former domestic help of the Mukerjeas. They submitted that there were some contradictions in his statement to the police. He had told the police, which probed the case before the CBI took over, that he had sought Rs 20,000 from Indrani for his children's education, and when she refused, he got angry and quit the job. However, in the court, Waghmare said this was not his reason for quitting, and the police had put words in his mouth. The next hearing is scheluded for June 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former media baron Peter Mukerjea has agreed to grant divorce to his wife Indrani, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, her lawyer said today. The divorce procedure may take some time as both are in jail, a lawyer representing Indrani in the murder case told reporters outside a Mumbai court. "We have received a reply through registered post from Peter's lawyer and they have agreed to divorce by mutual consent," she said. When contacted, a lawyer from Peter Mukerjea's side said on the condition of anonymity that a reply was sent to Indrani's notice, and "we are working on the terms of the divorce". Stating that the marriage had "irretrievably broken down", Indrani had sent a divorce notice to Peter Mukerjea in April this year. Both Indrani and Peter are facing trial in the murder case of Sheena Bora. Sheena (24), Indrani's daughter from an earlier relationship, was killed in April 2012, according to the investigators. The murder came to light in August 2015 when the Mukerjeas' former driver Shyamvar Rai spilled the beans when he was arrested in another case. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the killing was the fall-out of a financial dispute. Meanwhile, the defence lawyers today completed the cross-examination of Pradeep Waghmare, a former domestic help of the Mukerjeas. They submitted that there were some contradictions in his statement to the police. He had told the police, which probed the case before the CBI took over, that he had sought Rs 20,000 from Indrani for his children's education, and when she refused, he got angry and quit. However, in the court, Waghmare said this was not his reason for quitting, and the police had put words in his mouth. The next hearing is scheluded for June 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarded the eight northeastern states as 'Ashta Lakshmi', the eight forms of the goddess of wealth, and his "visionary policies" would soon make the region the biggest contributor to the country's GDP, BJP president Amit Shah today. He also slammed the Congress, which had ruled the region for long, for taking development in the region to its "lowest level". Except for the Congress-ruled Mizoram, the other northeastern states are governed by the BJP, independently or with it allies. "At the time of Independence, the Northeast had a very high growth rate but the region, which was mostly ruled by the Congress, was reduced to the lowest level of development," Shah said after laying the foundation stones of 19 cancer care hospitals in the state, set up in partnership with the Tata Trust. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu and Tata Trust chairman Ratan Tata were present on the occasion. The BJP has been in power in Assam for only two years but it has been successful in instilling confidence in people that the state will soon become a developed state, he said. "The Prime Minister has always regarded the Northeast as 'Ashta Lakshmi' and given prime importance to its development by focussing on road and rail connectivity, IT sector development, energy, industrial development and education facilities," he added. The prime minister is focussed on growth of the region through the Act East Policy. Painting a larger picture, the BJP president asserted that the Narendra Modi government had formulated a very ambitious and effective health policy which would benefit 50 crore people in the country. ''Earlier, basic health facilities was a dream for the poor in the country but the Prime Minister's Ayushman Bharat initiative that led to the formulation of the country's health policy last year will benefit 50 crore people or 10 crore families," Shah said. The government has also set up generic medicine stores with 400 medicines, he said, highlighting the "revolutionary steps" the Union government had taken in the field of health. The government's "Mission Indradhanush" will ensure vaccination of 18 crore children in the country. "These steps should have been taken much earlier but it was the Prime Minister's vision that led to the execution of such revolutionary steps in the health sector," Shah added. Referring to the 19 cancer care hospitals in Assam, Shah said that Northeast has a very high prevalence of cancer and every year more than 60,000 cancer patients go to the metros for treatment of the dreaded disease, draining the finances of the affected family. He thanked Tata Trust Chairman Ratan Tata for partnering with the Assam government in setting up the hospitals. Chairman of Tata Trust Ratan Tata said on the occasion that cancer was a silent killer with the Northeast having a high incidence of the disease. "We appreciate that the central and state governments have decided to launch a battle against cancer and tackle the disease on a war footing," Tata said. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal thanked the Prime Minister and Ratan Tata for their help and cooperation in setting up these 19 hospitals. All the 19 hospitals will be established under the supervision of Assam Cancer Care Foundation to be headed by state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Tata Trust and would be based on a three-tier system and will be constructed under the L3 (Level 3), L2 (Level 2), L1 (Level 1) divisions. The L3 hospitals will maintain the basic standards of a hospital and will be located in Barpeta, Diphu, Dhubri, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur, Lakhimpur, Nagaon and Dibrugarh. The L2 hospitals will maintain the surgery standards and will be set up in Goalpara, Haflong, Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Golaghat, Darrang, Nalbari, Sivasagar and Tinsukia. The L1 hospital will have sophisticated standards and will be in Guwahati. Tata Trusts will give Rs 830 crore, while the Assam government will put in Rs 1,080 crore, making it an initial corpus of Rs 1,910 crore for the project, the chief minister said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today warned companies against misusing data of Indians to manipulate the electoral process ahead of general elections next year, and said the government will not tolerate any attempt to "fudge or abuse" data. "Let me make it very clear to all the companies indulging in data analysis...any attempt to influence India's elections in a covert and overt manner, by abuse of data will not be acceptable," said Prasad, who is also the Minister for Law and Justice. He was responding to a question on safeguards that the government intends to put in place to ensure that data analytics companies not not indulge in data manipulation in the run-up to the general elections. India is "proud" of its democratic process and any attempt to compromise the same "will not be tolerated", Prasad said at a conference organised to highlight the four year achievements of his ministries. He said the social media campaigns are acceptable but not "fudging or abusing of data" to sway the electoral process. Earlier this year, US-based social networking giant Facebook and British firm Cambridge Analytica came under an intense scrutiny from users as well as governments across the globe after a data leak scandal hit about 87 million users. Data analytics and political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, was accused of harvesting personal information of millions of Facebook users illegally to help political campaigns and influence polls in several countries, prompting Indian government to shoot off notices to both companies. "Facebook has already apologised, and we are pursuing the matter with Cambridge Analytica," the minister said. On the larger issue of data privacy - where a 10-member committee is deliberating on a new data protection law - Prasad said that while data must to be protected, India should also become a strong centre for data analysis. "Let the final report of the committee come," Prasad said declining to comment further on the matter. The committee headed by Justice B N Srikrishna (former judge of Supreme Court) was set up in August last year, and is on the verge to finalising its views. The panel is widely expected to submit its report this month. The formation of the panel had come amid concerns over personal information being compromised with increasing use of biometric identifier Aadhaar in an array of services, as also data breach incidents in the private sector. The high-level panel, which draws its members from government, academia and industry, has been tasked with studying and identifying key data protection issues and recommending ways to address them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a two-day visit to the state on July 7-8 to attend the convocation ceremony of Goa University, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said today. He added that the state would host a civic reception for the President. "President Kovind was originally scheduled to visit Goa in February but it had to be postponed owing to my health issues," Parrikar told reporters here today. Parrikar has been ill since February and had gone to the United States on March 7 to get treated for a pancreatic ailment. He returned to Goa on June 14. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Ram Nath Kovind today met with the top leadership of Greece and discussed issues of economic, political and cultural importance. Kovind, the first Indian president to travel to Greece in 11 years, met with President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and the two sides held delegation-level talks during which they discussed issues of mutual interests. Kovind, who arrived here on Saturday on the first leg of his three-nation tour, was accorded a ceremonial welcome by Pavlopoulos at the Presidential Mansion in Athens. President Kovind also met with Greece Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and discussed various issues of mutual interest to India and Greece. "The two leaders emphasised the strong relations between the two nations and discussed various issues of mutual interest to India and Greece," the Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted. Kovind presented Pavlopoulos a painting of Heliodorus Pillar, erected in 2nd century by Heliodorus who was the Ambassador of Indo-Greek King Antialcidas near Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, and a sculpture replica of Buddha belonging to Kushan period, 2nd century A.D. The President also visited a cemetry here in the Greek capital where soldiers from erstwhile undivided India, who lost their lives in World War II in Greece, were laid to rest. He paid his respects at the monument of The Unknown Soldier -- a war memorial located in Syntagma Square of the capital city. Earlier, addressing the diaspora, Kovind said India was striving to become a USD 5 trillion economy and the world's third largest consumer market by 2025, as he highlighted investment opportunities in the country. He also praised overseas Indians for playing an important role in improving bilateral relations. Kovind will also travel to Surinam and Cuba during his three-nation trip. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lt Col Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has approached the Bombay High Court, seeking permission to challenge earlier rulings rejecting his discharge plea. On December 18 last year, the high court had refused to quash the government's sanction for Purohit's prosecution. A sanction was needed to prosecute him as he was a serving Army officer. The HC had also refused to discharge him. On December 27, the special court for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) also dismissed his petition seeking discharge from the case. The trial court, at the same time, dropped charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Purohit, co-accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and six others. Purohit then approached the Supreme Court, arguing that the sanction to prosecute him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was not valid, so the trial court could not have taken cognisance of charges against him. According to Purohit's lawyer Shrikant Shivde, the sanction, issued on January 17, 2009 by the additional chief secretary of the Maharashtra Home Department, was invalid. Under the UAPA, the state Law and Judiciary department has to constitute an appropriate authority and seek its report first, before giving nod for sanction. While the sanction was given in January 2009, this authority was appointed in October, 2010, he said. The apex court held in April this year that Purohit can raise the issue of validity of sanction before the trial court at the time of trial or before the high court. In the hearing before a bench of Justices Ranjit More and Anuja Prabhudessai today, the NIA opposed Purohit's plea. NIA lawyer Sandesh Patil argued that Purohit should file a fresh plea before the trial court first, seeking discharge on the point of sanction. The bench will continue hearing arguments on the admissibility of Purohit's plea in the high court on June 22. Six persons were killed and over 100 were injured when an explosive device, strapped to a motorcycle, went off near a mosque in Malegaon, Maharashtra on September 29, 2008. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hitting out at the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, plagued by differences between them on presenting a full fledged budget, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa today said his party was ready to wait on the much awaitedfarm loan waiver issue till the budget was presented. "We are seeing that this government is hesitating to keep up its promise, including farm loan waiver," he said. The BJP chief said that on the one side Siddaramaiah,head of the Congress-JD(S) coordination committee, was saying there was no need to present a new budget and a supplementary budget was enough, while on the other,some Congress leaders,including Deputy Chief Minister Parameshwara were maintaining there was a need for a new budget and they are not opposed to it. "As the situation in such a shambles, people are waiting for the budget..... we are ready to wait till you (government) present the budget," he added. Differences have emerged between the ruling coalition partners in Karnataka, Congress and JD(S) over presentation of full fledged budget by the new government. While former Chief Minister and CLP leader Siddaramaiah has suggested that there was no need for a fresh budget and insisted that a supplementary budget would do,Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has insisted on presenting it, pointing out that the new government has to demonstrate its objectives to the people. Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC chief G Parameshwara has said that it would be discussed in the coordination committee. Stating that he has asked his party leaders to wait till the government presents the budget, Yeddyurappa said they were 'patiently' keeping a watch on the developments. "In the interest of the people we will play our role as a responsible opposition. We don't have any plan to go behind power," he said. Kumaraswamy is under intense pressure to announce farm loan waiver that his party, the JD(S) had promised in the run up to assembly elections in Karnataka. After initially citing coalition compulsions for the delay on May 30, as opposition and farmers' bodies stepped up pressure on him to fulfil his pre-poll promise, Siddaramaiah had said the government will arrive at a decision to implement a two-phased scheme for farm loan waiver within 15 days. With that period coming to an end on June 15, Kumaraswamy has reiterated that he is committed to waiving the farm loan and would announce it shortly. Referring to the farm loan waiver, Yeddyurappa said Congress and JD(S) have to focus on fulfilling their promise made ahead of the assembly polls. "We will see what they will do, how the budget will be.We are ready to wait for it.After that we will think about future course of action and agitation, if they dont keep up their promise in the interest of farmers and common man," he said. Flaying Kumaraswamy for seeking 50 per cent support from the union government for his farm loan waiver initiative,he termed it as an attempt to put the onus on the centre. "Centre has already made it clear.... in UP and Maharashtra, where BJP is in power, the union government did not give a penny when farmers loan were waived there. Despite knowing this, they (government) are trying to create confusion among people by trying to shift the responsibility on the central government," Yeddyurappa said. "The Chief Minister has to think of how fair is it to shift responsibility on the Centre? Within the limits of the states' finances, government has to fulfil the promise," he added. Addressing the 4th meeting of the governing council of NITI Ayog in New Delhi yesterday, Kumaraswamy had requested the union government for 50 per cent support for his governments farm loan waiver initiative. Kumaraswamy, who also holds the Finance portfolio, has already hinted about presenting the budget in the first week of July and has scheduled pre budget meetin meetings with various departments and their respective ministers, starting from June 21. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Shiromani Akali Dal delegation led by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal will soon call on Home Minister Rajnath Singh and urge the Centre to release "secret documents" related to the Army operation on Golden Temple in June 1984, an SAD spokesman said today. The delegation will urge the Centre to secure documents from the UK government about their role in the operation, SAD spokesman Harcharan Bains said. He said the delegation will seek release of all Sikh prisoners after the completion of their sentence and urge the Centre to release the compensation to the Jodhpur detenus. The decision to send the delegation was taken at a meeting of party high command in Chandigarh yesterday. The meeting was chaired by Sukhbir Badal and attended by party patron Parkash Singh Badal, he said. Bains said the delegation would urge the Centre to implement the Swaminathan Commission report to ensure that farmers get at least 50 per cent over and above their production cost. During the meeting, it was decided that the delegation will urge the Centre to bring petrol and diesel under GST regime. The delegation will also urged the home minister to address the grievances of the Sikh community in Shillong, where the community members were recently targeted by locals. "There is an acute sense of insecurity in the minds of the Sikhs living in Shillong. This is sending an adverse signal to minorities throughout the country," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to Nalini Chidambaram, wife of former finance minister P Chidambaram, in connection with its money laundering probe into the Saradha ponzi scam. Officials said Nalini has been summoned at the Kolkata office of the central probe agency on June 20. She was last summoned by the agency for May 7 but she appealed against the summonses before the Madras High Court. In her appeal, Nalini, a senior advocate, has challenged the April 24 order of Justice S M Subramaniam dismissing her petition against the ED's summons asking her to appear as a witness in its money laundering probe in the Saradha chit fund scam case. He had rejected her contention that women cannot be called for investigation out of their place of residence under CrPC Sec 160, saying such exemptions are not mandatory and are subject to facts and circumstances of a case. The judge had also directed the ED to issue fresh summons, following which the agency had on April 30 issued the summons asking Nalini to appear before it on May 7. The agency, they said, wants to record her statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) with regard to a specific link of her in this case, they said. The ED had first issued the summons to Nalini on September 7, 2016 asking her to appear at its Kolkata office as a witness in the Saradha chit fund scam. She was allegedly paid a legal fee of Rs 1.26 crore by the Saradha group for her appearances in court and the Company Law Board over a television channel purchase deal. She had earlier been questioned by the ED and CBI in this regard but agency sources had claimed that she was being summoned in the "light of new evidence". During the hearings at the Madras HC, Nalini had contended that the summons was "purely politically motivated to damage her reputation." Pointing out that receiving fee by a counsel for representing an accused was not an offence, she had said every lawyer who appears for a suspect in criminal cases charges professional fee. The ED had filed a charge sheet in this case in a special PMLA court in Kolkata in 2016. Nalini's son Karti is already being investigated by the ED in two separate money laundering cases of the Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case and he has been questioned multiple times by the agency in context of these cases. A charge sheet was recently filed by the ED against Karti in the Aircel-Maxis case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court today made an exception by allowing eight government medical colleges in three states, which were barred by the Centre for certain deficiencies, to enrol 800 students in MBBS and BDS courses for academic year 2018-19. The top court fixed the accountability on the chief secretary and principal secretary in-charge of medical of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand for rectifying the deficiencies pointed out by the Medical Council of India (MCI) within the stipulated time-line given by the respective state governments. A vacation bench of justices S Abdul Nazeer and Indu Malhotra asked the MCI to carry out an inspection after three months to verify if the state governments had rectified the deficiencies pointed out by it. "We hereby direct that in view of the undertakings submitted by the principal secretaries of the three states, permission is granted to the said government medical colleges for admission to the MBBS course for the current academic year, 2018-19," the bench said. It added that the seats in these colleges would be included in the seat matrix, for which counselling is scheduled to take place on June 19. "The MCI shall carry out an inspection after three months to verify that the state governments have in fact carried out compliance to rectify the deficiencies pointed out. If the deficiencies are not removed within the period specified, the principal secretary of each of the states will be held personally responsible for non-compliance with the orders passed by this court," the bench said. It, however, clarified that the order passed in the present case should not be treated as a precedent and added that it was passed considering the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case as otherwise, over 800 seats in government medical colleges would have been wasted. The court kept the petition pending for compliance and listed it for further hearing on September 25. The eight government medical colleges which were barred from admitting students for 2018-19 are -- Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College, Gaya, Vardhman Institute of Medical Sciences, Pawapuri, Nalanda and Government Medical College, Bettiah -- all in Bihar -- which have a total of 250 seats. The Mahatma Gandhi Medical College at Jamshedpur, Jharkhand was also denied permission to admit students by the Centre. The four medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh that were denied permission are -- Government Allopathic Medical College at Banda, Government Medical College at Saharanpur, Government Medical College and Super Speciality Hospital at Azamgarh and Rajkiya Medical College at Jalaun district. During the hearing, the three states gave undertakings that they had either rectified the deficiencies -- mostly related to shortage of faculty staff -- or would remove the shortcomings within a fixed time-line. At one point of time, the bench asked senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, who was appearing for Bihar, that with insufficient infrastructure, how could the colleges impart medical "They will be treating human beings, not animals. With this kind of infrastructure, how will they impart medical There is a verdict of this court, in which it has been said that half-baked doctors are graduating from government medical colleges," it said. Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, appearing for the MCI, said an exception could be created for the colleges on the condition that officials would be held personally accountable for removing the deficiencies. He added that a one-time exception could be given, provided that the colleges strictly adhered to the time-line, so that the seats did not go waste. On June 14, the apex court had issued notice and asked the Centre and the MCI to suggest a way out of the crisis, so that hundreds of medical seats were not wasted. It had said the letters of permission in respect of medical colleges run by state governments had a special significance as the seats in these institutes were given to students purely on merit and for a nominal fee. "Any refusal of letter of permission is bound to reflect in reduction of seats available to meritorious candidates. However, at the same time, the adherence to the requirement of having requisite faculty, facility and infrastructure, as laid down by the MCI from time to time, must be scrupulously observed," it had said and sought an undertaking from the chief secretary of each of the three states for removing the shortcomings. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Security forces have arrested three militants belonging to two different outfits in Manipur, police said today. One active cadre of proscribed militant outfit Kangleipak Communist Party (Noyon) was arrested by security forces during search operation conducted at Ningthemcha Karong area in Imphal West district yesterday, a press release by the PRO of Manipur Police said. On Friday, the security forces arrested one cadre of banned militant outfit Kangleipak Communist Party (Military Joint Council) group while conducting search operation at Lamphel Sana Keithel, in Imphal West district, the release said. On the disclosure of the arrested militant, another member of the same outfit was also arrested from Khurai area in Imphal East district, the release added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah has called for an urgent meeting of all Jammu and Kashmir BJP ministers and some top leaders in New Delhi tomorrow. "All the BJP ministers have been called to New Delhi for a meeting," a senior BJP leader of Jammu and Kashmir BJP told PTI. BJP state chief Ravinder Raina and Party General secretary (Organisation) Asho Kaul have also been called for the meeting. However, the senior BJP leader did not elaborate the reason behind the meeting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre's special representative for Jammu and Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad were among those who visited the residence of slain journalist Shujaat Bukhari today. Sharma visited Bukhari's ancestral home at Kreeri in Baramulla district, 40 km from here, to offer condolences to the bereaved family on the fourth day of the slain journalist's "faateha" ceremony. Earlier, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Azad also visited Bukhari's residence at Kreeri. Hundreds of others, including state ministers and senior leaders of the ruling PDP, visited the bereaved family and offered "faateha" at Bukhari's grave. Bukhari, the editor of Rising Kashmir newspaper, was shot dead, along with his two personal security guards, outside his office on June 14 by three motorcycle-borne assailants. The police have constituted a special investigation team (SIT) under the supervision of the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), central Kashmir to probe the killing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari, who was shot dead in Srinagar last week, had approached Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti only a few days ago for increased security, former special director of the Intelligence Bureau A S Dulat said today. Bukhari, the editor-in-chief of the daily 'Rising Kashmir', was shot dead outside his office in Srinagar on June 14. Two police officers provided to him as personal bodyguards were also killed in the attack. The government has blamed militants based in Kashmir for the killings. "He (Bukhari) had warned repeatedly of alienation, increased militancy and all pervasive fear in which no one was safe," Dulat, who arrived here last week, said in a statement. Bukhari had "approached the Chief Minister only a few days ago for increased security. Yet who could have imagined that this gentle soul would become a target. Why? Dulat asked. "We had met at Istanbul about 6 weeks ago from where he travelled to Pakistan. Despite travelling for more than a fortnight he came from Srinagar to Delhi for the launch of my book 'The Spy Chronicles' on May 23. As usual he spoke fearlessly about his beloved Valley which he saw sinking in the last couple of years," the former intelligence chief said. Bukhari was the most committed votary of dialogue as the only way out, he said. "He was a gem of a human being and a friend; possibly the brightest journalist in the Valley with a great future," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Directorate General of Shipping is continuously monitoring the situation and providing guidance to secure merchant ship SSL Kolkata, which suffered an explosion last week, the government said today. No loss of life has been reported due to the fire on the ship, it said in a statement. A global salvage company - Smith International, Singapore - has been engaged to rescue the ship. "The Directorate General of Shipping is continuously monitoring the situation and providing guidance for securing the estranged ship SSL Kolkata near West Bengal coast, 10 miles away from the Sundarbans. Internationally renowned salvage company Smith International, Singapore - has been engaged for salvaging the ship," Ministry of Shipping said in the statement. However, salvage operations are held up due to adverse weather and sea conditions, it said, adding that the salvers have reached Kolkota and the operation will commence once the weather condition improves. The communication centre of the Directorate General of Shipping - DGComcentre, had received a call on the June 13th night from the merchant container ship, stating that the vessel had an explosion in a cargo hold and containers were on fire and requested for assistance. "The vessel had 22 crew members and was carrying 464 containers (613 TEUs) from Krishnapatnam port, Andhra Pradesh to Kolkata port, West Bengal. Immediately the DGComcentre alerted MRCC Haldia and all concerned authorities of the Directorate General of Shipping, Coast Guard and Kolkata Port Trust to provide necessary assistance to vessel's Master and crew," the statement said. It said the situation was reviewed and the Kolkata Port Trust and Indian Coast Guard were requested to render full support to the vessel for dousing the fire, save lives and prevent pollution from the ship. "The vessel master and crew abandoned the ship due to uncontrollable fire onboard the ship and the Indian Coast Guard rescued the entire crew and brought them to Haldia by their vessel ICGS Rajkiran," the statement said. The government said Principal Officer, Mercantile Marine Department, Kolkata had convened a meeting with the representatives of Kolkata Port Trust, Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, the Indian Register of Shipping (the Classification Society of the vessel SSL Kolkata) and ship owner and had taken measures to coordinate and ensure that the ship does not drift towards Sunderbans and Bangaladesh waters. The Indian Navy accordingly led an operation on June 16 and Navy commandos and 3 crew were flown by helicopter sea king and boarded the vessel safely and anchored the vessel 15 miles away from Bangladesh boarder. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two more prosecution witnesses in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases today turned hostile before a special CBI court here, taking the total number of such witnesses to 68. Prosecution witnesses Ghanshyam, Heera Lal Ahari and Khum Singh deposed before special CBI judge S J Sharma. Of them, Ghanshyam and Ahari turned hostile. Ghanshyam was then assistant train driver and Ahari a guard of the Udaipur Mail by which Prajapati, escorted by a police team, travelled on December 27, 2006. In his statement to the Central Bureau of Investigation, Ghanshyam had said the train left for Udaipur on December 27, 2006 at 2.10 AM and suddenly came to a halt at 3.00 AM. When Ahari asked over a walkie-talkie why the train stopped, he told Ahari that somebody had pulled the chain in the rear waggon, Ghanshyam told the CBI. When Ghanshyam reached the rear waggon, Ahari told him that a prisoner had escaped from the custody of the Udaipur police after throwing chili powder in the eyes of one of the cops. However, he did not see any traces of chili powder on the face of the police officer or on his dress, Ghanshyam had told the CBI. The CBI's case is that the story of escape by Prajapati was a concocted one, and in reality he was killed in a fake encounter. In the court today, Ghanshyam gave a slightly different version. He had seen the policeman rubbing his eyes due to the chili powder, he told the court. The CBI lawyer then declared him hostile. Ahari was also declared hostile as he too said that he saw chili powder on the policeman's face, contradicting his earlier statement to the agency. Besides, in his statement to the CBI, Ahari had said they had not recovered any mobile phone from the spot where Prajapati had allegedly escaped. However, in the court he said he did find a mobile phone which he handed over to the police. Shaikh, a suspected gangster, was killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat Police in November 2005. His wife Kausar Bi was also allegedly killed. Tulsi Prajapati, an aide of Shaikh who was said to be a witness to the encounter, was allegedly killed by police at Chapri village in Gujarat's Banaskantha district in December 2006. Of the 38 people charged by the CBI for the alleged fake encounters, 15 have been discharged by the trial court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today called on Italian Prime Minister Prof. Giuseppe Conte and discussed ways to enhance cooperation across sectors and steps to revitalise the bilateral relationship. Swaraj, who is here on the first leg of her seven-day tour of four European countries, also met her Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi. "In the first engagement of the day, EAM @SushmaSwaraj called on Prime Minister of Italy Prof. Giuseppe Conte and congratulated him on assuming the high positio," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Their discussions focused on forging bilateral cooperation across sectors and steps to revitalise the bilateral relationship, he said. It was the first major political exchange between the two countries after Conte assumed charge as the Italian prime minister. She also met with Foreign Minister Milanesi and the two leaders reviewed all aspects of the bilateral relationship, and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, Kumar said. Swaraj arrived here yesterday on the first leg of her 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. 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 has said. Swaraj will travel later today 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. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll in an overnight bombing raid on pro-regime forces in eastern Syria has risen to 52 loyalist fighters, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said today. "Among them are at least 30 Iraqi fighters and 16 Syrians, including soldiers and members of loyalist militias," the monitor's chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, adding that the remaining six fighters were not immediately identifiable. Syrian state media blamed the strike on the US-led coalition, which denied involvement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tata Global Beverages (TGBL) is planning to strengthen its packaged drinking water portfolio, and expand overseas to position its water brand Himalayan as a global label. The company has plans to expand its Himalayan Natural Mineral Water to other geographies beyond the US and Singapore, where it is available now, said (TGBL) in its latest annual report. Although, "water is currently a small part of our beverage portfolio but is a key strategic business which we believe is well poised to contribute significantly to our growth in future years. "Along with the domestic market, we are also closely looking at international markets for growth as we believe our premium source water brand Himalayan has the potential to be a global brand," the Tata Group firm said. In the water segment, TGBL has three brands -- Himalayan, Tata Water Plus and Tata Gluco Plus. It has a a joint venture with PepsiCo, NourishCo Beverages for marketing and distribution of these products within India. "We have high ambitions for Himalayan and plan to expand its presence in a phased manner beyond USA and Singapore," said TGBL. In mature markets, premium natural mineral waters and functional beverages are leading category, the company said. While in India, there is a growing trend towards functional beverages with fortification through vitamins and minerals. "India's value added water segment will continue to enjoy good growth with increase in distribution and penetration for the next few years," the company said in its report for FY18. According to TGBL, the Indian packaged drinking water category growth is led by "increasing disposable incomes and changing lifestyles, with consumers looking at convenient and hygienic options for hydration". The Indian liquid refreshment beverage (LRB) market, which includes dairy, juices, carbonated soft drinks and bulk water, is estimated to be around Rs 18,000 crore market and is having a year-on-year growth of 6 per cent. "Packaged Water constitutes approximately 18 per cent of LRB (by value) and is growing at 1.5x the category," said TGBL. Himalayan, is sourced from stream aquifer located at foothills of the Shivalik range in the Himalayas. It has started a phased entry into the US market through a distribution agreement with Talking Rain. "Himalayan's foray into the US market makes it one of the first premium Indian FMCG brands to target the broader American audience. The premium end of the water market in the country is growing rapidly and Himalayan is well positioned to leverage the growth in this segment," said TGBL. Himalayan is currently available in Chicago city and through Amazon online, it added. "We plan to enter more cities in a phased manner," it said. While Tata Water Plus fortified with nutrients and had registered good growth in the PET bottle format in 2017. Tata Gluco Plus is glucose based energy drink. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Days after a division bench gave a split verdict, Justice S Vimala of the Madras High Court was today named as the third judge to hear afresh the petitions by 18 pro-Dhinkaran AIADMK MLAs challenging their disqualification. Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh, the second senior most judge of the court, appointed Justice Vimala to hear the pleas when the matter was placed before him, court sources said. Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar had given the split verdict on June 14 following which the former had ordered that the senior-most judge after her would decide the judge for hearing the matter afresh. In a huge relief to the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu, the bench had delivered divergent verdicts on the petitions challenging the September 18 last year order of state assembly Speaker P Dhanapal disqualifying the MLAs under the anti-defection law. The Chief Justice had upheld the Speaker's order while Justice Sundar set it aside. The MLAs, loyal to sidelined leader T T V Dhinkaran, were disqualified for approaching the state Governor and seeking the removal of Chief Minister K Palaniswami in August last year. In her 200-page order, the chief justice had upheld the Speaker's decision, saying "In my opinion, the view taken by the Speaker is a possible, if not plausible view, and I am unable to hold that the said decision is any way unreasonable, irrational or perverse." Justice Sundar, in his 135-page order, had struck a dissenting note, insisting that Dhanapal's order "deserved to be set aside on grounds of perversity, non-compliance with principles of natural justice, mala fides and violation of the constitutional mandate". The verdict had come as a massive relief for the Palaniswami government as the restoration of the membership of the MLAs could have brought it perilously close to losing majority in the event of their joining hands with the opposition DMK-Congress-IUML alliance, which together has 98 MLAs in the 234-member assembly. In that eventuality, the Opposition's strength would have swelled to 117, including Dhinakaran, who is the lone independent MLA. The AIADMK also has 117 members in the House, including the Speaker. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In significant remarks, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today said any move by pro-Dhinakaran disqualified MLAs to return to AIADMK fold was welcome, but indicated he was not aware of any such plan. "Only you are saying that, if they join it is laudable," he told reporters here when asked about claims by some quarters that eight disqualified legislators led by Thanga Tamilselvan were likely to come back to the AIADMK fold. The remarks of Palaniswami, co-coordinator of the ruling AIADMK, come days after senior minister D Jayakumar said it was for the party to take a decision on admitting the disqulaified MLAs, loyal to sidelined leader T T V Dhinakaran. However, he had said there was no question of Dhinkaran and his aides being taken back into the party fold. Asked if Thanga Tamilselvan will be given a Ministerial berth, Palaniswami shot back asking,"how it can be given.?" Answering another question, he said there can be no bypolls to the constituencies previously represented by the disqualified MLAs as the matter was in the court. Thanga Tamilselvan has said he would withdraw his petition in the Madras High Court challenging his disqualifition by Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, but ruled out joining the ruling AIADMK camp led by Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam. He said the people of his constituency have endorsed his decision to take back his plea in the court. A staunch loyalist of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam chief and sidelined AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran, Thanga Tamilselvam said consultations will soon be held with 17 other disqualified MLAs. "It will be effective if all the 18 MLAs," withdrew their petitions challenging their disqualification. Tamilselvan, is one of the 18 MLAs, who were disqualified last year following their revolt against the chief minister. A day after the factions led by Palaniswami and erstwhile rebel leader Panneerselvam merged on August 21, 2017, MLAs owing allegiance to Dhinakaran met the then Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, and sought a "change," in leadership saying they had lost confidence in Palaniswami. On June 14, the Madras High Court delivered a split verdict on the petitions challenging disqualification of the 18 MLAs. Chief Justice Indira Banerjee upheld the September 18 order of Speaker Dhanapal disqualifying the MLAs, while Justice M Sundar disagreed with her and set it aside. The verdict had come as a massive relief for the Palaniswami government as the restoration of the membership of the MLAs could have brought it perilously close to losing majority in the event of their joining hands with the opposition DMK-Congress-IUML alliance, which together has 98 MLAs in the 234-member assembly. In that eventuality, the Opposition's strength would have swelled to 117, including Dhinakaran, who is the lone independent MLA. The AIADMK also has 117 members in the House, including the Speaker. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China, the world's biggest polluter, unveiled plans today for a national carbon market likely to become the world's largest exchange for emissions credits. Environmentalists praised the move as an important step in the battle against climate change as China burns more coal than any other country, giving it the ignominious title of top greenhouse gas emitter. Although the long-delayed emissions exchange scheme will initially cover just the power generation sector, it is expected to surpass the European Union's carbon market, currently the world's biggest. "The purpose of this programme is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Zhang Yong, vice chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission. The country is the largest investor in renewable energy but has faced an uphill battle transitioning from coal, which is used to generate roughly three-quarters of its power according to the International Energy Agency. China is seen as a potential leader in the fight against climate change after the US retreated from the Paris accord. "The world has never before seen a climate programme on this scale," said Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which provided technical assistance to pilot carbon trading programmes in China. "China has stepped up its climate leadership dramatically in recent years, and is now increasingly seen as filling the leadership void left by the US," Krupp said in a statement. The emission exchange outlined by the National Development and Reform Commission may slowly change the calculus for utilities and other coal-burners. "We aim to reduce emissions through market-based mechanisms," Zhang said, adding that the immediate focus for establishing the carbon credits exchange is on the power generation industry. "Some 1,700 electric companies emitted more than three billion tonnes of carbon," Zhang said. "This is where we will get to it," he said, without giving more details, including the programme's timeline. The project expands on the lessons learned from seven provincial and city carbon exchanges. "With just emissions trading in the power generation industry, the scale will exceed that of every country in the world," said Li Gao, an official in the commission's climate change department. Coal generates most of the nation's power but the country has moved rapidly this winter to limit the dirty fuel's use in northern China, though it had to reauthorise it in some areas due to natural gas shortages. EDF said China's power sector represents 39 percent of the nation's total emissions. The EU Emissions Trading System puts a cap on the amount of carbon dioxide allowed to be emitted by large factories and other companies. The firms can trade in quotas of these emissions - the idea being to provide a carrot to improve energy efficiency or switch to cleaner sources so that they keep within the ceiling. But the EU last month agreed to reform the ETS as critics said the market, which covers about 40 per cent of Europe's industrial emissions, has proven ineffective. Carbon allowances were too generous, resulting in a carbon price too low to encourage savings. Carbon Market Watch, which scrutinises such trading schemes, said a "number of uncertainties remain" around China's plan, including concerns over the quality of emissions data and the measuring, verification and reporting systems in many Chinese provinces. Nevertheless, Femke de Jong, policy director at Carbon Market Watch, said: "The launch of the Chinese carbon market shows that there is increased commitment around the world to price pollution and direct investments into clean technologies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court today observed that the police firing during the recent anti-Sterlite protests in Tuticorin was a fit case for CBI investigation. Since the state police was involved, it is a fit case to be investigated by the CBI, Chief Justice Indira Banerjee observed when a PIL by an advocate came up for hearing before the first bench. Petitioner S Rajinikanth, an advocate practising in the high court, sought a probe by a sitting judge of the court into the May 22 and May 23 police firing, which left 13 people dead during the protests demanding closure of Sterlite's copper unit. He alleged that the police had fired from advanced guns that can only be used against enemies in a war. Besides, police personnel had positioned themselves atop a van and from such a height, the shooter can only target the upper part of a person, he submitted. The petitioner further alleged that the government was trying to conceal the happenings by appointing a 'name sake' inquiry committee. Advocate General Vijay Narayan submitted that the government had already ordered an inquiry by a retired high court judge into the incident. The court then directed the state government to file its counter and the petitioner his rejoinder, and posted the matter to July 6. Besides the petition by the advocate, three other PILs have been filed before the court over the Tuticorin incidents and demanding various relief, including a CBI probe. Yet another PIL, also seeking a CBI probe, has been filed before the Madurai bench of the high court. Meanwhile, state Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said the one-member inquiry commission was 'sufficient' as it was headed by a person who had served in the judiciary. "The state government set up panel is probing the case and it is sufficient and everything is being updated. The team does not include officials from government, but a person belonging to judiciary or who served in judiciary," he told reporters here. He was responding when a reporter drew his attention to the high court's observation today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that Gaza is close to the brink of war and expressed shock over the number of Palestinians killed and wounded by Israeli live fire during protests, in a report obtained by AFP today. Guterres told the Security Council that he "unequivocally condemns the steps by all parties that have brought us to this dangerous and fragile place" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The report was sent to the council last week ahead of a meeting on Tuesday on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. The violence in Gaza marks the most serious escalation between Israel and Hamas since the 2014 war. "It is and should be a warning to all how close to the brink of war the situation is," said Guterres. "I am shocked by the number of deaths and injuries of Palestinians resulting from the use of live fire by Israel Defence Forces" since protests began on March 30, he said. At least 132 Palestinian have been killed. The Red Cross says more than 13,000 have been wounded including 1,400 who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, many in the legs. Israel has a responsibility to "exercise maximum restraint" and protect civilians in line with international humanitarian law, the UN chief wrote. "The killing of children, as well as of clearly identified journalists and medical staffers by security forces during a demonstration are particularly unacceptable," he added. Two Palestinian journalists were killed while covering the protests in April while a 21-year-old medic was shot dead in early June. Guterres renewed his call for an independent investigation of the shooting deaths in Gaza. Israel has rejected the appeal and argues that the use of force is justified to defend its borders. The UN chief criticized Hamas and other militant groups for attempting to put explosives near the fence and for shooting rockets at Israel on May 29 and 30. He singled out "senior Israeli government officials" for asserting that all Palestinians were affiliated with Hamas, signalling a "permissive Israeli policy towards the use of live fire against protesters". Israel's settlement activities "continue unabated," Guterres added, citing a May 30 decision by Israel to approve 3,500 housing units in the West Bank - the largest batch of new housing since June 2017. The United Nations considers the expansion of settlements on land earmarked for a future Palestinian state to be illegal. Guterres said the construction must "cease immediately and completely. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 14-year-old boy was killed and another seriously injured after they were run over by a road-roller in Amin village here, police said today. The accident took place last night while they were sleeping outside their house, they said. Abid died on the spot while his cousin Shakil (13), who suffered serious injuries, was admitted to a trauma centre in Lucknow, a police officer said. He said a case was registered by the Gauriganj police and a search launched to apprehend the road-roller's driver. In Pura Mangal village, a 19-year-old boy was electrocuted to death after a high-voltage wire fell on him, police said. Villagers claimed that despite several phone calls to the electricity department, officials did not respond to the emergency. They also blocked a road for several hours demanding action against power officials, police said. The protesters dispersed after the intervention of Gauriganj MLA Rakesh Pratap Singh. The matter is being investigated, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major crackdown, 19 people were arrested today for allegedly aiding cheating through hi-tech devices, such as spy-mics, and placing "solvers" impersonating aspirants in the Uttar Pradesh Police constable recruitment examination, officials said. Eight people have been arrested from Allahabad and 11 from Gorakhpur for helping aspirants in using unfair means in the exam, they said. The two-day examination, which began today, is being conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment Board at 860 centres in 56 districts to fill 41,520 posts. "The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) has arrested as many as 11 people from Gorakhpur and five from Allahabad," Inspector General (IG) of Police, STF, Amitabh Yash told PTI here. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Allahabad, Nitin Tiwari said three more people were arrested from Allahabad and a spy microphone (mic) along with a hearing device were seized. Solvers are generally bright students who enter examination centres with forged documents having superimposed photographs, according to the IG. He also said bluetooth devices such as the spy-mic have been used in certain examinations earlier. "They are small devices that can be hidden inside the ear and generally, the mobile device is strapped somewhere on the body so that the answers can be dictated," Yash said. The crackdown comes months after 11 lakh students opted out of the UP Board exams earlier this year after the use of a special task force and local intelligence by the state government to keep a tab on the cheating mafia. One of the persons arrested in Gorakhpur, Anil Giri, has confessed to taking money from candidates for placing "solvers" for them in the examination, a police spokesperson said here. "Anand Yadav (BSc, LLB), one of the solvers, and Amarnath Yadav, a candidate and liasoner for Giri, have landed in the STF's net. Around Rs 4 lakh and identity cards of a dozen candidates have been recovered from them," he said. The STF is conducting raids to arrest more people related to the cheating racket, he said. Irfan Ahmed, Imran, Kaushal and Satendra Kr Singh, an advocate in the Allahabad High Court and resident of Ballia, were among those arrested from Allahabad, the IG said. "Pawan Kumar Singh, a resident of Patna (a solver) has also been arrested. He was impersonating Ram Kumar Yadav, a resident of Mirzapur (UP)," Yash said. He urged the people to inform the STF if they found any material offline or online related to the examination. Uttar Pradesh DGP Om Prakash Singh said special instructions have been issued to keep a close watch on activities on social media. "There was a rumour on the social media that the question paper of the ongoing examination was out in the public domain. "The paper which was doing rounds, eventually turned out to be a fake question paper," he said during a visit to one of the exam centres in the state capital. This has been done by mischievous elements, "as a person who has taken money (from aspirants) will indulge in all types of shady activities", the DGP said. "However, our preparations are adequate and the examinations are going on smoothly," he assured. SSP Tiwari said those arrested include Phool Chand Patel (an agent), and aspirants Manish Kumar Yadav and Ajay Kumar Yadav, who were to appear for the examination tomorrow. "The spy mic and a device which is put in the ear have been seized," he told reporters in Allahabad. The police is also taking efforts to arrest three others involved in this racket, he said. Explaining the modus operandi, the SSP said, "These people used to take photos of the question paper and send them to people outside the hall so that they could solve them and send it back to the candidates." Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his condolence over the death of an aspirant in a road accident in Varanasi. The candidate died when the bus in which he was travelling overturned. Earlier this year, during the state board exams, the UP government had taken the help of the STF and local intelligence to curb activities of the copying mafia. The copying mafia used to take contracts guaranteeing success in the class 10 and 12 board exams. Impersonators were made to appear in the examination in place of real candidates and centres were earmarked where copying could be facilitated easily. CCTV cameras were also installed at all examination centres and from next year, the state government plans to make Aadhaar compulsory for students filling forms for the board exam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Uttar Pradesh STF has arrested at least 16 people today in connection with cheating in the state police constable recruitment examination, an official said. The two-day examination, which began today, is being conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment Board at 860 centres in 56 districts to fill 41,520 posts. "The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) has arrested as many as 11 people from Gorakhpur and five from Allahabad," Inspector General (IG) of Police, STF, Amitabh Yash told PTI here. One of persons arrested in Gorakhpur, Anil Giri, has confessed to taking money from candidates for placing "solvers" for them in the examination, a police spokesperson claimed. "Anand Yadav (BSc, LLB), one of the solvers, and Amarnath Yadav, a candidate and liasoner for Giri, have landed in the STF's net. Around Rs 4 lakh and ID cards of a dozen candidates have been recovered from them," the spokesperson said. He said the STF is conducting raids to arrest more people related to the cheating racket. Irfan Ahmed, Imran, Kaushal and Satendra Kr Singh, an advocate in the Allahabad High Court and a resident of Ballia, were among those arrested from Allahabad, the IG said "Pawan Kr Singh, a resident of Patna (a solver) has also been arrested. He was impersonating Ram Kumar Yadav, a resident of Mirzapur (UP)," Yash said. He urged the public to inform the STF if they found any material offline and online related to the examination. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his condolence over the death of an aspirant in a road accident in Varanasi. The candidate died when the bus in which he was travelling overturned. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An armed civilian shot dead a gunman who wounded two people and opened fire inside a Walmart store in the northwestern US, police said. The case is likely to provide fuel for firearms advocates who say that a "good guy" with a gun is often the best way to stop crime, following increased calls for gun control after recent mass shootings. Yesterday's incident took place in Tumwater, about 80 kilometers south of Seattle in Washington state. Police there said they initially found a 16-year-old female who had been injured during a carjacking in which shots were reported fired at about 5:00 pm. Witnesses then reported that the suspect from the carjacking had entered a Walmart store "and fired shots at a display case," a police statement said. Nobody was injured that time but the same suspect then went outside and tried to steal a car, shooting and wounding the man inside. "The suspect then attempted a second carjacking at Walmart, and was approached by two armed civilians. The male suspect was fatally shot by one of the armed civilians," the police said as they continued to investigate. Last November in Texas, an armed bystander shot and wounded a man who had just massacred 26 people at a church. Addressing the annual meeting of the powerful National Rifle Association in May, US Vice President Mike Pence said there was too much coverage about the sorrow of mass shootings and not enough about "good guys" with guns. President Donald Trump also spoke to the NRA, rejecting calls for stricter gun laws despite the February shooting of 17 people at a Florida high school which spurred student survivors to push for gun reform. Firearms are responsible for more than 30,000 gun-related deaths annually in the US. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump's policy of separating immigrant parents and their children on the US border has evoked sharp criticism from his own wife, as well as a former first lady, who described the move to warehouse children in detention centres as "cruel" and "immoral." President Trump's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy, nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents and guardians and placed into holding facilities between April 19 and May 31 of this year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The public outcry in the wake of images and stories of the children caught in the middle of Trump's controversial immigration policy has sparked fierce debate in the US. In a rare statement on a policy issue, Melania Trump weighed in through her spokeswoman on the immigration crisis, saying she "hates to see children separated from their families". "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart," the communications director of the first lady Stephanie Grisham, said. "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 quoted the 48-year-old Melania, herself an immigrant, who was born in Slovenia, as saying. Meanwhile, Laura Bush, wife of the former Republican President George W Bush, launched a rare attack on the policy of the current US President. "This zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," the 71-year-old former first lady wrote in an opinion piece in the Washington Post. "I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," she wrote. "Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso," according to her. "These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in US history," she wrote. The Trump administration policy now charges every adult caught crossing the border illegally with federal crimes, as opposed to referring those with children mainly to immigration courts, as previous administrations did. Because the government is charging the parents in the criminal justice system, children are separated from them, without a clear procedure for their reunification aside from hotlines the parents can call to try to track their children down, CNN reported. The policy to refer all adults for charges was publicly announced May 7, but the Justice Department announced it would prosecute 100 per cent of the cases referred to it at the beginning of April, it said. Laura Bush, who as first lady championed a formal platform of childhood education and literacy programmes, blasted the current immigration situation unfolding in the headlines and on television channels as not representative of the values of the United States. "Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war," she says. "We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the colour of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. "If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents and to stop separating parents and children in the first place," Laura, who has seldom weighed in on politics since her husband left office, wrote in a rare public admonishment of current administration policy. She also called for "good people at all levels of government who can do better to fix this." President Trump has repeatedly blamed the Democrats for the situation despite his administration instituting the policy change. "Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change!" he tweeted on Saturday. "This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!" Trump said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US will not become a "camp" for migrants, President said on Monday as he defended his controversial immigration policy of separating children from their parents who illegally enter the US that has triggered widespread outrage. Trump also claimed that criminals are using children to enter the country. "The US will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility, Trump said at the during a meeting for his space council. "You look at what's happening in Europe, you look at what's happening in other places, we can't allow that to happen to the United States. Not on my watch," he said. Nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents in the six weeks following the administration's announcement of a "zero-tolerance policy" against illegal border crossings. The separations have triggered a nationwide outcry from Republicans and Democrats who say it is inhumane. Trump earlier tweeted that he does not want America to have the same experience as that of Europe. "We don't want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us," he said. 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 tweeted. Trump blamed Democrats for the problem. "I say it's very strongly the Democrats fault," he said. Trump urged the Democrats to help in changing the laws. Why don't the Democrats give us the votes to fix the world's worst immigration laws? Where is the outcry for the killings and crime being caused by gangs and thugs, including MS-13, coming into our country illegally? he asked. Change the laws, Trump demanded in another tweet. Children are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country. Has anyone been looking at the Crime taking place south of the border. It is historic, with some countries the most dangerous places in the world. Not going to happen in the US, Trump said. (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.) VHP and Bajrang Dal activists were taken into preventive custody today when they tried to stage a protest in front of the US consulate office here against CIA branding them as 'religious militant' outfits, police said. A group of around 25 members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal raised slogans and tried to march towards the consulate office, but their plan was foiled, the police said. "We prevented them from marching towards the office by taking 25 of them into preventive custody and later released them," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police S Srinivas told PTI. Under the guise of submitting a memorandum at the office, the activists of the Hindu outfits wanted to stage the agitation, when there was no permission for it, the police official. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two days after the chief ministers of four non-BJP-ruled states expressed solidarity with Arvind Kejriwal, who is on an indefinite sit-in demonstration at the LG's office here, the Samajwadi Party (SP) today extended its support to the Delhi chief minister with a senior party leader saying, "if needed, we will also sit on a dharna". SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav said his party was with Kejriwal, who has stayed put at the office of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal since June 11 over his demands, including a direction to the IAS officers to call off their "strike". The Rajya Sabha MP also met Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyendar Jain at the LNJP Hospital, where they were admitted after their health condition deteriorated following the hunger strike. After both the ministers were hospitalised, now Kejriwal and Development Minister Gopal Rai are sitting on the dharna at the LG office. Yadav appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Baijal to speak to Kejriwal in order to resolve the issue. "If the Delhi government, which works for the welfare of the people, takes a step, the LG stops it. The Centre has kept mum on the issue. "I am completely with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Arvind Kejriwal and if needed, we will also sit on a dharna," he told reporters after meeting Sisodia and Jain at the hospital. The SP leader added that Kejriwal was staging the dharna for over a week, but nobody wanted to speak to him. "It is unheard of in the history of democracy that IAS officers have gone on a strike...You (reporters) can very well understand the reasons behind it. Where are they getting their powers from?" he asked. "I want to appeal to the prime minister and the LG to speak to Kejriwal as it is a very serious issue. Do not create an unnecessary situation, which may lead to the BJP not getting even a single seat (in Delhi)," Yadav said. Senior CPI leader D Raja also met Sisodia and Jain at the hospital today. Sisodia was rushed to the hospital around 3 pm today after the ketone level in his urine rose sharply and his sugar level dropped, a senior doctor said. Jain was hospitalised late last night after his condition deteriorated. He was stable now, the doctors said. On Saturday, the chief ministers of four non-BJP-ruled states -- West Bengal, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala -- had urged the prime minister to resolve the issue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Agitating lawyers of the Rajasthan High Court here today said they will call of the strike if Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje assures them that no committee will be formed to look into the demand for a new bench in Udaipur. On May 19, Raje had ordered officials concerned to form a committee under the chairmanship of state Law Minister Pushpendra Singh Ranawat to look into the demand of the advocates of Udaipur for a circuit bench of the high court there. The advocates from Jodhpur are on strike since May 21 against the order of the chief minister to form a committee. However, Ranawat had told a delegation of Jodhpur advocates on Saturday that no such committee has ever been formed. The general house of the striking advocates said they will meet Raje during her scheduled visit to Jodhpur on June 22 over the circuit bench issue. Since the announcement of formation of a committee on insistence of the advocates from Udaipur to look into their demand of circuit branch there had been made by the chief minister, we would seek her assurance that no such committee would be formed," President of the Rajasthan High Court Lawyers Association Kuldeep Mathur said. Before this, Jodhpur Development Authority Chairman Mahendra Singh Rathore met the advocates and appealed them to call of their strike reiterating that no committee has been formed and if any would be formed it would be comprising the representatives from all the bar councils of the state. But we have decided to call off our strike after meeting the chief minister on June 22, Mathur said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An ambitious students' driven private lunar mission, claimed to be the first such initiative in the world, is in the offing by a team of young scientists, the brains behind the 64 gram 'KalamSat' satellite, launched by NASA in June 2017. Their initiative comes even as top minds at India's space agency ISRO are readying to launch their second moon mission, the Chandrayaan-2. The students' mission is expected to be launched before the end of next year and is estimated to cost a whopping Rs 250 to Rs 300 crore, Mission Director of city based SpaceKidz, Srimathy Kesan said. The initiative is to instill a sense of confidence among students that they can "ask for the moon" and see that their ideas transcend the earth, she said. "It is going to be the first ever 3-D printed rover, as light as 2.5 to 3 kg," Kesan, also CEO of the private entity working to promote a quest for science among Indian students, told PTI. "The 3D technology has various benefits and that is why we wish to build the rover with the same technology." A basic design of their lightweight rover was presented at an event at IIT Bombay on June 16,she said,adding there was a host of tasks still to be completed like design finalisation before they could zero in on aspects like the launch vehicle. On funding,Kesan said she was confident that philanthropists who understand the importance of encouraging young Indian minds in their pursuit of science would pitch in. Asked about the objective at a time when ISRO was planning Chandraayan 2, she said "that is a governmental mission... we want to tell the world that Indian kids can do it too and aspire for bigger things as they grow." She said the private lunar mission by students was the first such initiative in the world. In June, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had lauded a team of young SpaceKidz scientists whose satellite was successfully launched by NASA. Named 'KalamSat' after former President, the late A P J Abdul Kalam, the satellite weighed just 64 grams and was a payload of a NASA sounding rocket which blasted off from the US space agency's Wallop island. A seven member core team led by Rifaath Sharook that worked on KalamSat is working on the lunar mission as well. "In the 'Google lunar X-prize competition,' which unfortunately did not take off, Space Kidz India's team of scientists were the youngest," Kesan said. The x-prize initiative, which did not materialise, was an attempt to send the first private spacecraft to the moon by involving aspirants from across the world. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fujifilm Holdings Corp sued Xerox Corp on Monday for well over $1 billion plus punitive damages, accusing it of succumbing to pressure from activist investors Carl Icahn and Darwin Deason in abandoning a proposed $6.1 billion merger.Fujifilm accused Xerox of engaging in "intentional and egregious conduct" in calling off the merger, after the photocopier company reached a settlement with Icahn and Deason that handed control to new management, according to the complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.Fujifilm is also seeking a declaration that Xerox owes it ... LONDON (Reuters) - London Mayor Sadiq Khan and other city leaders from across Britain said on Monday a government plan to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars should be brought forward by 10 years to 2030, in the latest push to improve air quality.Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government said last year it would ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2040 although it is unclear whether that includes hybrid vehicles, which have both an electric and combustion engine.The government is due to detail the proposals in a "Road to Zero" plan shortly, but on Monday, Khan ... By Christopher JohnsonLONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Monday after China threatened duties on American crude imports in a trade dispute with Washington, while supply from OPEC and Russia was also expected to rise.U.S. light crude oil hit a two-month low of $63.59 a barrel before edging back to $64.00, down $1.06, by 0755 GMT. North Sea Brent was down 36 cents at $73.08 a barrel.In an escalating trade war with many of its major partners, including China, U.S. President Donald Trump last week pushed ahead with tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, starting on July 6.China retaliated ... (Reuters) - Indian shares fell on Monday as concerns about a global trade war turned investors cautious, with metals and information technology stocks coming under selling pressure.The broader Nifty ended down 0.17 percent at 10,799.85, while the benchmark Sensex closed 0.21 percent lower at 35,548.26.The Nifty Metal index lost for a seventh straight session, while the Nifty IT index closed nearly 0.7 percent lower. (Reporting by Vishal Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair)(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) HONG KONG (Reuters) - Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Ltd (OCBC) plans to set up a wealth management business in China as part of a strategy to double its profit in five years in the country's so-called Greater Bay Area, its chief executive said.The Greater Bay Area aims to bring together Hong Kong, Macau and nine southern Chinese cities to form a business powerhouse that will seek to rival other metropolitan megacity hubs and mimic the likes of Los Angeles, New York or Tokyo.OCBC, Singapore's second-largest listed lender, expects the launch of the wealth management business and the expansion ... Q1. We are in the process of setting up a new hotel. We are importing lifts from Thailand, where basic duty is nil under the Asean-India Free Trade Agreement. We want to save IGST through EPCG Authorisation. Can we use two custom notifications (of FTA and EPCG Authorisation) for a single shipment? In the case of Hindustan Motors [1998 (98) ELT 557 (Tri. Del.), the Tribunal held that simultaneous benefit of more than one notification cannot be denied unless there is a prohibition to the contrary and allowed the benefit under notification No. 156/86-Cus., for basic duty and ... In todays world, with the blurring of boundaries and a fundamental shift in the world economy, the workplace has become more global. Business success in this globalised world calls for skilful navigation through cultural minefields lending credence to the theory that culture is the real power of globalisation. Every human mind is shaped by experience, history, and context and has some cultural filters through which it views the world. Understanding situations with the backdrop of culture assume a lot of significance and very often is the key driver of employee performance, engagement, and innovation. Hence, not surprisingly business leaders cite intercultural understanding as the single most crucial factor in international business success. At the SDA Bocconi Asia Center, the pan-Asian hub of SDA Bocconi School of Management, Italy, we pride ourselves on not only providing our students with a first-rate academic experience but also equipping them with intercultural communication skills needed to succeed in the ever-globalising business arena. We believe the best way to develop a global outlook is to acquire the first-hand experience from around the world. Our students exhibit the most personal and professional development when they are compelled to solve problems in new environments and are part of diverse teams. This is evident when all of them participate in the international exchange program at Bocconi University which hosts students from 80 different nationalities and allows our students to acquire a competitive global approach along with a balanced, cross-cultural perspective. Another way in which we foster global perspectives is through the faculty; they come from diverse cultural backgrounds and nationalities and bring in a wealth of their global experience of working and consulting companies throughout the world. We also host study tours from global business schools such as Bocconi Italy, CEIBS China, ESSEC Paris, and Rotman Canada; these schools conduct their courses or modules here at the Asia Center for participants from more than ten different countries, further adding to the cross-cultural synergy for all our students. We also focus heavily on bringing in guest speakers from across industries, functions and multinational companies who share their experiences in managing talent across teams and geographies, further enhancing the first hand learning for our participants. At SDA Bocconi Asia Center we understand the importance of intercultural communication skills; we provide our students with cultural models for decoding how cultural differences can affect business and how invisible cultural boundaries can impact the effectiveness of global teams. The concept of cultural sensitivity permeates our teaching across programs so that students desist from falling into cultural traps. Some of the key focus areas are: 1. The role of language in intercultural business communication: Language and culture are intertwined and shape each other; every time we send a message we make cultural choices. Although language helps in communicating with people from different backgrounds, it is essential to be culturally literate to understand the nuances of the language. This is because words in themselves do not carry much meaning; the meaning is largely embedded in the context or arises out of a cultural usage. 2. Cultural rules for establishing relationships Symbols for authority and power vary across different cultures, as also the concept of what constitutes ethical behaviour. Understanding cultural norms is exceptionally vital as each culture also has its unique rules and customs regarding what is acceptable social behaviour; in fact, rewards for performance are also based on cultural considerations. 3. Persuading and negotiating across cultures Persuasion and negotiation are two very critical business skills which do not function in isolation but are deeply rooted in a cultures philosophical, religious assumptions and attitudes. It is culture that decides the goals and tells negotiators what is essential and enables them to assign meaning to the other partys messages. 4. Orientation to time. Possibly, nowhere do cultures differ as much as they do than in their approach to time. Western European and North American cultures view time as linear and precise, South American and African cultures see time as more circular, whereas East and South Asian cultures could be either, depending on where you are located. None of these classifications regarding time are consistently true for any region or place they only provide generalisations and guidelines. However, the concept of time orientation is necessary to understand at the beginning of any relationship to reduce conflicts over workload and deadlines. According to Prof. Seema Khanvilkar who teaches Business Communication at the SDA Bocconi Asia Center, Culture is defined as the lens through which we view the world and we believe that individuals can widen their cultural lens (of course, an open mind being imperative) and work effectively in global teams with practice and experience. At the SDA Bocconi Asia Center, our focus is to orient our students towards a more collaborative future where cultural diversity is a given. Our students and executive candidates leave the program with real-life experience in inter-cultural understanding applying this knowledge to sought-after leadership roles around the globe. The SDA Bocconi Asia Center is the hub for SDA Bocconi in India and Asia at large. The school of management based in Milan, Italy, inaugurated its Indian presence in 2012 through MISB Bocconi catering mostly to the local Indian audience. As MISB completes six years, SDA Bocconi establishes it as SDA Bocconis pan-Asian hub, with a broader scope across India, the Middle East, China and the rest of Asia. The ICICI Bank's Board of Directors on Monday said that Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO of ICICI Bank, will be on leave till the ongoing independent enquiry against her is completed. In its meeting today, the Board also appointed Sandeep Bakhshi as the Wholetime Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO) designate. He will report to the ICICI Bank CEO. "In line with the highest levels of governance and corporate standards, Ms. Chanda Kochhar has decided to go on leave till the completion of the enquiry as announced on May 30, 2018. The Board has noted and accepted this. During her period of leave, the COO will report to the Board," ICICI Bank said in a regulatory filing following the Board meeting. In its regulatory filing, ICICI Bank has also established that Kochhar will continue to hold the position of chief executive in the organisation. Bakhshi's tenure will be for a period of five years and his appointment is subject to regulatory approval. He will assume office on June 19, 2018, or on the date of regulatory and other approvals, whichever is later, the private lender said in its statement. As for his new responsibility as the COO of India's biggest private lender, he will handle all the businesses and corporate centre functions at the bank. Prior to his recent appointment, Bakhshi has been the Managing Director & CEO, of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance since August 01, 2010. Before that, he has been the Deputy Managing Director of ICICI Bank. In this role he headed the retail and subsequently the wholesale business at the Bank. Before moving to the Bank, he was the MD & CEO of ICICI Lombard General Insurance. Bakhshi is known to have has extensive experience of leading both corporate and retail businesses across ICICI Group. He started his career with ICICI Ltd. in 1986. He looked after the corporate clients for the Northern and Eastern regions of ICICI Limited before joining ICICI Lombard in 2002. His work responsibilities included business development, project appraisals, project monitoring and business re-structuring. Coming to educational qualifications, Bakhshi holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh and has a post-graduate degree in management from Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur. "All Executive Directors on the Board of ICICI Bank and the executive management will report to him. Mr. Bakhshi will report to Ms. Chanda Kochhar, who will continue in her role as MD & CEO of ICICI Bank," ICICI said in the statement. Kochhar has been in the eye of the storm after whistleblower Arvind Gupta levelled accusations of conflict of interest against her in loans to the Videocon Group. It has been alleged that her husband, Deepak Kochhar, received kickbacks in lieu of loans sanctioned by ICICI Bank of Venugopal Dhoot-led Videocon Group. In response to this, the bank has roped in former Supreme Court Judge BN Srikrishna to investigate the allegations against its chief executive. Earlier today, ICICI Bank stocks rose in trade after word got out that Bakshi might be named as the interim chief of the bank. The scrip became the biggest gainer on Sensex with its day's high at 293.90. The ICICI Bank stock opened at 284.95 and closed at 292.50, taking the market capitalisation of the lender to Rs 1,88,157 crore. On August 15, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM), almost half of the states would not be part of it. So far 20 states have agreed to implement the scheme which is being termed 'Modicare' on the lines of 'Obamacare' of the US. But only 12-15 states will launch the scheme that day as the others are not prepared to roll it out on time, says Dr Vinod K Paul, the chief architect of the scheme who is also a member of Niti Aayog. States like UP and Bihar may take another 6 months or longer to launch Ayushman Bharat. As for the states that are ready, patients will be able to walk into empanelled hospitals on the first day and receive cashless treatment upto Rs 5 lakh per annum for each family. Southern states such as Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka which already have health insurance schemes in place are far better prepared to introduce Ayushman Bharat. In fact, the Centre is initially using Telangana's technology backbone to launch NHPM. Announced in the 2018 Budget, the AB-NHPM was touted as the 'world's largest government funded health care programme'. While it might take a while, with participation at both the Centre and state levels, and a cover for 10.74 crore families, the scheme is set to meet expectations eventually. As per the scheme, states will devise their own modes and adequate funds will be provided, though the ratio will differ from state to state. For most states, funding will be shared in the ratio of 60:40 with Centre contributing the majority. The North Eastern states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and J&K, will however, enjoy 90:10 funding ratio. Each state will need to create an apex body that will implement and monitor the scheme. The Centre's funding will be to this apex body. States like Telangana, MP, Assam, Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh and 8 others have opted for the trust model where the bills will be reimbursed directly by the government. Twelve states are expected to adopt the insurance model, where the government will pay an amount to an insurance company that in turn will pay the hospitals. Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and 6 others, for instance, have chosen the 'mixed mode implementation'. The government will also implement standard treatment guidelines to ensure that every patient receives quality treatment and nothing substandard. To make sure this is followed through, each empanelled hospital will have an 'Ayushman Mitra' to assist patients with the procedure. Moreover, there will be regular auditing and monitoring to keep the treatment meted out in check as well as a redressal mechanism will be in place. While it might appear otherwise, private hospital chains have no reason to complain. Private hospitals could get up to 40 per cent higher rates for a procedure over rates prescribed by National Health Protection Scheme (NHPM) or Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), provided they meet the following conditions: + 10% for NABH accredited hospitals + 10% for hospitals providing PG courses + 10% for hospital in 115 backward districts + 10% if state offers additional top-up Additionally, keeping in mind a key demand of the RSS and SJM, government insurance companies will be preferred over private or international players. States where government-owned insurance companies such as Life Insurance Corporation of India; General Insurance Corporation of India; National Insurance; Oriental Insurance; New India Assurance and United India Insurance will be allowed to match the bids of the private insurers. If they do agree to match the bids put forth by private insurance firms, the business will be divided 50:50 between them. The government has been reaching out to beneficiaries since April this year through Panchayats and Gram Sabhas. Beneficiaries are being selected on the basis of the Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC) data of 2011. Initially, beneficiaries would be identified through their mobile numbers before a unique ID is issued. Total outlay of the scheme in terms of the premium to be paid by the government to insurance firms will be discovered when firms bid for the business. Cost to government is not known yet but it expected to be much higher than Rs 12,000 crore that has been estimated so far. Private hospital chains which have strongly opposed the price of treatment the government intends to pay them for treating patients under the Ayushman Bharat scheme should have little to complain since the government now plans to offer rates up to 40 per cent higher than the approved base rates. The government and India's private hospital chains have strongly disagreed over the pricing of the 1350 procedures that the government plans to cover under the Ayushman Bharat (National Health Protection Scheme). The scheme covers 10.7 crore Indian households for up to Rs 5 lakh per family per annum for secondary and tertiary care for life. This would cover nearly 50 crore Indians amounting to around 40 per cent of India's most needy. The scheme is to be unveiled on August 15 by prime minister Narendra Modi during his speech at Red Fort in New Delhi. The enormous additional volume of patients that the scheme will bring to the private sector has prompted the government to offer 10 per cent discount on existing CGHS rates since Ayushman Bharat covers general ward hospitalisation only while more private hospitals have other services as well. This has enraged private hospital chains which point to their employee and infrastructure costs saying joining Ayushman Bharat may not be viable for them. Their reluctance has prompted allegations that the private sector may be holding the government to ransom. However, under the new pricing plan being put together by the government, They can get up 40 per cent higher rates for a procedure over the NHPS/CGHS prescribed rate provided they meet certain conditions: A hospital that is accredited with the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) can add 10 per cent more to the base rate; hospitals providing PG courses can add another 10 per cent to the base rate; hospitals in the 115 backward districts can add yet another 10 per cent. Besides, all states have the freedom to provide another 10 per cent top-up to the base rate if they believe the prices are below the cost. As a result, any hospital that meets all the four conditions could add 40 per cent to the base rate pricing, according to Dr Vinod K Paul, the chief architect of Ayushman Bharat and a member of Niti Aayog. "Private sector is going to play an important part. Care would be provided by a network of public sector hospitals and empanelled private sector hospitals on agreed terms. This is a two-way engagement. Private sector is an integral part," says Dr Paul. He says the price of each procedure had been arrived at after a lot of research. The first part of research was by the Directorate of Health Services of government of India. Those rates were further refined after finance minister Arun Jaitley announced the scheme in the Budget. Additional vetting or validation took place at Niti Aayog with involvement of Department of Health Research. It used information from Tier II and Tier III cities apart of other data available on the pricing. It also looked at the experience of the schemes that are already in place in different rates. It also reached out to 60-odd hospitals directly for an idea of the rates and procedures. "It is an effort that is holistic. It is from a network that encompasses bottom up information of a very significant volume. At this moment because actual cost based studies are few, this was based on this kind of a bottom-up inquiry," says Dr Paul. "These rates are quite competitive with the states in which such schemes are running." What kind of an impact will higher rates have on the insurance premium to be paid by the government? The premium has not been defined. In fact, the premium for the scheme will be discovered when insurance firms will be bidding for the business. It is, however, believed that the premium will be far higher than the Rs 11,000-12000 crore estimated so far. "Today, leading private hospitals in India make efforts to offer value-added technologically advanced services by highly qualified specialists. The equipment used is one of the best as found in any international hospital. It would be helpful if the rates are equitable, allowing the hospitals to recover the costs incurred," says Dr Narottam Puri, Advisor - Medical, Fortis Healthcare Limited. "The Government should appoint an independent agency to evaluate and determine the pricing in each state. We understand that the Government is planning to rope in around 20,000 public-private hospitals under this scheme. Therefore, making an independent assessment, providing a rationale for the rates and working in a collaborative manner will help in the overall process." The warehousing market in India is moving from mere godowns to real warehouses . Companies are demanding quality, amenities, and safety. Business Today recently spoke to the CEO of Embassy Industrial Parks, Anshul Singhal. He spoke at length on how the market is being shaped and boosted by GST. 1. What explains market growth: India's consumption is growing and there is a more aggressive buying behaviour, partly fuelled by e-commerce. While in many advanced countries, there is same-day delivery or half-day delivery, Indians are still mostly used to next day deliveries. The expectation of faster deliveries is giving rise to storage requirements that are both modern and strategically located. 2. Current state of warehouses: Most of the current warehouses in India are not warehouses - they are godowns. They are in terrible shape. During monsoon, the roof leaks. The merchandise inside can go for a toss. In summers, the temperature inside the warehouses can rise substantially leading to damages in electronic items. The floor quality, the heart of the warehouse since throughput depends on it, is in poor condition as well. 3. GST is changing things: Pre-GST, because taxation was complicated and a state subject, companies had to ensure godowns in every state and the stock had to be transferred to avoid taxes, a highly inefficient structure. Post-GST, companies have been demanding better quality warehouses and larger ones. They want office space, amenities, safety and security. There is a demand for logistics parks because it offers amenities such as fire fighting, food area, rainwater harvesting, solar panels, driver rest areas, ATMs etc. 4. Investments and challenges: Modern warehouses come with its now sets of challenges. This business involves land which requires a lot of capital. It is a variable math but the cost of construction on a 100 acre parcel could be anywhere close to Rs 300-400 crore. The biggest challenge facing those who want to build parks is getting the right land at the right price and at the right location. Operation Vitamin, that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has been running to bust an international drug syndicate has taken a new turn. The agency is shocked to learn that two accused - Jonathan Thorn and John Brecken - from England were in possession of Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards. Both are OCI cardholders and also the key players of the international drug syndicate. As per the Indian Constitution, the OCI is an immigration status authorized to a foreign citizen of Indian origin to live and work in India indefinitely. Though not actual dual citizenship, the OCI card allows holders multiple-entry and multi-purpose lifelong visa to visit India. It also exempts them from foreigner registration requirements for any length of stay in India. Accused Jonathan Thorn has been convicted by UK law enforcement agencies in several drug related cases in the past. "He is a big time criminal involved in international drug racket. Thus, the DRI is shocked to see how these criminals got the OCI cards in hand", the DRI official said. After more digging, DRI came to know that Thorn is married to a Manipuri woman and hence, becomes eligible to get OCI card. During the questioning, Thorn stated that she is a housewife and claimed to have met her in Goa. However, the DRI officials are not taking it on the face value. Similarly, John Brecken also got married to a Punjabi woman to get the OCI card. These cases are clear indication that drug players have adopted the route of marrying Indian women to get OCI cards and run a drug syndicate within the country. On the condition of anonymity, the DRI official told Indiatoday.in, "While granting OCI, the verification with law enforcement agencies of their parent countries would have revealed their past drug cases. Was it done? We are yet to ascertain". Till now, the DRI have arrested 11 persons in this case - Rahul Shedge, Anthony Paul, Akshinder Sodhi, Ishrat Parmar, Purohit Jagdishbhai, Mayur Sadrani, Sarpreet Singh, Nyugen Kuong, who is from Vietnam, British nationals Jonathan Thorn and John Brecken and the latest Jimi Singh Sandhu, owner of Vijay Industries. Last week, the DRI raided 14 residential and industrial places in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa and seized 308 kg of ketamine, 2,000 kg of raw material, hashish, cocaine and opium worth nearly Rs 56 crore. Meanwhile, during the interrogation, it was revealed that these foreign nationals were paying rent of Rs 75,000 per month for the last six months to a Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary Vasudev Parab for his plot in Goa that they were using as a drug factory. Although Parab claims he was unaware of the chemicals being produced in the factory, DRI is likely to question and record his statement, sometime soon. There has been a dramatic rise in the number of houses available for sale in Dublin according to new figures from property website, MyHome.ie. The report shows that there are currently 5,083 houses on sale in the capital, a rise of 32% on the 3,860 which were on the market this time last year. The main increases of between 45% to 50% were in Dublin 13, 5, 1, 7, 22, 24, 4 and 6 while the smallest increases were in Dublin 11 and 3. The increase in stock has largely been confined to Dublin with the number of homes available outside the capital remaining largely unchanged. Speaking today, Managing Director of MyHome.ie, Angela Keegan said, "As we all know the shortage of houses is most acute in our capital so it is very encouraging to see more houses coming on the market. Clearly rising prices have encouraged more homeowners to put their properties up for sale." She added, "The main increases of between 45% to 50% were in Dublin 13, 5, 1, 7, 22, 24, 4 and 6 while the smallest increases were in Dublin 11 and 3. The increase in stock has largely been confined to Dublin with the number of homes available outside the capital remaining largely unchanged." Source: www.businessworld.ie It was announced today that Vodafone is recruiting 50 people to join its international digital sales team at its European Sales Centre Vodafone Red Edge in Carrickmines in Dublin. The 50 new jobs, created as part of Vodafones ongoing strategy to build its digital sales capability, will support its Global Enterprise Accounts covering the US, Northern Europe and Central and Eastern European markets; and has resulted in the creation of roles in a variety of areas including - Inside Sales Managers, National Account Managers, Specialist Sales (with German) and Collaborative Sales roles. Recruitment for the new roles has already begun and employees will gain access to internationally recognised business analytics and sales training, which will provide career development opportunities across the Vodafone Group. Speaking about the new roles, CEO Vodafone Ireland, Anne OLeary said, "We are delighted to be supporting Vodafones global presence here in Ireland, which is a clear sign of our continued investment and commitment here. Vodafone Red Edge was established in Ireland ahead of other locations, primarily because of the countrys large population of highly skilled and talented graduates and workforce. We are looking for dynamic individuals who will work hard to understand our customers needs and who have a passion for technology and innovation." Source: www.businessworld.ie Psychic Q&A: Getting Married in Ghana Getting Married in Ghana to a Man She Hasnt Met in Person If you have a question youd like answered, email it to QandA@californiapsychics.com. Dear Kallista, My name is Nelly and I am going through a lot right now. I recently separated from my partner of seven years. He just left me for no reason and got engaged to another woman! This woman is the same woman he was cheating on me with. Its been so hard for me to deal with this because we have two kids together, but my faith got me through it. I recently met a man who lives in Ghana. Hes a wonderful support system for me and my kids. However, we havent met in person yet. Im going to go see him in July and we are getting married in Ghana in August. Sure enough, my kids dad has started coming around again. Its confusing. I really love my man in Ghana and I dont want anything to step in the way of our marriage. What should I do? Nelly W. Psychic Kallista ext. 9623 responds: Dear Nelly, Thank you for reaching out to me. You are amazing. Youve experienced so much heartbreak, and yet you have so much inner strength. Your angels are all around you, buoying you up, supporting you, and watching over you and your kids. Your partner is trying to get back with you because hes missing you and all you do for him. He recognizes that you are a wonderful mother and a very caring partner. You were so loving and giving to him, but he took so much and gave so little back to you. Its confusing because you sense he misses you and wants you, but you know you cannot trust him. He is irresponsible, selfish, and will want to cheat again if you let him back in. Youve allowed him to come in and out of your life because he is the father of your children, but he must do better or you will close the door on him with the possible exception of acting as a father to your kids. Trying to make a go of it again would require couples counseling, but he may attempt to resist that. I cannot advise you legally, but now would be the time to explore what your rights are should you decide to essentially put him and the pain hes causing you out of your life. Nelly, your hope for something better for you and your kids is certainly understandable, but something is wrong here. It seems there is a block to you going forward with getting married in Ghana. Spirit wants to protect you. This man is not telling you the whole truth. Things are not quite as rosy as he has painted them for you. He certainly has not done all he needs to do to try to come to you first to meet you. Hes putting that burden on you. He has problems with money, and tries to get all he can of it, but not always in a way that is aboveboard. And it also appears hes with another woman there. This is not right for you. Im sorry to say that it looks like you will not be able to go through with the wedding. In time you will see this as a blessing. You are a smart lady, and in your heart you know that with any online relationship, it would be very important for you to meet in person and get to know a man first before planning to marry him. You need to find out if you have real chemistry and you also need to know that he will live up to his promises. Also, you need to see how he treats you and your kids. Although a wildly romantic plan can be thrilling, it can also be potentially dangerous. And of course, you realize that the safety, well-being, and happiness of you and your children are what matter most. The Universe is really looking out for you. I see a new love interest on the horizon for you, and it looks like when you meet, youll discover hes living fairly close to you. He has dark hair and eyes and he makes pretty good money. Spirit will put you together, so you dont have to worry about any of that. It looks like you meet him in the last quarter of this year. He has kids about the same age as yours. He will want to marry you and create a family with you. Im happy to see good things coming your way, Nelly. You certainly deserve them. Kallista Do you have a question for Psychic Kallista? Send it to QandA@californiapsychics.com and it could be featured in a future Psychic Q&A! Being in love is a life experience that everyone deserves. Whether youre looking for your soulmate or wondering how to keep the romantic fires burning in your relationship, a love psychic can help. They want to see you happy and a psychic love reading can help you find or keep the love that is meant for you. Find a love psychic or learn more about psychic love readings. About California Psychics California Psychics is the most trusted source of psychic readings. We have delivered over 6 million discreet and confidential psychic readings by phone since 1995. More than a prediction, we are your guide for lifes journey. Serenity, happiness, and success are just a phone call away. With over 400 psychics online to choose from, youre sure to find the best psychics for you. Call one of our trusted and accurate psychics today! Confidential and secure, real psychics, accurate predictions, 100% guaranteed. news, latest-news 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. [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. An ACT government spokesman said contamination from fire fighting foams containing toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) fell below threshold levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States. International criteria were used because Australia lacked its own thresholds at the time. He said the Health Directorate and the ACTs Environment Protection Authority had subsequently put additional protection measures in place to make the site safe. Both agencies had "endorsed the mitigation measures proposed for the site", the spokesman said. One example of such a protection measure was using fences to limit children having direct contact with soils where contamination could pose a risk, he said. Canberrans can be assured that the conditions put in place on the development application attached to this site require appropriate remediation of the site before it can be used for a childcare centre," he said. "The development application for the child care centre on the site of the former Charnwood fire station was approved on the condition that requirements of both the Health Protection Service and the Environment Protection Authority were met." The Charnwood site was sampled in 2014 and 2015 prior to its sale by the former Land Development Agency. Contamination fears were raised in a 2014 community consultation report, commissioned as the government prepared to re-zone the land. Fire fighters use chemicals as fire retardants, which could be deposited on site through cleaning the equipment, read a resident's comment included in the report. If any contamination of the site is present, the site would be unsuitable for residential or childcare facilities, as these are far more sensitive land uses than the former industrial land use. Fairfax Media asked the ACT government whether the community had been specifically notified of the contamination findings. No, a spokesman replied. In August 2017, the planning directorate approved the development application to build a child care centre on the site. The application outlined plans to demolish the existing buildings, and replace them with a single-storey facility with enough space for 176 children. Before the land was sold it was rezoned from the transport services classification to the community facility classification. The site fetched $2.1 million when it was auctioned by the former Land Development Agency in November 2016. Prospective buyers were provided with a site investigation report prior to the sale. It said contamination levels were below thresholds for residential use, an ACT government spokesman said. The number of sites confirmed to be contaminated by PFAS in the ACT is now three. Contamination has also been detected at the former Belconnen fire station and Canberra Airport. Government briefings from December 2017 reveal PFAS contamination could be present at as many as seven further fire stations in the territory. PFAS chemicals were present in aqueous film forming foams used by fire fighters until they were phased out in 2005. The national industrial chemicals regulator has described PFAS chemicals as persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic. A recent report from a panel established by the federal government said there was no consistent evidence showing exposure to PFAS had a negative impact on human health. However, some PFAS chemicals have been globally identified as chemicals of high concern to human health and the environment, according to guidance published on Access Canberras website. The former Charnwood fire station has not been used since 2013, when a new combined station was opened in Belconnen. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/e4e0641b-434e-4459-b460-4294425569e3/r0_437_4724_3106_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news 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. 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. 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. "The marriage survey was directed to us pretty much a year on from the census," Ms Fallace said. 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. "Technology is rapidly changing, it's really hard to keep up to date, it's not sustainable to keep working the way we're working, in a waterfall way or a project management kind of way. Agile has proven that by delivering value and challenging yourself about what your value position is and what priority work you are to work on, you can still achieve delivering more with less and meeting those demands." The techniques used in the marriage survey are spreading across the agency, but Ms Fallace said it wasn't as simple as an immediate wholesale rollout of the new working style. "Where we fail as government agencies is we get the next shiny thing and we say let's adopt it and we don't really think through the strategy or the implications on staff. It's a change process and it takes time and it's a cultural shift. So anything new you introduce you've got to recognise that you've got to change-manage it." /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/07abde55-8f2a-4337-a7dd-2df11f0a9759/r0_102_2000_1232_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg Karnataka State Police (KSP) has released an employment notification calling out for aspirants to apply for Civil Police Constable (men & women) vacancies. KSP releases a notification for a total of 2113 vacancies. Candidates who have graduated PUC or its equivalent can apply online. Interested candidates can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. The last date to apply online is June 30, 2018. KSP Civil Police Constable Vacancies Details Criteria Details No. Of Vacancies 2113 (men: 1690 and women: 423) Name Of The Post Civil Police Constable Educational Qualification PUC, 12th std (12th std-CBSE, 12th std-ICSE, 12th std-SSE) or equivalent Minimum Age 19 years Maximum Age 25 years (27 years for SC/ST candidates) Exam Fee Rs 250/- for general/ OBC and Rs 100/- for SC/ ST Selection Process Written exam, physical standard test and endurance test Last Date To Apply June 30, 2018 How To Apply For KSP Civil Police Constable Here are the steps to apply online for post of KSP Civil Police Constable. Step 1: Candidates should visit the official website http://pcnhk18.ksp-online.in/ to apply online. Step 2: Click on New Application. Step 3: Candidates will be directed to a new page that consists of instructions for the post. Step 4: Click on I Agree and then SUBMIT to access the application form. Step 5: Choose between applying as a direct candidate or ex-servicemen candidate. Step 6: Once you proceed, you will land on the application page. Step 7: Fill all the mandatory fields and pay the exam fee. Step 8: Take a printout of the filled application form for future reference. Click here for official notification Click here to apply online AIIMS Releases Notification For 551 Nursing Officers Photo: Contributed The Winnipeg Airport was evacuated because of a "possible security incident" on Sunday morning before returning to normal operations nearly an hour later. Officials did not release much information about the incident, saying only that people at the airport should follow directions on site and those on their way to the facility should check with their airlines for the latest flight information. Claire Renic, who was at the airport to drop off her boyfriend's family, says she was among the throngs of people left waiting outside the building for 45 minutes starting at about 7:30 a.m. She says the airport was evacuated of travellers and staff alike. Renic says police vehicles and armoured cars could be seen nearby, but it wasn't clear what was going on. The evacuation was lifted at about 8:15 a.m., but several flights were delayed following the incident. It has been revealed that some of the most popular dairy brands in the UK are associated with deforestation in... Cementtech 2018 ICR Research By Published 18 June 2018 The 19th China International Cement Industry Exhibition was held in Chengdu between 11-13 April 2018. Over 1000 delegates attended the event, which aims to lead, coordinate and serve the industry. Cementtech 2018 was organised with the support of the China Building Materials Federation, China Cement Association (CCA) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Building Materials Sub-Council. To continue reading this story and get access to all News, Articles and Video sections of the CemNet.com website, please Register for a subscription to International Cement Review or Login ARM Cement to relinquish Tanzania assets ICR Newsroom By 18 June 2018 ARM Cement will include KES854.6m (US$8.45m) of additional assets in Tanzania to sweeten the deal for buyers of the companys non-cement business, according to The Citizen. The company reached an agreement to sell its fertiliser and mineral production businesses in Kenya to Swiss firm Omya and Pinner Heights Ltd (PHL), a company owned by its CEO, Pradeed Paunrana, for KES1.6bn. Its latest annual report ARM said that the buyers could also acquire its non-cement operations in Tanzania for free in what is seen as an effort to close the deal, which was still pending as of May. Further, the sale agreement grants the purchasers an option to acquire ARMs non-cement business assets in Tanzania at no further financial consideration, the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm said in the report. The assets deemed as impaired were previously used exclusively in the production process for the non-cement products, but were not part of the assets to be acquired by the prospective buyer. The assets were therefore deemed as having scrap value and the resulting impairment loss booked. Published under Were all familiar with the whole I dont get paid enough to care mentality even if you are, in fact, paid a competitive wage. But its easy to feel undervalued at work when your inbox is flooded, and your PTO day seems years away. Glassdoor reports that the average employee could be earning $7,528, or 13.3%, more per year than their current annual base salary. So, your suspicions of under-compensation might actually have legs if you work in certain industries like healthcare and technology. Are you underpaid at work? How much more could you be earning each year? Gathered and reported by Glassdoor, here are the 15 most underpaid jobs in America. 15. Tax manager Amount underpaid : 13.9% or $17,330 : 13.9% or $17,330 Current Median Base Salary : $107,019 : $107,019 Job outlook: 10% growth Tax advisors, CPAs, and financial advisors are all in high-demand. Job opportunities for Accountants, for example, are expected to jump 10% over the next 10 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, Glassdoor data says most of these people will be underpaid by a whopping $17,000 or more annually, as a tax managers current market value is actually slated at $124,349. Next: This job is forgoing $10,000 annually 14. Web developer Amount underpaid : 14.5% or $10,773 : 14.5% or $10,773 Current Median Base Salary: $63,500 $63,500 Job outlook: 15% growth Only two in five employees negotiate salaries when being offered a job. This could mean losing out on some serious money, especially for those in web development. BLS data says the industry is ballooning, yet employees in the field are paid an average of $10,773 less than appropriate per year. A more accurate salary is closer to $74,273, according to Glassdoor. Next: A popular part-time job for retirees is also underpaid 13. Consultant Amount underpaid : 14.5% or $14,462 : 14.5% or $14,462 Current Median Base Salary: $85,000 $85,000 Job outlook: 6% growth Consultants come in varying forms, but it seems you may be selling yourself short, regardless of your specialty. Consultants could earn up to $99,462 based on current market value. Instead, the median base salary is more than $14,000 lower. Next: Talkin tech again 12. UX designer Amount underpaid : 14.7% or $14,875 : 14.7% or $14,875 Current Median Base Salary: $86,000 $86,000 Job outlook: 15% growth UX designers are a subset of web developers who create elegant, user-friendly software that customers will enjoy using. Like most tech jobs, the job outlook over the next 10 years is pleasing. But get comfortable with negotiating a higher salary for these roles. Glassdoor lists a UX designers current market value nearly $15,000 higher than whats out there now, at $100,875 per year. Next: A job with six-figure potential 11. Program manager Amount underpaid : 14.8% or $15,302 : 14.8% or $15,302 Current Median Base Salary: $88,000 $88,000 Job outlook: 12% growth BLS does not classify project managers as its own occupation. Instead, project managers are often counted as construction managers or computer and information systems managers. In both cases, program or project managers are experiencing a welcoming market growth but are under-compensated for their efforts by 14.8%. Data suggests those looking for a job in this industry are worth roughly $103,302 annually. Next: This industry is underpaid 10. Communications manager Amount underpaid : 14.8% or $13,334 : 14.8% or $13,334 Current Median Base Salary: $76,498 $76,498 Job outlook: 6% growth The need for people who can effectively create and translate information to the public amidst all the advertising noise out there is high. The current value of these professionals tops $89,831. This is usually a female-dominated industry which could explain why communication managers are the 10th most underpaid job in America. Glassdoor found only 32% of women negotiated a salary offer, compared to 48% of men. Next: Why public relations needs a raise 9. Marketing manager Amount underpaid : 15.0% or $14,107 : 15.0% or $14,107 Current Median Base Salary: $80,000 $80,000 Job outlook: 10% growth Marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products, services, or brands. Much like their colleagues in communications, marketers are vastly underpaid. However, your advertising skills are a hot commodity in the workforce, so it would benefit interested applicants to know their market worth is actually closer to $94,107, not $80,000. Next: The most in-demand job is also vastly underpaid 8. Medical assistant Amount underpaid : 15.1% or $5,320 : 15.1% or $5,320 Current Median Base Salary: $30,000 $30,000 Job outlook: 29% growth According to BLS, Medical Assistant is the most in-demand and underpaid job on this list. With a 10-year projected growth of 29%, Glassdoor thinks these employees could be earning more than $5,300 more per year than they currently do. Next: A sizeable difference in pay 7. Software engineer Amount underpaid : 15.2% or $17,943 : 15.2% or $17,943 Current Median Base Salary: $100,000 $100,000 Job outlook: 24% growth Tech roles continue to have a strong presence on this list of most underpaid jobs in America. Software engineers are no exception. Software developer and engineer postings are flooding the job market thanks to an outlook that is expected to jump a staggering 24% between 2016 and 2026. But know your worth. Fair market value for these positions tops $117,943. Next: Another tech job that could use a pay raise 6. Web designer Amount underpaid : 15.5% or $9,508 : 15.5% or $9,508 Current Median Base Salary: $52,000 $52,000 Job outlook: 15% growth The tech trend continues with web designers. Web designers do exactly what the name suggests: design and create websites. Employees of this type are currently valued at $61,508, but Glassdoor says most are paid more than $9,500 less than that. Next: A hefty market value 5. Pharmacist Amount underpaid : 16.5% or $23,261 : 16.5% or $23,261 Current Median Base Salary: $118,000 $118,000 Job outlook: 6% growth Admittedly, pharmacists enjoy a comfortable six-figure base salary, but data says thats not high enough. These workers are underpaid by a whopping $23,261 nearly triple what Glassdoor lists as the average salary amount for under-compensated workers. Current market value for those administering prescription medications to the public is a hefty $141,261. Next: Your salary could be much higher 4. Java developer Amount underpaid : 17.7% or $16,792 : 17.7% or $16,792 Current Median Base Salary : $ 78,000 : $ 78,000 Job outlook: 24% growth Java developer is the fourth-most underpaid job. Its median salary of $78,000 is already what most Americans think they need to be paid to be happy, but soaring demand prompts a potential market-value pay of much higher, at nearly $95,000 per year. Next: Underpaid by 20% 3. Research assistant Amount underpaid : 20.9% or $7,935 : 20.9% or $7,935 Current Median Base Salary: $30,000 $30,000 Job outlook: 23% growth Research assistant is a broad term used to describe employees who collect, record, and maintain source documentation most commonly in medical and information industries. Its not typically a high-paying job, but it is vastly under-salaried. Based on demand, a fairer salary would be nearly $8,000 higher at $37,935. Next: Bad news for these professionals 2. Certified nursing assistant Amount underpaid : 21.3% or $6,505 : 21.3% or $6,505 Current Median Base Salary : $24,000 : $24,000 Job outlook: 11% growth Burnout is typical in the healthcare industry thanks to grueling, demanding work and long hours. Its for this reason, unfortunately, that suicide rates are abnormally high in this profession. Glassdoor also ranks a CNA as the second most underpaid employee in America by about $6,500 per year. Next: The No.1 underpaid job in America 1. Emergency medical technician Amount underpaid : 21.9% or $7,771 : 21.9% or $7,771 Current Median Base Salary : $27,636 : $27,636 Job outlook: 15% growth Emergency medical technician (EMT) is the most underpaid job in America, despite dedicating much of their time to save lives and care for the public. With a current median salary of $27,636, Glassdoor estimates that fair pay could be 22% higher, or roughly $7,700, based on current demand. Follow Lauren on Twitter @la_hamer. 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. International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Pastor Oqbamichel Haiminot has been released after more than a decade of imprisonment. According to VOM Australia, Pastor Oqbamichel was the first senior pastor in Eritrea to be arrested and held after the controversial and wrongful crackdown on religion in 2002. Though he was only in jail for a short period after his initial arrest in 2003, he was constantly harassed and rearrested over the next four years. In 2007, he was finally arrested and jailed for more than 10 years even though no charges were ever filed against him. Pastor Oqbamichel is one of hundreds of Christians in Eritrea who have been arrested and held for years due to their faith. In 2017, more than 200 Christians were arrested, yet never charged with any criminal activity. One of ICCs sources shared, There are only four legalized religions allowed in the country, which include Eritrean Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, and Sunni Islam. The regime touts this as religious freedom, however, to join any of these religions, people must first make four pledges. One must pledge to never be born again, that his or her loyalty is to the government, not God or the Church, to never carry a Bible outside of church or the home, and to turn in any missionaries or evangelists to the government. When you turn in a missionary or evangelist, you get paid three months wages. The Eritrean government is willing to go to great lengths to arrest and eradicate Christians. According to another underground pastor in Eritrea, Abraham*, There are false brothers among us, who gather information. [He comes] to you, believing in the name of Jesus, you baptize him, but he is a spy. These spies are sent by the government to find those who are not part of the four legal religions, and arrest them. Abraham experienced this government-led persecution firsthand in 2010. He shared,In 2010, we were gathered for a meeting in Asmara, 34 or 35 together, and we were arrested and taken to the police station. He was then moved to an underground prison where there was no sun or light or [fresh air]. It was underground and we could only see each other when we went to the bathroom. These jail cells keep those imprisoned in the worst conditions, with extreme temperature changes, a lack of light, no space, and often isolation. The only time they experience any freedom from their cells is once or twice a day when they are allowed to use the restroom. Abraham was held in this prison for one year. This is the type of treatment that Pastor Oqbamichel suffered for the past decade. According to VOM, he is in need of medical assistance as his heath has deteriorated due to his treatment in prison. Nathan Johnson, ICCs Regional Manager for Africa, stated, We are rejoicing for the release of a faithful man and are praying for his health and safety as he returns to a somewhat free life. We also remember the hundreds of others who are still suffering under this cruel and inhumane regime. The world must come together to end the abuse of human rights in Eritrea. *Name changed for security To read more stories about Christian persecution, visit www.persecution.org. Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com Publication date: June 18, 2018 For those Americans who think of themselves as residing within the conservative Christian orbit, things might feel a bit odd these days. On the one hand, they have a president who is rather explicit about protecting their interests and advancing their priorities, even though his personal life does not, to put it gently, match up with their ideals. On the other hand, they feel increasingly besieged, as their moral viewsespecially about sexualityhave put them at odds with our societys cultural elites (and sometimes with broader trends in public opinion). They are, it seems, a politically influential and especially controversial moral minority. Responses to this odd moment have ranged from an almost shameless embrace of political Machiavellianism to calls for a defensive redeployment into friendly institutional redoubts. Bruce Riley Ashfords Letters to an American Christian takes a bit of a different tack, offering a contemporary defense of what amounts to a pretty standard set of conservative political nostrums in the context of his Christian convictions. As the title suggests, Ashford, who is provost and professor of theology and culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, offers his arguments in the form of 26 letters written to a college student named Christian. Each letter covers a particular questionShould Christians be involved in politics? Whats the right view of gun control? How should Christians think about transgender issues?and Ashfords answers are always well-constructed, amiable, and fairly generous. Few people will agree with everything Ashford argues for, but if more conservative Christian political engagement was marked by the spirit of these letters, all of us (Christian and otherwise, conservative and otherwise) would be much better off. Theological Grounding Politics is a tough business, and sometimes it brings out the worst in us. But its worth asking why so many Christians act and speak in ways that seem obviously incompatible with everything they claim to believe. Some of it is just sheer human weakness and fear, but I think the way Ashford organizes his argument suggests something else as well: an inability or unwillingness on the part of evangelicals to think biblically and theologically about Christian political responsibilities, especially in an era when they constitute that moral minority. It is striking, for instance, that Ashford frames his political arguments (for the most part) in terms of Abraham Kuypers neo-Calvinist political theology, allowing him to encourage his young protege to be engaged politically but in a way that helpfully makes distinctions among church, state, economic life, and so on. Those distinctions allow Ashford (and folks like him) to hold together an acceptance of moral and religious pluralism with substantive commitments to what counts as a reasonably just political order. Absent some set of theological categories to help them make sense of the political world they inhabit, Christians may almost inevitably find themselves tempted toward a kind of panic politics, wherein every political moment (election, judicial nomination, regulation, etc.) takes on an apocalyptic hue. Ashford has strong political commitments, but hes able to communicate them in a way that eschews the worst of American Christianitys political rhetoricprecisely because he has theological grounds for doing so. The way we argue politically is not just strategic. It also reflects the substance of our political commitments, and the lack of biblical and theological grounding for many Christians politics leaves them vulnerable to acting and speaking badly. Article continues below So if youd like a clear, cogent articulation of conservative American politics in its Christian key, Ashfords book is well worth the price. But it also may reveal a couple of conservative Christianitys weak spots. The ostensible purpose of Ashfords letters is to offer encouragement and instruction to a young man of broadly conservative political sympathies who has recently become a Christian and is trying to figure out what difference this newfound faith might make. Since younger Christians are much less likely than their elders to identify as politically conservative, we might take the book as offering, if only implicitly, Ashfords take on how to appeal to that younger generation. Like I noted, in many respects, it works. Its tone is genial, it doesnt caricature too much, and it offers a positive vision for what a Christian politics might look like. But I dont think it does enough to grapple with the ways in which many of the challenges conservative Christianity faces are, in part, self-inflicted, and I suspect that such inattentiveness will make the job of persuading a younger generation to identify with conservative political views that much more difficult. Consider the question of race, for example. Ashford is admirably direct in criticizing the alt-right and white ethnonationalism, and he recognizes rightly that many racial and ethnic minorities struggle unfairly in contemporary America. Racism is not done, and American Christians have work they can and must do in that regard. But I think it would be tremendously helpful if Christiansespecially politically conservative Christianswould more forthrightly acknowledge that we did all too little for much too long. In other words, that the problem of race in America is partly a problem of our making. This is especially important for Southern conservative evangelicals whose political emergence in the 1970s was not unrelated to concerns about civil rights and desegregation. If Christian conservatives want to persuade younger men and women of the rightness of their views, they will need to take seriously the lamentable aspects of their own histories. Less Encouragement, More Judgment And theres another, more contemporary elephant in the room. Fairly or not, evangelicals in particular are perceived as President Trumps most loyal and vocal defenders. So its odd that the president never makes a named appearance (so far as I could find) in Ashfords letters. Why not? Ashfords admonitions (and especially tone) often indict Trumpian politics, and I suspect that if Ashford had made those critiques explicit, some significant portion of his intended audience simply would have tuned him outor worse. But that suggests a deep problem within conservative Christian politics that cannot be fixed absent a serious and frank reckoning with both our past and present. So as much as we should appreciate Ashfords genial and encouraging tone, by the end of the book I was wondering whether we might need a bit of the old fire and brimstone. It is one thing for Christians (and anyone else) to make difficult choices among unsavory options; politics is, usually, the art of the imperfect. But it is quite another to traffic in the sort of politics that Ashford rightly finds dismayingand sometimes even boast about it. Not only is it unwise and imprudent; it is also all too often simply not in keeping with most any sort of Christian ideals. Ashford hopes to persuade his audience with more honey than vinegar, and perhaps its the right strategy. But maybe, just maybe, what we need is a bit less encouragement and a bit more judgment, a bit more Ash Wednesday: Repent and believe the gospel. Bryan McGraw teaches political science at Wheaton College. His blog is Civitas Peregrina. In 2020, we were the church on our heels. A global pandemic shut down much of our world. But the church has been on the move since it was birthed; it will continue to be on the move until God makes all things new. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment For Father's Day, I interviewed Dr. Warren Farrell, co-author (with John Gray of Mars/Venus fame) of the just-published "The Boy Crisis." While Dr. Farrell identifies ten causes of the boy crisis, he found that by far the biggest cause is a lack of father involvement. He explains why children who have minimal or no father involvement (who are "dad deprived") suffer in more than 70 different areas in comparison to children who are "dad-enriched." Farrell says the boy crisis is global. Among the 60 largest developed nations, boys are falling behind girls in every academic area, as well as in social skills, career preparation, mental health and physical health. He found that in developed nations, with fewer survival concerns, there was less stigma for women to have children without being married. In the U.S., for example, 53 percent of women under 30 who have children are not married. Among these women, dad-deprived children are the norm. Dad-deprived girls suffer considerably, but the boys (with no role model) suffer even more. Developed nations also give more permission for divorce. And among those children of divorced parents who see little of their dad, once again the girls suffer in most of the 70 areas, and the boys suffer even more intensely. As Farrell puts it, "the boy crisis resides where fathers do not reside." Among the 70 deprivations Farrell documents is that dad-deprivation is the greatest predictor of a boy becoming addicted to drugs or committing suicide. Dad-deprived boys are much more likely to drink excessively, be bullies, drop out of school, be alienated and rudderless. The result? Our prisons are centers for dad-deprived boys and men. In contrast, boys who are dad-enriched do better in school even when they come from poorer areas; they have less ADHD and, surprisingly, more empathy. Obviously, dad-deprived boys hurt. Less obviously, boys who hurt, hurt us. Since 1948, 26 out of 28 of the deadliest mass shootings (between 8 and 58 killed) were marked by dad-deprivation. And, of course, dad-deprivation plagued Nikolas Cruz of the Parkland shooting. As it did Adam Lanza (Sandy Hook), Elliott Rodgers (UC Santa Barbara) and Dylan Roof (Charleston Church). Dad-deprivation doesn't just hurt us via mass shootings. ISIS recruits are almost all dad-deprived not only the boys, but also the girls. Besides the world's psychological insecurity created by ISIS, the U.S. alone spends trillions of dollars paying for resources that are only a fraction as effective as the underutilized resource of dads. Exactly what do dads do that leads to children benefitting so much? Dad-style parenting differs from mom-style in about ten different ways. One of the differences is a dad's tendency to enforce boundaries. Farrell says children often feel insecure when a boundary is unenforced picture a child in a black, dark room, not knowing where the walls are. Dads use methods such as roughhousing to make boundary enforcement work without rebellion. Roughhousing teaches a child the difference between assertive and aggressive behavior how to treat siblings gently even when they are excited and wanting to "beat" dad at wrestling. This "emotional intelligence under fire" allows the child to make better social contacts, which inhibits depression. And it also allows the father to bond with the children. This gives the father the ability to enforce boundaries without having the child become resentful or rebellious, because the child feels the father is a lot of fun and also knows the father is like a roller coaster providing fun with safety. A dad typically blends these by setting a boundary ("bedtime at nine") and promising, "between the time you get your homework and chores done and bedtime, we can have more fun or your favorite bedtime story." This gives the kids the incentive to do a laser focus on their homework and chores. That is, they learn postponed gratification to focus on what they need to do to get what they want to do. Farrell has found that postponed gratification is the single biggest predictor of a child's success and the best way to prevent ADHD. Not having the discipline to focus leads to becoming distracted rather than finishing homework, and leads to not being able to focus on the practice needed to stand out in sports. Children raised predominantly by dads are 15 percent likely to have ADHD. Whereas children raised by moms are 30 percent likely to have ADHD. (This is despite the fact that dads get the more challenging children to deal with.) Children without postponed gratification are likely to slide down a slippery slope, Farrell says. Distractions from finishing their homework leads to bad grades, lack of respect from teachers, and to parents who aren't proud. The children become ashamed of themselves. This leads to a child withdrawing in school, often becoming depressed and addicted to drugs, video games and porn. In worst case scenarios, to suicide and such anger at his peers and teachers for being invisible, laying the foundation for becoming visible via school shootings. Aside from father involvement, schools can be instrumental. Four examples are, first, communication and empathy training should be a core curriculum in school. Second, hiring more male teachers so children don't go from a mother-only home to a female-dominated elementary school. That kind of environment can lead to boys joining gangs because they are in search of male role models. Third, rejuvenate vocational education in schools. In Japan, 25 percent of the children are on a vocational ed track and almost all graduate. Ninety-nine percent of their graduates are employed. In contrast, in the U.S., a very high percentage of boys drop out before high school, and the unemployment rate among boys in their 20s who drop out of high school is 20 percent. When they're unemployed, they're more likely to do drugs and end up in prison. The cost of prison could easily be reduced by turning these boys into taxpayers. Fourth, restore recess. Recess produces more brain power than studying. It connects more synapses and neurons in the brain. Boys especially need that physical activity time before they can settle into learning. Finally, Farrell says father involvement is an underutilized free resource to combat the opiate crisis among both fatherless children and fathers without purpose who are feeling unneeded and not valued. So many dads are isolated from the love they could be giving to and receiving from their children. Father involvement with their children is a great win-win, a missed opportunity in society. For those of us who didn't know her prior, she is an amazing, powerful woman of God who struggled with heroin addiction for years and the only thing that broke her away from her sin and her addiction was coming to know the Lord as her Saviour in a Christ-centred drug rehabilitation place in Esperance, WA. She shared her incredible testimony and journey of redemption, hope, grace, and forgiveness. In between being a busy mother to three young children, together with her husband who is a pastor, she spends her time building safer communities and stronger families, providing support to families struggling with drug addiction, and presenting drug prevention programs in schools, the community as well as intervention seminars. She also visits the women's prison, bringing hope to women in jail through her love for Christ. Her dream is to see a nation drug free and to see young Australians take a stand against drugs, crime and violence. The entire day of the conference, I had nothing short but overwhelming senses of emotion come over me. I was not only refreshed and renewed in my love for Christ, but my own sins that I have struggled to come up front with, started to plague my mind. I watched how confident she was in sharing her testimony and making it her story, one that no one could take her down with or judge her with. It was full of passion, vigour and had one simple goal: to get the message of Jesus out. She shared pictures of how she looked "high" on heroin, and shared stories of how she ended up being with an abusive drug-addicted partner during her heroin days and how she messed up her family, even influencing her one and only sister to also turn to heroin. My own Sin I felt amazed and enthralled by God and what Christ can do for us if we are truly repentant and God's amazing grace and redemption, but at the same time, I couldn't stop wondering to myself: "Is there a sin too terrible for God to forgive?" The reason why I kept asking myself that, is for four years since I became a Christian, I struggled with my past sin, the mistakes I made when I was a teenager, way before I met Christ. I have shared my story to maybe 1 or 2 people and have always felt that the mistakes I did in my past was too big for God to forgive. I thought to myself, "How could God ever forgive me for what I have done?" But on that day itself, on this particular women's conference, I truly saw right there and then what it meant to be free of your sin, and to be redeemed. Jade Lewis was 1) unashamed of her story, 2) accepted her mistakes and sins, 3) brought her mistakes and sin to God and 4) experienced the full extent of grace and redemption of forgiveness and freedom of sin. I saw that I never once did all the four steps above. That is why I never could forgive myself, because God hasn't forgiven me yet, since I have always been ashamed of my past, I have never accepted my mistakes and most importantly, I have never truly confessed my sin to God and asked God for forgiveness. God's Forgiveness of Sin In 1 John chapter 1, verse 9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL righteousness." God also said in Titus chapter 2, verse 14: "Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from EVERY lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." And lastly in Isaiah chapter 1, verse 18: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." There is therefore NO sin too big or too terrible for God to forgive. The magnitude of our sin isn't what determines God's forgiveness. This is all due to God's grace and how big that grace is, that in human terms, I see my sin as too big to forgive but in Gods' terms, there is His grace, which is big enough to extend to ANYONE who is ready to confess, repent and ask God for forgiveness. This applies to even the worst of us; rapists, murderers, child molesters, and prostitutes. God's Redeeming Power and Grace But this is the exact reason why I feel the Christian faith is so different from other beliefs. We have a God who forgives us no matter what we do, and no matter how little we deserve to be forgiven. We do not need to "redeem" ourselves through good works and animal offerings, for God gave His one and only begotten Son to save us all from the grip of sin and the weight of guilt sin has over us. He has made us all white as snow and with the power of God's forgiveness; we are all made one with Christ, a new creation in Him. This is a paradox, because even though this is the Good News and the Gospel and the Truth, people struggle with the concept because they feel underserving of God's forgiveness and thus sadly do not really accept what God can do in their lives. But in Christ, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. (Ephesians chapter 1, verse 7). I am a New Creation Forget my Past and my Sins There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit Romans chapter 8 verse 1. Jesus did not come here to condemn me, but to save me! As a child of God, I am a new creation, my past has been wiped away and I have a fresh start. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new." - 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17. Not only does God forgive us, He forgets our sins! "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more" - Hebrews chapter 10, verse 17. Hence, on that faithful day of 7 September 2013, I finally accepted the truth in my heart. That despite of all I have done, the mistakes and terrible sins I have committed, I gave my heart up to Christ once again, fully accepting my sin but instead of internally absorbing it and letting the guilt and unworthiness have a hold on me, I gave it up to our Lord and He took it away from me. I walked up on stage that day, in front of 80 women and told them my sin, the very sin that kept me from truly turning to God for over ten years. I felt this immense weight being lifted off me and that very day, I felt God come into my heart and forgive me for everything. I am now a brand new creation; a new work of Christ and I now have a deeper sense of new found understanding of God, His grace, forgiveness and redemption. May God use me now for His own glory and purpose. And now my statement in my life is that of Luke chapter 7, verse 47: "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgivena"as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little." In other words, those who have been forgiven much, loves much. Clarissa Yates is from Singapore but moved to live in Perth, Western Australia in 2008. Clarissa completed a BSc. in Molecular Biology at the University of Western Australia and is now working as a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Western Australia, where she is part of a research team studying therapies for lung cancer. Clarissa Yates previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/clarissa-yates.html Asia Argento shares Bible verse and prayer following suicide of boyfriend Anthony Bourdain Italian actress Asia Argento has shared a prayer and a passage from the Book of John as she mourns the death of boyfriend Anthony Bourdain, who committed suicide in his hotel room in France earlier this month. Argento, who began dating the celebrity chef in 2016, recently shared a photo in an Instagram story post that included a part of John 8:32, which read 'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,' the Daily Mail reports. Since the death of Bourdain, the actress has been sharing a series of inspirational posts. In another post, Argento shared a prayer in Spanish asking for guidance from God. Argento also posted the lyrics to David Bowie's song "Lazarus" the day after Bourdain was cremated in France. "Look up here, I'm in heaven. I've got scars that can't be seen. I've got drama, can't be stolen. Everybody knows me now. Look up here, man, I'm in danger. I've got nothing left to lose. I'm so high, it makes my brain whirl. Dropped my cell phone down below. Ain't that just like me?" the lyrics to Bowie's song read, according to Bustle. Bourdain, 61, was found hanging in his room at the Le Chambard Hotel in France on June 8 by friend Eric Ripert, who was helping Bourdain film an episode of his hit food show 'Parts Unknown.' Christian de Rocquigny, the prosecutor of Colmar in France's eastern Alsace region, said that there was no foul play in the celebrity chef's death. Days after the suicide, Argento expressed her grief on social media, saying: "Anthony gave all of himself in everything that he did. His brilliant, fearless spirit touched and inspired so many, and his generosity knew no bounds. He was my love, my rock, my protector. I am beyond devastated," the Daily Mail reported. Bourdain is survived by his mother Gladys, his brother Christopher and 11-year-old daughter Ariane from his ex-wife Ottavia Busia. People have left flowers, handwritten notes and numbers for suicide hotline outside Les Halles, Bourdain's shuttered restaurant in New York City, as a tribute to the late chef. In praise of immodest women: It's time to get upskirting banned Sir Christopher Chope has returned to work this Monday to a newly decorated constituency office. A local constituent, Lorna Rees, has created a string of 'knicker bunting' across the office door in Christchurch, Dorset. This demonstration comes after Chope objected to the Voyeurism (Offences) Private Members bill on Friday June 15. The bill proposed a new law to make upskirting, the practice of taking unauthorised photographs under a person's skirt, a criminal offence. As it was read in the Commons on Friday, many MPs expected the bill to pass with little issue. However, Chope's single objection has stopped progress in its tracks. The objection, Chope explained, was on the basis of a longstanding objection to backbench private members' bills. He has since stated that he has fought private members bills for the majority of his time as an MP, as it 'goes to the very heart of the power balance between government and parliament'. Chope suggests that he did not oppose the bill in principle and that he has been scapegoated and defamed since the incident on Friday. Lorna Rees, the constituent who has staged this protest, wrote a message on the underwear which reads: 'No one should be able to photo my pants unless I want them to.' She has also stated on Twitter that she feels that Chope does not represent the best interests of the people, using parliamentary procedure as a defensive tool. Many female parliamentarians have also taken to twitter to express their anger and frustration. This includes a message from the prime minster, Theresa May. She has said, '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.' May has however since faced questioning from the BBC's Andrew Marr, who asked on Sunday why she had decided to present Chope for a knighthood only six months ago. After an awkward few moments, May reiterated her dedication to action on the issue, sidestepping the question. Upskirting has been a criminal offence in Scotland since 2009. MP Wera Hobhouse, the proposer of this bill, suggested on BBC Breakfast that it was supported in Scotland because of the skirt-like nature of men's kilts. Trisha Greenhalgh, professor at the University of Oxford has also tweeted the following exchange with her spouse, Spouse: Apparently Scotland passed a law banning upskirting 9 years ago. Me: Yeah, men wear skirts in Scotland. Spouse: Apparently Scotland passed a law banning upskirting 9 years ago. Me: Yeah, men wear skirts in Scotland. Trisha Greenhalgh #FBPE (@trishgreenhalgh) June 15, 2018 While this may or may not be the reason, it is difficult to ignore the glaring discrimination the culture is different, the issue is more prominent and change has been made. While Chope may not oppose the content of the bill, his actions send a message to victims and the women of England and Wales: Equality is still a long way off. But women are sending their own message back. The knickers adorning Chope's Christchurch office, and now his parliamentary one, are a direct affront to what his objection represents. Not only are they a physical barrier to his door (and, one would imagine, a deterrent to visitors), they block the acceptability of his behaviour. This weekend, unrelatedly, the hashtag #immodestwomen was trending across a range of online platforms. Historian Dr Fern Riddell began the Twitter storm in response to her prefix often being changed from Dr to Mrs or Ms. A range of academics and others have joined her. They say that they are encouraging young women to be immodest in order to be heard and giving an equal hearing to others in their field. Hanging your underwear in the House of Commons may indeed be deemed immodest. Wearing a (short) skirt may also draw the same opinion. However, this does not make taking unsolicited photographs acceptable behaviour. While Chope suggests that his objection may in fact bring the issue into legislation sooner, his actions only encourage more retaliation. So, here's to the immodest women. If hanging your knickers outside your MP's front door will draw embarrassment then so be it. The shame is not ours. Nina Mattiello Azadeh studied music and philosophy and was a Faith in Politics media intern in 2016. She has a keen interest in interfaith relations, social action and is a classical ballet dancer. Follow her on Twitter @Ninamataz Mob attacks homes of Christians who complained about naked men swimming outside A mob has reportedly attacked the houses owned by Coptic Christians after they complained about a group of young men swimming naked in a canal outside their homes in Upper Egypt's Beni Suef governorate. According to World Watch Monitor, the attack was carried out by a Muslim mob on the homes of Christians in the village of Tarshoub on June 4. 'A Muslim mob gathered around the homes of Christians across the canal and began pelting them with bricks and stones, while shouting 'Allahu akbar' [Allah is the greatest] and chanting slogans against Copts,' Coptic resident named Nashaat Ezzat told World Watch Monitor. 'They broke the windows and doors of some houses, looted and destroyed some properties,' the resident added. Ezzat said six Copts sustained injuries that required stitches to the head. Seven Copts and two Muslims were reportedly arrested in connection with the incident, but were released after five days. The police reportedly arrested the Copts in a bid to persuade them to reconcile with the Muslim mob. Another resident of the village, Fadi Fathi, said that the Christians attended a reconciliation session in the village on June 8. As part of an agreement signed by the two communities, parties that carry out an attack on the other will be required to pay a fine of 250,000 EGP (US$14,000). Christians in Egypt have reportedly been pressured to sign conciliation agreements following attacks from Muslim villagers. In April, nine Copts were arrested along with 11 Muslims after a mob attacked the Church of the Holy Virgin and Pope Kyrillos in Beni Meinin, Beni Suef. The attack reportedly took place after the Coptic Christians applied for legal recognition for the church. The State Security Court handed down one-year suspended sentences to the two groups for mob action, fighting and possession of unlicensed firearms. However, Beni Suef's Misdemeanor Court acquitted both the Copts and the Muslims after they agreed to the terms of a conciliation agreement, involving Muslim and Coptic clergy, village elders, local politicians and security officials. As part of the agreement, the church will remain closed until it obtains its legal status, prohibiting the Copts from conducting wedding and funeral services. Some Egyptian Christians have raised objections to conciliation processes. Revd. Dr. Andrea Zaki, the head of Egypt's Protestant Church, called on Christians to avoid participating in reconciliation sessions, arguing that it renders the law 'absent.' Uresti is scheduled to be sentenced June 26 after being found guilty in February by a federal jury on 11 felony charges in connection with his involvement in a now-defunct San Antonio oilfield-services company that defrauded investors. Uresti has indicated he will appeal his conviction. The recent events have had a significant impact on my life, my family and my constituents, Uresti said in his resignation statement. I need to attend to my personal matters and properly care for my family. So, keeping in mind the best interests of my constituents and my family, I believe it to be most prudent that I step down from my elected office to focus on these important issues. RELATED: Uresti was 'my friend, my lover,' the government's star witness testifies in criminal trial Its an unceremonious end to Urestis more than two-decade-long political career, first in the state House and then the state Senate. The San Antonio Democrat has headed a mini-political dynasty on the South Side, with brothers state Rep. Tomas Uresti and Albert Uresti, Bexars tax assessor-collector, following him into public office. Less than two weeks after Urestis conviction, though, the incumbent Tomas Uresti was defeated by Leo Pacheco in the March primary. Carlos Uresti, 54, said he is asking Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special election in November to fill the vacant Senate District 19 seat. His term was set to end in January 2021. The District has had somewhat of a disadvantage as this as has been going forward and I think people deserve to have their voice, and have a strong voice, said former U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego, a Democrat who has entered the race to succeed Uresti. The sooner that happens, the better. Democratic state Rep. Roland Gutierrez, who also is vying for the seat, said in a statement that Urestis resignation means one of the saddest, most embarrassing stories of Texas politics finally comes to an end. He used the statement as a fundraising call for his campaign. Uresti was convicted of defrauding investors in FourWinds Logistics, which bought and sold sand used in fracking for oil production before it collapsed in 2015. He served as the companys outside general counsel, held a 1 percent ownership interest and recruited investors. The lawmaker has maintained his innocence, but his indictment and subsequent conviction cast a long shadow over his career. RELATED: Cantu told FBI her affair with Uresti began in 2010 with 'sexy' comment, lewd text During the last year some of the media has been unfair, inaccurate, or sensational when it was hurtful, not necessary or simply not true, Uresti said in announcing his resignation. Nonetheless, I know what I did and what I did not do. It has always been my intention to do what was right for the constituents of District 19 and for Texas, he added. To the extent any of you feel I let you down, please grant me forgiveness. Uresti is staring at a prison sentence that could range from eight to 12 years, some attorneys have told the San Antonio Express-News. Plus, prosecutors say he could owe more than $3 million in restitution to his victims. Meanwhile, Uresti is scheduled to stand trial in October in a separate case where hes accused of splitting $850,000 in bribe payments with a county judge in Reeves County over a medical services contract at a jail in West Texas. Uresti has denied the charges. For complete coverage of Urestis resignation and upcoming sentencing on federal charges, see Tuesdays front page or click here to visit our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. Patrick Danner is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD LAS VEGAS -- In 1960, almost half of all U.S. households were made up of married couples with children. Almost six decades later that figure has fallen to less than 20 percent. "The percentage of folks living alone has drastically increased," Caitlin Walter of the National Multihousing Council said last week at the National Association of Real Estate Editors' annual conference. The shift in living patterns, combined with a shrinking supply of moderately priced apartments and other factors, has led to sky-high rents. Housing's affordability crisis has spread beyond the coasts, Jeffrey Brodsky, vice chairman of New York-based Related Cos., said at the conference. RELATED: Houston ranks no. 6 for real estate investing, study says "It's not just San Francisco, Seattle," Brodsky said. "It's a serious problem in many parts of the country." In Houston, which saw the apartment market bolstered by Hurricane Harvey, rents are up 5.3 percent over the past year to $1,029, according to a June report from ApartmentData.com. Occupancy is nearly 90 percent. A recent increase in so-called lifestyle renters -- or renters by choice -- has fueled construction of high-end units for affluent renters in urban neighborhoods. As a result of higher housing costs, companies are moving to cities with more affordable options, Robert Hart, CEO of Los Angeles-based TruAmerica Multifamily, said. Goldman Sachs, he noted, has a large back-office operation in Salt Lake City. LISTEN: What makes a shopping center 'cool?' Las Vegas, Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and major Texas metros, too, are becoming attractive to corporations seeking more affordable housing for their workers. "Texas has been a huge repository of companies," Hart said, citing Toyota's recent relocation to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. "Texas is a no (income) tax state and has a lot of affordable housing." Older units being torn down or otherwise taken off the market is exacerbating the problem. Experts cited supply concerns as young adults, who had increasingly been living with their parents after the last recession, move out on their own. RELATED: Houston company breaks Guinness World record "We have a fair bit of pent-up demand," Walter said, "and when they do decide to move out, will they move to an apartment or a house?" Nancy Sarnoff covers real estate and development for the Houston Chronicle. She also hosts Looped In, a weekly podcast all about all things Houston real estate. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and follow Nancy on Twitter and Facebook. She can be reached at nancy.sarnoff@chron.com. Working in fashion is fabulous, for sure, but it's not for the weary. Just ask local designer Chloe Dao, who won "Project Runway " Season 2 and has owned and operated her Rice Village boutique for more than a decade. Or talk with Khanh Nguyen, a Dallas-based designer who is the woman behind the label Nha Khanh, which is available locally at Tootsies. There is good news for Bay Area diners who have a hankering for decadent, greasy cheeseburgers with exotic toppings like peanut butter and Cheetos. Hubcap Grill, Ricky Craig's beloved burger chain, is getting ready to open its newest location in the area along NASA Parkway in Seabrook. BURGERTOWN: Take a bite out of these top Houston burgers Craig, whose downtown Houston location on Prairie has become a certified weekday lunch staple the past decade, purchased the old Red Door Cafe digs and began transforming it into another of his burger stops. The previous tenants moved out late last year. "We don't have a target date but we are looking at two to three weeks out," Craig said Monday. "We're waiting on TABC things right now." This will be Craig's fifth Hubcap Grill, following the downtown address, his Heights spot, a Strand storefront on Galveston Island, and an outpost inside Terminal A at Bush Intercontinental Airport. COME HUNGRY: Houston's best hole-in-the-wall restaurants to try The Seabrook location will take the place of his Kemah Hubcap which closed in late March just after Kemah's busy spring break season wrapped up. Craig was in search of a bigger dining room, a covered outside deck, and room for beer taps. "We outgrew the Kemah location and we were at the mercy of the weather," Craig said. "Winter and summer were hard." Kemah's Highway 146 is also about to undergo a widening project which would have hurt business too so as Craig sees it he is moving at the best time. The building where Craig and company will soon be serving up burgers, fries, and craft beer has been repainted and adorned with car hubcaps on the exterior. The interior has been spruced up, according to Craig, with new appliances and decor. A custom chandelier made out of a tire should be a hit on Instagram. With the summer months typically bringing the masses to Seabrook to partake in sun and saltwater, Craig is excited to open this new Hubcap's doors. EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE: Top 100 restaurants in Houston revealed The Seabrook location will begin interviewing prospective employees later this week, according to a Twitter post. "Seabrook is a cool community," Craig said. " I think it's a great location. People seem to be excited that we're on the way." Last year the Houston Chronicle's Alison Cook wrote about Hubcap Grill's offerings, noting "loose-textured, hand-formed patties of never-frozen beef, with their aggressive sear and spectacular drippage," "twice-fried hand-cut french fries" and "madcap stacks of toppings." Hubcap's biggest-selling specialty burgers are the Hubcap Decker double cheeseburger, the Greek Burger, the Philly Cheese Steak Burger, and the Hangover Burger which comes with country cream gravy as a topping. The famous Sticky Burger is made with peanut butter and the Cheesy Crunchy has Cheetos inside it. Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com. Gasoline prices in Houston and across the country again fell last week ahead of a meeting where OPEC and its allies are expected to decide whether to raise crude oil output. The average price in the Houston area fell 2.7 cents to $2.68 a gallon, while the national average dropped by nearly 2.4 cents to $2.89 a gallon, according to GasBuddy, which tracks fuel prices nationwide. In Houston, gasoline costs nearly 59 cents more than it did at this time last year. Nationally, prices have increased by about 61 cents during the same period. Gas prices in San Antonio fell 2.8 cents from last week to $2.61 a gallon. Prices are nearly 57 cents higher than a year ago. Regionally Laredo saw the largest drop with prices down nearly 5 cents to $2.60 a gallon. Corpus Christi gas prices fell 2.7 cents to $2.61, while Austin dropped 2 cents to $2.67 a gallon. Gas prices have fallen alongside crude oil prices, which began dropping last month when the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said it would consider ramping up oil output to offset falling production Venezuela and the potential effects of the U.S. sanctions on Iran. Saudi Arabia, the organization's leading producer, increased output in May for the first time in months. RELATED: Gasoline prices fall in Texas, U.S. U.S. oil prices last week hovered around $66 a barrel. OPEC and its allies, including Russia, will meet this week in Vienna to decide on production rates. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, expected gas prices will continue to fall in the coming weeks as both the U.S. and OPEC pump out more oil. "Oil bulls may see their day again this summer, but the prospects of higher oil supply have diminished the value of oil for the time being," he said. Rye Druzin contributed. The chief executive of Halliburton on Friday touted the Houston energy sectors rebound from the recent oil bust and the brightening outlook for the industry, predicting that the world will continue to rely on oil and gas for many decades to come. Jeff Miller, speaking at the Greater Houston Partnerships annual State of Energy luncheon, pushed back against any arguments that the world needs to move away from fossil fuels and Houston is at risk of losing its place as the global energy capital as the role of renewable power, such as wind and solar, continues to expand. While wind and solar are the worlds fastest-growing energy sources, theyre still a small portion of the global mix, with renewables accounting for less than 15 percent of global energy consumption even when including hydroelectricity. Miller doesnt see oil and gas losing much ground, despite the push to combat climate change by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. Growing global energy demand makes a world powered by renewables a distant goal, he said. I think economics sort of trumps aspiration, Miller said. Nothing is more abundant, affordable and effective than oil and gas. How quickly the worlds reliance on fossil fuels will begin to wane remains a subject of debate, however. The European oil major Royal Dutch Shell projects global oil demand will peak as early as 2025 as electric cars and other non-polluting technologies advance. Others predict oil demand wont peak until 2040 or later. Some companies are betting that growing energy demand will be met by cleaner-burning natural gas. But others, such Norways Equinor, formerly Statoil, are investing heavily in offshore wind projects and other renewables. Miller just completed his first year heading the Houston-based oilfield services company, which is the leader in the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, market in North America. The company will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2019. Halliburton is back to turning a profit this year, following a long string of losses in the wake of the oil crash that started in 2014 and reached bottom in 2016. Halliburton earned $46 million in the first quarter. Im constructive right now. Were coming off the heels of an awful downturn really the worst weve ever had, Miller said,. The right things are happening. The U.S. onshore sector is booming, especially in West Texas Permian Basin. The growth there is so rapid Halliburton is hiring 200 people per month. Miller warned against predicting any demise in U.S. oil and gas production in the future. The mistake that gets made is we underestimate the creativity and drive of North American operators, he said. While the U.S. has driven global oil production growth for the past year or so, Miller said theres growing optimism in international markets. The Middle East remains resilient and drilling in the North Sea is starting to pick back up again, Miller said. He added hes especially encouraged that the U.S. shale drilling techniques are being replicated in Argentina, which may be on the verge of a boom. Both Mexico and Brazil are expected to increase oil and gas production as they welcome foreign investment, Miller said. Mexico recently ended the nearly 80-year monopoly of its state-owned oil company Pemex, while Brazil recently began allowing international companies to lead drilling operations in its deep waters. The Greater Cleveland Chamber of Commerce hosted its first Outdoor Expo on June 16, which proved to be a huge success. Hundreds of people made their way through Stancil Exposition Center and Cleveland Civic Center to visit the dozens of vendors and attractions that were part of the event. The Outdoor Expo is a new event hosted by the Chamber that is intended to replace the Lock N Load Gun Show. This years primary sponsors were Anderson Ford, Martin Auto Group and Emergency Hospital Systems, LLC. Today nobody does gun shows, said Chamber COO Jim Carson. We wanted to have an event for the city and for the people that didnt cost anything. The event was free to the public aside from any purchases made at the different vendors and a dunking booth that benefited the Chambers Student Ambassador Scholarship fund. Vendors not only included gun stores, setting up shop inside of the Cleveland Civic Center, but also different booths selling items such as jewelry and cutlery or providing information on local wildlife or the forests. Many booths were geared toward hunting and fishing. A room was set up for a Laser Shot gun simulator. The Stancil Park Expo Center also housed booths along with attractions geared toward children such as a Kids Zone, a fishing pond, a BB gun range and an archery range. Carson says the event proved to be a big hit with visitors, which he estimates at a total of at least 1,400 people. He commented that many of the vendors are satisfied with how the Outdoor Expo benefited their individual booths. Everybody I talked to over at the Civic Center said that they did well, said Carson. Weve had traffic all day long. Carson says some of the visitors are already asking when the next Outdoor Expo is set to be held. We told them about the Rock N Ride, said Carson, referring to a new music festival that will combine with a bicycle ride. The Outdoor Expo itself was initially set to occur last year in August but was delayed due to Hurricane Harvey, which began to affect the Cleveland area the day the Outdoor Expo was scheduled. Carson says the vendors had paid in advance for the original date but were all refunded. That helped us with credibility, he said. The event was also rescheduled for June to avoid the months that are more prone to experience hurricanes. Carson says the Chamber picked June because it gives parents an opportunity to take their children to an event once school has ended. Carson says it is uncertain as to when the next Outdoor Expo will be held but he says it is likely that the Chamber will shoot for June once again. jmcadams@hcnonline.com The Wisconsin native would see stray dogs all the time en route to her job in downtown Houston. She said the area where she stopped to feed them within eyesight of the tower where she worked reminded her of a third-world country, so she decided she wanted to help unwanted dogs in the community by finding them homes in her home state. Founder and President Larissa Gavin started nonprofit Lolas Lucky Day in January 2015 and since then has helped to transport more than 3,000 dogs to Wisconsin, where pet overpopulation is not an issue. Gavin said the organization has found homes for nearly 600 dogs this year. Gavins father still lives in Wisconsin and mentioned to her that a lot of shelters there do not have many dogs, so they came up with the idea to rescue Houston-area at-risk dogs and find them homes several states away. With that in mind, formulating Lolas Lucky Day, we decided to work slightly differently than other rescue organizations here in that we just focus on rescuing dogs that are at the most risk, like ones that we pull out of the euthanasia list or people are going to turn into the shelter, Gavin said. She said laws, regulations and programs in Wisconsin encourage people to spay and neuter their pets, so the stray dog population there is a lot smaller than in Houston. Really, theres a lot of backing behind getting animals spayed or neutered there. There are low-income resources available for people who cant afford to get spaying or neutering done, Gavin said. The mentality is really different. Lolas gets the dogs from shelters in and near Harris County, Galveston County and sometimes from the Dallas area. It also pays for the vet bills to get them healthy enough to travel to their new homes in Wisconsin. Then, Gavin said they are loaded on a fully air-conditioned van that has seating charts, and volunteers from Houston drive them to Arkansas to meet volunteers from Wisconsin that take the dogs the rest of the way. While many of the dogs go directly to forever homes with individuals and families they have been matched with, Gavin said some go to foster homes or shelters there and are soon adopted. Lolas Lucky Day was named after a dog named Lola that was adopted by Gavins boss, who also pledged $15,000 as a dollar-to-dollar match, allowing the organization to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and to purchase a van to transport the dogs. Lola lives in Houston and is a great little spokesperson. We just like to keep it positive. We rescued two dogs today, and its their lucky day because they were on the euthanasia list yesterday. Now they have a brand new start, Gavin said. In May, Gavin was selected as the Dog Mom of the Year by a leading dog care app called Wag! and awarded $1,000 to help continue its work. Medical coordinator Samantha Zimmer has been working with Lolas for about three years and makes sure everything is in line medically for the dogs to go to Wisconsin. She said she originally got involved when she found a scruffy dog named Bozo that she doubted would find a home in Houston. Bozo was adopted immediately after he arrived in Wisconsin. The city is saturated with dogs in need, and if they are a little bit ugly, their chances of adoption are harder, Zimmer said. Lolas Lucky Days core team of about 25 volunteers sends around 100 dogs to Wisconsin each month, according to Gavin. She said transporting a dog costs approximately $350 plus any medical expenses. The work is funded solely by the donations of individuals and organizations. To learn more about how to get involved or to donate, visit www.lolasluckyday.com. Zimmer said what she enjoys most about volunteering for Lolas Lucky Day is hearing the stories about how the work has transformed dogs lives. I love getting updates on my dogs in Wisconsin. They really have a great mind-set when it comes to the standard of care they have for animals in Wisconsin, she said. It's always rewarding to see the dogs go from being completely unwanted here in Houston to become agility dogs, service animals and well-loved members of really caring families. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com 3 1 of 3 Courtesy photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3 District G Houston City Council Member Greg Travis in conjunction with the Alief Family YMCA has kicked off the first-ever District G Free Swim Lesson and Water Safety Program at the Village Place Community Pool in west Houston. Travis created this important new program using funding using Harris County Department of Education CASE for Kids grant funds ($12,500) and City Council District Service Funds ($7,500). Immigration headlined the discussion between Asian-American community members and the challenger in the U.S. Senate race June 15 at a town hall at his Houston campaign office. Congressman Beto ORourke is the Democratic candidate running against the incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. Born and raised in El Paso, ORourke was elected to the 16th Texas Congressional District in 2012 and serves on the House Committees for Armed Services and Veterans Affairs. He said stopping the separation of families trying to enter the United States at the Mexican border should be the top priority right now. I think the most urgent issue of this moment, and I think we can relate to just as human beings, is that there are literally kids who are being taken from their mothers, mothers who made a 2,000-mile journey up the length of this hemisphere to seek shelter and refuge and asylum in the their most desperate, their most vulnerable moment, ORourke said. ORourke said coming from the most diverse state, Texans should be able to understand what is at stake not only for the families affected but also the for the nation as a whole, which will be defined by its current actions far into the future. If there were ever a community, it would be Houston, if there were ever a state, it would be ours that would understand what this means for America and our ability to continue to inspire one another and the rest of the world for that matter and also continue to be the destination of choice, he said. We, I think, have a unique opportunity to do right not just by those kids but by this country. This moment will define us forever. Citing how the U.S. has only accepted 11 Syrian refugees this year from what he called the greatest humanitarian crisis globally, ORourke said the nation needs to do more for people fleeing situations in places like Nicaragua or Honduras. Committed to visiting every county in Texas along the campaign trail, ORourke said he sees the work of immigrants across the state and believes they are part of the lifeblood of their communities. It doesnt matter how small, how rural, how Republican. I can guarantee that the new businesses that are opening up, the new restaurants, the places that well stop to eat in were started by immigrants from around the world, who took a chance on a community that otherwise would die for lack of vitality, literally life, people leaving to go find opportunity in Houston or Dallas or New York City. Its the immigrants who are taking that chance, ORourke said. Another major concern voiced at the meeting was how Asian-Americans are underrepresented in the political world. Texas State Representative Gene Wu said although their communities are growing, their members are often overlooked. If you look around the city of Houston, this place has been made really, really amazing by the inclusion of the variety of Asian communities throughout our city, Wu said. Theres a lot of people included under the name of Asian-Americans, but we have one thing in common, and that is that we have been ignored politically for way too long. Sri Preston Kulkarni, candidate for U.S. Representative District 22, said 71 percent of Asian-Americans living in Texas have never been contacted by a political party and that he would like to change that. One of our big focuses is actually trying to activate the Asian population because as we all know, our community votes in very low numbers even though were contributors economically. Were contributors to the sciences, but we need to have that piece of civic engagement be higher, Kulkarni said. Although a Texas Democrat has not been elected to the U.S. Senate since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, ORourke said he think he has a strong chance this year, pointing out that independent polls put him within single digits of Cruz. Weve out-raised, without taking a dime from [political action committees], the sitting junior U.S. senator by millions of dollars, and he takes PAC money. He also ran for the presidency and has a national fundraising base from which to draw, and the people of Texas [give] $10, $25, sometimes more at a time [and] are out-raising that concentration of power and wealth and privilege, ORourke. He said while he is encouraged by the best Democrat turnout in a Texas midterm Senate primary in 36 years, he sees people of all political backgrounds voting and responding to what is going on in their state and nation. The intensity and the turnout in Greenspoint, in Katy, in Pearland, in McKinney, in El Paso, in Galveston, every single part of the state, folks are coming out in a way that I have never seen before, ORourke said. Its Republicans. Its Democrats. Its Independents. Its people who have admitted to me that they have never voted in their lives because they just didnt think it mattered, and now they know that it does. First responders once again rushed to the aid of a child who became trapped in the water by a nail through the foot on Lake Conroe. The 8-year-old girl is OK after being freed from the bulkhead at the waterline with the help of Montgomery County Precinct 1 Lake Patrol, firefighters, and EMS who responded to the scene Saturday afternoon at 14968 Texas 105. Heather and Mike Howard of The Woodlands were standing nearby when they said the girl caught her foot on the nail while sliding down the wall in the water. LAKE SAFETY: Number of boaters, not following safety precautions linked to Lake Conroe death stats I went and felt and there were about 10 nails sticking out of the wall, Howard said. Her parents, her mom or someone gathered around her. The Constables Office was on top of it and got the paramedics. A similar incident happened on Memorial Day on Lake Conroe when a 13-year-old girl became stuck in the water at a bulkhead when her foot was impaled on two nails, according to a previous Courier article and Montgomery County Pct. 1 Constables Marine Division Lt. Timothy Cade in a video from the scene provided by the Montgomery County Police Reporter. While the 8-year-old never appeared to be in danger of drowning, the 13-year-old had to be held up by the girls mother and rescuers to avoid the water that went up to her chest. The girl was able to be freed by the rescuers and taken to the hospital. Cade shared this time first responders had the same game plan and also provided medication to help the child, with the pain. He considered recent storms as a contributing factor to the issue. This is an issue that is all across the board with any bulkhead we have out there from all the storms, Harvey to all of the flooding over the 201 mark over the lake, Cade said. This moves bulkheads, this moves boards and knocks things loose. We pick up boards and almost full docks every day out of that water because it is such an ever-moving lake. Its not just a problem at the park, its a problem everywhere, Cade added. This is one of the dangers of being in the lake and as my mom use to tell me, if you are down in water where you cant see your feet, wear shoes. Its just a part of being in the lake. No further information was available. mellsworth@hcnonline.com Harris County Medical Society, a professional organization connected to the Texas Medical Association, aims to support physicians, provide education and provide a quality of care. A major issue that the Medical Society focuses on is physician burnout, or stress directly related to the physician occupation. Dr. George Santos, Harris County Medical Society President (HCMS) and psychiatrist, and a resident of Bellaire, spoke about why physicians experience so much stress, and what is being done about it. This is really about the environment in which we work. There was a study done in which more than half of them have experienced these symptoms of stress, Santos said. Santos added that the more than 50 percent rate of physicians reporting stress holds true on the national scale as well. He said that ultimately, physicians have high stress jobs, so its not surprising that so many report stress. They are present on what could be someones worst day of their lives. They have a persons life in their hands, Santos said. Santos believes that physician stress has always been a problem, but is just now coming more to light, due to the overall mental health crisis getting more public attention. It has gotten worse in the last 10-20 years. There are legislation intrusions in the examining room. The interest is making money from insurance companies and not helping the patients. Santos said. There is also malpractice lawsuits to worry about, and online social media shaming. Another possible stressful change in the practice includes the usage of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) which is a system for documenting patient files. There is a high degree of complexity of filling out these records. They are not designed for physicians who are looking for the best way to organize care, Santos said. They are becoming a data entry clerk instead of a physician. Santos recently spoke at the McGovern Medical School commencement, where he spoke to the graduates about EMRs. I told them to look at your patients and not at your EMR, Santos said. The HCMS helps physicians reduce their burdens by working through problems with insurance companies, advice with medical legal issues and medical legislation. Santos noted that it was concerning how many physicians identified themselves as having a great level of stress, and that HCMS has come up with a number of ways to try to help. A recent trending issue has been suicides. Over 300 physicians die by suicide each year, resulting in one million Americans losing their physicians. We have to look at our language that stigmatizes mental health issues. There is a growing attention right now for suicides. This should be a public health crisis but it has not been, Santos said. Santos noted that often physicians feel like they cannot reach out for help without their credentials being taken away. We are trying to create a system that supports them through getting needed help, Santos said. The HCMS gave a comprehensive survey to its members which covered a wide range of topics, in which they hope to use the information gathered to make the hospital setting a better work environment. The society also provides confidential appointments with psychiatrists and phycologists for those who need them. Santos remembers when he was an intern and was flying with the Memorial Hermann Life Flight helicopter. A year later, Life Flight crashed. They took it upon themselves to form support groups for anyone related to the Life Flight program. That sort of approach needs to be considered, Santos said. We want to make resources available for them during their critical time of need, Santos said. rebecca.hazen@chron.com June 4 At 10:37 a.m., Ofc D.Rocha was dispatched to the Bellaire Police Department to meet with a victim / reportee in reference to a theft which occurred through an internet transaction. Officer Rocha made contact with the resident / victim who stated she had posted some items on an internet website to be sold and the buyer paid with a fraudulent check. At 9:24 a.m., Officer M. Santillanes was dispatched to a burglary of a motor vehicle call in the 4800 block of Palm Street. Officer Santillanes met with the victim who stated an unknown suspect broke into his vehicle and stole a handgun. Officer Santillanes completed a burglary of motor vehicle report. 5:20 p.m., an unknown suspect struck the side of the victims parked vehicle and fled the scene in the 4900 block of Holly Street. The victim then chased the suspect vehicle and followed the suspect onto Interstate Highway 610 Southbound. While on IH 610, the suspect pointed a handgun at the victim. Bellaire Police Officer Lysack met with the victim at the above location to take this report. June 5 At 2:58 a.m., Officer Clisham observed a vehicle with a defective right head light in the 4800 block of Bissonnet. Officer Clisham made contact with the driver who was shown to have a suspended Texas Drivers License. The driver was placed into custody and charged with driving while license invalid and a confirmed outstanding warrant out of Fort Bend County Sherriffs Office. At 9:12 a.m., Officer Perez received a call from dispatch in reference to an animal bite that occurred in the 5200 block of Palmetto Street. June 6 At 8:50 p.m., Officer D. Norman and Sergeant A. Hefferin were traveling in the 8000 block of Chimney Rock Road when they observed a white Honda Accord with defective equipment. Officer Norman conducted a traffic stop and the driver was arrested for driving while license invalid class B. At 4:11 p.m., Officer Delgado conducted a traffic stop for expired motor vehicle registration on a Toyota Camry in the 7500 block of IH 610 southbound. Officer Delgado made contact with the driver who provided her Texas Driver License but failed to provide any proof of financial responsibility. Through computer inquiry the driver was shown to have a suspended TXDL. The driver was placed in custody for driving while license invalid enhanced and transported to the Bellaire Police Department Jail. June 7 At 4:18 a.m., Officer Ortega was dispatched to the Bellaire Coffee Shop in reference to a burglary of a building. The restaurant owner arrived to open up the business and noticed the front window was broken out and noticed the cash register area had been disturbed and coins were taken. At 10 a.m., Officer H. Lopez was dispatched to P. King Chinese restaurant in reference to a burglary of a building at 5313 Bellaire Blvd. The victim stated an unknown suspect used a rock to break out the window and stole money from the cashier drawer. At 2:51 p.m., Officer D. Norman and Sgt. A. Hefferin were dispatched to the 4900 block of Cedar Street in reference to a robbery of a person. Officer Norman and Sergeant Hefferin arrived on scene at approximately 1453 hours and made contact with the victim who advised he was pushed down and a bank envelope was snatched out of his hand. The victim advised the suspect fled in a vehicle east on Cedar St, then south on Third Street toward Bellaire Boulevard in a beige four door sedan. Responding Officers were unable to locate the suspect(s) or vehicle. At 7:40 a.m., Officer Andrade initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle for a defective brake lite/white light emitting from the rear in the 5200 block of Jessamine Street. Officer Andrade approached the vehicle to make contact with the driver and smelled a strong odor of Marijuana emitting from the vehicle. After further investigation, the driver was placed in custody for possession of marijuana. At 8:17 a.m., Officer M. Santillanes was dispatched to 5206 Bissonnet St. in reference to a burglary of a building. Officer Santillanes met with the general manager who stated an unknown suspect used a rock to break out the glass of the side door to the restaurant and stole money from the cash register drawer. At 5:43 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 5815 Bissonnet St. in reference to a theft in progress. The reportee stated a male had placed two liquor bottles into his pants and proceeded to the exit door. The reportee observed the male making his way to the exit. The reportee locked the front door before the male was able exit the store without paying for items. The male was placed under arrest for theft. June 8 At 8:30 a.m., Officer C. Barber with the Bellaire Police Department was dispatched to the 7200 block of Avenue Boulevard regarding the theft of an automobile. The vehicle was parked in the victims driveway and was taken overnight. At 9:08 a.m., Officer C. Barber with the Bellaire Police Department was dispatched to the 4600 block of Locust Street regarding the theft of an automobile. The vehicle was parked in the victims driveway and was taken between about 4:45 and 6:15 a.m. At 9:50 a.m., Officer C. Barber was dispatched to the 4600 block of Cedar St regarding a theft of construction material from a residential construction site. At 3:53 p.m., Officer Guerra was patrolling the 5100 block of Bellaire Boulevard and observed a white Honda Accord displaying paper license plate that expired on 05/25/2018. Officer Guerra conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver was found to have a suspended drivers license and no proof of financial responsibility. The driver was taken into custody for driving while license invalid-enhanced and taken to the Bellaire Police Department for booking and processing. At 4:23 p.m., Officer D. Norman was dispatched to 5002 Bellaire Blvd in reference to an assault. Upon further investigation, it was found the suspect shoved the victim over a verbal altercation. The suspect was placed in custody for assault bodily injury. At 5:22 p.m., Officer D. Norman was dispatched to the 9800 block of Hillcroft Street in reference to a sexual assault that occurred at 6750 West Loop South. Upon further investigation it was determined the offense would be a simple assault. At 4:06 p.m., Officer Schwausch was patrolling the 5000 block of Braeburn Drive when he observed a silver Chevrolet Sonic traveling in front of him without headlights when required. Officer Schwausch initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and found the occupants possessing 17 individually packaged baggies of a green leafy substance consistent with marijuana. The occupants were placed into custody and subsequently charged with possession of marijuana. Both occupants were juveniles and were released to their guardians. June 9 At 6:10 p.m., Officer Guerra was dispatched to the 5400 block of IH 610 northbound in reference to a minor accident. Officer Guerra conducted an interview with the at fault driver. During the crash investigation the driver was found to have a suspended drivers license and no proof of financial responsibility. The driver was taken into custody for driving while license invalid-enhanced and taken to the Bellaire Police Department for booking and processing. June 10 At 4:03 p.m., Bellaire Police Officer Lysack was flagged down in front of City Hall in reference to a theft which occurred in the 4600 block of Oakdale Drive. Officer Lysack was advised the victims Apple Mac Book was stolen from his front porch. The laptop was entered into NCIC/TCIC as stolen. At 12:35 a.m., Officer Clisham initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 5100 block of Jessamine Street after it was observed committing multiple moving violations. The vehicle came to a stop, and then fled as Officer Clisham was approaching the driver side window. Officer Clisham pursued the suspect vehicle until it crashed at a major intersection. Three male subjects ran from the vehicle on foot after the crash and were apprehended by Officer Clisham, Officer Schwausch and Officer Ortega of the Bellaire Police Department. Two other subjects stayed inside the vehicle after the crash and waited to be removed by Officers. The suspect vehicle was found to be confirmed stolen out of Houston. One of the suspects was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and evading arrest/detention using a vehicle. Two of the suspects were charged with evading arrest/detention on foot. The fourth suspect was charged with fail to identify to police officer. The fifth subject inside the car was released to the care of Child Protective Services without any criminal charges. All five suspects were juveniles. Members of Team Rubicon, military veterans who offer support and help after disasters, worked last week on a house in Houston to make it ready for a Hurricane Harvey survivor to move back in. Joining them in priming and painting the homeowners house was Tim Goldsmid, VP of marketing Jack Links, which is partnering with Team Rubicon through the Fueling the Front Lines Campaign. From Wisconsin to Texas, Team Rubicon and company volunteers are making a 1,300-mile journey to raise awareness and help restore communities affected by disasters. Goldsmid said the partnership is about raising awareness and funds and about refueling and rebuilding communities. Jack Links is supporting that effort with funding and products, he said. Visit https://teamrubiconusa.org or https://cause.jacklinks.com for more information. Talking of his visit to Houston and work on the house, Goldsmid said, The whole process was quite a learning experience. For people who live afar from a community they lose track after the initial reports of disaster and destruction of whats happening to people who live there, he explained. He called it humbling to see all the work going on to rebuild. While he thought the community would be farther along in its recovery, he said his trip underscored the importance of keeping the support coming. From our side, were trying to do what we can to help, he said. The volunteers worked on a home in south Houston last week, but Team Rubicon will be working on 100 homes around the city for the next 18 months, according to a Jack Links spokeswoman. The national food companys website says that natural disasters in 2017 turned the lives of nearly 5 million Americans upside down and that more than 60 percent of homeowners are underinsured when disaster strikes. That need resulted in Jack Links joining forces with Team Rubicon for the national Fueling the Front Lines campaign, a two-week, cross-country journey. Team members are completing service projects, creating awareness and raising funds for Team Rubicons ongoing disaster relief. Goldsmid said people can visit the link on his companys website to donate to Team Rubicon. karen.zurawski@chron.com June 8 Officers were dispatched to the 4200 block South Judson in reference to an assault report. June 9 At 12:25 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the Pasadena Police Department Jail to pick up a prisoner with one outstanding warrant with the West University Place Police Department. The subject (Patrick Suniga) was taken into custody and transported to the West University Place Police jail for booking. June 13 At 6:08 a.m. and officer was dispatched to the 2700 block of Fenwood in reference to a Burglary of a Motor Vehicle that had already occurred. The officer was advised the unknown suspect(s) damaged the drivers side door window and door handle locking mechanism, and was unable to get inside the vehicle. Due to no entry being made, the incident was documented as a criminal mischief. At 9:03 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 6600 block of Wakeforest in reference to a burglary of a motor vehicle that had already occurred. The victim said the suspect(s) damage the drivers side door handle and lock but was unable to get inside the vehicle. A report for criminal mischief was generated.An officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby for a report of a forgery that had already occurred. At 11:07 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 4100 block of Byron, in regard to a Burglary of a Motor Vehicle that had already occurred. An officer met with a Department of Public Safety State Trooper who had a subject in custody with outstanding warrants out of the West University Municipal Court. The subject was taken into custody and booked without incident. June 14 An officer observed a vehicle in the 2600 block of Bissonnet with damage consistent with a burglary. An offense report for Burglary of a Vehicle was generated. An officer observed a burglary of a motor vehicle that had already occurred in the 5300 block of Kirby. An offense report for Burglary of a Motor Vehicle was generated. At 11:07 p.m. an officer was patrolling the 5600 block of Kirby and observed a burglary of a motor vehicle that already occurred. With a 10 percent chance of the weather system slowly moving into the Gulf of Mexico developing into a tropical storm, Montgomery County officials and the San Jacinto River Authority continue to monitor weather conditions and will take action if needed. Residents should prepare for scattered showers and thunderstorms throughout the weekend continuing through Tuesday, with the most intense rainfall expected Sunday afternoon through Monday evening. According to the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Montgomery County residents can expect heavy and intense rainfall of rates more than two inches per hour. These thunderstorms are expected to be slow moving, which could cause some street flooding, flooding in low lying areas and areas prone to flooding, Cynthia Jamieson with MCOEM said. When street flooding occurs always use caution when driving. The Montgomery County Emergency Management Office encourages residents to finalize hurricane preparations and check emergency supply kits for expired food, batteries or medication. To receive emergency alerts to a phone or email from Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management, register at http://www.mc911.org/page/ecd.AlertMCTX. When creating a profile, check the box next to Share my Smart911 Profile with TX-Montgomery-County-911 to support emergency preparedness. SJRA response to impending weather Despite the city of Houston Coastal Water Authoritys decision to lower Lake Houston water levels before the expected rainfall hits, the SJRA will not lower Lake Conroe beforehand and does not expect to release any water. Currently, Lake Conroes water level is five inches below normal, SJRA General Manager Jace Houston said. The forecast calls for 1-2 inches of rain over a two-three day period and we want to be prepared for anything so were prepared for rainfall amounts of 1-3 inches. According to Houston, in addition to Lake Conroe being five inches below the full level of pooling, the ground is dry which means a lot of the rain will be absorbed quickly and if the forecast holds true, a bulk of the rain will affect those who live more south. We continue to monitor the weather and remain in constant communication with the National Weather System, the Harris County Flood Control District, the city of Houston and other entities in Harris and Montgomery Counties to ensure we are all kept up-to-date on the changing weather conditions, Houston said. We are prepared in the event that heavier rainfall totals occur in the northern portions of the forecast area. It is unlikely the totals of one to two inches would create the need for a release of water from Lake Conroe. Houston also commented they have received numerous phone calls and emails from residents asking about a pre-release of water from Lake Conroe before the storm which Houston stated is not a flood control option for Lake Conroe. The operations protocol for Lake Conroe does not involve the pre-release of water before predicted storm events, Houston said. Release of water from Lake Conroe prior to a storm would put flows into the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston, which would potentially exacerbate flooding especially since it is expected they will receive more rain than we do. SJRA also stated that staff from the City of Houston, the Coastal Water Authority, and the Harris County Flood Control District have expressed their desire to not pre-fill the river and Lake Houston prior to a storm with water released from Lake Conroe. We do not want to make it worse for those residents downstream of Lake Conroe by pre-releasing water, Houston added. Anyone interested in monitoring Lake Conroe levels, releases, rainfall totals, or stream flows can visit SJRAs Contrail System at https://sanjacinto.onerain.com/home.php. The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency stresses Turn Around, Dont Drown The WJPA urges residents to keep in mind that rainfall intensities of more than one inch per hour may result in ponding from storm water runoff. During intense rainstorms, streets in The Woodlands are designed to become part of the storm water conveyance system, WJPA stated. If you encounter excessive ponding in the roadway, do not attempt to drive through it. As soon as the rain intensity decreases, the ponding will go down and the road will be passable. The WJPA also encourages residents to check that storm drains on or in the street adjacent to the property are not blocked or obstructed. If there is a blocked or obstructed drain on the street, contact the WJPA customer service line at 855-h20-save (855-426-7283.) Precinct 3 preparations Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noacks office will have staff ready to respond to any issues that arise throughout the weekend. In preparation for the storm, Precinct 3 crews have cleared ditches and major drainage areas of debris to help prevent blockage and ensure water drains properly. For debris in county road right of way and ditches, call the Precinct 3 office at 281-367-3977. As he gently held the Stars and Stripes in his arms, Joshua Burns was thinking of the American troops who gave their lives in combat over the years on distant battlefields around the world. I try to remember them and pray for the families that have lost soldiers, said Burns, 14. Almost all of my family has been in the military so this means a lot to me. Burns and other Boy Scouts from Troop 925 in Katy played an important role in a solemn ceremony Thursday night behind the Elks Lodge along Katy Ford Bend Road near Interstate 10. The local American Legion post officially retired more than 600 U.S. flags deemed unserviceable for use. Most were faded and bleached by daily exposure to the blistering Texas sun or tattered by the high winds. They ranged in size from tiny flags on sticks handed out by politicians to the giant American ensigns popular with highway car dealerships. The flags, collected about three times a year, were stacked on folding tables and stuffed inside several garbage bags. U.S. code says flags in such condition should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. For about 45 minutes, Burns and other Boy Scouts fed the faded flags into several burning oil drums set up behind the Elks Lodge. The flames sent clouds of black smoke curling into the evening sky. Were dedicating the flags by respectfully burning them and paying our respects to a flag that can no longer serve. I try to give the flag as much respect as I can, said Burns, who attends George Ranch High School in Richmond. The American Legion will mark its centennial anniversary in 2019 and flag retirement ceremonies have been an important part of the organizations charter for much of its history, said Harry Woodstrom, with Post 164 in Katy. The intent is not so much to dispose of it but to honor it, said Woodstrom. Honoring by burning has been with us for centuries. We connect burning with honoring so much that we even burn our closet friends and relatives by cremation. The older and more experienced Scouts lowered the flags into the burning oil drums with practiced ease while some younger ones, seemingly spooked by the flames, tossed in the flags and immediately retreated to safety. This is my second time doing this with the Elks Lodge but Ive done it multiple times, said Burns. Watching the ritual was Chuck Tortorich from Fulshear. One of the faded American flags on the table had been flying in front of his house for several years and ripped to shreds by past violent storms rolling through the area. His intention had been merely to drop off the flag but Tortorich and his wife remained for the ceremony and an earlier presentation inside the Elks Lodge about Americas flag history. I had been looking for a way to properly dispose of it. I didnt want to just put the flash in the trash, Tortorich said. I read about this in the Chronicle and thought it was ideal. He thought the ceremony itself was very interesting but admitted that he was startled at first after learning that burning is the proper way to dispose of an unserviceable American flag. You see all those protest in other countries where they are burning the flag. It seems a little strange, Tortorich said. The Boy Scouts are among a couple of organizations given official authority to conduct such flag retirement ceremonies. Sean Montano, Scout Master of Troop 925, said they usually hold similar ceremonies, though on a smaller scale, about four times a year. Its very important for them (the Scouts) to see what the flag means. This is something special for them, said Montano. The boys are ready to learn and theyre eager to learn. They want to become good citizens. They take the things we tell them to heart. Woodstrom said the care shown by the Boy Scouts at the flag-burning ceremony gave him hope for the future. I see people that are still dedicated to the principals of our country. I see youngsters learning from their parents and others about the right way to treat a flag and how to show respect for your country, Woodstrom said. Theyre going to be able to take care of themselves and take care of our country. mike.glenn@chron.com Sugar Land Assistant City Manager Doug Brinkley promoted Assistant Police Chief Eric Robins to the position of police chief, effective June 11. During the past several years, weve focused on developing leaders within our department, said Brinkley. Throughout this rigorous and extensive selection process, Eric excelled at demonstrating leadership, strategic foresight and a visionary approach to building on the recent achievements of our department and charting a path for future sustained success. A native Houstonian who has spent almost his entire career with SLPD, Robins most recent assignment as assistant chief included direct supervision and leadership of patrol, criminal investigations, traffic, special impact teams, crime analysis, SWAT and crime scene investigations. His accomplishments have included strategies and programs that directly contributed to Sugar Land achieving a crime rate for 2017 that was the lowest on record after hitting a 20-year low in 2016. Industry experts recently credited SLPD as one of the best run agencies theyve evaluated in the nation. Robins has implemented initiatives to increase police visibility and expand crime analysis to identify resources necessary to address criminal trends. He also managed and created special enforcement teams to target and handle specific high-crime patterns throughout the city, efforts that directly contributed to an historic low crime rate. Robins led technology initiatives such as red light cameras that have resulted in a 58 percent reduction of accidents at targeted intersections and a network of license plate recognition cameras that resulted in the arrests of more than nine criminals so far this year. Under his leadership, SLPD received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. The review and certification of the departments policies and procedures, management, operations and support services is considered one of the highest law enforcement recognitions. Robins joined SLPD in 1992 as a patrol officer and since served as a detective, sergeant, lieutenant and captain prior to his promotion to assistant chief in 2010. During that time, he has provided leadership for every division in the police department. He served as correctional officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice from 1989 to 1991. Robins earned a bachelors degree in criminal justice from the University of Houston-Downtown and a masters degree in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University. He is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police and the FBI National Academy. He is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and the Texas Police Chiefs Association. 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. The Houston Police Department is planning to send volunteers on patrol with officers to serve as translators between police and foreign language speakers, Chief Art Acevedo announced Monday. The department is seeking people who speak Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic, Urdu or Hindi and Korean for the program, which Acevedo described as the epitome of relational policing. "We want to make sure that when people need services of the Houston Police Department, when people are victims of crime and they need the services of the police department, when people are the witnesses of a crime ... and want to stand up for their neighbor, for a stranger, for a friend, for a family member, we want to make sure we get the information right and we want to make sure they feel comfortable speaking to us," Acevedo said. NEW POLICY: Houston police focus on choking in prevention of domestic violence homicides The program, called Communicators on Patrol, will allow volunteers to go on ride-alongs with officers and help with policing, including issuing traffic tickets, reporting crimes, and assisting assault and domestic abuse crime victims, according to the police department. In some situations, translators can be helpful in deescalating or preventing misunderstandings, Acevedo said. Interested volunteers have to be bilingual, over 18 and a legal resident or U.S. citizen. Training by police and a passed criminal background check is also required. Thirty people have already made it through the training process, Acevedo said. Nine of those are students at University of Houston-Downtown, who are using the experience as an internship credit. Volunteers could possibly be asked to testify in court if the need arises, according to the police department. Ronald Restrepo, a criminal justice student at UH-Downtown, said he feels the program will be helpful considering Houston's diverse makeup. Restrepo has personally had to translate for several family members who don't speak English, and said he thinks others will appreciate receiving that sort of service when communicating with police. "Im pretty sure a lot of people go through the same thing and I think this program will be a great asset for people to take advantage of," Restrepo said. Estimates show that about 48 percent of Houston residents who are older than 5 speak a language other than English at home, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The census data does not specify how many of those people are bilingual. Anyone interested in the program should call HPD's the Office of Public Affairs and request to speak to Officer Rafael Pantoja or Officer Muzaffar Siddiqi at 713-308-3200. For the Class of 2018, Fort Bend ISDs commencement ceremonies marked the end of a tough year of historic proportions for many graduating seniors. From Hurricane Harvey to the recent Sante Fe High School shootings, it was a year that revealed itself to be a Pandoras box of chaotic and uncertain times. Flood waters claimed houses in many parts of Fort Bend County, leaving hundreds of families and students without a home for a time. Valedictorians speeches mirrored the complexity and confusion and shined a light on these inspiring teens who somehow managed to overcome tremendous obstacles. We, the Y2Kers, are a resilient group, Sharon Zachariah, valedictorian at Hightower High School said in her commencement speech. We were born in a year when it was feared the world would end. We grew up alongside smarter phones and virtual reality and are eternally being reminded of issues plaguing our society, she said. Fort Bend ISD is recognized as one of the most diverse school districts in the state and like many Fort Bend ISD students, Zachariah is the daughter of immigrants. During her speech, she described how her parents came to the U.S. with only a briefcase and later put themselves through college while raising three small children. Youve done things which I never could, Zachariah said of her mom and dad. Respect for their parents and an appreciation for hard work was a theme echoed in several graduation speeches. Like many of us today, I am a first-generation college student who could not have achieved the things I did without my wonderful and powerful family, Bush High School valedictorian Benjamin Ma said and described being both excited and terrified about moving 3,000 miles away to study at Brown University. Remember that starting now, there is no hand-holding, he advised classmates. Work on yourself always, because no one in life will help you unless you decide to help yourself first. Elkins High School valedictorian Bryanna Godfrey, another future Ivy-Leager who plans to study cognitive science and neuroscience at Stanford University, also expressed gratitude and love for her family. I think of my own parents who moved here from Nigeria with the view of working and experiencing a better life for their future and their family, Godfrey said. And, I think of my mom who always hugged me and told me to do whatever made me happy, because happiness is quality many seek but are unable to find. I hope everyone can thank their parents for all they have done for them. Austin High School Valedictorian Rishabh Parekh also praised his parents. As immigrants, you both sacrificed a comfortable life in India and worked relentlessly to make sure my younger brother and I could live the American dream, he said. Parekh, who plans to study electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, emphasized the importance of resilience and not giving up. Let me tell you what is scarier than failure: regret, he said. If life shuts a door, you open that door again. Thats how doors work. Marshall High School valedictorian Yasmin Lathan elicited cheers when she talked about her decision to join the U.S. Navy. Her speech also echoed themes of resilience and perseverance. Embrace the cards you are dealt, she said. But, reactions were mixed to valedictorian Faiz Hiranis valedictorian address when he decided to test the limits of free speech. The son of immigrants, Hirani opened by praising his mom and dad for their hard work and sacrifice. My parents, like many here today supporting their children, were immigrants that came to this county looking to achieve a better life, not so much for themselves but for our wellbeing. They arrived in the county not knowing what to expect or how to achieve the dreams they had laid out in front of them, Hirani said and went on to talk about his high school experiences before being interrupted by school officials who asked him to sit down while students and many in the crowd chanted Let him talk!. During his speech, Hirani used the word badass when talking about a high school memory. According to Fort Bend ISD policy, students are not allowed to use what is considered vulgar or offensive language during student speeches. Syed Usmani, valedictorian for Travis High School, took a more minimal approach, summing up the importance of hard work in one simple sentence: To be successful at anything, we have to grind. Bridget Robles, valedictorian at Willowridge High School, talked candidly about struggling to overcome anxiety and fear caused by issues such as hate crimes, social injustice and the devastating reality of deportation during her senior year. It became difficult to not wonder if the next shooting would occur at our school or if I would come home to the news that my parents had been taken from me. It is a fear that suffocates you. Therefore, we need change, she said. Willowridge students were tested beyond what most Fort Bend ISD students experienced when their high school was closed for months for repairs after Hurricane Harvey and students were sent to Marshall High School to attend classes alongside students they formerly considered rivals. Robles and other Willowridge students seemed to gained strength and a new group identity from overcoming the challenges of the last year. Despite the fact we are an underestimated high school, and one filled with marginalized minorities, we have proven we are as accomplished as anyone else to accomplish our dreams, Robles said, drawing a smile from superintendent Charles Dupre himself and rousing applause from the thousands of parents, friends and family members attending the graduation ceremony. Graduation ceremonies for the Fort Bend ISD Class of 2018 were held at the Smart Financial Center on Thursday, May 31. knix@hcnonline.com Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has announced its support for Ethiopian government as it signed with the national bank of the African country an agreement for the allocation of a $3 billion aid to support economic policies and facilitate investment for Emirati companies in Ethiopia. The announcement came following the signing on Friday of terms of the funding between Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, director general of ADFD, and Teklewold Atnafu, governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa, Arabia Business reports. The aid package is set to meet two targets. $1 billion of the package will be used to bolster the countrys fiscal and monetary policy, as well as to enhance the liquidity and foreign exchange reserves of its central bank, Emirati media notes. The remaining amount, nearly $2 billion, will spur Ethiopias economy and promote joint investment. The signing took place under supervision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad Ali. I was pleased today to arrive in Addis Ababa, a city of history, civilisation and cultural diversity, tweeted Sheikh Mohammed. I am even more delighted to enhance ties of friendship and cooperation between our countries. Ethiopia is one of Africas leading fastest growing economies. Since assuming office in April, Prime Minister Ali has embarked on international charm tour to attract foreign investment and open his country to more foreign capital. The country is in need of foreign currency reserves to cover large spendings on infrastructure projects, analysts note. A Texas prison warden was demoted and transferred this month even as officials announced plans to boost officer training, review disciplinary policies and explicitly ban the sort of quota system that sparked a statewide audit. The move comes weeks after Texas Department of Criminal Justice officials tossed more than 500 disciplinary cases and demoted several ranking officials amid an investigation that revealed quotas in four of the state's facilities, where officers were ordered to write-up inmates or in some cases face disciplinary action themselves. "I'm glad to see something good is coming from what I believe was a reprehensible action," said Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston. "Not only in this process do the inmates have to be held accountable but also the corrections officers." At the same time, the prison system is also grappling with the fallout from allegations that officers planted evidence in an inmate's cell, a charge that sparked a separate investigation and resulted in the firing of four officers and the resignation of a fifth - all at the Ramsey Unit, the same Brazoria County lock-up where the quota system first came to light. READ MORE: 4 Texas prison guards fired, major resigns after allegedly planting evidence in inmates cell Now, Warden Virgil McMullen - who oversaw the facility in Rosharon - has been demoted and moved to the Johnston Unit, more than 200 miles away in northeast Texas. He's already been replaced, but prison officials didn't immediately clarify who the unit's new warden is. Texas prisons are also moving ahead with efforts to reform the disciplinary system and prevent similar incidents in the future. "The agency is reviewing all disciplinary training and considering new statewide training for all those involved in the disciplinary process," prison spokesman Jeremy Desel said. "The agency is also working to make changes to policy to include explicit language that forbids any type of quota system or mandated case writing activity. This will make it crystal clear to all that nothing even resembling mandated disciplinary activity will be tolerated." The problems all started earlier this year when the Chronicle obtained leaked copies of an email from Capt. Reginald Gilbert, who ordered officers to write up prisoners or face disciplinary consequences themselves. "Effective March 10, 2018, each Sergeant will be required to turn in at least two (2) cases written by officers for a Level 2 Code 35 'Unauthorized Storage of Property,'" he wrote. "Two each day is my requirement. Remember this is to be done each workday without exception." A couple hours later, then-Major Juan Jackson responded, noting that the "below instructions will help greatly in fighting a gig," which is slang for an audit. The quota system was abandoned in a matter of weeks, as announced in an email Gilbert sent at McMullen's behest. After receiving an anonymous copy of the messages, the Chronicle put in a records request on April 21. Four days later, McMullen fired off an email to ranking officials at the unit. HOPE BEHIND BARS: Texas prison choir keys in on redemption "This email is to reiterate the email I had Capt. Gilbert send out on April 6, 2018. We DO NOT and WILL NOT have case quotas on Ramsey Unit," he wrote. "Make sure any and all previous emails regarding case quotas are not being followed. We will follow agency policy." Once the Chronicle reported on it, the quota system sparked a statewide audit, which found similar short-lived systems in place at three other units: Lychner State Jail in Harris County, Travis County State Jail in Austin, and the McConnell Unit in Bee County. As a result, more than 500 inmate disciplinary cases were tossed out and a number of ranking officers demoted. After hearing of the quota system, an inmate's mother wrote to the Office of the Inspector General, claiming her son had been set up by prison guards at the facility in Rosharon. OIG probed the allegation, and found it credible, though Desel described it as an "isolated incident." The officers involved could still face criminal charges, officials said. Even as authorities continue probing the evidence-planting allegations, prison officials are taking a closer look at the inmate disciplinary process. Aside from increasing training and looking again at department policies, TDCJ leadership is also examining the system for defending inmates accused of disciplinary infractions. "In the current system there are individuals who operate as counsel substitutes, essentially counsel for the offenders accused in disciplinary cases, they formerly reported to unit wardens," Desel said. "Now those individuals will receive enhanced training and report to the Division of Administrative Review and Risk Management which will increase the independence of these positions and allow them to potentially see any unusual trends." For advocates, the possible changes bode well moving forward. "It's very encouraging," said Jennifer Erschabek of the Texas Inmate Families Association. Doug Smith, a policy analyst with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, hoped the changes could improve prison safety. "When you do mass punishment like that, you put people in danger because it invites retaliation," he said. "I'm thrilled that this reporting has uncovered some dangerous and ineffective policies and I'm thrilled that people are going to be treated justly and fairly because that's how you foster rehabilitation." They marched through ankle-deep puddles, holding signs that half-disintegrated in a Houston downpour: Families Belong Together / Familias Unidas No Dividas. About 200 people gathered east of downtown Sunday for a vigil for separated families organized by state Sen. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat, and the immigration advocacy group FIEL Houston. As rain snuffed out prayer candles, the vigil became a protest outside a vacant warehouse slated to house more than 240 children, many who may have been separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. Outrage over the separation of immigrant families at the border mounted this weekend, with some of it - including Sundays protest - focused on the plans to turn this former-warehouse-turned-homeless-shelter into a residential facility housing small children. Garcia, who represents much of the majority-Hispanic East Side near the proposed facility, has likened it to a baby jail. AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Trump adviser says 'nobody likes' family separation policy She and several other elected officials, most of them Democrats, turned out Sunday to speak to the crowd, including state representatives Carol Alvarado, Armando Walle and Gene Wu. State Rep. Ana Hernandez fought back tears as she told the crowd that families belong together. This is a very personal issue for me, Hernandez said. Im an immigrant; my parents came here as immigrants, and we lived in undocumented status for eight years. I know what these families are going through. Serving tender age kids More than 2,000 children have been removed from their parents since the government in April announced its new zero tolerance strategy to criminally prosecute all illegal border crossers, including parents. By law, minors cannot be held in prison and are transferred to the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement. But the government is running out of space to hold them all. It has opened a facility in Tornillo, a town on the Texas border, to house hundreds of children in tent-like structures. Southwest Key Programs, a Texas nonprofit with a lucrative contract to detain so-called unaccompanied minors, confirmed last week that it leased a privately-owned property at 419 Emancipation Ave. and is seeking state childcare licensing to hold 240 children between the ages of 0 to 17. Several stakeholders who work with immigrant minors said they have been told the facility would largely serve tender age children who are younger than 12, as well as pregnant and nursing teenagers. Cindy Casares, a spokeswoman for Southwest Key, said the group, which is paid more than $400 million to care for thousands of immigrant children, has been operating such shelters for two decades. Over the years, we have housed many children under the age of 4 who were sent by (the federal government) to stay in our shelters without a parent, family member or guardian, she said in a statement. While they stayed with us, we did the same thing we do for every child in our care. We worked to reunify them with family or sponsor as quickly as is safely possible. Fulfilling a new need But advocates who work with such immigrant children said the facility in Houston would be different in several key aspects, if the state approves its license. Until the administrations recent crackdown, most immigrant children in the federal governments care came here alone to find relatives and were usually between the ages of 10 and 17. Most were quickly released to family or other sponsors already in the country. Under the new strategy, children as young as 18 months who arrive with their parents have been forced into government custody while the adults serve brief sentences for the misdemeanor crime of illegal entry before going to immigrant detention centers. In some cases, they are deported without their children. Advocates say the shelter in Houston would be the first to possibly provide longer-term care for such very young children. Previously, most small children came with their parents and were held with them or released together to fight their deportation cases. The small percentage of children under 10 who were deemed unaccompanied were briefly held in government residential care before usually being placed with foster parents contracting with federal agencies. But the sheer number of such young children in recent weeks has been overwhelming, and agencies across the country have put out emergency calls for more such foster parents. In the meantime, the children need a place to go. Michelle Brane, director of the migrant rights program at the Womens Refugee Commission, a national advocacy group, said Southwest Key is correctly anticipating that it is going to have greater numbers of very small children who will need to stay in government facilities for much longer. They are going to have these kids for longer periods of time because who are they going to reunify them with, she said. (The government) is going to have to track the parent, figure out where the parent is, parents are going to be deported really quickly and they are going to be stuck with these very young kids. Politicians sound off Diana Espitia of Houston brought her 17-year-old daughter, Viviana Collymore, to march at Sundays vigil. She said they volunteered a couple of years ago at a shelter for immigrants in the Rio Grande Valley. We have seen firsthand what it is to see a family come across the border tired, afraid, Espitia said. And the only thing that kept those families alive and hopeful is the fact that they were together. To think that now theyre being separated? Im a mother. I cant imagine my daughter being taken from me, even at 17. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner did not attend Sundays vigil, but he slammed the governments policy and the planned shelter, calling it not the right moral accomplishment. We cannot separate children from their parents or use the children as pawns in order to influence the actions of these parents or any future parents, he told reporters this weekend. He likened his stance to his views on the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School. Ive drawn the line when people out here have been shooting or injuring other kids, he said. The same thing for me when it comes to separating children from their moms, from their dads. And look, this is Fathers Day weekend, and we are having this conversation. President Donald Trump has sought to cast blame for his policy on Democrats, tweeting again on Saturday that his administrations separation policy is their fault. Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans for a change, he wrote. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Immigrant childrens shelter considered for downtown Houston In reality, there is no law requiring the separation of families. Previously, U.S. attorneys used discretion in whom to prosecute for the misdemeanor crime of illegal entry, and they typically did not charge parents who came with children and had no other criminal history. The Justice Department has said is no longer exempting parents from prosecution and that the strategy is necessary to deter more from coming here illegally. God is watching Law enforcement leaders in Houston, including Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, joined in condemning the practice. Gonzalez said Sunday that children should not be kept in immigration detention centers and that the current situation highlights Congress failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Separating families harms children, Gonzalez said. To me, its an affront to our American values. Police Chief Art Acevedo posted several tweets over the weekend blasting the separations. 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 cant hide from him. St. John Barned-Smith contributed to this report. Lomi.Kriel@chron.com twitter.com/lomikriel Vicky Nguyen left Saigon in 1979 and forged a life for herself in Houstons tight-knit Vietnamese community. She raised four children here and on Sunday her only concern was that the United States compel the communist government to return her son safe and sound. I need to hold him and hug him, she said of 32-year-old William Nguyen, who was detained June 10 during an economic protest in Vietnam. William, born and raised in Houston, was beaten and dragged away by plainclothes police June 10 in Ho Chi Minh City during the protest. For five days, his friends and family had no clue as to his whereabouts or condition, knowing only that he was beaten and suffered a head wound. Only Friday, with pressure applied by U.S. officials, did the family get word William was OK, but still in police custody. Via social media, Nguyens family and friends continue pressing for information and his release over the weekend, citing the need to keep a focus on his arrest to spur the Vietnamese government to act. Two days is a lot when you are sitting in jail after being dragged and beaten, Nguyens sister, Victoria Nguyen, said from Washington where she is staying in contact with lawmakers. Video circulating the globe of Williams beating terrified his mother, she said. I dont want to watch it again, Vicky Nguyen said. U.S. officials on Sunday were unavailable for comment. State Department officials last week at the American embassy in Hanoi confirmed an American was detained during the protests, but offered no further comment to the AP, citing privacy concerns. William Nguyen was in Vietnam visiting before a planned return to Singapore, where he was set to graduate with a masters degree in public policy from the National Universitys Lee Kuan Yew School, where he was class president and attended on a full scholarship. Nguyen was a 2008 graduate of Yale University, where he majored in southeast Asian studies. Nguyen traveled extensively in southeast Asia and was coincidentally in Vietnam when the demonstrations took place. Protesters were spurred by a government proposal for special economic zones, which critics fear favor Chinese investors. In taking to the streets, protestors took the unusual step of directly confronting the strict government, which has had a stranglehold since communists took power following the pullout of all American military troops in 1975. On Twitter, Nguyen documented some of the early parts of the protest as it moved southbound on Nguyen Van Troi, one of the citys major streets, named for the Viet Cong guerrilla who tried to assassinate U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara in 1964. This is #democracy in #Vietnam, Nguyen wrote as a caption to one social media post showing a throng of marchers headed down the street. In another, he said security forces were walking with the demonstrators, saying they relented to having the march proceed past police roadblocks. Nguyens last post shows a line of riot-gear-clad police in front of the demonstrators. He was not naive about the significance of a protest in Vietnam, his sister said. He knows exactly how this works and he knew the risks going in, Victoria Nguyen said, calling the beating and detention a great injustice against anyones right to peaceably protest. He had full intentions to be nonviolent, I know my brother, she said. Whatever you are doing, you dont deserve to be beaten and held by four men and dragged. Congressional call to action With help from members of Congress and their communication with the State Department and Vietnamese officials, they learned Nguyen was still scraped up and in police custody, but was not yet charged with a crime. Some translations of Vietnamese indicated he was charged with disturbing public order, though Victoria Nguyen said U.S. clarified he was being held but was not charged. In the Vietnamese press reports, which emanate from government-controlled media, officials said he came to Vietnam on June 9 via a tourist visa. The government also noted his use of social media to document the protest. As marchers moved down the street and toward a police barricade, Nguyen called the people to break the fence, according to Vietnamese media. Friends, family and observers called the accusation mere propaganda. Nguyen would have limited access to American embassy staff as the investigation proceeds. During this investigation phase, he is not allowed to have an attorney and no calls, said Victoria Nguyen, noting the secretive way Vietnams government handles criminal matters. American lawmakers forcefully denounced Nguyens detention during what his family and friends called a peaceful protest. William must be released and he must be released immediately, California Democratic Reps. Alan Lowenthal, Jimmy Gomez and Lou Correa said in a statement Friday. Our expectation is that the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam and the U.S. government do whatever it can at the highest levels to obtain this release. Victoria Nguyen said Houston Reps. John Culberson and Al Green or their staff have also assisted in gathering information on his whereabouts. Just release him Affinity for Vietnam runs deep in the refugee community, even as they bristle at the governments actions. Growing up, all the Vietnamese I ever knew were refugees, Victoria Nguyen said. Everybody has this underlying fear of the government and what they do. Still, Victoria Nguyen, her three siblings and extended family remain intensely proud of their heritage, she said. All of our first language was Vietnamese, she said. Our culture, our base is Vietnamese. William also kept deep ties to Houston, where much of his extended family remained, Victoria said. He graduated from Lamar Consolidated High School and kept in close contact with friends and cousins, some spread across the U.S. While the first generation of refugees could recall the fear and uncertainty of Vietnams civil war, Victoria Nguyen said their children grew up respecting the culture and aware but not afraid of the regime. That led William to study southeast Asia and want to see solutions to some of the problems. As a family, we are very proud to be Vietnamese, we worked hard and established ourselves, Victoria Nguyen said. I feel like every first generation goes through something like that and tell their kids They have a fear and we are probably the most rebels. Houstons Vietnamese community is watching both the protests and William Nguyens treatment closely, many said. That is so wrong what they are doing to him, said Pia Linda Van Tho, who moved to Houston in 1975 and has been active in the local community. Van Tho, whose mother was a South Vietnam senator before the communists took power, said its important to condemn the economic zones. You are going to lose the culture and the whole tradition, Van Tho said, noting that the Chinese investment will strip the zones of their own identity. Locally, members of the Vietnamese community protested last Wednesday to show solidarity with the opponents of the economic zones. Still, Van Tho said she recognizes she can do that because she is standing in America. They have a lot of courage to stand up, she said of the Vietnamese protests. For Vicky Nguyen, the past few days have started the same. She wakes up and jumps online. She talks to her daughter and other relatives. Friends and family pop in to make sure she is doing well. The geopolitics and the fomenting of democracy only flit through her thoughts, she said. At this point, she said Sunday she cant answer if shes proud of her son for being there. Maybe shell be proud of him as she always has been once hes in her arms, she said. I want to see him in person, thats all I think about, Nguyen said. I just concentrate on how to get him home Right now I am so scared. I dont need anything else. Just release him. dug.begley@chron.com twitter.com/DugBegley With $2.5 billion, you could run each of Houston ISDs 284 schools for a year, cover the Astros payroll and still have enough left over to buy the River Oaks mansion of your choice. Or you could undertake the largest concentrated flood control effort across Harris County in decades. That is how much Harris County Commissioners Court decided last week to put before voters on Aug. 25, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harveys landfall and subsequent deluge of southeast Texas, in a bid to harden the area against similar, or worse, flooding in the future. And county officials are asking residents how to spend that money. Through at least two-dozen public meetings across the countys watersheds, County Judge Ed Emmett said residents have a crucial role to play as they provide feedback for the projects they think most will benefit their neighborhoods. BUILD, FLOOD, REBUILD: Flood insurance's expensive cycle As that comes in, Flood Control can make adjustments, Emmett said. You could have some projects just completely dropped. You could have some projects added we hadnt thought about. The bond vote is an all-or-nothing gamble by Commissioners Court, whose members hope residents will commit to strengthening flood infrastructure after Harvey flooded 11 percent of the countys housing stock this past August. If the bond passes, Harris County will have access to as much as $2.5 billion to make, over the next 10 to 15 years, the largest local investment in flood infrasctructure in the countys history. If the bond fails, engineers will be limited to the flood control districts annual operations and capital budgets, which total a paltry $120 million in comparison. Harris County Flood Control District This is the most important local vote I can remember in my lifetime, Emmett said. We either step up as a community and say we are going to address flooding and make our community resilient, or we kind of drib and drabble on, and it wouldnt end well for anyone. A preliminary list of projects includes $919 million for channel improvements, $386 million for detention basins, $220 million for floodplain land acquisition, $12.5 million for new floodplain mapping and $1.25 million for an improved early flood warning system. Also included is $184 million, coupled with $552 million in outside funding, to purchase around 3,600 buildings in the floodplain - more than the flood control districts buyout program has bought in its entire 33-year history. Upcoming community flood bond meetings Halls Bayou - June 20, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., North East Harris County Community Center Hunting Bayou - June 23, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Kashmere Multi-Service Center Jackson Bayou - June 25, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Crosby Community Center Spring Creek - June 27, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Big Stone Lodge at Dennis Johnston Park Spring Gully/Goose Creek - June 28, Baytown Community Center See More Collapse The draft list includes $430 million nearly a fifth of the total for contingency funding and opportunities identified through public input. Matt Zeve, the director of operations for the Harris County Flood Control District, said that is where projects submitted by residents and given the green light can be funded. As we get new projects and the flood control district determines they are feasible, we add them to the proposed bond program and the contingency is reduced, Zeve said. DEVELOPING STORM: Officials patched and prayed while pressure built on Houston's dams The bond would not finance the construction of a third reservoir in west Houston, but does include $750,000 to study, with the Army Corps of Engineers, whether another reservoir is necessary. Other line items call for de-silting channels that lead into Addicks and Barker reservoirs, or possibly providing funding to the Army Corps to remove silt and vegetation from the reservoirs. Addicks and Barker are managed by the Army Corps, not Harris County, leaving any decisions about the future of those basins in the hands of the federal government. The flood control district plans to work through the summer on the list of projects the bond would fund, and Emmett has pledged to publish a complete list by the time early voting begins in August. Until then, Emmett said plans may continue to change based on input from residents. The county held just two public meetings before Commissioners Court set the bond amount this past Tuesday, which prevents the flood control district from proposing bond projects in excess of $2.5 billion. Emmett said scheduling the meetings earlier would not have made sense because the county had yet to determine what state or federal dollars may be available to help fund some of the bond projects. We just werent ready, he said. Until it came time for us to put a bond out there, we didnt have anything to talk about. Here are some of the major projects in each of the countys 23 watersheds.Many, especially proposed buyouts, include additional outside funding. Addicks Reservoir $9.4 million for a stormwater detention basin on South Mayde Creek near the Grand Parkway $30 million to rehabilitate channels upstream of Addicks Reservoir $25 million to reduce flooding along Bear Creek Armand Bayou $2.5 million for improvements along Horsepen Bayou $3.75 million for channel improvements $3.75 million to build the Red Bluff regional stormwater detention basin $1.5 million for 30 buyouts Barker Reservoir $30 million to rehabilitate 20 miles of upstream channels $8.3 million for Barker subdivision drainage improvements $10 million to rehabilitate channels inside Barker Reservoir Brays Bayou $32.5 million for Keegans Bayou improvements $2.9 million for 40 buyouts $30.5 million for improvements along the Fondren diversion channel Buffalo Bayou $10 million to improve stormwater detention volume $30 million to impove local drainage issues $4 million for Spring Branch Creek stabilization Carpenters Bayou $140,000 for drainage improvements $12,000 for 16 repair projects Cedar Bayou $74 million for channel improvements and a detention basin upstream of FM 1960 $33 million for channel improvements along Magee Gully $23 million for channel improvements along Adlong Ditch Clear Creek $9.7 million for 170 home buyouts $7.4 million for a Dagg Road detention basin $6.1 million for Hughes Stormwater detention basin Cypress Creek $100 million to buy land along creek to preserve channel or restore floodplains $46.8 million for 450 buyouts $25 million for detention basins in buyout area Goose Creek $25 million for channel improvements to Spring Gully $540,000 for Goose Creek/Spring Gully subdivision drainage improvements Greens Bayou $28.4 million for Greens Bayou subdivision drainage improvements $24.5 million for 810 buyouts $2 million for channel improvements Halls Bayou $34.4 million for 830 buyouts $4 million for Aldine Westfield detention basin $11.7 million for channel improvements Hunting Bayou $2.9 million for 90 buyouts $10 million for Wallisville Outfall $10 million for Army Corps partnership project Jackson Bayou $10 million for watershed drainage improvements $750,000 for Jackson Bayou subdivision drainage improvements Little Cypress Creek $111.8 million for additional creek volume and stormwater detention basins $30 million for Little Cypress Creek frontier program $2.4 million for 30 buyouts Luce Bayou $10 million for watershed trainage improvements $10 million to purchase land to restore natural floodplains San Jacinto River $28.2 million for 470 buyouts $25 million for drainage improvements of West Fork watershed $15 million for drainage improvements of East Fork watershed Sims Bayou $12.5 million for detention basin and channel improvements $15 million in additional channel improvements $4.5 million for South Post Oak detention basin and channel improvements Spring Creek $250,000 for drainage improvements $75,000 for several buyouts Vince Bayou $5 million for watershed drainage improvements $100,000 for several buyouts White Oak Bayou $30 million for White Oak channel improvements $35 million for Brickhouse Gully channel improvements $29.8 million for 660 buyouts Willow Creek $30 million to purchase land for floodplain restoration $21 million for channel improvements $525,000 for 10 buyouts zach.despart@chron.com twitter.com/zachdespart Selahattin Demirtas of the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) in a video clip recorded from prison and aired on TRT addressed supporters for the first time since his arrest for terror-related charges. Demirtas has been in jail pending trial since November 2016 on security charges. He could face a sentence of up to 142 years if convicted, Reuters reports. In the video recorded from his prison cell in the northwestern city of Edirne, Demirtas, the pro-Kurdish opposition leader, told supporters that he was victim of slander campaign by ruling AKP party of President Tayyip Erdogan. The only reason I am still here is that the AKP is scared of me. They think tying my hands here and going from square to square spreading accusations about me is being courageous, he said. They are openly violating the constitution by declaring me guilty even though there is no conviction ruling against me. they are trying to direct the public by misinforming them, he said. The video clip aired on state-controlled TRT is the second recorded by Demirtas as part of the campaign process ahead of June 24 presidential polls. The elections law allows candidates to address wherever they are the nation and present their agenda. The address was screened in Turkeys second city Istanbul where the HDP supporters gathered to watch their leader. Demirtas announced his liberation if the judiciary stays true to law. You should have no doubt that I will be acquitted in front of the law as soon as possible. So long as the judicial authorities follow the superiority of the law and not the governments expectations, Demirtas told his supporters. President Erdogan who is predicted to win the coming polls will also face Muharrem Ince from the Republican Peoples Party (CHP). With $2.5 billion, you could run each of Houston ISDs 284 schools for a year, cover the Astros payroll and still have enough left over to buy the River Oaks mansion of your choice. Or you could undertake the largest concentrated flood control effort across Harris County in decades. As he strokes the keys, Maurice Castillo remembers. E-flat. The fire. B-flat. The gang, the drugs. A G-chord. The murder charge. The 28-year-old prisoner pecks out his redemption in a major key, with the confidence of a man whos been reborn. This is what it took for God to get my attention, he tells the congregation, his prison whites pristine under the bright light of the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church. But I give God all the honor and the glory because my pain is gone. The Fathers Day crowd is small in this Sunnyside house of worship, where 10 Texas prisoners are sharing their testimonials and songs during a rare venture into the outside world. The men - all from the Jester III and Vance units in Richmond - are giving up the chance to see their own children during the day's visitation in exchange for a shot at sharing their tales of missteps and second chances. They set off a cappella, hesitant at first. Then starts the toe-tapping and cautious clapping. They turn toward each other at the microphones. The keyboard chimes in. A man closes his eyes and looks to the heavens, savoring this fleeting moment of freedom outside the walls of a Texas prison. They go from gospel to rap, spitting original rhymes between soulful classics. The crowd sings, sways to the music - but its Castillos story that steals the show. **** There was gangs all around where I grew up at, Castillo began. By 17, the Spring Branch native had been locked up twice. I was selling drugs. I was selling crack. I was selling cocaine, he said. I was in the streets. And then things got worse. His first child, a 16-month-old boy, died in a day care fire in 2011. It was a highly publicized case, where four children were killed and three others injured after home day care operator Jessica Tata left the kids unsupervised to go shopping. A pot of hot oil left on the stove caught fire and set the building ablaze. Tata was ultimately sentenced to 80 years in prison - but Castillo struggled to pick up his life again. I cursed God, he remembered. I said, Why you let my little boy die? He ran wild, finding trouble wherever it hid. I was talking about being Houstone Tango Blast, he said. That was what I wanted, that was my life. By 22, he faced a murder charge. Even behind bars he stayed in trouble. He kept getting high. He caught a new charge. But as his case moved closer and closer to trial, the possibility of decades in prison started to sink in. And he looked for something else. My spirit was searching, he said. He asked his cellmate, Do you believe in God? He did. Castillo wanted to learn more. So, together, they read the Bible every night, starting with Genesis. Then they added morning readings, and prayer circles. Even with an uncertain future, life was looking up - if only he could beat his case. **** Outside trips to sing at churches were once a tradition for the prison choir. But that fell by the wayside a few years ago. This year, though, the Rev. James Nash called state Sen. John Whitmire with a request. He said hed heard the choir and would love for them to be part of his Fathers Day program here, said Whitmire, a Houston Democrat. When it landed on his desk, John Werner - a regional director with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - was intrigued. Its an opportunity for the public to see the positive in offenders who are about to get a second chance, he said. So Werner sent the request up to Huntsville and got the go-ahead. All the men who came out Sunday are trusty inmates, those given added responsibilities and privileges as they near the end of their sentences. All the choir members are eligible for parole. Most of them will be looking at going home in the next year, Werner said. *** The night before Castillos trial was set to begin in 2013, his newfound faith left him. For the 12 months since his indictment, hed resisted taking a plea deal. This was a crime he didnt do, he said. It was something he wouldnt admit to. But now, he wondered: Was it wise to risk 50 or 60 years in prison? Or should he just sign for a 20-year plea deal at the last minute? He went to sleep racked with worry and dreaming of the worst possible outcomes. Abraham had faith, a voice said in his sleep. And I aint even know who Abraham was, he joked. When he woke up that morning in the Harris County Jail, he started praying as he got dressed. By the time he got to the courthouse, hed decided not to take the deal. Lets go do this, he told his lawyer. But his attorney had a surprise for him: The court had tossed the case. The assault charge hed gotten behind bars was dropped to a misdemeanor, and a judge gave him six years for violating his probation. It felt like a real-life miracle - one that hasnt faded, even from the dull world of a prison cell. Now, instead of looking at decades behind bars, Castillo is set for release next year. On the outside, he wants to go to school for music engineering and start a ministry. **** In our lives we need to hear success stories, Whitmire said. Today Im getting with you to witness a miracle, Gods work, something thats working. The men cheer, and some of the crowd stands up to applaud. A drum in the background emphasizes the senators point. This is what we need in todays world. Theres a lot of hate, a lot of problems, Whitmire continued. I have to get involved every day of my week fixing things. Well, today nothing needs fixing, gentlemen. Nothing needs fixing. keri.blakinger@chron.com twitter.com/keribla 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. Somalia and Ethiopia will jointly invest in four seaports to attract foreign investment to the two countries, an official statement said. The move comes after an official meeting between Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somalias president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in Mogadishu. The two leaders held talks on business, security, peace efforts and integration during Abiys four-hour stay in the city. According to the joint statement, the two leaders pledged to cooperate on everything from the development of infrastructure, including roads linking the two countries, to expanding visa services to promote cultural exchanges. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his country will abolish trade barriers with neighbor Somalia as part of an effort to create a single market in the Horn of Africa region. The leaders laid singular focus on economic growth and bilateral investment to secure a prosperous future for their people, the countries of the Horn of Africa and ultimately the African continent, the statement said. Landlocked Ethiopia, Africas second-most populous nation and its fastest-growing economy, has more than 4,200 troops officially serving as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia In June 2007, Ethiopian soldiers have helped the Somali government to topple the Islamic Courts Union that briefly ruled the capital. I mentioned a couple of lines from Robinson Jefferss poem Shine, Perishing Republicand Daniel Ellsberg took up the recitation: And boys, be in nothing so moderate as in love of man,/ a clever servant, insufferable master./ There is the trap that catches noblest spirits, that caught/they sayGod, when he walked on earth. Ellsberg, thinking of the poems famous opening wordsWhile this America settles in the mould of its vulgarity,/ heavily thickening to empireasked me, What year do you think that poem was written? He meant, it sounds like yesterdaythe vulgarity and the gloomy sense of some national perishing. As he knew, the answer was that it came from the 1920s, from the time of Warren G. Harding, an era perhaps kindred in its corruption to our own. The present always flatters itself that it is uniquely awful. Yes and no: awfulness (vulgarity, stupidity, atrocity, and worse) is probably a constant of human nature, but technologythe perfecting of machine guns, for example, just in time for the Battle of the Somme, or, later, the advent of nuclear weapons, or, in the twenty-first century, the arrival of smartphones and social mediawill radically change the range and scope of the instruments with which human nature expresses itself. We were sitting on an outdoor wooden bench at a writers retreat in upstate New York, in high hills on the northern edge of the Catskills. Ellsberg, whom I had just met, was enjoying an hours procrastination; he had been banging away at his book, published last year as The Doomsday Machine, whose message is even bleaker than Jefferss was. I thought of our conversation when I read a news story recently about scientists discovering opioids in the systems of fish and other creatures in Puget Sound: human corruption infects innocent naturehere was Jefferss theme again. The waters of our addictions return with the tides. The age of opioids (among other contaminations) suggests a look back at the odd Robinson Jeffers, and at what he said in his poemsand at his cranky and ruthless life as a semi-solitary poet living on what was then a wild stretch of the central California coast. Jeffers and his wife and twin boys lived in a house that he built with boulders that he rolled up from the beach. He wrote his semi-savage verseswith their relish of fierce Pacific storms and predatory birds and the impassive cruelty of naturein a stone tower that he built nearby. He described his philosophyhis point of view, anywayas inhumanism, whose central tenet was that humanity, ruling and ruining the earth, is, on the whole, a self-important, self-indulgent pain in the neck. Every prospect pleases, and only man is vile. Jeffers indulged an unwholesome preoccupation with incest and violence, as if to confirm that divinity, disgusted by the human, had invested itself elsewhere. Divinity could be recovered only by a savage clarity of eye and mind. In nineteenth-century paintings of the Hudson River school, nature was grandly dominant, though not savage; human figures, if any, were as tiny and poignant as field mice, lost in the landscapemuch as Ellsberg and I, sitting on a bench, looking at mountains, were, in the scheme of things, miniscule. The world evolves away from nature and humility. Nature does what it can, from time to time, to remind the human race that it has not gone away but, on the contrary, has become even more emphatic in its moods. All this seems pure Jeffers. Meantime, we lose ourselves wandering in the confusing metaphysical optics of social media, of alienated screens and chaotic global information in which the human presence is overwhelming and clamorously self-important and self-assertivepartly in reaction to a buried fear of its own meaninglessness. As for mighty Natureoceans and mountain ranges and other phenomena that were previously augustthey are the Old Majesty deposed, like King Lear on the heath (gone mad with hurricanes and heat waves and floods and forest fires). Having repudiated the kingly Father, we are left with the generations of Goneril and Regan, the horrible daughters. They chatter and tweet the day away and confirm Jefferss fears about the nastiness of the human race. (The sweetest moments on Facebook involve not people but dogs. Dogs, at least, are not political: they give us nature in a domesticated and goofy and instinctively loving manifestation. The more that people take to snarling and biting one another, the more they sentimentalize their dogs.) Jeffers was an inconsistently gifted poet and a crackpot with the courage of his convictions. Toward the end of his career, he paid a price for opposing American participation in World War II and for his outrageous statement that Hitler and Franklin Roosevelt would be hanged from the same tree. His reputation faded; people condemned him, then they forgot him. He is more than half a century dead. There may be time, though, to spare a chastened thought for his inhumanism, which he described as a shifting of emphasis and significance from man to notman; the rejection of human solipsism and [instead] a recognition of the transhuman magnificence. . . . This manner of thought and feeling is neither misanthropic nor pessimistic. . . . It offers a reasonable detachment as a rule of conduct, instead of love, hate and envy . . . it provides magnificence for the religious instinct, and satisfies our need to admire greatness and rejoice in beauty. That was Jefferss benign version of notman. Today a new and different notman is in the offingthe notman that is the universe of robotics and virtual reality and artificial intelligence and biological engineering and the seductions of connectivitynot a rough beast slouching toward Bethlehem, but a smooth one. In Shine, Perishing Republic, Jeffers described man as a clever servant, insufferable master. There could be no more succinct and cautionary description of computers and the new electronic dispensation: A clever and useful servant . . . but beware. Top Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images A pier which was restored with more than 14m of charitable funding has been sold to a local businessman for 50,000, after the charity went into administration. Hastings Pier Charity, a charitable industrial and provident society, went into administration in November last year. It had been given 12.7m of Heritage Lottery Fund money to rebuild the pier, which had been destroyed in a fire, and had raised hundreds of thousands from a community share offer. But it had not been able to raise another 800,000 to run the pier on a sustainable footing. After it went into administration a local group, Friends of Hastings Pier, has been fundraising to obtain enough money to buy and run the pier, and has collected 477,000. But Eastbourne hotelier Sheikh Abid Gulzar has acquired the pier for 50,000, although the administrators said he would need to invest another 1m to make the pier sustainable. According to reports in national newspapers, the sale has not been supported by the local community. We are devastated but we are also furious, James Chang, a spokesman for FOHP, is reported as having said. Why would the administrators mess us about leading us to believe we have time and the chance to buy the pier if we havent? Everyone is very upset. We now have a lot of questions about how this was handled. Adam Stephens of Smith and Williamson, lead administrator, said: The bid we received from Mr Gulzar, and on the recommendation of my agent, was able to best demonstrate the capacity to take the pier forward. Overall, Mr Gulzar demonstrated the best immediate financial capability as well as the operational capacity and experience, including from running Eastbourne Pier. It is anticipated that significant cash for working capital and investment purposes, amounting to over a million pounds, would be required to make the pier sustainable. For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here. Following the end of the holy month of Ramadan, a time when Muslims become more generous than the rest of the year, it will be useful to shed some light on the Muslim charity sector, a sector has grown rapidly over the last 10 years with over 1000 registered charities currently within the UK. From small mosques gathering funds for the local community to large, international NGOs, there are now plenty of credible organisations aimed at providing service to the Muslim donor. With charitable giving considered a hugely important and spiritually rewarding act of worship in Islam, Muslims are often one of the most generous community groups in the UK. The donor dilemma Most of the charities aimed at the Muslim market or operating according to Islamic principles are INGOs, operating overseas and sending UK aid to countries as far afield as Syria, Yemen, or Indonesia. The rising global population combined with continuing political conflict and poor socio-economic conditions mean that millions of people are currently displaced and in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Too many people are still dying across the world from largely preventable causes including malaria, cholera and chronic diarrhoea and dehydration. Poverty and famine continue to ravage populations who have suffered through war and natural disasters. For some Muslim donors living in the West, the philanthropic and religious choice of where to donate their funds is pondered time and time again. A recent push to promote local UK spending to British Muslims has reignited this debate and cast a spotlight on whether Muslim charities are doing enough to honour domestic needs. Home or abroad? Adjacent to the global need lies a very real and credible case for spending of aid within the UK. The number of families within Britain who struggle in poverty is still on the rise. Foodbanks and homelessness are realities for many whose income is below the living wage, are stuck on zero hours contracts or whose benefits have been cut under new measures. Springing up in response to this growing need are organisations aimed at funnelling charitable donations into those parts of the British community who are disadvantaged and in need of support. Islamic principles make a case for donating to the poor and needy within a local community as much as they do for saving and changing the lives of those in need around the world. Because of the growing domestic need, a question has arisen as to whether Muslim INGOs should be doing more to address the needs of the UK community? But is it fair to criticise international charitable giving as ignoring the needs of those living in poverty in the UK? INGOs by their very definition are established to deliver foreign aid to address global humanitarian needs. With long-term and sustainable development programmes such as education and child sponsorship as well as responding to emergency aid crises, many INGOs save millions of lives in their continued fight for a better world for all. Plenty of the large name Muslim charities also work within the UK to deliver food, clothing and shelter to the homeless, elderly or struggling families and children and yet continue to come under fire for supposedly failing local needs. Local expertise for local need The expertise of international charities lies in their strengths to deliver aid through legitimate channels to those in need in remote parts of the world. From a value-for-donation point of view, it can also be said that donating to an international need will reap more reward and have more impact: from as little as a few pounds for vaccination syringes or rehydration tablets, the lives of hundreds of children can be saved from wholly preventable causes. A small sum from a British donor can translate into buying a food pack to feed a family of 5 for over a month and from as little as 1 a day, a child in a developing country can be sponsored to receive food, clothing and access to education. However, to serve the needs at home, it can be argued that local charities are a better fit and INGOs should not feel pressured to respond to domestic causes: instead leaving this to those organisations whose expertise lies in this area. Community groups founded on voluntary involvement, local business and government links can do more to address the needs of those living below the poverty line in the UK. UK Social care legislation also dictates that those in need are supported through correct local channels for monitoring and safeguarding reasons therefore strengthening the need for local organisations to focus and address domestic causes. Equal needs in an equal market Unfortunately for these local charities, the larger named INGOs will usually garner more coverage and attention when vying for the affections of the Muslim donor. Media coverage of international affairs, affiliations with countries of origin and heritage and powerful media and marketing campaigns can often be no match for a smaller NGO. This seemingly unfair advantage can result in unfair pressure to pull back from foreign aid to readdress the balance. The recent campaign on the government proposing to reduce the commitment to 0.7 per cent GDP for foreign aid has also cast spotlight on INGOs - and coincides with a call to the British Muslim market to up their commitment to domestic causes. Whatever the next move of the government to meet SDGs targets, the need for foreign aid does not detract from a local cause. Safeguarding and analysis of how the 0.7 per cent (approx. 13bn) is spent abroad should be the focus of target. The donor therefore continues to find themselves in a dilemma of local versus international need that doesnt need to exist. Local organisations should be able to focus their expertise and unique positions on raising funds and awareness without detracting from the needs of international causes. Charities operating globally should be able to continue to focus their efforts on foreign aid without a pressure to manage domestic causes that local organisations would be a better fit to address. For the Muslim donor, from an Islamic point of view, there is no reason why both causes are not equally valid and therefore both charitable efforts are considered important and equally rewardable. Competition between charities within an increasingly crowded Muslim consumer market does not need to exist, should ethics and intentions be clear. The Muslim donor can continue to be encouraged to give to both causes in accordance with their personal preference, rather than face pressure to choose a need over any other. For surely the life of one in need is equally valid, wherever they may be in the world. AMRA SABIC-EL-RAYESS grew up in Bihac, Yugoslavia, just as nationalist movements across her region unleashed ethnic strife. For years, she suffered as a Muslim whose community was under attack by Serbian forces, all the while working with a local NGO to organize doctors so that children trapped in the siege could be immunized. She survived the conflict and eventually lucked into a place in a girls school outside Philadelphia. She landed a scholarship to Brown University and obtained her PhD from the Ivy League institution where she currently teaches. Today, Amra produces research on topics vital to US national security. Stories like Amras are all around us, but they are scarcely found in media coverage of immigration. The Fuller Project for International Reporting, a nonprofit dedicated to giving voice to women in the news, examined media coverage of immigration over three randomly selected weeks in the first four months of 2018. (The coverage was aggregated by Migratory Notes, a popular weekly newsletter that rounds up media on immigration.) The results? Articles on immigration focused almost exclusively on border security, conflict and crisis. The absence of womens voices from such coverage is striking, especially since women and girls make up at least half of the immigrant population in the US. ICYMI: Trumps immigration policy takes center stage In our sample, male government or law enforcement officials were three times as likely to be quoted as female officials. (The ranks of law enforcement are overwhelmingly male; men make up 95 percent of Customs and Border Patrol agents, for example). Expert sources included in the sample were nearly twice as likely to be men, and men were twice as likely to be featured in photos. The problem is not only that womens stories are missing from the dominant security-centered narrative. Its that immigration is almost exclusively covered against the backdrop of national security. That lack of womens voices may help explain why stories that uniquely affect women get short shrift. The current volume of reporting on family separation at the US border arguably breaks this mold, but such a breadth of reporting is atypical. In our analysis, only two stories out of 100 covered a topic of particular relevance to women, such as reproductive health or domestic violence. How often do we hear about why Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvadorthe so-called iron triangle, from which a large proportion of migrants to the US originateare among the most dangerous countries in the world for women? Or that, this year, ICE made it easier to detain pregnant women? Sign up for CJR 's daily email The problem is not only that womens stories are missing from the dominant security-centered narrative. Its that immigration is almost exclusively covered against the backdrop of national security, despite its relevance in other policy domains. Fully 90 percent of caregivers or domestic workers in the United States are women, most of whom are foreign-born. In a society in which 60 percent of households dont have a stay-at-home parent, that connection arguably warrants far more attention than it receives. Of the 100 immigration stories included in our analysis, only one highlighted the accomplishments of immigrant women entrepreneurs, even though immigrant women make up 13 percent of all female entrepreneurs. A paltry three stories conveyed an image of a successful female immigrant or undocumented woman, despite statistics showing that immigrant women excel in certain vitally important professions. They are more than twice as likely as native-born women to work as physicians or surgeons; more than 4 million foreign-born women work in highly skilled professions, primarily in science, technology, engineering, and math. The failure to tell a more representative range of stories about the immigrant experience helps push a largely derogatory and inaccurate narrative of immigrants. These narratives influence which policies are embraced by the public and endorsed by their representatives in government. How might our debate on immigration be different if more stories showed immigrants building flourishing businesses, working in public service, and contributing in myriad ways to the betterment of their communities? Media coverage arguably helps perpetuate what Karen Musalo, director of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at UC Hastings, calls the narrative of the heroic male dissident, a Cold War-era portrayal of refugees that lionized young male dissidents for valiantly confronting their Communist governments. That narrative largely persists, though in 2014 US immigration courts began to recognize domestic violencewhich overwhelmingly affects womenas a valid basis for asylum. (Such recognition expanded how the law defines who is worthy of protection in a way that recognized the unique ways that women are persecuted.) Last week, attorney general Jeff Sessions reversed course and announced that domestic or gang violence will generally not be considered legitimate grounds for asylum. Media depictions of immigrants may also fuel the dehumanizing rhetoric that comes from some political leaders. In recent years, such rhetoric has implicated immigrant women in distinctly gendered ways. Dr. Joon K. Kim, a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado, points to the increasingly pejorative use of the term anchor babyonce a relatively benign descriptoras one example of the growing vilification of immigrant women. In the journal Social Identities, Kim argued that current attacks on immigrant women are an attempt to cast them as the bearers of alien, un-American practices and cultures. Kim concludes, Unlike immigrant men who are often portrayed as desperate sojourners in search of jobs in America, immigrant women are being accused of a graver, seditious act: the undermining of the United States. Consciously or not, when the media narrowly focuses its coverage on immigrants and immigrant women in the context of border security, it bolsters this perception. Journalisms fundamentalsfrom newsgathering practices to traditional notions of newsworthinessplay a role in what stories are told and who tells them. How might our debate on immigration be different if more stories showed immigrants building flourishing businesses, working in public service, and contributing in myriad ways to the betterment of their communities? Such stories are less sensational than immigrants often fraught paths to safety, but they represent a crucial gap in the narrative around immigration right now. Obviously, journalists must continue to report on the ways in which immigration and national security intersect. But covering immigration fairly and accurately means making sure that women and the issues they care about are included in the conversation. It also means looking beyond the border to those stories that emerge long after the drama has subsided. ICYMI: In Seattle, a sanctuary city, reporting on immigration means a trip to the suburbs Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Sarah O'Hagan and Rikha Sharma Rani co-authored this story. Sarah O'Hagan is a refugee and womens rights advocate and Chair of the Fuller Project for International Reporting. Rikha Sharma Rani is a freelance journalist focused on immigration and criminal justice, and a contributing editor for the Fuller Project for International Reporting. WHAT SHOULD LOCAL REPORTERS make of Facebooks efforts to shape access? Its a question journalists have asked themselves in St. Louis, Missouri; Houston, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; and Greenville, South Carolina, according to interviews I conducted with reporters based in those places. Its a question Ive recently had reason to ask myself in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I cover business for the Albuquerque Journal. Its a question reporters ought to ask themselves in each of the 50 cities where the social media giant is launching Community Boost, a multi-day conference marketed as digital skills training for small businesses. (The majority of the sessions are about how to use Facebook and Instagram.) In some of the cities, Facebook is also partnering with community colleges to offer digital training programs and a select number of scholarships to coding bootcamps. While I was writing this piece, Facebook announced a pledge to train 1 million people and small business owners across the US by 2020. ICYMI: After 25 years, editorial cartoonist fired from newspaper My interaction with Community Boost in Albuquerque was disconcerting: Among other issues, Facebook held an off-the-record dinner with local media, and excluded me from an event with the governor. Shortly after the roadshow left town, I began to wonder about the experiences of reporters in the other cities Facebook visited. With a few exceptions, nearly every reporter I spoke with who covered Community Boost had an anecdote like that of The Greenville News business reporter Anna B. Mitchell, who says she had to tell Facebook no four separate times after she was persistently pitched the same story. It was much more than Im used to being contacted, and it was rather insistent, she says. For stories she did cover, there were requests from Facebook for off-the-record and on-background interviews, even though the topic never strayed far from the companys business-to-business roadshow and never seemed to warrant secrecy. Mitchell said the local public relations professional Facebook contracted with had to consistently push the company to keep events and interviews on the record. She also said The Greenville News metrics showed readers had grown tired of Community Boost coverage after three stories, and Mitchell eventually decided not to attend or cover the launch event. Many large organizations have aggressive or tightly-managed public relations strategies. But not all companies are the subject of an international data scandal, and not all companies are traveling throughout the United States, forging relationships with journalists in each of those markets. Sign up for weekly emails from the United States Project Daniel Kolitz, who wrote a story on Community Boost for The Atlantic, had a more extreme experience. During the two weeks he was writing his article, Kolitz estimates he received an average of three calls, texts, or emails a day from a Facebook spokesman asking if he needed anything. At the launch event, he was followed by up to five Facebook employees at all times. He told me that at one point during the event, he exited the venue, only to find that security wouldnt let him back in without a handlerdespite the fact that the building and event were open to the public. It wasnt like [Facebook CEO] Mark Zuckerberg was in the back handing out bags of data, says Kolitz. The funny thing is, the least flattering thing in what I wrote was about how much they were trying to control everything. Many large organizations have aggressive or tightly-managed public relations strategies. But not all companies are the subject of an international data scandal, and not all companies are traveling throughout the United States, forging relationships with journalists in each of those markets. In at least three cities, Facebook has invited reporters to a pre-launch event described variously as being off the record or on background. Those that attend end up providing free opinions to Facebook that are likely used to inform the companys communications strategy: at the event, media are asked questions about their local communities and how reporters approach their stories. (Facebook told me the purpose of the events is to listen and learn about the community, plus understand what type of information journalists are interested in receiving.) THE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT OCCURS at the events is based on several conversations with reporters who attended but did not want to be identified because they had agreed to Facebooks off-the-record stipulation. I cant tell you firsthand, because I refused to go to the event, and told both my local Facebook PR contractor (who was very understanding) and a Facebook spokesman (with whom I initially had a very contentious conversation) that I thought it was unethical to do so unless the company could come up with a good reason for all the secrecy. I could not identify another reporter who had taken a similar stand, though there very well may have been; those I spoke with who declined the invitation to the event said they did so because they thought it was a waste of time. What happened later still astonishes me. On the day of the Community Boost kickoff event in Albuquerque, I arrived at the venue and was taken to one room to speak with several small business owners Facebook had pre-selected and given talking points. A short time later, my colleague at another publication was led to a different room where public officials were presentincluding the governor of New Mexico, Susana Martinez, who was the subject of a lawsuit related to media access and public records. Was I punished for criticizing the off-the-record event? I will never know for sure. When I discovered what had happened, I called one of my Community Boost handlers in a blind rage and demanded an answer. She was apologetic and, after circling back with her superiors, told me that Facebook had decided to pair different reporters with different events. The company has since assured me that what happened was not retribution, and in an emailed statement a Facebook spokesman attributed the situation to a desire I expressed to interview small businesses. Thats not consistent with my recollection of what unfolded, so I still have my doubts. ICYMI: Campbell Brown on Facebooks plans to decide what news is trustworthy Like any other reporter, I get scooped, and Facebook has the right to conduct its events however it chooses. But when you pair different reporters with different events in a state that has only a small number of journalists, this is what happens: The largest newspaper in New Mexico was unable to get an audience with the governor that day, and unable to ask her questions in situ about, say, whether the Cambridge Analytica scandal had impacted her thoughts on the generous incentive package the state gave Facebook for the $1 billion data center it is building outside of Albuquerque. After I complained, Facebook facilitated a statement from the governors office, though I told them that prepared remarks are a pale substitute for a live interview. When this first happened, I was convinced that Facebook had done this intentionally, and I wanted blood. Now that Ive done my research and talked to other reporters, Im not so sure. Its possible, as Mathew Ingram put it previously, that Facebook is an elephant accidentally stepping on an ant, inadvertently trampling on local media in the course of what it sees as normal business. In an emailed response to questions I sent them, a Facebook spokesman said local journalists are an integral part of this program, and we involve them in our events in a variety of ways. Were thankful for the feedback weve received thus far were always looking to improve the program as we head out to more cities this summer. He also sent me several bullet points about Community Boost, attributable on background, some of which I have incorporated into this story. Ive covered Facebook extensively as a result of the data center here, and this is the first time Ive had any issue along these lines. My local Facebook communications contact has been nothing but professional throughout this process, and the Facebook employees who led me from event to event at Community Boost went out of their way to be helpful to me. My relationship with the Facebook data center communications team has consistently been one of mutual understanding even when covering difficult topics. But Community Boost is a different story, and that story is winding its way through the nation as we speak. I have no doubt that Facebook will continue the media relations practices it has exhibited thus far. But to what extent will journalists in those communities push back on the attempts to control and perhaps harvest informationespecially if it means risking access to one of the most powerful technology companies in the world? My hope is that I am not alone in asking Facebook to be held just as accountable to Albuquerqueor St. Louis, Houston, or Des Moinesas it is to Washington. ICYMI: Meet the journalism student who found out she won a Pulitzer in class Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Marie C. Baca is a staff writer for the Albuquerque Journal. Her writing has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, and Salon, among other publications. In the shadow of Londons Grenfell Tower, the pain is as fresh as the newly laid flowers for the dead. One year ago, the residential high-rise was destroyed by a fire that killed 72 people. It was the greatest loss of life in a fire on British soil since World War II, a horror that left the neighborhood and the country in shock. On Thursday, survivors, bereaved families and people around Britain marked the anniversary of a local tragedy thats also a national shame one for which blame still is being assigned and traded. Was Grenfell a tragic accident, the product of government cost-cutting and lax safety standards, or authorities disregard for people who lived in public housing? I dont see this as a tragedy. I see it as an atrocity, Hissam Choucair, who lost six members of his family in the fire, told a public inquiry last month. The somber anniversary was being marked across Britain with a minute of silence at noon. In the west London neighborhood around Grenfell the dead were remembered at vigils and church services, before a silent march and an evening meal hosted by local Muslims. The tower and other London buildings were lit up overnight in green, which has been adopted as a color of remembrance. Antonio Roncolato, who lived the 10th floor, said Thursdays anniversary was a time to reflect and to raise further awareness and make sure that the world is still listening, because we dont want this to happen ever again. A year on, the area around Grenfell echoes with sounds of construction. The ruined tower, which stood for months like a black tombstone on the skyline, is covered in white sheeting. A green heart and the words Grenfell forever in our hearts are emblazoned at the top. Notice boards and walls nearby carry hand-written tributes, expressions of sorrow and promises of resolve: RIP to the fallen; I love my Uncle Ray; RIP Yas; We wont fail! Flowers, candles, and well-worn teddy bears that were left in memory of the dead are tended by local volunteers. A note from Prime Minister Theresa May, attached to a wreath of white roses, promises: They will never be forgotten. The fire broke out shortly before 1 a.m. on June 14, 2017, in the kitchen of Behailu Kebedes fourth-floor apartment. Kebede woke the neighbors on his floor and called firefighters, who soon arrived. High-rise apartment towers are supposed to be designed to stop apartment fires spreading. But within minutes, the flames had escaped Kebedes apartment and raced up the outside of the 25-story tower like a lit fuse. Many residents fled, but some on the upper floors observed official fire-safety advice and stayed put. The fire brigade changed the guidance at 2:47 a.m. By that time, the buildings only stairwell was smoke-filled and treacherous. Several people died trying to get out. Others perished in their homes as they waited to be rescued, or died in neighbors apartments where theyd taken shelter. Three people were found dead outside, having fallen or jumped from the tower. Rania Ibrahim, who died with her two young daughters on the 23rd floor, broadcast her final hours of fear and prayers on Facebook. Mohamed Amied Neda, 57, who had fled the Taliban in Afghanistan to build a life in Britain, left a voice message for his family: Goodbye, we are leaving this world now, goodbye. I hope I havent disappointed you. Goodbye to all. By the time the sun rose, a building that could be seen for miles around was a blackened, smoking shell. Hundreds of people were homeless and dozens were dead, though the destruction from the heat had been so great it would be months before police were certain of how many: 70 died that night, plus a premature baby, Logan Gomes, who was stillborn later that day. Maria del Pilar Burton, a 74-year-old resident of the 19th floor, was hospitalized after the fire and died in January. Local government workers, police and volunteers rushed to help, setting up temporary shelters and bringing clothes, food, money and help for the hundreds of people displaced from the tower and nearby buildings. Grief was soon joined by anger at local authorities in Kensington and Chelsea borough, which owned the building; at the tenant management organization than ran the tower; and at Britains Conservative government, seen as distant and uncaring. Many residents said they had complained about safety and poor maintenance and were ignored because the tower was home to a largely immigrant and working-class population. A public-housing block in one of Londons richest boroughs, a stones throw from the pricey boutiques and elegant houses of Notting Hill, it came for many to symbolize a divided and broken Britain. The anger is still visible on the walls around Grenfell. Mixed in with tributes to the dead are the words TMO (equals) terrorists a reference to the tenant management organization and expletives directed at the prime minister. May acknowledged this week that the government had been too slow to act. She vowed that survivors would get the homes and support that they need and the truth and justice that they deserve. After the fire, the government immediately promised to re-house all those displaced within three weeks. But some residents spent months in hotels, and many are still in temporary accommodations. May said Wednesday that 183 of 203 affected families have accepted offers of new homes, though most have not yet moved in. A judge-led public inquiry finally got underway last month. It will take 18 months and look at the fires causes, the response to it and Britains high-rise building regulations. But some survivors are critical because it wont investigate wider issues around social housing and social policy. Already, the testimony has been damning. A report by fire safety engineer Barbara Lane listed multiple safety failings, including the flammable aluminum-and polyethylene cladding installed on the towers facade during a recent renovation. Stephanie Barwise, a lawyer for some of the survivors, said the cladding helped flames spread more quickly than dropping a match into a barrel of petrol. The safety failures at Grenfell have national implications. More than 300 towers around Britain have similar combustible cladding. The government says it will spend 400 million pounds ($530 million) stripping the cladding from publicly owned high-rises. Questions have also been raised about whether lives were lost because of the fire departments stay put advice. Police are considering corporate manslaughter charges in the blaze, but no one has been charged. Tony Travers, a professor of government at the London School of Economics, said the disaster was likely the result of a systems failure rather than a single cause. Its likely that there will not be a single guilty person or institution, but more a chain of events that together led to a catastrophic failure, Travers said. Even if the inquiry identifies causes and who deserves to be held accountable, the formal review is unlikely to end Britains soul-searching over a disaster with victims from 23 countries taxi drivers and architects, a poet, an acclaimed young artist, retirees and children with bright futures. Ill fares the land that left these people to be so exposed to such trauma and such death, Danny Friedman, a lawyer for some of the bereaved families and survivors, told the inquiry. In the end, he said, the Grenfell Tower fire is an example writ large of how inequalities of political, legal and economic power can kill people. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Government aviation inspectors allowed unsafe aircraft to operate in U.S. commercial flight operations, a whistleblower investigation has concluded. The Federal Aviation Administrations own review confirmed the allegations, according to the Office of Special Counsel, the agency charged with investigating complaints from whistleblowers. Safety inspectors at the Federal Aviation Administration have improperly approved aircraft for commercial operations without first reviewing critical safety information that in some cases would have prohibited their operation, the Special Counsel said in a statement on Wednesday. The planes, mostly with 30 or fewer seats, were being used by smaller carriers that mainly operate charters. In one example, some charter operators were allowed to fly with exit doors that werent easily accessible during an emergency, a violation of regulations, according to the Special Counsel. After the allegations were brought to FAAs attention, the agency last year agreed with the findings and created a task force to evaluate records for over 11,000 aircraft. The FAA identified several corrective actions as a result of its investigation and expects to complete them by Sept. 30, the agency said in an emailed statement. The investigation also uncovered evidence that aircraft were allowed to operate in the U.S. with expired registrations. The FAA said most of the registration violations were inadvertent and didnt put travelers at risk. It appears that the whistleblower identified serious problems in the FAAs oversight, the Special Counsel wrote in a letter to the White House reporting the findings. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Cleveland's 5-day weather forecast CLEVELAND, Ohio The minor heatwave isnt over yet this week in Northeast Ohio. Temperatures will max out in the 80s and 90s, and with days of storms on tap, were looking at some serious humidity, too. Here is the 5-day forecast for Greater Cleveland. For Monday, we'll get the most uncomfortable day out of the way today, thankfully. The jet stream creating a river of moisture and heat from the Gulf of Mexico will shoot high temperatures into the low 90s, nearing records for the second day in a row. With heavy humidity, however, heat indices will hit 100 degrees, warranting a heat advisory. Skies are looking clear until a threat of storms tonight ahead of a cold front. The front will push south throughout Tuesday, continuing a scattered, slight chance of storms in its wake. The good news is the front will drop high temperatures from the 90s back to the 80s, and will slowly dry out the humid air as the day goes on. A weak area of low pressure is on track to push in Wednesday, bringing a chance of a third round of storms this week. At least the heavy cloud cover will cool temperatures further. (Kelly Reardon, cleveland.com) Don't Edit Don't Edit A break in the threat of rain finally comes Thursday thanks to an area of high pressure. Rain chances drop to near zero, and humidity will feel noticeably more comfortable. Highs will reach right around 80 degrees, maybe even stay in the upper 70s. The high-pressure area will stick around most of Friday, continuing the dry break. However, by later Friday evening, chances start increasing again ahead of the next area of low pressure. This is far out, so the forecast will change, but for the most part Friday is looking dry with a threat of evening storms. High temperatures will hit the low 80s. Check out the full forecast below. Don't Edit (National Weather Service, Cleveland) Don't Edit Temperatures Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit (Kelly Reardon, cleveland.com) Don't Edit Rain chances Don't Edit Don't Edit (Kelly Reardon, cleveland.com) Don't Edit Don't Edit Winds Don't Edit Don't Edit (Kelly Reardon, cleveland.com) Don't Edit Pollen Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit (Kelly Reardon, cleveland.com) Don't Edit Keep checking cleveland.com/weather for daily weather updates for Northeast Ohio, and don't forget to submit any weather questions you have! Kelly Reardon is cleveland.com's meteorologist. Please follow me on Facebook, Twitter @KellyRWeather and Instagram. Democratic Republic of Congos parliament will consider legislation to provide legal protection for former presidents, lawmakers said. Lower house speaker Aubin Minaku made the announcement over the weekend at the close of the parliamentary session. According to him, lawmakers will examine several items including the law on the status of former chiefs of state, the designation of a new member of the constitutional court and the law on the tax to promote industry. Under the constitution, former presidents in the mineral-rich nation already receive broad immunity from prosecution as senators for life. Legislation introduced in 2015 by Modeste Mutinga, a senator from an opposition party, seeks to reinforce those protections in an effort to encourage democratic transition in the central African nation. According to the legislation, former presidents and their aides will not be liable for arrest for common law violations committed in the exercise of presidential functions. It also provides for bodyguards for ex-presidents and increases in their pension. The move comes in the wake of the release of Jean-Pierre Bemba, Former Democratic Republic of Congos vice president by The Hague-based International Criminal Court. Bemba, who had already spent a decade behind bars, was released provisionally under specific conditions on Friday. In a statement released on Sunday, Kinshasa said Jean-Pierre Bemba can return home if he wants to, following his acquittal. Bembas wife and children are believed to be living in a villa in the suburb of Rhode-Saint-Genese, 15km south of Brussels. Ohio Attorney General's Office/The Associated Press Eric Murphy (left) and Chad Readler Don't Edit CLEVELAND, Ohio President Donald Trump's two picks from Ohio for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals have defended or overseen the defense of controversial Republican positions on abortion, charter schools, the travel ban from Muslim-majority countries and same-sex marriage. Their work on these issues has already sparked oppositions from liberals, including one of Ohio's senators, who say the positions they defended are emblematic of their own views and are a good predictor of how they would rule from the bench. The pair's backers say it's not fair to judge nominees by the work they did on behalf of a government where they didn't set policies. The president's nominations of Ohio solicitor Eric Murphy and Justice Department civil division head Chad Readler for the Cincinnati-based appellate court last week comes at a time when Trump and Republicans are trying to confirm as many circuit judges as possible prior to the November midterms. That goal has become more feasible because Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has said he will move forward with hearings for nominations even if a home-state senator refuses to support a nominee on ideological grounds. Grassley's tactic bucks decades of tradition, in which the judiciary committee chairperson defers to the opinion of a senator in the state from which a nominee hails. Don't Edit The Associated Press Don't Edit Ohio Sen. Rob Portman Don't Edit Both men worked for the Jones Day law firm's Columbus office. Trump has hired attorneys from the firm in the past and nominated several of its lawyers for U.S. attorney and judicial positions. Much, but not all, of the early opposition against both nominees deals with work they have done defending policies and laws enacted by Republican lawmakers. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said he supports both men. In a June 8 meeting with the cleveland.com editorial board, the Republican senator said it is not fair to judge a nominee by the positions they defended on behalf of a government. "You're asked to represent the government; you're in the Justice Department," Portman said. "I don't think you should be held responsible for everything the Justice Department does. That's your job." Jonathan Adler, a Case Western Reserve University law professor, agrees. "We say all parties under our legal system are entitled to balanced representation. That requires attorneys that are willing to take positions they do or do not agree with," Adler said. "The system can't work if we assume that attorneys agree with their clients." Don't Edit Don't Edit cleveland.com file photo Don't Edit Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown Don't Edit Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown feels differently. In opposing both nominees, the progressive Democratic senator cited Murphy's work defending Ohio's gay marriage ban and a legal brief Readler signed that said Obamacare is largely unconstitutional, even though it has withstood multiple Supreme Court challenges. On whether they shared those views, Brown said in a statement that "I sat down with both Mr. Readler and Mr. Murphy and gave them an opportunity to explain their records. Neither one convinced me that they will put the people of Ohio ahead of the special interests they've spent their careers defending." Brown's office also sent cleveland.com a cheat sheet on Readler created by the Alliance for Justice. Dan Goldberg, legal director for the progressive group, said both nominees were not "passive employees whose job is to check commas in briefs. "They are making the policy determination for their respective offices," Goldberg continued. "It's telling in both cases they have chosen careers and taken positions that almost uniformly erodes critical rights and legal protections." Don't Edit Associated Press file photo Don't Edit Caitlin Halligan (left) talks to David Boies, a lawyer for Court TV, in this 2005 photo. Don't Edit Don't Edit While many Republicans have echoed Portman's feelings, Goldberg said the GOP has used similar reasons to block nominees from Democratic presidents. He cited the nomination of former New York solicitor general Caitlin Halligan for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Republicans opposed her because of her record on firearms while working for the state of New York. President Barack Obama withdrew her nomination in 2013. Adler said a nominee who advocated for a certain position on behalf of a government or client would not need to recuse his or herself from future cases on the topic unless they specifically worked on the case that came before them. Portman said he did not know how Brown's opposition would ultimately affect Murphy and Readler's nominations. Scroll through to see some of the issues Murphy and Readler have defended. Don't Edit Associated Press file photo Don't Edit Same-sex marriage ban Don't Edit As Ohio solicitor, Murphy defended the state's same-sex marriage ban, which voters approved through a constitutional amendment in 2004. Murphy was the attorney whom 6th Circuit judges grilled about the ban during oral arguments in 2014. Murphy also wrote Ohio's U.S. Supreme Court brief defending the ban, arguing that the justices should leave it in place because local and state governments should be able to choose how the legislate how to define marriage. The Supreme Court rejected the arguments of Ohio, as well as Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee in 2015, ruling 5-4 that gay marriage was legal nationwide. Don't Edit The Associated Press Don't Edit Don't Edit Trump travel ban Don't Edit As a new Justice Department hire in early 2017, Readler was asked to defend Trump's executive order banning travel from several Muslim-majority countries. The policy, enacted in the first weeks of the new administration, caused chaos at airports as immigration officials unevenly applied a policy that critics found Islamophobic and hastily issued. It even resulted in a Cleveland Clinic doctor from Sudan being denied entry into the U.S. Readler defended the travel ban in front of several courts, arguing that it's well within the president's power to protect national security. Several district and appellate courts have ruled against the Trump Administration, causing officials to revise the ban. The U.S. Supreme Court gave the green light to the current executive order as it mulls the constitutionality of such a measure. Don't Edit Plain Dealer file photo Don't Edit Ohio voter purge Don't Edit Murphy participated in oral arguments in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in January, arguing that Ohio's method of removing ineligible voters from its rolls does not violate federal law. Supporters said that doing so adds integrity to the election. Opponents said the process disproportionally disenfranchises low-income voters and voters in minority communities. Andre Washington, president of the Ohio A. Philip Randolph Institute, said the state purged hundreds of thousands of infrequent voters in 2015 alone, including more than 40,600 in Cuyahoga County. In an opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, the Supreme Court on Monday ruled 5-4 that Ohio's method was constitutional. Don't Edit Don't Edit Plain Dealer file photo Don't Edit Charter schools Don't Edit Readler, while in Columbus and working at Jones Day, served as chairman for the Ohio Alliance for Public Schools, advocating for the use of public money to fund private schools. Advocates said charter schools give underserved areas a choice for better education. Critics say the system gives little room for oversight of something that's paid for by public money. Readler also defended a challenge to the charter school system as a whole in the mid-2000s, representing about 100 schools. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in 2006 that the system comports with the state's constitution. Don't Edit Plain Dealer file photo Don't Edit Elimination of "Golden Week" Don't Edit Don't Edit Murphy defended Ohio's decision to shorten early voting and to eliminate the so-called "Golden Week" that allowed people to register and vote early at the same time. Liberals said the elimination disenfranchised voters by robbing them of convenient opportunities to vote. While a Columbus federal judge ruled Ohio's decision to reduce early voting from 35 days to 28 days unconstitutional, the 6th Circuit ruled 2-1 in 2016 that the measures comported with federal law. Readler, who worked at Jones Day at the time, represented the Judicial Education Project and The Buckeye Institute, a conservative think tank funded by billionaire industrialists the Koch Brothers. The groups filed a "fried-of-the-court" brief with the 6th Circuit to defend the elimination of Golden Week, and Readler signed the brief. Don't Edit The Associated Press Don't Edit Declaration that Obamacare is unconstitutional Don't Edit Trump's Justice Department declared in a court filing last week that key portions of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, was unconstitutional. More specifically, the department argued that since Congress eliminated a penalty for a person not having health insurance, known as the individual mandate, the entire law should be invalidated. Readler signed the brief. The declaration was widely seen as yet another blow to Obamacare, which has been under constant assault from Republicans since it passed in 2010. The law withstood multiple Supreme Court challenges, but the Justice Department under Attorney General Jeff Sessions now says it will not defend the individual mandate from a lawsuit filed by states led by Republican governors. Brown has cited this as a key reason for not supporting Readler's nomination. Adler, who is a libertarian, and other professors across the ideological spectrum filed a brief Thursday saying the Justice Department's arguments on the individual mandate are wrong. Don't Edit Associated Press file photo Don't Edit Don't Edit Abortion challenges Don't Edit As solicitor, Murphy has defended a number of measures passed by Ohio lawmakers to restrict the availability of abortions in Ohio. One of the most high-profile was a 2016 law forbidding the state from contracting for health services with any entity that performs or promotes non-therapeutic abortions. The law was a direct shot at Planned Parenthood, which provides non-abortion-related healthcare for women in many parts of the state. The push for the Ohio legislation, and similar laws across the country, was fueled by secretly recorded videos released in 2015 that purported to show Planned Parenthood employees in other states selling aborted fetuses and fetal parts. Planned Parenthood denied any wrongdoing and an investigation by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine found no evidence that Ohio clinics sold fetal tissue. Cincinnati federal Judge Michael Barrett blocked the law in May 2016 and declared it unconstitutional last year. In April, the 6th Circuit upheld Barrett's decision, saying the state cannot bar a company from obtaining contracts based on its views on or activities surrounding abortion. Don't Edit The Associated Press Don't Edit DACA Don't Edit In his current job, Readler defended the Trump administration's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program. In addition to his involvement in litigation aimed at keeping the program in place, he testified about the program in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in October. The Obama administration established DACA in 2014 to allow minors who had not come legally to the U.S. The program has been seen by advocates as a sign of compassion for people who had no choice when crossing into the country. About 700,000 immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally have signed up for the program since its inception. The program remains in effect because of the rulings of some federal judges. Sessions has called the program "an open-ended circumvention of immigration laws." Don't Edit Don't Edit The Associated Press Don't Edit Mick Mulvaney, acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Don't Edit Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Don't Edit Trump and his administration have slowly chipped away the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau since the president took office. Along with that came a series of legal positions taken by the Justice Department challenging the existence of the agency, which was created in 2010 and was formerly led by current Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray. Readler, while in the Justice Department, signed a "friend-of-the-court" brief in March 2017 where the department argued that the CFPB having a director who serves five-year terms and can only be removed "for cause" means that the agency's power structure was unconstitutional. The D.C. circuit appeals court later ruled that the CFPB's existence did not violate the Constitution. Those opposed to Readler's confirmation, including Brown, argued that this means he does not have the best interests of consumers in mind. Interestingly, Readler also signed a February 2017 brief that took the exact opposite position that an agency was constitutional with a power structure including a director that could only be removed "for cause" in a legal battle involving the Federal Housing Finance Agency, a regulatory body. The argument was made by a defendant in another court filing, and the Justice Department included it in a footnote on a document filed the same day. A subsequent Justice Department brief later urged the judge not to rely on that position when she ruled. Cleveland.com reporter Andrew J. Tobias contributed to this story. INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Anyone who drives down Ohio 21 may notice that upon entering the city of Independence, the streets begin to look a little different. On the poles lining the street are "Hometown Hero" banners honoring veterans with ties to the city. The honorees may have grown up in Independence and now live elsewhere, or they could be veterans who previously lived elsewhere before now residing in Independence. The banners show a picture of the veteran, their name, and branch in the military. The double-sided banners display photos of veterans who were killed in action, were prisoners of war, were wounded or who returned safely. In addition to the photo, the banner indicates the veteran's name and branch of service. The banners cover veterans from the Civil War, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the War on Terror. Many of the veterans served in multiple conflicts. In 2016, an Independence staff member saw the banner program displayed while visiting New York and brought it to Mayor Anthony Togliatti's attention. The city launched the project in 2017, with 30 participating veterans. This year, another 32 men and women have been honored, for a total of 62. Each banner has the chance to be displayed for two years before a new group of veterans is given the opportunity to be honored. The waiting list for one of the 62 banner spots is currently at full capacity. Veterans or families of veterans interested in a banner must fill out an application. The application must include a photo of the service person and payment of $165. The banners are printed in Cleveland at Carroll Graphics. Any additional costs -- such as the hardware to display the banners on the poles, in-house staff graphics work and service department labor to display and remove the banners -- are absorbed by the city. The newest banners went up in early April and will not be taken down until Veteran's Day. Togliatti said the city has received many calls from residents, participants and neighboring communities giving positive feedback on the banners. "For the city of Independence, it has been an honor and a privilege to implement the 'Hometown Hero' banners. The program has brought much pride to the city and reinforced our gratitude to those who have or are currently serving the United States of America," Togliatti said. AKRON, Ohio -- Two Akron firefighters are on paid leave amid an investigation into accusations that they made pornographic videos at a city firehouse, a city official said. The firefighters will remain on administrative leave for the duration of the investigation. The complaint is not being investigated by the police, according to Akron police spokesman Lt. Rick Edwards. Akron city spokeswoman Ellen Nischt said the firefighters are accused of making the videos at a firehouse in the city. City officials have not released the names of the firefighters. Landers-Nischt said the city expects to release more information about the investigation later on Monday. AKRON, Ohio -- Two Akron firefighters on paid leave after being accused of making pornographic videos at a city firehouse brought "unwelcome dishonor and embarrassment" to the city, officials said. The firefighters will remain on paid leave while the investigation is pending, per the city's contract with the fire union. A joint statement from Mayor Dan Horrigan and Fire Chief Clarence Tucker said the firefighters, who they have not identified, were not assigned to work at the same firehouse and were in a long-term relationship. "As leaders of this City and this Department, we find these allegations shocking and distressing to say the least," the statement said. Horrigan and Tucker said the investigation is on-going and that there will be "prompt and appropriate action" after the investigation is completed. Akron police are not investigating the incident as criminal. "These allegations bring unwelcome dishonor and embarrassment to Akron Fire Department and the City of Akron and unfairly discredit the reputation of other Akron Fire officers," the joint statement said. City officials have not said how videos came to the attention of administrations and sparked the investigation. ELYRIA, Ohio -- Police and fire officials are investigating after the body of a woman was discovered following a garage fire Sunday afternoon. Firefighters responded to the 200 block of East Fifth Street at 2:07 p.m., Elyria police Sgt. James Welsh says in a news release. Welsh says the woman has been identified as Octavia Garza, 46, of Lorain. The police department and arson investigators with the fire department are investigating the incident, Welsh says. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the department at 440-323-3302. If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Video released from an East Cleveland police body camera shows officers struggling with a male suspect Sunday in an incident in which at least one shot was fired by an officer. WJW Channel 8 obtained the body cam video on Sunday. The video could not be obtained independently by cleveland.com late Sunday night. (See the video from WJW below.) The video shows officers trying to subdue the suspect, even after at least one shot reportedly was fired. WKYC Channel 3 reports the suspect was hit twice by shots fired by officers. He was taken to University Hospitals but his condition is unknown. The two officers involve also were injured. One has an orbital eye fracture and the other a broken hand, WJW reports. Police were called to the 1800 block of Beersford Road because the suspect was seen choking a woman, according to reports. The female victim is in critical condition at University Hospitals, WEWS Channel 5 reports. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting. If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 16-year-old male was wounded in the neck in a shooting late Sunday night on the West Side, police say. The teen was one of two people wounded in shootings within an hour and less than a mile apart on the West Side. Police say a 36-year-old woman was shot in the leg just after 10 p.m. on the 10000 block of Madison Avenue in the Cudell neighborhood. At 10:49 p.m., the teen male was shot on the 11110 block of Detroit Avenue in the Edgewater neighborhood. Police did not release the conditions of the victims and did not indicate if the shootings might be related. If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio -- The wait is over. Vintage MarketPlace returns to downtown Olmsted Falls this Sunday for its fourth year. The 2018 cycle of events begins this Sunday - June 24 - along Orchard and Mill streets and within the historic Grand Pacific Junction. It is from noon to 5 p.m. Vintage MarketPlace is on the last Sunday of each month through September. Connie Stevens, owner of the Second Thyme Around Antiques , has sponsored the event, with the support of the city of Olmsted Falls. She said the venue has drawn more vendors - and visitors - each year. " There are a lot more people attending, people from far away, too," Connie said. "There will be under 60 vendors. We don't want it too big. We like it to be quaint, like Olmsted Falls." She also said many vendors return each year. " It's good that they return, not only for the event, but the people who come here and want to see what they may have this year," Connie said. The MarketPlace offers items that are vintage antique, repurposed and often, pieces unique to each vendor. She said the farm house look is very popular and will be well represented. Expect to see handmade signs, repurposed artwork and even artwork in general. Visitors this year also will find soap and candle vendors at Sunday's event. Those who may come hungry will find a food truck and the Vintage MarketPlace Cafe in the Grand Pacific Hotel. Also expect to see more local restaurants involved. One difference from the past is vendors will remain on the Grand Pacific Junction side of Columbia Road and not appear across the street. Connie invites all, whether a local resident or those from far away, to come to Olmsted Falls this Sunday. " I have been saying there is more to Olmsted Falls than you think, with its walking trails, covered bridge and the waterfalls," Connie said. "Spend the day and enjoy the live music while finding treasures during your visit." As an added jewel, the event is accepting donations for the Christians In Action food pantry located in City Hall. Anyone donating two canned goods will receive a Vintage MarketPlace cloth bag, which is returning this year. They also will be available for $5. Just look for the city of Olmsted Falls' table at Sunday's event. Simply a reminder. Parking is available at the lots on Orchard Street, in St. Mary of the Church after 1 p.m. and the old library on Main Street near the pedestrian covered bridge. You may also find parking available on Brookside Drive at the Olmsted Falls Post Office. Hope to see you there. Concert: Also this Sunday is the first free summer concert of the year at East River Park. Paradise Sunset will put you in a summery mood from 6-9 p.m. at the park on Lewis Road just north of the railroad tracks. The group is a fan favorite. Angelina's Pizza will be there offering dining options and the Swaberry Patch will have some scrumptious desserts and gift ideas. Park benches will be available or bring your own chair. Remember, there's a great playground at the park, so don't be shy and bring the family. Leashed dogs also are welcome. Vendors also may set up free of charge. Simply contact Olmsted Falls City Hall that you'll be there. One final advice - bring your dancing shoes. Your feet just won't want to stop moving! Adult retreat: St. Mary of the Falls Church is offering a Praying with the Gospel in Summer adult retreat July 19 featuring the Rev. Ryan Cubera. The day begins with a 9 a.m. Mass. St. Mary of the Falls Church is offering a Praying with the Gospel in Summer adult retreat July 19 featuring the Rev. Ryan Cubera. The day begins with a 9 a.m. Mass. St. Mary of the Falls is located on the corner of Bagley and Columbia roads. The cost is $20, which includes morning coffee, lunch and a 4 p.m catered dinner. Preregistration, which is a must, is now occurring. To register, call Judy Stasenko at 440-235-2222, Ext. 122 no later than July 12. Mea culpa: Yes, the Olmsted Dates and Data did not appear in last week's Sun Post-Herald. That was my fault. Bob and I were on vacation and I had every intention to complete the column during vacation, but Internet services were extremely sketchy. I apologize for not having it completed and sent prior to leaving. Bob and I went on our first pilgrimage with my brother Gerard Berger and his wife Debbie, who are seasoned pilgrims. It was a Danube River cruise and an optional three-day extension to Poland. We have never visited Europe or been on a pilgrimage. Gus Lloyd of the Catholic Channel on Sirius radio, his wife, Michelle, and Fr. Leo Patalinghug of ETWN and his own Plating Grace sponsored the pilgrimage. It was life changing. I believe we saw a miracle occur on the final day of the trip in Poland. Dan and Susan Hennessy, a married couple from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, were on the pilgrimage. Sue, suffering from cancer, was mostly confined to a wheelchair during the trip. She was diagnosed in December and went through treatment. This was after signing up for the pilgrimage in which about 150 participated. Despite her battling cancer, Sue wanted to attend. Dan, her loving and caring husband, agreed. You see, Sue is 100 percent Polish. She wanted to visit Poland to view and pray at the sites of the Divine Mercy and Our Lady of Czestochowa, also called the Black Madonna It wasn't an easy trip for her or Dan, but Sue always had a smile, no matter the situation. She was even hospitalized on the trip, but she and Dan rejoined our group in Poland. We visited the Shrine of the Divine Merc y in Krakow on the second last day of the trip. The final day we traveled two hours by bus to view the Black Madonna icon of Czestochowa. We celebrated Mass in a chapel, prayed, took group photos and headed back to our bus. Sue was with us every step of the way. At the bus, Dan, my Bob and others were helping her up the stairs. She did not complete that part of her journey. She took her last breath - in Poland. We truly saw a miracle. Sue was determined to finish her goal of viewing the two shrines. Within her last hour, she received the Holy Eucharist at Mass and viewed the Black Madonna. Some may say a miracle is one of saving, not of death. One definition of a miracle is an extraordinary event taken as a sign of the power of God. We saw a woman full of love, joy and optimism determined - despite overwhelming odds - complete her objective. We believe Sue's strong love of God enabled her to end her journey here on earth and join her Polish relatives in heaven. A miracle? No one can tell us we did not see a miracle on our pilgrimage that day. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gov. John Kasich reiterated calls to preserve his legacy policy projects and pushed back on recent Trump administration policies during a news conference Monday intended to celebrate recent state jobs numbers. The term-limited Republican boasted about the state's economic successes on his watch, and urged Republicans to run on his record of "jobs, progress, no one left behind and better wages" in the November election. "Do we have our problems in Ohio? Of course we do. But we are moving at the speed of business to solve so many problems," Kasich said during the news conference at JobsOhio, the state's private economic development organization. Kasich warned the next governor -- either Democrat Richard Cordray or Republican Mike DeWine -- against hindering the work of JobsOhio, an early first-term Kasich pet project. Kasich said he was relieved both candidates don't plan to completely dismantle his decision to expand Medicaid to individuals earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. More than 700,000 Ohioans have signed up for Medicaid, the joint state and federal health insurance program for poor and disabled people, through the expansion. "Thank goodness because you would be yanking the rug out from other people," Kasich said. "They've got nowhere else to go." Cordray, a former state treasurer and attorney general, supports the expansion. DeWine, the state's attorney general, has said the program would not be the same as it is now but has refused to elaborate on how it would change. Kasich's and other state officials took a victory lap at the news conference for creating more than 500,000 private sector jobs since Kasich took office in 2011. The May jobs report released last week showed Ohio has outpaced the rest of the nation in adding jobs for the first time under Kasich. Here are three other issues Kasich talked about Monday. Immigration Kasich has appeared on TV several times in recent days to disagree with the Trump administration's decision to separate children from parents seeking asylum at the border. "This is not an American value to be breaking up families," Kasich said Monday. Kasich said the federal government should immediately increase the number of judges hearing asylum cases. He was hopeful Congress could change the policy, but said too often representatives and senators look to President Trump for permission to act. "The president is within his rights to do what he's doing -- it's just not good," Kasich said. Affordable Care Act Kasich said the state should "use everything we possibly can" to block a federal lawsuit seeking to invalidate the protection in the Affordable Care Act for people with pre-existing conditions. The lawsuit was filed by 20 Republican state attorneys general, and the federal Department of Justice said in a brief it will no longer defend the pre-existing condition portion of the Obamacare law. A DeWine spokesman said he would not join or intervene in the complaint but supports health insurance access for individuals with pre-existing conditions. "You can have a debate all day long about single payer or whatever you want to debate but everyone is in agreement, if you've got a pre-existing condition you should not be denied access to health care," Kasich said. Kasich again joined forces with Colorado's Democratic governor to pen a bipartisan statement opposing the policy. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Kaisch were joined by the governors of Alaska, Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina, Montana, Washington and Maryland. Unbelievably, the Administration has chosen to no longer defend the law of the land that protects those with pre-existing conditions. Once again, both Republican and Democrat governors are standing side by side against this disappointing decision. pic.twitter.com/xgXBwWisbj John Kasich (@JohnKasich) June 18, 2018 Rainy day fund The state's rainy day fund has held stable at just over $2 billion for the past three years. Kasich said another deposit is to come. State tax revenue numbers from May showed the state was running slightly ahead of projections by about $418 million year-to-date. The fiscal year ends June 30. Last fiscal year, state revenues fell short nearly every month, even after being revised down. State lawmakers had to find nearly $1 billion in program cuts and savings in the state budget. At that time, state budget officials said the estimates for this year would err on the conservative side. STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- City Council voted 6-0 last month to allow the serving of alcohol in City Commons, at the northeast corner of Royalton and Pearl roads, at the request of Strongsville City Club. That's according to Strongsville Safety Director Charles Goss. The law change means the City Club can sell beer and wine at its annual Rib Burnoff, scheduled for June 21, 22 and 23 in the commons. "This will be the first time any group has lawfully sold alcoholic beverages on the City Commons," Goss told cleveland.com in an email. The club sought the code change specifically for the Rib Burnoff. Under the new legislation, other organizations can also serve alcohol during special events in City Commons from now on, but only if they, like Strongsville City Club, are non-profit organizations. All money raised through alcohol sales in City Commons must be used for charitable, cultural, educational or organizational purposes. The sale of alcohol in City Commons is permitted only between June 15 and Labor Day. Any group wanting to serve alcohol in the commons must apply and pay a $100 fee, which Goss said would cover the city's cost of evaluating and processing applications. Goss said no other organization has applied for a permit to serve alcohol in City Commons so far. Previously, the sale of alcohol on city property was allowed only at the Walter F. Ehrnfelt Recreation Center, on Pearl just east of City Commons. Under the ordinance, only "alcoholic beverages," including beer, and "intoxicating liquor," including wine, can be served in City Commons. Both terms are defined as drinks containing one-half of 1 percent or more of alcohol. "Spirituous liquor," consisting of more than 21 percent alcohol, is banned in both City Commons and the recreation-senior center, under the ordinance. The ordinance allows Strongsville's safety director to establish additional rules regarding the sale of alcohol in City Commons. Goss said he has done so specifically for the Rib Burnoff. His additional rules require: Gates: The City Club must install gates around the area where it will serve alcohol to make sure that alcohol sold in the commons doesn't leave the commons, and that outside alcohol is not brought in. Signs: The signs must state that the alcohol the City Club serves cannot leave the commons and that alcohol from outside sources is not allowed. Training: All volunteers serving alcohol must receive training in alcohol sales so they don't serve to those underage or those who become too intoxicated. Training is provided by the Ohio Division of Liquor Control, and internet-based training is also available. Security: At least five police officers and one police supervisor must oversee the sale of alcohol during the Rib Burnoff and any future events in City Commons. Goss said that since the Rib Burnoff is considered a "community event," the Police Department will assign officers at no charge to the City Club. In the future, the police chief will decide on a case-by-case basis whether an organization must pay for its own security, based on the group's financial resources and the nature of the event. Insurance: The group organizing the event must acquire liability insurance. Control: The club must secure and control alcohol it stocks in and around the commons. In addition, the city will set times that sales and consumption are allowed in the commons, and the group serving alcohol must abide by all state liquor laws and regulations. Kenyan Treasury cabinet secretary Henry Rotich has unveiled the 2018/2019 budget in Parliament, local media reported. The expenditure will help finance President Uhuru Kenyattas so-called Big Four agenda, which seeks to boost agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare and home building to drive economic growth. The record budget of 3.07 trillion shillings is expected to be financed through tax collection, grants and borrowing. The new tax proposals target essential commodities such as maize flour, milk, bread, petroleum products and medicine. The East African nation budget has increased from 1.6 trillion shillings in 2013/2014 to the projected 3.07 trillion shillings in the next financial year. A draft bill released last month would introduce a new top bracket for income tax. It would also lift the rate for companies with an annual income of more than 4.9 million to 35 percent, the highest in the region. Also, the government earlier this year slapped a surprise increase on mobile money transactions. The levy will see Kenyans pay a 12 per cent excise duty on money transfer services, up from 10 per cent. The government is likely to net billions in additional revenue from the mobile tax due to the huge popularity of mobile money transactions but at the expense of poor Kenyans. Kenya has 23.2 million mobile money subscribers who transact across six platforms backed by a network of more than 108,000 agents. Ambassador of Belarus I. Nazaruk meets the Minister of Agriculture of Armenia 15-06-2018 On June 15, 2018 the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to Armenia, Igor Nazaruk, met with the Minister of Agriculture of Armenia, Arthur Khachatryan. During the meeting, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of the Belarusian-Armenian cooperation. Special attention was paid to increasing bilateral trade in agricultural products, supplies of Belarusian machinery, equipment, intensifying cooperation in other areas, including personnel training. print version The success of a company and its employees has a lot to do with the characteristics and qualities of its leadership team. In fact, studies show that one of the top causes of workplace unhappiness is having a bad boss. To spotlight which company leaders are creating healthy workplaces for female employees, job website Comparably created a list of the 50 Best CEOs for Women. The data was compiled using anonymous survey responses from female staff members at the largest U.S. companies, (which Comparably says includes companies that have 500 or more employees) between March 23, 2017, and March 23, 2018. To qualify, CEOs had to have a minimum of 50 female employees rate their leadership style. Comparably says factors regarding company-wide policies like parental leave were not considered since that's focused more on how women feel about the overall company rather than just their leader. "These chief executives obviously created a culture that supports and encourages women and we hope their example will motivate other leaders to do the same," Comparably's CEO Jason Nazar tells CNBC Make It over email. Topping the list is Costco CEO Craig Jelinek, who was praised by many employees for having a leadership team that is "fair and open-minded" as well as being "extremely personable and easy to get along with." There are no women CEOs in the top 10. Julie Sweet of Accenture is the first female CEO, coming in at no. 29. There are three other women CEOs on the list: Mary Barra of General Motors (no. 37), Marillyn Hewson of Lockheed Martin (no. 45) and Amy Zupon of Vertafore (no. 46). A protestor dressed as Lady Liberty carries a doll, depicting a baby of color, as demonstrators march at the 'Families Belong Together March' against the separation of children of immigrants from their families on June 14, 2018 in Los Angeles. The events 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. "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 a facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, including three who said they had young relatives removed from their care after seeking asylum at the border. Democratic lawmakers joined protesters outside immigration detention facilities in New Jersey and Texas on Sunday for Father's Day demonstrations against the Trump administration's practice of separating children from their parents at the U.S.- Mexico border. 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, U.S. 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. Administration officials have defended the tactic as necessary to secure the border and suggested it would act as a deterrent to illegal immigration. But 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, visited a Border Patrol Processing Center in McAllen to call attention to the policy, while Representative Beto O'Rourke, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas, led a protest march to a temporary detention facility for immigrant children set up near El Paso. O'Rourke told the demonstrators they had to bear the burden of "what we now know to be happening." "I want that burden to be so uncomfortable for so many of us that it forces us to act, it places the public pressure on those in positions of public trust and power to do the right thing for our country," O'Rourke, who is seeking to unseat Republican Senator Ted Cruz, said to applause. 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. Japan's exports rose in May at the fastest pace in four months thanks to increased shipments of cars, car parts, and semiconductor equipment in a sign that global demand is gaining strength. Exports rose 8.1 percent in May from the same period a year ago, more than the median estimate for a 7.5 percent annual increase expected by economists in a Reuters poll. In April, exports grew an annual 7.8 percent. Exports are likely to continue to grow thanks to increased demand for manufacturing equipment, cars and car parts, but trade surplus with the United States makes it a potential target for U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist policies. Japan's exports to the United States rose 5.8 percent year-on-year in May, faster than a 4.3 percent year-on-year in April, due to higher shipments of car parts. Imports rose 14.0 percent in the year to May, versus the median estimate for an 8.2 percent increase. The trade balance was a deficit of 578.3 billion yen ($5.23 billion), versus the median estimate for a 235.0 billion yen deficit. Imports from the United States rose 19.9 percent year-on-year as imports of U.S. aircraft and coal grew. As a result, Japan's trade surplus with the United States fell 17.3 percent year-on-year to 340.7 billion yen ($3.08 billion). The decline in the trade surplus is unlikely to exempt Japan from White House criticism as President administration raises tariffs to lower the U.S. trade deficit and combat what it says are unfair trade policies. Trump is pushing ahead with hefty tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, and Commerce Ministry has said it would respond with tariffs "of the same scale and strength," sparking fears of a full-blown trade war. Trump has imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, which affect Japanese companies, and has also criticized Japan for its low level of imports of American vehicles. Richard Liu, founder and chief executive officer of JD.com. Billy H.C. Kwok | Bloomberg | Getty Images A lengthy trade war between China and the United States would be "horrible" and it would end up hurting a lot of American brands, according to the founder of China's second-largest e-commerce company. That's because more Chinese consumers now have a preference for buying imported goods, Richard Liu, founder and CEO of JD.com, told CNBC's Eunice Yoon. "For the next five years, or 10 years, I'm sure in the larger cities, almost half the shopping will come from imported goods," Liu said. That means American companies would have an opportunity to sell to a large Chinese consumer base that is eager to buy foreign products. "But if it's a long-term (trade) war, it will be horrible," Liu said, telling CNBC it would "hurt a lot of American brands." Planning for the future JD.com competes with Jack Ma's Alibaba in China's massive e-commerce market. Both companies have invested significantly in technology, retail and logistics to win over consumers. Those include opening high-tech supermarkets and testing drone delivery to reach China's rural consumers. Gil Luria, director of research at D.A. Davidson & Co told CNBC's "The Rundown" on Monday that both companies are important to watch. While Alibaba added a media business and a successful cloud business to augment its growth, Luria said JD.com was more of a "pure retailer." "They're singularly focused on being a fantastic retailer," he said. "They have the advantage on logistics, they have the advantage on quality and they have the alignment with Tencent, which is incredibly important because of the relationship with WeChat." Tencent is one of China's major technology giants and its businesses include messaging platform WeChat, which is used extensively internationally and in China, where it is known as Weixin. In March, the company revealed that WeChat hit one billion monthly users for the first time. As a result of the partnership, JD.com is able to sell directly to consumers through Tencent's WeChat app. Moreover, Tencent and JD.com have also teamed up to challenge Alibaba's stronghold in the e-commerce space. Last year, the two firms reportedly said they would pay $863 million for a 12.5 percent stake in Vipshop Holdings, which sells discounted fashion and accessories from global brands. Luria explained that it made sense for JD.com to invest in its business since there's still a very large opportunity in China. In fact, he added, if JD.com did not invest in new technologies and important tools, they would not be able to catch up or compete with Alibaba. "You have to prepare for your future growth at least three, or even five, years earlier," Liu told CNBC. "For JD, most important to us is, you know, our supply chain service based on our logistics system. And second is technology." He added that JD.com planned to reduce the comparatively high logistics costs in China. But across the Pacific, both Alibaba and JD.com's attempts to make in-roads into the U.S. have been slow. Trade tensions The logo for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is seen on Nov. 29, 2017. The world's top oil producers are set to meet at the end of this week and markets are paying close attention. Analysts expect members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other exporters, such as Russia, to make a decision on easing output limits that were put in place last year. The existing agreement has curtailed output by 1.8 million barrels per day. Oil prices slumped ahead of the meeting, which will take place on June 22 in Vienna, amid investor expectations of an increase in output. Both Saudi Arabia and Russia have expressed support for hiking output, although other exporters have indicated a preference for curbs to stay in place. Aside from the highly anticipated meeting, markets have also had to contend with the threat of a trade war between the world's two largest economies. The U.S. on Friday announced it would impose tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods starting from July 6, and China swiftly announced it would retaliate. Brent crude futures extended losses seen last week to trade around the $72.60 per barrel level and U.S. crude futures sank almost 2 percent to trade under the $64 handle as of Asia afternoon trade on Monday. Here's a round-up of the most important deals and news in venture capital from the past week. Exits Pieter van der Does, chief executive officer of Adyen. Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images Adyen shares began trading on Wednesday in Amsterdam, marking one of Europe's biggest technology initial public offerings in recent years. On Tuesday, Adyen priced its shares at 240 euros (about $280) giving the company a valuation of 7.1 billion euros (roughly $8.3 billion). The payments processing firm, which also sells point-of-sale systems for physical stores, competes with Stripe, Square and PayPal, among others. Adyen raised more than $266 million in venture funding prior to its IPO from firms including Index Ventures, Iconiq Capital, General Atlantic and others. went public on Thursday, pricing shares at $24, which gave the company a valuation of $180 million. Seattle-based Avalara sells automated tax compliance software for enterprise use. Customers include Pinterest, The New York Times and Fandango (CNBC parent Comcast owns Fandango). The company, which was founded in 2004, had raised funding from Warburg Pincus, Battery Ventures, Sageview Capital, Technology Crossover Ventures and others. Taxi-booking app GrabTaxi's fleet of seven luxury cars for a photoshoot before they start picking passengers in Singapore. Edgar Su | Reuters Toyota is pouring $1 billion into Grab, the Singapore-based ride-hailing firm that bought out Uber's business in Southeast Asia. Grab said the investment is the largest ever by an automotive manufacturer into the ride-hailing sector. The company intends to use the capital, and its partnership with Toyota, to expand its online-to-offline business in Southeast Asia, including food delivery and electronic payments. Electric vehicle maker Byton raised $500 million in a series B funding round. Investors included FAW Group, Tus-Holdings, and Chinese car battery company CATL. Byton CEO and Co-founder Carsten Breitfeld previously worked as BMW Group Vice President and head of BMW's i8 group. Portrait of Opendoor CEO and co-founder Eric Wu. Opendoor OpenDoor, the home-selling platform created by entrepreneur Keith Rabois, raised $325 million in venture funding. Investors included Lennar, a publicly-traded home construction and real estate company, General Atlantic, Access Technology Ventures and Travis Kalanick's venture firm the 10100 Fund. The new round values OpenDoor at around $2 billion. The venture arms of Cisco and HP joined SoftBank Vision Fund in a $250 million investment in Cohesity, which provides "hyperconverged secondary storage" to large enterprises such as Hyatt, the U.S. Department of Energy and Piedmont Healthcare. Volkswagen led an $80 million investment in Gett, a ride-hailing platform that connects riders to taxi drivers and other vetted transportation providers. Gett previously acquired and does business as Juno in New York City. Groupe Arnault, which controls the luxury goods group LVMH, has invested in a $48 million round for Back Market, a French online marketplace for refurbished electronics and appliances. Items ordered through Back Market come from certified repair and refurbishing services, and include a minimum 6-month warranty. Eurazeo, Aglae Ventures and Daphni also invested. Airbus Ventures, GV (previously known as Google Ventures) and Kleiner Perkins invested $35 million in a series A round for SpinLaunch, a space tech start-up. SpinLaunch is building "space catapults," as an affordable alternative to rocket-based methods of space launch. SpinLaunch is targeting 2022 as its first-launch date, according to Space.com. Jeff Bezos' Bezos Expeditions was among investors in a $15 million series B round for Mindstrong Health. The start-up uses software to track the way an individual uses their smartphone, and studies "digital biomarkers" to predict, and potentially treat, deteriorating mental health or brain functions. Funds The head of Volkswagen's luxury arm Audi was arrested on Monday, the most senior company official so far to be taken into custody over the German carmaker's emissions test cheating scandal. Munich prosecutors said Rupert Stadler was being detained due to fears he might hinder an ongoing investigation into the scandal, plunging Volkswagen (VW) into a leadership crisis. News of the arrest comes as VW's new group CEO Herbert Diess is trying to introduce a new leadership structure, which includes Stadler, and speed up the group's shift towards electric vehicles in the wake of its emissions scandal. "As part of an investigation into diesel affairs and Audi engines, the Munich prosecutor's office executed an arrest warrant against Mr Professor Rupert Stadler on June 18, 2018," the Munich prosecutor's office said in a statement. The Trump administration chose to boost criminal prosecutions of people who illegally cross the border in a departure from the two administrations that preceded it. Attorney General Jeff Sessions summarized the policy in May, saying, "if you are smuggling a child then we will prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you as required by law." Sessions has also suggested the policy aims to deter illegal immigration. The GOP members of Congress join the mounting backlash the president faces for his administration's "zero tolerance" practice of splitting up families who try to cross illegally into the U.S. The lawmakers also put more pressure on Trump who has falsely contended that only Congress can change the policy to take action. Several Republican lawmakers are urging President Donald Trump to stop the White House policy of separating immigrant children from parents at U.S. borders. In a lengthy statement Monday morning, Sen. Ben Sasse called family separation "wicked" and "harmful to kids." The policy decision is a "new, discretionary choice" by the White House, the Nebraska Republican said. "The president should immediately end this family separation policy," the senator said. He added that Trump should propose to Congress ways to resolve a legal settlement that requires the government to keep parents and children together for only a limited period of time. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, also called the policy "absolutely unacceptable." On Monday, he told NPR that "taking kids from their mothers is not preventing terrorists or drugs from coming into this country." In addition, he contended that two House Republican immigration bills the chamber plans to consider this week would not resolve the problem. "You don't need legislation. The administration can do this and stop this policy right now. But there's nothing that I've seen in this upcoming legislation that would stop this problem," he said. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also called Sunday for the administration to "put an end" to the separation of children from parents who enter the country at a legal port of entry. Speaking to the CBS program "Face the Nation," she called it "inconsistent with our American values to separate these children from their parents unless there's evidence of abuse or another very good reason." Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., have also criticized the Trump administration policy. Political pressure on the president has increased in recent days as advocates and lawmakers have flocked to buildings where children are housed. More images of the facilities have surfaced, with some taken in Texas showing children sleeping on thin mattresses on concrete floors within cage-like metal fencing. Trump dug in on the policy on Monday morning. The president appears to be using the separation of families as leverage to secure votes for legislation to fund his proposed border wall and limit legal immigration. In a tweet Monday morning, he again falsely blamed Democrats who hold a minority in Congress for the family separation crisis. He urged Congress to "change the laws!" Trump tweet: It is the Democrats fault for being weak and ineffective with Boarder Security and Crime. Tell them to start thinking about the people devastated by Crime coming from illegal immigration. Change the laws! Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen also contended Monday that Congress needs to revise laws to end the policy. She even went as far as to claim Sunday that the White House did not have a policy of separating families. She contradicted other administration officials, including Sessions and policy advisor Stephen Miller, who have described the policy as a deterrent. Among others who have criticized Trump's policy, former first lady Laura Bush called it "cruel" and "immoral." She added that it "breaks my heart." Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, criticized the practice of splitting up families on Monday, but did not blame the Trump administration or put the burden on the president to end it. He said Congress should work on a "path forward that recognizes the need for compassion for children and families without incentivizing illegal border crossings." Gov. Rick Scott said Monday he has accepted three invitations to debate Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in their nationally-watched battle for the United States Senate. Scott's campaign said he has agreed to take part in debates sponsored by Telemundo 51 Miami, the Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute and WJXT Channel 4 and CNN. Dates and locations for the debates have not yet been announced. Not on the initial list of debate invitations accepted by Scott is a forum set for late October at Broward College, co-sponsored by Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association. "We are continuing to review other invitations and will make additional announcements this summer," Scott campaign spokeswoman Lauren Schenone said. Scott debated twice in his last race, when he won re-election for governor in 2014 against Democrat Charlie Crist. Their first face-off was the memorable decision by Scott to stay backstage for about six minutes after discovering that Crist had a portable fan on the stage at Broward College in Davie. READ MORE: 'Fangate' overshadows sharp debate between Scott and Crist Since the U.S. lifted long-standing sanctions on Sudan last October, foreign investors' interest has started to trickle in, an expert on the region has told CNBC. But it's Chinese and Middle Eastern actors who already have first-mover's advantage, Matthew Kindinger, sub-Saharan African analyst at emerging markets advisory firm Frontier Strategy Group, added. "Any firm that was prevented from entering Sudan because of the U.S. sanctions now has much larger scope to expand in the market," he said. "(But) the current administration's Sudan policy appears to have become confused at the least, or at best a very low priority." Given the U.S.' sanctions, some of which date back to 1997 over human rights concerns and terrorism links, China and countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have instead been Sudan's most prominent foreign investors. "These countries want to maintain access to resource exports, such as petroleum to south Asian markets, and livestock to meet growing food demand in the Gulf states," Chris Suckling, senior analyst at IHS Markit, told CNBC. Sudan, located on the Horn of Africa and one of the continent's largest countries by area, has suffered from brutal conflict for much of its history and saw its economy hit hard by the 2011 succession of its oil-rich southern region. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued President Omar al-Bashir with arrest warrants for war crimes twice in the past decade. Given its troubled past and present the country is yet to fully capitalize on its strategic potential. The Eagle Ford crude oil tanker sails out of the the NuStar Energy dock at the Port of Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. Eddie Seal | Bloomberg | Getty Images The escalating trade war between China and the United States threatens to halt surging U.S. crude oil exports to China, which has become the biggest Asian market for American drillers over the last 2 years. Beijing on Friday announced plans to slap a 25 percent duty on U.S. crude oil in response to President Donald Trump's decision to hit $50 billion in Chinese goods with an equivalent tariff. The impact on overall U.S. crude oil exports could be muted in the near-term, provided drillers are able to find other buyers. But if the standoff persists, it could destroy a huge source of future demand growth, drive down the cost of U.S. crude and weigh on the balance sheets of America's shale drillers. China is now surpassing Canada as the biggest purchaser of U.S. crude in some months. Shortly after the U.S. lifted the 40-year ban on crude exports in 2015, China went from not buying a single barrel of American crude to consuming a record 448,000 barrels a day last October. Chinese companies spent nearly $2 billion to import American crude oil in the first quarter of the year, according to S&P Global Platts. While Canada has long provided a steady market for U.S. crude, China's purchases have been growing, and the country has capacity to buy even more, said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at tanker-tracking firm ClipperData. "If [the sanctions] get applied, then it means that we're going to see U.S. supplies to its largest market being cut," Smith told CNBC. China, Europe and other regions have been buying so much American oil largely because it has been trading at a steep discount to international benchmarks like . Weekly shipments are now regularly surpassing 2 million barrels a day. But with U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude trading at nearly $66 a barrel, the Chinese tariffs would tack an additional $16 to $17 onto the cost, said Suresh Sivanandam, senior manager for Asia refining at energy research firm Wood Mackenzie. That would more than wipe out U.S. crude's current $9.50 discount to Brent crude, so American oil would no longer be competitive. "A 25-percent tariff is a huge number," Sivanandam said. "The discount has to be nearly double for it to make sense for China" to import U.S. crude, factoring in shipping costs. It's possible that overall U.S. crude exports could remain stable immediately after Chinese demand dries up, said Sivanandam. That's because Chinese buyers would turn to other countries for the kind of medium sour and light crude grades that they previously purchased from the United States. American companies would then have an opportunity to supply markets that lost barrels to Chinese buyers. Mellanox Technologies, a chipmaker based in Israel and the United States, is close to reaching a deal with activist investor Starboard Value over the composition of its board of directors, people familiar with the matter said on Sunday. The agreement would come after the chipmaker, which had a market capitalization of roughly $4.5 billion at the close of trading on Friday, adopted corporate governance changes after a special vote last month that affected how investors select directors in contested board elections. Mellanox's shares have been up more than 30 percent since the start of the year and closed at $85.90 on Friday. Mellanox could announce an agreement with Starboard as early as this week that would help it avoid a proxy fight at its shareholder meeting scheduled next month, the people added. Starboard said last November when it disclosed its stake that it owned about 11 percent of the company. The settlement with Starboard would involve naming two directors from Starboard's eight-person slate to Mellanox's board, the sources said. As part of the agreement, another director who will be agreed upon later between Starboard and Mellanox will also be added to the board, the sources added. The 11-member board will not be expanded, the sources said. The identities of the directors who would be named to Mellanox's board could not be learned. Mellanox's chairman, Irwin Federman, 82, will remain in place, while Peter Feld, a Starboard portfolio manager who was on the activist's slate, will not be added to the board, the sources said. The agreement includes a so-called standstill agreement between the company and Starboard, which requires the activist shareholder to support the board and company for at least a year, the sources added. The sources declined to be identified because the talks are confidential, and cautioned that the settlement terms could still change, or that the deal could be abandoned altogether. Mellanox declined to comment and Starboard could not be reached for comment. The annual meeting of shareholders has been scheduled for July 25. Starboard has shaken up boards in the semiconductor space before. In April 2016, its three shareholder nominees, including Feld, were added to Marvell Technology's board. The hedge fund has helped steer a turnaround at Marvell, which has since pursued large acquisitions such as the $6 billion takeover of peer Cavium. Starboard said in a filing last November that Marvell had approached Mellanox about a merger in the past and had been rebuffed. In the past two years, the chip industry has witnessed a series of deals as companies try to gain market share in emerging areas such as automotive technologies and connectivity. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross last year owned stakes in companies co-owned by China's government, a shipping firm linked to Russians that he later short sold days before his own controversial ties to it were exposed and also held more than $10 million in stock of his former employer, Invesco, despite earlier swearing he had divested his financial holdings, a new report said Monday. While Ross last November told the U.S. Office of Government Ethics in writing that he had divested himself of every holding he had promised to do, "that was not true," according to the Forbes.com article. Forbes also said that Ross' family "apparently continues to have an interest" in "toxic holdings" that seemingly include the "shipping firm tied to Vladimir Putin's inner circle," a "Cypriot bank reportedly caught up in the Robert Mueller investigation" and China-linked companies. "He continued to deal with China, Russia and others while evidently knowing that his family's interests were tied to those countries," said Forbes, citing financial disclosure filings. And "for most of last year, Ross served as secretary of commerce while maintaining stakes" in those same firms, Forbes reported. Ross, who was confirmed as Commerce secretary in February 2017, also has been tasked by President Donald Trump with investigating the importation of auto parts even while his family apparently maintains holdings in International Automotive Components Group, a giant, Luxembourg-based maker of interior auto parts, Forbes noted. The article said that last September, while Ross still personally held investments in that parts company, the firm closed a new joint venture in which his WL Ross and Co. investment vehicle took a 30 percent interest alongside Chinese-government-owned company Shanghai Shenda "and got roughly $300 million in cash." "The same month, top Chinese officials hosted trade talks with none other than Wilbur Ross," Forbes said. Forbes said that Ross' spokesman did not answer a series of detailed questions about his holdings, but did say that his current assets would be listed on a financial disclosure form that at the time the article was posted online had yet to be posted on the Office of Government Ethics website. The article said the spokesman "underscored that Ross eventually divested of his holdings." And the spokesman told the news site said that Ross "did not lie" to federal officials in his prior disclosure filings about his holdings, saying that Ross has filed amended documents with the Office of Government Ethics. Ross, in an emailed statement to CNBC, said, "I first sold Navigator stock on May 31, as reported on my public filing. I later learned in late October that there were more shares belonging to me in an account that the company had opened in electronic form at a firm acting as its agent." "I decided to continue selling those shares, but since I did not have physical possession of them in order to make delivery in the required time period, I technically sold them short and when the shares were delivered by the agent on November 16 I delivered those shares to the broker to close out the transaction," Ross said. "Therefore, it made no economic difference to me whether the shares went up or down between the sale date and the date I delivered them." The Commerce Department, in its own emailed statement to CNBC, said, "The Secretary continues to follow the guidance of Department of Commerce ethics officials to ensure compliance with federal laws and regulations." The department's statement included links to two Form 278-T transaction reports that the Office of Government Ethics posted today, which reflect Ross's updated financial transactions. "As you can see, the Department's ethics officials and the Office of Government Ethics have certified that the transactions documented are in compliance with federal ethics requirements," the Commerce Department said. Ross' ownership holdings while Commerce secretary gained widespread notice last November in reports that he had failed to disclose that he had shared business interests with Putin's immediate family. In the "Paradise Papers" leak of millions of documents held by a Bermuda-based law firm it was revealed that Ross had retained an interest in the shipping firm Navigator Holdings, one of whose most important business relationships is a Russian energy company controlled by Putin's son-in-law and other Russians close to Putin. Ross later told CNBC in November that he had disclosed an interest in Navigator three times on his financial disclosure form. But Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told NBC News that he and other members of Congress were under the impression that Ross had divested all of his interests in Navigator and were unaware of the company's ties to Russians. On the heels of the news about Navigator, a Trump administration official told the Reuters news agency that Ross was in the process of selling off his holdings in Navigator, and also had already divested his interest in an oil tanker company called Diamond S Shipping. But Forbes' new article says that official filings by Ross show that he had already divested funds that held Navigator stock several days before the news broke about his stake. "Six days later, he opened a short position against [Navigator]. That meant if shares of Navigator plummeted on the Paradise Papers news, Ross could presumably cash out with a gain," the article said. New York Times reporter Mike McIntire tweeted about the Forbes story on Monday, noting that Ross' short sale of Navigator came days after McIntire asked him about his investment in that company. McIntire tweet Navigator's stock drifted down 4 percent over the 11 days before Ross exited his short position in the company's shares, according to the Forbes article. And, "His family still appears to have an interest in Navigator," Forbes said. The article also said that Ross previously had, "armed with cash from the Chinese ... dumped millions into Diamond S Shipping." The Connecticut company's website notes that its shareholders includes affiliates of WL Ross and Co., the investment firm Ross previously headed. Forbes said, Ross "apparently handed over an interest in [Diamond S] to his family," last year. The family also is believed to have an interest in the Bank of Cyprus , according to the article. Forbes said that the largest shareholder in that bank is Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. Vekselberg was reportedly stopped this year at a U.S. airport and questioned by investigators working for Mueller, the special counsel probing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Vekselberg has been linked to Columbus Nova, a U.S. investment firm founded by his cousin. Last month, it was revealed that Columbus Nova had paid Trump's longtime personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen $500,000 for what the firm said was consulting about "real estate." Cohen is currently under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in New York City, but has not been charged. Read Forbes' full report on Ross's holdings here. The fact that so few stocks have been driving the market's latest advance has CNBC's Jim Cramer worried. "[It's] beginning to call into question whether we have an advance at all," the "Mad Money" host said Monday. "Yes, it's this small, this weak, this pathetic and this limited to FANG and friends and some of these small caps that we talk about." And while Cramer hasn't shied away from recommending FANG his acronym for the stocks of Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google, now Alphabet in the past, he knew the market needed more to sustain a rally. "Why did we lose so many good stocks? Because of tariff headlines, I think," he said. "The media's pronounced the global expansion over, that's what's happened. In response, buyers are crowding into the smaller cap domestic companies that do well when the U.S. employment is strong and into the secular growth tech companies that don't need a robust global economy, especially the cloud and cybersecurity plays and, yes, FANG." But that's not how Cramer saw it, and unless a major manufacturing CEO tells him otherwise, the "Mad Money" host said he'd stay the course. An ETF for doom and gloom? Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, (NYSE) in New York, U.S., February 5, 2018. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Cramer is growing tired of rampant negativity in the stock market, especially when it weighs on the major averages despite the fact that the economy is still strengthening. So, on Monday, the "Mad Money" host pitched an idea to Wall Street's doomsayers. "I would create a gloom index. It's a group of stocks that exemplifies this overwhelming pessimism," he said. "Yep, we need an ETF obviously, it should trade under the symbol GLUM." "The bears can sell it whenever they're feeling down and out," he continued. "Those of us with a little more composure might actually consider buying it or shorting the GLUM index." Find the central figures in Cramer's fictional fund here. MedMen CEO on the growing marijuana retail space Adam Bierman, co-founder and CEO of MedMen. Adam Jeffery | CNBC Marijuana dispensary operator MedMen sees major hurdles in operating in Oregon, Washington and Colorado, where pot is medically and recreationally legal, co-founder and CEO Adam Bierman told CNBC on Monday. Bierman, whose company functions in California, Nevada, New York and Florida, called the first three fully legal U.S. weed markets "horrible markets to be in" in an interview with Cramer. "[It's] good for business that those are tiny markets that, in the grand scheme of things, maybe matter not that much," the CEO said. "What's really important to understand is every market since those markets came online [has] been supply constrained, so limited licenses and, most importantly, especially for the MedMen's case, the most arduous retail zoning restrictions known to man," Bierman continued. For more on Bierman's interview and his company's prospects, click here. Cramer's warning on recent software IPOs President of the New York Stock Exchange Thomas Farley and executives from Pivotal Software ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange April 20, 2018. Brendan McDermid | Reuters The slew of technology-focused initial public offerings this year has Cramer focused on a key question: how hot is too hot when you're invested in a red-hot IPO? As businesses increasingly find themselves in need of enterprise-level software, a host of tech companies like DocuSign and Zuora have come public in the last few months to serious fanfare. "But the problem with stocks that go up and then up and then up some more is that, sooner or later, they become very expensive," the "Mad Money" host warned on Monday. "So, on a decidedly subpar day for the averages, ... I think it's worth considering whether these recent software IPOs have gotten overheated." Here are some of the hottest names. Olo CEO on Amazon partnership, recent growth in ordering Noah Glass, CEO of OLO. Adam Jeffery | CNBC Privately held online ordering platform Olo, which landed a partnership with Amazon Prime in September, is seizing on the largely millennial-driven growth in digital ordering. The company, which focuses on food delivery but is now expanding to retail, has grown from having 12,000 restaurants on its platform in October 2015 to 48,000 today, CEO Noah Glass told Cramer in a Monday interview. Glass attributed the strength to "more consumers getting the app, more consumers getting comfortable using on-demand services, thinking about the app as a remote control for buying things." The company's Amazon partnership centers on Amazon Restaurants and will hopefully boost Olo's already staggering growth, with digital ordering up 31 percent year-over-year at its existing restaurant clients. Olo will also start leveraging a burgeoning platform, Olo Dispatch, to serve retailers. "Everybody wants to get things delivered faster. It used to be that two-day delivery was fast enough. I mean, what if you could get things delivered same hour? For 13 years, we've been working with an industry that demands that kind of speed," Glass told Cramer. "What Dispatch does is it coordinates the prep of the order with the driver coming to collect the order and, on average, it's a 12-minute delivery time from the store to the door. So now we're opening that up for all retailers, not just restaurants, and allowing retailers to compete with online retailers on convenience by delivering same hour." Watch Glass' full interview here. Lightning round: Not calling for CTL Billionaire tech titan Elon Musk has been tweeting quite a lot of late about everything from his philosophical mentors (Douglas Adams and Isaac Asimov) to his political leanings (he's a socialist). But nearly lost in a flurry of tweets, Musk now says that universal basic income (UBI) essentially, free cash handouts "will be necessary over time if AI [artificial intelligence] takes over most human jobs." That's what Musk tweeted Friday in response to a question from a Twitter user who asked him if he supported UBI. Universal income will be necessary over time if AI takes over most human jobs Universal basic income is a cash handout distributed to the people of a state or region irrespective of employment status. In November 2016, Musk himself told CNBC automation would lead to the need for cash handouts. "There is a pretty good chance we end up with a universal basic income, or something like that, due to automation," Musk told CNBC. "Yeah, I am not sure what else one would do. I think that is what would happen." And Musk isn't the only Silicon Valley titan to surface the idea. Billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has indicated his support for universal basic income as a way to inspire more entrepreneurial creativity. "Let's face it: There is something wrong with our system when I can leave [Harvard] and make billions of dollars in 10 years, while millions of students can't afford to pay off their loans, let alone start a business," Zuckerberg said in his May 2017 commencement address at his alma mater. "Now it's our time to define a new social contract for our generation. We should explore ideas like universal basic income to give everyone a cushion to try new things." The pan-European Stoxx 600 ended provisionally down by 0.79 percent on Monday with all sectors except Oil and Gas lower on average. The FTSE 100 stock index closed barely lower for the day. Market sentiment was being dominated by trade tensions between the U.S. and China with new tariffs on the table. President Trump unveiled tariffs on more than 800 Chinese goods that could be worth as much as $50 billion. Beijing swiftly countered by implementing similar measures on nearly 700 different American products. China also threatened duties on U.S. crude imports. In autos news, the boss of Volkswagen's luxury brand Audi was arrested Monday in relation to the German carmaker's emissions test cheating scandal. Rupert Stadler was taken into custody following concerns from a German judge that he might hinder the ongoing investigation. By the end of trade, VW shares were lower by 2.8 percent. Looking across the European benchmark, the Italian cable-maker Prysmian finished down 2 percent, after rival firm Nexans issued a profit warning. Defense technology firm Cobham finished up by 4.59 percent after Morgan Stanley rose its outlook on the stock to overweight. At the other end, U.K. food logistics supplier finished 7.79 percent lower. The stock, which has been on a stellar run, was downgraded by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In the finance sector, CYBG has agreed to buy Virgin Money for $2.26 billion, creating the U.K.'s sixth-biggest bank. According to Reuters, the deal will see Virgin Money shareholders getting 1.2125 CYBG shares per Virgin Money share they hold. Shares in Virgin Money reversed early gains to close 2.5 percent lower. In the Food & Drink sector, Heineken announced it would invest $58.4 million this year to update its British pubs. One ad couldn't have been more obviously political. Targeted to people aged 18 and older, it urged them to "vote YES" on June 5 on a ballot proposition to issue bonds for schools in a district near San Francisco. Yet it showed up in users' news feeds without the "paid for by" disclaimer required for political ads under Facebook's new policy designed to prevent a repeat of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Nor does it appear, as it should, in Facebook's new archive of political ads. The other ad was from The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit news outlet, promoting one of its articles about financial aid for college students. Yet Facebook's screening system flagged it as political. For the ad to run, The Hechinger Report would have to undergo the multi-step authorization and authentication process of submitting Social Security numbers and identification that Facebook now requires for anyone running "electoral ads" or "issue ads." When The Hechinger Report appealed, Facebook acknowledged that its system should have allowed the ad to run. But Facebook then blocked another ad from The Hechinger Report, about an article headlined, "DACA students persevere, enrolling at, remaining in, and graduating from college." This time, Facebook rejected The Hechinger Report's appeal, maintaining that the text or imagery was political. As these examples suggest, Facebook's new screening policies to deter manipulation of political ads are creating their own problems. The company's human reviewers and software algorithms are catching paid posts from legitimate news organizations that mention issues or candidates, while overlooking straightforwardly political posts from candidates and advocacy groups. Participants in ProPublica's Facebook Political Ad Collector project have submitted 40 ads that should have carried disclaimers under the social network's policy, but didn't. Facebook may have underestimated the difficulty of distinguishing between political messages and political news coverage and the consternation that failing to do so would stir among news organizations. The rules require anyone running ads that mention candidates for public office, are about elections, or that discuss any of 20 "national issues of public importance" to verify their personal Facebook accounts and add a "paid for by" disclosure to their ads, which are to be preserved in a public archive for seven years. Advertisers who don't comply will have their ads taken down until they undergo an "authorization" process, submitting a Social Security number, driver's license photo, and home address, to which Facebook sends a letter with a code to confirm that anyone running ads about American political issues has an American home address. The complication is that the 20 hot-button issues environment, guns, immigration, values foreign policy, civil rights and the like are likely to pop up in posts from news organizations as well. "This could be really confusing to consumers because it's labelling news content as political ad content," said Stefanie Murray, director of the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University. The Hechinger Report joined trade organizations representing thousands of publishers this week in protesting this policy, arguing that the filter lumps their stories in with the very organizations and issues they are covering, thus confusing readers already wary of "fake news." Some publishers including larger outlets like New York Media, which owns New York Magazine have stopped buying ads on political content they expect would be subject to Facebook's ad archive disclosure requirement. "When it comes to news, Facebook still doesn't get it. In its efforts to clear up one bad mess, it seems set on joining those who want blur the line between reality-based journalism and propaganda," Mark Thompson, chief executive officer of The New York Times, said in prepared remarks at the Open Markets Institute on Tuesday. In a statement Wednesday, Campbell Brown, Facebook's head of global news partnerships, said the company recognized "that news content was different from political and issue advertising," and promised to create a "differentiated space within our archive to separate news content from political and issue ads." But Brown rejected the publishers' request for a "whitelist" of legitimate news organizations whose ads would not be considered political. "Removing an entire group of advertisers, in this case publishers, would go against our transparency efforts and the work we're doing to shore up election integrity on Facebook," she wrote. "We don't want to be in a position where a bad actor obfuscates its identity by claiming to be a news publisher." Many of the foreign agents that bought ads to sway the 2016 presidential election, the company has said, posed as journalistic outlets. Her response didn't satisfy news organizations. Facebook "continues to characterize professional news and opinion as 'advertising' which is both misguided and dangerous," said David Chavern, chief executive of the News Media Alliance a trade association representing 2,000 news organizations in the U.S. and Canada and co-author of an open letter to Facebook on June 11. ProPublica asked Facebook to explain its decision to block 14 advertisements shared with us by news outlets. Of those, 12 were ultimately rejected as political content, one was overturned on appeal, and one Facebook could not locate in its records. Most of these publications, including The Hechinger Report, are affiliated with the Institute for Nonprofit News, a consortium of mostly small nonprofit newsrooms that produce primarily investigative journalism (ProPublica is a member). Here are a few examples of news organization ads that were rejected as political: Voice of Monterey Bay tried to boost an interview with labor leader Dolores Huerta headlined "She Still Can." After the ad ran for about a day, Facebook sent an alert that the ad had been turned off. The outlet is refusing to seek approval for political ads, "since we are a news organization," said Julie Martinez, co-founder of the nonprofit news site. Ensia tried to advertise an article headlined: "Opinion: We need to talk about how logging in the Southern U.S. is harming local residents." It was rejected as political. Ensia will not appeal or buy new ads until Facebook addresses the issue, said senior editor David Doody. inewsource tried to promote a post about a local candidate, headlined: "Scott Peters' Plea to Get San Diego Unified Homeless Funding Rejected." The ad was rejected as political. inewsource appealed successfully, but then Facebook changed its mind and rejected it again, a spokeswoman for the social network said. BirminghamWatch tried to boost a post about a story headlined, "'That is Crazy:' 17 Steps to Cutting Checks for Birmingham Neighborhood Projects." The ad was rejected as political and rejected again on appeal. A little while later, BirminghamWatch's advertiser on the account received a message from Facebook: "Finish boosting your post for $15, up to 15,000 people will see it in NewsFeed and it can get more likes, comments, and shares." The nonprofit news site appealed again, and the ad was rejected again. For most of its history, Facebook treated political ads like any other ads. Last October, a month after disclosing that "inauthentic accounts operated out of Russia" had spent $100,000 on 3,000 ads that "appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages," the company announced it would implement new rules for election ads. Then in April, it said the rules would also apply to issue-related ads. The policy took effect last month, at a time when Facebook's relationship with the news industry was already rocky. A recent algorithm change reduced the number of posts from news organizations that users see in their news feed, thus decreasing the amount of traffic many media outlets can bring in without paying for wider exposure, and frustrating publishers who had come to rely on Facebook as a way to reach a broader audience. Facebook has pledged to assign 3,000-4,000 "content moderators" to monitor political ads, but hasn't reached that staffing level yet. The company told ProPublica that it is committed to meeting the goal by the U.S. midterm elections this fall. To ward off "bad actors who try to game our enforcement system," Facebook has kept secret its specific parameters and keywords for determining if an ad is political. It has published only the list of 20 national issues, which it says is based in part on a data-coding system developed by a network of political scientists called the Comparative Agendas Project. A director on that project, Frank Baumgartner, said the lack of transparency is problematic. "I think [filtering for political speech] is a puzzle that can be solved by algorithms and big data, but it has to be done right and the code needs to be transparent and publicly available. You can't have proprietary algorithms determining what we see," Baumgartner said. However Facebook's algorithms work, they are missing overtly political ads. Incumbent members of Congress, national advocacy groups and advocates of local ballot initiatives have all run ads on Facebook without the social network's promised transparency measures, after they were supposed to be implemented. Ads from Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Rep. Don Norcross, D-N.J., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., all ran without disclaimers as recently as this past Monday. So did an ad from Alliance Defending Freedom, a right-wing group that represented a Christian baker whose refusal for religious reasons to make a wedding cake for a gay couple was upheld by the Supreme Court this month. And ads from NORML, the marijuana legalization advocacy group and MoveOn, the liberal organization, ran for weeks before being taken down. ProPublica asked Facebook why these ads weren't considered political. The company said it is reviewing them. "Enforcement is never perfect at launch," it said. Khalid Bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Saudi Arabia's energy minister and president of OPEC, speaks during a news conference following the 172nd Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday, May 25, 2017. Goldman Sachs still expects the price of oil to climb back above $80 a barrel over the coming months, despite growing concerns over higher OPEC crude production, escalating trade wars and rising inventories. Crude futures were mixed Monday, following a week of losses partly prompted by elevated fears that Saudi Arabia and Russia could soon move to ramp up oil production. Nonetheless, analysts at Goldman said the prospect of OPEC producers announcing an increase to crude production levels later this week could actually have a bullish impact on oil prices. "Our updated global supply-demand balance continues to point to further declines in inventories and higher oil prices in the second half of 2018," the bank said, reaffirming its previous Brent forecast of $82.50 during the summer. "We continue, however, to view the risks to this forecast as skewed to the upside, even if concerns over demand and higher OPEC production weigh on prices near term," Goldman added. While investors were busy watching the rally in splashy FANG names, smaller internet players have surged. Companies like GrubHub, Zillow, Angi Homeservices and IAC have posted double-digit gains this year, while one of the best performers, Etsy, has rocketed by as much as 112 percent. Mark Newton, president and founder of Newton Advisors, only has eyes for one of the names. "I like GrubHub technically. It's very attractive," Newton told CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Friday. Shares of the online delivery and takeout company have climbed close to 64 percent for the year, the bulk of those gains seen during a massive February rally while the rest of the market sold off. "It just recently this past Tuesday moved back to new high territory," said Newton. "It's not necessarily an ideal entry for those short term in nature, but I would certainly be a buyer really on any pullback down to near $112, $113." GrubHub's relative strength index, a momentum measure, spiked to 72 to end last week as its stock scored another intraday record on Friday. A level above 70 indicates overbought conditions. A pullback to $112 would mark a nearly 7 percent drop from its all-time high of $120.07. "Technically it's a very beautiful basing formation and it just broke out on decent volume so I like it for intermediate-term purposes," added Newton. As for the rest of the group, Mike Binger of Gradient Investments is a skeptic. "We don't own any of these smaller cap tech plays right now in the web 2.0 area," Binger said on Friday's "Trading Nation." "Frankly, outside of GrubHub, all of them have had spotty performance over the last couple of years. Their stocks have bounced around a lot." Larger cap names outside of the FANG stocks Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google parent Alphabet look like more of a buy to Binger. He has identified potential in three growth areas Chinese web companies such as Alibaba, financial-technology payments stocks like Visa and PayPal, and cloud software developers including Salesforce and Adobe. "These names have a lot more consistent performance, they're appreciating on a rapid rate, too, and the valuations, although slightly higher than what we're looking at here in these web 2.0, I think it's worth paying a premium for," said Binger. Alibaba is up 20 percent this year, Visa 19 percent, PayPal 17 percent, Salesforce.com 36 percent and Adobe 46 percent. @alextdaugherty A South Florida man just won a First Amendment victory at the Supreme Court in a case that could protect disgruntled citizens from arrest for voicing their displeasure at elected officials during public meetings. The nation's highest court ruled in favor of political gadfly Fane Lozman on Monday in a 8-1 decision, the culmination of more than a decade of work for Lozman after he was dragged out of a Riviera Beach city council meeting and arrested after speaking about the allegedly corrupt dealings of a Palm Beach County commissioner. Lozman is now 2-0 at the Supreme Court, an accomplishment that his lawyer said is unprecedented for an individual plaintiff in a court that that rejects around 7,000 cases every year and hears only 80. He also won a maritime law case related to his floating home in 2013. "As far as I know he's the only person who's done it in recent times," said Pamela Karlan, an attorney from Stanford Law School who argued Lozman's case in front of the court. "There were people who got the same case twice to the Supreme Court, but not two different cases." The court's decision on Monday affects citizens who show up to public meetings to vent and question the actions of elected officials. If one official orders the arrest of someone speaking at a public meeting and the rest of the elected body doesn't object, the person arrested can now have a cause of action against the municipality if he or she can prove animosity. That means it's harder for angry elected officials to use their power to arrest people they simply don't like. "It's just been an amazing effort to try to crack the overbreadth of government power towards citizens who want to exercise their First Amendment rights," Lozman said in an interview on Monday. "This arrest happened in 2006 and the case was filed in February 2008, so we've been fighting this case for over 10 years. It's been a Herculean effort." This isn't Lozman's first time in front of the Supreme Court. The semi-retired South Florida stock trader-turned First Amendment crusader also won a Supreme Court case in 2012, when justices ruled 7-2 that Lozman's floating home was not a "vessel" and therefore not subject to the federal maritime jurisdiction that eventually led local officials to seize and destroy it. Lozman was already victorious in his fight against Riviera Beach that led to his arrest in the first place. He saved other people's homes from being taken via eminent domain for a new private marina in Riviera Beach, and he was able to keep the public marina out of private hands. "I won the case today but I won what I really wanted years ago, which was the marina," Lozman said. "They didn't take the marina and the scum that tried to do that are out of power. We finally got the last one of those kicked out last month." But while his fellow citizens were able to keep their boats and homes on the marina, Lozman became consumed with his First Amendment fight for people like him who are thrown out of public meetings for needling elected officials. "I've heard horror stories from all over the country, people call me and they say they were physically thrown out of meetings. If you go on YouTube theres lots of people being dragged out by elected officials and I wanted to stop that," Lozman said, adding that he worked between 8,000 and 9,000 hours on his two Supreme Court cases. Read more here. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren't the only newlyweds who said "no, thanks" to the traditional wedding gift of a mixer or knife set. Like the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex, more couples are opting to set up a charity registry when celebrating their big day. The use of charity registries is up over 230 percent from last year, according to The Knot's annual Wedding Registry Study. About one in 10 couples incorporated some type of charitable gifting into their wedding registries last year, according to survey of over 6,600 engaged or recently married couples. "When we look at this next generation of people getting married, be it millennials or Gen-Z, we know that they're much more socially conscious. So when they think about their wedding registry, they think, 'Why not give back to charities that mean something to me?'" The Knot's Editor-in-Chief, Kristen Maxwell Cooper, tells CNBC Make It. Couples are now also a little older when they get married on average and may have already lived together. So when it comes to the material things, they may want to upgrade a few items, but then they also start to think about incorporating a charity that is "near and dear to their heart," Cooper says. Forgoing gifts can do real good. The Knot found that couples can bring in, on average, $338 in donations. Cooper recommends explaining a bit about the organizations you choose and why you selected them. "Give a little more context around why you chose this charity and why it's important to you," she says. For example, when they were planning their wedding, Prince Harry and Markle personally selected seven charities, including the children's HIV association CHIVA, a cause that was supported by Prince Harry's late mother Princess Diana of Wales. You can also combine a charity registry with a more traditional one. Most couples actually opt to set up an average of three, the Knot's survey found, with the average wedding registry containing 125 items valued at $4,853. While charity registries are on the rise, traditional retail registries are still the most popular option. Over eight out of 10 couples register for one of these, with Bed, Bath & Beyond topping the list of most popular retailers. If you're attending a wedding this year and you can't find the gift registry, a safe bet is something for the kitchen. Bake-ware, cookware and appliances are the most sought-after presents, according to The Knot. If there a registry, Cooper says, it's better to stick to it: "There's this idea that it's impersonal to buy off the registry, when really, it's exactly what the couple wants." Don't miss: Here's exactly how much you should spend on a wedding gift Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube! Apple's chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, may be the leader of the world's most valuable public company, but lately he has had to act a lot like the tech industry's top diplomat. Last month he visited the Oval Office to warn President Trump that tough talk on China could threaten Apple's position in the country. In March, at a major summit meeting in Beijing, he called for "calmer heads" to prevail between the world's two most powerful countries. In a trade and technology showdown between the United States and China, Apple and Mr. Cook have a lot to lose. With 41 stores and hundreds of millions of iPhones sold in the country, there is arguably no American company in China as successful, as high-profile and with as big a target on its back. Since he took over Apple from its founder, Steve Jobs, in 2011, questions about whether Mr. Cook, 57, could recreate the magic that led to the iPod and iPhone have persisted. For Mr. Cook, the analogous breakthrough and potentially his legacy as the heir to Mr. Jobs has come not from a gadget, but from a geography: China. Read more from the New York Times: U.S.-China trade talks end in an impasse In signing sweeping tax bill, Trump questions whether he is getting enough credit Apple, capitalizing on new tax law, plans to bring billions in cash back to U.S. Under Mr. Cook's leadership, Apple's business in China grew from a fledgling success to an empire with annual revenues of around $50 billion just a bit under a quarter of what the company takes in worldwide. He did this while China was tightening internet controls and shutting out other American tech giants. Now, with the Trump administration saying on Friday that it would move ahead with tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese products, and China having threatened retaliation, Apple is stuck in the middle. The Trump administration has told Mr. Cook that it would not place tariffs on iPhones, which are assembled in China, according to a person familiar with the talks who declined to speak on the record for fear of upsetting negotiations. But Apple is worried China will retaliate in ways that hamstring its business, according to three people close to Apple who declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Apple fears "the Chinese-bureaucracy machine is going to kick in," meaning the Chinese government could cause delays in its supply chain and increase scrutiny of its products under the guise of national-security concerns, according to one person close to the company. Apple has faced such retaliation before, another person said, and Reuters reported Ford vehicles are already facing delays at Chinese ports. There is also concern that Apple could face reprisals for legal and regulatory efforts in Washington that have made it difficult for the Chinese tech giant Huawei to sell its phones and telecom equipment in the United States. Apple executives and lobbyists in Beijing and Washington, led by Mr. Cook, have been trying to work both sides. They have fostered close ties to the administration of the country's leader, Xi Jinping, an effort called Red Apple by employees at Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn, after the official color of the Chinese Communist Party. At the same time, Mr. Cook has been pleading with the Trump White House to understand that a trade war is bad for the economy and bad for Apple. Mr. Cook, who knows a bit of Mandarin, has attended China's most important political events in a critical year for Mr. Xi. Days after a Chinese Communist Party congress wrote Mr. Xi's ideas and name into the constitution, elevating him to the same status as Mao Zedong, Mr. Cook joined a small group of American and Chinese executives for a meeting where Mr. Xi lectured about innovation and reform. Later, Mr. Cook attended China's World Internet Conference, an effort by Beijing to create a Davos-like conference for technology. There he met Wang Huning, a new member of China's standing committee the country's top leadership and an ideological force behind China's deepening authoritarianism. In March, just after an annual meeting of China's rubber-stamp Parliament formally abolished presidential term limits, Mr. Cook attended a major summit meeting that brings together Chinese policymakers and corporate leaders. Mr. Cook has long defended Apple's presence in China as a way to help change the country from the inside. "Each country in the world decides their laws and their regulations. And so your choice is: Do you participate, or do you stand on the sideline and yell at how things should be?" he said at a Fortune event in China in December. "You get in the arena, because nothing ever changes from the sideline." Mr. Cook has also put in time in the halls of power in Washington. Last month, he visited the White House to meet with Mr. Trump and his top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow. Mr. Cook began by applauding new corporate-tax rules and reminded Mr. Trump that Apple said it would contribute $350 billion to the American economy over the next five years, according to two people familiar with what Mr. Cook said. Then Mr. Cook switched to explaining why he thought a trade war would reverse the new tax law's progress, the people said. Mr. Cook told the president that tariffs were effectively a tax on consumers and that the trade deficit with China is inflated because of flaws in how it is calculated, one of the people said. "He was very helpful in making some suggestions, and I might also add he loves the tax cut and tax reform," Mr. Kudlow said on CNBC shortly after the meeting. "He says Apple is going to be building plants, campuses, adding jobs, lots of business investment. That was the first point he made to President Trump." Mr. Trump has also told crowds this year that Apple planned to build multiple factories in the United States. Apple has no plans to do so and has not publicly corrected him. Mr. Cook has found cabinet members more accessible in the Trump administration than the Obama administration, according to a person familiar with the talks, and he has seen eye to eye with Mr. Kudlow, Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary and, on some issues, Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary. He has met with Robert Lighthizer, the United States trade representative, but they tend to disagree on trade issues, this person said, and he has avoided engaging with perhaps the administration's most hawkish member on trade, Peter Navarro, a top adviser to the president. Mr. Cook still sees an opening to engage on the trade issue because of disagreement inside the White House, and he doubts that a trade war or Chinese retaliation against Apple ultimately will happen, this person said. "He's willing to put a brave face on and work with the Trump administration because they probably have more at stake than any other tech company when it comes to China and the tariffs," said Gene Munster, a longtime Apple analyst and partner at the investment firm Loup Ventures. The specter of Chinese retaliation against Apple has increased since the administration targeted the Chinese tech firm ZTE for breaking American sanctions against Iran and North Korea. But the administration backed away from stiffer penalties earlier this month and said it would fine ZTE $1 billion and install a compliance team picked by the United States. Other measures targeting China's larger telecom champion, Huawei, could lead to new strains. Indeed, congressional pressure earlier this year appeared to quash a deal in which AT&T would sell Huawei phones in America. Apple, meanwhile, has a deal with China's biggest telecom company, China Mobile, giving it a direct channel to nearly 900 million subscribers in China. The competition to sell smartphones in the country has become increasingly intense, with a number of other Chinese companies also offering high-end but usually lower-priced phones. Mr. Cook's frequent visits to China are part of Apple's increased efforts to court China's leadership, launched in 2016 after the country suddenly removed Apple's iTunes Movies and iBooks Store there. Apple set up two research-and-development centers in China, made a $1 billion investment in the Chinese ride-sharing firm Didi Chuxing, and created a new position, head of China, that reports directly to Mr. Cook. The company appointed Chinese-born Isabel Ge Mahe to the role. Apple also complied with Chinese orders to store its data on Chinese-run servers and to pull certain apps from its App Store, including The New York Times app and many that allowed Chinese users to get around censorship that blocks sites like Facebook and Twitter. The company has reason to fear retaliation. In 2014, the Obama administration indicted five Chinese military hackers, stoking tensions already high from leaks about American surveillance from the former government contractor Edward Snowden. Months later, Chinese regulators delayed approvals of the iPhone 6 for additional security reviews. Apple executives perceived the moves as retaliation, said people familiar with the matter, which has not been previously reported. Apple's primary leverage with the Chinese government is Chinese consumers' love for Apple products, said Dean Garfield, head of the Information Technology Industry Council, a trade group that represents Apple and other tech firms. However, Mr. Garfield added, Chinese consumers would also love Facebook and Google, two products blocked in China. "There are limits," he said. "Xi and the National Party will do what's in their interest." Since 1979, Kathie Leonard has run Auburn Manufacturing, a small company that makes heat and fire-resistant fabrics for industrial use. Leonard has two facilities in Maine, selling to heavy industry businesses in oil, petroleum, shipbuilding, and even the U.S. Navy. About four years ago, Leonard began losing sizeable contracts. In fact, she watched about 30 percent of her business in silica fabrics disappear. She began to investigate why, and came to find out a similar product was being imported from China and sold to her competitors for up to 30 percent less than Auburn's price. "It was hard to believe somebody could just undercut us so easily," Leonard said. "We got to the point where we had to either give up this product line, or we look into filing an anti-dumping case. We're a manufacturer, I didn't want to become a distributorthat's a different business model. I worked hard for years building this business." President Trump has pointed to companies both large and small to justify placing tariffs on China and other trade partners, saying current deals are harmful to the economy. On Friday, the White House unveiled 25 percent tariffs on up to $50 billion in Chinese goods, a move met with swift backlash from Beijing. Leonard maintains she is one of many small companies being harmed by unfair trade practices. She decided to hire counsel from Drinker, Biddle & Reath, a Philadelphia-based law firm experienced in trade matters to do a feasibility study, which took three months. The company had already let go ten employees due to dumping, about 20 percent of its workforce. "It turned out we were rightwe were able to prove how much we'd lost and were able to identify the major players in the market," Leonard said. "And with those facts, we said, 'We've got to do something.'" Leonard filed an anti-dumping case with the Department of Commerce. Eighteen months and nearly $1 million later, the DOC ruled in Auburn Manufacturing's favor, placing an import duty of between 200 and 300 percent on that same silica fabric her competitors were buying from China. "I felt ebullient, for a moment, and then grateful it was over. And then, I moved on quickly to being sort of wary about the future. Because it doesn't mean you win, and all of a sudden you get all your market back and make more money," she said. In fact, the business is still feeling the impacts of Chinese dumping, despite hiring back several workers and regaining some market share. "A lot of Chinese fabric had been imported. So I can assume there will be plenty of material on the floor in warehouses in the United States for a long time to come," she said. "The folks who left [the company] aren't the ones who come backit really does hurt a company like ours in that we have to find new people and train them to do these jobs" As for President Trump's trade policies and facing off with other nations, Leonard said she's been enjoying the back and forth. Though the small business owner did not support Trump in the election, she's encouraged by the way free trade agreements are being addressed by the administration. "I think what's happened here is that there's a lot of American interest in offshoring and outsourcing, companies tend to look the other way when it comes to buying from China, because if they can make money easier than making it here, why not?" she said. "I'm interested in watching [trade negotiations] and I think the concept is correct. If we had dealt with China's cheating all along, incrementally, we might not be in this mess." Emmanuele Contini | NurPhoto | Getty Images Chancellor Angela Merkel is at a defining point in her fourth term as German leader amid opposition from her political allies over migration. Her sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) from the Bavarian region, is against Merkel's stance on migration. The allied party wants German police to prevent refugees, who are already registered as asylum seekers in other European countries, to enter Germany. However, Merkel blocked the proposal last week, starting a spat with her interior minister and chairman of the CSU, Horst Seehofer. The clash has escalated into a power struggle between Merkel's party (CDU) and the CSU, which have long been key allies. Together, both parties call themselves The Union and agreed that the CSU operates in Bavaria, while the CDU operates in all the other states. The CSU is traditionally slightly more conservative than Merkel's CDU. "This is definitely the worst crisis she has faced in her 13 years as German chancellor," Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, told CNBC's Annette Weisbach Monday. However, he added that Merkel is likely to stay on as chancellor "because probably even her opponents from the CSU will not dare to bring down the government ... That would hurt the CSU as well and not just Merkel." Merkel is due to meet the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte Monday laying out the foundations for a European-wide agreement over migration later this month. The item will be part of the agenda of a European summit on June 28. According to Schmieding, the CSU is likely to wait 10 days to see what Merkel manages to get from Brussels. The topic of migration has been an Achilles' heel for Merkel. In contrast to many leaders, the German chancellor claimed an "open-door" policy to refugees from war-torn nations in 2015. But rising concerns over widespread terrorist attacks in Europe and discontent over economic conditions have fuelled nationalist movements across the European Union, including Germany. "As Merkel pulled CDU towards the middle in recent years, not least via her stance on refugees, her Bavarian partners from CSU became increasingly nervous, not least as AfD (a far-right German party) began to gain traction in parts of the population," Erik Nielsen, group chief economist at UniCredit said in a note Sunday night. Rush-hour traffic in Delhi Getty Images Tesla CEO Elon Musk's latest comments on an India venture caught many Tesla watchers by surprise. In a Twitter interaction with a Tesla fan from India on May 30, Musk indicated it was the company's Indian-born chief financial officer, Deepak Ahuja, who was really calling the shots on Tesla entering India. "Would love to be in India. Some challenging government regulations, unfortunately. Deepak Ahuja, our CFO, is from India. Tesla will be there as soon as he believes we should." That Ahuja who grew up in India but moved to the United States to pursue higher education and never returned is not known to have this particular expertise, left some industry insiders with more questions than answers. Had he really been handed the control of the eclectic carmaker's India fate or had he been in the driver's seat all along? Could Ahuja accurately calibrate the timing of Tesla's entry into the South Asian nation and the market's readiness for its products? Some Tesla and technology experts are interpreting the CEO's remark as merely being a cheeky throwaway quip consistent with his character, especially his Twitter persona. But others, including those who personally know Musk, inferred that the billionaire entrepreneur was simply thinking aloud and maybe seriously on the microblogging platform, but short of actually making anything like an official statement. Musk's tweet was completely unexpected, said Vivek Wadhwa, a distinguished fellow and adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering and author of "The Driver in the Driverless Car: How Our Technology Choices Will Create the Future." Wadhwa said he had been interacting with Musk about India, but Ahuja's role in it never came up. "This is new. I last exchanged emails with Elon in November about going to India," Wadhwa said. "I think that Elon was just inundated and tweeted his thoughts, he wasn't making an announcement." Wadhwa, who counts Ahuja as a friend, said the latter was close enough to India to know its problems and opportunities. "Deepak [Ahuja] is a very experienced and sensible business executive who knows both the U.S. and Indian markets as well as the strengths and weaknesses of Tesla," he said. "Ahuja is Elon's trusted advisor, so it makes complete sense to leave the decision to him." Deepak Ahuja, Tesla CFO (left) and Elon Musk, Tesla founder and CEO (right), at the Nasdaq opening bell ceremony for the Tesla initial public offering on Tuesday, June 29, 2010. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images "Ahuja does have a lot of international experience with Ford, but none in India that I'm aware of," said Morningstar equity analyst David Whiston. Ahuja ran Ford South Africa and also headed a Ford-Mazda international joint venture before he left the Detroit automaker for Tesla. There's a possibility, though, that Musk was referring to connections Ahuja has in India. Ahuja, who came out of retirement to rejoin the Palo Alto-based automaker last year, left India at age 22 to pursue a master's degree in materials engineering in the U.S. He comes from a family of entrepreneurs and his father has originally expected him to return to India to help run a family business after being schooled in the U.S. He did complete his undergraduate work at the India Institutes of Technology. "While I wouldn't expect a college student to be an expert in a culture, it's certainly better insight than 'left at an early age', or someone who has only visited. And having close family and friends in India may be help as well," said Tesla analyst Eric Ross at Cascend Securities, who has a sell rating on Tesla. A Tesla spokesman put it more simply, saying Ahuja has an important role in these types of strategic decisions, including whether and when Tesla expands into new markets. Wadhwa said he had urged Musk to accelerate the move to India but not to rush into selling cars. Instead, he thinks India has a sizeable need for Tesla's Powerwall home battery, and that's a more attractive business proposition for Tesla in India than its cars. "This is where the biggest opportunity is," he said. "The battery when combined with solar cells can solve one of the biggest problems that Indians face the lack of reliable power." Musk was "very interested in India" but already had far too much demand for Powerwall than he could possibly handle, Wadhwa said. Wadhwa quoted Musk verbatim from one of their email exchanges: "He [Musk] wrote: 'India is a very important market, but it will take us a year or so to get to a scale that matters." If your car runs out of electricity in one of India's famous traffic jams, you'd have a problem. Morningstar analyst David Whiston on the need to bring not just cars but charging infrastructure to India Right now it seems India couldn't be further from Musk's mind. "I don't think there are any [India] plans yet; they are working frantically on scaling production up to meet the massive demand," Wadhwa said. "Elon is focused on ramping up production of the Model 3, the 'production hell' that he has tweeted about." Wadhwa estimated Tesla could sell "a million Model 3's at the $35K price as well as several million Powerwalls in the next 12 months if they could produce them fast enough." "India requires a significant percentage of products to be manufactured in India, something TSLA doesn't have the capital nor the appetite for at this time," Ross said. India also lacks the charging infrastructure necessary for Tesla to release into a new market. "I assume given these challenges, Ahuja may put India on the back-burner for a while; I certainly would if I were in his shoes." Based on "current expectations," TSLA could release Models S and X in India no sooner than in August 2019, and Model 3 in December 2019, Ross estimates. Similar production concerns were expressed by Morningstar's Whiston, who said Tesla has to be able to bring enough product to meet demand at a pace satisfactory to consumers, and build up the charging infrastructure [in India]. "If your car runs out of electricity in one of India's famous traffic jams, you'd have a problem," the Morningstar analyst said. The current drive to reach profitability The founder of JetBlue is reportedly planning another low-cost U.S. carrier. David Neeleman, who launched New York-based JetBlue nearly two decades ago, is planning to launch Moxy with $100 million in funding, including from Neeleman himself, according to industry journal Airline Weekly. The new airline would use Bombardier CS300 aircraft for low-cost service for smaller airports, the publication said, citing a presentation. The C Series jets are more fuel efficient than some older models. Delta Air Lines expects to fly a smaller version of the C Series planes by early 2019. The Airline Weekly story said Neeleman declined to comment for the article. Neeleman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC. Boeing's chief rival, Airbus, has agreed to take over Bombardier's C Series program, a deal that it expects to close next month. Neeleman's Moxy wouldn't be the only new airline to attempt chipping away at years of consolidation that has left four carriers in control of about three-quarters of the U.S. market. Upstart OneJet is trying to grow its footprint among business travelers. And JetSuite, which offers private charters and scheduled, semi-private service through its JetSuite X arm, is expanding with backing from JetBlue and Qatar Airways. In addition to JetBlue, Neeleman started Brazilian airline Azul and is an investor in TAP Air Portugal. FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Examining the Inspector Generals First Report on Justice Department and FBI Actions in Advance of the 2016 Presidential Election, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 18, 2018. The top watchdog at the Department of Justice and the director of the FBI on Monday refuted President Donald Trump's claim that a Justice Department report made public last week "totally exonerates me." Trump had claimed upon release of the more than 500 page report on Friday that it cleared him of any collusion with Russia during the 2016 election or any obstruction of justice after the election. However, Justice officials begged to differ, noting that the report had nothing to do with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. "We did not look into collusion questions," Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz told the Senate Judiciary Committee at a highly anticipated hearing about his report on the FBI's handling of the 2016 Clinton email investigation. "We did not address the credibility of the special counsel's investigation here," he said later in the hearing. "I don't think this report speaks to the special counsel investigation," FBI Director Christopher Wray said. The statements from the top officials contradict the president's own claims about the inspector general's report. Those claims were the basis for Rudy Giuliani, the president's attorney, to call for halting Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe last week. Trump had announced a political victory following the release of the Justice Department report. "I think that the report yesterday, maybe more importantly than anything, it totally exonerates me," Trump told reporters during a wandering interview on the White House North Lawn on Friday. "There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. And if you read the report, you'll see that." The same day, Giuliani said it was time to "investigate the investigators." "Let's take a halt to the Mueller investigation. Let's stop it, and let's turn it, and get rid of all of the agents doing the Mueller investigation," Giuliani said. The inspector general's report examined specific investigative steps the FBI took during its probe of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state. The report found that there was no evidence that political bias influenced decisions that were made as part of that investigation. Lufthansa airplanes at waiting position on the first of a two-day strike at Frankfurt Airport on November 23, 2016 in Frankfurt, Germany. Lufthansa is in contact with Norwegian Air Shuttle, also the subject of bid interest from British Airways owner , the German group's chief executive told a German daily, sending Norwegian's shares higher. "In Europe, everyone is talking to everyone. There's a new wave of consolidation approaching. That means we are also in contact with Norwegian," Carsten Spohr was quoted as saying by Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Monday. Asked whether Norwegian would fit with the Lufthansa group, Spohr said: "Takeovers are always a question of strategic value, the price and anti-trust. There are no easy answers." Since IAG announced it had bought a stake in April, Norwegian Air has said it has received enquiries from several parties regarding acquisitions, transactions and other forms of cooperation. Norwegian Air's shares opened 10 percent higher in Oslo and by 0745 GMT traded 8.9 percent higher at 271.00 crowns. Lufthansa shares were up 0.6 percent, outperforming a 0.5 percent weaker DAX index. Norwegian Air was not immediately available for comment. After the failures of Air Berlin and Monarch last year, airline executives have predicted more consolidation this year in Europe, especially as rising oil prices make life tougher for carriers with weaker finances. Former WPP CEO Martin Sorrell should have done more to promote creative inspiration during his reign over the advertising industry, a top executive told CNBC Monday. Speaking on the sidelines of Cannes Lion festival, Ami Hasan, chairman at Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE), told CNBC that Sorrell and other global leaders of the advertising industry had missed an opportunity to promote creativity over the last decade. "The era of Martin Sorrell dominating the business has not been that glorious because he mostly talks to investors and he mostly talks about money and his stock price and what the industry needs is a couple of figureheads that would speak about creativity," Hasan said. "For us, for those that do the ads, it is extremely inspiring to hear these titans speak about creativity and unfortunately Martin Sorrell hardly ever does that," he added. Martin Sorrell was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, shows the NVIDIA Volta GPU computing platform at his keynote address at CES in Las Vegas, January 7, 2018. Nvidia shares will rise as the chipmaker benefits from governments using artificial intelligence technology to monitor its citizens, according to a Wall Street firm. UBS raised its price target to $285 from $266 for Nvidia shares, citing the company's leadership in the machine learning chip and software markets. Nvidia offers its "Metropolis" platform, which enables governments to use its A.I. technology to analyze video feeds. The offering helps cities provide traffic monitoring, law enforcement and public safety services. Marijuana dispensary operator MedMen sees major hurdles in operating in Oregon, Washington and Colorado, where pot is medically and recreationally legal, co-founder and CEO Adam Bierman told CNBC on Monday. Bierman, whose company functions in California, Nevada, New York and Florida, called the first three fully legal U.S. weed markets "horrible markets to be in" in an interview with "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer. "[It's] good for business that those are tiny markets that, in the grand scheme of things, maybe matter not that much," the CEO said. "What's really important to understand is every market since those markets came online [has] been supply constrained, so limited licenses and, most importantly, especially for the MedMen's case, the most arduous retail zoning restrictions known to man," Bierman continued. While MedMen is licensed to operate in the United States, where some of its retail locations have been affectionately dubbed the "Apple Stores of weed," the company is publicly traded in Canada on the Canadian Securities Exchange and the OTCQB Venture Market. In early June, the Canadian Senate voted to legalize recreational marijuana nationwide. The move would make Canada the first and only country in the G-7 to fully legalize marijuana. But Bierman won't stop at Canada. "From the beginning, we've been the 'Why not?' people," he told Cramer. "Why can't you build a billion-dollar business in this industry? Why not? Why can't you take the biggest U.S. weed company and make it public and available for people to own all over the world? Now, there's a lot of roadblocks in that kind of an attitude and we can't list here in the U.S., so we have to list in Canada and, unfortunately, that's the only place to go. Now, fortunately, it is a place to go and they've been great partners." According to MedMen, some of the company's California stores bring in over $20 million a year in revenue. When the company reaches $1 billion in revenue, Bierman said he'll "look at what's next." Part of MedMen's mission is to make marijuana mainstream, as illustrated by its latest marketing campaign, "Forget Stoner." The visual ads attempt to buck the "stoner" stereotype with photos of professionals and others who say they use marijuana. It could even help stem the opioid epidemic sweeping the United States by offering individuals an alternative solution to prescription pills, Bierman said. "The concept of a stoner or a stoner image is something that's yesteryear," the CEO said. "This is about Chardonnay moms. This is about working dads. This is about marijuana substituting and replacing, you know, other things that people are already utilizing that, in some instances, are detrimental to their health." Microsoft on Monday faced criticism about its work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the agency came under fire because of separations of immigrant children and their parents at U.S. borders. The issue reflects the challenge that tech companies face as they seek to gain big customers. Microsoft, Google and Amazon are all working to win government work in their cloud units. Amazon has faced criticism over the use of its image recognition software for the purposes of surveillance, and Google had internal disagreement over its work with the Pentagon. Now, Microsoft has faced more backlash for its work due to widespread condemnation of the Trump administration's family separation policy. This weekend, as more details about the detention centers surfaced, people discovered a blog post describing Microsoft's work with ICE, the agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws, and questioned Microsoft's relationship with the agency. One consultant, Mat Marquis, said he had ended his contract with Microsoft in connection with the issue. tweet But then part of the blog post was deleted, BuzzFeed reported. Microsoft returned the deleted section and suggested its deletion was a mistake. "An employee briefly deleted the blog after seeing commentary in social media. This was a mistake and as soon as it was noticed the blog was reverted to previous language," a spokesperson told CNBC. Ultimately, though, Microsoft which has taken stances on immigration and other political issues before issued a statement indicating it did not support splitting up families: As a company, Microsoft is dismayed by the forcible separation of children from their families at the border. Family unification has been a fundamental tenant of American policy and law since the end of World War II. As a company Microsoft has worked for over 20 years to combine technology with the rule of law to ensure that children who are refugees and immigrants can remain with their parents. We need to continue to build on this noble tradition rather than change course now. We urge the administration to change its policy and Congress to pass legislation ensuring children are no longer separated from their families. Microsoft first published details about its work with ICE in January to promote the fact a part of Microsoft's Azure public cloud got a certain type of approval necessary for certain government contracts. "This [authorization] is a critical next step in enabling ICE to deliver such services as cloud-based identity and access, serving both employees and citizens from applications hosted in the cloud," Tom Keane, general manager for the Azure government business, wrote in a blog post. "This can help employees make more informed decisions faster, with Azure Government enabling them to process data on edge devices or utilize deep learning capabilities to accelerate facial recognition and identification." Keane added that the company is "proud" to help support the agency's work. The Trump administration implemented what it calls a "zero tolerance" policy of criminally prosecuting everyone who illegally crosses U.S. borders. The policy results in splitting up migrant children and parents. Activists, religious groups and bipartisan members of Congress have criticized the separation of families as immoral and inhumane. Many critics have urged Trump to abandon the policy. The president appears to have no intention of doing so, unless Congress acts to end the policy while also passing funding for his proposed border wall and limits on legal immigration. President Donald Trump displays his signature after signing a national space policy directive during a meeting of the National Space Council in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 18, 2018. Leah Millis | Reuters The directive takes another step toward fulfilling the vision laid out in April by Vice President Mike Pence and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who both spoke of streamlining federal space regulations and putting more resources toward reducing the danger from objects in space. Pence said in April that the National Space Council was sending "the first comprehensive space traffic management policy" for Trump to sign. "This new policy directs the Department of Commerce to provide a basic level of space situational awareness, for public and private use, based on the space catalog compiled by the Department of Defense," Pence said in April. The White House wants the U.S. to use all available public and private resources to combat the issue of space junk, including that the Commerce Department "will make space safety data and services" available to the public. The Pentagon will continue to maintain its current catalog of objects data it sells to satellite operators. Trump's directive on Monday also requires an unspecified entity update the U.S. Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices and the creation of new guidelines for satellite design and operation. There are no time frames to implementation for any of the guidelines or requirements in the directive. Catalyzed by incidents in the late 2000s, both commercial and military entities are working to solve the growing space debris problem. Moving at thousands of miles per hour in orbit, objects 2 centimeters or larger are capable of causing catastrophic damage to anything that gets in the way. Today's technology can track objects in space about the size of 10 centimeters, according to AGI. Lockheed Martin is nearly complete with a system called Space Fence for the U.S. Air Force, which could improve the Air Force's catalog of objects in space "ten-fold from what it is today," program director Bruce Schafhauser told CNBC. SpaceX is testing the first satellites of what will become a constellation of more than 4,425 satellites, which the FCC approved in March. Satellite operators Telesat, Boeing, OneWeb, EarthNow and more have raised billions of dollars towards building constellations, each involving hundreds of satellites in various orbits. "Space is becoming an increasingly congested environment particularly now with SpaceX, One Web and Boeing, among others, putting constellations up," Schafhauser said. Space Fence "looks like a wedge-shaped fan of energy," says Schafhauser, and is expected to go online in 2019. Today's technology can track objects in space about 10 centimeters wide but Space Fence is sensitive enough to track "marble-sized objects in low Earth orbit," Schafhauser said. With near-misses becoming increasingly common, companies focused on space debris now make up 2 percent of the $350 billion space industry. The Commerce Department continues to pursue the means of policing debris in space, according to Ross, as well as finding a solution for all the junk that is already in orbit. "As more and more launches occur, more and more satellites reach the end of their life, that's going to be a problem we have to deal with," Ross said in April. Read the full Space Policy Directive - 3 here: President Donald J. Trump signed Space Policy Directive 3 directing the United States to lead the management of traffic and mitigate the effects of debris in space. Space Policy Directive 3 provides guidelines and direction to ensure that the United States is a leader in providing a safe and secure environment as commercial and civil space traffic increases. As space becomes increasingly contested, the demand for the Department of Defense to focus on protecting U.S. space assets and interests also increases. At the same time, the rapid commercialization of space requires a traffic management framework that protects U.S. interests and considers the private sector's needs. The new Directive seeks to reduce the growing threat of orbital debris to the common interest of all nations. The Directive articulates the policy of the United States to pursue and utilize both Government and commercial sector technologies to track and monitor space debris. The Directive requires updates to the U.S. Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices and new guidelines for satellite design and operation. The new Directive sets guidelines for the United States to manage space traffic more effectively by spearheading new data sharing initiatives. The United States should continue to provide basic space situational awareness data and basic space traffic management services free of direct user fees. The Department of Commerce will make space safety data and services available to the public, while the Department of Defense maintains the authoritative catalogue of space objects. The United States will maintain and expand its leadership in space by increasing its capabilities and developing standards and best practices. This effort will: Improve space situational awareness data standards and information sharing; Leverage U.S. standards and best practices to shape international norms; and Streamline processes and reduce regulatory burdens that inhibit commercial growth, enabling the U.S. commercial sector to lead the world in space. Watch: This harpoon could capture the potentially hazardous debris orbiting the Earth Ken Langone is one of four co-founders of Home Depot and, at 82 years old, is worth $3.5 billion, according to Forbes. But Langone's current wealth belies his humble beginning. Growing up in Long Island, New York, Langone's parents lived from "paycheck to paycheck," he tells CNBC Make It. Having limited financial resources and working multiple jobs as a young person gave Langone skills and perspective that the businessman drew upon later in life to become successful, he says. "I started working when I was 11 or 12," Langone tells CNBC Make It. "One of the first things I did was sell some Christmas wreaths. And also collected [scrap] cardboard because I found out that it was worth some money." By the time he was 14 or 15, "I delivered newspapers. I worked in a butcher shop. I cut lawns. I caddied. Those are the things I did," Langone recalls. "And then I started working in construction at 16 and 17." Ken Langone Olivia Michael | CNBC Langone's motivation to hustle was simple: "I wanted to make money! My dad was a plumber, my mother worked in the school cafeteria. Money wasn't plentiful. My parents lived from paycheck to paycheck," says the now multi-billionaire. His parents covered the essentials, but there weren't a lot of extras. "We had a nice little house it was warm in the winter and hot in the summer because there was no air conditioning. We had plenty of good food. But I just made my mind up that I wanted to have some money, and I was willing to work, and I was willing to work hard," Langone says. Those experiences paid off in more than just spending money. "I developed a work ethic that I think has stood me in good stead these many years," says Langone. Ken Langone with his mom and dad when he graduated from Bucknell in June, 1957. Photo courtesy Ken Langone Making money was rewarding and provided autonomy. "I always felt good if I had a buck in my pocket. I felt some some degree of independence and accomplishment," says Langone. He saved some of what he earned and spent some. He would go to the movies and buy fashionable clothes. While working at the butcher shop, he'd bring home meat for his family and have the cost deducted from his pay. "I wasn't foolish with my money but on the other hand, I enjoyed it," he says. In addition to developing his work ethic, Langone says he learned how to read people. "The thing I learned in all these different jobs was to try and study people, especially as a caddie," says Langone. "When you're a caddie and you're carrying a guy's bag, it's amazing the number of people you caddie for that when they have a bad shot they don't blame you, and then there's some people that blame the caddie even though the caddie had nothing to do with a bad shot," says Langone. "And so I learned early on to try to size people up, look at their mannerisms, listen to the way they talk. And it was very, very helpful to me in later years when much of what I was doing depended on my judgment in other people," Langone says. In part, Langone has his mom to thank. She only reached the seventh grade herself, but wanted more for her son. "We used to go to my grandparents' for lunch on Sunday afternoons," Langone recalls of his childhood. To get to Port Washington where they lived, his family would have to drive from their poor neighborhood through the rich part of town. "We used to drive through a wealthy section called Roslyn Estates. And every Sunday when we drive through Roslyn estates, my mother almost instinctively, would say, 'Would you like to live here someday, Kenneth?' I said, 'Yes, mom, I would.' She said, 'Well, if you want to live here someday, you've got to work hard; you've got to get an education.' "And I still think those two things hold sway," says Langone. You've got to "learn as much as you can and work like hell." Indeed, Langone graduated from Bucknell University and earned an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business. Langone worked on Wall Street and as a financier and entrepreneur before he joined Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank and Pat Farrah to launch Home Depot. A two-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. After touring a San Diego-area immigration detention facility holding children, House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called on the Trump administration to end its "zero tolerance" policy that includes separating migrant children from families. Pelosi called it a "heartbreaking, barbaric issue that could be changed in a moment by the president of the United States rescinding his action." She also said the practice "challenges the conscience of our country that it must be changed, must be changed immediately." The minority leader toured immigration detention facilities in the San Diego area with at least a dozen other congressional Democrats. She said within the last 24 hours there was another delegation that went to the Southwest border in Texas and during the visit to a shelter "held some of the children in their arms." The Democrats are calling attention to the Trump administration's migrant family separation policy, which has drawn criticism from even some GOP lawmakers. One of the facilities is Casa San Diego, located in the El Cajon area. It houses more than 60 boys separated from their families or who were unaccompanied by parents when they arrived in the United States. In all, there are at least 27 such shelters in the Southwest border states to house youths up to 17 years of age. There also are plans to add more such facilities, including on military bases in Texas. The White House's "zero tolerance" border enforcement policy was announced last month by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and means more families crossing into the U.S. illegally are getting split up. Also, even if those families request asylum they are separated. There is a serious lack of trust in social media such as Facebook and Twitter and consumers expect brands that advertise on such platforms to urgently find solutions, according to research published Monday. Privacy concerns and the circulation of fake news are contributing to people's distrust of content on social platforms, said the study by public relations consultancy Edelman, with 70 percent of respondents expecting businesses and advertisers to put pressure on social media sites to address false information and remove offensive content. Context was also seen as important by people surveyed, with 48 percent saying it's a brand's fault if its advertising appears next to hate speech or violent content. "We learned that there is a serious lack of confidence in social media in all regions of the world. This is a cry from the heart; people are scared. They are outraged about the violation of their privacy, and uncertain about the truth because of the plague of fake news," said the consultancy's president and CEO Richard Edelman in a statement emailed to CNBC. The Cambridge Analytica data leak and Russian-produced fake news that undermined the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election have contributed to people's concerns. In April, Facebook said that it would remove 270 pages and accounts by the Internet Research Agency, the Russian organization that attempted to influence the U.S. Presidential Election. Last month, Facebook and Twitter both announced stricter political ad guidelines ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. Forty percent of those surveyed had deleted at least one social media account in the past year because of privacy concerns and 62 percent wanted more regulation of such platforms. Rent-A-Center signage is seen on a truck parked outside its store in Niles, Illinois. Shares of Rent-A-Center soared more than 20 percent on Monday after the rent-to-own retailer announced it is being acquired by Vintage Capital Management. Vintage Capital will pay $15 per share in cash for the company, which went public in 1995. Including debt, the deal is valued at around $1.37 billion. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the year, the companies said in a release. The stock jumped 22 percent to $14.68 a share on Monday. The announcement "reflects the significant progress we have made to materially improve our performance and would not have been possible without the hard work and focus of our talented co-workers over the last several months," said Rent-A-Center CEO Mitch Fadel. "Vintage is a natural partner for Rent-A-Center given its deep knowledge of the rent-to-own industry, and we look forward to partnering with them to realize the full benefits of the transaction," Fadel said. Engaged Capital, the largest Rent-A-Center shareholder, had also been pressuring the company to sell itself. The stock had already posted solid gains for the year prior to Monday's pop. Through Friday's close, Rent-A-Center had gained more than 8 percent for 2018. The Senate easily passed a military funding bill that would reimpose sanctions on Chinese telecommunications company ZTE, challenging a controversial deal negotiated by the Trump administration to save the company from possible bankruptcy. The Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, passed with 85 votes in favor and just 10 against. The bill would reimpose a sales ban that prevents ZTE from buying components from U.S. companies. The Senate version will now be sent to conference committee to iron out differences with a version passed by the House of Representatives in May. It's not yet clear whether the provision that would slap sanctions back on ZTE will make it out of the conference period and arrive on President Donald Trump's desk. Trump administration officials sought to work with Senate leaders to change the language of the defense bill. The administration said it preferred the House's version, which did not include the provision on ZTE. The White House could still push for changes when House and Senate leaders meet to reconcile the two versions of the bill. In April, the Commerce Department banned ZTE from buying U.S. components, saying the company had violated a settlement reached over illegal shipments to Iran and North Korea. But in May, Trump reversed course and vowed to protect ZTE jobs in China an announcement that confounded lawmakers. Under the deal struck with ZTE and the Commerce Department under its current secretary, Wilbur Ross, ZTE would pay a $1 billion fine and change some of its leadership in exchange for the U.S. lifting sanctions on the company. In a joint statement following the Senate bill's passage, Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Tom Cotton and Democrats Chris Van Hollen and Chuck Schumer said they are "heartened that both parties made it clear that protecting American jobs and national security must come first when making deals with countries like China, which has a history of having little regard for either." They added: "It is vital that our colleagues in the House keep this bipartisan provision in the bill as it heads towards a conference." Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen speaks at the National Sheriffs' Association convention in New Orleans, Monday, June 18, 2018. Amid the widespread outcry over the Trump administration's policy of separating children from families that illegally cross into the U.S., Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen are not backing down. The two Cabinet members defended the policy, which has seen nearly 2,000 children separated from their families since Sessions issued his "zero tolerance" directive in April, in speeches to the National Sheriffs' Association Monday morning. "We do not want to separate children from their parents. We do not want adults to bring children into this country unlawfully, placing them at risk," Sessions said, according to prepared remarks. But, he added, "We cannot and will not encourage people to bring their children by giving them blanket immunity from our laws." Nielsen, who spoke before Sessions, told the crowd, "We have to do our job. We will not apologize for doing our job. We have sworn to do this job." Sessions authored an April 6 memorandum directing U.S. attorneys "to adopt a policy to prosecute all" such violations "to the extent practicable." In the six weeks following that order, 1,995 children had been separated from their parents, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman told news outlets on Friday. Nielsen had tweeted over the weekend that her department does "not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period." The statement appeared to contradict not only the policy itself, but other Trump administration officials who had discussed it. White House immigration policy advisory Stephen Miller, for example, recently told The New York Times: "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." And in remarks on Thursday, Sessions explained that "our policies that can result in short-term separation of families is not unusual or unjustified." At the National Sheriffs' Association event on Monday, Nielsen touted the administration's hard-line approach to prosecute all immigrants who illegally enter the U.S. "This administration has a simple message: If you cross the border illegally, we will prosecute you. If you make a false immigration claim, we will prosecute you. If you smuggle illegal aliens across an extraordinarily dangerous journey, we will prosecute you," she said. President Donald Trump echoed that pugnacious tone in remarks at the White House later on Monday. After again blaming Democrats for the policy itself, Trump vowed that "the United States will not be a migrant camp ... not on my watch." In her remarks, however, Nielsen encouraged immigrants to seek asylum through the proper channels. "If you are seeking asylum, go to a port of entry," she said. Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: Chevron The energy producer was upgraded to "outperform" from "market perform" at Raymond James, saying Chevron is positioned better than peers to benefit from higher oil prices. Apple Apple hired Waymo senior self-driving car engineer Jaime Waydo away from the Alphabet unit, in what's seen as a sign of Apple's escalating ambitions in the self-driving market. Waydo worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory before joining Waymo. JD.com JD.com is getting a $550 million investment from Alphabet's Google unit, as Google works to expand its presence in the Asian marketplace. The partnership will include promotion of the Chinese e-commerce giant on Google's shopping service. Mellanox Technologies Mellanox is near a deal with activist investor Starboard Value over the composition of the Israeli chipmaker's board of directors, according to a Reuters report. A deal between the two sides could be announced as soon as this week, according to the report, which would avoid a proxy fight at the Mellanox annual meeting next month. Unilever Unilever has cut ties with digital media "Influencers," people who earn money by posting about various products. The consumer products giant, which is the world's second-largest advertiser, said it wants to make its advertising more transparent. Perry Ellis International Perry Ellis will be taken private by an entity controlled by the apparel maker's founder and former executive chairman George Feldenkrais. The deal is valued at $437 million, or $27.50 per share, a roughly 22 percent premium over the stock's price prior to the initial offer by Feldenkrais in early February. CBS CBS could be sold to someone other than Viacom, according to The Wall Street Journal's "Heard On The Street" column. The paper cites the prospect of new media deals following AT&T's successful court fight for approval of its deal to buy Time Warner. Walt Disney Disney was downgraded to "sell" from "hold" at Pivotal Research, noting that Disney will have to either pay a higher price for the 21st Century Fox assets it plans to buy, or face the negative consequences of the deal falling through. BlackRock BlackRock was upgraded to "buy" from "neutral" at Citi, in a reversal of an analyst move in January. Citi cites optimism following the asset manager's recent Investor Day, saying BlackRock is well-positioned in a changing industry and far ahead of key peers in technology. Zillow Group Zillow was downgraded to "neutral" from "buy" at Goldman Sachs, which said it sees limited opportunity for the real estate website operator's stock to outperform following a significant stock run-up so far this year. Southwest Airlines Evercore added the airline's stock to its "Core Ideas" list, following investor meetings with Southwest's senior leadership. Evercore is citing a strong balance sheet, depressed investor sentiment, and revenue improvement potential, among other factors. Xerox Japan's Fujifilm will ask a judge to enforce its merger agreement with Xerox, according to the New York Post. Xerox called off the deal in May following objections by major shareholders Carl Icahn and Darwin Deason. Starting Monday, tobacco companies are supposed to have statements on their websites that warn American consumers about the health risks and addictiveness of their products. The statements were ordered May 1 as part of a 2006 federal court decision that found the major cigarette manufacturers, including R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris, had defrauded the public about the health risks of their products. The so-called corrective statements on their websites, as well as the websites of their cigarette brands, will address five topics: smoking's health effects, the addictiveness of smoking and nicotine, the lack of any benefits from cigarettes labeled "low tar" and "light," how the delivery of nicotine was enhanced by cigarette design and secondhand smoke's health effects. The statements will also be available in Spanish. The companies affected are Philip Morris USA and its parent company Altria, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and Lorillard, now owned by Reynolds American. "This industry has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, including becoming regulated by the FDA, which we supported," Murray Garnick, Altria's executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement released in October when the measure was announced. "We're focused on the future and, with FDA in place, working to develop less risky tobacco products." Opponents of the tobacco industry are happy about the move but not satisfied. "The corrective statements are fine, but we would have rather seen corrective action from the tobacco industry," said Robin Koval, CEO and president of Truth Initiative, a tobacco control nonprofit. Koval also believes the statements will have little impact on keeping young people from experimenting with cigarettes because the websites are restricted to users age 21 or older. The website statements are just one result of the 2006 decision. After years of appealing the ruling, Altria and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco paid for a TV ad campaign that began in November. The commercials contain similar corrective statements to those that are to appear on the companies' websites. The companies must also publish statements on cigarette pack inserts by Nov. 21. Unlike the website, corrective statements that will run indefinitely, the "onserts" will run on cigarette packs for a total of 12 weeks over two years. The number of cigarette smokers has declined to 15.5 percent of adult Americans in 2016, down from 23.5 percent in 1999. However, the growing popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping means that some consumers are getting a nicotine fix elsewhere. Government agencies have already begun cracking down on the cigarette substitutes. In April, the FDA announced that it is looking into whether leading e-cigarette brand Juul markets its products toward teenagers. 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. A new Trump administration policy to prosecute everyone who crosses into the United States illegally has resulted in thousands of children being separated from their families. The so-called zero tolerance policy has been criticized by religious groups and medical organizations, with experts saying children could face long-lasting trauma. President Donald Trump has blamed Democrats for the policy of separating families, with no grounds for such a claim, while others in his administration, including White House chief of staff John Kelly, have called the policy a strong deterrent against illegal immigration. "And I say it's very strongly the Democrats' fault. They're really obstructionist and they are obstructing. The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility won't be," Trump said at an event about promoting American activity in space. Faced with mounting condemnation of the practice, the president dodged responsibility for splitting up families who have crossed U.S. borders illegally. Trump urged Congress to pass a broader immigration bill that meets his strict demands for border security. President Donald Trump on Monday once again wrongly blamed Democrats for his administration's migrant family separation policy one that he could end whenever he chooses. The president added: "If the Democrats would sit down instead of obstructing, we could have something done very quickly. Good for the children, good for the country, good for the world. It could take place quickly. We could have an immigration bill, we could have child separation. We're stuck with these horrible laws. They're horrible laws. What's happening is so sad. It's so sad. And it can be taken care of quickly and beautifully and we'll have safety." Trump made the remarks when, in fact, it is his own administration's policy to separate immigrant children from their parents at the border. The president himself could immediately put an end to the practice without legislative action. Family separation came about as a result of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy. The White House decided to prosecute everyone who illegally goes into the United States, leading to children getting separated from parents. The policy marks a departure from the previous two administrations. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded to Trump in a statement, saying, "As everyone who has looked at this agrees, this was done by the president, not Democrats." "He can fix it tomorrow if he wants to, and if he doesn't want to, he should own up to the fact that he's doing it," the New York Democrat said. Speaking on Monday, Trump's 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton called it an "outright lie" to blame Democrats for the policy. The former first lady said she warned that Trump's proposals could lead to such practices during the campaign. She also addressed Attorney General Jeff Sessions using a bible verse to defend the practice. "Those who selectively use the Bible to justify this cruelty are ignoring a central tenant of Christianity," she said. "These policies are not rooted in religion. What is being done using the name of religion is contrary to everything I was ever taught." Even as bipartisan critics call the practice inhumane and urge the president to end it, his administration has given no sign that it will stop splitting up families. Trump appears to be using it as leverage to pass priorities such as his proposed border wall and limits on legal immigration. The policy could cause political damage to the president and Republicans only months ahead of critical midterm elections. Both Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defended the family separation practice on Monday. Nielsen raised eyebrows on Sunday by wrongly denying that it was a Trump administration policy. President Donald Trump showed no sign of backing down from his administration's migrant family separation policy Monday, despite mounting condemnation of the practice that threatens the political fortunes of the president and his Republican Party. "I say it's very strongly the Democrats' fault. They're really obstructionist and they are obstructing. The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility won't be," Trump said at an event about promoting American activity in outer space. Trump appears to be using the White House's "zero tolerance" policy as leverage as he urges Congress to fund his proposed border wall and enact limits on legal immigration. Even as images circulated of migrant children crying for their parents or sleeping on thin mattresses within cage-like metal structures, Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions showed no interest in abandoning the policy. Both contended that Congress needs to act to stop the practice even though the Trump administration could do so on its own. A new poll released Monday shows the electoral peril Trump could face in keeping up the policy. Sixty-six percent of American voters oppose separating families, while 27 percent support it, according to the Quinnipiac survey. Among independents who will help to determine the outcome in many swing races in November only 24 percent of voters say they back the practice, versus 68 percent who say they are against it. In a tweet earlier Monday, the president also wrongly blamed Democrats for splitting up families and contended that Congress needs to take action. He urged the legislature to "change the laws!" Trump tweet: It is the Democrats fault for being weak and ineffective with Boarder Security and Crime. Tell them to start thinking about the people devastated by Crime coming from illegal immigration. Change the laws! In comments before the National Space Council, he added: "If the Democrats would sit down instead of obstructing, we could have something done very quickly. Good for the children, good for the country, good for the world. It could take place quickly. We could have an immigration bill, we could have child separation. We're stuck with these horrible laws. They're horrible laws. What's happening is so sad. It's so sad. And it can be taken care of quickly and beautifully and we'll have safety." However, it is his own administration's policy to separate immigrant children from their parents at the border. The president himself could immediately put an end to the practice without legislative action. Speaking at a law enforcement conference Monday, Sessions defended the policy. He said "we do not want to separate parents from their children," but he also made no suggestion that the White House would stop the practice on its own. "If we build the wall, if we pass legislation to end the lawlessness, we won't need to make these terrible choices. ... That is what we intend to do, and we ask Congress to be our partners in this effort," he said. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen also contended Monday that Congress needs to revise laws to end the policy. On Sunday, she claimed that the White House did not have a policy of separating families, contradicting other administration officials, including Sessions and policy advisor Stephen Miller, who have described the policy as a deterrent. As the practice drags on, Trump may become even more associated with pictures of crying children isolated from their parents. Trump risks serious political damage if he chooses to use the widely condemned practice as leverage in the months before November's midterm elections. The president's policy could damage the GOP brand ahead of critical elections in which Republicans try to hang on to majorities in both the House and Senate. Immigration is already a heated issue in the midterms, as some Democrats hoping to unseat Republicans in swing districts have contended incumbents have not done enough to protect young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. The family separation issue could only get worse in the coming months: The number of immigrant children held by the Department of Health and Human Services could top 20,000 by August, NBC News reported, citing an HHS official. Geoff Bennett tweet Former Trump White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said Monday the policy could hurt Trump's political political fortunes. He called the separation policy "atrocious" and "inhumane" and said the president should consider the "optics" of it. "The president is very good at imagery," Scaramucci told CNN. "He's a television star. He understands that this is not good for him. It's not good for the Congress if we want to win the midterms." In a note Monday, Fundstrat's Washington policy strategist Tom Block wrote the separation policy is "hurting" Republicans. Trump has "struck a nerve" with the practice and has "been slow to appreciate" it, Greg Valliere, chief global strategist at Horizon Investments, wrote in a note Monday. He suggested that some Democrats could be content letting the issue go on, as it could motivate midterm voters. Trump has promoted a strong U.S. economy and his efforts to get North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons as reasons to support Republicans in November's elections. But the family separation crisis and a mounting trade conflict with China have threatened to swallow up the good news Trump has to share. Some Republicans have already slammed the administration policy and distanced themselves from it. Sen. Ben Sasse called the "new, discretionary choice" by the White House "wicked" and "harmful to kids." "The president should immediately end this family separation policy," the Nebraska Republican said. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, told NPR that "taking kids from their mothers is not preventing terrorists or drugs from coming into this country." Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are among the other GOP lawmakers who have criticized the policy. In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, former first lady Laura Bush called the practice "cruel" and "immoral," adding that it "breaks my heart." Condemnation has also come from several religious leaders, including evangelical leader Franklin Graham, who called the practice "disgraceful." The son of famed pastor Billy Graham is a Trump supporter. In a tweet on Sunday, Trump seemed to acknowledge the importance of immigration as an election issue. He called on Democrats to "get together with their Republican counterparts on immigration" and suggested it would hurt the party's lawmakers if they did not. "Don't wait until after the election because you are going to lose!" he tweeted. Trump tweet White House senior adviser Jared Kushner listens as President Donald Trump announces that the United States will designate North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. Jared Kushner opened up the back channel that led to US secretary of state Mike Pompeo's secret trip to Pyongyang and the breakthrough summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. A senior North Korean official who wanted to push for a shift in relations with Washington sought contact with Mr. Kushner last summer, two people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times. The revelation underscores the highly unorthodox nature of Mr. Trump's White House, where family and personalized ties have shaped US foreign relations as part of the president's desire to chart an unconventional path in a bid to pull off big-ticket deals. "The North Koreans saw that Kushner had been instrumental in arranging the [April 2017] Mar-a-Lago summit with [Chinese president] Xi Jinping, and a senior North Korean official hoped he could pull off the same with Kim," one of the people told the FT. The official contacted Mr. Kushner, Mr. Trump's son-in-law and close adviser, via intermediaries after months of consideration about how to improve rapidly deteriorating relations between the two countries. North Korean officials have spent months analyzing Mr. Trump and his personality. They concluded that unlike many leaders, he could be both dove and hawk at once, and that while the risk of war was high, genuine engagement might also pay off, said the people. But the Pyongyang official deemed that only Mr. Kushner could be trusted to reach the president's ear. The official eschewed the state department, a more usual route for such diplomatic overtures, because he assessed America's top diplomat at the time, Rex Tillerson, was not an effective route. "The North Korean regime is run around family, so it is normal for them to work that way, and the personnel in the Trump administration has changed so frequently that they felt a close family member such as Kushner was the ideal contact," said the person. Mr. Kushner has often been criticized for overstepping his turf, where his unofficial portfolio has seen him take a role shaping US foreign policy from China to Mexico. He briefly lost his top-level security clearance for three months this year. The people familiar with the matter say Mr. Kushner last summer accepted a meeting at the White House with one of the go-betweens, knowing only that the topic was North Korea. The New York Times, which first reported the overture, said the intermediary was Gabriel Schulze, an American mining scion based in Singapore whose company invests in frontier markets. Thought to be the sole western investor in North Korea, his transactions were made before sanctions tightened under the Obama administration. Mr. Schulze, who had previously met Mr. Trump's children Donald Jr and Ivanka when they were exploring real estate opportunities in Asia, requested a meeting with Mr. Kushner to discuss North Korea, according to the people familiar with the matter. Mr. Schulze told him a senior North Korean official wanted to speak with Mr. Kushner directly and vouched for the official's credibility. Mr. Kushner decided it would be inappropriate to pursue the opening personally and passed the information to Mike Pompeo, who was at the time director of the CIA. Mr. Tillerson, Mr. Trump's chief of staff John Kelly, former national security adviser HR McMaster and defense secretary Jim Mattis were subsequently briefed. Mr. Kushner never met or spoke with the North Korean official himself. Mr. Pompeo used pre-existing CIA channels to make contact with the senior official. The opening was just one of several lines of effort from the US and South Korea to secure a breakthrough with Pyongyang. Mr. Pompeo made a secret visit to Pyongyang in April that helped lay the groundwork for last week's Trump-Kim summit. Mr. Kushner, who declined to comment on this story, kept tabs on the situation after he passed on the contact, speaking to Mr. Pompeo to check the progress. "Kushner kept an eye on things from behind the scenes but Pompeo ran the show," said the person familiar with the matter. "Without Pompeo, none of this would have been possible and the summit would never have happened." Despite a host of skeptical intelligence assessments, the Trump administration is hoping that Pyongyang might be ready for a genuine step-change in relations, which would include dismantling its nuclear weapons programme. Mr. Pompeo is due to meet a senior North Korean official in the coming days to discuss the next steps after the summit. Mr. Schulze did not reply to requests for comment. The CIA and state department declined to comment. More from the Financial Times: Trump accuses Mueller probe of destroying 'young' lives Russian banker linked to Jared Kushner ousted from VEB Jared Kushner wins back access to US high-level state secrets People participate in a protest against recent U.S. immigration policy of separating children from their families when they enter the United States as undocumented immigrants, in front of a Homeland Security facility in Elizabeth, NJ, June 17, 2018. Pundits and politicians across the political spectrum are responding to a bombardment of shocking stories and imagery depicting immigrant children separated from their families and held in detention centers. The Trump administration's new zero-tolerance policy on illegal border crossings has led to a spike in prosecutions and as a result, increased family separations. In the six weeks following that order, 1,995 children had been separated from their parents, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman told news outlets on Friday. The hard-line policy has produced howls of condemnation from long-time critics of President Donald Trump. But even some of Trump's reliable allies in the media and politics have voiced their concerns for the thousands of children taken from their parents. The decision to prosecute any and all illegal border crossings was reinforced in an April 6 memorandum from Attorney General Jeff Sessions directing U.S. attorneys "to adopt a policy to prosecute all" such violations "to the extent practicable." But as the realities of such a policy come to light through pictures of children sleeping on concrete floors and huddling in wire cages in stark detention centers other Trump administration officials and allies have called for the policy to change. Trump's outspoken legal defender, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, weighed in on Sunday in a CBS interview. While Giuliani's interview style has recently been defined by bellicose attacks on Trump's enemies, he struck an empathetic note on the question of family separations. "I don't like to see, and I know President Trump doesn't like the children taken away from their parents," Giuliani said. President Donald Trump (R) gestures as he meets with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. Almost all of the immediate results from the summit between President Donald Trumpand North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are governed by uncertainty, experts say, including whether the U.S. will renege on its commitments to protect allies like South Korea and Japan, whether China has the ability to help maintain peace in the region, and perhaps most of all whether Pyongyang will back away from a nuclear weapons program that puts the entire world at risk. But one point is clear: The pace of the shifting balance of power in Asia toward China, slow and gradual in the 21st century, is picking up speed in the Trump administration. "The U.S., particularly the Trump administration, has revealed its preference for pulling back and consolidating its commitment in the area," says Dimitar Gueorguiev, a professor at the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and an expert on Chinese politics. "These are kinds of tectonic forces. We've known for a long time that the 21st century is going to be about the U.S. and China, so it's no coincidence that things are changing dramatically." More from US News & World Report: Economic Power Moves East Trump faces skepticism in Asia America's attention deficit disorder with Asia Most worrisome to analysts, and reportedly some in the U.S. military and in South Korea, was Trump's surprise announcement that the U.S. would suspend or perhaps end military exercises with South Korea that serve as both a deterrent to North Korea and China and also maintain readiness for coalition forces that could deploy elsewhere in the region. In follow-up comments Trump also raised the possibility of withdrawing the U.S. troops from South Korea due to its expense. This isn't the first time an American president has considered trimming a military presence, but never at a time when Pyongyang posed such a threat. George H. W. Bush weighed withdrawing nuclear weapons from the peninsula, and George W. Bush needed these forces for combat operations in the Middle East. As allies in the region question whether they can rely on the U.S. for military and diplomatic support a sentiment shared by others around the globe following Trump's dismissive statements at the summit in Quebec of leading industrial nations some experts believe China is already poised to inherit the mantle of Asia's leader. Beijing has made quiet overtures to regional powers like Seoul during the past few decades, improving trade and diplomatic relations as a foothold for greater cooperation in the future. "You've seen the region undergoing a gradual but significant transition over the last 10 years or more with the rise of China," says Robert Ross, a professor of political science at Boston College and expert on the region. The shift behooves regional countries to show greater respect for Chinese interests, he says, particularly as they sense a weakening of America's influence in the region. South Korea feels "compelled to accommodate China because China has simply become a much more influential actor in South Korea's backyard," Ross says. At the same time, other Asia analysts say Beijing risks alienating many countries in the region if it presses its interests with a heavy hand. And the Trump administration with its overtures to North Korea has "expedited those trends" of China becoming more influential, Ross adds, by "acting abruptly, and without consultation, and seemingly wanting to transform the U.S.-South Korea relationship overnight." Regardless of what Kim does next, he has already succeeded in demonstrating that his regime is worthy enough for a bilateral meeting with a sitting U.S. president. "The greatest winner of Trump's North Korea overture is Kim and his North Korea. It has greatly enhanced Kim's legitimacy at home and in the eyes of his Chinese ally,'" says Jian Chen, a professor at New York University Shanghai and a visiting professor at East China Normal University. Chinese President Xi Jinping also sees an opportunity to take advantage of the dramatic turnaround on the Korean Peninsula, making him another winner, Chen says, which comes comes at a time of mixed messaging from the Trump administration. The U.S. wrought intense criticism from China the same week as the North Korea summit by celebrating the opening of a new diplomatic facility in Taiwan. China considers the small island that has diplomatic relations with fewer than two dozen countries to be a renegade province of its own, and as such the U.S. does not recognize it diplomatically or have normalized relations, including a formal embassy. Trump, however, has repeatedly infuriated Beijing regarding the delicate balance with Taiwan, including by accepting a phone call from the Taiwanese president shortly after his taking office. "Trump's North Korea overture has seriously compromised U.S. strategic position in the Asia-Pacific, including on Taiwan. Is there still any credibility and consistency in the U.S. strategy and commitment including Trump's security guarantee to North Korea that others can trust?" Chen says. Taiwan serves as an example of how the Trump administration appears poised to use its power to pressure China, Ross says. "If you're Taiwan, this would make you nervous." On issues such as North Korea the Chinese now have to choose whether they will maintain the status quo to secure their position as the chief broker between regional powers and the U.S. for high-profiles issues in the region, or whether they want to push out the U.S. entirely. "They're cautiously optimistic that they can have their cake and eat it too," Gueorguiev says, "that they can allow this kind of warming relations between North Korea and the U.S., and maybe lose to some extent the power and the drama of that guardianship, but in return get the U.S. to pull back a little bit, at least from that theater." But that dispute between the U.S. and China will likely take place elsewhere, he says. "We would be mistaken to get caught up in the headlights of what's going on in Northeast Asia right now," he says. "The real struggle for influence is going to be in the Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asia, between the U.S. and China." UBS could have done things differently in Puerto Rico, where thousands of the island's residents blame the Swiss financial services giant for the depletion of their life savings, the bank's CEO said in an interview. "When you go back and you look at the situation, you could always argue that we could have done things better, or some people could have behaved better," Sergio Ermotti told CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera in an exclusive interview on Monday. "When there is scope for admitting something went wrong, we do that," Ermotti said. However, if "we believe that there are situations where people are just trying to take advantage of something, then we will fight and we will just try to present facts." He was referring to the tsunami of arbitration claims that have been filed against UBS by Puerto Rico-based investors for among other counts breach of fiduciary duty, negligence and fraud. The claims came after 2013, when 23 closed-end bonds funds managed or co-managed by UBS Puerto Rico and sold to island residents lost $3 billion in value, or nearly 70 percent, according to data from Securities Litigation and Consulting Group. Ermotti said there were not obvious warning signs in the years prior to the UBS Puerto Rico bond funds imploding. "Until 2013, it was very difficult to predict that things couldevolve in such a way," Ermotti said. No ratings agencies, "nobody was waving their flag about the danger of Puerto Rico." However, a CNBC investigation in December showed that a mere few months after Ermotti took over as CEO in November 2011, it was clear not only to the ratings agencies, but also to UBS, that Puerto Rico's credit was deteriorating. In a research report that UBS issued in January 2012, the firm identified major risks for investors holding the Commonwealth's debt, including the "slower than anticipated recovery" and "rising debt burden." The 45-page report recommended: "Conservative investors with concentrated exposure to any single borrower in the municipal market should pursue portfolio diversification." Ermotti says that despite the extremely tumultuous past few years, the financial firm has stayed on the island and is working together with regulators and through arbitration to try and find the best solutions for their clients. "We are trying to clearly [and] constructively find resolutions," Ermotti said. "The truth of the matter is we are very committed to Puerto Rico." UBS Puerto Rico is a subsidiary of UBS Americas Financial Services headquartered in Weehawken, New Jersey. At its peak, UBS had the largest wealth management business in Puerto Rico, representing an estimated 20,000 households. By 2012, UBS investors on the island had about $10 billion invested in the bond funds, or roughly 10 percent of the island's gross domestic product. UBS Puerto Rico has been the primary underwriter of a series of closed-end funds since the mid-1990s. And it managed or co-managed the 23 proprietary closed-end funds that could only be sold to Puerto Rico residents and corporations whose primary place of business is on the island. Through the years 2004 to 2008, the direct and indirect revenue generated by the bond funds accounted for 42 percent to 53 percent of UBS Puerto Rico's total revenue. Those profits flowed up the chain to the parent company, UBS AG. The funds had many unique qualities since they were offered in a U.S. territory, rather than a U.S. state. In particular, the bond funds weren't registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or listed on a U.S. exchange like a typical mainland closed-end fund. This was because of a recently closed legal loophole that previously exempted U.S. territories from the Investment Company Act of 1940. That legislation, among other things, limited the use of leverage and barred certain types of transactions. The exemption allowed the UBS funds in Puerto Rico to be levered in many instances 2 to 1, which was the maximum amount legally allowed by Puerto Rico's securities regulations. The funds also had an immense overconcentration of Puerto Rico-issued securities. Two particular securities, bonds issued by the island's government development bank and bonds issued by a government-run corporation, accounted for more than 90 percent of the net assets in 10 of the UBS funds by the end of June 2013. The heavy concentration and high leverage of the funds ultimately led to staggering losses for investors in 2013, after Puerto Rican bonds suffered a massive sell-off. Ermotti pointed out in Monday's interview that prior to their implosion, the closed-end funds were highly profitable for investors. "The only thing we know, which is not an excuse but is an explanation, is that in the previous 20 years or so, clients and investors made $3 billion of profits [from the funds]," Ermotti said. The massive decline in value of the funds "led to multiple regulatory inquiries, as well as customer complaints and arbitrations with aggregate claimed damages of USD 2.5 billion, of which claims with aggregate claimed damages of USD 1.5 billion have been resolved through settlements, arbitration or withdrawal of the claim," according to UBS's first quarter 2018 report. The firm settled with the SEC in 2012 for $26.6 million and in 2015 for $15 million. Also in 2015, UBS settled with Finra, Wall Street's self-policing regulatory agency, for $18.5 million. A year earlier, in 2014, UBS settled with Puerto Rico's local regulator, the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, for $5.2 million. The regulators' charges included that the firm misrepresented and omitted material facts about the closed-end bond funds to investors and failed to monitor the combination of leverage and concentration levels in customer accounts, according to the settlement documents. UBS Puerto Rico did not admit or deny wrongdoing in any of the settlements. UBS has disclosed in regulatory filings that the Department of Justice is conducting a criminal inquiry into the impermissible reinvestment of the non-purpose loan proceeds, in regard to the Puerto Rico funds. "We are cooperating with the authorities in this inquiry," the filing states. The report claimed however that current spend levels are "far too low" and that the U.K. government needed more resources to help keep the country safe. The Defence Select Committee (DSC) issued a report Monday , calling for the amount of money allocated to U.K. defense to be raised towards 3 percent of GDP (gross domestic product). It currently spends around 2 percent, a target level set by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). A group of British lawmakers has warned that unless the country raises spending on defense, it runs the risk of being "outgunned" by Russia. Despite the criticism, Britain has maintained the biggest military budget in Europe. For the fiscal year ending in March 2019, U.K. defense spending is budgeted to be 47.2 billion ($62.5 billion). But military chiefs have pointed out that much of this money is devoted to renewing the Trident nuclear submarine program and the construction of two new aircraft carriers, leaving conventional forces short of cash. MP's on the committee highlighted weak army power, pointing to ineffective anti-tank weaponry and outdated rocket technology. The report concluded that the current British Army set up was "at serious risk of being outgunned by its Russian counterpart". The committee also concluded that Britain had "no substantial missile defence capability" and that Royal Air Force airbases needed upgrading to include radars and rocket interceptors. The U.K. Navy was also described as under-resourced with the most serious maritime issue said to be the need for more anti-submarine warfare capacity. This year the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier is scheduled to start operation. It is the first of two new aircraft carriers entering service. The 3 billion warships should be escorted and protected by other smaller ships, of which there is a current shortfall. MP's described the lack of resource to protect the new aircraft carriers as "complacent at best and dangerous at worst". It said Britain should not have to rely on other countries to provide escort. A Defence Modernisation Programme (DMP) was launched in January, examining at the current state of U.K. defense and firepower. If that report highlights risks, it is expected that the British government will come under more pressure to increase military budgets. Consumer-goods company Unilever will not work with social media stars, or "influencers," who buy followers on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, it announced Monday. Chief Marketing Officer Keith Weed said the company would scrutinize how it works with such influencers and urged other brands to look at how they avoid fraud on social media. The company has an overall marketing budget of more than 7bn ($8.1 billion). Influencer marketing is of growing importance for brands who want to use well-known and trusted faces to market their products on social media. Someone with 100,000 followers might earn $2,000 for a promotional tweet, for example, and the more followers an influencer has, the more they get paid. Some influencers might therefore be tempted to buy followers, which could be bots, meaning promotional content isn't always seen by real people. In January, a report in The New York Times suggested a company called Devumi was selling Twitter "followers" to people including TV stars and well-known athletes. Followers tend to be bots and are offered for just a few cents each. Devumi denied such allegations last November. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L) meets Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (R) at National Palace in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on June 15, 2018. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to deposit $1 billion in Ethiopia's central bank to ease the latter's foreign exchange shortage. The sum is part of a $3 billion aid and investment pledge from the UAE to Ethiopia announced Friday. The news came as Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia's foreign exchange shortage is due in part to its spending big on infrastructure projects. The current total left in the East African country's coffers is equivalent to less than one month's worth of imports, Reuters has reported. In April, Abiy said that Ethiopia's foreign exchange shortage could last 15 to 20 years, and that more cooperation with the private sector was needed to secure the country's finances. Over the weekend, Ethiopia and neighboring Somalia announced that they were investing in four seaports on the Red Sea to draw in foreign investment. Abiy and Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, speaking in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, issued a joint statement of pledges to cooperate on areas including infrastructure and visa services, according to Reuters. The Red Sea coastline is strategic because it leads to the Suez Canal, a shipping channel which effectively serves as a gateway between Eastern and Western markets. Landlocked Ethiopia is keen to shore up its international trade infrastructure, for example taking a stake in the Port of Djibouti in May. The weekend's news is the latest in a slew of reforms coming out of the Ethiopian government. In early June, lawmakers voted to lift Ethiopia's state of emergency two months early. This was imposed following the sudden resignation of former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in February following anti-government protests fueled by ethnic tension. [The stream is slated to start at 4:00 ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders is expected to brief reporters on Monday on the administration's controversial "zero-tolerance" immigration policy and the increasing numbers of children being separated from their parents and housed in temporary shelters on the U.S. Mexico border. The Trump administration has ordered federal prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against all adults who enter the country illegally, regardless of whether those adults are traveling with children. Adults apprehended with their children are being separated, with the minors being placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Trump administration defended the controversial policy over the weekend, as photographs emerged from detention centers that showed children sleeping on the floor inside wire cages, with only Mylar blankets. Several Republicans have already come out against the policy, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who said on Thursday he opposes separating undocumented immigrant families. The president went back and forth over the weekend, at times defending the policy and at other times disowning it. TWEET Yet even as Trump held up the policy as evidence of his administration's tough stance on immigration, he simultaneously blamed congressional Democrats for it. Other conflicting messages about the policy that was formally adopted in May have been coming from across the administration. Senior White House policy aide Stephen Miller told The New York Times last week that the separation of families was the result of "a simple decision by the administration to have a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry, period," meaning that there would be practically no exceptions made for those with children. Yet Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen claimed on Sunday that separating families was not the policy of the Trump administration. TWEET Trump himself called the separation of families "so, so sad," during an event Monday. Former U.S. President Barack Obama has always had a passion for books. "I loved reading when I was a kid, partly because I was traveling so much, and there were times where I'd be displaced, I'd be the outsider," Obama told The New York Times in 2017. "The idea of having these worlds that were portable, that were yours, that you could enter into, was appealing to me." In his role as president, Obama would turn to books for solace. "The ability to slow down and get perspective, along with the ability to get in somebody else's shoes those two things have been invaluable to me," Obama explained of his penchant for reading. Now as a private citizen, he's still a voracious reader. In a Facebook post Saturday, Obama shared five non-fiction book titles he is currently reading on topics ranging from economics to political philosophy. "I'm often asked what I'm reading, watching, and listening to, so I thought I might share a short list," he writes. These books aren't the only things he's reading, and "It's admittedly a slightly heavier list than what I'll be reading over the summer," Obama says in his post. 1. "Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging" by Alex Wagner Journalist Alex Wagner, who often reported on immigration in her role as a former anchor for MSNBC and current co-host of Showtime's "The Circus," researches her own tangled family history in "Futureface." For Obama, the 2018 book appeals as a story of self-discovery. "I once wrote a book on my own search for identity, so I was curious to see what Alex, daughter of a Burmese mother and Iowan Irish-Catholic father and a friend of mine discovered during her own," Obama writes. "What she came up with is a thoughtful, beautiful meditation on what makes us who we are." 2. "The New Geography of Jobs" by Enrico Moretti In his 2012 book, "The New Geography of Jobs," University of California Berkeley economist Enrico Moretti explores the power of location on financial outcomes. For example, he considers why cities like San Jose and Austin have seen economic booms in the last decade, while others have not. "It's six years old now, but still a timely and smart discussion of how different cities and regions have made a changing economy work for them and how policymakers can learn from that to lift the circumstances of working Americans everywhere," Obama writes. 3. "Why Liberalism Failed" by Patrick J. Deneen University of Notre Dame political philosophy professor Patrick Deneen argues that liberalism an ideology based on equal rights, free elections and individual choice is "a system whose success is generating its own failure," in this 2018 book. While Obama writes that he doesn't hold the same viewpoint as the author, he found the book to be, "thought provoking," he explains. "I don't agree with most of the author's conclusions, but the book offers cogent insights into the loss of meaning and community that many in the West feel, issues that liberal democracies ignore at their own peril." 4. "In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History" by Mitch Landrieu The history, culture and racial divisions of the American South are up for examination by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in his 2018 book, "In the Shadow of Statues," which centers in part on Landrieu's efforts to remove Confederate monuments from New Orleans. For Obama, the book stirred memories of giving a eulogy for Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney, who was killed in 2015 in the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. "I'll never forget something Clem said while he was alive: 'Across the South, we have a deep appreciation of history. We haven't always had a deep appreciation of each other's history,'" Obama writes. "That's something Mitch takes to heart in this book, while grappling with some of the most painful parts of our history and how they still live in the present. It's an ultimately optimistic take from someone who believes the South will rise again not by reasserting the past, but by transcending it." 5. "Truth Decay: An Initial Exploration of the Diminishing Role of Facts and Analysis in American Public Life" by Jennifer Kavanagh and Michael D. Rich Money provides a lot of what can make you happy, including peace of mind, a sense of success and the freedom to live your life the way you please. That's according to a new survey from Boston Private, titled "The Why of Wealth," which surveyed 300 respondents worth between $1 million and $20 million to determine how wealth affects quality of life. When asked what wealth is, 54 percent say, simply, happiness. And money grants one thing even more prominently than happiness, 65 percent of survey respondents agree: peace of mind. While money itself cannot manufacture happiness, contentment or success, it can facilitate a lifestyle that makes satisfaction more likely. "Aside from the intangible emotional and psychological benefits, people view wealth as an enabler it enables them to have freedom, a happy family life and to pursue social and leisure activities they enjoy," the survey reports. When asked what their wealth enables them to do, 70 percent of survey respondents report that it permits them financial independence and freedom. Half of respondents say that it allows for a happy family life and 44 percent say that it grants them the ability to travel extensively. For some, wealth means the ability to be your own boss. That's the case for Tom Aley, an entrepreneur whose affluence allowed him to leave a high-paying job and start his own business. "The whole guiding principle was, I liked to be independent. I could do more things. I didn't have to be beholden to anyone," Aley tells The New York Times. For others, money means being able to be a force for good. Elizabeth Galbut Perelman chose to use her resources to start a company that invests in women-run businesses. "For me, at an early age, wealth was about being able to create the change you wish to see in the world," the 29-year-old tells the Times. However, attaining a high level of wealth also comes with regrets. Nearly half of all respondents of Boston Private's survey say the No. 1 thing they would have done differently is spend more time with their families. "Wealthy individuals may feel they owe an emotional debt to their families," the survey reports. "Here we see the emotional interplay of regret, guilt and compensation." Other popular regrets include taking better care of their health (27 percent); following their passions and dreams (24 percent); and pursuing higher education (22 percent). But even for those who aren't multi-millionaires, how you spend the money you do have can contribute to higher levels of peace and happiness. "In terms of our happiness, time is really the fundamental currency," University of British Columbia psychology professor Elizabeth Dunn tells CNBC Make It. "What really matters for your day-to-day moods is what it is you're doing with your time." US Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen speaks at the press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC on June 18, 2018. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Monday attended a contentious White House press briefing, where she defended the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy, which has resulted in the separation of thousands of children and their parents along the U.S.-Mexico border. "This administration did not create a policy of separating families at the border," Nielsen told reporters. Yet the Trump administration, she said, "will separate those who claim to be parent and child if we cannot determine that a familial or custodial relationship exists." It was not immediately clear how Customs and Border Patrol agents would determine custodial relationships for children who did not possess identification documents. Nielsen vehemently denied that the family separation amounts to a "policy," asking a reporter, "Why would I ever create a policy that purposely does this?" Nielsen also denied that the thousands of children impacted by the separations are being used as leverage to force Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. "Children are not being used as a pawn," Nielsen said. "We are trying to protect the children." Yet at the same time, Nielsen said President Donald Trump will not change the current policy because, she said, the president "wants to find a long term fix" on immigration -- essentially admitting that the current situation is being used as leverage to force Congress to act on other immigration proposals, such as Trump's border wall. The Trump administration has ordered federal prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against all adults who enter the country illegally, regardless of whether those adults are traveling with children. Adults apprehended with their children are being separated, with the minors being placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services. Nielsen's remarks were her second of the day, and followed a weekend during which photographs emerged from detention centers that showed children sleeping on the floor inside wire cages, with only Mylar blankets. The worsening situation for immigrant families has drawn condemnation across the board, from doctors' groups, religious leaders, and even former first lady Laura Bush, who called the separation of families "immoral." "It's disgraceful," Franklin Graham, the prominent evangelical pastor, said on Tuesday. An outspoken Trump supporter, Graham told the Christian Broadcasting Network, "It's terrible to see families ripped apart and I don't support that one bit." Several Republicans in Congress have also come out against the policy, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who said on Thursday he opposes separating undocumented immigrant families. The president went back and forth over the weekend, at times defending the policy and at other times seeming to disown it. TWEET Yet even as Trump held up the policy as evidence of his administration's tough stance on immigration, he simultaneously blamed congressional Democrats for it. And Trump himself called the separation of families "so, so sad," during an event Monday. Saudi Arabia has assured me of a review of the production cap, said Oil and Petroleum Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan. Saudi Arabia has assured me of a review of the production cap, said Oil and Petroleum Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan. He also said that acting only on taxation wont solve fuel price problem but appropriate steps needs to be taken at appropriate time. The Joint declaration by Russia and UAE is needed on production cut, said Pradhan. "I am confident that everyone will behave rationally at OPEC meet at Vienna,"he said. The Iran sanction is a huge issue right now and high crude prices are pinching the consumers of oil, he said. On India's relationship with oil countries, he said, "India is a very stable offtake consumer, relationship very cordial with oil countries." He also said that there is a wait and watch situation over the impact of US sanctions on India. On price rise in India, he said, "The government is very concerned about petroleum product price impact on all consumers and I am working with Piyush Goyal on impact of oil price rise on consumers." The multidimensional possibility will be discussed to make fuel prices affordable. All developed economy have high taxation regime on fuel prices Talking about affordability, he said that it will be ensured for the middle class and poor for fuel. He also made it clear that the government has nothing to do with price build up and oil marketing companies(OMCs) are free to decide on fuel pricing and it is not a part of government work or related to elections. There is no subsidy burden on any oil companies and all subsidy is borne by government on LPG, kerosene. Also, 5 states have reduced the VAT component last year on fuel prices. He said that in a federal structure, reasonable tax structure is required and states have their own strategy on taxation and spending. "The government is continuously persuading state chief ministers for reducing VAT on fuel prices and sooner or later petroleum and gas products will come under GST regime," Pradhan said adding that people have accepted GST and gradually petroleum products will come under GST. "We have gone through the Delhi HC order on cairn Indias PSC case and the government will appeal to the double bench in the Delhi HC on cairn Indias PSC case," he said. We are looking to divest some of the assets which are not really critical to our operations, said Naveen Jindal, Chairman, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL). Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Jindal said if there is a requirement, we will our expand steel plant at Angul in Odisha. Watch: He said there is a severe shortage of coal domestically and I hope that Coal India will increase its production. Edited Excerpts: What are the expansion plans for the company? Maybe after three to four years, once we have paid majority of our debt, we would like to expand but not borrowing. We would not like to borrow, just from our internal accruals in the future, once we are able to expand, then we will definitely like to do that. In this location, we can easily build 12 million tonne steel plant in Angul in Odisha. The location is very close to the port and there are plenty of iron ore here. So if there is a requirement, if we have to reach 300 million tonne of capacity, definitely JSPL will be a major player and we will play its role. Since you have assets abroad, you have a power business and you have a steel business, do you have any plan to demerge these businesses? We have been advised by many people, that presently JSPL has a very sizeable power in it. JSPL has more than 5,000 megawatt power capacity in it. So it's always a natural thing for people to advise us that steel business should be separated and power business should be separated. So, we are considering in the future, we are evaluating the various options and after taking all the due approvals and taking all the stakeholders view on board, we will like to do that in the future. Considering in the background, we have a power plant and coal shortage is a current issue. Captive power producers say they are facing shortage of coal, independent power producers also say that they are facing shortage of coal supply. How is it working for you? There is a severe shortage of coal domestically. So all our steel plants, wherever we need coal, most of the steel plants we are running on 90% imported coal. For power generation, we are able to get coal. There is a crisis and it's very expensive. I hope that Coal India will increase its production because there is no reason why there should be shortage. You have often said that you are in the business of making steel and not divesting your assets, but if sources are to be believed, you are very close to selling your African mines and could you tell us something about it? African mines is not a core asset to us. We do have a anthracite mine in South Africa and we have a very big coal reserve, a 6.5 billion tonne in Botswana, as much as the whole Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report in India was talking about. These are some of the assets which are not really critical to our operations. So if we get the right price, we would look at divesting these. But are you not actually in talks with investors to sell that and if you are what is the timeline and how much value will that be of? All these things, I am not supposed to disclose, what value or who investors. There is interest by some investors, let us see if it fructifies into something. In 2015, I believe that consultants were brought in to ease the cross holdings in each company. You and your brothers share a quite a cordial relationship what has happened to that? Well, pretty much that exercise is already completed. When my father was there, he had made the principles very clear. There is no issue between us brothers, there is a lot of love and respect for each other. We all the time work with each other, support each other. By God's grace, things are wonderful between the family and we hope to keep it that way. But has that unwinding of cross holding helped in terms of leveraging your assets? Well, even earlier there was no issue like that and now things have only become better. There's a reason many of the organizations on Computerworld's latest list of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT show up routinely: They've realized that an engaged IT worker who's encouraged to think (and act) outside the corporate box is often a happy IT worker. And happy workers are less likely to walk out the door, taking much-needed tech skills with them. [ Further reading: Download the Best Places to Work in IT 2018 report as a PDF ] As Val Potter, Computerworld's Managing Editor for Features, explains, companies have found value in encouraging a healthy work/life balance; offering skills training and career growth; providing recognition and rewards programs; allowing for access to top management; emphasizing team work; and giving back to the community. And yes, offering free food helps, too. Potter detailed for Executive Editor Ken Mingis what organizations like the JPL, Quicken Loans or VMWare are doing right these days; the list of perks ranges from unlimited time off (as long as the work still gets done) to Star Wars movie outings, time off for volunteer work and even weekly meditation sessions. It's important to note, she said, that many of the highlighted firms have figured out how to offer benefits that won't break the bank while getting IT employees involved in something beyond their own jobs. The full list of organizations that made this year's Best Places cut is available online. And for more info about what successful companies are doing, here are profiles of five outstanding IT employers: For an audio-only version of this episode, click play (or catch up on all earlier episodes) below. Or you can find us on iTunes or Pocket Casts, where you can download each episode and listen at your leisure. Happy listening, and please, send feedback or suggestions for future topics to us. We'd love to hear from you. Brexit 1) Withdrawal Bill returns to the Lords today Field to propose bill calling for upper house to be replaced by partly-elected senate Daily Express Brexit 2) May is now set on Commons collision course with Tory Remainers The ping-pong process of the withdrawal bill between the two houses of parliament returns to the Lords on Monday, when peers are expected to reject the amendment drafted by May and her team, and insert one modelled more closely on Grieves idea. On Wednesday, the amendments will return again to the Commons, where May faces the possibility of defeat over a meaningful vote. A series of Conservative rebels pulled back from voting against the government last week after the PM promised to listen to their concerns, but then said they felt let down by the eventual government amendment produced on Thursday. Grieve said: I cant save the government from getting into a situation where parliament might disagree with it. Guardian Theresa May is this week set on a Commons collision course with Tory Remainers as a leading rebel suggested they could collapse the Government. The House of Lords today again debates the UK Governments flagship EU Withdrawal Bill with the Prime Minister is preparing for its return to the Commons on Wednesday, when she will hope to win what is expected to be a knife-edge vote. There have even been suggestions she has held private talks with Labour MPs on the subject. Her working majority is just 13. Herald >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: May Parliament cannot and should not overturn the will of the British people Brexit 3) Grieve says the rebels could collapse the government And that they wont give up on plans for fresh push this week Daily Mail Conservative rebels could collapse the government, Dominic Grieve, the former attorney-general, has said. Mr Grieve, a Conservative MP, said that pro-Europe Tories did not intend to back down over how much say the Commons had over Brexit. Speaking on BBC Ones Sunday Politics, he said: 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. Arguments over a so-called meaningful vote for MPs are set to dominate the Commons again this week as the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill returns from the Lords. The Times >Yesterday: Brexit 4) Ridley: Im infuriated by what Grieve and Hailsham are up to Dominic Grieve, MP, and Viscount Hailsham are clever barristers both, and agreeable company. I was at Oxford with one, sit in the Lords with the other, and count them as friends. But what they are up to infuriates me. Their amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill for it is a joint effort is a masterpiece of ingenuity and subterfuge, and it has nearly succeeded in wrecking Brexit altogether, which was undoubtedly its purpose all along. Tonight in the Lords comes the latest and probably not the last battle. Before the 2017 election Mr Grieve said he did not want to fetter the governments hands in negotiations, or indeed the governments right to walk away from the negotiations. Like many at that time he wanted to get the best possible deal in the softest possible Brexit. What changed? The Times Why I quit Phillip Lee, Daily Telegraph May shouldnt have double crossed Grieve Andrew Adonis, Guardian Will Grieve be pushed out? Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail Brexit 5) Will Britain be making further concessions over role of ECJ? Meanwhile, in midst of coalition crisis, Merkel is urgently trying to hold emergency talks with other EU leaders Britain could be forced to make further concessions within weeks over the role that the European Court of Justice will play regarding the Northern Ireland backstop proposal after Brexit. Theresa May wants to secure as much agreement as possible on the EU-UK withdrawal treaty, and may be forced to compromise further on another one of her red lines to make progress. The withdrawal treaty covers EU citizens rights, the 40 billion divorce bill, the transition agreement and the backstop or insurance arrangements for Northern Ireland to prevent a hard border. Britain has already agreed a role for the ECJ on residency rights until 2029 while The Times revealed this month that disputes over the divorce bill will be decided by the court. The Times Angela Merkel is seeking emergency talks with EU leaders as her Government is teetering on the verge of collapse in a row about immigration. Her Coalition partners the Christian Social Union (CSU) are threatening to defy the German Chancellor and unilaterally expel migrants who have been registered in other European countries from the country tomorrow. The move would deal a hammer blow to Mrs Merkels leadership that could see her 13-year rule of Germany come to an abrupt end. With Berlin in the grip of crisis, Mrs Merkel is urgently trying to hold talks with other major European powers to try to broker a deal. The German leader wants European powers to work together to try to tackle the migrant crisis which has stoked massive hostility among many countries. Daily Mail Her German coalition partners hint at compromise The Times Comment: Her political future hangs in the balance Dominic Lawson, Daily Mail Migration issues will tear the EU apart Juliet Samuel, Daily Telegraph >Today: ToryDiary: Damaged by last years election. Playing for time. Grappling with revolts and resignation threats. We refer, of course, to Merkel. More Brexit Freeman says leaving EU will free Britain from regulatory hostility to biotech Daily Express New study suggests free ports could add 9bn to post-Brexit economy Daily Telegraph DUP MP responds to McDonalds criticism of Tories by saying SF are the fantasists Belfast News Letter Mundell criticises SNPs approach and says its time to move on Daily Telegraph >Today: James Palmer in Local Government: Cambridgeshire is well placed to benefit from the broader international trade that Brexit will offer May clarifies that the NHS will get an extra 384m per week after Brexit Ashworth says Labour would match this Daily Mail Scotland will get 2bn to Englands overall 20bn Daily Telegraph Theresa May has agreed to pour an additional 384 million per week into the NHS after Brexit exceeding the amount mooted by the official Leave campaign and effectively locking the UK into leaving the EU. The boost for the health service, which the Prime Minister will formally 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. Mrs May said on Sunday the funding would also come from the nation contributing a bit more as she signalled taxes are likely to rise to meet the pledge. Daily Telegraph >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: May In 2023-24there will be about 600m a week, in cash, more going into the NHS but ministers were unable to agree on sources of funding for spending increase Theresa May is facing a black hole in her 25 billion plan to fund the NHS after ministers were unable to agree all of the sources of revenue before the announcement. The government has yet to confirm a plan for finding up to 11 billion of the money promised yesterday, with the prime minister making clear that tax rises are on the way in the autumn budget. She said on LBC Radio that we as a country will contribute a bit more while government officials told The Times: Were going to have to have a conversation about tax. Mrs May announced yesterday that by 2023, the budget for NHS England will rise by 20 billion a year compared with todays figure. There has been much scepticism about idea it could be paid for from Brexit windfall Guardian Tory MPs fear tax and borrowing increases FT Meanwhile, select committee calls for extra 17bn a year for defence The Times Editorial: It is not a Brexit dividend The Times Its overdue FT Comment: This shows how leaving the EU means we can spend on our own priorities Leo McKinstry, Daily Express May has failed the NHS Jonathan Ashworth, The Times >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: Ashworth We know what [May] is really talking about is increasing borrowing and increasing taxation >Today: James Price in Comment: More borrowing and higher taxes are not the only or even the best way to free up more money for the NHS. Javid to crack down on gang videos with new 1.4m specialist unit Could the social care cap make a comeback? A crackdown on online gang videos promoting violence has been launched by Home Secretary Sajid Javid. He is setting up a 1.4million specialist unit to find and remove gang-related content from the internet. Police warn that sites such as YouTube and Facebook are abused by gangs to goad rivals, leading to bloodshed. In September, a gang video on Google was linked to the killing of Corey Junior Davis, 14, in East London. The Home Offices Serious Violence Strategy, published in April, said photo and video-sharing sites were used to glamorisie gang or drug-selling life, taunt rivals and normalise weapons carrying. Daily Mail Plans to reform social care will be the next major health policy battleground, with Whitehall officials now examining plans to revive the idea of a social care costs cap. Theresa May, the Prime Minister, will make clear on Monday in a speech that budgets for social care and the National Health Service will be set out in the Autumns departmental spending review. The Treasury is hoping that, having signed off 20billion for the NHS over five years, it will be possible for find ways to reform social care without having to spend billions of pounds. The Local Government Association warned late last year that adult social care faced an annual funding gap of about 2.3billion by 2020. Daily Telegraph Ministers to launch 20m research fund for alternatives to plastic packaging 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. Daily Mail More Conservatives Lord Bourne speaks about new annual Windrush Day Guardian Chope says he isnt a dinosaur Daily Express >Today: Nicky Morgans column: Chopes upskirting ban veto, and no-deal hard Brexiteers fellow travellers in the campaign to wreck modernisation Leslie: Heres how to win over centrist voters The centre may not have the placards, chants, Twitter storms and ideological fervour of the hard left, but it is an important part of our political spectrum which should stop apologising for its pursuit of sensibleness, be confident in its identity and speak up.Populism may be making in-roads across Europe but it hasnt yet convinced Britain. So now is the time to speak out. My contribution to that is Centre Ground, published today with the Social Market Foundation. I see six values of the British mainstream: fair play, responsibility, evidence not ideology, opportunity, parliamentary democracy and a relentless focus on the future and set out how these values are distinct and can translate into reality. The Times More Labour MPs staff were asked to work for free at Labour Live Daily Mail News in Brief James Palmer is the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. If one of the great hopes for the UK, post-Brexit, is unshackled free and fair trade with the rest of the world outside of the EU customs union, then we must also think about how best to put our economy in the international shop window. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough itself is well placed to benefit from broader international trade, hosting 25 of the worlds biggest companies, being home to one of the largest centres for life sciences on the planet, and being part of the UKs answer to Silicon Valley: Silicon Fen. We also have a university and research base which is the envy of the globe, feeding our innovative enterprises. My Combined Authority area contributes 5 billion to the Treasury annually, and growing. My vision is for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to be known as the UK capital for innovation and productivity, and in any post-Brexit arrangement, we need to be promoting our pioneering regions to the globe. But who is best placed to do that? I have recently returned from a week-long visit to Boston, Massachusetts for a range of engagements with politicians and business leaders from across the world, and my experiences have left me in no doubt about the role this countrys Metro Mayors can play in fostering economic bonds with other nations. This is more than just thinking aloud. While I was in Boston I signed an agreement with Marc McGovern, the Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to work towards a Partnership Accord between our two centres, which will strengthen our economic ties and grow trade and investment between us. I cannot think of an international partner more appropriate to my area than Cambridge, MA. Were both world leaders in life science, homes to thriving tech clusters and between us are home to three of the greatest universities in the world, Cambridge, Harvard, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, MA is part of the greater metropolitan area of Boston and it is well known for its Kendall Square business district, described as one of the most innovative square miles of enterprise on the planet thanks to its quantity of creative and pioneering businesses based there. It has 200 life sciences-related companies as well as 80 venture capital firms, which are helping to fuel the innovation economy. Meanwhile our Cambridge has 4,500 knowledge-intensive businesses within 25 miles of the city and its enterprises file more patents than the next four best UK cities combined. The University of Cambridge is recognised as the worlds second best, and the city can boast 98 Nobel Prize winners. Furthermore, with both centres offering a similar business climate, several major corporations including Microsoft, Amazon and Genzyme to name a few, chose to have a base in both cities. A full Partnership Accord between our two centres will see growth in mutual trade and investment, it will partner complementary businesses to share ideas and work on projects, and it can unite our world-class learning institutions to collaborate on ground-breaking research. The scope is exciting, and now we can add direct flights by carrier Primera Air from London Stansted to Boston into the mix, which I used personally for the first time for the trip and is just the service we need to strengthen our connections further. For those not familiar with the geography, Stansted is only a 30 minute car or rail journey from Cambridge. But we do not just share similar strengths. Both Cambridge MA and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough face similar challenges. Both areas must balance their growth economies with building enough houses, alongside developing a mass transit system solution that works for everybody. I have already taken away many useful ideas on solving these problems, and we have pledged to work together further on these issues. I know my fellow Mayors across the country are also forging links with international cities and regions that have synergies with their own. We know our own backyards, we know the strengths and challenges of our economies and we have that passion to make our regions better more prosperous places for the people we serve. That makes us ideal ambassadors to open doors to trade. I was a reluctant Remain voter, but if we are ever to maximise the potential of Brexit, the UK needs to be able to forge its own trade deals. That can only be done successfully if we leave the EU customs union. Part of my role as Mayor will of course be about making sure that Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is best placed to manage the challenges that Brexit brings, but it will also be about being alert to the new opportunities that will come our way from overseas markets and investors. Metro Mayors can play a crucial role, operating within those new trade deals, to foster localised trade agreements with certain cities, areas or regions, that have mutual interests with their own, anywhere in the world. A Government cave-in on leaving the customs union risks not just a major deviation from the spirit of Brexit, but also binds us to the old way of doing trade. As Mayor, Im so proud and ambitious for my region that I want to shout about it on the international stage. For that to result in meaningful investment coming into Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, I need a Brexit that allows this country a free hand to forge its own trading future, opening up areas like mine to the potential of the global economy. James Price: More borrowing and higher taxes are not the only or even the best way to free up more money for the NHS. James Price is Campaign Manager of the Taxpayers Alliance. We now know how much extra money the NHS will be receiving over the next few years (even if we dont know exactly where the money will come from). Brexit will manage to dominate some of the arguments thanks to the Brexit dividend, or lack thereof, and we still dont know exactly what the mix of tax hikes and/or increased borrowing will be. It seems that Philip Hammond should be praised for preventing a horrible hypothecated NHS tax, and Labours ideas of throwing telephone number-sized amounts of money at every problem should be heavily criticised for its irresponsibility. But what should actually be done with the money, and the NHS in general? Paul Johnson, the IFS director, has said that the money will prevent another winter crisis, and will at least stop the NHS from going backwards. And spending more money on healthcare is, of course, not in and of itself a bad thing. As countries get richer, they tend to spend more on healthcare. But spending increases (and the borrowing and tax hikes that will pay for them) are not the only, or even the best, way to free up more money for the NHS. We also need to make sure that the NHS is financially sustainable in the long term, which is especially vital as the costs of adult social care are about to get a lot higher as current demographic headwinds blow ever stronger. Added to that is the fact that the tax burden in the UK is about to hit a near-50 year high. So a lot more should be done to bring down costs rather than ask taxpayers to dig deeper still, especially when the cost of living is also so burdensome. To that end, we should first look at further efficiencies. Despite claims that the public are tired of austerity, there remains enormous waste across all trusts. Whether it is a failure to sweat high-value assets such as MRI scanners, or the enormous amounts thrown at public health campaigns with no proof that they work, there is much evidence that increasing spending will involve throwing much good money after bad. Of course, analysis also shows that increases in spending leads to a decrease in productivity. Necessity is often the mother of invention. Such invention is in short supply, especially as the NHS is less innovation-friendly than many continental healthcare systems. Pressure to increase the adoption of automation could lead to huge efficiencies of 12.5 billion a year, according to Lord Darzi, the Labour peer and former surgeon This would also let frontline staff focus on patient care, making the NHS more human in the words of Steve Hilton, as well as freeing up resources for big priorities, such as cancer treatment. Thats the kind of thinking we need in the immediate term: how can we save some money or improve service delivery so that we can allow nurses and doctors to do their jobs with more dignity and less paperwork? The TaxPayers Alliance will be releasing work encouraging the public sector to embrace automation, and a forward-looking perspective should be welcomed. On the topic of forward-looking ideas, now is the time to have a serious conversation about cannabis legalisation. Praise should go to Sajid Javid for the sensible policy change to allow Billy Caldwell access to the cannabis oil that prevents his seizures. But the current prohibition of the drug is costing a fortune, leading to more health problems than it should, and not saving as much money as it could. TPA research estimates that cannabis legalisation could save nearly 900 million a year, much of it in savings for the NHS through pain relief. At the very least, we should look seriously and humanely at medical marijuana possibilities. As well as forward-thinking ideas, we should jettison some old ones that are dragging the health service down. Take facility time for trade union officials. It should strike most readers as deeply unfair that NHS workers can decry the state of the service on social media whilst they or their colleagues are off working for trade unions on NHS time. A failure to build up skills in procurement, a crucial element in modern healthcare provision, costs trusts dear; a one per cent reduction in procurement costs would pay for 4,000 junior doctors. And the failure to re-tender construction of the Midland Metropolitan hospital is another example of poor procurement skills. There are some structural changes that would save a huge amount of money, too. A recent TPA report found that reducing the number of NHS quangos would save around 760 million. One recommendation involved granting more independence to NHS England. Since it recently issued guidance to stop expensive prescriptions for gluten-free quinoa and anti-dandruff shampoo, this should be encouraged. Cutting down on prescribing such things, not to mention paracetamol, would save a lot more and encourage people to think about prescriptions in a different light. Whether this cash injection is the magic bullet the NHS needs is, in isolation, unlikely. And time will tell whether we should look at continental models for free-at-the-point-of-use healthcare without the autumn, winter and spring crises, or some of the worst avoidable deaths and cancer survival stats in Western Europe. But some of the reforms listed above would improve the quality of healthcare, save taxpayers money and set the NHS on a more long-term footing. Whether this kind of heresy can be tolerate with regards to the UKs national religion (or the closest thing to one we have) remains to be seen. Nicky Morgan is Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, a former Education Secretary, and MP for Loughborough. What do my colleague Christopher Chope, the Times columnist Matthew Parris and the Lewisham East by-election have in common? No, this isnt a strange Have I Got News For You picture round. Answer: all three should send big flashing red warning signals to the top of the Conservative Party. Until Friday, the split in the Conservative Party was mainly Brexit-related. But by objecting to a Private Members Bill to outlaw upskirting, Christopher has managed to create a new fault line by uniting the Party (and pretty well everyone else) against him, since Conservative MPs across the length and breadth of the it were appalled by his behaviour. It says it all, really, that an older male Tory MP should object to outlawing a sexual crime which makes use of twenty-first century technology. And cries of but he objects to most PMBs as ways of making new laws wont explain away this reputation-damaging episode. It also proves to everyone beyond the Westminster bubble that the work so many of us are engaged in, and have supported to bring the Conservative Party into the modern era remains uncompleted. And that work is further being undone by Brexit. Matthew Parris may well be right, in his column this weekend in the Times, that the current technicalities about meaningful votes and drafting of amendments to be debated in Parliament are of no interest to those outside Westminster. But if some of us just shrug our shoulders, and allow those who want a hard no-deal Brexit to get their way, unchecked, then the consequences will be noticed by the voters and every Conservative is likely to pay a price at the next election. Matthew should know that if we dont take a stand against the hard Brexiteers, then we wont even get to the position of being able to consider the potential of his Andy Street/Ruth Davidson combo as a possible future Tory leadership team. Christopher spent the early part of last week calling for rebel MPs to have direct disciplinary action taken against them. If our offence is to try to ensure the Conservative Party doesnt entirely undermine our hard-won reputation for getting the economy back on track, then I plead guilty. (By the way, it is not unknown for Christopher to vote against the party whip.) And the Lewisham East by election? Unsurprisingly, Labour held the seat. The real news is that the Liberal Democrats leapfrogged us into second place, and that their vote share increased by 20 per cent. At last years general election, we had 23 per cent of the vote share in the seat and the Lib Dems had four per cent. Last week, our vote share fell by nine per cent, and our vote share was 14 per cent. The Lib Dem vote share was 25 per cent. Lewisham voted heavily to Remain in 2016. It seems unlikely that the Conservatives will win Lewisham East in the near future (though we did so during the 1980s), but the real lesson is that wavering voters in London who arent voting Labour arent voting Conservative either. The Conservative Party doesnt have a majority in the Commons. In 2022, we wont be in the position of being able to afford to lose seats. We have to gain seats across the country, as well as hold on to our marginals. The warning, as expressed by Parris is that our reputation for heart is taking a pounding and (more worrying as this was always [our] selling point) [our] reputation for head has tumbled too. The electorate might forgive us, Christopher but only if we help keep them in work, create the conditions to allow wages to grow, stick to this weekends commitments to invest in the NHS and social care, continue to raise school standards and get the trains running again. And we can only do those things if we can afford to pay for them. And we can only make the case for them if make it clear that those in our Party who confirm every prejudice the public ever had about the Conservatives are not, in fact, all that the Conservatives have to offer. Damaged by last years election. Playing for time. Grappling with revolts and resignation threats. We refer, of course, to Merkel. The leader is in grave trouble, her authority was dealt a lasting blow by last years general election, party members have lost faith in her and according to a Sunday newspaper, a senior colleague has said, I cant work with the woman any more. She maintains she needs more time so she can bring negotiations with her European partners to a successful conclusion. In particular, she wants her critics to stop rocking the boat, or even walking out, between now and the EU summit at the end of the month. Her critics retort that she has had years to get somewhere with those negotiations, and giving her another fortnight is pointless. Meanwhile The Financial Times quotes a senior EU official who says: I dont think we can solve her domestic issues. That is beyond us It is so personal and politicised now. All this is taking place not in Britain but in Germany, for while the British press focuses on the difficulties faced by Theresa May, those confronting Angela Merkel are perhaps still worse. Horst Seehofer, the Interior Minister, has threatened to forbid entry to Germany by asylum seekers who are already registered in other EU countries. Merkel has ordered him not to do this, for it cuts directly across her policy of seeking agreement with other EU countries on how to share out refugees. Seehofer made a great fuss about this, threatened to bring down the Government, but has now retreated, has denied saying he cant work with her, and has told her she can have another fortnight to sort things out. That does not, however, solve the problem. For behind the semi-obsolete figure of Seehofer, a man whose long career is not notable for taking a courageous stand on anything, can be seen Markus Soder, the Prime Minister of Bavaria, who in October faces elections in which his Christian Social Union is in great danger of being outflanked by Alternative for Germany, the anti-immigration party. Ever since 1949, the CSU has been allied to the Christian Democratic Union, the party of Konrad Adenauer, Helmut Kohl and now Merkel, who overthrew Kohl. But traditional Christian Democrats have long questioned whether Merkel is really one of us. She comes from the former East Germany, where she pursued a successful career as a scientist despite having a father who was a Lutheran minister, and thanks to this early experience of life under communism, is extraordinarily good at veiling her personal opinions. But her personal preference seems always to be for doing deals with the Left, and appealing to liberal opinion. So in 2015 she opened Germanys borders to a million of the refugees who were streaming out of Syria and other countries. This decision brought AfD back from the dead. It did not become respectable, but it did become the preferred choice of voters who on the immigration issue, have become fed up with the respectable parties. AfD is repulsively indulgent towards Vladimir Putin, in a manner which recalls some of the excesses of Donald Trump. But on immigration it is prepared, like Trump, to ask questions from which German liberals still shy away, for they find it easier to say that from a liberal perspective, the AfD is repulsive, than to address the concerns of the millions of voters tempted to support it. Wolfgang Munchau today analyses Merkels predicament. If she is to attain a European deal on sharing out refugees, she will have to get Emmanuel Macron of France, whom she meets on Tuesday, on board. But he has demanded sweeping measures of financial integration in order to save the Euro, and if Merkel grants these, she will be accused of betraying German taxpayers, who were promised (albeit quite irresponsibly) that they would not be liable for bailing out the Euro. And for Merkel to do deals with Italy and Greece, where so many migrants arrive, could be equally costly. In Rome, as in Vienna and Budapest, it is likely that Soder and Seehofer, with their demand for tighter control of national borders, can find better allies than she can. The Brexit call to take back control is not such a strange project as some Remainers, wearing their European loyalties on their sleeves, would like us to think. It is part of a general feeling, found in the United States, Germany, Italy and many other places, that national borders should be less permeable than has recently been the case. Merkel finds it difficult to admit this, for she is identified so much with the decision in 2015 to open the German border. May, by contrast, tends to be more intransigeant than most of her Cabinet colleagues on this question. So while we concentrate for day after day on Mays problems, it is conceivably on Merkels difficulties that we should instead be focussing. Panera Breads grilled cheese sandwiches dont come with peanut butter, but as a precaution, Elissa Russo says she advised a Massachusetts store that her daughter has a severe peanut allergy -- twice. She was ordering the meal online and had left warnings about her daughters allergy throughout the comments sections in the delivery portal. After the food arrived, Russos six-year-old took one bite into her grilled cheese and said it tasted funny. Her parents opened the sandwich and saw about two tablespoons of peanut butter inside. The girl was hospitalized and suffered post-traumatic stress from her near-death experience, her family said in 2016. Now, the lawsuit that the Russos originally filed two years ago is set to head to a jury after a Massachusetts judge on Thursday rejected Panera Breads arguments that it should not be responsible for what happens at its franchise locations. A jury could find that a national chain was negligent based on how a franchise served a child with a food allergy, the family's attorney told the Boston Globe on Friday. Confused by order The girl's father John Russo had said that the franchise manager initially blamed a confused worker with a language barrier for the mix-up, but Russo was unconvinced, noting that the word for allergy in both Spanish and Portuguese is the markedly similar alergia. However, at a deposition last year, the worker who was reportedly responsible for making the sandwich said, through a Spanish translator, that she was really confused by the online order. She admitted to putting peanut butter in the sandwich but portrayed it as a genuine mistake. The Russo family is suing both the Panera Bread corporate chain and the owner of the franchise, PR Franchise Group, for negligence, assault and battery, and intentional or reckless infliction of emotional distress. This ought to be a warning bell to restaurants that it could be considered civil assault and battery to serve an allergen to someone who has a severe allergy, the familys attorney added to the Globe. Fatal allergic reactions Lawsuits accusing restaurants of poisoning patrons with food allergies typically dont get very far if the judge presiding over the case buys the food industry's arguments that restaurant patrons are responsible for their own health. But in several lawsuits in recent years, people suing restaurants have successfully convinced juries that they or their loved ones had taken extra steps to warn restaurant workers about their allergies, only to get burned anyway. In Canada, a hunter said he was assured by his waitress that the cheesecake he wanted did not contain any nuts. His resulting allergic reaction cost the waitress and the local Travelodge $25,000 after a jury determined that the waitress hadnt bothered to check an ingredients list in the kitchen indicating that the cheesecake contained walnuts. And in the United Kingdom, a 38-year-old bar manager was found dead in his home, near a food container that had no peanuts written on it. The restaurant he ordered take-out from had switched from using almond powder to a cheaper, peanut-based nut mix in its Tikka Masala and did not tell consumers. Restaurant owner Mohammed Zaman was charged with manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison in 2016 for the patrons death. Research has shown that food allergies are on the rise in children. Anecdotally, some parents of children with severe allergies have described facing snarky comments or worse from people who apparently dont believe that their childrens allergies are real. One study in the journal Pediatrics found that bullying is common in food-allergic children. 100% Website seoessence.com uses latest and advanced technologies. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 47 bytes (0.05 kb uncompressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-09-07, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Arcaid/UIG via Getty Images(LONDON) -- After a British legislator blocked a proposed bill to ban taking photos up women's skirts without their knowledge, some protesters expressed their anger by hanging women's underwear around his offices. The proposed ban on "upskirting," which is supported by Britain's Conservative government, was blocked on Friday when Conservative Member of Parliament Christopher Chope objected as the bill was put forward in the House of Commons. The proposed law would have meant that someone taking a photo up a woman's skirt without her consent could face up to two years in prison. Lorna Rees, one of Chopes constituents, tweeted a photo on Saturday of three pairs of underwear hanging on a red ribbon outside of the politician's office in Dorset, England. "No one should be able to photo my pants unless I want them to" she handwrote on the underwear. "Friday was desperately frustrating," Rees wrote in a tweet. "I hope my anti-Chope constituency pant protest shows solidarity." On Monday, she tweeted another photo of three new pairs of underwear hung outside the MPs constituency office. "As the last ones were removed, I put a new set of bunting today," Rees wrote. A similar protest took place in the British parliament, where Chopes office also was decorated with underwear. After the bill was blocked on Friday, British Prime Minister Theresa May said that she was "disappointed." "Upskirting is an invasion of privacy which leaves victims feeling degraded and distressed," she wrote on Twitter. "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." Chope has said that he backs the bill, but objected as a matter of principle because he believed it had to be properly debated. "If a detailed bill is put before the house and it hasnt had any debate then as a matter of principle, I block it without looking into the details of the bill because as a matter of principle, I dont believe we should pass legislation which hasnt been scrutinized," he told LBC Radio, a London-based national talk radio station. The bill was introduced by Wera Hobhouse, a Liberal Democrat, and was backed by the British government after months of campaigning by Gina Martin, an upskirting victim. "By making upskirting a specific offense, we are sending a clear message that this behavior will not be tolerated, and that perpetrators will be properly punished," Lucy Frazer, the British justice minister, said in a statement. "Our action builds on the tireless efforts of Wera Hobhouse, Gina Martin and other campaigners, and we will ensure this Bill becomes law." On Monday, the British Justice Ministry said that the government would draft and introduce a new upskirting bill as soon as possible. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. CORNWALL, Ontario Council rejected a motion on Monday, June 11, 2018 that an Integrity Commissioner be hired to investigate the behaviour of Councillor Mark MacDonald. In late April, Councillor Claude McIntosh asked that Councillor MacDonalds behavior be investigated after he sent emails to council members, including himself, in which he called McIntosh a possible liar. MacDonald made the comments in the context of the City budget deliberations that were ongoing at the time. MacDonald, McIntosh, and others had signed a pledge at the last municipal election to not raise taxes, something that McIntosh now says does not live up to the realities of governance. McIntosh asked that MacDonalds behaviour be reviewed by the Provincial Ombudsman, the Ombudsman however, does not investigate such matters, so the City could have to hire an Integrity Commissioner. We have a Code of Conduct, but we dont have any way of enforcing the Code of Conduct, said McIntosh. If I had been offered an apology, I would have declined it. If we can do that in an email, then I could stand here and tell Councillor Murphy what I thought of him and get away with it, McIntosh went on to say. First of all, I would like to apologise if I hurt anybodys feelings, replied MacDonald. MacDonald said he read the Code of Conduct and looked for how he might have violated it. If I did violate something, then show me exactly where because I couldnt find that I did, he said. I was told by Councillor Clement to choose my words carefully and I did. I think it is a colossal, colossal waste of time and money. City Clerk Manon Levesque referred Councillor MacDonald to Section 17.5 of the Code of Conduct which outlines the professional language that a Councillor was expected to use in their communications. I think we are expected to live up to a certain standard here, said Councillor Elaine MacDonald. There is no place for ad hominem comments. I think when you use terms like that, you violate a civil code that supersedes our own simple code of conduct. We arent talking about the sensitivity of an individual, we are talking about the right or wrongness of an action. A recorded vote saw the motion to hire an Integrity Commissioner fail with five votes in favour, four against and one abstention. CORNWALL, Ontario Cornwall City Council and the Library Board accepted deals negotiated and ratified by four councils of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) representing City of Cornwall librarians, paramedics, inside and outside workers. The ratification of this deal by the unions employer ends a strike that began on May 16. All negotiations have been ratified by council, said City of Cornwall Mayor Leslie OShaughnessy. OShaughnessy said that all workers were expected to be back on the job on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. He did say that some services might still be affected as things return to normal. We welcome our workers back and we hope to move forward together in a very positive way, OShaughnessy said. CUPE spokesperson Andrea Addario said that the four local councils had ratified the deal earlier in the day. The four CUPE locals who have been on strike in Cornwall have each ratified their tentative agreements, Addario said in a statement to the medis on Monday. Assuming City Council and the Library Board both ratify from managements side today, people will return to work on Tuesday. The Mayor announced during the council meeting on Monday night that Council had indeed ratified the deal. Cornwall, ON The Cornwall Community Police Service is asking the public to come forward if they have any information about an ATV that was stolen from a York Street residence on March 11th, 2018. The ATV is described as a white 2001 Yamaha Banshee. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Constable Day at 613-933-5000 ext. 2738 or ext 2404 to leave anonymous information. SOUTH STORMONT, Ontario Wales Rd., also known as County Rd. 12 will be closed starting Wednesday, June 13, 2018. The road will be closed as the Wales Rd. bridge is replaced. The bridge replacement is the second phase of the project to replace both the Avonmore Rd. bridge and the Wales Rd. bridge. Traffic on Wales Rd. was already reduced to one-lane on Monday and Tuesday. On Saturday, June 16, Hwy 401 will be closed in both directions starting at 10 p.m. and continuing until 6 a.m. the next day. Traffic will be re-routed via Dickinson Rd. and Moulinette Rd. The Avonmore Rd. project was finished at the beginning of June, after nearly three months of delays. The Wales Rd. bridge replacement is projected to be finished at the end of 2018. According to the Ministry of Transportation Ontario, the total cost of the contract was $6.95 million. WILLIAMSTOWN, Ontario In conjunction with the House Tour, the Spring Market for Beyond 21 has been held for the past five years. This year vendors and supporters gathered at the Williamstown Fairgrounds on Sunday, June 17. The vendors love being here, said Jane McLaren, Program Manager with Beyond 21. Its just a lovely lovely location. Vicious Varieties is here with the Car Show. This our first year doing a Car Show as an add on for Fathers Day, and its been really wonderful to work with them. McLaren is glad that people came together to give their hearts and time for Beyond 21. She believes that the vendors and homeowners who partnered with the organization are dream chasers just like the Beyond 21 participants, all sharing a common goal. Beyond 21 participants created artwork that was on sale at the Market, and after being open for only three hours, almost all of the creations were sold out. Its just a really awesome thing, said McLaren. Theyre not just here supporting their business, theyre here investing into the life of somebody else and believing in the potential of someone to be in our community. And thats not something everybody does, so to me theyre very very incredible people. Jane MacMillan started painting in 2005 after visiting Nunavut, where she was inspired by Inuit artwork and the landscapes. Now she owns Jane MacMillan Originals and teaches dance classes with Beyond 21. MacMillan conducts warm ups and spatial exercises, and has taught participants folk dances of Israel, Romania and Russia. Beyond 21, I really like it very much, said MacMillan. I do a dance class with them once a week. Its natural to want to support it so thats why I came today. Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Antonio Neri said that the company's blockbuster Discover conference, which starts on Monday in Las Vegas, will showcase how the hybrid IT-intelligent edge powerhouse is helping customers "make the most of their data" from every edge to any cloud. "Data is now your most valuable asset," said Neri in a blog post, referring to how HPE is powering an edge-centric, cloud-enabled and data-driven world. "That means you should never throw a byte away, or worse yet, give it over to someone else. We intend to help our customers harvest the economic potential of every single byte everywherewherever it lives, from every edge to any cloud." Neri said HPE will announce new offerings at Discover that accelerate its innovation at the edge, build on its multiyear lead in consumption computing and "turbocharge" the critical transition to memory-driven computing, "Our news reinforces the fact that we are building, and are continuing to refine, the industrys most complete, software-defined portfolio that extends from edge to cloud," said Neri in the blog post titled "A View From the Edge: One of the Most Exciting Times In History IsRight Now." "It gives our customers the ability to build and connect their next-gen apps and services and to wring all the value from their data in ways that accelerate and differentiate their entire enterprises." Neri said that those enterprises that are able to "act fast on all of their data, at the right moment" will win in the future. "Once upon a time, companies collected data, processed and analyzed it, and then used the insights to make essential decisions weeks or months later," he said. "Over the years, organizations got better at using their data, moving faster to drive 'just-in-time' processes and decisions. Today, real-time is the new just-in-time." In fact, Neri said now the "goal is to use our data" instantly to move businesses forward. "Accelerating time to value is the ultimate goal," he said. "Time to discovery. Time to market. Time to innovation. Time to action!" Neri, the primary architect behind HPE's reinvention as a software-defined, hybrid cloud, intelligent edge computing power, is hosting his first Discover conference since taking the helm on Feb. 1. Before Discover kicks off, Neri will address partners at the Global Partner Summit on Monday. Neri, who started at HPE 23 years ago as a customer service engineer in a Europe, Middle East, Africa call center, said that after more than two decades with HPE, this is the "most exciting time" of his career. "The Intelligent Edge. Artificial Intelligence. Memory-Driven Computing, these may have once seemed to be futuristic concepts, but no more," he said. "They are pragmatic solutions that are making the formerly impossible, possible. What we once dreamed of, is now actionable, to advance the way we all live and work." Neri said that now is one of the most exhilarating times in history. "Youll see what I mean, starting tomorrow, at HPE Discover 2018 in Las Vegas," he said. Solution providers, for their part, said Neri's technology vision has given HPE the leadership position in defining a new era of edge computing in a software-defined, mobile and cloud-first world. Al Chien, president of Dasher Technologies, one of Silicon Valley's top system integrators, No. 161 on the 2018 CRN Solution Provider 500, credited Neri with driving high-growth acquisitions - including Aruba, SimpliVity and Nimble - that are providing world-class solutions that are helping customers manage their infrastructure seamlessly. "Antonio gets it," he said. "HPE has acquired assets and innovated around those core competencies in a way that gives the company a deeper and wider story. It is not piece parts." As for the intelligent edge innovation, Chien said the last five solution architects the company has hired are Aruba specialists. With Aruba leading the charge, Chien said Dasher is expecting another year of 25 percent sales growth powered by what he called the best product portfolio he has ever seen at HPE. Chien also credited his optimism for 2018 to the sales leadership in the field from North America Sales Chief Dan Belanger and North America Channel Chief Terry Richardson. Chien said Belanger has boosted the confidence of partners and has given the company back some of its sales swagger. "The portfolio is so strong now that it is about showing up and executing," said Chien. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Monday kicked off its Global Partner Summit in Las Vegas with the launch of a new GreenLake Flex Capacity offering that brings the full force of the pay-per-use cloud model to partners selling on premises HPE infrastructure. The public-cloud-busting GreenLake Flex Capacity channel compensation model provides partners with a whopping five times the rebate incentive that they would get in a traditional Capex deal. The accelerated rebate program is aimed at providing a significant margin boost to partners compared with a traditional approach as they move to a pay-per-use consumption model and is designed to be break even in the first 12 months. [RELATED: 2018 HPE Discover Coverage] The lucrative terms are the result of a hefty investment by HPE Pointnext to help power the partner pay-per-use transformation. "We have the industrys first and most partner-friendly [pay-per-use] consumption model," said HPE Pointnext Chief Ana Pinczuk in an interview with CRN. "We are enabling the channel to be part of the consumption solution. There is nobody else that is doing this in the industry." The initial GreenLake Flex Capacity services for partners are for HPE ProLiant Microsoft Azure; HPE Synergy 480 compute modules; HPE SimpliVity 380; HPE ProLiant BL460c server blade; HPE 3PAR StoreServ 8200; HPE 3PAR StoreServ 9450; and HPE StoreOnce 5100. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Vice President North America Channels Terry Richardson calls the Flex Capacity pay per use business model breakthrough simply the most "significant" partner opportunity he has seen in 30 plus years in the channel. "Giving customers the opportunity to pay only what they consume is absolutely game changing," says Richardson, one of the most respected channel chiefs in the business. "Those that are embracing this model are really differentiating themselves from the pack and they are contributing to an absolute surge in our business growing many hundreds of percent quarter on quarter. The fact is only HPE has a Flex Capacity offering. None of our traditional competitors do." Under the terms of the program, partners can hold the paper on the deal, determine the margin and add in their own services. The GreenLake Flex Capacity model teams the financial benefits of the Capex model with a robust annuity stream. In a typical $300,000 capital expenditure deal, partners would on average received a 15-20 percent margin on hardware and services, and a low blended rebate. Under that same deal with a GreenLake Flex Capacity per-per-use model, partners would receive an accelerated 5X rebate paid at the outset on the full value of the $300,000 deal. The beauty of the GreenLake model is partners are on average seeing a 25 percent growth rate every year in the form of increased capacity. The GreenLake Flex Capacity business model innovation is unprecedented, said John Kolimago, executive vice president and general manager of the cloud solutions business unit at Anexinet, No. 208 on the 2018 CRN Solution Provider 500 and one of HPE's top Platinum partners. "This is a game-changer," said Kolimago. "I truly believe HPE is on the cusp of something great with this. Other vendors have always had creative leasing, step leasing and financing offers, but this is different. This is truly selling consumption-as-a-service. No one else is doing what HPE is doing with GreenLake." The new GreenLake channel model allows sales reps to be paid up front for the value of the total deal, said Kolimago. "A lot of companies when they turn to a services-led model, it is to the exclusion of partners," he said. "HPE has worked hard to get the economics right for partners with a hybrid compensation model that compensates the sales reps up front on the total value of the deal on day one, and then the ability to share in the annuity over time as we grow those environments. That is the best of both worlds." The HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity channel model comes in the midst of a public cloud backlash sparked by soaring monthly bills and increased concerns around data governance. "There is a shift going on," said Kolimago. "With Cloud 1.0, everyone wanted to run to public cloud. They thought it was going to be cheaper. Then they found out all the challenges with ingress and egress of data, variable costs that are spiraling out of control, lack of accountability of mission critical data. Now we are seeing a pivot back where customers are saying maybe the public cloud isn't the best place for their workload." Al Chien, president of Campbell, Calif.-based Dasher Technologies, one of Silicon Valleys top systems integrators, said the new GreenLake Flex Capacity offering provides a major boost to the channel when going head-to-head against public cloud providers. "We dont have an offering like this today, so customers default to public cloud," Chien said. "Now we have an alternative that we can offer so we can maintain the relationship with the client. This keeps us attached to the client and promotes our value to the customer. The intent here [by HPE] is to put the channel at the point of the arrow in a cloud consumption model." ML Maco, senior vice president of worldwide sales and category management for HPE Pointnext, said partners can sign up and become part of the GreenLake Flex Capacity program immediately. "We want to get this off the ground really quickly," said Maco. "Our plan is to really aggressively engage with our partners at Discover. We have a very well thought out end-to-end strategy and plan for execution. We are confident we are ready to roll as soon as we announce this." HPE has a full portfolio of enablement services designed to drive partner adoption of the GreenLake Flex Capacity services, including starter kits and sales tools. Maco said the new offering is first and foremost a "partner-first and partner-ready" solutiona sharp break from the old co-selling model with the earlier HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity."This is very different from what we have done in the past," she said. It also is designed to be simple for partners to execute in the field, she added. That simplicity as well as profitability are going to be key in driving sales growth in a pay-per-use services market that is growing quickly, said Maco. "The market is really coming our way," she said. "There is a huge level of [pay-per-use] adoption and growth for us and our partners to go after together. We are excited about the opportunity. This is going to be huge in the market for both our partners and HPE." Microsoft has acquired social learning startup Flipgrid, the company revealed on Monday. The acquisition marks the latest push into the education market for Microsoft, which has been going head-to-head with Google and its popular Chromebook product and Google Classroom web-based service in the same arena. Founded in 2015, the video-based Flipgrid platform is used today across 180 countries by more than 20 million pre-kindergarten to Ph.D.-level educators, students and families, to record and share videos, Microsoft said in a statement. [Related: Microsoft Deepens Education Investments In Bid To Close The Gap With Google ] Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Microsoft said Flipgrid can help teachers and students build social, emotional and communication skills beyond traditional curricula. The Redmond, Wash.-based company said that it will make Flipgrid software free for schools, similar to its Office 365 Education software. Customers who already purchased a subscription from Flipgrid will receive a prorated refund. The two companies originally launched a partnership in 2016, and the platform today integrates with a number of Microsoft products, including Teams and OneNote. Were thrilled to see the impact Flipgrid has had in social learning thus far," said Eran Megiddo, corporate vice president for Microsoft in a statement. Were diligently committed to making sure their platform and products continue to work across the Microsoft, Google and partner ecosystems to benefit students and teachers everywhere. On the hardware side, Microsoft launched its education-focused Windows 10 S operating system in 2017 that was designed to help the company to compete with Google's popular Chrome OS and Chromebook devices in K-12 education. Microsoft is also directing its attention to addressing the education market with its software. It's Teams platform, that has more than 20 million users today, has "assignment" features. Flipgrid will retain its own team and brand, but as a part of Microsoft, the platform will be expanded to more educators and students, according to Microsoft's blog regarding the acquisition. Flipgrid will also align with Microsofts General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)-, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)- and Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)-compliant privacy architecture. When Antonio Neri became CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise on Feb. 1, he couldn't help but think of the long journey that had brought him to the moment that he now refers to as "living the dream." It's a journey that in many ways began in earnest when Neri was a wildly curious 15-year-old middle-school student in Argentina with a passion for electronics and technology. Neri would rise each morning at 4:30 a.m. to make the 30-mile trek to a Navy base, where he would start work at 6:00 a.m. repairing radar and sonar systems from Argentinian ships. [RELATED: 2018 HPE Discover Coverage] At 1:00 p.m., Neri would then walk the two miles off the base for a full day of school, a long day that would end with him returning home at 7:30 p.m. Neri's middle-school years working on that military base coincided with the 74-day Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom. That conflict led to the sinking of the Argentinian ship Belgrano, resulting in the biggest loss of life from the war with the deaths of 323 Argentinians. "There is always risk," said Neri, recounting those days. "You learn a lot. It makes you better. It makes you stronger." Those formative years in Argentina -- which also included nine years of studying art on his way to becoming a professor of drawing and painting -- were full of what Neri calls "curiosity," "focus" and "sacrifices" that provided him with a rock-solid foundation for life. It's a foundation that Neri built upon when he left Argentina to find economic opportunity, working for a small IT company in Italy. From there, it was off to Amsterdam where he started working as a contractor in the Europe, Middle East and Africa call center for Hewlett-Packard on May 1, 1995. At the time, the call center was looking for a top-notch technologist who could speak Italian and Spanish. Neri fit the bill, even if he did fail his English test. The British Jamaican call center manager was not put off in the least by the state of Neri's English skills. "We can teach him English," the call center leader told the team at the time. "We need someone who is strong technically." Twenty-three years later, Neri is set to take the stage at HPE's Discover conference to lay out for the first time his technology vision as the CEO of the 107th largest company in the world. In no small part due to Neri, that Silicon Valley jewel has been reinvented as a fast-moving hybrid IT-intelligent edge market leader with a compelling workload-based pay-per-use services business. For Neri -- who has the heart and soul of an engineer determined to drive ever-accelerating innovation -- Discover is a chance to show how HPE is redefining the very nature of how business will be done in the years ahead. "The edge is the future of Hewlett Packard Enterprise," said Neri, speaking about how HPE technology breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and big data analytics will power more intelligent and autonomous infrastructure in the years ahead. "The digital transformation really starts at the edge. Sixty-plus percent of the data is generated at the edge. Two years from now, we are going to have twice the amount of data we generated in human history. That is a massive opportunity, but the connectivity is required at the edge. Analytics and AI are required at the edge. The compute capacity at the edge in the form of cloud architecture is going to be a significant opportunity for us. That is why I am very bullish about the future of HPE." That sense of optimism is palpable among HPE employees, customers and partners. They say Neri's Next initiative -- an ambitious plan launched last year to simplify HPE and accelerate innovation in a market moving at lightning speed -- has brought a rising tide of passion, energy and excitement. That exhilaration stems from Neri's vision to define a new era of edge computing in a software-defined, mobile and cloud-first world. That brave new world will be on full display at HPE Discover from June 18-21, where HPE will showcase its ability to "accelerate what's next for partners and customers" with a slew of technology innovation from the edge to the core to the cloud. HPE is also unveiling GreenLake Flex Capacity, the first-ever pay-per-use consumption offering "purpose-built" for solution providers. The new GreenLake Flex Capacity economics provide robust financial incentives aimed at powering an advisory-led services channel transformation. The HPE Pointnext offering delivers a partner rebate that is five times greater than what they would get in a traditional Capex deal. The accelerated rebate program is designed to provide a significant margin boost, easing the cash flow squeeze as partners move to a pay-per-use consumption model. While competitors are offering models "disintermediating partners," HPE is delivering a breakthrough that puts the channel at the center of the pay-per-use consumption model, said HPE Pointnext Chief Ana Pinczuk. "We have the industry's first and most partner-friendly consumption model," said Pinczuk. "There is no one else that is doing this in the industry. Our goal is to make the GreenLake model more attractive to a partner than the traditional model. The rebate portion of this makes it super-attractive for partners." Pinczuk said Neri's customer- and partner-first focus, combined with his formidable services background, have been critical in HPE's fast-paced pivot to partner-led services. "That has been absolutely huge in terms of our ability to really construct these new business models and to create a new experience for the channel," she said. "We have been going really fast." The Next Payoff For Partners The GreenLake Flex Capacity business model innovation is unprecedented, said John Kolimago, executive vice president and general manager of the cloud solutions business unit at Anexinet, No. 208 on the 2018 CRN Solution Provider 500 and one of HPE's top Platinum partners. "This is a game-changer," said Kolimago. "I truly believe HPE is on the cusp of something great with this. Other vendors have always had creative leasing, step leasing and financing offers, but this is different. This is truly selling consumption-as-a-service. No one else is doing what HPE is doing with GreenLake." The new GreenLake channel model allows sales reps to be paid up front for the value of the total deal, said Kolimago. "A lot of companies when they turn to a services-led model, it is to the exclusion of partners," he said. "HPE has worked hard to get the economics right for partners with a hybrid compensation model that compensates the sales reps up front on the total value of the deal on day one, and then the ability to share in the annuity over time as we grow those environments. That is the best of both worlds." The HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity channel model comes in the midst of a public cloud backlash sparked by soaring monthly bills and increased concerns around data governance. "There is a shift going on," said Kolimago. "With Cloud 1.0, everyone wanted to run to public cloud. They thought it was going to be cheaper. Then they found out all the challenges with ingress and egress of data, variable costs that are spiraling out of control, lack of accountability of mission critical data. Now we are seeing a pivot back where customers are saying maybe the public cloud isn't the best place for their workload." At the same time, those customers are attracted to the pay-per-use model, which is now available with GreenLake on a wide range of industry-standard offerings, whether it is ERP with SAP HANA, big data with Apache Hadoop, or backup/recovery with Commvault. "HPE is building industry solutions that make it easy for our sales reps and easy for our customers to consume this technology," he said. The HPE GreenLake channel model builds on what Kolimago calls the industry's most lucrative channel program in the industry bar none, with "unmatched" incentives for partners. Those incentives, combined with a new high-value innovative product portfolio, are driving big sales growth for partners. Anexinet's HPE sales focused on the high-value innovation portfolio of Synergy, SimpliVity, Nimble and 3Par are up 50 percent in the first six months of this year, said Kolimago. "That's what our sellers want to sell because those products are without peer in the industry right now," he said. Al Chien, president of Dasher Technologies, one of Silicon Valley's top system integrators, No. 161 on the 2018 CRN Solution Provider 500, said the new GreenLake Flex Capacity model thrusts partners into the heart of the pay-per-use market against public cloud competitors. "This makes us relevant," said Chien. "GreenLake gives us an offering for customers who want an Opex experience. We don't have an offering like this today, so customers default to public cloud. Now we have an alternative that we can offer so we can maintain the relationship with the client. This keeps us attached to the client and promotes our value to the customer. The intent here is to put the channel at the point of the arrow in a cloud consumption model." Chien, who previously worked at HP for 20 years and has been leading the sales charge at Dasher for the past decade, said Dasher is expecting another year of 25 percent sales growth powered by what he called the best product portfolio he has ever seen at HPE. Chien credited Neri with driving high-growth acquisitions -- including Aruba, SimpliVity and Nimble -- that are providing world-class solutions that are helping customers manage their infrastructure seamlessly. "Antonio gets it," he said. "HPE has acquired assets and innovated around those core competencies in a way that gives the company a deeper and wider story. It is not piece parts. We are now talking about how customers want to consume IT versus what they want to buy, which is a very different conversation." Bob Breynaert, global managing director for Equinix, the $4.4 billion data center powerhouse, said HPE's move to GreenLake Flex Capacity is an epochal moment for HPE and its channel partners. "This is HPE taking what has essentially been a very capital-intensive business, flipping it on its ear and riding the cloud wave," he said. "This is complete, absolute leadership in terms of taking a highly successful business model and moving it into alignment with how companies buy cloud. With GreenLake, HPE has very quickly become a leading cloud company." Rearchitecting HPE For The Services-Led Era There's a reason former HPE CEO Meg Whitman chose Neri as the right CEO to lead HPE into the future. Whitman knew that whoever was going to transform HPE to succeed in a rapidly moving technology market would have to know the innards of the company. Neri's 23 years at the company have given him a unique view into every nook and cranny of the organization -- an insider's knowledge that is absolutely essential to the reinvention of HPE. Neri is, in fact, the principal architect and driving force behind the massive reimagining of HPE called Next that is designed to give the company the ultimate "competitive advantage." It's the equivalent of taking a "clean sheet" approach to the company with massive changes aimed at simplification, innovation and execution. "What excited me about Next is the ability to transform the company from within and create a competitive advantage for our business," said Neri. "When you grow up in this company for 23 years, unfortunately you know every system, every process, for good or bad. That gives me a sense of where we need to accelerate." Keerti Melkote, founder of Aruba and now president of HPE's intelligent edge business after HPE's acquisition of Aruba in 2013, said Neri's insider knowledge of HPE is fueling the Next transformation. "HPE Next is an effort to transform the back end of the company, to modernize the whole thing into a 21st century back end," said Melkote. "That, to me, cannot be done by an outsider. Someone has to know exactly how an order flows through from quote to cash and what are all the various systems and processes that need to come together to make that happen. You can't break that, because if you do, you're going to break the revenue model of the company. Doing it in a manner that works, and works well, is critically important, and Antonio knows it cold." The essence of Neri's Next transformation is a return to an "innovators at heart culture," said Melkote. "This all comes down to innovating for our customers and keeping our partners in mind at all times." That innovation acceleration is aimed at powering the digital transformation of all customers so they are not disrupted in the same manner that Uber ripped apart the taxi industry, said Melkote. "That was a 100-year-old industry completely transformed," he said. "That's happening across the board. There's no technology company today that has had a lot of roots in the past that is leading the transformation. For HPE, the opportunity is to become that company." Neri -- who is used to the long hours required of hands-on leadership -- is working at a feverish pace to make HPE that company. That includes moving fast on market-rattling acquisitions aimed at driving an ever-faster pace of HPE innovation. In the past three months, HPE has moved to acquire three companies: Plexxi, a software-defined networking fabric provider; Red Pixie, a cloud consulting company that specializes in Microsoft Azure; and Cape Networks, an artificial intelligence network analytics provider. Neri is driving the Next initiative -- which reduced the num ber of management layers from seven to four -- with his own brand of hands-on sales leadership. He is the first to step in to solve a customer or partner issue with an email or a phone call. When Mark Melillo, founder and CEO of Melillo Consulting, one of HPE's top enterprise partners, had a delivery issue crop up that was impacting customer satisfaction, he reached out to Neri, who in no short order fixed the problem. "It ended up with a customer that was extremely happy," said Melillo. "The bottom line is that Antonio is unafraid to shake things up internally to make sure customers are happy." Melillo said he is heartened by Neri's Next initiative and the significant supply chain changes at the company. "Antonio is taking on the supply chain issue head on," he said. "He is changing the entire process. We are already seeing some of the benefits of that, and with supply chain management in the future I think it is going to be better. It's a significant change and one that will bear a lot of fruit. HPE is becoming -- no pun intended -- a nimble' company that can do what they do very well, be very innovative and out-execute the competition." Steinar Snsteby, CEO of Atea, the $4.5 billion European infrastructure giant that has been partnering with HP for more than 20 years, said Neri has partners, customers and employees believing in HPE's technology vision and story. "I am blown away by the energy and motivation inside HPE today," said Snsteby. "He has people believing in HPE. It started internally and now it has very quickly spread to partners and customers. Five years from now, Antonio is going to be remembered as the person that put the fire back into HPE. We are seeing an engineering spirit that people want to be a part of. Being a great leader is more of an art than a science. Antonio has a passion for people, engineering and how the technology is going to be developed, deployed and used by customers." Snsteby said he has personally witnessed Neri's customer and partner first-commitment. When Atea was bidding on a $100 million four-year deal, Snsteby was not satisfied with the proposal put together by his and the HPE teams. He reached out to Neri and in a conference call on a Saturday evening, he and Neri hammered out a new proposal with stronger technology offerings that surprised the HPE-Atea team. The result: Atea and HPE won the deal. "Partner and customer commitment is his life," said Snsteby of Neri. "That is who he is and what he does. He does not let himself or the organization back down." The Journey To Become HPE CEO Neri's journey to the corner office is the quintessential American success story that began in that HP call center in Amsterdam 23 years ago. That first job with HP had a profound effect on Neri's view of the world. "You have to understand what customers are experiencing when you talk to them," he said. "My job at the time was to make sure that I not only represented our brand by providing a great customer experience, but helped them achieve the business outcomes they were looking for with our technology." Neri's rise up the ranks began six months into his tenure when he became a support engineer. Within a year, he was an education manager. Two years later, he was the manager of the EMEA call center, and in three years he was the services manager for all of Europe. Neri met his "dream girl" and future wife, Caroline, at the call center, where he learned firsthand the power of a customer and partner-first mentality. In fact, it was Neri's keen technology mind, combined with his passion for helping customers succeed, that led to his move to Boise, Idaho, in 1997 to take a job as the worldwide director of HP's imaging and printing services business. The offer came just weeks before Neri was to be married. Neri, whose two children were born during his stretch in Boise, moved to Houston with his family in 2004 to take a job focused on fixing what was a struggling PC business with services issues. After success in the PC services business, Neri was asked in 2011 to run the technology services business. From there it was onto Silicon Valley after he was handpicked by HPE CEO Meg Whitman to become executive vice president in 2015, president in 2017 and then CEO. On his first day on the job as CEO, in a LinkedIn post titled "Living the Dream," Neri recounted his HPE journey from his days as a customer service engineer to "countless adventures all over the country." Neri, who along with his wife became a U.S. citizen in 2012, said he does not take for granted the responsibility he has to HPE employees, customers and partners. "I have a big responsibility to take it very seriously every day," he said, as he gears up to deliver his first keynote address as CEO at HPE Discover. Neri knows that moving fast is critical to winning today and that his legacy at HPE will largely be determined by how successful he is in driving the Next competitive advantage. "I am focused on making sure that this company is relevant to our customers and partners," Neri said. "Obviously, we built this company with our partners. We are going to continue to enable them with innovation and the best experience we can provide to deliver business outcomes for customers and to grow our business with our partners." The Port Authority of Barcelona has awarded SICE a two-year contract for ICON Multimedia to provide digital signage. Together with SICE ICON Multimedia will carry out the modernization of the digital signage of the Port of Barcelona. The port authority awarded SICE a two-year agreement to provide large format displays for dynamic digital communication using DENEVAs software. SICE will install different types of panels designed to facilitate the mobility of the travelers and visitors throughout the port. It will also offer its own internal communication channels, improving the corporate image of the port authority, and also providing content from other sources such as Smart City of Barcelona, or from third parties. SICE said the solution will allow easy migration if necessary to extend to others locations or ports. The aim is to carry out the replacement of all types of static signage by digital solutions. If data is the new oil, then we're looking at pelicans soaked in crude on a beach. When an oil tanker goes down or an oil rig explodes, dumping millions of gallons of petroleum into the ocean, we clean up the spill, we look for first causes, and we hold the company even individuals responsible for the harm they've caused to a shared resource: the environment we all live in. [ Watch out for 7 common modeling mistakes | Get the latest from CSO by signing up for our newsletters. ] When a company like Equifax commits gross negligence for failing to secure our data, and a breach pumps 147.9 million records onto the internet, the company's directors keep their jobs, their cyber insurance policy pays out, and the company posts a profit. The Equifax breach harmed pretty much every adult in the U.S., and the company has yet to face any real consequences for its incompetence. Is this the future of cyber risk insurance commit gross negligence and get away with it? Maybe. Maybe not. CSO talked to more than a dozen cyber insurance experts and reviewed hundreds of pages of documents on the current state of the cyber insurance market. Here's what we found. The moral hazard of cyber risk insurance "Moral hazard" is the term insurance wonks use to discuss the misplaced incentives that insurance can create. It's not a new problem; it has been a part of insurance underwriting since the days of sail. Just as car insurance might encourage bad driving, or fire insurance might encourage people not to install smoke detectors, cyber insurance might encourage incompetent security practices. Why bother doing the right thing if insurance is going to pay you to do the wrong thing? The time-tested strategy by insurance carriers to limit moral hazard is to use insurance deductibles and co-pays, and to cap maximum payouts. That way the insured shares in the financial risk and is motivated to drive safely, to install smoke detectors, and to deploy strong cybersecurity controls in their enterprise. The moral hazard of cyber insurance haunts boardrooms. The moral hazard of cyber insurance haunts boardrooms. The market remains in its infancy, and insurance carriers are still grappling with how to deal with this problem. Non-technical C-suite executives looking to manage cyber risk can and do fall into this trap. If you're paying for insurance, why bother applying strong cybersecurity controls? It's cheaper and easier to just hang out for the insurance payout and not bother doing the hard work of improving your security posture. "The inevitable tension for firms," a Rand Corporation study of cyber insurance policies concluded, "is whether to invest in ex ante security controls in order to reduce the probability of loss, or to transfer the risk (cost) to an insurer." That might be a conversation between just the company and their insurance carrier if breaches affected only shareholders. For example, insurance began in the age of sail, when sending ships on long international voyages was risky. Ships sank, pirates attacked, storms happened, etc. If a ship carrying spices from India goes down, the only people harmed are the shareholders (and the sailors, of course, the usual footnotes to history). If Equifax gets breached, the harm affects all of society. Because of the moral hazard it creates, cyber insurance might be uniquely unfit to deal with these massive third-party harms to society at large. However, absent regulation, or even a government willing to regulate, cyber insurance might still be the best hope for improving cybersecurity practices across the board at least for now. The Wild West of cyber insurance Cyber insurance has been around, in one form or another, for the last 20 years, since the dot-com bubble burst in the late 1990s, and has grown dramatically since then, Christian Stanley of Lloyd's of London tells CSO. "Lloyd's has about a third of the global market share," Stanley says. "Year on year it's dramatically increased compared to other lines of business." Most cyber insurance policies continue to be written for U.S. companies, although that's beginning to change. Market demands for different kinds of cyber insurance are also in flux, driven both by legislation as well as emerging technical risks. Companies looking to buy cyber insurance can purchase either standalone policies or extend existing policies to include cyber risks. In the last couple of years, business interruption has become the bigger driver of buyers coming to the market. "Initially in 2003 with the laws that came into effect in California, there was a privacy breach focus," Stanley says. "In the last couple of years, business interruption has become the bigger driver of buyers coming to the market." Cyber insurance policies can be complex and tricky to understand, and anxious C-suite executives are buying cyber insurance often without understanding the full extent of what policies cover and what they don't. To grow the market and diversify the risk, insurance companies are taking on all comers, often with no adequate measure of the true risk any given insured enterprise faces. Both insurance carriers and enterprise buyers of cyber insurance are groping their way forward in the dark, a potentially dangerous scenario. Most insurance carriers, however, are aware of this blind spot, and researching how to better measure and quantify cyber risk. Measuring cyber risk is very different than in other domains. If you want to rate the risk of an earthquake or a hurricane, the actuarial science is sound. A data center in a hundred-year flood plain can expect a catastrophic flood once in a hundred years. Cyber risk, on the other hand, remains far harder to quantify a problem, it must be noted, the insurance business is working hard to solve. Measuring cyber risk Measuring cyber risk is an unsolved problem. How can insurance carriers effectively measure cyber risk? How can they price policies in a way that's fair? How can companies acting in good faith shop for, and purchase, the best cyber risk policy that's right for them? What does a policy cover, and importantly what does it not? How can insurance companies leverage premiums to encourage strong security practices, and prevent the moral hazard? These remain unanswered questions across the industry. Many smart people are working hard to answer them, though. For now, underwriting cyber risk remains more art than science, and until recently has been based exclusively on questionnaires. A company applying for cyber risk insurance typically fills out a questionnaire, part legal disclosure, part opportunity for self-audit, with a tiny bit of actuarial science thrown in. "If you go out and shop for breach insurance, the insurer is going to send you a questionnaire," Doug Clare, vice president of product management at FICO, says. "Is there a CISO at your company? What kind of data do you have? How many records? Are you storing credit card information? Do you have a disaster recovery plan? Do you encrypt data?" Because many cyber risk insurance policies are so-called "admitted" policies, meaning they are registered with state insurance commissioners in the U.S. to receive some protection in case of bankruptcy, those questionnaires are public documents. (Some cyber risk insurance policies are non-admitted and are thus less regulated and more opaque in their workings.) For example, the state of Pennsylvania publishes all insurance policies admitted in that state. Chubb Chubb Chubb Questions from a Chubb cyber insurance questionnaire Researchers at the Rand Corporation examined more than 180 cyber insurance policies in 2017, including questionnaires used by admitted carriers in New York, California and Pennsylvania. Sasha Romanosky, one of the Rand researchers, explains to CSO how this questionnaire-based underwriting works. "[Insurance carriers] would start off with a base premium from a lookup table," he says, "and then say, 'if you're in the retail industry we're going to modify that by 1.2 or something, then a battery of questions: Is there any third-party outsourcing? Then multiply that premium by a question on laptop policy' ... the result is a linear product of a bunch of those numbers." "Some of the policies don't even ask any security information at all," he adds. "They assess your premium based on industry and size. Others go so far as to modify that base premium by different characteristics of the firm." This subjective method of measuring cyber risk concerns many in the industry, however, and insurance carriers are struggling to quantify cyber risk to put their underwriting on a more sound actuarial footing. BRIDGEPORT Mayor Joe Ganim has a complicated recent history of promising tax relief then claiming he cannot deliver it. Still, the mayor, a Democrat running for governor, on Monday said if elected he would slightly increase the rebates offered through the states tax relief program for elderly/disabled renters. My thoughts are the (rebate) is $700 for an individual, (it would) go to $750, Ganim said during a campaign stop at a Bridgeport low-income senior and disabled housing complex, Sycamore Place Apartments. And $1,000 for a couple. Its up to $900 right now. In bringing up the subsidies, Ganim also sought to mock his partys gubernatorial nominee, Ned Lamont, a Greenwich businessman and millionaire who, the New Haven Independent reported, did not know about the rebate when asked during a campaign stop in that city last week. It highlights that whole out of touch thing, said Ganim, who is awaiting word from state officials whether he gathered enough petition signatures to force an August primary with Lamont. Lamont, according to the Independent, reportedly indicated he would support the rebate program were he elected governor. Were currently balancing the budget on the backs of people who can least afford it, Lamont told the website. Echoes of Ganims mayoral campaign If Ganims campaign rhetoric about increasing a benefit for beleaguered taxpayers rings familiar, it echoes some broken promises Ganim made in 2015 when the then-former mayor, who held office from 1991 to 2003, successfully convinced Bridgeport voters to return him to City Hall. At that time, Ganim campaigned on increasing the tax credits the city provides the elderly and the disabled through a so-called circuit breaker property tax relief program. As mayor, I will immediately take the initiative to have the city more than double and expand the current program to raise the amounts of tax credits as relief for senior citizens and the disabled, Ganim said in September 2015. That never happened. Ganim, in that same campaign, had also pledged on his lawn signs to stop raising taxes. But the 2016-17 municipal budget the first he and the City Council passed upon Ganims return to office increased the citys taxrate from 42.19 mills to 54.37 mills, one of Connecticuts highest. The mayors subsequent two budgets have not increased the tax rate beyond 54.37 mills. Ganim on Monday blamed that 2016 tax increase and his inability to make good on his senior/disabled tax relief pledge on the $20 million deficit his administration has said it inherited in 2015 from predecessor Mayor Bill Finch: We talked when we first got in (about tax relief) and ran into the Finch deficit debacle. Diverted to rainy day fund But when the council voted on the 2016-17 budget, members had set aside $2 million in contingency to provide some form of targeted tax relief. Ultimately, the extra money was instead sunk into Bridgeports rainy day fund. Ganims finance chief, Ken Flatto, in an interview Monday, recalled that the rainy day account at the time needed to be bolstered in order to avoid a financially damaging downgrade to Bridgeports credit rating. Flatto also argued that while the Ganim administration never increased the local circuit breaker program, the city has continued to offer a related state tax break to seniors and the disabled despite the fact Connecticut reduced how much it reimburses municipalities for the lost taxes. Asked if voters in the governors race could trust him to keep his pledge to increase the states renters rebate, Ganim said, Yes. We know the status of the state budget. At least we think we do, he said. Its not a rosy financial situation, but this amount in a $22 billion (state) budget is doable. MCALLEN, Texas -- They divided the young children who had been separated from their parents, placing 20 or more in a concrete-floor cage and providing foil blankets, thin mattress pads, bottled water and food. The migrant children, some confused or expressionless, watched as uniformed officials led the news media on a brief tour Sunday of a processing center and temporary detention facility here. Some 1,100 undocumented individuals were being held, including nearly 200 unaccompanied minors, according to estimates. Several Democratic lawmakers and the news media each got a firsthand look at the impact of President Donald Trump's "zero-tolerance" policy of separately detaining children and parents trying to cross the border, which has led to about 2,000 children being separated from their parents in the past 45 days. The lawmakers chose Father's Day for a trip to the southern Texas border to draw attention to the plight of divided families and demand that Trump end the policy. One lawmaker estimated that there were 100 children under the age of 6 at the facility. "The zero-tolerance policy means zero humanity and makes zero sense," said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., at a news conference following the lawmakers' tour. Detainees are being kept in bare-bones cells surrounded by tall metal fencing inside a sprawling facility with high ceilings. The facility resembled a large warehouse divided into cage-like structures housing different groups of people. The detainees had been sorted into groups - unaccompanied males 17 and under; unaccompanied females 17 and under; male heads of household with their families; and female heads of household with their families. Single adult males were also housed separately. Officials took away the shoelaces of the undocumented immigrants, fearful about the safety of those in custody. One woman fought back tears as she spoke to reporters touring the facility. One child clutched a water bottle and a bag of chips. Several of the detainees wrapped themselves in the foil blankets as they sat on benches, the ground, or on modest mattress pads on the floor of the cells. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and officials from the Department of Homeland Security have defended the policy as a necessary deterrent as the U.S. seeks to secure its borders. Clergy, mental health professionals and human rights groups have united in decrying the policy as inhumane. After a tour, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said the lawmakers spoke to a mother whose daughter was separated from her in the processing center. "She's being charged with illegal entry. Under the new policy, they will deliberately separate - deliberately separate - moms and dads from their sons and daughters," he said, adding: "This is a choice that the Trump administration has made. It is inhumane. It is cruel." Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, said, "When you have a mother tell you directly that she's in fear that she will never see her child again . . . then you know that what we are saying today is, 'President Trump, cease and desist.' " Trump has accused Democrats of promulgating "laws" that have caused family separation at the border - although there are no laws mandating that children be taken away from any adult arriving at the border. Democrats have argued that Trump can unilaterally end the policy, and absent that have pushed bills in Congress to end the separation. The measures have failed to earn any Republican support. Officials said detainees have been given access to potable water and food, including three hot meals. Portable restrooms and water fountains were visible in the climate-controlled facility. One official said the immigrants also were given access to showers and clothing. One member of Congress suggested that officials made things look presentable because of the planned visit. "It was in anticipation of a congressional delegation, so you've got to begin with that premise," said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, in an interview. "It was orderly, but it was far from what I would call humane," he added. In one sector of the facility, virtual processing terminals with video screens were set up for those detained to communicate with processing agents remotely. According to Carmen Qualia, the assistant chief patrol agent, some individuals would be separated from their children at this site. Individuals were supposed to be held at this centralized processing center for up to 72 hours, with a goal of getting most to their next location - likely another facility - within 12 hours, officials said. Outside in the 96-degree heat, a few dozen protesters held up signs in English and Spanish. "Stop Deportations" read one. "Resist Trump's hate," said another. "Si se puede!" they chanted. DHS officials gave reporters a brief tour. They did not allow photography or recording equipment during the walk-through. Lawmakers later were given a separate tour. It was far different earlier this month when Merkley traveled to Texas to see a detention center housing children who had been forcibly separated from their families after crossing the border. His request to view the facility was denied, and the private firm running it called the police to get him to leave. An official with the Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families said that Merkley had tried to enter the shelter unexpectedly, and "no one who arrives unannounced at one of our shelters demanding access to the children in our care will be permitted, even those claiming to be U.S. senators." "Members of Congress have top-secret clearances," Merkley said. "It shouldn't be secret as to how we're treating children inside our borders." A day later, the White House released a statement disparaging Merkley's trip. "Senator Merkley is irresponsibly spreading blatant lies about routine immigration enforcement while smearing hard-working, dedicated law enforcement officials at [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and [Customs and Border Protection]," said the statement from deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley. "No one is taking a public safety lecture from Sen. Merkley," it added, "whose own policies endanger children, empower human smugglers and drug cartels, and allow violent criminal aliens to flood into American communities." Senate and House Democrats are accusing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos of exacerbating racial disparities in student debt by failing to help defrauded borrowers, enforce consumer protections and examine the root causes of debt inequity. They point to the rewriting of Obama-era regulations intended to guard against predatory for-profit colleges, highlighting two rules known as borrower defense to repayment and gainful employment. As originally conceived, those regulations would benefit students of color, who at higher rates enroll in for-profit schools, take out loans, fail to graduate and default on the debt. Lawmakers also say the Department of Education has done a poor job of monitoring rising debt, delinquency and default levels among African-American college students throughout higher education. The Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sixty-two congressional Democrats, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and California Rep. Mark Takano, sent DeVos a letter Monday urging her to create a task force to study the challenges facing borrowers of color and to propose solutions to help them get out of debt. They want the Education Department to collect and report annual data on loan default rates, repayment rates and loan delinquency by race, ethnicity, sex, loan type, school and the company handling the loan. "This Administration has not committed to releasing aggregate student loan program data disaggregated by race and ethnicity," the congressional Democrats wrote. "The Department's unwillingness to share this information has made it more difficult for Congress to conduct meaningful oversight and propose thoughtful policy solutions to the student debt crisis facing diverse borrowers of color." African-American families, after decades of being shut out of traditional ladders of economic opportunity, have the least amount of resources to buffer against the risk of borrowing. The same is largely true for Hispanic families. As a result, African Americans and Hispanics are disproportionately falling behind on student loan payments, a body of research has shown. The Education Department does not routinely collect information on the race or ethnicity of student loan borrowers. Racial disparities among borrowersand in who struggles with education debt have been documented through surveys conducted every few years by the Federal Reserve and the Census Bureau. While that information has helped economists, academics and policy analysts create a framework for discussion, many of them have complained that the Education Department has a bigger role to play in identifying and addressing inequalities in student lending. The argument has gained traction amid a growing body of research on the disparate impact of student loans on African American college graduates. Education Department data released in October showed that the typical African-American college student who enrolled in college in 2003-2004 owed more on their federal student loans after 12 years because their payments were going toward interest even as the balance ballooned. Nearly half of African-American borrowers defaulted on their federal loans within 12 years, more than twice the rate for white students during the same time. The federal data also showed that default rates at for-profit college are high for all racial groups, though nearly two-thirds of African-American attendees wind up defaulting on their loans. The figure was even more striking for those who did not graduate: Seventy-five percent of those African-American borrowers wound up defaulting. Congressional Democrats say this dismal data not only warrants more attention from the Education Department, but also illustrates the need for strong consumer protections, especially for students attending for-profit colleges. They are urging DeVos to fully enforce the borrower defense to repayment and gainful employment rules as written during the Obama administration. The gainful employment regulation threatens to withhold federal student aid from vocational programs whose graduates consistently end up with more debt than they can repay. The borrower defense statute, a revised version of a law on the books since the 1990s, wipes away federal loans if a school used illegal or deceptive tactics to persuade students to borrow money for college. Both rules are facing an overhaul that consumer advocates say favors industry to the detriment of all borrowers, though Congressional Democrats argue that the pain could be most acute for students of color. "Given the scope of the student debt crisis, the Department is moving backwards by delaying and rewriting the very policies designed to protect students and mitigate the racial divide among student loan borrower outcomes," Congressional Democrats wrote. The word checking is going the way of the word slide rule, according to a new analysis that offers a number of startling insights into how the checking account market is changing in the U.S. There are 687.7 million checking accounts holding more than $2 trillion in checking deposits in the U.S., and that number is fallingexcept at credit unions and other providers such as Walmartwhere total deposits are climbing, that analysis has found. The new study by Moebs $ervices also reveals that big checking gains are being made by retail firms, such as Walmart, using fintech firms, and that this shift could someday even eliminate the term checking. Wells Fargo ranks number one, yet, has lost 19.1% of its checking since 2011, while Bank of America, ranked second, has gained 8%, and JP Morgan Chase, a distant third, has gained 15.9%, explained Michael Moebs, economist and CEO at Moebs $ervices. Wells Fargos checking loss is mostly due to its fake account scandal, yet it is still first in checking. President Donald Trump nominated White House budget official Kathy Kraninger to lead the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle said CUNA, leagues and credit unions look forward to working with the new director and will continue their push for regulatory relief. Credit unions have faced an unprecedented amount of regulatory burden over the last several years. We look forward to working with new leadership at the bureau, and urge the new director to protect consumers by addressing bad actors in the marketplace, without unnecessarily limiting the ability of credit unions to serve their members, Nussle said. We are hopeful that the new director will recognize the unique structure of credit unions and the enormous benefit that credit unions provide to American consumers in need of financial services. CUNA recently created a comprehensive white paper and submitted it in response to bureau requests for information on how it performs its functions. The paper contains numerous specific ways the bureau can work to provide credit unions with regulatory relief. NCUA headquarters The Economic Growth Act signed by President Trump on May 24, 2018, provided credit unions with some regulatory relief. The National Credit Union Administration followed this up by removing certain loans from the definition of a member business loan. While this is good news for credit unions desiring an expansion of the MBL cap, NCUAs June 2018 final rule creates a legal/regulatory limbo for non-owner-occupied residential rental properties. Prior to EGA, the Federal Credit Union Act defined an MBL as any loan, line of credit, or letter of credit, the proceeds of which will be used for a commercial, corporate or other business investment property or venture, or agricultural purpose but does not include an extension of credit that is fully secured by a lien on a 1-to 4-family dwelling that is the primary residence of a member. [Emphasis added] Under this definition, non-owner-occupied rental properties were deemed to be MBLs. Interestingly, commenters to the NCUAs March 2016 final MBL rule supported this definition because they indicated they would experience significant regulatory relief [as] certain MBLs, such as loans secured by a 1- to 4-family residential property that is not the members primary residence, will no longer be subject to full commercial lending safety and soundness requirements. But I digress. The EGA removed the words primary residence of a member from the definition, and provided that nothing would preclude the National Credit Union Administration from treating an extension of credit that is fully secured by a lien on a 1- to 4-family dwelling that is not the primary residence of a member as a member business loan. Today, there is an overabundance of technology products in the financial services market. If consumers find their credit unions offerings to be inadequate or if they are unhappy, they can easily switch to a different institution. With more than half of financial consumers switching their primary institution at some point in their lives, and 53% switching more than once, credit unions should focus on ways to retain and upsell their current members. In our newest report The Secret to Consumer Loyalty: Relationship Banking, the top three reasons consumers cited for why they left their previous financial institution were: convenience of services, quality of services, and cost of rates and fees. Similarly, these were also the top three reasons they chose their current institution. An inadequate lack of financial education tools and services was also listed as a reason for leaving by one third of consumers. In order to retain members, you must first understand the profile of a transactional consumer and the profile of a loyal consumer. Here are the two types of consumers we discovered in our recent survey: The Transactional Consumer Transactional consumers are those who see their financial institution(s) as a service to be used only when necessary, without seeking out any extra benefits. They appreciate high quality, but they just want the basicschecking and savings accounts, mobile check deposit, simple online banking. At 79%, the majority of consumers fall into this category. The Relationship Consumer AKA The Loyal Consumer Relationship consumers make up the 12% who do want extra benefits. They typically use 1-2 more products and services than transactional consumers and are more satisfied with their financial institution. Relationship consumers are twice as likely as Transactional consumers to take a financial education course provided by their bank and 56% of those who do are more likely to use products and services after. Relationship consumers tend to be more confident, more satisfied, and more engaged with the products and services from their financial institution. The deep roots they establish make them much less likely to leave. While this subgroup is significantly smaller, its value is potentially much greater. So, how does your financial institution secure more of these coveted relationship consumers? Through high-caliber products/services plus sufficient promotion to both relationship and transactional groups. Ensure youre optimizing opportunities with your existing relationship consumers while working to convert your transactional consumers, too. First and foremost, make sure you have compelling products and first-rate services that truly meet needs. Remember: convenience, quality and cost are the top three categories to consider regarding retention and acquisition. Financial education is also a top consideration: two-thirds of relationship consumers said it was an important factor when considering what institution to bank with. Providing online, interactive financial education that can be accessed whenever your consumers need it is a perfect solution for engagement. The best education programs serve to both improve a consumers financial capability and provide insights to your bank. This can advise the best ways to interact with your consumers and build relationships. Then, make sure you sufficiently promote those offeringsa key step that is often underestimated: 38% of relationship consumers and 64% of transactional consumers arent even aware their institution provides financial education. This is a sizable portion of credit union members and a powerful opportunity to promote more to your highly receptive relationship consumers and convert some historically transaction-based consumers into relationship-based ones. Providing financial education to your banks employees can also go a long way to improve the expertise of your staff and, in doing so, encourage more valuable customer experiences that may lead to increased engagement and relationship-based consumers. You can also promote via an email marketing strategysending out curated information about specific products and services by member segment. Relationship-based consumers comprise a loyal, high-value member base: financial institutions with more relationship-based consumers have better consumer retention and more product usage and upsells. Put in the time to strengthen ties with your existing relationship consumers and cultivate new ones from the transaction consumer category. The majority of Americans switch banks or credit unions at some point in their lives. Be the credit union they go to, rather than the one they leave! Two people were injured Thursday in an accident on Kingwood Road A few days ago, I wrote on Twitter: We put security forces in harm's way and then cry for blood when they respond badly - either attacking violently or being attacked violently. There is no 'right way' for security forces to behave when brutally suppressing fundamental rights. Unless you deal with the denial of rights, the denial of justice, you will have security forces and civilians at each others' throats. If you're not willing to address this, all your appalled shock at the clashes between civilians and paramilitary is just voyeurism. This was expected, we laid the road here, built this fucking Colosseum where we watch as delighted/appalled spectators as civilians and security forces maul and kill each other. It disgusts me that politicians knowingly made this choice, and will 'benefit' from the blood. 1. We put security forces in harm's way and then cry for blood when they respond badly - either attacking violently or being attached violently.There is no 'right way' for security forces to behave when brutally suppressing fundamental rights. Omair Ahmad (@OmairTAhmad) June 2, 2018 I was then critiqued for false equivalence, for backing a military occupation, and distortion. The person talking of distortion then went on about the genocide in Kashmir. Irony gagged and died over the hypocrisy. When I mentioned Ayub Pandith's lynching, this was dismissed as a stray incident". Outrage, accusations, and hypocrisy are the stuff of daily life when it comes to social media, and Twitter especially. Usually I just hit the block button and forget. In this case, though, it is something worth engaging with. If I blame our society for the appalling apathy that has led to the current situation, it would be hypocritical not to speak. My critics focused only on the last part of what I wrote, that civilians and security forces maul and kill each other. They asked for proof of any security person killed by the civilians, and when I mentioned Ayub Pandiths lynching, this was either dismissed as a stray incident (exactly how supporters of hardline policies dismiss human rights abuses in Kashmir), with one critic going out of her way to contextualise the lynching in a way that seemed to justify it (again, exactly how supporters of hardline policies justify abuses and crimes such as Gogois use of a civilian as a human shield). The critics were offended by the balancing of the blame (or lack of blame) on security forces and civilian protesters. Pandiths murder was an anomaly, as if he didnt count as part of the security forces because he was Kashmiri. This ignores a huge aspect of violence in the Valley, which is that quite often it is Kashmiris that have killed Kashmiris. I do not mean just the targeting of the Kashmiri Pandits. It is worth recalling that among the first people killed by the Kashmiri militants was a Kashmiri Muslim politician an aspect that continues to this day with the targeting of those elected in the municipal corporation elections and panchayat elections. They are merely trying to clean their neighbourhoods, to provide basic services, explicitly running on the message that they are not interfering in the political conflict. And among the most bloody-handed of the counter-insurgent forces have been the militarised J&K police, especially in the form of the Special Operations Group and Special Task Forces. Lets not even mention the Ikhwanis. Although, all of this is appalling, in a way it is beside the point. The objection to my writing was that the critics were offended by the balancing of the blame (or lack of blame) on security forces and civilian protesters. One critic asked for an exact number of security forces personnel killed by civilian protesters, as if this would somehow disprove my point. I will gather that data, because it is important, but as far as I know nobody has such a database publicly available. That aside, never in the history of the world has there been equivalent violence in clashes between civilians and security forces. This is obvious in the categories themselves. Civilians are generally not armed or trained to use lethal force; security forces generally are. The history of security forces versus civilians resembles more Jallianwala Bagh than Chauri Chaura. Why my critics think something that has never been true for any section of humanity should be true for Kashmiris is something I dont understand? But again, maybe the number question is not as important as the question of who is responsible for the violence. My phrasing had put that blame on politicians responsible for the structural conditions, while equally blaming the security forces and civilians for specific outbreaks. My critics suggested that the protesters were always peaceful, but this does not accord with eyewitness accounts. This is truly equivalence. And here is a detailed eyewitness account, of some of the recent outbreak of violence in Kashmir, of a lone CRPF vehicle coming into the range of angry protestors, of being surrounded, and fleeing, crushing civilians. Nor is this is an isolated incident. In June 2010, the mourners coming back from burying the young Tufail Mattoo, whose skull had been crushed by a teargas shell fired at close range into his face, came upon a small CRPF bunker with about three men inside. This post had neither been removed nor reinforced despite it being smack dab in the way of the returning mourners. As (understandably) angry protesters vented their frustration at the bunker, the cornered security personnel used live fire at the civilians, injuring and killing a number of them, boosting the spiral of conflict that had begun when the Armymen murdered three civilians in Maachil and tried to pass them off as militants. About 112 civilians died over a hundred days. One member of the security forces was seriously injured. No wonder Maulana Showkat Ahmed Shah, the president of the Jamiat-e Ahl-e Hadith (a Salafi, no less) in Srinagar, condemned stone pelting, said it helped nobody, and only gave the security forces an excuse to kill Kashmiris. He was assassinated on April 8, 2011, just as all inconvenient voices have been silenced, sooner or later. This argument of a military occupation completely ignores that the military was not deployed in civilian areas until 1990 My critics suggested that the protesters were always peaceful, but that it was the security forces that were responsible for the violence. This does not accord with eyewitness accounts, and no doubt the police station that was torched in 2010 self-combusted, the rifle snatching has nothing to do with violence, and stones self-levitate and accelerate at the very sight of a uniform. A more pertinent argument is whether, given the lack of freedom, the denial of fundamental rights, the Kashmiris have a right to resist. Of course they do. They do not just have a right, but a duty to do so. The Kashmiris have been summarily deprived of their rights and freedom from the 1950s onwards, with their leaders jailed without charges, their elected leaders dismissed from power by an arrogant Delhi, their freedom of opinion suppressed by a host of laws. But should they resist violently? My critics argued that under the massive security deployment in J&K, civilians had no choice. This argument of a military occupation completely ignores that the military was not deployed in civilian areas until 1990 after violent protests, and as a response to them. Before that relations between Kashmiri civilians and the military were strikingly different. Kashmiri civilians literally held off the armed invaders in 1947 so that the Indian Army could land its troops at Srinagar Airport. In 1965, as part of the Operation Gibraltar, Pakistan sent infiltrators to provoke an uprising on the basis that Indira had jailed Shiekh Abdullah without presenting charges (like father, like daughter). Kashmiris turned them over to security forces. It was the violent protests, the breakdown of law and order, an insurgency backed by Pakistan that led to the military being deployed in civilian areas in 1990. Initially it refused, only accepting after permissive laws, such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, were put in place. Now it is a brutal, entrenched reality that confronts Kashmiris at each corner down a gun barrel, with the chief of the Army ranting about how Indian forces dont act like those in Syria and Pakistan, as if not dropping chemical weapons on your own population is something to brag about. The decision to deploy the military to suppress a rebellion set off by the decades-long suppression of democratic rights has only deepened the problem. By its very nature, a military is reliant on information. In a civil conflict, this information is extracted from the population, giving leeway to the extortionists, the bribers, and the torturers. It destroys the fabric of society on which it is imposed, and it destroys the concept of honourable conduct that is at the centre of any militarys sense of itself. As I wrote on Twitter, There is no 'right way' for security forces to behave when brutally suppressing fundamental rights. In this long essay, Yasin Malik, the chairman of the JKLF, quotes Mandela to say that, A freedom fighter learns the hard way that it is the oppressor who defines the nature of the struggle, and the oppressed is often left no recourse but to use methods that mirror those of the oppressor. At a point, one can only fight fire with fire. Malik adds that, This Mandela saying is exactly true for Kashmiri resistance. What Malik refuses to acknowledge is that it was actions of people like him that have helped create the current situation, opening the way for a militarised colonial regime that seems to have no end, no limit, and no shame. But, no, that is not true, or not fully true. The true blame lies on the political leaders in New Delhi, Nehru onwards, who undermined democracy in the Valley, and then threw in the military to suppress a rebellion of people denied their rights for decades, governed as a colonial province. Politicians strike deals, make fiery speeches, and benefit off the bloodshed. This does not, though, obviate the responsibility of those in the field. The security forces are implementing a violent, colonial policy. In Israel, some IDF members have refused to serve in such a venture and protested, joining an organisation called, Yesh Gvul (There is a limit). This type of defiance, though, is exceedingly rare, and in Israels case, has not limited the states crimes. Kashmiri civilians, brutalised, denied their rights, surrounded by mukhbirs and paid agents, with their leaders either killed, bullied, or bribed, see no way forward except to vent their rage at a state that blinds them, kills them, jails them, maims them, rapes them, and defames them for asking for the very rights that are central to the Indian Constitution. In all of this politicians strike deals, make fiery speeches, and benefit off the bloodshed, while the rest of India shamefully looks away. Maybe I expect too much, maybe it is just that I have known and admired too many Kashmiris, but if I look for hope, it is there that I look towards. Also read: Mourn Shujaat Bukhari's death, but ask who killed him and why The following companies are subsidiares of WESCO International: 1502218 Alberta Ltd., ALLNET Technologies Pty. 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Ad Oxford Club CEO Gets One Up on Public Investors With Secret Stock Under $5 Investors aren't supposed to know about this secret stock under $5...If word gets out, the CEO will have a much harder time taking over the tech world...And Wall Street's already buying billions of dollars worth of shares...How long will you stay in the dark? HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells lighting and electronic components and systems for automotive industry worldwide. It operates through three segments: Automotive, Aftermarket, and Special Applications. The Automotive segment offers headlamps, rear combination lamps, car body and interior lighting products, and radomes; and body electronics, energy management, lighting electronics, and steering solutions, as well as driver assistance systems and components, including sensors and engine compartment actuators. The Aftermarket segment produces and sells automotive parts and accessories primarily in the areas of lighting, electrics, and electronics; and provides workshop solutions in the areas of diagnostics and calibration, as well as various services for wholesalers and workshops. The Special Applications segment develops, manufactures, and markets lighting technology and electronic products for special vehicles comprising construction and agricultural machinery, buses, and motor homes, as well as for the marine sector. The company has strategic collaboration with AEye, Inc. to develop LiDAR sensor systems. The company was formerly known as HELLA KGaA Hueck & Co. and changed its name to HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA in October 2017. HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Lippstadt, Germany. As of June 26, 2020, HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA operates as a subsidiary of Hella Stiftung GmbH. Read More Medtronic Plc is a medical technology company, which engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of device-based medical therapies and services. It operates through the following segments: Cardiac and Vascular Group; Minimally Invasive Technologies Group; Restorative Therapies Group; and Diabetes Group. The Cardiac and Vascular Group segment consists of products for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiac rhythm disorders and cardiovascular disease. The Minimally Invasive Technologies Group segment focuses on respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, renal system, lungs, pelvic region, kidneys, and obesity diseases. The Restorative Therapies Group segment comprises of neurostimulation therapies and drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic pain, as well as areas of the spine and brain, along with pelvic health and conditions of the ear, nose, and throat. The Diabetes Group segment offers insulin pumps, coninuous glucose monitoring systems, and insulin pump consumables. The company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Read More Guyana Goldfields Inc. provides exploration and production of gold. It engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, production, and operation of gold mineral properties. The company also owns and operates gold drilling rights. The company was formerly known as Chiboug Copper Company Limited and changed its name to Guyana Goldfields Inc. in January 1995. Guyana Goldfields Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. As of August 25, 2020, Guyana Goldfields Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group Company Limited. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of PerkinElmer: Analytica of Branford, Applied Biosystems, Arnel Inc., ArtusLabs, Beijing Huaan Magnech Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Longrun Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Testing Lab Co. Ltd., Beijing OUMENG Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Bio Evolution SAS, Bioo Scientific Corporation, Biosense Picolabs Inc., Biosense Technologies Pvt Ltd., Caliper Life Sciences, Caliper Life Sciences Inc., Cambridge Research & Instrumentation Inc., CambridgeSoft, Ceiba Solutions, Chengdu PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Chromo G.A. SAS, CisBio US Inc., Cisbio Asia Pacific Ltd, Cisbio Bioassays SAS, Cisbio China Ltd., Cisbio Group SAS, Cisbio KK, Cisbio.com, DNA Laboratories Sdn. Bhd., Dani Analitica S.r.l., Dexela, EUROIMMUN (Hangzhou) Medical Laboratory Diagnostics Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN (South East Asia) Pte Ltd., EUROIMMUN (Tianjin) Medical Diagnostic Technology Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN AG, EUROIMMUN Brasil Medicina Diagnostica Ltda., EUROIMMUN Diagnostics Espana S.L.U., EUROIMMUN France SAS, EUROIMMUN Italia Diagnostica Medica S.r.l., EUROIMMUN Japan Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics (China) Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics Canada Inc., EUROIMMUN Medical Laboratory Diagnostics South Africa (Pty) Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG, EUROIMMUN Polska Spolka z o.o., EUROIMMUN Portugal Unipessoal Lda., EUROIMMUN Schweiz AG, EUROIMMUN Turkey Tibbi Laboratuar Teshisleri A.S., EUROIMMUN UK Ltd., EUROIMMUN US Inc., EUROIMMUN US Real Estate LLC, Geospiza, Guangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Hangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Horizon Discovery, Immunodiagnostic Systems, Integromics S.L., Jiangsu Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., LabMetrix Technologies, Labtronics, ManCell SAS, Nexcelom Bioscience, NovaScreen Biosciences Corporation, Opto Technology, Orchid Biomedical Systems Pvt Ltd., Oxford Immunotec, Pediatrix Medical Group - Newborn Metabolic Screening Business, Perkin Elmer Chile Ltda., Perkin Elmer Italia SpA, Perkin Elmer Sdn. Bhd., Perkin Elmer Yuhan Hoesa, Perkin Elmer de Mexico S.A., Perkin-Elmer Argentina S.R.L., Perkin-Elmer Instruments (Philippines) Corporation, PerkinElmer (Hong Kong) Ltd., PerkinElmer (India) Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer (Ireland) Ltd., PerkinElmer (Schweiz) AG, PerkinElmer (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund L.P., PerkinElmer (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund Management Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer (UK) Holdings Ltd., PerkinElmer Analytical Solutions B.V., PerkinElmer Automotive Research Inc., PerkinElmer BVBA, PerkinElmer CV Holdings LLC, PerkinElmer Cellular Technologies Germany GmbH, PerkinElmer Danmark A/S, PerkinElmer Diagnostics Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Diagnostics Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Espana S.L., PerkinElmer Finance Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Finland Oy, PerkinElmer Genetics Inc., PerkinElmer Germany Diagnostics GmbH, PerkinElmer Global Diagnostics S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Global Financing S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Health Sciences (Australia) Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer Health Sciences B.V., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Canada Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences FZ-LLC, PerkinElmer Health Sciences Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer Healthcare Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Holding Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Holdings Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer IVD Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer Inc., PerkinElmer Informatics Inc., PerkinElmer Instruments (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer International C.V., PerkinElmer Investments Ky, PerkinElmer Israel Ltd., PerkinElmer Japan Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer LAS (Germany) GmbH, PerkinElmer LAS (UK) Ltd., PerkinElmer Life Sciences International Holdings, PerkinElmer Limited, PerkinElmer Ltd., PerkinElmer Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Nederland B.V., PerkinElmer Norge AS, PerkinElmer Oy, PerkinElmer Polska Sp z o.o., PerkinElmer Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer SAS, PerkinElmer Saglk ve Cevre Bilimleri Ltd., PerkinElmer Shared Services Sp z o.o., PerkinElmer Singapore Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer South Africa (Pty) Ltd., PerkinElmer Sverige AB, PerkinElmer Sweden Health Sciences Holdings AB, PerkinElmer Taiwan Corporation, PerkinElmer VertriebsgmbH, PerkinElmer chemagen Technologie GmbH, PerkinElmer do Brasil Ltda., Perten Instruments, Perten Instruments (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Perten Instruments AB, Perten Instruments France SASU, Perten Instruments GmbH, Perten Instruments Italia S.r.l., Perten Instruments of Australia Pty Ltd., RHS Ltd, RayAl Ltd., Shandong Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Haoyuan Biotech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Signature Genomic Laboratories, Solus Scientific Solutions Inc., Solus Scientific Solutions Ltd., Surendra Genetic Labs, Suzhou PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Suzhou Sym-Bio LifeScience, Suzhou Sym-Bio Lifescience Co. Ltd., Tulip Diagnostics, Tulip Diagnostics Pvt Ltd., Vanadis Diagnostics, Vanadis Diagnostics AB, ViaCell, ViaCord LLC, VisEn Medical, VisEn Medical Inc., Wallac Oy, Wellesley B.V., Xenogen Corporation, ZeLab SAS, and chemagen Biopolymer-Technologie AG. Stage Stores, Inc. operates specialty department stores primarily in small and mid-sized towns and communities in the United States. Its merchandise portfolio comprises moderately priced and brand name apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and home goods. The company also offers merchandise direct-to-consumer through its e-commerce Website, and private label credit card and loyalty programs. As of August 23, 2018, it operated 764 department stores in 42 states under the BEALLS, GOODY'S, PALAIS ROYAL, PEEBLES, and STAGE names; 63 GORDMANS off-price stores; and stage.com, an e-commerce Website. The company was founded in 1988 and is based in Houston, Texas. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of UnitedHealth Group: 1031387 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, 1070715 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, 1st Avenue Pharmacy Inc., 310 Canyon Medical, 310 Canyon Medical LLC, 4C MSO LLC, 4C Medical Group PLC, 5995 Minnetonka LLC, ABCO International Holdings LLC, ACN Group IPA of New York, ACN Group IPA of New York Inc., ACN Group of California, ACN Group of California Inc., AHJV, AHJV MSO, AHN Accontable Care Organization LLC, AHN Central Services LLC, AHN Target Holdings LLC, AMIL International, AMIL International S.a.r.l., APS Assistencia Personalizada a Saude Ltda., ARC Infusion, ASC Holdings of New Jersey LLC, ASC Network LLC, ASI Global, ASI Global LLC, Access Administrators Inc., Access HealthSource Administrators Inc., Access HealthSource Inc., Access I.V., Administradora Clinica La Colina S.A.S., Administradora Country S.A., Administradora Medica Centromed S.A., Advanced Care, Advanced Care Pharmacy, Advanced Pharma Inc., Advanced Surgery Center of Clifton LLC, Advanced Surgical Hospital LLC, Advantage Care Network Inc., Advocate Condell Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Advocate Sherman Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Advocate Southwest Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Advocate-SCA Partners LLC, Alere Health, Alere Health Improvement Company, Alere Healthcare of Illinois, Alere Wellbeing, Alere Wellology, Alere of New York, Aliansalud Entidad Promotora de Salud S.A., All Savers Insurance Company, All Savers Life Insurance Company of California, Alliance Surgical Center LLC, Aloha Surgical Center LLC, Ambient Healthcare, Ambient Healthcare Inc., Ambient Healthcare of Central Florida, Ambient Healthcare of Georgia, Ambient Healthcare of Northeast Florida, Ambient Healthcare of S. Florida, Ambient Healthcare of West Florida, Ambient Holdings, Ambient Holdings Inc., Ambient Nursing Services, AmeriChoice, AmeriChoice Corporation, AmeriChoice Health Services, AmeriChoice of Connecticut, AmeriChoice of New Jersey, AmeriChoice of New Jersey Inc., American Health Network of Indiana Care Organization LLC, American Health Network of Indiana II LLC, American Health Network of Indiana LLC, American Health Network of Ohio Care Organization LLC, American Health Network of Ohio II LLC, American Health Network of Ohio LLC, Amico Saude Ltda., Amil, Amil Assistencia Medica Internacional S.A., Amil Lifesciences Participacoes Ltda., Antelope Valley Surgery Center L.P., Analisis Clinicos ML S.A.C., Apothecary Holdings Inc., Apothecary Shop of Phoenix Inc., AppleCare Medical Management, AppleCare Medical Management LLC, Aquitania Chilean Holding SpA, Arise Physician Group, Arizona Physicians IPA, Arizona Physicians IPA Inc., AssuranceRx, AssuranceRx LLC, Athens ASC Holdings LLC, Audax Health Solutions, Audax Health Solutions LLC, Austin Center for Outpatient Surgery L.P., Avella Patient Access Program Inc., Avella Specialty Pharmacy, Avella of Austin Inc., Avella of Columbus Inc., Avella of Deer Valley Inc., Avella of Denver Inc., Avella of Gilbert Inc., Avella of Las Vegas II Inc., Avella of Orlando Inc., Avella of Phoenix III Inc., Avella of Sacramento Inc., Avella of Scottsdale Inc., Avella of St. Louis Inc., Avella of Tampa LLC, Avella of Tucson II Inc., Avella of Tucson Inc., Aveta Arizona, Aveta Health Solutions Inc., Aveta Inc., Aveta Kansas City, Aveta Tennessee, AxelaCare Health Solutions, AxelaCare Intermediate Holdings, AxelaCare Intermediate Holdings LLC, AxelaCare LLC, B.R.A.S.S. Partnership in Commendam, Banmedica Colombia SpA, Banmedica Internacional SpA, Banmedica S.A., Beach Surgical Holdings III LLC, Behavioral Healthcare Options, Behavioral Healthcare Options Inc., Belleville Surgical Center Ltd. an Illinois Limited Partnership, Benefit Administration for the Self Employed L.L.C., Benefitter Insurance Solutions Inc., Birmingham Outpatient Surgical Center LLC, Blackstone Valley Surgicare GP LLC, Blue Ridge GP LLC, Bordeaux (Barbados) Holdings I SRL, Bordeaux (Barbados) Holdings II SRL, Bordeaux (Barbados) Holdings III SRL, Bordeaux Holding SpA, Bordeaux International Holdings Inc., Bordeaux UK Holdings I Limited, Bordeaux UK Holdings II Limited, Bordeaux UK Holdings III Limited, Bosque Medical Center Ltda., Brandon Ambulatory Surgery Center LC, BriovaRx, BriovaRx, BriovaRx Infusion Services, BriovaRx Infusion Services 102 LLC, BriovaRx Infusion Services 200 Inc., BriovaRx Infusion Services 204 Inc., BriovaRx Infusion Services 209 Inc., BriovaRx Infusion Services 305 LLC, BriovaRx Infusion Services 402 LLC, BriovaRx Infusion Services Inc., BriovaRx Specialty LLC, BriovaRx of California, BriovaRx of California Inc., BriovaRx of Florida, BriovaRx of Florida Inc., BriovaRx of Georgia, BriovaRx of Georgia LLC, BriovaRx of Hawaii, BriovaRx of Indiana, BriovaRx of Louisiana, BriovaRx of Louisiana L.L.C., BriovaRx of Maine, BriovaRx of Maine Inc., BriovaRx of Massachusetts, BriovaRx of Massachusetts LLC, BriovaRx of Nevada, BriovaRx of New York, BriovaRx of New York Inc., BriovaRx of Texas, BriovaRx of Texas Inc., CDC Holdings Colombia S.A.S., CLISA Clinica de Santo Antonio S.A., CMO Centro Medico de Oftalmologia S/S Ltda., CMS Central de Manipulacao e Servicos Farmaceuticos S.A., CNIC Health Solutions Inc., COI Participacoes S.A., COI Clinicas Oncologicas Integradas S.A., Cabin Enterprises LLC, Cabin Holdings LLC, California MedTrans Network IPA LLC, California MedTrans Network MSO LLC, California Medical Group Insurance Company Risk Retention Group, Camp Hill-SCA Centers LLC, Capital City Medical Group L.L.C., Cardio Management, Cardio Management Inc., Care Improvement Plus Group Management, Care Improvement Plus Group Management LLC, Care Improvement Plus South Central Insurance Company, Care Improvement Plus Wisconsin Insurance Company, Care Improvement Plus of Texas Insurance Company, Casa de Saude Santa Therezinha Ltda., Casa de Saude Santa Therezinha S.A., Castle Rock SurgiCenter LLC, Catalyst360, Catalyst360 LLC, Catamaran Finance (Ireland) Unlimited Company, Catamaran Health Solutions, Catamaran Holdings I, Catamaran IPA III, Catamaran Mail, Catamaran PBM of Illinois II, Catamaran PBM of Puerto Rico, Catamaran PD of Pennsylvania, Catamaran PD of Puerto Rico, Catamaran Rebate Management, Catamaran S.a.r.l., Catamaran Senior Services, Catamaran of Pennsylvania, Cedar Park Surgery Center LLC, Cemed Care - Empressa de Atendimento Clinico Geral Ltda., Cemed Care Empresa de Atendimento Clinico Geral Ltda., Central Indiana Care Organization LLC, Central Ohio Care Organization LLC, Central de Compras SpA, CentriHealth Corporation, CentriHealth UK Limited, CentrifyHealth LLC, Centro Medico Hospitalar Pitangueiras Ltda., Centro Medico Odontologico Americano S.A.C., Centro Medico PJ Ltda., Centro de Entrenamiento en Reanimacion y Prevencion Limitada (CERP), Centro de Servicios Compartidos Banmedica S.A., Centromed Quilpue S.A., Centros Medicos y Dentales Multimed Ltda., Centurion Casualty Company, Channel Islands Surgicenter L.P., Channel Islands Surgicenter Properties LLC, Charleston Surgery Properties LLC, Charlotte-SC LLC, Childrens Surgery Center LLC, ChinaGate (Hong Kong) Limited, ChinaGate Company Limited, Citrus Regional Surgery Center L.P., Clinica Oftalmologica Danilo de Castro Sociedade Simples, Clinical Partners of Colorado Springs LLC, Clinica Alameda S.A., Clinica Bio Bio S.A., Clinica Ciudad del Mar S.A., Clinica Davila y Servicios Medicos S.A., Clinica Medico Cirurgica de Santa Tecla S.A., Clinica San Borja (La Esperanza del Peru S.A.), Clinica San Felipe S.A., Clinica Santa Maria S.A., Clinica Sanchez Ferrer S.A., Clinica Vespucio S.A., Clinica del Country S.A., Coachella Valley Physicians of PrimeCare, Coachella Valley Physicians of PrimeCare Inc., Coalition For Advanced Pharmacy Services, Coalition for Advanced Pharmacy Services Inc., Coastal Physicians Management Inc., Collaborative Care Holdings, Collaborative Care Holdings LLC, Collaborative Care Services, Collaborative Care Services Inc., Collaborative Care Solutions, Collaborative Realty, Collaborative Realty LLC, Colmedica Medicina Prepagada, Colonial Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Colorado Innovative Physician Solutions Inc., Colorado Springs Surgery Center Ltd., Comfort Care Transportation, Comfort Care Transportation LLC, Commonwealth Administrators, Connecticut Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Connecticut Surgery Properties LLC, Connecticut Surgical Center LLC, Connextions, Connextions HCI, Constructora e Inmobiliaria Magapoq S.A., Consumer Wellness Solutions Inc., Country Scan Ltda., Crescent Drug Corp., Cypress Care, Cypress Care Inc., DBP Services of New York IPA, DBP Services of New York IPA Inc., DTC Surgery Center LLC, DWIC of Tampa Bay, DWIC of Tampa Bay Inc., DaVita Magan Management Inc., Danbury Surgical Center L.P., Day-Op Surgery Consulting Company, Day-Op Surgery Consulting Company LLC, Definity Health, Dental Benefit Providers, Dental Benefit Providers Inc., Dental Benefit Providers of California, Dental Benefit Providers of California Inc., Dental Benefit Providers of Illinois, Dental Benefit Providers of Illinois Inc., Derry Surgical Center LLC, Diagnostico Ecotomografico Centromed Ltda., Diasnostico por Imagenes Centromed Ltda., Dilab Medicina Nuclear Ltda., Diplomat Pharmacy, Distance Learning Network, Distance Learning Network Inc., Doctor + S.A.C., Dry Creek Surgery Center LLC, Dublin Surgery Center LLC, Duncan Printing Services, Duncan Printing Services LLC, E Street Endoscopy LLC, ELG FZE, EP Campus I, EP Campus I LLC, East Brunswick Surgery Center LLC, Electronic Network Systems, Electronic Network Systems Inc., Elual Participacoes S.A., Empire Physician Management Company, Empire Physician Management Company LLC, Employers Health Choice PPO Inc., Empremedica S. A., Endoscopy Center Affiliates Inc., Enterprise Life Insurance Company, Equian, Equian LLC, Equian Parent Corp., Esho Empresa de Servicos Hospitalares S.A., Etho Empresa de Tecnologia Hospitalar Ltda., Evercare Collaborative Solutions, Evercare Collaborative Solutions Inc., Everett MSO Inc., Excellion Servicos Biomedicos Ltda., Excellion Servicos Biomedicos S.A., Excelsior Insurance Brokerage Inc., Executive Health Resources, Executive Health Resources Inc., Executive Surgery Center LLC, Eye Clinic Oftalmologia Clinico Cirurgica e Diagnostico Ltda., FMG Holdings, FMG Holdings LLC, FOR HEALTH OF ARIZONA, Family Health Care Services, Family Home Hospice, Family Home Hospice Inc., First Rx Specialty & Mail Services, Florida MedTrans Network LLC, Florida MedTrans Network MSO LLC, For Health, For Health Inc., For Health of Arizona Inc., Fortified Provider Network Inc., Fortify Technologies Asia LLC, Fortify Technologies LLC, Foundation Financial Services Inc., Franklin Surgical Center LLC, Freedom Life Insurance Company of America, Freeway Surgicenter of Houston LLC, Frontier MEDEX Limited, Frontier Medex Tanzania Limited, FrontierMEDEX, FrontierMEDEX (RMS), FrontierMEDEX (RMS) Inc., FrontierMEDEX Government Services, FrontierMEDEX Government Services LLC, FrontierMEDEX Inc., FrontierMEDEX Kenya Limited, FrontierMEDEX US, FrontierMEDEX US Inc., Fundacion Banmedica, GRANTS PASS SURGERY CENTER LLC, Gadsden Surgery Center LLC, Gadsden Surgery Center Ltd., Gainesville Surgery Center L.P., Gainesville Surgery Properties LLC, Genoa, Genoa Healthcare Inc., Genoa Healthcare LLC, Genoa QoL Wholesale LLC, Genoa Technology (Canada) Inc., Genoa Technology Inc., Genoa Telepsychiatry Inc., Genoa of Arkansas LLC, Glenwood Surgical Center L.P., Glenwood-SC Inc., Golden Outlook, Golden Outlook Inc., Golden Rule Financial Corporation, Golden Rule Insurance Company, Golden Triangle Surgicenter L.P., Grapevine Finance LLC, Greater Hartford ASC LLC, Grove Place Surgery Center L.L.C., Guardian Health Systems Limited Partnership, H&W Indemnity (SPC), H&W Indemnity (SPC) Ltd., H.I. Investments Holding Company LLC, HCP ACO California LLC, HCP ACO Nevada LLC, HCentive Technology India Private Limited, HMI NewCo LLC, Harken Health Insurance Company, Hayes-Strub LLC, Health Business Systems, Health Care-ONE Insurance Agency Inc., Health Inventures Employment Solutions LLC, Health Inventures LLC, Health Net Insurance of New York, Health Net Services (Bermuda) Ltd., Health Plan of Nevada, Health Plan of Nevada Inc., Health Technology Analysts Pty Limited, HealthAllies, HealthAllies Inc., HealthCare Partners ASC-LB LLC, HealthCare Partners Management Services California LLC, HealthCare Partners RE LLC, HealthFirst IPA Inc., HealthMarkets Group Inc., HealthMarkets Inc., HealthMarkets Insurance Agency Inc., HealthMarkets LLC, HealthMarkets NewCo Inc., HealthMarkets Services Inc., HealthSCOPE Holdings Inc., HealthScope Benefits Inc., Healthcare Partners Plan of Nevada Inc., Healthcare Solutions Inc., Heartland Heart and Vascular LLC, Help S.A., Help Service S.A., Highlands Ranch Healthcare, Highlands Ranch Healthcare LLC, Home Care I.V. of Bend, Home Infusion With Heart, Home Medical S.A., Hospice Inspiris Holdings, Hospice Inspiris Holdings Inc., Hospitais Associados de Pernambuco Ltda., Hospital Alvorada de Taguatinga Ltda., Hospital Ana Costa S.A., Hospital Maternidade Promater Ltda., Hospital Samaritano de Sao Paulo Ltda., Hospital Santa Helena S.A., Hospital de Clinicas de Jacarepagua Ltda., Humedica, Humedica Inc., Hygeia Corporation, Hygeia Corporation (Canada), Hygeia Corporation (DE), Hygeia Corporation (Ontario), INOV8 Surgical at Memorial City LLC, INSPIRIS of New York IPA, INSPIRIS of New York Management, INSPIRIS of New York Management Inc., INSPIRIS of Texas Physician Group, IRX Financing I LLC, Illinois Independent Care Network, Imed Star Servicos de Desempenho Organizacional Ltda., Impel Consulting Experts, Impel Consulting Experts L.L.C., Impel Management Services L.L.C., Indian River Surgery Center Ltd., Indian River Surgery Properties LLC, Indiana Care Organization LLC, Infusource, Ingram & Associates, Ingram & Associates LLC, Inmobiliaria Apoquindo 3001 S.A., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo 3600 Ltda., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo S.A., Inmobiliaria Clinica Santa Maria S.A., Inmobiliaria Vinamed Ltda., Inmobiliaria e Inversiones Alameda S.A., Inspiris, Inspiris Inc., Inspiris Services Company, Inspiris of Tennessee, Instituto do Radium de Cammpinas Ltda, International Psychological Services Pty Limited, Inversiones Clinicas Santa Maria S.A., Isapre Banmedica S.A., Isapre Vida Tres S.A., Johnston Surgicare L.P., Joliet Surgery Center Limited Partnership, LHI, Laboratorio ROE S.A., Laboratorios Medicos Amed Quilpue S.A., LifePrint Health, LifePrint Health Inc., LifeStyles Marketing Group Inc., LifeWell Ltd. Co., Lifeprint Accountable Care Organization, Lifeprint Accountable Care Organization LLC, Lifeprint East, Lifeprint East Inc., Logistics Health Inc., Lotten-Eyes Oftalmologia Clinica e Cirurgica Ltda., Louisville S.C. Ltd., Louisville-SC Properties Inc., Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center at Oakbrook Inc., Lusiadas - Parcerias Cascais S.A., Lusiadas A.C.E., Lusiadas S.A., Lusiadas SGPS S.A., MAMSI Insurance Resources, MAMSI Life and Health Insurance Company, MD Ops, MD Ops Inc., MD-Individual Practice Association, MD-Individual Practice Association Inc., ME AHS UC LLC, MEDEX Insurance Services, MEDEX Insurance Services Inc., MGH/SCA LLC, MHC Real Estate Holdings, MHC Real Estate Holdings LLC, MIAMI SURGERY CENTER LLC, MSLA Management LLC, MXMD Centros De Cancer, Mamoeco Mamografia e Ecografia Centro de Diagnostico, Managed Physical Network, Managed Physical Network Inc., March Holdings, March Holdings Inc., March Vision Care, March Vision Care Inc., Marin Surgery Holdings Inc., Maryland Ambulatory Centers, Maryland-SCA Centers LLC, Massachusetts Assurance Company Ltd. PIC, Massachusetts Avenue Surgery Center LLC, Mat-Rx Development, Mat-Rx Fort Worth GP, MedExpress Development, MedExpress Development LLC, MedExpress Urgent Care Alabama LLC, MedExpress Urgent Care Inc. - Ohio, MedExpress Urgent Care Maine Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care New Hampshire Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care of Boynton Beach, MedExpress Urgent Care of Boynton Beach LLC, MedSynergies, MedSynergies LLC, MedSynergies North Texas, Medalliance Net Ltda, Medalliance Net Ltda., Medica Health Plans of Florida, Medica Health Plans of Florida Inc., Medica HealthCare Plans, Medica HealthCare Plans Inc., Medical Clinic of North Texas PLLC, Medical Hilfe S.A., Medical Preparatory School of Allied Health, Medical Support Los Angeles Inc., Medical Surgical Centers of America Inc., Medical Transportation Services, Medical Transportation Services LLC, Medication Management Systems Inc., Melbourne Surgery Center LLC, Memorial City Holdings LLC, Memorial City Partners LLC, Memphis-SC LLC, Memphis-SP LLC, Mesquite Liberty LLC, Metro I Stone Management, Metropolitan Medical Partners LLC, Metropolitan Medical Transportation IPA LLC, Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of Tennessee, Midwest Center for Day Surgery LLC, Mile High SurgiCenter LLC, Mississippi Surgery Holdings LLC, Mississippi Surgical Center Limited Partnership, Mobile Medical Professionals, Modern Medical Inc., Monarch Management Services, Monarch Management Services Inc., Montgomery Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Mountain View Medical Group LLC, Mt. Pleasant Surgery Center L.P., Multiangio Ltda., Muskogee Surgical Investors LLC, Mustang Razorback Holdings, Mustang Razorback Holdings Inc., My Wellness Solutions LLC, NAMM Holdings, NAMM Holdings Inc., NSC Fayetteville LLC, NSC Greensboro LLC, NSC Lancaster LLC, NSC Seattle Inc., NSC Upland LLC, Nashville-SCA Surgery Centers Inc., National Foundation Life Insurance Company, National MedTrans LLC, National Pacific Dental, National Pacific Dental Inc., National Surgery Centers LLC, Neighborhood Health Partnership, Neighborhood Health Partnership Inc., Netwerkes, Netwerkes LLC, Nevada Medical Services LLC, Nevada Pacific Dental, New Orleans Regional Physician Hospital Organization L.L.C., New West Physicians Inc., Newton Holdings LLC, North American Medical Management - Illinois, North American Medical Management California, North American Medical Management California Inc., North Puget Sound Center for Sleep Disorders LLC, North Puget Sound Oncology Equipment Leasing Company LLC, Northern Nevada Health Network, Northern Nevada Health Network Inc., Northern Rockies Surgicenter Inc., Northwest Surgicare LLC, Northwest Surgicare Ltd., Nutritional/Parenteral Home Care, Nutritional/Parenteral Home Care of Huntsville, OC Cardiology Practice Partners LLC, OSB Tecnologia e Servicos de Suporte Ltda., Omesa S.A., OmniClaim LLC, Oncocare S.A.C., OneNet PPO, OneNet PPO LLC, Optimum Choice, Optimum Choice Inc., Optum, Optum Bank, Optum Bank Inc., Optum Biometrics, Optum Biometrics Inc., Optum Care Inc., Optum Care Services Company, Optum Clinical Services, Optum Clinics Holdings, Optum Clinics Holdings Inc., Optum Clinics Intermediate Holdings, Optum Clinics Intermediate Holdings Inc., Optum Digital Health Holdings LLC, Optum Finance (Ireland) Unlimited Company, Optum Global Finance (Ireland) Unlimited Company, Optum Global Solutions (India) Private Limited, Optum Global Solutions (Philippines), Optum Global Solutions (Philippines) Inc., Optum Global Solutions International B.V., Optum Government Solutions, Optum Government Solutions Inc., Optum Growth Partners LLC, Optum Health & Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, Optum Health & Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, Optum Health & Technology (India) Private Limited, Optum Health & Technology (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Optum Health & Technology (UK) Limited, Optum Health & Technology (US), Optum Health & Technology (US) LLC, Optum Health & Technology FZ-LLC, Optum Health & Technology Holdings (US), Optum Health & Technology Holdings (US) Inc., Optum Health & Technology Servicos do Brasil Ltda., Optum Health Services (Canada) Ltd., Optum Health Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd, Optum Health Solutions (UK) Limited, Optum Health and Technology FZ-LLC, Optum Healthcare of Illinois, Optum Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services, Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services LLC, Optum Inc., Optum Infusion Services 100 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 101 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 103 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 201 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 202 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 203 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 205 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 206 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 207 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 208 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 301 LP, Optum Infusion Services 302 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 308 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 401 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 403 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 404 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 501 Inc., Optum Insurance of Ohio, Optum Insurance of Ohio Inc., Optum Labs, Optum Labs Dimensions, Optum Labs Dimensions Inc., Optum Labs Inc., Optum Labs International (UK) Ltd., Optum Life Sciences (Canada) Inc., Optum Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Optum Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co. 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Entidad Prestadora de Salud, Paoli Ambulatory Surgery Center, Paoli Surgery Center L.P., Parkway Surgery Center LLC, Pasteur Plaza Surgery Center GP Inc., PatientsLikeMe, PatientsLikeMe LLC, Patrimonio Autonomo Nueva Clinica - PANC., Payment Resolution Services, Payment Resolution Services LLC, Peoples Health, Peoples Health Inc., Pharmaceutical Care Network, Pharmacy Review Services, Pharmacy Software Holdco Inc., PhyServe Holdings, Physician Alliance of the Rockies LLC, Physician Care Partners, Physicians Health Choice of Texas, Physicians Health Choice of Texas LLC, Physicians Health Plan of Maryland, Physicians Health Plan of Maryland Inc., Physicians Plaza Holdings LLC, Plano de Saude Ana Costa Ltda., Plus One Health Management Puerto Rico, Plus One Health Management Puerto Rico Inc., Plus One Holdings, Plus One Holdings Inc., Polar II Fundo de Investimento em Participacoes, Polar II Fundo de Investimento em Participacoes Multiestrategia, Polo Holdco, Polo Holdco LLC, Pomerado 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Redlands-SCA Surgery Centers Inc., Reliant MSO LLC, Research Surgical Center LLC, River Valley ASC LLC, Riverside Electronic Healthcare Resources Inc., Riverside Medical Management, Riverside Medical Management LLC, Riverside Surgical Center of Meadowlands LLC, Riverside Surgical Center of Newark LLC, Rocky Mountain Health Maintenance Organization Incorporated, Rocky Mountain HealthCare Options Inc., SC Affiliates LLC, SCA Alaska Surgery Center inc., SCA Athens LLC, SCA Austin Holdings LLC, SCA BOSC Holdings LLC, SCA California Surgical Holdings LLC, SCA Capital LLC, SCA Cedar Park Holdings LLC, SCA Clifton LLC, SCA Danbury Surgical Center LLC, SCA Development LLC, SCA EHSC Holdings LLC, SCA EWASC Holdings LLC, SCA Hays Holdings LLC, SCA Heartland Holdings LLC, SCA HoldCo Inc., SCA Holding Company Inc., SCA Holdings Inc., SCA IEC Holdings LLC, SCA Indiana Holdings LLC, SCA Nashville ASC LLC, SCA Pacific Holdings Inc., SCA Pennsylvania Holdings LLC, SCA Premier Surgery Center of 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It has been a long journey from a refugee camp in Nepal to the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie for Kunsang Namgyal, in both physical distance and life lived. And it has been far from easy. But Kunsang is happy and grateful to be back on track and completing his dentistry studies at Dalhousie. I feel very blessed to be here at Dal and in Halifax, says the soft-spoken Kunsang. I travelled with my family from Nepal to Toronto two years ago. Since then it has been an arduous journey to learn English and prepare for the qualifying exams to study dentistry here. But the work has paid off and I am happy to be studying dentistry here in Canada and to feel that I have a future here. Kunsang arrived in Halifax at the end of March to begin his studies. He Is one of seven Qualifying Program (QP) students internationally trained dentists who come to study at Dal to become licensed to practise in Canada. He and his classmates, all of whom are from India, will spend a lot of time in lectures and labs until mid-August and then join the third-year class for the final two years of the degree program. Because Nepal is close to India, Kunsang learned to speak Hindi, giving the QP students a shared language in addition to English. Stateless in Nepal Kunsangs family is Tibetan, but he and his siblings were born and went to school in a refugee camp at Jampaling, near Pokhara, Nepal. Kunsangs father left Tibet with his parents in 1959, after the failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet. As Tibetans in Nepal, the family is stateless, with no right to citizenship or to remain in Nepal permanently. Tibetan refugees cannot legally own land or property or travel freely. Kunsang is one of five children, all of whom were born in Nepal. After high school, both Kunsang and his older brother Khamsum Wangdu attended the University of Kathmandus dental school and completed the five-and-a half-year bachelor of dental surgery program there the first Tibetan students to do so. They were also the first members of their family to go to university. The brothers were inspired to study dentistry by their grandfather who looked after them when their parents were at work. He died from a serious infection after an unqualified dentist removed one of his teeth with non-sterile equipment. I was in primary school when my grandfather died, says Kunsang. His death was untimely. When I grew up, I knew the realities of not being able to afford dental care and it made me determined to study dentistry. After completing their studies in Kathmandu, Kunsang and Khamsum discovered that, because they had no status in Nepal, the government would not allow them to take the Nepalese licensing exam. It was a bitter and unexpected blow. Having been born and brought up in Nepal, it was quite disheartening to hear the governments decision. The news came as a complete shock and I felt frustrated and helpless. I was often upset and saw no end to the hard times. Each day was a struggle, but I worked hard and I never gave up my dreams. Canada: A new state of being In June 2015, the two brothers landed in Toronto. They supported each other throughout the months of studying English and preparing for the qualifying exams. Then they both applied to the dental schools at the University of Toronto and Dalhousie; these were the two with the lowest application fees among similar dentistry programs in Canada. It is a very expensive process to prepare for and take the exams and then to apply for a university place, explains Kunsang. Kunsang was invited to Dal for an interview last summer. During that visit his first trip to Halifax he met with current QP students, Kash Kohli and Krissy Singh, who gave him a tour and talked to him about the admissions and registration processes to him. It cemented my decision to choose Dal. In November 2017, Khamsum was offered a place at the University of Toronto and Kunsang was waitlisted. Two weeks later, Kunsang received his offer letter from Dal. The waiting was tense, but it had, as Kunsang says, a happy ending. A few weeks into the program, Kunsang admits that he is working hard and noticing the differences between the program here and the one in Kathmandu. There are a lot of lectures and a lot of hands-on work in the lab. We use more technology here and I like that we have more time to practise. He also feels well supported. Dal makes everything easy. On the buddy program, you are matched with a third-year QP student and a regular dentistry student. There was a welcome lunch for all of the new QP students and a get-to-know-you meeting with current QP students so that they could give us their tips and insights. Not only has Kunsang found a place where he can work toward becoming licensed with confidence, he has found a country. Stateless no longer, he plans to apply for Canadian citizenship later this year. As a result of my experiences, I have learned one very important rule, says Kunsang. Something good is bound to happen in the end when you do not give up. Even since I came here, I have experienced nothing but kindness and respect from Canadians. I am very thankful for being in Canada and I look forward to returning the kindness that I was shown when I first arrived here. The government on Monday said exporters, particularly from the food and agriculture sectors, should strictly comply with global norms for quality and standards, or else they might lose their export market share to other countries. New Delhi: The government on Monday said exporters, particularly from the food and agriculture sectors, should strictly comply with global norms for quality and standards, or else they might lose their export market share to other countries. Emphasising on the importance of adopting best standards for goods and services, Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said it is critical to promote manufacturing, exports and enhancing participation of domestic industry into global value chains. She said in the food and agriculture sectors, Indian exporters are repetitively facing trade barriers on account of compliance issues. "Such situations are prevalent in discerning markets like the US, European Union and Japan and if Indian producers are unable to meet mandatory obligations for standards including the sanitary and phytosanitary (related with plants and animals) measures, we may lose our share of export market to other countries," she said. Teaotia was speaking at the National Standards Conclave, organised by the commerce ministry and industry body CII. She said promulgation of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures are very important as India receives so many alerts from these countries. "We have initiated an inter-ministerial space where agriculture ministry, health ministry and agencies like Fssia, Export Inspection Council, Apeda and Mpeda are now working together to be able to respond more appropriately and efficiently to these alerts," she added. She also informed that Indian National Strategy for Standardisation (INSS) will be released tomorrow and urged the industry to give feedback on the suggestions made in this report. INSS recommends wide range of policy directions such as standard settings, conformity assessment, accreditation, SPS and technical regulations as well as awareness building, training and education. "It recommends an implementation framework for realising these goals, identification of the responsible agencies and related activities taken by them and time frames for achieving these milestones..it has a finite time," the secretary said. It has also suggested setting up of a high-level committee for regular reviews, monitoring and publication of results. She added that three areas are important from standards perspective - manufacturing, services and food and agro products. Global value chains, she said, are fast emerging as a key driver of standards, and participation in these requires uniform standards worldwide. "There is a need to assess the global standards, and working towards harmonisation and adopting global value standards are critical," she said. Teaotia further said the government has advised all the line ministries to create and strengthen their technical wings for identifying specific standards and technical regulations needed. There is also a need to promote brand India for Indian products and make them globally acceptable. Talking about global standards in services, Teaotia said it is in nascent stage unlike in goods. "We will have to take lead in development of standards in this sector," she added. The judge presiding over the couples divorce case warned Angelina Jolie to let Brad Pitt spend more time with their kids so as to not lose full custody of her children. Soon after, Pitt was seen spending quality time with their six kids on Fathers Day, reports People.com. The judge has provided a detailed schedule for the actor to spend time with his children, except his eldest, Maddox. According to the court Maddox is old enough to decide if he wants to spend time with Brad or not. A source close to Pitt said, He is a great dad and always loved being with his kids. He doesnt talk badly about Angie, but he feels its her fault that the kids dont want to spend more time with him. Pitt celebrated a day early, for last years Fathers Day. Several of the kids were seen being dropped off at the Okja executive producers Los Angeles house in the morning, before flying out to France with their mom later that day. Speculations and rumours regarding Rana Daggubatis health, each more serious than the previous one, continue to surface, leaving Tollywood fans concerned about the actor. We had reported that Rana was scheduled to undergo an eye surgery and that the actor was waiting for his blood pressure levels to drop before setting a date for the operation. But now, various outrageous rumours are being floated, suggesting that the Baahubali star has not been keeping well and that his problems stem from a kidney ailment. Some even said that hes in touch with the doctors who treated Rajinikant in Singapore! But when contacted, Rana very calmly says, They are absolutely baseless rumours. I am as fit and fine as ever, and Im raring to go, adding, I do have some blood pressure issues that Im currently addressing, and that has delayed my eye surgery, but thats about it. There isnt anything more to it. My current line-up of films has me all geared up and Im busy shooting and shuttling between Mumbai and Hyderabad. The actor recently wrapped up a schedule of his upcoming trilingual film Haathi Mere Saathi. And the next schedule has been put on hold for the time being thereby giving rise to speculation about Ranas ill-health. Few weeks back, his dad Suresh Babu was quite open about the eye operation. It takes time as we have to check all the parameters. The operation could be end of this month or early next month, he said. When asked why shooting for the second schedule of Haathi Mere Saathi has been kept on hold, he explained, Rana completed the Bangkok shooting and was supposed to shoot in the Kerala forest next, but I dont want him to go now for the shoot in the forests. Because the next two months is monsoon season in Kerala. Shooting will start afterwards. Residents of Githunguri and Mugumo villages in Ol Kalou, Nyandarau County, had a weekend to remember as they feasted on the exotic meat of a hippopotamus. The female hippo had strayed from Lake Ol Bolossat before it was spotted by residents at Kiganjo dam which is at the edge of Ol Kalou town on Ol Kalou-Kipipiri road. KWS officers from Nyahururu camped at the dam with hopes of scaring it back into the lake but it strayed further west, 5km from Ol Kalou town to Mugumo village where it was spotted by locals at 5 am Saturday. The locals then mobilised themselves and chased it down across Mbichus valley that divides Mugumo and Githunguri villages as they shouted Nyama, and Its Our Time eat. On the other side of the valley, along Mbichu-Rakeri road, the hippo was cornered by other residents who chased it with dogs through the farms and back to the stream at Mbichus valley. The already scared and injured animal hid inside a bush in the stream before KWS officers shot it. They said it was not possible to pull the animal from the deep forested stream. We have done all we could. To us, the animal is now disposed of. No resident should go near or even eat its meat, a KWS officer told hundreds of residents who thronged Mbichus valley. But the villagers could hear none of it and descended on the hippos carcass with axes and pangas, each cutting enough for their families. According to a report by a local daily, some of the residents fed on the hippos raw meat oblivious of the health dangers posed. The meat does not pose any health risk as the hippo feeds purely on fresh vegetation. Rift Valley Fever means nothing to us. The hippo cannot even have anthrax, one of them is quoted as saying by the Star. The locals thanked KWS officers for quick response upon being notified and also for killing the animal; thereby making it possible to get free meat. They killed it in the right way and left us to eat. Some of us are very excited and that is why they are eating raw meat to feel the taste, Lucas Mbugua said I dont know whether those eating raw meat are normal. But again, some of them work in slaughterhouses where they eat raw meat, Wangari Nyoike said. Other wildlife officers regretted the animals death saying the situation would have been handled better. Where it is now, it would be easy to trace its way to the nearby dams and eventually to Lake Ol Bolossat. It did not deserve to die, an officer who requested anonymity said. He said the residents need to be educated to care for such stray hippos instead of killing them of meat. If this trend continues, they will eventually finish their animals. The approved vaccine by Sanofi Dengvaxia is now in use in 11 countries and is found to work only on those who have suffered from dengue 1 virus infection. Hyderabad: The advisability of giving dengue vaccine to children not affected by the disease is being debated following the outcome of trials in the Philippines. It was found that children being given the dengue vaccine in the Philippines were coming down with dengue which had led to hospitalsation. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that those who had suffered from dengue and were given the vaccine were able to develop immunity. Children who were not infected with the virus, suffered from severe dengue when they were given the vaccine. Dr Farhan Shaikh, senior paediatrician at Rainbow Hospital, said, The World Health Organisation has given clear guidelines that only those who have had the first infection of dengue must be given the vaccine. There is also further revision that it must not be given to children below five years of age. It has to be given from nine to 45 years. The approved vaccine by Sanofi Dengvaxia is now in use in 11 countries and is found to work only on those who have suffered from dengue 1 virus infection. There are four types of dengue virus. Dr Satish Ghanta, senior paediatrician, said, that when the first one infects the body, there are mild symptoms and the immune system works to fight the virus. When the second dengue virus enters, the immune system is already worked up and thats where we find that the virus is very severe. In cases that have been infected, the antibodies have been developed and the bodys fight is strengthened with the vaccine, Dr Ghanta said adding that it has to go through trials after which work can be done to make it safe and effective. In the Philippines trial, eight lakh school children were given the vaccine and the study found that it had helped to prevent 11,000 hospitalisations and 2,500 cases of severe dengue. But it led to 1,000 hospitalisations and 500 severe cases of dengue in children who didnt previously have the infection. This has led to the question whether the person must be screened with the dengue IGM ELISA test before being given the vaccine. For this the protocols have to be set where the screening must be compulsory. The test results will state whether the person has the dengue virus or not. There have also been cases of false positives which means that there is a risk involved and it will require clinical evaluation too. The vaccine is not available in India, but there is a major stress that dengue is a life-threatening disease and the vaccine must be introduced. Senior paediatricians stated that it will require very strict guidelines and supply of kits to only a few centres to maintain control. It's also reported that approximately nine per cent of all TB transmission is from non-human animals to humans and the percentage is even higher among children. (Photo: Pixabay) New Delhi: After learning of an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) which is highly contagious and transmissible from elephants to humans among numerous elephants forced to give rides at Amber Fort, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India fired off a letter calling on India's Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, and the officials of the Central Tuberculosis Division to quarantine the infected elephants, provide them with urgent veterinary care, and screen all untested elephants forced to interact with tourists for TB immediately. The letter follows the release of an Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) report revealing that at least 10 of the 91 captive elephants used for rides and other tourist interactions in Jaipur are infected with TB. The AWBI evaluation team included senior veterinarians of the Rajasthan Forest and Animal Husbandry departments and other veterinary and wildlife experts. TB can be transmitted to tourists, animal handlers, and the general public from infected elephants. The post-mortem reports for four elephants who died within a period of five months in 2017 indicate that most of the animals had been suffering from respiratory diseases possibly including TB and had heavy internal loads of parasites. The AWBI report also states that elephants in Jaipur are particularly at risk of contracting TB because of routine transportation within the city and interactions with tourists that may expose them to infected humans or other elephants as well as because of stress factors, including painful restraining methods, extreme confinement, unclean water, an inconsistent food supply, and poor nutrition. "We hail the vision of the Honourable Prime Minister to aim to eliminate TB in India by 2025 but it can't be done by ignoring the captive elephants who suffer from TB and can potentially infect humans," says PETA India Associate Director of Policy Nikunj Sharma. "PETA India is calling on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to take swift action to protect both travellers and the sick, suffering elephants that are being denied much-needed veterinary care, putting everyone at risk." PETA India notes that according to recent scientific studies, there's a high prevalence of TB infection in captive elephants, buffaloes, and cows in this country. It's also reported that approximately nine per cent of all TB transmission is from non-human animals to humans and the percentage is even higher among children. The Rajasthan government isn't currently providing elephants that have tested positive for TB with any treatment or care, and it's failing to screen other elephants for the disease, putting tourists and anyone else who comes in contact with these elephants at tremendous risk of contracting the disease. LISBON: 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 organizers. 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. In this Monday, Nov. 2, 1987 file photo, Britain's Diana, the Princess of Wales, is pictured during an evening reception given by the West German President Richard von Weizsacker in honour of the British Royal guests in the Godesberg Redoute in Bonn, Germany. (Photo: AP) London: The daughter of Princess Diana's oldest sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Celia McCorquodale, wore the Spencer Tiara at the time of her wedding on Saturday. Back in 1981, Diana wore the same Tiara during her wedding ceremony. Celia McCorquodale on Saturday wore the tiara when she took her vows with George Woodhouse. Celia McCorquodale glitters in the Spencer Tiara at her Wedding today, worn for the first time since Princess Dianas death! https://t.co/W612AuxttN pic.twitter.com/tqv7eIZdGO The Royal Watcher (@saadsalman719) June 17, 2018 According to People magazine, the Tiara belongs to the Spencer family (one of Britain's noble families) who trace their lineage back to the Tudor dynasty. Moreover, it was the first time in 21 years since Diana's death (1997) the tiara had not been worn in public. The Spencer Tiara adorned Diana's head when she married Prince Charles, but according to People magazine her future mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth II had loaned her the Queen Mary Lover's Knot Tiara for the wedding, which she eventually refused. The Queen Mary Lover's Knot Tiara did, however, become one of Diana's favourites to wear to various royal engagements. Diana went on to borrow tiaras from the royal family but more often she wore the Spencer's Tiara as it was claimed to be lighter and easier to wear than the others. In 2012, the LHC was used to prove the existence of the Higgs Boson -- also dubbed the God particle. (Photo: NASA) A major upgrade began Friday for the world's most powerful proton smasher to increase the number of particle collisions inside the Large Hadron Collider and help further explore the fundamental building blocks of the universe. The work involves heavy civil engineering at the LHC's two main sites in Switzerland and France which are run by Europe's physics lab CERN, that will allow it to operate in a high-luminosity mode from 2026. "By 2026, this major upgrade will have considerably improved the performance of the LHC, by increasing the number of collisions in the large experiments and thus boosting the probability of the discovery of new physics phenomena," CERN said. The aim is increase tenfold the amount of data which can be picked up by the LHC, which is housed in a 27-kilometre (17-mile) ring-shaped tunnel buried more than 100 metres underground that runs beneath the border of Switzerland and France. The powerful accelerator, which began operating in 2010, smashes high-energy protons into each other at velocities near the speed of light. These collisions generate new particles, giving physicists an unprecedented look at the laws of nature in the hope of better understanding particles and matter. Until now, the LHC has been able to generate nearly a billion collisions per second but the so-called high-luminosity upgrade will allow it to increase the collision rate, thereby allowing for the accumulation of 10 times more data between 2026 and 2036. "The High-Luminosity LHC will extend the LHC's reach beyond its initial mission, bringing new opportunities for discovery, measuring the properties of particles such as the Higgs Boson with greater precision, and exploring the fundamental constituents of the universe ever more profoundly," said CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti. In 2012, the LHC was used to prove the existence of the Higgs Boson -- also dubbed the God particle -- which has allowed scientists to make great progress in understanding how particles acquire mass. A year later, two of the scientists who had theorised the particle's existence nearly five decades earlier, won the Nobel physics prize for its discovery. In the works since 2011, the upgrade will allow the LHC to start producing data in high-luminosity mode from 2026. The project will involve the replacement of high-tech components along 1.2 kilometres of the machine, such as magnets, collimators and radiofrequency cavities. It will also see the construction of new buildings, shafts, caverns and underground galleries, as well as tunnels and halls to house the new cryogenic equipment, as well as power supplies and cooling and ventilation kit. 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, police said. (Representational image) New Delhi: 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 on Sunday. 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. Shiv Kumar was caught 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. New Delhi: Three died while five others have been injured in a case of gangwar between members of Gogi gang and Tillu gang at Sant Nagar in Delhi's Burari area. Raju, a member of Tillu gang has been shot dead. Three people, including a woman, have been injured in the firing. The three arrested have been identified as Anil Giri, Anand Yadav and Amarnath Yadav. (Photo: Twitter | @ANINewsUP) Gorakhpur: Police at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh have busted a 'hi-tech' cheating racket on Sunday. Three people have been arrested with spy mic which were used to whisper answers during the UP police constable recruitment examination. Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force officers have nabbed the three, who took large amount of money for apparently 'solving' papers for candidates appearing in the examination. "The modus operandi was that one person sitting in the exam will immediately send pictures of the question paper to the solvers, who would then provide answers through a spy mic. Prima facie, solvers charged Rs 5 lakh per candidate," reports quoted senior police officer Nitin Tiwari saying. The three arrested have been identified as Anil Giri, Anand Yadav and Amarnath Yadav. While Anil and Amarnath were tasked with negotiating with the candidates and keeping track of the money; Anand, who has a law degree solved the papers. Anil has confessed to taking money from candidates said the police. Spy mics used for the cheating. (Photo: Twitter | @ANINewsUP) Around Rs 4 lakh worth of money and ID cards of nearly a dozen candidates have been recovered from them. The police are conducting raids across many locations in Uttar Pradesh to catch the mastermind of the cheating gang. In a bid to crackdown on the cheating mafia the Uttar Pradesh government has directed officers to blacklist examination centres where mass copying takes place. (With inputs from agencies) A case has been registered under appropriate Sections against him and the channel. (Representational Image) Hyderabad: A man from Yakutpura was booked for allegedly posting videos provoking different communities through social media platforms by the South Zone police. His videos are highly objectionable and may cause unrest in the city, said Satyanarayana, DCP South Zone. A case was booked against him and the channel circulating his videos. One Asif iqbal, who claims to be an MBT worker had posted a video on WhatsApp through IB 24x7 channel in which he is seen provocating different communities. He was promoting enmity between communities. A case has been registered under appropriate Sections against him and the channel. Stringent action will be initiated against them as per the law, he added. Bengaluru: "I didn't do it for money. I agreed to do it because her views were anti-Hindu," Parshuram Waghmare, who allegedly pulled the trigger on journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh on September 5 last year, has told the interrogators. Parshuram, who is 29 years old, said that he was paid Rs 13,000 for the job, sources in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) told Deccan Chronicle. He told SIT officials that he met a man in Sindhagi, who assured him of all support if he executed the murder of Gauri Lankesh. Parshuram said that he was given an advance of Rs 3,000 for food and accommodation in the city. After the murder, an unknown man handed him Rs 10,000 and he left the city soon after. After Gauris murder, I left for my hometown and no one contacted me," Parshuram allegedly told the SIT officials. Parshuram, who used to work at a kitchen utensil shop, stopped going to work after the murder. He did not discuss the murder with anyone, including his family members. He acted normal and this made his family members believe that he was not involved in the case when the officials picked him up, the SIT sources said. After the murder, Parshuram had organised a Hindu gathering in Vijayapura. He refused to comment on it when we questioned him, they said, adding that: We will continue to grill Parshuram to get more details on the man he met in Sindhagi. Kenyan-born Australian Senator Lucy Gichuhi has responded to allegations of misuse of public funds after she flew two relatives to her birthday party using taxpayers money. The South Australia senator spent $2139(KES 160,851) to fly the family members to her 50th plus GST birthday celebrations in Adelaide, Australia last October. According to a publication by the Sunday Telegraph, the flights were from Darwin to Adelaide on October 26 and departing on October 31. Responding to the reports, the Senator explained that there was a misunderstanding about the family reunion travel allowance. Regarding the media reports about my travel expenses, this was an administrative error involving misunderstanding of travel rules, said Gichuhi. The 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. It is meant for official duties such traveling to or from sittings of the House of Parliament, formal business of parliamentary committees and attendance of official government functions. Gichuhi has subsequently agreed to repay the full amount and an additional 25 per cent penalty. Ive raised an invoice from the department to pay the costs of $2139 in full, tweeted Gichuhi on Sunday. Gichuhi won the South Australia seat last year through a vote recount after the winners election was nullified, becoming the first senator of African descent in the Australian Senate. In her maiden speech in parliament last year, she spoke of how she was scared after finding welfare money in her account just after moving to Australia from Kenya. I remember the first time we found welfare money in our bank account shortly after our arrival in Australia. We were terrified because we were not used to receiving money for nothing from strangers. All I knew was that the only time you get money is when you work for it. I said to my husband, We will have to return it. She said that she had learnt that spending money you have not worked for fundamentally changes who you are and inhibits your capacity and ability to become all you could be. Sisodia was shifted to the hospital after his ketone level shot up to 7.4. (Photo:Twitter | @AamAadmiParty) New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is on a hunger strike at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijals official residence, was shifted to the hospital after his ketone level shot up to 7.4 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: "Manish Sisodia's ketone level reaches 7.4. Yesterday it was 6.4. ideally it should be zero. 2+ level is considered to be danger zone. Team of doctors reaching L-G house to see him." Dy CM Manish Sisodia's health deteriorates on 6th day of Indefinite Strike, His Ketone level in Blood noted at highest 7.4, Health Minister Satyendra Jain already admitted in hospital after 7 days of Indefinite fast. pic.twitter.com/5iehYktABS ASHUTOSH MISHRA (@ashu3page) June 18, 2018 Sisodia has been on a hunger strike for the past six days at the L-Gs residence against the strike by IAS bureaucrats of Delhi. On Sunday, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who was also fasting at Delhi L-Gs residence, was rushed to hospital after his health deteriorated. Satyendar Jain, who handles six ministries in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, was taken to the LNJP Hospital after he complained of headache, nausea, and breathing problems, news agency ANI quoted Dr JS Passey as saying. Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and Delhi Development Minister Gopal Rai have camped at Anil Baijals waiting room since June 11, refusing to leave until the L-G makes IAS bureaucrats in the Delhi government end strike. AAP leaders accompanied by thousands of party workers on Sunday marched towards Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence on Sunday in support of their ministers protest. Urging bureaucrats to attend meetings called by ministers, Kejriwal said he would ensure the safety and security of officers with all powers available at his command. Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu who attended the fourth governing council meeting of Niti Aayog in Delhi on Sunday reiterated the demand of according Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh. He detailed numbers to push his demand for SCS. He said that the contribution of the agriculture sector which was 23 per cent in the combined state in 2013-14, is 34 per cent in 2017-18 for AP. The service sector which generates higher tax revenue and higher per capita income, contributes about 44 per cent to the economy of AP Telangana (63 per cent), Tamil Nadu (57 per cent), Karnataka (64 per cent) and Kerala (64 per cent) and all India average of 53 per cent. "The per capita income of the combined state of AP was Rs 89,214 for the year 2013-14. The per capita income of remaining 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh for the same year stood at Rs 82,870 whereas it was Rs 1,12,162 for the state of Telangana. Despite the highest average economic growth in the country during the last four years, AP with a per capita income of Rs 1.42 lakh continues to lag behind the other southern Indian states which have crossed the mark of Rs 1.74 lakh per capita income, with a gap of Rs 32,000 per person in AP, he added. BJP hits out at AP cm for kejriwal meet AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu supporting his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal has not gone down well with the BJP. Its national spokesperson G.V.L. Narasi-mha Rao said both the CMs had some common tendencies agitate to cover up failures. He wrote on his Twitter handle: AP CM Chadrababu Naidu & Delhi CM @arvindkejriwal have one thing in common. Both have horribly failed to perform as CMs. Their fasts, protests are to hide their failures. AP CM @ncbn is also 'wasting' public money on 5-star protests, farcically claiming to be doing so for funds (sic)." In another post, he said, "As Chief Minister, @narendramodi governed superbly despite a highly hostile Cong govt at Centre launching a personal witch-hunt. As PM, he adopted a friendly approach to states. CMs who protest exhibit their incompetence. @ArvindKejriwal (sic)." The 18-foot python that weighed 40 kgs started wriggling, twisting and turning around the forest ranger's neck. (Photo: Screengrab) Kolkata: It may sound daring, look amazing, but a forest ranger in West Bengal learnt it the hard way that taking a selfie with python is never a good idea. On Sunday, villagers in Jalpaiguri, 600 km from Kolkata called the ranger and his assistant to capture a rock python that had killed and eaten a goat. The forest officials rushed to the village and collared the 18-foot snake that weighed about 40 kgs. The process deems that the snake be stuffed into a sack and carried away, to be released into the forest later. But swayed by the power of the selfie, the forest official grabbed the snake by its neck with his right hand and slung it around his neck. The mobile phone cameras soon started flashing with selfie-takers going crazy and the forest official showing his courage as well as garnering compliments from the villagers. But it was short-lived. Within seconds, the snake started wriggling, twisting and turning. The forest ranger's brave act went for a toss with the slimy creature's movement and he started walking away from the crowds. People started screaming and running as the python started to choke the forest ranger, its coils gripping his throat from the back. The tail of the snake slipped out of the hands of the person who was holding it. #WATCH Narrow escape for Sanjoy Dutta, Range Officer of Baikunthapur Forest in Jalpaiguri after a python he rescued from a village almost strangled him to death while he was posing for selfies with locals. #WestBengal pic.twitter.com/KroJHOCOkk ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 A person in blue, possibly a forest department employee, ran forward to help the forest ranger's rescue. Amidst all these the person capturing the video seemed to have taken fright. The forest ranger is heard telling his assistant in a voice of suppressed panic, "Hold the tail, hold the tail" and then "It's ok, it's all ok" as it coiled around his neck. Despite all the fiasco, the "brave" forest did not let go of the snake's neck even for a moment. Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has demanded that the Centre immediately operationalise 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 Supreme Court. Also, he suggested that States be allowed to levy and appropriate all indirect taxes to enhance their limited resources while the Union Government could retain the direct tax revenues. Speaking at the fourth governing council meeting of NITI Aayog held at New Delhi on Sunday he said Tamil Nadu is entirely dependent on water from inter-state rivers, in particular, the Cauvery and hence the need to operationalise the CMA and CWRC. The Government of India should take lead in inter-linking of rivers by nationalisation of all the inter-state rivers which alone offers the promise of creating a framework that would allow optimal utilisation of water resources amongst States. My revered leader, the late Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, had repeatedly urged the Government of India to implement the 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, he said. No one in the Government of India other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi would perhaps understand this better. 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 being practised in the developed countries, Mr. Palaniswami suggested permitting the States to levy and appropriate all indirect taxes while the Union Government could retain the direct tax revenues. 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 remarked. Using Census data for recommendation is unfair, penalises TN: Contending that mandating the 15th Finance Commission to use population data of 2011 Census for its recommendations is unfair and penalises States like Tamil Nadu for being progressive, Mr. Palaniswami sought the Terms of Reference to be revised. I also request that para 7 (iii) and para 7 (viii) in the ToR of the 15th Finance Commission be revised as they would propel the Finance Commission into adopting a subjective and out-of context approach while working out the principles of resource sharing, he urged. Also, drawing PM's attention to the unfair treatment meted out to Tamil Nadu by successive Finance Commissions, he said while the 14th Finance Commission, increased the overall devolution of taxes to States from 32 percent to 42 percent, 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. The 15th Finance Commission would pain us further, unless some Terms of Reference (ToR) are corrected. Some of them are not in line with the principles of federalism enshrined in our Constitution and have to be reconsidered, he said and added that the Constitution (Forty-Second Amendment) Act, 1976 imposed a freeze on the population figure for readjustment at the 1971 census, as being the basis for all delimitation until after 2001 Census. This was extended by Constitution (Eighty-Fourth Amendment) Act, 2011 till 2026 so as to ensure that progressive States which have brought their population under control are not penalised for proactive action, he said. Chennai: Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram alleged that the Central government robbed the people by every unjustified rupee hike in fuel prices. Govt claims that it will lose Rs 13,000 crore for every rupee cut in fuel prices. Thats the wrong way to look at the issue. The correct way to look at the issue: Govt robs people of Rs 13,000 crore by every unjustified rupee increase in fuel prices, Mr. Chidambaram? tweeted on Sunday. The senior Congress leader took to the micro blogging site to criticise the government. Media reports quoting government estimates, said that every rupee cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel will result in a revenue loss of about `13,000 crore. Sounding a note of caution, rating agency Moodys has said that any reduction in excise duty on petrol and diesel would adversely affect fiscal deficit unless it is matched by a commensurate cut in expenditure. Meanwhile, Mr. Chidambaram has claimed that his prediction, following demonetisation, of 1.5 per cent cut in the Gross domestic product (GDP) growth, has come true. A demonetisation like grief should not befall any country, he said, and claimed that it had been hugely detrimental to the Indian economy in the 21st century. My heart is aching as what I had said has come true. I am not happy that what I had said has come true, he said. I write only for this, a government should not cause grief, if it does, the people should question it, the former Union minister added. Speaking at the launch function of the Tamil version (titled Vaimaye Vellum) of his Speaking Truth to Power, he said everybody should write and speak to end discrimination. New Delhi: Despite having difference of opinion on the Delhi government's standoff with the Lieutenant Governor, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Sunday met Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister chief Mamata Banerjee. Patel, who had come to meet Banerjee with flowers and a big fruit basket, was warmly invited inside the Banga Bhawan II in Chanakyapuri by the West Bengal chief minister. According to Trinamool Congress insiders, 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 Lt Governor 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 criticised Kejriwal for his "theatrics". Kejriwal's campaign against the Lt Governor, 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 of Lt Governor's residence, protesting against what they call a strike by Delhi government IAS officers. The IAS officers have denied that they are on strike. The incident took place on Sunday in Parsa village in Mansa taluka of Gandhinagar, an official said. (Photo: File | Representational) Ahmedabad: A Dalit man's wedding procession was held up for a few hours allegedly by some upper caste men who were objecting to the groom riding a horse, Mansa Police said. The incident took place on Sunday 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 (DSP), comprising of local police as well as Special Operations Group (SOG) and Crime Branch personnel, reached the spot and controlled the situation," said Inspector PG Patel, Mansa Police Station. He added that the group of 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 police complaint had been registered as yet in connection with the incident. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), CID, Binay Kumar said that evidence was being gathered for investigation into the case. (Representational image) Gaya: A DNA test would be conducted to ascertain the involvement of suspects in the Gaya gangrape case, where a group of armed men tied a man to a tree and raped his wife and 15-year-old daughter, police said. The family was stopped while they were passing through a deserted area on a motorcycle, near Sondiha village in Gaya, police said. Also Read: Group of youth tie man to tree, rape his wife, 15-yr-old daughter at gunpoint Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), CID, Binay Kumar said that evidence was being gathered for investigation into the case. "The police would conduct DNA test of victims' clothes and other evidence collected from the site and match them with the accused in order to ascertain involvement", the ADG said. So far, three people have been arrested in the case, Magadh Range DIG Vinay Kumar said. He added that two of them belonged to Sonediha village while the other was from Mangraur, a neighbouring village. A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Patna had on June 15, visited the site to collect samples and evidence for the case. The team also took the clothes of both the survivors as well as the suspects for scientific investigation in the case, Kumar said. The police have set up three separate teams to investigate the case, Kumar said, noting that a chargesheet would soon be filed in a court with a formal plea for speedy trial in the case. The 62-year-old is facing a trial for the UK Court to rule if he can be extradited to India to face charges for financial irregularities as well as money laundering cases. (Photo: File) New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday filed a charge sheet against liquor baron Vijay Mallya on charges of money laundering. The 62-year-old is facing a trial for the UK Court to rule if he can be extradited to India to face charges for financial irregularities involving a total amount of Rs 9,000 crore, as well as money laundering cases. Also Read: Vijay Mallya faces fresh money laundering chargesheet, fugitive tag from ED In April 2017, Mallya was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant but was subsequently released on bail against a bond worth 650,000 pounds. A month later, the Liquor Baron lost a lawsuit filed in London by a consortium of Indian banks seeking to collect the amount of Rs 10,000 crore amid allegations that he committed massive fraud. A judge ruled that the consortium of lenders, including IDBI Bank, could impose an Indian court's decision against Mallya, who was found to have willfully defaulted on USD 1.4 billion in debt taken by his now-defunct airline Kingfisher. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, in New Delhi on Sunday (Image: PTI) Bengaluru: Admitting that the attraction of investments may not be proportional to job creation, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has requested the NITI Aayog to include job creation and skill development in its agenda. Speaking at the 4th meeting of the governing council of NITI Aayog at New Delhi on Sunday, Mr Kumaraswamy also urged the Centre to address the disparity in awarding funds from the National Disaster Relief Fund(NDRF) to Karnataka and declare the next decade as Water Decade.' He also sought help in raising funds for the farm loan waiver. Raising two issues not listed in the agenda, Mr Kumaraswamy said jobs for youth was a matter of concern. Though attracting investment is extremely important, skill creation was also equally essential, he said. Since disasters are recurring every year, outflow from the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) had gone up six fold resulting in a huge financial burden for the state. However, allocation under SDRF to Karnataka in the 2015-20 period has been only Rs 1,375 crore, which is far lesser than the allocation to other states. The states unmet needs are huge and this has neither been addressed by the Finance Commission award, nor by NDRF. A comprehensive discussion is needed on this issue,'' he said. Large metropolitan areas may not remain growth engines in future and therefore, multiple urban nodes need to be developed for sustaining growth in the future. Under such circumstances, urban development strategies should be included in the agenda of NITI Aayog, he said. Bringing up the agrarian crisis, Mr Kumaraswamy said his government was ready to address the problems of debt-ridden farmers. While requesting the Centre to provide 50% assistance to the state in this endeavour, the CM also said that over 85 lakh farmers in Karnataka were under debt due to recurring droughts in the state. Stating that global climate change was a fact, Mr Kumaraswamy stressed the need to harness national and international expertise to develop a comprehensive framework, strategies and practices for ushering in a climate resilient, agricultural revolution in the country. Water was becoming scarce, which was going to be a limiting factor for growth - both in agriculture and in other areas. I suggest we dedicate a full decade to extensive and intensive water conservation. Let us call it the Water Decade. It has to become a people's movement. Substantial part of our resources need to be dedicated for water conservation and management,'' he added. The case for separate schooling is increasingly being challenged as both secular groups and religious minorities gain influence across Canada. Canada had at its outset two founding peoples, legally and constitutionally speaking, which makes it unique among the worlds nation-states. Its a narrative, of course, that discounts the foundational role played by this countrys Indigenous Peoples. More on that later. To ensure British and French identities would both continue as part of the Canadian Compact, section 93 of the Constitution Act enshrined public funding for separate schools for Protestants and Catholics though only where such schools existed before a province entered into Confederation. Much has changed since 1867. The case for separate schooling is increasingly being challenged as both secular groups and religious minorities gain influence across Canada. Many provinces have renegotiated their relationships with separate schools. Manitoba was the first to embrace change, and began withdrawing full public support for separate schools beginning in the 1890s amid the political crisis surrounding the Manitoba Schools Question. Quebec had separate Protestant and Catholic school boards until 1997, when it replaced them with a secular, linguistically based school system a delayed outcome of the provinces Quiet Revolution against the Catholic state. In Newfoundland and Labrador, plummeting enrolment in denominational schools during the 1980s and 1990s began to make these schools unsustainable. In 1997, Term 17 was amended to create a uniform, publicly funded, non-denominational school system. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario still provide public funding for Catholic schools. Last year, the Saskatchewan Queens Bench scrutinized section 93 and found that changes in social norms since the Victorian era should inform our understanding of religious rights. Justice Donald Layh ruled that a constitutional guarantee for Catholic schools does not include public funding for non-Catholic students in Theodore, Saskatchewan. In re-examining section 93 and finding the practice to be discriminatory, Justice Layh noted that the solemn pact between Ontario and Quebec has effectively become a partner-less pact since 1997. In response, the Saskatchewan government invoked the notwithstanding clause and is appealing that decision. Now the spotlight is on Canadas largest and most diverse province, where the specialized treatment afforded to Catholic schools still poses a quandary. Ontarios publicly funded schools were initially divided into Catholic and non-denominational Protestant schools. The latter were known as public schools, but were clearly Christian. This proved problematic to students of other faiths. Eventually, parents mounted a successful court challenge of the curriculum because of the predominantly Christian nature of the teachings. Christian values were replaced with Canadian values. Today, Catholic schools in Ontario struggle with enrolment problems. Since funding is based on student population, they increasingly vie with public schools to attract students. Non-Catholic students in Ontario Catholic schools now exceed 8 per cent of students, with some schools busing students in to bolster their ranks. As in Saskatchewans case, it seems likely that enrolling non-Catholics in publicly funded Catholic schools is contrary to the spirit of the Canadian Compact. And although the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld a special status to particular classes of people that creates a privileged status on those religious minorities, using these funds to educate non-Catholics accentuates any discriminatory impacts on other Canadians. Amid all of this, Ontario Catholic schools have attracted scrutiny for teaching creationism, opposing homosexuality, and banning any cooperation with groups that might support abortion. A 2014 Ontario Superior Court ruling put a stop to forced participation in religious programs, and a human rights complaint last year was only settled when the school agreed that students seeking religious exemptions should not be required to provide justifications. Nobody is saying that Catholics or anyone else cannot hold their religious beliefs. But there are concerns about providing public funds to institutions that no longer share the same values as the broader public. Finally, the role of the church and its schools in the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples provides a compelling motivation to consider withdrawing funding for religious schools. Reconciliation can only truly occur alongside a complete decoupling of church and state, regardless of history. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission report focused extensively on the role of the church and religious schooling as state instruments for cultural genocide. The two non-Indigenous founding peoples at Confederation entirely ignored and excluded Indigenous concerns and protection of their cultural and linguistic identities. If public funds are to be used to help educate Canadians about ethnic heritages, it is the Indigenous contribution that should be prioritized above all else. 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 they were hopeful of achieving success in the next few days. 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 immediately with top intelligence and security officials claiming that tracking down militants responsible for 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 incident during the holy month. Even the state unit of the BJP, which is in coalition with the PDP government in J&K, 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 they 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. The MEA also stated that they have not received any such suggestion from the Chinese government. (Photo: File) New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday reacted to Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui's suggestion of a trilateral summit comprising India, China and Pakistan. Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui on Monday said at an event in New Delhi that some Indian friends had suggested a trilateral summit comprising India, China and Pakistan would be a very constructive idea. Also Read: Cong slams Chinese envoy's suggestion that India, China, Pak go trilateral The MEA in a statement said, "We have not received any such suggestion from the Chinese government. We consider it as his personal opinion. Matters related to India-Pak relations are bilateral in nature and have no scope for any third county's involvement," news agency ANI reported. The Congress, too, condemned the Chinese envoy's statement. Congress leader Manish Tiwari said, We hope the government of India will also condemn his statement. Our stand has been that issues between India and Pakistan be solved bilaterally. 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. (Photo: PTI/File) 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. 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, home minister Rajnath Singh 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. Nirav Modi travelled from Heathrow Airport in London to Hong Kong on March 15, from JFK Airport in New York to Heathrow on March 28 and from Heathrow to Charles De Gaulle, Paris on March 31, sources said. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Absconding diamond jeweller Nirav Modi managed to travel across several countries even after information about his passport being revoked by the Indian government was flashed in the Interpol central database on February 24, the CBI said here on Monday. The agency said it had shared the information about the revocation of his passport in the 'diffusion' notice issued through the Interpol on February 15. "After the passport was revoked/cancelled by External Affairs Ministry, we had updated this information in the diffusion notice. The information that passport of Nirav Modi has been revoked was provided in the Interpol central database, available to all the member countries, on February 24," CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said. In its intimation to the Interpol, the CBI gave details of all the five passports issued by the government to Nirav Modi. These passports are linked with each other, but their numbers changed because of renewal or the booklets becoming full. According to the information shared by the UK, after the information was flashed in the Interpol central database, Nirav Modi travelled from Heathrow Airport in London to Hong Kong on March 15, from JFK Airport in New York to Heathrow on March 28 and from Heathrow to Charles De Gaulle, Paris on March 31, sources said. The information was provided in response to the 'diffusion' notice issued by the CBI through Interpol, they said, adding once the database is updated, it is on the member countries to share information about the movements of the suspect and the agency can only request them to share it. The sources said that no credible information about the location of Nirav Modi is available with the agency. The spokesperson said after the 'diffusion' notice was issued by the Interpol on the request of the CBI, the agency followed it up with the Interpol coordination agencies of six countries, where Modi was suspected to have fled. The agency requested these countries directly to share information about his whereabouts and movements. It sent reminders to the Interpol coordination agency of the UK on April 25, May 22, May 24 and May 28, agency sources said, adding that similar reminders were also sent to the agencies of the USA, Singapore, Belgium, the UAE and France. A senior state leader of the Mayawati-led party added that it would, as things stand today, contest all 230 Assembly seats in the state. (Photo: File) Bhopal: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday said that it was not in talks with the Congress for an alliance for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls slated for later this year. A senior state leader of the Mayawati-led party added that it would, as things stand today, contest all 230 Assembly seats in the state. Talking to news agency PTI, BSP state president Narmada Prasad Ahirwar said, "I was asked by the media that Congress leaders were saying that there are discussions underway with the BSP for an alliance for the next assembly elections. I clarified that we are not in discussions at the state level and, I think, neither at the central leadership level." "As things stand today, we are going to contest all 230 Assembly seats. I have received no directives in this connection (alliance) from the central leadership," Ahirwar said. The state Congress, meanwhile, has claimed that it never said alliance talks were underway with the BSP. "We never named any party. The Congress only said that we would try to have an alliance with political parties with a similar ideology. We never mentioned the BSP's name. It will depend on the situation when we enter the election phase," Madhya Pradesh Congress' media department's chief Manak Agarwal said. Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh are likely to be held in November or December 2018. In the 2013 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, the Congress and the BSP polled 36.38 per cent and 6.29 per cent of the votes respectively against the BJP's 44.88 per cent. The BJP won 165 seats, the Congress 58, the BSP four while Independents won three seats in the 230-member Assembly. In the 2008 Assembly polls, the Congress and the BSP secured 32.85 and 8.97 per cent votes respectively, which was collectively four per cent more than the 37.64 per cent vote share of the BJP. Congress president Rahul Gandhi said people are dying because of the broken promise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of failing to keep a promise that he made to the people of Odisha's Rourkela three years ago. Citing a report published in Deccan Chronicle Online of a man who had walked over 1,350 km in a bid to remind PM Modi of his 2014 poll promises including that of a multi-specialty hospital, Rahul Gandhi said people are dying because of the broken promise. Muktikanta Biswal, a 30-year-old idol-maker from Odisha's Rourkela, decided earlier this year to walk to Delhi to remind Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his promise to upgrade Rourkela's Ispat General Hospital to a multi-speciality hospital and complete the construction of a bridge in the area. According to Biswal, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Odisha in 2015, he had promised to upgrade the Ispat General hospital to a super speciality hospital and to complete the construction of the Brahmani Bridge. However, it has been four years and no concrete groundwork has been laid. Also Read: Odisha man has walked 1,350 km so far to remind PM Modi of poll promise "The PM promised Rourkela a multi-speciality hospital three years ago. Now, Muktikant Biswal has walked 1,300 km to Delhi because the PM hasn't kept his promise & people are dying," Rahul Gandhi said in tweet. The Congress chief also said that "the people of India & the Congress party will keep the PM's promise for him". The PM promised Rourkela a multi speciality hospital three years ago. Now, Muktikant Biswal has walked 1,300 Km to Delhi because the PM hasnt kept his promise & people are dying. I assure Mr Biswal: the people of India & the Congress party will keep the PMs promise for him. https://t.co/1fFFPeDCIB Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 17, 2018 Muktikant Biswal carried a national flag and set on the journey from Odisha on foot for the people in his village, who are still waiting for better medical and infrastructure facilities. Even though he fainted on the Agra National Highway and had to be admitted to a hospital, Biswal's spirit remains undaunted. On being asked about what inspired him to take this long, arduous journey, Biswal pointed out that he has always drawn inspiration from the Indian flag. Bengaluru: To ensure that the probe in the journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh murder case reaches its logical end, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has requested the court to not remand the accused in the case to any other investigating agency. According to a source, the officials have submitted the request to the court not to give the custody of accused to any other investigative agency as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Maharashtra SIT and the Karnataka CID could move the court seeking the police custody of the accused as the case seems to have links with murders of other anti-Hindutva activists. The CBI is probing the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, while the Maharashtra SIT is investigating Govind Pansares killing. Researcher and scholar Dr M.M. Kalburgis murder is being probed by the Karnataka CID. The SIT officials believe that the major part of the puzzle has been solved and they are very close to completing the probe. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the teams have left for Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh in search of the murder weapon with which Ms Lankesh was shot. But officials refused to confirm it. The SIT got a major breakthrough when it arrested Parshuram Waghmare, who pulled the trigger on Gauri on September 5 last year. Parshurams father Ashok, who was in the city to meet his son, left for Vijayapura on Sunday morning. Ashok said that he was happy to see his son and he thanked the police for allowing it. On Monday, the City Civil and Sessions court will hear the bail application filed by the accused-gunrunner K.T. Naveen Kumar, the first person to be arrested in connection with Gauris murder. A screen grab of the video that went viral shows Dharpally Mandal Praja Parishad president Immadi Gopi kicking a woman (partially seen) in Nizamabad district. Nizamabad: In a shocking incident, ruling TRS Mandal Praja Parishad president Imma-di Gopi kicked a woman during an argument over a land dispute at Indalwai village in Nizamabad district on Sunday. The video clip of the incident went viral on social media. The woman was immediately shifted to a hospital and police have taken Immadi Gopi into custody. According to sources, Gopi had been a Maoist commander, but after he surrendered to the police, he contested the elections and was elected president of Dharpally mandal. The Telangana state government allotted 1,125 yard plot to him at Indalwai as part of the rehabilitation for surrendered Naxalites. Gopi reportedly sold the land along with the house to Vodde Rajavva of Gouraram village last year for Rs 33 lakh. Victim slippers MPP chief TRS Mandal Praja Parishad president Immadi Gopi kicked a woman during an argument over a land dispute at Indalwai village in Nizamabad district on Sunday. Though the property was registered in the name of Raja-vvas, Mr Gopi did not vacate the house, and allegedly dema-nded `90 lakh for the property. The Rajavvas and their relatives came to Indalwai on Sunday and tried to possess their property. A heated argument took place, and the victim slapped Mr Gopi with a chappal. An enraged Gopi kicked the woman in the chest and she fell to the ground. The Indalwai police have registered a case and are investigating. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and three of his ministers have been protesting at the guest room at L-G's residence. (Photo: Twitter | @ArvindKejriwal) New Delhi: Delhi High Court today questioned on who authorised Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers to hold sit-in at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijals official residence. The court was hearing a petition against the week-long protest at the guest room of L-Gs house. "Thing is that you're sitting on a dharna. Who authorised them to sit on a dharna like this?" the court asked, adding, "This can't be called a strike. You can't go inside someone's office or house and hold a strike there." The court had a series of questions for Arvind Kejriwal: "Is this a personal decision or a cabinet decision? What is the point of sitting on strike there? Are they on strike the way trade unions go on strike? Has the Lieutenant Governor given permission?" When the Delhi government lawyer described it as "an individual decision", the High Court responded: "Is it authorised?" Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal and three of his ministers have been camping in protest since last Monday. The AAP leaders are demanding the Lt Governor's intervention to stop what they believe is a strike by the Delhi IAS officers Association. The Chief Minister has accused L-G Anil Baijal and the centre of backing the "strike" by the IAS bureaucrats. AAP says work has been suffering for the past four months since the officers won't meet ministers or attend their phone calls. Last on Sunday evening, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who has been on a hunger strike since Tuesday - a day after he started the sit-in with Kejriwal - was rushed to hospital after his health deteriorated. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is also on a hunger strike. On Sunday, a group of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers held a rare press briefing to deny AAP's allegations and express concerns about their security. They said they have been "targeted and victimised" for political gains. Read: All depts doing work, not on strike: Delhi IAS Association on AAP charges Arvind Kejriwal directly responded to the press conference by the IAS officers, assuring them security and seeking full cooperation. The Chief Minister also requested the bureaucrats to resume work at the earliest. Also Read: Delhi CM guarantees IAS officers security, asks them to return to work A separate plea was moved by Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta against the sit-in by Kejriwal at Lt Governor official residence. The matters are likely to be heard on June 22. The court said the association representing the IAS officers should also be made a party in the matter. Australias strategic priority on enhancing its submarine capability will be supported by Thales through major upgrades of the sonar systems on all six Collins class submarines. The A$230million contract with Thales is part of a A$542million project approved by the Australian Government for the upgrade of the Collins class sensor capabilities, the key to extending the life and the regional superiority of the Collins fleet. Australias strategic priority on enhancing its submarine capability will be supported by Thales through major upgrades of the sonar systems on all six Collins class submarines. The A$230million contract with Thales is part of a A$542million project approved by the Australian Government for the upgrade of the Collins class sensor capabilities, the key to extending the life and the regional superiority of the Collins fleet. The sonar upgrades are essential to extend the life of the Collins class submarines and maintain their regional superiority. ASC picture. Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins said the Collins sonar upgrades continued a 30 year history of support for the Collins program since the original transfer of sonar technology from France in the 1980s that formed the basis of the underwater systems business in Australia. It is critical that Australia maintain the highest levels of submarine capability from the Collins fleet until the Future Submarine enters service. The sonar systems are the eyes and ears of the submarines, and Thales will bring together the best underwater sensing technology from around the world to ensure the Collins remains a potent force Mr Jenkins said. Manufacturing and integration work will be carried out at Thaless underwater systems centre of excellence in Rydalmere, Western Sydney, supporting more than 140 jobs, including 50 people directly employed on the project. In an internationally collaborative program, the Collins legacy cylindrical array will be replaced with a Modular Cylindrical Array (MCA) based on Sonar 2076 submarine technology developed by Thales teams in the UK. The existing flank array will be replaced by the latest generation flank array from Thales teams in France. Thales will work with local industry including Raytheon Australia as the Combat System Integrator to deliver the upgrades for the six submarines integrating products from other Australian providers including Sonartech Atlas, and L3 Oceania. Thales is a key strategic partner of the Australian Defence Force and the Royal Australian Navy, and is Australias market leader in underwater systems, having supplied advanced sonar and minesweeping systems to naval and civil customers in Australia and overseas for more than three decades. France and Australia have collaborated closely on sonar systems for the Collins submarines since the start of the program more than 30 years ago. Thales teams based in France, UK and Australia have worked together as one team to master the sonar technology in Australia and to share know-how with one ambition: assure long term regional superiority for the Royal Australian Navy. Alexis Morel, Vice-President, Underwater Systems at Thales. Mumbai: Amid the tug of war between the AAP dispensation and Lieutenant Governor, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called up Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and apprised him about the situation in the national capital. Media advisor to Thackeray, Harshal Pradhan, said Kejriwal called Thackeray on Sunday. Uddhav ji feels that the duly-elected government by people of Delhi should be allowed to function sans any hindrance in its working, he said. This, however, does not amount to the Shiv Sena, a key NDA constituent, supporting Kejriwal and the AAP, Pradhan said, dismissing media reports in this connection. The AAP-led government is locked in a war with L-G Anil Baijal over administrative issues since a week. The AAP on Monday thanked the Shiv Sena and the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for supporting it against the unprecedented murder of democracy in Delhi. It is a true statesmanship to stand up for democracy keeping aside differences, AAP spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon said. The MNS had last week asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if it was not his job to resolve the deadlock between Kejriwal and bureaucrats which was causing inconvenience to people. Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party on Monday extended its support to the Delhi chief minister with a senior party leader saying, if needed, we will also sit on a dharna. Bengaluru: With disgruntled Congress legislators continuing to embarrass the JDS-Congress coalition government in Karnataka over Cabinet berths, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has appealed to Congress president, Rahul Gandhi to step in and quell the rebellion in his party. Mr Kumaraswamy, who was in Delhi to attend a Niti Ayog meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stayed back to meet Mr Gandhi and discuss the current political situation in the state with him, according to party sources . He is reported to have told him that the coalition government, that came to power over a month ago, was yet to take off due to an open rebellion by a section of legislators demanding Cabinet berths, and barring a couple of Ministers like deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwar, who was in charge of Bengaluru Development, a majority had still not got around to doing their job. Observing that senior leaders like M.B. Patil, H.K. Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, and Dr Sudhakar were openly rebelling, putting the coalition government in an awkward position, he is said to have noted that his intervention was not welcomed when he tried to pacify one of them. The corporation which was supposed to float tenders in January to hire new staff from April had put off the exercise. Hyderabad: As many as 3,000 outsourced employees with the GHMC were not paid salaries for three months, and it appears likely that they will face delays in the immediate future. The corporation which was supposed to float tenders in January to hire new staff from April had put off the exercise. The tenders have still not been floated. Taking the advantage of this, private agencies were not paying salaries to outsourcing staff working in the urban biodiversity, IT, and revenue wings. Highly placed sources said that GHMC officials were ignoring the instr-uctions of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who had asked for middlemen to be removed from the process of paying salaries to outsourcing staff. Mr Rao, while regularising outsourcing staff in the electricity department, has asked all governments departments to remove private agencies and directly deposit salaries into the bank accounts of outsourcing employees. Sources said that if the contract of the private agency was to end in March, the corporation should have float tenders in January and finalised them so that the new staff could continue the work from April 1. Corporation staff, allegedly in connivance with private agencies, have violated the norms. A senior official said that in the case of 18,000 sanitation workers, the salaries were paid directly into their accounts. He said 18 private agencies who have been paying salaries to 4,000 security personnel had been indulging in irregularities and GHMC officials were co-operating with them. The GHMC official said the corporation would collect the details of the agencies and blacklist them if found guilty. He admitted that the corporation had not called tenders but had given extensions which would end by June. Even though three months salaries were cleared on Friday, the release of salaries for the next three months will be delayed since the GHMC is yet to float the tenders, he said. When asked about the issue, Mayor Bonthu Rammohan said that a thorough investigation woul;d be taken up and action taken on those found guilty. The government has instructed nurseries to grow saplings of fruit-bearing plants or procure them from other states and horticulture hubs. Hyderabad: The state governments forest department has found an alternative way to keep monkeys away from urban residential spaces. Following several complaints by citizens that monkeys are entering urban habitats in search of food, the state government has decided to plant fruit bearing trees in large numbers all along the highways and in forest lines that fall on the fringes of urban pockets. The government intends to plant 20 forest fruit species such as neredu (java plum), seetha-phal (custard apple), ippa (mahua), usiri (amala), medi (cluster fig) maredu (Indian Bael) chinta (tamarind) and velaga (wood apple). Ms Priyanka Varghese, officer on special duty at the Chief Ministers Office (CMO) office and incharge of Haritha Haram, told this newspaper that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao wanted 50 per cent of all saplings planted during Haritha Haram this year to be fruit-bearing trees. The fourth spell of Haritha Haram likely to start from the second week of July is focused on preventing monkey menace. It has been observed that monkeys enter urban areas because of habitat loss, and attack people in search of food. Besides, farmers face crop loss due to monkeys. We are now focusing on fruit-bearing plants. Fruit-bearing trees were planted during 2017-18 but the number would be high this year, Ms Varghese said. The government has instructed nurseries to grow saplings of fruit-bearing plants or procure them from other states and horticulture hubs. The move to plant fruit trees may not provide immediate relief as it takes two to three years for them to bear fruits. Hyderabad: The company that Chief Ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao and N. Chandrababu Naidu chose to keep at the venue of the Niti Aayog general council meeting in Delhi on Sunday seems to be a pointer to their future political stand. While Mr Rao stood with BJP and NDA chief ministers, Mr Naidu was with the anti-BJP Chief Ministers. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered the hall, Mr Rao stood with BJP Chief Ministers Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), and Nitish Kumar (the BJPs Bihar ally). Mr Naidu stood with West Bengals Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Karnatakas H.D. Kumaraswamy and Keralas Pinarayi Vijayan, all opposed to the BJP. Mr Rao, who stayed in Delhi for four days, did not try to meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who has been protesting at the Lieutenant Governors residence, nor showed his solidarity despite being a proponent of the Federal Front of which Mr Kejriwal could be a likely supporter. Other non-BJP and non-Congress Chief Ministers did extend their support to Mr Kejriwal and also brought up the issue with the Prime Minister during the meeting. Political circles are surprised that Mr Rao who proposed the alternative Federal Front and sought the support of Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata and then went to Bengaluru before the Karnataka Assembly elections to meet and endorse the Janata Dal (S), did not meet either leader in Delhi. Two days before, Mr Rao had a one hour meeting with the Prime Minister and political pundits surmise that Mr Rao may have been influenced by the Prime Minister. What makes matters difficult for Mr Rao is that at the national level several regional parties are joining hands with the Congress to fight the BJP in the next general election. But with the Congress his main political rival in the state, Mr Rao will be unlikely to endorse any formation that contains the Congress and the Federal Front may not take off as a consequence. HYDERABAD: MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has received threats from some social media accounts that reportedly issued death threats to Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bhukari, who was killed last week. Mr Owaisi is facing criticism for his refusal to accept the UN report on alleged human rights violations in Kashmir. Mr Syed Abdul Kashaf, MIM social media head, said he had taken the issue to the notice of Twitter India, which had suspended the accounts. The AIMIM on Monday said its chief Asaduddin Owaisi has received death threats over his criticism of a United Nations report, which sought to indict India over alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. The threats were issued from some social media accounts, which were used to threat Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bhukari. The journalist was killed in Kashmir last week. Syed Abdul Kashaf, the AIMIM social media head, said he had brought the issue to the notice of the Twitter India, which later suspended those accounts and blocked the tweets. The threats, according to Mr Kashaf, were made from twitter handles like @projectkashmir @im_ kashour @shoukatnanda @npOwernajeeb, @kashur govbalai. He urged Twitter India to check if the accounts are fake or based in Rawalpindi, Sopore or Delhi. The twitter account @projectkashmir has several anti-Owaisi posts including the newspaper clippings and videos. Another twitter handle said, Dear Asaduddin Owasi, good that youve shed your cloak of being a friend of Kashmir and Kashmiris. From now on, for us, you are no better than a Modi or a Shah. Hyderabad commissioner, Anjani Kumar said they had come to know about the threats and they are taking all measures to ensure his safety. Meanwhile, Mr Owaisi said that there has never been a Muslim vote bank. Reacting to the remarks of minorities minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Mr the AIMIM chief said: It is a fact that there has never been a Muslim vote bank. The Muslims have always been deceived by saying you have a vote bank. Both parties (BJP and Congress) are now hankering for the Hindu vote bank. Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, a close associate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the latter was Gujarat chief minister, has created a flutter when she declared him unmarried at an official event in a Madhya Pradesh village on Sunday. A video clip covering her programme at an anganwadi centre in Timari in Harda district went viral on Monday, causing discomfiture in ruling BJP here. She was heard saying the local anganwadi workers gathered on the occasion that Mr Modi has still not married. Unhone (PM) vivah nahin kiya hai yeh to pata hai naa aapko, Narendrabhai ne shaadi nahin ki hai (You know, he has not married. Narendrabhai is unmarried), she was heard telling them in the clip. An onlooker had apparently taken the video in his cellphone camera. She added that Mr Modi understood the problems of women and children pre and post-childbirth, despite being unmarried. She was flanked by local MLA Sanjay Shah at the programme. Later, she visited the local hospital where she distributed nutritious food and fruits to mothers and children there. She asked the doctors to take effective measures to combat malnutrition among the children. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has mentioned his marital status as married to Jasodaben in the election affidavit filed during 2014 Parliamentary elections. Opposition Congress has often raised the issue of his marital status in public apparently to embarrass him. The apparent faux pas committed by the governor has become a matter of intense discussion in the political circle here, particularly the ruling BJP. HYDERABAD: A technical error has caused 150 UG medical seats from Telangana to go missing from the list released by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), which shows the All India Quota (AIQ) of seats that are to be followed by candidates who wish to apply for the first round of counselling. The disappearance has upset parents and students from the state. As per rules set by the MCC, Candidates of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will be eligible for participation against the 15% All India Quota seats. However, the lack of 150 seats from the quota which has 180 seats in total has shocked students. NEET aspirants have been compelled to exercise their web option in the listed colleges for the first counselling which will conclude on June 19 and the option is for those students applying under the 15% all India quota. Out of the seven government medical colleges in the state, only Gandhi and ESI appeared on the list whereas Osmania, Kakatiya, the medical colleges at Nizamabad, Mahbubnagar, Adilabad and the newly opened college at Siddipet did not feature on the list. Officials have reassured students that they will appear in the second list. The government medical college in Siddipet received permission from the Medical Council of India in January 2018 for a period of one year which will be renewed on a yearly basis. Dr Ramesh Reddy, the director of medical education, Telangana, told this newspaper, This is the first time Telangana is appearing in the national pool for UG seats. Each medical college is supposed to receive an individual password from the centre for uploading the percentage of seats available. However, it was not provided despite our colleges asking for the same repeatedly. While conducting PG counselling a few months back, the same was given. He further stated that Gandhi featured on the list because they used the password given to them during PG counselling but when other colleges tried to do the same, they couldnt login so perhaps Gandhis password was not changed due to an oversight of the concerned office. The director of medical education and the superintendent of Osmania Hospital will fly to Delhi on Tuesday to ensure that the seats appear in the second list, as per the state health ministers instructions. Students and parents have been asked not to panic because the sliding provision is in place wherein the students can opt for the seats during the second round of counselling, if they desire to. Dr B. Karunakar Reddy, the VC of Kaloji Narayana Rao Institute of Health Sciences says, These seats are from the 15 per cent national quota. The rest of the seats will be filled by the state. Students need not panic as they can submit fresh options in the second round of counselling. Students allotted seats in the first round will not be stopped from doing so. The second round of counselling will begin on July 3. Only 195 government medical colleges have featured in the list across the country instead of 225 colleges. Out of the 30 colleges missing in the list, six are in Telangana and two in AP. Anantapuram Government Medical College and Ongole RIMS are missing from the AP list. The names of the colleges will definitely appear on the second list and the meritorious students can then exercise their options again, says Dr Karunakar. Weddings are supposed to be fun for everyone, including the Earth. Here's everything you need to know to have your own zero waste wedding. Hyderabad: Commissioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, B. Janardhan Reddy, has directed deputy commissioners and the assistant medical officer of health (AMOH) to ensure that reusable plates and glasses are now used in all functions like weddings in places rented for the purpose in the city. He has told each of the officials to adopt function halls in their jurisdictions for a week to make sure of zero waste weddings. During an interaction with the owners of these halls, the GHMC chief asked them to use steel plates and glasses, cloth napkins and jute bags and to ensure there are composting units in the premises. The commissioner has also appealed to citizens to minimise the use of plastic materials like flexies and decorations. He wants businesses, RWAs, and NGOs to join hands with the GHMC to enforce the ban on plastic as a corporate social responsibility (CSR). He asked them to donate steel crockery and cutlery to the 4,000 functional halls in GHMC limits. Reusabale plates, glasses not hygienic Even though the GHMC considers banning plastic in city hotels and function halls a noble move, residents said that shifting to reusable plates and glasses would more dangerous. They claimed that staff at most function halls and hotels do not wash plates and glasses well. Apart from being unhygienic, it is also unpalatable to be served food on a plate that is greasy. Mr S. Kiran Babu, an employee of a private firm said, In most of the function halls and hotels, the kitchen and wash area are dirty. They use the same water for multiple utensils. It would be better if the GHMC looked into this angle as well. Mr M. Manoj Kumar, who has worked in a function hall in Musheerabad, said that quite often staff to in the washing section just pour water to wash multiple vessels. If single-use plastics are banned, it will become a herculean task to wash several untensils with the available water. If the corporation is sincere in their effort to ban plastic it should ban the manufacturing units first, Mr Kumar said. This newspaper reporter tried to contact Mayor Bonthu Rammohan and GHMC commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy to ask them about the concerns expressed by citizens, but they were unavailable. Additional commissioner Shruthi Ojha refused to comment. Hyderabad: Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal says that the AP Reorganisation Act does not call for a separate railway zone to be established for Andhra Pradesh. It only says the feasibility of such a zone should be studied. It seems from his comments that the central government is not willing to create a separate railway zone headquartered in Vizag. Speaking to the media on Monday in Delhi Mr Goyal said, I ask those who are demanding a separate railway zone for AP to study the AP Reorganisation Act. The act did not say to establish a separate railway zone for AP; it only mentioned the feasibility of creating a separate railway zone. He said, The act said to study the feasibility, the issue is with the railway ministry; I am also still studying it. He said this had been explained in Parliament too. The people of AP, particularly of the north coastal district, are agitating for a separate railway zone with Vizag as the headquarters. AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has taken up this issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers. In the NITI Aayog meeting held on Sunday in Delhi, too, Mr Naidu mentioned this matter in his speech. At first the centre said that the Odisha government is not agreeable to a separate railway zone for AP, but the Odisha government clarified that it has no objection. So later the central government said it was studying the matter and has been doing so for the last four years. Khammam: Though there is no clarity on their alliance, field level cadre of the Telugu Desam in Khammam district have commenced parleys with the Congress to defeat TRS-backed candidates in the panchayat elections next month. The panchayat elections are non-party based, but parties support candidates and their political affiliations are well known. Former MP Nama Nageswara Rao addressed a party meeting for Khammam Rural mandal and asked the cadre for their opinion over the possible alliance for the 2019 elections. Seven out of ten TD activists wanted to sail with the Congress. A party worker said, The TRS tried to vanquish the Telugu Desam in Telangana and it took away many of our leaders. We should defeat the TRS by hook or by crook. Further, cases being filed against TD cadre in various villages have irked the party cadre. Besides, Telugu Desam cadre are being ignored in government-sponsored welfare schemes. Local Congress and Telugu Desam leaders took the initiative and started discussions on how they can face the TRS in the local body elections. Sources said they met in Kusumanchi, a mandal headquarter town in Palair Assembly segment represented by road and buildings minister T. Nageswara Rao. Many second-rung TD leaders joined the TRS after Mr Nageswara Rao became minister. This angered the loyalist TD cadre who are not willing to move out, and are ready to sail with the Congress. The common point uniting the ground level leaders of both parties is the anti-establishment factor. Congress workers are angry with the TRS, and the signals coming from the TD are welcome. Kusumanchi-style meetings are being witnessed in many villages in the district. Mr Nageswara Rao said, We hinted to the cadre that the TD will go with an alliance in Telangana. Our options are open. The party will decide with whom to have the alliance. These leaders are going in favour of the Congress at the ground level which is very surprising for us. Three women were rescued from the men and six cell phones and cash worth Rs 11,400 was seized from the organiser. Hyderabad: A High Court advocate who was seeking pleasure at an illegal cross gender massage parlour was arrested along with the organiser, receptionist and a customer in a raid conducted by the Central Zone Task Force team and Narayanguda police on Sunday. The teams conducted a raid at Splash Beauty Salon and Spa in Narayanguda. The organiser, Garika Santosh, 23, and the receptionist were arranging cross massages for customers, including the High Court advocate, Gopinath Lakineni, police said. Three women were rescued from the men and six cell phones and cash worth Rs 11,400 was seized from the organiser. Radha Reddy started the place in 2015, by paying a rent of Rs 40,000 per month. She already has three criminal cases registered against her. For the last six months her son-in-law, Santhosh took over the business as he could not crack the UPSC selections due to a pending criminal case, said the DCP, Commissioners Task Force, P. Radha Krishna Rao. The accused were handed over to the Narayanaguda police. The family members and relatives, who launched a search for the girl, found her slippers and bicycle near an agricultural well on the outskirts of the village. Hyderabad: A 13-year-old Class-IX student, who reportedly went missing earlier, was found dead under suspicious circumstance near Jabithapur of Jagtial on Monday. The family members and relatives, who launched a search for the girl, found her slippers and bicycle near an agricultural well on the outskirts of the village. The body of the girl was found nearby. The girl, Bandari Vaishnavi, 13, a local school student went missing in the morning. Family members and relatives launched a search and found her slippers and bicycle near a well and her body was lying nearby, police said. It has not been established if the girl committed suicide or was killed. The police registered a case and the body has been sent for post-mortem. Chennai: AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakarans loyalist Thanga Tamilselvan who has announced that he is quitting his MLAs post to face a fresh poll, has called upon the remaining 17 persons who have been disqualified along with him, to resign and join hands with him in seeking peoples mandate. Justifying his appeal, which comes a day after Dhinakaran denied disunity in his party and claimed that all the 18 members were with him, Tamilselvan reiterated that he had lost faith in the judiciary, especially after the split verdict was delivered in the MLA disqualification case. Its my opinion that all of us (disqualified by TN Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal for rebelling against Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami last year) should together seek fresh mandate from the people after resigning our MLAs post. Then the entire world will look at us. We will get good results (in elections), he said and claimed this was the only solution as the court has not given a clear-cut judgment. Asked if his call to other members to face polls again amount to rebelling against Mr Dhinakaran, Tamilselvan who was in his constituency Andipatti on Sunday, shot back, what is wrong in going my way? He (Mr Dhinakaran) had asked me to decide and proceed and that is exactly what I am doing (now). Hence, the question of disunity or rebellion in the party does not arise. On Saturday, State Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar took pot shots at Mr Dhinakaran who justified Thanga Tamilselvans decision to re-contest in Andipatti, saying he (Dhinakaran) is gauging the depth before taking the plunge. Claiming that there was nothing wrong in contesting again, Mr Dhinakaran had said seeking to get elected on pressure cooker symbol, would provide his group an opportunity to prove that they are the real followers of Amma (late CM J.Jayalalithaa). The former legislator said his decision was prompted by the fact that his Andipatti 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 peoples issues to be highlighted in the Assembly. I am ready to perform the democratic duties in the House. And I am ready to face by-poll, he said. Meanwhile, former TN Assembly Speaker Sedapatti R. Muthiah claimed that it might not be a smooth take off for Thanga Tamilselvan nor would the Speaker be in a comfortable position to rescind his disqualification order. Tamilselvan claims that he would withdraw the case (he filed challenging the disqualification). Which court would he approach for this now? Secondly, there are many technicalities involved in this case. The Speaker cannot revoke his order so easily, Mr. Muthiah told a Tamil television news channel. There could be a likelihood of revoking the order only if AIADMK pardons all rebel members, readmits them into the party and appeals to the Speaker to withdraw the disqualification order. But this is unlikely, Mr Muthiah said and added much would also depend on the verdict to be pronounced by a third judge to whom the split verdict has been referred to. Chennai: Terming the Dam Safety Bill as an attack on State autonomy,DMK working president M.K. Stalin has urged the Centre to immediately withdraw the Bill, contending that it is the state government's duty to ensure safety of dams and the people. He also called upon the AIADMK government to pass a resolution in the TN Assembly insisting that the State will take the responsibility of safety of its dams. The resolution should tell the Centre that the current Dam Safety Bill is unnecessary and the same should be sent to the Union government, he said and asked the BJP-led government at the Centre to stop its confrontational attitude with states and refrain from such moves, to ensure cordial Central-State relationship. His demand comes close on the heels of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to keep the bill in abeyance, till all States were consulted and consensus evolved on the subject. Last week, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal for enacting the Dam Safety Bill 2018, aiming to ensure the states and union territories adopt uniform safety procedures for safety of reservoirs. It provides for establishment of National Dam Safety Authority as a regulatory body which shall discharge functions to implement the policy, guidelines and standards for dam safety in the country. It also provides for constitution of a State Committee on Dam Safety by the State governments. The provisions of the Bill also lay onus of dam safety on the owner and provides for penal provisions for commission and omission of certain acts. Strongly opposing the Union Cabinet's approval to the Bill, he charged the BJP government with launching yet another attack on the autonomy of the States. The matter came under the State List he said and wondered how a proposed agency in Delhi could oversee the safety of a dam in Tamil Nadu. In a statement here on Sunday Stalin recalled that a similar effort was made in 1987 but the draft bill then faced stiff resistance as it amounted to snatching away state governments rights. Referring to the bill that was moved in the Lok Sabha in 2010 during the UPA regime, he said it was referred to a Standing Committee following opposition. Also, the draft provided a choice to State government, allowing it to pass an Assembly resolution over dam safety. But this clause of choice is missing now, he alleged and accused the Centre of trying to do away with a right in the state list. Chennai: Claiming that the Tamil Nadu government's decision to ban the use of plastics in the State has evoked good response from various sections, State Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar has emphasised the need to create awareness among the people to ensure a plastic-free State. Though there are laws to deal with pollution norms violations, the government's policy decision to ban the use of plastics in Tamil Nadu will yield complete result if the people are made aware of the hazards of environmental pollution, Mr. Jayakumar said on Sunday. Speaking to reporters after participating in an awareness programme held under the aegis of fishermen associations of Chennai and Tiruvallur, the Minister said it is not just the land where we live, but the sea too is getting polluted due to the dumping of bio-non-degradable waste. Pollution in sea affects marine life and this in turn affects humans. If we want to do good for posterity, then we should all join hands and prevent environment pollution and mindless use of plastics, he said. Asked to explain about how the government would enforce total ban from January 1, 2019, he replied, modalities are being worked out. The government would soon come out the list of biodegradable items that could be used. Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu who attended the 4th Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog in Delhi on Sunday reiterated the demand of according Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh and accused the Union government of misleading the people of India on the issue. He ignored the agenda of the meeting and used the opportunity to raise issues concerning the state in an attempt to muster support from other states. During his 20-minute speech, which was interrupted briefly by home minister Rajnath Singh for exceeding the allotted time of seven minutes, Mr Naidu said, The Union Government attempted to mislead by announcing Special Assistance Measure in lieu of Special Category Status citing that the 14th Finance Commission had done away with the provisions of the Special Category Status. Former PM, as a condition to passing the AP Reorganisation Bill, assured to accord Special Category Status. The election manifesto of BJP, for AP, assured Special Category Status for 10 years. Andhra Pradesh feels resentful due to breach of promise made to its people. The opposition's combined strength in the upper house including the erstwhile BJP-ally TDP has 117 votes. (Photo: File | Representational) New Delhi: With three regional parties BJD, TRS and YSRCP holding the key to the election of Rajya Sabha's deputy chairman, both the ruling NDA and the opposition parties are trying to woo them. The opposition's combined strength in the upper house including the erstwhile BJP-ally TDP has 117 votes. But the winning candidate will require 122 votes in the 245-member house. The BJP, which is the single largest party in the Upper House has the support of 106 members, including that of 14 AIADMK members. According to sources, TMC's leader Derek O'Brien is trying to build consensus to field a non-congress, but Congress-backed candidate from the opposition. The names of TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and BJD leader Prasanna Acharya are doing the rounds for the post. The BJD with 9 members in the upper house, however, has been maintaining equal distance from both the BJP and the Congress and is yet to decide which way to go. Similarly, the other two parties - TRS with 6 members and the YSRCP with two members - are yet to open their cards on this crucial election which is seen as a test of the opposition's unity. According to sources on both sides, the 17 members from these three parties will be deciding factor in electing the next deputy chairman. The floor managers of the ruling party are also in touch with these three parties, as all of them had supported the BJP during the presidential election in 2017. The BJD later, however, had extended its support to the Congress candidate for the Vice-President post. Bengaluru: Except for a verbal duel between workers of JD(S) and Congress, the by-election to the Binnypet ward (number 121) went on smoothly on Monday. The election to the ward falling under the Govindaraja Nagar assembly constituency was necessitated by the death of corporator Mahadevamma Nagaraj in January. Though industries in Binnypet had declared a holiday on Monday, the ward had recorded only 26.47 per cent polling till 3 pm. Srividya Shashikumar from the Congress, Chamundeshwari from the BJP and Aishwarya B.N. from the JD(S) are in the fray. Aishwarya, daughter of deceased corporator Mahadevamma, was picked by the JD(S) after she was denied a ticket by the Congress. After casting her vote along with her family at S.M. English School, she said that she is banking on the good work of her mother. She was confident that the people would bless her. Congress candidate Srividya couldn't cast her vote as she is a resident of Kempapura Agrahara ward (No. 122). Votes will be counted on Wednesday at the Home Science College. JD(S), Cong workers clash A fight broke out between Congress and JD(S) workers, at Binnypet ward under the Govindaraja Nagar assembly constituency, where a by-election was held on Monday. The fracas scared residents, who refused to vote. The fight started after am allegation that JD(S) candidate Aishwaya's father Nagaraj assaulted a Congressman, Sudhakar. Around 11 pm on Sunday, JD(S) workers allegedly assaulted Sudhakar, a close aide of Shashikumar Congress candidate Srividyas husband, for allegedly bribing voters. Sudhakar filed a complaint at K.P. Agrahara police station against JD(S) workers, alleging assault with iron rods and canes. He has been admitted to a private hospital with injuries on his right eye and left ear. Police said the fight broke out on Monday morning with both alleging that the money was being distributed to voters. As the fight escalated, the police rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd. Around the world, the democratic process based on free, fair and transparent elections is under threat. Charges of gerrymandering the redrawing of electoral boundaries to the advantage of the party in power are rife. Countries like Russia have been accused of influencing the 2017 presidential election in the US a bit rich coming from a country that has meddled in elections around the world for years. Outright rigging is hardly unknown. And even when some leaders are elected fairly, they use the state-controlled media and judiciary to ensure their victory in the next election. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian President from 2005 to 2013, was re-elected in 2009 amidst widespread protests over rigging that saw dozens killed and hundreds arrested. Having completed two terms, Ahmadinejad was barred by the Guardian Council from contesting the 2017 poll won by Hasan Rouhani in a landslide. In an ironic turnaround, the ex-President wrote to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei: An immediate and essential need is the holding of quick and free elections for the presidency and Parliament, of course without the engineering of the Guardian Council and interference of military and security institutions, so the people have the right to choose. For us in Pakistan, all this sounds very familiar. But conveniently, Ahmadinejad forgets his governments crackdown on anti-rigging protesters. In Turkey, crucial parliamentary elections that could shape the countrys direction for years to come are due on June 24. Erdogan has used the judiciary and media to create an environment conducive to the ruling AKP victory. Many parliamentarians and activists from a party linked to the Kurds have been arrested. In last years referendum on changing Turkeys Constitution to make it a presidential rather than a parliamentary system, there were accusations of fraud. Given the resources of the Turkish state, an outright victory for Erdogan is on the cards, avoiding the unpredictability of a second round of voting. Although Donald Trump is in the White House, a special prosecutor continues his probe into possible links between the Trump campaign and Russian individuals and institutions. Mark Zuckerberg recently testified before a congressional committee that grilled him over Facebooks role in carrying fake news through accounts apparently created by Russian entities. But America has lived through many rigged elections. The most unsavoury one was the presidential election of 2000 when Al Gore defeated George W. Bush by a million votes. But in the US, it is the electoral college that determines the next President, and in 2000, it was all down to Florida where Jeb Bush, George Ws brother, was governor. The vote was so close that the state electoral authority ordered a recount. This decision was overruled by the supreme court, and we still dont know in which column the 537 uncounted votes would have been recorded. Bushs victory gave us the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the war on terror. Islamist groups have been arguing for years that elections should be boycotted. They claimed justification when the Muslim Brotherhood won the Egyptian poll under the banner of the Freedom and Justice party in 2012, and formed a coalition government, only to see it toppled by Gen. Sisi. In 2014, Gen. Sisi won the presidential election, garnering over 95 per cent of the votes. In the early 1990s, an Islamist party was poised to win the polls in Algeria, but the Army-dominated government cancelled the poll, triggering a decade of civil war that saw thousands dead. In both Egypt and Algeria, the Islamists were proved right in their denunciation of electoral politics. The other side of the argument is that once a religious party is in power, it decides it needs to stay as it is doing Gods work. In Iran, where elections are held regularly, the Guardian Council vets each candidate to ensure that he is a good Muslim with a sound character. Thus, the religious hierarchy created by Ayatollah Khomeni remains intact. Joseph Stalin famously said: It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything. Despite this view, fair elections are still possible. I was in Sri Lanka in 2016 when snap polls were called by the then President Mahinda Rajapakse on the advice of his soothsayer. I was sure that given his familys stake in remaining in power, he would rig the election, but it was free and fair, and the incumbent lost. To ensure this surprise outcome, activists from Opposition parties kept an eye on each polling station, their mobile phones cameras at the ready. They then followed the ballot boxes to the local counting stations. Their presence caused polling staff to go by the book. Is there a lesson here for Pakistan? By arrangement with Dawn The needling and paralysing of the elected Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi by the Centre, using as cats paw lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal, who seems to have thrown constitutional propriety to the winds in almost instigating the NCTs top bureaucracy to challenge the political executive, has now gone way beyond Delhi. The unusual goings-on have helped strengthen the process of the non-Congress Opposition coming into its own, with the Congress, which attacks the AAP government across the board even at the risk of not differentiating its stand from the BJP, watching the political play from the sidelines. This was evident from Saturdays failed effort, which was nationally publicised, by four chief ministers of different parties former NDA leader N. Chandrababu Naidu, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress ally H.D. Kumaraswamy to meet Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who has been camping at Raj Niwas for the past week along with his Cabinet colleagues to get an appointment with the L-G. While its extraordinary the L-G should refuse to meet his own CM to discuss governance issues in the nations capital, the L-G continued to wear the cloak of brief authority to deny the visiting CMs permission to meet the Delhi CM. This sequence of events was Kafkaesque. Raising their game, the four CMs used the Niti Aayogs forum on Sunday to accost Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh on the curious goings-on in the governance of Delhi even as the PM passes up no opportunity to proclaim his devotion to cooperative federalism. This unfolded as the AAP staged a loud protest march in Delhi to condemn the Centres attitude. On the same day, pettyfogging bureaucrats, under the banner of an IAS Officers Forum, affronted the political executive by holding a press conference to suggest that the Delhi CM and his colleagues were playing politics on the backs of civil servants. Somewhere, Mr Baijal will be required to answer for this, and those involved with the press conference be made to confront their conduct rules and be held responsible for dereliction of duty, if necessary. If Mr Baijal, in effect, is taking shelter behind the constitutionally unusual position of Delhi as a UT (whose overlordship does lie with the Centre in the constitutional scheme) to dance to the tune of the ruling party, it hardly behoves him to pit serving civil servants against the very government they are meant to serve. (At their press meet, the IAS officers offered nothing but a drain inspectors report to belabour the point that they are not on strike, although they hold a five-minute protest against the elected executive during the lunch hour). The non-Congress Opposition has raised its profile, and the Congress is missing the woods for the trees, as the Centre provokes a revolt of bureaucrats against the elected Delhi government. The more the world is connected and resembles a global village, more obstacles seem to come up to peoples movements. Immigration is the hottest topic of the developed world, which is waking up to a new form of insularity. Its not just America thats shutting its doors on its once-welcoming immigration policies. Britain has excluded Indian students from a new list of low risk countries, even while making it easier for doctors and nurses to enter to bolster its struggling National Health Service. The discrimination is clear. The UK is ready to forego economic benefits for its own university system, but welcomes professionals in the health and IT sectors. It may be driven by national priorities, but its a disservice to Indian students who not only flourished in UK academics over a century, but many also later served that country. The fate of three lakh Indian immigrants and their dependents, about the same number, was rendered considerably worse from the depredations of Donald Trumps new immigration controls. It could take many Indians 150 years to get the coveted green card, while those with the highest skills may get it within six years. Again, the policies are skewed in favour of skill sets the host country seeks. While we cannot be pushy on immigration issues, we will do well to read the warning signs of an insular world looming, and focus on improving our own ecosystem for not only highly-skilled workers but other professionals too, and make it more attractive for students to pursue higher studies in India. This may be a tall order, but a proud nation must make room for its own kind to flourish at home. Talks between the Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samiti (Tudum Debba), representing the Gond and other adivasis of the erstwhile Adilabad district, and the Telangana government failed a few weeks ago. Following this, the Tudum Debba leaders said they would begin their self-rule campaign in their villages from June 1 as they had announced earlier. They are only following what the adivasis of Jharkhand have already put in motion. The Munda adivasis have begun Pathalgadi, literally erecting a stone as a mode of protest against the state governments alleged anti-tribal policies, and to draw the attention of the community towards the rights of the tribals under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, and the supremacy of the gram sabha or village council. As a result of the movement, huge stone slabs inscribed with details of constitutional provisions and laws that safeguard the rights of tribals over land, forests and other natural resources in Fifth Schedule areas, written in Hindi and Mundari languages, have been erected in over 300 villages across five districts in Jharkhand. The entry of local minions of the government has been severely curtailed. Typically, this is being seen as a law and order problem without seeking to understand the reasons behind it. The migration of non-tribals is a long story. Way back in 1945, the revenue department of the Nizams government in Hyderabad commissioned Austrian anthropologist Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf to study the condition of tribals in the state and make appropriate policy recommendations. The four studies of the tribal groups in the northern areas of Hyderabad narrate how in the settled villages of the tribal areas outsiders owned most of the land under cultivation. A typical instance is the Koya (Gond) village of Ragleyanguda in Yellandu taluq. The total area under cultivation here was 1,616 acres. Of a Koya population of 254, there were only five Koya pattadars who together owned 24 acres. It is the same story today and the adivasi has been pushed further into the remaining jungle or into menial existence, while the land has been appropriated by settlers. They are now the majority in only a fraction of their original homelands. The Gonds of Telangana effectively lost their only advantage in trying to protect their lands when the Banjara, a group of nomadic cattle herders that had been settling in Gond territory, were classified as a Scheduled Tribe in 1977. Their newly-acquired tribal status made the Banjara, also known as Lambadi in Andhra, eligible to acquire Gond land legally and to compete with Gonds for reserved political seats, places in educational institutions, and other benefits. As the Banjara are not scheduled in neighboring Maharashtra, there has been an influx of Banjara emigrants from that state into Andhra Pradesh in search of better opportunities. Unlike the Gonds who are adivasis, the Lambadas are Indo-Aryan tribals. The cornering of most benefits by the Banjara has further alienated the older adivasis like the Gonds and Chenchus. The Banjara, who originally were from western Rajasthan, are well represented in the Telangana Assembly and in have a predominant share of government jobs reserved for Scheduled Tribes. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was reputed to be particularly fond of the Banjara and was frequently photographed in their traditional brightly-colored costume of phetiya (skirt) and kanchalli (blouse). Their dresses are embellished with mirror chips and coins. Banjara women also wear thick bangles. Their other ornaments are made of silver rings, coins, chain and hair pleats are tied together at the end by tassels called chotla. All this makes for an attractive picture. Tribal people 8.2 per cent of Indias population. They are spread over all of Indias states and Union territories. They can be broadly classified into three groups. The first comprises populations who predate the Indo-Aryan migrations. These are termed by many anthropologists as the Austro-Asiatic-speaking Australoid people. Late Prof. Nihar Ranjan Ray, one of our most distinguished historians, described the central Indian adivasis as the original autochthonous people of India, meaning that their presence in India pre-dated by far the Dravidians, the Aryans and whoever else settled in this country. The Central Indian adivasis belong to this group. The other two major groups are the Caucasoid and Sino-Tibetan or Mongoloid tribal people of the Himalayan and northeastern regions who migrated at later periods. Clearly all Scheduled Tribes are not adivasis. Unlike adivasis, the other two broad tribal groups have fared better in the post-Independence period. Within them some, like the Meenas and Gujjars of Rajasthan, and Khasis of Meghalaya, have done exceptionally well, which should make us wonder if they should be eligible to claim benefits as Scheduled Tribes any more? It is with good reason that the Gond adivasis of Telangana are aggrieved with all ST reservation benefits almost entirely flowing to the Indo-Aryan Lambada tribals. They now want the Lambadas to be derecognised as STs and all Lambada government employees in adivasi areas such as teachers, forest guards and policemen withdrawn as they see them as usurpers and a manifestation of their exploitation and denial of what was promised in the Constitution. We all now know very well that big government in the absence of a responsive nervous system actually means little government, and whatever little interaction the people at the bottom have with the state is usually a none too happy one. Most tribal villages and settlements have no access to schools and medical care. Very few are connected with all-weather roads. Perish the thought of electricity, though all the coal and most of the hydel projects to generate electricity are in the tribal regions. The forests have been pillaged and the virgin forests thick with giant teak and sal trees are things of the past. At the national level, 45.86 per cent of all adivasis live below the poverty line. The Fifth and Sixth Schedules under Article 244 of the Indian Constitution in 1950 provided for self-governance in specified tribal-majority areas. The Fifth Schedule provides for the administration and control of tribal lands (termed scheduled areas) within nine states of India. The Fifth Schedule provides protection to adivasi (tribal) people living in scheduled areas from alienation of their lands and natural resources to non-tribals. Governors have been endowed with certain special powers with regard to Fifth Schedule areas. The judicious use of the provisions enshrined in the Fifth Schedule will certainly make a very positive impact on tribals living in these regions. Under the powers conferred by the Fifth Schedule, the governors can not only direct that any particular law or part thereof not apply to a Scheduled Area, but they can also make regulations for good governance and peace in these areas. The governors can intervene in areas relating to prohibition or restriction of the transfer of land by or among Scheduled Tribe members; regulation of allotment of land in such areas; and the regulation of money-lending activities. The governors have basically been given legislative powers to make regulations for the peace and good government of any area which is a scheduled area. These are words of very wide import and give wide discretion to the governors to make laws for this purpose. However, without exception, the governors have failed to discharge their duties and fulfil their responsibilities. Google's investment could help JD.com expand beyond its base in China and Southeast Asia and establish a meaningful presence in U.S. and European markets. Google will invest $550 million in Chinese e-commerce powerhouse JD.com, part of the U.S. internet giants efforts to expand its presence in fast-growing Asian markets and battle rivals including Amazon.com. The two companies described the investment as one piece of a broader partnership that will include the promotion of JD.com products on Googles shopping service. This could help JD.com expand beyond its base in China and Southeast Asia and establish a meaningful presence in U.S. and European markets. Company officials said the agreement initially would not involve any major new Google initiatives in China, where the companys main services are blocked over its refusal to censor search results in line with local laws. JD.coms investors include Chinese social media powerhouse Tencent Holdings Ltd, the arch-rival of Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, and Walmart Inc. Google is stepping up its investments across Asia, where a rapidly growing middle class and a lack of infrastructure in retail, finance and other areas have made it a battleground for U.S. and Chinese internet giants. Google recently took a stake in Indonesian ride-hailing firm Go-Jek, and sources have told Reuters that it may also invest in Indian e-commerce upstart Flipkart. Google declined to comment on the rumoured Flipkart deal. The JD.com investment is being made by the operating unit of Google rather than one of parent company Alphabets investment vehicles. Google will get 27.1 million newly issued JD.com Class A ordinary shares as part of the deal. This will give them less than a 1 percent stake in JD, a spokesman for JD said. For JD.com, the Google deal shows its determination to build a set of global alliances as it seeks to counter Alibaba, which has been more focused on forging domestic retail tie-ups. Japans SoftBank Group Corp, which is making big internet investments around the globe, is a major investor in Alibaba. This partnership with Google opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers throughout the world, said Jianwen Liao, JD.coms chief strategy officer, in a statement. Company officials said the deal would marry Googles market reach and strength in analytics with JD.coms expertise in logistics and inventory management. 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. Who was the winner at Sentosa? Not Donald Trump who came away as if he was a Roman warrior returning triumphant from combat. But this was only him playing true to the form book, and with his typical swagger too. He considers himself the winner regardless. It was more likely that Kim Jong-un, dynast of notoriously brutal dictator lineage, emerged with the first prize which was international recognition for his country, for long the global untouchable. In the great contest of theatricals, it was Kim who shone, although his haircut is not to be recommended even in this quirky world of modern hairdos of the weird types that sportsmen seem to discover these days. Denuclearisation may have been mentioned in the 41-minute face-to-face meeting that was supposed to have broken the ice between 'Rocket Man' who had threatened the US and the 'dotard' who sought to nuke him off the face of the earth. When the dismantling of nuclear weaponry would take place and whether it would be verifiable is open to question. I am not certain this is a quirk of history, but it does show that the United States, the harbinger of great personal freedoms, should have been more comfortable with dictators than the leaders of democracies. It is possible this flows from the power theory that it is easier to control one person than millions of free people with vastly different opinions. Which is why the likes of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were always seen to be closer to those making US policy than their more democratic neighbours further east. Now that he has become best friends with another of the world's most powerful men, Kim might easily fit into the category of friends of USA and never mind if he may have tucked away several nuclear sites while publicly destroying one to please the world. Donald trumpeted that there is going to be a new history to be made with North Korea even as the old one has been torn up after just one meeting. If these dramatic events were to be taken at face value, we could say that Trump had succeeded line none other at a summit. Not so John F Kennedy who met Nikita Khruschchev in Vienna in 1961 and found the Russian wagging his finger at him during a lunchtime stroll. "Worst thing in my life. He savaged me," the suave Bostonian confessed in an interview to Time. I never met a man like this." Even Richard Nixon could claim to have been far more successful when he met Mao Zedong for a week in 1972. The Nixon-Mao meeting brought down the 'Bamboo Curtain' although the summit also marked the rise of China as a world power. Talking of change, it is rum irony then that Trump left his friends fuming in Quebec about definitions of free trade, which the US president wishes to upturn because he has this 'America First' policy and who can argue with him about that? The point is he is prepared to throw the world into turmoil, including the cream of Europe, all allies who have been with the US at least in the seven decades plus since the end of the war, if not for much longer like some of them. This is more like demolition derby kind of diplomacy. However, we couldn't have expected better from a real estate mogul who came into the limelight even more with reality television. The picture that went viral and was adapted in so many different ways, including in the depiction of the Last Supper, said it best of the heartaches in the gathering at which one man's intransigence seemed to affect everyone else. And we are talking of world leaders here, not some local caucus struggling to find a consensus for the common good. It is amazing how one man has changed the world, even if he is one of the world's most powerful and holds that potential power to change things. There is, of course, much derision over the G-7 ties going so sour as it is believed that Canada wanted only to keep its clean air and its green environment. Looking at it dispassionately, the elephant in the room was what gained the most from the Sentosa Summit. China, now the world's largest economy after overtaking the United States, has for long been wary of South Korea being close buddies with the US while being situated in its continent and a neighbor at that. Now, with the US cancelling certain joint military exercises and seemingly capable of abandoning allies like South Korea and Japan in a strategic part of the world, it does appear that China becomes even stronger. An isolationist US under Donald Trump can mean only one thing - Xi is the most powerful man in the world now. He could say thank you to Kim for bringing this about in under 41 minutes. (R. Mohan is the Resident Editor of the Chennai and Tamil Nadu editions of Deccan Chronicle) Administration officials have defended the tactic as necessary to secure the border and suggested it would act as a deterrent to illegal immigration. (Photo: AP) Elizabeth: Democratic lawmakers joined protesters outside immigration detention facilities in New Jersey and Texas on Sunday for Fathers Day demonstrations against the Trump administrations 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 a facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, including three who said they had young relatives removed from their care after seeking asylum at the border. The events came as news stories highlighting the family separations intensified political pressure on the White House, even from some of President Donald Trumps fellow Republicans. 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, U.S. 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. Administration officials have defended the tactic as necessary to secure the border and suggested it would act as a deterrent to illegal immigration. But 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, visited a Border Patrol Processing Center in McAllen to call attention to the policy, while Representative Beto ORourke, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas, led a protest march to a temporary detention facility for immigrant children set up near El Paso. ORourke told the demonstrators they had to bear the burden of what we now know to be happening. I want that burden to be so uncomfortable for so many of us that it forces us to act, it places the public pressure on those in positions of public trust and power to do the right thing for our country, ORourke, who is seeking to unseat Republican Senator Ted Cruz, said to applause. 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. 'Stop Lying' Trump has sought to blame Democrats, saying their support for passage of a broader immigration bill would end the separations. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday: As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody who has got a conscience. ... I will tell you that nobody likes this policy. You saw the president (say) on camera that he wants this to end, she added. 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. Read: Melania Trump, US lawmakers call for end to migrant family separations In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, former first lady Laura Bush, wife of the previous Republican president, George W. Bush, said she lives in a border state and appreciates the need to enforce and protect the U.S. borders. But this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart, Bush wrote, adding the images were eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history. Democrats have accused the president 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. 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 Trumps veto pen. Roy Garcia, 43, attended the New Jersey protest with his wife, Linda, and their sons, 8-year-old Julian and 11-year-old Sebastian. Its hard for me to enjoy Fathers Day knowing whats happening to other children and families, he said. Its heartbreaking. '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,' her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN. (Photo: AFP) Washington: Democratic lawmakers vowed Sunday to end the "evil" separation of migrant children from their parents at the US border, as First Lady Melania Trump made a rare political plea to end the deeply controversial practice. The "zero-tolerance" border security policy implemented by President Donald Trump's administration has sparked outrage on both sides of the political aisle and took on particular resonance as America celebrated Father's Day. Trump has said he wants the separations to end, but continues to blame opposition Democrats for the crisis, which critics say is one of his own making. "The Democrats should get together with their Republican counterparts and work something out on Border Security & Safety. Don't wait until after the election because you are going to lose!" he tweeted. The Democrats should get together with their Republican counterparts and work something out on Border Security & Safety. Dont wait until after the election because you are going to lose! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2018 His wife, who seldom wades into the political arena, opted to call for bipartisan immigration reform to fix the issue, rather than denounce the policy. "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," her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN. "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." Laura Bush, the former first lady and wife of Republican ex-president George W. Bush, unflinchingly rejected the policy. "I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," Bush, who lives in Texas, wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece. Immigration is one of the most divisive, hot-button crises plaguing the Trump administration. During one recent six-week period, the government said nearly 2,000 minors were separated from their parents or adult guardians -- a figure that only stoked the firestorm. The number of separations has jumped since early May, when Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that all migrants illegally crossing the US border with Mexico would be arrested, regardless of whether the adults were seeking asylum. Since children cannot be sent to the facilities where their parents are held, they are separated, which the American Academy of Pediatrics has warned causes "irreparable harm" to the children. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen insisted, however, that "we do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period." "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," she wrote on Twitter. "DHS takes very seriously its duty to protect minors in our temporary custody from gangs, traffickers, criminals and abuse." 'Massive child abuse' Some of Trump's fellow Republicans have said the policy must end. "What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you," Senator Susan Collins told CBS television's "Face the Nation" news program. "That's traumatizing to the children who are innocent victims, and it is contrary to our values in this country." Amid deep divisions, congressional Republicans have struggled to craft a viable immigration plan. The Republican-led House of Representatives may vote in the coming days on two immigration measures -- a hardline bill and a compromise measure that would limit legal immigration while also ending family separations. "The question is whether Republicans will join us to say to the president, enough is enough," said Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee. "I can assure you we'll be fighting to the end to stop this ugly, vile program that is harming children and creating massive child abuse." After touring a converted Walmart supermarket that is now housing some 1,500 immigrant children, a group of Democratic lawmakers said there was "zero logic" to Trump's policy. "They call it 'zero tolerance,' but a better name for it is zero humanity, and there's zero logic to this policy," said Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon. "It's completely unacceptable under any moral code or under any religious tradition to injure children, inflict trauma on them in order to send some political message to adults somewhere overseas." Merkley added that "hurting kids to get legislative leverage is unacceptable. It is evil." Jackson-Lee accused Trump of lying by claiming he was simply following to the letter a previously existing law. "The president is not telling the truth. There is no law, there is no policy that has allowed him to snatch children away from their families," she said. Earlier, Representative David Cicilline said the policy was "undermining the founding values of this country." "We saw the fear in the eyes of these children who are wondering when they will see their parent ever again. It's a disgrace, it's shameful and it's un-American," he added. Ex-president Bill Clinton, a Democrat, also weighed in. "These children should not be a negotiating tool. And reuniting them with their families would reaffirm America's belief in & support for all parents who love their children," he tweeted. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the conflict, said it was one of the deadliest air attacks on government loyalists in recent months. (Representational Image) Beirut: An air strike has killed nearly 40 pro-regime foreign fighters in eastern Syria, with a US-led coalition denying accusations from Damascus that it was behind the attack. The strike just before midnight hit Al-Hari, a town controlled by regional militias fighting in the complex seven-year war on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the conflict, said it was one of the deadliest air attacks on government loyalists in recent months. "Thirty-eight non-Syrian fighters from regime loyalist militias were killed in the night-time raid on Al-Hari, on the Syrian-Iraqi border," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. He could not give any further details on their nationalities, but there are Iraqi, Iranian, Lebanese and even Afghan fighters stationed in the area. Syrian state media reported the attack overnight, citing a military source and accusing the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group of carrying it out. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number or their nationalities. The coalition's press office said it had heard reports that a strike in the area had killed and wounded members of a pro-regime Iraqi militia, but denied it was responsible. "There have been no strikes by US or coalition forces in that area," it told AFP by email. IS overran large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring an Islamic "caliphate" in areas under its control. Separate offensives have since whittled down the jihadists' territory in Syria to just a handful of pockets in the eastern desert, including in the Deir Ezzor province where Al-Hari lies. A US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against those IS-held pockets, and even Iraqi warplanes have occasionally bombed IS positions in Syria's east. De-confliction line The two forces have mostly avoided crashing into each other thanks to a de-confliction line that runs across the province along the winding Euphrates River. Syrian troops are batting IS on the western river bank, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fight on the east. Al-Hari lies on the western side, close to the river and the de-confliction line. The buffer has largely been successful in keeping the two offensives apart, but there have been exceptions. Last month a dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian government positions that the Observatory and state media blamed on the coalition. The Pentagon denied responsibility. In February US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in Deir Ezzor province, including Russians. "The strike on Al-Hari produced the highest death toll for regime forces since the February incident," the Observatory's chief Abdel Rahman told AFP. More than 350,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against Assad's rule. Those demonstrations spiralled into a full-blown war that has drawn in world powers and seen the rise of jihadist forces like IS. The strike on Al-Hari came a day after the US-backed SDF announced it had ousted IS from Dashisha, a village to the north in Syria's Hasakeh province. The village had been one of the last IS-controlled areas on a corridor linking Syria with Iraq. "For the first time in four years, Dashisha, a notorious transit town for weapons, fighters, and suicide bombers between Iraq and Syria, is no longer controlled by ISIS terrorists," Brett McGurk, the US president's special envoy for the war against IS, said on Monday. The development assumes significance as Sharif, his sons Hussain and Hassan, daughter Maryam and son-in-law former Muhammad Safdar are already facing three corruption charges for money laundering and illegal offshore holdings in the Panama Papers scandal. (Photo: File) Islamabad: In a fresh trouble for Pakistan's ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, anti-corruption body National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has launched another inquiry against him on a journalist's complaint that over 56 million rupees were sent out of the country by his family between 1988 and 1991. The development assumes significance as Sharif, his sons Hussain and Hassan, daughter Maryam and son-in-law former Muhammad Safdar are already facing three corruption charges for money laundering and illegal offshore holdings in the Panama Papers scandal. Sharif, 68, is currently visiting his ailing wife Kusloom Nawaz in London, 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 a journalist, a NAB spokesperson was quoted as saying by Dawn. The Complainant has provided details on how Sharif and his family members allegedly sent money to foreign countries illegally Hawala dealers from Peshawar, Khaista Khan, and Jamshed Khan were engaged by Sharif's 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 the transfer of funds aboard and purchase of assets in foreign countries. "Between 1988 and 1991, Rupees 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 Rupees 145.06 million and 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. 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 the 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. Infosys is in the process of expanding its Pune campus by nearly 4,000 seats, to 35,000, and the IT bellwether sought necessary environment clearances from the Ministry of Environment. An expert appraisal committee (EAC) under the ministry in a meeting held last month accorded Environmental Clearance for the Rs 690-crore expansion plan for its Rajiv Gandhi InfoTech Park Phase II Hinjawadi, Pune 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 IT professionals are 31,288, and for proposed (expansion), it will be additional 3,712, so the total IT professionals at Infosys campus will be 35,000 after expansion, the committee had mentioned in the minutes of the meeting held earlier. When contacted, an Infosys spokesperson refused to comment on the expansion, saying that the company is 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. When Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara called on senior Congress leader Margret Alva, she had a unique problem to report. On Monday morning, Parameshwara, who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister, paid a courtesy visit to Margret, when the senior leader told him to solve the scorpion and snake menace near her residence at RMV 2nd Stage. Later, speaking to reporters, Parameshwara said her residence is in the middle of an empty land, which is a breeding ground for the reptiles, and that he would ask the BBMP to look into the issue. The United Arab Emirates, part of a Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen, on Monday warned Huthi rebels to withdraw from the key port city of Hodeida as pro-government forces advance. The "Hodeida port operation will continue unless rebels withdraw unconditionally," UAE minister of state Anwar Gargash told a press conference in Dubai. He said the Arab coalition, which has been closing in on Yemen's strategic city, has kept the Hodeida-Sanaa road "open for the Huthi militias to withdraw". Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chose a congregation of chief ministers at Niti Aayog's Governing Council meet to renew his call for a wider debate on simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. It, however, evoked scant response from states, who demanded that the Centre resolve their financial and other issues on priority. The prime minister, who chaired the governing council's meeting, said a beginning must be made by preparing a common voters' list for elections at state, local and panchayat levels and asked the states to consider the proposal in the "interest of the nation". The proposal, however, evoked no response from the federal bodies who came with their own list of demands, most of which revolved around their poor finances and weakening powers after the GST and setting up of the 15th Finance Commission. Asked about the reaction of states on the Modi's proposal for simultaneous elections, Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar replied in the negative and said "they have been requested to consider". Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy sought 50% monetary assistance from the Centre for implementing the farm loan waiver scheme, while Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu raised the issue of state bifurcation and special category status. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the implementation of GST has limited the freedom of the state to raise resources. The chief ministers of the Opposition-ruled states also demanded reframing of the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission which was going against their favour. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the most vociferous against the Centre saying, it has never tried to know about states' problems and in the name of cooperative federalism, it "needlessly interferes in states' affairs". In the same vein, she alleged that the Niti Aayog does nothing for the states. Mamata said this after the meeting of the governing council. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joined his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Naidu in demanding special category status for their states. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh urged the prime minister to constitute a committee of the Centre and states to formulate a blueprint of a national debt waiver scheme for farmers in consultation with states. The issue of farm loan waiver took the centre stage as the main agenda of the council's meeting was to deliberate on steps taken to double farmers' income and the progress of government's flagship schemes. Modi said states should take steps to increase corporate investment in agriculture. The prime minister said as the world expected India to soon turn into a $5trillion economy, more steps should be taken to meet the challenge. Amid reports of Union Minister Arun Jaitley holding meetings with finance ministry officials, the Congress on Monday stepped up its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to clear the confusion over who is the finance minister of the country. Who is finance minister of India? PMO's website says one thing, finance ministry website tells another story. The gentleman designated without portfolio on PMO website is holding meetings via video conference. PM needs to tell the country who is his finance minister, Congress spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters here. Jaitley, who underwent a kidney transplant, has been divested of the portfolios of finance and corporate affairs and has been designated as a minister without portfolio. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal was given additional charge of finance and corporate affairs till Jaitley recovered and was fit to resume official duties. Reports said after being discharged from AIIMS, where he underwent kidney transplant, Jaitley had been meeting officials from the finance ministry through video conferencing. Jaitley also attended a meeting through video conferencing on Monday on the issue of divestment of Air India. The ever-increasing demand for green and clean energy is the driving force behind the numerous small-scale hydropower projects (SHPs) that are mushrooming up on river and stream stretches all over the Western Ghats and the Himalayas, two of Indias most biodiverse regions. In India, hydropower projects of less than 25 MW are termed small-scale and are perceived to have a negligible impact on the environment as they have smaller areas of submergence as compared to larger dams. They are therefore considered to be an eco-friendly way of meeting the energy demands of developing countries in the tropics and are exempted from the environmental clearances and environmental assessment impact reports that are mandatory for all other developmental projects. Large investments from national and international agencies, financial subsidies and carbon credits are being provided for setting them up. But are SHPs really a green and clean way of meeting our energy demands? A recent study by a team of scientists from Foundation for Ecological Research, Advocacy and Learning, and Bengaluru-based organisations, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Wildlife Conservation Society India Program and Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, examined the impacts of SHPs on freshwater fish along the tributaries of River Netravathi in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. This is one of the first studies to examine the ecological and social impacts of SHPs in India. This is especially important since the lack of environmental and social regulations is based on the assumption that SHPs have no adverse environmental or social consequences, informs Suman Jumani, the studys lead author. Significant differences The study found several significant differences in water and habitat quality of the streams that had SHPs built on them when compared to those that hadnt. SHPs divert water from the streams for generation of power and thereby reduce the amount of water that flows immediately downstream. The release of water back into the streams afterwards causes severe fluctuations in the water levels which in turn alters the composition of the fish communities. Streams with SHPs were found to be devoid of water during the dry season, with large stretches of dry stream beds separating shallow pools of water. In addition, these streams were narrower and shallower causing a reduction in the habitat that is available for fishes and other aquatic fauna. The SHPs were also observed to have an impact on the fish assemblages. With reduced water levels and water flow, streams with SHPs had fish species that were adapted to lentic conditions or still water conditions, as compared to the streams with no SHPs which had more species that were adapted to lotic or flowing water conditions. This shift is an indication of lotic ecosystems turning into lentic ecosystems and is often noticed when reservoirs are built on rivers. When streams are shallow, the water in them warms up quicker which in turn decreases its capacity to hold dissolved oxygen. Further, with shallow pools being increasingly exposed to direct sunlight, the risk of eggs of fish and amphibians desiccating also increases. All these changes in habitat and water quality evidently have marked changes in fish availability and diversity in these streams. Freshwater fish is considered as an important indicator of river health They are a critical link in the food chain since they eat algae and other aquatic insects, and at the same time, get eaten by birds and other mammals such as otters.Change in species composition or their numbers can potentially upset this food chain and have cascading effect on other freshwater species, says Shishir Rao, a co-author of this study. In recent years, smaller catch sizes of commercially important fish like the mahseer have been observed, indicating a decline in its numbers. Besides, the number of species including those endemic to the Western Ghats are low in number in streams with SHPs built on them. Deleterious effects Western Ghats is one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world with more than 400 fish species documented from this landscape and new species still being discovered. It also has high species endemicity with about 50% of the fish species being unique to the region and not found anywhere else in the world. The Western Ghats is also the catchment area for over 30 rivers that crisscross the Deccan plateau. River Netravathi, around which this study was carried out, itself has 10 SHPs currently existing on its 108-km course and 44 more have been proposed to be built on the same stretch. Building multiple SHPs in close proximity to one another in an ecologically sensitive area can result in deleterious effects on the ecosystem, affecting both water quality and habitat. Despite growing evidence of the negative impacts these SHPs have on the biodiversity, the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is still going ahead with its plan to build around 6,500 additional SHPs in the Western Ghats and Himalayas, without any environmental and social regulations. SHPs are being commissioned indiscriminately, especially in most biodiverse areas such as Western Ghats. There is an urgent need for scientific studies to not just evaluate their ecological impact but also to guide future decision making through science- backed policies, says Shishir. The results of this study leave no doubt on how SHPs affect the river by altering its physical characteristic, changing water quality, and affecting fish assemblages, and are in agreement with similar studies undertaken in other countries. According to Suman, the logical next step would be for these facts to be acknowledged by our policymakers and include SHPs under the purview of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification, which would require these projects to conduct EIA studies, obtain an environmental clearance, and implement mitigation measures. Most importantly, it should be mandatory for all SHPs to maintain adequate river flows, rather than dewater vast stretches of the river, Suman adds. (The author is science communication fellow, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan) 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. PROVO A sidewalk in Utah County is an ocean away from where Jameson Tanner spent two years of his life. "It was totally different to say the least, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me," he said, reflecting on his LDS mission while standing in the sun outside his business in Provo. "My dad actually served his mission in Thailand 30 years earlier." The country hooked Tanner and when he returned home, he couldn't wait to reel in a couple of high school friends. He soon returned to Thailand on vacation, along with William Wright and Porter Willis. The school of three quickly waded into the culture that had such a powerful impact on Tanner. What they encountered saturated their minds. They took a canal of inspiration, and used it to catch a career. "The first reaction is the best part," Tanner said, gesturing to a customer about to plunge her feet into an aquarium. The three friends founded Fish Kiss Spa, a place that invites fish to chew away dead skin from the feet of their clients a taste of Thailand, right in the heart of Utah County. "When I first saw it, it was like 'What exactly happens?'" Tanner said, reflecting back on his first experience spotting the practice in Thailand. "I saw a video of a friend doing it, and I was thinking 'He must be crazy, what is he thinking?' All the little fish came and started nibbling his skin, and I thought 'Does it hurt? He's laughing, it must be ticklish.'" "We don't know who said it first," Willis said. "We all just kind of had the idea together. As soon as we did it, we brought some other friends with us. We wanted them to try it immediately after." "We got to thinking, if we want people to try this because it's so fun, we felt like people would do the same thing here in Utah," said Wright. Although their customers tend to wriggle a bit at the odd sensation, Willis is on hand to calm any concerns. "They have like really strong lips, and so they are seriously just like kissing your feet," he said to a couple who'd just begun receiving the treatment. "Like you're putting your feet in a bottle of Coke." You can call it a pedicure in a pool, or just a way to shed some skin but either way, these aquatic entrepreneurs observed an opening, and dove right in. "A lot of people in Provo have traveled, and they've seen this done in other countries, but they haven't done it here," Wright said. "They want their friends and their family to try it. And so once we brought it here, people would come and say 'I did this in Bali,' or 'I did this in Indonesia, and I've always wanted my family to try it.'" "We wanted to bring a culture not of the Utah/Utah County feel to Provo," Tanner said. "And we thought, what better way to do something like this than to bring a fish spa from Thailand, Indonesia, that part of Asia, here." The imported the fish, commonly referred to as "doctor fish," from Indonesia. So far, they've been soaked with success despite some initial challenges. "Who's going to give money to some knucklehead, 20-odd-year-old people?" Tanner said, thinking back on their struggles to get funding. "The minute we got home, I think it was the day of, the day after, we met with a small business development center counselor down at UVU. We learned that it wasn't as hard as we thought, and then a couple weeks later, we learned that it was as hard as we thought." "We got here, got the building, and worked 96 hours a week, ate one meal a day," Willis said. "We actually did three free days for Provo," Tanner said, proudly speaking of his marketing plan. "Through social media, we invited influencers, things like that, and they came in before we opened." Their plan seems to be working Willis says most Saturdays, they have a line of customers outside the door. All three hope their new business continues to snag new clients. But the friend who first set foot in Thailand might just take whatever he catches in his net, and use it to sail back to his second home. "I would go back in a heartbeat," Tanner said. "If I had a million dollars, I'd keep going back. Every year." SALT LAKE CITY Heading into the June 26 primary, 12 Utah House seats and five Senate seats have contenders vying to be the nominee for their political parties and of those, Democrats, in particular, are having an interesting year. The vacancy being left by the Legislature's most rowdy Democrat, Sen. Jim Dabakis, in the liberal Avenues district has drawn what is shaping up to be one of the most high-profile Legislative primary races. In one corner, a familiar face to Salt Lake City politics: food entrepreneur and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the State of Utah for same-sex marriage, Salt Lake City Councilman Derek Kitchen. In the other, a familiar face healthcare and addiction advocacy: pediatrician and co-founder of Utah Naloxone, Jennifer Plumb. Dabakis' vacancy leaves some tough shoes to fill, said University of Utah political science professor Matthew Burbank, in a Legislature where Democrats cherish every seat they hold. Whichever of the Democratic candidates survive the primary will face Republican candidate Chase Winder in the November general election. "For Democrats, there is a sense if they're going to get something done, they'll need somebody like (Dabakis)," Burbank said, noting the outgoing senator's reputation as a loud and unabashed voice for minority groups. "So it raises this expectation that whoever takes that seat is going to have to fill that role." But both Kitchen and Plumb say they don't see themselves exactly following in the same boisterous footsteps as Dabakis though they do both see themselves as champions for the voiceless. Kitchen was recently endorsed by Dabakis, but the city councilman said his goal is "not so much about replicating Jim, but drawing influence from him and bringing my own style to the table." "I've been serving as an elected official and have really caught my stride when it comes to policy making in my own way, and I will likely be that kind of legislator on the Hill," Kitchen said, adding that he'll take a "consensus-based mindset," focus on "progressive ideals," and be an advocate for the "underdog." Kitchen also noted it's important to continue to have LGBT representation in the Utah Legislature. Like Dabakis, Kitchen is openly gay. As for Plumb, she said the Utah Legislature needs the "right kind of person" to advance progressive legislation, and she says she's got that experience. She helped successfully lobby for several bills at the Utah Legislature, including bills that have helped increase access to the overdose reversal drug, Naloxone. Plumb, noting that Dabakis focused more on debates rather than passing bills, said "If people want more of what Jim has been, then I suppose Derek is their candidate. But if they want somebody who is going to actually get up there and get bills done someone who is a pediatrician and not just a Democrat then I'm their candidate," Plumb said. Plumb, however, was endorsed by retiring Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake City, whose empty House District 24 seat has drawn a more crowded of pool of hopeful Democrats. Candidates competing in the June primary include Darin Mann, Jacquelyn Orton, Igor Limansky and Jen Dailey-Provost. The prevailing Democrat will face off with the Republican nominee, Scott Rosenbush, in November. Another crowded primary race is the contest for both GOP and Democratic nominees for the multi-county Senate District 26 seat being left vacant by retiring Sen. Kevin Van Tassell, R-Vernal. Republican primary candidates are Ronald Winterton, Jack Rubin and Brian Gorum, while Democrats include Eileen Gallagher and Pat Vaughn. Other primary races include: VERNAL South of here on a barren hillside full of craggy rocks, the eyes of oil men are glistening with hope. A geologist is in awe, at home in this playground of sandstone rocks that are full of a sticky semi-solid petroleum substance called bitumen. They are pulling this bitumen from the rock and transforming it into heavy oil that is low in sulfur, contains no paraffin and is low in heavy metals like nickel and vanadium. That oil can then be turned into diesel, kerosene or jet fuel or mixed with lighter oils. By the end of this year, Petroteq Energy aims to be producing 1,000 barrels of oil per day. By 2019, the goal is 2,000 barrels per day. The market is right and the process is proven, said Chief Executive Officer David Sealock, a 30-year oil man who cut his teeth with Chevron and has worked all over the globe. A demonstration project in 2015 at Maeser, Uintah County, met company objectives and the state requirements to prove viability with production of 10,000 barrels. At a media tour of this mining site off state Route 45, the Bonanza Highway, Sealock explains the compelling potential of pulling 86 million barrels of oil out of the rock over a two-decade span on Asphalt Ridge. "Everything starts with geology in the energy world," he said. "It is tremendous what we can do in two decades." Utah's oil sand deposits are the largest in the United States, holding 14 to 15 billion barrels of oil in place, according to the Utah Geological Survey. Unlike a conventional oil field with wells that go thousands of feet underground, this extraction process is above ground with rocks that are weeping the black gooey substance. At this site, there's no overburden waste rock to worry about and no need for tailings ponds. "There are a tremendous amount of tailings ponds in Canada that are an environmental nightmare," said Petroteq's chief geologist Donald Clark. "No one wants to see that." Petroteq spent five years developing a proprietary solvent that transforms the bitumen into oil. It is a closed-loop system that uses no water and produces zero greenhouse gasses, with 99 percent of the "benign" solvent recycled and recirculated. "We call it our secret sauce," said R. Gerald Bailey, another career oil man from Houston who is now president of Petroteq. "We call this revolutionary energy technology." Petroteq is in the second week of a seven week commissioning process, testing 14 different processes to make sure this can be a 24/7 operation 350 days a year. "That is what makes projects, making sure you have the technology" Sealock said. Later, pointing to a bucket of finished product, Sealock said, "this is black liquid gold." Sealock said the break-even point to produce a barrel of oil is about $32, and they run their internal economics at $47 a barrel. The going price in the market today is just over $65. The complex array of machinery will process 50 to 70 tons of rock an hour, grinding it into fine grains that are mixed with the solvent and agitated into a fluid. The fluid is then heated to separate the solvent from the oil. The end result is marketable oil and fine sand that is then used in the reclamation process. "It is environmentally safe. What we are putting back is actually better than what we are taking away," Clark said. Alex Blyumkin, company founder and executive chairman, said development of the technology used by Petroteq was in large part inspired by the environmental devastation in many of the world's major oil sands projects such as what played out in neighboring Canada. Sealock said it is incumbent upon the company to stay clear of the old conceptual ways of extraction and be a good player in the environment by using a process that doesn't take water and is emissions free. "We understand we have to be better at this," he said. But Ashley Soltysiak, Utah Chapter director of the Sierra Club, is skeptical. "It definitely seems overly rosy," she said. "It is certainly very different than any other type of oil sands operation that we are aware of." Soltysiak said Sierra Club members have an interest in seeing what goes on at Asphalt Ridge, and Sealock said he welcomes the scrutiny. "The conventional methods are not here. We respect the earth, water and air," he said. At Asphalt Ridge, Clark said there is no ground water to contaminate. And in what is the nation's second driest state, company officials say it's important that their process does not require water. "Water is going to be a much more valuable resource than oil 20 to 30 years from now," Sealock predicted. With 3,000 private acres under lease and an abundance of the shallow resource, Petroteq has plans for expanding its production capacity. "We're looking at the world's largest oil spill by Mother Nature," Sealock said. "Our job is reclaiming it. We are cleaning it up." SALT LAKE CITY Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, said Monday she is pushing a provision in a new immigration bill to end President Donald Trump's "horrible" policy of separating children from their immigrant parents at the border. Love said Trump is expected to meet with the House Republican conference Tuesday to hear details of the legislation, which also calls for increasing border security and dealing with undocumented adults brought into the country illegally as children. Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, said he wants to add his own amendment to the bill, to allow for ankle monitors to be put on parents trying to get into the U.S. who don't want to be separated from their children. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints weighed in on the Trump policy Monday, saying the forced separations are harmful to families and encouraged "national leaders to take swift action to correct this situation and seek for rational, compassionate solutions." The Most Rev. Oscar Solis, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, called for immigration laws to be enforced "with compassion, with recognition that we are the last hope for so many, and with the full understanding that individual human lives are at the heart of immigration issues." The daughter of Haitian immigrants, Love said the administration's controversial zero-tolerance policy is "something that touches me personally" and raises the question of "who we are as Utahns and as Americans." She said the policy, announced in early May by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is "horrible. You can see these children, these innocent children, being ripped from their families. It's absolutely terrible." Love said her message to Trump is: "This is not a right or left issue. This is right or wrong. This is what it takes to be the leader of the free world. This is what it takes to be the leader of a free country, to be able to stand up and do the right thing." The Republican president continues to blame Democrats for the policy that the government reports led to the separation of nearly 2,000 children from their families between April 19 and May 31. Trump brought up the immigration issue at a meeting of the National Space Council, saying, "What's happening is so sad" but that Americans "want a safe country, and it starts with the borders. And that's the way it is." Love, who faces a tough re-election challenge in the 4th District from Democratic Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, said she has been working since last week to include a provision dealing with a separation policy in a compromise immigration bill. McAdams "supports ending this horrific policy," said his campaign manager, Andrew Roberts. He said Love's silence when the policy was ramped up in April "shows that she puts party loyalty to the president ahead of the needs of children and families." Love said the revised bill is expected to come up for a vote in the House next week. She is among a small group of largely moderate Republicans behind an attempt to force the House's GOP leadership to allow a vote on several pieces of immigration legislation through a rarely used discharge petition. Changing the law to spell out that families crossing the border into the United States must be kept together when they are being held by the Department of Homeland Security will take power away from the president, Love said. Immigrants, whether they are seeking asylum or are caught entering the country illegally, "won't be in limbo any longer," she said, subject to "someone changing their minds." Trump initially said he would not support the compromise being worked on in the House, but then representatives from the White House said he would. Love said she did not know how the president will react to the latest version. Churches respond The LDS Church statement on the policy, from spokesman Eric Hawkins, said the church "has long expressed its position that immigration reform should strengthen families and keep them together. The forced separation of children from their parents now occurring at the U.S.-Mexico border is harmful to families, especially to young children. "We are deeply troubled by the aggressive and insensitive treatment of these families. While we recognize the right of all nations to enforce their laws and secure their borders, we encourage our national leaders to take swift action to correct this situation and seek for rational, compassionate solutions," Hawkins said. Bishop Solis said he support the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in urging the Trump administration to rescind the policy, not only on separating families but also denying asylum to domestic violence victims. The policies, he said, "tear at our core values as a nation. We are, and must continue to be, a beacon of hope for families unable to find basic protections and pathways out of poverty within their home countries." Ankle monitors? Stewart said he would like to see "a little more money" spent on family detention centers as part of the legislation but ankle monitors for parents, including asylum seekers, are a better solution with a much lower price tag. "That would allow them to stay together as families and be in the community but at the same time we would know where they were and that they would come and show up for their detention hearing," he said. This is not a right or left issue. This is right or wrong. This is what it takes to be the leader of the free world. This is what it takes to be the leader of a free country, to be able to stand up and do the right thing. Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah Estimates show "you can keep someone on an ankle bracelet, for about $7 or $8 a day. To put them in a detention center is $50 per person, so I think it's much, much more efficient if we could do this," Stewart said. The idea might be criticized, he said, "but lets keep in mind were not going to put the bracelet on children. There is no easy solution to this. There is no solution that doesnt create a potential for backlash one way or the other." Stewart said he has bipartisan support for the amendment he intends to sponsor. His Democratic opponent in the 2nd District, Shireen Ghorbani, said she backs it. "If it is a proposal where we are using different kinds of technology to keep families together, it's definitely a step in the right direction," Ghorbani said. "Allowing parents to have ankle bracelets to be tracked I think is a much safer way for us to be addressing this issue." More compassion Other members of Utah's congressional delegation also weighed in on the president's policy, which has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats around the country, including former first lady Laura Bush, who said it was cruel and immoral. Mitt Romney, the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee and a candidate for U.S. Senate in Utah, tweeted a link Monday to an op-ed by Bush in the Washington Post, and wrote, "I agree that we need a more compassionate answer." Jenny Wilson, Democratic candidate for Senate, tweeted: "I hope Congress will act to end the forced separation of families at the border." Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, called for a change in the president's policy. "The United States should not separate children from their parents except in rare circumstances where the parent is a threat to the child," Lee said. "This does not appear to be the case for many separations currently occurring at our southern border." Lee said in a statement that a solution needs to be found "that allows migrant families to pursue their asylum claims without overburdening our law enforcement infrastructure." Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, agreed with the "sentiment behind" a statement made by Trump last week that appeared to criticize his own policy, according to his spokesman, Matt Whitlock. Hatch said in a statement that while he recognizes "the difficulty the last two administrations have faced with regard to families illegally crossing the border, I wholeheartedly agree with the president's comments that a policy that leads to separating children from their families is wrong." Utah's senior senator, who is not seeking re-election after 42 years in office, said he is "working with colleagues in both houses on a path forward that recognizes the need for compassion for children and families without incentivizing illegal border crossings. That solution can and should be bipartisan." 'Due respect' The newest member of the state's congressional delegation, Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, said he, "like so many Utahns, am extremely troubled by news reports of small children being separated from their parents at our southern border." He said although he recognizes the "need to enforce our nation's immigration laws and to secure and protect our borders, I do not believe that separating families is consistent with who we are as a country and it most certainly doesn't reflect the Utah values I was elected to represent in Congress." Curtis said he will be at the House GOP meeting with Trump Tuesday and plans "to push very hard to see that the administration takes every effort to keep families together through the legal process determining their eligibility to remain in the U.S." Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, who has a separate provision in the compromise bill intended to make it easier for security to operate on federal lands along the border, said "due respect" must be given to families impacted by the policy. "Compassion and security are not mutually exclusive. Our borders must be secured, and we must give due respect to the family unit," he said, adding that security "requires a wall and guaranteed access to the border for immigration agents." Gov. Gary Herbert tweeted, "It is inhumane to forcefully and unnecessarily separate children from their parents. Lets get past the blaming and shaming, halt this cruel policy, and find common sense federal legislative solutions." The governor, who used the hashtag #FamiliesBelongTogether, also tweeted that he has urged the state's congressional delegation to pursue solutions "posthaste." SMITHFIELD, Cache County Smithfield Police Chief Travis Allen said he doesn't want to sugarcoat what happened. "This, to me, is a pretty heinous crime and people need to know what's going on," he said Monday. By Monday afternoon, Jason Keith Summers, 32, of Smithfield, was formally charged in 1st District Court with two counts of child abuse by intentionally inflicting serious injury, a second-degree felony; obstructing justice, a third-degree felony; escaping from custody, a third-degree felony; interfering with an arrest, a class B misdemeanor; trespassing, a class B misdemeanor; and disorderly conduct, an infraction. An initial court appearance was scheduled for Monday afternoon. On Friday, Summers was arrested after allegedly walking to his neighbor's yard and throwing an unknown substance on two boys, ages 3 and 5. The substance was initially suspected to be sulphuric acid. The incident was recorded on a security camera. The 5-year-old suffered burns on his upper back, Allen said. He was treated at a local hospital that night and later released. The 3-year-old had the substance thrown on his face, neck and upper chest area, the chief said. The younger boy was treated at Logan Regional Hospital and later taken by his parents to the Intermountain Burn Center at University Hospital, Allen said. He has also since been released from the hospital. A search warrant was served on Summers' home. The Bear River Health Department was unable to verify what substance was thrown on the children, but said it was consistent with something like a drain cleaner, according to Allen. The substance has been sent to the Utah State Crime Lab for analysis. A possible motive for the attack was unknown Monday. Allen said Summers has refused to help investigators. "He is not cooperating with law enforcement. He has invoked his Miranda rights and refuses to speak," he said. The trouble allegedly caused by Summers didn't end when he was arrested. As he was being transported to jail, he told the officers in the patrol car that he was feeling ill, Allen said. The officers rolled the back window down between 10 and 12 inches. As the patrol car began to move from a traffic light, Allen with his hands cuffed behind his back managed to undo his seat belt and began pushing himself out the window, Allen said. By the time he was able to fully wedge himself through the window, the patrol car had stopped and officers immediately took Summers back into custody. According to the chief, Summers was arrested two years ago for attempting to break in and light a fire in a church across the street from where the two young boys live. Police have requested Summers be held without bail. "Jason also has a history of drug use and extreme violence," officers wrote in a Cache County Jail report. In 2016, Summers was convicted of discharge of a firearm and drug possession. In exchange for his plea, a charge of aggravated burglary was dismissed, according to court records. LEHI The public is invited to help Thanksgiving Point paleontologist Rick Hunter welcome Ruth the Gorgosaurus to her new home in the Museum of Ancient Lifes main lobby on Friday. The Gorgosaurus, meaning dreadful lizard, roamed western North America about 72 million years ago during the late Cretaceous Period. Shell be unveiled during a ceremony at the museum at 10:30 a.m. Doors open at 10 a.m. Amateur fossil hunters Cliff and Sandy Linster and their seven children first discovered the female meat-eater near Choteau, Montana, in 1997. The skeleton is about 75 percent complete and the skull is about 90 percent complete. At the museum, Ruth will keep company with a bambiraptor that was discovered by the Linsters son Wesley in 1993. According to the museum, Ruth suffered extensive injuries, including a broken fibula, crushed tailbones, broken ribs and a shattered shoulder blade. There is also evidence of a brain tumor, which may be the first dinosaur brain tumor ever discovered. During the unveiling, Hunter will be available to answer questions, and special dinosaur themed gift bags will be handed out to the first 100 attendees. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., there will be several educational activities for children of all ages. Admission to the museum is $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and children ages 3 to 12. Children 2 and under get in free. The museum is located at 3003 N Thanksgiving Way. The rule of law is not inherently incompatible with compassion. Unfortunately, the nations current political climate is sending the opposite message and presenting Americans with a false choice. The Trump administrations practice of separating children from parents at border crossings with toddlers screaming and mothers crying is cruel and potentially dangerous. It may have long-term consequences, traumatizing children who might grow up with emotional and mental health issues as well as hatred toward the United States. It certainly has immediate consequences and speaks ill of a nation that ought to embrace family values. It doesnt have to be so. We urge President Trump to immediately call a temporary halt to this practice and to give Congress a short deadline two or three weeks to pass a law that institutes a more humane system. Only by working together as Americans, not as Republicans or Democrats, can immigration issues be solved in a way that both secures the nations borders and preserves the notion of human decency and dignity. For that to happen, the political rhetoric must subside on both sides. It requires a frank discussion about many of the complications surrounding illegal border crossing. One complication has to do with asylum seekers. A court decision 20 years ago puts a 20-day limit on how long unaccompanied minors and children who cross the border with their families may be held in custody. But asylum claims, in which immigrants try to demonstrate that returning to their home countries would be unsafe, take longer than this to adjudicate. Estimates put the enormous backlog of asylum cases in the hundreds of thousands, with no clear path forward. Another complication has to do with a lack of resources to handle the influx of families at the border, and particularly those claiming asylum. Congress is expected to consider two bills this week. Neither one would satisfactorily end this problem. One, a compromise measure called the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act, would allow a path to citizenship for so-called Dreamers the children of undocumented immigrants who demonstrate attributes of good citizenship. It isnt clear, however, whether it would end the separation of families at the border. It also would make it harder to qualify for asylum. The other, sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., is a more conservative measure that would provide Dreamers with a temporary status, but not a path to citizenship. It would mandate an E-Verify system to check the status of every new employee, and it would allow the Justice Department to withhold grants from sanctuary cities. Both bills contain funding for a border wall. Goodlattes bill has yet to receive enough Republican support to ensure passage. Clearly, compromises are needed, and that may include funding for the wall. The president needs to be flexible on this. The situation involving children at the border demands immediate attention, and whatever passes must address this, as well. In any case, President Trump has the power to immediately end these cruel separations, and he has the political leverage to demand Congress find a solution. He must do both immediately. His insistence on blaming Democrats for passing a law requiring familial separation is misleading and counterproductive. The law and federal court decisions require the government to give protection to families and asylum seekers. The Trump administration instead has implemented a policy to send many of these to federal court for prosecution, where parents and children must be separated. Democrats have also exacerbated the problem with a willingness to weaponize the plight of immigrants as a midterm election year wedge issue. All members of Congress sound hypocritical and out of touch. They hold the power and can change what is happening. Americans cannot accept the gridlock, excuses and finger-pointing by Congress and the administration. Voters should call on their members of Congress to engage on this issue and solve our nations broken immigration system. Surely, the United States a beacon of liberty to the world can find a humane and compassionate way to deal with people who, for whatever reason, are crossing the Southern border. [June 18, 2018] Novacap Finalizes Acquisition of Horizon Telcom for US$220,000,000 LONGUEUIL, QC, June 18, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Novacap, one of Canada's leading private equity firms, announced today that it has finalized the acquisition of Horizon Telcom ("Horizon"). Horizon is a premier provider of fiber-optic bandwidth infrastructure services operating primarily in Ohio. Novacap acquired the company from its owners at a valuation of over US$220,000,000. Horizon began as a local telephone company over 120 years ago and over the last decade has grown its fiber network from 700 route miles to over 4,300 route miles and nearly 550,000 fiber miles with over 1,600 on-net locations and 16,600 near-net buildings. "The acquisition of Horizon represents an ideal investment for Novacap to take advantage of the secular growth trends in the fiber industry," commented Ted Mocarski, a Senior Partner at Novacap. "Horizon is at a crucial moment in its history, where it is quickly transitioning from a traditional telephone company to Ohio's leading provider of fiber-based services. We look forward to supporting and guiding Horizon through this exciting part of its history." "We are excited to take advantage of Novacap's experience as a successful investor in regional fiber-optic providers such as Oxford Networks, FirstLight Fiber and Fibrenoire," said Bill McKell, President and CEO of Horizon. "We are grateul to have a partner who can provide the resources necessary to achieve our vision to be the premier provider of broadband services throughout Ohio and surrounding states. Novacap is already encouraging us to look more aggressively at growth opportunities, which includes expanding our network in Columbus and other metropolitan markets in order to enhance our enterprise offering." "Today, we formally kick-off our partnership with Horizon as we begin to execute on our common vision of creating a multi-state fiber-optic provider in the Midwest" concluded Ted Mocarski. Novacap is proud to partner with a select few of its limited partners to complete this transaction, namely Hamilton Lane, HarbourVest Partners and RCP Advisors. About Novacap Founded in 1981, Novacap is a leading Canadian private equity firm with $2.3 billion of assets under management. Novacap's unique investment approach, based on deep operational expertise and an active partnership with entrepreneurs, has helped accelerate growth and create long-term value for its numerous investee companies. With an experienced management team and substantial financial resources, Novacap is well positioned to continue building world-class companies. For more information, please visit www.novacap.ca. About Horizon Telcom With corporate offices in Chillicothe, Ohio, and a regional office in Columbus, Ohio, Horizon Telcom is a leading provider of advanced broadband services throughout much of Ohio and into surrounding states. Utilizing its extensive network of fiber optic cable, Horizon delivers advanced high-speed data services, Internet, voice, digital video, security and monitoring services. Horizon's entrepreneurial heritage and long-standing commitment to remarkable customer care ensures a partnering relationship with its customers using cutting-edge broadband technology and proven telecommunication systems. For more information about Horizon, visit www.horizontel.com. Forward-Looking Statements Statements included herein may constitute "forward-looking statements", which relate to future events, the future performance, or financial condition of Horizon following the acquisition of Horizon by Novacap. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, condition, or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results and condition may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novacap-finalizes-acquisition-of-horizon-telcom-for-us220-000-000--300667433.html SOURCE Novacap Management Inc. [ Back to the Next Generation Communications Community's Homepage ] SALT LAKE CITY The Utah Wildlife Board approved three changes to this years wild turkey hunt during its May meeting. Two of the changes apply to the fall hunt and the third applies to both the fall and spring hunts. Starting this fall, hunters can buy up to three hunting permits to take wild turkeys, and theyll also be able to hunt with rim fire firearms, including .22- and .17-caliber rifles. During both the fall and spring seasons, hunters will be able to use any shotgun firing shot that's BB or smaller in diameter. In addition, the board a panel of seven citizens appointed by the governor OKd a change that will allow up to four young hunters to apply as a group for permits to hunt during the spring limited-entry season. Those who will be 17 years of age or younger on July 31, 2019, are eligible. All of the turkey and upland game hunting rules the board approved can be seen in the 201819 Utah Upland Game and Turkey which will soon be available online at wildlife.utah.gov/hunting-in-utah/guidebooks.html. SALT LAKE CITY The controversial Utah Inland Port Authority board was supposed to have its first meeting Monday to kick off planning of what is expected to be the state's largest economic development project ever. But that didn't happen. Even though the board's publicly noticed agenda included plans to elect a chairman and discuss hiring an executive director, the board didn't officially convene because its members hadn't yet been impaneled amid questions about conflict-of-interest issues. In fact, four members hadn't yet submitted conflict-of-interest statements, including House Speaker Greg Hughes, who appointed himself to the board. The statements are required under SB234 from each member before they can take their places on the board. The other members who hadn't turned in their forms include Salt Lake City Councilman James Rogers (who didn't attend Monday's meeting because of a death in a family, he said); Stuart Clason, Salt Lake County's regional economic development division director; and Salt Lake County Councilman Michael Jensen. And one member Senate President Wayne Niederhauser's appointee, Sen. Don Ipson, R-St. George resigned, Gov. Gary Herbert announced, because he owned land within 5 miles of the port authority's boundaries. While pumping the brakes on the meeting, Hughes and the Legislature's legal counsel, John Fellows, cited "ambiguity" in SB234's language about what exactly could constitute a conflict of interest while serving as a board member. "I don't want to start in a place where there are questions or there are challenges to how the process has begun," Hughes said in an interview after the meeting. "So out of an abundance of caution, I think we need to look at this bill and make sure that we're following it right." Asked why he hasn't submitted his conflict-of-interest form, Hughes told reporters, "because it's ambiguous." "I think there needs to be more specificity, to be honest with you," Hughes said of SB234, a bill he championed when it passed the 2018 Legislature. "You want to be careful not to subscribe, under penalty of perjury, with language that I think right now as you heard there could be legal interpretations in different ways." Asked if there were concerns that he could have a conflict, the speaker replied: "I could, sure." "I mean, look I think the way it was written when we passed the bill, we wanted to have an abundance of caution on board limitations, for sure," he said. "But the language itself versus what the bill is doing with boundary, with governing board, with the revenue needed to run it was where all the attention and where all the eyes were going. The board limitations, I think, could capture many in terms of how it's written, and we don't want that to be the case." As currently written, SB234 states an individual may not serve as a member of the board or as executive director if: The individual owns real property, other than a personal residence, on or within 5 miles of the authority's jurisdictional land. A family member owns an interest in real property, other than a personal residence, within a half mile of the authority's jurisdiction. The individual or family member owns an interest in, is directly affiliated with, or is an employee or officer of a firm, company, or other entity that the individual is likely to participate in or receive compensation, or other direct financial benefit, from the development of the authority jurisdictional land, or acquire an interest in or locate a facility on the authority jurisdictional land. The law also states a board member may not at any time "take any action to initiate, negotiate, or otherwise arrange for the acquisition of an interest in real property" located on or within 5 miles of the authority's jurisdiction. Fellows pointed out, as an example, that it could be argued board member Carlos Braceras, director of the Utah Department of Transportation, participates in buying and selling land within the port's boundaries as part of his duties for UDOT and could therefore have a conflict of interest. John Gleason, spokesman for UDOT, said later Monday that opinion has been reviewed by the Utah Attorney General's office and "determined that would not be the case." Hughes, a developer and property manager, lists in his personal financial disclosure form filed with the House that he is an owner or officer of Steelers Holding, a real estate holding company. Hughes is also listed as a manager of several other companies listed with the Utah Department of Commerce, some of which have properties in Salt Lake City. The inland port's boundaries encompass about 22,000 acres of land, mostly located in Salt Lake City's undeveloped northwest quadrant. So as questions of conflict-of-interest limitations on board members continue to linger, Monday marked a rocky start for the new government entity that has been tangled in a battle with Salt Lake City since its inception from a surprise version of SB234 that sailed through the House and Senate on the second-to-last day of the 2018 session. Upon its passage, distraught Salt Lake City officials protesting the board's ability to ultimately usurp city land use authority and capture 100 percent of the project area's tax increment attempted to negotiate changes, but those negotiations broke down after Salt Lake Mayor Jackie Biskupski didn't accept a compromise bill drafted by the governor's office. Frustrated with stalled negotiations, Hughes and Sen. Jim Dabakis without Salt Lake City's involvement proposed a list of changes to the bill to find a compromise and continue talks, but it's not clear where those negotiations have led. In light of Monday's meeting, leaders apparently have even more issues to sort though before any discussions about a Utah port can continue. Even though Herbert, Hughes, Niederhauser, their appointees and several other officials attended, and even though it was apparent Herbert was eager to begin the port authority's business, the governor agreed at Hughes' nudging to make the meeting only "informational" and to delay action items until a future meeting is set. Board member Derek Miller, who is also president and CEO of World Trade Center Utah, asked to delay the meeting until everyone could file their conflict-of-interest paperwork. "Why can't we make that in the form of a motion?" Herbert asked. "Because we're not impaneled," Hughes replied. An official Utah Inland Port Authority meeting might not be able to take place until after a special session, according to Hughes' chief of staff, Greg Hartley, who said there may be an opportunity to address "conflicting language" in SB234 as it relates to conflict of interest limitations on board members, as well as Salt Lake City's continuing concerns about the power the bill grants to the port authority. "We have been having productive conversations with the Salt Lake City Council, and we think there are some changes that will likely come in a special session," Hartley said. "And while we've done that, we've identified some clarifying language that likely needs to be inserted related to some of these conflict provisions to provide a little bit more clarity." Biskupski, who sat in the audience during Monday's meeting, has said her office continues to negotiate with SB234's sponsor, Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, on possible changes to the bill. Lara Fritts who was appointed to the inland port board by the chairman of Salt Lake City's airport advisory board, at the request of Biskupski said in an interview later Monday that "it's important that we start the inland port board off on the right foot." "And if there are legal questions that need to be clarified or answered, I think it's important we do that," she said, noting that in the meantime, Salt Lake City "continues to operate business as usual." Among the few things the Utah Inland Port board members unofficially discussed Monday was a cursory review of the board's budget, which includes $1.5 million in one-time money appropriated from the state, as well as $479,000 in one-time funds for "continued study" of the port. It's not yet clear how the revenue will be spent. Board members can get paid for their role on the board, but the amount varies. According to SB234, a board member who is not a legislator may not receive compensation or benefits for serving on the board, but may receive per diem and reimbursement for travel expenses incurred. That per diem payment is $60 for each official meeting that lasts up to four hours and $90 per meeting longer than four hours, according to the state's boards and commissions handbook. If a board member is a legislator, he or she will be compensated at the rate governed by the state's Legislative Management Committee, which was set this year for $273 per day. However, Hughes will be looking into whether he can forego compensation, Hartley said. SALT LAKE CITY An FBI agent armed with a 9 mm handgun burst into a room full of reporters shouting, "It's payback time! Everyone dies!" during an active shooter exercise Monday. Jim Olson, the agency's principal firearms instructor, squeezed off 10 rounds from a simulator gun that shoots plastic bullets at three targets in about 2.5 seconds. "That's a demonstration just to give you a little bit of a feel for how quickly something like this can happen," he said. Active-shooter incidents around the country 250 from 2000 to 2017 have heightened the public's awareness about protecting themselves and have changed law enforcement's approach to dealing with the bad guys. "It is a huge problem in that it is oftentimes hard to predict," said Eric Barnhart, FBI special agent in charge in Salt Lake City. He said its hard to separate someone expressing anger or frustration from someone planning an attack, he said. Barnhart said law enforcement's tactics for dealing with an active shooter have evolved since the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. Back then, the idea was to mobilize a large police presence before entering a building. Now an officer or agent arriving on the scene is expected to go in, even alone, to "mitigate the threat and to neutralize the shooter," he said. "We now know that seconds means lives," Barnhart said, noting the officer has a 50 percent chance of being wounded or killed based on past shootings. Olson, a 20-year veteran in the Salt Lake office, said the possibility of being shot comes with the territory. "It doesn't really change anything for me and I would say for 99.9 percent of law enforcement officers. That's really our deal with society. That's part of the responsibility that we have of wearing the badge," he said. Olson also said the potential targets of an active shooter shouldn't act like victims. The FBI advocates a "run, hide, fight" approach. The first option is to run from the threat immediately if the direction of the shooting is known and there's a safe avenue of escape, he said. Next would be to find a place to hide to avoid the gunfire, he said. At the same time, he said, a person should prepare to fight. In a classroom, a chair or flagpole or scissors could become a weapon, Olson said. "Don't allow yourself to die on someone else's terms. Make a conscious decision to change the dynamic of what it is that you are witnessing, of what it is that you are a part of," he said. Olson also demonstrated how to jam a door with a battery or a quarter by wedging it between the door and the door jamb. Shooters usually move on from doors they can't easily open, he said. SALT LAKE CITY The LDS Church said Monday that the forced separation of children from parents on the U.S. border harms families and called for rational, compassionate solutions. "The forced separation of children from their parents now occurring at the U.S.-Mexico border is harmful to families, especially to young children," said Eric Hawkins, spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "We are deeply troubled by the aggressive and insensitive treatment of these families." The statement came amid a growing tumult Monday over the Trump administration's decision last month to try to deter illegal border crossings by prosecuting parents who cross illegally with their children. President Donald Trump himself called the practice "so sad" on Monday, but said it would continue until Congress passes immigration reform legislation. Stories about family separations, meetings early this week between the president and lawmakers, and scheduled House votes later this week have combined to intensify debate. The LDS Church has long endorsed the idea of comprehensive immigration reform and has said since at least 2010 that reform should strengthen families and keep them together. "While we recognize the right of all nations to enforce their laws and secure their borders, we encourage our national leaders to take swift action to correct this situation and seek for rational, compassionate solutions," Hawkins said in Monday's LDS statement. In 2010, the church announced support for the Utah Compact, a call for legislative solutions based on a handful of principles, including the humane, inclusive treatment of all people and keeping families together while acknowledging that governments have the right to secure borders. "Strong families are the foundation of successful communities," the compact stated. "We oppose policies that unnecessarily separate families. We champion policies that support families and improve the health, education and well-being of all ... children." PAYSON One man was injured and a home destroyed in an early morning fire in Payson on Monday. Crews were called to 241 N. 300 East about 12:15 a.m. Payson Fire Chief Scott Spencer said four adults were asleep in the house, when the homeowner awoke. "The owner started to smell burning plastic and determined it was in his friend's room," Spencer said. The group attempted to extinguish the fire but was unable. All four got out of the structure safely, the chief said. But for an unknown reason, the 62-year-old man who was sleeping in the room the fire was believed to have started in "went back in thinking his friend was still in there and tried to rescue him," Spencer said. After an undetermined amount of time, the man came back out of the house. But as he was talking to the fire chief, Spencer said he realized the man was injured more than he thought he was. "He didn't realize how bad he was burnt," Spencer said. The man was taken to a local hospital with second- and third-degree burns on his arms, chest and back and then flown by medical helicopter to the Intermountain Burn Center in Salt Lake City. Spencer said his injuries were not life-threatening. The first arriving units to the house found the structure completely engulfed, he said. "There were flames coming out basically all of the doors and windows," Spencer said. The house is considered a total loss. Adding to the tragedy, the homeowner did not have insurance, the chief said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation on Monday but was believed to be accidental, Spencer said. Fire crews from Salem and Santaquin assisted with the operation. Mauritius is leading Africa in terms of telecoms maturity, according to a new index launched by research firm BuddeComm. The Telecoms Maturity Index (TMI) analyses the broadband, mobile and fixed Line markets of a country as well as a range of economic parameters to rank it on a scale of 1 to 100 and compare it to its region. The release of the TMI for Africa reveals that Mauritius is the continents top-ranked country, with a Telecoms Maturity Index score of 43. It is followed by Ghana, which scores 34, and Tunisia with 31. Mauritius notably higher score is attributable to its thriving tourism market which has stimulated the markets broadband sector. There is extensive DSL infrastructure and operators have deployed fibre-based services in a number of localities. Mauritius Telecom invested Rs5.1 billion to roll out fibre across the island, with the project completed the end of 2017 (ahead of the original 2020 timescale). BuddeComm dubbed three markets as the main challengers, or up and coming countries Mauritania and Uganda, which each scored 13 on the TMI, and Kenya which scored 12. Meanwhile, the leading nations in the developing category were Angola and Chad, which each scored 7, and Cameroon which scored 6. Mobile telephony remains by far the dominant telecom service across Africa, accounting for more than 90% of all telephone lines on the continent. Given the very poor condition of fixed-line infrastructure in most markets, mobile internet access as a consequence also accounts for between 95% and 99% of all internet connections. The size and range of the diverse markets within Africa have contributed to varied market penetration rates between countries. By early 2018 the highest mobile penetration was found in countries including Gabon (163%), Botswana (159%), South Africa (147%) and Mauritius (146%). To some degree high penetration reflects the popularity of consumers having multiple SIM cards despite efforts among most regulators to enforce measures by which operators must register SIM card users. A few months ago, reports had surfaced claiming that Apple was going to turn to Intel for exclusively supplying modem chips for the upcoming iPhone lineup. Now according to a report by 9to5Mac, it would appear that Apple will have to work with Qualcomm for some quantities of the new modem, because Intel faces some yet unresolved quality issue as it ramps up production. The modem chip in question is the XMM750 and is supposed to provide faster LTE speeds, but does not support 5G. Intel expects to roll out their first 5G enabled radio commercially by 2019 anyway. The chip in questions was originally supposed to be sourced wholly from Intel, but reports have gone back and forth between that and a shared output by both Qualcomm and Intel. The modem in question is a significant achievement from Intel as this is their first completely in-house developed and manufactured chip, unlike their previous radios which were manufactured by TSMC. Apple has been increasingly looking to move away from Qualcomm as its modem supplier given the legal dispute between the two companies. Apple has been withholding royalty payments on licensed patents that it claims are standards-essential, for which Qualcomm is charging an exorbitant fee. As the legal dispute wages on, Apple has already started seeking other suppliers for modems. The iPhone 7 was the first iPhone to feature an Intel modem, but it was quickly discovered that the Intel chips were not as robust when it came to performance as their Qualcomm counterpart. iPhones running the Intel modem had higher call-drops and slightly faster battery drain, and slower LTE speeds. In order to level the playing field, Apple started restricting the maximum speeds Qualcomm chips could achieve, a move that did not go down well with Qualcomm. Modem chips is not the only area where Apple is struggling with secondary vendors. While Apple sourced their OLED panels for the iPhone X from Samsung, the legal battle between two companies has had Apple reaching out to LG so as to reduce its reliance on its rival, Samsung. As of now, it would appear that Apple is putting the release of the iPhone this year over its rivalry and legal issues. Google bets $550 million on Chinese e-commerce firm JD.com Internet search giant Google has made a $550-million strategic investment in JD.com, Chinas second-largest e-commerce company, which has substantial business in Southeast Asia. JD.com will issue Google fresh Class A shares at $20.29 per share, equivalent to $40.58 per ADS, the companies said in a joint statement on Monday. The investment is being made by the operating unit of Google rather than one of parent company Alphabet's investment vehicles, according to reports. The two companies plan to explore joint development of retail solutions in regions, including Southeast Asia, the US and Europe. JD.com, the second-largest e-commerce firm in China after Alibaba, expects the e-commerce market in Southeast Asia to grow to around $88-billion by 2025, on the back of growing access to the internet. The investment in the Chinese e-commerce powerhouse is part of the US internet giant's efforts to expand its presence in fast-growing Asian markets and battle rivals, including Amazon.com. The two companies described the investment as one piece of a broader partnership that will include the promotion of JD.com products on Google's shopping service. This could help JD.com expand beyond its base in China and Southeast Asia and establish a meaningful presence in US and European markets. "We are excited to partner with JD.com and explore new solutions for retail ecosystems around the world to enable helpful, personalised and friction-less shopping experiences that give consumers the power to shop wherever and however they want, Philipp Schindler, Google chief business officer, said in the statement. JD.com officials said the agreement initially would not involve any major new Google initiatives in China, where the company's main services are blocked over its refusal to censor search results in line with local laws. JD.com's investors include Chinese social media powerhouse Tencent Holdings Ltd, the arch-rival of Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, and Walmart Inc. Google is stepping up its investments across Asia, where a rapidly growing middle class and a lack of infrastructure in retail, finance and other areas have made it a battleground for US and Chinese internet giants. Google, which recently took a stake in Indonesian ride-hailing firm Go-Jekis reported to be looking to invest in Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart as well. "This partnership with Google opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers throughout the world," Jianwen Liao, JD.com's chief strategy officer, stated in a release. Google has been rapidly expanding its e-commerce business to close in on rival Amazon, which has been expanding in cloud computing business, while also expanding its retail reach through acquisition of companies like Whole Foods last year. Google is also partnering with the likes of Costco, Target, and Walmart, besides promoting products through the Assistant and Google Shopping. Tata Trusts-aided Assam Cancer Care Foundation inaugurated The Tata Trusts and the Assam government today introduced a joint initiative to establish a comprehensive cancer care network in the state, comprising 19 modern cancer care facilities across the state. The Government of Assam and the Trusts have set up the Assam Cancer Care Foundation, towards this initiative. Of the 19 facilities, 12 will be comprehensive cancer care centres on the premises of government medical colleges in the state. Located at Barpeta, Dhubri, Diphu, Jorhat, Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Nalbari, Silchar, Tezpur, and Tinsukia, they will offer diagnosis and treatment of cancer cases. Another five will be adjacent to district hospitals in Darrang, Goalpara, Golaghat, Haflong, and Sivasagar, and will offer diagnostic and day-care services, including chemotherapy. The Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, will be upgraded to an apex cancer centre with education and public health research capabilities. The State Cancer Institute (SCI) in Guwahati will be expanded to a 500-bed South Asia Research Centre. This network will become operational beginning April 2019. It is designed to ensure that patients do not have to travel more than a few hours to access the full suite of cancer treatment within the public system so that care remains affordable. The facilities have been designed to maximise patient comfort as prolonged periods of stay in the hospital may become necessary. A Digital Nerve Centre (DiNC) set up at State Cancer Institute, will enable a virtual unification of cancer-care facilities across the state. It will help guide patients from the community to the apex level so that appropriate referral mechanisms and appointment systems are followed. It will also provide tele-health and virtual tumour board services at all network facilities so that any apex facility nationally can be consulted easily. This will eventually lead to a better patient experience by ensuring that patients and caregivers do not spend time at hospitals because of lack of information regarding the treatment process. Government of India-designed awareness, screening, early detection, and palliative care programmes will be implemented through the Assam Cancer Care Foundation. This will be critical in ensuring that patients come forward for treatment at the first sign of symptoms. It is envisaged that after the network becomes operational and the programmes are fully implemented the shift from late stage to early stage detection will be evident within a three-year period. State health minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that cancer will be made a notifiable disease starting September 2018 in the state so that all patients are able to access care through the public healthcare network on the backbone of the DiNC. Once cancer is made a notifiable disease all practitioners will have to report any cancer case detected to the Health & Family Welfare Department of the State by filling basic information regarding the patient online. Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Sarbanada Sonowal said, I offer my sincere gratitude to Mr. Ratan Tata on behalf of the people of Assam for his great and philanthropist initiative for the state and the entire north-eastern region. This initiative will benefit the people across this region, especially those who are marginalised. Inaugurating the facility along with Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ratan N Tata said, Cancer care in India is hindered by the lack of facilities, late diagnosis, and high cost of treatment. The Tata Trusts have resolved to tackle this by supporting the establishment of infrastructure across the country for high quality affordable care, and nation-wide screening and early detection programmes. Together with partners if we can achieve this, India will be able to dramatically increase survival rates, as in the developed countries. I am happy that we are able to join hands with the Government of Assam to achieve this transformation in the state and the region. Tata Trusts are currently in talks with other state governments, like Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana, for establishing similar networks. Over the next three years, about 100 such centres are expected to be added. Suresh Prabhu bats for inclusion of services trade in global trading system Services trade that requires movement of people, unlike merchandise trade, should also be included in the global trading system as the current procedures of visa system is used to distort trade in services, minister of commerce and industry Suresh Prabhu has said. Services trade is growing faster than merchandise trade and such dynamic changes need to be captured in the global trading system, stated Suresh Prabhu while delivering the keynote address at 6th Growth Net Summit in New Delhi today. The 6th Growth Net Summit, being organised by AnantaCenter and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with Smadja & Smadja, is being held in New Delhi on 18 and 19 June. Services trade requires movement of people, unlike merchandise trade, the minister said. India, he said, is aiming at a $5-trillion economy by year 2026-27 with goods and services exports contributing an estimated $1 trillion of this. Over the last year, goods and services exports grew by over 12 per cent, he noted. He said the government is working on a comprehensive strategy to boost services exports and $1 billion will be spent to promote 12 champion services sectors. For the first time, a strategy of products in new markets is being developed. Exports are also being promoted in regions like Africa, Latin America and Central Asia, the minister added. He said the World Trade Organisation was created as part of a rules-based, multilateral, democratic and participatory institution for expanding global trade, adding that countries have recognised the value of global trade in fostering growth and creating jobs. India is working with other countries to ensure that WTO remains relevant, he said. 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. The compact SUV that started it all has taken a step back in time. The Japanese brand has officially revealed images of its latest-generation Jimny, a small four-wheel drive with a retro-modern character. While details are still scarce other than the two exterior images released, the baby bush basher has been clearly designed to maintain a rugged appeal by eschewing modern trends that have generated curvy urban runabouts and keeping a boxy body style. As the images show, it appears to be heavily influenced by the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon with chunky flared wheel arches extending from its slab-sided profile, a floating roof, heavy-duty front and rear bumpers and a spare tyre mounted on the rear tailgate. It is expected the Jimny will continue to offer genuine four-wheel drive capability with a traditional transfer-case transmission, class-leading ground clearance and entry/departure angles. That same rugged design is carried over into the cabin with a utilitarian design that sees exposed allen-key bolts fused with modern touches like the colour touchscreen mounted on top of the centre console. A local man, wanted in the UK for his alleged role in the smuggling of cigarettes and tobacco by an organised crime gang, is expected to challenge his extradition to the UK on a legal point related to Brexit. Stephen Watters (50), with an address at Kilcurry, Dundalk, is wanted in the UK for alleged conspiracy to fraudulently evade excise duty and for allegedly entering into an arrangement to facilitate the acquisition, use or control of criminal property. Mr Watters was arrested on foot of a European Arrest Warrant earlier this year and High Court extradition proceedings are at an early stage. Lawyers for Mr Watters asked Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly today for more time to file points of objection to his proposed surrender. Carol Doherty BL, for Mr Watters, indicated that her clients case would raise a legal point related to Brexit. Ms Justice Donnelly remanded Mr Watters on continuing bail until October 8 with liberty to apply if there was an early resolution on the Brexit matter before that date. The European Arrest Warrant issued in respect of Mr Watters states that the case concerns an organised crime gang operating in the north west of England and the Republic of Ireland between January 1, 2014 and September 4, 2015. The gang were allegedly involved in the illegal importation and distribution of non UK duty paid tobacco products and the laundering of monies earned from that fraud, the warrant states. Seizures in excess of 17 million cigarettes and 1.5 tonnes of hand rolling tobacco have been made which can be attributed to this gang, the warrant states, equating to approximately 3 million of excise duty evaded. Charges were initiated in respect of seven individuals including Mr Watters. All seven were requisitioned to appear before Liverpool and Knowsley Magisrates Court. Six attended and were sent to Liverpool Crown Court but Mr Watters did not attend and a warrant was issued for his arrest. According to the warrant, evidence against the gang includes a significant amount of audio recorded from a covert monitoring post. Mr Watters is alleged to have been the principal occupant of a premises where conversations were recorded. The occupants of that property were recorded discussing their roles in the organisation, the importation of tobacco and the arrangements for dealing with the proceeds of that criminal activity. The warrant states that there was a significant seizure of non duty paid tobacco products at Felixtowe on September 8, 2014 and a number of recorded discussions referred to that seizure and the arrangements around it. A further seizure of tobacco took place at Dublin Port on January 20, 2015. The shipment was manifested to Belfast and was ultimately destined for the UK mainland. The arrangements for, and the events surrounding, that seizure were specifically referred to by the gang in recorded conversations and can also be linked to the gang through other evidence, the warrant states. The recorded conversations included discussions on arrangements for laundering the proceeds of this and other criminal activity. It is alleged that Mr Watters is known by an alias John Sleaty who is a director of a company based in the Republic of Ireland called Sleaty Distribution Ltd, the warrant states. If convicted, Mr Watters is facing a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment, the warrant states. 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. The International Investment Bank provided Wetlands International with the second grant to prologue its work restoring peatlands in Russia. Nikolay Kosov, Chairman of the International Investment Bank Board, handed out a cheque of 40,000 euros to representatives Tatiana Minayeva of Wetlands International, on June 4, 2018. In 2016 Wetlands International already received a grant of 70,000 euro for the project. IIB's chairman Nikolay Kosov (left) hands out the cheque to Tatiana Minayeva (middle). New approaches in nature conservation This grant is indicative of high appreciation for the work weve already done and represents active support of our plans for the future, said Tatiana Minayeva, project coordinator at Wetlands International. Minayeva: We are glad that the bank helps meet the challenge of restoring peatland ecosystems, which is very important for the ecological situation in Russia, and contributes to the implementation of the most up-to-date technologies and approaches to nature conservation. IIBs chairman of the board, Nikolay Kosov, mentioned that the restoration projects fully complies with the mission of his institution as a diversified development bank. All-around support of green projects and consistent environmental protection activities are the banks strategic priority to which we will continue to adhere, Kosov said. GIS based decision making instrument on peatlands management has already been developed for local authorities. Rewetting degraded peatlands Millions of hectares of drained and abandoned peatlands in European Russia are highly vulnerable to fires, such as those that covered Moscow in smoke during the extremely dry summer of 2010. Rewetting degraded peatlands, especially abandoned peat mining sites, and establishing a sustainable usage will prevent fires and their negative impacts on climate and biodiversity. The project aims to restore the hydrological regime in an area of around 15,000 ha in the Moscow, Vladimir and Tver provinces, including 11,000 ha. GIS-based decision making The partners use state-of-the-art technologies for nature conservation, including the mapping of peatland with remote sensing, prioritisation of sites based on a decision support system and a GIS based peatlands management system. A specially developed peatland management system has already been handed over to the Government of the Moscow Province. The total amount of emission reductions already achieved is estimated at 175,000 to 220,000 tons CO2 equivalent per annum. About International Investment Bank The International Investment Bank was established in 1970 and engages in commercial lending for the benefit of national investment projects in nine member countries, including Russia. The bank pays special attention to nature when implementing its social responsibility projects and initiatives. Since 2016 the bank has been providing grants for environmental programs in its member states, including charitable contributions to WWF for protection of wildlife in Mongolia and Vietnam and financing development of the WWF Water Risk Filter tool. About Wetlands Wetlands International is an independent, not-for-profit, global organisation dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wetlands, their resources and biodiversity. It has 20 regional, national or project offices in all continents and a head office in the Netherlands. With the support of dozens of governmental, NGO and corporate donors and partners, it supports various projects in over 100 countries. About Restoring Peatlands in Russia The project is financed under the International Climate Initiative (ICI) by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), facilitated through the KfW German Development Bank, and implemented by Wetlands International in partnership with the Institute of Forest Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, the Michael Succow Foundation and the Institute of Botany and Landscape Biology, Greifswald University in cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation and the governments of the Russian Federation constituent entities. This news item was originally published on the websites of Wetlands International and International Investment Bank. Read also on this website World Water Forum 8: Huge potential for nature based solutions to reduce water risks, 28 March 2018 Wetlands International welcomes new Iraq-Iran cooperation on Mesopotamian marshes, 2 February 2018 Rethinking water scarcity: Study shows need to include water quality in assessment, 19 October 2017 Country: Russia More information Wetlands International Ede, the Netherlands +31 318 660 910 www.wetlands.org Video on the Restoring Peatlands in Russia project that addresses the problems with drained and abandoned peatlands, which are fire-prone and cause major emissions of carbon dioxide. Help to Buy could make your dream home a reality at Station Fields Find out how to turn your dream home into a reality at a special Help to Buy event on Saturday, 30 June at Lovell Homes stylish Station Fields development in the Suffolk village of Mendlesham. Taking place in the marketing suite from 10am to 5pm, an independent financial advisor will be available throughout the day, providing free advice on the Governments Help to Buy: Equity Loan* scheme which enables buyers to secure a newly-built home with a down payment of just five per cent. Using Help to Buy, a stylish three-bedroom semi-detached Laxfield home at Station Fields (full sale price 277,950) could be yours for a deposit of 13,898. The Government provides a 20 per cent equity loan (interest-free for the first five years) of 55,590 leaving you to take out a mortgage for 208,463 (the remaining 75 per cent of the purchase price). More home for your money Lovell field sales manager Natasha Baring comments: Help to Buy is a great way of getting more home for your money. Our friendly team have extensive experience of helping buyers use the scheme, with many pleasantly surprised that it can help them afford a much larger home than theyd thought. Its a common misconception that Help to Buy is only for first-time purchasers. Although the scheme is certainly widely used by first-time buyers, its also open to existing homeowners, with many able to move to a bigger home through the scheme or using it to downsize. Our special Help to Buy event at Station Fields is an ideal opportunity to find out how it could help you plan your next move and secure a highly desirable new-build home in this picturesque rural location. As well as benefitting from free financial advice, visitors to the Help to Buy event can also view the developments stunning three- and four-bed show properties. Now nearly 50 per cent sold, Station Fields continues to attract buyers drawn by the opportunity to secure a high-quality, new-build home in this thriving village community. Among its many practical advantages are excellent transport connections: Mendlesham is just seven miles from Stowmarket which offers direct rail links to London and Norwich. The A140, which leads south to Ipswich and north to Norwich, is only a mile from the development. Following exceptional demand, Lovell now has a limited number of three- and four-bedroom homes currently available at Station Fields, including the three-bedroom semi-detached Laxfield house style at 277,950 while four-beds start from 369,950 for the detached Brockford home style. Previously home to the village railway station, the developments rural setting means that a number of properties currently available look out on to fields. Find out more by coming along to the Help to Buy event on 30 June. Alternatively, the marketing suite and two show homes are open from 10am to 5pm, Thursday to Monday, at Old Station Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk IP14 5RT. More information available at lovellnewhomes.co.uk. Discovering the customer journey with the emergence of the marketing suite A new study commissioned by Foxtons estate agent has revealed that after viewing a property online, it takes home hunters an average of just eight minutes to decide whether to physically view the home. As first impressions are important to purchasers, the interior design within the show home is a crucial element to selling homes. However, what about the interiors and use of marketing suites? In the last 10 to 15 years, there has been a huge shift in the use of the marketing suite, with developers keen to add value to the customer experience. With 20 years experience, Suna Interior Design, a boutique design consultancy based in London, have witnessed first-hand this change and have been instrumental in moving developers away from a portakabin to a fully immersive experience for potential buyers. Helen Fewster, Director at Suna Interior Design comments: Fifteen years ago, most marketing suites were simply sales offices and were often in a cabin on site or in the dining room of the show home. The sales offices were generally designed to be functional, providing a practical space rather than considering the potential aesthetic impact. However, in recent years there has been fundamental changes to this and today we are seeing the residential property sector recognise that marketing suites are an important part of the customer journey. When a purchaser views a development, their experience in the marketing suite is often their first impression. This presents house builders with an opportunity to give the purchaser an insight into the aspirational lifestyle that comes with the homes they are selling and it is important to make this first impression count. We have seen lots of clients investing in state of the art, purpose-built marketing suites in order to deliver a bespoke customer experience. At Suna Interior Design some of the main questions we ask ourselves before we begin work is who are our clients selling to?, what do they want their purchasers to see and feel and how does that affect the customer journey? From high end luxury to modern urban locations, all our marketing suites combine the developments own unique brand, with the aspirations and unique requirements that reflect the local market. Meanwhile, we also ensure all functions are considered to make sure the end result is a practical working environment. For example, plan in enough storage space, plentiful desk areas with room to hide things away, meeting rooms or offices for private conversations, even down to the back of house considerations such as kitchens and WC facilities. Depending on the nature of the Marketing Suite this can all be achieved in an informal and relaxed environment, more akin to a nice cafe than a sales office or it could be more like the ambiance of a high-end hotel entrance and residents lounge. For example, Helen continues: We created a bespoke two-storey statement marketing suite at London Squares The Star and Garter development on Richmond Hill, which was designed to reflect the luxury brand and lifestyle being offered to purchasers. Once completed the developer even used some areas of the marketing suite to hold events such as art gallery exhibitions, which encouraged potential purchasers to revisit the development. We even incorporated a champagne bar into the design which provided an impressive focal point and came in handy during these events! Helen concludes: Tech has certainly influenced marketing suites, rather than plans on walls which would you have seen 10 years ago, everything is interactive including models and fly through CGIs. In the future we expect to see this develop even further with virtual reality headsets in suites, so purchasers can enjoy a fully immersive experience. For more information on the work of Suna Interior Design, visit sunainteriordesign.com. Peugeot solves commuters last mile problem with the innovative eF01 folding electric bike Peugeot has launched an integrated car and electric bike mobility solution, the all-new Peugeot 5008 SUV and the eF01 Electric Bike. The aluminium-framed eF01 electric bike weighs just 18.6kg, is fitted with a battery and a motor with enough charge for up to 18-25 miles in range and will propel riders at a top speed of 12.5mph. In the UK, 36% of UK motorists commute to work, but parking challenges mean that many may still have to find another mode of travel to complete the last mile to their workplace. The issue is even more of a problem in London, with 46% of the capitals drivers concerned about parking. Peugeots unique, fold-away electric bike integrates neatly into the boot space of the all-new 5008 SUV with a mobile charging dock, giving commuters an on-board solution to conquer the final part of their journey. The all-new Peugeot 5008 SUV offers urban drivers a premium SUV with a range of advanced safety technologies. Its class-leading modularity and versatility make it an ideal partner for life in the city with excellent handling and ride. The two removable, separate, folding seats in the third row allow for flexibility, which enables an impressive load space of 952 litres as well as extra legroom. BMX star, Kriss Kyle and 2016 Ladies FIA European Rally Champion, Catie Munnings, took to the streets of London to showcase this complete, all-in-one transport solution for the city commute. Gilles Vidal, Director of Peugeot Design, said: The all-new 5008 SUV has been a huge success selling 42,000 in Europe since launch in 2017 and almost 3,000 vehicles in the UK since launch in January 2018. Spacious, versatile and packed with the latest technology, we felt the Peugeot 5008 SUV was the perfect vehicle to pair with our first electrically assisted folding bike. Peugeot is the only brand that offers two wheel, three wheel and four wheel mobility solutions which are manually powered, electrically assisted, hybrid, fully electric or equipped with an internal combustion engine. Thanks to this enormous flexibility in our range we can offer a mobility solution for every requirement. Together, the 5008 SUV and eF01 electric bike combine two modes of transport to create a complete door-to-door solution, no matter what your destination might be. Kriss Kyle, BMX champion, said: The eF01 is a fantastic bike to ride its great fun and practical. I was delighted to be a part of this project and I think its brilliant that Peugeot have created a solution for the last mile, which means people have the option to drive their car and cycle their bike. The eF01 electric bike can be charged on a mobile docking station in just 60 minutes and can be folded and unfolded in less than 10 seconds. The combination of the 5008 SUV and the eF01 bike creates an ideal solution to be able to travel anywhere. Ph.D. in ECE in Portugal Dual degree The Information and Communication Technologies Institute is an international "virtual" institution with poles in Portugal (ICTI@Portugal) and at Carnegie Mellon University (ICTI@CMU). Interested students may apply for doctoral study in ECE through the ICTI. Those accepted will take courses that have been approved by the Carnegie Mellon ECE Department at a partner institution in Portugal. Graduates of the program will earn two degrees one from Carnegie Mellon and the second from the Portuguese partner. Admission criteria for the ECE/Portugal Ph.D. Program are identical to current ECE Ph.D. admission standards. Students admitted to ICTI@CMU will be fully-funded with tuition and a stipend from the ICTI. Curriculum Students in the ECE/Portugal Ph.D. Program will undertake a research-intensive study of the fundamentals of electrical or computer engineering. During the course of obtaining the Ph.D. degree, pupils will create and disseminate knowledge of electrical and computer systems. Courses offered in Portugal will typically be taught by Portuguese professors in English. The content, style, and level of each course will be reviewed by Carnegie Mellon. Degree timeline The ECE/Portugal Ph.D. degree is a five-year program with two years on the Carnegie Mellon campus and three years in Portugal. Here is a standard timeline for completion of the program (deviations may be approved on a case-by-case basis): Year Tasks First Course work at one or more of the Portuguese universities. Second Research and additional course work at Carnegie Mellon. Third Thesis research and teaching internship at Carnegie Mellon. Fourth Thesis research and second teaching internship in Portugal. Fifth Thesis research and completion in Portugal. Faculty advising Students will be supervised by a pair of faculty advisors from Carnegie Mellon and Portugal who will create and define a research project for each student to complete in pursuit of their degree. The advisors will also assist with course selection and other elements of the Ph.D. program, based on the student's background and academic goals. All requirements of the current ECE Ph.D. Program apply to the ECE/Portugal Ph.D. Program, as well. It is expected that the Portuguese advisor will spend up to one semester at Carnegie Mellon during the third year and the Carnegie Mellon scientific advisor will visit the Portuguese institution at least once during the program. ICTI@CMU is directed by ECE Professor Jose Moura with the collaboration of about 40 members of the Carnegie Mellon faculty. Participants in the ICTI and the Carnegie Mellon-Portugal Program include professors, researchers, and students from six colleges, eight departments, and six research centers and institutes at Carnegie Mellon and a large consortia of Portuguese research and education institutions, including 12 higher education institutions, four associate laboratories, one applied research institute and two governmental agencies. The ICTI also features a research component that focuses on scientific areas, including information processing and networks, critical infrastructure and risk assessment, applied mathematics and technology, innovation and policy. A robust industrial affiliate program includes the membership of Portugal Telecom, the main telecommunications operator in Portugal; Siemens Networks; and Novabase. Other major national and multinational companies and a number of technology-based firms, including Critical Software, a leading Portuguese software company, are committed to help define the program strategy and direction. Portuguese partner institutions Instantly delete email threats with 365 Threat Monitor With 365 Threat Monitor, scan all emails as they reach your users' mailboxes to detect ransomware, phishing and spam. Get real-time phone alerts, real-time security breach updates and delete threats instantly with just one click - for free! Learn More. Zuora recently held its annual Subscribed user conference in San Francisco. In general, it was a good first outing since the company's IPO, coming off some impressive first-quarter results. Year-over-year subscription revenues grew 39 percent and total revenue grew an amazing 60 percent, for example. As good as its present situation is, now that Zuora is a public company, it has to push down the gas pedal to feed the insatiable stock market. It has responded to that need with several interesting introductions that further build out its product line and represent a good attempt at institutionalizing its growth and customer-centricity. Zuora acknowledged that after 10 years, some of its customers were looking for the next bit of adrenaline to fuel their growth. "The easy stuff, the low-hanging fruit" had been taken, CEO Tien Tzuo said at one point, and it was time to reach higher. What he meant was that many successful subscription companies had gotten an initial boost from the fact of their subscription status. However, as with any innovation, commoditization has set in because initial success invited considerable competition. Hybrid Approach Because Zuora is a company that collects a great deal of data, Tzuo was able to say with confidence that 70 percent of customer growth was attributable to expanding footprints (upsells, cross-sells, renewals) rather than to the addition of net new customers. Zuora anonymizes customer data to derive such insights, which it publishes as the Subscription Economy Index, or SEI. Some other interesting information from the SEI is that the more customers change or tweak their subscriptions, the faster they grow -- and fewer ultimately churn. Since these numbers are indicators of use and engagement, the results make sense. If this sounds like customer relationship management, it is -- and I think Zuora's big challenge right now is in getting the CRM-finance/billing ratio right. CRM -- or as I think of it, putting the customer in the center of what a business does -- might be Zuora's highest off-label priority at the moment. It's easy for the company to demonstrate the value of subscriptions as customer-centricity tools, and it needs to expend more effort doing that. Consider this: Solving the subscription-billing problem was huge, and it continues to be challenging for businesses adopting the subscription model as an adjunct to their overall business. However, solving billing is just a way to save money and to make it possible for a business to get on the field. Both are highly important, but they aren't enough. CRM and customer-centricity are essential to many subscription companies, so much so that they have a hard time teasing the two apart. To the extent that many companies have been adopting a hybrid approach to customers involving new lines of subscription business side by side with conventional models, Zuora continually needs to remind them that the models are different. In this instance, neither model is necessarily superior, but each has to be given space and neither should be confused for the other. The idea of rapidly getting through the transition phase to an all-subscription world might be a bridge too far for big vendors delivering complex products and services, so advocating that approach ultimately is self-defeating. Running two business models in parallel is tougher than dealing with pure subscriptions, and this contributes to the sense of plateauing some customers feel. Adding customer-centricity to a business' overall approach (where needed) may be the greatest contribution the subscription model's advocate can offer. Some new product introductions and updates can make all this easier. New Products Zuora introduced Zuora Orders and enhancements to Zuora Insights, and it showed, especially with Orders, that it was dealing with the problem of its customers being too successful -- a happy problem. Orders is a product that can be used to file an initial order for renewable and nonrenewable services, like a core offering and training. It also is suitable for maintaining and updating existing customer changes to subscriptions. It thus makes it easier for customers to tweak their instances to get exactly what they need, and the data shows it's a good approach to customer retention. There's also Zuora CPQ, which has suffered somewhat from an imperfect category assignment. Conventional CPQ -- configure, price, quote -- is a necessity for traditional sales involving a one-time purchase of a product configuration. In that light, CPQ for subscriptions is at first glance a misnomer, since subscriptions can be updated infinitely with the Orders product. Zuora CPQ could be called "SPQ" -- subscription pricing and quotation -- which makes a lot more sense, but then there's the issue of inserting yet another name into the product universe. Definitely above my pay grade. Finally, Zuora Insights is a continuation of the company's years-long effort to bring analytics to the subscription base. Appropriately, Insights' presence is felt in numerous places throughout the product line -- from gathering use stats to informing the revenue-recognition process. Speaking of which, RevRec might be Zuora's biggest opportunity as companies slowly -- and retroactively -- adapt the ASC 606 and other regulations. The industry has been slow to do much, according to my sources, and some companies now are spending millions to catch up when they could have spent less before. At any rate, this gives Zuora lots of new opportunities. My Two Bits Zuora is off and running and has made great progress in the last decade. This year's Subscribed event was a summation of its history and a chance to point toward the next horizon. The market has changed significantly, though, and some of that change has been due to Zuora's successes. The big challenge now in subscriptions is rationalizing the hybrid model and giving space to it, as well as to the conventional model, throughout the industry. That's not a hard thing to do, but it will require rethinking customer-centricity and CRM generally. Great companies rise to such challenges. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network. Denis Pombriant is a well-known CRM industry analyst, strategist, writer and speaker. His new book, You Can't Buy Customer Loyalty, But You Can Earn It, is now available on Amazon. His 2015 book, Solve for the Customer, is also available there. Email Denis. By Katherine Paul Monsanto may not be the largest company in the world. Or the worst. But the St. Louis, Missouri, biotech giant has become the poster child for all that's wrong with our industrial food and farming system. With 21,000 employees in 66 countries and $15 billion in revenue, Monsanto is a biotech industry heavyweight. The monopolizer of seeds is the poster child for an industry that is the source of at least one-third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and is largely responsible for the depletion of soil, water and biodiversity. Not to mention the company's marginalizationand sometimes terrorizationof millions of small farmers. Since the early 20th century, Monsanto has marketed highly toxic products that have contaminated the environment and permanently sickened or killed thousands of people around the world. The most toxic of its products include: PCBs: one of the 12 persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which affect human and animal fertility 2,4,5 T (2,4-D): a component of Agent Orange containing dioxin which was used by the US military during the Vietnam war and continues to be a major cause of birth defects and cancers Lasso: an herbicide now banned in Europe Roundup: the most widely used herbicide in the world, and cause of one of the biggest health and environmental tragedies in modern history. This highly toxic weed killer, sprayed on genetically modified or GMO crops including soybeans, corn and rapeseed for animal feed or for the production of biofuels, was recently classified as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization. In a rare exception, Monsanto was recently ordered to pay $46.5 million to compensate victims of its PCB poisoning. Sometimes the company settles out of court, to avoid having to admit to any wrongdoing." But for the most part, thanks to the multinational's powerful influence over U.S. politicians, Monsanto has been able to poison with impunity. It's time for the citizens of the world to fight back. On Oct. 15-16, in The Hague, Netherlandsthe International City of Peace and Justicea panel of distinguished international judges will hear testimony from witnesses, represented by legitimate lawyers, who have been harmed by Monsanto. A press conference Dec. 3, 2015 in Paris during COP21 announcing the International Monsanto Tribunal. Solene Charrasse In their preparation for the citizens' tribunal, and during witness testimony, the judges will consider six questions that are relevant not just in relation to Monsanto, but to all companies involved in shaping the future of agriculture. The six questions are: 1. Right to a healthy environment: Did the firm Monsanto violate, by its activities, the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, as recognized in international human rights law (Res. 25/21 of the Human Rights Council, of 15 April 2014), taking into account the responsibilities imposed on corporations by the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as endorsed by the Human Rights Council in Resolution 17/4 of 16 June 2011? 2. Right to food: Did the firm Monsanto violate, by its activities, the right to food, as recognized in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in Articles 24.2(c) and (e) and 27.3 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and in Articles 25(f) and 28.1 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, taking into account the responsibilities imposed on corporations by the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as endorsed by the Human Rights Council in Resolution 17/4 of 16 June 2011? 3. Right to health: Did the firm Monsanto violate, by its activities, the right to the highest attainable standard of health, as recognized in Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, or the right of child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, as recognized by Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, taking into account the responsibilities imposed on corporations by the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as endorsed by the Human Rights Council in Resolution 17/4 of 16 June 2011? 4. Freedom of expression and academic research: Did the firm Monsanto violate the freedom indispensable for scientific research, as guaranteed by Article 15(3) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as the freedoms of thought and expression guaranteed in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, taking into account the responsibilities imposed on corporations by the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as endorsed by the Human Rights Council in Resolution 17/4 of 16 June 2011? 5. Complicity in war crimes: Is the firm Monsanto complicit in the commission of a war crime, as defined in Article 8(2) of the International Criminal Court, by providing materials to the United States Army in the context of operation "Ranch Hand" launched in Viet Nam in 1962? 6. Ecocide: Could the past and present activities of Monsanto constitute a crime of ecocide, understood as causing serious damage or destroying the environment, so as to significantly and durably alter the global commons or ecosystem services upon which certain human groups rely? The citizens' tribunal judges will not have the power to adopt binding decisions. But they will issue opinions which will provide victims and their legal counsel the arguments and legal grounds for further lawsuits against Monsanto within their national jurisdictions. Throughout history, citizens' tribunals have been an effective tool for highlighting the need to change international law so that victims of transnational companies have a means to legal redress. They are most successful when they are able to attract media attention, and are endorsed and supported by millions of citizens throughout the world. If you would like to endorse the International Monsanto Tribunal and follow its progress, sign on here. To submit witness testimony, email claims (at) Monsanto-tribunal.org. You can also support the tribunal financially. Katherine Paul is associate director of the Organic Consumers Association. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE EU Commission Backs Down on Long-Term Glyphosate Approval, Seeks Last Minute Extension Glyphosate Found in Urine of 93 percent of Americans Tested The Superbug Doctors Have Been Dreading Is Now in the U.S. Taiwan Recalls Quaker Oats Products Imported From U.S. After Detecting Glyphosate By The Greens / European Free Alliance A proposal for a temporary "technical extension" of the EU approval of the herbicide glyphosate failed today to secure the support of a majority of EU governments. "We applaud those EU governments who are sticking to their guns and are refusing to authorize this controversial toxic herbicide," Bart Staes, Green environment and food safety spokesperson, said. "There are clear concerns about the health risks with glyphosate, both as regards it being a carcinogen and an endocrine disruptor. Moreover, glyphosate's devastating impact on biodiversity should have already led to its ban. Thankfully, the significant public mobilization and political opposition to re-approving glyphosate has been taken seriously by key EU governments, who have forced the EU Commission to back down. "Three strikes must mean the approval of glyphosate is finally ruled out. After the third failed attempt, the Commission must stop continuing to try and force through the approval of glyphosate. Such a move would raise major democratic concerns about the EU's decision-making process. The process of phasing out glyphosate and other toxic herbicides and pesticides from agriculture must begin now, and this means reorienting the EU's Common Agricultural Policy towards a more sustainable agricultural model." With the current approval of glyphosate set to expire at the end of June and insufficient support from EU governments for re-approval, the European Commission had proposed a "technical extension" of the current approval until after the European Chemicals Agency delivers its opinion on glyphosate (12-18 months). European Chemicals Agency is expected to deliver its opinion by autumn 2017. The "technical extension" means the commission has dropped the proposal for a longer term re-approval. The failure to agree on this today means the future for glyphosate is uncertain. The European Commission could try to force the proposal through an "appeals committee." YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE 6 Questions for Monsanto Glyphosate Found in Urine of 93 percent of Americans Tested EU Commission Backs Down on Long-Term Glyphosate Approval, Seeks Last Minute Extension The Superbug Doctors Have Been Dreading Is Now in the U.S. Monsanto may have dropped its name, but it can't drop the thousands of cases being brought against it by cancer sufferers claiming its weed-killer Roundup gave them non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the first of which goes to trial Monday, CNN reported. The first plaintiff to get his day in court is Dewayne Johnson, a 46-year-old Bay-area father of two, but for Johnson that is a dubious honor. Johnson is being granted an expedited trial because his doctors say he is nearing death, and California law facilitates speedier trials in such cases. Johnson worked doing pest management for a county school system and used Roundup 20 to 30 times per year in the line of duty. Now, he has days when lesions cover 80 percent of his body and he is too ill to speak. "Mr. Johnson is angry and is the most safety-oriented person I know," his attorney Timothy Litzenburg told CNN. "Right now, he is the bravest dude in America. Whatever happens with the trial and his health, his sons get to know that." Litzenburg also represents "more than 2,000 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma sufferers who used Roundup extensively," he told CNN. The trial will hinge on whether Roundup's key ingredient glyphosate causes cancer and whether Monsanto failed to adequately warn customers. Monsanto, for its part, has long insisted on glyphosate's safety. "More than 800 scientific studies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institutes of Health and regulators around the world have concluded that glyphosate is safe for use and does not cause cancer," Scott Partridge, Monsanto's vice president of strategy, said in a statement reported by CNN. But the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) ruled in 2015 that glyphosate was "probably carcinogenic to humans" based on studies of exposure in the agricultural sector published in the U.S., Canada and Sweden since 2001 and on laboratory experiments conducted on animals. In March, a San Francisco judge unsealed documents casting doubt on the legitimacy of the studies finding glyphosate safe. The documents revealed Monsanto employees had ghostwritten glyphosate research for academics to sign and that a senior EPA official had killed a glyphosate review after speaking with Monsanto. Johnson's trial will begin nearly a week after another California judge ruled that the state could not require cancer-risk labels on products containing glyphosate, saying evidence was inconclusive, AgriPulse reported . The new labels were scheduled to be required in July, but the judge's ruling has delayed their roll-out, though it is not the final ruling in the case. By Michael Engelhard Time slipping, a tabula rasa. Footprints erased, slopes advanced, ripples unsculpted. A whole world recast by whims of weather. Besides snowfields and foreshores, few landscapes appear so clean-cut and subtle. Here, emptiness is the main attraction. I'm perched on a pile of gear at the lip of a sand dune adjacent to a boreal forest--Lawrence of Beringia. The two Guatemalans I'm shepherding on a weeklong sampler tour of national parks busy themselves snapping last photos of Ahnewetut Creek, which borders the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes' smooth, scalloped bays. Each time I think I detect our scheduled plane's whine it turns out to be either a hungry mosquito or just the high pitch of silence in this place. The bugs have been so pesky that my clients proposed camping atop the flat hard-packed sand where the pilot dropped us off two days ago. It's too far from water, I told them, and that sand would infiltrate every crevice, but even so they took to eating their meals up here, drunk on the views, safe from bloodsuckers and moose marauders, in the herb-scented breeze. Thirty-five miles north of the Arctic Circle, just shy of Alaska's Brooks Range, lies Kobuk Valley National Park, one of America's least explored park units. The reason s evident: To get here, you have to either charter a wheeled aircraft in Kotzebue or else backpack two miles from a loop in the river, delivered by a raft or floatplane or skiff. Including their Little Kobuk and Hunt River outliers, the continent's largest active high-latitudes dunes smother thirty square miles like a mini-Sahara. Summer temperatures can hover around 100 degrees, fooling you with mirages--heat waver, anvil-head mountain peaks, sprawling coalescing "lakes." This is a desert birthed by retreating glaciers.Easterly winds transported rock finely abraded by Pleistocene ice flows, dumping it along the Kobuk Valley. As the climate kept changing, the Aeolian conveyor belt slowed or accelerated, and the dune field shrank or expanded tenfold. The buff humps aligned into serried ridges, divided by 10-story troughs. If the Statue of Liberty stepped off her pedestal, her torch would barely stick out from the tallest mounds. These dunes disguise soggy sediments below, whose moisture percolates through the superimposed sands. Plant succession shows with textbook clarity: Sedges, sparse grasses, dwarf lupines, locoweed, wild rye, and islands of spruce all struggle for toeholds, anchoring substrate with root feelers tapping reservoirs that freeze solid part of the year. Signs of wildlife abound. Loons wail. Wolf paws shadow zipper tracks left by caribou from the Western Arctic Herd, often ending in piles of vertebrae. Moose nuggets and bear scat nest in the lichen and moss pillows that abut the sliding cliffs. Willow-stick dams clog the Ahnewetutamidst alders girdled by porcupines; beavers push V-wavelets through its shallows. While I scoop buckets of cooking water for dinner, black beady eyes gleam from a root hollow in the bank. Like Saint-Exupery air racing toward Saigon above the Lybian desert, I succumbed to the first sand sea I saw--three decades ago, when a Death Valley "shortcut" almost killed me. The desert is a harsh mistress, strict and sereneit's hard not to wax philosophical in her presence. Life and death balance on her scimitar edge of curved swells. Echoes of Ozymandias linger. Crazed hermits and prophets inhabit these furnaces, forging messianic religions. Eons unspool in streams of grains running through your fingers, cycled through weathering's mill not once, but repeatedly. Hunting camps thousands of years old dot the Kobuk dunes' margins. One wonders what the ancient ones thought of this golden, shifting void. Scientists, too, rack up field days here, prepping for distant worlds. Comparing satellite images of a single Martian scene over time, astrophysicists discovered dune fronts marching across the red planet. They used a remote-sensing technique they'd developed to estimate the speed of the Kobuk dunes, finding that these Arctic hills progress more slowly than those near the equator. Strangely, the data also suggested that the larger northern dunes inch forward faster than the dwarf ones. Drilling boreholes in March, taking the dunes' winter temperatures, and scanning them with ground-penetrating radar, the researchers learned that unfrozen crests of some giantsthose surpassing their neighborsbear the wind's brunt, which gives them more momentum. Snow-covered smaller surges, lee sides, and sinks by comparison remain fairly static. Coated with carbon dioxide and frost, polar dunes on our sibling planet behave in a similar manner. Inner or outer frontiersthe exquisite parched waste of the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes confounds us with mysteries, compelling us to tiptoe the line between annihilation and thrill. Reposted with permission from our media associate SIERRA Magazine. Dr. James Hansen, the former NASA scientist who is widely credited with being one of the first to raise concerns about human-caused global warming, is a co-author of a new report predicting that the world will undergo devastating sea level rise within mere decadesnot centuries, as previously thought. Taking into consideration "rapid, large, human-made climate forcing," the study predicts a much more accelerated rate of sea level rise of several meters, beyond that which humanity is capable of adapting to. Photo credit: Christopher Michel/cc/flickr The report, published Tuesday in the open-access journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, paints an even bleaker picture of the planet's future, positing that continued high fossil fuel emissions will "increase powerful storms" and drive sea-level rise of "several meters over a timescale of 50 to 150 years." Hansen, who now serves as the director of the Climate Science Awareness and Solutions program at Columbia University Earth Institute, published the findings along with an international team of 18 researchers and academics. As the abstract states, the predictions "differ fundamentally from existing climate change assessments." For example, the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2013 predicted three feet of sea level rise by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. A draft version of Hansen's paper released last year provoked wide debate among climate scientists. Nonetheless, Michael Mann, a renowned climate scientist with the University of Pennsylvania, who is among those questioning some of the report's "extraordinary" claims, told the New York Times, "I think we ignore James Hansen at our peril." The peer-edited report examines growing ice melt from Antarctica and Greenland and studies how that melting has historically amplified "feedbacks that increase subsurface ocean warming and ice shelf melting." Taking into consideration "rapid, large, human-made climate forcing," the study predicts a much more accelerated rate of sea level rise of several meters, beyond that which humanity is capable of adapting to. Or, as Hansen put it, "Were in danger of handing young people a situation thats out of their control." These staggering claims come as climate scientists continue to reel from the frightening speed at which the Earth is warming. On Monday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO, issued a report warning that climate change is occurring at an "alarming rate" and that world leaders must act to curb greenhouse gases now, "before we pass the point of no return." In a video released alongside the new report, Hansen, who left his position at NASA in 2013 so that he could fully commit himself to fighting climate change, says that the paper explores the consequences of continued greenhouse gas emissions. These include "superstorms stronger than any seen in modern times," sea level rise that will erase "all coastal cities," and, finally, "how soon we will pass points of no return." Watch here: YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE Photo Ark: One Mans Journey to Save the Worlds Most Endangered Species Eating Less Meat Could Save 5 Million Lives, Cut Carbon Emissions by 33% Dramatic Images Show Worst Coral Bleaching Event to Ever Hit Most Pristine Part of Great Barrier Reef White House: 17 Western States Face New Threats to Water Supplies From Climate Change Following the suspected death of an orca whale nicknamed Crewser, the population of southern resident orca whales is the lowest it has been in 34 years, The Seattle Times reported Saturday. The Center for Whale Research (CWR) declared the whale, officially known as L92, "missing and presumed dead" on Friday. L92 had not been seen since November 2017 and was "conspicuously absent" from 2018 sightings. He was 23 years old. With L92s death, the number of southern resident orca whales, who travel between waters in Washington State and southwestern British Columbia, fell to 75, the lowest it has been since 1984. Orca whales were listed as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2005. Despite a baby boom, the southern orca population has fallen by eight since 2016, The Canadian Press reported. Deaths are being blamed on a decline in Chinook salmon, the whale's main prey, as well as noise and boat traffic, The Seattle Times reported. Conservationists are concerned that the increased shipping associated with the Trans Mountain pipeline could exacerbate these risks, since it will increase tanker traffic in the Salish Sea by 700 percent, according to the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. "Even without oil spills the additional noise from Kinder Morgan tanker traffic increases the risk of extinction to already imperilled Southern Residents. Today's approval of the Kinder Morgan project sanctions the probable extinction of Southern Resident killer whales. We are now considering our options including additional legal action," Raincoast Executive Director Chris Genovali said in 2016, when the pipeline was first approved. L92's death is a reminder of the urgency of the orca's situation, coming three months after Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed an executive order to protect orcas and Chinook salmon. "The problems faced by orcas and salmon are human-caused, and we as Washingtonians have a duty to protect these species," Inslee said at the time. "The impacts of letting these two species disappear would be felt for generations." He ordered state agencies to outline both immediate and long-term solutions to ensure both species' survival. L92 was a member of L pod, the largest group of orca whales that spends time in Washington and BC waters. The smaller J and K pods complete the southern resident population. On June 11, the CWR counted 50 whales in inland waters. The CWR said the whales were spending less and less time inland in the spring as Fraser River Chinook salmon runs decreased. 2018 looks to be an especially low year for Fraser River Chinook salmon, the CWR reported. More than 300,000 U.S. coastal homes could be uninhabitable due to sea level rise by 2045 if no meaningful action is taken to combat climate change, a Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) study published Monday found. The study, Underwater: Rising Seas, Chronic Floods and the Implications for U.S. Coastal Real Estate, set out to calculate how many coastal properties in the lower 48 states would suffer from "chronic inundation," non-storm flooding that occurs 26 times a year or more, under different climate change scenarios. Researchers combined property data from Zillow with three different sea level rise scenarios calculated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and found that, in a high sea level rise scenario, $117.5 billion worth of homes, which currently house 550,000 people, would be in danger from chronic flooding within the lifespan of a 30 year mortgage. "Even homes along the Gulf coast that are elevated would be affected, as they'd have to drive through salt water to get to work or face their kids' school being cut off. You can imagine people walking away from mortgages, away from their homes." UCS senior climate scientist Kristina Dahl told The Guardian. The report further found that around 14,000 commercial properties worth $18.5 billion would also be at risk by 2045. By the end of the 21st century, the numbers could rise to 2.4 million homes impacted, worth a total of $912 billion and home to 4.7 million people. If you add commercial properties, the total number of properties impacted by 2100 could be worth more than $1 trillion. Florida would be the state most impacted by coastal flooding, losing more than 10 percent of its residential propertiesabout one million homesby 2100 in a high sea level rise scenario. New Jersey would be second with 250,000 homes lost by 2100, followed by New York with 143,000 homes. The report also found that around 175 different coastal communities could face chronic flooding that impacted 10 percent or more of their housing stock by 2045. Nearly forty percent of those communities already face poverty levels above the national average. The number of poor communities that stood to lose homes was highest in Louisiana, but low-income communities in North Carolina, New Jersey and Maryland were also at risk. "People living in these doubly vulnerable communities stand to lose the most, yet have fewer resources to adapt to flooding or relocate to safer areas," the report said. If action is taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions, the impact of sea level rise could be less financially devastating to coastal property owners. Under NOAA's calculations for a moderate level of sea level rise, around 140,000 homes would be at risk by 2035 and more than 2.1 million by 2100. But in a low sea level rise scenario in which warming is limited to the levels set in the Paris agreement, the number of homes at risk by 2060 would decrease by nearly 80 percent, the study found. (Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC)Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at Geneva's St Pierre Cathedral during a service celebrating the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches on June 17, 2018. Representatives of churches worldwide have gathered at Geneva's St. Pierre Cathedral for a service of celebration to mark the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches. There Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based Archbishop of Constantinople urged continued efforts for unity, justice and peace. "We celebrate a long common pilgrimage on the path to unity, Christian witness, and the commitment to justice, peace, and the preservation of creation," said the Bartholomew in his homily during the service on June 17 in in the Swiss city's historic Protestant cathedral. Bartholomew was one of the founding members of the WCC, which was established with its headquarters in Geneva in 1948 to foster Christian unity with the memories of the Second World War strongly motivating its formation. But the Ecumenical Patriarch reminded those gathered that the ecumenism was linked to an even earlier human catastrophe the First World War, or the Great War as it was sometimes called during which the Russian Revolution took place. "Ninety-eight years ago, shortly after the end of the devastating First World War, a voice was raised in the Christian East, calling on the Churches of the entire oikoumene to show mutual trust between themselves and to no longer regard themselves as strangers, but as relatives and dear ones in Christ, as 'fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the same promise of God'" Bartholomew quoted the Bible's book of Ephesians 3:6 om his homily. MORE THAN 550 MILLION CHRISTIANS Today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries. The patriarch praised common efforts to respond to the major challenges of the age, as well as the "constructive cooperation" between the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church, which is not a WCC member but works with the council in various areas. "We are aware that the movement to restore the unity of Christianity is taking new forms in order to respond to new situations and to deal with the current challenges of the world," said the patriarch Bartholomew, who is viewed as the primary spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christian world. Before he became Ecumenical Patriarch in 1991, Bartholomew served on the WCC's Faith and Order Commission and as a member of WCC governing bodies such as its central and executive committees. He is also studied at the WCC's Ecumenical Institute in Bossey near Geneva that has drawn students from all over the world including students from churches that are not WCC members. The service was held in French and English, and included hymns and prayers in many languages and from many parts of the world. It was a joint celebration with the Protestant Church of Geneva. In words of welcome, the church's president, Rev. Emmanuel Fuchs, praised the ties between his church and the "universal communion that the WCC represents." Thanking the Geneva church, WCC vice-moderator Bishop Dr Mary Ann Swenson said the cathedral symbolized the city's legacy in the defence of human dignity and of justice and peace. NORTH AND SOUTH KOREAN CHURCHES She noted that participants at the service included representatives from the churches in both North and South Korea. In his homily, Patriarch Bartholomew urged dialogue, patience and openness to overcome differences and difficulties that had arisen since the WCC was founded. "Let us have no illusions," he said. "The churches have so far been unable to overcome their divisions and achieve the much-desired unity." The main Christian traditions represented in the WCC the Christian East and the churches of the Reformation - need to redefine the nature of the institution and to mark the limits within which the WCC is called to bear witness and serve, said the patriarch. He noted how the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church that convened in Crete in June 2016 had affirmed that local Orthodox churches that are members of the WCC "participate fully and equally in the bodies of this institution." Bartholomew recalled 1920 when the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople had issued an encyclical to the churches in the world to create a "League of Churches" on the model of the League of Nations created in the same year in Geneva. "The 'League of Churches' proposed by Constantinople finally took on flesh and bones 28 years later in 1948," he said, when the WCC was created through the fusion of the Christian movement on "Faith and Order" and "Life and Work." On June 21, Pope Francis will visit the WCC at its Ecumenical Centre in Geneva. A spate of incidents involving students hacking their schools networks and software programs is again highlighting the weak cybersecurity practices in K-12 education. From California to New Jersey, teenagers have allegedly improperly accessed student-information systems, online learning programs, and college-counseling software in at least 10 states this school year. Often, their motivation was to change grades. And, typically, the hacks were technically unsophisticated, involving little more than students finding a teachers password or login credentials. K-12 information-technology experts say the scope of the problem reflects an ongoing failure by schools and districts to take even the most basic measures to protect their networks. The biggest challenge to maintaining cybersecurity is not technology but people, said Marie Bjerede, the principal for leadership initiatives at the Consortium for School Networking, a professional association for school technology officials. The problem of students using computers to alter school records is nothing new. Consider, for example, the popular 1983 movie War Games, in which a young hacker played by Matthew Broderick nearly starts World War IIIbut not before breaking into his schools network to change his and his girlfriends grades. Thirty-five years later, similar incidents are still presenting challenges for K-12 leaders. Bolstering cybersecurity is one big issue. But figuring out how to appropriately discipline the students responsible has also proved vexing. Hacker Prevention K-12 cybersecurity experts suggest that schools take such basic measures to prevent against hacks as: Train staff on good password practices: No sticky notes. Use long, complex passwords. Dont repeat passwords across platforms. Consider password-management software. Require two-factor authentication: Even if a hacker inappropriately obtains a password, he or she wont be able to access a network without a second piece of information, such as a code sent to the legitimate users mobile device. Be vigilant about ensuring role-based access to information: No one associated with a school should have access to more information than he needs to do his job. Patch software regularly. Some more sophisticated hackers seek to exploit vulnerabilities in software. That can often be prevented by making sure programs are updated and patched regularly. In some cases, districts have launched aggressive criminal investigations that have led to felony charges. Often, such prosecutions have occurred under state laws modeled after the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which makes it a crime to access certain computers or computing systems without authorization, said Tor Ekeland, a New York City-based defense lawyer who specializes in representing hackers and white-collar defendants. That approach is often overzealous and often motivated by a desire to save face after weak cybersecurity practices are revealed, Ekeland and other experts say. For all but the most serious breaches involving K-12 students, the experts argue, school-based discipline is likely more appropriate. These are just kids, Ekeland said. If we prosecuted computer crimes in the 1970s like we do now, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates would have gone to jail, and we wouldnt have Apple and Microsoft. Four student-hacking incidents from this school year represent similar problems across the country. East Brewton, Ala. Last month, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the arrests of a student and teacher in the 4,500-student Escambia County district, charging them with the felony of computer tampering for allegedly altering grades at W.S. Neal High School. Local news reports alleged that senior Matthew Hutchins had improperly accessed a school computer system (later identified as INow, a student-information and data-management system.) Special education teacher Lisa Odom was also arrested and charged with a felony in connection with the incident. According to WEARTV.com, school officials noticed discrepancies in the grades of a number of students, prompting the district to delay its announcement of top student performers. In an interview last month with AL.com, Escambia County Superintendent John Knott said that multiple students were involved and that a full review was underway. AL.com has also reported that an assistant principals login credentials were used to change grades over a six-month period. The Escambia County board of education,the Alabama attorney generals office, and lawyers for Hutchins and Odom did not respond to requests for comment from Education Week. Both Hutchins and Odom face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. In general, Ekeland, who is not directly involved in the Hutchins case, said K-12 administrators should think twice about why theyre pursuing such severe measures. The hacker bears some responsibility, Ekeland said. But a felony will follow a student for the rest of his life. Concord, Calif. Sixteen-year old David Rotaro told Californias ABC13 Eyewitness News that a grade-changing scheme he executed was like stealing candy from a baby. According to local television station KTVU, Rotaro, a sophomore at Ygnacio Valley High in the 32,000-student Mount Diablo district, executed a relatively sophisticated hack. Rotaro reportedly created a fake website that mirrored his districts actual website, then sent a phishing email out to teachers in the hope that someone would use his or her actual login and password to access his site. Mount Diablo staff are routinely advised against opening suspected phishing or spam messages, a district spokeswoman told Education Week. Still, a teacher bit on one of Rotaros messages, allowing the student to access the schools computer system in order to change the grades of roughly a dozen students. Rotaro, who told local news outlets he hopes to work in IT as a professional, has been charged with 14 felony counts, according to multiple media reports. Education Week did not receive a response to messages left on a phone number believed to be associated with the students family. Doug Levin, who tracks K-12 cybersecurity breaches through his consulting firm, Edtech Strategies, said the incident highlights the mixed messages schools are giving students. Were telling kids that tech is the future and learning to code is where all the good jobs are, Levin said. Its not surprising that they would use these tools to test limits, including with the school IT systems they know best. Tenafly, N.J. A senior at high-performing Tenafly High allegedly breached the schools student-information-management system and a software program used to submit college applications and transcripts, apparently because he felt pressure to improve his profile for Ivy League universities. The school launched an investigation after a guidance counselor noticed the students grades had been altered, according to NorthJersey.com. The student was suspended, and his college applications were rescinded. The local board of education filed two criminal charges against the student, according to the news outlet. An official said the Tenafly police department could not comment on the incident because it involved a juvenile. The Tenafly district did not respond to a request for comment. In general, K-12 chief technology officers often underestimate the cybersecurity threats they face and fail to take basic precautions, according to a 2017 survey of school IT leaders administered by CoSN and the Education Week Research Center. One-third of those surveyed said they hadnt encouraged district staff to upgrade passwords, for example. Just 11 percent said they required two-factor authentication for district accounts. But thanks to a steady drumbeat of hacking-related headlines, that could be changing, said Bjerede of CoSN. I think that awareness of cybersecurity issues has grown dramatically, she said. Gadsden, N.M. Officials in the 14,000-student Gadsden school district notified parents that 55 students allegedly took part in a grade-changing scheme involving an online course. The students apparently logged into a teacher account on Edgenuity, an online-course provider and grading platform, and changed a total of 456 grades, according to a statement provided by the district. Five students were suspended, and the remainder will have to redo their work in the courses in which grades were changed in order to receive credit. Twenty-nine seniors were not eligible to graduate on time as a result of the incident. The hack came to light because Edgenuity logs and time stamps all activities undertaken on each account on its software. But the issue at hand in Gadsden was poor password practices, a spokesperson for the company said. Good password security ultimately comes down to the individual entrusted with the password, an Edgenuity spokesperson said in a statement. Recurring problems on that front speak to a larger problem in the K-12 sector, said Levin of EdTech Strategies. The adults have to take responsibility, too, Levin said. If a 14-year old can penetrate your system this easily, youre not locking the windows and doors like you should be. What is the most important thing you do to help your students become strong readers? Teach phonics? Do guided reading every day? Make read-aloud time with the whole class a magical space filled with laughter and silly voices? All these activities are important. But I have realized over the past few years that for young children, the foundation of literacy is the classroom library. This year, I became a lot more purposeful about building that foundation. An educator I respect said, I cant teach a child to read. What I can do is create the conditions for her to learn to read. The most important of these conditions is an abundance of great books. The kinds of books kids cant wait to get their hands on. One of the many things I love about my principal is that she knows how important books are and allocates school funding accordingly. Last fall, each teacher at our school received $500 to stock our classroom library. This year, well receive between $1,000 and $1,500. Before we buy new books, we teachers take stock of the titles we already have. I developed the chart below to help teachers take a close look at the range of reading levels, diversity, identities, experiences, and genres in their classroom libraries. As you shape your classroom library, you should: 1. Increase diversity. Literature should be a window into possibilities beyond our own experiences. But it should also be a clear and vibrant mirror. As things are, a talking rabbit stands a better chance of seeing herself reflected in childrens literature than a child of color does. Roughly 73 percent of the characters in childrens books published in 2015 were white, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madisons Cooperative Childrens Book Center. This appalling statistic should make every one of us angry. What can we do about that profound problem? First, we need to find books that reflect the identities and experiences of our African-American, Latino and Latina, Asian-American, and Native American students. There arent enough of those books being published by the industry, but they do exist. If you have even one student of color in your class, she needs to see herself reflected in the books you put in her hands. White students need to read books about characters of color, tooin a world where neighborhoods, churches, and schools tend to be largely segregated, books can be a portal into the experiences of children whose lives are very different from those of the reader. Scholastics monthly We Need Diverse Books flyers are a good place to start (if youre not getting that Book Clubs catalog delivered to your school mailbox, call 1-800-Scholastic and ask for it). There are plenty of good lists that pop up if you Google diverse childrens literature, too, like the 2018 Ultimate List of Diverse Childrens Books. Placing some of these books in your classroom library is the first step. You can create excitement around the diverse books you choose by using them at read-aloud time, in guided-reading groups, and for shared reading. 2. Match the books to students ability. Along with reflecting your students identities, your classroom library should provide plenty of books on their independent reading level. What I found when I surveyed my own class library was kind of alarming. I knew that most of my incoming 1st graders would read on levels between 1 and 8 on the Developmental Reading Assessment system or between A and E on the Fountas and Pinnell system. Yet, most of the books in my class library were much harder than that. While leveling books with a teacher at another school, we discovered the same thing: Picture books that look easy are often intended for reading aloud and are far above the independent reading level of most students in the classroom. Leveling a library takes time. The fastest way I have found is to look for the title first on Scholastics Book Wizard website. If the title doesnt pop up there, I try an advanced search on the Lexile Framework for Reading with a correlation chart handy. If the book isnt showing up in that database either, I just eyeball the first few pages and make my best guess at the level. Once you know the approximate level of a particular series, like Mo Willems Piggie and Elephant books or The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne, you can label all the books in that series the same level without looking up each individual title. I organize my books in baskets by genre: nonfiction, fantasy, and realistic fiction. I have a separate basket of books that are bilingual or in Spanish, so my Latino and Latina students can develop literacy in both languages. This year, I started writing the level on the sticker that color-codes the books by genre. I wasnt sure about that change, because I dont always want to restrict my students to a narrow band of levels. But my 1st graders, all 25 of whom are English-language learners who live in poverty, made more progress than any other class Ive had. They grew an average of seven levelswell above a years typical growth. I attribute part of their growth to having provided them the level for every book in the class library. They can quickly find books that are just right and spend most of their time reading within that Goldilocks zonenot too hard, not too easy. My students also have 10 books in an individual Ziploc bag with their name and a range of two to four levels. They do a book shop at least once a week to swap for new titles. And they get time each week to read books above or below their level, too, when they browse the class library and our basket of read-aloud books for any titles that look interesting to them. 3. Make time to read. I have thought a lot about author Malcolm Gladwells notion that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something (though some researchers have challenged this theory ). Kids need focused mini lessons for reading and strategies other than simply sounding out unknown words. The foundation of strong literacy programs like the Reading Units of Study , developed by author Lucy Calkins and her colleagues, is simple: Children also need the right books at the right time, in sufficient quantities and with plenty of time to read them. My 1st graders have between 30 and 45 minutes each day to read books they choose. Every morning, they check out a book to read at home, which can be on any level since they have the option to ask a parent or sibling to read it to them. The book gap between income levels is staggeringthe most affluent children in America have an average of 200 books at home, while low-income children have about three. Home libraries are a powerful way to address that gap, but having kids check out a book to take home from the class library each day is critical, too. 4. Build a love of reading. During a meeting last month, a talented first-year teacher mentioned that she had witnessed a surge in her students reading abilities late in the year. When I asked if she was seeing a parallel surge in their excitement about reading, she was quiet for a moment. Then she admitted, You know, I dont even have time to notice that. Many of us find ourselves so distracted by the pressure of tests and the rush to get kids to grade level that we dont pay enough attention to whether or not our students enjoy reading. We have to make that time. Our job isnt just to teach kids how to read, but to do whatever we can to make sure they love to read. We have to give them plenty of choices, an abundance of funny and fascinating books, and cozy reading spots like bean bags, bungee chairs, or little tents. We also need to put great books into their hands and homes, including windows into unimagined realms and mirrors where they can see themselves clearly reflected. That mighty work begins by creating a magnificent classroom library. Dr. Thomas Morgenstern, Globalfoundries: We are on the right track from "More Moore" to a "More-than-Moore" oriented production, which is specifically geared to the needs of European industry. "We are in the middle of a change of strategy, the FD-SOI technology meets expectations", says Dr. Thomas Morgenstern, SVP and GF of Globalfoundries Dresden in an interview with Markt&Technik. However, the new customers could not yet compensate for the loss of business. Globalfoundries does not want to take part in the classic "More-Moore" race of the big ones in Dresden and instead will orientate itself towards many small and medium-sized customers. Typical markets here include Automotive, IoT, Industry 4.0, and Logistics, which Globalfoundries previously had less in its sights. "We have now received certification for the automotive market, of which we are particularly proud," says Morgenstern. Furthermore, the company has developed the 22 nm FD SOI process, which is now being launched in Dresden - for a large number of customers from Europe and all over the world, as Morgenstern explains. "That's why we've also lost a large customer, several smaller new customers can't make up for the loss in quantity at the moment," he continues. That is why Globalfoundries has decided to introduce short-time working at its Dresden location. Around 3,500 people are employed here. Because negotiations with the works council are currently ongoing, the company cannot say anything about the start and duration of short-time work. Globalfoundries started as a manufacturer of AMD CPUs in Dresden, then more processors for computers and communication devices were added. This market sector is characterized by high volumes but few players. But on the one hand it is very cost-intensive to develop the latest process technologies with the respective smallest structure sizes, on the other hand one makes oneself dependent on few customers. That is why Globalfoundries wanted to say goodbye to this market in Dresden. Chips manufactured using the newly developed FD-SOI technology are characterized by their low energy consumption and comparatively moderate production costs. "We are therefore on the right track from "More Moore" to a "More-than-Moore" oriented production, which is specifically geared to the needs of European industry," explains Morgenstern. However, this is a new technology that still has the decisive breakthrough in the mass market coming up, even if the number of small and medium-sized customers is currently increasing. Overall, it is not yet sufficient to compensate for the gap left by customers in the computing and communications sectors. "Not yet," says Morgenstern, because he is certain that the bottom can be passed quickly, because the number of new customers continues to grow rapidly and this should also be reflected in rapidly increasing numbers in the foreseeable future. Overall, Dr. Thomas Caufield, CEO of Globalfoundries since March 2018, had ordered the company to implement a cost-cutting program that will reduce its workforce by a total of 5 percent worldwide. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Verwandte Artikel Globalfoundries, GLOBALFOUNDRIES Europe Ltd. Police investigate damage at school Police are appealing for information after damage was caused by teenagers at one of the Island's schools. CCTV captured the incident at Kewaigue School between 4.45pm and 6pm on Monday 21st May, which was during TT practice week. Damage was caused to a number of items, including some which were handmade by staff and students. Officers are continuing to investigate the vandalism, and want to hear from anyone who has information which could help their enquiry. Those in charge of the case can be reached at Police Headquarters on 631212. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle went to another wedding together just a few weeks after they tied the knot. Another Royal Wedding The cousin in question is Celia McCorquodale, niece of the late Princess Diana, who is Harry's mother. The royal newlyweds were in attendance to share in her big day with George Woodhouse at St. Andrew and St. Mary's Church in Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire, on Saturday. Celia, daughter of Lady Sarah McCorquodale, eldest sister of Diana, wore a classical princess dress with a lace bodice and full-length veil for the wedding, along with the very same Spencer tiara Diana wore when she was tying the knot with Prince Charles back in 1981. Markle, meanwhile, stepped out in a long-sleeved, loose-fitting blue floral dress from Oscar de la Renta with a white fascinator. According to the Daily Mail, the 36-year-old Suits alum almost fell over in her sky-high heels at one point. Thankfully, Prince Harry was there to keep her steady. Prince Harry wore a suit and a blue tie, to coordinate with his wife. The two were spotted walking hand-in-hand as they made their way into the church. A Real Royal Who's Who The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were also spotted greeting Harry's cousin Louis Spencer, the son of Diana's brother Earl Spencer. He made quite an impact at the royal wedding once the public caught on to how attractive and single he is. As it happens, his mother, Victoria, was a model prior to getting married in 1989. Louis' brother, and Diana's niece, Lady Kitty Spencer was also fashionable for Celia's big day in a belted floral print dress with a red veiled fascinator and matching heels. A couple of Diana's sisters, including the mother of the bride, were part of the wedding party, while Lady Jane Fellows, her brother Charles, 9th Early Spencer, and his wife Karen, were all also in attendance. Harry and Markle tied the knot at St. George's Chapel in Windsor just a month ago, with Celia and Louis both in attendance alongside famous faces including David and Victoria Beckham, Oprah Winfrey, and Priyanka Chopra. The bride stunned in a boat-necked dress by British designer Clare Waight Keller that certain commentators, including pop star Katy Perry, felt didn't fit her quite right. Prince Harry caused a stir online when he was spotted, by the thousands watching the live broadcast, telling Markle how beautiful she looked before biting his lip. This is the Duchess of Sussex's first public appearance since she met with Queen Elizabeth last Thursday. Kim Kardashian West finds herself accused of cultural appropriation following a dodgy hairstyle. The reality star attends the MTV Movie & TV Awards wearing braids. Showing Off Her Privilege KKW Beauty founder Kardashian shared the look with her Twitter followers ahead of walking the red carpet at Saturday night's show. The backlash was swift, with comments immediately flooding in, loaded with cries of cultural appropriation. "Isn't this cultural appropriation," wrote one person in response. "Your privilege is really showing," chimed in another. One commentator went even further, suggesting Kardashian was intentionally wearing braids to annoy black people. There were also those who criticized the mother of three for wearing braids while parenting black children. However, many people rushed to the Keeping up with the Kardashians star's defense, saying that she looked stunning that night. In reality, Kardashian West was wearing Fulani braids, inspired by the Fulani people of East and West Africa and worn by people of color for hundreds of years, to this weekend's Awards show. She arrived with mother Kris Jenner and sported a white tube top and high-waisted skirt for the night. Kylie Jenner was also supposed to make an appearance that night. However, the new mom, who gave birth to daughter Stormi Webster on Feb. 1, was nowhere to be seen. This Isn't Her First Offense The extended Kardashian-Jenner clan is no stranger to accusations of cultural appropriation. Kim herself, this past January, came under fire for referring to a hairstyle involving blond braids accessorized with white beads as "Bo Derek" style. She was quickly called out by those who corrected her for inferring Bo Derek invented braids. She responded with an Instagram post, wearing braids, with a caption that left no doubt as to her feelings on the matter. "Hi can I get zero f***s please? Thanks," she wrote at the time. The KKW Beauty founder was embroiled in a similar hairstyle fiasco earlier this week when her eldest daughter, North West, was spotted with what appeared to be straightened hair. Kardashian was criticized for straightening her kid's hair at too young an age. The reality TV star doesn't seem pushed by any of these issues, however as she happily shared posts in honor of her late father Robert Kardashian as well as husband Kanye West for Father's Day. The couple is parents to North, 5, 2-year-old Saint, and 5-month-old Chicago, who was born via surrogate. Saturday was a busy day for Kardashian West in general as her interview with The Van Jones show aired on CNN. During the interview, she discussed the presidential pardon of Alice Johnson with the host. Johnson was pardoned following Kardashian West's lobbying of President Trump. 2018-06-18 Maeci Today at 6 p.m. the Farnesina will host the international Workshop Protecting Human Rights Defenders: Best Practices and the Role of Italy, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), under the auspices of the OSCE Italian Chairmanship-in-office. Protecting and promoting the rights of human rights defenders is an important element in Italys international action on human rights. Human Rights Defenders play a crucial role in promoting a culture of respect for human rights and in supporting the victims of rape and abuse. Italy is firmly convinced that an active civil society contributes to building inclusive, stable and prosperous societies. The Workshop forms part of the dialogue that the MAECI opened with civil society and represents an opportunity for a constructive exchange with representatives of the OSCE, the EU and of civil society organisations in the year that marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 20th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. The mornings agenda scheduled several plenary sessions focused on the OSCE and EU guidelines on the protection of human rights defenders and on the exchange of best practices. The afternoon session will be dedicated to the role of Italy. 2018-06-18 Maeci Today the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, received at the Farnesina his Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, who is in Rome to celebrate the 70th anniversary of bilateral relations between Italy and India. The two ministers reaffirmed their common will to work together to further strengthen all-around bilateral relations, also within the framework of the joint statement signed by the Heads of Government in New Delhi on 30 October 2017. NEW YORK, June 18, 2018 - Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Soroka University Medical Center researchers in Beer-Sheva, Israel are developing a cell culture system that for the first time can change testicular stem cells into sperm-like cells that may enable future fertility for boys with prepubertal cancer. Aggressive chemotherapy in childhood often results in male testicular damage and consequently jeopardizes future fertility. According to the findings published in Stem Cells and Development, the researchers found that the presence of spermatogonial cells (SPGCs) in the testes of prepubertal cancer patient boys (PCPBs) can be used to develop future strategies for male fertility preservation. In the study, seven testicular biopsies were obtained from chemotherapy-treated PCPBs. The researchers were able to cultivate and isolate testicular cells into different stages of development (pre-meiotic, meiotic and post-meiotic cells). Furthermore, they identified sperm-like cells that had developed from testicular cells of a PCPB. "Our results demonstrate, for the first time, the presence of biologically active SPGCs in testicular biopsies of chemotherapy-treated PCPBs, and their capacity to develop in vitro to different stages of spermatogenesis, including the generation of sperm-like cells," according to lead researcher Prof. Mahmoud Huleihel, co-director of the Center of Advanced Research and Education in Reproduction (CARER), and a member of BGU's Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics. "This study may open the way for new therapeutic strategies for fertility preservation of PCPBs and for azoospermic patients." ### The study was funded in part by The Kahn Foundation and The United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF). Other researchers who participated include Prof. Eitan Lunenfeld, Fertility and IVF Unit, Dep. OB/GYN, Soroka and co-director of CARER from Prof. Huleihel's lab are Ph.D. students Maram Abofoul-Azab and Ali Abu Madighem. Additional authors include Prof. Joseph Kapelushnik from BGU and Soroka, Prof. Qing Hua Shi from the University of Science and Technology of China, and Prof. Haim Pinkas of Beilinson Hospital in Israel. About American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision: creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. As Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) looks ahead to turning 50 in 2020, AABGU imagines a future that goes beyond the walls of academia. It is a future where BGU invents a new world and inspires a vision for a stronger Israel and its next generation of leaders. Together with supporters, AABGU will help the University foster excellence in teaching, research and outreach to the communities of the Negev for the next 50 years and beyond. Visit vision.aabgu.org to learn more. AABGU, which is headquartered in Manhattan, has nine regional offices throughout the United States. For more information, visit http://www.aabgu.org. Geologists have long thought that the central section of California's famed San Andreas Fault -- from San Juan Bautista southward to Parkfield, a distance of about 80 miles -- has a steady creeping movement that provides a safe release of energy. Creep on the central San Andreas during the past several decades, so the thinking goes, has reduced the chance of a big quake that ruptures the entire fault from north to south. However new research by two Arizona State University geophysicists shows that the earth movements along this central section have not been smooth and steady, as previously thought. Instead, the activity has been a sequence of small stick-and-slip movements -- sometimes called "slow earthquakes" -- that release energy over a period of months. Although these slow earthquakes pass unnoticed by people, the researchers say they can trigger large destructive quakes in their surroundings. One such quake was the magnitude 6 event that shook Parkfield in 2004. "What looked like steady, continuous creep was actually made of episodes of acceleration and deceleration along the fault," says Mostafa Khoshmanesh, a graduate research assistant in ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE). He is the lead author of a Nature Geoscience paper reporting on the research. "We found that movement on the fault began every one to two years and lasted for several months before stopping," says Manoochehr Shirzaei, assistant professor in SESE and co-author of the paper. "These episodic slow earthquakes lead to increased stress on the locked segments of the fault to the north and south of the central section," Shirzaei says. He points out that these flanking sections experienced two magnitude 7.9 earthquakes, in 1857 (Fort Tejon) and 1906 (San Francisco). The scientists also suggest a mechanism that might cause the stop-and-go movements. "Fault rocks contain a fluid phase that's trapped in gaps between particles, called pore spaces," Khoshmanesh says. "Periodic compacting of fault materials causes a brief rise in fluid pressure, which unclamps the fault and eases the movement." Looking underground from Earth orbit The two scientists used synthetic aperture radar data from orbit for the years 2003 to 2010. This data let them map month-to-month changes in the ground along the central part of the San Andreas. They combined the detailed ground movement observations with seismic records into a mathematical model. The model let them explore the driving mechanism of slow earthquakes and their link to big nearby quakes. "We found that this part of the fault has an average movement of about three centimeters a year, a little more than an inch," says Khoshmanesh. "But at times the movement stops entirely, and at other times it has moved as much as 10 centimeters a year, or about four inches." The picture of the central San Andreas Fault emerging from their work suggests that its stick-and-slip motion resembles on a small timescale how the other parts of the San Andreas Fault move. They note that the new observation is significant because it uncovers a new type of fault motion and earthquake triggering mechanism, which is not accounted for in current models of earthquake hazards used for California. As Shirzaei explains, "Based on our observations, we believe that seismic hazard in California is something that varies over time and is probably higher than what people have thought up to now." He adds that accurate estimates of this varying hazard are essential to include in operational earthquake forecasting systems. As Khoshmanesh says, "Based on current time-independent models, there's a 75% chance for an earthquake of magnitude 7 or larger in both northern and southern California within next 30 years." ### Ecologists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the US and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) studied a population of black-browed albatross at Kerguelen Island, part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, where 200 breeding pairs have been monitored annually since 1979. Reaching a wingspan of 2.5 metres, black-browed albatrosses breed on these sub-Antarctic islands during the austral summer, laying a single egg in October that will hatch in December. The chicks fledge in late March at a size similar to that of an adult. Climate affects this seabird species in complex ways. In this study, the researchers developed a matrix population model that takes account of the combined effects of climate variables and functional traits in order to understand the entire life cycle and how population growth may be affected in light of a changing climate. Functional traits such as body size, timing of breeding, and foraging behaviour all have an impact on demographic traits such as survival and reproduction. They found that changes in sea surface temperature during late winter cause the biggest variations in the population growth rate, through their impact on juvenile survival during their first year at sea. The effects of climatic conditions on seabirds generally occur indirectly. "Sea surface temperature is widely used as an indicator of food availability for marine predators because warmer temperatures usually result in lower primary productivity in marine ecosystems, ultimately reducing the availability of prey", said Dr Stephanie Jenouvrier, a seabird ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She added: "As our oceans are projected to warm, fewer juvenile albatrosses will manage to survive and populations are expected to decline at a faster rate." Among the functional traits, the researchers found that foraging behaviour during the pre-breeding period has a major impact on the population growth rate. For a population of individuals spending a high proportion of their time on the water, with few take-offs and landings (i.e. low foraging activity), the population growth rate is projected to decline up to 5.3% per year. The results suggest that changes in population size and structure are driven by the combined effects of climate over various seasons, multiple functional traits and demographic processes across the full life cycle of black-browed albatross. The study also unravelled the important role of the juvenile phase and wintering season, two understudied parts of the life cycle of this migratory species. "Albatrosses and other seabirds are long-lived predators that fly very long distances to forage at sea and nest on land. As a key indicator of ecosystem health, studying how seabirds fare in the face of climate change can help us predict the ecological impacts on the entire marine food web", concluded Dr Christophe Barbraud of CNRS, who co-authored this study. ### Stephanie Jenouvrier, Marine Desprez, Remi Fay, Christophe Barbraud, et al (2018) 'Climate change and functional traits affect population dynamics of a long-lived seabird' is published in Journal of Animal Ecology on 18 June 2018 and will be available here: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12827 An estimated 3.5 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis C (HCV), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the most common cause for cirrhosis and liver cancer in the United States and the leading indication for liver transplantation. While recently developed direct anti-viral agents (DAAs) have proven to be a highly effective treatment option for many patients with HCV, those with decompensated HCV cirrhosis or liver failure may experience little to no improvement in liver function following eradication of HCV. Published in the June, 2018, issue of Gastroenterology, BIDMC researchers led a retrospective analysis of four randomized clinical trials focused on the effects of DAA therapies in patients with HCV-associated liver failure, and developed a new means of predicting improvement in liver function in response to DAA treatment. The online scoring system, called the BE3A score, assesses 5 baseline factors (body mass index, encephalopathy, ascites and serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and albumin) to provide physicians with a shared decision-making tool to quantify the potential benefits of DAA therapy for patients with decompensated cirrhosis. "Doctors and patients need to decide when a patient should receive HCV treatment in the setting of decompensated cirrhosis from HCV and whether to treat before, or defer treatment until after liver transplant," wrote study authors Michael P. Curry, MD, Section Chief of Hepatology at BIDMC and Z. Gordon Jiang, MD, a translational investigator at BIDMC's Liver Center. "Our study combined all of the data from smaller studies, allowing us to have a large enough sample size to determine predictors of improvement in liver function. With this analysis, we created a tool for shared decision-making for doctors and patients in this exact clinical scenario. " ### In addition to Curry and Jiang, authors of the study include Omar El-Sherif of St James's Hospital, Elliot B. Tapper of the University of Michigan, K.C. Huang of Gilead Sciences, Alex Zhong of BIDMC, Anu Osinusi of Gilead Sciences, Michael Charlton of the University of Chicago, Michael Manns of the University of California San Francisco, Nezam H. Afdhal of BIDMC, Kenneth Mukamal of BIDMC, John McHutchison of Gilead Sciences, Diana M. Brainard of Gilead Sciences, and Norah Terrault of Hannover Medical School. This work was supported by Gilead Sciences, BMS, the Health Research Board of Ireland, the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, AbbVie, Merck, Roche, Gilead, Novartis, Janssen and GlaxoSmithKline. CINCINNATI - New preclinical research shows a gene already linked to a subset of people with autism spectrum disorder is critical to healthy neuronal connections in the developing brain, and its loss can harm those connections to help fuel the complex developmental condition. Scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center report in Developmental Cell their data clarify the biological role of the gene CHD8 and its protein CHD8 in developing oligodendrocytes, cells that form a protective insulation around nerves. The sheath supports neuronal connections in the brain and manifest themselves in white matter. Although previous studies show disruptive mutations in CHD8 cause autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and abnormalities in the brain's white matter, the underlying biology has been a mystery. The current study, published online June 18, shows that disruption of CHD8 hinders the production and maintenance of nerve insulation--harming the brain's neuronal connections and contributing to white matter damage. In laboratory mouse models genetically engineered to not express the CHD8 protein in the oligodendrocytes, the animals exhibited behavioral anomalies and seizures, according to lead study investigator Q. Richard Lu, PhD, Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology. "So far no treatment is available for autism patients with mutations in CHD8, one of the highest risk-susceptibility genes for autism," Lu said. "Current studies are still at a very early stage in terms of therapeutic agents, but our findings present a potential strategy to restore the function of faulty CHD8-dependent processes." Reversing Damage Scientists found the strategy by using a number of experimental procedures with mice, including ChIP-Seq analysis of specific DNA-binding sites in developing oligodendrocytes, which helped them unravel biological processes. Their data showed that CHD8 loss or mutation reduces the function of what is known as a histone methyltransferase, which helps activate target genes needed for oligodendrocyte development. They then figured out that using an experimental compound (CPI-455), which inhibits a different molecule linked to CHD8 called histone demethylase, rescued the development of oligodendrocytes. This reversed white matter defects in CHD8-mutant mice and reduced neurological problems in the animals. Lu said the findings suggest that modulating the activity of CHD8 and the molecules that control it has the potential to enhance the generation of neuronal insulation in people with ASDs. He also stressed it will be years before knowing if the research will translate to clinical care in patients. Additional studies are needed to verify the current study's findings, identify a suitable drug, and test its safety and effectiveness in laboratory models. Unlocking the Code CHD8 functions in the cell nucleus. It essentially unlocks the double-helix structure in the nucleus that contains DNA and RNA coding molecules. This allows changes to the helix's genetic and molecular composition that support the development of oligodendrocytes and nerve insulation by regulating levels of encoded gene products. When mutations or loss of CDH8 occur, it results in harmful remodeling of molecular components in the helix (referred to as chromatin). ### Funding support for the research came in part from: National Institutes of Health (R01NS072427, R01NS075243); the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (RG1508, NMSS RG-1501-02851); the CHARGE syndrome Foundation; the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81720108018); and the Fondation pour l'Aide a la Recherche sur la Sclerose en Plaques (ARSEP, 2014, 2015, 2017). The study included collaboration from co-authors at the Key Laboratory of Birth Defects, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Sorbonne Universite, UPMC University Paris and Inserm GH Pitie-Salpetriere, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epiniere, Paris, France; and the departments of Pediatrics and Human Genetics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Researchers who've analyzed ancient mitochondrial (mt)DNA isolated from a 22,000-year-old panda found in Cizhutuo Cave in the Guangxi Province of China--a place where no pandas live today--have revealed a new lineage of giant panda. The report, published in Current Biology on June 18, shows that the ancient panda separated from present-day pandas 144,000 to 227,000 years ago, suggesting that it belonged to a distinct group not found today. The newly sequenced mitochondrial genome represents the oldest DNA evidence from pandas. "Using a single complete mtDNA sequence, we find a distinct mitochondrial lineage, suggesting that the Cizhutuo panda, while genetically more closely related to present-day pandas than other bears, has a deep, separate history from the common ancestor of present-day pandas," says Qiaomei Fu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "This really highlights that we need to sequence more DNA from ancient pandas to really capture how their genetic diversity has changed through time and how that relates to their current, much more restricted and fragmented habitat." Very little has been known about pandas' past, especially in regions outside of their current range in Shaanxi province or Gansu and Sichuan provinces. Evidence suggests that pandas in the past were much more widespread, but it's been unclear how those pandas were related to pandas of today. In the new study, the researchers used sophisticated methods to fish mitochondrial DNA from the ancient cave specimen. That's a particular challenge because the specimen comes from a subtropical environment, which makes preservation and recovery of DNA difficult. The researchers successfully sequenced nearly 150,000 DNA fragments and aligned them to the giant panda mitochondrial genome reference sequence to recover the Cizhutuo panda's complete mitochondrial genome. They then used the new genome along with mitochondrial genomes from 138 present-day bears and 32 ancient bears to construct a family tree. Their analysis shows that the split between the Cizhutuo panda and the ancestor of present-day pandas goes back about 183,000 years. The Cizhutuo panda also possesses 18 mutations that would alter the structure of proteins across six mitochondrial genes. The researchers say those amino acid changes may be related to the ancient panda's distinct habitat in Guangxi or perhaps climate differences during the Last Glacial Maximum. The findings suggest that the ancient panda's maternal lineage had a long and unique history that differed from the maternal lineages leading to present-day panda populations. The researchers say that their success in capturing the mitochondrial genome also suggests that they might successfully isolate and analyze DNA from the ancient specimen's much more expansive nuclear genome. "Comparing the Cizhutuo panda's nuclear DNA to present-day genome-wide data would allow a more thorough analysis of the evolutionary history of the Cizhutuo specimen, as well as its shared history with present-day pandas," Fu says. ### This work was supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the NSFC, the National Key R&D Program of China, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Current Biology, Ko et al.: "Mitochondrial genome of a 22,000-year-old giant panda from southern China reveals a new panda lineage" https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)30610-9 Current Biology (@CurrentBiology), published by Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that features papers across all areas of biology. Current Biology strives to foster communication across fields of biology, both by publishing important findings of general interest and through highly accessible front matter for non-specialists. Visit: http://www.cell.com/current-biology. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com. NEW YORK, NY (JUNE 18, 2018)-- Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) have developed a highly innovative computational framework that can support personalized cancer treatment by matching individual tumors with the drugs or drug combinations that are most likely to kill them. The study, published today on Nature Genetics, by Dr. Andrea Califano of Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Dr. Irvin Modlin of Yale University and Wren Laboratories LLC, co-senior author on the study, with collaborators from 17 research centers worldwide, details a proof of concept for a novel analytical platform applicable to any cancer type and validates its predictions on gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). The latter represent a rare class of tumors of the digestive system that, when metastatic, are associated with poor survival. In a comprehensive analysis of samples from 212 patients, the team first identified a new class of drug-targets, called master regulators, which are rarely if ever mutated in cancer patients, and then predicted the drugs that can specifically invert their activity. Surprisingly, even though tumors were analyzed on an individual patient basis, the algorithm predicted the same top drug - Entinostat - for almost half of the metastatic patients. More importantly, when tested in a xenograft transplant of the tumor in a mouse, this drug induced dramatic shrinking of the tumor, while drugs predicted to have partial or no effect were also validated to produce results in line with predictions. These data led to rapid IND (Investigational New Drug) approval by the FDA for a metastatic GEP-NET clinical trial that is open and recruiting patients at Columbia University. The innovative approach proposed in this manuscript, OncoTreat, is now available as a New York State Department of Health approved test through the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at CUIMC. The test was co-developed with DarwinHealth, a precision oncology company born out of the Califano Lab work. It is the only such test designed to predict drugs that are optimally matched to individual patient tumors for 10 different aggressive tumor subtypes of ovarian, breast, pancreas, prostate, bladder, and lung cancer, as well as meningioma, sarcoma, glioblastoma, and GEP-NETs. "This manuscript represents a first proof of concept of what may become a valuable new tool to deliver an effective and systematic precision medicine approach to cancer patients that may complement what we are currently doing with genetic mutations," says Dr. Califano, the Clyde and Helen Wu Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology and chair of the Department of Systems Biology at CUIMC. "Using novel systems biology methodologies, which combine the use of supercomputers with large-scale pharmacological assays, we can computationally predict and prioritize drugs and drug combinations that will most effectively kill cancer cells," explains Dr. Califano. "Such an approach is especially promising for patients with aggressive tumors, who lack actionable mutations, fail to respond to targeted inhibitors or immune-checkpoint inhibitors, or relapse following initial response to a standard of care drug or drug combination. These patients, who unfortunately represent the majority of the aggressive tumor cases, present few, if any, effective therapeutic options. We hope that OncoTreat may offer the oncologist new alternatives when they run out of approved therapies, alternatives that are predicated on an increasingly mechanistic understanding of cancer cell regulation and response to drugs rather than on educated guesswork." Dr. Modlin, who had initially proposed the concept of addressing Neuroendocrine tumors using the innovative strategy developed by Dr. Califano, commented that the successful demonstration of the efficacy of a pre-treatment molecular identification strategy was a significant advance on previous practice where treatment agents were used based upon serendipitous selection rather than objective molecular evidence. This work combined with the use of molecular signature tools in blood to monitor real-time efficacy of therapy on disease are likely to change the face of therapeutic management in many diseases. OncoTreat's precision medicine approach The OncoTreat framework centers on identifying and analyzing actionable proteins in cancer patients, independent of their genetic mutations. Called master regulators (MR), these proteins are organized into small regulatory modules - so-called tumor checkpoints - which are responsible for regulating and ensuring the stability of tumor cells. Master regulators and tumor checkpoints can be efficiently and systematically elucidated using the VIPER algorithm developed by the Califano Lab and published in an earlier Nature Genetics manuscript; critically, these analyses allow tracking their activity through metastatic progression, relapse, and development of drug resistance. These computational models were built based on mathematical concepts from information theory and Bayesian statistics and have been extensively validated over the past decade. MR proteins represent a novel class of tumor vulnerabilities and potential therapeutic targets that are being increasingly adopted by pharmaceutical companies. Extensive research has demonstrated that shutting down the activity of these proteins is catastrophic for tumor cells, making it virtually impossible for them to survive and grow in their environment. In this study, drug compounds are prioritized based on their ability to revert the coordinated activity of 50 such master regulator proteins, as identified by the analysis of tumor samples. Predicted activity reversal was surveyed from an analysis of drug assays both in cell lines and in vivo, in PDX (Patient-Derived Xenografts) mice models. "Master regulators--a new Achilles' heel of cancer--represent the engine room of the cancer cell, where the effects of all tumorigenic mutations come together. What OncoTreat is able to do is attack this convergence point with a therapeutic intervention," says collaborator Gary Schwartz, MD, division chief of hematology and oncology at CUIMC and associate director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. "By collapsing this tumor bottleneck, blocking this Achilles' heel, the cancer can no longer survive. This method is so innovative, requiring a lot of mathematical modeling and understanding. It's a whole new approach to cancer therapeutics, taking us in an entirely new direction." Califano and team validated the OncoTreat approach on a cohort of 212 gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, a deliberate choice since GEP-NETs are rare and poorly characterized, making them one of the more challenging tumors to research. Their analysis identified several MR proteins, including key immune function modulators, whose role as critical tumor dependencies was experimentally confirmed. The GEP-NET cells were screened against a library of 107 compounds, and found that the drug, Entinostat, proved to successfully invert the activity of the top 50 MR proteins in 42 percent of GEP-NET patients, providing the rationale for the follow up clinical trial. "It is certainly our hope that this may provide a short cut to identify viable candidates for phase 2 trials in this and other malignancies," says coauthor Edward Gelmann, MD, professor of medicine and of pathology and cell biology at CUIMC. In addition to its potential therapeutic value, OncoTreat provides novel insight into the mechanisms and maintenance of GEP-NETs. In future work, Califano and collaborators intend to expand this approach to cover more than 80% of human malignancies and to develop clinical trials that will test the predictions in patients. ### The Nature Genetics paper is titled "A Precision Oncology Approach to the Pharmacological Targeting of Mechanistic Dependencies in Neuroendocrine Tumors". The Califano Lab and Dr. Modlin worked with multiple collaborators, as well as with Columbia's Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia's Department of Urology, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and 17 additional institutions. The study was funded by the Falconwood Foundation. Columbia University Irving Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, preclinical, and clinical research; medical and health sciences education; and patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. CUIMC is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and State and one of the largest faculty medical practices in the Northeast. The campus that Columbia University Medical Center shares with its hospital partner, NewYork-Presbyterian, is now called the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. For more information, visit cumc.columbia.edu or columbiadoctors.org. The Columbia University Department of Systems Biology offers an interdisciplinary program aimed at advancing the integration of quantitative and experimental research methods in the biological and biomedical sciences. DSB faculty, students and post-docs focus on understanding the behavior of complex biological networks and how small changes in those networks produce the diversity of life around us. Our onsite research infrastructure includes high-performance computing, next-generation sequencing and high-throughput screening, and we also provide graduate education and postdoctoral training to increase understanding of systems biology and promote its use in biological research and disease-related areas, including cancer, infectious diseases, and metabolic disorders. Researchers have found a way to convert nanoparticle-coated microscopic beads into lasers smaller than red blood cells. These microlasers, which convert infrared light into light at higher frequencies, are among the smallest continuously emitting lasers of their kind ever reported and can constantly and stably emit light for hours at a time, even when submerged in biological fluids such as blood serum. The innovation, discovered by an international team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), opens up the possibility for imaging or controlling biological activity with infrared light, and for the fabrication of light-based computer chips. Their findings are detailed in a report published online June 18 in Nature Nanotechnology. The unique properties of these lasers, which measure 5 microns (millionths of a meter) across, were discovered by accident as researchers were studying the potential for the polymer (plastic) beads, composed of a translucent substance known as a colloid, to be used in brain imaging. Angel Fernandez-Bravo, a postdoctoral researcher at Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry, who was the lead author of study, mixed the beads with sodium yttrium fluoride nanoparticles "doped," or embedded, with thulium, an element belonging to a group of metals known as lanthanides. The Molecular Foundry is a nanoscience research center open to researchers from around the world. Emory Chan, a Staff Scientist at the Molecular Foundry, had in 2016 used computational models to predict that thulium-doped nanoparticles exposed to infrared laser light at a specific frequency could emit light at a higher frequency than this infrared light in a counterintuitive process known as "upconversion." Also at that time, Elizabeth Levy, then a participant in the Lab's Summer Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program, noticed that beads coated with these "upconverting nanoparticles" emitted unexpectedly bright light at very specific wavelengths, or colors. "These spikes were clearly periodic and clearly reproducible," said Emory Chan, who co-led the study along with Foundry Staff Scientists Jim Schuck (now at Columbia University) and Bruce Cohen. The periodic spikes that Chan and Levy had observed are a light-based analog to so-called "whispering gallery" acoustics that can cause sound waves to bounce along the walls of a circular room so that even a whisper can be heard on the opposite side of the room. This whispering-gallery effect was observed in the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London in the late 1800s, for example. In the latest study, Fernandez-Bravo and Schuck found that when an infrared laser excites the thulium-doped nanoparticles along the outer surface of the beads, the light emitted by the nanoparticles can bounce around the inner surface of the bead just like whispers bouncing along the walls of the cathedral. Light can make thousands of trips around the circumference of the microsphere in a fraction of a second, causing some frequencies of light to interact (or "interfere") with themselves to produce brighter light while other frequencies cancel themselves out. This process explains the unusual spikes that Chan and Levy observed. When the intensity of light traveling around these beads reaches a certain threshold, the light can stimulate the emission of more light with the exact same color, and that light, in turn, can stimulate even more light. This amplification of light, the basis for all lasers, produces intense light at a very narrow range of wavelengths in the beads. Schuck had considered lanthanide-doped nanoparticles as potential candidates for microlasers, and he became convinced of this when Chan shared with him the periodic whispering-gallery data. Fernandez-Bravo found that when he exposed the beads to an infrared laser with enough power the beads turned into upconverting lasers, with higher frequencies than the original laser. He also found that beads could produce laser light at the lowest powers ever recorded for upconverting nanoparticle-based lasers. "The low thresholds allow these lasers to operate continuously for hours at much lower powers than previous lasers," said Fernandez-Bravo. Other upconverting nanoparticle lasers operate only intermittently; they are only exposed to short, powerful pulses of light because longer exposure would damage them. "Most nanoparticle-based lasers heat up very quickly and die within minutes," Schuck said. "Our lasers are always on, which allows us to adjust their signals for different applications." In this case, researchers found that their microlasers performed stably after five hours of continuous use. "We can take the beads off the shelf months or years later, and they still lase," Fernandez-Bravo said. Researchers are also exploring how to carefully tune the output light from the continuously emitting microlasers by simply changing the size and composition of the beads. And they have used a robotic system at the Molecular Foundry known as WANDA (Workstation for Automated Nanomaterial Discovery and Analysis) to combine different dopant elements and tune the nanoparticles' performance. The researchers also noted that there are many potential applications for the microlasers, such as in controlling the activity of neurons or optical microchips, sensing chemicals, and detecting environmental and temperature changes. "At first these microlasers only worked in air, which was frustrating because we wanted to introduce them into living systems," Cohen said. "But we found a simple trick of dipping them in blood serum, which coats the beads with proteins that allow them to lase in water. We've now seen that these beads can be trapped along with cells in laser beams and steered with the same lasers we use to excite them." The latest study, and the new paths of study it has opened up, shows how fortuitous an unexpected result can be, he said. "We just happened to have the right nanoparticles and coating process to produce these lasers," Schuck said. ### Researchers from UC Berkeley, the National Laboratory of Astana in Kazakhstan, the Polytechnic University of Milan, and Columbia University in New York also participated in this study. This work was supported by the DOE Office of Science, and by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Molecular Foundry is a DOE Office of Science User Facility. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel Prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov. DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov. The scenario is all too familiar for the majority of parents. The crying, the screaming and the tantrums as they try to coax their children into the doctor's office for routine immunizations. After all, who can't relate to being fearful and anxious about needles? Needle phobia is one of the most common fears among children who receive vaccines and they are exposed to needles on numerous occasions throughout their childhood. This causes many children fear, anxiety and pain. In some cases, needle phobia and needle anxiety may even cause parents to delay scheduled visits with the doctor. A pediatrician has come up with an innovative solution to distract children from their fear, anxiety and pain using a virtual reality headset. He is the first to conduct a pilot study, published in the journal Pain Management, using this technique in a pediatric setting. Chad Rudnick, M.D., an affiliate professor at Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and founder of Boca VIPediatrics, got the idea for the study from an 8-year-old patient who came to his office with a virtual reality headset. The child placed the goggles on his head as Rudnick proceeded to give him an injection. Much to Rudnick's delight, the child didn't even flinch. Even his mother said, "Did this really happen?" "That's when the lightbulb went off in my head. It got me thinking whether this outcome was just a one-time incident or whether it would work again," said Rudnick. Prior research has theorized that humans have a limited capacity for attention and therefore if a person is attending to another stimulus away from noxious stimulus, they will perceive the painful stimulus as less severe. To date, no studies have looked at virtual reality distraction during pediatric immunizations, so Rudnick decided to put his theory to the test working with two pre-med students and co-authors of the study, Emaan Sulaiman and Jillian Orden, in FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. The objective of this study was to test the feasibility, efficiency and usefulness of using virtual reality headsets as a means to decrease fear and pain associated with immunizations in pediatric patients. The study focused on fear and pain, both anticipated and actual as reported by the child and their caregiver. For the study, Rudnick used a 3D virtual reality headset and a smartphone app that was inserted into the goggles giving the children the choice of a roller coaster ride, a helicopter ride or a hot-air balloon ride. Once the virtual reality headset was in place, Rudnick administered a single injection with the headset on until after the immunization was completed in about 30 seconds. Study participants ages 6 to 17 completed a pre- and post-questionnaire evaluating fear using the McMurty Children's Fear Scale and the Wong-Baker pain scale. Parents or guardians also completed a pre- and post-questionnaire assessing their parental perception of fear and pain using the same scales. Results of the study showed that anticipated versus actual pain and fear were reduced in 94.1 percent of the pediatric study subjects. In addition, 94.1 percent of the pediatric study subjects reported that they would like to use virtual reality headsets again for their next immunization. Parents of the study subjects also reported lower perception of pain and fear in their child following the use of virtual reality headsets. Most virtual reality headsets cost about $50 and smartphone apps cost less than $1 for unlimited use, which provides an inexpensive and easy-to-implement non-pharmacologic method to pleasantly district children. "I hope this distraction technique catches on in other pediatric offices, because any method that increases the percentage of children vaccinated on-time and on schedule is critical in primary care pediatrics," said Rudnick. "With many children crying, kicking and fighting in the exam room to avoid getting an injection, it is well worth pursuing further studies on the benefits of using virtual reality headsets. Moreover, this method could potentially reduce mortality and morbidity from vaccine preventable illnesses because children will receive their scheduled vaccinations." ### About the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine: FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is one of approximately 151 accredited medical schools in the U.S. The college was launched in 2010, when the Florida Board of Governors made a landmark decision authorizing FAU to award the M.D. degree. After receiving approval from the Florida legislature and the governor, it became the 134th allopathic medical school in North America. With more than 70 full and part-time faculty and more than 1,300 affiliate faculty, the college matriculates 64 medical students each year and has been nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum. To further FAU's commitment to increase much needed medical residency positions in Palm Beach County and to ensure that the region will continue to have an adequate and well-trained physician workforce, the FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Consortium for Graduate Medical Education (GME) was formed in fall 2011 with five leading hospitals in Palm Beach County. In June 2014, FAU's College of Medicine welcomed its inaugural class of 36 residents in its first University-sponsored residency in internal medicine and graduated its first class of internal medicine residents in 2017. About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit http://www.fau.edu. About Boca VIPediatrics: At Boca VIPediatrics, we believe that all kids and families should be treated like V.I.P.s (Very Important Patients & Very Important Parents). We take an individualized approach to your child's care, tailoring each visit and treatment plan that best benefits our patients, thus avoiding the all too familiar "assembly line" approach in many pediatric practices. With a much smaller patient base, you'll have 24/7 access to reach your Boca Raton pediatrician for maximum peace-of-mind. Using our highly personalized membership plan, parents will have red carpet, front-of-the-line access to discuss their child's health at any time. This often leads to earlier diagnosis and interventions, putting your concerns at ease and getting your child better, faster. At Boca VIPediatrics, it's all about our V.I.P.s. We schedule fewer patients per day, with no long wait times, and highly personalized care. Each appointment lasts as long as necessary. We believe that time with your family should never be spent in a waiting room, preventing unnecessary exposure to other germs. The dynamics of Boca VIPediatrics enables us to focus more on wellness and prevention than most pediatric practices. The CRISPR Journal, a new peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, announces the publication of its third issue. The Journal is dedicated to validating and publishing outstanding research and commentary on all aspects of CRISPR and gene editing, including CRISPR biology, technology and genome editing, and commentary and debate of key policy, regulatory, and ethical issues affecting the field. The Journal, led by Editor-in-Chief Rodolphe Barrangou, PhD (North Carolina State University) and Executive Editor Dr. Kevin Davies, is published bimonthly online and in print. See http://www.crisprjournal.com for more information. This press release is copyright Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Its use is granted only for journalists and news media receiving it directly from The CRISPR Journal. For full-text copies of articles or to arrange interviews with Dr. Barrangou, Dr. Davies, authors, or members of the editorial board, contact Kathryn Ryan at the Publisher. 1. TIE, a novel technique for delivery of long DNA templates for CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing While off-target and immunological side-effects are key safety areas to address in translational CRISPR research, another major challenge is delivery. To overcome the traditional size limitations of delivering the CRISPR-Cas machinery to fertilized mouse eggs using a method called electroporation, researchers at McGill University have developed an innovative two-step strategy which pre-injects all CRISPR-related components, including long plasmid-sized DNA templates, into the sub-zona pellucida space. The retention of the components at sufficient concentrations was visualized using fluorescence microscopy. The technique enabled subsequent electroporation, advocating for its use as an alternative approach for transfecting zygotes and preimplantation embryos. Contact: Alan Peterson (McGill University) 2. Correction of a recessive genetic defect by Crispr-Cas9-mediated endogenous repair The potential use of CRISPR gene editing to treat patients with genetic diseases is made more difficult in the case of recessive disorders, where both copies of a gene harbor a mutation. In some instances, so-called compound heterozygotes carry two different mutations in the same gene. A group of Italian researchers detail a potential strategy to perform CRISPR-based genome editing using an endogenous repair template that could restore at least one functional copy of the mutated gene. The team sought to correct compound heterozygous mutations by using CRISPR-Cas9 cleavage in a gene intron between the two mutations, inducing gene conversion or crossing over, thus negating the need for an exogenous repair template. Through this approach, the authors could restore function to a gene via endogenous repair and demonstrated the potential of this technique to treat a subset of recessive disorders that have two different mutations in the same gene. Contact: Marianna Paulis (UOS/IRGB, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Italy) 3. EditR: A novel base editing quantification software using Sanger sequencing There is considerable interest in a new variant of CRISPR gene editing called base editing, which can perform a targeted single-base substitution without introducing a break in the DNA. However, current analyses of base-editing outcomes rely on wet lab techniques that are costly, time consuming, and imprecise. To address this issue, researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed an alternative method - a practical software program that produces fast, accurate, superior estimates of editing results. EditR is a free web tool that requires only a single Sanger sequencing file of a base-edited sample and the sequence of the gRNA protospacer to accurately predict base editing outcomes completely in silico. Contact: Branden S. Moriarity (University of Minnesota) 4. Leveling the CRISPR playing field Addgene is a non-profit plasmid repository aimed at empowering researchers by granting affordable access to cutting-edge technologies. Originally envisioned as a "one-stop-shop" for scientists to deposit, store, and request bacterial plasmids, Addgene has become a key player in the democratization of CRISPR-based technologies. In this Perspective, Addgene's Caroline LaManna and The CRISPR Journal chief editor, Rodolphe Barrangou, chronicle the Addgene-enabled dissemination of CRISPR-encoding plasmids, which has facilitated researchers around the world, "regardless of socioeconomic, geographical, or scientific status," promoting the usage and further development of next-generation genome editing tools. Contact: Caroline LaManna (Addgene, Cambridge, Massachusetts) 5. Mixing it up with @CRISPRchef Rodolphe Barrangou, Editor-in-Chief of The CRISPR Journal and one of the pioneers of CRISPR gene editing, is the latest subject in the Journal's GuidePost Podcast series, excerpts of which are published in this issue. In conversation with Executive Editor Kevin Davies, Barrangou recounts his comprehensive CRISPR career, including his pivotal role characterizing the biological function of CRISPR loci, his academic life at North Carolina State University, and his entrepreneurial activities. He also offers insight into the future of genome editing as a whole and the role The CRISPR Journal will play in chronicling every step of the way. (The full Guidepost podcast with Barrangou is here.) Contact: Rodolphe Barrangou (NCSU) 6. My CRISPR Story: Special Delivery In the third installment of "My CRISPR Story," Kunwoo Lee recounts his ascent from graduate student to co-founder and CEO of the CRISPR-based company, GenEdit. Lee details the struggles of launching a biotech start-up as well as translating "scientific concepts into the language of business." GenEdit's polymer nanoparticle technology has already been exploited for efficient delivery of Cas9 and guide RNA to various tissues via direct injection, positioning Lee and colleagues to become key players in the rapidly-expanding CRISPR therapeutics field. Contact: Kunwoo Lee (GenEdit, Berkeley, California) 7. Unite to Cure: CRISPR Comes to the Vatican CRISPR has far reaching implications in science, politics...and now the Vatican? Executive Editor Kevin Davies reports on the "Unite to Cure" Fourth International Vatican Conference, where attendees were treated to a Papal address, celebrity cameos, and a panel discussion on genome editing featuring the CEOs of three major CRISPR biotechs, Editas, CRISPR Therapeutics, and Intellia. Contact: Kevin Davies (The CRISPR Journal) ### **ALL ARTICLES ARE EMBARGOED UNTIL 10:00 EST / 15:00 GMT June 18, 2018** National poll: 9 out of 10 parents would report a ride operator suspected of being drunk or on drugs; less than half would report an operator using a cell phone ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Parents headed to an amusement park or carnival with their kids this summer may be equipped with sunscreen and snacks but they should prepare for safety issues as well. Emergency rooms saw 30,000 injuries linked to amusement parks and carnivals across the country in 2016, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. At the top of parents' list: making sure their children know what to do if they get lost and that ride operators follow safety rules to reduce risks of injuries on rides. One in 5 parents did not talk with their child about what to do if they got separated from them, according to this month's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at the University of Michigan. Parents also varied in their views about reporting unsafe ride operator behavior, with 9 in 10 saying they would definitely report suspicions that the operator was drunk or on drugs, while 69 percent would report failure to enforce safety rules, such as seat belts or height restrictions. "As parents prepare for summer trips to the amusement park or local fair, they should keep safety at the top of mind," says poll co-director Gary Freed, M.D. "As we've seen in news reports, accidents happen at amusement parks. Consequences range from skinned knees to serious injuries." "It's also important to set clear expectations about what to do if children and parents get separated at such a large and crowded place," Freed adds. "Our report indicates that this is only one of several opportunities to reduce safety risks for children in the amusement park environment." The report includes 1,214 responses from a nationally representative sample of parents of children ages 5-12. Most parents (87 percent) believe that it is the responsibility of both parents and ride operators to make sure kids are safe on rides. Parents' opinions varied in how often ride operators should undergo drug and alcohol testing, with nearly 6 in 10 (59 percent) preferring random testing. Another 13 percent were OK with weekly testing while 13 percent agreed with monthly and 3 percent with yearly testing. Eleven percent of parents thought checks should only be done if there were suspicions of drug or alcohol use. Over two-thirds of parents would also report an operator that did not enforce safety regulations, such as minimum height restrictions and checking to see all restraints are properly secured, belts are buckled and that doors and safety bars are locked in place. Enforcement of minimum height restrictions help make sure restraints on rides fit properly so that they hold the child in place and to protect children from choking risks. "Almost all parents we surveyed said both they and the ride operators have important roles in keeping their children safe. Understanding and following safety rules are important to prevent injuries, as is being aware of unsafe situations that increase risks," Freed says. "Parents varied in what specific concerns would prompt them to take action, with most parents saying they would report a ride operator who appeared to be drunk or under the influence of drugs," Freed adds. However, less than half of parents would report a ride operator for being on a cell phone while operating a ride. "Even though cell phone use may seem less harmful, it poses a significant distraction that can increase the risk of accident or injury," Freed says. Almost all parents also reported they stayed with their child at all times during visits to amusement parks or carnivals, but Freed says it's important to always have a back-up plan in case parents get separated from their child. "Discussing safety rules, check-in times and meet-up locations should be part of pre-trip planning for families," he says. ### The study of a Quebec family with an unusual gene provides novel insight into how our brain is built and, according to the McGill led team of scientists, offers a better understanding of psychiatric disorders such as depression, addictions and schizophrenia. Very little is known about how the human brain wires itself. Mouse studies conducted by Cecilia Flores, Professor in McGill's Department of Psychiatry, have previously shown that the gene, DCC, helps dopamine producing cells in the developing adolescent brain make specific connections. Building upon this work, a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience by Professor Flores and Marco Leyton, who is also a professor in the Department of Psychiatry, shows that DCC seems to have the same effects in humans. To watch video about the research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL2JCSm3oQk By scanning the brain of 20 family members who share an altered copy of DCC, the researchers found less connectivity between the areas where dopamine neurons originate (the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area) and their target sites, such as the striatum and frontal cortex. One of these target sites - the striatum - was also smaller. "It's very interesting because we were able to show that this DCC gene alteration induces similar changes to the brain in both mice and humans," says Cecilia Flores. Because the brain systems affected by the gene influence responses to rewards, it was not surprising to see that the family members with the DCC mutation also have lower impulsivity traits and are less likely to smoke cigarettes. Indeed, an increasing number of studies, including those by Professor Flores' team, link DCC to psychiatric conditions. "Because the gene affects the brain's dopamine pathways, which are implicated in schizophrenia, addiction and depression, our study potentially helps us understand how these disorders arise. The version of the gene inherited by the Quebec family is probably protective, but other versions of the gene seem to increase risk. Our study helps us to understand why. It also provides clear evidence that a single gene has large effects on how the human nervous system is wired," says Professor Leyton, senior author of the study. ### "Mesocorticolimbic Connectivity and Volumetric Alterations in DCC Mutation Carriers," by Daniel Vosberg et al. is published in The Journal of Neuroscience. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3251-17.2018 This research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/ http://www.twitter.com/mcgillu COLUMBUS, Ohio - One of the joys of shopping for many people is the opportunity to brag about their purchases to friends and others. But new research found one common situation in which people would rather not discuss what they just bought: when they're feeling like money is a little tight. In a series of studies, researchers found that consumers who felt financially constrained didn't want to talk about their purchases, large or small, with friends or strangers, face-to-face or online. "It wasn't about what other people might think or what they bought. Consumers who feel poor at the moment don't want to talk about their purchases because it reinforces negative feelings about their unpleasant financial state," said Anna Paley, lead author of the study and a visiting scholar in marketing at The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. One reason that the results are so interesting, Paley said, was because they could have gone in the other direction. "One plausible theory was that consumers who felt poor would chat more about their purchases as a way to show their spending ability and validate their decision to spend the money," she said. "But that's not what we found." Paley emphasized that this study wasn't about whether people were rich or poor. This was about the feeling that they didn't have as much money as they wanted. "Millionaires can feel financially constrained too," she said. Paley conducted the study with Stephanie Tully of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California and Eesha Sharma of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Their results appear online in the Journal of Consumer Research. The researchers conducted seven studies. In one study, the researchers found that participants who reported feeling financially constrained also were less likely to talk about products they bought with friends, family members and colleagues. The results held even after taking into account the income of participants. "This suggests that our results can't be explained by differences in objective wealth," Paley said. A second study recruited online participants. They were told the study was about "what people talk about." All of them answered questions probing how financially constrained they felt. Participants had the choice of posting in one of two chat rooms - one called "recent purchases" and the other called "local/state parks." The researchers chose this topic because in a previous study, a separate group of people had rated parks to be a less interesting topic than recent purchases. Nearly two-thirds of participants chose to discuss recent purchases rather than parks. But participants who felt financially constrained were significantly more likely to post in the parks chat room. "Consumers who felt poorer would rather talk about a less interesting topic than discuss what they bought recently," Paley said. The results held up in another study in which the researchers induced some participants to feel poorer by writing about aspects of their financial situation that made them feel like they didn't have enough money. These participants were less likely to say they would talk about an upcoming purchase than participants who wrote about another subject. In this study, the researchers also asked participants to report on how talking about a purchase would make them feel about their financial situation. "We found that financially constrained consumers expected less enjoyment from talking about their purchases because it would bring up negative feelings about their money situation," she said. The researchers found a few exceptions in other studies. When people thought about their purchases as expenditures of their time rather than expenditures of their money, even those who felt money was tight would talk about them. The same went for gifts and tickets to a free event. The findings are important for marketers because consumers consistently rate word-of-mouth as one of the most trustworthy and credible sources of information about products and services, Paley said. Their findings suggest some things marketers can do to encourage word-of-mouth. "Word-of-mouth campaigns will be more effective if marketers can separate the cost of the item from the experience of sharing the purchase," she said. For example, many online retailers send people a receipt after a purchase with a request that they share about what they bought with friends on social media. "If the money you spent is right there in front of you on your receipt and you're feeling a little poor at the moment, you're not going to want to share," she said. "Marketers should consider separating receipts and sharing requests." ### Contact: Anna Paley, Paley.20@osu.edu Written by Jeff Grabmeier, 614-292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu A new study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that recent-onset type 2 diabetes may be early expression of pancreatic cancer. Diabetes was associated with a more than twofold higher risk of pancreatic cancer in African Americans and Latinos, but recent-onset diabetes was associated with a 2.3-fold greater increase in risk of pancreatic cancer than long-standing diabetes. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most fatal cancers, with a five-year survival rate of only 8 percent. This is because the vast majority of pancreatic cancer patients (some 80 percent of them) are diagnosed at a late stage. Identification of high-risk people and ability to detect pancreatic cancer earlier would likely improve patient outcomes. Diabetes has been consistently associated with pancreatic cancer in previous studies, with a twofold higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer among diabetes patients. Diabetes has been proposed to be both a risk factor for and a consequence of pancreatic cancer. The prevalence of diabetes among pancreatic cancer patients is unusually high relative to other cancers. The majority of the diabetes patients with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed with diabetes less than three years before the cancer diagnosis. Among pancreatic cancer patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomies (the surgical operation often used to try to remove pancreatic tumors), over half of patients with recent-onset diabetes have no diabetes postoperatively. Researchers have observed no effect in those who have had diabetes for more than three years. Here researchers examined the association between recent-onset diabetes and pancreatic cancer in a prospective study of African Americans and Latinos, two minority populations with high diabetes risk. Questionnaires, Medicare data, and California hospital discharge files were used to identify new diabetes diagnoses. A total of 15, 833 (32.3 percent) participants developed diabetes between 1993 and 2013. A total of 408 incident pancreatic cancer cases were identified during follow-up. During an average follow-up of 14 years, among those with diabetes, 128 participants developed pancreatic cancer. Among participants without diabetes, 280 participants developed pancreatic cancer. In pancreatic cancer with diabetes, 52.3 percent of cases developed diabetes in the 36 months preceding the pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Recent-onset diabetes was strikingly higher among pancreatic cancer cases (16.4 percent) compared with those with colorectal (6.7 percent), breast (5.3 percent), and prostate (5.5 percent) cancer. Diabetes was associated with an approximately twofold increased risk of pancreatic cancer. When stratifying by disease duration, people with recent-onset diabetes had the highest risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Importantly, the researchers demonstrated that the association of recent-onset diabetes with pancreatic cancer incidence was evident in African Americans and Latinos, two understudied minority populations with high risk of diabetes but different pancreatic cancer rates. The findings support the hypothesis that recent-onset diabetes in pancreatic cancer is a manifestation of developing pancreatic cancer. The work suggests that patients with recent-onset diabetes who go on to develop pancreatic cancer represent a high-risk population of patients who can be studied for additional risk predictors and may be targeted for development of the tests that are needed for earlier diagnosis. "This striking relationship between recent-onset diabetes is unique to pancreatic cancer, and is not seen in breast, prostate and colorectal cancer in the cohort," said one of the paper's authors, Wendy Setiawan. "Our findings strongly support the hypothesis that recent-onset diabetes is a consequence of pancreatic cancer and that long-standing diabetes is a risk factor for this cancer. Importantly, here we show that the association of recent-onset diabetes with pancreatic cancer is observed in African Americans and Latinos, two understudied minority populations." ### The paper "Pancreatic Cancer Following Incident Diabetes in African Americans and Latinos: The Multiethnic Cohort" will be available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djy090 Direct correspondence to: V. Wendy Setiawan Department of Preventive Medicine Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California 1450 Biggy Street, Room1502 Los Angeles, CA 90033 vsetiawa@med.usc.edu To request a copy of the study, please contact: Daniel Luzer daniel.luzer@oup.com Sharing on social media? Find Oxford Journals online at @OxfordJournals UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The effects of sibling relationships may go beyond childhood bickering and bonding, according to Penn State researchers who found that these relationships may predict similarities and differences in siblings' education later in life. In a study spanning about 15 years, the researchers found that when siblings felt more warmth toward each other in childhood, they were more likely to achieve similar levels of education. But, when siblings felt that their parents' treatment of themselves versus their sibling was unfair, or when their fathers spent more time with one sibling than the other, those siblings achieved different levels of education. Xiaoran Sun, a doctoral candidate in human development and family studies, said the results held up even when the researchers controlled for the siblings' grade-point averages across childhood and adolescence, suggesting that school achievement may not be the only factor determining what level of education a person achieves. "While school is obviously important, this study helps show that what goes on inside families can have an impact, as well," said Susan McHale, distinguished professor of human development and family studies. "Warmth from siblings may not mean you're more likely to go to college, but it seems to be a factor in how similarly the two siblings turn out. People don't tend to think about siblings being important to academic achievement, but our findings highlight the importance of family experiences -- beyond what happens at school." Previous research has shown that graduating college has an impact on an individual's employment, health and the way they form families of their own. While it's been shown that parenting can affect educational achievement, little work has been done to study whether siblings have an effect. "A lot of research on child development focuses on one child in the family, with the assumption that if you know what happens to this one child, you know how families operate to socialize children," McHale said. "But in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world, more children grow up in a home with a sibling than with a father figure. So by studying siblings, you start to get a better sense of the larger family context of development." The researchers followed the two oldest siblings from 152 families from middle childhood through their mid-twenties. The families lived in central Pennsylvania and were mainly European-American. When the siblings were an average of 11.8 and 9.2 years old, the researchers measured warmth by asking the children questions, like how often they turned to their sibling for advice or support. Additionally, the researchers gathered data on whether the parents treated their children differently, and whether the siblings thought this different treatment was fair or not. They also measured how much time the siblings spent alone with their mothers and fathers. When the siblings were around 26 years old, the researchers followed up to ask each sibling about their highest level of completed education. "The sibling relationship factors that we tested did not predict whether an individual sibling would graduate from college or not, but we did find predictors of whether siblings would achieve different levels of education," said Sun. "The findings provide clues about how sibling relationships can affect education pathways." The researchers said there are a few possible explanations for the findings, which were recently published in the journal Child Development. Sun said that when siblings feel more warmth for each other, they have a closer relationship in general, and thus may be more likely to follow similar paths in their education achievement. "When two people are closer to each other, they tend to treat each other as role models," Sun said. "And this could be for better or for worse. They can be 'partners in crime,' as some prior work suggests, or partners in achievement, as we found. It's not that siblings who are close are more likely to graduate from college, they're just more likely to end up with the same level of education, either graduating from college or not." McHale said that for the siblings who ended up with different levels of education, the perception of their parents treating them differently and unfairly may have been part of what drove their different choices. "Children are vigilant in noticing how they're treated relative to their siblings, and parents need to be aware of this and on their guard," McHale said. "Many parents treat their children differently and have very good reasons to do so, but children need to understand parents' reasons, and parents have to have conversations with their children to explain those reasons. If kids perceive their treatment as fair or justified, even if it's different from their siblings', then there's not the same negative effect." Sun said the results could help design future interventions that focus on siblings. The researchers said that it may be helpful to design studies that could explore the possible causal role of sibling relationships on education, as well as studies of more diverse populations. ### This work was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Kimberly A. Updegraff, Arizona State University, also participated in this research. When patients are prescribed opioids in risky ways, their chance of dying increases and their odds of death go higher as the number of risky opioid prescriptions increase, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Studying prescription records for residents of Massachusetts over a five-year period, researchers identified six types of risky opioid prescriptions and found that all were linked to a higher chance of death, including fatal opioid overdoses. The study found more than 6 percent of Massachusetts adults received a risky opioid prescription during the study period. "Most people who misuse opioids are first exposed to the drugs through prescriptions so improving prescribing may be one way to reduce the risk of opioid misuse," said Dr. Adam J. Rose, the study's lead and a physician scientist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "Our study suggests that state prescription monitoring programs may help identify inappropriate prescribing in real time." The study is the first to examine such a broad array of subtypes of risky prescribing of opioids and link such prescribing to a wide array of fatal outcomes. The findings are published online by the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Opioid use disorders affect an estimated 9 out of every 1,000 Americans and opioid overdose-related deaths have quadrupled over the past 15 years. Public health campaigns are underway to educate prescribers and patients about the danger of high-dose opioids, and the importance of keeping first prescriptions low in dose and limited in duration. The RAND study makes use of a unique database maintained by Massachusetts that tracks prescriptions and can be linked at the patient level to other information such as mortality, demographics and ambulance records. The database includes information about more than 98 percent of the state's residents. The study looked for evidence for six different types of risky prescribing of opioids: high-dose opioid prescriptions; prescribing of opioids along with the anti-anxiety medication benzodiazepines; opioids prescribed to an individual by four or more prescribers in a calendar year; filling opioid prescriptions at four or more pharmacies in a year; paying cash for an opioid prescription three or more times over a three-month period; prescribing opioids without documentation of a pain diagnosis. Researchers linked these six types of risky prescribing with nonfatal opioid overdoses, fatal opioid overdoses and all other causes of mortality. The study found that more than half of Massachusetts adults received at least one opioid prescription between 2011 and 2015. More than 11 percent of of those patients experienced at least one kind of risky opioid prescription. Receiving a risky prescription was more common with increasing age, with more than 13 percent of patients age 80 and older receiving at least one. Researchers say the finding is at odds with the public image of the opioid crisis as a problem of young people, but researchers say older adults simply may receive more medications. The strongest association for any cause of death was receiving a high-dose prescription for opioids and lacking a documented pain diagnosis. Five of the six kinds of risky prescriptions were associated with a fatal opioid overdose. The exception was making cash payments for opioids. "Our findings underscore the importance of potentially inappropriate prescribing of opioids as a contributing factor for fatal opioid overdoses and may help guide efforts to address the problem," Rose said. "This could provide the basis for a system that could flag providers in real time when they are writing a potentially inappropriate prescription for opioids." ### Support for the study was provided by the General Electric Foundation. Other authors of the study are Dana Bernson and Thomas Land of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Kenneth Kwan Ho Chui and Thomas J. Stopka of Tufts University School of Medicine, Dr. Alexander Y. Walley and Dr. Marc R. LaRochelle of the Boston University School of Medicine, and Dr. Bradley D. Stein of RAND and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. RAND Health is the nation's largest independent health policy research program, with a broad research portfolio that focuses on health care costs, quality and public health preparedness, among other topics. HOUSTON - (June 18, 2018) - Rice University engineers have developed a composite binder made primarily of fly ash, a byproduct of coal-fired power plants, that can replace Portland cement in concrete. The material is cementless and environmentally friendly, according to Rice materials scientist Rouzbeh Shahsavari, who developed it with graduate student Sung Hoon Hwang. Fly ash binder does not require the high-temperature processing of Portland cement, yet tests showed it has the same compressive strength after seven days of curing. It also requires only a small fraction of the sodium-based activation chemicals used to harden Portland cement. The results are reported in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society. More than 20 billion tons of concrete are produced around the world every year in a manufacturing process that contributes 5 to 10 percent of carbon dioxide to global emissions, surpassed only by transportation and energy as the largest producers of the greenhouse gas. Manufacturers often use a small amount of silicon- and aluminum-rich fly ash as a supplement to Portland cement in concrete. "The industry typically mixes 5 to 20 percent fly ash into cement to make it green, but a significant portion of the mix is still cement," said Shahsavari, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering. Previous attempts to entirely replace Portland cement with a fly ash compound required large amounts of expensive sodium-based activators that negate the environmental benefits, he said. "And in the end it was more expensive than cement," he said. The researchers used Taguchi analysis, a statistical method developed to narrow the large phase space -- all the possible states -- of a chemical composition, followed by computational optimization to identify the best mixing strategies. This greatly improved the structural and mechanical qualities of the synthesized composites, Shahsavari said, and led to an optimal balance of calcium-rich fly ash, nanosilica and calcium oxide with less than 5 percent of a sodium-based activator. "A majority of past works focused on so-called type F fly ash, which is derived from burning anthracite or bituminous coals in power plants and has low calcium content," Shahsavari said. "But globally, there are significant sources of lower grade coal such as lignite or sub-bituminous coals. Burning them results in high-calcium, or type C, fly ash, which has been more difficult to activate. "Our work provides a viable path for efficient and cost-effective activation of this type of high-calcium fly ash, paving the path for the environmentally responsible manufacture of concrete. Future work will assess such properties as long-term behavior, shrinkage and durability." Shahsavari suggested the same strategy could be used to turn other industrial waste, such as blast furnace slag and rice hulls, into environmentally friendly cementitious materials without the use of cement. ### Read the abstract at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jace.15873. This news release can be found online at http://news.rice.edu/2018/06/18/cementless-fly-ash-binder-makes-concrete-green/ Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews. Related materials: Multiscale Materials Laboratory (Shahsavari): http://rouzbeh.rice.edu/default.aspx Rice Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: https://cee.rice.edu Rice Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering: https://msne.rice.edu George R. Brown School of Engineering: https://engineering.rice.edu Images for download: http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/06/0618_ASH-1-WEB-t11z3d.jpg A scanning electron microscope image shows raw, type C fly ash particles made primarily of calcium oxide as a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. Rice University engineers have made a cementless, environmentally friendly binder for concrete that shows potential to replace Portland cement in many applications. (Credit: Multiscale Materials Laboratory/Rice University) http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/06/0618_ASH-2-WEB-13z3ne5.jpg A scanning electron microscope image shows spherical particles in type C fly ash used by Rice University engineers to make cementless binder for concrete. (Credit: Multiscale Materials Laboratory/Rice University) http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/06/0618_ASH-3-web-111giit.jpg Rouzbeh Shahsavari (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,970 undergraduates and 2,934 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for quality of life and for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for happiest students by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://tinyurl.com/RiceUniversityoverview. JUPITER, FL - June 18, 2018 - Bacteria found in soil may harbor a potential game-changer for drug design. A new study by Scripps Research, published today in Nature Communications, suggests scientists could build better drugs by learning from bacteria-derived molecules called thiocarboxylic acids. The finding comes from Ben Shen, PhD, and his colleagues on the Florida campus of Scripps Research. The team investigates "natural products" made by organisms such as soil-dwelling bacteria. "We use natural products as an inspiration for chemistry, biology and drug discovery," says Shen, professor and co-chair of the Department of Chemistry at Scripps Research. Thiocarboxylic acids caught Shen's attention because of their rarity in nature and similarity to lab-made molecules called carboxylic acids. Carboxylic acids are good "warheads" because they can home in on biological targets, making them a key ingredient in many antibiotics, heart disease medications, and more. Shen and his colleagues took a closer look at two natural products, platensimycin and platencin, that have been extensively investigated as potential antibiotics. Much to their surprise, platensimycin and platencin, which have been known for over a decade to be carboxylic acids, are actually made by bacteria as thiocarboxylic acids. The researchers revealed, for the first time, the exact genes, and the enzymes they encode, that bacteria use to create thiocarboxylic acids. From there, the scientists set out to test whether nature-made thiocarboxylic acids could also act as biological warheads. The researchers discovered that, as antibiotics, platensimycin and platencin thiocarboxylic acids appeared to bind to their biological targets even better than their carboxylic acid counterparts. "That was exciting to see," Shen says. "We've now identified thiocarboxylic acids as natural products that can be used as drugs, and thiocarboxylic acids as warheads should be applicable to man-made drugs as well." Interestingly, thiocarboxylic acids appear to have been hiding in plain sight. The molecules were thought to be rare and have not been appreciated to date as a family of natural products. Thanks to the current findings, the researchers now know how these producst are made in nature. Upon searching databases of bacterial genomes, the researchers found that many species of bacteria around the world have the genes to produce thiocarboxylic acids. "There are many, many thiocarboxylic acid natural products waiting to be discovered, making them a treasure trove of potential new drug leads or drugs" says Shen. ### Additional authors of the study, "Biosynthesis of thiocarboxylic acid-containing natural products," were Liao-Bin Dong (first author), Jeffrey D. Rudolf and Nan Wang of Scripps Research; Dingding Kang, Youchao Deng, Yong Huang and Yanwen Duan of the Xiangya International Academy of Translational Medicine, Central South University; and Cyndi Qixin He and K. N. Houk of the University of California, Los Angeles. The research was supported by the Chinese Ministry of Education (111 Project B0803420), the National Institutes of Health (grant GM114353), an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a scholarship from the Chinese Scholarship Council (201504910034). About Scripps Research Scripps Research is one of the world's preeminent independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. Scripps Research is internationally recognized for its contributions to science and health, including its role in laying the foundation for new treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. An institution that evolved from the Scripps Metabolic Clinic founded by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1924, the institute now employs more than 2,500 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL, where its renowned scientists-including two Nobel laureates and 20 members of the National Academies of Science, Engineering or Medicine-work toward their next discoveries. The institute's graduate program, which awards PhD degrees in biology and chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation. For more information, see http://www.scripps.edu. Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering was selected as the awardee of the 2018 P.V. Danckwerts Memorial Lecture. Professor Lee was named the recipient in recognition of his distinguished achievements developing innovative eco-friendly and sustainable chemical materials by applying metabolic engineering. The award is co-sponsored by the Chemical Engineering Science, the Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the European Federation of Chemical Engineering. The award ceremony and Professor Lee's lecture will be held at the annual meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in October in Pittsburgh, PA in the US. He will give a lecture titled "Biotechnology to Help Achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals." The P.V. Danckwerts Lecture was established in 1985 in honor of Professor Peter V. Danckwerts at the University of Cambridge who made significant contributions to the chemical engineering field. Professor Danckwerts served as executive editor of the Chemical Engineering Science and the president of the Institute of Chemical Engineers. Professor Lee, currently the dean of KAIST Institutes, a multi-and interdisciplinary convergence research center, is taking the lead in biotechnology, especially in the field of metabolic engineering. Professor Lee's research team's novel approaches have been gaining notable attention in the sustainable chemical engineering field and future health care innovations. His team recently presented research on drug-drug and drug-food interactions by using AI, a recombinant E.coli strain that biosynthesizes 60 different nanomaterials covering 35 elements on the periodic table, bio-degradable aromatic polymer's enzyme production, and a molecular mechanism for PET degradation. With this award, Professor Lee joined other prominent recipients including Dr. Neal Amundson at the University of Houston, the late Professor Octave Levenspiel at Oregon State University, and Professor Rutherford Aris at the University of Minnesota. Professor Lee is the second Asian recipient, following Dr. Mooson Kwauk at the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who won the lecture award in 1989. ### Intravenous (IV) acetaminophen is no more effective than oral acetaminophen for patients undergoing colorectal procedures, Mount Sinai researchers report in a first-of-its-kind study. These findings suggest that eliminating use of IV acetaminophen, which is much more expensive than its oral counterpart, may result in very significant cost savings for hospitals with no impact on the patient experience or outcomes. The study, published in the July issue of Anesthesiology, found that IV acetaminophen, as currently used, does not meaningfully decrease opioid use after surgery, especially when compared to patients who are given oral acetaminophen (sold under the brand name Tylenol and others). "With any new drug that is introduced to the U.S. market, it is very important to monitor how it is used and if this results in the desired outcomes. Our study results do not support routine use of IV acetaminophen," explained lead investigator Jashvant Poeran, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Population Health and Health Science Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Scientists from the Department of Population Health and Health Science Policy and the Department of Anesthesiology at the Icahn School of Medicine looked into this topic because there is increasing pressure to reduce opioid use in patients hospitalized for surgery, while also minimizing pain. Non-opioid pain medications such as IV acetaminophen are a common substitute for opioids, but it was unclear how effective this drug was for surgery patients. IV acetaminophen was introduced in the United States in 2010, and there has been a spike in use since then. The cost of IV acetaminophen increased by 300 percent in 2014, prompting scrutiny of its use. It is much more expensive than other non opioid alternatives and its oral counterpart. The Mount Sinai team analyzed data of 181,640 patients undergoing open colectomy surgery in 602 hospitals across the United States from 2011-2016. This procedure was selected because these patients don't always tolerate oral medication well. Among the patients studied, researchers found that IV acetaminophen was used in a minority (25.1 percent) of cases, of which nearly half received only one dose, on the day of surgery. In these patients, IV acetaminophen use was not associated with clinically significant reductions in opioid utilization. By comparison, oral acetaminophen appeared equivalent or superior, especially in patents receiving more than one dose on the day of surgery. These results suggest IV acetaminophen is not always used in the most appropriate way, as one dose may not be enough to affect opioid utilization. The study goes on to show that IV acetaminophen may not be any more effective than its oral counterpart and therefore does not support routine use of this intravenous drug. Researchers say there may be a place for IV acetaminophen among those who cannot tolerate oral medication, but follow-up studies should be done to figure out what the most effective dosing regimen is. "It is important that we that we identify optimal dosing strategies and patients that are most likely to benefit from this relatively new drug. Especially among patients undergoing colorectal surgery, there may be a group of patients that do not tolerate oral medications," said Dr. Poeran. "This may be less of an issue among patients undergoing other types of surgery, such as hip and knee replacement surgery, and these results further emphasize a more targeted approach in determining who benefits most." "A wide variety of non-opioid adjuvants are available for use, but our knowledge of what works best in whom is still in its infancy," added Andrew Leibowitz, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Chair of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine for the Mount Sinai Health System. "Intuitively, greater effectiveness is expected with more different classes of medications administered while also decreasing side effects of any one of them. This, however, might not be true so research like this is necessary and very important." The study team is currently addressing this same question in other types of surgery, such as hip, knee and shoulder replacement, and anticipates more findings in the near future. While the current study demonstrates limited effects of IV acetaminophen, benefits may be more pronounced in other surgeries with a different patient population. ### About the Mount Sinai Health System The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest integrated delivery system encompassing seven hospital campuses, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai's vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 10 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools", aligned with a U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" Hospital, No. 13 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 18 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, and Neurology/Neurosurgery, and in the top 50 in four other specialties in the 2017-2018 "Best Hospitals" issue. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital also is ranked in six out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 12th nationally for Ophthalmology and 50th for Ear, Nose, and Throat, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Girls in the first birth cohort to be offered and receive the HPV vaccine showed a lower degree of dysplasia which may eventually lead to cervical cancer than a birth cohort from 1983. This is the conclusion of a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, who have been the first to study the vaccine's effect on the general population. The effects of the HPV vaccine, which in 2009 became part of the Danish childhood vaccination programme, have been examined by researchers from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. And the conclusion is unmistakable: The HPV vaccine works. The new study, recently published in the scientific International Journal of Cancer, is the first to examine the effect of the vaccine in the population at large, say Professor Elsebeth Lynge and PhD student Lise Thamsborg from the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen. 'It is the first study in the world to test the Gardasil-4 vaccine on a population level. The childhood vaccination programme, which includes the HPV vaccine, is targeted at the entire population. Therefore, it is important to look at the entire population and the effect of the vaccine after the first screening of women aged 23 years,' says Professor Elsebeth Lynge, last author of the study. Reduction in Severe Dysplasia The researchers have looked at the 1993 birth cohort, which was the first birth cohort to be offered the vaccine. They have then compared it to a 1983 birth cohort, who have not been offered HPV-vaccination. The two birth cohorts of women are comparable and resemble each other as regards level of education and average age of sexual debut, among other things. The researchers have then examined the results of the women's first cervical screening test. The 1993 birth cohort was invited to a screening test in 2016, while women born in 1983 had their first screening test in 2006, before the vaccine was marketed. The researchers discovered a significantly reduced risk of severe dysplasia in the 1993 birth cohort compared to the 1983 birth cohort. To be precise, the risk was reduced by 40 percent. 'This means that fewer women have to be referred to a gynaecologist for further examination and have a tissue sample taken. Eventually we also expect fewer to fall ill', says Lise Thamsborg, first author of the study. The girls from the 1993 birth cohort were 15 years old when they received the vaccine. And the researchers expect the effect to be even more pronounced today, where girls are offered the vaccine already at the age of 12. 'It is better. We expect the effect to be greater among those vaccinated at the age of 12, because very few have been sexually active at this age', says Lise Thamsborg. New Technology Since 2006 However, the study did not only find a reduction in severe dysplasia. Contrary to expectation - and from what randomised trials have shown - the women born in 1993 showed a higher level of mild dysplasia than the women born in 1983. In 2006, though, new technology was introduced for examining the cell samples that reveal cases of dysplasia. This may be the cause of the increase in cases of mild dysplasia, the researchers believe. 'The new technology has led to fewer inadequate samples, and the samples are of a higher quality today. So the samples are more sensitive. This may be the cause', says Lise Thamsborg. The next step for the researchers is to examine the tissue samples taken from women with dysplasia. The aim is to learn whether and, if so, how cases of mild and severe dysplasia, respectively, have developed. If a woman suffers from severe dysplasia, a tissue sample is taken. It can reveal precursor lesions to cervical cancer. There are different levels of these precursor lesions. If a woman shows mild dysplasia, she is invited to a control typically six months later to see whether the changes have stopped or developed further. ### A new collaborative research centre/Transregio 241 'Immune-epithelial communication in inflammatory bowel diseases' is due to commence its research at Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg (FAU) in July 2018. In conjunction with the Charite hospital in Berlin, doctors and biotechnologists at FAU will be conducting research in order to better understand the interaction between cells in mucous membranes and immune cells in the bowel and to develop more effective therapy methods for chronic inflammation. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is providing funding worth 11.5 million euros for the first funding period until 2022, and FAU has been allocated nearly 7 million euros of this amount. Number of patients with IBD is increasing Severe diarrhoea, stomach pain, cramps - these are the most common symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Morbus Crohn or Colitis ulcerosa. Around 40,000 people in Germany suffer from IBD and this number continues to rise. Patients of IBD often suffer from flare-ups of their condition, which severely affects their quality of life and physical capabilities. 'Despite the use of strong medication, chronic inflammatory bowel conditions remain difficult to treat', says Prof. Dr. Christoph Becker, lead researcher at the Department of Medicine 1 at FAU's Universitatsklinikum Erlangen and spokesperson of the collaborative research centre. 'Acute flare-ups are often treated with corticosteroids that ease symptoms only in some cases. Many patients have to take several immunosuppressive substances.' In addition, their symptoms are often accompanied by other conditions such as arthritis, acute inflammation of fatty tissue and chronic inflammation of the biliary tract in the liver. Little research to date on molecular and cellular mechanisms IBD is difficult to treat because the interactions between various cell populations in the bowel are not yet fully understood. 'Newer findings show that the intestinal mucosa cannot be regarded as merely a physical barrier. In fact, it is highly-dynamic tissue that reacts to a large number of environmental stimuli including intestinal flora and local or systemic signals,' explains Christoph Becker. 'The immune system in the intestine regulates the barrier function of the intestinal wall and the composition of intestinal flora and vice versa as the intestinal barrier influences the immune system.' However, there is a lack of knowledge of how the interactions between the epithelium and immune cells influence the long-term cellular reactions that contribute to controlling chronic inflammation processes. New concept for new therapies This is the starting point for the researchers from Erlangen and Berlin. During the next few years, they aim to integrate findings about the regulation and function of the immune system in the bowel and current data about anti-microbial defence on the mucous membrane barrier into a new concept. The individual projects will focus in particular on the role of misdirected communication between epithelium and immune cells during the pathogenesis of IBD. The researchers' long-term aim is to develop medication that targets the causes of bowel inflammation while retaining the ability of the immune system to fight infections and cancer cells. In addition, they hope to find diagnostic methods that predict patients' response to therapies - a goal that not only serves to relieve symptoms quickly, but should also contribute to lowering treatment costs. Researchers from Erlangen involved in 14 projects The scientific programme of CRC/TRR 241 is divided into three research areas: Area A 'Immune regulation of intestinal barrier functions', comprises projects focusing on the effects of acute and chronic inflammation on epithelial cells, in particular on their cell homeostasis and barrier-forming functions. Area B 'The epithelium as a regulator of immunity and inflammation in the bowel' examines the effects of disruptions to the barrier function and antigen translocation on the mucosal immune system. The objective of research area C 'Diagnosis and therapeutic intervention of IBD' is to develop innovative therapeutic and diagnostic approaches and evaluate them in a clinical setting. CRC/TRR 241 comprises a total of 22 projects, 14 of which are either based in Erlangen or involve researchers from Erlangen. The Department of Medicine 1 - Gastroenterology, Pneumology and Endocrinology, Department of Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, the Department of Surgery and the Department of Dermatology and the Institute for Medical Biotechnology are all involved. 23 jobs and 9 scholarships are being funded during the next four years with the nearly 7 million euros allocated to the FAU. ### It's been quite a year. And I make no predictions about the one to come. I do know that it will -- at least where we are -- start ou... ANN ARBOR--Ecologists from the University of Michigan and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science are forecasting a larger-than-average Chesapeake Bay "dead zone" in 2018, due to increased rainfall in the watershed this spring. This summer's Chesapeake Bay hypoxic or dead zone, an area of low to no oxygen that can kill fish and other aquatic life, is expected to be about 1.9 cubic miles (7.9 cubic kilometers), according to the forecast released today by the two universities. Spring rainfall plays an important role in determining the size of the Chesapeake Bay hypoxic zone. This year, above-average spring rainfall and streamflow is transporting nitrogen to tidal waters in amounts slightly above the long-term average, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which provides the nitrogen-loading estimates used to generate the annual hypoxia forecast. In spring 2018, the Susquehanna River delivered 85.7 million pounds of nitrogen into the Chesapeake Bay. The Potomac River, as measured near Washington, D.C., supplied an additional 30 million pounds of nitrogen, according to USGS. "The forecast calls for an above-average dead zone in the Chesapeake Bay this year, illustrating that more work needs to be done. This dead zone remains considerably larger than the size implied by the targets set under the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load agreement," said aquatic ecologist Don Scavia, University of Michigan professor emeritus of environment and sustainability and a member of NOAA-funded teams that produce annual forecasts for the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Erie. The bay's hypoxic (low oxygen) and anoxic (no oxygen) zones are caused by excess nutrient pollution, primarily from agriculture and wastewater. The excess nutrients stimulate an overgrowth of algae, which then sinks and decomposes in the water. The resulting low oxygen levels are insufficient to support most marine life and habitats in near-bottom waters, threatening the bay's crabs, oysters and other fisheries. This year, the anoxic portion of the hypoxic zone is predicted to be 0.43 cubic miles (1.78 cubic kilometers) in early summer and 0.41 cubic miles (1.7 cubic kilometers) in late summer. "The Chesapeake Bay's response to reductions in nutrient pollution may be gradual, involve lags, and be interrupted by the weather," said report co-author Jeremy Testa of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "The forecast illustrates these challenges well." Measurements of the Chesapeake Bay's dead zone go back to 1950, and the 30-year mean maximum dead zone volume is 1.74 cubic miles. "Despite the forecast, bottom dissolved oxygen concentrations in Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem have continued to increase since 2014, and last year we recorded the second-smallest hypoxic volume ever," said Bruce Michael, director of the Resource Assessment Service at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. "The bay is rebounding and responding, as seen by record submerged aquatic vegetation totals. Our strategic investments and sacrifices aimed at reducing nutrients and sediment are working, but more can still be done throughout the watershed." The bay outlook is based on models developed at the University of Michigan and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, with funding provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Despite this year's forecast, great strides have been made in reducing nutrient pollution from various point sources entering the Chesapeake Bay, such as wastewater treatment plants," said Steve Thur, director of NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. "However, to reach the economic potential of the Chesapeake Bay, more work needs to be done to address nonpoint nutrient pollution, such as agriculture and stormwater runoff." Throughout the year, researchers measure oxygen and nutrient levels as part of the Chesapeake Bay Monitoring Program, run by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. This year's findings will be released in the fall. USGS provides the nitrogen-loading estimates as part of its long-term water-quality and streamflow monitoring programs with the state of Maryland. "The USGS is proud to contribute to the collaborative science reflected in this forecast," said Don Cline, associate director for the USGS Water Mission Area. "It serves to test the skill of scientists on an annual basis and to demonstrate the connection between this important estuary and its watershed." ### 2018 U-M Chesapeake Bay hypoxia forecast: http://scavia.seas.umich.edu/hypoxia-forecasts/ Researchers at the University of Waterloo may have discovered a new, pesticide-free way to limit mosquito populations in some area and reduce the spread of the West Nile virus. Waterloo researcher Brad Fedy discovered that introducing hungry minnows into bodies of water where mosquitoes breed results in the minnows feeding on mosquito larvae, which dramatically decreases the number of adult mosquitoes capable of carrying the disease. "The best strategies to limit mosquitoes start at the larval stage. Unfortunately, in North America, control efforts are largely limited to larvicides, which require a repeated application and have potentially negative ecological impacts," said Fedy. "Addressing the problem with minnows provides many benefits in that it is low-maintenance, cost-effective, better for the environment in many cases, and our health." The study took place over three years and introduced minnows into ten treatment reservoirs. Researchers monitored an additional six non-treated reservoirs. Treatment ponds demonstrated suppressed levels of mosquito larva over each season compared to controls with a model-predicted 114 per cent decrease in larva density within treatment ponds. "There are many potential advantages to using indigenous fish species as an alternative for larval control including lowered environmental impact, decreased costs regarding time and financial inputs, and the potential for the establishment of self-sustaining fish populations," said Fedy. "This isn't a complete solution to the dangers of West Nile, but it should be considered as part of any plan to protect the health of vulnerable populations." Fedy and his team discovered the method while researching sage grouse populations in the intermountain west. Sage grouse populations suffer adverse impacts from mosquitoes transferring viruses like West Nile and investigated ways to mitigate those negative impacts. What they discovered could also improve human health. ### A full version of the study, Assessing the efficacy of fathead minnows, can be found in PLOS ONE. LOGAN, UTAH, USA - Though mostly rooted in the ground, plants have a number of innovative ways to disperse their seeds and get on with the business of propagation. They drop seeds or release them to the wind. Or they fling seeds with a dramatic mechanical detonation. Or they rely on seed transport by water or hitching a ride on a traveling animal (including humans). "Seed dispersal is an essential, yet overlooked process of plant demography," says Utah State University ecologist Noelle Beckman. "But it's difficult to empirically observe, measure and assess its full influence." To that end, Beckman, with colleagues James Bullock of the United Kingdom's Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and Rob Salguero-Gomez of the University of Oxford, used the massive COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database, an online repository containing demographic information about thousands of plant species throughout the world, to analyze hundreds of disparate datasets of plant life-history strategies. The team reports their findings in the June 18, 2018, issue of the Journal of Ecology. Their paper is part of a special British Ecological Society cross-journal feature that provides an overview of forces and mechanisms producing worldwide plant and animal diversity. Their research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, the Australian Research Council and the U.K.'s Natural Environment Research Council. "Our analyses revealed plant life-history strategies are largely explained by growth, survival and reproduction, and by how far plants disperse their seeds," says Beckman, assistant professor in USU's Department of Biology and the USU Ecology Center. " The scientists found dispersal ability is related to fast life histories with maximum dispersal distances positively related to high reproductive rates, a long window of reproduction and a low likelihood of escaping senescence or growing old. "The faster the life history, the farther distances seeds are dispersed," Beckman says. "This may allow the species to take advantage of environments that vary unpredictably." Dispersal, she says, is a central process in ecology and evolution. "Movement of individual plants affects genetic diversity and species' capacity for adaptation," Beckman says. "Global changes, such as climate change or landscape fragmentation, that disrupt dispersal have consequences. With analytical tools, we can examine these consequences on plant performance, spatial patterns, population spread and biodiversity." ### OXFORD, UK (June 18, 2018) - University of Queensland (UQ) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) researchers argue that the world needs more diverse, ambitious and area-specific targets for retaining important natural systems to safeguard humanity. The findings are published in Nature Ecology and Evolution. The researchers say that current conservation targets such as Aichi Target 11, established by the Convention on Biological Diversity, currently lack the scope required to support the critical services that nature provides. The authors note that even if fully achieved, Aichi Target 11 potentially leaves 83 percent of the land and 90 percent of the ocean not effectively conserved. Most evolutionary processes, ecological functions and biota are, and probably will always be, beyond the boundaries of nationally gazetted protected areas. This means that most of the ecosystem services on which humanity relies will be provided predominantly by areas that are not officially protected. Achieving the objectives reflected in the other Aichi Targets, and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, depends heavily on what happens in that 83-90 percent, the authors say. "Humanity asks a lot of the natural world. We need it to purify our water and air, to maintain our soils, and to regulate our climate," said lead author Associate Professor Maron of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at UQ. "Yet even as we increase the extent of protected areas, they don't necessarily prevent the loss of natural systems. They're often located in areas that might not have been lost anyway - and the current target of protecting 17 percent of terrestrial systems will never be enough to protect species as well as provide the benefits humanity needs." The authors argue for the need to retain enough of the Earth's natural systems in the right places, to preserve healthy watersheds, to store carbon, to protect the last wilderness areas, and to maintain human-nature interactions, but at the moment we don't have specific, area-based targets for all these goals. In the article, the researchers say that that reforms are urgently needed on how we make decisions about what nature must be retained, and where. Said senior author James Watson of UQ and WCS: "It is clear that we are running out of time. Every time we analyze humanity's footprint on the planet, we see broad-scale alteration of the last remaining intact, functioning systems. These losses are irreversible and we must acknowledge that the status quo is failing nature and humanity." Recent calls for the protection of "half earth" and "nature needs half," calling for conservation of 50 percent of the planet, are bold, but the researchers believe this may still fall short of what is needed for the integrity of critical earth systems, like a stable climate. Said Watson: "We need a big, bold plan. There is no doubt that when we add up the different environmental goals to halt biodiversity loss, stabilize run-away climate change and to ensure other critical ecosystems services such as pollination and clean water are maintained, we will need far more than 50 percent of the earth's natural systems to remain intact. And we must remember that most nations have committed to this in various environmental treaties. It is time for nations to embrace a diverse set of bold retention targets to limit the ongoing erosion of the nature humanity relies upon." The paper was published as conservationists gather this week in Oxford for a major international conference on Intact Forests in the 21st Century hosted by the University of Oxford and WCS. The conference will bring together leading scientists, researchers, policy experts and practitioners from around the world to review and debate the current state of knowledge relating to intact forests, their values, the threats they face, and the most appropriate responses. ### WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world's oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: 347-840-1242. NEW YORK (June 18, 2018)-- The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Yale University have created a plan to preserve one of the last intact forest strongholds for the jaguar and other iconic species in Central America: the Moskitia Forest Corridor. Released today, the report--titled "Stopping the Tide: A Strategy for Maintaining Forest Connectivity within the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor"--lays out recommendations on how to protect the ecologically vital forest landscape that straddles both Honduras and Nicaragua. One of the primary findings of the report is that conservation efforts should be focused on four "pinch points" where forest connectivity is threatened. "As one of the largest remaining forest blocks in Central America, this forest corridor is critical to conserve widely ranging species such as jaguars and white-lipped peccaries" said Dr. John Polisar, one of the study's authors and WCS's Jaguar Program Coordinator. "These species are found in Nicaragua's Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, and across river valleys in Honduras such as the recently investigated "Lost City" site in in the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve. Maintaining the pinch points that connect forests and wildlife is a top priority." [Read a recently published article on a rapid ecological assessment of the "Lost City" site by conservationists in the Moskitia forest of Honduras here]. The "Stopping the Tide" study found that deforestation in the bi-national Moskitia forest corridor due to unregulated cattle ranching and human settlement has rapidly expanded into protected areas to consume forest habitat, placing the Rio Platano World Heritage site on UNESCO's "in danger" list. The authors noted that low institutional presence has left these protected areas poorly defended against these threats. The forests of La Moskitia are home to Mayangna, Miskitu, Tawahka, and Pech indigenous communities who seek to maintain the forest and the ecosystem services it provides. The report recommends giving continued attention to the property rights of these indigenous groups and providing assistance in their interests to be effective stewards of the forest and wildlife. The authors prioritize capacity building for local communities and protected area personnel that includes the implementation of SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) for patrols to monitor the status of remote forests and facilitate enforcement in areas already impacted by harmful activities. The report also emphasizes the importance of partnerships with local communities to strengthen environmentally sustainable livelihoods such as cacao farming and timber certification programs. In the few zones where raising livestock is legal, the report recommends implementing approaches to reduce deforestation from cattle ranching, improving livestock health and nutrition in space efficient production that decreases the need for deforestation, with producers committing to maintain forest. In preparing this report WCS worked with Yale's Environmental Protection Clinic, which pairs graduate students with organizations that address the intersection between law, policy, and environmental threats. "This report highlights the challenges of evaluating gaps and opportunities for conservation in remote areas and is an example of a productive and innovative collaboration between a conservation organization and graduate programs in environmental studies, in particular in identifying priority areas and the actions needed to maintain biodiversity on a large landscape level" said Manus McCaffery, one of the Yale Graduate students who contributed to this report. "Recent discoveries have highlighted the archaeological and biological importance of the Moskitia forest" said Dr. Jeremy Radachowsky, WCS Director for Mesoamerica and the Caribbean. "However, this exceptional patrimony is in real danger of being degraded and lost within the next few years. Now the urgent challenge is coming together as humanity, joining forces with local communities and Honduran institutions, to ensure that one of Central America's most intact forests and its cultural heritage lasts forever." WCS has long prioritized the protection of intact forest landscapes for their confluence of globally significant values such as conserving biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and sustaining imperiled cultures. A recently published paper in Nature Ecology and Evolution by WCS and other organizations documents how intact forests benefit wildlife and human populations alike, and how their protection should be a key component of national and global environmental efforts. ### This preliminary work for the Moskitia Forest Assessment was supported by the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation and the Darwin Initiative. WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world's oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: 347-840-1242. this news is not available Cypriot Culture Employment in Cyprus Property in Cyprus State Benefits in Cyprus Conclusion Cyprus has one of the most complicated histories in the world, having been involved in many wars and battles over ownership of the Island. The most recent battles of 1974 resulted in the splitting of the island, into Northern Cyprus that is under Turkish control and Southern Cyprus that is under Greek control.Such is the animosity between the two groups, the United Nations have been manning a permanent buffer zone since the end of the 1974 war. There have been a number of attempts to resolve the dispute once and for all, but both sides are firmly entrenched in their beliefs with little or no room for maneuver.After the most recent period of violence, both communities continue to build their economies with much spending on the relevant infra structures. This in turn has put both the northern and the south on the tourist map of the world, with popularity growing with the number of Expats moving to Cyprus. Tourism in the shadow of war, as emigrating and settling in has become a breeze as stated in the Cyprus Expat Forum , posted last August 19, 2009 asContent: Culture in Cyprus | Employment in Cyprus | Property in Cyprus | State Benefits in Cyprus | Key Facts on CyprusOverall the island has some of the most stunning architecture with a history going back hundreds of years. The country was once part of the United Kingdom, until independence was granted in 1961, and there are still some very obvious British influences to the land, never mind the large number of UK tourists.Control of the Island has changed many times over the centuries, with Cyprus being part of the Roman Empire for some eight hundred years leaving an obvious and highly visible effect on the culture and architecture.The last official figures (Census 2000) state that 77% of the population are Greek Cypriots with 18% Turkish Cypriots and 5% made up by varying minorities. There has however been a major influx of foreign residents since 2000, with British, Thai, Filipino and Sri Lankan nationals featuring heavily, although there is also a significant Armenian presence on the Island. Recent changes in the structure of the European Union have also seen an influx of Serbian, Palestinian and Lebanese refugees.While there is still a major difference between the prosperous southern area of the island and the north, which had been cut off from the outside world for many years, both economies are growing and developing at impressive rates.The south of the island has created a very attractive environment for foreign businesses, which has attracted a great deal of interest. While the tax situation has been helpful, it has been the excellent infrastructure, which has been the main pulling power for the area. The recent discovery of oil in lands between the southern tip of the island and Egypt has precipitated the creation of a new and growing oil industry a welcome input into the governments coffers.Unfortunately the northern area of the Cyprus was cut off from mainstream travel options for many years, although the recent opening of the boarders and introduction of new airports has been the catalyst for a major expansion of the economy. During 2003 and 2004, the economy grew by 9.6% and 11.4% respectfully, although this has created a short fall in the amount of skilled workers available to fill current posts.While the major conurbations of the north continue to grow, there are vast areas of untouched beauty in the countryside something which has helped to increase tourism numbers substantially. Hotels and tourist venues are becoming one of the mainstays of the economy, together with the introduction of a free market concept and importing of skilled labour.There are many employment opportunities in both the south and the north despite the current worldwide economic recession as reported in the economic watch for Cyprus for 2009.Comparatively, the north seems to offer more value for money, together with the opportunity to become involved in a growing economy and prosperous (yet infant) property market.Even though the Cyprus property market overall has shown some excellent growth during recent times, there are still a number of anomalies which should be investigated prior to purchasing a property in the country. There are restrictions on the ownership of property by non-nationals, although these are slowly but surely lifting, in line with EU requirements. One of these issues has been the protection of ownership rights in Cyprus as reported in 2009 as many legal and credit issues with property in Cyprus The southern area of the country has a much more developed property market, although many believe that the northern area offers more value for money in the short, medium and longer term (the cost of living is also less in the north). The recent introduction of direct flights and many other transportation links from northern Cyprus to Europe has opened the country up to a variety of property investors looking to take advantage of the countrys improving fortunes.While the property market will not rise forever, many believe that there is still room for further substantial growth, linked to what are two very prosperous economies. There have been numerous legal arguments over who actually owns properties in the north and south. It is vital that you take professional advice, as property ownership in Cyprus have ancient and archaic Turkish laws and traditions.Cyprus as a whole operates a tax deduction system whereby tax is deducted at source, and added to the government budget. While there are slightly different regulations with regards to benefits in the north and benefits in the south the more common income support, employment benefit and health care benefits are available.It is strongly advisable that you check the situation as and when you decide to consider a move, because as markets are opening up, more and more changes are being made to welfare laws and the economic environment.Many people believe that the green line across the middle of Cyprus is the place where the Muslim faith meets the Christian faith, which may explain the historical violence over this relatively small island. Ownership of the country has changed hands on many occasions through history, leaving both the north and the south with footprints of historical cultures.While the south is more developed than the north, we are starting to see the gap narrowing. The opening of the north to more traditional and direct forms of transport has had a major impact on the areas economy, offering foreign nationals something to think about. Many posts in the Cyprus Expat Forum , the latest dated 10 July 2009,Cyprus is a country that has had more than its fair share of troubles, but there is no doubting the many areas of beauty and classic architecture. Perhaps this is why the island is proving ever more popular with many older people looking to retire.Capital : NicosiaOfficial Language : Greek /TurkishGovernment : Republic, PresidentSize : 9,251 km2Population : 784,301 millionCurrency : Cyprus PoundInternational Dialling Code : +357Religion : Cypriot Orthodox Church / Sunni Muslims French Culture Employment in France French Property State Benefits in France Conclusion France is one of the powerhouses of the European Union and still attracts so much interest from foreign residents looking to relocate overseas. The country has a truly unique and fashion entirely its own often mentioned in the same breath as Italy as a popular country for romantic rendezvous and getaways.There is however a lot to France behind the scenes, with culture, art and architecture once again coming to fore. This country certainly has much to offer both in terms of employment and everyday life as it has a deeply ingrained faith in the freedom of speech, which forms the basis of French law and culture. These are some of the reasons why the Expat community living in France flourishes and thrives by the day.Content: Culture in France | Employment in France | Property in France | State Benefits in France | Key Facts on FranceFrance is one of the true metropolitan countries of the world, as it integrates into its own a variety of different cultures over the centuries which has in the past resulted in a number of internal disputes. The country is heavily infused with certain elements of religion and culture prevalent in different areas.The country is well known for its love of the arts and architecture and has a long and great history, taking in revolutions, wars and major changes in the way that the country is run, full, vibrant and headstrong. Its freedom of speech has attracted a number of outspoken and controversial figures to lead its political governance and has placed all areas of society under discussion.France has been, for many years, a hive of private enterprise with over 2.5 million companies registered in the country. However, the government still maintains a stranglehold on the major industries including defense, transport, insurance and banking, but government is slowly practicing laissez faire, loosening their grip on these major industries.The working arena is still suffering from the days of massive unemployment over 30 years ago, and France has the lowest percentage of 15 64 year olds in work throughout the developed world. This has certainly increased with the current financial recession, as unemployment rates in the first half of 2009 hover around 9.3%. While this is slowly improving there is still a long way to go to compete with the likes of the US, UK and Japan. However, this has left a gap in the market for foreign nationals actively looking for employment, and the fact that French students continue their education for longer than their European counterparts is also of assistance.Unfortunately the tax situation in France is a lot harsher than other European counterparts, with up to 60% of gross pay being diverted into the French State Benefit system. It is a requirement of French law that either you or your employer register you with the authorities as an official worker in France failure to comply with the regulations can lead to grave consequences for your long term residency in the country.The housing market in France has historically been a lot steadier than for example the UK market (and many other European partners). A large number of European residents relocating to France where property prices are on average substantially lower. This has been the trend in 2009 as many property investors are seeking hard bargains for the properties in the market.However, there is a large difference in pricing, depending on location, with older housing less expensive than new builds (this is a market which has attracted UK buyers, who tend to look for history and character for their properties). Inner city accommodation is obviously the more expensive, with countryside property prices much lower. Widely fluctuating property prices are one less worry when looking to relocate to France.France has one of the most lucrative and expanding state benefit budgets in the developed world, with little hope of this trend changing in the immediate future. The country has one of the most work force protective benefits systems across Europe, with the jobless well compensated for their lack of genuine income. The latest aspect of this expansion is the creation of the RMI unemployment benefit or the "revenu de solidarte active" Unemployment benefit, income support and maternity pay are just some of the major costs to the state benefit system. As the working population can contribute up to 60% of the gross salary to the state, this has often provoked anger from the business community.The current government is committed to spending million of euros encouraging the unemployed back to work, but with the benefits system ingrained in French society, this will be a long term project. However, this does leave potential for foreign nationals to find employment in France, safe in the knowledge that they will be looked after by the state if they were to lose their employment at any point in the future.While France has many attractions to foreign nationals looking to relocate, there are a number of areas which need to be addressed. While there are genuine gaps in the employment market which can be exploited by overseas workers, the downside is the taxation situation. The first one France Expat Forum last August 22, 2009 shares the tip that:It is easy to see why France has the most foreign visitors of any other country in Europe, but relocating there is a different matter. It requires careful planning and an appreciation of the cultures of this widely differing nation. As one other expat said France Expat Forum last August 19, 2002:Capital : ParisOfficial Language : FrenchGovernment : Unitary Republic, with a President and Prime Minister.Size : 674,843km2Population : 64.1 millionCurrency : Euro / French FrancInternational Dialling Code : 33+Economy : 6th largest in the worldReligion : Mixed (although 51% of the population are Catholics)France has a significant English speaking expat population, mostly consisting of retired and so-called inactive expats - ie below retirement age, but not in active employment. The workplace in France is very protected, and finding work if you are not a native French speaker will prove difficult. In the Brittany and Dordogne regions there are a high number of English speaking expats, and many people find employment by providing services to this (wealthy) community. Corsica also attracts a certain number of expats, but does not yet offer significant employment possibilities.Partners: InDaFrance Spanish Culture Employment in Spain Property in Spain State Benefits in Spain Conclusion Spain has quickly become one of the hot spots of Europe, with regards to the place of rest for many foreign nationals. According to Wikipedia in 2009 , since the dawn of time, because of its crossroads location, Spain has integrated many early civilizations and was further enriched by its colonial activities. This has resulted in a truly multi-cultural society, offering a safe and pleasant haven for many looking to settle overseas. The excess sunshine also seems to attract many from the colder areas of the world!Spain is one of the more popular destinations for foreign nationals looking to move overseas and become Expats living in Spain. An estimated 4.8 million foreign residents as at the end of 2005 were Expats in Spain . The country is very popular with Moroccan and Ecuadorian nationals, although the British (8.09%), French (8.03%) and Germans (5.58%) also make up a substantial part of the overall 4.8m total. The country has particularly strong cultural ties with south America, hence the high number of south American nationals choosing Spain for their new home.Content: Spanish Culture | Employment in Spain | Property in Spain | Spanish State Benefits | Key Facts on SpainSpain is a fairly diverse country with a number of sub cultures entrenched in their history, including Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia. While this has resulted in various infighting and terrorist activity in the past, this area has been fairly quiet of late with ongoing discussions and political activity to resolve the situation.It rich culture and history has been attributed to the Iberian, Celtiberean, Visigothic, Roman Catholic, Islamic and the myriad of other cultures that came under Spanish rule in its colonial heyday. To date, it has forty UNESCO World Heritage Sites which is second overall in the world, according to 2009 Wikipedia. Spain is very much a holiday industry based culture, with seasonal work available in all of the coastal resorts (much in line with the UK holiday industry). If you are looking to work long term in Spain it is essential that you have a contract of work with your employer. This though has been subject to stress as it has one of the highest unemployment rates in Western Europe at 11%, mainly due to the worldwide financial recession. While employers are allowed to offer short-term contracts of up to 9 months, you are entitled to a longer term (full time) contract after the initial short term contract is up. Do not forget the famous Spanish siesta the much welcome 2-3 hour period of rest in the afternoon, when all shops are closed, opening later in the cooler evening.Even though wages are generally lower in Spain compared to e.g. the UK, the cost of living is also less. It is therefore essential to compare wages / cost of living in Spain against your country of origin. While all taxes, etc will be deducted from your wages at source, any overseas national found working illegally in the country will be sent home and the employer fined. Be very wary of cash payment employment!If you are dismissed from a long-term contract you have the right of appeal, under what is a fairly rigid and structured procedure offering a degree of protection to overseas residents. There is also very little problem being accepted into the Spanish employment culture, with overseas workers more common place than the majority of European countries. To work in Spain you must have an NIE Number this is vital!The property market in Spain is very fluid, especially on the coastal areas which are proving ever more popular with holiday revelers. While there are a variety of hot spots on the coast, inner city prices are less inflated, although as more foreign nationals look to make Spain there long term homes, the prevailing market conditions of 2009 have seen a drastic fall in property prices, some as much as 26% in the most developed areas. As of late, this seems to be alleviating as prices are expected to pick up once 2010 rolls around.Customer comments and reviews of the apartments in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote can be found on the Puerto del Carmen Apartments site.Thankfully for those looking to settle in Spain, the benefits system is much like the UK in that once you start to contribute taxes to the system. Only after contribution can you begin on the path to full entitlement under the Spanish welfare system. If for example you were to lose your fulltime job after 6 months or more, you would be entitled to the full range of benefits, including health, social security, etc. For those looking to move permanently to a new country, it may be possible to arrange for part of your national insurance payments to be transferred to an overseas state benefit agency as this is recognized under the current system For many, Spain has become the country of choice when considering moving abroad. A mix of the weather, employment opportunities and a lower cost of living all add to the attractions. The benefits system also seems to be very fair, with similar protections enforced for non-nationals as foreign residents.Many testimonials from Spain Expat Forum , one of which dated last August 14, 2009 elucidate the loveliness for the Spanish region:One post succinctly puts how living in Spain is, shared last July 23, 2009 in Spain Expat Forum Living in Spain, in a nutshell, is truly marvelous and magical.Capital : MadridOfficial Language : SpanishGovernment : Monarchy (with an appointed President)Size : 506,030 km2Population : 44.7 millionCurrency : EuroInternational Dialling Code : +34Economy : 8th largest in the world (5th largest in Europe)Religion : Predominately Roman Catholic Culture in Thailand Employment in Thailand Property in Thailand Conclusion:- More facts about Thailand:- Situated in Southeast of Asia, Thailand has experienced a number of years of economic growth prior to the military coup of 2006 that would stall any growth in the immediate future. While the coup did not have much of an effect on the day-to-day operations of the country, there are concerns about the date of the promised democratic elections. There is pent up demand with regard to foreign investment, but the actually materialization of these plans and programs are uncertain at the moment.The main focal point of the country continues to be Bangkok, which has an official population in the region of 8 million according to 2009 Wikipedia (although independent estimates put this closer to 14 million). The city is one of the main tourist attractions of the world and a common stopping over point for Europeans making the long journey to Australia. Tourism is fast becoming a massive part of the Thai economy, opening up foreigners to the beauty and mystique of this ancient country.The Thai immigration system is fairly simple for Expats wishing to live in Thailand. While it is possible to arrive in the country without a visa, it is recommended that visas are arranged prior to travel especially if you are looking to stay more than 40 days. It is also recommended that you do not overstay and ensure that your visa is updated if your stay is extended. There are situations where if you are found to have an invalid visa you may be detained in an Immigration Detention Center until your case is heard and you are deported. The timing for this is all up in the air.Content: Culture in Thailand | Employment in Thailand | Property in Thailand | Key Facts on ThailandThailand is a unique state in the history of the Far East, having been one of the few countries never to be colonized by any of the European super powers. This was due to a deep sense of national pride together with great leaders of the past, which served the population as well as could be expected.The country itself is dominated by a range of Thai speaking ethnic groups who have all had an impact upon the culture of the nation, although the Central Thais have the largest impact. The Central Thai dialect has become common throughout the whole of the country, in tandem with the various localized languages evident in various parts of Thailand.The culture of Thailand is based upon Thai Buddhism, with a deeply spiritual connection with the past, a social hierarchy and strong sense of generosity and giving. Deeply ingrained in the culture is respect towards ancestors, elders even elder siblings towards younger ones.This is perhaps the reason why the country is becoming more and more popular with foreign nationals. While nowhere near the main contributor to Thai culture, the country has a significant part of the population descendent from Chinese ancestry and they have brought many Chinese traditions and values with them.While the country has a strong culture based upon the past, food is also one of the more traditional ways in which the culture is promoted. Thai food offers an interesting blend of sweet, spicy, sour, butter and salty with a variety of sauces something which has been easily exported to many overseas countries.Thailand has a predominately export driven economy, and while it has taken some time to build up and expand the relatively new focus of the economy, it has been very successful. The economy was the best performing in the world between 1985 and 1995, averaging in excess of 9% growth per annum. This has formed the basis for the Thai economy that we see today, with particular strength in the areas of rice, textiles, rubber, jewellery and electrical appliances.This impressive performance was abruptly halted for 12 months in 1997 with the onset of the Asian crisis, which had a massive impact on the Thai currency (as well as other currencies in the area). The Thai currency was then revalued to combat the issue of currency speculators taking advantage of the weakness during this period the economy shrunk by some 10%. The economy then resumed a growth period from 1998 onwards until the current financial worldwide financial crisis. Now, the country's GDP real growth rate is at a stable 4.8% and all the indicators show a rebound of the economy by next year.Thailand has an excellent record on employment with under 2% of the population unemployed , which in 2009 is at 1.5% is one of the lowest in the region. Another expanding industry is the growing number of short and long term stay immigrants contributing more and more to the economy, and the quality of the economic revival. This has resulted in Thailand being rated as the 21st largest economy in the world.While the short-term situation is being driven by the military leaders who instigated the coup, the medium and longer-term prospects are still very good especially in the midst of the worldwide recession.As you might expect from a country that is as diverse as Thailand, the property market is both varied in styles and prices. The price of property is areas such as Bangkok continue to grow as the influx of immigrants continues, although overall there is expected to be a slow down in the market.Initial forecasts at the start of the year were for 10% growth in 2007, although this has recently been revised down to 5% (a big difference from 10%, but still encouraging).In 2009, all indicators show that still are unlikely to recover for some time as demand has been shrinking and there is an oversupply of development projects being mothballed. The cause is some concern that financial institutions in Thailand have been fairly cavalier in their recent approach to lending. If interest were to rise any further in the short term then the pressure on property owners would increase dramatically. Many are looking for the government to assist in bring lending back under control.While there is a danger of a short-term economic growth bubble, the longer-term prospects for the country are still very positive. Many expats have, and continue to make their home in Thailand and the while there is some confusion about the current authorities, the positive promotion of Thailand to expats has never been in doubt.Even after the rise of recent years, the Thai property market is still fairly young and under developed in many areas, offering great potential for long term economic growth.A strong cultural background has served Thailand very well, giving the country a distinct identity when many have been influenced by other countries. This national pride has ensured that the economy has performed very well over the last 20 years, and the prospects for the long term are still upbeat.The country is becoming more and more popular with those looking to relocate to the Far East, although some have delayed decisions until the political scene becomes more settled. Thailand is definitely on the up and Bangkok has proved to be a very useful location to catch the attention of travelers. Tourism seems to be growing year on year, with visitor number rising all of the time. The Thailand Expat Forum has provided many positive reviews of the Thai tourism industry, as the post in May 18,2009:In fine, living in Thailand is summed up in this post from in March 27, 2009 on the Thailand Expat Forum Capital : BangkokOfficial Language : ThaiGovernment : Military JuntaSize : 514,000 km2Population : 63 millionCurrency : BahtInternational Dialling Code : +66Economy : 21st largest in the worldReligion : Buddhism Hello everyone, i have applied for visa 476.. problem is i have entered different residential address in application and form 80...and in application they ask about 10 years residential addresses but i provided only 3 years...what should i do now ?? expatken11 said: Hi all, Moving over to Dubai in Aug/Sept as my wife is starting a teaching job. I have a loan with my bank here in the UK (Natwest) that I pay off monthly in the usual fashion. When I get a job in Dubai, presumably I'll need a Dubai bank account for the wages to go into? How easy is it to get one set up and how easy is it then for me to do monthly transfers? Thanks in advance. Click to expand... Its relatively easy to set an account up assuming you have all the correct documentation in place - residency visa in your passport, Emirates ID and salary certificate from your employer (I dont think Ive missed anything). Again transfers are easy you can either do it through your bank or through any number of exchange transfer companies. I bank with HSBC and my UAE and UK accounts are linked and transfers are instant, I swallow a slightly lower rate for this but its zero risk to my money (compared to using a third party) and as I say instant. There are lots of varying opinions on this topic about whats best ......Depending on your circumstances and line of work the difficult part of the whole process might be finding the job unless you already have something lined up. ..... Hello to all, I am looking to locate to South GC and wanted to know is the British Doctor and his wife, who is a nurse, still practising in Puerto Rico. Thank you in advance. A record number of people are visiting New Zealand with the latest official figures showing that there were 3.82 million in the 12 months to March 2018.It means that New Zealand has seen an increasing number of overseas visitors for the last five years, from 2.61 million in the March 2013 year. For the five years before 2013, there were around 2.5 million visitors a year.Over the last five years most visitors have been from Australia, China, the United States, and the UK, according to the data published by Statistics New Zealand.In the latest 12-month period the highest number of visitors were from Australia, accounting for 39% of arrivals or 1.5 million people. There were 562,700 from Sydney, 407,400 from Melbourne and 303,700 from Brisbane.The next biggest group of arrivals was from China at 11%, followed by 9% from the United States and 7% from the UK, the data also shows.The vast majority, some 71% or 2.72 million, arrived at Auckland airport, up from 189,700 in the 12 months to March 2017, while 554,700 arrived at Christchurch airport, up from 57,700, some 272,400 arrived at Queenstown airport, up from 30,200, and 211,600 arrived at Wellington airport, down 3,800.However, fewer people are arriving to stay permanently. Annual net migration reached 68,000 in the year to March 2018, down 4,400 from a record level of 72,400 in the July 2017 year, but still high by historical standards.Population insights senior manager Brooke Theyers explained that more non-New Zealand citizens are leaving but there are just as many migrants arriving as a year ago.The number of people arriving with work visas increased by 6% to 46,300, most from the UK, France and Germany while there was a 13% fall in arrivals on residence visas which allow foreigners to live in New Zealand permanently. The number fell from 16,800 to 14,600.The number of residence visas for people from China fell by 600 to 2,800, those for British citizens fell 500 to 1,000, while the number from India was down 300 to 1,000 and the number from the Philippines down 300 to 800.The number of international students moving to New Zealand to study has stayed the same year on year at 23,800. The Brexit transition period will last from 29 March next year until 31 December 2020, it has been agreed after a series of meetings between British and European Union officials.The deal confirms that EU citizens arriving in the UK during the transition will receive the same rights as those who arrived before the official date of exit.And Britons who head to EU countries before the end of the transition period will benefit from the same rights and guarantees as those who arrived before Brexit.We agreed that British citizens and European citizens of the 27 who arrive during that transition period will receive the same rights and guarantees as those who arrived before the day of Brexit, said EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.But not everyone is convinced that this brings any kind of certainty for expats. According to Jane Golding, chair of the British in Europe group, the statement does not give real answers to real questions.She claimed that the statement effectively amounts to saying that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. There will not be legal certainty for the 4.6 million people most directly affected by Brexit until the agreement is finally signed off, she said.A key question is what rights expats will have in terms of freedom of movement after Brexit and there are concerns that expats they could be landlocked in their country of residence.It does, however, give business time to plan, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Agreeing transition is a critical milestone that will provide many hundreds of businesses with the confidence to put their contingency planning on hold and keep investing in the UK, said director general Carolyn Fairbairn.While some sectors may need more than 20 months to prepare for post-Brexit life, this is a victory for common sense that will help protect living standards, jobs and growth, she added.One sector that could be affected hard by Brexit is construction. According to research from the Federation of Master Builders those currently employing EU workers cannot manage without them and believe they are good employees.A new survey of the bosses of small and medium-sized (SME) construction firms found that 94% of firms describe the quality of EU workers they employ as good or very good and some 85% of construction SME employers that employ EU workers say that these workers are important in allowing their business to maintain and expand its workforce.And the survey also found that 76% of these firms say it would have a negative impact on the health of their business if any of the EU workers they employ returned to their country of origin, now or post-Brexit.The UK construction sector is more reliant than most on migrant workers from Europe and at present, 9% of our construction workers are from the EU, said Brian Berry, FMB chief executive, adding that in London, this rises to nearly one third.Given the severity of the skills shortages we already face, retaining these workers is business critical. Our research sends a strong and positive message from the construction industry to its EU workers. Were now calling on the Government to step up and help us convince our EU workers that they are needed and warmly welcome, Berry explained.Were already seeing EU workers return home for financial reasons, or simply because they dont feel welcome, so time is of the essence. The Government and the industry must do all that they can to put positive messages across to our vital and highly valued EU workers, Berry added. The new British Home Secretary Sajid Javid has written to the European Unions Brexit co-ordinator to set out some concerns about how British expats will be treated after Brexit.He has told Guy Verhofstadt that it is 'currently unclear' what systems member states are creating to ensure the rights of UK citizens in their countries. The letter also spells out the steps Britain will take to ensure the rights of EU nationals.And it asks for 'reassurance' as there are apparently few details forthcoming. The UK Government also cares very deeply about the reciprocal arrangements for UK nationals living in the EU27 Member States, the letter says.'We are concerned that as yet we have seen little information about the practical arrangements for securing their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, it adds.It is estimated that 900,000 British citizens live in the EU and 3.2 million EU nationals live in Britain. With just over nine months until Brexit at the end of March 2019, the expat communities are worried about a lack of detailed information.Javid also reveals in the letter that the plan is to have the registration scheme for EU nationals living in Britain reach by the end of this year. It means that those who have been in the country for five years by the end of 2020 will be able to apply for settled status. Our default position will be to say yes to applications, the letter says.He also revealed that an online application system will be accessible from any computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet with internet access and as part of the process, applicants will be asked to confirm their identity.The Home Office is developing an app that will mean people can confirm their ID and document authenticity without sending in documents or attending an appointment. Applicants will also be able to complete the ID stage through the post.The letter also says that it is anticipated that applications between family members and dependants will be linked up to ensure 'consistency of approach' but the Home Office is proposing that individual family members should apply on separate forms, 'reflecting the many different circumstances of modern families'.Applicants will be asked to disclose any criminal record, including overseas convictions. 'Where the applicant's conduct meets the conditions set out in the Withdrawal Agreement, their application for leave under the settlement scheme may be refused and deportation action considered,' it adds.But Javid is concerned about a lack of similar details from EU nations relating to British expats. The UK Government is equally committed to the interests of UK nationals living and working in the EU, and we would welcome further details on how the administrative procedures will be enacted in other Member States, the letter states.It is currently unclear what systems other EU Member States are creating to ensure the rights of UK nationals in their countries are protected after the end of the implementation period and we would welcome it if the European Parliament were also willing to focus attention on Member States, it continues.A copy of the letter has gone to Michel Barnier, the EUs Chief Negotiator, and David Davis, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU in Britain. The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan plans to launch a new online portal to make it easier for European Union citizens to get the information they need to stay in the UK after Brexit.It is estimated that there are around one million EU citizens living in London and Khan believes that their rights post-Brexit are still unclear. He said that statements from the Government that they will need to apply for settled status to remain after Brexit are not particularly helpful.The Mayor is concerned that EU citizens and their families may be worried about their employment status and ability to access services after Brexit, while language skills may also be a barrier to applying for settled status.The new website will provide EU citizens with information about their rights post-Brexit and direct them to expert legal advice, support services and guidance on employment rights. It will signpost the most vulnerable to advice and support services in London.We estimate there may be as many as 25,000 Eastern European Londoners who may struggle with accessing the new settled scheme, said Barbara Drozdowicz, chief executive officer of the East European Resource Centre.Barriers include lack of awareness, poor English skill, low confidence in using technical legal language to tackle applications and difficulties resulting from frail health or age, she added.Khan does not support Brexit, He has called for the UK to remain part of the EU Single Market, with continued qualified freedom of movement ensuring that EU citizens would retain their rights to live and work in Britain.There are approximately one million European Londoners and they are part of the fabric of this city, working hard, paying taxes and playing a major role in civic and cultural life. They will always be welcome here, said Khan.I want to make sure that any future process for them is as simple and stress free as possible after what has been a particularly uncertain and daunting period for them, especially for the most vulnerable, he added.Following the EU referendum in June 2016, and the start of UK Government negotiations with the EU, the Mayor has consistently called on the Government to provide a cast iron guarantee to EU nationals that they are welcome to stay in the UK after Brexit.You are Londoners, you are welcome here and you deserve a commitment from the Government that you can stay, Khan said. Qualified doctors and nurses from outside the European Union will find it easier to get a job in the UK after the Government announced more visas will be made available.The country has a shortage of doctors and nurses, but until now applicants from outside of the EU were limited by a cap on skilled worker visas to 20,700 per year.Now more visas for medical professionals are to be made available as doctors and nurses will be excluded from the cap and the exact number of visas will be determined by demand from the National Health Service (NHS).The move has been welcomed by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the British Medical Association (BMA). RCGP chairwoman professor Helen Stokes-Lampard called it a much needed victory for common sense and patient care. The organisation has been lobbying Home Secretary Sajid Javid to relax the rules for foreign medics.According to the British Medical Journal more than 1,500 visa applications from foreign doctors with job offers in the UK were rejected because of the cap.The NHS, general practice included, has long been supported by the skills and hard work of doctors and other healthcare professionals from overseas. Mindful of similar pressures in other countries, we would welcome any appropriately trained doctor who wants to work in UK general practice to help us deliver care to over one million patients a day, said Stokes-Lampard.The BMA said a change in the rules is a welcome relief to doctors and patients. Overseas doctors make an invaluable contribution to our health service and, at a time when there are thousands of unfilled vacancies within the NHS, it is absurd that the Government should stop experienced and talented healthcare professionals coming to work here and provide much needed care for patients, said Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair.Javid described it as a solution to increased demands on the NJS. I recognise the pressures faced by the NHS and other sectors in recent months. Doctors and nurses play a vital role in society and at this time we need more in the UK. That is why I have reviewed our skilled worker visa route, he said.The change is also good news for other skilled workers from overseas seeking a position in the UK as the visas that have gone to medical professionals will be freed up for others such as engineers, IT professionals and teachers. Some 1,400 rail workers took to the streets across the country on Monday to protest a package of cuts and reforms planned by the Swiss Federal Railways. The demonstrations, called for by the Union for public transport workers (SEV), were spread across several Swiss cities: Geneva, Lausanne, Olten, Bern, and Zurich, where the largest event brought together about 350 workers in the late afternoon. Though not an official strike, the gatherings passed off in a spirit of defiance, with the workers releasing balloons to which their demands a softening of proposed wage cuts and liberalization of firing procedures were attached. Social regression is not negotiated, it is combatted, was the message, referring to current negotiations between union and management around changes to the workers collective agreement. The talks began in February and are planned to continue until September. The SEV promised further action if their position was not more considered. We are asking SBB [Swiss Federal Railways] management to come back to earth. As a public service business, it must act as an exemplary role model in the social domain, said Christian Fankhauser of the SEV. The proposed reforms come on the back of further recent cuts such as the so-called RailFit 20/30 package, which plans to get rid of 1,400 rail jobs by 2020. Switzerland is renowned for its rail system punctuality and range which is consistently rated one of the worlds best. Swiss people also use the train as a form of transport more than any other country. How the Swiss rail system is managed The Swiss government, through the Federal Office of Transport, is responsible for planning and funding national infrastructure, as well as projects it supports in neighbouring countries, notably France and Italy. It co-funds regional services with the 26 cantons. The Federal Railways is the national operator. Since 1999 it has been a company operating on commercial lines, although all the shares are owned by the government. There are also a host of regional operators. Train timetables are designed to interconnect with other forms of public transport, including post buses serving rural and remote mountain destinations not served by train. The vice-chairman of the board of Swiss Post, Antonio Vassalli, will step down at the general assembly on June 26, it was announced on Saturday evening. In a personal press release sent to various media outlets, Vassalli, who also chairs the companys Audit & Compliance Committee, said that the move would help towards a new beginning, according to Swiss public television SRF. He informed Communications Minister Doris Leuthard and other board members of his decision on Saturday, he added. Vassalli said diverse allegations that had been made against him, which he denied. This included that he was aware of an internal note from August 2013 pointing to a certain type of accounting problem. His resignation follows that with immediate effect of the head of Swiss Post, Susanne Ruoff, over a subsidies scandal at the companys subsidiary, PostBus, on June 11. All of the managers of Swiss PostBus have also been discharged. Swiss Post told SRF that it had taken note of Vassallis resignation. Further steps would be decided at an extra meeting of the board in the next weeks, the companys spokesman added. Leuthards department also said it was aware of the resignation. In a statement it said that it would help with a new start at Swiss Post. Ruoff and Swiss Post have been under intense scrutiny since a Transport Office audit last year discovered that PostBus known for its alpine network of yellow commuter buses had manipulated accounts between 2007 and 2015 to pocket millions in federal and cantonal subsidies. Ruoff said she took responsibility for the activities involving the irregularities in connection with federal and cantonal subsidies. However, she said she had been unaware of the irregularities which had already occurred before her time as the head of the Swiss Post and had relied on internal and external controls. In addition to the posts ongoing internal investigation into the matter, administrative criminal proceedings have been opened in connection with subsidiary companys financial irregularities. A refugee who claimed to be from Afghanistan went on trial in Germany on Monday charged with stabbing his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend to death, in a case that has stoked popular anger. Witnesses say the accused, who has been identified by German media as Abdul D., fatally knifed the German teen at a drugstore in the town of Kandel on December 27. The prosecutors believe that the motive is jealousy, said Robert Schelp, Landau court spokesman. The hearing is taking place behind closed doors under juvenile penal rules, even though prosecutors have raised questions about whether the accused is 15 as he has claimed. Abdul D. arrived in Germany in April 2016 and his request for asylum was rejected in February 2017 although he was not immediately deported. The case is one in a string of high profile crimes allegedly involving asylum seekers that has fuelled anger against the new arrivals and put pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel over her liberal refugee policy. Hardliners in Merkels conservative bloc on Monday gave the German leader a two-week ultimatum to tighten asylum rules or risk pitching the country into a political crisis, as tensions over migration reignite across the EU. US President Donald Trump tweeted Monday that "crime in Germany is way up" and implied migrants were responsible. However, Germany's crime rate is at its lowest since 1992, according to official figures released last month. WHAT ARE WE ARE VERIFYING? Trump tweeted: 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! WHAT DO WE KNOW German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer released an official report in May showing that 2017 had the lowest number of crimes in the country since 1992. The figures showed that police reported 5.76 million crimes in 2017, down five percent from the previous year. There were 6.54 million crimes reported in 1994. In his tweet, Trump also suggests a correlation between an increase in crime and immigration. The figures tell a mixed story. In 2014, before more than a million migrants arrived in Germany, 6.08 million criminal acts were recorded a higher rate than last year. However crime figures rose slightly in 2015 and 2016, the period when the arrivals of migrants was at its peak. What has changed? The proportion of foreigners suspected of committing crime has increased. The report said 28.7 percent of all crimes were by foreigners in 2014, rising to 40.4 percent in 2016 before falling back to nearly 35 percent last year. Of the crimes committed by foreigners, the interior ministry specified that 27.9 percent were committed by foreigners from non-EU countries. That is 8.5 percent of the total number of crimes recorded in 2017, comparable to 8.6 percent in 2016. WHAT CONCLUSION CAN BE DRAWN? Crime in general has dropped in Germany not increased the opposite to what Trump tweeted. However, the proportion of foreign crime has gone up. But this cannot be attributed specifically to the hundreds of thousands of migrants who have arrived since 2015. Spain's new Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday he wants jailed Catalan separatists leaders and Basque separatist group ETA prisoners to be moved to prisons in their home regions. Moving the prisoners would satisfy demands made by Catalonias two separatist parties and the Basque Nationalsit Party (PNV) which helped Sanchez topple his conservative predecessor Mariano Rajoy in a confidence vote last month and whose support is needed by his minority Socialist government to pass legislation. Nine members for the former Catalan government and leaders of grassroots groups have been jailed pending trial for their part in a failed independence bid in October. They are being held in jails near Madrid, several hundred kilometres (miles) from their homes, and have repeatedly requested a transfer to prisons in Catalonia in northeastern Spain. During an interview with public television TVE Sanchez said he though it was reasonable for prison officials to move the separatist prisoners to Catalan jails once judges complete their investigation. Among other reasons, so they are closer to their families and closer to their lawyers because the right to a defence also must be exercised, he added. Asked if jailed members of Basque separatist group ETA could also be moved to jails closer to home, Sanchez said it is obvious that we have to face the phenomena in another way with a different penitentiary policy in the wake of the groups formal dissolution in May. Only four ETA members are held in the northern Basque Country, with the remaining 224 spread all over the country, some as far away as Andalusia, 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) to the south, according to Etxerat, an association grouping ETA prisoner families. There are also 50 ETA prisoners in France and one in Portugal. The families have been demanding that they be held closer to the Basque Country so they could see them more easily, especially now that ETA decades-long campaign of violence which left more than 800 people dead is over. Spains previous conservative government had said it had no intention of changing its policy. Almost half of the 630 migrants that were rescued from the Mediterranean and arrived in Spain's port of Valencia at the weekend want to seek asylum in France, the Spanish government said Monday. The migrants arrived in Spain on Sunday in three vessels, including the rescue ship Aquarius, after being turned away by Italy and Malta last week. Almost half the migrants have shown their willingness to seek asylum in France, which offered to welcome some of the people travelling on the ship, Spains new socialist government said in a statement. The majority of the 630 migrants are from Africa, including 450 men and 80 women, of which at least seven are pregnant, as well as 89 adolescents and 11 children under the age of 13, according to the Valencia authorities. The Aquarius, run by French charity SOS Mediterranee, rescued them off Libyas coast on June 9 and Italy and Maltas refusal to let the ship dock led to an international outcry before Spain stepped in to help. Madrid on Saturday said it had accepted an offer from France who had angered Rome by branding it irresponsible to welcome Aquarius migrants who meet the criteria for asylum. France will examine asylum requests from Aquarius migrants who want to come over from Spain on a case-by-case basis, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said Sunday, adding it was impossible to know how many will arrive. Interviews Pascal Brice, director-general of Frances refugee protection office Ofpra, told AFP that one of his teams would travel to Valencia soon. As soon as the Spanish authorities have informed us of the number of people concerned, a team from Ofpra will go on site to conduct the interviews and ensure that people are covered by the right to asylum, he said, adding that the process should take place this week. Local leaders on the French island of Corsica had offered to welcome the Aquarius, but the move was slapped down by the central government, which argued that under international law the ship had to dock at the closest port. A majority of the French public, 56 percent, back the governments decision, an opinion poll released Monday showed. In Spain the migrants were granted authorisation to remain in the country for 45 days while each individuals legal case is studied. Those who file a demand for asylum will be able to stay in the country while immigration services consider their request, a process that takes up to six months, said Paloma Favieres of the Spanish Commission for Refugees (CEAR). Open to immigrants While several European Union nations have adopted a harder line against refugees, Spains new Socialist government has announced a series of measures to help migrants since it came to power earlier this month, in a break with the policies of its conservative predecessor. Last week the government said it would restore public health care to foreigners without residence permits and said it wants to remove the barbed wire that tops the border fences of Ceuta and Melilla, the two Spanish enclaves in North Africa. Those fences are often stormed by migrants trying to reach Spanish territory from Africa. Traditionally a nation that sent immigrants abroad, Spain is one of the European Unions most tolerant when it comes to immigration, according to an october 2017 Eurobarometer survey carried out for the European Commission. It found that only 26 percent of Spaniards feel the arrival of immigrants from outside of Europe is mainly a problem, compared to an average of 38 percent in the entire European Union. The Spanish coast guard said it rescued over 1,400 migrants between Friday and Sunday who were trying to reach Spain, the third busiest gateway for migrants into Europe after Italy and Greece. Mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik will learn Thursday the result of his appeal at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against his prison conditions in Norway. The anti-Islam far-right extremist, who killed 77 people in Norway in July 2011 and has since changed his name to Fjotolf Hansen, has argued the conditions of his detention are inhuman. Breivik appealed to the ECHR after the Norwegian Supreme Court refused to hear a case last year against a ruling that his near-isolation in a three-room cell respected his human rights. His lawyer argues that his prison conditions violate articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The former prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment, the latter guarantees a right to a private and family life. At the time Breiviks appeal was filed his lawyer, Oystein Storrvik, told AFP that the case focused on the issue of isolation. Norway has repeatedly rejected allegations that Breivik is isolated, arguing that he is treated as a VIP prisoner and has regular contact with prison staff, his lawyer and visitors. Breivik, 39, was sentenced in 2012 to 21 years in prison, which can be extended indefinitely as long as he remains a threat to society. His killing spree took place on July 22, 2011, when disguised as a police officer and armed with a semi-automatic rifle and pistol, he killed 69 people, most of them teenagers who were attending a Labour Party youth camp on the island of Utoeya. Just a few hours before the camp attack, he killed eight people in a bombing outside a government building in Oslo. The ECHR ruling will be made public on Thursday at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and will be broadcast on its website. A 28-year-old housewife with no criminal record has been unmasked as the woman behind a major French "dark web" site which sold drugs and guns until it was shut down last week. The woman was among four people arrested last Tuesday when intelligence agents closed the Black Hand website, where fake ID documents and stolen bank data had also changed hands for more than two years. Agents from the DNRED intelligence agency seized nearly 4,000 euros in cash and around 25,000 euros ($29,000) in online currencies while swooping on the suspects in four simultaneous raids around France. The mother of two, who went by various online pseudonyms including Anouchka and Hades, did not create the site but worked as its administrator, a DNRED agent told AFP on condition of anonymity. A woman active at that level, its pretty unusual, the agent said, adding that Anouchka, who did not have a job, was arrested near the northern city of Lille. Although she did not have what he termed the geeky profile of an IT technician, this was not her first experience on the dark net, he added. Unprecedented French operation Around 40 DNRED agents were involved in the year-long operation, the first of its kind in France, according to public accounts minister Gerald Darmanin. Several other dark net sites where drugs, guns and even contracts for assassination jobs are exchanged online most famously the notorious Silk Road have been smashed around the world in recent years. The DNRED officer said it was difficult to determine how much money passed through Black Hand, but he estimated that Anouchka earned tens of thousands of euros a year from its operations. Two others who acted as moderators and who sold illicit items on the site have been charged, as well as another vendor, following police raids near the cities of Montpellier and Marseille as well as Lille. They were among dozens of active users on the forum, which had 3,000 listed accounts. The moderators had various ways of making money, the source said, charging membership fees of 25 to 50 euros as well as commissions of two to five percent on transactions. Members could also pay to get a higher rating on the site. The DNRED agent declined to say how authorities tracked down those behind the website whose content, like other sites in the hidden dark section of the internet, is particularly difficult to access. Although the raids have not yet led to more arrests, we continue to take an interest in the buyers, the agent said, adding that Black Hands former users will be watching the investigation closely. Theyre right to be worried, he said. Investigators were able to access Black Hands servers and retrieve large amounts of data during last weeks raids, the official told AFP. He noted the site had been running since at least 2015 a considerably long time by the standards of the dark net, where platforms are often volatile because crooks often run off with the takings. Mamoudou Gassama, the Malian migrant "Spiderman" who saved a child hanging off a balcony by scaling a Paris apartment block with his bare hands, was hailed Monday by Mali's president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. At a moment when only one person could make the decision, it was you who made it. Of that, we are very proud, Keita told Gassama, who was accompanied by his father. We had a good talk. He congratulated me on what I had done, Gassama said. French President Emmanuel Macron awarded Gassama, who was in France illegally, with French residency a first step to getting citizenship and feted his extraordinary feat. Privacy Settings This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. You may change your settings at any time. Your choices will not impact your visit. NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using. Portugals climate change aspirations rank second only to Swedens in the European Off target: Ranking of EU countries' report. Portugal is way ahead of its European cousins in the ranking of ambitions and actual measures to comply with the Paris agreement on climate change. The vast majority of European Union member states, are failing to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement, Portugal is among the few countries that have called for more ambitious energy and climate targets and policies, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, concludes the study presented by the European Network for Climate Action, CAN-Europe. The study, Off target: ranking of EU countries ambition and progress in fighting climate change, assesses the role that member states are playing in setting goals and policies in the area of ??energy and climate and the progress that is being made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and in promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. The work was published in Portugal by Zero, the Association of Sustainable Terrestrial Systems, and shows Sweden in top place with a score of 77%, Portugal with 66% and France at 65%. The association did not award a first place, so Portugal is third, but beaten only by Sweden. Zeros president, Francisco Ferreira, commented that this is a very nice result for Portugal, stating that the result, reflects, above all, the effort that Portugal has been making both internally and in the negotiations at a European level. Among the positive aspects for Portugal are energy and climate issues, with a number of commitments including the withdrawal of coal by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050, said Ferreira. Unfortunately, Portugal also has negative aspects, namely, exploring for oil and gas is undoubtedly seen, on a European scale, as a potential and relevant setback, added the environmentalist, with rare understatement. Poland came in last, primarily because the country continues to use loads of coal and has made it difficult for many of the negotiations on a European scale. algarvedailynews.com The above content produced by swissinfo.ch is not intended for commercial use and may not be republished by third parties either wholly or in part. The European Union on Monday rolled over for another year tough sanctions imposed over Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The measures prohibit certain exports and imports, and ban investment and tourism services by EU-based companies in Crimea. The Council (of EU member states) extended the restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia until 23 June 2019, the bloc said in a statement. Four years on from the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, the EU reiterated that it does not recognise and continues to condemn this violation of international law. The sanctions were imposed in the wake of Russias annexation of the strategic Black Sea peninsula in March 2014. More than 10,000 people have been killed since the Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in eastern Ukraine in April 2014 following the annexation. The EU insists Russia must be held to account for its support of the rebels. But Moscow says Brussels is at fault for aiding the overthrow of a legitimate government in Kiev, referring to the ouster of a pro-Russian president in February 2014 after three months of sometimes deadly protests. Ukraines Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin welcomed the extension. Grateful to our EU friends for annual roll-over of Crimea-related sanctions, he wrote on Twitter, urging the bloc to add sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations in Crimea. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko welcomed the extension saying Ukraine was counting on the EUs tough stance on new security challenges from Russia and the issue would be discussed when he meets EU leaders in Brussels on July 9. In addition to the Crimea measures, the EU has a range of other measures in place related to Russias activities in Ukraine, including damaging economic sanctions and individual travel bans and asset freezes targeting more than 150 people. Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of funnelling troops and arms across the border. Moscow has denied the allegations despite overwhelming evidence that it has been involved in the fighting and gives open political support to the rebels. Morocco and Burkina Faso signed a framework agreement to cooperate on renewable energy projects notably through the exchange of expertise and know-how. The agreement was signed recently in Rabat by head of Moroccos renewable energy agency (MASEN) Mustapha Bakkoury and Burkina Fasos energy Minister Bachir Ismael Ouedraogo. This cooperation agreement fits into Burkina Fasos endeavor to follow the example of Morocco in promoting the contribution of renewable energies in its energy mix. The deal also confirms that renewable energy is now becoming a key part of Moroccos African policy. The North African kingdom has signed similar deals with Sub-Saharan countries in a bid to champion a south-south cooperation approach permeated by solidarity. The North African country is on its way to achieve the goal of generating 52% of Moroccos energy mix from renewable energy. The Noor-Ouarzazate solar power complex, the worlds largest, will provide electricity for 1.1 million people. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart Mike Pompeo have discussed North Korea by phone less than a week after a historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Moscow said Monday. Lavrov and US Secretary of State Pompeo discussed the task of consolidating efforts towards a solution to problems of the Korean peninsula, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on its website. The exchange comes six days after Trump and Kim made history held a summit in Singapore in an unprecedented encounter that saw the two leaders shake hands. The Kremlin welcomed the meeting, with President Vladimir Putin saying it was without doubt just the first step towards a full-blown settlement. Thanks to this meeting a possible negative scenario has been cast aside, Putin said. On Thursday the Russian leader reiterated a invitation for Kim Jong Un to visit Russia as he was hosting North Koreas ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam. Putin said he would be happy to welcome Kim to Russia, suggesting they meet during an economic forum in the far eastern port city of Vladivostok this September. Lavrov and Pompeo also discussed the calendar of political contacts between Russia and the US in the near future, according to the foreign ministry statement. On June 10, Putin said he was ready to meet his US counterpart as soon as Washington was ready, adding Vienna could be a possible venue for such a summit. The last, brief meeting between Putin and Trump took place in November 2017 in Vietnam during an APEC leaders summit. A man who attacked police with a Samurai sword outside Buckingham Palace hated Queen Elizabeth II, considering her among the "enemies of Allah", a London court heard Monday. Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 27, who supported terrorism by the Islamic State jihadist group, fought with officers who tried to disarm him after confronting him on August 25 last year, jurors were told. After his arrest following the incident outside the monarchs official residence in London, an alleged suicide note to his sister was found. Tell everyone that I love them and that they should struggle against the enemies of Allah with their lives and their property, it read. The Queen and her soldiers will all be in the hellfire they go to war with Muslims around the world and kill them without any mercy. They are the enemies that Allah tells us to fight. Minicab driver Chowdhury, from Luton, northwest of London, denies preparing acts of terrorism, claiming he only wanted to get killed. Opening the case against Chowdhury, prosecutor Tim Cray told the Old Bailey central criminal court that the defendant swerved through traffic cones outside the palace. Two officers got out of a marked police van to investigate and saw Chowdhury reach for something which turned out to be a metre-long sword. There was a short, desperate struggle with the officers trying to get the sword off the defendant while he is punching at them and they are punching at him, said Cray. The defendant is shouting Allahu Akbar over and over again so by now the police officers understandably believed they were dealing with a terrorist incident. The officers suffered cuts as they disarmed the man, jurors heard. Cray said that earlier that evening, Chowdhury had sent a suicide note to his sister expressing hate of the Queen and her soldiers. He told jurors: He was saying to his sister that he intended to get to paradise by becoming a martyr fighting the enemies of Allah. The prosecutor said: The defendant was largely keeping his interest and support for terrorism by Islamic State away from his family, something he was doing online, largely by himself. This interest, this self-radicalisation is something we say he chose for himself. The trial continues. Meghan Markle's father Thomas on Monday said that new son-in-law Prince Harry had urged him to give President US Donald Trump "a chance" in comments likely to cause discomfort for the royal family. Thomas Markle told ITVs Good Morning Britain (GMB) that Harry had said give Donald Trump a chance, adding: I sort of disagreed with that, but I still like Harry, thats his politics, I had my politics. When asked by host Piers Morgan if he believed the prince was a Trump fan, he responded I would hope not, now. The comments will raise awkward questions for Harry, who is expected to remain largely apolitical. Markle also said that during a loose conversation with Harry, the prince had said Brexit was something we have to try although there was no real commitment to it. I think he was open to the experiment, added Markle. The 73-year-old said his daughter had cried when he informed them he wouldnt attend the wedding due to heart surgery amid a furore after he was found to have received payment for staged paparazzi photographs. Markle told GMB that he had agreed to the photographs in order to present a better image, but obviously all that went to hell, and I feel bad about it. He ended up watching the wedding from California, with Prince Charles taking his place and walking Meghan down the aisle. I was very upset that it wasnt me, he said, but added I cant think of a better replacement than someone like Prince Charles. The unfortunate thing for me now is Im a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history rather than the dad walking her down the aisle. That upsets me somewhat. He called his new son-in-law a great and interesting guy, and expects the couple to try for children soon. Recalling the moment when Harry asked him for the right to marry his daughter, Markle told the prince: You are a gentleman, promise me you will never raise your hand against my daughter and of course I will grant you my permission. jwp/wdb Playwright and actor Eugene Lee had the same answer for every one of his friends who read his latest work and asked if they could produce it: No. Its only going to be at the Witte (Museum), said Lee, an artist-in-residence in Texas State Universitys theater department whose plays have been done across the country. The piece, Ode to Juneteenth, was commissioned for the Wittes gallery theater program, which endeavors to bring history to life through short plays and interactive experiences. Other offerings include La Chili Queen y El Serrano, which paints a picture of the women who served food on Alamo Plaza in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Vaquero y Cowboy: A Campfire Conversation, which explores different cowboy traditions and cultures. Ode to Juneteenth debuts at 4 p.m. Tuesday and is being presented as part of the Tricentennial exhibit Confluence and Culture: 300 Years of San Antonio History. The play deals with the annual celebration of the day in 1865 when word finally reached Texas that slavery has been abolished. The news came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is a big event in San Antonio, and so it was important to make sure that it was included in the exhibit, said Marise McDermott, president and CEO of the Witte. There is a text panel that explains the dates significance, but exhibition planners wanted more. It was very clear that there was only one way to do this and that is the gallery theater, said McDermott. Its hard to share the idea of slavery with families from all over. To do it in any other way but poetry or (in a) play is just impossible. Its the only way that you can get inside, and so again, its really pretty inspiring that this is an offering that we can have here at the Witte. The piece is being performed near a glass display case that includes a few artifacts related to slavery, including a bill of sale for a slave and a pair of irons that were used to shackle someone. The eye-catcher is a crisp white cotton dress with a gathered waist that Sarah Tate, a former slave, purchased for herself with the first pay she ever received for her work. The play includes a reference to Tate and her dress. Ode to Juneteenth is a solo work spanning more than a century, beginning with Texans being told of the abolition of slavery. The fictional person telling the tale immediately takes the name Emancipation Jones. The character represents the 200,000 newly freed slaves in the state of Texas at the time, Lee said. Early in the play, he describes the jubilation and the uncertainty sparked by the news. As Emancipation Jones tells it, a girl asks, What am I supposed to do with my freedom? Can I hold it in my hand? Can I put it in my pocket. I told her, You dont hold it in your hand. You live freedom. From there, the piece jumps ahead in roughly 75-year increments, to the 1940s and then into the 21st century. With each jump, Emancipation Jones reflects on where things stand for African Americans, noting that freedom and equality are not the same thing and that the latter remains a work in progress. The piece, which Charles Gentry directed, sometimes will be performed by Carl Brooks, an actor with a booming voice and a big presence who recently moved to San Antonio from Omaha, Nebraska, and sometimes by Charlene Watts, a petite, charismatic woman who has performed all over the state. At the pieces premiere, they were to perform it together, alternating passages. I was familiar with Juneteenth, but this has provided more insight than I ever thought I would have come across about Juneteenth and what happened, said Brooks. Its been a learning experience. As with all gallery theater shows, the actors will be performing up-close to the audience, creating opportunities for interaction. Every performance is going to be different from each other, said Christina Cate, who oversees the gallery theater program as the Wittes director of play. Thats the beauty, I think, of gallery theater. In his writing, Lee strove to capture both the changes that have occurred since 1865 and the work that remains to be done. Some of it reflects his own experiences. I grew up in segregated Texas, said Lee, who grew up in Fort Worth. Ill be 65 next month, so I grew up in a Texas that had white-only and colored-only drinking fountains. I was never in the same room with a white person until I was in the 10th grade, when the schools were desegregated. Im a part of what I call the transition generation. Theres a burden that falls on those who saw those times, saw them go away, and can never forget that theyre there. Ode to Juneteenth runs Tuesday through Jan. 6 at the Witte Museum, 3801 Broadway. Call 210-357-1910 or go to wittemuseum.org for performance dates and times. Deborah Martin is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN A Bexar County sheriffs deputy is accused of threatening an undocumented immigrant with deportation and of sexually assaulting her 4-year-old daughter. Sheriff Javier Salazar said 47-year-old Jose Nunez, a 10-year veteran who serves as a detention officer, was charged Sunday with super aggravated sexual assault of a child. According to Salazar, the girls mother took her daughter to a local fire station overnight after the girl cried out to her for help. Deputies responded, and by 4 a.m., after an initial investigation, Nunez was arrested. Authorities believe that the assaults had been going on for months and perhaps years, Salazar said, adding that the girls mother was allegedly blackmailed by the deputy to place her in fear so she would not report the assaults. Salazar said the mother is an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala and that Nunez allegedly said that if she went to authorities, he would report her. Folks like this are creatures of habit and opportunity, Salazar said. I dont know that he was purposely targeting the undocumented community. Certainly what was appealing was the vulnerability of that community because they are less apt to report things. Salazar said investigators are working to ensure that the mother is given protected status as a witness in the case. The sheriff also encouraged any other members of the undocumented community to come forward and report similar crimes against them. The relationship between Nunez and the victim was not given. Salazar said the assaults, which would also be investigated by Internal Affairs, occurred at the girls residence. Jenny Hixon, director of education for Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, said the organization blames Senate Bill 4 for adding to immigrants fears about coming forward to police. This is obviously a clear example of what happened with SB 4 creating an environment where they feel they dont have rights anymore, Hixon said. SB 4 punishes local officials who implement policies that limit immigration enforcement or prevent police from questioning the immigration status of anyone they detain or arrest. It also requires county jails to uphold requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold detainees suspected of being eligible for deportation. The sheriff did not have any information on whether Nunez has committed prior offenses, but said he did not believe any existed. Officials believe that there may be other victims. Salazar urged anyone with additional information about Nunez in connection with the assault on the girl, or other possible assaults, to contact the Sheriffs Office. Nunez is now on paid administrative leave for 10 days. After that, he could go on unpaid leave, Salazar said. My objective is to separate this person from the agency as soon as possible, Salazar said. If convicted, Nunez faces a minimum of 25 years in jail, Salazar said. aluna@express-news.net | Twitter: @alexluna801 | jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA Staff Writer Chris Quinn contributed to this report. Spains king and queen received a royal welcome and keys to the historic village of La Villita on Sunday during a two-day visit to San Antonio that officials hope will bear fruit in the form of new investment and technology. In welcoming remarks at the Spanish Governors Palace, composed of restored remnants of a presidio that once protected a nearby mission, Mayor Ron Nirenberg referenced the last time the city hosted Spanish monarchs, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, in 1987. And now, we are humbled again and grateful that the royal household of Spain is present in our city, Nirenberg said. Noting the Spanish governments pivotal support and advocacy for a 2015 inscription of the five San Antonio missions as the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas, Nirenberg said the yearlong Tricentennial celebration has served as a catalyst to re-engage with Spain and strengthen our cultural, educational and economic exchanges. It is also a chance for us to showcase our progress as a 21st-century city, honoring its past and looking to the future, while facing the challenges of growth with compassion, with equity and with resilience, he said. Your visit to our city, Your Majesties, is an opportunity that further highlights our roots, our friendship and our familial bonds. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia later inaugurated the Designing America: Spains Imprint in the U.S. exhibit, which opens to the public Monday at the Bexar County Courthouse and continues through June 20, 2019. In remarks welcoming the couple in the courthouses historic double-height courtroom, County Judge Nelson Wolff congratulated the queen on her work in advocacy for children, literacy and healthy lifestyles, and he praised the king for his military service and efforts to provide a steady hand through changes in Spains government. In a private gift exchange, the judges wife, Tracy Wolff, gave the queen a piece of glass art depicting bluebonnets. The judge presented the king Fiesta-style medals commemorating the missions and the countys tricentennial. The royal couple provided gifts of silver and crystal for the Wolffs. Marilyn Macklin, who will bury her departed 98-year-old mother this week, was among about 100 parishioners and sightseers who lined up at Mission San Jose to catch a glimpse of the royal couple Sunday morning. Macklin, a Virginia resident, and about a dozen of her relatives had attended Mass at San Jose when they learned that the king and queen would pass through the restored mission, one of the earliest sites linking San Antonio to the Spanish empire of the 1700s. The family joined a crowd of people holding Spanish flags, clapping and taking pictures as the royal couple received a tour, narrated in Spanish, of San Jose, known as the queen of missions in Texas. Its wonderful for San Antonio that they wanted to visit, said Macklin, whose mother, Marie M. Krajca, had been a member of the mission parish since 1956, attending daily Mass and serving in the altar society before her death June 8. While at the mission, the king and queen shook the hands of dozens of teenagers who will go to Spain this summer through their involvement with Summer of Service, a youth organization that combines community service and travel abroad. Rosebud Coffey, executive director of Mission Heritage Partners, said the tour was formal yet more relaxed than past visits by heads of state or VIPs, including one by then-first lady Laura Bush at a fundraiser several years ago. The royal couple seemed extremely approachable, and interested in the mission, said Coffey, who leads a private fundraising group that assists the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. The king was impressed with the size of the mission compound and ornamental detailing of the church at San Jose, including the famed Rose Window, a south-facing sculpture on the outside of the church sacristy. He thought the mission was extremely impressive and beautiful, Coffey said. Sundays activities concluded with an invitation-only dinner at Pearl Stable. The royal couple are set Monday to inaugurate another exhibit, Masterpieces of Spanish Painting from Madrid Collections at the San Antonio Museum of Art, and will attend a Hispanic Young Leaders Summit at the Hyatt Regency hotel before they depart. The king and queen are expected to meet with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Tuesday in their last public stop in the U.S. They earlier had visited New Orleans, which also is observing its tricentennial. Ramiro Cavazos, president and CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, had previously met the king three times, including once after he assumed the throne four years ago. Cavazos described the royal couple as unassuming. Hes always the tallest person in the room, at about 6 foot 7, he said. They dont consider themselves extraordinary or special. Spain is the sixth-largest foreign investor in the Texas economy, has a similar climate and geography, and has made innovations in energy, water resource development, cybersecurity and airport services, Cavazos said. He said the royal visit will likely aid a local bid to host the 2019 annual international conference of the U.S.-Spanish Council, potentially drawing business and political leaders. That conference, to be held in Perez, Spain, in November, could help attract more Spanish investment in San Antonio and Texas, he said. San Diego also has a bid to host the conference next year, Cavazos said. He estimated that the number of Spanish corporations in Texas has tripled in the past 10 years, from about 20 in 2008 to 60 today. While this visit will commemorate our history, its really about the economy and our future the next 300 years, Cavazos said. Scott Huddleston is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions zero-tolerance policy at the border, which has resulted in a humanitarian crisis thats tearing families apart, has one goal: deterrence. Make the border harsher, is the thinking, and they will not come. But Doris Meissner, senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, says deterrence isnt likely to be successful, at least with the people who arriving on the southern border these days. The former head of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service during the Clinton administration says deterrence only works as part of an overall strategy and with other factors in play. Deterrence became central to border control in the 1990s. Up until then, Border Patrol agents were pursuing immigrants once inside the United States, Meissner says, in part because of the agencys limited resources at the time. She says deterrence became a more effective, safer and, ultimately, more humane policy when it meant more visible agents and more lights and barriers, especially in urban areas. Related: Deportations that come after "routine" DPS traffic stops spreading fear in Rio Grande Valley That accelerated after 9/11 but was understood to be one of several approaches to a coordinated effort. Meissner also says deterrence has been successful with Mexican migration. Data show more Mexican immigrants have returned to Mexico than have migrated, but thats due also to powerful changes from within Mexico, including declines in fertility rates and the working-age population. Mexico also has experienced economic growth. More and more younger Mexicans are imagining a future in Mexico, Meissner said. Deterrence alone isnt sane policy. Nor can it work with all groups. Since 2013, except for one year, Central Americans have outnumbered Mexicans arriving at the border, she said. Yet the administration is using measures more suited to the earlier Mexican flow than to this Central American flow, Meissner said. You cant deter people from Central America whove experienced violence, whose relatives have been murdered, or whose young children face gang initiation if they stay. Last year, I interviewed a Central American woman who had been in hiding in her home country for months from a gang that would have forced her into prostitution. She ran out of places to hide. Her mother found a smuggler who delivered her to the border. It was a dangerous journey that she was willing to risk. Related: Immigrant kids seen held in fenced cages at border facility Far more horrific circumstances have forced families to send unaccompanied children north. For them, the fear of being separated from a child is the price theyre willing to pay for the hope of refuge. The Trump administration ultimately will need a better system of dealing with this flow of immigrants and asylum seekers. Meissner says it will require more efficiencies, more immigration judges and courts and co-location of agencies in border centers where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Border Patrol can effectively handle such migrants. Thats a really different border processing model, and that takes some time to do, she said. Americans have been shocked at the treatment of immigrant families at the border and have condemned it as cruel and inhumane. When the president referred to immigrants as animals, theologist James Martin wasnt alone in pointing to the comparisons to the antebellum South and Nazi Germany. Like Meissner, others reminded the administration of the historic lows in illegal border crossings and that Mexico is an ally and major trading partner essential to the U.S. economy. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met last week and denounced the administrations immigration policies as an affront the right to life and its separation of children from parents as immoral. One bishop suggested canonical penalties that can range from denying communion to excommunication for Catholics involved in implementing Trumps policies. Ultimately, what is at play here is racism. It is at the root for so much that is wrong in this country. Immigrants are the punching bag for the irreversible demographic shifts that are changing the U.S. population. Ultimately, it will lead to power shifts that someday redistricting and voter suppression will not contain, though both continue to hit hard. Theres something else Americans must face: Immigration laws have always been racist. When Americans argue immigrants must stand in line, they dont realize theres no line in which to stand; or that applicants that do qualify must wait 20 years before their cases are processed. Nor do some realize that some U.S. citizens today are descendants of immigrants automatically allowed entry because they were European. Up until 1965 we had a national origins quota determining who would come to the United States, Meissner said. That was preceded in the 19th century by exclusionary laws that prohibited the Chinese, then Asians in general. We have a long history of being very exclusionary on the basis of ethnicity and race in our immigration policies, she said. Elaine Ayala is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | eayala@express-news.net | @ElaineAyala Polisario militiamen fired live ammunition to abort a protest movement by disenchanted Sahrawis, decrying inhumane treatment and violations in the Tindouf camps in Algerias southwest. The protesters were planning a protest in front of the headquarters of the separatist group to express their anger at the death of Salek Brika, a Sahrawi political activists, who died while in detention in a Polisario-run jail called Dhibia. The Polisario does not tolerate protests in the heavily guarded camps where a population held against its will for decades cannot leave or move freely. The protesters were dispersed by the Polisarios intimidating fire as soon as they started chanting yes to truth, no to a tribal state, Al Massae newspaper reported. The protesters accuse the Polisario leadership of assassinating Salek Brika in prison and masking the crime as a suicide. Protests have been building up in the camps since the birth of the Sahrawi Initiative for Change, a protest movement demanding an end of the corruption and siege imposed by the Polisario leadership on the Sahrawis in the camps. The Polisario has often resorted to violence to silence any protest within the camps. In May 2017, the Polisario imposed a curfew in the camps to quell a protest that was going to be staged by the disenchanted population held in inhumane living conditions. The Polisario militiamen, in connivance with the Algerian army, have reinforced the siege on the Tindouf camps to prevent Sahrawis from fleeing. The Algerian army has on multiple occasions fired at any Sahrawi who attempts to leave the camps. In March 2017, Algerian soldiers fired without warning at a car outside the Tindouf camps, killing Kari Mohamed Ali El Ouali and his friend Ahmed Lebouiya Sahraou. FAIRFIELD Women dominate the slates of both political parties for this years state races, with state Sen. Tony Hwang, R-28, the lone male to find his name on the November ballot. Were proud to have recruited a strong slate of qualified Democratic candidates who put us in a position for success in November, Democratic Town Committee Chairman Steve Sheinberg said. This is an accomplished group of professionals who will bring their backgrounds and experience to bear on the issues of tackling the state budget, supporting a strong education system, investing in infrastructure, and advocating for economic and social justice. Sheinberg said all of the DTCs candidates embody progressive Democratic values and are committed to putting people above partisan politics and harmful rhetoric. We are very excited by the balance of experience and fresh perspectives they bring to the table, he said. They are what Fairfield, and Connecticut, needs right now. His counterpart at the Republican Town Committee, James Millington, was equally as confident in the GOP slate. We have put together an incredible slate of hardworking candidates this year with proven records and results in serving our community, Millington said. Our candidates are focused and committed to working hard to address the issues facing Connecticut. With difficult years ahead, Millington said, the Republican candidates are ready to meet the challenge. We need to end one party rule in Hartford and turn our state back around, he said. Hwang, a real estate agent, was first elected to the state Senate in 2015, becoming the first Asian-Pacific American state senator in Connecticut. Prior to that, he represented the 134th District for six years. Hwang got his start in politics in 2005 when he was elected to the Representative Town Meeting in Fairfield. He has a background in labor relations and organizational behavior, and is the ranking member of the Housing and Labor and Public Employees committees. His Democratic challenger to represent the 28th Senate District which is made up of Fairfield, Westport, Easton, Newtown and Weston is political newcomer Michelle Lapine McCabe. A policy advisor and director of the Center for Food Equity and Economic Development, McCabe has served on the Fairfield Library board of trustees and as PTA Council chairman. The race in the 132nd House district pits veteran Brenda Kupchick, a Republican, against Democrat Caitlin Clarkson Pereira, another political neophyte. Kupchick is serving her fourth term in Hartford; serves on the General Law, Finance, Revenue and Bonding committees; and is the ranking member of the Housing Committee. A small business owner with her husband, Kupchick first became involved in local politics after founding One Voice, an education advocacy group. She was elected to the RTM in 1999 and served until 2003, when she was elected to the Board of Education. Kupchick returned to the RTM in 2009, serving for another term. A former member of the Fairfield Taxpayers Association, Kupchick served as constituent representative for former U.S. Rep. Chris Shays from 2002 to 2009 and for former state Sen. John McKinney from 2009 to 2011. Pereira, a Fairfield native, has received the endorsement of Moms Demand Action Against Gun Violence. She has a masters degree in counseling and started the website PeaeLoveProgress.com. Meanwhile, Democrat incumbent Cristin McCarthy Vahey in the 133rd District is being challenged by Republican Sally Connolly. A Pennsylvania native, Vahey is a trained social worker. She started her political career on the RTM in 2005, and was elected to the Board of Selectmen in 2011. Vahey won an open seat in the state House in 2014, and currently serves on the Appropriations, Education and Transportation committees. Connolly is taking her second stab at political office. She previously ran for a seat on the Board of Education. A lifelong Fairfield resident, Connolly is a speech-language pathologist at a local nursing home. Laura Devlin, R-134, is in her second term, representing a district that includes parts of Fairfield and Trumbull. A former Pfizer vice president of communications and human relations, Devlin owns a consulting business. Before being elected to state office, Devlin served on the RTM and the Board of Assessment Appeals. Her Democratic challenger comes from Trumbull. Ashley Gaudiano is a member of the Trumbull Town Council, a seat she won in 2017 in her first run for public office. Prior to opening a nonprofit consulting business, Gaudiano oversaw communications for a national Bridgeport-based nonprofit. Farm groups from across Europe attended a meeting in Brussels to urge the EU to minimise the "severe impact" numerous uncertainties could bring, including Brexit. Faced with cuts under the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), uncertainties on trade and Brexit, European farmers and agri-cooperatives attended the meeting to urge the EU for more coherence between policies. Sixty-six representatives of farmers and cooperative organisations across the EU attended the meeting to voice their concerns. Copa, an EU agricultural cooperative, said it is "disappointed and unacceptable" that farmers in the EU have to do more with less money. Copa President Joachim Rukwied said EU farmers are upset with the EU Commission's proposal on the future CAP. "It is unacceptable that more and more is being asked of farmers in terms of respecting tough food safety, welfare and environmental requirements for less and less money," Mr Rukwied said. "Another major concern is the fact that the technology tool box that farmers rely on to maintain their competitiveness is being eroded every day. He added: "We are very proud of our production standards. More coherence between policies is vital to ensure that they are maintained". Mercosur The upcoming trade talks with the Latin American trade bloc Mercosur were also touched upon, with farmers fearing standards will weaken to make room for what they say is "unfair competition." Farmers have frequently blasted the trade talks between the EU and Mercosur, who say that the South American countries do not come close to matching the food safety, animal welfare or environmental standards which farmers comply with across Europe. "Trade concessions must be minimised for our more sensitive sectors, namely beef, sugar, poultry, ethanol, rice and orange juice imports as well as any imbalances in the negotiations on the agri-food chapter", added Rukwied. "We urge Member States and MEPs to support our views in order to revive growth and jobs in rural Europe." Spanish olives EU agri-coperative Cogeca said farmers "regret" the United States' decision to impose punitive import duties on Spanish table olives, saying that it clearly amounts to protectionism. The US has concluded that Spanish olives should face import duties because they benefit from unfair subsidies. The US International Trade Commission (ITC) will make a final determination on July 24 on the Spanish olive imports that were worth $67.6 million in 2017. The European Commission would consider possible further action after this. President Magnusson concluded: The farming community supports the development of an agricultural sector which is based on family holdings and which enables rural areas to flourish. "It is in our common interest to develop good, balanced trading relations between the farming community in the EU and other parts of the world." Farmers in England will now be able to apply for licences to cull ravens on farmland in order to protect livestock. Farmers in five English counties will be able to to receive the licences - Derbyshire, Lancashire, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Dorset, Natural England has confirmed. The increasing number of lambs killed due to ravens has led farmers to call for a cull to "responsibly reduce" numbers. The National Sheep Association (NSA) said it supports licences to allow raven numbers to be reduced. NSA believes licences should also be readily available in other parts of the UK affected by what it says is a "massive increase" in raven numbers. The sheep group says the increase has come about due to the birds protected status allowing populations to grow with little deterrent or control. As well as impacting sheep flocks, local wildlife is also facing the danger of limited food stocks, endangering prey and ground nesting bird species such as oystercatchers and lapwings. With lambing now finished across the UK, NSA has received reports of very high losses to ravens this year. 'Loss of a tongue or eye' NSA Chief Executive, Phil Stocker describes the gruesome way ravens kill lambs. Ravens target lambs in vulnerable moments, even striking the very moment they are born, and the loss of a tongue or an eye is a terrible way for these young animals to die. Farmers respect the legislation but must have trust that when species levels reach strong numbers, there can be debate on sustainable levels. Responsible culling under licence will allow farmers to keep on top of the numbers and protect stock when they are at their most defenceless. The licence application process is stringent, with a farmer required to prove the birds have caused or are at high risk of causing serious damage. Mr Stocker says the licences are used to protect ravens from killing livestock and wildlife, and will not be given out liberally or without proven reason. He says: NSA supports the practice of licencing in this way, as it ensures no action is taken without considered reason. The purpose of protecting a species is to ensure numbers do not fall below dangerous levels, and when positive progress is made and populations boom, options must be provided to prevent unintended consequences on other species of domestic and wild animal. Another scare has emerged in the egg industry in Europe, with more than four million eggs recalled in Poland because of antibiotics. Poland's veterinary service recalled 4.3 million eggs after it was discovered that they contained higher than accepted levels of antibiotics. Polish authorities said that laying hens had been given the wrong feed, resulting in high antibiotic levels. The new scare came as it was confirmed that fipronil contamination had again been found on a number of layer farms in the Netherlands. Fipronil - a banned chemical that was found to have been used as a red mite treatment on layers, and which caused the destruction of millions of hens last year - has again been found on a small number of the country's farms. Dutch eggs have been withdrawn from sale in Germany as a result of new contamination. 'Residues' The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently produced a report on the original fipronil scandal last year. EFSA found contaminated eggs or chicken in eight different European Union countries. One of the affected countries was Poland. Now Polish authorities are dealing with a separate contamination crisis in the egg industry - this time involving antibiotics. Poland's veterinary service said in a statement: "The recall is caused by the presence of residues of the antibiotic lasalocid at a rate exceeding its maximum allowed value." Lasalocid is an antibiotic used in treating coccidiosis. The head of the Polish veterinary service, Pawel Niemczuk, said the drug was added "erroneously" to the feed given to laying hens on a farm near Poznan. "The feed for fattening chickens (which legally uses the antibiotic) was mistakenly given to laying hens," he told the Polish news agency, PAP. Consumer warning Polish authorities said the contaminated eggs had made it onto the shelves of the biggest grocery stores in Poland, including the Portuguese-owned Biedronka chain, French-owned Carrefour and the local Piotr i Pawel delicatessen chain. They said it was possible that they were also being sold in other retail outlets. Consumers have been warned that eggs that have already been purchased should not be consumed, but returned to the shops where they were bought. Last year health authorities confirmed that eggs from Poland were linked to a resurgence of salmonella cases in this country. Towards the end of 2016, there were more than 160 cases in the UK had been linked to a Polish packing centre. The number of cases declined after Polish authorities took action, but Public Health England (PHE) subsequently confirmed that the numbers had increased again. Another 73 cases were reported in the UK. The European Union said that more than 500 confirmed or probable cases in 14 countries had been linked to Polish egg production over the last year. Last year a spokeswoman for PHE said: In 2016, Public Health England and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) worked with European partners in investigating a multi-country outbreak of salmonella enteritidis linked to an egg packing centre in Poland. The outcome of the 2016 investigations resulted in the Polish authorities taking public health action on the implicated premises in Poland, including marketing restriction on the eggs produced at these premises. However, some new cases of salmonellosis caused by this specific outbreak strain have been identified in England. The spokeswoman added: PHE have notified ECDC (the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) and European colleagues of this finding and, in collaboration with the FSA, are carrying out further investigations into the source of infection of the new cases. Packing centres The PHE said that, since the re-emergence of the outbreak, a total of 73 cases had been reported in the UK. The spokeswoman said that UK authorities were working with their counterparts in Europe to tackle the problem. A report produced by the ECDC showed that the original outbreak was linked to eggs originating from three Polish packing centres. The report said that the number of reported cases fell sharply after control measures were put in place in Poland in November 2016 but from March 2017 the number of newly reported cases increased again. Egg industry leaders in the UK have been urging food companies to source their eggs from British producers to ensure that consumers are safe. Testing found no trace of fipronil on UK farms, salmonella levels are very low in the UK and British egg production is not affected by the latest antibiotic contamination. Two farmers were overcome by toxic slurry fumes on their farm in Northern Ireland over the weekend, and are now recovering in hospital. The two men, a father and his son, were mixing hen slurry on their family farm in Claudy, County Londonderry when they were overcome by fumes around 4pm on Saturday (16 June). Emergency services, including an air ambulance, arrived on the farm and took the men, one aged in his 70s and the other in his 40s, to Altnagelvin Hospital. The conditions of both men have been described as "stable". Sinn Fein councillor Sean McGlinchey told the Belfast Telegraph that the local farming community are "shocked but relieved that we are not coping with two fatalities". "We are very lucky that we are not looking at two deaths today," Mr McGlinchey said. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), incidents involving slurry occur regularly on farms in the UK. These incidents include people, not just farmers, being overcome by toxic gases, drowning as a result of a fall into slurry or liquid stores, or being injured from the collapse of structures containing slurry. Slurry is broken down by bacterial action which produces gases. Slurry gas includes methane, carbon monoxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide, all of which can create a risk to human and animal health. Some gases are flammable, others are toxic and some will displace oxygen from the air, causing a risk of asphyxiation. An inquest held in May this year heard how two farmers from Yorkshire died in a slurry accident in 2015 after entering it to remove a blockage, becoming overcome with fumes within a matter of seconds. The UK's last working farm still operating under medieval customs is to go up for sale this summer, casting doubt on the working farmers who rely on the land for income. The Laxton Estate, located in the small village of Laxton in Nottinghamshire, is best known for having the last remaining working "open-field" system in the UK. The open-field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe during the Middle Ages and lasted into the 20th century in parts of western Europe. Under the open-field system, each manor or village had two or three large fields, usually several hundred acres each, which were divided into many narrow strips of land. The strips or selions were cultivated by individuals or peasant families, often called tenants. The Lord of the Manor, his officials, and a Manorial court administered the manor and exercised jurisdiction over the peasantry. The Lord levied rents and required the peasantry to work on his personal lands. Today, Laxton has much conventionally farmed land, but retains a significant part of the medieval system. Although the village is now recognised as an important heritage site, it is home to working farmers, who rely on the land for their income. Commercial business The system is protected today by a Parliamentary undertaking given by the Crown Estate Commissioners on their 1981 purchase of the Laxton estate. But the Crown Estate has now decided to put Laxton on the market this summer after admitting it is not the best landlord to manage a heritage business as well as a commercial one. Iain Mills, rural asset manager for The Crown Estate, told the Nottingham Post: As a commercial real estate business, tasked with delivering strong returns to Treasury, The Crown Estate is focused on sectors where it has scale and expertise and can therefore best deliver value. The Laxton Estate, which operates the UKs last remaining example of open field system farming, requires specialist management and ongoing investment, to preserve its unique model and heritage. Mr Mills added: As such, we recognise that it may be better managed as a heritage asset." A government body such as the National Trust or Historic England could take over the farms. However, the local community envisage an independent trust to safeguard Laxtons heritage. The law should be changed to make it an offence to set up unauthorised residential developments and encampments in the countryside, according to the CLA. The rural group told a government review looking at tackling illegal traveller sites in England and Wales that the law should be changed. A consultation led by Housing Minister Dominic Raab is looking into the effectiveness of current enforcement against illegal sites. The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said the police and local authorities are often unwilling to assist when unauthorised camps are on private land and do not use current enforcement powers effectively to remove illegal camps. CLA Director of Policy, Christopher Price said illegal encampments in rural areas have a "detrimental economic, environmental and social impact" on local businesses and communities, as well as to the private landowner The current law is failing and it is time for a new approach, Mr Price said. Existing powers for removal are not used frequently enough or effectively on private land to ensure swift removal. The CLA says the problem can be tackled by making the law simpler and easier to enforce. It calls for the government to make setting up an unauthorised residential camp a criminal offence. Mr Price added: This would act as a deterrent to those who might consider occupying land without consent and provide greater certainty for the police to act if they understand that an offence has been committed. Mr Price said the planning system was being undermined by the problem of unauthorised developments and called for better resources to bolster the response of planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate. He said: We urgently need more funding for these woefully under-resourced departments to speed up the removal of sites and the enforcement appeals process. The current length of time taken to process enforcement appeals for unauthorised development is undermining the publics view of the planning system. In addition, local authorities must provide sufficient permanent or temporary residential sites for the Gypsy and Traveller community to avoid the problems that arise from unauthorised encampments, he added. The consultation follows news of a West Midlands farm popular with children temporarily shutting down after around forty traveller caravans entered land close to it. The farm was forced to shut after reports of damage to animal enclosures. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. Right after the release of Veere Di Wedding, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Taimur left for a family vacation to London. Joining them only a day later was Saif Ali Khan and the family has since been spending some fun and quality time in London. The couple was also spotted hanging out with Rhea Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor and joining the clan, Karisma Kapoor and her children, Samaira and Kiaan are also in the city. With such a party in UK, the Kapoor sisters had a grand plan for father Randhir Kapoor for Fathers Day.The two gifted Randhir Kapoor with a holiday in Switzerland and the full family will be heading to the destination today. Randhir Kapoor joined the daughters in London on Fathers Day and the grand Swiss holiday begins today for the family. A source close to the family reported, Kareena left for London after the release of Veere Di Wedding. She was joined by Saif for their ad shoot. Both, Lolo and Bebo, wanted to do something special for their father. So, they gifted him this holiday. He will travel through London and the family will then head to Switzerland. The clan will spend some quality time together in Interlaken and Gstaad. Kareena is back in the city for an appearance and reports say she will fly back in a day.Lets hope for some fun pictures of the family vacation coming our way soon. Miss World ommitments are keeping Manushi Chillarbusy but the beauty pageant winner says she has not shut doors for Bollywood as she believes there is an actor in her. Manushi was crowned Miss World at a grand event in China last year. The coveted title was last won byPriyanka Chopra for India in 2000, a year after Yukta Mookhey had made the country proud. Both of them soon made entry in Bollywood. "I sense an actor in me. Being a doctor and an actor is very similar. My father would always tell me, to be a good doctor you have to be a good actor because fifty percent of the patients are cured by the way you make them feel," Manushi told PTI. "You do have a role playing to do when you're a doctor. Even as a Miss World you have to role play sometimes, when you look at some people you feel like breaking down but you've to smile and spread happiness. So of course I know I am a good actor," she added. When asked, how many film offers she has refused so far, Manushi said, "I haven't said no to any opportunity. It's more of a wait. I need to fulfil certain responsibilities right now. I'll take the Bollywood decision when it's the right time." Almost half a year after being crowned Miss World, there have been several monumental changes in her life- a lot of travelling, learning, and an added sense of responsibility. "For a girl behind specs, in her room reading books, to coming in front of the camera, expected to have opinion about things, a lot has changed. But I'm enjoying." For Manushi, winning the pageant is not just about having a beautiful face but also to have a "world view". "It takes a lot of self belief to be Miss World. As Miss World, you are a face for beauty with purpose. You can't just be beautiful. You have to have the zeal and courage to pursue the purpose. It is not easy to visit an area which is, say, hit by a natural calamity, you have to be with the people, not break down but empathise." Manushi is now gearing up to be a judge for Miss India 2018, scheduled to happen on June 19. The pageant winner said life has come "full circle" with this. "I felt so nostalgic when I spoke to the contestants, I realised I was one of them. I can understand what's going on their mind when they're giving a particular answer. As a judge, I can see through them. Now that I'm here, I'm also looking at them through the eyes of the Miss World organisation," she added. Taimur's Got The Swag While Saif Ali Khan looks like he doesn't want to be clicked here, his son Taimur is filled with swag and poses to the camera in his own little style. So Adorable & Cute Taimur looks so adorable and cute here. It really looks like he knows where exactly the camera is, folks! The Pataudi's In London Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and their son Taimur enjoy a pony ride in London. While Kareena looks super excited, Saif play it safe as he has to hold Taimur safely. Strolling The Streets Of London Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan took Taimur across London and the trio really enjoyed every bit of their freedom in the city. Just Like Commoners The trio strolled the streets of London just like commoners. That won't happen in India as they'll get mobbed by fans. Anushka Arora & Kareena Kapoor Award-winning journalist Anushka Arora takes a selfie with Kareena Kapoor in London. Anushka also interviewed Saif Ali Khan later on. Nithya Menen Popular actress Nithya Menen was present for the function held in Hyderabad. The actress won the award for the Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female) - Tamil, for her wonderful performance in the film, Mersal. Priyamani Popular South Indian actress Priyamani was another prominent celebrity who attended the big function. The actress was seen in a navy blue silk saree at the event. Navya Nair Navya Nair too attended the event that was held in Hyderabad on June 16, 2018. The actress was spotted in a pastel embroidered lehenga. Navya Nair shared a few selfies and pictures that were taken during the function, through her Facebook page. Navya Nair And Bhavana Actress Bhavana too made her presence felt for the big function. In this picture shared by Navya Nair, you could see Navya Nair and actress Bhavana together. Bhavan opted to wear a specially designed Label'M saree for the mega event. Image Courtesy: Facebook Page Of Navya Nair Tovino Thomas And Indrajith Among the younger lot of actors, Tovino Thomas and Indrajith were present for the big event. Tovino Thomas had won the award for the Best Actor Critics (Male) for his performance in Mayaanadhi. Image Courtesy: Facebook Page Of Navya Nair Amala Paul Amala Paul, who was most recently seen in the Tamil movie Bhaskar Oru Rascal, was also present at the 65th edition of the Filmfare Awards South 2018. Mamtha Mohandas Actress Mamtha Mohandas did make her presence felt at the award ceremony held in Hyderabad. The actress was seen in a full-length white skirt with floral prints paired with a white crop top. Sai Pallavi Sai Pallavi, who made her big entry to the film industry as a lead actress with the film Premam, was one among the top celebrities who attended the event. She was adjudged as the Best Actress for her performance in the Telugu movie Fidaa. Aishwarya Lakshmi Here is another photo posted on the official Facebook page of Navya Nair. The actress could be seen along with Aishwarya Lekshmi, who had won the award for the Best Debut (Female). Image Courtesy: Facebook Page Of Navya Nair Why Neeru Withdrew The Case? When asked as to why she suddenly withdrew the case, she told the leading daily, "Everyone is assuming that I withdrew the case following a monetary settlement. I didn't want him jailed, primarily because of his parents." Her Motive Was To Tell All The Women (Victims) To Not Feel Scared She further adds, "My motive was to tell all the women, who are victims of abuse, to not feel scared. If they seek help, they will get justice just like me. So, I don't want any woman to feel discouraged after seeing me withdraw the case; I did so only after my conditions were met." About Neerus Monetary Settlement "As far as rumours of a monetary settlement are concerned, they are not true at all. I come from a financially sound family, and my reasons were different. To begin with, I am a British citizen and it won't be viable for me to travel from London to India for the hearings. So, I asked for a compensation to cover the damage I have incurred, including being out of work for three years." Armaan Warned By The Court "Also, Armaan has been put on caution by the court, which means that if he repeats the offence, he will be put behind bars. He has also been asked to do charity for the visually challenged people and children. As far as I am concerned, I have raised my voice against the abuse meted out by him." The Ex-Bigg Boss Contestant Gave A Written Apology To Neeru Neeru confirms that Armaan had given her a written apology. He had also settled her loss of income (as he didn't allow her to work for a few years). She hopes that this experience has taught him a lesson. Armaan Is A Closed Chapter; Neeru Wants To Take Off His Tattoo She had got his name tattooed when she was in love with him, but now she wants to take it off and be free of all the negativity. She further adds that there is no chance of getting back to Armaan and he is a closed chapter for her. Neerus Future Plans When asked as to what are her future plans are, Neeru told the leading daily, "I am already in talks for some styling and fashion projects. So, I will be shuttling between Mumbai, London and Dubai. I feel relaxed, because I have achieved what I wanted to." A few days ago, actress Sri Reddy accused Nani of exploiting her and claimed that he was the reason she could not participate in Bigg Boss Telugu Season 2. She also said that the 'Natural Star' had once promised to help her but ultimately did not keep his promise. As expected, these remarks created a buzz in the industry and left Nani's fans in a state of shock. After initially trying to ignore the situation, the MCA star finally decided to take legal action against her. Nani's wife too reacted to Sri Reddy's claims and called them 'baseless'. Now, in a shocking development, Sri Reddy has responded to his wife's comments. In a strongly-worded Facebook post, Sri Reddy asked Nani's wife to stop commenting on the matter and called Nani an 'attention-seeker'. She also said that the actor would ultimately be punished for his actions. "Hi Misses ..I just found ur post..u r not there in my bed room when ur hus fuc.. d me..so stop commenting..ur hus is an attention seeker not me..what ever I hv name that's enough..if my husband is very wealthy nd if he has name n fame and If he did wrong,still i wl not take his side..might be I wl not leave him,but compulsory i wl not blame opposite girl..ha ha..i am not a money minded like any other money minded house wives. .i wl try to find how it got happened..just maintain your silence till the end..My side truth is there..karma is there,your husband has to take the punishment..(sic)," she added. Well, this is a shocking post and is bound to create a buzz in the industry. It seems that Sri Reddy is not done with Nani and the issue is far from over. It will be worth watching what happens next. On a related note, Nani is currently busy with Bigg Boss Telugu Season 2. He also has a film with 'King' Nagarjuna and Rashmika Mandanna in his kitty. OffenderWatch looks to assist UK as number of jailed sex offenders rose 82 percent in past decade According to a report from the Ministry of Justice, the number of jailed registered sex offenders in England and Wales rose 82 percent from 2007-2017. As the number of sex offenders continues to rise, maintaining a unified and accurate sex offender registry is an important issue to many residents. The largest sex offender registry network in the United States, OffenderWatch, recently announced a new international division devoted to helping countries across the globe maintain a sex offender registry database that is easily shared between law enforcement agencies and can help inform the public. Earlier this year, OffenderWatch was awarded a contract with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to modernize the Canadian National Sex Offender Registry and create a unified system that shares data between local, provincial and federal agencies. With the success of building this new model for another country, OffenderWatch has now launched an international division focused on educating and assisting other countries to create unified sex offender registries. "Through the OffenderWatch network, we have not only improved efficiency and cost savings for law enforcement agencies in the United States, but have also improved communication of critical info like movements of the worst sex offenders-which leads to a safer public," said Mike Cormaci, president and co-founder of OffenderWatch. "We know our service can do the same in other countries, as we're seeing now in Canada." Sex Offender Registry Technology Easily Reconfigured for Use in UK OffenderWatch is collaboratively designed with agency stakeholders and easily configured to meet the legal requirements and protocols of countries without unnecessary time and cost. The purpose of the sex offender monitoring and alerting program is to bring efficiency realized in the United States to law enforcement agencies and departments all over the world. There are numerous benefits to collaborating on a single sex offender record across any jurisdiction or territory, including accuracy, completeness and timeliness of records and information submitted to the public. "Without a data-sharing culture among law enforcement and a unified sex offender registry, the number of victims of sex abuse continues to rise," Cormaci said. Read more about OffenderWatch international at: http://watchsystems.com/customers/news-media/press-releases/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180618005053/en/ Contacts: OffenderWatch Camille Rome, 1-504-323-8132 crome@bondmoroch.com DUBAI, UAE, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- First internationally accredited hospital in the Middle Eastearns 7th'Gold Seal' from JCI, and earns further 9thCAP accreditation, with patient satisfaction running above 95%,marking 21 years of healthcare excellence American Hospital Dubai, the pioneering private multi-specialty hospital, has announced its latest accreditations by Joint Commission International (JCI) and College of American Pathologists (CAP) for the 7th (JCI) and 9th (CAP) time. The hospital was the first in the Middle East (and only the second worldwide) to be accredited by JCI, in 2000, and the hospital lab by CAP in 2001. Since opening in 1996, the hospital has expanded from a 100 bed capacity facility to a 254-bed facility and has recently opened its first primary care clinic in the community. American Hospital Dubai was the first in the region to join the prestigious Mayo Clinic Care Network, in 2016. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/705852/American_Hospital_Dubai.jpg ) American Hospital Dubai's latest accreditation awards confirm that the hospital team is achieving the highest international standards in its clinical operations, standards of patient care and safety. Meanwhile, the hospital's patient care performance, which is measured across re-admissions (within 30 days for the same diagnosis), unplanned return to operating theatre, surgical site infections, and patient satisfaction, confirm the quality of care that is being delivered to patients. All the hospital's measures comfortably exceed the equivalent international benchmarks, including patient satisfaction, which is running at over 95% (versus the 90% international benchmark). Joint Commission International (JCI) works to improve patient safety and quality of healthcare worldwide, and the hospital was awarded its 7th consecutive accreditation following a recent JCI on-site survey by a team of international healthcare experts, representing medical, nursing and hospital administration. The Laboratory of the American Hospital Dubai has earned its 9th consecutive accreditation by the Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), based on the results of a recent onsite inspection. American Hospital Dubai Laboratory was the first private medical laboratory in the region to be accredited by CAP. Dr. Robert Courteney-Harris, Chief Medical Officer and Acting CEO of American Hospital Dubai, comments: "Our international accreditation record is unique in the region and an accolade for the entire hospital in demonstrating the high standards of care that we provide our patients - and the pride we take in our work. It represents a 21-year unbroken span of institutional excellence and commitment to patient care of the highest standards. Our internal performance measures and high level of patient satisfaction reinforce this. Our relationship with Mayo Clinic, the most reputable healthcare institution in the US has added a new dimension. It also confirms that we are committed to maintaining our position as a pioneering leader in the region's private healthcare sector and to support the country in serving the local population's healthcare needs and in becoming a destination of choice for high quality international healthcare tourism." In 2016, American Hospital Dubai joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a network of healthcare providers committed to better serving patients and their families through collaboration. The hospital was the first healthcare organization in the Middle East to join the network, which gives the hospital access to the latest Mayo Clinic knowledge and promotes collaboration among physicians at both hospitals on the most complex cases to the benefit of patients, and at no charge. Through these shared resources, more patients can get answers to complex medical questions - and peace of mind - while staying close to home. Joint Commission International Joint Commission International is dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare through voluntary accreditation. Joint Commission International standards are revised at least every three years by a 13 member Standards Advisory Panel, composed of experienced physicians, nurses and administration and public policy experts, and the uniform, high standards for patient care and safety are designed to be adaptable to local needs, thus accommodating legal, religious and cultural factors within a country, but also require the adoption of evidence based practices. Standards focus on the areas that most directly impact patient care. These include international patient safety goals, access to care, assessment of patients, prevention and control of infection, patient and family rights, anesthesia and surgical care, medication management and patient education. Standards also address healthcare organization management, which includes facility management and safety, staff qualifications and education, quality improvement and patient safety, hospital leadership, and management of information. CAP The CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, begun in the early 1960s, is recognized by the US federal government as being equal to or more stringent than the government's own inspection program comprising over 3000 inspection checklist items. During the CAP accreditation process, trained voluntary inspectors examine the laboratory's records and quality control of procedures for the preceding two years. CAP inspectors also examine the entire staff's qualifications, the laboratory's equipment, facilities, safety program and record, as well as the overall management of the laboratory. This stringent inspection program is designed to specifically ensure the highest ongoing laboratory standard of care for all patients. About the American Hospital Dubai The American Hospital Dubai is a 254-bed, acute care, general medical/surgical private hospital with a multi-specialty physician group practice, designed to provide a high quality, American standard of healthcare to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of the people of Dubai, the UAE and the surrounding Gulf States. The American Hospital Dubai became the first hospital in the Middle East to be awarded JCI accreditation in May 2000 and has successfully maintained its accreditation seven times. The Laboratory of the American Hospital Dubai was the first private lab in the Middle East to earn accreditation by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and was accredited for the ninth consecutive time in 2017. The American Hospital Dubai has continued to expand to meet the demand for more personalized services, comfort and convenience, while broadening the services and deepening the level of expertise and care offered. Our Cancer program was the first in Dubai to offer comprehensive one-stop services. Our Heart Center has added electrophysiology consultation to our list of state of the art services. Our Orthopedics team is ready to serve a growing patient population in need of surgical and inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient physical therapy. Our Endocrinology services are expanding their services to address the needs of diabetes and offers a multidisciplinary approach to thyroid disease management. In addition, we are focusing on strategic initiatives with increased patient access through expanding our Clinic footprint, investment in acute stroke care, and integrative and personalized medicine. In June 2016, the Hospital became the inaugural Middle East member of the prestigious Mayo Clinic Care Network. Our physicians and team are able to collaborate and leverage the expertise of Mayo Clinic for the betterment of patients in the UAE and surrounding region. http://www.ahdubai.com ROLLING MEADOWS, Illinois, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG) today announced that the head of the company's UK-based brokerage and underwriting division, Grahame "Chily" Chilton, will be stepping down from his role as chief executive officer later this year. Subject to regulatory approval, Simon Matson, currently head of Gallagher's London Market and Alesco businesses, will be appointed Chilton's successor and assume the UK brokerage and underwriting chief executive officer role. Gallagher Chairman, President and CEO, J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr. commented, "Chily has been an outstanding broker and entrepreneur who has led our 4,500 strong UK broking and underwriting teams to achieve fantastic client service and growth. Under his stewardship, the UK broking and underwriting business has become the blueprint for what a well-managed, well-governed, high performing and ethical business should look like." "We have a long history of smooth and successful business leadership transitions," noted Gallagher. "Chily's transition is no different, and I want to thank him for his leadership and tremendous contributions as he now hands over the leadership baton to Simon Matson." In terms of the transition, Sue Langley, Non-Executive Chairman, Arthur J. Gallagher Holdings (UK) Limited, added, "Simon has demonstrated his own exceptional broking and inspirational leadership credentials over the past 10 years with the company. With Simon at the helm, we'll continue the strong growth and evolution of our UK broking and underwriting businesses." "Gallagher is a superb business with a culture and genuine sense of teamwork like no other insurance broker," added Chilton. "I am proud to have played a role in the UK business' transformation over the past few years and to have led a team that is so rich in talent and diverse capabilities, wrapped around a set of behaviours and beliefs that put positive customer outcomes at the heart of every strategic decision. It has been a pleasure to work alongside the Gallagher UK executive team which is, in my opinion, the best in the business, and I know the team will continue to achieve great things under Simon's leadership." Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The company has operations in 34 countries and offers client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Investors: Ray Iardella Media: Anna Rozenich VP - Investor Relations VP - Global Media Relations 630-285-3661/ ray_iardella@ajg.com 630-285-5954/ anna_rozenich@ajg.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/663994/Pat_Gallagher_Gallagher_Chairman_President_and_CEO_headshot_2018.jpg Thought leaders from UL, Electronic Arts and InterContinental Hotel Group to explore the many dimensions of CX metrics SANTA CLARA, California, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan is pleased to announce the 14th Annual Customer Contact West: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange, taking place October 21-24, 2018, at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. Customer experience executives from a trio of leading organizations will examine the importance of customer metrics and measurement at the 14th Annual Customer Contact West: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange. To register and download the event agenda for the 14th Annual Customer Contact West: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange, please access: http://frost.ly/2jp Nate Brown, Director of Customer Experience, UL EHS Sustainability, will moderate Cafe Conversations-You Can't Manage What You Don't Measure: Metrics of an Effortless Experience. This session will move beyond tried and true customer effort score metrics and present others that can be leveraged to drive change and achieve customer loyalty targets. Brown will examine metrics involved with measuring effort for both customers and employees providing the experience on a daily basis. He will also explain why quality knowledge is fundamental to effort reduction and offer best practices to "effort proof" your knowledge and measure its effectiveness. Brown will also be a panelist on the Ask the Experts! Panel Discussion-You Too Can Be a CxO: Pragmatic Ideas for Realizing Enterprise Change. Crystal Collier, Head of Strategy, Programs and Insights, Electronic Arts (EA), will present SUCCESS STORY-Anticipating Their Every Need: Predictive, Proactive, and Personal at the event. This session will showcase how EA is using artificial intelligence (AI) to power predictive, proactive and personal interactions to solve their players' problems and improve the player and employee experience. Collier will share highlights from her company's research and provide a framework for introducing or optimizing AI in your customer experience (CX) organization. Participants will leave the session with a solid understanding of different types of, and uses for, AI in CX. In addition to leading the Worldwide Customer Experience strategy at EA, Collier's team is pioneering EA's CE Labs, an innovation incubator designed to transform customer interactions. Rachelle Dever, Global Brand and Guest Experience Director, InterContinental Hotels Group (IGH), will moderate an Ask the Experts! Panel Discussion-You Too Can Be a CxO: Pragmatic Ideas for Realizing Enterprise Change. Dever is passionate about delivering incredible guest experiences and has considerable experience in CX metrics and delivering ROI to stakeholders across a variety of organizations, including her tenures as Director of Global Consumer Metrics and Enterprise Project Management and Director of Guest Experience, Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen, Incorporated. This flagship customer contact event differentiates itself from so many others with a unique, highly interactive and hands-on learning approach focused on providing best practices and immediately implementable take-aways to leverage in the marketplace. For additional information, please email events.us@frost.com About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact Us: Start the discussion Contact: Francesca Valente Corporate Communications - Americas P: +1 (210) 348 1012 E: francesca.valente@frost.com http://www.frost.com I am not a sheep, I have my own mind I have had enough of being told what and how to think Whilst we are still allowed the remnants of free speech, I will speak out. I also reserve the right to discuss less controversial matters should I feel the urge. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Partly reflecting sharply elevated lumber prices, the National Association of Home Builders released a report on Monday unexpectedly showing a deterioration in U.S. homebuilder confidence in the month of June. The report said the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dipped to 68 in June from 70 in May. Economists had expected the index to come in unchanged. 'Builders are increasingly concerned that tariffs placed on Canadian lumber and other imported products are hurting housing affordability,' said NAHB Chairman Randy Noel. He added, 'Record-high lumber prices have added nearly $9,000 to the price of a new single-family home since January 2017.' The unexpected drop by the housing market index reflected one-point decreases by all three of the components that make up the index. The NAHB said the index measuring current sales conditions fell to 75, the component gauging expectations in the next six months dropped to 76, and the metric charting buyer traffic edged down to 50. On Tuesday, the Commerce Department is scheduled to release a separate report on new residential construction in the month of May. Housing stocks are expected to rise to an annual rate of 1.317 million in May after slumping to a rate of 1.287 million in April. 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. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump continued his attacks on Democrats in remarks on Monday, blaming the party's lawmakers for a policy that has seen nearly 2,000 children separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent weeks. In remarks from the White House, Trump blamed Democratic obstruction for the problems at the border, claiming they are unwilling to negotiate on immigration legislation. 'We cannot get them even to the negotiating table. And I say it's, very strongly, the Democrats' fault,' Trump said. 'They're really obstructionist. And they are obstructing.' 'We want safety and we want security for our country,' he added. 'If the Democrats would sit down, instead of obstructing, we could have something done very quickly.' The comments from Trump come even though the family separations have widely been attributed to his administration's zero-tolerance policy for illegal immigrants. Trump appeared to be standing by the policy announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in April, declaring the U.S. will not be a 'migrant camp' or a 'refugee holding facility.' 'You look at what's happening in Europe. You look at what's happening in other places,' Trump said. 'We can't allow that to happen to the United States. Not on my watch.' The remarks by Trump come as the family separations have drawn widespread criticism, including from some leading Republicans. Despite the criticism, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen refused to apologize for the controversial policy. 'We will not apologize for the job we do or for the job law enforcement does for doing the job that the American people expect us to do,' Nielsen said during a speech in New Orleans. 'Illegal actions have and must have consequences,' she added. 'No more free passes, no more get out of jail free cards.' Nielsen claimed some illegal immigrants are fraudulently using children to pose as family units to gain entry to the country. 'We do not have the luxury of pretending that all individuals coming to this country as a family unit are, in fact, a family,' Nielsen said. The House is expected to vote on two separate immigration bills this week, although Trump has indicated he will not sign a compromise bill negotiated by centrist and conservative Republicans. Trump's opposition to the compromise bill comes even though the legislation purportedly addresses the 'four pillars' the president previously outlined, including providing funding for his proposed border wall. (Photo: Gage Skidmore) Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A study on recreational marijuana that was ordered by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo recommends legalizing marijuana for recreational use in the state, state health commissioner Howard Zucker said Monday. Zucker told that Department of Health's ongoing study on marijuana in New York is nearly finished and has concluded the state should move ahead with legalizing and regulating the drug. 'I will finalize that report and obviously bring it to the governor,' Zucker said at a meeting with medical marijuana practitioners in Brooklyn. 'We looked at public safety, public health, economics,' Zucker said. 'Some of the variables in there are issues of taxes, how would you tax it, where would you grow marijuana, how would you distribute it, what age, what about driving, all these different things. There's a lot of variables there. We sat there and looked at all those variables. We weighed them. We looked at the pros. We looked at the cons. And when we were done we realized that the pros outweigh the cons.' The state of New York would become 10th state to legalize marijuana in the U.S. if governor, lawmakers act in favor of the study. In January, Governor Cuomo had ordered a study on the pros and cons of legalized recreational marijuana in his State. 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. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After initially moving the upside, treasuries pulled back over the course of morning trading on Monday before closing roughly flat. Bond prices spent the afternoon lingering near the unchanged line. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, inched up by less than a basis point to 2.926 percent. The roughly flat close by treasuries came amid lingering concerns about a global trade war after the U.S. and China announced plans to impose tariffs on billions of dollars worth of imported goods. President Donald Trump announced plans to impose tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods last Friday, leading China to announce plans to impose tariffs on 545 products imported from the U.S. Traders have expressed concerns the new tariffs announced by the U.S. and China could negatively affect global economic growth. On the U.S. economic front, the National Association of Home Builders released a report showing an unexpected deterioration in homebuilder confidence in the month of June. The report said the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dipped to 68 in June from 70 in May. Economists had expected the index to come in unchanged. 'Builders are increasingly concerned that tariffs placed on Canadian lumber and other imported products are hurting housing affordability,' said NAHB Chairman Randy Noel. He added, 'Record-high lumber prices have added nearly $9,000 to the price of a new single-family home since January 2017.' Trading on Tuesday may be impacted by reaction to the Commerce Department's report on new residential construction in the month of May. Housing starts are expected to rise to an annual rate of 1.317 million in May after slumping to a rate of 1.287 million in April. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Recognizes Company's Commitment to Florida's Independent Insurance Agent Community BOCA RATON, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 18, 2018 / Florida Peninsula Insurance Company, one of Florida's premier homeowner's insurance carriers, was awarded this year's Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA) Trusted Choice Company of the Year award on Friday, June 15 at FAIA's 114th Annual Convention & Education Symposium, held in Orlando. The company was recognized for its continued commitment to the Trusted Choice Brand and business endeavors, all focused on supporting Florida's independent insurance agent community. As Florida's leading agent association, the FAIA has made significant contributions geared toward the success of its members. The FAIA continuously provides its members with opportunities to earn continuing education credits, news on the latest legislative topics affecting our state, information on how to prospect and grow their agencies, and access to leading insurance carriers. Clint Strauch, President of Florida Peninsula Insurance Company Florida Peninsula was honored by this recognition and pleased to reinforce the company's commitment with FAIA. "We support the vision and the goals set forth by the FAIA, and its commitment to providing agents and consumers with the best product offerings in Florida," said Clint Strauch, president of Florida Peninsula Insurance Company. "Through our partnership with FAIA members, we continue to grow our business and provide customized, comprehensive coverage options residents of our state seek." For information on obtaining a personalized homeowners or flood insurance quote with Florida Peninsula Insurance Company, please visit www.floridapeninsula.com . ABOUT FLORIDA PENINSULA INSURANCE COMPANY Founded by a team of veteran insurance professionals, Florida Peninsula Insurance Company is one of Florida's top 10 largest companies offering multi-peril homeowners and flood insurance. The company insures more than 149,000 homes, condo and apartment units located throughout the state. Florida Peninsula markets through a network of 2,500 independent insurance agents. Our aim is to combine the latest technology with old-fashioned courtesy and customer service, providing efficient, cost-effective, peace-of-mind protection for our policyholders. Florida Peninsula was first issued a Certificate of Authority to do business in April 2005 by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. The company has maintained a Financial Stability Rating of A-Exceptional from Demotech. For more information or to get a comparison quote, please call (877) 229-2244 or visit our website at www.floridapeninsula.com. Media Contact: BoardroomPR Don Silver or Michelle Griffith 954-370-8999 donsil@boardroompr.com mgriffith@boardroompr.com SOURCE: Florida Peninsula Insurance Company 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. TEL AVIV, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / June 18, 2018 / First Bitcoin Capital Corp (OTC PINK:BITCF), a prolific generator of more than 100 unique cryptocurrencies and developer of Blockchain technologies, invites PotCoin, other marijuana related cryptocurrency projects and cannabis related companies to join CANNABLOQ. This invitation includes the possibility of entering into exchange agreements with BITCF in order to swap out WEED coins for those other weed related cryptocurrencies and company shares similar to the exchange of Perkscoins (COIN:PCT) from CANNASOS and $SING shares from SinglePoint. With the recent completion of the Perkscoin's ICO, PCT began trading on the following crypto exchange https://crex24.com/exchange/PCT-BTC and will soon be added to BITCF's www.Altcoinmarketcap.com: Dennis Rodman recently visited Singapore promoting his PotCoin and the North Korean Summit between two of his personal friends for which he has certainly been a brave and positive influence towards what appears to be a peaceful resolution to a serious nuclear worldwide threat. We believe that of the many pot related coins already minted, by various organisations, that our WEED currency stands the greatest chance of success based on several factors some of which are the facts that BITCF is the first public company in the Bitcoin and Blockchain space as well as the fact that WEED coin runs on the Bitcoin Blockchain in the same way as Tether (COIN:USDT) the world's second most actively traded crypto currency with more than 3 billion US$ dollars in daily trading volume. WEED (COIN:WEED) trades on the New Zealand Cryptocurrency Exchange as does PotCoin (COIN:POT): https://www.cryptopia.co.nz/Exchange/?market=WEED_BTC CANNABLOQ.com is being designed to serve as a consortium to the cannabis industries and members can expect many befits of joining, the first of which is the ability to swap out cannabis related coins and shares of public companies for WEED tokens running on the Bitcoin Blockchain. Further research about WEED coin please see: www.weedcurrency.com New Division -Go Name Me -Launched First Bitcoin has launched a new division that specializes in providing domain registration services to the blockchain and gaming industries via www.goname.me where we also offer Web Hosting, SSL, Security, Email Accounts, Marketing and Website Building tools. BITCF will soon launch a CrowdSale token event in order to further capitalize on these new services. One of the first domains that was registered on www.GoName.Me was new domain called Moshiachcoin.com About First Bitcoin Capital Corp First Bitcoin Capital Corp (OTC PINK: BITCF) (COIN: BITCF) began developing digital currencies, proprietary Blockchain technologies, and the digital currency exchange - www.CoinQX.com (in Beta) in early 2014. We saw this step as a tremendous opportunity to create further shareholder value by leveraging management's experience in developing and managing complex Blockchain technologies and in developing new types of digital assets. Being the first publicly-traded cryptocurrency and BlockChain-centered Company, we provide our shareholders with diversified exposure to digital cryptocurrencies and BlockChain technologies. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors as may be disclosed in company's filings. In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, and governmental and public policy changes. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release. Such forward-looking statements are risks that are detailed in the Company's filings, which are on file at www.OTCMarkets.com. Contact us via: info@bitcoincapitalcorp.com or visit http://www.bitcoincapitalcorp.com SOURCE: First Bitcoin Capital Corp. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 18, 2018) - AXMIN Inc. (TSXV: AXM) ("AXMIN" or the "Company") announces that it has received confirmation from Teranga that the Government of the Republic of Senegal has granted two new exploration permits under the 2016 Senegalese Mining Code for Sounkounkou and Bransan, encompassing the 17 target areas that the Company shares an interest in with Teranga. The initial term of the exploration permits is for a period of 4 years with a requisite minimum expenditure commitment during this initial period. Thereafter, the exploration permits are renewable two times for consecutive periods not exceeding three years each, provided that Teranga has satisfied its work and expenditure commitments. The Bransan perimeter is 337.3km2 and Sounkounkou is 291.7km2, which together cover roughly 90% of the prior permit areas. AXMIN Chairman Lucy Yan said, "The issuance of exploration permits for the additional targets, upon which AXMIN has a NSR royalty of 1.5%, is very good news for our company." About AXMIN AXMIN is a Canadian exploration and development company with a strong focus on the African continent. AXMIN continues to closely monitor the political situation at its Feasibility Stage Passendro Gold Project in the Central African Republic. For more information regarding AXMIN, visit our website at www.axmininc.com. For additional information, please contact AXMIN Inc.: Lucy Yan Chairman and CEO ceo@axmininc.com AXMIN Inc. General Enquiries Jin Kuang Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary j.kuang@axmininc.com 604-339-7688 Investor Relations ir@axmininc.com www.axmininc.com This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All information, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including without limitation, information regarding the future option grant plans and objectives of AXMIN, are forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from AXMIN's expectations have been disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in AXMIN's documents filed from time-to-time with the TSX Venture Exchange and other regulatory authorities. AXMIN disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether resulting from new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. (ASX:AUL) Hello. I'm Rachael Jones for the Finance News Network. Joining me from AuStar Gold today is CEO Tom de Vries. Tom, welcome back.Thank, Rachael.Tom, you've just announced acquisition of 100% of the Rose of Denmark Gold Mine. What can you tell us about this?Well, previously the Rose of Denmark Mine was 49% owned and managed by AuStar Gold, and that required joint venture processes and approvals, really slowing decisions down, as well as caused us additional costs and complications for administration. We're now unfettered from that joint venture and now have the ability to manage the development of Rose of Denmark according to our strategic priorities, and in addition we keep all the upside from our ongoing development work in this mine. And you'd be aware that we've had consistent gold hits in the diamond drilling, and we also have a structure that leads to mechanised mining, meaning that the Rose of Denmark is a prime testing target.What can you tell me about the drill program?We're keen to keep the mills going as well, Rachael, and the Rose of Denmark ore is prime material for that. If we're mining from Rose of Denmark, this allows us to understand the relationship between the drilled assays from the diamond drilling, the face assays, and the final gold produced out of the plant, giving a certain drilled grade. So we'll mine some tons, understand the drill grade to mill grade, and then we'll move on to a more serious mining stance. But in addition we intend to drill to depth, to understand the full potential of the mine. We do have high expectations for the Rose of Denmark, and we'll have a lot more to say about it in the coming weeks.And what about the consideration?The Rose of Denmark acquisition was an excellent deal, as it involved no cash outlay. It was for 225,000 in scrip and 45 million of options, that are excisable at 1.5 cents and 2 cents, through to 2021. And this really is a fraction of the cost of what the infrastructure at Rose of Denmark originally cost. You know, that's a fully refurbished adit that provides immediate access for mechanised mining equipment.That equity sale aligns the interests of both AuStar and Shandong together, since they benefit if AuStar does well, and, importantly, Shandong is, for our investors, Shandong's restricted from selling any shares for 12 months. And the options again keep Shandong involved, with the potential for them to contribute further in the future.Now you might say, "Why did Shandong sell out from Rose of Denmark, if it's such a great deal for AuStar?" But it's just another classic case of large companies having a different corporate profile, different corporate strategic priorities. And in this case MIN5299 is just simply under their radar, and by swapping their interests into AuStar shares, Shandong not only place their trust and confidence into AuStar as an operator, but also to deliver value for them, as they have now a broader exposure in all the entire gold leases, exploration leases Morning Star and Rose of Denmark. And it's basically a classic case of diversification for Shandong.And Tom, while we have you, can you provide an update on the Morning Star Gold Mine and processing plant?We're happy with where we've got to. We've now proven the capability of the plant, which was a concern for some people. The plant is our main processing facility for Morning Star and Rose of Denmark mines, so it was quite important to ascertain that and achieve that. We have a confidence that the plant can process gold-bearing material mixed with hard diorite, and the confidence is built on a measured tails grade that is something in the order of 0.5 to 0.7 of a gram, regardless of the head grade. Importantly, we have a high level of confidence in the plant sampling points, that allows us to review the grade through the plant and at a number of different points. And that allows us to have full control of the plant and allows us to adjust as we gain the information.The other update on the Morning Star Gold Mine, of course, was our maiden gold pour, the first since 2012, and for us, you know, that's a very significant and symbolic event for AuStar Gold. And there are not many gold explorers that ever get to pour gold and in such a short period of time.The Stacpoole development is completed for this phase of the program, and we're processing the last of that ore now, and pretty soon we'll be providing a washup of that activity.And we also have at the Morning Star Gold Mine a number of other additional targets that are being considered, and we'll, when resources present themselves, continue to drill those.Last question, Tom. What can investors look out for in terms of news flow over the next couple of months?Further drilling results at Rose of Denmark, Rachael. We'll also progress to trial mining at Rose of Denmark, and we'll announce that when we're ready. The Stacpoole mining and processing results, which we just talked about. And further information about our exploration and drilling activities around our exciting prospects that really haven't been examined in the past in great detail.Tom de Vries, thanks for the update, and well done on the acquisition.Thanks, Rachael and we'll speak again, I'm sure. Thank you. Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday urged citizens to pay their due share of taxes 'honestly' to reduce dependence on oil as a revenue source, and virtually ruled out any cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel saying it could prove to be counter-productive New Delhi: Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday urged citizens to pay their due share of taxes "honestly" to reduce dependence on oil as a revenue source, and virtually ruled out any cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel saying it could prove to be counter-productive. While salaried class pay their due share of taxes, Jaitley said "most other sections" have to improve their tax payment record, which is keeping India "far from being a tax-compliant society". "My earnest appeal, therefore, to political leaders and opinion makers ...would be that evasion in the non-oil tax category must be stopped and, if people pay their taxes honestly, the high dependence on oil products for taxation eventually comes down. In the medium and long run, upsetting the fiscal maths can prove counter-productive," Jaitley said. In a facebook post titled 'The Economy and the Markets Reward Structural Reforms and Fiscal Prudence', Jaitley said in last four years, central government's tax-GDP ratio has improved from 10 percent to 11.5 percent. Almost half of this, 0.72 percent of GDP, accounts for an increase in non-oil tax-GDP ratio. The level of non-oil taxes to GDP at 9.8 percent in 2017-18 is the highest since 2007-08 - a year in which our revenue position was boosted by buoyant international environment, he said. "This government has established a very strong reputation for fiscal prudence and macro-economically responsible behaviour. We know what happened during the Taper Tantrum of 2013. Fiscal indiscipline can lead to borrowing more and obviously increase the cost of debt. "Reliefs to consumers can only be given by a fiscally responsible and a financially sound central government, and the states which are earning extra due to abnormal increase in oil prices," Jaitley said. In an apparent dig at senior Congress leader P Chidambaram's remark that tax on oil should be cut by Rs 25 per litre, Jaitley retorted "this is a 'trap' suggestion". Without naming Chidambaram, Jaitley noted that the "distinguished predecessor" had "never endeavoured to do so himself." "It is intended to push India into an unmanageable debt - something which the UPA government left as its legacy. We must remember that the economy and the markets reward structural reforms, fiscal prudence, and macro-economic stability. "They punish fiscal indiscipline and irresponsibility. The transformation from UPA's "policy paralysis" to the NDA's "fastest growing economy" conclusively demonstrates this. The government is aspiring to improve the tax-GDP ratio," Jaitley said. Chidambaram had last week claimed that it was possible for the centre to cut tax by up to Rs 25 per litre on petrol prices but the Modi-government will not do so. As per government estimates, every rupee cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel will result in a revenue loss of about Rs 13,000 crore. The price of Indian basket of crude surged from $66 a barrel in April to around $74 currently. Jaitley said despite higher compliances in new system, as far as the non-oil taxes are concerned, India is still far from being a tax complaint society. "Salaried employees is one category of tax compliant assessees. Most other sections still have to improve their track record. The effort for next few years has to be to replicate the last four years and improve India's tax to GDP ratio by another 1.5 percent. "The increase must come from the non-oil segment since there is scope for improvement," he said. These additions, Jaitley said, have to come by more and more people performing their patriotic duty of paying the non-oil taxes to the State. "The tragedy of the honest tax payer is that he not only pays his own share of taxes but also has to compensate for the evader," he said. Jaitley said the central government collects taxes in the form of income tax, its own share of GST and the customs duty. 42 percent of the central government taxes are shared with the states. State governments collect their 50 percent from GST besides their local taxes. These are independent of taxes on petroleum products. The states charge ad valorem taxes on oil. If oil prices go up, states earn more, he said. Ben Rhodes. Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP/REX/Shutterstock Ben Rhodes went to work for Barack Obamas campaign in 2007, when he was 29 years old. A decade later, he emerged from eight years at the White House in a different world and as a changed man. His new book, The World As It Is, chronicles most of what happened in between. As Obamas foreign-policy speechwriter, Rhodes helped shape some of the presidents most indelible moments, from his pathbreaking Cairo speech to his eulogy for Nelson Mandela. Rhodes was also a deputy national security adviser, who saw his liberal interventionist leanings tested amid the crucible of the Arab Spring. During Obamas second term, he took on new responsibility, playing a key role in Iran nuclear-deal negotiations and personally spearheading the administrations diplomatic opening to Cuba. He also became one of the prime targets for right-wing media over his supposed role in a Benghazi cover-up a years-long misinformation campaign that took a major personal toll. Daily Intelligencer spoke with Rhodes about the soaring highs and grinding lows of West Wing life, the enduring coolheadedness of his boss even in the face of President Trumps victory and what happens when Breitbart trains its sights on you. Theres a sense of exhilaration that runs through the book, but also one of exhaustion and tension: You were there for so long, and you write a lot about the isolation from your friends and family. Is there any part of you that misses being in the mix of making policy? The honest truth is that eight years is more than enough, so I dont miss going to work there. And I had come to profoundly dislike aspects of the environment of American politics. What I do miss is foreign travel, because there really is no substitute for showing up somewhere and representing the United States. It sounds corny, but theres not another job that you will ever have in your life that will allow you to walk into a room and just shape events because of what youre doing. That feeling of just being able to really plug into any geographic region or issue around the world by virtue of your position is something that you know is going to be totally unique in your life. Especially when your boss was attracting the kind of attention he did abroad. Yeah, well what was really strange about it, and I think I get at this in the book, is that there was a strange paradox, where at home we were swimming in this cesspool of American politics. But abroad he was still Barack Obama. And with the exception of Israel and the Gulf States and Russia, that never really diminished over the course of eight years. So anywhere you went with him or anywhere you went to represent him, it was still the dynamic of the highest moments of the 2008 campaign. Did you run the book by him? He read it in galleys. I deliberately didnt give it to him early in the process, in part because he didnt want to be a co-author of this thing. I guess the most newsworthy things were his reaction to Trump winning. But hes never gonna say anything too controversial. There were also some areas where I clearly have him saying things he wouldnt publicly, like about race. Is some of the opposition to me about race? Yes, of course. Did he never say that publicly? No. He would always be much more measured. What I describe in the book is that he was so disappointed in the reaction to the 2009 beer summit thing. Because all he did is express kind of an honest opinion that really any African-American had, which is that its a stupid thing to arrest a prominent black intellectual in his home. And this enveloped the White House for days at a time where we were dealing with the financial crisis, and we had to do this stupid photo op in retrospect, in my view just to make it go away. I think the lesson he took from that is that he couldnt engage in a particularly candid conversation about race without it overtaking anything else that he was trying to do. And so it became almost impossible for him to find a voice to talk about those things, except in certain set pieces, like the speech in Charleston. I think he did veil his true feelings about the issue when asked about it in press conferences and interviews. If hes giving an interview about health care or the Iran deal and someone works in a question about race, which happened quite frequently, he knew that if he uttered anything about that subject, nobody would pay any attention to anything else. A lot of the book is about the Arab Spring. You were more on the side of intervention, at least in the early days, than some of your older colleagues. Then you saw what played out in Libya. Did the whole experience give you an overarching sense of how America should project its power? Or did it just leave you thinking that it really just depends on the situation and theres no so-called doctrine I know everyones obsessed with that concept. Well, I do think that, first, the doctrine issue got vastly overplayed, in the sense that there is no doctrine that can be universally applied. Yes, the word is actually a pet peeve of mine, so you dont have to address that particular point It used to drive me crazy because we never went out and tried to articulate a doctrine, for that very reason. We believe that theres such complexity that we couldnt hold ourselves to a uniform standard. Bush is the last one who did: he was going to intervene to prevent weapons of mass destruction. He invaded a country without them, and presided over North Korea testing a nuclear weapon and Iran expanding its nuclear program. So, he didnt apply his doctrine at all, but he did have one. Well, people dont like uncertainty. They like to think you have a plan for everything. The closest thing I think we actually had to a governing theory for our foreign policy is that were going to try to extricate ourselves from the wars in the Middle East that are enormously costly and dont produce positive results, so as to focus on the parts of the world where we can shape events, like Asia, and issues that demand our attention, like climate change. If you look at what we did, that was essentially our doctrine. Because everything from drawing down in Afghanistan and Iraq, to not going into Syria, to the Iran deal, which prevented a war, to the reopening to Cuba and the Paris Climate Agreement and our approach to Asia it was all an expression of that belief. We were trying to preserve American leadership. Our basic assessment was that if America keeps going down these rabbit holes in the Middle East, were just going to put ourselves out of business as the world leader, because were just draining resources and diplomatic bandwidth, and were not producing outcomes. We were trying to essentially pull back from the overreach of Iraq, lick our wounds from the financial crisis, and get America on a more solid foundation to stay the worlds leader for another 50 years. And the process I went through was coming to the realization that our ability to shape events inside of other countries, particularly with our military, was profoundly limited. But our ability to shape events around the world through diplomacy and the application of American influence was actually quite high. We could put together a climate agreement. We could organize a nuclear agreement. But if you look at the track record, I dont see any evidence of a place in the last several decades where we could change the politics of a country with our military. In the Arab Spring, that obviously came to a head in Syria. I found myself arguing for intervention, mainly just because I wanted things to get better and I had this germ of liberal humanitarian interventionism. But I also couldnt look at the situation in the Middle East and plausibly argue that our military intervention would make anything better. When you cant make that argument, its hard to ask a president to essentially take on a war. Another part of the Arab Spring was the Benghazi attack, after which you became the target of a conspiracy theory, as you write about extensively. What advice would you have for anyone who might go through something similar? The Benghazi attack was one of the more confusing, chaotic days that we had at work, because you had these multiple violent protests taking place in the Middle East. The germ of the conspiracy theory had to do with one of the most anodyne parts of my job. Essentially, on occasion, Id have to cut and paste and compile a bunch of talking points that were provided by different people in the government and give them to some principal, in this case Susan Rice, to use publicly. What was cast as this kind of diabolical, dishonest action was actually something that probably took me less than ten minutes. We prepared press guidance every day for the press secretary, and all I did was basically take that and drop it into a memo for Susan Rice, get some talking points the latest talking points on Benghazi from the CIA and hit send on an email. If you had told me at that moment that this would spawn four years of character assassination and me being a supporting actor in the biggest right-wing story of the Obama administration, which led all the way to Hillary Clintons email server, and that may have cost her the election and elected Donald Trump the notion that that all had its origin in sitting at my desk for five minutes and cutting and pasting press guidance Susan Rice used, I never could have envisioned that. Though they probably wouldve picked something else. Thats what you realize. You realize that at the end of the day, its kind of arbitrary. I guess the advice is what I saw is, a lot of people go into government and they dont want to touch Iran or Cuba because they know that the survivors, the people who work in multiple administrations and have their eye on Senate-confirmed jobs, they dont volunteer to lead those kinds of fights. They dont volunteer to do Cuba. So, in some ways, I kind of knew I was taking on things that, over time, would enlarge the target that was already on me. But that presents a Hobbesian choice for somebody coming into government. Do you trim your sails and go through those jobs in a defensive crouch, just to survive and come out clean on the other end, or do you risk getting machine-gunned? And you went for the riskier approach in the last couple years. I think what happened psychologically that I didnt even appreciate at the time what was happening to me with Benghazi was so infuriating that I was like, Fine. Im gonna do this Iran deal. Im gonna do the Cuba opening. And I actually think there was some self-destructive element to it obviously, that culminated in that New York Times article. But I think the unsatisfying advice I would give, because it sounds kind of cynical is that, like President Obama, I did not do enough to create antibodies for myself in Washington. I didnt spend a lot of time talking to Republican members of Congress or talking to foreign-policy experts or building relationships with people in the media, beyond the people I had to interact with for my job. In other words, when I did become a target, the pile-on was much bigger because people didnt know me. Whereas Ive seen when it happens to somebody who has done more to inoculate themselves. That was a criticism leveled at Obama frequently. People said he didnt have the relationships in Congress, but then there would be the fierce counterargument that it wouldnt have mattered, no matter what he did. It sounds like you think it did matter, at least a little. Not with Congress. Im talking more about just the Washington organism. With the Republicans, it was a brick wall, and there was nothing he couldve done. I describe the anecdote where the movie Lincoln come out, and Obama invited Republicans to come watch it Abraham Lincoln was a Republican president and this is a movie about working with Congress and not one of them showed up. One thats not in the book is that we floated the idea of taking a bunch of members of Congress up to Camp David. Not interested. Mitch McConnells approach to this was absolute, and governed the whole way that the party interacted. I do think that Obama was a true outsider, in the sense that not since Jimmy Carter had there been a president who came into that job with fewer relationships in Washington. Clinton had been courting the presidency for a long time. Bush, obviously, was the son of a president. But Obama basically had two years as a senator and then two years as a senator while running for president. That was the only time hed really been in Washington. Put aside Republicans: the people who shape opinion in Washington didnt know him, and they resented that he didnt seek their advice. Bill Clinton would call people all night to ask their views. Obama was going to go have dinner with his kids and read. It really hurt him in Washington, because there was a sense that he thinks hes better than us. And that really wasnt it. It was just that thats how hes wired. Hes not somebody that wants to be burning the phone lines all night; hes someone who wants to be thinking and reading and grounded with his family. I think that led to a situation where he was much more beloved by progressives outside of Washington than he was by even the more liberal elements there. Id be remiss if I didnt ask about Black Cube, the Israeli spy operation that probably targeted you and Colin Kahl, at the behest of the Trump administration, over your support for the Iran deal. I dont know who did this. What I do know is that the most underappreciated constellation of forces in Trumps Washington is this nexus of Saudis, Emiratis, Israelis, and Trump people. And its actually beginning to get more attention, but somewhere in that mess, I think, is the answer to how this Black Cube thing happened. The brazen manner in which Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were throwing around their influence when we were there always struck me. Just the money they spent on people, the money they spent on Washington, the heavy-handed nature of them pushing their anti-Iran fixation in the media. That has gone into complete hyperdrive under Trump, and its the most underappreciated story. These are people that have a lot of money to spread around, and theyre very accustomed to dealing with real-estate interests and have a very concerted agenda, and theyre getting their entire wish list. People like me were speed bumps in their effort to have open running room in Washington. You wrote that the night Trump won or maybe it was the morning after Obama sent you a consoling message: There are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on the Earth. He has this famous equanimity about him. Do you have any sense of how he maintains that now? Barack Obama is probably the most intellectually disciplined person Ive ever met, in the sense that he basically takes the worldview of, I can control what I can control and I cant allow myself to be consumed by the things that are beyond my control. And so, I think he left thinking that he had done what he thought was a good job as president. He can control how he gives advice to Democrats and the post-presidency foundation he builds and the issues he chooses to focus on, but he cant control Trump. And so he doesnt let it into his head. In a way, I think hes also smart enough to realize that the moment he lets it in his head, Trump wins. Like, if he was sitting around feeling sorry for himself because Trump pulled out of the Iran deal or did whatever, thats actually what Trump wants. And I do think that Obamas optimism or, optimistic message always overlooks the fact that he was pretty clear-eyed about you know, hes an African-American. He knows that not every story has a happy ending. That theres inherent unfairness in American society. And how are you handling the Trump administration? Not well. Not as well as him, certainly. I mean, theres the election itself and then theres the last year. The election itself its funny, I describe it the next day, I was like, Oh, it makes sense, Trumps message. And I could even see it at the time. I remember watching some of his rallies and thinking, Wow, if he was a somewhat better politician, this would be really scary. Thats what I thought, too. I actually said that to Obama. I remember watching one of the Mar-a-Lago Super Tuesday things and thinking, hes so close to having an incredibly dangerous message. But I thought he was just enough of a joke that he wouldnt get there. That was probably too high-minded of me. My experience with American politics was getting on this rocket ship of the Obama 08 campaign, where it seemed like itd be impossible that America could go backward after that. And that was completely wrong, which was shocking. Over the last year, the strangest thing for me, personally, was how the Benghazi effect that I describe in the book, of becoming this villain, didnt end. I had this unmasking scandal, when I actually never unmasked a single Trump campaign person or associate. But that didnt matter, lets just make it a scandal. Then the deep-state stuff, which assigned far too much agency to me. Then the Black Cube stuff. More universally, the Iran deal was particularly painful because, once lost, it cant be reclaimed. The Paris Climate Accord doesnt really worry me that much because the next president will come back into it. Cuba was frustrating, but we broke the barrier. We have diplomatic relations. Inevitably, I dont think were gonna have an embargo on Cuba in a few years, right? Iran is kind of binary. We worked on that for seven years and now its gone. To me, the more troubling thing, the more painful thing, is an entire approach to governing is just being eviscerated. We spent eight years trying to be good stewards in terms of whether we were right or wrong, trying to do this set of jobs a certain way. You watch the G7 summit that, to me, is the most difficult thing to watch, because those countries have no idea what the hell is going on. And they dont care about the reality show. Here, theres almost a humor to it, but my basic view is that there was going to be a natural reallocation of global influence over the next 50 years with countries like China, India Now, were speeding it up to five years. Its gonna happen in four years. Thats what I see happening. To me, thats whats most troubling, is that the cost of what Trump is doing is profound, but its not apparent day-to-day. So with the news cycle, its like, Oh, he just shook Kim Jong-uns hand. No, in fact, what he just did is send a message that by trashing our allies, hes further accelerating people turning to China and away from us. The consequences wont become apparent right away. How much of the foreign-policy damage do you think can be undone fairly quickly? Because it seems like theres some corollary to the Bush years. We have these poll numbers about how Canadians think America is no longer trustworthy, but I think thats mostly just tied to whos president. From a policy perspective, nothing as destructive as the Iraq war has happened. And from a global perspective, nothing as destructive as the financial crisis has happened. However Its early. What Ive heard from a number of foreign governments since Trump came to office, including pretty senior people is that, you dont understand. Its not just that Trumps president, its that your country elected Trump. And essentially thats why Trumps presidency, I think, is more destructive than any one event that will take place under Trump. I think for a lot of Americans, we like to separate ourselves from Trump and say, This is an aberration. I think the rest of the world is thinking, How did this person get elected? Just him losing the election in 2020 wont fully correct that something that is broken. America was a country where that wasnt supposed to happen. To have basically an authoritarian demagogue get elected president. So I dont think its fully recoverable. The policies are recoverable, right? We can care about climate change again. We can work with our allies again. We can advocate for human rights again, and you can go down the list. But the second troubling thing Ive heard is that, like, Trump is totally recognizable because yeah, weve all had a corrupt leader and Ive heard this in Southeast Asia and Latin America the rich liar with the son-in-law is usually who runs the country. The archetype. But that makes America just like everybody else. And thats what Chinas argument is, right? I think the biggest shift is going to be be toward America just being another big, powerful country. Maybe even the most powerful country but something will have been lost. I also think that four years is survivable, and eight years is not, in that the change that you can make take root in eight years is exponentially greater than four. So I think its hard to overstate the importance of the next midterm and presidential-election cycles to how the story ends. To play devils advocate a bit, its not like weve been saintly before this. Weve backed regimes in so many of these countries that damaged them terribly. This stuff is often glossed over in our vision of American exceptionalism. Countries price in American foreign-policy failures. Whats different is that this is about something that happened here. So, lets say youre a treaty ally of the United States. Lets say youre South Korea or Japan. Your bet is not on America to get everything right in its foreign policy, its that America is a safe bet. Weve got our shit together. We can be counted on. I had a very strange experience I was in Japan meeting with some people last year and it was at the height of the fire and fury nuclear-threat stuff. And these were kind of business-leader types and I thought that all theyd want to talk about was North Korea. All they wanted to talk about was Charlottesville. Thats fascinating. And what I realized is that that was more important to their calculation because that was like theyre thinking, weve counted on these people for decades to be our protector. These guys may not get everything right, but we dont have to worry about them. But suddenly they see Charlottesville and its, Wait a second. Is there something going on here that we need to factor into our assessment of whether we need nuclear weapons, whether its worth having all these American military bases here? Like, is this country not what we thought it was? I dont think theyre at a tipping point yet; Charlottesville is still pretty extreme. And again, America has never been perfect Jim Crow is worse than anything Trump has done. But the people in charge have always been even if they were sometimes racist they were serious people. To have someone who is so fundamentally unserious running the most powerful institution in the world, the U.S. government that I think is whats new about Trump. Banks Board Bureau has recommended 22 general managers to be elevated as executive directors at the various public sector banks New Delhi: Banks Board Bureau (BBB), the advisory body formed by the government for selection of candidates for top level board appointment, has recommended 22 general managers to be elevated as executive directors at the various public sector banks. This is the first major exercise undertaken by the BBB, headed by newly appointed chairman BP Sharma, former Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training. Sharma was appointed head of the panel in April after completion of two-year term of former CAG Vinod Rai. The chairman and members of the panel have recommended to the Government of India 22 general managers for being appointed as executive directors in public sector banks (PSBs), BBB said in a statement. The panel has recommended general managers Manas Ranjan Biswal, Gopal Gusain, Vivek Jha, Alok Srivastava, Hemant Kumar Tamta, Ajit Kumar Das, Agyey Kumar Azad, Dinesh Kumar Garg, Sanjay Aggarwal and Shanti Lal Jain for appointment as EDs. Besides, Vijay Dube, Ajay K Khurana, A Manimekhalai, Vikramaditya Singh Khichi, Usha Ravi, P R Rajagopal, Shenoy Vishwanath Vittal, Atul Kumar, K Srinivasa Rao, Sanjay Kumar, K Ramchandran and Ajay Vyas too would be elevated. "These recommendations are based on interactions held by the Banks Board Bureau with eligible candidates from PSBs towards appointment against vacancies in PSBs for the period 2018-19," it said. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take the final decision in this regard. There are already some vacancies at executive director level and some would be created during the course of the year. Board members of ICICI Bank are meeting on Monday to decide on the appointment and the scope of the BN Srikrishna panel to look into the allegations of conflicts of interest against chief executive Chanda Kochhar Is ICICI Bank's long-serving Managing Director and CEO Chanda Kochhar on her way out? The lender's Board is meeting on Monday and the crucial question over Kochhar's continuance as MD and chief executive till a probe, instituted to examine allegations of conflict of interest against Kochhar, is over may be addressed, unnamed sources told the Press Trust of India (PTI). Board members could take a decision on the above mentioned and will also decide on the appointment and the scope of the BN Srikrishna panel that will probe the allegations against Kochhar. The decision on the appointment of the retired Supreme Court judge and the scope of his work will be taken by the board's sub-committee on corporate governance. Media reports on Monday said Sandeep Bakshi, who heads the lender's life insurance arm, may be appointed the interim chief executive and sector regulator Irdai has also been told "informally" about the move. Kochhar is on her "annual leave" right now, the bank had said earlier. According to sources, she comes to work on a "need basis" during her annual leave and was also present at the Board meeting last week when the bank decided to dilute two percent more in ICICI Prudential Life. It can be noted that last month, the board had constituted an independent external probe panel after more allegations had surfaced against Kochhar violating the bank's 'code of conduct'. Later, media reports said Srikrishna would be heading the probe. "The scope of enquiry would be comprehensive and will include all relevant matters arising out of and in the course of examination of the facts and wherever warranted, use of forensics/e-mail reviews and record statements of relevant personnel, etc," the bank had said on 31 May. The Board had on 28 March reposed full faith in Kochhar after allegations of possible conflicts of interest, lack of disclosure and possible quid pro quo first surfaced against Kochhar, following a complaint by an activist. Even as the board stood by her, details of misdoings emerged in the media, leading to a multi-agency probe against Kochhar by various law enforcement agencies. The cases under scanner include the bank's Rs 3,250 crore loan to the Videocon Group in 2012 and the involvement of Kochhar family members, including her husband Deepak Kochhar, in first sanctioning the loan and then restructuring the same. Interim finance minister Piyush Goyal had earlier this month said the law would take its course in the alleged case of nepotism at ICICI Bank, even though it is a good bank with "very robust processes" and there was no cause for concern for any of the stakeholders of ICICI Bank per se. There are also allegations that NuPower got investments of Rs 325 crore from Mauritius-based Firstland Holdings, a company owned by Nishant Kanodia, the son-in-law of Essar Group co-founder Ravi Ruia. Neither the Centre nor the states can afford farm loan waivers. But, PM Modi might just relent, to boost the BJP's prospects in 2019's elections One of the key highlights of Sunday's NITI Aayog meeting was the rising chorus for a Centre-sponsored farm loan waiver. That demand came from at least two major states -- Karnataka and Punjab -- where chief ministers sought Prime Minister Narendra Modis intervention to make the Centre a part of their loan waiver programmes. In the case of Karnataka, the newly appointed chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy made a pitch that the Centre should foot 50 percent of the bill to execute the farm loan waiver programme announced by the state government as part of its campaign promise. Punjabs chief minister, Amrinder Singh went a step further asking Modi to set up a committee of the Centre and the states to prepare a roadmap for a 'National Debt Waiver Scheme'. Till now, the Modi government has ruled out the idea of a Centre-sponsored farm loan waiver. Union finance minister Arun Jaitley has said more than once that the union government isnt ready for a farm loan waiver programme and that states will have to bear the burden should they choose to go for it. But, that scenario could change in the final year of this NDA government if a) monsoons fail this year b) Congress-led opposition parties step-up their street fight against the Modi-government, painting it as anti-farmer, citing the centres continuing reluctance to take part in loan waiver programmes. Clearly, the two Congress-ruled statesKarnataka and Punjab do not have the wherewithal to implement loan waivers on their own. Kumaraswamy is caught in a big trap -- he committed to the loan waiver within 15 days of coming to power even before finding the means to execute the promise. The same would have happened to B S Yedurappa as well, had he retained power at the end of numbers-game. Kumaraswamy will be courting big political trouble if he fails to walk the talk. The most likely scenario, in that case, would be Kumaraswamy passing on the blame to the Centre for not extending help. The idea of pitching his case in the NITI Aayog meeting could have been nothing but this. The Karnataka CM will then argue that despite the state governments willingness to implement the farm loan waiver, the BJP-government at the centre is turning its face away from the proposal for political reasons. This will cost the BJP in a big way in the 2019 polls in an agriculture-heavy state. Now, if Modi concedes to Kumaraswamys demand by agreeing to be part of the Karnataka loan waiver, he will have to do the same with the other states making a similar pitch. The Centre may have to even roll out a nationwide loan waiver programme, much like the one P Chidambaram announced in 2008. That will be a disastrous idea for the government, especially if it is serious about keeping to the committed fiscal deficit roadmap (to 3.2 percent - 3.3 percent this fiscal year). Already, the Centre has been caught off-guard on the fuel price issue, which is also presenting a political deadlock for the Modi-government in an election year. Rating agency, Moodys has cautioned that every one-rupee cut in petrol and diesel rates will result in a Rs13,000 crore loss to the state exchequer and will, thus, impact the fiscal deficit badly. The problem is that the BJP doesnt have too many points to defend and rule out the idea of farm loan waivers outright because one of the biggest supporters of loan waivers was none other than Modi himself. And a few BJP-ruled states have already rolled out large-scale loan waivers (Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra for example). Empirical evidence has showed time and again that loan waivers have hardly helped the needy farmer improve his/her situation, beyond temporary relief. But, this has evolved to become a political tool too good for any politician to reject to lure ill-informed, illiterate farmers to polling booths. Recently, Kumaraswamy drew political mileage by retorting with a jibe to Modis fitness challenge on twitter; but the Prime Minister will find it even tougher to respond to Kumaraswamys loan waiver challenge Rajiv Singh's computer has reportedly been seized and the state cyber-crime unit is probing the matter The e-mail account of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Joint Director Rajiv Singh, who was overseeing a probe into the near $2 billion PNB scam allegedly perpetrated by diamantaire Nirav Modi, has reportedly been hacked from Shimla. Bulk emails have been sent out from his email ID, according to a media report. According to a CNN-News18 report, the senior official's email account was hacked from the hill station following a digital security breach. Singh's computer has reportedly been seized and the state cyber-crime unit is probing the matter. The unit is trying to ascertain whether any sensitive information was leaked. Singh was prematurely repatriated to his home cadre of Tripura on 25 May. The CBI told the news channel that Singh's repatriation was not in any way linked to the breach of his e-mail account. Along with Singh, three other officers of the CBI -- Joint Director (STF) and Special Crime Nina Singh, DIG Anish Prasad and Superintendent of Police R Gopala Krishna Rao -- were also repatriated to their respective home cadres in late May. On 14 June, the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of protecting Nirav Modi in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case and sought a reply from the Ministry of External Affairs on the absconding diamantaire's travel spree, using a revoked passport. "Even as the Modi Government has been caught snoozing, Chhota Modi-2 i.e 'Nirav Modi, the absconding accused in India's 'biggest bank loot scam' is on a travel spree using a 'revoked passport' by the Ministry of External Affairs," said former Union Minister Rajeev Shukla. With inputs from PTI Farms that are less than a hectare will not benefit from commercialisation unless efforts are made to consolidate land parcels Across the country agitating farmers are emptying their produce from tomatoes to milk on the streets because they are not getting even the cost price. Often the price slump is because of a glut in production. In this conversation with Seetha, Pravesh Sharma, a former IAS officer turned agri-market entrepreneur gives a sense of how things have come to this pass. Sharma is co-founder and CEO of Kamatan, an agri-tech start-up. Excerpts: Farmer distress is spanning states as well as crops. Why? Is politics overwhelming economics in agriculture? One issue I have had with the current discourse is that we seem to have a very narrow time span in agriculture; we ignore the impact of legacy issues. This agricultural distress has not happened in the last three years. It has been building up over the last twenty years. We have dismantled most of the pre-1991 ecosystem in industry and services. But the ecosystem in agriculture is still operating in a pre-reforms mindset. Land, labour, capital, technology, output markets, everything is over-controlled and over-regulated. Except in three states - Punjab, Telangana and parts of Tamil Nadu - land tenancy is illegal. But informal tenancies exist. Those tenants have no recourse to institutional credit, subsidised inputs and insurance. They cannot sell their product at minimum support price (MSP) because they cannot produce land papers; rents are varying and exorbitant; they have no rights on the land, they can be evicted any time. But there is a model land leasing law. And Madhya Pradesh passed a law. It exists as a draft. Not one state has acted on it. Madhya Pradesh passed the Act; it never came out with the rules. This is just a farce. The so-called model Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act has been passed by so many states. Nobody has put in the rules through which these laws can be implemented. Today as an ethical buyer, I am not able to buy directly from the farmer in a majority of the states. I procure maize for big companies in Uttar Pradesh. They say you cannot have your own collection centre. I said I am buying at the farm gate so that the farmer does not have to take it to the mandi. I am giving the farmer the same price he is getting in the mandi. I am even willing to pay the mandi tax. But at least the 4 percent to 6 percent that goes to an intermediate agent I can pass on to the farmer. They say no. So the farmer has to bring the produce to the mandi, incurring the transport and labour cost. You cannot look at the whole agricultural situation as one segment - lets fix marketing, lets fix tenancy, lets fix credit, lets give a loan waiver. Loan waivers are short term palliatives which certainly relieve distress. But they have to be followed by a package of medium to long term policy inputs. Why does the stress appear to have increased more recently? In the last twenty-odd years, the nature of our agricultural demand has totally transformed. Twenty years ago, 75 percent of the total value of agricultural GDP was contributed by grains, pulses, oil-seeds and 25 percent by high value agricultural products (horticulture, fruits vegetables, dairy, poultry, fisheries etc). Over a period of time, as we have become relatively better off, the demand has completely reversed. So farmers have shifted from subsistence farming to commercial farming. But the ecosystem that would support sustainable commercial farming does not exist - easy access to institutional credit, affordable credit, quick access to technology, competitive markets, a liberal external trade policy, maybe new age instruments like futures, hedging. Take something as simple as price transmission. There is no mechanism to know the real time prices of tomato in mandis in the ten top metros. Today if I switch on my phone, I can get a ticker with share prices of 2000 companies in BSE/NSE. I do not get a real time ticker on agricultural prices. Why not invest in that? The needed reforms are well known. Why have they not been implemented? In Madhya Pradesh, an agriculture predominant state, where I worked most of my career, 95 percent of legislators are the middle peasants. They obviously favour policies that seek to perpetuate their local interests. Most of them depend on mandi agents, moneylenders to finance their election campaign, maintain their constituency, take care of their supporters. In return they will plough back government contracts to them, make sure that they get access to institutional credit from cooperatives, get them placed in the mandi committee. Obviously you dont want to bring in Cargill and Monsanto and ITC in your mandi because the local guy is going to get affected. Very soon these companies will demand transparent price discovery practices, better governance procedures and more transparency. So there is a combination of rent seeking, political patronage and simply safeguarding of your interests and your supporters. eNAM is also appeared to be designed to fail. . . The day they said eNAM should be placed in the mandi, I said it is dead in the water. That is the compromise they said we have to make. eNAM should have given competition and it should have been done very differently. Is that why delisting fruits and vegetable from the APMC has not worked very well? Yes. Because that should have been accompanied by a policy package to attract private investment, to set up new specialised market yards, give them a level playing field. They dont want that. Every state opposes the idea of private mandis. Maharashtra claims they have set up some, but those are largely for specialised products, not general products. ITC had e-chaupals. . . e-chaupals got overtaken by technology. When they came in Madhya Pradesh, they had the unique advantage of having an internet connection. At that time internet was not easily available, mobile phones were not so common, so farmers flocked to the e-chaupal largely to check on prices in neighbouring mandis. And then mobile phones came and now everyone can check on prices on their own, so it became an obsolete model. But even as long as they were there, were they being stymied by policy? Oh yes. ITC would only purchase what they could consume or needed; they were not allowed to do trading. If they cant do trading, it doesnt make sense. They had to pay mandi fees though they were not operating from the mandi. So there was no advantage of buying there. They had to do a huge amount of paperwork and the mandi inspectors used to have inspection rights, which was a rent seeking opportunity. To be fair to our corporate sector, each of the big houses tried it. Apart from ITC, Mahindras Shubh Laabh, Tata Kisan Sansar, DCMs Hariyali Kisan Bazaar. There was nothing wrong with these models. Had they been given a level playing field with APMC, some of them would have thrived. They effectively sank hundreds of crores in these ventures. But policy failed them. And unless there is competition in the markets, theres not going to be any real value realisation for farmers. The argument is that liberalising trade, encouraging the private sector will hit the small farmers. True, 65 percent of farmers are marginal but you can prepare the most vulnerable to face this opening up. Farms that are less than a hectare will not benefit from commercialisation unless efforts are made to consolidate land parcels, collectivise farmers into producer groups and companies. Why not invest in that? In my little start up, we are doing 200 acres of chilli farming and another 300 acres of onion farming on a very transparent basis it is your land, you are going to do the farming, Ill give a plan, I will suggest the seed, I will help you with sourcing the inputs, I will buy back everything, we will have a very transparent price benchmarking to the three nearest mandis, and well take the average of that price and I will take it from you at your farm gate and marketing is my problem. Ultimately farmers will have to produce for the market and not market whatever they produce. For that they will have to work with the front end players who know what the customer is demanding. And this needs the right policies? There should be a policy to incentivise farm-based companies to work in the back end, give them tax breaks for some time. Why do you still give tax breaks to Infosys, for exporting software? How come you are not giving it to agri-business companies who are working in a much higher risk area? But there is no consensus within the system. Someone will say suit-boot ki sarkar and someone else will get defensive. We need to move beyond these politics. We have to remove the Essential Commodities Act. In pulses they impose stock limits. Why dont they invest in modern storage systems? These are classic examples of ad hoc, short term thinking. The argument against allowing the private sector to put up silos etc, is that this will lead to . . . Hoarding! I have always said bulk staples are not diamonds, you cant smuggle them out of the country. You can have a system where every storage above a certain limit has to be reported to the government on a portal. Thats understandable. Society should know that at any point of time this is the stock that is held in the country. Is this one of the reasons for the shortage-glut-shortage cycle that we are witnessing? The lack of transparent data flows, the complete of opacity of data to different categories of players. Farmers are looking at neighbours and saying lets plant onions this year, last year he got a good price. So we are over producing onion, sometimes we are under producing tomato, sometimes we are over producing potato. In pulses the government said we must reduce dependence on imports. Farmers responded. Now prices have crashed. You have not tweaked your import policy, you are still allowing low cost imports to come in. So make up your mind do you want consumers to enjoy lower prices or do you want farmers to get decent prices? How do we get out of this shortage-glut cycle? It will require more than just information flows you will have to open up your external trade policy. Some of our products are internationally competitive. They should be freely exported. Occasionally if there is a shortage, a price spike, you can put in temporary export ban but it should not be done in this ad hoc manner. And only if it is a major food crop. I would not even do it for onion. Its so silly. Will anyone starve for not eating enough onions? This North Indian obsession with eating onions is being pandered to beyond reasonable limits. Encouraging the food processing industry is being touted as one solution. India is a country with a lot of vegetables. Our uniqueness is that twelve months of the year it is possible to produce fresh agri produce and consume it. Now please tell me are you going to eat tomato puree in a country where fresh tomatoes are available 365 days a year? Why would you eat dehydrated onion when fresh onion is available all the time? So we will never have processing as a solution to these surpluses. Never. The answer is better feedback on planning, staggering, timing, spreading, geographical distribution. Lets bring efficient supply chains. You dont have decent collection centres in the villages. Everything that comes to Azadpur mandi from Hapur 40 km away comes in gunny sacks; they should come in crates. Onions coming from Nashik to Delhi lose 2-3 percent weight because of the ambient conditions. Singapore has a law that says you cannot transport fresh produce in an open truck, it has to be a closed truck. It need not be air-conditioned, but it has to be a covered truck. Do we need to prioritise marketing reforms? Lets work on the eco system at one go. It has to start from the basic lets liberalise the land tenancy, contract farming, then input marketing reforms, output marketing reforms, credit market reforms and labour market reforms. (The writer is a senior journalist. She tweets at @soorpanakha) Read Abhijit Sen's interview on the problems facing the sugar sector: Part 1: Sugar Package: We Need To Cut Cane Acreage But Thats A Political Call Nobody Will Take, Abhijit Sen Tells Firstpost Part 2 : Sugar Package: Most Mills Are Bad In Quality And Some Need To Be Rationalised, Abhijit Sen Tells Firstpost Amid the tug of war between the AAP dispensation and L-G, Arvind Kejriwal called up Uddhav Thackeray and apprised him about the situation in Delhi. Mumbai: Amid the tug of war between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation and Lieutenant Governor, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called up Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and apprised him about the situation in the national capital. Media advisor to Thackeray, Harshal Pradhan, said Kejriwal called Thackeray on Sunday. "Uddhav ji feels that the duly-elected government by people of Delhi should be allowed to function without any hindrance in its working," he said. "This, however, does not amount to the Shiv Sena, a key NDA constituent, supporting Kejriwal and the AAP," Pradhan said, dismissing media reports in this connection. The AAP-led government is locked in a war with L-G Anil Baijal over administrative issues since a week. The AAP on Monday thanked the Shiv Sena and the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for supporting it against the "unprecedented murder of democracy" in Delhi. "It is a true statesmanship to stand up for democracy keeping aside differences," AAP spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon said. The MNS had last week asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if it was not his job to resolve the deadlock between Kejriwal and bureaucrats which was causing "inconvenience" to people. MNS spokesperson Anil Shidore, in a tweet, had also asked if Modi allegedly wanted to suggest that people would get facilities only if the BJP is in power from the Centre to the local-level. "Kejriwal called up Uddhav ji on Sunday. He gave information about the situation in Delhi, to which Uddhav ji said no hurdle be created in the functioning of a duly-elected government. Instead, they should be extended all cooperation," he said. "This does not amount to supporting Kejriwal and his party. The Shiv Sena only wants to say that when people have given the AAP an opportunity to serve them, allow them to do so," Pradhan said. Menon said Kejriwal had called up Thackeray, who assured support to the AAP over the issue despite the parties being "poles apart ideologically". In a statement, the AAP leader added, "Ideologically, our parties are poles apart, and we disagree on most things. But it is true statesmanship when parties can put their policies and differences aside and stand up for democracy and Constitution." Manish Sisodia called for a meeting between government and IAS officers to end the stalemate. Auto refresh feeds Amid the ongoing sit-in by party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his two cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor's office, the AAP leaders and workers began the march from Mandi House but were stopped at Parliament Street police station, way behind the finishing line. Spurred by participation of CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and several Left workers, the Aam Aadmi Party managed to stage a notable protest march on Sunday but failed to reach its avowed destination 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, the Prime Minister's residence. Kejriwal thanked the people of Delhi for extending support to the party's protest in the National Capital on Sunday. "A large number of people today come out on the road to save democracy. Salute people's passion People have given great sacrifices to save their beloved country and democracy. If tomorrow, even if we have to give our own life for this, it is very happy." "Our dear friend, dynamic and most talked about Chief Minister of Delhi ArvindKejriwal has certainly shown statesmanship and has appealed the officers to get back to work. He has moved two steps. Hope the so called strike of the bureaucrats ends now. Jai Hind!", Sinha tweeted. IAS officers came out in public on Sunday alleging that they have been "targeted and victimised" for political gains. 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 Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, PTI reported. According to a News18 report , Arvind Kejriwal called up Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday when the latter told the AAP leader that he was disgusted with the situation in the national capital. "Last night, Satyendra Jains ketone levels increased and he complained of headache, body ache, difficulty in breathing and difficulty in passing urine. So, he had to be shifted to hospital. Now, he is doing well. It is the sixth day of Manishs fast. He is doing well." Earlier on Sunday, as the protest grew, Arvind Kejriwal received the support of four non-BJP chief ministers including West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan who flew down to Delhi to meet him but, were not allowed. They were later received by his wife at the chief minister's official residence. The protest march also saw the presence of CPM leader Sitaram Yechury. The Delhi High Court has questioned the Aam Aadmi Party and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday over staging of dharna amid ongoing political tussle with L-G Anil Baijal, India Today reported. Questioning Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government's dharna over the past few days, Delhi High Court said, "This can't be called a dharna, you can't go inside someone's house or office and start a strike." You can't go inside someone's house or office and start a strike: Delhi HC to Kejriwal The lawyer said that strike was "an individual decision," to which the court asked: "Is it authorised?" The Delhi High Court on Monday questioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the ongoing standoff with Lieutenant-General Anil Baijal and asked who had authorised Kejriwal and his ministers to sit on a dharna. Hearing a petition against the weeklong sit-in at the L-G's office, the Delhi High Court's sharp rebuttal came on Tuesday when the court said, "Thing is that you're sitting on a dharna. Who authorised them to sit on a dharna like this? This can't be called a strike. You can't go inside someone's office or house and hold a strike there." The HC bench headed by Justice A K Chawla and Justice Navin Chawla heard two petitions, one against the sit-in by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and the other against the alleged strike by the IAS officers posted in Delhi, The Indian Express reported . The next hearing will be held on 22 June. "We stand by our colleagues in Delhi and demand safety and security of all IAS officers and Government officials. Threats and physical violence have no place in a civilised society," the IAS Association tweeted. IAS Association stands in support of Delhi's officers, says threats and violence can't be tolerated BJP has asked Delhi L-G Anil Baijal to lodge a case against Arvind Kejriwal. "If the L-G doesn't take legal action against the Delhi chief minister, BJP would file a case", the Bharatiya Janata Party has said, India Today reported. BJP has alledged that Aam Aadmi Party's dharna is obstructing the Lieutenant Governor's work. As Manish Sisodia continues to hold fast for the sixth-day, AAP has arranged for a prayer meeting at 5 pm on Monday for the well-being of its leaders, The Indian Express reported . A signature campaign will begin on Tuesday and 10 lakh letters will be sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Sanjay Singh in the party press conference in Delhi on Monday. After the tussle between the L-G and the chief minister in Delhi, now the Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi has been accused of interfering in governance by chief minister V Narayanasamy, India Today reported. Manish Sisodia's ketone level rises to 7.4 while on Sunday it was 6.4. Ideally, it should be zero. Anything above 2 is considered to be in the danger zone. A team of doctors is on its way to the L-G house to see him. Of all the political leaders who have voiced their support for the AAP dharna so far, Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee has been the most articulate in its criticism of the crisis in Delhi. In its power tussle with the lieutenant governor and the BJP, Kejriwal and his government has garnered the backing of several regional parties, even as the L-Gs office continues to stay mum on the crisis. Read more here. While welcoming Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's statement, IAS officers say, "We are open for talks with the Delhi chief minister." They have also demanded specific steps to ensure their safety.- CNN-News18 Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ramgopal Yadav met Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodiya in Lok Nayak Hospital on Monday. Speaking to the media after the visit he said that it is unheard of in any Democracy that IAS officers go on strike. "Aren't provisions of laws relating to their service applicable on them. It can easily be understood from where they derive their strength. He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the L-G to pay heed to what the Delhi government is saying to prevent unwanted conflicts. (Inputs by Kangkan Acharyya) SP leader Ramgopal Yadav appeals to PM Modi, L-G to pay heed to what Delhi govt is saying Tamil Nadu CPI leader D Raja slams the Delhi L-G and PM Modi saying, "This is the most unprecedented and arrogant display by the L-G and PM. The Congress being a pan-India party should have stood for democratic values. They should answer as to why they're not." What is the reason for L-G to not meet Delhi CM, asks RJD's Tejashwi Yadav Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ramgopal Yadav met Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodiya in Lok Nayak Hospital on Monday. Speaking to the media after the visit he said that it is unheard of in any Democracy that IAS officers go on strike. "Aren't provisions of laws relating to their service applicable on them. It can easily be understood from where they derive their strength. He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the L-G to pay heed to what the Delhi government is saying to prevent unwanted conflicts. (Inputs by Kangkan Acharyya) SP leader Ramgopal Yadav appeals to PM Modi, L-G to pay heed to what Delhi govt is saying Minister @ImranHussaain had called two meetings today : 1) Environment Department meeting on air pollution was attended by all officers. 2) Food Department meeting rescheduled for tomorrow since Food Commissioner did not attend nor give any intimation. pic.twitter.com/sQbEO2nwsu Delhi is grateful to Akhilesh ji and Ram Gopal Yadav ji for raising voice in favor of democracy and standing by the people of Delhi https://t.co/1sCNDKDDRP After D Raja's visit, Arvind Kejriwal said, "Thank you Comrade Raja for raising your voice against assault on democracy in Delhi by Modi government." Tamil Nadu CPI leader D Raja slams the Delhi L-G and PM Modi saying, "This is the most unprecedented and arrogant display by the L-G and PM. The Congress being a pan-India party should have stood for democratic values. They should answer as to why they're not." Delhi: BJP leader Manoj Tiwari visited Delhi Secretariat to meet BJP leaders and IAS officers, says, "Delhi CM is an elected representative, he has not been present at his office for some days now. It should be decided now if he is even fit to hold the CM office." pic.twitter.com/nHT2RwD6mr Requesting Hon'ble @LtGovDelhi to call a meeting of elected government and IAS officers to resolve the issue as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/FfKNW2hJVs If anyone who has stopped developmental work, be it in Bihar or Delhi, it is the BJP. BJP can take any step for political gain. What is the reason for Lt Governor not meeting Delhi CM?: Tejashwi Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader pic.twitter.com/vpgspY5TVl What is the reason for L-G to not meet Delhi CM, asks RJD's Tejashwi Yadav Aam Aadmi Party Dharna Latest Updates: Doctors in LNJP hospital have said that Satyendra Jain is not taking food orally and is being given glucose, electrolytes and medication for symptomatic relief intravenously. He is likely to be kept in the ICU for the next 24 hours for observation. IAS officers say they are ready for 'formal talks' with Arvind Kejriwal, seek steps on their security. Rahul Gandhi slams Narendra Modi for turning blind eye to anarchy, says Delhi people are victims. Manish Sisodia called for meeting between govt and IAS officers to end stalemate. As storm gathers around AAP-led Delhi government's ongoing protest against the Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal, Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy has said that another BJP-appointed L-G Kiran Bedi is autocratic and "interferes" in government functioning. While the Opposition support for Kejriwal is gaining steam, the Bharatiya Janata Party has upped the ante by "instructing" the L-G to file a case against the chief minister or said that they will file a case if the L-G fails to do so. "We have shared over 50 letters about IAS officers skipping meetings. They themselves have admitted they skip meetings. If this isn't a strike, what is it? If IAS officers and L-G give a statement that they will start attending meetings, we will end the dharna. We have tried everything from writing letters, appealing them in vidhan Sabha and sitting on a dharna," says Sanjay Singh. The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the AAP government who authorised the sit-in by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and some of his cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor's office and observed that strikes are usually held outside an establishment or office and not inside. The observation by a bench of Justices A K Chawla and Navin Chawla came during the hearing of two petitions, one against the sit-in by Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal and the other against the alleged strike by the IAS officers of Delhi government. "Who authorised the strike/dharna (sit-in by Kejriwal)? You are sitting inside the LG's office. If it's a strike, it has to be outside the office," the court told lawyers appearing for the Delhi government in the two matters. The lawyer said that strike was "an individual decision," to which the court asked: "Is it authorised?" The Aam Aadmi Party will hold a key meeting at chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence at 12 pm on Monday, ANI reported. In the latest show of support, RWAs from Narela have written a letter in support of the Aam Aadmi Party's demand for full statehood of Delhi. Doctors conducted a health check up for Manish Sisodia on Monday who is on the sixth day of his fast. The latest entrant to back the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi is the Janata Dal United whose National General Secretary and spokesperson Pavan K Varma has said that "those urging officers to non-cooperate against the elected government of the day, may reap immediate political benefit, but will destroy the very foundations of our Republic in the long run." Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday tweeted that he will assure the safety of IAS officers and urged them to resume work without any fear and pressure. Kejriwal tweeted on Monday morning to update people about health minister Satyendra Jain's health who was shifted to the hospital on Sunday night after complaining of headache and difficulty in breathing. Kejriwal said that both Jain and Manish Sisodia, who is on the sixth day of his fast, were doing fine. To further bolster his political support, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called up Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday while Thackeray told him told that he was disgusted with the situation in the national capital. 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 also said that the AAP dispensation needed to "change its attitude" amid Kejriwal's standoff with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. Spurred by participation of CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and several Left workers, the Aam Aadmi Party 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 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his two cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor's office, the AAP leaders and workers began the march from Mandi House but were stopped at Parliament Street police station, way behind the finishing line - 7, LKM. 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. 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. On Saturday, 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 16 June. The sugar level had dipped again to 40 units on Saturday. His blood pressure reading was 110/70. Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain was admitted to hospital after complaining of a headache, nausea and breathing problems. Amid the ongoing tug of war between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain was rushed to hospital on Sunday night. Jain was admitted to Delhi's Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital as his health deteriorated, nearly a week after he began an indefinite hunger strike at the lieutenant governor's office. Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal tweeted about Jain's hospitalisation on Sunday. On Monday morning, he tweeted saying Jain was taken to hospital after complaining of a headache, body ache and difficulty in breathing and urinating. His ketone levels had increased. "Now, he is doing well," Kejriwal said. Satyender Jain shifted to hospital due to his deteriorating health Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 17, 2018 Good morning Delhi Last nite, Satinder Jains ketone levels increased n he complained of headache, bodyache, difficulty in breathing n difficulty in passing urine. So, he had to be shifted to hospital. Now, he is doing well. It is 6th day of Manshs fast. He is doing well Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 18, 2018 A doctor at LNJP Hospital said the health minister was admitted to hospital after he had complained of a headache, nausea and breathing problems in the evening. "His blood pressure is normal now. He has some breathing issues, but is stable. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia's ketone level is also high. Kejriwal is fine as he is not on a hunger strike," he was quoted as saying by ANI. Earlier, Jain had said in a statement: "My reports can be checked by any doctor. Ketones are increasing and blood sugar is constantly very low. Lost 3.7 kilograms in four days." The sit-in protest by Kejriwal and three ministers at the L-G's office continued for the seventh day on Sunday. They have stayed put at the lieutenant-governor's office demanding that Baijal direct IAS officers to end what the AAP described as their "strike" and approve the government's doorstep ration delivery scheme. The political slugfest between parties continued, with the AAP upping the ante and organising a massive march to the prime minister's residence. The police, however, stopped the march midway. The chief ministers of four non-BJP ruled states have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and resolve the Delhi crisis. Later in the day, Kejriwal tried to salvage the situation by sending out an "assurance of safety" to Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, whom he called part of his families. The Delhi IAS association in response has asked the 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". Revenue Secretary Manisha Saxena, along with Transport Commissioner Varsha Joshi, District Magistrate of South Delhi Amjad Tak and Directorate of Information and Publicity Secretary Jaydev Sarangi held a press conference and said that 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 Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash. With inputs from PTI Airtel landed in a Twitter controversy on Monday after a woman posted that she did not want to interact with a customer resolution officer as he was a Muslim. Telecom company Airtel landed in a Twitter controversy on Monday evening after a woman posted that she did not want to interact with a customer resolution officer as he was a Muslim. In response to this tweet, a man named Gaganjot took the conversation forward, leading many to accuse the company of not standing up to 'bigotry.' Following the conversation, many people expressed outrage, saying that they wanted to quit their Airtel connection. Earlier, the woman Pooja Singh posted a complaint on Twitter about 'misbehaviour' by a service engineer over the phone. Responding to this, a man named Shoaib posted a standard response. However, Singh subsequently tweeted Dear Shohaib, as youre a Muslim and I have no faith in your working ethics because Kuran may have different version for customer service, thus requesting you to assign a Hindu representative for my request. Thanks Pooja Singh (@pooja303singh) June 18, 2018 Subsequently, Airtel tweeted Hi Pooja! As discussed, please let me know what days & time frames work best for you so we can talk. Further, please share an alternate number so that I can assist you further with this. Thank you, Gaganjot Bharti Airtel India (@Airtel_Presence) June 18, 2018 Many social media users referred to the telecom company's response as an example of succumbing to bigotry. Others took to lampooning Singh, questioning if she would stop using fuel from Muslim-majority countries. Some Twitter users said that they wanted to quit their Airtel connections Hey Gaganjot... Mark this Tweet... now that ur company has given into racial bigotry i shall port my number outta Airtel and make sure atleast 25 of my friends to d same to.. shall forward numbers i helped port soon.. GOOD LUCK Girish Khubani (@girishkhubani) June 18, 2018 Hi guys. Can you please let me know how to initiate the closure of my Airtel broadband account ? I can't use services provided by a firm which can't stand up to bigotry! Arun Sriranga (@Arun_Sriranga) June 18, 2018 Dear @Airtel_Presence this conversation is genuine (Ive seen the timeline myself). I refuse to pay another penny to a company that condones such blatant bigotry. Im beginning the process of porting my number to another service provider & canceling my DTH & Broadband. pic.twitter.com/BZxJOaEsN6 Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 18, 2018 The company subsequently issued another response to Singh, in which it stated, "Dear Pooja, at Airtel, we absolutely do not differentiate between customers, employees and partners on the basis of caste or religion. We would urge you to do the same. Both Shoaib and Gaganjot are part of our customer resolution team. If any customer contacts us for an ongoing service issue then the first available service executive responds in the interest of time. On your query, we will get back to you as soon as there is an update." Further, the company said in a statement to the media, "We request everyone not to misinterpret and give it unnecessary religious colour. The said customer has been responded to. Speaking to Firstpost, an Airtel spokesperson said, "The first tweet (posted by Shoaib) was a standard response. As per procedure, if a customer is not happy with a resolution officer, another person takes over. We are not pandering to anyone's religious biases." With inputs from Sulekha Nair The Madras High Court on Monday observed that the police firing during the recent anti-Sterlite protests in Tuticorin was a fit case for CBI investigation. Chennai: The Madras High Court on Monday observed that the police firing during the recent anti-Sterlite protests in Tuticorin was a fit case for CBI investigation. Since the state police was involved, it is a fit case to be investigated by the CBI, Chief Justice Indira Banerjee observed when a PIL by an advocate came up for hearing before the first bench. Petitioner S Rajinikanth, an advocate practising in the high court, sought a probe by a sitting judge of the court into the 22 May and 23 May police firing, which left 13 people dead during the protests demanding closure of Sterlite's copper unit. He alleged that the police had fired from advanced guns that can only be used against enemies in a war. Besides, police personnel had positioned themselves atop a van and from such a height, the shooter can only target the upper part of a person, he submitted. The petitioner further alleged that the government was trying to conceal the happenings by appointing a 'name sake' inquiry committee. Advocate General Vijay Narayan submitted that the government had already ordered an inquiry by a retired high court judge into the incident. The court then directed the state government to file its counter and the petitioner his rejoinder, and posted the matter to 6 July. Besides the petition by the advocate, three other PILs have been filed before the court over the Tuticorin incidents and demanding various relief, including a CBI probe. Yet another PIL, also seeking a CBI probe, has been filed before the Madurai bench of the high court. Meanwhile, state Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said the one-member inquiry commission was 'sufficient' as it was headed by a person who had served in the judiciary. "The state government set up panel is probing the case and it is sufficient and everything is being updated. The team does not include officials from government, but a person belonging to judiciary or who served in judiciary," he told reporters. He was responding when a reporter drew his attention to the high court's observation on Monday. On whether the panel probing the incident was an "eyewash", the minister said, "Then there arises a question if inquiry panels set up by various governments in the past were an eyewash too?" If images of kids at the border separated from the parents are horrifying, think about what a deportation campaign would look like. Photo: US Customs and Border Patrol In the short term, the Trump administration has really placed itself on the horns of a dilemma by initiating its zero tolerance policy for people crossing the U.S. border without documentation. It is unlikely that it can brazenly continue to defy the outpouring of anguish over the separation of families at the border for too much longer, as religious communities, Republicans, and just plain folks who arent especially political are galvanized by the images of crying children held in cages. It seems even more unlikely that the GOP gambit of using the humanitarian crisis to force passage of Trump-backed immigration legislation is going to work. If anything, Democrats have found in the family separation saga a powerful midterm campaign issue, and arent about to reward Trump with a border wall or reductions in legal immigration to end it. But just standing down has serious political downsides, too, since zero tolerance is at the heart of the approach to immigration that Trumps base have long demanded and that Trump ran on. At a time when the president and his associates have clearly decided his partys only route to survival in the midterms is to whip up that base into a frenzy, backing down on a border crackdown would be a stone bummer for the MAGA set. The lesson Team Trump should learn from this moment, however, goes far beyond the policies executed at the border. A true zero tolerance immigration regime will focus not just on new undocumented immigrants, but on the 11 million or so living in various parts of the country. And once the status of relatively popular undocumented immigrants such as Dreamers is sorted out, support for dealing preemptively with many of the others will again rise among conservative voters. The Trump administration has neither the resources nor (probably) the political gumption to initiate mass deportations, complete with midnight roundups, transit camps, and buses or boxcars stuffed with illegal aliens headed to the border. But even stepped-up deportations could quickly create some of the same disturbing images of peaceful people being herded into pens and denied basic rights that have troubled consciences during the zero tolerance campaign aimed at migrants. Yes, Trump and company might well try to justify increased deportations as a matter of protecting American citizens from criminals, even though the only crime most of the undocumented have committed is a violation of immigration laws. But in the end the kind of immigration regime Breitbart News might approve of will trap Republicans between a nativist base and a general population that overwhelmingly prefers amnesty under certain conditions to deportations. In the end, even Donald Trump and Stephen Miller will probably be driven to the sneaky but effective strategy that in 2012 Mitt Romney indelibly labeled self-deportation: making life sufficiently miserable for the undocumented that many if not most will leave the country voluntarily, saving the U.S. government the financial, administrative, and psychological costs of finding, detaining, and deporting them. But there is a catch even there: the centerpiece of any feasible self-deportation strategy is a system of serious sanctions against businesses that hire undocumented immigrants. Part of the train-wreck over pending immigration legislation in the House this spring has been a dispute between hard-core conservatives and business interests over proposed provisions making the federal governments voluntary electronic e-Verify system for checking the immigration status of employees mandatory for many employers. With corporate America already in a state of near-revolt over Trumps trade policies, its unclear how far his GOP allies will go in an effort that essentially blames employers rather than Democratic lawmakers for the number of illegal aliens in the country. In any event, the border issues hanging so much fire right now should be understood as the opening skirmish of a broader battle over immigration enforcement actions that raise the expectations of nativists while dismaying or even angering the majority of the country, including key elites from clergy to corporate executives. We may soon discover exactly how far Donald Trump is willing to go to vindicate the investment hes made in get-tough immigration policies as a signature initiative. The grief and outrage across Assam following the lynching of Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath in Karbi Anglong last week is turning ugly, with calls for revenge attacks on Karbis. Editor's note: This series examines how social media rumours falsely accusing two young Assamese men, Abhijeet Nath and Nilotpal Das, led to their lynching. The incident reflects not just the marginalisation of the Karbi community to which the alleged perpetrators belong, but also points at fissures in a society that's grappling with the complexities posed by the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which seeks to unite dominant Assamese and all ethnic tribes in the state. Guwahati: The grief and outrage across Assam following the lynching of Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath in Karbi Anglong last week is turning ugly, with calls for revenge attacks on Karbis. Wide-scale protests demanding justice erupted after videos of one of the men begging for his life while being thrashed by the mob on 8 June surfaced on social media. The men were suspected of being child-lifters. This anti-Karbi sentiment is evident across the Brahmaputra Valley, especially in Guwahati, where Karbi students have been threatened and reports have emerged on social media of vigilante mobs roaming the streets looking for Karbis. Karbi students have been asked to vacate their hostels in Guwahati and many are leaving Axomiya-majority areas in the valley out of fear. Abuse and support To maintain communal harmony, a group of students have come together to provide support to those facing backlash. "I saw some students trying to help innocent Karbis in Guwahati on social media. As a concerned citizen, I thought it was my duty to help them," said Rituparna Neog, an ex-student of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), who now works with an NGO. "We can't blame the whole community for a few miscreants. This is a challenge to the anti-tribal narrative which has taken shape after the incident," she said. It was also reported that two tribal youths were attacked by a vigilante mob near Basistha, Guwahati. Social media has been flooded with calls for violence against not just the perpetrators but the entire community. Some have even demanded an economic blockade of the hill district. On social media, Karbis are being described as uncivilised and junglees. The police have already arrested around 35 people across 10 districts in Assam for posting hate-filled comments on social media platforms like Facebook. A number of protest rallies have been taken out in Karbi Anglong against the shameful incident. Everyone from social organisations to political organisations of Karbi Anglong have condemned the brutal incident. Though police have made dozens of arrests, protests against the lynching continue in Guwahati amid heightened security. Will history repeat itself? Please dont let deaths of Nilotpal and Abhijeet go the way my son Jhankar Saikias case unfolded, cried Haren Saikia, whose son was killed in broad daylight in front of the police in Karbi Anglong on 25 June, 2013. No charge sheet was filed. Haren said he still sees the perpetrator roaming the area even as promises of compensation from the government remain unfulfilled. Haren, an advocate, left his home in Karbi Anglong after his sons death. However, Haren soon found his home forcefully occupied to make room for a law school. My son has died. I dont have the courage to fight for a house now," Haren said. "I have let it go after futile attempts of justice. Crime watchers said the area has witnessed several such cases, including mob lynchings, but it goes unreported in the mainstream media. Legal complexities abound Delivering justice in cases of mob lynching is particularly challenging because of the complexity of such incidents and the large number of people involved. Care should be taken to ensure the trial is not delayed due to tactics adopted by the defence and justice is delivered swiftly," said advocate Bhaskar Dev Konwar. "In short, the judicial system is equipped to deal with cases of mob lynching but it is delaying trials that sometimes forces people to adopt vigilante justice. An undercurrent of tension Some of the state's intellectuals have pointed out that there is a seeming undercurrent of tension between the communities. Even if there is understanding and respect at the leadership-level, the ground situation is far worse than what meets the eye, said a noted intellectual who did not wish to be named. Karbi Anglong has seen years of underdevelopment. The tribals have been looked down upon due to illiteracy and lack of exposure. The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council is thought of as notoriously corrupt. Barely any funds have been directed to development, said a local Karbi youth, who also did not wish to be named. The police and district administration appear to be unable to seize control of the boiling unrest which has been brewing quietly over the past few years. A tiny feud between communities can snowball into a big fight with merciless killings," said Konwar. Assamese actress Akashitora Saikia pointed out that even though many militants from outfits such as United Liberation Front of Assam, National Democratic Front of Boroland, Karbi People's Liberation Tiger and others have surrendered and promised to assimilate into society, it cannot be denied that they've been conditioned to spread hatred and kill citizens. No one has even thought of a psychological or spiritual approach to nurture the surrendered militants back to normalcy. Their minds have to be counselled and the rehabilitation is a necessary part of peace building, Akashitora said. Nilotpals mother Radhika seems unable to come to terms with her loss. Lamenting the fate of her son and his friend, Radhika described them as "nature lovers" who'd gone on a trip within their state. With inputs from Pratyush Deep The authors are freelance writers and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters Assam lynching, Part 1: Gruesome murders fuel ire against Karbis even as calls for peace flood social media Assam lynching, Part 2: Deaths of two innocents put focus on social media rumours, demand for justice reaches foreign shores The lynching of two youths at Karbi Anglong in Assam reveal the layers of fear and suspicion embedded deep in the psyche of the inhabitants in the region. The fast-paced sequence of events leading to the mob lynching of two youths at Karbi Anglong Abhijeet Nath and Nilotpal Das in Assam reveal the layers of fear and suspicion embedded deep in the psyche of many sections of inhabitants in that region. Since the late 1990s, the hill district has been rocked by insurgency, riots and killings vitiating the ambience where a little incident or rumour becomes the trigger for large-scale violence. Around 30 communities including tribals and non-tribals with a wide array of languages, cultures and religions inhabit Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong, which is governed by an autonomous council under the Sixth Schedule. However, like most of the regions in the North East under such councils, the system has been unable to promote development to the desired level and avenues of employment while the influx of outsiders to the district has only led to the decrease of the tribal population in the district (from 74.59 percent in 1961 to 51.56 percent in 1991). Not surprisingly, the existing circumstances compelled many youths to take recourse to the gun as a means of redressing their grievances. In 2005, there were at least seven militant outfits active in Karbi Anglong including groups from Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland. On many occasions, these competing outfits have clashed with each other fuelling distrust and hatred among the different communities. On many occasions, the immediate causes were used as a pretext to settle scores and manifest their disaffection. Like on 24 March, 2004, suspected members of a rebel outfit dragged twenty-eight villages out of their homes at Woden Tisso village and shot them. Before that, on 18 October, 2005, twenty-three Karbi passengers were dragged out of a bus near Charchim and hacked by militants belonging to another community. Borsing Rongfar, editor of Solangdo, who has researched on the riots in Karbi Anglong explained that the violence in the area has created a 'climate of insecurity' among the people. "There are political, social and economic reasons that have fuelled the unrest in this district and they have had an adverse impact on the mindset of the people. But all these could have been greatly reduced with the spread of education and growth of connectivity which are also lacking." Cult of the gun Like the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, the twin hill districts of Assam have witnessed the unique phenomenon of insurgent groups fizzling out after some years of fighting either due to surrenders or agreements with the government, but there were always others to continue the movement from the jungles. In Karbi Anglong, the banner of armed revolt was raised in the mid-1990s by the Karbi Peoples Front (KPF) and Karbi National Volunteers which merged in 1999 to form the United Peoples Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) with the aim of creating a separate state or homeland for the Karbis and an economic package for the region among other demands. However, within a few years of the ceasefire agreement with the government, a disgruntled faction broke away to give birth to the Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), which also colluded for some time with other banned groups. KNLNLF surrendered in 2010 and the UPDS' settlement with the Centre a year later provided for devolution of more powers to the autonomous district council and schemes for development of the district. However, by 2016, there were reports of two more rebel groups taking birth in Karbi Anglong and engaging in rampant extortion and killing of rhinos. Factors like availability of weapons, funds and cadres which are necessary to sustain a rebel outfit are extant despite surrenders of and accords with militant organisations. Sometimes it becomes advantageous for bigger rebel outfits operating in distant regions to sustain smaller groups for a variety of reasons. In 2007, the KLNLF colluded with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to carry out attacks against Hindi-speaking people resulting in the death of eight persons in Karbi Anglong. Series of riots Different communities have been engaged in conflict in Karbi Anglong. Between 2003-07, there were four major clashes involving Karbis, Kukis, Khasi-Pnar, Dimasas, Adivasis (tea tribes) and Biharis. The first was between the Karbi and Kuki in 2003 which dragged almost until the next year. The immediate cause was the ban imposed by UPDS on jhum cultivation in Singhason Khonbamon Hills on the grounds that it led to ecological damage and soil erosion. The Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) stepped in to protect the Kuki farmers who were also provoked to defy the ban. Both the rebel groups allegedly slaughtered people from both the communities which stopped only after the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) stepped in to broker a peace deal. The most deadly conflict in all these years was sparked off on 26 September, 2005, after three Dimasa autorickshaw drivers were abducted and killed by unknown assailants. The killers could not be apprehended by the police but rumours contributed to widening the rift between the Karbis and Dimasas. The Dima Halam Daogah (DHD), which had also signed a ceasefire with the government, allegedly attacked and torched Karbi villages with the UPDS retaliating whenever the opportunity arose. By November 2005, 90 persons had been killed from both the communities. According to an estimate, 219 people including children were killed in these conflicts and around 1.4 lakhs were displaced from their homes. Apparently, taxes imposed by the rebel groups have been a potent cause of conflict in the district. Very often, the outfit steps into the areas inhabited by other communities and controlled by other groups. Being the dominant community in the district, the Karbi militants have opposed the presence of other outfits and their policy of extending their areas of influence. In early December 2005, police raided a designated camp of the Dimasa group (DHD) in the forests of Dhansiri following complaints by the UPDS that its cadres were flouting the ceasefire ground rules. The NSCN(K), a banned Naga militant outfit, has claimed responsibility for Sunday's ambush with an Assam Rifles patrol party in Nagaland. Kohima: The NSCN(K), a banned Naga militant outfit, has claimed responsibility for Sunday's ambush with an Assam Rifles patrol party in Nagaland. In a statement on Monday, the outfit claimed that six security personnel were killed on the spot and an equal number injured in the attack. An Assam Rifles official had said on Monday that two Assam Rifles personnel were killed and four others suffered injuries in the ambush by the Naga insurgents near Aboi in Mon district. The Assam Rifles personnel who died on the spot were identified as Havildar Fateh Singh Negi and Sepoy Hungnga Konyak, the official had said. PRO to Assam Rifles' Inspector General Major Vincent Patton reiterated on Monday that two Assam Rifles personnel were killed while four of them were critically injured and undergoing treatment at the Army hospital in Jorhat. The NSCN(K) had abrogated a 14-year-old ceasefire with the Centre in 2015. As terrorist activities continued even after a month-long Ramzan ceasefire in Kashmir, the Centre on Sunday decided not to extend its unilateral initiative. As terrorist activities continued even after the announcement of a month-long suspension of anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre on Sunday decided not to extend its unilateral initiative, declared on 16 May 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 Ramzan," 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 Ramzan despite grave provocation by the terrorists. When the conditional suspension of anti-terror operations 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. A record 20 grenade attacks, 50 militant strikes and 41 killings took place in Kashmir during the month-long suspension of security operations, officials quoted by Hindustan Times said. According to officials, there were 18 incidents of terror between 17 April to 17 May and the figure rose to more than 50 during the suspension of operations. 'Decision in favour of peace-living Kashmiris' 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 suspension of anti-terror operations that 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. Nine security men, including four army jawans, were killed during the period. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had been one of the first leaders in the Valley to welcome the move. She had hoped that the Centre would continue with the decision even after Ramzan, paving the way for negotiations at a later stage. But the operations suspension failed to have the desired effect as Kashmir saw militant-related incidents almost double during the period. Suspension of anti-terror ops' failure a 'failure of peace process' Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman Rafi Ahmad Mir expressed unhappiness over the Central government's decision not to extend. Mir said, "The party was not happy with the decision announced by the Union home ministry in view of the unending violence during Ramzan, 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 the suspension of anti-terror activities 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. CPM leader Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami said: "Whatever the compulsions and the provocation, the decision not to extend is unfortunate. The common Kashmiri had heaved a sigh of relief and that hope has now vanished." Militants exploited the Ramzan peace While incidents of stone pelting reduced during the period of Ramzan, recruitment of local youths by militant groups and incidents of grenade lobbying rose alarmingly, according to a report in The New Indian Express. According to the latest data compiled by the Centre, as many as 23 youths were recruited by militant groups during the first 19 days of the suspension of anti-terror operations. The data, accessed by The New Indian Express in the report, also shows that of the total number of grenade lobbying incidents reported in the month of May, more than 80 percent, took place during the period alone. Defence experts, meanwhile, questioned the need for having a unilateral 'ceasefire' in the Kashmir Valley during the Muslim fasting month of Ramzan, maintaining that this had been fully exploited by militants, according to a Business Standard report. "Apparently, the opportunity that came their way by the way of unilateral ceasefire has been fully exploited by militants and separatists for conducting anti-India activities. It is time that security forces should be given free hand to do what they were doing earlier," an expert said. "Bandipora lays abeam the principal communication artery that connects Srinagar t0 Kargil and border. So, this is one area where every day the convoys are moving up and down. This operation has been going on for the last six days," he added. According to a Hindustan Times report, up until the attack in Pulwama, Kashmir had witnessed 54 incidents of violence since the Central government announced the Ramzan ceasefire. Most such attacks took place in the districts of south Kashmir. The data collected by the home ministry indicates that militant-related incidents in the Kashmir Valley increased by more than 100 percent during the Ramzan ceasefire. Before the ceasefire was announced, from 19 April to 16 May, there were 25 militant-related cases reported. But after the announcement, as many as 66 cases were reported between 17 May and 13 June. During Ramzan, as many as 62 terror-related incidents were reported, which were initiated by militants, while six were initiated by security forces; 22 cases of grenade attacks were reported and 23 cases of indiscriminate firing by militants were reported. Even attacks on civilians grew in number. Seven cases of attacks on civilians were reported during the 28 days of Ramzan. In the 28 days before the ceasefire, the figure was only six. The ceasefire was announced on 16 May to provide a conducive atmosphere during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan. 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. With inputs from agencies. The large number of casualties during the period of suspension of anti-terrorism operations in Kashmir has proved that the decision was short-sighted. This Eid in Kashmir was special as it came after a month of minimalist activity by the security forces against the militants in the disturbed areas within the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The decision of the home ministry, based on the recommendation of the state government at that time, did create intense debate with respect to the pros and cons, of a unilateral suspension of anti-terrorism operations. The recent army casualty along the LoC, IED blasts, attacks on special forces and stone-pelting incidents in the Valley after the holy prayers of Eid on 16 June 2018 once again bring into question the efficacy of the suspension of operations. Undoubtedly, this is an opportune time to assess if this decision achieved the desired results. Also, based on the advantage of hindsight, were the security forces correct when they raised objections for this cessation of hostilities? On 17 May, the central government must have surprised the PDP leadership in Jammu and Kashmir when it accepted the recommendations for a unilateral suspension of anti-terrorism operations for the month of Ramzan. This was a repeat of the decision taken nearly 18 years ago by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government in its efforts to facilitate peace. What is common in the two events is that the government at both times has been a BJP-led one. But the ground situation now is completely different from what it was then. Today, the young generation in the violence-prone areas of the state, especially the Kashmir Valley, was born and has grown up under the threat of guns. Therefore, the existing underlying hostility and animosity among the local population and youth cannot be appeased by mere tokenism. The states top officials and the chief minister are reported in the media to have said that the suspension of operations has brought down violence in civil areas. This is debatable in view of the casualties caused due to cross-border firing/terrorist actions during this period. The intensity of firing and the continuation of cross-border engagements for nine days from 15 to 23 May resulted in killing/injuring/displacement of large numbers in the border districts of the state, forcing DGMO talks with Pakistan, and India demanding the implementation of the 2003 bilateral confidence-building measure of no artillery fire in these areas. Also, the reduction in terrorist-related incidents was a result of the restraint exercised by the special forces to avoid operations, even when terrorist-related intelligence was available. The concurrent announcement by the home minister of active consideration to raise two more border battalions and five Indian reserve force battalions, for employment of the youth of these areas, needs to be reviewed. Further, constructing 14,000 bunkers in the areas affected by cross-border firing is poor optics. There is a need for improving the existing facilities available to the locals in this area for protection from cross-border firing while forcing Pakistan to desist from its chosen path of supporting these inimical elements. There is simultaneously a need for realistic monitoring of the actions of the deployed PMFs/CPOs in not raising the temperature along the borders. It is pertinent to highlight that there is a need for greater maturity in addressing the challenges of border management. There were four key pointers in favour of suspending anti-terror operations. Firstly, the speedy acceptance of Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftis proposal not only surprised her but also the separatist leadership and the inimical elements in Pakistan. A positive outcome was that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yasin Malik agreed to resume talks. Secondly, the policy was a political checkmate to the PDP, and it denied brownie points to the party. The PDP had lost space and credibility with a large section of the Kashmiri population after it allied itself with the BJP. The tie-up was taken as a breach of trust and a betrayal of its mission for the people of the state. In addition, the continued violence has led to Mufti finding herself more and more isolated. Thirdly, it was disruptive and did give a chance for the resumption of meaningful peace talks with the separatist leadership. It changed the existing narrative of violence in the state, which is primarily fuelled by Pakistan. Lastly, it did give succour and relief to the locals, as the cordon and search operations by the special forces had stopped. Was the suspension of anti-terror operations a good decision, and were the apprehensions of the security forces justified? In my view, the decision for implementing the policy was an outcome of not having an effective alternative action plan. For the success of such initiatives, the internal enablers for peace have to be present, concurrent with a favourable external environment. In this case, without a change in Pakistans approach to the Kashmir issue, this effort was doomed to be a failure. For any meaningful change to take place, a two-pronged approach is necessary. Internally, there is a need to give the necessary impetus and priority to completion of the projects that link the Kashmir Valley to the rest of India, by an all-weather land route. The removal of this isolation of the population in the Valley, coupled with a comprehensive, long-term and well-thought-out plan to connect with the youth, is a realistic way forward. The present young generation in the Valley is burdened with the baggage of seeing the government institutions and structures negatively, and the special forces as instruments of oppression. This impression needs to be dispelled by subtle methods. Also, the process needs an assured continuity with a political commitment from all the political parties, that they will implement the decided measures and not exploit fissures in society for garnering votes. This has to be concurrent with influencing Pakistans approach and attitude towards Kashmir. Otherwise, the suspension of operations will always be advantageous for the protagonist. It will give militants precious time to regroup, build up their resources and carry out unhindered support activities in the affected areas. A large number of casualties of civilians and special forces personnel during this period and the failure to make a major breakthrough in talks with the separatists has proved that the decision was short-sighted. In case there is a surge in terrorist activities and increased violence in the coming months, it would also prove to have been counterproductive. This would be similar to what transpired in 2000, after a period of no operations by the special forces. It is heartening to see that the home ministry has decided not to extend this policy. For a safe Amarnath Yatra, sanitisation and proactiveness of the special forces in neutralising likely threats is a must. In conclusion, the cascading impact of contentious decisions should always be assessed thoughtfully, before the decisions are implemented. The author is a retired lieutenant general and former army commander of the Indian Army. China proposed a trilateral summit to solve issues between India and Pakistan, days after Xi Jinping accepted Narendra Modi's invitation to visit India for an informal meeting in 2019. Days after Chinese premier Xi Jinping met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SCO Summit in Qingdao and accepted his invitation to visit India for an informal meeting in 2019, China proposed a trilateral summit to settle boundary issues between India and Pakistan. "Some Indian friends suggested that India, China, and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral summit on the sidelines of the SCO. So, if China, Russia, and Mongolia can have a trilateral summit, then why not India, China, and Pakistan," Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui was quoted as saying by ANI. Speaking at a seminar, titled "Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast Can China-India Relations Go" in New Delhi, Zhaohui appealed for a joint effort to maintain peace along the border, and said, "We cannot stand another Doka La incident." He also praised Modi's remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue. At the conference, Modi had said that Asia and the world will have a better future when India and China work together with trust and confidence while being sensitive to each other's interests. "Modi made a speech in Shangri-La which sent a positive message to China. In Qingdao, the two leaders agreed to hold a second round of informal summit next year. This is the most significant outcome of the Qingdao meeting (between the two leaders)," Zhaohui said on Monday. He added: "Strategic communications, meetings and heart-to-heart dialogues are important. Whats equally important is to implement the consensus, transmit (the) leaders' personal friendship down to the people, and take more concrete actions. The Qingdao meeting has shown the right direction." Zhaohui also said that India and China are neighbors that "cannot be moved away". "We are most populous and largest developing countries. We shared a historic glory of friendly interactions. We also have pending boundary issues. Our relations so multifaceted and complicated, calling for special care and attention," he said. The Chinese Ambassador to India also asserted that India and China have to follow five Cs to improve relations communication, cooperation, contacts, coordination, and control. He tweeted: We need to control, manage & narrow differences through expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutual acceptable solution through Special Representatives' Meeting while adopting confidence building measures. pic.twitter.com/v9cXwpAPHx Luo Zhaohui (@China_Amb_India) June 18, 2018 "China-India relations have gone beyond bilateral scope. We have broad converging interests and face common challenges in Asia and beyond. We need to enhance coordination and cooperation in SCO, BRICS, and G20, and join hands to tackle global challenges," he said. The Chinese ambassador's comments come a year after the troops of India and China were locked in the 73-day standoff in Doka La. On 16 June 2017, the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army in the disputed area. The face-off later ended on 28 August. Since then, both sides have been taking efforts to reset ties, leaving behind the episode. Modi attended the SCO summit nearly six weeks after a "milestone" summit with Xi in Wuhan. The duo held detailed discussions ahead of the SCO summit in Qingdao. They covered key aspects of the bilateral engagement, and made attempts to fix ties hit by issues like the Doka La standoff, and China blocking India's move to get Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar banned by the United Nations, and its opposition to India's bid for the Nuclear Suppliers Group membership. With inputs from PTI India is striving to become a $5 trillion economy and the world's third largest consumer market by 2025, said President Ram Nath Kovind in Greece while on his three-nation tour Athens: India is striving to become a $5 trillion economy and the world's third largest consumer market by 2025, President Ram Nath Kovind has said as he highlighted investment opportunities in the country. Kovind, the first Indian president to travel to Greece in 11 years, arrived at Athens on Saturday on the first leg of his three-nation tour. Addressing the diaspora here, he said his visit will strengthen ties between India and Greece. Kovind praised overseas Indians for playing an important role in improving bilateral relations. "Greece and India presented the ideals of civilisation and culture in the ancient world. The relations between the two countries are very old and deep. Greek historian Megasthenes introduced India to the world through his book 'Indica'," the president said. "We are working towards making India a $5 trillion economy and the world's third largest consumer market by 2025. According to the World Bank and IMF, our growth rate is going to be high," he said. Currently India's economy is estimated at $2.5 trillion. Kovind said India had a very strong position in the world with the perspective of democracy, demographic divided and demand. "We are proud of our overseas Indians and their successes. Today there are plenty of opportunities for business, innovation and investment in India. I hope that whatever you can do for the development of India for the motherland, you will do that," he said. India-Greece bilateral trade stands at $530 million and some Indian companies are also present in the infrastructure, pharmaceutical and steel sectors in the central European nation. Greece is home to a 12,000-strong Indian diaspora. Kovind will also travel to Surinam and Cuba during his trip. India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar has said that India welcomes Afghanistan's decision to carry out a unilateral ceasefire with militants and hopes that the action would be reciprocated New Delhi: India welcomed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's announcement extending the unilateral ceasefire with militant groups, on Sunday 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 Sunday. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India supports a "truly" 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 truly 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. Militant attacks continued in Jammu and Kashmir even though the government had suspended anti-terror operations in the Valley. While security and intelligence officials held a closed-door meeting with India's top decision-makers on 15 June to discuss the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior officer working at the North Block lamented the fact that the youth in the Valley born after 1990 had only seen violence and were exposed to the separatist ideology that hardened their mindset. To this problem, the official had a solution he suggested focussing on the "need for social engineering and making efforts to involve youth in creating positive public opinion". One of his colleagues, the chief of a paramilitary force, piped in with another suggestion to bring peace in the Kashmir Valley: "The credibility of the government should be established and the role of the army minimised." He emphasised the need to reduce the footprints of security forces in villages and towns in Kashmir that were affected by Pakistan-sponsored terror to make the government and governance more visible and effective. How can a government achieve this? Well, they did try a small-scale experiment by suspending operations against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramzan. Despite the decision on 'non-initiation of combat operations', the violence continued. Just before Eid, the brutal murders of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari and Indian Army rifleman Aurangzeb had a grievous impact on the peace process, which experts and analysts are now examining to ascertain whether it was a hasty decision by the government or a good move that lacked ground work. While the government on Sunday decided to not extend the suspension of anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, the move will continue to be debated, praised and criticised for days to come, as will the report that the situation on the ground was turning from bad to worse, and that security threats are beginning to resemble ones from the 1990s. However, during the high-level meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to know how the Class 10 and Class 12 board exams saw nearly 100% attendance from students, as the figures contradicted their large involvement in street protests. A senior officer observed that a large number of people participated in protests not because of conviction, but out of fear of separatists and trouble-makers. He tried to explain that the people of Kashmir, including the youth, want peace in the Valley, but a handful of Pakistani proxies operating in the region were trying to derail the process. The need of the hour is a healthy engagement of the youth in constructive activities as they are at the risk of getting disillusioned and radicalised by separatist propaganda. The unilateral suspension of offensives was a step in the right direction and a big gamble by the Modi government in its efforts to bring peace. It is a well-established fact that any effort by the Centre to restore peace in Kashmir will be met by a higher-level of violence by Pakistan-based terror groups, those that operate at the behest of the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and their silent separatist supporters in the Valley would sacrifice youth and other civilians to ensure that efforts towards peace initiated by Delhi are killed in the womb. A security officer was of the view that forces on the ground must launch operations to hunt down terror commanders, their financiers and supporters of ISI proxies. "We need to strike terror in the heart of Pakistani proxies and those misleading the youth with their sinister propaganda," he said. "The forces need to consider very carefully how to plan long term-operations, pledging to uproot the terror factories operating in the neighbourhood." Another senior officer serving in Jammu and Kashmir said that the Pakistani intelligence and terror groups have sustained their operation in the Valley for 30 years, and to dismantle their network and outsmart Pakistan's nefarious design, the political leadership needed to take innovative steps. He added that local recruitment and the recent attacks on security personnel and civilians remains a major concern, and if not neutralised, terrorists would try to do everything possible to disrupt upcoming the Amarnath Yatra. "Since the suspension of (anti-terror) operations has been revoked, we must re-deploy our strength to launch offensives in certain pockets of South Kashmir, where Pakistan-sponsored terrorists are thriving," the officer said. "This could be a security approach to normalise the situation, as intercepts at listening posts clearly indicate increased infiltration from across the border, and we have seen that the level of violence against security forces rose in the one month. We also need to fight the propaganda of separatists, who are peddling Pakistan's political and strategic interests. We need to fiercely fight them, too, and this will be more difficult than fighting terrorists." Will the Modi government embrace new initiatives for peace along with sustained security operations? Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh is willing to take bold steps, and during his recent visit to Jammu and Kashmir, he made it clear that it was his government's responsibility to provide a secure future for the youth of the state. However, there is one pertinent question: Is the state government a coalition of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Peoples Democratic party ready and capable to the cast governance net far and wide to counter propagandists? "Perhaps not," said a top security brass at the meeting. He also highlighted the issues of bad governance and corruption in the Valley and stressed the immediate need for civic action programmes. An officer from Jammu and Kashmir, during the discussion, emphasised the need to "continue police action against trouble-makers", but he also cautioned that the state government must embark on the peace process with proper preparation to counter the discourse of the separatists in the Valley. "The majority wants peace, and commitment from the government may open up a new window to establish a relationship with the young generation," he said. "The recruitment of local youth on a larger scale can be helpful in dealing with stone pelting." An idea that was thrown around at the meeting was taking a "differential approach to deal with foreign and local militants", which security forces have already undertaken to wean them away from the clutches of their Pakistani handlers, involving their family members to ensure that they give up their weapons. Like an officer from the North East said: "Issues in the Valley should be dealt with by taking enough time to contain the drift, and efforts should be made to address the youth. They should be given exposure to rest of the country." Prime Minister Modi knows that Pakistan uses recruits as cannon fodder, and as he told security officers, he had experienced this first hand during his visit to the Valley in the 1990s when he interacted with militants, who had surrendered, in jails. While identifying and targetting ISI proxies should be priority for security forces and executed with clinical expertise, the state and local administration should follow the words of the home minister and strive to create an environment free of terror and violence, changing the "tasveer" (image) and "taqdeer" (fate) of the Valley. Melania Trump on Sunday called for a reform in the US child separation policy. Though she did not denounce Donald Trump's administration's policy, but instead suggested bipartisan immigration reform to fix the issue. Washington: The emotional debate over separating immigrant parents and their children at the nation's southern border is getting some strong comments from first ladies-past and present, who want the practice changed. First lady Melania Trump "hates" to see families separated at the border and hopes "both sides of the aisle" can reform the nation's immigration laws, according to a statement from her office about the controversy on Sunday. Former first lady Laura Bush called the policy "cruel" and "immoral" and said "it breaks my heart". For both, it was an unusual entry into a fierce political debate. Melania didn't refer specifically to the Trump administration's zero- tolerance policy, which was leading to a spike in children being separated from their families. Government statistics indicate that nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families over a six-week period in April and May. A spokeswoman for the wife of President Donald Trump issued the statement after several days of images of crying children appearing on television and online. "Melania hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform," said Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for Melania Trump. "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." While the statement suggested the matter was an issue for Congress, Democratic lawmakers and others have pointed out that no law mandates the separation of children and parents at the border. A new Trump administration policy, which went into effect in May, sought to maximize criminal prosecutions of people caught trying to enter the US illegally. More adults were being jailed as a result, which led to their children being separated from them. Laura Bush was writing a guest column for The Washington Post on Sunday and compared the policy to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. "I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel," she wrote. She said "the U.S. government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso." Trump said on Friday, "I hate the children being taken away," but he also falsely blamed Democrats for a law requiring it. In an effort to rebut criticism of the administration, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Sunday repeated in a tweet the department's view: "We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period." In a separate tweet, she accused the news media and others of misreporting the issue and called on those seeking asylum to do so at ports of entry rather than crossing illegally. "This misreporting by Members, press and 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," Nielsen wrote. Representative Bob Goodlatte will miss out on the fun of issuing a subpoena. Photo: Pete Marovich/Bloomberg via Getty Images Peter Strzok, the FBI agent who sent anti-Trump messages to a colleague while leading the investigation of Hillary Clintons emails and Russias involvement in the Trump campaign, has said hes willing to testify before the House Judiciary Committee, or any other committee that wants to talk with him. This could lead to dramatic hearings, as Strzok could expose more information about those probes, and is central to President Trumps effort to discredit Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation. Reports last week indicated that House Judiciary chairman Bob Goodlatte was preparing to subpoena Strzok as part of the House investigation into the FBIs conduct during the 2016 election. Strzoks lawyer, Aitan Goelman, said in a letter to Goodlatte released Sunday that the move would be unnecessary, as Strzok intends to voluntarily appear and testify before your committee and any other Congressional committee that invites him. The letter noted that Strzok cooperated fully with the DOJ inspector general, who issued a report last week that was highly critical of the agent. In the lead-up to the 2016 election Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who were having an affair, exchanged anti-Trump messages on their FBI-issued phones. In one, Page asked if Trump might become president and Strzok replied, No. No he wont. Well stop it. The inspector general found no evidence connecting their views with specific investigative decisions, but said that comment and others implies a willingness to take official action. Strzok and Page said he meant Trump wouldnt be elected, and noted that they did not do anything to hurt Trumps odds, like leaking the existence of the Russia probe before the election. Goelman told the Washington Post on Sunday that theres no question that Strzok regrets sending the messages, but that I think what he was doing is expressing his political opinions in what he thought was a private text conversation, and he regrets that this has been weaponized by people with political motivations to try to discredit the Mueller investigation. Mueller removed Strzok from his investigation several weeks after it started following the discovery of the texts. Goelman said that if asked to testify, Strzok would be willing to testify without immunity, and would not invoke his Fifth Amendment rights. He said the agent intends to answer any question put to him, and he intends to defend the integrity of the Clinton email investigation, the Russia collusion investigation to the extent that thats a topic, and his own integrity. Trump reiterated his thoughts on the matter on Sunday night, which are not supported by the inspector generals findings. The report did not cover the Russia probe, though that did not stop Trumps allies from calling for Muellers immediate suspension. Why was the FBIs sick loser, Peter Strzok, working on the totally discredited Mueller team of 13 Angry & Conflicted Democrats, when Strzok was giving Crooked Hillary a free pass yet telling his lover, lawyer Lisa Page, that well stop Trump from becoming President? Witch Hunt! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2018 The highest level of bias Ive ever witnessed in any law enforcement officer. Trey Gowdy on the FBIs own, Peter Strzok. Also remember that they all worked for Slippery James Comey and that Comey is best friends with Robert Mueller. A really sick deal, isnt it? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2018 Strzok still works for the FBI, but its unclear what he does now. The inspector general referred him, Page, and three other people to the FBI office that handles disciplinary action. Until a few days ago, hundreds of safai karamcharis were protesting outside the MCD's swanky headquarters on Minto Road in central Delhi. "Arvind Kejriwal got lakhs of votes and 67 seats. His demands are our demands," said Sunil, a Dalit who belongs to the Valmiki community. Sunil wiped beads of sweat from his forehead on a hot Sunday afternoon in central Delhi. As per data from the 2001 census, Delhi has 500,221 citizens from the Valmiki (Balmiki) caste, which is India's second largest caste. More than 80 percent of them are engaged in sweeping and scavenging. Sunil wondered aloud: If Prime Minister Narendra Modi was emphasising Swachh Bharat, then why are those keeping India clean not a priority for the Centre? The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been the under the charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party for the past 15 years. Until a few days ago, hundreds of safai karamcharis were protesting outside the MCD's swanky headquarters on Minto Road in central Delhi. Under the umbrella of the Swatantra Mazdoor Sanyukt Morcha, 22 unions were a part of this protest, which began on 16 March. Ram Raj, one of the key organisers of the protest, holds a senior position in Swatantra Mazdoor Sanyukt Morcha. Ram told Firstpost 80 percent of the safai karamcharis in Delhi are from the Valmiki community. These are Class-4 employees who work in the Department of Environment Maintenance Services (DEMS) and the Public Works Department. He alleged that salaries weren't being paid on time and that 10,000 to 15,000 of them, who have been working for over a decade, have still not been regularised. On Sunday, busloads of protesters from different constituencies reached Mandi House to support Kejriwals demand for statehood. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan sought Baijal's permission to meet Kejriwal at Raj Niwas, which was denied. Sant Lal Chawaria, chairman, Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis (established in 2006 as a statutory body at the state-level, in pursuance of the Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 2006) told Firstpost salaries arent being paid on time despite a high court order dated 11 July, 2016, stating that municipal corporations shall pay the safai karamcharis on or before the 10th of every month. It further stated that in case the 11th day of the month happens to be a holiday, a compliance report would be furnished on the 12th of the month. Unfortunately, it hasn't panned out that way. Sant Lal said workers have to wait as long as three months for their salaries. He added that the regularisation of nearly 20,000 safai karamcharis is pending. Under the phased regularisation, two block years are taken. Those hired from 1 April, 1994, to 31 March, 1996, were confirmed in 2010 and received arrears from 2003. Those hired from 1 April, 1996, to 31 March, 1998, were confirmed in 2012 and received arrears from 2004. Aside from these, Sant Lal said safai karamcharis who work for the MCD dont receive terminal payment benefits or even something as basic as a cashless medical card that grants them access to healthcare, especially since their work involves spending long hours around filth and stench. He said the AAP government put the cause of safai karamcharis in their manifesto and made Rakhi Birla, who hails from the Valmiki community, a deputy speaker and also granted her a Lok Sabha ticket for 2014. Virender Singh Churiyana, president (Delhi Pradesh) of the Valmiki Samaj Action Committee and also the Delhi Safai Karamchari Action Committee, told Firstpost that health minister Satyendar Jain wrote to the three municipal corporations to pass orders regarding the regularisation of staff in April but no action has been taken. He said the safai karamchari aayog has the power to question the three departments of the MCD regarding execution of court orders and added that the Centre's recent attempts to dilute the SC/ST Act only added fuel to fire. One angle critical to the release of funds raises questions about the commitment of the Delhi government. Rahul Birla, also from the Valmiki community, filed a PIL in the high court claiming non-payment of salaries and arrears since 2003 to MCD workers, and that sanitation staff was not removing garbage from the streets. The municipality depends on Delhi government for funding and the Delhi government further depends on the Centre for funds, said Rahul, explaining the cycle of pending funding approvals. However, the Supreme Court later refused to entertain Rahuls plea seeking its intervention in the MCD employees' stir. The apex court said that it cannot take over the functions of the Delhi High Court. A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said there was no stay on its 16 April direction to the Delhi government to pay within one month the amounts according to the recommendations of the 4th Delhi Finance Commission (DFC) and the order has to be complied with. "Do not stand on ego and say that since the Government of India is not paying you, you will not pay the municipal corporations, the bench ordered. The Delhi government was directed to release the amount between 1 November, 2017, to 31 March, 2018, and the court said the government can transfer the money to the two corporations without prejudice to its rights and contentions. The AAP government cannot implement the 4th Delhi Finance Commission because it doesnt want to increase taxes or disrupt its socialist schemes around education and health, said Birla, presenting another version of the story and reasserting his support for Kejriwal. The 4th Delhi Finance Commission report has been tabled in the Delhi cabinet and an affidavit was issued stating the same. Meanwhile, Sant Lal recalled a protest of nearly 1.25 lakh MCD workers that went on from 27 January, 2016, to 8 February, 2016. During that 13-day strike, I was the chairman of the Swatantra Mazdoor Morcha and had exposed a scam of Rs 35 crore within the MCD. This included Rs 20 crore that was paid to contractors and Rs 15 crore that was misused as fake pensions of MCD officials. The AAP government has repeatedly emphasised transparency of accounts and if one is accepts that the MCD has no money, one also needs to look into spending records by the MCD in the past few years, said Sant Lal. The workers were further emboldened after Kejriwal raised the issue of regularisation in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha. The chief minister said in his speech that these people have been working for 20 years and havent been regularised as permanent employees. Kejriwal added that their children have grown, they were paying college fees and getting married and that the sanitation workers' would find it hard to fulfill their responsibilities if they aren't adequately and on time. He also remarked that the BJP, by character, was anti-Dalit and if the MCD fallen under the charge of the AAP government, things would have changed for the better. The frustration on the faces of workers' was evident as they stuffed themselves into buses on a sultry Sunday and came all the way to central Delhi to pledge support to Kejriwals demand for Delhi statehood. Satish Karotia, from the Nigam Mazdoor Sarv Kalyan Morcha, another organisation committed to the welfare of safai karamcharis, said Rs 12,000 to Rs 13,000 is paid to a kuchha or a temporary employee and on this, Rs 1,672 is deducted as a contribution to the Employee Provident Fund. Katoria, who also belongs to the Valmiki Samaj, said his organisation often receives calls from sanitation workers threatening to commit suicide because they have no money to raise a family with dignity, especially when salaries are delayed by 3 to 4 months and ration shops refuses to give them loans for food. It seems that those who clean Delhi with their bare hands are sleeping hungry and their support for Kejriwal is a result of years of abandonment by both the Congress and the BJP. The death toll in the devastating flood in the North East has risen to 23 with six more people losing their lives since Saturday, officials said, adding that the situation worsening in Assam The toll in the devastating flood in the North East has risen to 23 with six more people losing their lives in a day, according to latest reports. According to officials, though the situation has improved in Manipur, Tripura, and Mizoram on Sunday, it has worsened in Assam with over 4.48 lakh people have been affected in the deluge across six districts. While five more people died in Assam since Saturday, one person lost his life in Manipur, PTI reported. Situation worsens in Assam According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), all the five persons who lost their lives were in three districts, taking the death toll in the state to 12 in the first wave of flood this year. The ASDMA said over 4.48 lakh people have been affected in Hojai, Karbi Anglong West, Golaghat, Karimganj, Hailakandi, and Cachar districts. According to the report issued on Sunday, Karimganj has been the worst-hit with nearly 2.15 lakh people affected followed by Hailakandi where over 1.93 lakh people have been suffering in the deluge. As of now, the Brahmaputra at Nimatighat in Jorhat, while Barak at AP Ghat in Cachar and Badarpurghat in Karimganj are flowing above the danger mark. Other rivers like Dhansiri at Numaligarh in Golaghat, Jia Bharali at NT Road crossing in Sonitpur, Kopili at Kampur in Nagaon, Katakhal at Matizuri in Hailakandi and Kushiyara at Karimganj town are also flowing above the danger mark. Water level recedes in Manipur In Manipur, water level of major rivers flowing in the five districts of the Imphal Valley has receded considerably with only Lilong River flowing a little above the "warning level". Flood control officials said the situation has improved a lot and water level of the previously inundated localities has gone down. The Imphal river, however, is reported to be a "highest flood level" at the Minuthong area by a few margins, although in general it is below the danger mark. The Iril and Nambul rivers too have gone low below the highest flood level and there is no immediate danger with the intensity of rainfall going down. According to the latest report available from the State Relief and Disaster Management, one person drowned in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll in the state to eight. The number of livestock killed has been estimated at 400, while the area of paddy fields affected is at 3,947 hectares so far. Chief Minister N Biren Singh, during a visit to the flood-affected area of Maiba Khul and Mongjom area in Imphal East district, told reporters that he had a telephonic conversation with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and briefed him about the flood situation in the state. He added that he had sought immediate flood assistance to rebuild houses, repair and construct roads damaged by the massive flood which had hit the state since last week. Situation improves in Tripura as well The overall flood situation in Tripura too improved significantly, according to latest reports, with water receding in all the major rivers of the state. However, several localities still remained submerged in the Kailashahar sub-division, leaving over 3,000 farmers jittery. Altogether, 32,000 people affected by the flood are still housed in 173 relief camps mostly in worst-hit Unakoti district, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). The river Manu, which had caused extensive damage in the Kailashar and Kumarghat sub-divisions in Unakoti district, is now flowing two-metres below the danger level as there was no fresh downpour over the past 48 hours. The Manu river's danger mark is at 24 metres, while the water level stood at 22.22 metres. Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb, tweeted on Sunday, thanking the army and other departments for carrying out relief work. Deeply appreciate the extensive efforts made by @Tripura_Police in coordination with Indian Army and various Central and State Agencies for flood relief across #Tripura. https://t.co/kjjMYENYBy Biplab Kumar Deb (@BjpBiplab) June 18, 2018 When contacted, District Magistrate (DM) Unakoti district D Darlong confirmed that the overall flood situation has been better in the district but relief work was still underway. Three persons have died and seven others were injured in flood-related incidents since 5 June, while 24 huts were completely destroyed, besides leaving several acres of crops damaged, according to the latest report of the SEOC. Post-flood operations like distribution of relief materials, medical camps, and assessment of damage have already begun across the state, an official of the SEOC said. With inputs from PTI Many cyber abuse victims said complaints about misuse of pictures on social media are not taken seriously, even by their peers, with many trivialising their experience, which only adds to their misery. Editor's Note: Data from the National Crime Records Bureau has indicated a sharp upsurge in the number of cyber-crime cases reported over the years. This, despite the fact that most victims, especially women, never speak out against online abuse. This is the part-II of a multi-part series, where Firstpost attempts to look at how fear of being shamed, long legal ordeal, and trivialising the issue is preventing women victims from speaking out. Read the first part of the online abuse series here. Indore: It was a regular Wednesday afternoon in April and Shachi Dhondiyal (name changed), a 27-year-old journalist in Delhi, had just sat down for lunch when she found 12 missed calls on her phone from several of her friends. A little alarmed, Shachi called one of them back. Check your WhatsApp, quickly, the voice on the other end sounded urgent. Shachi opened the chat window and nearly choked on the morsel of food she had just swallowed. I was shocked to see my photos being used to advertise a weight loss product called Nutralyfe Garcinia online. I was angry that my picture had been used without my consent on the internet, said Shachi. The worst part was that one of the pictures had been morphed to make me look fat and another was kept as it is. It was like one of those before and after advertisements used to show the effects of a product. I have never even heard of this product, forget using it. This is wrong at so many levels, they are misleading customers with such false advertising, she added. Shachi said that she received a number of calls from her friends and acquaintances throughout the day informing her about the online advertisement with her photos popping up on various websites. I emailed the company and told them my photos had been taken from social media platforms without my permission. The company acknowledged my email and promised to take down the ad. However, it refused to disclose the name of the advertising agency responsible for making the ad. They told me that it was a US-based agency but they cant disclose its name. They told me that they had taken action against the agency, Shachi said. I was relieved but a week later, the photos re-emerged, this time to advertise another product. I called a friend of mine who is a lawyer and he advised me to send a legal notice to the company and request them to reveal the name of the agency since they were probably using the same set of photos to advertise products for various clients, she added. But Shachi didnt do that. Instead, like many cybercrime victims, she chose to stay quiet and suffer. Her reason: She wasnt prepared to fight a long-drawn battle in court with a company that had more resources and funds than she did. Increasing cybercrime rates While many cases of cyber abuse go unreported, there are those who have come forward. Figures recorded by the National Crime Records Bureau indicate a sharp upsurge in the number of cybercrime cases reported over the years. From 9,622 cases of cybercrime reported in 2014, the number went up to 11,592 in 2015 and skyrocketed to 12,317 in 2016. Constable Pankaj Kumar, cybercrime cell, Saket, New Delhi, said, We receive 30 to 40 cases of cybercrime in a month. These include photos being morphed and fake social media profiles etc. Young girls, primarily those who are in school or college, are most likely to fall prey to cybercrime. Most of them do not want to register a police case and do not like to share what they have gone through with their parents. Most cases of cybercrime fall under the purview of Section 66 (bailable) of the Information Technology Act. Why victims suffer in silence While a possible legal ordeal is one reason that prevents cyber abuse victims from sharing their trauma, victim shaming is another factor that keeps them from speaking out. Nimisha Arora (name changed) said, When my photograph was shared by a stranger on Facebook, my family discouraged me from taking legal action while my husband told me that I shouldnt make such a fuss about my photograph being shared without consent. Some people actually said I was to blame for not being aware of Facebook privacy policies and not using filter guard on my profile pictures. Many cyber abuse victims said complaints about misuse of pictures on social media are not taken seriously, even by their peers, with many trivialising their experience, which only adds to their misery. The onus here is on the victim to protect her data. It is like saying that if your photos are public, anyone has the right to misuse them, said Shachi. Among victims who do choose to take action, many said the wait for justice was a long one. Sana Khan (name changed) said, A miscreant impersonated me on Facebook and video called my friends. He went to the extent of flashing them. I requested my friends to report his profile, but no action was taken. Another step was to register a complaint with the cyber crime cell, where I was asked to share screenshots of the calls made. I was told that my complaint had been forwarded to Facebook. But I had already complained to Facebook, it did nothing, thats why I had approached the police. Its been a month and a half and I am yet to see results. Praveen Kumar Tripathi, Joint Commissioner (Crime), Kolkata Police, said police often forwarded cases of abuse on Facebook to the social media site and its team was quick to resolve issues. We book perpetrators of cybercrime under IT Act or relevant Indian Penal Code sections. Sometimes, we flag the issue to Facebook, which always responds. Sometimes, it takes time to receive a response but Facebook is bound to reply to an investigating agency, he said. The police officer said that the number of cyber crimes reported in Kolkata has shot up to 600 a month after cybercrime police stations have come up, thus encouraging victims to share their ordeal. The author is a Mhow-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters Eleven media organisations on Sunday urged the Jammu and Kashmir government to bring the killers of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari to book at the earliest, and institute an inquiry into the malicious campaign launched against the scribe before his murder. New Delhi: Eleven media organisations on Sunday urged the Jammu and Kashmir government to bring the killers of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari to book at the earliest, and institute an inquiry into the malicious campaign launched against the scribe before his murder. In a joint statement-cum-resolution, Press Club of India, Indian Women's Press Corps, Press Association, Editors' Guild, South Asian Free Media Association, South Asian Women in Media, Indian Journalists' Union, National Union of Journalists, Foreign Correspondents' Club , Working News Camerapersons Association and All India Urdu Editors Conference said the senseless murder of Bukhari demanded accountability at various levels. They said everyone in the country has a sovereign right to freedom of speech and expression and increasing intolerance to such freedoms has the potential of "undermining the character and nature of democracy". We demand that the government of Jammu and Kashmir bring the perpetrators of this dastardly crime to book at the earliest. We demand that the government institute a separate inquiry into those who had launched a malicious campaign against Shujaat, they said. The cyber cell of the Union home ministry should look into all those IP addresses and their sources from where the malicious campaigns were conducted, the statement said. The organisations said such killings were often preceded by hate messages and malicious campaigns on social media. Various journalists and other civilians have been viciously trolled and targeted. All such instances ought to be monitored by a vigilant government if civilian safety and security is a priority in governance, they said. Several journalists, at a remembrance-cum-solidarity meeting held under the aegis of the journalist organisations, condemned the killing of Bukhari, who was the editor-in-chief of Rising Kashmir. Bukhari (50) along with his two security guards was shot dead by three motorcycle-borne assailants outside his office at Srinagar on June 14.The police have constituted a special investigation team (SIT) under the supervision of Deputy Inspector General (DIG), central Kashmir, to probe the killing. While only an impartial investigation will unearth whether the online venom spewed against the editor had anything to do with his murder, the police have not achieved any breakthrough in the case. Srinagar: Four days after the assassination of prominent journalist Shujaat Bukhari, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has failed to make any headway in the case. With the attackers at large, police are grappling to find any clues on their whereabouts, despite all the entry and exit points of the capital Srinagar city being monitored by CCTV cameras. "The investigations are on. We will soon come to some conclusions about the attackers based on scientific evidence. Their entry route into the Press Enclave is a bit hazy, but we know which route they took to leave the place," Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Central Kashmir, VK Birdi, told Firstpost. The Jammu and Kashmir Police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Virdi to probe the killing of the editor of Rising Kashmir. It has now come to light that the police had informed Bukhari about a possible attack on his life and advised him to take "extreme precautions". But the peacenik apparently brushed aside the warning as it wasnt something new. Bukhari had already faced three assassination bids. The fresh warning, as some police officers said, looked fatal. The police were initially looking at the possibility of one of the three assassins being Pakistani militant Naveed Jutt, who escaped from a Srinagar hospital. The person riding pillion on the motorcycle, whose face is covered by the third attacker, is seen wearing a watch on his right hand, done mostly by Pakistani militants, and his body appearance resembled that of Jutt. The third attacker is seen covering the face of the attacker, who is sitting in the middle of the bike, wherever the CCTV cameras appear to record their movement. At least three senior intelligence officers told Firstpost on Sunday the other two attackers might be locals in whose house the Pakistani attacker might have taken refuge before executing the attack. "There was a buzz of an attack in Srinagar for three days before Bukhari was killed but no one had any idea where the strike was going to take place," one officer told Firstpost. The threat was conveyed to the editor after a vitriolic campaign was started against him on social media and blogs. In one of those blogs, Bukhari was presented a man of "agencies" mandated to mould opinion on the protracted Kashmir problem. He was shown by the anonymous writer of the blog as someone in collusion with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the lead organiser of a Dubai conference last year, which had called for cessation of all hostilities in Jammu and Kashmir. Those who participated in the conference were denounced by militant outfits as working on the "payrolls" of Indian agencies. "He received threatening phone calls after the conference, but perhaps did not took them seriously," said another officer. The hate campaign against Bukhari had intensified in recent weeks. Besides a blog, he was trolled on a social media especially on Twitter. "In Kashmir," said a senior journalist, "it takes just a random post to assassinate someones character. There are some people around who just take pleasure in maligning the character of those who, as public figures, are doing their bit for Kashmirs peaceful resolution. In case of Bukhari, this campaign was even spiteful because as a frequent traveller to world conferences and seminars, he was seen as some collaborator tasked to challenge the conventional wisdom on Kashmir." Today, as the Jammu and Kashmir Polices SIT sleuths are minutely examining these details, they are likely to crack the whip on the online propagandists whose vicious and vitriolic campaign maligned the editors image to the extent of jeopardising his life. "These days in Kashmir," said a senior police officer and a long time friend of Bukhari, "malicious opinions, perceptions and judgements are being peddled on social media to show some people in bad light. Such brazen and criminal viewpoints either make or break a person. I see my dearest friend Shujaats case as no different." While only an impartial investigation will unearth whether the online venom spewed against the editor had anything to do with his murder, the police have not achieved any breakthrough in the case. The suspense over the identity of the killers persists despite police facing tremendous pressure to deliver on the veteran journalists murder case. Many police officers here feel the online hate campaign run against Bukhari might have been started to minimise the effect of his murder and to mould public perception. Fifty-year-old Bukhari was leaving his office in Srinagars Press Enclave on Thursday evening when three motorcycle-borne assailants fired dozens of rounds, killing him and his two security guards inside his SUV. He was headed home in the upscale Humhama locality to break the fast with his wife and children. The only breakthrough achieved so far is the arrest of a youth from Saderbal area of Srinagar. Captured in a video clip, Zubair Qadri, the arrested youthsporting white kurta and skullcapcould be seen picking up a pistol of one of the editors PSO and sneaking out of the crime scene. Qadri had shaved his beard when police arrested him from his residence a day later with public help. They recovered the blood-stained white Kurta he was wearing at the time of the incident. The pistol of the PSO and mobile phone of Bukhari was also recovered. Top police sources said there is nothing concrete against Qadri to show he was linked with the hit-team who arrived in Press Enclave to kill Bukhari but he has not been given a clean chit and is likely to face prosecution for stealing the PSOs pistol from the crime scene. "The motorcycle-borne youths had apparently taken extreme precautions to hide their identities. Wherever CCTVS are installed in the city, they have kept their faces concealed. It is the most meticulous attack carried out in years in Kashmir where the attackers were aware even of the positions of CCTV cameras in the city," sources said. Even as the SIT held its first meeting on Saturday, the sleuths are under tremendous pressure to deliver results in the case. Besides being an influential Kashmiri editor, Bukhari was the brother of Syed Basharat Bukhari, a minister in the Mehbooba Mufti government. Also, two major world bodies of editors and publishers have written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, conveying their "grave concern" over Bukharis assassination while seeking investigations in the case. "We ask that you take all necessary steps to ensure that local and national authorities carry out a quick and thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators and masterminds to justice," the letter read. "We urge you to do everything possible to end the hostile media environment in Jammu and Kashmir so that journalists are able to work without fear of violence." World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum representing 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in over 120 countries, with an aim to safeguard the rights of journalists, wrote to Modi. "The police will do its job, said senior PDP leader and horticulture minister, Abdul Rehman Veeri. Sounding tough, he said the state government will make sure the assailants are given exemplary punishment for the reprehensible crime. "We will make an example out of them." Right-wing fringe outfit Sri Ram Sene's chief Pramod Muthalik compared journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder to the death of a 'dog' while addressing a public rally at Rajajinagar on Sunday Right-wing fringe outfit Sri Ram Sene's chief Pramod Muthalik compared journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder to the death of a "dog" while addressing a public rally at Rajajinagar on Sunday. Muthalik was slamming the critics who had been asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence over Lankeshs murder. Addressing the rally, Muthalik said, Two murders happened in Karnataka and two happened in Maharashtra during the Congress regime. No one is uttering a word over Congress governments failure. Instead, they are asking why is Modi silent and not commenting on Lankeshs death. Many wanted Modi to react after Lankeshs death. Why should Modi react if some dog dies in Karnataka? according to a Deccan Chronicle report. However, the Hindutva fringe outfit's leader later clarified and said that he only meant that prime minister Modi cannot answerable for every death in Karnataka and that he did not directly compare Gauri Lankesh to a "dog". According to an India Today report, he also said that though his organisation had ideological differences with Lankesh, "We have not nor will we stoop down to murdering that person." Parashuram Waghmare, a native of Sindhagi in Vijayapura district was arrested by the Special Investigative Team (SIT) from north Karnatakas Vijayapura district last week. Waghmare had confessed to killing the journalist-activist to save his religion, PTI reported. A photograph of Muthalik and Waghmare surfaced in the media, leading to suspicions of his links with the Sene. However, Muthalik had earlier denied having any links with Waghmare. 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 had said. However, according to the India Today report, he later acknowledged that he knew him and had advocated for him in 2012 when he along with five others were arrested for hoisting the Pakistan flag in the Sindagi district in an alleged attempt to create communal tension. Gauri Lankesh was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants outside her residence in Bengaluru on 5 September 2017. The murder triggered a nationwide outrage leading to the Karnataka government constituting a special investigation team to probe the murder. The team led by inspector general of police BK Singh has so far arrested six people, identified as KT Naveen Kumar, Sujith Kumar, Amol Kale, Manohar Edve, Amit Degvekar and Waghmare. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is on a seven-day tour of Italy, France, Luxembourg and Belgium, to deepen strategic engagement and trade ties between India and the four countries. New Delhi: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj left on Sunday 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, Ms Swaraj will meet the top leadership of the European Union (EU) 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 17-23 June 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 (MEA) said. In the first leg of her visit, Ms 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. Ms Swaraj will call on prime minister Conte and also meet her counterpart, Mr Enzo Moavero Milanesi. The external affairs minister will then travel on 18 June to France where she will spend two days. In Paris, Ms 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. Ms Swaraj will be in Luxembourg from 19-20 June and it will be the first-ever visit there by an Indian external affairs minister, the MEA said. During her stay, Ms 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 20-23 June. 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 Ms 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. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is currently on a tour of Italy, France, Luxembourg and Brussels from 17 to 23 June. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is currently on a tour of Italy, France, Luxembourg and Brussels from 17 to 23 June. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Swaraj's tour of the four European nations 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". Swaraj, who arrived in Rome on Sunday, will call on Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte and also meet her counterpart, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, to review the bilateral relations between India and Italy. The first leg of her visit will mark the first major political exchange between the two countries after Conte assumed charge as the prime minister on 1 June. Ancient civilizations modern partnership! EAM @SushmaSwaraj arrives in Rome to a warm welcome on the first important visit since the swearing in of new Italian PM. pic.twitter.com/ykN8qOLpCC Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) June 17, 2018 On Monday, Swaraj will travel to France to review bilateral relations with Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian. This will be the first important visit from the Indian side to France since the French president Emmanuel Macron's trip to India in March. India and France are also celebrating the 20th anniversary of their strategic partnership. While in Paris, Swaraj will be the chief guest at a ceremony for the Indian Culture Centre and also interact with the Indian community. Luxembourg: 19 to 20 June Swaraj is scheduled to mark the first-ever visit to Luxembourg by an external affairs minister from India. The year 2018 also marks the 70th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During her visit, Swaraj will be calling on the Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri Albert Gabriel Felix Marie Guillaume and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. Swaraj will also hold meetings with her counterpart Jean Asselborn and Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna. In Luxembourg, the Indian external affairs minister will also interact with the Indian community. Belgium: 20 to 23 June Swaraj will be meeting Didier Reynders, Belgium Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Brussels. Since Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union, Swaraj will be calling on President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. The MEA said that 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. While in Brussels, Swaraj will deliver a keynote speech at a high-level event called Climate, Peace and Security: Time for Action. She is also scheduled to lead the International Yoga Day celebrations at the European Parliament and interact with the Indian community in Belgium. In Brussels, Swaraj will meet the top leadership of the European Union during which both sides are likely to deliberate on removing hurdles for the resumption of negotiations on the long-pending EU-India free trade pact. An army soldier was also killed in the encounter in Kashmir's Bandipora, which began on 9 June. Srinagar: Two more militants were killed on Monday in an operation in the Panar forest area of Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district that has been on since 9 June. A police officer confirmed the militants' deaths, which brings the militant toll in the mission to four two militants and an army soldier were killed in the operation on 14 June. A fresh gunfight broke out between the militants and the joint team of seven units of the Indian Armys Rashtriya Rifles, three Para Commandos and a team of the Indian Air Force in the Panar forest area, reported Global News Agency. According to police sources quoted in the report, at least 13 more militants are believed to be hiding in the woods. The operation was suspended on Sunday evening as it was hard to carry it out in the darkness of the dense forest, but the security forces resumed it on Monday morning, UNI reported. "The operation was launched on 9 June when the militants and the army exchanged brief gunfight in the Raynar forests adjacent to the Panar area. The operation, with the help of additional reinforcements of the army's Para Commandos continued and entered the 10th straight day on Monday, reported Free Press Kashmir. The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force has arrested three men in Allahabad, for attempting to cheat in the UP Police Public Services Commission (PSC) exam The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested three men in Allahabad, who were attempting to cheat in the UP Police Public Services Commission (PSC) exam for constable recruitment which was scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, according to media reports. According to ANI, the men were planning to send pictures of the question paper, to solvers while sitting in the examination hall. The solvers would then send the answers through a spy mike. The solvers had allegedly charged Rs 5 lakhs per candidate. The STF arrested the three men and recovered Rs 4 lakh and identity cards of 12 persons from their possession, said a report on IndiaTV News. The report also said that the three others were arrested in Gorakhpur and have been identified as Anil Giri, Anand Yadav, and Amarnath Yadav. The police said that Giri had confessed to having taken money from candidates to help them cheat. Since he was a BSc and LLB graduate, he was going to provide the candidates the answers and Amarnath Yadav was the one responsible for helping the candidates connect with Giri and Amarnath Yadav. Three arrested by police in #Allahabad along with electronic devices they were going to use for cheating in UP Police Public Services Commission (PSC) constable recruitment exam scheduled for today & tomorrow pic.twitter.com/GZd2DN5RWf ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) June 18, 2018 The exam, which is going to be held in 860 centres across 56 districts is going to recruit for 41,520 posts and over 23 lakhs candidates had applied for it. An IndiaTV News report said that authorities have strict measures to prevent cheating. They have implemented a dress code for the candidates to follow. They have also prohibited the aspirants to wear shoes, heels, flowers or heavy jewellery. The exam will start at 10 am today. Laura Bush is now even less of a Trump fan. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images Hours after First Lady Melania Trump issued a statement calling on Congress to come together to stop the separation of parents at the border which her husband could end anytime he wants a previous Republican First Lady forcefully condemned the policy. In a Washington Post op-ed, Laura Bush noted that nearly 2,000 migrant children had been separated from their parents at the border by the end of May, saying this is the result of a zero-tolerance policy for their parents, who are accused of illegally crossing our borders. (President Trump has blamed a nonexistent Democratic immigration law.) Bush compared the situation to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, and discussed the long-term health effects on children: I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart. Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso. These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history. We also know that this treatment inflicts trauma; interned Japanese have been two times as likely to suffer cardiovascular disease or die prematurely than those who were not interned. Citing a report that in at least one Texas facility, shelter workers are barred from physically comforting small, traumatized children, Bush recalled when her late mother-in-law, Barbara Bush, visited a home for children with HIV/AIDS as First Lady, and cuddled a dying baby despite fears surrounding the disease. She, who after the death of her 3-year-old daughter knew what it was to lose a child, believed that every child is deserving of human kindness, compassion and love, Laura Bush said. Bushs call for a kinder, more compassionate and more moral border policy was a remarkable rebuke of the sitting president, particularly because she is not known for making political statements. Considering Trumps history with the Bushes, its unlikely that he or any of his most ardent supporters will be moved by Bushs words. But her op-ed brought more attention to the growing number of bipartisan objections to Trumps family-separation policy. On Sunday the conservative editorial board of the New York Post, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, called on Trump to reverse the policy for strategic, as well as moral reasons: ICE is already running out of space to hold people, and looking at tent cities as a supposedly-temporary expedient. You can bet that critics will start calling these Trumps concentration camps, and the term will catch on if theyre full of kids. The polls were starting to suggest that Republicans might not lose big in this Novembers midterm elections, but theyll turn back the other way if this keeps up and rightly so. Its not just that this looks terrible in the eyes of the world. It is terrible: at least 2,000 children ripped from their parents arms, sometimes literally, in just the first six weeks. Maybe the White House figures families will stop coming once word gets out, but they wont all stop: Some are fleeing truly horrific situations back home. We recognize that returning to the policy of two months back creates some perverse incentives: Bring kids along, and youll just be deported if youre caught. But at least switching back avoids having the US government earning comparisons to the Nazis. Also among the handful of Republicans criticizing the policy: Anthony Scaramucci and Senator Lindsey Graham though both made it sound like Trump doesnt understand that he can end the policy at any time. .@Scaramucci says its incongruent with American values to separate kids from parents at the border. "People should sit down and have an honest conversation with the President and say 'this doesn't reflect well on us.' "We have to fix this problemhttps://t.co/JScv1OiSZs pic.twitter.com/QEC8qPzzUP Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) June 17, 2018 Trump could stop family separation policy with a phone call, Lindsey Graham says pic.twitter.com/1VYy79jjGz Meg Wagner (@megwagner) June 15, 2018 The Trump administration has claimed that years-old laws and court rulings require the separation of families who cross the border illegally, but those migrants were not detained during the George W. Bush or Barack Obama administrations. Trump officials have been considering enforcing the law in a way that would tear children from parents since they came to power, according to the New York Times, and the president finally agreed this spring. White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller was reportedly instrumental in this effort. He told the paper its about deterring people thinking about trying to cross the border illegally. It was a simple decision by the administration to have a zero-tolerance policy for illegal entry, period, he said. The message is that no one is exempt from immigration law. Other members of the administration seem less comfortable with the U.S. government traumatizing thousands of children just to strike fear into the hearts of would-be migrants. On Sunday Department of Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen tried denying that the policy exists, though multiple officials have discussed it publicly, and her own department reported the number of families separated and issued a flyer for parents searching for their children. We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. Acting Sec. Kevin McAleenan (@DHSMcAleenan) June 17, 2018 President Trump has also acknowledged the policy in numerous tweets, along with his immigration demands and false attacks on Democrats, suggesting hell let the separations keep happening until he gets a political win. The Democrats are forcing the breakup of families at the Border with their horrible and cruel legislative agenda. 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! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2018 A White House official told the Washington Post (in comments later disputed by Kellyanne Conway) that aside from deterrence, the policy is about gaining leverage in congressional negotiations. The president has told folks that in lieu of the laws being fixed, he wants to use the enforcement mechanisms that we have, a White House official said. The thinking in the building is to force people to the table. So far it doesnt appear to be working. Two Republican immigration bills are headed to the House floor, but they may not pass that chamber, let alone the Senate. Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui commented on the strained bilateral relations between India and China. He suggested that the ties can be improved by narrowing differences between the two countries and expanding cooperation. New Delhi: Chinese envoy to India Luo Zhaohui said on Monday that the two countries can't afford to have another Doklam-like episode. "Bilateral ties between India and China can't take the strain of another Doklam episode," Chinese envoy to India Luo Zhaohui said, emphasizing the need to find a "mutually acceptable solution" on the boundary issue through a meeting of Special Representatives. Zhaohui said, "Some Indian friends" had suggested trilateral cooperation comprising India, China and Pakistan under the aegis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which was a very constructive idea. Security cooperation is one of the three pillars of the SCO." Zhaohui further added in his keynote address on 'Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India Relations Go' at an event organised by the Chinese Embassy. Responding to a question on whether a trilateral between the Asian neighbours will help in solving the India-Pakistan dispute, he said "Maybe not now, but in the future, that is a great idea. It will help to resolve bilateral issues and help to maintain peace and tranquillity." Dwelling on Sino-Indian ties, the envoy said, "It is quite natural to have differences with neighbours but they need to be controlled and managed through cooperation." "We need to narrow differences through expanding cooperation. However, it does not mean that differences would be ignored. The boundary question between our two countries was left over by history. We need to build on convergence to find a mutually acceptable solution through the Special Representatives' Meeting while adopting confidence-building measures to maintain the peace and tranquillity along the border," he said. "We cannot stand another Doklam (sic)," the envoy said. Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China between June to August in 2018. Luo also suggested that India and China should think about signing a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. He said a draft on this was provided to the Indian side about 10 years ago. One of the immediate fallouts of the Doklam stand-off was the suspension of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Nathu-La side and the annual military exercise between the two countries. China also did not give the hydrological data of the Brahmaputra and the Indus river that originates in Chinese Tibet. The envoy said on Monday that China will continue to promote religious exchanges and make arrangements for Indian pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet. Post-Doklam, there have been frequent high-level engagements between the leaders of the two countries. Luo said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping, who met twice in the last two months in Wuhan and Qingdao, are also likely to meet on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit and G20 Summit later in 2018. "The Chinese defence minister and the minister for public security will visit India and the Special Representative Meeting on boundary issue will be held in Beijing this year," he added. Relations between India and China have gone beyond the bilateral scope, Luo said. "We need to enhance coordination and cooperation in SCO, BRICS and join hands to tackle social challenges," he further said. Responding to a question on India-China cooperation in Afghanistan, Luo said the two countries have identified a programme to train Afghan public servants and diplomats. In the informal summit between Modi and Xi at the Wuhan, the two countries had agreed to work jointly on an economic project in Afghanistan. The envoy also called for cooperation between India and China to coordinate each other's positions on issues like rising protectionism globally. "Against the backdrop of anti-globalisation and rising protectionism, China and India, as major emerging market economies, are faced with the pressure of established powers. We should coordinate our positions and also explore ways to be with each other," the envoy said without naming the US. The US has slapped high tariffs on certain steel aluminium products, which has led to a trade-war kind of a situation as other nations too are raising their tariff walls. He said China will import more sugar, non-Basmati rice and high quality medicines from India to reduce trade imbalance. In 2017-18, the trade-deficit (difference between imports and exports) between India and China stood at $63 billion. "We (China) would also like to negotiate a regional trade arrangement with India to expand trade relations," Luo said. Koel Sen, the daughter of Prof Shoma Sen, who was recently arrested for 'alleged Maoist links' in the course of the Pune police's probe into the 1 January Bhima-Koregaon violence, describes the sense of shock and disbelief that has accompanied her mother's arrest Editor's note: This article was originally published on 18 June, 2018. It is being re-published in light of the raids and arrests of activists carried out by Pune Police in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence. On 6 June, the Pune police arrested Professor Shoma Sen along with activists Rona Wilson, Mahesh Raut, Sudhir Dhawale and Surendra Gadling for their alleged Maoist links. The arrests were part of the police's probe into the 1 January 2018 Bhima-Koregaon riots. A week after her arrest, Prof Sen was suspended from her position as HOD of the English department at Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University. Sen and the other activists have been charged under various sections of the IPC. In this column for Firstpost, her daughter Koel Sen describes the sense of shock and disbelief that has accompanied these developments. *** My first reaction to my mothers arrest was of shock and utter disbelief. I could have never imagined something like this happening to her. Having spent all her life working for others, my mother is now being tagged as an alleged Maoist. We live in a modest home in the middle-class part of Nagpur. She and my father decided to move here from Mumbai as Maa wanted them to start a fresh life and focus more on social work. Growing up in Nagpur, Maa ensured that I got the best education. Even with her meagre salary, she tried to put me in Bharatnatyam classes which I resisted quite a bit. I remember when we had a painting competition in my school, Maa suggested I draw Indians of all religions holding hands and standing in a circle. I won the first prize for that. Since I was little, I have seen Maa go out of her way to help people. With whatever little money she earned, she tried her best to get things for our maid Geeta Bais children. My first close friends were Geeta Bais kids. Maa was a part of a womens organisation in Nagpur called Stree Chetna, which would discuss issues such as violence against women and dowry deaths. One day Maa returned home with Lata, a young girl whose father had committed suicide before her eyes. She had already lost her mother at childbirth. Lata was carrying a cloth bag with a few rags inside for clothes and looked traumatised. Unable to look after her needs, Lata's extended family had requested my mother to help. Lata lived with us for almost five years. She became my elder sister. Then, another girl Neha would drop in very often. She was studying for her medical entrance exam and needed a place to stay. Our home became a shelter for almost anyone who needed help. As a child, I often felt outraged and often even jealous, that my mother had so much love to give and share with others children. It took a distant cousin from Kolkata who stayed with us for two years to put it into perspective: Shoma Mashi is a woman of true individuality, who has worked tirelessly throughout her life for underprivileged people, has empowered women and encouraged them to speak up. She taught us that our voices are meant to be heard. The kind of sympathy and love that my mother is getting from people from across the world is unbelievable. One of the policewomen accompanying her to the Swargate Police Station in Pune, fell at her feet the other day. Maa didnt understand. The police woman was in tears. Madam, you have taught me, I am so sorry to see you in this condition, she said. Maa grew up in the posh locality of Bandra in (then) Bombay. The '70s were a turbulent period. At that time almost everyone had sympathies with the Left. She was close to the Vidyarthi Pragati Sangh (VPS). She soon shifted to Nagpur, because she felt that if all the intellectuals lived in Bombay, then who would work for the people in the poorest parts of Maharashtra, such as Vidarbha? She eventually spent the next 35 years of her life teaching in Nagpur. She taught at the Peoples Welfare Society (PWS) college in Nagpur, located in Indora. She would ride her little moped for half an hour every day to teach her first class at 7 am. I woke up on most mornings to an empty house, making my own breakfast from the age of 9-10 and living very independently. Her evenings would be spent visiting women (many of them Dalits, and victims of domestic violence) in the slums of Juni Magalwari (a big ghetto in Nagpur), discussing their immediate issues and concerns. Recently, with 38 years of teaching behind her, Maa became the head of the English department at Nagpur University. She was going to be honored by the Nagpur Teachers Alumni Association, with a book on her being released. When she last came to Mumbai to meet me, she asked me to keep 31 July free for the event. The next day, 1 August, we were to celebrate her 60th birthday. We were in the thick of planning celebrations when she was picked up so arbitrarily. Maas arrest along with the four other activists is a shame for our society and our country as a whole. I think today, we are living in the darkest of times, where people have no faith left in each other. I feel there is no space left for dissent or opposition. The activists who have been arrested, and my mother, have been fighting for the rights of forgotten people, those who have slipped through the cracks in the system. It is one thing to take away the rights of marginalised people, and another to attack those working for their rights. Everyone is paranoid today, whether it is a painter whose exhibition can be ransacked, a filmmaker whose film can be banned, or an activist or lawyer fighting for civil liberties. In court, the public prosecutor rants about threat to national security, promoting anti-national thoughts, provocation of riots etc. I no longer understand what is the definition of anti-national? Possessing books on Marx, Lenin or Mao does not make anyone anti-national. Activism is suddenly a derided term. My mother has been working with those communities that the present government is overlooking with its pro-modernisation agenda. She is an advocate of the rights of Dalits, of women. She has been helping their voices be heard, voices that the present government neither hears itself, nor does it wish for others to. To see her in custody for this crime is not only unbearable for me, it is an injustice to them. Koel Sen is an independent filmmaker based in Mumbai. Jairam Ramesh's new book Intertwined Lives: PN Haksar and Indira Gandhi has been described as the 'definitive biography of arguably Indias most influential and powerful civil servant'. PN Haksar was principal secretary to Indira Gandhi from the years 19671973, when she served as prime minister. Editor's note: Jairam Ramesh's new book Intertwined Lives: PN Haksar and Indira Gandhi (Simon & Schuster) has been described as the "definitive biography of arguably Indias most influential and powerful civil servant". PN Haksar was principal secretary to Indira Gandhi from the years 19671973, when she served as prime minister. The following is an excerpt from the book, which presents a compelling portrait of Haksar as Gandhi's "alter ego during her period of glory". *** India had experienced both triumph and tragedy in a matter of a few days in December 1971. On 16 December 1971, Pakistan surrendered and India had won the war convincingly and comprehensively. But a few days later on 25 December 1971, the 52-year-old Vikram Sarabhai died suddenly. He was the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and was also laying the foundations of Indias space programme. A decision had already been taken by Indira Gandhi when Sarabhai was alive, at PN Haksars prodding, that the dual responsibility had to end soon and that the space programme needed full-time attention. Had he lived, there is little doubt that Sarabhai would have opted to run the space programme since, as Haksar was to recall to Satish Dhawan many years later: Vikram was always looking towards the sky. Both the nuclear and space programmes now needed leaders. Haksar then made what must be perhaps his most inspired appointment during his entire time at the prime ministers side. He picked Satish Dhawan, then director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore to take charge of the space effort. Dhawan was a distinguished aeronautical engineer who had completed his doctorate at the prestigious California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and come back to India in the early-1950s. Haksar not only respected Dhawan as a technologist but there was also ideological congruence between the two as the latters daughter told me. Dhawans sister and her husband Satish Loomba were very active in the CPI with which Haksar had close afnity. Dhawan himself was active in the World Federation of Scientifc Workers in the 1950s when it was headed by Nobel Laureate Frederic Joliot-Curie who was a communist. The Federation was well-known for being a leftist network. The only problem was that Dhawan was on a sabbatical at his alma mater. Hence, Haksar got Indira Gandhi to send him a personal letter which was cabled to LK Jha, Indias ambassador to the USA for onward transmission to Dhawan in California. The cable of 7 January 1972 read: Dear Dr Dhawan, Vikrams sudden and tragic death has deprived our entire space research programme of leadership. You are aware of the heavy investment we have made in it. The ten-year profle of the development of space shows the extent of our commitment. We cannot afford to allow the entire organisation to crumble. I should like you to accept the stewardship of our space organisation which I am proposing to separate from the Atomic Energy Commission. It will be for you to structure this new organisation. Please let me know urgently when I may expect you to return and what arrangements you would like us to make for the interim period. I hope you will respond to an emergency situation in a sensitive area of national importance. How could anyone say no to such a letter from the prime minister herself? Dhawan conveyed to her his acceptance but also let his terms be known: that he would continue as director of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and that the Space Commission should be headquartered in that city. Both these conditions were accepted with alacrity by Haksar and the rest is history. In the interim Haksar got Indira Gandhi to appoint MGK Menon as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Menon was then chairman of the Electronics Commission and Haksar had the prime minister write to him on 12 January 1972: My Principal Secretary, Shri PN Haksar, has reported to me the conversation which he had with you this morning about the interim arrangements to be made to look after the work of the Indian Space Research Organisation. I am glad that despite your heavy commitments, you have agreed to become the Chairman of ISRO pending return of Dr Satish Dhawan who will be the Head of the Space Organisation. Dr Dhawan would like to discuss the ultimate structure of this Organisation when he returns. I have long felt that there has to be some linkage between our Space Programme and defence needs. It might be a good thing if you and Dr BD Nag Chaudhuri were to discuss in a preliminary way how best this could be achieved. This letter is important because it reveals that both the prime minister and Haksar were not unaware of the military implications of what India was about to embark upon under Satish Dhawans stewardship. Indias space programme unlike that of the USA, USSR, France and China did not emerge from the military. It was to start out as an enterprise to fulfill developmental needs like communications, weather forecasting and natural resource mapping. In fact, Dhawan himself was particularly allergic to any military dimension or involvement. But clearly Haksar knew that down the road there would have to be a strategic content as well. The broad vision of Indias highly successful space programme was Sarabhais but the detailed architecture was that of Dhawan. He was scheduled to meet Indira Gandhi on 25 May 1972 at 4 pm to formally convey acceptance of her offer. Before that meeting Haksar sent the prime minister the following note: Dr Satish Dhawan is an extremely sensitive human being. Hitherto, he has led a relatively cloistered life devoting himself wholly to the pursuit of his own scientific specialty in the field of aerodynamics. I know that he had many doubts and hesitations in accepting the responsibility of heading our Space Organisation. And if he were to opt out of it, we literally have no one at present even as a second best choice. It is therefore, of importance for PM to express in her own way her appreciation of the high sense of duty which has led Dr Dhawan to respond to PMs call on him. It is equally necessary to say that Dr Dhawan will continue to receive her personal support in sorting out any problems he may run up against any administrative and other fields and that Dr Dhawan should not hesitate in coming to PM and that he always have direct access. In suggesting Satish Dhawans name and backing him in this manner, Haksar possibly did the greatest service to the nation. Dhawan first became secretary, Department of Space and chairman of the Space Commission. On 12 June 1972, Haksar communicated to him that the prime minister had approved the following composition of the Space Commission: 1. Shri PN Haksar, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Member 2. Dr IG Patel Member (Finance) 3. Prof MGK Menon Member 4. Dr Brahm Prakash, Director, Space Technology Centre Member Dhawan had specifically asked for Haksar to be a member and Haksar had told the prime minister two days earlier: Although this will add to my burden, I did not have the heart to say no to him if only to help him to settle in. Haksar and Dhawan were to remain close till the end of Haksars life. For the nuclear programme, Haksar pushed for Homi Sethna to take over from Sarabhai. There was initially some doubt on Sarabhais successor because JRD Tata, in his capacity as member of the Atomic Energy Commission, had written to Haksar on 5 January 1972 pointing to Sethnas lack of intangible quality of leadership and suggesting that MGK Menon, then director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) would be the right choice. Tatas views were made known to the prime minister but at Haksars insistence Sethna was selected. When Sethna was appointed chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India, it was natural that Raja Ramanna takes over as the director of what came to be called the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in early-1967. Years later, Haksar would recall that much of his time would be spent bridging the differences between Sethna and Ramanna both strong-willed individuals. Jairam Ramesh is a Rajya Sabha MP and former Union minister There are some who perpetually predict that Kejriwal will fade ignominiously as he is just a momentary flash in the pan. But Kejriwal continues to translate the simmering anger amid the common masses into considerable mass support. Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal's 'sit-in' andolan, along with three of his ministers (of which two are on an indefinite hunger strike), to protest against the abject non-cooperation of a highly-politicised Indian Administrative Services (IAS) lobby in National Capital, which has not been attending any meetings called by the political executive for the past four months, and the recalcitrance of the intransigent Lieutenant Governor (L-G) who is aiding and abetting this strike on the behest of his political masters, has entered its 8th day. This week-long showdown was long in the offing given the undemocratic and reprehensible emasculation of the AAP-ruled Delhi government by the BJP-ruled central government since the time a plucky Kejriwal, a veritable David in Indian politics, slam-dunked the Modi-led BJP, a Goliath, in the winter of 2015. The continuing tussle and the political churning that it has given rise to has taught us, in a span of merely seven days, a few things some promising and some not so. Kejriwal positions self as fulcrum of Opposition's Mahagathbandhan Four regional chief ministers, senior party leaders from the Opposition camp, several government employees, safai-karamcharis of the BJP-ruled MCDs, teachers, dhobis, Resident Welfare Association (RWA), eminent public intellectuals and former, senior IAS officers have came out supposrting Kejriwal's protest against the tyranny of the 'unelected'. Some of this strength was more than visible in the massive (albeit peaceful) protest march that thousands of right-thinking Delhi-ites took out on a balmy and humid Sunday evening. All this and more when with clockwork efficiency, the often rabid cabal of an ill-informed political opposition, blustery 24x7 media and drawing-room political pundits rushed to write the epitaph of Kejriwal and his party yet again and squarely blamed him for sitting on his hands, for resorting to dharna politics and for not doing enough to end the impasse with the L-G and the IAS officers. There are some who perpetually predict that Kejriwal will fade ignominiously as he is just a momentary flash in the pan. But Kejriwal continues to translate the simmering anger amid the common masses into considerable mass support. With his latest sit-in andolan a product of political smarts borne out of having one's ear to the problems at the grassroots level and by directly challenging Modi and calling out his misdeeds, Kejriwal has smartly positioned himself as the fulcrum upon which the federal front of Opposition parties the mahagathbandhan (without the Congress) can challenge the unbridled tyranny of Modi and his party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The steel frame of IAS is not only rusted but is conspicuous by its absence Sardar Patel, India's first deputy prime minister, famously called the IAS the 'Steel Frame' of the government machinery. Patel envisaged the IAS to act as the solid under-structure upon which the governance machinery the day-to-day operations and the often complex nitty-gritties of administration would rest. The IAS was supposed to be a closed clique of the nation's best and the brightest who would provide unfailing support to the citizens and the elected political executive, irrespective of the IAS officers' personal political predilections. However, as Delhi's escalating conflict has ably demonstrated, today this illusory will o' the wisp that the IAS is a premier apolitical body is shattered. The IAS is nothing more than a tool to be used at the hands of its cadre controlling authority the BJP-led Centre. From not attending meetings with the chief minister and his cabinet, to disseminating false, politically-motivated and specious information antithetical to AAP, to creating roadblocks in the schemes and projects initiated by the elected government in Delhi, these 'selected' babus, who are happy to enjoy the pleasures of a fat pay-check and the princely perks bestowed upon them by virtue of the high responsibility entrusted with them by the Constitution, have in-the process of mobilising against Kejriwal and AAP, not only broken umpteen number of conduct rules but have also reduced their stature to that of clerks and paper-pushers who are more than willing to be used as armaments in political skirmishes in anticipation of plum postings in the future. One truly wonders if the hallowed institution of IAS will ever be able to recover from the trust deficit that has been created by the damaging IAS lobby in Delhi. The finding of a supposed spine by the IAS Association is indeed a once-in-millennium event that depends more on the ides of political currents than concerns born out of actual welfare of officers. Delhi L-G has besmirched the Constitutional office of the Governor Introduced in 1987 by political scientist McCubbins, bureaucratic drift is a concept which explains the difference between a bureaucrat's understanding and implementation of a policy versus the intent of the political executive. Legislation is usually decided upon by elected public representatives, but implemented with impunity by bureaucrats, unaccountable to voters who act as per their own political leanings, preferences and interests. The central premise of a democracy is that citizens elect politicians in order to hold the un-elected bureaucrats accountable. That is precisely why we have elections: To vote to office political leaders who can provide that change to the populace and may not necessarily be aligned to the status quo way of doing things which bureaucrats are used to. And when in office, accountability is a key lever of performance and governance. After all, when one is elected to office, one is stood up for scrutiny in the court of the masses every five years. It is only the people who have the right to decide whether Kejriwal's government has committed any errors of commission and omission, not the unelected L-G. Instead, in a show of blatant disregard for democratic norms and convention, the L-G has encouraged bureaucrats to openly defy or stall the government's decisions, thereby sidestepping, in spirit, most of the Constitution's procedural freedoms and evading answerability. He has gradually and surely moved legislative power out of the elected Vidhan Sabha into insulared and crumbling administrative agencies run by bureaucrats like him. Federalism and Constitutional proprietary are in tatters under Narendra Modi The concept of 'federalism' in the Indian context has always been a tricky one. For instance, on the states' complaints that the constituent assembly had drafted the Indian Constitution bereft of a federal structure, Dr. BR Ambedkar, during one his eloquent speeches set the record straight by stating: "the states under our constitution are in no way dependent upon the Centre for their legislative or executive authority. The Centre and State are co-equal in this matter" Additionally, the underlying philosophy of an elected polity and representative democracy was pronounced clearly by James Madison in the Federalist Paper No. 46 where he stated that the state's ultimate security and authority lies in the confidence of its people. and this confidence can only be expressed through the political process of elections. And this is what happened in Delhi in 2015, when over 50 percent of the electorate voted for Kejriwal and his party and gave it an unprecedented 67 seats in a legislative assembly of 70. The people had spoken loud and clear. Vox Populi, Vox Dei. However, unable to digest a humiliating defeat at the hands of a political up-start, the 56'' Pradhan Sewak unleashed a reign of oppression and terror, under the sanctuary of Delhi's confused constitutional status as a state, upon the AAP government in Delhi. From installing L-Gs who act as self-anointed nawabs of the Delhi Sultanate to instigating a strike by the IAS officers which has led to delay in the execution of critical government projects to raiding and arresting AAP ministers and MLAs on trumped up political cases only to be reprimanded by the Delhi High Court and multiple district courts to eroding the accountability of the esteemed institution of Election Commission to the vindictive hounding of a senior IAS Officer, Rajendra Kumar, who refused to tow to the Centre's line Modi and Amit Shah have practiced a brand of politics that is not only brutal in nature but also antithetical to what makes our country democratic - the Constitution of India. The author works with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Delhi government on key issues. He tweets @pranavj142 Click here to follow LIVE updates on AAP dharna Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has the support of several regional parties, but the BJP and Congress criticised the AAP dharna. Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal and three of his ministers have been on a sit-in protest at the office of Lietenant-Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal for the past week, but it was on Sunday that the movement saw the most momentum the chief ministers of four states came out in support of the Aam Aadmi Partys protest, urging both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh to intervene and resolve the crisis. Buoyed by their backing, AAP organised a massive march from Mandi House to the prime ministers official home. Thousands of supporters participated in the demonstration, but the Delhi Police stopped their progress at Parliament Street they did not have permission to hold the rally and AAP soon called off the protest for the day. The unprecedented situation in Delhi began with the AAP leaders accusing Indian Administrative (IAS) officers of being on strike for months, since the alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash in February. The Kejriwal government claimed that IAS officers had not been attending meetings called by ministers in protest against the alleged assault, which had stalled schemes for the public. In their protest, the chief minister and his colleagues have been demanding that Baijal meet them and order the IAS officers to return to work. Mamata Banerjees strong backing Of all the political leaders who have voiced their support for the AAP dharna so far, Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee has been the most articulate in its criticism of the crisis in Delhi. Ever an avid BJP critic, she led a press conference on Saturday night, along with the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, to demand an end to the turmoil in the Delhi government and highlight the risk BJP poses to federalism with its strong-arm politics. Such was the reaction to her support for Kejriwal and his dharna that the Congress was compelled to reach out to her. Believed to be at the behest of former party president Sonia Gandhi, Congress leader Ahmed Patel met the Trinamool Congress chief. It was likely that they discussed the current state of federalism in India and what could be done to protect it from the risks it faces from the ruling saffron party. The meeting was arranged even though the Congress has refused to support the AAP strike. Senior leader and former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit called the protest at the L-Gs office an "excuse" to avoid work. Calling it "completely unacceptable", she said, "The people of Delhi are very disappointed because they brought him (to power) with a huge majority, and this is how he is treating them." It would be significant to note the stark difference of opinion between the Congress and its ally in Karnataka, the Janata Dal (Secular), which is led by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. Kumaraswamy had joined Banerjee at the press conference on Saturday to show his support for AAPs cause. Growing support for AAP protest In its power tussle with the lieutenant governor and the BJP, Kejriwal and his government has garnered the backing of several regional parties, even as the L-Gs office continues to stay mum on the crisis. Working president of the DMK MK Stalin said on Twitter what many are sure to have been thinking the past week: "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. AAP has been at loggerheads with the two L-Gs Delhi has had since the party came to power. It has always maintained that the BJP uses the administrative head as a tool to hamper development in the national capital and thwart the Delhi governments work. On Monday, Nitish Kumars Janata Dal (United) a member of the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance became the latest to join the Kejriwal bandwagon. He said that those backing the IAS officers strike can reap political benefits and also warned of how such immediate political benefits would harm democracy. Rebel senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha went a step further to extend his support to Kejriwal. In an article for NDTV, he wrote that the BJP was still punishing AAP for comprehensively defeating the saffron party in the Delhi Assembly elections in 2015. He pointed out the flaws of a diarchical system of governance, adding a jibe that Atal Bihari Vajpayee would have handled the defeat more maturely. With his usual usual twinge of sarcasm, National Conference working president Omar Abdullah said: Forget the arguments and counterarguments, a CM elected by the people of Delhi with an overwhelming majority is protesting in the lt governors residence for the last six days & the powers that be couldnt seem to care less. Democracy anyone? Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who never hesitates to criticise his ally in Maharashtra, expressed solidarity with Kejriwal and said: "In a democracy like ours, all 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 has to be respected." Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the situation in Delhi was "worse than the murder of democracy", and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the BJP was taking "revenge on the people of Delhi" for not voting it to power in the capital in the last two decades. Sitaram Yechury, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), not only expressed his support for AAP, but also took part in the march in Delhi on Sunday. He accused the BJP of using the office of governors and L-Gs to destabilise non-BJP democratically-elected state governments, giving the examples of Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya and Puducherry. Regional parties Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also voiced their support for the AAP dharna at the L-Gs office. JMM working president and former chief minister Hemant Soren tweeted: "I salute the fight by Delhi for its rights. The AAP government in Delhi is forced to take to the street for its rights. What kind of democracy is it? Jharkhand is with the people of Delhi and with Kejriwal." TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu who was one of the four chief ministers who held an unprecedented press conference in AAPs support on Saturday night said that the "trend of using the governor's office for political benefits of the ruling party at the Centre goes against the spirit of the Constitution". Actor-politicians praise Kejriwal Interference in the functioning of an elected government is unacceptable in a democracy, said Kamal Haasan on Twitter. In fact, what is happening in Delhi and in TN/Pondicherry is not too different. It is frustrating for people who want a change for the better. Shotgun Shatrughan Sinha, who has developed a reputation of being a BJP rebel, said: Our dear friend, dynamic & most-talked-about Chief Minister of Delhi @ArvindKejriwal has certainly shown statesmanship and has appealed the officers to get back to work. He has moved two steps. Hope the so-called strike of the bureaucrats ends now. Jai Hind! He also expressed hope that the prime minister would intervene to ensure an end to the IAS officers strike It will be a good step by him for the people of Delhi and democracy at large. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, he added. On the L-Gs refusal to meet the four chief ministers he said: This kind of blatant show of autocracy, despotism, autarchy and use of power...will only ridicule our partys image and give them tremendous sympathy of their followers. Just think about it and take it as food for thought consider the genuine demand of Arvind Kejriwal." Actor Prakash Raj, too, expressed his support for Kejriwal and made a jibe at Modi in the same vein. Dear supreme leader We know you are busy with Fitbit challenge, yoga and EXERCISE, can you spare a minute and take a deep breath, look around, and instruct bureaucrats to work with Chief Minister Kejriwal...(who is actually doing a good job) and EXERCISE your duty too. The BJPs defence and IAS officers denial Unsurprisingly, the BJP has been spewing venom at Kejriwal and his party since they began their protest at the L-Gs office on 11 June. Two days after the dharna began, BJP leaders and AAP rebel leader Kapil Mishra mimicked their protest and sat on a dharna at Kejriwal's office against the "non-performance" of his government. "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, they said in a joint letter to Kejriwal. BJP MP Subramanian Swamy even went to extent of calling the Delhi chief minister a born Naxalite. He said: He has nothing, he is all evaporated...This man is a Naxalite, he is a born Naxalite, he has been always hidden naxalite. Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday said the AAP dharna was destroying the trust the people of Delhi had put in them. 'Karne mein zero, dharne mein hero (AAP shows no results with its work, but is at the best at agitations, he added. While the BJP continued to trivialise the AAP protest, IAS officers held a press conference to deny the cause that triggered their dharna to begin with. The IAS Officers' Association dismissed the allegation that they had not been working. "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. IAS Association secretary Manisha Saxena a divisional commissioner and secretary of arts, culture and languages said they don't feel safe and need a culture of trust to work". In response, Kejriwal assured them that he would do everything in his power to protect them. Baijals refusal to give them time even once in the past week has led many to question his dedication to work in the interest of the residents of Delhi, and unless forcibly removed, it seems unlikely that the AAP leaders will end their dharna anytime soon. With neither the lieutenant-governor nor the prime minister speaking up on the crisis in the National Capital, and now with the Delhi High Courts intervention in the political tussle, its hard to tell which way the protest will head. Follow all the LIVE updates here Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal continued his protest at Raj Niwas for the eighth day on Monday while his deputy Manish Sisodia was moved to a hospital as IAS officers, accused of non-cooperation, offered to talk to Kejriwal. New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal continued his protest at Raj Niwas for the eighth day on Monday while his deputy Manish Sisodia was moved to a hospital as IAS officers, accused of non-cooperation, offered to talk to Kejriwal. Sisodia, on hunger strike since 13 June, was taken to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital after his ketone level reached 7.4, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sources said. The Shiv Sena and Janata Dal-United, both BJP allies, came out in support of Kejriwal. The Samajwadi Party backed the AAP against the central government. But Congress president Rahul Gandhi slammed both Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the stalemate. The AAP plans to start a campaign from Tuesday to reach out to at least 10 lakh households in Delhi. Kejriwal and three of his ministers Sisodia, Satyendra Jain and Gopal Rai begun their unprecedented strike at Raj Niwas on 11 June demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike and urging the Centre to approve the Delhi government's proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their houses. Jain, who was also on indefinite hunger strike since 12 June, was moved to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital on Sunday night. This has left Kejriwal and Rai at the office-cum-residence of Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal. Meanwhile, in the first sign of apparent rapprochement, IAS officers in Delhi on Monday said they were open to formal discussions to end the impasse in Delhi, a day after Kejriwal assured them their safety and dignity. The IAS AGMUT (Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) Association said the officers looked forward to concrete interventions for their security and dignity. "The officers... welcome chief minister's appeal. We reiterate that we continue to be at work with full dedication and vigour. We look forward to concrete interventions for our security and dignity. We are open to formal discussions with the chief minister," the Association tweeted. In response, Sisodia tweeted from his hospital bed: "That's precisely why we have been sitting at Raj Niwas for so many days requesting the LG to call all stakeholders and end this impasse. "The LG is head of both 'services' and 'security'. So, the meeting should take place in his presence so that assurances related to those subjects could be given," Sisodia said. On Sunday, Kejriwal said: "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." The protest had evoked sympathy for Kejriwal from the chief ministers of Kerala, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka as well as leaders of the CPI, CPI-M, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, RJD and the Samajwadi Party. Samajwadi Party leader and MP Ram Gopal Yadav, who went to meet Jain and Sisodia in hospital on Monday, said it was "unfortunate" that a government working for the welfare of Delhi was obstructed by the Lieutenant-Governor. "In democratic history, it is unheard of that IAS officers go on a strike. It is my appeal to the prime minister and the Lieutenant-Governor that they talk about this issue," he said. The Shiv Sena, which along with the BJP rules Maharashtra, came out in support of Kejriwal, a day after the Delhi chief minister spoke to party chief Uddhav Thackeray. But Rahul Gandhi hit out at Kejriwal and the BJP for their protests leading to a stalemate in the city while accusing prime minister Narendra Modi of ignoring the crisis. "Delhi CM, sitting in Dharna at L-G office. BJP sitting in Dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences. PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos and disorder. "People of Delhi are the victims, as this drama plays out," he said in a series of tweets. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday continued its counter-protest against Kejriwal's stir. The Congress reached out to Banerjee after being isolated in Delhi where it opposed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's demand of statehood for Delhi. Amid an impasse between AAP and the lieutenant-governor in Delhi, Congress leader Ahmed Patel met Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday, triggering speculations. According to CNN-News 18, the Congress reached out to Banerjee after being isolated in Delhi where it has opposed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's demand of statehood for Delhi. #EXCLUSIVE - Mamata Banerjee-Ahmed Patel meeting lasted for an hour. No consensus on joint opposition candidate for Rajya Sabha Deputy Chair. pic.twitter.com/rAw59nyGMx News18 (@CNNnews18) June 18, 2018 Another indication of the Sunday meeting is that the Congress is interested in being a part of the Opposition coalition against the ruling BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. And the building up of a non-Congress front could be a worry for the Congress. "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 against BJP. And Congress obviously wants to be a part of it," a TMC source told PTI. 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 TMC supremo. 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 criticised Kejriwal for his "theatrics". Kejriwal's campaign against Lieutenant-General Anil Baijal, 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 chief minister 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 on Sunday and urged the Centre to resolve the standoff. It is also likely that Patel met Banerjee ahead of the election for the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha to seek support for the Congress nominee for the post, CNN-News18 reported. With three regional parties BJD, TRS, and YSRCP holding the key to the election of Rajya Sabha's deputy chairman, both the ruling NDA and the Opposition parties are trying to woo them. The Opposition's combined strength in the Upper House including the erstwhile BJP-ally TDP has 117 votes. But the winning candidate will require 122 votes in the 245-member House. The BJP, which is the single largest party in the Upper House has the support of 106 members, including that of 14 AIADMK members. Quoting sources, PTI reported that TMC leader Derek O'Brien is trying to build consensus to field a non-Congress, but Congress-backed candidate from the Opposition. The names of TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and BJD leader Prasanna Acharya are doing the rounds for the post. The BJD with nine members in the Upper House, however, has been maintaining equal distance from both the BJP and the Congress and is yet to decide which way to go. Similarly, the other two parties TRS with six members and the YSRCP with two members are yet to open their cards on this crucial election which is seen as a test of the Opposition's unity. According to sources on both sides, the 17 members from these three parties will be deciding factor in electing the next deputy chairman. The floor managers of the ruling party are also in touch with these three parties, as all of them had supported the BJP during the presidential election in 2017. The BJD, however, had later extended its support to the Congress candidate for the vice-president post. With inputs from PTI West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has smartly used Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals continuing dharna to place herself in lead position in the proposed federal front. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has smartly used Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals continuing dharna to place herself in lead position in the proposed federal front. By taking three other chief ministers of varying parties and ideologies Chandrababu Naidu, HD Kumaraswamy and Pinarayi Vijayan to express solidarity with Kejriwals sit-in protest and then jointly taking up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of NITI Aayog meet, Mamata has sent loaded messages to all concerned, particularly the Congress. First, she didnt consult Congress leadership, at least publicly, before writing to Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal and the four aforementioned chief ministers visiting Kejriwals home, meeting his wife Sunita, and conveying the message both to her and the people at large that they stood with the Aam Aadmi Party leaders in their fight against Baijal and the Modi government at the Centre. By doing so, Mamata conveyed a vote of no-confidence in the Congress and the grand old party's leadership's claim to be in the fulcrum of any Opposition unity move. The fact that Congress newest ally, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, chose to take Mamata's side over its official alliance partner should be a cause for concern for Rahul Gandhi and his team. Kumaraswamy was also seen warmly shaking hands with Modi at the sidelines of the NITI Aayog meet with Mamata, Naidu and Vijayan. That picture has its own connotations. No chief minister of a Congress-ruled state was in sight when the meeting took place. Second, Mamatas two days of activism in Delhi brought Congress isolation to the fore. Congress' claims of a Mahagathbandhan or grand alliance lies in tatters, at least for now. The Congress has valid reasons to come out against Kejriwal but liberals and secularists have painted the grand old party as one of the villains of the piece. Their argument goes something like this: If the Congress could play second fiddle to Kumaraswamy to prevent BJP from coming to power, why couldnt it be subservient to Kejriwal in Delhi? Mamata, on the other hand, seized the initiative and used the NITI Aayog meet and its sidelines to hit national headlines. She portrayed herself as somebody who had capacity to bring top leaders of other regional parties together to fight against the Modi government, both now and in 2019. Third, in what perhaps was the most interesting aspect of Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, the presence of Vijayan and Banerjee in the picture of four chief ministers. Within the CPM organisational structure, the Kerala lobby influences policy decisions. Though CPM is still opposing TMC in West Bengal, Mamata and Vijayan coming together has its own implications. In the era of Bahujan Samaj Party-Samajwadi Party and Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) tie-up, possibility of All India Trinamool Congress-Communist Party of India (Marxist) alliance cant be ruled out, and rightly so. If that happens, it would help Mamata further strengthen her position both inside and outside West Bengal. Fourth, it should be noted that CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury participated in AAP protests at Mandi House on Sunday. While he sweated it out under the sun along with the AAP and CPM cadre, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, riding atop an SUV, introduced Yechury and thanked him for his support. Fifth, Mamata has, for quite some time been talking of unity of regional forces and has opened a dialogue with Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (Secular), AAP and others. However, she has not been seen as keen to open a dialogue on substantive issues including a larger Opposition coalition with the Congress. She publicly said she was opposed to the Congress' move to impeach Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and also indicated that she didn't have confidence in Rahuls leadership. Even at the grand show of Opposition during Kumaraswamy's oath-taking ceremony in Bengaluru, Mamata seemed more comfortable interacting with regional satraps than Sonia and Rahul. Her photo-op with Sonia, was more at the behest of Mayawati than her own accord or Sonias initiative. Mamata practically had zero interaction with Rahul, at least on the dais. Mamata also didn't attend the iftar party hosted by Rahul at a five-star hotel in New Delhi. Is Mamata looking at a non-Congress coalition against Modi-Amit Shah led BJP? Its difficult to find an answer now but she's making it clear she is not willing to play second fiddle to Rahul. Mamata has 34 MPs in the Lok Sabha as opposed to Congress' 44. Sixth, CNN-News18 reported that Sonias political secretary Ahmed Patel met Mamata on Sunday after the NITI Aayog meet with a specific agenda: To seek her support for the post of deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, which is set to fall vacant once PJ Kurien's term as member of the House ends (the Congress has not renominated him). The BJP, which would like to have one of its members occupying their post, is the largest party in the Upper House. However, if all Opposition parties align and oppose the BJP candidate, then the ruling party might have a difficult time. Unfortunately for Congress, Mamata (13 MPs in Rajya Sabha) has not assured it of her support. Shiv Sena said Defence Minister is 'a very weak and ineffective, faceless personality, who is at the helm, which is detrimental to the country.' Mumbai: Launching a fresh salvo at the Central government against the backdrop of the Jammu and Kashmir violence, the Shiv Sena on Monday asked whether "India really has a Defence Minister?" Without naming Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally attacked her as "a very weak and ineffective, faceless personality, who is at the helm, which is detrimental to the country". "Our three services chiefs have always assured that the country's armed forces are forever prepared to tackle any challenges. We have full faith in the capabilities of our armed forces, but the leadership is inept," the Sena said in editorials in the party mouthpieces, Saamana and Dopahar Ka Saamana. Otherwise, it pointed out, the terrorists would not have dared to kill the brave Indian Army soldier, Aurangzeb Mohammed Hanif, so brutally during the holy month of Ramazan. The Sena said it had always criticized Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb who came to destroy India's Swaraj, "but we adore this (soldier) Aurangzeb of Jammu and Kashmir who has been killed". "Aurangzeb (Hanif)'s bravery and sacrifice will inspire the entire country for long. The government must honour the martyrdom of this nationalist," the Sena urged. Aurangzeb's crime was he fought and destroyed the terrorists who propounded the cause of Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir, especially Hizbul Mujahiddeen commander Sameer Tiger, who spread mayhem in the valley with guns and bombs. Aurangzeb was a front-ranking member of the commando team which had eliminated Sameer Tiger and he had carried out other major anti-terror operations in the areas. "He was a fearless anti-terror fighter and a true patriot. That's why he caught the attention of the terrorists who kidnapped him when he was going for Eid holidays and later killed him," the Sena said. Before killing him the terrorists shot a video in which Aurangzeb was interrogated and tortured, "but never did he look frustrated staring at death in the face, was not terrified and did not surrender". Terming the violence in the valley in the name of Islam as "shocking", the Sena said that many other Muslim soldiers like Aurangzeb are dying for the country. "Not only the Muslims, but the Hindus shall be forever proud of them", as the country remains united because of their martyrdom, said the Sena. It called upon "those who seek votes in the name of Emperor Aurangzeb in Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra, to bow their heads in honour of the martyred soldier Aurangzeb, and offer a special 'namaaz' in his memory". "We submit to his martyrdom, offer flowers on his grave and cry. Such Aurangzebs must be born in every Muslim home in India. Aurangzeb's martyrdom is immortal." the Sena concluded. Barely two weeks after the results of the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, the grand alliance in the state appears to have hit a rocky patch. Barely two weeks after the results of the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, the grand alliance in the state appears to have hit a rocky patch. Ties between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress have been strained over seat-sharing for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Sources have told News18 that the SP is only willing to give the Amethi and Rae Bareli seats to the grand old party. The party, however, has said that it has completed talks with the BSP and RLD for the alliance, according to a UNI report. #BREAKING - Congress doesn't fit into the grand alliance narrative. SP only willing to give Amethi and Rae Bareli seats to Congress: Samajwadi Party sources. pic.twitter.com/EP6FimlQR7 News18 (@CNNnews18) June 18, 2018 This comes as further bad news to the Congress, after reports that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have opposed the Congress' Rajya Sabha candidate. The Congress also attracted the anger of the Aam Aadmi Party as it refused to extend support to the latter in its standoff with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. The 'grand alliance' had seen happier times only recently, as it won two bypolls in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh. There have been five bypolls ever since the BJP government took over the reins of most populous and politically most crucial state in the country, but it has lost four. Barring Akbarpur in Kanpur Rural, the ruling saffron camp has lost Gorakhpur, Phulpur, Kairana and Noorpur. The BJP's loss in Gorakhpur was the most significant as it is the home turf of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Following the results of the bypolls, the Congress had decided to step up efforts to prevent division of anti-BJP votes by seeking to identify the strongest candidate in each seat in the forthcoming electoral contests. At the time, Congress sources had said the informal talks were underway to find a common ground with Opposition parties even as the party has embarked on the process to identify candidates in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. With inputs from IANS Any policy that offends both William Barber II and Franklin Graham must be pretty bad. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images; Logan Cyrus/AFP/Getty Images Theres no question that Donald Trumps ability to sell himself in 2016 to a particular religious community, white conservative Evangelical Protestants, was critical to his nomination and election as president. There are signs that on one issue, immigration policy, he is in danger of alienating them. In fact, Trumps policies seem to be creating a really unusual degree of agreement between conservative Evangelical leaders and people in other faith communities that are usually at odds with both Evangelicals and with Trump. A 2017 survey of 130,000 U.S. clergy was summarized by the New York Times as indicating remarkably deep divisions: Americas pastors the men and women a majority of Americans look to for help in finding meaning and purpose in their lives are even more politically divided than the rest of us, according to a new data set representing the largest compilation of American religious leaders ever assembled. Like their congregants, religious leaders have sharply divided themselves along political lines. Leaders and congregants of Unitarian and African Methodist Episcopal churches are overwhelmingly Democratic, as are those of Reform and Conservative Jewish synagogues. Those of several Evangelical and Baptist churches are overwhelmingly Republican. If religious denominations were states, almost all of them would be considered Safely Democratic or Safely Republican, with relatively few swing states. That is why the current outpouring of outrage and protests by religious leaders across the theological and political spectrum (check out this Twitter thread keeping up with them by Jack Jenkins of the Religion News Service) in reaction to the Trump administrations policy of sequestering the children of undocumented migrants at the border while their parents are being prosecuted is remarkable. It has all but united the faithful, at least in the pulpits if not necessarily in the pews. Some of the reactions are predictable. Prominent progressive clergyman William Barber II of the Poor Peoples Campaign called Jeff Sessionss biblical defense of the administrations policy heresy. An early protest from 20 interfaith leaders included Jewish and Muslim leaders and an assortment of mainline Protestants. Among the mainliners, very pointed statements have been issued by Jeff Sessionss United Methodist Church: The denomination to which Donald Trump more or less belongs when hes not worshipping golden calves, the Presbyterian Church USA, issued its own statement, which ended with this rather unconditional demand: In the name of God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stop! The staunch opposition of the Roman Catholic Church to the administrations policies was also somewhat predictable given that communions long-standing identification with immigrant rights and the Catholic affiliation of so many of the people affected by the zero tolerance policy. But still, a statement from the Catholic Bishops not only condemned separation of families but denied Trumps claim that Democrats were at fault: Our government has the discretion in our laws to ensure that young children are not separated from their parents and exposed to irreparable harm and trauma. Families are the foundational element of our society and they must be able to stay together. Separating babies from their mothers is not the answer and is immoral. But the really striking thing is that conservative Evangelical leaders have joined the parade of protests. Back on June 1, the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Leith Anderson, signed a letter to Trump, along with Hispanic Evangelical leader Samuel Rodriguez (who prayed at Trumps inauguration) and Southern Baptist spokesman Russell Moore, that rejected the administrations rationalizations: While illegal entry to the United States can be a misdemeanor criminal violation, past administrations have exercised discretion in determining when to charge individuals with this offense, taking into account the wellbeing of children who may also be involved. A zero tolerance policy removes that discretionwith the effect of removing even small children from their parents. The traumatic effects of this separation on these young children, which could be devastating and long-lasting, are of utmost concern. Russell Moore has been a frequent Trump critic, but this time he wasnt speaking as a Baptist dissident. The full Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Texas last week, passed a resolution that among other things called for making family unity a touchstone of immigration policy and denouncing any form of nativism, mistreatment, or exploitation [as] inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But so far the most remarkable statement came from one of Trumps most fervent, and most important, conservative Evangelical supporters, Franklin Graham. Yes, he helped his president a bit by accusing past political leaders of helping to create the current situation. But in the end he was appropriately judgmental: Evangelical leader Franklin Graham, son of Americas pastor Billy Graham and a prominent Trump supporter, told the Christian Broadcasting Network on Tuesday, Its disgraceful, and its terrible to see families ripped apart and I dont support that one bit. This should be a bright flashing red sign to Team Trump that a strategic retreat from the zero tolerance policy is in order. But its a pretty good sign that faith leaders can spot evil when they see it, and agree on calling it out. Reuters The staff of the US International Trade Commission on 15 June recommended that a trade judge find that Apple Inc infringed at least one of Qualcomm Incs patents, a move that could lead to blocking the import of some iPhones. The San Diego chipmaker filed a complaint against Apple nearly a year ago, asking the commission to ban the import of iPhones containing rival chipmaker Intel Corps so-called modem chips, which help mobile phones connect to wireless data networks. At a trial in Washington that started on Friday, the ITC staff said Apple violated one of Qualcomms patents around battery-saving technology. The ITC staff acts as a third party in such trade cases. The staff lawyers opinions are not binding, but judges often follow them. In previous filings in the ITC case, Apple has argued that Qualcomms patents are invalid and that, regardless, the judge should not ban Intel-based iPhones because it would give Qualcomm a monopoly on modems in the United States and drive Intel out of the modem business. 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. The ITC case is the first to go to trial out of more than a dozen legal fights between Apple and Qualcomm over patents, licensing practices and contracts between the two. A decision is expected by January. If the ITC judge decides to ban some iPhone imports, Qualcomm could use that to try to persuade Apple to settle or drop several of the other patent and contract cases, legal experts have said. Apple has argued that some of Qualcomms practices are illegal, and the chipmaker has paid billions of dollars in fines from antitrust regulators in several countries, though it is still appealing some of those rulings. Qualcomm says its practices are legal and were accepted by customers for many years as the smartphone industry boomed, but it has made some changes to its licensing model of taking a cut of the selling price of a device in a bid to ease tensions with customers and regulators. Reuters Google will invest $550 million in Chinese e-commerce powerhouse JD.com, part of the US internet giants efforts to expand its presence in fast-growing Asian markets and battle rivals including Amazon.com. The two companies described the investment as one piece of a broader partership that will include the promotion of JD.com products on Googles shopping service. This could help JD.com expand beyond its base in China and Southeast Asia and establish a meaningful presence in U.S. and European markets. Company officials said the agreement initially would not involve any major new Google initiatives in China, where the companys main services are blocked over its refusal to censor search results in line with local laws. JD.coms investors include Chinese social media powerhouse Tencent Holdings Ltd, the arch-rival of Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, and Walmart Inc. It also has a partnership with French retail giant Carrefour SA. Google is stepping up its investments across Asia, where a rapidly growing middle class and a lack of infrastucture in retail, finance and other areas have made it a battleground for US and Chinese internet giants. Google recently took a stake in Indonesian ride-hailing firm Go-Jek, and sources have told Reuters that it may also invest in Indian e-commerce upstart Flipkart. Google declined to comment on the rumoured Flipkart deal. The JD.com investment is being made by the operating unit of Google rather than one of parent company Alaphabets investment vehicles. Google will get 27.1 million newly issued JD.com Class A ordinary shares as part of the deal. This will give them less than a 1 percent stake in JD, a spokesman for JD said. For JD.com, the Google deal shows its determination to build a set of global alliances as it seeks to counter Alibaba, which has been more focused on forging domestic retail tie-ups. Japans Softbank Group Corp, which is making big internet investments around the globe, is a major investor in Alibaba. This partnership with Google opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers throughout the world, said Jianwen Liao, JD.coms chief strategy officer, in a statement. Company officials said the deal would marry Googles market reach and strength in analytics with JD.coms expertise in logistics and inventory management. tech2 News Staff Rumours of a Samsung Galaxy X have been swirling around since last year. The phone, said to feature a flexible OLED display and an astronomical price tag, is expected to arrive towards the end of the year. In the meantime, images of what appears to be one of Samsungs early attempts at building a phone with a folding display (not to be confused with a flip phone) have appeared on Twitter. According to the Twitter user who leaked the images, the phone was called Samsung Project V with the model number SM-G929F. The project was cancelled. From the front, when opened, it looks like there are two phones held side-by-side. Its not immediately apparent from the images, but it looks like the secondary display folds around to the back. This side has no sensors or home button. The primarily display appears to be fixed in place, as on a regular phone. When the secondary display is unfolded, the two displays sit side-by-side. As far as we can make out from the images, the wallpaper appears to be stretching across displays, but were not sure if content, like videos, would do the same. There also appears to be no mechanism to correct the image for bezels. We cant fathom what Samsung was thinking when they made this phone, which, incidentally, could explain why Samsung cancelled the project. Were guessing that Samsungs Galaxy X will feature a far more elegant design, and also hoping that theyll have an OS that works with it. Press Trust of India 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, 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. Indo-Asian News Service Samsung is reportedly preparing to exclusively release a Galaxy Note 9 variant with 512 GB onboard storage in certain markets such as South Korea and China, the media reported. "Android 8.1 Oreo coupled with the latest version of 'Samsung Experience' is set to ship straight out of the box, with all of this being backed by a 4,000mAh battery," PhoneArena reported late on Sunday. As of now, it is unclear if any changes other than the inbuilt storage capacity will be made to the top-end variant. The upcoming flagship Note device could make its way to other markets as well, according to tech website SamsungMobile.News. The device is expected to come with 6 GB RAM alongside Samsung's own Exynos 9810 octa-core chipset. When it comes to the camera department, a variable aperture sensor is likely to be included next to a secondary telephoto lens. An 8 MP selfie sensor is rumoured to be placed on the front. Previous Samsung Galaxy Note smartphones have featured microSD slots so users can expect it to return this time. Notably, it is not known when the South Korean giant would host an "Unpacked" event for the smartphone's unveiling. The company is also expected to launch the Samsung Gear S4 smartwatch alongside. Agence France-Presse 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. "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. "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!" The Associated Press The ashes of Stephen Hawking were buried on 15 June in a corner of Westminster Abbey that honours some of Britain's greatest scientists, between the graves of Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton. More than 1,000 people attended a service of thanksgiving in the ancient abbey for the physicist, who died in March at age of 76 after decades of living with motor neuron disease. When he was diagnosed, aged 22, he was given only a few years to live. Hawking conducted groundbreaking research into black holes and the origins of the universe and gained global fame as a populariser and communicator of science. His book A Brief History of Time' sold 9 million copies even if many readers didn't finish it and he appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Big Bang Theory and The Simpsons. "His name will live in the annals of science,'' Astronomer Royal Martin Rees told the memorial service. "Nobody else since Einstein has done more to deepen our understanding of space and time." "Millions have had their horizons widened by his books and lectures, and even more worldwide have been inspired by a unique example of achievement against all the odds,'' Rees said. Hawking's first wife Jane and daughter Lucy were among an eclectic crowd that included scientists and schoolchildren; politicians including UK Culture Secretary Matt Hancock and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn; Chic guitarist Nile Rogers; actress Lily Cole; comedian David Walliams; and talk-show host Piers Morgan. Guests also included 1,000 members of the public selected by ballot from 25,000 applicants. A private funeral service was held in March in Cambridge, where Hawking lived and worked for decades. The service included biblical readings by actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Hawking in a BBC drama, and Hawking's daughter Lucy. Astronaut Tim Peake read from "Queen Mab'' by poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, which evokes the wonders of the universe. Kip Thorne, a Nobel Prize-winning American physicist, paid tribute to "by far the most stubborn friend I ever had." "He absolutely refused to let his physical disability get in the way of doing great science or get in the way of having great fun,'' Thorne said. The 900-year-old abbey is the resting place of a pantheon of British historical figures, including kings and queens, political leaders and writers including Geoffrey Chaucer and Charles Dickens. Hawking was interred in the abbey's Scientists' Corner, beneath a stone inscribed: "Here lies what was mortal of Stephen Hawking'' an English translation of the Latin words on the nearby grave of Newton, the 17th-century scientist who discovered the laws of gravity. The stone is also inscribed with one of Hawking's equations describing the entropy of a black hole. Indo-Asian News Service IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on 18 June warned social media companies against misusing users' data to influence the outcome of elections, saying this will not be tolerated. Also, the government was awaiting the report of the Justice Srikrishna Committee on data protection and law, said Prasad, who is also Law and Justice Minister. At a press conference on the achievements of his ministry since the Modi government took power, Prasad talked about other issues like the proposed triple talaq law, the ordinance to extradite fugitives including Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya, the appointment of future Chief Justice, judicial appointments and putting in place a procedure for appointment of judges. Describing as "imaginary" the appointment of Justice Ranjan Gogoi the senior most top court judge after Chief Justice Deepak Misra as the next Chief Justice, Prasad said that under the procedure the outgoing Chief Justice recommends the name of the senior most judge after him as his successor and government will decide when that stage comes. However, he said, "our intentions can't be suspected". On the procedure for the appointment of judges to higher judiciary, the Minister said that discussions were going on between the government and the top court. Prasad said the government wanted that the norms for the screening of the candidates (for appointment as judges) must be laid down in the memorandum of procedure. He urged Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and BSP supremo Mayawati to rise above political divide on the proposed triple talaq law which he said was for promoting gender justice, dignity and equality. He pointed out that if 22 Islamic countries including Pakistan and Bangladesh can regulate triple talaq, then why can't a secular nation like India. On the extradition of Nirav Modi, Vijaya Mallya and Lalit Modi, the Minister said: "We will not spare anyone, irrespective of their stature," Mallya was a member of the Rajya Sabha when he did the vanishing act. "We are strengthening the law. We brought Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018. Congress opposed it, we brought an ordinance." On the filling up of over 5,000 vacancies in the subordinate judiciary, Prasad said the appointment of judicial officials was vested in the High Court of each State. The government had no intention of encroaching upon their autonomy. However, he favoured a "centralised selection process" for appointment to subordinate judiciary that will infuse the meritorious students from different law colleges and universities including those from the marginalised sections belonging to SC/ST. tech2 News Staff The Redmi series has always been a money spinner for Xiaomi, especially in a budget-sensitive country such as India. Xiaomi had announced the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5A in India around March this year and it looks to soon bring the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A to the Indian markets as well. However, both the devices will miss one important feature. There will be no IR blaster in the Redmi 6 or Redmi 6A. As per a report by GizmoChina, a hands-on photo posted by IThome of the Redmi 6 showed that the IR blaster was missing. Xiaomi's official Chinese website has also not included IR blaster in the official specifications list of both the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A. An IR blaster on your device can turn your smartphone into a universal remote for controlling electronic gadgets such as AC's, TVs and more. The IR blaster was one of Xiaomi's trademark features in its budget smartphone range and it's not clear if Xiaomi is completely discontinuing the feature or if it is just not available on both these particular devices. In any case, if you are a big fan of the IR remote feature in Xiaomi devices, you might want to steer clear of the Redmi 6 and 6A when it arrives in the Indian markets. The Redmi 6 features a 5.45-inch HD+ display in an 18:9 aspect ratio. Interestingly, Xiaomi has ditched Qualcomm and has instead decided to go with a MediaTek Helio P22 chip. Storage options include a 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage and a 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage option. In China, the phone retails for CNY 799 (around Rs 8,000) and CNY 999 (around Rs 10,000) for the 3 GB and 4 GB option respectively. The cheaper Redmi 6A is virtually identical to the Redmi 6, however, on the inside, it has an Helio A22 instead of an Helio P22 chipset. Also, the camera goes from a dual camera to a 13 MP single camera on the rear. The front remains a 5 MP unit. This phone retails for CNY 599 (around Rs 6,000). There is no word yet, on when they may arrive in India. At least three people were killed in Japan after a strong earthquake shook the city of Osaka today, setting off building fires, and cracked roads and water pipes. At least three people a 9-year-old girl and two men in their 80s were killed in Japan after a strong earthquake shook the city of Osaka on Monday morning, setting off building fires, toppled concrete walls and cracked roads and water pipes. No tsunami warning was issued. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said the number of the injured had risen to 91 about three and a half hours after the quake struck the region. An 80-year-old man and a 9-year-old girl were killed, while several other people are in cardiopulmonary arrest after walls collapsed when a magnitude-6.1 earthquake hit Osaka in western Japan on Monday, public broadcaster NHK earlier reported. Japan does not confirm deaths until a formal examination has been made and generally uses the term "cardiopulmonary arrest" in such cases. NHK said that the elderly man and the girl had been killed by collapsing walls. NHK and TV Asahi had both initially reported "several" deaths. Local police told Agence France-Presse that they could not confirm the reports. The Japan Meteorological Agency originally put the quakes magnitude at 5.9 but later raised it to 6.1. The strongest shaking was in an area north of Osaka city. The Japanese government had not received reports of major damage as of 8.30 am local time(11.30 pm GMT ), spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters. Live footage showed burst water mains and a house on fire after the quake hit Japans second-biggest metropolis just before 8 am local time (11 pm GMT Sunday) as commuters were heading to work. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government was assessing damage and that its top priority was the safety of residents. Television images showed goods scattered on the floor of shops and building debris in streets. The morning commute was disrupted as train and subway service in the Osaka area including the bullet train were suspended to check for damage to equipment. Kansai Electric Power said no irregularities had been detected at the Mihama, Takahama and Ohi nuclear plants after the quake. Kansai also said more than 170,000 households were without power in Osaka and neighboring Hyogo prefecture. Daihatsu Motor Co, an Osaka-based unit of Toyota Motor Corp, said it had suspended production at its factories in Osaka and Kyoto while they check for damage. Sharp Corp said its directly-owned plants in the area were operating as usual, but a joint venture plant with parent Hon Hai Precision Industry said it had halted operations for safety checks. We were sleeping and it woke us up abruptly, said Kate Kilpatrick, 19, who was staying in a hotel in Osaka when the quake hit. It was so terrifying because this is my first earthquake. I thought it was a nightmare because I was so confused. The whole world was aggressively shaking, she said. Kilpatrick, visiting Japan for the first time from the United States, said alarms went off almost immediately in the hotel and a loudspeaker told guests to stay away from windows. Osaka is to host 2018s Group of 20 summit. A massive magnitude 9.0 quake hit northeastern Japan on 11 March, 2011, triggering a huge tsunami that killed some 18,000 people and triggered the worlds worst nuclear disaster in a quarter of a century at Tokyo Electric Powers Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. With inputs from agencies Artful dodgers. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images When Chief Justice John Roberts heard Gill v. Whitford, a closely watched case that couldve changed the future of our democracy for the better, he recoiled at the prospect that a forthcoming ruling might be seen as a mere product of politics or the Supreme Court choosing the Democrats over the Republicans. In open court, he worried that such public perception might cause very serious harm to the status and integrity of the decisions of this court in the eyes of the country. In his world, the Supreme Court is an agnostic, apolitical body above and beyond the influence of partisanship or corrosive forces that have nothing to do with the law. Now, near the end of the current term, Roberts achieved what he wanted not just in Gill, but also in a lesser, companion case, Benisek v. Lamone, each a dispute that presented the high court with a claim that, for decades, has remained unanswered, if not wholly unrecognized by the courts: What can we do about partisan gerrymandering? Racial gerrymandering that is, the intentional manipulation of district boundaries in a way that disfavors black and Latino voters has already had its day in court and been found unconstitutional or unlawful under a complex line of precedents. But partisan gerrymandering, which relies on the party affiliation of voters to pack them or crack them into given districts, has so far evaded a definitive adjudication. With Gill, the judicial dodging continues. And to justify it, and leave things unresolved for another day, Roberts managed to get unanimous consensus from his colleagues for the view that the Democratic voters who challenged as too partisan a particular set of legislative maps in Wisconsin have no standing to bring that claim in court. Standing is a strange little procedural requirement that the Supreme Court pretends to wield impartially and according to a neutral set of principles. But as weve seen in high-stakes disputes over affirmative action, immigration, and textual attacks on the Affordable Care Act, the justices dont always practice what they preach theyll either find or ignore the existence of standing if they so wish, often with little or no explanation. And maybe as part of the jockeying for votes that happens behind the scenes, Roberts convinced even the four more liberal members of the court to join him on the standing question in Gill, rather than perhaps seeing the case get dismissed altogether. But heres where things get weird. Under the law, Roberts should have dismissed the case. Thats the rule: Where theres no standing, theres no case, and the whole thing gets thrown out of court. Not here: This is not the usual case, Roberts wrote. It concerns an unsettled kind of claim this Court has not agreed upon, the contours and justiciability of which are unresolved. So the aggrieved Democratic voters lost the battle at the Supreme Court. But their fight now continues in the lower court, where they may have an opportunity to prove concrete and particularized injuries using evidence unlike the bulk of the evidence presented thus far that would tend to demonstrate a burden on their individual votes. The move seems to have rubbed Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Neil Gorsuch the wrong way, who didnt join that part of the chiefs opinion. And so we have yet another major dodge in what couldve been a watershed constitutional ruling in these partisan times that we live in. Justice Elena Kagan writing separately and joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor charted a course for the Wisconsin plaintiffs, and others who may feel so led, on how they could later press their claim in the lower courts and make it stick. But before she did that, she took care to remind the nation that the Supreme Court, cautious though it may have been overall, does have the power to end partisan gerrymandering, self-interested politicians be damned. Indeed, the need for judicial review is at its most urgent in these cases. For here, politicians incentives conflict with voters interests, leaving citizens without any political remedy for their constitutional harms, she wrote. Kagans entreaties, more than anything, are aimed at an audience of one: Justice Anthony Kennedy. He didnt write a single thing in Gill, and yet he remains the main reason partisan gerrymandering doesnt get any traction at the Supreme Court. Since you need five votes to make law, so far it is Kennedys insufferable indecision thats holding the court back from making much noise moving forward in a way thats meaningful for voters. Quoting at length from one of his past opinions, Kagan reminded the senior justice that theres a First Amendment associational harm that stems from partisan gerrymandering: Consider an active member of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin who resides in a district that a partisan gerrymander has left untouched (neither packed nor cracked). His individual vote carries no less weight than it did before. But if the gerrymander ravaged the party he works to support, then he indeed suffers harm, as do all other involved members of that party. This is the kind of burden to a group of voters representational rights Justice Kennedy spoke of. (Roberts too quoted Kennedys own past work on more than one occasion, which signals that he was, yet again, the linchpin everyone was trying to curry favor with.) After laying out her theories of how partisan gerrymandering should be dealt with in the future, and more overtures to Kennedy, Kagan then threw the ball right back to Roberts himself: I am hopeful we will then step up to our responsibility to vindicate the Constitution against a contrary law. Kagan packed so much punch in her concurrence, Roberts must have felt the sting and felt compelled to advise lower courts to not read too much into it. The reasoning of this Court with respect to the disposition of this case is set forth in this opinion and none other, he wrote rather curtly, seeming to cast aspersions on what he deemed speculative and advisory conclusions by his junior colleague. Call if judicial mansplaining, if you will. In the Benisek case, brought by a group of Republican voters from Maryland who had complained that they, too, had been unconstitutionally gerrymandered on the basis of their party affiliation, the dodge was subtler: Rather than a lengthy ruling espousing competing views, all the high court did was just issue a terse, five-page unsigned opinion declining to offer relief because the voters took too long to sue. So in the end Roberts dealt a body blow to both Democrats and Republicans and averted the thing he most fears: breathless headlines screaming that the Supreme Court just gave a major win to either political party. And he may have even prevented a constitutionally illiterate tweet by Donald Trump, who never misses a chance to make people stupider about the courts work. Both the Wisconsin and Maryland cases will continue in the lower courts and they may yet rear their heads again. But that doesnt matter. The chief found a way to resolve two sticky cases in an already sticky term by simply dancing around the hard questions. He wont get to relish this punt for very long: A new partisan gerrymandering challenge from North Carolina is already waiting in the wings. With the Pakistan General Elections just a month away, journalists in Pakistan claim a 'campaign of fear' is being run 'against anyone criticising the establishment' especially the military Rawalpindi: "Militant organisations, who call them non-state actors, are active," said former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif in an interview to Dawn, one of the countrys oldest and leading English dailies. In the interview published on 12 May, the former prime minister went on to ask: "Should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. India was quick to react, claiming the statement confirmed Pakistan governments support to the terrorists who attacked Mumbai. The Pakistan government responded by disrupting Dawn's distribution in different parts of the country since 15 May, especially in Balochistan and the Sindh province, and to civilians living in military cantonments. The Press Council of Pakistan too issued a notice to Dawn for what it called "violating the ethical code of conduct". The PCP's action has raised concern at the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). With the Pakistan general elections scheduled for 25 July, the action against Dawn has been described by Pakistans journalists as a "campaign of fear against anyone criticising the establishment". Apparently, the Pakistan military was particularly upset with the interview, including the part where Sharif asked "why cant we complete the trials", referring to the many pending prosecutions of those accused of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Pakistan had responded to Indias statements as a gross misinterpretation of Sharifs comments". The pressure against Dawn, in particular, and the Pakistani media, in general, has been mounting for some time. Dawn editor Zaffar Abbas in a recent tweet described the unannounced policy of "self-censorship" as "suffocating", though he refused to comment for this story. In fact, there has been no official response to the disruption of distribution of Dawn editions. After the publication of the interview, on 4 June, Pakistan Armys spokesman, Major General Asif Ghafoor, accused a number of journalists of anti-state activities while presenting a slideshow featuring their social media accounts. We do have the capability to monitor social media, to see who is doing what, he said. In response, the PFUJ issued a statement on 6 June, requesting the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan's Armed Forces, to withdraw its sweeping statements against journalists. However, two days later, PFUJ president Afzal Butt said that Major General Ghafoor's presentation mentioning the social media accounts of journalists was "not meant to target any individual or the journalist community. Many journalists mentioned in that presentation found Butt's clarification an abject surrender to the military. Butt and PFUJ secretary Ayub Jan Sarhandi did not respond to our request for a comment. 88 percent journalists self-censor stories Steven Butler of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit based out of New York that promotes press freedom worldwide, said in a tweet that displaying photos of journalists who allegedly are helping push anti-state propaganda is tantamount to painting a giant target on their backs". Aliya Iftikhar, CPJs Asia associate, in response to an email request for comments, said, Pakistan has long been a dangerous environment for journalists to work in, but this appears to be a particularly trying time for the press, as the country prepares for elections. If there is a climate of fear and the media isnt able to do its job properly, Pakistan cannot ensure that its elections will be free and fair." A number of journalists from leading broadcast and print publications that the writer spoke with allege an increase in trolling against those raising concerns about press freedom. One reporter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity said: We are forced to practice self-censorship. If we do not delete a tweet then our management will face the consequences. According to Media Matters for Democracy, a policy research initiative based in Islamabad, 88 percent of journalists in Pakistan self-censor their stories, especially on subjects relating to security and religion. Major General Ghafoor held an undisclosed four-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with a select group of journalists on 8 June. A journalist who was present at the meeting, said, Reporters were briefed on the slide presentation and asked whether that had impacted the safety of journalists mentioned. We were asked if we objected to the ISPR slides publicising the names of journalists. All the journalists present said the names should not have been published." Major General Ghafoor apologised for the slides saying, "In hindsight, it wasnt right, we are learning too," the journalist added. Agencies keeping watch on scribes The actions against Dawn and the incident at Geo TV its journalist and social media activist Gul Bukhari was "abducted" for a few hours indicate increasing pressure against free and fair reporting by journalists without fear of intimidation. Bukhari was reportedly whisked away by unknown assailants on her way to Waqt News to appear on a show. The producer of the show said, She was perhaps abducted by agencies. We know from our driver who was beaten up." Bukhari was freed a few hours later and her experience was mentioned in the 8 June meeting between Ghafoor and the select group of journalists. The army spokesman did not elaborate on the subject, sticking to the official comment of supporting investigation of the abduction. However, in a lighter and more candid vein, the general did quip: what good is an intelligence agency if it leaves traces behind. Amnesty International released a report last week urging authorities to end the crackdown on press freedom ahead of the 25 July elections. But Iftikhar said the challenges to this are manifold. The pervasive climate of threat that journalists face, some perpetuated by the Pakistan Army, means the country cannot make meaningful progress in improving the climate of press freedom, she said. Pakistan ranks 139 out of 180 countries in Reporters Sans Frontiers 2018 World Press Freedom Index. (The author is a Rawalpindi-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters) Facing a rising tide of outrage from across the political spectrum over the forced separation of migrant children and parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, US President Donald Trump dug in Monday, again falsely blaming Democrats in the escalating political crisis. Facing a rising tide of outrage from across the political spectrum over the forced separation of migrant children and parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, US President Donald Trump dug in Monday, again falsely blaming Democrats in the escalating political crisis. Clearly, the White House seems to have directed all its talking heads to slam Democrats but the fact is that the US' immigration laws have been in place for a long time. What has changed is that the Donald Trump administration decided on a "zero tolerance policy" about a month ago. Colleen Kraft, chief of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told news networks that the status quo "amounts to child abuse". Children are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country. Has anyone been looking at the Crime taking place south of the border. It is historic, with some countries the most dangerous places in the world. Not going to happen in the U.S. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2018 A rising wave of immigration problems is lashing America at a time of significant demographic shift from a mostly white to a rainbow nation marked by significant levels of foreigners making US their home since the 1960s. Things have come to a head, US Congress is likely to vote on a landmark immigration reform bill this week. Amidst fresh backlash from almost every flank, Trump plans to talk immigration with his own party on Tuesday. Democrats have turned up the pressure over the policy and some Republicans have joined the chorus of criticism. Former first lady Laura Bush has called the policy "cruel" and "immoral" while GOP Sen. Susan Collins expressed concern about it and a former adviser to Trump questioned using the policy to pressure Democrats on immigration legislation. White House officials have tried to distance themselves from the policy, although the administration put it in place and could easily end it after it has led to a spike in cases of split and distraught families. Trump tweeted Monday: "Why don't the Democrats give us the votes to fix the world's worst immigration laws? Where is the outcry for the killings and crime being caused by gangs and thugs, including MS-13, coming into our country illegally?" In a guest column for the Washington Post Sunday, Mrs. Bush made some of the strongest comments yet about the policy from the Republican side of the aisle. "I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," she wrote. 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." Underscoring the emotional tension, First Lady Melania Trump, who has tended to stay out of contentious policy debates, waded into the issue. Her spokeswoman said 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. 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 signs of splintering GOP support come after longtime Trump ally, the Rev. Franklin Graham, called the policy "disgraceful." Several religious groups, including some conservative ones, have pushed to stop the practice of separating immigrant children from their parents. Former Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci said Monday on CNN that it "doesn't feel right" for the Trump administration to blame Democrats for separating parents and children at the southern border as a way of pressuring Democrats into negotiating on a Republican immigration bill. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she favors tighter border security, but expressed deep concerns about the child separation policy. "What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you," she said. "That's 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 one of his favorite issues. 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 with key proposals supported by the president. The White House has said Trump would sign either of those. This pressure is coming as White House officials have tried to distance themselves from the policy. "Nobody likes" breaking up families and "seeing babies ripped from their mothers' arms," said presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway. 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!" 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 it's 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-R.I. The House proposals face broad opposition from Democrats, and even if a bill does pass, the closely divided Senate seems unlikely to go along. Trump's 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 Trump's political base and contributing to election losses in November, when Republicans hope to preserve their congressional majorities. Conway and Schiff appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," Collins was on CBS' "Face the Nation," Lujan and Bannon spoke on ABC's "This Week," and Scaramucci was on Fox 11 in Los Angeles. (With Associated Press) STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Four people were injured in a shooting in Sweden's third biggest city Malmo on Monday night but their condition was unknown, police said in brief statement. STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Four people were injured in a shooting in Sweden's third biggest city Malmo on Monday night but their condition was unknown, police said in brief statement. It gave no motive for the shooting. (Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Editing by Alison Williams) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Donald Trump dangled the carrot of foreign investment in front of North Korea's supreme 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. 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 basket case 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. 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." JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman on Monday to discuss ways to advance regional peace, Netanyahu's office said in a statement. The two leaders 'discussed regional developments and advancing the peace process and bilateral relations,' the statement said. Jordan made peace with Israel in 1994. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman on Monday to discuss ways to advance regional peace, Netanyahu's office said in a statement. The two leaders "discussed regional developments and advancing the peace process and bilateral relations," the statement said. Jordan made peace with Israel in 1994. It is one of two Arab countries, along with Egypt, to have treaties with Israel and both countries have been involved in efforts to reach a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has been working on a long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, but it has yet to be made public. White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, the U.S. envoy to the Middle East and Trumps son-in-law, and Jason Greenblatt, Trumps Middle East peace negotiator, are expected in the region this week to discuss their peace plan. Abdullahs Hashemite dynasty is also custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. "Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Israel's commitment to maintaining the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem," the statement said. The last round of U.S.-led peace talks collapsed in 2014. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; editing by John Stonestreet and Jane Merriman) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Communist party will withhold support from the next government if the Social Democrats stick to their nominee for the post of foreign minister, Communist leader Vojtech Filip said on Sunday. The government being assembled by Prime Minister Andrej Babis's ANO party and the Social Democrat party (CSSD) would lack a majority in parliament and therefore lean on the far-left, pro-Russian Communists in a confidence vote. PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Communist party will withhold support from the next government if the Social Democrats stick to their nominee for the post of foreign minister, Communist leader Vojtech Filip said on Sunday. The government being assembled by Prime Minister Andrej Babis's ANO party and the Social Democrat party (CSSD) would lack a majority in parliament and therefore lean on the far-left, pro-Russian Communists in a confidence vote. Babis, who is being investigated by police over the alleged abuse of a 2 million euro ($2.3 million) EU subsidy a decade ago, has struggled to find anyone to team up with him in power since his party won nearly 30 percent of the vote last October. He has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the inquiry as a plot against him. The CSSD has nominated Miroslav Poche, a member of the European Parliament, for the top diplomatic job, drawing strong criticism from President Milos Zeman and the Communists. The president, who appoints ministers, and the Communists claim that Poche voted in the European Parliament in favour of fining EU members that do not accept their full quota of migrants, going against Czech policy on the issue. Poche has denied the allegation. Filip said during a debate aired on state television that if Poche became foreign minister, the Communists would not support the government. The Social Democratic party announced the results of an internal vote on Friday, in which a majority of its members supported joining a coalition with the dominant centrist ANO, a major step towards ending more than eight months of stalemate after an inconclusive election. [nL8N1TH26T] ANO leader Babis met President Zeman on Sunday and presented him ministerial nominations, including Poche and the other picks by the Social Democrats. He said after the meeting that the president would meet with Poche and the other nominees. "I expect this problem to be solved, we also have to look for a solution with chairman Hamacek and of course with the Communist party too," he said, referring to Jan Hamacek, head of the CSSD. ($1 = 0.8615 euros) (Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by Dale Hudson and Susan Fenton) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - An airplane belonging to a private company crashed in Antananarivo on Monday killing all five people on board, the Civil Aviation of Madagascar said in a statement, without disclosing the cause of the accident. The Piper PA 31 aircraft operated by Madagascar Trans Air, a private airline company, crashed in the western suburbs of the town on Monday morning. 'The light aircraft, belonging to the airline MTA, was victim of an accident .. ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - An airplane belonging to a private company crashed in Antananarivo on Monday killing all five people on board, the Civil Aviation of Madagascar said in a statement, without disclosing the cause of the accident. The Piper PA 31 aircraft operated by Madagascar Trans Air, a private airline company, crashed in the western suburbs of the town on Monday morning. "The light aircraft, belonging to the airline MTA, was victim of an accident ... for reasons that are still under investigation," ACM said. "Unfortunately, all the occupants died in this accident," the statement added. The plane was on a training flight in the immediate vicinity of Ivato airfield in the main airport in Antananarivo. "A regulatory investigation was launched by the Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau team," ACM said. (Reporting by Lovasoa Rabary; Writing by Omar Mohammed; Editing by Richard Balmforth) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) - A federal prosecutor on Monday urged jurors to find a former New England mob boss guilty of murdering a nightclub manager in 1993, citing the eyewitness testimony of the ex-partner of convicted Boston gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger. Assistant U.S By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) - A federal prosecutor on Monday urged jurors to find a former New England mob boss guilty of murdering a nightclub manager in 1993, citing the eyewitness testimony of the ex-partner of convicted Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Ferland asked the federal jury in Boston to credit the testimony of Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, who said he saw the son of Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme strangle Steven DiSarro as the elder Salemme watched. Ferland said Flemmi told authorities about DiSarro's slaying when he cut a deal to plead guilty to 10 murders and become a cooperating witness in 2003, long before DiSarro's remains were found in Rhode Island in 2016. Flemmi testified that on May 10, 1993, he went to Salemme's home, where he saw Salemme's now-deceased son, Frank Jr., strangle DiSarro as Paul Weadick, an associate also on trial, held his legs and Salemme Sr. watched. Ferland said Salemme decided to have DiSarro killed after coming to believe he was cooperating with authorities investigating him. "He looks like a seasoned, old, polite gentleman," Ferland told jurors, pointing to the 84-year-old defendant. "That's not who we're talking about here. We're talking about Frank Salemme from 25 years ago." Steven Boozang, Salemme's lawyer, countered by urging jurors to reject the testimony of the government's star witnesses including Flemmi, who he called a "sociopath." He argued Flemmi, who is serving a life prison term, made up the story of witnessing DiSarro's murder in order to implicate a top organised crime figure and win a potential sentence reduction. "He's a career opportunist," Boozang said in his closing argument. "He's deceived people his whole life. He's lying to you. He's lying to the government. The trial has provided a flashback to an era when organised crime in Boston was run by Salemme, who headed the New England family of La Costa Nostra, and Bulger, who is now serving life in prison. According to prosecutors, Salemme had a secret interest in a music venue called The Channel, which DiSarro had purchased. In 1993, a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent told DiSarro he would be indicted and should cooperate with authorities who were investigating Salemme and his son, who died in 1995, prosecutors have said. Authorities found DiSarro's body in 2016 buried behind a mill in Providence, Rhode Island. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Richard Chang and Bill Trott) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Saudi air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen as a Riyadh-led military coalition pushes a major offensive to capture Hodeida Riyadh: Saudi air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired from rebel-held territory in neighbouring Yemen on Monday, state media reported, as a Riyadh-led military coalition pushes a major offensive to capture a strategic port. The missile, which targeted southern Jizan city, left a Pakistani national wounded, the coalition said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed via their news outlet Al-Masirah that the missile had targeted a military camp in Jizan. The rebels have in recent months ramped up missile attacks against neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition that has fought the insurgents since 2015. The latest strike comes as Yemeni pro-government forces are locked in heavy fighting with rebels as they press a Saudi and UAE-backed offensive to retake the key aid hub of Hodeida. Last Sunday, Saudi air defences intercepted another ballistic missile over Jizan, but no casualties were reported, state media said. A day earlier, three civilians were killed in Jizan when Houthi rebels fired a "projectile" at the province, according to the coalition. Saudi Arabia tested a new siren system for the capital Riyadh and the oil-rich Eastern Province in May, in a sign of the increasing threat posed by the rebels' arms. Riyadh accuses its regional rival Tehran of supplying the Houthis with ballistic missiles, a charge Iran denies. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other allies intervened in Yemen in 2015 to push back the rebels and restore the internationally recognised government to power after the Huthis ousted it from swathes of the country including the capital Sanaa. Nearly 10,000 people have been killed since the alliance intervened in Yemen in March 2015, contributing to what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. An aid group's ship and two Italian military vessels docked Sunday at the Spanish port of Valencia, ending a weeklong ordeal for hundreds of people who were rescued from the Mediterranean Sea only to become pawns in a European political fight over migration Valencia, Spain: An aid group's ship and two Italian military vessels docked Sunday at the Spanish port of Valencia, ending a weeklong ordeal for hundreds of people who were rescued from the Mediterranean Sea only to become pawns in a European political fight. The Italian coast guard vessel Dattilo was the first of the boats in the convoy bearing 630 migrants to touch land, pulling in just before 7 am. The 274 rescued people on board disembarked after medical staff made a preliminary inspection. The rescue ship Aquarius came in four hours later carrying another 106 migrants. Aid workers awaiting their arrival clapped and cheered as the first passengers walked down the gangway. An Italian navy ship, the Orione, came in shortly after 1 pm with the remaining 250. The Aquarius, operated by the aid groups SOS Mediterranee Sea and Doctors Without Borders, was stuck-off the coast of Sicily on 9 June 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 with a plan called "Operation Mediterranean Hope." The 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) journey across the Mediterranean from Sicily to Valencia took nearly a week. After Spain invited the Aquarius to land, Italy sent the Dattilo and Orione to help transport the migrants. David Noguera, the head of Doctors Without Borders in Spain, said he was glad Spain welcomed the ship's passengers, who were picked up off the coast of Libya. He said he is worried that more European nations will close their ports to migrants who are rescued at sea. "I have mixed feelings," Noguera told The Associated Press as the first boat arrived in Valencia. "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 was assigned to a translator, and authorities worked to determine their identities before they were sent to welcome centers. The first person through the process was a 29-year-old man from South Sudan. In total so far, there were 31 different nationalities represented, with the largest numbers of people coming from the Sudan, Algeria, Eritrea and Nigeria, according to Spanish authorities. There were also 68 minors, 46 of them traveling without an adult family member. 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." Physical exams did not reveal any serious health problems, but many passengers showed signs of exposure to high temperatures. A total of 144 were taken to hospitals for treatment of minor health issues. David Beversluis, the chief Doctors Without Borders physician on the Aquarius, said several of the rescued women were victims of sexual violence and rape. "The horrible stories that we hear from people who come out of Libya is gut-wrenching," he said. "Spending time with people, listening to some of the torturous situations that they've been through, was really one of the most challenging parts of the entire operation." Spanish authorities are interviewing the migrants on a case-by-case basis to see who may qualify for asylum. Due to their ordeal, the people from the Aquarius were granted authorization to remain in Spain for 45 days before they must begin resolving their legal situations. "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 recognize that it needs an immigration policy that these times require." 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 Italy's Rome-based search-and-rescue 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 on how to handle the influx of refugees and migrants to Europe. The issue has put strong domestic pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, provoked 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. Italy's new government will make any compromises on migration policy even more difficult. The warmer weather has caused a spike in migration from North Africa to Europe. Spain's maritime rescue service pulled 1,290 people from several dozen smuggling boats near the Strait of Gibraltar and the Canary Islands from Friday through Sunday. It also recovered four bodies and declared another 43 people missing at sea. 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. President Donald Trump speaks on immigration laws before the National Space Council meeting on June 18, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images The Trump administration is holding the children of migrants hostage, in both the literal and the figurative sense. Literally: The children are taken from their parents in order to leverage the behavior of adult migrants. And figuratively: The administration is leveraging the suffering of these families in order to pressure Democrats into capitulating to the administrations policy demands. President Trump, reports Axios, views the issue as leverage, and will try to get funding for a border wall or other concessions for a rollback of the policy. The hostage strategy arises from a profound internal division within not only the Republican Party but the Trump administration itself. The administration originally enacted a policy of separating child migrants from their parents in order to deter those families from entering the country. Chief of Staff John Kelly defended family separation last month as a tough deterrent. Also last month, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen laid out the tough policy: If you are single adult, if you are part of a family, if you are pregnant, if you have any other condition, youre an adult and you break the law, we will refer you. Operationally what that means is we will have to separate your family. To justify this powerful new deterrent, the White House interpreted a 1997 legal agreement and a 2008 bipartisan human trafficking bill as requiring the separation of families, an interpretation neither of the previous two administrations supported. Unsurprisingly, the policy of separating children from their parents has proven unbearably cruel in practice. Not everybody within the Republican Party or even the administration itself is still willing to defend its own handiwork. And so the administrations public explanation of this policy toggles between three mutually exclusive positions. One, the policy exists and is good (It was a simple decision by the administration to have a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry. Period, says Stephen Miller.) Two, the policy does not exist. (We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period, insists Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen.) And third, the policy does exist, and is bad, and the Democrats are to blame (I hate the children being taken away. The Democrats have to change their law thats their law, declared President Trump.) A recent poll finds the public opposed to child separation by a 56/37 percent margin, but Republicans somewhat in favor (46/32 percent). Another finds even more stark differences the public opposes family separation by a 66/27 percent margin, but Republicans favor it, 55/35 percent. One can see the effect of these internal tensions playing out in Breitbart, the heart of the ethno-nationalist media. Rather than forcefully defending Trumps policy, it is instead deflecting the attention of its audience to ancillary targets in the hated liberal elite. One story attacks the news for using the word cages to describe the chain-link enclosures for children. There are stories mocking the responses of Rosie ODonnell and James L. Brooks. It is all blame-deflection. None of them musters a straightforward explanation of why the Trump policy has wrought some kind of positive change. In the face of this confusion within Trumps base, his stance of using the children as hostages makes a certain amount of sense. The posture allows him simultaneously to distance himself from his own position while conscripting Democrats into responsibility to end what he himself has wrought. Hostage-taking the figurative kind, not the literal version is different than normal political negotiation. In a standard bargain, the two sides trade a thing one side wants for a thing the other side wants. Say, Republicans want a capital-gains tax cut, and Democrats want to give medical care to children whose parents cant afford it, and the two sides combine them into the 1998 Balanced Budget Act. Hostage-taking doesnt work that way. Rather than trade something you want for something I want, the hostage-taker demands that you offer concessions to prevent an outcome neither side wants. The last time Republicans engaged in high-profile hostage-taking took place over a series of showdowns over the debt limit, a statutory requirement that Congress approve increases in debt for spending it has already authorized. Failing to lift the debt limit would default on the national debt, with permanent and potentially deep economic consequences, perhaps including a global economic meltdown. A cohort of extremist Republicans insisted they would not lift the debt limit, and further argued the debt limit did not even need lifting. Business elites knew this argument was absurd, and feared the consequences of turning the once-automatic process of lifting it, perhaps accompanied by ritual speeches by the opposing party scolding the presidents lack of fiscal responsibility, into a high-stakes showdown. Republican leaders papered over the gap within their party by using hostage tactics. They neither advocated lifting the debt limit nor refused to lift it. Instead, they insisted the debt limit needed to be raised, but also demanded President Obama submit to a list of otherwise unacceptable Republican policies in order for Republicans to lift it. An outcome in which the debt limit was raised and Republicans got concessions on spending, taxes, health care, or something else was one all Republicans would like. It allowed the partys leaders to straddle the issue, assuring financial markets they wouldnt risk economic calamity while also assuring their own hard-liners they wouldnt go along with lifting the debt ceiling. Conservative sophists lined up behind this strategy, insisting the Republican method was a completely normal negotiation. Indeed, to this day even anti-Trump conservative intellectuals remain furious at the Obama administration for describing their methods as hostage-taking. Of course, Obama did eventually figure out how to defeat this tactic, and the method was pretty simple. You refuse to negotiate with the hostage-taker. Trump wants to paper over his internal divisions by getting Democrats to give him something in return for ending a policy he cant defend. The negotiations themselves obscure the entire source of responsibility. If Trump wants to end family separation, he can and will. If Democrats pay him off for taking children literally hostage, Trump will keep taking more hostages. South Korea said that sanctions against North Korea could be eased once it takes 'substantive steps towards denuclearisation'. Seoul: South Korea on Monday said that sanctions against North Korea could be eased once it takes "substantive steps towards denuclearisation", seemingly setting the bar lower than Washington for such a move. Last week's Singapore summit between US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un produced only a vague statement in which Kim "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula". Amid fears that the summit would weaken the international coalition against North Korea's nuclear programme, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed after the meeting that sanctions would remain in place until North Korea's complete denuclearisation. But his South Korean counterpart suggested on Monday that they could be eased sooner. "Our stance is that the sanctions must remain in place until North Korea takes meaningful, substantive steps towards denuclearisation," Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters. Seoul and Washington shared the same "big picture" view and would continue close consultations, she added. The comments come just days after China's foreign ministry suggested that the UN Security Council could consider easing the economic punishment of its Cold War-era ally. Any reduction in tensions on its doorstep is welcome for China, North Korea's closest ally, which accounts for around 90 percent of Pyongyang's trade. The same goes for the South's dovish president Moon Jae-in, who supports engagement with North Korea and held his own summit with Kim in April. Until recently Trump had pursued a "maximum pressure" campaign with both China and South Korea on board of tough rhetoric and tightened sanctions against Pyongyang. Analysts say the Singapore summit has made it hard for the Trump administration to return to that policy even if its current diplomacy with North Korea proves to be a failure. "The symbolism of the meeting ensures that the maximum pressure campaign has peaked," said Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea Studies at the US Council on Foreign Relations, in a commentary. "In practice, China and South Korea will push for relaxation of economic pressure on North Korea," he added. (Reuters) - A suspected gunman was fatally shot after multiple people opened fire at an all-night arts festival in New Jersey, wounding 20 people including a boy who is in critical condition, authorities said on Sunday. Prosecutors said a 33-year-old man was killed and a second suspect arrested after gunfire erupted at 3 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT) at the event in the city of Trenton, about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of New York City. (Reuters) - A suspected gunman was fatally shot after multiple people opened fire at an all-night arts festival in New Jersey, wounding 20 people including a boy who is in critical condition, authorities said on Sunday. Prosecutors said a 33-year-old man was killed and a second suspect arrested after gunfire erupted at 3 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT) at the event in the city of Trenton, about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of New York City. "Preliminary investigation reveals that multiple individuals attending the Art All Night event opened fire within the venue. ... Multiple weapons have been recovered," Angelo Onofri, prosecutor for Mercer County, told a news conference. Among those wounded by bullets was a 13-year-old boy who Onofri said was in extremely critical condition. He said more than 1,000 people were believed to have been at the festival when the violence started. "It absolutely could have been worse, given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired," Onofri said. Authorities are investigating whether the deceased suspect was killed by police or by gunfire from other suspects, he said. Organizers canceled the remainder of the event, billed as "24 hours of community, creativity and inspiration." "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," the organizers wrote on Facebook on Sunday. "Our sincere, heartfelt sympathies are with those who were injured." The New Jersey shooting occurs amid a debate about U.S. gun laws that was given fresh impetus by the massacre in February of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida. "It is 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," Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson told the news conference. "This isn't just a random act of violence. This is a public health issue." (Reporting by Daniel Wallis in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Stories have spread in the US of children being torn from their parents' arms, and parents not being able to find where their kids have gone. Inside an old warehouse in South Texas, hundreds of immigrant children wait in a series of cages created by metal fencing. One cage had 20 children inside. Scattered about are bottles of water, bags of chips and large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets. One teenager told an advocate who visited that she was helping care for a young child she didn't know because the child's aunt was somewhere else in the facility. She said she had to show others in her cell how to change the girl's diaper. The US Border Patrol on Sunday allowed reporters to briefly visit the facility where it holds families arrested at the southern US border, responding to new criticism and protests over the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy and resulting separation of families. More than 1,100 people were inside the large, dark facility that's divided into separate wings for unaccompanied children, adults on their own, and mothers and fathers with children. The cages in each wing open out into common areas to use portable restrooms. The overhead lighting in the warehouse stays on around the clock. The Border Patrol said close to 200 people inside the facility were minors unaccompanied by a parent. Another 500 were "family units," parents and children. Many adults who crossed the border without legal permission could be charged with illegal entry and placed in jail, away from their children. Reporters were not allowed by agents to interview any of the detainees or take photos. Nearly 2,000 children have been taken from their parents since Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the policy, which directs Homeland Security officials to refer all cases of illegal entry into the United States for prosecution. Church groups and human rights advocates have sharply criticised the policy, calling it inhumane. Stories have spread of children being torn from their parents' arms, and parents not being able to find where their kids have gone. A group of congressional lawmakers visited the same facility Sunday and were set to visit a longer-term shelter holding around 1,500 children many of whom were separated from their parents. "Those kids inside who have been separated from their parents are already being traumatised," said Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who was denied entry earlier this month to children's shelter. "It doesn't matter whether the floor is swept and the bedsheets tucked in tight." In Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for people trying to enter the US, Border Patrol officials argue that they have to crack down on migrants and separate adults from children as a deterrent to others. "When you exempt a group of people from the law ... that creates a draw," said Manuel Padilla, the Border Patrol's chief agent here. "That creates the trends right here." Agents running the holding facility generally known as "Ursula" for the name of the street it's on said everyone detained is given adequate food, access to showers and laundered clothes, and medical care. People are supposed to move through the facility quickly. Under US law, children are required to be turned over within three days to shelters funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. Padilla said agents in the Rio Grande Valley have allowed families with children under the age of 5 to stay together in most cases. An advocate who spent several hours in the facility Friday said she was deeply troubled by what she found. Michelle Brane, director of migrant rights at the Women's Refugee Commission, met with a 16-year-old girl who had been taking care of a young girl for three days. The teen and others in their cage thought the girl was 2 years old. "She had to teach other kids in the cell to change her diaper," Brane said. Brane said that after an attorney started to ask questions, agents found the girl's aunt and reunited the two. It turned out that the girl was actually 4 years old. Part of the problem was that she didn't speak Spanish, but K'iche, a language indigenous to Guatemala. "She was so traumatised that she wasn't talking," Brane said. "She was just curled up in a little ball." Brane said she also saw officials at the facility scold a group of 5-year-olds for playing around in their cage, telling them to settle down. There are no toys or books. But one boy nearby wasn't playing with the rest. According to Brane, he was quiet, clutching a piece of paper that was a photocopy of his mother's ID card. "The government is literally taking kids away from their parents and leaving them in inappropriate conditions," Brane said. "If a parent left a child in a cage with no supervision with other 5-year-olds, they'd be held accountable." Dr. Colleen Kraft, the head of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that she visited a small shelter in Texas recently, which she declined to identify. A toddler inside the 60-bed facility caught her eye she was crying uncontrollably and pounding her little fists on mat. Staff members tried to console the child, who looked to be about 2 years old, Kraft said. She had been taken from her mother the night before and brought to the shelter. The staff gave her books and toys but they weren't allowed to pick her up, to hold her or hug her to try to calm her. As a rule, staff aren't allowed to touch the children there, she said. "The stress is overwhelming," she said. "The focus needs to be on the welfare of these children, absent of politics." Democratic lawmakers on Sunday visited a detention centre outside New York City and headed to Texas to inspect facilities where children have been detained Washington: US Democrat lawmakers have expanded their campaign highlighting President Donald Trump's administration's forced separation of migrant children from their families at the Mexico border, a media report said. Against a notable silence on the part of many Republicans, the Democratic lawmakers on Sunday visited a detention centre outside New York City and headed to Texas to inspect facilities where children have been detained, reported The Washington Post. In McAllen, Texas, where several Democratic lawmakers toured a facility, state representative Vicente Gonzalez estimated that he saw about 100 children younger than six. "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 for nearly 90 minutes to view the facilities and visit five detained immigrants. "This is unfair and unconstitutional," said New York representative Adriano Espaillat. Trump has falsely blamed the separations on a law he said was written by Democrats, The Washington Post reported. But the separations instead largely stem from a "zero-tolerance" policy announced last month by Attorney General. The White House has also interpreted a 1997 legal agreement and a 2008 bipartisan human trafficking bill as requiring the separation of families, a posture not taken by the previous two administrations. Trump remained silent on the issue before tweeting on Sunday evening that Democrats should work with Republicans on an immigration solution before the midterm elections "because you are going to lose!" US officials have said that the number of families who could be broken up might double and that the number of children who have 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. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Austrian capital, Vienna, is under consideration as the site of a potential summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, two sources familiar with the discussions said on Monday. The meeting could take place in advance of a July 11-12 NATO summit in Brussels that Trump is expected to attend, the sources said WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Austrian capital, Vienna, is under consideration as the site of a potential summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, two sources familiar with the discussions said on Monday. The meeting could take place in advance of a July 11-12 NATO summit in Brussels that Trump is expected to attend, the sources said. Trump is also expected to visit London for talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May on the trip. Trump told reporters on Friday that it was possible that he would meet Putin this summer. During a Group of Seven summit in Quebec earlier this month, Trump suggested that Russia be readmitted to the group. The idea met with opposition from some other leaders at the meeting. Russia was suspended from the group in 2014 for its annexation of Crimea. "I think it's better to have Russia in than to have Russia out, because just like North Korea, just like somebody else, it's much better if we get along with them than if we dont," Trump said on Friday. Trump, who has said he wants better relations with Russia, last met Putin in November in Vietnam on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit. Trump's defence secretary, Jim Mattis, was critical of Russia in a speech last week, saying: Putin seeks to shatter NATO, he aims to diminish the appeal of the Western democratic model and attempts to undermine Americas moral authority. NATO was created after World War Two as a bulwark against the former Soviet Union. A probe of Russia's alleged involvement in the 2016 U.S. election has hung over Trump's presidency. U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia. Moscow denies meddling in the U.S. election and Trump denies any collusion took place. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) said that its sales in China fell 29% in May from a year ago, to 61,744 vehicles, continuing a trend of precipitous declines in sales of Ford-brand vehicles in the world's largest new-car market. Year to date, Ford's sales in China are down 22% from the same period a year ago. The raw numbers Ford reports four categories of sales in China: Mainstream Ford-brand passenger vehicles produced by its joint venture with Chinese automaker Changan Automobile, called Changan Ford or CAF Trucks and commercial vehicles produced by its joint venture with Jiangling Motors (JMC); those include three Fords, as well as several truck models sold under the Yusheng and JMC brand names Ford-brand vehicles that are imported into China Lincoln-brand vehicles, all of which are currently imported into China Here are the results reported by Ford for each of those categories in May: Category May 2018 Sales Change vs. May 2017 CAF 34,026 (43%) JMC 22,712 * Imported Fords 1,305 (20%) Lincoln 3,701 (3%) Why are Ford's sales down so much? Here's another way to look at those sales numbers that gives us a clue to what's happening. Sales of Ford-brand vehicles fell 40.4% in China in May; meanwhile, combined sales of Yusheng, JMC, and Lincoln vehicles rose 4.7%. This seems to be a Ford-brand problem. It may be that Ford has become old news in China, which is the fastest-moving major auto market in the world. Ford's product-launch cadence has fallen behind faster-moving rivals, and there's a sense that Ford hasn't kept pace with Chinese market trends. It's also possible that the ongoing war of words between the Trump administration and the Chinese government may be starting to dent Ford's sales in China. There are precedents for this: Back in 2012, Chinese sales for Toyota, Honda, and Nissan all fell sharply during a dispute between the Chinese and Japanese governments over ownership of a group of islands. Ford is a very, very American brand; if Chinese consumers are feeling upset with the United States, it certainly won't help the Blue Oval's sales. Here are the sales results for the five top-selling Ford-brand vehicles in China. As you can see, the numbers are not good: Vehicle May 2018 Sales Change vs. May 2017 Year-to-Date Sales Change vs. 2017 Escort 12,070 (37%) 67,443 (23%) Focus 6,313 (50%) 33,880 (45%) Edge 5,899 (22%) 35,327 (23%) Mondeo 3,794 (50%) 25,553 (30%) Kuga 3,782 (52%) 22,030 (37%) Take particular note of the sales results for the Edge and for the Kuga, which is the Chinese version of the Ford Escape. Like Americans, Chinese auto-buyers are increasingly favoring crossover SUVs, a Ford specialty. But Ford's mainstays, both of which are locally built and thus not priced particularly high because of import tariffs, are a tough sell right now. It's especially tough because the Edge isn't all that old, having been launched just three years ago. What's more, Ford builds the Edge in a special longer-wheelbase version for China, with three rows of seats, and that variant was very popular for a while. But sales of both have slid sharply along with the rest of the Ford-brand lineup. Ford can fix this, but it will take time Ford is working on an elaborate overhaul of its China lineup, part of what it calls a "repositioning" effort that will unfold between now and 2025. The plan calls for 50 new-to-China products over the next seven years, along with changes to Ford's operational structure in China that have already begun to happen. The first new Fords will include all-new versions of the Focus and the Escort, still the company's top sellers in China, along with three new or revamped SUVs for Lincoln and a version of the midsize Ranger pickup. (The Escort is a value-priced China-only compact sedan based on the Focus; the global Focus is positioned as a premium offering in China.) Those will help. But it seems likely that Ford's sales in China will need more than a few new models to fully recover. Investors should be prepared to be patient here. Quote: Chad149 Originally Posted by You thinking about retiring Dave? As to your question, are you concerned about your RV, or farming operations? I have friends in the New Castle area, ones cropping 5k acres with his family, other is in the RV business. I can find out for sure tomorrow. yes I am planning on retiring. Dr says I need to for various reasons. Son works for feds and has no interest in returning to Michigan, so we are currently planning on moving near him within a year and purchase a home on 5 acres. (Something large enough for keeping fifth wheel). Got checking on drivers license and found this out... think plates are based on vehicle capacity but I might be reading it wrong. 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 Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size Article body Alabama Extension Specialist Nancy Loewenstein has received the 2018 Leadership in Education award presented by Project Learning Tree, one of only five recipients at the PLTs recent 32nd International Coordinators Conference, in Cody, Wyoming. Project Learning Tree, or PLT, is an environmental education program that educates teachers and youth about forests and the environment. The award recognizes people and also organizations who make significant contributions in their state to PLT and youth environmental education. In Alabama, the Alabama Forestry Association coordinates PLT. Dr. Loewensteins efforts in environmental education programs have made a big impact in Alabama, Alabama Cooperative Extension System Director Gary Lemme said. I, and all of our Alabama Extension family, are proud of Nancys accomplishments and also that Project Learning Tree recognized her hard work. Loewenstein received the award for her promotion of environmental education. She has played key roles as a teacher, facilitator and leader through Alabama Extension and other groups, and she serves on the Alabama PLT Steering Committee and Alabama Invasive Plant Council as well as others. Environmental education helps students understand the role the environment plays in their lives, said Esther Cowles, senior director of Project Learning Tree. Nancy brings these ideas to life and equips people with the knowledge and also the skills to meet 21st century needs. For more than five years, Loewenstein has helped plan workshops for students, landowners, 4-H volunteers and others throughout Alabama. As an invasive species specialist, Loewenstein integrates PLTs activities related to invasive species in her outreach programs for natural resource educators and also students. I am honored to receive this award from PLT, Loewenstein said. Its been an honor to work with PLT staff in Alabama to bring environmental education to natural resource educators as well as students across the state. About Project Learning Tree: Project Learning Trees mission is to advance environmental literacy and also promotes stewardship through excellence in environmental education, professional development and curriculum resources that use trees and forests as windows on the world. For more information, visit Alabama PLTs website. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. Russian and Ossetian languages become mandatory in kindergartens of Akhalgori, resided by Georgian citizens - GeorgianJournal Comio launches C1 Pro with 4G Dual VoLTE at Rs. 5,599 News oi-Priyanka COMIO C1 Pro comes packed with Android 8.1 (Oreo) operating system which ensures pop touch, Simplified UI, and 2X Faster Interface. Chinese smartphone manufacturer Comio has announced the launch of Comio C1 Pro smartphone in India for a price tag of Rs 5,599. With this new launch, the company is offering features like 4G Dual VoLTE/ ViLTE support powered by Mediatek 6739 Quad Core processor, multiple font support in the user interface, 5.0-inch HD display, Quad-core 64 Bit processor, 1.5GB RAM and ROM 16 GB memory. On the camera front, the Comio C1 Pro features an 8 MP AF rear camera and 5 MP selfie camera with 2,500 mAh battery. The device has 3 dedicated slot support- 2 SIM Card + 1 SD card which can be extended up to 128 GB and WPS Office support for PPT/Word/Excel/PDF. COMIO C1 Pro comes packed with Android 8.1 (Oreo) operating system which ensures pop touch, Simplified UI, and 2X Faster Interface. The company has also partnered with Mukesh Ambani- owned Reliance Jio to offer a Rs 2,200 cashback (44 x Rs 50 vouchers). Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, CEO & Director, COMIO Smartphone said, "We are delighted to announce the launch of our new smartphone COMIO C1 Pro in such a short span. We believe that consumers in this price segment deserve better features and our budget-friendly C1 PRO smartphone provides a potpourri of exciting features like good camera quality, better speed, security features, stylish design and value-added services." The new smartphone comes with an after-sales support comprising of 1 year + 100 days warranty, 30-day replacement, a special buyback and upgrade offer allowing you to upgrade your old smartphone. The COMIO upgrade offer also allows users an assured 40 percent return on your old COMIO phone (not more than 12 months old). Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Moto C2 to be the first Android Go smartphone from Motorola News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Moto C2 could be the most affordable smartphone from the company this year. Earlier this month, Motorola announced the Moto Z3 Play at an event in Brazil. While the global availability of this smartphone is yet to be revealed, the company is speculated to be prepping a new smartphone under the Moto C lineup. Last year, the company released the Moto C and C Plus smartphones and we came across leaked renders of the Moto C2 and C2 Plus a few months back. According to a new FCC listing spotted by Nashville Chatter, it looks like the C2 will be the most affordable smartphone to be launched by the company this year. The report further adds that it could be the first Android Go smartphone from the company. Notably, Motorola is also rumored to be working on an Android One smartphone allegedly dubbed Motorola One Power. Moto C2 details we know The Moto C2 has been spotted on the FCC certification listing with the model number XT1920. The smartphone is expected to run Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition). It is likely to measure 71.22 mm in width and 147.88mm in length. The device is speculated to feature a display measuring 5 inches or 5.2 inches and is likely to be powered by a 2000mAh or 2100mAh battery. The other details regarding the alleged Android Go smartphone from Motorola remain unknown for now. Given that it might run Android Go, the edition of the OS meant for the entry-level smartphones, we expect the device to have 1GB RAM and 8GB/16GB of default memory capacity. It is expected to flaunt a polycarbonate shell and thick bezels around the display. Notably, the Motorola smartphone with the model number XT1920 was recently spotted at the ECC for sales in the European and Asian markets. Eventually, this smartphone could be released in the select markets such as Europe, Asia and America but there is no official confirmation regarding the same from Motorola. We have already come across several Android Go smartphones such as the Nokia 1, Micromax Bharat Go, Lava Z50, Asus Zenfone Live L1 and a few others. If the alleged Motorola smartphone comes with this OS, then it will be a tough challenger to these existing Android Go phones. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications OnePlus 6 receives Android P beta 2 with Face Unlock and Google lens integration News oi-Sandeep Sarkar OnePlus has also introduced its own full-screen gestures along with the Google Lens integration in the camera app. OnePlus has recently started rolling out the OxygenOS 5.1.8 update for the company's this year's flagship OnePlus 6. Following the rollout of the OxygenOS 5.1.8 update, the company has now announced the Android P Developer Preview 2 update for the OnePlus 6. The Android P Developer Preview 2 brings a whole set of changes and fixes for the OnePlus 6 including fixes for Face Unlock, improvement in camera stability along with fixes for app compatibility issues. The latest update also brings support for the dual rear camera along with the device's ability to hide the notch. However, the device's ability to hide the Notch came along with OxygenOS update. Apart from the above-mentioned changes, OnePlus has also introduced its own full-screen gestures along with the Google Lens integration in the camera app. In order to receive the upgrade from the first beta, users will need to factory reset their OnePlus 6 device and follow the instructions they are presented for installing the latest update. Further, according to some folks over the XDA developers, the Android P Beta 2 for the OnePlus 6 also introduces new features such as show/hide toggle along with Ambient Display settings. The Ambient Display settings give the OnePlus 6 the ability to select a custom accent color along with Google Lens integration in the stock camera app for quick access to visual recognition and real-time recognition. The changelog also includes the fixes for the following known issues. 1. Fix for "Wi-Fi SoftAP Device Manager is currently unavailable" issue 2. Fix for "Camera portrait mode cannot be used" error 3. Fix for "Widevine L1 is temporarily unavailable" issue OnePlus took it to company's official forum post to explain the procedure of the upgrade. According to OnePlus users will need to have at least 30 percent of battery and 3GB minimum space on their device before carrying out the upgrade process. As for the specs of the OnePlus 6 is concerned, the device features a 6.28 inches Super AMOLED display which has an aspect ratio of 19:9 with 1440 x 2560 pixel screen resolution. The device makes use of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for screen protection. The device is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor which is coupled with Adreno 630 graphics. The smartphone is available two RAM variants including the 6/8GB and comes in 64/128/256GB internal storage options. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications The Ohio River -- on it, in it, over it, beside it. No politics. It's been a year since the Reserve Bank of India announced the first list of 12 companies to be referred to the National Company Tribunal Law (NCLT). Since then, only two among the so-called 'dirty dozen' have managed to find some success through the insolvency resolution proceedings - Electrosteel Steels and Bhushan Steel. But the winning bids for both these companies are also currently facing scrutiny of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). All these stretched-out court battles have reportedly cost banks a whopping Rs 25,000 crore, and counting. According to the Hindu Business Line, NCLT's only success stories so far have seen banks taking a significant hair-cut and settling for recovery of Rs 50,000 crore. In the case of Electrosteel, which was acquired by Vedanta for Rs 5,320 crore, lenders with an exposure to this account took a haircut of 60 per cent. With Tata Steel's acquisition of Bhushan Steel, lenders had to write-off 37 per cent of the total loan amount. Given that the 'dirty dozen' reportedly boasted a debt pile of Rs 2.5 lakh crore, even if we assume that the NCLAT will eventually dismiss the petitions challenging the winning bids, the banking sector is still left with bad loans worth Rs 2 lakh crore. The daily added that the interest chargeable on this debt pile works out to Rs 25,000 crore. Citing a banker, the report said that the figure would have been much higher had the loss of interest on the loans of Bhushan Steel and Electrosteel during the moratorium period was also included - the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) allows a window of 270 days to resolve a case. In fact, the levy on NPAs reportedly comes to a halt once the NCLT accepts a case. The source added that lenders are losing about Rs 15 crore of interest income per day in the case of Essar Steel alone, and the bill will keep mounting with no early resolution in sight. According to him, before the companies on RBI's first list were referred for insolvency, banks were getting a huge chunk of their revenue as settlement for loan outstanding. That apart, the uptick in steel demand in recent times would have helped the lenders - according to a latest ICRA note, seel consumption grew by around 6 per cent during FY2018 and is likely to grow between 5-6 per cent in FY2019. Due to the upturn in the steel cycle, experts had already predicted maximum recovery happening in the steel sector. But the interest in the other sectors has been rather muted - the stressed assets in the infrastructure and power sectors, for instance, have seen little interest among buyers. Moreover, the bids that potential buyers are making for these bankrupt companies envisage banks taking a huge haircut of 60-90 per cent. Worse, as Businesstoday.In has previously pointed out, most of the companies that have been referred to the NCLT to date are headed straight for insolvency, which means that the assets are likely to fetch meagre amounts, if anything at all. That's not all. Banks have to also stay braced to take a further revenue hit from the 28 companies identified for insolvency resolution in the RBI's second list sent to banks last August. These companies together have a loan outstanding of around Rs 2 lakh crore. According to the report, the interest moratorium will start once NCLT accepts the cases and, with no time-bound resolution in sight, banks will continue to lose revenue there. Meanwhile, the bad loan problem continues to snowball in the sector. Only two public sector banks (PSBs) reported a net profit in the year ended March 31 - Vijaya Bank and Indian Bank. The remaining 19 state-owned banks collectively posted a net loss of over Rs 87,583 crore. In other words, these banks ran up a loss of almost Rs 10 crore per hour during the last fiscal. In a written answer to the Rajya Sabha in end-March, Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla had admitted that the PSBs had collectively written-off over Rs 1,154 crore in NPAs in the last fiscal till December 31. As per the PSB data that he submitted, that's a 103 per cent jump from the amount written off in 2016-17 and a scary 519 per cent higher than 2015-16. Daily News Podcast: 'Walmart deal will be cancerous to retail trade' Loading the player... Nirav Modi holds six Indian passports; agencies to file fresh FIR Absconding jeweller Nirav Modi, wanted in the Rs 13,600 crore PNB fraud case, is reported to be in the possession of at least six Indian passports and the investigative agencies are likely to file a fresh FIR against him for this offence, senior officials confirmed. It is a criminal offence to possess more than one valid passport and also to use a revoked passport. Modi, who was earlier holed up in the UK, is now reported to have flown to Belgium, according to Indian intelligence agencies. His move to Belgium follows the pressure that India was building up on the Theresa May government to get him extradited. Challenge before government is to take growth rate to double digit: PM Modi at Niti Aayog The challenge before India is to take the economic growth rate to double-digits for which many more steps need to be taken, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a meeting of chief ministers. Speaking at the Niti Aayog's fourth meeting of Governing Council, Modi stressed that the world expects India to become a USD 5 trillion economy soon. As many as 23 chief ministers and one Lt Governor attended the meeting. The notable absentees however were chief ministers of Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi. Walmart deal will be cancerous to retail trade, says CAIT The Walmart-Flipkart deal will be cancerous for the Indian retail industry, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has said in a letter to Finance Minister Piyush Goel. CAIT said today that its letter has also drawn the attention of Goel towards the inaction of the Commerce Ministry for not taking any steps so far in connection with Walmart Flipkart deal, despite sending communication to the trade minister. The trade body also apprehended that if no action is taken, other foreign e-Commerce majors like Amazon and Alibaba will also engage companies like Flipkart and the result would be consolidation of retail trade in very few hands which will be detrimental to offline retailers. The e-Commerce spectrum will also be vitiated to a great extent, it added. Trump favors long strike in Washington Post US President Donald Trump has supported a proposed strike by The Washington Post workers demanding an increase in their salaries and other benefits, saying a really long strike would be a great idea. The President has been at loggerheads with several US mainstream media outlets, including the CNN, ABC News, The New York Times and the Washington Post. He has quite often described these popular media houses as "fake media". More than 400 employees of the Post have written to Amazon head Jeff Bezos seeking an increase in their salaries. Bezos owns the leading US daily. Almost 1 mn people 'testing' WhatsApp payments service in India Almost one million people in India are "testing" WhatsApp's payments service, and the company is working with the Indian government, NPCI and multiple banks to further expand the feature to more users, a company official said. WhatsApp payment service, which rivals the likes of Paytm, has been in beta testing over the last few months. The Facebook-owned company hasn't yet announced a launch date but industry watchers expect it to happen in the next few weeks. WhatsApp had received permission from NPCI to tie up with banks to facilitate financial transactions via Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The Reserve Bank of India has mandated all payment system operators to ensure that data related to payments is stored only in India giving firms six months to comply with it. Excise duty cut in oil to impact India's fiscal deficit badly: Moody's Rating agency Moody's has sounded a note of caution that any reduction in excise duty on petrol and diesel would adversely affect fiscal deficit unless it is matched by a commensurate cut in expenditure. Pressure has been mounting on the government to cut excise duty on petrol and diesel to bring down their prices which have gone up following a spike in crude prices in the international market. According to government estimates, every rupee cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel will result in a revenue loss of about Rs 13,000 crore. GREENWICH Inside Riverside Elementary Schools media lab, students sat with their parents, building websites about topics from cats to video games. Greenwich High School seniors Shobita Sundaram and Michelle Woo roamed the lab, stopping to answer questions but mostly letting the kids and their parents muddle through. Sundaram, Woo and fellow senior Cassandra Marcussen developed the four-week after-school program in which students build their own websites while picking up coding skills along the way. We chose to primarily focus on website design because thats a great avenue to introduce kids, Sundaram said. Its very intuitive in that the actual code is very easy to understand and they get instant visual results. As opposed to seeing a computer print out a few words, on the screen they get to build websites and mess around with colors and have fun. Woo and Marcussen have been friends since they attended Riverside, and currently are co-presidents of Girls Who Code at GHS. They reached out last fall to see if Riverside, their alma mater, would be interested in hosting an after-school coding class. The girls wrote the curriculum, which they presented in a packet that details every step involved in building a website. That packet leads students and their parents through each part of the process adding pictures and videos, writing copy and customizing the pages colors at their own pace. Fall and spring sessions of the class filled within 30 minutes of opening up, principal Christopher Weiss said. Sundaram, who befriended Woo and Marcussen when they all attended Eastern Middle School, said many of the kids are drawn to the creative part of coding. The packets teach the basics and allow them to explore and follow their own interests. Fourth-grader Hampus Vandenberg chose to make a website about Fortnight, a popular video game in which players work together to survive the aftermath of a storm, which includes an onslaught of zombies. Hampus coded with his mom, Danielle Vandenberg. While Hampus found some aspects of coding, including plugging in paragraphs and inserting pictures, confusing at first, he said he was never stuck. Through Riverside, hes already had two years of exposure to coding through a program the school introduces in second grade called Hour Code. His mom, who had no background in website design, was just as interested as he was in learning more. She said parents felt like they were all in the same boat, sometimes unsure of what to do next, and often, learning from their kids. She said she sometimes would hear kids, for whom something was obvious, tell their parents a variation of: Oh, Dad, come on. It makes us feel a little old, but hey, this is the way of the future, she said. Vandenberg also liked the class structure: easy because it was right after school, and the short introduction that gave her a taste of coding. Its nice that the parent has to come so you can learn along with your child and support each other, she said. Both Sundaram and Woo agreed the class was a success and exceeded their expectations. Sundaram noticed many students would complete the directions in the packet and continue playing with different functions. If theyre doing stuff on their own separate from what they did in the packet, that means they understand it, she said. Woo said kids would ask questions outside what the packet taught, demonstrating that they grasped not only the specific instruction but the concepts behind it. Just the idea of them exploring outside of what we gave them and wanting to create more is awesome, she said. Both Woo and Sundaram boast impressive resumes. Woo was on the high school coding team that developed Under My Wing, a self-defense app for women that the Verizon Innovation Learning challenge recognized as one of the best in the region. Sundaram spent a summer using code to predict the toxicity of a new drug without having to test it on live subjects and has taught free, online lessons to disadvantaged students in South Africa and Yonkers, New York. With so much experience, teaching has presented different challenges. For Sundaram, its been striking the right balance between helping kids understand and physically typing the answer for them. What you really have to do is give them detailed instructions and guide them step by step to the point where they understand concepts, she said. Its difficult to judge whether they fully get it or whether theyre just saying, Yeah, yeah. Woo said the another challenge is making sure kids arent tempted to copy the code down without learning it. We have to make sure the kids actually grasp the concept, she said. Its about really understanding how the parts come together so theyre able to amend it and make it their own. The work that the three girls put in has made Weisss job easy. Theyre all really solid, dependable, and hardworking, he said. They really grab the student and parents attention and teach well. Weiss said coding eventually should be built into a schools program. Right now, Riverside does some coding with the media specialists, including Hour Code in December and certain lessons in Genius Hour, a program that consists of self-directed projects. Im just really proud of these ladies, Weiss said. Theyre going to great colleges, theyre getting scholarships, theyre giving back to the community, Im very thankful that they want to make a difference here at their alma mater. jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com The CEO of luxury automobile manufacturer, Audi, was arrested on Monday in Germany for potential involvement in parent company, Volkswagen's, diesel emissions scandal. Rupert Stadler, Audi CEO, was rumored to tamper with evidence that showed Audis role in Volkswagen's violation of the Clean Air Act. The arrest takes place only days after Germany imposed a $1.2 billion fine on Volkswagen for manipulating diesel emission test results. Volkswagen admitted to producing millions of engines with defeat devices to misrepresent emission toxicity levels. Last month, Audi recalled over 60,000 A6 and A7 models for irregularities. 850,000 Audis were recalled the previous year. WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to embattled Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein with its decision to allow federal judges to provide limited explanations for their sentencing decisions. Rosenstein, a recent target of President Donald Trump's ire because of his role in the Russia investigation, argued the minor case for the government in his first appearance before the high court. The court was reviewing how much justification a judge needs to provide when reducing a defendant's prison sentence. In a 5-3 decision, the court said the New Mexico judge in the case of a convicted drug dealer had provided sufficient explanation at the man's initial sentencing hearing. "The same judge resentenced the petitioner, and we have no reason to believe the judges' views had changed in the interim," Justice Stephen Breyer said Monday, reading a statement for the majority from the bench. "Given the simplicity of the case, and in light of our precedent," he said, "we conclude that the law did not require the judge to say more." The low-profile case attracted outsized attention because of Rosenstein's appearance at the court. Trump has recently criticized Rosenstein, the Justice Department's second-highest-ranking official, for approving an FBI search warrant at the office and home of Trump's attorney Michael Cohen. Rosenstein appointed and is overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the Russia probe because Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the case. Two weeks before oral argument in April, the president told senior officials that he was considering firing Rosenstein. But Rosenstein, a federal prosecutor for nearly 30 years, appeared polished and confident as he argued before the eight justices. "Rosenstein was honored to argue before the Supreme Court, and we are pleased with the decision," Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a statement Monday. The case began with the conviction of Adaucto Chavez-Meza, who was sentenced in 2013 to 11 years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. A year later, the defendant asked the court to lower his sentence after the Sentencing Commission changed its drug-offense guidelines for Chavez-Meza's type of crime. The judge reduced his sentence but not to the minimum permitted by the guidelines. Chavez-Meza argued that the judge should have explained the decision. In his dissent on Monday, Justice Anthony Kennedy agreed that the judge should have said more. Without an explanation, the judge's "reasons remain a mystery" and make it more difficult for prisoners like Chavez-Meza and appellate courts. "The sort of guesswork the court relies upon in today's decision is insufficient to provide meaningful appellate review of a district court's exercise of its discretion," wrote Kennedy, who was joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Justice Neil Gorsuch did not take part presumably because he had some contact with the case in his previous role on the US Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. - - - The Washington Post's Sari Horwitz contributed to this report. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump told reporters he would probably support federal legislation that officially turns the issue of marijuana legalization over to the states. The key word is probably. As it stands now, while 30 states have legalized marijuana for medical or adult use, cannabis remains illegal at the federal level. Legislation backed a bipartisan coalition in Congress has been introduced to allow states to go forward with legalization with no risk of interference from federal prosecution. Were looking at it. But I probably will end up supporting that, yes, Trump told reporters. That one statement has given rise to hopes among marijuana entrepreneurs and consumers that the pathway will be cleared for legal use of marijuana without concern about federal interference. It also flies in the face of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions anti-marijuana stance, who lobbied Congress to reduce current protections for medical marijuana. But will Trump follow through on his support? Related: Colorado's Governor Just Said 'No' to Cannabis Cafes What the legislation would do. The main factor that could lead to Trumps support -- at least on political grounds -- is that the bill supports states rights. Trump has advocated states rights before. The bill would essentially make it federal policy that states can make their own decisions on marijuana. As explained by Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, who introduced the bill: Our bill does not legalize marijuana. Instead, it allows the principle of federalism to prevail as the founding fathers intended and leaves the marijuana question up to the states. One of the most important aspects of the bill is that it would clear the way for banks to offer financial services to businesses operating in the marijuana industry. This has been an ongoing issue. With marijuana illegal at the federal level, banks have refused to offer banking services to the cannabis industry in fear of violating federal law. Thats left many cannabis businesses dealing with cash and the emergence of alternatives such as cryptocurrency. Related: Branding Your Business and Crafting Your Story in the Cannabis Industry Troublesome Issues Of course, many won't trust Trump's support until he actually signs the bill. Among those are writer Matthew Rozsa, who has autism and has seen the benefits of medical marijuana in treating it, but also has seen political support fade on the issue. So why the doubt about Trumps follow through on the issue? The reasons include (at least) the following. Trumps past. Trump has done plenty of flip-flopping on other issues, from the meeting with North Korea and the value of NATO to whether he would play golf as president. Its a win for Democrats. Backing legislation that is seen as a win for the Democrats is not something Trump has supported in the past. The bills co-sponsor. The bill is being introduced by Gardner. But his partner on the bill is liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who Trump has mockingly called Pocahontas. It defies his own attorney general. Although, given the often antagonistic relationship between Trump and Sessions, this could be a good thing for bill supporters. Theres also the fact that many leading Republicans may oppose the bill. That includes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has refused to support similar legislation in the past (though he is an enthusiastic supporter of hemp as an industrial crop). As with so many issues involving Trump, the outcome on the marijuana bill is unpredictable. But, at least for now, hes given cannabis legalization supporters some hope that changes are coming at the federal level. Follow dispensaries.com on Instagram to stay up to date on the latest cannabis news. Related: Will President Trump Really Support States' Rights On Marijuana? Branding Your Business and Crafting Your Story in the Cannabis Industry Colorado's Governor Just Said 'No' to Cannabis Cafes Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Google announced on Monday a new key partnership with the Chinese online retailer JD.com. According to the official Google blog, the Mountain View company would invest $550 million. To return the favor, the retailer will allow results to appear in the Shopping section of Googles search engine. Karim Temsamani, President of the Asia-Pacific Operations at Google, said the deal would is expected to accelerate and deliver consumer experiences that are helpful, personalized and offer high-quality service in a range of countries around the world, including in Southeast Asia. Jianwen Liao, chief strategy officer at JD, was quoted by CNN that the partnership "will open up a broad range of possibilities throughout the world. Google services, including Maps, YouTube, and the Search engine itself is currently banned in China. The country was not mentioned in the press release, but such a deal is just another step for the company to join the massive market. It already invested $120 million in a sport streaming company called Chushou and an undisclosed sum in Go Jek, a ride-hailing platform. Source | Via Published on 2018/06/17 | Source Abandoned children of Korean men in the Philippines are seeking compensation and help finding their fathers. Advertisement The tagline of a website trying to find Korean fathers who abandoned the children they had with Filipinas reads, "Please contact us if you know a Kopino dad". Kopino or Korinoy is a coined word for children of mixed Korean and Filipino parentage. The website publishes the names of absconding Korean fathers and is operated by a Korean, Koo Bon-chang. Koo used to run a language school in the Philippines but set up the website three years ago when he found out about the hardships of these abandoned children. He posts photos of the fathers brought to him by the Filipina mothers as well as any information on where in Korea they now live. The photos are taken down once it is confirmed that they are back in touch with the mothers. "There are many cases in which the fathers call and accuse me of violating their privacy", Koo said. "In one instance a Korean father hired thugs to harass me". So far, the website has published information on 66 runaway fathers, and 40 of them contacted the mothers. Most of them agreed to send alimony. According to the aid group Kopino Children Association the number of such kids is estimated at around 20,000-30,000. Most do not know what their fathers look like. Last year some 1.6 million Koreans visited the Philippines, accounting for 24.7 percent of all tourists. A growing number of Koreans go to the Philippines for business and studies because of the affordable prices and the islands' use of English in schools. That also means more and more Korean men shack up with Filipinas during their stay, be they bargirls or respectable women. More and more Filipina mothers turn to the courts to seek compensation. A Korean court ruled in 2012 that it will recognize paternity based on DNA tests, opening the floodgates for such suits. Around 60 cases are pending in Korean courts. A staffer at the association said, "The issue could be resolved much more easily if the fathers took responsibility for their actions rather than having their photos posted on the website and having to go to court". Published on 2018/06/17 | Source The government plans to scrap a 38-year-old law requiring civil servants to use flag carriers Korean Air and Asiana Airlines on official business. Advertisement The move follows the latest revelations of alleged corruption and abuse of authority by the family that owns Korean Air. Korean Air stands to lose W30-40 billion in revenues that has been generated each year by government workers (US$1=W1,083). The government said Thursday it will end its contracts with Korean Air and Asiana Airlines at the end of October. The government signed the contract with Korean Air in 1980 and with Asiana in 1990. The contracts are in fact a veiled subsidy whereby the flag carriers sell tickets above market rates to civil servants traveling on official duties but charge them no penalties for cancellation or changes. The government's mileage benefits expire in late October. Afterwards it will hire travel agencies to handle purchases of tickets at market rates. The Ministry of Strategy expects the changes to save taxpayers around W8 billion annually. Read this article in Korean 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 Havre Police Department A McKinley Avenue caller reported vandalism Friday at 9:44 a.m. -- Michelle Nichole Healy of Havre, 36, was arrested on a Justice or City court warrant served on Third Street Friday at 3:48 p.m. -- Nicholas Lee Peet of Kremlin, 30, was arrested on a trespass to property charge at 7:59 p.m. after a caller at a First Street West business reported a trespasser who wouldn't leave. -- Alyce Julialinda Lamotte of Havre, 27, was arrested on charges of aggravated driving under the influence and driving with a suspended or revoked driver's license and Aariana Marie Horn of Havre, 18, was arrested on a charge of minor in possession, during a vehicle stop on U.S. Highway 2 West Saturday at 1:54 a.m. -- A stolen PlayStation 4, games and a switch were reported Saturday at 3:57 a.m. on Eighth Street. -- A caller on McKinley Avenue reported at 7:58 a.m. Saturday his girlfriend's back window was shot out. -- Erica Ann Dion of Havre, 35, was arrested on a Justice or City court warrant at 9:41 a.m. Saturday after a disturbance was reported on 11th Street. -- A Second Street caller reported a stolen ring Saturday at 12:17 p.m. -- A light blue or turquoise bicycle was reported found on Saddle Butte Drive Saturday at 1:26 p.m. -- Shane Thomas Wing of Fort Belknap, 46, was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct after a caller at a First Street business reported Saturday at 3:28 p.m. a drunk man in the parking lot flipping off people. -- Everett Dale Windyboy of Havre, 65, was issued a summons on charges of disorderly conduct and open container in the city after a caller near First Avenue reported Saturday at 3:40 p.m. a possibly drunk man needing help getting up. -- A 16-year-old was issued a summons on two counts of disorderly conduct and a charge of obstructing a peace officer or other public servant and Harry Bruno Azure of Havre, 18, was issued a summons on a charge of disorderly conduct after several callers on Second Street reported people fighting at 9:56 p.m. Saturday. -- Justin Radim Jezek of Havre, 35, was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct, Souix Summer Necklace of Great Falls, 27, was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct, and Tristan Lawrence Reddog of Poplar, 18, was arrested on a charge of assault, after a caller at a First Street establishment reported a fight at the front door Saturday at 11:45 p.m. -- A First Avenue business caller reported an intoxicated man harassing a customer Sunday at 1:46 a.m. -- Arnold Louis Reddog of Havre, 22, was arrested on a Justice or City court warrant and a charge of unlawful transactions with children and Tristan Lawrence Reddog of Billings, 18, was arrested on charges DUI, driving without a driver's license, MIP, other traffic crime and failing to carry proof of insurance, during a vehicle stop on Montana Avenue Sunday at 1:47 a.m. -- Souix Summer Necklace of Great Falls, 27, was arrested on a federal warrant served at a First Street West business Sunday at 6:25 a.m. -- A caller on Second Street reported Sunday at 6:12 p.m. that it sounded like someone was getting beat up in a nearby residence. -- Samantha Bea Huston of Havre, 19, was arrested on charges of DUI and MIP, during a vehicle stop on Second Avenue Sunday at 11:33 p.m. -- A 13th Street caller asked to speak with officers today at 12:01 a.m. -- A Jefferson Avenue caller reported today at 1:33 a.m. charges on her debit card she didn't make. Hill County Sheriff's Office A caller at Bitterroot Trailer Court reported Friday at 8:42 a.m. the theft of some money orders. -- Triston Alexander Ehry of Havre, 20, was arrested on a charge of assault with a weapon and Andrew James Whitemountain of Havre, 44, was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault after a caller at Hill County Detention Center reported an assault Friday at 12:32 p.m. -- Michelle Nichole Healy of Havre, 36, was arrested on a charge of criminal mischief after a caller at the detention center made a complaint Friday at 6:48 p.m. -- A caller on Fifth Avenue North reported Friday at 11:14 p.m. someone hit her in the head as she was getting out of her vehicle. Havre Fire Department Emergency medical personnel responded to two calls Friday, four Saturday and three Sunday. -- Firefighters responded to a 10:51 a.m. call to the 1400 Block of First Street Friday after a caller reported a smell of gas from a gas line, but the line had been abandoned and wasn't a danger. -- Firefighters responded to an 11:10 p.m. call to the 500 Block of Second Street Friday to assist in rescuing a cat from a rooftop. The cat was safely retrieved with the assistance of cat treats. -- Firefighters were called to the 900 Block of Fourth Street Sunday at 2:07 p.m. for a gas smell. A propane tank was found with a leak and the valve was secured. Havre Animal Shelter This morning the shelter held one medium-hair cat with sex listed as "unknown," four medium-hair male cats and one female short-hair cat. -- The shelter also held this morning a 11-week-old female pit bull terrier-Labrador retriever cross, a 26-week-old male American Staffordshire terrier, a 1-year-6-month-old female Australian shepherd, a 4-year-2-month-old female German shepherd-Labrador retriever cross, a 4-year-1-month-old female border terrier-terrier cross and a 21-week-old male Australian shepherd. Chippewa Cree Business Committee member Daryl Wright II cuts the ribbon Friday at the grand opening of the Rocky Boy Health Center. The Chippewa Cree Tribe welcomed people Friday to the grand opening of the new Rocky Boy Health Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours. Chippewa Cree Business Committee member Daryl Wright II said the health center was a victory for the tribe, the community and for Montana. "I think this is a testament to what we can do as a community and when we do come together and focus on one goal, which is bringing better health care to our people," Wright said during the grand opening ceremony. The project was almost a decade in the making. Massive flooding, that was declared a federal disaster on Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation and in Hill County, led to the clinic being condemned in 2010, just two years after it opened. Planning for the new facility, which was erected on Upper Box Elder Road near Stone Child College and the reservation justice facility, began almost immediately, but took years to complete. The center had a soft opening earlier this year. Members of the community and the surrounding area, including representatives for the state government, made an appearance Friday with more than 300 people in attendance. Earl Arkinson, member of the Native American Church, spoke at the event, blessing the building and welcoming everyone to the grand opening. "One of the elders said you can have all the money in this world, you can have materialistic things, but that don't mean nothing," Arkinson said. "He said when you have good health is more important." Chippewa Cree's Business Committee Chairman Harlan Baker, who could not attend, said in a letter, "Today is an exciting day, a chance at providing new and improved health care to our community." "As the Business Committee, we are blessed to be able to better serve through the use of our new facility," Baker continued. Baker said the Business Committee is charged with the duty to promote and protect the health, security and general welfare of the Chippewa Cree Tribe. The tribe's goals are to provide opportunities that grow and enrich the tribe and improve every individuals spiritual, physical and mental health to create a healthy community. "May we be blessed with health, peace and happiness," Baker said, "as we continue to, in the words of Chief Rocky Boy, 'Love one another and take care of each other.'" A representative from Gov. Steve Bullock's office read a letter from the governor. "All Montanans deserve access to high quality health care in their communities," Bullock said. "The Rocky Boy Health Center is an exciting and important resource for the Chippewa Cree Tribe," Bullock added. "The Rocky Boy Health Center provides essential services and reliable support to some of our most vulnerable and underserved communities." Bullock said in his letter that he looked forward to the positive influence this facility will have on the local community and all Montanans. He commended the hard work and dedicated work that made the facility possible. "The new Rocky Boy Health Center is a result of the community coming together and serves as an example of great things Montanans can accomplish when they set their sights on a common goal," Bullock said. "Congratulations on this remarkable community achievement." A representative from the office Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., read a statement from the senator. "Since 2010 there have been significant hurdles to health care access in Box Elder and other Rocky Boy communities, but through hard work and perseverance this facility is ready to serve the Chippewa Cree people," Tester said. Tester congratulated the community on the health care center and thanked center CEO Jessica Windy Boy and the members of the Business Committee for their persistence and drive to complete the facility and get it into operation. Windy Boy welcomed everyone to the new health center and recognized her staff at the center. She said that during the winter some staff members got up at four and five each morning to get to the health center because they understood that there were people in the community who needed life-saving care. "Without the staff, we can't provide the type of services our community needs," Windy Boy said. Windy Boy added that the focus of health care in the future is preventative medicine. The diabetes program was recently reauthorized, and a separate program was recently authorized, supported by state Medicaid, called Tribal Health Improvement Program with the goal to keep the community healthy and out of the emergency rooms and hospitals. The program is developed on preventative medicines that are integrative and set to the cultural needs that the tribe determines for the community, she said. Business Committee member Wright also thanked Plain Green, the online lending company at Rocky Boy, for the company's contributions to the health center and presented them with a star quilt. "It has been a privilege and a pleasure to be able to serve the (tribe) over the last few years," said Jay Abbasi, CEO of Plain Green Loans. "It really is amazing what you have done and what the people of this community have done." Representatives of the Social Security Administration presented staff members Dorcus Big Knife, Renita Watson and Jessica Windy Boy certificates of appreciation for their contributions to the community. Wright also thanked everyone who was involved and had a hand in creating the health care center, including the construction crew. Havre Daily News/Ryan Welch Cars are packed around the Rocky Boy Health Center Friday, during it's grand opening. At the end of the ceremony, Wright called on everyone to sing a victory song. "This is a victory," he said. Wright said in an interview after the ceremony that it had been a struggle, after the previous facility was condemned, to build the new clinic and find enough funding above insurance and federal aid, and that the tribe is proud of the facility. "We funded this facility, the remainder that we had to come up with to build this facility," Wright said. "This is a big victory in terms of coming together and promoting preventive health care." Business Committee member Ted Whitford said it took many hands to get the project finished and that there were some hard times, but the community persevered and now can rejoice in the new facility. As it has always said, Orange disputes these accusations and will explain its position at the public hearing that will be scheduled in the coming months. In the meantime, it is important to not pre-judge the persons concerned and to ensure strict respect for the presumption of innocence. Denying wrongdoing, Lombard wrote in Le Monde, circa 2012: Like my predecessor and my successor, I am conscious that the disruption the company has experienced could provoke shock and unease. But I forcefully reject that plans that were essential to the survival of the company could have been the cause of the human tragedies cited by the complainants. Amongst the cases documented of the suicide included a woman who killed herself at work in Paris, a man found dead in his home after a letter was found allegedly blaming the organization and a worker who attempted to kill himself on arrival to work in 2011. 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. The failure to keep proper records and to provide pay slips to employees is an insidious practice that is only aggravated by the creation and provision of false documents designed to conceal the employers wrong doing, Judge Jarrett said. Employers and those that control them ought to be under no misapprehension that the creation and provision of false records is a serious matter and will be treated seriously by the Court. Zhao was penalised $36,700 and his company Skyter Trade Pty Ltd was fined an additional $180,000. The employee, an Indian national aged in his 20s, was in Australia as a dependent on his wifes international student visa at the time. Zhao asked the delivery driver to provide an Australian Business Number and then treated him as an independent contractor between November 2015 and May 2016, paying him a flat hourly rate of no more than $16. Three passengers were arrested after a boozy brawl involving up to 20 holidaymakers on board a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Ibiza yesterday morning. The drink-fuelled disturbance took place on the 8.50am flight to Ibiza - which was forced to divert to Paris - with the three taken off and detained by French police at Paris Beauvais on Saturday. On the return flight from the party island on Saturday afternoon - delayed by two hours and 40 minutes - the captain apologised and explained that the outward flight had to divert due to the trouble. He said that there had been children on board the Dublin flight and that it was diverted over concerns for the safety of all the passengers. He added that the unruly group had been drinking at Dublin Airport prior to take-off. Disruptive The incident has led to another call for airports to ban or restrict drinking alcohol before 10am. "This flight from Dublin to Ibiza was diverted to Paris Beauvais after three passengers became disruptive in-flight," Ryanair's Robin Kiely said. "The aircraft landed normally and the passengers were removed and detained by police upon arrival before the aircraft continued to Ibiza. "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. "This is now a matter for local police," he said 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". "It's 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 flights," he added. Gilligan has shared images on social media of his new love Criminal John Gilligan has found love with a new woman who is sharing his nomadic lifestyle. The Sunday World exclus- ively revealed yesterday that the convicted drug dealer is currently travelling between Ireland, Spain and the south coast of England with his new English girlfriend. Sources said the thug met his new woman - a grandmother in her early 60s - in Alicante, where his family once ran the Judges Chamber pub. She has reportedly introduced him to her family, saying: "I love him more than life itself." Gentleman The woman has been spotted with Gilligan on numerous occasions and has told friends he is "a perfect gentleman" and "does nothing wrong". The pair are flying in and out of Ireland on a regular basis. Gilligan (65) had been living a reclusive lifestyle, alternating between a mobile home in the south-east of Ireland, a hotel in west Dublin and the houses of close associates. However, over the past year he has been spending time with his new woman, who Gilligan met when he visited Spain after losing his Jessbrook bungalow in Mucklon, Co Kildare, following a drawn-out battle with the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). The house, beside the Jessbrook Equestrian Centre, had been the subject of a protracted campaign by Gilligan to retain ownership after the CAB spent 16 years engaged in a legal battle with his wife, Geraldine, over the equestrian centre. Jessbrook, regarded as the biggest indoor equestrian centre in the country, was put on the market for 500,000 in 2013 after CAB seized what was once considered the crown in Gilligan's property portfolio. It was once valued at more than 5m. After losing the equestrian centre, Gilligan fought tooth and nail to retain the adjacent bungalow. He even tried to take advantage of a housing assistance payment scheme, claiming he was homeless. After he was eventually evicted from the property a year ago, the Sunday World tracked Gilligan down to a country house in Co Roscommon. He was later spotted at Spain's Murcia Airport despite his claims of being broke and homeless. Now sources have revealed that Gilligan is spending long periods in Spain, where he had always planned to retire, following his release from prison. After he survived being shot six times while at his brother Thomas's home in Clondalkin in March 2014, he left Ireland and lived in England, where he moved from halting site to halting site. He returned to Ireland in 2016 when he told the courts that he and his wife had not been together for more than a decade. Gilligan's new girlfriend is known in the expatriate community in Alicante, where she spends her winters. She has a number of grandchildren in the UK. The pair have been spotted together in an English seaside village near the town of Margate, where Gilligan's old friend John Traynor lives. Gilligan has also been spotted at Dublin's Shelbourne Park dog track as well as in pubs around town. However, after the attempt on his life, it is believed he remains fearful that he will be shot if he stays in the same place for too long. He suffered bullet wounds to his chest, hip, stomach and one of his legs when two masked men entered his brother's home during a family celebration. He was released from Connolly Hospital under a garda escort a fortnight later, looking frail after losing a considerable amount of weight. He left the country immediately afterwards. Chased It was the second known attempt on his life after a botched hit on December 5, 2013 at the Halfway House pub near Phoenix Park when two armed men went looking for him. They left on a motorbike and threw away their weapon after being chased by gardai. It later emerged that Gilligan had been drinking at the nearby Hole in the Wall pub on Blackhorse Avenue. He dismissed the incident as "a Halloween prank", despite detectives warning him that his life was in danger after they recovered a 9mm Luger pistol following the botched assassination attempt. Dublin City Council is using almost 100 different hotels for emergency accommodation - nearly a year after Simon Coveney's deadline to get homeless families out of them. The Tanaiste and former housing minister set July 2017 as the date for hotels to no longer be used as temporary residences for families without homes. Mr Coveney insisted they should only be used in "limited circumstances". However, details released by the council last week revealed that 96 commercial hotels are still in use by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) to provide emergency accommodation. "There are approximately 96 commercial hotels in use that provide emergency accommodation to homeless families," the council said, in a response to a question at last week's monthly meeting. Last year, the council spent 47m on hotel accommodation. Eileen Gleeson, the director of the DRHE, has said that the figure for the first half of this year was down 6m on last year. She added that this was partly due to the introduction of family hubs but that the numbers presenting as homeless were on the rise. Value "We've negotiated better value for money and because of the introduction of the hubs, we've less use of commercial properties," Ms Gleeson said at a housing meeting on Thursday. "But the numbers are increasing that are coming into homelessness, so at all times we have to be on top of how we negotiate contracts to use emergency accommodation." When asked about the number of hotels being used, the DRHE said the number includes other forms of emergency accommodation, including B&Bs . The executive added that a number of new family hubs are to be created. However, no timeframe has been provided for these. "The DRHE have increased the number of family hubs to 17 in the Dublin region, with approximately 350 families being accommodated," a spokeswoman said. "The full utilisation of these hubs is reducing the number of hotels needed. "There are plans in place to open a number of new family hubs. There are approximately 700 families currently accommodated in commercial facilities. "These facilities include hotels and B&Bs, both under negotiated contract and or self-accommodation basis. "Within the context of increasing numbers of families presenting as homeless, the actual numbers accessing homeless services in Dublin is somewhat stabilising." She added that this was mainly due to the work the DRHE is doing to get families out of homelessness. Mr Coveney was not available for comment at the time of going to print. A spokesman for current Housing Minister, Eoghan Murphy, said the number of families in hotels is below what it was at its height last year. He said that 2,000 families were moved out of hotels. Some 9,652 people still use emergency accommodation, according to last month's figures. Elzbieta Wilk with husband Micholaj, who was murdered at their Cork home The wife of machete murder victim Micholaj Wilk is out of hospital and "recovering well" from her injuries. The Herald understands that Elzbieta Wilk, who sustained serious injuries after she and her husband were attacked at their home in Cork, was discharged from hospital on Saturday. The gruesome attack on the family took place on the previous Sunday morning, as a gang of up to four men burst down the door of the family home on the rural outskirts of Ballincollig. Mr Wilk, a Polish national, sustained multiple stab wounds to his head, hands and torso in the attack. Witness His wife underwent an operation on her hand and arm last week, after losing movement in three of her fingers. Polish chaplain for Cork, Father Piotr Galus, who met Ms Wilk in hospital last week, said she told of how the gang wanted the couple's children to witness the murder. "They wanted the children to witness what they were doing," Fr Galus said. "She tried to protect them and hide from the gang, but she heard them say they wanted to bring the children in to witness the killing. "She was beaten on her face and her head as she tried to protect them and she was struck with a weapon causing a very deep cut on her hand." Ms Wilk is said to be intent on moving her family back to Poland following the horrific ordeal. The attack is understood to have taken place between 2am and 4am on June 10. A burnt-out BMW 3-Series was found around 6km from the family home, with a handgun located inside. Yesterday morning gardai conducted a search along the route near the area of Waterfall in the hope of finding evidence that may have been discarded out of the window of the getaway vehicle. However, the Herald has been told nothing was found in this search. Gardai also issued an appeal for a taxi driver who dropped off two women from a pub in the Wilton area, to separate locations in Waterfall between midnight and 12.30am that night, to get in touch. "A number of people have come forward with information to date and gardai wish to thank the public for their assistance in the investigation so far," a spokesman said. Taxi "However, gardai wish to continue to appeal to taxi and hackney drivers that were operating in the Maglin, Ballincollig, Ballinora and Waterfall areas on the night of the incident, who have not yet come forward, to do so urgently. "In particular, they wish to speak to a driver who picked up three women at a pub in the Wilton area through a booking on a taxi app and drove to Waterfall, dropping two of the women along the way," he added. It's understood that the two women have provided information to the gardai. Gardai are probing if the burnt-out car was in the area at the time of the women being dropped off - which was around two hours before the attack took place. A memorial Mass in the family's hometown of Ballincollig took place on Saturday night. British police are struggling to track down 7.5m of Kinahan drugs money linked to convict James Mulvey, the cousin of slain Gerard 'Hatchet' Kavanagh. The UK's National Crime Agency has been trying to locate the money following the cartel member's 77m cocaine and cannabis smuggling conviction. Mulvey's Birmingham- based haulage firm was used to launder the huge profits made from his worldwide cocaine and cannabis business he operated with three partners. One of the partners was Kavanagh, who was shot dead in Spain in September 2014. Laundered A financial confiscation investigation - in which criminal wealth is seized after a conviction - is being carried out. "James Mulvey was a ghost within the financial arena in the UK," said Det Con Derek Tinsley, of the police Regional Asset Recovery Team. "In other words, he had no links to bank accounts or databases within the UK, which made it particularly difficult. "When you're looking at an individual who is at the top of the tree, you don't find them with their hands on the drugs. You don't find them with hands on the money, either. "In reality, the money has been laundered through many jurisdictions. "But the money trail won't stop here because confiscation processes under the Proceeds of Crime Act will continue to try and identify all of his assets so he doesn't benefit from his criminality." In 2015 West Midlands Police passed the case to the National Crime Agency team in Birmingham, whose investigation included covert surveillance, complex mobile phone analysis and more than 20 million documents in nine countries. Mulvey used accountants, advisers and trusts to launder money in offshore accounts and changed his mobile phones on a daily basis. One offshore transaction was 11.5m (13m) to one business name. Investigators have followed the trail through thousands of documents and identified companies in the Isle of Man that were used to launder funds. Police in Mauritius joined forces with the UK financial intelligence unit to search addresses in the village of Tamarin. Documents and digital devices were seized. Mulvey was jailed for 32 years at Birmingham Crown Court this week after being found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine and cannabis. He was arrested half-naked on March 28, 2017, at his bolthole in Kaunas, Lithuania. It followed a two-year investigation by the National Crime Agency, and he was extradited to the UK. The father-of-five, who is estranged from his wife, organised numerous shipments to the continent and arranged for "cover loads" to be sent to Ireland, usually containing tinfoil or toilet paper "to give the impression of a genuine business relationship". In all, 14 successful trips were made before the 15th consignment was stopped in Belgium. Twenty blocks of cocaine, along with a cutting agent, and 364 blocks of cannabis were found. The cocaine and cannabis were hidden in metal rollers and transported by a string of haulage companies and individuals from Holland to Ireland via Belgium and the West Midlands. The rest of the gang were convicted, but Mulvey managed to slip through the net. He spent up to 85,000 in cash every week and splashed his wealth across the world yet had no bank accounts within the UK. The 42-year-old built a 2m Spanish villa with an infinity pool, had a number of top of the range cars, including Range Rovers and Mercedes, travelled the world, staying at five-star hotels, and wore Rolex watches. He also invested in clubs and bars including a Japanese bar, Geisha, in Birmingham Mulvey used drugs as well as trafficking them and had a 1,000 (1,140) stash of cocaine each week which was for personal use. 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. Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg Eight days after Haksar had joined her, on 14 May 1967, Indira Gandhi sent him an extract of a letter she had received from her younger son Sanjay in Crewe. The extract reads thus: I have talked to PN Haksar about my future some time back and I didnt get anything concrete out of it. He seems to be of a similar opinion as you are. [He says] Plans wont work before even knowing what they are As far as staying with Rolls Royce is concerned, I am wasting my time here and have been doing for the last 4 or 5 months. I dont want to continue doing so for 2 more years Besides I am not the only apprentice that sits around doing virtually nothing, most of them are in the same boat. Clearly, Haksar and Sanjay had not hit it off even when the two of them were in the UK. PNH wanted him to study and complete the course in which he was enrolled, whereas Sanjay felt that he had had enough and didnt want to study further; not more than the O.N.C. [Ordinary National Certificate] which he told his mother is on the same level as the 2nd year of an Indian University. Haksar and Indira Gandhi wanted him to get what was called H.N.C. [Higher National Certificate] but Sanjay was not keen on it. This continued lack of chemistry between Haksar and Sanjay would provide the background to the differences that would arise between PNH and Indira Gandhi a year later over Sanjays business ambitions. These differences would eventually lead to Haksars voluntary exit in January 1973 An unprecedented assault on Parliament took place in 7 November 1966 by cow protection activists. There had been police firing, people had been killed and the home minister, Gulzarilal Nanda, was forced to resign. A promise had been made by the prime minister subsequently that a committee would be set up to examine the matter of having a national law to ban cow slaughter. It took some six months and Haksars taking over for this committee to be established. On 29 June 1967, it was finally notified with a retired chief justice of the Supreme Court, A.K. Sarkar, as the chairman. It had politicians, spiritual leaders and at PNHs instance three intertwined lives: PN Haksar and Indira GandhiDr V. Kurien of the National Dairy Development Board (who was to become famous as the Amul man), Dr Ashok Mitra (then Chairman of the Agricultural Prices Commission) and Dr H.A.B. Parpia (director of the Central Food Technological Research Institute). After the committee had been announced, leading Indian naturalists like Salim Ali and Zafar Futehally who had unfettered access to Indira Gandhi got into the act. They proposed that the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) collaborate with the Washington-based Smithsonian Institution to carry out studies on the ecological consequences of Indias large cattle population. Dillon Ripley of the Smithsonian Institution wrote to Indira Gandhi on 3 October 1967: I personally believe that one of the most important studies that must be undertaken today is an ecological approach to the age-old problem of the impact of cattle on lands in India. I write at this time with some sense of urgency because of the recent developments which have led, I am informed, to the appointment of a Committee which will report to your Government on the issue of imposing a ban on the slaughter of cows throughout India. Indira Gandhi was a passionate ecologist herself but she was also a politician. She must have been in two minds but Haksar appears to have clinched the issue. A month later on 7 November 1967, the US ambassador to India Chester Bowles chided Ripley: At my request, my deputy Mr. Greene found an opportunity to sound out Mrs. Gandhis right-hand man, P.N. Haksar about your letter. Haksar readily confirmed that it had been received and as much said that he thought it better to leave the complexities of the cow problem to the Government of India. Mr. Greene asked whether the Prime Minister had replied to your letter and was told that she had not; we infer that she probably will not The committee was to keep meeting for 12 years but never produced a report or gave its recommendations. It was finally disbanded in 1979 by Indira Gandhis successor Morarji Desai... On 1 December 1968, Sanjay Gandhi applied to the Ministry of Industrial Development for a letter of intent to manufacture a small car. There were some 15 Indian and foreign companies, as well as some other entrepreneurs like Sanjay Gandhi who had also done so. Right from the very beginning Haksar had voiced his strong objections to the prime minister about her son dabbling in such a venture. He had also told his friend from the London days that the son should not be staying with her in the prime ministers residence and continue to carry on his business activities from there, particularly in association with persons who Haksar considered were less-than-desirable. PNHs objections were actually even more fundamental. He questioned the wisdom of scarce resources being diverted to the manufacture of passenger cars. He preferred to see an expansion of capacity to manufacture scooters and that too in the public sector. Decades later, on 15 March 1995, Haksar was to recall this issue in a letter to Abid Hussain who had sent him a report of Indias transport policy prepared by the Asian Institute of Road Transport. He wrote: .. Way back in 1967-68, I fought and lost a battle for having a mass rapid transport system in the capital city of Delhi instead of going in for the small car project Haksar had not only lost the battle but made a deadly enemy who would soon prove to be his nemesis. He had made his views known to the prime minister in clear and categorical terms. An uneasy truce prevailed. That was to end on 30 September 1970 when Sanjay Gandhi was finally given the letter of intent to manufacture 50,000 small cars every year without any foreign collaboration and without imported raw materials, components and machinery. Another letter of intent was given to another individual in Madras for making 25,000 such cars annually. My own reckoning is that this was the beginning of Haksars estrangement from Indira Gandhi. The final break, however, would happen some 27 months later. Excerpts from Intertwined Lives: P.N. Haksar and Indira Gandhi by Jairam Ramesh, published by Simon & Schuster . The author is a Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha and former Union Minister The views expressed are personal The political circus going on in Delhi has all the elements of a democratic nightmare: constitutional functionaries engineering a deadlock in the midst of an environmental emergency and water shortage; more than one centre of power, each more keen to play opposition than to govern; and unbridled political showmanship with complete disregard for people and their well being. Faced with this, it is tempting to look away or to take sides. But a concern for Delhis future requires us to judge the situation and think of a way out. First things first. Delhi deserves full statehood. The Central government should have special powers over the NDMC area that houses Lutyens Delhi and the diplomatic area as well as the Delhi Cantonment area. But there is simply no justification for the rest of Delhi not being governed by a popularly elected government, just like any other state. The hypocrisy of the Congress and the BJP on the issue of full statehood is responsible for creating a diarchy in Delhi that is currently being exploited to the full. Second, there cannot be two opinions about the role of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi in dealing with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Far from playing the role of a quiet friend (and a guide and guardian, in the case of the National Capital Territory) of the elected government, the LGs office has indulged in delays, disruption and sabotage of the work of elected government and witch hunt of its functionaries. Third, it is quite clear that the ongoing protest by the Indian Administrative Service officers could not have gone on the way it has without a nod and a wink from the Central government. Yet these three facts do not give us the full picture. The fourth fact is that the current protest by the AAP is designed to cover up an assault on the top civil servant in the presence of the chief minister himself. Although the formal hearing is yet to begin, it is a classic case of the guilty playing the victim. Fifth, and worse, the current deadlock is being used to distract from a governance failure at multiple levels. The state government that came to power riding an unprecedented wave of popular hope has turned out to be utterly inept at governance, with no knowledge of the grammar of governance or even the constitutional provisions. No wonder, with the sole exception of an improvement in government school infrastructure, this government has little to show by way of any tangible outcome, even where there was no interference by the LG. The BJP is using this crisis to cover up shockingly poor municipal governance. Sixth, the AAP government has no desire to resolve the tangle; instead it wants the deadlock to continue and use it as an election shield. The party that came to challenge the disease of body politic is by now not only afflicted by the same disease, and wants to use this crisis to gain entry into an anti-BJP alliance. Here is what needs to be done immediately to resolve the crisis. One, the CM should offer an honest apology to the chief secretary and other civil servants for what his colleagues have done. With so many apologies under his belt, that should not have been a problem. Since he hasnt, in view of larger public interest, the IAS officers should accept his latest appeal, which is an implicit apology, and a withdrawal of his earlier demand for punishment to officers. Two, like all other state governments, the elected government should get to choose the officers it wishes to work with. The existing constitutional provisions for the NCT government do not come in the way of this right. Three, the central and the state government should request the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court to deliver its verdict, now pending for six months. That should clarify the division of powers for the state and the central government at least for the remaining tenure of the AAP government. And finally, Parliament should begin a discussion on granting a near-full statehood for National Capital Territory of Delhi by forming a Joint Committee to disentangle the messy administrative divisions. These steps may not guarantee good governance, but these would leave the ruling parties of Delhi with no excuses when they face elections. Yogendra Yadav is President, Swaraj India The views expressed are personal Adorable Taimur has just learnt to walk but already wants to move on to bigger challenges. In a new picture being shared by Kareena Kapoor Khans fanpages, her son can be seen trying to ride a toy scooter while she poses for a picture with a fan during her vacation in London. Kareena is seen smiling with a lady when Taimur came riding his scooter near his mum and tripped while the picture was being clicked. We are sure mommy Kareena was quick as lightning in picking him up. A post shared by Taimur Ali Khan (@taimurfc) on Jun 17, 2018 at 3:03am PDT Kareena was on a two-week vacation with Taimur and husband Saif in London and returned to Mumbai on Monday. The family enjoyed walks around the city, rides on carousels, brunches at cafes and dinners with friends. Taimur and Saif are still in London. A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Arab FC Veeres (@kareenakapoor.arabiic) on Jun 17, 2018 at 8:20pm PDT Kareena is currently enjoying the success of her latest film, Veere Di Wedding. It made more than Rs 100 crore internationally and also stars Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania. Saif will be seen in Netflixs Sacred Games with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte in July. Follow @htshowbiz for more Prime Minister Narendra Modis government may be getting jittery about its $82 billion borrowing program as the debt market continues to sell off. With more than two months into the fiscal year, the continued lack of appetite from state banks and foreigners is starting to weigh. Authorities have rolled out, or are mulling, new measures after steps in March failed to revive demand for sovereign bonds. The central bank on Friday raised the cap on how much foreigners can invest in a single bond to 30% of outstanding stock from 20%, and provided more flexibility on their existing investments. The government may reduce issuance of shorter-maturity bonds, economic affairs Secretary Subhash Garg said in an interview last week. Issuing floating-rate notes and buybacks are among options that may be considered to rein in surging yields, the Financial Chronicle newspaper reported Monday, without citing anyone. Calling a top in yields is premature, said Eugene Leow, a fixed-income strategist at DBS Bank in Singapore, even as he see Indias sovereign bonds trading close to fair value. The global environment has become decidedly less tolerant of fiscal and external imbalances. Until these issues are addressed, India govvies are likely to stay under pressure. Indias budget deficit is still one of the widest in Asia and Modis challenge is to narrow it further amid pressures to boost spending ahead of national polls in 2019. Thats not going to be easy, with oil prices staying elevated. While a large part of federal borrowing has been pushed back to the October-March period, the states are on a borrowing binge. There are multiple things that need to be tried and one thing being discussed is can we do more floating-rate bonds, Neeraj Gambhir, Mumbai-based managing director and head of fixed income at Nomuras Indian unit, told reporters on Friday. The borrowing program is more dynamic and the government is willing to listen to the market. The board of ICICI Bank Ltd. is meeting Monday to decide on the future of chief executive officer Chanda Kochhar, said people familiar with the matter. Theyll debate options including asking Kochhar to go on leave until an internal investigation into allegations raised against her by a whistle blower is completed, the people said. Replacements being considered include Sandeep Bakhshi, CEO of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co., who may be made interim head for the bank, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. An ICICI Bank representative didnt immediately reply to an email and phone call Monday. The Mumbai-based lenders board decided last month to set up a panel to examine the anonymous complaint that alleges quid pro quo in the course of Kochhars work in dealing with certain borrowers of the bank. The complaint also alleges the CEO violated regulatory provisions related to conflicts of interest over a period of time, according to the filing. ICICI Bank has appointed B N Srikrishna, a retired judge Supreme Court judge, to investigate these allegations and the probe is expected to start this week, according to the people. This investigation comes as federal authorities separately conduct a so-called preliminary inquiry into an alleged nexus between the Videocon Group and Kochhars husband. Shares of Indias second-largest private-sector bank gained 3.70% as of 1.40 pm on Monday. ICICI is the worst performer among private-sector lenders on a 10-member gauge since May 2009, when Kochhar took over as CEO. Its bad-loan ratio is one of the highest among its peers. Union minister Arun Jaitely on Monday urged citizens to pay their due share of taxes honestly to reduce dependence on oil as a revenue source, and virtually ruled out any cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel saying it could prove to be counter-productive. While the salaried class pays its due share of taxes, Jaitley said most other sections have to improve their tax payment record, which is keeping India far from being a tax-compliant society. My earnest appeal, therefore, to political leaders and opinion makers ...would be that evasion in the non-oil tax category must be stopped and, if people pay their taxes honestly, the high dependence on oil products for taxation eventually comes down. In the medium and long run, upsetting the fiscal maths can prove counter-productive, Jaitley said. In a facebook post titled The Economy and the Markets Reward Structural Reforms and Fiscal Prudence, Jaitley said in last four years, central governments tax-GDP ratio has improved from 10% to 11.5%. Almost half of this, 0.72% of GDP, accounts for an increase in non-oil tax-GDP ratio. The level of non-oil taxes to GDP at 9.8% in 2017-18 is the highest since 2007-08 - a year in which our revenue position was boosted by buoyant international environment, he said. This government has established a very strong reputation for fiscal prudence and macro-economically responsible behaviour. We know what happened during the Taper Tantrum of 2013. Fiscal indiscipline can lead to borrowing more and obviously increase the cost of debt. Reliefs to consumers can only be given by a fiscally responsible and a financially sound central government, and the states which are earning extra due to abnormal increase in oil prices, Jaitley said. In an apparent dig at senior Congress leader P Chidambarams remark that tax on oil should be cut by Rs 25 per litre, Jaitley retorted this is a trap suggestion. Without naming Chidambaram, Jaitley noted that the distinguished predecessor had never endeavoured to do so himself. It is intended to push India into an unmanageable debt - something which the UPA government left as its legacy. We must remember that the economy and the markets reward structural reforms, fiscal prudence, and macro-economic stability. They punish fiscal indiscipline and irresponsibility. The transformation from UPAs policy paralysis to the NDAs fastest growing economy conclusively demonstrates this. The government is aspiring to improve the tax-GDP ratio, Jaitley said. Chidambaram had last week claimed that it was possible for the centre to cut tax by up to Rs 25 per litre on petrol prices but the Modi-government will not do so. According to government estimates, every rupee cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel will result in a revenue loss of about Rs 13,000 crore. The price of Indian basket of crude surged from $66 a barrel in April to around $74 currently. Jaitley said despite higher compliances in new system, as far as the non-oil taxes are concerned, India is still far from being a tax complaint society. Salaried employees is one category of tax compliant assessees. Most other sections still have to improve their track record. The effort for next few years has to be to replicate the last four years and improve Indias tax to GDP ratio by another 1.5%. The increase must come from the non-oil segment since there is scope for improvement, he said. These additions, Jaitley said, have to come by more and more people performing their patriotic duty of paying the non-oil taxes to the State. The tragedy of the honest tax payer is that he not only pays his own share of taxes but also has to compensate for the evader, he said. Jaitley said the central government collects taxes in the form of income tax, its own share of GST and the customs duty. 42% of the central government taxes are shared with the states. State governments collect their 50% from GST besides their local taxes. These are independent of taxes on petroleum products. The states charge ad valorem taxes on oil. If oil prices go up, states earn more, he said. Two weeks after notorious gangster Sampat Nehra was nabbed by the special task force of Haryana police, officers investigating his alleged involvement in a series of criminal cases said five weapons two countrymade pistols, a double barrel, .38 bore revolver and one more pistol were recovered during the past week. An officer privy to the investigation said out of the five weapons, double barrel, .38 bore revolver and a Smith & Wesson (foreign made pistol) were recovered from one of his aide in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Satheesh Balan, DIG, Haryana STF, said, During remand it was learnt that some of his gang members are involved in extortion call made to the Chandigarh-based chemist Kumar brothers. The role of Sampat Nehra is under scanner. We are investigating his involvement in the matter, added Balan. Balan said Lawrence Bishnois role will also be reviewed. If Rajasthan police take Lawrence on remand, we will question him with regards to Sampat Nehra and other cases, the DIG said. An official privy to the investigation said, During the seven-day remand, gangster Sampat Nehra confessed to 22 cases of murder, attempt to murder and extortion. Besides murder of Vinod Jat alias Jordan at a gym in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, last month and a gym teacher in Bhiwani, Haryana, Nehra was involved in murder cases, including one in Sonepat at Rajgarh court premises, murder of gangster Lovi Deora in Faridkot, and also the attack on gangster Bhupi Rana, said an official. Nehra was nabbed by Haryana police STF from Hyderabad on the night of June 6. The gangster is a sharpshooter of Lawrence Bishnoi gang, who is currently lodged in Bharatpur jail in Rajasthan. He was told by Bishnoi to free gang member at any cost According to police sources, Nehra recalled the entire incident where they used pepper spray on the staff and police at Panchkula civil hospital in Sector 6 last year. The accused, along with two aides, opened fire and freed Deepak alias Tinu, when he was brought from Ambala jail for treatment. Nehra during interrogation said they had a hard time to free their gang member as the policemen at one instance had overpowered them. He said he had received a message from Lawrence Bishnoi to execute the job at any cost, said a senior official of the Panchkula police. Earlier, Nehra had disclosed during his police remand that Lawrence Bishnoi handles all gang activities, arranging everything from money to guns to logistics from the jail. He had revealed that he was on a mission to eliminate actor Salman Khan on the orders of Lawrence. Gangster Sampat Nehra was sent to judicial custody by a local court here on Monday in connection with two cases in Panchkula. On June 11, Haryana STF had produced Sampat in a Panchkula court that remanded him to seven-day police custody for his alleged involvement in two crime cases in Panchkula. Nehra was booked in 2017 for opening fire at a police team and freeing his gang member Deepak alias Tinu from their custody at Panchkula civil hospital, Sector 6. He was also booked in 2013 for opening fire at a hookah bar near Morni, Panchkula. Will be taken to Bhiwani Meanwhile, the STF further sought his production warrant in connection with a murder case in Bhiwani, Haryana, from the Panchkula court. He is being taken on production warrant and will be produced in Bhiwani court on Tuesday for his alleged involvement in murder of teacher Narender alias Bunty in a gym last November, said Haryana STF inspector Pradeep. Officials said Nehra, along with his aide Deepak alias Tinu, who was active in Bhiwani, had killed the teacher, along with two other accomplices. Yamunanagar police also came forward during his seven-day remand and will seek his custody for his involvement in other cases, said an official. Untimely deaths leave behind a number of unresolved questions. The suicide of Madhya Pradeshs spiritual leader Bhaiyyu Maharaj is one such. His death has left in its wake a number of questions about spirituality , society and the times we live in. Since ancient times, people have been approaching saints and holy men to allay their anxieties and get answers to the most troublesome questions bothering them. The Buddha had once said: You (the people) approach me with a heavy heart and return after youve emptied your heart out. Spirituality drives away depression, therefore, the news of a spiritual persons suicide came as a shock. Bhaiyyu Ji Maharajs life was full of contradictions. He had lived through the disparate worlds of modelling, materialism and asceticism and tried to evolve a new definition of spirituality. He adopted a number of villages and helped revive water bodies. He was an impressive orator. Therefore, his addresses to the public attracted huge crowds. Gradually, ashrams were built and the number of his disciples began growing at a rapid pace. Along with this, opportunistic politicians began attempts to cash in on his popularity. Bhaiyyu Ji Maharaj was one of those that Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan had recommended be appointed as ministers of state. The Congress had also used him to convince a stubborn Anna Hazare in changing his mind. He was friendly with BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh and Congress leaders in Maharashtra. Bhaiyyu Ji put himself in a position where worldly pleasures, materialism and spirituality overlapped. Not surprisingly, he won both material riches and fame. So, what happened that suddenly prompted him to kill himself? So far, two of his suicide notes have been discovered which complicate the answer even further. No religion in the world justifies suicide. The simplicity and ease with which he spoke inspired one to be in love with life. Why commit suicide then? The man who helped solve the problems of others couldnt, perhaps, throw a light upon the dark recesses of his own relationships. Whatever be the reason his tragic death, I want to discuss the perils of modern-day spiritual leaders. About 30-35 years ago, I had got an opportunity to meet Mahesh Yogi in Noida. I was surprised to see the elaborate arrangements for his security. Even politicians didnt maintain such a comprehensive security apparatus those days. I asked one of his managers: If he is a saint, he should be fearless and uninhibited. Why does he need all this, then? Having become a symbol of Hinduism outside India, he has annoyed a whole lot of people, was the reply. His survival is crucial for the spread of our religion in Europe, which is why weve made all these arrangements. I had an argument with him because all religious scriptures say a saint is somebody removed from worldliness. Why should such a person fear anybody? Everybody who has been hailed as a saint or avatar in this world got these encomiums when the person broke free from the trappings of desire, anger, arrogance and greed. With the passage of time, the entire world appears to have changed its mind on this subject. I often remember my childhood when people lived by their ideals. We were surrounded by people who had participated in the fight for independence from British rule. The experiences of such people inspired us. Till the onset of the 1990s, selfless and sacrificing people were revered as idols. Their achievements had been borne out of sacrifices. But now people make sacrifices after theyve achieved their goals. From Steve Jobs to Azim Premji, the philanthropists and social workers of today look at the margins only after theyve achieved great professional heights. Thats why the role models of schoolchildren have also changed. Earlier, patriots and those who gave up on worldly riches were discussed, but today those who earn them are creating all the buzz. The economic liberalisation that flourished in the 1990s established material achievements as the ultimate pursuit. Whatever its supporters may claim, dont forget, the pursuit of achievements often leads to frustrations and frustrations in turn cause depression. This is true for most nations in the world. Depression is the new epidemic in this fast-changing world and now those treating it, I mean the spiritual leaders, are themselves falling victim to the condition. That is why Bhaiyyu Ji will be remembered. I have no hesitation in saying that in this complicated period in time, it is increasingly become difficult for a man to stay human. Dont you find this a threat to humanity? Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan letters@hindustantimes.com National Security Advisor Ajit Dovals son Shaurya Doval kept the media guessing on whether or not he will jump into electoral politics in 2019. Doval, director of India Foundation, a prominent think tank which has four Union ministers as its directors, had earlier indicated his entry into active politics from Uttarakhandn by participating as a member in state BJPs working member committee meeting in December last year. He has remained active for past several months in Pauri Garhwal, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by former chief minister BC Khanduri. The veteran leader has not been keeping well for the last few months and will turn 75 years old putting him on the wrong side of an unstated age-restriction rule imposed in the BJP. Asked if he is one of the claimants to the BJP ticket from Pauri Garhwal for next years elections, Doval said, This is a wrong question asked to the wrong person. I come from an ideology where we do not have any such term as claimant. We are simply karyakartas (workers). Doval claimed that he was assigned the responsibility to study Uttarakhand. We have responsibility allocators and responsibility executors. I am an executor, he added. We have 9.50 lakh unemployed youth from Uttarakhand registered with the Employment Exchange. So, we need to build livelihood opportunities by training them and allow people to create jobs here, Doval said. The Doval family is a native of Pauri district. Delhi minister Satyendar Jain was hospitalised late Sunday after his health deteriorated during a hunger strike at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijals office, said chief minister chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Twitter. Jain, who handles six ministries in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, was taken to the LNJP Hospital after he complained of headache, nausea, and breathing problems, Dr JS Passey was quoted by ANI as saying. Good morning Delhi Last nite, Satinder Jains ketone levels increased n he complained of headache, bodyache, difficulty in breathing n difficulty in passing urine. So, he had to be shifted to hospital. Now, he is doing well. It is 6th day of Manshs fast. He is doing well Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 18, 2018 After watching his ketone report, we decided to admit him to hospital. His blood pressure is normal now. He is having some breathing issues, but stable, Dr Passey told ANI. Kejriwal, Jain, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, and development minister Gopal Rai have camped at Baijals office since June 11, refusing to leave until the L-G makes IAS officers end an alleged strike. Sisodia is on a hunger strike too. AAP leaders accompanied by thousands of party workers on Sunday marched towards the Prime Ministers residence on Sunday in support of their ministers protest. The marchers walked from Mandi House in central Delhi before being stopped by police near the Parliament Street police station. Urging city bureaucrats 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. 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 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. Guwahati : At least four Assam Rifles jawans were died during an fierce gun fight with suspected NSCN-K militants in Nagaland's Mon district today. The gun fight took place at Aboi town (Tenyak nalla near BRO camp), Mon District between Assam Rifles personnel and suspected NSCN-K militants. Sounds of bomb and guns continuing for about half an hour and more reinforcements of security personnel are moving towards the site and Nagaland Police also rush to the spot. According to the reports, suspected NSCN-K militants ambushed on the Assam Rifles vehicle at the area when Assam Rifles personnel were on the way to collect water from a river between Aboi-Mohung, Nagaland. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will start a campaign from Tuesday to reach out to at least 10 lakh households in Delhi and collect signatures on a petition requesting that the partys demands be met. From Tuesday, we will start a signature campaign in which we will reach out to 10 lakh families in the national capital and send those letters to the Prime Minister, AAP MP Sanjay Singh told the media here. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with his deputy Manish Sisodia and Cabinet Ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, had been camping at the Lt. Governors office since June 11. Sisodia, who has been on a hunger strike since June 13, was taken to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital here on Monday due to failing health after Jain, who has been fasting since June 12, was hospitalised on late on Sunday. The leaders have been demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their strike. Kejriwal also wanted the Central government to approve his governments proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their houses. On the fear of the IAS officers, Sanjay Singh said the officers dont have to fear their safety and Kejriwal will do everything within his powers to ensure the same. He also urged the IAS officers, the Lt. Governor and the Central government to take a step forward in favour of Delhi residents and work on all the pending projects. On June 15, the Chief Minister announced that the party will launch a door-to-door campaign after Sunday if the Central government continued to be mute on their demands. The stand-off between Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal appeared to be headed for a resolution after eight days of heightened political drama in the national Capital with deputy CM Manish Sisodia calling for a meeting between all stakeholders to end the impasse. Sisodia, who was holed up in the L-Gs office in a sit-in protest since last Monday along with Kejriwal, PWD minister Satyendar Jain and labour minister Gopal Rai, had to be rushed to hospital on Monday due to a rise in toxin levels in his blood after six days of being on hunger strike. Jain, who had also been on a hunger strike, was taken to hospital on Sunday night. That leaves only Kejriwal and Rai in the L-Gs office, from where they have refused to budge until the state bureaucracy ends a strike, and for which they were slammed by the Delhi high court on Monday. The court, while hearing a petition by BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, expressed disapproval of the protest at the L-Gs office and asked who had authorised Kejriwal and his colleagues to stage a sit-in at the venue. Who authorised the strike/dharna? You are sitting inside the LGs office. If its a strike, it has to be outside the office. You cannot hold a strike inside someones office or residence, the court said. Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of turning a blind eye to the anarchy in Delhi and aiding chaos and disorder. Delhi CM, sitting in dharna at LG office. BJP sitting in dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences... PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos and disorder. People of Delhi are the victims, as this drama plays out, Gandhi said on Twitter. On Sunday, Kejriwal had made an appeal to all Delhi government bureaucrats, saying they were a part of his family and asked them to return to work, saying he would guarantee their safety. On Monday afternoon, not long after the high courts observations, the IAS officers association issued a statement welcoming Kejriwals appeal and seeking formal discussions with him. We look forward to concrete interventions for our security and dignity, the association said. Sisodia, who was in hospital by then, wrote to the L-G that in light of the IAS associations statement, a meeting be convened in which all stakeholders participate. IAS officers of the Delhi government on Monday welcomed discussions with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose strike at lieutenant governor Anil Baijals office over their non-cooperation prompted the high court to question its validity. The developments came on a day when Kejriwals deputy Manish Sisodia was hospitalised after health minister Satyendar Jain, and Congress president Rahul Gandhi called the protests by the AAP and the BJP drama that hurt Delhiites. The IAS officers said that they look forward to concrete interventions for their security and dignity, a move that may break the four-month-long impasse between the AAP dispensation and the bureaucrats following an alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash by some ruling party MLAs at the chief ministers residence in February. The association of officers of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union territories) cadre said that they continue to be at work with full dedication and vigour. Kejriwal had on Sunday assured the bureaucrats that he will use all the powers and resources at his command to ensure their safety and security. He has been sitting in protest in the L-Gs office since last Monday, demanding that the officers call off their strike. The Delhi high court asked the Kejriwal government who authorised his sit-in at the L-Gs office, observing it was not a place to protest. You are sitting inside the L-Gs office. If its a strike, it has to be outside the office, said a bench comprising Justice AK Chawla and Justice Navin Chawla, according to news agency PTI. The court was hearing two petitions: one against Kejriwals protest and another against the alleged strike by the IAS officers. The court is likely to hear the two petitions and one filed by Bharatiya Janata Partys Vijender Gupta, who is Leader of Opposition in the Delhi assembly, on June 22. Sisodia hospitalised after Jain Meanwhile, Kejriwals deputy, Manish Sisodia, who had been fasting during the sit-in, had to be hospitalised in the afternoon after he complained of pain in his abdomen caused by high levels of ketone, a compound that is produced to burn fat to produce energy when carbohydrates (normal food) are not consumed. Sisodia was admitted to Lok Nayak hospitals ICU and is on a bed next to Delhis health minister Satyendar Jain, who had also been fasting and had to be rushed to the hospital on Sunday night. Satyendar Jain had been admitted with a ketone level of 7 and Manish Sisodia with a 7.4, said Dr J C Passey, medical director of Lok Nayak hospital, warning that these were very high and the ministers should end their fast. The normal range of ketones in the body is between 0.6 and 1.5 mmol/L. A person with ketone levels between 1.5 and 3 mmol/L risks ketoacidosis (extreme and uncontrolled production of ketones) and serious complications that can be fatal too. Both the ministers will remain in the intensive care unit and will be monitored closely by a team of doctors until their ketone levels come down. Congress president Rahul Gandhi criticised the protests by the AAP and the BJP. Delhi CM, sitting in Dharna at LG office. BJP sitting in Dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences. PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos & disorder. People of Delhi are the victims, as this drama plays out, Gandhi said on Twitter. Delhi BJP MP Pravesh Singh Saheb Verma, MLAs Vijender Gupta and Manjinder Singh Sirsa and suspended AAP MLA Kapil Mishra have been on a hunger strike since June 15, accusing Kejriwal government of non-performance. Four chief ministers of opposition-ruled states and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have supported Kejriwal, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene for his demands. The Congress, which has been urging Opposition unity for the 2019 elections, had not commented on Kejriwals protests till now. (With agency inputs) A man and a woman, who allegedly used a fake account on a dating app to dupe hundreds of young men of Rs 500-1,000, have been arrested after a month-long hunt, police said on Sunday. Since the duo did not demand more than Rs 1,000 from any of their victims, there were no police complaints for nearly 10 months, said Chinmoy Biswal, deputy commissioner of police (south-east). The victims feared social stigma if they approached the police with a complaint. The loss of a relatively small amount such as Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 further dissuaded the victims from filing complaints, said Biswal. Police identified the male suspect as Chiranjeevi, a 29-year-old unemployed man and refused to reveal the identity of his 19-year-old woman friend. The DCP said Chiranjeevi was paying the woman a daily salary of Rs 600 for trapping prospective victims. The duo was allegedly using e-wallets to seek the money from the victims. The e-wallets were linked to a bank account that was opened using fake documents, said the officer. Five mobile phones and 11 SIM cards have been recovered from the suspects. The crime came to light last month when a woman approached Amar Colony police station to allege that her photo was being used as the profile picture of a dating app without her permission. The woman had been alerted about the misuse by someone known to her. She had contacted the account owner and requested that the photo be pulled down, but Chiranjeevi had refused and dared her, said the DCP. The police registered a case and looked for all possible links to the account that could lead to the suspects. It was the mobile phone number mentioned on the dating app account that provided the breakthrough. Chiranjeevi was arrested last week and he led the police to his woman friend. It allegedly turned out that Chiranjeevi had befriended the woman suspect in outer Delhis Rohini last year. Since he needed a womans voice to make alluring calls to potential targets, he offered the woman a daily salary for making the calls, said an investigator. The dating app was allegedly being used to send friend requests to men, some of them were also offered companionship of women at their home. The woman was being used to sweet-talk with the men and extract small amounts of money on some pretext or the other. The Delhi Police rescued a four-year-old boy within six hours of his abduction, after arresting his alleged kidnapper. Shiv Kumar (26), the accused, allegedly abducted the child as his mother, with whom he was in a relationship, had turned down his marriage proposal. According to the police, in a bid to put pressure on her and make her succumb to his demands, he had planned the abduction. The kidnapping was reported on Saturday afternoon from east Delhis Hasanpur village near Madhu Vihar. The child was safely rescued from Connaught Place. Kumar, a native of Siwan in Bihar, was planning to board a train to Kolkata with the child, said the police. Pankaj Singh,deputy commissioner of police (east), said, police control room was informed about the childs kidnapping by the mother. The boys mother told the police that her neighbour, Shiv Kumar, kidnapped her son soon after he came to her house to wish her family for Eid. The woman is separated from her husband and currently lives with her aunt. The child was playing outside home. As the woman went inside for some work, Shiv picked up the child and fled. The boy did not resist or raise the alarm, because Shiv was familiar to him, said DCP Singh, adding that Shiv worked as a labourer. When the woman came out, she found her son missing. She initially searched him in the neighbourhood. But when he could not be located, he went to Shivs room and found him missing as well. His phone was also switched off. This made her inform the police. Shivs involvement was confirmed when he called the woman to inform her that son was with him. After the call, he once again switched off his mobile phone. A case was registered and investigation was carried out. Through technical surveillance and call details, we tracked down his location to Connaught Place. A team scanned the area and caught Shiv with the child, added Singh. During police interrogation, Shiv revealed that he liked the woman and wanted to marry her. He had made several attempts to convince her to marry. But when she rejected his proposal, he decided to kidnap her son. The split verdict delivered by the two-member Madras High Court bench on the Speakers decision to disqualify 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs has given a fresh lease of life for the Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) government. It is not just the EPS government which will breathe easier but even the Modi government, which has the tacit support of 37 AIADMK members in the Lok Sabha and more important, the support of 12 of its party members in Rajya Sabha, where the BJP and its allies continues to be in a minority. It has taken the Madras High Court nine months to deliver this split verdict which will now be referred to a third judge. Without going into the merits of the Speakers decision which is now the courts remit, everyone should hope for a speedy resolution. If the judges had collectively taken a decision either way, the EPS government would have certainly been impacted. If the court had unanimously upheld Speaker P Dhanpals decision to disqualify the 18 MLAs, then the AIADMK would have had to face by-elections in these constituencies. This would have been a huge challenge for a party, which doesnt have a reliable vote catcher now, after the demise of its leader J Jayalalithaa. In the only by-election after Jayas death, the government lost the seat which was hers. If the judges had struck down the Speakers orders, the rebel MLAs would have triumphantly marched into the assembly and if they joined hands with the 98-member DMK-lead opposition, they could have brought down the government. Either way, only a split verdict could have sustained the status quo, as it has done now. The internecine warfare in the AIADMK has meant that the party is split three ways. EPS and his deputy O Paneerselvaam (OPS), who merged their factions, are the biggest bloc right now as they holds the reins of power. TTV Dhinakaran, the nephew of Jayalalithaas former aide Sashikala who won her R K Nagar seat and to whom those 18 disqualified MLAs have pledged fealty, has floated the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam. His uncle V K Dhivakaran, who is Sashikalas brother, has launched his own outfit called the Anna Dravidar Kazhagam. All this has meant huge uncertainty which has opened up the political space. This is why Kamal Haassan has floated his own party Makkal Needhi Maiam and Rajinikanth is all set to announce his. A quick verdict - either way from the court - will hopefully help in resolving the administrative paralysis affecting the state and bring clarity to the muddied political situation. The first cut-off list for admission to Delhi Universitys merit-based undergraduate programmes is expected on Tuesday. Applicants would then have until Thursday, June 21, to get their documents verified and get admitted to the college where they have cleared the cutoff. This year, the cut-offs are expected to rise for humanities and commerce courses, with a possible marginal dip in cut-offs for science courses. As most of the applicants are from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), and this year more number of students scored above 95%, officials had said that this is likely to increase the cutoffs as well. However, with fewer students applying for science courses, the demand is lower and hence the cutoff may be lower here. The most popular courses this year are BA(H) English, BA programme and BA(H) Political Science. Last year, the cut-offs for these courses were between 90%-98.75%, 85%-97% and 90%-99% respectively. The cutoffs in the first list for BCom and BCom (H) were between 91%-98.25% and 93%-98% respectively. The most popular science course this year are BSc (H) Mathematics and BSc (H) Chemistry, which are the 12th and 13th most popular course choices overall. The cutoffs ranged between 89%-97.5% and 90%-98% respectively for these courses last year. The first such list of cutoff percentages will be announced on Tuesday, and anybody who clears will be admitted. There will be no first come, first served policy. If they clear the cutoff, then the applicant should first log on the online admission portal and select the college and programme they want, and then take a printout of the registration form. The applicant should then proceed to the college, with all the documents required, and get them verified. They should also carry a bundle of self-attested photocopies of all the required documents, in addition to the originals, said Amrita Bajaj, the deputy dean of students welfare. Students have until June 21, Thursday, to get their documents verified and get their admission approved by the colleges. The applicant will have until 12 noon on Friday, June 22, to pay the admission fees online, and information bulletin adds that the payment should have gone through by this time for the admission to be valid. In case you do not get the college of your choice, it does not matter. You should get a seat in a college where you qualify; later on if you want you can cancel your admission and seek transfer if you qualify in a later list, said Bajaj. Two hit-and-run cases were reported in Gurugram within the span of an hour. A 21-year-old security guard died after a truck allegedly hit him near Yadav Dharm Kanta on Pataudi road around 7pm on Friday. According to the investigating officer, ASI Krishan Chander, the deceased, Ombir Singh, a native of Meoka village, was on way home when a truck allegedly hit his bike in the middle of the road. The victim worked as a guard at a private security company in Gurugram and was returning to his village when the incident occurred. Some passersby rushed him to a nearby hospital in Hayatpur village. From there, he was referred to a charitable hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, ASI Chander said. The investigating officer said that the truck had a Haryana registration number. No CCTV cameras were in the vicinity of the spot. The driver fled after the incident. We will soon track him down, he said. A case was registered against the unidentified driver under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) and 304 A (causing death by negligence) of IPC at Sector 10 police station. In another incident, a 78-year-old pedestrian was killed after being allegedly hit by a speeding vehicle on Garhi Harsaru road on Friday evening. Police said that the deceased, Ramkla, was a resident of New colony, Garhi Harsaru and was taking a stroll when a vehicle hit him around 8pm. ASI Krishan Chander said that the victim was rushed to Chiranjiv Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. A case has been registered against the driver at the Sector 10 police station under sections 279 and 304 A of the IPC. In the last two days, at least five cases of rash driving have been reported in DLF Phase-1, Udyog Vihar and Manesar. On June 1, barely four hours after joining a new job at an autotech firm in the city, a 37-year old man, a Jharkhand native, had died after a speeding pick up car allegedly hit him in Sector 35 Begumpur Khatola. On the same evening, an employee of a Gurugram-based real estate company was killed after a truck allegedly hit his Royal Enfield bike on Dwarka Expressway. Information about vaccines and autism available online can prove to be unreliable as it is often based on old, weak scientific studies, and is contributing to the rise in anti-vaccination sentiments, a study has found. For the study researchers carried out a search for vaccines autism and then analysed the results for the top 200 websites.The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, found that people can get misinformed advice and information from the Internet, with 10-24% of websites having a negative stance on vaccines (20 % in the UK). Although Google searches did not return such a website in the first 10 websites generated, searching on the UK and Australian versions of Google did. This study reveals a pollution of the health information available to the public with misinformation that can potentially impact public health. It also shows that weak scientific studies can have a detrimental impact on the public, said Pietro Ghezzi, a professor at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) in the UK, who led the research. Some vaccine-negative websites also ranked highly in the Italian, French, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese and Arabic versions of the search engine. The way in which Google ranks websites in different languages could be a factor, but it could also be because these websites are visited more often in some countries, which would increase their ranking and the likelihood of people using them as a source of information. Although vaccines are one of the most effective defences against some infections, many vaccines are still viewed negatively by a minority of parents. A major cause of negativity that surrounds vaccination uptake came from a 1998 publication by Dr Andrew Wakefield, a former British doctor who falsely linked the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine to autism. The paper eventually was retracted by the co-authors and The Lancet, the journal where the study was published. Despite this, the idea that vaccines can cause autism is still around, and parents continue to be exposed to this misinformation. The approach of using Google search results to monitor the information available could be a useful tool for identifying countries at greater risk of misinformation, said Ghezzi. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more Shortly after he turned 2, Yadriel Hernandez started struggling to breathe. His doctor prescribed an inhaler and an allergy pill for asthma, and his symptoms were mostly under control. Then Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, strewing mold-producing wreckage across the island and forcing many to use fume-spewing generators for power. The boy, now 8, started having twice-monthly attacks and needing nearly four times the amount of medicine he used to take. His mother said weekly power outages in their coastal town of Aguadilla also feed his anxiety, which can make symptoms worse. He panics about not being able to turn on the plug-in nebuliser that helps control his attacks. The lights go out and he breaks down, said Johana Hernandez. He cries out, The power is gone, mom! The power is gone! Im going to have an asthma attack! Doctors in Puerto Rico say they are seeing an alarming rise in the number and severity of asthma cases that they attribute to the aftermath of the deadly hurricane that walloped the island in September. The chronic lung disease is caused by such things as pollution, airborne mold and pollen, all of which have increased post-Maria. Puerto Rico had high rates of asthma even before the hurricane. (Shutterstock) It has increased so much after the hurricane, said Dr Ivette Bonet, who treats low-income patients at a clinic in the working-class neighbourhood of Santurce. Bonet says she has dozens of new patients who never had asthma before the Category 4 storm hit.Now they have this cough that they can never get rid of, she said. Puerto Rico had high rates of asthma even before the hurricane. An estimated 435,000 people on the island of 3.3 million, or 13%, had asthma before Maria pummeled the territory on September 20, according to Puerto Ricos Health Department. That compares to 8.3% who suffered from asthma on the US mainland in 2016, according to the latest available figures from the US Centers for Disease Control. There are no figures for Puerto Rico in the months after Maria, though new accountings are under way. Experts say the high rates may be partly due to the relatively high humidity in the Caribbean and the poor state of housing and infrastructure because of Puerto Ricos high poverty rate and bankrupt government. Now, towering piles of building and plant debris from the hurricane remain in many neighbourhoods. Puerto Rico recorded the highest levels of mold spores in more than a decade in May, said Benjamin Bolanos, director of the San Juan Aeroallergens Station of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Heavy seasonal rains are contributing to the problem, he said. We have never seen something like this, Bolanos said. Yahir Garcia receives one of his two daily treatments for asthma at a medical centre in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (AP) Generators powered by diesel or gasoline once used only in emergencies belch fumes daily at hospitals, schools and water treatment plants because the power grid remains fragile and plagued by blackouts. Many are older models that dont meet current pollution standards. Meanwhile, mold has invaded homes, especially the tens of thousands that still dont have a proper roof. And theres a problem with rats, mice and cockroaches, all of which can trigger an asthma attack.There are a lot of factors that are still affecting people, said the Health Departments Ibis Montalvo, who heads a program that sends health workers to the homes of asthma patients. Some asthma patients actually need generators to power their asthma treatment nebulisers, said Dr Jorge Rosado, a pediatrician who volunteers at a clinic in the northern town of Toa Baja. Thats sometimes the case for Yadriel, whose mother has to turn on a generator if he needs treatment during a blackout. The situation is particularly bad on the islands of Vieques and Culebra, just east of Puerto Rico, that are still completely dependent on generators. Dr Juan Manuel Roman travels to Culebra weekly and said that in addition to new patients, his regular patients are seeking treatment far more often. Roman said its hard to escape the fumes from all the generators that keep the tiny island energised.Theyre always going to inhale them, he said. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more Kathmandu, Nepal: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said on Monday that some bilateral agreements will be signed during his China visit. Prime Minister Oli le dNepali delegation is going to embark six day official visit to China from Tuesday. Briefing a Federal Parliament meeting at New Baneshwar about his China visit Prime Minister Oli said, some bilateral agreements will be signed with China. At the same time he had also mentioned that no agreements will be signed against the national interest during his visit to China. Though he did not specify about the agreements that would be signed during his visit to China he said to be signed bilateral agreement will open additional corridors during my China visit. My visit to China will focus on to bring Chinese investment and Chinese tourists into Nepal, he said. The goal of Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali, would not materialize if we fail to capitalize on the prosperity of our neighboring countries, which have already taken a giant leap in the sector of development, Prime Minister Oli said. Hollywood star Brad Pitt spent Fathers Day here with his children amid an ongoing custody dispute. Last week, a judge presiding over Pitt and Angelina Jolies 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 doesnt allow them to grow their relationships with Pitt. Maddox, 16, the oldest son, isnt 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 Tarantinos Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, starts, Pitt will balance his time between London and Los Angeles. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor Ashutosh Rana has completed shooting for four films in the past six months, making a grand comeback of sorts into Bollywood. He says it was high time he returned as people had started questioning him about vanishing from the industry. Ashutosh has been working a lot in the south film industries for the past few years. Now he has seven big Bollywood releases in a span of the next two years. The projects include Dharma Productions Dhadak, Anubhav Sinhas Mulk, Abhishek Chaubeys Sonchiraiya, Tigmanshu Dhulias Milan Talkies, Rohit Shettys Simmba, Ismail Darbars Tigdum and Shekhar Sirrins Chicken Curry Law. On working in back-to-back projects, Ashutosh said in a statement to IANS, In a party, I met someone who said that I have vanished from the industry, and it wasnt like that. I have been working in the south industry and a film in Bollywood at regular intervals. I guess that comment hit a nerve and I decided to make an imprint here again and I took up the projects. There is lot of work in the south, but I guess it was high time to jump back. So, I completed everything in one shot. Perhaps he found a comfort in southern film projects. Directors in the south industry dont typecast you and let you explore as an actor. And along with us, they also think out-of-the-box and are keen on exploring and pushing you beyond the limit. Whereas here (in Bollywood), after doing larger than life characters in Sangharsh and Dushman, people couldnt think of anything else for me, said the actor, whose last Hindi film was Brothers. Follow @htshowbiz for more A record 20 grenade attacks, 50 militant strikes and 41 killings took place in Kashmir during the month-long suspension of security operations in the Valley, officials said on Sunday. This surge in violence forced the governments hand which on Sunday ordered the forces to take all necessary actions against militants. When home minister Rajnath Singh on May 16 announced the unilateral decision to halt operations during the holy month of Ramzan, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was first to welcome the move with a hope it would break the cycle of daily killings. Mufti had hoped that the Centre would continue with the decision even after Ramzan, paving the way for negotiations at a later stage. But the ground reality was different. There was an abrupt spike in violence as militants ignored the Centres gesture. From May 17, the day operations were suspended to June 17, the day they were ordered resumed, the Valley saw 41 killings, a huge surge, records show. According to officials, there were 18 incidents of terror between April 17 to May 17 and the figure rose to more than 50 during the suspension of operations. The gunning down of senior Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari and his two personnel security officers on June 14 pointed to a deteriorating security situation. The three unidentified gunmen made an easy escape from the highly guarded Press Colony. A fourth suspect even managed to steal a weapon of one of the policemen. Also among the dead were 24 militants and most of them were killed in the frontier district of Kupwara. The militants were from the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish- e -Mohammad and Al Badr groups and had recently sneaked into the Valley, the army and police said. The militants or infiltrators killed in operations were highly trained and had been launched recently from PoK , an army officer posted in north Kashmir said. Nine security men, including four army jawans, were killed during the period. Last week, militants abducted and gunned down a Rashtriya Rifles jawan, Aurangazeb, as he was heading home for Eid. The militants also killed three civilians. There was a surge in grenade attacks as well. The 20 attacks that left 62 civilians and 29 personnel injured were the highest for a month in two years, officials said. The reason for the surge in grenade attacks was that militants were trying to sabotage the ceasefire, a police officer said . The only drop was in the number of civilians deaths at the hands of security forces. Four people were killed during the month, two of them in the last two days. Police say Sheraz Ahmad, who was killed on Saturday, died in a grenade attack. The streets were relatively calm, with 60 incidents of stone-pelting reported compared to 200 during the Ramzan last year. The Thoothukudi district administration and Sterlite Copper both allayed fears of a major acid leak at the latters controversial copper factory in Thoothukudi and also denied there was an accompanying gas leak after rumours of both swept through the coastal Tamil Nadu city on Sunday night. Some reports suggested that close to 50,000 litres of sulphuric acid had leaked although the district administration and the company said it was only a minor leak. Hindustan Times could not independently ascertain the quantum of the leak. Starting in the 1990s, Thoothukudi has seen protests against Sterlite for polluting groundwater and air by releasing acid and hazardous wastes. The protests took a violent turn on May 22, when police opened fire, killing 13 people leaving dozens of people injured. After the resulting outcry the Tamil Nadu government ordered the closure of the plant. Thoothukudi district collector Sandeep Nanduri told reporters The process of arresting sulphuric acid leakage from a storage tank at the smelter plant has begun. To ensure public safety, all safety protocols are being rigorously followed. Nanduri also added that staff from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Fire Safety and Rescue Department, and the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu are monitoring the situation. It was observed during police surveillance that sulphuric acid storage tank located in the plant has leaked. We requested, the local administration to allow the company to attend (to the leak) and take appropriate action to prevent any mishap, a statement from Sterlite Industries said. The company also used the opportunity to seek access to the plant so as to prevent such incidents in the absence of regular maintenance. . We are assisting the local administration to handle the situation and have offered all support to keep a vigil on the plant and its surroundings. In fact, anticipating such incidents in the absence of regular maintenance, Sterlite has requested the state government to provide limited manpower access and minimal power supply, so that mandatory safety audits at the smelter can be regularly carried out. That request is still pending. We once again urge the government to give us at least restricted access to the smelter plant. We have had no access to the plant, ever since it was suddenly sealed and locked with effect from May 28, 2018, the statement added. A senior government official said: We are allowing contract workers and a few Sterlite staff to attend to the leak and regular permission for maintenance of the plant will be discussed with senior officials. According to this person, who asked not to be identified, a few thousand litres of sulphuric acid have to be removed through tankers and the storage plants dried out. He added that TNPCB staffers who inspected the plant have said that the leaked acid is not aggressive but has to be removed with suitable precautions. Earlier on Monday, the Madras High Court, which is hearing a petition filed by advocate Rajni Kanth on the killing of 13 protesters, passed orders asking the state government to respond within a week on whether it was open to considering a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the police firing. Employment generation (or the lack of it) will probably be the biggest issue in next years general elections. Indias employment challenge is broadly perceived as one of moving agricultural workers to remunerative jobs in the non-farm sector, and rightly so. With a declining share in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and a relatively stagnant share in employment, farming incomes have been under squeeze. Unlike farming, the non-agricultural sector is much more heterogeneous. It comprises the extremely skilled computer programmer as well as the construction labourer who has migrated to escape absolute penury in farming. Who are Indias non-agricultural workers? Recently released statistics from the 2011 census allow us to answer this question in a lot of detail. This two-part data series will use these statistics to provide a snapshot of Indias non-agricultural workforce. According to the 2011 census, 45% of Indias total workers are employed in the non-agricultural sector. This number excludes those who work as either cultivators or agricultural labourers. The share of non-agricultural workers among men is 50%, which is 15 percentage points more than that among women. Unless otherwise stated, all calculations used in this series will be based on the number of both main and marginal workers. Census of India defines a main worker as one who is employed for a majority (six months or more) of the preceding year. A marginal worker is one who has been employed for less than six months either out of choice, or paucity of work. The share of non-agricultural workers is 50% among main workers, which is 18 percentage points higher than the figure among marginal workers. This is to be expected, as many workers who do not have regular employment might find some work during the peak agricultural season. To be sure, there is an element of ambiguity about the 2011 census statistics on Indias non-agricultural workers. This is because of a divergence in the basic trend in growth of the non-agricultural workforce between the 2001 and 2011 Census and 1999-00 to 2011-12 National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) survey on employment and unemployment. This was first pointed out in a 2016 paper published in the Review of Agrarian Studies by Jayan Jose Thomas and MP Jayesh of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Their basic findings were summarised in a 2016 Mint piece by Pramit Bhattacharya. While the total number of people employed in agriculture decreased by 15.5 million between 1999-00 and 2011-12 according to NSSO data, it actually went up by 28.9 million between 2001 and 2011 according to Census data. While we will come back to this issue in the second part of this series, our analysis will focus exclusively on Census statistics. There are significant state-wise variations in the share of non-agricultural workers in India. The share of non-agricultural workers is around one-fourth in states such as Bihar and Chhattisgarh, while it is almost two-third in a state such as Punjab. The divergence in share of non-agricultural workers seems to have a strong relation with the well-being levels across states. This can be seen from Chart 1, which shows that states with a higher share of non-agricultural workers also have a higher per capita Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Living in a particular state is not the only factor that influences ones chances of being a part of Indias non-agricultural workforce. As has been discussed above, men have a greater likelihood of ending up as non-agricultural workers. Age seems to play a role as well. Census data shows that the share of non-agricultural workers is the highest among workers aged between 20 and 59 years, and lower among younger and older workers. This pattern holds across the gender-divide. The gender gap in the non-agricultural workforce is the highest in the 20-59 year age group (Chart 2). As is to be expected, the share of non-agricultural workers increases with an improvement in the educational status of workers. What is interesting, however, is that the share of non-agricultural women workers surges ahead of that of men with an improvement in the educational status (Chart 3). What is also surprising is the fact that religion too seems to be playing a role in determining ones share in the non-agricultural workforce . According to Census statistics, the share of non-agricultural workers in the total workforce is the lowest among Hindus and the highest among Jains. The share of non-agricultural workers among Muslims, Christians and Sikhs, too, is higher than the national average. These comparisons are based on statistics for main workers as religion-wise figures on marginal workers are not available. There also seems to be a variation in the gender gap across religions when it comes to participation in the non-agricultural workforce. Sikhs are the only religious group among whom the share of women is higher than men among non-agricultural workers. Muslims have the second lowest gender gap in non-agricultural employment among all religions (Chart 4). A Chinese national who checked into a hotel in Jalpaiguri in north Bengal by allegedly showing an Aadhaar card, a Nepali citizen who also allegedly possessed fake ID cards and a local businessman were arrested by the police on Sunday night. All three have been charged with cheating and forgery. A local court on Monday remanded them to police custody for seven days. Ye Wang, a Chinese national, Ganesh Bhattarai of Nepal and Bipul Agarwal, a local businessman, have been booked under Foreigners Act, forgery and cheating, Sunil Kumar Chowdhary, Siliguri police commissioner, said. On Monday, Bhattarai and Agarwal were produced before the chief judicial magistrates court. Wang could not be taken to court as he fell ill, said Chowdary. Senior police officers, who did not want to be named, said Wang, despite having a valid Chinese passport, produced an Aadhaar card as proof of identity at the hotel. The arrested men were also allegedly carrying some other fake documents as well. Asked about the background of the arrested foreign nationals and the reason behind their arrival in Jalpaiguri, Chowdhary said, The matter is being investigated. The Congress, the CPI(M) and the Trinamool Congress continued to make the right noises about putting up a consensus candidate of the Opposition for the post of the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, but a decision hasnt been taken yet and the ongoing discussions between various constituents of the federal-front-in-the-making show the dynamics that will have to be managed for the creation of a united front to take on the NDA. According to leaders from the three parties familiar with the matter and who spoke on condition of anonymity, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday lobbied with her Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala counterparts to pick a candidate from the non-Congress bench for the post. While APs N Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party and Karnatakas HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (S) have more or less agreed to explore the possibilities, the CPI(M)s Pinarayi Vijayan told Banerjee that his party will take the final decision, the leaders said. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Monday that the post ideally should go to the Congress as it is the largest Opposition force with no other party anywhere near it in terms of numbers in the Rajya Sabha. It is also likely that the Janata Dal (Secular), which governs Karnataka in partnership with the Congress, will consult the latter. The Congress itself seemed to suggest that it wouldnt insist on. The governments intentions over the appointment of the next Chief Justice of India (CJI) should not be questioned, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Monday, adding that the name would be discussed after the current CJI Dipak Misra recommends who should be his successor as per norm. Prasad was responding to a query over whether the government would accept Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the second senior-most judge in the Supreme Court as the next CJI. Dismissing the question as hypothetical, Prasad said: No one has the right to question our intention. Justice Gogoi was among the four top Supreme Court judges who had voiced their differences with the CJI at an unprecedented press conference on January 12. In the days that followed, at least two of the four also expressed their reservations at the government trying to interfere in what was the domain of the judiciary. The law minister said that the procedure for appointing the chief justice involves the outgoing CJI recommending the name of the senior-most judge after him. When the name comes to us, it will be discussed, he said. The outgoing CJI usually sends the recommendation over a month before he is due to retire. CJI Misra retires on October 2. The Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) the set of guidelines for appointing judges to the SC and the 24 high courts states: Appointment to the office of the CJI should be of the senior-most judge of the SC considered fit to hold the office. Whenever there is any doubt about the fitness of the senior-most judge to hold the office of the CJI, consultation with other judges should be made for appointment of the next Chief Justice of India, the existing MoP adds. The MoP has been up for revision following a Supreme Court order in December 2015 asking for the procedure of appointing judges to be improved and made more transparent and accountable. The MoP is to be finalised between the law ministry and the collegium of five top judges headed by the CJI. Asked about the delay in finalising the MoP, Prasad said, Discussions are on. The government and the judges have to decide together. He also said that the government had a clear view that the norms for screening of candidates to be recommended for appointment as judges should also be laid down in the MoP. If a high court recommends 25 names, we should know how they have been chosen. Those norms need to be clear, he explained. Prasad said allegations that the government was delaying judicial appointments were just hype. Our governments record on appointments has been better than previous governments. In 2016, we appointed a record 126 judges after 30 years. By the end of this year, we will pass that number, he said. Of the 1,079 sanctioned posts of judges in the Supreme Couty and 24 high courts, there were 420 vacancies on June 1. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to Nalini Chidambaram, wife of former finance minister P Chidambaram, in connection with its money laundering probe into the Saradha ponzi scam. Officials said Nalini has been summoned at the Kolkata office of the central probe agency on June 20. She was last summoned by the agency for May 7 but she appealed against the summonses before the Madras High Court. In her appeal, Nalini, a senior advocate, has challenged the April 24 order of Justice SM Subramaniam dismissing her petition against the EDs summons asking her to appear as a witness in its money laundering probe in the Saradha chit fund scam case. He had rejected her contention that women cannot be called for investigation out of their place of residence under CrPC Sec 160, saying such exemptions are not mandatory and are subject to facts and circumstances of a case. The judge had also directed the ED to issue fresh summons, following which the agency had on April 30 issued the summons asking Nalini to appear before it on May 7. The agency, they said, wants to record her statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) with regard to a specific link of her in this case, they said. The ED had first issued the summons to Nalini on September 7, 2016 asking her to appear at its Kolkata office as a witness in the Saradha chit fund scam. She was allegedly paid a legal fee of Rs 1.26 crore by the Saradha group for her appearances in court and the Company Law Board over a television channel purchase deal. She had earlier been questioned by the ED and CBI in this regard but agency sources had claimed that she was being summoned in the light of new evidence. During the hearings at the Madras HC, Nalini had contended that the summons was purely politically motivated to damage her reputation. Pointing out that receiving fee by a counsel for representing an accused was not an offence, she had said every lawyer who appears for a suspect in criminal cases charges professional fee. The ED had filed a charge sheet in this case in a special PMLA court in Kolkata in 2016. Nalinis son Karti is already being investigated by the ED in two separate money laundering cases of the Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case and he has been questioned multiple times by the agency in context of these cases. A charge sheet was recently filed by the ED against Karti in the Aircel-Maxis case. Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, in his first public address after returning from the US, on Monday said the fight against colonial power in the state was yet not over. He also expressed his governments resolve to make the state free of plastic this year. Parrikar, 62, who had been away in USA for three months for the treatment and returned home last week, attended a state-level function here to commemorate the Goa Revolution Day. Goa governor Mridula Sinha was the chief guest at the event. The struggle which began 72 years back (in 1946) resulted in the liberation of Goa in 1961 but I feel the fight is yet to get over, Parrikar said addressing people at the Azad Maidan here. He was referring to the issue of problems faced by people living in the evacuee properties at Mayem village in the state. The issue of Mayem (evacuee properties) is a part of this struggle (against colonial rule) and I am personally working to resolve it as soon as possible, he said. Mayem, a village with around 30,000 population located in North Goa district, about 20 km from here, has been declared as an evacuee property, owned by Portuguese nationals who left the place and settled in Portugal after the states liberation in 1961. The Goans, living as tenants on the property, have been fighting for their rights. Freedom fighter Chandrakant Pednekar also called for the need to free the land in Mayem village for the ownership of Portuguese people. During the function, the chief minister also said that his illness and absence from the state delayed the governments resolve to make Goa plastic free in 2018. We will work towards making Goa free of plastic this year. The state governments resolve towards this was delayed due to my sickness but it will now gain momentum again, he said. Parrikar said he had himself seen how some educated people dumped plastic bags full of garbage on roadsides. The reason why even educated people behave like this is because they are educated but without knowledge, he said. On the occasion of the Goa Revolution Day, he called upon the people to light the flame of knowledge. The need is to have a revolution of knowledge in the state and not just education, he said. The Goa Revolution Day is observed as on this day in 1946, freedom fighter Ram Manohar Lohia had given a clarion call to fight against the Portuguese regime. The movement later led to the liberation of Goa on December 19, 1961. Parrikar returned to Goa last week on Thursday and resumed his official work from Friday. You must have previous service to the organization, natch. There are four positions open: Directors-at-Large (three openings) and Vice... A 45-year-old man was killed by unidentified gunmen in south Kashmirs Kulgam district on Sunday evening, hours after Union home minister Rajnath Singh revoked month-long unilateral ceasefire during Ramzan, blaming violence and killings by terrorists for the decision. Police officials said that suspected militants barged into the home of Iqbal Kawak at Kelam in Kulgam district and opened fire. Three militants targeted Kawak in his home. He has succumbed to his injuries, Kulgams superintendent of police Harmeet Singh said. Kawak was an employee at the consumer affairs and public distribution department, Singh said. It is not clear why he was targeted. He was a civilian, he added. Kawak is the 12th person to be killed in the past one week in Kashmir. The editor of the Rising Kashmir Shujaat Bukhari and his two security officers were killed in a drive-by shooting two days before Eid. Militants abducted and gunned down a Rashtriya Rifles soldier, Aurangzeb, as he was heading home for Eid. And, two men were allegedly killed in security forces action during protests in south Kashmir. On Saturday, gunmen fired at two civilians in Shopian. Five civilians were wounded in a mysterious low intensity blast inside a park at Manasbal in Ganderbal district on Sunday. Police officials said all of them were shifted to a nearby hospital and are stated to be stable. Ganderbals superintendent of police Fayaz Lone said they suspect that firecrackers were combined to trigger the low-intensity explosion. It seems [like a] mischief on somebodys behalf. We are investigating, he said. Union home minister Singh said the governments May 17 decision to end security operations aimed to provide the people of Jammu and Kashmir a conducive atmosphere to observe Ramzan but militants continued with their attacks, on civilians and security forces, resulting in deaths and injuries. Officials have said a record 20 grenade attacks, 50 militant strikes and 41 killings took place in Kashmir during the month-long suspension of security operations in the valley. Among the dead were 24 militants and most of them were killed in the frontier district of Kupwara. India is stepping up engagement with the 33-country Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, which is vital to its oil imports and also offers a huge market for Indian products and services. President Ram Nath Kovind will visit Suriname and Cuba from June 19 to 24 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to travel to the region later this year when Argentina hosts the G20 summit. To build ties with the region becoming increasingly important for its foreign policy objectives, New Delhi was pushing for high-level contact that has been missing, officials said on Monday. The first big push came in May when M Venkaiah Naidu chose Guatemala, Panama and Peru for his first foreign visit as the vice president. This was the first high-level Indian visit to the two countries in 50 years of diplomatic ties. The vice president had already visited three countries in Latin America. MoS (minister of state VK Singh) also visited a couple of countries in Latin America, now the President is going to visit Suriname and Cuba and thereafter, the momentum of visits at the high level to Latin America will be sustained till the end of the year, said Partha Satpathy, who is joint secretary (LAC) in the ministry of external affairs. The government was also drawing up a plan under which Indian leaders would head to countries rarely visited at high level, an official said. Modi, who has been to Brazil and Mexico, would visit other countries in region when he goes to Argentina, the official said. LAC accounts for around 20% of Indias oil imports. Though there is no comparison between trade ties that China shares with the region, New Delhi is making amends in some areas. In 2016, India beat China in pharma exports. That year Indias exports were $651 million in comparison to Chinas $404 million. The trade between India and region grew to $36.5 billion in 2017. This is a geographical area from which India can benefit enormously, and neglecting it would be a mistake. Not only does it represent a market of over 600 million people for Indian products and services, but conquering Latin America is key in Indias journey to become a true world leader and consolidate its global influence, Mexicos ambassador to India Melba Pria said. Indias participation in the G20 summit was an excellent opportunity to engage in other visits to strengthen bilateral ties in the region, said Pria who is also the coordinator of LAC embassies. Experts feel trade, which has been growing, could bring India close to the region. Indias trade with Latin America grew by 24% in 2017 to $36.3 billion after a decline in 2015 and 2016, said R Viswanathan, a former career diplomat who served in the region. The exports increased by 15% to $12.9 billion and imports by 28 % to $23.4 billion in 2017 from the previous year. The trade is poised to grow in the coming years in view of the increase in the economic growth forecast for the region and the higher global prices of commodities, he said. The government is unlikely to sign in near future an international treaty that makes inter-country abduction of children by parents a punishable offence, two Union women and child development (WCD) ministry officials have said. Signing the Hague convention on civil aspects of international child abduction would be against the interest of women who flee bad marriages, they said. India needs to have a domestic law in place before joining the treaty. But the Union women and child ministry has decided against drafting a domestic law to address the civil aspects of international child abduction, one of the officials said. Around 90 countries are signatories to the convention that protects children under 16 from wrongful removal or retention by a parent. It also mandates that the country to which the parent flees with the child has to send back both to the childs habitual place of residence. There has been a steady rise in parental abductions as more and more Indians go abroad to work or study. Children bear the brunt of parents marital disputes and are often forced to return to India by one of the quarrelling parents. In most cases, it is the mother who returns with the child. Instead of framing a domestic law, we have decided to put in place an internal mechanism to redress all such complaints that come to us from women who have run away from a violent marriage and returned to India with her children, a second official said. The ministry is setting up a panel headed by the chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). Its members will include a representative of the embassy of the country from where the parent has fled with the child. We will forward any complain that comes to us to the NCPCR committee, which will examine the case, the second official said. Based on the recommendations, the WCD secretary-led nodal agency that looks into NRI marital disputes would pass a speaking order that would help the woman in her legal battle in India as well as abroad. Last year, the ministry set up a committee under justice Rajesh Bindal of the Chandigarh Judicial Academy to examine the issue of international child abduction. In its report, the panel suggested against joining the Hague convention. India on Monday said matters related to India-Pakistan relations are purely bilateral in nature and that there is no scope for involvement of any third country, reacting to Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohuis comments endorsing trilateral cooperation among India, China and Pakistan to resolve such issues. The opposition Congress party also condemned the Chinese ambassadors statement. Endorsing the idea of trilateral cooperation between India, China and Pakistan under the aegis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Luo said it could in the future help resolve bilateral issues between New Delhi and Islamabad and help maintain peace. In response to queries on the comments made by the Chinese Ambassador to India on a possible trilateral summit between India, China and Pakistan, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India had not received any such suggestion from the Chinese government. We have seen reports on comments made by the Chinese Ambassador in this matter. We have not received any such suggestion from the Chinese government. We consider the statement as the personal opinion of the Ambassador. Matters related to India-Pakistan relations are purely bilateral in nature and have no scope for involvement of any third country, he said. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the Government of India should also strongly condemn the unwarranted suggestion of the Chinese Ambassador and that all issues between India and Pakistan would be resolved as per the Shimla Agreement. The Chinese Ambassador said some Indian friends had suggested trilateral cooperation comprising India, China and Pakistan under the aegis of the SCO, which was a very constructive idea. Security cooperation is one of the three pillars of the SCO. Some Indian friends suggested that China, India and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral cooperation under the SCO, he said in his keynote address on Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India Relations Go at an event organised by the Chinese Embassy here. Responding to a question on whether a trilateral meet between the Asian neighbours will help in solving the India-Pakistan dispute, he said he personally considered it a good and constructive idea. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Udhampur and Union minister Jitendra Singh described the Centres decision to end the pause in military operations in Jammu and Kashmir as a judicious one in an interview with Rajesh Ahuja and Moushumi Das Gupta, and said the immediate priority was to ensure that the upcoming Amaranth Yatra was peaceful. Excerpts: Why did the government not extend the ceasefire? I am sure the home ministry has taken cognisance of all the reports and then taken a judicious decision but lets not forget that the immediate priority is to ensure that the upcoming Amarnath Yatra concludes peacefully. That is the responsibility of the government, and of course, of society. The Amarnath Yatra is not only a holy pilgrimage for Hindus, it is actually a symbol of Indias composite culture. We have a huge stake in ensuring the success of this Yatra and ensuring that no mischief happens. Seventeen years ago, when the ceasefire was last implemented, it was extended three times. Did the Vajpayee government show more staying power? No, the context changed, the situation changed. The review of the security situation on sensitive issues is done on a day-to-day basis. What is best in the interest of the nation and best, keeping in mind the priorities and concerns of the people, has been done and has been done. What were the gains from the ceasefire? As a noble gesture, maybe the government sent out a message that if you are a pious Muslim, you are observing Roza, then as good human beings, we will cooperate with you. But if you yourself are not faithful to your religion, to the sanctity of the fast that you are observing, where it is mandatory that you dont think evil, you dont harm anybody. But if you dont observe that discipline, if you are not faithful to yourself, nothing prevents me from protecting myself. I think those who have not stuck to the sanctity of Ramzan stand fully exposed. Did the killing of journalist Shujaat Bukhari and rifleman Aurangzeb hasten the governments decision? I dont think I am in a position to respond to that because these are very sensitive issues that the home ministry decides depending on the inputs. But of course, its a cumulative outcome of all the inputs received. Is one month too short a period to look at positive or negative side of decision to have a ceasefire and then discontinue it? We cannot lose sight of the fact that the entire disturbance is being sponsored by a hostile foreign power. If it was an indigenous movement, it would be different. But it is Pakistan. If you go back in history, you will see that the killing of journalists is not something new. It happened in the 90s, with the killing of Lassa Kaul of Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar, and it is going on.The moment you find a semblance of peace, Pakistan will generate something like that because it wants to keep the pot boiling. If you go and study the statistics, you will realise that the common man of Kashmir has moved ahead. He has moved further ahead than his counterparts in other parts of the country. I was in Srinagar on June 7 when the NEET results came. We have as many as 50 children from terror-affected districts of Kashmir who have made it to the NEET qualification for MBBS. A few days earlier, there were an equal number of children who made it through JEE from Kashmir and its surrounding areas. This is the post-90s generation. This is the third generation of Kashmiris. They dont want to ruin themselves like the earlier two generations. They are aware of the enormous new avenues that have been initiated in the last two-three years. They do not want to deprive themselves of this opportunity. Are you disappointed that the Hurriyat did not respond favourably to the government offer of peace talks? I have been watching the scene very closely for the last 30 years -- from the time when there was no militancy to the advent of militancy to now. The Hurriyat is nothing but a bunch of people who are trying to play politics by other means. Many of them are former mainstream politicians, they have contested elections, and they are drawing pensions as ex-legislators. When they did not succeed in the mainstream, they got into this. This is separatism by convenience, not conviction. They only talk of having a talk but they dont mean to talk. They would always say nobody is talking to us but, if you catch them head on, they dont wish to talk. The Hurriyat does not want to engage in talks because the moment it does that would be the end of its politics. Who do you think is behind the killing of journalist Shujaat Bukhari? I have no hesitation in saying that these are Pakistan-sponsored agencies. Im very sad and hurt to hear what some of these apologists are saying. Some of them carrying intellectual pretensions and tending to be self-righteous intellectuals try to gain some easy publicity by sounding unorthodox. I think theyve done more harm than good to J&K and Indias cause. Do you think the Shujaats killing was timed to engineer the demise of ceasefire? Any activist in Kashmir -- whether from the journalist fraternity or political fraternity -- if they tried to work out a middle path, they had to run through this fate. Shujaat tried to find a middle path, which also was done by some of the political activists like Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq. It was also done by Abdul Ghani Lone. I am not talking in terms of stature but in terms of the strategy being followed by Pakistan -- whenever it finds some activists who try walk on some middle path, they (Pakistan) try to get him out of the scene. Mehbooba Mufti had thrown her lot behind the ceasefire decision. What is your opinion on uncomfortable alliance between the BJP and the PDP? Some observers say that the BJP-PDP alliance is as bad as the 1987 alliance between Congress and National Conference, which curtailed political space in the Valley. What has been decided by the Union home ministry is based on certain judicious deliberations. As far as the alliance is concerned, we have always to keep in mind that this alliance was dictated by the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It was not an alliance by choice of the BJP. We had asked for 44 seats in the assembly. The mandate was dictated. They gave two parties an almost equal number and therefore democratic obligations made it binding on us that we come together on common points. In any coalition, you have some inherent contradictions and you agree to disagree on some points and then you move forward. The Kerala government said on Monday a probe would be conducted to ascertain whether a private check dam atop a hill was the cause of the massive landslide that struck Kattipara in Kozhikode district leaving 13 people dead. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed the state assembly that a panel had been constituted and it would soon submit a report on whether the collapse of the check dam had caused the destruction in the region. He was replying to a notice for an adjournment motion by the Congress-led UDF opposition on the monsoon calamity and the allegation that the overflowing of the check dam and its impact had led to the devastation at Karinchola in Kattipara. Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala alleged that the Kattipara incident was a man-made-disaster and the damage of the check dam, with a storage capacity of four lakh litres of water, had resulted in the mammoth devastation in the hilly region. He also sought an explanation from the state government over the sanction given to set up the check dam in such a landslide-prone area. Responding to the Opposition, the chief minister said, a panel has been set up to probe the check dam issue. The committee comprises panchayat secretary, a geologist and officials of the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM). Both Vijayan and Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan rejected the Opposition charge that there was a delay in taking up relief operations at Kattippara landslide site. Chandrasekharan said the state government would consider the suggestion of some of the MLAs to purchase a helicopter to engage in relief operations during the time of emergencies. Terming the landslide that struck Kattipara as the worst in the recent history of the state, he said monsoon rains that lashed especially between June 11 to 15, had caused varying degree of damage across Kerala. So far, 56 persons have died in monsoon-related incidents and four people are still missing, the minister noted. A total of 235 houses had been destroyed completely and 5,022 houses partially. The total crop loss in the state was estimated to the tune of Rs 71.39 crores. Value of the property including houses destroyed was estimated at Rs 8.48 crores, the revenue minister said. The government would consider increasing the relief amount to the affected persons, he added. Raising the issue in the House, Parakkal Abdullah (IUML) demanded a special package for the northern Kozhikode district, which bore the brunt of the monsoon fury. He also demanded setting up of a unit of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Kozhikode considering the vulnerability of the region to such natural calamities. Later, the Opposition staged a walkout after Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan denied leave for the motion. An inter-ministerial panel headed by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has cleared a proposal making district magistrates the final authority to clear child adoption cases, in a bid to quicken a process that is often hit by year-long delays, three government officials aware of the development said. At present, prospective adoptive parents have to go to civil or family courts to get the final go-ahead after completing all other formalities related to adoption. But with pendency high in civil and family courts, people familiar with the adoption process say it is not easy to get a date for hearing. The Sushma Swaraj-led group of ministers has cleared the union women and child (WCD) ministrys proposal to amend the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and incorporate a clause allowing courts of district magistrate to pass the adoption order, said one of the officials cited above. The adoption of children is covered by the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act. The ministry has sent the proposal to cabinet this week for approval. We have proposed to change the definition of court in Section 2 of the JJ Act from civil court to court of district magistrate, added the official, who asked not to be named. Deepak Kumar, CEO of the Central Adoption Research Authority (CARA), a statutory body to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions, said that 800 to 850 adoption cases are pending in civil and family courts at any given time. Though the JJ law mandates that courts have to dispose of adoption cases within two months from the date of filing of application, seldom does it happen. There are cases that have been pending for more than a year also, Kumar said, adding that the move to empower district magistrates (DMs) would bring down the time to approve adoption cases to two months. Explaining how it would expedite the process, Kumar said, The DM is on the ground implementing the adoption process. The Child Welfare Committees, which does the verification of prospective parents, comes under him. So source verification and other processes can get completed much faster under DMs. While a total of 3,276 children were adopted in India between April 2017 and March this year, the inter-country adoption figure was 651. At the same time, the number of prospective parents waiting to adopt children went beyond 15,000. Though there is no official data, surveys by non-government organisations say there are approximately 50,000 orphans in the country, and suggest that a much higher number of children should be up for adoption. A former central government employee, who did not want to be named, said that it took her a little over two years to complete the process of bringing her adopted daughter home. It took me four months to get the court clearance. But mine was an exception. I was in the government; I knew the rules, had contacts and used it to get the court case expedited. During the course of my visit to the Varanasi family court, where my case was going on, I got to know of parents who have been waiting for over a year to get the approval, said the official, who left her job in 2016 to take care of her daughter. The government adopted an exhaustive framework in 2015 to plug the holes in the system, but the adoption figures continue to low because of the delay in getting legal clearances. But child rights activists cautioned that the changing the process was fraught with risks. At least there were adequate checks and balances at the moment. That may not be the case now. In the name of making it more effective and expeditious, we will make children more unprotected in a country where so many children go missing every year, said Enakshi Ganguly, co-founder of child rights group HAQ. A BJP MLA in UP, whose police security was withdrawn in May, has claimed that there was an attempt on his life on Sunday when 45 bike-borne men allegedly shot at him while he was travelling with three others in his SUV in Ghaziabad. Nand Kishor Gurjar, who represents Loni, and his co-travellers the driver, his friend and personal security guard escaped unhurt as only a side mirror was hit in the incident that happened near Farrukhnagar in Sahibabad around 10.30 pm. Police have lodged an FIR against unidentified men and launched an investigation, but have not found any other bullet marks on the vehicle. The incident comes a month after Gujrar had withdrawn his security personnel provided by the police, after he alleged bribery on part of police personnel in Loni and also wrote a letter to the UP CM in this regard. Gurjar said he was returning from a meeting at Mawana and going to his native place at Ganauli village. As soon as the car crossed the Hindon river bridge, I heard sounds of 34 gunshots from behind. I was seated on the passenger seat and one of the gunshots hit the side mirror and damaged it. I immediately asked the driver to speed up. My personal security guard seated behind fired two shots in the direction from where the initial firing had come. I had only one personal security guard and a friend besides the driver and we sped the car to nearest Farrukhnagar police post, he said. The MLA said there were two bikes and possibly 45 men who opened fire on his SUV. Based on his complaint, police lodged an FIR at Sahibabad police station. The side mirror of the SUV was damaged and there were no other bullet marks on the vehicle during initial investigation, said Vaibhav Krishna, senior superintendent of police, Ghaziabad. The field unit and forensic units were also roped in. A combing operation was also taken up in the area after the incident, he said. UP chief minister, Yogi Adityanath is set to arrive in Ghaziabad on Monday to attend a conference of BJP MLAs and partys western UP district presidents. Last month, Ghaziabad police had requested the MLA to return the three personnel provided to him in addition to the two already provided to him. But the MLA responded that he never asked for any additional security and surrendered all his security personnel. He has been relying on his personal security guards since then. Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday urged senior women leaders from opposition parties to go beyond the political divide for the passage of the bill on banning instant triple talaq stuck in Rajya Sabha. But he skirted the question on whether the government will bring an ordinance to make the practice of instant triple talaq a criminal offence if a political consensus eludes the issue. Responding to a question on the fate of the bill pending in the upper house since January, he said the government remains committed to enact the law. ...I appeal to Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Mayawati, they are influential women, on the issue of triple talaq. We need to go beyond political divide, he told reporters at a press conference. He said the bill is an issue of gender equality and gender justice for the government. To a poser on why some women are opposing the bill, Prasad wondered whether the protests were genuine or sponsored. He said several women he had met have supported the bill. The bill, which makes instant triple talaq illegal with up to three years in jail for husband, was passed by Lok Sabha in December. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill gives power to the victim to approach a magistrate seeking subsistence allowance for herself and minor children in the case of instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat. A victim can also seek the custody of her minor children from the magistrate. Under the proposed law, instant triple talaq in any form - spoken, in writing or by electronic means such as email, SMS and WhatsApp - would be illegal and void. The bill could get stalled in Rajya Sabha where the government lacks a majority and it may be referred to a parliamentary committee for review. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday wrote to the family of slain journalist Shujaat Bukhari, saying his killing was a grim reminder that progressive voices were constantly at the risk of being silenced by extremist elements. I am shocked at the cold-blooded killing of Mr. Shujaat Bukhari outside his office. One of the few moderate voices in an atmosphere torn apart by narrow political considerations, his loss is a grim reminder that progressive voices are constantly at the risk of being silenced by extremist elements, he said in a letter to Rafiuddin Bukhari, the father of the slain journalist. Gandhi said he lauded Bukharis courage to continue with his work, despite an earlier attempt on his life. In the true spirit of journalism, his moderate views were critical for a nuanced understanding of the Kashmir question. A firm votary of a political dialogue with Pakistan, his commitment towards a credible peace process will be remembered, he said. I offer my sincere condolences to the team at Rising Kashmir and wish you success in carrying on the excellent work done by you, the Congress chief added. Bukhari (50), along with his two personal security guards, was shot dead by three motorcycle-borne assailants outside his office here on June 14. A special investigation team (SIT) under the supervision of the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, central Kashmir has been constituted to probe the killing. "I would like to say 'This book is written to the glory of God', but nowadays this would be the trick of a cheat, i.e., it would not be correctly understood."--Ludwig Wittgenstein "Talk to me about the truth of religion, and I'll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolation of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand."--C.S. Lewis China on Monday proposed a first-of-its-kind trilateral summit with India and Pakistan under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) but New Delhi swiftly dismissed the suggestion, saying there is no role for any third country in its ties with Islamabad. In a wide-ranging speech at a seminar organised by the Chinese embassy and Indian bodies, Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui also said that ties between India and China would not be able to take the strain of another Doklam-like standoff. Luo proposed that India and China sign a treaty of friendship and cooperation, negotiate a free trade agreement and work for early harvest in their long-standing boundary dispute. The envoys speech came against the backdrop of efforts by the two sides including the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at Wuhan in April and another meeting on the margins of the SCO Summit in Qingdao this month to reset their relationship following last years 73-day military standoff at Doklam, or Donglang, at the India-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction. China-India relations have gone beyond bilateral scopeWe should continue to push forward China India Plus cooperation. Security cooperation is one of three pillars of the SCO. Some Indian friends suggested that China, India and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral cooperation under the framework of SCO, he said. At Qingdao, on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, the leaders of China, Russia and Mongolia held a trilateral summit. So why not China, Pakistan and India together have another trilateral summit on the sidelines of SCO Summit? Luo told an audience that included senior Indian officials and foreign envoys. The external affairs ministry responded to the trilateral summit proposal through a statement issued hours later, saying that India had not received any such suggestion from the Chinese government. It added, We consider the statement as the personal opinion of the ambassador. Matters related to India-Pakistan relations are purely bilateral in nature and have no scope for involvement of any third country. During his speech, Luo highlighted the need to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border to give hope to ourselves and to the outside world. While talking about the CBMs (confidence-building measures) along the border and to prevent Donglang incidents from happening again, we do not imagine what would happen to bilateral relations if the Donglang issue escalates (like) last year. We cannot stand another Donglang incident, he said. He added: India is our immediate neighbour. Its quite natural to have differences with neighbours. We need to narrow differences through expanding cooperation. However, it does not mean that differences would be ignored. The envoy said the two sides should think about signing a treaty of friendship and cooperation, adding Beijing had provided a draft to the Indian side around 10 years ago. Noting that China is Indias largest trade partner and bilateral trade touched $84.4 billion last year, Luo said Beijing would like to negotiate a free trade arrangement with New Delhi to expand commercial ties. More than 800 Chinese companies are investing and doing business in India, creating more than 100,000 jobs, and China will import more sugar, non-basmati rice and high quality medicines from India to reduce trade imbalance. The two sides have also set a bilateral trade target of $100 billion by 2022, he added. Luo called for greater coordination between the two countries on global trade issues against the backdrop of anti-globalisation and rising protectionism to cope with the pressure of established powers and trade wars. He said, We should coordinate our positions and also explore ways to be with each other. His address made no mention of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative -- India has long opposed it on the grounds that it threatens its sovereignty and was the only country not to endorse it at the Qingdao SCO Summit -- but he called for enhancing connectivity in the region through mechanisms such as BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar). Referring to a recent agreement by the two sides to work together in Afghanistan, Luo said a start could be made through a joint training programme for Afghan civil servants and diplomats. Strategic communications, meetings, heart-to-heart dialogues are important. Whats equally important is to implement the consensus, transmit leaders personal friendship down to the people, and take more concrete actions, he said. A senior Indian official said on condition of anonymity that the Chinese side should provide formal proposals on matters such as a treaty of friendship instead of raising such matters at public forums. Commodore (retired) C Uday Bhaskar, director of the Delhi-based Society for Policy Studies, advised caution in responding to the envoys proposals. On the face of it, this is a significant articulation coming from the Chinese envoy who is relaying certain signals from Beijing. He has mooted proposals and made unambiguous statements on sensitive bilateral subjects, such as Doklam, he said. It is important to study the proposals carefully for some possibilities that can be reviewed and discussed bilaterally with Beijing At this stage, I wouldnt rush into a trilateral with Pakistan. Let the political, diplomatic,military and trade dialogues remain bilateral for now. Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Monday urged the union government to speed up the formation of Cauvery water management authority (CWMA) and Cauvery water regulatory committee (CWRC) by directing Karnataka to name its members for both the CWMA and CWRC at the earliest. Addressing a public meeting in Mayiladuthurai of Nagapattinam district, which was earlier postponed due to police firing in Thoothukkudi during which 13 people protesting against the Sterlite plant were killed, the CM came down heavily against the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and said it was responsible for the delay in constituting CWMA. The public meeting was organised by ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(AIADMK) to celebrate the Supreme Courts order and state governments efforts for the formation of CWMA. AIADMKs 38 year of legal battle has forced the Centre to notify the CWMA in the union gazette, said the CM. Two Chinese nationals were arrested for violating the liquor prohibition imposed by the Bihar government over two years ago, police said on Monday. The two were arrested in a drunken state from a guest house here on Sunday night. The police launched a probe into how they got the liquor, Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaj said. The two nationals were associated with a Chinese mobile phone company. The guesthouse, where they were staying was booked in the name of Oppo Mobiles (DS) Private Limited. More than 1.5 lakh people have been arrested for violating the liquor prohibition in Bihar till date since it was imposed on April 5, 2016. Raman Singh took over as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh in December 2003, and has continued to rule the state for nearly than 15 years. The longest-serving chief minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Singh will be the partys face in this years assembly elections and is banking on his clean image to win his fourth assembly election in a row. Singh returned to Raipur last week after a more than a month-long Vikas Yatra that will gain momentum ahead of the assembly elections. He spoke to Kumar Uttam about his plans, the challenges before the BJP with opposition parties coming together, and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Edited excerpts: You completed the first phase of your Vikas Yatra on Thursday. What did you tell the people? There were three main issues. The work that we have taken up in the last five years is showing and the inauguration or foundation-stone laying of projects worth Rs 30,000 crore took place. I call it a social audit of the promises that we made to the people. We held public interactions and the aim is to cover each and every assembly constituency. People compare the Chhattisgarh of 2018 with what it was in 2003. During the yatra, I even asked questions to people about their opinion on development works. It is fine that power situation has improved, roads have got better; but our main strengths are our achievements in the social sector. Did the Congress ever think about giving rice, insurance cover, LPG cylinders, housing facilities beyond Indira Awas, and other such facilities to the poor? We try to communicate this difference to the people the BJP government and its plans, and what the Congress has delivered in 50 years. The Chhattisgarh that was known for migration, hunger deaths and insecurity is now talking about development, infrastructure, and new institutes. We are distributing a bonus of Rs 1,700 on MSP (minimum support price) for paddy and Rs 700 crore for tendu leaves. Land deeds are being given to 12 lakh people. A scheme worth Rs 250 crore has been announced only for labourers. Chhattisgarh is entering a new era with over 50 lakh people getting smartphones. We thought about internet connectivity in Bastar, and 6,000km of optical fibre has been laid at an expenditure of Rs 2,800 crore. Nine thousand panchayats will have internet connectivity. People could never imagine this. There will not be a single person in the state in the next four months who will not have electricity supply to their house. We went into the Vikas Yatra with a big aim and we discussed all these things with them. You will go on another leg of the yatra soon. What target have you set for yourself keeping this years assembly elections in mind? In the first phase, I visited about 55 assembly constituencies (out of a total of 90). I have never seen such a positive mood in the past 12-15 years. From Dantewada (in the south) to Koriya (in the north), I saw a huge turnout of women. They were about 60-70% of the crowd even in temperatures of 46-47 degree Celsius. They came with enthusiasm and waited for one-two hours for the event. In a way, it is their endorsement of the development works of the government. Is is true that the BJP has decided a mission to win 65 assembly seats this time? The BJP president Amit Shah has said 49-50 seats would not do this time. He has asked to strengthen the structure and mobilise the party at the booth level to win at least 65 seats. So our target this time we have been out of our homes for last three months is to mobilise workers and to go to people again and again with the list of our achievements. We have seen an effort by the opposition to regroup and form an anti-BJP alliance. The Congress may be discussing an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Chhattisgarh. What impact will such an alliance have on the BJPs prospects? There is a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress in Chhattisgarh. The BSP, generally takes about 4-5% of the votes in an election. If the Congress forges an alliance with the BSP, then certainly we will have a different strategy to counter it. But, here the fight is between BJP and Congress. This time, Chhattisgarh may witness a three-cornered contest with former CM Ajit Jogi floating his own party and deciding to contest the elections on his own. If we factor in the preparedness of Jogi ji for the assembly elections, and that he has been with the Congress, and that his vote bank is the same, we feel he will inflict damage to the Congress. Do you see any possibility of Jogis return to the Congress? Nothing is impossible in politics. So far, he is not returning. I cannot predict what will happen in the future. You have been a chief minister for more than 14 years. Do you think there will be anti-incumbency against your government? How will you deal with it? Our campaign will continue from now till the elections. All MLAs, MPs, ministers and I did a padayatra (march on foot) in rural areas before the Vikas Yatra was rolled out. We went to every village with our schemes. Anti-incumbency sets in because of administrative issues such as electricity, water, and other such works. We have tried to solve those problems at the micro level through a mass contact programme. We received 30 lakh applications (related to different issues) during the Lok Suraj Abhiyan. Two months later, I went to every village and addressed those issues. We had put in our entire energy. And this is a big experiment of the country, which only Chhattisgarh does. This time, I asked everyone (BJP leaders) to march on foot. All of them were in their constituencies for about a month. They spent nights at villages and spoke to the locals. Any matter that came to our notice, we tried to address it to neutralise anti-incumbency. We have seen protests by farmers in some parts of the country. The opposition is accusing the BJP-led government of not fulfilling its promise of jobs. Do you have to find a long-term solution for this? The Prime Minister has spoken about a mechanism to decide the MSP that will help double the income of farmers. We have tired to neutralise (farm unrest). We provide farm loans at zero interest through cooperative banks. Seven thousand five hundred units of electricity are given for free. A Rs 300 bonus is provided. Arrangements have been made to procure the entire paddy produced. We procure every grain under the MSP. We try that the input cost is kept low and procurement is done. We have developed an additional support system in Chhattisgarh. A few small protests have happened here, but most of the farmers are happy. How do you look at the BJPs prospects in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections? I can say with full confidence that Narendra Modi will become PM again in 2019, and the BJP will form the government with a majority. There is no alternative to him. There was an era when people used to talk about the TINA there is no alternative factor about the Congress. Today, there is no alternative to Narendra Modi. Given his personality and work, I dont think he has any challenge before him for the post of prime minister. Some people allege that it will be an India Shining moment for the BJP in 2019 even in 2004, there was no problem with the image of PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but the BJP had a rural disconnect? We are people who are connected with villages. We are grounded. Our entire focus is on tribal areas of Bastar and Sarguja. We are closely connected with villagers. There is no question of any gap here. What is BJPs biggest strength and its biggest challenge in next years Lok Sabha election? Narendra Modi and his schemes are BJPs biggest strength. We will work on the basis of our strength. Do you see any challenge? There is a challenge, because this is a big country. Every state has a different situation. But when the election for the Lok Sabha will be held, the PMs personality will overshadow everything. The work he has done will be a strength for us. The Telugu Desam Party has left the NDA (National Democratic Alliance). The Shiv Sena has announced it will contest the 2019 election on its own. Some other allies too have certain issues. Why is there a strain in the relationship between the BJP and its allies? Local parties have certain concerns. Everybody fears that the BJPs expansion will pose a threat to their existence. This is a fear in their minds. But the BJP has shown in the past that it can run a coalition government. Even this time, despite a majority, there is no compromise on the share of the allies. They have a share everywhere. Things will improve with better understanding. An Ajmer court rejected the anticipatory bail of Rajendra Sharma accused of keeping an elephant calf illegally and ill-treating it. The judge rejected his anticipatory bail plea as his lawyer couldnt produce any document about the ownership of the elephant calf named Suman, said Tanuj Gupta, lawyer of the forest department. On May 28, the elephant calf was seized by the forest department and since then is in the departments custody, he added. Gupta said that the department was arranging to send the calf to one of the nine rehabilitation centres for elephants in the country. Sharma is on the run soon after an FIR was registered against him on May 25. He has been booked under various sections of Wildlife Protection Act, said Gupta. The forest department took suo motu cognisance after an older elephant, Champa, allegedly kept illegally by Sharma, died of septicaemia in the first week of May. Priyanka, an animal rights activist associated with People for Animals (PFA), said that in Rajasthan all elephants (kept as captive or in illegal confinement) are in a pathetic condition. Dry and high temperatures in the state are not conducive for elephants as they are mainly found in humid climates of North Eastern states and Kerala. Over 10 elephants in Hathi Gaon in Jaipur are suffering from tuberculosis (TB) and are partially or completely blind. Many more are suffering from other diseases, she said. Elephants suffering from highly contagious diseases such as TB are a potent threat to spreading the disease among people who come in contact. They pose a great danger to tourists and the general public, she added. Priyanka demanded proper rehabilitation of elephants and stopping their ill-treatment. The situation in Salamgarh area of Pratapgarh district in southern Rajasthan became tense on Monday morning when hundreds of tribal people picketed the police station, pelting stones at the police staff and went on a rampage, forcing police to order a lathi charge and lob tear gas shells. Some reports suggested that the tribal people ran away with some police weapons but this could not be verified until filing the report. Police said that the tribal people were agitated over the arrest of a sarpanch (village panchayat head) on Sunday evening on charges of making inflammatory speech. The protesters demanded his release and arrest of people accused of raping a tribal girl a few days ago. Udaipur range inspector general of police Anand Srivastava said that the situation was brought under control by charging the police officers to use lathi, an Indian wooden stick and deploying more force outside the police station. Police vehicles have been damaged and some police officers have been injured in the violence, he said. The process to identify the culprits was on after registering cases against them, the IG added. Before picketing the police station, the tribal protesters forced shopkeepers in the Salamgarh town to shut down the shops. Later, police conducted a flag march through the market. The protesters rampaged through the police station, damaging computers and motorcycles. Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria said that the situation in the town was under control. Few suspects have already been detained, he said. Initial investigation revealed that the matter is related to an alleged rape of a minor. On Monday, relatives of the girl and other tribal people picketed the police station, protesting against police inaction in the case and demanding release of the sarpanch. Communist Part of India Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday launched a scathing attack on the BJP saying where is the famed 56-inch chest when our jawans are being martyred daily in Kashmir. He was addressing a press conference in Jaipur. He said his party, along with other secular forces, will ensure defeat of communal forces. Yechury said the countrys unity is in danger and important institutions are being undermined. Minority communities and Dalits are being attacked in the BJP-ruled states, he said, adding that those who do not support the BJP are branded anti-nationals. The senior CPI(M) leader also denounced the Modi governments economic policies and alleged that the countrys economy was demolished in the last four years due to wrong policies. In the aftermath of demonetization, the rich got a chance to launder the money while the poor suffered, he added. Yechury said his party will join hands with secular and like-minded parties to defeat BJP in the next general elections. Our strategy is different for states and for the nation. In West Bengal, our message is clear that Mamata hatao, Bengal bachao. However, for general elections we are willing to join hands and our motto is Modi hatao, desh bachao, he said. Yechury said CPI-M will be strengthened in Rajasthan and spread to regions where the party doesnt have presence. On Kerala violence, he said that the violence was unfortunate. CPI-M is ready to talk to RSS and BJP and had invited them for table talks thrice, he said. Yechury took a meeting of the party office-bearers and apprised them about the resolutions passed in the partys 22nd congress held in Hyderabad. Yechury was also critical of what, he said, was an attempt to narrow down public places for holding protests. Yechury took a three-hour meeting of the CPI-M district party office-bearers. The Indian Air Force on Sunday managed to extinguish the fire on board a cargo ship that had been burning since last Wednesday off the Bengal coast. An Mi17 V5 helicopter of the IAF carried out a Bambi bucket operation to douse the flames on the ship MV SSL Kolkata. An Eastern Command spokesperson said the ship was stationary and floating upright after the operation. There was no sign of oil spill. Coast Guard regional commander inspector general Kuldip Singh Sheoran said pollution response teams have been put on alert. On Saturday, a naval operation to take the burning ship deeper into sea from near Kolkata port had to be abandoned after four fresh explosions on it. However, the four marine commandos (Marcos) of the Indian Navy and four officers of the ship, who were winched down from a helicopter for the operation, had managed to anchor the ship that had been drifting since it caught fire. The ship, carrying 10,683.51 metric tonne of cargo in 464 containers from Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Kolkata port, caught fire after an explosion in one of the containers. The 22-member crew, which tried to douse the fire, were rescued by the coast guard on Thursday morning and taken to Haldia port in east Midnapore district. The ruling Trinamool Congress took a dig at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Monday, wondering whether the BJP leader during his visit to Purulia later this month would call on the families of the two party workers whose death he had raised at the national level earlier. I have read in newspapers that the national president of BJP will be visiting Purulia to hold public meetings, but he wont go to the houses of those two. If he does, the truth will come out, said Trinamool secretary general and education minister Partha Chatterjee at a press conference on Monday. Shah is slated to visit Bengal on June 27 and will travel to Purulia the next day. He plans to hold a public meeting in Purulia town that is about 30 km from Balarampur, where the two deaths took place. Trilochan Mahato, 20, was found hanging from a tree in Supurdi village on May 31, while the body of Dulal Kumar, 32, was retrieved from a high tension electric pole on June 2 in Dabha village, both in Balarampur block. During the day, Mahatos father, Hariram, moved the Calcutta high court seeking CBI investigation into the death of his son. He had earlier appealed in the Supreme Court, which had asked him to approach the Calcutta high court. The discovery of the two bodies triggered allegations from the BJP that Trinamool-backed toughs were behind the killings. Shah had taken to Twitter to allege Trinamool Congress hand behind the unnatural deaths. He slammed the state government and wrote, This continued brutality and violence in the land of West Bengal is shameful and inhuman. Mamata Banerjees govt has completely failed to maintain law and order in the state. If their all-India president is going to Purulia, why is he not visiting their homes? Whats the fear? Chatterjee added on Monday. Trinamool Congress leaders claimed the BJP is trying to pass off the deaths unrelated to politics as political murder. The state police, however, ruled out that Kumar was murdered. Purulia district police registered a case of murder after recovering Mahatos body but said the death was unlikely to have anything to do with politics. The investigation in Kumars death was handed over to the CID. The autopsy report indicated Kumar had killed himself. It is not yet decided whether the family members of the deceased will be invited to be present on the dais. Well act according to Shahs advice. He has not given any instruction yet, said BJPs Purulia district president Bidyasagar Chakraborty. A 14-year-old boy was killed and another seriously injured after they were run over by a road roller in Amin village here, police said on Monday. The accident took place last night while they were sleeping outside their house, they said. Abid died on the spot while his cousin Shakil (13), who suffered serious injuries, was admitted to a trauma centre in Lucknow, a police officer said. He said a case was registered by the Gauriganj police and a search launched to apprehend the road rollers driver. sacw.net 18 June 2018 In order to make sense of the issue on the table, let us first try to arrange the events in (rough) chronological order. I. Heres a news report carried by the ToI, June 6 web edition, which informs: < Human rights activist Rona Jacob Wilson was arrested from South Delhi early on Wednesday [i.e. June 6 2018] in connection with the Koregaon violence in Maharashtra. > (Ref.: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/koregaon-violence-activist-rona-jacob-wilson-arrested-in-delhi/articleshow/64474008.cms.) It further informs: < Pune police had located Wilson to a flat in Munirka area of south Delhi and sought Delhi Polices assistance in nabbing him. A raid was conducted in the early hours of Wednesday and the suspect was taken into custody. Earlier, the police had conducted a search at Wilsons house and seized documents and his laptop. > So, one, it was the Pune police which actually carried out the arrest (with the assistance of the Delhi police?). Two, a raid had been carried earlier (when?) and also that morning. In the earlier search, "documents and his laptop" were seized. Theres no report of any seizure during the search on June 6, in the early hours. In fact, some "documents and his laptop" had already been seized. Now, lets refer to a report carried by the Indian Express web edition dtd. June 7 (before the break of the dawn). It informs: < Earlier, the Pune city police had on April 17 conducted searches at the residence of Dhawale, Wilson, Gadling, Elgaar Parishad organizer Harshali Potdar, and also Pune-based Sagar Gorkhe, Deepak Dhengle, Ramesh Gaichor and his wife Jyoti Jagtap, all artists of acultural groupa Kabir Kala Manch (KKM).> (Ref.: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/koregaon-bhima-violence-case-pune-police-arrest-top-urban-maoist-operatives-from-delhi-mumbai-nagpur-5206033/ ) It also informs: < Police sources said that following the forensic analysis of electronic and other evidence obtained during the search operations, four teams of Pune city police were dispatched to Mumbai, Delhi and Nagpur on Tuesday. > So, it was on April 17 that the laptop had been seized. (Theres no report that any second/third laptop was seized from Rona Wilsons place subsequently.) The police, obviously, needs some time to examine the laptop, go through its contents and make sense of what have been found. Bhima Koregaon violence had, lets recall, sparked off on January 1 last and further spread statewide on the next day: < Violent protests erupted in Mumbai, Pune, and other cities across Maharashtra on Tuesday (January 2), with protesters damaging buses, blocking roads and railway lines and forcing shops to shut, a day after unrest in Pune district during celebrations (on Jan. 1) to mark the bicentenary of a British-Peshwa war. > (Ref.: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/violence-in-maharashtra-as-dalits-protest-death-of-28-year-old-in-bhima-koregaon-clashes/story-zerVWqrSjLjF2x53oHMVXL.html ) So, the first raid and seizure itself was carried out at the lapse of about three and a half months. And, Rona Wilson would be arrested on June 6, about a month and twenty days after the (first) search and seizure. II. The India Today, on its website, on June 8 (early evening?), had reported: < India Today has accessed a letter describing a plan to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a "Rajiv Gandhi type" incident, which a leading daily said was "gathered from material seized" from five people arrested for alleged Maoist links > It does not, repeat not, talk of any police complaint. (Ref.: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/greenyouth/A$20$27Dreyfus$20affair$27$20in$20the$20making$3F$20$27$27Another$20Rajiv$20Gandhi-type$20incident$27$3A$20Maoist$20letter$20exposes$20plan$20to$20kill$20PM$20Modi$27%7Csort:date/greenyouth/vHG54ZnbxGA/jqTSLtM6BAAJ) The India Today website has since updated/amended the report. It, no longer, talks of the India Today accessing the letter (on its own?). (Ref.: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/plan-to-assassinate-narendra-modi-in-rajiv-gandhi-type-incident-intercepted-1255087-2018-06-08) The original version is, however, still available here: https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/newsindia/plan-to-assassinate-narendra-modi-in-rajiv-gandhi-type-incident-intercepted/ar-AAynvcy. (May also ref.: https://www.ucnews.in/news/Plan-to-assassinate-Narendra-Modi-in-Rajiv-Gandhi-type-incident-intercepted/797028166218754.html> and (Ref.: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/another-rajiv-gandhi-type-incident-maoist-letter-exposes-plan-to-kill-pm-modi/articleshow/64505905.cms) The HT webiste, on the same day, presents an even clearer picture: < Pune police have allegedly recovered a letter mentioning a plan to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi from a person arrested in connection with Maoist activities recently. The document, a copy of which is with the Hindustan Times, was submitted in court by the Pune police on Thursday. . . . . . . Pune joint commissioner of police Ravindra Kadam said several virtual and physical documents were recovered during anti-Maoist raids conducted on April 17. A scanned copy of this particular letter was allegedly found on the laptop of Rona Wilson Jacob [emphasis added], one of the five people arrested on Wednesday in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence. The others taken into custody along with him were identified as Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale, Shoma Sen and Mahesh Raut. . . . Addressing the court on Thursday, public prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar said it was evident from the letter that the Maoists were planning to kill asomeonea on the lines of Rajiv Gandhias assassination. aThe sender of the letter mentions that the plot sounds suicidal, but the party must still deliberate on the proposal,a she added > (Ref.: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/maoists-letter-shows-conspiracy-to-carry-out-rajiv-gandhi-like-assassination-of-pm-modi/story-f8vdgxC5MvORvipwtRMwXM.html) So, as per the official version, the letter was found in Rona Wilsons laptop seized from his Delhi residence on April 17. Its a scanned copy (not a mail in the mailbox). The said HT report further informs: < Home minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that the government is serious about the security of the Prime Minister. aWe are always serious about the prime ministeras security. The Maoists are fighting a losing battle. [Emphasis added.] They are now active only in 10 districts in the country,a Singh told a press conference in Jammu after a two-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir > That was, on June 8 - one day after producing the letter, in the court, which had been seized around seven weeks back. No talk of any enhanced security for the Prime Minister in view of "discovery" of the threat letter. On the contrary it was asserted that the government was always serious, implying that no additional seriousness/measure was called for. Not only that, the "Maoists are fighting a losing battle." So, no need to worry. (A facsimile of the "letter" is available in both the HT and ToI reports cited above. Also at https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1004982450563440640/photo/1 . An even better copy, including the bottom edge, at https://thewire.in/politics/modi-assassination-plot-letter-danger-democracy) III. On June 10th, Sharad Pawar, the NCP supremo, while addressing a rally, in Pune, trashed the "letter" alleging "that the threat letter was being used to win peoples sympathy." The media picked it up. (Ref.: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/amid-row-over-pm-assassination-plot-sharad-pawar-says-its-for-sympathy-1865366) The NDTV report further added: < Speaking at the NCP function in Pune, Mr Pawar raised doubts on the veracity of the threat letter. "I have spoken to a senior retired police officer who told me that when such letters come they do not go to the media but to security agencies which make sure that adequate security measures are taken [emphasis added]," he said. > IV. While the Union Home Minister had implicitly denied the need for any enhanced security for the Prime Minister in the wake of the alleged unearthing of the threat "letter", only two days before on June 8, as referred to above (under point no. II), the very next day of Pawar making the point as regards the expected response from the government to a genuine "threat letter", on June 11th Singh held a well publicised "review meeting", as if to grapple with Pawars argument. The ToI reported: < Union home minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the PMas security on Monday in the backdrop of a communication between individuals linked to Maoist outfits revealing a plot to assassinate him. Sources told TOI the threat was being taken avery seriouslya and the deliberations at the meeting focused on further strengthening the PMas security apparatus to effectively neutralise all possible threats [emphasis added]. > (Ref.: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rajnath-singh-reviews-pm-security-in-wake-of-assassination-plot/articleshow/64549157.cms) It further added: < aWhile the PMas security is of the highest level, todayas meeting discussed if the standard operating procedures can be further tightened. An overview will be taken by the expert committee in this regard,a an MHA official said. The meeting on Monday was attended by national security adviser Ajit Doval, home secretary Rajiv Gauba and Intelligence Bureau director Rajiv Jain. aThe home minister directed that all necessary measures be taken in consultation with other agencies to suitably strengthen the PMas security arrangements,a said an MHA release. > Just three days before, the Home Minister had virtually pooh-poohed any need for any enhanced security. V. The HT report cited above further informs: < In another development, sources in the state home department on Friday said Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis received two threat letters allegedly from Maoist groups over the last ten days. The letters, which reached the chief ministeras office a week ago, have been handed over to the police. aThey came after the recent anti-Naxal operations in Gadchiroli, in which 39 Maoists were killed. The letters have been handed over to the police for further investigation,a an official said, adding that both the documents mentioned the Gadchiroli encounters. > The comment on the claim by the BJPs most major alliance partner in the state is quite interesting: (Ref.: https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/shiv-sena-ridicules-maoist-plot-against-pm-modi-cm-fadnavis-calls-it-a-thrilling-horror-story/story-EsOi5vfiC0O5R444nBseXI.html) VI. What is of real salience here is the fact that an alleged threat to the life of the Prime Minister of India is, even after public disclosure of the threat (contrary to usual practice?), is still being handled by the Pune police. It remains to be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which was brought into being, in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008, specifically "to deal with terror related crimes across states without special permission from the states" (ref.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Investigation_Agency). Theres, as yet, not even any suggestion to that effect. Coming on top of the flip-flop of the Union Home Minister on the need for enhanced security for the Prime Minister in the wake Sharad Pawars well-publicised comment, cited above, it raises serious doubts as regards the genuineness of the "letter". It raises the very relevant question whether the "letter" is just a dirty trick, only a "plant", by the concerned police department, aiming at too many birds with a single stone. Of relevance in this context: < aAll this stirs up suspicions about the authenticity of the letter. According to me, the letter is nothing but a publicity stunt by the Police Department,a he (Prakash Ambedkar) said [on June 13?]. He said a threat letter to a prime minister has never been publicised this way in independent India. aIf there is a threat to PM, then increase his security from seven to 14 layers,a he said. > (Ref.: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/threat-to-pm-just-a-stunt-ambedkar/article24157266.ece) VII. It is in this context, its necessary to take a careful look into the alleged "letter". 1. The "letter" is addressed to one "Comrade Prakash". One doesnt know who this "Comrade Prakash" is. But thats quite unexceptional. One, not too many leaders/activists of the CPI (Maoist), being a banned and underground organisation, are in public gaze. Two, more importantly, even a lay person would assume that such letters, communicating a high conspiracy, would refer to only code names, and not the real ones. That must be the very basic ground rule. Even then, Prakash Ambedkar was obliged to deny, in response to a specific query, that hes not the "Prakash" mentioned therein (ref.: the Hindu report, op. cit.). No, Prakash Karat is not known to have issued any such denial, as yet! 2. Surprise of surprise! The very opening sentence mentions two names: "Arun, Vernon". Incidentally, Arun Fereira and Vernon Gonsalves, both from Mumbai, had been arrested, roughly around the same time (may ref. a comment jointly penned by them at https://www.dailyo.in/politics/bhima-koregaon-probe-death-threats-to-pm-fake-political-narrative-sinister-plots-by-maoists/story/1/24769.html ), and jailed in the past, being kept in the Nagpur jail, for being activists of the CPI (Maoist). The former was, eventually acquitted. The latter served jail term and got released thereafter. Both are known and exposed, must be under the police scanner. Arun is, of course, a common name. But, Vernon is, definitely, not. And, when these two names are put together, it becomes highly improbable that "Arun" stands for "Arun Sanyal", or whatever, and "Vernon" for "Vernon DMello". So, the use of real names, that too of two already exposed and pretty well known to the police, and public, is definitely a strong clue (as regards the genuineness of the "letter). Then, the letter talks of one "Bijoy Da". Apparently, its a code name. In fact, it is. But, the code is very well broken. And, its pretty much in the public domain. It refers to one Narayan Sanyal, an ideologue and top rung leader, belonging to the first generation, who had been arrested back in 2005 and would be later released in 2014, because of failing health (ref.: https://www.hindustantimes.com/kolkata/top-maoist-ideologue-narayan-sanyal-passes-away-in-kolkata/story-WDxSG8Ed3hgC6JQl0iUdwJ.html ). "(P)assed away in a south Kolkata hospital on April 17, 2017. He was in his early 80s and was suffering from cancer." (Ref.: http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/maoist/data_sheets/Central_level_leaders_CPI-Maoist.htm ) Theres a litany of praise about the leader who had deceased just the previous day (as per the day of writing that the "letter" indicated at the bottom: https://thewire.in/politics/modi-assassination-plot-letter-danger-democracy). Then it refers to "Com. Saibaba". Again, a very well-known name. In jail. Suffering from severe health problems and 90% disabilites. Then it refers to one "Prashant". It tells us that the "Gadchirili court" has helped contain his rebellion against Saibaba. That raises the possibility that this "Prashant" is one Prashant Rahi. (Ref.: < A district court in Gadchiroli Tuesday sentenced wheelchair-bound Delhi University professor G N Saibaba and four others to life imprisonment . . . The others who were handed life terms are Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Mahesh Tirki and Pandu Narote > at https://indianexpress.com/article/india/gadchiroli-court-says-du-professor-g-saibaba-guilty-of-having-links-with-maoists-4558336/) But theres also another Prashant (Bose), again a real name, whos, reportedly, the no. 2 in the organisation. (Ref.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prashant_Bose ) Now, a code name is used: "HB". It is laid out therein that this "HB" is entrusted with the responsibility to mobilise public opinion and take other necessary measures to facilitate release of the CPI (Maoist) prisoners, including Saibaba. So, it could very well be just an additional attempt to tarnish those speaking in defence of the due legal rights of these prisoners, labelled as Maoists, rightly or wrongly. No point, at this time, trying to hazard a guess who this "HB" is. Maybe its just to make the point that the "letter" has (also) used code names, as it is very much expected to. The letter goes on to cite more names - Com. Ashok B, Amit B, Seema and Sudhir, who were obviously at large, at its real or pretended time of writing. And, then, Com. Siraj, Vishnu and Com. Basanta, Com. Kisan. 3. Then the letter, at the fag end of this same first paragraph brings up, rather abruptly, a very crucial issue: "[our] requirement of [Rs.?] 8Cr for annual supply of M4s [rifles?] with 400000 rounds [of ammunitions?]". Com. Prakash is asked, at the very end of the same para: "Please convey your decision." So, Com. Prakash is, apparently, to take a decision on providing Rs. 8 crore and act accordingly. Quite a big guy! The next para would hint that hes a member of the Politburo (PB). 4. Then follows the next, and last, para. The crux is: "(A few senior) comrades [one named as Com. Kisan] have proposed concrete steps to end Modi-raj. We are thinking along the lines of another Rajiv Gandhi type incident [emphasis added]. ... Targeting his road-shows could be an effective strategy." (Incidentally, "Kisan" is one of the aliases used by Prashanta Bose, as per the wiki site cited above, whos alleged to be following an egoistic agenda and have had revolted against Saibaba.) 5. The letter ends with the writer signing off as: "R". And, the date indicated as: "18/04/17". (Ref.: The Wire comment by Prem Shankar Jha, op. cit.) 6. Thats the "letter" what had been tweeted by the ANI, on the intervening night between June 7 and 8 - 12:04 AM, 8 Jun 2018. This would be picked up by the MSM outlets later in the late evening. VIII. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. What the MSM print outlets dared not to do was picked up by a news portal, known for disseminating fake news on behalf and at the behest of the Sangh Brigade. (Ref.: https://www.altnews.in/postcard-news-mass-producing-fake-news/> and So, the focus here, to a very large extent, shifts to the main opposition party, the Congress. (The interpretations/comments, that immediately follow, bring that out with knife-edge sharpness. The very opening sentence posits: < This shocking evidence shows how Congress used Dalits for their dirty anti National (sic) game to divide India and incite violence every where (sic). > It alleges: < Terrorists/Maoists hold guns and kill people, where as (sic) Congress is sponsoring and helping the same people buy guns.>> It claims: < And, the rant goes on and on.) Two, the Congress, Jignesh Mevani, Umar Khalid, Prakash Ambedkar, Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen and many more are named as actors in the nefarious conspiracy. As regards the Congress, no individual is named - its the organisation as a whole. One striking discrepancy is that the alettera dtd. Jan. 2 2018, at the very beginning, talks of an aupcoming fact finding of 6th december (sic).a But, what is way more striking is that this version doesnat talk of the alleged plot to kill the Prime Minister! As it appears, this is the "letter" which had been used, earlier that day, by the Times Now TV channel, reportedly, the most popular of its kind. And, with the very same thrust. (Ref.: https://twitter.com/hashtag/MaoistLetterNamesCong?src=hash ) Just one stone, in this case the purported "letter", is aimed at killing, or at least seriously maiming, too many birds. Thats truly remarkable. IX. As usual, the media trial is conducted, based on selective "leaks" while the accused are, reportedly, denied access to the documents based on which the complaints have been filed. < These so-called letters, which have been refused to the defence lawyers of those arrested, are being freely aleakeda and being read out on live television. The sole purpose seems to be to whip up a false narrative, favourable to the current regime. Sidetracking the demands of the Dalit movements to punish the Hindutva leaders and the organisations responsible for the attacks of January 1, 2018 on the congregation at Bhima Koregaon can be another probable purpose. > (Ref.: The daily O comment, op. cit.) By the time the court trial is over and the court delivers its verdict, itd be politically rendered rather pointless, because of the raucous media trials already carried out. X. In this context, one has also to keep in mind the established track record of the current regime. Two instances are very instructive. AA. On Dec. 10 2017, at the very closing phase of the last Gujarat assembly poll campaign, in a public rally, the Indian Prime Minister himself made the sensational charge of a Pak conspiracy to install Ahmed Patel, a Congress leader from South Gujarat, as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in collaboration with his predecessor, Manmohan Singh, the previous Vice President of the country, Hamid Ansari and a few others. (Ref.: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/why-does-pakistan-army-ex-dg-want-ahmed-patel-as-gujarat-cm-narendra-modi/articleshow/62008106.cms ) Just two days back, the media had gone agog with a report that a mystery poster "has emerged in Surat just couple of days before the first phase of Gujarat elections in support of Congress. It urges Muslims to unite and give vote to the Congress party, so that senior leader Ahmed Patel can become the Wazir-e-Alam of Gujarat. So essentially, the poster claims that Ahmed Patel can be the Chief Minister of the state." (Ref., e.g.: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-poster-in-surat-claims-ahmed-patel-to-be-made-wazir-e-alam-of-gujarat-cong-leader-calls-it-fake-2565762 ) The report further added: < As soon as the news broke, Ahmed Patel issued a clarification on Twitter. He said that its a fake poster and he doesnt have any aspiration of becoming the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He also blamed BJP for trying to mislead people. He tweeted, "Putting up fake posters and orchestrating a rumour campaign shows the utter desperation of the BJP. Fearing defeat, do they have to rely on such dirty tricks? I have never ever been a candidate for CM and will never, ever be." > This, evidently, lent a ring of credibility to the charge that would be hurled by the Prime Minister, whose credibility level is otherwise not too high, two days thereafter. The charge would be strongly refuted by those adversely affected. The government could come up with no proof to substantiate the charge. Faced with the determined Congress opposition, the Finance Minister and the leader of the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, on behalf of the government, retracted the charge on the floor of the parliament: < "PM in his speeches didnt question, nor meant to question the commitment to this nation of either former PM Manmohan Singh or Former VP Hamid Ansari, any such perception is erroneous, we hold these leaders in high esteem, as well as their commitment to India," said senior BJP leader and Union minister Arun Jaitley today in the Rajya Sabha. > (Ref.: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-didnt-mean-to-question-manmohan-singhs-commitment-to-india-says-njps-arun-jaitley-in-rs/articleshow/62266068.cms>. Also, for two juxtaposed short video clips of the PMs speech and the FMs retraction: https://twitter.com/officeofrg/status/946038581306441728?lang=en ) But thatd come only on December 27. By that time the Gujarat poll had already been well over, voters voting with the conspiracy charge on their mind, results declared. So, the purpose very well served. BB. The other (older) incident relates to Indias claim of "surgical strikes" inside Pakistan held territory across the LoC. On Sept 29 2016, Lt. General Ranbir Singh, Director General Military Operations (DGMO), Indian Army, made an announcement on behalf of the Indian Army (and the Union Government) claiming "surgical strikes" across the LoC, hitting the "launchpads" of the "terrorists". (Ref.: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-carried-out-surgical-strike-across-loc-inflicted-damage-on-terrorists-army/story-s0mbwkNxTGpfowxMK9lxLI.html and https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/world/asia/kashmir-india-pakistan.html ) This claim of "surgical strikes" came following a devastating attack by "fidayeen militants" from across the border on an Indian Army base in Uri on the previous Septmber 18, killing 18 Army jawans (ref.: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/18-jawans-killed-in-pre-dawn-strike-at-Uri/article14988716.ece). "It is the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir in two decades." (Ref.: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-37399969) So, the preceding Uri suicide attack, which seriously threatened to make a very big dent in the carefully constructed 56" image of Modi, the Prime Minister, was the driver for the claimed "surgical strikes". Quite surprisingly, Pakistan instead of responding in a belligerent manner, as it routinely does in case of alleged ceasefire violations by India, causing grievous harm to lives and properties on this side of the LoC, just dismissed the claim offhand, albeit with a stern warning, from an anonymous "senior Pakistani security official", "that Pakistan could use tactical nuclear weapons in self-defense if India initiates a war" and a "surgical strike" would be considered just that. (Ref.: The NYT report, op. cit.) An official spokesperson from Pakistan claimed: < "There had been cross border fire initiated and conducted by India which is [an] existential phenomenon," said an Inter-Services Public Relations statement released shortly after the Indian director-general of military operations held a press conference making claims about surgical strikes. "The notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by India to create false effects," the Pakistani military said in a statement. "This quest by Indian establishment to create media hype by rebranding cross border fire as surgical strike is fabrication of truth." > (Ref.: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/09/pakistan-denies-india-carried-surgical-strikes-160929165646369.html ) Soon thereafter, "Pakistani military took local and foreign journalists on a rare visit to forward locations along the Line of Control to debunk the myth of Indian surgical strikes." (Ref: https://tribune.com.pk/story/1192133/surgical-strikes-journalists-flown-loc-debunk-indian-myth/ ) The report, dtd. October 2, further claimed: < While India is reluctant to share details or evidence of its trumpeted strikes, Pakistan Army took the journalists to some of the sectors where the Indian military claimed special forces had decimated perceived alaunch pads of terroristsa. aNo such incident took place nor will we allow any such incident to happen in future,a Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa, the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), told the visiting journalists. aIf the adversary attempted so, it will be responded with an ever stronger force,a he added. The journalists were taken to mainly two spots of Boxor Formation and Hotspring Formation out of the 190-kilometre stretch of the LoC, where India claimed it[s] forces had carried out the so-called surgical strikes. At both locations, which are about 50 kilometres apart, no signs of destruction or casualties were found except the two soldiers, who had been killed a one each at the two formations a due to unprovoked firing by Indian forces. Besides, nine soldiers who have since recovered from injuries and returned to their respective duties. . . . . . . The journalists represented international media outlets, including CNN, BBC, VOA, Reuters, AP, AFP, News Week and BBC Urdu Service [emphasis added]. > The NYT, apparently, in the immediate wake of this above-referred conducted trip, reported: < Schools have remained open. Grocery stores were serving customers, and buses moved slowly on patchy, winding roads along the hilly terrain. As the afternoon sun sank behind the hills, several women could be seen working in the fields, cutting grass and herding cattle. > (Ref.: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/02/world/asia/kashmir-pakistan-india.html ) And, that was not the only snag. During the question-answer session at the end of the Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, on Sept. 30 2016, the Spokesman, in response to questions as regards the veracity of the Indian claim of "surgical strikes", informed: < What Im saying is that UNMOGIP [United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan] has not directly observed any of thea any firing. Theyre obviously aware of the reports of these presumed violations, and theyre talking to the relevanta to the concerned authorities. > (Ref.: https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/db160930.doc.htm ) India, of course, would duly respond in a belligerent manner: < (Indiaas Permanent Representative to the UN Syed ) Akbaruddin said the afacts on the ground do not change whether somebody acknowledges or not. Facts are facts, we presented the facts and thatas where we stand.a > (Ref.: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/india-snubs-un-for-saying-didnt-observe-loc-firing-3060608/ ) But, that doesnt change the UN Spokespersons testimony either. Indian Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, during the same time, at a press meet on October 2 (2016): < Responding to a query [obviously arising out of emphatic Pakistani denial and other contrary testimonies] on whether India would release the video of armyas operation as Pakistan has questioned the Indian claims, Rajnath Singh told reporters to ajust wait and watcha. > Its noteworthy that till today any such video footage remains to be released despite the Home Ministers enigmatic response. The release of such footages, by both the sides, is though nothing too uncommon. Ref.: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/strong-retaliation-to-ceasefire-violations-bsf-destroys-pakistan-firing-positions-fuel-dump-5034966/>, https://scroll.in/latest/839632/pakistan-army-releases-video-claiming-destruction-of-indian-posts-along-loc . As the armed forces, in India, as also elsewhere, are considered a holy cow, never mind numerous scandals doing rounds - extending all the way from the ones relating to mega defence deals involving top rung officers to sundry corruption cases, e.g. related to army canteens, and periodic stories of "moral turpitude", the claim, not too compelling on the face of it, having been lodged via an Army spokesman could easily evade tough questioning from within the country. Even a hint resembling that was promptly labelled as antinational: < (Question:) Do you think by questioning the Indian Army, these politicians are taking an anti-national stance? (Answer by a former Army Chief, Shankar Roy Chowdhury:) Of course. I am also saying it is treachery. > (Ref.: http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/those-questioning-surgical-strikes-are-treacherous/20161004.htm) Thats quite instructive on how even a fake story can be (or at least attempted to be) placed beyond the pale of any rational, and democratic, scrutiny by putting to use specific organ(s) of the state. XI. Now, coming back to the original issue, the charge of a conspiracy to assassinate an incumbent Prime Minister of the country is a too serious one. The basis of the charge is a "seized letter" from the laptop of one of the apprehended, allegedly connected with an entirely different sort of crime - Bhima-Koregaon violence. And, then, there are two entirely different letters. One really doesnt know for certain, as yet, which one is the "official" one. Or both? Both, incidentally, appear to be too good, from the point of view of the incumbent regime, to be true. The second one, even more so. Even though it doesnat talk of the plot to kill the Prime Minister. Apparently, this was the first version leaked, and would subsequently be replaced by the one which discloses the assassination plot (tweeted by the ANI), but doesnat implicate the Congress, for whatever reasons. And, most interestingly, such a serious charge is being, till now, handled by the local police - Pune police, in the instant case, and not the NIA, the specialised agency brought into being specifically for handling such cases. Also significant is the fact that the show of reviewing the PMas security status was staged only in response to Sharad Pawar raising that from a public platform. Lastly, the track record of this regime. Particularly the, already admitted, fake charge of treason hurled by the incumbent Prime Minister against his predecessor and the previous Vice President of the country just to garner some extra votes in a mid-sized state poll. That should offer us a fair idea of what this regime is capable of doing when faced with the prospect of a tough general election. So, its time to sit up. Otherwise, itd be too late. 17 06 2018 Police on Sunday nabbed three people and claimed to have busted a gang that was out to facilitate cheating by using high-tech gadgets in the civil police and state armed constabulary constable recruitment examination in Allahabad. The offline examination is set to take place across the state on Monday and Tuesday. Allahabad SSP Nitin Tiwari on Sunday night said the three people arrested in connection with the racket from the Shivkuti area of the city were Phulchandra Patel of Holagarh, Manish Kumar Yadav of Sarai Inayat (Allahabad) and Ajay Kumar Yadav of Uttraon (Allahabad). He said during interrogation the trio revealed that the gang was led by Devki Nandan of Soraon (Allahabad), Radhey Shyam Pandey of Ambedkar Nagar district and Sudhir Kumar Yadav of Uttraon (Allahabad). The SSP said that a hunt was on to nab the gang leaders, who used to take Rs 5 lakh each from a candidate. Radhey Shyam Pandey had been arrested in the past too and was sent to jail for various frauds and criminal rackets. Police recovered three mobile phones, two blue tooth devices, two electronic devices, two bluetooth device batteries and a bike, among other things, from the people. They often used these devices to help candidates cheat during exams, the SSP said. Almost a week after kicking off their campaign to prepare for the plastic ban that comes into force post June 23, residents of Colaba collected more than 100kgs of plastic waste from 170 buildings in A municipal ward over the weekend. The #quitplasticmovement covers A municipal ward (consisting of parts of Fort, Ballard Estate, Colaba and Marine Drive). During the weekend, student volunteers, resident associations and two volunteers provided by former Member of Parliament (MP) Milind Deora, with the help of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which provided them with two collection vans, collected more than 100kgs of plastic waste. We had expected that we will be able to collect more plastic, but because of the rain, we couldnt reach out to a few lanes, said Aditi Jain, vice-president, Cuffe Parade Residents Association (CPRA). However, Jain said the residents have requested that another drive be conducted soon. What we are now trying to do is that, as a part of our circular, we will speak about products that are completely banned and those that are exempted. The whole purpose of this exercise is to ask people from across the city to take similar initiatives, take cognisance of the problem, and dispose their waste only after segregation, said Jain. Kunti Oza, chairperson, Clean Mumbai Foundation, said as a part of waste segregation sessions, they also speak about the plastic ban, and instruct residents to not use plastic liners in garbage bins and use cloth bags for getting vegetables. We have got a sample of a compartment bag for vegetables. Along with CPRA cleanliness committee, will be getting more made through an NGO, which will be distributed among resident members, and our staff will also be informed about it, said Oza. The members of these associations have now been approached by several residents from Malabar Hill and Nepean Sea Road, among other places, to replicate a similar model for collection and disposal of plastic from their areas. This comes almost three months after the state government issued a notification banning the use of plastic bags and other one-time use single-use plastic items. All stakeholders have been given time till June 23 to get rid of their plastic, following which those found violating the order will be fined. A senior citizen was held for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl, who also happens to be his neighbour in Kalyan on Saturday. The accused, who is in police custody, has been identified as Kamundas Samuradas Manikpure, a 65-year-old man who does odd jobs for a loving. On Saturday, Manikpure was allegedly standing outside the public toilet the girl entered to relieve herself. A police officer from Thane commissionerate said Manikpure used chocolates to lure the girl as she was entering the toilet. When she approached him to say no, he caught hold of her, the officer said. The officer said that Manikpure tied a cloth over the girls mouth before pushing her into the adjacent gents toilet. She was slapped by the man but started screaming for help. He allegedly covered her mouth while raping her. Manikpure then pushed her out and warned her of dire consequences, he said. The girl then went crying home and narrated her ordeal to her mother. When the mother questioned Manikpure about it, he denied having done anything. The police said that when the girl complained of certain pains, her mother took her to a hospital where doctors confirmed she was raped. The mother subsequently complained to the Kolshewadi police who registered a case against Manikpure. A special cell formed after the tragic Kamala Mills fire of 2017 has found that nearly half of the 3,151 buildings it checked were not fire-safe or sufficiently equipped to fight a blaze. Fourteen people were killed in the blaze at two restaurants at Kamala Mills in December 2017. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) then decided to form 34 special fire compliance cells to inspect Mumbais approximately three lakh buildings for fire safety. The cells have checked 3,151 buildings since they were formed and sent notices to 1,468 of them for non-compliance, primary data from the fire brigade showed. After these notices, 450 buildings have set their internal fire safety mechanisms in order. By fire compliance, we mean, has the building has submitted its fire safety audits , said a senior official of the fire brigade. Called form B, all buildings in the city need to submit this to the fire brigade after getting their premises inspected by licenced agencies, the official said. This is different from the original no objection certificate a building is given soon after construction. The parameters that decide if a building is not following fire safety rules include a non-functional internal fire-fighting system fire alarms, sprinklers, hose pipes and riser systems blocked fire exits, and non-functional fire lifts. The fire brigade said all buildings in Mumbai, irrespective of when they were built, must comply with the safety rules under the Fire Safety Act of 2008. A robust internal fire-fighting system at the 33-storey BeauMonde towers in Prabhadevi helped avert a tragedy when a fire broke out last week the fire brigade heavily relied on the buildings riser system to douse the fire. Each of the 34 compliance cells in Mumbai have a special station official who conducts the inspection. If buildings fail to comply , the fire brigade can prosecute them under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention Act, after a stipulated notice time for compliance. Under a special standard operating procedure (SOP) created for the fire brigade after the Kamala Mills fire, at least five high-rise buildings, malls, and high foot fall commercial buildings are inspected by officials of the divisional fire officer, assistant divisional fire officer, and station officer designations per month. The buildings are picked randomly. The inspections take place in addition to daily inspections done by the 34 compliance cell officials. There are 21 such ADFOs and 12 DFOs. Another official of the fire brigade said, Senior officials are tasked with surprise inspections of certain buildings. The taller buildings are appointed to senior most officials. Allotted buildings are divided based on height, such as building above and below 70 metres in height. Then there are high-rises, and low-rises. According to data obtained through Right to Information (RTI) by activist Shakeel Ahmad Shaikh, in 2018 until May 25, 710 fires from minor ones (Level 0) to major ones (Level 4) have been reported in Mumbai, killing five people, and injuring 20 civilians and three fire officials. The Azad Maidan police arrested a clerk of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday in connection with alleged altering of the noting of civic chief Ajoy Mehta on the file of a plot of land at Jogeshwari east, worth 500 crore. The accused, Swapnil Puranik, had himself lodged the complaint on May 27, 2018 after the noting of the municipal commissioner was found to be tampered with. Mehta had instructed Puranik to register a case of cheating under section 420 (cheating) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) against unidentified persons after the CCTV recordings showed two persons fiddling with the file. Mehta, in his remarks on the file, had written, we should challenge this in the Supreme Court. Last week, civic officials, while looking through the papers, found the remark had been altered to, we shouldnt challenge this... The tampering was purportedly done by two unidentified persons who have been caught on CCTV cameras, but are yet to be traced by the police. The tampering came to light when the file was being sent for filing of a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court challenging a high court order directing restoration of the land admeasuring 13,674 square metres at Majas in Jogeshwari to its original owner. The property is partly encroached by slums. Puranik was in-charge of the file when the alleged tampering took place, due to which he has been arrested. We cannot elaborate on Puraniks role yet as the case is in still under investigation, said Vasant Varkhe, senior police inspector of Azad Maidan police station. The landowner of the plot had served the BMC with a purchase notice intimating officials that he was willing to hand over the land to the BMC for a fair price, but these were in the name of Mehta, instead of the BMC, as is the norm. Once a purchase notice is filed, acquisition proceedings are required to be commenced within a year of the notice. In this case, the notice was rejected as the process was marked invalid. The alleged delay in acquisition of the plot by the BMC was then challenged by the landowner in the high court in 2016. The court, in November 2017, ruled in favour of the property owner, saying that reservation had lapsed, except for the portion allocated for roads. Mehta had then decided to challenge this particular order in the Supreme Court. According to the complaint, after the civic body lost its case in the HC, Mehta made a note in the file that the BMC should approach the Supreme Court. The file moved through several departments, and ended up in the development plan (DP) department on the fifth floor of the BMC headquarters. Ramdas Bhogade, a Central Reserve Police Force jawan (CRPF) who lost both his legs in a landmine blast in Maoist-affected Chhattisgarh in November 2017, returned to his hamlet in Palghar district to a heros welcome. Bhogade, 29, visited the hamlet during the weekend after being admitted for months in a Raipur hospital where he was fitted with a prosthetic pair of legs. Bhogade was among the 24 jawans who were patrolling the Padoli jungles in Sukma district in Chhattisgarh, when on November 19, 2017,he accidentally stepped on a landmine, in an operation to nail Maoists hiding in the thick foliage. The 23 other jawans escaped unhurt. Speaking from Ratuna, his hamlet in Jawhar, Bhogade said, The landmine was placed by the enemies and I stepped on it by mistake. I shouted at the top of my voice to alert my fellow jawans and to warn them about the other landmines planted. Hearing my cries, two of my colleagues came to my rescue, but I shooed them away, lest they step on other landmines placed underground, or else they might have been marytred. After the landmine blast, Bhogade was admitted at a hospital in Raipur for over 40 days to treat his injuries. On April 2 this year, he was fitted with a pair of prosthetic legs. After a month of trials, I am able to walk now, but with calipers, as I am yet to get acclimatised to the prosthetic legs, said Bhogade. Bhogade reached his village in a car lent by one of the villagers to fetch him from Mumbai. When he arrived at the village, he was given a heros welcome, with the residents garlanding him for his service to the nation. My senior officers at the CRPF have posted me at the CPRF headquarters at Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, in a desk job, but I want to go to the front again and fight the Maoists, who are a menace to our nation, said Bhogade, the son of a paddy grower. Ramchandra Gavanda, sarpanch of Vadwali village, which governs Ratuna, said, It is a proud moment for us. Ramdas is a hero who is fighting for the nation. Right from his childhood, he had aspirations to serve the country. So much so, he wants to go to the same Maoist-affected area again and fight the anti-nationals hiding in the Sukhma jungle, but his superiors have taken the right decision in assigning him a desk job due to his physical condition. Tulsiram Chaudhari,a resident of Ratuna, said, When we got news that Ramdas has been successfully fitted with the prosthetic pair of legs, we were elated. At least he survived the Maoist attack and also saved the lives of two of his fellow jawans who had come to his rescue by alerting them about the landmines planted. A 32-year-old man from Dahisar was duped of 61,000 by a cyber-criminal using a method of SIM card-swapping. The victim was tricked into changing his SIM card by the fraudster who later used the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) to withdraw money from his account. The complainant, who requested anonymity, told HT, Earlier this month around 2pm, I received a phone call from a man posing as an executive from a network service provider I was using. He told me that I had not linked my mobile number with my Aadhar card and so my number would soon be blocked. In order to prevent my number from being blocked, he instructed me to message him a code to 121. He told me that my number would be switched off for a day. After sending the message, the complainants account was disconnected for 24 hours. The victims phone number was linked to two of his bank accounts and the fraudster changed the bank record of the mobile phone details to reflect his own contact number. He then used the UPI service to withdraw money from the two bank accounts. Approximately 42,000 was withdrawn from one account and 19,000, from the second account. After finding out that I had been duped, I approached the MHB Colony police on 12 June and lodged a complaint. I gave a copy of the first information report (FIR) to the bank. I dont know if they will return the money, said the complainant. Cyber advocate Vicky Shah said that he has seen a rise in such cases over the past three years. The best preventive step is to avoid any SMS response or providing an OTP for any phone verification. If in doubt, visit the phone network store in person. People falling prey to such crimes are also at fault because it would take gross negligence on the part of the victim to divulge so much personal information on a phone call. Ahead of the 2019 polls next year, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis made an aggressive pitch to investors of the United States of America during his three-country trip last week. At a meeting with Morgan Stanley, financial services and investment bank in New York, Fadnavis presented the Maharashtras growth story, pointing out that his governments infrastructure spending in Mumbai, the 702-km long Mumbai-Nagpur super communication highway, farm sector and land reforms, and the states share in foreign direct investment (FDI) would push the state into the trillion dollar economy club by 2025. The CM hopes that the state can grow at the rate of 15% each year so that it constitutes 20% of the countrys estimated gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025. The CMs vision is that Mumbai is the gateway to Maharashtra and therefore needs to be in a good shape. This thought process is polar opposite to that held by the previous administration, said a press release from Morgan and Stanley. The release said under Fadnaviss leadership, Mumbai was witnessing a sea of changes. Fadnavis also presented the Mumbai-Nagpur super communication highway as a game-changer that would bring prosperity to the states hinterland, saying 93% of the land acquisition was complete. Maharashtra has become one of the rare states where farm land can be purchased for non-agriculture purposes, setting the stage for land consolidation in the farm sector as well as exodus of marginal farmers into industrial and service sectors, the release said. The state is counting on growth in service sector to reach USD 1 trillion mark. Agriculture accounts for 11% of states GDP but employs 50% of work force. Hes had his spectacular bachelor digs at Jaipurs Rajmahal Palace, described as part old-world glamour, part modern maximalism and part timeless sophistication by Architectural Digest, India; hes waltzed with Ava Phillippe (Oscar-winning actor Reese Witherspoons daughter) at the biggest high society event for scions of the rich and famous le Bal in Paris, last year, and, if theres any more evidence needed that the 20-year-old polo player Padmanabh Singh, known to friends as Pacho, the scion of the erstwhile ruling family of Jaipur, is fast becoming a major player on the global celeb scene, here it is: this weekend, he was a star attraction at the Milan Fashion week when he walked the floor for designers Dolce and Gabbana. Whats interesting is that this confident, stepping into the international spotlight, appears to be something thats been part of his legacy. After all, until now, the only Indian royal to have captured the worlds imagination was his great grandmother, the late Gayatri Devi, later known as the Rajmata of Jaipur, who counted as her friends international rock stars, Hollywood and European royalty. Singh whose mother the only daughter of Brig Bahavani Singh (Bubbles) and Padmni Devi was said to be estranged from the Rajmata during the familys legendary palace wars appears to have inherited not only his celebrated ancestors looks but also her international panache. Will the Mayo College, Ajmer, and Millfield, UK, alumnus succeed in his endeavour to make a mark in the international arena? His appearance on the ramp amidst international celebrity and paparazzi certainly heralds another step in that direction. CM BAN GAYA... (LtoR) CM Devendra Fadnavis during the trip; an earlier picture of the CM with Ratan Tata. As is known, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is on a high-profile and ambitious visit to North America, in his bid to transform Mumbai into a prime hub for the financial technology industry an emerging and fast-growing sector that offers tremendous employment potential. And, given his meticulous planning, it appears Fadnavis has left no stone unturned to walk the talk and look the part too. So, in keeping with his partys Make in India thinking, we are informed that the CM prefers his suits to be bespoke and made in India. In this earlier picture, with corporate statesman Ratan Tata, Fadnavis wears a custom-made suit made in Dormeuil fabric and finished with hand detailing, which makes him look every inch the part of the states CEO. The company that made the suit posted photos, along with other outfits like Nehru jackets, bandhis and bandhgalas that were all custom-made for the CM, and which he no doubt packed to take along on his all-important trip. So, if indeed he comes back with bags full of dollars and documents of JVs, one can say, clothes not only maketh the man, but the State too. WTS WTM What They Say Computer Baba, nicknamed for the fact he always has a laptop on him, also owns a chopper and wants to be an MLA. Bhaiyyu Maharaj was a one-time model with a Mercedes and a following that cut across party lines. Rawatpura Sarkar runs and heads a rash of mainstream educational institutes and has multiple ashrams. Article on how MP is the go-to state for babas with ambitions What They Mean Progress at last: No one needs to become a politician these days to con people anymore. CELEBRATING GERSON (LtoR) Rahul da Cunha and Gerson da Cunha. Yesterday, a slew of family friends and admirers of adman extraordinaire, actor, activist and poet Gerson da Cunha, gathered at the Yacht Club to celebrate his 89th birthday. As expected, da Cunha, who has had a long and distinguished career both in advertising and the arts, has a legion of well-wishers. Happy Birthday to my most cherished friend Gerson da Cunha of Mumbai! A great thinker, actor, marketing specialist, writer a man for all seasons! exulted author and journalist Pranay Gupte from New York. Hes 89, but with the spirit of a 29-year-old, said his long- time friend and neighbour, publisher Padmni Mirchandani. He has an incredible memory for names and events, even now. Hes also the kindest person I know, she said. Hes a truly interesting man, whos perhaps one of the best listeners ever! said his nephew, the celebrated advertising and theatre icon Rahul da Cunha. I remember spending a fab 4 months with him when he generously invited me to stay with him and Uma in 1987 in Manhattan. And, of course, given his popularity, we hear plans are already underway to bring in the great mans ninetieth next year in the style it deserves. Some of us must get together to plan a fab big thing from now, says Mirchandani. The film clips from his friends and colleagues, start shooting now, but we require more: on Byculla, Goa... The Bombay high court has said that a married woman cannot accuse a third person of rape, on the grounds that he induced her to have physical relationship with him under false pretext of marriage and struck down a case of rape against a 30-year-old Wardha resident. The division bench of Justice RK Deshpande and Justice Arun Upadhye struck down criminal proceedings against Sachin Potude saying the assertion made by the non-applicant No. 2 / complainant that she was induced to physical relationship by the applicant / accused on the basis of a promise to marry her was falsified by the fact that the woman was married and her marriage was subsisting, although she was residing separately from her husband. It was not expected of her to be in physical relationship with a person other than the husband, particularly when she herself was married woman and her marriage subsisted on such dates, the bench added. In June 2013, the Wardha police had booked Potude under the charge of rape on the basis of a complaint lodged by the 26-year-old mother of one. According to the womans complaint, she was married and was having a child out of the marital relationship, but had been residing separately from her husband when she came in contact with Potude, one of her colleagues, who too was married at the time. The two developed intimacy and soon started visiting secluded places to have physical contact. Potudes wife got wind of the affairs, and she confronted the complainant. Following this, the woman approached the police and lodged a complaint of rape, on the ground that Potude induced her to have physical relations under false pretext of marriage. The accused had approached the high court and sought the quashing of the criminal proceeding against him, after the Wardha police filed a charge-sheet in the case in March 2014. A young girl, unremarkable in any way, is walking down a path in rural Zambia. Suddenly, a woman walking ahead of her carrying a large bucket or water falls to the ground, losing her load. As the fallen woman looks up from the ground to see this eight-year-old child regarding her without a hint of emotion, suddenly the girl's fate changes forever. She's brought before the local constabulary and accused of being a witch who caused the woman's fall. Suddenly all sorts of other unfortunates in the village gather in the police station to corroborate her story and pile on with their own tales of woe that can only be explained by supernatural means. One man explains that his whole family was eaten by witches, another vividly recounts a tale in which the young girl, wielding an ax, cut off his arms - both of which are clearly still attached to his body - in a dream. The girl is given an opportunity to dispute these claims, but refuses to dignify the madness with a response, leaving her as good as guilty. The local government head is brought in to witness and sentence this unusually young witch and he gives her a choice, she can either remain tethered to a long white ribbon for the rest of her days, or she can cut the ribbon and transmogrify into a goat, and potentially the next day's dinner. As is her modus operandi at this point, the girl Shula, chooses the path of least resistance and joins the local witch camp with a dozen or so elderly witches, all bound by the same white ribbons. Soon the novelty of an eight-year-old witch is too big of a media draw for the local government minister to ignore and he begins dragging Shula around like the latest freak show attraction. She appears on television, prays for rain, and finds herself under his personal care for better or for worse, tethered, as always, to the white ribbon there is given to witches to prevent them from flying away. I am Not a Witch is an incredibly powerful first feature from Zambia-born director Rungano Nyoni. The story tackles not only the ridiculous nature of superstition in rural Africa, but more directly, and effectively, the devaluation and dehumanization of women on the continent and around the world. The film is filled with a kind of magical realism that is subtle enough as to leave the viewer conflicted about whether or not the events are really magical or simply coincidence, not unlike the unfortunate accident that put Shula on her path in the first place. Women are shown in the film as nothing more than devices by which powerful men, and sometimes other women possessed of power, exercise their own desires. The ribbon by which Shula is bound to prevent her and the others from flight is a bit of a broad metaphor, but an effective one nonetheless. At one point Shula is brought home by her keeper and meets his wife, another witch who informs her that she has attained respectability the only way she could, through marriage, though we soon see that's not the case at all. Shula remains unmoved once she sees how the world treats her, as a young woman who hasn't harmed anyone, and refuses to apologize for calamities she didn't cause. It's a difficult film to describe in words, but as a cinematic experience, it's stupendous. The cinematography from David Gallego (Embrace of the Serpent) is outstanding, and captures not only the beautiful landscape of the villages and fields in which the witches are forced to work, but also communicates the emotional depth that Shula's silence embodies. The sound mix similarly envelopes the audience in a way that a film with such little embellishment rarely does. Rungano Nyoni is a name that I will be watching, and I am Not a Witch is a film that you should be watching. After killing 47-year-old wine shop owner Sajnish Singh Chavla in Goregaon (East) on June 10, his killers quietly walked towards the railway station and no one dared to even touch them, two eyewitnesses have told the police. The police have now started inquiring with shopkeepers situated along the road towards the railway station. A police official said they have got a lead in the murder case and five teams from Vanrai police station are working on it, while the Mumbai crime branch is also conducting a parallel investigation into the case. According to police, around 11.20pm on June 10, Chavla closed his wine shop situated near Virvani Industrial Estate in Goregaon (East) and was heading home along with his colleague Kamlesh Yadav, 35. Chavla was carrying Rs4 lakh in a bag with him and after he had walked about 100 metres away from the shop, two men wearing masks approached them from behind. One of them took out a pistol and fired one round from point-blank range at Chavla from behind, while the other took the bag and both robbers quietly walked towards the railway station, said a police officer. Yadav then called one of his men for help and the police patrolling van also reached the spot within five minutes. Chavla was rushed to a government hospital and was later shifted to a private hospital in view of his serious condition, but succumbed to his injury, the officer said. One of the accused was carrying a pistol so no one even came forward to catch them. Initially no one was even ready to inform the police about the culprits description. After inquiring with several people we have finally got two eyewitnesses and the police have got some leads and a team has been working on it, he added. The crime spot is not under CCTV surveillance and the police have scrutinised more than 15 CCTV cameras installed in the vicinity, but none in the area have captured Chavlas killers, the officer said. The officer said someone close to Chavla was keeping a track on his movement and tipped off the robbers. The police have questioned more than 100 people, including employees of the wine shop and several others known to the victim, he said. Vanrai police have registered a murder case based on the complaint filed by the victims brother. Chavla was a resident of Goregaon (West). Vijay Kumar Yadav The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is probing into the foreign links of the members, arrested for the inter-state Ketamine drug manufacturing and smuggling syndicate, which the agency recently busted. The gang operates internationally in Canada and across Africa. DRI officials suspect, the key members of the gang-Jimi Singh Sandhu and British national Jonathan Thorn alias John,were smuggling Ketamine out of India and selling it to rackets operating in Canada and Africa. Sandhu had resided in Canada for a long period, while Thorn had been convicted in multiple drug cases in Britain. Thorn is believed to have used his old contacts to operate the Ketamine racket. A majority of our investigation will be focused internationally. We will contact authorities in Canada and Britain and get details of the accused. We have come across a few names, which have links with foreign rackets. We will take their details from our counterparts in these countries, a DRI official said. In an operation last week, DRI had raided 14 residential and industrial places across several states, and seized 308kg of Ketamine, hashish, cocaine and opium, worth 35 crore. 11 people, including four foreigners, were arrested. DRI investigators are also trying to trace the overall trail of the money involved in the syndicates functioning. Hawala operators were used to channelise the ill-gotten money. DRI officials said they are in process of identifying properties of the accused persons. If facts emerged in the investigations reveal that the accused have made properties from the proceeds of the crime, then we will attach those properties, said a senior DRI official. The probe so far has revealed that Maharashtras Rasayani-New Panvel area was the hotbed of the entire gang. Bhandup resident Rahul Shedge was the mastermind behind the racket and was running the factory in Rasayani and was supplying semi-finished Ketamine to entire western India - Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa. The foreigners arrested in the case were operating from Goa and had been processing semi-finished Ketamine (procured from Shedge) into pure Ketamine. They would smuggle the finished product to Canada and Africa. One of the group members of the Goa module of the syndicate had even smuggled drugs to Bangkok. No links with drug racket: BJP leader Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader from North Goa- Vasudev Parab, claimed that he has nothing to do with the drug syndicate. On Monday, the DRI recorded the BJP leaders statement at its Mumbai office. Parab had allegedly rented his plot to Jimi Sandhu for a monthly rent of 70,000 and a deposit of 2lakh. On this plot, Sandhu had set up a factory where Ketamine was being manufactured. Parab in his statement claimed that he had no idea what chemical was being processed at the factory on his land, said a DRI official. There is no indication of Parabs role in the racket so far in the case. The Bhoiwada police have arrested a man who allegedly tried to kill his wife after she refused his divorce offer of Rs 5 lakh. The police probe revealed that the husband is in an extramarital relationship with another woman and the two came up with a plan to offer the accuseds wife Rs 5 lakh to agree to a divorce. They allegedly planned that if she refused, they would kill her. The arrested accused has been identified as Sudhir Darekar, 45, a BMC employee, who is married to Sakshi, 34, a hair stylist. Darekar allegedly was in relationship with a woman named Sarika Shinde. The police said that recently, Sarika told Sudhir that her family had arranged her marriage with someone else, but she wanted to marry him instead. On Friday, Sudhir told his Sakshi about the divorce plan and offered her Rs 5 lakh to leave him. However, she started recording his video on her mobile phone instead. This angered Sudhir who assaulted her and then smothered her with a pillow till she lost consciousness. The accused then went into the kitchen to retrieve a grinder stone to attack Sakshi with, but by the time he returned, Sakashi had gained consciousness and managed to escape out of the house, said a police official. Immediately after the attack, she took a taxi to the Bhoiwada police station where she narrated her ordeal to the police officers. She was then taken to KEM hospital. After her detailed statement was recorded, her husband was arrested. While the police said that the accused tried to kill her, they have not booked him under the section of attempted murder of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Since Sakshi did not suffer any serious injuries, they have booked the husband under sections 324, 323, 504 And 427 of IPC. The girlfriend of the accused has not been arrested yet. Truckers across the country began their indefinite strike on Monday, but its unlikely to affect supplies to Mumbai as the agitation has received poor response in the city and across the state as well. Also, the transport of essential commodities such as vegetables, fruits, fuel and milk have been exempted from the stir. The All India Confederation of Goods Vehicle Owners Association (ACOGOA), one of the apex truckers bodies, has called for the indefinite, nationwide strike to protest soaring diesel prices, toll charges and the steep rise in Third Party Insurance premiums. While the association claimed that around 27 lakh truckers across Maharashtra would stay off the roads for the Chakka Jam, truck operators said that as of now there is no impact of the strike in Mumbai, and that it is unlikely to affect the city as no big unions have backed it. Our unions are not participating in the strike, said a trucker from Carnac Bunder, requesting anonymity. They cannot afford to keep vehicles off the roads even for a day. Of the three apex bodies of transporters in India, the powerful All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) had called for a strike on July 20 for the same reasons, but ACOGOA announced a stir suddenly last week, a leader said, on condition of anonymity. The fact is, ACOGOA has little presence in Maharashtra, compared to AIMTC, he said, adding: There will be clarity on the response to the strike by Monday noon. Traders in the wholesale APMC market at Navi Mumbai said that as of now, supplies are unaffected. The Shiv Sena is turning 52 on Tuesday. The party--that started in a few Marathi speaking pockets of Mumbai and is now spread across a significant part of Maharashtra--has come a long way. It is a partner in power in the state as well as central governments. This is the second time it is a ruling party in Maharashtra. It has been ruling Indias richest civic body for three decades and also has a strong presence in Mumbai-Pune-Nashik triangle which is one of the fastest developing regions in India. The party founded by Bal Keshav Thackeray, a cartoonist turned politician, has seen several ups and downs and survived a number of setbacks. Over a decade ago, two of its strong leaders, former chief minister Narayan Rane and Thackerays nephew Raj, quit the organisation as they did not want to work under Uddhav Thackerays leadership. Many in political circles thought the party would slowly disintegrate after Thackerays death in November 2012. However, Uddhav not only managed to keep his flock together but also put up a good show while leading the party in 2014 elections. The mandate in 2014 assembly elections was such that the BJP had to take his help to run the government. Still, the Sena did not get the desired share in power and Uddhav has been criticizing the BJP at every possible opportunity. While it looked like the saffron partners would part ways after Uddhav announced his decision to go solo, things are changing now. The BJP is seeking a pre-poll alliance with the Sena. This has put Uddhav in a quandary. By the end of the year, he will have to decide whether to reunite with the BJP or stick to his decision to go solo. Difficult choice Following BJP chief Amit Shahs visit to Thackerays house earlier this month, the Sena top brass has been discussing the pros and cons of the BJP offer of a pre-poll tie up. Reuniting with the BJP would mean the saffron combine would be in a better position to fight the Congress-NCP led coalition of opposition parties to retain power in the state. Uddhav can also negotiate a better power-sharing deal, probably even chief ministership for half the tenure. However it would also mean certain limitation for the Sena. The party cannot contest half of the 288 assembly seats due to the alliance which means it may end up winning less number of seats than the BJP (In 2014 both parties contested on their own. BJP won 122, Sena 63). On the other hand, going solo may not mean success. With Congress-NCP coming together, the decision could backfire. A section of Sena leaders is pointing out how Sena has put limits on itself by committing to the alliance for nearly three decades. The partys graph was rising in the late eighties and earlier nineties after Sharad Pawar vacated the opposition position by merging his party (Congress-S) with the Congress in 1987. The Sena could not take up the entire opposition space as it shared the same with the BJP, opine its senior leaders (incidentally, the BJP leaders too say the same). The party has strong presence in Konkan, Mumbai as well as north and central Maharashtra. It can improve its presence in western Maharashtra but has remained weak in Vidarbha region, a BJP stronghold. The fallout was that the Sena could never become strong enough to win power on its own. Unlike other regional parties such as Telugu Desam Party, Trinamool Congress, Biju Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party, the Shiv Sena could never win power in Maharashtra on its own though despite existence of over half a century. This was a major reason behind Uddhavs decision to go solo in future elections. And this factor will be in his mind when he takes a decision on the BJPs offer. Uddhav took gamble in 2014 by contesting solo and did not regret it but can he take a similar risk in 2019? The unedifying sight of Delhis chief minister and some of his ministerial colleagues on dharna in the waiting room of Delhis lieutenant-governor has mystified people who cannot make sense of what is happening. One of the main thrusts of the Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) arguments has been that here is an elected representative of the people, with 67 out of 70 MLAs, being thwarted by the Centres representative (read L-G) who has backed what was said to be industrial action by the city governments bureaucrats. In the bargain, the people of Delhi are being deprived of the opportunity to receive rations at their door steps. Theres so much wrong, and inadequate, with this narrative, which has created misapprehensions about the democratic and legal structures that underpin governance. One, the notion that just because an elected executive has a majority in a legislature, in this case an overwhelming one, it can decide and implement any policy is disturbing. All power in a republic, particularly a democratic one, is subject to the rule of law. Else elected tyranny would replace rule of law. Two, Delhi is governed by the Constitution and the government of National Capital Territory Act 1991, in effect from the Delhi legislative assembly elections of 1993. In actual fact, ever since Delhi became a chief commissioners territory in 1919, there has been tinkering but essentially the government of India ran Delhi. And with the addition of the words National Capital Territory in 1993, Delhi did not become a State, not even a half-State. It remained a Union Territory, this time with a legislative assembly, just like Puducherry, a position shared in the past with Goa, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, for example. In a UT, all executive powers are exercised by administrator, in Delhis case the L-G. A point upheld by the Delhi High Court in various judgements. Three, and following from two, the function and responsibility of a minister in the Delhi government is not akin to that in government of India or in states. Delhis chief minister and ministers are appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of the L-G. They can best be seen as advisors to the L-G. The AAP representative stressed the point that ministers are executive head of their departments and, therefore, responsible for the functioning of the departments they are attached to. Not correct. Delhis Transaction of Business Rules make the secretary of the department the executive head (Rule 3). This is unlike elsewhere where it is the minister who is in charge, with the secretary responsible for compliance issues. One can argue it is undemocratic but it is certainly legal and one which exists since at least 1993. It existed prior to the 2014 Assembly elections and all contestants should have been aware of it. Former chief ministers Madan Lal Khurana and Sheila Dikshit worked in exactly same circumstances, if anything the latter had a tougher time under a L-G appointed by her party-led UPA government. Four, are the officers on strike? And if so, is the LG supporting them? Before going into information known to me, TV channels have shown visuals of government offices functioning normally. As a former bureaucrat who has worked in Delhi and elsewhere, this collapse of the politician-government servant relationship is upsetting. Situations change, even become tense with threatened and real transfers mid- academic season, foisting of enquires, etc., but these have been individual. What has happened in Delhi is unprecedented, and if AAP is to be believed, it is a breakdown of the Constitutional order. It can be stated unequivocally that things have been rocky since AAP assumed office the first time in December 2013. The public calling of bureaucrats and accusing them of sabotage started then itself the UPA was in power then and AAP took office backed by the Congress. The situation only deteriorated since the sweep of 2014. The immediate provocation was the unprecedented incident at the CMs house where the chief secretary is said to have been assaulted. Since police investigations are on, it would not be appropriate to believe or disbelieve the Chief Secretarys complaint that he was assaulted. However, the undisputed fact is that the meeting was called at short notice, for midnight. Was it a war situation? Floods? Natural disaster? Why would a meeting be called for midnight? And if it was to discus the ration door delivery issue, then why was the relevant minister not present? The net result is, according to Delhi bureaucrats, that they have stopped attending meetings called by ministers; all communications are through files. They say Ministers have forfeited their confidence since it is an issue of physical safety if the head of the civil services can be assaulted in the presence of the CM, then who is safe? Five, what of the door step delivery issue itself? The situation is that Aadhaar seeding of ration cards has shown a gap with a number of cardholders not completing the process. The claim is that these now-uncovered cases would get doorstep delivery. There are just two problems here, namely that most cases where Aadhaar seeding has not been done are in the affluent colonies of South Delhi. Does Delhi really need to hire people by the hundreds but lets leave that aside. Reforms in governance over the past two decades has been to reduce the points of interaction between the user and government functionaries, including by outsourcing. Hence the Citizen Service Centres where one can pay utility charges, apply and receive ration cards, get copy of birth certificates, etc. The idea is to reduce rent seeking opportunities and ensure transparency. To now seek to reverse that and deliver ration to the doorstep is problematic, however humanitarian it may appear. The hiring of hundreds to do this raises doubts about the real fears of government paying for partisan political activities. Delhi government circles, cynically, attribute the dharna to the fear that the police investigation could land up chargesheeting the top echelons of the Delhi government, but that is just speculation. Incidentally the claim of strike has been downgraded to partial strike. Shakti Sinha is the director of Nehru Memorial museum and library. He retired as a secretary in the Delhi government. Police in Bihars Rohtas district on Monday arrested eight people, including five minors, on the charges of sedition and attempt to promote disharmony after a video that went viral on social media showed them playing an anti-national song at a function. Three of those arrested had been identified as Mohammad Raza Khan, organiser of the function, DJ music system operator Ashish Kumar and driver Mukesh Kumar, the police said. The police said the video was shot during the event organised on the occasion of Eid festival on Friday in Dhoosh locality of Nasriganj police station area of Rohtas district. The video went viral after it was posted on social media on Saturday. The video showed hundreds of people dancing near a small decorated stage to the the anthem of the terror outfits in Pakistan, being played on the DJ music system. The participants were also seen raising slogans in favour of Pakistan and terrorist organisations, the police added. Confirming the arrests, Rohtas superintendent of police (SP) Satyaveer Singh said the video clip had been sent for forensic examination. Authenticity of the clip would be confirmed only after forensic report, he said. The Tollywood sex racket has left the industry shaken as it has been revealed that some young actors have been lured into this prostitution racket in the guise of work. After Sri Reddy, two more actors have spoken about the sex racket, with Anasuya Bharadwaj accepting she was approached in 2016 by the NRI couple who ran the racket. According to a report in DNA, the actor said, I havent visited the United States for a long time. I attended an event with music composer Devi Sri Prasad way back in 2014. In 2016, Sreeraj contacted me from his American number, asking me to attend a Telugu association event. I was uncomfortable with the way he spoke. He was talking about making a commitment. I refused to attend the event. Despite my refusal, he put my picture on poster. I tweeted saying I have nothing to do with the event. Sanjjana Galrani, who rose to fame with her role in Dandupalya 2 also spoke about the racket, Fact is that it is not a new thing going in US. Mostly it is C or D-grade artists, doing supporting roles in films... they fall into this trap. Sometimes they are asked to come for a dance performance, where they are lured with more money. Other times its mutual agreement also. A 42-page complaint against producer Modugumidi Kishan and his wife was filed by US Homeland Security Investigations. Sri Reddy, in an interview to News 18 had earlier revealed that she was approached by the couple too. She had said, They will arrange visa and everything else for you. Artists are paid anything between $1000 and $10,000, depending on their popularity. Sri Reddy has been vocal about the issue of casting couch in the Telugu film industry, however, other senior actors never opened up about this till now. Now, the president of Movie Artistes Association, Shivaji Raja has reacted to this controversy and said that he and other association members have informed artistes who perform abroad to give details to MAA to verify the credentials of the organisers. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Sundays episode of Bigg Boss 2 Telugu saw the first contestant being asked to leave the house. The host of the show, Nani, has been emphasizing that anything can happen in the house and his prediction came true as Sanjana Anne was evicted. The model had entered the house on a high note but was sent to jail on the first day itself. She then picked fights with Tejaswi, which was addressed by Nani on Saturday. She had said that her attitude of being direct led to the face-off, an argument Nani didnt agree with. When she said that she saw Tejaswi as her direct competition, Nani had categorically said that she was nowhere close. Elimination Day Today!! Who will it be?? #BiggBossTelugu2 Today at 9 PM on @StarMaa pic.twitter.com/8oI6bZd2zG STAR MAA (@StarMaa) June 17, 2018 The eviction came with a precedent as Jyothi was eliminated in the first week of Bigg Boss Telugu for the same kind of behaviour. However, what did surprise the viewers was that the house saw a new entrant. Actor Nandini Rai is first surprise contestant to enter the Bigg Boss Telugu house this season. The actor hopes to make a difference in the house with her entry. The episode also saw the contestants receiving pictures from their fathers on the occasion of Fathers Day. The housemates spoke about their fathers and everyone was left teary-eyed. It was left to rapper Roll Rida to bring the episode to a hilarious end. Follow @htshowbiz for more The Southern District of Florida blog was started in 2005 by David Oscar Markus , who is a criminal trial and appellate lawyer in Miami, Florida. He frequently practices in federal courts around the country, including his hometown, the Southern District of Florida and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a former law clerk to then-Chief Judge of the District, Edward B. Davis. Avtar Singh Khalsa will represent Afghanistans tiny Sikh and Hindu minority in the next parliament, where he says he hopes to serve the entire country. Few Afghans are as invested in the governments quest for peace and stability as the dwindling Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been decimated by decades of conflict. The community numbered more than 80,000 in the 1970s, but today only around 1,000 remain. Khalsa, a Sikh and long-time leader of the community, will run unopposed for a seat in the lower house of parliament that was apportioned to the minority by presidential decree in 2016. After the October election, he will be a solitary voice among 259 legislators, but hopes his 10 years of service in the Afghan army can help him secure a seat on the defense and security committee. I dont only want to serve my Sikh and Hindu brothers. I have to be able to serve all the Afghan people, no matter which ethnicity or group they belong to. Our services must reach everyone, he told The Associated Press during an interview inside a colourfully decorated temple in Kabul. Avtar Singh Khalsa leaves a Gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs, after praying, in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP) The 52-year-old father of four, originally from the eastern Paktia province, has lived most of his life in Kabul. He also served as a senator representing the minority, which has long had a seat in the upper house of parliament. Sikhs and Hindus have been driven out of many areas by heavy fighting. They have suffered widespread discrimination in the conservative Muslim country and have also been targeted by Islamic extremists. Under Taliban rule in the late 1990s, they were asked to identify themselves by wearing yellow armbands, but the rule was not enforced. In recent years, large numbers of Sikhs and Hindus have sought asylum in India, which has a Hindu majority and a large Sikh population. We must try to save our people from this chaos, Khalsa said. By any means and at any cost we must ask for our rights from the government. Your rights will not be given to you, you must earn them, Khalsa said. Avtar Singh Khalsa holds a meeting in his office in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo) Khalsa will join parliament at a time when the Afghan government is struggling against a resurgent Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate. The Taliban have seized a number of districts across the country, and IS has carried out a wave of attacks in recent months targeting the countrys Shiite Muslims, another embattled minority. Sikhs and Hindus would face renewed persecution under the Taliban and wholesale slaughter at the hands of the more radical IS. But Khalsa said he has no plans to leave the country and will continue to fight for his communitys survival. I sacrifice myself for those of my brothers who have been through all kinds of pain and suffering, he said. I dont care if I lose my whole family and I get killed for this cause. I will struggle until I get their rights. A yoga session was organised in the Australian Parliament on Monday for the first time with several lawmakers including former prime minister Tony Abbott performing various asanas in the federal legislature. Marking the fourth International Day of Yoga which is on June 21, over 50 people attended the two-hour long event organised by Melbourne-based Vasudeva Kriya Yoga group at Parliaments community hall in Canberra. Its great that we are acknowledging that (Yoga day) here in Australian parliament today, Abbott said. Its wonderful to see that so many Australians of Indian background are practising yoga and its also great to see that so many Australians generally are interested in Yoga, the former premier said. Practising yoga could help politicians living a stressful and busy social lives, the 60-year-old leader said. India is the worlds emerging democratic superpower and yoga is something associated with India. Its good to see this splendid Indian export is more and more taken up throughout the world, Abbott said. According to Rajendra Yenkannamoole, founder of Vasudeva Kriya Yoga, it was the first time that International Yoga day was celebrated in any Parliament in the world. A Yoga Session was organised at Federal Parliament by High Commission of India in association with Vasudeva Kriya Yoga on 18th June 2018. Former Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Tony Abbott graced the event with his auspicious presence. #AYUSH #ZindagiRaheKhush #IDY2018 pic.twitter.com/KuRn1i3as1 India in Australia (@HCICanberra) June 18, 2018 It was a very successful and historic event. We are planning to make it even bigger in coming years in Australia, he said, adding that Victorian Parliament was also gearing up to hold a similar event in its Queen Hall on June 21 with state parliamentarians and community members. Others who attended the event were multi-cultural minister Alan Tudge, Senator James Paterson, parliamentarians Julian Hill and Tim Wilson and Indian High Commissioner to Australia A M Gondane among others. Its an important recognition to Yoga given by the Australian government, according to Tushar Balapure, coordinator of the event. For any government, community health is a top priority and yoga should become a part of promoting health and well-being across the globe, he added. First lady Melania Trump hates to see families separated at the border and hopes both sides of the aisle can reform the nations immigration laws, according to a statement Sunday about the controversy over separation of immigrant parents and children at the U.S.-Mexico border. Mrs. Trump didnt refer specifically to the Trump administrations no tolerance policy, which was leading to a spike in children being separated from their families. Government statistics indicate that nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families over a six-week period in April and May. A spokeswoman for the wife of President Donald Trump issued the statement after several days of images of crying children appearing on television and online. 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, said Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for Mrs. Trump. She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart. While the statement suggested the matter was an issue for Congress, Democratic lawmakers and others have pointed out that no law mandates the separation of children and parents at the border. A new Trump administration policy, which went into effect in May, sought to maximize criminal prosecutions of people caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally. More adults were being jailed as a result, which led to their children being separated from them. Trump said Friday, I hate the children being taken away, but he also falsely blamed Democrats for a law requiring it. In an effort to rebut criticism of the administration, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Sunday repeated in a tweet the departments view: We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. In a separate tweet, she accused the news media and others of misreporting the issue and called on those seeking asylum to do so at ports of entry rather than crossing illegally. This misreporting by Members, 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, Nielsen wrote. Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to begin a six-day visit to China on Tuesday, with the two sides set to reach an understanding on a survey and a detailed project report for the trans-Himalayan economic corridor. Oli will lead a delegation of more than 100 officials. Several projects related to energy , rail and road connectivity, optical fibre network, and cross-border connectivity are on the agenda. Briefing Parliament on Monday, he said during his visit, an agreement to conduct a survey to bring the Chinese railway network to Kathmandu will materialise. Officials said China will bear the cost of the survey for the 121-km Kerung-Kathmandu railway line, which will pass through challenging Himalayan topography. After conducting the survey, the exact size of the investment and other features of the railway link will be finalised. Another key feature of Olis visit is Nepals response to Chinas Belt and Road Initiative Kathmandu has selected dozens of projects to be discussed with Beijing under the ambitious connectivity initiative. Officials said Nepal and China are unlikely to sign a transit and transport agreement during the visit. New Delhi has long been concerned about the proposal if signed, it will end Nepals dependence on Indian ports for its third country trade and will pave the way for exports and imports from Chinese land and sea ports. China is under pressure to bring its rail up to Kathmandu after India recently announced and undertook a preliminary study for the Raxual- Kathmandu railway line and announced that it would complete the survey within a year. Britains leading Indian-origin hotelier Surinder Arora is locked in a legal battle with Heathrow Airport for his right to build a multi-storied car park at one of the worlds 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-storied 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-storied 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 Aroras 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 (around Rs 300 crore) 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. The UN human rights chief is urging the Trump administration to end new policies separating migrant children from their parents after entering the United States from Mexico, saying theyve affected nearly 2,000 kids in the last six weeks. Zeid Raad al-Hussein says its unconscionable that any country would seek to deter parents from migrating by inflicting such abuse on children. READ | Melania Trump hates to see families separated at US-Mexico border, calls for end to separation He spoke at Mondays opening of a regular Human Rights Council session, his last before his term ends in August. Zeid, a Jordanian prince, also decried concerns about countries including Syria, Myanmar, Hungary, Nicaragua, Israel, North Korea and Kashmir. He denounced the lack of access provided by UN member states to rights investigators, noting China has accumulated 15 pending requests in the last five years. The Saudi-led coalition resumed air strikes on Iran-aligned Houthi fighters holed up in the airport of Yemens main port Hodeidah on Monday as civilians fled in search of shelter from the biggest battle of the war. Apache attack helicopters fired at Houthi snipers and fighters positioned on the rooftops of schools and homes in the Manzar neighbourhood abutting the airport compound, residents said, in fighting that has wounded dozens of civilians and prevented aid organizations from reaching parts of the city. Losing Hodeidah would seriously weaken the Houthis by severing supply lines from the Red Sea to their stronghold in the capital Sanaa. It could also give an edge to the Western-backed coalition that, despite superior weaponry and firepower, has failed to defeat the Houthis in a war that has killed 10,000 people and created the worlds most urgent humanitarian crisis. UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein voiced concern that the onslaught could endanger millions of civilians. I emphasise my grave worry regarding the Saudi and Emirati-led coalitions ongoing attacks in Hodeidah which could result in enormous civilian casualties and have a disastrous impact on life-saving humanitarian aid to millions of people which comes through the port, Zeid told the opening of a three-week session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday. The battle for Hodeidah, launched six days ago, could drag on, inflicting more suffering for civilians who have already endured air strikes, port blockades, hunger and a cholera epidemic. Yehia Tanani said he and his family left Manzar three days ago and walked for 3 km (1.86 miles), hiding behind walls and under trees to avoid air strikes, before finding shelter at a fish farm. Others stayed to care for family members and cattle. They told us that some humanitarian organizations are going to send buses but then they said no buses could come in or out. So we started walking on foot carrying our children, sitting every while for rest while the Apaches hovered above us. We were scared not knowing if wed be shot or not, he said. Now were in this school, no mattresses, no electricity, no water, no bathrooms, nothing. And we have children who need medicine, need food, need anything, but we dont have anything, he said, sitting on the floor of an empty classroom of a school being used to house those displaced by the fighting. Children slept on the floor of empty classrooms while others sat forlornly in the courtyard, where a few items of clothing and blankets were draped over balconies and upturned desks. The Arab alliance has said it can take Hodeidah quickly enough to avoid interrupting aid and that it would focus on capturing the airport and port and avoid street fighting. The coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to restore the internationally recognised government driven into exile by the Houthis, and thwart what Riyadh and Abu Dhabi see as efforts by arch-adversary Iran to dominate the region. The Houthis rule the most populous areas of chronically unstable Yemen, a poor nation of about 30 million people. S taffed by veterans in the music business, Rock Roll, a new wallcoverings brand in Camden, has wheedled a licence out of the Rolling Stones to reproduce the Jagger lips-and-tongue logo. Designed by an RCA student in 1970, with the artwork now in the Victoria & Albert Museum, you can buy it as a repeat pattern for 70 a roll, with murals from 250. Those large lips have been appropriated often over the years notably last month during Milan Design Week, when a huge version was painted by Dutch artist Studio Job to mark a party venue. Rock Roll is billed as the worlds first officially licensed producer of wallpaper and large-scale murals of album artwork by top recording artists including The Who, Sex Pistols, Queen and the Ramones. Directors Ian and Sarah Hopkins, with a third partner, spent their youth trawling through record stores we saw the creativity not just of the music but of the artwork. GETTING THE LICENCES ISN'T EASY Many bands dont have an agency and perhaps are no longer together, but permission is needed from each individual member and if someone is on tour, you just have to wait. However, theyve nailed the controversial artwork from American hard rockers Guns N Roses for their notorious debut album Appetite for Destruction, which has sold three million copies since its launch in 1987. A first version by subversive US artist Robert Williams, rejected as obscene, was modified into a purple Celtic cross with skulls of the five musicians, sporting caps on their luxuriant long hair. This has become a mural and theres also a wallpaper with the cross as a repeating motif. Also writing on the wall is the iconoclastic God Save the Queen record sleeve by artist Jamie Reid for the Sex Pistols. Released shortly before the Queens Silver Jubilee in 1977, this image with the royal head based on a photo by Cecil Beaton collaged like a ransom note, was banned amid outrage and has been deemed the defining image of punk. Other murals come from Joy Division and New Order, and Rock Roll is negotiating with another 50 bands. The visuals of rock, pop and punk, including the flamboyant personae, outre costumes, louche logos, posters, record sleeves and guitars, have long permeated art, fashion and design, fostering rebellion and shock. AND THE BEAT GOES ON Meet Shyguy, for example. Actually, its a girl, Naomi Wallens, whose pretty smile and long, blonde tresses conceal the steely nerve of an emerging street artist, with two works in Whitecross Street in Shoreditch. Her home in a converted pub in Clerkenwell is a gallery for her own line of lights. They are pure punk and borderline shocking, their slogan-adorned bases like buttocks, cast Antony Gormley-style, she says, from her own body. Punk is a subculture for a certain generation, says Wallens. Soon well be channelling rap and hip-hop. She has also upcycled furniture, with raunchy slogans on a gold-sprayed bar rescued from a nightclub, and a 17th-century Spanish confession box. All pieces are for sale at Shyguy. The posh W8 address of a shop in Kensington Church Street belies the punchy punk on furniture and lights inside, hand-painted in the basement by Jimmie Karlsson, who with partner Martin Nihlmar, trades as Jimmie Martin. Tagged baroque and roll, the design duo repurpose artefacts, decorating them with images and slogans from art, fashion, rock, pop and punk. Chairs become pop portraits while mannequins are lights. The result is very London, says Karlsson. Our pieces couldnt really come from anywhere else and visitors from abroad recognise that including Madonna, perhaps their most famous celeb client. Flying out at the moment are Karlssons punk painted cherubs. Gods Own Junkyard a neon wonderland in Walthamstow has a cafe bar called Rolling Scones. The music business has permeated deep into the Bracey family business, with their hoard of vintage signs and archived pieces from film, fashion and rocknroll. Appointment 18 June 2018 Scott Wallen has been appointed hotel manager of Rosewood Sand Hill, the luxury hotel located in Menlo Park, California. In his new role, Wallen will utilize his astute leadership skills to oversee day-to-day operations and uphold service standards at the esteemed hotel. Wallen joins Rosewood Sand Hill with 10 years of experience in global luxury hospitality, having worked in countries such as Ireland, China, Saint Lucia and more. Most recently, Wallen served as director of food and beverage of Rosewood London where he successfully oversaw the strategic and financial directions for the property's celebrated culinary concepts. During his tenure, Wallen's leadership helped the renowned hotel garner numerous prestigious accolades, including the recognition of "Best Hotel" in the 2017 GQ Food & Drink Awards. Prior to joining Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, Wallen worked as director of food and beverage at the Baccarat Hotel and Residences and Capella Hotel Group, where he managed food and beverage operations at properties in the United States and Singapore. Wallen has also served on the pre-opening teams for Capella Hotel Group properties including Han Yue Lou Hotel Nanjing and The Setai Fifth Avenue. Wallen is an Australian native and graduated from University of Surrey in the United Kingdom with a degree in International Hospitality Management. Supplier News 18 June 2018 Continuing in their path of hospitality innovation firsts, protel today launched their SERVICES MARKETPLACE to coincide with the opening of HITEC, the world's largest hospitality technology show, this year in Houston, Texas. protel, the Germany-based hotel technology innovators, now also headquartered in Atlanta, USA, are uniquely positioned as the platform provider among PMS vendors. The delivery today of the protel SERVICES MARKETPLACE is another piece of solid proof of its 24-year commitment to invigorating the hospitality sector. The Integration breakthrough has been enabled by the development and implementation of the open data-highway, protel I/O. Using this robust architecture, the SERVICES MARKETPLACE finally addresses significant industry concerns. How can hotels and hotel groups rapidly deploy a multitude of different technological solutions from different vendors? Mix both legacy and modern interfaces securely? At the same time break the data silos to get all their real-time business data in one place, cost effectively? How do these different mission-critical systems from a diverse array of technology vendors efficiently subscribe to, contribute to, and enrich that high-quality data feed? The SERVICES MARKETPLACE allows vendors and hotels to collaborate openly, in many cases using a simple click to install. Alternatively, hotels can choose to upgrade from freemium test-drive to premium pay-to-use versions of the Apps on offer. Thus ensuring the hoteliers the ability to connect business technology tools quickly, and the integration developers that the tools they develop are road-tested, fit-for-purpose, quick to deploy and cost-effective. "The protel SERVICES MARKETPLACE is a unique take on the App store concept. It has been created from the ground up as a developer toolkit, an App store, and automatic deep, full 2-way integration into the data layer beneath. We can now enable developers to embed their applications directly into the PMS. protel I/O provides a real-time transport and translation between all software components in the hospitality ecosystem." cites protel CEO and technology evangelist, Ingo Dignas. Dignas continues: "We are encouraging technology vendors from across the industry to develop their solutions to be readily available to protel's existing 14,000-strong customer-base, by offering a streamlined developer tool-kit labeled protel BUILD. We offer access to the API library, the sandbox environment, and the anonymized pseudo-hotel datastream. We also offer the possibility of seeing proprietary functions embedded in other 3rd-party applications including the PMS, for example at front-of-house, or via POS terminals. We have invested in building the tools that allow the mapping of any vendor's proprietary messaging structure to and from the HTNG-standardized API layer in protel.I/O." Hotels can access the app store to browse, choose and be inspired by all the technology they already know while having the ability to mix-and-match any components they feel add to their operations and growth strategy. "Our goal is to be the first real Hospitality Platform Provider. We can only achieve this by being vendor-neutral for all products hoteliers choose for their hospitality ecosystem, be it POS, CRM through to PMS and all classic interfaces. We want to empower hoteliers, enabling them to choose best-in-class over proprietary lock-in" quotes Pete Simpson, SVP Global Business Technology at protel. Simplified, standardized integrations. All certified Apps work together to extend the hospitality ecosystem. Each subscribes and contributes to the same instant stream of real-time messaging data. This data stream is available to all connected technologies. This is what a true Enterprise Hospitality Platform looks like! It is available now only from protel. Booth 839, HITEC Houston Book a tech-talk here: https://www.protel.io/hitectx/ Supplier News 18 June 2018 Stockholm -- ASSA ABLOY Hospitality, provider of advanced security solutions for the hospitality industry, will introduce a series of new innovations at HITEC 2018, taking place June 19-21 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. Continuous demonstrations of ASSA ABLOY Hospitality's recently unveiled Vostio and Bluvision solutions will be held at booth #901, along with information provided on enhancements made to RFID door lock security via MIFARE Plus EV1 IC technology. ASSA ABLOY Hospitality will also take part in HITEC Houston's Technology Showcase on Tuesday, June 19, in room 370-A from 4 to 5 p.m., where they will demonstrate how the Bluvision solution uses location-based beacon technology to enhance safety, while maximizing guest satisfaction and property efficiency. A Bluetooth Low Energy and cloud-based platform, Bluvision beacons can be used to detect movement in areas that are off limits, while providing the ability to create access badges that provide entry authorization. A platform that also focuses on empowering IoT-based services, Bluvision can further be used to provide guests with personalized offers based on their unique interests and specific location within a property. Staff members can use Bluvision's asset management functionality to track the location of inventory, and its sensors can be used to monitor temperature conditions in cold rooms. "As a recognized leader in hotel security technology worldwide, we always look to present HITEC attendees with the latest technological advancements available to ensure their ability to safeguard guests while providing them with experiences that are memorable and fully satisfying," Christophe Sut, Executive Vice President and Head of the Global Technologies business unit for ASSA ABLOY Hospitality. "For this year's North American show, we're excited to be presenting key decision makers with new and innovative technologies that are expected to re-shape the industry and equip hoteliers with the industry's highest standard in security." ASSA ABLOY Hospitality's latest innovation, Vostio, is the first maintenance free, cloud-based management system designed to maximize operational efficiency and enhance guest convenience. Accessed through the cloud, Vostio can be managed from virtually anywhere in the world, since local servers are not required. Vostio is GDPR-ready and built on the latest industry standards, ensuring total data confidentiality, integrity and traceability through the use of its encrypted system. As a cloud-based platform, Vostio also receives automatic software updates to ensure that properties are always fully protected against the latest threats and vulnerabilities. Because Vostio does not require on-site servers, hoteliers can avoid time-consuming maintenance issues and eliminate the need for expensive hardware. During HITEC, ASSA ABLOY Hospitality will also demonstrate MIFARE Plus EV1 IC technology, as well as the latest advancements in RFID-based door lock security. The industry leading platform provides hoteliers with banking grade security features and enhanced usability, while also offering a seamless and cost-effective upgrade path. Other company solutions to be exhibited during HITEC include ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Mobile Access, VingCard Essence and VingCard Allure door locks, as well as Elsafe electronic safes. For more information about ASSA ABLOY Hospitality and its comprehensive line of security solutions, please visit www.assaabloyhospitality.com. Supplier News 19 June 2018 San Francisco -- The foundation for success in today's hospitality industry and for further innovation can't be found on premise at any hotel, but rather in the cloud. The Business Imperative for Cloud Architecture in Hospitality, a new whitepaper from Duetto introduced this week at HITEC, describes four ways the software-as-a-service (SaaS) framework transforms a hotel or casino's technology stack into an engine for growth. "The fundamental reason for multi-tenant cloud architecture is about innovation and the speed at which a product evolves and advances," said Craig Weissman, Chief Technology Officer for Duetto and the former CTO of Salesforce.com. "Having personally developed installed software in the 1990s, I can say the difference in productivity as a developer and company is profound." The groundbreaking whitepaper argues that cloud-based systems, integrating through open APIs, will accelerate hospitality's lagging innovation in the race against disruptors like Airbnb and online travel agencies. By automating many pricing, distribution and reporting functions, while making data collected from across the tech stack unified and actionable, new tools can make hotels far more efficient and strategic. To learn how cloud architecture can lower hotels' and casinos' costs of IT ownership, while increasing their scalability and flexibility to adopt new technology, all while securing data more effectively than on-premise systems can, download this new guide from Duetto, hospitality's only Revenue Strategy Platform. Learn more directly from Duetto executives at HITEC and ROC in Houston this week, at Booth #2110. To schedule a meeting with Duetto during the conference, visit http://duettocloud.com/event-hitec-houston-2018. Opinion Article 18 June 2018 The U.S. has been hit with the longest streak of crisesmass shootings, natural disasters and security breachesin the past decade. Hoteliers need to better prepare and develop plans for not if, but when crises strike. Advertisements Crisis management will gain importance as active shooter training is added to a hotel's playbook and cybercrime continues to increase dramatically. "Run. Hide. Fight" training and a technology expert at each company is now required. It is paramount to our future liability that we train our staff and have procedures in place for all potential crises. As to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), this has come up quickly and applies to all hotels, especially those that pursue European travelers. Hotels need traveler consent to store any data related to a European traveler, and it is recommended that we start doing that for all guests. Active shooters and disasters High school shootings have occurred far too often. The Santa Fe High School shooting could have been far more traumatic and caused the loss of many more lives if the school hadn't had both security and "active shooter" training in place. The training is now required for all hotels. The FBI, your local police department and Homeland Security have comprehensive materials on this subject that will provide as resources for hoteliers. Being prepared for any terror event or natural disaster is critical to both saving lives and minimizing negative impacts. Rapid hotel evacuation is key to a crisis plan, and all team members must know the evacuation route. Rapid lock down of the hotel or areas of the hotel will limit a shooter's movements. It is vital that hotel staff become acquainted with Homeland Security's detailed guides on this type of training activity. Developing a first-responder pack that includes detailed hotel plans and critical infrastructure would be paramount to a crisis plan as well. Cellphone numbers of all team members must be available to ensure safety and enable crisis communication. The same protocols regarding evacuation should be established for natural disasters. Just recently, a fast-moving lava flow from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano led local officials to close a highway on short notice. They needed to communicate to all travelers that thin strands of glass fibers carried in the wind could injure eyes and lungs. There must be real training and tangible procedures in place as we must never assume all will be calm tomorrow. I just scheduled our 2018 training with our local police departments for our teams, and I encourage all of you to do the same. Cybersecurity Companies should ensure that the property management system is on a different network than public Wi-Fi and that all networking devices have default account passwords changed. All software and operating systems in use must be up to date with the latest patches and versions, and employees must be trained to recognize harmful forms of cyberattacks to ensure the protection of guests. All passwords should be reset when an employee leaves the company. Each front-desk employee should have a unique PMS password as well as a secure computer password. Passwords should not be visible to guests. To ensure the security of computer systems, team members should be trained to lock any front-desk operating systems when they step away from the desk, and to never leave portable devices unattended. Companies need to have internal and external access to IT expert resources 24/7. Protocols should be put in place to prevent hotel staff from using hotel property for personal purposes. Periodic audits of employees and their activities should be enacted to ensure security. This merely touches the basic needs in this area of potential cybercrime. GDPR The GDPR took effect on 25 May. The impact on almost all U.S. businesses is massive. While this is a European regulation, it will significantly impact the global lodging industry. Further, in the event of a cybersecurity attack or data breach, companies only have 72 hours to report the situation or there are financial consequences. Hotels that actively seek European guests will be required to be compliant with GDPR. This means that hotel guests can insist their data be erased. Sensitive data is personal information about an individual that could be used to discover their identity and gain access to their accounts. GDPR requires us to designate a data protection officer within our organizations. Companies must gauge whether or not any activity outside of the European Union will require communication with a person in the EU after the initial gathering of information. A risk assessment will review the data gathered and allow EU citizens to make updates to their personal data. Put your plans together and go out and have a great summer! Father's Day is supposed to be a day where we show love to the man that brought us into the world. Annually taking place in June, Instagram and Facebook are usually flooded with messages from your friends as they write descriptive and heartfelt messages to their fathers. Slim Danger took the day as an opportunity to go after her alleged absentee baby daddy, Chief Keef. Earlier this month, the former adult film star had taken 6ix9ine's side in his beef against her baby daddy, going shopping with the Brooklyn rapper and leaving with a Gucci waist bag. When Father's Day rolled around yesterday, Slim Danger decided to take another swing at dissing Keef while many of us were enjoying time with our families. While she first showed the physical similarities between her son and Chief Keef in case anybody was disputing the legitimacy of their relationship, Slim Danger followed up with a "Fuck my Baby Daddy" post before spilling the true tea. Uploading an image of 6ix9ine by the pool as he shot a music video in the Dominican Republic, Danger wished the rainbow-haired sensation a Happy Father's Day, revealing her true allegiance. Becoming a catalyst in the beef between Chief Keef and Tekashi69, Slim Danger recently gave an interview about the situation, noting that she met Keef while working in the porn industry. According to her, the fanny pack wasn't all she received from 6ix9ine as he slipped $20K in there for her son's birthday party, adding even more context to this mess. Check out her thoughtful Father's Day posts below and listen to her speak on her friendship with Tekashi. Editor's note: James Beard Award-winning critic Alison Cook is taking a break from full restaurant reviews while she puts together her 2018 Top 100 list, which publishes in September. Side Dish will be her outlet for whatever's on her mind as she continues to dine around Houston, uncovering new spots and revisiting old favorites. I am not the sort of diner who says, "I'll just have a salad." Well, mostly. But during the cruel hot months of midsummer Houston, I transform into something of a salad fiend. I return to restaurants like Giacomo's, La Table and Nancy's Hustle where I know that these cooling plates of greenery are done with verve. And I troll hard for new favorites like these: Quick, before peach season ends, check out Coltivare's lively mesh of arugula and spiky pale frisee, threaded with pickled sweet pepper rings, skins-on peach slices and flaps of duck breast. With a scatter of toasted pistachios for crunch, this salad has just the right balance of tart, sweet and savory. At Weights & Measures in Midtown, they're doing an unusual salad of grilled King Trumpet mushrooms with arugula and big thin tiles of shaved Pecorino cheese, plus a little lemon zest, all tossed in a preserved lemon vinaigrette. The clarity of the lemon flavor is gripping. You might get lucky, too, with one of Weights & Measures' weekend salad specials, like a delicate, perfectly tuned hillock of compressed yellow watermelon, English cucumber and cherry tomatoes in a citrus vinaigrette. It was sharpened with ginger root, scallion and toasted panko crumbs, so that the flavors and textures popped. At Emmaline, I fell for a Salade Nicoise variant that's a refreshing meal in itself, with slicks of cured salmon subbing for the usual tuna, and a host of well-chosen vegetables to round things out. French breakfast radishes, skinny haricot-style green beans, cherry tomatoes, green olives and fingerling potatoes are all great for dipping in the buttermilk dressing on the side. So's the gold-and-white half of a 6-minute egg. Pax Americana has been known for vivid small vegetable and salad plates since founding chef Adam Dorris ran the kitchen. Two chefs on, they're serving a marinated summer squash very much in the Dorris spirit: studded with unexpected gooseberries (they're like golden tomatillos) and surprise blips of Shropshire blue cheese, with a creamy mint puree holding things together. Okay, I could have dispensed with the blueberries, but the overall effect is light, herbal and highly seasonal. And at this time of year, that's a gift. Follow Chronicle critic Alison Cook on Twitter, and keep up with Houston's latest dining and drinking news and reviews by subscribing to our free Flavor newsletter. With $2.5 billion, you could run each of Houston ISDs 284 schools for a year, cover the Astros payroll and still have enough left over to buy the River Oaks mansion of your choice. Or you could undertake the largest concentrated flood control effort across Harris County in decades. That is how much Harris County Commissioners Court decided last week to put before voters on Aug. 25, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harveys landfall and subsequent deluge of southeast Texas, in a bid to harden the area against similar, or worse, flooding in the future. LESSONS LEARNED: In Harvey's wake, Dutch have much to teach Houston And county officials are asking residents how to spend that money. Through at least two-dozen public meetings across the countys watersheds, County Judge Ed Emmett said residents have a crucial role to play as they provide feedback for the projects they think most will benefit their neighborhoods. As that comes in, Flood Control can make adjustments, Emmett said. You could have some projects just completely dropped. You could have some projects added we hadnt thought about. The bond vote is an all-or-nothing gamble by Commissioners Court, whose members hope residents will commit to strengthening flood infrastructure after Harvey flooded 11 percent of the countys housing stock this past August. If the bond passes, Harris County will have access to as much as $2.5 billion to make, over the next 10 to 15 years, the largest local investment in flood infrasctructure in the countys history. If the bond fails, engineers will be limited to the flood control districts annual operations and capital budgets, which total a paltry $120 million in comparison. Harris County Flood Control District This is the most important local vote I can remember in my lifetime, Emmett said. We either step up as a community and say we are going to address flooding and make our community resilient, or we kind of drib and drabble on, and it wouldnt end well for anyone. A preliminary list of projects includes $919 million for channel improvements, $386 million for detention basins, $220 million for floodplain land acquisition, $12.5 million for new floodplain mapping and $1.25 million for an improved early flood warning system. Also included is $184 million, coupled with $552 million in outside funding, to purchase around 3,600 buildings in the floodplain - more than the flood control districts buyout program has bought in its entire 33-year history. DEVELOPING STORM: What's in Houston's worst flood zones? Development worth $13.5 billion The draft list includes $430 million nearly a fifth of the total for contingency funding and opportunities identified through public input. Upcoming community meetings Halls Bayou - June 20, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., North East Harris County Community Center Hunting Bayou - June 23, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Kashmere Multi-Service Center Jackson Bayou - June 25, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Crosby Community Center Spring Creek - June 27, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Big Stone Lodge at Dennis Johnston Park Spring Gully/Goose Creek - June 28, Baytown Community Center See More Collapse Matt Zeve, the director of operations for the Harris County Flood Control District, said that is where projects submitted by residents and given the green light can be funded. As we get new projects and the flood control district determines they are feasible, we add them to the proposed bond program and the contingency is reduced, Zeve said. The bond would not finance the construction of a third reservoir in west Houston, but does include $750,000 to study, with the Army Corps of Engineers, whether another reservoir is necessary. Other line items call for de-silting channels that lead into Addicks and Barker reservoirs, or possibly providing funding to the Army Corps to remove silt and vegetation from the reservoirs. Addicks and Barker are managed by the Army Corps, not Harris County, leaving any decisions about the future of those basins in the hands of the federal government. COMMUNITY MEETINGS: Emmett promises public will have input on $2.5B flood bond The flood control district plans to work through the summer on the list of projects the bond would fund, and Emmett has pledged to publish a complete list by the time early voting begins in August. Until then, Emmett said plans may continue to change based on input from residents. The county held just two public meetings before Commissioners Court set the bond amount this past Tuesday, which prevents the flood control district from proposing bond projects in excess of $2.5 billion. Emmett said scheduling the meetings earlier would not have made sense because the county had yet to determine what state or federal dollars may be available to help fund some of the bond projects. We just werent ready, he said. Until it came time for us to put a bond out there, we didnt have anything to talk about. Here are some of the major projects in each of the countys 23 watersheds. Many, especially proposed buyouts, include additional outside funding. Addicks Reservoir $9.4 million for a stormwater detention basin on South Mayde Creek near the Grand Parkway $30 million to rehabilitate channels upstream of Addicks Reservoir $25 million to reduce flooding along Bear Creek Armand Bayou $2.5 million for improvements along Horsepen Bayou $3.75 million for channel improvements $3.75 million to build the Red Bluff regional stormwater detention basin $1.5 million for 30 buyouts Barker Reservoir $30 million to rehabilitate 20 miles of upstream channels $8.3 million for Barker subdivision drainage improvements $10 million to rehabilitate channels inside Barker Reservoir Brays Bayou $32.5 million for Keegans Bayou improvements $2.9 million for 40 buyouts $30.5 million for improvements along the Fondren diversion channel Buffalo Bayou $10 million to improve stormwater detention volume $30 million to impove local drainage issues $4 million for Spring Branch Creek stabilization Carpenters Bayou $140,000 for drainage improvements $12,000 for 16 repair projects Cedar Bayou $74 million for channel improvements and a detention basin upstream of FM 1960 $33 million for channel improvements along Magee Gully $23 million for channel improvements along Adlong Ditch Clear Creek $9.7 million for 170 home buyouts $7.4 million for a Dagg Road detention basin $6.1 million for Hughes Stormwater detention basin Cypress Creek $100 million to buy land along creek to preserve channel or restore floodplains $46.8 million for 450 buyouts $25 million for detention basins in buyout area Goose Creek $25 million for channel improvements to Spring Gully $540,000 for Goose Creek/Spring Gully subdivision drainage improvements Greens Bayou $28.4 million for Greens Bayou subdivision drainage improvements $24.5 million for 810 buyouts $2 million for channel improvements Halls Bayou $34.4 million for 830 buyouts $4 million for Aldine Westfield detention basin $11.7 million for channel improvements Hunting Bayou $2.9 million for 90 buyouts $10 million for Wallisville Outfall $10 million for Army Corps partnership project Jackson Bayou $10 million for watershed drainage improvements $750,000 for Jackson Bayou subdivision drainage improvements Little Cypress Creek $111.8 million for additional creek volume and stormwater detention basins $30 million for Little Cypress Creek frontier program $2.4 million for 30 buyouts Luce Bayou $10 million for watershed trainage improvements $10 million to purchase land to restore natural floodplains San Jacinto River $28.2 million for 470 buyouts $25 million for drainage improvements of West Fork watershed $15 million for drainage improvements of East Fork watershed Sims Bayou $12.5 million for detention basin and channel improvements $15 million in additional channel improvements $4.5 million for South Post Oak detention basin and channel improvements Spring Creek $250,000 for drainage improvements $75,000 for several buyouts Vince Bayou $5 million for watershed drainage improvements $100,000 for several buyouts White Oak Bayou $30 million for White Oak channel improvements $35 million for Brickhouse Gully channel improvements $29.8 million for 660 buyouts Willow Creek $30 million to purchase land for floodplain restoration $21 million for channel improvements $525,000 for 10 buyouts zach.despart@chron.com twitter.com/zachdespart Mark Geyer isnt worried about NASA becoming irrelevant as discussions escalate about the commercialization of space, especially the controversial plan to end federal funding for the International Space Station. Instead, the new director of NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston sees it as an opportunity for the space agency to return to its roots, focusing on human space exploration after two decades of sending astronauts to the same place in low Earth orbit, where the station flies. NASAs job has always been to provide vision and to do things no company can make money doing, Geyer said this week in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. We need to let go of the stuff we know other people can do and have the motivation to do themselves. President Donald Trump proposed earlier this year that space station operations be transitioned over to private companies in 2025, making the United States a customer of the scientific laboratory in the stars rather than one of its benefactors. The proposal, which must be approved by Congress, has drawn ire from legislative leaders concerned that companies will not be up to the task. Federal funding for the space station was already set to end in 2024, but Congress can extend that date. Experts believe the space station will be operational until at least 2028. We need to start thinking about what the future of the ISS is going to be (but) right now were just starting to see companies express an interest in going to the space station, he said. We want to make sure we have a target for when to transition the station, but we dont want to mess it up, Geyer said. Geyer, 59, sat down with the Chronicle on Tuesday, about two weeks after taking over as Johnsons 12th center director. He replaced Ellen Ochoa, a veteran astronaut who retired last month after 30 years with the agency. She was the second woman and first Hispanic person to lead the nations astronaut corps at Johnson, where human space flight research and training take place. Geyer, an Indiana native who started his career at Johnson 28 years ago, said he feels fortunate to take the helm at such an exciting time in the space agencys history. In the next few years, NASA has plans to send American astronauts back near the moon, restart spaceflight launches in Florida rather than Kazakhstan (where astronauts currently rocket to the space station) and build a mini-space station orbiting the moon. Im most excited for getting back to launching people from the U.S., Geyer said. Our Russian partners have been terrific, but I think its important for us to have launch capability. As the new center director, Geyer oversees the nations astronaut corps, the Orion program and mission operations for the space station, among other things. He wants to continue the Johnson tradition of nearly flawless operations on the space station since 2000, the first year crew lived aboard, and make sure the Orion spacecraft is ready for launch. Obstacles NASA faces Along with transitioning space station operations to private companies, Trumps $19.9 billion proposed budget for the next fiscal year tasks NASA with launching an uncrewed Orion flight by 2021, followed by a launch of Americans around the moon in 2023. It also would set aside $504.2 million in the coming year to begin working on the foundation on a $2.7 billion Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway basically a mini-space station orbiting the moon where astronauts could live and work. This is a significant departure from the Obama administrations plans for the agency, which were focused on sending astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 and then near Mars by the 2030s. And that difference is one of the biggest obstacles NASA faces, Geyer said. With each president comes a new plan for the nations space endeavors. The Orion program, which Geyer worked on at Johnson, is a great example of this. The spacecraft was initially part of President George W. Bushs Constellation Program, which aimed to send astronauts back to the moon. In 2010, the Obama administration ended the Constellation Program saying it was too costly and inefficient, though the Orion spacecraft was spared the ax to serve as a next generation capsule for future Mars missions. The Trump administration has now shifted back toward Bushs plans, using Orion to get astronauts back to the moon. Policy fluctuations can be difficult to weather, he said. It can cause fluctuations in the space program and thats hard if youre trying to move the country forward. But thats life, so you need to develop strategies to navigate that. Geyer said hes in favor of a return to the moon, but that reaching Mars by the early 2030s will be difficult if the agency does not start developing a spacecraft to take astronauts there soon. The current strategy is that were going to start first by accessing the surface of the moon, Geyer said. So in the budget horizon, which means over the next five years, we dont have a Mars transport in that, so that would make it tough. alex.stuckey@chron.com twitter.com/alexdstuckey The state attorney general Monday asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit by three Harris County hearing officers who are fighting sanctions by Texas judicial ethics commission earlier this year over unfair bail practices. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also asked that the case brought by three admonished magistrates be transferred from Harris County, where the judges sit, to Travis County, where the State Commission on Judicial Conduct is based. Paxton also asserts that the state watchdog agency has sovereign immunity from being sued. The lawsuit, filed in May by three local magistrates, challenges the commissions finding that they violated the state code of conduct for judges during probable cause hearings for newly arrested defendants. The hearing officers, Eric Hagstette, Jill Wallace and Joseph Licata III, initially challenged the commissions findings through a more straightforward appeal to the states Special Court of Review. However, they later withdrew that appeal and sued the commission to have their records be cleared of the findings of misconduct. Mike Stafford, who is representing the magistrates free of charge in this lawsuit, said the sanctions should be eliminated because the watchdog commission surpassed its authority in telling magistrates they cant refer bond matters to the judges assigned to the cases. This case presents an important and rare opportunity to affirm that the Commission may not interpret Texas law and to ensure that the Commission is not allowed to exceed its mandate, Stafford argued in district court filings. The complaint to the judicial commission, initiated by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, was prompted by videos of bail hearings that were included as evidence in the landmark civil rights case against Harris Countys criminal justice system for unequal treatment of poor defendants at bail hearings. Whitmire claimed that judicial officers on the videolink hearings appeared to ignore pleas from defendants who asked for bond with no cash up front. Others set high bonds because a person didnt call them sir or they didn't like the demeanor of the defendant. In three similar rulings, the commission found Jan. 10 that Hagstette, Wallace and Licata failed to comply with the law, maintain professional competence and adhered too strictly to elected judges directives not to issue personal bonds. They had constitutional and statutory obligation to consider all legally available bonds, including personal recognizance bonds, the commission said. The magistrates lawsuit remains pending before Harris County state District Judge Randy Wilson in the 157th court. Split SCOTUS outcomes for federal defendants: a plain error win in Rosales-Mireles and an explanation loss in Chavez-Meza | Main | Ailing "ice pick killer" in Texas, seeking to halt his scheduled execution, points to failed efforts in Alabama and Ohio Attorney General Jeff Sessions today delivered these remarks to the National Sheriffs' Association Annual Conference, and his comments covered lots of criminal justice ground that I do not recall him previously speaking about directly. The speech is worth reading in full because of all it reveals about how AG Sessions' looks at crime and criminals, and here are just some of the comments that caught my attention: This is a difficult job, but when rules are fairly and consistently enforced, life is better for all particularly for our poor and minority communities. Most people obey the law. They just want to live their lives. Theyre not going to go out and commit violent crimes or felonies. As my former boss, President Reagan used to say, Most serious crimes are the work of a relatively small group of hardened criminals. That is just as true today as it was back then. Thats why weve got to be smart and fair about how we identify criminals and who we put behind bars and for how long.... I want to call your attention to something important. A few weeks ago, the Department of Justices Bureau of Justice Statistics released a new report on the recidivism rate of inmates released from state prisons in 30 states. This is the longest-term study that BJS has ever done on recidivism and perhaps the largest. It was designed by the previous administration. The results are clear and very important. The results are of historic importance. The reality is grim indeed. The study found that 83 percent of 60,000 state prisoners released in 2005 were arrested again within nine years. Thats five out of every six. The study shows that two-thirds of those a full 68 percent were arrested within the first three years. Almost half were arrested within a year one year of being released. The study estimates that the 400,000 state prisoners released in 2005 were arrested nearly 2 million times during the nine-year period an average of five arrests each. Virtually none of these released prisoners were arrested merely for probation or parole violations: 99 percent of those arrested during the 9-year follow-up period were arrested for something other than a probation or parole violation. In many cases, former inmates were arrested for an offense at least as serious if not more so as the crime that got them in jail in the first place. It will not surprise you that this is often true for drug offenders. Many have thought that most drug offenders are young experimenters or persons who made a mistake. But the study shows a deeper concern. Seventy-seven percent of all released drug offenders were arrested for a non-drug crime within nine years. Presumably, many were arrested for drug crimes also. Importantly, nearly half of those arrests were for a violent crime. We cant give up.... This tells us that recidivism is no little matter. It is a fact of life that must be understood. But overall, the good news is that the professionals in law enforcement know what works in crime. Weve been studying this and working on this for 40 years. From 1964 to 1980, the overall violent crime rate tripled. Robbery tripled. Rape tripled. Aggravated assault nearly tripled. Murder doubled. And then, from 1991 to 2014, violent crime dropped by half. Murder dropped by half. So did aggravated assault. Rape decreased by more than a third, and robbery plummeted by nearly two-thirds. That wasnt a coincidence. Between that big rise in crime and that big decline in crime, President Reagan and the great Attorney General Ed Meese went to work. There was the elimination of parole, the Speedy Trial Act, the elimination of bail on appeal, increased bail for dangerous criminals before trial, the issuing of sentencing guidelines, and in certain cases, mandatory minimum sentences. We increased funding for the DEA, FBI, ATF, and federal prosecutors. And most states and cities followed Reagans lead. Professionalism and training dramatically increased in local law enforcement. These were the biggest changes in law enforcement since the founding of this country. These laws were critical to re-establishing public safety. When a criminal knows with certainty that he is facing hard time, he is a lot more willing to confess and cooperate with prosecutors. On the other hand, when the sentence is uncertain and up to the whims of the judge, criminals are a lot more willing to take a chance.... The certainty of a significant and fixed sentence helps us get criminals to hand over their bosses, the kingpins and the cartel leaders and helps remove entire gangs and criminals from the street. Left unaddressed these organizations only get richer, stronger, more arrogant and violent placing whole neighborhoods in fear. Law enforcement officers understand that. Sheriff Eavenson and NSA have been critical allies in the fight to preserve mandatory minimums for a long time and I want to thank you for your strong advocacy. Many doubt their value. Maybe this is obvious, but a recidivist cant hurt the community if he is incarcerated. A lot of people who would have committed crimes in the 1990s and 2000s didnt because they were locked up. Murders were cut in half after 1980.... Look, our goal is not to fill up the prisons. Our goal is to reduce crime and to keep every American safe. We should not as a policy keep persons in prison longer than necessary. But clear and certain punishment does in fact make America safer.... One of the most important laws that President Reagan signed into law was the Armed Career Criminal Act. Thats the law that requires a minimum 15- year sentence for felons caught with a firearm after their third robbery or burglary conviction. These are not so-called low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who are being picked on. These are criminals who have committed multiple serious offenses. In 2015 after 30 years on the books one critical line of the law was struck down by the Supreme Court as being too vague. But because of this impactful ruling, every federal prosecutor lost one of their most valuable tools and they ask me for help regularly. Just one example is Jeffrey Giddings of Oregon. He had more than 20 convictions since 1991. He was let out of jail after the Court ruling and only 18 days later shot a police officer and held two fast food employees hostage. He has now been sentenced to another 30 years in prison. And the last thing he did before being put back in jail was to lash out in a tirade of profanity at police.... More than 1,400 criminals each convicted of three felonies have been let out of jail in the three years since the Court ruling. And so far, more than 600 have been arrested again. On average, these 600 criminals have been arrested three times since 2015. A majority of those who have been out of prison for two years have already been arrested again. Here in Louisiana, nearly half of the released ACCA offenders released because of this court ruling have already been rearrested or returned to federal custody.... In this noble calling, all of us in this room are leaders. The NSA is fulfilling its responsibility in this regard. We must communicate sound principles to our policy leaders and to the American people when it comes to reducing crime: A small number of people commit most of the crimes; Those who are jailed for crimes are very likely to commit more crimesoften escalating to violent crimes after their release; and Congress and our legislatures must consider legislation that protects the public by ensuring that we incapacitate those criminals and deter others And so the point is this: we should always be looking for effective and proven ways to reduce recidivism, but we must also recognize that simply reducing sentences without reducing recidivism unfairly creates more victims. This Department of Justice under President Trump is committed to working with you to deliver justice for crime victims and consequences to criminals. We want to be a force multiplier for you. The President has ordered us to back the women and men in blue and to reduce crime in America. And thats what we intend to do. We embrace that mission and enforce the law with you. Why any human being would want to end her life is, for many people, simply incomprehensible. But the recent deaths by suicide of two celebrities and a national report about a rising number of suicides has us talking, tweeting and posting. And, importantly, asking, Why? Who knew the outwardly cheerful and effervescent designer Kate Spade was hiding such terrible pain? Anthony Bourdain, who wore his demons as a badge of honor, nevertheless shocked us with his suicide. Both were successful, famous and rich. What could possibly be so horrible for them to kill themselves, leaving behind anguished family, children and friends? Suicide is not something we like to talk about. But I have a different understanding of suicide than most, both as survivor of an attempt at age 15 to take my own life, and as a survivor of my mothers death. So when people ask me, instead of staying silent, I share my story. RELATED: Gun debate should focus conversation on suicide EDITORIAL: Suicides kill more cops than criminals do, but lack of data makes solutions elusive I remember what I was thinking the night I planned my death I just didnt want to exist anymore, and I believed no one would care if I were gone. Then, as I lay in my bedroom waiting for the end, a strange thing happened: a screen opened in my mind, and a movie of my life began to play out. I saw in my minds eye all the things Id seen and experienced, and all the people I loved. I realized life was worth living. I knew then that it wasnt my time to go. More than 30 years later, I made another decision perhaps one that saved my life to walk away from my job as a television anchor at KHOU here in Houston. I had been fighting a draining 16-year battle against bulimia, while trying to manage a chronic case of depression and anxiety under a glaring, critical public spotlight. My departure surprised a lot of people because Id maintained the outward appearance of someone who had a great life. I now understand that thousands of Americans are fighting their own similar battles and that many are losing the fight. An astounding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows that the national suicide rate is up 25 percent since 1999 and that more people died by suicide in 2016 than from car crashes or opioid overdose. The suicide rate among military veterans is 22 percent higher than for civilians. Too many people, fearing judgment and discrimination because of the terrible stigma surrounding mental illness, are suffering in silence. RELATED: Address underlying causes of suicide in older adults To be sure, living with mental illness is not easy. My mother was hospitalized several times over the years as my siblings and I were growing up. Eventually, the stigma and negative attitudes she faced forced Mom to move us away from the town where we grew up. Whats more, its hard sometimes even for the people who love them to fully comprehend a family members mental illness as a disease they cannot control on their own. After all, theres no blood test to confirm depression or any brain scan to prove an anxiety disorder. More than once, when Moms bipolar disorder sent her into an exhausting manic episode, even I wanted to yell at her to just get over it! And yet, she somehow managed years of exhilarating mood swings followed by crushing depressions to raise three successful children. In the end, however, the bipolar disorder became too much to bear. Judy Foronda died by suicide in 2009. RELATED: Why do so many veterans kill themselves? I am so proud of my mother for believing her experiences might bring comfort to others who were suffering. Years before she died, we agreed that publicly telling our story might encourage people who might otherwise be too afraid or ashamed, to ask for help. Every time a friend takes the first tentative step to make an appointment with a therapist or another comes forward to share her journey, we all move one step closer to making mental illness a topic is normal, even healthy, to talk about. Now, as suicide rates continue to rise, its time to begin looking beyond negative stereotypes and attitudes about mental illness. This requires empathy, the kind of understanding that starts when we withhold judgment and look beyond what we cant objectively understand in order to change societys perspective on diseases of the mind and how we talk about them. For instance, I dont say my mom committed suicide. Criminals commit armed robbery or homicide. My mother died by suicide. The bipolar disorder she fought for so many years had finally twisted her reasoning so much that she actually believed we would be better off without her. The depths of my mothers despair must have been unbearable. RELATED: Lock up your guns, save a loved one's life We must also remember that mental illness is a chronic disease, like cancer or diabetes. If a friend were having an asthma attack or chest pains because of heart disease, would you tell that friend to tough it out? Finally, we must be bold and step out of our comfort zones to actively assist people who are struggling. The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. If youre reading this and considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK, or chat with someone by texting CONNECT to 741741. Youre not alone. Ive been there, and I know the darkness doesnt have to last. Foronda Harper, a former KHOU television news anchor, is senior director of investor communications at Legacy Community Health and a mental health advocate. SeaWeb Seafood Summit 2018 to kick off with Spanish fisheries advocate, includes trips to seafood producers by Chris Chase June 15,2018 | Source: SeafoodSource SeaWeb Seafood Summit 2018 is kicking off in Barcelona, Spain on Monday, 18 June, and the agenda is as full of sustainability-focused events as ever. Running from 18 to 21 June, the events opening address will be given by Javier Garat, a leading Spanish Fisheries Advocate. Scheduled to speak at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, 19 June, Garat is the current president of Europes International Coalition of Fisheries Associations, and of the EUs Association of National Organizations of Fishing Enterprises. Hes served at the helm of a number of seafood industry associations over the years, and is also the head of Cepesca, a Spanish fishing Confederation. Javier Garat is one of the most highly regarded voices in the Spanish seafood industry, and Im delighted that hell be joining us at SeaWeb Seafood Summit and welcoming this years attending professionals, said Brenna Hensley, event director for Diversified Communications, which produces the Summit in partnership with SeaWeb. His work on behalf of Spain and EU fisheries serves as a beacon for other regions and is one of the reasons were proud to bring the Summit to Barcelona this year. Garat has recently made headlines for his public advocacy for economically sustainable fishing regulations, saying that the efforts have been paying off for both conservationists and the seafood industry. Following Garats opening address is a packed agenda full of plenaries, networking, and seminars covering topics from the challenges facing aquaculture to social responsibility in within the industry. Also included are the annual Seafood Champion Awards, the finalists of which have been announced. The winners will be given their awards on 19 June. Following the three days of events and seminars, participants will get the chance to take a daylong sustainable-seafood focused field trip up the coast of Spain. Participants in the field trip will first stop at the family-owned swordfish processor Frime, which has roots in the Boqueria Market and a long-held corporate commitment to sustainability. Participants will then head to Cofradia de Palamos, a red shrimp trawl fishery that is part of the Medfish project. While in that area, theyll visit the nearby Port de Palamos and the Museu de la Pesca, before viewing a live red shrimp auction. The field trip component of the Summit really reinforces the events commitment to expanding attendees educational experience from the conference to the actual field, Hensley said. Opportunities to experience sustainability hands-on add essential elements to attendee development, as well as the creation of effective sustainable strategies. This field trip will help accomplish that and solidify concepts presented throughout the conference agenda. SeaWeb Seafood Summit 2018 is bringing together 105 speakers, all of which are experts on sustainability from across the globe. The long list of speakers includes representatives from the seafood industry, academia, government, the media, and more. A project of The Ocean Foundation, the event is organized in partnership with Diversified Communications. 2018 Diversified Communications Theme(s): Others. Kenyan fishermen held by Ugandan officers freed after ransom is paid by ROBERT OMOLLO June 18,2018 | Source: The Star The Ugandan security officers yesterday morning released the six Kenyan fishermen they arrested on Friday in Lake Victoria after Sh54,000 ransom was paid. The six were in three boats. They were arrested near Ringiti Island, while fishing. Penina Aluoch, the owner of the boats, said the Ugandan security personnel demanded ransom of Sh18,000 for each boat. I was forced to pay Sh54,000 to get back my boats, Aluoch said. Islands prone to attack by Ugandan officers are Remba, Kiwa, Mfangano and Migingo. Suba North police boss Charles Mwangi said the six fishermen were released after we negotiated. Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo and Lake Victoria beach management units chairman Tom Guda yesterday asked the government to protect Kenyans from continuous harassment by Ugandan officers. The MP said they have raised concerns over conflicts between Kenyan fishermen and Ugandan security officers and it is time the state solved the matter. We need the state to come in and solve the matter once and for all. Its unfortunate Kenyan security officers in Lake Victoria islands dont even have patrol boats to address insecurity conclusively, she said. Guda said Kenyan fishermen have been roughed up by Ugandan security personnel when going about their business. What Kenyan fishermen undergo in the hands the Ugandan security officials is not new. The state should end it completely to save our people, he said. Last week in Siaya, three Kenyan security officers were arrested and disarmed by Ugandan soldiers in Lake Victoria and taken to Uganda by boat. Siaya county AP boss Patrick Lumumba said the incident involved up to eight soldiers on patrol, who arrived in a Kenyan boat. 2018 The Star, Kenya Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. Bangladesh readies policy to help fishermen killed or disabled in natural disasters by Shahidul Islam The government of Bangladesh has finalised the draft policy for offering incentives for the permanently disabled fishermen and their families, the fisheries and livestock minister has said. Financial support will also be given to the families of fishermen killed in natural disasters such as cyclones and storm surges, or in attacks by robbers, tigers, crocodiles and snakes during fishing. The policy will come into effect following an inter-ministerial meeting, said Fisheries and Livestock Minister Narayan Chandra Chanda. The families of dead fishermen registered with the Department of Fisheries and having identity cards issued by the government will receive compensations ranging between Tk 50,000 and Tk 100,000, Chanda told bdnews24.com. Financial assistance ranging from Tk 30,000 to Tk 50,000 will be given to the fishermen who become permanently disabled while fishing. Under the Fishermen Registration and Identity Card Project launched in 2012, fishermen had availed themselves of the incentives and facilities provided by the government in fiscal 2016-17. The government believes it is appropriate to continue financial assistance from the fiscal year and provide financial assistance to the fishermens families. According to the fisheries and livestock ministry, 18.5 million people are directly or indirectly dependent on fisheries. Without fishing, there is no alternative source of income for them. Many of them cannot afford fishing nets and boats. The fishing sector accounted for 3.61 percent of gross domestic product or GDP and 24.41 percent of agricultural GDP. bdnews24.com Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. Norwegian fisherman speaks out about oil industry by Stan Gorton June 18,2018 | Source: The Islander Norwegian commercial fisherman Bjrnar Nicolaisen has spoken out about the negative impacts of the oil industry on his livelihood. The group Oil Free Seas Australia has picked up on his appeal posting a video of Mr Nicolaisen on its Facebook page. Kangaroo Island based environmental campaigner Linda Irwin-Oak urged everyone to watch the video. If you have any doubts at all about the company Statoil/Equinor drilling in the Great Australian Bight, then this will make your mind up 100 per cent, Ms Irwin-Oak said. Statoil is not to be trusted and this plea is from a man that has fought and won a battle against the oil giant on his home grounds. Mr Nicolaisen lives on Andya, the northernmost island in the Vesteralen archipelago, situated about 300 kilometres inside the Arctic circle. The capitol on Andoeya is Andenes and that's where I have my boat and deliver the catches, he told The Islander. I most of the time do jigging, using machines. The main fishery here is the cod fishing wintertime from January to April and fishing for saith, similar to pollack, the rest of the year. But here are also rich fisheries based on haddock and Greenland halibut. Mr Nicolaisen alleges Statoil was very much in front when the Norwegian government decided to carry out so-called "pre-surveys" on his fishing grounds in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The decision was taken after the majority of local mayors went down to Oslo and begged on their knees for the pre-surveys, he said/ Statoil/Equinor had at that time been in contact with the mayors for many years. This was discovered during a TV-program on the Norwegian state channel NRK in 2008. When the "pre-surveys" started up the fish, saithe, just disappeared and it didn't return before six years after the last year of blastings. Lucky for us the blastings only took place summertime from May to September, otherwise they may have destroyed our main livelihood - the cod fishery. Seismic blastings are an important and continuous part of the oil industry head of the Norwegian Petroleum directory Bente Nyland stated on Andenes in 2007. This actually means that the blastings are being done as long as the oil industry is there. This was a shock for us fishermen. We thought the blastings only were needed in front of the drillings. And thats the main reason why fisheries can't survive oil drillings. But there are lots of other negative effects on the environment connected to our seas we so much depend on. We know that the blastings scare fish species' on very long distances. Actually the noise from seismic surveys have been recorded at distances way longer than 170 nautical miles here in Norway. In 2007 I just had bought my fishing boat. I had two choices - sell or fight. I chose the last and realized this is going to take the rest of my life and you can not do this alone. The most important thing I do is inspiring the youth and connect with coastal communities around the world to compare and share info about the oil industry. And provide support. I do this as a private person and commercial fisherman and have no economic supply from anybody. Statoil/Equinor meanwhile has said it will only drill and conduct surveys in the Bight if it is safe to do so. The Islander Theme(s): Others. SCOTUS finally grants cert on new cases, including two criminal justice cases | Main | Attorney General Sessions laments state recidivism data and impact of Johnson ACCA ruling June 18, 2018 Split SCOTUS outcomes for federal defendants: a plain error win in Rosales-Mireles and an explanation loss in Chavez-Meza The Supreme Court has handed down this morning its last two sentencing cases, Rosales-Mireles v. United States and Chavez-Meza v. United States, and they are split decisions in every sense. In Rosales-Mireles v. United States, No. 169493 (S. Ct. June 18, 2018) (available here), Justice Sotomayor writes for the Court ruling in favor of the federal defendant, with Justice Thomas writing the chief dissent joined by Justice Alito. In Chavez-Meza v. United States, No. 175639 (S. Ct. June 18, 2018) (available here), Justice Breyer writes for the Court ruling in favor of the federal government, with Justice Kennedy writing the chief dissent joined by Justices Kagan and Sotomayor. Here is the Court's opening paragraph in Rosales-Mireles: Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 52(b) provides that a court of appeals may consider errors that are plain and affect substantial rights, even though they are raised for the first time on appeal. This case concerns the bounds of that discretion, and whether a miscalculation of the United States Sentencing Guidelines range, that has been determined to be plain and to affect a defendants substantial rights, calls for a court of appeals to exercise its discretion under Rule 52(b) to vacate the defendants sentence. The Court holds that such an error will in the ordinary case, as here, seriously affect the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings, and thus will warrant relief. Here is the Court's opening paragraph in Chavez-Meza: This case concerns a criminal drug offender originally sentenced in accordance with the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Subsequently, the Sentencing Commission lowered the applicable Guidelines sentencing range; the offender asked for a sentence reduction in light of the lowered range; and the District Judge reduced his original sentence from 135 months imprisonment to 114 months. The offender, believing he should have obtained a yet greater reduction, argues that the District Judge did not adequately explain why he imposed a sentence of 114 months rather than a lower sentence. The Court of Appeals held that the judges explanation was adequate. And we agree with the Court of Appeals. As regular readers should now come to expect, sentencing cases have a way of producing notable voting patters. Criminal defendants and defense attorneys should be intrigued and encouraged by that both Chief Justice Roberts and the new Justice Gorsuch signed on to the majority opinion in Rosales-Mireles. But defendants and defense attorneys surely will also be troubled that the Chief along with Justices Breyer and Ginsburg were all willing to embrace the "close enough for government work" approach in Chavez-Meza. June 18, 2018 at 10:17 AM | Permalink Comments Yeah know I'm coming to like this Gorsuch fellow. What I respect about him is that he clearly has his own view and doesn't toe a party line. Sometimes that leaves him all alone in dissent (such as the Contracts case) and sometimes that causes him to leave Thomas and Alito cooling their heels on the doorstep. The media will continue to frame him as a conservative judge and I suspect that is correct in a vague way. But clearly he doesn't march in goose-step with anyone else on the court. Posted by: Daniel | Jun 18, 2018 11:35:09 AM I was going to be amazed if they required more in Chavez-Meza. It's Rosales-Mireles I find surprising (in a good way but still surprised). Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Jun 18, 2018 9:32:21 PM Alito is simply the biggest prosecution hack there ever was to sit on SCOTUS. Posted by: anon | Jun 20, 2018 12:37:44 AM Post a comment The law does not ban social network users from raising their voices or expressing their standpoints. However, social network users have to abide by the Constitution and legal regulations. The Law on Cyber Security only regulates and tackles information violating regulations as stipulated in the Penal Code and other legal documents. According to the laws Article 15, information on cyberspace classified as illegal includes anti-state information; information that excites violent disturbance, undermines security and deranges public order; information that causes defamation and slander; information that violates economic management order; and false information that causes public panics, damages socio-economic activities, hampers state agencies activities and on-duty persons, and violates rights and benefits of other organisations and individuals. All of such information is likely to harm national security, social order, and illegal rights and benefits of organisations and individuals as stipulated in the Penal Code. Citizens are free to express their political opinions and personal views but they are not allowed to make corrupt use of the rights to distort and oppose the Party and State, excites disturbance, or defame an offend others. The Law on Cyber Security also aims to enhance protection of human rights and citizen rights stipulated in the Constitution. Article 16 presents specific regulations on protecting secrets of businesses, individuals and families. Point a, Clause 2, Article 26 said that domestic and foreign telecommunications service providers have the responsibility to keep personal information and accounts of users secured. Information of Internet users is only accessed by relevant authorities to serve investigation purposes and handle violations of cyber security regulations. Vietnamplus Imperial Valley News Center Former Federal Agent Charged with Lying in Connection with Immigration Fraud Investigation San Diego, California - Johnny Martin, a former supervisor in the Department of Homeland Security, was arraigned in federal court Tuesday on an indictment charging him with lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about his improper transmission of sensitive law enforcement information. The charges against Martin stem from an investigation into a massive immigration fraud scheme involving over 150 victims and millions of dollars in losses. According to the indictment, FBI agents approached Martin in June 2017 and asked about his dealings with an individual who had shared information with Martin and from 2010 to 2012. In fact, Martin was well acquainted with this individual. While still employed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in 2015 and 2016, Martin had improperly searched a confidential law enforcement database on more than a dozen occasions for names provided by this individual. Martin then created new documents containing the confidential information, and used his personal email account to send the documents he created to the individual. During the June 2017 interview, agents showed Martin an example of the sensitive information that he had personally extracted from a confidential law enforcement database, and had emailed directly to the individual. This document contained the personally identifiable information, immigration history, and criminal history of someone whom the individual had victimized in his immigration fraud scheme, and agents were attempting to determine how the individual had obtained this document. According to the indictment, Martin falsely claimed to agents that he had no idea how the document had been transmitted to the individual, and falsely denied sending the document or any other law enforcement sensitive information to the individual. Martins case is related to a separate immigration fraud case pending against Hardev Panesar, Rafael Hastie, and Gurdev Singh (Case No. 17CR1371-GPC). According to the indictment in that case, Panesar and Hastie posed as Department of Homeland Security agents and defrauded their victims by claiming that they could obtain immigration status and stop deportation proceedings in exchange for exorbitant fees. According to statements and filings made in court in that case, Panesar and Hastie were able to convince victims they were bona fide federal agents by, in part, presenting them with confidential information obtained from law enforcement databases. Martin, who is no longer employed by HSI, was released on bond and is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel on July 27, 2018. DEFENDANT Case Number: 18CR2835-GPC Johnny MARTIN Age: 59 Chula Vista, California SUMMARY OF CHARGE Count 1: 18 U.S.C. 1001, Making a False Statement to a Federal Agent Maximum Penalties: 5 years imprisonment, $250,000 fine, 3 years supervised release. AGENCIES Federal Bureau of Investigation Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations Customs and Border Protection - Office of Professional Responsibility *The charges and allegations contained in an Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. Imperial Valley News Center Additional Doctors Charged in Massive Kickback Scheme Related to Spinal Surgeries at Long Beach Hospital Santa Ana, California - Three additional doctors have been charged in three new cases for their roles in a 15-year-long health care fraud scheme that involved more than $40 million in illegal kickbacks paid to doctors and other medical professionals in exchange for referring thousands of patients who received spinal surgeries. As a result of the kickback scheme, more than $580 million in fraudulent bills were submitted, mostly to Californias worker compensation system. David Hobart Payne, 60, an orthopedic surgeon who lives in Irvine, was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in United States District Court on charges of conspiracy, honest services fraud, and using an interstate facility to aid in unlawful activity. A five-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury on April 25 alleges that Payne was bribed approximately $450,000 to steer more than $10 million in kickback-tainted surgeries to Pacific Hospital of Long Beach. Jeffrey David Gross, 52, an orthopedic surgeon who resides in Dana Point and Las Vegas, Nevada, appeared in federal court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to charges contained in a 14-count indictment returned earlier this year by a federal grand jury. Gross, who faces charges of conspiracy, honest services mail fraud and honest services wire fraud, was ordered to stand trial on August 7. The indictment alleges that Gross made at least $622,000 in exchange for performing and/or referring more than $19 million in kickback-tainted surgeries to Pacific Hospital. In the third indictment being announced today, Lokesh Tantuwaya, 51, who maintains residences in Rancho Santa Fe and Rock Springs, Wyoming, was charged in February by a federal grand jury. The 13-count indictment charges Tantuwaya with conspiracy, honest services fraud, and using an interstate facility to aid in unlawful activity. Tantuwaya, who pleaded not guilty in April, has been ordered to stand trial on November 6. The indictment alleges that Tantuwaya received approximately $3.2 million in kickbacks for referring and/or performing $38 million in surgeries to Pacific Hospital. The kickback scheme centered on Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, which specialized in surgeries, especially spinal and orthopedic procedures. The owner of Pacific Hospital, Michael D. Drobot, conspired with doctors, chiropractors and marketers to pay kickbacks in return for the referral of thousands of patients to Pacific Hospital for spinal surgeries and other medical services paid for primarily through the California workers compensation system. During its final five years, the scheme resulted in the submission of over $500 million in fraudulent medical bills. To date, nine defendants have been convicted for participating in the kickback scheme. If they were to be convicted of the charges in the indictments announced today, Payne, Gross and Tantuwaya would face potential sentences of decades in federal prison. An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court. The investigation into the spinal surgery kickback scheme is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; IRS Criminal Investigation; the California Department of Insurance; and the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph T. McNally and Scott D. Tenley of the Santa Ana Branch Office, and Assistant United States Attorney Ashwin Janakiram of the Major Frauds Section. Imperial Valley News Center FBI Director Christopher Wrays Statement on Release of Inspector Generals Report Washington, DC - FBI Director Christopher Wray issued the following statement during a press conference at FBI Headquarters Thursday: Good afternoon, everybody; thanks for being here on short notice. As you know, the Justice Departments Office of the Inspector General released its report today on DOJ and FBI activities in the run-up to the 2016 election. I want to say up front that I appreciate the IGs work in conducting this important review. Id like to take a few minutes to talk about the report, and then Ill answer your questions. The FBIs mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. To carry out that mission, were entrusted with a lot of authority, so our actions are subject to close oversightfrom the courts, from our elected leaders, and from independent entities like the inspector general. Thats how it should be. That examinationthat oversightmakes the FBI stronger as an organization. It makes the public more safe. With that in mind, let me briefly address the findings of the inspector generals report. I take this report very seriously, and we accept its findings and recommendations. Its also important to note what the inspector general did not find. The report did not find any evidence of political bias or improper consideration actually impacting the investigation under review. But the report does identify errors of judgment, violations of or disregard for policy, and decisions that, at the very least, in hindsight, were not the best choices. Weve already started taking the necessary steps to address those issues. First: Were going to hold employees accountable for any potential misconduct. Weve already referred conduct highlighted in the IG report to OPR, the FBIs independent Office of Professional Responsibility. We need to hold ourselves accountable for the work we do and the choices we make. And were doing that, fairly but without delay, in the way people should expect. Were going to adhere to the appropriate disciplinary process for those reviews, and once that process is complete, we wont hesitate to hold people accountable for their actions. Second: Were going to make sure that every FBI employee understands the lessons of this report. Because change starts at the topincluding right here with mewere going to begin by requiring all our senior executives, from around the world, to convene for in-depth training on the lessons we should learn from todays report. Then were going to train every single FBI employeenew hires and veterans alikeon what went wrong, so those mistakes will never be repeated. Third: Were going to make sure we have the policies, procedures, and training needed for everyone to understand and remember whats expected of us. That includes: Drilling home the importance of objectivityand of avoiding even the appearance of personal conflicts or political bias in our work; Ensuring that recusals are handled correctly and effectivelyand are clearly communicated to the appropriate people; Making all employees fully aware of our new policy on contacts with the news media, which I issued last Novemberand making clear that we will not tolerate non-compliance; Ensuring that we follow all DOJ policies about public statements on ongoing investigations and uncharged conduct; and Ensuring that our employees adhere strictly to all policies and procedures on the use of FBI systems, networks, and devices. Ive also directed our associate deputy director to lead a review of how the FBI handles particularly sensitive investigations, and to make recommendations on how those should be staffed, structured, and supervised in the futureso that every sensitive investigation is conducted to the FBIs highest standards. And well continue to work with the department to gauge our progress in all these areas. The OIG report makes clear that weve got some work to do. But lets also be clear on the scope of this report. Its focused on a specific set of events back in 2016, and a small number of FBI employees connected with those events. Nothing in the report impugns the integrity of our workforce as a whole, or the FBI as an institution. As I said earlier, fair and independent scrutiny is welcomeand appropriate accountability is crucial. Were going to learn from this report, and were going to be better as a result. But I also want to be crystal-clear about the FBI that I see. In the past 10 months, Ive met with more than 30 FBI field offices around the country, and a bunch of legat offices overseas. Ive visited with folks from every FBI division here at Headquarters. And in office after office, and meeting after meeting, I see extraordinary people doing extraordinary work. Again and again, I hear remarkable storiesfrankly, inspiring storiesof the work the FBIs men and women are doing to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. In the past few months, weve disrupted terrorist plots from Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco to a crowded shopping mall in Miami. In March, we charged a ring of Iranian state-sponsored hackers with stealing terabytes of data from scores of American universities, companies, and government agencies. We deployed more than 600 FBI folks from around the country in the recent investigation of the package bombs in Austin. This year alone, weve recovered 1,305 kids from child predatorssome as young as 7 months old. Weve arrested more than 4,600 violent gang members in just the past several months; our FBI Lab has closed thousands of cases through fingerprint identification and DNA analysis; and our Hostage Rescue Team has deployed on 27 different missions around the country. I could go on and on. The FBIs men and women are doing all this work with the unfailing fidelity to our Constitution and laws that it demands, the bravery that it deserves, and the integrity that the American people rightly expect. As FBI Director, Im laser-focused on ensuring the Bureau continues to do this great work while adhering to our core tenets of fidelity, bravery, and integrity. As Ive been saying since my confirmation hearing, Im committed to doing this job, in every respect, by the book, and I expect all our employees to do the same. Ive emphasized at every opportunity Ive had that Im a big believer in processthat our brand over 110 years is based less on our many successes than on the way we earned them. Following our rules, following the law, following our guidelines. Staying faithful to our core values and best traditions. Trying to make sure were doing the right thing in the right way. Treating everyone with respect. And pursuing the facts independently and objectively, no matter who likes it. Thats the best waythe only wayto maintain trust and credibility with the people we serve. I appreciate this chance to respond to the IG report, and Id also refer you to our written response included with the report. Now Im happy to take a few questions. Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Child Enticement Sacramento, California - Kevin Joseph Martin, 43, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of attempting to entice a child to engage in illegal sexual activity, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, between March 9, 2017, and April 22, 2017, Martin communicated with an undercover agent who was posing as person with a sexual interest in children. During the chats using a messaging application and text messages, Martin discussed with the undercover agent various ways to sexually assault the 11-year-old daughter that the undercover agent claimed to have. Eventually, the undercover agent agreed to meet Martin in a parking lot where Martin believed he would have the opportunity to perform sex acts on the girl. Martin was arrested by law enforcement when he arrived at the agreed upon location. This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, and the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelley D. Weger is prosecuting the case. Martin is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on August 30, 2018. Martin faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek. Airlines aren't always good at understanding human beings. The latest example is American Airlines and the colossal disruption that it's engendered at one of its most important hubs, Charlotte. Last week, around 675 American Eagle flights, operated by subsidiary PSA, were canceled. The airline explained: PSA Airlines, an American Airlines regional carrier, experienced a technical issue that caused them to cancel their flights for the remainder of the evening. Our team is working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and accommodate customers. When I think of technical issues, I think of momentary disruptions. In this case, many passengers were left stranded and say they were given no reason at all. On Friday, American admitted that the problem began at its Dayton, Ohio office. It claimed the issues had been solved Yet here we are again, on Monday, and American is canceling even more flights at Charlotte. Some reports say that 70 have been disappeared, as passengers are again left fuming. This is how, on Monday morning, American explained itself: We understand recent cancellations have been frustrating for customers and are doing everything in our power to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. American is working to contact all those impacted, but please check your flight status before going to the airport. It's entertaining how little airlines want to tell their customers. Especially about their computer systems. Many are at the level of a MacBook from circa 1998. I asked American why it hadn't revealed what the problem with its systems might be. I understand that it's the airline's crew scheduling hardware that's on the blink. Worse, though, the airline still seems to have no idea when the problem will be fixed. Yet a basic essence of these things is to give passengers as much of an understanding as possible. Be truthful and you'll maintain some sort of relationship with your customer. Be obfuscatory and the opposite happens. Last week, I wrote about JetBlue Mint Class passenger and renowned media figure Jason Hirschhorn. He'd been sold a seat even though, he says, the airline knew it had been broken for six days. He told me: "The issue is never the issue. It's about how you deal with the issue." It's not as if American is alone in having IT issues. Not so long ago, Delta's systems melted down to such a severe degree that the airline appeared completely hapless. It canceled thousands of flights and even its own employees vented their anger. In that instance, too, Delta offered bland platitudes instead of straightforward communication. As Hirschhorn says, it's the way the issue is handled that matters. This is something that, of all carriers, United Airlines has come to realize. It's been testing a new system called Every Flight Has a Story. The idea is to, well, tell passengers the truth about what's going on, as soon as is possible. For American to tell passengers merely to check their flight status simply isn't good enough. The truth can go a long way. MFG of South Dakota is a subsidiary of the Molded Fiber Glass Companies (MFG), a leader in the field of reinforced plastics and composites, serving diverse markets with a variety of composite material systems and processes. A family-owned business for more than 60 years, the company has 13 operating entities throughout North America and is headquartered in Ashtabula, Ohio. On December 6, 2017, MFG announced closure of its wind blade manufacturing plant located in Aberdeen, South Dakota. At that time, the company cited changes in market conditions and proposed revisions to tax policies impacting the wind energy industry in the United States as the reasons to shutter its South Dakota operation. The company was to close by February 15, 2018. Fortunately, on December 28, 2017 MFG of South Dakota was granted a reprieve, of sorts, as a new order was received that will sustain operations into the third quarter of 2018. It's the leadership team's hope that it can parlay its recent success into new opportunities to flourish. It is mine, too - for MFG of South Dakota is a company aiming to do some good in the world. Certainly, firms looking to profit from sustainable energy initiatives are in business to make a profit. That said, sustainable energy is good for all of us as citizens of the world. So, choosing to create an enterprise aimed at making the world a better place to live is "doing good" by its very nature. But, MFG of South Dakota's story of "doing good" doesn't end with its industry choice. In fact, that's only the beginning of the story. Facing a talent shortage in South Dakota in 2011, MFG South Dakota's leadership team decided to look into innovative ways to hire the workers that they needed to staff their plant. They learned about the Karen people from Myanmar (Burma), an ethnic minority persecuted and interned by a military dictatorship. They began to offer several of the Karen's jobs, and, as in most immigrant success stories, more followed. Clearly, the strategy of "doing good" was good for all involved; the company no longer had a struggle to find factory workers and the Karen people had a path to reliable employment in their new country - that path is the kind that most first-generation Americans would want, steady work and income to make things better for their children. Editor's note: This tour of small businesses across the country highlights the imagination, diversity, and resilience of American enterprise. Franco's Fine Clothier stands out in its humble Richmond, Virginia, neighborhood like a Hugo Boss tuxedo on a rack of flannel shirts. Surrounded by small neighborhood businesses--consignment stores, auto-repair shops, restaurants--it is a 35,000-square-foot brick-and-glass behemoth with a marble-floored rotunda and a skylight modeled on the Galleria in Milan. Franco Ambrogi, 78, is here 10 hours a day, doing what he's done since striking out on his own in 1967. Hugging customers. Chalking pants. Making bodies look better. "My heart is still very young; and I believe in everybody," says Ambrogi, in the old-world accent of his native Tuscany. "Whether you are 100 years old or 15 years old, it makes no difference to me. I respect you, and I will do the work to make you look the way you should look." Ambrogi, who wears a coat and tie everywhere, takes credit for bringing European fashion to Richmond when he arrived 63 years ago. "Back then, everything was basic," he says. "Basic gray. Basic brown. Basic navy. A two-button coat. Center vent. Flat-front trousers." A thousand people attended the store's 1986 cocktail party and fashion show, which introduced locals to designers like Armani and Valentino. The city's CBS and NBC affiliates covered the event. "In Richmond, there had been nothing like that," Ambrogi says. "It was just Richmond firms that would treat the customer for Richmond and dress the customer for Richmond." While Ambrogi has upped Richmond's style game, he is no fashionista. Rather, he is a tailor, who may complement a purple pocket square with a tape measure round his neck. Roughly a third of Franco's 26 employees across the company's two locations (the second is in an upscale mall) work in the humming, well-lit tailor shop inside its flagship store. Ambrogi may be the founder of a multimillion-dollar business, but he still insists on taking every garment apart at the seams to mark directions inside with wax chalk. "That way when the tailor gets it, no mistake is made by them," he says. "And that is the reason our success has been very good." Ambrogi's expertise--he's been altering clothes for 68 years--means Franco's can accommodate challenging physiques. About 10 percent of the business is custom and made-to-measure, which Franco's provides in conjunction with vendors like Hickey Freeman. "You go to a lot of places and they just want to maybe put a bottom on a pair of pants and shorten the sleeves," says Kevin Reardon, Ambrogi's son-in-law and now co-owner of Franco's with Ambrogi's son, Mark. (Ambrogi's daughter, Maria Reardon, also works in the business.) "Men who have been sold that way, their coats don't fit properly, their pants don't fit properly. We do whatever needs to be done to make it fit." As a banker in Richmond, Melvin Watkins wears a suit every day. For 20 years, he's bought all his clothes at Franco's, where he says he's treated like family. "I am not a European model size, and they are able to make stuff look amazing," says Watkins, who had Ambrogi's team alter his wardrobe after losing 25 pounds. "It's so nice to have a true men's clothier still around. What they do is a lost art." Moving Richmond's needle Franco Ambrogi was born in Tuscany in 1940: "a true World War baby," he says. At age 6, he learned to sew from his mother. After fifth grade, he left school to work in a tailor shop, where he labored five years without pay. An American citizen on his mother's side, Ambrogi at 15 emigrated to her hometown of Richmond. There he worked for a small tailor shop, and then at a venerable southern department store chain called Thalhimers. Eventually he fetched up at the upscale specialty retailer Berry-Burk. With three children by 1967, Ambrogi supplemented the family's income by tailoring in his garage. Most of the work was alterations, but he also custom-made suits, charging around $125. After a day at Berry-Burk, he would spend the evening at his customers' homes, doing fittings and delivering garments. One night in 1972, "I came home tired from working for the specialty shop, and my wife said, 'What the hell are we doing? Why don't we just go into business?'" Ambrogi recalls. "I said, 'OK. Let's do it.'" Ambrogi rented a small shop in a sleepy neighborhood, betting on the proximity of I-95 to deliver customers. (It did.) A warm, gregarious presence, he chatted up people at restaurants, churches, and events for the arts organizations he'd begun to support. Former clients from Berry-Burk followed him with their too-long pants and too-short sleeves. "Before you turned around, there was a flow of people. No problem," he says. By 1975, Franco's Fine Clothier was chugging along nicely as a full-service business selling both ready-to-wear and custom clothes, as well as shoes, ties, and accessories. Then Saturday Night Fever put things over the top. "Leisure suits made me more money than anything," Ambrogi says. "Spire suits with the big collars. On Friday afternoons, I would sell as many as 50 of those." Franco's introduction of European fashion followed swiftly upon completion of its elegant new store, in 1985. The rotunda in particular drew in the community for parties, trunk shows, auctions, and charity events. Acclaimed designer Giorgio Sant' Angelo staged fashion shows there several times back when Franco's also sold women's apparel. "He would come in from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and we sold as much as $250,000 in furs," Ambrogi says. Your partners in shopping If you're the kind of customer who likes to slink unobserved into a store, hustle something into a fitting room, and interact with staff only at the cash register, Franco's isn't for you. A salesperson--often Ambrogi or Reardon--will greet you at the door and docent you through appropriate selections. "You have to look at the body and style of the person," Reardon says. "Everyone is focused on making sure that the customer is put in the right garment first." Franco's philosophy---"you can't sell it if you don't have it"--means the stores carry a lot of sizes, styles, and price points. Custom suits cost as much as $3,500, while ready-to-wear starts at $395. "People think all we do is $1,000 and $2,000 suits. That is not true," Reardon says. With more young people coming in, "we have more offerings with prices someone just starting out can afford." Over the years, the company, which Ambrogi calls "very, very profitable," has taken itself in a bit. For a while, it operated four stores, all within 15 minutes of one another. Finding the return incommensurate with the effort, Ambrogi closed two of them. In 2008, the company dropped its women's department. That part of the business had been the provenance of Ambrogi's wife, who had retired to battle cancer. Imagine you're McDonald's. You're one of the world's largest fast-food chains. Your core customers are families raising kids on tight budgets and people who have to drive long distances for work. Vegan, granola-munching, animal-loving activists really are not part of your customer base. So what do you do? You make a big, animal-loving announcement just to improve the world. At least, that's what McDonald's did this week when it announced it would replace plastic straws in the U.K. with paper ones and that it would begin testing plastic-straw alternatives in the U.S. as well. As you may know, even though oceans cover more than 70 percent of the Earth, humans have dumped so much plastic into them that animals such as pilot whales are dying from consuming it. By 2050, according to a prediction from the MacArthur Foundation, there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans unless something drastically changes in the meantime. And it's not just the oceans. A recent study showed that 83 percent of the world's tap water contains plastic microfibers, and (not surprisingly) water sold in plastic bottles contains even more of them. Plastic straws may seem like a small part of the problem, but the fact that there are so many of them--McDonald's alone hands out many millions every day--and their form make plastic straws particularly harmful. "McDonald's is committed to using our scale for good and working to find sustainable solutions for plastic straws globally," according to a statement by Francesca DeBiase, the company's executive vice president for global supply chain and sustainability. "We hope this work will support industry-wide change." Whether or not it's because of McDonald's, the industry definitely is changing. SeaWorld says it has already eliminated plastic straws and plastic shopping bags at all 12 of its parks. A&W says it will offer only paper straws throughout Canada by the end of this year. What's driving all this industry-wide change is public opinion, of course, backed up by the threat of laws, such as one proposed in California that would make plastic straws illegal. Anti-plastic-straw sentiment is particularly strong in the U.K., where the BBC aired the documentary Blue Planet II, which showed birds traveling thousands of miles seeking food for their young, only to wind up feeding them plastic because there was so much of it and so little of anything else. Also, the queen has come out against single-use plastics. McDonald's, perhaps because of its huge size, is taking its time implementing these changes. Plastic straws won't be completely gone from McDonald's in the U.K. until 2020. As for the U.S., the chain hasn't said what kind of plastic-straw alternatives it's testing or where it's testing them or when tests will begin, other than "later this year." Presumably, unless plastic straws are outlawed, most people in the U.S. will still be drinking their vanilla shakes through them for at least a few more years. One of the biggest common threads among successful business leaders is starting the day early. We're talking almost middle of the night early. The thought personally makes me want to eat glass due to my own experience, but if you feel like pulling a Jeff Bezos and doing it, breakfast should be your friend. Let me say that one more time, with emphasis so you internalize it better. Early to rise = breakfast not optional. Here's why, nutshell version. The hours you go without any fuel Let's assume that you eat dinner around 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. Now let's assume you get up at 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. like the "pros" do it to work before real work--12 percent of Americans do this every day, with over half (53) skipping a morning meal at least once a week. You're still alive. But now let's also assume that, if you're so driven to drag yourself out of bed at that kind of hour, then like 29 percent of Americans, you likely feel compelled, probably by sheer demand or the desire to look productive and gain a semblance of job security, to work through your lunch, too. This sequence translates to going almost 24 hours without a real meal, because realistically, you're probably not going to have dinner until after work. Did you get that? If you're getting up early and not eating breakfast or lunch, you're not fasting from the time you get up to dinner. You're fasting from dinner the night before. You're a high-performance machine, but you can't live out of one Oh, but you can snack, you say. This is absolutely fine if you aren't eating junk. Some nuts, string cheese, a boiled egg--those are golden. But since 40 percent of millennials won't even eat cereal anymore because it's too inconvenient to clean up afterward, I'll bet you're leaning to a vending machine. These machines can be the only source of food for sale in a workplace. And while there are specialty companies making huge strides in healthy vending, many machines still are stocked with the typical candy bars, processed crackers or sodas. Trying to make your body work with that kind of fuel is a lot like putting crude oil in your coffee maker. You're not designed to work that way, as the statistics on diseases like obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease demonstrate. But there's intermittent fasting! But let's assume there might be benefits we don't quite grasp yet. If you regularly skip breakfast and have a good lunch, then you're naturally doing the 16:8 method (don't eat for 16 hours, eat in the next eight hour window what you want). But if you also work through lunch, then you'll likely push or exceed the recommended fasting period (14 hours for women, 16 for men). Go that long and your blood sugar might sag into dangerous territory, affecting the energy you have to do tasks and focus. Even with the eat-stop-eat method, where you fast for 24 hours, you're only supposed to do it twice a week, not every day. And some experts assert that when you have only one meal, you're less likely to eat well-balanced, nutritious food choices. And others note that, on top of potentially impairing cognitive function and sleep, this type of fasting isn't sustainable and can lead to you eventually needing to eat more. Victor Santos dreams in English. The Brazilian entrepreneur immigrated to the U.S. at 12 years of age, and watched as his father built a construction business--working primarily with marble and granite--from the ground up. Fast-forward to 2018, and Santos is now the 26-year-old founder of a financial technology startup called Airfox. He employs 20 people in Boston. Santos is also a Dreamer, named for the failed Obama-era bill that would have given the more than 800,000 people who moved to the U.S. as children a pathway to permanent residency. Whether he and this cohort are able to remain in the United States or get deported is in flux. Should the latter happen, Santos's business would surely suffer. "I pay taxes, and I create jobs," the founder says. "It feels as though my identity is American, but I'm not welcome," adds Santos, who launched the company with co-founder Sara Choi in 2016 after both spent brief stints at Google. Airfox, which also has staffers in Sao Paulo and San Francisco, began generating revenue in March of this year. It already counts roughly 10,000 users and has raised $16.5 million in funding, mostly through an initial coin offering (ICO). The company makes a digital wallet and banking app for people in emerging markets that lack access to traditional bank accounts, generating revenue by charging between 2 and 6 percent interest a month on microloans of around $100 apiece. Indeed, when President Trump announced late last year that he intended to do away with DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals--a program that defers the deportation of Dreamers--Santos was, understandably, alarmed. And while the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in February that it would not hear the president's appeal of a federal judge's ruling--which required the government to keep the program going in the interim--a legislative solution still seems far off. Multiple bipartisan proposals for reinstating the program have died on the vine, leaving those like Santos uncertain about their future in the country. "A lot of DACA recipients, including myself, are very scared all the time," the entrepreneur adds. "We don't know what's going to happen, and in the meantime, people use our identity against us." To his point, although Santos has seen a fair amount of early success with his startup, the founder says his Dreamer status has been an obstacle in more ways than one. "Some investors just didn't feel comfortable with the fact that I was a DACA recipient," Santos tells Inc. "There's a lot of ignorance, with people thinking that you'll run back to your country." That partially explains why Airfox, which raised just over $1 million from the Boston area investment group Project 11 Ventures, elected to hold an ICO last fall, through which it was able to raise another $15 million through sales of its own cryptocurrency. Uncharted Path Santos and his parents are a unique case study. Originally, the family emigrated to the U.S. from Brazil--from the mountain-shrouded city of Belo Horizonte--as part of the L-1 and L-2 visa programs for intracompany transfers. Santos' father, he explains, had been able to secure the visa in the early 2000s while working on his construction firm. For years on end, the family simply renewed their visa status until one day, in 2009, their applications for both renewals and a series of green cards were denied. Santos, who was weeks away from graduating high school, had a new reality to contend with: He was now in the U.S. illegally. Santos moved to San Francisco, where he was able to secure a job at a local startup, and applied and was admitted to U.C. Berkeley. (He and his parents were able to remain in the U.S. by repeatedly appealing the visa rejections.) There, he got his hands dirty in entrepreneurship, dabbling in a telecom startup between coursework. It wasn't until 2013, when then-President Obama enacted the DACA program, that Santos finally had the security of knowing he wouldn't be deported at a moment's notice. "That really saved me," he says. His experience growing up in Brazil, a country where the discrepancy between the ultra-wealthy and ultra-poor is vast, inspired Santos to create a solution that would empower those who lacked access to traditional banks. Airfox--similar to alternative lending solutions such as SoFi and Lending Club--says it is able to charge its customers a much smaller fee for its short-term loans, since it uses technology to evaluate credit on nontraditional factors. "If someone has a job, their location patterns are fairly predictable," Santos explains. "We can assess that based on GPS location." Other factors might include the frequency of payments; the number of people a user interacts with through the app on a daily basis; and transactional history. In addition to obtaining loans through Airfox, customers can use the affiliated digital wallet to deposit cash to retailers, for example. While Santos is clear-eyed that competition in the financial technology sector is heating up--particularly from services such as Tala, which is similarly targeting emerging markets including Kenya and the Philippines--he insists that his primary market, his native Brazil, is untapped. "There is no one doing this to the level that we're doing it," he says. By the end of the year, Airfox anticipates clinching more than 200,000 users, and doling out roughly 10,000 loans per month--but his company's continued success may all be dependent on Congress. If no legislative solution for DACA is reached, and Santos is deported, he says it would be difficult to continue working from Brazil. "We are a heavy engineering company, and all of our coders are in Boston," he says. "The Brazilian market is just not comparable in terms of talent and execution." Santos, whose Portuguese is rusty, reinforces what many Dreamers have repeatedly told Inc.: Having left his native country as a child, he knows no one there and has no salient ties that would allow him to make a fresh start. "I would never have been able to get to where I am today if I was in Brazil," he adds. The British Mesopotamian Campaign of the First World War took almost three years to get to Baghdad and the occupying force faced many challenges once it arrived. In fact, Britains overwhelming predominance over Iraq from 1917 to 1947 was a time of rough and violent political and economic communication. But the large number of English loan words in the Iraqi dialect of Arabic suggests that the communication was not always defensive. More importantly, the quality of borrowed words and the way they are twisted to fit Iraqi usage reflect the fact that Iraqis were fascinated by the language and culture of their occupiers, whom they ironically nicknamed Abu Naji after the commonly held belief that Iraqi monarch Ghazi bin Faisal had been murdered at the behest of the British by his driver, Abu Naji, in a faked car accident. However, while I can clearly identify many words as English in origin for example, biskit, torch, radio, short there are many other words altered enough to look like anything but English. These include timman, paicha, fuss glass. English loan words in the Iraqi dialect are found in almost all the aspects of daily life. Here I will focus on funny or unusual borrowings but first I will start with one in English. Back to 1999, in a poetry lecture at al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, I still remember how thirsty I felt when I heard Professor al-Wasitti, while reading Eliots poem Journey of the Magi, pronouncing the word sherbet. The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, And the silken girls bringing sherbet He looked at us while we stared when we heard that word. Yes, he said. It is our sherbet. The poem was published in 1927 when the British were in Iraq, but the word came to English via the Ottomans in the 17th century. TS Eliots poem Journey of the Magi refers to sherbet, a word that travelled from Arabic to Turkish to English before returning to Iraq (Alamy) The Iraqis could have borrowed the word from Turkish (or from English after 1914) but the word itself originally came to Turkish from Arabic sharab or drink. The word sherbet, meaning juice, is used only in Iraq. In 2001, my Syrian cousin, who was visiting Iraq for the first time, asked: Why do you have signboards saying She drank grape juice? I explained to him, while struggling not to laugh, that it is sherbet juice and not sherbat, meaning she drank. The word in both cases is written the same without case markings. My cousin, however, thought that we both Arabic speakers say asir for juice and not sherbet. It remains such a funny coincidence that the word sherbet returned to Iraq unchanged with the British, though at a high cost. The word fuss means segment in Arabic, and glass for cup is clearly from the English word glass. Together, fuss glass literally means shiny segment of glass. But few people in Iraq know that it is from the English first class. It is used to give the same meaning something that is top quality. The word ruz, meanwhile, is used both in standard and vernacular Arabic for rice. In Iraq, however, we say temmen. The word is believed to be ten men, which was a brand of Indian basmati rice. The myth says Iraqi farmers refused to supply the British with rice to feed their soldiers. Instead, the British imported Ten Men. Iraqi porters used to hear British soldiers telling them to carry the sacks of Ten Men (assimilated into temmen), and thought it meant rice in English. Everywhere in Iraq, the word is still used for rice, which is an integral part of Iraqi cuisine. It is widely known in Iraq that the name of a town called twairij is from English (two way reach), too. While that made both the town popular and the myth true, the name is in fact Arabic: tari (way or road), the diminutive form of which is twairiq meaning little road. In the Iraqi accent, the q is pronounced as j. A similar example is another village in western Iraq near the Jordanian border, known as traibil, which is thought to be from English trouble or tribal. Again, while the two English words seem to be apt for the nature of the place, there is no clear evidence to support this hypothesis. In 2007, while I was translating a formal document about architecture in the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, I came across a word that took me three days to identify. It was the Arabic word wajjbah and I had never heard of it before. I couldnt find the word in the Arabic-Arabic or Arabic-English dictionaries that I had. When I asked my Syrian uncle, he pointed at part of his house that looked like a balcony but without a roof. I told him we call it paitcha in Iraq. The question, however, remained: what does it mean in English? I had to call my father in Baghdad, who confirmed that this style of architecture became popular in post-British mandate Iraq. Although the word paitcha sounds like Turkish, I decided to limit my search to English. I used Collins English dictionary and found the word patio. The word is Spanish in origin, so presumably found its way into Arabic via the Moorish occupation of the Iberian peninsula. There is a clear connection between the Spanish word patio and the Arabic word baha, however. Both have the same meaning. But patio in Iraq is paitcha an Iraqi Arabic word, borrowed from English. Ahmed F Khaleel is a tutor of Arabic language and literature at the University of York. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com) Sections of coral in the Pacific and the Caribbean are fighting back against the global threats that have decimated reefs worldwide. While the discovery does not allow any room for complacency in the fight to save the worlds reefs from extinction, scientists are tentatively optimistic about what they can learn from these pockets of resistance. Climate change, hurricanes and human activities such as intensive fishing have destroyed vast swathes of the planets reefs, but in a new study scientists found this destruction was not uniform. Some coral oases are either avoiding these effects altogether, resisting them or bouncing back following changes that saw off nearby reefs. There are a number of reasons why one coral reef might survive while its neighbour dies, said Dr James Guest, a coral reef researcher at Newcastle University who led the study. It could be that the location is simply better for survival deeper water that is outside the storm tracks, for example. Coral reefs might also possess certain biological characteristics that make them able to resist damage, or characteristics of their environment may allow them to rebuild themselves effectively following damage. 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke filled with the carbon that is driving climate change drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan Identifying cases in which individuals or communities perform better than their neighbours, despite being at equal risk, is common in public health and medical fields and using a similar approach in ecology can help us to identify areas that can be prioritised for conservation, said Dr Guest. These findings were laid out in a study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology that explored dozens of these cases from tropical regions around the world. As an example, the studys lead author, Professor Peter Edmunds from California State University, Northridge, described being blown away by the ability of reefs off the French Polynesian island of Moorea to recover from destruction. Soon after Professor Edmunds and his team began working on the island in 2005, the local reefs were overrun by hordes of crown-of-thorns starfish. These many-armed creatures have played a major role in the decline of the Great Barrier Reef in recent years. By 2010, there was as close to zero coral on the outer reefs as I have seen in my entire career. And yet, within eight years, that coral has regrown, said Professor Edmunds in reference to his Moorea study site. In places, about 80 per cent of the sea floor is now covered by live coral. It is a remarkable example of an oasis. Professor Edmunds emphasised that case studies like this do not contradict the reports of mass bleaching events and predictions that coral reefs are facings an existential threat unless action is taken to avert climate change. However, there are kernels of hope in places where corals are doing better, or where they are doing less badly than elsewhere and these places provide us with a focus of attention that might be used to enhance coral conservation efforts, he noted. Scientists have voiced the need for radical interventions such as genetic modification of corals and geoengineering of the atmosphere in an effort to cool the reefs. Massive bleaching events caused by heatwaves led to catastrophic die-offs in the Great Barrier Reef in 2016 from which Australian researchers have concluded the natural wonder is unlikely to recover. This glimmer of hope does not mean we can be complacent about the severity of the crisis facing most of the worlds coral reefs, said Dr Guest. But it does give us a starting point from which to understand why some ecosystems might be more resistant than others and to identify areas that warrant stronger protection or specific management strategies, such as restoration or mitigation. Asia Argento has paid touching tribute to her late partner, the celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, by posting a photo of herself on Instagram wearing a t-shirt saying simply: "Legends never die." The Italian actresss return to social media also included a quote attributed to Plato which reads: Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always. She captioned the photo with a bible quote: For nothing is concealed that wont be revealed, and nothing hidden that wont be made known and brought to light #TruthWillPrevail. Argento also shared with her followers the texts and poetry she is reading in the wake of Bourdains passing by suicide. One of the photos posted to her Instagram Story is of American poet Matt Rasmussen's Black Aperture, which includes poetry written after Rasmussens brothers suicide. And, in a series of videos, the 42-year-old can be seen dancing to the Bee Gees song Stayin Alive alongside her 17-year-old daughter Anna Lou, while dressed in a shirt that reads: Legends Never Die. Homage. On the photos and videos, she wrote: Stayin Alive. Argento is reading poetry in the wake of Bourdain's death by suicide (Asia Argento/Instagram) Bourdain shocked the culinary world on June 8 2018 when he was found dead at the age of 61 by suicide. Since his death, there has been an outpouring of tributes to the beloved chef and host of Parts Unknown. The photos are Argentos first social media activity since she shared a tribute to Bourdain after his death in which she called him my love, my rock, my protector. Asia Argento wore a shirt that pays homage to Anthony Bourdain (Asia Argento/Instagram) Following Bourdains death, Argentos friend Rose McGowan discussed the relationship between the two in an open letter. According to McGowan, both Argento and Bourdain suffered from depression: Thankfully, she did the work to get help, so she could stay alive and live another day for her and her children. The 42-year-old danced alongside her 17-year-old daughter (Asia Argento/Instagram) Anthonys depression didnt let him, he put down his armour, and that was very much his choice. His decision, not hers. His depression won, McGowan wrote. Anthony Bourdain: Celebrity chef in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 Anthony Bourdain: Celebrity chef in pictures Anthony Bourdain: Celebrity chef in pictures The 2017 New Yorker Festival - Anthony Bourdain Talks With Patrick Radden Keefe Getty Anthony Bourdain: Celebrity chef in pictures Anthony Bourdain with Nigella Lawson and Ludo Lefebvre in Channel 4's 'The Taste' Channel 4 Television Anthony Bourdain: Celebrity chef in pictures Anthony Bourdain winning Outstanding Informational Series Or Special at the 2016 Creative Arts Emmy Awards Getty Anthony Bourdain: Celebrity chef in pictures Bourdain's no-holds-barred account of life in American kitchens is both a memoir and an insider's guide to the tricks of the trade. Anthony Bourdain: Celebrity chef in pictures Chefs Anthony Bourdain (L) and Mario Batali take a selfie Chefs Anthony Bourdain (L) and Mario Batali take a selfie Getty Anthony Bourdain: Celebrity chef in pictures Bourdain and Danny Bowien at 'The Mind Of A Chef' Premiere Launch Party Getty Anthony Bourdain: Celebrity chef in pictures Anthony Bourdain atThe 53rd annual Clio Awards Anthony Bourdain ( Honorary Clio Award) The 53rd annual Clio Awards Alamy Anthony Bourdain: Celebrity chef in pictures Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose return for the follow up to their bestseller Get Jiro! Anthony Bourdain, and Joel Rose (Kill The Poor) return for the follow-up to their #1 New York Times bestseller Get Jiro! Alamy McGowan also revealed details of the free relationship between Argento and Bourdain, which was without borders. In the letter, McGowan asked that people be better and look deeper and not blame Argento for the death of the late chef. For confidential support call Samaritans on 116 123 or visit their website here. If you have been affected by this story, you can contact the following organisations for support: https://www.mind.org.uk/,http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, orhttps://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/. In an early scene from The Gospel According to Andre, the star of the documentary sits on the porch of his home in White Plains, New York, with a hat perched jauntily on his head as he surveys a team of tree trimmers. Andre Leon Talley has spent a lifetime in fashion reporting on it, critiquing it, admiring it and wearing it. But in that moment he looks less like a fashion grandee and more like a Southern gentleman overseeing his acreage a man just home from Sunday service who would politely nod and tip his hat at any neighbour who happened past. Talley is a tall, stately African American man. He is a Southerner. And hes a churchgoer. More than anything else, these are the things that have shaped the way he has moved through life. They influence the way he judges beauty and prioritises grace. They fuelled the ambition that put him so close to the summit of the fashion mountaintop that peak from which the great editors in chief rule. And they explain why he didnt reach it. Talley has always cut a striking figure, draping his 6-foot-6 frame with silk caftans, crocodile coats and abundant fur. The clothes, he has always said, are armour. He used them to navigate through these chiffon trenches, he said in a recent interview. Fashion is a cruel world. The clothes I put on are very deliberate. His decision to collaborate with filmmaker Kate Novack came after her consulting work on The First Monday in May, a documentary about the annual Met Costume Institute exhibition and gala, directed by her husband and frequent collaborator Andrew Rossi, which featured interviews with Talley. It was the latest in a series of film projects The September Issue,Iris,Bill Cunningham New York that have shown fashion in a more humane and realistic way. While many film studios, Rossi said, are still sceptical that fashion is worthy of this kind of analysis, its now clear that fashion documentaries, with the right marketing and support, can appeal to audiences beyond the fashion community. Novack was drawn to Talley because she had seen him so many times as a supporting character in these documentaries, and each time he was the most memorable personality. Andre has always made it look easy, she said it being existing and thriving in fashion. Novack was ready to explore the fashion icons youth and his faith, public image and race. And finding a patient listener, Talley was ready to speak. I was so surprised that Id said so many things and revealed something people didnt know about me, which is my humanity, Talley said. People see the superficiality of the fashion world and maybe then see affectation. But thats not me. Or at least, it is not all that he is. Every public figure has a personal history, as well as an origin story. The latter is a bit of mythology that may or may not be laced with truth. The Gospel According to Andre is more of a personal history as told in anecdotes and snippets of conversation. Viewers meet Bruce Weaver, who was Talleys best friend growing up. He was the exact opposite of me, Talley says. Kate Spade: American fashion designer Show all 12 1 /12 Kate Spade: American fashion designer Kate Spade: American fashion designer Kate Spade poses with handbags and shoes from her 2004 next collection in New York. AP Kate Spade: American fashion designer Designer Kate Spade inside her New York flagship store on May 28, 1996. Rex Features Kate Spade: American fashion designer A view of backstage at the Kate Spade presentation during New York Fashion Week: The Shows on February 9, 2018. Getty/New York Fashion Week: The Shows Kate Spade: American fashion designer Andy Spade and Kate Spade at Karlie Kloss and Warby Parker Collaboration launch dinner, Fleurs Bella, New York in 2014. Rex Features Kate Spade: American fashion designer A model poses at the Kate Spade New York fall 2012 presentation during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Getty Kate Spade: American fashion designer Kate Spade New York "Housewarming" in celebration of the brand's home pop-up shop at Kate Spade New York Home Pop-Up Shop on March 22, 2016. Getty/Kate Spade New York Kate Spade: American fashion designer Kate Spade leaving The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala in 2007 in New York City. Getty Images North America Kate Spade: American fashion designer Designer Kate Spade at an event with handbags of her own design in New York, 1998. Rex Kate Spade: American fashion designer Kate Spade and Jack Spade Spring Accessory Collection Breakfast at the Kate Spade flagship store, September 14, 2006 in New York City. Getty Images Kate Spade: American fashion designer Kate Spade and Michael Kors pose at the CFDA hosted viewing of MOMA's "Fashioning Fiction in Photography Since 1990" April 22, 2004 in Queens, New York. Getty Kate Spade: American fashion designer Kate Spade with a handbag of her own design in 1998 in New York. Rex Features Kate Spade: American fashion designer Kate Spade arrives at the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards in New York on June 2, 2003. Reuters Weaver was the boy who passed no judgment on a young Talley as he obsessed over fashion magazines, swaddled himself in a cape and generally lived as the odd duck in Durham, North Carolina. The audience gets to know Talleys late grandmother through his memories and photographs. And they see snippets of the weekly fashion parade that Talley witnessed at Sunday morning church service. The woman who offers the most insight into Talley and serves as the only other narrative voice aside from Talley himself is not another fashion editor or designer. Its Eboni Marshall Turman, an assistant professor of theology and African American religion at Yale University Divinity School and a friend. She is the person who places Talley into a social context, considers how he has extended the definition of black manhood and makes plain that race matters in his life. She poses the question of what it means be so singular in fashion to be, as a 1994 New Yorker profile put it, The Only One. For much of his career, Talley didnt discuss race. He didnt refuse to engage on the subject; he implied that he couldnt engage because he didnt give it all that much thought. Besides, what was there to say? In the New Yorker profile, writer Hilton Als described a lunch in Paris hosted by Talley during which a French socialite referred to him by the n-word, not surreptitiously, but frankly. Several people laughed, loudly. None laughed louder than Andre Leon Talley, Als wrote. But it seemed to me that a couple of things happened before he started laughing: he shuttered his eyes, his grin grew larger, and his back went rigid, as he saw his belief in the durability of glamour and allure shatter before him in a million glistening bits. Talley attempted to pick those pieces up. Race is no longer subtext in todays fashion conversation. It has moved into the spotlight. And in the documentary, Talley unburdens himself, not fully but emotionally. Hes in the photo archives at Vogue when he recalls the insulting way in which a French publicist referred to him behind his back: Queen Kong. Thats probably one of the most important moments in the film, Novack said in an interview. The fancy suits and silk shirts are no protection. Neither are his fluency in French, his deep knowledge of fashion history or his work ethic. Race does define me, Talley said. It feels more relevant now to bring it to the forefront. Talley recalls how during his early days at Vogue, Anna Wintour, the magazines editor in chief, would call me in and quietly and directly ask me to look at a layout when it included people of colour. Shed ask me, Did I think it would offend anyone? In one case, he previewed a 1999 fashion story featuring Kate Moss and Sean P Diddy Combs as a glamorous couple in Paris. She wears slinky evening gowns; hes draped in fur. Talley gave his approval. Theres no creativity without diversity, Talley says. The documentary highlights a 1996 fashion shoot Talley organised for Vanity Fair called Scarlett n the Hood, in which black model Naomi Campbell plays Scarlett OHara and white designers are cast as servants. But one of his proudest moments, he said in an interview, is the 2009 Vogue cover story of first lady Michelle Obama. Anna took me to lunch in the Conde Nast boardroom. She said, Were going to meet (presidential adviser) Valerie Jarrett to convince her to let Michelle Obama be on the cover. Let me do the talking; youll just sit there, Talley recalls. Wintour arrived with a stack of notebooks featuring all the first ladies the magazine had photographed in the past. I sat there and smiled. And Wintour said, Andre would do the story. That was a very important moment in our relationship and one of the most important assignments. Talley is no longer the only one, but he has yet to become one of many. The industry has shifted in diversity, but not necessarily in terms of black people. We have models that are Muslim, transgender. The only great moment, the important moment for us is the appointment of Edward Enninful as editor in chief of British Vogue, Talley said. There have been black female editors at Conde Nast but none with the prestige of a Vogue. ... This took all these years. Its the beginning of a defining moment. Im ever hopeful, he added. I think the world moves slow. But Talley has done his part to push it along. The Washington Post Britain has become a nation of "culinary freestylers" who refer to recipe books just twice a month, it has emerged. Rather than playing it safe with traditional British dishes, four in five Brits are experimenting with global cuisine, adding their own twist to international delicacies, a study of 2,000 adults found. Curry dishes, stir fry and spaghetti Bolognese were favourite dishes chosen by home-cooks to express themselves with unusual ingredients and approaches. One in four Brits find Chinese recipes the easiest to experiment with, adding in their own blends of spices, and 14 per cent prefer to experiment with bold Mexican flavours. Yet Japanese food is considered the most intimidating cuisine by cooks looking for a challenge, followed by Vietnamese and Middle Eastern food, according to the study by food company Tilda rice. While more than 40 per cent of Brits have enjoyed Thai food when eating on a night out, only one in five have ever felt brave enough to attempt to freestyle it in their own kitchen, according to the study. 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 Tilda is opening a restaurant dubbed a "Ricetaurant" this month in Londons Shoreditch, which is designed to help amateur cooks experiment global recipes at home. Anna Beheshti from Tilda said: Rice is the ultimate freestyle ingredient. It is the most widely consumed food in the world and unites almost every cuisine from Thai and Middle Eastern, to Mexican and Japanese. "We hope our Ricetaurant will encourage people to embrace all of the worlds delicious cuisines and give them the confidence to try to be even more adventurous freestylers. All proceeds from the Ricetaurant will go to The Felix Project. SWNS Google News is checked by millions of people on a daily basis looking for quick access to a range of coverage of a given event or issue. It was founded by software developer Krishna Bharat in 2002 in response to the scramble for news that followed the attacks on the World Trade Centre on 11 September 2001. The service collects and ranks all articles on a particular topic then making international headlines into clusters, allowing readers to choose which publications account they read. But how does Google rank the content it shows? Rather than a physical team of news editors, Google relies on an algorithm whose methodology, like Colonel Sanders recipe for fried chicken, is a closely guarded secret. The algorithm reviews content automatically, looking for indicators of quality, assessing a storys placement based on the number of user clicks it is attracting, the popular consensus on the trustworthiness of its publisher, the relevance of the story to the readers current geographical location and the freshness (i.e. publication date and time) of the story in question. Google News is therefore more likely to rank British news sites highly when the story concerns a fire in London than reports on the same incident from much-admired publishers from further afield like The New York Times or Washington Post. The recurrence of specific keywords across publications and the level of public interest indicated by user searches guide the algorithm in its creation and organisation of specific subjects into clusters. Josh Cohen, Googles business product manager, explained in an interview with Search Engine Land the sort of questions Googles system is asking itself: Whats the aggregate editorial interest is in a given story? What does everyone have on their front page? Thats going to drive the results. What do editors collectively feel is the top story of the day? Google rarely excludes sites from featuring in its search results but does confess to favouring those that primarily offer timely reporting or analysis of recent events when it comes to Google News. The company does invite publishers to submit a request for inclusion in Google News results, which sees it check out the applicants claim to ownership of the site. In making this invitation, Google offers guidelines for publishers advising them to write original content thats clear and free of grammatical errors. Other quality checks include clear attribution, any author bias being clearly signposted and the inclusion of manually-added hyperlinks in copy. Sites included in Google News must not misrepresent, misstate, or conceal information about their owner or primary purpose, the company states. The amount of text featured should also not be dwarfed by the amount of advertising content displayed. But it is unclear how strictly Google News adheres to its rules as results for The Economist feature with no writer credited while publications like RT, whose reliability has been widely questioned, also rank. Given that page popularity is assessed by clicks, problems can also arise for subscription-access news providers with a paywall in place as the obstacle is likely to deter casual non-subscribers from clicking through and thus having a negative impact on the storys Google News placing. The increasing pressure on Silicon Valley giants like Google and Facebook to be more transparent about their practices in light of the 2016 US presidential election and the Cambridge Analytica scandal shows no sign of letting up. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty Google announced a significant overhaul of Google News in May 2018 in a renewed bid to inspire trust regarding its workings. The reimagined Google News uses a new set of AI techniques to take a constant flow of information as it hits the web, analyse it in real time and organise it into storylines, Google News boss Trystan Upstill said in a blog post. This approach means Google News understands the people, places and things involved in a story as it evolves, and connects how they relate to one another. At its core, this technology lets us synthesise information and put it together in a way that helps you make sense of whats happening, and what the impact or reaction has been. The American dream is alive and well for Leonardo and Silvia Baldi. The first time they came to the U.S., in 1999, it was as tourists. They instantly fell in love with the country, Florida in particular. When they returned to Italy they sold everything and applied for an Investors Visa. They opened their first business Gelato Dream in 2002 on Las Olas followed by Italian Cafe, also on Las Olas, featuring their trademark artisan gelato whose ingredients were imported from Italy. Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream, but it is a much softer version because it contains little or no air and has an elastic texture. Less air equals more intense flavor, with less fat content. Next they moved to Key West where they opened "Duetto - Pizza/Gelato." They were joined by their cousin Giancarlo an Italian pizzaiolo by trade. The business was a success, they sold it (it is still doing great in KW) and in 2015 chose Wilton Manors as the start of their next adventure. "Dolce Salato" was born and its now a mainstay of The Drive. Their son Giuseppe learned how to make pizza from his cousin and he is now in charge of the ovens. Leonardo and Silvia continue to make spectacular pizza and gelato for the hungry residents and visitors of Wilton Manors. They love the feel of working in the island city. They say their customers are incredibly nice and fun, alas demanding. They want good food in a friendly atmosphere. For Leonardo and Silvia one of the most gratifying aspects of their business is to see their place filled with both gay and straight people, children, and families all getting along and enjoying each others company while devouring slices of the most beloved comfort food in the world. They say it is a true rainbow. A former sex worker who claims to have slept with one million men for 140-an-hour now thinks prostitution should be banned - because it's lonely, dangerous and damaged her health. Kat Lee from Manchester began working legally as an escort alongside her twin sister when she was a teenager - after a photographer lured them into the industry. She described herself as an 'outcall' escort, meaning she visits clients, rather than inviting them to her home or hotel room. But after a 15-year career, Lee, 32, has decided to leave the industry to become a bartender and charity volunteer, and has issued a warning about how the stigma of her previous profession has damaged her work chances. Recommended One in three students willing to use sex work to finance their studies I worked as an escort from when I was 18 until I was in my 30s, I must have seen over a million clients, Lee said. I was a teenager when I got into it. It started because of a photo shoot where me and my twin sister were asked to take off our tops and knickers for an adult magazine. Later, the photographer said we would be good in adult movies, being twins, and that led to escorting. While working as an escort, during which time she said she felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, Lee received various gifts including an Audi convertible and trips to Milan and Paris. Kat Lee says there are "better ways to live" than escorting But although she always took precautions regarding her safety, but was once caught out by a man who spiked her drink. She said: Ive only been in one dangerous situation on the job - when a client spiked my drink and took the money back after I was paid. I thought I was going to die. I couldnt breathe or anything. I had a driver to get me to jobs and I wouldnt have got home without him. I never caught diseases from clients, but I feel a lot safer in my bar job with CCTV. I used to see four to five clients a day. You do get idiot clients who come in drunk. One of the most dangerous aspects of the job was Lees own drinking in an effort to gain confidence before meeting clients - which led to her being hospitalised to have her stomach pumped. International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Show all 11 1 /11 International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures People carrying red umbrellas march through downtown Skopje, Macedonia, marking the International Day to End Violence Over Sex Workers. The banner reads: The Stigma Kills. AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Women participate in a march through a street in Skopje. AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures People shout slogans and hold a banner during a march to support sex workers rights. AFP / Robert ATANASOVSKIROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP/Getty Images International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Sex workers demonstrate to call for the end of the violence perpetrated against them and punishment for culprits in Skopje. AFP / Robert ATANASOVSKIROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP/Getty Images International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures A woman with 'sex worker' written on her thighs takes part in the march. AFP / Robert ATANASOVSKIROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP/Getty Images International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Activists of the Kenyan Sex Workers Alliance chant slogans during a demonstration in Nairobi on December. AFP / JOHN MUCHUCHAJOHN MUCHUCHA/AFP/Getty Images International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Kenyan male and female sex workers walk with their supporters and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to mark the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. EPA/DAI KUROKAWA International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Hundreds of sex workers gathered to demand decriminalisation of sex workers in the country and to give them more rights and protection. EPA/DAI KUROKAWA International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Female sex workers blow up condoms as they walk with supporters and members of the LGBT community. EPA/DAI KUROKAWA International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures A Kenyan sex worker plays with inflated condoms during the march. EPA/DAI KUROKAWA International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - in pictures Protesters hold red umbrellas symbolising the protection of sex workers. AP Photo/Sayyid Azim If I turned down a client, the agency would fine me 50, so I started to find my own clients. It meant I would be waiting in hotel bars for my next job and I would drink to gain confidence before seeing a client, she said. That led to public disorder offences and ending up in the hospital to have my stomach pumped. Looking back on her long career in the sex work industry, Lee also recalled how lonely it was - because women doing it would dislike me because men booked me more than them. And despite continuing to work on webcam to stay in touch with regulars, Lee does not believe she will return to escorting. It was something that I got into and didnt mean to. I carried on working and then it became a habit, she said. You cant really get a different job because youre on Google and you already have the attention. Because of the stigma associated with the work, as well as the dangerous situations escorts can find themselves in, Lee thinks a ban would be a good thing. Some people turn to prostitution for drugs or a place to live. Theres no jobs or houses so they turn to prostitution to find money to leave home." She said it's weird earning 7-an-hour in the bar when she used to make 140 as an escort. "You think Oh my God, I could have worked one hour for 140 instead of many hours work at 7, she said. But she's not tempted to return, saying: "There are better ways to live." Scottish police have launched a two-week gun amnesty to stop firearms falling into the hands of criminals. They hope its firearms surrender campaign will reduce the risk of weapons falling into the wrong hands. Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins said: "What we want to do is remove any firearm availability from the criminals that operate right across the country. "There have been a lot of high profile incidents in recent times and we want to reduce the opportunity for individuals that are intent on using firearms within our communities to actually come into possession of these weapons. "The people that will discharge firearms within the criminal world show an utter disregard for the safety of our communities and the safety of our citizens, so one of the things this surrender campaign hopes to achieve is actually to remove a whole bunch of weapons that if they fell into the wrong hands could do significant harm." Survivors of Dunblane tragedy send message to Parkland students Anyone who has a firearm or ammunition without a valid certificate can take it to one of 43 police stations around the country during the amnesty, which runs from Monday June 18 until Sunday July 1. People will also be able to hand in replica firearms, air weapons, BB guns, imitation firearms, component parts and other ballistic items during the initiative. Anyone who surrenders a firearm will not be asked to give their personal details - but police said that they reserve the right to investigate the history of the weapon if appropriate, to establish whether it has been used in any crime. People can hand in any firearms, whether someone has realised their firearms licence has expired, has unexpectedly discovered a gun while clearing out a house, or decides they no longer want to keep a lawfully held firearm. Police have no idea how many weapons may be handed in, though they say it is unlikely to be anywhere near as high as other gun amnesties. Last year in Australia, some 51,000 firearms were handed to police. Deflated yet proud, Dunblane is grateful to hometown hero for a reason to forget the past Show all 2 1 /2 Deflated yet proud, Dunblane is grateful to hometown hero for a reason to forget the past Deflated yet proud, Dunblane is grateful to hometown hero for a reason to forget the past 309682.bin GETTY IMAGES Deflated yet proud, Dunblane is grateful to hometown hero for a reason to forget the past 309681.bin PA Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC said: "Anybody surrendering a firearm or other relevant item during Police Scotland's two-week campaign will not be prosecuted for simple possession of the item. "The immunity only applies to handover of the weapon and not to any other offence it may be linked to after examination." Justice Secretary Michael Matheson welcomed the amnesty. He said: "Firearms offences are at historically low levels in Scotland. Nonetheless, there is always a risk that unused or unlicensed firearms could fall into the wrong hands. "I therefore welcome Police Scotland's campaign to remove unwanted weapons from our communities, and would urge anyone who has a firearm that they have no good reason for keeping to take this opportunity to safely surrender it to the police." Press Association Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to set up a "space force" as a branch of the US military, as he seeks to re-establish America as a space travel heavyweight. It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space - we must have American dominance in space, President Trump said. I am hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as a sixth branch of the armed forces. A Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement that officials understand the President's guidance and will begin to examine a rollout. Our Policy Board will begin working on this issue, which has implications for intelligence operations for the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy, Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said in an emailed statement. Working with Congress, this will be a deliberate process with a great deal of input from multiple stakeholders. Separately, the White House announced that Mr Trump had signed a new policy to manage space debris and govern increased traffic driven by the burgeoning commercial space-flight industry It was not the first time Mr Trump has mused about a dedicated military operation that would focus on threats beyond earths atmosphere. SpaceX's journey through the Solar System Show all 6 1 /6 SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System During a speech to Marines in California earlier this year, Mr Trump noted that space is a warfighting domain, just like the land, air and sea and said we may develop another bra ch of the military. I was saying it the other day, because were doing a tremendous amount of work in space - maybe we need a new force, well call it the space force, Mr Trump said at the time. The sustained interest in a space force mirrors Mr Trumps efforts to reinvigorate Americas moribund space exploration programme. Last year he signed a directive seeking to return US astronauts to the moon and, eventually, Mars - another goal Mr Trump has publicly trumpeted. Very soon were going to Mars Mr Trump said in his speech to the Marines. Jeff Bezos reveals why he's spending million of dollars to go to space It is not just a matter of scientific inquiry. During a speech laying out the administrations space policy, vice president Mike Pence noted that the US is in direct competition with rivals like Russia and China, which he said were developing satellite-disrupting technology. Other nations have seized the opportunity to stake their claim in the infinite frontier, Mr Pence said, and America must be as dominant in space as we are here on earth. An Isis-supporting Uber driver attempted a terror attack outside Buckingham Palace because of hatred for the Queen, a court has heard. Mohiussunnath Chowdhury is accused of attacking police officers guarding the official royal residence with a sword in August last year. The 27-year-old initially drove from his home in Luton to a pub called the Windsor Castle after an apparent satnav error, the Old Bailey heard, before travelling onwards to the palace. Prosecutor Tim Cray said Mr Chowdhury was driving towards the world-famous landmark shortly before 8.30pm on 25 August when a marked police van came in the other direction. "As the defendant got up to where the police van was coming towards him, he swerved his car through the traffic cones designed to keep the two lanes of traffic apart, he added. Two officers got out to investigate, initially thinking the driver was drunk or on drugs, but Mr Cray said Mr Chowdhury had something far more serious in mind. "It was down to the quick reactions of the police the defendant was stopped, he told the court. "As officers got out of the car, they heard the defendant say words to the effect 'It's all a bit f***ed up'. "They then saw him reach for something that turned out to be a sword. A police officer patrols within the grounds of Buckingham Palace in London (Reuters) There was a short, desperate struggle with the officers trying to get the sword off the defendant while he is punching at them and they are punching at him. "The defendant is shouting 'Allahu Akbar' over and over again so by now the police officers understandably believed they were dealing with a terrorist incident." PC Ian Midgley and Detective Sergeant Gavin Hutt suffered cuts as they disarmed the man, jurors were told, with footage showing them subduing him with CS gas. DS Hutt told the court Mr Chowdhury grabbed the sword from the back of his Toyota Prius after he tried to talk to him through the window. He was using all his force to get the object out, he said. He was saying, 'Allahu Akbar'. PC Midgley told the court he tried to take the weapon from the passenger side, desperately trying to punch Mr Chowdhury unconscious. The officers said they feared there could be a homemade bomb in the vehicle as they dragged the driver out. Prosecutors presented a letter allegedly sent by Mr Chowdhury to his sister earlier the same day, which they said show his intention to become a martyr. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA "Tell everyone that I love them and that they should struggle against the enemies of Allah with their lives and their property, it said. "The Queen and her soldiers will all be in the hellfire they go to war with Muslims around the world and kill them without any mercy. "They are the enemies that Allah tells us to fight. Please make dua [prayers] for me that Allah accepts my efforts. Half an hour before Mr Chowdhury sent the note, he bought a knife sharpener at Sainsbury's allegedly to sharpen a 3ft (1m) long sword. After leaving home at 6.30pm, the defendant headed towards Windsor and onwards to London, past the Coldstream Guards barracks to Buckingham Palace. It may have been through some sort of satnav error that although he drove past Windsor Castle he actually seemed to end up at a pub called the Windsor Castle, Mr Cray said. The defendant, of Kirkwood Road in Luton, denies preparing acts of terrorism on 25 August, claiming he only wanted to be killed. The incident followed a string of bloody terror attacks that left dozens of victims dead in Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge and Finsbury Park. Prosecutors said Mr Chowdhury had self-radicalised himself online and kept his interest in Isis and terrorism away from his family. The court heard he watched the Channel 4 drama The State, about British Isis supporters travelling to Syria and searched for beheadings and executioner Jihadi John online. In a WhatsApp discussion on the Westminster attacker Khalid Masood, Mr Chowdhury allegedly wrote f*** the police and he is accused of sending emojis of a British soldier, a knife and an Arabic figure. The trial continues. Additional reporting by PA A chip shop owner who enslaved homeless alcoholics and drug addicts has been jailed for his despicable crimes. Harjit Singh Bariana made his victims work for up to 13 hours a day at his businesses in Blyth, Northumberland, in return for food, drink and shelter. He has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years after being found guilty of six modern slavery offences, and handed an indefinite Slavery and Trafficking Prevention and Risk Order to restrict his activities when he is freed. Newcastle Crown Court heard the 46-year-old targeted vulnerable men, took all their housing benefit as payment for accommodation and forced them to work. Those who refused were faced with violence and intimidation, police said, forcing them to live in squalid conditions and work in their bare feet on tasks including cleaning sewage pipes by hand. It was not until police raided a property linked to anti-social behaviour and drug use that Barianas offences were uncovered. They found a number of men living in horrendous conditions who were initially too terrified to speak about their ordeal, a spokesperson for Northumbria Police said. Bariana initially claimed his tenants were lying but was arrested and charged with eight offences under the Modern Day Slavery Act. Judge Sarah Mallett told him: This was, in my view, commercial exploitation. Modern Slavery in the UK Show all 13 1 /13 Modern Slavery in the UK Modern Slavery in the UK NCA has launched a touring photographic exhibition which aims to portray the signs of slavery and exploitation. Entitled Invisible People, the exhibition will tour the country as part of the National Crime Agencys campaign to raise awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking. National Crime Agency Modern Slavery in the UK Child trafficking Child trafficking for sexual exploitation Traffickers use grooming techniques to gain the trust of a child, family or community. The children are recruited, transported and then sold for sex, often returning to their homes immediately afterwards, only to be picked up by the same people again. This is happening here in the UK, to migrant and British-born children. Spot the signs of child trafficking: Often, children wont be sure which country, city or town theyre in. They may be orphaned or living apart from their family, in unregulated private foster care, or in substandard accommodation. They may possess unaccounted-for money or goods or repeatedly have new, unexplained injuries. National Crime Agency Modern Slavery in the UK Agriculture Some workers in the farming sector, harvesting grains or root vegetables, tending livestock or fruit picking, are being exploited every day in the UK. Victims of this crime in the agricultural sector are often Eastern European men and women, who were promised a job by traffickers, or they could be individuals on the fringes of society, homeless or destitute. Through threats, violence, coercion or forced drug and alcohol dependency, theyre enslaved, working for little or no money, living in squalid conditions having had their identity documents taken from them. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in agriculture: Agricultural slaves often have their wages paid into the same bank account, meaning an illegal gangmaster is likely collecting all their wages. Exploited agriculture workers often dont have suitable protective equipment, working instead in cheap sports clothing and trainers, and dont have a different change of clothes from day-to-day. National Crime Agency Modern Slavery in the UK Food processing Polish or Slovakian men are brought to the UK with the offer of employment and, after arrival, gangmasters seize documents, opening multiple bank and utility accounts in their names but refuse to handover access to the accounts or bank cards. Hours are long and the work is gruelling and dangerous. Workers are abused and are controlled by threats of harm to their families at home. Spot the signs: Those exploited wear inappropriate clothes and often no safety gear despite working with dangerous and life-threatening equipment. They may often have untreated injuries and be refused medical attention, and will live and work in agricultural outhouses. National Crime Agency Modern Slavery in the UK Construction Labour-intensive sectors like construction, where temporary and irregular work are common, are high-risk sectors for forced labour. With new homes, offices and buildings being constructed or upgraded in great quantity, labour exploitation is the second most common type of modern slavery, after sexual exploitation. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in construction: Exploited workers are often not provided with protective clothing or equipment, and may show signs of abuse or carry old untreated injuries. Slave workers are also likely to work extremely long work hours for six or seven days a week without any leave. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: I wanted this image to communicate that despite being forced to live, eat, wash and sleep where theyre working, in cramped and unhygienic conditions, that there is a human instinct to domesticate. I wanted to show how there is still hope and dignity in the most squalid and difficult of circumstances. National Crime Agency Modern Slavery in the UK Maritime In the tough maritime industry young men, often Filipino or Indian, Eastern European or African, are promised a better life, but instead find themselves in a cycle of debt and exploitation. Unable to read, they are offered a job, given papers to sign and begin working on a trial-basis, only to be told they have failed and owe money, and have to work more to settle the debt. They may be forced to work for long hours in intense, hazardous and difficult conditions. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: In the 80s, Chris Killip published a series of images called In Flagrante, and these images were at the forefront of my mind while composing this shot. I wanted to show the utter desperation of these men - how passed their limit they are. The broken floats and the entire decaying environment around him, I saw as a metaphor for his existence. Rory Carnegie/National Crime Agency Modern Slavery in the UK Forced prostitution Each year, women from across Eastern Europe and West Africa are lured to the UK by the dream of a better life. Whether by fake migration services or unscrupulous individuals who befriend and then betray them, women fall into a dark spiral of sexual exploitation and forced, unpaid prostitution, unable to escape. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: What I really wanted for this image, was to depict how women are used as commodities, the complete control slavery has over them the helplessness of having to sit and wait for man after man, until no more men arrive. I wanted the image to show how lonely and eventually numbing that experience is, and for that ugliness to be contrasted against the bright blue of the wig a fancy dress item that we would usually associate with a fun event but here is used as a disguise, perhaps of her own identity to herself - to further emphasise how unjust the situation is. NCA Modern Slavery in the UK Cannabis farming The cannabis industry hides a dark secret in the house next door. Gangs bring young boys to the UK from countries like Vietnam and deliver them to a house where, once in, they wont be able to leave. Forced to tend cannabis plants that fill specially rigged houses, the boys are often locked in and forced to work, sleep and eat in one confined and dirty room. The chemicals used on the cannabis are poisonous, and often victims dont know where they are or how to get help if they do escape. The eyes, ears and compassion of the local community are essential. Spot the signs: Aside from the strong and prolonged smell of cannabis, have you noticed a house that looks unusual? Are the windows covered or usual entry points blocked? Buildings might be over-heated in very cold weather is the roof without frost, because the house is being kept warm to grow plants National Crime Agency Modern Slavery in the UK Agriculture Some workers in the farming sector, harvesting grains or root vegetables, tending livestock or fruit picking, are being exploited every day in the UK. Victims of this crime in the agricultural sector are often Eastern European men and women, who were promised a job by traffickers, or they could be individuals on the fringes of society, homeless or destitute. Through threats, violence, coercion or forced drug and alcohol dependency, theyre enslaved, working for little or no money, living in squalid conditions having had their identity documents taken from them. Spot the signs of exploitative labour in agriculture: Agricultural slaves often have their wages paid into the same bank account, meaning an illegal gangmaster is likely collecting all their wages. Exploited agriculture workers often dont have suitable protective equipment, working instead in cheap sports clothing and trainers, and dont have a different change of clothes from day-to-day National Crime Agency Modern Slavery in the UK Forced prostitution Spot the signs of forced prostitution: Victims of this type of crime might appear withdrawn or scared, avoid eye contact, and be untrusting. Poor English language skills could indicate exploitation because it suggests someone else must be arranging the work. A brothel is likely to be an average house on a normal looking street, but may have curtains which are usually closed and many different men coming and going frequently. National Crime Agency Modern Slavery in the UK Maritime Spot the signs of exploitative labour in the maritime sector: Victims might appear withdrawn or frightened, often unable to answer questions directed at them or speak for themselves,. They might be afraid of authorities like police, immigration or the tax office, and may perceive themselves to be in debt to someone else. They may not have been given proper protective equipment so can suffer illness or injury. Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: Throughout the series of images, I wanted to juxtapose the harshness of the lives of slaves against bright primary colours colours we traditionally associate with happiness or a feeling of wellbeing to provoke a reaction. The image, as rich as it is, communicates how completely uncomfortable this person is. I wanted to show how his body is not his own, and how he has no right to avoid hardship, avoid the ice, or wear better shoes, he is utterly controlled. Rory Carnegie/National Crime Agency Modern Slavery in the UK Food processing Photographer Rory Carnegie, said: This image communicates utter exhaustion and dejection. We can see how dire his situation is. He has no protective gear on, and we can see the extreme tiredness that leads him to a place of anxiety and distraction, where he doesnt care about whether hes operating machinery safely, or putting himself at risk. National Crime Agency Modern Slavery in the UK The exhibition comprises a series of large, freestanding cubes displaying images capturing snapshots of life within different types of modern slavery - in agriculture, construction, maritime, cannabis farming and food processing, child trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced prostitution. Each image comes with written commentary describing what the viewer is seeing, and information about signs which may indicate someone is a victim. National Crime Agency Your business model was largely predicated on free labour and the most minimal expenditure into your business to extract the maximum profit. Bariana, who had previous convictions for dishonesty, illegal money lending, selling counterfeit goods and making threats, ran takeaways and rented rooms in multi-occupancy homes to people at risk of becoming homeless. Victims feared losing shelter if they did not comply with his demands and one man had his shoes, belt and watch removed to stop him from going missing and avoiding work. One alcoholic, who had just been released from prison, was paid in alcohol and Diazepam tablets for five months of work in one of Barianas takeaways. Another victim told his probation officer he was being forced to work 10 hours a day for no pay, and was given food and soft drinks instead. Judge Mallett said there was bullying, threats, slaps and violence which included causing one person to fall down the stairs. She added: You exploited their vulnerability by way of addiction, you fed and encouraged their addiction to alcohol and, on occasions, drugs. Bariana, of Blue House Farm in Netherton, was charged with eight counts of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour between 2009 and 2015. He found guilty by a jury of six of those offences following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court in May, and convicted of being concerned in the supply of Diazepam. Bariana was found not guilty of two of the forced labour charges and also acquitted on a single count of robbery. Chief Inspector Helena Barron said Bariana was a despicable man who preyed on vulnerable victims for his own gain. Police warn modern slaves 'staffing nail bars across UK' as Vietnamese gang jailed in landmark case He relied on the fact that his victims were homeless with addictions to keep them under his control, she added. If they did not work then they feared they would lose their home and be unable to feed their addictions. Previous slavery cases have highlighted the trafficking of vulnerable victims from abroad to work in this country. However, in this case all of the victims were white British men which challenges peoples perception of this type of crime and highlights the fact anyone could find themselves subject to such offences. Our message is that if something doesnt look right then it probably isnt right and we would encourage people to contact the police. One of Barianas victims said: I am so happy that the police listened to us and believed what we said. The number of suspected modern slaves in the UK has reached a record-high, with more than 5,000 people flagged to a national referral scheme last year. The National Crime Agency said British people had become the largest exploited group for the first time following a change in the way police classify young people used to run drugs by county lines gangs. Albanian and Vietnamese nationals are also among the most-reported, with labour exploitation, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude accounting for most cases. Victims have been found in a range of legal and illegal trades in the UK, including Vietnamese nail bars, cannabis farming, prostitution, flower-picking and at hand car washes. Liam Vernon, a senior manager in the NCAs modern slavery and human trafficking unit, warned that the crime was still being under-reported earlier this year. The reality is that there isnt a region in the UK that isnt affected, he told The Independent. Additional reporting by PA A woman brandishing a 10-inch kitchen knife allegedly screamed I want to kill all you Jews as she chased a group of children who had just left a synagogue in north London. Police arrested a 47-year-old woman on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence after she was tackled by neighbourhood watch volunteers in Stamford Hill, which is home to Europes largest Hasidic Jewish community. She is said to have run after a group of around 14 children aged between eight and 13 on Sunday night while shouting antisemitic abuse. The woman was apprehended by volunteers from Shomrim, an Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood watch group, which then called police. The group tweeted a picture of a large knife lying on the pavement following the incident. This is another worrying incident of knife crime in London coupled with hate/antisemitic crime, said Rabbi Herschel Gluck, president of Shomrim. He added: Much more needs to be done to tackle and stop this terrible scourge which is tragically running rampant in our city. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters The Metropolitan Police said it was called to reports of a woman in possession of a knife behaving erratically in Craven Park Road just after 9pm on Sunday. A spokesman added: At this time, the female remains in custody at an east London police station. She is expected to undergo a mental health assessment in due course. This incident is not terror-related. Community Security Trust, a charity which looks to protect British Jews from hate, recorded 1,382 antisemitic incidents last year, the highest it has recorded. It said three-quarters of those were in London. A mosque whose worshippers were mown down by a far-right terrorist has been targeted with vile letters containing white powder and threatening new atrocities against Muslims. Toufik Kacimi, chief executive of the Muslim Welfare House, revealed the extent of the hate campaign to The Independent a year after the Finsbury Park attack left one man dead and 12 victims injured. There are thousands of other Darren Osbornes and its just a matter of time, said one threat sent to the mosque and community centre. What Darren Osborne did was just the beginning, we will kill you all, read another. Mr Kacimi said the fresh threats, which have all been reported to police, left some people too scared to leave their homes or let their children walk to school, adding: You just have to conduct your life as normally as possible but it was threatening. People are fearing for their lives, even a van can be a weapon now to kill people. Some hate mail has been personally directed at imam Mohammed Mahmoud, who was praised by a judge for preventing survivors of the Finsbury Park attack beating Osborne and helping police detain him. They knew what they were doing, they knew the organisation, they knew the address, they knew some of our names, Mr Kacimi said. The entrance to the Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park (Lizzie Dearden) We have had to take so many extra security measures before it was so peaceful. This is a place where people come to get together, socialise, have a moment for prayer and reflection. We are a charity offering a place where people can relax, but you cant anymore. We have to quiz people: Who are you? Let me check your bag, what is inside? Sitting next to busy Finsbury Park station in London, the Muslim Welfare House used to have an open-door policy for worship, education, training, meetings and other events. Now, the black metal gate is often shut and visitors are checked on a camera intercom before being buzzed inside, then watched by more than 30 new CCTV cameras. A new intruder alarm has been installed and private security guards have been hired to work extra hours. Mr Kacimi is concerned that such protections cannot be effective until the root cause of extremism is tackled. A year on from the attack, I feel that the messages of hate are still very much there, he said. Its a cancer and I cannot see the difference between those who commit acts of terrorism under the name of Islam and people like Darren Osborne. They are exactly the same the hate, the means, the language, its exactly the same. Finsbury Park attack Show all 14 1 /14 Finsbury Park attack Finsbury Park attack Police officers attend to the scene after a vehicle collided with pedestrians in the Finsbury Park, killing one person and injuring eight Reuters Finsbury Park attack The incident is being treated as a potential terror attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Reuters Finsbury Park attack Police cordon off a street in Finsbury Park AFP/Getty Images Finsbury Park attack A man prays in the street after the attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack Men gather and pray together in the street in the aftermath of the attack AFP/Getty Finsbury Park attack Reuters Finsbury Park attack PA Finsbury Park attack Onlookers gather near a police cordon EPA Finsbury Park attack Forensic investigators arrive at the scene PA Finsbury Park attack A forensic tent stands next to a van PA Finsbury Park attack A police officer talks with residents AFP/Getty Images Finsbury Park attack Onlookers watch proceedings at the security cordon AFP/Getty Finsbury Park attack Local residents react at the scene AFP/Getty Images Osborne, a 48-year-old extremist from Wales, ploughed a hired van into a crowd of Muslims outside the Muslim Welfare House following Ramadan prayers in the early hours of 19 June 2017. Rapidly radicalised by online material posted by Tommy Robinson, Britain First and other far-right figures, he had initially planned to target a pro-Palestinian march in central London but was thwarted by security measures. Osborne then started asking for directions to Finsbury Park Mosque and drove into the first group of Muslim worshippers he saw, killing grandfather Makram Ali and telling witnesses: Ive done my job, you can kill me now. Mr Kacimi arrived at the scene to find victims strewn on the ground and chaos in the streets, saying he and fellow community leaders feared the start of riots and made people disperse. My body was shaking, I was trembling, he recalled. I felt like we were in a war zone, like this was Iraq or Syria. Thank God the UK is usually a very quiet and peaceful country, you feel safe wherever you go, but it wasnt the case that night. In a suicide note left in the van, Osborne claimed he was taking revenge on Muslims for Isis-inspired terror attacks in Britain and grooming gangs in a rant filled with racial slurs. Mr Kacimi was thrilled to see the attacker jailed for a minimum of 43 years in March but said the UK needs to educate people from childhood on tolerance, understanding and respect. Toufik Kacimi, chief executive of the Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park (Lizzie Dearden) He dismissed Robinson, who has since been jailed for contempt of court over an unrelated case, as full of ignorance and called on society to reject messages from both the far right and Isis supporters. Having suffered hell from al-Qaeda militants in his home country of Algeria, Mr Kacimi vowed to fight extremism in all its forms. Whether its in London Bridge or Westminster or Manchester, terrorists are terrorists and they are a bunch of criminals and murderers, he added. They want to divide us, they want to turn us against each other and tear us apart. We cant allow them to do that. We have to stop them and this is everyones responsibility. He raised alarm about rising incidents of Islamophobic and xenophobic hate crime, after a local woman was barred from a local McDonalds because she was wearing a headscarf. But the leader praised the local community in north London for an outstanding response to last years attack, seeing a deluge of tributes left at the Muslim Welfare House as local residents gathered to show their support. The community came together and they showed so much love and so much respect for each other despite our differences, which was beautiful to see, Mr Kacimi said. On Tuesday, the community will be gathering to mark one year since the atrocity with a minutes silence followed by speeches outside Islington Town Hall, where a book of hope will be opened for messages. The home secretary Sajid Javid, mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will be joining community leaders, the emergency services and members of both the Muslim Welfare House and Finsbury Park Mosque for the event. Public commemorations will be followed by a private meeting between victims and responders, while the words #LondonUnited will be projected at the scene of the attack overnight. Nine people have been injured after appalling violence broke out at a cycling festival in Manchester, police have said. Hundreds of people were attending the Eritrean Cycle Festival at the Curzon Ashton football stadium near Ashton Cricket Club, Greater Manchester, on Saturday afternoon. The two-day event featured singing, dancing and appearances from former Olympic cyclists. But the festivities were disrupted when around 30 protesters stormed the stadium, throwing bottles, food and beer kegs. Eight men were arrested on suspicion of public order offences. They were taken into custody and questioned. They are thought to have been protesting against the Eritrean government, but organisers said the festival was not a political event. Two teenagers were among those who sustained minor injuries, police said. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters The vast majority of people attending the event today were innocent people, including children, who sadly got caught in the middle of this appalling act of violence, Chief Inspector Andy Harty, from Greater Manchester Polices Tameside borough, said. Following the fast work of officers a number of men were arrested at the scene and we will continue to question them as this investigation progresses. However, we are still in the very early stages of enquiries and we are keen to hear from anyone who witnessed this incident. In particular we would like people to come forward with phone or dash-cam footage that could be vital to finding all those responsible. Organiser Goitom Seyoum, 48, told the BBC the festival did not have any political purpose, adding: It was a peaceful protest at first and then they barged in throwing bottles, food and beer kegs. It was outrageous there were children in buggies and people cut and bleeding. A father and son have died in a canal after going magnet fishing for discarded metal. The 43-year-old man and his 19-year-old son were found dead by police divers in Huddersfield on Saturday evening after a local noticed their belongings left by the canal. The men, from Pudsey, Leeds, had gone to a stretch of canal close to the River Calder at 6.15am, West Yorkshire Police have said. The Huddersfield Examiner has identified the men as Martin Andrews and his son Jack. Police are unsure exactly how the accident that led to the pair's deaths occurred. A spokesman said the man's wife told officers they had gone "magnet fishing", which is a hobby involving trawling waterways for metal using a very strong magnet on a rope. Officers were first alerted at about 11.20am on Saturday by a passer-by who noticed clothing, a mobile phone, a camera and car keys left by the waterside for at least 50 minutes. The police used the keys to locate a nearby car and this was traced to an address in Pudsey, the force confirmed. Local media has identified Jack Andrews as the 19-year-old who died with his father Martin MEN Media (MEN Media) A woman at the address confirmed her husband and son had gone out hours earlier. The police spokesman said: "Police were called around 11.18am on Saturday June 16 to the canal side, near to Navigation House in Cooper Bridge, Huddersfield after it was believed two men entered the water. "Officers conducted extensive enquiries to locate the men, and the police underwater search unit attended. The bodies of two men were recovered from the water around 7.20pm. "They are believed to be a father and son from the Leeds area. The family have been notified. "There are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances at this time and a file is being prepared for the coroner." UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters West Yorkshire Police duty inspector Carlton Young told The Sun: "We really don't know what happened. One of them may have fallen in and the other one has tried to help but that is only an assumption. "We may never know the exact circumstances of what happened." Tributes have been paid to the two men on social media, although they have not yet been formally named by police. Earlier this month a Gloucestershire man was reported to have found a safe full of jewellery in the lake in a Cheltenham park after watching a programme about magnet fishing on TV. Also this month, police were forced to detonate a hand grenade in Birmingham after it was pulled from a canal in the city by a man who was magnet fishing. Press Association Officials from the governments counter-extremism programme Prevent discussed stopping monitoring the Parsons Green attacker 10 days before he tried to bomb a Tube train, it has emerged. Iraqi teenager Ahmed Hassan had been referred to the scheme after telling police he had been trained as an Isis child soldier in his home country, with teachers and social workers later raising the alarm after finding him watching violent propaganda videos and making extremist statements. But an internal review by police and Surrey County Council found no violent ideology was confirmed by officials meant to monitor the student and turn him away from radicalisation. Hassan had been referred to the Prevent strategys intervention programme, Channel, which formally met to discuss his case nine times between June 2016 and September 2017 but did not request ideological mentoring. Instead, officials focused on his academic success at Brooklands College in Surrey, where he was considered a model student, as a significant protective factor. But Hassan was leading a double life and even used a voucher awarded for being named student of the year to buy bomb-making materials from Amazon. Police who interviewed Hassan twice did not raise concern he could become involved in terrorism, instead believing he was making positive progress. The panel in charge of his case did not take full account of red flags such as the teenager repeatedly going missing from his foster home and suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, the review found. Ahmed Hassan tried to flee Britain after the bombing (Reuters) Hassan had arrived in Britain illegally on a lorry from Calais in October 2015 and his asylum claim had still not been decided at the time of the attack, with the review warning the delay may have had an impact on his radicalisation. There was an apparent lack of a formal, documented plan to manage and mitigate Hassans vulnerabilities and associated risks, concluded Sir Philip Rutnam, permanent secretary at the Home Office. The Channel panel were unable to establish a holistic overview taking into account the entirety of Hassans turbulent background, mental health concerns, and ongoing behaviour and remarks. The final meeting took place on the 5 September 2017. Considering the ongoing vulnerability assessment and intelligence update, the Channel panel was in the process of considering closure of Hassans case. Ten days later, the teenager detonated a homemade bomb on a packed rush hour Tube train, injuring more than 50 commuters after a fireball hurtled through the carriage and caused a stampede at Parsons Green station. Hassans trial heard it was sheer luck the device, which was packed with a large quantity of explosives and metal shrapnel, did not fully detonate as it could have killed dozens of people. The teenager, who was 18 at the time, got off the District Line train before the timed explosion and attempted to flee Britain before being caught by police in the port of Dover. Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Show all 23 1 /23 Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion A bucket with flames and wires coming out of it was photographed in the carriage after the explosion apparently the source of the blast AFP Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion An explosion on a packed Tube train has injured a number of people in west London AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion The blast triggered a stampede as commuters panicked AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion Click through for more pictures from the scene Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosioN Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion PA Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green in pictures AFP/Getty In March, Hassan was jailed for life with a minimum of 34 years by a judge who found he was driven by a mindset of Isis extremism, a deep-seated hatred of Britain and a desire for revenge over the death of his father during the Iraq War and continued bombing of his home country. During an interview in January 2016, Hassan had told officials he had been trained to kill by Isis and indoctrinated in what Allah believed was right. He told his college mentor it was his duty to hate Britain and she raised the alarm after seeing a WhatsApp message on his phone reading IS [Islamic State] has accepted your donation. Hassan had been caught watching an Isis propaganda video and listening to nasheeds (Islamic songs) which were subsequently identified by The Independent as the groups official propaganda. The Home Office said the panel of experts tasked with monitoring him failed to follow guidance on record-keeping, the frequency of vulnerability assessments and intelligence updates. Channel rules state that live cases must be discussed every month and reassessed every three, but there was no meeting on Hassan between January and June last year. In a series of recommendations, it called for mental health practitioners to attend Channel meetings and said leaders should assign specialist intervention providers to suspected radicals even when they cannot identify a distinct ideology. New extremism and intelligence training is being given to immigration staff and asylum applications from potential radicals flagged to Channel are to be sped up. Shrapnel from the device that exploded on the District Line train at Parsons Green underground station on 15 December (Metropolitan Police) Yvette Cooper, who requested information on the review as chair of the Home Affairs Committee, said it exposed a series of failings in the operation of the Channel programme. Concerns raised by a Channel member in January 2017 based on Hassans demeanour and behaviour also appear not to have been acted upon, and interventions that could have been considered were not, the Labour MP added. It is crucial that the Channel programme works effectively to deal with individuals who could pose a serious risk to public safety or national security. We will pursue with ministers why there were problems in this case and what further action is needed to improve the way the programme operates in future. Ben Wallace, the security minister, said the Home Office, Surrey County Council and police had taken swift action to address the issues raised by the review. The Home Office and partner organisations have accepted the majority of the recommendations and following this case we had already put in place processes to ensure better communication between immigration and Prevent partners, as well as reviewing how Channel procedures are monitored, he added. We should not allow this case to undermine all the good work taking place across the country to stop terrorism and our work to help those who are legitimately in need. More than 330 people were supported by Channel in the 2016-17 financial year with interventions to divert them away from radicalisation, Mr Wallace said. Around 55 per cent were suspected Islamists and 37 per cent from the extreme-right wing, with around 80 per cent leaving the process with no terror-related concerns, but a fifth pulling out. Only 5 per cent of the total number of people flagged as a concern to Prevent receive support from Channel. The most recent statistics show a third of referees were assessed to require no further action and 45 per cent were given help through alternative services like housing and education. Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza. Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres. The prison with the highest number of suicides in England and Wales is still suffering from a chronic staff shortage which leaves inmates locked in their cells for long periods, according to a new report. Over the last five years, a total of 19 men have taken their own lives at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, including seven in 2016 alone. Her Majestys Inspectorate of Prisons described the statistic as staggering in its latest review of conditions at the category A facility, which opened in 1992. It concluded that Woodhill was still not safe enough, despite attempts to improve care in the wake of repeated criticism over the high number of self-inflicted deaths. The number of incidents of self harm and assaults, both on prisoners and staff, has reached record levels at the facility, according to the latest statistics. One inmate took his own life a few months after inspectors visited in February this year, and another was killed during a fight on 5 June. The HMIP report concluded that staffing problems lay behind what it called a poverty of regime. Underpinning nearly all the concerns raised in this report, including issues of safety and wellbeing, were chronic staff shortages and inexperience, said Peter Clarke, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. This led to poor time out of cell, unpredictable daily routines and limited access to activity. During the working day we found half the population locked in their cells. Many prisoners expressed frustration at the apparent inability of staff to help them. At the time of the inspection, there were 55 staff vacancies out of a total of 320, and 20 per cent of those in post had less than 12 months experience. Prison reformer Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League charity, said: Woodhill is a relatively new, purpose-built prison that has failed to keep people safe, which gives the lie to the myth so often trotted out by ministers that Victorian buildings are to blame for the many problems in the system. Rather, the long list of tragedies in Woodhill and elsewhere is the direct result of a catastrophic policy to allow the prison population to grow unchecked while starving jails of vital resources. The government is recruiting more officers, but ultimately ministers must also reduce the demand that is being placed on prisons. Bold but sensible action to reduce further the number of people behind bars would save lives, protect staff and prevent more people being swept into deeper currents of crime, violence and despair. Figures from the Howard League website show that Woodhill currently holds 608 prisoners, even though it was only designed to accommodate 539. Prisons minister Rory Stewart claimed the government had recruited more than 3,000 staff in the last 18 months to improve safety. We have taken specific and urgent action to improve recruitment at Woodhill, including giving the governor a greater role in the process and introducing additional pay allowances, he said. Fifty-five more officers are now in post than in October 2016 with an additional 32 officers due to hit landings by the end of November. Officials have also highlighted the reduction in suicides since 2016, with none recorded in the whole of 2017 and one so far this year. Central and Northwest London NHS Foundation Trust, which provides healthcare at the prison, said the HMIP had recognised the improvements made since the last inspection. "Every death in custody is a wasted life and our thoughts go out to every family that have suffered the deaths of their loved ones in HMP Woodhill," said clinical director, Dr Shamir Patel. "Lessons have been learnt from each and every tragic death and these, in partnership with the prison and other agencies, have helped to shape service delivery. "We accept that there is always room for improvement and continue to strive toward delivering high quality care to prisoners at HMP Woodhill. The HMIP welcomed the considerable effort put in by governor Nicola Marfleet and her staff but said a disappointingly small number of its 2015 recommendations had been implemented. In May last year an inquest jury concluded the failure to implement those recommendations caused the death of Daniel Dunkley, who hanged himself in July 2016. The priorities for the prison were clear, said Mr Clarke. To stabilise the regime through adequate staffing, to devise and implement a clear, evidenced-based strategy to improve safety, and to sustain and embed the work being done to reduce self-harm. Incidents of self-harm remained high. Improvements had been made to the way prisoners at risk of self-harm were assessed and supported, but not all planned improvements had been sustained and we had real concerns that the poverty of regime had the potential to undermine the well-being of those at risk. According to the report, Woodhills performance in two of the healthy prison tests safety and purposeful activity had both deteriorated since the last inspection in 2015. Prisoners reported an increase in victimisation and violence, and more than a quarter said they spent less than two hours out of their cell on a weekday. UK prison conditions: in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 UK prison conditions: in pictures UK prison conditions: in pictures A cell covered in graffiti at HMP Liverpool. PA UK prison conditions: in pictures HMP Liverpool has some of the worst conditions inspectors have seen. HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A broken window in a cell at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA Wire UK prison conditions: in pictures A shower unit with protruding electric cable at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures Litter at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA Wire UK prison conditions: in pictures A wall damaged by damp at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A pool table at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A sign for HMP Liverpool, where drones are seized at a rate of more than one a week. The prisons watchdog flagged up the impact of the remote-controlled flying devices at HMP Liverpool. PA The charity INQUEST, which monitors deaths in prison, described the inspection report as damning. Despite the utmost independent and legal scrutiny, the inspectors found a prison that is still not safe, said Deborah Coles, director of INQUEST. INQUEST and the families bereaved by deaths in Woodhill hoped the spotlight on Woodhill might encourage urgent change and halt the deaths and harm. Yet here we are again. This is a failing prison in a failing system, and no amount of scrutiny has changed that. It is clear something more drastic needs to be done. Records kept by INQUEST show four self-inflicted deaths in 2013, two in 2014, five in 2015, seven in 2016 and one so far this year. In November last year, a report by the Independent Monitoring Board found Woodhill was barely fit for purpose. Close Theresa May sets out her vision for the future of the NHS, tax payers will pay more The House of Lords has inflicted a further defeat on the government over its Brexit plans. Peers voted in favour of an amendment to the EU Withdrawal that would give Parliament greater powers to block a no-deal Brexit, teeing up a Commons showdown when MPs vote on the bill on Wednesday. Pro-EU Tory MPs have warned they are ready to vote down the government's plans for what should happen in the case of a no-deal Brexit. They want Parliament to be given more powers if no deal is agreed or if the agreement Theresa May makes with Brussels is deemed unacceptable by MPs. Ministers, however, have insisted that Parliament should not be allowed to bind the government's hands. Elsewhere, Theresa May delivered a major speech outlining plans to boost NHS funding. The prime minister confirmed over the weekend that spending will rise by 20bn a year by 2020 but faces questions over how this will be funded. As it happened... Theresa May has found herself at odds with cabinet members over the governments approach to medicinal cannabis, amid the growing row over a 12-year-old epileptic boys use of the drug. The prime minister poured cold water on the idea of a full scale review of laws, despite the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, having mooted one hours earlier. She was also reported to have cut off discussion on the issue at the mornings cabinet, after the home secretary, Sajid Javid, attempted to raise it several times despite it not being on the agenda. Recommended Sajid Javid could cement his legacy by legalising medicinal cannabis Later in the day, ministers announced a new panel to consider the use of medicinal cannabis in individual cases, but it fell short of the full legal review being demanded by campaigners. It came after the mother of 12-year-old Billy Caldwell, who had cannabis oil to treat his epilepsy confiscated from her at Heathrow, asked for urgent meetings with both Mr Hunt and Mr Javid on Monday. Mr Javid had intervened over the weekend to grant a 20-day licence for Billy to be treated with cannabis oil, after he suffered seizures following the confiscation his of supplies, brought by his mother from Canada. Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that Mr Javid had acted extremely decisively, adding: What he has announced yesterday is that he is going to review the law around this as quickly as he can. UK custom officers seize cannabis oil medication which prevents a 12 year old boys life threatening seizures The health secretary added: I dont think anyone who followed that story could sensibly say that we are getting the law on this kind of thing right. Challenged over whether the legal situation could remain unchanged for weeks or months in the face of cases like Billys, Mr Hunt replied: I sincerely hope not. He added: It does take time, because weve got to not only look at the law, weve got to look at the clinical evidence and make sure there are no unintended consequences. But I think we all know that we need to find a different way. Cracks then started to appear when the PMs official spokesman was later asked whether a review of the law was under way, replying: We have reviewed [the Billy Caldwell] case and a decision has been taken based on clinical advice. Billy Caldwell's mum welcomes UK allowing cannabis oil epileptic son Beyond that, I dont have anything specific for you, beyond saying that we will continue to look at clinical evidence and take decisions on that basis. The spokesman added: In terms of the health secretary this morning, I think he said we have to look at the law and the clinical evidence. I think thats something that we are alive to. But equally, going forward, any decisions will have to be made on the basis of clinical evidence and how to provide the best treatment. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA Mr Javid also raised the issue at the weekly cabinet meeting, but Ms May cut discussion short saying it was not the right time, with it not having been on the approved agenda. While several different sources played down the idea that Ms May was being unreasonable, the incident leaves a question mark over how far the government will go to meet campaigners demands. In the commons in the afternoon, home office ministers announced that an expert panel of doctors will be established to advise ministers on the use of medicinal cannabis on a case-by-case basis. It was welcomed by academics and campaigners, but they also urged ministers to extend access to people with a range of conditions and review the law more broadly. Nick Hurd announcing an expert panel to look into medicinal cannabis cases Genevieve Edwards, director of external affairs at the MS Society, said: Were looking forward to hearing more details and hope the government goes further than just reviewing individual cases. Evidence shows that cannabis for medicinal use could work for around 10,000 people with MS to relieve pain and muscle spasms. Its simply wrong that people are being driven to break the law to relieve these relentless symptoms. Billy Caldwell was rushed to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on Friday night in a critical condition having suffered multiple seizures, after his supply was taken off his mother on her return to the UK from Canada on 11 June. Following Mr Javids intervention he received treatment and was discharged on Monday afternoon, leaving Ms Caldwell, 50, calling for an urgent review of the law. She said: The fact that Billy has been discharged is testimony to the effectiveness of the treatment and underlines how vital it is that every child and every single family affected in our country should have immediate access to the very same medication. I am now calling for an urgent meeting with the health secretary and the home secretary I will share with them my experience, which no matter what anyone says, cannot possibly be imagined by anyone else. When asked about the prime ministers apparent reluctance for a full legal review into the use of cannabis oil, Ms Caldwell replied: I am aware that this incredibly important issue is being discussed at cabinet level and Im encouraged that the home secretary is pushing for an urgent resolution. An expert panel of doctors will be established to consider the use of medicinal cannabis in individual cases, a Home Office minister has announced. The prominent cases of 12-year-old Billy Caldwell and Alfie Dingley, 6, "highlighted the need for the government to explore the issue further and our handling of these issues further", Nick Hurd told MPs. Both young boys are reliant on cannabis oil to treat severe forms of epilepsy, a substance that is illegal in the UK but available for medical reasons in countries such as Canada. Recommended Jeremy Hunt shows support for changing law over medical cannabis oil Home secretary Sajid Javid bowed to political pressure at the weekend when Billy was taken into hospital, allowing a 20-day emergency licence for the banned medication. He was discharged on Monday afternoon. The issue appears to have divided senior ministers, as Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, signalled his support for an overhaul of the law but Theresa May poured cold water on proposals during a major speech on the NHS on Monday. It comes after an outcry over the case of Billy Caldwell, whose mother Charlotte was stopped at Heathrow Airport last Monday when she tried to bring a batch of medication back from Canada to treat his seizures. Mr Javid's intervention has prompted fresh questions over the case of Alfie Dingley, from Warwickshire, whose family applied to the government earlier this year to access the treatment for him. Answering an urgent question in the Commons, Mr Hurd announced plans for an expert clinicians' panel, led by chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies, to advise ministers on any individual applications to prescribe cannabis-based medications. He told MPs: Both the home secretary and I, as fathers, as the rest of the House, as the rest of the country, have of course been profoundly moved by Billys story as well as others like it. But I want to reassure the families and the public today that the home secretary and I are working together to do all we can to take forward the necessary steps at pace, and more announcements will be forthcoming. Labour's Diane Abbott said the public was increasingly dismayed by the handling of the case and urged ministers to intervene. The shadow home secretary said: The concentration of the relevant compounds in cannabis oil is so small that nobody could possibly get any recreational use from it. I accept the home secretary moved quickly to allow a short-term supply for Billy Caldwell, but overall the governments management of the current system of issuing licenses for cannabis oil has been lamentable. It has left people in pain and suffering, and families anxious and distraught. It seems to us on this side of the house, that the current system, even with the expert panel he refers to, is simply not fit for purpose. Her concerns were echoed by former care minister Norman Lamb, who said it was "utterly shameful" that people were being criminalised for using cannabis for medicinal purposes. Earlier, shadow minister Andy McDonald made a plea to the Home Office to intervene to prevent others enduring the "unbearable pain" he did when he lost his son to epilepsy. The Middlesborough MP lost his 16-year-old son Rory in 2006, who suffered from a severe form of epilepsy. The move was welcomed by academics and campaigners, who urged ministers to extend access to people with a range of conditions. Prof Celia Morgan, professor of psychopharmacology at Exeter University, said: We currently lag behind the rest of the world in our use and research of cannabinoid medicines. "We have an important opportunity in the UK to learn from the experience of introducing medical cannabis in other countries. "It seems a crucial time to introduce a more progressive legislation that means that children like Billy are able to access the most effective medicines for their conditions, determined by evidence, not legal status. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 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 Genevieve Edwards, director of external affairs at the MS Society: Were looking forward to hearing more details and hope the government goes further than just reviewing individual cases. "Evidence shows that cannabis for medicinal use could work for around 10,000 people with MS to relieve pain and muscle spasms. "Its simply wrong that people are being driven to break the law to relieve these relentless symptoms. Jeremy Hunt has signalled his support for overturning legal restrictions on the use of medical cannabis oil, saying no one believes the law is working properly. The health secretary said he hoped that a Home Office review could be completed within months into medical use of the oil, which is illegal in Britain but available elsewhere. However the department was unable to immediately confirm whether a review was taking place, and Theresa May's official spokesman tried to distance the prime minister from the idea. It comes after Sajid Javid, the home secretary, bowed to intense public and political pressure to allow 12-year-old Billy Caldwell to receive cannabis oil to treat his epilepsy. Billy began using the banned substance to control his seizures in 2016, but his mother Charlotte Caldwell was stopped at Heathrow Airport last Monday when she tried to bring the latest batch of his medication back from Canada. Mr Javid intervened at the weekend to grant a 20-day license for the treatment, after Billy was admitted to hospital in London, and is now reviewing the law around medical marijuana use. The health secretary told the Today programme: "I don't think anyone who followed that story could sensibly say that we are getting the law on this kind of thing right. "I think everyone feels for the lady concerned, and of course there are many, many other people in that situation." Challenged over whether the legal situation could remain unchanged for weeks or months, he replied: "I sincerely hope not." "We have to do something, we have to do it quickly... I think it is unfair to say Sajid didn't act quickly in the situation. He has released that oil for that child. "We are going to go through this process as quickly as we possibly can, because, like everyone, we think these stories are totally heartbreaking. "The Home Office are not dragging their feet on this. The home secretary has said he will review this issue." Mr Hunt added: "It does take time, because we've got to not only look at the law, we've got to look at the clinical evidence and make sure there are no unintended consequences. "But I think we all know that we need to find a different way." However, when asked about the issue after a speech on NHS funding, Ms May said: "Do we need to look at these cases and consider what we've got in place? Yes. "But what needs to drive us in all these cases has to be what clinicians are saying about these issues. "There's a very good reason why we've got a set of rules around cannabis and other drugs, because of the impact that they have on people's lives, and we must never forget that." UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA Ms Caldwell, from Castlederg in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, has offered to meet both Mr Javid and Mr Hunt to discuss the medical needs of her son and others with similar problems. She credits the oil with keeping Billy's seizures at bay, saying he was seizure-free for more than 300 days while using it. Former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, whose party has campaigned to liberalise drug laws, said the government was unable to separate the issue from "wider prejudice" against drug use. The former Liberal Democrat leader said: "It is pathetic - and I saw it for myself in government - this bone-headed triumph of prejudice over evidence. "The active substance in these cannabis-derived medicines is less harmful than stuff you can get across the counter from a chemist. "When I was in government, I certainly couldn't get Theresa May and the Home Office and indeed other parts of the government to just address the evidence. "That poor mother is finding herself in this heartbreaking situation because politicians can't separate off the issue of medicinal cannabis to help her child from their wider prejudice about drugs generally." A young Muslim rapper and a charity worker have both rejected formal invitations to celebrate Eid in Downing Street, citing opposition to Theresa Mays foreign policy. Khaled Siddiq, whose Youtube page boasts more than 28 million views, said that while he was honoured to have received the invitation, he had been deeply disappointed by the prime ministers policies towards minorities and the vulnerable in our society. The 25-year-old, who also featured in a 2008 BBC documentary Boys Dont Sing, posted on his Instagram account that it was unlikely he would have the opportunity to engage with Ms May on any meaningful level at the event on Monday afternoon. So prime minister, while I wish you nothing but good and success in leading our country, my management and I have decided to turn down your invitation, he said. Ive been deeply disappointed by your involvement in our foreign policy, your treatment over the Grenfell disaster and your policies towards minorities and the vulnerable in our society. He continued: I respect my country, and in fact my faith commands me to honour my place of birth. Its the country that gave me the opportunity to become someone recognisable enough to be invited to Downing Street. I also respect the decision of those who decide to go Im sure many of those have noble intentions. In conclusion, Im grateful for the opportunity, but just as I said to Prevent when they approached me a couple of years ago, thanks, but no thanks. Recommended Muslim Council of Britain calls for inquiry into Tory Islamophobia Madiha Raza, an activist and humanitarian aid worker, also told The Independent she had turned down the Downing Street invitation to mark the end of Ramadan. Im not anti-political engagement, she said. I think its very important to engage in dialogue politically with things you do or dont agree with. If it had been like a parliamentary conference or some kind of other event, then that would be different. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA I just think an Eid reception, in particular, for me would be quite hypocritical given that my day job is to pick up the pieces of the remnants of what the UK government does around the world. Ms Raza said there had also been no satisfactory response to allegations of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party and the demand from the Muslim Council of Britain for an urgent inquiry into the issue. I cannot in good conscience bring myself to accept an invitation to celebrate Eid at 10 Downing Street on Monday, knowing that the Eid of children in countries like Yemen involved bombs, death and destruction supplied by the UK government, she added on her Twitter account. A Downing Street spokesperson said: The prime minister is proud that Britain is home to people from diverse backgrounds. Last nights Eid reception was an opportunity to recognise the contribution British Muslims make to this country and to bring communities together to connect with one another and mark this important festival. The British government is complicit in the violence suffered by the Palestinians because it continues to support arms sales to Israel, a UK-based anti-poverty charity has said. Over 120 Palestinians have been killed and more than 3,800 injured by Israeli army fire since near-weekly protests along the Israel-Gaza border began on 30 March. Britain abstained from a United Nations vote which condemned Israels use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force against the demonstrators. Ryvka Barnard, senior campaigns officer for War on Want, told The Independent: In abstaining from this vote, the UK government has yet again refused to commit to the protection of Palestinians human rights as they are targeted with the brutal and unlawful use of force by the Israeli military. But make no mistake, the UK is not sitting aside and remaining neutral. While the world calls for violent attacks on Palestinians to end, the UK government continues to approve arms exports to Israel, making it complicit in the violence. The UN General Assembly adopted the resolution with 120 votes in favour, eight against and 45 abstentions. The resolution decried the use of live ammunition against civilian protesters, including children, as well as medical personnel and journalists and underscored its grave concern at the loss of innocent lives. It also condemned the firing of rockets from Gaza into Israeli civilian areas, but did not mention Hamas, the Islamist group which governs in Gaza. Nikki Haley says no country would have used more restraint than Israel in killing 60 protesters The United States failed in a bid to amend the resolution with a paragraph which would have condemned Hamas violence. By supporting this resolution you are colluding with a terrorist organisation, by supporting this resolution you are empowering Hamas, Israels UN ambassador, Danny Danon, told the General Assembly before the vote. It came after a similar resolution at the Security Council was vetoed by the United States. The countrys ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said it was fundamentally imbalanced and grossly one-sided. The overwhelming majority of those killed and wounded in the protests were unarmed, according to Human Rights Watch, which said the use of lethal force may constitute war crimes. The rights group said eyewitnesses reported seeing Palestinians shot from a great distance from border fences, and others who had not thrown stones or otherwise tried to harm Israeli soldiers being shot from a closer range. It said they posed no immediate threat to Israeli troops or civilians, and as such the use of live fire could be in violation of international law. Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli troops: in pictures 15 show all Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli troops: in pictures 1/15 A demonstrator uses a racket to return a tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops Reuters 2/15 Palestinian demonstrators run for cover from tear gas fired by Israeli forces Reuters 3/15 A demonstrator shouts Reuters 4/15 Tear gas canisters are fired by Israeli forces at Palestinian demonstrators Reuters 5/15 A wounded Palestinian is evacuated Reuters 6/15 A demonstrator uses a sling to hurl stones at Israeli forces Reuters 7/15 A female demonstrator uses a slingshot to hurl stones at Israeli forces Reuters 8/15 A demonstrator with a slingshot looks on Reuters 9/15 Female Palestinian demonstrators react to tear gas fired by Israeli forces Reuters 10/15 Israeli forces fire teargas canisters toward Palestinian demonstrators AFP 11/15 Female demonstrators run for cover from tear gas fired by Israeli forces Reuters 12/15 Palestinian medics evacuate a wounded protester AP 13/15 A demonstrator moves a burning tire Reuters 14/15 A demonstrator uses a racket to return a tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops Reuters 15/15 Palestinian demonstrators during clashes with Israeli forces AFP/Getty War on Want called on the UK government to stop its material support for war crimes abroad. Ms Barnard said: Over 50 MPs across parties have called for the UK to suspend arms exports to Israel, representing the views of over 5,000 people who have called on them to do so. Whether its the British weapons used by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, or those used by Israel in war crimes against Palestinians, the UK government is deeply complicit in some of the most devastating state violence in our time. The UK must implement its own export guidelines, and stop its material support for war crimes abroad. In response, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: The Government takes its defence exports responsibilities extremely seriously and operates some of the most robust export controls in the world. We only approve equipment which is for Israels legitimate self defence and where we are satisfied it would be consistent with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and other relevant commitments. We continue to assess the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and take into account the latest circumstances when assessing licence applications. Jeremy Hunt has refused to spell out how the governments promised 20bn NHS boost will be paid for, amid a wave of criticism at claims the money could come from the Brexit dividend. The health secretary admitted the move would increase the burden of taxation, but he would not confirm whether it would be funded by stealth taxes such as delaying rises in income tax thresholds. Ahead of the 70th anniversary of the NHS, the prime minister has committed to spending an additional 384m a week in an echo of the Leave campaigns widely discredited pledge to return 350m to the health service after Britain leaves the European Union. Recommended May to warn social care must wait until 2020 for extra funds However, she faced pressure from MPs and economists over her claim that the cash Britain would have contributed to the EU could fund the 3.4 per cent increase in spending on the health service. The head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) rubbished the idea of a Brexit dividend, while shadow chancellor John McDonnell said claims the funding could come from money sent to Brussels were just not credible. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which provides independent forecasts for the Treasury, has previously said Brexit could create a 15bn hit to the public finances by the 2020s. Mr Hunt said that there had been huge, very difficult discussions with the Treasury that went to the wire over the plans, but insisted that Philip Hammonds department had done its sums to make sure the cash boost was affordable. We are clear that there will be an increased burden of taxation, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. The health secretary said: We will be able to explain exactly where every penny is coming from but we will do that in the budget. Why are we not doing it now? We do know the Treasury has done its sums, it hasnt made its final decisions but it is very clear this can be affordable. The reason why we are not spelling it out now is because we want to give the NHS six months to come up with a really good 10 year plan. When we have that plan in November, we will say, This is a great plan, we accept that it is going to lead to improvements in cancer care and mental health and so on. He confirmed that the extra cash would not be used to cover social care, but he did not give any extra detail on the long-awaited shake-up of support for elderly and vulnerable people. Ms May announced the plans in a speech on Monday, and paid tribute to NHS staff who saved the lives of the victims of the Manchester bombing. She said: There, in the face of the very worst that humanity can do, I witnessed firsthand the very best. Doctors and nurses working 24 hour shifts to treat the injured. Surgeons who were off shift, dropping everything to come in and perform life-saving operations. Paramedics who had risked their own lives to get others to safety. In every instance, I was struck not only by the medical expertise of the staff but the compassion with which people were treated. Ms May also spoke of her own struggles after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, saying: I would not be doing the job I am doing today without that support. Of the increased investment, the prime minister said: The NHS will be growing significantly faster than the economy as a whole, reflecting the fact that the NHS is this governments number one spending priority. 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. 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 IFS director Paul Johnson said the Brexit windfall would not materialise when the UK stopped paying more than He told the BBCs Sunday Politics: There isnt a Brexit dividend. So there isnt a dividend in two senses. First, over this period if you look at the arrangement we have come to with the EU in terms of paying our exit bill, and you add to that the commitments the government has made in terms of funding farmers and so on, there is literally arithmetically no money. In addition, we know because the government has accepted this that the public finances will be worse as a result of the Brexit vote. The OBR has said by 15bn a year it could be a bit more, it could be a bit less because of the economy. Tory health committee chair Sarah Wollaston also said claims of a Brexit bonanza were tosh. And John McDonnell told the Today programme: We need to have confidence in whats being said. Its all well and good making an announcement like this and trying to hit the headlines, but to be credible you have to say where the moneys coming from. We certainly havent seen that. The speculation about where its coming from particularly the Brexit dividend is just not credible, as far as many commentators are saying. And we still havent addressed social care. Knickers have been draped outside the constituency office of Sir Christopher Chope, the Conservative MP who sparked outrage by single-handedly blocking a new law to criminalise upskirting, as well as his office in parliament. Lorna Rees, the artist behind the underwear protest, declared: No one should be able to photo my pants unless I want them to. In several posts on Twitter, she added: I hope my anti-Chope constituency pant protest shows solidarity. Hes not representing the best interests of people protecting women in this case hes crying parliamentary procedure and hiding. The action came as Downing Street announced that the government would now introduce its own bill to ban upskirting. Because of parliamentary rules, such government bills cannot be stopped by a single members objection. A spokesman said the aim was to have the proposed legislation go before the House of Commons in July, meaning a new law could be in place by the end of the year. He said: The PM said [upskirting] is an invasion of privacy, which leaves victims feeling degraded and distressed. She said the measure is one the government supports, and has received extensive support both within and outside of parliament. So she was pleased to confirm we will adopt this as a government bill. Responding to the announcement, Gina Martin, the victim of upskirting who first proposed the change in law, said: I am so happy I could cry. She wrote in a statement released via Twitter: I said that wed look back on Friday as the day one man tried to stand in the way of justice and didnt. But I didnt realise wed be looking back on it so soon. After a year of overwhelmingly hard work alongside Ryan [her lawyer], countless meetings with the Ministry of Justice and MPs, too many early mornings and late nights to count, hosting events, sending emails, a million media appearances, and ensuring I thought politically and strategically and did everything the right way, we have done it. The bill will go through. The government, Ryan and I will finish this. Upskirting will be made a sexual offence. Sir Christopher, MP for Christchurch in Dorset, said on Sunday he actually supported measures proposed by Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse to make upskirting illegal calling it vulgar, humiliating and unacceptable. But the 71-year-old member claimed he had blocked the legislation on a point of principle. He said he does not agree with private member bills being brought before parliament on a Friday when there is not time for them to be fully debated. If approved, such bills do still face Commons debate and scrutiny later in the process. Reacting to a barrage of criticism both online and from other MPs Sir Christopher said: I feel a bit sore about being scapegoated over this The government is abusing parliamentary time for its own ends and, in a democracy, this is not acceptable. He denied being out of touch and added: The suggestion that I am some sort of pervert is a complete travesty of the truth. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA Ms Hobhouse has since called for Sir Christopher to apologise. She said his objection was irresponsible and fundamentally wrong, and added: By objecting to the bill Christopher Chope let women in England and Wales down. I therefore expect him to make a full apology to all the women who have been harassed and degraded by this vile practice. Meanwhile, a former deputy speaker of the House of Commons has called for a change to the arcane procedures which allowed Sir Christopher to block the legislation. Nigel Evans, Conservative MP for Ribble Valley, has written to the Commons Procedure Committee to demand a review of parliaments rules. He said: I was so angry by the fact that not just the upskirting bill but a number of other bills on Friday, which are decent bills that deserved some form of airtime, were blocked in this way. Downing Street has announced that the government will introduce a law to ban upskirting after a previous attempt by MPs to bring one in was blocked. Theresa May discussed the new law with cabinet ministers on Monday after Conservative MP Sir Christopher Chope torpedoed the bid by backbenchers to push one through. Sir Christophers actions led to outrage and embarrassment for other Conservatives who backed the bill, while someone hung womens underwear off the doors of his offices in protest on Monday morning. Confirming that cabinet discussed the issue, Ms Mays spokesman said: The PM said [upskirting] is an invasion of privacy, which leaves victims feeling degraded and distressed. Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the house of commons said that Wera Hobhouse had championed legislation to address this issue and brought it before parliament. She said the measure is one the government supports, and has received extensive support both within and outside of parliament. So she was pleased to confirm we will adopt this as a government bill. The spokesman said the government aimed to secure the new bills second reading in the house of commons as soon as possible, before parliament rises for the summer, making it possible that a new law could be in place by the end of the year. Campaigners welcome government pledge on upskirting Legal experts have said the lack of a dedicated upskirting offence is driving inconsistent approaches by police and prosecutors, while leaving victims unaware of their rights. Supporters pointed to hundreds of prosecutions sparked by a 2015 law that criminalised revenge pornography as a potential indicator of the affect the change could have. Sir Christopher, MP for Christchurch in Dorset, said on Sunday that he actually supported measures to make upskirting illegal that had been proposed by Liberal Democrat MP Ms Hobhouse, calling it vulgar, humiliating and unacceptable. But the 71-year-old member claimed he blocked the bill last Friday on a point of principle, that does not agree with non-government legislation being brought before parliament at the end of the week when there it not time for it to fully debated. Bills proposed by backbench MPs can sometimes be brought forward on Fridays and are sometimes waved through without full discussion but it takes just one objection to spike them. If approved, they would still face commons debate and scrutiny later in the process. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA After Sir Christopher blocked the backbench upskiting bill, someone hung knickers from the door of both his constituency and parliamentary offices on Monday, with pictures spreading across social media. Meanwhile, a former deputy speaker of the house of commons has called for a change to the arcane procedures which allowed him to block the legislation. Nigel Evans, Conservative MP for Ribble Valley, wrote to the commons procedure committee to demand a review of parliaments rules. He said: I was so angry by the fact that not just the upskirting bill but a number of other bills on Friday, which are decent bills that deserved some form of airtime, were blocked in this way. President Trump signed Space Policy Directive - 3 on space traffic management today at the beginning of the third National Space Council Meeting. President Tump said "this is a giant step toward inspiring future generations and toward reclaiming America's proud destiny in space". FURTHER SPACE DEVELOPMENT: President Donald J. Trump signed Space Policy Directive - 3 directing the United States to lead the management of traffic and mitigate the effects of debris in space. Space Policy Directive - 3 provides guidelines and direction to ensure that the United States is a leader in providing a safe and secure environment as commercial and civil space traffic increases. - As space becomes increasingly contested, the demand for the Department of Defense to focus on protecting U.S. space assets and interests also increases. - At the same time, the rapid commercialization of space requires a traffic management framework that protects U.S. interests and considers the private sector's needs. The new Directive seeks to reduce the growing threat of orbital debris to the common interest of all nations. - The Directive articulates the policy of the United States to pursue and utilize both Government and commercial sector technologies to track and monitor space debris. - The Directive requires updates to the U.S. Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices and new guidelines for satellite design and operation. The new Directive sets guidelines for the United States to manage space traffic more effectively by spearheading new data sharing initiatives. - The United States should continue to provide basic space situational awareness data and basic space traffic management services free of direct user fees. - The Department of Commerce will make space safety data and services available to the public, while the Department of Defense maintains the authoritative catalogue of space objects. The United States will maintain and expand its leadership in space by increasing its capabilities and developing standards and best practices. This effort will: - Improve space situational awareness data standards and information sharing; - Leverage U.S. standards and best practices to shape international norms; and - Streamline processes and reduce regulatory burdens that inhibit commercial growth, enabling the U.S. commercial sector to lead the world in space. A RENEWED VIGOR FOR SPACE: The new Space Policy Directive builds on the President's efforts to reinstate the United States leadership role in space. - On May 24, 2018, the President signed Space Policy Directive - 2 to reform United States commercial space regulatory framework, seeking to ensure our place as a leader in space commerce. - On March 23, 2018, President Trump unveiled a National Space Strategy that laid out an approach to ensuring that the United States is strong and competitive in the space environment. - On December 11, 2017, the President signed Space Policy Directive - 1, instructing NASA to return United States astronauts to the Moon, followed by human missions to Mars. - On June 30 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order reviving the National Space Council for the first time in 24 years. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. A British woman who was raped and left for dead by three men armed with machetes stayed in Bolivia for a year to make sure they were put behind bars. Vasilisa Komarova, 37, was just over a year into a solo motorcycle tour when she was dragged from her tent by three men, beaten and raped before being left for dead. After refusing to leave Bolivia for almost a year and ignoring warnings the case might never reach a court, Ms Komarova came face to face with her attackers Jose Gongora, 26, Yery Yumacale, 24, and Fabio Bazan, 30 last month as they were sentenced to a total of 42 years in jail. Thousands show solidarity with rape victims at rallies in Ireland Waiving her right to anonymity, Ms Komarova described how the trip of a lifetime suddenly turned to terror on 4 June, 2017. Recommended Hundreds protest at camp where children are being taken from families Im afraid I will never forget it; its embedded into my memory, said Ms Komarova, who gained British citizenship after moving from Moscow to Lancaster Gate, in London, when she was 20. I had spent time going on boats and taking photographs on a river near Santa Rosa which was beautiful, like a safari, and the family of the person who took me on the boat highly recommended camping at this lagoon. I left my tent to take a photograph of the lagoon and these men, who were like fishermen, offered for me to go with them. I said I didnt want to and tried to cut the conversation to a minimum because I was a little bit worried and went back to my tent to sleep. Vasilisa said she was fighting not to be raped during the ordeal (Vasilisa Komarova) I woke to the sound of someone starting to move my motorbike which was at the side of my tent and then I saw the shadow of this person with a machete and then it went really nasty because they pulled me out of the tent. Gongora raped her while the other two men choked her and held her down in a brutal attack. They had damaged her motorbike so she couldnt escape and robbed her of her possessions before leaving her for dead. Valedictorians mic gets shut off when she talks about sexual assault during graduation speech They looked like they hated women, Ms Komarova, who worked as a lawyer in Russia, told The Independent. Im absolutely sure they came to rape me, they didnt come to rob me, because they said they came from a party and had looked for a bitch to have fun but I was fighting to not be raped so only one person managed and I think they got tired from me because I wasnt co-operating. They didnt cut me with the machete but they scratched me. The keen motorcyclist aims to set up a forum for other victims (Vasilisa Komarova) I lost consciousness because I was constantly choked. I couldnt move and they hit me and I lost part of my tooth. It did hurt a lot and some of my bones were dislocated. Ms Komarova was too scared to walk through the night to find help so waited until the morning when people visited the lagoon to wash their clothes. Fortunately her attackers left behind her MacBook Pro laptop, which was hidden under her sleeping bag, and she managed to make contact with someone in the Russian embassy who she had previously met by chance. She managed to get work as a personal trainer so she could stay in Bolivia while she waited for the case to go to trial. Her three attackers denied rape and robbery but 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. 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 Yumacale received 10 years for aiding the rape and eight for robbery. Bazan got seven-and-a-half years for aiding the rape. All three plan to appeal. Im so happy they will never ever touch another woman. People like that shouldnt be on the streets and shouldnt be around little girls, said Ms Komarova. The keen motorcyclist and photographer is not letting her experience hold her back and she plans to set off again from Peru to complete her trip to Alaska. Its the biggest dream of my life and Im not going to wash it away because of three drunken men they arent worth it, she said. I also hope to create a forum for other victims called the Phoenix Sisters. We are just like a phoenix because we get burned down but then we become alive again and come back stronger. Anyone wishing to contact Vasilisa can get in touch via her Instagram page @mythousandsmiles Police say a mosque has been set on fire in Alberta, Canada, in what Muslim community representatives are calling a brazen attack. CCTV images supplied to Canadian media by officials at the Edson Mosque appeared to show a hooded figure walking away from the building carrying a red bag or jerry can. Three worshippers were in the car park of the mosque at the time and saw flames rising above an entrance. The fire service was called and successfully tackled the blaze before it could cause extensive damage. But in a post on Facebook, Edson Mosque organisers said they were gravely concerned about this attack, the first of its kind in the five years since the building was constructed with flame-retardant materials in 2013. The incident took place at around 11pm on Saturday night, on a day of celebration for Muslims around the world as they celebrate an end of Ramadan, mosque officials said. Jocelyn Pettitt, a board member of the Islamic Society of Edson, described the incident as disappointing. Were shocked its concerning that someone came to damage our place of worship, she told the Edmonton Journal. She said the mosque serves 15 Muslim families in the area as well as lots of travellers stopping on their way to and from Jasper National Park. Edson itself is a small town with only around 8,500 residents. The action of this one person isnt representative of the town of Edson, she said. We consider this our home, and weve felt accepted since day one. Tufik Baterdouk, vice president of the Islamic Society of Edson, told CBC it was a little bit more scary that the arson took place while there were three worshippers on the premises. "It was quite brazen," he said. "Typically you would think that someone who wants to commit arson or vandalism, if they see people ... they probably would change their mind. But this individual, it does not seem to be a concern for him. "This is something that we will have to explain to our children ... that kind of weighs on your mind," he added. "Probably the hardest thing is having to try to explain to children why something like this could have happened." The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said it was treating the incident as arson and a possible hate crime, which was welcomed by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM). We strongly denounce this cowardly act of arson against a mosque, particularly when Canadians Muslims across the country are celebrating Eid ul-Fitr. We are relieved no one was hurt in the attack and we stand in solidarity with the entire Edson mosque community at this difficult time, said the NCCMs executive director Ihsaan Gardee. Hundreds of thousands of homes in the United States could face persistent flooding as climate change pushes sea levels higher, according to a new report. Sea level rise is expected to be one of the most tangible effects of a changing climate, as accumulating greenhouse gases fuel a steady rise in global temperatures that in turn raise the level of oceans - threatening low-lying and coastal areas. A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists quantified the risk by comparing areas already known to be at high flood risk against data from the real estate website Zillow. The result: more than 300,000 homes lining Americas lengthy coastlines could face chronic flooding by 2045, which would mean 30-year mortgages issued to home-buyers today could be placing them in at-risk properties. Those structures house some 550,000 people. Even before homes are entirely submerged, the report found, plummeting property values could lead homeowners to abandon properties and potentially entire neighbourhoods that have become effectively uninhabitable, with potential reverberations throughout the national economy. With the inevitability of ever-higher seas, these are not devaluations from which damaged real estate markets will recover, the report warned. Lisa Murray's climate change photography Show all 12 1 /12 Lisa Murray's climate change photography Lisa Murray's climate change photography Dinka cattle herders starting their migration in South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography A Dinka woman fetches water in South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Veronica in South Sudan preparing tea outside her home, recently ravaged by heavy flooding Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Children playing in Vietnam. When it floods, transport to and from school is a major challenge Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Sugeng, a fish and crab farmer from Indonesia who suffers financially every time the area floods Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Tan, a vegetable farmer, learning new methods through Oxfam in Vietnam Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Maluk, a 19-year-old from Tonj South, South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Normally this farmer in South Sudan would be harvesting sorghum, but rains are late so the hunger season continues Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Herders bringing home their cattle in Afar, Ethiopia Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Farmers harvesting chilli in Ethiopia Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography A woman in Tigray, Ethiopia, scares birds away from her crops with a slingshot Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Irula tribe woman in Tamil Nadu Lisa Murray But the reports authors warn that many real estate markets do not take into account the looming cataclysm, leading more people to purchase property that could face regularly flooding. In addition to the homes at risk of inundation, the report found that some 14,000 commercial properties with a collective value of $18.5 billion lie in the danger zone. Extending the analysis to 2100, the likely consequences become even more dire: some 4.7 million people could live in homes that are vulnerable to rising waters, with Florida, New York and New Jersey holding the greatest numbers. Eight young Floridians file lawsuit against the state of Florida over climate change Officials must respond with policies that seek to limit greenhouse gas emissions and help coastal communities prepare for increased flooding, the report urges. At the local level, coastal communities must no longer allow construction that cannot accommodate sea level rise, South Miami mayor Philip Stoddard told the reports authors. But Michael Berman, an expert on housing and flood risk who has advised the federal government on housing policy, warned that policymakers have been slow to recognise the threat. Short-term thinking and a simple view of the world tends to prevail in our culture, including our business and political cultures, Mr Berman said. There is almost nothing being done by policymakers in many vulnerable parts of the United States in the flood risk arena. Colombia have elected a new conservative president, giving him 54 per cent of the vote following a powerful campaign. President-elect Ivan Duque today appealed for unity after winning a runoff election over a leftist firebrand whose ascent shook Colombia's political establishment and laid bare deep divisions over the nation's peace process. The conservative Mr Duque, the protege of a powerful former president, was elected on Sunday. He finished more than 12 points ahead of former guerrilla Gustavo Petro, though the runner-up's performance at the ballot box was the best ever for the left in one of Latin America's most conservative nations. When Mr Duque, of the Democratic Centre party, takes office in August at age 42 he will be Colombia's youngest president in more than a century and in his first remarks as president-elect he vowed to work tirelessly to heal divisions and govern on behalf of all Colombians. He also promised a frontal attack on corruption while addressing a surge in cocaine production that he called a threat to national security. "This is the opportunity that we have been waiting for to turn the page on the politics of polarisation, insults and venom," Mr Duque told jubilant supporters Sunday night, joined by his young family. The election was the first since outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos signed the 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the race ultimately ended up being defined by the divisive accord. Mr Duque's promise to heal the scars from five decades of bloody conflict will demand a quick response. The FARC rebels who demobilized under the accord are struggling to reinsert themselves into civilian life in a nation where many people are hesitant to forgive. Vast swaths of remote territory remain under the control of violent drug mafias and residual rebel bands. In pictures: Colombian landslide Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Colombian landslide In pictures: Colombian landslide People stare at damages caused by mudslides following heavy rains in Mocoa, Putumayo department, southern Colombia. The death toll from a devastating landslide in the Colombian town of Mocoa stood at around 200 on Sunday as rescuers clawed through piles of muck and debris in search of survivors Getty Images In pictures: Colombian landslide A man walks in a muddy street following mudslides caused by heavy rains in Mocoa, Putumayo department, southern Colombia Getty Images In pictures: Colombian landslide A local walks amid rubble left by mudslides following heavy rains in Mocoa, Putumayo department, southern Colombia Getty Images In pictures: Colombian landslide The death toll from a devastating landslide in the Colombian town of Mocoa stood at around 200 on Sunday as rescuers clawed through piles of muck and debris in search of survivors Getty Images In pictures: Colombian landslide A man looks at a street destroyed after flooding and mudslides, caused by heavy rains leading several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment and rocks into buildings and roads, in Mocoa, Colombia Reuters In pictures: Colombian landslide Colombian soldiers working in the evacuation of victims from the landslide-hit town of Mocoa, Putumayo region, Colombia EPA In pictures: Colombian landslide Colombian soldiers working in the evacuation of victims from the landslide-hit town of Mocoa, Putumayo region, Colombia EPA In pictures: Colombian landslide Colombian soldiers working in the evacuation of victims from the landslide-hit town of Mocoa, Putumayo region, Colombia EPA In pictures: Colombian landslide Colombian soldiers evacuating victims from the landslide-hit town of Mocoa, Putumayo region, Colombia EPA Mr Duque, who only entered politics in 2014 after being lured back to Colombia by former President Alvaro Uribe from a cosy life in Washington, in his victory speech repeated pledges made on the campaign trail to roll back benefits in the peace accord for top rebel commanders behind atrocities. He and running mate Marta Lucia Ramirez, who will become Colombia's first female vice president, have promised to make changes in the accord but Mr Duque has also vowed not to "shred it to pieces" as some of his hawkish allies have urged. "Undoubtedly, for the peace process, this is an important test," said Patricia Munoz, a professor of political science at Javeriana University in Bogota. Mr Petro, Mr Duque's political rival, energized young voters and drew millions to public plazas with fiery speeches vowing to improve the lives of poor Colombians long neglected by the political elite. His more than eight million votes marked the biggest success for a leftist presidential contender ever in Colombia, where politicians on the left have long been stigmatized because of the civil conflict. "Perhaps as time passes people will be less scared about voting for left-wing politicians," said Jorge Gallego, a professor at Bogota's Rosario University. "Although with this result, it's proven that Colombia is still a right-wing country." Mr Petro took his loss in stride, refusing to call it a defeat. In a concession speech that at times sounded celebratory, he challenged Mr Duque to break with his hard-line allies, and Mr 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," Mr Petro said to a thunderous applause from supporters chanting "Resistance!" Colombia's peace process to end a conflict that caused more than 250,000 deaths 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. Last year the rebels launched a new political party and will soon occupy 10 seats in congress. But the accord remains contentious and Mr 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. Mr Duque's detractors warn that his victory could throw an already delicate peace process into disarray. "I think it will set up a big constitutional battle," said Cynthia Arnson, director of the Latin America programme at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. Colombia: FARC leaders apologise for war crimes Mr 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 entered public service almost two decades ago as an adviser to the man he will succeed a president, Mr Santos, who was then Colombia's finance minister. He 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 cultural division. It was during that time that Mr Duque forged a close relationship with Mr Uribe, the torchbearer of conservatives who is both adored and detested by legions of Colombians. With Mr Uribe's backing, Mr Duque was elected to Colombia's Senate in 2014. He earned a reputation as a like-minded security hawk who did his homework and earned the respect of colleagues across the political spectrum. Throughout his campaign, Mr Duque was dogged by accusations he would be little more than a puppet for Mr Uribe, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. Though praised for weakening the FARC and drawing record foreign investment, the former president has also been blamed for the military's killing of thousands of civilians who were falsely portrayed as rebels to inflate body counts. Towards the end of his victory speech, Mr Duque thanked Mr Uribe but said he would strive to bridge Colombia's divisions. He stuck to his message of peace, saying he wants to see rank-and-file guerrilla members succeed in civilian life and become part of a growing Colombian economy. "I'm not going to govern with hatred," he said. "Neither in my mind nor my heart is there a desire for revenge and retaliation." Associated Press Five people have been killed and several others injured after an SUV suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants crashed while fleeing from Border Patrol agents in South Texas, authorities said. The driver of the car, who was transporting 13 other people, lost control while travelling at around 100 mph. The vehicle overturned on Texas Highway 85 and most of the occupants were thrown out of the vehicle, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said. From what we can tell the vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to re-correct, Mr Boyd said, adding that caused the vehicle to turn over several times. Four victims were found dead at the scene and a fifth was pronounced dead after being airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio, Mr Boyd said. A sixth person was in critical condition with potentially life-threatening injuries, he added. The Border Patrol said in a statement that two other vehicles had been travelling alongside the SUV earlier in the day. An agent suspected they were conducting a smuggling event, according to the statement. The border agent stopped one of the vehicles and another agent stopped a second one. Multiple people from both vehicles were arrested. The third vehicle did not stop when asked, and a sheriffs deputy took over the chase prior to the fatal crash, the border patrol said. The incident comes amid increased tensions over the treatment of immigrants at the southern border. Donald Trumps administration has said tougher immigration policies even separating children from their parents are needed to deter immigrants from coming to the country illegally. Over a six-week period ending in May, about 2,000 children had been separated from their families, administration officials said Friday. Most of the occupants in the SUV were believed to be in the country without legal permission. Mr Boyd said the driver and one passenger were believed to be US citizens. A deputy who assisted the Border Patrol with the chase found the driver sitting upright in his seat and took him and the passenger into custody. The driver was also taken to hospital. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty This, I think, is a perfect example, of why our borders need to be secured, Mr Boyd said. Some injured were taken by helicopter to San Antonio. Dimmit County is directly north of Webb County and east of Maverick County, which border Mexico. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who died in the crash, Border Patrol said in the statement. Associated Press contributed to this report Famed for his rousing rhetoric, flamboyant persona, and oratory prowess, Reverend Al Sharpton is one of Americas most influential civil rights leaders. The Baptist minister, who was a White House advisor to former president Barack Obama, pulls no punches and is a tenacious critic of race relations in the US. The talk show host, who has his own radio show Keepin it Real, has argued the Trump presidency has emboldened the far right in the country and has described the US president as an embarrassment to America. Al Sharpton gives eulogy at Stephon Clark funeral I think that Trump represents a backlash of the eight years of President Obama and has given every dog whistle or racial signal to the worst elements in American society, he told The Independent in a wide-ranging interview. He is trying to turn back the clock on voting rights, on health care, and on peoples civil rights and liberties. We are determined that while he can turn back the clock, he will not turn back time. Sharpton argued Trumps divisive and incendiary rhetoric which has seen the world leader accused of sexism and racism has inspired the so-called alt-right movement in the US to become increasingly brazen in their discourse. Trump has emboldened the far right to come out with a lot of racism, xenophobia, and homophobia, he said. I think that it is an opportunity for those in the progressive and civil rights community to mobilise because they have taken the covers off and are very blatantly expressing themselves. When you have the president of the United States making a moral equivalence between neo-Nazis saying there are some good people there and comparing them to people protesting against confederate statues which represent slavery then they become emboldened because they have the imprimatur of the Oval Office. This is a reference to a white supremacist rally which took place in Charlottesville last summer and saw neo-Nazis, KKK members and alt-right supporters clash with anti-fascists. A woman was left dead after a 20-year-old man, who officials say had Nazi sympathies, ploughed his car into a crowd of peaceful anti-fascist demonstrators. Trump prompted anger in the wake of the deadly violence for drawing a moral parity between white supremacists and anti-fascists, saying counter-protesters were as violent as the far-right and the alt-right groups included some very fine people. Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism. Its embarrassing to have to explain to people in the UK and the rest of the world why we have a president who tweets the most ridiculous and the most divisive stuff, Sharpton said. He has lowered the dignity of the office. The campaigner, who spoke at Oxford Union and addressed 200 local black elected officials and politicians to discuss gun violence and the War on Drugs in the House of Commons during his visit to the UK this week, argued the rise of Trump was being mirrored in Europe. Sharpton sought to draw parallels between dispossessed Brexit voters and Trump supporters who both feel spurned by globalisation and misunderstood by the respective Washington and Westminster elite. It is complemented by what we see in Italy, what we see with Brexit here. This isolationism and this nationalism. It runs contrary to the globalisation of finance and the globalisation of technology we now live in one world where you cannot stifle communication or finance and you need to learn and deal with diversity around the globe. Trump is a symbol of them trying to hold onto a world that has passed. He argued Trump was exacerbating rather than tackling police brutality in the US referring to the time the billionaire property developer appeared to endorse police violence in a speech given to law enforcement officials in Long Island, New York, last August. Trump has forthrightly said that he is on the police side. He told the police in one speech, dont even be kind when you are arresting people. This is embracing that physical police overreaction, Sharpton said. Trump went so far as suggesting officers should not protect suspects heads when they are pushing them into vehicles during the speech last summer. And when you see these towns and when you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon you just see them thrown in, rough I said, Please dont be too nice, Trump said. 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 president added: Like when you guys put somebody in the car and youre protecting their head, you know, the way you put their hand over? Like, dont hit their head and theyve just killed somebody dont hit their head. I said, You can take the hand away, OK? The speech prompted loud applause and laughter from the crowd of officers. Sharpton, who was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the US presidential election back in 2004, was more positive about race relations when discussing last months royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Nevertheless, he argued it was important not to get fixated with symbolism and also to look for the tangible consequences of Harrys decision to marry a mixed race woman. I think it is great symbolism. I was very moved by it but I want to see the policies rise to the symbol, he said. I think it gave a lot of hope to young blacks especially in Britain. But again it cannot end with just the wedding ceremony. We need to have a marriage in academia and in government here of inclusion and not just be satisfied with the symbol. Sharpton highlighted parallels between race relations in the UK and the US saying both countries were united by their struggle to deal with white male authority. Although it manifests itself differently, [Britain and America] basically operate on the same premise that white male authority should not be questioned. That is a notion that is outdated and cannot survive with the globalisation of the world as we know it. He argued Trumps approach immigration was reminiscent of the Windrush scandal in the UK. Windrush scandal: What you need to know When you have a president that identifies Mexicans as rapists and talks about building a wall and then the Windrush generation scandal pushing people out, it is the same general mood that must be resisted. I want to see why we see a lack of diversity and how we heal it and how we come together, he said. It is good for everyone, it is not only good for blacks. You need that to deal with the upsurge of knife incidents in this country. If you have community and law enforcement working together that protects everyone. It is not just diversity for black empowerment, it is diversity for everyones interests. Figures released by Londons Metropolitan Police this month showed that in the year to March there has been a 23 per cent increase in gun crime and a 21 per cent rise in knife crime. Crimes involving knives and sharp instruments across England and Wales are at their highest level since 2011, according to the Office for National Statistics. Sharpton also told The Independent Oxford University lacked racial diversity saying the prestigious institution has an exclusionary admissions strategy. Melania Trump has said she hates to see children separated from their families a rare political intervention from the First Lady amid an immigration crackdown launched by her husbands administration. As hundreds of protesters gathered outside facilities in Texas and New Jersey being used to separate and detain migrant youngsters split from their families, among them a large tent camp near the Mexico border, and as Donald Trump prepared to meeting legislators to discuss the latest immigration crisis, the First Lady issued a statement, calling on both parties to solve the problem. 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, her communications director, Stephanie Grisham, told CNN. Recommended Trump blames Democrats once again for border family separation She added: She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart. Mrs Trump, who has made helping children the crux of her official Be Best platform as First Lady, had yet to discuss the state of families and immigration, a topic that has been prominent in headlines for days. Donald Trump blames Democrats for children being taken from families at Mexico border Since May, the Trump administration has charged every adult caught crossing the border illegally with federal crimes, as opposed to referring those with children mainly to immigration courts, as previous administrations did. Because the government is charging the parents in the criminal justice system, children are separated from them, without a clear procedure for their reunification. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an immigration hardliner, has admitted the policy is an attempt to dissuade people from trying to cross and has used passages from the bible to defend his actions in light of widespread condemnation The policy to refer all adults for charges was publicly announced on May 7, but the Justice Department announced it would prosecute 100 per cent of the cases referred to it at the beginning of April. Meanwhile, Mr Trump has claimed, incorrectly, that previous administrations are responsible for the policy he has adopted. Critics have said he is using the young people to seek leverage over congress to force it to fund a border wall. On Sunday, Democratic legislators joined hundreds of protesters in New Jersey and Texas to demonstrate outside immigration detention facilities for young people. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty This must not be who we are as a nation, said congressman Jerrold Nadler, one of seven members of Congress from New York and New Jersey who met with five detainees inside the facility. Reuters said 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 Mr Trumps fellow Republicans. US officials said last Friday that nearly 2,000 children were separated from adults at the border between mid-April and the end of May. In May, Mr Sessions announced a zero tolerance policy in which all those apprehended entering the United States illegally, including those seeking asylum, would be criminally charged. This usually results in children being separated from their parents. In South Texas on Sunday, several Democrats including Senator Jeff Merkley, toured detention facilities to call attention to the policy, while congressman Beto ORourke, who is running for the US Senate in Texas, marched with protesters to a tent camp established last week close to the border at Tornillo, 40 miles southwest of El Paso This is inhumane, Mr ORourke told CNN. Id like to say its un-American, but its happening right now in America. Donald Trumps homeland security chief and his Attorney General have said the administration will not apologise for the policy of splitting up migrant families at the border as the president declared the US "will not be a migrant camp". The "zero tolerance" policy at the border, with means all cases of adult illegal entry are sent for criminal prosecution, has led to the separation of parents and children and sparked a nationwide backlash. Defending the approach Mr Trump reiterated the importance of border security. The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility... not on my watch," he said. Before Mr Trump's remarks and less than 24 hours after she insisted the government did not have a policy of separating youngsters from their parents, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen backed the policy. We have to do our job. We will not apologise for doing our job, she said, speaking in New Orleans to the National Sheriffs Association. This administration has a simple message: If you cross the border illegally, we will prosecute you. Ms Nielsens doubling down on the governments policy came as Mr Trump has faced growing criticism for his a new immigration policy announced in May by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who also addressed the police officers. Mr Sessions said the government "will not encourage migrants to bring children". He said if Mr Trump was given the funding he has requested for construction of a border wall, the problem of illegal immigration would be reduced and officials would not be confronted by "terrible choices" such as splitting up families. According to Mr Sessions' policy, which was backdated to April, anybody stopped entering the country illegally would be criminally charged, even if they were seeking asylum. The criminal charging of parents means they are usually separated from their children. Mr Trump has faced a growing criticism for the new hardline approach, which was reportedly pushed by his right wing policy adviser Stephen Miller. In addition to criticism from the Democrats and social activists, Mr Trump has been condemned by a number of Republican politicians and a large number of members of the clergy. On Monday, the United Nations top human rights official added his voices to the criticism. Speaking at the opening of a Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Zeid Raad al-Hussein urged the US authorities to end the policy that has seen almost 2,000 children taken from their families in the past six weeks. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen: illegal actions have and must have consequences" The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable, said Mr Hussein As images have emerged of the youngsters in tent camps and holding facilities made up of cages, groundswell of opposition to the policy has increased. Over the weekend, Mr Trumps own wife, First Lady Melania Trump, said she hates to see children separated from their families. Meanwhile former first lady Laura Bush, whose husband sought to agree a deal on immigration reform when he was president, wrote an article for the Washington Post in which she voiced a rare public criticism of a man her family is known to be at adds with. I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart, she wrote. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Trump, who is due to visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday to discuss two possible immigration bills, 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 Mr Sessions announced that officials would start prosecuting all people who tried to cross the border illegally. The new approach meant the Department of Justice would prosecute everyone crossing, even those seeking to make asylum claims. Meanwhile, as he again sought to blame the democrats for the steps being taken by his own administration, Mr Trump took time to attack Angela Merkel of Germany, who has faced dissent from members of her political coalition over her policy of welcoming migrants and asylum seekers, particularly those from countries such as Syria. The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition, he said, adding incorrectly that crime had increased in the country. Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture! We dont want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us. Ms Merkels open-door migrant policy is widely blamed for the rise of the right-wing AfD, now the main opposition party in Germanys federal parliament. More than 1.6m migrants, mostly Muslims fleeing wars in the Middle East, have arrived in Germany since 2014. Yet, Reuters said contrary to Mr Trumps assertion, crime has fallen off dramatically in Germany, with the countrys internal ministry reporting last month that criminal offenses in Germany totaled 5.76m in 2017, the lowest number since 1992, leading to the lowest crime rate for the country in more than 30 years. Attorney General Jeff Sessions church has strongly condemned his zero-tolerance immigration policy, saying Christ would would have no part in ripping children from their mothers arms. It also said he would not shun those fleeing violence. Since it emerged up to 2,000 children migrant children have been separated from their families in just six weeks after Mr Sessions new policy was adopted in May, religious leaders from across the nation have spoken out. Such criticism grew after Mr Sessions sought to use passages from the bible to justify the hardline policy. 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, Mr Sessions said last week during a speech in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Recommended The separation of parents and children at the US border is inhumane Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and lawful. Mr Sessions, who previously served as a senator for Alabama, has for a long time been a member of the Ashland Place Methodist Church in Mobile. Last week, the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, one of the Methodist churchs organising bodies, issued a statement saying the policy of Donald Trump and his attorney general, was a shocking violation of the spirit of the gospel. The Christ we follow would have no part in ripping children from their mothers arms or shunning those fleeing violence, it said. It is unimaginable that faith leaders even have to say that these policies are antithetical to the teachings of Christ. Donald Trump attacks Angela Merkel for giving sanctuary to refugees Now, the Methodist bishop with oversight for Mr Sessions specific church, located on the Gulf Coast, has issued his own criticism, saying it burdens my heart that innocent immigrant children are being separated from their parents. Bishop David Graves, who oversees the Alabama-West Florida Conference, said members of the church look to scripture and our social principles to guide our thinking and actions in regards to social justice issues. He wrote in a statement: Specifically, the social principles state about immigration, The United Methodist Church recognises, embraces, and affirms all persons, regardless of country of origin, as members of the family of God. We urge society to recognise the gifts, contributions, and struggles of those who are immigrants and to advocate for justice for all. He added: It is heartbreaking to see families separated, regardless of their citizenship. I implore congress and the current administration to do all in their power to reunite these families. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to questions about Mr Sessions church condemning the policy on immigration. 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 Meanwhile, at a speech in New Orleans, Mr Trumps Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said the administration will not apologise for the policy of splitting up migrant families at the border an issue that has sparked widespread outcry. We have to do our job. We will not apologise for doing our job, she said, speaking in New Orleans to the National Sheriffs Association. This administration has a simple message: If you cross the border illegally, we will prosecute you. Mr Sessions also addressed the event and said the government will not encourage migrants to bring children. He said if Mr Trump was given the funding he has requested for construction of a border wall, the problem of illegal immigration would be reduced and officials would not be confronted by terrible choices such as splitting up families. A spokeswomen for the United Methodist Alabama-West Florida Conference said they could not comment on the frequency of Mr Sessions attendance at church services. She said: I do not have that information. It is not common for a church to comment on a members attendance. The United Nations top human rights official has condemned the Trump administrations policy of breaking up migrant families, calling the practice unconscionable. Speaking at the opening of a regular Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Zeid Raad al-Hussein urged the US authorities to end a zero tolerance policy that has seen almost 2,000 children taken from their families in the past six weeks. The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable, said Mr Hussein. Mr Hussein, a Jordanian prince, is due to stand down from his position in August. He used his remarks on Monday to drawn attention to a number of countries, including Syria, Myanmar, Hungary, Nicaragua, Israel, North Korea, and India- and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Yet, according to the Associated Press, he also took aim at nationalist agendas around the world being promoted by self-serving, callous leaders. CNN political analyst Brian Karem presses White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on family separations at the US-Mexico border In remarks that some will assume were aimed at Donald Trump, Mr Hussein said the more pronounced their sense of self-importance, the more they glory in nationalism, the more unvarnished is the assault on the overall common good - on universal rights, on universal law and universal institutions, such as this one. The criticism from Mr Hussein came as Mr Trump found himself under increasing pressure to explain a policy taken up in April that meant everyone caught trying to illegally cross US-Mexico the border was immediately charged with federal offences, something that obliged parents to be separated from their families. People applying for asylum were treated no differently. As images have emerged of youngsters in tent camps and holding facilities made up of cages, the groundswell of opposition to the policy has increased. Over the weekend, Mr Trumps own wife, First Lady Melania Trump, said she hates to see children separated from their families. 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 Meanwhile, former first lady Laura Bush, whose husband sought to agree a deal on immigration reform when he was president, wrote an article for the Washington Post in which she voiced rare public criticism of a man her family is known to be at adds with. I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart, she wrote. Mr Trump, who is due to visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday to discuss two possible immigration bills, 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. He continued this argument on Monday, tweeting: "Why dont the Democrats give us the votes to fix the worlds worst immigration laws? Where is the outcry for the killings and crime being caused by gangs and thugs, including MS-13, coming into our country illegally?" (AP (AP) 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. 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. 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." On Monday, Mr Trumps one-time communications director, Anthony Scaramucci says it doesnt feel right for the Trump administration to blame Democrats for separating children. Using the separation of children and parents as a leverage point or a negotiating point...just doesn't feel right, he told CNN. We can't seem to find the page you are looking for. You may have typed the address incorrectly or you may have used an outdated link. Donald Trump has defended his controversial zero tolerance immigration policy, saying he will not allow the US to become a migrant camp even as activists claimed separating children from their families was nothing short of torture. The president has been been under mounting criticism after it emerged that at least 2,000 young people had been taken from their families since the introduction last month of a new immigration policy, under attorney general Jeff Sessions, that criminally charged everybody apprehended illegally crossing the border. This has been the policy adopted even for those people seeking asylum. Over the weekend, images emerged of the facilities where these migrant children, mostly from Central America, are being held. One facility near El Paso, Texas, was a tent city, while photographs from another camp near McAllen, also in the Lone Star State, showed chain link fences, mattresses on the floor and families queueing to be processed. Recommended The separation of parents and children at the US border is inhumane Speaking at the White House, Mr Trump was defiant, saying the United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility. It wont be. He added: You look at whats happening in Europe, you look at whats happening in other places we cant allow that to happen to the United States, not on my watch. The weight of criticism against the policy, which Mr Trump has wrongly sought to blame on the previous administration, has included former first lady Laura Bush and numerous religious leaders. Mr Sessions church in Alabama has condemned the policy as unjust, while over the weekend Mr Trump wife, Melania, said she hates to see children separated from their families. Donald Trump blames Democrats for children being taken from families at Mexico border Critics of Mr Trump, who made a crackdown on immigration a central theme of his election campaign, say he is using the young people as a bargaining chip. They claim he is trying to persuade Democrats in Congress to release sufficient funds to enable him to construct a wall along the USs southern border with Mexico, another of his campaign promises. The president is set to travel to Capitol Hill later this week to discuss options for new immigration. In the meantime, Mr Trump and his top officials have defended the policy of separating young people, and the conditions in which they are being held. Theyre not put in jail, of course. Theyre taken care of, Mr Sessions said at the National Sheriffs Association convention in New Orleans. 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 Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told the same conference the administration had nothing to say sorry for. We have to do our job. We will not apologise for doing our job, she said. This administration has a simple message: if you cross the border illegally, we will prosecute you. At the same time, the barrage of criticism has been widespread and appears to be growing. The United Nations top human rights official called Mr Trumps policy unconscionable. Speaking at the opening of a regular Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Zeid Raad al-Hussein urged the US authorities to end a zero tolerance policy that has seen almost 2,000 children taken from their families in the past six weeks. The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable, said Mr Hussein. Amnesty International claimed the images that emerged over the weekend would leave an indelible stain on the reputation of the US. This is a spectacularly cruel policy, where frightened children are being ripped from their parents arms and taken to overflowing detention centres, which are effectively cages. This is nothing short of torture, said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty Internationals Americas Director The severe mental suffering that officials have intentionally inflicted on these families for coercive purposes means that these acts meet the definitions of torture under both US and international law. Undercover footage of an industrial chicken farm in Poland has revealed staff boasting about killing sick animals "just like Hitler at Auschwitz." The film shows one worker bashing the tiny birds to death on a metal rail before throwing their bodies into buckets. It also reveals staff picking up large numbers of dead or rotting animals from the floor of the huge facility in the western county of Strzelce-Drezdenko. Poland is Europe's biggest producer of poultry meat and exports around 65,000 tonnes to the UK every year. Animal protection organisation Open Cages said the crowded and filthy conditions on the broiler farm were similar to those in this country. "The only difference is the level of cruelty and violence shown in the video which we have not seen so far in the UK," said spokeswoman Kirsty Henderson. Open Cages has been unable to confirm whether any chicken from the farm reaches the UK. The video was filmed over six weeks by a farm worker, "Adam", using a hidden camera. He recorded an employee demonstrating how to kill chicks who were either too sick or too slow to grow, grabbing them and smashing their skulls against a metal rail. One of the animals killed was a three-legged chicken. Another was blind. The employee was recorded explaining: Just like Hitler with Auschwitz, you do the same here. What I documented on this farm illustrates the daily aspects of cruelty related to chicken farming the world over such as overstocking, bone fractures, heart failure and animals who have grown so fast they cant walk," said Adam. "It also illustrates what we deem to be illegal animal abuse like inhumane slaughter and the throwing and stepping on of animals. "The cruelty I witnessed will stay with me forever. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA Broiler farms are normally huge, windowless sheds that house hundreds of chickens at a time until they grow to "slaughter weight". The cramped and dirty conditions means many birds become lame or sick and die before they reach "slaughter weight" after around five to six weeks. Two months ago animal rights charity PETA released a video of chickens being kept next to carcasses at a Buckinghamshire poultry farm which supplies Nandos. PETA said: "Many people who eat chicken have never so much as seen a picture of the inside of a broiler farm. They have no idea about the immense suffering behind their food. "The best way to help these animals is to stop eating them." Open Cages has notified the public prosecutors office in Poland about the allegation of animal cruelty. What did Donald Trump claim? In an early morning (US time) tweet on Monday, the president said: 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! New satellite images appear to show Russia has upgraded a nuclear weapons storage bunker in Kaliningrad as tensions with the West continue to rise, according to a report from the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). The group has published the photos showing what appears to be an effort to excavate and deepen the bunker, and also the addition of a new concrete roof. It has all the fingerprints of typical Russian nuclear weapons storage sites, Hans Kristensen, the director of the nuclear information project at FAS, said in a blog post to accompany the images. There is a heavy-duty external perimeter of multilayered fencing. The bunkers themselves have triple fencing around them as well. These are typical features from all the other nuclear weapons storage sites that we know about in Russia, Mr Kristensen wrote. Work on the bunker began in 2016, and the roof was reportedly added more recently. The features of the site suggest it could potentially serve Russian Air Force or Navy dual-capable forces. But it could also be a joint site, potentially servicing nuclear warheads for both Air Force, Navy, Army, air-defense, and coastal defense forces in the region, Mr Kristensen wrote. It is to my knowledge the only nuclear weapons storage site in the Kaliningrad region, he continued. 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 Kaliningrad is one of the places hosting football World Cup matches as Russia hosts the international tournament. But, Mr Kristensen noted that FAS has been looking at the site for quite a while, and that the satellite photos do not show conclusively that nuclear weapons have been moved to the site which is situated between Poland and Lithuania or if the renovations have been made in order to make it possible to quickly move nuclear weapons in if needed. Its a site we have been monitoring for quite some time and there have been and there have been some upgrades in the past but nothing as dramatic as this one. This is the first time weve seen one of the nuclear bunkers being excavated and apparently renovated, Mr Kristensen said. These pictures dont prove that there are nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad now, but they do show it is an active site, Kristensen said. Earlier this year the Russian military announced that it was expanding infrastructure in order to accommodate the presence of mobile Iskander-M missiles, which can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, and have a range of up to 500 miles. The United States has argued that that long range makes the weapons illegal under the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Donald Trump has criticised his European allies over the refugee crisis, claiming that the people of Germany are turning against Angela Merkels leadership. The US president claimed refugees and migrants has strongly and violently changed European culture and said the continent had made a big mistake in giving sanctuary to those fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. Without specifically naming the German chancellor but instead pointing the blame at Germanys leadership he said: 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! Mr Trump is wrong to say that crime in Germany has increased: the latest figures released last month show it has now reached a 30-year low. Ms Merkel is embroiled in a domestic political row with her conservative allies over how to handle new refugee arrivals, with one of her most senior ministers calling for a more restrictive policy. The chancellor bought time on Monday by getting her interior minister Horst Seehofer to agree to pause the rollout of a harsher policy until after a meeting of European leaders in Brussels later this month. The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition. Donald Trump, US president Mr Seehofer, a Bavarian conservative who has the backing of his local state government, wants refugees who have already registered in another country to be turned away at Germanys borders. The chancellor, however, reportedly wants any change in refugee or migration policy to be conducted at a European level, fearing that Germany going it alone could result in a free-for-all of countries enacting a patchwork of contradictory approaches. Migration is set to be a major discussion point at the European Council meeting on 28 and 29 June, with the issue a major priority of Austrias right-wing government, which holds the rotating presidency of the pan-EU body. Ms Merkels Bavarian allies are generally more right-wing than other Germany conservatives, but the party also has regional elections coming up in the autumn: it fears losing ground to the far-right AfD party, which had MPs elected to the Bundestag for the first time in 2017. Bavaria is also in the southeast of Germany and is thus one of the main entry points for refugees arriving overland in the country through the Balkans. The US presidents intervention could be useful domestically for Ms Merkel because of his unpopularity: just 11 per cent of Germany has a favourable view of Mr Trump, according to research by pollster Pew for the Germany public broadcaster DW. Earlier this month German MPs called for the US ambassador to their country, Richard Grenell, to be expelled, after he said he told a far-right news website he wanted to strengthen right-wing movements in his host country. Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife Melania (L) and daughter Tiffany watch during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West Front of the US capital in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jim Bourg: "This photo was shot with one of two remote cameras. The cameras were monitored and triggered remotely and the pictures were transmitted to clients worldwide within minutes of being taken." Reuters/Jim Bourg Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Obama farewell address - 10 January 2017 US President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell address in Chicago on 10 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "In his final days in office, Obama made a visit home to Chicago. As he spoke from the stage to his wife and daughter in the audience, he became emotional when he talked about what they had sacrificed during his time in office. I turned from photographing the Obama women embracing to find him onstage wiping away tears." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 A combination of photos shows the crowds attending the inauguration ceremonies to swear in U.S. President Donald Trump at 12:01pm (left) on January 20, 2017 and President Barack Obama sometime between 12:07pm and 12:26pm on January 20, 2009. Reuters/ Lucas Jackson/Stelios Varias Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Liberty Ball - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Liberty Ball in honour of his inauguration in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "What I see when I look at this picture is the end of a very long day, not to mention weeks and months of preparation by many photographers, editors and network experts and the beginning of everything since." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception - 22 January 2017 US President Donald Trump greets Director of the FBI James Comey as Director of the Secret Service Joseph Clancy (L), watches during the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on 22 January, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "I have covered the White House for 16 years and normally either the President or the pool is in position when an event starts. In this case the President was not where anyone expected him to be. In fact, he was almost blocking the door when the pool came in. We had to scramble to find a position without bumping him or the furniture as he greeted and thanked members of law enforcement for their security efforts during the inauguration. Luckily, he greeted FBI Director James Comey a few seconds after the pool had made its way into the room." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Private phone calls to world leaders - 28 January 2017 US President Donald Trump, is joined by his staff, as he speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office on 28 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Very early in the Trump administration, weekends were as busy as weekdays. On Trump's second Saturday the official schedule said he would be making private phone calls to a number of world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin. I arrived early and, before sitting down at my desk walked up to Press Secretary Sean Spicer's office. He, too, was just taking his coat off. I gingerly made the suggestion that previous administrations had sometimes allowed photos of such phone calls through the Oval Office windows on the colonnade. To my mild shock, he didn't even think about it twice. "We'll do it!" he said. In truth, I really only expected the Putin call, but we were outside the windows multiple times throughout the day as the calls went on." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway - 27 February 2017 Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (L) attends as US President Donald Trump welcomes the leaders of dozens of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the Oval Office on 27 February, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "We're often asked how much access we have to the Trump administration, and the answer is we have an awful lot. President Trump himself is very comfortable in the spotlight, and his aides are similarly unfazed by cameras. In this instance, senior advisor Kellyanne Conway was so comfortable in our presence she seemed not to consider the optics of kneeling on a Oval Office sofa to take pictures with her phone." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Angela Merkel heads to Washington - 17 March 2017 Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on 17 March, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Chancellor Merkel made one of the earliest important visits of any US allies to meet Trump in his first months in office. When world leaders give joint news conferences they don't always tend to give each other their full attention - but Merkel watched Trump intently at several key moments, and here seemed particularly rapt." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump welcomes truckers to the White House - 23 March 2017 President Trump reacts as he sits on a truck while he welcomes truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting regarding healthcare at the White House on 23 March, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "The White House organised a listening session with truckers and CEO's of major American companies, regarding healthcare reform. An 18-wheeler tow truck was parked on the South Lawn of the White House and as Trump welcomed the truckers someone invited the him to come and sit in the driver's seat. Trump jumped into the cab and started yelling and pretending to drive - creating one of the most memorable pictures of the year. A lesson learned, always be prepared for the unexpected." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 6 April 2017 US President Donald Trump talks to journalists members of the travel pool on board the Air Force One during his trip to Palm Beach, Florida on 6 April, 2017. Carlos Barria: "During the many trips to President Trump's residence in Florida it is usual to see the president coming to the back of the plane to chat with journalists. During one of the trips to the so called 'Winter White House', Trump had a long talk with reporters while the Air Force One entertainment system was playing one of the latest Star Wars movies. As I was listening to Trump talk I was also looking at the movie waiting for a part of the movie to frame the mood of the day. Of the many scenes, I choose the one with Darth Vader." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office of the White House on 27 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "A day before President Trump's hundred days in office I was part of the team that interviewed the commander-in-chief in the Oval Office. I was only allowed to photograph Trump during the last five minutes of the interview. The time was very tight so I had to move fast as I had pictures in mind that I wanted to shoot. I walked into the Oval Office and saw that the President had printed maps of the country showing areas in red where he won. I raised my hands holding my camera as high as possible to get the best view of the scene using a 16mm wide angle lens." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives at Harrisburg international airport, before attending a rally marking his first 100 days in office in Pennsylvania on 29 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to celebrate his hundred days in office with a victory rally. He was in friendly territory as he won with a big difference over his opponent Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, during the November elections. As usual when the commander-in-chief arrives local residents gather to greet him. This time a small group of military personnel attended the arrival. Surrounded by secret service agents Trump walked from the Air Force One and raised his hand in a sign of victory as the crowd cheered him on." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 2 May 2017 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (L) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus watch as US President Donald Trump presents the U.S. Air Force Academy football team with the Commander-in-Chief trophy in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on 2 May, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "Covering the White House does not just mean covering the President. White House staffers are an important part of the story and their relationship with the President and each other is an indicator of how things are going in the West Wing. The tendency is to focus exclusively on the President once an event starts but I always try to look around to see how people are reacting as things unfold." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Secret Service - 4 May 2017 Secret Service agents use a presidential limousine as cover from spraying water as US President Donald Trump lands via Marine One helicopter in New York on 4 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "The best part of any trip to New York City with the sitting US President is the helicopter ride into Manhattan. The ride out at night can be stunning. Here, Secret Service agents protect themselves from the spray from the East River as Trump lands on the helipad." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures NATO Summit - 25 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wait the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron (unseen) before a lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels on 25 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "One of the best parts of travelling overseas for White House coverage is the chance to see the U.S. president in different environments and (literally) a different light. Here, Trump and his wife came out of the shadows to greet France's President Macron." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump meets Putin at G20 summit - 7 July 2017 US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on 7 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "On July 7, I witnessed one of the most important meetings of President Trump's first year in office. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Germany. The world's eyes were on these two leaders after speculation about Russian interference during the 2016 US elections. We entered the room for less than two minutes, where I took dozens of pictures. But there was this very interesting moment when Trump extended his hand to Putin for a handshake. Putin paused for a second and looked at Trump's hand. That was the picture that I was looking for, a little moment that seemed to say a lot." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures First lady - 8 July 2017 First lady Melania Trump chats with US President Donald Trump during their return from Germany at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 8 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "After President Trump's trip to Germany he arrived back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. First Lady Melania Trump said goodbye to Trump as she was heading off in a different direction that day. While chatting a breeze blew Melania's hair up in the air." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Made in America product showcase - 17 July 2017 Vice President Mike Pence laughs as President Donald Trump holds a baseball bat as they attend a Made in America product showcase event at the White House on 17 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "This summer the White House organized an event to showcase 'Made in America' products. All kinds of exhibitors brought their products as the President and Vice President toured the event. One of the companies was Marucci Sport, a manufacturer of baseball bats based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Trump approached a table full of baseball bats, photographers at the event, including me, rushed to get a good angle hoping that he would pick up a bat. As we predicted, he did. He took one and joked around as though he was hitting something hard. The only thing closer to him right there, was the media." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 25 July 2017 Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says hello to reporters as he and White House advisors including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci accompany President Trump for an event celebrating veterans at AMVETS Post 44 in Ohio, July 25, 2017. Jonathan Ernst: "The most visible person in any White House is naturally the President, followed by the press secretary. But there are also the staff who support them. For those of us covering the Trump administration, there seem to be more compelling figures in the West Wing than ever before. It's crucial to know who's who and why they're important. When I raised my camera and back-pedalled ahead of the group to take this image Lewandowski gave me a hello. I liked the photo, but had no idea it would go a little bit viral, especially since Scaramucci, who was the biggest mover and shaker that week, was hidden back in the pack. But I guess the image catches a glimpse of what it's like to be a West Wing staffer on the road." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Campaign rally - 3 August 2017 US President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in West Virginia on 3 August, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Huntington for one of his usual campaign rallies. While members of his family spoke to the crowd he was waiting under a black curtain to be introduced. Suddenly he walked onto the stage, one of the first frames that I took was of his hand. I set my exposure for the light on the stage hoping to create this dark background and it worked." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Staring into the solar eclipse - 21 August 2017 Without his protective glasses on, US President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse while viewing with his wife Melania and son Barron at the White House on 21 August, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "On a day when everyone, and I mean everyone, was told not to look at the eclipse without protective glasses, Trump, President of the United States, couldn't help himself." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Harvey - 2 September 2017 US President Donald Trump poses for a photo as he and first lady Melania Trump help volunteers hand out meals during a visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief centre in Houston, Texas on 2 September, 2017. Photohrapher Kevin Lamarque: "Trump, eager to deliver the image of a hands-on response to Hurricane Harvey, made this visit to a relief centre and obliged this woman with a selfie as Melania continued to work." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House - 15 September 2017 Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House on 15 September. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the lawn, was invited to work for a day at the White House along the National Park Service staff. Frank was so focused on his task that he did not notice the President arrive to surprise him. He took his father jumping in to grab his attention and point Trump out. Photographer Carlos Barria said: The image of Trump shouting at a kid who is mowing his lawn might have many interpretations in today's politically polarized United States. But for me it was just a kid who loved what he was doing, to the point he almost appeared to ignore the President." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Take a knee - 27 September 2017 A man kneels with a folded U.S. flag as the motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., September 27, 2017. In September, soon after Trump had made comments condemning NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he made a day trip to a rally in Indianapolis. Jonathan Ernst managed to capture a man on one knee with a tri-folded flag and was able to use a portion of the sign on the building he was kneeling in front of to track the man down and tell his story in full. US Army veteran Marvin Boatright wanted to send a message against social injustice. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Maria - 3 October 2017 President Donald Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of local residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 3 October, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "During an afternoon visit to Puerto Rico for President Trump to survey damage from Hurricane Maria and greet some of its victims, Trump made a stop at a church where food and supplies were being distributed. Among the items were paper towels and Trump, apparently caught up in the moment, decided to distribute some of the rolls." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Jared Kushner - 1 November 2017 White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner sits behind President Trump during a cabinet meeting in Washington on 1 November, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "The role of Jared Kushner has gone through a series of changes. He began front and centre as a high profile adviser, but as time has passed and issues surrounding him have surfaced, he has become more of a background figure." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump in China - 9 November 2017 Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands after making joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November, 2017. Photographer Damir Sagolj: "It's one of those "how to make a better or at least different shot when two presidents shake hands several times a day, several days in row". If I'm not mistaken in calculation, presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump shook their hands at least six times in events I covered during Trump's recent visit to China. I would imagine there were some more handshakes I haven't seen but other photographers did. And they all look similar - two big men, smiling and heartily greeting each other until everyone gets their shot. But then there is always something that can make it special - in this case the background made of US and Chinese flags. The first time it didn't work for me. The second time I positioned myself lower and centrally, and used the longest lens I have to capture only hands reaching for a handshake." Reuters/Damir Sagolj Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 10 November 2017 US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "There is a Reuters photographer in the tight pool covering the US president for every appearance he makes 365 days a year. This was just one of 32 images of mine that were transmitted on the Reuters wire of President Trump visiting China and Vietnam that day. You never know when a sudden interaction, a gust of wind or a unique facial expression will lead to a striking image that grabs peoples' attention." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures ASEAN handshake - 13 November 2017 Donald Trump registers his surprise as he realises other leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional "ASEAN handshake" as he participates in the opening ceremony of the summit in Manila on 13 November, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Having covered a few ASEAN summits, I knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. Not everyone in the room knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. A lot was written about this unscripted moment, and what deeper meaning it might have. The simple truth is that sometimes in life there are unscripted moments." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst After last weeks G7 summit in Canada, Ms Merkels office released a photograph of the chancellor squaring off against an embattled-looking Mr Trump, backed by other world leaders. Mr Trumps intervention in European politics comes as he faces criticism at home for a hardline immigration policy, having long been an advocate of building a wall along the entire US-Mexican border. Meanwhile, pictures have emerged recently of US officials keeping undocumented migrants in cages, with questions also being raised over the apparently routine separation of children from their parents at the border. Civilians in the Yemeni city of Hodeidah are dodging airstrikes in an attempt to flee advancing Arab coalition forces, residents have told The Independent. Fierce fighting has broken out over the strategic citys airport, with Apache helicopters aiming at the rebel Houthi snipers perched on the roofs of homes, schools and mosques in the adjacent neighbourhood of Manzar. Airstrikes have pounded southern neighbourhoods and are deafening even from afar, resident Ahmed Abdullah Nasser said. People are trying to leave with rockets and mortars over their heads, a local aid worker, who wished not to use her name, said on Monday. Footage shows gunfire at Yemeni port town Hodeidah Other people are besieged in their homes. They dont know if their family members managed to escape or who survived. Its hot and there is no water and we are scared, she added. Please stop what is happening. At least 280 people are believed to have been killed in the six days since the Arab coalition, which fights on behalf of Yemens exiled government, launched Operation Golden Victory to reclaim the port city. Recommended How the destruction of a port in Yemen could send millions into famine Aid organisations have been unable to reach southern neighbourhoods with food and chlorine tablets for purifying water. There are no reliable figures for how many of the citys 600,000 residents have been displaced from their homes, but the aid worker estimated at least 1,000 had tried to leave for the nearby village of Marawiah. The situation is becoming more tense and feels like conflict getting closer to the city, said Islamic Reliefs deputy country director for Yemen, Salem Jaffer Baobaid. Travel is becoming much more limited. Lots of displaced people are arriving in the city; many going to live with families, or staying in schools and reception centres or being hosted by generous strangers. The battle for Hodeidah is expected to be the biggest to date in Yemens complex civil war. Its residents have already endured three years of airstrikes and a Saudi-led blockade on the port, which has exacerbated a nationwide hunger crisis and created a cholera epidemic. The situation in Yemen Show all 14 1 /14 The situation in Yemen The situation in Yemen Houthi supporters trample on a US flag during a gathering mobilizing more fighters into several Yemeni battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen People carry the coffins of men, who were killed in the recent Saudi-led airstrikes during their funeral, in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen AP The situation in Yemen Pro-government fighters give food to Yemeni children on the road leading to the southwestern port city of Mokha. Yemeni rebels are putting up fierce resistance in a key Red Sea port city where they are encircled by pro-government force Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen A Yemeni female fighter supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, takes part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen Yemeni female fighters supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, take part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A boy shouts slogans next to pro-Houthi fighters, who have been injured during recent fighting, during a rally held to honour those injured or maimed while fighting in Houthi ranks in Sanaa, Yemen Reuters The situation in Yemen Balls of fire and smoke rise from a Houthi-held military camp following alleged Saudi-led airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy looks on as Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy sits amidst the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa AFP/Getty The situation in Yemen Marine One with US President Donald Trump flies with a decoy and support helicopters to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for the dignified transfer of Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William 'Ryan' Owens who was killed in Yemen Getty Images The situation in Yemen US President Donald Trump aboard the Marine One to greet the remains of a US military commando killed during a raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen on Sunday, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, US Reuters The port city has been under the control of Houthi rebels since 2015, and has become the countrys aid lifeline, through which more than 70 per cent of its food, aid, fuel and commercial imports flow. Two-thirds of the population are now reliant on aid which passes through Hodeidahs port to survive leading the UN and aid agencies to warn that any damage to it could widen Yemens already dire humanitarian crisis. The coalition offensive could endanger millions of civilians, the UNs human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, said on Monday. I emphasise my grave worry regarding the Saudi and Emirati-led coalitions ongoing attacks in Hodeidah which could result in enormous civilian casualties and have a disastrous impact on life-saving humanitarian aid to millions of people which comes through the port, he said at the opening of a three-week session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Also on Monday, the UAEs foreign minister, Anwar Gargash, told reporters in Abu Dhabi the coalitions three priorities in the fight are to protect civilians, the flow of aid and force movement to a political process with the Houthis. Footage shows gunfire at Yemeni port town Hodeidah We will not allow this war to last for another two-three years Three years of war is enough. It is time for a political process. The Houthis need to be part of that process; but you cant be 3 per cent of the population, yet claim through the barrel of a gun to own 50 per cent of the country, he said in remarks on Twitter. The coalition has released a five-point humanitarian action plan to assist civilians displaced or otherwise affected by the fighting, although aid groups allege coalition offensives in the past have not taken adequate precautions to avoid loss of civilian life. It is also feared the Houthis will not give up the heavily-mined city easily. The UNs special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, is still locked in talks with all parties to try and broker a ceasefire in which control of the vital port is ceded to UN control. Britain is facing a new run of rail strikes this week, promising further summer transport disruption. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union working for Arriva Rail North (Northern Rail) are staging industrial action to express their opposition to driver-only trains. Heres everything you need to know. When are the strikes taking place? Northern Rail will be operating a reduced service across its routes between 7am and 7pm on Tuesday 19, Thursday 21 and Saturday 23 of June, with widespread delays expected into Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool. The company advises that trains and rail replacement buses are expected to be extremely busy and that travellers should allow extra time to complete their journeys. A complete list of Northern Rail services running is available here. South Western Railway (SWR) rail workers were due to strike from Thursday 21 until midnight on Saturday 23 of June but have since called off the action after meeting with RMT representatives. RMT welcomes the fact that following joint talks with South Western Railway, under the auspices of conciliation service Acas, and subsequent correspondence, adequate progress has been made regarding the dispute over the role of the guard and the extension of driver-only operation, said Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, announcing the strikes suspension. We hope that the talks can continue in a constructive manner and an agreement can be reached. Greater Anglia had also been set to face a strike from RMT members but this too was cancelled after talks with the union. Why are rail staff going on strike? The RMT argues that retaining conductors and guards is vital to ensuring passenger safety while the operators say they are reducing staff in order to limit the amount of time trains spend waiting at stations. 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 Its another day and another rail scandal under Chris Grayling. It is utterly shocking that he is using Northern taxpayers and passengers money to reimburse German state-owned Northern Rail for money they have lost as a result of strike action, said Mr Cash. By bankrolling Northern in this way Chris Grayling is seeking to prolong this dispute and break the workforce. Well, it will not work and our members remain as solid as ever in the fight to ensure safety and access for all on railways across the North. Instead of propping up a foreign-owned company in its fight against British workers Chris Grayling should be allowing meaningful discussions to take place which would allow passengers to keep a second member of staff on every train. We are awaiting a positive response from Northern to the unions repeated call for talks. Is there any chance the strikes could be averted? The RMT has called for last-ditch talks to avert the action and customers are advised to keep an eye on the operators respective websites and social media channels for updates on the situation. The truck filled to the brim with human waste trundles to the sewerage treatment plant where a crew eagerly waits for the noxious commodity, ready to convert it into briquettes that will be used to fuel Kenyas cooking fires. The ambitious project is providing an environment-friendly solution in addressing sanitation challenges as well as conserving trees.This indeed is a bold move from Nakuru, Kenyas fourth largest city 100 miles west of the capital, Nairobi. The briquettes, fondly referred to by locals as makaa-dot-com, are made by adding sawdust to the human excrement. And their popularity has shot through the roof. Demand is high, far outstripping the current production of three tonnes a month. We receive orders of over four tonnes daily, a need that has pushed us to upscale production to 10 tonnes a day, James Nganga, managing director of the Nakuru Water Sewerage and Sanitation Company Limited told Kenyas The Standard newspaper. The project, which has received close to 3 million in European Union grants for innovative ideas that improve sanitation services, has grown in popularity following the logging moratorium and charcoal ban that is currently in place in Kenya, because it has shielded residents from the worst effects of the crippling charcoal shortage. A factory is ready and equipment has already been shipped ready for installation. Once done, we can be able to meet the demand and even supply to schools, factories and supermarkets, Nganga said. The Nawassco MD revealed that apart from the traditional consumers of charcoal, who were scrambling for alternatives, a large number of their customers were poultry farmers, who said they observed lower mortality rates among their birds when they used the briquettes to heat the chicken houses. The project has also played a major role in controlling the amount of waste being channeled into Lake Nakuru - one of Kenya's most iconic lakes that is home to thousands, sometimes millions of flamingos. Lake Nakuru is a Ramsar Site and it faces a lot of challenges due to pollution. This project will reduce the amount of waste channelling into the lake even after treatment since most of the waste is used as raw materials, Nganga said. But before the briquettes find their way into the kitchen, they have to undergo several processes to ensure they are free from disease-causing pathogens. The process has been approved by [Kenyas] National Environmental and Management Authority and the briquettes certified by the Kenya Bureau of Standards, the project site manager John Irungu said. Irungu elaborated on the manufacturing process, saying after the human waste is received at the site, the raw sewage is emptied into drying beds, where excess water is left to evaporate for nearly three weeks, leaving behind a solid residue. The residue is subsequently exposed to high temperatures to kill any living organisms. Sawdust sourced from local saw millers is also heated up in a large pan a process known as carbonisation. Thereafter, the two products are mixed in equal ratios and ground into a powder. Diluted molasses is then added to act as a binding agent before the mixture is moulded into small round balls. Mary Kerubo, a resident of Kivumbini, which neighbours the treatment plant, considers herself a lucky early adopter of the new commodity. As much as demand is high, we can always order ours directly at the site. It is very economical and we use very little compared to charcoal, which is even harder to source following the ban. I can use one packet of makaa dot com at least five times compared to charcoal, which I only use twice, she said. Reinilde Eppinga, a sanitation advisor with SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, which is a partner in the briquette project, said only 27 per cent of Nakuru residents are connected to the towns sewerage system, highlighting the need for a better way to dispose of the large quantities of human waste generated each day. This article is reproduced here as part of the Giants Club African Conservation Journalism Fellowships, a programme of the charity Space for Giants and supported by the owner of ESI Media, which includes independent.co.uk. It aims to expand the reach of conservation and environmental journalism in Africa, and bring more African voices into the international conservation debate. Read the original story here. The best estimate seems to be that 658 child migrants from Mexico to the United States have been separated from their parents and detained in the past two weeks or so. Reports suggest that the total number of minors who are in some form of care while their parents languish in prison may run into the low thousands. Even at the most minimal estimate, and even if it were only the case of a single child, the policies now being pursued by the US government are tantamount to an abuse of human rights. While their parents have not yet been convicted of any crime, though detained for illegal entry, their children are certainly innocent; all concerned are suffering from what the American constitution terms a cruel and unusual punishment. It is not too strong to regard it as a form of mental torture. Hundreds are held in converted WalMart stores or warehouses, and there has been whisperings that a city of tents is due to be set up in the Texan desert. It is ridiculous as well as cruel. So distasteful is it that has provoked a public reaction from Melania Trump, one of the most taciturn first ladies to inhabit the White House (indeed, one who sometimes seems to prefer invisibility to the media glare). Her spokesperson said on her behalf that Ms Trump hates to see children separated from their families. She was joined, in a highly unusual coalition, by Laura Bush, wife of former president George W Bush, who went so far as to write an article in The Washington Post eviscerating Mr Trumps policy: We need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart. Melanias husband blames, predictably, a law passed by the Democrats for the phenomenon. Not for the first time, he hasnt got his facts quite right: there is no such law. Mr Trump might be referring to a legal judgement, the Flores case, dating back to 1997, which set out how minors ought to be treated, including that they should not be separated from their parents if possible. That rule has been in place since then, but hasnt had any substantial detrimental effect until now. That is because Mr Trump and his attorney general, the bumbling Jeff Sessions, have implemented a zero tolerance policy towards migration. Part of this is to charge would-be migrants with the criminal offence of illegal entry on their first appearance before the authorities, and thus require them to he be held in a secure institution; prior to this year, first-offence migrants were generally charged with a misdemeanour, which did not require imprisonment. Donald Trump blames Democrats for children being taken from families at Mexico border Jeff Sessions, like the president, made a stab at defending the approach, but in his case by bizarrely quoting the Bible, specifically Romans 13, which reminds us that the government is ordained by god, and thus must be obeyed. Quite apart from the issue of the US being casually converted into a theocracy, it is an absurd misuse of scripture. Once again, Mr Sessions has made a fool of himself and the office he holds. For once Mr Trump is offering a solution, though one that will take far too long for those children being penned up in 40-degree heat in Texas. He urges Republicans and Democrats in Congress to cooperate to reform immigration law. Fine, except that the extremism of his own position makes such consensus-building impossible, and the infamous wall or fence across the US-Mexico frontier is going to be built come what may, or so we are told. Meantime, Mr Trump needs to mend his own policy before something even more tragic befalls some innocent child and their traumatised family. For the problem with the zero tolerance policy, and the hostile environment it creates, is that it assumes the migrants are making this journey because they freely opt to, and can be deterred. In reality, many are fleeing violence and near-certain death in poor, corrupt and lawless parts of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. They will risk anything, including family separation, to find peace and a place where a future is viable. To their minds, they have nothing to lose. If Mr Trump understood that a little better, and didnt believe that every migrant from the south was a criminal, he might be able to find himself a policy that worked and didnt wantonly violate the human rights of children. He could start by asking Melania. Amazon has announced 1,000 tech jobs for Ireland over the next two years. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar welcomed the announcement, saying it would help Ireland meet its ambition to make Dublin the 'tech capital of Europe'. The jobs are all high skilled roles including engineering roles and technical management positions. Amazons Irish boss, Mike Beary, made the announcement at the launch of the companys new Dublin office building in Dublin 4. The company has over 1,000 employees in Cork and around 1,500 in Dublin, where it focuses on cloud services. While the company is best known as an online retailer, it is one of the worlds fastest growing companies for hosting businesses online through its Amazon Web Services (AWS) division. Amazon has been present in Ireland since 2006. AWS is currently growing 49pc year on year, said Mike Beary. The new jobs weve announced will include software engineers, network engineers, big dat and machine learning specialists, he said. Our new building can comfortably hold 1,400 people. In an address to workers at the company's new city centre building on Dublin's south side the Taoiseach said it is difficult to predict the impact that Brexit and a shift in international attitudes to trade will have on Ireland but said that contingency planning is underway to address all scenarios. Mr Varadkar said Ireland is becoming a digital hotspot and referenced plans to address delays in the planning process in relation to data centres. Farmers are to demand more income support if sterling drops further, amid fears over the lack of progress in the Brexit negotiations. The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has said that its members are concerned about the lack of progress and clarity on what the outcome of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union next year will be. Amid mounting fears that talks are continuing with no substantial progress, raising fears of a no-deal Brexit, farmers here have called on the Government to hold the EU to its promises that the impact on agriculture in Ireland would be minimised. "The task for the Taoiseach and the Government is to hold the EU to its position and guarantee that Irish farmers are not exposed in the final outcome," a spokesman for the IFA told the Irish Independent. "The UK is our best market and we do not want to see trade disrupted, either by value or volume. "In the event of further sterling devaluation, the IFA will seek direct income aid support to Irish farmers on the basis that even a small fall in sterling to 90p could wipe out producer margins." Farmers will also seek structural and adjustment support to offset the long-term negative impacts arising from Brexit and are seeking an increase in the Common Agricultural Policy budget to cope with the shortfalls. Agriculture Minister Michael Creed has previously warned that it will be farmers who will bear the brunt of a bad Brexit deal. Many businesses and organizations possess what is known as a mission statement, which is essentially a written statement, to say why the business exists, its values, where the business is going in the future and what it hopes to accomplish. The very existence of the mission statement means that the owners have given due consideration to the purpose of the business and its long-term plans, goals, and objectives. This is really the essence of effective farm planning and may sound a bit highfalutin and farfetched for your typical farmer, whose average age is nearly 60 years, and perhaps it is for many. However, it may be highly relevant for that person's successor, particularly those planning expansion. Establishing and maintaining a viable farming enterprise in the current climate of ever increasing scale requires the employment of good business practices which are well planned and measured. The days of 'winging it' are no more, Farming can provide a full-time and rewarding career but it is now a serious business requiring a serious business approach. Over the past five years I have witnessed my dairy farming clients grow their businesses at a phenomenal pace which has taken many traditional family farms to a place that previous generations could not have dreamed of in terms of scale. Many of these farms are now big businesses, requiring a huge commitment and a range of skills around human resources, health and safety, corporate governance, financial planning, not to mention expert animal husbandry skills. The founder of a well-known Irish construction empire was quoted as claiming that the only reason why Rome wasn't built in a day was because he wasn't there. I am of the view that there are plenty of ambitious young and not so young dairy farmers who subscribe to the same thought process. The recent long winter may have cooled a few heels and I know from recent conversations that I have had that there are a significant number of converts to the notion of sensible strategic and financial planning and a movement away from the notion that Rome could have been built in a day if they had been there. The case for planning A good farm planning process will aim to eliminate the 'make it up as you go along' strategy. which unfortunately is the rule rather than the exception. Lack of planning can result in cash flow crises, animal health issues, fodder shortages, labour issues and ultimately stress, the farmer's enemy. Every farmer, big, small, ambitious or otherwise should stop and take stock of where they are and where they are going. If you are of an age where semi-retirement or succession issues need to be addressed, well then set about addressing these matters by firstly deciding what you want to do and when you want to do it. Then seek professional advice on how best to achieve your goals . If expansion and developing your business is your goal you should start by analyzing the performance currently being achieved before you consider expansion. Expansion is no antidote to inefficiency. I recently examined a batch of dairy farmers accounts for 2017 and the gross margins being achieved ranged from 960 to 1,485 per cow. For a 120 cow herd this is a difference of 63,000 which means the poorest performer would need at least 66 more cows to match the highest performer. Chances are he would also need additional labour so in reality he would probably need a herd of 200 cows to match his efficient 120 cow counterpart. Expansion costs a lot of money, whereas improving efficiency costs very little and may achieve the same end result with a lot less effort. Martin O'Sullivan is the author of the ACA Farmers Handbook. He is a partner in O'Sullivan Malone and Company, accountants and registered auditors; www.som.ie Vehicles display the logos for Zimbabwean opposition Movement For Democratic Change (MDC) party, and the ruling ZANU PF party outside an election nomination court in Harare, Zimbabwe last week. Photo: Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo 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 Farm accidents have claimed the lives of 23 children in the last decade and account for 11pc of all farm fatalities over the period. The Health and Safety Authority and the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN) have issued a joint appeal to primary schools to promote a strong farm safety message to children before they break for the summer. Summer holidays are a high risk time for children who are off school and spend a lot of time on their family farm or visiting friends and relatives farms. It is also a very busy time for farmers when much work needs to be done. Farm accidents have claimed the lives of 23 children in the last decade and account for 11pc of all farm fatalities over the period. Farms remain the only workplace in Ireland where children still continue to die. Farm deaths involving children are always a horrific tragedy for families and heart-breaking for communities and schools alike. The HSA website has numerous online farm safety resources for teachers to use in the classroom which can be covered in an interactive, fun and stimulating way. IPPN is supporting the HSA in communicating this important message to its members. Joanne Harmon, Education Manager with the HSA said teachers can access a range of online farm safety resources for primary schools on our website at www.hsa.ie/education, under Teacher Supports and Resources and some are available as gaeilge. The HSAs elearning portal also hosts a short course entitled Keep Safe on the Farm which can be found at http://hsalearning.ie. This is aimed at primary school children and comes with Teachers guidelines and is linked to the SPHE curriculum. Ms. Harmon added: Farm safety is an explicit topic in the SPHE curriculum at primary level. Schools can make a real difference by empowering children to raising their own awareness of farm hazards and encouraging them to bring the safety message home to parents and grandparents. More than 10pc of Irish businesses that have been hit by cyber criminals lost more than 4m each in the past two years as a result of the attacks, according to a new report from PwC on economic crime and fraud. It found that half of Irish companies had been victims of economic crime within the past two years - up from 34pc in 2016 and 26pc in 2010. Furthermore, the impact of cyber crime and fraud is exacerbated by the cost of dealing with its consequences. Some 70pc of the affected companies said they had spent as much as the original crime cost, or more, on handling the fall-out and conducting subsequent investigations. "Actual crime could well be higher than reported, which makes the findings from this survey even more concerning," said PwC Ireland's cyber leader, Pat Moran. "What the survey is clearly showing us is that there is a better understanding of what fraud is, through risk assessments, and where it is taking place, through cyber-security programmes." The findings are part of a global PwC survey that included 7,200 participants in 123 countries. In Ireland, 77 firms took part and PwC said the respondents represented all key industries and sectors. The survey revealed that cyber crime was the top economic crime here, having overtaken asset misappropriation for the first time. The latter now accounts for 29pc of all economic crime perpetrated against firms, while consumer fraud accounts for 42pc and business misconduct 16pc. Phishing - where fraudulent emails are used to lure unsuspecting recipients into revealing data, such as bank or credit card details, from which money is then stolen - was the most prominent technique for targeted cyber attacks (66pc of cases,) followed by malware in 56pc of cases. Two-thirds of respondents here said that when they were hit by economic crime, the cost was typically less than 810,000. But 18pc of those firms surveyed didn't know the overall cost of economic crimes committed against them or that the cost was measurable. "The research highlights that economic crime, fuelled by cyber crime, is becoming more prevalent and more costly for Irish businesses," said Detective Chief Superintendent Patrick Lordan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau. He added: "In a world that has become ever more complex, we will continue to work with businesses, government, the ODCE (Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement), regulators and international colleagues in the prevention and detection of economic crime and fraud." Fifty-one per cent of Irish firms either said they either had not been hit by fraud in the past two years or did not know if they had. PwC found that businesses here were doing more to tackle potential cyber crime than many of their international peers. Three-quarters of those surveyed had a full operational cyber-security programme, compared to just 59pc of businesses internationally. Some 73pc had performed a cyber- attack vulnerability assessment in the past two years, compared with 46pc around the world. "As the value of transactions over the internet increases exponentially year on year, fraudsters are turning to new ways of redirecting funds and are successfully achieving their goals," said Mr Moran, who warned that fraud levels were still rising. "Fraudsters are becoming more strategic in their goals and more sophisticated in their methods," he explained. "It's a big business in its own right, an enterprise that is tech-enabled, innovative, opportunistic and pervasive - like the biggest competitor that you did not know you had." Central Bank governor Philip Lane is among the speakers at the European Central Bank's forum taking place from today until Wednesday in Portugal. Other speakers at the event, which will be webcast live, include ECB President Mario Draghi, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, and US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. Meanwhile, Italy's new prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin today. She'll meet French President Emmanuel Macron tomorrow as they plan to strengthen the eurozone co-ordinate positions for the upcoming EU summit. On Thursday, European Union finance ministers are meeting in Luxembourg with debt relief for Greece set to top the agenda. Closer to home, the House of Lords is today to take up the Brexit withdrawal bill following last week's drama in the House of Commons. Domestically, the labour force survey for the first three months of 2018 is due out on Wednesday. On Thursday, the figures for mortgage areas for the first three months of the year are released. Ryanair pilots may strike later this summer after extending a ballot for industrial action in a row over who gets first call on workplace perks. The pilots want the length of their time in the job to decide who gets first call on entitlements including holidays, as well as promotions and transfers between bases. The Irish Airline Pilots Association has given its members up to early July to cast their votes in a ballot that was due to close tomorrow. Sources revealed that a strike could take place later this summer. The pilots want access to a variety of working conditions to be based on the length of their time in the job. IALPA has demanded that seniority should determine who gets leave on occasions like school holidays, who gets offered promotional opportunities and who can choose to move to other bases. It claims this is the norm at other airlines. In an update sent to members, seen by the Irish Independent, the union's Executive Council said a secret ballot was due to close today, with the count shortly afterwards. However, it said members raised concerns that five days of balloting was not a "reasonable opportunity" to ballot on "such an important matter as industrial action up to and including a strike". It said its Executive Council has therefore extended the ballot until July 3 to avoid a clash with an upcoming European Cockpit Association conference in Brussels. "It is self-evident that Ryanair and its on-going disputes with pilots across Europe will be a feature on the agenda of the ECA Conference and IALPA officers will be participating in full with this agenda item," it said. "IALPA are therefore extending the balloting period until 1200 midday on July 3." The memo apologised for the anxiety that might be caused to its Ryanair members. "We know only too well that many of you were anticipating and considering the possible events of tomorrow Tuesday 19 June and the subsequent next steps. "We ask for your patience and understanding during this stressful time." The union's demand on seniority comes after Ryanair agreed to recognise unions across Europe following a strike threat before Christmas. The budget airline has still not finalised an agreement with IALPA, which is a division of Forsa. APPLE boss Tim Cook has held a meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to discuss the companys ongoing commitment to Ireland. The chief executive flew into Dublin this evening for the meeting ahead of a scheduled visit to the companys office in Cork tomorrow. The meeting was described as formal by a government spokesperson but he was unable to give specifics of the topics discussed. Apple are a major investor and employer in Ireland. They made it clear they are here for the long haul, the spokesman said. The company, which employs almost 6,000 people here, has run into several controversies in recent months. The US tech giant is expected to lodge 13bn into an escrow account by the end of September on foot of a European Commission ruling that it was given tax breaks that amounted to State aid. The Irish Government is continuing to fight the EU ruling but the money must be handed over in the meantime. And last month Apple pulled out of plans to build an 850m data centre in Athenry, Co Galway, due to delays in the planning process. The centre would have employed about 300 people during the construction phase and another 50 on a full-time basis once operational. Mr Varadkar previously wrote to Mr Cook saying the Government would do all we can to support the project. Their meeting at Government Buildings was the first since Mr Varadkar travelled to Silicon Valley last November for a whistle-stop tour of tech companies, including Google and Facebook. The Taoiseachs spokesman said it was not unusual for Mr Varadkar to meet company bosses, particularly those who employ such a large number of people or who are looking to set up in Ireland. He said Apple executives gave reassurances about their commitment to this country. Ireland is one of the few facilities in the world where Apple directly manufactures its own products, the spokesman noted. The sight of demure, fashionably dressed young Chinese women queuing outside department stores in every large city in Europe (including Dublin), so that they can hand over a small fortune for a handbag, is not the eye-catching spectacle now that it was a few years ago. But for me, the willingness to hand over a month's pay for a leather satchel in which to keep the car keys is one of the world's great unsolved mysteries. However, what is currently happening at British luxury goods company Burberry may help throw some light on the arcane qualities of a 'good bag'. While it has been around for 160 years and its trademark check fabric has been famous for a century, Burberry has been a luxury brand group for a lot shorter time. It still concentrates on check tartan outerwear, but its luxury range includes perfumes, watches, eye wear and leather handbags. The group has over 400 stores worldwide, half in emerging markets. In its recent management shake-up, the group lost CEO and creative chief Christopher Bailey, who was replaced by two ex-Givenchy Italians, Marco Gobbetti as CEO and Ricardo Tisci as chief creative officer. It has also seen the arrival as chairman of Irishman Gerry Murphy, once the MD at Greencore. In recent years, Burberry has toiled. Gobbetti's solution is to take its brands further upmarket. He aims to increase its exposure to leather goods, rationlising store space, investing in technology and reducing costs. His moving into leather goods has attracted some attention as it seeks to turn the company known for its outer wear into a broad luxury brand. The group underlined its strategy by acquiring CF&P, an existing Italian leather supplier. Selling more bags is part of its plan for a number of reasons. They offer higher margins, require less selling space and no changing rooms. In Burberry's case, leather goods account for only one-fifth of its sales, less than its competitors, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Hermes. The coming years will see store reductions but Gobbetti also plans to spend 50m (57m) in upgrading his shops. The group is embracing technology, having struck a deal with online fashion retailer Farfetch as a one-stop shop for its high-end brands in South East Asia. Investors are aware that changes in design can be risky but realise it takes more than high prices to become a luxury brand. There is some encouragement in the recent performance at Gucci. When Gobbetti announced his move upmarket, some investors were alarmed and the share price dropped. They have recovered and today the share price is 21.18, up 50pc on the year with an elevated price-earnings multiple of 25 and a market value of 9bn. Last year, Burberry sales were down 1pc to 2.7bn but pre-tax profits grew 5pc and its operating margins at 15pc were 460m. Investors were happy that dividends were up to 41p a share and pleased the group is planning a share buyback. Things, of course, don't always go smoothly. Management confidence was shaken when Belgian billionaire Albert Frere dumped his 7pc stake after only 15 months. The sale reignited doubts as to Burberry's new strategy and its shares fell on the news. However the disposal by Frere, who also owns substantial stakes in Adidas and Pernod Ricard, was explained as a "portfolio adjustment". Up to recently, luxury groups sold the majority of their products through traditional outlets like department stores, concessionary stores and wholesalers. This is about to change as the inexorable shift to the web takes place, the preferred marketplace for the young. In future, the luxury goods industry will have new distribution agreements selling through the internet. The prospect of the brands widening their distributions by forming strategic alliances with third-party online operators will be an interesting one to watch. How Burberry fares in this new regime will tell an important story. And while the luxury sector is crowded, fashion is all about weaving a new narrative. Nothing in this section should be taken as a recommendation, either explicit or implicit to buy any of the shares mentioned. Over the lengthy existence of the North American Amateur Drivers Association (NAADA) the organization has donated tens of thousands of dollars to worthwhile industry causes and worthwhile charities. Recently, NAADA donated $500 to both the Harness Horse Youth Foundation and to New Vocations. These are two very worthwhile charities doing very great work in our industry and for the Pro-Am event coming at Scioto Downs on Tuesday[, June 19]," said NAADA president Joe Faraldo. The special race card that day provides a great opportunity for our amateur drivers to drive some of the industrys greatest drivers , Aaron Merriman, Dan Noble and Tim and Trace Tetrick. This racing card will feature various amateurs racing alongside the aforementioned professionals with monies raised to be donated to deserving charities. The Pro-Am events will be showcased in races two, four, five and seven with race 10 strictly for members of the CKG Billings Harness Driving Series. (With files from NAADA) Just like couture, fashions come and go in the book world. Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl launched the Grip Lit phenomenon six years ago which has dominated bestseller lists ever since. Since Gail Honeyman's debut hit Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine last year, a new genre, Up Lit has been gaining ground with readers. Perhaps 'genre' is too strong a word as Up Lit currently has no agreed definition and encompasses a variety of different books. RTE Gold broadcaster Rick O'Shea, who runs the hugely popular Rick O'Shea Book Club on Facebook, (which currently has more than 17,000 members) agrees that as a category Up Lit is difficult to define. "It's fashionable to talk about at the moment It seems to encompass everything from Eleanor to self-help books." One book that definitely fits that Up Lit profile is Your Second Life Begins When You Realise You Only Have One by Raphaelle Giordano (Bantam Press) which is 'self-help' in the form of a novel. Originally published in France in 2015, it has already sold more than 1.5m copies. Parisian Camille is overwhelmed, her grumpy husband lives behind his computer, her nine-year-old son gives her sass and she hates her job. When her car breaks down in a rainstorm she meets Claude a 'routinologist' who offers her a lot more than the use of his phone. While this is by no means the greatest novel ever published, it is strangely compelling and indeed extremely uplifting. Cathryn Summerhayes, an agent at leading literary agency Curtis Brown is slightly sceptical about Up Lit being a genre but offers the view that broadly it encompasses "upmarket commercial fiction that deals with life's problems and sometimes big issues - mental health, old age, childlessness - but has an ultimately redemptive ending, although not a neat chick lit and 'they all lived happily ever after'." Summerhayes sees the trend as being a response to the realities of life in the First World, "times are hard, Brexit, Trump, the doomed NHS, and we are all poor. Books have become big gifting items again as people can't afford more expensive presents and Up Lit fills a fantastic gap in the market - books that are brilliant but also quite nice!" Alongside Up Lit, the romance novel also appears to be having a moment in the sun. "I don't think romance has ever been out (of fashion) but a new generation of authors are definitely breathing new life into it," O'Shea comments. Summerhayes agrees and notes that "old-school romantic escapism rather than chick lit" is in the ascendant. Her client Molly Flatt's debut The Charmed Life of Alex Moore, (Macmillan) combines both in "a perfect example of more contemporary, future looking Up Lit. It is life affirming but also not afraid to tackle big issues, from workplace anxiety, imposter syndrome, quarter-life crises, even death. It ultimately makes you feel empowered - and satisfied, but not without a few major bumps along the way". Alex Moore also addresses the things that make us who we are. How experiences and memories define who people become, how their storyline evolves from events big and small that are deeply rooted in the psyche. "Patterns made up of Memories Memories create narratives about who we are. And those narratives, in turn, influence how we behave." The Possible World (Hutchinson) explores the same themes about how identity is shaped by the past but in a completely different way. Author Liese O'Halloran Schwarz agrees with both O'Shea and Summerhayes that the need for escape and 'uplift' is powered by the constant upheavals the world has witnessed over the past few years. "I think it would be a remarkable coincidence." she says, "if this interest in 'cheerful' and 'hope' wasn't connected to the 'Apocalyptic Dominoes' around us." O'Halloran Schwarz published her debut novel 28 years ago before starting a demanding career as an ER doctor. The author recalls seeing "the saddest most terrible things" as a medical professional but adds "every single shift there was one person who made me feel that the world wasn't going down in flames. I came away from all those years in medicine feeling more hopeful than logic would dictate". The Possible World doesn't shrink from grimness and is as grippy as any crime novel yet is ultimately joyful and optimistic. Hope is also a theme in Irish writer Helen Cullen's debut The Lost Letters of William Woolf (Michael Joseph). William has abandoned his dreams, and his marriage is in trouble. Cullen presents readers with the mundane reality of 'happily ever after', and how real life can undermine the greatest of romances. The novel is realistic without being grim but again, in the spirit of Up Lit, offers hope for change and transformation. Video of the Day While Up Lit continues to grow in popularity O'Shea doesn't see the genre stopping the Grip Lit juggernaut. "I don't think the two are antagonistic, sometimes you need something uplifting that reaffirms your belief in good and in the human soul, sometimes you just need to read about sociopaths killing with impunity." A Dublin criminal has been identified as the chief suspect for the feud-related murder of Jason 'Buda' Molyneux. The Irish Independent can reveal the 31-year-old is currently in prison in relation to separate serious charges linked to the deadly Hutch-Kinahan feud. "The suspect has not been arrested yet, but he is in jail and all the intelligence indicates that this man murdered 'Buda'," a senior source said last night. "He is facing serious charges and is one of a small group of criminals based in the north inner city who have decided to turn on their own people because of money offered to them by the Kinahan cartel. "This individual has already served serious jail time for his activities in a separate feud and is considered one of the most dangerous guns for hire operating in the city at the moment." It is believed the suspect may have been paid around 20,000 to murder Molyneux. It has also been investigated whether he was behind a number of other failed hits on the Hutch gang ordered by the Kinahan cartel in the feud which has now claimed up to 18 lives. At Dublin Coroner's Court last month, Det Gda John O'Donovan said he formally identified Molyneux to State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy at the City Morgue on January 31, the day after the fatal shooting. Prof Cassidy conducted a post-mortem and gave the cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds. Insp Seamus D'Alton, of Store Street garda station, applied for a six-month adjournment of the inquest as investigations continue. "This investigation is ongoing and live," he said. Wept Molyneux (27) was shot six times by a lone gunman who fled the scene on foot and then escaped in a van. His mother wept in the witness box at the opening of an inquest into her son's death in late May. Elizabeth Molyneux formally identified his body to detectives after he was shot. Molyneux was murdered after he went to meet someone at the James Larkin House flats complex at 9.45pm on January 30 last. The Port of Cork is to be given an 82m revamp CORK celebrated the launch of its new 80 million container terminal which is aimed at future-proofing the port and kick-starting the regeneration of the Cork docklands. The Port of Cork have hailed the project as a key element in boosting economic growth in the south west region and the expansion of Cork city. The Cork container terminal will initially offer a 360 metre quay with 13 metre depth alongside and will enable larger ships to berth in Ringaskiddy. It also includes the construction of a 13.5 hectare terminal and associated buildings as well as two ship to shore gantry cranes and container handling equipment. The project will become fully operational by 2020. Port of Cork Chairman John Mullins said it was a vital development for the port, city and region. The Port of Corks redevelopment at Ringaskiddy is a key growth enabler for both Cork city and region as well as the national economy and will enable the port to deliver more efficient container handling facilities, replacing the existing container terminal at Tivoli, and securing the Cork Container Terminal as an international gateway for trade well into the future." The transfer of port-related activities from the city and Tivoli will create a real opportunity for Cork dockland sites to be redeveloped in the near future. The Port of Cork have one of the biggest dockland landbanks - and dockland regeneration has been identified as a key element in the plan to increase the size of Cork city by more than 100,000 people over the coming years. Port of Cork hailed the new container terminal as the largest single investment in marine infrastructure in their history. The developments civil engineering contract was awarded to BAM Civil Ltd., part of the multi-national construction group, Royal BAM Group of the Netherlands. Port of Cork Chief Executive, Brendan Keating said the project will underpin major trade and economic expansion. This development will secure the future for the Port of Cork, and ensure the trade gains are translated into significant economic benefits for the people of Cork and the Munster region, as well as the national economy," he said. "As part of this redevelopment the Port of Cork will deliver a public marine leisure amenity at Paddys Point and has also committed a 1 million community gain fund for the Ringaskiddy area for the development of an enhanced public realm scheme." The jury in the trial of Michael Lowry has heard he told a previous hearing alarms bells went off when he realised in 2006 that there was no clear record in his company's accounts of a 2002 payment. It is the State's case that the Independent TD's company, Garuda Ltd, received Stg 248,624 (372,000) in commission from Norpe OY, a refrigeration company based in Finland, in August 2002. It is alleged that Mr Lowry arranged for this payment to be made to a third party, Kevin Phelan, residing in the Isle of Man, and therefore it didn't appear in the company accounts for that year, nor did he declare it as income. It is further alleged that the accounts were then falsified in 2007 to reflect that the payment was received in 2006. The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury has been hearing transcripts from an appeals commission at which Mr Lowry successfully challenged a 1.1 million tax bill raised against him personally and his company Garuda Ltd. Transcripts from Mr Lowry's testimony before the appeals commission hearing in April 2015 were read out by Remy Farrell SC, prosecuting. Mr Lowry said that in 2002, he wasn't as focused on his business as he should have been. There were many distractions, he said, adding that there was also a general election in May of that year. The jury had previously heard from tax inspector Henry Oliver in the investigation unit of Revenue that he looked into the 372,000 payment in August 2013 and assessed it as an emolument, a wage or salary, earned by Mr Lowry. He said on that basis, he determined that Mr Lowry owed income tax on the figure and Garuda owed PAYE and PRSI on the sum. He assessed the total owed to Revenue, including penalties and fine, as being 1.1 million. Mr Lowry told the hearing that commission from Norpe OY due to Garuda in 2002 was diverted for his own personal benefit. He said it should have been treated in the accounts as a repayment to him from Garuda. He had earlier told the hearing that he had lent the company money in anticipation of a tax bill but he wasn't sure if the liability would fall on him personally or Garuda. He said by August 2002, he believed the money owed to him - as reflected in the Director's loan account - was 450,000. Mr Lowry accepted that the director's loan account from year end 2001 didn't reflect that he had been due that much money but he said he knew he was in credit. I recalled putting the money into the account, he said. Mr Lowry said in the summer of 2002, the assessment was raised by Revenue and it became obvious that the tax liability fell on Garuda and not on him personally. Referring to the commission paid by Norpe, he told the hearing; I lent the money to the company and I was clawing it back when it became available to me. He said he knew that he personally instructed Norpe to make the payment to Kevin Phelan but said he was not able to recall how this was accounted for in Garuda's books. He said he put Mr Phelan in contact with Norpe to facilitate the payment. Mr Lowry told the hearing that alarms bells went off in September 2006, four years later, when he realised there was not a clear record of receipt of the money. He said he rang his accountant, BBT, and informed them that the payment was missed. Mr Lowry said he was told nothing could be done until the year end, when the accounts were due to be finalised. I simply made a request and they (BBT) rectified the situation. As to the mechanics of it, I didn't have a say in that, he told the hearing. He said on January 15, 2007, a letter was drafted by BBT and he was asked to sign it. The jury had previously heard that this letter stated while the payment from Norpe OY was paid directly to Mr Lowry, it was properly due to the company and therefore should be reflected in the 2006 accounts. It instructed the accountants to set the payment against the director's loan. Mr Lowry (64) of Glenreigh, Holycross, Co. Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four charges of filing incorrect tax returns on dates between August 2002 and August 2007 in relation to a sum of Stg 248,624 received by his company, Garuda Ltd and one charge in relation to failing to keep a proper set of accounts on dates between 28 August, 2002 and August 3, 2007. He further pleaded not guilty on behalf of Garuda Ltd to three similar charges in relation to the company's tax affairs and one charge of failing to keep a proper set of accounts on the same dates. The trial continues before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury of eight men and three women. A Marks and Spencer employee who stole nearly 25,000 in cash from the shop floor over a three-month period has been jailed for six months. John Downes (56) of Belville Court, Johnstown Road, Cabinteely, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five counts of stealing cash from the store's Dundrum branch between April and July 2016. Judge Martina Baxter sentenced Downes to two years' imprisonment with final 18 months suspended, provided he keep the peace and be of good behaviour on his release. Garda Michael Lynch told Eoin Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that Downes started working for Marks and Spencer in November 2014. On July 7, 2016, a store security guard was watching CCTV footage when he saw Downes, who was working on a till, put a number of cash bills in his pocket. Downes then transferred the money to his sock. When confronted by the security and the store operations manager, Downes initially denied stealing any cash, before he eventually produced 650 in notes that he had taken from the till. He said it was his first time stealing from the store. He was suspended on full pay pending an investigation. Gardai investigating the case found Downes was driving a BMW car with a 152 registration plate. They also discovered 950 in cash in his bedroom, which he admitted he had taken from the store. When interviewed by gardai, Downes made full admissions to stealing the cash over a period of time. He told them he was in a considerable amount of debt due to the breakdown of his marriage and the closure of his printing business. The total amount stolen was 24,650. Downes took the money on 54 separate occasions. He said he was severely depressed and struggling to make ends meet, Gda Lynch said. Downes also apologised for his actions and said he was ashamed and remorseful. He told gardai: I've never been in trouble before and that it was a few moments of madness. He has since repaid the money to the store. Tom Neville BL, defending, said his client was under severe financial difficulties at the time of his offending. His print business closed in 2015 and he also had to move out of the family home following the breakdown of his marriage. He had a number of outstanding debts, including rent and management fees. Because he had been self-employed, he had trouble accessing social welfare support. He does not have a private pension. Mr Neville said his client was extremely remorseful for his actions and had gone to great efforts to ensure he repaid his former employer. The court heard the BMW he was driving had been leased and he no longer has it. Judge Baxter said Downes' guilty plea and his co-operation with gardai were mitigating factors. She said that the crime was exacerbated by the "breach of trust" it represented. The sentence was backdated to March 23 of this year when Downes was first remanded into custody. A TEENAGE witness did not remember telling gardai that she overheard murder accused Jonathan Keogh in her family's flat the morning Gareth Hutch was killed, a trial has heard. Jessica McDonnell, now 19, gave evidence to the Special Criminal Court this morning that she could hear men speaking, but she said she couldn't identify their voices. However, she later accepted that in a statement to gardai she identified one of the men as murder accused Jonathan Keogh. Jessica McDonnell is the daughter of the State's witness Mary McDonnell. In her evidence last week Mrs McDonnell identified Jonathan Keogh from CCTV footage as one of the shooters of Gareth Hutch. Mr Keogh (32), his sister Regina Keogh (41) and Thomas Fox (31) have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Hutch on May 24, 2016. Mr Hutch (36), a nephew of Gerry "The Monk" Hutch, was shot dead outside Avondale House flats on North Cumberland Street. Expand Close Jonathan Keogh and Thomas Fox. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jonathan Keogh and Thomas Fox. It is the State's case Mr Keogh, of Gloucester Place, Dublin 1, threatened to kill Mr Hutch the evening before the shooting. It is alleged that Mr Fox, with an address at Rutland Court, Dublin 1, and Ms Keogh, of Avondale House, were instrumental in planning the murder, and Mr Keogh and another man were the shooters. Ms McDonnell gave evidence via videolink that she was awakened by loud banging on her front door at 6am on the morning of the shooting. She said she heard voices, and recognised the female voice as her mother's, but not the men's voices. Prosecutor Paul Burns SC put it to Ms McDonnell that she told gardai she recognised Mr Keogh's voice. "In your statement, you say, I heard Jonathan Keogh at the door and he came into the house. I don't remember what he was saying, but I recognised his voice. I've known him for years. I used to be friends with his godson", said Mr Burns. Expand Close Regina Keogh also denies murder charges / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Regina Keogh also denies murder charges "Do you remember telling gardai this? he asked. "Yeah", she said. "Is this true? Ms McDonnell responded, "yeah, it is true". She told the Special Criminal Court that she reread her statement last Friday, but Ms McDonnell said she didn't remember what it said. "I'm trying to remember back to two years ago, which isn't easy", she said. Mr Burns also put it to Ms McDonnell that she told gardai she heard Mr Keogh talking really loudly, and talking on his mobile phone. Again, Ms McDonnell accepted she made those comments to gardai and that it was the truth. Ms McDonnell also gave evidence that the day prior to the shooting, she had seen Mr Keogh, Mr Fox and Gareth Hutch talking and shouting in the car park of the flats. They were also pointing at Regina Keogh's flat. Ross Hutch was there but he "did not seem too much involved in it", she said. The trial continues before Mr Justice Tony Hunt, Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Michael Walsh. Sisters of murdered Olivia Dunlea, Anne and Amanda with her mother Ann (centre). Pic Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision THE family of a murdered mother of three warned that while her killer Darren Murphy was handed a prison term, they are now serving a life sentence. Murphy (41) of Dan Desmond Villas, Passage West, Cork was convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury last week of the murder of Olivia Dunlea (36). He was handed a mandatory life sentence. Murphy had admitted the manslaughter but denied the murder of the mother of three whose stabbed body was found in her burning home at Pembroke Crescent, Passage West, Cork on February 17 2013. Ms Dunlea, who had only been dating the defendant for eight weeks before her 2013 death, had been stabbed six times but the young mother was still alive when her home was set on fire by Murphy. Cork Fire Brigade members later recovered her badly burned body in an upstairs bedroom and she had to be identified from dental records. Ms Dunlea's three young children were not in the property that evening. Her mother, Ann, and sister, Ann, have now spoken out to describe the "total nightmare" the family have endured over the past five years with Murphy standing trial three times before being convicted of murder and handed a life sentence. Expand Close Murdered: Olivia Dunlea, from Passage West, Co Cork. Photo: Provision / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Murdered: Olivia Dunlea, from Passage West, Co Cork. Photo: Provision The family said that while they were relieved to see Murphy convicted at the third attempt, nothing will bring Olivia back. "I was happy and sad," her mother said. "At the end of the day, Olivia is still lost to us - we had to go through all of this? "Five years - but we are happy with the verdict. "But what is life (imprisonment?) Personally, I think the key should be thrown away - he should never come out again. He is a danger to society. "Our lives have been standing still for the past five years. "We have gone through trial after trial but, thank God, we got a good outcome in the end. But we are still without Olivia. "She was our best friend - we were so close and we are totally heartbroken without her. She was always there for us - we got the life sentence. He got a prison term. "Olivia was lovely - she was so warm hearted," her mother stressed. "She was family orientated - her children were her world. They loved her so much." Olivia's sister said they were heartbroken by the appalling fate Olivia met. "She was a pre-school teacher - Olivia was absolutely brilliant. Her door was always open to help anyone. "She was a daughter, a mother, an aunt, a sister and a great friend." Murphy's manslaughter plea was rejected by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP). State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy found Ms Dunlea had been stabbed six times, suffering four shallow wounds to the front of her neck and two wounds behind her ear. One of the wounds to the back of the neck was so deep it penetrated Ms Dunlea's spinal canal. "It could be fatal but most likely would not deliver a rapid death," prosecutor Tom Creed SC said. Mr Creed said Dr Cassidy, from an examination of Ms Dunlea's trachea, determined that she was still alive when the fire in her bedroom was started. "It would appear she was still alive when the fire started." "Her (Dr Cassidy's) opinion is that Ms Dunlea was incapacitated by the knife wound to the back of her neck." Ms Dunlea was found lying face down on the bed having apparently made no attempt to escape the fire. The quilt on the bed had been set alight. Fire brigade officials found two seats for the fire - one on the bed in which Ms Dunlea was found and one on a downstairs kitchen table. Ms Dunlea and the defendant, who were in a relationship for between six and eight weeks, had been out socialising in the Rochestown Inn not far from Ms Dunlea's home. They got a taxi back to her Pembroke Crescent home shortly after midnight. However, when neighbours spotted a fire at Ms Dunlea's home a short time later and Ms Dunlea's friends became concerned, Murphy was at his own home. He drove to Ms Dunlea's house and was shouting and sobbing on the street outside. Murphy tried at one point to rush past fire brigade officials to get into the house. He also kept shouting: "This is my girlfriend's house." Murphy also kept repeatedly trying to ring Ms Dunlea's mobile phone, explaining he wanted to determine where she was. When he was being interviewed by Gardai later that day, he paused the interview to keep trying to ring Ms Dunlea. Murphy told Gardai he had had a row with Ms Dunlea after they had left the pub and had gone home, leaving her at her door with her keys in her hand. He also voluntarily gave Gardai two sets of clothing that he said he had been wearing that night. However, when a Garda checked the CCTV security camera footage from the pub, it was found not to match what Murphy had been wearing when out with Ms Dunlea. Gardai arrived at Murphy's home with a search warrant and the defendant became emotional. He said he had made a mistake and given Gardai the wrong clothing - the correct clothing having been placed under decking at his home before being put into the attic. Mr Creed said Murphy then told Gardai: "I just snapped." He said "a massive row" had erupted between himself and Ms Dunlea and, having snapped, he grabbed a knife in the bedroom and stabbed her. "He said he snapped, grabbed a knife by the bed and stabbed Olivia two times in the neck with it." Mr Creed said Murphy then told Gardai he set the quilt alight with Ms Dunlea's cigarette lighter. A second fire was then lit on the kitchen table. John Gilligan spotted in 2016 at the Jessbrook complex and inset, images Gilligan shared on social media of his new love CRIMINAL John Gilligan has found love with a new woman who is sharing his nomadic lifestyle. The Sunday World exclusively revealed yesterday that the convicted drug dealer is currently travelling between Ireland, Spain and the south coast of England with his new English girlfriend. Sources said the thug met his new woman a grandmother in her early 60s in Alicante, where his family once ran the Judges Chamber pub. She has reportedly introduced him to her family, saying: I love him more than life itself. The woman has been spotted with Gilligan on numerous occasions and has told friends he is a perfect gentleman and does nothing wrong. The pair are flying in and out of Ireland on a regular basis and travelling between Ireland, the UK and Spain. Gilligan (65) had been living a reclusive lifestyle, alternating between a mobile home in the south-east of Ireland, a hotel in west Dublin and the houses of close associates. However, over the past year he has been spending time with his new woman, who Gilligan met when he visited Spain after losing his Jessbrook bungalow in Mucklon, Co Kildare, following a drawn-out battle with the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). The house, beside the Jessbrook Equestrian Centre, had been the subject of a protracted campaign by Gilligan to retain ownership after the CAB spent 16 years engaged in a legal battle with his wife, Geraldine, over the equestrian centre. Jessbrook, regarded as the biggest indoor equestrian centre in the country, was put on the market for 500,000 in 2013 after CAB seized what was once considered the crown in Gilligans property portfolio. It was once valued at more than 5m. After losing the equestrian centre, Gilligan fought tooth and nail to retain the adjacent bungalow. He even tried to take advantage of a housing assistance payment scheme, claiming he was homeless. After he was eventually evicted from the property a year ago, the Sunday World tracked Gilligan down to a country house in Co Roscommon. He was later spotted at Spains Murcia Airport despite his claims of being broke and homeless. Now sources have revealed that Gilligan is spending long periods in Spain, where he had always planned to retire, following his release from prison. After he survived being shot six times while at his brother Thomass home in Clondalkin in March 2014, he left Ireland and lived in England, where he moved from halting site to halting site. He returned to Ireland in 2016 when he told the courts that he and his wife had not been together for more than a decade. Gilligans new girlfriend is known in the expatriate community in Alicante, where she spends her winters. She has a number of grandchildren in the UK. The pair have been spotted together in an English seaside village near the town of Margate, where Gilligans old friend John Traynor lives. Gilligan has also been spotted at Dublins Shelbourne Park dog track as well as in pubs around town. However, after the attempt on his life, it is believed he remains fearful that he will be shot if he stays in the same place for too long. He suffered bullet wounds to his chest, hip, stomach and one of his legs when two masked men entered his brothers home during a family celebration. He was released from Connolly Hospital under a garda escort a fortnight later, looking frail after losing a considerable amount of weight. He left the country immediately afterwards. It was the second known attempt on his life after a botched hit on December 5, 2013 at the Halfway House pub near Phoenix Park when two armed men went looking for him. They left on a motorbike and threw away their weapon after being chased by gardai. It later emerged that Gilligan had been drinking at the nearby Hole in the Wall pub on Blackhorse Avenue. He dismissed the incident as a Halloween prank, despite detectives warning him that his life was in danger after they recovered a 9mm Luger pistol following the botched assassination attempt. The wife of machete murder victim Mikolaj Wilk is out of hospital and "recovering well" from her injuries. It's understood Elzbieta Wilk - who sustained serious injuries after she and her husband were attacked at their home in Co Cork - was discharged from hospital on Saturday. The gruesome attack on the family took place between 2am and 4am the previous Sunday as a gang of up to four men broke down the door of the family home on the rural outskirts of Ballincollig. Mr Wilk - a Polish national - sustained multiple stab wounds to his head, hands and torso in the brutal attack. His wife underwent an operation on her hand and arm last week, after losing movement in three of her fingers. Polish chaplain for Cork Fr Piotr Galus, who met Ms Wilk in hospital last week, said she told of how the gang wanted the couple's young children to witness the murder. "They wanted the children to witness what they were doing," Fr Galus said. "She tried to protect them and hide from the gang, but she heard them say they wanted to bring the children in to witness the killing. "She was beaten on her face and her head as she tried to protect them and she was struck with a weapon causing a very deep cut on her hand," he added. When interviewed by gardai last week while she was in hospital, Ms Wilk told investigators she had no idea of any motive for the attack. She is said to be intent on moving her family back to Poland following the horrific ordeal. A burnt-out BMW 3 Series was found around 6km from the family home after the attack in the early hours of June 10, with a handgun inside. Yesterday, at 6am, gardai conducted a search along the route near the area of Waterfall, Co Cork, in the hope of finding evidence that may have been discarded out of the window of the getaway vehicle. However, the Irish Independent has been told nothing was found in this search. Appeal Gardai also issued an appeal for a taxi driver who dropped off two women from a pub in the Wilton area to separate locations in Waterfall between 12am and 12.30am that night to come forward. "A number of people have come forward with information and gardai wish to thank the public for their assistance so far," a spokesman said. "However, gardai wish to continue to appeal to taxi and hackney drivers that were operating in the Maglin, Ballincollig, Ballinora and Waterfall areas on the night of the incident who have not come forward. "In particular, they wish to speak to a driver who picked up three women at a pub in the Wilton area through a booking on a taxi app and drove to Waterfall, dropping two of the women along the way." It's understood that the two women have provided information to gardai. Officers are probing if the burnt-out car was in the area at the time of the women being dropped off - which was around two hours before the attack took place. Meanwhile, a memorial Mass in the family's hometown of Ballincollig took place on Saturday night. Mr Wilk's body was also released to his family over the weekend, following an extensive forensic examination as part of the murder investigation. His body is expected to be repatriated to his native Poland, where his funeral will take place. Ms Wilk's father and her husband's sister arrived in Cork last Monday night and are understood to have been taking care of the couple's two children - both aged under six - since the attack. Some 20,000 has been raised so far after a close friend of the couple, Aga Deryng, set up a GoFundMe account to help support Ms Wilk and her children. Just 93m of the 335m windfall received by the State three years ago from the sale of its 25.1pc stake in Aer Lingus has been committed to investments by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) that manages the money. And more than a third of the money committed was invested in a bond issued by the DAA, which operates Dublin and Cork airports. The sale of Aer Lingus in 2015 to British Airways owner IAG saw the Government establish a so-called 'Connectivity Fund', that operates as a sub-fund of the State-owned ISIF. The fund is intended to support a diverse range of commercial projects. A year after receiving the proceeds from the Aer Lingus sale, none of the money had been invested. By April last year, just two investments had been completed by the Connectivity Fund. They represented a total investment of 57m by the fund. But those two investments included a 35m investment in a bond that was issued by the DAA. The Government said at the time that this investment was "considered suited to inclusion under the Connectivity Fund". The other investment completed by last April was a 22m injection into a company called Aqua Comms. It operates a number of sub-sea fibre optic cables, including one linking Dublin, London and New York. In response to a parliamentary question last week from Fianna Fail TD Darragh O'Brien, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed that just four investments had been made in the past three years by the Connectivity Fund. ISIF said its total funds value hit 8.7bn at the end of 2017, compared to 7.2bn when it was established at the end of 2014. Aside from its investments under the Connectivity Fund, ISIF has invested in housing construction and student accommodation projects, renewable energy schemes, and lending to small and medium-sized businesses. Things just kept getting better and better for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt on Sunday (June 17) at Buffalo Raceway, as he ended up recording three wins during New York Sire Stakes action that had three-year-old trotting fillies in the spotlight. Each of the four divisions contested a purse of approximately $30,000. It was a perfect progression as well for Svanstedt, as each time one of his charges won, they set a new track in doing so. In the opener, Ciao Dolce broke the old track standard for three-year-old trotting fillies of 1:58.2 held by Fad Finance, Straight A Student and High Rise with a three-quarter length decision over Sevenbuyeleven in 1:57.3. That barrier last about 15 minutes, as defending two-year-old New York Sire Stakes champion Lucky Ava posted a 1-1/4 length victory over Girl Talk in 1:57.2. After having to settle for a second-place finish in the next NYSS event with Natalie Hanover, Svanstedt saved the best for last as Fury Road took her leg with a 1:57 tour around the lightning-fast Buffalo Raceway half-mile oval, topping White Cheetah by three-quarters of a length. When ask about his success at Buffalo Raceway, Svanstedt, who has won six of 10 races locally in the past two seasons said, "It helps when you have good horses." He went on to explain, "I seem to have horses that can take the turns here, so I am not afraid to go hard into them." Ciao Dolce ($3.80) took the opening bracket with a big move heading to the three-quarter marker. She was able to wear down the fraction-setting Sevenbuyeleven (Scott Zeron) in the stretch to score the win. Firm To Stay (Jim Morrill Jr.) was third. "She really picked it up down the backstretch," Svanstedt said of Ciao Dolce's effort. Owned by Kjelle Magne, it was the second win in five starts in 2018 for Ciao Dolce (Credit Winner-Pizza Dolce). The ink hadn't even dried in the record book when Lucky Ava put her name into it. Setting fractions of :30, 1:00 and 1:29.1, Lucky Ava ($2.10) had to work extremely hard to hold back a determined Girl Talk (Drew Monti) in the lane. Haulin Banc (Zeron) took the show spot. "It was a little surprised at how she had go in the end but she's a good horse," Svanstedt said of Lucky Ava. Co-owned by Svanstedt, Little E LLC and the Van Camp Trotting Corp., it was the fourth victory in five attempts this year for Lucky Ava (Lucky Chucky-Ava Marion). The score pushed her seasonal bankroll to $65,693 and $269,189 in her brief but stellar career. Fury Road ($6.80) was the fastest of the distaff sophomore trotters, as she was able to wire her field in 1:57. White Cheetah (Morrill Jr.) put in a game effort to place second, while Tribute To Seven (Zeron) took the show position. "She did what she had to do," Svanstedt said of Fury Road's record breaking performance. Owned by Knutsson Trotting Inc., the victory was the second in five appearances in 2018 for Fury Road (Muscle Mass-Bar Ballad). The win upped her seasonal earnings to $44,932 this season and $189,423 in her career. When told that was the third track record he had on the afternoon with his trainees and Fury Road, Svanstedt shrugged his shoulders and said, "Wow." The only race in the New York Sire Stakes not won by Svanstedt was earned by Lima Novelty (Zeron) in 1:57.3. It was a heads-up move by Zeron going to the opening marker that paved the way for Lima Novelty's triumph. When things settled down after the start, Natalie Hanover (Svanstedt) looked like she was going to control the fractions, but that wasn't the case a few seconds later. "We didn't want to be behind Natalie Hanover (Svanstedt). We wanted the top," said Zeron of playing the give-and-go with Lima Novelty ($4.00). The decision worked out great, as Lima Novelty held back a challenge of Natalie Hanover by 1-1/4 lengths while Jackie Newlands (Morrill) was third. Trained by Linda Toscano and owned by Ken Jacobs, Lima Novelty (Chapter Seven-No Pictures Please) found the winner's circle for the first time in four attempts this season. The victory upped her seasonal earnings to $21,847 and $116,635 lifetime. In the $15,000 Excelsior A races, A Gift For You ($4.10) was the quickest with a 1:58 clocking for Zeron. Michando ($7.50) took her bracket for Marcus Miller in 1:58.3 while Kevin Cummings guided Eunice to a stunning $62.00 victory in 1:58.2. The two $6,500 Excelsior B events went to Financial Impact, steered home Monti in 2:02.2, while Shawn McDonough notched a popular $2.50 victory with Chasing Stardom in 2:02. Racing will resume on Wednesday night (June 20) at Buffalo Raceway with an 11-race program scheduled for 5 p.m. with two-year-old pacing fillies arriving to battle it out in two New York Sire Stakes divisions worth $52,500 each. For more information, including the latest news, upcoming promotions, simulcast schedule, race replays, results and entries, go to www.buffaloraceway.com. (Buffalo Raceway) A missing teenager has been found safe, gardai have confirmed. Gardai appealed for information after the boy went missing on Friday but they have said he has since been found. They said in a statement: "He has been found safe and well, no further action required." Gardai have also thanked the public for their assistance. A passenger who was one of three men to be removed from a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Ibiza on Saturday has deemed the reports of disturbance as "fake news" and "a total overreaction". Niall Harrington was one of twenty men on their way to a stag party to Ibiza on Saturday, when the flight was diverted to Paris. Niall and two others were removed from the plane following "disruptive" behaviour, according to Ryanair. Speaking with Neil Prendeville on RedFM, Niall said the reports of the group causing chaos on board the flight were "fake news". Expand Close Niall Harrington claims he wasn't disruptive on a Ryanair flight to Ibiza / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Niall Harrington claims he wasn't disruptive on a Ryanair flight to Ibiza "One of the lads that was in our party was after bringing on his own alcohol. He opened and poured his own drink, they asked him to stop and he put it away," Niall said on RedFM. "A little while later he opened it again and before we knew it, we were told we were being diverted." According to Niall, the stag group were "in good form" but he claims that they weren't causing trouble. "All these stories then of disruptive behaviour- there was nothing like that, it was just good fun, people going on a stag, going on holiday. Everyone was in good form. "You'd have to be there to believe it. Obviously you'd hear the stories and think 'they must have been up to something'. Everyone was in total shock." When the flight was diverted to Paris, Niall says three of them were taken off by French police and left stranded in the airport. "There was 20 of us but our three seats were together. He was the only one that drank it and he told them that. "The police came on with their guns and everything. The French police said it was for unruly behaviour." As a result of the passengers removal, Niall says they had to organise a different route home. He also claims they received an email from Ryanair yesterday, saying they were banned from flying with the airline. According to Ryanair, the plane was diverted "after three passengers became disruptive in flight". "This flight from Dublin to Ibiza (16 June) diverted to Paris Beauvais after three passengers became disruptive inflight. "The aircraft landed normally and the passengers were removed and detained by police upon arrival, before the aircraft continued to Ibiza," Ryanair said in a statement. "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. This is now a matter for local police." The budget airline is now calling on airports to introduce a ban on the sale of alcohol before 10am. "This 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. "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." A spokesperson for Dublin Airport said that while the behaviour of the passengers was "unacceptable", Ryanair's call for a drinking ban "is highly draconian". "The behaviour of some individuals on the Ryanair flight in question was clearly unacceptable. "Dublin Airport has worked in the past with Ryanair and other airlines, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), the Gardai and Airport Police on a joint education campaign to stress that such behaviour in totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated at the airport. "Dublin Airport will continue to work with its airline customers and all other agencies in relation to this issue and will again remind the licence holders in its bars and restaurants of their responsibilities in this area. "Ryanairs suggested response is a highly draconian one that would affect all passengers because of the behaviour of a very very small minority of airline travellers. Meanwhile, a man that was on board a different Ryanair flight has claimed that a drunk passenger vomited on him. Expand Close Conor Lyden claims another passenger got sick on him on a flight to Malaga / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Conor Lyden claims another passenger got sick on him on a flight to Malaga Conor Lyden was heading to Malaga from Cork on a Ryanair flight on a family holiday last month when he alleges an intoxicated passenger vomited all over him. "At the gate, we noticed that one passenger in particular was heavily intoxicated. The passenger tried to bring two glasses of vodka and mixer on to the plane and he was told he wasn't allowed to bring them on by the staff at the gate, but he was about to just knock them back there and then," Conor said on RTE's Liveline earlier today. "There was a bit of a delay before takeoff, this particular passenger was a bit disruptive, shouting, kind of intimidating other passengers. A lot of other passengers complained. "I was actually sitting a couple of seats in front of him. At this point I think a lot of people thought he was going to get kicked off the plane because of his behaviour and he was quite clearly drunk." Conor claims the passenger tried to drink his own alcohol from duty-free, which he was told he couldn't do, but remained on the flight. Conor claims that an hour into their journey the man got sick on him, damaging his laptop. "He came sort of stumbling up the aisle behind me and just vomited all over my head, down my front and into my open laptop, which is no longer working now." The passenger then "passed out across three whole seats" and remained there for the rest of the flight according to Conor, who has yet to hear back from Ryanair. "I've been in contact with Ryanair nonstop since then. They won't reimburse me for my laptop which is broken, and I'm self-employed and need it for work." In a statement, Ryanair told RTE that the customer was "provided assistance" and have asked Conor to "submit receipts for dry cleaning services". "Cabin crew on board this flight provided assistance to the customer in question, who confirmed their laptop was working normally. Our customer service team have since liaised with this customer and asked them to submit and receipts for dry cleaning expenses. "As the largest airline in Europe, Ryanair's number one priority is the safety of our customers, crew and aircraft and has a zero tolerance policy towards alcohol and disruptive behaviour. Ryanair does not allow intoxicated passengers onboard our aircraft. We operate strict guidelines for the carriage of customers who are disruptive or appear to be under the influence of alcohol. "Its completely unfair that airports can profit from the unlimited sale of alcohol to passengers and leave the airlines to deal with the safety consequences. This is a particular problem during flight delays when airports apply no limit to the sale of alcohol in airside bars and restaurants. "This is an issue which the airports must now address and we are calling for significant changes to prohibit the sale of alcohol at airports, particularly with early morning flights and when flights are delayed." Former president Mary McAleese has said she has not gone to confession after voting Yes in last months abortion referendum and has no intention whatsoever of doing so. She spoke out following comments by Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran that Catholics who had voted Yes, intending that abortion would be the outcome of their vote, should go to confession. Appearing at a conference at the weekend, organised by the Catholic lay group We Are Church Ireland in Dublins Gonzaga College, Dr McAleese told former TV3 journalist Ursula Halligan: I had no hesitation at the end of the day when it came to the vote I absolutely voted Yes. She added that, since voting, she has not gone to confession to repent her decision and has no intention whatsoever of doing so. Asked about Bishop Dorans stance on confession, Dr McAleese said: These are man-made rules, these are not statements of an infallible Church. She said the Yes votes in the same-sex marriage referendum and the abortion referendum by ordinary people who were baptised into that Church and are subject to the canon rules of that Church was a statement by these Catholics that their freedom of conscience trumps the curial Churchs idea of what is a mortal sin. Dr McAleese told how she had originally supported the introduction of the Eighth Amendment. She explained that when the referendum on its insertion into the Constitution was held in 1983, she supported it because there was no statute-based law and she saw it as an opportunity to clarify the situation legally even if it was for very limited abortion where a womans life was in danger. I have always regarded myself as someone who would have valued the life of the mother and also the life of the little baby, she said. However, she added that the report into the death of Savita Halappanavar implicates the Eighth Amendment and that came between me and my peace of mind, specifically as she had met Ms Halappanavar, whom she described as pure wonderful. We have to give those who have to operate the laws clear sight and ways of dealing with these issues, she said. Dr McAleese met Ms Halappanavar when she was organising an event for dental students at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She introduced herself to me as a dental person as she knew that I am, unfortunately, surrounded by dentists, Ms McAleese joked in reference to her husband Martins profession. She was dressed in the most beautiful Indian costume she was a beautiful girl. Asked how the meeting and what subsequently transpired affected her, Dr McAleese said: Ive a daughter around the same age who has had two babies and you like to think that if your daughter is pregnant that all will go well and that you are not going to follow two coffins... Meanwhile, Dr McAleese also revealed that she will take part in her first gay pride march in Dublin at the end of this month. The Dublin Pride march, which takes place on June 30, is themed We Are Family, a reference to the Catholic Churchs World Meeting of Families that will take place in Dublin this August. She said she will be taking part in the march with my gay son and his wonderful husband, as well as her husband, daughters, some of her brothers and sisters and maybe even her elderly mother if they can organise a wheelchair for her. We are family and that is what we will be showcasing showcasing Ireland at its absolute best, she said. Meghan Markle in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle for her wedding to Prince Harry in Windsor, Britain, May 19, 2018. Jonathan Brady/Pool via REUTERS Meghan attends a garden party at Buckingham Palace, with Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, in London, Britain May 22, 2018. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via Reuters Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace, their first royal engagement as a married couple, in London, May 22, 2018. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via Reuters Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II (not pictured) visit Chester Town Hall on June 14, 2018 in Chester, England Queen Elizabeth II stands with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on June 14, 2018 in the town of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire, England The couple were married at the St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle (Jane Barlow/PA) Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are keen to learn about Ireland's culture and meet our future leaders during their visit here next month, sources have revealed. The newlyweds are set to fly into Dublin on July 10 to carry out their first official engagement here since they tied the knot last month. Their mini-moon is set to last just one night, with the newlyweds scheduled to leave Dublin again on July 11. A source said: "The Duke and Dutchess are looking forward to learning more about Ireland's history and experiencing its rich culture, as well as meeting the people who are shaping the country's future." Further details about their trip to Dublin are expected to be confirmed in the coming days. This comes shortly after Prince Harry's father, Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla enjoyed a visit to Cork last week. During their stay they met Tanaiste Simon Coveney, browsed at the delicacies available in the English Market and attended a civic reception at Cork City Hall. Boutique retailer Caris Closet has acknowledged online claims questioning the quality and standards of their clothing. The store, which often dresses Irish celebrities for red carpet events, came under fire over the weekend from individuals claiming to be dissatisfied customers. Others who claimed to have worked for the store were also critical of the shop. Some alleged products sold at Caris Closet have been bought from wholesalers or via online websites and substantially marked up in pricing. Caris Closet has disputed these claims saying they only sell their own label, and that they manufacture clothing in store. Clothing available online is manufactured throughout China. A statement read; We started out as a rental store for the first three years moving solely into sales, but we now only sell our own label. Initially we sourced clothes through wholesalers, the statement continued. Currently we manufacturer our own clothes for sale in our stores and on our website in clothing manufacturers throughout China. All our clothes that we retail have Caris Closet labels on them. We do not buy clothes for retail through any online websites. We have worked hard over the last six years with our team to build our business.- Catherine Power sister of Thomas at the vigil for 24/7 cardiac service at University hospital Waterford. Photo: Mary Browne Catherine Power sister of Thomas at the vigil for 24/7 cardiac service at University hospital Waterford. Photo:Mary Browne A woman whose brother died while being transferred from Waterford to Cork for a heart procedure has used a special first anniversary vigil to plead for better cardiac services in the south east. Catherine Power admitted the past year has been "a total nightmare" for her family. Her brother, Thomas (40), died in an ambulance en route to Cork after attending University Hospital Waterford (UHW) with a suspected heart attack. UHW was unable to provide major cardiac intervention and he was referred to Cork University Hospital (CUH) some 130km away. Expand Close Bernadette Power and the late Thomas Power. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bernadette Power and the late Thomas Power. Catherine has written to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar warning that people will continue to lose their lives until the south east gets round-the-clock cardiac services. She admitted her family were left devastated when her brother died en route from UHW to CUH on June 18 2017 for emergency treatment after he suffered a so-called 'silent heart attack.' Mr Power died from a large 3cm rupture in his cardiac wall brought on by 'a silent heart attack' sustained between three and seven days earlier. A coroner's inquest jury last April returned a verdict of death by natural causes - but issued a recommendation that Health Minister Simon Harris review resuscitation drug packs provided in ambulances for patient transfers between hospitals. The recommendation came after it emerged the ambulance transferring Mr Power ran out of special adrenalin doses during the trip from Waterford to Cork. Despite the south east region having a catchment of 500,000 people, the UHW catherisation lab only operates from 9am to 5pm between Monday to Friday. Major cardiac surgeries also cannot be undertaken in Waterford - with patients having to be transferred to Dublin, Cork or Galway. Catherine Power warned she does not want any other family to suffer their loss and issued a plea at her brother's vigil for an upgrading of cardiac facilities at UHW. "How many people must die before the Government decides on providing 24/7 emergency cardiac services in UHW," she said? Ms Power has written to Mr Varadkar asking when a decision will be made on upgrading cardiac services in the south east - and why "the usual in this country is lets be reactive rather than proactive." "A report by Prof Kieran Daly of the Acute Coronary Syndrome Programme in November 2017 found there were an expected 203 STEMI heart attacks in the south east per annum which is 53 cases more than what the British Cardiac Society sets as the level for a 24/7 centre," she wrote. "You might let me know (what is planned) as it is 12 months since this State failed my brother Thomas Power to ensure patient safety was in place instead this State allowed him to be distressed further by putting him in the back of ambulance to travel on some of the worst roads in Ireland," she declared. Speaking after the inquest, Mr Power's wife, Bernadette, revealed she had only been married to Tom for seven months - and had been pregnant with their first child when he died on June 18 2017. Mrs Power gave birth to her baby boy, Thomas Junior, on November 22, five months after her husband's death. "On September 17 2016 when I married Tom I never thought I would be attending the inquest into his death." "I would now urge the Government to improve cardiac services in the south east region and to reconsider the provision of a second permanent cath lab at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) to serve the people of the south east on a 24/7 basis." Waterford health campaigner Kieran Hartley said it was "outrageous" that a city like Waterford, the hub of a rapidly expanding south east region, does not have a 24-7 cath lab and is not be able to undertake major cardiac procedures. Labour leader Brendan Howlin has already backed the campaign to upgrade south east cardiac services as has Mick Wallace TD and a number of other TDs. However, Ms Power warned that she expects every TD in the south east to back UHW's campaign for extra cardiac resources. "I want all TDs to remember that the human heart beats 24/7 - and not from 9am to 5pm." Marches in support of improved cardiac services have taken place over the past 12 months in Waterford, several attended by thousands of campaigners. Police in Britain are struggling to track down 7.5m in Kinahan drugs money linked to jailed associate James Mulvey, cousin of murdered Gerard 'Hatchet' Kavanagh. The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has been trying to locate the cash following the cartel member's 77m cocaine and cannabis smuggling conviction. Mulvey's Birmingham-based haulage firm was used to launder the huge profits made from his worldwide cocaine and cannabis business which he operated with three partners. One of his partners and cousin, Dubliner Gerard 'Hatchet' Kavanagh, was shot dead in Spain in September, 2014. The financial confiscation investigation, where criminal wealth is seized after a conviction, is taking place. Det Con Derek Tinsley, of the Regional Asset Recovery Team, said: "James Mulvey was a ghost within the financial arena in the UK. "In other words, he had no links to bank accounts or databases within the UK, which made it particularly difficult. "When you're looking at an individual who is at the top of the tree, you don't find them with their hands on the drugs, you don't find them with hands on the money either. "In reality, the money's been laundered through many jurisdictions. "But the money trail won't stop here because confiscation processes under the Proceeds of Crime Act will continue to try and identify all of his assets so he doesn't benefit from his criminality." West Midlands Police passed the case to the NCA team in Birmingham in 2015. Their investigation included covert surveillance, complex mobile phone analysis and more than 20 million documents in nine countries. Mulvey used accountants, advisers and trusts to launder money in off-shore accounts and changed his mobile phones on a daily basis. One offshore transaction was 11.5m (13.1m) to one business name. Investigators have followed the trail through thousands of documents and identified companies in the Isle of Man that were used to launder funds. Police in Mauritius joined forces with the UK financial intelligence unit to search addresses in the village of Tamarin. Documents and digital devices were seized. Mulvey was jailed for 32 years at Birmingham Crown Court last week after being found guilty of two charges of conspiracy to import cocaine and two charges of conspiracy to import cannabis. He was arrested half-naked on March 28, 2017, in Kaunus, Lithuania, following a two-year investigation by the NCA, and extradited to the UK. The father-of-five organised numerous shipments to the continent and also arranged for "cover loads" to be sent to Ireland, usually containing tin foil or toilet paper "to give the impression of a genuine business relationship". In all, 14 successful trips were made before the 15th consignment was stopped in Belgium. Twenty blocks of cocaine along with a cutting agent and 364 blocks of cannabis were found. The consignments of cocaine and cannabis were hidden in metal rollers and transported by a string of haulage companies and individuals from Holland to Ireland via Belgium and the West Midlands. Though the rest of the gang were convicted, Mulvey managed to slip the net. Mulvey spent up to 85,000 in cash every week and splashed his wealth across the world yet had no bank accounts within the UK. The Government is to support an historic motion to apologise to gay people who were convicted because of their sexuality. The motion will be brought by Labour Senator Ged Nash this Tuesday, ahead of the twenty fifth anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. It is expected to receive all party support in the Dail and Seanad. It acknowledges the hurt and harm caused to those who were "deterred by those laws from being open and honest about their identity" and "offers a sincere apology" to people who were "convicted of same-sex sexual activity which is now legal". The Government is also looking at ways of exonerating gay people who were convicted of homosexual offences before the law was repealed in 1993. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, told the Dail last week the Government will "recognise the wrongs that were done." However, he said legal complications could prevent the granting of a general pardon to people convicted of homosexual offences. The Labour Party has already created a bill - also spearheaded by Ged Nash - that would see the State exonerate gay men who were convicted of sexual offences, so that their convictions can be set aside. The Government is currently finalising an event at Dublin Castle next Sunday for 500-600 people, including gay rights activists and campaigners. The event marks the day the legislation was repealed in 1993 by the then Fianna Fail Minister for Justice, Maire Geoghegan-Quinn. Ms Geoghegan-Quinn will speak at a separate event organised by Fianna Fail at Smithfield on Wednesday, June 27. She will be joined by David Norris, the senator who took Ireland to the European Court for criminalising gay men in 1980s. Fianna Fail's Equality spokesperson Fiona O'Loughlin TD said the event will celebrate family life in all its diversity. "It was in many cases the families of gay men and women who were some of the most forceful supporters of the campaign for decriminalisation," she said. A Jesuit priest said a Vatican invitation for him to speak on pastoral care for the families of gay and lesbian people is "a huge moment" for the Catholic Church. US priest Fr James Martin will travel to Dublin to address the World Meeting of Families (WMOF) on how parishes worldwide should 'build a bridge' of welcome for gay and lesbian parishioners. He believes Pope Francis "is bound to shake things up" generally when he arrives in Dublin in August for the global event. Pope Francis has not changed Church teaching on homosexuality but the Pope changed the Church's tone towards gay people which resulted in many members of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender) community returning to Church life in the US, he said. Fr Martin has been criticised by traditionalists for his views. He was appointed by the Pope to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communications last year. The Pope will speak on a number of occasions over two days when he arrives in Ireland on Saturday, August 25, for the Church-organised WMOF events. Pope Francis will speak at a State reception at Dublin Castle shortly after noon following his visit to the president at Aras an Uachtarain. Pope Francis will speak at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin at 3.30pm and then spend private time with homeless families at the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin. That evening, he will make a speech at the Festival of Families concert in Croke Park. On Sunday, the Pope will pray the Angelus at Knock Shrine in Co Mayo shortly after 10am. He will fly back to Dublin to celebrate a Mass at 3pm for a huge public gathering in the Phoenix Park before returning to Rome. He is expected to meet some victims of clerical sex abuse during his Irish visit. New York-based Fr Martin (57) told the Sunday Independent he expects the Pope to make a big impact in Ireland. "I would say get ready to be surprised because Pope Francis usually upends people's expectations of what he is going to do or say on his trips. "When he came to the United States, he really dazzled people by not only his words but his deeds. It was really extraordinary. People fell in love with him. "He is an authentic apostle. And holiness is naturally attractive. He is bound to shake things up, one way or another," said Fr Martin. The Pope's approach to LGBT people is markedly different from past pontiffs, said the priest. "He has an entirely different flavour to his message than previous popes. His five most famous words are 'Who am I to judge?' "That was initially about gay priests but it was expanded to include LGBT people. He has used the word 'gay' repeatedly. He has gay friends. He said that Jesus would never say to a gay person 'go away from me'. "And the way he reaches out to LGBT people - they feel more comfortable going to church, they simply do," he said. Controversy erupted in Ireland a few months ago when Church traditionalists succeeded in forcing the removal of images of a same-sex couple from a preparation booklet for the Dublin WMOF event. That showed the Church was "still struggling" with the issue, he said. "But then the invitation from the Vatican for me to speak about LGBT issues in a positive way is a huge moment in the church. "It's not about me, it is what it says to LGBT Catholics. This would never have happened five years ago. "In the end, the invitation for someone to talk positively about LGBT families shows what they really think," he said. Fr Martin has reportedly highlighted the need for the Church to address its use of language in the past which referred to LGBT people as "intrinsically disordered". The use of such terminology is the focus of a petition by Irish Catholic reform group We Are Church Ireland. The group is to petition the Pope to address the use of such homophobic terms. Fr Martin went on to say: "Archbishop Martin said during the press conference that the World Meeting of Families is for all families and all Catholics and that includes families that have LGBT members and even LGBT families," he said. Fr Martin welcomed the endorsement of three cardinals for his new book, entitled Building a Bridge. He said it would be important that Pope Francis, even with his limited time in Ireland, that he addresses the question of clerical sex abuse. "The Church can never do enough for the victims of sex abuse. Any time Pope Francis has been meeting with victims or confronting those issues, is time well spent," he said. "It's not a crisis that is over. "We need to continue to listen, apologise, and accompany these victims and make sure sex abuse never happens again," he said. "I would say don't underestimate the change that has happened with regard to LGBT people over the past five years. Five years ago my book would not even have been published. That's a big change," he said. Fr Martin was a former executive in the US financial sector who later joined the priesthood. He said his own address at the WMOF event in Dublin will be about how parishes can be more welcoming to LGBT Catholics, their parents, their grandparents, their brothers and sisters. His basic message to parishes on how to reach out to LGBT people will be: "Listen to them, listen to them, listen to them. "My experience in the United States varies dramatically. In general, parishes in larger cities with greater concentrations of LGBT Catholics are doing a much better job with LGBT outreach groups, LGBT retreats, and LGBT support groups for parents. "But then you might get a parish in a very small town that has a homophobic pastor and they are doing nothing. Or worse, they are discouraging, or insulting or excluding LGBTs either explicitly or implicitly. Some of the stories are just appalling. "A 30-year-old autistic man came out to his family. One of the pastoral associates of the parish told him that, even though he was not in a sexual relationship, he could no longer receive Communion because he was gay and it was a scandal and that, maybe, if he wanted to, he could stop by the rectory once in a while to receive Communion. "In the good parishes, with retreats for LGBT people, they have parish announcements about parish LGBT groups holding retreats. "Those parishes have an open invitation to LGBT people. In other words, it is almost indistinguishable from other ministries," he said. In general, he said the message is clear: "Just love them." Virginia Mother Jailed for Talking to Son's Doctors and Reporting Physical Abuse by Father Contact: Janice Grenadier, 202-368-7178ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 18, 2018 / Standard Newswire / -- A young mother was jailed Friday for reporting physical abuse of her son by the father to government authorities and for talking to her 10 year old son's therapist and psychiatrist about her medical concerns for her son.Hard to believe? The court reporter transcripts reveal it all in Cases CJ 14001064 and 14001065 in Alexandria Circuit Court in Virginia. Her attorney is Jonathon Moseley (703) 656-1230.Judge Lisa Kemler announced in her official decision before a court reporter that she was punishing the mother for making a report of the son's accounts of abuse to government authorities and for talking to her son's doctors, therapist, and psychiatrist.Natalia Dalton's son told many adults (recorded) that his father physically abused him. She shows her photographs of her own injuries when she says Julio Lacayo beat her.In November 2017, Natalia took her son to the Magistrate in Alexandria. The son met alone with the Magistrate for 15 minutes.The Magistrate issued an Emergency Protective Order, ordered the child removed from the father's home, and sent the police to serve the father who was heard screaming in front of the son.But the father yanked the son out of school the next day, and began to home school him, removed from any adults who could learn about the abuse and report it.A month ago, a supervised visitation "monitor" Laurie Best appointed by Judge Kemler also reported the son's account of physical abuse to Child Protective Services. Laurie Best testified that in the trial (on the transcript) that what the son volunteered to her triggered her legal mandatory reporting requirements.Judge Kemler refused to call the son to speak for himself and the father objected to the son being interviewed in chambers by Judge Kemler or to testify.Natalia Dalton also warned her son's psychiatrist that the son was complaining that psychiatric medication was causing alarming side effects and making him irritable, forgetful, disoriented, and feeling weird.In the court case, Natalia Dalton was accused and punished for warning the son's prescribing psychiatrist of side effects despite an earlier court order.Natalia Dalton strongly and flatly denied ever sharing these concerns with her son, but only among adults treating him. There was absolutely no evidence or testimony that the son was affected.Natalia Dalton is raising money to pay for the transcripts at www.NataliaMom.com Irish model Shannen Reilly McGrath has shared an emotional message as her boyfriend remains in a critical condition in hospital. The former Love Island contestant urged Daniel 'Dano' Doyle to "keep fighting" after he was found unresponsive in his jail cell last week. Doyle, who previously appeared in RTE's hit drama Love/Hate as an extra, is currently in intensive care in the Mater Hospital after staff at Mountjoy Prison discovered him shortly after 8am on Friday. Taking to Instagram, Shannen said: "I love you baby stay strong and fight through this for yourself and everything you have going for you in your life and for us. Expand Close Shannen Reilly shared the post on Instagram over the weekend / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shannen Reilly shared the post on Instagram over the weekend "Ive been waiting all week to see you tomorrow so when you wake I am going to scream at you for ruining our visit! We have so much planned so you cant go anywhere on me. Weve had our ups and downs but weve always loved each other and no one can change that. "I cannot wait to kiss that handsome face and cuddle you and not let you go. Your number one fan is praying for you (always have been crazy in love with you)." Jail sources said the outlook for the Ballymun and father-of-one (31) was "very grim" after an apparent drugs overdose in Mountjoy Prison "He is in a very bad way, there is no information yet on what substances he may have taken but all the indications are that it was not intentional on his part," a jail insider said. Expand Close Daniel 'Dano' Doyle had also modelled / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Daniel 'Dano' Doyle had also modelled "The sad part about this is that he only had a few months left of the one-year sentence he is serving." Doyle was jailed for one year in February for possession of drugs for sale or supply at his home on November 12, 2014. He was arrested by gardai with 446 small tablets and a money bag of around 600 cash. The tablets were analysed and identified as MDMA. Gardai also found drug paraphernalia, including syringes and weighing scales, in a safe in Doyle's bedroom. Expand Close Shannen Reilly McGrath pictured at the launch of the 68th Miss Ireland 2015 in association with Crown Brush at Bucks Townhouse / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shannen Reilly McGrath pictured at the launch of the 68th Miss Ireland 2015 in association with Crown Brush at Bucks Townhouse Cash totalling 340 was also found in the bedroom and 2,800 was found elsewhere. The court heard that Doyle answered the door of his home and told gardai he knew why they were there. He handed over a bundle of 985 from his pocket, and said it had come from the recent sale of a car. Doyle had 35 previous convictions, including three for drug-dealing and convictions for unlawful possession of firearms in suspicious circumstances. He also had two convictions for threatening to kill or cause serious harm. Judge O'Sullivan said Doyle's work references spoke well of him and he was not sceptical of any character references. He said that Doyle was a facilitator in the drugs trade but that the offence before the court was "not a serious matter". The judge said that Doyle appeared to be a "fairly decent individual". Doyle was jailed for two years in 2007 after he pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and shotgun cartridges on two occasions at Glasnevin Avenue, North Dublin, on January 20, 2006, and at his home on December 8 that year. A fortnight after he was jailed for a year in February, the drug-dealer lost a 60,000 High Court claim for damages from an accident in which he claimed he was seriously injured. The woman being airlifted to hospital Photo: Dublin Fire Brigade A woman in her 50s has suffered "multiple injuries" after falling at Dalkey Quarry near Killiney Hill in south Dublin. Dublin Fire Brigade and the Irish Coast Guard attended the scene shortly after 9am this morning. A Coast Guard spokesperson said the woman was in "an inaccessible area" and a rescue mission was launched. The woman has since been airlifted to Tallaght Hospital. We have units from Dun Laoghaire and rescue tender from Dolphin's Barn currently involved in a joint rescue operation in #Dalkey with @IrishCoastGuard and @AmbulanceNAS. pic.twitter.com/xJDo63VLWD Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) June 18, 2018 More to follow... After my first child was born, I returned to sex with a kind of carefree joy. Wait, whaaaat? I hear your eyeballs screeching to a halt reading that unprecedented statement, but it's true. The key detail here is that my first birth was a C-section. However, as I discovered, even post-caesarean sex should come with operator instructions. You see, in retrospect, perhaps that joy was a little too carefree - dangerously so. While the mechanics of the act were more or less the same - given that no vaginas had been harmed in the extraction - the side effect of having a newborn meant that I was struck down by something I've dubbed 'mamnesia', a loss of all short-term memory in new mothers. In the haze of sleep deprivation, I apparently, had forgotten what it is that sex actually does, despite having a visceral reminder in a small, fleshy screaming raging infant suctioned limpet-like to my body for 33 days straight. In case anyone's getting creeped out, let me assure you, I had managed to detach the infant for the duration of the copulating - just about. Though, TBH, I can't really remember, he may've still been in the room, they were some hazy, crazy days. Just moments after the act, the knowledge that sex can result in an infant, rushed towards me like a freight train. Fecking hell. I sprinted to the pharmacy, six-week-old in tow, to get emergency contraception. Given that this is Ireland in 2014 and I am a member of that fiendish race known as 'woman', I was sequestered in a tiny room, forced to endure a condescending chat about contraception (at the time mandatory with all purchases of the emergency contraceptive pill) with what appeared to be a 12-year-old male pharmacist. He awkwardly looked from the pram to me, and back to the pram, and asked delicately if I understood the need for using precaution when having intercourse. Mortifying stuff. It was a high-octane and decidedly unsexy return to the field of sex, formerly one of my specialist subjects. In the following months, I navigated that strange identity crisis one suffers post-labour ward. The weeks and months after being handed a baby are some of the bleakest, happiest, scariest, and most beautiful that a whole lifetime has to offer. From one moment to the next your mood can soar or plummet, often provoked by something as innocuous as the couple on Room To Improve being forced by budgetary constraints to abandon the proposed mezzanine office. During this time, sex just seems like a kind of a weird thing to be doing with your body, a body that is now home to a tiny stranger - needy, wrinkly and golum-like. Just extricating yourself from those gummy jaws, perpetually clamped Dyson-like on your nipple is tricky and, of course, beyond mere logistics is the even more difficult and nebulous issue of the "new you" - though the word "new" here seems optimistic in the extreme, given that you feel far from "new", if anything you feel "used" and some days you feel like a complete stranger. Who is the mother - you? Who is this leaking, weeping, saggy woman? Over time, I recalibrated and the mother-me and the me-me merged, and incredibly the sex got back on track, especially once the milk supply regulated. Lactating and fornicating are not the best bedfellows - unless you're into some pretty niche stuff. We even went on to conceive again - largely thanks to Peppa Pig, that should be that show's tagline "Peppa Pig - facilitating f**king since 2004." About two months after my second child was born, I posed a panicked question to Google. "Anyone just never, ever have sex again after childbirth?" This birth had been vaginal and so I was striking out into unknown territory - or rather known territory that had been ravaged by some catastrophic disaster. The wording may have been a shade too idiosyncratic for the search engine, or else I was truly alone in this thing. Apparently, most people did indeed return to intercourse. Some websites threw in a precautionary healing time of 4-6 weeks. "Weeks?" The hysterical voice inside my brain gasped. Surely they mean decades? I couldn't imagine punishing the poor vagina so soon after what I'd come to refer to as Vadge-mageddon. There was scant information on the internet with regard to anyone just hanging up their genitals for good after childbirth. I coaxed some info out of the few friends who'd returned to riding post-vaginal delivery, but it seems not everyone's baby makes such a cataclysmic exit from their body. I was so desperate, I even turned to quite a few people that I definitely didn't know well enough for that particular interrogation. There was a table of guests at a wedding, who quite against their will, formed a sort of ad hoc committee on this topic. I couldn't help it, I just needed answers. Would I ever be able to have sex again? Mostly women made a kind of pained, lemon-juice-in-a-paper-cut face and agreed it might've been around the four-month mark. I calculated how many years until I would have, in all likelihood, given up on sex anyway and decided that I'd had a reasonably good run. After issues with my episiotomy, I had to return to hospital and ultimately the wound had to be cauterised. "Don't Google it," they sternly warned me a week beforehand. I googled it. After that, things returned to an approximation of normal. A year-and-a-half later and there's still one position my battered vadge doesn't like, but we've been together more than 10 years so generally we just favour the position where everyone gets to lie down anyway. When Robbie Williams mournfully described watching his wife's labour as "watching my favourite pub burning down", I railed "that's our vaginas burning down, you creep." While I don't prescribe to the notion that the men should be protected from the reality of childbirth, for me it has impacted things all the same. When I look at my husband, I can call up a montage of images, some are romantic, some are funny, some are sad, some are happy. None could in any way be classed as gory. Or horrific. Or violent. Or scatological. I think we can agree, these are not sexy adjectives. Now, I often find myself picturing what's running through his head as I summon up my best come hither look. He could, for example, be hit with the image of a doctor surgically removing a squalling alien-like creature from my abdomen, or call up that moment during the birth of my second child when, while screaming on all fours, I crapped on the bed. Surely, that has got to be the very definition of a mood killer. I mean, I'm not sure I could get over seeing that. Maybe that's why we aim to procreate with people we at least like? So that the relationship has a fighting chance of surviving the delivery room. A modern staircase at the North County Dublin restoration and extension project undertaken by Gavin Wheatley and his team at Plus Architecture When it comes to house projects - and maybe it holds true for life too - sometimes the very thing that seems a huge obstacle turns out to be an enormous plus, even the transforming feature of a building. In the right hands, a challenge or constraint - planning restrictions, for example, or the orientation of a building - can trigger really creative solutions. This is certainly true of the impressive North County Dublin restoration and extension project undertaken by Gavin Wheatley and his team at Plus Architecture, who turned a dilapidated Victorian villa into a creatively extended contemporary family home - with breathtaking views out to sea. "We were approached in 2015 by the client, who was relocating from Scotland with her family and whose sister lives in the area," recalls Gavin. The late Victorian villa was derelict, with rain-soaked internal walls, a leaking roof, collapsing floors and very few period features remaining. "It was about to be listed as a Protected Structure, so we had to treat it as one, even though it wasn't a particularly fine example; it was enlisted more because of its age than anything else," says Gavin. Many would have viewed it as a costly and off-putting challenge, but the homeowner saw serious potential - the back of the house faced onto a beach, offering striking views over shifting sand dunes, Ireland's Eye and Lambay Island. The team set about brainstorming how to create an extension that would make the most of the scenery and the light. "In a way, having the existing building as a limiting factor there was something good to push against, to give us a starting point," says Gavin. The result is a dramatic contrast between the two eras, the elegant Victorian entrance hall, complete with a cast-iron stove, giving way to a dramatic modern extension. The sloped, undulating Siberian larch-clad extension wraps around and 'hugs' the old villa in a soft, organic way. "The shape of the new parts of the house were inspired by sand dunes, and how much the surrounding landscape shifts and changes," says Gavin. "By using a contemporary feeling in the detailing and materials, you get this beautiful contrast between the new and old." Modern family At the start of the project, the homeowner invited Gavin to visit her original house to observe how her family lived and how space was used. This was crucial to a lot of the design decisions, and meant the project reflects how the family really likes to live. For example, though the extension is roomy and contemporary, Gavin and the team avoided just creating one big, open plan space, choosing instead to have separate kitchen, dining and living areas, so that the different family members, from teenagers to parents, have their own space as needed. "It's important to build your house around what you actually do and what you think your kids are going to be doing," advises Gavin. Creative constraints Building an extension to make the most of the breathtaking sea views meant it would need to face north, which was another challenge for the team, who wanted it to be bright and airy. "We had to wrestle with that," recalls Gavin. "On the one hand, you would be looking out onto these sunshine-soaked views, but be in the shade." The solution? A series of cleverly positioned roof-lights and high-level windows that draw in light at different angles throughout the day. Each living space was positioned to make the most desirable source of natural light: the central open-plan area gives way to a kitchen to the east-west, which catches the morning light, while a separate living room across the way basks in afternoon and evening light. Upstairs, two bedrooms benefit from easterly morning light, not to mention beautiful sea views. A fresh complication arose when the local council required that any new elements be built over 4m above sea level, even though the existing house was just 3m above that level. "Initially we were a bit put off by that, and thought it was going to be challenging to have all that [level] change within the ground floor," says Gavin. But the team was able to leverage this into an opportunity. "The more we thought about it and modelled it up, it actually made a lot of sense because it lifted the ground floor of the new extension, which allowed for direct views over the dunes. Something which we thought originally might be a challenge actually turned out to be a fantastic bonus for the project." The large glass walls frame the now unrestricted sea views, adding to the sense of space and openness. Period piece The villa itself needed to be completely upgraded and re-insulated. The team removed the first floor over the hall, opening up the reception room and creating a striking entrance hall that still holds true to the property's original style. "We wanted to introduce a 'spacial' drama that wasn't there before," explains Gavin. As soon as you open the front door, you can see straight through the house to the sand dunes at the back, a bold touch that draws you in and pulls you towards the modern back extension. Picture rails and other original details were restored, and soft colours that were both Victorian in style, yet modern, were used. "We wanted to make it feel like a restored Victorian house, not completely contemporary, so that you had that contrast as you move to the extension," says Gavin. The exposed stone of the original back wall was left to highlight the difference in the age of the house as you move from one space to the next. Opposites attract Gavin is a big believer that "whatever you do should be of its time", meaning the team leaned into the contrast between old and new in a big way. The new extension is unapologetically modern, both in design and materials. It features dramatic tall ceilings, polished concrete floors, granite worktops and custom-built white-stained shelving. The hues used are muted and quiet, the greys and whites inspired by the exposed rear wall of the Victorian villa. "I'm really pleased that we achieved the same calm palette throughout," says Gavin. He credits the homeowner - who has an engineering background and even built her own 3D model of the house - with how polished and consistent the finished space is. "I can't say enough about how much work she put into it, she was so attentive to detail," he says. "She really pushed us to get the right results and find solutions, and she found a lot of solutions herself." A view of the Solarium on deck 11 of Independence of the Seas - Royal Caribbean International Royal Caribbean International's Independence of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship sails into Oslo,Norway, this morning on it's Maiden voyage. After a multi-million euro makeover, Royal Caribbean's 'ultimate family ship' is back. Set the mood There's no doubt that watching the world (or a few islands, at least) pass by while gliding over the ocean is a beautiful and relaxing holiday - if a little confined. Now, there's a ritzier, rebooted way for families to do it thanks to a multi-million euro refurbishment of Independence of the Seas. Royal Caribbean dubs this 15-deck, 339m giant "the ultimate family ship", and new features include a Sky Pad virtual reality trampolining experience, duelling water slides, glow-in-the-dark laser tag and revamped lounges, bars and restaurants. Plus, if joining up to 3,858 passengers on board does leave you feeling confined, there's always the gym, while will help take care of the extra calories you're bound to consume... Guilty Pleasure Expand Close Izumi Hibachi & Sushi / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Izumi Hibachi & Sushi It's all too easy to dine in Royal Caribbean's self-service Wind Jammer buffet restaurant, with its panoramic views and smorgasbord of food and drink (a tip: order your drinks before you go for food). But the onboard speciality restaurants are definitely worth investigating. At Izumi Hibachi & Sushi (above), the ship's new Asian-inspired dining experience, you can kick back as your meal is cooked to order in front of you, while the Italian Giovanni's Table is another tasty alternative. Charged a la carte or with a supplement (Giovanni's costs $15/$25 for lunch/dinner), speciality restaurants add to the cost of your cruise, but they're worth the treat - while the buffet-style dining may suit a fussy eater, it might be too bland for others. Cheap Kicks Expand Close Climber / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Climber The best way to see the ship (and take some exercise) is to walk it. Some activities are charged (eg spa treatments, or the new Observatorium Puzzle Break Room), while others are free - the climbing wall, waterslides, or 'FlowRider' surf simulator, which looks much easier than it actually is, for instance. Do an early reccie and note when crowds start gathering (mealtimes and port days are generally quieter). A couple of daily laps of the ship will also reduce the guilt when it comes to ordering desserts! Read More Top tip A balcony is a must on a cruise, allowing you to take in port and sea views - worth the extra spend if you can afford it. 'Indy' also has wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling views in its new Panoramic Ocean View Staterooms, so you feel like you're on the bridge, in the privacy of your own room... at an extra price, of course. Insider intel Expand Close Sky Pad on Independence of the Seas / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sky Pad on Independence of the Seas First-time cruise? Try to spot the regulars. Royal Caribbean's Pinnacle Club members (they wear name badges) have spent at least 700 nights on cruises, and know every nook and cranny of the ships. I found them super-friendly, and more than happy to share their experience and advice... from the best times to dine to the ports worth getting off at, and the quieter areas of the ship. Glitches Watch those extras! I paid $17 for two small bags of pick 'n' mix sweets at the new Sugar Beach candy store. And while I'm on it, there's loads of fast food on the ships already - does a family ship really need another sugar fix? Get me there Margaret travelled as a guest of Royal Caribbean on Independence of the Seas, which is based out of Southampton until November 2018. Fly direct to Southampton from Dublin with FlyBe or from Cork with Aer Lingus. Cruise packages start from 1,099pp for a seven-night itinerary taking in France, Spain and Portugal, based on two people sharing an interior stateroom with an October 19 departure. Other summer sailings take in the Canary Islands, Mediterranean and Norway's fjords. See royalcaribbean.ie for more. Read more: You might hate Monday, but you'll love our weekly pick of Ireland's top travel offers... 200 off Italian holidays Was your Irish Ferries booking cancelled this summer? Topflight is offering a 200 discount off any 2018 Italian family holiday to passengers affected by Irish Ferries cancellations on W.B. Yeats sailings. The offer is valid to June 30 (proof of booking required). 01 240-1700; topflight.ie. 220: BBQ with Ireland's Blue Book Castle Durrow in Co Laois has an evening of fun, food and festivities on Friday, July 6. You can stay overnight at the Blue Book property, and join a barbecue feast in the Pavilion, from 220 per room... with breakfast included, too. 057 873-6555; irelandsbluebook.com. 549pp: Three nights in Dubai Sunway has a sun break to Dubai in September, with flights and three nights at the 4-star Radisson Blu from 549pp based on two sharing (ref. IV1017566). 01 231-1800; sunway.ie. 729pp: Four nights in Florida American Sky has a special offer for Miami, with five nights for the price of four at the 3-star Albion South Beach available up to October 31. The 729pp offer must be booked before June 30, and includes return flights from Dublin. 01 664-9900; americansky.ie. 889pp: Cruise the Norwegian fjords Cassidy Travel has a seven-night cruise of the Norwegian fjords from Southampton next May from 889pp. The trip is on board Cunard's Queen Victoria, with flights expected to be around 150 extra. 01 291-0000; cassidytravel.ie. PS. Exclusive holiday discounts Have you seen Independent Discounts? The new site has a host of special offers and discount codes, with travel brands ranging from Aer Lingus to ClickAndGo.com, Irish Ferries and Expedia.ie. See discountcode.independent.ie/travel-accommodation. NB: All travel deals subject to availability/change. Ireland is among the worst countries in the EU for taking action on climate change, a new report has claimed. The 'Off Target' report conducted by Climate Action Network (CAN) ranked only Poland below Ireland across the EU. The findings indicate this poor position comes from Ireland's lack of progress on renewable energy and on 2020 climate targets. CAN looked at the role that member states played in setting EU climate and energy targets, along with the progress they were making in their own country on issues such as pollution, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Phil Kearney, of the climate change committee at An Taisce, said the findings of the report were "extremely concerning". He said it was disappointing for Ireland to be "labelled as a laggard" when it comes to climate action. "The report by Climate Action Network highlights the urgent need for Ireland to implement the recent Citizens' Assembly proposals and increase ambition in accordance with Paris Agreement commitments," Mr Kearney said. Last year, the Citizens' Assembly made recommendations to greatly enhance Ireland's climate ambition, the report said. Within the report's result summary, Ireland is listed under the headings 'The Bad' and 'The Ugly'. Of the 29 EU countries ranked from very good to very poor, Ireland stood at 28. Sweden, Portugal, France and the Netherlands occupied the top four positions. The UK was ranked in 14th, with Estonia, Bulgaria, Malta, Cyprus and Greece all ranked immediately above Ireland. The report recommended that all use of peat as an electricity generators should cease by 2019, with coal ending by 2025. It added that Ireland needs to join the group of progressive EU member states which calls for increased climate ambition. Jennifer Higgins, of Irish charity Christian Aid, described the ranking as dismal. "Despite the welcome recognition by the Taoiseach in January of Ireland's position as a climate 'laggard', and commitments to change this, six months on it appears Ireland's reputation when it comes to climate action is stagnating, not improving," she said. Ireland is the third highest producer of emissions per person in the EU. Measures As part of the recommendations by the Citizens' Assembly, 80pc of those involved said they would be willing to pay higher taxes on measures that directly aid the transition to a low carbon and climate resilient Ireland. This included flood defence, retrofitting of homes and businesses, and making solar panels cheaper and more easily available. Speaking on the country's position on climate change last month, Environment Minister Denis Naughten said it is a "moral necessity" for the country to catch up. "There are difficult days and challenges ahead. We are, as a country, playing catch-up on our obligations in relation to climate change," Mr Naughten said. "This is as much our opportunity as our obligation. In any event it is a moral necessity and a vital national interest. "I must enable people to take action themselves." Mr Naughten said that among plans is a commitment by the Government to no new non-zero emission cars from 2030, along with no diesel-only buses to be purchased after July 1 next year. They argued about the Government's record on social housing. There was also plenty to chew over in regard to US President Donald Trump's summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Then Sean O'Rourke asked the guests on the regular Friday morning Gathering segment of his RTE Radio One show for their thoughts on the announcement of the itinerary for Pope Francis's forthcoming visit to Ireland. Irish Independent columnist Colette Browne had first bite at that cherry. She simply said: "It's going to be a good trip, a lot of people are going to enjoy it, I don't have any problem with him coming here, and I hope it goes off without a hitch." Damien English, Minister of State for Housing, remarked that it was a "big event for the State" and "a good story for Ireland". Michael O'Regan, parliamentary correspondent of The Irish Times - who'd earlier won top cliche points with a quip about Trump and Kim's bizarre hairstyles (oh, how listeners must have split their sides at that one; sure they've never heard that gag before) - welcomed the fact Pope Francis would be visiting Brother Kevin's homeless centre during his stay in Dublin in August. Even Richard Boyd Barrett, People Before Profit TD for Dun Laoghaire, sounded fairly sanguine about the whole thing. He did say that he didn't think "the State should fork out a pile of money for it", and that the Vatican needed to open its files on "what it knew, when it knew, and what it did" about clerical child abuse, a call with which few would surely disagree; but again, he recognised that it would be a special occasion for Irish Catholics and they had every entitlement to look forward to it, and, well, that was that really. Like most people, they didn't seem to have particularly strong views about Pope Francis visiting the country one way or another. In a country where people are rarely short of an opinion, and pundits and politicians can be called upon by broadcasters to start a row at the drop of a hat, such a broad agreement is rather remarkable when you think about it; and if I was a practising Catholic, I'd be much more worried at the general indifference to the forthcoming papal visit than I would be by outright hostility. Antagonism would at least suggest that the Church was still relevant enough to oppose. If no one cares that much any more, it can only be because the Catholic Church has ceased to have a pivotal place in Irish life. These days it's just part of the country's tapestry, not a defining feature of Irishness. That has both good and bad consequences. The good is the greater sense of personal freedom that young people in particular feel now that they're no longer growing up under the oppressive shadow of an authoritarian, puritanical sexual morality. Whether greater permissiveness actually makes them happier than their parents and grandparents is a moot point, because as a generation they still seem rather confused and anxious, despite all this unfettered liberty, but they'll work through it eventually. And if they don't, then future generations will. Nothing stays the same for ever. That ethical pendulum is always swinging. The bad outcomes from the decline of Christian feeling in Ireland are harder to define, but no less important, because something has definitely been lost as Catholicism has weakened, and it wasn't all negative. Materialism is a miserable philosophy, both in the popular sense of longing for more and more stuff, and also in the older meaning of believing that there's nothing to the world except what you can see and touch - and the two are, of course, related, in that the desire for material possessions exists in order to plug a spiritual gap left by the death of a belief in something greater, intangible, numinous. Even the Taoiseach has been stirred by some vicious attacks on the religiously minded following the referendum on the Eighth Amendment to stand up for the social value of faith. In an eloquent rebuke in the Dail to Wexford TD Mick Wallace's complaint that "Ireland lags behind" by still having church-maintained schools and hospitals, Leo Varadkar drew an important line in the sand last week, by insisting that he too believed in the separation of Church and State, but that he didn't "believe in the socialist ideology, which is to push religion out of the public space and force people who are religious to be ashamed that they have religious convictions and to hide them in a corner". Now, the Taoiseach's critics may argue this defence of religiosity is too little, too late, and might even suggest that he's just trying to get back in the Church's good books so that he can grab a piece of the Pope's visit when it happens; and there may be some merit in both those cynical charges. Leo does love a good photo opportunity. But it would be churlish not to acknowledge that Varadkar made a timely and graceful intervention by reminding the country that voices on the left demand the defunding of religious organisations not simply because they want to see a separation of Church and State, but because they "want to turn religious people into pariahs". If so, then the left may, once again, be doomed to disappointment by misjudging the Irish people. There are some pockets of giddy enthusiasm out there, and some of rancour, and the amplification provided by social media can make it seem that the second lot are far more representative of opinion than they really are. But most people's feelings towards the papal visit are motivated neither by blind obedience nor radical discontent, but by a calm equanimity. They wish the trip well. They hope the sun shines, and that everyone has a safe, happy few days out. Beyond that, what else is there to say? Pope Francis is as welcome to come here as any other world leader or celebrity. There will undoubtedly be more heated debates come August when the crowds get to hear what Francis has to say; and there'll always be a columnist or two willing to bash out a thousand words on why the money should be spent on the homeless and hungry instead of well-fed bishops and cardinals, so Sean O'Rourke will still get to referee a good brouhaha in the RTE studios in due course as the simmering coals of the Irish Church's historic crimes are raked over. But while tens of thousands of people will undoubtedly register for places at Knock or the Phoenix Park when tickets become available in a week's time, this summer's visit is certainly not going to define the times the way that Pope John Paul II's arrival in Ireland did in 1979. It will be more like the Rolling Stones doing Croke Park in May, only with much better music and a significantly younger crowd. Just when you thought we had hit rock bottom in the housing crisis, we discovered we weren't even touching solid ground. It has transpired that for the past 50 years, Irish officials have been counting 'new' homes based on the number of units added to the ESB grid. This means that even old boarded-up social housing that had eventually come back into use - and farm buildings such as cattle sheds - were being classified as new build homes and included in official figures as a sign of progress. Only in Ireland, folks! If it wasn't costing us all so dearly, you could almost laugh. But it is costing us billions. In sky-rocketing rent. In house prices stretching well beyond our means. In an economy that is set to lose out on billions if we cannot cater for the influx of the global talent who want to move here in their thousands, along with their multinational companies. As it stands, we are now a further 30,000 residential units per year behind, in a race we had already been losing. Even before this latest setback, it was estimated that if - tomorrow morning - the Government started building the extra 30,000 new homes we need a year, every year, for the next several years, we would still fail to meet the needs of the population until at least 2021 or 2022. And that is a population that has been increasing every year since 1990. The Government can't say it didn't know this was coming. As far back as 2013, house prices began to level off - the golden year to step up the level of construction activity. There has been much talk about Ireland experiencing a "lost decade" since the great fall of 2008 until 2018. But perhaps we are in the midst of a second lost decade, spanning 2013 to 2022, by failing to seize so many great opportunities. So what now? No one is suggesting the Government can wave a magic wand to solve the chronic shortage overnight but there is certainly an absence in its sense of urgency to solve this mess. In a few weeks' time, politicians will break for their summer holidays and several months will pass before the wheels of the Oireachtas trundle into motion again. By the time the Budget kicks in, another year will have been lost. But there are some very simple steps to get us where we want to go if only they would sit up and pay heed to experts. One such man is Investec economist Philip O'Sullivan. Speaking to the Sunday Independent this weekend, he says one of the easiest steps the Government can take is to put a "call out" to construction workers who previously emigrated due to lack of work to say it is time to come home. In 2007, peak construction sector employment was 241,000. It is now 134,000. O'Sullivan believes we can entice thousands of skilled labourers to Ireland on the back of Brexit: "In addition to Irish expats, there are a lot of Eastern European construction workers in the UK who may be tempted to come here for a couple of years, given the weak sterling and strong euro. This would be a readily available source of labour." Even more pressing is the need for "fundamental reforms of the planning system", which he highlights. According to O'Sullivan, it is "beyond belief" our cities are low-rise compared to Europe's leading lights. The failure to build up, he says, is going to "ultimately cost us so much more in the long term". "Join the dots. Is it any wonder we don't have a great public transport system? Go to any other major city and they have a metro and an underground where the majority of the population is concentrated. Meanwhile, back in Ireland, Dublin continues to spread out into the countryside. It is going to be a very expensive mistake to solve long-term. If we are to be a serious player on the world stage, the height of our buildings should match the height of our ambitions. "The opportunities are open to Ireland at this point of the cycle and we have got to make sure we do the right things to make sure the country remains successful." In one breath you could list a raft of other measures experts have been crying out for. They include: increasing density of developments on transportation nodes and drastically increasing the height of buildings near open space and water; joined-up thinking to speed up the planning process; reducing VAT on building houses from 13.5pc to 0pc for a three-year period to come in line with the UK, where it has proven to work (ministers will privately admit it is the right thing to do but fear Sinn Fein and Independents spinning the move as a break for developers when in reality it would reduce the cost of homes by up to 30,000 and help first-time buyers on to the property ladder). Elsewhere, the Government could give tax breaks to convert old buildings over shops and Georgian houses to residential properties and, perhaps most importantly, build social housing. Even at our poorest of times, the government and local authorities built social housing, but this stopped 15 years ago. The clock is ticking. We have politicians who are young and hungry but do they have the ability and guts to bring this country into the next century? Eoghan Murphy has put through some measures but there's a lot more to do. His key policy document on height and density is due out in July. What he needs now is courage. WASHINGTON, June 18, 2018 / Standard Newswire / -- Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for records on sites that were considered for the resettlement of refugees in the United States during the last two years of the Obama administration. ( Judicial Watch vs. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:18-cv-01244))Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit after the State Department failed to respond to a February 23, 2017, FOIA request seeking: Thomas Markle said he was upset at not being able to walk Meghan down the aisle (Danny Lawson/PA) Thomas Markle, the father of Britain's newest royal Meghan, said her new husband Prince Harry told him to give U.S. President Donald Trump a chance and that he had an open mind about Britain's exit from the European Union. Drama over whether Thomas Markle, 73, would attend threatened to overshadow Harry and Meghan's wedding, and the political content of his disclosures about Harry may bring further unease to the royal family, who try and remain politically neutral. "I was complaining I didn't like Donald Trump. He said "give Donald Trump a chance". I sort of disagreed with that, but I still like Harry," Markle told ITV's Good Morning Britain in his first broadcast interview since the wedding. Kensington Palace, which speaks for Harry and his brother William, declined to comment on the interview. Markle spoke of his regret that he wasn't well enough to walk his daughter down the aisle as she married Prince Harry, but said he was pleased that Harry's father Charles was able to step in. Markle had been due to take part in the ceremony, but after a flurry of sometimes contradictory statements to an American news website, he eventually stayed away, saying he needed heart surgery. In the end, Meghan walked down the first part of the aisle alone, before she was joined by Charles, heir to the throne. Thomas Markle, a former lighting director for TV soaps and sitcoms, said that he was sad to have missed the ceremony, but also proud of his daughter and grateful to Queen Elizabeth's oldest son Charles for stepping in. "Watching it was difficult for me, because I wasn't there, but at the same time... I couldn't have been more proud," he said. "How can I ask for a better replacement than Charles? I was thrilled to tears that he was doing that for me. I just wish it had been my hand holding my daughter, not his. But he was wonderful to them." Video of the Day Meghan's parents are divorced and while mother Doria Ragland, 61, has met Harry and attended the wedding, Thomas Markle is yet to meet the prince. However, in their phone conversations, Harry kept an open mind about Brexit as well as Trump, Markle said. "It was just a loose conversation about something that we have to try. There was no real commitment to it," Markle said. "I think he was open to the experiment." Police stand next to a cordon after a shooting on a street in central Malmo, Sweden June 18, 2018. TT News Agency/Johan Nilsson/via REUTERS Police stand next to a cordon after a shooting on a street in central Malmo, Sweden June 18, 2018. TT News Agency/Johan Nilsson/via REUTERS Swedish police said there was no cause for the public to be alarmed after several people were shot in Malmo in southern Sweden, news agency TT reported. The agency quoted unnamed police as saying four people were shot. There was no information about how seriously wounded they were. "We have sealed off the area and are conducting interviews and will interview those who are injured if they can or are willing to speak," TT quoted Stephan Soderholm, spokesman for the police, as saying. The shooting is not believed to be terrorist related. Expand Close Police stand next to a cordon after a shooting on a street in central Malmo, Sweden June 18, 2018. TT News Agency/Johan Nilsson/via REUTERS / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police stand next to a cordon after a shooting on a street in central Malmo, Sweden June 18, 2018. TT News Agency/Johan Nilsson/via REUTERS More to follow... Riot police use tear gas during a protest of opponents of the deal between Greece and Macedonia on the latter country's new name "North Macedonia", outside the parliament in Skopje, Macedonia. Photo: AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski Greece and Macedonia signed an agreement yesterday to bring to an end 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 hope will end 27 years of enmity over who are the true heirs of Alexander the Great. However, hundreds of Greek nationalists voiced their opposition to the deal yesterday as they clashed with riot police near the village of Pisoderi, 25km away from the ceremony. A woman was hit on the head by a rock and a man was being treated for breathing trouble, health officials said, as about 500 demonstrators waving Greek flags tried to approach the signature ceremony. Under the agreement, Macedonia is to be renamed Northern Macedonia. In return, Greece will drop its long-standing block on its northern neighbour joining Nato and the EU, and end objection to the use of the Macedonia name. "This is a brave, historic, and necessary step for our peoples," Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, said as he watched the lakeside ceremony. Zoran Zaev, the Macedonian prime minister, called on Greeks and Macedonians to "step out of the past and look to the future". The signing was a personal triumph for the two leaders, despite opposition in both countries. Mr Tsipras survived a no-confidence vote over the deal on Saturday, while Gjorge Ivanov, the Macedonian president, has threatened to veto the name change. Mr Ivanov's veto cannot prevent the change, but only delay it. But the agreement has to be put to the Macedonian public in a referendum and ratified by both countries' parliaments. Macedonia joining Nato could also anger Russia. "Moscow has noticeably refused to endorse the agreement," said Prof James Ker-Lindsay of St Mary's University in London. "There will be fears that Russia may try to somehow influence the vote." If ratified, the deal will end the compromise under which Macedonia had to be referred to as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia at the UN and other bodies. The dispute dates back to the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. When Macedonia declared its independence in 1991, there was already a Greek region of the same name. Greece objected to the new country's use of the name. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] A fire truck is seen near an incident scene where a van struck into people after a concert at the Pinkpop festival in Landgraaf, the Netherlands June 18, 2018. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen A 34-year-old Dutchman turned himself in to police hours after driving a delivery van into concert-goers, killing one and critically injuring three others, prosecutors said on Monday. Prosecutor Daniela Weymar told journalists the man, who had driven away from the scene of the incident, had turned himself in to police in the capital, Amsterdam, and was taken into custody. Police said earlier that it was not clear whether the van driver had hit the group at the Pinkpop event intentionally or by accident. The rebellious minister threatening Angela Merkel's political future threw her a lifeline yesterday as he appeared to back away from a threat to order police to start turning away migrants at the German border. Ms Merkel was facing a showdown with Horst Seehofer, the interior minister and leader of her Bavarian sister party, the CSU, after he had threatened to take unilateral action today in an unprecedented challenge to her authority. But last night Mr Seehofer appeared to step away from the brink amid unconfirmed reports that he is ready to offer her two more weeks to come up with a European solution. "The situation is serious but manageable," Mr Seehofer said in a guest editorial for the 'Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung' newspaper. "It is crucial that the EU summit at the end of June finally comes to decisions that recognise Germany's burdens in migration policy," he wrote in comments that appeared to bear out the claims he will offer Ms Merkel two more weeks. But other senior figures in his Christian Social Union party denied that any such deal had been agreed. The dispute broke out last week after Mrs Merkel (inset) blocked Mr Seehofer's plans to turn away at the German border migrants who are already registered in other EU countries. Mr Seehofer issued her with an ultimatum, threatening to take matters into his own hands and issue unilateral orders as interior minister unless she agreed to the policy by today. That would have left Ms Merkel with a choice between sacking him - and risking the collapse of her government - or suffering a potentially fatal blow to her authority. The CSU threatened to withdraw from her coalition if Mr Seehofer was sacked, which would have left her without a majority in parliament. The indications last night were that Mr Seehofer may have blinked first in the stand-off. But he still has to win backing for any stay of execution at a CSU meeting today. "No one in the CSU is interested in overthrowing the chancellor or bringing down the government," Mr Seehofer told 'Bild am Sonntag' newspaper. But behind closed doors, he gave party colleagues a different message, according to 'Welt am Sonntag', telling them: "I cannot work with that woman any more." Mrs Merkel is reportedly seeking urgent talks with key EU allies on the frontline of the migrant crisis in an attempt to stave off the crisis. She wants to negotiate bilateral deals with Italy, Greece and Austria to allow Germany to turn away asylum-seekers who are already registered there. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] The first migrant (far left) disembarks from the Italian coast guard boat the Dattilo. Photo: JOSE JORDAN/AFP/Getty Images Rescued migrants turned away by Italy and Malta arrived at the Spanish port of Valencia yesterday, ending a gruelling Mediterranean odyssey that became symbolic of Europe's failure to agree on immigration. Spain jumped in to help 629 mainly sub-Saharan Africans on board the ship Aquarius last week after Italy's new government, asserting its anti-immigrant credentials, refused to let it dock. Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, who took office two weeks ago, took the opportunity to show a more liberal stance. Expand Close The Aquarius rescue ship enters the port of Valencia. Photo: PAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Aquarius rescue ship enters the port of Valencia. Photo: PAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images But the plight of the Aquarius, run by Doctors Without Borders and Franco-German charity SOS Mediterranee, highlighted the EU's struggle to manage an influx of people fleeing poverty and conflict. Men, women and children who spent nine days on the Aquarius, after their rescue off the Libyan coast, cheered as they approached Valencia, where they were met by officials in white protective suits and masks, before police processed their information. The whole group arrived on three separate boats, after some were transferred to two Italian vessels to make the journey safer. A staff of 2,320, including volunteers, translators and health officials, were waiting on shore. Elhadj As Sy, the secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies General, was also in Valencia. "This 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," Mr Sy said in a statement. "No human being is 'illegal'," added Mr Sy. Italy's rejection of the Aquarius prompted a spat with France, while the issue of immigration has triggered a political row in Germany. Malta refused to take the boat, saying it had nothing to do with the rescue, which was co-ordinated by Italy's coast guard. The total of 629 migrants included seven pregnant women and 123 children. Google is investing 550 million US dollars (416 million) in Chinese e-commerce company JD.com, rival to Asian giant Alibaba. The funding forms the basis for a strategic partnership between the two companies, allowing Google to learn from JDs supply chain and logistics knowledge. As part of the deal, Google will receive 27.1 million new shares in JD, which is listed in New York, giving it a stake of less than 1% in the company. JD plans to list its products on Googles shopping site, and will benefit from Googles huge customer base outside China. The two firms will also look at building retail technologies in south-east Asia, America and in Europe. Googles chief business officer Philipp Schindler said the deal would help the tech juggernaut explore how to build frictionless shopping experiences. JDs chief strategy officer Jianwen Liao said: This partnership with Google opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers throughout the world. This marks an important step in the process of modernising global retail. Googles main services are blocked in China, including its email and search engine, due to the companys refusal to impose Chinese censorship rules on its search results. The controversial policy of separating children from their parents is starting to divide Republicans and their allies as Democrats turn up the pressure. Former first lady Laura Bush called the policy cruel and immoral, Republican senator Susan Collins expressed concern about it, and a former adviser to Donald Trump said he thought the issue was going to hurt the president. Religious groups, including some conservative ones, are also protesting. Mrs Bush made some of the strongest comments yet about the policy from the Republican side of the aisle. Opinion: Laura Bush writes that separating children from their families at the border "breaks my heart" https://t.co/FxjexFRmaf The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 18, 2018 I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart, she wrote in a guest column for the Washington Post Sunday. She compared it to the internment of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War, which she called one of the most shameful episodes in US history. Maine senator Ms Collins said she favours tighter border security, but expressed deep concerns about the child separation policy. What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you, she said. Thats traumatising to the children who are innocent victims, and it is contrary to our values in this country. (1/3) This morning, I joined @margbrennan on @CBSs @FaceTheNation to discuss immigration and the Russia investigation. I do not support the Administrations policy that is leading to the separation of children from their parents. pic.twitter.com/dGXZDybWlV Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) June 17, 2018 Former Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci said in a weekend interview that the child separation interview could be dangerous for the president, who should be immediately fixing this problem. This is a fuse that has been lit, he said. The president is going to get hurt by this issue if it stays out there very, very long. The signs of splintering of Republican support come after a long-time Trump ally, the Rev Franklin Graham, called the policy disgraceful. Numerous religious groups, including some conservative ones, have pushed to stop the practice of separating immigrant children from their parents. This pressure is coming as White House officials have tried to distance themselves from the policy. Mr Trump blames Democrats falsely for the situation. The administration put the policy in place and could easily end it after it led to a spike in cases of split and distraught families. Nobody likes breaking up families and seeing babies ripped from their mothers arms, said presidential counsellor Kellyanne Conway. Expand Close Nicole Hernandez holds on to her mother at a border crossing near Tijuana (Gregory Bull/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Nicole Hernandez holds on to her mother at a border crossing near Tijuana (Gregory Bull/AP) 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. US protocol prohibits detaining children with their parents because the children are not charged with a crime and the parents are. Mr Trump plans to meet House Republicans on Tuesday to discuss pending immigration legislation amid an election-season debate over one of his favourite issues. 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 with key proposals supported by the president. The White House has said Mr Trump would sign either of those. 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. Expand Close Police stand guard outside the warehouse building where the festival took place in Trenton, New Jersey. Photo: AP Photo/Mel Evans / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police stand guard outside the warehouse building where the festival took place in Trenton, New Jersey. Photo: AP Photo/Mel Evans 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. 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 he's 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. "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 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". Police stand guard outside the warehouse building where the festival took place in Trenton, New Jersey. Photo: AP Photo/Mel Evans Two gunmen opened fire at an all-night arts and music festival yesterday morning, sending people running over each other in the scramble to safety. 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, remained in critical condition yesterday, said Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri. The shots rang out around 2.45am during the Art All Night Trenton festival in New Jersey that showcases local art, music, food and films. Mr Onofri said a 33-year-old man was killed, apparently by police, and the second suspect was in custody. He said a neighbourhood dispute was believed to be behind the shooting. Crime scene tape surrounded the site yesterday of the historic Roebling Wire Works Building that now shares a car park with a supermarket, bank and laundry. US police are also investigating an attempted carjacking that occurred in a nearby alley. Mr Onofri said police were working to determine if it was connected to the shooting. Gennie Darisme was getting ready to leave the festival around 2.45am 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 he's 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 2am when she heard "pop, pop, pop. I thought it was a car backfiring," she said. The remainder of the two-day festival was cancelled. "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 organisers posted on social media last night. A spokeswoman for St Francis Medical Centre in Trenton said 10 men and women, ranging in age from 17 to 48, were being treated for minor injuries. They were in various stages of being released, she said. One man with a gunshot wound was transferred to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. Spokeswoman Kate Stier said they had "at least 16" patients there, including the 13-year-old boy in critical condition. That total may not include people treated and released. Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson said the violence couldn't be "discarded as just random violence; this is a public health issue". Melania Trump appeared to criticise her husband's administration for separating illegal immigrant families at the Mexico border as she called on the United States to show "heart". More than 2,000 children have been removed from their parents over the past six weeks since Jeff Sessions, the US attorney general, introduced a 'zero-tolerance' approach. Under the policy, adults are being detained and prosecuted, with their children sent to separate shelters. Previously, many illegal immigrants had been allowed to remain at liberty while they awaited proceedings. A spokeswoman for the US first lady said: "Mrs Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides [in Congress] 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." It was a rare intervention from Ms Trump, who immigrated legally to the US from her native Slovenia and campaigns on behalf of children. But who Ms Trump blamed for the situation was unclear. It is also possible that she was backing her husband's claim that the Democrats were responsible. Uproar The comment came amid a growing uproar over the detention of minors, including hundreds being held at a former Walmart superstore in Texas. Mr Trump has blamed the situation on Democrats, accusing them of pursuing a "horrible and cruel legislative agenda" and said he "hates to see separation of parents and children". Yesterday, Kellyanne Conway, counsellor to the president, further distanced the White House from responsibility. Ms Conway said: "As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody who's got a conscience, I will tell you that nobody likes this policy." However, Steve Bannon, Mr Trump's former chief strategist, defended the separation of families at the border. He said: "We ran on a policy, very simply, stop mass illegal immigration and limit legal immigration." Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] US President Donald Trump's lawyer has said Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election should itself be the subject of a Justice Department examination. "We want the Mueller probe to be investigated the way the Trump administration has been investigated, and we'd like to see a report with the conclusions," Rudy Giuliani said yesterday on CNN's 'State of the Union'. The comments follow his statements on Friday that the president's legal team was looking into a Justice Department inspector general's report to determine whether they could make a case that Mr Mueller's investigation is invalid because of findings of bias at the FBI. Mr Mueller is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign, possible collusion with those around Mr Trump, and whether the president sought to obstruct justice. "I'm not really saying the special counsel. 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," Mr Giuliani said. "Remember, you've got a bunch of odd things that led to the appointment of Bob." Mr Trump and his allies are using last week's release of the inspector general's report, on accusations of misconduct at the FBI, as fresh fodder to undermine the probe by Mr Mueller. Mr Trump claimed on Friday that "the Mueller investigation has been totally discredited." The 500-page report from the inspector general focused on decisions by former FBI director James Comey in the 2016 investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server - well before Mr Trump fired Mr Comey and Mr Mueller was named to take over the separate inquiry. Democrats have said the report provided no grounds to undercut Mueller's continuing investigation. Spains prime minister Pedro Sanchez has said he wants to remove the remains of the late dictator General Francisco Franco from a controversial mausoleum and turn the site into a monument for reconciliation. Mr Sanchez told national broadcaster TVE that Spain cannot afford symbols that separate Spaniards and that he wants to turn the Valley Of The Fallen into a memorial about the fight against fascism. More than 33,000 dead from both sides of Spains 1936-1939 civil war are buried alongside Francos remains at the neo-classical mausoleum northwest of Madrid. Expand Close Former Spanish dictator General Franco (PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Former Spanish dictator General Franco (PA) The socialist leader revealed the idea during his first media interview since taking office earlier this month, following a parliamentary vote that ousted the previous conservative administration of Mariano Rajoy. Mr Rajoys Popular Party condemned Francoism but had blocked previous attempts to exhume the dictators bones. It's not about opening wounds, it's about closing themPedro Sanchez The conservatives have also said that those campaigning for digging up the anonymous mass graves in the Valley of the Fallen or elsewhere across the country were reopening a painful chapter in history. Its not about opening wounds, its about closing them, Mr Sanchez said in Mondays interview. He said his government would work to fulfil a parliamentary resolution from last year that called to exhume Francos remains, hand them over to the dictators relatives and turn the valley into a memorial for the Spanish Civil War. Expand Close Spains new prime minister Pedro Sanchez (Francisco Seco/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Spains new prime minister Pedro Sanchez (Francisco Seco/AP) The then ruling Popular Party abstained, allowing the non-binding resolution to pass in the countrys lower house, but did not move to carry out the proposals. With its 150-metre-tall cross that can be seen from miles away, Franco presented the grandiose Valley Of The Fallen complex as a symbol for national reconciliation. But victims relatives and activists have campaigned against it because forced labour was used in its construction and because it keeps in a prominent location, near the basilicas altar, the tomb of the dictator who ruled Spain until his death in 1975. Some relatives have filed lawsuits seeking to open the niches of those buried without their families knowledge or consent. But the decrepit state of the 33,847 bodies has become an obstacle, especially after an independent investigation found that water leaks and dampness in chapels and crypts had turned some of the niches into piles of bones. The Francisco Franco Foundation, which receives state funding despite some calls to end it, has pledged to legally fight any moves to exhume Francos bones. A petition against Mr Sanchezs plans posted online on Sunday by the foundation called not to desecrate the Valley of the Fallen and to respect the death. It received more than 24,000 signatures of support by Monday night. 1. Dust Storms Increase Breathing Problems As People Rush To Hospitals In Delhi The air quality has remained severe for the sixth day as both the government as well as private hospital continue to get cases of breathing issues and eye-related complications. Read More 2. Absconding Diamond Merchant Nirav Modi Used Six Different Passports To Travel Across The World Agencies are probing the alleged USD 2-billion PNB fraud and have detected that the absconding diamantaire possessed at least half-a-dozen Indian passports and a fresh FIR is being mulled against him for this offence, officials said today. Read More 3. A Mumbai Boy Dies While Taking A Selfie, Surely It's Time To Take This Problem Seriously Pune Police has arrested a 22-year-old man for abducting a 1-year-old child and for brutally raping and killing her. Police said, the accused, Malhari Bansode, an addict abducted the girl who was sleeping in the open, next to her parents in Pune's Loni Kalbhor late on Thursday. "At midnight, the family members, including her parents, realised that the girl was missing and they started searching for her. Subsequently, a missing complaint was registered," a senior officer of the Loni Kalbhor police station said. The girl's body was found nearby in the early hours of Friday and a medical examination revealed she was sexually assaulted before her head was smashed against the ground. Police nabbed Bansode, after CCTV visuals from the area showed him carrying the girl. "During investigation, we found a CCTV footage in which a man was purportedly seen taking away a girl. Our detection team zeroed in on the accused and during interrogation, he confessed to raping and killing her," the officer said. BCCL/File He was charged under sections 4, 8 and (G) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, besides sections 366 (kidnapping), 376 (rape) and 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code. The accused could face up to death under the recently revised law that allows capital punishment for those guilty of raping girls under the age of 12. A four-month-old infant whose parents brought her to the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Delhi last week for urgent surgery for a hole in the heart has a hole was asked to come back after five years in 2023 for the same. This the longest waiting period for a patient in AIIMS, Delhi and has once highlighted the burden on the premier institute. It also reflects that the six other AIIMS claiming to ease the burden on Delhi hospital are not useful either. The six regional AIIMS were opened in Patna, Bhopal, Raipur, Jodhpur, Rishikesh and Bhubaneswar in 2012. I am a poor man and I dont have money to afford a cardiac surgery in a private hospital, but now I am helpless. To save my life (his daughter) I need to turn to some other hospital even if I need to borrow money, sobbed the girls father Ram Kishore while talking to The New Indian Express. The Union Health ministry blamed faculty shortage and other infrastructural deficiencies. The government had hoped that those needing super specialist healthcare would benefit from these centres but that has not happened, the official said. There are two reasons: one, the new AIIMS dont have even half the 305 faculty strength and the pace of providing proper infrastructure, support staff and required equipment has been too slow, said a senior doctor at AIIMS, Rishikesh. US President Donald Trump has become the unlikely recipient of a 'Medal of Bravery', which has been bestowed on him by 300 Afghans, for his tough stance on Pakistan, reported RadioFreeEurope Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). "This Bravery Medal is from the Afghan people to Donald Trump, president of the United States of America," says the inscription on the medal, made with funds collected by Afghans from the Logar province, which is 60 kilometres south of Kabul. Said Farhad Akbari, a community leader, told RFE/RL that members of the community have "waited 16 years" for someone in the US administration to make comments of the sort that Trump has made in recent weeks concerning Pakistan. reuters Trump, in his first tweet of 2018, on January 1, roundly berated Pakistan for giving the US "lies and deceit" in return for the $33 billion it has received in aid over the last 15 years. Days after his tweet, the US announced it was suspending some $2 billion in assistance to Pakistan until it did more to fight terrorism and stopped providing safe haven to the Taliban and other terrorists. The Afghan people, of course, have been at the receiving end of this terror, which is why many of them appreciated Trump's verbal blasting of Pakistan. The government in Kabul has long accused Pakistan of backing and sheltering militants who carry out attacks on their soil. Logar's Akbari said he himself has been fighting Taliban extremists in the southeastern part of the province for years. AFP Akbari added that the decision to award Trump a 'Medal of Bravery' was made at an informal 'jirga', or council of residents. The medal, he said, is made of 15 grams of gold, crafted by hand, and cost 45,000 Afghanis, or $645, no small amount in this war-torn country. All the money came from residents in Logar. The medal was handed over to the US Embassy in Kabul on Saturday. Akbari said the US Ambassador John R. Bass has promised he will soon hand over the medal to Trump. The US President began his broadsides against Pakistan in August, when he lambasted it for providing "safe haven to agents of chaos and terror". In his first tweet of 2018, the US President kept up the momentum. "The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools," tweeted Trump. Do you know that last year Kenya enacted one of the strictest bans on plastic bags in the world? It's unlike any ban that Indian states have put on the use of plastic bags that are killing our animals and environment. People in Kenya will now be punished and fined for using plastic! We contribute to estimated 12m tonnes of plastic entering our oceans, polluting marine life, on a yearly basis, and that's just one part of the billions of tonnes of debris that we throw out every year. If we lived a zero-waste life, we would be helping to reduce that damage greatly. Simply put, a zero waste life is where you consume less, you discard less, you own less and you waste nothing. You don't have to do everything at once - slow and gradual changes will do, but the key here is that you have to reach a point where you own very few things and then take things from here. Here are just a few points that will help you in cutting down on objects you own. 1. Reusable, everything! You really have to know that plastic is the root cause of many problems and diseases around the world. Everything plastic comes with a very tiny shelf life and gets thrown away after it is used - toothbrush, toothpaste, bottles, plates, glass, spoons etc. You have to switch to things that are reusable - bags, jars, containers. 2. Stop buying disposables As we already discussed, disposables are what comes with the shortest shelf life and often land up in the sea, killing marine animals. The first and foremost step is ditching all the disposals - straws, napkins, paper bags everything. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins Use bamboo or stainless steel straws. Invest in reusable bags 3. Make your own lunch Buying lunch outside is more dangerous to the environment than you think. You buy food that comes in some form of packaging, which will be thrown when you are done eating. Avoid this. Make your own food and use your own reusable jars to carry food around. In fact, you can also carry a set of dishes with you to take your own takeaways without damaging the environment. A friend of mine carries her own steel coffee mug with a lid for takeaways - smart, isn't it? 4. Recycle No, it isn't as taxing as it sounds. First of all, the idea is not to buy plastic and not to buy and recycle it. However, there are other things than plastic that can be recycled and used over and over. For instance, you can recycle light bulbs, cartridges and many other electronic items. Furthermore, there are a plethora of organisations out there who are ready to recycle your things. It's a win-win situation as you will get rid of things that you do not use anymore and they can recycle and sell those things. 5. Compost Many offices across the country have turned into zero-waste areas where they segregate their waste and take it for composting in their own premises. All the wet waste like banana peels, food etc can be turned into manure using a machine. In fact, some of the packaging material too can be composed. The manure then produced can be used to grow plants or sold. 6. Watch out for food waste Thinking that we do not have to worry about the food we throw away just because we can afford it is a stupid idea. Food is expensive and a limited resource. You may waste it now but it won't be available for throwing away forever. From leftovers to spoiled produce - everything counts. Other than cooking, you can also plan your meals ahead and do things like - keep some snack handy, make a list and stick to eat, buy your own groceries, plan your own meals, freeze the leftovers and use them again, make a new dish out of what's remaining from the previous night. Even then if you end up with some food, you can give it to someone. 7. Go local If you are dedicated to buying things from your local suppliers, it means that you are not contributing to transportation pollution, packaging pollution, you're reducing your carbon footprint and more. Going local means you're not buying stacks of vegetables and fruits coming wrapped in plastic or thermocol thermal boxes but you are taking your own bags to pick them. 8. Buy bulk Buying in bulk saves a lot of costs and rounds to the store. This also means you can pick however much you need and you can carry your own jars and rely on fresh produces. 9. DIY #kotcanta #jeanbag #jeanbags A post shared by Ogbags (@ogcottonbags) on Dec 7, 2017 at 4:09am PST A lot of things that we own come with a very short shelf life, but you can easily extend it by adding them to your DIY platform. Make pots out of discarded bottles, dusters out of waste cloth, bags out of discarded jeans, pots out of waste towels and more. Put your imagination to use and incorporate these changes into your life. 10. Go digital Ensure that you have almost zero things coming in your post. We live in 2018 and almost everything is digital. Make sure that you do not take prints and rely heavily on the digital world. Do not invest in buying books, but buy a kindle using which you can have an endless collection at the tips of your fingers. Use apps like Evernote and Google Keep to make a list and ditch the pen and paper 11. Say no to unwanted stuff As materialistic animals, we have this tendency to hoard even when we don't need stuff. Just like you are learning to create your own healthy mental space, say no to things that you do not need to create a healthy environment/ Buy fewer clothes, buy fewer gadgets, declutter. Make sure you only invest in things that are eco-friendly, and will not harm the environment. Getting rid of things is difficult, but you wouldn't have to if you don't buy them. On May 23, 2018 ICE agent killed a young MAM Mayan woman fleeing poverty and economic exploitation of her homeland. ICE has separated over 1,500 children from their parents. ICE caused the death of two migrant farmworkers in the San Joaquin Valley, when they sought to escape from ICE slave-catchers. The pair left six children in care of a family member who was later deported. Since Dec. 7h, 2017, ICE has held MIGUEL ARAUJO hostage in a detention facility near Sacramento. Miguel is a political prisoner of both the US and Mexican governments. Miguel is a [political activist who has denounced both governments. He has organized large demonstrations in defense of our people's rights. He has denounced the corruption and impunity rampant in Mexico. The US government has refused to establish a bond amount so Miguel could fight his case from the outside. Miguel is the latest person to suffer political persecution and arrest for exercising his first amendment rights in defense of the community. Activists across the US have been targeted for arrest and persecution for stepping up for immigrants. Join us at this community discussion/forum to discuss these cases and others and to demand freedom for Miguel, Justice for Patricia and for ICE Out of Occupied Territories! Added to the calendar on Friday Jun 15th, 2018 4:23 PM 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%) Founded by Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Money offers insurance, mortgages, as well as savings and credit cards. It does so through multi-channel distribution, including digital platforms. The CYBG directors believe that the successful banking propositions of the future will be digitally-led customer experiences supported by exceptional omni-channel service, with the winners delivering technology-enabled, customer-centric propositions that resonate with and enhance customers lifestyles, explained CYBG. Recognising these underlying industry trends, the combination will bring together the complementary strengths of two successful challenger banks to create the UKs first true national competitor to the large incumbent banks. According to a Bloomberg report, Virgin Moneys shares rose 2.4% to 363.4 pence at 8:08 this morning in London. Meanwhile The Guardian, which said Branson owns a 35% stake in Virgin Money, reported that over 1,500 jobs will be cut as part of the takeover. The imminent job cuts have been acknowledged by CYBG. Recognising that there will be a loss of jobs as a result of the combination, the independent Virgin Money directors welcome CYBGs intention to leverage the best talent of both Virgin Money and CYBG colleagues, said the acquiring firm in its announcement. Related stories: Three attributes of a great leader How innovation gives Lloyd's a competitive edge We are only asking that growers consider it [MPCI] as one tool of many which might suit their particular circumstances and requirements, said GrainGrowers CEO David McKeon. McKeon said the result of GrainGrowers members surveys about MPCI revealed that low uptake was partly due to lack of information and understanding of the available insurance policies and companies and the view of farmers on the cost of premiums. The report also includes details about the federal government's MPCI rebate scheme. "The Managing Farm Risk Programme was a key element of the governments agriculture white paper, and while the programme has faced some challenges, we encourage farmers to consider whether they can benefit from the assistance available," McKeon said, adding that the group is still in talks with the government about other options that better suit the needs of growers for managing their risk." The organisation also called for governments to follow Victoria, South Australia, and NSW's lead in abolishing stamp duty, to make MPCI more accessible to farmers. "On top of the cost of a policy, stamp duty can add further significant cost, McKeon said. While governments in Victoria, South Australia and NSW have removed stamp duty on MPCI policies, governments in Western Australia and Tasmania still charge 10%, while the Queensland government charges 9%. This equates to thousands of dollars on top of the cost of the actual insurance premium and our members say this is a major deterrent. GrainGrowers calls for the WA, Qld, and Tasmanian governments to follow the lead of other states and abolish stamp duty on MPCI products." Related stories: AWB rolls out new crop insurance offering Latevo is back in the MPCI business Kesoglou has worked in an HR/D&I capacity within the financial services sector for over 20 years and says approaches to diversity have certainly evolved during that time, but some preconceptions remain. In most organizations today, the long-standing biases and prejudices ingrained in the culture are now the cause of the glass ceiling, in my view, Kesoglou told Insurance Business. This begins at the middle management level and goes all the way up to senior leadership and board levels. Kesoglou, who is set to discuss her experiences at the upcoming Women in Insurance Summit, says the impact is twofold with women becoming increasingly dissatisfied and frustrated while organisations continue to overlook this key source of talent. The impact on women on a personal level can be that they are discouraged, disempowered and not able to contribute to their full potential. They then look for alternatives and move away from financial services into other sectors, identifying cultures where there are more women and opportunities to be more independent and setting up their own small businesses, says Kesoglou. The impact on the industry is on sustainable performance and reputation. Missing out on tapping into a larger pool of talent, the ever-increasing influence of women consumers and a positive correlation with company performance that has been evidenced through so much research. However, while the glass ceiling remains firmly in place for now, Kesoglou says theres no need for it to remain forever and QBE is just one major player taking steps to eradicate the barrier. Yet success wont come from implementing initiatives alone. Instead, there must be genuine support from senior figures something which can be replicated within organisations of any size. What has been effective has been having sponsorship from the top. A leader-led approach helped set the agenda with the global CEO and group executives, she said. Introducing a D&I focus on KPIs and setting gender targets helped - and then getting better with reporting data and using insights to improve our recruitment and pay practices as a starting point. Providing support, she said, is also of utmost importance. To help business leaders succeed we defined what inclusive leadership meant and linked it to some simple people related tasks how to recruit, how to lead your team, how to offer career development support, explained Kesoglou. The firm was also sure to deliver clarity around goals, processes and expectations. We informed leaders and made them responsible, we set out clear guidelines and goals for all to see and sign on to, we made people accountable for adhering to policy and working towards objectives, and we gave people support and training so that they could succeed, including targeted interventions to accelerate change, she told Insurance Business. Perhaps even more significant for the long-term picture, is the work QBE is doing to embed diversity and inclusion into the core business strategy. It has been integrated into QBEs purpose, vision and, more recently, our new cultural attributes of diverse #mixitup and team #together, she said. We are also ensuring, from a corporate sustainability perspective, that the human rights and social impacts relevant to D&I are included. It is possible but it takes buy-in and commitment at the top as well as time to focus on changing the culture and conversation, she says. Kesoglou added shes hopeful the insurance sector can make a change and even set an example when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Id like to see the insurance sector lead the way in creating a better world a world which is fair and just and respectful of individuals and their similarities and differences, where everyone is able to sustain a high quality of life and enjoy peace and prosperity, as well as socially doing what is right and ethical for all stakeholders. Niki Kesoglou will be discussing the Australian insurance industrys glass ceiling at the upcoming Women in Insurance Summit in Sydney. The event brings together leading figures from across the industry to discuss a range of topics including diversity quotas, unconscious bias and female leadership. More information about the event, due to take place in August, can be found online. Related stories: Include men in the conversation, says woman leader Do we bring in gender quotas in insurance? The program was set up in 2011 to provide the Asia-Pacific GI marketplace with insurance process, messaging, and data standards, covering a broad range of GI products underwritten across the region and to support the entire policy and claims lifecycle. Many regional underwriters and Lloyds coverholders have joined ACORD to take advantage of ACORDs delegated authority reporting standard developed for London market reporting, said Steven Tuften, ACORDs representative for Australia and New Zealand. William brings a wealth of experience and an invaluable perspective to PAC in his role supporting the regional underwriting community. The new Asia-Pacific GI PAC was established at ACORDs board of directors meeting in June. UAC and ACORD entered into a reciprocal membership agreement in February, 2018. Related stories: UAC and UK counterpart in top-level discussions Industry body elects new board Authorities said that in November 2016, Legeros reported an accident claim to the couples insurer. Legeros allegedly claimed that on November 12, 2016, she, Aubourg and two of their children were traveling from New Jersey to Delaware when their vehicle was struck by a Mini Cooper. Legeros and Aubourg said that the Mini Cooper failed to stop. Aubourg, Legeros and the children were treated for injuries they claimed they sustained, However, after inspecting the Mini Cooper that was purported to have hit the couples car, investigators believed the accident did not occur, the Gazette reported. As a result of the phony claims, an insurer was billed for more than $100,000 and paid out more than $55,000. We take insurance fraud seriously, said Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro. Even though this incident allegedly took place in New Jersey, the defendants insurance coverage was in Delaware. Our fraud investigators acted on information they received and did a thorough follow-up investigation that ultimately led to these arrests. Related stories: California doctor charged in $700K insurance scam Law student found guilty of insurance fraud Mr. Tan, Why did you take the booster shot early, on the first day that it was available? Were you afraid of covid? My reply here: https:... Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said that Harbaugh altered insurance policies and inflated premiums to make it look like clients had more coverage than theyd actually secured. This defendant who served on Hatboro Borough Council and the boards of the Hatboro Chamber of Commerce and a local bank betrayed his clients, sacrificed his ethics and broke the law, Shapiro said. Harbaugh was sentenced to six months of house arrest and more than six years of supervised release. In addition to restitution, he was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $5,000. He was also barred from acting as an insurance agent or from being employed in any fiduciary capacity. Related stories: California doctor charged in $700K insurance scam Law student found guilty of insurance fraud He wouldnt call himself a hero, but the 83-year-old woman Dennis P. Neyland rescued from a carjack/kidnapping and robbery on the streets of downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana, probably would. Neyland, an insurance professional and reserve officer for the Slidell, Louisiana, police department, says he was just in the right place at the right time. He credits his training in law enforcement he was a police officer full time before he entered the insurance business for the ability to recognize when somethings amiss. A regional sales manager for AmTrust North America, Neyland had lunch with a friend (whos also in insurance) in Baton Rouge on May 9. After leaving the restaurant, he noticed a woman in a late-model maroon Cadillac driving erratically in front of him. The lady was stopping and going, and people were passing her. I actually thought she was having a medical emergency, Neyland said. He could see that that the driver was elderly. Thinking maybe she had dementia, or was confused or lost, he pulled alongside her. When he did, the carjacker popped up. I had my Glock out but they couldnt see it. When I pulled up and said are you okay, [the driver] said no and pointed in the back seat. Thats when the carjacker rolls her window down and says, Im her caretaker you need to drive on. And the old lady says no, shes not.' Neyland keeps his police equipment in his car in case he needs to respond, he said. Grabbing his badge and gun, he told the carjacker to step out of the car. Neyland was wearing his AmTrust dress shirt so he didnt particularly look like a law enforcement officer, but he got out of his car and identified himself as such. The carjacker stepped out of the car and he told her to wait there until Baton Rouge police arrived. She started to run away. She was wearing a black wig and when I grabbed her, her hair came off. Then I grabbed her shirt. He was calling 911 and explaining it was a 108 officer needs assistance when the carjacker twisted out of her shirt. She was completely nude from the waist up and she came after me to fight. I grabbed her again and she bit me twice. Thats when I put her to the ground and the Baton Rouge police responded. They arrested her, he said. A press release from the Baton Rouge Police Department identified the carjacker as Tamikia Raymond, 42. The driver of the vehicle was not named. Raymond was charged with armed robbery, false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon and battery on a police officer. They charged her pretty heavy, Neyland said. The elderly woman told Neyland after the incident that she had parked her car on the fourth floor of the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino parking garage. She parked there because there were no other cars on that floor. As the woman got into her car, Raymond jumped into the backseat, said she had a gun and instructed the driver to head for an ATM. At the ATM the elderly woman withdrew $800 but Raymond saw that the account had a balance of $18,000. So, Raymond told the woman to go to the bank and withdraw the balance or she would kill her. They were next to a Chase Bank when Neyland stopped them. While the elderly driver never saw the gun, it ended up being a BB gun that looked like a real Glock, Neyland said. Afterward the driver told Neyland that she was driving erratically on purpose, hoping someone would notice. She was sharp as a tack, Neyland said. She actually saved herself. What caught me is she stopped at a green light. She just stopped and everybody passed her. While she was extremely shaken by the incident, the elderly woman didnt want the officers to call her son or daughter to come get her because, she said, they wouldnt let her go to the casino anymore. Topics Auto Louisiana Law Enforcement The Texas Supreme Court in late May ruled that a party to an insurance contract that mandates arbitration of disputes is not required to enter arbitration in a dispute against another party that is not a signatory to the contract. The high court made that determination in a case involving a dispute over a crop insurance policy that was obtained by the insured through an independent insurance agency. Jody James Farms, JV purchased a Crop Revenue Coverage Insurance Policy from Rain & Hail, LLC, through the Altman Group, an independent insurance agency, Justice Eva Guzman stated in the courts written opinion. The policy contains a clause stating that policy disputes that cant be resolved by mediation must submit to arbitration in an effort to settle the argument. The policy at issue defines the parties to the contract as Rain & Hail and Jody James, according to Justice Guzman. Neither the Altman Group nor any of its employees is expressly named in the policy, and neither the Altman Group nor any of its employees signed the agreement, Justice Guzman wrote. A dispute arose after Rain & Hail declined to cover a grain sorghum loss suffered by Jody James. The insurer said the claim was denied in part because the insured had failed to provide timely notice of the loss. Rain & Hail asserted other reasons for denying the claim, as well. According to the written opinion, Jody James claimed it promptly called an Altman Group agent, Laurie Diaz, to report the loss. Jody James and Rain & Hail ultimately arbitrated the dispute and the arbitrator sided with the insurer, agreeing that Jody James had not provided timely notice of the loss. The arbitrator also determined that Jody James did not state a presentable loss because crops from performing and non-performing farm units were commingled. After receiving the adverse ruling in arbitration with Rain & Hail, Jody James then sued the Altman Group and Diaz collectively referred to in the opinion as the agency for breach of fiduciary duty and deceptive trade practices. Jody James asserted that the agency failed to timely submit the crop-loss claim, which resulted in denial of coverage and a loss to Jody James of $68,000. Jody James sought to recoup the total amount of the loss plus attorneys fees and interest. The agency requested that the trial court compel arbitration, which it did despite Jody James opposition. The arbitrator favored the agency in resolving the dispute, issuing a take-nothing arbitration award, and the trial court upheld that decision, Guzman wrote. The Supreme Court said it accepted Jody James case because it challenges the arbitrators authority to determine whether a non-signatory can compel a signatory to arbitrate. Upon review, the justices found that compelled arbitration between the agency and Jody James was wrong because the Altman Group was not signatory to the contract requiring mediation/arbitration in disputes between Rain & Hail and Jody James. No party may be compelled to arbitrate unless they have agreed to arbitrate or are bound by principles of agency or contract law to do so. Jody James and the Agency did not agree to arbitrate any matternot the question of arbitrability and not the merits of this dispute, the courts opinion states. The high court vacated the arbitrators take-nothing award and sent the case back to the trial court. Topics Texas Agribusiness A new legislative framework for autonomous vehicle testing and deployment in California created this year is expected to lead to a strong wave of development of this technology in the state. In February 2018, the Office of Administrative Law passed the final version of the regulations. It allows the state Department of Motor Vehicles to start providing permits for both testing and deployment of driverless vehicles. The regulations set a new trajectory, which is different from what the state had taken back in 2015. Back then, it was seeking a more restrictive approach towards autonomous vehicles, but its approach has changed. With the newly implemented regulations, holders of permits from the California DMV can test and deploy autonomous vehicles on certain California public roads. Currently, the number of permit holders is around 50. The California autonomous vehicle testing program has four clear requirements that manufacturers must meet: The testing can be done only by the manufacturer; The testing can be conducted only by a licensed driver or remote controller hired by the manufacturer; The manufacturer must provide financial proof of $5 million; The manufacturer must present either a general or a driverless testing permit. The regulations also set clear technical standards for the autonomous vehicles and their operation while being tested, as well as for their deployment. They define that the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards apply fully. The new law also creates a national precedent by setting a standard for the collection of personal information by driverless technologies. The autonomous vehicles will have to qualify in terms of cybersecurity measures. One of the most important and heated debates around driverless vehicles relates to the liability of manufacturers in case of accidents and damages. The new California autonomous vehicle law addresses these issues to a certain extent. Manufacturers have to provide proof that they can cover damages caused by the operation of autonomous vehicles on public roads of up to $5 million. The financial proof can take the form of a surety bond, evidence of insurance, or a certificate of self-insurance. Surety bonds are security instruments that protect the state, as well as the general public. A claim can be brought against a manufacturer in case a party suffers damages due to driverless vehicles operation. In this way, the bond can provide a fair compensation if there is a proven case against the manufacturer. One of the advantages of using surety bonds is that even if the principal is unable or unwilling to make good on the claim, the surety company which issued the bond is there to do it. A previous draft of the regulations would have taken away the liability from manufacturers in cases when vehicles underwent unauthorized modifications or were not properly maintained. However, this section was deleted from the latest version of the document. This means that California courts will have to establish liability for each case that comes up individually. According to experts, the new California regulations open new doors for innovation and exploration of autonomous technology in the state. In fact, specialists see this as the first serious step towards deployment of driverless cars in everyday life. For vehicle manufacturers, the newly set rules create a clear framework for operation in California. It allows development and testing of driverless technology while not overlooking safety measures. This is an important point, as it ensures protection and fair compensation for any damages caused to the general public. Some states like Arizona, however, have already allowed autonomous vehicle manufacturers to test on their roads even earlier than California. This has led to companies like Ford and Tesla to move their testing units in other states. The new regulations are likely to bring back some of the attention to California, which has been a prominent tech hub in the last decades. Bryant is the president and founder of Bryant Surety Bonds. Phone: (866) 450-3412; Email: t.bryant@bryantsuretybonds.com. Topics California Legislation Auto Manufacturing Autonomous Vehicles Vermont is moving forward with its quest to ensure that as many residents as possible have health insurance by enacting a law that will require all to be covered or be penalized. The law, signed with no fanfare by Republican Gov. Phil Scott late last month, sets up a commission to work out the details of the law. The mandate is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2020. Proponents say the law is needed to spread the insurance risk among as many people as possible and keep health insurance more affordable for everyone. The stability of our insurance market really demanded this, said Republican State Rep. Anne Donahue, vice chair of the House Committee on Health Care. Vermont has worked for years to ensure that as many of its residents as possible have health insurance. In 2014, the state abandoned what would have been the nations first statewide single-payer health care system. The Affordable Care Act requires individuals to have health insurance or pay a penalty. But last year, Congress repealed that mandate effective 2019. Nationally, many rebelled against the idea that the federal government could tell them what they needed to buy. The National Academy for State Health Policy found that five states Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, Vermont and Washington were considering a mandate. Connecticut has been studying one and a Washington D.C. group is recommending the district implement one. Massachusetts has had a mandate law for years. It is really significant that Vermont established an individual mandate and filled the gap with the federal roll-back, said Trish Riley, executive director for the Academy. Two days after Scott signed Vermonts law, New Jerseys Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law that requires residents to have health insurance or pay a penalty. That takes effect in January. In Vermont, the penalty for not having insurance wont necessarily be a financial one. We had a lot of concern, I think everybody does, about people who are not buying it because it is still totally unaffordable, Donahue said. The last thing you want to do to those folks is take money from them because they didnt have enough money to buy insurance. Sara Teachout, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, the states largest private health insurance provider, said the organization welcomes the law. It provides stability, Teachout said. You cant really look at the individual mandate alone. Its part of a comprehensive health care system where everyone purchases insurance and everyone is covered, ideally. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A federal appeals court says an insurance company must pick up Bill Cosbys tab to fight defamation lawsuits brought by women who accused him of sexual misconduct. But the ruling by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, Mass., doesnt mean the insurance company, AIG, must pay any damages. Cosby faces civil lawsuits alleging he defamed women when he accused them of lying about their allegations. Cosby was convicted in April on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. The 80-year-old comedian is due to be sentenced in September and faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison. Cosby has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. An AIG spokeswoman declined to comment. Related: Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Carriers A London plumber who claimed he was unfairly dismissed after years of working as a contractor won a court ruling Wednesday [June 13] giving him employment rights, in a closely watched case testing labor rules in the so-called gig economy. Britains Supreme Court ruled that Gary Smith, who worked for Pimlico Plumbers full-time for six years, was entitled to rights such as sick pay and minimum wage. Smith sought to reduce his hours following a heart attack, while the company argued he wasnt entitled to such protection because he was a self-employed contractor. His case will now return to an employment tribunal to sort out his unfair dismissal claim. The case lays bare the many questions that remain in the ongoing debate about independent contractors in the gig economy, where people work job-to-job with little security and few employment rights. Some companies have argued that the gig system provides lifestyle benefits for people who want flexibility, but the arrangements also allow companies to avoid many expenses associated with hiring full-time employees. While the U.K. ruling will not apply to employees outside the country, it is part of a trend in which regulators are more closely scrutinizing the rights of workers at companies like Uber and app-based food delivery cyclists. The ruling is notable for both setting the mood music for future discussions on the topic while insisting that really nothing has changed in the concept of worker. It placed the case of Smith in the context of some 150 years of British labor law as to what a worker is and what rules and regulations apply to that status. The case is important because the court upheld earlier rulings in a straightforward way, implying that the judges believe the principles were already understood, said Sean Nesbitt, a partner at the international law firm of Taylor Wessing, which is not involved in the case. Theyre just saying: We know what a worker is and we can see it from existing principles, and thats what were applying, he said. Its important that they are treating this as consolidating a trend. The decision does not bode well for Uber, which is facing its own moment of reckoning before the Court of Appeal in October. The ride-hailing app is appealing an Employment Appeal Tribunal decision that ruled that the companys drivers are workers, not independent contractors, in a case that goes to the heart of the companys business model. People will treat it as a weather vane as to how the parties will contest the Uber appeal, Nesbitt said. The ruling comes nearly a year after a major study by study by Matthew Taylor, a former adviser to Tony Blair, concluded that workers in the gig economy need greater labor protections. The Taylor report concluded that a new category of worker, the dependent contractor, should be created to secure genuine flexibility for laborers. It also signaled a new norm among the workforce. By one estimate there are some 1.1 million people in Britains gig economy, almost as many as those who work in the National Health Service. A separate 2016 study, by the McKinsey Global Institute, suggested that some 26 percent of the U.K. workforce are independent or use independent work to supplement their income, roughly the same percentage as those in the United States. With the workplace rapidly evolving, businesses are struggling to cope. Mishcon de Reya employment partner Susannah Kintish, who represented Pimlico Plumbers, said that businesses are awaiting legislation on categorizing their workforces, as existing employment law is rendered increasingly unfit for purpose. Individuals operating in the gig economy need certainty that they have been categorized correctly, and businesses are equally keen to get this right from the outset, recognizing that doing so is in their own interests, she said. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation Uk Contractors Corvus Insurance, an insurtech managing general agent, has released a new cyber insurance offering for organizations with up to $1 billion in annual revenue. The new Smart Cyber Insurance product includes the features of a conventional cyber insurance policy along with others designed to help brokers and policyholders predict and prevent cyber insurance claims. Smart Cyber Insurance provides Dynamic Loss Prevention, with both transparent underwriting and ongoing assessments of an organizations cyber risk exposures. Corvus creates a risk score for each account, analyzing numerous IT security domains. Corvus also provides cyber insurance benchmarking and other business intelligence to brokers and policyholders. The Corvus underwriting process relies on data scans of web traffic and other non-invasive reports. Corvus security scans can reduce the information required by an organization and its broker in order to obtain an insurance quotation, with a short application process. In addition, the Smart Cyber policy form contains broad first party and third party insuring agreements and includes enhanced coverage for contingent business interruption, system failure, social engineering attacks, ransomware, reputational loss and multimedia liability. Smart Cyber Insurance utilizes data to assess the performance of any enterprise and their IT vendors and partners across 50-plus security criteria. Corvus uses the data as a foundation to produce a cyber security scoring model. This score and related material can be used by commercial insurance brokers and buyers to better predict and prevent loss. For prospective policyholders that have the best Corvus scores, in partnership with Hudson Insurance, Corvus can offer insurance with lower prices and broader coverage. Smart Cyber Insurance policies are distributed by Corvus on a managing general agency basis with its partner, Hudson Insurance Group. Policies will be distributed by insurance brokerage firms across the United States. Hudson Insurance Group, headquartered in New York City with offices throughout the U.S. and in Vancouver, Canada, is a specialty insurer. Topics Agencies Cyber InsurTech Tech New Markets Insurance Wholesale The fiduciary rule is officially dead. The Labor Department rule, conceived by the Obama administration, was meant to ensure that advisers put their clients financial interests ahead of their own when recommending retirement investments. The rules fate was all but sealed with the election of President Donald Trump, who generally opposes financial regulations. Just two weeks into his presidency, he ordered a review of the rule to determine whether it may adversely affect the ability of Americans to gain access to retirement information and financial advice. Then this past March, the rule was dealt a serious blow when a federal appeals court hearing a challenge to the rule by business groups vacated it in a split decision, overturning a lower court. The majority argued, in part, that the Labor Department had overstepped its authority in reinterpreting a fiduciary standard that had been on the books for decades. In late April, the Trump administration allowed a deadline to seek a rehearing to pass without taking action. A few days later, the rule went on life support after the same court unanimously denied a motion by California, New York, Oregon and AARP to replace the federal government in defending it. Finally, on Wednesday, the last deadline for resuscitating the fiduciary rule passed when the government declined to ask the U.S. Supreme court to reconsider the appeals courts decision. One procedural step remains: The court clerk must formally vacate the fiduciary rule by issuing a so-called mandate. To resurrect the rule before that occurs, the Fifth Circuit would have to take the unlikely step of challenging its own decision. As a literal matter, anythings possible, but we regard the mandate as a mere formality, says Andrew Oringer, a lawyer in Dechert LLPs fiduciary practice. The prospect of holding advisers accountable to retirement savers hasnt disappeared entirely, though. The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering its own version of the fiduciary rule, known as the best-interest rule. Decherts Oringer says the SECs effort will be daunting. The SEC can now write its rule on a clean slate, he said. But without the Labor Department rule lurking in the background, the SEC is likely to find it even more daunting to find consensus and compromise as the various parts of the market continue to fight and claw and scratch over their different views of whats best. A Labor Department spokesman referred questions to the Justice Department, noting that it represents the government in such cases. The Justice Department declined to comment. Business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, were fierce opponents of the rule, while many groups representing small investors, including AARP, had supported it. Wall Street spent years preparing to comply with the Labor Department fiduciary rule. The government estimated that preparation would cost banks and investment advisers as much as $3 billion. An industry group said the number was closer to $5 billion. Bank of America Corp.s Merrill Lynch is among the financial companies that started moving toward fee-based advisory models in response to the emerging Labor Department rule and continued on that path even after Trump ordered his review. At the very least, from a PR standpoint, it would be difficult to go back to the old ways of doing business, Brian Gardner, an analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc., told Bloomberg Businessweek. It just looks bad. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Wells Fargo & Co. said on Friday it received final approval from a district court in California to settle a $142 million class-action lawsuit, which compensates customers affected by a sales scandal related to phony bank accounts. The settlement, in which Wells had received a preliminary approval in July last year, sets aside funds for compensating customers after the bank opened consumer or small business accounts, credit cards or lines of credit without their knowledge between 2002 and April 2017. The United States fourth-biggest bank is dealing with the fallout of two years of investigations, agreeing in April to pay $1 billion to settle with regulators who say it forced auto insurance on hundreds of thousands and routinely hit homebuyers with excessive fees. Last month, the bank also agreed to pay $480 million to resolve a securities fraud lawsuit filed with the District Court for the Northern District of California which alleged the bank made certain misstatements and omissions in disclosures related to its sales practices. Chief Executive Officer Tim Sloan said Fridays announcement was a significant step forward in making things right for our customers and restoring trust all of Wells Fargos stakeholders. Customers have until July 7 to claim money. Announcing the settlement with regulators in August, the bank also said that the mortgage and auto programs together ensnared more than 600,000 customers and would require nearly $300 million in refunds. Analysts worry the scandal has hurt Wells Fargo both by distracting executives with investigations and lawsuits, and through its impact on the banks public image. In February, the U.S. Federal Reserve imposed a consent order on Wells that restricted it to grow assets beyond the $1.95 trillion it had at the end of last year until it sufficiently improves its governance and controls. Sloan, since then, has reassured shareholders numerous times that the bank was stable and open for business. Employees have also sought to downplay the scandals impact on profitability or market share, and have said that few customers have left the bank. Wells Fargos shares were up 0.3 percent at $54.92 on Friday. (Reporting By Aparajita Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil DSilva) Related: Topics Oklahoma By Delana Isles AFTER four days of intense discussions and interactions, member countries at the recently held conference of integrity commissions of Commonwealth Caribbean countries, have resolved to, among other things, enhance working relationships with governments and public sectors to fight corruption. The fourth annual Conference of the Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies (CCAICACB) concluded last Thursday, June 8, at the Beaches Resort and Spa in Providenciales. The theme was, Counting the real cost of corruption - Engaging everyone in the fight. Commenting on the conference proceedings this Thursday, outgoing chairman association, Eugene Otuonye, QC called the event a huge success. "If the independent assessments of the conference by the delegates are anything to go by, it is fair to say that this fourth conference was a huge success. "Its positive impact on the delegates is evident in the conference communique which, among other things, articulates the determination and commitments of the delegates and the association members to intensify their anti-corruption and good governance efforts, involving everyone in the process. The conference featured addresses and presentations by eminent persons in the region and the world, as well as stakeholders involved in the national, regional and international anti-corruption and good governance efforts. Through country presentations, peer reviews and benchmarking, country delegates from Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands and others, shared their experiences, exchanged ideas, strategies and best practices in their anti-corruption and good governance efforts. In addition, the various panel discussions at the conference provided unique opportunities and platforms for the delegates and the representatives from the media, the civil society, religious, and youth organisations and other private sector stakeholders, to engage and explore together the enormous cost and damage of corruption and how best to engage everyone in the fight against it. The conference ended with the annual general meeting of the association, during which elections were held to fill vacant positions in the executive committee of the association and the conference communique was issued. Communique Having extensively discussed the theme of the conference and its programme content, the executive committee members with a full exchange of views of participants agreed and adopted the following resolutions: -Reiterate that regional integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies must continue to maintain their independence, impartiality and professionalism, to further enhance their effectiveness. -Urge the integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies to harness and put to maximum and innovative use, all resources available to them, to engage everybody in the fight against corruption. -Urge integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies to make recommendations to their governments with a view to realising reinvigorated political will, public sector and nationwide commitments, to continuously combat corruption. -Urge regional governments to enact, expand and implement national legislative frameworks and strategies for improved effectiveness, so that there are no legislative silos which deter holistic anti-corruption work in the region. -Urge the integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies to secure at national and regional levels, statistical information on the real cost of corruption and make the information available to the ordinary person. -Must encourage integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies to develop harmonised benchmarking systems and protocols for the purposes of both internal and national systems and institutions, statutory corporations and agencies, for which they have oversight. -Must implement effective organisational risk management strategies and gather to achieve meaningful inter-agency collaboration, locally, regionally and internationally. Continue calls on member governments to: -Provide adequate financial, technical and human resources to the integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies. -Give encouragement and support in their prompt and efficient discharge of their statutory functions in their sustainable fight against and in the eradication of corruption. -Agree that integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies should further intensify their public education and citizens engagement and initiatives, surveys and data gathering, and in particular continue the deeper mobilisation with children, youth, civil society organisations and religious bodies, in the fight against corruption across the region. -Agree that as part of their efforts to engage everyone in the fight against corruption, and for optimal utilisation of resources available for anti-corruption and good governance efforts, the integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies should robustly embark on national stakeholders conferences, inter-agency collaboration, sector-wide training and capacity building programmes. -Must encourage integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies to develop harmonised strategies and practices for strengthening cooperation and the sharing of data, information and lists of persons of interest among themselves. -Must encourage Caricom to place on its agenda the discussion of anti-corruption efforts. -Must encourage governments, integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies to acknowledge corruption perception indices, and engage independent integrity agencies to work regionally to determine strengths and challenges so that the association can share more objective corruption indicators and recommendations for improving the fight against corruption across the region. Having regard to the diverse experiences of members of the Association it was further agreed that the integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies should: -Continue to pursue the development and implementation of regional anti-corruption model legislation in keeping with the requirements of the UNCAC and the constitutional and legislative frameworks of their respective countries, to achieve effective reduction and eradication of corruption in the Commonwealth Caribbean. -Continue to support and encourage each other through benchmarking and practitioners exchange, and thereby enhance the sharing of their experiences, best practices, information and solutions among themselves and the monitoring of the impact of the associations interventions. -Be innovative, and seek to secure the best results, in their anti-corruption and good governance efforts, taking into account the social, cultural, economic and political circumstances of their local environment. The association also agreed to accept the offer of the government of Grenada to provide facilities for capacity building programmes of the association, in collaboration with the government of India and the commonwealth secretariat. They also accepted the tentative offer of Cayman Islands to host the next conference in 2019. FPI Management, a property company in California, wants to hire dozens of people. Factories from New Hampshire to Michigan need workers. Hotels in Las Vegas are desperate to fill jobs. Those employers and many others are quietly taking what once would have been a radical step: Theyre dropping marijuana from the drug tests they require of prospective employees. Marijuana testing a fixture at large American employers for at least 30 years excludes too many potential workers, experts say, at a time when filling jobs is more challenging than its been in nearly two decades. It has come out of nowhere, said Michael Clarkson, head of the drug testing practice at Ogletree Deakins, a law firm. I have heard from lots of clients things like, `I cant staff the third shift and test for marijuana. Though still in its early stages, the shift away from marijuana testing appears likely to accelerate. More states are legalizing cannabis for recreational use; Michigan could become the 10th state to do so in November. Missouri appears on track to become the 30th state to allow medical pot use. And medical marijuana users in Massachusetts , Connecticut and Rhode Island have won lawsuits in the past year against companies that rescinded job offers or fired workers because of positive tests for cannabis. Before last year, courts had always ruled in favor of employers. The Trump administration also may be softening its resistance to legal marijuana. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta suggested at a congressional hearing last month that employers should take a step back on drug testing. We have all these Americans that are looking to work, Acosta said. Are we aligning our drug testing policies with whats right for the workforce? There is no definitive data on how many companies conduct drug tests, though the Society for Human Resource Management found in a survey that 57 percent do so. Nor is there any recent data on how many have dropped marijuana from mandatory drug testing. But interviews with hiring executives, employment lawyers and agencies that help employers fill jobs indicate that dropping marijuana testing is among the steps more companies are taking to expand their pool of applicants to fill a near-record level of openings. Businesses are hiring more people without high school diplomas, for example, to the point where the unemployment rate for non-high school graduates has sunk more than a full percentage point in the past year to 5.5 percent. Thats the steepest such drop for any educational group over that time. On Friday, the government is expected to report another robust jobs report for April. Excluding marijuana from testing marks the first major shift in workplace drug policies since employers began regularly screening applicants in the late 1980s. They did so after a federal law required that government contractors maintain drug-free workplaces. Many private businesses adopted their own mandatory drug testing of applicants. Other Drugs Most businesses that have dropped marijuana tests continue to screen for cocaine, opiates, heroin and other drugs. But James Reidy, an employment lawyer in New Hampshire, says companies are thinking harder about the types of jobs that should realistically require marijuana tests. If a manufacturing worker, for instance, isnt driving a forklift or operating industrial machinery, employers may deem a marijuana test unnecessary. Employers are saying, `We have a thin labor pool, Reidy said. `So are we going to test and exclude a whole group of people? Or can we assume some risks, as long as theyre not impaired at work? Yet many companies are reluctant to acknowledge publicly that theyve dropped marijuana testing. This is going to become the new dont ask, dont tell, Reidy said. In most states that have legalized marijuana, like Colorado, businesses can still, if they wish, fire workers who test positive. On the other hand, Maine, which also legalized the drug, became the first state to bar companies from firing or refusing to hire someone for using marijuana outside work. Companies in labor-intensive industries hoteliers and home health care providers and employers with many warehouse and assembly jobs are most likely to drop marijuana testing. By contrast, businesses that contract with the government or that are in regulated industries, like air travel, or that have safety concerns involving machinery, are continuing marijuana tests, employment lawyers say. Federal regulations require the testing of pilots, train operators and other key transportation workers. Dropping marijuana testing is more common among employers in the nine states, along with the District of Columbia, that have legalized pot for recreational use. An additional 20 states allow marijuana for medical use only. But historically low unemployment is driving change even where pot remains illegal. After the Drug-Free Workplace Act was enacted in 1988, amid concerns about cocaine use, drug testing spread to most large companies. All Fortune 500 companies now engage in some form of drug testing, according to Barry Sample, a senior director at Quest Diagnostics, one of the largest testing firms. In Denver, in a state with just 3 percent unemployment, 10 percent of employers that screen for drugs had dropped marijuana as of 2016, according to a survey by the Employers Council, which provides corporate legal and human resources services. Its because unemployment is virtually non-existent in Colorado, said Curtis Graves, a lawyer at the council. People cannot afford to take a hard line against off-duty marijuana usage if they want to hire. Thats particularly true in Colorados resort areas, where hotels and ski lifts are heavily staffed with young workers, Graves said: They can lose their jobs and walk across the street and get another one. FPI, a property-management firm in San Francisco that employs 2,900 around the country, from leasing managers to groundskeepers, has dozens of jobs listed on online boards. Its ads say applicants must pass a full background check and drug screening. But it adds, As it relates to marijuana use, FPI will consider any applicable state law when dispositioning test results. FPI didnt respond to requests for comment, which isnt unusual given that companies that have dropped marijuana tests arent exactly billboarding their decisions. Most still seek to maintain drug-free workplaces and still test for harder drugs. Theyre pretty hush-hush about it, Graves said. AutoNation, which operates dealerships in 17 states, is one of the few that have gone public. The company stopped testing for marijuana about a year ago. Marc Cannon, a company spokesman, said it did so mostly in response to evolving public attitudes. But it also feared losing prospective employees. The labor market has tightened up, Cannon said. AutoNation heard from other business leaders, Cannon said. They said things like, Were doing the same thing; we just didnt want to share it publicly. Relaxed attitudes among employers are spreading from states where recreational marijuana is legal to those where its lawful only for medical use, such as Michigan and New Hampshire. Janis Petrini, who owns an Express Employment staffing agency in Grand Rapids, Michigan, says that with the areas unemployment rate below 3 percent, employers are growing desperate. Some are willing to ignore the results of drug tests performed by Express, which still screens for marijuana and wont place workers who test positive. We have had companies say to us, `We dont worry about that as much as we used to, Petrini said. We say, `OK, well, we are still following our standards. One of Reidys clients, a manufacturer in New Hampshire, has dropped marijuana testing because it draws some workers from neighboring Massachusetts and Maine, which have legalized pot for recreational use. Another client, which runs assisted living facilities from Florida to Maine, has stopped testing its housekeeping and food service workers for marijuana. The stigma surrounding marijuana use is eroding, compounding pressure on employers to stop testing. Sixty-four percent of Americans support legalizing pot, a Gallup poll found, the highest percentage in a half-century of surveys. In Las Vegas, where recreational use is legal, marijuana dispensaries look almost like Apple stores, said Thoran Towler, CEO of the Nevada Association of Employers. Many high-tech companies have been moving from California to Nevada to escape Californias high costs, and theyre seeking workers. Towler says the most common question from his 400 member executives is, Where do I find employees? He estimates that roughly one-tenth of his groups members have stopped testing for marijuana out of frustration. They say, `I have to get people on the casino floor or make the beds, and I cant worry about what theyre doing in their spare time, Towler said. Related: Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California Commercial Lines Business Insurance Cannabis Michigan Colorado Manufacturing Drugs Maine G2 Corporation, doing business as Screen Tight, violated federal law by subjecting a female worker in the Patio Screen Door Fabrication warehouse in Corsicana, Texas, to unwelcome physical and verbal sexual harassment at the hands of her production manager and another high-level corporate officer, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has charged in a lawsuit. According to the EEOC, in February 2016, the female employee, who was ordinarily a worker with responsibilities in the fabrication of screen doors, was directed by the production manager to clean the restrooms in the facility. The manager then followed her into both the mens and womens restrooms while making sexual comments and attempting to force himself on her. As she refused his advances and warded off his groping, the assault was interrupted when another female employee came into the area. On other occasions, the production manager had made vulgar and threatening comments to the female subordinate about her body, and what he intended to do with her sexually. The harassment victim said that the company vice president also made graphic, intimidating sexual comments to her. As a result of the sexual harassment and the direct role of management in creating the hostile environment, the employee felt she had no alternative but to leave. Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employers from discriminating based on sex. The EEOC filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division (EEOC v. G2 Corporation d/b/a Screen Tight, Civil Action No. 3:18-cv-01524-G), after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. G2 Corporation d/b/a Screen Tight is a privately held company headquartered in Georgetown, S.C. Screen Tight manufactures and installs patio screen doors and other outdoor screening systems. The company has facilities in South Carolina, Monterrey, Mexico, and Corsicana, Texas. Source: EEOC Topics Lawsuits Texas The last defendant pleaded guilty to conspiracy and agreed that he owes the federal government $149,000 in a case involving a huge explosion at a Louisiana National Guard-owned site. William Terry Wrights plea agreement was described in news release June 15 from the U.S. attorneys office in Shreveport. Wright signed the agreement before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Foote on June 14. Wright, 64, was vice president of operations at Explo Systems, which had an Army contract to demilitarize artillery charges. State police began investigating after a 2012 explosion that shattered windows 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) away. The company went bankrupt in 2013, leaving thousands of tons of potentially explosive M6 propellant at Camp Minden. Wrights sentencing date was not available Friday in the courts electronic docket. Explo co-owner David Alan Smith of Winchester, Kentucky, and three company officials pleaded guilty earlier. Smith, support technology director Charles Ferris Callihan, program manager Kenneth Lampkin and inventory control officer Lionel Koons are scheduled for sentencing Aug. 30. Smiths sentencing date was changed Friday to match the others. The second co-owner, David Fincher of Burns, Tennessee, died June 2. His cause of death was not reported. As vice president, Wright oversaw day-to-day demilitarization operations at Explo and sought buyers for the recovered M6 and smokeless igniter. He was indicted on one count of conspiracy, 23 of making false statements and six of wire fraud. The conspiracy count to which he pleaded guilty said he and others caused improper and unsafe storage of M6 and hazardous waste, obstructed federal inspections, and faked forms from purported buyers. Related: Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Louisiana A roller coaster that derailed in Florida had been put out of service by state inspectors twice in the past year and a half because of problems with the ride. Two riders fell 34 feet (10 meters) when their car derailed Thursday night and was left dangling from the track. Firefighters used ladders to pull eight others to safety high above the Daytona Beach Boardwalk. The front car which was holding four passengers completely came off the tracks, said Daytona Beach Fire spokeswoman Sasha Staton. The two riders who fell from the Sand Blaster ride suffered traumatic injuries, she said. Of nine passengers taken to the hospital, all but two were discharged by Friday afternoon. A month before the derailment, a state inspector had found problems with the ride, and the roller coaster was ordered to be taken out of service. State inspection reports released to The Associated Press on Friday show that an inspector last month found excessive corrosion, a damaged seat, and a crack in the track. Those problems, though, were corrected by the time of a follow-up inspection Thursday, according to the reports. Deficiencies corrected, the inspector noted in the comments section of the report. Department inspectors conducted a thorough inspection of the ride, and it was found in compliance with state law, according to a statement Friday from Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokeswoman Jennifer Meale. Anyone who should be held accountable will be held accountable. A stop order also was issued for the ride in February 2017 because of corrosion and damaged handrails. The stop order continued through two following inspections. In May 2017, an inspector found damaged nuts and bolts. The next month, a seat was found damaged. In videos posted on social media by witnesses, two people can be seen dangling from the cars seats and metal scaffolding beneath the track. Bystanders gathered under the passengers, stretching out their hands to assure them that help was coming. Two people done fell out and clanked their head on the ground, Matt Campbell of Knoxville, Tennessee, said in a video of the scene that he posted online. Campbell and some relatives had been planning to ride the roller coaster, which looked fast but not too extreme for the younger children in the family. It had been raining but the storm seemed to have passed. As they walked toward the ride, they heard a loud bang and saw the front car jump off the track, he said. The car was banging against the rails real hard as it came around the turn, Campbell said. We noticed it wasnt just a normal banging of the roller coaster going down the track, thats what made us look up. Campbell said he and his relatives dropped what was in their hands, breaking his sunglasses and spilling their sodas on the ground, to rush toward the ride. He said he saw two women fall from the front car, while a man and a woman appeared to be dangling and stuck between that car and the metal scaffolding under the track. As some people warned those passengers not to move before rescuers arrived, Campbell said a ride worker grabbed a ladder to help the injured who were hanging above the ground. Firefighters climbed up to rescue them as well as six other passengers in two cars that were still on the track. They had to use the tower ladder to get to them and then bring them on board and guide them safely back down, Staton said. Nine passengers were taken to the hospital, but hospital officials wouldnt describe their injuries due to privacy concerns, said Tangela Boyd, a spokeswoman for Halifax Health Medical Center. Two of the passengers work for a Kentucky company that provides services to people with mental disabilities, and they were on a business trip. One of them remained in the hospital and the other was discharged, said Jory Wells, an official with Alternative Outlook, LLC. The accident is under investigation. We dont know what happened, Staton said. Roller coaster databases show the Sand Blaster had operated in four other locations in its four-decade history. The ride opened at the Daytona Beach Boardwalk in 2013. Before that, it was at the Blue Diamond Amusement Park in New Castle, Delaware, where the ride was called the Blue Diamond Streak. The coaster operated at DelGrossos Amusement Park in Tipton, Pennsylvania, and before that, the coaster was at Legend City in Phoenix, Arizona. It originated at Adventureland Park in Addison, Illinois, according to Ultimate Rollercoaster.com. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Auto Florida The Mississippi Supreme Court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed over a 2009 helicopter accident that left its pilot partially paralyzed. Justices ruled 6-2 that a proper complaint was not filed by Rob Hammons of Greenwood against the defendants until after the three-year statute of limitations had expired by six months, The Greenwood Commonwealth reported. Hammons declined to comment to the newspaper about the decision. He worked for Provine Helicopter Services and was spraying herbicides on timber from one of the companys aircraft in October 2009 when it crashed, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident and published a report in May 2011 saying the probable cause of the crash was a loss of engine power because of fuel contamination. The report indicated the fuel contamination was the result of problems with a dual-use water and fuel truck used by Provine that allowed a small amount of water to leak into the fuel tank. Hammons attorneys filed a lawsuit in December 2011 against Scott Petroleum, claiming the Itta Bena-based company had provided Provine Helicopter with defective fuel. The lawsuit also listed unspecified corporations or persons whose names and liability were unknown at the time. Attorneys said that the lawsuit would be amended once those identities and their liabilities were determined. In April 2012, Scott Petroleums attorneys gave Hammons attorneys a copy of the NTSB report. Hammons attorneys filed an amended lawsuit a year later, which was three years and six months after the crash. It named five manufacturers as defendants and claimed for the first time that the fuel truck and its components were defective. The amended lawsuit said the manufacturers of the equipment should be held responsible for Hammons injuries. The defendants responded that Hammons claims were inadmissible based on the states three-year statute of limitations and because the original complaint didnt properly claim their liability in the matter. Circuit Judge Margaret Carey-McCray ruled in favor of the manufacturers and dismissed the lawsuit. Hammons appeal was rejected last year by the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Then in its decision Thursday, the state Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of both lower courts. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Mississippi Starbucks Corp. and other coffee retailers are looking to get a reprieve in a legal battle over whether they need to post warnings in California that a cup of java contains chemicals known to cause cancer. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment proposed Friday to exempt coffee from a state regulation that require businesses to warn consumers about carcinogens in their products. OEHHA has determined that exposures to Proposition 65-listed chemicals in coffee that are produced as part of and inherent in the processes of roasting coffee beans and brewing coffee pose no significant risk of cancer, the agency said. The proposed regulation would clarify this determination. Starbucks, Target Corp., 7-Eleven Inc. and Whole Foods Market are among dozens coffee makers and sellers who for more than six years have been fighting, and losing, a lawsuit over their alleged failure to comply with the states required warnings. The companies in April failed to convince a state court judge in Los Angeles that sound considerations of public health support an exemption from Californias Prop. 65 warning for the chemical acrylamide in coffee. The companies could be on the hook for as much as $2,500 in penalties for each cup of cup of coffee sold without warning. Related: Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics California Insurance companies say they have received more than 12,000 claims for damage to vehicles and houses in Colorado Springs, Colo. after the citys worst hail storm in 20 years. The Colorado Springs Gazette reported the storm also damaged about 250,000 square feet of roof at Pikes Peak Community College. Hail up to 3 inches in diameter struck the area early Wednesday. No injuries were reported despite the ferocity of the storm. The Army said officials were still inspecting roofs, lights, solar panels and military vehicles at Fort Carson, just southwest of Colorado Springs. Related: Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Claims Colorado We have updated our privacy policy to be more clear and meet the new requirements of the GDPR. By continuing to use our site, you accept our revised Privacy Policy. THE CLOSURE of two Scotiabank branches is just a "temporary setback and one which could lead to improvements in the local industry, according to the leader of the opposition. Washington Misick encouraged the Government this week to take another look at some low cost technology that could mitigate the effects of the banks recent decision. News of the closure hit the airwaves and social media last Thursday afternoon, prompting a round of protests and outrage from people across the Islands, especially many of whom will be affected in Grand Turk which relies heavily the banks presence. Misicks voice was just one of many other officials, both current and former, who have spoken out about the adverse effects this move by the Canadian banking institution will have on the lives of citizens. However, he also proposed some ideas for the Government to take a look at. The low cost technology actions Misick suggested included cheque cashing business opportunities which should be supported by legislation in order to regulate service standards and rates. Another suggestion was the operationalisation of credit unions, the legislation for which already exists, with the exception of regulations to go along with the law. Misick also pointed to old rumours of the banks closure in the Turks and Caicos Islands, which were dispelled at the time. "It had been rumoured for several years that the bank was retrenching. During my term as minister of finance when the banks representatives were confronted with the issue they always denied it to be the case. "I have in the past also personally made representation to the bank (not in writing) about the issue of de-risking certain categories of business to no avail. He stated that global institutions such as these operate on a one size fits all platform with the major emphasis on risk aversion and shareholder value. This means that despite the fact that a jurisdiction might be profitable, if any business is not, that business is regularly eliminated, he said. "I empathise with the anxiety of the Bank of Nova Scotia customers in our nations capital, and categorically deny any knowledge of the banks decision until today; out of respect for the banks staff, it was the proper thing to wait until the bank management met with staff before issuing a statement. "Nevertheless, our people in the nations capital is faced with a problem not of their making and it behoves us as leaders to act with alacrity and cool headedness to address their anxiety and the inconvenience this sudden and disruptive decision will have on the public. He added that all indications are that the decision is a fait accompli. Misick stated that from his meeting with the premier and a senior management delegation from Scotiabanks local office last Thursday, there are indications from the bank that they are open to considering providing banking services for credit unions subject to an agreeable compliance protocol. He added that the benefit of this would be formation of corporate vehicles to begin to build domestic capital and reduce the number of unbanked persons. Both of these things, he said, could be done within the next 90 days while a longer-term solution is considered. "I see this temporary setback as a teachable moment, a clarion call first to leadership to create an enabling environment including improvement in ICT that will allow the citizenry to engage in more self-help initiatives, and to the citizenry to combine their collective abilities and resources together so that everybody win. The recent announcement also affects the Scotiabank branch in Grace Bay, which along with the Grand Turk location will be phased into one location on Leeward Highway, Providenciales. The consolidation of the Grace Bay branch will take effect on July 20 with the Grand Turk branch following on September 28. What Is the European Financial Stability Facility? The European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) was created in 2010 as a temporary crisis resolution measure in the wake of the financial and sovereign debt crisis in the euro area (eurozone). It provided assistance to Ireland, Portugal, and Greece. It no longer provides new financial assistance, with this task the responsibility of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) as of 2012, but it continues to exist to fulfill obligations on previously agreed programs. Understanding the European Financial Stability Facility The European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) was set up by the European Union (EU) to help fund countries that were unable to fund themselves during the sovereign debt crisis. The EFSF offered financial assistance to euro area countries in need in this context, provided they committed to undertaking certain reforms (aimed at preventing the recurrence of similar crises). This assistance was financed through the issuance of EFSF bonds and other capital market instruments. The EFSF was authorized to raise a maximum of 440 billion in the capital market through the issuance of these securities. The securities, in turn, are backed by guarantees from member countries in the eurozone, in proportion to their shares of capital in the European Central Bank (ECB). The total guarantee line is 780 billion. In brief, the guarantees attracted investors who were not willing to lend directly to the crisis countries, and the EFSF provided loans to those countries (conditional upon the commitment to reforms). The EFSF has not offered any new financing since July 1, 2013, having been replaced in this function by the ESM, which is a permanent crisis resolution mechanism. The EFSF, however, remains in existence to continue to finance agreed programs; its ongoing activities include receiving loan repayments from the countries it has assisted; making principal and interest payments on its issued bonds to investors; and rolling over existing bonds, because the maturity of its loans to the euro area beneficiaries is longer than that of its issued bonds. Although the EFSF and ESM are different institutions with different governance structures, they share the same staff and offices (in Luxembourg). They both have the same mission: to safeguard financial stability in Europe through financial assistance to euro area countries. The two mechanisms together have disbursed 250 billion. In addition to Portugal, Greece, and Ireland, which were originally assisted by the EFSF, Spain and Cyprus have also received financing from the ESM. As of August 2018, all of these countries have reformed and improved successfully enough to have exited their EFSF/ESM programs without requiring follow-up arrangements. When buying a car, it may be better to have a down payment rather than a trade-in. A trade-in offers convenience to the car buyer, since one can walk into a dealership with a used vehicle and walk out or rather, drive out with a brand-new automobile. But this convenience comes at a significant cost since most buyers are likely to leave cash on the table by receiving less for their trade-in than what it is worth. The dealer is especially likely to offer a low price if the trade-in is from a car manufacturer that is different from the one the dealership represents. Key Takeaways When considering whether to make a down payment or trade-in a vehicle its usually best to make a down payment from a financial perspective. Youll get more bang-for-your-buck when offering a down payment. This could mean selling your vehicle privately before going in for a purchase. However, the difference of a few hundred dollars might not make the private sale worth the hassle. The preferred course of action would be to sell the car privately before buying a replacement vehicle and using the sale proceeds as a down payment. But arranging for a private sale can be a time-consuming and cumbersome process involving a number of steps. These include: Ensuring that the vehicle is sale-worthy Advertising the sale Making the car available for test drives Actually getting the money once the car is sold The timing also has to be near-perfect in a private sale, in order to avoid being without an automobile for an inordinately long time. You also have the potential hassle of signing over the title, which usually has to be notarized. As well, if you sell your car for more than you paid for it, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers that a capital gain, which is taxable. Regardless of whether the old car is being traded-in or sold privately, the seller should have a good idea of what the vehicle is actually worth before coming up with a price for it. Over-inflated expectations of the value of the car may result in reasonable offers being turned down, while inaccurately low estimates will hurt the seller's pocketbook. A number of online sites provide estimates for both trade-ins and private sales. Conversely, if you're open to financing your car purchase with a loan, an online auto loan calculator can help illustrate how much a down payment will affect your monthly payment. The Bottom Line When comparing a trade-in to a private sale, it boils down to how much the convenience factor is worth. Receiving a couple of hundred dollars less for a trade-in, as opposed to a private sale, may be well worth the hassle involved in the latter, for most people. In the end, it may be best to arrange a down payment rather than a trade-in when buying a car. But if that is not possible and a trade-in is the only option, do your research beforehand to obtain an estimate of the value of your vehicle. A few hours of research can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars, by fetching you a better price for your trade-in than a dealer's low-ball offer. By Ann O'Loughlin Permission has been granted to a couple by the High Court to bring a challenge to a 50-apartment development on school lands next to their home in Dalkey, Co Dublin. Developers Curve Devco were granted planning permission last April by An Bord Pleanala for a three-to-four storey high apartment development on a 1.2 hectare wooded site which forms part of the larger Castle Park School lands off the Castle Park Road. The entrance to the private primary school is a landmark castellated structure which is protected in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development plan. Ann-Maria Lucey and her husband Denis Lucey, of Castle Close, want the court to quash the board's decision on a number of grounds, including that the board acted unreasonably and outside its powers. In particular, they say plans to widen the road inside the castellated entrance was never part of the planning application. Their home, and a number of other houses in Castle Close, back on to the entrance road to the school which will also become the shared access to the new apartments. They also say the access for construction traffic, for the duration of the building works lasting possibly two to three years, will be through the road serving the small cul-de-sac estate they live in. This was also not included in any site notice or drawings submitted with the application, they say. The developers were also required, as part of the county development plan, to submit a master plan to address the future needs of the school and this was not done, they say. The Luceys say the current needs of the school in terms of traffic management are constrained by the nature of the lands. If these current needs cannot be catered for, it follows the future needs of the school are also compromised, they say in their proceedings. There is also a discrepancy in the building heights used in the developer's plans which meant the board failed to have regard to the significant impact of the development on the Luceys' home, it is claimed. Today, Mr Justice Seamus Noonan granted permission to John Gibbons SC, for the Luceys, to seek a judicial review of the board's decision. The application was made on an ex-parte basis. The matter comes back before the court in October. More than 3,500 entrepreneurs aged between 10 and 12-years-old showcased their products and businesses at Irelands first Junior Enterpreneur Programme (JEP) Showcase today at the RDS Dublin. Having turned over 220,000 collectively, successful 5th and 6th class entrepreneurs generated over 140,000 in less than a year! Every county in Ireland and Northern Ireland was represented at the JEP Showcase, where primary school children demonstrate their creativity, innovation and business acumen giving celebrity judges and some of Irelands leading business people a hard time in selecting the best products, teams and business strategies. Founded by Jerry Kennelly, the Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP) is a nationwide, free programme to promote entrepreneurship from a young age. Aligned with the primary school curriculum, the programme enables primary school children to explore the world of business, convert their ideas into commercial opportunities and discover the thrill of business, while also building confidence, developing skills in problem-solving, presentation and teamwork. Its inspiring to see 10, 11 and 12-year-old children turn ideas into businesses and create products that people are willing to pay for. In an adult world, these children are given free rein to discover their own hidden talents and creativity. They discover what theyre good at and experience the joy of a shared goal with their class. "Teachers and pupils talk about the revelation of previously unknown skills among the class - and are all buzzed by the confidence of achieving real world business success in the classroom. JEP gives children a chance to stand on their own two feet and to show the world what they can do at an early age. A number of awards were presented at the conclusion of the showcase. The accolade of Class of the Year went to the students of Gaelscoil An Inbhir Mhoir for their bilingual board game Marching the Map, while The Positivity Box from Scoil Baile Ui Ghiblin in Cork was named Star Submission. Croke Park officials will need to keep their eye on the pupils from Scoil Naisiunta Baile Nora in Cork who were named Financial Wizards for their project For the Love of GAA, and farmers health was to the fore for the Top Team winners Scoil Naisiunta Seosamh Naofa in Galway for their Tractor Back Support. Sums Up, an educational card game created by the pupils of Killeshandra National School in Co Cavan, won Genius Product, while Bunscoil McAuley Rice from Co Kilkenny were named Marketing Gurus for their Power Porridge. The pupils of Lehinch National School in Co Mayo were identified as Change Agents for their Internet Safety Game, while the Community Champions of Scoil Bhride in Killarney were also thinking of safety and addressing a problem in their community with a Tick Kit. Perfect Presents a series of bespoke gifts with personalized messages earned the title of Creative Pioneers for St Mary's and St Gerard's NS, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow. Speaking at the JEP Showcase Awards presentation, Jerry Kennelly said: Only a small percentage of the children who complete JEP will go on to start their own business in the future, but now they will now understand the challenges faced by the cornerstone of our economy - the entrepreneurs who drive it. "Our vision for JEP is that it allows the children to understand that they can think independently and create something real from nothing but an idea. JEP participants understand that money doesnt grow on trees and that goods and services dont come from shops. They understand that it takes passion, drive and commitment to create a product or service that people will pay for. They get what is probably their first taste of the real world. The Junior Entrepreneur Programme is enrolling now for the new school year starting in September 2018. See www.juniorentrepreneur.ie Padraig Hoare Half of Irish businesses were victims of economic crime in the past two years, with cybercrime hitting record levels and doubling global levels. That is according to PwCs bi-annual survey of business crime, which found 49% of Irish companies have experienced economic crime over the last two years, up from 34% in 2016 and 26% in 2010. The report said that of reported crimes, 61% experienced cybercrime, up from 44% globally. Reported incidents of cybercrime in Irish firms is double that of global counterparts, the report said. Cybercrime has overtaken asset misappropriation (29%) for the first time, while consumer fraud (42%) and business misconduct (16%) also feature prominently, PwC said. Detective Chief Superintendent, Patrick Lordan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, warned economic crime is becoming more prevalent and more costly for Irish businesses, exacerbated by the spike in cybercrime. It is encouraging to see that Irish companies are spending significant resources in the combat of crime and it is essential that these efforts continue. In a world that has become ever more complex, we will continue to work with businesses, the Government, the ODCE, regulators and international colleagues in the prevention and detection of economic crime and fraud, he said. Europol, the EU-wide police network, has warned the global impact of cybercrime has risen to 2.5 trillion, making it more profitable than the global trade in marijuana, cocaine, and heroin combined. A survey last year by British IT research firm Juniper found criminal data breaches will cost businesses a total of 7trn over the next five years, due to higher levels of internet connectivity and inadequate enterprise-wide security. It found that SMEs were particularly at risk from cyber attacks. The Central Bank last week fined an asset management company after it lost 650,000 of a clients funds in an online scam. Appian Asset Management was fined 443,000 and reprimanded by the regulator for admitting significant breaches across client asset, anti-money laundering, and fitness and probity regulation. The PwC report found more than one in 10 firms lost over 4m to economic crime in the last two years, while another 66% lost up to 810,000, mostly fuelled by cybercrime. PwC Ireland cyber leader, Pat Moran said: Actual crime could well be higher than reported crime which makes the findings from this survey even more concerning. What the survey is clearly showing us is that there is a better understanding of what fraud is through risk assessments and where it is taking place through cyber security programs. However, there remained complacency among some firms, Mr Moran warned. Despite the progress in understanding and reporting, the fact that 51% say they have not, or dont know if they have experienced fraud in the past two years, suggests blind spots still exist in many organisations. Phishing was the most prominent (66%) technique for targeted cyber attacks, followed by malware at 56% ---substantially less for global companies at 33% and 36% respectively. Just over half of Irish participants had increased the level of spending on efforts to combat fraud in the last two years, compared to just 42% globally Some 59% are planning to step-up these efforts in the next two years compared to 44% globally, the report found. Six out of 10 Irish firms performed fraud risk assessments in the last two years, slightly more than their global counterparts. However, four out of ten Irish companies have not yet undertaken any fraud risk assessments. Mr Moran said: The funds allocated to crime detection and prevention are increasing, with Irish companies investing more than global companies, and that has a multiplier effect. By Ann O'Loughlin A challenge by a man accused of being the world's biggest facilitator of child pornography aimed at halting his extradition to the United States has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Eric Eoin Marques is wanted by the American authorities on charges including conspiring to distribute and advertise child pornography and advertising and distributing child pornography. The FBI believes he is the owner and administrator of an anonymous hosting site known as Freedom Hosting. He was arrested by the Gardai in 2013 on foot of a formal request from the US opposes his extradition. He has brought a number of separate but related actions against his proposed extradition including a challenge against the DPP's decision not to prosecute him in Ireland for offences he is wanted for by the US authorities. His challenge against that the decision was also dismissed. In 2017 he brought fresh proceedings aimed at halting his extradition to the US. His lawyers argued the Minister for Justice needed to know the reasons why the DPP decided not to prosecute before the Minister can properly exercise his discretion before making an order for Mr Marques's surrender. The court was also asked to determine if the reasons given by Minister in a decision made in June 2017 ordering Mr Marques's extradition were adequate. His application was dismissed by the High Court last November, and he appealed that ruling to the Court of Appeal. The Minister opposed the application. In its judgement today the Court of Appeal comprised of Mr Justice Michael Peart, Mr Justice Alan Mahon, and Mr Justice John Hedigan dismissed the appeal. Giving the court's decision Mr Justice Peart said the High Court was entirely correct in its decision. Noting that while "extradition is a process of international cooperation in the criminal sphere between sovereign states," it was not a criminal proceeding" and involves "no finding of guilt or innocence." The Judge said Mr Marques had no entitlement to require the Minister to obtain from the DPP the reasons for deciding not to prosecute him in Ireland. He had no right to a refusal of his extradition because the DPP made a decision not to prosecute him, and no right to even to require the Minister to consider exercising that office's holder's power to refuse his extradition, the Judge said. The court was also satisfied that the reasons given by the Minister to allow Mr Marques's extradition proceed were clear. Nothing more was required to be explained in regard to that decision, the Judge added. In all the circumstances the Judge said the court was satsified to dismiss the appeal. The case will return before the Court on Friday when lawyers for Marques may seek to have the case appealed to the Supreme Court. The charges against Mr Marques, with an address at Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1, relate to images on over 100 anonymous websites described as being extremely violent, graphic and depicting the rape and torture of pre-pubescent children. The High Court ordered his extradition, which Mr Marques opposed, in December 2015. His appeal against that order was dismissed in 2016 by the Court of Appeal. By Olivia Kelleher The family of a woman who was brutally murdered by her boyfriend are calling for an overhaul of the criminal justice system after they had to endure three murder trials before they saw the killer jailed for life. Mother of three, play school teacher and youth leader Olivia Dunlea (36) who lived in Passage West, Co Cork was stabbed in the neck in her home by Darren Murphy (41) on February 17, 2013. As she lay dying in her bed with multiple stab injuries he set fire to her quilt before going downstairs and lighting a fire in the middle of the table. The blaze was an attempt to conceal his crime. Mr Murphy was jailed for life at the Central Criminal Court in Cork last week after the jury found him guilty of murder. The two previous murder trials in the case had resulted in a hung jury and a conviction which was overturned on a legal issue. Speaking at the family home in Victoria Avenue in the city, Ann Dunlea, mother of the deceased, recalled that an undertaker had to inform them that they couldnt dress their loved one for her funeral or even say their last goodbyes. Tragically, Olivia had to be identified from her dental records. Mr Murphy had burned her home around her. Clothes had to be bought for the children of Olivia Dunlea because they literally didnt have a shirt on their backs after the fire. Some of their pets died in the blaze. The family managed to retrieve a few photographs and personal items from the loft of the house in Pembroke Crescent but they have very little in the way of possessions relating to their loved one. Ann Dunlea, who has been the backbone of her family even amid her immense sorrow, says that Darren Murphy should never walk the streets of Ireland again. She insists the family will never understand his web of lies. Nor can they comprehend how he would arrive at the scene of the fire pretending to be a grieving boyfriend in what the prosecution deemed to be an Oscar winning performance. Darren Murphy went to the scene of the crime in physical disarray with his top on back to front which in the view of the prosecution was a deliberate act to make it look like he had only just heard of the fire. Ann Dunlea says the keys should be thrown away in the case. He shouldnt be left outside the gates. He is in a hotel (in Cork Prison). The night of the fire he was screaming Where is she (Olivia)? He was ringing her. He was in an awful state over her. Olivia Dunlea's killer, Darren Murphy "He was able to look down (from his house) at the house on fire. If he had called an ambulance even. He should never see daylight again. Life has to mean life. He can't be out in a few years. He had three trials." Ann said Mr Murphy insulted the memory of their daughter by suggesting to gardai that he only set fire to the house to prevent Olivias kids from returning from their sleepover with their aunt to find their mother dead. Ms Dunlea said the lies in court drove her mad. There wasnt a day in court that you wouldnt want to get up and say That is my child. We were demented (by all the trials). "Everything (in the first two trials) was in Dublin. We had to provide sitters for the kids. Weeks and weeks. It was all about him (Darren Murphy). We were the victims. Not him. Ms Dunlea said if her daughter had been sick or crashed her car they would have had to try and accept her death. You couldnt accept the way she died. It was evil. Olivia was so kind. She had half of Passage West in the house for birthdays. It was like the animal roadshow. She loved her pets. She loved her kids. She was so loving. Anne Dunlea, sister of the deceased, says Darren Murphy got a prison term whilst they got the life sentence. She gave birth to her daughter Charlotte just days before she lost Olivia. Anne didnt drive at the time and Olivia had changed her car to accommodate the new arrival. Her big sister she says was a "helper" in life. I have four children and she was getting a seven seater car to help me. She was full of excitement about Charlotte being born. Charlottes birthday is the 12th and Olivias anniversary is the 17th. Olivia threw me a baby shower the month before she died and I am glad she got to see people that night. She laughed as she recalled the time Olivia delivered kittens without breaking a sweat. Or the occasion when she was giving birth and Olivia got to the hospital before the ambulance. Anne lived in the same estate as Olivia and moved house because she couldnt bear to remain there after the murder. I never went back. I only spent one night in that house after and that was the night it happened. Olivia has never been to my new house or seen the kids grow up. Murder victim Olivia Dunlea. Picture: From Provision Anne and her sibling Amanda fondly recalled their younger days with their sociable and loving sister Olivia who adored Christmas.. She always got her decorations out at the earliest possible opportunity. Olivia was the eldest of the trio and she was the funny one who loved George Michael and doing their make up for teenage discos. Olivia was the type of big sister who would bring you in to town just to buy a huge bag of crisps in Marks and Spencer. Anne said during the trial process it was the Darren Murphy show and her sister became a footnote in her own life. If this was America he would have been sentenced to five hundred years. The siblings say Olivia was the voice of reason in the family. The eldest daughter was the easy going one who couldnt be excited. But if need be she was there for everyone. The Dunlea family emphasise that Olivias kids Aaron (17) , Megan (15) and Daragh (14) are her greatest legacy. Aaron made his Confirmation two weeks after he lost his mum with his grandmother Ann admitting that she cried her way through the ceremony. Olivias aunt, Harriet King, who supported the family through the trials, said that her beloved niece was very soft. She had a heart of gold. She would help anyone." Harriet said courts should not be able to use terms like model prisoner. What does that mean? It is a disgrace. That means nothing. It is torture. He (Darren) didnt go through torture. The court went through all of Olivias personal life. You feel so helpless." She says they understand that a defence barrister has a job to do and that Mr Murphys counsel in the recent case did everything he could not to hurt the family in the course of his work. Ann Dunlea says it is hard to face the morning when it comes around. She often lies in bed at night replaying the nightmare of the loss of her daughter in her head. It is especially painful in the still and quietness of the early hours when she doesnt have the distraction of her grandchildren filling the house up with warmth and love. When morning comes you put on your other face. I used to be a home help. I loved it. I couldnt do it now. We are happy with the outcome but it doesnt bring Olivia back. In court it was all about him (Darren Murphy). The Dunlea family would like to thank gardai and officials from the DPPs office for their courtesy during the three cases. They are particularly grateful for the professionalism of Senior Counsel, Tom Creed, who was the voice of the Prosecution in the three trials. Mr Murphy (41) of Dan Desmond Drive, Passage West, Co Cork had pleaded not guilty to murder but conceded that he had committed manslaughter. The DPP declined to accept his plea. Olivia Dunlea was discovered lying face down on her bed having incurred six stab wounds prior to the blaze. Two lockers on either side of Miss Dunlea's bed were burned and the ceiling had collapsed. The ceiling joints in her bedroom were charred and the ensuite was badly burned. The trial was told that Mr Murphy reacted so strongly to the break up of an earlier relationship that he slashed his wrists and required admission to a psychiatric unit. Witnesses in the trial had indicated that he had wanted to control his girlfriend. The pathologist in the case, Professor Marie Cassidy, said that she was of the view that Olivia was still alive when the fire started. The postmortem revealed that Olivia had six stab wounds, two behind the right ear and four to the front of the neck. One of the wounds behind her ear penetrated in to her spinal canal, causing bleeding inside her skull which would have caused paralysis. Professor Cassidy said that Olivia could have died from the stab wounds alone but 24% carbon monoxide suggests she was breathing in some of the fumes. Neighbours had raised the alarm when they spotted the fire in the early hours of the morning of February 17th, 2013. Mr Murphy arrived at the scene and was seen crying and trying to enter the property. He was stopped by members of the fire brigade. The pair had earlier been socialising with friends in the nearby Rochestown Inn. A taxi driver had noted that Olivia was in good form on the way back but Darren Murphy was "frosty" and he sensed there was tension in the air. Ann Dunlea says that Darren maintained in court that Olivias last words were about her kids. They would like to believe his statement to gardai but she says How can you trust the words of a liar? Ann said the grim reality is that she did not get to see her child before she was laid to rest. Olivia's coffin is removed We want to talk because the dead cant talk for themselves. We never saw her alive again. She was the best mother and Aunty. She saw the good in everyone. "I wouldnt wish what happened to us on anyone nor even my worst enemy and I never want him (Darren) back out on the streets. "Olivias kids are so good. They are strong. I love having the grandchildren around. It makes me get up in the morning. The kids are my reason to get out of bed. All of my grandchildren are. The seven grandchildren keep me going. * Read more on this story in tomorrow's Irish Examiner By Ruaidhri Giblin A Co Louth man, wanted in the UK for his alleged role in the smuggling of cigarettes and tobacco by an organised crime gang, is expected to challenge his extradition to the UK on a legal point related to Brexit. Stephen Watters (50), with an address at Kilcurry, Dundalk, Co Louth, is wanted in the UK for alleged conspiracy to fraudulently evade excise duty and for allegedly entering into an arrangement to facilitate the acquisition, use or control of criminal property. Mr Watters was arrested on foot of a European Arrest Warrant earlier this year and High Court extradition proceedings are at an early stage. Lawyers for Mr Watters asked Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly today for more time to file points of objection to his proposed surrender. Carol Doherty BL, for Mr Watters, indicated that her clients case would raise a legal point related to Brexit. Ms Justice Donnelly remanded Mr Watters on continuing bail until October 8 with liberty to apply if there was an early resolution on the Brexit matter before that date. The European Arrest Warrant issued in respect of Mr Watters states that the case concerns an organised crime gang operating in the north west of England and the Republic of Ireland between January 1, 2014 and September 4, 2015. The gang were allegedly involved in the illegal importation and distribution of non UK duty paid tobacco products and the laundering of monies earned from that fraud, the warrant states. Seizures in excess of 17 million cigarettes and 1.5 tonnes of hand rolling tobacco have been made which can be attributed to this gang, the warrant states, equating to approximately 3 million of excise duty evaded. Charges were initiated in respect of seven individuals including Mr Watters. All seven were requisitioned to appear before Liverpool and Knowsley Magisrates Court. Six attended and were sent to Liverpool Crown Court but Mr Watters did not attend and a warrant was issued for his arrest. According to the warrant, evidence against the gang includes a significant amount of audio recorded from a covert monitoring post. Mr Watters is alleged to have been the principal occupant of a premises where conversations were recorded. The occupants of that property were recorded discussing their roles in the organisation, the importation of tobacco and the arrangements for dealing with the proceeds of that criminal activity. The warrant states that there was a significant seizure of non duty paid tobacco products at Felixtowe on September 8, 2014 and a number of recorded discussions referred to that seizure and the arrangements around it. A further seizure of tobacco took place at Dublin Port on January 20, 2015. The shipment was manifested to Belfast and was ultimately destined for the UK mainland. The arrangements for, and the events surrounding, that seizure were specifically referred to by the gang in recorded conversations and can also be linked to the gang through other evidence, the warrant states. The recorded conversations included discussions on arrangements for laundering the proceeds of this and other criminal activity. It is alleged that Mr Watters is known by an alias John Sleaty who is a director of a company based in the Republic of Ireland called Sleaty Distribution Ltd, the warrant states. If convicted, Mr Watters is facing a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment, the warrant states. Blogging came naturally to June Molloy Vladicka, a keen reader since childhood. She started MyFoodOdyssey.com, to share food tips, photos and stories of her familys travels, writes Denise O'Donoghue. She and her husband have lived sustainably in Lithuania for the past five years. In 2013, I took voluntary redundancy from my job and embarked on a three-month tour of Europe in a camper van, ending in my husbands home country of Lithuania, she said. Having lived in Dublin since leaving school, I was eager to get back to country life and so we bought a small house in our village and set about restoring it. The house purchase and renovation were featured on an episode of House Hunters International. We live as self-sufficiently as possible, growing most of our own vegetables and keeping some animals. Junes lifestyle led to the birth of a blog and, later, the publication of two books. I have a launched two books off the back of the blog. The first is a short memoir and cookbook about Lithuanian food. It includes nine of the most popular traditional Lithuanian recipes. Each recipe is introduced with a short story about my own experiences with the dish. The second book is a novel for older children called Guardian of Giria. It was inspired by my love of wildlife and by the animals I see when Im out taking photos. Thank you so much to all who came to the launch of Guardian of Giria! I had a wonderful afternoon. I hope you're all enjoying your books! Special thanks to @BookCentreWex for arranging everything & the bakery at Pettitts (St. Aidan's) for doing such a good job of the cakes! pic.twitter.com/iLL2h2kFWq June Molloy (@June_Molloy) May 28, 2018 The idea for Guardian of Giria came to me while I was out taking photos and spotted a fox and a deer running across a field together. I immediately began to relate their adventure to my husband, who played along, encouraging the story. Eventually, it grew so large in my head that I had to get it down on paper, and the book was born. June enjoys connecting with people from home online and sharing her experiences with others. Sharing my experiences and interacting with other people is especially important as an expat in a non-English speaking country. I get to show people whats special about this country and what Ive been up to, and I get to see how people back home or around the world have similar experiences. June feels more connected to the Irish blogging community than to Lithuanian bloggers. Its important to me to maintain my ties with Ireland as I envisage that we will eventually move back to Ireland. Its also very difficult for me to be part of any blogging community here in Lithuania due to my limited ability to speak the language. This makes me lean even more towards bloggers back home. On June 15, 1919, Alcock and Brown landed in Connemara, 16 hours and 28 minutes after leaving Newfoundland. The first non-stop transatlantic flight, it opened the way to global air travel, says Robert Hume Who was the first person to fly across the Atlantic in an aeroplane, nonstop? Charles Lindbergh? The Wright brothers? Answer either and youd be wrong. It was two British airmen: Captain John Alcock and navigator, Lieutenant Arthur Whitten-Brown, in a converted, two-seater Vickers-Vimy bomber in 1919. Centenary celebrations of their historic flight begin this week. Having repaired a broken axle, Alcock (27) and Brown (32) took off from Lesters Field, St Johns, Newfoundland on Saturday, June 14, 1919. The experienced flyers wore electrically heated clothing, fur gloves, and fur-lined helmets, because their cockpit was open. They carried sandwiches, coffee, whiskey, beer, and 800 letters in a little white bag the first transatlantic airmail. The sky was overcast, the wind so strong that the plane had to be roped down. With this wind we shall be in Ireland in twelve hours quipped Brown. Depressingly slowly, the Vimy taxied along the bumpy runway, reluctant to leave the ground under the weight of fuel. They took off, only a couple of feet above a fence at the end of the field. A less-experienced pilot would have crashed, Brendan Lynch, author of Yesterday We Were in America, says. Vessels in St. Johns Harbour blew farewell sirens as the plane passed overhead. For a while, the plane flew peacefully in the open sky. The difficult take-off was forgotten. But within half an hour, the pairs radio faltered, and after three hours it failed. Fog banks appeared on the horizon. Weve got no choice, said Alcock. Weve got to go in. They flew blind through dense clouds: We scarcely saw the sun, or the moon, or the stars. The fog became so thick, they lost sight of the propeller blades. Suddenly, a terrifying noise broke the silence: the starboard exhaust pipe and silencer had disintegrated. The engine grew so loud they could only communicate to one another by scribbled notes. Then, the heating in their flying suits packed up. But they experienced probably their worst moment, says Lynch, when the plane stalled and spiralled down. Alcock levelled out only fifty feet above the waves, so close, they tasted the salt on their lips. The weather grew worse. Hail battered the aircraft and they feared the fabric would tear. As hail turned to snow, the controls froze. Brown had to clear the fuel gauge behind them by standing up in the cockpit, despite the bitterly cold slipstream. Finally, at half-past-six the next morning, they glimpsed the sun, one of three sightings during the whole flight. They made out Eeshal island and Turbot, off Galway. We were jolly pleased, I tell you, to see the coast, said Alcock. The men spotted the tall masts of the Marconi wireless station at Derrigimlagh. They circled around Clifden, but, unable to find a suitable landing site, returned to Derrigimlagh, where Marconi technicians frantically waved them away. Alcock thought they were waving a welcome, and brought the Vimy down on what appeared a green landing strip, but was the dangerous swamp of Derrigimlagh Moor. The nose of the plane sank into the bog, and fuel began to leak into the cockpit. But the airmen scrambled to safety. It was 8.40 a.m. on Sunday, June 15, 1919. They had been flying for 16 hours and 28 minutes, and had covered 1,900 miles without stopping. It was the longest distance ever flown. Im Alcock just come from Newfoundland, the pilot told the technicians. Brown joked: Yesterday, I was in America, and Im the first man in Europe ever to say that. When asked later how he felt about crossing a vast ocean in the dark, Alcock replied: I do not think that either of us had ever thought of what we were flying over, being merely intent on getting the machine across... Local people waded through the bog to view the plane, and that evening souvenir pieces of the wings were on sale in the town. The airmen signed countless autographs on their journey to Galway, and entertained late into the night at the Railway Hotel. A Galway jeweller presented each airman with a Claddagh ring. In Dublin, next morning, Trinity students lifted them from the train and carried them shoulder-high to waiting cars. Alcock thanked the Irish people for the wonderful reception: It was really a bigger strain on us than the flight. Telegrams of congratulation arrived from all over the world. At Londons Savoy Hotel, Winston Churchill presented them with 10,000 prize money from the Daily Mail, for the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic by a heavier than air machine. A few days later, King George V knighted them at Windsor Castle. Arthur Brown married soon afterwards and lived until 1948. But six months after the enterprise, John Alcock died whilst flying from Weybridge to the Paris Aircraft Exhibition. Today, a monument to John Alcock and Arthur Brown a planes tail fin is perched on Errislannan Hill, overlooking Derrigimlagh Bog, where the airmen landed and made aviation history. For the centenary next June, the History Press is republishing Lynchs book, with a foreword by John Alcocks nephew, Group Captain Tony Alcock, who launched Tuesdays Alcock and Brown 100 Festival at Buswells Hotel, Dublin. Their transatlantic flight, says Tony, opened the pathway to global air travel, and should be given the recognition it deserves. Former government minister Gonen Segev has been charged with spying for Iran, Israels Shin Bet internal security agency announced on Monday. The former energy and infrastructure minister who also spent time in jail for drug smuggling, forgery and fraud was arrested on suspicion of assisting the enemy in a time of war, spying against the State of Israel, and providing intelligence to the enemy. An indictment was filed in the Jerusalem District Prosecutors Office on June 15 and approved by the attorney-general and the state attorney. Segev is suspected of providing his Iranian handlers with intelligence related to Israels energy industry, security sites, buildings and officials in Israeli political and security bodies, and more. According to the Shin Bet, Segev arrived for a visit in May to Equatorial Guinea, where he was refused entry to the country due to his criminal past. Security authorities had gathered intelligence indicating that Segev was maintaining contacts with Iranian intelligence and assisting them in their activities against the State of Israel. The Israel Police subsequently requested his extradition to Israel, where he was immediately arrested upon his arrival for questioning by the Shin Bet. The investigation by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police found that Segev was recruited and acted as an agent on behalf of Iranian intelligence. In 2012, Segev first met with elements of the Iranian Embassy in Nigeria, knowing they were from Iranian intelligence, and later traveled twice to Iran to meet with his handlers. The investigation also found that Segev, who received a secret communications system to encrypt messages between him and his Iranian handlers, met with his handlers around the world, in hotels and apartments used for clandestine Iranian activity. In order to meet the tasks he received from his handlers, Segev maintained ties with Israeli citizens who are related to Israels security and foreign relations. According to the Shin Bet, Segev tried to connect some of the Israeli citizens to Iranian intelligence, all the while trying to fool them and present the Iranian as innocent businessmen. Segev was born in Israel in 1956 and served as a military pilot in the Israeli Air Force in the 1970s, reaching the rank of captain. Following his service, he studied medicine at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and became a medical doctor. He was elected to the Knesset in 1992 as part of the now-defunct, hawkish opposition Tzomet Party and was lured to join Yitzhak Rabins government as energy minister in 1994 before he quit politics. He was arrested and convicted for drug smuggling and credit card fraud in 2005 after attempting to smuggle 32,000 ecstasy (MDMA) tablets from the Netherlands into Israel. He was released in 2007 after serving two years of a five-year sentence. Segev, who said he thought the tablets were M&Ms, moved to Nigeria where he practiced medicine after his license was revoked in Israel. Gonen Segev, who accepted bribes to join Yitzhak Rabin's Labor government in 1993 and was partly responsible for enabling the Oslo accords, has been arrested on charges of espionage for the country that's currently proving the worst nuclear threat in the Islamic world:It's horrific, alright, and not even the first time he was charged with serious felonies. As the following states:It's regrettable he didn't serve enough time. One of the reasons he left politics was because his betrayal of the Tzomet party and public by supporting the Oslo accords only ensured nobody wanted to vote for the splinter party he formed with 2 other traitors. That he'd turn to serious crimes later on only proves he never learned any lessons, and probably felt vindictive for being rejected for his prior offenses. Now, it's to be hoped he'll face more convincing justice for aiding the enemy and the Religion of Peace, and endangering the country ever further. He should practically be locked away with the very adherents of Islam he was collaborating with. A most truly repellent man Segev is indeed. If there was an archive established for research on evil people, he could make a great candidate for inclusion in it. Labels: anti-semitism, dhimmitude, iran, islam, Israel, Jerusalem, jihad, Knesset, Moonbattery, political corruption, terrorism, war on terror The lyrics to Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves echoed around the Belfast Waterfront conference centre decorated with 3.5m- high posters of Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle ONeill and framed with a purple hue designed to honour the suffragettes, writes Fiachra O Cionnaith. The delegates voted in their droves for potentially entering coalition with their supposed enemies in Fine Gael and Fianna Fail in the future, despite a long-standing insistence, until recently, that they would never consider such treachery. The partys limited abortion policy was further liberalised, just months after an initial change, to bring it into line with the countrys landslide yes vote in Mays referendum. And, for once, those present could only murmur about change and not sulphur from its not-too-distant past being in the air at the Sinn Fein ard fheis. While the images of Bobby Sands and hunger strikers were still there, alongside promotions for sideline talks about the Ballymurphy massacre, there was no mistaking the fact Sinn Feins weekend ard fheis represented a significant moment for the party. Since Ms McDonald took over from Gerry Adams earlier this year, Sinn Fein has been slowly moving towards the centre ground of Irish politics. Now fully ensconced as its new leader, Ms McDonald ramped up that change at the weekend, emphasising that her party and it is increasingly her party cannot continue to be ignored as a genuine coalition prospect. The careful and pointed nods to the past were still there, with Ms McDonald using her prime time TV speech on Saturday evening to emphasise the partys history as much as its future. Those same nods where there among delegates too, whether party handlers wanted them to be so blatant or not, with one delegate shouting to the crowd tiocfaidh ar la during an abortion debate and another wistfully thinking back to a previous era by saying from the stage on Friday night: We used to say up the you know who... but we cant say that anymore. However, the tone and imagery of this weekends ard fheis was noticeably different, and pointed in only one direction Sinn Feins new leader wants to enter power with her party. And to do that, she recognises that there is a need to bring it or at least give the impression that it is being brought into centre ground politics in order to win over middle Ireland voters and make it near- impossible for Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to ignore the party as an option. It remains unclear if Sinn Feins focus is on the next election or the election after that, with the party well known for its long-term strategic thinking and a school of thought suggesting a Fine Gael-Fianna Fail coalition would allow Sinn Fein to define itself as the main opposition party over the coming years. However, there is no mistaking last weekends ard fheis marks a key turning point in the partys political positioning and potentially just as key a moment for the wider political arena. Noel Baker reports on two West Cork communities awaiting urgent Irish Water works to address raw sewage that is being released directly into the sea. You never know what youre going to find way down west. On this particular morning in Castletownbere, traffic gridlock is suddenly a real possibility. The reason is a fleet of around two dozen vintage motor cars, all German reg, all left-hand drive, slowly eking their way through the towns narrow streets. MGs and Mercs werent under consideration when the road was originally laid, but they eventually make their stately progress through the town on this sunny May day, just passing through. Yet theres at least one local businessman, and probably plenty others too, who would like them to hang around. Mark Golden is co-owner of the four-star Beara Coast Hotel, which is perched right at the waters edge in the busy working harbour. There are 16 rooms in the revamped hotel, which has been doing a decent trade since it came under new management in 2015, but there is only so many people you can fit into 16 rooms. Mark and company would like more, but theres a reason why those plans are on hold sewage. A sitting of Dublin District Court last month, Irish Water heard that 64% of the towns wastewater was untreated and carried by a pipe and discharged directly into the towns harbour a situation described as extraordinary by Judge John Brennan, who was presiding over the case. EPA inspector Patrick Chan said he had lifted a manhole and could clearly see human waste travelling out into the harbour untreated. Ultimately it cost Irish Water, the defendant, 7,299 in fines and legal costs, with the judge allowing a two-year grace period in which to get work underway for the long-awaited 8m wastewater treatment plant for the town. All parties agreed that there was no negative microbiological impact and that all parties were working towards a solution. Its ensuring the solution happens sooner, rather than later, that exercises the mind of Mark Golden and many others in Castletownbere. This hotel has a treatment facility on site that we pay an actual fortune for that to treat our water, he says. For us to expand, we cant do that until Irish Water create and connect a main drainage system. It hinders us. We have 16 rooms. We need 45 to 46 to make this building self-sufficient. We make it work. A lot of hotels have difficulties. We cant do that [expand] until Irish Water comes down here and do what they are approved to do. The signs behind the reception desk tell visitors that it is 10,166km to Hong Kong, 4,913 km to New York. Castletownbere can sometimes seem miles from anywhere else, and some local people believe that all too often in the past it has been in the peripheral vision of central government and even the local authority. A native of north Cork but living in Castletownbere for the past three years, Mark has previous experience of dealing with Irish Water, given his role as president of the Chamber of Commerce in Youghal back in 2014 at the onset of works there. That was behind schedule as well, he says. He recalls that at a meeting the idea of effectively closing down the east Cork town for the month of August 2014 was mooted, sparking consternation: It was stopped by a hairs breadth. It seems to be a different story this time out. Mark Golden, director, Beara Coast Hotel, Castletownbere, Co Cork: We cant expand the hotel until Irish Water comes down here and do what they are approved to do. When it comes to Irish Water and their remit, they are much more approachable and amenable than they were a few years ago, he says. The new local authority transportation plan for the town is on display in the hotel foyer. By all accounts, it is not a smash hit with everyone but according to Mark: At least there is a foundation. The Irish Water plan was also recently unveiled and to Marks dismay, his hotel did not feature on it. I know that will be rectified afterwards, he says with confidence. Having said that, take me [and the hotel] out of it. In the town effluent goes into the sea at certain points. It does not damage the marine life. This is a fishing harbour, a lot of the fish comes from way out at sea. Effluent does not affect it. Irish Water needs to come along and say they are going to start their process. There is going to be upheaval that will come with that. As for the EPA vs Irish Water case, Mark believes its a bit cheeky, but suggests that, if they didnt take the cases, the EU might well bring Ireland to court by proxy for non-compliance with EU regulations. Its catch 22, chicken and egg, he says. The EPA are doing their job to the best of their ability, Irish Water are doing their job to the best of their abilities. We had plenty of money years ago. It wasnt spent as it should have been done and this is where we are. It has to happen. It needs to happen, and it will happen. It will cause temporary chaos and annoy people but the end result will be worth it. Mark has no concerns that the hotel will once again fall outside of the planned framework. This is a big employer in a small town, he says. I commend Irish Water for what they are nowadays. They came in as a company that was vilified. The mistake, probably, was trying to sell Irish Water as the saviour of some areas. In actual fact Irish Water was only doing what should have been done decades ago. How is Irish Water to survive if nobody pays for water? The only investment made in this country is when things break. All local towns are the same, all in exactly the same boat. This is a beautiful part of the country with great people that work hard. Everybody weighs in behind everybody. There is great honour and respect down here. Irish Water have a big job to do. They will come in to a small and narrow town. they will create upheaval, but its necessary and a resilient town will survive. The end results will be worth it. An ongoing saga Donal Kelly, who owns and runs the Fast Fish processing company and who is also a director at the Beara Coast Hotel, is from 20km out the road and has been in the town since 1973. It has been a topic every year since, he says. The sewer, the sewer, the sewer. It is recognised by all and sundry how important it is but the importance is not bringing it as a topic up the list. He says Cork County Council had an open day some years ago, before Irish Water was on the scene, and presented two choices for the wastewater station where it is now going to be located or on Dinish Island. Donal Kelly, managing director of Fast Fish Ltd, Castletownbere. A resident in the town since 1973, Donal says it has been a topic every year since the sewer, the sewer, the sewer. The plans were well advanced, then lo and behold, Irish Water come along and say: We are doing our own plan. That was a major delaying factor. Cian Murphy, chairman of the Castletownbere Development association, has assiduously catalogued all the various delays that led the project to stagnate for so long. Its certainly strange looking at answers to parliamentary questions in the Dail in 1992, 1994 and 1995, mostly giving the impression that work might get underway in the near future, resources permitting. At least three times in the mid-90s, the minister responsible at the time, Labours Brendan Howlin, used the sentence: Given the high level of commitments under the water and sewerage programme, I cannot say when it may be possible to approve them. Not long afterwards, when Noel Dempsey was in the ministerial chair, he used the same formula of words on another three occasions. In October 1999, the issue was firmed up. Contract documents for this scheme have recently been submitted to my Department and are currently being technically examined, said Mr Dempsey. The scheme has been approved for funding under the rural towns and villages initiative announced in this years budget. Faraway, so close. A year later, the same minister: This scheme has been approved for funding under the rural towns and villages initiative. Updated design proposals are currently awaited by my Department from Cork County Council. No dice. Almost another year later, in October 2001: This scheme has been approved for funding under the rural town and villages initiative, at an estimated cost of 3.6m. Revised contract documents are currently awaited by my Department from Cork County Council. Fast-forward to February 2003, and minister Martin Cullen said: The Castletownbere sewerage scheme has been approved for funding in my Departments Water Services Investment Programme 2002-2004 under the rural towns and villages initiative. The estimated cost of the scheme is 4.5m. My department is awaiting the submission by Cork County Council of revised Contract Documents for the scheme. In October 2004, minister Dick Roche said: Further progress with the scheme is contingent on the outcome of ongoing discussions between Cork County Council and the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to determine the most appropriate location for the wastewater treatment plant. By December 2008, it was being referred to in the Oireachtas as an ongoing saga. Minister of state at the Department of the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government, Michael Kitt, elaborated a little: The scheme has been approved for funding under the rural towns and villages initiative of my Departments Water Services Investment Programme 2007-2009 at an estimated cost of 5.2m. At present, my department is awaiting submission by Cork County Council of the preliminary report for the scheme. I understand this will set out the design parameters and objectives of the scheme and that the council expects to provide it to my Department by mid-2009. In February 2009, Environment Minister John Gormley said: My department is awaiting submission of Cork County Councils Preliminary Report for the scheme and has not received any claim for recoupment of related expenditure from the council. Then came the economic crash, yet by December 2013 a meeting of the Western Committee of Cork County Council was informed that the EPA had said the plant must be completed and secondary discharges must cease by December 31, 2015, and that this timeframe had been impressed upon Irish Water. Now, after all that and the recent court case, the date is set for 2021. Hopefully now this time it is going to happen, but people are rightly skeptical that it will, says Donal. From my perspective, it has to happen. Cian believes the problem boils down to Castletownbere not being future-proof until the plan is delivered, while Donal says: Castletownbere is saturated until that bit of infrastructure is done it will not grow any more. The key to it is the sewer. Cian Murphy, chairman of Castletownbere Development Association, says Irish Water representatives have been both amenable and accommodating to local opinion in Castletownbere. Take the town transportation plan that is on display in the foyer of the Beara Hotel. That involves revamping some of the townscape, and any individual building looking at upgrading its own appearance also has to bear in mind that any work carried out involving cement, bricks and mortar could then be subject to subsequent upheaval when the main drainage scheme is carried out. Its cart-before-the-horse the idea that aesthetic works cant be done until the pipes for the unpleasant stuff are laid. Donal believes the level of dialogue between the local authority and Irish Water regarding their respective plans and how they might overlap needs to improve, although Irish Water said there would be a high level of communication between it and Cork County Council. The local authority said it has been in dialogue regarding the placement of watermains, sewer lines and pumping stations in Castletownbere, with subsequent relocations of proposed Irish Water infrastructure. Cork County Council engaged AECOM Consulting Engineers to carry out a transportation study for Castletownbere and produce a Transportation Strategy taking into account projected growth to 2036. A first draft of this strategy was presented to the elected members on March 20 last and made available to the public on April 10 in the Beara Coast Hotel. Public submissions regarding the First Draft of the Strategy were received up to May 25 and Cork County Council said AECOM is now collating the 220 submissions it received. All submissions will be considered with amendments to be made to the strategy, where practical, a council spokesperson said. Given that the strategy is subject to change and final acceptance by the elected member no costings have been made, and given that any works will be subject to funding no timeframe has been suggested, they added. The spokesperson also said there should be no reason for any complications between its plan and the works to be carried out by Irish Water. Currently, Irish Water is replacing substantial sections of the water network in Castletownbere, said the council spokesperson. Proposals for waste water infrastructure are programmed to be submitted for planning permission in late 2018/early 2019 with a view to having all works completed by 2021. No proposed works associated with the transportation strategy, will take place at locations where Irish Water will be carrying out construction works. In any event any works associated with the final version of the transportation strategy are subject to funding. Waste water treatment plant Meanwhile, according to the EPA: Castletownbere still does not have any wastewater treatment for 64% of the towns wastewater, whilst the other 36% only receives primary treatment via a series of septic tanks. This town will require a new waste water treatment plant to take all the wastewater from this town and the provision of a new outfall pipe to bring the discharge further out into the Bay. Irish Water has informed the EPA that the project is currently at the assessment and planning stage with an estimate that works will begin in 2020 and should be completed by June 2021. The EPA case against Irish Water regarding Castletownebere last month was not the first prosecution it had brought against the utility. On the same day in Dublin, the EPA brought forward a prosecution over Irish Waters failure to carry out improvements at Castletownshend in Co Cork and at Kilfenora in the Burren, Co Clare. In all, the EPA has brought six prosecutions against Irish Water for failure to provide treatment at coastal locations and all of these resulted in convictions, with the costliest being that involving Kilmore Quay, although the fines and costs in that cases amounted to a relatively modest 8,271. It seems the legal tussles may be over. According to an EPA spokesperson: The EPA has no current open legal actions against Irish Water. Nevertheless, the EPA said it would be continuing its enforcement efforts in priority areas, with its 2016 wastewater report identifying 148 priority areas where action was required to protect our environment from the harmful effects of wastewater. According to the spokesperson: The EPA will continue to prioritise these areas until the issues are resolved. As for Irish Water, of the 12 prosecutions against it that were in train as of February, six were in relation to drinking water and the other six were wastewater-related. Four of the six drinking water prosecutions were withdrawn and convictions were recorded in respect of the other two, alongside the convictions recorded in each of the six wastewater prosecutions. It has been much maligned since it came into being in 2014, but according to Cian Murphy and Mark Golden, the utilitys representatives have been both amenable and accommodating to local opinion in Castletownbere. Over in Castletownshend, the beautiful seaside village 9km from Skibbereen, Irish Water is also getting some good press, though it wasnt always this way. Last month, the same sitting of Dublin District Court heard that sewage was discharged directly into the sea at a nearby beach in Castletownshend, with Judge Brennan shown photos of the beach, including one where children could be seen playing just 50m from a culvert carrying the sewage into the sea. The culvert at Castletownshend carrying raw sewage directly into the sea, with a nearby beach which is less than 50m from the culvert. The court was told white pieces of toilet paper and brown matter could be seen in one photo, with Judge Brennan saying it was a grave concern that raw sewage was discharged into the amenity and that it was a tourist location and also used by children. The fines and costs in that case amounted to 8,230 and, ahead of the case last February, community campaigner and Castletownshend local George Salter-Townshend told the Irish Examiner the situation represented a systemic failure of local and national government. As always seems the case, there had been missed opportunities previously. George said he supported a proposal for a wastewater treatment facility at the turn of the millennium, as part of a wider development, which ultimately did not proceed. According to Irish Water: Castletownbere and Castletownshend are among five towns and villages in Co Cork where untreated sewerage is currently discharged to receiving waters, either directly from sewer network outfalls or via septic holding tanks where the level of treatment provided is inadequate. [The other locations are Ballycotton, Inchigeelagh and Whitegate/Aghada.] George Salter-Townshend, a resident and community campaigner, against the backdrop of Castlehaven harbour at Castletownshend, Co Cork. The Castletownshend sewerage scheme is needed to stop untreated wastewater being discharged directly into Castlehaven harbour. At present, the equivalent of over 400 wheelie bins of raw sewage is being discharged into the harbour every day. This practice is no longer acceptable and Irish Water intends to rectify this problem in conjunction with Cork County Council by constructing a new Wastewater Treatment Plant and network infrastructure to ensure that wastewater discharging to Castlehaven meets appropriate discharge standards. Irish Water will submit its planning application to Cork County Council this year or early 2019. Subject to statutory approvals construction work on this necessary project will commence in 2020 and completion in 2021. Its the setting of the timeline that has tilted Georges perception of Irish Water. As he explains, there are four points of access to the sea in the area, and while he believes it may be 2022 by the time the works are completed, at one point he had wondered if the plan would ever proceed in his lifetime. He says now that Irish Water was handed a poisoned chalice when it inherited responsibility for areas that had seen the need for wastewater treatment facilities neglected for decades. To highlight the action now underway he refers to a meeting, held just the night previous, at which nine Irish Water representatives were present to provide information to locals about the outline of the plan and its likely timeframe. It was very impressive, he says. They have come up trumps. Cork County Council said the draft layout of the proposed IW works in Castletownshend will follow the same programme as the Castletownbere Works and the only excavation in public roads will be the short section between the pier and the proposed pump station at The Castle and the rising main which will be laid in the laneway towards the graveyard. The aim of Irish Water is to have a treatment plant in operation in Castletownshend in 2021 at a cost of 4m and George believes any planning permission requirements should be a given and enthuses about the plan on the table, as it will facilitate the necessary infrastructure but make little or no difference to the existing visuals around the village. His only worry is that central government will provide the resources not just for the facility in Castletownshend, but anywhere else that needs similar work. I would worry that a great deal of money would have to be raised to do the rest of the Irish coastline, he says. [quoteIt must be at least 80 years ago that Jacques Cousteau said: When the sea dies, we will die.[/quote] The elephant in the room is the cash needed to pay for all of this. It does seem extraordinary that a town is still operating with facilities first installed more than a century ago, yet the Irish Water budget must be different now compared with what was envisaged when it first came into being, thanks to the ill-starred water charges debacle. We do not pay for water in this country, Mark says. There is an inherent lack of funding. There is no such thing as a free lunch, says Donal. If people think the water is in crisis all over the country and it will be done for free or by tax they are dreaming. As for the kind of day-to-day difficulties all these works can wreak in a town, from potential traffic issues to the effect on footfall, Donal says it is imperative to take the longer view. You cant make an omelette without breaking an egg, he says. Some people will jump up and down about it but will say it is great when its done. Cian says intensive lobbying of politicians began more than two years ago with regard to both the wastewater requirements and a town revamp, and believes that now the ball is firmly in Irish Waters court, to make this happen. Castletownbere is now seen by Irish Water as a special case. Both Cian and Donal stress that the current issues dont adversely affect everyday life in the town. The fish are landed and end up in restaurants and retailers across the continent in what Donal says is the second safest harbour in the world, pipped only by Sydney. A new pier and harbour development will be transformative, while Cian believes it will not detract from the natural beauty, the ruggedness of the surrounding area. The wild Atlantic Way initiative has already had a huge impact, with a 30% increase in ferry rides to Bere Island and a growth in B&Bs. For years, Cian believes, Castletownbere and its community didnt shout loudly enough. Now they are, and everyone is just waiting for the green light. The draft strategy for Castletownbere can be viewed at corkcoco.ie/traffic-transport/transportation-studies- progress Shane Ross tells Political Editor Daniel McConnell of difficulties passing legislation and of Sean Canneys departure from an alliance that still strongly backs the Government. Two months ago, Attorney General Seamus Woulfe made headlines when he described the controversial Judicial Appointments Bill as a dogs dinner. Woulfes comments about the bill, which is seeking to change the way judges are appointed, made the lead story in this newspaper and others caused a political maelstrom which continued for weeks. The bills chief sponsor, Independent Alliance TD and Transport Minister Shane Ross, was not happy. Speaking in an interview with the Irish Examiner in a wide-ranging interview (he rarely does print interviews these days), Ross reveals his unhappiness at the episode. He criticises Woulfe for speaking in the manner in which he did, even though the AGs criticisms were not of Ross, but of the Oppositions amendments to the bill. I would have preferred if he had not said it, says Ross. What he was referring to was Fianna Fails amendments, not the Governments work. But it was deliberately taken up by some people as Shane Ross bill is a dogs dinner and that we had made a dogs dinner of it. What he was saying, in a colourful phrase, and that is fine, he was referring to the FF amendment which had changed the bill in a way that was unrecognisable. Ross and his Independent Alliance have sought to break the cosy relationship between politicians and their cronies who seek selection to the benches in the Four Courts. The bill is truly transformative, he says, has been rescued by the AG, and is now akin to plate of fine cuisine, such is the good state it is in. Those have been reveresed and the dogs dinners has become a plate of caviar and oysters. It is now pretty well sorted, Ross says. Ross, does however, give voice to much speculation that there is limited appetite within Fine Gael to see this highly controversial bill pass. There is no point in pretending that this is a FG bill It is not. It is an Independent Alliance bill," he says. But it is set in stone and we have to pay a price for being in government... and sometimes we have to swallow things you dont like, and they bought into it. There are varying degrees of enthusiasm within FG for this bill. There are some people who are very enthusiastic and there are others who are not very comfortable with it at all. While Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is a firm backer of the bill, the same cannot be said for Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan, previously a lawyer, who is known to be at best lukewarm about it. Ross acknowledges this. I dont know if this would have been the first bill on his list, if he had his own way, but he has taken this on with enthusiasm and vigour and he will put it through, he says. Reports have surfaced that the two have gone toe to toe over the bill, and Ross does little to quell such talk. I have spoken to him privately virtually every week on various issues, he says of Flanagan. We have had discussions which have been very robust, but we are very good friends. And when judges are going to be appointed, it is a matter of some difficulty, but I have spoken to him as to how it will be managed, that there are the real need in the courts, I am happy not to oppose them. It is about a balance, about saying hey we dont like the system, we dont like judges being appointed this way but equally we recognise that there is a queue and they have to be where there is a real need. What we want to do is get the new system passed and up and running and then there wont be anymore criticism of it. I ask Ross how he has found life in Government. It is harder than I thought, he says. Getting legislation drafted is much more complicated than I thought. I wasnt at all aware of the incredible procedures that you have to go through to get legislation through He concedes the slow pace of bureaucracy can be highly annoying. One of the things that really surprised me is that virtually everything has to go to the Attorney General and there is a bottleneck there, he says. So that is very frustrating. That has been true of both of the drink driving bill and the judicial appointments bill. But is probably a very good thing as they save them from being challenged in the courts. He also accuses his officials of being overly cautious, which also adds to the delays of things getting done. But I am constantly saying to my officials: Can we get this through next week? And they say no. They are very, very cautious. Are they too cautious? Yes, but they also save you a lot of trouble by not allowing a bad bill go through. Earlier this year, the Independent Alliance lost Sean Canney over a row over a junior ministry post. Ross says he was sorry to see Canney going, despite the two having a notoriously bad relationship. I wasnt aware it was such a big issue at all, he says. I think maybe we should have gotten another ministry. It is a pity we had a bust up over a job. Whereas a bust up over policy you could understand, but a bust up over a job, I am sorry about that. My understanding that Boxer [Longford-Westmeath TD Kevin Boxer Moran] kept it;Sean got the benefit of going first. That wasnt his understanding and that is a pity. The alliance remains strong, we havent lost any councillors and maybe he might come back. The minister does admit to some annoyance at Canneys public opposition to his Road Traffic Bill, which sought to reduce drink-driving limits. He says he wished Canney would have kept his mouth shut rather than opposing the bill so pointedly in the Dail. Canney stood with other rural TDs in the Dail on a vote on the bill, much to Ross disgust. He had major problems with the drink-driving bill, whereas Boxer came on board, says Ross. That made life difficult, as to have one of your ministerial colleagues opposing you in public was not easy. I would have preferred if he had kept his mouth shut but it did not have a material impact on the passage of the bill. It was a point of conflict and he could have been less combative but he felt very strong about it. I think the rural TDs including Sean and Mattie and the Healy Raes have gotten it wrong on this bill. The evidence there in the referendum campaign is that they are out of touch with rural Ireland. Kilgarvan went two to one in favour. Are these guys out of touch or what? He stresses the remaining Alliance members Ross, Moran, Finian McGrath, and John Halligan are strong and committed to keeping the Government going. We are very happy. The great strength is that we get on, exceptionally well. And we laugh a lot. And that helps as we often dont agree with each other. Everybody, we all have a common ambition to be radical but not to do anything to destabilise the Government. Prior to legislation, the Government must take time for research and consultation on contraception and abortion services, says Claire McCarthy. IT is more than three weeks since the referendum on the Eighth Amendment. With a turnout of over 64% and a Yes vote of 67%, voters gave the Government a strong mandate to repeal the Eighth and introduce abortion services in Ireland. The challenge now is to ensure the services are provided appropriately, safely, and in a manner acceptable both to women and healthcare providers. On May 31, six days after the vote, a group of doctors met in Cork to discuss these issues. The group was comprised mainly of GPs and obstetricians and gynaecologists based in Cork and Kerry. We all supported a Yes vote in the referendum; we have all experienced the negative effects of the Eighth, and are all relieved to finally see it repealed. At that meeting, we established a group called Start (Southern Task group on Abortion and Reproductive Topics). Since then, we have grown and currently have more than 50 doctor members in Munster. Our main aim is that abortion services are introduced appropriately, and that this is coupled with a significant improvement in contraception options available to women. There has been a lot of negativity represented in the media from healthcare professionals since the referendum. Instead, we see the referendum result as a great opportunity to introduce a world-class womens health service. We openly admit that we are not experienced in providing abortion services. Most of us went to university in Ireland, trained in Ireland, and we all now practice in Ireland. So how could we be experienced in termination of pregnancy? But we are conscientiously committed to providing a service to all our patients. Although we have little experience in abortion provision, we are definitely experts in contraception. We currently provide contraceptive care and family planning on a daily basis. We believe it is essential that abortion services be introduced in conjunction with a significant improvement in access to contraception for women. This includes before they experience a crisis pregnancy, thus hopefully preventing a crisis pregnancy, and also after they have had a crisis pregnancy or a termination of pregnancy. We need to take this opportunity to learn from other countries. We need to take the time to review how other countries introduced abortion services. We need to examine in what facilities abortion services are provided by other countries. We have to review the policies of other countries, especially with regards to medical terminations under 12 weeks gestation. We must scrutinise the safety data available from other countries. We must write protocols for Irish women and Irish doctors. Above all, we need to take our time to do this properly. We are concerned the Government will rush through legislation for various reasons of political expediency. Unfortunately, Ireland already has a history with regards failing women in contraceptive, reproductive, and womens health provision. We do not want to see another failure The heads of bills proposed that pre- 12-week terminations will be provided by GPs. The Government did not discuss this with any GP representative body and understandably has caused significant unease and anger among many GPs. Similarly, no discussions have taken place around service provision with the obstetricians and gynaecologists who will be providers of care in the maternity hospitals. General practice, gynaecology, and maternity services have been grossly underfunded for years. Morale among doctors is at an all-time low. Burn-out is at an all-time high. Expectations on doctors to provide a service they have little experience and no training in is putting increased pressure on an already stressed group. Nonetheless, as a group we are conscientiously committed to the provision of abortion services in the Republic of Ireland. It is our statement that this service must be adequately resourced, with time and financial support given to both GPs and obstetrician/gynaecologists, to provide the best care to Irish women. We want to ensure new abortion services in Ireland are introduced appropriately and are associated with a significant improvement in contraception services. We hope to influence policy as we will be the doctors delivering the service for Irish women. The Irish people have given us a strong mandate and a fantastic opportunity to create a world-class womens health service. Lets do it right. Dr Claire McCarthy is a GP in Cork representing Start, a group of more than 50 doctors; GPs, obstetricians, gynaecologists, psychiatrists, and public health doctors. Turkey goes to the polls on Sunday in what seems, in the broadest terms, another battle between deep-rooted conservatism and, again in the broadest of broad terms, secular(ish) liberalism. Just as in nearly every country that holds credible elections today, the old and the new collide. It was always been thus but, almost uniquely today, those disagreements seem increasingly unbridgeable. The response of some of those who campaigned to keep the Eighth Amendment suggests they feel they have become victims of this negative, triumphalist dynamic. This cannot enhance our democracy. Victory for one over the other sharpens the kind of polarisation that threatens long-cherished social stability. Increasingly, there are no real winners. Discord and something that looks like nascent anarchy think of Trumps family-splitting, trade-wars America, Brexits toxic introversion, Italys coalition of the extremes, Austrias hard-right swing and, on this small island, the mothballing of Stormont are all consequences of this rejection of the spirit and the objectives of participatory democracy. Even in Germany, a society all-too-aware of the cost of unchecked radicalism, a leader not so long ago regarded as Europes best hope struggles to contain those who reject an open-door policy on immigration. That one of Turkeys main opposition figures and a man expected to have pivotal influence in shaping Turkey after Sunday, the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party leader Selahattin Demirtas, is campaigning from jail shows how divided that huge, ambitious country is. That he is in jail for insulting the president and terrorist charges his supporters insist are trumped up if convicted he might face 142 years in jail seems remarkable, even in this country preparing to repeal anachronistic blasphemy laws and no stranger to electing those imprisoned for views regarded as seditious. Demirtas position, however, underlines Turkish President Recep Erdogans affinity with his mentor, Russias Valdimir Putin. Recognising how those leaders have learned from each other Demirtas has cautioned that a fair vote... was impossible under the state of emergency. Demonstrations are banned, talking is banned, criticising the government is banned, even defending peace is considered terror propaganda, he warned. Hundreds of opposition journalists are arrested, dozens of TV and radio channels are closed. He is not the only challenger to Erdogans Ottomanesque ambitions. Temel Karamollaoglu, leader of Turkeys largest Islamist party cites high unemployment, a widening trade deficit, a chaotic foreign policy, a stalled EU application and a state of emergency since the failed 2016 coup as reasons to oppose Erdogan. The Manchester-educated head of Felicity is campaigning with avowed secularists a coalition of opponents unthinkable a decade ago. Yesterday marked the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. On June 18, 1815, Brussels socialites went to watch the carnage 50,000 killed from a safe hilltop. Wellingtons victory, as every schoolboy should know, changed Europes trajectory. It is easy to think that we are a similar crossroads and we need to do what is necessary to ensure politics prevail. 35 drug addicts jailed in Cumilla UNB, Cumilla : A mobile court here on Sunday sentenced each of 35 drug addicts to 20 days imprisonment for consuming drugs. Nazrul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sadar Dakshin Police Station, said police along with members of Border Guard Bangladesh, in a joint drive arrested the drug addicts from Ekbalia bordering area on Saturday night. Later in the morning, a mobile court led by Sadar Dakshin Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rupali Mandal sentenced them. Meanwhile, all of the addicts were sent to the central jail, the OC added. The revelation comes as the Department of Children has claimed the 126 cases announced at the end of last month represent the first time evidence of illegal registrations had been established to a high level of certainty. It has now emerged the regulatory body for adoption the AAI had sufficient evidence of at least one case of illegal registration to warrant reporting it to the DPP and gardai 16 years ago. The authority notified the DPP in 2002 and An Garda Siochana in 2003 of a case of an alleged illegal birth registration, the AAI said in a statement. The authority was notified by An Garda Siochana in 2003 that no further action would be taken at that time. The AAI confirmed that it has referred other cases to gardai usually at the request of individuals contacting the authority. In addition, in cases where a specific complaint has been made to the board/authority and at the request of the individual concerned, the authority has advised An Garda Siochana in appropriate circumstances, it said. In the Dail last Thursday, Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone said a validation exercise is under way with respect to some 140 cases of illegal registrations reported to her department by the AAI. However, she did not say that the vast majority of these cases were uncovered as part of a 2010 audit carried out by the AAI and reported to the department at that time. The AAI has reported concerns around illegal registrations, including hundreds of cases relating to St Patricks Guild, on numerous occasions since then. In a report prepared for the department in June 2011, the AAI pointed to the need for a more comprehensive audit of the cases it uncovered, but because of the transfer of senior personnel and the pressure on resources of the imminent establishment of the Adoption Authority no further action was taken. In 2015, the Irish Examiner revealed an AAI delegation again told the department, in June 2013, of there being at least 120 [confirmed] cases of illegal registrations found as the result of the 2010 audit. It specifically named St Patricks Guild as being aware of several hundred illegal registrations, stating the agency is not seeking the people involved but rather, waiting for people to contact it. The AAI said this could be the tip of the iceberg and that there may be thousands more. Just five months after the June 2013 meeting, then childrens minister Frances Fitzgerald told the Dail she had no plans to initiate an audit of all [adoption] files. A 2014 note of a meeting between two nuns from St Patricks Guild and representatives of Tusla acknowledged the agencys records contained some illegal registrations and that full details are available on the majority of cases. In response to queries on the subject in 2015, the department repeatedly stated they would be of very limited benefit and yield little useful information. Last week, the Irish Examiner revealed that Tusla has raised concerns about a further 748 adoption cases from St Patricks Guild which contain evidence of names being changed, cash payments, and other irregularities. According to HSE statistics, 17.5% of people were smokers in 2017 down from 21.5% in 2013. Yet, the latest National Litter Pollution Report has revealed that last year 56.3% of litter across the local authorities was cigarette-related, predominantly butts. And the report found there was an almost 1% increase in the prevalence of cigarette litter compared to the previous year. Also up, this time by 3.3% to 17.6%, is the amount of packaging litter such as cardboard, paper, bottles, glass and cans. Food litter is the third most prevalent litter at 9%, down 7.3% compared to 2016. Chewing gum makes up a significant amount of this category. Sweet-related litter stands at 7.9%. As to who is causing the litter, the report found pedestrians are the biggest culprits at 42.1% followed by motorists (19.7%) and retail outlets (10.3%). Fast food outlets account for 4.1% and schools and school children for 3.6%. On a more positive note, the report found that: 15.6% of areas surveyed were litter free, the second highest level ever achieved and an increase of 2.4% when compared to 2016 results. 63.9% of areas surveyed were only slightly littered. The percentage of moderately polluted areas has decreased by 0.9% to 17.1% from 18% in 2016. The percentage of significantly polluted areas has decreased by 0.3% to 3% when compared to 2016 data. However, the percentage of grossly polluted areas has remained constant at 0.3%. Environment Minister Denis Naughten welcomed the high number of areas that were litter free. The results also demonstrate that over 79% of all areas surveyed in 2017 were deemed to be either litter free or only slightly polluted so this is very welcome news, he said. I would like to commend the local authorities who work closely with the communities they serve and are continuing to make progress in the ongoing battle against litter pollution across the country. He said smokers could bring about a significant improvement in the litter situation through relatively minor behavioural changes. Everyone must accept that, ultimately, it is their own actions that will ensure whether or not we live in a litter free environment, he said. Meanwhile, an RTE Investigates programme to be broadcast tonight has ranked local authorities for their level of investment in waste regulation and enforcement to combat illegal dumping. While Donegal is found to be the worst performing, Cork city and county councils are also found wanting. The programme ranks Cork County Council 27th of the 30 councils analysed. It found that between 2015 and 2016 Cork County Council spent 8.78 per person on waste services, almost half the national average of 17.22. Furthermore, it said Cork County had some of the lowest waste staffing levels in the country the council has under two members of staff for 78 waste permits in effect. Cork County is in the bottom five for three categories, non-routine waste inspections, staffing levels and enforcement actions, RTE said. Cork City Council is ranked 20th of the 30 councils analysed. Between 2015 and 2016 Cork City spent 14 per person on waste services, 3.22 less than the national average of 17.22, the programmes makers said. Cork City is in the top five for routine waste inspections and staffing levels and in the bottom five to for enforcement actions and prosecutions. Cork City took no enforcement actions for waste offences between 2014 and 2016 the average for county councils was 110. PDForra (Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks Representative Association) took a case to the High Court over members of the Defence Forces being excluded from the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997. The test case was finally settled last Thursday after negotiations between PDForras legal representatives and representatives of the Minister with Responsibility for Defence, Paul Kehoe. As a result, Susan ODonnell, a member of the army, is to get annual leave she lost in 2015. She will also receive an ex-gratia sum in compensation. PDForra general secretary Gerard Guinan said members of the Defence Forces have been unable, as a result of an exclusion clause contained in the Act, to avail of all of the full and ordinary statutory rights and entitlements relating to carryover of unused annual leave, minimum periods of daily rest, maximum weekly working hours, and related workplace rights and benefits. He said PDForra had been fighting for these rights for several years. In fact, the basis for this case was lodged as a claim by PDForra in 2013 and the Department of Defence have stonewalled us until last week, when eventually they changed the regulation, said Mr Guinan. He said it was now being conceded by the Government that effectively it will not rely on the exclusion clause contained in the legislation and will bring members of the Defence Forces within the scope of the Act, subject to the application of exclusions/derogations permitted by the Working Time Directive. The Department of Defence can revoke the Working Time Directive for the Defence Forces if there is a national emergency. Mr Guinan said he accepted that. It needs to be remembered that these rights are designed to protect the health and safety of workers. There are many more cases where different aspects of the directive are being breached, from our perspective. He added that PDForra does not want a situation where its members are being forced to go to court on a continuous basis to vindicate their rights and have hundreds of thousands of euro in taxpayers money spent on legal fees and ex-gratia payments, like in this case. However, he said that 11 more cases are waiting to be processed through the court and as a result of the latest decision he expected the number to now mushroom. PDForra has estimated that its 6,000-plus members lost in the region of 37,000 days annual leave in 2016 because they were overstretched and constantly plugging gaps. Raco, the representative organisation for Defence Forces officers, said it believes its members each lost 9.6 days annual leave in the same year. Education Minister Richard Bruton insisted the controversial consultants deal which will see 2,600 doctors receive up to 72,000 a year pay hikes is a separate issue to the wider pay restoration talks amid fears other groups will now lodge pay claims. Speaking on RTEs The Week in Politics programme just days after the consultants pay deal was agreed, Mr Bruton said while the 200m figure is significant it is far lower than the alternative bill of 700m if no deal was struck. Asked if the agreement will impact on the wider pay restoration talks, the Education minister insisted the issues are unrelated as consultants had a specific complaint and that there will be no extra pay claims as a result of the deal. Those processes [existing pay restoration talks with other public sector unions] will proceed, as we have negotiated with the trade unions. It is important to say we negotiated last year with the public sector unions a programme of pay restoration that will cost 900m. This issue with the consultants pre-dates FEMPI. It was a case of unilateral reneging on a contract provision by the government of the time. The Cabinet has been advised by the Attorney General that it would be far cheaper to settle the issue now, rather than go on to the courts in a few more years, Mr Bruton said. Mr Bruton ruled out the risk of extra pay claims despite the Irish Medical Organisation already saying it plans to extend the deal to consultants who entered the system after 2012 and as other unions said they will consider a similar move. Meanwhile, Health Minister Simon Harris and State financial watchdog the Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy are continuing to work to put together a new system to ensure consultants benefiting from the new deal obey strict rules on public and private sector hours. Department of Health sources said officials are working very closely on the issue, including a number of meetings in recent weeks on how this can take place. It is understood the meetings are focussed on ways to monitor and manage compliance by consultants with private practice limitations, and to use existing information to check exactly how many private sector hours individual doctors are working. The Comptroller and Auditor General is in the process of gathering of information from the Department of Health and the HSE. Department officials have met with the comptroller and auditor general on this project, and it is understood the comptroller has also engaged with the HSE on the matter, a Department source said. Last Friday, Mr Harris and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed the State has agreed a 200m-plus deal with consultants to pay back-dated salary increases for 2,600 doctors who signed new contracts between 2008 and 2012. The move will see some doctors receive up to 72,000 a year pay hikes from next year. The repeat offender is one of six people in a single local authority area who have accrued fines over 10,000, according to council records. Details on parking fines for our four largest cities have shown problems across the board with drivers flouting the law over and over again. The problem is most pronounced in Dun Laoghaire- Rathdown in Dublin, where 10 repeat offenders have collectively amassed more than 176,000 in unpaid tickets. In one of those cases, an individual parked more than 100 times in a disabled parking bay and was fined 120 on each occasion, altogether running up a bill of 14,320. The person who ran up the 55,000 bill did at least steer clear of the disabled bays when they were illegally parking. All 919 of this drivers fines were levied at the standard rate of 60, half of the 120 that applies for offences involving disabled bays. Overall, 81% of fines were collected last year in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown with 1.15m taken in and another 182,520 left unpaid. The council said it had a policy of pursuing non- payment through the courts and that on two occasions vehicles were removed and disposed of. They also said two motorists had been disqualified from driving for repeat offences and multiple convictions had been secured. In Cork, almost 80% of fines levied last year were paid by drivers, an improvement on the rates from 2015 (76.7%) and 2016 (77.3%). Altogether, Cork City Council collected 1.316m in fines last year but another 521,000 was left unpaid, according to records. They also had problems with repeat offenders with one motorist in 2017 having 46 tickets outstanding during the year and 3,306 left owing. In Limerick, collection rates were better with 84% of fines paid up last year which yielded just over 505,000 in revenue for the authority. Repeat offenders were also a problem there with the worst case involving a person who over a three-year period had 46 fines unpaid with a value of 2,820. Galway had a collection rate of 78.7% last year with 379,800 in fines paid and another 122,680 unpaid. They said some of the unpaid money involved people who were wrongly caught out where their fines were waived following investigation. Galway City Council also said there was an issue with foreign-registered cars parking illegally and that these were very difficult to pursue. Repeat offenders were also a problem, as in all the other cities, with a single driver having 60 fines unpaid in 2015 although the worst last year had only 20 outstanding. Of the seven urban local authorities that provided information under freedom of information, Fingal had the lowest rate of payment recorded. Over the past three years, an average of 62% of fines have been collected bringing in over 930,000 in revenue but with another nearly 360,000 unpaid. Their worst offender had 37 parking tickets outstanding and owed 2,140. Collection rates were also low in South Dublin County Council where last year just 64% of parking fines issued were paid by the driver involved. Dublin City Council had no such problems as it does not issue parking fines with enforcement ensured by clamping, or what it describes as immobilisation and payment of a declamp fee. However, the package of supports falls short of what was recommended earlier this year by the Oireachtas Committee on Education. There are five post-primary schools on islands off Donegal and Galway and between them they cater for almost 230 students. Education and Skills Minister Richard Bruton said each school would get an extra 15,000 in annual funding to cover their additional running costs. The teacher allocation is to be raised from one extra teacher to the equivalent of one and a half from September. Mr Bruton said he was acutely aware of the challenging environment in which island post-primary schools operate and the additional resources were being made available to meet their unique circumstances. One school, Colaiste Naomh Eoin on Inis Meain, Co Galway, is to be granted independent stand-alone status. The school opened in September 2003 under the auspices of Colaiste Colmchille, Inveran, Co Galway, and County Galway Vocational Education Committee. The change in status will mean that the school will have its own principal and deputy principal and a board of management. However, a report published by the Oireachtas Committee on Education last February recommended that school budgets be increased by at least 20,000 to reflect actual running costs. It said the additional costs incurred by schools for travel, school outings, cargo costs and school repairs should be recognised in an additional allocation in school budgets. It also recommended the reinstatement of an allowance for teachers in island schools that was removed in 2012. Giving back the allowance would recognise the additional challenges and costs for those teaching in an island school, the report stated. Because of the additional costs for travel and accommodation falling to teachers, schools were finding it difficult to find and retain staff. The reports publication followed a campaign by island communities and educational representatives to highlight the unique challenges that the schools face. A report which looked at the aims and progress made by the 28 EU countries in fighting climate change ranked Estonia (24%), Ireland (21%) and Poland (16%) lowest. The countries were among six including Cyprus (30%), Malta (30%) and Bulgaria (26%) rated as very poor. The Off Target report by Climate Action Network, a leading non-government coalition fighting dangerous climate change also shows that no country got top marks. Sweden, the best performer (77%), was rated good and was followed by moderate performers Portugal (66%), France (65%), the Netherlands (58%) and Luxembourg (56%). All of the five high-scoring countries are advocating for more ambitious climate targets at EU level. Most of the scores by member states were less than half of the possible points, indicating that they are not progressing fast enough towards the Paris Agreement goals. Irelands poor position stems from dismal progress on 2020 climate and renewable energy targets and rising emissions from the transport and agriculture sectors. It was criticised for not having effective policies and for failing to support greater aims in EU 2030 climate and energy legislation. However, the report welcomes the innovative deliberative process of the Citizens Assembly and recommends that the Government radically revises its climate action plan on the basis of the assemblys proposals on climate change. The chair of the climate change committee of An Taisce, Phil Kearney, said it was extremely concerning to see Ireland again labelled as a laggard in terms of domestic and EU climate action. Not only is Ireland falling behind its EU counterparts due to the failure to decrease polluting emissions, the Government has continued to trumpet supposed exceptionalism and push for loopholes in EU legislation which serves to undermine EU-wide progress on climate change, he said. The report by Climate Action Network highlights the urgent need for Ireland to implement the recent Citizens Assembly proposals and increase ambition in accordance with Paris Agreement commitments. The policy and advocacy adviser at Christian Aid, Jennifer Higgins, said that in January, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar committed himself to changing Irelands position as a climate laggard. However, six months on it appeared that Irelands reputation for climate change was stagnating, not improving. This dismal ranking highlights the inadequacies of current policies and plans to fulfil our fair share of the global effort to deliver on the Paris Agreement, said Ms Higgins. The Government should revise its National Mitigation Plan, currently subject to legal challenge, and put measures in place immediately in the transport and agriculture sectors to achieve the level of decarbonisation needed. Editorial: 10 Mr Crowley will face the competition from ex-Renua candidate Jason Fitzgerald during the partys Cork North Central constituency AGM this evening amid ongoing claims higher-profile colleagues may also be considering bidding for the role. Despite being a long-standing MEP who has represented Ireland South for a number of years, Mr Crowley has failed to attend any European Parliament debates or votes since his last re-election in May 2014 because of illness. While Mr Crowley has not explained if he will seek re-election in next Mays MEP elections, his inability to attend the parliament has led to growing frustration and concern within Fianna Fail and the public. While a spokesperson for Mr Crowley told the Irish Examiner the politician will explain the situation in the coming weeks, he will be formally challenged for the role this evening. It is understood Fianna Fail member and dairy farmer Jason Fitzgerald will announce his intention to run for the MEP seat at tonights Cork North Central constituency AGM. Mr Fitzgerald has previously been a member of Renua and joined Fianna Fail last year. A number of other, higher-profile, figures are expected to express an interest in running, with Senator Ned OSullivan, Senator Mark Daly and TD Billy Kelleher all rumoured to be considering a run for the position. Meanwhile, Fine Gael is facing its own political row in Cork, after it emerged the vice-chairman of the partys Cork South West constituency has resigned after posting social media messages about the brother of minister for older people, Jim Daly. Peter Walsh stepped down after highlighting the case of John Daly, a postmaster in Drinagh, who has pleaded guilty to selling illegal cigarettes. Mr Walsh said after the comments emerged, the partys constituency chairman JJ Walsh asked him to resign. After being requested to put this in writing, JJ Walsh wrote to Mr Walsh that he should step down in view of recent activity on your party not aligning with the partys interests. Trump adviser Roger Stone reveals new meeting with Russian Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone arrives to testify before the House Intelligence Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington. AP, Washington : Special counsel Robert Mueller is examining a previously undisclosed meeting between longtime Donald Trump confidante Roger Stone and a Russian figure who allegedly tried to sell him dirt on Hillary Clinton. The meeting between Stone and a man who identified himself as Henry Greenberg was described in a pair of letters sent Friday to the House Intelligence Committee and first reported by The Washington Post. Stone and Michael Caputo, a Trump campaign aide who arranged the 2016 meeting, did not disclose the contact in their interviews with the committee. But they now believe the man was an FBI informant trying to set them up in a bid to undermine Trump's campaign. Greenberg could not immediately be reached for comment, but in a text to the Post he denied he was working for the FBI when he met with Stone. The letters obtained by The Associated Press and written by Stone and Caputo's lawyers say that, in late May 2016, Caputo received a call from his Russian business partner introducing him to Greenberg, who claimed he had information about Clinton that he wanted to share with the campaign. Caputo suggested Greenberg meet with Stone, who had left the campaign in 2015 but remained an informal Trump adviser. At Caputo's request, Stone met with Greenberg at a Florida cafe, where Greenberg asked for $2 million in exchange for the information, according to Stone's lawyer. Stone swiftly rejected the offer, explaining that neither he nor Trump would ever pay for "political information," his lawyer wrote. Both men say they quickly forgot about the episode, which marks the latest in a long list of unusual contacts between Russians and Trump campaign officials as well as offers of help. The special counsel has spent months investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump campaign aides played any role in the foreign interference plot. Trump and his lawyer, meanwhile, have tried to discredit the investigation, insisting it's unfounded and plagued by misconduct and political bias. The Pope 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. In a landslide vote at the partys annual ard fheis in Belfast, Sinn Fein delegates voted to support unrestricted access to abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and to reject calls for a conscience clause on the issue. The decisions were made after a 90-minute debate on the topic which included more than 50 speakers, including party whip Aengus O Snodaigh, health spokeswoman Louise OReilly, housing spokesman Eoin O Broin, and MEP Martina Anderson. In particular, Ms O Reilly told delegates we are Sinn Fein not me fein; Mr O Broin said TDs must put their personal views to one side and take on the responsibility of legislating for voters; and Mr O Snodaigh warned the new policy and the partys whip must be obeyed. However, while a small number of pro-life members spoke in favour of retaining Sinn Feins previous limited abortion policy and of allowing a conscience clause on the matter to cater for pro-life views saying otherwise the party will become a cold house for conservative views Mr Toibin and Ms Nolan were not among them. The vote has led to intense speculation over the future of Mr Toibin and Ms Nolan in the party, as both are likely to oppose the Governments 12 weeks abortion access law when it is voted on in the Dail in the coming weeks. However, despite numerous Irish Examiner requests for comment on the matter since Saturdays vote, neither had clarified their position at the time of going to press. Ms Nolan is currently suspended from Sinn Fein after previously voting against liberalising abortion access, while Mr Toibin avoided suspension as he did not attend the vote. Under existing party rules, Sinn Fein cannot nominate a candidate to run in a general election if the person has been suspended from the party in the past six months. In addition, Ms Nolan is facing a separate battle, as it is expected Sinn Fein may only win one seat in the recently changed Offaly constituency, with fellow TD Brian Stanley likely to be party headquarters favoured choice. Meanwhile, Northern Irish pro-life group Precious Life has called on any Sinn Fein TD opposed to the partys switch to pro-choice policies to quit and form a new republican party. There is an opportunity, an appetite, for a new republican party, a new republican party thats pro-life and representative of republican people, spokeswoman Bernadette Smyth told the Irish Examiner at a protest outside the ard fheis. Mr Ross, in an interview with the Irish Examiner, has said the bill will be passed, despite the best efforts of the Law Library. The bill, which seeks to remove the appointment of judges from the hands of politicians, will be passed by the Oireachtas before the summer recess, he said. Mr Ross said that many of the amendments proposed by Fianna Fail have now been reversed and the bill is more than suitable. Those have been reversed and the dogs dinner has become a plate of caviar and oysters. It is now pretty well sorted, said Mr Ross. He criticised Attorney General Seamus Woulfe for using as he put it colourful language, saying it would have been better had he not made those remarks. I would have preferred if he had not said it, said Mr Ross. What he was referring to was to the Fianna Fails amendments, not the Governments work. But it was deliberately taken up by some people as Shane Ross bill is a dogs dinner and that we had made a dogs dinner of it. What he was saying, in a colourful phase, and that is fine, he was referring to the FF amendment which had changed the bill in a way that was unrecognisable. Mr Ross also confirmed the bill has been the cause of deep divisions within the Government, but he said it is the price Fine Gael paid to get into power. There is no point in pretending that this is a Fine Gael bill, said Mr Ross. It is not. It is an Independent Alliance bill. But it is set in stone and we have to pay a price for being in government with other people and sometimes we have to swallow things you dont like, and they bought into it. There are varying degrees of enthusiasm within Fine Gael for this bill. There are some people who are very enthusiastic and there are others who are not very comfortable with it at all, he said. Reports in recent weeks have said Mr Ross and Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan have been at odds over the bill, and Mr Ross did little to quell such talk. I have spoken to him privately virtually every week on various issues, said Mr Ross. We have had discussions which have been very robust, but we are very good friends. And when judges are going to be appointed, it is a matter of some difficulty, but I have spoken to him as to how it will be managed. Mr Ross also criticised his former Independent Alliance colleague, Sean Canney, for opposing his Road Traffic Bill, which is seeking to reduce drink-driving limits amid some resistance from rural TDs. The Transport Minister admitted to some annoyance at Mr Canneys public opposition in the Dail. He said he wished Mr Canney would have kept his mouth shut, rather than opposing the bill so pointedly in the chamber. He had major problems with the drink-driving bill, whereas Boxer [Longford-Westmeath TD Kevin Boxer Moran] came on board, said Mr Ross. That made life difficult, as to have one of your ministerial colleagues opposing you in public was not easy. I would have preferred if he had kept his mouth shut but it did not have a material impact on the passage of the bill. It was a point of conflict and he could have been less combative but he felt very strong about it. Mr Ross had further criticism for the rural TDs who opposed his tightening of drink-driving limits. I think the rural TDs, including Sean and Mattie [McGrath] and the Healy-Raes, have gotten it wrong on this bill. The evidence there in the referendum campaign is that they are out of touch with rural Ireland. Kilgarvan went two to one in favour. Are these guys out of touch or what? The Norths border will be the UKs only land frontier with an EU state after next years withdrawal and is one of the most vexed issues facing negotiators in Brussels. British prime minister Theresa Mays cabinet is considering whether to support a customs partnership with the EU after Brexit, whereby the UK would effectively collect tariffs on behalf of the bloc, or a technological solution to border control known as maximum facilitation. Ms McDonald told the ard fheis: Allowing the Tories to dodge, equivocate, and engage in fantasy non-solutions to the Irish question is most certainly not the answer. If the architects of Brexit still cant agree what Brexit looks like, that is their problem. It will not become Irelands problem. The British government has said it is committed to ensuring trade and the passage of people and services across the island is frictionless after next years withdrawal from the EU. The intention is to avoid installing customs posts on the border. Brexit secretary David Davis has attempted to allay the fears of cross-border businesses concerned about the impact of customs checks at the currently free-flowing frontier. He has suggested a technological solution or a trusted trader scheme whereby paperwork would be cleared in advance. Ms May has pledged no return to the heavily-militarised border of the past during the Troubles. The expectation is that a deal would need to be struck between European leaders and Britain by this autumn to avoid the UK dropping out of the union without an accord. Ms McDonald told the ard fheis in Belfast this weekend that this months summit of European leaders in Brussels represented crunch time. She said there could be no progress to the next phase in negotiations without an answer to the Irish question. This challenge is as real for unionism as it is for republicans and nationalists, said Ms McDonald. Treading water, fingers crossed and hoping for the best is not a strategy at this time. Propping up a Tory government that glories in wilful ignorance and indifference to Ireland is not the way forward. The DUPs 10 pro-Brexit MPs are supporting Ms Mays minority government in key votes. Sinn Fein is pressing for the North to remain part of the EUs customs union after Brexit. Ms McDonald made her pitch for power as she moved to assure left-wing voters that Sinn Fein is not turning into some sell-out outfit and will only enter coalition if it can be sure its policies can be introduced. In a keynote speech on Saturday night, during her first ard fheis since replacing Gerry Adams as Sinn Fein leader earlier this year, Ms McDonald said that, after the next election, Sinn Fein will talk to all political parties and Independents. Responding to a successful party motion on Friday evening allowing any such potential talks to take place, she said Sinn Fein cannot be excluded from negotiations, adding: We are here, we are equal. Insisting it is not for Leo Varadkar or Micheal Martin to decide whether or not we enter government, as that decision will be made in the first instance by the people, Ms McDonald said Sinn Feins supporters must be supported in any post-election talks. She littered her speech with references to sustainable growth and shared economic prosperity across social classes. She said: To those who are impatient for equality and progress, I say this is your time. This is your home. This is your Ireland. Sinn Fein is your party. Let us seize the day. Together, let us build a new and united Ireland. Asked on RTEs The Week in Politics about the repositioning of her party, Ms McDonald explained that she very consciously and deliberately said we are looking for a progressive government and dismissed those sceptical of the move as the no-nay-never brigade. In a bid to calm concerns among its traditional support that Sinn Fein may be moving into centre-ground politics, she added that it still comes down to the programme for government and denied her party is going to morph into some sell-out outfit. Just to reassure views and to stop panic sweeping the nation, there will be no elopement [with Fine Gael or Fianna Fail]. The question of government, for me, still comes down to the programme for government. For us to enter government, the first thing we need is a sufficient mandate, so I have a job to do as a political leader and a political party, to convince people that we are worth backing. And then the second piece is the programme for government, and thats when all the parties and Independents enter into the frame. The bottom line has to be that we can house our people, that if youre sick you can have medical care. So of course there are bottom lines, but the core of the issue is whether or not you can arrive at that programme for government. We will not morph into some sell-out outfit. But were not going to sit on the sidelines. While there is ongoing talk over the possibility of Sinn Fein entering power after the next election, it is widely suspected the partys real focus is on the subsequent election after this vote. She made her comments as part of a documentary, No Country For Women, which explores Irish womens lives since achieving the vote 100 years ago by travelling through time to seek historical answers as to why lawmakers drafted a raft of discriminatory legislation against women after the countrys hard-fought independence. While the Irish revolution promised equality, with many women playing key roles in the war, the documentary details how legislators in the young Catholic country contained women either in the home, in religious orders, or to life sentences of being locked up in institutions in the most tragic cases. Ms Robinson said she believes severe Catholicism in the aftermath of the countrys independence had the most negative impact for women. I think it was a sort of severe Catholicism that had the most negative impact for women, she said. No Country for Women is a new landmark television two part documentary series which explores Irish womens lives since achieving the vote 100 years ago. pic.twitter.com/NKF80qkRwa RTE One (@RTEOne) June 16, 2018 Their place was in the home, child-rearing, playing that support role to the man. The laws that began to be introduced barred women from full citizenship. I think there are a lot of women who have felt that the law has oppressed them, that the law has discriminated. There was such an economic pressure on the single mother who wanted to keep her child but was being told you cant look after her the way she would be looked after by others, and that pressure was enormous. In No Country For Women, Ms Robinson candidly reveals how taken aback she was at the visceral reaction to her proposal as a young senator to repeal the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1935 which made it illegal to even advertise contraceptives. She said: I completely underestimated the reaction. Suddenly I was a pariah. I was denounced by bishops on pulpits. Archbishop [John] McQuaid required a letter to be read out to say that this measure would be and would remain a curse upon the country. We didnt even get a first reading. Ms Robinson said she was fighting for womens rights on both economic and health grounds. One of the reasons to legalise contraceptives was to give women the opportunity to choose when and whether you wanted to have children, she said. Women being able to be empowered to work it was the economic dimension of access to contraception that was as important as the health. Mary Magee, from Skerries, spoke about single-handedly challenging the contraception ban through Irish courts in the 1973. She said: I was having problems with pregnancies pre-eclampsia, strokes. I got scared of having more babies. I couldnt take the pill because of the stroke, so I found out about the coil. But you needed spermicide from England and my order was stopped by customs. It was stopped so you could say that was the start of me deciding to do something about the problem. The documentary also explores the heartbreaking story of Julia Carter Devaney, who spent the first 45 years of her life as an unpaid domestic servant in Tuams mother and baby home. Her story is told with the aid of a newly uncovered tape of Ms Carter Devaney herself, made in the 1970s. She is one of three women in the series who were confined to institutions because of poverty and not having families. No Country For Women: A Womans Place airs tomorrow at 9.35pm on RTE One. Over 40 pro-regime fighters killed in east Syria strike The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike on the town of Al-Hari was one of the deadliest. AFP, Beirut : An air strike has killed nearly 40 pro-regime foreign fighters in eastern Syria, with a US-led coalition denying accusations from Damascus that it was behind the attack. The strike just before midnight hit Al-Hari, a town controlled by regional militias fighting in the complex seven-year war on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the conflict, said it was one of the deadliest air attacks on government loyalists in recent months. "Thirty-eight non-Syrian fighters from regime loyalist militias were killed in the night-time raid on Al-Hari, on the Syrian-Iraqi border," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. He could not give any further details on their nationalities, but there are Iraqi, Iranian, Lebanese and even Afghan fighters stationed in the area. Syrian state media reported the attack overnight, citing a military source and accusing the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group of carrying it out. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number or their nationalities. The coalition's press office said it had heard reports that a strike in the area had killed and wounded members of a pro-regime Iraqi militia, but denied it was responsible. "There have been no strikes by US or coalition forces in that area," it told AFP by email. IS overran large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring an Islamic "caliphate" in areas under its control. Separate offensives have since whittled down the jihadists' territory in Syria to just a handful of pockets in the eastern desert, including in the Deir Ezzor province where Al-Hari lies. A US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against those IS-held pockets, and even Iraqi warplanes have occasionally bombed IS positions in Syria's east. The two forces have mostly avoided crashing into each other thanks to a de-confliction line that runs across the province along the winding Euphrates River. Syrian troops are batting IS on the western river bank, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fight on the east. Al-Hari lies on the western side, close to the river and the de-confliction line. The buffer has largely been successful in keeping the two offensives apart, but there have been exceptions. Last month a dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian government positions that the Observatory and state media blamed on the coalition. The Pentagon denied responsibility. In February US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in Deir Ezzor province, including Russians. Monday, June 18th, 2018 (7:59 am) - Score 15,656 Customers of Virgin Medias cable broadband ISP in Surrey, as well as potentially a few other parts of South East England, have for nearly two weeks been suffering from high latency times to servers in the EU (as well as a few in the UK). This has been particularly disruptive to online multiplayer games. The problem (likely to be a network routing issue) appears to have started on around 7th June 2018 and results in high latency (ping) times that tend to fluctuate from between around 100ms to 1000ms+ (milliseconds), albeit mostly when connecting to European based servers (websites, video games etc.) and particularly during peak periods. Sadly Virgin Medias front line support staff initially spent over a week denying there was a problem and refusing to update their service status page. We had planned to write about this at the end of last week but then some helpful forum support agents finally stepped in on Friday, made a few tweaks to Virgins network and for a brief period the problem appeared to be resolved. As you can probably guess, that fix didnt last too long and on Saturday the complaints began again. VM Customer Uli said: My friend on VM up in Liverpool doesnt seem to be impacted with the high ping issue and like you said its just going to European servers. Its 100% due to routing with one of the hops/nodes being screwed up. Connecting to a server in Chicago gives me 110ms ping, connecting to one in Europe during peak time gives >1,000ms, right now pinging Google is yielding 500ms. VM Customer Snookieboy said: How much longer is this service status fraud going to go on for? Virgin, Admit you have a fault publicly on the Service Status because the fact other customers are all directing your customers here to this thread publicly on twitter and facebook after your support teams failed to assist them makes you look terrible. I think we can all be thankful the fact that Fortnite hosts its EU Servers in the Mainland, because if it wasnt the fact everyone seems to be playing it and noticing 1000+ ms pings, I doubt this issue would have as many people noticing it and reporting it. VM Customer Utte said: Day 11 and basically all gaming and streaming is still just not possible. There was a brief period for me on Friday were it looked a little better but other than that the connection has not been fit for purpose. A lengthy post on Virgins Community Forum details the issue and there are a few other topics that may be related. Similarly a quick search of Twitter for the term virginmedia ping appears to turn up a fair number of unhappy customers, all reporting the same issue and most are based in or around the Surrey area. In the meantime some subscribers have been able to get around the issue by shifting traffic off Virgin Medias network and pushing it over a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or optimized gaming network service, like Outfox, although naturally theyd all prefer not to have to pay extra just to avoid bad routing on the ISPs network. We have already reached out to the provider for a comment and are awaiting their response. In fairness, all broadband providers will from time to time suffer such issues, although theyre usually spotted and resolved quite quickly. NOTE: This has nothing to do with the known latency bug on Virgins Hub 3.0 router. UPDATE 19th June 2018 (8:45am): At present Virgin Media has not been able to provide us with a comment because they said the issue is still be investigated in order to fully identify the cause. Weve been promised an update once more is known. Telecommunications services provider MNF Group has signed on as the title sponsor for the 2018 ACOMM Awards which recognise excellence in the Australian telecoms sector. MNF Group joins Gold Sponsor, MIRAIT Technologies Australia, silver sponsor Vodafone and bronze sponsors CYIENT, Bird & Bird and Bird & KPMG as core backers of the 2018 ACOMMS. The ACOMM Awards, hosted by Communications Alliance in collaboration with media partner, The Australian newspaper, have for more than a decade showcased the best and most innovative achievements throughout Australian telecommunications. Communications Alliance chief executive John Stanton said, A vibrant new title sponsor brings fresh energy and excitement to what promises to be a glittering 2018 ACOMMS. Nominations for the 2018 ACOMMS have closed and a panel of 15 expert judges is now reviewing the nominations. Shortlisted finalists will be announced on 18 July and the winners will receive their accolades at the ACOMM Awards Presentation Dinner on 29 August at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney. MNF Group chief executive Rene Sugo said: We see a great alignment between ACOMMS awards celebration of innovation and MNFs commitment to challenging the status quo and facilitating innovation through our smart communications network. As a past nominee and winner of these awards, we are now excited and proud to come on-board as the title sponsor of ACOMMS and celebrate the next wave of industry achievements. Communications and Arts Minister Senator Mitch Fifield will present a keynote address at the presentation dinner, which will also feature celebrity MC, televisions Sylvia Jeffreys. Awards categories are: Australian-listed, US-based mobile platform and service provider Syntonic has signalled its intention to acquire the mobile commerce business unit of Brazilian application-to-person sector service provider Zenvia. Syntonic (ASX:SYT) says the proposed acquisition includes Zenvias core technology platform, operational assets, and the assignment of all contracts for a cash consideration of US$700,000 (A$940,000). It also includes a vendor earn-out of 20% of the first US$21.5 million (A$28.9 million) of contribution margin generated by the acquired assets over 3.5 years. The proposed acquisition is subject to Syntonic board approval and the executing of formal binding agreements. Syntonic says that, subject to execution of formal agreements, it proposes to operate the Zenvia Mobile Commerce Platform as a stand-alone business and as a value-added service integrated with its own Connected Services Platform. And Syntonic says the integrated platform provides content providers and brands the full tools for customer acquisition and engagement, using Freeways sponsored data and data rewards services, and customer monetisation using the cross-carrier MCP. The combined platform enables the mobile operator to augment their business with revenue streams from mobile advertising and mobile commerce. Gary Greenbaum, chief executive and managing director of Syntonic, said, The proposed acquisition of Zenvias mobile commerce business unit represents an exciting strategic development for Syntonic. The business is well established and generating revenues through its operator and content partnerships. The respective business and technical assets complement each other and allow us to enhance the Freeway value proposition for consumers, operators, and content providers, and to capture new revenue opportunities. Following completion of the proposed acquisition, Syntonic will be the only company with a mobile commerce platform integrated with all of Brazils major operators and partnerships with major content providers using the platform service. These established relationships form a solid foundation for Syntonic to offer tailored solutions to its partners and an ideal platform to launch Freeway service into Brazil, the ninth largest economy in the world. Human resources outfit PageUp People, which had claimed after it was hit by a massive data breach that user authentication data had been encrypted, has now changed its tune and says that passwords set up before 2007 were stored in clear text. The company was set up in 1997 and claims to have "2.6 million active customer employee users in over 190 countries". PageUp has changed its story a few times since the initial announcement of the breach on 6 June. The company initially said the breach was due to a malware infection. But a statement on 12 June said: "Advanced methods were used to gain unauthorised access to PageUps IT systems in Australia, Singapore and the UK." This indicates that the breach may have gone deeper into company systems than originally indicated. In its latest statement, issued on Sunday, the company said: "For those employees who currently or previously had access to your PageUp instance, current password data is protected using the robust password hashing algorithm, bcrypt, which includes salts, and therefore is considered to be of very low risk to individuals. "However, failed login attempt data from 2007 and before contained a very small amount of password data in clear text. If employees have not changed their password information since 2007, it would be prudent to do this now and anywhere where they may have used the same password." Among PageUp's clients in Australia are the Commonwealth Bank. the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Telstra, NAB, Coles, Aldi, Medibank, Australia Post, Target, Reserve Bank of Australia, Officeworks, Kmart, Linfox, AMP, Asahi, Sony, Newcrest, the University of Tasmania and Lindt. Several companies have stopped using PageUp People's site altogether, among them Monash University. The breach was noticed on 23 May and five days later investigations showed that client data may have been compromised. PageUp People's website is hosted by Amazon and appears to run on Microsoft's IIS Web server. There have been many cases where data was left unsecured in AWS buckets and leaked as a result, though this may not have happened in PageUp's case. US policy on migrant kids `unconscionable`: UN rights chief Children hold signs during a demonstration in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Miramar, Fla. AP, Geneva : The U.N. human rights chief is urging the Trump administration to end new policies separating migrant children from their parents after entering the United States from Mexico, saying they've affected nearly 2,000 kids in the last six weeks. Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein says it's "unconscionable" that any country would seek to deter parents from migrating "by inflicting such abuse on children." He spoke at Monday's opening of a regular Human Rights Council session, his last before his term ends in August. Zeid, a Jordanian prince, also decried concerns about countries including Syria, Myanmar, Hungary, Nicaragua, Israel, North Korea, and India- and Pakistan-controlled parts of Kashmir. He denounced the lack of access provided by U.N. member states to rights investigators, noting China has accumulated 15 pending requests in the last five years. There was no immediate reaction from the U.S. delegation in the room, led by Geneva-based diplomat Jason Mack. Reuters quoted activists and diplomats on Thursday as saying that talks with the United States over how to reform the main U.N. rights body have failed to meet Washington's demands, especially over its treatment of Israel, suggesting that the Trump administration will quit the forum. Zeid said that "longstanding, grave and systematic" violations of human rights continued in North Korea and urged Pyongyang to cooperate with the U.N. rights investigator on the isolated country whose mandate it does not recognize. Zeid cited clear indications of "well-organized, widespread and systematic attacks" continuing against Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar, "amounting possibly to acts of genocide", while conflict has escalated in Kachin and Shan states. The Myanmar government's efforts to prosecute perpetrators have lacked credibility and human rights monitors must be on the ground before Rohingya refugees return from Bangladesh, he said. Zeid accused China of preventing independent activists from testifying before U.N. rights bodies and voiced concern that conditions were "fast deteriorating" in the autonomous regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. He urged the 47-member forum to set up international commissions on alleged violations in Venezuela and Nicaragua. Zeid, whose four-year term finishes at the end of August, said that his office was committed to its "gargantuan task". He received a standing ovation at the end of his remarks. For philanthropically minded people who have crossed into IT from the liberal arts world and want to work from home, Cloud for Good, the No. 1 small organization on Computerworlds 2018 Best Places to Work in IT list, seems like a perfect employer. The premium Salesforce.org partner is a B corporation, which means its a for-profit business certified by the nonprofit B Lab as meeting certain standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. It was founded by Tal Frankfurt, who learned Salesforce when he was working as a fundraiser, trying to better manage donors, participants and volunteers at a nonprofit for at-risk youth in Israel. Gradually, other nonprofit colleagues asked him about how to use the platform, and he started consulting. After moving to the United States, he founded Cloud for Good in 2010 and started hiring people with similar stories. He worked from a home office and saw no reason to rent commercial space, so the company is 100% virtual. Now numbering more than 50, employees come from a nonprofit or educational background, are Salesforce-certified and work from home. Our employees all see the power of this platform to transform operations for [nonprofits], says Will Nourse, vice president of operations at the company and formerly CIO at a nonprofit. Thats what gets our folks jazzed. [ Read the Best Places to Work in IT 2018 special report ] Kestryl Lowreys story is typical. After graduating with a double major in anthropology and theater, then going on to earn a masters in performance theater, Lowrey worked for several nonprofits in New York City. Despite rebelling against a family tradition of working in tech (his father and grandparents worked for technology companies), Lowrey found himself handling technology for his employers. Out of a nine-person office, I was the only one who knew how to fix the printer. He joined Cloud for Good in 2014 and is now a solutions architect. Lara Hoke, a senior cloud consultant who has a degree in fine arts and is an established painter, came from an arts nonprofit in San Francisco. As she learned Salesforce, she became more and more interested in the technology, but I wanted to work for mission-based organizations, she says. She says her arts background helps her think creatively about how to help nonprofits use Salesforce to their best advantage. Our biggest job is as problem-solvers, she says. When youre painting, thats often what youre doing. You dont necessarily know what the answer is . . . but you enjoy the process of figuring it out. Despite working alone in their homes, employees common interest in nonprofits provides the foundation for a cohesive culture at the company. We have a strong sense of collaboration and community that comes from a shared purpose, says Lowrey. We all want to help nonprofits to use technology for good. But Frankfurt takes intentional steps to build on that and create a culture to unite workers spread out among 15 states, three Canadian provinces, and the Netherlands. First, hes careful to hire people who can work independently at home without feeling too isolated. Second, he sets clear expectations and goals, defining exactly what success looks like. Third, he makes dedicated efforts to build connections and foster collaboration. For example, employees use Zoom video as their prime means of communication with one another and customers. All calls are video calls, says Frankfurt. I dont even remember the last time someone called me on my phone. For camaraderie, employees gather virtually in chat rooms dedicated to common interests such as parenting or sports. Frankfurt holds open office hours in his chat room once a month. I feel more connected to my co-workers at Cloud for Good than I did with co-workers that I was seeing in the office every day in previous office jobs, says Lowrey. And every month or so, he gets together in person with several other Cloud for Good employees in New York. Nourse joined Cloud for Good almost five years ago, when it had only 10 employees. Back then, the company was using Google Apps and Hangouts, but it outgrew them as the number of employees increased. So it moved from Google to Office 365 and from Skype to Zoom. There are also personal touches that help employees feel known, recognized and appreciated. The company has a care group that comes up with personalized gifts for employee birthdays and work anniversaries, Nourse says. They gave me, an amateur photographer, a gift certificate for a photo walk around Boston, he says. That kind of small thing goes a long way to keeping people feeling integrated and invested. More about the Best Places to Work in IT: Human security the core point of all development Dr. Forqan Uddin Ahmed : Security can be examined at different levels and dimensions. It can be viewed at individual, societal, national, international and global levels. At different levels are linked up different dimensions like human security, traditional security, cooperative security, collective security, environmental security and internal security etc. When the entire gamut of different dimension of security is considered we may call it comprehensive security. One may think one dimension is different from other; it is altogether a misconception that one dimension of security can be delinked from the other. Today's non-traditional or environmental security may turn out to be a traditional security-it might even turn out to be a vital national interest which would merit the employment of military forces; it might even take the shape of a total war. Bangladesh's security concerns are multidimensional as already indicated. Bangladesh's vital national interests could involve its territorial integrity, political sovereignty, democracy, religious and social values, and economic and social progress. Human security is an emerging paradigm for understanding global vulnerabilities whose proponents challenge the traditional notion of national security by arguing that the proper referent for security should be the individual rather than the state. Human security holds that a people-centered view of security is necessary for national and global stability. Human security is people-centered. Its focus shifts to protecting individuals. The important dimensions are to entail the well-being of individuals and respond to ordinary people's needs in dealing with sources of threats. In addition to protecting the state from external aggression, human security would expand the scope of protection to include a broader range of threats, including environmental pollution, infectious diseases, and economic deprivation. The realization of human security involves not only governments, but a broader participation of different actors, viz. regional and international organizations, non-governmental organizations and local communities. Human security not only protects, but also empowers people and societies as a means of security. People contribute by identifying and implementing solutions to insecurity. The concept emerged from a post-Cold War, multi-disciplinary understanding of security involving a number of research fields, including development studies, international relations, strategic studies, and human rights. The United Nations Development Programme's 1994 Human its argument that insuring "freedom from want" and " freedom from fear" for all persons is the best path to tackle the problem of global insecurity. Freedom from fear school seeks to limit the practice of Human Security to protecting individuals from violent conflicts while recognizing that these violent threats are strongly associated with poverty, lack of state capacity and other forms of inequities. This approach argues that limiting the focus to violence is a realistic and manageable approach towards Human Security. Emergency assistance, conflict prevention and resolution, peace-building are the main concerns of this approach. Canada, for example, was a critical player in the efforts to ban landmines and has incorporated the "Freedom from Fear" agenda as a primary component in its own foreign policy. However, whether such "narrow" approach can truly serve its purpose in guaranteeing more fruitful results remains to be an issue. For instance, the conflicts in Darfur are often used in questioning the effectiveness of the "Responsibility to Protect", a key component of the Freedom from Fear agenda. Freedom from want school advocates a holistic approach in achieving human security and argues that the threat agenda should be broadened to include hunger, disease and natural disasters because they are inseparable concepts in addressing the root of human insecurity and they kill far more people than war, genocide and terrorism combined. Different from "Freedom from Fear", it expands the focus beyond violence with emphasis on development and security goals. Human security focuses on the serious neglect of gender concerns under the traditional security model. Traditional security's focus on external military threats to the state has meant that the majority of threats women face have been overlooked. It has recently been argued that these forms of violence are often overlooked because expressions of masculinity in contexts of war have become the norm. By focusing on the individual, the human security model aims to address the security concerns of both women and men equally. However, as of recent conflicts, it is believed that the majority of war casualties are civilians and that "such a conclusion has sometimes led to the assumptions that women are victimized by war to a greater extent than men, because the majority of adult civilians are women, and when the populations of civilian women and children are added together, they outnumber male combatants. Furthermore, in the post-war context women survivors generally outnumber men and so it is often said that women as a group bear a greater burden for post-war recovery". Women are often victims of violence and conflict: they form the majority of civilian deaths; the majority of refugees; and, are often the victims of cruel and degrading practices, such as rape. Women's security is also threatened by unequal access to resources, services and opportunities. The UN Special Reporter on Violence Against Women, as of 1995, suggested that the problem is not just a social one, but requires evaluation of the political institutions which uphold unequal system of domination. Women's rights are neglected especially in the Middle East and Southeast Asian regions where customary practices are still prevalent. Although there are different opinions on the issue of customary practices, it infringes upon human security's notion where women and men are innate with equal human rights. Attempts to eradicate such violent customary practices requires political and legal approaches where human security in relation to gender should be brought up as the main source of assertion. Such cruel customary practices as honor killing, burning brides and widows, child marriage are still in existence because of women's vulnerability in economic independence and security. Human security in relationship to gender tries to overthrow such traditional practices that are incompatible to the rights of women. Also human security seeks to empower women, through education, participation and access, as gender equality is seen as a necessary precondition for peace, security and a prosperous society. Traditionally, embracing liberal market economics was considered to be the universal path for economic growth, and thus development for all humanity. Yet, continuing conflict and human rights abuses following the end of the Cold War and the fact that two-thirds of the global population seemed to have gained little from the economic gains of globalization, led to fundamental questions about the way development was practiced. Accordingly, human development has emerged in the 1990s to challenge the dominant paradigm of liberal economy in the development community. Human development proponents argue that economic growth is insufficient to expand people's choice or capabilities, areas such as health, education, technology, the environment, and employment should not be neglected. Human security could be said to further enlarge the scope for examining the causes and consequences of underdevelopment, by seeking to bridge the divide between development and security. Too often, militaries didn't address or factor in the underlying causes of violence and insecurity while development workers often underplayed the vulnerability of development models to violent conflict. Human security springs from a growing consensus that these two fields need to be more fully integrated in order to enhance security for all. Eid holidaymakers start returning to city People started returning in the city after celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr with their near and dear ones. This picture was taken from Kamalapur Railway Station on Monday. Md Joynal Abedin Khan : The holyday makers have started returning to capital Dhaka after celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr with their near and dear ones in different district towns and villages. They enjoyed hassle-free journey this time due to necessary steps taken by the government on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, which was celebrated across the country on Saturday. The public and private offices opened on Monday after Eid holidays. People, especially service holders, were seen to reach Dhaka by launches, trains and buses on Monday without facing any major troubles on their ways as the highways and ferry ghats did not witness excessive rush till Monday morning. No fatal causalities and damages were reported centering accidents on national roads and waterways during the Eid holidays. But 10 people were killed in a stray road accident in Nilphamari yesterday. The journey schedule of buses, trains and launches have been seen almost normal as no tailback occurred on highways, including Dhaka-Chattogram and Dhaka-Dinajpur highways like the previous years. Even the office-goers attended their work places on the first day (Monday) in due time as all types of transports plied on their trucks without any disturbance. The low-income people also made their journey by city service buses and other vehicles based on the special consider of the law enforcers, according to government's instruction. The passengers also moved on different types of transports without fall in danger like mugging, shooting, pick pocketing as law enforcers have taken extra security measures across the country ahead of Eid. Trucks, lorries and covered vans have not allowed to ply the roads three days before Eid. The roadside kitchen markets have been removed, and construction and repairing of all highways stopped seven days ahead of Eid. Besides, mobile courts are conducting operation to control unfit and outdated vehicles on highways and unauthorised parking in the city. Vigilance teams, comprising officials from different departments of the ministry, have started work at Sayedabad, Gabtoli and Mohakhali bus terminals to prevent overcharging, overloading, and public sufferings to make the comfortable journey. Ansar men have been deployed to help police for traffic management in important entry and exit points of Dhaka city. Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) opened a control room for traffic management in coordination with all stakeholders, and it remained open for seven days starting four days before Eid. All CNG stations remain opened 24 hours for 14 days starting seven days before Eid, while the garment factories will open on different dates. Meanwhile, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Monday categorically said this year's Eid journey of the homebound people became more comfortable than the previous years. He also said that there were many pressures on roads in last three days but now the roads became free of traffic congestion as per news from various sources, including monitoring cells of Communication Ministry and highway police. "The journey of homebound people on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr was comfortable as the government has taken coordinated and planned steps." The minister came up with the remarks while exchanging greetings with the reporters at his Secretariat office on the first working day after Eid vacation. "The number of road crashes and loss of lives is less than the previous years," he said. Obaidul also claimed that people reached Chattogram from Dhaka ahead of Eid within four hours. Nasrin Akter, a passenger of Agamoni Trasport from Rangpur, told The New Nation on Monday morning, "I came Dhaka on Sunday night within five hours." Mizanur Rahman, a passenger of Nil-Sagore Express, said that he came Dhaka from Nilphamari on schedule time of the train. Asaduzzaman, a passenger of Sundarban-12, said that launch journey was hassle-free comparing the previous years. Mina akter, a passenger, said that she made her journey by Raza City bus to their village home at Panchagarh before Eid-day within 11 hours and back to the city office on Monday morning by taking 10 hours. Atikul Islam. Additional Inspector General (Highways) of Police said that they did not receive any information of tailback on national roads, but vehicles pressure and slow speed on different roads have been reported. Reddit Email 394 Shares Newcastle-upon-Tyne (The Conversation) More than 81% of the USs protestant evangelicals voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. A year and a half into his presidency, they seem as dedicated to him as ever and just as ready to make excuses for his decidedly un-Christian misdeeds. Many Christian rightists, among them family values foghorn James Dobson, consider Trump a baby Christian. His lewd and predatory comments about women are simply the mark of a very imperfect man. Any of his actions, no matter how debased or inhumane, are dismissed or approved by the faithful. On June 14 the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, used scripture to back up Trumps cruel policies on refugees, which are currently tearing families apart along the southern border. Now, through the alchemy of political tribalism, the former casino owner, who once starred in a softcore porn film and who confessed on the radio to multiple affairs, is a Man of God who speaks his mind with confidence, however deep his ignorance. But todays evangelical leaders should be wary of hitching their wagon to an amoral, corrupt president. They could learn a thing or two from their predecessors, who aligned themselves closely with another troublesome president: Richard Nixon, whose malfeasance eventually became too much for the Christian right to tolerate. When the depth of Trumps misconduct is established, will his prayer warrior enthusiasts have to rethink their allegiance? For now, the love affair continues. In May 2018, First Baptist Dallas pastor, Robert Jeffress,, proclaimed on Fox News that the vast majority of his fellow believers hoped their candidate would win again in 2020. Trump has reciprocated by waxing pious at prayer breakfasts about the glories and mercies of God. His staunchly evangelical vice president, Mike Pence, assures Americans that theres prayer going on on a regular basis in this White House. Pence recently delivered a Trumpian, campaign-style address at a meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, Americas largest Protestant denomination. Trump hagiographies are rolling off the presses: The Faith of Donald J. Trump, God and Donald Trump, The Trump Prophecies. The latter is being adapted into a film with the help of fundamentalist bastion Liberty University. Trump iconographer and right-wing Mormon Jon McNaughton, who once depicted a resolute Barack Obama with the Constitution under his foot, has created a series of kitsch classics rendering Trump as a cross between prophet, priest and king. Perhaps one day in the not-so-distant future the artist will paint The Apotheosis of The Donald for the capitol rotunda. What about the presidents habitual lying? His sordid past? His bragging and bullying? His demonising of refugees? His lawers payment of US$130,000 in alleged hush money to a porn star? Influential evangelist Franklin Graham recently said that Trumps alleged affair with Stormy Daniels happened many years ago. It didnt matter now. In March 2018, the Pew Research Center reported that white evangelical support for Trump stood at 78%, a figure that had actually grown since news about Daniels broke. Democrats, progressive Christians, and the media hated Trump. That was reason enough for many others to support him. Anyhow, said Graham: I dont think that he came to be president by mistake or by happenstance. I think somehow God put him in this position. And Graham was even more assured when Trump told him that his father, Fred Trump, had taken him to an evangelistic crusade held by Grahams own father, Billy. Common cause Perhaps the most famous and influential revivalist of the 20th century, Billy Graham preached a simple message of repentance and salvation. Though he claimed to stay away from politics, he was in fact deeply political, and a close confidant of presidents Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon and Reagan. During the 1960 presidential campaign, Graham and his fellow travellers were faced with the possibility that John F. Kennedy, a Catholic and a Democrat, would be the next president. They rallied behind Richard Nixon and stayed behind him for years. Like Graham, many white evangelicals in the late 1960s and early 1970s found in Nixon a strong, powerful man who boldly stood up to liberal politicians, civil rights agitators and amoral student activists. When the president championed the silent majority on national television, they were heartened that such a Christian leader would speak for them. Nixon signalled that they were the true victims in the heated political and cultural battles of the age. Nixon won 69% of the evangelical vote in his successful 1968 bid, and he instituted regular White House religious services at the start of his presidency. The presidents call for law and order also inspired the faithful. The head of the National Association of Evangelicals endorsed the Republican president in 1972, praising Nixons Cold War policies. 84% of evangelicals cast their votes for Nixon that year. Their affinity lasted for most of Nixons doomed presidency. Grahams private conversations with Nixon, recorded by a secret White House taping system, revealed the extent of the preachers partisanship and his willingness to encourage the presidents many prejudices and burning grudges. On February 10, 1972, Graham listened intently as the commander-in-chief railed against Jews and their overpowering influence. Americas pastor replied that this stranglehold has got to be broken or the countrys going down the drain. Nixon sympathised: I cant ever say that, but I believe it. Keeping the faith But the following year, the scandal over the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up dominated headlines and nightly TV news. Like other right-wing partisans, conservative Christians tried to brush it aside, but they could only ignore the obvious for so long when it came down to it, their political hero was a squalid criminal. When Graham finally heard the profanity-laced Watergate tapes, he reportedly vomited. Quite a few evangelicals, though disillusioned, didnt really come to grips with the deeper meaning of it all, responding with a kind of born-again dodge. Graham reckoned that Watergate was a symptom of a deeper, national moral problem. He wondered if Americans should have prayed more for their president. Theres a little bit of Watergate in all of us, Graham cautioned. Some like the fundamentalist minister and Christian right political broker Jerry Falwell continued to revere the disgraced former president. In the years after Nixons 1974 resignation, evangelicals voted Republican in growing numbers. Will Trumps solid, evangelical base ever come to terms with the kind of person they voted into office? Will there be a reckoning in the coming months and years that will open their eyes to his cynical manipulations, his divisive, culture-war grandstanding, his philandering, or repeated lying? Its difficult to say. But if the past is any guide, the answer is a resounding no. Randall J. Stephens, Associate Professor and Reader in History and American Studies, Northumbria University, Newcastle This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Featured Photo: Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Liberty University, Whitehouse.gov Reddit Email 100 Shares 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. AFP / -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. 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 countrys 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. Yemens 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. AFP / William ICKES. 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 The Huthi rebels drove Yemens 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. AFP / More than 70 percent of imports to all of Yemen pass through the docks of the rebel-held Hodeida port. 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 Riyadhs regional arch rival Iran. The potential capture of Hodeida would be the coalitions 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. AFP / MOHAMMED HUWAIS. 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 worlds worst humanitarian crisis. - Bonus video added by Informed Comment: In Yemens Hudaida, the sound of warplanes never ceases | Al Jazeera English VANCOUVER, British Columbia and PERTH, Australia, June 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- South32 Limited (ASX:S32) (JSE:S32) (LSE:S32) (ADR:SOUHY) (South32) and Arizona Mining Inc. (TSX:AZ) (Arizona Mining) announced today that they have entered into an agreement for South32 to acquire the remaining 83 per cent of issued and outstanding shares of Arizona Mining via a plan of arrangement, representing a fully funded, all cash offer of US$1.3 billion1 (C$1.8 billion). The offer price of C$6.20 per share represents a 50 per cent premium to the closing price on 15 June and implies a total equity value for Arizona Mining of US$1.6 billion1 (C$2.1 billion). Directors and officers of Arizona Mining, who own 34 per cent of the common shares on issue, have entered into voting support agreements and the directors of Arizona Mining entitled to vote, have unanimously recommended to their shareholders that they vote in favour of the transaction. Arizona Mining is the owner of the Hermosa Project, containing the high grade base metals Taylor deposit, the Central zinc, manganese and silver oxide resource and an extensive, highly prospective land package with potential for discovery of polymetallic and copper mineralisation. The Taylor deposit is a greenfield development project that has a reported resource of 101 million short tons2,[3] (Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources) at 10.4% zinc equivalent grade and is open at depth and laterally. The project is located close to key infrastructure in an attractive mining jurisdiction. A Preliminary Economic Assessment completed by Arizona Mining in January 2018 indicated that this low cost, long life project has the potential to deliver a very high Internal Rate of Return on investment2. South32 Chief Executive Officer, Graham Kerr said: Our all cash offer for Arizona Mining will allow us to optimise the design and development of one of the most exciting base metal projects in the industry. We have been a major shareholder in Arizona Mining since May 2017 and an active participant in the Hermosa Project with representation on the operations committee and a nominee on the board of directors. Our deep understanding of this high grade resource and surrounding tenement package, and extensive experience at Cannington, makes us the natural owner of this project and ensures we are well positioned to bring it to development, delivering significant value to our shareholders. Arizona Mining founder and Executive Chairman, Richard Warke said: South32s all cash offer of C$6.20 per share represents a premium reflective of the truly world class nature of the Hermosa Project and allows shareholders to realise immediate value. In addition, the transaction is not contingent on financing, which significantly reduces transaction risk. Our board of directors and a special committee of three independent members from the board of directors evaluated this offer and determined that it represented the best outcome for all shareholders. Importantly, South32 knows the asset well and understands the significance of the strong relationships that we have built in Arizona with all of our stakeholders. I wish South32 all the best in developing Hermosa and the Taylor deposit. Terms of the Transaction4 The Transaction will be effected by way of a statutory plan of arrangement pursuant to the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (BCBCA) and will require the approval of: at least 66.67 per cent of votes cast by Arizona Mining shareholders at a shareholder meeting expected to take place in the September 2018 quarter. South32 is eligible to vote its existing 53.2 million common shares in Arizona Mining, equivalent to 17 per cent of the common shares outstanding, in favour of the Transaction; and a simple majority of the votes cast by Arizona Mining shareholders, excluding South32 and any other persons required to be excluded in accordance with Multilateral Instrument 61-101 of the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. No vote will be required by South32 shareholders in connection with the Transaction. As part of the Transaction, South32 will either acquire or cancel the outstanding options and warrants in Arizona Mining. The holders of options and warrants that are in-the-money will receive cash consideration equal to the purchase price less the exercise price of each Arizona Mining option or warrant. South32 has also entered into an arrangement designed to manage foreign exchange rate exposure associated with the Transaction. The Arrangement Agreement includes customary deal protection provisions including a non-solicitation clause, notification rights and a right to match in the event of a superior proposal, as well as a C$67 million termination fee payable by Arizona Mining to South32 under certain circumstances. In addition to a positive shareholder vote, the Transaction remains subject to a limited number of conditions, a full list of which is set out in the Arrangement Agreement, including: receipt of interim and final court orders pursuant to the statutory arrangement provisions of the BCBCA; no material adverse effect concerning Arizona Mining; and other customary conditions for a transaction of this nature. The Transaction is not subject to any regulatory approvals. Subject to the conditions precedent being met, the Transaction is expected to close in the September 2018 quarter. South32 has retained Goldman Sachs as lead financial adviser, Canaccord Genuity as financial adviser, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP as Canadian legal adviser and Perkins Coie as US legal adviser, in relation to the Transaction. Arizona Mining has retained Scotiabank as lead financial adviser, Maxit Capital as financial adviser to the special committee and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg as legal adviser, in relation to the Transaction. Board Recommendation and Voting Support Agreements The Arrangement Agreement has been unanimously approved by the directors of Arizona Mining entitled to vote who have recommended that Arizona Mining shareholders vote in favour of the Transaction. Scotiabank has provided an opinion to the Arizona Mining board of directors and Maxit Capital has provided an opinion to the Arizona Mining special committee stating that, and based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations, and qualifications set forth therein, the consideration offered pursuant to the Transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Arizona Mining shareholders, excluding South32. South32 has entered into voting support agreements with all directors and senior officers of Arizona Mining who hold common shares, including the founder and Executive Chairman, pursuant to which these shareholders agree to vote in favour of the Transaction subject to the terms and conditions of such agreements. This group of shareholders collectively represents 34 per cent of Arizona Minings outstanding common shares. Arizona Mining interim financing In connection with the Transaction, South32 will provide Arizona Mining with a C$70 million working capital facility at commercial rates (the Facility). The Facility comprises an initial tranche of C$40 million available following signing and subsequent tranches up to a total of C$30 million, subject to South32s consent. The Facility is being provided for agreed upon working capital and capital expenditure purposes based on the most recent operational budget for the Hermosa Project. In certain circumstances the Facility can be repaid in Arizona Mining shares at South32s election, but only to the extent South32s ownership of Arizona Mining does not exceed 19.9 per cent. Conference call South32 will hold a conference call at 7:30am Australian Western Standard Time on 18 June 2018 to discuss the Transaction, the details of which are as follows: Conference ID: 538881 Australia: 1 800 558 698 South Africa: 0800 999 976 United States: (855) 881 1339 Singapore: 800 101 2785 United Kingdom: 0800 051 8245 International: +612 9007 3187 About South32 South32 is a globally diversified mining and metals company with high quality operations in Australia, Southern Africa and South America. Our purpose is to make a difference by developing natural resources, improving peoples lives now and for generations to come. We are trusted by our owners and partners to realise the potential of their resources. We have a simple strategy to maximise the potential of our assets and shareholder returns by optimising our existing operations, unlocking their potential and identifying new opportunities to compete for capital. About Arizona Mining Arizona Mining is a mineral exploration and development company focused on the exploration and development of its 100 per cent owned zinc-lead-silver Hermosa Project located in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. Hermosa has 554 acres of private, patented mining claims and district exploration potential within 20,500 acres of unpatented mining claims. It comprises two deposits, the flagship Taylor deposit, a zinc-lead-silver sulphide and the Central deposit, a zinc-manganese-silver manto oxide. Further information JSE Sponsor: UBS South Africa (Pty) Ltd 18 June 2018 SOUTH32 INVESTOR RELATIONS Alex Volante T +61 403 328 408 M +44 7468 353 005 E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tom Gallop T +61 8 9324 9030 M +61 439 353 948 E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. SOUTH32 MEDIA RELATIONS James Clothier T +61 8 9324 9697 M +61 413 391 031 E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Jenny White T +44 20 7798 1773 M +44 798 388 7467 E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ARIZONA MINING INVESTOR RELATIONS & CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Susan Muir T +1 416 366 5678 x 202 E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Jerrold Annett T +1 416 366 5678 x 207 E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This announcement contains inside information. Further information regarding the Transaction can be found in the Arrangement Agreement and will also be included in an information circular, which is expected to be filed and mailed to Arizona Mining shareholders in July 2018. These key documents will also be available online at www.arizonamining.com and www.sedar.com. Further information on South32 can be found at www.south32.net. Forward-looking statements This release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements about currency exchange rates, commodity prices, production forecasts, plans, development decisions, exploration and capital expenditure. These forward-looking statements reflect expectations at the date of this release; however, they are not guarantees or predictions of future performance. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, and which may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements contained in this release. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable laws or regulations, neither South32 Limited nor Arizona Mining Inc. undertakes to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or future events. Mineral Resources clarifying statements The estimates of Mineral Resources for the Hermosa Project (Arizona Mining) are foreign estimates under the ASX Listing Rules reported in accordance with the National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) and filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) on 16 January 2018. In accordance with National Instrument 43-101, Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of mineral resources will be converted to Mineral Reserves. Inferred Mineral Resources are based on limited drilling which suggests the greatest uncertainty for a resource estimate and that geological continuity is only implied. Additional drilling will be required to verify geological and mineralisation continuity and there is no certainty that all of the Inferred Resources will be converted to Measured and Indicated Resources. Quantity and grades are estimates and are rounded to reflect the fact that the resource estimate is an approximation. The categories of Mineral Resource classification used are in accordance with NI 43-101. NI 43-101 is a qualifying foreign estimate (Chapter 19, ASX Listing Rules) and has similar categories of resource classification as the JORC Code (Appendix 5A, ASX Listing Rules). South32 considers these estimates to be both relevant and material to South32 given that this project has the potential to be a material project to South32. Reliability of estimate: South32 has experience of managing similar operations to the Hermosa Project. South32s key technical and operational personnel conducted site visits as part of the due diligence process. Arizona Mining provided information used to estimate Mineral Resources to South32 for review. The estimates of Mineral Resources were reported in compliance with NI 43-101 using independent consultants, AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd (AMC). The Qualified Person (as required by Canadian securities regulatory authorities) for the Mineral Resource estimate was Dinara Nussipakynova, P.Geo, an employee of AMC. The basis for the estimate as provided to South32 consists of a geological database incorporating geology, analytical results and surface topography. Mining and processing recoveries are based on the PEA completed by Arizona Mining for the Hermosa Project (Taylor and Central Deposit). The PEA dated 16 January 2018 is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). South32 believes that the information provided is the most recent publicly available. Following completion of the transaction it is South32s intention to conduct a work program to increase confidence in the resource to ensure that resources are reported in accordance with the JORC Code. The work program will include additional exploration by means of drilling and is anticipated to be completed within three years and will be funded using internal cash reserves. Cautionary statement: The estimates of Mineral Resources for the Hermosa Project (Arizona Mining) are foreign estimates under the ASX Listing Rules and are not reported in accordance with the JORC Code. Competent persons have not done sufficient work to classify the foreign estimates as Mineral Resources in accordance with the JORC Code. It is uncertain, that following evaluation and further exploration, the foreign estimates will be able to be reported as Mineral Resources in accordance with the JORC code. Competent persons statement In accordance with ASX listing rule 5.12, Matthew Readford, a Competent Person, employee of South32 and Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, confirms the information in this market announcement that relates to the Hermosa Project NI 43-101 foreign estimate filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) on 16 January 2018 is an accurate representation of the available data and studies for Hermosa Project provided to South32 by Arizona Mining. Matthew Readford has sufficient relevant experience for the type of deposit and method of extraction to qualify as a competent person in accordance with the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (The JORC Code). Mr Readford consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on their information in the form and context in which it appears. 1 Based on a CAD/USD exchange rate of 0.7574 as of 15 June 2018. 2 The information in this announcement that relates to the Mineral Resource estimates and the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) of Hermosa Project (Taylor and Central Deposit) is based on the National instrument 43-101 Technical Report dated 16 January 2018 and filed by Arizona Mining on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 as required by Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Quantities are stated in short tons. Commodity weights of measure are in ounces per short ton (oz/ton) or percent (%) unless stated otherwise. See also Mineral Resources clarifying statements in this market announcement. 3 The estimates of the Taylor sulphide Mineral Resources contain 15.2 million tons of Measured Mineral Resource (4.0% Zn, 4.0% Pb & 1.6 g/t Ag) and 85.8 million tons of Indicated Mineral Resource (4.2% Zn, 4.0% Pb & 2.2 g/t Ag). The % Zinc equivalent calculation including assumptions are available in the PEA of Hermosa Project (Taylor and Central Deposit) dated 16 January 2018, filed by Arizona Mining on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). 4 Capitalised terms have meanings defined in the Arrangement Agreement. Not for Dissemination in the United States or through US Newswire Services All dollar amounts are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise specified. MONTREAL, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Falco Resources Ltd. (TSXV:FPC) (Falco or the Company) is pleased to announce a financing transaction with Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd (TSX:OR) (NYSE:OR) (Osisko), pursuant to which Osisko has agreed to commit $180 million through a silver stream (the Silver Stream Transaction) toward the funding of the development of Falcos Horne 5 Project (the Project). Concurrent to the announcement of the Silver Stream Transaction, Falco is also announcing that Osisko shall purchase from Falco a secured debenture having a principal amount of $7,000,000 (the Debenture Transaction). We are pleased to announce this financing with Osisko. The funds will be instrumental as Falco looks forward to building a high-quality, profitable, and environmentally safe project that will deliver significant economic benefit to all of our stakeholders. The partnership with Osisko and its cornerstone investment further demonstrates its commitment to supporting the next significant mine build in Quebec, a leading mining jurisdiction, stated Luc Lessard, President & CEO. SILVER STREAM PURCHASE AGREEMENT: Osisko has agreed to enter into a silver stream purchase agreement (the Stream Agreement), whereby Osisko will provide the Company with staged payments totaling $180 million, payable as follows: A first deposit of $25 million on closing of the Silver Stream Transaction, net of any amounts owing by the Company to Osisko; A second deposit of $20 million upon the Company receiving all necessary material third-party approvals, licenses, rights of way, and surface rights; A third deposit of $35 million following receipt of all material permits required for the construction of a mine on the Project, a positive construction decision for the Project, and raising a minimum of $100 million in equity, joint venture or any other non-debt financing for the construction of the mine; A fourth deposit of $60 million upon the total projected capital expenditure for the Project having been demonstrated to be financed; and An optional fifth deposit of $40 million at the sole election of Osisko to increase the stream percentage, payable concurrently with the fourth deposit. Under the terms of the Stream Agreement, Osisko will purchase 90% of the payable silver from the Project, increasing to 100% of the payable silver from the Project in the event the optional fifth deposit is paid. In exchange for the silver delivered under the Stream Agreement, Osisko will pay the Company ongoing payments equal to 20% of the spot price of silver on the day of delivery, subject to a maximum payment of USD$6.00 per silver ounce. The silver produced from the Project and properties within a 5 km area of interest will be subject to the Silver Stream Transaction. Pursuant to the Stream Agreement, the Company has agreed to pay a $2,000,000 capital commitment fee. The fee is payable upon Osisko funding the third deposit under the Stream Agreement. The Special Committee of the board of directors of the Company has received a verbal opinion from Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd. that the consideration to be received pursuant to the Stream Agreement is fair, from a financial point of view, to Falco. Closing of the Silver Stream Transaction is anticipated to occur in September, 2018 and is subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, including obtaining regulatory approvals and approval from a majority of the minority shareholders of Falco (the Disinterested Shareholder Approval). Pursuant to an agreement between Falco and Glencore Canada Corporation (Glencore), the Silver Stream Transaction is subject to a right of first refusal in favor of Glencore. Following the execution of binding term sheets between Falco and Osisko, a formal notice was sent to Glencore. Glencore shall have a period of 60 days to notify Falco that it wishes to purchase the Stream Agreement in accordance with the terms described herein. Advisors Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd. acted as financial advisors to the Special Committee of the board of directors of the Company and Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Lavery, de Billy, LLP acted as legal counsel. DEBENTURE: Osisko shall purchase from Falco a secured debenture (the Debenture) having a principal amount of $7,000,000 (the Principal). Upon receipt of disinterested shareholder approval, the Debenture shall be convertible (the Conversion) into units of Falco (the Units). There will be no interest payable at any time on the outstanding Principal of the Debenture unless Falco fails to obtain disinterested shareholder approval for the Conversion, in which case interest shall accrue retroactively from the closing date of the Debenture Transaction at a rate per annum that is equal to 7%, compounded quarterly. Accrued interest shall be payable upon repayment of the Principal when due, as per the terms of the Debenture. The maturity date of the Debenture shall be the earlier of (i) the date of the meeting of the Falco shareholders to be held to obtain the disinterested shareholder approval and (ii) December 31st, 2018. On the date upon which Falco obtains the disinterested shareholder approval from shareholders for the Conversion, the Debenture shall be converted into such number of Units of Falco that is equal to the Principal divided by a conversion price, as described below. The conversion price for the Debenture shall be the 10-day volume weighted average price (VWAP) of Falcos shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) on the date of announcement of the Debenture, provided that should such VWAP be lower than that implied by the maximum allowable Discounted Market Price (as defined in TSXV Policy 1.1), such conversion price shall be adjusted so that it is the price implied by the maximum allowable Discounted Market Price (the Conversion Price). Each Unit shall consist of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant shall entitle the holder to purchase one common share of Falco, subject to customary anti-dilution clauses, at a price that represents a 30% premium to the Conversion Price (the Exercise Price) for a period of thirty-six (36) months from the date the Units are issued (the Warrants). The closing of the Debenture Transaction is expected to occur at the end of June, 2018 and is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. The Units, if issued following receipt of the disinterested shareholder approval, will be subject to a hold period of four months from the date that the Debenture is issued in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS The Silver Stream Transaction and the Debenture Transaction are considered related party transactions under Regulation 61-101 respecting Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (Regulation 61-101). The Silver Stream Transaction and the Debenture Transaction are exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation pursuant to the exemption in section 5.5(b) of Regulation 61-101, as the shares of the Company are not listed on any of the specified markets. The Silver Stream Transaction and the Conversion of the Debenture are subject to receipt of the Disinterested Shareholder Approval. The Debenture without the Conversion is exempt from disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to section 5.7(1)(f) of Regulation 61-101, as the Debenture, at the time of closing, (i) is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into equity or voting securities of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, and (ii) is on reasonable commercial terms that are not less advantageous to the Company than if the Debenture was obtained from an arm's length party. The special meeting of shareholders to obtain the Disinterested shareholder approval for the Silver Stream Transaction and the Conversion of the Debenture is expected to occur in September, 2018. CORPORATE UPDATE: Approvals The Company has been in negotiations with a third party to obtain the necessary approvals to conduct the business in connection with the development and construction of the Horne 5 Project. Falco has yet to receive formal approvals and licenses from a third party, but has been in constant discussions regarding the requirements to obtain such approvals and licenses. Pursuant to an agreement between Falco and a third party, Falco owns rights to the minerals located below 200 meters from the surface of mining concession CM-156PTB, where the Horne 5 deposit is located. Falco also owns certain surface rights surrounding the Quemont No. 2 shaft located on mining concessionCM-243. Under the agreement, ownership of the mining concessions remains with the third party. In order to access the Horne 5 Project, the Company must obtain one or more licenses from the third party, which may not be unreasonably withheld, but which may be subject to conditions that the third party may require in its sole discretion. These conditions may include the provision of a performance bond or other assurance to the third party and the indemnification of the third party by the Company. The agreement with the third party stipulates, among other things, that a license shall be subject to reasonable conditions which may include, among other things, that activities at Horne 5 will be subordinated to the current use of the surface lands and subject to priority, as established in such party's sole discretion, over such activities. Any license may provide for, among other things, access to and the right to use the infrastructure owned by the third party, including the Quemont No. 2 shaft (located on mining concession CM-243) and some specific underground infrastructure in the former Quemont and Horne mines. While the Company believes that it should be able to obtain the licenses from the third party, and to acquire the required rights of way and other surface rights, there can be no assurance that any such license, right of way or surface right will be granted, or if granted will be on terms acceptable to the Company and in a timely manner. As such, the current development schedule is being reviewed and Falco is revising the schedule. Community Relations and Permitting The Company has continued its community outreach program and held several project presentations and town hall sessions in Rouyn-Noranda and the neighboring communities. During these presentations, Company representatives have outlined the key aspects of the Project, and have provided responses to the observations and questions of community members. Pavillon Quemont School Construction The Pavillon Quemont School (the Pavillon) construction program is advancing very well and nearing completion. The Pavillon construction program is 90% complete and Falco is on schedule to deliver the Pavillon to the local school board of Rouyn-Noranda, ahead of schedule in August 2018. The Pavillon will be delivered in exchange for existing infrastructure assets that will be used by Falco during development and mine operations. The total relocation and construction costs of the Pavillon are estimated at $22.5 million. Hoisting System Construction and Delivery of Key Components Civil construction work of the hoist building that will host the auxiliary and service hoists commenced in December 2017 and was completed during the April of 2018. The hoist building construction will enable the Company to start the dewatering of existing underground infrastructure and Quemont shaft rehabilitation efforts efficiently and safely, once third party authorizations are received. Key auxiliary and service hoisting system components were delivered to site. Acquisition Program The Company also acquired land, surface rights and strategic buildings near the Project footprint. As such, the Company acquired specific infrastructure and buildings from third parties, exercised its existing option to acquire land from the city of Rouyn-Noranda, and signed several other land acquisition agreements. The total purchase price of these acquisitions was $9.0 million. Dewatering Program Major equipment for the dewatering & water treatment facility were ordered. The water treatment facility components are expected to be received during the third quarter of 2018. The treatment facility and pumping system will have a capacity of 600 cubic metres per hour. The certificate of authorization required for the dewatering is still under review with the government authorities. Authorizations from a third party are also required to proceed with the dewatering program. Detailed Engineering The Company commenced the detailed engineering in relation to the dewatering program. The current focus is the water treatment plant, the electrical sub-station and hoisting facilities. Exploration Program The Donalda drilling program was initiated in February and is ongoing. To date a total of 14,300 metres of drilling were completed on the Donalda, Horne West and Quemont properties. On Donalda, drill holes have intersected the lateral extensions of the known gold bearing veins and identified favorable horizons for VMS mineralization in the Quemont extensions. The targets were tested to a depth of up to 1,500 metres vertical. The best results obtained are presented in the Table 1. To note, most highlighted assay results originate from the 2017 program, which have now been entirely received and assayed. Some assay results from the 2018 drilling have been received, however the majority of assays are pending. Table 1: DDH From (m) To (m) Description Au (g/t) Cu % Zn % Core Length (m) Donalda 17996-17-01 194.5 196.0 Vein 1 0.05 1.5 17996-17-02 154.5 169.1 Vein 1 1.48 14.6 17996-17-03 301.0 305.3 Vein 1 0.40 4.3 17996-17-04 313.0 315.0 Vein 1 4.55 2.0 17996-17-05 75.5 86.5 Altered sheared rhyolite with 1-5% disseminated Py. VG in a Py cluster. 2.22 11.0 130.5 131.5 Vein ? 1.69 1.0 153.7 154.3 Vein 1 3.91 0.6 290.0 290.5 Donalda Fault/Vein 5 21.60 0.5 17996-17-06 141.7 142.8 Vein 1 3.03 1.1 17996-17-08 289.5 295.3 Vein 1 3.28 5.8 17996-18-09 610.7 611.2 Vein Qz Cb 2.41 0.5 17996-18-11 54.0 56.7 Vein 1 0.97 2.7 590.8 591.9 Vein Qz Cb and 5%Py 4.80 1.1 Lac Clericy 17970-18-02 74.0 79.0 Stringer Qz Chl (VG) 1.37 5.0 17970-18-03 135.8 138.3 Vein Qz (VG) 2.95 2.5 (including) 137.8 138.3 13.65 0.5 192.4 193.4 Vein Qz (VG) 1.76 1.0 200.5 201.0 Vein Qz 1.45 0.5 Beauchastel Copper Mines JV 17936-17-03 166.0 167.8 Rhyolite, multiple Qz veinlets, 80%Py and 10% Cp locally associated. 3.63 0.65 0.74 1.8 272.5 297.0 Intermediate tuff, 1-5% Py clusters, tr.-1% SpCp. 0.01 0.04 0.64 24.5 (including) 292.0 295.0 0.03 0.06 1.43 3.0 In addition to the Donalda drilling program, four drill rigs have recently been mobilized to test two large underexplored areas with high potential of discovery for new VMS lenses. The targets are located near the eastern extensions of Quemont, as well as the West Zone and extensions towards Horne 5, where mineralization was identified during 2016 drilling campaign (refer to press release October 31 2016). Our exploration program also includes deep geophysical surveys, combining innovative surface and borehole techniques, on the Donalda, Quemont and Horne West properties. Thus far, 3,460 metres have been drilled on our Noranda Camp drilling program. A follow-up on a gold intersection obtained in 2017 and geophysical targets were the main targets of this first phase of work. A drill-hole done in 2017 on the Lac Clericy property (17970-17-01) intersected a shear zone with quartz veins grading 1.25 g/t Au over 9.0 metre. Results received for two of the three drill holes done in 2018 confirmed the initial intersection with grades of 3.22g/t Au over 2.5 metre and 1.37 g/t Au over 5.0 metre. Visible gold was observed in both holes. The program was paused for spring breakup, it will resume during summer. VMS targets will be tested by drilling at less than 1 km to the East of Donalda, in the area of a past producer Delbridge, where strong VMS potential still exists. Ground geophysical surveys will continue and an airborne survey totalling over 800 km spread over five grids was recently completed. Certain properties discussed herein are subject to the area of interest under the Stream Agreement. Qualified Person Mr. Claude Bernier, Exploration Manager, (P.Geo. Eng.) is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 who has reviewed and verified the technical information relating to the exploration program and results contained in this news release. QA/QC Falco has implemented a strict quality-control program to comply with best practices in the sampling and analysis of drill core. As part of its QA/QC program, Falco inserts certified external mineralized standards and blanks within shipment composed of 24 samples. In the mineralized zones, every shipment is composed of 21 rock samples, one standard, one blank and a pulp duplicate to test the laboratory analysis methods and precision for each shipment of samples. Blanks and standards are inserted within the normal sample number sequence, while the duplicate is asked at the end of a batch. Assay results and certificates of analysis are interpreted and reported on a regular basis. If anomalies are detected, the laboratory is advised and the entire batch of samples is re-assayed. In non-mineralized zones, every shipment is composed of 24 samples, which includes a standard and a blank. If anomalies are detected, the laboratory is advised, but the batch of samples is not necessarily re-assayed. About Falco Falco Resources Ltd. is one of the largest mineral claim holders in the Province of Quebec, with extensive land holdings in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. Falco owns about 67,000 hectares of land in the Rouyn-Noranda mining camp, which represents approximately 70% of the entire camp and includes 13 former gold and base metal mine sites. Falco's principal asset is the Horne 5 Project located in the former Horne mine that was operated by Noranda from 1927 to 1976 and produced 11.6 million ounces of gold and 2.5 billion pounds of copper. Osisko is the largest shareholder of the Company and currently owns 13.2% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company. The Company has 180,620,244 shares issued and outstanding. For further information contact: Vincent Metcalfe Chief Financial Officer 514-905-3162 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements, and subject to risks and uncertainties. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as plans, seeks, expects, estimates, intends, anticipates, believes, could, might, likely or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results may, will, could, would, might, will be taken, occur, be achieved or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements, including statements concerning the Conversion of the Debenture, obtaining disinterested shareholder approval, timely obtaining of all approvals to close the Debenture and the Stream, and the Companys use of proceeds from the Stream and the Debenture financing, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic factors and uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements, including the obtaining of all required authorizations from third parties on terms acceptable to the Company and in a timely manner and those risks set out in Falco's public documents, including in each management discussion and analysis, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, political, economic, environmental and permitting risks, regulatory restrictions, mining operational and development risks, litigation risks, regulatory restrictions, environmental and permitting restrictions and liabilities, internal and external approval risks, changes in the use of proceeds relating to the Stream and Debenture financings, currency fluctuations, global economic climate, dilution, share price volatility, competition, loss of key employees, additional funding requirements, and defective title to mineral claims or property. Although Falco believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, Falco disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pretium Resources Inc. (TSX:PVG) (NYSE:PVG) (Pretivm or the Company) is pleased to report the results of underground exploration drilling. Both holes, over 1,500-meters in length, drilled east from the Valley of the Kings intersected Brucejack-style mineralization throughout, with anomalous copper and molybdenum mineralization suggesting proximity to porphyry-style mineralization at depth. The drilling was conducted to test mineralization continuity between the Valley of the Kings and the Flow Dome Zone while assessing the potential for a porphyry source at depth. The Flow Dome Zone is an area approximately 1,000 meters east of the Brucejack Mine, where drilling in 2015 intersected high-grade gold (see news release dated October 8, 2015). Holes VU-820 and VU-911 were drilled from the eastern edge of the 1200-meter level of the Valley of the Kings underground development. Hole VU-820 was drilled 1,584 meters to the east at a -50 degree angle, and hole VU-911 was drilled 1,555 meters to the east at a -65 degree angle. Extending the known limits of the Brucejack Mine mineralization Results confirm the presence of Brucejack-style mineralization starting from the eastern edge of the Valley of the Kings to beneath the Flow Dome Zone. Oriented core drilling intersected Brucejack-style alteration, veining, and mineralization along the length of both drill holes. The holes were directed to test the porphyry potential and were drilled subparallel to the stockwork veining. Stockwork veinlets and significant stockwork breccia containing gold and silver mineralization were intersected in both drill holes. Four occurrences of visible gold were noted between depths of 105 meters and 802 meter in the steeper (VU-911) drill hole. (See Table 1 below for select assays.) These results will be used for planning a future underground drill program focused on resource expansion of the Valley of the Kings to the east. Selected drill highlights include: Hole VU-820 intersected: 1.71 grams of gold per tonne over 90.21 meters, including 5.12 grams of gold per tonne over 1.00 meter, 6.43 over 4.00 meters, 58.70 over 1.00 meter, and 6.06 over 1.00 meters; 46.00 grams of gold per tonne over 1.00 meter; Hole VU-911 intersected: 157.00 grams of gold per tonne over 0.50 meters, visible gold was observed; 142.00 grams of gold per tonne over 1.50 meters; 76.30 grams of gold per tonne over 0.50 meters, visible gold was observed; 33.60 grams of gold per tonne over 0.50 meters, visible gold was observed; Exploration Drilling for Porphyry Source Anomalous copper and molybdenum mineralization intersected at depth in both holes. The zone of anomalous mineralization extends at depths of between 1,400 meters and 1,485 meters in drill hole VU-911, and occurs more diffusely over a broader area in drill hole VU-820 (1260 meters to 1585 meters down-hole depth). These intervals line-up sub vertically between both drill holes. The mineralized zone in drill hole VU-911 corresponds with a downhole total field magnetic high, change in alteration, and the presence of a coarse porphyritic host rock. Pyrite grains from both holes show a transition from being zoned (Valley of the Kings style) to being unzoned with inclusions of chalcopyrite (Kerr style) downhole. These features suggest increased proximity to porphyry style mineralization at depth below the Flow Dome Zone. A follow-up surface geophysical program will be initiated utilizing the data from the downhole in-situ electrode. The drill results along with the geophysics will be compiled to refine targeting of this zone for subsequent drilling. Mineral chemistry evaluation for porphyry vectoring and geochronology of porphyritic material at depth is currently underway. Warwick Board, Ph.D., P.Geo, Pr.Sci.Nat., Vice President, Geology and Chief Geologist, Pretium Resources Inc. is the Qualified Person (QP) responsible for the Brucejack Mine exploration drilling. Regional Grass-Roots Exploration Crews have been mobilized to site and an MT geophysical survey is currently underway to refine high-priority targets for a 1,500 meter regional exploration drilling planned to commence in July. The 2018 regional grass-roots exploration program follows up on the comprehensive regional exploration that has previously been completed on the 1,250-square kilometer property, including sampling, regional mapping, prospecting, airborne geophysics, ground geophysics, and hyperspectral mapping. To date, the program has resulted in the identification of several distinct areas that have the potential to host mineralized zones similar to the Valley of the Kings and Eskay Creek deposits. Kenneth C. McNaughton, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., Chief Exploration Officer, Pretium Resources Inc. is the QP responsible for the regional grass-roots exploration program. Table 1: Selected Exploration Drill Results, June 2018 (VU-820 & VU-911)(1,2) Hole No. Dip/ Azimuth From (meters) To (meters) Interval (meters) Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) Comments VU-820 -50/90 53.00 56.00 3.00 0.71 5.00 74.00 75.00 1.00 11.30 20.70 121.00 122.00 1.00 3.53 2.70 153.00 154.00 1.00 24.10 12.30 177.00 178.00 1.00 1.25 96.00 181.00 182.00 1.00 1.20 40.40 229.00 230.00 1.00 1.11 60.60 307.80 309.41 1.61 17.38 822.29 incl. 307.80 308.33 0.53 18.10 1480.00 incl. 308.33 308.89 0.56 30.50 838.00 396.00 397.00 1.00 1.20 32.80 400.00 401.00 1.00 1.41 6.10 409.00 410.00 1.00 1.46 28.70 425.00 426.00 1.00 1.20 2.80 441.79 532.00 90.21 1.71 13.43 incl. 464.00 465.00 1.00 5.12 8.00 incl. 470.00 474.00 4.00 6.43 38.75 incl. 491.00 492.00 1.00 4.69 5.50 incl. 497.00 498.00 1.00 58.7 52.30 incl. 501.00 516.00 15.00 1.29 14.97 incl. 522.00 523.00 1.00 6.06 92.90 incl. 530.00 532.00 2.00 3.77 95.20 544.00 560.00 16.00 2.88 93.10 incl. 545.00 547.00 2.00 2.48 323.00 incl. 548.00 550.00 2.00 8.92 179.90 incl. 556.00 557.00 1.00 11.7 62.60 567.00 568.00 1.00 2.80 9.50 577.00 583.00 6.00 3.94 100.58 incl. 578.00 581.00 3.00 3.59 60.57 incl. 581.00 583.00 2.00 5.81 204.00 585.00 589.00 4.00 1.28 11.43 621.00 622.00 1.00 1.74 1.90 646.00 655.00 9.00 2.30 36.18 incl. 646.00 648.00 2.00 7.32 96.20 660.00 661.00 1.00 3.74 4.70 722.00 723.00 1.00 1.35 58.30 818.00 819.00 1.00 1.14 60.50 915.00 916.00 1.00 1.30 1.90 1128.00 1129.00 1.00 46.00 49.50 1143.00 1144.00 1.00 3.18 1.20 1148.00 1150.00 2.00 3.94 48.50 incl. 1149.00 1150.00 1.00 5.38 55.50 1161.00 1162.00 1.00 1.68 2.20 1193.00 1194.00 1.00 2.80 3.30 1329.00 1330.00 1.00 1.82 2.00 1518.00 1519.00 1.00 1.06 15.40 VU-911 -65/90 104.50 105.40 0.90 1.16 27.70 105.40 105.90 0.50 157.00 123.00 Visible gold 138.00 139.50 1.50 1.70 1.00 151.50 153.00 1.50 142.00 70.60 161.50 162.00 0.50 76.30 25.20 Visible gold 163.50 165.00 1.50 2.33 15.40 166.50 168.00 1.50 5.21 6.90 184.50 186.00 1.50 43.20 29.30 204.00 205.50 1.50 1.34 2.40 279.00 280.50 1.50 2.28 1.30 385.50 387.00 1.50 6.54 397.00 477.00 478.50 1.50 2.01 7.60 486.00 487.50 1.50 1.88 9.60 550.50 552.00 1.50 1.38 4.00 606.00 609.00 3.00 4.19 4.20 incl. 606.00 607.50 1.50 5.55 3.60 incl. 607.50 609.00 1.50 2.82 4.80 619.50 620.70 1.20 1.52 1.30 631.50 633.00 1.50 2.89 5.60 657.50 658.00 0.50 1.65 1.40 Visible gold 694.00 695.50 1.50 1.27 10.70 727.00 728.50 1.50 1.42 1.30 736.00 737.50 1.50 2.39 2.70 742.00 743.50 1.50 2.92 2.80 746.50 748.00 1.50 1.03 5.70 776.50 779.50 3.00 1.12 2.65 incl. 776.50 778.00 1.50 1.16 3.10 incl. 778.00 779.50 1.50 1.07 2.20 781.00 782.50 1.50 4.19 0.70 802.29 802.79 0.50 33.60 1825.00 Visible gold 811.00 812.50 1.50 1.17 4.80 820.00 821.50 1.50 2.66 2.50 860.50 862.00 1.50 1.52 1.90 1054.00 1055.50 1.50 1.58 1.40 1183.00 1184.50 1.50 3.94 3.30 1403.50 1405.00 1.50 1.53 3.90 1504.00 1505.50 1.50 1.04 0.25 (1) True thickness to be determined. (2) All samples were submitted for preparation and analysis by ALS Chemex at its facilities in Terrace, B.C. All samples were analyzed using multi-digestion with ICP finish and fire assay with AA finish for gold. Samples with over 10 ppm gold were fire assayed with a gravimetric finish. Samples over 100 ppm silver were reanalyzed using four acid digestion with an ore grade AA finish. Samples over 1,500 ppm silver were fire assayed with a gravimetric finish. One in 20 samples was blank, one in 20 was a standard sample, and one in 20 samples had a sample cut from assay rejects assayed as a duplicate at ALS Chemex in North Vancouver, B.C. Half HQ core was assayed and the remainder stored on-site. About Pretivm Pretivm is ramping-up gold production at the high-grade underground Brucejack mine in northern British Columbia. For further information contact: Joseph Ovsenek Troy Shultz President & CEO Manager, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications Pretium Resources Inc. Suite 2300, Four Bentall Centre, 1055 Dunsmuir Street PO Box 49334 Vancouver, BC V7X 1L4 (604) 558-1784 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (SEDAR filings: Pretium Resources Inc.) Forward-Looking Statements This News Release contains forward-looking information and forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Statements contained herein that are not based on historical or current fact, including without limitation statements containing the words anticipates, believes, may, continues, estimates, expects, and will and words of similar import, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking information may include, but is not limited to, information with respect to: production and cost guidance; our planned mining, exploration and development activities; capital and operating cost estimates; production and processing estimates; the future price of gold and silver; the adequacy of our financial resources; the estimation of mineral reserves and resources including the 2016 Valley of the Kings Mineral Resource estimate and the Brucejack Mineral Reserve estimate; realization of mineral reserve and resource estimates and timing of development of Pretivm's Brucejack Mine; costs and timing of future exploration and development; results of future exploration and drilling; capital and operating cost estimates; timelines and similar statements relating to the economic viability of the Brucejack Mine, including mine life, total tonnes mined and processed and mining operations; completion of ramp-up to steady state production and positive cash flow; timing and receipt of approvals, consents and permits under applicable legislation; our relationship with community stakeholders; litigation matters; environmental matters; and statements regarding USD cash flows currency fluctuations and the recurrence of foreign currency translation adjustments. Wherever possible, words such as plans, expects, guidance, projects, assumes, budget, strategy, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, anticipates, believes, intends, modeled, targets and similar expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative forms of any of these terms and similar expressions, have been used to identify forward-looking statements and information. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking information to the extent that they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered if the property is developed. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, those risks identified in Pretivm's Annual Information Form dated March 28, 2018 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and in the United States on Form 40-F through EDGAR at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov .Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of Pretivm's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise. We do not assume any obligation to update forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, prospective investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Neither the TSX nor the NYSE has approved or disapproved of the information contained herein. Ivan Duques election victory in Colombia makes him the youngest president in his countrys modern history, and gives him a strong mandate to overhaul the governments 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 groups 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 Americas 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 Calis 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. 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 Im 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 Santoss 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. Nine killed in Nilphamari road crash UNB, Nilphamari : At least 11 people, including nine picnickers, were killed and 18 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a picnic pick-up at Dhalagachhi in Saidpur upazila on Sunday night. Two of the deceased were identified as Komal Roy, 23, and Srikanta Roy, 24, while the identities of the rest could not be known immediately. Ashoke Kumar Paul, assistant superintendent of police (Sadar circle), said the Dhaka-bound bus collided with the pick-up heading for Nilphamari on the Saidpur Bypass around 10:15 pm, leaving nine people dead on the spot and 20 others injured. Of the injured, 12 were taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital where two of them succumbed to their injuries. Shahjahan Pasha, officer-in-charge of Saidpur Police Station, said a group of young men went to an amusement park in Dinajpur on a picnic by the pick-up as part of their Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations. The tragedy struck them while they were returning home after the picnic, he said. Im no fan of President Trump. In fact I would call myself a Never Trumper. I think he has proven his unsuitability for the job many times over. But that doesnt mean I cant recognise that some of his achievements are good, It doesnt mean I think overall he has been successful. Far from it. But lets look at North Korea in context. A few months ago there was a very real possibility of armed conflict. North Korea has a long history of threatening behaviour and language and people were very worried about military action. The chance of conflict might not have been high, say 5%, but it would have been devastating with hundreds of thousands wounded in the first day. The talks with Kim have led to a massive de-escalation. There is no realistic chance of armed conflict in the short and possible even medium term. This is a very good thing and worth celebrating. The second piece of context is that North Korea gained nuclear weapons thanks to the failure of all previous US Presidents. All the different policies of strategic patience were miserable failures as North Korea developed a nuclear inter-continental capability under them. Now it is quite correct that the agreement with Kim is very general, and in fact much the same as what North Korea has agreed to in the past. It may well not lead to them getting rid of their nuclear weapons. It is the beginning of a process, definitely not an end. When dealing with rogue states, you always need a mixture of carrot and stick. Trumps strategy seems to have been to talk up the stick big time, and then swap to the carrots. He gave Kim what he wanted a big summit, US and NK flags together, respectability etc. Now maybe he gave away too much, but he has given NK an incentive that if they behave and co-operate there will be more of this. All the previous approaches of with-holding this stuff has failed, so Im prepared to give this approach a go. The print media have been almost universally critical of Trump, while if it had been Obama doing this theyd be nominating him for another Nobel Peace Prize. They say that Trump didnt lecture Kim on human rights and have that in the agreement. Well the Iran agreement didnt have much on human rights also. The reality is that you often have to deal with countries that do horrible things to their own citizens, or others. They are not going to turn into nice OECD members overnight or even in decades. But what counts is whether an agreement with them heads them in the right direction. It is the direction that counts. Perfect is the enemy of good. This is why I supported the Obama agreement with Iran. Not perfect, but definitely gave incentives to Iran to move in the right direction and engage in the global economy more. So does the Trump agreement with NK. It is hypocrisy of Trump to oppose Iran but do a NK agreement, but hey that is Trump. It doesnt mean the NK agreement isnt a significant step in the right direction. As I said I am no Trump fan. But Ive been almost appalled by how carping the media coverage has been. It is no wonder that Trump sees the media as the enemy, when they behave like it. And no I dont think they are the enemy. But I do think on this one they have their coverage wrong. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More Reddit Pinterest Print Tumblr Separating children from parents is cruel The former US First Lady Laura Bush has condemned a controversial policy that splits up families who illegally enter the country at the Mexican border. Writing in the Washington Post newspaper, she describes the separation of children from their parents as cruel, immoral and heart-breaking. Her comments follow growing controversy over President Donald Trump's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy. Earlier Melania Trump made a rare statement expressing concern. Mrs Trump "hates to see children separated from their families", her spokeswoman said. She repeated her husband's call for "both sides" to work on immigration reform as a solution. However, fact-checkers point out that the policy was introduced by Mr Trump's attorney general and does not require congressional action to be stopped. In a recent six-week period there were nearly 2,000 family separations following a crackdown on illegal border crossings. Adults who try to cross the border outside of official entry points - many planning to seek asylum - are placed in custody and face criminal prosecution for illegal entry. As a result, hundreds of children and babies are now being housed in detention centres, including warehouses and converted supermarkets, and kept away from their parents. Critics have condemned the action as unprecedented. Laura Bush, wife of the former Republican President George W Bush, launched an outspoken attack on the policy. "This zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," she wrote in the Washington Post. "Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert." "These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War Two, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in US history," she added. Earlier Mrs 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". "We need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart," her statement added. The first ladies' comments come amid growing alarm over the impact of the policy. On Monday, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein called on the US to end what he called its "unconscionable" strategy of forced separations. Mr Trump has said a law "Democrats gave us" is responsible for the policy, but it is unclear which law he is referring to. In a tweet on Saturday he urged Democrats to work with Republicans to create new legislation. However, critics have pointed out that detaining children separately from their parents is the consequence of a policy announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions last month to deter new arrivals. The significant change, analysts say, is the justice department's decision to prosecute parents if they illegally cross the border, even if it is their first offence. The children are not charged with a crime, which means they cannot be jailed together. Until this policy was announced, such families were usually subject to civil deportation proceedings, which did not require separation. The recent child detentions have resulted in some shelters and foster homes reporting that they are running out of space. On Sunday, Democratic lawmakers visited shelters and processing facilities in New Jersey and Texas, demanding to see detainees. "They call it zero-tolerance, but a better name for it is zero-humanity. And there is zero logic to this," Sen Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who organised a visit to Casa Padre detention centre in Brownsville, Texas, told the BBC. "What we saw is this huge warehouse, it was a super centre for Walmart before, now it's a super detention centre. It's holding almost 1,500 kids inside there." Vermont congressman Peter Welch said he saw children held "in chain link cages" and one shelter "filled to capacity". Meanwhile, officials announced plans to erect tent cities that will hold hundreds more children in the Texas desert where temperatures regularly reach 40C (105F). Local lawmaker Jose Rodriguez described the plan as "totally inhumane" and "outrageous", adding: "It should be condemned by anyone who has a moral sense of responsibility." Protesters marched to one such tent city in Tornillo, Texas, on Sunday where hundreds of children were being held separately from their parents. They chanted "Families united!" and "Free our children now!", reported NPR. The policy faces legal challenges, including a federal case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The number of families trying to enter the US overland without documentation is on the rise. Mr Sessions has recognised this, commenting last month that current immigration trends "must end". In the first two weeks of the new "zero-tolerance" approach, 658 minors - including many babies and toddlers - were separated from the adults that travelled with them, according to US border officials. In many of the cases, the families have been reunited after the parent was released from detention. However, there are reports of people being kept apart for weeks and even months. But it is not clear if this new tougher policy will stop the migrants from travelling. This is because many are fleeing violence and poverty in countries such as Honduras and El Salvador, and staying put is often fraught with dangers. 11 killed in road crashes in 5 dists At least 11 people, including two siblings, were killed in road accidents in Cox's Bazar, Noakhali, Cumilla, Tangail and Thakurgaon districts on Sunday. In Cox's Bazar, Babu Dey, 16, son of Niranjan Dey of Kuruskul union in Sadar upazila, was killed as a CNG-run auto-rickshaw hit him in the afternoon Locals said the teenage boy was smashed by the three-wheeler around 3:30 pm, leaving him injured. He was taken to Sadar Hospital where the on-duty doctor declared him dead, said officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station Farid Uddin. In Noakhali, three people died while another was injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on Laksam-Sonaimuri road at Rampur in Sonaimuriupazila in the morning. The deceased were identified as CNG driver Rakib, 25, son of Ruhul Amin, Mizan, 31, and his brother Belal, 39, sons of BachchuMiah of Kathalia village in the upazila. Quoting locals, Abdullah-Al Masum, additional superintendent of police (Sonaimuri-Chatkhali circle), said the Noakhali-bound bus collided head-on with three-wheeler around 10 am, leaving the trio dead on the spot and the other injured. On information, police recovered the bodies and took injured Abul, 29, to Noakhali General Hospital, he said. In Cumilla, a woman was killed as a bus hit her at Kalakachua on Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Burichangupazila. The identity of the deceased could not be known immediately.Officer-in-charge of Mainamati Highway Police Station MahbuburRahman said the bus dashed the woman around 1am, leaving her dead on the spot. The body was sent to Cumilla Medical College Hospital for autopsy, he said. In another accident, Jewel Mollah, 35, a travel agency trader and son of Abdul Kuddus of Belbhuj area of Barura municipality, was killed as a microbus plunged into a roadside ditch in the early hours. Officer-in-charge of Barura Police Station Azam Uddin Mahmud said after the accident, locals rushed the victim to Sadar Hospital where doctors declared him dead. In Tangail, a bus crashed into a motorcycle at Solla on Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge road around 2 pm, killing its three riders on the spot. The identities of the deceased were not available immediately. Sub-inspector of Bangabandhu Bridge (East) Police Station Nur-e-Alam said they seized the bus but its driver and his helper managed to flee. In Thakurgaon, two motorcyclists-Faruk and Kawsar of Parpugi village in sadarupazila-died on the spot a minibus hit their motorcycle at Mathurapur in the upazila headquarters around 3 pm. The accident also left another rider injured, witnesses said. Locals rushed injured Rabiul of the same village to Thakurgaon Modern Hospital, said Abdul Latif Mia, officer-in-charge of Thakurgaon Sadar Police Station. Income from ICT to rise to $ 5b by 2021: Jabbar Business desk : Posts, Telecommunications and ICT Minister Mustafa Jabbar has said the country would achieve the target of yearly income of US$ five billion just from ICT sector by 2021. "Bangladesh is marching ahead in all the development indexes in many sectors compared to its neighbours. Thanks to the farsighted and wise leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is now advancing at overwhelming speed on the highway of progress," he said. The minister came up with the observations while addressing a function organised to distribute cheque of scholarship among children of freedom fighters at Mymensingh Town Hall yesterday. Muktijoddha Academy Trust and Indian High Commission in Dhaka jointly organised the function. Defence Adviser of the Indian High Commission Brigadier General J S Chima, Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Agriculture University Ali Akbar, freedom fighter Father Robert Mankin and Muktijoddha Academy Trust Chairman Dr Abul Azad, among others, spoke at the function. UK recalls Governor Anwar Chy from Cayman Island The Guardian : The Foreign Office has abruptly recalled the governor of the Cayman Islands to London pending an investigation into a number of complaints against him. Anwar Choudhury, a trailblazing diplomat, was only appointed in March to govern the islands, which is among a number of Britain's overseas territories at loggerheads with Westminster over new tax transparency legislation. He is the Cayman Islands' first Muslim governor. The Foreign Office (FCO) said it was inappropriate to discuss the reasons for Choudhury's temporary withdrawal, or the nature of the complaints made against him. His deputy has been placed in temporary charge. The Cayman Islands' elected premier, Alden McLaughlin, said he was unable to say what complaints had been made, but that Choudhury's suspension was "unforeseen and unfortunate". McLaughlin is currently in London for a meeting chaired by the overseas territories minister, Lord Ahmad, at which the constitutional relationship between the territories and the UK was certain to be discussed. Born in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), Choudhury was recruited from the private sector, to become the first Bangladeshi-born British high commissioner to Bangladesh in 2004. He served for four years, returning to the FCO in 2008 as a senior policy director. While serving in Bangladesh he was wounded in the leg in a terrorist attack. Three men were hanged in 2017 for their part in masterminding the grenade attack. Choudhury had made a splash in his first three months as the Cayman Islands' governor with high profile interviews promising to burn the unnecessary bureaucracy that he said gripped the civil service. The opposition leader Ezzard Miller said it was unfortunate that no reason was being provided for Choudhury's withdrawal. Resistance to Westminster's decision to impose public registers of beneficial share ownership has gripped most of the overseas territories since a backbench Tory rebellion forced the plan onto reluctant ministers on 1 May. The territories fear that if they are forced to open share registers to public scrutiny, valuable investments will flee to more secretive jurisdictions elsewhere. Currently, registers of share ownership are only open to law enforcement agencies. The territories have until the end of 2020 to introduce the public registers. The Cayman Islands' elected politicians claim the UK is overreaching in imposing such an intrusive law though a procedure known as an Order in Council. As the voice of the UK on the islands, the governor is in the delicate position of having to conciliate between the sovereign Westminster government and elected Cayman ministers. In interviews, Choudhury had stressed the need for the islands to produce a public register that the elected politicians had designed, while pointing out the UK legislation provided some flexibility. The Undead Archives I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world. On Sunday, the IAS officers of Delhi held a press conference to allege that they were being victimised in a political battle. The officers said that wrong information was being spread about them, even though they were being 'neutral', and 'apolitical', and were answerable only to the law and the constitution. Dr Kafeel Khan has asked for CBI inquiry into the case, where his brother Kashif Jamal was shot at by two unidentified bike-borne miscreants in Durgabadi, Gorakhpur. Kafeel is currently out on bail in the BRD Medical Hospital case facing probe in the death of infants due to lack of oxygen supply. President Ramnath Kovind addressing a conference in Athens said, "India is the fastest growing economy in the world. By the year 2025, we plan to make it a 5 trillion dollar economy." Health Minister Satyendra Jain's condition is currently stable, as informed Dr JS Passey on Monday. He was admitted to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital on Sunday. Jain was on a sit-in strike at Raj Niwas, the official residence of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, since June 11. Heavy rains, flash floods and landslides in the past 48 hours has wreaked havoc in the north-eastern states, claiming a total of 17 lives. Some big developments that are expected to happen today are: Several people were feared dead, including a nine-year-old girl, after a strong quake shook the city of Osaka in western Japan, according to local reports. In a shooting at a 24-hour art festival in New Jersey's capital city Trenton in the United States, one suspect was killed, and at least twenty-two persons were injured in it. We at LatestLY will bring all the breaking and latest news and updates around the world. Stay with us for the latest updates of the day. Nearly 5,000 families have been displaced in Yemen's flashpoint Hodeida province this month, the UN said today, as violence escalates in the rebel-held Red Sea region of Yemen's port of Hodeida. At least 139 combatants have already been killed since the launch of a Saudi-Arabia led offensive began last week, according to medical and military sources. The UN is reportedly at an "advanced stage" in talks to take over the Yemeni port of Hodeida, but until it does fighting continues to rage between the Saudi-led Arab coalition, and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. After nearly a month of sporadic clashes, the Yemens internationally recognised government -- backed by Saudi Arabia and its allies -- on June 14 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 regional coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, 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. Martin Griffiths has proposed to rebel leaders that they cede control of the Red Sea port to a UN-supervised committee to avoid further fighting with advancing government troops which are backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. More than 70 per cent 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. The 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 that 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 Saudi-led coalition's biggest victory of the war so far and on Thursday rebel leader Abdel Malek Al-Huthi called on his forces to put up fierce resistance and turn the region into a quagmire for coalition troops. The Yemeni army today 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 news. A spokesman for the Saudi-coalition, which has ground troops taking part in the Hodeida offensive, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. There was no immediate word from the rebels. The army had said yesterday it was two kilometres from the airport, which lies to the south of the vital docks. The United Nations and relief organisations have warned that any all-out assault on the city 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. 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 Saudi-backed 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 when Houthi 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 Agency inputs) (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 18, 2018 08:03 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). San Jose, CA Ex-waiter Ian McCray worked for the San Jose Marriott from May of 2012 to August of 2015. He claims that during that time, Marriott Hotel Services did not pay him the minimum wage required by the citys municipal wage ordinance. The ordinance appears to provide for a waiver of the minimum wage requirement if employees agree to those terms in a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Because McCrays employment with the Marriott was governed by a CBA that waived the minimum wage ordinance, the hotel claimed that it didnt need to comply with San Joses minimum wage laws. The court dismissed McCrays Ex-waiter Ian McCray worked for the San Jose Marriott from May of 2012 to August of 2015. He claims that during that time, Marriott Hotel Services did not pay him the minimum wage required by the citys municipal wage ordinance. The ordinance appears to provide for a waiver of the minimum wage requirement if employees agree to those terms in a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Because McCrays employment with the Marriott was governed by a CBA that waived the minimum wage ordinance, the hotel claimed that it didnt need to comply with San Joses minimum wage laws. The court dismissed McCrays California unpaid wages lawsuit back in March of 2017, and now the appellate court is reviewing that ruling. Can Unions Opt-Out of Minimum Wage Requirements? McCrays Case Kicked Out of Court California Courts Deciding Several Big Wage and Hour Cases McCray was part of a labor union for hotel workers called Unite Here Local 19. Unite Here ended up filing an amicus brief in the pending appeal, arguing that employers and employees could, in fact, negotiate to opt-out of the local San Jose wage ordinance. And the ability to opt out, they argued, is not just limited to San Joseunions have the option to waive local minimum-wage ordinances throughout California. According to the union, this ability is part of a historical tradition, and nothing new, not only in California but across the United States. So, why would a union argue for the option to negotiate lower wages than those required by law? Unite Here says that these opt outs often give unions leverage to negotiate better compensation when factored in with benefits like paid vacation and sick time, health insurance, and pension benefits. In response to McCrays February 2016 complaint that is currently on appeal, Marriott made similar arguments, claiming that wait staff received valuable benefits in exchange for their low hourly wagelike paid vacation time, paid sick leave, paid holidays, pension contributions, paid health benefits, and maternity leave.The Federal District Court for the Northern District of California kickedout of court March of 2017 because McCray failed to exhaust his administrative remedies.The court ruled that McCray needed to at least attempt to exhaust the grievance procedures that were outlined in his CBA before bringing the case into federal court. Although oddly, McCrays own union sided against him in an amicus brief that mirrored defendant Marriotts arguments, the court found that McCray did not meet his burden of proving that Unite Here was acting in such a discriminatory manner, or in such bad faith in its representation of him to warrant sidestepping the mandatory grievance procedures outlined in McCrays CBA. Unless an employee can make such a showing, those remedies must first be exhausted before appealing his unpaid wages lawsuit to the federal court system.The local wage ordinance at issue inonly allows unions to waive the ordinance to the extent required by federal law. In other words, a union cannot enter into a contract with an employer that violates federal law. TheCourt is not the only California court that has been wrestling with the interplay between local, state, and federal labor laws.In other California unpaid wages lawsuit news , the California Supreme Court has been trying to square a common federal Donning and Doffing lawsuit defense strategy with seemingly conflicting state law. Employers often raise the de minimis defense when an employee argues that they should be paid for time spent donning and doffing garments for work. In other words, they argue that the time is too short to be counted for purposes of overtime pay. This is a common defense in federal court, where litigants argue that there has been a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The California Supreme Court is currently considering how this squares with state law requiring employees to be paid, including overtime, for all time that they work.In several other high profile cases currently pending in California courts, the practice of not paying employees for time spent getting their bags checked when leaving their shifts for the day has come under scrutiny. Yes, the decision belongs on the local level No, no one should be able to dictate whether people wear masks Vote View Results Jun 18, 2018, 9:09am ET German police arrest Audi CEO Rupert Stadler The executive is reportedly being held over fears of potential evidence tampering. Audi chief executive Rupert Stadler has been arrested by German police. Munish prosecutors reportedly decided to detain Stadler over fears of potential evidence tampering, according to CNN. The arrest represents the highest-ranking Volkswagen Group executive to be detained in the ongoing diesel-emissions scandal, which first emerged into public view three years ago. The German automaker will undoubtedly face additional scrutiny over the arrest. The company has refused to release details of its internal investigation, though several workers were fired and management was restructured in response to the fiasco. "The principle of the presumption of innocence continues to apply to Mr Stadler," VW spokesman Nicolai Laude said in a statement. A man who walked Sunday evening into a Schuylkill County home and poured gasoline on the floor before assaulting Pottsville man was eventually shot by that man, Pennsylvania State Police report. The incident, which was reported at 6:03 p.m. in North Manheim Township, began when the invader entered the garage of a home, picked up a gas can and went into the home, police said. He dumped gas on the floor then encountered the 57-year-old man, who was doing some work, police said. The Pottsville man managed to push the other man out of the house and, as the struggled continued, the Pottsville man's daughter retrieved his gun and gave it to him as she called 911, police said. The assailant kept up the assault, knocking the resident to the ground, police said. The Pottsville man rose to his knees and fired one shot, striking his attacker in the left arm and abdomen, police said. The wounded man was taken for treatment to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, police said. He was alive as of late Monday morning, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office said. The victim suffered injuries to his face, police said. The assailant, who wasn't initially identified, will be charged with burglary, simple assault and arson, police said. The charges were not posted as of 11 a.m. in the county's district court system. The Government cuts to school grants need to be reversed, said Laois TD Brian Stanley, as schools are having to run on a grant of just 92 cent a day per pupil. This grant provides 170 per primary school pupil. This has been cut from 200 per pupil in past, despite the fact that costs of running schools has gone up. The grant needs now to be restored, said Deputy Stanley. He said he had raised a question with the Minister for Education asking him to review and restore the grant, as the the massive cuts are having a huge impact on schools and their pupils and are at a level where it is not sustainable. While costs go up, support from the state goes down. Schools are forced now to run on a grant that gives 92 cent a day per pupil. This is putting huge pressure on teachers and parents across Laois and Offaly, he said. Schools are required to look for contributions from parents, which puts pressure on households and particularly hits low income households across. Every year parents and local communities give 46m to support their local schools. To make up the shortfall and fill the gap in funding, parents councils are forced to run cake sales, table quizzes and raffles. This is in a state that is meant to provide free primary education. Deputy Stanley said that the State Capitation Grant needs to provide for the actual running costs of a school and there needs also to be a commitment from the Government to pay minor works grant every year. I am urging the government to address these issues in the budget in October, Deputy Stanley concluded. Portlaoise is building up to a festive summer weekend celebrating the history and heritage of the town with the return of the Old Fort Quarter festival. The festival, which is in its third year, will burst into life on Main Street, Portlaoise on June 22, 23 and 24. Launching on Friday evening with the help of Laois TD and Minister Charlie Flanagan and Chairperson of the Hertage Council of Ireland, Michael Parsons the festival will get off to a great start. Full line up of free family events at Old Fort Quarter Festival in Laois. Friday night will see acts like The Jury, The Frank and Walters and an Oasis Tribute entertain the town until late. Saturday and Sunday will be geared towards families, free events will run throughout the days alongside a food market and plenty of lively, local music. In an exciting addition this year, many free family activities have been added to the already brilliant line up with the addition of Cruinniu na nOg, a national day of creativity for children and young people. The free events for all the family will be held at Fitzmaurice Place, Main Street and the Dunamaise Arts Centre. Cork band The Frank and Walters 'delighted' to return to Laois for Old Fort Quarter Festival. The huge lineup of free activities includes painting and art, cupcake decorating, shield making, henna art, hair braiding, dance, theatre, street performers, stilt walkers, circus skills workshop and much more! Families will have a chance to fill up on delicious food at the Old Fort Food Market and listen to excellent music all weekend. There will be comedy upstairs in Kavanagh's on Saturday and Sunday from around 4pm and plenty of opportunities to learn about the history and heritage of Portlaoise through walking tours, talks and heritage themed activities. Sharon Shannon's vegan stall and Laois food producers feature in Old Fort Food Festival. Ivor O'Loughlin is the Chairperson of the Old Fort Quarter committee. This year, the festival will be bigger and better than ever, with two music stages, a new dedicated comedy stage, plenty of history and heritage events and displays for all the family, a comic book convention and some of the very best in Irish, artisan foods. Id like to sincerely thank our sponsors, supporters and the Old Fort Quarter. In particular, I would like to thank the members of the Old Fort Quarter committee, who have been working hard behind the scenes to make this happen. Anyone looking to attend this weekend should look at out our website or Facebook page to check out this years line-up and to plan their visit in advance, he said. WATCH: Laois musicians James O'Connor and Alan Smyth's new band to play Old Fort stage. The Old Fort Quarter Festival is sponsored by Rockshore Irish Lager and is supported by the Laois Partnership. Further details about the festival are available on the website: www.oldfortquarter.ie. The Leinster Express is local media sponsor. The son of a murdered Portlaoise prison officer has hit out at Sinn Fein for readmitting a Senator following her suspension over tweets about the slain officer. Austin Stack, son of Chief Prison Officer Brian Stack who died in 1983, has said today June 18 that Sinn Fein readmitting Senator Maire Devine to their Parliamentary Party is "arrogant and shows a lack of values". Senator Devine was suspended for three months for retweeting an offensive Tweet about Brian Stack, and her own subsequent follow up Tweets. Austin Stack said today that by readmitting the Senator they showed their complete arrogance and their lack of core human values. "Since the incident there has been no attempt by Senator Devine or Mary Lou McDonald to contact myself or my family to apologise for the grave hurt caused," Portlaoise man Mr Stack said. Mr Stack said that his family and especially his mother were very traumatised by Senator Devines actions which he believes was an attempted to defame his late father. Sinn Fein ignored us and indulged in a political PR stunt to protect themselves by suspending the Senator for a few weeks. By welcoming Senator Devine back into the fold Mary Lou McDonald is displaying old style Sinn Fein arrogance where they dont care who they harm or hurt. By allowing her back in after such a short period they are in effect endorsing her actions," he said. Mr Stack said that Senator Devine should have resigned. Mary Lou McDonald cannot have it both ways, she cannot talk about respect and human dignity for people while at the same time throwing the door back open for somebody who wilfully endorsed the defaming of a man who served and protected this State. It again shows that the new broom promised by Mary Lou McDonald is in fact the same old brush," Austin Stack said. If you want to make a comic, then just bloody make it. A pen and a piece of paper is all you need. Declan Shalvey has sure come a long way from his days of scribbling comic strips in the back of his geography copybook. Since debuting with his Eagle Award-winning superhero comic Hero Killers back in 2006, the Irish artist and writer has gone on to illustrate such iconic Marvel characters as Deadpool, The Punisher, Moon Night and the Thunderbolts, while his work has also featured in the Judge Dredd Megazine and the Irish language comic Ri-Ra. His new graphic novel Savage Town, set in the world of Limerick criminal gangs and written by Declan with art by Philip Barrett, has just been released and is part of the vanguard in a newly booming Irish comic industry which is witnessing fresh talent emerging all the time. The industry is in a weird place, culturally superhero comics have never been more visible, monthly comics are fluctuating, graphic novels are booming, Declan explains. Also, improvements in publishing means artist, writers and colourists can be more ambitious with their craft. Declans own craft was honed earlier in his career working on comic adaptations of such literary and film classics as Frankenstein, Sweeney Todd and 28 Days Later, which he describes as a great opportunity to learn about storytelling. From there he graduated to comicbook royalty, drawing such Marvel anti-heroes as The Punisher, Deadpool, and the Thunderbolts, and he has continued this penchant for morally murky characters with the Limerick criminals of Savage Town. I like a lot or morally ambiguous stories and those types of character open the door to stories with more conflict and drama. It's certainly why I like the crime genre so much, and those superhero characters walk that line between the dynamic visuals of the superhero genre along with the dark and atmospheric mood of the crime genre. Jimmy from Savage Town was my first real attempt at writing that type of story, and I've gotten to do it more since, which I've really enjoyed. It probably is more fun, but I'm open to other types of stories. The more stories I get to tell, the more I like to spread my wings and try tell other types of stories. When it comes down to it though, I do tend to go back to those darker characters that I'm such a fan of. Among the pantheon of Marvel characters, Deadpool - The Merc with a Mouth - is certainly one of the darker, or at least more adult-themed, costumed superheroes. Declan has been lauded for his work on what has been celebrated as one of the finest Deadpool stories in recent times, the Deadpool-Wolverine-Captain America team-up The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, a poignant and politically charged work with its North Korean setting and narrative tropes of human rights abuses. It's funny, I wasn't much of a Deadpool fan when I took that gig, but the story really spoke to me. It had action, drama, but it also was very emotional. I wasn't expecting that, and it helped make it an even more rewarding story to work on. To be honest, I didn't know a whole lot about North Korea at the time, I did some research while working on the story and discovered a lot of disturbing facts. I guess it is weirdly relevant now, I imagine it will continue to be so for a while. 'The Good The Bad and The Ugly' keeps getting rated as one of the best Deadpool stories ever, which is a huge compliment considering the amount of Deadpool stories that have been published over the years. I still get a lot of praise for that arc out of all the great stories that Gerry Duggan (the writer of Deadpool) provided. An image from Savage Town. In tandem with the burgeoning independent comic industry, the popularity of comic conventions in Ireland has also grown in the last few years, but often these events are about more than just comics. Declan believes that the most important thing any comic convention does is enrich the community, both those who read comics and those that make them. There is a fantastic comics scene in Ireland right now, and a lot of creators making a name for themselves both in Ireland and abroad. What is also vitally important, is that these conventions are attended by punters: creators can't sell their hot new comic if there are no potential readers there to try it out, so it's important for any creative community to survive, that they are supported. Thanks to such pop cultural spoofs as The Big Bang Theory, the cliche of the comicbook nerd unfortunately hovers over the industry like stale B.O., but it is the passion of the fans that has turned comics into a billion-dollar global industry. I think the 'comicbook nerd' stereotype is understood, as the stereotype can be true, but rather than be elitist and push people away from the hobby, I think most comic fans are actually eager to share their fandom with those who are genuinely interested. The culture has opened up to include manga/anime, cosplay, etc, so there's a lot more young women becoming interested in comics, as long as we keep making more books with diverse genres and points of view, we should be telling stories interesting enough to read. That's just good for the future of the industry. Long considered the preserve of pasty-skinned boys with confidence issues, comics have undergone something of an ideological facelift in recent times. Marvel have attempted to appeal to a wider, more inclusive audience by changing the sex or ethnicity of some of their more established characters, a noble gesture no doubt but one which always carried a risk of alienating the fan-base by altering beloved characters. If I'm being honest, I do think change probably happened too fast and some readers became alienated, but there's also the fair argument that Marvel were making up for lost time, that they should have done stuff like that years ago, says Declan. I think Marvel needed to invest in a new audience, and they did, books like Ms Marvel and Squirrel Girl are massive successes. Not every diverse book performed well, but I applaud Marvel for trying, and there's certainly enough successes to justify their decision. He believes that the more vocal critics have used the diversity argument as an unfair scapegoat, but still appreciates that a lot of books changed very swiftly and a lot of old school Marvel fans may have felt like the characters they grew up loving had disappeared. I think there's a way to please the old guard, yet make sure we invest in new readership. If we only cater to one audience, we'll won't succeed. Finding a balance is key. The Punisher, drawn by Declan Shalvey. Whenever comics are mentioned, most people inevitably think of superheroes, but modern comics such as Declans own Savage Town show that the medium can be used to tell any kind of story. Does he think that, as fun as they are, perhaps the superhero genre has unfairly dominated comicbooks over the decades? I would say yes to that, but I certainly think that it helps that a lot of those superhero adaptations that people happen to be familiar with are actually quite good. But sure, there is a lot more to the medium than superheroes and I definitely was trying to show that with Savage Town. Over the years, different genres have been huge in comics, horror used to be massive, so were western comics and romance comics too. Superheroes have been dominant in the medium for a long time, I don't see that changing anytime soon, but I also think there's plenty of room for other comics in other genres to succeed, like Saga and a little known comic called The Walking Dead. For all those who dream of getting into the comic industry, as a writer, illustrator, colourist or inker, Declans advice is simple: just pick up the pen and get to work. We are in the age of the Internet, so much information is available, so do your research, ignorance is no excuse anymore. If you want to make a comic, then just bloody make it. A pen and a piece of paper is all you need. No one is going to expect something from you if you can't show people what you can do, so just make something. It doesn't have to be good, you can always change or improve it, but just getting it done is half the battle. Declan emphasises that it's also important to involve yourself with the local community, who will be your collaborators, your critics, and your best supporters. No one thrives in a vacuum, he says, so don't hide in one, just get out there and see what people are doing. I was lucky to have a supportive mum and supportive teachers in school. As long as I can remember, I've wanted to make comics but growing up in the West of Ireland, I had no idea how that was possible. I was determined though, so did my research, found out the best way to make a name for myself, did it, continued to work hard and eventually, it all paid off. I'm so lucky.... and relieved! There will be an instore signing of Savage Town by Declan Shalvey and Philip Barrett at the Celtic Comics store on Railway Street, Portlaoise, this Thursday, June 21, from 4pm. Declan Shalvey and Philip Barrett, creators of Savage Town. Newtowngore NS along with Greaghrahan NS Ballyconnell, have successfully applied for funding from the Peace IV Programme. This programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund which aims to improve cross-community relations and integrate rural communities. Pupils from both schools will take part in a shared education initiative with the aim of encouraging children from different communities to build positive relations and enhance their social and educational experiences. Both schools are similar in that their pupils are drawn from small rural communities and all pupils shall benefit from this initiative. Staff and pupils from each school will work together on various curriculum topics involving field trips, educational outings, project work and the use of ICT. Teachers agree that this sharing of knowledge and experience will greatly benefit their pupils all-round, holistic education and they shall also endeavor to place more emphasis on learning outside the classroom. Staff have already begun planning for the co-operative teaching strategies which will support the shared learning aims of the project. The central theme of the project involves staff and pupils working together and learning from each other in an atmosphere of openness, trust and co-operation. As well as benefitting educationally, their aim is to build an understanding and tolerance of diversity among pupils and gradually through the wider community. From a social point of view children will also develop an attitude of mutual respect for traditions and beliefs and enhance their sense of responsibility for themselves, the wider community and their environment. Gardai are continuing to appeal for witnesses and information following a fatal hit and run collision in Co. Longford. At approximately 11.45pm on Friday, June 15 a 32-year-old male pedestrian was seriously injured when he was struck by a passing car on the N4 at Deerpark near Newtownforbes. He was taken to the Midlands Regional Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The victim has been named as Craig McDermott from Ballagh, Newtownforbes. A man in his 20s believed to be the driver of the car involved in the incident has now come forward and is assisting Gardai with their investigations. A car has also been recovered and is being examined by investigators. The scene is being examined by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators and local scenes of crime officers. Traffic diversions are in place and the road is expected to remain closed until later this evening. The body of the deceased has been removed to the mortuary at Tullamore Hospital where a post-mortem examination is expected to be carried out by the Deputy State Pathologist Linda Mulligan later today. Investigating Gardai are appealing for information and in particular to motorists traveling on the N4 route from Newtownforbes to Roosky between 11pm and 12.30am who may have dash cam footage or information that can assist with the investigation to contact them. Anyone with information is asked to contact Longford Garda Station 043-3350570 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111. The investigation is ongoing and further updates will follow. Also read: Man dies in Longford in suspected hit and run In keeping with the Irish Government's 'Connecting for Life' initiative 2015-2020 to address the mental health issues in Ireland, Manorhamilton retailers have collaborated with many generous musicians from Donegal to Dingle to start a 'Do Something' campaign. The initiative is the brainwave of Gerald Cosgrove and he along with a talented cohort of musicians from all along the west coast of the country have launched the campaign in order to help raise awareness and funds for the North West Mental Health Service 'Stop Suicide' which is based in the Bee Park Resource Centre, Manorhamilton. The musicians have released a cd which is being sold locally having previously been bucket collecting at music festivals when they began what they dubbed the 'Start for Stop' campaign, playing their hearts out for free in order to raise funds and to help stop suicide. The 'Donegal to Dingle' traditional Irish music cd was launched recently by the Chairman of Donegal Comhaltas, Danny Carron at the Rory Gallagher International Music Festival in Ballyshannon. The cd is now on sale in the following local outlets and all proceeds from the sale of the cd will go to 'Stop Suicide', Manorhamilton. The North Leitrim Resource Centre; McMorrow's Butcher Shop; Heraghty's Bar; The Glens Centre; McCormack's Mace; Gabriel's Barber (all Manorhamilton); The Farnham Arms Hotel (Cavan) and Frank Eddie's Bar (Blacklion). Read Also: Kinlough Men's Shed represents county in national competition LABOUR TD Jan O'Sullivan has said that patients are enduring "impossible conditions" as a result of the overcrowding crisis at University Hospital Limerick. According to figures released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, there were 55 patients being treated on emergency department trolleys and on additional trolleys or beds in the wards at UHL this Monday. UHL made up 15.19% of the nation's overcrowding, as there were 362 patients on trolleys across the country. Deputy OSullivan was speaking after she raised a topical issue in the Dail last week on the staffing deficit in the hospital. I raised this on the floor of the Dail last week and will continue to do so until Minister Harris deals with the inequality at the root of this. The Mid-West region has less frontline staff per head of population than any other region. 96 beds alone will not solve the overcrowding problems unless they come with suitably qualified nurses, doctors and radiographers to diagnose and treat patients. The Minister can take action now by opening and staffing closed beds and a modular unit in the hospital grounds while we wait for the extra beds. She led the topical issues debate in the Dail, alongside Deputy Tom Neville and Deputy Michael Hartey. Deputy OSullivan added: Whats vital is a decision in the Autumn budget to allocate the Mid-West the posts we need and are entitled to. AN INTERNATIONAL conference, featuring delegates from South Africa, Mexico, Russia, the United States, New Zealand and Europe, on the ubiquity of social media is to take place in Limerick. Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) is to host the prestigious European Conference on Social Media on June 21 and 22, which will see global experts in social media gather in Ireland, for the first time in the history of the conference, to discuss their research. Research on the subject is becoming increasingly important as social media becomes ubiquitous in organisations and society, according to Senior Lecturer of Information Technology and Management at LIT and Programme Chair, Dr Niall Corcoran, who was instrumental in attracting the prestigious event to Limerick and LIT. We urgently need to understand the impact of social media, how best to use it productively and ethically, and how to overcome and prevent the negative aspects that are becoming increasingly obvious as its use progresses, Dr Corcoran said. It is only through the use of applied and practical research methodologies that we can achieve this. Among the keynote speakers at this years ECSM are Stephen OLeary, MD of Olytico, Limericks Shane McCarthy, CEO of BlueChief Social, and digital marketing expert Eimear McManus also from Limerick. For more information on the conference visit www.academic- conferences.o-rg/conferences/ecsm ITS not quite dancing on the ceiling, but it's not far off, for some vertical dancers who performed on the side of some of Limerick citys most iconic buildings. This weekend, Limerick-based aerial dance group Fidget Feet hosted Blank Canvas, a five-day event where Irish and international dancers, creators, directors and choreographers carried out training, research, workshops. The aim? Exploring new ideas, with the goal of creating site-specific vertical dance routines on some of Limericks most iconic buildings, including King Johns Castle. The forum is a way for the dancers to challenge public spaces, said Executive Artistic Director of Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre and Professional Development Manager of the Irish Aerial Creation Centre, Chantal McCormick. The exciting thing about being an aerialist is that we can work outdoors and bring art to 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, she added. 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 seven vertical dance companies, which together host six meetings in Europe and Canada. The meetings bring together dancers and professionals worldwide, to train and explore collaborative approaches in making new work. The project is co-funded by Creative Europe programme of the European Union. And this weekend, the forum took to the walls of King Johns Castle and the Strand Hotel, training in vertical dance and bringing it to new outdoor performance spaces accessible for all to watch. The group also travelled to the Burren in Clare to explore how a vertical dance piece could be created and performed in a natural landscape. The Vertical Dance Forum includes Limericks Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre, Italys Il PostoDanza Verticale, the UKs Gravity & Levity, Croatian Histeria Nova Vertical Dance, Canadas Aeriosa, the French Retouramont, and Vertical Dance Kate Lawrence from Wales. French vertical dance company Retouramont created the network in 2014 and they continue to lead the project. The companys lead choreographer, Fabrice Guillot, is excited about the outcomes of the project. Each country hosts a meeting to do 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, said Mr Guillot. In total, the project will involve six international meetings with 300 vertical dancers, and 2000 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. AN Ethiopian national is to be prosecuted on indictment relating to the alleged importation of almost half a million euro worth of cannabis and Khat a stimulant with similar effects to amphetamine. Mohamed Omar, aged 33, who has an address at Mill House, Mill Road, Ennis faces multiple charges relating to offences which are alleged to have happened on dates between September 22, 2014 and December 17, 2014. The defendant had an address in Limerick city at the time. The charges relate to the seizure of a significant quantity of controlled drugs during a joint operation involving Revenue officers and members of the divisional drugs unit. During the operation, a quantity of controlled drugs were seized following the controlled delivery of a package, which had originated in Kenya. The package had been detected earlier at the An Post sorting depot on the Dock Road. Giving evidence at Limerick District Court, Detective Garda Declan OHalloran said the defendant made no reply when he was formally charged in relation to the seizure. The charges include the importation of cannabis worth a total of 421,260 as well as Khat worth 4,432. Mr Omar is also accused of possession of the drugs for the purpose of sale or supply and with possession of Khat with the intention of exporting it. Sergeant John Moloney, prosecuting, said the matter is to proceed in indictment and he requested an adjournment of the case to facilitate the preparation of a book of evidence. Mr Omar, who was represented by solicitor Con Barry, was granted bail subject to a number of conditions. He was ordered to surrender his passport to gardai and he has also supplied them with a mobile phone number. The matter was adjourned to next month. Jun 18, 2018, 6 AM The June 9 unveiling of the Flag Act of 1818 commemorative forever stamp in Appleton, Wis., just prior to the 68th annual Flag Day parade. Philatelic Foreword by Jay Bigalke What is the right recipe for a successful first-day ceremony? It depends on the subject of the stamp or stamps being issued, but sometimes a location lends itself well for an event. A good example is the Flag Act of 1818 commemorative forever stamp dedication June 9 in Appleton, Wis. I grew up in the area, and Appletons Flag Day parade is a big deal, to say the least. This year was the 68th annual parade. The communitys dedication to the parade caught the attention of officials at U.S. Postal Service headquarters, and they selected Appleton as the first-day city for the stamp. Approximately 300 people gathered in Appletons Houdini Plaza for the stamp ceremony. Red, white and blue were the prevalent colors for the day. Many people lined up to purchase stamps and get first-day cancels. From my quick observation, I estimate that the Postal Service sold a couple hundred sheets of stamps. Appleton was clearly honored to host the event. This was especially evident in the media coverage the ceremony received. The Postal Service invited two local news anchors, Erin Davisson and Tom Zalaski of CBS WFRV-TV 5, to serve as the emcees for the event. This was an excellent choice, as their network has broadcast the parade for years. It also worked well because they reported on the ceremony on the evening news. In addition, the television station rebroadcast the parade later in the day and included a feature report on the stamp as well. Having a news reporter or anchor as the master of ceremony isnt a new strategy, but its an effective one that was well done in this instance. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Local print media also reported on the stamp ceremony; it received front-page treatment in the Post-Crescent. Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna and parade representatives who spoke at the ceremony expressed their appreciation for the event and for the Postal Services selection of Appleton above all others. News reports echoed that sentiment. Overall there was a lot more interest in this stamp issue than I anticipated, and that serves well in telling the story of stamp collecting and history to a new audience. Plate numbers If you have a pane of 20 of the Flag Act of 1818 stamps, take a close look at it. The pane only includes two plate numbers in the bottom corners instead of one in each corner. Recent panes of U.S. stamps have included decorative banners and fewer plate numbers. But the Flag Act of 1818 pane has no decorative banner at the top, so Im not sure why it only received two plate numbers instead of four. Jun 18, 2018, 9 AM Great Britains Royal Mail is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dads Army, a television comedy about a World War II Home Guard platoon, on eight stamps presented in four horizontal se-tenant pairs. The designs feature photos of the shows main characters along with their most famous lines. A booklet from Royal Mail combines self-adhesive versions of the two nondenominated first-class stamps from the Dads Army set with four first-class Machin definitives. By Molly Goad Royal Mail marks the 50th anniversary of an enduring and beloved British Broadcasting Corp. sitcom with a set of eight stamps. The eight Dads Army stamps arrive June 26 in four horizontal se-tenant (side-by-side) pairs, featuring photos of the shows main characters along with their most famous catchphrases. Written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, Dads Army is about the antics of a British Home Guard unit during World War II in the fictional town of Walmington-on-Sea on the south coast of England. It aired on the BBC from 1968 to 1977 (80 episodes). There was also a radio version and a feature film, and the show is still repeated in certain markets worldwide. Few TV comedies have inspired as much affection, or given us as many catchphrases, as Dads Army, Royal Mails Philip Parker said. On its 50th birthday we hope these new stamps will raise plenty of smiles. Ian Lavender portrayed Private Pike and is the only surviving member of the Home Guard actors. He said being featured on the Royal Mails tribute to Dads Army is overwhelming. When youre young you may dream of many things but one never thinks there is a possibility of being on a stamp, he said. The nondenominated second-class stamp pair features Sergeant Wilson and Lavenders character Private Pike with their lines, Do you think that is wise sir? and Ill tell Mum!, respectively. When asked by Royal Mail if he would be sending more letters now that he was pictured on a stamp, Lavender replied, There might be a lot of Christmas cards going out with second-class stamps on them! He added: Funnily enough, we live in the old Post Office in our village and although it has been closed and stamps are now sold in our local grocery store, people still knock on the door to buy stamps despite the fact we have changed it into a house! The shop windows have gone and we have ordinary windows but we still have the post box outside and notices on the wall saying telegraphic office. You can, however, tell it is no longer a shop. I have been given a big version of the stamp and once they are released, I might put it up in the window with a sign saying the post office is around the corner! Captain Mainwaring (You stupid boy!) and Lance Corporal Jones (Dont panic! Dont panic!) deliver their lines on the nondenominated first-class stamps. Pictured on the pair of 1.45 stamps are Private Walker (It wont cost you much...) and Private Frazer (Were doomed. Doomed!). Private Godfrey (Do you think I might be excused?) and Chief Warden Hodges (Put that light out!) are shown on the 1.55 pair. The 1.45 stamps are for use on international letters weighing up to 20 grams or for international economy letters up to 100 grams. The 1.55 stamps fulfill the rate for letters to Europe up to 100 grams. The second-class rate is 58 pence; and the first-class rate is 67p. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Up Design designed the stamps, using television stills from Dads Army. In addition to Lavender, the stamps picture the following actors: John Le Mesurier (191283) as Sergeant Wilson, Arthur Lowe (191582) as Captain Mainwaring, Clive Dunn (19202012) as Lance Corporal Jones, James Beck (1929-73) as Private Walker, John Laurie (1897-1980) as Private Frazer, Arnold Ridley (1896-1984) as Private Godfrey, and Bill Pertwee (1926-2013) as Chief Warden Hodges. Each stamp measures 41 millimeters by 30mm and is perforated gauge 14.5 by 14. They were printed by International Security Printers by offset lithography in sheets of 60 and sold in panes of 30 at most postal outlets. The sheet stamps are moisture-activated. A stamp booklet includes self-adhesive versions of the two first-class stamps from the Dads Army set together with four first-class Machin definitives. International Security Printer printed the booklet by gravure. The two first-class stamps also are produced in what Royal Mail calls a generic sheet, which includes 10 stamps (five of each design) and se-tenant labels featuring stills of some of the shows most iconic scenes. Other products for this set include first-day covers, eight postcards reproducing the designs of the stamps, and a presentation pack with profiles of the actors and insights into the shows writers. Ordering information is available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland, or visit the Royal Mail website. Royal Mails agency in the United States is Interpost, Box 420, Hewlett, NY 11557. Editors Note: This story was updated at 9:45 a.m. E.T. on Wednesday, June 20 The giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is a towering weed that can cause vision loss and intense burns. But no, this poisonous plant doesn't come from Professor Sprout's botany syllabus at Hogwarts; instead, it's very real and was recently identified in Virginia, according to news reports. A Virginian came across the giant plant and suspected that it could be bad news. So, he contacted local experts about it, including Jordan Metzgar, a curator with the Virginia Tech Massey Herbarium who helped identify the plant. Sure enough, the towering weed which can grow to over 14 feet (4.3 meters) tall and is topped with white flowers turned out to be a giant hogweed. Though this was the first time the invasive plant was identified in Virginia, giant hogweed has already established a home across many parts of the mid-Atlantic, Northwest and New England regions; there are at least 400 giant hogweeds in 239 sites across New York alone, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. But what makes this plant so dangerous? "The [plant's] sap is toxic and basically strips the body's ability to control the UV radiations from sunlight," said Joellen Lampman, an educator with the New York State Integrated Pest Management program at Cornell University. Without this ability, a person is much more susceptible to sunburns. [Naughty by Nature: The Most Disgusting and Deadly Flowers] In particular, the sap contains compounds called "photosensitizing furanocoumarins," Lampman told Live Science. Sunlight activates these compounds, which can lead to severe burns on a person's skin, according to Metzgar. The burns can worsen with moisture like from sweat or dew and heat, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The medical term for this type of burn is "phytophotodermatitis," a skin condition caused by extreme sensitivity to sunlight. "It's pretty horrific," Metzgar told Live Science. "It causes pretty severe burns worse than [the typical] sunburn." Phytophotodermatitis can also cause rashes, painful blisters, scarring and long-term sensitivity to sunlight, Lampman said. And if the sap gets into the eye, the toxins lead to vision loss. "The recommendation is that if you think you've come into contact with [a giant hogweed] to wash with soap and water as soon as possible stay out of the sun for 48 hours and see a physician," Lampman said. "What's really scary about this one is the impacts it could have on children," Lampman said. "It kind of looks like an umbrella, so you can envision children seeing that and breaking [the plant] off and carrying it around with them." But this would expose kids to the sap, she added. People can encounter the sap all over the plant, but they primarily come into contact with it by breaking the plant's stem or leaves or even by touching its bristles, according to the NYSDEC. Because of this, Lampman said that people should not try to get rid of the plants on their own, as this could expose them to the toxic sap. Instead, if you think you've seen a giant hogweed, Lampman recommends that you contact your state's department of environmental conservation, who can remove it. According to the NYSDEC, you should not use a "weed whacker" or brush cutter to get rid of the plant, as it could lead to sap spreading. Metzgar noted that not every towering, scary-looking plant is a giant hogweed. Indeed, a native species called cow parsnip looks a lot like the giant hogweed and is much more widespread. "If you're out and see a giant plant with white flowers, it's a good chance it's a cow parsnip," Metzgar said. Still, you should take some photos and report it to local agencies, he added. "You don't need to panic right away." Editors Note: This story was corrected to note that sap contains photosensitizing furanocoumarins, not photosynthesizing furanocoumarins. Originally published on Live Science. Teams from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Tel Aviv University unearthed the rare ornamental piece beneath the Givati Parking Lot in the City of David, in Jerusalem Walls National Park. In the past decade, archaeologists have uncovered numerous artifacts, including precious stones and gold coins, beneath the Givati Parking Lot the largest excavation site in Jerusalem. The amulet is a symbol of everyday life in early Jerusalem. Its religious inscription suggests the amulet was meant to bring blessings to its owner. "The purpose of an amulet like this is to gain personal protection," Yiftah Shalev of the IAA told Haaretz. "Since time immemorial, the purpose of amulets like these is to seek protection from the evil eye," Shalev added. [The Holy Land: 7 Amazing Archaeological Finds] The archaeologists found the object in a small room where it was sealed under the plaster flooring. Its unclear whether Kareem lost the amulet or if it was placed under the floor during construction as a blessing for the building. Either way, the plaster flooring is likely what helped preserve this piece, since clay tends to fall apart over time if not protected, Shalev told Haaretz. Fully intact clay lamp from the Islamic Golden Age, found at the same site as the amulet (Image credit: Eliyahu Yanai/City of David Archives) The inscription is written in calligraphy typical of the Abbasid dynasty, reported Haaretz, which was at its height about 1,000 years ago. Pottery pieces found at the site, including an intact lamp, date to the same period, known as the Islamic Golden Age. Nitzan Amitai-Preiss of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem deciphered the partially faded inscription on the amulet. The wording is similar to phrases found on ancient seals and roadside inscriptions along the route to Mecca, according to the IAA statement. The Abbasids are thought to be descendants of the Islamic Prophet Muhammads uncle, Al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib. They ruled from their capital in Baghdad, in modern-day Iraq, which was the center of science, technology and culture during the Islamic Golden Age, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The period ended in 1258 when the Mongols, led by Hulagu Khan, seized Baghdad. Tiny 1,000-year-old Islamic prayer amulet (Image credit: Eliyahu Yanai/City of David Archives) Original article on Live Science. WASHINGTON As President Donald Trump tries to tilt global trade in the United States favor, he is increasingly putting his finger on the scale to help once-iconic industries that are declining as a share of the American economy, at the expense of some of the countrys fastest-growing sectors. The presidents attempts to boost domestic steel manufacturing and coal mining have come largely through policies that limit foreign competition, like tariffs, and proposals to prevent coal-fired power plants from closing. Those efforts have produced only modest job gains so far in two blue-collar sectors that Trump championed in his run to the White House. But they have injected uncertainty into a host of other growing industries such as advanced manufacturing, natural gas production and renewable energy generation that have helped drive American job creation since the Great Recession. On Friday, the Trump administration escalated its trade conflict with China, announcing $50 billion in tariffs on goods from Chinese industries that the Beijing government has targeted for its next wave of economic development. The administration has not articulated a strategy similar to Chinas, and experts have warned that the tariffs and the retaliatory tariffs China has threatened to impose will end up hurting Americas own growth industries. By crafting an industrial policy that largely looks to the past, Trump differs from his predecessors, who often attempted to hasten the emergence of new industries and position the United States to lead the way. On energy, both the Barack Obama and George W. Bush administrations enacted tax breaks and federal loan guarantees for emerging technologies like wind power or electric cars that were not initially competitive but, they believed, would eventually become widespread as the world shifted toward cleaner energy. Obama convened a task force on advanced manufacturing and steered federal money toward research hubs, which supported the development of robotics and biofabrication, among other technologies. Trumps approach, by contrast, has largely focused on saving legacy sectors whose workforces have been hurt by globalization, automation and innovation. The president has long been enamored with coal, steel and other blue-collar industries, promising to revitalize them on the campaign trail and, once in office, using them as a proxy for the working-class voters who powered his election. The people that like me best are those people, the workers, he told a rally in Missouri last year. Theyre the people I understand the best. Those are the people I grew up with. Those are the people I worked on construction sites with. But while the approach has helped Trump remain popular with many working-class white voters, it has done little to help those populations prepare for changes that could further decimate their professions. Coal is not coming back, said Joshua D. Rhodes, a research fellow at the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. Further subsidies right now will only prevent workers from being retrained or building careers elsewhere which will make things even more painful when the bottom finally does drop out. In the latest such move, Trump asked Energy Secretary Rick Perry on June 1 to prepare immediate steps to halt the closing of unprofitable coal and nuclear plants. While administration officials are still debating how they might do so, any plan to rescue these power plants would probably entail dramatic government intervention in Americas energy markets and come at the expense of newer, cheaper power sources like natural gas or wind. A decade ago, coal provided nearly half of Americas electricity. That share has since plummeted to less than one-third, as coal has been driven out of the market by stricter pollution regulations and a glut of cheap natural gas from hydraulic fracturing. Wind and solar power, while starting from a small base, have grown at double-digit rates each year as the technology improves and costs drop. The jobs have followed: The number of American coal miners has fallen from more than 80,000 in 2008 to about 53,000 today. The solar industry alone now employs twice as many people as the coal industry does. Solar installers, wind technicians and oil and gas drill operators are all expected to be among the fastest-growing occupations over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ten years ago, the joke among industry players was that renewables were the energy source of the future and always would be, said Andy Karsner, a former assistant secretary of energy in the George W. Bush administration. Problem is, that future has arrived, and coal is now the energy source of the past and always will be. Manufacturing jobs have fared better under Trump but remain at a historic low as a share of the economy. Fewer than 9 percent of U.S. jobs today are in factories. While primary metals manufacturers in the United States including steel and aluminum mills have added 11,000 jobs since Trump took office, according to the Labor Department, total employment in the industry remains under 400,000 jobs nationwide, down from nearly 700,000 jobs 15 years ago. Trumps approach to saving manufacturing has been to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from places like China, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Europe. The tariffs, he says, will stop cheap foreign metals from coming into the country and make U.S. manufacturers more competitive. Those tariffs have helped domestic steel mills but hurt other manufacturers that depend on steel inputs, such as door frame manufactures and automakers. They also favor certain companies depending on where they get their foreign steel. (BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.) Some of Trumps tariffs have also set off retaliation from trading partners, who are hitting U.S. goods with tariffs of their own on food, steel and other products that domestic manufacturers export overseas. And Trumps threat to impose tariffs on $350 billion worth of foreign autos and auto parts could wind up hurting the domestic auto industry, which gets its parts from abroad. It could also result in higher car prices for U.S. consumers. Trumps economic advisers insist that Trumps bold trade stance is boosting growth in the United States, alongside a broader economic agenda that includes cutting taxes and reducing federal regulation of business. Were pushing through 3 percent growth, Larry Kudlow, chairman of the National Economic Council, said in a recent briefing with reporters. Some said it couldnt be done. It is being done, and were proud of it. And I think President Trumps policies of lower taxes and major regulatory rollback are a key part of this issue. (END OPTIONAL TRIM.) But many economists who favor industrial policy efforts and have long argued for more aggressive trade policies to protect U.S. workers say Trumps unpredictable approach has hurt the blue-collar workers he is trying to protect. The trade policies have been so erratic and inconsistently messaged that they are not a part of a broader strategic plan for the economy, said Thea Lee, president of the liberal Economic Policy Institute and a trade specialist. Even to the extent that there is some playing favorites, singling out workers in different sectors, thats problematic, because its dividing. What workers need are policies that will be empowering, that will lift them up across sectors and not divide them. Free-market conservatives, who frequently criticized Obamas efforts to pick winners and losers and favor emerging technologies like wind and solar, have found even less to like in Trumps efforts to rescue aging power plants in danger of going under. From an economic standpoint, this is one of the worst things you can do, Nicolas Loris, a research fellow in energy and environmental policy at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said, referring to Trumps proposal to help ailing coal plants. It would keep a whole bunch of uncompetitive resources in place and choke off alternative investment strategies because those resources arent allowed to die off. To date, Trump has struggled to fulfill his promise of reviving the coal industry. While he has relaxed pollution rules on power plants and has overseen a small uptick of about 3,000 new coal-mining jobs, the long-term trend for the industry remains bleak: At least 40 more coal plants have announced they will close or reduce capacity by 2025, and others may soon follow. Now, the administration is considering more drastic action: In one proposal discussed in a leaked internal memo, the Department of Energy would order grid operators to buy power from a designated list of coal and nuclear plants, using emergency powers normally reserved for short-term crises like hurricanes. Paper Ghosts By Julia Heaberlin Ballantine. 342 pp. $26 --- Texas author Julia Heaberlin writes poetically about the geographic enormity of the Lone Star State, marveling at its "monotonous, beautiful solitude." Like many writers before her, Heaberlin is in thrall to its atmosphere and the desolation one can feel driving through the vast empty spaces that separate its small towns and modern cities. This makes for a perfect setting for a gritty road-trip novel like Heaberlin's "Paper Ghosts." She begins the tale with a shocker: Rachel, the narrator's sister, falls into an open grave. The girl, 12, climbs out unharmed, but the scene is a predictor of future tragedy. Seven years later, Rachel disappears for real. After more than a decade of searching, the obsessed narrator - whose name we don't learn until the end of the book - has found the man she thinks took Rachel. Finding him was no small feat: It took "dozens of interviews. Hundreds of suspects. Thousands of documents," she explains. "Reading, stalking, stealing. It's been a singular, no-holds-barred obsession since I was twelve and my sister's bike didn't make it the three miles in broad daylight from our house to her summer baby-sitting job." The narrator's search reaches this point after she finds a photo of two young girls in the house where she and her sister grew up. Our intrepid sleuth connects the photo to a published book of photographs taken by a man named Carl Louis Feldman, who was found not guilty of killing another girl. He's also been a person of interest in the disappearances of other young women whose photos he took. The narrator tracks Feldman to a halfway house where he is allegedly living in the fog of dementia. She can't figure him out. "Some days I think I'm just messing with an eccentric and mortally sick old man. Some days, I think he is messing with me." Are his comments cryptic messages or evidence of an unraveling mind? "I don't know if I killed anyone," Carl tells her, "but I've always considered every picture I take to be a little murder. My Hasselblad sounded like a gunshot when I fired it. A solid, good sound. That, and it's inevitable that my subjects will be dead someday when someone looks at their pictures." Our narrator proposes a 10-day road trip. She and the surprisingly likable Feldman travel to three places where women he photographed disappeared. If she can get him to admit he killed these women, maybe he'll also admit to killing her sister, the narrator hopes. If you can buy into the premise that the narrator is so desperate to solve her sister's disappearance that she puts her own life in danger by hitting the road with a suspected killer, you'll enjoy the journey and all its macabre side trips. You'll love the travel commentary written in Heaberlin's lean, muscular prose: "The moon is a giant orange ball playing hide-and-seek with a bank of night clouds. Soothing, if driving this pitch-black country road didn't feel like being buried alive, if the tires weren't moaning against the asphalt, if I didn't think there was a serial killer sleeping beside me." Their primary destinations are Waco, Calvert and Galveston, where three missing women were last seen. There are overnight stays in seedy motels and a side trip to a veterinarian to get help for a gut-shot dog they pick up along the way. Because their macabre journey first takes them to Waco, it's fitting that they visit the scene of the deadly 1993 standoff at the Branch Davidians' compound. Heaberlin, whose previous books include "Black-Eyed Susans" and "Lie Still," writes in the book's acknowledgments that all her books are an ode to Texas. "Paper Ghosts" zigs and zags through its roughly 268,000 square miles as Austin, Marfa and the Pine Curtain of East Texas are added to the itinerary. They, too, are lovingly celebrated for their quirks and unusual sensibilities. The paper ghosts in Feldman's photos haunt this journey but are sometimes no match for the narrator's spooky ruminations: "I imagine how it would feel to stop the truck, pull my gun out of the console, and shoot him in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert. I'd watch his blood land like black raindrops on the dark leather. It could be the most satisfying second of my life - the price maybe being every single second afterward." Every journey reaches its end, and the one in "Paper Ghosts" comes on fast and furious. Signposts along the way warn of angst, secrets and deadly plot twists, but you'll never see what's coming. You'll step out of this fictional vehicle feeling like you've been T-boned by an 18-wheeler. --- Memmott is a writer based in Northern Virginia. Artwork came to life Friday night as visitors searched for clues to solve a murder at the San Antonio Museum of Art. The museum's first murder mystery night, which turned the galleries into a game of Clue, was planned by Leslie Chasnoff, the San Antonio Museum of Art public programs manager. Reservations are being accepted beginning today for International Smoke, the new celebrity chef-led restaurant opening at CityCenter July 5. The restaurant, described as an international approach to wood fire cooking, grilling and smoking is a collaboration between James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Mina of San Francisco and lifestyle expert and cookbook author Ayesha Curry. The 6,000-square-foot former Straits space will feature a dining room with 130 seats and patio seating for an additional 140. The menu will be under the direction of new executive chef EJ Miller, whose resume includes Riel, Clark Cooper Concepts restaurants (SaltAir Seafood kitchen, Punk's Simple Southern Food and Coppa Ristorante Italiano) and Down House restaurant in the Heights. AYESHA CURRY: Answers five questions about International Smoke International Smoke had its beginnings as a pop-up concept between Mina and Curry a shared vision about global approaches to dishes touched by smoke and fire. The pop-up led to a capsule version of the restaurant that opened last year in a food hall in Hawaii. The Houston restaurant is a fully realized version of International Smoke concept (two others are set for Del Mar, Calif., and Aventura, Fla.) similar to the one that opened last year in San Francisco. Mina, who was in Houston last month for a pop-up at Hugo's to preview International Smoke said he was thrilled to be coming to Houston, a city he knows well because of relatives who live here. He also is collaborating with Hugo Ortega for a restaurant also born from a pop-up with Mina called Mi Almita set to open in Los Angeles in 2019. "Houston's incredible diversity, fearless cross pollination of cuisines and love for dining out put the city at the top of our list for expansion," Mina said. "A prime location at CityCentre cemented our decision given the bustling, pedestrian-oriented district's location at the crossroads of eclectic residential pockets and proximity to international traffic driven by business destinations including Westchase, Uptown and the Energy Corridor." Signature dishes will include double duck wings with jerk spice, lemongrass pork chop with stir-fried clams and glass noodles, binchotan-grilled lobster with Japanese curry spiced yakiudon, and spice-crusted snapper with turmeric pickles and raita. At the Houston pop-up for International Smoke, Mina and Miller served Wagyu shaking beef lettuce wraps with banh mi pickles, soy-braised short ribs, Gulf snapper with fermented black bean and scallion vinaigrette, Hawaiian pork teriyaki with steamed buns and pineapple salsa, and several examples of barbecue. International Smoke, 800 Sorella Court, CityCenter, Houston; internationalsmoke.com On this date in ... 1918: Richard W. Cronecker, the 30-year-old mayor of Isle City, N.J., disappeared on June 10 and was believed to be in the Albany area. According to Chief of Police James L. Hyatt, Cronecker was suffering from aphasia, or the inability to understand or express speech. Hyatt requested that all citizens be on the lookout for a 5-foot-4-inch tall, 130-pound man in a blue serge suit, brown felt hat with an Elks lodge emblem on his jacket. 1968: There was only mild opposition at the first of two public hearings on a proposed $4.7 million bond issue to build a new high school in Rensselaer. Superintendent Jospeh V. Reilly said about $1.8 million of the estimated cost would be supplied by the state and the annual rise in local property taxes would be about $12 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The bond issue would be paid off in 30 years, Reilly said. Construction could start by spring 1969 with completion estimated by the middle of 1970. 1993: Amid revelations that Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield submitted erroneous data in its official reports, the state Insurance Department said it was launching a new investigation of New York's largest medical insurer. The chairman of the state Senate Insurance Committee called for a special prosecutor to investigate. Late last year, Empire's erroneous data misled state lawmakers into approving a major bailout of the financially beleaguered company. Empire said it was being hit by unfair competition from other medical insurers who, under state law, could steer away from high-risk groups and select healthy customers a practice known as cherry-picking. Want to read more about the Capital Region's past? Have any memories or thoughts about how our history relates to today's events? See http://blog.timesunion.com/history/ A fistfight among neighborhood gang members during an arts festival in Trenton, New Jersey, escalated into a mass shooting Sunday, leaving 22 people, including a 13-year-old boy, injured, authorities said. The Art All Night event, an annual 24-hour festival that draws thousands of people, was on the verge of getting shut down Sunday morning because of several fights inside and outside the venue, a historic building near downtown Trenton. Gunshots rang out at about 2:45 a.m., when several members of local gangs began shooting at each other, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri told reporters. The mood inside the venue "had been changing," prompting police officers who were working security at the event to begin dispersing the crowd, Onofri said. Moments later, the shooting began. One suspect, Tahaij Wells, a 33-year-old man with a lengthy criminal history who recently served time for homicide-related charges, was fatally shot by a police officer. Wells had been on parole since February, Onofri said. A second suspect, Amir Armstrong, 23, has been arrested and is facing firearms charges. Onofri said a third suspect, whom he did not name, was struck in the gunfire and was in critical condition at a hospital as of Sunday evening. It remains unclear what caused the fight to begin. Of those injured, 17 were wounded by gunfire, while the others suffered other injuries during the chaos. Onofri said the 13-year-old boy, the youngest of the victims, is now in stable condition at a hospital. Onofri said police had confiscated several weapons, including a handgun with an extended-capacity magazine, which means it contained more ammunition than what is legal in New Jersey. In a Facebook post recapping the horror, event volunteer Krystal Knapp said her shift 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, rushed toward the exit, and was knocked down as she reached the door. "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." Onofri said the shooting "absolutely could've been worse given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired." He said there were about 1,000 people at the event when gunshots were fired. 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. Event organizers said in a statement Sunday that all 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 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 was 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." The Early Years Program in the Jacksonville School District 117 will be serving more students next year after receiving an increase in a state funding grant. The Early Years program received three grants, equaling more than 1.6 million to support the districts early years program. Sarah English, the principal of the Early Years program, said the program received two competitive grants that allow for additional students within the 3-5 pre-kindergarten classes and more activities for the 0-3 aged students. We are guaranteed about $1.6 million a year to serve the younger students in our district, English said. The district has received smaller amounts from the grants in the past. The Preschool for All grant will allow the district to serve about 40 more students in its 3-5 program in the classroom. We received more than we had in previous years, actually an increase over the past seven years, English said. While the program has received just under $950,000 a year previously, theyll receive roughly $1,084,000 a year for the next five years. In addition, English said they received a prevention initiative grant that serves children ages 0-3 with in-home services. The Early Years program will receive $563,448 a year, more than double what they have previously received. Well be able to better serve our families and provide more weekly or biweekly services, English said. The two competitive grants will go into effect July 1 and will be guaranteed for the next five years, when the program will have to complete another grant. In addition, the program received an additional grant this year for $200,000 to use towards an additional installment for the playground. English said there was extra funds available through the state and the program was able to use an abbreviated grant to receive the funds. With the creation of a pre-kindergarten center, English said they felt it was important to create more space for the children to play outside. The new equipment will include some natural areas, a place to build things and more areas for the children to ride their bicycles or tricycles. Itll be really exciting for the kids, English said. English said she believes the move to a pre-kindergarten center has helped them with their grants. When we wrote the grants, we believed wed be able to make a difference with the new center and I think these grants were in response to us being able to provide this state-of-the-art center,English said. Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha. In the midst of a domestic battle over his own administration's strict immigration policy, President Donald Trump took aim at Germany's Angela Merkel on Monday - arguing in a tweet that the German chancellor's more open policies toward migration and refugees had led to a crisis in her government coalition. But in making his argument against Merkel's "big mistake," Trump claimed that crime in Germany was "way up." That claim is not supported by recent statistics. Trump tweeted "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!" Notably, Merkel's biggest challenger on immigration policy is on record as saying just last month that crime in Germany was the lowest it had been in decades. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer had released new crime figures in May that pointed to an overall decline in Germany over the past year. The figures showed that 5.76 million crimes were reported in 2017 - a drop of 5 percent from 2016 and the lowest number since 1992. Given the increases in Germany's population, Seehofer told reporters in Berlin, this meant that Germany's reported crime rate was at the lowest it had been for three decades. To put it simply, "Germany has become safer," Seehofer said. Seehofer is the leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), a hard-right Bavarian party that has long been a crucial coalition partner for Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). In defiance of the German chancellor, Seehofer is seeking to impose new border controls on the country - a move that could see her coalition government collapse. Later on Monday, after the U.S. president's tweet, Seehofer offered Merkel a temporary reprieve and said he would not implement the new controls for two weeks. That could allow Merkel to reach deals with other European nations on migration, rather than turn migrants back unilaterally at the border. Trump has a history of tweeting inaccurate statements about crime and immigration in Europe. However, it may not be surprising that Trump sees crime rising in Germany when in fact it appears to be falling - a considerable number of Germans feel the same way. One poll conducted in April, for example, found that 41 percent of the country felt that they were less safe in public spaces than five years ago. Fifty-one percent, however, felt nothing had changed. A study from last year found that much of the blame lay with media organizations, which often tend to focus on migrant-related crime rather than crime by German citizens. A close reading of German crime statistics does offer a complicated picture of crime trends. There has been a sharp rise in the number of non-German suspects interviewed by police in Germany over the past five years, for example, and although violent crime dropped 2.4 percent last year, it had already risen by 6.7 percent between 2015 and 2016. There is certainly no doubt that the wave of more than a million refugees and migrants who arrived in Germany in 2015 and 2016 changed the country, resulting in strained relations between German citizens and their new guests. However, despite concern about immigration in the country, Merkel probably remains the country's most popular political leader with a 50 percent approval rating this month. Trump, meanwhile, continues to be viewed negatively by many Germans. In the same poll that found Merkel's high approval rating, 87 percent of Germans were concerned that the U.S. leader was exacerbating international conflicts. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Monday that he would direct the Defense Department and the Pentagon to create a new "Space Force" - an independent sixth branch of the armed forces. Trump has floated this idea before - in March, he said he initially conceived it as a joke - but has offered few details about how the Space Force would operate. Several experts noted that an act of Congress is required to establish a new branch of the military. Trump said Monday that the branch would be "separate but equal" from the Air Force and that Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would oversee its creation. "It is not enough to have an American presence in space, we must have American dominance in space," Trump said, adding that he didn't want to see "China and other countries leading us." Dunford's staff acknowledged Trump's comments in a statement Monday afternoon, pledging to work closely with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' office, other Defense Department officials and Congress to "implement the President's guidance." "Space is a warfighting domain, so it is vital that our military maintains its dominance and competitive advantage in that domain," the statement said. And a spokeswoman for Mattis said in a statement that Pentagon officials "understand" the guidance. "Our Policy Board will begin working on this issue, which has implications for intelligence operations for the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy," Dana White said without elaborating. "Working with Congress, this will be a deliberate process with a great deal of input from multiple stakeholders." The Outer Space Treaty, which the United States signed in 1967, bars states from testing weapons and establishing military bases on the moon and other celestial bodies. It also prohibits the placement of weapons of mass destruction in orbit around Earth. Both China and Russia are signatories to the treaty. But the treaty has no enforcement mechanism (indeed, the Air Force's unmanned space plane, the X-37B, has completed several clandestine missions). John Logsdon, a space policy expert and professor emeritus at George Washington University, said that the treaty is generally interpreted as barring only "aggressive" military activity in space and would not prohibit the creation of a Space Force. The idea goes back at least a year to a proposal by Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Jim Cooper, D-Tenn. Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces, and Cooper, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, argued that it made sense to have a "Space Corps," a separate branch of service with its own four-star general serving on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Under their plan, it would have reported to the Department of the Air Force, in similar fashion to how the Marine Corps reports to the Department of the Navy. In essence, the new service would elevate the Air Force Space Command to be on par with other military services in its own right. The command focuses on space and cyberspace operations, including the management and launch of satellites that provide Global Positioning System coordinates, weather and navigational data, and surveillance of everything from militant groups to potential ballistic missile launches. Unlike NASA, which focuses primarily on space exploration and scientific discovery, the new Space Force would concentrate on the military and defense aspects of space. "I think there's a recognition that space is an area of activity critical to our national security . . . and as long as space is part of the Air Force, it's going to take kind of second fiddle to airplanes," Logsdon said. "The threat is real," he added, "and the history of the ability to organize and be effective in space under the Air Force, many people think, is less than optimum." The creation of the Space Force would mark the first time that the military has created a new branch since the 1947 National Security Act, in which Congress directed a massive overhaul of the military after World War II. It merged the Department of War and the Navy Department and created the Air Force from the Army Air Forces. A full Space Force - including a service chief, service secretary and related staffs - cannot be established without a congressional act, said Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain and defense analyst. But Trump can direct the formation of an interim "Space Corps" in the meantime that still falls under the Air Force Department, but has a separate military staff, he said. Hendrix, who advocated recently for a separate Space Force in the conservative National Review magazine, said that the Pentagon will need to make sure it decouples existing space operations from the other services. The idea has faced resistance from senior Pentagon officials. Last fall, Rogers and Cooper's proposal was scrapped after Mattis, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said it would lead to unnecessary costs and bureaucracy. "I oppose the creation of a new military service and additional organizational layers at a time when we are focused on reducing overhead and integrating joint warfighting functions," Mattis said in October in a memo to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In a Monday news briefing, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, dean of the Air Force Association-founded Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, described the decision to create a Space Force as "another example of ready, fire, aim." Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., applauded the move in a statement, saying that "too little emphasis has been placed on space defense." The announcement was made at a meeting of the National Space Council, at which Trump signed a new space policy directive aimed at space traffic management. The policy sets up new guidelines for satellite design and operation, as well as tracking the growing amount of clutter in Earth's orbit. But, citing the number of regulations his administration has dismantled since he took office, Trump warned the space council, "Don't get too carried away." The president also reasserted plans to land astronauts on the moon again and, eventually, Mars. The president issued his first space policy directive in December, making a crewed lunar mission the centerpiece of his administration's space strategy. Cheryl Warner, a spokeswoman for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Directorate, told Reuters on Monday that the space agency wants to send robotic explorers to the moon as soon as next year. Those missions would pave the way for an eventual crewed mission. Trump's declaration about the Space Force was one of several digressions he made during the meeting. He led off his remarks by talking for several minutes about the separation of undocumented immigrant children from their parents at the border, repeating a false claim that this is the result of a law enacted by Democrats. In fact, the separations largely stem from a "zero-tolerance policy" announced last month by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The president also criticized United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin that is one of the government's biggest space contractors, while introducing the company's CEO: "I don't like when Boeing and Lockheed get together because the pricing only goes up, but that's okay in this case," he said. "I don't know, I don't love that stuff. We're going to have to talk about that." But then he pivoted to emphasizing the need to partner with the commercial sector, the focus of his second space policy directive, which was issued in May. "Rich guys seem to like rockets," Trump said. " . . . As long as it's an American rich person, that's good. If you beat us to Mars, we'll be very happy, and you'll be even more famous. We'll save a lot of money and take the credit for it." --- The Washington Post's Aaron Gregg and Missy Ryan contributed to this report. A possible U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council is overshadowing discussions at the organization's meeting in Geneva, as the Trump administration's policies come under fire. The 47-nation body, which meets three times a year, began Monday's session with the U.N. human rights chief slamming the Trump administration's new policy to separate migrant parents from their children after they enter the United States at the Mexican border, comparing it to child abuse. "The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable," said Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, a Jordanian prince. The Human Rights Council, which has existed in its current form since 2006, is shaping up to be the next flash point of the administration's efforts to either reform or leave agreements and institutions it contends fall short of upholding American values. Two weeks ago, President Donald Trump's U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, threatened to pull out of the council unless it stops unfair criticisms of Israel and prevents authoritarian governments from having a seat on the council. U.S. officials say no decision has made yet on whether to relinquish membership. The United States could completely withdraw, either now or when its current term ends next year, or it could retain observer status. A withdrawal would further separate the United States from its long-standing allies, who disagree with the decision to leave the council entirely. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in a speech to the council Monday, sided with the United States in urging the council to stop reflexively criticizing Israel by keeping an agenda item devoted to human rights abuses in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a permanent item on the schedule. Calling it "disproportionate and damaging to the cause of peace," he said Britain will vote against it every time it comes up in the future. But in an apparent allusion to the U.S. threat of withdrawal, Johnson also defended the council's work. "I stress that that does not mean that we in the U.K. are blind to the value of this council," he said. Since 2006, the Human Rights Council has passed more than 70 resolutions critical of Israel, 10 times as often as it has criticized Iran. Its membership includes 14 countries that are ranked as "not free" by Freedom House: Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, China, Cuba, Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. WASHINGTON - The Trump administration's move to separate immigrant families at the border and detain children apart from their parents spiraled into a humanitarian and political crisis Monday as the White House struggled to contain the growing public outcry. The situation has become a moral test for President Donald Trump and his administration. The president on Monday voiced defiance and continued to falsely blame congressional Democrats for what he decried as a "horrible and tough" situation. But Trump is empowered to immediately order border agents to stop separating families as a result of his "zero tolerance" enforcement policy. The president asserted that the parents illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border with their children "could be murderers and thieves and so much else," echoing his incendiary remarks about immigrants at his campaign launch in 2015. And in a series of dark tweets, the president warned that undocumented immigrants could increase gang crime and usher in cultural changes. "The United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility," Trump said in midday speech. "You look at what's happening in Europe, you look at what's happening in other places. We can't allow that to happen to the United States. Not on my watch." More than 2,300 children were taken from their parents at the border between May 5 and June 9, according to statistics released Monday by the Department of Homeland Security, with the pace of family separations growing over that period to nearly 70 a day. The separations were roundly condemned - including by all four living former first ladies - as cruel, inhumane and un-American. Administration officials rejected former first lady Laura Bush's comparison of the detention centers to Japanese internment camps in World War II. The White House said that people killed by illegal immigrants were the true victims because they were "permanently" separated from their family members, even listing crimes in a document that Trump aides shared with allies. Though the administration has tried to present a public picture of steely resolve - vowing not to apologize for enforcing the law, as Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Monday - senior officials have disagreed behind the scenes about the merits and morality of separating children from their parents. "Parents who entered illegally are, by definition, criminals," Nielsen told reporters during an unusually contentious White House press briefing. "By entering our country illegally, often in dangerous circumstances, illegal immigrants have put their children at risk." Nielsen maintained that her agency was merely enforcing existing law and said it was up to Congress to change the policy. "It is the beginning of the unraveling of democracy when the body who makes the laws, instead of changing them, tells the enforcement body not to enforce the law," she said. But many lawmakers disagreed with that assessment. "The White House can fix it if they want to," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said. "I don't think there's any question about that." Nielsen also said the administration is not using its "zero tolerance" policy to pressure Congress to act on Trump's broader immigration agenda or to deter migrants from coming to the country, contradicting comments from other administration officials, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Chief of Staff John Kelly and senior adviser Stephen Miller. The crisis is garnering round-the-clock television news coverage, with journalists reporting about their first glimpses at the concrete-floor and metal-cage conditions of the detention centers. Nielsen acknowledged she was not keeping pace with coverage of the crisis, including audio of wailing children published a few hours earlier by ProPublica. She said she did not know why the administration had released images Sunday of young boys in detention center cages at a Texas facility but not of young girls. Trump has been closely monitoring the coverage, but has been suspicious of it, telling associates he believes the media cherry-picks the most dramatic images and stories to portray his administration in a negative light, according to one senior administration official. The images in the media contrast with more positive photos Trump's aides have shown the president depicting detained children smiling, playing video games and exercising outside, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid. Trump and his advisers were unable to stanch the wellspring of public opposition. Some Republican elected officials joined Democrats in sounding moral outrage and calling for an immediate end to the administration's family separation policy. In an indication that GOP leaders fear negative ramifications in November's midterm elections, Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio, who chairs the House Republicans' campaign arm, called on the administration to change its policy and "stop needlessly separating children from their families." Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., said, "It's time for this ugly and inhumane practice to end. Now." He added, "It's never acceptable to use kids as bargaining chips in political process." And Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., wrote in a statement, "Family separation is wicked. It is harmful to kids and absolutely should NOT be the default U.S. policy. Americans are better than this. . . .. The administration's decision to separate families is a new, discretionary choice." Two polls released Monday showed the public overwhelmingly against separating the children of illegal immigrants from their parents at the border. A CNN survey found that 28 percent of Americans approve of the policy and 67 percent disapprove, while a Quinnipiac University poll had a similar finding, 27 percent of American voters approving of the policy and 66 percent disapproving. Trump heads to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with House Republicans and push for immigration legislation that would provide funding for his promised border wall, among other priorities. Senior administration officials suggested the humanitarian crisis at the border was leverage to force legislators to pass such a law. "We do not want to separate parents from their children," Sessions, an architect and key defender of the policy, said in a speech Monday. "If we build the wall, if we pass legislation to end the lawlessness, we won't face these terrible choices." House Republicans are expected to vote this week on two immigration bills - a hard-line measure drafted by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and a second bill cast as a compromise between the moderate and conservative wings of the GOP. House leaders were rushing to insert provisions into both House measures that would not separate parents from their children, according to a senior GOP aide, and allow children to be detained indefinitely with their parents. The prospect of passage for either bill is murky at best. If neither bill garners the necessary support, lawmakers would have to decide whether to introduce a stand-alone bill addressing family separation. Trump's position has been unclear. The president said in a television interview last Friday that he would not sign the more "moderate" of the two measures, launching a day of confusion and chaos on Capitol Hill that forced White House officials to clarify that Trump, in fact, supports both bills. Ahead of Tuesday's meeting, Republicans said they hoped Trump would personally deliver assurances that he backs their plan. Trump considers immigration a winning issue for him politically, advisers said. The president has complained repeatedly in recent months that he looks "weak" on border enforcement and has been concerned his base could turn on him for not being tougher, according to a senior administration official. A second administration official said Trump is in agreement with Miller, a hard line influence on the administration, in believing, "If we're having an argument on immigration, we always win because that's our ground, no matter what the nuances of the argument are." White House officials have said there is no comprehensive strategy at play. "What's the end game?" another senior administration official asked. At a meeting with Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., at the White House on Monday, Trump re-upped his threat to shutdown the government in September if he doesn't get money for the border wall, according to two people familiar with the meeting. Trump told the senators he was willing to take such a drastic action, these people said, and wanted his wall funding along with strong border security measures. The issue of family separation was mentioned in passing, with Trump putting blame on Democrats. Behind the scenes at the White House, aides scrambled Monday to manage the public relations fallout and rally support for their policy. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' daily briefing, first scheduled for 1:15 p.m., was pushed back to 3:30 p.m., then to 4 p.m., then to 5 p.m., so Nielsen could field questions at the lectern. She was at the White House around 1 p.m. doing extensive prep for the briefing and met with Trump at 3 p.m., according to a White House official. Earlier Monday morning, administration officials from the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security briefed dozens of congressional aides to explain the zero-tolerance policy in the face of mounting questions from Capitol Hill. The White House distributed more than 3,000 words of talking points to Republican allies under the headline, "Congressional Democrats' Policies Are Responsible for the Border Crisis and Family Separations." The talking points - which included repeated and false claims and claimed that children were being treated well, calling reports of inhumane treatment "bunk" - were largely greeted with amazement, according to senior Republican aides. Trump's spokesmen doubled down on the president's false contention that Democrats were to blame. The administration points to a 1997 legal agreement and a 2008 bipartisan anti-human-trafficking bill as requiring the separation of families. But the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations did not share that interpretation. Although Trump tweeted, "Change the laws!," no law mandates that children be taken away from their parents after illegally crossing the border. And Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike contend that Trump could end the separations on his own accord. Nielsen defended her agency's practice of separating migrant families and accused the media and members of Congress of mischaracterizing the administration's border crackdown. "We will not apologize for the job we do, or the job law enforcement does, or the job the American people expect us to do," Nielsen said in remarks to law enforcement officers in New Orleans. Democrats, meanwhile, have escalated their campaign to denounce the family separations. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and a handful of Democratic lawmakers visited a detention facility in San Diego. In the Senate, all 49 members of the Democratic Caucus have endorsed a bill from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that would explicitly bar DHS officials from taking children away from a parent at the border absent evidence of trafficking or abuse. And Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., an outspoken critic of the administration's immigration enforcement policies, called on Nielsen to resign, saying her false and misleading public statements in recent days are "disqualifying." Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, said the American people should have anticipated today's crisis at the border because of Trump's campaign proposals and rhetoric. "I warned about this during the debates and on the campaign trail, that Trump's immigration policies would entail families being separated," Clinton said in a speech Monday. "Now, as we watch with broken hearts, that's exactly what's happening." A Houston man who, while in police custody, escaped from a hospital in The Woodlands on Wednesday was captured in a Heights-area home Monday morning. Ricky Rangel, 55, was being treated at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital in Shenandoah on Wednesday night after having allegedly crashed into a Harris County Sheriff's Office patrol car while drunk, authorities said. The crash happened in the 19400 block of Texas 249 earlier that day, detectives said. An HCSO deputy was conducting traffic enforcement on the side of the road when Rangel, driving a red Ford Ranger, sideswiped the deputy, according to court documents. PRISON TROUBLE: Warden demoted as investigation into discipline quotas continues Rangel also crashed into another vehicle before coming to a stop, police said. Rangel was injured in the crash and taken to Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital for treatment. Police suspected Rangel was driving drunk. A HCSO deputy drove to the hospital and interviewed Rangel, who allegedly admitted to drinking six beers before getting behind the wheel, court records state. The deputy immediately arrested Rangel, police said. The deputy went back to his patrol vehicle to grab legal paperwork and came back to find Rangel's room was empty. Hospital staff told the deputy Rangel left the room and walked out of the hospital despite being under arrest, court documents show. NAILS IN THE WATER: Second child rescued from Lake Conroe bulkhead He was able to elude police for almost a week but was eventually captured Monday morning inside a home in the 900 block of East 38th Street, near Crosstimbers Street and Airline Drive. Rangel was originally charged with his third DWI and is now also facing a felony escape charge, police said. Rangel's rap sheet in Harris County dates back to the early 90s, court records show. He has previous convictions for assault, DWI, driving with a suspended license, trespassing and evading police with a vehicle. Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message. Jay R. Jordan is a breaking news reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan. A man is accused of raping a friend after throwing her on a bed in his Alamo Heights apartment when she tried to leave. Jesus Longoria, 40, was arrested Friday and charged with sexual assault, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by the Alamo Heights Police Department. A roller coaster accident at Daytona Beachs boardwalk left several people injured with at least two people being thrown from the ride. About the Daytona Beach Train Derailment According to ABC News, at least two people were thrown from the roller coaster as it became partially derailed from the tracks, falling 34 feet to the ground below. Upon arriving to the chaotic scene, first responders found the front car of the Sandblaster roller coaster completely off the track and dangling with its front end towards the ground. The two passengers who were ejected from the ride were determined to be Trauma Alerts and were rushed to the hospital. Another two riders remained in the derailed front car and six other passengers were contained in the middle and rear cars still on the track. The riders were kept in place by seatbelts until all eight passengers could be safety extricated from the ride. Six of the 10 riders have been hospitalized; however, the condition of the passengers and the extent of their injuries were not immediately available. The accident remains under investigation. Amusement Park Ride Accidents Last year, a report in the Huffington Post examined accident data from the countrys 400 million amusement parks. Their analysis concluded that of all ride types, roller coasters contributed to the highest number of amusement park injuries at 27.6 percent. In total, 47 people died on U.S. roller coasters between 1998 and 2012. Other rides that are more commonly associated with amusement park fatalities include: Ferris wheels, gondolas, and cables rides (20.7 percent), water rides (15.3 percent), and spinning ridges (13.6 percent). Causes of Amusement Park Accidents According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports, the most common causes of amusement park accidents include mechanical failures, operator behavior, and consumer behavior. If your child has been injured at an amusement park, three types of law may apply negligence, premises liability, and product liability law. A number of factors may be involved and a variety of responsible parties could be liable for your childs injury. Thus, it is important that you seek immediate help from an experienced child injury attorney. Contact an Experienced Roller Coaster Accident Attorney Amusement parks are intended to give families a fun, entertaining venue to have fun and relax. The last thing people should worry about when at an amusement park is their safety and the safety of their children. Regulation and oversight of fixed-site amusement parks can be lacking, which could lead to unsafe rides and experiences. If you or a loved one were injured while at an amusement park, contact Thomas J. Henry for a free case review. Our experienced amusement park injury lawyers are available 24/7, nights and weekends to take your call. Thomas J. Henry has offices located in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Houston, serving clients across Texas and nationwide. Editors Note: This content is made possible by Thomas J. Henry Personal Injury Law. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com. Music, Movies & Entertainment, Local News, Arts & Culture By Long Island News & PR Published: June 18 2018 Julie Cohen, the co-director of RBG, and composer Tree Adams are Tom Needhams exclusive guests this Thursday on The Sounds of Film. Stony Brook, NY - June 18, 2018 - RBG co-director, Julie Cohen, and Hollywood composer, Tree Adams, will be Tom Needhams exclusive guests this Thursday at 6 PM on RBG co-director, Julie Cohen, and Hollywood composer, Tree Adams, will be Tom Needhams exclusive guests this Thursday at 6 PM on WUSBs The Sounds of Film. RBG is the hit documentary about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs unique career and popularity. Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, the film features the quiet warrior who carved her own path to the nations highest court. While developing an unmatched legal legacy, she also surprisingly became a pop culture icon. Director Julie Cohen and Tom Needhams radio interview on Thursday will start a dialogue that will continue on Monday, June 25th, when the two of them participate in a Q & A at the Port Jefferson Documentary Series screening of RBG at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson. A sold-out Toast to Ruth Ginsburg Wine & Cheese Reception will take place before the public screening of RBG. For more information about FILM ONLY tickets, which are still available, visit portjeffdocumentaryseries.com Water Tower Musics The 100 Original Television Soundtrack featuring Tree Adams. Photo Credit: The Sounds of Music Also on the program, is Tree Adams, acclaimed composer for the hit television series NCIS: New Orleans, Californication, and Jason Rothenbergs The 100. Tree Adams has a long history as a successful film and television composer, as well as a career as a rock musician. Some of his scores include Reach Me, RUN, and Iraq For Sale: The Profiteers. About the Sounds of Film Local News, Community, Charity & Cause By Long Island News & PR Published: June 18 2018 Officer Edmund McDowell used his metal detector to locate ring on a beach; this is the second time he has done so. Fire Island, NY - June 18, 2018 - A Suffolk County police officer located a lost engagement ring at a beach in A Suffolk County police officer located a lost engagement ring at a beach in Fire Island on Sunday, June 17, 2018. A Pennsylvania woman, who was visiting Fire Island, called police on June 16 after she lost her engagement ring. Marine Bureau Police Officer Robert Warrington responded and searched the home where she was staying at, and Atlantique Beach but did not find the ring, valued at more than $20,000. Officer Warrington asked Marine Bureau Police Officer Edmund McDowell to bring McDowells personal metal detector to work today. Officer McDowell, who was assisted by the womans friend, set up a grid pattern around where the woman was sitting at Atlantique Beach. After approximately 10 minutes of searching, the metal detector set off and the officer located the ring in the sand at approximately 11:30 a.m. The womans friend will deliver the ring to its owner in Pennsylvania tonight. 17-Jun-18 The 720 seconds 12 minutes they laid in chalk outlines represented the 720 victims of mass shootings since June 12, 2016. Students in four cities staged a National Die-in to honor those victims and raise awareness of gun violence. In Chicago, the names of victims and their schools were written in chalk on Wacker Drive across the Chicago River from Trump International Hotel & Tower. The June 12 protest in Chicago was organized by Maddy Norten, a student at GCE Lab School, an independent private high school in the Lincoln Park neighborhood north of the Loop. We...are calling B.S. on the lethal legislation that has failed to protect people in school, in movie theaters, in nightclubs, in concerts, on the streets, and even in our homes, said Norten. We are here to show that everybody suffers from gun violence. We need common sense gun reform. We refuse to allow another child, another student, another human to witness and feel the pain of this violence. Nissrine Bedda, a GCE Lab School freshman who helped organize public debates on the issue in Washington Square Park, says gun violence in Chicago is a daily threat. We are the next generation, she said. We are the ones who are able to choose how we want to be represented. That starts by the decisions we make in order to make our generation the most memorable out of all the others. We do not need violence. We will not be recognized as the dangerous generation. We demand to be recognized as the strongest generation. Similar protests were held in Philadelphia, Nashville, and Des Moines. By Jim Kinney SPRINGFIELD -- U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal and other local dignitaries made the ceremonial first trip south Friday on CTrail from the renovated Union Station to Hartford. "This was a wise expenditure of the public purse and those of us who voted for it had ought to defend it," Neal said upon reaching Hartford. Reminiscent of driving the golden spike that completed the transcontinental railroad, the party from Springfield headed south to Hartford where they met up with Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and a party of Connecticut officials headed north from New Haven. Duke Ellington's "Take the A Train" played as they entered the Hartford station. "This is a system that moves people the way they want to be moved into the future," Malloy said. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., added, "Our federal government should take a lesson from Connecticut. Investment in rail makes sense." CTrail's Hartford Line will begin service on Saturday at Union Station with stops in Windsor Locks (with express bus connections to Bradley International Airport), Windsor, Hartford, Berlin, Meriden and Wallingford before reaching New Haven. Between the new CTrail and Amtrak, trains will provide a total of 34 daily trips on weekdays, including 11 Springfield-to-New Haven and 12 New Haven-to-Springfield trips. There will be 12 trips on Saturdays (eight each Springfield-to-New Haven and New Haven-to-Springfield), and 13 trips on Sundays and holidays (nine each Springfield-New Haven in both directions). It's Connecticut's first new train service in more than 20 years. It comes 14 years after the first feasibility study and three years of construction. Deputy Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Anna M. Barry said her state has seen $400 million in residential and commercial development near stations on the Hartford Line. "People see the value in transit-oriented development, " she said. The Springfield Redevelopment Authority oversaw the $103 million redevelopment of Union Station. "Now we can see this place become what it was meant to be -- a transport hub," said Bill Macgregor of the SRA board. CTrail will be just the first step in a planned future rail expansion involving Union Station. Earlier this week, Massachusetts officials announced a deal to, starting in 2019, run two northbound and two southbound Amtrak trains from the New -Haven-to-Springfield service further north to Greenfield, Northampton and Holyoke. The state of Massachusetts will also study expanded Boston-Springfield-Pittsfield rail service. The expanded weekday service means there will be a train once every 45 minutes during the morning and evening peak periods. Amtrak trains operating on the Hartford Line will be able to reach speeds of up to 110 mph on portions of track in Berlin, Newington, New Britain and West Hartford and speeds up to 100 mph between Meriden and Berlin. CTrail trains travel at speeds of up to 80 mph. The trip from Springfield to New Haven is expected to take as little as 81 minutes. The trip to Hartford takes just more than 34 minutes. "Melrose Place" actress Heather Locklear has been hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation after a report she was looking for a gun to shoot herself. Locklear, 56, was hospitalized in Thousand Oaks, California, on Sunday, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office told Us Weekly. The sheriff's office responded to the afternoon call and found "there was no crime, only a medical issue," police said. A police source told the magazine that a family member called 911 and claimed that Locklear had been acting erratically and threatened to hurt herself. The caller also alleged that Locklear was looking for a gun to shoot herself, according to TMZ, which was first to report the news. The incident comes nearly four months after Locklear was arrested on a felony count of domestic violence and three counts of misdemeanor battery on a police officer following a domestic dispute with her boyfriend, Chris Heisser. Locklear reportedly told told deputies that she would shoot them if they ever came to her house again. Following her arrest, Locklear returned to rehab. It was at least her sixth stint in rehab. In 2045, the Massachusetts coastline could look different. Researchers say in less than 30 years, sought-after waterfront properties could be in peril from "chronic inundation," or flooding on average 26 times per year. Experts warn that unless governments enforce serious change needed to cap the earth's warming average temperatures, ice melt will bring rising sea levels. The results, researchers say, will create routine coastal flooding and emergency social, financial and environmental problems in Massachusetts and beyond. A new study by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that by the end of the century, Massachusetts regular flooding could impact 89,000 coastal homes. The situation would put 178,000 residents and $63 billion in property at risk by the year 2100. In the short-term, projections are still alarming: despite some existing defense measures along the state's shorelines, the UCS estimates 7,000 residential properties home to 14,000 people are at risk of chronic inundation by the year 2045. "While Massachusetts has a network of shoreline stabilization structures along its coast, few of these are designed to keep out higher tides," the UCS wrote in its findings. UCS researchers say they used a methodology that combines three sea level rise scenarios developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Researchers applied their methods to communities across the United States and found that within the next 30 years, more than 300,000 coastal homes are in jeopardy from sea level rise. In Massachusetts, the coastal communities most at risk by 2045 include Revere, Marshfield, Quincy Hull and Salisbury, UCS reports. But researchers also say oceanside homes valued below the state median, which is roughly $400,000 for a single-family home, are especially impacted by chronic flooding. "Revere, Saugus and Winthrop--all working-class suburbs of Boston--have large clusters of at-risk homes," the UCS reports. "Homeowners whose properties become chronically inundated may find themselves with mortgages that exceed the value of their homes or face steeply rising flood insurance premiums and may end up defaulting on their loans." The study notes that if serious changes are made, and countries follow the primary goal of the Paris Agreement to cap global warming below 2 degrees Celcius, nearly 92 percent of at-risk homes in Massachusetts could avoid chronic flooding by the end of the century. ATHOL - Police caught up with a 40-pound runaway tortoise after spotting it walking along a town road Sunday night. Police spotted the African spurred tortoise walking in the road on Partridgeville Road. Officers appeared to have its compliance by offering it some lettuce. It was determined that the tortoise belonged to an Athol resident who lives roughly a mile away. It is not clear when it made its escape, but an African spurred tortoise has a top speed of about a mile an hour. Police consulted with the New England Aquarium, the Massachusetts Environmental Police and the town animal control officer before returning it. African spurred tortoises are native to the Sahara Desert. They can grow to 250 pounds and live more than 70 years. The man found dead in the Connecticut River last week has been identified. The Hampden District Attorney Office identified the man as Nelson Caballero. The 29-year-old is believed to have drowned in the river. Emergency responders were called to the river near Cleveland Street in Holyoke around 2 p.m. Thursday, June 14 by a woman who spotted a body near the shore, Holyoke police told MassLive. His death remains under investigation by the Holyoke Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police Detective assigned to the Hampden District Attorney's Office, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the Hampden District Attorney's Office. HANCOCK -- Imagine, wafting in to join the Berkshires' renowned offerings of performing arts, museums and retreats, the addition of marijuana. "The reason I think this is really important is because it's about to explode and the more information we have the better we will be able to serve the community and the people that are coming to the Berkshires," said Kathy Walsh, owner of KnockKnock Social, a social media agency for the cannabis industry. Walsh was among over 30 business owners, representatives of the tourism and hospitality industries and others who attended a forum Thursday called "Canna Tourism in the Berkshires -- What it Means for Your Business," held at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort at 37 Corey Road. It's big business: Marijuana sales are projected to hit $450 million in Massachusetts this year, but expected to rocket to $1.5 billion in Colorado in 2018, forum presenter Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr. said. Colorado began permitting retail sales of marijuana in January 2014. Nuciforo is a former state senator and the co-founder of the Berkshire Roots medical marijuana dispensary that opened in March in Pittsfield. Berkshire Roots offered the forum with 1Berkshire, the regional economic development organization. Using slides in an upstairs conference room, Nuciforo framed the presentation of the marijuana industry as one that is fast-moving and marked by some uncertainties but nonetheless bustling with attractions in the way pot can be consumed and integrated into businesses. Marijuana in other locations is part of lodging, cooking, tour, guidebook, retreat, transportation, dinner party and other industries, such as "sushi and joint rolling" classes, Nuciforo said. "As you can see, there's a lot going on here. Cannabis is somehow finding its way into all these different sectors," he said. Pot is available not only in smoking form, but baked into food like chocolate chip cookies and chews, tincture, topical rub, distillate cartridges used in vaping and other kinds of concentrate. Examples of the Berkshire Roots consumption offerings were displayed on a table, with Nuciforo noting the packages were empty. Only those with physician-supplied medical cards can partake of medical marijuana, he said. In April 2017, Massachusetts had about 34,000 medical marijuana card holders, persons permitted to use pot for health reasons. That jumped to over 54,000 as of April of this year, Nuciforo said. "The market is basically everybody. You've got people between the ages of 20 and 29 and you've got people between the ages of 60 and 69 and even older," using medical marijuana, he said. Some seek medically prescribed marijuana for illnesses like cancer or glaucoma, others for depression or anxiety or just to relax, he said. Brian Peruta of Lenox said he found the forum helpful in terms of thinking about dealing with issues like legalization of marijuana for recreational use and how that affects staffing and drug screening. (see video above) Peruta works for a Dublin, Ohio-based company called Fast Switch that provides information technology staffing, he said. "I found the information that was provided by the gentleman in the front about when things were going to happen and how things were going to happen, probably most beneficial," Peruta said. Christine Mariconti of Lenox, who said she works in the hospitality industry, said she attended the forum to get a sense of how the business community felt about the marijuana industry. "It gave me a broader insight as to who the users are and what will be coming in the future," Mariconti said. The forum delivered a lot of helpful information to Berkshire businesses, said Erika Allison, 1Berkshire director of member services. "What we've noticed was that a lot of our members in the tourism industry, hospitality industry, were here and Berkshire Roots presented some really fascinating information that I think everybody in the room was benefiting from learning about how these new regulations that come into effect in July could directly impact their business," Allison said. "The Berkshires" is not just Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow and the Clark Art Institute or destinations like Herman Melville's home "Arrowhead" in Pittsfield and Edith Wharton's "The Mount" in Lenox. It's also old cities like North Adams and Pittsfield, and familiar towns like Lee ("the outlets") and Stockbridge (known to many from James Taylor's "Sweet Baby James"). All 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County approved the 2016 ballot question that legalized recreational marijuana and the 2012 ballot question that legalized marijuana for medical use in Massachusetts. As of Wednesday, 53 applicants from 28 companies or individuals had submitted the entire application to open a marijuana business in Massachusetts. Indeed, said Nuciforo, the marijuana industry in Massachusetts is as heavily regulated as it is fledgling. In 2013, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health required that medical marijuana companies be fully integrated, which means they must be capable of on-site growth, processing, packaging and dispensing of pot, he said. Of the 181 applicants for medical marijuana licenses, only 13 met all the requirements to be licensed, he said. "We had a lot of people jumping into this game and just a few were able to crack the code," Nuciforo said. Public opinion has declared its embrace of legalizing marijuana. The states that have approved marijuana for both medical and recreational use are Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, California, Colorado, Nevada, Alaska, Oregon and Washington, he said. "This exists not because the politicians wanted to do it. This exists because the voters made it happen," said Nuciforo, nevertheless adding, "This industry is very new. This industry is extremely new." As a result, Massachusetts approved recreational marijuana in 2016, but licenses have yet to be issued. And it could be into next year or later that the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission addresses practices like home delivery and permitting on-site consumption. Major issues clouding marijuana's future, colliding with its public popularity, are federal law and the banks. Federal law still makes marijuana use illegal despite states opting for legalization. What that means remains unclear. "There's a lot of friction there," Nuciforo said. Under President Barack Obama, he said, the practice of the U.S. Justice Department was if someone was living in a state where marijuana was made legal and they were abiding by laws, not involved in dealing to children or other crimes, "and you're not engaged in bad acts, if you were in compliance with state law, the feds were going to leave you alone." That changed with the election of President Donald Trump. In January, the Justice Department issued a memo that said federal marijuana enforcement would return to the "rule of the law" and the rescission of previous guidance documents. Banks are spooked into avoiding the marijuana industry because the product remains illegal under federal law. That forces such businesses to search for the few lending institutions that will provide financing for a marijuana-based establishment or in most cases at the moment, relying on cash -- bulky, out in the open cash. "Most banks still won't touch it. You can use debit cards in some cases, but this is still a cash business," Nuciforo said. Help could be on the way, but how much and when remain unclear. The U.S. Congress is considering a measure to ease the federal ban on marijuana, to encourage banks to do business with the cannabis industry. The plan "would ensure states have the right to determine the best approach to marijuana, without federal interference," according to an Associated Press (AP) story on the Chicago Sun Times website Thursday. "The shortage of banking services has been a major obstacle to the industry, often forcing businesses to conduct sales and pay vendors and taxes in cash, sometimes in vast amounts that can become targets for criminals," the AP story said. A Massachusetts man is accused of grabbing a woman while she jogged in Bridgewater Sunday and sexually assaulting her while pulling her toward his SUV, police said. Gordon J. Lyons, 57, of Bridgewater is facing kidnapping, indecent assault and battery and assault and battery charges in connection with the alleged attack. Police received several calls Sunday around 7:35 a.m. reporting that a female jogger had been assaulted on Pleasant Street. The 37-year-old woman was jogging on Pleasant Street when Lyons pulled over his Hyundia Sante Fe in front of her, police said."Lyons exited the vehicle, ran towards her and grabbed both of the woman's arms and attempted to pull her toward his vehicle," police said in a news release. "During this time, Lyons allegedly sexually assaulted the female victim." The woman screamed and fought Lyons, causing the two to tumble to the ground. Lyons ran off and drove away in his SUV. A motorist saw what happened and followed Lyons while calling 911. The woman also called police. A resident from a nearby home saw the alleged attack and went to help the woman. "The victim had the presence of mind to take a photo of the suspect vehicle as it was fleeing," police said. "The victim declined medical attention." Officers used the photo to identify Lyons' vehicle and asked for police in nearby communities to look for it. Lyons crashed in West Bridgewater on Route 24 a short time after the alleged attack. He was injured in the crash and taken to a local hospital. Police said he was taken to Boston Medical Center. He is being held without bail pending arraignment. SPRINGFIELD - The Rev. David E. Aufiero has been named pastor of Holy Name Parish by Springfield Roman Catholic diocesan Bishop Mitchell Rozanski. He is replacing the Rev. Mark Mengel who has served in that capacity for 10 years, and is being honored on his retirement at a party following the 4:30 p.m. Mass on June 23 at the Dickinson Street parish. A 2002 graduate of Malden Catholic High School, Aufiero was ordained by Bishop Emeritus Timothy A. McDonnell in 2013, and has been serving as pastor of St. Mark's Parish in Pittsfield. The 33-year-old priest holds a degree in civil engineering from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He prepared for the priesthood at St. John's Seminary in Brighton and will begin his ministry at Holy Name at the end of August. Aufiero had been named administrator of St. Mark's Parish in 2016 having served as parochial vicar of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Northampton. A Holyoke native and member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, Mengel was ordained in 1971. He did parish work in Chile, was director of the Columban Justice and Peace/Human Rights Office in Washington, D.C., and was formation director of a Columban seminary in Chicago. He was the 2016 recipient of the Hibernian Christian Charity from the Ancient Order of Hibernians James A. Curran Division One. Holy Name has a Spanish ministry that includes a 12:30 p.m. Spanish liturgy, is part of the Pioneer Valley Project and provides a monthly meal for the homeless at South Congregational Church. It was announced over the weekend that the Rev. Matthew Alcombright, currently pastor of Mother, Mary of Hope Parish, will become pastor this summer of St. Mary's Parish in Westfield. The Rev. Frank Lawlor, pastor, told parishioners he will remain in residence as he undergoes treatment for cancer. Diocesan spokesman Mark Dupont said today that the Rev. Dariusz P. Wudarski, pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Chicopee, "is going to the pastorate of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in North Adams." The Rev. William Cyr, a long-time pastor in the Northern Berkshires, is set to retire from St. Elizabeth, formed from the joining together of five other North Adams parishes. "All three parishes from where those priests are coming will be posted and filled later in summer," Dupont added. Summer is traditionally the time the diocese's makes such announcements as priests reach retirement age, which generally is age 70. The Springfield diocese, which has 81 parishes and 9 missions, has 184 priests, including 104 diocesan, 37 religious and 43 retired. It has a total of 75 permanent deacons. Transitional Deacons Frank Furman and Michael Kokoska will be ordained to the priesthood by Rozanski on Saturday, June 30 at 11 a.m. at St. Michael's Cathedral. A Massachusetts State Police sergeant has filed suit against the department, saying she faced retaliation after reporting a trooper for keeping pornographic images on a police hard drive and having sex in a hotel while on duty. Sgt. Kathryn Downey, a 13-year veteran of the state police force, took swift action by reporting the alleged misconduct by Trooper Earl Johnson, her ex-boyfriend, according to the lawsuit filed in Suffolk Superior Court. But after notifying superiors of Johnson's extracurricular activities, Johnson allegedly filed a retaliatory complaint against her for a year-old prank -- costing her an assignment as a training instructor and leaving a black mark on her disciplinary record. "After having lawfully complaint about Trooper Johnson's sexually transgressive behavior in the workplace, Trooper Johnson acted maliciously and intentionally in retaliating against Downey by filing a complaint against her containing numerous, easily proven false statements, with the malevolent intent to destroy her career," the suit claims. Downey, who is being represented by Attorney Leonard Kesten, is accusing Johnson and Massachusetts State Police of sexual discrimination, whistleblower violations and retaliation. She was a trooper at the time and was later promoted to sergeant. State police spokesman David Procopio wrote in a statement that Downey was appropriately disciplined for the prank, which involved her firing a dummy Taser charge at Johnson. "The plaintiff committed a serious violation of rules governing use of department weapons. Internal charges against both the plaintiff and the trooper named in the suit were sustained by the Department: Against Trooper Downey for firing an electronic control weapon at Trooper Johnson, and against Trooper Johnson for violating the Department's information technology policy," Procopio wrote. "Both of them received appropriate disciplinary action and both were removed from their Academy positions." The suit is the latest in a series of legal controversies to hit the department, including ongoing investigations over alleged overtime abuse and lawsuits by two troopers, also represented by Kesten, who claim they faced retaliation for refusing to a soften an arrest report for a judge's daughter. In 2015, after about two years working as an adjunct instructor at the Massachusetts State Police Training Academy, Downey was assigned to teach defensive tactics. The next year, she and two other troopers -- Steven Wohlgemouth and David Lahair -- decided to play a prank on Johnson, who she was dating at the time. Wolhgemouth had created a dummy Taser cartridge that looked like a live cartridge, which Downey shot at Johnson as a joke, according to the suit. "Trooper Johnson's initial reaction was to boast that the Taser could not hurt him because he was 'Superman.' Downey then explained that it was a prank and that Wholgemouth had created a fake black cartridge," the suit claims. "Everyone present laughed at the prank." No complaints were filed about the fake tasing, until over a year later -- when Downey had reported Johnson for sexual improprieties on the job, according to the suit. In June 2016, Downey was looking for training materials on Johnson's portable hard drive when she allegedly found multiple folders that contained "sexually suggestive photographs and videos of naked women," women performing sex acts and pornographic images of Johnson himself. Another folder allegedly contained photographs of Downey, her friends and family. Downey also discovered that Johnson had checked into a hotel while on-duty, and confronted him in a phone conversation. "Trooper Johnson stated to Downey that he was sex addict and that he was 'out of control,' " the suit claims. "He also indicated that he had checked into a hotel to have sex with a woman while on duty." Downey reported that information to her superiors, and in March of 2017 Johnson was transferred out of the academy and received "some form of discipline," according to the suit. But Johnson was allegedly angry over Downey's report and the next month he lodged a complaint against her over the 2016 Taser prank. He also allegedly contacted the Taser manufacturer and attempted to have her training license revoked. That fall, false rumors began to spread that Downey had a sexual relationship with the supervisor who had taken her complaint against Johnson, according to the suit. She filed a complaint with then-Col. Richard McKeon, asking for an investigation of the rumors. But she was instead transferred out of the training academy, and was given a letter of reprimand for the prank, the suit claims. State police also concluded that Johnson had not retaliated against her, despite both Wholgemouth and Lahair telling investigators that the Taser prank was a harmless joke, according to the suit. "One of the Troopers, when asked, stated that the reason that Trooper Johnson filed his complaint against Downey was 'retribution,' " the suit claims. The punishment against her was discriminatory and the result of retaliation, the suit claims, noting that she and Johnson received similar discipline despite his allegedly conduct being a much more serious violation. And while Downey was issued a letter of reprimand, Wohlgemouth -- who created the prank Taser cartridge -- was not disciplined, according to the suit. "To be clear, Downey does not believe that Trooper Wohlgemouth should be disciplined; however, the fact is that she is being disciplined and a male Trooper who participated in the prank with her is not," the suit says. A Worcester Superior Court judge denied an "eleventh-hour" bid to stop the demolition of the Notre Dame des Canadiens Church. Judge James G. Reardon Jr. released his decision Monday after the Save Notre Dame Alliance filed a motion in court last week asking for a preliminary injunction to halt demolition. The judge's decision appears to seal the fate of the church, which is part of the CitySquare redevelopment project. The group trying to save the church argued the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act was violated because there was never a state review to seek alternatives to demolishing the building. Lawyers for developer CitySquare II Development Co. said the project had previously been approved after an environmental review and that the state approved the addition of the church to the property. The developer's lawyers contend the church, located at 5 Salem Square, was purchased with private money, not state funding, and therefore not subject to MEPA review. Reardon disagreed with the group behind saving the church, noting it is not clear if any privately purchased real estate comes under MEPA jurisdiction. The judge further states the project has been reviewed by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, including the portion including the church. Records show the inclusion of the church property into the project did not require MEPA approval, the judge wrote citing letters from the state. The members of the Save Notre Dame Alliance also argued the later inclusion of the church property into the project did so without specific notification to relevant state agencies saying the historic structure would be destroyed. The judge said the state knew the church property was added to the project. "It is clear that irreparable harm will result regardless of the court's ruling; either the building will be razed or the project will be delayed and the defendants will incur substantial costs," Reardon wrote. Save Notre Dame Alliance issued a response after the judge reached his decision. "On behalf of the plaintiffs, let us say that we are disappointed with today's ruling, and we will have further comment and response once we've had a chance to meet and review the ruling," the statement read. "But whether our community's efforts ultimately succeed or fail to save Notre Dame des Canadiens--and it's not looking good right now--several other important points have become clear to us." The group said CitySquare II, the city and Hanover Insurance, all play important roles in the Worcester renaissance, but the group said it is important to fight to defend Worcester's historic resources. "We are always struck by the incredible inefficiency when factions of talented people oppose each other and do battle for the outcome, when compared with how much can be accomplished when those same community leaders find a way to work together for a common purpose," the statement read. "Sometimes that is not possible, and in such instances, the best one can hope for is that all involved conduct themselves with integrity as they oppose each other. We have tried to meet that standard, and we appreciate that our opponents have tried to do the same." The group preferred to see all sides work together in order to breathe new life into the church, but that seems impossible now. The group hopes the issue becomes a learning experience for all the parties involved. CitySquare is the developer behind a 22-acre project in the heart of downtown that has been funded by private, city and state developers. Cutler Associates of Worcester has been hired to carry out the demolition of the church. Isaac Mello-Merino had an extra-special Father's Day on Sunday when his wife Mariana gave birth to their new baby boy at Saint Vincent Hospital. Now the couple is searching for the Massachusetts State Police trooper who helped ensure the newborn's safe delivery. State trooper Daniel Gill pulled over a car for speeding around 11:15 a.m. on Sunday when another car on Route 190 near Exit 4 in Holden pulled up behind him. He noticed the woman in the passenger's seat, Mariana Mello-Merino, looked to be in distress. Mariana's mother was driving her to the hospital because she was in labor, and decided to flag down Gill out of fear they wouldn't make it in time. Husband Isaac Mello-Merino was in Boston when he got the call his wife was in labor, according to the hospital. Instead of waiting for another ambulance, Gill took Mello-Merino and her mother to Saint Vincent Hospital in his cruiser with lights flashing. He notified the state police barracks and made sure hospital staff were ready to receive her quickly. "I was just a taxi," Gill said with laughter. He added that the drive was not too bad. At one point during the ride, Marina Mello-Merino told him that the baby on the way would be her second child. "She said her first baby came very quickly," Gill said, adding, "I might have sped up just a little bit." Within 40 minutes, the mother gave birth to 6-pound Samuel Alexander. The baby was born at 11:54 a.m. on Sunday -- a very special Father's Day for Isaac Mello-Merino. "To have a baby on Father's Day is really special," Isaac told Saint Vincent Hospital. "I can't help but feel God was watching out for my wife." The parents say they hope to reconnect with Gill to thank him for his help in transporting Mariana Mello-Merino to the hospital. Gov. Charlie Baker has cancelled plans to send a Massachusetts National Guard helicopter to the southwest border, citing President Donald Trump's policy of separating children from their families when they cross the border illegally. "Governor Baker directed the National Guard not to send any assets or personnel to the Southwest border today because the federal government's current actions are resulting in the inhumane treatment of children," said Baker spokeswoman Lizzy Guyton. Baker said June 1 that he planned to send a helicopter and two-person flight crew to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection efforts to stop illegal immigration and catch drug traffickers. The State House News Service reported that Massachusetts sent the assistance at the request of the Pentagon, which has been looking for state support for its border enforcement efforts. The issue was a political hot button for Baker, a Republican who has often disagreed with Trump. The Trump administration has in the last month been implementing a "zero tolerance" policy for illegal immigration. Every adult who crosses the border illegally is charged with a crime, and adults traveling with children are separated from the children, who have not been charged with crimes. Heart-wrenching stories have emerged from the border about children of all ages who are taken from their parents and kept in shelters as their parents sit in jail. The children and parents sometimes have no way of contacting each other. Baker's decision to withdraw the Guard's support was first reported by WGBH News. According to Baker's office, the Massachusetts National Guard currently has no equipment or personnel assisting at the Southwest border, and Baker's decision on Monday cancels his plans to send any assistance. Jay Gonzalez, a Democrat running against Baker in the 2018 gubernatorial race, had circulated a petition calling on Baker not to send the helicopter to the border. "Governor Baker should have never offered our state's resources to enforce Donald Trump's inhumane immigration policy in the first place," Gonzalez said in a statement. Gonzalez said Baker should make clear that he will never support Trump's immigration policy. Voters in November will consider a ballot question that, if passed, would mandate nurse staffing ratios in Massachusetts. In a decision issued Monday, the Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld the question, supported by the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The question would set a maximum number of patients that a single nurse could care for. The staffing ratio would vary depending on the unit. Read the court's decision below. After three years of advocacy, two legislative votes, thousands of signatures and a court case, the Supreme Judicial Court on Monday dashed the hopes of liberal advocates as businesses breathed a sigh of relief. The SJC, in a 5-2 decision, struck down a proposed constitutional amendment that would have raised taxes on income over $1 million. "We are incredibly disappointed that a few wealthy corporate executives and their lobbyists brought this lawsuit that blocked the right of Massachusetts voters to amend our state's constitution," said Raise Up Massachusetts, the coalition of labor groups, clergy and liberal organizing groups that proposed the constitutional amendment, in a statement. The coalition called it "stunning" that business groups would "overturn the will of the more than 157,000 voters who signed petitions to qualify the Fair Share Amendment for the ballot." The plaintiffs, led by Christopher Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council, said the problem was the "special interests" who supported the ballot question. The plaintiffs said Raise Up Massachusetts was circumventing the separation of powers by trying to allow voters rather than the Legislature to set tax rates and determine how public money is spent. "This case was not about whether a graduated income tax is good public policy or bad public policy, it was about how the proponents tried to achieve it - a method in direct violation of the Constitution under which the Legislature's deliberative taxing and spending authority would have been severely limited," the plaintiffs said in a joint statement. Massachusetts' Constitution established a flat tax system, and voters have in the past rejected moving to a graduated income tax, where wealthier individuals pay a larger percentage of their income. The "fair share amendment" or "millionaire's tax" was a way to require wealthy individuals to pay more in taxes, in order to increase funding for education and transportation spending. A May poll by WBUR found 77 percent of Massachusetts voters supported passing the amendment - which meant that for opponents, keeping the question off the ballot through a court challenge was the most likely way to defeat it. The plaintiffs who challenged the amendment were all affiliated with business groups: In addition to Anderson, they included Christopher Carlozzi, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business; Richard Lord, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Massachusetts; Eileen McAnneny, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation; and Daniel O'Connell, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership. On Monday, the business groups rejoiced in the decision. The business groups had said the proposed tax hike would hurt the state's economy and cause millionaires - including business owners - to move out of state. Eileen McAnneny, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, called it a "great day for all Massachusetts taxpayers." "By rejecting the notion that a small special interest group can usurp legislative power by including unrelated tax and spending provisions in the same ballot initiative, the court has preserved the state's ability to make deliberative and fiscally sound choices," McAnneny said. Acknowledging the public support, McAnneny said, "The court has signaled that the end does not justify the means, no matter how popular the proposal." Aron Ain, chairman of the Massachusetts High Technology Council, said the ruling will help ensure Massachusetts' fiscal stability. "Had this been approved, the Legislature's deliberative taxing and spending authority would have been severely limited and the State's fiscal stability threatened," Ain said. Attorney General Maura Healey was the named defendant in the case, because she certified that the question was constitutional. "Although I respect the Court's decision, I'm disappointed that the people of Massachusetts will not have the opportunity to vote on this important question," Healey said in a statement. "The initiative petition process was designed to ensure that voters have a chance to be heard." "As a policy matter, I believe it is reasonable to ask those at the very top to pay their fair share," Healey said, adding that she looks forward to working toward that goal with lawmakers, advocates and business leaders. Advocates who had been hoping for the additional $1.9 million in state revenue expressed dismay. Chris Dempsey, director of Transportation for Massachusetts, said the problem of a lack of money to improve the state's transportation system "isn't going away." Dempsey suggested that lawmakers should look at allowing regional ballot initiatives, where a city or town could place a project on its ballot and voters would decide whether to raise additional tax money for that project. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jeffrey Sanchez, D-Boston, said he is "extremely disappointed" that the question will not go to the ballot. "We're having serious discussions on equity throughout this commonwealth on who's doing great and who's not doing great," Sanchez said. "We know there's a lot of people in the commonwealth that are working really hard every single day and that are busting their backs just to pay rent and to put food on the table, and at the same time there's extreme wealth that's here in the commonwealth." Sanchez said the ballot question was "trying to get directly at the heart of finding equity here in the commonwealth, especially for hard working people." Raise Up Massachusetts said the group is still considering its next steps, but it will work toward two other priorities: raising the minimum wage and mandating paid family and medical leave. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has blocked from the ballot a constitutional amendment that would have raised the tax rate on income over $1 million, dealing a fatal blow to the three-year-old initiative to make the state's tax system more progressive. The ruling by the state's highest court ensures that Massachusetts' flat income tax, which is now 5.1 percent, will remain in place without an additional surcharge on the wealthiest tax filers. The ruling will deny the state an estimated $1.9 billion in additional annual revenue, which the state would have raised if the ballot question passed in November. In a decision written by Justice Frank Gaziano, the SJC found that the initiative contains two subjects that are not "related or mutually dependent," which is not allowed under state law. That is because the question both sets the tax rate and also earmarks money for education and transportation. The decision was 5-2, with Chief Justice Ralph Gants and Justice Kimberly Budd dissenting. Gaziano wrote in a 38-page opinion on behalf of a majority of the court that the decision about whether to have a graduated income tax and the decision to earmark money for education and transportation are not mutually dependent, since each policy could exist independently. On the question of whether they are related, Gaziano wrote, "We are unable to discern a common purpose or unified public policy that the voters fairly could vote up or down as a whole." "The two subjects of the earmarked funding themselves are not related beyond the broadest conceptual level of public good," Gaziano wrote. "In addition, they are entirely separate from the subject of a stepped rather than a flat-rate income tax, which, by itself, has been the subject of five prior initiative petitions." The constitutional amendment, sometimes called the "millionaire's tax" or the "fair share amendment," was proposed by Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of labor unions, clergy and liberal organizing groups. The advocates proposed raising the tax rate and earmarking the additional money for education and transportation. As is required for a constitutional amendment, the proposal received more than 25 percent support in the Legislature during constitutional conventions in two consecutive legislative sessions. A ballot vote would have been the final step. Supporters of the amendment said it would have provided a more progressive tax structure, where wealthier tax filers pay their "fair share" to improve the state's schools and transportation infrastructure. Opponents of the amendment said it would have hurt the state's economy and encourage high earners and business owners to move out of state. A group of business-backed plaintiffs, led by the president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council, Christopher Anderson, challenged the constitutional amendment in court. The group argued that the amendment would earmark spending on specific budget items, which is not allowed through the initiative petition process. They also said it violates state law on ballot questions by including multiple topics in one question. "Allowing this Initiative on the ballot would undermine the Legislature's authority with respect to both spending and taxes in one fell swoop, setting the stage for public finances to be determined not in the deliberative legislative process, but in the free-for-all of special interest-fueled initiative petitions," the business groups wrote in their court brief. Attorney General Maura Healey and Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin were the named defendants in the lawsuit, as the state officials responsible for putting the question on the ballot. Healey said in a court brief that the measure was properly certified. The requirement that a ballot question only include related subjects is meant to avoid voter confusion and eliminate the ability to tie an unpopular policy to a popular one when voters can only vote on the question in its entirety. Budd, in her 31-page dissent, wrote that she believes the two parts of the question are mutually dependent, because separating the income tax change from the funding earmarks would fundamentally change the ballot question. "The petition does not have the same meaning if its subjects are separated," she wrote. Budd concluded, "Prohibiting the people from voting on this petition undermines the legislative power given to the people to draft and enact laws in a manner that is incompatible with the separation of powers principle (in the Constitution)." This is a breaking news story that is being updated. The Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld a ballot question that would mandate nurse staffing ratios, sending the question to voters in November 2018. The Massachusetts Nurses Association is the driving force behind a 2018 ballot question that would set a maximum number of patients that a single nurse could care for. The staffing ratio would vary depending on the unit. Supporters say this is necessary to improve patient safety. Opponents, who include hospital leaders and some nurses, argue that nurses and hospitals should have flexibility in setting staffing rather than being constrained by rigid guidelines. They say requiring certain staffing ratios could cause some hospitals to lose money and go out of business. Amanda Stefancyk Oberlies, CEO of the Organization of Nurse Leaders, and other advocates who oppose the question challenged the ballot question in court. They said it contained two unrelated subjects, which is not allowed under state law, by setting staffing ratios and also prohibiting hospitals from laying people off to conform with the new policy. The SJC, in a decision written by Justice Barbara Lenk, said Attorney General Maura Healey was correct in allowing the question to go on the ballot, since the restriction on layoffs is related to the implementation of the staffing ratios. "The workforce reduction restriction only prohibits reduction in a facility's health care workforce that results from putting in place the patient assignment limits," Lenk wrote. The Massachusetts Nurses Association also submitted a second version of the ballot question, which would include financial reporting requirements for hospitals. Healey ruled that that version could not go on the ballot. Donna Kelly-Williams, president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, challenged Healey's decision not to certify that version in court. The SJC upheld Healey's decision in that case, and agreed that the second version of the question cannot appear on the ballot. The 32-page decision written by Lenk addressed both cases. Dan Cence, a spokesman for the Coalition to Protect Patient Safety, which opposes the ballot question, called it "unfortunate" that the question passed legal muster, and reiterated the coalition's concerns that mandating staffing ratios will hurt hospital finances and mandate inflexible requirements. "Rigid, government mandated staffing ratios take decision making away from nurses and put in it the hands of the government at a price tag of more than $1 billion annually, a cost everyone will share in the form of higher insurance premiums and taxes," Cence said. Chloe Gotsis, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Maura Healey, said, "We're pleased that the Court affirmed our certification decisions." This story was updated with comments from Cence and Gotsis. By Carol Morello A possible U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council is overshadowing discussions at the organization's meeting in Geneva, as the Trump administration's policies come under fire. The 47-nation body, which meets three times a year, began Monday's session with the U.N. human rights chief slamming the Trump administration's new policy to separate migrant parents from their children after they enter the United States at the Mexican border, comparing it to child abuse. "The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable," said Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, a Jordanian prince. The Human Rights Council, which has existed in its current form since 2006, is shaping up to be the next flash point of the administration's efforts to either reform or leave agreements and institutions it contends fall short of upholding American values. Two weeks ago, President Donald Trump's U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, threatened to pull out of the council unless it stops unfair criticisms of Israel and prevents authoritarian governments from having a seat on the council. U.S. officials say no decision has made yet on whether to relinquish membership. The United States could completely withdraw, either now or when its current term ends next year, or it could retain observer status. A withdrawal would further separate the United States from its long-standing allies, who disagree with the decision to leave the council entirely. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in a speech to the council Monday, sided with the United States in urging the council to stop reflexively criticizing Israel by keeping an agenda item devoted to human rights abuses in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a permanent item on the schedule. Calling it "disproportionate and damaging to the cause of peace," he said Britain will vote against it every time it comes up in the future. But in an apparent allusion to the U.S. threat of withdrawal, Johnson also defended the council's work. "I stress that that does not mean that we in the U.K. are blind to the value of this council," he said. Since 2006, the Human Rights Council has passed more than 70 resolutions critical of Israel, 10 times as often as it has criticized Iran. Its membership includes 14 countries that are ranked as "not free" by Freedom House: Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, China, Cuba, Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. Amid a severe storm Monday evening, an ominous cloud was spotted. Jonathan Wilk pulled out his phone to snap a picture of the grey sky overhead in Granby. He took the photo amid a tornado warning issued throughout the Pioneer Valley and Worcester County. The photo was shared with the National Weather Service but has yet to be confirmed. At 5:34 p.m., radar detected a severe severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado 10 miles north of Northampton in Conway, according to the National Weather Service. A radar detected a possible tornado further north, in Franklin County's Conway, according to the National Weather Service. Several thousand households reported losing power by 6 p.m. Monday and storm damage, including downed trees, has already been reported. Update: The tornado warning issued for Central and Western Massachusetts has been canceled. A tornado warning has been issued for much of Massachusetts Monday. The warning was issued at 6:33 p.m. for the following counties: Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester following a radar indication of a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was detected in Hadley, reports the National Weather Service. It will remain in effect until 7:15 p.m. Monday. Hail measuring under an inch was detected on the radar. The day's storms have brought wind gusts as strong as 70 miles per hour, heavy rainfall to the state as it moves east, resulting in thousands of power outages and downed trees. A rotating cloud was spotted above Granby in Hampshire County during the storm. "Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building," the National Weather Service advises. "Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris." Weve been hearing a lot about exciting new opportunities to implement blockchain technology to address critical use cases in healthcare. One particular use case that has caught the attention of healthcare organizations seeking to improve workflow bottlenecks is prior authorization. Prior authorization is a process used to determine if a health insurer will cover a procedure, service, or medication. The premise of prior authorization is to control costs of care while improving patient safety. For example, requiring prior authorization for an expensive medication creates an opportunity to identify a generic drug that may be just as effective, while also checking if the new drug will react adversely with other medications the patient is currently prescribed. However, despite its intentions, prior authorization has come under criticism from payers, providers, and patients. Payers and providers end up spending significant amounts of time working through the prior authorization process while patients end up waiting for what could potentially be a life-saving procedure while the process plays out. It is estimated that the effort spent on prior authorization costs the US healthcare system between $23-$31 billion annually. One company stepping up to solve this allegedly important but practically flawed process is Canada-based startup Coral Health. The company creates blockchain-powered solutions that accelerate care delivery, automate multiparty administrative processes, and improve health outcomes by enabling secure, real-time, shared access to validated healthcare information. With a focus on enterprise applications, Coral Health is tackling this challenge of prior authorization as one of its first proofs of concept. After connecting at the Healthcare on the Blockchain event earlier this year (coverage of Day 1, Day 2), Medgadget had a chance to catch up with Coral Health COO Philip Parker to learn more about the company and the broader opportunity of blockchain-based healthcare solutions. After reading the interview below, also check out Coral Healths great library of blockchain content on the companys Medium account. Michael Batista, Medgadget: A couple months ago, we heard a lot about the potential for blockchain technology to impact healthcare at the Healthcare on the Blockchain event. Why do you think blockchain is uniquely positioned to disrupt healthcare? Philip Parker: Blockchain technology comes at a really opportune time for healthcare. It wasnt until the widespread adoption of electronic health record systems over the past few years that there was even the possibility of efficient data sharing in healthcare. While EHRs have made record sharing possible, sharing has remained laborious and it wasnt until the FHIR API standards that the costs of data sharing fell to the point where organizations like Apple started talking seriously about giving patients access to their medical records. The patient clearly makes the most sense as the center of the healthcare data equation because they have a full view into the services that theyve received and the different providers theyve visited. The blockchain is the perfect fit for this new patient-controlled healthcare model because distributed databases provide a trusted, tamper-proof way for healthcare organizations to read and write to the same database instead of maintaining siloed views of a patient with limited visibility into the care the patient received outside of that specific facility. Another big idea were seeing is the concept of incentivizing the patient to share data. This is mostly driven by the fact that most funding for healthcare blockchain projects is ICO driven, but this movement towards direct patient compensation could go a long way towards overcoming patient apathy. Its worth mentioning that a lot of the issues in healthcare could be solved through the proper implementation of distributed databases and a blockchain isnt always needed. While I believe in the benefits of a blockchain-based solution, one of the biggest impacts of the blockchain is openness to distributed databases that really hadnt gotten much attention in the space before all the hype about blockchains. Medgadget: Tell us a little about Coral Healths approach to using blockchain technology. Parker: The key to remember with blockchain solutions, and distributed databases in general, is that they are really network solutions. Without a network, a blockchain isnt going to do much good. I believe thats why we still see such limited implementation of blockchain use cases both within healthcare as well is in other industries as well. While ideally wed already have a large network to implement a blockchain-based solution, we werent blessed with one, so Coral Healths approach has been to build a network by working with partners institutions to help their patients gain more secure and convenient access to their medical records. For example, our partnership with Principle Health Systems in Houston is to use the blockchain to send medical results to their patients with the help of our medical records app, instead of faxing the data. Its important to note that this could certainly be done without the blockchain, as Apple is doing with Apple Health. The advantage of using the blockchain is that we can create a system where that data is not just sent to the patient but the patient is also motivated to unlock a lot of secondary value from their information. By posting the data to the blockchain we create a single shared, immutable, and verified record of each patient that patients can then easily share with each of their providers. This allows providers to view the same information about a patient in real-time and eliminates the information gaps that have made coordinating care challenging for so long. In addition, because the data is trustworthy and patients can securely share access to it, Coral Health can create entirely new uses from that data. For example, patients can be incentivized to share access to their data with a smart contract that checks their eligibility for particular treatments or on an anonymized basis directly with a research institution studying a particular disease. Medgadget: What kind of blockchain does Coral Health utilize or are you developing your own blockchain platform? Parker: Weve been using Ethereum to develop multiple proofs of concept, but weve been exploring other options and there is definitely no guarantee we will continue using it long term. Ethereum is very convenient to get things up and running quickly, but there are a few factors that dont make it ideal going forward. While Plasma and Casper may improve upon scaling issues, theres still no guarantee that either will deliver the performance benefits we need, especially not in the short term. In addition, healthcare is an industry where using permissioned blockchains can make a lot of sense because it lends itself to relatively small consortiums and theres not the complete lack of trust that permeates many other blockchain applications. Weve been speaking to Hyperledger from the Linux foundation for a while now about Fabric and Sawtooth. We think that theres a lot of potential in using one of those solutions and are actively looking into when it could make sense to move development over to Hyperledger. Medgadget: Coral Healths website lists a number of potential use cases from durable lab records to clinical trial recruitment. Is there a strategy behind broadly tackling a number of different use cases as opposed to narrowly focusing in on one or two opportunities? Parker: There were a number of uses cases that we saw as really promising, so we wanted to call attention to several of them because of the openness of so many different stakeholders to explore blockchain-based solutions. While we think all of those use cases have a lot of potential, were focused on just two uses right now. We see the first step as improving patient access to their medical information. The patient is one of the most underutilized actors in healthcare. Once weve worked with our health system partners to improve patient access to their data were focusing on using that information to improve the cumbersome prior authorization process that costs providers alone over $30 billion each year in the US. Were targeting that use case first because weve seen an openness on the part of payers to our proposed prior authorization solution and because its an area that doesnt require a large number of patients to deliver compelling operational savings. Clinical trials recruitment is another use case we mention on our website. Weve designed a marketplace where researchers can post the information they need for upcoming studies and patients have the option to opt-in by sharing information either for anonymous retrospective studies or to participate in prospective clinical trials. Patients are able to securely share portions of their medical history to prove that they meet the studys selection criteria and in return earn direct compensation from researchers. Because our marketplace is patient-permissioned, any type of research is possible. We think this could be a very valuable way for researchers to access the increasingly niche patient sub-populations that targeted therapies are focused on. Medgadget: Weve heard how organizations large and small see the blockchain as a daunting technology to implement. How would you respond to that concern? Philip: Completely replacing an entire workflow with a blockchain-based solution would certainly look daunting at first. Implementing a small-scale pilot program, however, is a very limited commitment with a lot of upside. My advice is for organizations to figure out what areas a blockchain-based solution would help and then engage in a pilot to explore what the potential benefits and feasibility of a larger scale deployment would be. Its important to remember that a lot of these solutions are still being developed and its a great time to shape the ultimate design of the solutions rather than waiting on the sidelines and having to implement whatever solution eventually materializes. Medgadget: Can you share an example of a specific programs Coral Health is preparing to launch this year? Philip: Coral Health is working on a three-step process to automate prior authorization requests for our first partner, Principle Health Systems. First, were helping their patients can more convenient and secure access to their data. Next, were eliminating the data entry work that Principle Health is doing by pulling the applicable prior authorization form from the payers website and pre-filling the forms using the patient information from Principle Healths EHR. Lastly, were working with payers to eliminate the need to fax information back and forth by programming smart contracts that contain all of the payers health plan information needed to assess a request and approve or deny prior authorization. These smart contracts will automatically access the applicable patient medical information and compare that information to the payers health plan, make a determination, and immediately relay the result back to Principle Health. With prior authorization information immediately available, providers and patients will be able to proceed with care instead of waiting for a response from a payer. In addition, this automated approach will free up the time and resources spent manually preparing and evaluating requests, leading to significant cost savings for both the providers and the payer. Medgadget: What are some upcoming milestones Coral Health is looking forward to? Parker: Were in a really busy time at Coral. Were planning to do a broad release of our medical record app and start our first pilot program in Q3 of this year so theres a lot of prep work going into both those initiatives. We recently completed the beta version of our medical records app. While were still actively building out additional functionality, weve finished our base architecture and anyone can now download the current version of the app, add medical records, securely encrypt those records, add a contact to the app, and securely send records. The big technological significance of this is that the data transmitted through the app is immediately encrypted, ensuring HIPAA and GDPR compliance, then stored in a decentralized fashion using a novel technology called IPFS (Interplanetary File System). This allows us to handle large files while still maintaining a distributed system by only storing the hash referents to the IPFS files on chain. This means you are getting both the security benefits of heavy encryption, and the democratized nature of multiple, and potentially unlimited, nodes hosting the files. After we complete those initiatives were planning to kickoff pilots with some of our other partner institutions and then focus our attention to securing pilots with payers so we can test out the initial smart contracts weve been building that contain the medical policies for select procedures. Thats the first step in our path towards automating the prior authorization process. Medgadget: Finally, what did you think about the Healthcare on the Blockchain event? Was there a specific discussion you found particularly compelling? Parker: I really enjoyed the event! Ive been going to a lot of general blockchain conferences like BTC Miami and Token Fest as well as healthcare-specific events like HIMSS so it was really great to finally attend a conference focused exclusively on blockchain applications in healthcare. The challenge I noticed was that while there was a lot of interest in blockchain applications, since so few organizations have implemented a blockchain solution, the audience was still struggling to see what use cases were a good fit for the technology. Thats why I found the discussions centered around appropriate use cases for the blockchain in healthcare to be particularly interesting. I recall one exchange between Srinivas from Deloitte and an audience member where Srinivas explained that the blockchain is more an inter rather than intra organizational solution and the audience member countered by saying that they thought blockchain solutions were well suited even within an organization because in reality large health systems often operate as distinct fiefdoms. I think that was an excellent reminder of how difficult it is to apply hard and fast rules for when to use the blockchain. Link: Coral Health by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, June 15, 2018 The California Consumer Privacy Act, which I have written about in the past, is seeing financial opposition from a long list of well-known tech companies. The act, if passed, would require companies to disclose the types of information they collect about people such as search data and the data used to target ads. The California Consumer Privacy Act also would allow consumers to opt out of having their information sold. The act is scheduled for vote in November. Google has been working to create new privacy settings. The company announced Ad Settings on Thursday, which allows users of its products to control the ads it sees and the type of personal information advertisers can use. Some of those tech companies, which the act would affect, are investing millions of dollars to squash the proposal. advertisement advertisement Cox Communications donated $50,000. The Interactive Advertising Bureau also put in $50,000, according to state disclosure records. Amazon, Microsoft and Uber have all made what The Verge reports as substantial contributions, all made to a group campaigning against the initiative. Amazon and Microsoft made contributions in the amount of $195,000. Uber kicked in $50,000. Facebook, Google, AT&T, and Verizon have each contributed $200,000. Since contributing, Verizon dropped out. While other advertising groups and technology companies have invested thousands, Mark Zuckerberg said in April that Facebook would no longer support the group, but the document shows that the company contributed $200,000 in late February. California Bay Area real estate developer Alastair Mactaggart has mostly funded the privacy act. In fact, The Verge reports that Mactaggart has spent more than $3 million on the campaign. He began working on the initiative four years ago after hearing a Google engineer say the public would be frightened to learn how much data the company holds on consumers. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, June 18, 2018 Google will invest $550 million in JD.com, a Chinese ecommerce company, as the Mountain View, California search engine and advertising giant strengthens its foothold in China, the two companies announced Monday. As part of the agreement, JD.com will join Google Shopping, the company's online commence retail network, and will bring a selection of its products to consumers in multiple regions worldwide. The partnership emerges in trying times for U.S. and China trade relations. Richard Liu, the founder and CEO of Chinese e-commerce company JD.com -- which competes with Jack Mas Alibaba -- told CNBC that the tense climate between the two countries will affect JD.coms expansion plans into the U.S. JD.com also will work with Google on other ecommerce projects taking place across the U.S., Europe and Southeast Asia. Its clear that the move takes a direct jab at ecommerce and fulfillment icon Amazon. By applying JD.coms supply chain and logistics expertise and our technology strengths, were going to explore new ways retailers can make shopping effortless for their consumers, giving them the power to shop wherever and however they want, wrote Karim Temsamani, president of Asia-Pacific operations at Google, in a post. advertisement advertisement Google has remained quiet in China for years, since the Chinese government began shutting down websites and revoking licenses. Still, hundreds of employees work on product development and research in the country. Since 2015, Chinese government officials shuttered or revoked licenses for 13,000 websites, according to one source, citing a state media report. In March 2010, Google closed its Internet search services in China and began directing searchers to an uncensored search engine in Hong Kong after realizing the companys business model ran counter to Chinas position on free speech. In a blog post earlier that year, Google cited censorship and a string of sophisticated cyberattacks originating from China as part of the reason. Then in 2017, Fei-Fei Li, a chief scientist for Google Cloud AI and machine learning, introduce the first AI center in Asia, adding to a string of centers worldwide in New York, Toronto, London and Zurich. Now Google is rebuilding its public presence in the country by partnering with the well-known ecommerce company JD.com. by Tanya Gazdik , June 19, 2018 Volkswagen AG was unable to agree on a new leader for its Audi unit after a lengthy meeting Monday, Bloomberg reports. German authorities arrested Audi CEO Rupert Stadler as part of a probe into emissions test cheating. Stadler has led Audi since 2007. Plans by VW stakeholders to appoint Audi sales chief Bram Schot as the units interim chief executive officer encountered resistance people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Stadler is the most senior company official to be detained so far since Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 to using illegal software to rig U.S. emissions tests on diesel engines. The probe was widened into Audi earlier this month. Munich prosecutors said Stadler was being held due to fears he might hinder their investigation into the scandal, according to Reuters. The 55-year-old was arrested at his home in Ingolstadt in the early hours on Monday, they said. advertisement advertisement Sister company Volkswagen experienced serious declines in brand reputation after the emissions scandal broke, and Audi could face a similar fate depending on what the investigation uncovers. According to the data from the Reputation Institute, VW had the lowest index score in 2016 since 2011. The automaker had a score of about 77 points in both 2011 and 2012, and kept an average of nearly 75 points until 2016, when this figure dropped to 61.3. VW has been working diligently at rebuilding its brand and 2017 showed some promise. The automaker logged record global sales topping 10 million and pushing it past Japanese rival Toyota to become the worlds largest automaker. In the U.S., sales rose 5% for the year. However, the brand sold barely half as many vehicles as it did at its peak, back in the 1960s and 1970s. It is the toxic culture at VW and Audi that is at fault for Dieselgate, said David Kiley, author of Getting the Bugs Out: The Rise, Fall and Comeback of VW in America (John Wiley 2001) who is working on a new book about Volkswagen. However, he is optimistic about the brands future. The buying public doesn't seem to care all that much about corporate scandals when it comes to brand loyalty, Kiley says. And customers who do defect can be replaced with others who are attracted to good deals, or who arent even aware of the scandal. by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, June 18, 2018 Want to know how to transform a century-old ad agency culture into one of the creatively hottest and most award- and new business-winning ones? Its easy -- all you need to do is get your hygge on. Thats more or less what Grey Advertising Global Creative Chairman Per Pedersen told attendees during his The Future Belongs to the Rule Breaks presentation during the opening day today at the Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France. Hygge, is a Danish word losing translating into what happens when people gather, form bonds and feelings of well-being and togetherness. It wasnt one of the ten rules Pedersen posed during his presentation (see below), but it is what those rules are ultimately intended to attain if you want to be a winning, creatively charged and successful agency. Not surprisingly, the rules include advice like, well, abandoning rules, evoking the swagger of a rock star, ignoring what clients ask you to do, and hiring the best, hungriest and most talented people, then letting them do their thing. Pedersen said Greys transformation began with a summit of its creative leadership team held at an ice hotel in Sweden, which he described as a very uncomfortable place. Its awful, he said, adding: Yes, you do sleep on ice and its colder inside your room than outside. Its survival. But the spartan conditions led to some epiphanies and hygge, he said. We decided to to things differently, he explained noting: We are very much like the ice hotel. It melts. Every year it melts. And we have to build the whole thing over again. He then offered an example of a breakthrough creative idea that also leveraed the metaphor of ice melting, showing a video of Project Trumpmore, which is trying to crowdfund the creation of a 115-foot high sculpture of Donald Trump on a floating iceberg to draw awareness to his climate policies. Pedersen concluded that its imperative for agency creatives to get out of the boardroom and lead their organizations once again with risky, breakthrough ideas. I think we forgot to be human and I think we can do much more to create a culture where everyone wants to do great work and everyone wants to kick ass. Remember, culture eats strategy, he said. Pedersen's rules for rule-breakers: Great work solves all problems. Let absolutely nothing get in the way of that. Stop doing ads that look like ads. Dont chase the awards. Let the awards come to you. Work great to do great work. Have the swagger of a rock star. Win in pop culture and dont ever become corporate. Get out from the boar room and down from the high horse. Be a network of human beings with a shared passion to kick ass. Put creativity at the center and creative people at the top. Hire talented, frustrated, hungry people that will do the best work in their career. Break down the stupid processes that kill creativity. Unleash creativity instead of managing it. Stop telling your agency what to do. Stop doing what youre told. Project Trumpmore - Official Trailer from Admin ProjectTrumpmore on Vimeo. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, June 18, 2018 Google likely will donate money to nonprofit organizations in order to settle a class-action privacy lawsuit stemming from the collection of data by its Street View cars, a new court filing suggests. Details, including the total amount of the donations and the names of the recipients, are not yet publicly available. A copy of the settlement agreement was filed late Friday with U.S. Charles Breyer in San Francisco, but under seal. No public version was available as of Monday morning. If accepted by Breyer, the settlement will resolve an 8-year-old battle stemming from revelations that the Google's Street View cars collected a host of data -- including URLs, passwords and emails -- sent over unencrypted WiFi networks. News about the data gathering sparked investigations into the company, both in the U.S. and abroad. In 2013, Google agreed to pay $7 million to settle with more than 30 state attorneys general who were investigating the so-called "Wi-Spy" debacle. The company also was fined $25,000 in 2012 by the Federal Communications Commission for failing to cooperate with a probe. advertisement advertisement A separate court filing, also made Friday, suggests that the settlement will involve donations to nonprofits or schools. In that document, lawyers for Google and the plaintiffs ask Breyer to pause the Wi-Fi privacy case until after the Supreme Court issues a decision that could set new rules for class-action settlements. That upcoming Supreme Court matter, which also involves Google, stems from a lawsuit accusing the company of leaking search users' names by including their search queries in "referer headers" -- the information that is automatically transmitted to sites that users click on when they leave Google. Some queries, like people's searches for their own names, can offer clues to users' identities. (Google no longer transmits search queries when people click on links in the results.) Google agreed to resolve that matter by donating $5.3 million to six nonprofits -- Carnegie Mellon University, World Privacy Forum, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Stanford Law, Harvard's Berkman Center and the AARP Foundation. The settlement also requires Google to pay more than $2.1 million to the attorneys who brought the lawsuit, with the remainder of the $8 million-plus settlement fund going to court costs. Theodore Frank, an activist who founded the Center for Class Action Fairness, is challenging that settlement at the Supreme Court. Frank previously argued that the deal doesn't compensate Google users, and that some of the nonprofits had prior relationships with the company as well as with the lawyers representing the consumers. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, June 18, 2018 The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Apple must face a lawsuit by consumers who allege that the App Store's pricing model violates antitrust laws. The battle centers on Apple's app-store business model, which generally calls for a 70-30 revenue split with developers. (Two years ago, Apple tweaked its formula to allow developers who offer subscriptions to retain 85% of their app's revenue after the first year.) In a complaint brought in 2011, a group of iPhone users allege that Apple's 30% commission from developers gets passed on to consumers. The users argued that Apple was only able to charge the 30% mark-up because it wielded monopoly power over the distribution of iPhone apps. U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California dismissed the lawsuit in 2013, ruling that the developers -- and not iPhone users -- are the ones affected by the 30% commission. advertisement advertisement But a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Rogers' ruling and reinstated the suit in 2017. Those judges ruled that Apple was a distributor, and therefore could be sued "for allegedly monopolizing and attempting to monopolize the sale of iPhone apps." Apple then asked the Supreme Court to take the case, essentially arguing that purchasers of apps should not be able to bring antitrust cases that stem from deals between itself and app developers. The industry group ACT | The App Association sided with Apple, arguing in a proposed friend-of-the-court brief that the company's free structure offers benefits for consumers and developers. Apple's revenue-split model allows "independent app developers to set their prices based on their business models, while allowing the app platform to retain a nominal fee for providing app developers with access to a broad set of customers, promoting a virtuous cycle of innovation," the organization wrote. Last month, the Trump administration also sided with Apple and asked the Supreme Court to take the case. A 6-year research project identifies 63 gene changes that could help to indicate an increased risk of prostate cancer in certain men. Share on Pinterest New findings will help to identify those who need earlier prostate cancer screening. The study was conducted at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH, and the results are now published Nature Genetics . Cancer epidemiology researcher Frederick R. Schumacher, Ph.D., led an international team comprising over 100 researchers. These genetic markers might make it easier to determine the necessity, as well as the rate, of regular prostate cancer screenings. Genetic markers also known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are detected at the DNA level. These are not only linked with prostate cancer, but they can also serve as a signal to doctors that someone could have a greater risk of developing any number of specific diseases. Before this study, around 100 SNPs had been identified that could be linked with a raised prostate cancer risk. These recent findings increase the known prostate cancer genetic markers by more than 50 percent. Schumacher and colleagues examined the DNA sequences of around 140,000 men of European descent, including data from previous studies. Around 80,000 of these men had prostate cancer, while the other 60,000 had no evidence of the disease. With these data, they were able to identify 63 new genetic markers in those with prostate cancer markers that did not appear in the DNA of men without the disease. Our findings will allow us to identify which men should have early and regular PSA screenings and these findings may eventually inform treatment decisions, says Schumacher. He also notes that this genetic score might be an important factor that doctors consider when approaching prostate cancer treatment, as well. The researchers say that there are between 500 and 1,000 genetic markers that could be linked with prostate cancer. Schumacher notes that they do not need to map them all, though. He estimates that they only need to know around 1020 percent to make recommendations for screening guidelines. If you believe in a higher power, you may live longer, suggests a new study. Having religious faith may extend your life by as much as 4 years. Share on Pinterest Religion may hold unexpected health and longevity benefits. Although the reason for this remains a mystery, its a known fact that women tend to live longer than men. In the United States, women might live to 81.2 years, on average, whereas men have a life expectancy of just 76.4 years. As well as sex, researchers are unearthing more and more factors that have the potential to prolong our lives. Social interaction, having a pet, and walking faster have all been recently shown to boost ones longevity. Could religion have the same effect on our lifespan? New research suggests so. Researchers led by Laura Wallace, a doctoral researcher in psychology at the Ohio State University in Columbus, have conducted two studies whose results show that religion could give believers a 4-year longevity boost. The findings were published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. Religion boosts lifespan by up to 6.48 years In the first study, Wallace and colleagues analyzed 505 obituaries published in the Des Moines Register between January and February 2012. The second study analyzed 1,096 obituaries published online in 42 major cities across the U.S. between August 2010 and August 2011. In both studies, the researchers accounted for sex and marital status, as well as the number of religious social activities the people had participated in. The first study showed that religious believers lived 9.45 years longer than those who did not have a religious affiliation in their obituary. After their sex and marital status had been accounted for, believers lived 6.48 years longer, on average, than non-believers. In the second study, that gap was 5.64 years at first, then 3.82 years after considering sex and marital status. Religious affiliation had nearly as strong an effect on longevity as gender does, which is a matter of years of life. Laura Wallace Advertisement "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 also able to show that night-time noise has a particularly harmful effect and thus demand it should be protected from noise."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 enable us to develop drug strategies to reduce the negative effects of aircraft noise for our body," the researchers said.Source: IANS Advertisement The inclusive event welcomed beginners and seasoned yogis of all ages, offering several group sessions and workshops, according to the organizers.Participants practiced their poses on mats, which at times involved stretching their arms high into the air and bringing their palms together while sitting cross-legged.While the event was free, all proceeds were to go to a charity for disadvantaged youths, Yoga Works said.Source: Eurekalert Bad boy Badshah is Bollywood's reigning rapper, way before since Tareefan hit the radio stations and found itself on everybody's playlist. Fame and success have come along Badshah's way and he doesn't shy away from showing it off. Caught by our spy cams at the airport, Badshah was seen wearing a super-expensive tracksuit jacket, that only a Badshah could afford. Take a look for yourself. Viral Bhayani Seen wearing a blue tracksuit jacket with red sleeves, Badshah paired it with grey gym shorts and Nike Air Jordan's. A price-by-price breakdown of each item will definitely blow your mind! Balenciaga First up, is the oversized jacket. Courtesy of Balenciaga (a brand by which many B-town celebs swear too!), the oversized shell track jacket costs a whopping $950 (approx. Rs.63,650 only!). While you are still stuck on that figure, the jacket is lightweight with a two-way zip fastening and made in Italy (talk about videshi clothes). Viral Bhayani If you are a Badshah follower and have stalked his social media, then you know that he is one of the Bollywood brand ambassadors for Balenciaga. And boy, he doesn't shy away from showing off his branded clothing. Considering B-towns love for the brand it makes us wanna buy something like this as well. (Though all we can afford is a rip-off) Nike While the jacket may be the most expensive item of the entire look, don't forget to miss out the Air Jordan's. They aren't your regular Jordans but a retro alternate version, that cost another $205 (approx Rs. 13,700) Well the price of both these items is making our mind go numb. Moral of the story? Badshah is not only the Badshah of rap but also the Badshah of expensive tastes! Before you attack us after reading the headline, please hear us out. We like beards as much as you do, hell, we perhaps are more partial to them that you give us credit for. After all, what's not to like in a badass face-mane, if we might call it that? It frames your face well and makes you look intimidating (so much win!). But, but, Bollywood clearly thinks otherwise. 2018 has anyway been a pretty weird year in terms of grooming trends, but this one here is perhaps the most outrageous of them all. People are shaving their beards off! The same people we used to look up to, not so long ago, for their kickass beards, are now giving us the exact opposite facial hair aesthetic to look up to. Here, we have compiled a list of 7 actors whose recent makeovers prove that the beard is officially dead. 1. Ranveer Singh Baba's beard game was so on point that every man wanted to have one just like him. Now, however, he got rid of his majestic facial hair, but his cop 'stache is in focus, thanks to his 'Simmba' makeover. (c)Instagram 2. John Abraham John got rid of his famous stubble for 'Parmanu', and made the pornstache look manlier than ever. (c)Twitter 3. Varun Dhawan Even though Varun never had a big, thick beard (except in 'Badlapur'), he always kept a stubble. But he got rid of it and embraced a moustache instead for 'Sui Dhaga'. (c)Viral Bhayani 4. Fawad Khan Fawad Khan is one of those rare people who is blessed with a face, that can pull off any kind of facial hair. However, thanks to 'Khoobsurat' and 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', his female fan following started swooning over that beard. But he too got rid of his beard and is sporting a high fashion, edgy AF moustache now. (c)Twitter 5. Ranbir Kapoor Ranbir was always comfortable with a clean-shaven face, thanks to the Kapoor genes. However, he fell in love with a stubble, and then clearly fell out of love with it recently. He does look good with a clean shave though, doesn't he? (c)Instagram 6. Aamir Khan Aamir Khan's facial hair is just like him - it keeps changing according to the role he is playing at the time. For 'Thugs of Hindostan', he got rid of his beard first and then decided to bring his awesome handlebar moustache into the limelight. (c)Twitter 7. Ajay Devgn Ajay got his best facial hair aesthetic with his role for 'Singham'. He clearly realized that he has never looked better, and decided to just stick with it. (c)Twitter On Monday, the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) said the industry was urging the states rail freight operator Aurizon to, return to normal maintenance practices and as a monopoly infrastructure provider, make its case to the regulatory and the industry [body]. Earlier this year, Aurizon said it would reduce its coal throughput... On Thursday, 14 June 2018, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ioannis Amanatidis met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with His Beatitude, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, who is visiting Athens at the Deputy Ministers invitation. His Beatitude thanked Greece for supporting the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and referred in detail to issues of concern to the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre and the Holy Synod. Mr. Amanatidis highlighted that Greece, in accordance with the long-standing national line, wants the Status Quo of the Christian pilgrimage sites of the Holy Land to be maintained and that there is a willingness to collaborate on further bolstering the Patriarchates social, cultural and educational work in the areas of the Middle East under its responsibility. N. KOTZIAS: Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to thank the countrys Prime Minister for the many creative discussions we had on the Skopje issue. I would like to thank my colleagues on the Ministerial Council, particularly for the four meetings we had on this issue. Above all, however, I would like to thank the Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which very firmly supported, contributed and worked on this agreement, which is the first agreement of this kind achieved not with external collaborators, not with Gryllakis and his ilk or intelligence service agents, but by the Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The first question we need to answer is, What is being decided today?. In 1990-1992, all politicians said that international conditions were changing, but we took no notice. Now they are changing again, and some people are acting like this isnt happening. For us, for our government, looking at and developing Greeces role in our region, exiting the crisis and moving towards growth for the whole region, is a primary patriotic duty. No one wants to resolve the Skopje problem more than we do. No one wants it more than the other peoples of the Balkans. No one wants it more than the Slavomacedonians and the Albanians of our friendly neighbouring country. Because it is the Albanians and the Slavomacedonians who are gravely concerned about the increasing presence of religious fundamentalism that is trying to transform Albanian nationalism into Islamism, which some people want to ignore. This agreement is patriotic because it enables us to focus the countrys forces where there is a substantial problem, and some day we should talk about who is the real threat to the our country. Countries that do not even have an air force, or those that are ready to purchase F-35s? And we should stop being prisoners of history. History is a school from which we must learn, turning to the future. And at this point I will say the following: patriotism -and this is its main characteristic- is proud of and loves the homeland, the countrys culture and historical traditions. The opposite occurs with national Chauvinism, which sees itself as better than all others. It does not respect the culture, history, outlooks of other peoples. It believes that, due to blood or some other reason, it is superior. And I would like to make a comment on what I heard yesterday. Many people are telling us -and Ill explain this- that we are creating accomplished facts (faits accomplis), but they are not saying what accomplished facts were created in regard to this issue over the past 27 or, more accurately, 70 years. Nor are they pointing out that this agreement will also create accomplished facts for our neighbours. In other words, is it a small thing for this country to change its name? Is it a small thing for it to change its Constitution and for us to then say whether we will ratify it? They will carry out the two greatest actions regarding their identity, and then we will ratify. And the opposition says, if we then ratify, you have created accomplished facts. Yes, let me be clear: we are making a compromise. Is anyone under the impression that an international agreement can be reached without compromises? Do you know when there is an international agreement without compromises? When you have won a war. I would like New Democracy to tell us, at long last: did you gentlemen win a war? And you dont want anything. No compromise. The other side shouldnt get anything. They should just vote! Why should they vote? Because that is what Mr. Ivanov wants with Mr. Mitsotakis. And I ask: have you every carried out serious negotiations, or is what your vice president said true, that we were playing around with the foreigners? Because you cannot carry out serious negotiations point by point. And why can you not negotiate point by point? Because you have a different opinion on every point. The only serious negotiations you can carry out are negotiations on a package, where you concede what is most important to the other side, and they concede on what is most important to you. And when you carry out these negotiations with Skopje, always remember the following: that the negotiations are based on what we found before us. Do not blame us for the accomplished facts that you created and that we found before us, and the older texts. The Macedonian region was divided into four regions in the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest, and to me you seem to be following the line of international revisionism. You believe that the international Treaties are not in effect, that we shouldnt bear them in mind, and that we should go to Mr. Borisov, who is from Pirin Macedonia, and say, You cannot call yourself a Macedonian. We do not recognise the Treaty of 1913. And Mr. Erdogan will not recognise the Treaty of Lausanne, and so on ... Do you know what Greeces foreign policy is founded on? International law. Anyone who thinks that this International Treaty is not correct should come out and say so! We want to overturn international law. We want actions through which we will take everything from the other sides. Because everything else is propaganda, without beginning or end. And shall I tell you what I have believed since the outset? All of you want the SYRIZA-Independent Greeks government to resolve the issue. And how do you differ from us? You hide it and want to use it against us. This is the issue, and I will prove it, because you want me to. Is there one side in an agreement? There are two sides. In recent days I have been hearing something surprising. I follow developments in Skopje very closely. I hear Mr. Ivanov, VMRO and the VMRO branch in Athens, which is New Democracy -in this policy it is its branch- saying: You want to give them everything. You are conceding everything to them: our national identities, our national rights, our national concerns. Great, we conceded them. We go to Skopje. What are Ivanov and others saying? You want to concede everything to the Greeks. How can this phenomenon be explained? We are conceding everything to them, and they are conceding everything to us? Alexis Tsipras, should we perhaps reveal that we have two Agreements? One on this side, in which we concede everything to them, and one on that side, for them to concede to us? This is the only way this policy holds up. The country is divided into two camps on the Skopje issue: There are those who want a solution, and those whose political principle is non-solution. There are those who created all the problems, and we are the ones who are solving those problems. That is the difference between us. You are fans of inaction. We do nothing and the accomplished facts do not interest us. There are some people who are more specialised: these people are fans of pending issues everything should remain pending; do nothing. From their experience abroad, four or five Ministers of Foreign Affairs have said the following to me: Nikola, dont do much. A Minister of Foreign Affairs will not be criticized or denigrated if he leaves everything pending. If he resolves problems, he has to face a lot of issues. So, what we have is an alliance of denial. This is the same political party that saw Greece as a poor relation and was afraid to make an international agreement because, supposedly, we risk losing everything. No. The international agreement constitutes progress. It is much better that the situation we found. During the time the negotiations on the Skopje issue have been ongoing, New Democracy governed for ten years with seven Ministers, and even today, as I listened carefully, they did not tell us their position. What is their position? Right, we gave everything, we are the bad guys, blind, old, and so on. What exactly are you ashamed of having done and aren't saying? Why didnt you give us the list of names you supported? Maybe some of you dont know? They talk about secret diplomacy and ignore the diplomacy of their own Party. Or were they just tricks, as some people said? I will tell you the following: there are instances of good diplomacy, like what Karamanlis did in Bucharest. But there are also instances of bad diplomacy, like the seven years during which New Democracy negotiated the name Macedonia Skopje as an international name, and plain Macedonia as the countrys domestic name. And then there are the negotiations carried out in 18 of the 20 years of negotiations, where there was no erga omnes. You shout that the erga omnes for passports will take five years. Who does? The people who accepted the definition of erga omnes as being only for international use, when they accepted that. Nowhere in the negotiations did you insist that erga omnes extend to internal use. And what is the worst thing? During those six or seven years, when they accepted the internal name Macedonia, what derivatives were accepted by those asking that the derivatives and adjectives be similar to the states name? Since you agreed that this state would be called Republic of Macedonia, what would the residents of this state be called? What would their passports be called? Who are you talking to? Who are you saying this to? I would like to say here and I will submit all of this to the Presidium together that I have the permission of the Services Higher Council to use declassified documents. It is a legal route. So lets hear what these documents say. You will hear. Be patient! PRESIDENT: Quiet, please. G. KOUMOUTSAKOS: (off microphone) PRESIDENT: Mr. Koumoutsakos, quiet. N. KOTZIAS: This, by which the competent Committee judges, and not your prosecutor. N. BAKOYANNIS: (off microphone) N. KOTZIAS: Calm down, Mrs. Bakoyannis. You are upset because I dont want to bring everything out now. Well discuss things at the end as well. What were the names given by Nimetz? The names given by Nimetz were, first, Vardarska Makedonija. I believe that, for practical reasons, older governments did not accept this name. Because Vardarska can also mean the Axios river, which is in Greece, and because the Skopjans dont want it because it is associated with the fascist origins of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The other name was Upper Macedonia, which the Skopjans dont want because the last state with Upper in its name, Upper Volta, no longer exists, and we don't want it because our archaeologists say that Upper Macedonia is part of todays Greek Macedonia. We didnt want Macedonia Skopje, because it would end up being just Macedonia, and they didnt want Skopje Macedonia because it would end up as just Skopje. So we went to the name North Macedonia. And I hear the parliamentary representatives of New Democracy saying that it is the name with the most irredentism and it is the worst name that could be given. Right. But this proposal for North Macedonia is among the best moments in New Democracys negotiations, when it didnt go with just Macedonia. Regarding this proposal, Konstantinos Mitsotakis said that This name, North Macedonia, could be the result we are looking for. When Mr. Nimetz asked the New Democracy government whether it accepted North or Upper Macedonia, the Greek government responded that North is more correct and does not create confusion with older historical facts. It is the proposal regarding which Mr. Nimetz said that he accepted our proposal the proposal of the governments at the time of North Macedonia because it satisfies the geographical criterion, and it is the name regarding which the Minister at the time, in 2009 (all of this is in 2009), responded to him. She was asked by Mr. Nimetz, I want to ask you: is it worth continuing my efforts for the name Republic of North Macedonia? And Madam Minister (despatch from Paris, 8 July 2009) responded: Of course it is worth it. How is it possible for the name we pursued but that you didnt succeed in getting how is it possible for the name that was worth the trouble of continuing the negotiations, how is it possible for the name that you chose when this government wins it creates the problems that you now have? And together with whom do you object to the name North Macedonia? Dont be afraid of the truth. The truth is an equalizer. With whom are you afraid of the name North Macedonia? With those people in Skopje it isnt just Gruevski, it isnt just Ivanov, it is the people who made a career out of spending 15% of the countrys GDP putting up irredentist statues. And you are saying here I heard it yesterday and today there is no point in archaic irredentism. There are a number of sessions of the two countries negotiating teams and Mr. Nimetz at which the first or second item in the negotiations was to bring down the statue of Alexander the Great and to change the name of the airport and to change the name of the motorway linking the Greek border with Skopje. As soon as we got these concessions, they stopped bothering you. They no longer had a point. Why? Because you should have been honest and courageous enough to say, Good for Tsipras and his government and good for Syriza and Independent Greeks for managing to bring down all these irredentist symbols in Skopje. Ilinden is a proposal from Mr. Zaev, and talk to him about it if you want to. The name is already finished. The next argument comes, and I heard it from a friend, a respected professor, Mr. Maniatis. Who says that we are giving the EEZ through article 13 of this shameful agreement. But article 13 of this shameful agreement is an article that, word for word and by coincidence, is the same as the article in the Interim Accord, which you you and your Party considered great. Word for word. Only the numbers change. Instead of being article 18, it is article 12. And I ask myself: When you bombard us here and tell us we are this and that, you dont know what the Interim Accord said? You read our agreement so carefully, and for 14 years you didnt realise what was in the Interim Accord? And what is more, in international law -and this is how it is interpreted from the time of the Interim Accord- a special agreement is required. The phrasing from the UN, then and now, is that there will be a special agreement on the way in which this use will be made. Is there documentary proof that you agreed to Macedonia Skopje? There is. There are despatches, there are signatures here from Mr. Vassilakis, who was representing the government at the time not himself that we like this proposal and can negotiate it, and even the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time said, the Greek side considered, in principle, that the proposal, though it did not satisfy us completely, is good, and we can discuss it. And at the end of the negotiations, Mr. Nimetz asked, Are you staying with the same proposal? And you responded, Yes, we were good for three years, we stayed with it. But now we have elections and we cant go public with such a proposal. And further down: in contrast to what was done in the past, we did not give nationality in the agreement. Ive been hearing about nationality for two days now. Look at the agreement. It doesnt say nationality anywhere. It says citizenship. And if this Parliament doesnt understand that the majority of its members being lawyers I dont have time to explain it. But I will say one thing. You gave the nationality. Because when the agreement says identity and you say we gave them nationality, the other side will again invoke you. What is nationality? Is it not the states right to self-determination? Is it not a case that is not so daunting as you present it to be, because there is the distinction in article 7 that their language and other attributes are Slavic? And why do the Slavomacedonians want Macedonian nationality? Because they want to include the Albanians and the Vlachs and citizens of Turkish origin under a single word. Fine, we dont like that. Lets look at the UN resolution of 13/8/2001, which says they are Macedonian citizens. Was Syriza in government in 2001? Let me think ... maybe, somewhere around that time. No comment on this decision. The passports we stamp and continue to stamp today, which are passports that say Makedonija, and we just stamp them down here, kidding ourselves, and Greece says it doesn't recognise these passports, but they can be used to come to Greece. Moving on. I heard about leaders: Konstantinos Mitsotakis and Andreas Papandreou. I hold the latter in higher esteem than the former, but both had more rational positions on the Skopje issue than New Democracy does. What does Andreas Papandreou say? Lets see what he says with the main opposition party up in arms about citizenship and language we are not trying to give instructions or to put pressure on Yugoslavia not to use the term Macedonia, without referring to ethnicity at the same time, Andreas Papandreou says. It is their right as an independent country to do what they want in their land. At this time we were not asking for erga omnes within fYROM. We arent interested and it doesnt concern us, but we cannot accept their intervention as to whether or not there is a minority. And Mr. Skylakakis, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, writes in his book, regarding Mr. Mitsotakis, that Mr. Mitsotakis, on 27/6/1992, says, Greece is not interested in the internal name under which Skopje would be recognised. That is up to them. And now you criticize us for giving them timetables? And Ill tell you about the timetables. We sat a studied the agreement between West Germany and East Germany. It was the agreement on East Germanys joining West Germany, a hostile state socially and economically. How long did they given them to adapt their papers new and previous papers? Four years. Were talking about the German state. What did we do? We agreed with fYROM that the new papers will be issued directly with the new name. Article 8. Article 8 says new documents are to be issued directly with the new name. The old documents? Through a five-year process. What does a five-year process mean? Because you dont seem to understandSkopje has a population of 1.6 million right now, with 1 million emigrants abroad. How can we insist that the papers of a million emigrants be changed the next day? Their passports have to expire, they have to go to their consulate to get them renewed, and the new passport will have the new name. Or do you think the police in Skopje can find a million immigrants and go door to door and make them renew their passports tomorrow morning? Be reasonable! Arent you the Party of entrepreneurship and efficiency? And lets look at one last issue regarding citizenship and all that. On 30 April 2008, the UN made an official record of the negotiations. An official record not some secret paper and it says what the sides have proposed and concluded on. And the twelfth point is the use of the terms Macedonia or Macedonian. What is the comment of the second part, Skopje? That the other side must not have exclusive use of the term. What is the Greek sides comment, as recorded officially at the UN? That the other side must not have exclusive use of the terms Macedonia and Macedonian. This is what you have ceded, and dont pretend ignorance. Here we have an older issue. What is this older issue? The language. What is the language? Was there a Macedonian language in antiquity or in fYROM, etc.? No. Yugoslavia followed the practice of the Soviet Union. For every small or large ethnic or national group, they created a written alphabet and a script for writing down their speech. So, in 1948, fYROM, which at that time was the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, created the Macedonian language. In 1948, it was illegal to be a leftist in Greece. You were governing. What did you say? In 1954, this language was recognised, and following the recognition, in 1954, Averoff ... S. VOULTEPSI: (off microphone) PRESIDENT: Quiet please, Madam MP. N. KOTZIAS: Allow me to know the history better that you. PRESIDENT: Fifth Plenary, will we go into the third round now? N. KOTZIAS: In 1959, Mr. Averoff, who was competent for this issue, publicly acknowledged the existence of a Macedonian language. Have you condemned him for this? In the history of the Greek Right, is Mr. Averoff condemned, or is he an idol with his Fire and Axe? And then the UN came to Athens in 1977, and the Cyrillic language was accepted in the internal decision of Macedonia, and at the same time what has not been said publicly there was the adoption of a Yugoslavian report on these languages. And after this, in 1977, this language was added to the UN list of official languages. N. KOTZIAS: Go look at the list! Take the trouble to look at the list. PRESIDENT: Quiet, please. Mr. Minister, can you finish in three minutes, please. N. KOTZIAS: Mr. President of the Parliament, I am due 18 minutes plus 9 for a response and 3 for a second response. Im not even there yet. I did not make an initial statement or a response. Please give me a little time. In 1992 and 1994, at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which determines codes, from languages to license plates, Greece was absent. There, in 1977, only Mr. Babiniotis, who acts as if he is the only expert on languages but I remember Mr. Babiniotis saying that there is no demotic language in Greece, and he had created the new modern Greek at that time, defending katharevousa, so that were clear. Essentially, you know what happened, so why are you shouting? We caught you like a student copying, and youre shouting that you want an A! PRESIDENT: Dont submit questions, please. N. KOTZIAS: Now lets go to erga omnes. In the beginning, when fYROM was created, Mr. Samaras stance, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, was, yes, to the name Republic of Macedonia. What can we do? It is in all the documents. We do not need to open up the Ministrys archives. Skylakakis says this in his book. Varvitsiotis says it in his book. Everyone of standing in your Party says it. Afterwards they said, no to the name Macedonia, and this remained the fighting stance of the Evert-Kanellopoulos group, and they insisted against Mr. Mitsotakis. Since then, since 1993-1994 as all the archives show the compound name was accepted. But what compound name? One internal name and another, international name. A compound name only internationally. And until recent years, erga omnes had only one meaning in the negotiations: for the compound name not to exist only for bilateral relations, not just for inter-state relations, but also for use in international organizations or, according to others, not just for international organizations but also for inter-state relations. If you look at the first despatches of Mr. Zacharakis, who was your MEP and can show this to you, it was as he wrote for all international uses. Not for all uses. And now you, who at least negotiated this for all uses at some point, are complaining because we have timetables for the practical implementation of erga omnes internally. N. KOTZIAS: The other side didnt sign some of them. PRESIDENT: Mrs. Voultepsi, please be quiet. Dont do this. N. KOTZIAS: What did it say about passports? It said a new and constitutional name; this is what the reports say: Greece agrees to discuss Mr. Nimetzs proposal for an internal name and an international name. Greece agreed to the term Macedonia for internal use. (Conversational exchange) PRESIDENT: Quiet, please! N. KOTZIAS: Some people cannot stand the truth. Moreover, together with this name there was an amendment to the design of passports, which would bear not only the new name, but also the states constitutional name. While our agreement provides for only the new name. I suspect that many of my friends in New Democracy -I have good relations with some members of the Party- have confused the name with attributes. The name is one thing. Erga omnes does not concern attributes, and no one ever fought for this. Erga omnes concerns the name, and the name is categorically erga omnes. And that is why I respect Skopje for conceding on this issue. This erga omnes is not just for external use; it is for all uses. But shall we look back at how the problem with erga omnes was created? Very simply, the European Economic Community decided in 1991 to create the Badinter Committee, which would see whether these states constitutions contained irredentism. And what did the New Democracy government do at that time? It refused to go to this committee -a minor error- despite having voted for its creation. And here, Mr. Papoulias -the Ambassador, not the former President- the former Ambassador who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs for your governments, says the following: for the responsible representative of a government to accept the setting up of a Committee in any international organization be it NATO, the EEC, the UN so that this Committee can discuss this national issue of our country, without first securing its participation in said Committee, is a glaring example of diplomatic ignorance and incompetence. Your Minister has said this. And now lets go to the school books. The accusation being made is that we agree to their seeing our books and our seeing theirs. Is there anyone who is afraid that, if they see ours, they will find violations of international law? Is that it? PRESIDENT: Please, Mrs. Voultepsi. N. KOTZIAS: Mrs. Voultepsi, it isnt my fault. All of the states of Europe, with the advent of Willy Brandts Ostpolitik in the 1970s, set up joint Committees to look at history problems in their books. And the first example started between Germany and Poland, with Germany having killed 10 million Poles during WWII. And you dont even want this? This is international practice. Is it my fault you dont know this? What's more, we found ourselves in a dilemma ... PRESIDENT: Mrs. Voultepsi, I call you to order, and dont do it again. N. KOTZIAS: There is the name, the brand names of businesses. We carried out a study with the University of Thessaloniki and the Society for Macedonian Studies which isn't characterized as being in our camp and how many companies were found? 3,400. And how will the problem of these companies be resolved, regarding names? By a year of negotiations for each company? We decided, together with the European Commission and the UN as in the case of other states because this is international law. Unless you dont want international law. Say so! N. KOTZIAS: The Society for Macedonian Studies is in Thessaloniki. You dont have to shout. Your ignorance is clear. The best solution is an international Committee for three years, under the UN and the European Union. And this committee, based on the criteria of the agreement, will check commercial rights, and this was the only way we could regulate this matter. As regards NATO and a timetable: I have here a letter to Mr. Stoltenberg, which I sent the day before yesterday. I have here a letter to NATO, in which I make the reminder and they have made a commitment; the Secretary General of NATO said so publicly that if the agreement is ratified by their Parliament, they have the right we are not trying to get them in or keep them out. If they want to join, they should receive an invitation from NATO. What does an invitation from NATO mean? That they start the dialogue with NATO. Do they become member states of NATO in three days, as I have heard here? No. When do they become members of NATO? Only if they satisfy all of the conditions set by Greece. What are these conditions? In the last sub-paragraph of article 2, it says that the second party shall notify NATO that it has carried out the referendum, completed the constitutional amendments provided for in present agreement, and they will be granted membership. In other words, pay attention: You are saying that we are yielding. Essentially, they are holding a referendum and changing the Constitution so that we can give them the OK. And I always remembered and I think you will agree with this that you always said, dont finish this ratification process before we get the Constitutional change, which you never requested, which you essentially never introduced into negotiations. There are texts in the negotiations that say constitutional revision is contraindicated at this time so lets not go into it. Its right here. Everything will be submitted. PRESIDENT: I ask, Mr. Kyriazis, to please not interfere in matters he is unfamiliar with. N. KOTZIAS: Have I ever interrupted you? Ill submit everything together. You wont tell me how I should talk, Sir! Tell it to you Party. I am free to speak in this space. PRESIDENT: Mr. Kotzias, please dont respond. N. KOTZIAS: The last thing. Take everything, put it in the order you heard it. And here is the Interim Accord, article 13, and 4 pages from Mrs. Stratis book on the issue, which prove that this attack isnt real. I want to say one last thing. What is the last thing? And if I am provoked, well talk when we debate the issue. N. KOTZIAS: The last thing. There were negotiations that took place without anyone knowing about them not even the Ministerial Council. Im not saying which government was involved. It doesnt interest me. What interests me is all the talk about secret diplomacy and so on. And in these negotiations, our negotiator was summoned to the Security Council to say that Greece agrees to such and such a name, but because it cant say so publicly -due to public opinion- it cannot make the agreement. So it should be passed as a Security Council resolution, which the Greek government will then be called upon to implement. N. KOTZIAS: Dont shout. Well go into everything in detail when the agreement comes before Parliament. Dont shout. We were the most democratic government. We held four meetings of the Ministerial Council. We briefed the heads of the political parties. Some of them didn't want to be briefed by me -they regard me illiterate- and they sent their representative. We briefed the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs because someone said, you didnt hold even a single briefing, and what was said in the briefing was leaked. And as a result, we agreed to todays debate, and we have an agreement that points to the following division in the Balkans: On one side there are the forces in Skopje and Greece who want solutions and have gone to great trouble and made a great effort in this direction, and on the other side are the forces of inertia, of pending issues and games of nationalism, not patriotism; forces who do not want solutions, but who want to perpetuate the problems and dont care about the repercussions. Thank you. SAGINAW The Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Affairs Medical Center announced its nursing home received 5-stars as part of its annual performance rating. The announcement comes after VA extended its unprecedented 18-month record of transparency disclosures by making public for the first time its annual nursing home ratings for every facility in the country. The data shows that, overall, VAs nursing home system composed of more than 130 community living centers compares closely with private sector nursing homes, even though the department on average cares for sicker patients in its nursing homes than do private facilities. In fact, the overall star rating for VAs nursing homes compared to the 15,487 private sector nursing homes rated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shows that VA has a significantly lower percentage (34.1 percent lower) of one-star, or lowest rated, facilities than the rest of the nation. Of note, 60 of VAs nursing homes improved their quality score from last year to this year. Only one facility had a meaningful decline in that metric, and that facility was already rated with four stars. VA has become the first hospital system in the nation to post its: Hospital wait times Opioid prescription rates Employee settlements and accountability actions Chief executive travel Every day, VA employees come to work to deliver quality, safe, health care to veterans within our Community Living Center and Palliative Care Unit. The skill and experience of our staff, as well as their compassion and respect to care for those who have served our country, continues to support an environment where veterans can engage in health and healing. The rating system serves as a tool to measure and evaluate performance, as we continually strive to improve the care we provide those we have the honor to serve, stated Karandeep Sraon, acting medical center director. The best comparison of VA nursing homes to the private sector is in the overall star rating. Using that overarching and most important metric, VAs performance compares very closely with that of the private sector. Of note, VA nursing homes often serve residents with more numerous and challenging medical conditions than do private sector facilities. Specifically, VA nursing homes serve a much higher proportion of residents with conditions such as prostate obstruction, spinal cord injury, mental illness, homelessness, PTSD, combat injury, terminal illness, and other conditions rarely seen in private nursing homes. Also, private sector nursing homes admit patients selectively, whereas unlike the private sector VA will not refuse service to any eligible veteran, no matter how challenging the veterans conditions are to treat. In other words, VA nursing homes often house residents with more complex medical needs that private sector facilities will not accept, which makes achieving good quality ratings more challenging. As a result, VA nursing homes at times rate lower than private sector facilities on specific metrics such as pain and type of treatment. Despite that fact, VA nursing homes compare well with private sector facilities in overall facility rankings. Additionally, VA nursing homes have a higher staff-to-resident ratio than private sector facilities, meaning residents in VA facilities get more direct attention from nursing home staff than do residents in the private sector. The Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Saginaw operates an 81-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation Community Living Center, with an additional eight-bed acute medicine and telemetry wing. It provides care to over 36,300 veterans in a 35-county geographic area, from mid-Michigan to the Mackinac Bridge. Veterans also receive care at one of nine VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics located throughout Michigan, including one in Bad Axe. More information about this VA can be found at www.saginaw.va.gov. fESSEX Connecticut River Artisans Cooperative, 55 Main Street, Essex, is hosting an Open House for artists on Sunday, June 24, 1-4 p.m. Connecticut artists seeking for a new venue to showcase their work are invited. If you cant attend on June 24, contact Gay Petruzzi, 860-578-9595, gaypetruzzi@att.net, for an appointment. At the open house, guests can meet other members, enjoy refreshments, and learn about the advantages of a cooperative versus consigning or selling at shows. Be sure to bring samples of your work as members will be on hand to Jury that day. Items must be quality originals made by the artist. No imports, wholesalers or reps, please. Members are not jurying jewelry or candles at this time. Brews for Boats is fundraiser MIDDLETOWN Central Connecticut Rowing will host the first annual Brews for Boats fundraiser at Stubborn Beauty Brewing Company in Middletown on Sunday, June 24th from 3-6 pm. The event will raise money for Middletowns Community Rowing program. The event will feature the craft beer of Stubborn Beauty Brewing Company, the iconic barbeque of Taino Smokehouse and music of Saint Onge. There will be an opportunity to bid on unique experiences and offerings from local businesses, artisans and organizations in the silent auction. This is going to be a great event, said Rebecca MacLachlan, President of Central Connecticut Rowing. Stubborn Beauty is such a great space, the beer is superb and you cant go wrong with BBQ from Taino. Our vision is to grow the community rowing program here in Middletown but we need to purchase more boats to realize that growth. This is our first step in making that happen. Its going to be a fun Sunday afternoon for a great cause and we welcome anyone who wants to join us. Tickets are $40 and include two craft brews, food and live music or $30 for food and music only. Non-alcoholic beverages will be available for all guests. Tickets can be purchased at www.centralctrowing.com, on Facebook, or contact info@centralctrowing.com. Due to capacity constraints, only 50 tickets will be sold. To donate an item or experience to the silent action, email info@centralctrowing.com. Madhatters holding summer program CHESTER Madhatters Theatre Company is now accepting registration for their summer musical production A Polynesian Adventure. Registration is open to ages 6-17 years of age. Show week is July 23-27, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Chester Meeting House 4 Liberty Street Chester. To register, email madhattersctc@aol.com or call 860-395-1861 Society holding annual childrens program HADDAM The Haddam Historical Society will hold its 13th annual summer program, A Week in the Life of an Early American Child, offered for girls and boys ages 8-12. This year the program will take place Tuesday, June 26 Friday, June 29. Students will travel back in time to the year 1830 and spend the week with Mrs. Thankful Arnold and her family. All activities take place at the Thankful Arnold House Museum in Haddam, and they include caring for farm animals; carding, spinning and felting wool; creating a mini floorcloth; making butter; baking; playing with Colonial toys and games, and even dancing! The fee is $139 for the four days with all materials and snacks included. The first three days are half-day sessions (9 a.m. to noon). Friday June 29 will be a full-day session (9 am to 3 pm). For more information and registration, go to www.haddamhistory.org. For questions, contact Sarah Neal, education coordinator, The Haddam Historical Society, at education@haddamhistory.org or call 860-345-2400. Summer camp registration open MIDDLETOWN St. John Paul II school summer camps are registering now, with plenty of activities to keep children busy all summer long. From cooking and art to robotics and engineering with LEGO, theres something for everyone. For more information, visit https://www.jpii.org/summer-camp. Sign up soon as space is limited. Contact office@jpii.org or call 860-347-2978. Many employers expected at Middlesex County Career Fair CROMWELL Job seekers can meet with representatives from more than 50 companies to find that dream job during the Middlesex County Career Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 19 at the Red Lion Hotel (formerly the Radisson Hotel), 100 Berlin Road, Cromwell. In addition to the Connecticut Department of Labor, career fair co-sponsors include the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce and Workforce Alliance. Representatives from more than 50 companies are expected to take part and will have personnel available to speak one-on-one with attendees about possible openings with their companies including entry-level, technical, sales and management positions. Companies already signed up to participate include Adelbrook, Aaron Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Express Kitchens, FedEx Ground, Goodwill of Southern New England and Companions and Homemakers. The employer registration fee of $300 ($25 additional if an electrical outlet is needed) includes a skirted table, company sign, program guide listing, boxed lunch, and radio, newspaper and Internet advertising. An online employer registration form and additional details can be found by visiting www.ctjobfairs.com, or contact Danielle Aletta at Danielle@middlesexchamber.com or (860) 347-6924. For jobseekers attending the career fair, a list of employers, directions to the Red Lion Hotel, and tips for developing an effective resume can also be found at www.ctjobfairs.com. Adult education programs offered MIDDLETOWN There are three ways to succeed with Middletown Adult Education. GED preparation classes, independent study, online and classroom instruction are offered. Free day and evening programs are held at 398 Main Street in Middletown. Enrollment is ongoing with no charge for area residents. Call Middletown Adult Education at 860-343-6044. Madhatters summer show enrolling now CHESTER Madhatters Theatre Company is now accepting registrations for their summer production at Chester Meeting House 4 Liberty Street Chester CT. Production week is July 23-26, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., with a performance on Friday, July 27. A Polynesian Adventure a musical production is open to ages 6-18 years. For further information and to register, e-mail: madhattersctc@aol.com or call 860-395-1861. The Pentagon is weighing how to best proceed after President Donald Trump on Monday announced his intent to create a "space force" as a new military branch. "We understand the President's guidance," said Defense Department chief spokeswoman Dana White. "Our Policy Board will begin working on this issue, which has implications for intelligence operations for the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy. Working with Congress, this will be a deliberate process with a great deal of input from multiple stakeholders." During a National Space Council meeting at the White House, Trump verbally directed the Pentagon to create a sixth military service to oversee missions and operations in the space domain. "We must have American dominance in space," Trump said during a speech at the White House Monday morning. Related content: But it may be years before such a force is fully established. Two experts who spoke with Military.com said a U.S. space force will not come into being without at least a few growing pains as the policy, infrastructure and personnel details are drawn up in coming months. Establishing a new force requires congressional sign-off, said Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But the creation of a new military service is not a small enough policy change that lawmakers could simply slip the measure into an annual budget request. "This is major legislation. It is going to take years. I don't think Congress will get around to authorizing it until next year at the earliest," Harrison said in an interview on Monday. Despite the need for new policy, the creation of the space force may not have a huge impact on the annual budget request, Harrison said. Thats because the Defense Department will likely leverage personnel and capabilities it already has, he said. "You're taking existing people, infrastructure. There will be some expense of new overhead and headquarters. It doesn't have to be hugely expensive," he said. But, he added, the proposition could be made expensive. Should the activation of a new space force also require an accompanying service academy like the U.S. Military Academy at West Point or the Air Force Academy, then the "accoutrements add up," Harrison said. Harrison said Trump's move aims to close a critical personnel shortfall the Pentagon hasn't addressed since then-President Barack Obama in 2011 enacted the National Security Space Strategy. The Air Force, Harrison argued, doesn't have the manpower to staff a dedicated space corps with the capabilities that leaders want. "The most compelling justification for an independent service for space is on the personnel side," he said. "A grooming of a space cadre of space professionals ... that's where the Air Force has not offered much in the way of reform," he said. "We have people in the other domains: landpower, maritime and air," he said, adding the Air Force's efforts to create adequate, skilled experts in this domain have come up short. At this time, there are too many unknowns regarding the new space force, said Brian Weeden, the director of program planning for the Secure World Foundation (SWF). Weeden, the head of space policy and security at SWF, said Trump might know something the public doesn't. The Pentagon has been working to deliver an interim report to Congress by August on whether it's feasible to carve out a separate Space Force branch from the U.S. Air Force. "Maybe Trump got a preview of the study and where it might be headed, and that's what he went off of," Weeden said. Or, he said, Trump "has been briefed on this issue and he just decided that he likes it and wants to see it happen." Still, Weeden questioned why one service, the Air Force, needs to own the space mission. "The big question: Is it joint or not?" he said. "The effort needs to be on stronger integration, and providing better capabilities to the warfighters here on earth." For example, Weeden said, there is a small minority of leaders within the Pentagon advocating for bigger programs such as anti-satellite weapons, missile detection capability or space-based solar power. Weeden argued leaders should perfect the capabilities such as GPS, which soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines use daily, before they move onto bigger and better things. "The better support to the warfighter is going to get lost in the noise" if the vocal minority pushes for bigger programs first, he said. "Renewed space threats are driving this -- Russia and China," he said. "This is what reignited this in 2016, and the concern was the Air Force wasn't moving fast enough." But the biggest winners if a space force happens? Contractors, Harrison said. "The number of personnel will be significantly smaller than, say, the Marine Corps," Harrison said. Anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000 personnel could be added to the space force, augmented by a force of contractors and civilians that may be double that number. "That's where the experts are," Harrison said. Still, Harrison also didn't rule out the possibility that a space force may not happen after all. "There is an absolute possibility this can get shot down again," he said. Last year, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, and Rep. William "Mac" Thornberry, R-Texas, first created language in the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act which would have required the service to stand up a "U.S. Space Corps." Lawmakers ultimately removed language requiring such an overhaul of the Air Force's mission. "If this gets shot down, it will get shot down in the Senate," Harrison said. "But I think it also raises the odds it makes it through the Senate." He added that lawmakers will hold such sway because with the Commander in Chief advocating for a space force, Air Force leadership can no longer speak publicly in opposition of it. "I don't see how the Air Force is going to be able to resist this," Harrison said. "The idea passed the full House last year. The resistance in the Senate was largely backstopped by the Air Force. "[But] how can [Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson] be out there publicly resisting when our own President says, 'I want a Space Force?'" he said. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214. Related Video: President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to create a "space force" as a new, sixth military branch to oversee missions and operations in the space domain. "We must have American dominance in space," Trump said during a speech at the National Space Council meeting, held at the White House on Monday. "I'm hereby directing the Department of Defense to immediately begin the process to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces." "We are going to have the Air Force, and we are going to have the space force," Trump said. "Separate, but equal. It is going to be something so important." Trump then directed Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, to "carry that assignment out." Related content: "Let's go get it, General," he added to Dunford, who was at the council meeting. The Air Force did not immediately have a statement in response to the announcement, and directed all questions to the office of the secretary of defense. Related Video: In March, Trump first revealed he had an idea for a "space force," or separate military service for space. The Pentagon, meanwhile, has been in a months-long debate over an additional branch. Trump shared his vision for the force during a visit to troops at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. "Because we're doing a tremendous amount of work in space, maybe we need a new force," he said. "We'll call it the space force." Trump's comments came a few months after discussions had wound down in the Pentagon about a separate military force for space. Lawmakers have pushed the Air Force to stand up a branch for space within the service in hopes of taking adversarial threats in space more seriously. Both Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein have been trying to discourage talk of a separate military branch, maintaining that the Air Force has the means and the personnel to meet current requirements for space. "This [Air Force] budget accelerates our efforts to deter, defend and protect our ability to operate and win in space," Wilson told a House Appropriations Committee panel days after Trump's first announcement. "There are a number of different elements of this with respect to the space -- the space portfolio." Goldfein agreed with the secretary during the March hearing, and added there is no question space is a warfighting domain in need of better protection. The Air Force has overseen the domain since the mid-1950s. "As a joint chief, I see that same responsibility as the lead joint chief for space operations is making sure that we have those capabilities that the joint team requires. And so, as the president stated openly, this is a warfighting domain," Goldfein said. "That is where we've been focused. And so I'm really looking forward to the conversation." Last year, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, and Rep. William "Mac" Thornberry, R-Texas, first created language in the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act which would have required the service to stand up a "U.S. Space Corps." Soon after, Goldfein, Wilson and even Defense Secretary Jim Mattis publicly downplayed the idea, citing costliness and organizational challenges. And while lawmakers ultimately removed language requiring such an overhaul of the Air Force's mission, they still required a study of a space force and also backed changes to the management of the space cadre. Rogers and other key lawmakers believe it is still possible to stand up a "space corps" within three to five years, and have still chastised the Air Force for not creating something like it "yesterday." "The situation we are in as a nation, the vulnerabilities we have to China and Russia, I'd like for the American public to know more, [but] I can't because I don't want to go to jail for leaking classified info. But we're in a really bad situation," Rogers said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event in March. Rogers has looked to Trump for support on the new space mission. "Looking forward to working with @realDonaldTrump on this initiative!" he tweeted March 14. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @oriana0214. US Says it Will Pay the Family of the 10 Afghans Killed in a Failed Drone Strike and Help Them Relocate to US The Pentagon agency in charge of accounting for missing Americans troops has yet to receive notice to prepare for the return of remains by North Korea that President Donald Trump called a key success of the Singapore summit. "We're standing by [but] we haven't officially been asked to do anything," Chuck Prichard, a spokesman for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), said Monday. "This is our business," he said of recovering remains from foreign battlefields. But he added that the work of diplomacy must come first. "We're at the tail end of this." On the North Lawn of the White House last Friday, Trump suggested to Fox News that the remains of missing Americans from the Korean War might already be in the process of being repatriated. He said the North Koreans "are already starting to produce the remains of these great young soldiers who were left in North Korea. We're getting the remains, and nobody thought that was possible." At the Singapore summit last Tuesday, Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a joint declaration committing to sending the missing troops home. "The United States and the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified," the declaration reads. At a news conference after the summit, Trump said he was acting on behalf of the families of the missing. "I must have had just countless calls and letters and tweets, anything you can do -- they want the remains of their sons back," Trump said. It's unclear, however, how many parents of troops killed in a war that ended with an armistice 65 years ago might still be living. "I asked for it today, and we got it. That was a very last minute," Trump said of the agreement. "The remains will be coming back. They're going to start that process immediately." Richard Downes, executive director of the Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs, told Military.com by email last week that North Korea may already have about 200 sets of remains ready to be returned. Downes, whose airman father Lt. Hal Downes is still listed as missing from a flight over North Korea in 1952, said he learned of the possibility that the North has 200 sets of remains on a visit to Pyongyang in 2016 with the Richardson Center for Global Engagement. During the visit, Downes said he had received an offer from North Korea's vice foreign minister regarding his father's remains. "We took it to the Obama administration but were refused," Downes said. "They preferred to hold out until NK responded to the nuclear issue. It was heartbreaking." Downes praised Trump for being "the first to make the leap" on the recovery of remains. "A lot of people/organizations worked to get it on the summit's agenda," he said. According to DPAA, more than 7,800 Americans have not been accounted for from the Korean War. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. The Defense Department could soon be assessing the feasibility of permanently deploying U.S. troops to Poland to counter Russian aggression. The U.S. Senate last week approved a measure to require the Pentagon to study the need for such a deployment and the political ramifications of it. The language was adopted Thursday by voice vote and added to the Senate's version of the fiscal 2019 defense policy bill, which the Senate was expected on Monday to vote on. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., sponsored the amendment. It calls for the Pentagon to submit the report to congressional defense committees by March 1, 2019. Specifically, the Pentagon is to examine whether a permanently assigned Army brigade combat team would be effective and how Russia might react to such a move. A brigade typically consists of three to five battalions with about 1,500 to 4,000 soldiers. Poland currently hosts U.S. Army and NATO forces, who rotate between Poland and the three Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The Air Force also maintains an aviation detachment year-round in Poland, comprised of a small group of airmen deployed months at a time to facilitate U.S. and NATO staging in the country. But Poland is vying to bolster the U.S. presence even more to counter the threat it perceives from Russia, which in 2014 seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, Poland's eastern neighbor. Poland is willing to pay for some of that support. The Polish Defense Ministry earlier this year said in a proposal that it would provide as much as $2 billion to support the deployment of a permanent U.S. armored division in Poland. In the proposal, first reported on by the Polish news service Onet, the ministry refers to "aggressive Russian actions" in 2008 in Georgia and from 2014 on in Ukraine. "Russia is seeking to strengthen its political and economic relations with key European countries at the expense of U.S. national interests," the proposal says. "An increased U.S. permanent presence in Poland will give America the strategic flexibility it needs to confront and deter these threats" while helping to secure "American interests its shares with" European partners. Russia in recent years has also steadily boosted its military capabilities in its enclave of Kalingrad, which borders Poland. A nuclear watchdog group reported Monday that the Russian military has renovated an underground bunker 50 miles from Poland that could be an active nuclear weapons storage site. The Senate amendment says the Pentagon should assess the willingness and ability of Poland to provide host nation support for a brigade combat team and potential locations for such a team. The amendment doesn't ask the Pentagon to examine which units in the States might help fill the team, but it does ask planners to consider whether future growth in Army "end strength may be used to source additional forces" in Poland. The report is expected to be unclassified, though the Pentagon may include a classified portion, according to the amendment. Eleven veterans organizations have adopted a "Veteran's Creed" that acknowledges pride of service and a continuing shared commitment to values that strengthen the nation. The fourth tenet of the creed states that "I continue to serve my community, my country and my fellow veterans." The creed, which was adopted on Flag Day last week at an event at the Reserve Officers Association, was the result of extensive discussions among veterans groups that began last fall at Georgetown University. "The creed will help prepare veterans for their productive civilian lives," said Dr. Joel Kupersmith, Director of Veterans' Initiatives at Georgetown University. Retired Army Gen. George W. Case, Jr., the former Army chief of staff and commander of Multi-National Force Iraq, said the creed may motivate veterans to continue to give back. "I believe the Veteran's Creed could remind veterans of what they miss about their service and encourage them to continue to make a difference in their communities and across our country," he said. "We need their talents." The Veteran's Creed, similar to the Army's Soldier's Creed, was intended to underline the "altruistic ethos of veterans themselves." It also purports to "remind Americans that the principles and values veterans learned in the military -- integrity, leadership, teamwork, selfless service -- can greatly benefit our country," according to the veterans groups. "In the Army I lived both the Soldier's Creed and the NCO Creed," said John Towles, Director of National Security & Foreign Affairs for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "As veterans, we must realize that our service does not stop simply because we take off the uniform," he added. "Many of us struggle to find our place once we leave the military, but now we have a new set of watchwords to guide and remind our brothers and our sisters in arms that our mission is far from over." The Creed is backed by AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, HillVets, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Reserve Officers Association, Student Veterans of America, Team Rubicon Global, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Wounded Warrior Project. The Creed states: 1. I am an American veteran 2. I proudly served my country 3. I live the values I learned in the military 4. I continue to serve my community, my country and my fellow veterans 5. I maintain my physical and mental discipline 6. I continue to lead and improve 7. I make a difference 8. I honor and remember my fallen comrades -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Military members and veterans can get up to four free months of Apple Music through the Apple Music military discount -- but... There is a moment in parenting when you realize that you no longer have the advantage, and you now know absolutely nothing. For me, it was when I was schooled by my kids on the new word for "cool," which is now "savage." (Savage? Really?) What followed were daily lessons in new social rules and slang. Trying to figure out the current world of pre-teens and teens is like my first few years as a new mom. I second-guess everything and worry they are going to hit their head on every corner or, in this case, be emotionally rejected on a daily basis. How do our military kids cope? Generation Z, born from the mid-1990s to around 2012, is already swinging the pendulum like every generation before them. According to my interview with Gary Allan Taylor from Axis, this group would "rather lose their sense of smell than their digital device." Now before you freak out (I did), we adults aren't doing so great in that department either. Unlike the Millenials before them, Taylor said Gen Z kids value the importance of family even more than a career. That could be, he said, because they have watched their parents live out a heavy work ethic to secure the house, career and status (maybe even our social media status). Considering it is their parents' "work ethic centric" generation that is running the academic generation, is it any wonder that anxiety and depression are on the rise for these students? High school graduation requirements look more like college and grades/SAT scores are no longer enough. "Family" sounds like a good direction for the pendulum. Even bullying has changed for Gen Z kids. Both civilian and military parents have told me their Gen Zs have started to disconnect by putting in their earbuds to avoid interaction with aggressive kids, much like adults do on the subway. I think I would put my earbuds in too. When it comes to military kid Gen Zs, most adults I've spoken with agree that much of their character has been shaped by overcoming difficulty and rejection, resulting in more mature and confident kids. Many are often more comfortable around adults than kids their age. But that doesn't mean they don't need connection with their peers. All kids gravitate toward peers developmentally, which makes our military teens even more desperate for it. Yet as I've experienced and heard from other military parents, that's especially challenging in a civilian school where peer groups have formed over years of neighborhood cookouts and team sports. Understanding and parenting our Gen Z kids is no cakewalk. Perhaps you are like me and need encouragement (in most cases, every week). Here is what I have heard from reaching out to parents and experts in my current "Raising Gen Zs" series on the LIfegiver Podcast. 4 Tips for Generation Z Military Parents 1. Don't underestimate the value of family. The fact that Gen Z kids value family more than ever makes it easier to plan intentional family time where you can -- what else -- talk about being a Gen Z military kid. As much as they are connected to their devices, they will likely not complain after you have agreed to set all devices down for a game night. Expect full tantrums beforehand though. 2. Point them toward wise connections. Experts I've interviewed have suggested that perhaps the answer for our kids isn't assimilating the way we would "back in the day." In a culture in which bullying and meanness are ramping up, why not encourage our kids toward smaller circles? A few close friends are not only realistic but models what adults do. 3. See leadership potential. One civilian parenting expert I interviewed pointed out that our kids' intensity while assimilating into the school system is a sign of their leadership potential. That really encouraged me to redirect my kids' emotional energy toward leading rather than following as a means of fitting in. This next school year, we hope to have the boys be military kid ambassadors for incoming students. 4. It really will be OK. The other day, I spoke with a military brat who is entering her senior year of college. She is brilliant in her social skills and maturity. She told me how prepared she was not only for the academic load of school but more so for the rhythm she developed over the years to assimilate while civilian students around her fell apart. Even better, she described detaching from an unhealthy peer group because she realized her maturity made her a better leader than a follower. Wow. I've looked forward to this season with my kids for a long time. I enjoy the dialogue, the jokes around the table, and watching them evolve into awesome bigger people. While parenting the next generation has been a lot harder than I expected, especially with the challenges of the military lifestyle, I know every parent in the history of the world has said that. But I now see the importance of educating myself, even if that means my kids will be the ones to school me -- memes and all. Keep Up with the Ins and Outs of Military Life For the latest military news and tips on military family benefits and more, subscribe to Military.com and have the information you need delivered directly to your inbox. President Donald Trump today announced the formation of the nation's sixth military service -- the space force -- to join the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Conceptually, it's designed to oversee missions in space, with a view towards space defense. But what does a new military service mean for military spouses? No, you probably aren't going to have to PCS to space. Almost no details have been released on the space force, including whether or not new bases (extraterrestrial or otherwise) will be open in support of it, how it will be organized, how currently service troops will be shifted into its ranks or how recruitment will be conducted. However, the announcement isn't the first time the space force has been discussed. Lawmakers and military officials have been mulling and, in some cases fighting against, the possibility for months. Recent talks indicate that the service could be formed under the Air Force, in the same way the Marine Corps is a department of Navy. Why is that important for spouses? Because that format changes the way many family services are handled -- and which policies could be open for a fresh start under a new branch. If the space force is organized the same way as the Marine Corps, it will utilize Air Force system and personnel for: - Doctors - Chaplains - Leave policies Meanwhile, almost every other personnel and family readiness policy would be specific to the space force and open to new development. Although the Defense Department and Congress have standards for how those services are operated, many specifics are left to the service chiefs. For example, each service has its own set of PCS rules that are set within the Pentagon's guidelines. That means spouse hiring help; family support rules, systems and policies; emergency leave; housing (assuming space force personnel are based outside current bases); permanent change of station policies; and administration of a variety of other services could be open to branch-specific interpretation. Key Select Mineral List Type Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Dana Chemical Elements Gallery: List of minerals arranged by Dana 8th Edition classification Group 1 - NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS Semi-metals and non-metals Diamond 1.3.6.1 C Group 4 - SIMPLE OXIDES A 2 X 3 Hematite 4.3.1.2 Fe 2 O 3 Perovskite 4.3.3.1 CaTiO 3 AX 2 Rutile 4.4.1.1 TiO 2 Group 7 - MULTIPLE OXIDES AB 2 X 4 Chromite 7.2.3.3 Fe2+Cr3+ 2 O 4 Magnetite 7.2.2.3 Fe2+Fe3+ 2 O 4 AB 8 X 16 Priderite 7.9.4.1 K(Ti4+ 7 Fe3+)O 16 Group 28 - ANHYDROUS ACID AND NORMAL SULFATES AXO 4 Baryte 28.3.1.1 BaSO 4 Group 51 - NESOSILICATES Insular SiO 4 Groups Only Insular SiO 4 Groups Only with cations in >[6] coordination Zircon 51.5.2.1 Zr(SiO 4 ) Group 58 - SOROSILICATES Insular, Mixed, Single, and Larger Tetrahedral Groups Insular, Mixed, Single, and Larger Tetrahedral Groups with cations in [6] and higher coordination; single and double groups (n = 1, 2) Vesuvianite 58.2.4.1 Ca 19 Fe3+Al 4 (Al 6 Mg 2 )( 4 )[Si 2 O 7 ] 4 [(SiO 4 ) 10 ]O(OH) 9 Group 59 - CYCLOSILICATES Three-Membered Rings Three-Membered Rings, anhydrous, no other anions Wadeite 59.1.1.4 K 2 Zr(Si 3 O 9 ) Group 65 - INOSILICATES Single-Width,Unbranched Chains,(W=1) Single-Width Unbranched Chains, W=1 with chains P=2 Diopside 65.1.3a.1 CaMgSi 2 O 6 Group 66 - INOSILICATES Double-Width,Unbranched Chains,(W=2) Amphiboles - Mg-Fe-Mn-Li subgroup Richterite 66.1.3b.9 {Na}{NaCa}{Mg 5 }(Si 8 O 22 )(OH) 2 Group 71 - PHYLLOSILICATES Sheets of Six-Membered Rings Sheets of 6-membered rings with 2:1 layers Phlogopite 71.2.2b.1 KMg 3 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Group 75 - TECTOSILICATES Si Tetrahedral Frameworks Si Tetrahedral Frameworks - SiO 2 with [4] coordinated Si Quartz 75.1.3.1 SiO 2 Group 76 - TECTOSILICATES Al-Si Framework Al-Si Framework Feldspathoids and related species Leucite 76.2.2.1 K(AlSi 2 O 6 ) Unclassified Minerals, Mixtures, etc. '' - 'Apatite' - Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (Cl/F/OH) 'Chlorite Group' - 'Fayalite-Forsterite Series' - 'Garnet Group' - X 3 Z 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 Haggertyite - BaFe2+ 4 Fe3+ 2 Ti 5 MgO 19 'Tourmaline' - A(D 3 )G 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 X 3 Z List of minerals for each chemical element H Hydrogen H Phlogopite KMg 3 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 H Apatite Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (Cl/F/OH) H Vesuvianite Ca 19 Fe3+Al 4 (Al 6 Mg 2 )( 4 )[Si 2 O 7 ] 4 [(SiO 4 ) 10 ]O(OH) 9 H Richterite {Na}{NaCa}{Mg 5 }(Si 8 O 22 )(OH) 2 B Boron B Tourmaline A(D 3 )G 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 X 3 Z C Carbon C Diamond C O Oxygen O Haggertyite BaFe 4 2+Fe 2 3+Ti 5 MgO 19 O Phlogopite KMg 3 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 O Perovskite CaTiO 3 O Apatite Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (Cl/F/OH) O Chromite Fe2+Cr 2 3+O 4 O Wadeite K 2 Zr(Si 3 O 9 ) O Garnet Group X 3 Z 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 O Zircon Zr(SiO 4 ) O Rutile TiO 2 O Vesuvianite Ca 19 Fe3+Al 4 (Al 6 Mg 2 )( 4 )[Si 2 O 7 ] 4 [(SiO 4 ) 10 ]O(OH) 9 O Diopside CaMgSi 2 O 6 O Tourmaline A(D 3 )G 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 X 3 Z O Priderite K(Ti 7 4+Fe3+)O 16 O Richterite {Na}{NaCa}{Mg 5 }(Si 8 O 22 )(OH) 2 O Magnetite Fe2+Fe 2 3+O 4 O Hematite Fe 2 O 3 O Baryte BaSO 4 O Leucite K(AlSi 2 O 6 ) O Quartz SiO 2 F Fluorine F Apatite Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (Cl/F/OH) Na Sodium Na Richterite {Na}{NaCa}{Mg 5 }(Si 8 O 22 )(OH) 2 Mg Magnesium Mg Haggertyite BaFe 4 2+Fe 2 3+Ti 5 MgO 19 Mg Phlogopite KMg 3 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Mg Vesuvianite Ca 19 Fe3+Al 4 (Al 6 Mg 2 )( 4 )[Si 2 O 7 ] 4 [(SiO 4 ) 10 ]O(OH) 9 Mg Diopside CaMgSi 2 O 6 Mg Richterite {Na}{NaCa}{Mg 5 }(Si 8 O 22 )(OH) 2 Al Aluminium Al Phlogopite KMg 3 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Al Vesuvianite Ca 19 Fe3+Al 4 (Al 6 Mg 2 )( 4 )[Si 2 O 7 ] 4 [(SiO 4 ) 10 ]O(OH) 9 Al Leucite K(AlSi 2 O 6 ) Si Silicon Si Phlogopite KMg 3 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Si Wadeite K 2 Zr(Si 3 O 9 ) Si Garnet Group X 3 Z 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 Si Zircon Zr(SiO 4 ) Si Vesuvianite Ca 19 Fe3+Al 4 (Al 6 Mg 2 )( 4 )[Si 2 O 7 ] 4 [(SiO 4 ) 10 ]O(OH) 9 Si Diopside CaMgSi 2 O 6 Si Tourmaline A(D 3 )G 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 X 3 Z Si Richterite {Na}{NaCa}{Mg 5 }(Si 8 O 22 )(OH) 2 Si Leucite K(AlSi 2 O 6 ) Si Quartz SiO 2 P Phosphorus P Apatite Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (Cl/F/OH) S Sulfur S Baryte BaSO 4 Cl Chlorine Cl Apatite Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (Cl/F/OH) K Potassium K Phlogopite KMg 3 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 K Wadeite K 2 Zr(Si 3 O 9 ) K Priderite K(Ti 7 4+Fe3+)O 16 K Leucite K(AlSi 2 O 6 ) Ca Calcium Ca Perovskite CaTiO 3 Ca Apatite Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (Cl/F/OH) Ca Vesuvianite Ca 19 Fe3+Al 4 (Al 6 Mg 2 )( 4 )[Si 2 O 7 ] 4 [(SiO 4 ) 10 ]O(OH) 9 Ca Diopside CaMgSi 2 O 6 Ca Richterite {Na}{NaCa}{Mg 5 }(Si 8 O 22 )(OH) 2 Ti Titanium Ti Haggertyite BaFe 4 2+Fe 2 3+Ti 5 MgO 19 Ti Perovskite CaTiO 3 Ti Rutile TiO 2 Ti Priderite K(Ti 7 4+Fe3+)O 16 Cr Chromium Cr Chromite Fe2+Cr 2 3+O 4 Fe Iron Fe Haggertyite BaFe 4 2+Fe 2 3+Ti 5 MgO 19 Fe Chromite Fe2+Cr 2 3+O 4 Fe Vesuvianite Ca 19 Fe3+Al 4 (Al 6 Mg 2 )( 4 )[Si 2 O 7 ] 4 [(SiO 4 ) 10 ]O(OH) 9 Fe Priderite K(Ti 7 4+Fe3+)O 16 Fe Magnetite Fe2+Fe 2 3+O 4 Fe Hematite Fe 2 O 3 Zr Zirconium Zr Wadeite K 2 Zr(Si 3 O 9 ) Zr Zircon Zr(SiO 4 ) Ba Barium Ba Haggertyite BaFe 4 2+Fe 2 3+Ti 5 MgO 19 Ba Baryte BaSO 4 References Sort by Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A) Jaques, A.L., Hall, A.E., Sheraton, J.W., Smith, J.B., Sun, S.S., Drew, R.M., Foudoulis, C., and Ellingsen, K. (1989) Composition of crystalline inclusions and C-isotope composition of Argyle and Ellendale diamonds. In Kimberlite and Related Rocks, Volume 2: Their Mantle/Crust Setting, Diamonds and Diamond Exploration; Geological Society of Australia Special Publication, 14; 966989. Blackwell Scientific, Cambridge, U.K. Fetherston, J.M., Stocklmayer, S., Stocklmayer, V.C.(2013): Gemstones of Western Australia-mineral resources bulletin 25, Geological Survey of Western Australia (2013): 26 External Links Localities in this Region The Argyle Diamond Mine is well known in the East Kimberley, the Ellendale Diamond Mine is less well known in the West Kimberley. It is located about 150 kilometres east of Derby, south of the Gibb River Road, west of the Fairfield-Leopold Downs Road and south-west of Mount North.Argyle's specialty is pink diamonds, while Ellendale produces yellow diamonds. It is the only diamond mine on the Ellendale field. It opened in 2002 by a company called Kimberley Diamonds. The mine was sold for $3 million (Australian) in 2007, to London based firm Gem Diamonds. Early in 2012 the mine was on the market again, and indicates it has been a struggle as a going concern.Ellendale contains vivid yellow diamonds, lustrous, high clarity, shiny surfaces, rounded dodecahedra, and not stressed like Argyle's diamonds. All production is sold to Tiffany and Co, which is why no rough diamonds have been seen from here on the collector market. It is a tragedy! The mine operates on Ellendale lamproite pipes 4 and 9. From January to September 2011, the mine produced 84 997 carats of diamond. For geology information on lamproite pipes in the region also see Walgidee Hills locality on Mindat.Mindat lists only the main lamproite pipes at Ellendale where significant diamonds have been recovered, and something meaningful can be written. In addition, a few diamonds have been recovered from the following Ellendale numbered locations: 8, 10, 12-15, 17-19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 33, 34, 39, 41 and 42. How to use the mindat.org media viewer Click/touch this help panel to close it. Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image) Controls - all media types Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device. Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen. < and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys. < and > in the bottom center are used for switching between the photos of the same specimen. Keyboard shortcuts: use the left and right arrow keys. > in the bottom center, raises the information box giving details and further options for the media, < at the top of this box then hides it. Keyboard shortcuts: use the up and down arrow keys. ? opens this help window. Keyboard shortcuts: use the H key or the ? key. Other keyboard shortcuts: 1 Fit image to screen 2 Fill screen with image 5 Display at full resolution < Make background darker > Make background lighter space Hide/dim titles and buttons Scalebar If the field of view (FOV) is specified for the photo, the scalebar appears in the left bottom corner of the viewer. The scalebar is draggable and resizeable. Drag the right edge to resize it. Double click will reset the scalebar to it's default size and position. If the scalebar is in default position, double click will make it circular. Controls - Video Video files have a standard set of video controls: - Reset to start, - Skip back, - Play, - Pause, - Skip forwards. Keyboard shortcuts: You can stop/start video play with the P key. Controls - Animation (Spin Rotation) Animation (usually 360 degree spin rotations) have their own controls: - enable spin mode. Note that while images are loading this option will not be available but will be automatically activated when the animation has loaded. Once active you can spin the image/change the animation by moving your mouse or finger on the image left/right or by pressing the [ or ] keys. The button switches to move mode so that you can use your mouse/fingers to move the image around the screen as with other media types. The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control. Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways: - without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method - with stereoscope - with anaglyph glasses. - on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system) For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them. Controls - photo comparison mode If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu. Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder. Summary of all keyboard shortcuts A neighborhood attracting entrepreneurs and small businesses, diverse food and drink options, residents filling streets with culture, protected lanes carving paths for cyclists and pedestrians, and access to steer across the border to Canada, what's not to love about Detroit's Corktown neighborhood? Ford Motor Co. is the latest to join the party, negotiating a deal to purchase the iconic and dilapidated Michigan Central Station in Corktown from Detroit International Bridge Co. owner Manuel "Matty" Moroun. As Ford prepares to celebrate and announce plans for its new venture on Tuesday, here are some reasons why moving to Corktown is good for the automaker. Emily Rose Bennett Eclectic food and drink Corktown offers a plethora of options when it comes to restaurants and bars, from Slows Bar BQ for savory brisket, Takoi for Thai-inspired shareables, Mercury Bar for juicy hamburgers, Ima for noodles and rice, Ottava Via for fine Italian fare, Detroit Institute of Bagels and Folk for breakfast and brunch options, and a whole lot more. The food scene in Corktown caters to meat lovers, vegetarians and vegans. It doesn't end there. The bar scene features Two James Spirits, which was Detroit's first licensed distillery since Prohibition, The Sugar House, an intimate craft cocktail bar, Batch Brewing Co. and several others. Don't Edit Tanya Moutzalias Southwest/Mexicantown neighborhood The Michigan Central Depot is only a few miles from Southwest Detroit/Mexicantown, one of the city's most vibrant communities. The neighborhood features an abundance of authentic Mexican food and local markets. If stopping in for a lunch break, consider topping off your meal with dessert from Mangonadas. Don't Edit Tanya Moutzalias Near downtown Detroit Downtown Detroit is growing quickly. More than $3-billion is being invested into downtown in 2018 alone. The vibrant area features a mix of local and national brands, plenty of food and drink options, the QLine to take you to Detroit's New Center and back, arcades with food and drinks, and several activated outdoor spaces for afternoon or evening strolls. About 10 minutes down the road in Hamtramck, the Fowling Warehouse and Gamer's Gallery offer fun activities that are perfect for office parties or a casual night out. Don't Edit Tanya Moutzalias Close to Canada border Feel like going to Canada for a day? The border is right across from the Detroit train station. Make sure to bring your enhanced license or passport to cross. If you're in the mood for something Detroit has yet to perfect, stop by Frenchy's in downtown Windsor for a glorious poutine. That's fries covered in gravy and cheese curds, and whatever protein you wish. Don't Edit Tanya Moutzalias Contributing to Detroit's resurgence Ford is planning to bring in 220-plus autonomous and electric vehicle employees to The Factory building at 1907 Michigan Ave. Driving in more employees and business to this massive 18-story structure is expected to garner more interest in Detroit and the economy. The city is seeing $5.1 billion in investments in and outside of downtown this year. Developers have even dubbed this rising era for the city as "Detroit 2.0." Don't Edit Don't Edit Tanya Moutzalias Walkability Corktown has seen plenty of painted bike lanes protected by parallel-parked cars, a family-friendly vibe walk-through with easy access to the nearby businesses and even a dog park near the train station. Roosevelt Park also sits in front of the iconic building. If Ford employees need to get to The Factory, it's about a seven-minute walk from the train station or a two-minute drive. Don't Edit Tanya Moutzalias Historic building Ford will house its employees in one of Detroit's most iconic structures that had a heavy impact on the community and non-residents. The vacant building attracted urban explorers and photographers but it also brought in vandals and trespassers. For decades, the building continued to sit and deteriorate, and became an eyesore and symbol of Detroit's blight. The city attempted to demolish it in 2009. Some were excited to see it go, yet others felt it would erase Detroit's history. But in 2015, about 1,000 windows were replaced, asbestos and debris was eliminated and the building was secured from trespassers. Don't Edit Tanya Moutzalias Corktown's cultural events Corktown is a major hub of family-friendly and cultural events. The St. Patrick's Day Parade brings bag pipers, Irish dancers and colorful floats through the Irish neighborhood. Beforehand, runners can participate in the Corktown Races, one of the largest 5km races in Michigan, organizers say. Open Streets, an event promoting healthy activities and interaction between neighborhood businesses and residents, is an annual event that shuts down a stretch of Michigan Avenue to vehicular traffic. Farther out in Southwest Detroit, the Cinco de Mayo parade kicks off from Patton Park to Clark Park. Don't Edit Tanya Moutzalias The Corner Ballpark The ballpark sits on the site of the old Detroit Tigers stadium at Michigan and Trumbull Avenues. The site was transformed into a youth sports facility with a 2,500-seat stadium, artificial turf baseball diamond, Detroit Police Athletic League's headquarters and a banquet hall. The Tigers left the old property, which opened in 1912 as Navin Field, more than 15 years ago and moved into Comerica Park in downtown. The final remains of the old Tigers Stadium were demolished in 2009. Next to the field, a $30-million mixed-used development is being built to feature 111 multifamily apartments and 26,000 square feet of commercial space. Don't Edit Emily Rose Bennett Views of the Detroit-Windsor skylines You really get the best of both world's here. The train depot offers multiple viewing angles of Detroit and Windsor and, in the later hours, it's hard to not look at the lit buildings and reflection off of the Detroit River. It's not a Chicago, New York or Los Angeles grand view. It's a city with special characteristics and grit. It's a place people call home and learn to appreciate. Don't Edit 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. Source: Wikimedia Commons A 44-year-old building owned by the cash-strapped Air India is keeping the airline afloat. The building which once housed its headquarters but now leased out to various firms generates an annual revenue of Rs 100 crore for the company. The iconic 23-storey building now houses offices of Tata Consultancy Services and several government departments. Air India has kept a portion of the ground floor, the three floors above it (first, second, and third), and the top three floors, which the company is also thinking of leasing out soon, according to Mumbai Mirror. Each floor on the building is spread over a carpet area of 10,000 sq ft, and the lease rate in the area is around Rs 350 per sq ft. That means a single floor is fetching the airline at least Rs 35 lakh. Overall it earns an estimated Rs 100 crore per year. Just to give an idea, the amount is just half of the monthly salary paid out to its 21,000 workers. Nearly 17 floors are on rent. It contributes to some extent when the finances are bad, Air Indias chief managing director, Pradeep Singh Kharola said. Supplementing Kharolas thoughts, airlines executive director (finance), Kirti Rao said that in crisis every drop counts. The rentals from the Mumbai building help us generate revenue of Rs 100 crore per annum. Nearly 90% of the building is occupied and now we have a small portion to let out, Rao added. Earlier in the month, the airline asked for Rs 2,000 crore from the government to pay out delayed salaries to its staff. "We have requested the government to restore equity infusion in the airline, which was stopped because of the proposed disinvestment. We are seeking an additional Rs 2,000 crore funds to deal with the present situation," an official said on condition of anonymity. The government of India which owns the career had also proposed 76% divestment in the airline but found no takers . The airline has a debt of over Rs 55,000 crore. Rupert Stadler | Audi | The head of Volkswagen's luxury arm Audi was arrested over the German carmaker's emissions test cheating scandal. Munich prosecutors said Stadler was being detained due to fears he might hinder an ongoing investigation into the scandal. (Image: Reuters) Kenneth Lay | Enron | Founded in 1985 by Lay, the company went on to become an energy-trading giant worth $68 billion by 2000. However, it was later revealed that much of the valuation came by virtue of shady accounting practices and losses not recorded in its financial statements. Within a year, Enron stocks slumped to less than $1 from $90. Not surprisingly, Lay, along with fellow Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling, were convicted of fraud and conspiracy in 2006. (Image: Reuters) Mark Hurd | Hewlett-Packard | The story behind the ouster of Hurd from HP involves $20,000 and actress Jodie Fisher. The reality TV star, who at that time was a contractor for the tech giant, accused Hurd of sexual harassment in a letter to the company in 2010. After the board investigated the matter, it cleared him of any sexual misconduct but found that Hurd had concealed an expense of $20,000 in his reports. Eventually, he had to leave the job. Hurd currently heads Oracle. (Image: Reuters) John Browne | BP | Born to British-Hungarian parents the reason for Brownes fall was lying to a court about how he met his boyfriend. As it was revealed that he had lied about his four-year relationship with Canadian Jeff Chevalier, he had to make an exit after an uproar over perjury accusations. He is currently the Executive Chairman of L1 Energy. (Image: Reuters) David Edmondson | RadioShack | Edmondson had boasted in CV that he had two degrees one in Psychology and one in Theology from Pacific Coast Baptist College in California. Apparently, he completed just two semesters at the college. To top that, the college has never offered a degree in Psychology. He had to resign in 2006. (Image: Reuters) Harry Stonecipher | Boeing | There is a reason affairs between co-workers is frowned upon, especially when two are at different seniority levels. When an anonymous e-mail talking about Harry Stoneciphers affair with a female executive Debra Peabody came to light, the company who had just been hit by a similar scandal, investigated the matter. Eventually, the allegations were found to be true and Stonecipher was ousted. (Image: Reuters) Chung Mong Koo | Hyundai Motor | Koo was found guilty of fraud and embezzlement, having siphoned some $100 million into a slush fund allegedly to bribe officials in 2007. After a trial, he was sentenced to three years in jail. In 2008 he received a presidential pardon. (Image: Reuters) Scott Thompson | Yahoo | The reason for Thompsons ouster from Yahoo was same as Edmondson lying about educational qualification. Apparently, he lied in his resume that he had a degree in Accounting and Computer Sciences. However, he had just one degree in Accounting. Eventually, the company parted ways from him as soon as the revelation was made in 2012. (Wikimedia Commons) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Can collective benefits triumph over self interests? Answer to the question lies at the heart of Tata Steel Europe's merger with Thyssenkrupp's European steel business. Labour unions of Thyssenkrupp, Tata Steel's Dutch and UK operations have voiced their individual concerns about the merger conditions. The labour representatives at the German company aired concerns after earnings of Tata Steel Europe dropped even as Thyssenkrupp's numbers grew. Would the differing performances mean that the German operations will have to support the UK business, which has suffered due to cheap imports? At Tata Steel, the workers in the UK facilities are concerned if the merger will lead to shut down of any facilities, eventually leading to job losses. The doubts have persisted despite Tata Steel promising limited job losses, after the merger. The Dutch facilities have managed to ensure an exclusive provision within the merger. Tata Steel has guaranteed that the Dutch operations would have control over their profits and effectively continue as an independent company. This hasn't gone well with the counterparts at Thyssenkrupp. German labour union representatives have indicated that they could demand the same. But then a joint venture no longer makes sense because every unit would only act on its own, Reuters quoted a union secretary. "The British, the Dutch and the Germans have their self interests that are larger than the collective benefits. This (the merger) is like a steep hill," a senior executive from the industry with considerable experience of working in Europe, told Moneycontrol. The merger Tata Steel Europe and Thyssenkrupp had signed the merger agreement in September, agreeing to create an operation that will be second only to ArcelorMittal in Europe. The formalities were expected to be completed by June, but have been delayed by six months. The two companies had agreed to an equal joint venture, which will also hold debts of Tata Steel and Thyssenkrupp. The two sides have emphasised the benefits of the merger, which would lead to 400 million euros of synergy gains. But the sticky point would be the reduction of 4,000 jobs. But with Tata Steel Europe's performance not matching up to its partner's, Thyssenkrupp's shareholders have called for a renegotiation of terms, especially the equity shareholding. Some have even asked for a compensation from Tata Steel. Representative image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Tata Consultancy Services on Monday opened its new delivery centre in Suresnes, France, its third in the country. The delivery centre, which is located in the Parisian region, can accommodate up to 230 employees. The Suresnes centre is the third after one each in Lille and Poitiers, continuing with TCS's efforts to support national brands in the French economy. The inauguration of the Paris center is the latest example of TCSs commitment to the French market, where we have strengthened our presence in recent years to support customers in this post-digital era. The region stands at an incredibly exciting point in technological history, and as Europes third largest IT services market we are perfectly placed to ensure TCS innovative solutions can help French businesses grow and transform in the Business 4.0 era. We look forward to continuing our support of French companies as they become both more competitive and agile; and collectively making a valuable contribution to the countrys economy in the process, said Rammohan Gourneni, TCS France Country Head, in a statement. TCS set up operations in France in 1992. It bought its then representative and exclusive partner in the region, TKS in 2006. The acquisition laid the foundation for TCS long-term strategic growth into Europes third largest IT services market, and was followed by the opening of a first delivery center in Lille in 2012. TCS acquired French IT services firm Alti in 2013, and opened a second delivery center in 2014 in Poitiers. In two years TCS doubled the number of employees at this center, it said in a statement. Over the past five years, TCS' growth in France has been strengthened by the development of the business sector, and the signing of major contracts with French multi-national customers. For example, TCS and BNP Paribas Securities Services joined forces to transform the asset servicing sector with TCS blockchain Quartz technology. More recently, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) has also partnered with TCS to accelerate the digital transformation of its product portfolio and make these cloud-enabled, fully IP-centric and virtualised. With French President Emmanuel Macron recently outlining his strategy to invest EUR 1.5 billion in artificial intelligence over the next four years, TCS sees a good growth opportunity for itself in the region, the company said. The Congress today alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government had "left no stone unturned to mismanage" the Indian economy and had left it on "choppy waters". Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the BJP-led NDA government and the prime minister have not understood one simple equation that social disharmony and economic progress cannot go hand in hand. "Who is the country's finance minister? The PMO and the Finance Ministry websites have different claims," the Congress leader said. The Indian economy has been on a "downward spiral since 2014", he claimed. "It is because of the strong foundations and fundamental laid by the UPA during its 10 years, from 2004 to 2014, that the Indian economy still continues to work. "Otherwise, the NDA-BJP government has left no stone unturned in order to mismanage the Indian economy and we would like to underscore that response by once again asking who is the finance minister of India?" he told reporters. "The reason why there has been such gross economic mismanagement over the past four years is because the NDA-BJP government and the prime minister have not understood one simple equation that social disharmony and economic progress cannot go hand in hand," Tewari said. Social disharmony is the enemy of economic development, he said. "Money is a coward, money goes to the safest harbour and unfortunately, the spectre of social intolerance, which has been created by the NDA-BJP government and their ideological fellow travellers is a complete anathema and is totally detrimental to any sustained, substantive economic activity," he said. Tewari, a former union minister, asked the prime minister why his government was not coming out with GDP numbers "We would like to ask the prime minister, with great respect and due deference as to who is the finance minister of India? The PMO's website says one thing, the website of the Finance Ministry tells another story. "The gentleman, who is designated as the minister without portfolio on the website of the PMO... Is holding video conferences with officials of the Finance Ministry," he said. "When the Indian economy is really up a creek about the barrel, it is in choppy waters, the prime minister needs to tell this country who is the finance minister... During the economic crisis, not having clarification regarding this reflects a sad state on governance," the Congress leader said. The performance of the economy during the UPA was far better if one goes by the old data released by the United States, China, Brazil and Turkey. This data has changed, Tewari said. "It will show that the economic performance under the UPA was much better than the economic performance of the NDA-BJP government. It will blow the entire canard of policy paralysis which the BJP ran between 2012 to 2014 completely to smithereens, if that data is released," he said. He claimed that in 2009, after global economic meltdown, the UPA government created one million jobs. This government has hardly created 2.5 lakh jobs per year despite promising employment to two crore people, the Congress leader said. Tewari also accused the government of being "hand-in-glove" with "scamsters" such as Nirav Modi, who he said, "has been let to roam free around the world without any action against him". "Nirav Modi's case is just a symptom of the failure of Modi government," he said. He also asked the prime minister whether the current account deficit for the current fiscal has widened to such an extent that international financial institutions are raising serious questions about it. "Is it not a fact that Modi government is not releasing the data based on new base year because UPA's performance was better than NDA? Why the revised GDP series has still not been put out in the public domain? PM Modi must answer some fundamental questions about the economy of India under his tenure," he said. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the settlement of Rs 31,000 crore food account for procurement of wheat and paddy, which he said was wrongly taken over by the erstwhile state government instead of being adjusted between state and central governments. The Chief Minister raised the issue during his meeting with Modi here, an official release said. The Rs 31,000 crore included Rs 12000 crore principal and Rs 19000 crore interest, the Chief Minister said, pointing out that the sum was on account of non-adjustment of accounts for procurement done by state agencies for FCI from 2003-2004 onwards. Singh said he had been pursuing the matter since taking over as Chief Minister and it was now pending for decision with the Finance Ministry. He said the state was facing an high annual interest payment liability and the total interest payoff might touch Rs 65,000 crore, which was untenable for it. The Chief Minister also reiterated his demand for a special package for development of the border areas of Punjab, which he had been pushing in view of the state having an active international border with several thickly populated areas located close to it. Amarinder lamented that the criteria for allocation of funds for Border Areas Development was unfavourable for Punjab and requested Modi's support in correcting the "anomaly", the release said. He also made a strong plea to the Prime Minister for central financial assistance for t celebrations of the 550th Anniversary of Prakash Utsav of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, beginning November 2019. He pointed to the Memorandum already sent by the state government to the Prime Minister for financial assistance of Rs.2,145 crore and for dedicating some national projects in the memory of the First Guru, it said. The Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to constitute an organising committee at national level for commemorating the event in a befitting manner. Pointing out that 100 years of Jallianwala Bagh massacre would be observed on April 13, 2019 at Amritsar, and the Prime Minister chairs the Jallianwala Bagh Trust, Amarinder said he had sent a request seeking grant of Rs 100 crore for development of surrounding areas and related facilities in that city. Taking up the issue of problems of farmers,The Chief Minister reiterated his request for a National Debt Waiver Scheme, besides making the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna 100% centrally funded, it said. During the meeting, the Chief Minister also demanded procurement of alternate crops such as Maize, Pulses and Oilseeds by central agencies. Seeking early clearance of Shahpur Kandi Project on Ravi river which was being taken up as a project of National Importance on 90:10 funding pattern, the Chief Minister said it would help utilise waters of the river more effectively and improve the efficiency of Ranjit Sagar Dam. The Punjab Government has signed an agreement with Jammu & Kashmir but the revised estimate was pending with Government of India for approval, he informed the Prime Minister, the release said. ICICI Bank is discussing a rejig of its top management, a move that could make ICICI Prudential Life CEO Sandeep Bakhshi the group's interim chief, The Economic Times reports. The reshuffle could happen amid investigations into CEO Chanda Kochhar's alleged violation of the code of conduct in the bank's dealings with Videcon Group. "There have been discussions on having the seniormost, Bakhshi, as the officiating CEO, but the board is yet to sign off on this," a source told the paper. The board has not yet signed off on the rearrangement, but the announcement could be made this week, the report said. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the news. "Someone from the bank may also move to ICICI Prudential Life to head it in the interim. But some board members also felt that an interim CEO could be a bit destabilising for the institution." a source told the paper. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) officials have been informally told that Bakhshi could move to a different role, the report added. Also read - ICICI Bank in damage control mode, appoints former SC judge to probe Chanda Kochhar's role ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar is currently on annual leave for unknown duration. The bank has appointed retired Supreme Court Judge BN Srikrishna to head a panel investigating the allegations of corporate misconduct. Owing to the introduction of the Goods & Service Tax, FY18 had been a challenging year for all consumer-centric companies, including innerwear and leisurewear companies (ILCs). What was commendable, however, was their ability to deliver a sustained financial performance. Increased emphasis on product premiumisation, higher advertisement spends, network expansion in smaller and mid-tier cities, foray into clothing, and market share gains triggered by progressive formalisation of the Indian economy post-GST should augur well for all ILCs in the long run. Dollar Industries appears to be reasonably valued, amid ongoing market fluctuations. Page Industries will continue to enjoy premium valuation and can deliver returns in the mid-20s, pretty much mirroring its earnings growth trajectory. We advise investors to accumulate Rupa & Company and Lux Industries on corrections. FY18 result snapshot Barring Rupa, ILCs reported healthy year-on-year (YoY) top-line growth in FY18. Margin expansion was observed in all cases too. Page Industries (exclusive licensee for the Jockey brand in India) dominated its peers in terms of operating and bottomline margins quite comprehensively. For Dollar Industries, the YoY increase in sales was predominantly due to higher volumes. The 10 percent YoY uptick in revenue from its flagship Big Boss mens innerwear brand (40-45 percent of yearly turnover) and benefits from backward integration (spinning) were among the key margin contributors in FY18. The 19 percent YoY sales growth in Lux Industries was largely volume-based and helped neutralise elevated yarn costs. Margin improvement was led by higher chunk of premium product sales, cost savings and forex gains. Revenue growth in Page Industries was attributable to strong traction across its 3 segments: mens innerwear, womens innerwear, and sportswear. Operating leverage on account of cost control measures enabled the company to offset the disadvantage of lower gross margins (because of high raw material costs). Rupa registered the lowest YoY sales growth compared to the competition on account of flattish volume growth. Nonetheless, margins improved YoY because of better product mix and efforts towards product premiumisation. The road ahead Dollar Industries joint venture with Pepe Jeans Europe BV will enable it to manufacture and sell top-end fashion innerwear and athleisure wear under the latters brand name in South Asia from FY19. The company is also venturing into new retail formats (large format stores and exclusive brand outlets) to augment its revenues. Efforts to rationalise costs (particularly commissions offered to distributors), coupled with a tilt towards top-tier product offerings (from 65 percent in FY18 to 70 percent or more in FY19), should yield better margins going forward. To tap the under-penetrated markets in South India, Lux Industries will add 30-40 distributors in the region each year. To boost exports, the management is eyeing European markets. Premium innerwear brand One8 will be launched in Q2 FY19. Collectively, these steps will facilitate top-line growth. The management plans to increase the contribution of high-value innerwear products to total sales (which stood at 21 percent in FY18) over the next 2-3 years. Complete in-house manufacturing (barring stitching activities for low priced products) will help derive economies of scale, thereby improving margins. Page Industries will increase its 'Jockey' exclusive brand outlet count from 470 in FY18 to 1,000 by FY20. Girls wear products will be introduced in H2 FY19 too. The demand outlook for mens products seems promising. A combination of these factors ensures unhindered revenue visibility. To maintain an asset-light business, the management aims to increase the share of outsourced manufacturing processes from 25 percent in FY18 to 40 percent by FY20. The resultant high asset turns should help bolster margins further. To tackle cost pressure and prevent margin dilution, price hikes on some products may be announced. Rupa's management, through its strategic tie-up with foreign brands (FCUK and Fruit of the Loom), is shifting its focus from mass segment to premium products. It expects revenues from 'Fruit of the Loom' products to increase to Rs 100 crore by FY19 end as against Rs 25 crore in Q4 FY18. To facilitate branding and promotional activities, Rupa will spend nearly 8 percent of its total annual turnover in FY19. The move entails creating brand visibility for its top-end brands (Euro, Macroman, FCUK, Fruit of the Loom) to aid margin accretion. Which stocks can one consider at current levels Higher discretionary spending, growing fashion consciousness, enhanced reach of organised retail channels across India, and robust growth potential in relatively smaller womens and childrens innerwear segments are some of the added tailwinds that make us bullish on this sector as a whole. From a company-specific perspective, a lot would depend on how risks associated with volatility in cotton prices, cut-throat competition (especially from foreign brands), changing fashion trends and lack of brand loyalty are mitigated. Dollar Industries trades at a valuation that is considerably less demanding than its peers and possesses the ability to generate earnings at a pace similar to them. The stock has corrected sharply, thus making it investment worthy. Page Industries will continue to command superior valuations given its best-in-class execution capabilities. Investors can look forward to secular returns in the mid-20s going forward. Lux Industries and Rupa trade at heady valuations and may be looked at on corrections. Follow @krishnakarwa152 live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More RN Bhaskar Last fortnight, in a letter that Uday Kotak, managing director Kotak Mahindra Bank, sent out to his shareholders, he talked about three major trends in financial markets. First, he believed that private sector banks would now grow at a much faster rate than public sector banks (PSBs). Hence, while earlier, private sector banks were expected to notch up a 32% market share by 2025, Kotak now expects it to be over 50%. The second is the formalisation of savings a trend he said the country was already witnessing. Thanks to inclusive banking, and a host of other measures like GST, the formalisation of the Indian economy is already underway. The trend of deposits increasing at a rate of 11.7% CAGR is likely to continue. The third is the increasing presence of everything digital. He expects Aadhaar to be a massive game changer. Moreover, as Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog, recently pointed out, The digital payments revolution will trigger massive changes in the way credit is disbursed in India. Kotak could have added a couple of other major trends. Even faster than the growth of private sector banks could be the growth rate in non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) and microfinance companies, backed by private and foreign banks. A fifth trend that will become increasingly discernible will be a super-charged RBI trying to discover ways to ensure that the NPA crisis will not recur in the near future. It has already begun tightening its hold on cooperative banks. It has begun looking at governance issues. And it has begun to question the wisdom of politicians when it comes to pushing projects that are not bankable or even financially viable. While Kotak may be right about the three trends he has talked about this author keeps his fingers crossed about Aadhaar until the Supreme Court verdict on this subject is out. Moreover, it is the last two trends mentioned above that will be worth watching very closely. Already, Indian finance players are scrutinising, with both fascination and alarm, the manner in which foreign companies are getting into the payment and loans segments in India through NBFCs. The current crisis in the Indian banking sector thanks to the soaring NPAs -- has created a vacuum for funding sources. Not surprisingly, a variety of financial entities ranging from mutual funds (MFs) and pension funds to foreign banks and foreign NBFCs have begun seeking out relationships that would help them cater to the credit needs of the Indian economy. As SS Mundra, former deputy governor RBI, recently remarked, In the last few years, NBFCs have expanded their market share strongly, including making some inroads into the bank business. Also, there is significant interconnectedness between banks and NBFCs. So, the time probably is now ripe to have a review of NBFC structures and regulations. That could make the RBI move in quickly with a set of regulations aimed at better governance of financial markets. After all, it has to make up for lost time, and lost credibility. It first lost credibility when it succumbed to the governments pressures on what is termed as demonetisation. Even to date, it does not have ready estimates of total money collected by banks through mobilisation of currency notes deemed illegal. It then got ensnared in its inability to rein in either the private banks or even PSBs as they entered cozy relationships with private entrepreneurs. Not surprisingly, RBI has now said that henceforth its officials will not be on the boards of banks. This is a welcome move because an RBI official cannot be both regulator and participant. Having removed itself from potential conflict of interest situations, the RBI may very soon step in with norms defining conflict of interest situations for others as well. This is because at least three major private banks had managements whose families were actively engaged in financial dealings which come very close to conflict of interest situations. The Securities and Regulations Board of India (SEBI) has already asked ICICI to explain the nature of disclosures made by ICICIs board with respect to transactions that Chanda Kochhar had with private sector promoters who today sport the largest NPAs in India. The RBI has already asked Axis Bank to look for another managing director in place of Shikha Sharma. And if you look at the top 10 NPA burdened banks, the largest private sector banks were those whose managements were possibly engaged in conflict of interest situations. It is also possible that both the RBI and SEBI will begin looking at ways to stanch the conflict of interest situations that managers of banks, MFs and other funds enter into. Many fund managers are known to have purchased prime real estate from developers to whom they had advanced funds. That privatisation of profit was actually money stolen from clients who should have seen it come their way through higher dividends. However, unlike the past, when the RBI had put NBFCs on a very short leash, this time the RBI may allow them some breathing space. The credit needs in India are so huge that many banks currently will not be able to meet those needs. Hence the RBI will have to choose between allowing for a faster economic growth, which will require more credit, and tightening the leash on NBFCs which will stunt growth. Obviously, the former will remain the preferred option. Finally, expect small and medium scale industries to become major beneficiaries of the present financial upheaval. This is what astute observers like Bahram Vakil, founder and partner, AZB Partners, is also quick to point out Earlier, banks were reluctant to deal with SMEs as they involved more scrutiny and more work for small sums. But with big borrowers representing big risk, banks and NBFCs will steer towards SMEs and will try to push them towards capital markets as well to reduce the risk exposure. In fact, just a week ago, no less a person than P Vijaya Kumar, chief general manager at RBI, department of non-banking supervision, stated at a public forum, "You (NBFCs) are trying to be the mirror image of banks, as much of your lending now is towards large corporates and your lending to MSMEs is not much where you get better margins." So even while the NPA burden will crimp the ability of Indian banks to lend as much as the economy might need, this will open up avenues for new participants. Expect the churn in financial markets to become frothier. That in turn will keep the RBI on its toes. Credit Suisse has reiterated its outperform ratings on NTPC and Power Grid on the back of attractive valuations as well as continued strong performance. The brokerage house observed that the power regulator seems to be nudging the sector to more flexibility. It also highlighted how the watchdog was planning three-part tariff plan, leading to more generation incentives. Also Read: Power sector stressed asset resolution will be tougher, but there is good appetite for good assets: Bahram Vakil NTPC has fallen over 7 percent in the past one month, while its three-day loss stood at 2 percent. At 13:31 hrs NTPC was quoting at Rs 157.60, up Rs 1.55, or 0.99 percent, on the BSE. It has touched an intraday high of Rs 157.65 and an intraday low of Rs 156.00. At 13:42 hrs Power Grid Corporation of India was quoting at Rs 198.55, up Rs 0.05, or 0.03 percent, on the BSE. It has touched an intraday high of Rs 198.95 and an intraday low of Rs 196.40. Saudi Arabia, the second largest producer of crude oil to world, faced an attack on its oil infrastructure facilities on September 14, which caused a sharp increase in fuel prices. Do you know where petrol prices were the highest? Here's a list of the countries where petrol is the cheapest and most expensive. (Note: All price comparisons are on rupee terms only. Global rates as of September, 16 2019 - Image: Reuters) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Aviation and oil marketing companies' share prices gained between 2.5 percent and 6 percent after sharp fall in crude oil prices in the international markets. State-run oil retailers Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation rallied 2.5-4 percent while Jet Airways, SpiceJet and InterGlobe Aviation gained 2.5-6 percent. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, has been falling sharply ahead of likely increase in the output by OPEC, Russia and its allies in the meeting in Vienna later in the week. Brent crude futures were at $72.69 per barrel, down 1.02 percent, from their last close while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $63.84 a barrel, down 1.88 percent, from their last settlement. The fall came after crude futures fell around 3 percent on Friday. Oil prices corrected nearly 11 percent from the $80.50 a barrel (the highest level since November 2014) touched on May 17. The producer cartel of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which is de-facto led by Saudi Arabia, and some allies including Russia have been withholding output with since the start of 2017. Producers will meet in Vienna on June 22 to decide forward production policy, reports CNBC. At 09:36 hours IST, the stock price of IOC was up 1.81 percent at Rs 171.15, HPCL up 2.91 percent at Rs 315.10 and BPCL up 1.23 percent at Rs 416.90 while Jet Airways gained 2.19 percent at Rs 395.75, SpiceJet up 4 percent at Rs 115.80 and InterGlobe Aviation up 1.82 percent at Rs 1,241.70 on the BSE. BSE_Sensex_markets India market which managed to recoup morning losses but lost momentum in the second half of the trading session and closed near its crucial support placed at 10,800 on Monday. Weak global cues weighed on sentiment and Nifty50 witnessed sustained selling pressure since morning. The opening level and the intraday high level was almost same which resulted in a Bearish Belt Hold kind of pattern on daily charts. Global stocks slid after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing responded with similar measures in an escalating trade dispute. Risk appetite in the global markets abated after US President Donald Trump gave a fillip to trade tensions by imposing a 25 percent tariff on a list of 818 items of Chinese goods worth around $34 billion, Abhijeet Dey, Senior Fund Manager-Equities, BNP Paribas Mutual Fund. Beijing immediately responded with its own set of tariffs on US goods, making this a game of one up-manship. Benchmark indices traded weak to finally close the day marginally in the red, he said. Sectoral performance on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was mixed. While the auto, healthcare and private banking indices eked out marginal gains, the metals and IT indices lost 1.78 percent and 0.77 percent, respectively. The S&P BSE Midcap index slid 0.18 percent, and the S&P BSE Smallcap index lost 0.77 percent. Top Sensex gainers include companies like ICICI Bank (up 3.6 percent), Tata Motors (up 1.8 percent), Dr Reddys Laboratories (up 1.2 percent), Bajaj Auto (up 0.98 percent) etc. among others. Top Sensex losers include companies like Bharti Airtel (down 1.6 percent), Coal India (down 1.59 percent), Tata Steel (down 1.2 percent), Axis Bank (down 1.1 percent) etc. among others. Stocks in news: OMC stocks remained in focus in otherwise subdued market after Brent crude prices fell in the international market fall below $73/bbl. Shares of oil marketing companies (OMCs) like Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) rose 3.6 percent, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) closed 5.1 percent higher and Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) rose 2.6 percent. Metal stocks were the biggest losers in the afternoon trade as well with Tata Steel, Jindal Steel & Power, JSW Steel, Hindalco Industries, Vedanta, Welspun Corp and Hindustan Zinc being the top losers weighed down by rise in trade war fears. Shares of ICICI Bank soared 3.6 percent as investors cheered the development around the change of guard at the management level. ICICI Bank is discussing a rejig of its top management, a move that could make ICICI Prudential Life CEO Sandeep Bakhshi the group's interim chief, The Economic Times reports. HT Media gained nearly 2 percent after Koovs Plc has signed 2-year ad-for-equity pact with HT Media for 24 million pound, reports CNBC-TV18 quoting Cogencis. PNC Infratech share price fell nearly 4 percent after the UP government has decided to reinvite bids for Purvanchal Expressway and cancelled the company's Rs 1,738.44 crore offer made earlier. Adani Green Energy closed 5 percent higher post listing. Last year, Adani Enterprises demerged its renewable energy business into associate company Adani Green Energy, to simplify the business structure. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) continued to trade at fresh record high of Rs 1870 after it announced a buyback of up to Rs 16,000 crore on Friday which most brokerages think was a bit lower than expectations and is slightly negative on earnings per share (EPS). However, towards the close it lost momentum and ended 0.58 percent lower. In other news/Global Update: Global markets traded lower after the escalated trade war tensions between world's largest two economies US and China. France's CAC and Germany's DAX were down nearly a percent each at the time of writing this article. Among Asian peers, Japan's Nikkei, China's Shanghai Composite and South Korea's Kospi fell 0.7-1.1 percent. Brent crude futures rebounded to trade above $74 a barrel, up a percent amid likely increase in output in the upcoming OPEC and its allies meeting later in the week. Before the recovery, it was down more than a percent to below $73 a barrel in morning. BSE_Sensex_markets live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Shares of Vedanta and Dr Reddys Labs were lower on Monday morning, even as the former replaced the pharma major on the Sensex, effective June 18. Vedanta fell over 3.5 percent as weakness in global metal names weighed on sentiment in such stocks here too. Meanwhile, Dr Reddys Laboratories fell as investors saw risk in its right to launch Buprenorphine and Naloxone sublingual film in the US markets. Vedanta touched a 52-week low of Rs 230.25. Meanwhile, it touched an intraday high of Rs 236.90. Meanwhile, Dr Reddys Laboratories touched an intraday high of Rs 2,356.00 and an intraday low of Rs 2,290.00. The Sensex index has undergone a change, effective June 18, 2018, as Dr Reddys Labs gets replaced with Vedanta. Speaking on the reconstitution, Motilal Oswal observed that weight of metals is set to increase by 130 basis points to 2.6 percent, while healthcare counterpart is set to hit an eight-year low. Also Read: Sensex rejig: Motilal Oswal expects upgrade in combined EPS Vedanta will be included in the benchmark, with weight of 1.3 percent, taking Metals weight to 2.6 percent (+130bp). With this inclusion, the metals sector will have two stocks in the benchmark (Tata Steel having 1.3 percent weight), analysts at the firm wrote in the report. Meanwhile, with the exit of Dr Reddys Labs (weight: 0.8 percent), healthcare stands to lose the most in terms of weight (-70bp to 1.7 percent). Earlier, in December 2017, Cipla and Lupin were excluded from the benchmark, Motilal Oswal further observed. Healthcares weight will now be at an eight-year low, with the exclusion and also due to the significant underperformance of the sector over the last two years. Sun Pharma (weight: 1.7 percent) will be the only healthcare stock in the benchmark index. At 10:27 hrs Dr Reddys Laboratories was quoting at Rs 2,335.00, down Rs 16.10, or 0.68 percent, on the BSE. Meanwhile, Vedanta was quoting at Rs 229.80, down Rs 8.95, or 3.75 percent. Finally the market settled volatile session on a negative note on Monday, tracking global weakness due to escalated trade tensions between world's biggest economies US and China. The rebound in crude oil prices after trading lower in morning also weighed on investor sentiment. Technology, metals and HDFC group stocks pulled the market lower while the buying in oil retailers, auto and ICICI Bank capped losses. The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 73.88 points to 35,548.26 and the 50-share NSE Nifty declined 17.80 points to 10,799.90. Global markets traded lower after the escalated trade war tensions between world's largest two economies US and China. France's CAC and Germany's DAX were down nearly a percent each at the time of writing this article. Among Asian peers, Japan's Nikkei, China's Shanghai Composite and South Korea's Kospi fell 0.7-1.1 percent. The United States imposed an extra 25 percent import tariff on more than 800 Chinese goods, which will be effective from July 6. As a result, China also responded with a 25 percent tariff on certain US products. Brent crude futures rebounded to trade above $74 a barrel, up a percent amid likely increase in output in the upcoming OPEC and its allies meeting later in the week. Before the recovery, it was down more than a percent. On the stock front, oil retailers HPCL, BPCL and IOC gained up to 5 percent due to stable crude oil prices. Aviation stocks like InterGlobe Aviation, SpiceJet and Jet Airways also rallied up to 2.5 percent. ICICI Bank was the top gainer among Sensex 30 stocks, rising nearly 3.7 percent on a media report that the board may be considering an appointment of "interim CEO'. Dr Reddy's Laboratories gained 1.5 percent despite the court has issued a temporary restraining order against the company with respect to further sales and commercialisation of Buprenorphine and Naloxone Sublingual Film within the US. The Nifty IT index fell 0.7 percent on profit booking after a 2.5 percent rally in the last week. Infosys, TCS and HCL Technologies were down 0.6-1.6 percent. Vedanta, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, Hindalco, Bharti Airtel and Grasim slipped 1-3 percent followed by HDFC and HDFC Bank that shed half a percent whereas Tata Motors and Eicher Motors gained 2 percent each. The Nifty Midcap index underperformed frontliners, falling 0.35 percent on weak market breadth. About two shares declined for every share rising on the NSE. June 18, 2018 / 09:02 PM IST ICICI Bank Board appoints Sandeep Bakhshi as Wholetime Director and COO The board of directors of ICICI Bank has appointed Sandeep Bakhshi, as its Wholetime Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO) designate. Bakhshis appointment as COO will be for a period of five years, subject to regulatory approvals, the bank said in a disclosure to exchanges. Bakhshi will be responsible for handling all the businesses and corporate centre functions of the bank. He will take over as the COO from June 19, or on the date of regulatory and other approvals, whichever is later. All executive directors on the banks board and the executive management will report to Bakshi. However, he will report to bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar, the bank added. Kochhar will be on leave until the completion of a probe into the alleged Videocon loan deal involving CMD Venugopal Dhoot and Chanda Kochhars husband Deepak is completed. During Kochhars leave period, Bakhshi will report to the Board. Barely a day goes by without us having to hear something or the other from the world of social media and messaging apps that we have made a part of our collective lived experience. You wake up in the morning, and even before youve brushed your teeth, you know which friend got married and which friend ate mangoes; youve been wished a good morning by the uncle you have never seen and the cousin whos never seen vowels; youve consumed Breaking News from news sources and wondered if the news was broken; youve consumed propaganda and misinformation and casually hit forward becoming complicit in the factory of fake news and its success. All this before you have had your morning cup of coffee. All this on just one app WhatsApp, that app that your allegedly "not tech savvy, Luddite" parents have come to grips with faster than you can say Mark Zuckerberg. The next time they trouble you about what to do with a remote control, point this out, and recite to them that line they told you when you were a kid - where there is a will, there is a way. The point is WhatsApp (and to an extent Facebook) have been instrumental in incorporating the older demographic into the world of mobile technology. And now, one can even start making payments on WhatsApp. Potatoes and tomatoes (and flight tickets and television sets) bought using WhatsApp - assimilation complete. And that story is our Editors Pick of the Day. My name is Seetal, and you are listening to Moneycontrol. Paytm, Googles Tez, the governments own BHIM app, AEPS, USSD, online wallets like Freecharge, PhonePe, Mobikwik, PayU, Money, Oxigen, Jio Money etc etc the online wallet space in India is a very crowded one. To add to these, there are those run by the banks themselves like State Bank Buddy, ICICI Pockets, Citi Master Pass and another by HDFC bank. Entering this field now is one of the countrys favourite apps with over 200 million users WhatsApp. Almost one million people in India are "testing" WhatsApp's payments service, and the company is working with the Indian government, NPCI and multiple banks to further expand the feature to more users, a company official said. The Facebook-owned company does not have a launch date yet but industry watchers expect it to be out for general use in the next few weeks. A WhatsApp spokesperson told PTI, "Today, almost one million people are testing WhatsApp payments in India. The feedback has been very positive, and people enjoy the convenience of sending money as simple and securely as sending messages." WhatsApp has received permission from NPCI to tie up with banks to facilitate financial transactions via Unified Payments Interface (UPI). It has not been without naysayers. Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma had earlier this year alleged that WhatsApp's UPI payment platform has security risks for consumers and is not in compliance with the guidelines. The Reserve Bank of India has mandated all payment system operators to ensure that data related to payments is stored only in India giving firms six months to comply with it. According to sources, the Ministry of Electronics and IT has asked NPCI to check if WhatsApp's payments service conforms to the RBI rules and data security of customers. They added that NPCI has been asked to check that all compliances are in place before the US-based messaging app is allowed to scale up its services. WhatsApp had stated that sensitive user data such as the last 6 digits of a debit card and UPI PIN are not stored at all. While it admitted to using the infrastructure of Facebook for the service, it asserted that the parent firm does not use payment information for commercial purpose. The spokesperson for WhatsApp went on to clarify, "Facebook processes UPI transaction data as a service provider for WhatsApp, and does not use WhatsApp payments transaction data for commercial purposes," Concerns have been growing around security of consumer data on various online social media platforms, especially after the data breach incident at Facebook where data of about 87 million users are harvested illegally by data analytics and political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica. WhatsApp, some analysts, believe is well placed to get into the mobile payments system. Going into this rather crowded marketspace, WhatsApp already has a few advantages. The first advantage WhatsApp has is its large user base. As we said earlier, it has over 200 million users. That is 20 times higher than Paytm's daily active users. Vivek Belgavi, head of financial technology at PwC India said, WhatsApp has a great starting point: a monopoly in chat. High engagement makes it a credible competition. This move could introduce millions into mobile payment systems. This move is obviously a culmination of months of beta-testing. WhatsApp has been taking this seriously considering they had even put an advertisement looking for an India Head where the focus was on Payments, as The Indian Express had reported. Bhakta Kesavachar, CTO and co-founder of Eze Tap, a mobile payments company, elaborated further writing for our sister publication Firstpost said, First, WhatsApp has incorporated payments in its chat application itself. Its not upfront telling its users what the virtual payment address (VPA) is. This will have implications in the future, especially, if a non-WhatsApp user wants to raise a collect. Second, payment space (whether P2P or P2M) can be split into three parts; the owner of the transaction, the processor(s) and the entity which controls the money and its flow. Given this framework, WhatsApp controls only the first; the rest are beyond its control. Then the conformance to NPCI guidelines for the full-scale launch might create friction in the UX significantly affecting adoption. Further payments have a different social behaviour than exchanging messages, users might not flock to payments in WhatsApp as they have in sending and receiving messages. Moreover, WhatsApp, currently, is primarily a P2P app, to make a significant dent in the P2M space, WhatsApp will have to acquire merchants which is not only a considerable task but a different ball game altogether. And last, but not the least, mass adoption of UPI and other digital payments are yet to happen, if WhatsApp can address these issues, it might end up disrupting a dynamic market like that of India a second time round. Concerns about data privacy still abound of course. Facebook and WhatsApp have had a difficult relationship ever since they joined hands together. The Wall Street Journal reported the goings on before Jan Koum, co-founder of WhatsApp, quit the company. The bone of contention privacy. The two companies were founded and continue to believe in entirely different business philosophies. The Washington Post reported WhatsApps founders clashed with Facebook over building a mobile payments system on WhatsApp in India. The NCPI though seems convinced that there are adequate checks and balances in place to prevent any privacy-related disasters from happening. There is no dearth of competition either. PayTM is among the fastest growing companies in the country. A mammoth spending spree saw Paytm beat rivals like FreeCharge and MobiKwik to become Indias largest digital payments brand. News reports have noted that Paytm raised more than $2 billion and counts the Alibaba Group and the Softbank Group as two of its key investors. From a valuation of under $200 million before the start of 2015, Paytm has ballooned to $10.2 billion in 2018. That valuation hinged on the assumption that the PayTM juggernaut shall roll on unchallenged, but that is not going to be the case in the wake of WhatsApp payments, a company with deeper pockets and larger user base. But then again, one must bear in mind that PayTM too enjoys a wide brand recognition, has $1.5 billion in cash on hand, and the backing of major investors. Google Tez has been a favourite of some users, removing the need for a wallet and transacting directly between bank accounts securely. Google Tez recorded 60 million transactions in April this year, and Paytm reported 63 million transactions during the same period. What we have now, therefore, is a showdown among three companies, all of which have brand recognition and backers with the bandwidth and the money to put up a strong fight. The names you may be seeing are WhatsApp, Tez, PayTM, but the Svengalis behind these names are Facebook, Google, Alibaba and Softbank. For a local payment systems war, the fight could not get more global or more gigantic. What WhatsApp intends to do is not merely threaten the prime position enjoyed by PayTM. Some analysts feel the play here is to be the WeChat of India. Chinas WeChat, backed by Tencent, is a social networking app that allows users to do everything from messaging, calling, shopping, payment, and host of other services you can think of in just one app. Citing another Chinese success story, Kunal Shah, founder and former CEO of FreeCharge, says, You have to see what happened in ChinaAlipay was the biggest payments company for years but the market moved towards mobile payments suddenly when WePay came in and became really big, because it was a higher-frequency app. He adds, WhatsApp will lead to a digital payments revolution in India. Not just wallets, even services like NEFT could potentially become irrelevant or less used. Payments are merely one aspect of the multiple avenues WhatsApp hopes to enter. NDTV Gadgets reported recently that, WhatsApp Business is reportedly adding a feature to let businesses offer an online catalogue of their products. While WhatsApp is yet to announce the new development, a screenshot showing the online catalogue feature has emerged online to reveal its existence. It could give a boost to the user base of the business-focused app that already has over three million active users. Last month, it was reported that in addition to the existing Android app, the Facebook-owned team is working on a WhatsApp Business app for iOS to expand its presence. The app is also in the rumours to receive a chat filter feature to help businesses easily find the important messages from their customers. The screenshot was leaked by WhatsApp beta tracker WABetaInfo and shows that the WhatsApp Business app will enable businesses to add information such as Title, Description, Link, and SKU of their products in addition to their images. The app is not likely to offer businesses the option to directly sell their products. Having said that, the online catalogue feature will enable them to easily showcase their new products to customers. People from WABetaInfo additionally claim that the catalogue will be visible in the standard WhatsApp as well. WhatsApp Business was launched in January for Android users in six countries, including India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Britain, and the US. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the company's Q1 2018 earnings call in April highlighted that the app has surpassed the mark of three million active users. WhatsApp has also been in the news recently owing to an important judgment heard at the Bombay High Court. Legal notice or messages sent through WhatsApp messaging app are valid legal evidence under law, and the blue tick over the messaging app is a valid proof that the respondent has accepted the physical copies of the communication, said Bombay High Court. The Bombay High Court, while hearing an application filed by the SBI Cards and Payments Services Pvt Ltd (the claimant) against a resident Rohit Jadhav, observed that the defaulter, who was evading the bank, had not only received the notice in a PDF file but also read its contents. Justice Patel of the High Court noted, I do so because the icon indicators clearly show that not only were the message and its attachment delivered to the respondent's number, but that both were opened." So, blue ticks are no longer the dreaded brandmarks of lovelorn youngsters obsessing over why he/she has not responded, but may yet come to be the bane of those running from lenders. Although not all lawyers seem convinced about the judgment. Personally, I do wonder, what about those who have disabled that feature on their phones? What does the law have to say there? As the country goes more digital the arguments we get to hear in court seem more and more like a rant by an obsessed teenager. We, for one, cannot have enough. What we cannot also have enough, apparently, is fake news propagated by WhatsApp. Abijeet Nath and Nilotpal Das were driving back from a visit to a waterfall in Assam earlier this month when they stopped in a village to ask for directions. The two men were pulled out of their car and beaten to death by a mob that accused them of stealing children. Source of suspicion? Fake news on WhatsApp. The Guardian notes that the problem is near global. In Brazil, WhatsApp has been blamed for a yellow fever outbreak after being used to spread anti-vaccine videos and audio messages. In Kenya, WhatsApp group admins have been described as a major source of politically motivated fake news during recent elections. There are signs that the messaging service is being used as a conduit for misinformation in the UK. How WhatsApp was used in the recent Karnataka elections is all too well known. WhatsApp Election was how some of the most prominent publications from around the world described it. This is, simply put, dangerous. Especially in the wake of a recent report from the University of Oxfords Reuters Institute which said consumers around the world are reading less news on Facebook and are increasingly turning to WhatsApp which has 1.5 billion active users worldwide to share and discuss news stories. Reuters Institute conducted a survey of 74,000 people in 37 markets and has found the world's largest social network Facebook usage drop down 9 percentage points from 2017 in the United States and down 20 points for young users. The study found the average usage of WhatsApp double in four years. It has gone up to 16 percent as more discussions take place on WhatsApp. WhatsApp discussions are more likely to get about 24 percent of respondents take part in a private discussion about news. Also 16 percent are likely to take part in a group created specifically to discuss a news topic. The news is not all grim however. Believing in the end-to-end encryption that WhatsApp promises, the report found that use of WhatsApp for news has almost tripled since 2014 and overtaken Twitter in importance in many countries, especially among younger users. In some countries, such as Malaysia and Turkey, the encryption makes it a far safer place than Facebook for individuals wanting to discuss political issues without attracting the attention of the authorities. But the belief that the parent companys founding philosophies will not seep into its most expensive acquisition is one of either great optimism or sheer ignorance. That WhatsApps co-founder Koum left the company in apparent disagreement about Facebooks privacy standards ought to tell us something. And this concern is what clouds the latest foray by WhatsApp into Payments as well. For a brand that is as prevalent and well-recognised in India as WhatsApp, the challenge here is to get the user to trust it with their money. WhatsApps cousin Facebook recently mired in the data privacy scandal may prove to be an unsavoury family relation, but this is India, and willful ignorance is part of the countrys DNA. We are told that WhatsApp Payments system is safe. Of course. Thank you for joining us. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Jaypee homebuyers stuck in incomplete real estate projects for almost a decade, have now written to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) to consider their suggestions while framing regulations for the implementation of the new ordinance. They have demanded that the voting share of homebuyers be calculated on the basis of principal amount and 15 per cent interest and that the Board allow usage of electronic means for the purpose of voting by homebuyers. Such a provision would ensure that the home buyers are equitably restituted in respect of the inordinate delay they have suffered in the completion of real estate projects. Further, a provision in this regard would be in compliance with the RERA and various orders of the Honble Supreme Court, home buyers have said in the letter written by their lawyers, a copy of which has been shared exclusively with Moneycontrol. They have also submitted that the Board specify the manner of voting in meetings of the Committee of Creditors. We request that the Board allow usage of electronic means for the purpose of voting by homebuyers. Such a manner of voting would be akin to the voting methodology applied for shareholders of listed companies, where a large number of shareholders cast their vote using electronic means, the letter stated. President Ram Nath Kovind on June 6 gave assent to promulgate the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018. The Ordinance provides significant relief to home buyers by recognising their status as financial creditors. It also gives them due representation in the Committee of Creditors and makes them an integral part of the decision-making process. It also enables them to invoke Section 7 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016 against errant developers. Granting of financial creditors status to homebuyers means that they will now be treated at par with banks and institutional creditors and will be given priority while recovering dues from bankrupt or insolvent real estate companies. They will also be allowed to equitably participate in an insolvency resolution process and be a part of the committee of creditors. These changes were based on the recommendations of a high-level law committee chaired by Injeti Srinivas, Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The committee had submitted its report Report of the Insolvency Law Committee in the month of March. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India is empowered to issue regulations for the implementation of the Ordinance. In the letter addressed to MS Sahoo, chairperson of IBBI, as many as 2460 home buyers of Jaypee Infratech Limited (JIL) and Jaiprakash Associates Limited (JAL) belonging to nine associations have requested that IBBI issue the appropriate regulations at the earliest and consider requests of the homebuyers while framing the regulations. Calculation of voting share of homebuyers Homebuyers have said that the basis of calculation of voting share of home buyers should be an aggregate of the principal amounts paid to the real estate developer along with compensation for delay in the form of interest at the rate of 15 per annum on the principal amounts, calculated from the date when the delivery of flats was promised. The letter noted that the Supreme Court and the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) have held in favour of grant of compensation for delay to the home buyers in the form of interest at 12 per cent to 18 per cent per annum, on multiple occasions in the past. In the above context, it is relevant to note that homebuyers are also entitled to claim compensation on account of delay in real estate projects, under sections 18 and 19 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA). Considering the above, it is critical that the Regulations provide for the inclusion of compensation for delay in the form of interest at the rate of 15 per cent per annum on the principal amounts paid by the homebuyers. Such a provision would ensure that the home buyers are equitably restituted in respect of the inordinate delay they have suffered in the completion of real estate projects. Further, a provision in this regard would be in compliance with the RERA and various orders of the Honble Supreme Court. Meetings of Committee of Creditors (CoC) when Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) appointed to represent financial creditors Homebuyers have requested that the regulations clearly lay down that the first meeting of creditors would mean the first meeting of creditors after the coming in force of the regulations. While it is clear that the first meeting of creditors refers to the first meeting of creditors after the coming in force of the Regulations, however, for the removal of any ambiguities, it is requested that the Regulations clearly lay down that the first meeting of creditors would mean the first meeting of creditors after the coming in force of the Regulations, they have said in the letter. Manner of voting of creditors in meetings of CoC. With regard to the new section 25 A that has been inserted in the Code after the coming into force of the Ordinance, home buyers have said that if this is implemented in a literal manner, it would pose an immense logistical challenge for the IRP appointed to represent the financial creditors. The challenge would be especially pronounced in cases where a large number of home buyers are involved in the insolvency process of real estate projects. Home buyers have asked the Board to specify the manner of voting in meetings of the CoC and that it should allow the use of electronic means for the purpose of voting by them. Such a manner of voting would be akin to the voting methodology applied for shareholders of listed companies, where a large number of shareholders cast their vote using electronic means, they say in the letter. They have also pointed to the problems that may arise due to non- participation of some home buyers in the voting process and suggested that the votes cast by the home buyers be extrapolated to be representative of the remaining home buyers who have not cast their votes. For example, if the total number of home buyers are 10,000 and only 1000 homebuyers cast their votes, then it is our suggestion that the 1000 homebuyers should be considered to represent all the 10,000 homebuyers. Accordingly, if 800 out of the 1000 voting homebuyers vote in favour of the resolution plan and 200 homebuyers vote against it, then in such a case, it should be considered that 80% of the total homebuyers (i.e. 8,000 out of the 10,000 homebuyers) have voted in favour of the resolution plan, says the letter. The suggested measures are necessary for the protection of interests of the homebuyers. Further, non-inclusion of the above measures would be contrary to various orders of the Honble Supreme Court and provisions of the RERA, the letter adds. Jaypee Infratech was one of the 12 companies in the first ever list that Reserve Bank of India prepared as cases that needed immediate resolution of their debt under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Jaypees case was referred to the Allahabad bench of the National Company Law Tribunal last year which appointed an insolvency resolution professional to prepare a rescue plan for the company. The 270-day deadline to find a solution to the companys debt problems under IBC lapsed on May 12. As per IBC, a company has to be sent for liquidation if no solution is found within that time but that was not the case because the case is being heard at the SC under public interest. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Akash Jain We believe Sun Pharma is the best play in pharma space and investors can add this stock in their long term portfolio. At the current market price of Rs 571 per share (face value: Re 1 per share), the stock trades at a price to earnings of 52 times FY18 EPS which seems expensive in the near term after the recent rally. However, considering the long term prospects of the company and expected approvals of its products pipeline after the USFDA's clearance of its Halol plant (after nearly 3 years of non-compliance), we believe investors will be rewarded in the longer term. Please note that a warning letter is issued to a manufacturing site if the manufacturer fails to address the violations of good manufacturing practices raised by the US drug regulator to its satisfaction. Though the warning letter doesn't restrict the company from selling products already approved, but it blocks new approvals. Halol plant was engaged in manufacturing every formulation including tablets, capsules, liquids, sterile dry powder injectable, small volume injectable, ointments, soft gelatine caps and andaerosols. It has approvals from key regulators such as USFDA, MHRA (UK), MCC (SA). In FY15, the site accounted for about $400 million of sales, or nearly 15 percent of total sales before the warning letter was issued. Since then, sales from the plant have fallen to 8-10 percent of total sales. In fact, its entire injectable portfolio was filed from Halol site and that held key for Sun Pharmas future growth. The company is transforming itself from being a generic player to a speciality one and has 3 major drugs in its pipeline: tildrakizumab, OTX101 and a newly approved oncology drug Yonsa. Ideally, it would take 2-3 years for these products to ramp up and contribute significant to sales. Remember, Sun Pharma is one of the pioneers among Indian pharmaceutical companies to see tremendous value in investing in research and development (R&D). The companys early investments in R&D, beginning three decades ago, enabled it to make technology its key differentiator and develop a basket of robust products for diverse markets across the world. The company has around 2,000 research scientists working at multiple R&D centres, equipped with cutting-edge enabling technologies. The scientists have expertise in developing generics, difficult to make technology intensive products, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), novel drug delivery systems (NDDS) and new chemical entities (NCEs). The company has 422 approvals and 139 pending abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs). The company has over 40 (API and finished dose) state-of-the-art manufacturing sites spanning 6 continents. These manufacturing units are located in India, the US, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Hungary, Israel, Bangladesh, Mexico, Romania, Ireland, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Malaysia. The units ensure that we are able to provide best-in-class products to patients across 150 countries worldwide. The manufacturing operations are focused on producing generics, branded generics, speciality, over-the-counter (OTC) products, anti-retrovirals (ARVs), APIs and intermediates in the full range of dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, injectables, ointments, creams and liquids. The company also manufacture speciality APIs, including controlled substances, steroids, peptides and anti-cancers. It has a diversified revenue mix with US formulations accounting for 45 percent, India branded formulations at 26 percent, emerging markets 15 percent, Western Europe and other markets 9 percent and API and others 5 percent. The US business was under pressure since the USFDA warning letter for its Halol facility as it has not received any product approval from Halol facility in the last three-and-a-half years. The facility contributes 8-10 percent of US sales, down from over 15 percent at the time of the warning letter. The facilitys contribution later declined to about $250 million. On June 12, the company said it had received an establishment inspection report (EIR) from the USFDA for its crucial Halol facility in Gujarat indicating closure of inspection. The EIR will allow Sun Pharma to restart supplies from the Halol facility to the US. The latter alone contributes around 40 percent of its overall sales in FY18. US revenue degrew 34 percent year-on-year as the company was struggling with pricing pressure in that market. Disclaimer: The author is Vice President Equity Research, Ajcon Global. The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Current resolution of the Halol issue would augur well for the company. We can expect visibility on key approvals including Xelpros, Elepsia, Vagifem, etc. Going forward, the management's focus will shift to its specialty pipeline (Llumya, Yonsa and Seciera to launch in FY19). Going forward, it is looking to launch 3 speciality generic product like Yonsa (Q1 FY19), Tildrakizumab (IL-23) (in Q2) and OTX-101 (possibly H2). The company has also received approval for gGlumetza and will be commercialising it in the US soon. In addition, we believe improvement in Taros US business along with a ramp-up in non US markets such Europe, emerging markets and India will help to sustain margins. Unrest in Kashmir Terming the situation in Kashmir "deplorable" and claiming that it was beyond the control of the BJP-led government, Youth Congress national president Keshav Chand Yadav has said the Centre should convene a meeting of leaders of different opposition parties to discuss the issue. "The foreign policy of this government has miserably failed. Its internal policy is also in doldrums. It should call a meeting of leaders of opposition parties to discuss the Kashmir issue," Yadav told reporters here last evening. He said the fact that Pakistan's flags were being unfurled in the Valley and jawans were getting killed or becoming victims of stone-pelting showed that as regards Kashmir, the policy of the current dispensation had completely failed, in spite of a BJP government at the Centre as well as in Jammu and Kashmir. Yadav reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his promise to bring 10 Pakistani heads for the head of one Indian soldier and alleged that the government had made even the killing of jawans a "jumla" (gimmickry). "Without any plan to check the infiltration of terrorists and without deploying additional troops at the border, a truce was declared on account of Ramzan," he said, adding that the worst part of the government's Kashmir policy was that those who were loyal to India in the Valley would also have to suffer. Alleging that the prime minister was not even prepared to listen to the majority of his own partymen, Yadav said the country was passing through an "undeclared emergency". Claiming that democracy was "murdered" with the formation of BJP-led governments in some states, even though the saffron party fared poorly compared to other parties in the elections, the Youth Congress chief said at least a committee should be formed to prevent "open horse-trading". Condemning certain remarks made by BJP leaders against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, he said it exposed the culture of the saffron party. Yadav claimed that the people of the country would give a befitting reply to the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when like-minded parties would elect Rahul Gandhi as the prime minister. The Youth Congress chief said he was in favour of elections being conducted on ballot papers, instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs). Vijay Mallya The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed fresh charges against businessman Vijay Mallya under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance in the the IDBI Bank-Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) bank loan fraud case, sources told Moneycontrol. Mallya is the first person to be booked under the new regulation. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court will now begin the process to declare Mallya a fugitive. Sources said that Mallya's assets attached in relation to the Kingfisher Airlines bank loan fraud case will be auctioned under the new law. The ED will also be able to attach all properties belonging to Mallya in India and abroad under the new law, they added. Enforcement authorities have already attached more than Rs 6,000 crore worth of the beleaguered businessman's assets. It was reported by PTI on Sunday that the ED was set to file a fresh charge sheet against Mallya and his companies on charges of money laundering and allegedly cheating a consortium of nationalised banks to the tune of Rs 6,027 crore. The central probe agency was said to be seeking court's permission to "confiscate" more than Rs 9,000 crore worth assets of the beleaguered businessman and his firms under the recently promulgated Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance. The ED had in 2017, filed its first charge sheet against Mallya, who is now in London, in the Rs 900 crore bank loan fraud case. It is said to have attached assets worth Rs 9,890 crore in this case till now. A Chinese national was arrested at a guesthouse in Patna after police found him to be illegally possessing liquor, according to a report by the Indian Express. However, the accused reportedly tested negative for alcohol in his system in a breath analyser test. There were nine other Chinese nationals present at the guesthouse, which was booked in the name of Oppo Mobiles, news agency ANI tweeted. "We conducted raids at Alinagar area. We are waiting for second person to return from Bhagalpur to question him as a liquor bottle was also found from his room. If he does not return soon, we will send a team to Bhagalpur," Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj told the newspaper. In a slightly different version of the events that unfolded, NDTV reported that two Chinese nationals were arrested by policemen, and that both were found to be in a drunken state at the time of arrest. In 2016, the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government had imposed a ban on sale of alcohol in the state. In a statement issued after the incident came to light, Oppo said that its employees had acted in a personal capacity and that their actions do not represent the company's views or intentions. "We are cooperating with the local authorities to ensure that the investigation can be done smoothly and will provide all possible information required. We will take necessary action and ensure that this kind of incident does not happen in the future," the company said. Pramod Muthalik, chief of right-wing outfit Sri Ram Sene, likened slain Bengaluru journalist Gauri Lankesh to a dog while addressing an audience on Monday. Hitting back at the critics who questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modis silence on the murder of the veteran journalist, Muthalik was quoted by ANI as saying, Two murders took place in Karnataka and two in Maharashtra in Congress rule. No one questioned Congress governments failure. Instead, they are asking why PM Modi is silent and not speaking on Gauri Lankeshs death. Is Modi responsible even if any dog dies in Karnataka? Muthalik later defended his statement saying he did not directly compare Gauri Lankesh to a dog and was instead making the point that Prime Minister Modi cannot possibly comment on every death in Karnataka. Disgusting,nauseating, revolting...vigilante group Sri Ram Senes Head Pramod Muthalik compares assassinated journalist Gauri Lankesh to a dog. Mr Prime Minister @narendramodi you did not condemn Gauri Lankeshs murder are you now going to condone this too https://t.co/V3do2n5wIv Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) June 18, 2018 Congress National Spokesperson Manish Tewari reacted to Muthaliks statement on Twitter as disgusting, nauseating and revolting. Recently, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which was set up to investigate Lankeshs murder, had summoned Sri Ram Senes Vijaypura district president Rakesh Math for questioning. This decision was made after suspected shooter Parashuram Waghmare was confirmed to be an active member of the Sri Ram Sene and was being interrogated for links with Lankeshs murder. Waghmare had reportedly confessed to killing Lankesh in order to save his religion and was arrested from Karnatakas Vijaypura district a few days ago. Veteran journalist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead by two unidentified bike-borne assailants outside her house in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017. June 18, 2018 / 05:39 PM IST Open to discussions: IAS officers after Kejriwals assurance on security IAS officers of the Delhi government today welcomed Arvind Kejriwal's assurance that he would ensure their safety, saying they are open to formal discussions with the chief minister on the matter. The officers said that they look forward to "concrete interventions" for their security and dignity, a move that may break the four-month-long impasse between the AAP dispensation and the bureaucrats following an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by some ruling party MLAs at the chief minister's residence in February. The association of officers of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union territories) cadre said that they continue to be at work with "full dedication" and "vigour". "#DelhiAtWork #NoToStrike Officers of GNCTD welcome Hon'ble CM's appeal. We reiterate that we continue to be at work with full dedication & vigour," the association tweeted. "We look forward to concrete interventions for our security & dignity. We are open to formal discussions with Hon'ble CM on this matter," it said. @Tesla This is what happened to my husband and his car today. No accident,out of the blue, in traffic on Santa Monica Blvd. Thank you to the kind couple who flagged him down and told him to pull over. And thank god my three little girls werent in the car with him pic.twitter.com/O4tPs5ftVo Mary McCormack (@marycmccormack) June 16, 2018 Director of some episodes for the Netflix show, 13 Reasons Why is still searching for a reason why his Tesla car caught fire in the middle of traffic in California. His wife and actor Mary McCormack posted a video online where flames can be seen bursting out of the bottom of the car. In her tweet, she tagged Tesla and specified that the fire was not due to an accident and was completely out of the blue. Fortunately, a couple flagged her husband down and asked him to pull over and there were no injuries. She was glad that her three daughters were not in the car at that time. As per a report by The Guardian, Mary McCormack, the wife of producer and director Michael Morris also confirmed that the car was not running on autopilot at the time and it was a normal Tesla. Fire-fighters were immediately rushed to the scene who extinguished the flames quickly. William Nash, Sheriffs Lieutenant in West Hollywood confirmed that some officers saw smoke coming out of the car which was followed by fire. They immediately called the fire-fighters for assistance. He also said that the driver had got out of the car in time and there were no injuries due to the incident. The log entry points towards the possibility of a faulty battery as the cause, he said. The report also quotes Tesla calling it an extraordinarily unusual occurrence. Tesla has further confirmed that it is investing the reason behind the fire. The Twitterati have responded to McCormacks tweet in large numbers with views both in favour of and against Tesla. Rajnath Singh The Centre today 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. 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. CPM 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. From Sangam to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Bollywood's fascination with Switzerland has been well documented. In order to build on that relationship, Switzerland's tourism board has once again appointed Ranveer Singh as their brand ambassador. In our last years campaign, Ranveer showcased the fun and adventurous side of Switzerland, whereas this time around we have highlighted one of Switzerlands hidden gems - the Lake Geneva Region. Its a bit more relaxed and focuses on the finer things of life such as gastronomy and wine, music, culture and romance, said Claudio Zemp, director, Switzerland Tourism India. Zemp spoke to Moneycontrol about the 'Bollywood effect' and the factors which draw Indians to the Alpine nation. Excerpts: In the last ten years, we have seen 8.2 percent growth every year on an average in terms of Indians visiting Switzerland except for 2016, when we saw only about 1% because of some internal visa issues. Thanks to Ranveer Singh, who came on board in August last year, we saw an immediate surge in travellers from India. There was a double digit month on month growth after August and that accumulated to a total growth of 23.4% in 2017 for us. We bank on our Bollywood connect and shall continue to do so in the future. Like I said, we saw an immediate surge in traffic after Ranveer came on board. So we extended the original contract of collaboration for one year to another year-and-a-half. While the Bollywood movies, especially those from Yash Raj Films, have glorified our locales, we felt the challenge was that the traditional Indian perception of Switzerland is just that of a family or a romantic holiday destination. We are promoting ourselves as an outdoor location where people can take up sky diving, parasailing and white water rafting. We are also popularising destinations that people dont generally consider while in Switzerland like the Lake Geneva Region, which includes the cities of Montreux and Lausanne. As the face of the brand, the infectious enthusiasm with which Ranveer shot the ad, would make everyones inner traveller want to plan a trip to Switzerland rightaway. Our new campaign features Ranveer taking viewers through some of the most beautiful places to visit, be it Lausanne, Montreux, Chateau de Chillon, Lavaux Vineyards, Chaplins World, Olympic Museum, Queens Studio and Glacier 3000, among others. Ranveer is also seen soaking in the beauty and scenic views of the Swiss Riviera. Furthermore, viewers can also catch a glimpse of the special Ranveer on Tour train on the Golden Pass Line, now available for the world to hop on to. A special train was launched in Switzerland during his last trip as a tribute to his contribution to tourism promotion of Switzerland. While Switzerland is a round the year destination, we are trying to promote autumn because it is one of the best times to be in our country. What is the average number of nights people spend in Switzerland?Average time spent in Switzerland is generally between three and four days. Switzerland is always part of a bigger European holiday and the Indians prefer staying in and around Zurich, Lausanne or Interlaken. As for the money spent, Indians are the highest spenders in Switzerland after the Gulf countries and China, spending 310 Swiss Francs (Rs 21,200 approximately) per person per night. Until 2017, it was 240 Swiss Francs (Rs 16,412 approximately). There are a lot of Indian restaurants and some of the travel companies travel with their own Indian chefs so that guests can get the food they want. We even have vegetarian restaurants but the new age travelers especially the millenials are looking at European food and wanting to experiment with it. Some guests tell the tour operators that they do not want any Indian food while on the trip. Visitors walk near the Audi RS Q3 during the media preview of the Johannesburg International Motor Show, in Johannesburg October 17, 2013. The show runs until October 27. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS) - RTX14F0W The head of Volkswagen's luxury arm Audi was arrested on Monday, the most senior company official so far to be taken into custody over the German carmaker's emissions test cheating scandal. Munich prosecutors said Rupert Stadler was being detained due to fears he might hinder an ongoing investigation into the scandal, plunging Volkswagen (VW) into a leadership crisis. News of the arrest comes as VW's new group CEO Herbert Diess is trying to introduce a new leadership structure, which includes Stadler, and speed up the group's shift towards electric vehicles in the wake of its emissions scandal. "As part of an investigation into diesel affairs and Audi engines, the Munich prosecutor's office executed an arrest warrant against Mr Professor Rupert Stadler on June 18, 2018," the Munich prosecutor's office said in a statement. A judge in Germany has ordered that Stadler be remanded in custody, it said, to prevent him from obstructing or hindering the diesel investigation. Audi and VW confirmed the arrest and reiterated there was still a presumption of innocence for Stadler. Stadler himself was not immediately available for comment. A spokesman for Porsche SE, the company that controls VW and Audi, said Stadler's arrest would be discussed at a supervisory board meeting on Monday. VW admitted in September 2015 to using illegal software to cheat U.S. emissions tests on diesel engines, sparking the biggest crisis in the company's history and leading to a regulatory crackdown across the auto industry. The United States filed criminal charges against former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn in May, but he is unlikely to face U.S. authorities because Germany does not extradite its nationals to countries outside the European Union. The Munich prosecutors said Stadler's arrest was not made at the behest of U.S. authorities. The executive was arrested at his home in Ingolstadt, in the early hours on Monday, they said. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini arrives at an international conference on the future of Syria and the region, in Brussels, Belgium. (Reuters) The European Union today rolled over for another year tough sanctions imposed over Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The measures prohibit certain exports and imports, and ban investment and tourism services by EU-based companies in Crimea. "The Council (of EU member states) extended the restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia until June 23, 2019," the bloc said in a statement. "Four years on from the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, the EU reiterated that it does not recognise and continues to condemn this violation of international law," it said. The sanctions were imposed in the wake of Russia's annexation of the strategic Black Sea peninsula in March 2014. More than 10,000 people have been killed since the Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in eastern Ukraine in April 2014 following the annexation. The EU insists Russia must be held to account for its support of the rebels. But Moscow says Brussels is at fault for aiding the overthrow of a legitimate government in Kiev, referring to the ouster of a pro-Russian president in February 2014 after three months of sometimes deadly protests. In addition to the Crimea measures, the EU has a range of other sanctions in place related to Russia's activities in Ukraine, including damaging economic sanctions and individual travel bans and asset freezes targeting more than 150 people. Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of funnelling troops and arms across the border. Moscow has denied the allegations despite overwhelming evidence that it has been involved in the fighting and gives open political support to the rebels. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia waves to activists as she arrives for a rally in Dhaka in this file picture taken January 20, 2014. A Bangladesh court issued an arrest warrant on March 30, 2016 for former prime minister and opposition leader Zia over a deadly firebombing attack last year, a prosecutor said. REUTERS/Andrew Biraj/Files - GF10000365774 Bangladesh's imprisoned former prime minister Khaleda Zia is critically ill and not able to walk on her own, a senior leader of the main opposition BNP has said. The 72-year-old three-time former premier was jailed for five years in February in connection with the embezzlement of 21 million taka (about USD 250,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her late husband Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler-turned-politician. Khaleda used to walk to the family members whenever they visited her at the jail but now she is critically ill, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was quoted as saying by The Daily Star. He urged the government to let her take treatment according to her wish and take proper measures in this regard. Fakhrul, quoting the relatives of Zia's relatives, claimed that she is not able to even walk on her own. She is lodged at a 200-year-old prison in Dhaka for the last four months. Last Month, Zia was granted bail by the Supreme Court which upheld a high court order in her favour considering her old age and health issues. Her lawyers, however, said that the verdict was unlikely to bring her out of prison as her bail pleas in at least five similar cases were pending. Zia's imprisonment has led to a question mark over the BNP's participation in the elections in December this year as the party said it would not take part in the polls without her. The BNP-led four-party alliance, with fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami being a crucial partner, boycotted the last elections in 2014, protesting against prime minister Sheikh Hasina's scrapping of the practice of having a caretaker government oversee elections. The BNP had termed the elections as "farcical". Global money laundering watchdog Financial Action Taken Force (FATF) may include Pakistan in its 'grey list' for failing to control terrorism financing. The body is expected to make the announcement at its plenary meet in Paris at the end of this month, reported The Economic Times. In February, the body had decided to include Pakistan in the grey list by a consensus decision. A formal decision, however, is not announced yet. Pakistan will have to submit an action plan to control terrorism funding and give a political undertaking if the country wants to escape being grey-listed. If the country fails to adopt a proper action plan, it may run the risk of being included in the 'black-list' in future. Currently, Iran and North Korea are included in the black-list. This motion was jointly moved by the United States, UK, France and Germany. During their meet in February, countries including India had put forth strong arguments against Pakistans efforts to control financing of terrorist groups. China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had also agreed to put Pakistan in the grey list. While Pakistan had taken action against Hafiz Saeed, the global watchdog felt that the move was not sufficient. Pakistan requires the support of three FATF members to override the decision of grey-listing. As of now, it has garnered only Turkey's assistance. The global body has 35 members and two regional organisations European Commission and GCC. If grey-listed, Pakistan may suffer a risk of being downgraded by international lenders such as IMF, World Bank, ADB and EU. Google will invest $550 million in Chinese e-commerce powerhouse JD.com, part of the US internet giant's efforts to expand its presence in fast-growing Asian markets and battle rivals including Amazon.com. The two companies described the investment as one piece of a broader partnership that will include the promotion of JD.com products on Google's shopping service. This could help JD.com expand beyond its base in China and Southeast Asia and establish a meaningful presence in US and European markets. Company officials said the agreement initially would not involve any major new Google initiatives in China, where the company's main services are blocked over its refusal to censor search results in line with local laws. JD.com's investors include Chinese social media powerhouse Tencent Holdings Ltd, the arch-rival of Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, and Walmart Inc. It also has a partnership with French retail giant Carrefour SA. Google is stepping up its investments across Asia, where a rapidly growing middle class and a lack of infrastucture in retail, finance and other areas have made it a battleground for US and Chinese internet giants. Google recently took a stake in Indonesian ride-hailing firm Go-Jek, and sources have told that it may also invest in Indian e-commerce upstart Flipkart. Google declined to comment on the rumoured Flipkart deal. The JD.com investment is being made by the operating unit of Google rather than one of parent company Alphabet's investment vehicles. Google will get 27.1 million newly issued JD.com Class A ordinary shares as part of the deal. This will give them less than a 1 percent stake in JD, a spokesman for JD said. For JD.com, the Google deal shows its determination to build a set of global alliances as it seeks to counter Alibaba, which has been more focused on forging domestic retail tie-ups. Japan's Softbank Group Corp, which is making big internet investments around the globe, is a major investor in Alibaba. "This partnership with Google opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers throughout the world," said Jianwen Liao, JD.com's chief strategy officer, in a statement. Company officials said the deal would marry Google's market reach and strength in analytics with JD.com's expertise in logistics and inventory management. 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. Supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan react during an election rally in Istanbul, Turkey. (Image: Reuters) Participants compete during a race to mark Tung Ng or Dragon Boat Festival at Tolo Harbour in Hong Kong. (Image: Reuters) World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) activists install a painting of a bucket wheel excavator in front of Brandenburg gate to protest against open cast mining in Berlin, Germany. (Image: Reuters) A person from the Kashmiri Pandit community arranges traditional earthern lamps at the replica of Kheer Bhawani temple, during preparations for 'Jyeshthaashtami' annual congregation in Jammu. (Image: PTI) Passengers get off a train which operation was suspended after an earthquake in Takatsuki, Osaka prefecture, western Japan. (Image: Reuters) People participate in a protest against a recent U.S. immigration policy of separating children from their families when they enter the United States as undocumented immigrants, in Texas, U.S. (Image: Reuters) An artificial flower is seen on a turban of a peace marcher as he arrives in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Image: Reuters) Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Finnish counterpart Timo Soini meet at the meeting of the UN Secretary General's High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation organized in Helsinki, Finland. (Image: Reuters) Activists of All Assam Students Union (AASU) takes out a protest rally against the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2018, in Guwahati. (Image: PTI) Emirates Islamic, one of the leading Islamic financial institutions in the UAE has appointed Salah Amin as its new chief executive officer. Amin brings nearly 30 years of experience in the banking industry, having started his career at Emirates NBD Group in 1989. Amin has a solid background in operating businesses, having worked in senior managerial roles including head of branches and head of Corporate Banking Unit before taking on his latest role as executive vice president, head of Corporate Banking Group, Emirates NBD. I am pleased to welcome Salah Amin to his new role and wish him success in building further on Emirates Islamics market leading position, said Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim, chairman of Emirates Islamic and vice chairman and managing director Emirates NBD. Amin succeeds Jamal Bin Ghalaita, a seasoned veteran who retires after 28 years of service with Emirates NBD Group. Jamal will serve as advisor to Emirates Islamics chairman until the end of 2018. Throughout his career with the Group, Bin Ghalaita took on a number of leadership positions contributing significantly to building Emirates NBD and Emirates Islamics highly successful retail and wealth management businesses. Jamal Bin Ghalaita was the linchpin of Emirates Islamics remarkable brand transformation to one of the fastest growing and most successful banks in the UAE, continued Al Qassim. On behalf of the Board and management of Emirates Islamic and Emirates NBD Group, I would like to thank Jamal for his immense contributions during his tenure as we bid him a fond farewell. - TradeArabia News Service Toronto, June 18, 2018 Oppono Lending Company, a fast-growing Toronto-based lender focused on the alternative mortgage market, is pleased to announce that Steve Futyer has joined the Company as Vice President, Business Development, effective today. Mr. Futyer is a seasoned financial services professional with over 20 years of broad-based experience in all aspects of alternative mortgage lending including management, sales and service, marketing and technology as well as advertising and customer service. His background includes multiple positions with Equity Financial Trust, CFF Bank, Moncana Bank, Resmor Trust and AGF Trust. With Steve joining our team to lead business development in the GTA West region, Oppono now effectively covers the entire GTA, said Raj Babber, Founder and CEO of Oppono. Steve joins Ajay Kaith in GTA East and Danilo Savo in GTA Central and North, ensuring that our business development team is meeting Opponos commitment to be a broker-focused organization with a strong customer service orientation, right across our target market. With latest numbers from Statistics Canada showing that the national debt-to-disposable-income ratio has declined by the greatest amount on record in Q1, analysts argued that this marks the beginning of Canadian households decreased dependence on debt. The ratio went down to 168% in the first quarter of 2018, from 169.7% in the previous quarter. The 1.7% decline was the largest in record dating back to 1990. Disposable income grew by 1.3%, and credit-market debt increased by a miniscule 0.3%. Mortgage borrowing declined by $2 billion (down to $13.7 billion) quarter-over-quarter. Statistics Canada also noted that Canadas latest housing price index stood flat in April, with Toronto exhibiting its first annual decline since 2009. The Canadian rental property segment has grown to the extent that companies everywhere are looking to cash into the phenomenon and private property management firm Cadillac Fairview Corp. is the latest to throw its hat into the ring. Today in certain markets, you can get the rents to justify developments and thats quite frankly why were thinking about it, Cadillac Fairview president and CEO John Sullivan told Bloomberg. Sullivan noted that just a few short years ago, volume wasnt sufficient to make rentals a worthwhile venture. The company is looking at apartment projects in Toronto and Vancouver to augment the income from its already-developed condo buildings. We had 50,000 people in the line for that program when it was cancelled, and even 2,000 a year paying $1mln a year would be $2bln annually into the space. Tansey was spurred to action by what he considers misinformation about the purported impact foreign purchasers of real estate actually have locally. He makes a cogent case. If you look at all the immigrant investors that came into B.C. in one year, if every one of them bought an above-average-cost housemaybe a home for a few million dollarsthe total cost of that spending would have been $500mln in Metro Vancouver, said Tansey. There was $37bln of residential real estate transactions last year, and if you look at the 1,100 people from the Quebec version, its far too few of them to have an effect. The supply side issues are much more significant and I think its simple economics: If the number of new household formations in Metro Vancouver is higher than the rate of housing starts, and housing is already fully subscribed, youre always going to have more people looking for homes than there are homes available, and its just going to drive up prices. However, the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program hasnt been cancelled. It has been reported that those who use it dont even bother touching down at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal. Instead, they go straight to British Columbia. How naive are we that people are going to use the Quebec program and set up a home in Montreal? Im sure some do, but by far the majority end up coming to Vancouver, and some go to Toronto, said Robert Mogensen, a broker with The Mortgage Advantage. A Student Health Advisory Committee report recommends adding 12 crisis counselors to support the mental health needs of Midland ISD students. The additional staffers are being requested in light of our focus on mental health programs and the continued need to be vigilant and proactive with the well-being of our students throughout Midland ISD, the committee said. Childrens mental health needs have become a priority recently as the Midland Development Corp. recently completed a deal with Texas Tech University to create a West Texas hub for child psychiatry. The center will see as many as 9,000 children a year, according to a previous Reporter-Telegram article. RELATED: Tech: Psychiatry program in Midland will change lives The SHAC committee also recommended, according to agenda packet information on the school districts website, that Tele-Med offered by Texas Tech Health Science Center be implemented at the freshman and senior high campuses, with modifications. Instead of the exclusive use of tele-conferencing, fellows from Texas Tech would work with students. The committee also is seeking the addition of three float RNs to provide staffing based upon student needs and to alleviate the high student-to-nurse ratio at larger campuses such as Goddard, MHS, LHS, and Abell. Substitute fill rates, according to the report, have decreased from 72 percent in 2015 to 35 percent in 2018. Market forces make it difficult to recruit and retain substitute nurses. Float nurses would work alongside experienced school nurses at high enrollment campuses, providing extended precepting for new school nurses. Twenty-eight percent of the student enrollment at MISD has serious medical conditions, the report states. MHS currently has an enrollment of 2,223 students, and 50 percent of the student population has medical conditions (many requiring frequent nursing intervention). Float nurses would also help cover campuses when substitutes are not available. Substitute fill rates, according to the district, have decreased from 72 percent in 2015 to 35 percent in 2018. Market forces make it difficult to recruit and retain substitute nurses, the report states. Float nurses would work alongside experienced school nurses at high enrollment campuses, providing extended precepting for new school nurses. When full time openings occur in the district, the float nurses would transition into full time positions after floating for a minimum of six months to one year. The nursing staff currently sees an average of 1,000 students a day districtwide, according to the district. SHAC members also recommend that the social emotional learning tool of mindfulness be brought into the classrooms, counseling and physical education programs throughout MISD. The committee has identified the curriculum Mindful Classrooms, which is currently being used throughout Austin ISD and was written by one of their directors in the Social Emotional Learning Department, according to the district. Mindful Classrooms offers five-minute sessions to be administered by staff/teachers daily in efforts to reduce stress and anxiety within schools, improve academic performance and aid self-regulation. This is done through mindful breathing exercises, stretching, cognitive discussion and interactive activity. Recess for elementary kids SHAC members also are recommending that elementary schools provide 30 to 60 minutes of recess daily. We recognize the importance of unstructured play as being separate and distinct from physical education class and acknowledge that recess specifically provides children with discretionary time to engage in physical activity that develops healthy bodies, healthy minds and the opportunities to practice life skills, the report states. RELATED: MISD parents advocate for more elementary school recess To maximize its benefits, its recommended that recess be scheduled at regular intervals during each daily classroom schedule. Administrators and teachers will be discouraged from limiting access to recess, such as a class punishment. A resolution sent to the school board also includes the following policy: --Elementary school students in MISD shall be provided with 30 to 60 minutes of supervised unstructured recess time per day in addition to the 135 minutes of structured physical activity time per week that is currently mandated under Senate Bill 530; --All teachers shall receive annual professional development on structured versus unstructured time to include that recess will be viewed as a necessary educational component for all children and that administrators and teachers are discouraged from limiting access to recess as a form of discipline generally, including whole class punishment. --To maximize its benefits, it is recommended recess be scheduled at regular intervals during each daily classroom schedule. Recess is not part of the 135 minutes of required structured physical activity mandated and scheduled into the school day. --Recess time policy should be published in the campus handbook that is posted or distributed to parents; --MISD elementary schools should provide the facilities, equipment and sufficient and active supervision necessary to ensure that unstructured recess experiences are productive, safe and enjoyable. Over the past several weeks, there has been a number of allegations and statements made attacking and falsely accusing the school district of sweeping under the rug covering up, and withholding information regarding bullying instances throughout our district. Incredibly harsh accusations and attacks against our campuses and staff have run rampant like wildfires in the media and throughout social media. In all of my years in education, I have learned that this type of behavior stems from misunderstanding, mistrust and lack of collaboration between the community and a public school system. As your superintendent of schools, it is my commitment to you to be forthright and transparent in all areas that impact our school district, including academics, finance, facilities, safety and security, etc. RELATED: Protesters call attention to MISD bullying Anyone at Midland ISD, myself included, will tell you the safety of our students is our top priority. Our students cannot perform academically if they do not feel safe. We rely on parents, students and staff to report any evidence or circumstance in which a students learning environment is compromised as a result of being threatened, intimidated, physically harmed or harassed. A report can be made anonymously, online or in person, if someone feels bullying is a concern for any of our students. We take every bullying allegation seriously and conduct a thorough investigation for each report received to ensure our students are safe and protected at school. To make certain that we properly address and investigate any allegation of a bullying situation, we follow a very thorough process established by Texas States Texas School Safety Center and conduct our investigations in accordance with state law. Our district provides campus administrators and counselors with annual training on bullying reporting, the investigation process and the Student Code of Conduct. All bullying reports submitted go to the executive director of Student Services, the campus principal and the assistant principal(s). Campus administrators handle the investigation and are fully equipped with the training and tools necessary. The campus also conducts interviews with the alleged victim(s), the alleged aggressor(s), and any potential witnesses, which may include other students, district staff and members of the community. The Midland ISD Police Department and executive directors of elementary and secondary education are also available to provide additional support.If an investigation concludes any misbehavior, the district disciplines according to the Student Code of Conduct, which is based on Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code. The district also provides counseling and other resources available, including third-party referrals, to the victim and/or the aggressor, if needed. RELATED: MISD releases statement about Midland Moms on a Mission protest Each elementary campus is staffed with a full-time counselor. Our four junior high campuses and two freshman campuses are staffed with two full-time counselors. Our two comprehensive high schools, Lee High School and Midland High School, are staffed with six full-time counselors each, and Early College High School, Coleman High School and Midland Alternative Program (MAP) have one full-time counselor each. Our district's counselors are trained to address academic, social and emotional needs, and our district has a protocol in place for counselors to refer students to appropriate counseling agencies throughout our community, if needed. We also have behavior therapists and discipline interventionists who provide additional services. Beginning July 1, the district is adding two additional behavior therapists to our district staff. All public school districts must follow the guidelines of the Family Educational Rights and Protection Act (FERPA). FERPA restricts the district from sharing another students information that results from an investigation. Therefore, school districts are not allowed to publicly share details of an investigation regarding another student with the alleged victim or alleged bullys family. We can only discuss details of a student with their family and not with other parties. These legal constraints that are placed on us, along with any other public school system, leads some parents to wrongfully conclude that we are covering up the matter or otherwise do not care. Their objectivity about a particular incident can also be understandably affected because it involves a loved one. However, everyone should know that just because certain information is protected by law and not allowed to be publicly disclosed, does not mean the district does not take action to resolve a bullying situation or inappropriate behavior on a campus. Our district strives to create an enriching academic environment that provides a place of comfort and security for all of our students and for our staff, as well. For example, this past school year, there were 29 bullying reports filed online within Midland ISD. Of those 29 online filed reports, five were false reports and three were reports not related to bullying. According to iTCCS, the districts student data online portal, eight secondary campuses recorded punishment data for 53 students who were determined to have committed bullying, and 12 elementary campuses have entered punishment data for 39 students who were determined to have committed bullying. The number of students who were disciplined for bullying is greater than the number of filed reports online because in some instances multiple students were identified on the same report. These incidences account for less than 1 percent of our student population of 25,259. For statements to be made that our campuses are filled with bullying behavior and misconduct is simply not accurate, and it is irresponsible to make these accusations. We understand that regardless of policy or procedure, there is always room for growth and opportunities to be better. The 29 reports of bullying filed online in our district are still 29 too many.To further support our efforts, the district has developed a Bullying Prevention Advisory Committee comprised of a diverse group of community and district leaders, including our most vocal critics Midland Moms on a Mission. The purpose of creating this group of advisors that represent faith-based organizations, counselors, law enforcement, parents, business and industry, is to openly discuss and talk through ways our district and community can work together to address bullying on our campuses and throughout Midland in order to be the best advocates for our children. The first Bullying Prevention Advisory Committee meeting was held this past week. A follow-up meeting will be held Wednesday. The district will present an update from the first two meetings during the August school board meeting on Aug. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Bowie Fine Arts Academy. We are excited and optimistic about the work this advisory committee will do in partnership with our district. However, the committee and the district cannot do this alone. I have served in many of the states largest school districts with a wide range of struggles. Never in my career have I seen a campus fail that had high parent and community involvement. We need strong adult leaders on our campuses encouraging our young students, establishing high-expectations and holding them accountable for good behavior and strong academic performance. Having an active community that is involved and deeply invested in the work of the school district will help solve student behavior issues. Please consider joining us as an iMentor, All Pro Dad, Partner in Education (PIE), or PTA member to ensure success, as well as being part of the accountability we all share. For more information about volunteering, please contact our campuses directly. The International Monetary Funds (IMF) general counsel, Sean Hagan, will retire at the end of October, managing director Christine Lagarde announced today. Hagan has worked at the fund for 28 years, including almost 14 as general counsel and head of the funds Legal Department. He has announced his intention to take up a position in academia. During Seans tenure at the fund, he made his mark on virtually every aspect of the funds work, Lagarde said. Seans significant policy achievements, undertaken in collaboration with colleagues, include modernising the funds lending toolkit, integrating its surveillance processes, articulating the funds policies on sovereign debt, and devising multilateral debt relief for highly indebted low-income countries. Under Seans stewardship, the Legal Department has actively promoted the rule of law in the funds member countries in a number of areas, including the development of the Funds approach on anti-money laundering, combating terrorist financing and addressing corruption and improving governance, coupled with extensive technical assistance, Lagarde said. His efforts to raise the profile of ethics and integrity both inside and outside of the fund also stand out as both innovative and admirable. He will be sorely missed by all of us at the fund and beyond. Hagan joined the IMFs Legal Department in 1990 and rose through the ranks to be appointed general counsel in 2005. Prior to the IMF, he was in private practice, first in New York and subsequently in Tokyo. He received his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center, a Master of Science in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Kings College, University of London. The search for a replacement will begin shortly. - TradeArabia News Service Does the NDC have one face ... The World Health Organization (WHO) is today releasing its new International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). The ICD is the foundation for identifying health trends and statistics worldwide, and contains around 55 000 unique codes for injuries, diseases and causes of death. It provides a common language that allows health professionals to share health information across the globe. The ICD is a product that WHO is truly proud of," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. It enables us to understand so much about what makes people get sick and die, and to take action to prevent suffering and save lives." ICD-11, which has been over a decade in the making, provides significant improvements on previous versions. For the first time, it is completely electronic and has a much more user-friendly format. And there has been unprecedented involvement of health care workers who have joined collaborative meetings and submitted proposals. The ICD team in WHO headquarters has received over 10 000 proposals for revisions. ICD-11 will be presented at the World Health Assembly in May 2019 for adoption by Member States, and will come into effect on January 1, 2022. This release is an advance preview that will allow countries to plan how to use the new version, prepare translations, and train health professionals all over the country. The ICD is also used by health insurers whose reimbursements depend on ICD coding; national health programme managers; data collection specialists; and others who track progress in global health and determine the allocation of health resources. The new ICD-11 also reflects progress in medicine and advances in scientific understanding. For example, the codes relating to antimicrobial resistance are more closely in line with the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS). ICD-11 is also able to better capture data regarding safety in healthcare, which means that unnecessary events that may harm health such as unsafe workflows in hospitals - can be identified and reduced. The new ICD also includes new chapters, one on traditional medicine: although millions of people use traditional medicine worldwide, it has never been classified in this system. Another new chapter on sexual health brings together conditions that were previously categorized in other ways (e.g. gender incongruence was listed under mental health conditions) or described differently. Gaming disorder has been added to the section on addictive disorders. A key principle in this revision was to simplify the coding structure and electronic tooling this will allow health care professionals to more easily and completely record conditions, said Dr Robert Jakob, team leader, Classifications Terminologies and Standards, WHO. Dr Lubna Alansari, WHOs assistant director-general for Health Metrics and Measurement, said: ICD is a cornerstone of health information and ICD-11 will deliver an up-to-date view of the patterns of disease. - TradeArabia News Service Tally Solutions, a leading international accounting and compliance software announced 10 years of successful operations in the Middle East. With more than 30 years of experience in working with small and medium enterprises across the world, the company has established itself as a leader in accounting and compliance solution, a company statement said. We launched our first product in the year 1986, back in the day when computers were a novelty. Today, we are servicing 1.3 million businesses in over 100 countries, out of which the GCC holds a major chunk in our International business, with a customer base of 50,000 and growing, said Tejas Goenka, executive director, Tally Solutions. Our strengths lie in our ability and passion to create new and world-class technologies and our understanding of the SME community. Our commitment towards this segment extends beyond delivering a solution which makes filing tax returns simple, fast and accurate but also includes educating both our customers and businesses on the return filing process. The support we have received from UAE and KSA governments, businesses and our partners have been tremendous and we will continue to provide solutions for these regions. Tally launched its VAT-ready product Tally.ERP 9 in December 2017, a month ahead of when VAT was introduced, to assist businesses in regulating their books of accounts and adapt to the new tax era. With the help of an extensive network of partners, Tally Solutions organised several webinars and events to educate the business communities in the UAE and KSA on the importance and mechanics of tax-paying. This year alone the company has conducted around 120 events and webinars with over 3000 attendees including existing Tally customers and new users. To amplify the efforts in the region, Tally Solutions has also partnered with The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on numerous occasions. In addition, the company also organised boot camps to answer questions, and created a mascot called Tally Ali to help the business community understand tax implications, and how they affect the product pricing, cash flow and profitability of businesses. It has been a great journey so far and our many achievements over the years is a testimony of our teams deep commitment to meet excellence, said Vikas Panchal, business head at Tally Solutions in the Middle East. This would not have been possible without our stakeholders and partners who have walked this journey with us. We believe that each day is a new beginning and our commitment towards development and empowerment of SMEs lies in the core of what we do. We are just getting started to mark another milestone, that will enable us to proliferate our advanced solutions across the globe. Looking ahead, Tallys 10-year-anniversary initiates a new phase in its evolution, with the company looking to extend its presence to all corners of the globe in the coming few years, the statement said. TradeArabia News Service President Donald Trump View Photos During his Weekly Address, President Donald Trump discussed the summit between the US and North Korea and stated that sanctions will remain in place. Trump was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: Earlier this week I returned from a historic summit in Singapore, where I met with Chairman Kim Jong-un of North Korea. This summit marked a new beginning for relations between the United States and North Korea. And it opened the path for a future for all Koreans, North and South. The Summit also made a clean break from the failed approaches of past administrations, and failed they were. Our meeting was the first time a sitting American President has ever met with a leader of North Korea. Our conversation was open, honest, direct and very, very productive. We produced something that is beautiful. At the conclusion of the Summit we signed a joint statement, in which Chairman Kim, quote, Reaffirms his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. This is the beginning of the process toward the denuclearization of North Korea. I sometimes say the denuking of North Korea, and those are beautiful words. During our conversation I emphasized the tremendous new prosperity, security and opportunity that awaits North Korea when they denuclearize. As I said in Singapore, Chairman Kim has the chance to seize an incredible future for his people. Anyone can make war, but only the most courageous can make peace. Our world has seen more than enough conflict. If theres a chance at peace, if theres a chance to end the horrible threat of nuclear conflict, than we must pursue it at all costs. The people of America, the people of Korea, the people of the world deserve a future of security and of peace. And that is why we signed this joint statement. In the coming days and weeks and months, Secretary Pompeo will be working directly with North Korea to implement the denuclearization deal. In the meantime, sanctions will remain in place. We know that theres a great deal of work ahead but peace is always worth that effort. We have been working very hard. I made the trip, it was worth every second. It was an incredible event. 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. Were doing a good job. Were working very hard. And were going to produce its all going to happen. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. Members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) will meet in Vienna this week to decide on whether to end its production freeze, a market expert has revealed. The group may be considering lifting the cap altogether, said David Madden market analyst at CMC Markets UK. The US asked Saudi Arabia to raise its output to offset the situation in Iran, and there is talk that Saudi Arabia and Russia are keen to ease up on the production freeze agreement. On Saturday, Russias energy minister Alexander Novak said Russia and Saudi Arabia will ask Opec to hike production by 1.5 million barrels a day in the third quarter of 2018, a report in The Sun Daily said. "We are only proposing this for the third quarter. In September we will review the situation in the market and decide the future course," the report cited Novak as saying. Journal Register Co. A bicycle was stolen by an unknown person from the 800 block of West 27th Street between 6 p.m. April 2 and 8 a.m. April 3. The crime was reported Thursday. --A 24-year-old woman was arrested about 9:30 a.m. Thursday in the 1500 block of Milwaukee on active municipal warrants for failure to appear (fine $348.08), speeding (41 mph in 30 mph zone) and no drivers license ($233.68). Houston Police Officer Norberto Bert Ramon received the news shortly before the storm hit that his colon cancer had spread and was considered incurable. Ramon refused to surrender, hoping for a miracle. He decided to pursue treatment in Oklahoma, but Harvey hit before he left. In the days that followed, Ramon helped rescue nearly 1,500 people from floodwater in Houston. The Harvey hero succumbed to his two-year battle with colon cancer Friday at his brothers house in San Antonio. He was 55. HARVEY'S HEROES: Meet the folks who went above and beyond to help neighbors during storm Not only was he fighting cancer valiantly, but during that fight, he went out there and saved hundreds if not thousands of people during Hurricane Harvey, said Joe Gamaldi, president of the Houston Police Officers Union. He was truly the best of the best. Prior to the storm, Ramon had been assigned desk duty. Flooding prevented him from getting to the office, so he went to the nearest station, the Lake Patrol, to help while the storm raged. At Lake Patrol, he filled in for an officer of the seven-man squad. He worked nonstop for three days, seeing adults, seniors and mostly children to safety. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Ramon refused to give in when pressured to take it easy because of the cancer. Ive got to do what I love to do, Acevedo remembered the senior officer saying. Many community members took to social media to express condolences, praise and gratitude. The city mourns with the department. Thank you for your dedication and brave service, Senior Police Officer Norberto Ramon, Mayor Sylvester Turner wrote on Twitter. Ramon was a police veteran of nearly 25 years, who served in the Army prior to joining HPD. Even before he put aside his health concerns to rescue others, Ramons career was defined by an undying will to serve others, the police chief said. He was born to serve, born to help people, said Acevedo, adding that he remembers him working up until June 5. Acevedo visited the officer and his family Thursday in San Antonio. He said Ramon was conscious, and in their last conversation he assured him that he could let go and everyone would still be OK. Acevedo called HPD an extremely tight-knit group and said a lot of tears were seen Friday from Ramons colleagues. He said they are grieving the loss, but feel pride that he was part of their team. The department will strive to honor his legacy, Acevedo said. Epi Garza, sergeant of the Lake Patrol division, worked with Ramon during Harvey. Even more than that, the two were longtime friends who met 16 years ago. Garza said they fished together, traveling up and down the Gulf Coast. He said they talked almost every day. Garza recalled conversations with his friend when stories of his heroism reached the media. He said Ramon was hesitant to respond to interviews because he didnt like being this Hollywood cop. Ramon eventually relented, to share a message with others battling cancer. He wanted to show the public that you can still be a normal person, have this disease and not give up, Garza said. Terminally ill doesnt mean you cant be a normal person. victoria.cheyne@chron.com twitter.com/victoria_cheyne 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 German authorities on Monday detained the chief executive of Volkswagens Audi division, Rupert Stadler, as part of a probe into manipulation of emissions controls. The move follows a search last week of Stadlers private residence, ordered by Munich prosecutors investigating the manager on suspicion of fraud and indirect improprieties with documents. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was provisionally arrested this morning, the company said. It said shortly afterward that a judge had ordered him kept in custody pending possible charges at prosecutors request. The company said that it couldnt comment further due to the ongoing investigation but stressed that the presumption of innocence remains in place for Mr. Stadler. German news agency Dpa reported that prosecutors decided to seek Stadlers arrest due to fears he might try to evade justice. A former head of Audis engine development unit is already in investigative detention. Technology Microsofts ICE tweak Microsoft scrubbed an online reference to its work for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the agency faces criticism for its role in separating families at the U.S.-Mexican border. On Jan. 24, Tom Keane, a Microsoft executive, wrote a blog post about new contracts with the U.S. Air Force and ICE for the companys Azure cloud-computing service. Keane touted Azures ability to help the agency handle sensitive unclassified data and use tools such as facial recognition and identification. The agency is currently implementing transformative technologies for homeland security and public safety, and were proud to support this work with our mission-critical cloud, Keane wrote in the post. As of Monday morning, the portion of the post mentioning ICE was missing. The earlier, full version of the post was accessed via the Wayback Machine, a historical record of websites maintained by the Internet Archive. On Monday, Bloomberg News asked Microsoft about the work, and the removal of that section of the blog. Soon after, it was back online. An employee edited the blog after seeing commentary in social media. This was a mistake and as soon as it was noticed the blog was reverted to previous language, a Microsoft spokesman said. Over the weekend, several lawmakers and human rights organizations blasted the White House policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the border. Tech Workers Coalition, an advocacy group, wrote on Twitter that Microsoft employees should decide whether they will be complicit in the administrations immigration policies. Some other tech executives weighed in, too. Microsoft currently has $19.14 million in active contracts with ICE, according to Bloomberg Government data. Cloud-computing and software rivals, including Amazon.com, Google and IBM, regularly compete for similar government work. Some of these other companies have been criticized for such activity in particular Google and a contract with the Pentagon. Cryptocurrency Virtual coin fits Square hole Square shares hit their highest price ever after New York granted the company a virtual-currency license, letting customers in the state buy and sell bitcoin. CEO Jack Dorsey said this year that the company would introduce bitcoin trading to almost all users of Square Cash, which allows people to transfer money to friends and family. Bitcoin trading has helped fuel growth for the app, which had more than 7 million monthly active customers in December. The New York State Department of Financial Services said Monday it had approved a virtual currency license for the company. Shares climbed 2.7 percent to $66.20 Monday. The stock has surged more than 80 percent since the start of the year. Publishing High Times for Vicente Fox Former Mexico President Vicente Fox, who calls himself a soldier in the global campaign to legalize marijuana, is joining the board of directors of cannabis publication High Times to advance his agenda. Fox foresees a day when a robust legal marketplace will produce new jobs and medicines while sharply reducing cartel violence in his home country. Speaking with the Associated Press about his views on cannabis and his new appointment, Fox says he also sees pot being part of the North American Free Trade Agreement among Mexico, Canada and the U.S., where some 30 states are embracing legalized marijuana in some form. Privacy Backlash on Amazon tool Some Amazon investors are siding with privacy and civil rights advocates who are urging the tech giant to halt a powerful face recognition tool used by police. The American Civil Liberties Union is spearheading the effort against Amazons Rekognition product, delivering to its Seattle headquarters Monday a petition with 152,000 signatures telling the company to cancel this order. Theyre asking Amazon to stop marketing Rekognition to government agencies because of privacy issues they say can be used to discriminate against minorities. A group of 19 investment managing companies including Harrington Investments, Inc. and Walden Asset Management also sounded the alarm on the tool, which they say could open the company up to lawsuits. Chronicle News Services DoubleTree by Hilton recently celebrated the opening of its first resort-style property in Malaysia. Located in the vibrant beach area on Penangs north coast, overlooking the Indian Ocean, DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang is a family-friendly resort with exceptional facilities for all ages - including access to Malaysias first teddy bear-themed museum, TeddyVille. This upscale resort is just 45 minutes drive from Penang International Airport and 20 minutes from Georgetown, the islands UNESCO World Heritage-listed capital, which is accessible via a complimentary shuttle bus service from the hotel. Blessed with a rich history, diverse culture and tropical scenery, Penang is a truly enchanting destination. As the first DoubleTree resort in Malaysia, we are delighted to bring the brands warmth and genuine hospitality to the country, as epitomized by the welcome cookie we offer to all our guests, commented Jamie Mead, regional general manager, Hilton Malaysia. Linda Giebing, DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penangs general manager, added: We have experienced strong demand since the hotel started operating in January, with high occupancy and interest from the events sector. I am confident that all guests will be captivated by our comprehensive range of facilities and renowned standards of hospitality. Overlooking Miami Beach and the turquoise seas beyond, DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang features a distinctive design concept that blends contemporary style with classical Peranakan motifs. There are 316 rooms and suites; all equipped with walk-in rain showers, 40-inch LED TVs and wi-fi. Many rooms also feature a private balcony with sea views. Families can opt for two inter-connected rooms, which are linked by a hallway door to create a private sanctuary, complete with double and twin bedrooms and separate bathrooms. Families also have an array of dining options to choose from, including special childrens buffets at Makan Kitchen, the resorts lively all-day dining restaurant. Alternatively, guests can pick up light snacks - including DoubleTrees signature chocolate chip cookies - at The Food Store, or enjoy refreshing drinks at the Axis Lounge. Children will be kept entertained at the kids club, which features a wealth of immersive activities for youngsters, and a babysitting service is available. This will allow parents to enjoy their own quality time, perhaps with a revitalising treatment at the spa, a workout at the fitness centre, or simply by relaxing around the tropical outdoor pool, which features its own beach. All ages can then come together at TeddyVille - a unique attraction that celebrates the origins of the humble teddy bear. With its large, cuddly collection, this delightful museum will captivate children and adults alike. Guests at the resort will enjoy 20 per cent off the entrance fee. Finally, the resort features state-of-the-art conference space, including three flexible meeting rooms for events of between 12 and 120 delegates, an outdoor terrace and a spacious ballroom capable of handling 550 guests. This makes it the perfect setting for every occasion, from corporate conferences to social soirees and spectacular seafront weddings. DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang becomes the first DoubleTree Resort in Malaysia, and joins three other DoubleTree hotel properties in the country: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur, DoubleTree by Hilton Melaka and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Johor Bahru. It also becomes the 50th DoubleTree by Hilton property in the Asia Pacific region. The new resort is also part of Hilton Honors, an award-winning guest-loyalty programme for Hiltons 14 distinct brands. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including free standard wi-fi, a flexible cash/points payment slider, an exclusive member discount and points redemption for free nights. - TradeArabia News Service Lisa Poole /AP Gasoline prices in Texas and across the country fell again over the past week as crude prices dove amid expectations that OPEC will ramp up oil production later this month. Gas prices in San Antonio fell 2.8 cents from last week to $2.61 a gallon. Prices are nearly 57 cents higher than a year ago and are down 1.3 cents compared to in mid-May. The prices are higher than the same time in 2015 when prices were $2.56 a gallon. 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 Co., an ambitious New York startup 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. Ryckman and Coffield resigned in May from The Post, which has suffered low morale under the ownership of a New York hedge fund, Alden Global Capital. The company took control of the newspaper in 2013, after acquiring its bankrupt parent company, MediaNews Group, and runs it through a subsidiary, Digital First Media. None of us wanted to continue dismantling The Denver Post newsroom, Ryckman said. Tensions between The Posts newsroom employees and Alden peaked in April, when the paper published a special Sunday opinion section comprising articles that were critical of ownership. The lead editorial in the section was blunt: Denver deserves a newspaper owner who supports its newsroom. If Alden isnt willing to do good journalism here, it should sell The Post to owners who will. Chuck Plunkett, the editor who oversaw the section and resigned from the paper soon afterward, has agreed to contribute to The Colorado Sun. The new publication will have a conventional website whose data will be written permanently into the secure digital ledger known as the blockchain. Expenses for the fledgling outlet will be covered by a grant from Civil, whose sole investor, for now, is ConsenSys, a Brooklyn-based blockchain software technology company founded by Canadian entrepreneur Joseph Lubin. Lubin is also a co-founder of the Ethereum, a virtual currency and blockchain database company. As part of its plan to fund new media entities, Civil plans to unveil a new token this summer called CVL. People who purchase the CVL token, a form of cryptocurrency, will have a say concerning the projects hosted by Civil meaning that they can vote on whether one of its websites violates the companys journalism standards, which are outlined in the Civil Constitution. Matthew Iles, chief executive of Civil, said that by selling ownership stakes to the public, the company seeks to eliminate the possibility of one company or a small group of investors exerting power and influence over a journalistic organization and compromising its mission exactly what many employees of The Denver Post accused Alden of doing. We hope that Civil is going to become this publicly owned domain for journalism that anyone whos interested in the promise of sustainable, independent journalism around the world should be in possession of, to maintain and support it, Iles said. The Civil chief executive had his first discussions with Ryckman in April, a time when Alden had ordered more layoffs at the Post. It felt good to talk to somebody who was trying to do what felt like the right way to support local journalism in a new funding model, Ryckman said. Matt Coolidge, a co-founder and the head of communications for Civil, said the company would not disclose how much of the $1 million it had raised for journalism projects was going to The Sun, but added, Suffice it to say, we are committed to giving them the support they need to get to sustainability. Ryckman said he was looking forward to having some resources to work with as he builds a publication on explanatory journalism, feature stories and investigative articles. We are not trying to create a mini Denver Post, he said. We will break news but we were not doing breaking news. Once the grant money runs out, it will be up to The Colorado Sun to sustain itself. But Iles is confident that the project will succeed. When we learned about Larry and what he and his team had in mind for The Colorado Sun, it became obvious that this is a project we needed to support and we needed to partner with, because we believe, ultimately, that terrific journalism is the secret here and not blockchain, Iles said. Josh Benson, a co-founder of Old Town Media, which has been advising Civil and will work with The Colorado Sun to build a sustainable newsroom, said of the Sun project: What they want to do is make something that is independent, incredibly useful, long-term sustainable, possibly a model for other things, ruthlessly correct all the things you want a first-tier news organization to be. By the end of June, Civil will have started 13 newsrooms throughout the country. My hope, Iles said, is that people will see The Colorado Sun as the tip of the iceberg. He added, Id like to think that, if your local news organization is struggling, or if you believe that independent journalism is important, but you dont yet really know what to do about, Id like you to see how Civil can be home for ideas. I want newsrooms around the world, he said, to see The Colorado Sun as a leader in that regard. Kevin Johnson has been chief executive of Starbucks for more than a year now, though you wouldnt always know it. For much of Johnsons tenure, he has been overshadowed by Howard Schultz, the companys former chief executive and departing executive chairman. There was Schultz in Shanghai in December, opening one of the companys high-end Roastery coffee shops. There was Schultz at the annual meeting in March, drawing rapturous applause from shareholders. There was 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 its stores May 29 for racial bias training of its employees. But after several years working in Schultzs shadow a door connects the two mens offices, and Schultz often pops in unannounced Johnson will be on his own. Starbucks recently announced that 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. In these transitions, the prior CEO has to step back a bit to allow the new leader to step forward, Johnson said in an interview last week, his first since Schultz announced his departure. Weve been in that period over the last year and a half. Johnsons ability to take over from Schultz an emotional leader committed to publicly addressing thorny social issues has been put to the test, most notably when the arrest of those two men in Philadelphia set off a national debate about race. Race relations has been a challenging topic in America for centuries, said Johnson, 57. The realization that it happened in Starbucks was a wake-up call. Johnson said he had learned of the incident when he woke up in his home in Seattle on a Saturday morning, his inbox flooded with angry emails. He flew to Philadelphia the next day, and over the following days he made a series of public apologies, met with the two men who had been arrested and fired the store manager who had called the police. As Johnson and other executives considered what more substantial steps they could take, Schultz chimed in with an idea to shut down all stores in the United States for half a day to talk about bias. He suggested, Hey, one thing weve done in the past, 10 years ago, was close all the stores for the training around pulling espresso shots, Johnson said. We immediately said, Thats what were going to do. The anti-bias training was an ambitious attempt to get employees to reflect on their own stereotypes and experiences with discrimination, and will now be part of new-hire orientation. Thats being woven into the fabric of how we run the company, Johnson said. Over the years, Schultz turned the coffee company into a progressive force, giving workers above-average benefits, and weighing in on issues like gun violence, same-sex marriage and race relations. Johnson said that wouldnt change with Schultz gone. The mission and the core values of the company are very, very important, he said. Those things are so important, and I intend to continue and enhance those. Satya Nadella, a Starbucks board member and Microsofts third chief executive, after Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates, said he had talked to Johnson about what it means to succeed a legendary founder. I shared the best advice I got from Steve and Bill, Nadella said. It was: Dont try to be us. Dont try to fill our shoes. Hes not Howard. But at the same time, hes learned a lot from Howard. Johnson also has a business to run. That job will be made easier by the fact that Starbucks is a relatively healthy company. Same-store sales grew 2 percent last quarter in the United States, and 4 percent in China. Total revenue for the quarter was $6 billion, and the company is worth some $78 billion. Yet Johnson faces several operational challenges as he looks to move Starbucks beyond Schultz. The stock has not budged since Johnson took over as chief executive in April last year. Tastes are fickle, and Starbucks is scrambling to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers. And while Starbucks continues to open new stores it has some 28,000 around the world there are concerns that it may be growing too fast for its own good. They are opening units in the U.S. at a fairly rapid clip, especially for a company as mature as they are, said Sara Senatore, an analyst at Bernstein. Though Johnsons boosters, including Schultz, say he is the right man for the job, joining Starbucks was not an easy decision, he said. A longtime technology executive who held senior roles at Microsoft before becoming chief executive of Juniper Networks in 2008, Johnson joined the Starbucks board in 2009. But a few years later, he learned he had skin cancer. At first, he continued to work at Juniper. Then one day, he was at the airport about to travel to Europe for client meetings, having just rescheduled a doctors appointment. I sat there and I thought to myself, Why am I doing this? he said. Why am I prioritizing traveling to Europe to sell networking technology over my health, my life, my family, people I love? He soon retired from Juniper to spend more time with his family, but continued serving on the Starbucks board. Then, in 2015, after regaining his health, Johnson was persuaded by Schultz to join Starbucks as chief operating officer. Those who work with Johnson say he has brought a new level of analytical rigor to Starbucks. They credit him with a series of business decisions that have simplified the company and improved profitability. Among the actions he has taken: buying full control of Starbuckss East China operations for $1.3 billion, selling the Tazo tea brand to Unilever for $384 million, closing 298 Teavana stores (a tacit admission that Schultzs foray into stand-alone tea shops was a mistake) and striking a global distribution deal with Nestle. Kevin and Howard will usually get to the same place, said Rosalind Brewer, Starbucks chief operating officer. For Kevin, it has to be a mental, cognitive transition. Whereas Howard has the gut. This is his baby. Perhaps most important, Johnson has led efforts to make Starbucks a more technologically adept company. He has overseen the rollout of mobile ordering and pickup, integrated a loyalty program into the Starbucks app and shut down the companys e-commerce store, a counterintuitive move he said was a recognition that other retailers, like Amazon, could do it better. The most difficult transition any company will ever go through is from founder-led to founder-inspired, Johnson said. Im excited about this opportunity. But I also recognize its a significant responsibility. Thats not lost on me. As for Schultz, should he run for president, at least one former employee unsurprisingly is ready to offer a vote of confidence. No matter what Howard decides to do in this next chapter of his life, Johnson said, he is a great leader and a great person. More than 2,000 attendees turned out for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's recent 2018 luncheon and business expo, with some 90 exhibitors, at the Marriott Marquis downtown. "We're here today to share the truth about the influential role the Hispanic community is having in our region and across the country," said Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, Dr. Laura Murillo. "The rhetoric we hear on the national stage may try to diminish our impact, but as the data we will share with you today will demonstrate, this false narrative could not be further from the truth. The positive influence Hispanics are having in our communities and businesses is here to stay and will only get more prominent as we move into the future." NEWTOWN Surrounded by lush trees and sprawled across 188 acres of manicured property, Garner Correctional Institution is out of view for most residents of this semi-rural town of stone walls and Victorian homes. The maximum-security prison is home to 500 or so of the states worst inmates those guilty of violent crimes such as robberies and assault. Some 48 cells are reserved as segregation units to protect other inmates living in cramped pods. But that dangerous mix burst into the spotlight when state officials declared the death of JAllen Jones, 31, of Atlanta, Georgia, a homicide last week. Jones, who had a history of mental illness, died in March while being restrained by guards armed with pepper spray. "Its alarming," said Dan Barrett, legal director of the Connecticut chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "This was a guy who had mental illness," Barrett said. It makes you wonder if they should be subjected to force or command-and-control tactics. Its very disturbing." Jones death lifts ever-so-slightly the veil over a secretive prison system, and draws questions over what happens behind the high walls and razor-wire topped fences. While Garner is a Connecticut-run prison, a recently published story on federal prisons that are suffering from budget cuts as President Donald Trump and Congress shrink the size of government, raises questions about state staffing. The New York Times story on federal prisons pointed out that officer shortages mean teachers and clerical staff are filling in as guards at some facilities. Connecticut has also cut its prison budget as inmate populations dropped, although its not known if those reductions have anything to do with Jones death. Barrett said the public may have to wait weeks and months before complete information is released. "It would surprise me if they [DOC] ever say they did something wrong," Barrett said. Violent outburst The state medical examiner said last week the homicide classification placed on Jones death does not necessarily mean prison guards did anything wrong. DOC and the state police are investigating the incident. Details released so far indicate Jones had a history of mental illness. He was serving a 10-year sentence for robbery and had been incarcerated since 2014. Jones on March 25 was being taken to the Garner mental health unit when he became "non-compliant," and "combative" with staff. During efforts to restrain him, officers deployed pepper spray. Dr. James Gill, Connecticut's chief medical examiner, said Jones died suddenly "during struggle and restraint with chest compression." Life saving measures were initiated, and Jones was transferred to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead. DOC officials said an initial review did not uncover wrongdoing by officers or use of excessive force. A DOC spokesperson on Monday declined further comment. In a statement, the union representing correction officers said they work in a dangerous environment and expect that the officers will be exonerated. "No one disputes that inmate Jones' death was a tragedy, but we believe that the correctional officers who responded to the incident acted appropriately and professionally under the circumstances and will be exonerated once all the facts of this case are known," said Michael Tuthill, president of the AFSCME Local1565. Fewer inmates The states prison population has been on a downward trend for years, dropping from a high of nearly 20,000 inmates in 2010 to less than 14,000 this year. The decline is due in part to prison and justice system reforms, and a gradually improving economy. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has focused on prison rehabilitation efforts, education and training for inmates and keeping younger offenders out of prison. Kelly Donnelly, a spokeswoman for Malloy, said Monday the governor is awaiting the conclusion of the investigation. Gov. Malloy takes any untimely death of inmate in the correctional system very seriously, Donnelly said. There have been recent prison controversies. The state is pulling back a $100-million a-year, no bid contract with the UConn Health Center to provide medical services for inmates amid complaints of inadequate care. The program will now be run by DOC. Barrett said the state has cut the prison medical budget over the years, adding DOC may be in the position of having too little money and too many prisoners. Donnelly said budget cutbacks have not impacted treatment of inmates. While fewer prisons and fewer inmates means less correctional staff are needed, the high standard for care and safety has not diminished, Donnelly said. Many of the reforms implemented under Gov. Malloy have enhanced safety inside and outside of the correctional system, but there is of course more work to do that builds upon these improvements, Donnelly said. Mental Health Its generally believed that a high number of inmates suffer from mental health illness. An exact number of inmates with mental health issues could not be obtained. State reports indicate that between Jan. 1, 2005, and Dec. 31, 2016, 307 inmates died while incarcerated, with the leading cause of death being illness. During that time span, 44 inmates took their own life. "My suspicion is the biggest problem in prison is mental illness," Barrett said. "And they are not diagnosed properly because that brings the responsibility of treatment." Barrett added the state should look at whether restraint procedures work in every situation. They may not process information the same way we would ..., Barrett said of inmates with mental illness. bcummings@ctpost.com With temperatures expected reach 90 degrees Monday, some school districts in the region, including Danbury, Newtown and Stamford plan to dismiss students early. All Stamford public schools (elementary and middle) will have an early dismissal Monday. For schools early dismissal time, consult your parent handbook or go to www.stamfordpublicschools.org. All SPS afterschool programs, including ROSCCO and Adult Education Classes will be canceled today. Finals at the High Schools are on schedule. Stamford made the announcement at 9:36 a.m. Monday. School Superintendent Earl Kim tweeted, Sorry for the inconvenience due to excessive heat all elementary and middle schools have early release. Trumbull Public Schools wrote on Twitter Monday morning that schools would be dismissed early and afternoon preschool and after school activities would be canceled. A representative at the superintendents office said the early dimissal was because of the excessive heat. Newtown Public Schools announced that all schools in the district will dismiss three hours early. This means students at the high school will get out at 11:32 a.m., Reed Intermediate School students will leave at 12:32 p.m. and all elementary schools will dismiss at 12:37 p.m., according to the schools Facebook pages. Not all classrooms in the district have air conditioning, according to the Facebook post. Other school districts that have early dismissals are Litchfield, Middletown, Regional School Districts 1, 14 and 6, Southington and Torrington. The National Weather Service predicts a high of 90 degrees in Newtown on Monday, while it could reach 91 degrees in Danbury. Shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton tweeted that Danbury Public Schools would be on a half day schedule Monday due to the hot weather forecast. The National Weather Service has issued an air quality alert for 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday for Fairfield County. On its social media, the service urged people to limit physical activity. At least five people died and several others were injured Sunday after an SUV packed with a dozen undocumented immigrants flipped on a South Texas highway while fleeing Border Patrol agents. The driver of the black Chevrolet Suburban was speeding at about 100 miles an hour when he drove off the road, "caught gravel and then tried to recorrect," causing the vehicle to roll over several times, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd told reporters as he stood in front of the mangled vehicle. Most of the passengers were ejected from the SUV in the crash. Four people were pronounced dead at the scene and at least one person died after being transported to a hospital, Boyd said. Authorities believe the driver and one passenger were U.S. citizens trying to smuggle immigrants into the country, Boyd said. The driver was not ejected in the crash, and was sitting upright in his seat when a deputy took him into custody. Officials have not released the names of the driver or any of the 13 passengers. The Border Patrol began pursuing the SUV at about 11 a.m., when an agent spotted what he believed to be a "smuggling event" involving three vehicles on a rural highway about 125 miles southwest of San Antonio, according to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Border agents stopped two of those vehicles, making arrests from both. A driver of the third vehicle, the Chevrolet Suburban, failed to stop when approached by a border agent on Highway 190, so a sheriff's deputy took over the chase. The SUV turned over shortly after on Highway 85, near the town of Big Wells. The crash is under investigation by the Border Patrol, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other federal agencies. "Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who died in the crash," U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in its statement. Authorities previously encountered the driver of the SUV last week, and believe he was in the area to pick up or scout unauthorized immigrants, Boyd said. Boyd said he was not sure of the passengers' countries of origin, but that most immigrants passing through the county come from Mexico or Central America. It is not unusual for authorities in this part of the state to encounter smugglers driving vehicles packed with immigrants, Boyd said. "We've seen this many, many times in not only this county but other counties along the border," Boyd said. Dimmit County, located about 50 miles from the border with Mexico, sees significant traffic from Mexico, Boyd said. "It's really, really busy here," Boyd said. "Every day my deputies are getting into pursuits, every single day." Most of these chases are related to drug or human smuggling, Boyd added. "It seems lately it's been constant." Just last week, authorities in San Antonio charged a South Texas man with human smuggling after 54 immigrants were found in a semitrailer. Boyd said smuggling endangers not only the lives of Americans but also the lives of the immigrants. He added that his office has received 911 calls from immigrants in the brush, "left behind by their foot guide." It's not the first time chases smuggling attempts have turned fatal in Texas. In 2015, an SUV packed with immigrants crashed during a pursuit, killing six passengers. In 2012, 15 unauthorized immigrants were killed in Goliad County, Texas, when their truck ran off a highway. Sunday's crash, Boyd said, is a "perfect example of why our borders need to be secure." "I think we need more boots on the ground, we need more patrol," Boyd said. "I think we need a wall." President Donald Trump has already taken measures to boost immigration enforcement along the border, such as ordering National Guard troops to deploy in April. The Trump administration has prompted growing anger from Democrats and immigrant advocates over its "zero tolerance" police of separately detaining children and parents trying to cross the border, which has led to about 2,000 children being separated from their parents in the past 45 days. Meanwhile, border arrests this spring have jumped to their highest levels since Trump took office. U.S. border agents made more than 50,000 arrests in May for the third month in a row, The Washington Post reported, indicating that the crackdown on illegal immigration has not necessarily had the immediate effect of deterring people. Jumeirah Al Naseem, the contemporary beachfront resort nestled in Madinat Jumeirah, has been invited to join the exclusive Virtuoso network - a collection of luxury travel agencies representing the worlds most exceptional hotels. Membership is by invitation only, however Jumeirah Al Naseem is the fifth hotel in Jumeirahs portfolio to receive the coveted invite. The property joins Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and Jumeirah Al Qasr in Dubai, Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel and Spa in Mallorca and Jumeirah Frankfurt, which are already members. Jose Silva, Jumeirah's new chief executive officer, was awarded Hotelier of the Year in 2016 by Virtuoso which prides itself on providing clients with worry-free, expert planning, unforgettable luxury experiences, exclusive perks and upgrades. The travel advisors have an average of 20 years experience in luxury travel planning and are the experts who rank at the very top of the travel industry. Ruztique Toscano, regional director of sales and marketing, Americas, Jumeirah Group, said: This is an amazing opportunity for Jumeirah Al Naseem. This provides us with direct access to the most sophisticated travel organisations within the Americas, Australia and Europe and helps to further secure Jumeirahs place in the world of luxury hotels. Azar Saliba, general manager, Jumeirah Al Naseem, said: Jumeirah Al Naseems inclusion to the Virtuoso programme is a testament to our teams dedication and is regarded as the ultimate stamp of approval in the luxury travel industry. We constantly strive to exceed our guests expectations and consistently provide superior and quality experiences from weekend getaways to dream vacations. Virtuoso represents the best of the best in the travel industry and we are looking forward to creating the most memorable experiences for their clients and elevating every trip at Jumeirah Al Naseem. Opened in 2016, Jumeirah Al Naseem offers 387 rooms and 43 suites, ideal for adventurous spirits that dont want to compromise on authenticity or luxury. Virtuoso represents the best in travel, with a portfolio of nearly 1,700 preferred partners - top hotels, cruise lines and tour operators. The advisors use global connections to plan the most memorable experiences for their clients around the world. - TradeArabia News Service ALBANY ~ Stephanie Miner, the former Syracuse mayor and one-time ally of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, announced that she's mounting an independent bid for governor. "The price of politics as usual and the cost of corruption is weighing us all down. That's why I'm running for governornot as a Democrat, not as a Republican, but as a citizen of New York. Join me and let's build a better NY together," Miner wrote in a tweet she sent a little after 6 a.m. The tweet included a link to a story about her candidacy that was published by the New York Times. A candidacy by Miner has been hinted at for months, but her decision to run as an independent, rather than as a Democrat, complicates an already complex race for governor. Miner will not compete in the September Democratic primary, which includes Cuomo and actress Cynthia Nixon, but in the November general election that will feature the Democratic winner, plus Republican nominee Marc Molinaro and several others. In an interview with the Times Union in May, Miner said that her supporters have been talking with firms that specialize in gathering petition signatures, and have also been speaking with potential campaign volunteers. "It's all part of the exercise of running for office," Miner said. As an independent in the general election, Miner could potentially draw votes from Cuomo, who is seeking his third term, and help the Republican candidate, Molinaro. Miner and Cuomo once had a good relationship she was co-chair of the state Democratic Party early in the governor's tenure but the two had a falling out over a 2013 op-ed that Miner penned in the New York Times criticizing Cuomo's budget for leaving municipalities strapped for money. Lis Smith, a Cuomo campaign spokeswoman, tweeted on Monday that Miner's "gambit" was "bizarre." Miner in recent years has been a persistent Cuomo critic, especially concerning development projects in the Syracuse area that are part of a major federal corruption trial that began Monday in Manhattan. Miner is running as the first New York gubernatorial candidate of a newly created political party, the Serve America Movement (SAM). According to SAM's website, it was founded in the wake of Donald Trump's election as president in 2016 "by a group of concerned, but determined, everyday Americans who believe that the American political system is broken." Leadership of SAM has ties to national Republicans, but its leaders say they are not intending to help the candidacy of Molinaro. According to SAM's website, its "CEO and director" is Sarah Lenti, who worked under former National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in President George W. Bush's administration. The "chief strategist" for the group is Reed Galen, a political consultant who has written for conservative Breitbart News, and worked for George W. Bush and on three presidential campaigns. In an interview, Galen said he had renounced his Republican political registration in the summer of 2016. He said the need for a new political party was evidenced by the fact that both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had such overwhelmingly negative ratings among voters, adding that the two major parties are "broken." Scott Muller, the group's chairman and former general counsel of the CIA, said that all the one-time Republicans on the party's board of directors had renounced their GOP memberships. None have donated to Molinaro and SAM in no way will be helping the Republican's efforts, he said. There are also current or former Democrats involved with the party, including Hagar Chemali, who served in the Obama administration. Miner running on the SAM line could help it get the 50,000 votes needed for ballot status in New York, which would give the party the ability to cross-endorse candidates for at least four years. Muller said the party had been impressed by Miner's "candor and courage" when they first met in early May. After Miner's announcement this morning, Molinaro put on a statement saying, "Mayor Stephanie Miner has been an outspoken critic of Andrew Cuomo's reckless administration of this state, and I welcome her into the governor's race." Besides running in the Democratic primary, Nixon has also been nominated for the liberal Working Families Party ballot line, and may remain on that party's line in the November general election even if she loses the Democratic primary. That scenario would mean that Cuomo would have two relatively well-known female Democrats running against him as well as a Republican candidate, a scenario that could be problematic for the two-term incumbent governor. It's also possible that if Nixon loses the Democratic primary, she would cede the Working Families line. Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and Libertarian candidate Larry Sharpe are also expected to be on the ballot in November. While many children consider summer vacation as a time to relax and take a break from books and homework, educators are encouraging parents to plan academic activities for their children throughout the summer to prevent what is commonly referred to as the summer slide. Educators say the summertime loss of knowledge gained during the school year isnt fun at all and theyre encouraging students and parents to do what they can to avoid it. One way is by including fun academic activities in their summer plans. The continued learning over the summer helps decrease the amount of time it takes for students to relearn some of the knowledge theyve lost over the summer months. The summer slide refers to a loss of academic skills that students have already obtained, said Sarah Raynor, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for Jacksonville School District 117. We typically see some loss of skills when students return in the fall due to not having the normal routine of reading and math that they have during the school year. Raynor said there are easy activities that parents can implement to avoid the slide. Activities like reading or simple math games help keep minds active, Raynor said. Incorporating these skills into summer activities can also be fun for kids. Taking children to the library, or involving them in summer camps can also be terrific ways to keep their brain active, Raynor said. Even bringing back the art of letter writing and having a pen pal for the summer allows for children to use skills they have learned in school at the forefront. Cindy Boehlke, youth services director for Jacksonville Public Library, said the librarys summer programs help to address summer slide by engaging students in reading and learning. We encourage children to keep their minds active by reading, or the other activities that we offer, Boehlke said. The library has events throughout the summer that incorporate math and science skills into fun activities. The librarys summer reading program also encourages students to stay active. We dont care what they read, as long as they are reading at their level, Boehlke said. Raynor said the lose of information requires students to relearn some of the previous material during the start of the school year. When the school year restarts students getting back into the routine We usually need to do a few weeks of review to get our students back to where they were when they left in May, Raynor said. We are happy to do this, but love when our parents are partners with us to help our students achieve as much as they can. Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha. JERUSALEM - A former Israeli government minister, who served jail time a decade ago for smuggling ecstasy, was indicted last week by state prosecutors for "assisting the enemy in war and spying against the State of Israel," the Israel Security Agency and the Israel Police said in a statement Monday. Gonen Segev, who served as Israel's energy and infrastructure minister from 1992 to 1995, was allegedly providing Iranian intelligence agents with sensitive information connected to Israel's energy market and security sites, said the security agency, also known as the Shin Bet, in the statement. Segev, who is also a physician, spent two years in jail for trying to smuggle more than 30,000 ecstasy tablets into Israel from the Netherlands and forging a diplomatic passport, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. He was released in 2007. Since his release, Segev had been living in Nigeria, but he was deported to Israel last month after attempting to enter Guinea, which denied his entry due to his criminal past and turned him over to Israeli authorities, the Shin Bet said. In Israel, authorities questioned Segev about his contacts with Iranian intelligence agents, with whom he initially met twice in 2012. Later, he met with them "around the world in hotels and apartments used for secret Iranian activity," said the Shin Bet. "Segev received a secret communications system to encrypt messages between him and his operators," the Shin Bet said. "The investigation also revealed that Segev gave his operators information connected to the energy market and security sites in Israel, including buildings and officials in political and security organizations." In order to carry out the tasks set by his Iranian operators, Segev forged connections with Israeli citizens working in Israel's security and foreign relations fields, the agency said. All further information on the case remains under a court-imposed gag order. Goldfarb Seligman & Co., a Tel Aviv law firm representing Segev, said that from the information detailed in the indictment, which remains confidential because of the gag order, "a different picture emerges." NORMAL (TNS) A longtime Central Illinois educator has been selected to take over as superintendent of the Illinois State University lab schools. Dana Kinley will replace interim Superintendent Ty Wolf on July 1. Wolf was appointed interim of the lab schools last year when Jeff Hill left the post to become superintendent of Morton Community School District 709. The lab schools include University High School and Thomas Metcalf School, both in Normal. Kevin Lauder, interim dean of the College of Education at ISU, said Kinley was selected for her strong communication skills and ability to forge relationships. She has worked in a variety of leadership capacities and has consistently displayed the use of empirical evidence and shared governance in her decision-making process, said Lauder in an email. Always having a desire to work in public schools, at the state level and in higher education, Kinley said this was the natural next step. The lab schools bring those areas together; I can stay working with public school students and staff while working in the college of education as well, she said. Kinley said she hopes to bring a good understanding of policy and practice to the schools while connecting the knowledge of practice and theory together. ISU is an outstanding organization for preparing teachers and administrators. Getting to be a part of that is a tremendous opportunity. I look forward to meeting the students, families and staff, she said. The annual salary for the position is $135,000. Kinley, who resides in Springfield, is leaving Jacksonville School District 117 where she has been assistant superintendent since 2012. Prior to that position, Kinley worked for the Illinois State Board of Education for eight years in the legal department, for curriculum and instruction and as a principal consultant. She also has served as a principal and teacher. Kinley earned her doctorate and masters degrees in education from the University of Illinois-Urbana. She said she and her family will move to the Twin City area later this summer. Centro Barsha by Rotana, Dubai, an affordable lifestyle business hotel, has appointed Imad Akil as its new general manager. Having begun his hospitality career in Front Office at the Jeddah Hilton and Qasr Al Sharq Waldorf Astoria in Saudi Arabia, Akil joined Rotana Hotels as far back as 2008 for the pre-opening of Amwaj Rotana Jumeirah Beach, Dubai. Since then, he has worked on the pre-opening of two other Rotana hotels and has grown through the ranks as director of Front Office, director of Rooms and most recently as executive assistant manager before joining Centro Barsha as general manager. Akil counts several achievements in his time so far with the company, being in charge of several hotels in the absence of a general manager as well as assisting the head office with field visits and corporate projects. He has completed numerous training courses in leadership, training and managing teams and organisations. Akils vision for Centro Barsha is building a unified team that positively contributes to the financial and organizational success of the hotel especially in challenging times. I am grateful to now lead the team of Rotanas flagship lifestyle property, Centro Barsha, and to add more successes and achievements to my portfolio by motivating my team and challenging the status quo, Akil said. TradeArabia News Service "Heitkamp's talk of deficits is pure speculation and none of it takes into account the economic growth the Trump pro-growth agenda is delivering." - statement on the website Get the Facts ND, June 4, 2018 --- One pernicious response to the growth of political fact-checking is the trend by politicians to create their own faux fact-checking websites. So we looked with interest at a website created by the campaign of Rep. Kevin Cramer, a Republican who is challenging incumbent Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D. The website opens with a photograph of millennials looking at digital devices (and even a newspaper!) and directs people to "find the truth," which leads to a series of "articles," which mostly read like news releases that attack Heitkamp or bolster Cramer. We won't do an exhaustive account of these articles, but we will focus on the most recent one on tax cuts. Given how it is pitched, it needs to hold up to a high standard of "the truth." The Facts The first part of the article touts the benefits that North Dakotans will receive from the tax bill signed into law by President Donald Trump. Cramer voted for the tax package; Heitkamp did not. The article notes that the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found that people in North Dakota will see the largest tax reduction in 50 states in the coming tax year. It also cites a document from the state tax commissioner that offers illustrative examples of how individuals and families in different income categories will receive reductions in taxes. Heitkamp, at the time of the tax vote, attacked the bill for hurting North Dakotans. She made her case largely based on the long-term impact of the tax bill, saying middle-income taxpayers will lose out "in the long run." We've adjudicated this debate between Democrats and Republicans before. Republicans focus on the near-term benefit, while Democrats highlight that the individual tax cuts expire after 2025 because of an accounting gimmick that keeps the impact on deficits artificially low. Because the tax cuts expire, taxes for many individuals will go up by 2027. Republicans insist the tax cuts will be extended, but there is no guarantee of that. In any case, the expiring tax provisions have allowed both sides to spin the tax cut with completely different numbers - never explaining the full context. We have given both sides Two Pinocchios for telling only half of the story. The other long-term issue that Heitkamp cites is the effect on the budget deficit. When the bill was approved, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the tax cut added at least $1.5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years. This is where the website's "truth-telling" starts to go off the rails. First, the article attacks Heitkamp for suggesting the tax bill may affect Social Security. "Claims of cuts to Social Security are ludicrous. There is nothing in the bill that cuts Social Security," the article says. That's technically correct, but it's also misdirection. Cramer himself has suggested that the rising national debt in the wake of the tax bill will require lawmakers to tackle entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare. On Dec. 19, Cramer was asked on a local television program about how he would pay for the tax bill if it added more than $1 trillion in debt and whether he agreed with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., who said that "we're going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit." Ryan indicated that his focus would be mostly on Medicare because Senate rules would require at least 60 votes to make changes to Social Security. But in his response, Cramer referred to Social Security. "Well, we have to get after entitlement reform, Chris, because that's the only way to get to the debt and deficit," Cramer said. "Over two-thirds of our budget is entitlements. If we don't deal with that, not only do we not deal with the debt if we don't deal with it, but the entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare are going to go broke." So although there is nothing in the tax bill specifically about Social Security, Cramer has acknowledged that the additional debt generated by the measure will require a closer look at reducing spending on programs such as Social Security. For instance, Cramer has indicated he supported raising the retirement age as part of "slight changes" that would affect only people far from retirement. (Alternatively, one could also raise more revenue for those programs, an approach Democrats favor.) Indeed, a day later, Cramer, in another interview, seemed to backtrack from the idea of cuts to entitlements. "We need to reform all of our programs, not just to make sure people keep them but to make sure they can be kept for the long haul because both Medicare and Social Security, as you talked about, are on a path to insolvency," he said. "So we need to shore up both of them, not to cut them, we need to shore them up for the long haul." Social Security certainly faces challenges, with its trust funds beginning to eat into reserves this year, according to the 2018 trustees report. Until 2009, Social Security took in more revenue than it paid in benefits, and since then, it has relied on interest earnings. Now it will begin eating away at its principal, the trustees report said. So it's safe to say that the deficits generated by the tax bill will make dealing with the problem even more difficult - and force a reckoning sooner rather than later. Then there is this jaw-dropping statement: "Heitkamp's talk of deficits is pure speculation and none of it takes into account the economic growth the Trump pro-growth agenda is delivering." Where does Heitkamp get her "talk of deficits"? From the CBO, the official scorekeeper of Washington. The CBO is so well respected that Cramer's "fact" website cites a CBO projection in another article to attack the Affordable Care Act. In April, the CBO assessed the fiscal health of the United States and found that although the tax bill would bolster the gross domestic product, it also was responsible for a huge spike in projected budget deficits. For 2018, the CBO said, the budget deficit had ballooned by $242 billion, to $804 billion, largely because of a $200 billion decline in revenue caused by the 2017 tax bill. Over 10 years, the cumulative deficit is projected to be $1.6 trillion higher, for a total of $11.7 trillion. If expiring provisions such as the tax cuts were extended the full 10 years, the cumulative deficit would be $15 trillion. By 2028, the CBO said, debt would be 105 percent of GDP, a level exceeded only once in the nation's history, if the tax cuts were extended as Republicans desire. Note that the CBO said these deficits would take place even though the tax cut would bolster economic growth. In fact, the CBO said that "expectations of faster growth in the economy and in wages and corporate profits led to an increase of $1.1 trillion in projected tax receipts [over 10 years] from all sources." But even with that additional growth, the deficit is projected to increase significantly over the next 10 years - because of the tax cuts and because of additional spending approved by Congress. Cramer's website is simply wrong when he claims the deficits projected do not take into account the economic growth in Trump's agenda. The CBO does take into account the economic feedback from tax cuts. As any mainstream economist will explain, the problem is that tax cuts do not pay for themselves. It's not just Cramer's campaign website. Cramer himself has made this claim in interviews. And a Cramer campaign email said: "All the talk of revenues and deficits is speculation and none of it takes into account the potential for economic growth that the Trump pro-growth agenda can and will deliver." Tim Rasmussen, Cramer's communications director, argues that the CBO's work is incomplete. "The CBO did not completely anticipate the low unemployment, economic growth and record tax collections we've seen since passage of the tax bill," he said. "A quick look at the stunning May jobs report is a great example of new data not available at the time of the CBO analysis." The Pinocchio Test For a website that proclaims it is providing the truth and nothing but the facts, this line about the tax cuts and economic growth is poppycock. The CBO does take into account the economic effect of tax bills, so Cramer is simply wrong on that score. It's even worse for a politician to suggest he is a deficit hawk - and ready to take on entitlements - and yet dismiss credible forecasts on future deficits by a respected agency. In August, the CBO will issue an updated forecast that will take into account the economic information noted by Cramer's spokesman. If the CBO announces that the new data wipes out the deficit and the tax cut pays for itself, we will revisit this fact check. In the meantime, Cramer earns Four Pinocchios. Four Pinocchios NEW HAVEN As Sunday services wrapped up in churches around Fair Haven, members of the police were waiting with coffee in tow. The national Coffee with a Cop program began in 2011 as a model of community policing, a school of thought in law enforcement that residents who feel comfortable with the local police presence will be more likely to reach out for help in an emergency. Likewise, the theory goes the other way that cops who know their communities are more likely to exercise caution and compassion while responding to calls. Fair Haven Management Team Chair David Steinhardt decided he wanted to see the program in his neighborhood, which boasts a heavily Hispanic population. And Steinhardt said one church wouldnt be enough. There are different types of population in Fair Haven, he said. New Haven Lt. David Zannelli decided to split Sundays volunteering officers between three locations: the Catholic St. Francis and St. Rose of Lima churches and the Pentecostal Estrella Resplandeciente de Jacob church. Zannelli coordinated a handful of volunteers as they handed families mugs with their local substations phone number printed on them as well as about 300 cups of coffee donated by the Dunkin Donuts location on Forbes Avenue and Stiles Street. State Rep. Al Paolillo assisted with the program from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. He said the Dunkin location that donated coffee is the one he goes to virtually every day. Im here to support officers and the community coming out today, he said. State Rep. Juan Candelaria also handed out coffee at the Chapel Street location outside Estrella Resplandeciente de Jacob. About 100 people exited Mass from Estrella Resplandeciente de Jacob between 12 and 12:45 p.m., most stopping for coffee and doughnut holes. There are Hispanic and black officers who really enjoy working here, Steinhardt said, acknowledging Officer Edwin Rivera, who spoke with the community in Spanish. I believe the relationship with police in this area is very good. Despite Fair Haven having the highest volume of calls to police, Steinhardt said he was content with the rate of crime. Theres always room for improvement, he said, but the police are accountable to the area. Many of the people exiting the church said they were pleased with police in the area; some were out of earshot from police when saying so. Edilicier Perez said he has faith in the police. I like that the police are in nearly every corner, he said in Spanish. They work well, said German Carangui. One woman who did not give her name said she would rather not discuss the police around the police. The New Haven Police Department outraged some in the community this month for violently arresting a bystander to another arrest in the area of Chapel Street, reviving long-standing concerns about police brutality and law enforcements role in mass incarceration. When I first started as an alder, I asked for more beats, said Ward 16 Alder Jose Crespo. The Police Department has made themselves available to the public and the public loves them for it. Crespo said he has seen a change in the area since the introduction of the ID cards about 10 years ago. We told people not to be afraid to approach the police. Theyre here to serve you as well, he said. As Ezekiel Soto, 6, took a seat on Crespos parked motorcycle, father Pablo said his impression of the police in the area is a positive one. I think theyre doing their best, he said. Although he was in Estrella Resplandiciente de Jacob Sunday, he lives in Westville. A few yards away from the church, a man was showing Zannelli photos on his phone. The man talked to Zannelli about finding a job. Talk to your alder, Zannelli told him. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com The only geothermal plant on Hawaii's Big Island has been closed for more than six weeks because of the Kilauea volcano's eruptions. But a faction of local residents who believe that tapping the volcano for energy carries serious health and environmental risks - and is an affront to Hawaiian values - want it to stay closed for good. The plant, Puna Geothermal Venture, began commercial operation 25 years ago despite objections from locals who worried the release of geothermal fluid, including hydrogen sulfide, endangered residents. Some members of the Puna community, including native Hawaiians, also say that geothermal development would subvert their worship of the volcano goddess Pele. Now, the closure of the plant has given new life to their objections. The growing opposition is also a sign of the hurdles the Hawaiian government will face from its own people as it moves toward 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, one of the climate-related objectives Gov. David Ige, D, enacted in 2015, along with the goal of carbon neutrality by the same year enacted this month. Renewables promise to lower energy prices for Hawaii, which the Energy Information Administration reported in February has the highest residential electricity prices in the nation. State Sen. Russell Ruderman, a Democrat who represents Puna, said he has been protesting geothermal energy for about 30 years. He described what he called a "triple whammy" of issues with PGV: the toxicity of the geothermal steam, the geologic instability of the area where the plant resides and the proximity to residents of the area. "Those three things combined cause unavoidable problems no matter what your politics are about it," Ruderman said. After the Kilauea eruptions began May 3, lava began to encroach on PGV's facility, and the same geologic force providing electricity to the island forced the plant to shut down. But Michael Kaleikini, senior director of Hawaii affairs for PGV's parent company, Nevada-based Ormat Technologies, said most of the facility is intact. And proponents of the plant are optimistic it can and will reopen. "If the eruptions were to stop today, we definitely would be looking at making preparations for restarting our plant," Kaleikini told The Washington Post, noting Ormat has said it's "committed" to the facility. "We don't know when it's going to stop. It's premature [to decide] while the eruption is going on." However, Ruderman said just the images of the plant, which is surrounded by lava, illustrate his concerns. "Even if you don't know anything more than that, it's obviously not the place to put any critical infrastructure," he said. He and others who have lived in the area described experiences over the years, before the Kilauea eruptions, when the gases released from plant operations made them sick. He said a major blowout from one of the plant's wells in 1991 led to uncontrolled release of the steam and hydrogen sulfide that naturally occurs in the ground. "We could hear it and we could smell it," he said. "I know at least a dozen people who were knocked unconscious or lost their ability to breathe normally for weeks or months." But Kaleikini said there has been "exactly zero" emissions of hydrogen sulfide from the plant during the Kilauea eruptions. Kaleikini acknowledged the outcry from community members about health concerns related to the plant, but said PGV hasn't had an uncontrolled release of geothermal fluid since the 1991 blowout. He said people often refer to that event in criticizing PGV, but insisted it had since gone through a strict review and that six or seven wells had been successfully drilled without any uncontrolled emissions. Robert Petricci, who moved in 1981 to Leilani Estates, near where the current volcanic activity is centered, was around for that - and is an outspoken advocate of shuttering the plant. He said his unease with geothermal began with an experimental plant that had been built on the island. He was bothered by the noise from the plant as well as from the release of toxic gases that he said made him sick. When others in the community also started to feel ill, he said many of them wrote letters to the editors in newspapers to express apprehension about geothermal development. It was just the start of what would become decades of activism for Petricci, who founded the Puna Pono Alliance watchdog group. "That was the beginning of the so called anti-geothermal movement, but what it really was was every person who lived around that power plant was sick," he said. "I don't know that I would call that geothermal activism, I was calling it self-defense." Beyond the environmental concerns, some people on the island - including native Hawaiians - believe geothermal development undermines their worship of Pele, a deity and the volcano goddess. Ku Kahakalau, an educator and Hawaiian language teacher, explained Pele is one of multiple deities Hawaiians worship, but that she is "the most alive, most active, the one they can see and smell." Kahakalau, who also has a doctorate in indigenous education, explained that Pele means lava, and one of the physical forms she takes is in the lava and volcano. She said many Hawaiians and those who worship Pele believe the geothermal plant is a "nonconsensual rape of the deity, literally digging into her body and extracting her life, her lifeblood, her lava." "We were very against geothermal then, and we are still very against it now," she said, referring to when geothermal development began Hawaii. "Nothing has changed." Ruderman acknowledged it was an "intuitive feeling" that many people in Puna have. "There are lots of people here who feel a strong connection between geothermal and Pele, that Pele hates geothermal, wants it gone. Some people think the eruption is all about that." Kahakalau said she hopes the plant will remain closed. "We have so much other renewable energy sources, we don't need geothermal energy," she said. Yet PGV does play a major role in the island's energy supply. The plant says it provides about 30 percent of the electricity on the Big Island. It uses the naturally occurring heat to produce energy. Geothermal fluid is brought to the surface through wells, which are drilled almost a mile into the ground to tap into waters at extremely high heat, and the steam is used to produce electricity. Hawai'i Electric Light, the island's electric company, said in 2017, 14 percent of the renewable energy statewide was produced by geothermal energy from the island. Since PGV's closure, the company said it has used a mix of fossil fuels, solar, wind and hydropower to generate power without any issues or outages. Roland Horne, director of the Stanford Geothermal Program, said that geothermal energy is the "best" option for renewable energy for Hawaii - and the risks associated with PGV are low. "In terms of alternatives, geothermal is a wonderful alternative to burning oil. They do have wind and solar in Hawaii, too, but of course it's intermittent," he said. "It would actually be a dreadful shame if they weren't able to restart it, either for political reasons or for geological reasons." Still, Ruderman and Petricci both said PGV would not reopen without a fight. "I can't believe you're going to look at this picture and say, 'Let's double down, let's spend millions to get this back online now, looks like a pretty safe place to be, looks like a good bet, huh?' " Ruderman said. "Who's going to do that?" Ruderman, who along with Kahakalau and Petricci has been arrested for protesting the plant, said he believes the uproar if the plant reopens would be even greater now. "A lot more people are aware of geothermal now, and many more people are living here now, and I think the protests that would happen; the outcry would dwarf the protests in 1991," he said. The Latvian airline airBaltic yesterday (June 17) welcomed the ninth Bombardier CS300 jet, registered as YL-CSI, in Riga on June 17. By the end of 2018, airBaltic plans to have a total of 14 CS300 aircraft on its fleet. Thus far, airBaltic has carried over 1 160 000 passengers on the brand new Bombardier CS300 aircraft with every fourth airBaltic passenger flying on the aircraft. CS300 have completed more than 11,319 flights and flown over 29,977 block hours. On May 28, airBaltic announced a firm purchase agreement for the sale and purchase of 30 Bombardier CS300 aircraft with options for an additional 30 aircraft of the same type. The order complements the existing order of 20 CS300 aircraft and forms the backbone of the new airBaltics business plan Destination 2025 that builds on the successful progress of the current airlines business plan Horizon 2021, which has laid the groundwork for future expansion. The Bombardier CS300 is a 150-seater aircraft that offers excellent flying experience with such benefits for passengers as wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin, improved lavatories and more. New aircraft is also much quieter with four times smaller noise footprint. Moreover, at the moment, it is the greenest commercial aircraft in the world, as it is the first aircraft to have a transparent declaration of the life-cycle environmental impact, helping to reduce CO2 and NOX emissions by 20 per cent and 50 per cent respectively. airBaltic serves over 70 destinations from Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, offering the largest variety of destinations and convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East. For summer 2018, airBaltic has introduced eight new destinations from Riga to Malaga, Lisbon, Split, Bordeaux, Gdansk, Almaty as well as Sochi and Kaliningrad. In addition, airBaltic launched a new direct route connecting Tallinn and London.- TradeArabia News Service Police are asking for the public's help identifying and finding the people they say fatally shot a 50-year-old man at an East Side apartment complex and stole his shoes as they fled. According to San Antonio police, Leon David Perkins, was gunned down around 11:40 a.m. June 7 at an apartment complex in the 2900 block of Rigsby Avenue. A 70-year-old man was arrested by San Antonio police after a 10-year-old girl's father saw him sexually assaulting her, according to an arrest affidavit. Jose Ramirez is accused of sexually assaulting the child since she was 8-years-old, according to San Antonio police. He was arrested Saturday. With belly dancers, gunslingers, reptile wranglers and rodeo entertainers, the allure of the Poteet Strawberry Festival transcends a basket of berries and a plate of fluffy shortcake. Dating back to 1948, this signature springtime affair has drawn crowds by the thousands to the dusty, small town of Poteet, Texas, thirty miles south of San Antonio. Swiss-Belhotel International, a leading Hong Kong-based hotelier, has chalked out an aggressive expansion strategy for Africa region. One of the world's biggest hotel management groups. Swiss-Belhotel International has more than 145 hotels, resorts and projects and manages properties in 21 countries. Making the announcement, Laurent A. Voivenel, senior vice president, operations and development for the Middle East, Africa and India, said: Our goal is to have five hotels in Africa by 2021. We recently signed a management agreement with Zanzibar Crown Hotel and Resort Limited to operate the beautiful Swiss-Belresort Zanzibar that is expected to open for business in 2019. It will be among the few internationally branded resorts to operate in the island. In addition, we are in negotiation for some superb projects in various other parts of the continent. Talking about the huge potential Africa holds for the hospitality industry, Laurent stated: Africa is an exciting market because it is still in its infancy and there is plenty of room for growth. The tourism industry has been strengthened by both domestic and inbound travellers." "The increase in intra-Africa travel is of particular interest to the hospitality sector because at least four out of every 10 travellers in Africa are from within the region. There has also been significant growth in visitors from China and India. At the same time, we are seeing a shift from business travellers to leisure travellers. Around 69 per cent of all travel spend in Africa last year was made by leisure travellers, with the remaining figure being business, said the top official. Laurent further added: Better connectivity, access to low-cost airlines, and more countries embracing visa-free travel within the region are some of the other major factors driving growth in the hotel industry across the continent. Moreover, there is a considerable shortage of quality mid-market hotels in Africa, and as the middle class grows, we are seeing higher demand for affordable accommodation that we at Swiss-Belhotel International are eager to capitalize on. Elaborating on the prevalent trends in the hospitality sector in Africa, Laurent stressed: The traditional hospitality industry is changing in Africa. Both upward and downward trends are noticeable across the continent. More international brands have started entering the market and our aim is to position Swiss-Belhotel International as the best alternative to blue chip companies offering superior returns, unbeatable value and unforgettable experiences. Travellers, especially the millennial generation, are looking for experiences and hotels need to be more hands-on in creating these unique experiences for their guests. The industry needs to listen to consumers on where there are gaps and boost markets that need the growth. Africas hospitality sector remains resilient and is poised for further growth over the next five years. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourist arrivals grew by a remarkable 8 per cent in 2017 in Africa to reach a total of 62 million. Arrivals grew by 13 per cent in North Africa, while Sub-Saharan Africa arrivals increased by 5 per cent. This strong momentum is expected to continue in 2018. The hospitality industry contributed $165.6 billion or 7.8 per cent - to Africas GDP in 2016 and this figure rose by 2.9 per cent in 2017 as per figures released by World Travel & Tourism Council. Meanwhile, the number of planned hotel chain developments has doubled in Africa since 2009 from around 30,000 rooms in 144 hotels to 73,000 rooms in 417 hotels. - TradeArabia News Service DRESDEN This city where Allied bombing in 1945 created a 1,000-degree, hurricane force firestorm that melted glass and skin symbolizes the principle: Things could be worse. A tragic sense of life along with cynical humor and a bit of a persecution complex is typical of Saxony, a German state as culturally distant from Berlin as Kentucky is from New York City. When J.D. Vances Hillbilly Elegy was translated into German, Saxon readers recognized something of themselves. After German reunification in 1989, about 80 percent of people in this portion of former East Germany had to find new ways of making a living. For most, freedom also meant starting over from nothing. About 20 percent of the population mainly younger people moved away. While cities such as Dresden and Leipzig are now doing well, rural areas and small towns are aging, economically stagnant and demoralized. This backwater is now at the center of German politics. Saxony is an electoral stronghold of the Alternative for Germany (AFD) an extreme, right-wing populist party in a country where extreme right-wing populism has frightening historical associations. In the most recent national election, the AFD received about a quarter of votes in Saxony double its national share. Anti-establishment resentment has been building here at least since the European debt crisis. But it was the 2015 refugee crisis that catalyzed discontent. Chancellor Angela Merkel in an act of exemplary moral leadership and tremendous political risk opened the German border to about a million migrants, most fleeing from the Syrian conflict. Merkel is now at the riskiest political moment of her career. If her party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), loses ground in next years regional election here in Saxony, it will be interpreted as a repudiation of Merkels refugee policy and could lead to her resignation as head of the party. It would certainty cause open revolt by the conservative wing of the CDU. Many in the party now publicly admit that the initial implementation of Merkels refugee policy was chaotic, contributing to a general sense of lost control. But the real focus of populists here, as elsewhere is not on efficiency but identity. They fear that migrants particularly Muslim migrants wont become Germans. Becoming an American involves accepting democratic values and respecting our constitutional order. Becoming a German involves embracing an intangible way of life a combination of language, historical consciousness and eccentricities. In some versions of Germanness, Syrian refugees will never really belong. So (the argument goes) close down the border entirely. The CDU faces a challenge duplicated across the West: How does a center-right party deal with a populist insurgency? One option is for the CDU to co-opt the AFD by moving to the right on immigration. This would be the effective repudiation of Merkels leadership. And some in the party fear that conceding political ground to populism would merely feed and legitimize it. Another option is for the CDU to draw a sharp distinction with AFD and consolidate control over the political center. In America, because we dont have a parliamentary system, the ethno-nationalists did not gather in their own party. They conducted a successful coup in the Republican Party, and are now consolidating their hold. What remains of the GOP establishment is faced with a similar decision: Imitate the populists or try to marginalize them. In the CDU, this strategic challenge has led to an existential one. Following World War II, the party as its name implies stood for a conservatism humanized by Christian (particularly Catholic) values. But Germany has become overwhelmingly secular. The CDU also sponsored the project of European unity, which now seems under severe strain. Under Merkel, the unifying principle has been pragmatism. But this no longer seems enough compared to the simple, emotional appeal of resurgent nativism. The moral of the story: To effectively oppose right-wing populism, conservatives require a compelling, alternative fighting faith. But that does not emerge merely because it is needed. michaelgerson@washpost.com Well, that didnt take long. President Donald Trump had barely departed Singapore when Democrats in Washington unleashed scathing attacks over his meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. What the United States has gained is vague and unverifiable at best. What North Korea has gained, however, is tangible and lasting, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., fumed. In his haste to reach an agreement, President Trump elevated North Korea to the level of the United States while preserving the regimes status quo, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., protested. Please. Where were these complaints when President Barack Obama was enjoying peanuts and Cracker Jack with Raul Castro at a Havana ballpark? And a few months ago, Schumer was decrying Trumps reckless military threats and Pelosi was complaining about his saber-rattling. Now, suddenly, Trumps gone from warmonger to the second coming of Neville Chamberlain? The criticism is premature and overwrought. Trump made no real concessions in Singapore. He did not lift sanctions, unfreeze North Korean assets or send secret planes loaded with hard currency to Pyongyang. He did not sign an agreement ending the Korean War or offer Pyongyang diplomatic recognition. All the president did was, as a goodwill gesture, suspend military exercises with South Korea a decision he can easily reverse. And the fact that the statement the two leaders signed referred only to complete denuclearization, not complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization, does not mean that Trump gave up verification or irreversibility in the deal, because there is no deal yet, only a communique that summarized what the two leaders discussed. We are at the start of the negotiating process, not the end. Trumps critics need to back off. Every other approach by his predecessors to stopping Pyongyangs nuclear drive has failed. So, the president and his team are trying something new. Will it work? Maybe not. The North Koreans are skilled liars. It will be incredibly difficult to reach a good deal that ensures the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of North Korea. But there is reason for hope Trump will not sign a bad deal. Thats because the president set a very high bar for himself when he withdrew from Obamas nuclear deal with Iran. Any agreement with North Korea that he and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reach cant replicate the flaws they identified in the Iran deal. What were those flaws? The administration has identified five principal defects: 1. Weak verification. As Trump declared in his May speech on the Iran nuclear agreement, the deals inspection provisions lack adequate mechanisms to prevent, detect, and punish cheating, and dont even have the unqualified right to inspect many important locations, including military facilities. 2. No restrictions on ballistic missiles. The Iran deal fails to address the regimes development of ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear warheads, the president said in the same May speech. 3. No nuclear dismantlement. The deal doesnt even require Iran to dismantle its military nuclear capability, Trump said in a 2016 address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. 4. Front-loaded sanctions relief. The deal lifted crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for very weak limits on the regimes nuclear activity, and no limits at all on its other malign behavior, Trump declared in his May address. 5. No congressional buy-in. During the congressional debate over the Iran deal, Pompeo complained that instead of coming to Congress for approval of an Iranian deal, the President needs only to convince a handful of Democrats to not override a presidential veto. A nuclear deal with North Korea must not replicate these five flaws. According to Pompeo, it will not. That is an incredibly high standard that will be very tough to meet. This administration will not repeat the mistakes of the past, Pompeo promised, adding that a bad deal is not an option. We know what a bad deal looks like. We should all be pulling for Trump and Pompeo to negotiate a good one. Marc A. Thiessen writes a column for the Washington Post. Can the San Antonio Independent School District and SAISD teachers union agree to disagree and move on without lengthy and costly litigation? State District Judge Karen Pozza recently denied the unions request for a temporary injunction to halt Democracy Prep Public Schools, a New York-based charter school operator, from taking over Stewart Elementary. Specifically, the union wanted the judge to order the charter operator to stop hiring employees and moving materials into what will become Democracy Prep at P.F. Stewart School at the beginning of the fall semester. In a lawsuit filed against the inner-city school district and Democracy Prep, the union alleges the school district violated provisions of a partnership law that requires campus employees to be consulted about contracts that allow an open enrollment charter school to operate the campus. The union is seeking to nullify the contract. Pozzas ruling in this case means the lawsuit will now follow its usual course through the courts, though it could be well be spring before the case gets a trial, and that is being optimistic. At that point, students would be completing their first year of classes in the restructured setting established by the charter school operator. A court judgment will not turn back the clock. Any outcome favorable to either side will leave the school districts taxpayers with hefty legal expenses. The bill for the injunction hearing is not in, but those costs are expected to be in the $10,000 to $20,000 range. The tab for a trial that requires depositions, multiple hearing and experts testifying could run well into six figures. This makes no sense. SAISD can ill-afford to spend money on costly litigation when the needs of its student population are so high. We agree the district could have been more transparent in its actions, which resulted in contracting with an out-of-state charter school to operate one of its more troubled schools. It did this out of fear the state would shutter it. This was not an unwarranted fear, and the school does need a turnaround a goal that, so far, has defied more traditional methods. A win does not gain the union any ground. Should a jury or judge find in favor of the plaintiffs and nullify the current contract, there is nothing that prevents the district from entering into another similar one. Lets stop wasting the courts time and the taxpayers money on this. Re: Cruelty is the objective when it comes to immigrants, Another View, June 2: The headline on Rampells column this morning was a shocker. I dont agree with her opinion in the column, but I positively cannot approve of the headline, which is pure opinion, no facts to back that up. Asserting that cruelty is the objective of immigration policies is absurd on the surface and categorically impossible to prove. I suggest that Ms. Rampell read and absorb the words of Larry Johnsons column on the preceding page: So why should I care about that? J. G. Bice, Del Rio Chief got it wrong Re: Chief got it right, Your Turn, June 2: A person praised the Houston police chief for using his public position to promote his liberal views on gun ownership and the Second Amendment. He went on to attack the values of those who volunteer for the military and law enforcement, stating this is where they should go if they want to handle weapons and kill people. He implies these organizations are only for those wanting to kill people. What a disgusting view of our military and law enforcement, which proudly serve and protect this great country. He further stated no one should vote for any politician who takes money from the NRA. As if the NRA has any control over criminals that break current laws and use a gun to commit a crime. What about politicians of which the vast majority were Democrat that took money from Planned Parenthood (an organization that kills unborn babies) during the 2016 election cycle. Carthel Williams, Spring Branch How it worked Let me try to explain how I think it worked. You and your 100 people get your news through social media and kept getting reports that Hillary Clinton was going to do horrible things like taking your guns, while allowing immigrants to take your jobs and killing people everywhere, while Muslims are coming in by the millions and all the other crazy things Info War promotes. Then Clinton followers received news that she was so far ahead and that her win was in the bag. What would these two voter types do? The Russians are using the divided house method to destroy us from within, and it appears its working very well with minimal investment. J. Luis Rojas, Schertz Fairfest Media, Indias leading travel media organisation, has announced its travel trade show calendar for the year 2019. OTM Mumbai 2019 OTM, which won an accolade as the leading travel trade show in India (on the basis of largest number of participants among travel trade shows in India), will be held at Bombay Exhibition Centre, from January 23 to 25, 2019. With over 50 countries in OTM 2018, it is also the most international travel trade show in India. There are several new features announced for the OTM 2019, one of the most prominent being Cine Locales, India's premier marketplace connecting commercial, film and television professionals to global destinations and locations. It will have interactive sessions with film and TV producers. OTM 2018 hosted a lively panel discussion by Film Tourism Consortium, curated by Globe Hoppers and represented by top producers like Yashraj Films, Dharma Productions and Viacom. It brought to the forefront the challenges film producers face and how to make it easier for them to shoot a film in India and abroad. Another session by DoNER comprised on promoting tourism to the eight beautiful and scenic landscapes of the North East - Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. In OTM 2019, a larger area for Cine Locales will highlight global film destinations and producers from all over India will be invited to attend. Sessions on travel technology provide important knowledge sharing platforms at the OTM. Thought-provoking session by Phocuswright and TravHQ were instant hits at OTM 2018. These will be continued with even greater vigour in 2019, in addition to specialised tracks for wedding planners and travel bloggers. OTM 2019 targets to draw over 1,000 hosted buyers and more than 15,000 trade visitors from all over India. It has been traditionally strong in the West and South India, which is 60 per cent of the all Indian market. In OTM 2019, it is planned to host 500 hand-picked buyers from Delhi and North India. According to the organisers, OTM wishes to emerge as the one show of India that cannot be missed. Expanding on its theme From Mumbai to the World, OTM 2019 is all set to retain its lead in not only India but entire Asia Pacific region, the organisers remarked. BLTM Delhi 2019 BLTM Delhi is timed strategically a couple of days ahead of OTM Mumbai, to make it easier for the international participants to attend both the shows in one go. BLTM Delhi has emerged as India's leading travel mart focused strictly on business, Mice and luxury travel. It moved from Hyatt Gurgaon to a larger venue in Delhi - Leela Ambience Convention Hotel. BLTM 2019 will be held from January 18 to 19, 2019. A total of 300 hosted buyers including 100 buyers from across the world and 200 Indian buyers of Mice travel will put up with 200 marque sellers, at Delhis Leela Ambience Convention Hotel. The addition of 100+ international hosted buyers will position BLTM as also the leading travel mart catering to inbound segment - an underserved market. BLTM Delhi in 2017 received participation of more than 150 exhibitors (from 11 countries and 13 Indian states) and over 250 hosted buyers and 500+ qualified travel trade visitors attended the show. The line-up of these two travel shows is the widest in terms of content and geographical location of the shows, covering all the major source market. This earns the organisers Fairfest Media the distinction of being the largest travel trade media company in India and Asia Pacific. - TradeArabia News Service The San Antonio Conservation Society was founded in 1924 to preserve and protect San Antonios cultural, natural and architectural heritage. We began with the purchase of Mission San Joses granary doors. During the next decade, we purchased the granary and acquired surrounding land to stop encroaching development. Our efforts continued with the restoration of the crumbling San Jose church, the purchase of the Espada aqueduct and dam, and the preservation of the San Juan acequia. Thanks to the Conservation Society, the missions became first a state park, then a National Historical Park, and, ultimately, a World Heritage Site. The Society can proudly claim to have laid the cornerstone which led to the missions taking their place alongside such phenomena as the Grand Canyon, the Taj Majal, and over 1000 other natural and cultural heritage sites worldwide. These sites are evaluated by ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), which is the official advisory body to the UNESCOs World Heritage Convention. In 2006, US-ICOMOS President Gustavo Araoz contacted Society President Virginia Nicolas, urging the Society to go forward with the application process for San Antonios five Spanish Colonial Missions. Nicolas formed a small, volunteer working group to undertake the arduous process. One member described the meetings as hair-raising due to constantly changing deadlines and difficulties in obtaining the required signatures from all property owners within the boundaries of the mission lands. At one point, a State staff person claimed that the State of Texas did not own the Alamo. An intervention with the Governor by the Texas Historical Commission finally produced a signed document. With funding from the National Parks Service, Los Compadres (now Mission Heritage Partners), The San Antonio River Authority, The San Antonio Conservation Society and others, and the addition of technical and creative members to the original group, a final nomination document was delivered to UNESCOs World Heritage Committee in Paris in January 2014. On July 5, 2015, the proposal of the San Antonio Missions as the first World Heritage Site in Texas was presented to the UNESCO committee for a vote, and the result was approval: MISSIONS ACCOMPLISHED!! But the Society hasnt only taken a stand for the Missions. The Southwest School of Art, Rand Building, Aztec Theater, and Casa Navarro are all downtown buildings we purchased to preserve. The famed River Walk was an architects idea first presented to the Society in the 1920s, and HemisFair became the first Worlds Fair to utilize historic buildings in 1968, thanks to the San Antonio Conservation Society. La Villita, Brackenridge Park, Ellis Alley and the Hays Street Bridge would not exist without the financial support of the Conservation Society. Our Heritage Education tours provide free historic site visits for over 2,000 fourth graders each fall and our Building and Publication Awards recognize the best in recent preservation projects and heritage writing. Our two historic house museums and research library educate thousands, while our volunteers coordinate hundreds of programs and support countless conservation efforts. At home in the King William neighborhood, Texas first historic district, the Conservation Society helps preserve the traditions of our diverse city. Our own Night In Old San Antonio, one of the largest preservation fundraisers in the country, has been celebrated since 1948. We are still making history by saving history. To learn more, go to saconservation.org Advocacy Call to Action: saconservation.org/news-events/advocacy/call-to-action/ News & Events Statements and Announcements: saconservation.org/defending-intact-alamo-plaza/ Calendar: saconservation.org/news-events/calendar/ Editors Note: This content is made possible by The San Antonio Conservation Society. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com. An estimated 32 million postmenopausal women in the U.S. suffer from the painful symptoms of menopause due to declining levels of estrogen. Declining estrogen can happen naturally, or as a chemical or surgical side effect. Until recently, doctors have routinely prescribed estrogen creams to alleviate these symptoms, but what if your patient cant use or isnt comfortable with this solution? The MonaLisa Touch laser offers these women a nonhormonal option to treat these painful symptoms, including challenges with intimacy. MonaLisa Touch is an innovative laser that delivers fractional CO2 laser energy into the vaginal tissue to improve vaginal and vulvar health. MonaLisa Touch relieves the painful gynecologic symptoms experienced by millions of postmenopausal women and breast cancer survivors. These procedures are performed at six-week intervals in an office environment, without the need for anesthesia and with virtually no pain or side effects. Treatments take less than five minutes and provide both immediate and lasting relief by stimulating production of new collagen, elastin and vascularization. Tens of thousands of women have been treated successfully with MonaLisa Touch since 2012. Fast, gentle and effective, it is appropriate for women experiencing painful symptoms of menopause. Physicians worldwide are seeing positive results with their patients. MonaLisa Touch is one of the most significant advancements in female pelvic health in decades. It is proving to be life changing for patients and game changing for clinicians. It is among the most rewarding treatments we are privileged to offer our patients. Jeffrey Dell, MD, FACOG, FACS The MonaLisa Touch has finally given us an effective treatment for a condition that millions of women have been told there is nothing else that can be done. So far the women I have treated have been amazed at their results. Vickie Lovin, MD MonaLisa Touch has revolutionized how physicians are able to treat patients. With over 30 peer-reviewed clinical papers about this revolutionary laser treatment, more and more physicians are exploring these alternative cash-pay procedures to help treat their patients and changing the lives of women all over the world. Editors Note: This content is made possible by San Antonio MD News. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com. As my firm continues to prepare income tax returns for our physician clients and their medical practices, many of our physician clients are seeing a nice reduction in their projected income tax liability for the 2018 year and if there are no major changes to the tax laws just passed, they will continue to see a nice reduction through the year 2025. With that in mind, 2018 quarterly estimated payments and income tax withholding on salaries should be calculated with the reduced tax rates in mind. There is no need to give the IRS extra money that must be returned with no interest earned. One of the major components of the new tax law, other than the reduced tax rates across the board, is the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction. This deduction essentially reduces a taxpayers certain specifically defined and qualified taxable income by a straight 20 percent, thus making the highest tax rate for this taxable income go from 37 percent to 29.6 percent. If it sounds too good to be true, then I am proud of you. For physicians operating under a regular C corporation, their salary is excluded from this deduction. Additionally, the QBI deduction comes with a very complicated set of rules that needs more clarification and guidance from the IRS. However, for physicians operating as sole proprietors, S corporations, PLLCs or partnerships, there is the potential to take advantage of the QBI deduction. In most of the tax articles that hit the media about the QBI deduction, the concept that physicians cannot take advantage of this deduction is repeated. However, if a married physicians taxable income is below $415,000, then there is the possibility of taking all or a portion of the QBI deduction. The main step for these married physicians whose taxable income is below $415,000 is to make sure they run their medical practice as a pass-through business (sole proprietor, PLLC, S corporation or partnership). If the majority of a physicians income comes from his/her medical practice and the physicians taxable income exceeds $415,000, then the QBI deduction is severely limited or all together disallowed. It may be more beneficial to separate nonmedical income from the medical practice so that there is more of an opportunity for that income to qualify for the QBI. Some initial ideas to try to qualify for the QBI deduction include: Have that medical building and expensive medical equipment separated into a rental entity to try to have that rental income qualify for the QBI. This idea, like all the others here, must be further addressed with clarification of the new tax law. Have any income generated from the management of other medical practices, such as debt collection or office support, separated from the medical practice into its own entity for the same possible benefit. Have any employee leasing work/revenue separated into a separate entity and use an industry standard markup of the revenue/profit for this service. Increase deductions of the medical practice to get below the $415,000 threshold. With that in mind, reconsider more aggressive medical practice retirement plans, or use of a health savings account or even more traditional deductions like increasing charitable donations. With the ability to immediately write off all medical equipment purchased, this would be something to consider as well. As we learn more about the new tax law, there will be more ideas that will come for our physicians to consider to try to take advantage of the QBI deduction. We will try to keep everyone posted. As briefly mentioned before, physicians operating under a regular C corporation do not get any opportunity to take advantage of the QBI deduction. The C corporation choice of entity is usually not a good tax choice for physicians to operate under. Conversion from a C corporation does take planning and analysis but can be a good tax saving move. There is some talk that with the new flat tax rate of 21 percent for C corporations, physicians should either change their medical practice choice of entity to this type of corporation or just keep the current C corporation status. Many studies have been done on this idea of the C corporation. It is usually not a good idea for medical practices to operate as a C corporation as medical practices should retain as little cash as possible and not invest in appreciating investment-type assets. Additionally, the double taxation from a C corporation (the corporation pays taxes on the retained income and then the shareholders pay tax on the corporate dividends as the corporation releases cash to the shareholders) negates the benefit of the lower tax rate at the corporate level. The discussion here is mainly food for thought as the new tax law needs technical corrections and much clarification as to the intent of the law. The details are likely not to come for many months. Still, it is always advisable to regularly meet with your tax advisor to reduce your tax burden. Editors Note: This content is made possible by San Antonio MD News. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com. No matter the size of the gland, thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (ThuLEP) offers next-day resolution of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms without the need for extended hospital stays or invasive surgery. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) has traditionally served as the gold standard surgical treatment for urinary symptoms due to BPH, but laser treatments such as holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) and ThuLEP are more deserving of the title, according to Ahmed Mansour, MD, MRCS, Assistant Professor of Urology at UT Health San Antonio. Studies have shown that laser enucleation is more efficient and equally if not more effective than TURP Dr. Mansour says. In the case of larger prostate glands, it is also an ideal, minimally invasive alternative to open or robotic prostatectomy. While most healthcare institutions do not offer laser enucleation procedures such as HoLEP or ThuLEP, the benefits of laser enucleation have been exhibited in several randomized trials and have been endorsed by society guidelines. TURP involves taking multiple snips of enlarged prostate tissue using a hot wire, Dr. Mansour says. With each snip, bleeding has to be controlled before the next snip can be taken. Enucleation is a different concept entirely. Patients who undergo laser enucleation show a greater improvement in subjective symptoms and a lower rate of reoperation at five and 10 years when compared to other procedures Laser Enucleation: a Newer Technique to Treat BPH During laser enucleation, a cystoscope is passed through the urethra to the enlarged prostate. The laser is introduced through the cystoscope and instead of cutting the prostate in pieces, the laser is used to separate the enlarged part of the gland tissue from the prostates outer capsule. The process of laser enucleation is similar to peeling an orange but leaving the peel behind, Dr. Mansour says. The removed tissue is then pushed into the bladder in a single piece. Once the prostate tissue has been relocated to the bladder, a morcellator is introduced through the cystoscope. The morcellator grinds up the excised prostate tissue and suctions it out of the body, where it can be examined for cancer and other conditions. The entire laser enucleation procedure takes 90 to 150 minutes to complete and requires general or spinal anesthesia. No abdominal incisions are made, and after a 23-hour period of observation with a catheter in place, patients are usually free to leave the hospital. In comparison, procedures such as open or robotic prostatectomy can require three to four days of hospitalization and up to a week of catheterization. Replacing Open Prostatectomy Due to the aging population, more patients are presenting with larger prostate glands simply as a result of longevity. Furthermore, the success of medical treatment in improving symptoms typically delays the time of surgery by 10 years or more. As a result, we have to operate on bigger prostates in comorbid patients, Dr. Mansour says. Traditionally, enlarged prostate glands that are over 100 grams in weight require open or robotic prostatectomy for removal. Because laser enucleation is a size-independent procedure, ThuLEP has been used to successfully remove up to 300 grams of enlarged prostate tissue potentially allowing patients who might not be eligible for open surgery to find relief from BPH symptoms. The procedure can also be used in patients who are maintained on blood thinners and anticoagulants, Dr. Mansour says. ThuLEP vs. HoLEP The only major difference between ThuLEP and HoLEP lies in the type of laser that is used for the procedure. Holmium and thulium lasers have different wavelengths and are thus absorbed by different substances in the body. Holmium lasers are mainly absorbed by hemoglobin, while thulium lasers are mostly taken in by water. Holmium lasers are pulsed lasers; thulium lasers are continuous. Thulium provides a knife-like action as opposed to holmiums pulse laser, Dr. Mansour says. Theoretically, thulium lasers are associated with improved hemostasis and control of blood vessels, and while weve personally perceived these improvements, ongoing clinical trials will shed light on the clinical significance. Michael Liss, MD, Director of Clinical Research at University Hospital and Assistant Professor of Urology at UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Liss offers fusion-guided prostate biopsy. Adoption of Laser Enucleation Procedures Despite the effectiveness and efficiency of laser enucleation, University Health System is just one of a handful of medical institutions in the country that offer procedures such as ThuLEP. Due to a lack of training opportunities for current and soon-to-be surgeons, laser enucleation has yet to receive widespread adoption by the medical community. University Health System hopes to reverse this trend by providing training programs in laser enucleation for surgeons both within and outside of the organization. Laser enucleation is perceived as a difficult procedure to learn, but thats not well-supported in the literature, Dr. Mansour says. We are one of the few centers in which HoLEP and ThuLEP training is being incorporated in our residency program with objective assessments tools for performance metrics. We are in the process of developing a program where visiting surgeons can observe and be trained in these new procedures as well. Steps have also been taken to ensure that patients in the area can be easily referred to University Health System for laser enucleation, especially if they have large prostates that would require open prostatectomy were it not for University Health Systems ThuLEP capabilities. Its important for widespread implementation of laser enucleation to be realized, Dr. Mansour says. Until then, we have a dedicated team that can manage physician referrals to make the process easier for doctors. BPH is the most prevalent prostate problem for men older than 50, affecting almost half of all men between 51 and 60 years old. Enlarged prostates can apply excessive pressure to the urethra and cause issues such as acute urinary retention, bladder and kidney damage, and urinary tract infections. For more information about ThuLEP or other urology programs at University Health System, please visit universityhealthsystem.com/services/urology or call 210-450-9600. Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options for Prostate Cancer University Health System is utilizing new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and technologies to improve prostate cancer care for its patients. San Antonio MD News Michael Liss, MD, Director of Clinical Research at University Hospital and Assistant Professor of Urology at UT Health San Antonio Fusion-guided biopsy has been offered at University Health System since 2016 and offers a more precise method of examining the prostate for biopsy sites. This method merges MRI and ultrasound imaging to create more detailed images of the prostate than either method alone. These images help specialists identify abnormal cells. Biopsies can then be performed in those areas where prostate cancer is more likely to occur. Traditionally, prostate biopsies are performed based on a template model, but the new fusion-guided method allows for the identification of possible cancer in areas that would not normally be located on the template. The prostate is one of the only organs where biopsies are performed in this way, says Michael Liss, MD, Director of Clinical Research at University Hospital and Assistant Professor of Urology at UT Health San Antonio. The traditional method is similar to playing Battleship and choosing to biopsy areas where we think cancer may be present. With fusion-guided biopsy, we can better choose our biopsy targets we can see where the ships are. Recommended patients for fusion-guided biopsy include patients who are undergoing active surveillance for low-grade prostate cancer and those who are suspected of having prostate cancer despite a negative result from a traditional biopsy. Were doing a study with the National Cancer Institute to determine if fusion-guided biopsy is appropriate for a wider range of patients, Dr. Liss says. We want to be sure we dont increase the number of false positive findings for prostate cancer. University Health System is involved in many other studies as well, including clinical trials that can provide additional therapy options to patients who have exhausted current treatment modalities. University Health Systems emphasis on research extends to every aspect of care, and patients are encouraged to participate in whatever way they can. Patients dont need to be in a randomized clinical trial to help, Dr. Liss explains. For example, they can donate blood or tissue samples to projects that advance cancer research. Regardless of what procedures or studies patients undergo, specialists from both University Health System and Mays Cancer Center UT Health San Antonio have synergized with MD Anderson Cancer Center to ensure every aspect of a patients care is vetted from multiple viewpoints. This multidisciplinary approach involves urologists, radiation oncologists, hematologists, radiologists, pathologists, residents and more. We have tumor boards every two weeks to go over patient cases, Dr. Liss says. It helps to have multiple eyes examine a case. No single one of us is as smart as all of us combined. Open communication between members of University Health System and UT Health San Antonio ensure patients receive the care they need as soon as possible. Specialists have excellent communication with each other through various means that include the medical health record to a simple phone call, which expedites test orders and access to urgent care. Should patients require surgery for prostate cancer, University Health System surgeons perform a high volume of robotic surgeries using the latest da Vinci Surgical System, the da Vinci Xi. This model allows for greater visualization through the use of HD imaging and tenfold magnification capabilities. The newest robot allows us better visualization and improved focus on the procedure with less troubleshooting the equipment, Dr. Liss says. We can operate with minimal incisions, and the patient can go home the next day. Our robotic experience with complex cancer cases is exponentially growing. For patients who cannot undergo laparoscopic surgery due to a previous procedure or wound, surgeons at University Health System are also proficient in traditional open surgery. Editors Note: This content is made possible by San Antonio MD News. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com. - Not less than 2,000 bags of rice reported as contraband good were have seized by the Nigerian Navy - The acting commander of the NNS, Captain Babafemi Ajayi, revealed that the ship smuggling the bags of rice were intercepted along the waterways of Calabar, Cross River - Ajayi also said that the arrest was carried out following intelligence information, adding that the impounded goods will be kept with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Some security personnel boarding a Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) has intercepted a vessel used to smuggle not less than 2,860 of bags of rice, all of which were contraband elements from Cameroun into the country, Channels Television reports. READ ALSO: SERAP sues Fashola over power privatisation According to the acting commander of the NNS, Captain Babafemi Ajayi, the ship carrying the goods was stopped along Calabar waterway in Cross River state with five suspects arrested. Ajayi said that the arrest was aided by an intelligence security report. He stated: We discovered that the boat was hidden around Calabar channels with this consignments with the intention that when there is darkness, they will use smaller boats to evacuate the products into a warehouse. Following the tip off, we positioned our men into that area. Fortunately, we saw the five men when they wanted to carry out the assignment on the boat. "They were subsequently arrested. Further entry revealed their warehouse. When we got there, we saw more consignments, those that have already been offloaded. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! Ajaji further said that in adherence to the set regulations, the impounded bags of rice will be left in the custody of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for more investigation and prosecution of the suspects. Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Navy said it had discovered six new illegal refineries with combined capacity to refine four million litres of crude oil daily in Alakiri, Asari Toru local government area of Rivers state. Legit.ng gathered that the executive officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) pathfinder Port Harcourt, Capt. Victor Choji, disclosed this while destroying one of the illegal refineries on Friday, March 30, in Alakiri, Asari-Toru. Nigerian Air Force winged 10 flying officers - On Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - The outgoing national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has come under fire for his recent actions - A chieftain of the APC and former governorship candidate of the party in 2015 in Ebonyi state, Senator Julius Ucha, is not happy with Oyegun - Ucha accused the APC national chairman of deliberately creating more problems for the party before leaving his position The outgoing national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has been accused of deliberately creating more problems for the party before leaving his position, which comes to a halt this month. The accusation was made by a chieftain of the APC and former governorship candidate of the party in 2015 in Ebonyi state, Senator Julius Ucha. Speaking to journalists in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital on Sunday, June 17, Senator Ucha, chided Oyegun, over a report credited to him in a national daily that the senator would soon join a few members who would be leaving the party in a few weeks, stressing that Oyegun cant force him out of the party. Ucha said that thinking that some people would leave the party because he (Oyegun) had inflicted much injuries on the party was a big mistake, stressing that the new leadership that would emerge will work hard to prepare the party ahead of the general election. His words: Oyegun thinks that the injury he has done over the years to some key members of the party will force them out of the party, but hes just daydreaming because hes a wounded lion. He is the person who will definitely leave the party though he thinks that some of us that he has consistently made it impossible to function in our states will leave but we will remain in our great party, APC. He therefore warned against the use of fake delegates who were not elected in the just concluded state congresses of the party to vote during the forthcoming national convention of the party. He noted that the recent inauguration of the state chairmen of the party in Abuja by Oyegun was a ploy to create more problems for the party despite a warning from the national legal adviser of the party. He said available records including that of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that there were no ward congresses in five out of the 13 local government areas of Ebonyi state. Describing the inauguration as illegal and a nullity, the chieftain therefore warned that the use of delegates who were not validly elected in their various state congresses would affect the validity of the convention and subsequent elections in the party. If the party allows him (Oyegun) to introduce delegates that were not dully elected according to Electoral Act and guidelines of the party, delegates that were made by overambitious politicians who stayed in their houses to write names and such delegates are allowed to be used in the upcoming national convention of the party, other political parties are watching; because that will affect the validity of the convention, he said. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, the immediate past representative of Ohaukwu/ Ebonyi federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Chief Peter Oge-Ali, has said that the Igbos had fully embraced the APC ahead of the 2019 general elections. Oge-Ali, who made the disclosure on Friday, June 15 in Abakaliki in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), noted that the Igbos have realised the mistakes they made during the 2015 general elections. The APC stalwart, who was formerly of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), said that Igbos had realised that APC was the only realisable path to the countrys presidency in 2023. APC chieftains in Benue state say PDP has nothing to offer on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng The death of the Niger state secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Umar Santali, has been announced. According to Thisday newspaper, Santali died on Saturday, June 16 of cardiac arrest at 52, and he is survived by his wife and children. Before his last assignment, the late Santali was the zonal chairman of the party in the Niger south senatorial district in the era of late Governor Abdulkhadir Kure. READ ALSO: Adamawa chief of staff Jimeta dies in Saudi Arabia He became the state secretary of the party about two years ago, following the resolution of the disputes that plagued the PDP at the national and state levels after the 2015 general election. His remains were interred according to Islamic rites in Bida town of Niger state on Sunday, June 17. Prominent politicians from different political divides attended the burial, including the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Tanko Beji; present and past leaders of the PDP as well as people from all walks of life. Beji described the deceased as a versatile and trustworthy person, adding that the vacuum created by his death would be difficult to fill. We have lost an astute mobiliser, a grassroots politician, he said. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, defeated Ekiti state governorship aspirant on the platform of the PDP, Senator Biodun Olujimi, has asked the national leadership of the party to give her an automatic ticket for a second term in the Senate as condition to work for Professor Kolapo Olusola, the partys candidate in the July 14 governorship election in the state. Olujimi, 60, who represents Ekiti South senatorial district, also requested the party to convene a reconciliatory meeting between her group and the PDP candidate who is also the deputy governor of the state. PDP's Magnificent 7 for 2019 on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Emir Muhammad Sanusi II has suggested ways a violence free election can be achieved - The Emir urged the Kano state governor to address political leaders in the state - According to Sanusi II such move will help develop a framework for a peaceful election in 2019 The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi ll, has called on the Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje to address political leaders in the state. Sanusi said a meeting of political leaders should be called by the governor to help develop a framework for peaceful election in the state in 2019, premium Times reports. Speaking on Sunday, June 17, at the Hawan Nassarawa Durbar, the Emir appealed to the governor to invite all political stakeholders over conducting a violence free election. READ ALSO: 5 suspected one-chance robbers who killed their victim with hammer arrested in Abuja (photo) He said: 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. Sanusi also called for vigilance and healthy lifestyle as a means to ending drug abuse in the state. In his response, 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. READ ALSO: Drunk naval rating stabs woman to death The governor said: 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. We will continue doing our best in curtailing such hate speeches that are not good but detrimental to democratic development. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app 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. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Ganduje had revealed the major cause of the disagreement between him and a former governor of the state, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. The governor in an interview agreed that there was a disagreement between him and his predecessor. He said: "Of course, there is a disagreement. It is an issue of style in governance, I think that is the major issue." How workaholic Governor Ganduje is transforming Kano state - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - Senator Shehu Sani reportedly declared his intention to contest against Governor El-Rufai in the 2019 gubernatorial election - The senator, however, stated one reason he may change his plan to contest against the incumbent governor - He said he will not contest against Governor El-Rufai if the party stakeholders decide against it Senator Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna central senatorial district has declared his intention to contest against the incumbent governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, in the forthcoming 2019 governorship election in the state. Sani also allegedly hinted of his intention to quit the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The outspoken senator allegedly said he and many others, who were reportedly maltreated by the APC, are presently at the departure lounge of the party, The Sun reports. READ ALSO: PDP wins all 23 LG chairmanship seats in Rivers state poll Sani allegedly said the ruling APC, as it is, today, stands on a foundation of injustice against its members, adding that the party has failed to live up to its promises and pledges of a transparent internal democracy. We condemned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the past for not being fair and just to its members, but the APC has found itself in similar, if not worst situation, as at today. The senator reportedly said he and other party members will not tolerate or condone injustices, adding that if solutions to the identified challenges in the APC are not taken care of in the coming weeks, there will be no going back on their decision to leave the party for good. Addressing journalists who paid him Sallah homage in Kaduna, the senator also reportedly said he will be contesting the governorship of the state, unless the Kaduna political stakeholders, which he is a member, decide otherwise. There is a Kaduna political stakeholders, made up of former governors, lawmakers and various party chieftains, and, as a team player, I am a member. I am going to contest the governor of Kaduna state, but, if the stakeholders insist on me going back to the Senate, I will have no objection, whatsoever. Nigerians are now more resolved and conscious to vote for people of integrity who will work for them, hence, I have the confidence of winning my election in whatever party I contest, because people will vote individuals based on merit, and not the party, in the 2019 general elections. As it is today, over 25 registered political parties have come to us to express solidarity and support, and I can confirm to you that opposition from Kaduna state will come under an alliance of forces in the coming elections. I want to make it clear that should I contest and become the governor of Kaduna state, I will open the government house to the masses," he said. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that a chieftain of the ruling APC, Isa Ashiru, who contested against Nasir El-Rufai for the governorship ticket in 2014 in Kaduna state, announced he had withdrawn his membership from the party. In a letter to his Kudan ward chairman of the party, Ashiru complained that the APC does not have cohesion and internal democracy. He complained that despite losing the governorship ticket to El-Rufai, he and his supporters worked relentlessly to ensure victory for the APC with a belief that the welfare of the people of Kaduna state would occupy the front burner of the government. APC official tells why his party could be voted out in 2019 - On Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng 5-year-old boy named Taju who melted the hearts of Nigerians after a video showing him struggling to speak English has met with Oyo state governor, Abiola Ajimobi. Legit.ng had earlier reported how Taju spent time with Funke Akindele and her husband. She took to her Instagram page to share videos of the cute little boy in their home. Once again, Funke took to her page to share photos of the boy's meeting with the Oyo state governor, Abiola Ajimobi at the state house in Ibadan, the state capital. READ ALSO: Internet darling Taju meets actress Funke Akindele She captioned her post, "Thank you so much Mummy,Her Excellency Dr Florence Ajimobi ( wife of Oyo state Governor)for taking Tajus case up. Thanks @abi_kd for answering my call. Now Taju is in safer hands and he will surely have a home and go to school. Thanks @aycomedian for starting #tajugoestoschool project, you are indeed a father. Now Im happy. @funmiawelewa oluwa a wa Pelu e o! Thanks Nigerians. Wish you all a fruitful week." Actress, Funmi Awelewa who also shared photos of Taju meeting with the state governor, wrote; "Thanks everyone for your love and support. I am so happy to let you all know that Taju is now in safe hands. TAJU is now with the government?? I love you Boy? The wife of Oyo State Governor Dr Florence Ajimobi today, met with the little boy, Tajudeen Ibrahim Agbabiaka, that trended on social media some days ago. It can be recalled that Taju was recorded in an instagram video, where he was asked questions in English language and could not respond because he could not converse in the language. The Oyo state government has taken responsibility and custody of the child through the child welfare unit of the state government. Dr Ajimobi reiterated her commitment to improving the quality of life of children and urged the young parents not to be irresponsible to the role of training their children but care for the children with the required nourishment and basics of life. In the meantime, case work intervention is on going on the issue so as to bring it to a logical conclusion. The state government has reiterated its commitment to reducing the vulnerability of children and the under privileged in the state. Taju is now with the government.'' PAY ATTENTION: Young talented artist paints prominent Nigerians on Legit.ng TV. Source: Legit By Charupriyan for TwoCircles.net Translation by Uma Murugan This piece is being written in condemnation of the deeply transphobic and unethical journalistic coverage by Polimer Television, a private Tamil News channel, of the tragic death of a transman in Tamil Nadu. Without an ounce of compassion or humanity, Polimer news has produced a sensationalized, insensitive and totally false story of a dead trans mans life. In response, Charu, from the Ivan collective of transmen has written a piece detailing the incidents that led to the death as well as condemnation for the subsequent Polimer Television coverage. Support TwoCircles I, Charupriyan, am a trans man who wishes to present to you the truths that I have gathered from my brother Akshay Dev. My brother and friend Dev and I have known each other for three years. We met through my family. He frequently shared all life events with me. He who always addressed me as Anna (Anna is a title for an elder brother held in a position of reverence) to express his love and respect for me is no longer with us. As his Anna, I feel compelled to speak out to oppose those who have disparaged his gender identity, and especially against those from the print and TV media who have all but mired his true story from being known to the world, both by disseminating falsehoods and by failing to critically analyze and understand my friends life story. Friends! Please open your eyes and ears, and pay careful attention to what I write here. Yes. My friend Akshay Dev was indeed assigned female gender at birth. He felt trapped in a body that felt undesirable and distasteful. Because of this, with the support of his family, he successfully underwent gender affirmative surgery in order to transition. His parents too understood and accepted his feelings with all their heart. When Dev fell in love with a woman named Ilavarasi, he not only expressed his feelings for her but also told her the truth about how he transitioned. When Ilavarasi reciprocated with her feelings, together, they approached their respective families and secured their approval. Dev made it a point to impress upon Ilavarasis parents the truth of his love, his self-confidence and gender identity so that they too were able to welcome him wholeheartedly into their family. As Dev and Ilavarasi embarked on a married life together, it was not without the full knowledge and blessings of their families! Thus you can see that Dev and Ilavarasi each spoke openly of their love and desires to their respective families before they were married. Married life was initially very much filled with joy. When Ilavarasi expressed a desire for them to have children, they agreed to pursue this goal via in-vitro-fertilization. They also discussed these plans with their parents. And in due time, Ilavarasi succeeded in becoming pregnant. During this time, Dev worked at the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Pondicherry, earning an income to support his family. Unfortunately, Ilavarasis pregnancy was lost in the first trimester, and the loss was attributed to her frequent travels to her parents home. Ilavarasi and Dev experienced much pain and suffering after the miscarriage occurred. Ilavarasi needed rest and recuperation, and so she left to stay with her parents for a while. Her parents brainwashed her saying You are leading a life with a trans man. Because of this, society will marginalize you. They will invalidate your womanhood and feminine identity, blame you and say that you are barren and infertile. Think about it. This is not a good way to live. Saying so, they pushed her to a state of confusion. Ilavarasi came to conclude that her parents were right. She rekindled a relationship with an ex-boyfriend. However, she continued to visit Dev at his house. She acted as normally as she could, hiding the other relationship from Dev, allowing Dev to believe that her feelings for him had not changed. Her parents knew of all of this but they stayed silent. Over time, Akshay Dev noticed changes in Ilavarasis behaviour and came to suspect that all was not well. However, he showed her the love and affection as always. One day, Ilavarasis mobile phone showed Dev that she spent many hours speaking to someone whose phone number was not recognizable to him. When he confronted Ilavarasi, he was convinced that she was lying to him As he berated her with questions, Ilavarasi finally admitted to the truth. The resulting bitterness caused the couple to separate. As time went past, Devs parents counselled Ilavarasi. They seem to have pleaded with Ilavarasi to get back together with Dev. However, Ilavarasi did not relent. The issue had blown up when one of Ilavarasis relatives asked Dev if he was indeed a man. It appears that they shamed him, harassed him, and perhaps abused him, asking him to disrobe himself so that they might see his male sexual organs as proof. A sad and deeply upset Dev left Pondicherry and lived with a friend in Chennai for the next three months. Afraid that he would be haunted by memories of Ilavarasi if he lived in Pondicherry, he extended his stay in Chennai. June 8, 2018, was their wedding anniversary and so Dev went to Pondicherry to see Ilavarasi. He went to the beauty parlour where she worked, begging and pleading with her to come back to live with him. Ilavarasi stood unmoved by Devs pleas. She simply told him that she no longer wished to live with him and that he should leave her alone. In the end, it was my friend who decided to douse himself with the petrol that he had brought with him and end his life. Ilavarasi fled the scene, while her frightened colleagues at the beauty parlour called in the police. Whatever happened since Dev died is widely known. Now let me ask you: In this world, does it appear that members of our community of trans men who only wish to live their lives as men are somehow wrong? No need to stand in judgment of us. How we wish to lead our lives is up to us, NOT to you!! You do not have the authority or the right to undermine our rights or to shame us for our experiences. Who decides the identity of any person is it not the person, or is it society? We are not prepared to discard our identity, at any time, for any reason. Any and all acts or experiences that do not torment or hurt others deserve to be respected. When will your society understand this? In this society, are people not worthy of living, other than if they identify as either male or as female? Who determined this? Are you saying that people like us who are from the trans community have no place in your society, just because our experiences dont conform to conventional norms? Does this nation not accept us as citizens with equal rights? What we would like to convey to Polimer Television and to the press is that they should fully understand the events and circumstances of the lives of trans people before they set out to publish news about us. Please refrain from depicting our lives in your light, making up our stories and spreading falsehoods. But alas, on second thoughts, when we think of your world where even infants and children are not spared, how should we expect that we would be spared? The experience of being trans men is our truth. We did not engineer our bodies or our lives so that we might entice or ensnare women. Please respect our feelings as well as our pursuit of happiness based on our truth. The death of Akshay Dev is painful for all of us. However, to interpret his life story in ways that support the depiction of the experiences and lifestyles of trans people as somehow unnatural is extremely unethical. We strongly condemn this interpretation. As to how our community is portrayed in the tormenting vision of the media, it is their intention to insult and denigrate our community so that their TRP ratings can rise. My friends life story was fodder for your clickbait media tactics. Let not the arrogance and access to the power of media lull you into thinking that you can continue to oppress trans people forever. Remember this! If all oppressed peoples come together, we will rise up in strength. Hear this loud and clear; let it sink in and solidify in your awareness. If you write the truth, you can transform the destiny of all people. Alas that, when it comes to Akshay Dev, you instead choose to warm yourselves by the fire that you lit to the truth of his life, years of suffering, his feelings and experiences, even his rights! Do not imagine that we stay quiet in peace. When we rise you will neither be able to write (your lies) nor stand up to us. This world is meant to be for each and every one of us. It evolves to be inclusive of all of us, regardless of our gender identities. No one can stop this world from emerging. That we live as trans men, gives me pride, joy and dignity. Yours truly, Charupriyan Ivan, Community of Trans Men (Natural News) Will the American Medical Association soon be in favor of physician-assisted suicide? In early June, the AMA decided not to reaffirm its position against assisted suicide a decision which has shocked many. But indeed, the AMA has gone against its own Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, which recommended the AMA maintain its opposition of euthanasia for humans. Advocates for assisted suicide have been very successful at opening doors for euthanasia in medicine. In some states, affiliate groups have already taken a more neutral stance on this issue, paving the way for legislators to approve the legalization of doctor-assisted suicide. While proponents of euthanasia say that their cause gives patients the right to a dignified death, the issue isnt really that cut and dry. There are substantial concerns about the potential for abuse and coercion. Inevitably, this could give rise to an untold number of citizens quietly being put to death against their will while no one will be the wiser. Experts warn against assisted suicide Matt Valliere, the Executive Director of Patients Rights Action Fund, told Life News that he, and other advocates for patients rights, are very concerned about the AMAs sudden change of heart. The American Medical Associations decision to not confirm their own Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs recommendation namely that they maintain their opposition to assisted suicide does not take into account that this bad public policy puts vulnerable patients at high risk for coercion, mistakes and even abuse. Although the AMAs opposition position still stands for now, a referral back to CEJA is a lost opportunity and a failure to stand against a policy that has grave consequences for everyone, but especially persons living with illness, disabilities, or socio-economic disadvantage. Assisted suicide is not medical care, Valliere stated. Further, he noted, the AMAs Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs spent two years poring over research on assisted suicide before making their recommendation. The Council is an internationally respected panel of experts, and the AMA has basically ignored the panels statements on euthanasia in entirety, declaring that the issue needs further study. In their conclusion, the Council stated, Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physicians role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks. The dangers of euthanasia The American College of Physicians (ACP) reaffirmed their stance against assisted suicide last year, noting that: The power to prescribe assisted suicide carries a profound potential for misuse and abuse. In their statement, the ACP noted that in a time when the cost of care is on everyones mind, the rising demand for euthanasia is alarming. And indeed it is; after all, killing off the sick enough would inevitably prove to be the best way to save money how long will it take for that to become a platform? As Dr. Bernat, hailing from Dartmouth Medical School, wrote in 1997, there are several issues with assisted suicide. In addition to harming patient-professional relationships and damaging the practice of palliative care, the legalization of euthanasia will lead to more death. Dr. Bernat surmises that once physician-assisted suicides are legal, it will only be a matter of time before two things happen: Voluntary euthanasia will become legal, and soon after that, involuntary euthanasia will follow. Proponents of assisted suicide may scoff at that last contention but look no further than the killing of a 29-year-old mentally ill woman in the Netherlands for proof that involuntary euthanasia is already reality. Can someone struggling with a mental illness make a rational choice in this situation, especially in a society that is basically telling them their life is not worth living? In the Netherlands, infants who are disabled and unable to consent to assisted suicide are regularly euthanized under whats known as the Groningen Protocol. Studies have shown that staggeringly few infant euthanasia cases are reported on even though estimates indicate 20 Netherlands babies are intentionally killed by their doctors every year. Studies from Belgium, where euthanasia is also legal, show that 30 percent of those euthanized are actually being killed without consent. Where do we draw the line? Stay updated with the latest on medical controversies at Medicine.news. Sources for this article include: LifeNews.com NationalReview.com NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov NEJM.org 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. On Father's Day, several dads around the Bay Area decided to take their children to demonstrations against the Trump administrations controversial new policy that separates immigrant parents from their children on the border. One protest of note took place at a county jail in Richmond, and later Sunday evening, a couple hundred people gathered for a vigil at San Carlos City Hall on the Peninsula. Attendees brought candles and signs and crowded onto the front steps of City Hall. The vigil organizer, Ron Piovesan, said he spent the day with his two children, but he couldnt stop thinking about what fathers are experiencing in immigration detention centers along the U.S. border with Mexico. "Theres a lot of people who are very angry with whats going on; theyre feeling helpless," he said. "So I thought for Father's Day, lets bring everyone together." Piovesan passed out slips of paper encouraging people to take action, to call their representatives and donate to legal aid groups trying to help immigrant detainees. Yvonne Brye-Vela compared whats happening on the U.S. border now with what she saw at history museums when she lived in Germany. "How could a concentration camp be next door in your neighborhood and no one cared?" she said. The Customs and Border Protection agency released photos of its facility in McAllen, Texas, where immigrants are processed. It is where parents are reportedly being separated from their children. Journalists who were allowed to tour the facility Sunday described chain link holding areas as "cages." Earlier Sunday in Richmond, people gathered outside the West County Detention Facility, where detainees picked up by ICE agents in the Bay Area are often held. Several people brought their kids to that event, too. "I cant celebrate my fatherhood when there are fathers who are literally killing themselves because their children are ripped from them," San Francisco resident Trevor McNeil said. "If someone took my children, I dont even know what I would do." Organizers of Sunday night's vigil say there are more events planned across the Bay Area in the next several days. Firefighters were battling at least two brush fires Sunday in unincorporated Alameda County, near Livermore, and some of the flames were blocking traffic on Highway 84. One blaze, which Cal Fire reported to be 20 acres, was burning in the hills between Interstate 680 and Vallecitos Road, shutting down lanes on westbound 84 east of I-680, according to the California Highway Patrol. That fire was 50 percent contained as of 6 p.m. Sunday. Livermore Fire officials said two fires were burning in the area, and they had made forward progress on both as of 5:30 p.m. The blazes were burning near Ruby Hill Golf Club, but no structures were threatened and no injuries were immediately reported, fire officials said. The CHP issued a Sig-alert about 4:20 p.m. The fire were under investigation. Free high-speed internet for all has been put on hold in San Francisco. The citys plan to create a broadband internet service for all residents and businesses has hit a snag, according to the San Francisco Examiner. Outgoing Mayor Mark Farrell will not place a tax measure on the November ballot that would fund the service, the newspaper reported. Farrell has been leading the charge on the public internet project for years. But he told the Examiner that the city needs more details before moving forward and asking voters to approve funding. An unapologetic President Donald Trump defended his administration's border-protection policies Monday in the face of rising national outrage over the forced separation of migrant children from their parents. Calling for tough action against illegal immigration, Trump declared the U.S. "will not be a migrant camp" on his watch. Democrats have turned up the pressure over the policy, and some Republicans have joined the chorus of criticism. Former first lady Laura Bush has called the policy "cruel" and "immoral" while GOP Sen. Susan Collins expressed concern about it and a former adviser to Trump questioned using the policy to pressure Democrats on immigration legislation. In a guest column for the Washington Post Sunday, Mrs. Bush made some of the strongest comments yet from a Republican. "I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," she wrote. 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." Former first lady Michelle Obama later shared Mrs. Bush's post about the op-ed on Twitter, writing, "Sometimes truth transcends party." Former first lady Rosalynn Carter released a statement Monday calling the "policy and practice" of separating children from parents at the border "disgraceful and a shame to our country." Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton weighed in Monday, calling the administration's "zero tolerance" policy "a moral and humanitarian crisis." Speaking at an awards lunch for the Women's Forum of New York, Clinton said what was happening to families at the U.S.-Mexico border is "horrific." "Every human being with a sense of compassion and decency should be outraged," Clinton said. Hillary Clinton commented on migrant children being separated from their families at the border today during a speech at the Womens Forum of New York, saying in part, every person with a sense of compassion and decency should be outraged. Underscoring the emotional tension, first lady Melania Trump, who has tended to stay out of contentious policy debates, also waded into the issue. Her spokeswoman said 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. President Trump continued to cast blame on Democrats Monday, tweeting: "Why don't the Democrats give us the votes to fix the world's worst immigration laws? Where is the outcry for the killings and crime being caused by gangs and thugs, including MS-13, coming into our country illegally?" Later, he again blamed Democrats during an event. President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans have been claiming a law is forcing the Trump administration to separate migrant children from their parents at the border. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen refused Monday to apologize for enforcing immigration laws that result in the separation of children from their parents. Speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room Monday, she rejected criticism accusing DHS of inhumane and immoral actions and repeatedly deflected blame to Congress. "Congress and the court created this problem, and Congress alone can fix it," Nielsen said. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defended the practice of separating families at the U.S.-Mexico border, saying that her department is merely following laws. Speaking at a White House briefing Monday, Nielsen said the issue has been growing for years, the product of loopholes that have created an open border. Nielsen said the immigration crisis that has led to families being separated is not new to the Trump administration. She said the issue has been growing for years and is the product of loopholes that have created an open border. 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. As of Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services has 11,785 minors in its care, a number that jumped by 500 in the past two weeks and that includes all minors at all shelters and facilities in the unaccompanied alien children program, a department official told NBC News. [NATL] Photos Show Children Kept in Cages With Foil Sheets in South Texas Border Patrol Facility The current holding areas have drawn widespread attention after journalists gained access to one site Sunday. At a McAllen, Texas, detention center hundreds of migrant children wait in a series of cages created by metal fencing. One cage had 20 children inside. Scattered about are bottles of water, bags of chips and large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets. On an audio recording released Monday by Propublica, children can be heard wailing inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility as a Border Patrol agent jokes, We have an orchestra here. The audio was posted by the news outlet Monday but its origin has not been independently verified by NBC News. At the current pace, the number of migrant children being held would hit 20,695 by the beginning of August. Nielsen said that releasing parents with their children amounts to a "get out of jail free card" policy for those in the country illegally. She said she has not seen the photos or the audio released Monday from border detention centers. Trump asserted Monday that children "are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth" as a way to enter the United States. He tweeted: "Has anyone been looking at the Crime taking place south of the border," calling it "historic." The signs of splintering GOP support come after longtime Trump ally, the Rev. Franklin Graham, called the policy "disgraceful." Several religious groups, including some conservative ones, have pushed to stop the practice of separating immigrant children from their parents. On Friday, the U.S. Government began bringing migrant children separated from their parents to a new tent city detention center in Tornillo, Texas. This footage was shot outside the facility. Former Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci said Monday on CNN that it "doesn't feel right" for the Trump administration to blame Democrats for separating parents and children at the southern border as a way of pressuring Democrats into negotiating on a Republican immigration bill. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she favors tighter border security, but expressed deep concerns about the child separation policy. "What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you," she said. "That's 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 one of his favorite issues. 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 with key proposals supported by the president. The White House has said Trump would sign either of those. Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke led protestors in a Father's Day march to the new "tent city" in Tornillo, Texas, that will house migrant children separated from their parents upon arrival in the United States. This pressure is coming as some White House officials have tried to distance themselves from the policy. "Nobody likes" breaking up families and "seeing babies ripped from their mothers' arms," said presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway. 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!" 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 it's an effort to extort a bill to their liking in the Congress." [NATL] Protestors Pressure Trump Administration to Reunite Migrant Children With Their Families 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." The House proposals face broad opposition from Democrats, and even if a bill does pass, the closely divided Senate seems unlikely to go along. The House moderates will lose all credibility if they accept this sham of a bill, which is extreme and drastically cuts immigration in ways unacceptable to the Senate and the American people," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement on Monday. "It holds Dreamers and kids who have been separated from their parents hostage in order to cut legal immigration and enact the hard rights immigration agenda. If the House moderates really want to get something done on immigration, they should not be duped by their leadership for a bill that they know isnt going anywhere. Trump's former chief strategist, meanwhile, 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 Trump's political base and contributing to election losses in November, when Republicans hope to preserve their congressional majorities. Jill Colvin of the Associated Press contributed to this report. Massachusetts' highest court has struck down a proposed "millionaire tax" ballot question, blocking it from going before state voters in November. The Supreme Judicial Court, in a split decision, ruled that the initiative petition should not have been certified by the attorney general. The constitutional amendment would have imposed a surtax of 4 percent on any portion of an individual's annual income that exceeds $1 million. The measure called for revenues from the tax to be used for transportation and education. According to State House News Service, the court found that voters who favored a graduated income tax but not earmarking funds for a specific purpose and voters who wanted to designate funds for transportation and education but not to adopt a graduate tax structure would be in an "untenable position." "A voter who commuted to work on an unreliable subway line, but who did not have school-aged children and was unconcerned about public education, might want to prioritize spending for public transportation, without devoting additional resources to public education, but would be unable to vote for that single purpose," the decision said. "A parent of young children, who lived in a rural part of the Commonwealth and did not own a motor vehicle, would be unable to vote in favor of prioritizing funding for early childhood education without supporting spending for transportation." Several business groups sued to stop what proponents had termed the Fair Share Amendment from appearing on the ballot, claiming it violated constitutional restrictions on ballot questions. The suit was filed by officials from three major business groups - the Massachusetts High Technology Council, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and Associated Industries of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation applauded the ruling Monday, calling it a "great day for all Massachusetts taxpayers." "We are encouraged not only by the outcome of today's SJC decision but also by how various community members and organizations throughout the state came together on such a critical issue to ensure the preservation of the Commonwealth's strong, competitive business climate," the Massachusetts High Technology Council added. The Raise Up Massachusetts coalition, which collected more than 150,000 signatures in support of the measure, said it is "incredibly disappointed" that the state's high court has blocked the measure from going before voters. The citizens group faulted a "few wealthy corporate executives and their lobbyists" for bringing the lawsuit against the proposed constitutional amendment. Senate President Harriette Chandler, a Democrat, said she is "terribly disappointed" in the SJC's decision. "At a fundamental level, this decision impedes the fight for economic equity, as well as the investments we need to make improvements to our schools, our rails and our roads," she said. "As I have said since January, without this Fair Share Amendment, we will need to be creative and take a hard look at potential revenues from new sources to address the very real challenges we face as a Commonwealth." The Massachusetts Democratic Party called the decision "a crisis" for Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. "What is his plan to repair our crumbling roads, fix our unreliable public transportation systems, and invest in our critically underfunded public schools?" Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman Gus Bickford said. "Will he continue his irresponsible campaign to cut the sales tax, which will rip over $1 billion from our schools, roads, and public safety services? Or will he, for once, stand up for the working families of the Commonwealth and make the investments to move our state forward?" Baker has consistently declined to stake out a position on the surtax, saying it was not guaranteed a spot on the ballot. A Suffolk University poll of 500 likely voters, conducted earlier this month, found more than 66 percent in favor of the surtax. Authorities are investigating a shooting that left one man dead in Lowell, Massachusetts Monday afternoon. Lowell police said three men were shot at the intersection of Smith and Westford streets. One man died at the scene. The two other men were rushed to local hospitals. The men remain hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The shooting does not appear to be random, according to police. No suspect description was released. Authorities have not released the identities of any of the victims, however family members tell NBC10 Boston that the man who was killed was 33-year-old Saron Yut, a father of two who worked at Market Basket and lived with another one of the victims. An earlier update in the evening from the district attorney's office incorrectly stated that a second victim had died following the shooting. However, officials issued a correction late Monday night saying only one person had died from the shooting. No further information was immediately available. A congressional delegation met Monday with some of the unaccompanied minors and children separated from their parents who are being housed at federal facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego County. The children, as young as 6 years old, are a few of the thousands in the custody of federal officials as the result of a zero tolerance policy enacted in April. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-12th District) called the policy a heartbreaking, barbaric issue and said it should be ended immediately. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in April announced a zero-tolerance policy where anyone coming across the border will be prosecuted. That means children must be taken from their parents at the border because children can't be sent to jail. Pelosi appeared Monday with the congressional delegation in San Ysidro, California after the group met with 62 children and juveniles from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas (D-51st District), U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D-53rd District) and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus wanted to see first-hand the effects of the Trump Administrations policy. On Thursday, Sessions quoted a Biblical passage to justify the policy. On Monday, Vargas quoted a different passage from the Bible in which Jesus worked to reunite a family and called the policy immoral. No matter what you say about it, its not biblical, Vargas said. Trump has defended the policy, which has taken nearly 2,000 immigrant children away from their parents. "The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility," he added. Not on my watch," Trump said Monday. Sessions said Monday that law enforcement officials do not want to separate parents from their children. Sessions was speaking in New Orleans at the National Sheriff's Association conference. He said enforcing immigration laws that result in the separation of children from parents is necessary. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Monday officials will not apologize for enforcing immigration laws that result in the separation of children from their parents. Nielsen was speaking Monday at the National Sheriff's Association conference in New Orleans. Last month, Homeland Security began referring all cases of illegal entry to the Justice Department for prosecution. Nielsen says agents are not acting cruelly, but are enforcing the laws passed by Congress. She said past administrations asked immigration agents to look the other way when families crossed the border illegally, but no longer. The congressional delegation included U.S. Reps. Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-44th District, Los Angeles), Tony Cardenas (D-29th District, Panorama City), Judy Chu (D-27th District, Los Angeles), Lou Correa (D-46th District, Santa Ana), Jim Costa (D-16th District, Fresno), Jimmy Gomez (D-34th District, Los Angeles), Ruben Kihuen (D-4th District, Nevada), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-1st District, New Mexico), Lucille Roybal-Allard (40th District, Los Angeles), Norma Torres (D-35th District Ontario, CA) and Nydia Velazquez (D-7th District, New York). "It's up to President Trump to own the fact that he made this policy. That he made this zero tolerance policy," Rep. Judy Chu said. "Trump started this and he can end this." U.S. Rep. Norma Torres said she's been contacted by families and teachers who want to organize foster family systems for the children or protest the policy. "They are fleeing such horrific violence and rape. The kinds of conditions that every single one of us would run from in order to protect our children and our families," Torres said. One of the shelters for migrant children is located in a nondescript building in El Cajon. Department of Health and Human Services officials said most of the children in that facility are unaccompanied minors and only 10 percent were separated from their parents. The trip comes as a debate rages on in Washington, D.C. and across the country over the administrations strict enforcement of the existing policy to prosecute those entering the country illegally on top of the usual immigration proceedings. The policy has separated nearly 2,000 children from their parents in six weeks. Trump has falsely been putting the blame for children separation on Democrats. A woman was killed and five other people were wounded in a shooting on Chicago's Near West Side early Monday, according to police. Authorities said the shooting took place around 4:50 a.m. in the 1300 block of South Loomis Street in the city's University Village neighborhood. It appeared to stem from an overnight party at that location, according to police, who said two unknown vehicles were seen driving around the block several times before someone opened fire. Officials said a female victim, believed to be between 20 and 25 years of age, was found nearby in the 1400 block of South Washburne Avenue. She had multiple gunshot wounds to her body - on her chest, left arm, head and ear - and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office could not immediately confirm the fatality, and further details, including her identity, were not available. A 17-year-old boy sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head, authorities said, and was taken to Stroger Hospital. Chicago police initially said he had been pronounced dead, but later corrected their statement to say he was listed in "very critical" condition. A 21-year-old man was shot in the right calf and a 23-year-old man was shot in the right arm, CPD said. Both men ran to a police car upon officers' arrival on the scene, according to police, who said they were taken to Stroger Hospital in stable condition. Authorities said another 23-year-old man was shot multiple times in the abdomen and taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center by his girlfriend. He was listed in stable condition. A sixth victim from the same shooting, a 21-year-old man, was discovered at Rush University Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the left leg, according to police. He was treated and released, officials said. No one is in custody in connection with the shooting, according to police, who continue to investigate. Its a frustration for many drivers on roadways across the country, but one Indiana State Police trooper is being hailed a traffic hero for a stop he made over the weekend. Sgt. Stephen Wheels, of the Versailles district, tweeted Saturday that he stopped a vehicle on Interstate 65 for a left lane violation. The driver had approximately 20 cars slowed behind her because she would not move back to the right lane, he tweeted, along with a photo of his squad car and the vehicle pulled over. [[485842731, C]] He reminded motorists that if there are vehicles behind you, you must move to the right lane to allow them to pass. It was a simple traffic stop that turned Wheeles into a social media star with more than 20,000 retweets and 60,000 likes. Users were begging Wheeles to come to their states while others called for the trooper to get a raise. [[485842851, C]] Illinois also has a left lane law, which, according to police, states that while traveling on an interstate highway, a vehicle may not be driven in the left lane, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle. The new Walgreens office in Chicago, set to be housed in the Old Main Post Office building, is expected to open in fall 2019, officials said Monday. Bringing with it nearly 2,000 jobs, the company said it plans to host digital and IT operations employees as well as some Walgreens Boots Alliance global IT personnel in the new space. Of the 1,800 positions coming to the 400 block of West Van Buren, 1,300 will be for relocated employees, the company said. "This will be the largest number of corporate employees Walgreens has ever had based in Chicago," Walgreens said in a statement, adding that there are currently about 4.500 employees in Chicago, including those at its 120 drugstores. Walgreens Boots Alliance will remain headquartered in north suburban Deerfield. Investing in our infrastructure and building our digital and technical capabilities are essential elements of our business transformation strategy, as we work to improve access for our customers and enhance the customer experience, Walgreens President Alex Gourlay said in a statement. The space in the iconic Old Post Office building allows us to attract and retain the best talent from all of Chicagoland. The new office will be announced at an event Monday afternoon, with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel expected to attend. Walgreens was born in Chicago with one small pharmacy on the South Side, and their big new presence in one of our citys most iconic locations is a great way to look to the future, Emanuel said in a statement. A Texas sheriff's deputy is accused of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl and threatening the child's mother, an undocumented immigrant, with deportation if she reported him. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said 47-year-old Jose Nunez was arrested Sunday on a warrant for super aggravated sexual assault, pending formal charges. Salazar said the mother from Guatemala took her daughter to a local fire station Saturday night when the child cried out for help and expressed feeling physical pain. He said the assaults may have been going on for years, and that there could be other victims. "The details of the case are quite frankly heartbreaking, disturbing, disgusting and infuriating all at the same time," Salazar said. Nunez is an employee of the county jail and is on paid leave. County jail and court records show Nunez is being held on $75,000 bond and do not list an attorney who can speak on his behalf. He is due in court Monday afternoon. The felony charge carries a minimum 25-year sentence if he is convicted. Salazar said while it was unclear if Nunez was "targeting" undocumented persons, he noted the appeal of such vulnerable communities who are less apt to report crimes because of their immigration status. Last year, Texas passed a law banning "sanctuary cities" in the state and allows police to inquire about people's immigration status during routine interactions like traffic stops. Senate Bill 4 went into effect this year after months of legal wrangling. Under the law, local authorities who fail to honor federal requests to hold people jailed on offenses that aren't immigration related for possible deportation can be fined. Police chiefs, sheriffs and constables could also face removal from office and even criminal charges for failing to comply with such federal "detainer" requests. Still, Salazar encouraged victims of crimes to report it, regardless of their citizenship status. "I would urge anybody that may be undocumented, that is a victim of a crime or witness to a crime, to please come forward and report it," Salazar said. "Just like we're doing in this case, we're filling out paperwork with this witness in question to make sure that she's given protected status pending the outcome of this case." "My objective is to separate this person from the agency as soon as possible," Salazar added. President Donald Trump is claiming exoneration in the Russia matter from a Justice Department report that actually offers him none. He's also branding fired FBI chief James Comey a criminal, though the report in question makes no such accusation. Fallout from the internal report by the department's inspector general capped a week of diplomacy with North Korea, trade spats on several fronts and growing attention to an immigration policy that is splitting children from parents after their arrests at the border. Trump dropped misrepresentations into the mix at every turn. A week in review: TRUMP: "I think that the report yesterday, maybe more importantly than anything, it totally exonerates me. There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. And if you read the report, you'll see that. ... I think that the Mueller investigation has been totally discredited." remarks to reporters Friday. THE FACTS: The report neither exonerated nor implicated Trump. It did not make any findings about collusion with Russia or obstruction of justice. It did not discredit, or give credence to, special counsel Robert Mueller's continuing investigation into Russian interference in the election and ties between the Trump campaign and Russians. The report was about the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's email practices. TRUMP on Comey: "Certainly he, they just seem like criminal acts to me. What he did was criminal. ... Should he be locked up? Let somebody make a determination." to Fox News on Friday. THE FACTS: The report does not substantiate Trump's lock-him-up rhetoric. Comey was roundly faulted by the inspector general for violating FBI practices and for insubordination in making public statements about the Clinton investigation at the height of the presidential campaign. The report also revealed communications among some FBI employees who plainly wanted Trump to lose. But it does not support Trump's complaint that political bias influenced the conduct of the email investigation into his Democratic rival. Nor does it allege any criminal behavior by Comey, who has been accused by Clinton supporters of taking actions that hurt her election chances. TRUMP: "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..." tweet Saturday. TRUMP: "The Democrats forced that law upon our nation. I hate it. I hate to see separation of parents and children." And: "I hate the children being taken away. The Democrats have to change their law. That's their law." remarks to reporters Friday. THE FACTS: It's not Democrats' law. There is no law mandating the separation of children and parents at the border. The separations are a consequence of a Trump administration policy to maximize criminal prosecutions of people caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally. That means more adults are jailed, pending trial, so their children are removed from them. Before the policy, many people who were accused of illegal entry and did not have a criminal record were merely referred for civil deportation proceedings, which generally did not break up families. The policy was announced April 6 and went into effect in May. From April 19 to May 31, 1,995 children were separated from 1,940 adults, according to Homeland Security statistics obtained by The Associated Press. The figures are for people who tried to enter the U.S. between official border crossings. Trump's repeated, but nonspecific references to a Democratic law appear to involve one enacted in 2008. It passed unanimously in Congress and was signed by Republican President George W. Bush. It was focused on freeing and otherwise helping children who come to the border without a parent or guardian. It does not call for family separation. TRUMP: "The economy is the best it's ever been with employment being at an all-time high." tweet Wednesday. THE FACTS: Thanks largely to population growth, the number of people with jobs is, in fact, at a record high of 155.5 million. But a more relevant measure the proportion of Americans with jobs isn't even close to a record. Last month, 60.4 percent of Americans 16 and older had jobs. That is up from the recession and its aftermath, when many Americans stopped looking for work. It bottomed out at 58.2 percent in July 2011. Both figures are far below the record high of 64.7 percent, which was briefly reached in 2000. At the beginning of the 2008-2009 recession, 62.7 percent of Americans had jobs. Economists estimate that at least half of the decline reflects ongoing retirements by the huge baby boom generation. For Americans in their prime working years age 25 through 54 roughly 79 percent have jobs. That's up substantially from the post-recession low of 74.8 percent in November 2010. But it's below the record of 81.9 percent in April 2000. TRUMP: "Oil prices are too high, OPEC is at it again. Not good!" tweet Wednesday. THE FACTS: He oversimplifies the reasons for increased prices. OPEC is the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Members of the cartel, led by Saudi Arabia, and other big producers including Russia have contributed to reversing the plunge in crude oil prices that started in 2014. They have shown discipline in limiting production since the start of last year, helping push up the benchmark price of international crude. Prices, however, were already rising on growing demand and expectations that a sharp pullback in new investment by oil companies would reduce the oil supply. Some estimates put the post-crash reduction in investment by major oil companies such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron and BP at more than $1 trillion almost akin to eliminating the fourth-largest oil producer in the world. Meanwhile, output from Venezuela, a major oil exporter to the U.S., has plunged as the South American country goes through a political and economic crisis. Then there is Iran, OPEC's third-biggest producer. Iran boosted production after the U.S. lifted sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program in 2016. But analysts expect output to fall when Trump's decision to withdraw from the deal takes full effect later this year. TRUMP: "Fair Trade is now to be called Fool Trade if it is not Reciprocal. According to a Canada release, they make almost 100 Billion Dollars in Trade with U.S. (guess they were bragging and got caught!). Minimum is 17B. Tax Dairy from us at 270%." tweet June 10. Two days earlier: "Canada charges the U.S. a 270% tariff on Dairy Products! They didn't tell you that, did they? Not fair to our farmers!" THE FACTS: He's not telling the whole story. While Canadian dairy tariffs average nearly 249 percent, the troubles that U.S. dairy farmers face can't all be blamed on Canada. Canadian trade policies have had only a "tiny impact" on America's struggling dairy farmers, says Daniel Sumner, an agricultural economist at the University of California, Davis. Despite Canadian barriers, the United States last year ran a $474 million trade surplus in dairy with Canada, and exported $636 million in dairy products to Canada while importing $162 million, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. Dairy is barely a blip 0.1 percent in U.S.-Canada trade, which amounted to $680 billion last year. As a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement, "99 percent of the trade between Canada and the U.S. is tariff-free," said Bruce Heyman, former U.S. ambassador to Canada. Overall, the U.S. ran a nearly $3 billion surplus in trade with Canada last year. TRUMP: "Just landed - a long trip, but everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea..." tweet Wednesday. THE FACTS: His claim that there is no nuclear threat is an exaggeration. The five-hour nuclear summit gave the two leaders an opportunity to express optimism. But it didn't nail down how and when North Korea might denuclearize. North Korea is still believed to have a significant nuclear arsenal that could potentially threaten the U.S. Independent experts say the North could have enough fissile material for anywhere between about a dozen and 60 nuclear bombs. Last year, it tested long-range missiles that could reach the U.S. mainland although it remains unclear if it has mastered the technology to deliver a nuclear warhead that could re-enter the atmosphere and hit its target. TRUMP: Before taking office people were assuming that we were going to War with North Korea. President (Barack) Obama said that North Korea was our biggest and most dangerous problem. No longer - sleep well tonight!" tweet Wednesday. THE FACTS: Trump is wrong to say there was an assumption before he took office that the United States would go to war. Obama had used sanctions to no avail to try to halt North Korea's nuclear program. But it wasn't until after Trump took office that North Korea's testing of an intercontinental ballistic missile and rhetoric between the two leaders heightened talk of war. TRUMP: "Chairman Kim and I just signed a joint statement in which he reaffirms his unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We also agreed to vigorous negotiations to implement the agreement as soon as possible, and he wants to do that. This isn't the past. This isn't another administration that never got it started and, therefore, never got it done." remarks Tuesday at news conference with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un. THE FACTS: He's wrong in suggesting his administration is the first to start on denuclearization with North Korea. The Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations both did so. Clinton reached an aid-for-disarmament deal in 1994 that halted North Korea's plutonium production for eight years, freezing what was then a very small nuclear arsenal. Bush took a tougher stance toward North Korea, and the 1994 nuclear deal collapsed because of suspicions that the North was running a secret uranium enrichment program. Bush, too, ultimately pursued negotiations. That led to a temporary disabling of some nuclear facilities, but talks fell apart because of differences over verification. TRUMP: "He actually mentioned the fact that they proceeded down a path in the past and ultimately as you know nothing got done. In one case, they took billions of dollars during the Clinton regime. ... Took billions of dollars and nothing happened." He said of Clinton: "He spent $3 billion and got nothing." remarks Tuesday. THE FACTS: His numbers are incorrect. The Clinton administration, which he calls a "regime," and the Bush administration combined provided some $1.3 billion in assistance from 1995 to 2008, says the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan arm of Congress. Slightly more than half was for food aid and 40 percent for energy assistance. He's also wrong in saying "nothing happened" in return. North Korea stopped producing plutonium for eight years under the 1994 agreement. Just how much was achieved, though, is in question, because of the suspicions that emerged later that North Korea had been secretly seeking to enrich uranium. TRUMP, on Kim's agreement to work to repatriate the remains of prisoners of the Korean War and those missing in action from the conflict: "He gave us the remains of our great heroes." remarks to reporters Friday. THE FACTS: That's false. No remains have been returned since the summit, as of Friday. The last time North Korea turned over remains was in 2007, when Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador and New Mexico governor, secured the return of six sets. TRUMP: "He's giving us back the remains of probably 7,500 soldiers." to Fox News on Friday. TRUMP: "I asked for it today. And we got it. ... So, for the thousands and thousands, I guess way over 6,000 that we know of in terms of the remains, they'll be brought back." remarks Tuesday. THE FACTS: Also wrong. About 5,300 U.S. troops are still unaccounted for from North Korea. Trump is also glossing over the surely impossible odds of locating the remains of all Americans missing from the war, more than six decades later. Several thousand are still missing in South Korea despite its close alliance and history of cooperation with the U.S. North Korea and the United States remain technically at war because the 1950-53 fighting ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. But between 1996 and 2005, joint U.S.-North Korea military search teams conducted 33 joint recovery operations and recovered 229 sets of American remains. TRUMP: "I remember a nuclear event took place, 8.8 on the Richter scale, and they announced I heard it on the radio, they announced that a massive, you know, an earthquake took place somewhere in Asia. And then they said it was in North Korea, and then they found out it was a nuclear test, I said, I never heard of a Richter scale in the high eights." remarks Tuesday. THE FACTS: North Korea had no earthquake last year approaching that level of severity. This isn't the first time he has misrepresented the episode. North Korea tested what it called a hydrogen bomb in September, causing an underground blast so big it registered as a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. Other nuclear tests last year were associated with smaller seismic events. An 8.8 quake would be 316 times bigger and release 5,623 times more energy than a 6.3. In the past 15 years there have been three earthquakes that were an 8.8 or higher: the 9.1 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011 that killed nearly 16,000 people, a 9.1 earthquake and tsunami off northern Sumatra in 2004 that killed about 250,000 people and an 8.8 earthquake off Chile in 2010 that killed 524. Associated Press writers Christopher Rugaber, Colleen Long, Matthew Pennington, Seth Borenstein, Paul Wiseman, David Koenig and Elliot Spagat contributed to this report. Nine people are recovering after a minivan crashed outside Lake Compounce in Bristol Sunday night. The crash happened at a gate near Enterprise Drive in Bristol and police said it appeared that the minivan was leaving the park when the driver lost control. Other park-goers came upon the scene and tried to help. At first I grabbed the little kid, like a little boy, carried him, held him in my arms, and then put down on the ground then went to help with more people, Andrew Dvorchak, of Wolcott, said during an interview over FaceTime. Police said, thankfully, none of the injuries were serious. The ridership for the first two days of Hartford Line rail service was a dream come true. Officials said 21,850 people took advantage of the free rides on the Hartford Line on its inaugural weekend. Figures for the first day of regular service, Monday, were not immediately available. While staff from CT Rail, the group principally in charge of the Hartford Line is tallying people every day, Amtrak reports ridership differently. I love what Im seeing, said James Redeker, Connecticuts commissioner of the Department of Transportation. He said the line is a landmark achievement for the state, and one that should be looked at as an example around the nation. Where else are we opening up high-speed rail service with this many trains? The answer? Nowhere else in the country, Redeker said, while seated at a table in a rail car traveling from New Haven to Hartford. Thats something that Connecticut needs to stand proud and tall about. This is setting the bar as high as can be for the high-speed rail program. The rail cars were not full on the early and later afternoon trains ridden by NBC Connecticut, but riders were certainly excited about the new transportation service. Jeff Travers took advantage of it to visit his son in New York City, and transferred to Metro-North Service in New Haven. Unbelievable. This is the best thing that could have happened. For years weve been driving to New Haven to go down to the city to visit with them and now you just get on in Hartford or anywhere along the way and bingo youre in the city. The mayors of the two largest cities in North Texas will be in Europe on a trade mission until Friday, officials announced Sunday. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price will spend six days on the other side of the Atlantic, in London, Paris and Brussels to promote business opportunities in North Texas. "The Dallas-Fort Worth region is the ideal location to grow and develop international businesses," Rawlings said. "As a hub of innovation and diversity, we look to strengthen the already deep connections North Texas has with our global partners." "These trips are vital when it comes to building our business markets and fostering professional relationships," Price said. "With a positive, pro-business climate, talented workforce, strong economy and a great location, the DFW region is a great place to do business or visit." When combined, the United Kingdom and France are the largest foreign investors in Texas, according to a press release. They spent $6.7 billion in capital expenditures from 2011-2016. British-owned companies operating in the metroplex include Barclays and BT Global Services, while French companies with offices in DFW include L'Oreal and Louis Vuitton. Rawlings and Price brought a delegation with them that included other local officials and business leaders. "Business continues to grow in Texas, with more headquarters citing DFW Airport as one of the top reasons for relocating to the Dallas-Fort Worth region," said Sean Donohue, CEO of DFW Airport and a member of the delegation. "We're anticipating a record 73 million customers over the next 12 months, and we continue to work with our airline partners to provide more opportunities to enable commerce and connect people and cargo." In London, the group will meet with the city's mayor, Charles Bowman and British Airways executives among others; in Paris it will meet with executives with Air France and Louis Vuitton; and in Brussels, its primary meetings will be with NATO. Aside from business, tourism is on the delegation's agenda as well. According to the release, the United Kingdom is Dallas-Fort Worth's top source for overseas tourists. President Trump is heading to Capitol Hill this week to talk about immigration reform as debate heats up over the administrations 'zero tolerance policy' that separates parents and children at the border. Dozens gathered at Texas Woman's University in Denton Sunday night for a candlelight vigil to stand in solidarity against families being separated at the border. There is an undocumented migrant in North Texas currently seeking asylum who said she could have easily found herself without her young children right now. Irma Rivera couldn't help but smile as she talked about her new life. She said she has a job working with her brother doing plumbing work. She feels safer than she's ever felt in her native Honduras. Her family spent the afternoon celebrating Father's Day at a park in Fort Worth. Rivera also feels very fortunate that her kids are not among the nearly 2,000 undocumented minors separated from their parents. "Thank God they did not take them from me," she said in Spanish. "I dont even want to imagine being separated from them. I've never been without them for a single day." Rivera said she fled her native Honduras with her children after her husband was murdered by unknown assailants. Violence, she said, was a constant fear. The mother and her children joined a caravan of migrants, the majority from Central American countries, seeking asylum in the U.S. in April. Rivera said she was sent to a detention center near San Antonio with her children before being allowed to reunite with her brother in Dallas in late May. They barely avoided the 'zero tolerance policy' that resulted in children being sent to shelters while their parents were sent to detention centers. Rivera was asked to respond to critics who say she risked her own children's lives to enter the U.S. illegally. She said she doesnt see it that way. "There are people who judge and don't like that we're here," she said. "But they don't know the problems we had and may one day find themselves taking desperate measures to keep their kids safe too." Rivera still faces an uncertain future in the U.S. She said an immigration official has given her one year to make her case to a judge and that she fears for her and her children's lives should they be returned to Honduras. However, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions just announced that domestic violence and gang violence are not grounds for asylum in the U.S. One day after his big win, Justin Henry said he's really looking forward to setting policy. He now has a seat at the table and an appetite for change. Dallas ISDs newest trustee is a father, an attorney, and a former teacher. Armed with a master's degree in education, Henry said he's ready to get to work for Dallas. "When we talk about community engagement, where there are these big discussions happening with the board or the media, or city council, we need to make sure that our community is fully informed about what that means, how that impacts them, the positive and the negative," said Henry, who will represent District 9. Thanks to his grassroots campaign, he beat nine-year incumbent Bernadette Nutall. She helped block a tax-ratification election to increase funding for school programs. Henry could be the swing vote to put it on the ballot. "What we do know is we're not going to get help from Austin, so we really have to buckle up locally. But if we're really invested in our schools, we have to ask ourselves you know, are our kids worth 13 cents?" he said. The 13-cent per $100 hike would bring Dallas to the cap allowed by state law. Henry said it's not just teacher pay - he'd love to tackle more. "If it does get approved, I really want racial equity money in there, meaning the schools that have the highest needs, get more resources," Henry said. But what he wants the most is involvement in the conversation. "Right now we have to look at our kids and their needs and make a decision in our community what we're willing to do for our public schools here," he said. For the upcoming school year, DISD will have to give about $60 million dollars in tax money back to the state, because it's now a property wealthy "recapture" district. That's an added challenge Henry will face on the board of trustees. He'll serve a three-year term. A Texas Tech University student participating in a University of Texas study program in Russia has died in a fall. University of Texas officials say Elmer Arrieta, a graduate student at Texas Tech's College of Architecture, has been killed while hiking on Olkhon Island in Eastern Siberia. The 27-year-old Arrieta, an El Paso native, was one of 20 students involved in the hike Saturday on the island about 3,400 miles east of Moscow and north of Mongolia. 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. Ships in the Aquarius aid convoy docked Sunday at the Spanish port of Valencia, ending a weeklong ordeal for hundreds of people who were rescued from the perilous Mediterranean only to become the latest pawn in Europe's battle 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 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 that 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," 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." 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 authorization 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 recognize 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. 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. A Florida man is in jail after law authorities said he threw a samurai sword at deputies responding to a domestic disturbance call. Brevard County sheriff's deputies were responding to a 911 call Wednesday from a woman who said her son was threatening her with a pair of swords. Florida Today reports when deputies arrived, they found 24-year-old Geoffrey Crane holding the samurai swords and he refused to put them down. Investigators say Crane then threw one of the swords at the deputies. A stun gun was used to subdue Crane, who had a blood alcohol content of .36. The legal limit to drive is .08. Crane faces several charges, including domestic abuse and aggravated assault on a law enforcement office. He was still being held in Brevard County jail on Saturday. Jail records didn't say if he has a lawyer. Nearly $100,000 has been raised in two days for a Colorado family dealing with an unspeakable tragedy following a road rage shooting that left a 13-year-old dead, and a mother and a second younger son in critical condition and "fighting for their lives." The GoFundMe account set up to help the family of Meghan Bigelow has drawn nationwide attention. After sending in a donation, Leann Parkinson wrote, "I am heart broken over this senseless act, the whole world is praying for your family." Abby McMaster of Erie, Colorado, created the page, along with the Bigelow's family and friends, to ask for help with "raising money for this incredible family as they are experiencing such are tragic time and have a long road of recovery ahead of them." A 12-year-old boy told police he saw a driver open fire on his family during a road rage confrontation in Colorado, which killed his older brother and critically wounded his mother and younger brother, authorities said Friday. Police arrested Jeremy Webster, 23, hours after the shooting that killed a 13-year-old boy and also wounded a bystander not related to the family. Webster acknowledged shooting four people in a suburban Denver parking lot and told officers he "has mental health issues," according to a search warrant, which did not specify his mental status. [[238427591, C]] The 12-year-old, who was not injured, told police that his mother and another driver were involved "in some type of road rage incident" near a business complex in the city of Westminster. He said the driver followed the family's car into the parking lot and argued briefly with his mother before opening fire, according to the warrant filed in court Friday. Other witnesses told police that they saw Webster park his black Toyota Corolla behind the woman's vehicle in the middle of the lot. They said Webster shot the woman, then turned and shot two of her children "multiple times," according to the warrant. Police have not identified the victims. The mother, 41, and brother, 8, were in critical condition, while the bystander was less seriously wounded, authorities said. The man was shot while driving with his 9-year-old daughter in a pickup truck, but she was not hurt, the warrant said. The 12-year-old boy told police that his mother took a photo of the driver's license plate on her phone before they got out of the car. Authorities used the photo to look up the vehicle's owner and compared it to witness descriptions. Webster was arrested Thursday evening when police spotted his car traveling on a freeway near Colorado Springs. In the warrant to search Webster's car and home, Westminster Police Detective Matt Calhoon wrote that Webster agreed to speak with police. "Jeremy stated that he has mental health issues and just (started) a new prescribed medication today," the warrant said. "Jeremy admitted that he used his Glock 19 handgun to shoot the above people and that he secured the firearm in the trunk of his vehicle after the shooting." Webster faces charges of first-degree murder, first-degree assault and attempt to commit a felony. He is being held in jail without bond, according to online records. Jail records do not indicate if Webster has an attorney to speak on his behalf. Webster was born in New Jersey and does not have a criminal history in Colorado, according to court and law enforcement records. It's not clear how long he has lived in Colorado. He is due in court Monday. The family of the mother and children requested privacy, police said. A 46-year-old woman strangled a rabid bobcat to death after the animal attacked her in her front yard in northeast Georgia. DeDe Phillips of Hart County went outside on June 7 to take a picture when the bobcat lunged at her, The Athens-Banner Herald reports. 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. "My five-year old granddaughter was in the house and I didn't want her coming out," Phillips told NBC affiliate WXIA. "If she would have came out it would have killed her. But he's biting the daylights out of me and I'm thinking, 'I can't let him go. Not today ... I wasn't dying today.'" 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. What to Know The Anthony Bourdain Food Trail may be coming to NJ thanks to a recently introduced bill that sets to honor the late Jersey-born chef Assemblyman Paul Moriarity introduced the bill Monday that calls on the states Division of Travel and Tourism to establish the food trail Anthony Bourdain, who passed away June 8, was an acclaimed chef, bestselling author and TV host The Anthony Bourdain Food Trail may be coming to New Jersey thanks to a recently introduced bill that sets to honor the late Jersey-born chef. Assemblyman Paul Moriarity introduced the proposed legislation Monday that calls on the states Division of Travel and Tourism to establish such a food trail. Bourdain was born in Leonia, a borough in Bergen County. The acclaimed chef spent his professional career in the restaurant industry working his way up from being a dishwasher to being the head chef in some of the countrys best restaurants, including the Rainbow Room and Les Halles in New York City. Fans Create a Memorial for Anthony Bourdain Outside of His Former Restaurant Bourdain also became a bestselling author penning books related to the culinary world, like Kitchen Confidential. He further made a name for himself by traveling the world highlighting local cuisines and cultures with his shows No Reservations and Parts Unknown. Bourdain, 61, was found dead of an apparent suicide June 8 in France. Theres no question that Anthonys road to fame was not an easy one, Moriarty said in a statement. Even after international fame, he never forgot his Jersey roots. Each episode, Bourdain brought his homegrown wit, charm and sense of humanity to his viewers. He became a New Jersey food icon. It was heartbreaking for his fans and for those who knew him in Leonia to find out of his passing. The chef celebrated the food and culture of his native state in a 2015 episode of Parts Unknown where he visited 10 of his favorite eateries and recalled his childhood spent at local beaches and restaurants. The bill specifies the tour would include these 10 eateries. A designated trail of his favorite dining spots is a fitting way to honor the memory of one of New Jerseys best-known chefs, Moriarty said. The eateries featured in that episode include: Kubels in Barnegat Light; Hirams Roadstand in Fort Lee; Knife and Fork in Atlantic City; Docks Oyster House in Atlantic City; Tonys Baltimore Grill in Atlantic City; Tony and Ruth Steaks in Camden; Donkeys Place in Camden; Lucilles Country Cooking in Barnegat; Franks Deli in Asbury Park and James Salt Water Taffy in Atlantic City. [NATL]Influential People We've Lost in 2018 What to Know The FDA recently warned consumers that "sunscreen pills" are fakes that can't actually replace sunscreen On Sunday, Sen. Chuck Schumer said the FDA should pull the pills from shelves If the FDA doesn't pull the pills or regulate the companies making them, it would be a "glaring error," Schumer said A handful of pills that markets themselves as alternatives to sunscreen should be pulled from shelves due to their misleading and potentially hazardous claims, Sen. Chuck Schumer said. The Food and Drug Administration recently warned consumers that so-called "suncreen pills" are fakes that don't actually provide the same benefits and protection as sunscreen. Schumer on Sunday said the FDA should go one step further and ask retailers to pull the companies products from the market. The FDA should be burning mad at the handful of companies marketing shady pills and capsules as a new alternative to long-tested SPF sun protection, Schumer said. Failing to effectively rein in these marketing attempts would be a glaring error by the FDA and so they must turn up the enforcement heat before consumers literally get burned," he added. The FDA specifically called out Sunsafe Rx pills, Solicare pills which can be purchased at Walmart Sunergetic pills and Advanced Skin Brightening Formula pills. Sunsafe Rxs Instagram ads depict sunbathers basking at beaches and pools, amongst other places, while being protected by the pills, Schumers office said. The FDA should either permanently remove the companies products from the market, or remove them until the companies clean up their act[s], especially on social media, his office added. In a statement on Sunday, Napa Valley Bioscience, the company that develops Sunsafe Rx, maintained some people use the product for "supplemental protection," while some people with "very sensitive skin" use it to "help them prevent some of their adverse reactions to sunlight." "We don't market Sunsafe Rx as a sunscreen and we certainly don't tell consumers that they don't need any other protection from the sun or that they don't also need to use a topical sunscreen," the company said. The three other companies cited by the FDA didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. What to Know Activists rallied on Monday for a Queens man who fears he'll be deported to China after being detained while going to a green card interview The man, 39-year-old Queens resident Xiu Qing You, was arrested last month, leaving a 4-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter His attorney called the detainment "not humane" Dozens of demonstrators filled New York City's Foley Square Monday to protest the possible deportation of a man who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after trying to attend a green card interview. Attorney Yee Ling Poon said the detainment of his client, 39-year-old Queens resident Xiu Qing You, was "not humane." It came as activists and local politicians rallied outside the federal building in Lower Manhattan in support of the man who came to the U.S. in 2000 in hopes of gaining asylum. You -- who said he feared being persecuted for his Catholic faith if he ever returned to China -- was denied and issued a deportation order in 2002. He never complied with the order. The stay-at-home dad to two children and helps run a nail salon in Connecticut with his wife and had applied for permanent residency in 2015. But he was arrested after attending an interview on May 23 and is currently being held at a federal lockup in New Jersey awaiting deportation. Poon said Monday has asked for a stay of deportation, while also seeking to reopen his asylum claim. "I've been practicing for 27 years and this is the first time this has happened to my client so you can see the big change in policy," he said. You's case comes amid rising profile for such cases both in New York City and across the country. A pizza shop employee from Ecuador was arrested two weeks ago while making a delivery to an Army garrison in Brooklyn, but was able to get a stay on a deportation order. And on Monday, scrutiny over the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy for families crossing the U.S.-Mexico border continued to grow, with the federal Customs and Border Protection agency releasing photos of children inside chain-link cages at a McAllen, Texas, facility. What to Know Calls, texts, emails and tweets to the citys 311 hotline about parking-related complaints have spiked 228 percent from May 2013 to May 2018 According to an analysis, New Yorkers are most frustrated about blocked driveways with roughly 137,000 complaints over the past five years The city also saw a 326 percent increase to 149,000 complaints in other categories like double-parked cars and blocked fire hydrants Parking in New York City can often be seen as a coveted luxury, provoking drivers to complain about it frequently. More and more parking grievances have been shared via calls, texts, emails and tweets with the citys 311 hotline so much so that parking-related complaints have spiked 228 percent from May 2013 to May 2018, according to a new study from Localize.city. The analysis determined that New Yorkers are most frustrated about blocked driveways. The city saw roughly 137,000 blocked driveway complaints over the past five years an increase of 162 percent. This makes it the No. 1 type of parking-related complaint, Localize.city determined. The city also saw a 326 percent increase to 149,000 complaints in other categories like double-parked cars, blocked fire hydrants, unauthorized bus layovers and vehicle violating posted parking signs. These Countries Have the Highest Threat Levels for Traveling, According to the U.S. Department of State But which complaint is most common in which area? The study found that the borough of Queens is home to seven of the top 10 neighborhoods for blocked driveway complaints, including Flushing where residents in one block filed almost 500 blocked driveway complaints over the course of the past year. Almost 200 complaints were filed about cars blocking a hydrant in a block in Kensignston, Brooklyn, Localize.city revealed. Additionally, the Upper East Side had headaches due to double-parked cars. According to the study, Queens had the most parking-related grievances with 44 complaints per 1,000 residents. Brooklyn is in second place with 41 complaints per 1,000 residents, while Manhattan had 14 complaints per 1,000 residents. Top Tri-State News Photos Roosevelt Island had the fewest parking-related complaints with 0.2 per 1,000 residents. The study showcased that one of the fastest growing neighborhoods, Long Island City, had the largest increase of parking-related complaints over the past five years with 254 percent. The area also ranked as the No. 1 neighborhood with the most parking-related complaints during the past year with 4,000. Tensions over parking have revved up in Long Island City as more people have moved into the neighborhood, according to Localize.city data scientist Michal Eisenberg. Localize.city also found that parking-related complaints varied during weekday mornings and evenings. Brooklyn had the most parking complaints during weekday mornings, while Queens had the most in the evening on weekdays. Bronx had the most complains on the weekends, followed by Queens. [NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More A woman's ex-boyfriend was charged with murder after she was found stabbed to death at the Belmont Racetrack, police and track workers said. Security noticed a horse was loose and became alarmed early Sunday morning, Nassau County police said. Security officers entered a barn and found a woman who had been stabbed multiple times. The 51-year-old victim was brought by ambulance to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said. Her identity hasn't been released. Jose Franco-Martinez, 53, was taken into custody at the racetrack and has been charged with second-degree murder, according to police. A Nassau County detective said the victim worked as a "hot walker," walking horses after training sessions. Workers at the track on Sunday told NBC New York that Franco-Martinez was the victim's ex-boyfriend. He had worked at the track until he moved to another state, they said. An investigation is ongoing. Just a week earlier, Belmont was the site of the final race won by Justify as he clinched the Triple Crown. Control of the San Diego Union-Tribune will officially change hands Monday when biotech billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong takes ownership of the 150-year-old newspaper. Soon-Shiong bought the Union-Tribune along with the Los Angeles Times and some community papers from Chicago-based Tronc, formerly known as Tribune Publishing, on Feb. 7 for a reported $500 million. In a letter published Sunday in the U-T as well as the L.A. Times, the 65-year-old physician, who dedicated most of his fortune to fighting cancer, said he will protect independent journalism and fight fake news as if it were cancer. I believe that fake news is the cancer of our times and social media the vehicles for metastasis, he wrote. Institutions like the Union-Tribune and the Times are more vital than ever. Soon-Shiong told the U-T he does not intend to make any changes to the leadership of newspaper. He will take on the role of executive chairman while Jeff Light will remain as editor and publisher. He also said he does not plan to lay off any of the 275 staff at the newspaper, which has shrunk dramatically in the past decade. Though, Soon-Shiong said the paper will need to run as a business because of the disruptions of the digital age but he is committed to investing in the publications future and never losing sight of the needs and interests of our readers. While ad-supported print publications will continue to feel the pressures occasioned by the digital era, we are confident that our print products will remain viable and vital, he wrote. While most people view the newspaper business as a dying industry, Soon-Shiong said he bought the U-T and the L.A. Times because he wants to preserve the integrity, honesty and fairness he and his family have observed as avid readers of the Times. He and his family want the newspapers he bought to serve as beacons of truth, hope and inspiration binding our communities. We view the publications we acquired as a quasi-public trust, he wrote. He will be the U-Ts fifth owner in the past 10 years. The paper was owned by the Copley family for 81 years before it was sold to Platinum Equity in 2009. The Beverly Hills investment firm turned around and sold it to local real estate tycoon Douglas Manchester two years later. In 2015, Manchester sold the publication to then-Tribune Publishing, which later became Tronc. Several people riding a roller coaster at Six Flags America needed to be rescued Monday after the ride got stuck near a peak. Workers at Six Flags America, in Bowie, Maryland, were able to get riders off the Superman: Ride of Steel ride, Prince George's County fire department spokesman Mark Brady said live on News4. Stomach-churning Chopper4 footage shows the ride stopped at the peak of a hill, just before it would have raced downward. A photo from a witness shows people standing on the roller coaster's tracks, high in the air. Julia Kim Julia Kim was on the ground at the park with her young children when her husband got stuck on the ride. Her husband likes roller coasters, but he was scared. "He's a 40-year-old man, but I think he was crying," said Kim, a Fairfax, Virginia, resident. The family had just bought season passes to the park. Now, they don't want to go back. The fire department received several calls from people at the amusement park. By the time first-responders arrived, Six Flags staff had safely helped every rider off the ride, Brady said. There were no reports of injuries. Brady praised the staff for helping everyone quickly. "Sensors on one of our roller coasters activated, causing it to stop at a safe location," a Six Flags spokeswoman said. "All guests safely exited the ride." How long riders were stuck on Monday was not immediately clear, nor was how many people were rescued. Monday was sweltering, with temperatures in the 90s and the humidity making it feel even hotter. The Superman roller coaster runs through 5,350 feet of track at 73 mph in two minutes and 30 seconds, the park's website says. The ride reaches 205 feet and has a 200-foot drop. The ride was back open on Tuesday, the company spokeswoman said. Twenty-four people riding the Joker's Jinx ride at Six Flags America got stuck in midair for more than three hours in April 2017, as News4 reported. When the ride stopped, some riders initially thought it was a joke. Helpless parents waited on the ground for their children, not knowing if they were safe. The Jokers Jinx at Six Flags America in Prince Georges County will remain closed for now after dozens of passengers got stuck 100 feet in the air for hours. News4s Meagan Fitzgerald talked to some of the terrified riders. We thought it was going to start shooting off again, one rider said at the time. After a good 30 seconds, the realization hit that no, we were really stuck. People also got stuck on the Joker's Jinx in August 2014. That rescue took four hours. Crews are trying to rescue 24 people stuck on the Jokers Jinx roller coaster at Six Flags America. There have been four accidents at Six Flags America requiring some form of first aid since July 2015, the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation said. Eight other incidents resulted in bumps or bruises. The incident Monday did not qualify as an accident because no one was hurt. The regulatory department sent inspectors to the park anyway too approve the reopening of the ride. Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story. Two people were seriously injured in an propane tank explosion at a gas station in North Andover, Massachusetts on Monday afternoon. The explosion, which involved a white camper, occurred shortly before 4 p.m. at a Mobil gas station on Osgood Street. The victims an employee and a customer were taken to local hospitals via medical helicopter with burn injuries. Their conditions are not known at this time. Fire officials said there were flames showing when they arrived. They said it was difficult for them to turn off the gas from the propane tank right away, but they eventually were able to do so. Deputy Fire Chief Graham Rowe says a propane explosion like this, especially at a gas station, is rare. Officials added that the hot weather made it harder on the fire crews, but no firefighters needed any treatment for heat exhaustion. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. No further information was immediately available. A homeless man is facing charges after police say he chased two girls into a Lowell, Massachusetts home, then assaulted one of their mothers on Sunday afternoon. Wayne Spencer, 54, is facing multiple charges including breaking and entering, assault, and attempted kidnapping. Police in Lowell said officers received a call around 4 p.m. Sunday for a report of a suspicious man who had been watching two girls, ages 11 and 9, playing in a yard on Court Street. Spooking the girls, Spencer allegedly followed them into a home, and the mother of one of the girls confronted him. He allegedly assaulted her and forced his way into the home and tried to make his way to the girls. "Elizabeth said, 'the guy, the guy is coming,' and as I was halfway through the house, I saw the man grabbing my daughter," the mother of the older girl told NBC 10 Boston. "I moved him out of the way, quickly as I could, and I just went after him." An unidentified man helped the mother force Spencer out of the home, where he was held by a father until officers arrived at the scene, police said. "My daughter did an amazing job," the mother of the older girl said. "She grabbed her little friend and picked her up, brought her in the house, she put her in the bathroom, locked her in there, and she dialed 9-1-1." Police said Spencer is homeless and recently left a local sober home. None of the children was injured in the incident, and the mother who confronted Spencer wasn't injured either, according to police. Spencer'd arraignment, scheduled for Monday in Lowell District Court, while he undergoes a mental health evaluation. It's unclear if he has an attorney. Monday's anticipated hot temperatures will impact multiple school districts in Massachusetts. Lowell Public Schools announced there will be no classes on Monday due to extreme heat forecasts. McAuliffe Elementary School in Lowell had warned parents earlier that classes could be affected on Monday due to the facility, along with other Lowell Public School buildings, not having air conditioning. The district has been battling building problems this year, and gas leaks and heating problems at Lowell High School have forced classes to be canceled earlier this year. Parents in Lowell are split on the decision to cancel classes on Monday. "I think it is ridiculous because, like I said, we're setting our kids up for failure," Lowell parent Tina DeGree said. "They've had so many snow days and then they're going to cancel school because of the heat? Give them some popsicles. Give them a bottle of water. Give them a spray bottle and go on about their day." Meanwhile, students in Haverhill, Holyoke and Lawrence, Massachusetts, will have early dismissals on Monday, officials announced on Sunday. Lawrence also established cooling stations Monday at its public library and senior center. Although a heat emergency has not been declared for Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh encouraged residents to stay safe by limiting outdoor activity, drinking plenty of liquids. He also warned residents against leaving children and pets inside vehicles. Boston residents can head to public pools or beaches to cool off. Temperatures are forecasted to climb into the upper 90s on Monday, and rising humidity is also expected to bring severe thunderstorms. Officials are also warning of poor air quality in parts of New Hampshire and Maine. The air quality alert affects coastal Maine from Kittery to Acadia National Park, and is due to expire late Monday. A man was arrested after he allegedly spooked two girls and followed them into a Massachusetts home, assaulting one of their mothers in the process. Police in Lowell said officers received a call around 4 p.m. Sunday for a report of a suspicious male who had been watching two girls playing in a yard on Court Street. Spooking the girls, Wayne Spencer allegedly followed them into the home, and the mother of one of the girls confronted him. He allegedly assaulted her and forced his way into the home and tried to make his way to the girls. An unidentified male helped the mother force Spencer out of the home, where he was held by a father until officers arrived at the scene, police said. Police said Spencer is homeless and recently left a local sober home. None of the children was injured in the incident, and the mother who confronted Spencer wasn't injured as well, according to police. It's unclear what charges Spencer faces, when he'll be arraigned or if he has an attorney. The Raise Kids Work charity got a boost when 90 people gathered in Wymondham for an evening of Comedy and Cake with Preston funny man, Tony Vino. The Raise Kids Work charity got a boost when 90 people gathered in Wymondham for an evening of Comedy and Cake with Preston funny man, Tony Vino. Ocean, climate change and Christianity talk Human activity is having profound effects on the worlds oceans with long-term consequences for climate change. Professor Meric Srokosz from the National Oceanography Centre will give a talk in Norwich on October 19. Read more St Francis Norwich declares a climate emergency St Francis Day was especially important for the tiny church of St Francis, which nestles at the heart of the Heartsease parish in Norwich. Read more Norfolk parents get opportunity to pray together for schools A group of parents in Norfolk have been praying together for their children, their childrens school and each other. Sarah Betts shares an invitation to join in. Read more Celebrate the Lowestoft Revival centenary Lowestoft Living Word, an annual conference which takes place next week will celebrate the centenary of the 1921 Lowestoft Revival, and all are welcome to attend. Read more Norwich play portrays missionary imprisoned with ISIS St Stephens Church in Norwich will be hosting a production by Artless Theatre Company called 'If Prison Walls Could Speak'. Read more Norwich Christian charity appeals for housing Hebron Trust, a local charity that supports women through addiction, is looking for a move-on property to house their clients as they move on ready for a new start. Read more Missionary story behind new Norwich church leader The African-born son of former missionary parents has been appointed as the new Assistant Leader at Oak Grove Community Church in Norwich. Keith Morris reports. Read more Reopening of Great Yarmouth Seafarers Centre The Seafarers Centre on the South Quay in Great Yarmouth was officially reopened with a buffet lunch reception on Friday September 24. Read more Christian charity helps people feel at home in Norwich When we share our passions we connect with people, and that is the idea behind local Christian charity English+s programme of community activities. Read more Norwich event looks to Jesus, lover of my soul Surrey Chapel in Norwich is hosting a morning for those working in churches and Christian organisations on the theme of Jesus, lover of my soul. Andy Rees shares and invitation. Read more Norwich talk on climate and food security How can we feed ten billion people? Professor Cristobal Uauy from John Innes Centre Norwich will speak at St Peter Mancroft church on October 12, organised by Science and Faith in Norfolk group. Read more People with sight loss welcome in Norfolk churches The Torch Trust will be running a series of taster sessions to help churches welcome blind and partially sighted people. Read more King's Lynn church relaunches the Welcome Inn A family atmosphere with free drinks and cakes once again awaits lonely people in Kings Lynn as the Welcome Inn reopens its doors. Read more Do we really understand who Jesus is? Nigel Fox asks if we have an adequate view of Jesus as He is, and challenges some of our pre-conceptions. Read more Norwich audience hears plea to politicians after Covid Politicians need to rediscover the importance of family, of faith and of place in politics after the Covid pandemic has sparked a change in community and what is possible, argued former Labour minister Ruth Kelly at the latest Newman Lecture in Norwich. Read more Bishop of Norwich welcomes refugees with picnic The Bishop of Norwich has held a picnic for refugees from Syria and Afghanistan in the garden of his home near Norwich Cathedral. Read more Ring the bells at N Norfolk Christmas fayre Visitors to Upper Sheringham Christmas Fayre next month will get the opportunity to ring the newly restored church bells. Read more Fulgence Niamba exhibition at ACE Space BOTH hall and bar at Newburys ACE Space are filled with vibrant paintings by artist Fulgence Niamba. Born in Ivory Coast, he trained in art in the capital Abidjan and in Paris, teaching in both countries and England. His work (acrylic on canvas) is informed by African traditions and Hebrew symbolism and has great presence. Paint is thickly applied with an audacious, direct technique, which embodies and exudes energy. Forms are bold and simplified, whether human figures or abstracted shapes, with a recurring zig-zag motif used to render figures and their interaction. Such stylisation also suggests universal forms.Traditional African masks also appear. Representing the spirits of animals, ancestors, mythological heroes and moral values, they are considered a source of spiritual power. The most conventionally figurative work is the jazz-inspired, monochrome diptych Take Five, its free yet anchored technique akin to musical improvisation. Three imposing works, with interacting figures, hang together. Sacred Wood Brothers and Huit Clos are expressively painted in a restricted palette of ochres, whites, browns and blacks, bringing to mind the earthy colours and approach of Aboriginal work. Femme Face au Masque, with added deep blue-blacks and red, is concerned with the status of womenin traditional African societies, their lives proscribed by gender roles, with little individual agency. Here, a pregnant woman seeks out atraditional mask, for comfort and strength.Other works contain hieroglyphic-like signs and symbols. In a panel of seven small works, each bears a single motif, denoting Benefactor, Unity, Protection elements all communities need to thrive. The wall-piece Letters of Light is constructed from 27 small canvases, formally arranged, each carrying a lone sign. The artists note tells us these are Hebrew letter-forms, but to the viewer they may also suggest musical notation, African symbols, linguistic or calligraphic forms. Meaning is always made by both artist and viewer. The show also addresses desirable universal values unity, balance and harmony within human societies and the environment. Here Niambas work embodies those values both compositionally and conceptually. The two discrete areas of Middle Pillar deal with binaries: order and disorder, aggression and calm, ying and yang, left-brain and right-brain. When these are in balance, harmony ensues. This symbiosis is also evident in the geometric forms of Balance and in the calm Infinite Source. Femininity Power is a voluptuous, fertile, enveloping form; New Beginning suggests life growing within the womb or a new male/female union. In Symphony 02, sacred letters are combined to form an abstract composition. There is irony too. The Thinker references Rodins sculpture, but here real life intrudes, in the form of collaged elements fragments of unpaid bills, mortgage arrears, bank statements, duty logs from low-paid jobs witness to the difficulties faced by those trying to make a life in a new country. A panel of four black-and-white photographic prints by guest artist Michael Gnahoua are a visual post-colonial comment. Three super-enlarged, semi-blurred images suggest that traditional African music and crafts are fading away, while capitalisms advertising slogans are sharply focused. This is a joyous show, rich in colour, vigour and symbolism, concerned with the indivisibility and interconnectedness of life. Spirituality, balance, harmony and inner peace matter, whatever our culture or beliefs.The show, which runs until August 26, can be viewed by those attending gigs, events and community activities at ACE Space. Fulgence Niamba himself will be stewarding the show on Wednesdays from noon to 2pm. LIN WILKINSON Two units controlling odour break down at same time THAMES Water has apologised for any increased smell in Thatcham after its equipment controlling odour broke down. Two odour-control units at the sewage treatment works on Lower Way broke down in February. Speaking at a recent Thatcham Town Council meeting, David Lister (Lib Dem, Thatcham West) said he was flabbergasted to learn that the two units had failed at the same time. And he was told that it could take up to 10 months to replace the smell-combatting equipment. Mr Lister said that he had visited the site on May 3 to learn more about its capacity but learned of the failed odour units instead. He said that the day after his visit, Thames Water had agreed to spend 500,000 on replacing the equipment. Rob Denton Powell (Con, Thatcham South and Crookham) asked whether the company had breached any regulations at the site. He said: I find it incredible that they are talking about spending 500,000. I just know most companies would not spend that type of money unless there was a problem. Mr Lister replied: They are not in breach. Theres an odour nuisance and when thats been proven West Berkshire Council can do an enforcement. That may be relatively lenient you cant shut down the sewer works. For a start they are taking in tankers from elsewhere. If a large number of complaints come in could they go to another plant for processing? They arent driven by competition, only by regulation and scrutiny. I would really encourage residents who are impacted by it to complain. Mr Lister said he left feeling uncertain about the scrutiny process and how complaints were handled. He said: West Berkshire Council are the responsible authority for noise or odour enforcement. The first part is getting residents engaged, without that I dont think the council can do much either. Thames Water said in a statement: Were sorry for any increase in smell from our site. Well be replacing the old odour control units which have stopped working with the latest innovative technology to keep the smell from the sewage works to a minimum in future and will get this done as soon as we can. Unfortunately, there is no manual operation that can do the job of the odour control units, but we have changed some our processes at the works to reduce the number of times we have to open the doors to the smelliest part of the site. The company said that it had immediately begun researching and gathering quotes for replacements after the units broke. Complaints can be made to Thames Water by emailing customer.feedback@thameswater.co.uk or calling 0800 3169800. If this is not resolved, contact ehadvice@westberks.gov.uk or call (01635) 519192. New Milford native Tara Carr has been named a semi-finalist in the Ms. Veteran America competition and will audition for a place in the finals later this month. The competitions primary mission is to raise funds and awareness for America's 55,000 homeless women veterans. In just one month, Carr reached 60 percent of her $5,000 goal to be donated to Final Salute Inc., which supports homeless female veterans in need with safe and suitable housing. To follow Carrs efforts, look for Tara Carr on Facebook, TaraC4MVA2018, or on Twitter at TAR29GoArmyTara and TaraC4MVA2018. Of the many endeavors Ive embarked upon in my life, having the opportunity to represent part of the population that is often overlooked or even ignored, homeless female veterans, is among the most rewarding, Carr said. Currently there are approximately 55,000 homeless female vets and the number is growing, she said. These are my sisters in-arms and some even have children with no place to live. It is completely unacceptable that these women, women who selflessly served our country, many heroically, are not offered the same services as male veterans, Carr noted. My goal is to help create positive changes that offer assistance and solutions to these women in need. To donate to Final Salute Inc., visit https://www.crowdrise.com/tara-carr?lang=en-us. Carr was a contestant on season 29 of CBS Amazing Race, finishing in second place. At that time, Carr was a major assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency and wore race shirts with Army, Thank a Vet and other messages. Carr, now a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, is assigned to the U.S. Army Pacific Command. After redeploying from Afghanistan last summer, she was transferred to Hawaii, where she continues to serve. Locally on the island of Oahu, Carr volunteers at U.S. Vets where she supports their mission of transitioning military veterans and their families through the provision of housing, counseling, career development and comprehensive support. Carr enlisted in the Army in 1995 at the Danbury recruiting station. After basic combat training, she received a Green to Gold scholarship taking her from private to second lieutenant upon graduating from the Syracuse University ROTC program. Since her commissioning in 2001, she has served in various levels of Army leadership, from platoon leader to company commander, and has served across the globe in Germany, Italy, Hawaii, Beijing, Kosovo and Afghanistan, as well as in Washington D.C. During her 23-year military career, Carr has spearheaded a mission to donate to the needy local population in Kosovo, volunteered at an orphanage in China, and donated goods to local shelters in Washington D.C. She was also instrumental in helping create a breastfeeding policy for the U.S. Army. An algorithm to monitor the joints of patients with arthritis, which could change the way that the severity of the condition is assessed, has been developed by a team of engineers, physicians and radiologists led by the University of Cambridge. The technique, which detects tiny changes in arthritic joints, could enable greater understanding of how osteoarthritis develops and allow the effectiveness of new treatments to be assessed more accurately, without the need for invasive tissue sampling. The results are published in the journal Scientific Reports. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in the UK. It develops when the articular cartilage that coats the ends of bones, and allows them to glide smoothly over each other at joints, is worn down, resulting in painful, immobile joints. Currently there is no recognized cure and the only definitive treatment is surgery for artificial joint replacement. Osteoarthritis is normally identified on an x-ray by a narrowing of the space between the bones of the joint due to a loss of cartilage. However, x-rays do not have enough sensitivity to detect subtle changes in the joint over time. "In addition to their lack of sensitivity, two-dimensional x-rays rely on humans to interpret them," said lead author Dr Tom Turmezei from Cambridge's Department of Engineering. "Our ability to detect structural changes to identify disease early, monitor progression and predict treatment response is frustratingly limited by this." The technique developed by Turmezei and his colleagues uses images from a standard computerized tomography (CT) scan, which isn't normally used to monitor joints, but produces detailed images in three dimensions. The semi-automated technique, called joint space mapping (JSM), analyses the CT images to identify changes in the space between the bones of the joint in question, a recognized surrogate marker for osteoarthritis. After developing the algorithm with tests on human hip joints from bodies that had been donated for medical research, they found that it exceeded the current 'gold standard' of joint imaging with x-rays in terms of sensitivity, showing that it was at least twice as good at detecting small structural changes. Color-coded images produced using the JSM algorithm illustrate the parts of the joint where the space between bones is wider or narrower. "Using this technique, we'll hopefully be able to identify osteoarthritis earlier, and look at potential treatments before it becomes debilitating," said Turmezei, who is now a consultant at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital's Department of Radiology. "It could be used to screen at-risk populations, such as those with known arthritis, previous joint injury, or elite athletes who are at risk of developing arthritis due to the continued strain placed on their joints." While CT scanning is regularly used in the clinic to diagnose and monitor a range of health conditions, CT of joints has not yet been approved for use in research trials. According to the researchers, the success of the JSM algorithm demonstrates that 3D imaging techniques have the potential to be more effective than 2D imaging. In addition, CT can now be used with very low doses of radiation, meaning that it can be safely used more frequently for the purposes of ongoing monitoring. "We've shown that this technique could be a valuable tool for the analysis of arthritis, in both clinical and research settings," said Turmezei. "When combined with 3D statistical analysis, it could be also be used to speed up the development of new treatments." An innovative digital home testing kit for patients with kidney conditions has been launched by Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with Healthy.io. Dr Jim Ritchie, consultant kidney physician at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust The test project will, for the first time in the UK, enable a group of patients to do regular urine tests at home using their smartphone cameras and a digital testing kit. The initiative is part of Salford Royals Global Digital Exemplar programme, which is driving digital maturity across the NHS. (www.salfordgde.nhs.uk) The project, known as the Salford Royal Virtual Renal Clinic, will open with its first 50 patients this month. Using their smartphone cameras and a digital testing kit developed by Healthy.io. Patients will be able to test their urine from home, reducing the need to visit hospital for the simple test. The urine test will deliver accurate results electronically to the doctor in real time. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) costs the NHS 1.45 billion in England alone 1 for every 77 spent in the system according to Insight Health Economic Study for NHS Kidney Care (2012) report making early intervention and proactive disease management essential to both improving patient outcomes and reducing cost. This is great news for patients with kidney conditions and were really excited to be the first NHS organisation to be trying out this smartphone camera testing. Were hoping this will not only make it easier for patients but, will empower them to share responsibility for their overall health, said Dr Jim Ritchie, consultant kidney physician at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. Healthy.io is the first company in the world to enable the smartphone camera to be used as a clinical grade diagnostic device. The company is part of the NHS Innovation Accelerator Programme, which aims to facilitate and scale innovation across the NHS. This approach will allow patients requiring regular urine testing to reduce the frequency of their visits to the hospital, enabling clinics to reduce waiting times for other patients and relieving pressure on hospital resources, from car parks to waiting room space and beyond. Another goal is to upgrade patient testing rates, helping foster early detection and prevent more serious conditions from developing. Our goal is to enhance and transform the care patients receive through the use of digital technology, said Katherine Ward, UK Managing Director for Healthy.io. Testing your urine in the comfort of your own home will bring huge convenience to kidney patients and also has the potential to improve the experience of other groups of people, for example pregnant women or people with diabetes as well as being a cost-effective service for the NHS. We are thrilled that Salford Royal has selected us to be part of such an important test to change process. Salford Royal is helping lead the charge for improved care through advanced digital technology, and we are proud to partner with them in this initiative. RedSeed Ventures financially supports the innovative SME with 2.5 million Euro. New partners are joining Pasquale Fedele, the inventor of BrainControl, who gained a total of 2.5 million Euro in a round of funding led by the Italian based investment firm RedSeed Ventures. "We are very satisfied. The Brain Computer Interface technology is a very promising field of research. Italy has world-renowned researchers and we are proud to allow excellences, such as BrainControl, to receive the necessary capital to continue its growth and to generate a strong social impact for the whole community," said Elisa Schembari and Roberto Zanco, Managing Partners of RedSeed Ventures. BrainControl was founded in 2010 with the aim of allowing patients in a locked-in condition, in which the patient is conscious and awake but can neither move nor communicate, to interact through the use of a helmet that can perform an electroencephalogram and a tablet. The proprietary software is based on the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), which is applied to the helmet and which works as a kind of "mental joystick" operated by brain stimuli. The technology interprets the electrical map corresponding to certain brain activities, allowing it to be used to control external devices. In addition to BCI technology, the device has other biometric sensors which make the product able to assist the patient during all phases of the disease. More than 140 million people in the world live with paralysis caused by degenerative neuromuscular diseases, ischemia, trauma and other causes. The technologies currently available on the market, offer effective solutions during some phases of these diseases but which become unusable as they progress. BrainControl has already obtained the CE marking as a medical device and has been tested in a clinical study. Thanks to these results, the product is already on the market and is currently used by patients in healthcare facilities or at home. Liquidweb is the innovative small-medium size company operating in the ICT sector, which is specialized in the creation of products based on human-machine interaction with focus on Artificial Intelligence. RedSeed Ventures is the investment company founded and directed by the two Managing Partners Elisa Schembari and Roberto Zanco. The company, which has been founded less than five years ago, has a portfolio of six innovative start-up/small-medium size companies which all operate in highly technological sectors. Source: https://www.liquidweb.com/ To diagnose patients with severe brain injuries reliably, their state of consciousness has to be evaluated several times with suitable tools. A new stimulation method increases the hope that disorders of consciousness can be improved according to Prof Steven Laureys who spoke at the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Lisbon. An increasing number of individuals survive the coma that follows severe brain injury and open their eyes. However, it is extremely difficult to determine their level of consciousness. Prof Steven Laureys, neurologist and head of the Coma Science Group at Liege University Hospital, emphasized the following point while speaking at the 4th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Lisbon: "Assessing disorders of consciousness after a brain injury correctly is a huge challenge for neurologists. Our decisions are often a matter of life and death, so it is essential that they be scientifically reliable." Quick assessment with the SECONDs scale Disorders of consciousness due to brain injuries are highly complex syndromes. A reliable behavioral assessment depends on a measurement method that must be repeatable and standardized. The Glasgow Coma Scale has become established for coma patients but does not reflect all states of consciousness. Prof Laureys: "We need simple scales that are applicable to every assessed patient and that can help with treatment decisions." The Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) is currently the gold standard neurobehavioral tool to assess a patient's state of consciousness, i.e. whether he or she presents an unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (formerly known as vegetative state) or is in a minimally conscious state. This comprehensive series of tests determines, among other things, whether patients can respond to prompts or pain stimuli, can display attentiveness, a startle reflex or can produce verbalizations. Prof Laureys: "This assessment process takes a great deal of time, however, and cannot always be carried out. We therefore developed the SECONDs scale and tested it in a study involving patients with severe brain injuries. It concentrates on the five most frequent criteria with which it is possible to determine with 99 percent accuracy whether a patient is conscious." The SECONDs scale is a useful instrument especially when time is limited. Conscious states fluctuate - multiple examinations are needed It is likewise important to assess patients multiple times because their state of consciousness may fluctuate. Prof Laureys: "As part of a study, we examined patients with severe brain injuries four times a day applying the CRS scores. It turned out that their conscious state can vary greatly over the course of the day. This finding supports the recommendation to test patients multiple times within a short time period to establish a reliable diagnosis." Future studies with a larger number of patients should focus on better characterizing these fluctuations. High-tech examination of conscious states With the MRI, nearly all large European hospitals have a very good, albeit expensive, high-tech instrument available to them for examining conscious states. The imaging diagnosis procedure is also being constantly refined. Prof Laureys: "We were able to show in a study that diffusion tensor imaging helps to eliminate uncertainties in the diagnosis of conscious states." Diffusion tensor imaging is an imaging method that uses MRI to record the motion and also directional dependence of the diffusion of water molecules in bodily tissue or in the brain and depicts them in a spatially resolved manner. Prof Laureys: "We face the challenge, however, of having the high-tech methods and the new scientific findings become part of clinical practice everywhere in Europe." tDCS can improve a state of consciousness Prof Laureys is convinced that patients suffering from disorders of consciousness due to injuries or neurological diseases will benefit from new therapeutic options in the future. For instance, a new treatment method has proved promising in a controlled clinical study. Steven Laureys: "Transcranial direct current stimulation is an important non-invasive instrument for all of neurology and neuropsychiatry." The expert went on to elaborate: "We showed that a twenty-minute treatment with tDCS applied over the prefrontal cortex can transiently improve the level of consciousness in patients with brain injuries. More interestingly, repeating the stimulation for 5 days induces longer behavioral changes, lasting up to a week after the end of the treatment. But we must not stir up false hope in the patients' families that tDCS is a new miracle cure. On the other hand, it is also a historical error to believe that nothing can be done for these patients." More research needed One out of three Europeans is affected by a brain disease or injury in the course of his or her lifetime. Skull-brain traumas are the most frequent cause of death for people under 45 and the main reason for severe disabilities among young adults in particular. Prof Laureys: "We are talking here about one million patients in Europe who end up in the hospital because of brain injuries. Of that total, 75,000 die. It is therefore vital that we devote attention to research in this area." Compared to the major neurological diseases, research on brain-damage and coma is quite a small field. The limited size of this field is detrimental to the efforts of the medical technology sector. Their will to invest a lot of money in advances for new treatment methods is limited. Moreover, research has suffered a number of setbacks in recent years according to Prof Laureys: "Processes that people believed they understood in an animal model turned out to be inapplicable to human beings after all. The industry is therefore only minimally active in this research area right now." Up to eight out of ten patients with a brain disorder remain untreated or inadequately treated. But what is the best practice - and above all, most cost effective - healthcare interventions to bridge the treatment gap? This was the focus of the European Brain Council's study entitled The Value of Treatment which was discussed at the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Lisbon. Up to eight out of ten people living with a brain disorder remain untreated or inadequately treated, even though effective therapies exist. What are the barriers to optimal treatment? Is it really unaffordable to grant people with brain disorders access to the best medical and psychosocial care? These questions were at the heart of the Value of Treatment study of the European Brain Council (EBC) which has been under discussion at the 4th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Lisbon. "The Value of Treatment puts a valuable resource in the hands of political decision-makers that contains the background information they need to reach conclusions on and analyze the return on investment for various treatments - as well as pinpointing cost-effective policy recommendations for treating brain disorders in their countries," explained Prof Wolfgang Oertel (Marburg), Vice President of the EBC, who participated in the study. But it is not only a case of diagnosis and treatment of certain brain disorders, the study also sets out a vision for a more patient-centered and seamless, integrated care model for these conditions. Brain disorders cost 800 billion a year According to the European Brain Council brain disorders - including both neurological and psychiatric conditions - currently affect around one third of all European citizens or 179 million people, with steadily increasing numbers. And the costs of these conditions are enormous: the European Brain Council estimates the total at EUR 800 billion a year in Europe, with around 40 percent accounted for indirect costs such as incapacity, and lost earnings and tax revenues. But the huge amounts of money invested in treatment are often failing to deliver the desired outcomes, as Prof Oertel explained: "Healthcare and welfare systems are often inadequately organized and have trouble keeping up with the rapid pace of medical advances." Long-term misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment are the best examples of this. If a patient is unlucky, they can end up waiting a very long time before receiving specialist care. Many treatments have only been studied for a few years in neurological diseases a patient may suffer from for decades and may waste precious resources. At the same time, valuable time is lost - and particularly in the case of neurological disorders: 'time is brain'. "When it comes to many brain disorders, the medical profession is increasingly pushing up against its limits. However, early recognition, starting treatment as soon as possible and preventive measures would serve to minimize the risks or may even in some instances slow the progression of the disease," reported Prof Oertel. Recommendations for patient-centered care Following two years of research, The Value of Treatment (VoT) delivers recommendations to provide better and more cost-effective care for people with brain disorders. It contains nine case studies, which look into the situation regarding Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, headache, multiple sclerosis, normal pressure hydrocephalus, Parkinson's disease, restless legs syndrome, schizophrenia and stroke. Hundreds of experts from representing European professional societies such as the EAN, EPA, ECNP, ENSA, FENS and patients' associations like EFNA and GAMIAN which are all members of the European Brain Council were involved in the study which was based on data sets from different countries of the WHO Europe region, including the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain. The report used clinical indicators and patient data to assess the value of individual treatments for specific patient groups. This involved comparing the best possible treatment with the standard treatment offered or - if applicable - non-treatment and analyzed the health, social and economic costs. "We clearly saw that an early start to treatment and optimal care costs the least over the long term. Non-treatment is the most expensive variant for diseases such as restless legs syndrome or multiple sclerosis and epilepsy, which affect people from a young age," said Prof Maura Pugliatti (Ferrara). Case management instead of acute treatment alone The Value of Treatment uses case studies to value specific healthcare interventions - and identifies where they often fall short of what they set out to achieve. In one such case study, a stroke patient in the prime of her life describes how she felt abandoned after receiving acute therapy. Nobody talked to her or her relatives about what should happen next. No steps were taken to initiate a course of rehabilitation or find out more about her situation at home and in the workplace. "This is something that simply wouldn't happen with better case management," noted Prof Oertel. "Everything possible would have been done to get this lady back on her feet and provide her with the necessary support. Perhaps she would have even been able to keep her job. But it is a time-consuming processes. That said, in overall economic terms it is still more cost effective than early retirement and permanent incapacity at the age of 45." Other case studies analyzed the situation of patients suffering from restless leg syndrome (RLS), a highly prevalent neurological disease. Around 2,7 percent of the European population suffer from moderate to severe forms of this uncontrollable urge to move the legs due to pain-like sensations, leading to chronic sleep deprivation. "RLS is among the five most important disorders with respect to economic disease burden", Prof Oertl reported. The report describes a 67-year old RLS patient who received the diagnosis only after years of suffering. Subsequently medication was given at a too high dosage as a consequence of which her symptoms further worsened. "When translating RLS costs and the impact of RLS inadequate treatment to the general population, we foresee substantial economic impacts well beyond what may be anticipated from current epidemiological figures in the literature", said Vinciane Quoidbach, a research associate at EBC herself strongly involved in the VoT study. Joke Jaarsma from Amsterdam, herself a sufferer of RLS and the president of EFNA added: "Education about RLS is urgently needed to increase expertise of health care professionals on how to diagnose and manage RLS. Also the search into the causes of RLS and for new treatment strategies has to be intensified." Another example from the VoT study looked at the issues surrounding the care gap: a migraine patient had been creeping out to her garage at night for years to scream so that her children would not be affected by her cries of pain. "This clearly illustrates the consequences of a lack of specialist facilities and a lack of defined treatment paths for certain diseases and patient groups, and shows what happens when insufficient social support is put in place for patients and their relatives," said Prof. Oertel. But it is specialist outpatient clinics that are likely to fall victim to cost cutting measures in times of financial austerity. "The ongoing economic and financial crises have seen an overall deterioration in access to neurological care in some cities and rural areas due to cut backs or the introduction of excesses payable by patients. It often takes too long to come up with the right diagnosis and initiate personalised therapies - if at all," concluded Prof Oertel. But this is a false economic strategy. As a fact-based study, The Value of Treatment highlights how important prevention and early detection are, while showing that an early start to treatment makes sense both from a healthcare and an economic point of view: "Measurable health gains are linked to early intervention such as better survival rates, fewer complications, lower incidence of disability, improved quality of life and, ultimately, lower treatment costs - all of that would be possible!" Prof Oertel explained. Given the right medication, 70 percent of epilepsy patients could lead fit-free lives without any restrictions, and the remaining 30 percent could be offered access to other viable treatment options including surgical intervention. "But that calls for suitable treatment from the occurrence of the first fit onwards - by a suitably qualified specialist. And this is where there are major - yet surmountable - treatment gaps to be filled. We have a humanitarian duty to bridge them to the best of our ability when it comes to neurological conditions. Psychologists who are trained and experienced in treating alcohol problems can play an important role in treatment of both the affected individual as well as his or her family. This insight and others will be shared at the 41st annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) in San Diego June 17-21. "We are living in an integrated health world," said Jaime Diaz-Granados, chief education officer at the American Psychological Association and also research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University. "Psychologists are a part of an array of healthcare professionals that is necessary to support and promote the health of individuals, families and communities." Diaz-Granados will provide his comments during a roundtable at the RSA meeting on June 17. "Addictions are biopsychosocial in nature," he noted, "reflecting the involvement of biological, psychological, and social factors including culture in the development of problems as well as the means to treat the problems. The high prevalence and co-occurrence of mental disorders and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) make it likely that any clinician whether psychologist, physician or nurse will see patients with alcohol problems which, if left untreated, can hamper interventions as well as treatment." Diaz-Granados recommended that healthcare administrators monitor and support education and training in alcohol assessment, diagnosis, and treatment in psychology training programs. "Education and training in psychology brings with it a critical understanding of learning, habit formation, behavior change, and importantly, the neurobehavioral bases that underlie these," he said. "This is a strong foundation upon which to build knowledge and skills to treat alcohol problems. These would include models and theories of addiction, evidence-based interventions, screening for AUDs, and referral skills." Diaz-Granados will present "Preparing clinical psychologists for the real world: Essential knowledge about alcohol" during the RSA 2018 meeting on Sunday, June 17 as part of a roundtable session called "Alcohol and health: Essential knowledge for health professionals" beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. Not only do women appear to be better protected than men from Parkinson's disease, the associated pathophysiology also shows gender differences. This is a finding of a study from Slovenia, presented at the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Lisbon. Parkinson's disease progresses differently in women than in men. A current study has now furnished the first neurophysiological evidence supporting this finding. "Numerous demographic studies have provided evidence that men contract Parkinson's disease nearly twice as often as women. What was unclear, however, was whether a gender-specific pathophysiology exists as soon as the first symptoms appear," Dr Maja Kojovic (Ljubljana) explained at the 4th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Lisbon. The international research team proceeded from the concept that in early Parkinson's disease functional changes can be detected in the primary motor cortex (M1) using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). If pathophysiology differs between genders in PD, they hypothesized that this will be reflected in differences of M1 TMS measurements. Thirty-nine newly diagnosed and untreated Parkinson's patients (23 males, 16 females) were assessed using the Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), a comprehensive instrument for assessing disease-related impairments in connection with Parkinson's disease. Then the patients and a group of healthy control group underwent TMS measurements for the following parameters: motor thresholds of the brain, input/output curve (IO), short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), cortical silent period (CSP) and intracortical facilitation (ICF). Brain plasticity was also measured using paired associative stimulation (PAS). The UPDRS tests did not yield any differences in motor scores between the genders. However, the female patients had a less steep input and output curve (IO) than the male patients on the side of the brain more affected by Parkinson's disease. The women with Parkinson's disease also exhibited better preserved short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) in both hemispheres compared to affected men and tended to have a better response to the PAS protocol on the side less affected by symptoms. No gender-specific differences were determined, however, in the motor thresholds, intracortical facilitation and the cortical silent period. The healthy control group did not show any gender or interhemispheric differences for any one of the transcranial magnetic stimulation parameters measured. "The detected gender differences in corticospinal and intracortical excitability in patients with early untreated Parkinson's disease represent differences in disease pathophysiology. Gender may also prove to be a relevant factor when choosing appropriate treatment", Dr Kojovic commented. The Dove Medical Press journal, Nature and Science of Sleep, has published a study that highlights the potential use of blood biomarkers as a diagnostic tool for obstructive sleep apnea. The article entitled "Use of blood biomarkers to screen for obstructive sleep apnea" demonstrates positive clinical trial results that suggest blood tests may be a useful screening tool and potentially superior to current diagnostic methods. The study, which used male participants, found that concurrent elevations of haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythropoietin (EPO) indicated that a patient may have obstructive sleep apnea. The study demonstrated that blood biomarkers proved superior to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and other standard screening methods currently used for diagnosis, particularly in non-obese males. These tests were shown to correlate with disease severity and may assist in triaging patients for diagnosis and treatment. In a statement, the authors said that they anticipated that use of objective blood tests will improve screening accuracy and timely diagnosis, improve patient management, decrease the incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and decrease healthcare costs. Professor Steven Shea, Editor-in-Chief for Nature and Science of Sleep and founder of one of the first clinical sleep laboratories in the UK commented, "Diagnosis for sleep apnea usually requires expensive overnight polysomnography. An accurate, simple, quick and cheap screening test would be ideal." He went on to add that "Signs of sleep apnea detected from a blood sample is an important step in that direction and is particularly relevant in this cohort of non-obese men with sleep apnea." A wide range of fetal genetic abnormalities could soon be detected in early pregnancy thanks to a world-first study led by University of South Australia researchers using lab-on-a-chip, non-invasive technology. Biomedical engineers Dr Marnie Winter and Professor Benjamin Thierry from UniSAs Future Industries Institute (FII) and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology (CBNS) are part of a team of researchers who have isolated fetal cells from maternal blood using a tiny microfluidic device, allowing for improved genetic testing. The technology breakthrough is published today (Thursday 14 June) in Advanced Materials Technologies. Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology integrates laboratory functions on a chip ranging from a few millimeters to a few square centimeters. The special design of the device allows large volumes of blood to be screened, paving the way for an efficient, cheap and quick method of separating fetal cells from maternal blood cells. We are hopeful that this device could result in a new, non-invasive prenatal diagnostic test able to detect a wide range of genetic abnormalities in early pregnancy from a simple blood sample, Dr Winter says. Currently, prenatal diagnostic tests involve an amniocentesis procedure or taking a sample of cells from the placenta (chorionic villus sampling), both of which carry a risk of inducing miscarriage. From about five weeks into the pregnancy, fetal cells originating from the placenta can be found in a mothers bloodstream. Using modern microfluidic technology, we can now isolate these extremely rare cells (about one in a million) from the mothers white blood cells and collect them for genetic analysis, she says. The UniSA researchers, working in collaboration with Dr Majid Warkiani from the University of Technology Sydney and specialists from the Womens and Childrens Hospital, SA Pathology and Repromed, adapted the device from one initially developed to isolate tumor cells from the blood of cancer patients. Many pregnant women would be aware of the new tests based on circulating fetal DNA that with a simple blood test help determine the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome. These tests have revolutionized prenatal care, but they can only detect a small subset of genetic conditions and are not always accurate. We hope this LOC technology will be able to reliably detect a greater range of genetic abnormalities, providing more information to families and healthcare providers, Dr Winter says. Professor Thierry, who leads UniSAs Bioengineering group, says there is significant scope to further develop the lab-on-a-chip concept. We are collaborating with industry partners to translate this technology in routine clinical prenatal diagnostics and make it available in the future to screen low and medium-risk pregnancies, he says. Source: http://unisa.edu.au/ Results from a new study published today in PLOS ONE shows women who have higher vitamin D blood levels have a significantly lower risk for breast cancer. Analyses were done combining data from two randomized trials conducted at Creighton University with data from a cohort from GrassrootsHealth. The combined data included more than 5000 women, aged 55 and older, who had a broad range of vitamin D blood levels. The study found that those women with a blood level of >60 ng/ml had an 80 percent lower risk for breast cancer than those with levels of 20 ng/ml or less. There was a dose response relationship between blood levels of vitamin D and cancer incidence, i.e. between 20 and 60 ng/mL, the higher the blood vitamin D level, the lower the risk of breast cancer. Joan M. Lappe, PhD, RN, Criss/Beirne Professor of Nursing and investigator at the Osteoporosis Research Center at Creighton University, was the principal investigator of the two NIH-funded randomized trials conducted at Creighton University that were included in the study. Lappe's 2007 study on bone health and vitamin D blood levels found, in a secondary analysis, that women who took vitamin D and calcium supplementation for four years had a 60% lower risk of all-type cancer than women who took placebos. In her 2017 study of cancer and vitamin D, she and her team found that women with a vitamin D blood level of 55 ng/ml had a 35 percent significantly lower risk for all-type cancer than those with levels of 30 ng/ml. Lappe emphasized that having the ability to prevent breast cancer and avoid the suffering endured by breast cancer patients and their families would have a significant impact on the lives of many people. "This study provides strong support that vitamin D plays an important role in breast cancer prevention," said Lappe. "It also demonstrates that blood levels of vitamin D for breast cancer prevention need to be higher than currently recommended levels for bone health." The National Academy of Science recommends that having vitamin D blood levels of 20 ng/ml or above is adequate for bone health. In the study reported in PLOS, women with blood levels of 60 ng/ml had a much lower risk of breast cancer than those with levels 20 ng/ml. According to Carole Baggerly, a breast cancer survivor and director of GrassrootsHealth, "With roughly an 80 percent reduction in the incidence of breast cancer, getting a vitamin D blood level to 60 ng/ml becomes the first priority for cancer prevention. Nutrition and lifestyle factors are certainly important for overall health, but they can't replace the value of vitamin D level. The safety of this level has been demonstrated within this study as well as others." Female breast cancer is projected to account for more than 266,000 new cases and 40,900 deaths in the United States in 2018, according to the National Cancer Institute. BMW has finally unveiled the all-new 2019 8-Series luxury performance coupe. But in what is quickly becoming the 8 Series way of doing things, the details that have been released only concern one particular version of the car, the M850i xDrive. You could be forgiven for thinking the BMW 8 Series was already available because there have been so many "spy shots" as well as teasers released by the German luxury automaker over what now feels like a very long time. To be fair, some of the previous publicity surrounding the 8-Series has been to do with the race car version, but now the production model is finally unveiled before the 2018 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. 2019 BMW 8-Series rear three quarters. (Image: BMW) Engineers have been road testing prototypes and development cars in public view for more than a year now, with both coupe and soft-top variants being caught on camera as recently as just last month. BMW's latest known outing for the car was in Aprilia, Italy, which is thought to have involved final analysis of the car's chassis and powertrain settings. Markus Flasch, the BMW 8 Series Project Manager, said in a press release: "The thing that always impresses when test driving the new BMW 8 Series Coupe is its adaptability. Whether a driver expresses his or her wishes with regard to comfort and sportiness using the accelerator pedal or by pressing a button, the vehicle immediately adapts perfectly to each setting." Also Watch: Sunil Chhetri Interview! Perhaps the biggest news is that it won't be utilizing some kind of souped-up, modern six-cylinder engine, but employs the services of a V8 that will put out 523 horsepower and 750 Nm of torque. With the 4.4-litre biturbo eight speed automatic engine, BMW can push 8 from 0-100 kmph in 3.7 seconds. The 8 Series will be closely related to the 7 Series sedan in the same way the 4 and 3 series are related. The road car will go on sale from November after no fewer than three concepts having been revealed to whet our appetites for the new BMW flagship coupe over previous months. With Inputs From AFP Relaxnews New Delhi: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced a buyback of up to Rs 16,000 crore on Friday which most brokerages think was a bit lower than expectations and is slightly negative on earnings per share (EPS). The TCS board approved a proposal to buy back up to 7.6 crore equity shares for an aggregate amount not exceeding Rs 16,000 crore. Most brokerage firms were anticipating a buyback of over Rs 20,000 crore The buyback is at 1.99 percent of the total paid up equity share capital, at Rs 2,100, which is a premium of 14 percent over TCS closing price of Rs 1,841.45 on Friday. CLSA which maintains a buy rating on TCS with a target price of Rs 1,850 said that buyback of 18 percent of net worth or 34 percent of its cash reserve was a tad lower than expectations. The global brokerage firm expects promoters to participate keeping the acceptance ratio low at 2 percent. It expects the buyback to be completed by the third quarter and see the impact on its FY20 EPS which could be minimal. TCS had carried out a Rs 16,000 crore buyback of 5.61 crore shares, or 3 percent of its total equity, at Rs 2,850 per equity share last year. The buyback price was at a 16 percent premium to its market price back then. The buyback should result in 2 percent accretion to EPS from a reduction in the share count. However, the cash reduction would result in a decline in other income, which is dominated by a yield of 8 percent on a pre-tax basis on the cash. Other income foregone would be to the tune of Rs 12-13 billion, which would result in an adverse EPS impact of 2.5 percent, implying net EPS decline of 50bps. However, given the reduction in net worth, the RoE is likely to improve by 2pp, Motilal Oswal said in a note. Like the previous time, in this buyback too, the acceptance ratio for small retail investors is likely to be high because of the SEBIs mandate that companies reserve 15 percent of the buyback for small shareholders with holdings worth less than Rs 200,000. Motilal Oswal expects that this would imply a lesser acceptance ratio for institutional holders, of course depending on how much the promoter tendering is. Shares of the IT major hit the 52-week high of Rs 1849.00 after the announcement but slipped a little to end the day at record closing high at Rs 1,841.45 2.75 percent higher on Friday. The company had said earlier in the week that it would consider a buyback at its annual general meeting of the Board. Brokerages had pegged the quantum of buyback to be between Rs 10,000 crore and Rs 20,000 crore. The company returned USD 4.1 billion of cash returned to shareholders in dividends and buyback last year. It had USD 7.51 billion in cash and cash equivalents on its books at the end of March 31. "With multiple mega deals in the bag, TCS is set to continue on its path of gradual acceleration in growth witnessed over the past two quarters, and potential hitting double-digits in constant currency toward the latter half of the year," research analysts Ashish Chopra and Sagar Lele at Motilal Oswal had noted in a note earlier this week. A couple of months ago, a Google search result sent the social media users in a tizzy. Curious netizens took to Twitter to share screenshots of Google's "faux pas" search results of India's first Prime Minister which mysteriously displayed India's current PM Narendra Modi's photo. Not just the Prime Minister but a basic search for India's first Finance Minister and defence minister too threw up the ministers in power as a result. After the social media uproar, Google promptly fixed the issue. And, now, for reasons best known to Twitter, people are sharing screenshots of "Worst Bollywood Actor" Google search and guess who shows up in the results? The bhai of Bollywood. Salman Khan. Or you could get creative and type "Worst Indian Actor" and bhai would still show up on top. Naturally, Twitterati were fascinated by this discovery. Search "worst bollywood actor" on Google and reply your search result. serenesat (@serenesat) June 17, 2018 Okay I tried 'Worst Bollywood Actor' and the result didn't surprise me but THIS did pic.twitter.com/VKRwqp33UG Africa ke jungalon ki zehreeli titli (@thickskinnedaf) June 17, 2018 But why is Google showing this? Here's a brief explanation. When you type a keyword on Google, it shows up articles, threads, and posts that have meta tags as that particular keyword. What it means is tons of people have uploaded images, published articles or written posts about Salman Khan with "Worst Bollywood Actor" as a tag. "Google search results are determined by algorithms and there's no individual or group deciding what results to show for each query," a spokesperson from Google told News18. Google believes that Race 3's negative reviews could have also added to bhai's misery. Meaning the reviews published by film critics panning the actor and having keywords or tags such as "worst actor" in their articles have further pushed Salman Khan's name to the top of the Google search result. A possible fix to this Google search result "glitch" would be bhai delivering a performance in his next release that would impress the audiences as well as the critics. Till then, we have our fingers crossed. New Delhi: Airtel India faced the wrath of Twitterati on Monday for bowing down to a customers demand to give her a "Hindu representative". Pooja Singh, an Airtel DTH user, took to Twitter to air her grievances. She received a response from a customer service representative of Airtel India, Shoaib. This invited a sharp reaction from Singh who tweeted back wanting a "Hindu representative" as Shoaib was a Muslim and the Quran "may have a different version for customer service". The company's next tweet came from a different CSR, Gaganjot, who promised assistance to Singh. "Airtel India pathetic Airtel DTH customer service. I raised complaint for reinstallation of DHT. but assigned service engineer miss behaved with me. His words are "Tum Phone Rakho Dobara call mt krna" his number is +91 79-********. This is how Airtel is looting it's customer (sic), Singh had tweeted. The company responded by saying, "Hey, I most definitely appreciate you reaching out here! Well take a closer look into that & get back shortly with more information. Thank you, Shoaib (sic)." To this, Singh then gave her Islamophobic reply, "Dear Shohaib, as youre a Muslim and I have no faith in your working ethics because Kuran may have different version for customer service, thus requesting you to assign a Hindu representative for my request. Thanks (sic)." Airtel then changed their customer service representative and replied, "Hi Pooja! As discussed, please let me know what days & time frames work best for you so we can talk. Further, please share an alternate number so that I can assist you further with this. Thank you, Gaganjot (sic)." This caused much furore as Twitterati soon turned on the company for bowing down to Islamophobia. Many said they did not wish to be part of the company anymore, while others were slamming the network for its inability to stand up to bigotry. Your bigotry is in open. Shame on you. I will be porting my airtel number to some other provider soon, fyi Jatin Bansal (@jatinbansal) June 18, 2018 Why did you change the customer service agent addressing her concern? What message are you giving shoiab and every other muslim in this country?? Saileena (@saileenas) June 18, 2018 Classic Example of Capitalism Sponsoring Nazism. Happucrat (@AreeDada__) June 18, 2018 Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah also raged against the company saying, "Dear Airtel India this conversation is genuine (Ive seen the timeline myself). I refuse to pay another penny to a company that condones such blatant bigotry. Im beginning the process of porting my number to another service provider & canceling my DTH & Broadband. (sic)" Dear @Airtel_Presence this conversation is genuine (Ive seen the timeline myself). I refuse to pay another penny to a company that condones such blatant bigotry. Im beginning the process of porting my number to another service provider & canceling my DTH & Broadband. pic.twitter.com/BZxJOaEsN6 Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 18, 2018 He further tweeted saying, "I hope she gets a 16 hour Air India flight with an all Muslim flight crew. She can spend the flight screaming about their work ethic while trying to jump out.. (sic)" I hope she gets a 16 hour Air India flight with an all Muslim flight crew. She can spend the flight screaming about their work ethic while trying to jump out. https://t.co/9jxpRhWkvQ Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 18, 2018 It took 5 hours for you to come up with this after you obliged to the order of a bigoted fascist. On damage control mode now eh ? This is nothing but Capitalist openly endorsing Nazism I have been a loyal customer for 10 years I don't want bigots profiting from my money Ilavenil (@ilavenil_) June 18, 2018 Nearly five hours later, Airtel woke up to the backlash and reacted to Singh's zealot thought process. "Dear Pooja, at Airtel, we absolutely do not differentiate between customers, employees and partners on the basis of caste or religion. We would urge you to do the same. Both Shoaib and Gaganjot are part of our customer resolution team. If any customer contacts us for an ongoing service issue then the first available service executive responds in the interest of time. On your query, we will get back to you as soon as there is an update. Thanks - Himanshu, Airtel Response Team Lead (sic)," tweeted the company. When News18 reached out to them, Airtel claimed that customer satisfaction was their "primary motive". Later, in a statement, the company said, At Airtel, we do not differentiate between customers or our employees/partners on the basis of caste or religion. If a customer contacts us again for an ongoing service issue then the first available service executive responds in the interest of time. We request everyone not to misinterpret and give it unnecessary religious colour. The said customer has been responded to. Jhabua: Linking the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to terrorism, MP Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday alleged that all Hindus arrested in terror activities owned their allegiance to the Sangh. Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, was part of the RSS, said Singh, while he was in Sagar district. He is currently crisscrossing Madhya Pradesh as part of the Ekta Yatra to bring our unity in the party ahead of the assembly polls. This ideology spreads hate, hate spreads violence which leads to terrorism, claimed the AICC general secretary. A couple of days ago, Singh claimed that whenever he talked about right-wing terror, he was referring to Sanghi terrorism and not Hindu militancy. Citing the Narmada Parikrama, his recently concluded religious journey, the two-time Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister identified himself as a bigger Hindu than any other Bharatiya Janata Party leader. The first-leg of the statewide Congress Coordination Committees Ekta Yatra is expected to be completed by August 30. During the yatra, Singh and several party veterans are trying to dilute intra-party differences so as to present a united party face during the assembly elections scheduled for later this year. The Bihar School Examination Board BSEB will be releasing the Bihar Board Result 2018 or BSEB Class 10 matric results 2018 on June 26 (tomorrow) at 11:30 am, Board officials have confirmed said. The BSEB Bihar School Examination Board will publish the Bihar Board Class 10 results 2018 or Bihar Matric Result 2018, Bihar Class 10 Matric Result 2018 on its official website biharboard.ac.in. The Bihar School Examination Board BSEB conducted the Bihar Board Class 10 Matric exams 2018 from February 21 to February 28. The practical examinations were held from January 22 to January 24. The students can also check their Bihar Class 10 Matric Results 2018, BSEB Bihar Class 10 Results 2018, Bihar Board Class 10 Results 2018 on this website as well bihar.indiaresults.com or examresults.net Students need to follow the steps to check Bihar BSEB Class 10 Matric Results 2018 or BSEB Class 10 Matric Results 2018: * Log on to the Bihar School Examination Board BSEB website biharboard.ac.in * Click on the Bihar BSEB Class 10 Matric Results 2018 or BSEB Class 10 Matric Results 2018 * Enter your roll number and the Bihar board Class 10 matric results 2018 will appear * Click on 'Save' to download the result * Students can take a print out for further reference Total Number of students appeared: 17,58,797 Number of Centers: 1426 Number of students passed: 12,11,617 Prerna Raj scored 91.4% from Simultala Awasiya Vidyalaya in Jamui district, topped the Bihar 10th Result 2018 with 457 points. Toppers in Bihar 10th Result 2018 : 1. Prerna Raj 2. Shikha Kumari 3. Anupriya To check BSEB Class 10 Results 2018 result, students also can check their Bihar BSEB Matric Class 10 Results 2018, Bihar Board Class 10 Result 2018 via SMS: New Delhi: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is finding it difficult to distance himself from a legal battle that has uncharacteristically nothing to do with his politics. Embroiled in a plagiarism row, the CM has now been issued a notice by the Supreme Court to explain why he should not remain a party to the copyright violation case. A bench headed by Justice Rohinton F Nariman has issued a notice to Nitish, seeking his response on a petition filed by former senior Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar-turned-politician Atul Kumar Singh. The top court also stayed an interim order by the Delhi High Court, which had given liberty to Kumar to reopen his case for deletion of his name as a party. "Issue notice. In the meanwhile, there shall be stay of operation of the interim judgment and order of the High Court, stated the bench recently. In his petition before the Delhi high court, Singh has alleged that a book published by Patna-based Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) through its Member Secretary Shaibal Gupta and endorsed by the Bihar CM, was a plagiarised version of his research project, Role of State in Economic Transformation: A case Study of Contemporary Bihar of 2006. Singh has sought damages of Rs 25 lakh from the defendants, including Nitish, Shaibal Gupta, the ADRI, and its sister concern - Centre for Economic Policy and Public Finance. In August last year, Nitishs attempt to get his name deleted as a party was snubbed by the high court, which dismissed his plea with a cost of Rs 20,000. While the Bihar chief minister alleged malafide and claimed that he had nothing to do with the book, the high court registrar concerned called his application sheer abuse of process of law and added that the facts are cumulatively sufficient to give right to sue to the plaintiff (Singh) against defendant no.1 (Kumar). Subsequently, when the matter was taken up by Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, Singh sought summons for Nitish to record his evidence in the case. On his part, Nitish sought to record his evidence through video-conferencing. However, Justice Endlaw, while dealing with Nitishs application to appear through video-conferencing, noted in his order that prima facie, the Bihar CM is "neither a necessary nor a proper party" to the suit. Although Nitish had chosen not to appeal against the HC registrars order, Justice Endlaw said that he would get yet another opportunity to argue on this aspect. Though the order of the Joint Registrar has attained finality but at the same time it is the duty of the Court to not allow the litigants to take the Court for a ride and waste the time of the Court, said Justice Endlaw. Singh then moved the Supreme Court in an appeal against this HC order on April 3, and questioned why the HC had to reopen this issue when Nitish himself had not appealed against the order. Before the bench, Atul, who appeared in person, argued that it lacked legal sense and objectivity that a person was given a chance to get himself deleted as a party when he comes to the court with a plea to record evidence via video-conferencing. The complainant further pointed out that the HC judges order was way beyond the pleadings and the prayers made in Nitishs application.The Supreme Court is likely to take up this case next on July 6. Singh had contested Lok Sabha elections from Chapra constituency in 2004 as an independent candidate. New Delhi: Bilateral ties between India and China can't take the strain of another Doklam episode, Chinese envoy to India Luo Zhaohui said on Monday, emphasising on the need to find a "mutually acceptable solution" on the boundary issue through a meeting of the Special Representatives. The Chinese envoy said at an event here that "some Indian friends" had suggested a trilateral summit comprising India, China and Pakistan, which was a "very constructive" idea. Dwelling on Sino-Indian ties, he said it is quite natural to have differences but they need to be controlled and managed through cooperation. "We need to control, manage, narrow differences through expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutual acceptable solution through Special Representatives' Meeting while adopting confidence building measures," he said. "We cannot stand another Doklam (sic)," the envoy said. He was delivering a keynote address on 'Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India Relations Go' at an event organised by the Chinese Embassy here. Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China between June to August last year. One of the immediate fallouts of the Doklam stand-off was the suspension of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Nathu-La side and the annual military exercise between the two countries. China also did not give the hydrological data of the Brahmaputra and the Indus river that originates in Chinese Tibet. The envoy today said China will continue to promote religious exchanges and make arrangements for Indian pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet. Post-Doklam, there have been frequent high-level engagements between the leaders of the two countries. This year alone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met twice in the last two months in Wuhan and Qingdao. Luo said the two leaders are also likely to meet on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit and G20 Summit later this year. He noted that security cooperation is one of the three pillars of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an eight-member grouping also comprising India, China and Pakistan. The envoy said the proposal of India, China and Pakistan holding a trilateral summit was "very constructive". Leaders of China, Russia and Mongolia hold a similar meet, he noted. "This is a proposal suggested by some Indian friends and it is a very a good and constructive idea. Maybe not now, but in the future, that is the great idea." The envoy added that relations between India and China have gone beyond the bilateral scope. "We need to enhance coordination and cooperation in SCO, BRICS and join hands to tackle social challenges," he said. Responding to a question on India-China cooperation in Afghanistan, Luo said the two countries have identified a programme to train Afghan public servants and diplomats. "This is a first step and in future, there is more...," he said. In the informal summit between Modi and Xi at the Wuhan, the two countries had agreed to work jointly on an economic project in Afghanistan. New Delhi: Just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Qingdao, Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on Monday said a trilateral between India, Pakistan and China should be considered. Speaking at a seminar, he said some Indian friends had suggested the same. Some Indian friends suggested that India, China and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral summit on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). So, if China, Russia and Mongolia can have a trilateral summit, then why not India, China and Pakistan? Zhaohui said. The ambassador added that relations between China and India had gone beyond the bilateral scope. He said the countries had broad converging interests and faced common challenges in Asia and beyond. We need to enhance coordination and cooperation in SCO, BRICS, G20 and join hands to tackle global challenges, he said. Zhaohui said there was an urgent need to enhance cooperation and the border issue must find a mutually acceptable solution through the respective special representatives. For long, India has been wary of the growing bonhomie between China and Pakistan, including Xis ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. Pakistan has asked India to review its approach to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and stop criticising it. China has also previously said it is ready to hold talks with India to resolve differences over the contentious $50 billion project that passes through Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK). New Delhi: The central government on Monday clarified its stand on appointment of Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI), saying there is no reason to doubt its intention. Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, speaking at a press briefing, said that the convention requires the sitting CJI to first send the name. "Let me first say that this question about appointment (of Justice Gogoi as CJI) is hypothetical. There is a convention in place. The sitting CJI has to forward the name of his successor. Let that name come first," said Prasad. He further asserted: "There is no reason to doubt our intentions." Prasad was speaking in the national capital at an event to highlight achievements of the Modi government in the last four years. Questions over Justice Gogoi's appointment as next CJI have emerged following the unprecedented press conference of the four most senior judges in January this year wherein sitting CJI Dipak Misra was criticised over administrative issues, especially manner of allocation of cases to certain selective benches. Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph addressed this unparalleled event in the judicial history of India. Justice Gogoi had then said that the four judges were before the people's court because they wanted to discharge their debt to the nation. Under the existing convention, it is the incumbent CJI who forwards the name of his successor to the government. It is usually the most senior judge who is recommended for appointment as the new CJI but the recommendation has to be forwarded only and only by the incumbent. Thus, the questions arose if Justice Misra will send the name of Justice Gogoi after the latter has publicly criticised him. At an event recently, when Justice Chelameswar was asked this question, the judge said he hoped Justice Gogoi would not be passed over and if he were to be denied the chiefship, this would be proof that what the four judges had said in their January 12-press conference was true. Supercession of judges in the Supreme Court has only one instance in the past. During the emergency era, Indira Gandhi-government made Justice AN Ray as the CJI after superceding three senior judges of the Supreme Court - J M Shelat, A N Grover and K S Hegde. This was viewed as a direct attack on the independence of judiciary and has often been called by legal stalwarts as the blackest day in Indian democracy. New Delhi: Passengers flying from India to other parts of the world through United Arab Emirates can now spend a day or two exploring places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi as the UAE government has decided to grant free transit visas for first 48 hours to transit passengers. This visa can also be extended upto 96 hours by paying 50 Dirham (about Rs 930). According to a report in The Times of India, the decision to grant free 48-hour transit visas is expected to further increase the number of visitors to UAE as nearly 75% of people flying on Gulf, including UAE, carriers are only transiting through those hubs between India and rest of the world. The report states that UAE is already the single biggest international destination for Indian travellers. Almost a quarter of all international travel to and from India happens on mega UAE carriers like Emirates, flyDubai and Etihad. Jet Airways, in which Etihad has a 24% stake, also serves as a feeder to Etihads long haul flights to Abu Dhabi. The move by UAE to exempt transit passengers from all entry fees for the first 48 hours is significant. Travellers who have onward connections can now stay in the UAE and enjoy a range of attractions that the various Emirates have to offer. In fact, this will give a boost to Dubai and Abu Dhabi which are promoting its attractions aggressively in the Indian market, Karan Anand of travel major Cox & Kings told TOI. According to Dubai Tourism statistics, Dubai attracted over 2.1 million Indian tourists in 2017 15% more than the previous year. India is the number one source market for the emirate, said a senior official of a travel major. New Delhi: Keralas Kochi Metro has completed a year of service. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 17 last year, the Metro was one of the fastest in the country in terms of completion time. Kochi Metro officials are planning a host of programmes to mark the occasion. The celebrations began by cutting a cake at the Edapally Metro station, which was followed by a show by noted magician Gopinath Muthukad. APM Mohammed Hanish, MD of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), said as part of the celebrations, commuters can enjoy free rides all day on June 19. He added that there will be discounts for the issuance of Metro card and seasonal tickets, apart from lucky draw for commuters. The 500 Metro employees will plant one sapling each at the Muttom maintenance yard. E Sreedharan, the man behind Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), was the principal adviser for the Kochi Metro project, which is a class apart from its contemporaries. Integrated Transport System The Kochi Metro is Indias first integrated multi-mode transport system. KMRL has mooted buses and auto services as feeders from metro stations. The buses have been fitted with GPS, making safety the priority. It is also coming up with a journey planner app where commuters can track the movement of the feeder services. Adding a gem to the Queen of the Arabian Sea, the water metro project of the KMRL will integrate water transport as feeder service to the Metro. The Rs 747 crore worth project is expected to be implemented by 2020 and will connect 10 islands with financial assistance from a German bank. Social Inclusion The Kochi Metro received praise for its decision to hire transgenders for jobs ranging from ticketing to maintenance. KMRL also boasts of a significant share of women in the workforce. Green Initiative The Kochi Metro has solar panels installed on the rooftops and 16 stations generate up to 4MWp (Mega Watt Peak). KMRL is also planning to install more solar panels to increase the usage up to 6.3MWp. Challenges ahead In a city like Kochi, which is reeling under traffic congestion, the Metro was introduced to bring the much-needed respite. To ensure that, there is a need to increase the number of people using the service. As per official estimates, the ridership has doubled from 20,000 to 40,000 per day. The KMRL is confident that the extension of service to Petta in 2019 and the third phase of extension to Angamaly from Aluva via Nedumbassery will boost the ridership. Congratulating the Metro for completing a year, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said its operations were on the right track and there had been a significant increase in revenue. The Rs 6 crore loss it incurred in the initial six months has been brought down to Rs 3 crore, he added. With more people using personal vehicles, making the public transport system profitable would be a herculean task. In Kerala, reports about a crisis in Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) are already doing the rounds. In the case of Kochi Metro, top-notch services can make a difference. However, commuters have expressed apprehensions over the high fares. There were reports of decline in ridership figures in Delhi Metro after fare hikes. KMRL can probably take lessons from this and provide affordable prices. Besides, ensuring quality services and covering more area would help increase the footfall. For the Kochi Metro, the ride has just started. Success is a far destination, but is definitely reachable. New Delhi: The government has rejected Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohuis proposal of a trilateral engagement between India, Pakistan and China, saying that matters related to India-Pakistan relations are purely bilateral in nature and have no scope for involvement of any third country. "We have seen reports on comments made by the Chinese Ambassador in this matter. We have not received any such suggestion from the Chinese government. We consider the statement as the personal opinion of the Ambassador, the ministry of external affairs said. Zhaohui, while addressing the India-China Relations Seminar in Delhi on Monday, had said that some Indian friends had suggested to him that China, India and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral cooperation under the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation). He added that if Russia, China and Mongolia could have a trilateral meeting at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), why cant India, Pakistan and China do the same? The proposal came at a time when New Delhi and Beijing are looking to strengthen bilateral ties as decided by PM Narendra Modi and Chinas Xi Jinping at the Wuhan informal summit in April. News 18 had reported earlier how China was keen on utilizing the SCO platform to try and improve the relations between India and Pakistan. The move was clearly aimed at getting India to end its objections to the Belt and Road Initiative. China was hoping Indias objections to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and in turn its opposition to BRI could be managed through the SCO platform. However, India has made it amply clear that the CPEC violates Indias sovereignty and territorial integrity. Analysts, therefore, were skeptical of Chinas proposal. Former diplomat Rajiv Dogra told News18 that it was intriguing why the Chinese Ambassador chose this time and forum to advance the proposal since the SCO summit is a full year ahead. He said that it was hardly the ideal time to float such a proposal and yet China had done so. He says the point to ponder is whether it was done after sounding out the two parties? The Chinese Ambassador had also alluded to the Doklam stand-off between India and China last year. He said the two countries cannot afford another Doklam. India is our immediate neighbour. Its quite natural to have differences with neighbours. We need to narrow differences through expanding cooperation. However, it does not mean that differences would be ignored. The Doklam stand-off lasted 73-days and was resolved just ahead of Prime Minister Modis visit to Xiamen in China for the BRICS summit last year. Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel has asked all universities and colleges in the state to hold a yoga session on International Yoga Day i.e. June 21. Furthermore, evidences of the event taking place have to be submitted to her office afterwards. Patel, who has been taking touring MP to assess implementation of government schemes, has issued a circular instructing all universities, affiliated colleges to observe International Yoga Day on a massive scale and ensure maximum participation. The governor has appointed Rajiv Gandhi Technical University (RGTU) as the co-ordinator for the upcoming event. Standing instructions require educational institutions to send a report to Raj Bhavan comprising details including photographs, number of participants and a CD of the function. The Raj Bhavan has also asked these institutions to hold seminars, debates, competitions and other events on June 21. Universities, colleges have been asked to prepare a CD of Yoga postures and to get participants to rehearse the asanas so that they dont find any trouble on the main day. The RGTU vice-chancellor has accordingly issued orders to all educational institutions, briefing them about Raj Bhavans instructions. They have been asked to appoint a co-ordinator and deputy co-ordinator for seamless communication on the event. The Raj Bhavan order, though, failed to impress the Congress party. The Governor stressing on yoga event is fine but seeking reports from the universities, colleges seems like a wrong precedence to us, Congress chief spokesperson Manak Agrawal told News18. He added that the governor should not have direct interference in the state governments functioning. BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal retorted saying that the governor could order educational institutions to hold events. We find nothing objectionable in the governor seeking a report on yoga day events, said Agrawal. Congress party has remained critical of the governor being directly involved in reviewing government schemes. The criticism peaked recently after a video went viral showing Patel talking to BJP workers and instructing them to ensure the partys victory in upcoming polls. Ever since Patel assumed office in Bhopal, she has been reviewing government schemes, functioning and performance of departments, something which wasnt being done by her predecessors. If sources are to be believed, more than the Congress, its the BJP which has been unnerved by the excessive activism of the former Gujarat Chief Minister. (With inputs from Sharad Shrivastav, News18 MP) Lucknow: Protesting the implementation of quota for promotion, hundreds of state government employees, along with their families, participated in Chetavni Daud, here on Sunday. Some local politicians attended the protest as well. The protest march started from Gomtinagar and culminated near the official residence of Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath. The objective of our rally was to apprise the chief minister about the repercussions of introducing reservation in promotion of government employees, said Pratap Chandra, head of a local political party and also one of the organisers of the rally. Pratap reiterated that the protests would intensify if demands are not met. The Centre on Friday asked all its departments and state governments to implement reservation in promotion for employees belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) categories, following a recent verdict by the Supreme Court. The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is yet to issue any statements regarding the development. However, some groups believe it could be implemented soon in the state. Though the advisory by the central government doesnt specify any state government, we fear that the UP government may implement it. However, the state government will have to pass an order to do so, which we will oppose, said Shailendra Dubey of Sarvajan Hitay Sanrakshan Samiti. The advisory is witnessing opposition yet, Dalit Mahasabha, the organisation that conferred upon the Dalit Mitr award on CM Adityanath, has welcomed the move. The advisory issued by the central government proves that the PM and BJP are genuinely concerned about protecting the rights of people from backward class, said Lalji Prasad Nirmal, President of the Dalit Mahasabha. On June 5, the Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Ashok Bhushan of the apex court had allowed the Centre to go ahead with reservation in promotion for employees belonging to the SC and ST category in accordance with law. The Additional Solicitor General (ASG), Maninder Singh, was representing the government and cited the cases on the issue of quota in promotion in government jobs. He stated that the apex courts 2006 judgment in M Nagaraj case would be applicable. The M Nagaraj verdict had said the creamy layer concept cannot be applied to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for promotions in government jobs like two earlier verdicts of 1992 Indra Sawhney and others versus Union of India and 2005 EV Chinnaiah versus State of Andhra Pradesh, which dealt with creamy layer in Other Backward Classes category. On November 15 last year, a three-judge bench of the apex court had agreed to consider whether its 11-year-old judgement in M Nagaraj case was needed to be re-visited. The nine-judge bench of Supreme Court had, in the Indira Sawhney case in 1992, permitted reservation for the SCs and STs in promotion to continue for a period of five years from November 16, 1992. New Delhi: There was a time when almost every student who opted for science in their school went on to become an engineer. It was not long ago when 70 percent of the technical institutes in India offered engineering degrees. But a decisive shift against engineering, which once was a preferred, high-return-on-investment profession, is visible today. Not just in public sentiment but in government action as well. An overwhelming proportion, almost 78 percent, of colleges approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the government regulatory body for technical education, this year offer courses in pharmacy. Rapidly ageing population and sharp increase in lifestyle-related diseases are some of the factors contributing towards a huge demand for healthcare executives in the country, which in turn is driving up the pharma sector, experts say. The chairman of AICTE, talking to News18, said that rising demand in pharmacy courses has meant that more pharma institutes are now seeking and securing approvals, while on the other hand, the regulatory body was making conscious efforts to reduce the number of engineering colleges in India. The rise in institutes is translating into pharmacy graduates finding jobs in insurance companies, medical transcription and clinical data entry and processing among others. The decisive shift from engineering towards pharma can be understood through these numbers:- a) Out of the 552 newly approved colleges by AICTE this year, only 18 percent colleges were those providing engineering degrees and diplomas. b) Lack of students forced management of 151 engineering colleges to apply for closure this year. c) 2.6 lakh fewer engineering seats are on offer this academic year because colleges and departments teaching engineering have shut down in the last few years. Pharma seats on offer, on the contrary, have seen a rise of 13.39 percent. d) In the last financial year, 34 engineering colleges were shut down compared to just three colleges teaching pharmacy. Over the last three years the maximum number of colleges, 148, shut down taught engineering; colleges that were shut down fewest times, 21, taught pharmacy. e) According to multiple recruitment consultancies, jobs in corporate hospitals have spiked up by more than 20 percent in the last two years. In recent weeks, eight states Maharashtra, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh have written to AICTE asking it not to grant approvals to any more engineering colleges. Talking to News18, Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman, AICTE, said, The increase in pharmacy colleges is a direct result of a huge interest in this sector. We have observed that most of the seats in this department are being occupied. This rising demand has created a huge spike in requests for approval to open new pharmacy colleges. Sahasrabudhe added that there was a conscious effort to reduce the number of engineering colleges in India. Most of the states we consulted on this topic were against the idea of starting new engineering colleges, he said. Pharmacy on the other hand has seen a progressive surge. Recruitment consultants unanimously voiced this opinion when contacted by News18. There has been a 25 percent rise in recruitment in corporate hospitals in the last two years. The demand is high which can be deduced from the fact we have seen a surge in enquiries in the healthcare sector, said Kris Lakshmikanth, chief executive officer, Head Hunters India, a recruitment consultancy. Lakshmikanth explained that the rapidly ageing population of India has created huge demand for nurses. Nurses who earlier used to travel to Middle-East countries for better jobs are now finding better employment opportunities within the country. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Telangana have seen the sharpest rise in number of pharmacy institutes. As more sectors are getting into hiring pharmacy graduates, the trend is translating into students shifting from engineering to pharma. With better job opportunities for pharmacy graduates, fewer students are opting for engineering, said T Ilango, Registrar of the Tamil Nadu Pharmacy Council. Change in syllabi for Bachelors in Pharma and Masters in Pharma is also a contributing factor towards more students opting for the course. The new syllabi, formulated by a committee whose members include academicians as well as representatives from pharmaceutical sector, have come into force from the ongoing academic session. The pharma sector is thriving because there is a rise in lifestyle diseases, said Krishna Iyer, a professor at Bombay College of Pharmacy and chairman, board of studies for pharmacy at the University of Mumbai. According to a recent report by World Health Organisation (WHO), 61 percent of all deaths in India are due to lifestyle related diseases. Iyer said that many graduates find employment in allied industries such as insurance companies, medical transcription and clinical data entry and processing. Marketing of medicines has become more cut-throat, thereby generating more jobs, he said. Whats snatching away engineering jobs? Automation The major reason behind IT reducing the number of intakes is automation. Experts are of the opinion that four out of every 10 jobs globally would be lost due to this by 2021. According to PeopleStrong CEO and founder Pankaj Bansal, there will be a visible change in the next 3-4 years and the first major effects will be seen in sectors like manufacturing, IT and ITeS and security services and agriculture. We predict that by 2021, four out of every 10 jobs globally would be lost because of automation. And of these, one in every four will be from India. That sums up to 23% of job loss in India, Bansal said. Experts are of the opinion that while laid off employees will find jobs in ancillary units generated post automation, most of them will have to reskill or settle for meagre jobs. The lack of good infrastructure in colleges was elaborated by Nasscom President R Chandrashekhar. There is a perennial problem about the quality of (engineering) students. Over a period of time, the linearity between revenue and headcount growth in the IT sector has disappeared. Apart from global factors like changes in the economies of many countries and protectionism, there has been an increase in the levels of automation, and companies need to respond to these changes and hire accordingly. Information Technology (IT) emerged as a mass employer post liberalization in 1991. According to historical Nasscom data, IT alone used to employ 4,00,000 to 5,00,000 engineers annually till 2010. The number drastically reduced to 1,00,000 recruitments in the last financial year. The largest recruiter for engineering in the last fifteen years was IT. With IT now hiring less than half of what it used to, naturally the number of jobs have come down. There are jobs elsewhere, but engineers wanted to take up IT jobs. The natural inclination was because IT provided opportunities abroad with handsome salaries. This has also resulted in less students taking up engineering, said Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan, former Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director and co-founder of Infosys. (The story is part of News18 series ##onthejob. The second part of the series will focus on future of education and how automation is shaping market forces) Bengaluru: A Muslim cleric has kicked up a controversy in Karnataka with remarks made in the presence of a minister that cows will be sacrificed during Bakrid festival in the state where cow slaughter is banned. The cleric made the purported remarks in the presence of Health and Family Welfare Minister Shivanand Patil during his sermons on the occasion of Ramzan prayer at Vijayapura in north Karnataka two days ago. Tanveer Hashmi is the head of Hashim Pir Dargah at Vijayapura, a popular Muslim shrine. The video of his purported remarks has gone viral. The minister chose to remain quiet after Hashmi made the controversial remarks. "Let me bring to your notice, in two months there will be Bakrid. In the name of cow, this satan (devil) will do a mischief. I am telling you (the minister) this beforehand so as to ensure that with the cow another sacrifice does not happen," Hashmi said in his speech in Urdu. The cleric's remarks came days after a purported video of former Union minister and BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal asking corporators to work only for Hindus, who voted for him, and not for Muslims went viral on social media. "I had called all corporators and have told them that they should work for Hindus who have voted for me in Bijapur and not Muslims," Yatnal is purportedly heard saying in the video. "I had said no to Muslims initially....I had instructed my people that those with topi (cap)) and burkha should not come and stand in my office or beside me," he had said. Flaying the cleric for his "inflammatory" speech, social activist Ritu Rathaur questioned the silence of political leaders over it. Rathaur tweeted, "This is really Shameful...!!! Cleric Tanveer Peera Hashmi pontificates that they will start #CowSlaughter again! What is emboldening peace fools so much? Political Patronage by all political leaders? And is this the respect they have for Hindu Sentiments? Disgusting!" Hindu right wing activists also took to social media to condemn the cleric's comments, calling it not only provocative and aimed at instigating cow slaughter but also meant to foment communal disharmony. "All this has happened in the presence of a Congress minister suggests that the present JDS-Congress coalition is hands-in-glove with extremist elements and the majority community are left to fend for themselves," said Akshay Narang in a post published on http://rightlog.in portal. Narang said minority appeasement was the norm under the previous Siddarmaiah government. "However, it seems that the appeased community has now been emboldened and its extremist sections are free to do anything they want with absolute impunity," he added. Patna: A Chinese national employed with mobile handset maker Oppo was arrested on Sunday night after police received a tip-off that around ten foreigners were drinking liquor in the companys guest house in Gardaibagh, Patna. Patna SSP Manu Maharaj said, Tiandong was in possession of two bottles of foreign liquor in his room at the time of the raid. Another bottle of liquor was recovered from his associate Wu Chuangyong, living in the adjoining room. After the state government imposed a strict prohibition law in 2016, consumption and possession of liquor is a non-bailable offence in Bihar and punishable with up to 10 years in jail. The SSP said that another employee would be arrested soon. Wu had already left Patna for Purnia or Begusarai. He would be arrested after his return to Patna, he said. The four-storey guest house is owned by a local Shahid Imam who rented it to Oppo. Nine Chinese nationals including two women, all employees of Oppo, were living in the guest house when it was raided. The police have confiscated passports of all the employees for investigation. Oppo on Monday came out with a press release accepting they were employees of the company. "Oppo India is in the knowledge of what has happened. Our business activities in India fully respect law of the land. Behaviour of the employees are questionable but they acted in their own personal capacity and it has nothing to do with the company's ideology or motive. We are fully cooperating with local authorities, the statement read. Patna police also raided the company's showroom in Gandhi Maidan area and seized Rs 9 lakh in cash after the employees were unable to explain the source of the cash. Some reports also claimed that some Oppo employees from China had arrived in the country on a business visa instead of a working visa. When asked about the reported discrepancies in the passport and visas, Additional Director General (ADG) of police SK Singhal told News18 that he would come out with the findings on Tuesday. Chandigarh: Punjab Police have busted an international drug racket by arresting four people, including a Canadian citizen. The syndicate used to send the drugs abroad through a courier service. Investigators found that an international drugs ring controlled the module which was involved in smuggling opium and the potent date rape drug ketamine. Police seized 4.75 kg of ketamine and 6 kg opium that was packed in double-layered seven big woks, used for preparations of langar in gurdwaras. Assistant Inspector General of Counter Intelligence, HKPS Khakh, who is also the investigating officer, had been chasing 68-year-old Canadian citizen, Davinder Dev, for quite some time. Dev was currently living in Ludhiana. Khakh said the racket was found to be masterminded by Toronto-based Kamaljit Singh Chauhan, who originally hails from village Nagar in Phillaur. The smuggling channel was operational abroad in Dubai and Canada, as well as in different states of India, including Maharashtra, Goa and Rajasthan. Earlier, around 5 quintals of Ketamine through containers had been smuggled from Jaipur to Canada through Kandla port in Gujarat. Giving further details of the arrests, Khakh said, The joint teams, acting on a tip-off, carried out a special operation.The use of private couriers or postal services is a new modus operandi used by global drug smugglers, Khaak said. Other accused have been identified as Ajit Singh (45), Tarlochan Singh (42) and Gurbax Singh (50). Five people, including the main Canadian organiser, have been booked under the provisions of the NDPS Act, along with 420,465,467,468,471 of the IPC. Visakhapatnam: A school reunion turned tragic for a group of friends who had gone to Mutyalammapalem beach on Sunday as three of them drowned in the sea and one went missing. Police said around 15 students of the 2005-06 batch of Parawada High School met at the beach to celebrate the reunion. While some students left at around 4.30 pm, five of them ventured into the sea, despite police warning, they said. Assistant Commissioner of Police (South Zone), Rammohan Rao said police at the beach advised 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 in strong 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. Insurgency seems to be resurfacing in the Northeast with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) carrying out planned attacks on security forces in the region. In what the NSCN-Khaplang faction termed as ongoing summer offensives against state forces, two attacks were carried out in less than two weeks in Nagalands Mon district. Experts have said that the violence could very well leave the ongoing Naga peace talks in a limbo while affecting all efforts to end insurgency. A joint ambush by NSCN-K and ULFA (Independent) on Sunday at Aboi, south of Mon town in Nagaland left two security personnel dead and 4 others critically injured. The injured personnel were airlifted to the 5 Air Force Hospital (5AFH) in Jorhat, Assam. While search operation after the attack is still on, the deceased have been identified as Havildar Fateh Singh Negi of 40 Assam Rifles hailing from Uttarakhand and Sepoy Hungnga Konyak of 164 Territorial Army, Nagaland. According to sources, the incident took place at around 3 pm when troops of 40 AR were attacked during a routine patrol. The ambush took place midway when the security personnel stopped to collect water at a site around 3km from Aboi. The militants first detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) followed by indiscriminate gunfire. Unexploded grenades were recovered from the spot. In an emailed statement issued by NSCN-K spokesperson Isak Sumi, the attack was part of an offensive to sanitize the land against the illegal deployment of occupational Indian forces. On Tuesday, ULFA-I claimed joint responsibility for the attack. Sources said the militants had entered from Myanmar to carry out the attacks. The NSCN-K has also claimed responsibility for the June 5 attack on the Assam Rifles camp at Lempong Shingha village in Mon district. Two security personnel, including an army Major, were injured in the attack. Some are of the opinion that the recent attacks on security forces are a move by the militant outfit to destabilize the Indian government in the Naga peace process and an opportunity to increase their footprint in the area where they continue with extortion activities. In June last year, three ULFA (Independent) cadre and one Indian Army officer of the Naga Regiment were killed in an encounter near Lappa Lempong area of Mon district bordering Myanmar. This sector is also identified as the infiltration and exfiltration route for NSCN-K and ULFA-Independent operatives via Myanmar where the militant outfits have their hideouts and training camps. New Delhi: The email account of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Joint Director has been blocked. The move came after the account of Rajiv Singh, who heads the banking fraud division, was used to send out bulk emails. Singhs division was responsible for probing the bank fraud case of jeweller Nirav Modi. Singh has now been repatriated to his home cadre of Tripura. Suspicious activity on his email account was first noticed on May 16, after which Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) of the Ministry of Information Technology blocked his email account. Sources said his account was accessed from a location in Shimla, after which CERT alerted the CBI. Agencies are now probing the possibility of Singhs account having been hacked. Singhs desktop has been seized. Investigative agencies are also probing whether sensitive information relating to the Modi case was leaked. They are asking why Singh did not immediately report the suspicious activity. It was earlier reported by a national daily that Modi had travelled from London to Brussels using an Indian passport on June 12. To avoid authorities, Modi chose to travel to Brussels via the Eurostar High-Speed Rail rather than using air travel. This is despite the fact that his passport had been revoked on February 24. It was as late as June 11 that the CBI approached the Interpol for issuing a Red Corner Notice against Modi. This was because the chargesheet against the jeweller had not been filed until recently. Experts believe that he may have used this window of opportunity to travel between London and Brussels. Reports said Modi has sought an ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) in the United Kingdom, which fellow fugitive Vijay Mallya already has. Meanwhile, Indian authorities in Belgium are said to have informed Belgian banks about the cases against Modi. New Delhi: Sri Ram Sene founder-president Pramod Muthalik triggered a controversy by comparing slain journalist Gauri Lankeshs murder to a dogs death. The incident came a day after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) summoned Rakesh Math, the Vijayapura district president of the Sene, for questioning in the case. Addressing a public gathering, Muthalik hit back at critics demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence over Lankeshs killing. Two murders took place in Karnataka and two in Maharashtra in Congress rule. No one questioned Congress govt failure. Instead, they are asking why is PM Modi silent and not speaking on Gauri Lankeshs death. Is Modi responsible even if any dog dies in Karnataka? he said. The Sene chief later clarified his comment, saying he did not make a direct comparison. He added that Parshuram Vaghmare, who allegedly pulled the trigger on the veteran journalist, was not associated with his organisation. According to a report in The Times of India, the 26-year-old Vaghmare is said to have told the SIT that he did not know who he was killing when he pulled the trigger on Lankesh. He, however, reportedly claimed that he committed the murder to save his religion. Reacting to the development in the nine-month-old investigation, Gauri Lankeshs sister Kavita Lankesh told CNN-News18, People are openly being threatened and harassed. We always knew why she was killed. Enough evidence is available. How did he save his religion by killing my sister? Lankesh, 55, the Editor of Lankesh Patrike, was shot dead outside her residence in the citys suburb by unidentified assailants on September 5 last year. According to the police, of the total seven bullets fired by the unidentified men, three had hit Lankesh two in the chest and one in the forehead. Hyderabad: 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: Two militants were killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. The operation comes a day after the Centre announced its decision not to extend the ceasefire in the state. An Army official said that security forces launched an anti-militancy operation in Bandipora district this morning following information about the presence of militants in the area. He said two militants have been killed so far even as the operation continues to be in progress. The identity and group affiliation of the slain militants was not immediately known. Security forces have adopted a proactive approach setting up check barriers at various places across the valley including the summer capital of the state. Police and other security agencies were carrying out random checks of vehicles entering the city at various places. The intensification in the area domination operations and checking of vehicles comes in the wake of significant rise in a number of attacks on security forces in the city during the month of Ramzan. Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government school children will now learn about Nath sect gurus Baba Gorakhnath, Baba Gambhirnath and Swami Pranavananda as a chapter on them has been introduced in the textbooks of classes 6, 7 and 8. Interestingly, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is a devout follower of the sect and the chief priest of the Gorakhnath Math in Gorakhpur. The biographies of Baba Gorakhnath, Baba Gambhirnath and Swami Pranavananda and others will be taught to students. Guru Gorakhnath is part of curriculum of Class 6 book 'Mahan Vyaktitwa' (great personalities), Bhupendra Narayan Singh, Gorakhpur basic shiksha adhikari said. "More than 8,36,975 books of Class 1 to Class 8 have reached us and the process of sending them to block resource centres and schools has been initiated," he said, adding that after summer vacations, the revised textbooks will be available. Along with the the books, school dress, stationary, school bags, shoes and socks will be made available before July 15," Singh said. Besides the two saints of Nath Sect, the life history of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh and BJP ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhaya has also been included in the school books from class 6 to 8. Other chapters that are included are the life histories of freedom fighters like Shahid Bandhu Singh, Rani Avanti Bai and warrior brother Aalha-Udal. Of which, Shahid Babu Bandhu Singh belongs to Gorakhpur, the home town of the UP CM Yogi Adityanath. There is a Quick Response (QR) code on each chapter of the new books. After scanning the code, students can get information about the chapter on mobile phones, the BSA said. According to the information, CM Yogi had said in his directives to the officials of Basic Education department to include chapters on lifespan of great people in the text books so that students could know about them. Sanjay Sinha, Secretary basic Shiksha Parishad and Director SCERT refused to make any comment and stated that he was out of his office for some personal work. Meanwhile, the opposition parties have attacked Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in the state and have alleged that the government is indulging in saffornisation of education and is trying to influence young students. Speaking to News18, Samajwadi Party Spokesperson Sunil Singh Sajan said, The government should explain why a chapter on great socialist reformer Ram Manohar Lohia was not included in the text books? This makes it clear that this government wants to push their own agenda and is least bothered about the education of the students. The government which came into power singing the songs of Vikas is just busy with their attempts to change the history by hook or by crook. It is quite clear now that these people have nothing to do with Development, they just want their own agenda to be pushed everywhere. This is all well planned strategy to influence the young minds by sowing seeds of hatred and saffronization. This is a dangerous trend and Government just wants to push their own agenda, said Congress spokesman Anshu Awasthi. Lucknow: With the last village of Leisang in Manipur being connected to the power grid, India achieved its ambitious target of 100 percent electrification. Even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed it as a historic day in the development journey of India, the story of Kodra village showcases a different reality. Located on the border of Sitapur and Barabanki districts in Uttar Pradesh, Kodra has not even seen a light bulb post-Independence. The inhabitants lead their lives in the dim light of lanterns. While this has taken a toll on students who are forced to complete their studies during day time, people from other villages are not keen on getting their daughters married in Kodra. According to locals, electric poles were erected in the villages about two years ago, but they never received electricity. Speaking to News18, resident Sant Lal said, We have been running from pillar to post for electricity but nothing happened. Our kids want to study and become doctors and engineers but how will they study in the dark? People are not willing to marry off their daughters in our villages. A teenager named Sarla said her studies were getting affected as she was forced to read in the light of an oil lamp. At a time when the country is making strides towards Digital India, the inhabitants of Kodra are forced to travel to neighbourhood villages to charge their mobile phones. The lone solar panel that came to their rescue earlier is no longer in a working condition. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said his government supplies electricity for 24 hours in cities and 18 hours in villages. But if the testimonies of the Kodra residents are anything to go by, the claims have fallen flat. Speaking to News18, executive engineer of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) RK Mishra said, This is a very unfortunate situation. I will investigate the matter with officials of the department. It will be ascertained which agency worked in the village and why work was left incomplete. If any laxity is found, a notice will be issued to the agency. It will be ensured that the remaining work is completed soon. A village is considered electrified if 10% of the total number of households have electricity. This is apart from the basic infrastructure and electrification of certain public centers of the village. The Standing Committee on Energy (2013) had observed that according to this definition, a village would be called electrified even if up to 90% households in it do not have a basic electricity connection. However, in Kodra village, not a single household has power supply. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West is game to run for public office in the US if the time and opportunity comes but it's not on her mind at the moment. In an interview to CNN, Kim discussed her marriage to rapper Kanye West and how being a mother has changed her for the better. Asked if she had any interest in running for public office, the reality TV star said it wasn't not really on her mind, reports hollywoodreporter.com. When reminded by Jones that "(Donald) Trump is President, it could happen", Kim replied: "I know. That's why Kanye loves him. It's the idea that anything can happen I guess never say never. "But that's not going to be like, Kim's running. That's not where I am. I just want to help one person at a time." Kim met Trump last month to discuss prison reform. This was in extension of her efforts to advocate for a pardon for a low-level drug offender named Alice Marie Johnson, who has served more than 20 years in prison. On June 6, Trump commuted Johnson's sentence and she was released from prison. Kim said she found an emotional connect to Johnson. "I felt like she is a good person. You can see that in her. That she lost her long-time job, got a divorce, her son died. And I know that I would do anything for my kids and so I just felt this connection to her. Like instantly, that I just wanted to help her." She said she understands how some people might perceive her help towards Johnson. "I think people might think like 'Oh, Kim went to the White House, had this conversation, it was done, and that's it.' This, I saw this seven months ago. And I have been having daily phone calls with the White House," she said. On her marriage to West, she said the secret to making it work is supporting each other. "So we always, no matter what it is, if I agree, if I don't agree, I'm always there. And I think he knows that, and you know it is tough when everything is so public," she said. She added: "I think that it is just really important to be supportive. Doesn't mean you agree with everything, but it means that you are supportive and you are there to talk them through their situation and just - I love him." Mumbai: 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. The year 1989 is four decades different from the year 1949. In 1949, Indian Constitution was accepted. In 1989, Scheduled Caste /Scheduled Tribes [Prevention of Atrocities] Act, also known as Dalit Act, came into being. Accepted in 1949, Article 17 of the Indian Constitution abolishes Untouchability, forbids its practice. Brought into practice in January 1950, Indians begun ignoring the Constitutional verdict-of-ending Untouchability. Those who fought the British for their independence, continued subjugating the fellow-Dalit citizens. It was a betrayal of the freedom movement promise. In the year 1955, an amendment in the Constitution was brought in, and a new Act came into being to give teeth to Article 17. It was called Untouchability [Offences] Act. The Act makes practice of Untouchability punishable. Preventing Dalits accessing to public places -- restaurants, hotels, religious places, denial of services such as haircut, cloth washing, for instance -- were defined as crimes. The Untouchability Act didnt deal with atrocity or violence against Dalits. Not that Dalits were not attacked those days -- in fact a major massacre had taken place in the Tamil country. But, by and large, the Caste society didnt need violent methods to control Dalits, small wooden sticks were as effective tools in controlling Dalit hamlets as Rifles today are. The Dalit Act, on the other hand, primarily targets injustice meted out to members of the Dalit/Tribe communities. In fact, the spirit of the Dalit Act is to protect victims in situations of conflicts where they are targeted for rising, using goods and gadgets that are markers of higher status. For instance, the first provision in the Dalit Act refers to the following Forces any person who is scheduled caste and scheduled tribe to eat or to drink any inedible or awful substance. The Act also deals with land disputes, and, also, legal battles. For instance, if a non-Dalit/Tribe in a Court battle gives false or fabricated evidence with the intention of convicting any member of scheduled caste or tribethen the person who has given that evidence shall be punished with death. The Dalits in the times of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, more specifically, in the Article 17, can be seen seeking their existence as human beings, with minimum fundamentals of human dignity. The Dalits in the Dalit Act 1989 can be seen in confrontation with the Caste Hindu society. What does this mean, or what happened between 1949 and 1989? Midst Green Revolution -- 1980s -- a substantial population of Dalits had begun skipping hunger, first ever in past many millenniums, also, Dalits accessed currency. A great number of Dalits declared their freedom from caste landlords. Constitution propelled democracy, industrial expansion, urbanisation, and mass education of Dalits, consciousness building by activists, gave the community air of freedom. Migration to cities, and lapping up caste neutral jobs gave them not only freedom to choose jobs, but also freedom back home from the caste hold. Also, by 1980s, a crop of Dalit officers in the bureaucracy had become visible, now seeking positions of departmental heads, for instance. By this time frame, the orthodox Hindu society felt threatened, spoiling Dalits ACR-Annual Confidential Report, became an unstated movement. This very special social situation created conditions for the need of the Dalit Act 1989. A further re-look at Governments welfare schemes, including the Untouchability [Offences] Act that was amended as Protection of Civil Rights Act in 1976, were all to protect Dalits that appeared hapless. The Dalit Act, on the other hand, protects Dalits that are rising. Half a century back, there were hardly instances of Dalit grooms being stoned, or a Dalit knifed for sporting twirled moustaches. Then, none would even in dreams, think of riding horse in weddings or growing twirled moustaches. While India is changing fast, caste control is on the steady decline, there is an orthodox section of the caste Hindu society that is turning nervous, and violent at times. Rise of Dalits as free citizens unsettles them. Why someone should after all feel so disturbed watching a Dalit ride a Royal Enfield bike. Why should some risk police action, and shave moustaches of a Dalit? To the question -- low conviction rates, one hardly needs to be a data scientist to answer this question. Dalits are just 17 percent of the Indian population, and as a social minority, the pressure of the majority forces not only witnesses into turning hostile, even complainants turn indifferent to their own cases. Arrests under the Dalit Act has worked as a great deterrent. This fear of immediate arrest gone, the Caste criminals will have field days. To the question of misusing the Dalit Act, answers can be multi-layered. Is there any Act, Rule, Law on this planet that are not abused by some individuals. Should all that be amended? Should section 302 too be amended because some have misused this? Why after all, why would a Dalit implicate someone falsely? At worse, a Dalit being constantly harassed might just use this Act to settle scores because all other IPC sections dont bring any relief. Please remember, in dispute with Dalits, as the case is between Blacks-Whites, non-Dalits always keep Dalits social base in their minds. This in itself is criminal. Laws, Rules, even Constitutions get amended, all that, to give relief to the people. This is a rarest of the rare occasions where potential Caste criminals are given relief. What a sarcasm of justice!!! (Chandra Bhan Prasad and Pankaj Anand are well known scholars. Views are personal.) Thought the ever-expanding xxx-crore club heralded by Sallu bhai was the only bad thing about Bollywood? Well, there is a far more sinister club in the making in B-town. It is called the virtue-signaling club. The newest celebrities to have joined this club is Virushka. There was nothing more the duo had to prove after they managed the ultimate coup getting the Prime Minister to attend one of their receptions. Had they just gone about doing their respective jobs well for the rest of their life, no one would have questioned their claim to being a good citizen. But the power couple didnt take things for granted. In between posting love-dovey images on Instagram, they always find the time to remind us they are very much in touch with the Prime Minister and his mission. The meme-factory that the Prime Ministers fitness video turned out to be was actually a result of Virat Kohlis enthusiastic call to Narendra Modi to take the challenge. Recently, the couple displayed their sense of duty toward the cause of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan when Anushka Sharma metamorphosed into her NH10 avatar while giving a thorough jhar to a luxury car owner for throwing garbage on the streets. Hubby Virat Kohli recorded her glorious altercation with the face of the luxury car owner clearly showing. He shared the video on Twitter urging people to do the same if they saw people littering the streets. 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 The couple got a lot of hate for this. Netizens accused Kohli and Sharma of violating another citizens privacy while trying to promote themselves. Now, it would be wrong to cast aspersions on the couples intentions. They must have been genuinely outraged, given that Anushka Sharma is also a brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Honoured to be a part of @swachhbharat campaign. Please adopt healthy sanitation practices & construct toilets to ensure #SafetyForWomen pic.twitter.com/NESTbTfXAv Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) May 30, 2017 Its also appalling that people have to be reminded that they shouldnt litter the streets. That's the basic requirement of being a good citizen. However, there is no denying that Sharma and Kohli breached their brief by sharing the video on Twitter. Urging their millions of followers to get into altercations with fellow citizens and uploading videos of unsuspecting citizens is not acceptable. It is another form of vigilantism, however, well intentioned it might be. Being the ambassador, Anushka Sharma could have shown the grace of getting down of her AC car, collecting the garbage, and throwing it somewhere appropriate or carrying it back in her car. She could have referred to her good friend Raju Hiranis movie on gandhigiri for a tip or two on how to peacefully deal with such nuisance makers. This is not the first time a celebrity has displayed traits of vigilantism. A couple of years back, Preity Zinta went to town about throwing a man out of the theatre for not standing for national anthem. More recently, Akshay Kumars wife Twinkle Khanna thought it was funny to upload the picture of a shanty-dweller pooping near the sea in Mumbai, thus justifying the need for making part 2 of her husbands hit film in urban setting. Its not as if these celebrities have any expert-level understanding of the causes they pretend to champion. After moving past the topic of patriotism, Akshay Kumars new obsession with the subject of sanitation has been praiseworthy. He made two films on it and even made rounds of the PMO to discuss the script of Toilet: Ek Prem Katha with the Prime Minister. But the same person also displayed his ignorance on the subject when he uploaded a video paying tribute to manual scavengers and thanking them for serving India with the national anthem playing in the background. The video had visuals of sanitation workers neck deep in sewage, working without safety gears something he felt proud and celebratory about. Kumar quietly deleted the video after being called out without acknowledging his error of judgment. Kumar was yet another example of how NOT to be an ambassador of a government campaign. After all, you dont get to become an expert just because you starred in a movie on sanitation. Too often, not following the script and taking things in their hands while driving on the streets or updating their Twitter feed, could make them look both arrogant and insensitive. Owing to their popularity, celebrities are indeed important tools of spreading awareness around issues of public importance. Amitabh Bachchans baritone is often credited for the success of the anti-polio drive that started in 2002 and eventually made India polio-free in a decades time. But when celebs confuse their positions as influencers with that of a power-wielder, they are no different from unauthorised vigilante groups. Any form of authority displayed without accountability breeds fertile ground for vigilantism -then be it the saffron-donning groups harassing couples or celebs uploading videos to show off their public duty. Lucknow: As the race for the 2019 general election intensifies, its becoming increasingly clear that Akhilesh Yadavs Samajwadi Party (SP) is not keen on allying with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. SP sources have now confirmed to News18 that they are not willing to take the Congress on board in UP since the latter does not fit into the political narrative that the SP and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) want to build together against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The SP, like in the past, will not field a candidate against the Congress in Raibareli and Amethi. While Amethi is the constituency of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is MP from Raibareli. Talking to News18, a senior leader of the Samajwadi Party said, Its not like we have personal issues with the Congress leadership. Our reservations with the Congress are purely political. When asked to explain the reservations, the senior leader said, Congress doesnt fit into the political narrative we want to build against the BJP. The political narrative of Dalits, Muslims and Backwards against the upper caste-dominated BJP is the political attack line of 85 percent vs 15 percent that we will employ. The development comes just days after the SP skipped the Iftar party hosted by Rahul Gandhi. Unease with the Congress also set in following the experiences of the 2017 assembly election, when the SPs alliance with the grand old party suffered a humiliating defeat. The SP feels giving its ally over 100 seats was a mistake as its core voters, especially the Yadavs and other backward castes, did not vote for the Congress. The post-defeat analysis further strengthened the perception within the SP leadership that the limited appeal and presence of the Congress in UP was restricted to the upper castes and thus, taking the party on board for 2019 could be counter-productive. However, the power play comes with a rider the stand taken by the BSP. Though BSP chief Mayawati has kept her cards close to her chest with respect to the alliance, sources say she is not in the mood to be hostile to the Congress. On May 26, the party officially said its open to alliances in upcoming state elections as well as beyond that if such alliances are respectable ones. Political observers see this as the BSPs willingness to work with the Congress ahead of the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Sources said Mayawati, who has her eyes set on a larger role in national politics post the 2019 polls, wants to keep the grand old party in good humour. The question that then arises is if the BSP will be benevolent to the Congress in UP and prefer a Dalit-Muslim consolidation or share the opinion of the Samajwadi Party. A lot depends on the alliances and their subsequent performance in the Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan polls. New Delhi: Opposition unity could be put to test soon in the election for the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Former Congress President Sonia Gandhis political secretary Ahmed Patel has reached out to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking support for the party nominee for the post. Sources have told News18 that Patel met the Trinamool leader for an hour in Delhi on Sunday evening in what is being seen as an attempt to garner support for the party candidate. The post is currently held by Congress MP from Kerala PJ Kurien. Kurien was denied another term to the Upper House by the Congress and it is likely that the party is now pushing for some other candidate of its choice for the post. The chairman of the Rajya Sabha is the Vice-President of India. Members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha together elect the chairman of the Upper House. The deputy chairman, however, is elected by the members of the Rajya Sabha alone. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has emerged as the single largest party in the Upper House, is keen to have its own nominee for the deputy chairmans post. The non-Congress opposition leaders, who interacted during the course of their visit to Delhi for the NITI Aayog meeting, are learnt to be in favour of using the election to expand the footprint of the non-NDA alliance by bringing in Naveen Patnaiks Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on board. The BJD with nine members and the TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samithi) with six members are crucial as they have said before that they will not support the Congress candidate. It is learnt that this group of regional satraps is in favour of offering the RS deputy Chairmanship to the BJD. A day after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday gave a public assurance to IAS officers about their safety and security, the IAS association has said that it is ready for talks. In a statement, the association said it welcomes the statement and looks forward to concrete interventions. The statement signals a truce may be finally on the cards. Meanwhile, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had to be hospitalised as his ketone level rose to 7.4 as the indefinite strike at the L-G office entered the sixth day on Monday. A day earlier, Health Minister Satyendar Jain was admitted after his sugar levels dipped. Both the ministers along side Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have been holding a sit-in at the LG office demanding that Baijal direct IAS officers to end their "strike". They also demand that the Lt Governor approve the proposal for doorstep delivery of ration. In another development, the Delhi High Court asked the AAP government who authorised the sit-in by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and some of his cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor's office and observed that strikes are usually held outside an establishment or office and not inside. The observation by a bench of Justices A K Chawla and Navin Chawla came during the hearing of two petitions, one against the sit-in by Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal and the other against the alleged strike by the IAS officers of Delhi government. "Who authorised the strike/dharna (sit-in by Kejriwal)? You are sitting inside the LG's office. If it's a strike, it has to be outside the office," the court told lawyers appearing for the Delhi government in the two matters. Stay tuned for live updates New Delhi: Under attack from regional satraps for breaking ranks to oppose Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals protest at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijals residence, Congress has challenged Mamata Banerjee to join hands with the CPM in West Bengal. As far as show of strength is concerned, would [West Bengal Chief Minister] Mamata Banerjee and CPM come together in the state? Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken told News18 on being asked to respond to the chief ministers of West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh showing solidarity with the AAP convener. The chief ministers who came to visit have no stake in Delhi, neither do they have any solid stand. I dont think they have been briefed properly. Delhi is a Union Territory. The powers of a CM in a state are way different than what a CM has in the national capital, he added. The four CMs, on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog meeting, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Sunday and sought the Centres intervention to end the impasse between the AAP and the Lieutenant Governor. Despite its growing bonhomie with regional parties, Congress has been restrained in responding to recent overtures by the AAP. At present, the AAP has a significant presence only in Punjab and Delhi where it competes with the Congress to wrest control of the vote bank. Kejriwal, in a tweet last month, had praised former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh amid reports that a section of the Congress was pushing for a pre-poll alliance with the party for the 2019 general elections. Maken also took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre and the Delhi government, saying the current deadlock suited both the sides. The situation, as we see it right now, suits both the BJP and the AAP. It diverts attention from their respective failures. The L-G allowing the Delhi CM and his ministers to protest for more than four days outside his office in itself is a matter of concern, he said, adding that the AAP did not want to learn the art of governance. Kejriwals protest against the alleged strike by IAS officers entered the eighth day on Monday. Several IAS officers came together on Sunday to level counter allegations against the Delhi government, saying they were afraid about the lack of security. Kejriwal said he would ensure security for the bureaucrats as they are his family. An assault on a senior IAS officer is something that we had not heard of so far and that has happened. Since Kejriwal is calling the IAS officers his family, then as head of the family, it is his responsibility to keep everyone together, Maken said, adding that during the Congress rule in Delhi, the party had faced worse situations. There was a time when we got to know from the newspapers that the transport secretary had been changed. But we still worked with him and fulfilled our duties, the senior Congress leader said. Maken added that if a minister takes a policy decision, there is no reason for any IAS officer to say no to it and replacing officers is never a solution. All officers are good as long as you get the work done from them. Problem is when the minister wants to get something illegal done. If the IAS officers are not working, then the government needs to find the reason behind it and that reason cant be political. No officer is affiliated to any political party, he said. Patna: Congress President Rahul Gandhi held a meeting of party leaders from Bihar and told them to identify Lok Sabha seats and their candidates on the sole criteria of winnability. Rahul Gandhi interacted with state party leaders in New Delhi for two hours on Monday before holding one-on-one closed door meetings. The agenda of the meeting was to strengthen Congress' organisational base and start preparations for the 2019 general elections. However, during one of these meetings, the Congress president discussed the issue of the partys leadership in Bihar. While Kaukab Qadri is in-charge of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee for now, many party leaders have demanded a full term president at the earliest. Talking to News18, Qadri denied any such talks in the open session. However, he conceded that Rahul Gandhi might have brought it up during the individual meetings with the others. "I had prepared a presentation, which was shown to Rahulji. We briefed him about our plans to strengthen the party. He listened patiently and advised us on the important aspects. Overall, it was a fruitful meeting," he said. The meeting also deliberated on targeting social groups or combinations who are likely to be more inclined to Congress' ideology. Qadri elaborated saying, "We know what kind of social combination will work for us. We will give them proper representation in the organisational structure." The meeting was attended by all Congress MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other important leaders of the party. Newly appointed state in-charge Shakti Singh Gohil was also present. Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had promised farm loan waiver during the election campaign. By a quirk of fate with just 38 MLAs, he became the CM a month ago. The BJP which lost the power to him in just 56 hours is now after Kumaraswamy, demanding that fulfil his poll promise. And Deve Gowdas son, who is running a shaky coalition government with the Congress, is in a fix. As a part of the JD(S) election manifesto, Kumaraswamy had announced that the party would waive off all the debts of farmers, including the loans given by nationalised banks, if he was voted to power. Perhaps Kumaraswamy himself did not have much hope that his party would form the next government when he made this impossible promise. According to state government sources, they need over Rs 53,000 crore to clear off the debts of farmers in cooperative and nationalised banks. The state finance ministry officials maintain that waiving off such a huge amount can be detrimental to the fiscal management of the state and have conveyed the same to the new CM. Kumaraswamy had set a deadline of 15 days after coming to power to fulfil his promise and he has already completed almost a month in office. His major alliance partner Congress with 80 MLAs is not enthusiastic about the farm loan waiver, claim some party insiders. Both the JD(S) and the BJP had promised loan waiver. But the Congress did not. Last year, the Siddaramaiah government had waived off farm loans up to Rs 50,000 per farmer. But we lost the elections. If we agree to Kumaraswamys loan waiver, the JD(S) may get the full credit. Because of that, our leaders are carefully assessing it, said a senior Congress MLA. Kumaraswamy has been evasive about loan waiver and officially maintaining that he will not go back on his word. Speaking to News18, he said, It is my promise and I will keep my word. I have asked the officials to come out with a plan. However, he refused to give a date for the loan waiver announcement. The bruised and wounded BJP which narrowly lost power to Kumaraswamy is insisting that he should keep his promise to the farmers. Its state chief BS Yeddyurappa, who had announced a loan waiver minutes after the swearing in, had to quit as CM in 56 hours, is now baying for his successors blood. Speaking to News18, he said, It was a promise made by the JD(S). I demand that he must fulfil it. We will wait till his budget. After that, the BJP will launch a state-wide agitation against the JD(S)-Congress government. He has also indicated that the central government cant give any assistance to Karnataka in this regard. How can the Centre help only Karnataka in farm loan waiver? I dont think that can happen he said. Kumaraswamy presenting a full pledged budget has also become an issue between the JDS and Congress. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah has said that there was no need of a full budget as he has presented a budget in last February. He has suggested that the new government could present a supplementary budget. His advice has not gone down well with Kumaraswamy who is insisting on a full-fledged budget. The farm loan waiver issue is expected to test the stability and cohesiveness of the JDS Congress government in Karnataka. Bhopal: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has denied any claims of being in talks with the Congress for an alliance for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls slated for later this year. A senior state BSP leader added that the party would, as things stand today, contest all 230 Assembly seats in the state. Talking to PTI, BSP state president, Narmada Prasad Ahirwar, said: "I was asked by the media that Congress leaders were saying that there are discussions underway with the BSP for an alliance for the next assembly elections. I clarified that we are not in discussions at the state level and, I think, neither at the central leadership level." "As things stand today, we are going to contest all 230 Assembly seats. I have received no directives in this connection (alliance) from the central leadership," Ahirwar said. The state Congress, meanwhile, has claimed that it never said alliance talks were underway with the BSP. "We never named any party. The Congress only said that we would try to have an alliance with political parties with a similar ideology. We never mentioned the BSP's name. It will depend on the situation when we enter the election phase," Madhya Pradesh Congress' media department's chief, Manak Agarwal, said. Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh are likely to be held in November-December this year. In the 2013 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, the Congress and the BSP polled 36.38 per cent and 6.29 per cent of the votes, respectively, against the BJP's 44.88 per cent. The BJP won 165 seats, the Congress 58, the BSP four, while independents won three seats in the 230-member Assembly. In the 2008 Assembly polls, the Congress and the BSP secured 32.85 and 8.97 per cent votes respectively, which was collectively four per cent more than the 37.64 per cent vote share of the BJP. New Delhi: Delhi minister Satyendar Jain, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike for the past six days at the Lieutenant Governor's office, was rushed to a city hospital late on Sunday night as his health deteriorated. Good morning DelhiLast nite, Satinder Jains ketone levels increased n he complained of headache, bodyache, difficulty in breathing n difficulty in passing urine. So, he had to be shifted to hospital. Now, he is doing well. It is 6th day of Manshs fast. He is doing well Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) 18 June 2018 The health minister was taken to the LNJP Hospital, officials said. Kejriwal, who seemed to have softened his stand towards the striking IAS officers, confirmed that his colleague had been hospitalised. Jains health summary on Sunday 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. Jain had gone on strike on Tuesday, and his sugar level further dipped on Sunday, even as he asserted that the AAP government will continue to fight for people of the city. Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Jain and Gopal Rai have been camping at the L-Gs office, demanding that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal direct IAS officers to end their strike and approve doorstep ration delivery scheme. As several IAS officers came together on Sunday to level counter allegations against the Delhi government, Kejriwal assured them that he would ensure security for the bureaucrats as they are his family. In a tweet, the Delhi chief minister said, I wish to assure them that I will ensure their safety and security with all powers and resources available at my command. It is my duty. I have given similar assurances earlier also to many officers who have been meeting me privately. I reiterate it today. The officers are a part of my family. Requesting the IAS officers to return to work, Kejriwal added, I would urge them to stop the boycott of elected govt, return to work now and start attending all meetings of Ministers, respond to their calls and messages and join them for their field inspections.They should work without fear and pressure. They should not come under any pressure from any sources, weather state govt or central govt or any political party. Tiruchirappalli: In significant remarks, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Monday said any move by pro-Dhinakaran disqualified MLAs to return to AIADMK fold was welcome, but indicated he was not aware of any such plan. "Only you are saying that, if they join it is laudable," he told reporters here when asked about claims by some quarters that eight disqualified legislators led by Thanga Tamilselvan were likely to come back to the AIADMK fold. The remarks of Palaniswami, co-coordinator of the ruling AIADMK, come days after senior minister D Jayakumar said it was for the party to take a decision on admitting the disqualified MLAs, loyal to sidelined leader TTV Dhinakaran. However, he had said there was no question of Dhinkaran and his aides being taken back into the party fold. Asked if Thanga Tamilselvan will be given a ministerial berth, Palaniswami shot back asking, "How it can be given?" Answering another question, he said there can be no bypolls to the constituencies previously represented by the disqualified MLAs as the matter was in the court. Thanga Tamilselvan has said he would withdraw his petition in the Madras High Court challenging his disqualification by Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, but ruled out joining the ruling AIADMK camp led by Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam. He said the people of his constituency have endorsed his decision to take back his plea in the court. A staunch loyalist of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam chief and sidelined AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran, Thanga Tamilselvam said consultations will soon be held with 17 other disqualified MLAs. "It will be effective if all the 18 MLAs," withdrew their petitions challenging their disqualification. Tamilselvan, is one of the 18 MLAs, who were disqualified last year following their revolt against the chief minister. A day after the factions led by Palaniswami and erstwhile rebel leader Panneerselvam merged on August 21, 2017, MLAs owing allegiance to Dhinakaran met the then Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, and sought a "change," in leadership saying they had lost confidence in Palaniswami. On June 14, the Madras High Court delivered a split verdict on the petitions challenging disqualification of the 18 MLAs. Chief Justice Indira Banerjee upheld the September 18 order of Speaker Dhanapal disqualifying the MLAs, while Justice M Sundar disagreed with her and set it aside. The verdict had come as a massive relief for the Palaniswami government as the restoration of the membership of the MLAs could have brought it perilously close to losing majority in the event of their joining hands with the opposition DMK-Congress-IUML alliance, which together has 98 MLAs in the 234-member assembly. In that eventuality, the Opposition's strength would have swelled to 117, including Dhinakaran, who is the lone independent MLA. The AIADMK also has 117 members in the House, including the Speaker. Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) has announced that it will be shutting down its Biometric Identification Services (BIS) project because of certain delays in the same. The announcement by ACIC comes after the project was suspended and the NEC Australia staff was escorted out of the building earlier this month. Michael Phelan, Chief Executive Officer of the ACIC made the announcement as follows: "The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) has decided to discontinue the Biometric Identification Services (BIS) project. This decision was taken in light of project delays. The contract with NEC Australia to deliver the BIS project has today been terminated. The project was suspended by mutual agreement on 4 June 2018 while commercial negotiations were ongoing. NEC Australia was contracted to deliver the capability in April 2016. The Australian National Audit Office is conducting an audit into the project as requested by the ACIC in February 2018. 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." Also read: Surveillance or Spying? China to Track All Cars in 2019 With a New 'Mandatory' Technique The NEC was contracted by ACIC for the 'Biometric Identification Services' project with a total budget $52 Million. The project was aimed at including palm and foot-prints as well as the facial recognition of individuals to aid in police investigations until 2021. The idea was to provide a single digital identity to Australian citizens by 2025. As per reports from the Australian media, the project has crossed over $40 Million in its allocated budget. As of now, it is not clear if the project will be reinitiated in any form in the near future. Watch: Honor 7C Review | Premium Looks in a Budget Google will invest $550 million in Chinese e-commerce powerhouse JD.com, part of the U.S. internet giant's efforts to expand its presence in fast-growing Asian markets and battle rivals including Amazon.com. The two companies described the investment as one piece of a broader partnership that will include the promotion of JD.com products on Google's shopping service. This could help JD.com expand beyond its base in China and Southeast Asia and establish a meaningful presence in U.S. and European markets. Company officials said the agreement initially would not involve any major new Google initiatives in China, where the company's main services are blocked over its refusal to censor search results in line with local laws. JD.com's investors include Chinese social media powerhouse Tencent Holdings Ltd, the arch-rival of Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, and Walmart Inc. Google is stepping up its investments across Asia, where a rapidly growing middle class and a lack of infrastructure in retail, finance and other areas have made it a battleground for U.S. and Chinese internet giants. Google recently took a stake in Indonesian ride-hailing firm Go-Jek, and sources have told Reuters that it may also invest in Indian e-commerce upstart Flipkart. Also read: Facebook Could 'Open' Closed Eyes With New AI System Google declined to comment on the rumoured Flipkart deal. The JD.com investment is being made by the operating unit of Google rather than one of parent company Alphabet's investment vehicles. Google will get 27.1 million newly issued JD.com Class A ordinary shares as part of the deal. This will give them less than a 1 percent stake in JD, a spokesman for JD said. For JD.com, the Google deal shows its determination to build a set of global alliances as it seeks to counter Alibaba, which has been more focused on forging domestic retail tie-ups. Japan's SoftBank Group Corp, which is making big internet investments around the globe, is a major investor in Alibaba. "This partnership with Google opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers throughout the world," said Jianwen Liao, JD.com's chief strategy officer, in a statement. Company officials said the deal would marry Google's market reach and strength in analytics with JD.com's expertise in logistics and inventory management. Watch: Honor 7C Review | Premium Looks in a Budget Nairobi: Eight Kenyan police officials were killed in the eastern part of the country on Sunday after their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device planted by Somalia's al-Shabaab militant group, police said. Al-Shabaab is fighting to topple Somalia's government, establish their own rule based on their strict interpretation of Islamic law and drive out of the country peacekeepers deployed by the African Union. The militants frequently launch attacks in neighbouring Kenya to pressure it to withdraw its troops which form part of the peacekeeping force. Charles Owino, Kenya's police spokesman, told Reuters that five administration police and three reservists were killed "while protecting our borders and security of the county". Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabaab's military operations spokesman, said the group killed 10 Kenyan soldiers in the attack. Earlier this month, five Kenyan police officers were killed in a similar attack in the same region. Brussels: The European Union on Monday rolled over for another year tough sanctions imposed over Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The measures prohibit certain exports and imports, and ban investment and tourism services by EU-based companies in Crimea. "The Council (of EU member states) extended the restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia until 23 June 2019," the bloc said in a statement. "Four years on from the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, the EU reiterated that it does not recognise and continues to condemn this violation of international law." The sanctions were imposed in the wake of Russia's annexation of the strategic Black Sea peninsula in March 2014. More than 10,000 people have been killed since the Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in eastern Ukraine in April 2014 following the annexation. The EU insists Russia must be held to account for its support of the rebels. But Moscow says Brussels is at fault for aiding the overthrow of a legitimate government in Kiev, referring to the ouster of a pro-Russian president in February 2014 after three months of sometimes deadly protests. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin welcomed the extension. "Grateful to our EU friends for annual roll-over of Crimea-related sanctions," he wrote on Twitter, urging the bloc to add sanctions against those responsible for "human rights violations" in Crimea. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko welcomed the extension saying Ukraine was "counting on the EU's tough stance on new security challenges from Russia" and the issue would be discussed when he meets EU leaders in Brussels on July 9. In addition to the Crimea measures, the EU has a range of other measures in place related to Russia's activities in Ukraine, including damaging economic sanctions and individual travel bans and asset freezes targeting more than 150 people. Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of funnelling troops and arms across the border. Moscow has denied the allegations despite overwhelming evidence that it has been involved in the fighting and gives open political support to the rebels. London: Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans were rejected by parliament's upper chamber on Monday, setting up a confrontation with pro-EU lawmakers later this week which will test her ability to lead a minority government. Ministers are seeking approval for the final wording of the legislation that will end Britain's membership of the European Union - the legal cornerstone of May's plan to withdraw from the bloc in March next year. However, the government has fallen into a row with lawmakers in May's own party who think parliament should have a greater say in the exit process than ministers want to give it. The outcome of that row, playing out in the intricate process of passing different proposals between parliament's two chambers over the coming days, will define May's ability to face down rebels who want a softer version of Brexit. The latest confrontation took place in the unelected House of Lords, which on Monday voted 354 to 235 in favour of a plan that would allow parliament to shape the government's next steps in the event that lawmakers reject the deal May negotiates with Brussels, or if she fails to negotiate one at all. In voting for that plan, the upper chamber rejected a proposal put forward by May's government to give parliament a symbolic vote on next steps, but which stopped short of giving lawmakers the power to force ministers to change course. Ministers say they are confident of getting a divorce deal that parliament will accept, and that all discussion of the vote is hypothetical. Nevertheless, they insist parliament cannot be allowed to overturn Brexit or tie the government's hand is negotiations. May's Conservative Party does not have a majority in the Lords, and was expected to lose after compromise talks with rebel lawmakers broke down last week. The proposal passed on Monday will now be voted upon in the lower House of Commons on Wednesday, with the pro-EU camp still seeking compromise but warning they could collapse the government unless their demands are met. After an ill-judged election last year, May relies on the help of a deal with a small Northern Irish party to win votes in the Commons and can afford to lose no more than a handful of Conservative rebels if she is to avoid an embarrassing defeat. Wednesday's votes will be crucial for May's attempts to resist a 'meaningful vote' plan that is seen as a step towards a softer Brexit - an outcome that would mean closer ties to the EU on issues such as customs and regulations. Failure to keep her party in line would also signal trouble for several other contentious pieces of legislation needed to prepare for Brexit, including on central issues such as trade and customs policy. Seoul: South Korea said on Monday that sanctions against North Korea could be eased once it takes "substantive steps towards denuclearisation", seemingly setting the bar lower than Washington for such a move. Last week's Singapore summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un produced only a vague statement in which Kim "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula". Amid fears the summit would weaken the international coalition against the North's nuclear programme, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed after the meeting that sanctions would remain in place until North Korea's complete denuclearisation. But his South Korean counterpart suggested on Monday that they could be eased sooner. "Our stance is that the sanctions must remain in place until North Korea takes meaningful, substantive steps towards denuclearisation," Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters. Seoul and Washington shared the same "big picture" view and would continue close consultations, she added. The comments come just days after China's foreign ministry suggested that the UN Security Council could consider easing the economic punishment of its Cold War-era ally. Any reduction in tensions on its doorstep is welcome for China, North Korea's closest ally, which accounts for around 90 per cent of Pyongyang's trade. The same goes for the South's dovish President Moon Jae-in, who supports engagement with North Korea and held his own summit with Kim in April. Until recently Trump had pursued a "maximum pressure" campaign with both China and South Korea on board of tough rhetoric and tightened sanctions against Pyongyang. But analysts say the Singapore summit has made it hard for the Trump administration to return to that policy even if its current diplomacy with North Korea proves to be a failure. "The symbolism of the meeting ensures that the maximum pressure campaign has peaked," said Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea Studies at the US Council on Foreign Relations, in a commentary. "In practice, China and South Korea will push for relaxation of economic pressure on North Korea," he added. Washington: A top White House adviser, on Monday, distanced the Trump administration from responsibility for separating migrant children from their parents at the US-Mexico borderthe policy that has led to a spike in cases of split and distraught families. The policy was implemented by the Trump administration and holds the power to revoke it. Nobody likes breaking up families and seeing babies ripped from their mothers' arms," said Kellyanne Conway, a counsellor to the president. President Donald Trump has tried to blame Democrats for this situation, though they hold no decision-making power currently. The move has sparked a national debate over the moral implications of his hard-line approach to immigration enforcement. 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. US protocol prohibits detaining children with their parents because the children are not charged with a crime and the parents are. Maine Sen, a Republican critic, slammed the policy saying that it is traumatizing to the children and contrary to the values of US. The administration wants to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you, Sen added. Susan Collins stated: "We know from years of experience that we need to fix our immigration laws and that using children is not the answer." 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. Washington: The US will not become a "camp" for migrants, President Donald Trump on Monday said as he defended his controversial immigration policy of separating children from their parents who illegally enter the US that has triggered widespread outrage. Trump also claimed that criminals are using children to enter the country. "The US will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility, Trump said at the White House during a meeting for his space council. "You look at what's happening in Europe, you look at what's happening in other places, we can't allow that to happen to the United States. Not on my watch," he said. Nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents in the six weeks following the administration's announcement of a "zero-tolerance policy" against illegal border crossings. The separations have triggered a nationwide outcry from Republicans and Democrats who say it is inhumane. Trump earlier tweeted that he does not want America to have the same experience as that of Europe. We don't want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us! he said. 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 tweeted. Trump blamed Democrats for the problem. "I say it's very strongly the Democrats fault. he said. He said Democrats should come to the table to come to an agreement on immigration legislation. "If the Democrats would sit down instead of obstructing, we could have something done very quickly, Trump said. Good for the children, good for the country, good for the world. He said the US has the worst immigration laws in the world. Trump said the world is watching US economic growth, and a legislative change would be maybe something for the world to watch as well. "But a county without borders is not a country at all. People coming into the country are bringing death and destruction," he alleged. They are thieves and murderers and so much else, he said. Why don't the Democrats give us the votes to fix the world's worst immigration laws? Where is the outcry for the killings and crime being caused by gangs and thugs, including MS-13, coming into our country illegally? he tweeted earlier. Children are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country. Has anyone been looking at the Crime taking place south of the border. It is historic, with some countries the most dangerous places in the world. Not going to happen in the US, Trump said. The opposition Democratic party leadership and rights activists have intensified their attack on Trump over the family separation issue. In recent weeks and days, Americans have been shocked by heartbreaking images of screaming children being taken away from their parents by US immigration officers along the border. In just six weeks nearly 2,000 children, many of them around 5 years of age, have been sent to mass holding centres or foster care, Senator Chris Van Hollen said in a statement. Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi described Trump as the Family-Separator in Chief. Trump is simply lying when he blames family separation on Democrats, she said. "Trump's barbaric family separation policy will be a stain on our history. It's up to Trump and Sessions to stop ripping children from the arms of their parents. It is cruel and un-American, Pelosi said. The South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA) called on the current administration to end their "zero tolerance" policy that is resulting in hundreds of families being ripped apart. "A policy that emphasizes the separation of children from parents as this one does is inhumane and inconsistent with American values," said SABA President Rishi Bagga. "As a country that places emphasis on the family as the building block of society, tearing families apart goes against everything for which we stand," he said. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) now refers all unlawful border crossers to the US Department of Justice for prosecution, providing the basis for separating children from their parents. The children are then classified as "unaccompanied alien minors" and remanded to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The ORR and public defenders in border states are finding themselves overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of cases that are now coming before them. China - Apart from high powered technological inventions, China has over time advanced in the tourism industry making it the 3rd most visited country in the world. Popular tourist attractions include the Great Wall of China, Beijing, skyscrapers laden Shanghai and Guilin where you can enjoy in the lap of nature. And how can you miss a trip to the Disney Land. (Image: Instagram) People participate in a rehearsal ahead of Prime Ministers event on International Day of Yoga 2018, at Forest Research Institute, in Dehradun. (Image: PTI) Sorry! This content is not available in your region Dear Newsie Readers, Newsie has now permanently ceased it's services as of Friday 20th December 2019. Newsie has been an owner-funded operation since day one. Coming up to three years old, while we still firmly believe Newsie has a place in the New Zealand media landscape, the cost in both time and money has become too burdensome for the owners to continue alongside other ventures. With the current government looking to restructure public broadcasting, and seemingly supporting NZME buying a ring-fenced Stuff, the time seems right to call it a day. Should it happen, the combination of NZME and Stuff will ensure New Zealands national media will die a death by a thousand opinion-based articles. Newsie has always tried to stick to balanced news, to inform readers of the facts of a situation, amid being largely ignored by government. Hopefully, one day someone else will take up the challenge to fight the good fight. The good news, however, is that there were no job losses as a result of Newsie closing. Thanks to careful structuring, everyone involved in Newsie will retain their current positions. We hope you all have a happy Christmas and new year. Stay safe, and stay out of the news. The team at Newsie There arent many movies from 1965 that seem as fresh and as challenging as they were 55 years ago. But the movie buffs who attended a special Stamford screening of Jean-Luc Godards classic road movie Pierrot le fou agreed that the film is still both delightful and puzzling. The event was co-sponsored by Hearst and the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich as part of the Avon Theatres French Cinematheque series. It attracted 66 movie lovers. The evening felt like a flashback to my days of running a little art house on the coast of Delaware where the patrons would often hang out in the lobby after a movie, trying to figure out what Federico Fellini was getting at in his Casanova or what the real meaning of Luis Bunuels The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie might be. Audiences seemed more receptive to puzzle movies in those days, not minding if some of the questions raised by a film were never answered. A theatrical revival of Stanley Kubricks 1968 classic 2001: A Space Odyssey is under way now in major cities around the country and Ive been wondering what younger audiences are making of that bizarre finale in which the astronaut played by Keir Dullea morphs into a star child. Godard follows a philandering husband and father, Ferdinand (Jean-Paul Belmondo), who leaves his plush Paris life (and his family) for a road trip with a mysterious woman named Marianne (Anna Karina) who fills in for his babysitter one night. The couple runs off to the south of France where we learn that she has some sort of mysterious involvement with gangsters. People are killed along the way by Ferdinand and Marianne, but Godard stylizes the violence through the use of what looks like red paint for blood. Even when we see a man with a pair of scissors sticking out of his neck we dont take the scene at face value; Godard seems to be mocking the bloodlust of audiences who love action thrillers. Pierrot le fou keeps reminding us that were watching a movie when the two main characters look into the camera to address the audience. One of the many mysteries in the film is why Marianne keeps calling Ferdinand Pierrot even though he corrects her every time she says it. Another art film layer is added through the use of quotations from French literature on the soundtrack and paintings that fill the screen from time to time, with no logical connection to the action around them. In 1965, the mixture of drama and comedy was seductive to aspiring American screenwriters Robert Benton and David Newman, who were working on Bonnie & Clyde. The Esquire magazine writers wanted their film to be done with the hipness of Godards approach; he was the first director offered the film. Benton and Newman got cold feet after the French director said he wanted to shoot Bonnie & Clyde quickly and cheaply in black-and-white in New Jersey rather than on location in Texas. (Arthur Penn eventually got the assignment, but used some of Godards stylistic flourishes.) Pierrot le fou is so beautifully shot by Raoul Coutard, and the two leads are so charismatic, that the film remains riveting, even during odd sequences such as a bit where Marianne and Ferdinand do a street theater play about the Vietnam War in front of what appear to be real U.S. sailors. Since it took Hollywood another decade to address the subject, the scene must have been rather shocking in 1965. Godard takes much of the sting out of the material by having Marianne and Ferdinand spend most of the movie in gorgeous French resort towns. He also injects charming musical interludes with Karina, and comedy sketches that seem to just pop up spontaneously. One French audience member told me that the bit in which a man bemoans the loss of his lover was played by a comic who was very popular in France at the time. Most people in the audience said they enjoyed Pierrot le fou, but they didnt quite know what to make of it. They were more eager to hear me share some of the production history, and the ways in which the film influenced Bonnie & Clyde, than to tell me their own still-forming thoughts about what they had seen. You can check out the movie on a two-disc Criterion DVD or from the Amazon movie streaming service. jmeyers@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @joesview A few weeks ago, my company faced a minor crisis. I'll spare you the details, but the short story is a bad actor was doing his damnedest to damage our reputation on social media. The attack occurred around 10 p.m., long after the workday had ended. Everyone was home relaxing with their families -- or maybe playing their Xboxes. One of my marketing guys received an alert about what was going on and jumped on it. In no time at all, we had representatives from four teams -- marketing, engineering, IT and customer service -- working seamlessly to overcome the problem. It was beautiful. I didnt even hear about it until it had been resolved. Related: 7 Ways to Get Better at Working With Others How did this happen? How did a group of colleagues with complementary skill sets organize, Mission Impossible style, to confront and conquer a threat to our business without any prodding from management? Theyre a talented bunch, of course. Theyre ambitious and great at their jobs. Theyre proud of our product and believe in its potential to help small business owners fulfill their dreams. But I believe it goes deeper than that. I think, at its core, their effectiveness and self-motivation were in large part fueled by shared values. RULIO rules. A visitor to one of our offices might be confused to hear the word rulio tossed around a lot. That wasnt very rulio of me, for example. Its actually an acronym, but its used so often that its treated as a regular word, like scuba or taser. RULIO encompasses our company values -- relentless, unruly, indivisible, legitified and ownership. Each of these values is packed with meaning (see the definition of indivisible below). We have a Slack channel dedicated to highlighting employees who exemplify them in their day-to-day responsibilities. Whether used as a single word or deconstructed into its individual parts, RULIO is an incredibly effective tool for reminding us of who we are and what we stand for as an organization. The badasses at the beginning of this article who repelled a late-night invasion by an internet troll were truly indivisible. They always assume[ed] the best, working hard together with intellectual honesty, wisdom and real-time communication, all while having each others backs. I could share hundreds of such anecdotes. The advantage of having a codified set of company values is that they get right down into you, into your center. They become a guidance system, a unifier, extremely hard to dislodge. Related: After Close to 20 Years as an Entrepreneur, This Founder Still Learns From His Team If you need a RULIO in your life, follow these beginning steps: 1. Separate values from morals or ethics. Morals and ethics have to do with right and wrong. We act with integrity is an ethical statement. Values have to do with what we hold near and dear to our hearts -- the behaviors and attitudes that will define how we treat ourselves and our customers. Integrity, in this scenario, is a no-brainer. It should be viewed as a requirement for just walking in the door. Strive for actionable values that reflect who you are as a company and the unique contribution you hope to offer. 2. Make it a family affair. I always cringe a little when I hear a CEO speak publicly about their company values. The worst is when its in response to some PR nightmare -- you just dumped a million gallons of oil into the ocean, or your employees were recorded saying something incredibly racist, so you stand up and solemnly proclaim, Look, we value the exact opposite of those things; it says so right here on our website. When it doesnt come across as defensive, it seems like a form of bragging. Your values are noble, so you must be noble, too. But actions speak louder than words. Why bother telling people what you believe in, when showing them would save breath, time and money and actually convince them in the process? In my opinion, values are for inside the company. Theyre not a contrivance for making you look good or to mislead people into thinking youre something youre not. You teach, preach and practice them behind closed doors, then open those doors wide open, and prove to the world that you mean them. Related: 10 Corny but Undeniably True and Inspiring Quotes About Teamwork 3. Let them build organically. A companys values should reflect those of its founders. But they dont have to be written on tablets of stone the day you start building your business. Your ethics and morals should be firmly in place -- you dont lie, cheat or steal -- but your values can develop along with your organization. Remember, your values are a basic reflection of how you treat your colleagues and your customers. Theyll drive actions and decisions within your company. Theyll settle conflict or prevent it from occurring in the first place. So take your time. Create a list, and through trial and error prune, scrape and trim it to its essentials. Acronyms help because theyre memorable. As your company grows, recruit pretty strongly from that list. Build a team whose values reflect your own, and therell be no stopping you as you move ahead. Related: This Accidental Entrepreneur Founded His Business by Researching a Personal Problem Why This Company Pays for Its Employees to Travel the World A Case Study in Why Core Values Are Crucially Important Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved 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. The boyfriend of a well-known Upstate NY burlesque performer who was found dead last week has been caught on the other side of the country. Robert Norry, 32, of Rochester, was the lead suspect in the death of Kelly O'May, a.k.a. Penny Scandall, who was found stabbed to death in her Caroline Street apartment in Rochester on Friday. BREAKING: Police have arrested Robert Norry, the boyfriend of Kelly O'May, for O'May murder on Caroline Street last week. Police say Norry was found in Spokane, Washington after going on the run. https://t.co/J5QRXgtxnW News 8 - WROC-TV (@News_8) June 18, 2018 Rochester police told the Democrat & Chronicle that investigators had determined that Norry fled the state and was heading across country after allegedly killing O'May. State police notified officials in Washington State that Norry may be headed in their direction after his vehicle was spotted in Idaho. Troopers in Washington were able to locate Norry and take him into custody without incident in Spokane on Saturday. Norry was charged with second-degree murder, and arrangements are being made to have him transported back to Rochester. O'May was the official hostess of Sirens & Stilettos Cabaret in Rochester, and had also been a guest hostess for Salt City Burlesque in Syracuse on several occasions. Friends are holding a candlelight vigil to remember O'May on Wednesday. They told WROC-TV that she had an infectious smile that lit up the room. A GoFundMe account has been set up to raise money for O'May's family. TOLLAND Two people were killed in a crash that closed Interstate-84 for hours Sunday. The crash between a car and a tractor trailer occurred after 12:30 a.m. Sunday between exits 67 and 68 on I-84 westbound in Tolland. The incident closed that area of I-84 on both directions for most of Sunday morning. The first fatality was confirmed by Connecticut State Police shortly after noon Sunday, but the second wasnt confirmed until after 6:30 p.m. No release or details were immediately available. The road was reopened as of 12:15 p.m. Sunday. NEW HAVEN U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal Monday called on the Trump administration to stop the inhumane, immoral policy of separating children from their parents at the border as they seek asylum, a decision that has spread fear among undocumented immigrants here. Blumenthal said President Donald Trump is falsely claiming that current law requires this separation under the administrations zero tolerance order. There is no law that requires it. It has never been the policy of past administrations, whether Republican or Democrat, to rip children away from their families and there never has been the policy of past administrations to prosecute criminally every asylum seeker coming across the border, Blumenthal said. He spoke at press a conference held at Junta for Progressive Action in the Fair Haven neighborhood. He said Trump could end this policy simply by making a phone call to the head of the Homeland Security Administration. It is a policy that betrays American values. It is not who we are, the senator said of the separation, where nearly 2,000 children have been taken from their parents over a six-week period this spring, according to the administration. The senator, who plans to visit the border in early July, said the separations took place under conditions that are prison-like. He said they have occurred without any prospect of the families being reunited. The children have been used as pawns ... in this high-stakes battle for a repressive immigration law, he said, referring to legislation that is under consideration this week in the House, which the Connecticut delegation opposes. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has continued to vigorously defend the policy. If people dont want to be separated from their children, they should not bring them with them, Sessions said earlier this month, according to the Washington Post. Weve got to get this message out. Youre not given immunity. Paola Serrecchia, director of advocacy at Junta, said the impact of what is happening at the border is being felt in New Haven. She said they have a client who does not want to deliver her baby in the hospital for fear she will be separated from the newborn by immigration officials. Serrecchia said she recently got a call from grandparents who have not heard from an adult daughter and their grandchildren who had planned to seek asylum. Maria Guallan, 43, of Ecuador who is undergoing chemotherapy for stage four cervical cancer, pleaded with Blumenthal to help her. An undocumented immigrant from Ecuador who has lived in Connecticut for 11 years, Guallan said she was dependent on her 19-year-old son to take her to appointments at the Bellevue Hospital Clinic in New York. She said he also helped her with her U.S. citizen daughter, Jaslim Marcela Cela Guallan, who will turn 3 in September. She said her son, who came here when he was 14, was deported to Ecuador three months ago. Guallan claims her son was mistakenly deported, rather than her estranged husband. He helped me with so much,Guallan said, as she broke down. She said she worries that he is alone in Ecuador. Guallan lives in Waterbury. I have a little girl. I need someone to take care of her, Maria Guallan said, as she cried. I am begging you to help me. Please. She said in January she contacted a lawyer whom she paid $3,500, but Guallan said he did nothing for her. Serrecchia said Guallan is worried about being separated from her daughter. She said there is concern that this new policy will be enforced beyond the border area.. There is real fear, Serrecchia said. Celina Fernandez, a case manager at Junta, translated for Guallan. Blumenthal was asked to respond to Kirstjen Nielsen, the head of Homeland Security, who said there is no policy of separation. Well it is midnight look out the window. Is it midnight?, Blumenthal sarcastically said at the press conference held at 9 a.m. Monday. Thats a lie. The policy is plain for everyone to see and in effect the president has boasted that ... There is no factual justification for saying the policy is the same ...(as it was under previous administrations). Blumenthal and other Democrats have proposed a bill that would require that families be kept together unless there is specific evidence that a child is being trafficked or abused. He said he hopes Republicans will join them. The Keep Families Together Act also prohibits using family separation as a means of deterring migration or complying with civil law. It favors family unity, as well as keeping sibling groups together. If a family were broken up, it requires that the Department of Health and Human Services provide guardians with a weekly status report on the child and allow weekly phone calls. U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., plans to visit the border with Mexico on Thursday. Judith Alperin, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, told Blumenthal that it supports his efforts. She said the separation of families is not only contrary to American values, it offends core teachings in the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger and caring for the most vulnerable. Blumenthal joins a chorus of critics across the country who have protested the policy, including supporters of the president. He said this policy inflicts trauma on children that can be life-changing. Blumenthal said the time for Republicans to step forward is now. We are at a moment of reckoning and they must show the backbone and moral compass to change it, he said. He said it is reminiscent of dark moments in American history, such as when Japanese-Americans were interned during World War II. Yenimar Cortes, a student at Eastern Connecticut State University, later approached the senator and asked that lawmakers not attach anti-immigrant amendments to its bill to get it passed. Alicia Caraballo, the interim executive director at Junta, said the organization serves some 450 families with direct services, while also doing advocacy work. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com;203-641-2577. WEST HAVEN The city will pay for police and public works overtime for the upcoming Savin Rock fireworks display through the sale of ads in an ad book being put together, Mayor Nancy Rossi said. The fireworks display presented by the Savin Rock Fireworks Committee, to be launched off Bradley Point, will begin at 9:15 p.m. July 3. The fireworks display, billed as the regions largest Independence Day fireworks show, draws an estimated 100,000 people of all ages to the citys 31/2-mile shoreline each year. The rain date is July 5. Before the fireworks, visitors will be able to party to the music of Off the Hook, Connecticuts premier party band, at the Savin Rock bandstand from 6:30-9 p.m. The ad book will help make it all happen, Rossi said. Your support of this ad book will directly impact the overtime costs that come along with the city holding the fireworks, Rossi said. Ad book forms are available in the mayors office at City Hall, 355 Main St., or a form can be downloaded from http://www.cityofwesthaven.com/DocumentCenter/View/1433/Fireworks-Ad-Book-2018-PDF. Four ad sizes are offered: $45 for a business card, $75 for a quarter page, $100 for a half page and $185 for a full page. Checks are payable to City of West Haven. People looking to buy ads should send their camera-ready ads or ad information by June 29 to the Office of the Mayor, 355 Main St., West Haven 06516. If sending a business card, letterhead or other information to the mayors office, the office can create an ad. PDF files can be sent to kteshoney@westhaven-ct.gov. Corporate sponsorships are also offered: $2,000 for red level, $1,000 for white level and $500 for blue level. For details, call the mayors office at 203-937-3510. Rossi said the city, which is facing a difficult fiscal situation, also will charge both residents and nonresidents for parking on July 3. The fee is $5 for vehicles with a valid beach sticker and $10 for vehicles without a valid beach sticker. All parking proceeds will also support overtime costs, she said. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt ordered an aide to help his wife seek a "business opportunity" with Chick-fil-A. The Washington Post bombshell, which later also revealed that Pruit asked his security detail to help him find lotion and pick up dry cleaning, is the latest scandal to hit the agency. It's tough to imagine now, but there was once a time when the EPA and what it stood for was a bipartisan effort, pushed enthusiastically into law by Republican President Richard Nixon. In his 1970 State of the Union Address, Nixon asked Congress, "shall we surrender to our surroundings, or shall we make our peace with nature and begin to make reparations for the damage we have done to our air, to our land and to our water?" LONE STAR STATE: Rep. Joe Barton suggests EPA laws threaten Texas grid Shortly after, the Environmental Protection Agency was created. To help foster support for the newly created agency, Nixon sent out 70 photographers tasked with documenting "subjects of environmental concern" all throughout the United States. At the time, environmental laws were only just beginning to be formed and regulate the environment. Known as "The Documerica Project," the photographers captured thousands of images of rural and urban life. Back then, the images demonstrated the toll that unchecked manufacturing and energy industries had on the environment. Today, they continue to serve as a reminder of what Nixon called the "price tag" on pollution: "Through our years of past carelessness we incurred a debt to nature, and now that debt is being called." See images of pollution in 1970's America. Fernando.ramirez@chron.com Twitter.com/fernramirez93 Martin Karplus Biographical E arly Years in Europe I was born in Vienna, Austria in 1930 [1]. Already before the Nazis entered Austria in 1938, our life had changed significantly, even from the viewpoint of an eight year old. Among our neighbors were two boys of ages comparable to my brother, Robert, and me. They were our best friends, and we played regularly with them. In the spring of 1937, they suddenly refused to have anything to do with us and began taunting us by calling us dirty Jew boys when we foolishly continued to try to interact with them. On March 13, 1938, the German Nazi troops crossed the border into Austria and completed the Anschluss, the joining of Austria with Nazi Germany. A few days after the Anschluss, my mother, brother, and I left Austria by train for Switzerland on a ski vacation. My parents had been concerned about Hitlers takeover of Austria for some time. For the previous three years, my Aunt Claire, who had studied in England, had been teaching English to me and my brother Bob. Well before March 13, train tickets had been purchased and a bed-and-breakfast pension had been reserved in Zurich. The most traumatic aspect of our departure was that my father was not allowed to come with us and had to give himself up to be incarcerated in the Vienna city jail. In part, he was kept as a hostage so that any money we had would not be spirited out of the country. My mother reassured my brother and me, saying that nothing would happen to him, though of course she herself had no assurance that this was true. At the end of the summer, the visas finally arrived, passage was booked, and the three of us were ready to leave for the United States. Although there had been no news from my father, he miraculously turned up at Le Havre a few days before our ship was scheduled to depart for New York. From my point of view, it was exactly what my mother had told me would happen: We would all go to America together. When my father joined us in Le Havre, Bob and I asked him what jail had been like. He told us that he had been treated well in jail and cheerfully described how he had passed the time teaching the guards to play chess. One aspect of my fathers personality, which strongly influenced both my brother and me, was to make something positive out of any experience. A New Life in America We arrived in New York Harbor early in the morning on October 8, 1938, and I stood on the deck watching the Statue of Liberty appear out of the mist. The symbolism associated with the Statue of Liberty may seem trite today (and somewhat deceptive given our present immigration policies), but in 1938 it was special for me. Most of the immigration formalities had been taken care of by Uncle Edu, so that a few hours after our arrival we boarded a train to Boston. During our initial weeks in the United States, we were lodged in a welcoming center in Brighton, where a large mansion had been transformed into an interim home for refugee families. We were taught about America (what it was like for foreigners to live in Boston), given lessons to improve our English, and aided in the steps required to be allowed to remain in the United States as refugees. Soon we were ready to start a new life. My parents rented a small apartment in Brighton (part of Greater Boston), and Bob and I immediately entered the local public schools, as we had in Zurich. Motivated by their concern for our education, my parents then moved to Newton (a suburb of Boston), where the schools were recognized as superior to the Boston public schools. My parents bought a small house in a pleasant neighborhood in West Newton, and I attended the Levi F. Warren Junior High School. My junior high teachers soon realized that I was bored with the regular curriculum, so they let me sit in the back of the classroom and study on my own. What made this experience particularly nice was that another student, a very pretty girl, was given the same privilege, and we worked together. The arrangement was that we could learn at our own pace without being responsible for the day-to-day material but had to take the important exams. Several dedicated teachers at Warren Junior High helped us when questions arose, particularly with science and mathematics. With this freedom, we explored whatever interested us and, of course, did much more work than we would have done if we were only concerned with passing the required subjects. Beginning of Scientific Interests When we moved to Newton, Bob was given a chemistry set, which he augmented with materials from the high school laboratory and drug stores. He spent many hours in the basement generating the usual bad smells and making explosives. I was fascinated by his experiments and wanted to participate, but he informed me that I was too young for such dangerous scientific research. My plea for a chemistry set of my own was vetoed by my parents because they felt that this might not be a good combination two teenage boys generating explosives could be explosive! Instead, my father had the idea of giving me a Bausch and Lomb microscope. Initially I was disappointed no noise, no bad smells, although I soon produced the latter with the infusions I cultured from marshes, sidewalk drains, and other sources of microscopic life. I came to treasure this microscope, and more than 60 years later it is still in my possession. One especially rewarding aspect of my working with the microscope was that my father, who was a thoughtful observer of nature, spent a lot of time with me and was always ready to come and look when I had discovered something. I had found an exciting new world and looked through my microscope whenever I was free. The first time I saw a group of rotifers I was so excited by the discovery that I refused to leave them, not even taking time out for meals. They were the most amazing creatures as they swam across the microscope field with their miniature rotary motors. (The rotifers come to mind today in relation to my research on the smallest biological rotatory motor, F 1 -ATPase.) My enthusiasm was sufficiently contagious that I even interested some of my friends. It was a special occasion when they came to my house and looked at the rotifers through the microscope. This was the beginning of my interest in nature study, which was nurtured by my father and encouraged by my mother, even though it was still assumed that I would go to medical school and become a doctor. One day my closest friend, Alan MacAdam, saw an announcement of the Lowell Lecture Series (a Boston institution, originally supported by a Brahmin family the Lowells), which organized evening courses on a wide range of subjects at the Boston Public Library that were free and open to the public. The series that had caught Alans eye was entitled Birds and Their Identification in the Field, to be given by Ludlow Griscom, the curator of ornithology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. Alan and I occasionally walked in the green areas in Newton, particularly the Newton Cemetery, and looked for birds with my fathers old pair of binoculars. Together we attended the first lecture, which had a good-sized audience, although it was not clear whether most of the people came simply to have a nice warm place in winter rather than because of their interest in birds. I was enthralled by the lecture, which provided insights into bird behavior and described the large number of different species one could observe within a 50 mile radius of Boston. I was amazed that it was possible to identify a given species from field marks evident even from a glimpse of a bird, if one knew how and where to look. Alan did not attend the subsequent lectures, but I continued through the entire course. At the end of the fourth or fifth lecture, Griscom came up to me and asked me about myself. He then invited me to join his field trips, and a new passion was born. From that time on, my treasured microscope was relegated to a closet, and I devoted my free time to observing birds on my own, as well as with Griscom and his colleagues, with the Audubon Society, and other groups that organized field trips. I entered Newton High School in the fall of 1944 but soon found that I did not have the same supportive environment as in elementary and junior high school. My brother, Bob, had graduated from Newton High School two years before and had done exceedingly well. My teachers presumed that I could not measure up to the standards set by my brother. Since I had always been striving to keep up with Bob and his friends, this just reinforced my feelings of inferiority. Particularly unpleasant were my interactions with the chemistry teacher. When my brother suggested I compete in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, the chemistry teacher, who was in charge of organizing such applications, told me that it was a waste of time for me to enter and that it was really too bad that Bob had not tried instead. However, I talked to the high school principal and he gave me permission to go ahead with the application. I managed to obtain all the necessary papers without encouragement from anyone in the school. A test was given as part of the selection process, and I found a teacher who was willing to act as proctor. I did well enough to be invited as one of the 40 finalists to Washington, D.C. Each finalist had a science project for exhibition in the Statler Hotel, where we were staying. My project was on the lives of alcids, based in part on a trip to the Gaspe Peninsula and some of the field studies I had made during New England winters. The various judges spent considerable time talking with us, and the astronomer Harlow Shapley, who was the chief judge, charmed me with his apparent interest in my project. I was chosen as one of two co-winners. (At that time, there was one male and one female winner; Rada Demereck and I were co-winners.) The visit to Washington, D.C. was a formative experience. We met President Truman, who welcomed us as the future leaders of America. Moreover, winning the Westinghouse Talent Search made up for the discouraging interactions with some of my high school teachers. Their attitude contrasted with that of my fellow classmates, who voted me most likely to succeed. College Years I entered Harvard in the fall of 1947. There was never any question about my wanting to attend Harvard and I did not apply to any other school. In addition to the Westinghouse scholarship, I received a National Scholarship from Harvard to cover the cost of living on campus. Otherwise I would have had to live at home to save money. I would not have minded this, since I was not a rebellious teenager eager for independence and distance from my parents. However, as I soon discovered, much of the Harvard experience took place outside of classes at dinner and in evening discussions with friends. At first I still intended to go to medical school but changed my mind during my freshman year. My teenage ornithological studies, fostered by Griscom and Donald Griffin, with whom I had gone on a field trip to Alaska, had already introduced me to the fascinating world of research, where one is trying to discover something new (something that no one has ever known). I began to think about doing research in biology, but concluded that to approach biology at a fundamental level (to understand life), a solid background in chemistry, physics, and mathematics was essential. I enrolled in the Program in Chemistry and Physics. This program, unique to Harvard at the time, exposed undergraduates to courses in both areas at a depth that they would not have had from either one alone. Although I shopped around for advanced science courses to meet the rather loose requirements, I also enrolled in Freshman Chemistry because it was taught by Leonard Nash. A relatively new member of the Harvard faculty, Nash had the deserved reputation of being a superb teacher. Elementary chemistry in Nashs lectures was an exciting subject. A group of us (including DeWitt Goodman, Gary Felsenfeld, and John Kaplan my crazy roommate, who became a law professor at Stanford) had the special privilege that Nash spent extra time discussing with us a wide range of chemical questions, far beyond those addressed in the course. The interactions in our group, though we were highly competitive at exam times, were also supportive. This freshman experience confirmed my interest in research and the decision not to go to medical school. Harvard provided me with a highly stimulating environment as an undergraduate. I enrolled in a wide range of courses, chosen partly because of the subject matter and partly because of the outstanding reputation of the lecturers; these courses included one in Democracy and Government and another in Abnormal Psychology. More related to my long-term interests were George Walds Molecular Basis of Life and Kenneth Thimanns class on plant physiology with its emphasis on the chemistry and physiology of growth hormones (auxins) in plants. Both professors were inspiring lecturers and imbued me with the excitement of the subject. These courses emphasized that biological phenomena (life itself) could be understood at a molecular level, which has been a leitmotif of my subsequent research career. Walds course also introduced me to the mechanism of vision, which led to my first paper on a theoretical approach to a biological problem [2]. Rather than taking the Elementary Organic course taught by Louis Fieser, I enrolled in Paul Bartletts Advanced Organic. It taught the physical basis of organic reactions. It was an excellent course, though difficult for me because one was supposed to know many organic reactions, which I had to learn as we went along. At one point, Bartlett suggested that we read Linus Paulings Nature of the Chemical Bond, which had been published in 1939 based on his Baker Lectures at Cornell. The Nature of the Chemical Bond presented chemistry for the first time as an integrated subject that could be understood, albeit not quite derived, from its quantum chemical basis. The many insights in this book were a critical element in orienting my subsequent research in chemistry. At the end of three years at Harvard I needed only one more course to complete the requirements for a bachelor degree. During the previous year I had done research with Ruth Hubbard and her husband, George Wald. (Although Hubbard was scientifically on par with Wald, she remained a Senior Research Associate, a nonprofessorial appointment, until very late in her career when she was finally promoted to Professor. This was not an uncommon fate for women in science.) I mostly worked with Hubbard on the chemistry of retinal, the visual chromophore. When I brought up my need to find a course for graduation, Wald suggested that I enroll in the physiology course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. This course was one of the few non-Harvard courses that was accepted for an undergraduate degree by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The physiology course was widely known as a stimulating course designed for postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty. The lectures in the course by scientists who were summering at Woods Hole, while doing some research and enjoying boating and swimming, offered students a state-of-the-art view of biology and biological chemistry. In considering graduate school during my last year at Harvard, I had decided to go to the West Coast and had applied to chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley and to biology at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Accepted at both, I found it difficult to choose between them. Providentially, I visited my brother, Bob, who was working with J. R. Oppenheimer at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Princeton, New Jersey. Bob introduced me to Oppenheimer, and briefly to Einstein. When Oppenheimer asked me what I was doing, I told him of my dilemma in choosing between U.C. Berkeley and Caltech for graduate school in chemistry or biology. He had held simultaneous appointments at both institutions and strongly recommended Caltech, describing it as a shining light in a sea of darkness. His comment influenced me to choose Caltech, and I discovered that Oppenheimers characterization of the local environment was all too true. Pasadena itself held little attraction for a student at that time. However, camping trips in the nearby desert and mountains and the vicinity of Hollywood made up for what Pasadena lacked. At Caltech, I joined the group of Max Delbruck in biology. He had started out as a physicist but, following the advice of Niels Bohr, had switched to biology. With Salvador Luria and others, he had been instrumental in transforming phage genetics into a quantitative discipline. His research fascinated me, and I thought that working with such a person would be a perfect entree for me to do graduate work in biology. After I had been in the Delbruck group for a couple of months, Delbruck proposed that I present a seminar on a possible area of research. I intended to discuss my ideas for a theory of vision (how the excitation of retinal by light could lead to a nerve impulse), which I had started to develop while doing undergraduate research with Hubbard and Wald. Among those who came to my talk was Richard Feynman; I had invited him to the seminar because I was taking his quantum mechanics course and knew he was interested in biology, as well as everything else. I began the seminar confidently by describing what was known about vision but was interrupted after a few minutes by Delbrucks comment from the back of the room, I do not understand this. The implication of his remark, of course, was that I was not being clear, and this left me with no choice but to go over the material again. As this pattern repeated itself (Delbruck saying I do not understand and my trying to explain), after 30 minutes I had not even finished the 10-minute introduction and was getting nervous. When he intervened yet again, Feynman turned to him and whispered loud enough so that everyone could hear, I can understand, Max; it is perfectly clear to me. With that, Delbruck got red in the face and rushed out of the room, bringing the seminar to an abrupt end. Later that afternoon, Delbruck called me into his office to tell me that I had given the worst seminar he had ever heard. I was devastated by this and agreed that I could not continue to work with him. It was only years later that I learned from reading a book dedicated to him that what I had gone through was a standard rite of passage for his students everyone gave the worst seminar he had ever heard. After the devastating exchange with Delbruck, I spoke with George Beadle, the chairman of the Biology Department. He suggested that I find someone else in the department with whom to do graduate research. However, I felt that I wanted to go home to chemistry and asked him to help me make the transfer. Once in the Chemistry Department, I joined the group of John Kirkwood, who was doing research on charge fluctuations in proteins, as well as on his primary concern with the fundamental aspects of statistical mechanics and its applications. I undertook work on proteins and the research started out well. In the spring of 1951, as I was getting immersed in my research project, Kirkwood received an offer from Yale. Linus Pauling, who was no longer taking graduate students, asked each student who was working with Kirkwood whether he would like to stay at Caltech and work with him. I was the only one to accept and, in retrospect, I think it was a very good choice. Initially, I was rather overwhelmed by Pauling. Each day upon arriving at the lab, I found a hand-written note on a yellow piece of paper in my mailbox which always began with something like It would be interesting to look at As a new student I took this as an order and tried to read all about the problem and work on it, only to receive another note the next day beginning in the same way. When I raised this concern with Alex Rich and other postdocs, they laughed, pointing out that everyone received such notes and that the best thing to do was to file them or throw them away. Pauling had so many ideas that he could not work on all of them. He would communicate them to one or another of his students, but he did not expect a response. After I got over that, my relation with Pauling developed into a constructive collaboration. Given Paulings interest in hydrogen bonding in peptides and proteins, he proposed that I study the different contributions to hydrogen bonding interactions for a biologically relevant system, but I felt this would be too difficult to do in a rigorous way. Because quantum mechanical calculations still had to be done with calculating machines and tables of integrals (something difficult to imagine when even log tables have followed dinosaurs into oblivion), we had to find a system that was simple enough to be treated by quantum mechanical theory. I chose the bifluoride ion (FHF-) because the hydrogen bond was the strongest known, the system is symmetric, and only two heavy atoms are involved. (Today, such strong hydrogen bonds have become popular in analyses of enzyme catalysis, although there is no convincing evidence as to their role.) The time at Cal Tech was very rewarding, all the more so because of the intellectual and social atmosphere of the Chemistry Department. The professors like Pauling, Verner Schomaker, and Norman Davidson treated the graduate students and postdoctoral fellows as equals. We participated in many joint activities that included trips into the desert, as well as frequent parties held at our Altadena house, where Feynman would occasionally come and play the drums. Postdoctoral Sojourn in Oxford and Europe One day in October 1953, Pauling came into the office I shared with several postdocs and announced that he was leaving in three weeks for a six-month trip and that it would be nice if I finished my thesis and had my exam before he left. This was eminently reasonable, since I had finished the calculations some months before and I had received a National Science Foundation (NSF) postdoctoral fellowship to go to England that fall. Paulings request provided just the push I needed, even though the introduction was all I had written thus far. With so much to get done, I literally wrote night and day, with my friends typing and correcting what I wrote. In this way, the thesis was finished within three weeks, and I had my final PhD exam and celebratory party before Pauling left. After a brief visit with my parents in Newton, I took an ocean liner for England and arrived shortly before Christmas 1953. During my two years in Oxford as a postdoctoral fellow, I spent much of the time traveling throughout Europe and taking photographs; they are the basis of several exhibitions. Also, I spent more time thinking about chemical problems than actually solving them. My aim was to find areas where theory could make a contribution of general utility in chemistry. I did not want to do research whose results were of interest just to theoretical chemists. Reading the literature, listening to lectures, and talking to scientists like Don Hornig and the Oxford physicist H. M. C. Pryce, I realized that magnetic resonance was a vital new area. Chemical applications of magnetic resonance were in their infancy and it seemed to me that nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), in particular, was a field where theory could make a contribution. I concluded that a quantum mechanical approach could aid in interpreting the available experimental results and propose new measurements. Five Years at the University Of Illinois: NMR and Coupling Constants As my postdoctoral fellowship in Oxford (19531955) neared its end, I was looking for a position to begin my academic career in the United States. With my growing interest in magnetic resonance, I focused on finding an institution that had active experimental programs in the area. One of the best schools from this point of view was the University of Illinois, where Charles Slichter in Physics and Herbert Gutowsky in Chemistry were doing pioneering work in applying NMR to chemical problems. The University of Illinois had a number of openings in Chemistry at that time because the department was undergoing a radical renovation; several professors, including the chairman Roger Adams, had retired. Pauling recommended me to the University of Illinois and the department offered me a job without an interview. I accepted the offer from Illinois without visiting the department, something unimaginable today with the extended courtships that have become an inherent part of the academic hiring process. The University of Illinois offered me an Instructorship at a salary of $5000 per year; the department offered nothing like the present-day start-up funds, and I did not think of asking for research support. Having had such a good time as a postdoctoral fellow traveling in Europe, I was ready to get to work, and Urbana-Champaign seemed like a place where I could concentrate on science with few distractions. The presence of four new instructors Rolf Herber, Aron Kupperman, Robert Ruben, and me plus other young scientists on the faculty, such as Doug Applequist, Lynn Belford, and E. J. Corey, led to a very interactive and congenial atmosphere. I focused a major part of my research on theoretical methods for relating nuclear and electron spin magnetic resonance parameters to the electronic structure of molecules. The first major problem I examined was concerned with proton-proton coupling constants, which were known to be dominated by the Fermi contact interaction. What made coupling constants of particular interest was that for protons that were not bonded to each other, the existence of a nonzero value indicated that there was an interaction beyond that expected from localized bonds. In the valence bond framework, which I used in part because of my training with Pauling, nonzero coupling constants provide a direct measure of the deviation from the perfect-pairing approximation. To translate this qualitative idea into a quantitative model, I chose to study the HCCH fragment as a function of the HCCH dihedral angle, a relatively simple system consisting of six electrons (with neglect of the inner shells). I believed that it could be described with sufficient accuracy for the problem at hand by including only five covalent valence-bond structures. To calculate the contributions of the various structures, I introduced semi-empirical values of the required molecular integrals. Although the HCCH fragment is relatively simple, the calculations for a series of dihedral angles were time consuming and it seemed worthwhile to develop a computer program. This was not as obvious in 1958 as it is now. Fortunately, the ILLIAC, a large digital computer at that time, had recently been built at the University of Illinois. If I remember correctly, it had 1000 words of memory, which was enough to store my program. The actual program was written by punching holes in a paper tape. If you made a mistake, you filled in the incorrect holes with nail polish so that you could continue the program; the output appeared on spools of paper. Probably the most valuable aspect of having a program for this type of simple calculation, which could have been done on a desk calculator, was that once the program was known to be correct, a large number of calculations could be performed without having to worry about arithmetic mistakes. Just as I finished the analysis of the vicinal coupling constants [3], I heard a lecture by R. V. Lemieux on the conformations of acetylated sugars. I do not remember why I went to the talk, because it was an organic chemistry lecture, and the chemistry department at Illinois was rigidly separated into divisions, which had a semiautonomous existence. Lemieux reported measurements of vicinal coupling constants and noted that there appeared to be a dihedral angle dependence, although the details of the behavior were not clear. The results were exciting to me because the experiments confirmed my theory, at least qualitatively, before it was even published. As happens too often with the application of theoretical results in chemistry, most people who used the so-called Karplus equation had not read the original paper [3] and thus do not know the limitations of the theory. They assumed that because the equation had been used to estimate vicinal dihedral angles, the theory said that the coupling constant depends only on the dihedral angle. By 1963, having realized organic chemists tend to write and read Communications to the Journal of the American Chemical Society, I published such a Communication [4]. In it, I described various factors, other than the dihedral angle, that are expected to affect the value of the vicinal coupling constant; they include the electronegativity of substituents, the valence angles of the protons (HCC and CCH), and bond lengths. The main point of the paper was not to provide a more accurate equation but rather to make clear that caution had to be used in applying the equation to structural problems. My closing sentence, which has often been quoted, was the following: Certainly with our present knowledge, the person who attempts to estimate dihedral angles to an accuracy of one or two degrees does so at his own peril. In spite of my concerns about the limitations of the model, the use of the equation has continued, and the original paper [3] is one of the Current Contents most-cited papers in chemistry; correspondingly, the 1963 paper was recently listed as one of the most-cited papers in the Journal of the American Chemical Society [5]. The vicinal coupling constant model, which was developed primarily to understand deviations from perfect pairing, has been much more useful than I would have guessed. In many ways my feeling about the uses and refinements of the Karplus equation is that of a proud father. I am very pleased to see all the nice things that the equation can do, but it is clear that it has grown up and now is living its own life [6]. At Illinois, my officemate was Aron Kuppermann. Our instructorship at Illinois was the first academic position for both of us, and we discussed science, as well as politics and culture, for hours on end. Aron and I decided that, although we were on the faculty, we wanted to continue to learn and would teach each other. I taught Aron about molecular electronic structure theory [we published two joint papers on molecular integrals] and Aron taught me about chemical kinetics, his primary area of research. Aron is officially an experimentalist, but he is also an excellent theoretician, as was demonstrated by his landmark quantum mechanical study of the H + H 2 exchange reaction with George Schatz. This work was some years in the future (it was published in 1975), but in the late 1950s we both felt that it was time to go beyond descriptions of reactions in terms of the Arrhenius formulation based on the activation energy and pre-exponential factor. My research in this area had to wait until I moved to Columbia University, where I would have access to the required computer facilities. Move to Columbia and Focus on Reaction Kinetics During the summer of 1960 I participated in an NSF program at Tufts University with the purpose of exposing high school and small college science teachers to faculty actively engaged in research. Ben Dailey, one of the organizers of the program, asked me one day whether I would consider joining the chemistry faculty at Columbia University, where he was a professor. Because I had already been at Illinois for four of the five years I had planned to stay there, I responded positively. I heard from Columbia shortly thereafter and received an offer to join the IBM Watson Scientific Laboratory with an adjunct associate professorship at Columbia. The Watson Scientific Laboratory was an unusual institution to be financed by a company like IBM. Although the laboratory played a role in the development of IBM computers, many of the scientists there were doing fundamental research. The Watson Laboratory had been founded in 1945 near the end of World War II to provide computing facilities needed by the Allies. It had a special attraction for me in that it had an IBM 650, an early digital computer, which was much more useful than the ILLIAC because of its greater speed, larger memory, and simpler (card) input. (No more nail polish!) I was to have access to considerable amounts of time on the IBM 650 and to receive support for postdocs, as well as other advantages over a regular Columbia faculty appointment. This was a seductive offer, but I hesitated about accepting a position that in any way depended on a company, even a large and stable one like IBM. This was based, in part, on my political outlook, but even more so on the fact that industry has as its primary objective making a profit, and all the rest is secondary. By contrast, my primary focus was on research and teaching, which are the essential aspects of a university, but not of industry. Consequently, I replied to Columbia and the Watson Lab that the offer was very appealing, but that I would consider it only if it included a tenured position in the chemistry department, even though I agreed initially to be at the Watson Lab as well. Columbia acceded to my request and after some further negotiation, I accepted the position for the fall of 1960. The environment at the Watson Lab was indeed fruitful, both in terms of discussions with other staff members and the available facilities. I was able to do research there that would have been much more difficult at Columbia. However, not unexpectedly, the atmosphere gradually changed over the years, with increasing pressure from IBM to do something useful (i.e., profitable) for the company, such as visiting people at the much larger and more applied IBM laboratory in Yorktown Heights, essentially doing internal consulting. I decided in 1963 that the time had come to leave the Watson Lab, and moved to the fulltime professorial position that was waiting for me in Chemistry at Columbia. (IBM closed the Watson Lab in 1970.) I continued research in the area of magnetic resonance after moving to New York. One reward of being at Columbia was the stimulation provided by interactions with new colleagues, such as George Fraenkel, Ben Dailey, Rich Bersohn, and Ron Breslow. Frequent discussions with them helped to broaden my view of chemistry. In particular, my interest in ESR was rekindled by George Fraenkel and we published several papers together, including a pioneering calculation of 13C hyperfine splittings [7]. Although the techniques we used were rather crude, the results provide insights concerning the electronic structure of the molecules considered and aided in understanding the measurements. My interest in chemical reaction dynamics had deepened at Illinois through many discussions with Aron Kuppermann, as already mentioned, but I began to do research in the area only after moving to Columbia. There were several reasons for this. There is no point in undertaking a problem if the methodology and means for solving it are not available: It is important to feel that a problem is ripe for solution. (This has been a guiding rule for much of my research there are many exciting and important problems, but only when one feels that they are ready to be solved should one invest the time to work on them. This rule has turned out to be even more important in the application of theory to biology, as we shall see later.) Given the availability of the IBM 650 at the Watson Lab, the very simple reaction, H + H 2 H 2 + H, which involves an exchange of a hydrogen atom with a hydrogen molecule, could now be studied by theory at a relatively fundamental level. Moreover, early measurements made by Farkas & Farkas in 1935 of the rate of reaction over a wide temperature range provided important data for comparison with calculations. A second reason for focusing on chemical kinetics was that crossed molecular beam studies were beginning to provide much more detailed information about these reactions than had been available from gas phase or solution measurements. The pioneering experiments of Taylor & Datz opened up this new field in 1955. It made possible the study of individual collisions and the determination whether or not they were reactive. Thus, calculated reaction cross sections, rather than overall rate constants, could be compared directly with experimental data. To do a theoretical treatment of this or any other reaction (including the protein folding reaction), a knowledge of the potential energy of the system as a function of the atomic coordinates is required, as described in my Nobel Lecture. Richard Porter, a graduate student with F. T. Wall at Illinois, had done collinear collision calculations for the H + H 2 reaction. Much impressed by Porter, I invited him to join my group at Columbia as a postdoctoral fellow. At Columbia, we rapidly developed a semi-empirical extension of the original Heitler-London surface for the H + H 2 reaction, based on the method of diatomics in molecules and calibrated the surface with ab initio quantum calculations and experimental data for the reaction [8]. This surface, which is known as the Porter-Karplus (PK) surface, has an accuracy and simplicity that led to its continued use in many reaction rate calculations by a variety of methods over the years. Within the approximation that classical mechanics is accurate for describing the atomic motions involved in the H + H 2 reaction and that the semi-empirical Porter-Karplus surface is valid, a set of trajectories makes it possible to determine any and all reaction attributes, e.g., the reaction cross section as a function of the collision energy. The ultimate level of detail that can be achieved is an inherent attribute of this type of approach, which I was to exploit 15 years later in studies of the dynamics of macromolecules. Recently, I was pleased to learn that our paper was cited by George Schatz [9] as one of the key twentieth-century papers in theoretical chemistry. Schatz states, The KPS paper stimulated research in several new directions and ultimately spawned new fields. One of these as cited by Schatz was molecular dynamics simulations of biomolecules, as described in my Nobel Lecture. Return to Harvard University and Biology In 1965, it was time to move again. Columbia and New York City were stimulating places to live and work, but I felt that new colleagues in a different environment would help to keep my research productive. I had incorporated this idea into a plan: I would change schools every five years and when I changed schools I would also change my primary area of research. It was exciting for me to work on something new, where I had much to learn so as to stay mentally young and have new ideas. The initial qualitative insights obtained from relatively simple approaches to a new problem are often the most rewarding. I received numerous offers and decided to return to Harvard. After I had been at Harvard for only a short time, I realized that if I was ever to again take up my long-standing interest in biology I had to make a break with what had been thus far a successful and very busy research program in theoretical chemistry. A key, although accidental, element in my choice of a problem for study in biology was the publication of Structural Chemistry and Molecular Biology, a compendium of papers in a volume dedicated to Linus Pauling for his 65th birthday. I had contributed an article entitled, Structural Implications of Reaction Kinetics, which reviewed some of the work I have already described in the context of Paulings view that a knowledge of structure was the basis for understanding reactions. However, it is not my article that leads me to mention this volume, but rather an article by Ruth Hubbard and George Wald entitled Pauling and Carotenoid Stereochemistry. On looking through the article, it was clear to me that the theory of the electronic absorption of retinal and its geometric changes on excitation, which play an essential role in vision, had not advanced significantly since my discussions with Hubbard and Wald during my undergraduate days at Harvard. I realized, in part from my time in Oxford with Coulson, that polyenes, such as retinal, were ideal systems for study by the available semi-empirical approaches; that is, if any biologically interesting system in which quantum effects are important could be treated adequately at that time, retinal was it. Barry Honig, who had received his PhD in theoretical chemistry working with Joshua Jortner, joined my research group at that time. He was the perfect candidate to work on the retinal problem. I will not elaborate on our studies here as they are outlined in my Nobel Lecture. Hemoglobin: A Real Biological Problem Another scientific question that appeared ready for a more fundamental investigation was the origin of hemoglobin cooperativity, the model system for allosteric control in biology. Although the phenomenological model of Monod, Wyman, and Changeux had provided many insights, it did not attempt to make contact with the detailed structure of the molecule. In 1971 Max Perutz had just determined the X-ray structure of deoxy hemoglobin, which complemented his earlier results for oxy hemoglobin. By comparing the two structures, he was able to propose a qualitative molecular mechanism for the cooperativity. Alex Rich, now a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had invited Perutz to present two lectures describing the X-ray data and his mechanism. After the second lecture, Alex suggested that I come to his office to have a discussion with Perutz. Perutz was sitting on a couch in Alexs office and eating his customary banana. I asked him whether he had tried to formulate a quantitative thermodynamic mechanism based on his structural analysis. He said no and seemed very enthusiastic, although I was not sure whether he had understood what I meant. Having been taught by Pauling that until one expressed an idea in quantitative terms, it was not possible to test ones results, I went away from our meeting thinking about the best way to proceed. Attila Szabo had recently joined my group as a graduate student, and the hemoglobin mechanism seemed like an ideal problem for his theoretical skills. The basic idea proposed by Perutz was that the hemoglobin molecule has two quaternary structures, R and T, in agreement with the ideas of Monod, Wyman, and Changeux; that there are two tertiary structures, liganded and unliganded for each of the subunits; and that the coupling between the two is introduced by certain salt bridges whose existence depended on both the tertiary and quaternary structures of the molecule. Moreover, some of the salt bridges depended on pH, which introduced the Bohr effect on the oxygen affinity of the subunits. These ideas were incorporated into the statistical mechanical model Szabo and I developed [10]. It was a direct consequence of the formulation that the cooperativity parameter n (i.e., the Hill coefficient) varied with pH. This was in disagreement with the hemoglobin dogma at the time and led a number of the experimentalists in the field to initially disregard our model, which was subsequently confirmed by experiments. Protein Folding In 1969 I was invited to spend a semester at the Weizmann Institute and I joined the group of Schneior Lifson. While there, Chris Anfinsen visited and we had many discussions of his experiments on protein folding, which had led to the realization that proteins can refold in solution, independent of the ribosome and other aspects of the cellular environment. What most impressed me was Anfinsens film showing the folding of a protein with flickering helices forming and dissolving and coming together to form stable substructures. The film was a cartoon, but it led to my asking him, in the same vein as I had asked Perutz earlier about hemoglobin, whether he had thought of taking the ideas in the film and translating them into a quantitative model. Anfinsen said that he did not really know how he would do this, but to me it suggested an approach to the mechanism of protein folding. When David Weaver joined my group at Harvard, while on a sabbatical leave from Tufts, we developed what is now known as the diffusion-collision model for protein folding [11]. Although it is a simplified coarse-grained description of the folding process, it showed how the search problem for the native state could be solved by a divide-and-conquer approach. Moreover, the diffusion-collision model made possible the estimation of folding rates. The model was ahead of its time because data to test it were not available. Only relatively recently have experimental studies demonstrated that the diffusion-collision model describes the folding mechanism of many helical proteins [12], as well as some others. When David Weaver and I developed the diffusion-collision model in 1975, protein folding was a rather esoteric subject of interest to a very small community of scientists. The field has been completely transformed in recent years because of its importance for understanding the large number of protein sequences available from genome projects and because of the realization that misfolding can lead to a wide range of human diseases; these diseases are found primarily in the older populations that form an ever-increasing portion of humanity. Over the past decade or so the mechanism of protein folding has been resolved, in principle. It is now understood that there are multiple pathways to the native state and that the bias on the free-energy surface, due to the greater stability of native-like versus nonnative contacts, is such that only a very small fraction of the total number of conformations is sampled in each folding trajectory [13]. This understanding was achieved by the work of many scientists, but a crucial element was the study of lattice models of protein folding. Such toy models, as I like to call them, are simple enough to permit many folding trajectories to be calculated to make possible an analysis of the folding process and free-energy surface sampled by the trajectories [14]. However, they are sufficiently complex so that they embody the Levinthal problem, i.e., there are many more configurations than could be visited during the calculated folding trajectory. The importance of such studies was in part psychological, in that even though the lattice model uses a simplified representation, real folding was demonstrated on a computer for the first time. An article based on a lecture at a meeting in Copenhagen [15] describes this change in attitude as a paradigm of scientific progress. Origins Of The CHARMM Program When I visited Lifsons group in 1969 there was considerable interest in developing empirical potential energy functions for small molecules. The novel idea was to use a functional form that could serve not only for calculating vibrational frequencies, as did the expansions of the potential about a known or assumed minimum-energy structure, but also for determining that structure. The so-called consistent force field (CCF) of Lifson and his coworkers, particularly Arieh Warshel, included nonbonded interaction terms so that the minimum-energy structure could be found after the energy terms had been appropriately calibrated. The possibility of using such energy functions for larger systems struck me as potentially very important for understanding biological macromolecules like proteins, though I did not begin working on this immediately. Once Attila Szabo had finished the statistical mechanical model of hemoglobin cooperativity, I realized that his work raised a number of questions that could be explored only with a method for calculating the energy of hemoglobin as a function of the atomic positions. No way of doing such a calculation existed. We decided the time was ripe to try to develop a program that would make it possible to take a given amino acid sequence (e.g., that of the hemoglobin alpha chain) and a set of coordinates (e.g., those obtained from the X-ray structure of deoxy hemoglobin) and to use this information to calculate the energy of the system and its derivatives as a function of the atomic positions. This could be used for perturbing the structure (e.g., by binding oxygen to the heme group) and finding a new structure by minimizing the energy. Developing the program a major task, but Gelin had the right combination of abilities to carry it out [16]. He would have faced almost insurmountable difficulties in developing the program (pre-CHARMM) if there had not been prior work by others on protein energy calculations. Although many persons have contributed to the development of empirical potentials, the two major inputs to our work came from Schneior Lifsons group at the Weizmann Institute and Harold Scheragas group at Cornell University. The CHARMM program is now being developed by a wide group of contributors, most of whom were students or postdoctoral fellows in my group; the program is distributed worldwide in both academic and commercial settings. Pre-CHARMM, while not trivial to use, was applied to a variety of problems. An early application of pre-CHARMMwas Dave Cases simulation of ligand escape after photodissociation from myoglobin; a study that was followed by the work of Ron Elber, which gave rise to the locally enhanced sampling (LES) and multiple copy simultaneous search (MCSS) methods now widely used for drug design. The First Molecular Dynamics Simulation of a Biomolecule Given that pre-CHARMMcould calculate the forces on the atoms of a protein, the next step was to use these forces in Newtons equation to calculate the dynamics. This fundamental development was introduced in the mid-1970s when Andy McCammon joined my group. A basic assumption in initiating such studies was that potential functions could be constructed which were sufficiently accurate to give meaningful results for systems as complex as proteins or nucleic acids. In addition, it was necessary to assume that for these inhomogeneous systems, in contrast to the homogeneous character of even complex liquids like water, classical dynamics simulations of an attainable timescale (10 to 100 ps) could provide a useful sample of the phase space in the neighborhood of the native structure. There was no compelling evidence for either assumption in the early 1970s. When I discussed my plans with chemistry colleagues, they thought such calculations were impossible, given the difficulty of treating few atom systems accurately; biology colleagues felt that even if we could do such calculations, they would be a waste of time. The original simulation, published in 1977 [17], concerned the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI), which has served as the hydrogen molecule of protein dynamics because of its small size, high stability, and a relatively accurate X-ray structure; interestingly, the physiological function of BPTI remains unknown. This development, which played an essential role in the Nobel Prize, is described in my Nobel Lecture. The conceptual changes resulting from the early studies make one marvel at how much of great interest could be learned with so little such poor potentials, such small systems, so little computer time. This is, of course, one of the great benefits of taking the initial, somewhat faltering steps in a new field in which the questions are qualitative rather than quantitative and any insights, even if crude, are better than none at all. Epilogue As I read through what I have written, I see what a fragmentary picture it provides of my life, even my scientific life. Missing are innumerable interactions, most of which constructive but some not so, that have played significant roles in my career. The more than 250 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who at one time or another have been members of the group are listed in my Nobel Lecture. Many have gone on to faculty positions and become leaders in their fields of research. They in turn are training students so I now have scientific children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all over the world. I treasure my contribution to their professional and personal careers, as much as the scientific advances we have made together. Contributing to the education of so many people in their formative years is a cardinal aspect of university life. My philosophy in graduate and postgraduate education has been to provide an environment where young scientists, once they have proved their ability, can develop their own ideas, as refined in discussions with me and aided by other members of the group. This fostered independence has been, I believe, an important element in the fact that so many of my students are now themselves outstanding researchers and faculty members. My role has been to guide them when problems arose and to instill in them the necessity of doing things in the best possible way, not to say that I succeeded with all of them. Discussing my scientific family makes me realize that another missing element is my personal family, an irreplaceable part of my life. Reba and Tammy, my two daughters whose mother, Susan, died in 1982, both became physicians (thereby fulfilling my destined role); Reba lives in Jerusalem, Israel, and Tammy lives Portland, Oregon. My wife, Marci, and our son, Mischa, who is an intern at the Harvard Kennedy School, complete my immediate family. As many people know, Marci also plays the pivotal role as the Laboratory Administrator, adding a spirit of continuity for the group and making possible our commuting between the Harvard and Strasbourg labs. Without my family, my life would have been an empty one, even with scientific success. Postscript The biography up to this point is based, as already mentioned, on an article published in 2006 [1]. Molecular dynamics simulations have continued their rapid growth as a result of methodological improvements, force field refinements, and the availability of faster computers. The citation of methods for the study of complex systems in this years Nobel Prize in Chemistry will have the important consequence of legitimizing simulations and make likely their greater acceptance by experimentalists. The introduction of simplified potential functions, the specific focus of the Nobel Prize, certainly played a role in making possible molecular dynamics simulations of macromolecules. However, I am convinced that the latter are the essential element. I dedicated my Nobel Lecture to the 244 Karplusians who have worked in my laboratory in Illinois, Columbia, Harvard, Paris and Strasbourg. Without them, I would not have received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Over the last forty years, many of them have contributed to the methodology and applications of molecular dynamics simulations. I find it curious, as I state in the written version of my Nobel Lecture, that molecular dynamics simulations were not mentioned in the description of the Scientific Background of the Nobel Prize. The large community involved in molecular dynamics simulations, which includes all of this years Nobel Laureates in Chemistry, has transformed the field from an esoteric subject of interest to only a small group of specialists into a central element of modern chemistry and structural biology. Without molecular dynamics simulations and their explosive development, no Nobel Prize would have been awarded in this area. There is perhaps a parallel here between the fact that molecular dynamics was not mentioned in the Nobel Prize citation and the citation for Einsteins Nobel Prize in Physics (1921). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for the theory of the photoelectric effect and not for his most important work, the general theory of relativity, which had already been verified by experiment and was the origin of his worldwide fame as a scientist. Interestingly, when he gave his Nobel Lecture, it was on relativity, even though he knew that he was supposed to talk about the photoelectric effect. Correspondingly, I traced the history of molecular dynamics simulations and their development in my lecture and did not emphasize the development of potential functions for simulations, the focus of the Chemistry Nobel Prize citation. The complex deliberations of the Physics Committee in reaching its decision concerning Einsteins Nobel Prize are now known because his prize was awarded more than fifty years ago. The public will again have to wait fifty years to find out what motivated the Chemistry Committee in awarding this years Nobel Prize. References This biolography is an abbreviated updated version of the article entitled, Spinach on the Ceiling: A Theoretical Chemists Return to Biology, Ann. Rev. Biophys. & Biomolecular Struc. 35, 147 (2006). It can be downloaded without cost. Honig B, Karplus M. 1971. Implications of torsional potential of retinal isomers for visual excitation. Nature 229, 558560. Karplus M. 1959. Contact electron-spin interactions of nuclear magnetic moments. J. Chem. Phys. 30, 1115. Karplus M. 1963. Vicinal proton coupling in nuclear magnetic resonance. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 85, 2870. Dalton L. 2003. Karplus Equation. Chem. Eng. News 81, 3739. Karplus M. 1996. Theory of vicinal coupling constants. In Encyclopedia of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Vol. 1: Historical Perspectives, ed. DM Grant, RK Harris, pp. 420422. New York: Wiley. Karplus M, Fraenkel GK. 1961. Theoretical interpretation of carbon-13 hyperfine interactions in electron spin resonance spectra. J. Chem. Phys. 35, 13121323. Porter RN, Karplus M. 1964. Potential energy surface for H3. J. Chem. Phys. 40, 11051115. Schatz GC. 2000. Perspective on Exchange reactions with activation energy. I. Simple barrier potential for (H, H 2 ) J. Chem. Phys. 43:32593287. Theor. Chem. Acc. 103, 270272. Szabo A, Karplus M. 1972. A mathematical model for structure-function relations in hemoglobin. J. Mol. Biol. 72, 163197. Karplus M, Weaver DL. 1976. Protein-folding dynamics. Nature 260, 404406. Islam SA, Karplus M, Weaver DL. 2004. The role of sequence and structure in protein folding kinetics: the diffusion-collision model applied to proteins L and G. Structure 12, 18331845. Dobson CM, Sali A, Karplus M.(1998). Protein Folding: A Perspective from Theory and Experiment, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 37, 868893. Sali A, Shakhnovich E, Karplus M. 1994. How does a protein fold? Nature 369, 248251. Karplus M. 1997. The Levinthal Paradox: yesterday and today. Fold. Des. 2, 569576. Gelin, BR. April 1976. Application of Empirical Energy Functions to Conformational Problems in Biochemical Systems. Harvard PhD Thesis. McCammon JA, Gelin BR, Karplus M. 1977. Dynamics of folded proteins. Nature 267, 585590. From The Nobel Prizes 2013. Published on behalf of The Nobel Foundation by Science History Publications/USA, division Watson Publishing International LLC, Sagamore Beach, 2014 This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and later published in the book series Les Prix Nobel/ Nobel Lectures/The Nobel Prizes. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum submitted by the Laureate. Copyright The Nobel Foundation 2013 To cite this section MLA style: Martin Karplus Biographical. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2021. Sat. 16 Oct 2021. Twice Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 1954 Prize: UNHCR was the first UN organization to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) followed in the tradition of rewarding humanitarian work in the spirit of Fridtjof Nansen. A second purpose was to show support for the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. At the same time, the Nobel Committee wanted to draw the world's attention to the fact that international aid work for refugees was in danger of a financial crisis, because UN member countries had not granted enough funding for the purpose. The 1954 Peace Prize was thus an appeal to all the world's governments to give more financial support to a vulnerable group. In the first half of the 1950s, the highest numbers of refugees were to be found in Western Europe and the Middle East, and the UNHCR concentrated its aid on three kinds of measure: voluntary repatriation to one's country of origin, emigration, or permanent residence in the countries where the refugees were at the time. 1981 Prize: When the Nobel Committee rewarded the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) with the Nobel Prize a second time in 1981, the world's refugee problem was still greater than ever before. Having been chiefly a European concern early in the 1950s, the issue had now become important to the third world, particularly Africa. That was where about half of the ten million refugees were for whom the UNHCR had a responsibility at the time. Once again, the Nobel Committee adhered to the tradition going back to Fridtjof Nansen by which aid to refugees was defined as fundamental work for peace. The 1981 Prize recognized the UNHCR's great efforts to repatriate refugees in Asia, Africa and Latin America in the 1970s. At the same time, it was an expression of support for the United Nations and for the principles laid down in the international Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention). Its provisions gained special currency in the early 1980s owing to the harsh fate suffered by thousands of Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea. The UNHCR resolved to place the prize money in a fund for the benefit of functionally disabled refugees. Armenia's Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan petitioned to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, with a request for launching a National Assembly special session to debate the attorney generals petition to strip Yerkrapah Volunteer Union Chairman and Republican Party of Armenia MP, General Manvel Grigoryan, from his parliamentary immunity. The Prosecutor Generals Office said that on June 15, the investigative department launched a criminal case against Grigoryan, on charges of illegal acquisition and possession of weapons and ammunition. On June 16, Grigoryan was arrested on suspicion of committing the aforesaid crime, and, pursuant to the Constitution, the NA speaker was immediately informed about this. As per the attorney generals office, sufficient evidence has been obtained that attests to Grigoryan having committed the said offense, and this provides sufficient grounds for starting a procedure to get parliamentary consent for launching a criminal prosecution against, and choosing a precautionary measure regarding him, News.am reported. In what reports are calling the first-ever same-sex royal wedding, Queen Elizabeth's cousin is set to wed his partner in a small ceremony later this year, according to W magazine and The Daily Mail. Lord Ivar Mountbatten will walk down the aisle -- escorted by his ex-wife and close friend, Penny Mountbatten -- to marry his partner, James Coyle, later this summer. The wedding will be a small, intimate affair, W magazine reported. "I really wanted to do it for James. He hasn't been married. For me, what's interesting is I don't need to get married because I've been there, done that and have my wonderful children; but I'm pushing it because I think it's important for him. James hasn't had the stable life I have," Mountbatten said in an interview with The Daily Mail, before turning to Coyle. "I want to be able to give you that." A 45-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint after getting into a car he thought was his Uber in the French Quarter early Monday (June 18), minutes after his phone was stolen by two men who attacked him, according to New Orleans police. The man was walking on Bourbon Street shortly before 3:30 a.m., when two men approached him, hit him in his face and took his phone, according to a preliminary police report. The victim then got into a car he thought was an Uber, but the driver got out of the car with a gun and demanded the man hand over his wallet, according to NOPD. The driver fled after getting the victim's wallet, police said. As of Monday morning, police did not know the exact location of the robbery. About an hour later, a second robbery was reported in the French Quarter. A 48-year-old man told police he was getting into his car in the 900 block of St. Louis Street around 4:30 a.m. when four men approached him. The men told the victim he could not leave because he hit their car. According to a preliminary police report, the men tried to get the victim to give them money for the damages, but the victim refused. When the victim continued to refuse to give the men money, one of the men came through the driver's window and grabbed the victim's cellphone, hat, glasses and a small towel, according to NOPD. All four of the men fled the scene. A Metairie man accused of killing his mother with a shotgun pleaded not guilty in Jefferson Parish 24th Judicial District Court Friday (June 15) after he was charged with murder. A grand jury on Thursday indicted Chad McAvoy, 21, with second-degree murder in the death of Connie McAvoy, 42, Thursday, according to court records. Connie McAvoy died of a shotgun blast on March 1 in the Loveland Street home she shared with her son and husband. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office received a 911 call around 3:32 p.m. from Connie McAvoy's husband reporting that she'd committed suicide, authorities said. Deputies found her lying dead in a hallway with a single gunshot wound. But it was clear that Connie McAvoy didn't pull the trigger herself, according to authorities. She had a gunshot wound to her back, between her shoulder blades, the Jefferson Parish coroner's office said. "There's no way she held a shotgun and shot herself in the back," Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said at the time. Chad McAvoy and his father told investigators each was in another room when they heard a gunshot, the Sheriff's Office said. Both told investigators they believed Connie McAvoy had shot herself. Detectives took both men in for questioning. Chad McAvoy eventually confessed to shooting his mother, the Sheriff's Office said. Chad McAvoy is expected to return to court July 30 for a pre-trial conference. A man accused of sexually assaulting a young girl inside his 7th Ward home pleaded guilty Monday (June 18) to two amended counts of second-degree rape and one count of failure to register as a sex offender, according to District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro's office. Kenya McCall, 41, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on each of the rape charges, and 20 years on the registration count. The sentences will be served concurrently. McCall was scheduled to face trial Tuesday on two counts of first-degree rape and one count of failure to register as a sex offender. If convicted at trial, he faced an automatic life sentence on each rape charge, and up to 20 years in prison for failure to register. McCall was accused of sexually assaulting the victim inside a home in the 2700 block of St. Bernard Avenue between January 2011 and November 2014. The victim, who was 9 when she spoke to a forensic interviewer at the New Orleans Child Advocacy Center in 2014, told authorities McCall told her to keep the abuse secret and offered her money for her silence. McCall has previous convictions for second-degree and third-degree rape, charges he pleaded guilty to in 1992 when he was 16, court records show. He was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison and five years of active probation. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up In 2007, McCall pleaded guilty to charges of failure to register as a sex offender and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Tangipahoa Parish, according to Cannizzaro's office. He was sentenced to five years in that case. Terms of the plea deal McCall accepted Monday were approved by the victim's family and by Criminal District Judge Paul Bonin, according to the district attorney's office. Cannizzaro said the victim has moved out of state, and "her family pleaded that she not have to re-live her experience on the witness stand." Assistant District Attorneys Michael Trummel and Daniel Smart prosecuted the case. The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit watchdog group, has apologized and will pay a $3.37 million settlement after admitting to falsely labeling a British organization and its leader as anti-Muslim extremists, Newsweek reported. The Southern Poverty Law Center of Montgomery issued statements Monday (June 18) saying it was wrong to include Maajid Nawaz's Quilliam Foundation of London in its "A Journalist's Manual: Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists," according to Newsweek Nawaz, 40, announced the suit against the SPLC in June of 2017, and the watchdog organization admitted in its apology that it altered its position after several "human rights advocates affiliated with the United Nations" praised Nawaz's work, according to the report. Newsweek reported that Quilliam says the $3.37 million will be used to fight anti-Muslim bigotry and Islamist extremism. In a statement released Monday, the law center said of the settlement: "It was the right thing to do in light of our mistake and the right thing to do in light of the growing prejudice against the Muslim community on both sides of the Atlantic. We will look to our insurance carrier to cover the cost of the settlement." A 30-year-old man was reported missing Sunday (June 17), five days after he was last heard from while running errands, according to New Orleans police. Carroll Fisher was last seen about 12:30 p.m. at his home in the 3400 block of Esplanade Avenue, according to a preliminary police report. Fisher left to go shopping, police said, and a short while later he called the woman who reported him missing. Fisher told the woman he was leaving an electronics store to go to Walmart. Around 1:30 p.m., Fisher texted her and said he was at Walmart, but did not specify which location. The woman told police Fisher did not come home and said she has not heard from him since that call. According to the NOPD report, the woman said Fisher's phone is turned off. Fisher was reported to be driving a gray 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara with Louisiana license plate number 838ATE. Anyone with information about Fisher's whereabouts should contact Third District detectives at 504-658-6030. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety will pay $500,000 to the family of a former Mississippi State University athlete and two other women whose vehicle was involved in a fatal wreck with a state trooper who was speeding down a dark highway without his emergency lights flashing, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. on May 7, 2017 and took the life of 22-year-old Kaelin Kersh, an MSU track athlete who had just graduated, the newspaper reported. Two other women, also MSU students at the time, were in the Toyota Corolla with Kersh and were injured in the accident on Highway 182 near Starkville. A lawsuit filed by Kersh's survivors and the two women claims the state trooper was speeding without his blue flashing lights at the time of the crash, according to media reports. The money will be divided among the plaintiffs. As a member of the MSU track team, Kersh was a middle distance runner and a sprinter who was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. At Pearl High School, Kersh was the 5A state champion in the 800 meters in 2012 and 2013. The accident that killed Kersh spawned state legislation in Mississippi aimed at preventing similar accidents in the future. Passed during the last legislative session, the Kaelin Kersh Act requires law enforcement officers traveling 30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit to use flashing lights. It goes into effect July 1. A 47-year-old deputy with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office was arrested early Sunday (June 17) after a woman told investigators he had been sexually assaulting her 4-year-old daughter, according to KSAT-TV, an ABC affiliate in San Antonio. Jose Nunez is a 10-year veteran of the BCSO and was assigned to the annex jail, KSAT reported, and the victim is the young daughter of an undocumented woman who Nunez threatened to have deported if she reported the abuse. The girl's mother came forward Saturday when she brought her daughter to a local fire station, KSAT reported. According to KSAT, investigators believe Nunez assaulted the girl over a period of months and said there may be other victims. As of Sunday afternoon, Nunez is faces one felony charge of super aggravated sexual assault with a child, but police said the investigation is ongoing. Multiple social aid and pleasure clubs joined forces Sunday (June 17) to celebrate all the dads of the city. The Perfect Gentlemen, the Dignified Achievable Men, the Unexpected Rebels, and the Devastation social aid and pleasure clubs met in the 3600 block of St. Charles Avenue then proceeded to dance their way through Central City. The group made occasional stops along the way at Verret's Bar, Kings Fashion, then the Sandpiper Lounge. Several truck floats with DJs on board were also part of the lineup. Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission Former deputy defense minister, national hero of Armenia Manvel Grigoryan participated in numerous war crimes such as the Khojaly genocide, looting of property of Azerbaijani residents during the occupation of Fizuli and Jabrayil districts of Azerbaijan, torture and mass killing of prisoners of war, as well as taking hostage of civilians, their torturing and murder, spokesman of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev said, commenting on the arrest of Grigoryan. In his interview in 2014 with the Armenian bureau of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Grigoryan openly and 'proudly" said that he was returning from the Karabakh war with hundreds of Azerbaijani hostages and forced them to work in his home," the diplomat noted. Hikmat Hajiyev also stressed that Grigoryan, accused of violating the Geneva Conventions by such actions, contemptuously stated that he doesnt recognize the Geneva Conventions and is proud to be an Armenian. "Unfortunately, the criminal case initiated against Manvel Grigoryan is limited only to economic crimes committed in Armenia. The crimes committed by him during the war, in particular actions against hundreds of Azerbaijanis that he held captive, as he himself admitted, must be investigated," Trend cited the spokesman of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry as saying. Hikmat Hajiyev expressed hope that international organizations for human rights protection, including the Council of Europe, will be active in this issue. Editor's note: The sponsors of the "Pulp Facts" event has been updated to provide a more accurate and full description of the event. Chef Jeremiah Tower whipped up a batch of his aunt's coleslaw on a recent hot June afternoon in cookbook author Kit Wohl's New Orleans kitchen. The recipe is from Tower's just-released e-cookbook, "Flavors of Taste: Recipes, Memories & Menus" (2018, The Cookbook Studio, $9.99), which the chef and Wohl co-authored. Tower traveled from Mexico, where he's lived since 2005, to spend about a week in New Orleans for Historic New Orleans Collection's "Pulp Facts: Celebrating Citrus," which included a symposium on South Louisiana citrus that featured the Oxford Cultural Collective, Jeremy Lee, Jessica Harris and New Orleans area chefs as well as meals at the Napoleon House and Brennan's. "The ingredients are the stars in any great cooking," said Tower, one of America's first celebrity chefs. Along with other chefs such as Alice Waters, Judy Rodgers and Jonathan Waxman, Tower worked in the 1970s and '80s to create California cuisine, the movement that saw restaurants embrace fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. Ingredients are indeed the stars of Tower's latest cookbook. On this afternoon, he was delighted when he cut into the Creole tomatoes harvested in Venice that he used in his aunt's coleslaw recipe. "Look at that," he said as he sliced a tomato in half and saw the bright red flesh through and through. "That's a real tomato." Tower began his career at Chez Panisse with Waters in 1972, helping to start the movement for all things fresh and local. Tower said it began out of necessity. "When we were doing it, we really didn't know," he said. "It was not intentional. It was just that there really weren't any fresh ingredients around. Everything you see at Whole Foods now did not exist, barely even olive oil. "We used whatever was available at the farmers markets and at Chinatown," he said. "People started bringing things from the hills and from the San Francisco Bay and so that became the style." After Chez Panisse, Tower opened San Francisco's landmark, for its profitability and food, Stars restaurant in 1984. Then he left the limelight for 20 years, returning briefly as chef at Tavern on the Green in New York in 2014-15. Tower had been off the radar for many years when Anthony Bourdain helped to usher him back onto the world stage by co-producing the James Beard Award-nominated documentary, "Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent." Bourdain had read Tower's book "California Dish: What I Saw (and Cooked) at the American Culinary Revolution" (2014, Free Press) and decided the chef needed to be recognized for his contributions to American gastronomy. Tower was in New Orleans when he received news of "I'd still be sitting in obscurity on a beach in Mexico if it weren't for Anthony Bourdain," he said. "He was a great pal." (Hear Bourdain and Tower talk with NPR's Lynn Neary about the documentary, which was released in April 2017.) For Tower, 76, a trip to New Orleans is a treat. He's almost moved here several times, the first while still in college, and one day hopes to call the Crescent City home. "It's the last place in America that has good manners, which are important," said the author of "Table Manners: How to Behave in the Modern World and Why Bother" (2016, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $20). "People know how to live here. They know how to treat one another. They know how to think about each other." Besides loving the city, its people and its food, Tower, who is an advisory board member of the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, said: "I've been fascinated with a new project, the hospitality school NOCHI (the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute, set to open in spring 2019). I would love to be part of that." Tower said he decided to produce the "Flavors of Taste" as an e-book because after authoring nine books, he's tired of dealing with publishing houses and agents. For the home cook, the advantage of the e-book is that it is more affordable, with gorgeous photos by Sam Hanna, brother of New Orleans chef Tariq Hanna of Sucre, and because it can be on tablet, laptop or smart phone it's always at one's fingertips. Still, Tower is never quite finished with a recipe. This one was handed down to him by his Le Cordon Bleu-trained aunt, but even as we made it on Thursday, he tweaked it just a bit by adding about a teaspoon of fresh lemon zest. It gave the salad a fresh little zing. A few keys to this recipe: Use ripe, in-season tomatoes only. Cut the tomatoes and cabbage into large pieces, so they retain their integrity even after marinating overnight. Tower recommends making it the night before serving, covering it snugly with plastic and refrigerating it. We tried the slaw freshly made and we tried one that had been in the refrigerator overnight. Both were delicious, but the one that was allowed to marinate overnight was superior in flavor and texture. Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "It goes with seafood boils, a great big table of shrimp, lobster boils, barbecues, all of that," Tower said. Jeremiah Tower's Aunt's Coleslaw Serves 4 to 6 1 head white cabbage 4 large ripe tomatoes 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger Ice 1 teaspoon powdered ginger 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard Lemon zest, to taste Salt, to taste Freshly ground black pepper, or white pepper, to taste Lemon zest, optional and to taste Discard outer leaves of cabbage if wilted or discolored. Cut cabbage in half, from top to bottom, and cut away core. Put cabbage half, cut side down, on cutting board and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Cut those slices in half. Repeat with the other half. Place cabbage in large bowl, breaking into smaller pieces with your hands. Cover cabbage with cold water and ice cubes and refrigerate several hours, if desired. Fill a wide bowl with water and ice. Fill a saucepan with hot water and bring to a boil. Score tomatoes on the bottom, making an small x. Place whole tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for about 5 or 6 seconds. Remove each tomato, using a slotted spoon, and place in ice water bath. With a small paring knife, peel each tomato. Cut tomatoes in half and then each half into about three wedges. Squeeze out seeds, if you like. For dressing, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, fresh and powdered ginger and mustard in a medium bowl. Drain cabbage very well. Place cabbage in bowl. Add tomatoes and spoon dressing on top of tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and lemon zest. Toss lightly using both hands until well blended; be delicate with tomatoes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight, stirring twice while the salad is marinating. Remove salad to a clean, chilled bowl. Pull tomato slices on top to make a pretty presentation. Serve very cold. School's out for the summer, but this week Nikole Alvarez, 17, got to see a surgeon at work removing a kidney. She got to tour the radiology department at Ochsner's main campus on Jefferson Highway along with a group of 15 other teenagers from all over Southeast Louisiana who hope to one day work in healthcare. Prompted by her biology teacher Dr. Geeta Ramesh at Grace King High School, Alvarez decided to participate in a free summer program operated by Ochsner Health System called STAR, which is short for Science, Technology, Academics and Research. The program is tuition-free for students interested in pursuing education and careers in science and medicine. Over the course of four weeks, Alvarez and her 17 peers will participate in hand on training, talk to health care professionals working in the field and develop their soft skills. Alvarez, who grew up in Metairie will be the first person in her family to go to college, a dream she hopes to accomplish within the next year. She loves biology and chemistry and is thinking about going into the field of forensics. She is also interested in the work of Physicians Assistants, a career she heard about through the STAR program. "That stuck out to me a little bit. I have only been here about two weeks. At the start I had no idea what I wanted to do," she said. "I am meeting so many different people it really helps you grasps what you can do." In addition to showing kids the vast options of career paths in healthcare the program, now in its 12th summer hopes that it will play a part in tackling the lack diversity medical program across the U.S. face. Students who identify as white (58.8 percent) and Asian (19.8 percent) represented the largest proportion of medical school graduates in 2015, according to the Association of American College's "Current Trends in Medical Education" report. By comparison, students who identified as black or African American made up 5.7 percent of all graduates. Those who identified as Hispanic or Latino made up 4.6 percent of all medical school graduates in 2015, according to the report. "Diversity is something we keep in mind when we are screening STAR applicants," said Stephanie Messina, the academic outreach program manager for Ochsner Health System. "We pick at most two students from each school. We want the population of graduates to match the patient population." Out of the current class of 16, approximately 25 percent of the students identify as Asian, another 25 percent as Black/ African American, 13 percent identify as Hispanic and 37 percent identify as White. Messina said that through the program they hope to expose high school students to health care professionals in different roles and across demographics. "Sometimes high school students of certain backgrounds don't think a career is accessible to them because they have never seen a female doctor or a male nurse. We try to show them a little diversity to help them pursue and see these career paths as an option," said Messina. Alvarez still has some time to decide what she wants to do after high school. The forensics program at Boston University is certainly enticing, she said. She's being mentored by Meghan Handley, a medical student from the University of Queensland--Ochsner Medical School, who is a Boston University alum, who is helping her figure out her plans. "Meeting these real people, hearing their stories, and knowing they have struggled with things the way we all do, it really helps you calm down and see that it is possible," said Alvarez. Maria Clark writes about health, doctors, patients and healthcare in Louisiana for NOLA.com | The Times Picayune and NOLA Mundo. Reach her at mclark@nola.com or 504.258.5306. Or follow her on Twitter at @MariaPClark1 . New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond on Monday (June 18) asked the public to contact government officials and urge them to stop the practice of separating families who have entered the United States illegally. In a written statement, Aymond noted that over the past six weeks nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents at the Texas border. The separations have occurred since Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a "zero tolerance" policy, which directs Homeland Security officials to refer all cases of illegal entry into the United States for prosecution. Customs and Border Patrol has argued that the separations are necessary as a deterrent to other people considering entering the U.S. illegally. Aymond's statement called it "emotional scarring." "Separating children from their parents often leads to long-term emotional scarring. Particularly for these families who are already in a state of anxiety and fear, the impact on both the children and the parents, will no doubt be long-lasting," Aymond wrote. "As a people of faith, we must speak out for these children." Previously, undocumented families that arrived in the U.S. were allowed to plea asylum without being separated. Last week, Sessions announced that he was ordering immigration authorities to stop granting asylum to most victims of domestic abuse and gang violence in their home countries. Aymond addressed the change in the asylum policy in his statement, saying, "The teaching of the Catholic Church is that if a person is experiencing injustice, persecution or danger, they have a human right to find a place of security in which to begin a new life. We believe in the dignity of the human person and preservation of the family." He added that while the Catholic Church has never suggested that the U.S. should open the border to all, immigration officials should "be guided by laws that show charity while providing safety and security. Our current immigration laws are not guided by these principles and are not fair or just." Under the Obama administration, undocumented people who came into the U.S. had their cases heard through the immigration court system. Under Sessions' 'zero tolerance policy' adults are being separated from their children and sent to federal criminal facilities, said Laila Hlass, a professor of practice with Tulane University's Law School. A separate agency called the Office of Refugee Resettlement is tasked with taking over the care of unaccompanied minors at one of their facilities. Hlass explained that these facilities range from "something that look like a house to something that looks more like a jail." The ORR has to identify either a family member, legal guardian, or family friend who would be able to take over the care of the child while their case goes through the immigration system. Homero Lopez, the director of Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy, a legal group that provides representation for detainees at an immigration facility in Pine Prairie, Louisiana, explained that in the U.S. immigration system defendants are not required to have legal representation. "Children's cases used to be combined with their parents' immigration cases and they'd go to court as a unit. Now they are separated," he said. This means that the minor is then either tasked with finding an immigration attorney to represent them or try to represent themselves in court. The ORR publishes the number of unaccompanied children that are released into custody every fiscal year. From Oct. 2017 to April 2018 the agency released 488 children into custody in Louisiana. Maria Clark writes about immigration, health, doctors, patients and healthcare in Louisiana for NOLA.com | The Times Picayune and NOLA Mundo. Reach her at mclark@nola.com or 504.258.5306. Or follow her on Twitter at @MariaPClark1 . Dozens of people protesting the United States' immigration policy gathered Monday morning (June 18) outside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, where U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is giving a speech. The protesters at 8:15 a.m. held signs mainly about the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy and resulting separation of families. They started off standing in the neutral ground on Convention Center Boulevard and later linked arms and marched toward the convention center, chanting "No Sessions, No KKK, no fascist USA." At one point, the protesters linked arms and tried to push their way into the convention center, but police officers from various local agencies prevented the group from entering the building. One officer with St. John the Baptist Parish could be seen forcefully pushing a woman back toward the crowd as the group was moved away from the Convention Center door. As the officer shoved her, the woman continued chanting with the crowd and sat down, holding a railing to remain steady. Mary Yanik, an attorney for the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice, and William Quigley with the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice, said Monday that a total of five protesters had been detained by officers shortly before 11 a.m. All five were issued summons for disturbing the peace while protesting and were released on the scene, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman Phil Stelly. Sessions was giving a speech at the National Sheriffs' Association conference on Monday morning at the convention center, along with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Rep. Steve Scalise. (Warning: The below video from the protest contains explicit language) Nearly 2,000 children have been taken from their parents since Sessions announced the "zero tolerance" policy, which directs Homeland Security officials to refer all cases of illegal entry into the United States for prosecution. Border Patrol officials argue they have to crack down on migrants and separate adults from children as a deterrent to others. Previously parents who crossed the border with their children asking for asylum were allowed to remain together until their cases were heard in immigration court in the U.S. During the New Orleans protest, authorities blocked Convention Center Boulevard after one of the protesters was hit by a truck. The truck was driving toward Poydras Street when it appeared to have been surrounded by protestors as the group moved from the neutral ground to the street. A few moments later, the driver hit the woman about 20 feet down the street from where the protestors gathered. Susan Morris said she was trying to get out of the way of the truck when it hit her. She didn't think she was intentionally hit, but it wasn't immediately clear if the driver stopped after she was injured. A police officer came out to take her statement, she said. Police interviewed the driver and no charges were filed and no arrests were made related to the collision, NOPD spokesman Aaron Looney said. Morris said she had cuts on her knee and elbow and blood could be seen below her pant leg. She said she hurt her head, but she thinks she's OK. She said she was at the protest because of her concerns about immigration. "This isn't what our country is about, taking children and caging them and they are doing this in our land," she said. "Where does it go from here? Where does it end?" After a fire truck and additional police arrived at the protest, about 30 attendees of the National Sheriffs' Association convention came out of the building. They declined to comment about the protest, but they were filming it with their phones. Protesters said they found out about the rally late last night and early Monday morning. "I'm a mom. I'm an American. It sickens me," said Litzy Carlson, a mom of three who found out about the demonstration through a text message at 7:30 a.m. Monday. Chloe Tucker said she got an email Sunday night letting her know about the protest. "To get that message on Father's Day, it makes you think and want to show up," Tucker said. Several of the protestors said that they had hoped to join the hundreds of people who gathered to march at a border crossing outside of El Paso, Texas on Sunday (June 17) to a tent encampment that is housing migrant children separated from their parents at the border, according to several news outlets. "I couldn't be there," said Wes Cheek. "So I'm here." Reporters were allowed to briefly visit an old warehouse in South Texas over the weekend where hundreds of children wait in a series of cages created by metal fencing. Read more about the facility. -- The Associated Press and NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune photographer Michael DeMocker and reporter Carlie Kollath Wells contributed to this story. Attorney General Jeff Sessions upheld the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy on illegal immigration in a speech Monday (June 18) in New Orleans. His comments, and more forceful ones from Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, came as Democrats and some Republicans balk at the GOP administration's practice of separating foreign children from parents trying to enter the United States. Addressing the National Sheriffs' Association at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Sessions framed the issue as a question of "whether we want to be a country of laws or whether we want to be a country without borders. It is one of the reasons the American people elected President Donald Trump, and that was to end the lawlessness at our southern border." Before Trump took office in 2017, he said, the U.S. sent a "bad message" with its practice of not prosecuting undocumented adults who were caught entering the country with children at illegal crossing points. Word spread, resulting in the number of such immigrants rising from 14,000 annually to 75,000 in four years, he said. Watch Sessions' speech: The Trump administration ended the practice in April. It now arrests the adults and has diverted 1,995 children into the care of the Department of Homeland Security through May, sparking an outcry from Democrats and immigrant advocacy groups that oppose the administration. Just between May 5 and June 9, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said Monday, new numbers from the Department of Homeland Security show 2,342 children were taken from their parents at the border. "The pace of separations has increased -- from nearly 50 to nearly 70 per day -- despite widespread opposition throughout America," said Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. "The White House appears deaf to the wellspring of opposition and deep concern about the welfare of children." Said Sessions: "We do not want to separate children from their parents. We do not want adults to bring children into this country unlawfully, either, placing those children at risk. "But we do have a policy of prosecuting adults who flout our laws to come here illegally instead of waiting their turn or claiming asylum at any of our ports of entry. They can go to our ports of entry if they want to claim asylum, and they don't get arrested." "When we ignore our laws at the border, we obviously encourage hundreds of thousands of people a year to likewise ignore our laws and illegally enter our country, creating an enormous burden on our law enforcement, on our schools, on our hospitals and on our social programs." Sessions asked Congress to partner with the administration in building a wall at the Mexican border and closing loopholes in the law so "we won't face these terrible choices." Nielsen was more blunt, blaming Congress for the administration's predicament: Let the adults go free with the children, which is against the law, or prosecute the adults and take care of the children. "There has been much outcry, consternation and frankly misinformation from many in the press, in Congress and advocacy groups over the last few weeks that we ... are intentionally doing things that are unhumanitarian, that are cruel, immoral and disgraceful," she said. Watch part of Neilsen's speech: "We are doing none of those things. We are enforcing the laws passed by Congress, and we are doing all that we can in the executive branch to protect our communities. It is now time that Congress has to fix our broken immigration system. "Surely it is the beginning of the unraveling of democracy when the body [that] makes the law, rather than changing them, asks the body [that] enforces the laws not to enforce the laws. That cannot be the answer." Feinstein, however, put the onus on the administration. "There's no law requiring the separation of families," she said. "President Trump could end this immoral policy today. If he won't, Congress must act." Sessions and Nielsen were given brief standing ovations by sheriffs and other members of the national association. The group gave Sessions its lifetime achievement award. Not all in the room offered full-throated support for their policies. When asked afterward what he thought of Sessions' speech, Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman said, "He's a very principled person." Gusman, a Democrat, said Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency often asks sheriffs to keep undocumented immigrants in their jails even with no criminal charges -- and with no authority to do so. He said his position is that if ICE wants people detained instead of released from local jails, ICE can come get them. Rep. Steve Scalise of Jefferson, the No. 3 Republican in the House, said in his speech to the association that he hopes to address that issue. He said Congress must alter current law to ensure sheriffs are compensated for these "ICE detainers." Watch Scalise's speech: . . . . . . . Drew Broach covers Jefferson Parish politics and Louisiana interests in Congress, plus other odds and ends, for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: dbroach@nola.com. Facebook: Drew Broach TP. Twitter: drewbroach1. Google+: Drew Broach. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, are scheduled to address the National Sheriffs' Association on Monday at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The speeches are set to begin at 8 a.m. CT. NOLA.com will provide a live video stream of their speeches beginning about 8 a.m. Look for it on our Facebook page or watch it below. Scalise's speech: Sessions' speech: The Sheriffs' Association's Conference & Exposition began June 15 and ends Tuesday. Among the hosts are Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto III, Orleans Sheriff Marlin Gusman and St. Charles Sheriff Greg Champagne, a former president of the national group. The association describes itself as a non-profit organization promoting professionalism in law enforcement. It says it is a "key player in shaping national policy on critical criminal justice and homeland security issues important to the nation's sheriffs, deputies and police" in Congress, the courts and the White House. Its conference includes speeches, seminars, workshops and displays of products and equipment for police work, jails, prisoner transport and courtroom security. Exhibitors, therefore, contribute in large measure to the overall success of the conference. The speeches by Sessions, Nielsen and Scalise, who is the No. 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, come as President Donald Trump's administration and Congress wrestle over the country's immigration policies and the U.S.-Mexico border. Sessions addressed the topic April 11 in a speech to the Southwestern Border Sheriff's Coalition spring meeting in Las Cruces, New Mexico, describing a border rife with drug smugglers and criminal immigrants -- a characterization not entirely endorsed by the sheriffs, according to The Dallas Morning News. . . . . . . . Drew Broach covers Jefferson Parish politics and Louisiana interests in Congress, plus other odds and ends, for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: dbroach@nola.com. Facebook: Drew Broach TP. Twitter: drewbroach1. Google+: Drew Broach. In a fleeting comment to the National Sheriffs' Association convention in New Orleans, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday (June 18) hailed the organization's "Anglo-American" heritage. It came at the start of his address, as President Donald Trump's chief law enforcement officer accepted the association's lifetime achievement award. "So, with 20,000 members, 75 years of history -- actually a lot more history than that, right? -- Anglo-American history," Sessions said, pumping his right fist at the phrase "Anglo-American." "The great sheriffs who are elected by the people, you are really an important part of the entire law enforcement community. This is one of the oldest law enforcement groups in the country." That might sound like a white supremacist remark, and critics have certainly pilloried Trump, Sessions and others in the president's administration for comments and policies deemed insensitive if not outright hostile to racial minorities. Yet Sessions might have meant something altogether different: In the world of legal academia and courts, "Anglo-American law" refers not to race but to the common legal roots of England and the United States. Indeed, an essay on the National Sheriffs' Association website says the United States imported the office and title of sheriff from England, where the job dates from the 9th century. And this was not the first time that Sessions has linked the phrase to U.S. sheriffs; he said almost the same thing Feb. 12 while speaking to the National Sheriffs' Association winter meeting in Washington. If anyone hearing the Republican attorney general's remark at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Monday objected to it, they made no audible response. A Huffington Post reporter made note of it, however, as did the chief of staff to a Democratic state senator in Virginia: . . . . . . . Drew Broach covers Jefferson Parish politics and Louisiana interests in Congress, plus other odds and ends, for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: dbroach@nola.com. Facebook: Drew Broach TP. Twitter: drewbroach1. Google+: Drew Broach. A group of US senators representing the Republican Party plans to visit Russia in early July, head of Russias Federation Council International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev said. "A group of senators from the Republican Party has asked for a meeting in the beginning of July," TASS cited Kosachev as saying. Earlier, the Washington Post reported that US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman is working to arrange a visit by a group of US Republican senators to Russia to hold consultations with Russian officials and explore the possibility of ironing out relations between the two countries. According to the report, Huntsman is one of the few members of the Trump administration who strongly support cooperation between Moscow and Washington. The US ambassador plans to organize the visit of Senators Richard Shelby (Alabama), John Neely Kennedy (Louisiana) and John Hoeven (North Dakota). The mother of a missing Slidell man said Monday (June 18) the search for her son continues and that she is "praying that he comes home safe.'' Dawn Impastato said she hasn't heard any new information from law enforcement authorities in New Orleans and in St. Tammany Parish about her son, Samuel Impastato, who was reported missing on Saturday. Samuel Impastato was last seen 3:15 p.m. Thursday on Royal Street in New Orleans, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office said in a news release Saturday. The 23-year old drove to New Orleans to catch a concert Wednesday night (June 13). WVUE Fox 8 reported that the concert was at the Joy Theater on Canal Street. The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office said his vehicle, a black, 2007 Nissan Altima, was located Saturday parked near the intersection of Canal Street and South Villere Street. "When they found his vehicle we were really hopeful,'' Dawn Impastato said. But it didn't lead to her son, she said. St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "We talked to everybody he knows,'' Dawn Impastato said. "Nobody he knows has heard from him.'' Dawn Impastato said it's not like her son to stay away from home or not let family know his whereabouts. "He's a real kind and sensitive person,'' she said. "I"m just praying he comes home safe,'' she added. Fox 8 reported that Dawn Impastato said her son went to a couple of cash machines and made a purchase at the voodoo shop. The station reported that Dawn Impastato searched the French Quarter and posted flyers seeking information on her missing son. Impastato is 5-foot-7 and approximately 280 pounds, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office said in its news release. Anyone with any information is asked to call St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Detective Lunsford at 985-726-7854 or the Sheriff's Office at 985-898-2338. Opinion by Henry Miller, Arnie D. Fielkow and Bradley D. Bain It can be hard to remember what poverty in America looked like before the federal food assistance programs we have today. Reports from the 1920s and '30s reveal a high incidence of malnutrition-related diseases in the American South: a mass of poor people stricken with the sores and dementia of pellagra and the bone deformations of rickets. In the 1960s, before the reforms that led to the modern system of government food assistance, the nation was scandalized by reports of children in the Mississippi Delta unable to stand for lack of food and by footage of infants dying of malnutrition broadcast on the evening news. In 1969, President Richard Nixon wrote to Congress voicing his concern about the state of hunger in America: "that hunger and malnutrition should persist in a land such as ours," he wrote, "is embarrassing and intolerable." While much has changed since Congress authorized the nationwide expansion of the modern food stamp program in 1974, that program -- now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, or SNAP -- remains a powerfully effective tool for reducing hunger in America and for lifting millions of people, particularly children and the elderly, out of poverty. The state of Louisiana is now poised to eliminate that tool. Due to a funding shortfall within the state budget approved in the last special legislative session, the Department of Children and Family Services has said it will stop participating in SNAP in 2019, unable to afford the state's share of the program's administrative costs. No state has taken this step before, and there are good reasons why. Opting out of SNAP would be disastrous for the nearly 900,000 people -- about 20 percent of all Louisianians -- who receive SNAP benefits. It also would have devastating effects on the economies of our state's poorest parishes. Because SNAP benefits reach people in great need, they are spent nearly immediately. For this reason, Moody's Analytics estimates that every SNAP dollar distributed yields $1.70 in economic activity. In fiscal year 2016, the most recent year for which data is available, Louisiana residents received $1.5 billion in federal aid through the SNAP program. That means that in 2016, SNAP contributed more than $2.5 billion to our state's economy, with much of that money going directly to the parts of our state with the highest concentrations of people living in poverty. Louisiana opting out of SNAP would not only place a cruel economic burden on the citizens least equipped to support it, it also would make no economic sense. Since the state is only responsible for roughly half of the program's administrative costs, opting out of SNAP would mean voluntarily foregoing billions of dollars of economic activity in order to trim roughly $34 million from the state budget. SNAP is an essential program. It helps put food on the table for hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents, and lifts more than 100,000 children out of poverty every year. As our colleagues at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger recently reminded us: "Jewish text and tradition compel us to honor the dignity of every person, especially those who are struggling. No matter a person's circumstance, no one deserves to be hungry." To remove this vital support from our state's citizens would be just as embarrassing and intolerable as was our nation's failure to address persistent hunger decades ago. We call on our state legislators to raise the revenue necessary to preserve SNAP in Louisiana. Henry Miller is chairman of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans Board of Trustees. Arnie D. Fielkow is chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. Bradley D. Bain is chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Council. The exercise is as old as the Republic, but the first thing you need to understand about redistricting is that hot-water cornbread is as ubiquitous in north Louisiana as etouffee is in the south, says Rick Gallot, the Ruston Democratic representat A 62-year-old Alabama man was killed Saturday (June 16) after his riding lawnmower flipped over and fell on top of him, according to AL.com. William "Bill" Joseph Sullivan, of Leesburg, was found crushed to death underneath the John Deere Zero-Turn lawnmower he was riding Saturday morning, AL.com reported. Sullivan was apparently driving the lawnmower along a ditch when he apparently lost control and it flipped over on top of him. As of Sunday evening, police do not believe foul play was involved in the crash, but the investigation is still active, according to AL.com The Cherokee County Coroner ruled Sullivan's cause of death was crush injury to the chest. In Anthony Bourdain's final trips to Louisiana, he spent a lot of time eating at the last remaining Popeye's buffet in the world. (It's in Lafayette). He had a reason to be there, of course: The chef and TV personality was filming what would become his final season of "Parts Unknown," the CNN travel series. Bourdain was found dead June 8, but he leaves behind a legion of fans who came to appreciate new cultures and foods through his devotion and interest in them. Louisiana's Cajun Country was a benefactor of that love and careful recognition. CNN will air one of those final two episodes of "Parts Unknown" on Sunday (June 17), which follows Bourdain's dive into southwest Louisiana's Mardi Gras traditions. The penultimate episode, featuring Cajun Mardi Gras, airs at 8 p.m. CT on June 17. The final episode, featuring director Darren Aronofsky joining Bourdain in Bhutan, airs June 24. Here's how to watch: -- On TV: Tune your dial to CNN. -- On a web browser: Navigate to www.go.CNN.com and enter your television provider login information. You do need a traditional cable subscription to make this work. -- Streaming: Watch CNN on your smart TV, laptop, smartphone or gaming device by downloading Sling TV. The web-based cable TV provider does come at a cost -- the basic service is $20 per month -- but you can sign up for the first seven days free. Just be sure to cancel if you don't want to be hit with the fee. Live streaming of CNN is also available through Hulu Plus for $39.99 per month. -- YouTube: The YouTube channel for "Parts Unknown" offers each episode for $1.99, or you can purchase a season pass. Keep an eye on when the latest is uploaded here. Roseburg, OR (97470) Today Rain likely. High 57F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low near 45F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Managing Editor Having lived and worked in Indy on and off since 1977, and currently living in Carmel, I've seen the city change a great deal. I love covering the arts in all its forms, and the places where the arts and broader cultural issues intersect. Viewed of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Armenia's Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan has called on both former and acting officials to cooperate with the government in detecting acts of corruption. He commented on the video, posted by the National Security Service of Armenia on June 17, which was shot in the house of Deputy in the Armenian National Assembly, participant in the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, Manvel Grigoryan. Grigoryan was arrested on June 16, 2018. Hundreds of boxes with military clothes and medicines, gathered for military personnel, as well as hundreds of boxes with food and hygiene products were found in the warehouses. In addition, 18 PG-7 anti-tank grenades, 20 F-1 grenades, 33300rounds of ammunition of various calibers, 12 TNT-blocks, 79 rifles, 39 pistols, other weapons, as well as several dozen property certificates were found there, Interfax reported. On Grigorian's territory, there are also three motor-vehicle pools with a collection of cars. In addition, a zoo with a tiger, bears, ostriches and horses was found. The deputy chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia, deputy of the National Assembly Armen Ashotyan perceives the find in Manvel Grigoryan's house as "personal pain and tragedy". "If it is proven that all these charges are justified, then this will be a personal tragedy for me," he wrote on his Facebook page. Grigoryan's lawyer Grant Ananyan refused to defend him, according to his statement on Facebook. Ananian specified that new details have emerged in Grigoryan's case, which he had not known earlier. Ananyan pointed out that even the preliminary investigation body did not know about the revealed details. In the current conditions, he considers it not reasonable to continue providing legal assistance to Manvel Grigoryan, Sputnik-Armenia reports. In addition, the mayor of Etchmiadzin, son of Manvel Grigoryan, Karen Grigoryan has resigned. Ex-mayor of Yerevan Vahagn Khachatryan, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the arrest of Manvel Grigoryan opened the shocking reality of life in Armenia. "Recently, cases when people are intentionally misinformed have become more frequent, but I think that everything reported about Grigoryan will be confirmed. And now we should think about how come Grigoryan reached such a scale of criminal activity. I am sure that those people who supported him simply did not know what he was doing behind their backs," he said. "Now they should decide whether to support Manvel Grigoryan. But the most important thing now is for the investigation to be conducted openly. It proves again that the country where we lived as citizens of Armenia was not like that in reality - it was a country of bandits," Vahagn Khachatryan stressed. The ex-mayor of Yerevan drew attention to the fact that the whole of Armenia was shocked by the revealed facts about Manvel Grigoryan's life. "In addition, we have received confirmation that the government led by Nikol Pashinyan is really fighting corruption, shadow economy and other negative things. And we are ready to support this course of the new government and we want all such facts to be revealed to avoid a repetition of it in the future," he concluded. Iran, Venezuela and Iraq intends to block a proposal to increase oil production backed by Saudi Arabia and Russia when OPEC and its allies meet in Vienna this week. "Three OPEC founders are going to stop it," Irans representative to the bloc Hossein Kazempour Ardebili said. "If the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Russia want to increase production, this requires unanimity. If the two want to act alone, thats a breach of the cooperation agreement." "We call upon our brothers in OPEC and Russia that we do not need to appease Trump, who sanctions two OPEC founders and also Russia. We are sovereign nations driven by our own responsibilities and values. The whole world has to stand against these arrogant attitudes -- and will," Bloomberg cited Kazempour Ardebili as saying. OPEC and its allies could consider a production increase of as much as 1.5 million barrels a day. That would be enough to offset the supply losses from Venezuela and Iran foreseen by the International Energy Agency. Saudi Arabia has been discussing different scenarios that would raise production by between 500,000 and 1 million barrels a day, according to people familiar with the matter. For everyone else, the consolidation boom hasnt worked out so well. Since the modern merger era began in the 1980s, corporate profits have surged, while family incomes have stagnated and income inequality has increased. Say this much for the corporate executives who argue that a bigger company can be more profitable: They know what theyre talking about. In recent months, Ive spent some time trying to figure out just how much bigger as a share of the American economy big business has become. The question has been harder to answer than I expected. The Fortune 500 ranking doesnt answer the question, for example, because it doesnt distinguish between domestic and foreign revenue. And while some good academic work has analyzed consolidation within industries, I havent been able to find an economy-wide measure. So I set out to create one, with help from an obscure Census Bureau data set known as Business Dynamics Statistics. It shows how many American workers are employed by different-size companies, now and in the past. Mexico City With Mexicos presidential election less than a month away, Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors victory seems inevitable. People are not arguing about whether he will win, but about the size of his victory. One reliable poll says he will get 54 percent of the vote in a contest with two other major candidates, and another suggests that his coalition, Juntos Haremos Historia, will sweep the Congress. Such a complete victory would transform Mexicos political map, not unlike the way Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and Carlos Salinas de Gortari of Mexico realigned political alliances and national priorities. After 18 years of trying, and trying again, Mr. Lopez Obrador, widely known as AMLO, may have a historic opportunity. He has said that his presidency will signal the start of Mexicos fourth revolution, following independence from Spain in the early 19th century, the liberal reforms later that century, and the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. He promises an austere, nationalist government that will fight corruption and inequality. He has said he will push constitutional amendments to change Mexicos energy policy, eliminate immunity for government employees and allow for mechanisms of direct democracy, such as presidential referendums. He has repeatedly compared himself to Mexican leaders like Benito Juarez, Francisco Madero and Lazaro Cardenas, which is like an American candidate comparing himself to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt. The comedian Roseanne Barr resurrected one of the oldest and most profoundly racist slanders in American history when she referred to Valerie Jarrett, an African-American woman who served as an adviser to President Barack Obama, as the offspring of an ape. This depiction promoted by slave traders, historians and practitioners of scientific racism was used to justify slavery, lynching and the creation of the Jim Crow state. It made the leap to the silver screen in deeply noxious films like The Birth of a Nation and haunted American popular culture well into the 20th century. The toxically racist ape characterization has been pushed to the margins of the public square. Nevertheless, a growing body of research shows that it has maintained a pernicious grip on the American imagination. It is especially problematic in the criminal justice system, where subhuman treatment of African-Americans remains strikingly visible. That message comes through powerfully in research by several social scientists, but particularly in the work of the Stanford University psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt and Phillip Atiba Goff, president of the Center for Policing Equity at John Jay College in New York. In six studies published with collaborators a decade ago, Mr. Goff and Ms. Eberhardt found that even younger study participants who were born since the civil rights revolution and claimed to know nothing of the ape caricature of blackness were swayed by it when making judgments about black people. In one study, white male undergraduates who were subliminally exposed to words associated with apes for example, chimp or gorilla were more likely to condone the beating of those in police custody when they thought that the suspect was black. I cant begin to imagine the incredible pain and anxiety parents like Munoz and their children must feel. I cant imagine being forcibly separated from my children for any reason. And yet, this has become Trumps policy of persecution. Attorney General Jeff Sessions even had the gall to invoke one of the same Bible verses used to justify slavery to justify the current policy. Trump keeps lying about it, trying to distort reality and claim that the separations are a result of a law made by the Democrats. As The Times reported on Saturday: Mr. Trump has steadfastly tried to deflect blame for the separation of children from their parents, consistently dissembling about why it is occurring. His comments are the latest example of his asking the public to discount what it sees with its own eyes and instead believe his own self-serving version of reality. They also reflect how politically poisonous the issue has become, as photographs and news articles circulate about the effects of the practice. As The Times explained: In fact, there is no law that requires families to be separated at the border. There is a law against improper entry at the border, as well as a consent decree known as the Flores settlement that limits to 20 days the amount of time that migrant children may be held in immigration detention, which a federal judge ruled in 2016 also applies to families. A 2008 antitrafficking statute signed into law by a Republican president, George W. Bush also requires that certain unaccompanied alien minors be transferred out of immigration detention in 72 hours. None of those laws or precedents mean that children must be taken away from their parents. It is the Trump administrations decision this year to prosecute all unlawful immigrants as criminals that has forced the breakup of families; the children are removed when the parents are taken into federal custody. While previous administrations have made exceptions to such prosecutions for adults traveling with their minor children, the Trump administration has said it will not do so. Iran says Venezuela and Iraq will join it in blocking a proposal to increase oil production thats backed by Saudi Arabia and Russia when OPEC and its allies meet in Vienna this week, Bloomberg reports. Three OPEC founders are going to stop it, Irans representative to the bloc Hossein Kazempour Ardebili said in comments to Bloomberg on Sunday. If the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Russia want to increase production, this requires unanimity. If the two want to act alone, thats a breach of the cooperation agreement. We call upon our brothers in OPEC and Russia that we do not need to appease Trump, who sanctions two OPEC founders and also Russia, Kazempour Ardebili said. We are sovereign nations driven by our own responsibilities and values. The whole world has to stand against these arrogant attitudes -- and will. WASHINGTON The Pentagon has quietly empowered the United States Cyber Command to take a far more aggressive approach to defending the nation against cyberattacks, a shift in strategy that could increase the risk of conflict with the foreign states that sponsor malicious hacking groups. Until now, the Cyber Command has assumed a largely defensive posture, trying to counter attackers as they enter American networks. In the relatively few instances when it has gone on the offensive, particularly in trying to disrupt the online activities of the Islamic State and its recruiters in the past several years, the results have been mixed at best. But in the spring, as the Pentagon elevated the commands status, it opened the door to nearly daily raids on foreign networks, seeking to disable cyberweapons before they can be unleashed, according to strategy documents and military and intelligence officials. The change in approach was not formally debated inside the White House before it was issued, according to current and former administration officials. But it reflects the greater authority given to military commanders by President Trump, as well as a widespread view that the United States has mounted an inadequate defense against the rising number of attacks aimed at America. At least five people died on Sunday in South Texas after an S.U.V. carrying a dozen unauthorized immigrants crashed while trying to speed away from Border Patrol agents and local officials, the authorities said. Several others were injured when they were ejected from the S.U.V., which was speeding about 100 miles per hour when it rolled over, the authorities said. The crash happened in Dimmit County, about 125 miles southwest of San Antonio. Marion Boyd, the Dimmit County sheriff, said two United States citizens the driver and one passenger were trying to smuggle 12 unauthorized immigrants. He said his office would work with federal officials to charge the driver and the passenger, adult males who had not been identified. The crash is also being investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the United States Border Patrol and other federal agencies. For generations, the conflict was the center of presidential politics. Yet how the peace deal signed by Mr. Santos was to be put into effect was not often discussed in the campaign, and sometimes appeared to be an afterthought. Instead, Colombia moved toward a new set of questions: How should the country tackle the corruption scandals that have hit it, along with other countries in the region? What should be done about the rising number of Venezuelan refugees who have poured over the countrys borders? What is to be done about rising coca production? But the war carries a long shadow, and the peace deal affected the fortunes of both men on the presidential ballot. Mr. Duque was aided by his partys long opposition to the peace deal; it argued that it was too lenient on drug traffickers. Many who voted the deal down after a referendum in 2016 gave their votes to Mr. Duque. The end of the war with the FARC appeared to help Mr. Petro, too, as the first serious left-wing candidate for president in years. Some analysts said peace may have softened the stance of many Colombians against ex-rebels, allowing a former guerrilla to make headway. The campaign may offer some hints as to how Mr. Duque will govern. He published a book called The Future Is at the Political Center this year and backed off some of his partys more right-wing stances. And while he has expressed doubts about the peace deal agreed to in 2016, he has not asked to overturn it. He has, though, suggested some modifications. Current exhibits include a burkini, the swimwear used by some Muslim women, which some in Europe have tried to ban; a campaign leaflet used in Britains referendum on whether to leave the European Union; and a 3D-printed gun, acquired after these weapons stirred a panic in Britain in 2013. Corinna Gardner, a senior curator at the museum, said she received regular requests from other museums to borrow such items. She also said that other institutions had asked her for advice about how to develop their own rapid-response programs. Leontine Meijer-van Mensch, the deputy director of the Jewish Museum Berlin, said in a telephone interview that she was intrigued by the rapid-response approach of the V&A. She said that her museum had followed suit and had begun acquiring objects that had figured prominently in current affairs. In April, Ms. Meijer-van Mensch said she had tried to obtain the trophy for album of the year that was given to two rappers at Germanys Echo Music Awards. The accolade prompted an outcry because some of the musicians lyrics were said to be anti-Semitic. But Ms. Meijer-van Mensch said efforts to get hold of the trophy had been in vain. Just days after the furor over the German music awards, two men wearing Jewish skullcaps, or kipas, were attacked in an affluent neighborhood of Berlin by a man wielding a belt. One of the men, who is from Israel but is not Jewish, said he had worn the skullcap to prove to a friend that he could wear one in Berlin without being harassed. The incident kicked off a debate about the extent of anti-Semitism in Germany, culminating in a demonstration in Berlin by kipa-wearing protesters. I was intrigued by the enormous aftermath of this, Ms. Meijer-van Mensch said. I thought I needed to go to this with a photographer, and I needed to collect objects. She clambered up walls at the protest to obtain posters, and afterwards tracked down one of the men who was attacked to get his kipa for the museum. It was actually quite fun guerrilla collecting in a way. Its very different to normal, she said. Black Panther leads at the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards. And the Monterey Pop Festival streams on its 51st anniversary. Whats on TV 2018 MTV MOVIE & TV AWARDS 9 p.m. on MTV. The comedian Tiffany Haddish will host this awards show, with performances from the R&B duo Chloe x Halle and Nick Jonas, who will appear alongside the producer DJ Mustard. Black Panther leads with seven nominations, including best movie. IT WILL BE CHAOS (2018) 8 p.m. on HBO. This documentary, directed by Lorena Luciano and Filippo Piscopo, features multiple perspectives on the experiences of refugees in the Mediterranean. While an Eritrean man seeks asylum and a pair of Syrian refugees journey from Turkey to Germany, citizens in southern Italy grapple with the arrival of thousands. But when her parents end their exotic and unlikely partnership after 20 years of marriage, Wagner starts to feel truly alone, like an astronaut on a distant planet. And then, just as she begins to think about the prehistories that ultimately determined my own story, a family mystery presents itself. Like many fellow seekers, Wagner starts her ancestral quest when she learns that one of her forebears might not have been what he seemed. Wagners Catholic grandfather served kosher wine at Thanksgiving. An aunt thinks he was Jewish. Her father dismisses the theory, but a cousin tells her that once, when their grandfathers father had been in an accident, hed cried out in Yiddish. An uncle had referred to himself as an old Jew. The idea of belonging to a tribe starts to seem likely and appealing. Her curiosity about Burma grows, too. Increasingly shes puzzled that while her mother and grandmother remembered the place with near-mystical reverence, they never expressed a single sentence of regret about leaving. For so long shes thought of herself as futureface, happy to be mistaken as a Sioux Indian or Egyptian Coptic. Now she wonders: In her familys dive into the American Salad Bowl, has something important been lost? She travels to Burma and Luxembourg, spends time searching archives and looking for physical landmarks from her familys past. As she searches, she questions the hazardous effects of nostalgia, how it casts a rosy hue over inequality and smooths out complication. It always rang alarm bells when anyone got misty-eyed about the good times, which, she writes, tended to be pretty bad times for other people. While many of the answers she seeks cant be found, some can. There are victims and victimizers on both sides of her family. The Europeans had upended two people on opposite sides of the globe, for very different reasons at the very same time. Between her parents very different family histories, an unexpected synergy emerges as family members from both Europe and Asia emigrate to the United States, eventually enabling the connection that produces Wagner herself. After her travels, she tries to resolve lingering questions with DNA testing. Her stinging criticism of the flossy statistics set out in ancestry composition results is some of the best Ive seen on the subject. Possibly inaccurate to the point of uselessness, she calls them, observing that the categories themselves are suspect. Some DNA is classified using political borders, such as Irish, whereas others, such as South Asian DNA, are defined by regional assignments. The tests also fail to account for the permeability of borders over time. Its true that the British colonized Burma in the mid-1800s, but there were far earlier arrivals by the Pyu (200 B.C.) and the Mon (A.D. 1000). The sites dont purport to look back that far, but these historical events still raise the question: At what point was Burmese blood considered unmixed and exempt of outside influence? Ultimately, Wagner mocks herself for being afflicted with the narcissism of self-testing, eager for data about me me me. She talks with experts who emphasize the likelihood that these tests will divide us rather than reveal our interconnectedness. Shes right to highlight those perils, to denounce the tribalism and reductive scientific materialism that can motivate ancestry searches. And yet its the concreteness of Wagners own search, in all its messy detail and lingering uncertainties, that underscores our interconnectedness, that shows how my our circle of human existence inexorably widens, looping us away from each other and then back again. Trace your ancestry, she writes early on, and you end up charting the course of global struggle. The dangers of fetishizing our forebears are plain. The tools currently available for exploring our histories are highly problematic. And yet, over millenniums and over borders, the hunger to feel a connection to those who came before us, to those whose bodies brought forth ours, has persisted. The answer isnt to berate ourselves for our curiosity but to understand it. Meditating on our ancestors, as Wagners own story shows, can suggest better ways of being ourselves. The images that have always attracted Murnane remain the focus of Border Districts: horse racing (both Murnane and his father were devoted to the sport, as gamblers and fans); prismatic objects like marbles and stained glass; Roman Catholic ritual and iconography (Murnane considered joining the priesthood before losing his faith as a young man); the parts of certain books that continue to have a place among the images in his mind; the landscape of the Victoria region of Australia where Murnane has lived all his life. Border Districts, like other examples of Murnanes late work, is particularly interested in the reason certain images have remained in his mind while others have disappeared or been drained of color. Why, he wonders, does the mind winnow some and spare others? Stream System, which gathers Murnanes short fiction from 1980 to 2002, affords a valuable look at his development as a writer. Murnanes earlier stories show the beginnings of his mature style as well as his struggles to attain it. Land Deal (1980) and Stone Quarry (1986) still lean on artifice taken from other writers, particularly that of a dream nested inside another dream, as found in the work of Jorge Luis Borges. And in the early stories Murnane doesnt always trust the reader in the way that he does later. In the 1988 story Finger Web, he writes about a man listening to a soldier tell a story: The man in this story understood that the soldier was not now trying to make him see a map in his mind but was afraid. The man understood that the soldier was afraid of telling the end of his story because it was the story of something that had changed him from one sort of soldier and man into another sort. Here Murnane draws the conclusion that the soldier has been transformed for the reader, rather than allowing the reader to come to that conclusion for himself. Once he trusts wholly in his own method, his short works have the same concentrated excellence as his longer fiction. Reading Murnane, one cares less about what is happening in the story and more about what one is thinking about as one reads. The effect of his writing is to induce images in the readers own mind, and to hold the reader inside a world in which the reader is at every turn encouraged to turn his or her attention to those fast flocking images. While I read Border Districts, I saw in my mind an image of a sentence in Tarjei Vesaas novel The Birds, which tells of Mattis, a purehearted naif, and his relationship with his sister, Hege. At one point, feeling that Hege is speaking to him as if he were a lesser person, Mattis demands something remarkable of his sister: Talk to me like you talk to other people. Since I first read Mattiss injunction, Ive considered it a demand that should be made of every writer: Develop a voice so clear, so unaffected, that its a voice for everyone, unencumbered by the intrusions of any foreign or adopted artfulness. The image of this demand stayed before my eyes as I read because Murnanes is one of the clearest examples of such a voice Ive ever encountered. By any standard, Rupert Stadler, the chief executive of Volkswagens Audi luxury car division, is a survivor. When evidence emerged that Audi had played a major role in developing illegal emissions software on Mr. Stadlers watch, he and most other top executives kept their jobs. When an outside monitor faulted Volkswagen for failing to hold executives accountable, Mr. Stadler stayed in place. And when Munich prosecutors identified him last week as a suspect in their investigation and searched his home for evidence, Volkswagen said its management board had not even discussed his dismissal. That run may well be ending, however. On Monday, German authorities arrested Mr. Stadler, 55, holding him indefinitely pending trial, an acute embarrassment for Volkswagen and one that could finally prod the company to action. Mr. Stadlers arrest is the latest example of German officials widening their investigation into diesel cheating at Volkswagen. The company was found in 2015 to be using software to artificially lower a vehicles emissions levels when it was undergoing tests. So far, the inquiry into the scandal has largely been led by authorities in the United States, where the carmaker has had to pay tens of billions of dollars in fines and settlements, and where several executives have been arrested or sentenced to jail. Arguments over money and politics are always worse when beer is involved. As tariffs and combative rhetoric entangle the United States in trade fights, a scuffle has broken out at home over the rising cost of the aluminum used to make cans for beer and other beverages. Beer makers are frustrated over the way prices are set in the American aluminum market and say those who produce and trade the metal are using President Trumps tariffs as cover for artificially inflating its cost. They now want the government to investigate the methodology used to produce the Midwest Premium, an arcane figure that largely determines the cost of buying bulk aluminum in North America. Its become a device to artificially raise the price of aluminum for producers and traders, enriching them at the expense of users like ourselves, said Tim Weiner, the senior global commodities risk manager for Molson Coors, which buys roughly 500 million pounds of aluminum a year as it churns out some 12 billion cans of beer. The company, maker of Coors Light, Miller High Life and Milwaukees Best, could see its aluminum costs rise by $40 million this year, he said. The price increase is comparatively small. An analysis by the Beer Institute, an industry trade group, pegged the cost at a penny a can, or about $350 million a year. SHANGHAI Thanks to President Trumps tariffs, Americans will soon be paying more for a wide variety of Chinese-made goods, and some American customers may end up buying from other countries instead. For now, China can live with that. The tariffs the White House announced on Friday will have little immediate impact on China, despite the size of the $50 billion in goods involved and the invective the move set off from Chinese official news media. Mr. Trumps tariffs are ultimately too small and narrowly targeted to seriously affect Chinas nearly $13 trillion economy, which no longer depends so much on exports and can easily find other places besides the United States to sell its products. In some ways, they are even smaller than tariffs imposed by previous presidents. The tariffs could spread, of course. Mr. Trump escalated his trade fight with China on Monday, saying the administration would identify another $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that could face 10 percent tariffs. The president criticized Chinas actions, saying it was determined to keep the United States at a permanent and unfair disadvantage. The question is whether Mr. Trump will make good on his threats. China could retaliate with its own tariffs on the United States far smaller exports in the other direction across the Pacific. Plus, it could impose punitive measures against American companies doing business here. The mayor of Etchmiadzin, son of Manvel Grigoryan, Karen Grigoryan has resigned. "I, Karen Grigoryan, submit my resignation by my will," he wrote on Facebook. Yesterday morning, Grigoryan had met with the governor of Armavir Province, Gagik Mirijanyan, whereupon he had announced that he will continue to serve as mayor, News.am reported. But sometime thereafter, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Karen Grigoryans father, Republican Party of Armenia MP, General Manvel Grigoryan, was suspected not solely of illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, but also of appropriating the goods which schoolchildren had sent for military servicemen as assistance. As reported earlier, Manvel Grigoryan was arrested within the framework of the criminal case that was filed into the finding of illegal weapons and ammunition in his summer residence. Good Monday. Want this in your inbox every morning? Sign up here. C.E.O.s think Kim won Last week on the same day that President Trump met with Kim Jong-un, and a federal judge approved AT&Ts takeover of Time Warner business leaders attended the Yale C.E.O. Summit at the New York Public Library, led by Jeff Sonnenfeld. What did Americas top business executives think of the days news? That event was strictly off the record, but DealBook has the results of a survey from it: About 69 percent of the 107 attendees surveyed thought that the Kim-Trump meeting was overrated, because of a lack of clear targets and outcomes. The summit meetings biggest winner? 59 percent said Mr. Kim. The biggest loser? 28 percent thought Mr. Trump; 27 percent thought leaders of the Group of 7. Get the DealBook newsletter to make sense of major business and policy headlines and the power-brokers who shape them. ________ For Google, a half a billion dollars is a drop in the bucket. But that money could have an outsize impact on the American tech giants ability to re-enter China. Google said Monday that it would invest $550 million in JD.com, one of Chinas biggest e-commerce companies. The investment was a reminder that China, with all its promise, has been largely closed off to American tech giants, thanks to government censorship and fierce competition from homegrown rivals like Alibaba. That doesnt mean that Silicon Valley moguls have abandoned hopes of building up their Chinese presences. Heres where some of the top tech companies stand with their forays into China. Compared with the entire United States population, which skews slightly female, Google is much more male: Over two-thirds of its staff in 2018 are men. The proportion of women at Google is barely changing The percentage of women on Googles staff rose to 30.9 percent this year from 30.6 in 2014 suggesting that the company is still finding it hard to reach gender parity. But there has been an increase in the number of women in technical roles at Google The percentage of technical roles at Google held by women has risen to 21.4 percent in 2018 from 16.6 percent in 2014, but, again, it still has a long way to achieve gender parity. What Google has to say Despite significant effort, and some pockets of success, we need to do more to achieve our desired diversity and inclusion outcomes, wrote Danielle Brown, Googles chief diversity and inclusion officer, in a statement issued along with the report. If we want a better outcome, we need to evolve our approach. Is it doing enough? Lawsuits have accused Google of doing both too much and not enough to improve diversity in its work force. The latest figures suggest that even if its efforts are felt to be overblown by some people, they dont appear to be having a huge impact on overall numbers. So what did they think about all the news? While the C.E.O.s were very pleased with the present course of the economy, they were very concerned about the geopolitical positioning, Mr. Sonnenfeld said in a statement. In particular, they believe that the U.S. is already being outmaneuvered in the North Korean negotiations. The event was off the record. But DealBook has the results of a survey of 107 attendees at the event. Here are the highlights: On the Trump-Kim meeting Sixty-nine percent thought that the meeting was overrated, because of a lack of clear targets and outcomes. The biggest winner of the summit meeting? Nearly 60 percent said Mr. Kim. The biggest losers? Roughly 28 percent thought Mr. Trump; 27 percent thought leaders of the Group of 7. On the AT&T-Time Warner verdict Eighty percent of survey participants agreed with the decision. About 60 percent thought that the Justice Department had tried to block the deal for political, not legal, reasons. Amanda Danielle Braun and Elizabeth Anne Shirey were married June 16. Rabbi Laurie E. Green officiated at the Mill at Fine Creek, an events space in Powhatan, Va. Ms. Braun (left), 28, is the deputy organizing director and training director in the Richmond, Va., chapter of For Our Future, a political action committee that supports progressive issues and candidates. In 2016, she was a regional organizing director, in Reading, Pa., for Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign. She graduated from Wellesley College. She is the daughter of Carole S. Braun and Paul A. Braun of Princeton, N.J. The brides father is the president of Braun Research, a marketing and public research firm in Princeton. Her mother is a teachers aide at Littlebrook Elementary School in Princeton, and is the wardrobe manager for the Princeton Festival, a seasonal opera festival in Princeton. Ms. Shirey, 30, is a captain in the Army Judge Advocate Generals Corps at Fort Lee, Va., prosecuting soldiers accused of violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice. She also graduated from Wellesley, and received a law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. In June 2013, institute staff drew up a business plan making the case for the industrys financial support of the study. Once the data are released into the public domain via publication, it said, the industry can use that information to make or bolster whatever arguments and claims they choose. It continued, At that point, the N.I.A.A.A. and the N.I.H. are out of the process. If the study failed to find health benefits in moderate drinking but provided no evidence of harm, the results still would be a boon for the beverage makers. The findings would counter a 2014 World Health Organization edict that no level of alcohol consumption is safe because it raises the risk of cancer. Indeed, on Feb. 26, 2015, Dr. Mukamal and alcohol institute staff weighed in on an email to an industry group, editing it to say that one of the important findings of the study will be showing that moderate drinking is safe. Image Dr. Kenneth Mukamal Credit... Kayana Szymczak for The New York Times As we discussed, this will be the first R.C.T., i.e. gold standard evidence of this, they added, and it is important to answer statements made by W.H.O. and others that no level of alcohol is safe with certainty. (R.C.T. refers to a randomized controlled trial.) Alcohol, which is classified as a carcinogen, is linked to a slight increase in breast cancer risk at even one drink a day. One of the main criticisms of the alcohol trial from the start was that it was not large enough, and would not last long enough, to detect a rise in cancers, which are slow-growing, among drinkers. Barry S. Kramer, director of cancer prevention at the National Cancer Institute, who reviewed the trial design as part of the advisory committees report, agreed with this assessment. The trial is set to show the benefit while missing the harm of alcohol consumption, he wrote. As I was looking up the magnitude of the earthquake on the U.S.G.S. site, my 6-year-old daughter called from our home across the Bay. Dad! We had an earthquake! We had an earthquake! she yelled excitedly over the phone. It was like a giant stepped on the house! As a correspondent in Asia, I had covered the Nepal earthquake of 2015 and experienced a number of aftershocks. But this was the first earthquake that I had felt since moving to the San Francisco Bay Area two years ago. It caused no damage, but I was surprised at how strongly even such a seismic blip could jolt a building. The article I was researching, which was published last week, involved a particular class of buildings constructed before the Northridge earthquake in 1994, when a critical flaw was discovered in the connections between columns and beams. Northridge was a humbling experience for engineers who realized that a welding and connection technique that had been used for three decades made steel-frame buildings more likely to collapse. A recent study co-authored by Gregory Deierlein, a Stanford University earthquake engineering expert who is a seismic advisor to the city of San Francisco, found that a typical building with the flaw had roughly a 50 percent chance of collapse with ground shaking similar to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. (The buildings are not thought to be vulnerable to lower intensity earthquakes.) The probabilities of collapse are calculated by using complex computer models that engineers agree are far from perfect. Engineers often say we wont know how accurate those models are until the buildings actually go through an earthquake. During the early years of the Syrian war, images of fleeing migrants crossing borders and braving the Mediterranean Sea gripped the worlds attention. But as the conflict rages on for the seventh year, the Spanish photographer Diego Ibarra Sanchez fears that readers have become inured to Syrians suffering. While large-scale atrocities within Syria are vigorously covered, Mr. Ibarra said stories of those who fled the bloodshed also must be told. No one is talking about them, he said. No one is supporting them. No one is giving them a voice. Mr. Ibarra has been working to change that with his documentary project, Limbo: Lives in Exile. Since 2014, hes been chronicling the myriad struggles Syrian refugees in Lebanon face, delving into lives essentially halted by a war that seems far from over. Part of his mission is to capture the diversity of the Syrian population in Lebanon. Limbo features familiar shots of the exiled in informal settlements, but it also spotlights more fortunate Syrians who live relatively comfortably. Ms. Miner plans to run under the banner of an upstart new group, the Serve America Movement, which calls itself SAM, formed by people disaffected by the existing party structure after the 2016 elections. She will be the groups first candidate. Stephanie is, from our perspective, the vanguard, the pioneer, the first one to go, said Scott Muller, a leader of SAM and a former general counsel of the C.I.A. He said the plan is for Ms. Miner to petition to create a SAM Party in New York, with the eventual goal of a national party presence. We are going to do everything we can do under the law to help, Mr. Muller said. She will be our first priority. Mr. Molinaro issued a statement welcoming Ms. Miner into the race. This is now a four-way contest, he declared. Ms. Nixon said that she and Ms. Miner were running different races. Shes more of a moderate and Im definitely a part of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, Ms. Nixon said. Mr. Cuomos campaign declined to comment. For months, Ms. Miner has publicly flirted with running for governor, though few political insiders seemed to take her particularly seriously, given Mr. Cuomos strength as a two-term incumbent and Ms. Miners previous dalliance with a potential run for Congress. Throughout, Ms. Miner has said that her decision would not be affected by Ms. Nixons run. But Ms. Nixon and Ms. Miner met privately this year, before Ms. Nixon announced her bid, when they and their spouses shared a meal in Syracuse, according to two people familiar with the meeting. What exactly such a program would look like in New York State is an open question; the states 2014 medical marijuana law, which came after more than 20 other states had established such programs, was heavily criticized during its early years for being too restrictive and ineffective, though changes have since been made. But marijuana is still not allowed to be smoked in the medical program the drug is available in oil forms, among others a stipulation of Mr. Cuomos, who had insisted on strict controls. Dr. Zucker said that the report on recreational usage was done in consultation with experts from all across the government, including specialists in public safety, public health, and economics, including taxation. He said that group had considered a wide range of issues including the age of allowed use, impaired driving, and production and distribution and concluded that legal marijuana could be done statewide. Dr. Zucker made his remarks to reporters after making an announcement in Brooklyn regarding the finalizing of regulations to allow those using or abusing prescription opioids to qualify for the states medical marijuana program. Mr. Cuomo has been saying that the report from the health department would be done for several weeks, but on Monday, his office said only that they would review the report when we receive it. Dr. Zucker said the report would come out soon, adding that the governor had charged me, over the years, with a lot of reports that he wanted me to put forward. And he knows I like to cross all my Ts and dot all my Is. Ms. Nixons campaign seized on the news of the long-awaited report as a sign of the reactive nature of the Mr. Cuomos recent governance, which has included several efforts to appease voters on the left. Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for Ms. Nixons campaign, said, It shouldnt have taken Cuomo eight years and a challenge from Ms. Nixon to understand the facts have changed. Ms. Nixon has made the issue a centerpiece of her insurgent campaign, framing the idea as a criminal justice reform, noting that smoking marijuana is something that white people do with impunity, while members of minority groups are disproportionately arrested and tried for possession and other drug crimes. A group of 25 Permanent Representatives to the OSCE will be traveling to Baku, Yerevan and Tbilisi from 18 to 22 June 2018, according to 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," the OSCE website says. "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," the organisation added. James H. Tully Jr., a former New York finance commissioner who challenged neighboring states for siphoning off New York revenue, pursued corporations that took tax deductions for bribes they had paid, and helped New York City recover from its fiscal crisis, died on June 10 in Albany. He was 87. The cause was non-Hodgkins lymphoma, his son, James, said. Mr. Tully was the New York State commissioner of taxation and finance from 1975 to 1982. He presided during New York Citys fiscal crisis, becoming, in effect, the custodian of the citys sales tax revenue. That money had been pledged to pay the debt of the Municipal Assistance Corporation, an agency created to borrow funds on behalf of New York City after major banks had refused to give it any more loans. Mr. Tully was appointed by Gov. Hugh L. Carey, a Brooklyn neighbor and friend. Mr. Tully had been chairman of Citizens for Carey, a campaign committee that helped elect him governor in 1974. In naming him to the post, Mr. Carey, a Democrat, had demanded more vigorous enforcement of the states tax laws, and Mr. Tully faithfully followed his mandate, starting with the governor himself: He billed him $572.33 in back state and city income taxes for the free rides his children had taken on a state-owned aircraft. That little dog caused my lonely mother untold exasperation and delight. Emma would drag Moms purse under the bed to a place Mom couldnt reach even lying on the floor. Mom would get up from her chair for half a minute and turn around to find Emma in her place, lapping up the coffee shed left on the table beside the recliner and finishing off the oatmeal too. Half the stories Mom told her grandchildren at supper every night were stories about me as a little girl. The other half were about Emma. A dog loves a person the way people love each other only while in the grip of new love: with intense, unwavering focus, attentive to every move the beloved makes, unaware of imperfections, desiring little more than to be close, to be entwined, to touch and touch and touch. For my mother, who never ceased to miss my father and who must have felt herself to be on the margins of her childrens busy lives, it was nothing less than a godsend to be loved by that little dog. Every time Mom went to visit my sister or my brother, she would leave Emma with me. For days, the dog would sit before our back door, the same door my mother used every night when she and Emma came over for supper. The window in that door is the only one in our house that reaches low enough for a dachshund to see through. She would sit in front of the door and wait. She waited and waited she had endless reserves of patience and time and three days later, a week at most, my mother always came back to her. Two weeks after the funeral, Emma went missing when she was outside with me. That tiny, dapple-colored dog was both willful and invisible: She never once came when called, and she could disappear beneath the lowest bushes, behind the smallest fallen branch. I turned that yard inside out looking for her. When I finally thought to check at Moms house across the street, I found her at the back door, jumping up and scratching to be let in. She had been scratching so urgently, and for so long, the paint was chipped away from the doorjamb. Thats what it means to be loved by a dog. G.Y.: You mentioned Adrian Piper. As you know, she was the first African-American woman tenured philosopher in the United States. I recall asking her about some of the obstacles that black women face in philosophy, and she was rightly critical of what she saw as a racist and sexist perception of black women in philosophy as maids or prostitutes. Do black women in philosophy continue to be stereotyped in such denigrating ways? A.L.A.: Adrian Piper and I were colleagues at Georgetown University in the late 1980s and close friends for longer. I shared with her my stories of denigration, which may have contributed to what she said to you. My dissertation chairman was Richard Brandt. Once after I had earned the doctorate and was meeting with him, he stood over me, lifted my chin toward him and remarked that I looked like a maid his family once employed. Around the same time, early in the Ronald Reagan administration, an effort was made to rid Washington of the sex trade and shops that flourished along the 14th Street corridor a few blocks from the White House. I worked in nearby McPherson Square at the National Endowment for the Humanities and, as a volunteer at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. One day I was walking near my office with a white male friend, a philosopher at an Ivy League university. We were stopped by the police, who profiled us as a hooker and john. I had to answer questions and show ID. Is the denigration of black women philosophers a thing of decades past? Are we beyond being asked to fetch coffee for department chairs and worse? Regrettably, no. In October 2017 a very senior Harvard-educated white male philosopher, whose wife is also an academic, wrote to me seeking feedback on an op-ed he hoped to submit to The New York Times or The Washington Post. He did not like my feedback. He ended an email lamenting his failure to get anything more than duncical shit as feedback on his work by letting me know that he had recently imagined seeing my face in the photographs he used in masturbation! Incredible, right? I wrote back to explain why I was offended and to sever ties. I assume that if such a thing could happen to me, some very, very serious harassment and racism must be happening to young women in the field. G.Y.: Each of those experiences are degrading, Anita. But concerning the third one, though, he could have kept that to himself. Why would he feel the need to tell you this? Was it about control and dehumanization? Was it impunity on his part? I think that we also need to keep in mind that he is white and that he shared it. This does not escape the history of white men and the racist depiction of black women as Jezebels. To the Editor: Re As Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Tacks Right, a Cartoonist Is Fired (Business Day, June 16): Gagging editorial cartoonists may not seem like the worst possible threat to a free press, but as Rob Rogers, the cartoonist fired by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, makes clear, its still a threat. Editorial cartoons often express viewpoints contrary to those of a publications editors. If anything, they are equivalent to op-ed articles. When a cartoonist is censured, or fired, for using his creations to express ideas his employer doesnt like, or that his supervisor thinks that the boss wont like, the message is clear: Your job is to be a mouthpiece, not to express any opinions of your own. And if cartoonists can be bullied in this way, whats to protect actual op-ed columnists, or reporters, from the same treatment? For that matter, whats to protect their editors, if they dont go along with their publishers and punish those who step out of line? And punishing people for making fun of politicians is particularly insidious, for it protects those politicians from criticism that might save them from making destructive decisions. And he hasnt even been suspended from practicing law, much less disbarred. Hes now working as a defense lawyer in private practice. Thats right: hes making a living representing people accused of crimes, in the same courthouse from which he was (supposedly) banished a year ago. His law firm website even touts his experience as a former homicide prosecutor. The law also makes it virtually impossible for Mr. Kurtzrocks victims to sue him, with the Supreme Court having declared that individual prosecutors and their offices are immune from civil rights lawsuits in all but the rarest of cases. Mr. Kurtzrocks case may be the most recent example of the systems egregious failure to hold a rogue prosecutor accountable, but its hardly anomalous. The National Registry of Exonerations, based out of the University of California, Irvine, reports that official misconduct by police, prosecutors or both was a factor in roughly half of the nearly 2,200 exonerations across the country since 1989. To date, only one prosecutor in the country (Ken Anderson, who withheld exculpatory evidence from my former Texas client Michael Morton) has ever been jailed for misconduct causing a wrongful conviction. And Mr. Anderson served just eight days in the county jail starkly different from the 25 years that Mr. Morton languished in state prison. Thats true even when prosecutorial misconduct taints thousands of cases. Last June, a Massachusetts judge issued a blistering 127-page decision finding that two former assistant attorneys general had committed egregious misconduct and fraud on the court in failing to disclose evidence that a former state lab analyst was addicted to drugs while on the job for years. After five years of litigation, the state has agreed to throw out more than 8,000 drug convictions tainted by laboratory and prosecutorial misconduct. The lab analyst served 13 months in prison for her crimes. But the former prosecutors? Neither have faced criminal charges, and both are still licensed attorneys. Indeed, even though my office filed formal complaints against them in July 2017 the Massachusetts Bar has yet to even hold a public hearing on their law licenses. And both have found other jobs as senior government lawyers, their salaries funded by taxpayers. It has taken almost 25 years to get an agreement between the governments in Athens and Skopje on what to call the entity once known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. It would be a mistake to dismiss this as a minor development particularly now, when the unity of the trans-Atlantic alliance is at its lowest point since World War II and the unity of the European Union is under challenge in every national election. In fact, the historic compromise to rename the country the Republic of Northern Macedonia, thus softening a rivalry over national histories, opens a window of opportunity for leaders in Europe and the United States to defy current trends and begin shaping a secure future for the Balkans, an achievement that would help secure stability for all of Europe. The hard-won agreement on Macedonia could still be undermined. The region is known for its tragic history. Its where World War I began, and it is the site of the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II. Since the violent disintegration of Yugoslavia, however, the regions prospects have brightened as states have moved toward European Union and NATO membership. Slovenia and Croatia are already in the European Union; Montenegro and Serbia are candidates; Albania can follow, as can Northern Macedonia, now that the naming dispute has been resolved. This article is part of the Opinion Today newsletter. You can sign up here to receive the newsletter each weekday. First, Ive spent some time recently trying to figure out just how much bigger big business in the United States has become. It turned out to be a more difficult project than I expected which also made it more interesting. Given the federal judges decision last week to allow the AT&T-Time Warner merger, I thought this was a good week to write about the project. In my column today, youll find two charts that show whats happened over the last quarter-century. The short version: Small businesses in the United States used to employ more people combined than big businesses. Thats no longer the case, and its a major reason why income growth has been so slow for most families and inequality has soared. Each of us to needs to speak up now to persuade President Trump that this is an immoral practice. I urge Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, as the parents of three children, to join me in asking the president to authorize an immediate stop to this. MARJORIE ROGALSKI HANOVER, N.H. To the Editor: Re Sessionss Use of Bible Passage to Defend Immigration Policy Draws Fire (nytimes.com, June 15): I am outraged that Attorney General Jeff Sessions uses the Bible to defend separating young children from their parents. He talks about the sanctity of following the law. History has taught us all too well about blindly following orders. What about instead following the example, from the Book of Exodus, of Shifra and Puah, two brave Hebrew midwives who defied Pharaohs orders and saved childrens lives? Following the law doesnt justify cruel, inhumane behavior. JULIA STERN KLAHR, BRONX To the Editor: Lets not let President Trump turn around blame for his policy of separating children from their families. We have all become accustomed to his blaming the Democrats for virtually all of his administrations moral lapses and failings. Its time for Democrats to stand up and tell it like it is. From now on, lets refer to his policy the same way that Republicans referred to the Affordable Care Act as Obamacare it is Trumps Family Separation Policy. PAUL NEWACHECK BERKELEY, CALIF. To the Editor: Re A Mothers Plea: I Cant Go Without My Son (news article, June 18): After leaving their homes and almost all of their possessions behind, immigrants who have made it to the border have almost nothing left but their families. For many, bettering the lives of their family members was the sole reason they decided to leave everything behind and cross into the United States. Its brief made two arguments. One is that the recent Republican tax bill, rather than eliminating the individual mandate, actually made the mandate more onerous by imposing on individuals a legal obligation to purchase health insurance. The tax bill in fact set to $0 zero dollars the penalty for not purchasing insurance. It did not otherwise impose any kind of legal duty on people to buy insurance. Indeed, the president and his congressional supporters repeatedly cheered the laws repeal of the mandate; they, and the Congressional Budget Office, did not understand the bill to be strengthening it. The departments second argument is even more outlandish than its first. It relies on a legal doctrine known as severability, under which courts decide whether the invalidation of one statutory provision requires the court to invalidate related ones. The Justice Department claims that the tax bills super mandate is unconstitutional (something that no one in Congress or the presidency noticed when they enacted the bill) and that courts must invalidate other rules along with it. In particular, the Justice Department insists that two popular features of the Affordable Care Act must go, too. The first is the guaranteed issue provision, which prohibits insurers from charging more to people who have cancer, or any pre-existing condition, than to whose who do not. The second is the community rating provision, which prohibits insurers from refusing to sell a policy to someone who can pay the policys listed price. It is hard to overstate just how down-is-up this argument is. Courts determine whether to invalidate other provisions in a law based on their assessment of Congresss intent and whether Congress would have wanted other provisions to go into effect if one provision did not. The departments argument is that without the mandate, Congress would not have wanted the guaranteed-issue and community-rating provisions. But we know the opposite is true: Congress kept the guaranteed-issue and community-rating provisions even after it chose to deprive the mandate of any force or effect in the tax bill. But the courts rejection of statewide challenges in the Wisconsin case will make gerrymandering litigation more complex. Instead of being able to rely primarily on data showing the overall partisan advantages of a plan, challengers will have to prove how and why specific districts were drawn in the way they were. Redrawing district maps is typically done on a computer by an expert in consultation with a few key legislators. Hundreds of changes to the map are explored behind closed doors. Challengers then have to try to reconstruct how any particular district ended up the way it did; in other words, why certain areas were left in or out. This can mean lengthy trials and arguments in court teasing out the reasons particular choices were made. But current legal doctrine is so toothless that legislators have no trouble brazenly making these comments in public: I think electing Republicans is better than electing Democrats. So I drew this map to help foster what I think is better for the country. Or, it was my intent to create a district where the people would be more likely to elect a Democrat than a Republican, yes, this was clearly my intent. Or, I acknowledge freely that this would be a political gerrymander, which is not against the law. Looming in the wings, and probably to be heard in the next term is the case from North Carolina, which will squarely test how aggressively courts will be in policing partisan manipulation of district design. We are likely to find out then whether it really is legal for legislatures to move voters in or out of a district based on their voting histories for no legitimate purpose other than the party in charge of the redistricting is seeking to gain partisan advantage. For now, the verdict is still out on how strong a role courts will play in constraining partisan gerrymandering. But in the long run, the most effective solutions to partisan gerrymandering are going to be approaches that limit the possibilities at the outset. One option would be to change the institutional forum in which redistricting is done. We can take the power out of the hands of partisan state legislatures and give it to carefully designed independent or bipartisan commissions. Sitting legislatures rarely give up this power voluntarily, but voters have passed referendums in recent years in several states, such as California and Arizona, to set up such commissions. Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan commented the case of Yerkrapah Volunteer Union Chairman and Republican Party of Armenia MP Manvel Grigoryan. He said the video footage has shocked Armenian citizens. He noted that such operations are not carried out in one day, but are a result of previous large-scale work. Pashinyan expressed hope that the investigation into this case will be carried out at the proper level. Pashinyan said that there will be no compromises in the fight against corruption. "We announced that corruption will be eradicated in Armenia and no one doubts that we will achieve this goal through the most decisive and effective steps," he stressed. "All participants in this robbery should be identified and held responsible," ARKA cited Pashinyan as saying. Not only does Thomas use the cameras routinely in her practice making portraits that she sometimes modifies by peeling back the images edges and bleaching the negatives but she also enjoys them as design objects and amusing additions to a party. They introduce a sense of play, she says. It becomes D.I.Y. almost. You dont have to be a professional photographer but it helps. (An exhibition of Thomass photographic work will go on display at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle on July 14.) For Ts art issue, we sent Thomas a Polaroid camera of our own and asked her to document a week in her life. I spent a lot of time with my friends, and I really wanted to capture them, she explains of the images below. The project was such fun, she says, that it inspired her to buy yet another camera. SAN FRANCISCO Apples chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, may be the leader of the worlds most valuable public company, but lately he has had to act a lot like the tech industrys top diplomat. Last month he visited the Oval Office to warn President Trump that tough talk on China could threaten Apples position in the country. In March, at a major summit meeting in Beijing, he called for calmer heads to prevail between the worlds two most powerful countries. In a trade and technology showdown between the United States and China, Apple and Mr. Cook have a lot to lose. With 41 stores and hundreds of millions of iPhones sold in the country, there is arguably no American company in China as successful, as high-profile and with as big a target on its back. Since he took over Apple from its co-founder Steve Jobs, in 2011, questions about whether Mr. Cook, 57, could recreate the magic that led to the iPod and iPhone have persisted. For Mr. Cook, the analogous breakthrough and potentially his legacy as the heir to Mr. Jobs has come not from a gadget, but from a geography: China. They always build in a cushion of time. The program has drilled into them and the other fellows, many of whom also have long slogs into Manhattan, a rigorous punctuality. If the subway is a disaster, thats no excuse for being late, whether to class or a work call. Its a version of the tenet that the show must go on. Unusual in the theater industry, the program is a combination of training, networking and job placement, with life-skills instruction for things like budgeting. Its also quietly radical in its makeup, deliberately welcoming to people from low-income backgrounds. Both groups of fellows so far have been majority minority members, and Ms. Sotos was mostly female. When she sees other women lugging equipment backstage, she likes to cheer them on just for being there. For pressures both macro and micro, the programs built-in support system comes in handy. Of the 12 people in her group, Ms. Soto was the only one to choose a second-year job with a commercial show over a more stable one with a company. She said yes when a designer she had worked with on The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical offered her a gig with Curvy Widow. (Other fellows went to places that include the Public Theater, Abrons Arts Center, Atlantic Theater Company, Playwrights Horizons, St. Anns Warehouse and Roundabout.) When Curvy Widow announced last fall that it would close in November, the first person Ms. Soto texted was Karen Loftus, the Roundabout program manager who wrangles the fellows with tenacity and good-humored devotion. Ms. Loftus who promised to help her find more work was also the person Ms. Soto called from jury duty when she needed to prove that freelance technician wasnt the same as unemployed. Ms. Soto has no such problem now, by the way. In May, fresh off a backstage gig on the hit play Dance Nation at Playwrights Horizons, where she also had a walk-on role, she left for a summer in the mountains, taking an audio-video job at the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater. When she returns to New York, shell have a week at home before she goes to Red Bank, N.J., to spend the year at Two River Theater. Latin History and Light Cues Sitting in the mezzanine at Studio 54 in January, the Sotos were watching John Leguizamos Latin History for Morons. They were excited to see a Broadway show with a Latino star, talking about the heritage they share. And it did resonate with them, strongly. But when the lights came up afterward, what they wanted to talk about was the blip of a lighting cue that went astray and the microphone that was taped down improperly. Good morning. (Want to get California Today by email? Heres the sign-up.) LOS ANGELES After years of turmoil and out-of-town management, The Los Angeles Times is returning to local ownership. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire biotech entrepreneur who in February announced he would buy the paper and The San Diego Union-Tribune for $500 million, officially takes ownership today. The move heralds a new era for the newspaper after years of staff cuts and diminished ambitions. To honor the occasion, The L.A. Times on Sunday published a blaring banner headline on its front page, the sort usually reserved for the start of wars or devastating natural disaster: A new era of Times ownership. The coverage, which included an exhaustive history of the paper its rise under a Civil War colonel named Harrison Gray Otis in the late 1800s to national and international prominence in the 1960s and 1970s reflected the anticipation across the newsroom and the city as it awaits what changes are in store under Dr. Soon-Shiong. A sheriffs deputy in San Antonio was charged with felony assault Sunday after being accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl for at least several months, the authorities said, and threatening her mother with deportation if she reported him. On Saturday night, the girls mother decided to take her daughter to a local fire station to report the deputy, Jose S. Nunez, after the girl made an outcry about the abuse, officials said at a news conference on Sunday. Mr. Nunez, 47, was arrested around 3:30 a.m. Sunday and charged with super aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony because of the girls age, said Javier Salazar, the Bexar County sheriff. The details of the case are quite frankly heartbreaking, disturbing, disgusting and infuriating, all at the same time, Sheriff Salazar said at the news conference. Mr. Nunez was suspected of touching the girl inappropriately on numerous occasions at her home in recent months, Sheriff Salazar said, but he added that investigators were looking into whether the alleged abuse could have lasted several years. It caused the girl physical pain, including some indication of minor injury, the sheriff said. Mami! the childrens voices cry out, between sobs. Papa! A recording of immigrant children calling out desperately for their parents after being separated from them by United States immigration authorities was released on Monday by the investigative news site ProPublica. The recording, nearly eight minutes in length, added disturbing and intimate notes to the debate over the Trump administrations practice of separating children from their parents when families are detained at the border. ProPublica said in an article accompanying the audio clip that it was recorded last week inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention center. Ten Central American children who were separated from their parents by immigration authorities are heard in the clip, along with some adults. The recording is one of a number of documents and accounts that have emerged in recent days showing the toll the practice is taking on children, even though government officials have forbidden journalists who tour the detention centers for migrant children from using cameras or conducting interviews with the children. Theres been a lot of attrition, a lot of talent has walked out the door, Mr. Pearlstine said in an interview. In meetings with the staff in recent weeks, what I heard was a lot of frustration, a lot of fatigue, he added. A lot of problems, but none that cant be addressed by a lot of care, of listening. In recent years, as the disruptions of the digital age continued to pummel the newspaper industry, Tronc made a number of awkward attempts to reshape The Los Angeles Times. The company, in a widely ridiculed move, changed its name from Tribune Publishing to Tronc short for Tribune Online Content in 2016, and tried to push a technology-driven approach to journalism. Its aim to funnel its journalism to a global audience was met with skepticism, and the paper has had three different top editors in the past year. (On Monday, the company was reportedly considering changing its name again.) So the newsroom viewed the emergence of Dr. Soon-Shiong as a new owner with relief. The message hes trying to send is I stand by the tenets of this industry, John Geddes, a former editor at The New York Times who worked with Mr. Pearlstine at The Wall Street Journal, said of Dr. Soon-Shiong. The appointment of Mr. Pearlstine, who was introduced to the newsroom Monday morning, was widely applauded by members of the staff. On Twitter, one of them called finally being free of Tronc Liberation Day. Another wrote, Hallelujah. Mr. Pearlstine is known to many of them already, thanks to the recent meetings. In those conversations, he showed a pretty granular grasp of the newsrooms internal dynamics, said Matt Pearce, a national reporter at the paper who is also the vice chairman of its union, the Los Angeles Times Guild. People like him, Mr. Pearce added. Hes met with a ton of us behind the scenes and has come off as smart and approachable. Dr. Soon-Shiong, who will take on the role of executive chairman at the paper, also said he immediately planned to invest $150 million in building a 10-acre campus for the newspaper in El Segundo, an area near the Los Angeles airport, that will include a museum to honor the newspapers past. The property will also include event space and a state-of-the-art studio for producing podcasts and documentaries. WASHINGTON A determined critic of a Florida city must have the chance to prove that his First Amendment rights were violated when he was arrested while speaking at a City Council meeting, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday. The decision was a second Supreme Court victory for Fane Lozman, who calls himself a persistent and tenacious underdog. In 2013, he won his first Supreme Court case against the city, Riviera Beach, when the justices ruled that the city had misused maritime law to seize and destroy his houseboat. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. called the decision his favorite of the term. The new case, decided 8 to 1, arose from a 2006 closed-door meeting of city officials. According to a transcript later made public under Floridas freedom-of-information law, the citys leaders spoke freely about finding a way to investigate and threaten Mr. Lozman. And while there is broad interest on the left in recruiting candidates from diverse backgrounds, activists are also increasingly pushing politicians to adopt the language and policy goals of their movements not just be more liberal than their Republican opponents. The Trump administrations practice of separating children from their parents when apprehended at the border, and the pain and turmoil it has caused, have only intensified the passions of immigration reform advocates. The situation in Texas has left some Lone Star progressives looking jealously to their Southern compatriots in Georgia and Arizona. In Georgia, Stacey Abrams has made history as the first black woman to be nominated by a major party for governor while also energizing grass-roots groups with progressive red meat, prioritizing causes like criminal justice reform and gun safety in her policy platform, which could help Democrats further their grass-roots network in the typically Republican state. Arizonas Democratic hopefuls have also shifted left ideologically, which has only intensified the backlash against Ms. Valdez. Ginny Goldman, a political strategist and the former head of another large progressive group called Texas Organizing Project, said that Ms. Valdez has a lot more she needs to do to in order to reflect the new energy and new politics that this state is moving toward. If this ambivalence and even opposition continue in November, it would surely doom Ms. Valdez, a daughter of migrant workers who rose through the heavily male ranks of law enforcement and spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Ms. Valdez already faces long odds in the historically deep red state, which last voted a Democrat into statewide office in 1994 and supported Mr. Trump in the 2016 election by almost 10 percentage points. The uphill climb would become an impossible one without the wholesale support of the Texas progressive community and immigration activists key forces in the Democrats decades-long efforts to increase turnout among the states Latinos. The Texas Senate candidate Beto ORourke, a Democrat who is challenging Republican incumbent Ted Cruz, has excited state party insiders with better-than-expected poll numbers and fund-raising, but several party officials privately acknowledged a muted energy surrounding the governors race partly because of the progressive criticism Ms. Valdez has faced during the primary. The provision was supported by large numbers of both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, who view ZTE as a national security threat. It also prohibits the federal government from purchasing or leasing equipment from ZTE or another Chinese company that they believe to be a national security threat, Huawei, or from subsidizing the companies in any way. The defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, would authorize just over $700 billion in military spending for the coming fiscal year and is intended to provide a framework for the Trump administrations continued buildup of the armed forces. The legislation outlines a range of stipulations, including strategic priorities for the military, pay increases for service members and investments in emerging technologies that policymakers believe could reshape the way the United States and other nations conduct warfare. A far-reaching measure that is considered must-pass legislation, the annual defense bill is frequently a magnet for lawmakers trying to attach policy provisions only tangentially related to national security. In the Senate, this years bill provided a venue for Republican senators increasingly distraught with Mr. Trumps protectionist trade policies to try to force his hand. Mostly, they failed. Senate leaders blocked an amendment, advanced by Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, that would have given Congress the power to veto certain national security tariffs imposed by the administration before it was ever brought up for a vote. The decision enraged Mr. Corker, who called his partys deference to Mr. Trump cultish, but only after the machinations over the amendment all but eclipsed the defense policies in the bill. Another Republican-proposed amendment that would have given Congress greater oversight of the agency that reviews proposed acquisitions of American companies by foreign firms known as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or Cfius failed in a floor vote Thursday. That amendment was opposed by the Trump administration, which said it could hamper the role of Cfius and put national security at risk. But lawmakers did include a separate, bipartisan amendment that would give Cfius more power by expanding its reviews from focusing strictly on mergers and acquisitions to include joint ventures. Lawmakers have said the provision is aimed at Chinese companies that had been bypassing the Cfius review by forming joint ventures with American companies or licensing their technology. The underlying defense legislation aims to build on the Pentagons national defense strategy unveiled in January. That document called for the United States to begin shifting its focus from the decades-long fight against terrorism to countering ascendant Russian and Chinese military might. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will visit Austria and Switzerland in early July as part of a campaign by Tehran to secure continued European backing for the 2015 nuclear accord. The visits were announced today by the presidencies of both European countries. Rouhani will visit Switzerland on July 2-3 and then head on July 4 to Vienna. During his two-day trip to Switzerland, Rouhani will meet Swiss President Alain Berset and supervise the signing of documents for cooperation in various political, economic, and cultural areas, besides attending a gathering of Swiss-based Iranian nationals. Rouhani will then head to Vienna where he will meet Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and similarly oversee the signing of several documents for cooperation. A number of ministers, political and economic officials, as well as entrepreneurs and private sector representatives will accompany Rouhani on the visit, PressTV reported. The future of the landmark deal was thrown into doubt when US President Donald Trump announced last month that the United States would withdraw and reimpose sanctions that would hit international businesses operating in Iran. Iran has already warned it is ready to resume uranium enrichment to 20% "within days" if the deal falls apart and warned Europe that time was running out. WASHINGTON The Supreme Court declined on Monday to address the central questions in two closely watched challenges to partisan gerrymandering, putting off for another time a ruling on the constitutionality of voting districts designed by legislatures to amplify one partys political power. In a challenge to a redistricting plan devised by the Republican Legislature in Wisconsin, the court unanimously said that the plaintiffs had not proved that they had suffered the sort of direct injury that would give them standing to sue. The justices sent the case back to a trial court to allow the plaintiffs to try again to prove that their voting power had been directly affected by the way state lawmakers drew voting districts for the State Assembly. In the second case, the court unanimously ruled against the Republican challengers to a Democratic plan to redraw a Maryland congressional district. In a brief unsigned opinion, the court said the challengers had waited too long to seek an injunction blocking the district, which was drawn in 2011. Both cases had the potential to deliver a reckoning on a practice that dates to the early days of the Republic and got its name from one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Elbridge Gerry. The court instead kicked the can down the road, leaving the door open to further challenges. Coal is not coming back, said Joshua D. Rhodes, a research fellow at the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. Further subsidies right now will only prevent workers from being retrained or building careers elsewhere which will make things even more painful when the bottom finally does drop out. In the latest such move, Mr. Trump asked Energy Secretary Rick Perry on June 1 to prepare immediate steps to halt the closing of unprofitable coal and nuclear plants. While administration officials are still debating how they might do so, any plan to rescue these power plants would probably entail dramatic government intervention in Americas energy markets and come at the expense of newer, cheaper power sources like natural gas or wind. A decade ago, coal provided nearly half of Americas electricity. That share has since plummeted to less than one-third, as coal has been driven out of the market by stricter pollution regulations and a glut of cheap natural gas from hydraulic fracturing. Wind and solar power, while starting from a small base, have grown at double-digit rates each year as the technology improves and costs drop. The jobs have followed: The number of American coal miners has fallen from more than 80,000 in 2008 to about 53,000 today. The solar industry alone now employs twice as many people as the coal industry does. Solar installers, wind technicians and oil and gas drill operators are all expected to be among the fastest-growing occupations over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ten years ago, the joke among industry players was that renewables were the energy source of the future and always would be, said Andy Karsner, a former assistant secretary of energy in the George W. Bush administration. Problem is, that future has arrived, and coal is now the energy source of the past and always will be. Manufacturing jobs have fared better under Mr. Trump but remain at a historic low as a share of the economy. Fewer than 9 percent of American jobs today are in factories. While primary metals manufacturers in the United States including steel and aluminum mills have added 11,000 jobs since Mr. Trump took office, according to the Labor Department, total employment in the industry remains under 400,000 jobs nationwide, down from nearly 700,000 jobs 15 years ago. WASHINGTON President Trump said on Monday that he would direct the Pentagon to establish a sixth branch of the armed forces dedicated to protecting American interests in outer space, an idea that has troubled lawmakers and even some members of his administration, who have cautioned that the action could create unnecessary bureaucratic responsibilities for a military already burdened by conflicts. During a speech at a meeting of the National Space Council, Mr. Trump announced plans to protect American interests in space through monitoring commercial traffic and debris, initiatives he said would be great not only in terms of jobs and everything else, its great for the psyche of our country. Minutes later, the president zeroed in on Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and tasked him with the undertaking of creating another branch of the military. General Dunford, if you would carry that assignment out, I would be very greatly honored, Mr. Trump said from the podium, after searching for him in the crowd. Dr. Jeffrey P. Staab, a specialist in psychosomatic and behavioral medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said it took two decades of research to come up with the new concepts, which eliminate the focus on medically unexplained symptoms. Instead, the new diagnoses put a focus on undue attention to bodily symptoms and excessive health concerns, which, when properly explained, can be very reassuring to patients. Health anxiety and body vigilance are much more understandable to patients when they realize they can have these things despite what their doctor finds, he said in an online report to health professionals. We found it much easier to engage patients if we identified what the problem was instead of what it was not. In patients with somatic symptom disorder, chronic symptoms result in excessive concern, fear and distress that something is seriously the matter, prompting them to seek repeated exams that rarely relieve their fears despite negative findings. In fact, negative test results can increase patients fears that their problems will never be correctly identified and treated. As many as 5 percent of patients visiting doctors offices believe they have a serious, undiagnosed medical illness when none can be found. The persistent anxiety itself becomes a debilitating illness. Such patients are likely to insist that the medical care they received was inadequate. Even their doctors may wonder if they might have overlooked something that could explain the patients symptoms. Patients with illness anxiety disorder may, or may not, have a real medical condition, but they experience exaggerated bodily sensations, like sweating or a rapid heart beat, that can result in extreme anxiety about the possibility they have a serious underlying illness. They constantly check their bodies for signs of illness and devote undue time and energy obsessively seeking an explanation for what might be wrong with them. Every cough is pneumonia, every chest pain a heart attack, every headache a possible brain cancer or incipient stroke. HONG KONG An earthquake struck north of the Japanese city of Osaka on Monday morning, killing at least three people and injuring at least 217 others, the authorities and the local news media said. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the 6.1-magnitude quake was recorded at 7:58 a.m. in the northern part of Osaka Prefecture in western Japan. NHK, the public broadcaster, said the dead included a 9-year-old girl who was struck by the collapsing wall of a swimming pool at an elementary school in the city of Takatsuki. The other two casualties were men in their 80s, one of them in Osaka. Many commuters were stranded at stations when the earthquake disrupted train service across western and central Japan, the Kyodo News reported. The anti-fake-news law that came out just before the election was very clearly designed to suppress any criticism of the ruling party or of Najib. Now, the pace and extent of change are in the hands of Mr. Mahathir and his new government. And if there is concern, it is at least partly because Mr. Mahathir, who previously ran the country from 1981 to 2003, was long known to find one way or another to jail his critics. Mr. Mahathirs campaign-speech commitment to free speech did seem to waver right after the election, when he suggested that the fake news law needed to be reviewed rather than scrapped entirely, as his coalition had pledged during the campaign. But his cabinet officials maintain that the law, which Mr. Mahathir himself had been accused of violating during the campaign, will be repealed. And Mr. Mahathir has sent other signals that he will uphold free speech. When the police in Langkawi arrested a man on charges of insulting Mr. Mahathir after the election, the new prime minister said he disagreed with the mans prosecution. Mr. Gan and the co-founder of the Malaysiakini site, Premesh Chandran, were charged in 2016 under the Communications and Multimedia Act for publishing a video that criticized the former attorney general over his handling of the scandal at 1 Malaysia Development Berhad, a state investment fund. That attorney general, Mohamed Apandi Ali, has been removed and could face charges for protecting Mr. Najib. MANILA The Philippine Justice Department has nullified an order to deport an Australian nun who was arrested after joining street protests criticizing President Rodrigo Dutertes brutal war on drugs. The justice secretary, Menardo Guevarra, said the order expelling Sister Patricia Fox, 71, was without legal basis because the Bureau of Immigration did not explicitly have the power to declare her visa forfeit. What the B.I. did in this case is beyond what the law provides that is why it has to be struck down, Mr. Guevarra said. He said that withdrawing Sister Foxs visa without any legal basis was tantamount to creating new procedures or new grounds. MANILA Two Filipinos convicted in the 2012 killing of a United States Marine have been captured in Manila after years of avoiding prison time, the Philippine government said on Monday. The two, Galicano Datu and Crispin dela Paz, were seized separately last week by agents of the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation, the agency said. Its director, Dante Gierran, said the men had been convicted of killing Maj. George Anikow, 41, who was married to an American Embassy employee in Manila. He died after the men brawled in November 2012 in a plush area of the citys Makati financial district. Mr. dela Paz was caught last week after a car chase through Manila, Mr. Gierran said. Mr. Datu was found in hiding in a condominium owned by his girlfriend, he added. ISTANBUL Public schools are closing, on little or no notice, and being replaced by religious schools. Exams are scrapped by presidential whim. Tens of thousands of public teachers have been fired. Outside religious groups are teaching in schools, without parental consent. The battle over how to shape Turkeys next generation has become a tumultuous issue for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as he seeks re-election on Sunday in a vote that is shaping up as a referendum on his deepening imprint on the country after 15 years at the helm. Mr. Erdogan has already chipped away at Turkeys democratic institutions, purging the courts and civil service of suspected opponents, bringing the media to heel, and leaving in place a state of emergency after a failed coup in 2016 that has added a new level of precariousness to the campaign. His opponents fear that his re-election to a newly empowered presidency after constitutional changes last year will give Mr. Erdogan almost unchecked authority to push his agenda even further and fundamentally alter Turkish society. False. Crime statistics for 2017 showed the lowest level of crime in Germany in 25 years, according to figures released in May by the federal criminal office. Although there have been attacks by militants aligned with the Islamic State, as well as high-profile murders and assaults by migrant men, the statistics refute Mr. Trumps suggestion. Not only was the overall crime rate down 5.1 percent over the previous year, violent crime (down 2.4 percent) and property theft (an 11.8 percent decrease) both dropped. So-called street crime was down by 8.6 percent. In cases where a suspect had been identified, crimes committed by non-Germans were down by 2.7 percent, while crimes committed by Germans were down by 2.2 percent. Fraud (up 1.3 percent), computer fraud (a 2.8 percent increase) and drug offenses (9.2 percent higher) all rose, but the number of illegal border crossings dropped 79.9 percent. Three people died and 39 got injured in an accident involving bus in Turkish city of Karaman, Turkish media reported. According to preliminary data, the driver lost control, then the bus overturned. All injured were taken to hospitals. Karaman governor Fahri Meral said that he was on the way from Gaziantep to Izmir,adding that the investigation has been initiated. Mr. Trumps comments Monday were the latest by him, his aides or his associates that suggest a desire to disrupt that consensus, a desire that has seemingly deepened as they find more ideological allies in Europe to work with. Earlier this month, Mr. Trumps new ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, said he wanted to empower right-wing figures across Europe. And if there is one issue on which Mr. Trump can make common cause with his new allies, it may be immigration. It is too early to say whether Mr. Trumps scattershot outbursts are the harbinger of a settled strategy, said Jeffrey Rathke, a former senior United States diplomat who served in several missions in Europe. But there is certainly an increasing body of evidence that Trump and his representatives are trying to find ways of strengthening those right-wing forces in Europe that oppose the E.U. playing a strong foreign policy role, said Mr. Rathke, deputy director of the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Two days before his seeming glee on Twitter about Ms. Merkels travails, Mr. Trump spoke by telephone for the first time with Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, who has spent eight years in Budapest building an illiberal democracy. Mr. Orban has called for a countercultural revolution against the Continents liberal order. He has led the campaign to turn back migrants from Europes borders. As Ms. Merkel argued for a more compassionate response to the crisis in 2015, the Hungarian leader built a fence along his countrys southern perimeter. PARIS A hat attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte and said to have been dropped on the battlefield at Waterloo 203 years ago was bought on Monday for over $400,000. It was another sign, if one were needed, that the French emperor continues to fascinate collectors and curators across the globe. The hat one of Napoleons iconic black felt bicorns was sold at an auction in the central French city of Lyon for 350,000 euros, or about $407,000, including fees, far beyond the presale estimate of 30,000 to 40,000 euros. The buyer was a private collector from Europe whose identity was not made public. The hat is one of about 120 two-cornered military dress hats that Napoleon was said to have worn during his rule between 1799 and 1815, as first consul and then emperor, minus a period of exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba. Historians have identified only 19 remaining hats, most of them now in museums. At an auction in 2014, the South Korean founder and chairman of the Harim food conglomerate bought one for more than $2 million about five times the asking price. GENEVA The United Nations top human rights official on Monday entered the mounting furor over the Trump administrations policy of separating undocumented immigrant children from their parents, calling for an immediate halt to a practice he condemned as abuse. United States immigration authorities have detained almost 2,000 children in the past six weeks, which may cause them irreparable harm with lifelong consequences, said Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights. He cited an observation by the president of the American Association of Pediatrics that locking the children up separately from their parents constituted government-sanctioned child abuse. TEHRAN The Iranian authorities hanged a man on Monday, three months after he was convicted in the deaths of three police officers who were run over and killed by a bus driver during a protest by followers of a mystical Sufi strain of Islam. The man, Mohammad Salas, was accused of being the bus driver involved in the officers deaths during protests in February by Gonabadi Dervishes, a sect that the clerical government has designated a challenge to mainstream Shiite theology. Mr. Salass trial before a revolutionary court, in March, was broadcast live on state television with the feed cut during his defense and his execution was taken as a message to potential dissidents challenging the authorities over rising prices. Before the trial, the head of the Tehran Police had said that Mr. Salas was guilty of killing the three police officers and would be executed. The tidbits released by the police and the Shin Bet read like something from a classic spy novel. In 2012, they said, contact had been made between Mr. Segev and people from Irans embassy in Nigeria. The first contact was with Irans agricultural attache in Nigeria. Mr. Segevs biography on the website of the Israeli Parliament lists his profession as agriculturalist. Image Gonen Segev Credit... Israeli Government Press Office, via Reuters According to the Shin Bet, he was recruited to work as an agent for Iranian intelligence. Mr. Segev is said to have traveled to Iran twice to see his handlers and met them in hotels and apartments around the world. He received secret communications equipment for encoding messages between him and his handlers, according to the statement by the Israeli authorities. Segev transferred to his handlers information on inter alia the energy economy, security sites in Israel, and diplomatic and security personnel and buildings, the statement said. Explaining how Mr. Segev may have gained access to up-to-date information, despite his criminal record and sojourn in Africa, the Israeli authorities said he had maintained contacts with Israeli citizens in the foreign affairs and security fields and worked to put some of them in contact with Iranian intelligence agents by misleading the former and presenting the latter as innocent Iranian businessmen. Mr. Segev may be the most prominent Israeli to date to be publicly suspected of espionage for the Iranians. But it is not clear that Mr. Segev had much to offer. The truth is that he was uninformed about anything and he was in touch with only a handful of people because people know who he is and didnt cooperate with him, wrote Nir Dvori, the military affairs correspondent for Hahadashot television news, on the stations website. Mr. Dvori said Mr. Segev had acted out of financial distress. Eli Zohar and Moshe Mazor, lawyers who are representing Mr. Segev, said in an emailed statement: We have been accompanying Mr. Segev since the date of his arrival in Israel about a month ago. An indictment was recently submitted, the details of which are overwhelmingly classified at the states request. At this preliminary stage one can already say that the publication that was approved lends a very severe semblance to the affair, even though the indictment, the full details of which are classified, as noted, paints a different picture. Mr. Segev, a medical doctor, had made a career for himself in the top rungs of Israeli public life. He was elected to Parliament in 1992 as a member of Tzomet, a right-wing party led by Rafael Eitan, a former chief of staff of the Israeli military. Breaking away with a few other legislators to form a new party, Yiud, he joined Yitzhak Rabins Labor-led government and served as minister of energy and infrastructure. He remained in the post for months after Mr. Rabins assassination, in the government led by Shimon Peres, until the 1996 election that first brought Benjamin Netanyahu to power. Three people were killed and five were injured after an argument between a Turk and Syrian escalated into a deadly shooting yesterday in the Turkish province of Gaziantep. The incident in the Hosgor district started as an argument that erupted between Turkish citizen Mustafa Okan, 46, and an unidentified Syrian living in the area on the same street. As the dispute escalated the relatives of the two men joined the argument with knives and rifles, leading to the death of Okan and his son. Police reportedly arrived at the site of the incident and warned a Syrian firing his gun randomly to stop shooting. The Syrian was then injured in a police shooting and was dispatched to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, Hurriyet daily reported. All Hindu terrorists have had RSS connection, says Digvijaya Singh India oi-Deepika By Deepika Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday said that all Hindu terrorists caught in the past have had been associated somehow with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). While speaking to reporters, Singh said, "All the terrorists, belonging to Hindu faith, who have been caught have been workers of the 'Sangh', someway or other. Nathuram Godse, the man who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi had also been a part of RSS." "So, this ideology is spreading hatred, hatred breeds violence, and from violence is bred terrorism," he told a media channel. In a similar comment, Singh had clarified that he had never used the term "Hindu terrorism" and had always spoken about "Sanghi terrorism". According to news agency ANI, he said, "You have wrong information that Digvijaya Singh used the term 'Hindu terrorism.' I have always used the term 'Sanghi terrorism." He further said that no terror activity could be defined on the basis of religion as no religion was a supporter of terrorism. He had added, "Bomb blasts were executed by people influenced by Sangh ideology, be it Malegaon blast, Mecca Masjid blast, blast in Samjhauta express or Dargah Sharif." His remarks regarding "Sanghi terror" did not go down well with the Bharatiya Janata Party who said that his comments could hurt the sentiments of those associated with the Sangh, the news agency reported. Accusing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of propagating violence, Singh said, "This outfit which propagates violence and hatred, further propagates terrorism." For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, June 19, 2018, 0:21 [IST] Sonia ji unwell, Rahul Gandhi should take over as Congress chief: Siddaramaiah as party preps up for CWC meet All is well between Congress, JD(S)? Kumaraswamy meets Rahul as Karnataka waits for full cabinet India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff New Delhi, June 18: On Monday, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy met Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the national capital. A photograph of the meeting between the two politicians was shared by news agency, ANI. Both Kumaraswamy and Rahul looked happy together as they posed in front of cameras shaking each other's hands. Giving company to Kumaraswamy and Rahul were secretary general of Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)), Danish Ali, and All India Congress Committee general secretary, KC Venugopal. "#Delhi: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy met Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Danish Ali from JD(S) & KC Venugopal from Congress also present," tweeted ANI. #Delhi: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy met Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Danish Ali from JD(S) & KC Venugopal from Congress also present. pic.twitter.com/NT3M6xH2Z9 ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 The meeting between Rahul and Kumaraswamy was the third such one between them after the Congress and the JD(S) decided to forge an alliance more than a month ago, as the Karnataka Assembly election results threw up a fractured mandate. After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to get the support of at least 112 MLAs in the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly to rule the state, the Congress-JD(S) alliance came to power in Karnataka. The journey of the coalition government has seen several ups and downs in a period of a month, as the southern state is yet to get its full cabinet leaving the administration in a limbo. Initially, only Kumaraswamy and deputy CM from the Congress, G Parameshwara, took the oath of office. Thereafter, several rounds of discussions took place between the Congress and the JD(S) to distribute the ministerial berths among themselves. Ahead of allocating the cabinet berths, the Congress and the JD(S) saw open rebellion and great deal of lobbying by MLAs of both the parties. On June 6, 25 ministers belonging to both the parties were inducted in the Kumaraswamy cabinet. However, six cabinet berths are yet to be filled. The Congress, which is holding the strings of the government because it has 80 MLAs against the JD(S)' 37, is in no hurry to fill the vacant posts. Earlier, when questions were raised over delay in the cabinet formation, Kumaraswamy told reporters that he was at the "mercy" of the Congress and not the 6.5 crore people of Karnataka as his government had not received the full mandate which his party had sought in the Assembly elections. The CM's comment created a huge controversy which was seen as an "insult" to the voters of the state. Later, Kumaraswamy apologised for his comment, but the damage was already done as it became pretty clear that the CM had to always seek permission from the high commands in the grand old party before taking any decision. The issue of farm loan waiver is still pending even after the JD(S) promised to give relief to the farmers immediately after forming the government in the state. The BJP, which is currently in a wait and watch mode, had said that the Congress-JD(S) alliance was "opportunistic". Kumaraswamy came to Delhi to attend a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CMs of all the states hosted by the Niti Aayog on Sunday. Before the meeting, Kumaraswamy along with the CMs of three other states-- West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh's Chandrababu Naidu and Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan--expressed their solidarity to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who and his party members of the AAP are protesting against Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal over the issue of alleged strike of the IAS officers. Earlier, in May too, Kumaraswamy had met Rahul and his mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the national capital before his swearing-in ceremony. He also touched the former Congress president's feet during his previous visit which had angered many in Karnataka. During Kumarswamy's swearing-in ceremony, leaders of several opposition parties came together in Bengaluru to showcase the unity and strength of the anti-BJP forces ahead of the big General elections in 2019. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 13:02 [IST] Ceasefire in Kashmir: 50 terror strikes in 30 days India oi-Vicky Nanjappa The Ramazan ceasefire that was declared in Kashmir was expected to bring down the violence. However the ceasefire that lasted a month saw a spate of killings, terror attacks and recruitments as well. During this period, one got to witness a large number of grenade attacks. It was meant to be a new modus-operandi by the terrorists. The operations were less risky, cost-effective and also managed to create a good amount of panic. At least 21 grenade attacks were reported in the one month that the ceasefire lasted. On Sunday the Union Government decided not to extend the ceasefire and permitted security forces to launch search, combat and destroy operations. Data available suggests that in all there were close to 50 terror attacks in the past month of which 21 were grenade strikes. The total number of persons who lost their lives was 41, which included the killing of an Army jawan and a journalist. Aurangazeb who was part of the team that gunned down Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sameer Tiger was abducted and shot dead by terrorists. The terrorists had even released a video of the jawan before he was shot. Moments after the abduction of the jawan, noted journalist, Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead, again by terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. During the ceasefire period, a total of 62 civilians and 20 personnel were injured. Terrorists had also killed three civilians. During this period, Pakistan made several attempts at infiltration. There were several cross border violations reported despite both India and Pakistan agreeing to implement the 2003 ceasefire agreement in letter and spirit. There was however a decline in the number of recruitments. Estimates by the Intelligence Bureau suggest that in the past month there were around 18 recruitments. The number of stone pelting incidents too came down. Around 60 were reported during the ceasefire period. This is considered to be an improvement when compared to last year when over 200 incidents of stone pelting were reported during the holy month of Ramazan. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 15:23 [IST] Cheating in police job exam: UP police arrests 19 people India pti-PTI Lucknow, Jun 18: In a major crackdown, 19 people were arrested on Monday for allegedly aiding cheating through hi-tech devices, such as spy-mics, and placing "solvers" impersonating aspirants in the Uttar Pradesh Police constable recruitment examination, officials said. Eight people have been arrested from Allahabad and 11 from Gorakhpur for helping aspirants in using unfair means in the exam, they said. The two-day examination, which began today, is being conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment Board at 860 centres in 56 districts to fill 41,520 posts. "The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) has arrested as many as 11 people from Gorakhpur and five from Allahabad," Inspector General (IG) of Police, STF, Amitabh Yash told PTI here. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Allahabad, Nitin Tiwari said three more people were arrested from Allahabad and a spy microphone (mic) along with a hearing device were seized. Solvers are generally bright students who enter examination centres with forged documents having superimposed photographs, according to the IG. He also said bluetooth devices such as the spy-mic have been used in certain examinations earlier. "They are small devices that can be hidden inside the ear and generally, the mobile device is strapped somewhere on the body so that the answers can be dictated," Yash said. The crackdown comes months after 11 lakh students opted out of the UP Board exams earlier this year after the use of a special task force and local intelligence by the state government to keep a tab on the cheating mafia. One of the persons arrested in Gorakhpur, Anil Giri, has confessed to taking money from candidates for placing "solvers" for them in the examination, a police spokesperson said here. "Anand Yadav (BSc, LLB), one of the solvers, and Amarnath Yadav, a candidate and liasoner for Giri, have landed in the STF's net. Around Rs 4 lakh and identity cards of a dozen candidates have been recovered from them," he said. The STF is conducting raids to arrest more people related to the cheating racket, he said. Irfan Ahmed, Imran, Kaushal and Satendra Kr Singh, an advocate in the Allahabad High Court and resident of Ballia, were among those arrested from Allahabad, the IG said. "Pawan Kumar Singh, a resident of Patna (a solver) has also been arrested. He was impersonating Ram Kumar Yadav, a resident of Mirzapur (UP)," Yash said. He urged the people to inform the STF if they found any material offline or online related to the examination. Uttar Pradesh DGP Om Prakash Singh said special instructions have been issued to keep a close watch on activities on social media. "There was a rumour on the social media that the question paper of the ongoing examination was out in the public domain. "The paper which was doing rounds, eventually turned out to be a fake question paper," he said during a visit to one of the exam centres in the state capital. This has been done by mischievous elements, "as a person who has taken money (from aspirants) will indulge in all types of shady activities", the DGP said. "However, our preparations are adequate and the examinations are going on smoothly," he assured. SSP Tiwari said those arrested include Phool Chand Patel (an agent), and aspirants Manish Kumar Yadav and Ajay Kumar Yadav, who were to appear for the examination tomorrow. "The spy mic and a device which is put in the ear have been seized," he told reporters in Allahabad. The police is also taking efforts to arrest three others involved in this racket, he said. Explaining the modus operandi, the SSP said, "These people used to take photos of the question paper and send them to people outside the hall so that they could solve them and send it back to the candidates." Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his condolence over the death of an aspirant in a road accident in Varanasi. The candidate died when the bus in which he was travelling overturned. Earlier this year, during the state board exams, the UP government had taken the help of the STF and local intelligence to curb activities of the copying mafia. The copying mafia used to take contracts guaranteeing success in the class 10 and 12 board exams. Impersonators were made to appear in the examination in place of real candidates and centres were earmarked where copying could be facilitated easily. CCTV cameras were also installed at all examination centres and from next year, the state government plans to make Aadhaar compulsory for students filling forms for the board exam. PTI Delhi govt standoff: A message to Mamata from Congress India oi-Staff By Oneindia Staff Writer In the midst of differences on the Delhi government standoff issue, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel today met TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. Patel, who had come to meet Ms Banerjee with flowers and a big fruit basket, was warmly invited inside the Banga Bhawan II in Chanakyapuri by the West Bengal chief minister. According to Trinamool Congress insiders, Patel's visit indicates the interest of the Congress and the importance of Ms 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 Lt Governor 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 Mr Kejriwal for his "theatrics". Kejriwal's campaign against the Lt Governor, 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 of Lt Governor's residence, protesting against what they call a strike by Delhi government IAS officers. The IAS officers have denied that they are on strike. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 7:00 [IST] ED files fresh chargesheet against Vijay Mallya India oi-Vikas By Vikas The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday filed a fresh chargesheet against fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is currently in London. With this charge sheet (also known as the prosecution complaint), the central probe agency will immediately seek from a court permission to "confiscate" more than Rs. 9,000 crore 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 IDBI bank-Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) alleged bank loan fraud case. The ED has based its investigation in this instance after taking cognisance of a CBI complaint 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 KFA Limited 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 CBI complaint had stated. The consortium banks, therefore, recalled credit facilities and also invoked corporate guarantee of UBHL (United Breweries Holdings Limited) and Mr Mallya's personal guarantee, it had alleged. It was alleged that there was a conspiracy among group companies promoter and unknown others to cheat the lenders, the CBI had said. [Mallya to become first test case for new Fugitive Economic Offenders law] 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. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 17:13 [IST] Hours after ceasefire is withdrawn, terrorists kill civilian in Kashmir India oi-Vicky Nanjappa A 45 year old man was killed by unidentified gunmen at Kulgam in south Kashmir. The killing comes just a day after the union government announced that it would not continue the unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir. The police said that terrorists barged into the home of one Iqbal Kawak and opened fire. He succumbed to injuries. The police say that there were three terrorists who carried out the attack. The deceased was an employee at the consumers affairs and public distribution department. The motive behind the killing is not clear as yet. Kawak became the 12th person in Kashmir to killed in the past one week. It may be recalled that terrorists had abducted an Army jawan, Aurangazeb and later shot him dead. On the same day, terrorists killed noted journalist and Rising Kashmir editor, Shujaat Bukhari. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 11:33 [IST] AAP to contest all seats in UP assembly polls, not in talks for any alliance: Sanjay Singh How Congress is alienating itself from Opposition by not supporting AAP in Delhi standoff India oi-Maitreyee New Delhi, June 18: As the tug-of-war between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal continues for the last few days, it is the Congress which is looking alienated from the rest of the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forces. It has been a week since Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and a few of his colleagues from the AAP are sitting in a dharna at the LG's office in the national capital. They want to meet Baijal to ask him to end the four-month-long "boycott" of the IAS officers against the AAP government and get the LG's permission for a doorstep delivery system. However, the LG is in no mood to listen to the demands of the AAP government and in fact, Baijal has stopped coming to his office since Kejriwal and his men have been sitting in a "sofa protest" inside his office. Reports say the LG is "temporarily" running his office from his residence only. AAP and its bitter history with both BJP, Congress The AAP shares a hostile relationship with both the BJP and the Congress as the party defeated them in the last Delhi Assembly elections handsomely. In the last few weeks, things were looking little better between the AAP and the Congress as they came together under one platform during the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy in May. There were also reports that the AAP and the Congress would stitch an alliance in Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls scheduled in April/May next year. While the Congress leaders in Delhi denied any such move, the AAP mostly remained "mum" about the rumours as backroom talks between a section of the Congress and the AAP were also not refuted. Along with the BJP, the Congress too has vociferously criticised the AAP for its latest protest because of which Delhi's administration has come to a standstill. The relationship between the AAP and the Congress, like the former's equation with the saffron party, has always been "toxic" leading to several spats in the past too. How regional parties and left support for AAP will impact LS polls As chief ministers of four states governed by opposition parties--West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh's Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka's Kumaraswamy and Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan--showed solidarity with the AAP and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the Delhi "constitutional crisis" during their recent visit to the national capital on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog meeting--the Congress seemed to have distanced itself from the other opposition parties. When reporters asked West Bengal CM regarding the Congress' position in the whole Delhi impasse, Banerjee had hit out at the grand old party for its "anti-AAP" stand. Opposition unity: Where does Congress stand? In the last few weeks, opposition parties, mostly the regional parties, came together to forge an alliance against the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The opposition unity got a morale boost when it managed to keep the BJP out of power in Karnataka as the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) forged an alliance and formed the new government in the state in May. Then the unity among a motley group of political parties got further credence when they managed to defeat the BJP in the recent by-polls held in several states. The Congress too has been a constant part of the opposition unity as several political parties continuously showed support to each other against the ruling BJP regime. The position taken by the Congress in regard to the Delhi crisis has surprised many in the opposition ranks. The Congress had called the AAP protest against the LG a "drama" and accused the party of having no "ideology". Anti-BJP, anti-Congress front in the making? On Sunday, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who is considered to be close with former party president Sonia Gandhi, met Banerjee in Delhi. The meeting between the West Bengal CM and Patel in the background of the AAP-LG standoff was seen as a desire of the Congress to remain a part of the Opposition against the BJP. Recently, Congress president Rahul Gandhi hosted an iftar party in the national capital where several top leaders of the opposition parties graced the occasion. But many, including Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati skipped the iftar party and had sent only their representatives. The reports of the BSP not going for an alliance with the Congress for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, scheduled in December this year, is a clear indication that the opposition parties are still not very welcoming to the Congress as it continues with its "flip-flop" over the Opposition unity--something well-demonstrated in the latest Delhi episode. Delhi crisis and its national impact The genesis of the latest tussle between the AAP and the LG goes back to the episode of the alleged physical assault of Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash by AAP MLAs in February this year. Since then, the IAS officers have been "boycotting" the AAP by allegedly not cooperating in any of the Delhi government-related work. The IAS officers on Sunday said that they were not on a "strike" as alleged by the AAP and had cried foul over being "victimised" in a political fight involving the AAP and the BJP. Later, Kejriwal ensured that the AAP government would protect the IAS officers as they were a part of the "family". The AAP alleged that the entire Delhi crisis has been orchestrated at the behest of the BJP to weaken its government. On Sunday, hundreds of AAP members took out a huge rally against the IAS officers' strike and marched towards the PM's residence in the national capital. The police stopped the rally midway before it could have reached the PM's house. 'India, China cannot afford another Doklam, says Envoy Luo Zhaohui India oi-Madhuri In a significant development, Chinese Ambassador to India, Luo Zhaohui,on Monday proposed trilateral summit between three neighbouring countries of India, Pakistan and China. Speaking in a seminar titled, " Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast Can China-India Relations Go", Chinese ambassador said,''Some Indian friends suggested that India, China & Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral summit on the sidelines of SCO. So, if China, Russia & Mongolia can have a trilateral summit, then why not India, China & Pakistan?.'' ''We cannot stand another Doklam incident. Let's make a joint effort to maintain peace along the border,'' he also said. ''China & India are neighbors that cannot be moved away. We are most populous & largest developing countries. We shared historic glory of friendly interactions. We also have pending boundary issues. Our relations so multifaceted & complicated, calling for special care & attention. Against the backdrop of anti-globalization and rising protectionism, #China and #India as major emerging market economies, are faced with the pressure of established powers. We should coordinate our positions and also explore ways to be with each other,'' he also said. Chinese envoy said,''China-#India relations have gone beyond bilateral scope. We have broad converging interests and face common challenges in Asia and beyond. We need to enhance coordination & cooperation in SCO, BRICS, G20 and join hands to tackle global challenges. We need to control, manage & narrow differences through expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutual acceptable solution through Special Representatives' Meeting while adopting confidence-building measures.'' For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 12:27 [IST] Top Lashkar involved in killing of two policemen gunned down in J&K J&K: Four terrorists killed in Bandipora encounter, heavy firing underway India oi-Madhuri A day after Ramzan ceasefire ended, four terrorists were killed after a gunfight broke out during the ongoing forces' operation launched by Army in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district on Monday. According to Global News Service, the gunfight broke out between the terrorists and the joint team of army's 14 RR, 22 RR, 52 RR, 18 RR, 28 RR, 27 RR, 31 RR, army's 3 Para Commandos and special team of air force in the dense forest area of Panar. Confirming the incident, a police officer said that the four terrorists were killed in the operation. Earlier on June 14, two terrorists and an army jawan was killed in the operation. The operation was launched on June 9 when the terroristsand the government forces exchanged brief gunfire in Raynar forests adjacent to Panar area. Earlier on Monday, the government of India has called off the cessation of proactive counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir, or the internal ceasefire in Kashmir. This shouldn't surprise anyone as this was a ceasefire waiting to collapse. The ceasefire had no ownership, nor was there a well-thought out pathway to peace or dialogue in Kashmir. Centre renames 2 prominent institutes after Sushma Swaraj on the eve of her birth anniversary No Indian casualty in Japan earthquake, confirms Sushma Swaraj India oi-Deepika By Deepika There is no report of any Indian casualty in the 6.1-magnitude earthquake that rattled the city of Osaka in Japan early on Monday. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted to inform that she was constantly in touch with the Indian Ambassador in Japan. "Japan earthquake: I am in constant touch with Indian Ambassador in Japan @IndianEmbTokyo. He has informed me that there no Indian casualty. We have given the helpline numbers. In case of emergency, @IndianConsOsaka is there to help you," Swaraj tweeted. Japan earthquake : I am in constant touch with Indian Ambassador in Japan @IndianEmbTokyo. He has informed me that there no Indian casualty. We have given the helpline numbers. In case of emergency, @IndianConsOsaka is there to help you. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 18, 2018 Swaraj also re-tweeted a message from 'India in Osaka,' which provided some emergency numbers to contact in case of any distress. +81-6-6261-7299 or +81-6-6261-9299 (office landlines). Stay safe... T. Armstrong Changsan, Consul General, Consulate General of India, Osaka-Kobe, Japan. @IndianEmbTokyo India In Osaka (@IndianConsOsaka) June 18, 2018 A strong earthquake knocked over walls and set off scattered fires around metropolitan Osaka in western Japan on Monday, killing at least three people and injuring more than 210. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 214 people were treated for injuries at hospitals. Most of the injured were in Osaka - Japan's No. 2 city bustling with businesses. Osaka officials did not give details, but the injuries reported in Kyoto and three other neighboring prefectures were all minor. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 19:02 [IST] Gen Rawats assertion that China tried to change status quo in eastern Ladakh 'inconsistent with facts' J&K: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat meets Aurangzeb's family in Poonch India oi-Madhuri Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday met Sepoy Aurangzeb's family in Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. Aurangzeb was abducted, tortured and killed by terrorists while on his way home from his army camp last Thursday. On June 14, Aurangzeb had 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. His 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. Aurangzeb belonged to 4 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and was posted at the 44 Rashtriya Rifles camp at Shadimarg in Shopian. He was a part of Major Rohit Shukla's team that eliminated top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sameer Tiger. India voices serious concern over increasing spread of terrorism in Africa at UN India slips to 101 in the Global Hunger Index: Methodology used is unscientific, says govt No scope for China, India, Pak affairs: Govt rejects trilateral meet proposal India oi-Deepika By Deepika The government has rejected Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohui's proposal of a trilateral engagement between India, Pakistan and China, saying it as his personal opinion. "We have seen reports on comments made by the Chinese Ambassador in this matter. We have not received any such suggestion from the Chinese government. We consider the statement as the personal opinion of the Ambassador," the ministry of external affairs said. Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui suggested on Monday that China, India and Pakistan have a trilateral meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meetings. Zhaohui, while addressing the India-China Relations Seminar in Delhi on Monday, had said that "some Indian friends" had suggested to him that China, India and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral cooperation under the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation). He added that if Russia, China and Mongolia could have a trilateral meeting at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), "why can't India, Pakistan and China do the same?" The envoy's remarks come after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain exchanged pleasantries following a press conference by the leaders of the SCO in Qingdao last week. He also said India and China cannot afford another Doklam, referring to the standoff last year between troops of the two countries at the trijunction with Bhutan. Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China between June to August last year. Luo also suggested that India and China should think about signing a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. He said a draft on this was provided to the Indian side about 10 years ago. The Congress too has condemned Zhaohui for his remark. "We strongly condemn the statement of the Chinese ambassador. Our stand has been that the issues between India and Pakistan should be solved bilaterally," said Congress leader Manish Tewari. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 21:54 [IST] Shiv Sena hails AAP protest as unique to attack BJP again, says Delhi crisis bad for democracy India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff Mumbai, June 18: While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress continue to criticise the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as its protest against the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal entered the seventh day on Monday, the Shiv Sena has come out in support of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his government in the national capital. Talking to reporters in Mumbai on Monday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the movement of Delhi CM is a "unique one". He added that his party chief Uddhav Thackeray had spoken to Kejriwal. Raut said Thackeray told Kejriwal that he had the right to work for Delhi as the AAP had been elected by the people of the national capital. The Shiv Sena feels that the ongoing Delhi impasse is not good for the democracy. "The type of movement Arvind Kejriwal has started is a unique one. Uddhav Thackeray had a conversation with him & said that Kejriwal has the right to work for Delhi because they are the elected govt. Whatever is happening to them, it's not good for democracy: Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena," tweeted ANI. The type of movement Arvind Kejriwal has started is a unique one. Uddhav Thackeray had a conversation with him & said that Kejriwal has the right to work for Delhi because they are the elected govt. Whatever is happening to them, it's not good for democracy:Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena pic.twitter.com/HicE0nSDI5 ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 The Shiv Sena coming out in support of the AAP is clearly an indication that the "friend-turned-foe" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in no mood to spare the saffron party in any matter. Although the BJP and the Shiv Sena together run a coalition government in Maharashtra, the later recently issued a statement where it reiterated its earlier stand of going "solo" in all the upcoming polls it will fight. The relationship between the BJP and the Shiv Sena has soured badly in the last few months. On June 7, BJP president Amit Shah accompanied by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis met Shiv Sena chief Thackeray at his Mumbai residence. It seems the meeting failed to yield any positive result. Before that, the Shiv Sena called the BJP its "biggest political enemy". The comment came just a few days after the Shiv Sena lost the by-poll against the BJP in the Palghar Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra. In fact, this was for the first time when the Shiv Sena had fielded a candidate against the BJP. The decision to contest the by-poll against its "partner" was an attempt by the Shiv Sena to directly confront the BJP. The Shiv Sena was hoping to win the by-poll to regain its lost glory in the coalition government. Unfortunately, it did not happen and the BJP once again succeeded in taming its alliance partner. As far as Delhi's "constitutional crisis" is concerned, it has been a week since Kejriwal and a few of his colleagues from the AAP are sitting in a dharna at the Delhi LG's office in the national capital. They want to meet LG Baijal to ask him to end the four-month-long "boycott" of the IAS officers against the AAP government and get the LG's permission for a doorstep delivery system. The AAP alleged that the entire Delhi crisis has been orchestrated at the behest of the BJP to weaken its government. On Sunday, hundreds of AAP members took out a huge rally against the IAS officers' strike and marched towards the PM's residence in the national capital. The police stopped the rally midway before it could have reached the PM's house. The protest by the AAP got support from CMs of four states governed by opposition parties--West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh's Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka's HD Kumaraswamy and Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan. The CMs showed solidarity with the AAP and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the Delhi "constitutional crisis" during their recent visit to the national capital on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog meeting. Telangana local body chief kicks woman after she slapped him with a slipper over land dispute India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff Hyderabad, June 18: In a shocking incident in Telangana, a public representative kicked a woman in the chest after she allegedly hit him with a slipper on Sunday. According to the police, the incident is the result of a land dispute between both the parties involved in the fight. The video of the ugly spate has gone viral on social media now. In the video, a leader belonging of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was seen allegedly kicking a woman in Nizamabad district of Telangana. In the video, I Gopi, the president of Dharpally Mandal (a rural local body), is seen kicking the woman, after she hit him with her footwear even as one of her relatives pushed him to the ground, police said adding the incident happened over a civil dispute pertaining to sale of land. The police said a case has been registered against Gopi under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) based on the woman's complaint. Gopi also filed a counter complaint following which a case was registered against the woman and some of her relatives over trespass and damaging his property, police said. In the complaint, the woman has stated that last year Gopi sold her a plot which also comprised a house for Rs 33.72 lakh for which registration was done in her name. He had till date not handed over the property and had been threatening her, police said. On Sunday, the woman went with her relatives to Gopi's house to demand that the property be handed over. A heated argument broke out after which the woman allegedly hit him with her footwear. Gopi then allegedly kicked the woman, police said. People on social media had criticised the behaviour of the Telangana politician who assaulted the woman in front of all. His supporters, however, alleged that their leader was provoked by the woman as she was the one who first attacked him with a slipper. How this officer pretended to be a Syrian handler to bust UP IS module SC says only RO purified water to be offered to Ujjain Mahakaleshwar temple Madhya Pradesh polls: Cong will waive farm loan in 10 days, if voted to power, says Rahul in Ujjain MP: Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain to reopen for devotees on June 28 after 80 days Ujjain: Watch flower vendors clash outside Mahakaleshwar Temple India oi-Madhuri The flower vendors thrashed each other in order to do better sales outside prominent Mahakaleshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain. #WATCH: A scuffle broke out between flower vendors near Ujjain's 'Mahakal Temple'. A case has been registered in the matter. #MadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com/V6jjkqEnVB ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2018 The video which has been doing round on social media shows flower vendors thrashing each other. Not only men but women fought with each other publicly. Later, police took the vendors to the police station and lodged a case against both the groups. A complaint has been registered and innvestigation is underway. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 9:26 [IST] United opposition: Here is what BSP has to say India oi-Staff By Oneindia Staff Writer The Bahujan Samaj Party on Sunday said that it was not in talks with the Congress for an alliance for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls slated for later this year. A senior state leader of the Mayawati-led party added that it would, as things stand today, contest all 230 Assembly seats in the state. Talking to news agency PTI, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) state president Narmada Prasad Ahirwar said, "I was asked by the media that Congress leaders were saying that there are discussions underway with the BSP for an alliance for the next assembly elections. I clarified that we are not in discussions at the state level and, I think, neither at the central leadership level." "As things stand today, we are going to contest all 230 Assembly seats. I have received no directives in this connection (alliance) from the central leadership," Mr Ahirwar said. The state Congress, meanwhile, has claimed that it never said alliance talks were underway with the BSP. "We never named any party. The Congress only said that we would try to have an alliance with political parties with a similar ideology. We never mentioned the BSP's name. It will depend on the situation when we enter the election phase," Madhya Pradesh Congress' media department's chief Manak Agarwal said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 6:53 [IST] Kumbh Mela: Bharat Bhoomi Tourist complex in Rishikesh to be set up as COVID-19 care centre Action by Indian Army at Nowshera was to prevent Kashmir unrest 2.0 Uttarakhand: India salutes Nowshera braveheart Bikash Gurung in Rishikesh India oi-Madhuri Nation paid tribute to rifleman Bikash Gurung, who sacrificed his life for the country fighting terrorists on Sunday morning in a ceasefire violation in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. #WATCH: Locals raise slogans as the mortal remains of Sepoy Bikas Gurung, who lost his life during ceasefire violation by Pakistan in J&K's Nowshera yesterday, are brought to his residence in Rishikesh. #Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/iVK8MZbjCr ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 On Sunday, a military send off was organised in honour of Gurung, who laid down his life guarding the nation's frontiers while serving at the Line of Control (LoC) in Naushera sector. The mortal remains of the martyr was transported to Rushafarm village in Dehradun district, where his last rites was conducted with full military honours. Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of mortars on routine Indian Army patrol, 700 metres inside Indian territory in Naushera sector along the LoC on Saturday morning. In the exchange of fire, Gurung was grievously injured and succumbed to injuries. The 21-year-old soldier is survived by his mother. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 10:41 [IST] 'Zero' work, but hero' in sitting on dharnas: BJP's jibe at Kejriwal India oi-Vikas By Vikas Amid the standoff between the AAP-led government in Delhi and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, the BJP on Monday said the Arvind Kejriwal's government is 'destroying' the trust that the people of the national capital. The AAP came to power in Delhi in 2015 by winning 67 of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly elections. Ever since assuming office, Kejriwal and his cabinet have been at loggerheads with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor. AAP government had several disagreements even with previous LG Najeeb Jung and at present, he is on a Dharna at LG Baijal's office over the strike of IAS officers. "Karne mein zero, dharne mein hero, Karna kuch nahi dharna sab kuch (No work but only protests) This is their mindset, it is destroying the trust people of Delhi had put in them," Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told ANI. The BJP had on Sunday slammed for "creating drama to further his political ambitions" with his sit-in protest at the Lt. Governor's (LG) residence demanding a direction to the IAS officers to end their non-cooperation with his government. Along with the BJP, the Congress too has vociferously criticised the AAP for its latest protest because of which Delhi's administration has come to a standstill. The relationship between the AAP and the Congress, like the former's equation with the saffron party, has always been "toxic" leading to several spats in the past too. Kejriwal and his colleagues had met the Lieutenant General on June 11 requesting him to ask IAS officers to end their strike or more appropriately end their non-cooperation with Aam Aadmi Party officials. According to the Delhi government, IAS officials have not been taking their calls or attending meetings called by its ministers, protesting against the alleged assault of Delhi's Chief Secretary earlier this year. This has resulted in the stalling of many schemes planned for Delhi's citizens. [How Congress is alienating itself from Opposition by not supporting AAP in Delhi standoff] Meanwhile, Kejriwal continues to draw support from all corners of the country. In a tweet, Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of the CPM, blamed the Centre of obstructing the Delhi government from discharging its duties and called it a 'despicable' act. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav accused the BJP of taking revenge on Delhi's residents since they were not voted into power. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 11:07 [IST] Talks with China will not help says USA NSA on situation on Ladakh 20 members of a family removed from US flight after mask of 1 slipped under nose 1 killed, 2 injured in shoot out at Walmart in Washington International oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar A gunman has been killed after wounding two people at a Walmart in Washington on Sunday night. A gunman injured a teen and shot a man in a pair of carjacking attempts, before being killed by a bystander outside a Washington state Walmart store. According to reports, the incident at the Walmart in Tumwater happened about 5 p.m. A witness told US media that people were in line when they heard gunfire in the store. Witnesses told other media that they were inside the store and heard shots. More details awaited. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 13:12 [IST] Imran Khan, military generals to be responsible if anything happens to Maryam: Nawaz Sharif Fresh trouble for Nawaz Sharif: Probe for money laundering launched International oi-Staff By Oneindia Staff Writer 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 by Dawn. 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. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 10:08 [IST] Greece, Macedonia sign historic deal to change Macedonias name to settle long dispute International oi-Shubham By Shubham Eastern European neighbours Greece and Macedonia signed a historic pact on Sunday, June 17, at Lake Prespa which is located at the border between the two nations renaming Macedonia as the Republic of North Macedonia. The agreement brought to the end a dispute which has been going on for 27 years now. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his counterpart from Greece Alexis Tsipras had on Tuesday, June 12, announced about their making the "historic" agreement to change the name of Macedonia, one of the countries that emerged after the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. The dispute and the deal that sealed it took place amid protests and political controversies in both countries. On Sunday the foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia - Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov, respectively, signed the pact to end the prolonged dispute that had its inception when the 'Republic of Macedonia' declared its independence in 1991 after the break-up of former Yugoslavia. The problem lied in the fact that Greece's biggest and second most populous province which lies to its north bordering the Republic of Macedonia is also called Macedonia and Athens always lived under the fear that its northern neighbour could lay claims on its northern region as well as the heritage. The region is the cradle of the empire of Alexander the Great and is considered an immense pride by the Greeks even today. So even as most countries recognised Republic of Macedonia, Greece was always reluctant to do the same. Tsipras reportedly believed that the deal was something that any Greek prime minister would want to conclude though his Opposition figures felt that the PM was far too lenient over it. Protests broke out in the country over the issue with the demonstrators shouting "traitor" and clashing with the law-keepers demanding no compromise over the name row. In Macedonia, too, not all were convinced about a change of name. President Gjorge Ivanov, for instance, blasted the deal with Greece saying such an agreement could lead to unforeseeable results for the country and refused to sign it. But the leaders of the two countries were happy. While Greece was content saying that the agreement was signed on its terms, Macedonia was happy that it would now make it easier for it to get the membership of the EU and Nato - something which was stalled by Greece because of the dispute. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 8:48 [IST] India working towards becoming USD 5 trillion economy by 2025: Prez Kovind International pti-PTI Athens, Jun 18: There is a huge potential for India and Greece to collaborate in areas like infrastructure, supply chain, energy and services, President Ram Nath Kovind has said as he highlighted investment opportunities in India which is striving to become a USD 5 trillion economy and the world's third largest consumer market by 2025. Kovind, the first Indian president to travel to Greece in 11 years, arrived here on Saturday on the first leg of his three-nation tour. Addressing the diaspora here, he said his visit will strengthen ties between India and Greece. Kovind praised overseas Indians for playing an important role in improving bilateral relations. "Greece and India presented the ideals of civilisation and culture in the ancient world. The relations between the two countries are very old and deep. Greek historian Megasthenes introduced India to the world through his book 'Indica'. Greek warrior Seleucus' daughter was married to emperor Chandragupta. We can find details of the deep relationship between India and Greece in history books ," the president said. "We are working towards making India a USD 5 trillion economy and the world's third largest consumer market by 2025. According to the World Bank and the IMF, our growth rate is going to be high," he said. Currently India's economy is estimated at USD 2.5 trillion. Kovind said India had a very strong position in the world with the perspective of democracy, demographic divided and demand. India has undertaken many reforms to like the Goods and Services Tax and digitisation to make the economy simple and transparent. He said there is a huge potential for collaboration between the two nations in infrastructure, supply chain, energy, handicrafts and services as India is trying to improve and expand these areas. "There is a huge potential between India and Greece to increase business and investment," he said, adding that the diaspora has a role in strengthening bilateral economic ties. "We are proud of our overseas Indians and their successes. Today there are plenty of opportunities for business, innovation and investment in India. I hope that whatever you can do for the development of India for the motherland, you will do that," he said. He asked the community members to visit the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi to know more about India. He invited them to participate in the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas to be held in Varanasi from January 21 to 23 next year. India-Greece bilateral trade stands at USD 530 million and some Indian companies are also present in the infrastructure, pharmaceutical and steel sectors in the central European nation. Greece is home to a 12,000-strong Indian diaspora. Kovind will also travel to Surinam and Cuba during his trip. PTI Is China behind Seychelles' decision to scrap India's military base project? International oi-Shubham By Shubham India's headaches in its surroundings seem to be multiplying with each passing day. After its relationship with Maldives took a beating recently over the latter's president's excesses, it is now turn of Seychelles to leave New Delhi dejected. The archipelago in the Indian Ocean which India tried to win over to reduce its gap with China in the strategic race in South Asia and the adjoining areas has decided not to proceed with a deal with New Delhi to invest $550 million for setting up a military base in one of its islands -- Assumption, reports said. Seychelles' President Danny Faure announced the decision earlier this month and ahead of his visit to India on June 25. He also said that the issue will not be taken up during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that Seychelles will build the project by itself. The pact, which created much uproar in Seychelles' domestic politics, was first announced when Modi made a visit to the island-nation early 2015 along with Mauritius and Sri Lanka (the trip to the Maldives was cancelled) primarily to build a counter-strategy against China's ambitions in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The pact faced initial hurdles and former foreign secretary S Jaishankar made an urgent visit to Seychelles last year to resolve the problem. He went there again in January this year to approve the renegotiated pact. The pact with Seychelles was first announced during Narendra Modi's visit to the strategic Indian Ocean archipelago nation in 2015. The deal faced hurdles and former Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had to make an unannounced visit to Seychelles in October 2017 to resolve the differences. He visited the country again in January to sign the renegotiated agreement covering 20 years. But a script similar to Nepal unfolded thereafter. There was an uproar that the Seychelles government "sold off" Assumption Island to India and even though Jaishankar's successor Vijay Gokhale went to the island-nation in May to save the agreement, he couldn't. In 2015, Jaishankar was sent to the Himalayan country to resolve the crisis that emanated from its constitutional progress and affected the relation between New Delhi and Kathmandu. With Faure now announcing Seychelles' decision to not to proceed further on the pact, South Block will now have a major worry over the growing Chinese presence in the IOR region. India has reportedly sought clarification from the Seychelles' leadership over its move for the actual concern is not the island-state funding the project but India's ouster from it when China is cementing its foothold in the strategic region. It is understandable that India felt being let down after three years of negotiations and also helping Seychelles to improve its own infrastructure by helping to set up a Costal Radar Surveillance system and granting the archipelago three fast-track patrol vessels and a Dornier aircraft. India is now really worried to know what Seychelles wants to do with the project it has refused to take forward with India. Seychelles has decided against taking the project forward because of its domestic political compulsions; opposition to the idea of getting involved in India's rivalry with China in the region and also the possibility of environmental damages because of the military practices. As a sovereign country, it has every right to do whatever it feels serves its national interests. However, for India, the risk is more. Chinese visitors in Seychelles have increased manifold in recent years Indian intelligence has gathered reports that the number of Chinese visitors in Seychelles have sharply risen over the last few years and the two countries have also been considering new ways of cooperation in the defence sector. In November 2016, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff Department at China's Central Military Commission General Wang Guanzhong went to Seychelles along with his delegates to improve their defence ties. It can be mentioned here that the defence ties between Seychelles and China have gained momentum since they signed a Memorandum of Understanding, way back in October 2004. On the occasion, President Faure, who met the Chinese general, said: "The story of the development of Seychelles cannot be taken for granted without making reference to all the contributions from China." In 2011, China said it would set up first military base abroad in Seychelles In December 2011, China had announced that it would set up its first military base abroad in Seychelles seeking supplies and recuperating facilities for its naval forces. The Indian defence ministry had then said that there was nothing wrong in China's action for it seemed to Beijing's efforts to deal with piracy in the IOR. It was the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance which was in power in New Delhi then. Chinese military analysts later said that the plan to set up the facility did not mean setting up a military base. It repeatedly reaffirmed its policy of not setting up military bases abroad and said the policy would never change. However, Beijing went on to open its first military base abroad in August 2017 in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. India was eyeing its own facility in Seychelles, located 2,323 kilometres from Djibouti but now, the IOR archipelago's decision has put its plan in a complete jeopardy. India's plan to repeat its ploy of 'countering Gwadar by Chabahar' in IOR has hit a wall and it will be worth to see how the Modi government responds to this crucial blow. Is China behind Seychelles' refusal? Has China played a role behind Seychelles' change of attitude towards India? It certainly has played a clearer role in countries like the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal besides of course Pakistan to fuel the anti-India sentiments, but it is still not so clear whether the same has been repeated in Seychelles as well. But one thing is certain and that is the economic vulnerability of these democracies make them easy prey for countries like China that allure them towards development in lieu of gaining more influence there as part of its bigger plan to corner its rivals - regional or global. The unstable political leaderships of the smaller countries also prefer shortcut routes to economic gains for their own survival and they play off one big power against another to serve their selfish interests. After the Maldives episode, the development in Seychelles will put the Modi government under a lot of stress in handling China's ambitious plans. The stakes are high for New Delhi to prevent China turning the IOR into another South China Sea-like zone where it holds an upper edge. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 8:37 [IST] Man arrested in Germany for making biological weapon at home: report International oi-Shubham By Shubham In March, a 61-year-old self-taught scientist Mike Hughes stunned the world by propelling himself 1,875 feet into the air in his privately made rocket. But while that occasion was more of a pride for human race, another instance of private entrepreneurship recently has left it more afraid. German lawkeepers have charged a Tunisian citizen with making a biological weapon in his own apartment after discovering significant amount of ricin - a highly toxic substance - there, a report published in intelligence and espionage news website IntelNews on Monday, June 18, said. The accused, in his late 20s, has been referred to publicly as "Sief Allah H." since German law prohibits naming of suspects until proven guilty in court. Last week, the German authorities said the man has been sent to custody and was accused of violating the country's War Weapons Control Act and "preparing a serious act of violence against the state", the IntelNews report added. The report cited other reports as saying that the German sleuths acted after receiving a tip-off in May that a man had purchased a coffee grinder and 1,000 castor seeds. Processing castor seeds can lead to creation of a ricin byproduct which in turn can be weaponised in the form of powder, solid pellets or fine mist, it said, adding that the end product is more powerful than even toxic substances like cyanide. It is potentially dangerous for human body and can lead to fatalities in no time and also has no known remedy, the IntelNews report added. The authorities then started tracking the man and his movements in Cologne, near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands and by the time June arrived, they came to know that the accused had produced enough ricin to make as many as 1,000 lethal doses, the report added. The matter assumed more seriousness as the German media reported the man to be an Islamic State (IS) sympathiser although the officials found no direct link between him and any militant organisations, either in Germany or elsewhere, the IntelNews report added. Even though there was evidence that the man had planned a real attack at any place or any time, Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution said it was "very likely" that arresting "Sief Allah H." had averted a terrorist attack. Last week, German newsmagazine Der Spiegel said the suspect had made ricin by following instructions posted online by the IS. Over the weekend, the German authorities have conducted search in many other apartments in Cologne to see if there were more leads into such instances, the report added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 15:28 [IST] Talks with China will not help says USA NSA on situation on Ladakh 20 members of a family removed from US flight after mask of 1 slipped under nose Melania Trump call for end to migrant family separations International pti-PTI Washington, June 18: As First Lady, Melania Trump made a rare political plea to end the deeply controversial practice, Democratic and Republican lawmakers upped the ante on the thorny issue of the separation of migrant children from their parents at the US border. The First Lady, who does not often wade into the political arena, did not denounce his administration's policy, but instead called for bipartisan immigration reform to fix the issue. The "zero-tolerance" border security policy implemented by President Donald Trump's administration has sparked outrage on both sides of the political aisle and took on particular resonance as America celebrated Father's Day. Trump has said he wants the separations to end but continues to blame opposition Democrats for the crisis, which critics say is one of his own making. "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," her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN. "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." Immigration is one of the most divisive, hot-button crises plaguing the Trump administration. During one recent six-week period, the government said nearly 2,000 minors were separated from their parents or adult guardians -- a figure that only stoked the firestorm. The number of separations has jumped since early May, when Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that all migrants illegally crossing the US border with Mexico would be arrested, regardless of whether the adults were seeking asylum. Since children cannot be sent to the facilities where their parents are held, they are separated. Some of Trump's fellow Republicans have said the policy must end. "What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you," Senator Susan Collins told CBS television's "Face the Nation" news program. "That's traumatizing to the children who are innocent victims, and it is contrary to our values in this country." Amid deep divisions, congressional Republicans have struggled to craft a viable immigration plan. The Republican-led House of Representatives may vote this week on two immigration measures -- a hardline bill and a compromise measure that would limit legal immigration while also ending family separations. After touring a processing center in McAllen, Texas on Sunday, a group of Democratic lawmakers warned of the "irreparable harm" caused by the separations, repeating a phrase used by the American Academy of Pediatrics. "This new policy of the Trump administration... is undermining the founding values of this country," said Representative David Cicilline. "We saw the fear in the eyes of these children who are wondering when they will see their parent ever again. It's a disgrace, it's shameful and it's un-American." PTI UK-India Week 2018: Indian students are going everywhere but not to the UK, says Dinesh Patnaik UK-India Week 2018: 'BJP will win over 300 seats in 2019 election', says Piyush Goyal UK-India Week 2018: Vivek Oberoi tells how he was drawn helping poor, victims of child prostitution UK-India week: Fantastic start to 5-day global event International oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff UK-India Week 2018 and the 2nd Edition of 100 Most Influential in UK India Relations was formally launched on Monday. The five-day international event where 'Global Britain Meets Global India' will be held in London and Buckinghamshire. The event witnessed participation of global business leaders and senior politicians from the UK and India. Liam Fox, Member of Parliament for North Somerset and Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport. delivered the special inaugural address. Also, Emily Thornberry Labour MP for Islington S & Finsbury, His Excellency YK Sinha, Indian High Commissioner, Ajay Vij Senior Vice President, Infosys were present. A series of high impact events are lined up for four days to take the UK-India bilateral relationship to new heights. Stay tuned for the live updates: By Xuan Huong HCM CITY Mollis organic towels of Phong Phu Corporation have received very good response in the market after being launched last year, a sign that premium products are becoming more popular in Viet Nam. oan Anh ao, sales and marketing manager of Phong Phu Corporation, said the towels, which are made from 100 per cent imported cotton, are strictly inspected by the Control Union from all stages, from input to output to sales and inventory. They are priced 30-40 per cent higher than that of normal cotton towels. Sales of the products via Con Cung shops are very good. At Co.opmart, Big C, Aeon and some Vinmart stores, more and more customers know about the products, ao said. According to retailers, sales of Vinamilk organic fresh milk have also been very good since its launch despite their much higher price compared to normal products. Realising the potential of the Vietnamese market, many foreign companies via exhibitions and fairs want to seek business partners to distribute their products in Viet Nam. For instance, Shin Je Hwan from South Koreas Hap Chun Foods Co. Ltd, which participated in the VIPREMIUM 2018 held recently in HCM City, said: This is the first time my company is participating in the fair. We want to look for agents or distributing and importing companies in Viet Nam. ao said: Theres a great potential for organic and premium products in Vietnamese market because consumers have increasingly paid attention to products that are good for their health. A recent survey of Nielsen showed that with significantly improved income, Vietnamese consumers are not only buying more goods, but also spending more money on premium products. Premium products have selling prices at least 20 percent higher than other products of the same kinds in the market, according to Nielsen. Imported products Despite the potential of the premium product market segment, the market is mainly dominated by imports, accounting for about 80 per cent, according to Nguyen Phi Van, chairwoman of the Saigon Innovation Hubs Board of Advisors. Products are mostly from the Asia Pacific region such as Japan and South Korea, and from Western Europe and North America, according to Van, who is also founder and chairwoman of Retail & Franchise Asia. The premium market in Viet Nam features mainly healthcare products, beauty care products, household appliances, consumer products, and electronic products as well as services. In the high-end market segment, Vietnamese firms find it hard to compete with foreign firms because they have not caught up with market trends, while their foreign rivals have done this very well, Van said. Foreign firms are very knowledgeable about design and business model innovation to suit digital consumers as well as future consumers. Due to these difficulties, in the high-end consumer segment, Vietnamese goods cannot compete with products produced by foreign manufacturers, she said. According to experts, Vietnamese producers of both premium and popular products do not understand world market trends and thus cannot take advantage of the trends.This is the biggest challenge for Vietnamese firms. Domestic businesspeople have accessed an international business mindset, but the application of these mindsets into production and business operations is still slow compared to that in other countries. Their resources are also very limited, and they struggle to protect their popular consumer products in the market. So they have not had proper investment in exploiting higher consumer segments. Vu Kim Hanh, chairwoman of the High Quality Vietnamese Goods Business Association, said: "Consumers like imported products from Thailand, Japan and Korea. One of the reasons is that as incomes increase, consumers can pay more for products in general, but they also pay more attention to the value that the products bring, especially foods and beverages good for health. Van said: I hope that more Vietnamese businesses will participate in the premium market segment, but it may take a long time for them to build their position in the market. Many experts believe that with the current situation, imported premium goods in Viet Nam will continue to increase in the coming time. Under free trade agreements, tariff duties will be reduced, and imported goods will become more competitive, causing difficulties for Vietnamese firms. According to Van, in this situation, Vietnamese firms need to make a big change in their managerial mindset and expand co-operation, including with foreign partners to develop the market together. Businesses should also understand mega-trends that will lead the market not only now but also in coming years to develop suitable business innovation ideas as well as capitalise on market opportunities. VNS How to Book Sabarimala Virtual Q Tickets Online 2021? Know Date, Price and Other Details Delhi gangwars: Shootout between members of Gogi and Tillu gangs leave one dead New Delhi oi-Vikas By Vikas A shootout broke out between two local gangs in Delhi's Burari area on Monday in which one member of the Tillu gang was shot dead. The dead member of the Tillu gang has been identified as one Raju, said reports. The rivalry between Gogi and Tillu gangs started in 2013 during the Delhi University college students' union elections. Gogi gang is led by gangster Jitender Gogi while the rival Tillu gang is led by one Sunil alias Tillu of Tajpur village. In 2015, Gogi escaped from the custody of Delhi Police in Bahadurgarh while on the way for a court hearing. Since then, he has been hiding in Uttarakhand and comes to Delhi only to commit crimes. He carries a reward of Rs 2 lakh. In 2015, Tillu was arrested by the Sonipat Police and was put behind bars. Presently, Tillu is lodged in Sonipat Jail. Gogi and his rival Tillu have been running extortion rackets in Alipur and Sonipat areas, which is the main cause of the feud between the two groups. The rivalry between Gogi and Tillu gang was sparked amid student politics in the Delhi University (DU). The dispute gradually took a nasty shape in 2012, when Gogi and his associates allegedly shot at one Vikas, a close associate of Tillu. Earlier in June, notorious Delhi gangster Rajesh Bharti and 3 of his associates were gunned down by Delhi Police's Special Cell. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 12:51 [IST] How to Book Sabarimala Virtual Q Tickets Online 2021? Know Date, Price and Other Details Speeding truck kills 2, injures 1 New Delhi oi-Staff By Oneindia Staff Writer Two persons, who were sleeping on a footpath, were killed and another was injured after a speeding truck hit them in north Delhi's Kashmere Gate, police said. The incident took place on Friday night when the truck, carrying grain, was coming from Narela Mandi and was heading towards Faridabad, they said. The driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed into the footpath where the three men, in their 40s, who are yet to be identified, were sleeping, police said. Two of them died while the third, Dilip Kumar, was undergoing treatment, they said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, June 18, 2018, 9:46 [IST] The Viet Nam Association of Seafood Producers and Exporters (VASEP) has proposed to the State to find solutions in dealing with trade barriers in the United States (US) market and promoting shrimp exports to this market. Photo nhipcaudautu.vn HA NOI The Viet Nam Association of Seafood Producers and Exporters (VASEP) has proposed to the State to find solutions in dealing with trade barriers in the United States (US) market and promoting shrimp exports to this market. The proposal was under a series of suggestions submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to ensure sustainable development of Viet Nams fishery industry, including shrimp. The association suggested that the government should continue to pay more attention to diplomatic activities with the US to quickly remove trade barriers, especially anti-dumping tariffs for shrimp. According to local shrimp exporters, high anti-dumping duties and the Seafood Import Monitoring Programme (SIMP) are major barriers that prevented them from boosting exports to this market over time. In April 2018, the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration confirmed that foreign shrimps and abalone would be added to the SIMP, beginning January 1, 2019. The SIMP requires importers to report traceability information on imported seafood from the point of capture to the point of first sale in the US, in order to thwart illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activity. Accordingly, American shrimp importers have until December 31, 2018, to comply with the regulations under the SIMP programme. Meanwhile, in March, the US Department of Commerce announced preliminary results of anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese shrimp, measured up to 25.39 per cent during the 12th Administrative Review (POR12) period from February 1, 2016, until December 31, 2017. This was considered too high compared with previous disclosures. Local enterprises said the high anti-dumping duty and SIMP would make it difficult for Viet Nam to increase shrimp exports to the United States in the time to come. According to Truong inh Hoe, VASEP general secretary, the US market has great seafood demand, especially shrimp. It has imported an average of some 600,000 tonnes of shrimp per year, but Viet Nams shrimp exports have accounted for 10 per cent of the demand every year (some 60,000 tonnes) due to the anti-dumping duty. India has accounted for 32 per cent of the market share in this market, followed by Thailand and Indonesia. Meanwhile, Viet Nam can export 150,000 tonnes of shrimp per year. Therefore, the local businesses need to improve their quality and competitiveness to expand their market share in the US market, said Hoe. VASEP reported in the first four months of this year that Viet Nam gained a growth of 13.8 per cent in shrimp exports to US$1 billion against the same period last year, but the value of exports in April reduced slightly, 0.4 per cent year-on-year, to $275 million. The reduction was due to a drop in the export price, high supply and a plunge in the volume of shrimp exports to the US and China. Last year, Viet Nam achieved a growth in shrimp exports in most export markets, excluding the US. The shrimp exports to the US fell eight per cent year-on-year mainly due to high anti-dumping tariffs. VNS HA NOI Fertiliser stocks are surprising the market with many large names hitting the ceiling prices, mainly due to the Ministry of Finances decision to make fertiliser subject to VAT at the preferential rate of 5 per cent. Their stocks surprised investors, with PetroVietnam Ca Mau Fertiliser JSC (DCM) experiencing six consecutive gaining sessions in the last two weeks, finishing VN11,300 per share on Friday. During its annual share holders meeting, the companys management board proposed to shareholders the companys 2018 business plan, with target revenue of VN5.5 trillion and fertiliser consumption of 751,000 tonnes. It aims to earn VN685 billion (US$30 million) and VN650 billion in pre-tax profit and post-tax profit respectively, higher than the previous year. In 2018, Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (Petro Vietnam or PVN) plans to reduce its ownership at DCM from the current 75.56 per cent to 51 per cent. Another stock seeing large growth is PetroVietnam Fertiliser & Chemicals Corporation (DPM). PVN will also reduce its ownership at the company to 51 per cent. Last week, DPM shares increased in four sessions in the total five trading sessions, finishing Friday at VN17,250. The Southern Fertiliser JSC (SFG) recorded 7.1 per cent increase last week, the figure for Lam Thao Fertilisers and Chemicals JSC (LAS) and Van ien Fused Magnesium Phosphate Fertiliser JSC (VAF) were 5.2 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively. Law No 71/2014/QH13, which took effect on January 1, 2015, treats fertiliser as a VAT-free item. However, as VAT is exempted instead of a reduction to 0 per cent, domestic fertiliser enterprises have not been entitled to VAT refunds for input materials and this has eaten into the competitiveness of their products. This had sent fertiliser prices rising 5-8 per cent. Meanwhile, imported fertilisers are sold at lower prices than those of domestically-made products as the former enjoy a 5 per cent VAT reduction, hitting sales and production of local fertiliser companies. Fertiliser producers have petitioned lawmakers to add fertiliser to the list of products subject to value added tax (VAT) as if the law states that fertiliser products are subject to a 0 per cent rate, enterprises can deduct tax payments for materials. The Fertiliser Association of Viet Nam (FAV), the Viet Nam Farmers Union (VNFU) and the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry have also suggested imposing a VAT rate of 5 per cent on fertiliser. Responding the petition, the Ministry of Finance recently announced fertiliser will be added to the list of products subject to a value-added tax (VAT) rate of 5 per cent instead of zero. This was good news for producers as it allows domestic businesses to get refunds for the tax paid for inputs such as materials, electricity, water and packaging items. Presenting opinions on the VAT imposed on fertiliser, the ministry also said that a proposed 0 per cent VAT rate is not in line with international practices and the Governments VAT tax system. According to experts, another reason for the massive surge of fertiliser stocks was because they have experienced a long time of deep dumping. In the long run, the fertiliser sector can hardly bring high profits for investors. The demand for fertiliser tends to decline due to the reduction of farm land. The scale of the fertiliser mills will not change so the output does not increase much. As there is no expansion in production and business, the annual high dividend payment will eat into firms profit, experts have said. VNS HCM CITY Viet Nam exported 141,000 tonnes of cashew nuts for a value of U$$1.39 billion in the first five months of the year, a year-on-year increase of 21.4 per cent and 25.3 per cent, respectively, according to the Viet Nam Cashew Association. With this result, Viet Nam retains its position as the worlds largest cashew processor and exporter for the 13th consecutive year, accounting for 65 per cent of the worlds total cashew export revenue, according to ang Hoang Giang, the associations chairman. Despite having positive export growth, cashew farmers and processing firms enjoyed only 30-35 per cent of profit in the value chain, with the remainder in the hands of international cashew processors and traders, according to Nguyen uc Thanh, Vinacass chairman. Currently, domestic processors are facing difficulties due to lack of raw materials. Speaking at a meeting in HCM City on Friday, Giang said the volume of raw material imports had been very low in recent months. As a result, many cashew processing firms had to suspend operations. In Long An Province, only 12 out of 33 cashew processing firms were operating, he said, adding that 80 per cent of cashew processors, mostly small and micro enterprises, in Binh Phuoc Province had also suspended operations. Ta Quang Huyen, who is also deputy chairman of Vinacas and director of Hoang Son 1 Company in Binh Phuoc Province, said in the first five months of 2018, Vietnamese firms imported 283,000 tonnes of raw cashews plus 370,000 tonnes from domestic supply and purchases from Cambodia via border trade, totaling 653,000 tonnes. With the ratio of 4.3 kilos of raw cashew materials offering one kilo of cashew kernels, and 141,000 tonnes of cashew kernels exported in the first five months of the year, all of the 653,000 tonnes of raw materials were processed in the first five months. "This means that enterprises have no inventory or very limited inventory, so they have to wait for raw materials," he said. Huyen said Vietnamese firms this year increased processing capacity by 25 per cent over the same period last year, providing the market with a large volume of cashew products. Thus, foreign traders had been able to force them to sell at lower prices. Cashew prices had fallen this year to $8.2 per kilo from $11 per kilo last year, so processing firms had broken even or taken a loss. "Cashew nuts can be stored for a year, but because most local processing firms are small scale and have limited financial capacity, they have to sell their products soon after production, he said. "Cashew output globally is estimated to increase by 4 per cent this year, while demand for cashew products is expected to increase by 5 per cent. With limited inventory, cashew prices will recover in the coming time, he added. Tran Van Hiep, head of the trade promotion board at Vinacas, said cashew prices were expected to increase again. Companies had strong potential, prestigious brands and quality products, and would be able to overcome this difficult period and continue to develop, he said. Golden Cashew Rendezvous At the meeting, Vinacas announced that the 10th Vinacas Golden Cashew Rendezvous would be held from October 5 to 7 in Ha Long Bay to promote trade and expand markets for cashew products. Co-organised by the Viet Nam Cashew Association (Vinacas) and Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency, the largest event in Viet Nams cashew sector is expected to attract about 500 domestic and international delegates from 50 countries and territories. VNS HA NOI Ha Noi needs to seek new momentum for growth to materialise its development vision, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Phuc was speaking at the conference Ha Noi 2018 - Investment and Development Co-operation held in Ha Noi yesterday, the citys largest investment promotion forum in the year with the participation of nearly 1,000 businesspeople and investors. Ha Noi should devise a master plan and action programme for its development, he said, taking Cau Giay District as an example, which has emerged from a very poor locality into an urban area with industrial value exceeding VN43 trillion (US$1.9 billion) and State budget contribution of more than VN7 trillion ($308 billion) thanks to effective planning. The PM believes that the capital will take the lead nationwide in developing the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the digital economy, while building a smart city. He urged the city to create high-quality human resources in spearhead sectors such as artificial intelligence and data science, and carry forward its role as the countrys cradle in personnel training in natural sciences. He also asked the city to support investors when they meet difficulties, and create breakthroughs in land-related procedures. More attention should be paid to the construction of public facilities such as parks and public toilets, with all toilets at schools and hospitals satisfying quality standards, the leader said. He called on investors to promptly carry out projects in the city, and urged municipal authorities and investors to co-ordinate in land clearance. Applauding Ha Nois achievements in development, especially its efforts in building an e-Government, PM Phuc expressed his hope that the city would promote its role in development in the Red River Delta region and the country. The event demonstrated Ha Nois commitment to improving the business environment, accompanying enterprises and turning the private economic sector into an important factor in the citys economic reform, secretary of the municipal Party Committee Hoang Trung Hai said. Vu Tien Loc, chairman of Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Ha Noi had seen improvements. The number of both domestic and foreign projects in the city had rapidly increased. One out of five newly-established firms in the country came from Ha Noi. The citys provincial competitiveness index (PCI) has seen positive changes as it jumped to among the 13 localities with best administration quality in the country, Loc added. Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Nguyen uc Chung revealed that Ha Noi aimed to help start-ups by providing all expenditures and convenient services for free from August 1, 2018. This proposal is expected to be presented at the sixth meeting of the municipal Peoples Council in early July, 2018. Over the past two years, Ha Nois business climate has improved greatly, boosting its standing on the PCI and a much enhanced administrative system. Ha Nois economy maintained steady growth of 7.15 per cent in 2016, 7.31 per cent in 2017 and 7.07 per cent in the first six months of 2018. He said domestic private investments make up 51.1 per cent of the citys total investment capital. The city, to date, has attracted 2,200 projects run by private investors, worth more than VN1 quadrillion ($44 billion). In the months to come, Ha Noi will prioritise investment in high-tech, clean energy, housing projects for workers, waste treatment plants, high-tech agriculture, universities, vocational schools and the manufacturing and supporting industry, Chung said. As of June 15, more than 4,300 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects valued at $33.38 billion had come to the city. In 2016-17 and the first six months of this year, the city lured $12.46 billion in FDI, equivalent to the number recorded from 1986-2015, Chung said. Ha Noi drew more than $5.9 billion in FDI in the first half of 2018, making it the countrys largest six-month FDI attractor for the first time in three decades. At the conference, Ha Noi signed on co-operation with other localities nationwide. The event also saw the signing of 24 memoranda of understanding between Ha Noi and Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park. On this occasion, the city handed over investment decisions and licences to 71 projects worth VN397.33 trillion ($17.48 billion), including 11 FDI projects with total investment capital of more than VN130 trillion ($5.72 billion) and 60 domestically-invested projects worth VN267.27 trillion ($11.87 billion). The conference is the third consecutive annual edition, showing the capitals commitment to improving the business climate. VNS HA NOI The Department of Competition and Consumer Protection under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has warned against the unlicenced multi-level sales of Atomy products by organisations and individuals. Some websites and social networks are trading many functional foods and cosmetics branded Atomy. Many individuals have purchased directly through these channels and are invited to become collaborators or distributors to earn commissions based on the sales volume of the subordinate network. Most of the advertisements on these channels mention that Atomy is a multi-level trading company based in the Republic of Korea, which reportedly earned a global revenue of US$751 million in 2016. According to Atomys social network website, the brands mission in Viet Nam is to rewrite the ugly definition of multi-level trading. Consumers are not charged any fee and are required to purchase just once a year to maintain the account, with the cheapest rate being less than VN100,000 (US$4.37). The brand said it is currently completing registration procedures and is expected to officially operate in the Vietnamese market from October this year. However, the department affirmed that it did not receive any information or registration document for multi-level trading activities from any company owning products or brand called Atomy. To avoid material and legal risks, the department has advised organisations and individuals not to participate in the multi-level business network in Viet Nam at this time, said a representative of the department. VNS HCM CITY Bamboo Capital JSC has said it will focus on three main business lines in 2018-20, infrastructure, property and renewable energy. Speaking at the annual general meeting in HCM City on June 18, Pham Minh Tuan, the companys deputy general director, said infrastructure and property projects are expected to bring dramatic profits in the medium term. It has widened provincial roads 830 and 824 in Long An Province and operates them in a joint venture with Bang Duong, he said. In the second half of this year it would deploy some large property projects such as the US$66 million Malibu resort in Quang Nam Province, the $198.2 million Dragon Bridge in a Nang (a mixed-use project comprising retail, hotel, office, and luxury apartment spaces) and the $97.8 million Thao ien apartment in HCM City, he said. Also in the second half the company would start building solar energy plants in Long An and develop new projects such as a 150MW wind power plant in Soc Trang and a solar power plant in Quang Nam, he said. It has tied up with foreign partners and hopes to become a pioneer in the solar field in Viet Nam, he said. In 2018 production and export of products such as outdoor wooden furniture, cassava starch and coffee have greatly contributed to turnover and profit, he said. Bamboo targets turnover of VN1.98 trillion (US$86.8 million) this year, almost the same as last year. Tuan explained that last year Phu Thuan Trading and Services Company contributed VN640 billion ($28.07 million) to the top line, but this year Bamboo had divested its capital at the company as part of its restructure plan. VNS 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. NATO allies have stopped cuts in defence and began to increase the burden-sharing, something U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for. Defence spending among NATO members is to rise by 3.8 percent in 2018. Announcing specifics at a news conference, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the burden-sharing "underpins everything that we do." It was also revealed that 15 of the alliance's 29 members are on the track to meet the NATO guideline of investing. "Allies are making real progress on all aspects of burden-sharing -- cash, capabilities and contributions. When it comes to cash, I can announce the first estimates for 2018. We now have four consecutive years of real increases in defence spending. All allies have stopped the cuts. We are going in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go," he said. As for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, degreesll three Baltic states have gradually increased their share of GDP on defence since 2010. Estonia was one of the only five NATO allies that met the benchmark of 2 percent spending in 2017; Lithuania and Latvia reached the target this year. Lithuania also reintroduced conscription in 2015, while Estonia has had the draft since the 1990s. Since boosting their defence budgets, they will spend a total of around $ 2 billion on defence by 2020. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are well-aware that they are on the front line of any potential conflict with Russia, and so the Baltic nations will arrive at the NATO in July summit with the goal of pushing for more: more allied forces inside its border, more information shared among allies and more regional exercises. At the same time the Baltic countries are experiencing hard times today. It is not only in terms of security. It is known that the standard of living is measured by average income per capita, GDP per capita and population. All these indicators show that it will take at least several decades for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to reach the average living standard of the European Union. The average living standard in the EU is even not so high (for example in less developed countries like Bulgaria and Portugal). Due to this reason, living standard, for instance, in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is 24% higher than the average level in the EU, but in the Slovak capital of Bratislava this figure accounts for 95% of the average Union's level. Meanwhile, the living standard in London is 2.2 times higher, but in Brussels by 2.1 times higher the average level. It's obvious that the Baltic States will not succeed in reaching the decent standard of life of more developed countries even in a few decades. Another increase in defence spending in the Baltic States will significantly reduce the welfare of the local population. Unfortunately, ordinary citizens of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not decide anything, everything has already been decided for them. 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. Following the recent massive protests in Amman and other provinces over tax increases and subsidy cuts, Jordan received $2.5 billion of aid from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE. Now, Israel officially expressed its gratitude to U.S. for convincing the Arab Muslim countries to pledge this aid package to Jordan. (Image by Ron Dermer) Details DMCA "I'm grateful to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his great effort to convince Saudi Arabia along with UAE and Kuwait to support Jordan to overcome its economic crisis. The weakening of the Kingdom of Jordan and the risk of Arab uprising repeat have a direct impact on the security of Israel," tweeted Ron Dermer, Israel's Ambassador to the United States. 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. Julian Lin poses with members of the Black Bear squad (Image by Taiwan Civil Government) Details DMCA Taiwan Civil Government, now accused by Republic of China in-exile prosecutors of being a political hoax, has its own private, paramilitary police force. The ROC prosecutors allege that Roger and Julian Lin and five others conspired to defrau d donors of the advocacy group with false claims of United States assistance resolving Taiwan's decades-old unresolved international status. The Black Bear squad provides security at the TCG headquarters, marches in parades, and conducts training sessions on crowd control and first aid. The storm-trooper look of the Black Bear unit must give ROC authorities an uneasy feeling. The pro-American TCG seeks US help expelling the ROC from Taiwan. Are the Black Bears part of an alleged hoax to cheat donors of their money? Or does the squad exist to satisfy a thirst for power of a political megalomaniac? Another possibility, more likely, is that TCG wants to prove to the United States it has the capability to step in as an interim government should there be a dramatic change in Taiwan's status. TCG actions have tended to follow the nation-building script of US military civil affairs officers. The exiled Republic of China was installed on Formosa, as Taiwan was then commonly known, by the Navy's Seventh Fleet in 1945, under orders of Allied Commander Douglas MacArthur. The Cold War with communism followed and the Nationalist Chinese never left. As Taiwan's status remains unresolved, the ROC continues to control the island much to the dismay of many Taiwanese. Taiwan Civil Government wants the United States to toss out the Chinese and replace the ROC with an interim US military government. TCG has been working to position itself as a transitional entity, loyal to the United States, and capable of hitting the ground running. The Black Bear squad is TCG's demonstration they have what it takes to step in and govern. A fanciful pipe dream like ROC prosecutors say? Maybe not, Julian Lin's connection at the White House, Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President, could whisper in Donald Trump's ear about a certain pro-American political group in Taiwan that even has its own police force. An approach like that might have gained favor with the boss. If Trump is to be a game-changer in Taiwan then TCG wanted to be in play but has now been sidelined. ROC prosecutors have been careful to not accuse TCG leaders of treason or fostering rebellion, which might gain international sympathy, but instead have focused on fraud charges which could both shut down the group and tarnish its reputation. Until the fate of TCG's imprisoned leaders is known the Black Bear squad may be forced into hibernation. 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. Disclaimer: To be clear I am not a Trumpster. Trump is an aggressive, sadistic, deplorable human being with a narcissistic, antisocial personality disorder. Trump never expected to win but when he did, he looked as if he had seen a ghost. There was, in the space of little more than an hour, in Steve Bannon's not unamused observation, a befuddled Trump morphing into a disbelieving Trump and then into a quite horrified Trump. But still to come was the final transformation: suddenly, Donald Trump became a man who believed that he deserved to be and was wholly capable of being the president of the United States." F ire and Fury by Michael Wolff The North Korean Summit Watching the media trash Trump for getting conned by a "talented" 36-year old dictator whose talent is the ability to kill his relatives and countrymen with poison, chemical weapons, and flamethrowers, you have to wonder if Trump is really a mentally deranged "dotard." Did Trump really give up everything because he sensed that Mr. Kim wouldn't renege on agreements like his father and grandfather did? People are laughing when they hear Trump say that he trusted the rocket man to follow through on his commitments: This isn't another administration that never got it started and therefore never got it done," said Mr. Trump, basking in the summit's apparent success. "I will do whatever it takes to make the world a safer place." "Mr. Kim wants a better future for the North Korean people, This isn't the past." Our South Korean allies are speechless when they watched Trump flattering the totalitarian ruler and calling him a "very talented" and trustworthy leader. Everyone, except the Trumpsters and Fox News, are sure that nothing good will come from the meaningless, communique' full of a combination of already-broken DPRK promises. Is this the classic North Korean playbook? The Lowy Institute's international security director Euan Graham says Mr Kim is swinging predictably from provocation to engagement. Close observers doubt that Kim is looking for peace and note that the only thing he has going for him is unprecedented nuclear capability and an unconventional US "dotard" president. Is it really possible that the egocentric malignant narcissist Trump is that stupid and so desperate for adiplomatic victory that he would piss off our Allies when he agreed to terminatewhat Trump called "provocative" military exercises in the region to save money? The Trump administration isn't winging it in a swirl of lies, contradictions, and Twitter rants. Trump is desperate, but even he has to know that showing Kim a video giving him one chance to show vision and leadership so that his nation can have a consumer society, isn't going to achieve denuclearization. The Donald isn't so naive as to believe that it was his "maximum pressure" approach that enabled a breakthrough where we got everything, "everything, and now we are safe." Donald Trump knows what he is doing, but not in a good way. I investigated Trump before and after the election to verify that he was the one that managed the Trump organization. Trump managed the organization in between four bankruptcies, 13 business failures, three marriages, the storm, and the playmates. Trump only wants the biggest, the best, the greatest deals and his father once told him, "You are a killer...You are a king" 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. (Image by Roy Eidelson) Details DMCA "They're Different from Us." It's a favorite mind game of the self-serving 1% when they want to stifle broad opposition to their agenda. By manipulating our understanding of what's happening, what's right, and what's possible, this psychological appeal takes advantage of prejudice to promote distrust and division within and across communities. Today's greed-driven plutocrats know that solidarity with the disadvantaged and mistreated is jeopardized whenever differences like race, gender, and religion are emphasized and exaggerated. That's why they highlight these differences while downplaying similarities in the concerns and aspirations we all share. If this ploy works, it divides groups that might otherwise form a more united and more potent resistance. When such coalitions fail to materialize, the winners are the defenders of extreme inequality who've long ago forsaken the common good. What makes these they're-different-from-us appeals psychologically effective is that we tend to view ingroup members more favorably than outgroup members. When we're persuaded that someone belongs to the same group we do, we usually perceive them as more trustworthy, we hold them in higher regard, and we're more willing to share scarce resources with them. In part, this positive bias reflects our belief that these individuals have a lot in common with us. Even if we've never met them, we imagine that their values, attitudes, and life experiences are probably similar to our own. However, if we see people as members of a different group instead, then we don't care as much about their welfare and there's a greater chance that we'll view them as potential adversaries rather than allies. Such divisiveness is exactly what the 1% want. The ambitions of one-percenters don't require that they all hold explicitly racist or prejudiced attitudes about Hispanics, African Americans, Muslims, or other groups--although some, like President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, obviously do. But even those who don't can still take advantage of the fact that bigotry in the United States continues to divide individuals and groups whose collective futures could be brighter if unwarranted suspicions gave way to mutual respect and support. Law professor Ian Haney Lopez has described this approach as strategic racism: "purposeful efforts to use racial animus as leverage to gain material wealth, political power, or heightened social standing." Journalist Naomi Klein has similarly noted, "White supremacy, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia have been the elite's most potent defenses against genuine democracy." Today it's clear that the leadership of the Republican Party and many titans of corporate America are comfortable supporting--or at least acquiescing to--a litany of racist and discriminatory White House policies. Their reward includes billionaire tax cuts, windfall profits, deregulation of their industries, and other favors reserved for them alone. For some this is perhaps a devil's bargain; for others, it's undoubtedly considered a win-win situation. Consider three examples in turn. GOP leaders and party loyalists have largely accepted Trump's promised termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), his pardon of the infamous Arizona "tent city" sheriff Joe Arpaio, the ruthless dragnets of immigrant communities by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and the immoral and traumatizing separation of young migrant children from their parents arrested at the border. Actions like these find cover in anti-immigrant sentiment among the U.S. public. Meanwhile, the draconian policies are a boonfor private security contractors and even more so for for-profit prison corporations, their executives, and wealthy investors who eagerly add to their net worth from the expanded use of these detention facilities. The same dynamics are readily apparent in the unequal treatment of Black Americans in our criminal justice system. In particular, they are far more likely to be the targets of stop-and-frisk operations, are arrested and prosecuted for minor offenses at higher rates, and are given longer prison sentences for comparable crimes. At the same time, research shows that white Americans become stronger supporters of mass incarceration when they believe that Black Americans are the ones who are being disproportionately affected.Again, such racial biases among the public help protect the revenue streams of a variety of companies that provide services to prisoners--telecom, food, healthcare--as well as those that benefit from below minimum-wage inmate labor. In a similar way, defense and homeland security contractors are among the businesses that land enormous paydays because many Americans hold distrustful, prejudiced, and they're-different-from-us views of Muslims and Muslim Americans. Indeed, some see all members of the faith as potential terrorists. That's made it politically palatable or even advantageous for Trump and other party leaders to call for the tracking of Muslims and a travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries. Fox News personalities simultaneously feed both our country's Islamophobia and the television network's bottom-line by insisting that all terrorists are Muslims and that sharia law may someday replace the Constitution across the United States. In all of these instances, the conclusion is simple. When the 1% encourage prejudice and discrimination--or when they merely fail to use their enormous influence to challenge racism and bigotry--they're prioritizing the preservation of their tremendous material advantages over the creation of a more equal and more decent society. Making matters even worse, their efforts to cultivate distrust and disunity often succeed in spurring disadvantaged groups--of all backgrounds--to start blaming each other, rather than directing their sights at a key source of their shared travails: the plutocrats themselves. If we want to focus on the kind of differences that truly matter, we should turn our attention to the striking divergences between the documented policy preferences of the 1% compared to the rest of us. In a nutshell, Americans in general are much stronger supporters of a higher minimum wage, labor unions to strengthen workers' rights, affordable healthcare for everyone, a more progressive tax structure, higher taxes for high-income earners and corporations, government initiatives to decrease unemployment, and a stronger social welfare safety net for those facing adversity. These are all worthy and achievable goals. The first step is to recognize and reject the manipulative "They're Different from Us" mind game that's designed to divide us. Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121 "In Bottom-Up, Rob Kall offers a blueprint for human surviving and thriving that everyone can follow. Using personal stories from his many famous contacts (from Capra to Quinn), he shows how in every aspect of life we can reconnect with that which is in our DNA by replacing our artificial and oppressive hierarchical priorities via a return to a consciousness based on the kind of egalitarian relationships that we honored for most of human history." Four Arrows, aka Don Trent Jacobs, PhD, EdD, author of Unlearning the Language of Conquest and Teaching Truly: A Curriculum to Indigenize Mainstream Education In June 2017 the Viet Nam National textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) listed on UPCoM under the ticker VGT at VN13,500. Photo laodongthudo.vn Compiled by Thien Ly In June 2017 the Viet Nam National textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) listed on UPCoM under the ticker VGT at VN13,500. After remaining steady for more than six months, the price of VGT shares suddenly soared by 70 per cent to VN19,400 last January. But it soon gave up all its gains and plunged to VN11,000. A similar fate has befallen many other textile and apparel companies too. Viet Tien Garment Corporation (VGG) was for a long time trading at the highest price in the industry. But it has also been on a downward trend for the last three months. VGG is now being traded at around VN49,200, down by 20 per cent from January. The price of Phong Phu Corporation (PPH) fell to VN20,000 and has remained there since listing on UpCoM last August with a reference price of VN25,000. This is a paradoxical situation since most textile companies are doing pretty well on the business front. An analysis by au Tu Chung Khoan newspaper found that only one of the 20 largest listed companies reported a loss in the first quarter of this year. Most of the rest achieved high growth rates. The Viet Nam Textile and Apparel Group is a typical example: It achieved an estimated profit of VN178.4 billion (US$7.85 million), up 41 per cent year-on-year. Many of them even achieved 100 per cent growth, including Nha Be Garment Corporation, (204 per cent) and Ha Noi Textile and Garment Corporation(Hanosimex, 181 per cent). So why this paradox? Some market observers thought this was simply because investors are now obsessed with banking and real estate stocks to the exclusion of all else. Others said textile shares are not fancied because of the industrys low profit margins. Besides, they are facing huge competition from cheap imports from China, the Philippines and Bangladesh. While Viet Nams accession to the CPTPP will indeed offer a huge advantage to domestic players, they need to meet many conditions for that. One of them is that textile and garment producers must prove the origin of all the materials used to make a product. Not many Vietnamese textile companies can do this. Constant increases in input costs and the need to embrace technology 4.0 to reduce them are other issues. However, experts still expect textile and garment companies to grow solidly because globally the industry is expected to grow at a whopping 25 per cent a year from now through 2025. This also makes the Viet Nam Textile and Garment Association believe that the export target of US$35 billion this year is well within reach. Banks likely to plead for hike in credit growth cap, again Many banks will have to seek the State Bank of Viet Nams permission to lend further since they have almost used up their full-year lending quotas within just five months. A spokesperson for a major bank based in HCM City said his bank had been allowed 14 per cent credit growth but has already achieved nearly 10 per cent. Some banks have even used up their entire quota already, like Viet A Bank, Nam A Bank, AB Bank, and Eximbank. The SBV said as of June 1 overall credit growth was 5.6 per cent. This has been attributed to the fact that many banks were worried about the possibility of negative credit growth like last year and so stepped up their lending activities. Besides, many banks have been licensed by the SBV to open more branches and transaction offices this year while their credit growth quotas were allocated before that. Many banks have said they would find it difficult to do business if they are not allowed to lend further this year. This situation is not new and has in fact happened often in the past. According a report from the State Audit Office, last year many banks, including Vietinbank, BIDV, Vietcombank, Agribank, SeABank, and HDBank, ended up with credit growth rates that exceeded the levels set by the SBV. They had to seek permission to continue lending after hitting the limit. But the SBV refused to permit certain lenders to exceed the limit. Some people have questioned the need for the central bank to control credit activities through quotas for banks. This began in 2012 when many banks reported credit growth of up to 50 per cent, causing a spurt subsequently in non-performing loans (NPLs). The central bank began to allocate quotas based on banks health and performance. It has divided banks into four groups for allocating credit growth quotas: Group 1 (healthy banks), Group 2 (average banks), Group 3 (below-average banks), and Group 4 (weak banks). Those in Group 4 might not be allocated quotas at all. It has become evident that this system is going a long way in ensuring the safety of the overall banking system. But many experts feel it is now time for the central bank to scrap the credit quota policy since the monetary market has finally stabilised after many years of volatility. Besides, liquidity in the banking industry is high and the Government has adopted tough measures to clean up NPLs and stop cross-ownership of banks, they say. Many banks themselves are now cautious about lending since they are well aware of the consequences, including the NPLs they are likely to be burdened with in case of reckless credit growth. The experts say that in this changed scenario the central bank should stop using administrative measures to intervene, and instead allow the market to determine. They further said that authorities now have a handy tool to closely and effectively control bankscredit activities: capital adequacy ratio (CAR). CAR is an international standard that measures a banks risk of insolvency from excessive losses. Currently, the minimum acceptable ratio is 8 per cent. Maintaining an acceptable CAR protects banks depositors and the financial system as a whole. The experts said controlling banks credit growth through CAR is preferable and in line with current trends. VNS Progressive Content Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing. To see if the progressive content 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 WSWS Five people died and several more were injured near the US-Mexico border Sunday when US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and local police pursued a car full of immigrants at speeds of over 100 miles per hour. The driver of the large SUV carrying 12 immigrants lost control and flipped several times, throwing bodies across Highway 85 in Big Wells, Texas, 50 miles north of the border. With body bags and the charred remains of the SUV nearby, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd told the press that the pursuit was "good police work" and called for the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border. Immigrants, he said, are a "real problem." The crash is the latest link in a chain of escalating violence perpetrated by the government against immigrants both at the border and in the interior of the US. Yesterday was Father's Day and some 2,000 immigrant children spent the day locked up in detention centers where they have been detained after being separated from both parents as part of the "zero tolerance" policy carried out by the Trump administration since May. Many of these children are being held at a tent city on a military base near El Paso, Texas. Beginning Tuesday, temperatures at the internment camp are forecast to be above 100 degrees for at least 10 days. A rapid intensification of anti-immigrant measures is underway across the country. Reports surfaced over the weekend that a bus driver in Maine told riders they had to be US citizens to travel while a CBP officer stood by and asked travelers whether they were citizens. In Southern California, an African-American passenger yelled at fellow travelers that they did not need to turn over their papers when a CBP agent boarded and asked passengers for identification. The officer then left. The woman, Tiana Smalls, wrote on Facebook: "These border patrol officers act like they do because they EXPECT people to be afraid of them and just comply. The lady next to me spoke NO ENGLISH, but she was a very kind woman. She looked TERRIFIED when they boarded. I felt it was my duty to defend her. We DO NOT LIVE in Nazi Germany. No one should be asked to present 'papers' for interstate travel. I defended her, and I defended myself. We DO NOT HAVE to just take this s--- LYING down." Detentions and arrests continue at a record pace across the US. Sandra Chica, the wife of Ecuadoran immigrant Pablo Villavicencio, published an op-ed in Sunday's New York Daily News appealing for support. Villavicencio was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) two weeks ago after delivering pizza to a soldier on a military base in New York who reported him to immigration authorities. "Today is Father's Day, and this is the first time my two little girls will spend it without their father," Chica's open letter reads. "They made handwritten cards and drawings telling him how much they love him, but sadly they won't be able to give them to him. "I have visited Pablo a few times at the Hudson County jail. Pablo describes a scene where individuals are deported daily. Like him, many of these people came to this country to provide a better life for their families. It is shocking that a government can behave like this and separate loved ones. ... "When Pablo speaks to our daughters over the phone, we cry. The pain of being ripped away from our family is unspeakable. ... "On Wednesday, our oldest daughter will celebrate her fourth birthday. Pablo will likely not be there, and she'll be wondering why. I'm sure that all fathers reading this can imagine the pain they'd feel missing these important days with their beautiful children." Former top White House aide Stephen Bannon defended the Trump administration's attacks on immigrants on ABC's "This Week" interview program on Sunday. "I don't think you have to justify it," he said, referencing the separation of thousands of children from their families. "We have a crisis on the southern border." Bannon was given ample airspace to make his fascist appeal. He said that "elites" were conspiring to support immigrants and that "this illegal immigration -- the people that hurt the most are the Hispanic and black working class." Bannon said immigration "suppresses their wages, it destroys their health care, it destroys their school systems." 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. This morning I drove from my hotel in Ft. Lauderdale over to conclude a pilgrimage to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. All around the mile length of fencing around the front part of the now both i nfamous and famous high school were banners of encouragement to those who study and teach there. The most common banner wording I observed around the fencing this 10am stated #MSDStrong. Similar signs were on the middle schools in the neighborhood, too. There were also trees for about a mile to the south with purple ribbons tied onto them. At the high school, I thrice read aloud the 17 names of those murdered in the 14 February massacre. These names were listed on a white banner on the southeast gate entrance to the high school. I took out a symbol of freshness and my own youth: a box of white Tic Tacs. [1] A tiny box of Tic Tacs contains about 17 Tic Tacs. As I located and read each of the names of the 17, I dropped a white TicTac onto the ground at the bottom of the fence in remembrance of each victim of the MSD Shooting. I also prayed that the revolution against gun violence against Americans--especially youth--will be brought to fulfillment this year. Finally, I put the one extra (or remaining_ white TicTac (number 18 in the container) into my mouth to indicate a sense of shared community of fathers and community. Finally, before ending my pilgrimage I looked around at the banners shared in all directions around the school. I had ended a journey of some 1700+ miles from my own Kansas High School, where we had again been forced to conduct a safety drill just a day after the most recent massacre at a Texas High School very recently. I had driven down from Kansas City, KS to this part of Florida over a 3 week period on the day we teachers had finished our end of the semester grading and paper work at J.C. Harmon High School for this spring of 2018. As both a father and a teacher, I feel for American victims of all stripes of violence--that leading to suicide, more bullying, and more trauma, & especially victims of mass shootings over the past 20 years. However, being a witness to such trauma has not been enough, America. So, we now look to new leadership in America to take over in 2018. If we include all the war related and terror related violence of American troops and abroad over these past decades, nearly every single American has been affected adversely by violence and guns since Columbine or Waco[2] In the meantime, as a father (and it being Father's Day), I plan to take my daughter out to play in the parks of this city in Florida this June 17, 2018 afternoon. I also pray that by the time my own daughter (now 8 years old) attends high school, many of the American nightmares of the past 20 years in American schools and society will have finally been ended as the current status quo of the American way of Life must be seen as a NO GO, my dear brothers and sisters here in the USA. Enough is Enough. Do something this 2018--as a parent and as a human being here in America! NOTES [1]. Tic Tacs are a symbol of youth and even of run-amok presidential candidates and USA presidential shamelessness. See: Wattles, Jackie, Tic Tac to Donald Trump: 'Respect women', http://money.cnn.com/2016/10/08/news/companies/tic-tac-donald-trump-washington-post-video/index.html [2]. Gun Violence has affected lives of 1 in 3 Americans over the past 20 years. Parkland's Stoneman Douglas High School survivors visit Naperville to talk about gun violence, http://abc7chicago.com/parkland-school-shooting-survivors-participate-in-gun-violence-town-hall-in-naperville/3611256/ 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. Mental health professionals are gravely concerned about the known effects of the cruel and inhumane policy of tearing children away from their parents who have made extraordinary sacrifices to protect them. We are horrified as we helplessly witness our government inflicting psychological damage upon vulnerable people. Forced separations are a form of child abuse, psychological torture, reckless endangerment, reckless indifference, cruel and unusual punishment, and a crime against humanity. This catastrophic policy, doing great harm and no good, qualifies as "political malpractice." There is a consensus among therapists, researchers, academics, practitioners, and expert witnesses who study and treat individuals of all ages, families, groups and organizations, across ethnicities and cultures about the savagery of these mindless, punitive policies. We have worked with and studied adults who have suffered throughout life from harm done by early childhood separations and trauma. These unwise policies are creating a crisis in public health and social justice. We are shocked by Chief of Staff John Kelly's callous response to NPR's John Burnett who asked whether it is "cruel and heartless to take a mother away from her children." Kelly said, "The children will be taken care of -- put into foster care or whatever. But the big point is they elected to come illegally into the United States and this is a technique that no one hopes will be used extensively or for very long." And we are appalled by Attorney General Jeff Sessions suggestion that God ordains them to follow these diabolical policies of splitting families. These comments show a profound lack of empathy, psychological ignorance, an impaired feeling function, and denial of the basic humanity of others. This is akin to antisocial behavior and lacking in remorse. These pathogenic policies of using people as political pawns to deter others are directed by mean-spirited officials who lack "Emotional Intelligence" (Daniel Goleman)/. These policies are even counterproductive. Psychological impacts include the following: * Erosion of Basic Trust. According to psychologist Erik Erikson, a sense of basic trust, the sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy, is the most important foundational element in a person's development. These separations undermine parents' ability to fulfill their most important function, essential for healthy development. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (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 CEPR The centerpiece of the tax bill the Republicans pushed through Congress last fall was a big cut in the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. It also included a number of other provisions designed to reduce corporate taxes, such as exempting most foreign profits from US taxes. While the immediate beneficiaries of the tax cut were people who held large amounts of stock, the Trump administration claimed that workers would benefit even more. Their argument was that the lower tax rate would trigger an investment boom. Increased investment would lead to more rapid productivity growth, which in turn, would translate into higher wages. By the end of a decade, the increase in wages through this channel was supposed to be at least three or four times the size of the tax cut. At this point, the benefits to shareholders from the tax cut are clear. Stock prices rose last fall as the prospects of congressional approval of the tax cut increased. Many large companies announced big stock buybacks, as they decided to pass their tax cut directly onto shareholders. Some companies did announce pay increases, or more typically one-time bonuses, following the tax cut, but the increases going to workers are a small fraction of the money being used to buy back stocks. Many tax cut critics had pointed to this imbalance as evidence that workers will not benefit to any substantial extent from the tax cut. Although there is little doubt that the initial split on the tax cut overwhelmingly benefited shareholders rather than workers, if we take the Republican story seriously, this is not supposed to be how workers would benefit from the tax cut. Workers were to benefit when companies would undertake a massive wave of investment, which would increase productivity, and thereby raise wages. If we want to see whether the Republican story is panning out, we should focus on investment. Six months after the bill was approved by Congress, the picture does not look good. Six months is still relatively early in terms of getting investment in place, so we should not be surprised if there are not a lot of new factories up and running or research labs developing software and drugs. However, six months is plenty of time for companies to make investment plans, especially since the basic outlines of the tax cut were already known at the end of last summer. There are a number of different data sources that tell us about companies' investment plans, and none of them imply the investment boom promised by the Republicans. The broadest measure is the Commerce Department's monthly data on orders for new capital goods. This measure, excluding volatile aircraft orders, was up in April, 5.6 percent from its year-ago levels. That's respectable growth, but nowhere close to the growth rate earlier in the recovery, which was in the double digits. Furthermore, this increase follows drops in 2015 and 2016 (caused by a collapse in world oil prices), so we are just now getting back to 2014 levels. That hardly fits the investment boom story. Another measure of investment plans is the National Federation of Independent Business's (NFIB) survey of its members. The NFIB has been surveying its members on a variety of economic issues for close to 40 years. One survey question asks businesses if they expect to undertake a major capital expenditure in the next six months. The percentage answering "yes" has edged up modestly to 30 percent in the May reading, but that is not much above the pre-tax cut levels. In fact, in August of 2017, this figure stood at 32 percent. In the pre-recession years, it was often over 35 percent. Again, there is not much evidence of an investment boom here. The regional Federal Reserve Banks also do surveys on investment plans. The New York Fed's survey shows an uptick in May to 36 percent planning to increase investment over the next six months. This is below the percentage planning increases last fall, as well as the percentages planning increases earlier in the recovery. The Philadelphia Fed reports that as of May, 30.9 percent of manufacturers in its district expected to increase capital expenditures over the next six months. That's down from an average of 38.6 percent with plans for an increase last year. No sign of an investment boom here. 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 Middle East Eye The White House's peace plan is said to be days away. Meanwhile, Israel is getting a US nod as it carries on seizing Palestinian land There are mounting signals that Donald Trump's much-delayed Middle East peace plan -- billed as the "deal of the century" -- is about to be unveiled. Even though Trump's officials have given away nothing publicly, the plan's contours are already evident, according to analysts. They note that Israel has already started implementing the deal -- entrenching "apartheid" rule over Palestinians -- while Washington has spent the past six months dragging its heels on publishing the document. "Netanyahu has simply got on with deepening his hold on the West Bank and East Jerusalem -- and he knows the Americans aren't going to stand in his way," said Michel Warschawski, an Israeli analyst and head of the Alternative Information Centre in Jerusalem. "He will be given free rein to do what he likes, whether they publish the plan or, in the end, it never sees the light of day," he told Middle East Eye. Eran Etzion, a former Israeli foreign ministry official, agreed: "Israel has a much freer hand than it did in the past. It feels confident enough to continue its existing policies, knowing Trump won't stand in the way." According to the latest reports, the Americans may present their plan within days, soon after the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Yossi Alpher, a former aide to Ehud Barak during his premiership in the late 90s, said it was clear Netanyahu was being "kept in the loop" by Trump officials. He told MEE: "He is being apprised of what is coming. There won't be any surprises for him." Yossi Beilin, a former Israeli politician who was a pivotal figure in the Oslo peace process of the early 90s, said Netanyahu would cynically manipulate the plan to his advantage. Analysts are agreed that Netanyahu will emerge the winner from any Trump initiative. "He knows the Palestinians will not accept the terms they are being offered," he told MEE. "So he can appear reasonable and agree to it -- even if there are things he is unhappy with -- knowing that the Palestinians will reject it and then be blamed for its failure." Alpher agreed. "If the plan is rejected, Trump will say he did his best, he offered the parties the greatest deal ever, and that they must now be left to settle the issues on their own." He added that the only obstacle to Washington presenting the plan were fears about Abbas's waning health. Trump's team might then prefer to shelve it. Even then, he said, Netanyahu would profit. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Cocoa Market is expected to account for US$ 14,572 Mn by 2026 https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114774/Cocoa-Market https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114774/Cocoa-Market https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114774/Cocoa-Market http://www.researchreportinsights.com/ In terms of value, the global cocoa market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 3.4 % during the forecast period and is expected to account for US$ 14,572 Mn by 2026 end. Demand for dark chocolates is high due to health benefits such as reducing hypertension, reducing symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, protecting against sunburn, promoting heart health etc. Dark chocolate is also a powerful source of antioxidants, which includes polyphenols, flavanols, catechins and others. These properties of dark chocolate is expected to drive the market growth over the forecast period. The global cocoa market is currently witnessing major opportunity like application of cocoa in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals industries. As a result of increasing awareness of healthy skin and health benefits of cocoa, application in these industries is expected to witness robust increase over the forecast period. Global cocoa market has been segmented by application which includes confectionery, functional food, bakery items, beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceutical. Among all the application segment confectionery segment is projected to account relatively high CAGR of 3.6% during the forecast period.Request For Report Sample:On the basis of product type, the global cocoa market has been segmented into cocoa powder, cocoa butter and cocoa liquor. Cocoa liquor segment is expected to represent largest share in terms of value. Revenue contribution of this segment to the global cocoa market is expected to increase at a CAGR of 3.1 % from 2016 to 2026.The global cocoa acid market is further segmented on the basis of process which includes Natural and Dutch. Among both the segments Dutch type was dominant in terms of value and it registered a significant value share of 73.9% in 2016. Awareness among adult consumers regarding the various health benefits associated with dark chocolate has been witnessing a significant rise in the recent past, and is projected to continue to drive revenues of the global cocoa market in future.Request For Report Discount:On the basis of region, the global cocoa market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan, the Middle East & Africa and Japan. Among all the regions, the market in Western Europe recorded highest CAGR of 4.1% in terms of value and in terms of revenue share at 34.8 % in 2016, followed by North America. While APAC also gained normal market share owing to high demand from India and China that accounted for 14.1% market share in 2016 and is expected to grow up to 14.3 % market share by 2026.Key players in the cocoa market includes The Barry Callebaut Group, The Hershey Company, Nestle S.A., Cargill Incorporated, Puratos Group, Cemoi, Mars, Incorporated, Blommer Chocolate Company, Meiji Holdings Company, Ltd. Carlyle Cocoa, Jindal Cocoa and United Cocoa Processor.Report Analysis:About Us:Research Report Insights (RRI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver a host of services including custom research reports, syndicated research reports, and consulting services which are personalised in nature. RRI delivers a complete packaged solution to clients; this combines current market intelligence, technology inputs, statistical anecdotes, valuable growth insights, 360-degree view of the competitive framework, and anticipated market trends.Contact Us:Research Report Insights101 Maimuna ApartmentKoliwada Vasai West,Mumbai-401201Email: sales@researchreportinsights.comWeb Site: Global Turbocompressor Market Forecast 2018-2025 Elliott Group, Howden Group, SKF, Sulzer, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Turbocompressor Market https://bit.ly/2JQ6z3Y https://www.qyresearchstore.com/report/global-turbocompressor-market-1074 https://www.qyresearchstore.com/ Recently added detailed market study "Global Turbocompressor Market" examines the performance of the Turbocompressor market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Turbocompressor market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Turbocompressor market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Turbocompressor Market 2018 report includes Turbocompressor market Revenue, market Share, Turbocompressor industry volume, market Trends, Turbocompressor Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report. It shows manufacturing capacity, Turbocompressor Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.Firstly, the report covers the top Turbocompressor manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Market Forecast Report on Top Manufacturers companies are Siemens, GE Oil & Gas, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ingersoll-Rand, Man Diesel & Turbo, Kobe Steel, Atlas Copco, Elliott Group, Howden Group, SKF, Sulzer, Kawasaki Heavy Industries.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Turbocompressor Market By Application are Trains & Ships & Airplanes, Oil & Chemical industrial, OthersTurbocompressor Market By Type are Centrifugal Turbo compressors, Axial Turbo compressors, OthersFurther, the Turbocompressor report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Turbocompressor industry, Turbocompressor industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Turbocompressor Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Turbocompressor research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Turbocompressor market revenue worldwide.Finally, Turbocompressor market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About US:"QYResearchStore.com" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us:3626 North Hall Street (Two Oak Lawn),Suite 610,Dallas, TX 75219, USAContact No. +1-214-661-1669Web:Email: sales@qyresearchstore.com A NANG Japanese violists Masakazu Saito, Shunichiro Sato, Kumiko Nakagawa and Tetsuya Osawa are set to perform in Viet Nams central city of a Nang to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries on June 26-27. Usuda Reiko, a member of the Japan-Viet Nam Friendship Association in Kawasaki, said the quartet will take the stage at the citys Nguyen Hien Dinh Theatre from 7.30pm to 9.30pm on June 26, and from 9am to 11am on June 27 at the city library. The Japanese artists will also play a live show at the citys oncology center from 3.30pm to 4pm on June 27, Reiko said. Its part of a series programmes that will be held in the city and central Viet Nam to promote friendship between Japan and Viet Nam. The non-profit concert has been endorsed by the Japanese Embassy, the a Nang Union of Friendship Organisations, and the Japan Business Association in a Nang. Reiko said she used inheritance money from her mother to bring the JPO quartet to Viet Nam to build future cultural and arts exchange between the countries. The concert has been supported by musicians Le Cat Trong Ly and Nguyen Thanh Tu, Tetsuji Honna (Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra music director and head conductor), Saeko Ando (Japanese lacquer artist), and Le Ly Hayslip, a Vietnamese-American writer. The quartet will also perform in Hoi An. Japanese donors from Kawasaki have handed over 12,000 second-hand bikes to underprivileged school children in a Nang and Quang Nam since 2003. a Nang and Hoi An hosted the first annual Viet Nam-Japan Culture Exchange Festival in 2012. Japan plans to open a Consulate General in a Nang to boost tourism. Japanese lessons have been offered at some junior secondary schools as part of the citys foreign language teaching programme for 2012-20. a Nang has also reserved a 1.2ha area for developing the Japan-Viet Nam Culture Centre in Ngu Hanh Son District. Japanese businesses have opened 27 restaurants in the city, and a large Japanese community has also settled in a Nang and Hoi An. VNS Global Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System Market Forecast 2018-2025 Perma Pipes, Siemens AG, Transcanada, Orbcomm Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System Market https://bit.ly/2JSo6f4 https://www.qyresearchstore.com/report/global-ultrasonic-pipeline-monitoring-system-market-1256 https://www.qyresearchstore.com/ Recently added detailed market study "Global Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System Market" examines the performance of the Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System Market 2018 report includes Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System market Revenue, market Share, Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System industry volume, market Trends, Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report. It shows manufacturing capacity, Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.Firstly, the report covers the top Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Market Forecast Report on Top Manufacturers companies are Siemens AG (Germany), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), Perma Pipes (U.S.), Transcanada (Canada), PSI AG (Germany), Orbcomm Inc. (U.S.).To Get Sample Report Click Here:Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System Market By Application are Introduction, Leak Detection, Operating Condition, Pipeline Break Detection, OthersUltrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System Market By Type are Ductile iron pipe, Stainless steel pipe, Aluminum pipe, Plastic pipe, Glass pipe, OthersFurther, the Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System industry, Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System market revenue worldwide.Finally, Ultrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About US:"QYResearchStore.com" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us:3626 North Hall Street (Two Oak Lawn),Suite 610,Dallas, TX 75219, USAContact No. +1-214-661-1669Web:Email: sales@qyresearchstore.com Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Market - Introduction to a New Scanning Device 2025 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2600 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2600 https://www.tmrresearch.com/surgical-instrument-tracking-systems-market Global Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Market: OverviewThe global surgical instrument tracking systems market has been witnessing a considerable rise in its valuation. The rising prevalence of hospital-acquired infections and the increasing incidence of instrument misplacement are propelling this market substantially.Request Sample Copy of the Report @According to the CDC, hospital-acquired infections cause nearly 90,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone. In a bid to prevent the infections caused by contaminated medical tools and to improve the inventory management, tracking systems are likely to witness increased adoption, which is expected to reflect positively on the worldwide market for surgical instrument tracking systems in the near future.Global Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Market: Key TrendsThe rising prevalence of retained surgical instrument cases is the most prominent trend that is having a significant impact on the global market for surgical tracking systems. The increasing number of these cases has fueled the requirement of advanced instrument tracking technologies, such as RFID and barcode, in operation theater (OT), which is reflecting greatly on the uptake of surgical instrument tracking systems.The demand for surgical instrument tracking software has been noticeably high and the trend is likely to remain so over the next few years. Similarly, barcode technology is anticipated to contribute the most significant share to the revenue generated in this market over the forthcoming years.Global Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Market: Market PotentialThe global surgical instrument tracking systems market is likely to gain substantially from the technological advancements in surgical instrument tracking software for inventory and surgical instruments management in the near future. The decline in the installation cost of barcodes, resulting in the rising deployment of surgical instrument tracking systems in hospitals, clinics, and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), is also projected to benefit this market over the years to come.Request TOC of the Report @Moving forwards, researchers expect the advent of RFID technology and the introduction of technologically advanced software and hardware products will bring in significant growth in the worldwide market for surgical instrument tracking systems over the next few years.Global Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Market: Regional OutlookThe worldwide market for surgical instrument tracking systems has a strong presence across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, North America, Europe, and Latin America. Closely followed by Europe, North America has been leading the global market. Going forward, the presence of a highly developed medical and healthcare infrastructure, increasing uptake of advanced technology and products, and the rise in the per capita healthcare expenditure points towards a thriving future of this regional market.With the introduction of unique device identification system by FDA for the efficient identification of medical devices by their distribution channels, the U.S. has emerged as the key domestic market for surgical instrument tracking systems in North America and is anticipated to remain on the top over the next few years.Amongst other, Asia Pacific is expected to present the most promising growth opportunities over the forthcoming years, thanks to the presence of untapped potential in this region. Apart from this, the increase in the geriatric population and the rapidly improving healthcare infrastructure in various Asian economies, such as India, China, and Japan, are also projected to boost the Asia Pacific surgical instrument tracking systems in the near future.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Market: Competitive AnalysisThe global market for surgical instrument tracking systems displays a highly competitive landscape, with the key players adopting several efficient strategies, such as mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, product innovation, and geographical expansion, to strengthen their presence. The leading manufacturers of surgical instrument tracking systems across the world are Censis Technologies Inc. Getinge Group, Xerafy, Haldor Advanced Technologies Ltd., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Materials Management Microsystems Inc., and Becton, Dickinson and Co.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com Medical Device Outsourcing Market - Established New Boundaries 2025 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2606 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2606 https://www.tmrresearch.com/medical-device-outsourcing-market Global Medical Device Outsourcing Market: OverviewThe rapidly growing global population and subsequently increasing healthcare needs are working in favor of the global medical device outsourcing market. On the basis of services, the market can be segmented into product design and development services, product testing services, regulatory consulting services, product implementation services, product upgrade services, manufacturing services, and product maintenance services. Based on therapeutics, the global market can be divided into diagnostic imaging, cardiology, IVD, orthopedic, ophthalmic, drug delivery, dental, general and plastic surgery, and endoscopy.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Medical Device Outsourcing Market: Key TrendsThe spiraling demand for advanced medical devices is paving way for the increased complexities in product engineering. This is prompting medical device manufacturers to outsource the process, which is providing a significant boost to the global medical device outsourcing market. Moreover, outsourcing helps in reducing the overall cost of manufacturing, which is encouraging manufacturers to subcontract activities such as assembling, packaging, and others.The expanding base of geriatric population and stringent regulations pertaining to the manufacturing of medical devices are also allowing the global market to gain traction. Besides this, the lack of robust in-house manufacturing infrastructure is driving the trend of outsourcing among small and mid-size companies.Global Medical Device Outsourcing Market: Market PotentialWith the snowballing demand for cheap yet effective and advanced medical devices, a large number of OEMs are willing to work with contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs). As a result, partnerships and acquisitions have emerged as a common trend in the global medical device outsourcing market, which is also providing a tremendous momentum to the market. For instance, in October 2015, Greatbatch Inc. acquired Lake Region Medical, in a deal worth US$1.73 bn. According to industrial experts, the deal paved way for one of the most prominent outsourcing facilities for medical technology. Similarly, in June 2016, Phillips-Medisize acquired Medicom Innovation Partner. The latter specializes in the development and production of connected health and drug delivery devices. The increasing number of startups in the field of medical devices is also estimated to augment the global medical device outsourcing market.Request TOC of the Report @Global Medical Device Outsourcing Market: Geographical SegmentationOn the basis of geography, the report classifies the global medical device outsourcing market into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. North America and Asia Pacific will collectively account for a substantial chunk in the revenue pie of the market throughout the forecast period. In Asia Pacific, the rising disposable income of the populace, improving healthcare infrastructure, and growing incidence of lifestyle-related disorders are fuelling the market. In North America, the growth of the market can be attributed to the presence of advanced manufacturing facilities for complex, reliable, and high-end medical devices. The U.S. and Canada will be major revenue contributors to the region.Global Medical Device Outsourcing Market: Competitive LandscapeWith the burgeoning demand for medical devices around the world, the market is likely to tread along a healthy growth track. The immense potential of the global medical device outsourcing market is attracting new players to foray into the marketplace. This is likely to intensify the competition in the market in the coming years. Established players are focusing on strategic collaborations and mergers to expand their product portfolio and sustain the aggressive competition in the market. Some of the prominent companies operating in the global medical devices outsourcing market are Shandong Weigao Co. Ltd., Kinetics Climax Inc., Daiichi Jitsugyo Co. Ltd., Infinity Plastics Group, GE Healthcare, Sterigenics International Inc., Mitutoyo Corp., Cirtec Medical, Omnica Corp., and Micro Systems Engineering GmbH.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com Everything On Demand Market -Growing Business Threats Over 2025 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2645 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2645 https://www.tmrresearch.com/everything-on-demand-market Global Everything On Demand Market: SnapshotEverything on demand is a thematic category which encompasses global start-ups working across different verticals. Companies which provide an application that created Demand on mobile devices but fulfil the demand through services that are provided offline fall in the everything on demand category. Thus, everything on demand spans a number of different use cases, picking up of laundry, apartment cleaning, shipping items with a few clicks, order Chef cooked meals, have an electrician come to your house. Everything on demand includes and spans different verticals ranging from health and wellness, parking, shipping, travel, on demand house calls, medical requirements and others. Companies such as uber are well-known names in the everything on demand start-ups since it has raised more revenue than any other startups combined.Request Sample Copy of the Report @It is expected that countries such as India and China will lead in the everything on demand Market. The demand will also be high from Brazil, Germany, the UK, and France. The developed nations in North America are seen as promising markets for everything on demand. These nations are witnessing high uptake of everything on demand services on account of the high demand for home delivery services due to the convenience they offer. The demand for everything on demand apps and services is also growing in Asia Pacific on account of the growing penetration of smartphones and availability of internet. The growing realization of the convenience these services offer will continue to ensure a boost in the uptake of these services and drive the everything on demand market in Asia Pacific.Global Everything On Demand Market: OverviewOne of the key critical aspects for most product and service businesses to succeed today is their ability to provide the right stuff to their consumers and clients at the right time, and immediately so. Consumers today have gained a level of entitlement far higher than any standard that was set a few decades ago. Ever since the advent of the Internet, consumers and business clients have generated means to communicate, opinionate, and experience things at a blazing fast speed. The expectation of consumers to get what they want and when they want is becoming globally visible in nearly all consumer goods markets as well as other industry verticals. More and more people are preferring to be a part of the on demand economic revolution, primarily due to the speed at which they can receive their products and services, as well as attain an increasingly important convenience of getting their products delivered at their doorsteps.Request TOC of the Report @Communications form the core component of the on demand economy. Thanks to the growing number of smartphone users and the increasing speeds and cheapening data rates in key regions, more and more consumers can gain access to the on demand services available online.Global Everything On Demand Market: Key TrendsOne of the leading factors promoting the growth of on demand services is the higher rate of connectivity between consumers and businesses. The rate at which consumers can put up a demand for a commodity or service has come a long way over the past decade, and continues to grow faster. Services such as GrubHub, Uber, and Airbnb are perfect examples of catering to a booming market for on demand applications and services, to an extent where newer startups and corporations are taking pages from their books in order to initiate their own foray into the global on demand services markets.Mergers and acquisitions are extremely likely to occur in these markets, creating a significant amount of consolidation as well as scope of entry for newer players. Investors are also stepping up to the plate, bringing out capital heavy companies and enterprises that can be expected to bring out the next best innovation in the market.Global Everything On Demand Market: Market PotentialThere are arguments on both sides of the everything on demand market in terms of its potential. While some claim it to be a passing fad based off the improvements in communication technologies, several are convinced that building an on demand service base or an on demand economy itself is the next step in industrial evolution. Older companies such as Kozmo and Webvan have been in the market for on demand services since the late nineties. While they are still an integral part of the market, the current leaders in the on demand markets include those who have formulated successful business strategies and models that can provide an approach that is cost effective, efficient, and most importantly, scalable. Better scalability allows the newer companies to thrive and supersede their older counterparts.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Everything On Demand Market: Regional OutlookDeveloped economies are likely to continue showing a very strong impact on the growth rate of the everything on demand market. North America as well as Europe and their countries are showing a massive upswing in the consumption of on demand services, primarily due to the convenience of home delivery. Research has indicated this factor to be the largest promotional factor for the everything on demand market. Emerging economies are not to be left behind, as key countries from Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the MEA are showing a phenomenal spike in the demand for on demand services and appsGlobal Everything On Demand Market: Competitive AnalysisThe competitive landscape for the global everything on demand markets is likely to intensify swiftly over the coming years. The entry barriers for newer players are quite low and can be conducive for growth, especially when these companies come backed by a solid investor support. Meanwhile, the leading entities such as Uber are likely to continue expanding both regionally as well as in service quality.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com ICT Investment in Government Market- Competitive Analysis Among Potential Business Players 2025 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2570 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2570 https://www.tmrresearch.com/ict-investment-in-government-market Global ICT Investment in Government Market: SnapshotThe global information and communication technology (ICT) investment in government market is predicted to gain impetus while riding on rising trends of telecommunication-as-a-service (TaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. This is observed to have triggered increased expenditure in IT and communication services. In Asia Pacific, service investments could be promoted by rising requirement of outsourcing services. The software market for ICT investment in government is projected to obtain a strong boost with improved demand for business benefits and cost efficiencies. Digital India, Make in India, and other government projects in India could be a good instance to follow for software investments due to increased outlay.Request Sample Copy of the Report @In the wake of modernization, North America, Europe, and other developed regions are concentrating on replacement of old infrastructure. Moreover, acceleration of internet of things (IoT) expenditure in emerging regions could be on the cards as governments build infrastructures that support internet of everything (IoE) technology. Government outlay on ICT was dominated by IoT investment in the recent years. Expenditure on big data has also increased substantially as traditional database devices and tools have started showing their weaknesses on the part of managing a colossal volume of unstructured data.In North America, ICT investments are forecasted to grow on the back of the need for improvement in the management of IT assets. Need for advanced products and services to address gaps in information security could increase due to continued retooling of environments with infrastructure, IoT, cloud, and mobility solutions. In Asia Pacific, ICT spending could rise with increasing emphasis on cross-functional initiatives to stimulate long-term domestic innovation. Furthermore, acting as catalysts for foreign direct investment (FDI) and local organization internationalization could be regional governments of Asia Pacific, which are envisioned to help with market growth improvisation in the near future.Request TOC of the Report @Global ICT Investment in Government Market: OverviewThe industry of information and communications technology has gone beyond being a simple catalyst to commercial and government functions, to a necessity for growth and survival. In the case of governments, ICT today plays a very heavy role in not just improving governance, but also becomes an inseparable part of it for various functions. E-governance has become a core way of managing several aspects of governance, and a good governance requires the use of optimal e-tools and e-governance solutions. The use of ICT in governance has been propounded by several companies as well as governments, thereby allowing for a more positive environment of growth for the ICT industry as well as investors looking in this direction.Global ICT Investment in Government Market: Key TrendsGovernment spending on IT and ICT solutions is increasing around the world. So much so that even bodies from emerging economies are recognizing the importance of e-governance, thereby creating a heavy influx of technologies and investments in this direction. Government agencies are increasingly using ICT solutions for development and maintenance of infrastructure, especially when it comes to the improvement and modernization of projects. The rate of investment of governments in ICT has also increased over the recent past thanks to the swiftly improving space and scope of digital media, ecommerce, and e-tools.Companies and governments are acknowledging the cost-saving techniques that can be adopted through the use of mobility technologies and cloud computing. Regional governments from developed economies are also strongly emphasizing the use of ICT to enhance their services offered.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global ICT Investment in Government Market: Market PotentialA number of tech firms around the world have already become a key part of e-governance by bagging profitable and long-term contracts with national and regional governments. Recent examples for this are the contracts awarded to Edge Testing Solutions, Iomart, and eCom Scotland, for being a part of the government ICT framework. The regional importance given to ICT involvement in governance is running strong around the globe. The Pacific Islands, for instance, are being encouraged to implement e-governance throughout some of their core public departments. Regions in Africa as well are showing a strong inclination towards the use of e-governance to resolve some of their more pressing issues.Another reason why ICT investments in governments can show favorable results is the thinning comparison between public and private sectors. Some of the key players in this market are the ones who recognize that the public sector companies are working today on very similar business imperatives as private ones. The big difference lies in the higher level of restrictions and operations issues faced by the former, many of which can be resolved through the use of ICT solutions.Global ICT Investment in Government Market: Regional OutlookNorth America is likely to top the overall spending done over e-governance for the coming years. This region, especially the U.S., holds a highly advanced government and ICT infrastructure that can complement each other to a very comfortable degree, further propelled by the high volume of investors. The implementation of ICT in cyber-security measures has especially been of high interest across North America, as governments are aiming to close all gaps and leaks in information. Meanwhile, the overall spending of Asia Pacific on e-government solutions and tools is increasing at a very fast pace, thanks to the importance given to ICT by the nations such as China, Australia, and South Korea.Global ICT Investment in Government Market: Competitive AnalysisSome of the leading players in the ICT domain that are putting forth greater investments into e-governments are coming from the fields of communication services, data center systems, IT services, software, and devices. Each field has a massive amount of potential when it comes to contributions and investments into e-governments, and players are realizing the full potential that this market can hold.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com Biosensors Market Alarming Competition During 2025 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2642 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2642 https://www.tmrresearch.com/biosensors-market Global Biosensors Market: OverviewBiosensors, short form for biological sensors, are essentially analytical devices. They transform biological responses into electrical signals. They are typically comprised of a transducer and a biological element that could be an antibody, an enzyme, or a nucleic acid. The bioelement interacts with the analyte that is being tested and the biological response is transformed into an electrical signal by the transducer. The different types of biosensors available in the market are glucometers, optrodes, immunosensors, chemical canaries, resonant mirrors, biochips, and biocomputers. They can be both wearable as well as non-wearable.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Biosensors Market: Key TrendsThe global market for biosensors is expanding at a healthy clip driven by a number of factors. At the forefront are the rising instances of diabetes and the growing pool of elderly people. Other factors bolstering the market are the rising instances of chronic and other lifestyle-related diseases, growing demand for point of care testing, and rising applications of biosensors in different industries.Proving counterproductive to the market, on the other hand, are the stringent norms and issues pertaining to reimbursement policies.Global Biosensors Market: Market PotentialThe global market for biosensors holds a lot of potential and is predicted to expand at a good pace in the foreseeable future. It finds application in home diagnostics, environmental monitoring, point of care, research labs, food and beverages industry, and in biodefense. Among them, the point-of-care is a key application segment which can be further divided into infectious diseases, glucose monitoring, pregnancy and fertilizer testing, cardiac markers, blood gas and electrolytes, cholesterol tests, etc. Of them, cardiac markers are most sought after and will see several developments on account of numerous innovations making them more effective. The rising instances of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) which need to be diagnosed promptly, will also drive growth in the market.Besides, glucose biosensors that help to track changes in glucose concentration and thus maintain normal blood glucose levels, hold out a lot of potential on account of the increasing prevalence of diabetes. With more cutting-edge glucose biosensors, the market potential is slated to grow further.Apart from the existing applications, extensive research and development are revealing new uses of biosensors which are primed to revolutionize the market. Doctors, for example, are trying to leverage wearable biosensor technology to predict behavioral patterns in autistic people and thus prevent them from doing harm to themselves as well as others.Request TOC of the Report @Global Biosensors Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the key segments of the market are Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and the Rest of the World. Among them, Asia Pacific is slated to expand at a cracking pace on account of the rising number of people afflicted with diabetes and efforts by governments in the nations to boost healthcare infrastructure in their respective countries. Glucose monitors, in which biosensors are used, enjoy maximum demand in Asia Pacific.North America is another key biosensor market in terms of size on account of alarming increase in instances of obesity, diabetes, and various lifestyle-related diseases.Global Biosensors Market: Competitive AnalysisIn order to gauge the competition prevailing in the global market for biosensors, the report profiles players such as Abbott Point of Care Inc., Medtronic, Inc., F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., Siemens AG, LifeScan, Inc., LifeSensors Inc., Nova Biomedical Corp., Acon Laboratories Inc., Universal Biosensors, Pharmaco-Kinesis Corporation (PKC), Bayer Healthcare AG, Biacore, Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Biosensors International Ltd., Ercon, Inc., DuPont, and Sysmex Corporation. The report analyses their product offerings, key strategies, sales and revenues, and prospects going forward.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com Armored Underwater Drones Market 2018 Global Key Players - Kongsberg Gruppen, Teledyne Technologies, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Saab, BAE, Subsea 7, Oceanserver Technology and International Submarine Engineering Armored UUV Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/3851 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/armored-unmanned-underwater-vehicle-market-3851 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/press-release/armored-unmanned-underwater-vehicle-industry Armored Underwater Drones also known as Armored Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Information Report by Type (Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV)), by Application (ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), Mine Countermeasures, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Security, Detection, and Inspection, and Navigation & Accident Investigation), and by Region (Americas, APAC, & EMEA) - Forecast to 2023Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) are also called by underwater vehicle or wagon that drive inside the water without human interferences. Right now there different types of UUV are available in market depending upon what is purpose. The UUV are dived in two major parts which are Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV).Get Sample Report @The remotely operated vehicles are the robots that go inside the sea or ocean, but they are connected to ship above on surface with unique cables they are connected. This cables act as intermediated between ROV and ship operator. The operator guide this vehicle with the help of remote control. ROV is setup with lights, sonar systems, camera for video and picture purpose and arm like structure to collect objects, lifting heavy objects and removing obstacles.AUVs are different from the ROV as there is no link with operator on ship. They are self-powered and guided vehicles. AUVs are trending vehicles in recent time for ocean base study. AUVs can performs same as ROV but they do not have cables or remote, they do mapping, detecting, and removing obstruction without any human operator, fully automated. Once they are done with the survey and collecting the information, they are back to surface where data is collected and stored in the systems.The AUVS are so advances they can go much shallow, they are safe, strong then chain vehicles. They come in different size mostly compact but for deeper mission heavy one are use.Armored UUV will observe major demand because of technology advancement and less error. Looking at this phenomenal growth, Market Research Future recently gave out the market insight till 2023. According to this MRFR analysis the global Armored Unmanned Underwater Vehicle market is set to witness huge growth during the forecast phase. The industry will excel further in regards to market shares.Drivers:The ocean capture around 70% of universe. It has been proven by analysis and research that ocean will have huge impact on future and current all human beings. The ocean is also known for carrying a different actives right from fishing, marine mining, marine biotechnology, aquaculture and many others.In past few years there has been different various environmental problems such ocean pollution, global warming and level of carbon dioxide is also major concern in order to do survey and analysis many research related to ocean environmental, have send various underwater craft but they were not so successful due resources limitation. But the, Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UVV) where accomplished as they can travel deep and collected the necessary information.Apart this, growing demand of these UUV in anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasure is fuelling the market growth in during coming years. The sector like ISR, security, detection, and inspection, and navigation & accident Investigation are using this vehicles for their day to day operations.On other side, declining military budgets, in different countries, can be one of the major factor that can restrict the growth of the market.Browse Complete Report@Segmentation:The industry for armored unmanned underwater vehicle is fragmented by type, by application, and by region. The type is divide by remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). The application is divide by ISR, mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, security, detection, and inspection, and navigation & accident investigation.The Americas lead the market for armored UUV. The high expenditure are made by the U.S. and Canada, is the prime factor for market growth in this region. EMEA is the second largest region for the armored UUV market. Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the highest growth, during the forecast period, largely due to increasing demand from the countries such as China, India, South Korea, and Japan.Industry - Competitive OutlookKey players are approaching new techniques so that they can offer this technology in more affordable price with advance functionality. The same would improve market performance. Heavy investments are made by major players in the R&D sector.The key players of the global armored UUV market are , Subsea 7 S.A., Oceanserver Technology, Inc., Kongsberg Gruppen , Teledyne Technologies Inc., General Dynamics , Lockheed Martin Corporation , Saab Group, and BAE Systems.Intended Audience Naval authorities Armored unmanned underwater vehicle manufacturers Government as well as Independent Regulatory AuthoritiesPress Release Available @Table Of Contents :1 Executive Summary2 Introduction2.1 Report Description2.2 Research Objective3 Research Methodology3.1 Scope Of The Study3.1.1 Definition3.1.2 Research Objective3.1.3 Assumptions3.1.4 Limitations3.2 Research Materials3.2.1 Primary Research3.2.2 Secondary Research3.3 Market Size Estimation3.4 Forecast Model4 Market Dynamics4.1 Market Drivers4.2 Market Inhibitors4.3 Supply/Value Chain Analysis4.4 Porters Five Forces AnalysisContinues...About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Market Research FutureMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Minimally Invasive Surgical Instruments Market Comprehensive Review of its Applications Growth Opportunities and Future Prospects https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/minimally-invasive-surgical-instruments-market https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/minimally-invasive-surgical-instruments-market/report-sample https://www.psmarketresearch.com/send-enquiry?enquiry-url=minimally-invasive-surgical-instruments-market https://www.psmarketresearch.com Mainly led growing geriatric population, surge in prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing government healthcare expenditure, and growing demand for minimally invasive surgeries globally.Access Detailed Report Summary:The minimally invasive surgical instruments market is classified into neurosurgery, cosmetic surgery, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, cardiovascular, orthopedic surgery, laparoscopy, and others, on the basis of application. Laparoscopy held the largest share in the market during the entire analysis period and the category is expected to occupy a share of more than 20.0% by 2023, due to the rising prevalence of obesity and increasing use of laparoscopy for weight reduction (bariatric) surgeries.Request to Get the Sample Pages at:The Asia-Pacific (APAC) minimally invasive surgical instruments market is predicted to witness the fastest growth in demand, with a CAGR higher than 10% during the forecast period, owing to the increasing number of patients suffering from chronic diseases, rising geriatric population, increasing per capita income, and improving healthcare facilities in the region.Make Enquiry Before Buying the Report:The rising per capita income is likely to increase the affordability of people for expensive surgical procedures, involving minimally invasive surgical instruments. According to the World Bank, the GDP per capita of India increased from $1,345.8 in 2010 to $1,709.4 in 2016. A similar trend has been observed for other developing countries, such as Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Indonesia, which is contributing to the growth of the APAC market.Some of the other major players operating in the minimally invasive surgical instruments market Applied Medical Resources Corporation, B. Braun Melsungen AG, CONMED Corporation, HOYA Corporation, Medtronic plc, Smith & Nephew plc, Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc.About P&S Market ResearchP&S Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide market research reports, industry reports, business intelligence and research-based consulting services across a range of industries.With the help of our professional corporate relations with various companies, our market research offers the most accurate market forecasting. Our analysts and consultants interact with leading companies of the concerned domain to substantiate every single data presented in our publication. Our research assists our client in identifying new and different windows of opportunity and frame informed and customized strategies for expansion in different regions.Contact:P&S Market Research347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb: Aviation Maintenance Training Market 2018-2023 Rising at 7% CAGR : Global Leading Players - CAE, AAR, SR TECHNICS, Honeywell, FlightSafety, FlightPath, Storm Aviation, FL Technics and GJS Aviation Maintenance Training Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5907 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/aviation-maintenance-training-market-5907 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/press-release/aviation-maintenance-training-market Aviation Maintenance Training Market by Aircraft Type (Fixed-wing, Rotary-wing), Technology (Simulated Training, Live Training), Aircraft Component (Engine, Interior, Airframe, Avionics, Others), & Region- Forecast to 2023Market research future published a half cooked research report on global aviation maintenance training market. The aviation maintenance training market is expected to grow over the CAGR of around 7% during the period 2018 to 2023.Get Sample Report @Innovation/News:April 2018: BAE Systems had started a set up for MRO and vocational training center in MalaysiaOctober 2016: FlightSafety International Inc., along with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, added a complete virtual aircraft tour to its technical training program. This enables the technicians and engineers to view an entire aircraft in the classroom.March 2016: Global Jet Services, Inc. selected by Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to provide European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)-certified maintenance training for its GII, GIII, GIV, and GV aircraft.Market HighlightsIn the long run, all mechanical equipment or parts used in an aircraft will fail due to wear and tear. Due to this reason, the maintenance of aircraft is mandatory. The whole purpose of maintenance is not only to restrict to identifying and repairing the components but also to cope-up with maintenance training in the most effective and optimized way.Over the years, a variety of technologies has evolved in the aviation maintenance training. Technologies such as Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), Aircraft Health Monitoring System (AHMS), and Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) are the latest maintenance training systems. Of late, major aircraft MROs and OEMs have made a high investment on big data related to Predictive Maintenance (PM) and aircraft health monitoring systems. Such technologies would aid in the cutting down of aircraft maintenance costs and ensure efficiency in flight operations.In the aviation maintenance training market, the companies mainly focus on organic growth strategies, such as product innovations and business expansions, to grow and sustain in the market. For example, the company FlightSafety International Inc. along with Gulfstream recently added a complete virtual aircraft tour to its technical training program, which provides maintenance technicians with the ability to view the entire aircraft in the classroom and within the training materials provided on an iPad.The global market for aviation maintenance training is characterized by the presence of some global players. Over the years, these companies have strengthened their global presence through acquisitions of the regional and local players. In the recent years, the growing initiatives for aircraft safety and maintenance have urged a large demand to provide maintenance training to the engineers and technicians. This has resulted in a high competition in the market. Therefore, it becomes crucial for the market players to provide cost-efficient and high-quality aircraft maintenance training.North America is the leading region in the aviation maintenance training market due to the existence of major firms, such as Honeywell International Inc., CAE, and AAR, in this region. The availability of sophisticated technologies to provide training for aircraft maintenance adds to the growth of the region. Moreover, there is a high demand for aircraft in the U.S. and Canada, which would create an opportunity for the regional companies.Browse Complete Report@Scope of the ReportThis study provides an overview of the global aviation maintenance training market, tracking five market segments across five geographic regions. The report studies key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume and share for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), the Middle East and Africa, and South America. The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region. The scope of the study segments the global aviation maintenance training market by its aircraft type, technology, aircraft component, and by regions.By Aircraft Type Fixed-wing Rotary-wingBy Technology Simulated Training Live TrainingBy Aircraft Component Engine Interior Airframe Avionics OthersBy Regions America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa South AmericaKey PlayersThe key players in aviation maintenance training market are CAE(Canada), AAR (U.S.), SR Technics (Switzerland), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), Lufthansa Technical Training GmbH (Germany), FlightSafety International Inc. (U.S.), FlightPath International (Canada), FL Technics (Lithuania), Storm Aviation (England), and Global Jet Services(U.S.).Press Release Available @Table Of Contents1 Executive Summary2 Scope Of The Report2.1 Market Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Definition2.2.2 Research Objective2.2.3 Assumptions2.2.4 Limitations2.3 Research Process2.3.1 Primary Research2.3.2 Secondary Research2.4 Market Size Estimation2.5 Forecast Model3 Market Landscape3.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis3.1.1 Threat Of New Entrants3.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers3.1.3 Threat Of Substitutes3.1.4 Segment Rivalry3.1.5 Bargaining Power Of Buyers3.2 Value Chain/Supply Chain Analysis4 Market Dynamics4.1 Introduction4.2 Market Drivers4.3 Market Restraints4.4 Market Opportunities4.5 Market TrendsContinues..Ask for your specific company profile and country level customization on reports.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have a supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Market Research FutureMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Security Advisory Services Market Growth Approaches 2025 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2687 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2687 https://www.tmrresearch.com/security-advisory-services-market Security Advisory Services Market: SnapshotThe global market for security advisory services has been expanding on account of the rising awareness about cyber dangers and threats. The physical as well as intellectual property of individuals and companies are amongst the most valued assets for the owner. This makes it integral to weave a net of security that safeguards the security of these assets and prevents undue externalities to affect work flows. Hence, security advisory services such as risk management strategy, penetration testing, incident response, security program development, and chief information security are offered by security merchants.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The increasing reliance on cloud services to store, manage, and retrieve organization data has propelled demand within the global market for security advisory services. Furthermore, the cases of cyber attacks and embezzlement of key individual or organization data has also led to the growth of the global market for security advisory services. The complexities of companies and organizations have been increasing alongside the emergence of new technologies. Hence, the there is a need to deploy a system that centrally safeguards and secures the key assets of various individual or organizational entities.The market players in the global market for security advisory services have made ardent efforts to provide the most apt services to the customers. Moreover, these market players have been focusing on customising their offerings in order to reach a wider market. Two of the key players in the global market for security advisory services are Kudelski Security and EY. It is predicted that the global market players would get into strategic alliances to enhance their growth prospects.Request TOC of the Report @Security Advisory Services Market: OverviewNumerous firms join their human and machine knowledge in cybersecurity to assist their customer associations with exhaustive assurance from smart security dangers. In the period of quick developments of organizations and expanded complexities in the IT foundation, the security of computerized resources has turned into the prime target of the associations. Consequently, the appropriation of security advisory services is said to be high among private and open associations crosswise over various verticals. The security merchants give different security advisory services, for example, incident response, vulnerability management, penetration testing, risk management strategy, compliance management, security program development, and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) advisory and support. As the recurrence of modern digital assaults on ventures is developing, the market is relied upon to pick up footing in the following 5 years.Security Advisory Services Market: Trends and ProspectsThe significant forces driving the security advisory services market are the expanded complexity levels of cyber threats and ascent in security breaches, and solid control consistence necessities. The security advisory services market merchants are consistently adding developments to their services to ensure the associations, and saving money and financial organizations, against cutting edge digital dangers. Internationally, the selection of security advisory services is expanding because of the ascent in security breaks focusing on endeavors. Moreover, security advisory services are being received in different verticals, for example, government and public sector, financial services and insurance (BFSI), banking, transportation and manufacturing, IT and telecommunication, energy and power, healthcare, and others (retail, travel and transportation, and education) which have prompted the development of the market over the globe.Security Advisory Services Market: Market PotentialAccording to a report by Cisco Systems Inc., a superior than-anticipated quarterly benefit on Wednesday, driven by profits from its more up to date organizations, for example, security, which more than balanced declines in its conventional switches and routers business. This demonstrates the innovation pioneer has started to turn a corner as it shifts center from software to hardware and repeating memberships.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Security Advisory Services Market: Regional OverviewNorth America is relied upon to have the biggest market share and rule the security advisory services market from 2017 to 2022, because of the high number of early innovation adopters in this district. Particular spending distributions and commanded security advisory administration approaches are relied upon to make North America the most lucrative locale for the development of different classifications of sellers. The real power driving the reception of security advisory services in APAC is the expanding occurrences of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assaults, which is exceedingly influencing the execution of basic business applications.Security Advisory Services Market: Vendor LandscapeThe major players additionally embraced the methodology of business development to increment and extend their administration portfolios. In March 2016, a firm named EY extended the business in Asia Pacific by opening 4 Centers of Excellence (CoE), to be specific, the Asia Pacific CoE in cybersecurity, the Asia Pacific CoE with respect to analytics, and Asia-Pacific CoE in terms of manufacturing. In August 2017, Kudelski Security expanded its business by growing its preparation and security training project to North America. With this extension, the organization upgraded its abilities in cybersecurity, investigation, assembling, and change methodology.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com HA NOI Two women from the Vietnamese communities in Germany and Poland won the first ao dai contest for Vietnamese women in Europe held June 17 in Prague, Czech Republic. Ao dai is the Vietnamese traditional long dress. ang Thi Bich Lan, from the Vietnamese community in Germany, won the first prize in the category for women over 51 years old, while Tran Hoang Mai Anh from Poland won the first prize in the 35 to 50 years old category. The contest gathered 90 Vietnamese women living in European countries, including Austria, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and Hungary, as well as Norway, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The contestants went through three rounds of judging on June 15 and 16, where they were assessed in party costumes, the ao dai, and the reformed ao dai. After those rounds, the judging board selected eight beauties to proceed to the question-and-answer round. In addition to the two first prizes, the contest awarded two second prizes, four third prizes, and 12 additional prizes for the two categories. The event was held to draw attention to the charm of Vietnamese women and the traditional long dress to encourage young Vietnamese people abroad to understand and be proud of the national dress. Im a close friend to the Vietnamese people and culture, said Lucas Kaucky, former deputy Foreign Minister of Czech Republic who is now the chairman of Ethnic Minority Council of Prague City. This is the first time I have attended such an event and I was very impressed. The contest is a typical act to strengthen the relationship between local community and Vietnamese community in Czech Republic, he said. Seemingly moved as she received the prize, Mai Anh said she was always highly-aware of her duty to promote the traditional long dress. This is a really humane contest, praising the beauty of womens bodies as well as the behavior and mental beauty of women in modern society, she said. As the first prize winner, I will try my best to promote the charm and gentleness of the Vietnamese traditional long dress wherever I am. Peoples Artist Thai Bao, who was invited to be a member of the judging panel, could not hide her surprise at the how well the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic organised the contest. Vietnamese women who live anywhere in the world always want to express themselves, not only in society but also in their families, Bao said. They want to share the same language through the traditional long dress. Wherever they go, the image of traditional long dress is so familiar, she said. They would be proud and even moved when seeing Vietnamese traditional long dress outside Viet Nam. The second Ao Dai For Women contest will be hosted by Dresden City in 2020. VNS Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Market - Eliminating The Supply-Demand Gap by 2025 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2699 https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2699 https://www.tmrresearch.com/gallium-nitride-semiconductor-market Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: OverviewThe constant rise in the semiconductor industry is reflecting greatly on the global gallium nitride semiconductor devices market. Despite facing severe competition from the silicon carbide semiconductor devices industry over the past few years, this market is likely to benefit from the expanding application base of gallium nitride in a number of areas in the near future.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The continual progress in novel technologies and the widening application scope of gallium nitride are projected to drive this market further in the years to come. The advent of electric and hybrid vehicles are expected to offer excellent opportunities for the growth of this market over the forthcoming years.Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Key TrendsThe significant growth in the RF semiconductor devices industry has surfaced as the main trend in the global market for gallium nitride semiconductor devices. Since, the RF semiconductor industry is actively interconnected to the information and communication industry, creating a need for electronic devices to operate at broad frequency ranges on the basis of the applications, gallium nitride semiconductor devices are witnessing strong demand, which is reflecting positively on the markets growth. However, the high cost incurred in industrial processes may restrict this market from growing smoothly in the years to come.Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Market PotentialBlue laser diodes and Blu-ray disc players are creating significant opportunity from the application of gallium nitride semiconductor devices. The ongoing rise in the demand for these products is likely to have a positive impact on the global gallium nitride semiconductor devices market in the near future. The increasing penetration of gallium nitride semiconductor devices in LED-based lightings and displays is also expected to translate into significant growth of this market over the next few years.Request TOC of the Report @Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Regional OutlookThe global market for gallium nitride semiconductor devices is spread across North America, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, and the Rest of the World (RoW). North America and Europe have emerged as the leading contributors to this market, thanks to the constant innovation and technological development in the products. The rising investments on research and development are likely to maintain the dominance of both the regional markets in the years to come.With the advent of Japan as one of the key domestic market for gallium nitride semiconductor devices, thanks to the upsurge in the semiconductor industry in the country, Asia Pacific is also projected to report a steady rise in the near future.Global Gallium Nitride Semiconductor Device Market: Competitive AnalysisWith a number of key players, the global market for gallium nitride semiconductor displays a competitive and fragmented market. NTT Advanced Technology Corp., Toshiba Corp., International Quantum Epitaxy Plc, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp., Fujitsu Ltd., Cree Inc., Texas Instruments, EPIGEAN NV, RF Micro Devices Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., AZZURRO Semiconductors AG, and Aixtron SE are some of the leading vendors of gallium nitride semiconductor devices. These companies mostly rely on technological advancements to maintain their position in this market. However, a shift in their focus towards strategic alliances can be observed in the near future.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com Japan Proton Therapy Market: Industry Size, Growth, Analysis And Forecast of 2025 Japan Proton Therapy Industry https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2984830-japan-proton-therapy-market-research-report-2018 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/2984830-japan-proton-therapy-market-research-report-2018 https://www.linkedin.com/company/wise-guy-research-consultants-pvt-ltd-?trk=biz-companies-cym Japan Proton Therapy IndustryThe report titled Japan Proton Therapy Market Research Report 2018 examines the market dynamics, competitive landscape and discusses major trends. The report offers the most up-to-date industry data on the actual and potential market situation, and future outlook for proton therapy in Japan. The research includes historic data from 2012 to 2017 and forecasts until 2025.Longterm Growth Projection: Hitachi and Mitsubishi Electric Agree to Integrate Proton Therapy System Business Japan is anticipated to be the most attractive market in the proton therapyindustry. The potential Japan proton therapy market is likely to reach more than USD 3 Billion by 2025 Mitsubishi Electric is a technology leader in the field of proton therapy in Japan. Hitachi has thesecond highest share in the treatment rooms segment.Try Sample Report @The report contains a granular analysis of the present industry situations, market demands, reveal facts on the market size, volume, revenues and provides forecasts through 2025. A comprehensive analysis has been done on market share of Japan proton therapy center (installed base) and treatment room by company. The report also provides information on the proton therapy current applications and comparative analysis with more focused on pros and cons of proton therapy and competitive analysis of eight companies.The report further sheds light on the number of treatment rooms, current and upcoming proton therapy centers. In addition, the report also provides essential insights on number of patients treated at Japan proton therapy centers from 2008 to 2016.The report also includes assessment of Japan reimbursement scenario, proton therapy clinical trials and offers a clear view of the proton therapy center component analysis. Key trends in terms of venture capital investment, collaborations, partnerships, licensing and development agreements are analyzed with details. The report also explores detailed description of growth drivers and inhibitors of the Japan proton therapy market.The report concludes with the profiles of major players in the Japan proton therapy market. The key market players are evaluated on various parameters such as company overview, product portfolio, Japan proton therapy centers developed by the companies and recent development & trends of the proton therapy market.The Major Companies Dominating this Market for its Products, Services and Continuous Product Developments are:Mitsubishi Electric,Hitachi, Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. and Ion Beam Applications(IBA)The Latest Industry Data Included in this Report: Proton Therapy Current Applications Pros and Cons of Proton Therapy, Radiotherapy and Carbon Ion Therapy Proton Therapy Competitive Analysis: By Company Market Size & Analysis: Japan Proton Therapy (2012 2025) Market Opportunity Assessment: Japan Proton Therapy (2012 2025) Japan Number of Treatment Rooms and Forecast (2012 2025) Japan Proton Therapy Center (Installed Base) and Treatment Room Market Share: By CompanyJapan Proton Therapy Center Infrastructure Analysis: Treatment Rooms & Proton TherapyAccelerator Japan Number of Patients Treated at Proton Therapy Centers (2008 2016) Japan Proton Therapy Reimbursement Scenario Proton Therapy Center Component Analysis Proton Therapy Clinical Trail Insight by Phase, Institute & Country Proton Therapy Market Major Deals Key Market Drivers and Inhibitors of the Japan Proton Therapy Market Major Companies AnalysisFor Detailed Reading Please visit WiseGuy Reports @Some Major Points from Table of content:1. Executive Summary2. What is Proton Therapy?3. Proton Therapy Current Applications4. Proton Therapy Comparative Analysis4.1 Pros and Cons of Proton Therapy, Radiotherapy and Carbon Ion Therapy4.2 Proton Therapy Competitive Analysis: By Company5. Market Size & Analysis: Japan Proton Therapy (2012 2025)5.1 Proton Therapy Patients Treated Statistics (Volume)5.2 Proton Therapy Market Analysis (Value)6. Market Opportunity Assessment: Japan Proton Therapy (2012 2025)6.1 Potential Proton Therapy Patient Base (Volume)6.2 Potential Proton Therapy Market Demand Analysis (Value)7. Key Market Drivers and Inhibitors of the Japan Proton Therapy Market7.1 Market Drivers7.2 Market Inhibitors8. Japan Number of Treatment Rooms and Forecast (2012 2025)9. Japan Proton Therapy Center (Installed Base) and Treatment Room Market Share: By Company9.1 Proton Therapy Center (Installed Base) Market Share9.2 Treatment Room Market Share10. Japan Proton Therapy Center Infrastructure Analysis: Treatment Rooms & Proton Therapy Accelerator10.1 Current Proton Therapy Centers10.2 Demand for Proton Therapy Centers11. Japan Number of Patients Treated at Proton Therapy Centers (2008 2016)12. Japan Proton Therapy Reimbursement Scenario13. Proton Therapy Center Component Analysis13.1 Proton Accelerator13.2 Beam Transport System13.3 Beam Delivery System13.4 Nozzle13.5 Treatment Planning System13.6 Image Viewers13.7 Patient Positioning System (PPS)13.8 Human Resource14. Proton Therapy Clinical Trail Insight by Phase, Institute & Country14.1 Year 201714.2 Year 201615. Proton Therapy Market Major Deals15.1 Collaboration Deals15.2 Licensing Agreement15.3 Exclusive Agreement15.4 Partnership Deals15.5 Venture Capital Investment15.6 Development AgreementContinued..For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact Us:Norah Trent+1 646 845 9349 / +44 208 133 9349Follow on LinkedIn: Automotive Microcontrollers Market Forecast 2018-2025 : Toshiba Corporation, Texas Instruments Inc, STMicroelectronics, Rohm Semiconductor Automotive Microcontrollers Industry https://www.marketexpertz.com/sample-enquiry-form/12075 https://www.marketexpertz.com/checkout-form/12075 https://www.marketexpertz.com/industry-overview/automotive-microcontrollers-market The latest report, Automotive Microcontrollers market enables stakeholders to gain insights into their potential consumers to construct more effective marketing strategies for the forecast period, 2018 to 2025. With an exclusive coverage of the top vendors, the study enables business owners to know more about the local market and locate potential consumers.Now you can download the FREE Sample Copy of Automotive Microcontrollers Market spread across 110 PAGES, profiling 12 companies and supported with Tables & Figures is now available at @Market Segment on the basis of Top Manufacturers - Analog Devices Inc, Infineon Technologies AG, NXP Semiconductors, Cypress Semiconductors Corporation, Maxim Integrated, Toshiba Corporation, Texas Instruments Inc, STMicroelectronics, Rohm Semiconductor, Renesas Electronics, ON Semiconductors, Microchip TechnologyThe research further examines and provides data on the market by type, application and geography interspersed with illustrations and other graphical representations. The market analysis not only determines the attractiveness of the industry but also the evolving challenges and opportunities and their association with the weaknesses and strengths of prominent market leaders. Most importantly, the document empowers business owners to seek information about potential consumers and where they can find them. Apart from this, the literature sheds light on how major vendors operating in the Automotive Microcontrollers market are making the best use of their marketing campaigns.Order a copy @Market Segment on the basis of product, the report covers: By Bit Size (8-bit Microcontrollers, 16-Bit Microcontrollers, 32-Bit Microcontrollers) By Technology (Adaptive Cruise Control, Park Assist System, Blind Spot Detection, Tire Pressure Monitoring System) By Connectivity (Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) Connectivity, Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) Connectivity, Vehicle to Cloud (V2C) Connectivity)Market Segment on the basis of application, the report covers: Passenger Cars Commercial VehiclesKey Topics Covered: Automotive Microcontrollers Market Overview Global Automotive Microcontrollers Market Competition by Manufacturers Global Automotive Microcontrollers Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018) Global Automotive Microcontrollers Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018) Global Automotive Microcontrollers Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type Global Automotive Microcontrollers Market Analysis by Application Global Automotive Microcontrollers Manufacturers Profiles/AnalysisComplete report is available now @The study segments the complete Automotive Microcontrollers market on the basis of different application, end-use, end-user, and production capability. From a business standpoint, the industry has been thoroughly examined across various countries located in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and others. The size of the industry for the forecast period 2018 - 2025 is evaluated on the basis of current sales figures and past financial report can be used to forecast the future sales.About US:Planning to invest in market intelligence products or offerings on the web? Then marketexpertz has just the thing for you - reports from over 500 prominent publishers and updates on our collection daily to empower companies and individuals catch-up with the vital insights on industries operating across different geography, trends, share, size and growth rate. There's more to what we offer to our customers. With marketexpertz you have the choice to tap into the specialized services without any additional charges.Contact US:40 Wall St. 28th floor New York CityNY 10005 United Statessales@marketexpertz.com+1-800-819-3052 Innovation Benchmarking in Global Animal Feed and Feed Additives Market https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=480 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/animal-feed-and-feed-additives-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com According to a market research report published by Transparency Market Research, the global animal feed and feed additives market is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 3.8% during the period between 2011 and 2018. The report, titled Animal Feed and Feed Additives Market - Global Industry Size, Market Share, Trends, Analysis, and Forecast 2011 - 2018, forecasts the global animal feed and feed additives market to be worth US$17.5 bn by 2018. The overall market was valued at US$13.5 bn in 2011.Feed additives are used in minor quantities in forms of powder, liquids, pellet, and injections. High growth in global meat consumption has accelerated the demand for animal feed and feed additives. Consumer awareness about meat quality and healthy eating, along with frequent outbreaks of livestock diseases has fuelled the growth of the global animal feed and feed additives market. However, upward swing in raw material cost and regulatory structure might restrain the overall market growth during the forecast period. The global animal feed and feed additives market is expected to register higher demand owing to the increasing price of feed products. Ban on antibiotics due to adverse effects has opened further growth opportunities for the market.Request For Report Brochure For Latest Industry Insights @On the basis of product types, the global animal feed and feed additives market has been categorized into antibiotics, vitamins, amino acids, acidifiers, feed enzymes, and antioxidants. The high demand for feed acidifiers is expected to propel the market segment at a CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period. The valuation of the feed acidifiers market was US$1.0 bn in 2011 and is projected to reach US$1.6 bn by 2018. North America leads the amino acids market segment and the region holds 29.9% of the global market.The report studies the global animal feed and feed additives market across four key regions: Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. In terms of revenue, Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the overall market till 2018. The region is estimated to account for 32.4% of the overall market revenue by 2018, followed by Europe. The demand for animal feed and feed additives is very high in Asia Pacific and the regional market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.0% during the forecast horizon. China leads the Asia Pacific market with 49.5% market share, followed by Japan. In Europe, the U.K. and Germany are among the major animal feed and feed additives markets.Animal feed and feed additives are extensively used to enhance animal nutritional growth, feed quality, and meat quality. Improving the feed quality remains the highest revenue generating factor in the global animal feed and feed additives market. Meat quality enhancement accounts for 21% share in the market.Obtain Report Details @Describing the competitive landscape, the report profiles some of the key players in the global animal feed and feed additives market such as BASF SE, Evonik Industries AG, Kemin Industries, Novozymes, DSM, Danisco A/S, Addcon Group GmbH, and CHR Hansen A/S.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is leader in analytics, research, and advisory services for Fortune 500 companies, scores of high potential startups, and financial institutions. Our success stories have proven why we are a preeminent provider of cutting-edge syndicated and customized research services. Leverage the best of our seasoned research analysts who hold a keen interest and enviable expertise of almost 4 million hours in global, regional, and local market intelligence.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Composite Cardboard Tubes Market Has Transformed Rapidly In Past Few Couple Of Decades https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4810 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-4810 www.futuremarketinsights.com Packaging industry has taken a new turn in the recent years. Apart from protection and product preservation, more emphasis is given on product communication, branding and many such functions that focus on product visibility. Composite cardboard tubes are one such packaging type that play a vital role in enhancing the appeal and image of a particular product for the customer, simultaneously providing protection and augmenting shelf presence. Composite cardboard tubes are usually used for packaging of premium and promotional items. They are a highly adaptable packaging form as they use comparatively less material than cardboard boxes of similar specifications. In addition, composite cardboard tubes are robust, tough to crush and are characterized by their shape retaining property. Owing to these aspects they are highly preferred for logistics.Request to Sample Report @According to the recent research carried out by Future Market Insights, demand for composite cardboard tubes is expected to rise at a value CAGR of 5.7% throughout the period of forecast, 2017-2026. Increasing focus on product promotion and branding is expected to play a major role in the growth in demand of composite cardboard tubes across regions. Demand for Composite Cardboard Tubes to Spur in Asia Pacific Excluding JapanThe overall demand for composite cardboard tubes is increasing at a steady pace across the globe. However, this type of packaging is expected to witness high demand for Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region in the due course. Emerging economies in this region are marked with increasing number of end user companies that use composite cardboard tubes. Moreover, transit operations are increasing in this region, APEJ being the first preference for several companies. This region is being tapped by many players that deal with pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food and beverages, thus positively influencing the overall packaging industry in the region. In addition, the growing demand for efficient yet attractive packaging style is expected to push the sales of composite cardboard tubes in countries such as China and India. As per research, the demand and sale of composite cardboard tubes in China is higher than other counties, followed by India. The total sale of composite cardboard tubes in APEJ is anticipated to reach a value a little over US$ 800 Mn by the end of the forecast period (2026).Corrugated Boards to be the Consumers First Choice for Packaging PurposesCorrugated boards are gaining high traction in the packaging world since recent past. They are cost effective packaging solutions and do not require high cost manufacturing tools and equipment. Additionally, they are easy to recycle. The demand for corrugated boards is increasing at a stellar pace and is expected to continue with this trend in the coming years. The main reason for their increasing demand and adoption is the cushioning they provide to the product thus ensuring safety during transportation, handling and shipping. Depending on the product type and specifications, corrugated boards differ in thickness and also are available in varying sizes. Few other aspects that are supporting the increasing demand of corrugated boards include light weight, ease and convenience, sustainability and better printing capabilities.Use of Composite Cardboard Tubes to Grow in the Cosmetics and Personal Care IndustryFood and beverages have shown potential use of composite cardboard tubes. However, their use in the cosmetic and personal care industry is also rising at a higher pace. Several cosmetic products and personal care products such as creams, ointments, oils etc., require efficient packaging and safety from temperatures. Composite cardboard tubes offer higher resistance to heat and moderate resistance to pressure, which has been driving the adoption of composite cardboard tubes in this industry.Ring Pull Style Lid Type to Favour the Growth of the Global MarketWith respect to different lid types, ring pull style has gained high popularity owing to ease in handling and lid opening. Even though the sales revenue generated by this type of lid assembly is relatively less, its growth rate is expected to steam up in the years to follow. This type of lid assembly is largely used in food and beverages.Request Report TOC @ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite : Printing Paper Market Is Projected To Grow At A Moderate CAGR During The Period Of Assessment https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4812 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4812 www.futuremarketinsights.com Global printing paper market: IntroductionThe global paper industry is undergoing rapid transformation and plays significant role in the global packaging industry. In addition to manufacturing of packaging products such as corrugated boxes, paperboards or envelopes, papers are also used for the production of printing paper for printing purposes. Printing paper market is anticipated to grow on the backdrop of packaging industry, printing industry, and as well as e-commerce industry growth. Printing paper are used for billing. Manufacturers attach copies of bills with the products they sell to the retailers which is expected to increase the Printing paper market growth. Printing paper manufacturers need to explore new ways to create values for their customers due to changing technologies. Other than that, printing paper are used in various official works. Printing paper market will also receive a push from a rise in business activity and the accompanying increase in transactional and business communications documents. Printing papers are customizable as per requirement, and are available in various types, sizes, and qualities.Request to Sample Report @Global Printing paper market: DynamicsPrinting paper mainly finds applications in offset printing and laser imaging. Printing paper market will receive a boost from the general rise in business activity and the accompanying expansion of transactional and business communication document. In the emerging market, the Printing paper market will be driven by urban population growth, rising disposable income with increase in print technology. One of the factors which is expected to accelerate Printing paper market growth is TransPromo revolution. TransPromo means a transaction document that consists of a promotional message that is placed aside of essential transactional information. Companies are starting to use these trends to create effective customer dialogues, which promote products and services. Another major driver which is expected to speed up growth of printing paper market is the presence of active and healthy postal system. Electronic media is a major competitor which hampers growth of printing paper market. Rapid transformation of graphics industry is expected to hamper growth of the global Printing paper market. Furthermore, as the digital technology increases, there will be growth in acceptance towards reading and writing work on the screen, which might affect growth of printing paper market. But now it enters a period of decline in next decade after being one of the most prominent technologies in the last decade. Printing paper manufacturers need to align their own product innovations to take advantage of the technological developments.Global printing paper market: SegmentationThe global Printing paper market can be segmented as:On the basis of type, the Printing paper market has been segmented as:CoatedUncoatedOn the basis of end use industry, the Printing paper market has been segmented as:Printed advertisementSecurity printingCommercial printingMass communicationEducationalGlobal printing paper market: Regional OutlookBased on regions, the printing paper market is divided into seven regions:North AmericaWestern EuropeAsia-pacific except JapanEastern EuropeLatin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaJapanThe mature markets such as North America and Western Europe are expected to show moderate to low growth in printing paper market due to consumer preference for the digital printing and electronic media. For instance, the rate of uncoated paper has fallen to various tons per dollar. Emerging markets such as Asia Pacific and Latin America are expected to push growth of global Printing paper market due to rise in population as well as disposable income. MEA is expected to witness steady growth in printing paper market due to deficient technology in this region. Overall, the global Printing paper market is forecast to enjoy moderate growth in the forecast period.Global printing paper market: Key PlayersFew of the key players operating in the printing paper market are International Paper Company, Clearwater Paper Corporation, Antalis S.A., Guangzhou Xinyi Printing Co., Ltd., Boise Paper, Mondi Group, Papico Limited, White Birch Paper, Australian Paper, BJ Ball Papers, and American Eagle Paper Mills.Request Report TOC @ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite : Pyramid Tea Bags Market Has Transformed Rapidly In Past Few Couple Of Decades https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4814 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4814 www.futuremarketinsights.com Pyramid Tea Bags Market OverviewTea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water. For carrying tea to anywhere and having it anytime, tea bags were invented in around 1930 which requires only hot water for making tea with a tea bag. With increasing population, global consumption of tea is also increasing and developments in packaging have enabled its consumption at any instant. Various developments account in packaging like in 1997, pyramid or triangular tea bags were introduced. The purpose of making changes in the shape of tea bags is to increase the surface area of the tea bags for providing more contact surface between tea and boiled water and making tea stronger in less time than that by convention rectangular tea bags. The adoption by the youth of The Middle East tradition of taking tea as a refreshment beverage and various developments in the packaging of tea has created opportunities for pyramid tea bags market globally.Request to Sample Report @Pyramid Tea Bags Market DynamicsThe consumption of tea bags is experiencing rise due to the busy life schedule of an average person and ease provided by tea bags in making tea. The market for pyramid tea bags is already set all over the globe as it is just a development in shape of tea bags which are rectangular by shape conventionally. This is a major driver for pyramid tea bags market. Pyramid tea bags can also be used in food industry for adding various ingredients in fixed proportion for single dosing purpose. Tea bags are made up of silk or nylon polymers which release chemicals to the tea when dipped in hot water. This factor used to be a restraint until biodegradable packaging of paper tea bags was introduced to the market. This development in packaging material of tea, bags has given a growth to the market of pyramid tea bags. The pyramid tea bag packaging has a disadvantage of the requirement of higher packaging material in the packaging of the same amount of product as that for packaging of conventional tea packaging. The introduction of circular tea bags hampered the growth of pyramid tea bags in the beginning for pyramid tea bags, but this market crossed the hurdle and pyramid tea bags proved to be better than circular tea bags due to the efficient mixing of tea and water. Ready to drink tea market has observed fifteen times growth in sales and consumption since 2004 and thus provide the great opportunity for pyramid tea bags market.Pyramid Tea Bags Market SegmentsThe pyramid tea bags market can be segmented by the material of packaging asNylonSilkPaperCottonCorn starchOthersThe pyramid tea bags can be segmented by the quantity of tea held in it asSmall (below 2 gram)Moderate (2 to 3 gram)Large (above 3 gram)The pyramid tea bags market can be segmented by the global regions asNorth AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeMiddle East & AfricaAsia Pacific excluding JapanJapanPyramid Tea Bags Market Regional OutlookThe global tea production has increased over last 10 years with a CAGR of 4.75%. Turkey is accounts for highest per capita consumption of tea in 2016 followed by Ireland, U.K. and Russia. Also, these countries are well developed economies. This indicates a huge developed market for pyramid tea bags in Europe region. Middle East and Africa is the region second largest in per capita consumption of tea. Asia Pacific has moderate per capita consumption of tea along with 60% of worlds population which contributes to the largest regional market for pyramid tea bags. Despite of highest per capita consumption of tea in Turkey, around ten times higher than India, India accounts for around four times larger tea consumption than that by Turkey.Pyramid Tea Bags Market Key PlayersSome of the key players of the pyramid tea bags market areF.T. Short LimitedShreeji Screen And Filters Pvt. LtdMotovotano, LLC.Fate House Pte. Ltd.NonWoven Network, LLC.Regional analysis includesNorth AmericaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle East & AfricaRequest Report TOC @ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite : Asia Pacific Offshore Wind Energy Market US$60,201.5 mn by 2025 Market Research Reports Search Engine https://www.mrrse.com/sample/3059 https://www.mrrse.com/asia-pacific-offshore-wind-energy-market https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/3059 https://www.mrrse.com/ A latest research report titled as Asia Pacific Offshore Wind Energy Market - Asia Pacific Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 2025 has been recently added to the vast portfolio of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) online research offerings. This report is a professional and in-depth analysis on the present state and future prospect for the global market. It provides valuable information to the industry insiders, potential entrants or investors. It includes an exhaustive enquiry with the reliability of logic and the comprehensiveness of contents.Request Sample Report @Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy, a technology which uses wind farms installed on offshore sites to harvest wind energy to produce electricity, is one of the most promising green energy technology segments in the Asia Pacific region presently. The presence of a large number of high-potential offshore sites in the region, encouraging governments and regulations, and rising foreign investment are all helping drive the market at a significant pace. While the market is a relatively un-untouched aspect of wind energy generation in Asia Pacific, the region, often referred to as the next power and economy hub, is expected to emerge as one of the key investment locations for offshore wind energy in the near future.Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) estimates that the Asia Pacific offshore wind power market will exhibit an exponential 22.4% CAGR from 2017 to 2025, rising from a valuation of US$8,960.8 mn in 2017 to US$60,201.5 mn by 2025.Market Witnesses Rising Adoption of High Risk Pile Cap and Ground Mounted FoundationsIn terms of type of foundation, the Asia Pacific market for offshore wind energy is segmented in the report into monopole, floating, jacket, tripod, and others. Of these, the others segment, including foundation types such as high risk pile cap (HRPC) and ground mounted foundations, accounted for a massive 44.7% of the overall market in 2016. The segment is expected to continue its strong growth throughout the forecast period as well.Standing second in terms of share in the Asia Pacific offshore wind energy market, the jacket segment also accounted for a significant share in the market in 2016, while the floating type and tripod segments had limited presence. Tripod and floating segments accounted for minor share of the market as these type of foundations have limited presence due to financial and environmental factors. Market share of the jacket segment is expected to witness a notable drop during the forecast period while the floating type and tripod segments will continue to have minor share in the overall market.The monopile segment is also estimated to witness a decline in its market share during the forecast period. Monopile foundations are not suited for offshore wind installations in China and other countries like South Korea and Japan have few offshore wind projects lined up with monopile foundations. As a result, their share in the Asia Pacific offshore wind energy market is not projected to witness any rise over the reports forecast period.Browse Full Report with TOC-China to Remain Leading Regional MarketCurrently in Asia Pacific, China is the only country that has set aside separate targets in its green energy plans of the next few years for offshore wind energy projects. Japan, South Korea and India are expected to emerge as high-potential markets offshore wind energy generation. However, apart from China, other countries in Asia Pacific are yet to commission and/or start constructing utility-scale offshore wind energy projects. China is likely to drive the growth in capacity additions throughout the forecast period. Despite recently reducing its capacity addition targets, China has revised the target of approximately 10GW generation by 2020. China would thus require the addition of at least 1 GW of new offshore wind energy generation capacity annually, post 2016.Value chain, which includes turbine costs, foundation costs, cabling costs, and installation expenditures, may witness reduction in overall CAPEX during the forecast period. Overall, the maximum cost reductions are expected to be observed in China and India the governments in these countries have devised nodal agencies to monitor and encourage more of offshore wind turbine installations along with grid constructions to the nearest shores. The extent to which cost reductions and supply chain concentration are achieved within the forecast period would be a critical determinant of the expected annual capacity additions in the offshore wind energy sector.Enquire about this Report @About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite: Diesel Power Engine Market 2018 Analysis and Global Forecast to 2025 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2842582-global-diesel-power-engine-market-research-report-2018 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/2842582-global-diesel-power-engine-market-research-report-2018 This report studies the global Diesel Power Engine market status and forecast, categorizes the global Diesel Power Engine market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in North America, Europe, Japan, China, and other regions (India, Southeast Asia, Central & South America, and Middle East & Africa).The global Diesel Power Engine market is valued at million US$ in 2017 and will reach million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of during 2018-2025.The major manufacturers covered in this reportCaterpillarCumminsMan SERolls-Royce HoldingsWartsilaMitsubishi Heavy IndustriesVolvo PentaHyundai Heavy IndustriesDoosanYanmar HoldingsKubotaKohlerRequest a Sample Report @Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaWe can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeRest of Asia-PacificEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaTurkeyRest of Middle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoBy OperationStandbyPrime/ ContinuousPeak ShavingBy Power RatingUp to 0.5MW0.5 MW1 MW1 MW2 MW2 MW5 MWAbove 5 MWOn 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, includingIndustrialCommercialResidentialThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Diesel Power Engine capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);Focuses on the key Diesel Power Engine 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.Table of ContentsGlobal Diesel Power Engine Market Research Report 20181 Diesel Power Engine Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Diesel Power Engine1.2 Diesel Power Engine Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Diesel Power Engine Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Diesel Power Engine Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Standby1.2.4 Prime/ Continuous1.2.5 Peak Shaving1.3 Diesel Power Engine Segment By Power Rating1.3.1 Up to 0.5MW1.3.2 0.5 MW1 MW1.3.3 1 MW2 MW1.3.4 2 MW5 MW1.3.5 Above 5 MW1.2.5.11.4 Global Diesel Power Engine Segment by Application1.4.1 Diesel Power Engine Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.4.2 Industrial1.4.3 Commercial1.4.4 Residential1.5 Global Diesel Power Engine Market by Region (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Diesel Power Engine Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.5.2 North America Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5.4 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5.7 India Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.6 Global Market Size (Value) of Diesel Power Engine (2013-2025)1.6.1 Global Diesel Power Engine Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.6.2 Global Diesel Power Engine Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)2 Global Diesel Power Engine Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Diesel Power Engine Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Diesel Power Engine Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Diesel Power Engine Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Diesel Power Engine Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Diesel Power Engine Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Diesel Power Engine Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Diesel Power Engine Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Diesel Power Engine Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Diesel Power Engine Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Diesel Power Engine Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)3.1 Global Diesel Power Engine Capacity and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.2 Global Diesel Power Engine Production and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.3 Global Diesel Power Engine Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.4 Global Diesel Power Engine Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.5 North America Diesel Power Engine Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.6 Europe Diesel Power Engine Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.7 China Diesel Power Engine Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.8 Japan Diesel Power Engine Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.9 Southeast Asia Diesel Power Engine Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.10 India Diesel Power Engine Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)4 Global Diesel Power Engine Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)4.1 Global Diesel Power Engine Consumption by Region (2013-2018)4.2 North America Diesel Power Engine Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.3 Europe Diesel Power Engine Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.4 China Diesel Power Engine Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.5 Japan Diesel Power Engine Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.6 Southeast Asia Diesel Power Engine Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.7 India Diesel Power Engine Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)5 Global Diesel Power Engine Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Diesel Power Engine Production and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.2 Global Diesel Power Engine Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.3 Global Diesel Power Engine Price by Type (2013-2018)5.4 Global Diesel Power Engine Production Growth by Type (2013-2018)6 Global Diesel Power Engine Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Diesel Power Engine Consumption and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)6.2 Global Diesel Power Engine Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2013-2018)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/CountriesContinuedAccess Complete Report @ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India Smart Metering Systems Market: Professional Market Research Report and Forecasts, 2018 - 2024 Global Market Insights https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/1180 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/smart-metering-systems-market https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/smart-metering-systems-market https://www.gminsights.com http://algosonline.com/technology The U.S. smart metering systems market is predicted to exceed USD 3 Billion by 2024. Stringent regulatory framework to achieve energy savings along with ongoing measures to replace the conventional meters will augment the industry landscape. For instance, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has sanctioned the investor-owned utilities to replace conventional meters with intelligent meters to ensure customer control over the energy usage. The Southern California Edison has been authorized by CPUC for the installation of approximately 5.3 million smart meters.Smart Metering Systems Market size will surpass USD 21 Billion by 2024, as reported in the latest study by Global Market Insights, Inc. Implementation of fiscal incentives along with the government plans to replace the existing meters will drive the smart metering systems market size. Several countries have enforced regulatory directives to accelerate the deployment of AMI meters as a part of their energy conservation initiatives. In 2016, the U.S. city of Berea in Ohio partnered with metering firm NECO and Badger Meter, a metering solutions company for the rollout of smart water meters project.Request for a sample of this research report @AMI smart metering systems market is predicted to grow over 10% by 2024. Increasing adoption of automated technologies across energy utilities to ensure energy conservation, customer service improvement and load management will boost the product demand. AMI meters dynamically involve the end users to execute the consumption decisions and provide real time information regarding the energy usage.UK smart metering systems market will witness growth on account of rapid technological advancement along with growing adoption of sustainable systems. Introduction of automated data management systems across the metering industry will further fuel the industry growth. The introduction of intelligent metering system forms a fundamental part of the recent government policies aiming at the environmental sustainability and energy conservation.Australia smart metering systems market is set to expand over 16% by 2024. Introduction of government policies along with growing measures toward energy conservation will fuel the business growth. In December 2017, the government of Australia introduced Power of Choice reform which seeks to provide AMI meters to all electricity consumers across the region.Increasing number of utilities along with the integration of advanced ICT solutions for operations will stimulate the smart metering systems market growth. The rising demand for effective measurement, monitoring, and utilization of natural resources will further facilitate the large-scale deployment of these meters.Key industry participants in the smart metering systems market include Apator, Circutor, Iskraemco, Kamstrup, Aclara, Sensus, Neptune, Osaki, Badger Meter, Honeywell International, Schneider, Itron, Siemens, and Landis+Gyr.Browse key industry insights spread across 305 pages with 460 market data tables & 14 figures & charts from the report, Smart Metering Systems Market Size By Application (Residential, Commercial, Utility), By Product (Smart Water Meter Systems, Smart Electric Meter Systems, Smart Gas Meter Systems), By Technology (AMR, AMI), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, Italy, France, UK, Sweden, Italy, Portugal, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Lebanon, Egypt, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018 2024 in detail along with the table of contents:Table Of Content (TOC-)Chapter 4 Smart Metering Systems Market, By Application4.1 Smart metering systems market share by application, 2017 & 20244.2 Residential4.2.1 Global market from residential, 2013 - 20244.2.2 Global market from residential, by region, 2013 20244.3 Commercial4.3.1 Global market from commercial, 2013 - 20244.3.2 Global market from commercial, by region, 2013 20244.4 Utility4.4.1 Global market from utility, 2013 - 20244.4.2 Global market from utility, by region, 2013 2024Chapter 5 Smart Metering Systems Market, By Product5.1 Smart metering systems market share by application, 2017 & 20245.2 Smart electric meter systems5.2.1 Global market from smart electric meter systems, 2013 - 20245.2.2 Global market from smart electric meter systems, by region, 2013 20245.3 Smart gas meter systems5.3.1 Global market from smart gas meter systems, 2013 - 20245.3.2 Global market from smart gas meter systems, by region, 2013 20245.4 Smart water meter systems5.4.1 Global market from smart water meter systems, 2013 - 20245.4.2 Global market from smart water meter systems, by region, 2013 2024Chapter 6 Smart Metering Systems Market, By Technology6.1 Smart metering systems market share by technology, 2017 & 20246.2 AMI6.2.1 Global market from AMI, 2013 - 20246.2.2 Global market from AMI, by region, 2013 20246.3 AMR6.3.1 Global market from AMR, 2013 - 20246.3.2 Global market from AMR, by region, 2013 2024Browse Full TOc Report @About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog: HCM CITY Veteran and young cai luong (reformed theatre) artists will perform at the HCM City Drama Theatre for a charity show this month to raise funds for poor theatre artists. The concert, Ket Noi Thien Tam (Connecting with Love), will feature Meritorious Artist Tu Suong and cai luong star Kim Ngan, together with young talents from traditional art troupes. Extracts from historical plays such as Thai Hau Duong Van Nga (Queen Duong Van Nga) and Tran Quoc Toan (Young Hero Tran Quoc Toan) will be performed. Featured performances will be staged by Suong, who has more than 30 years of experience in the theatre. Suong has won several top prizes at national theatre festivals and competitions, including the Golden Prize for best actress at Tran Huu Trang Awards presented by HCM City Theatre Artists Association in 2015. She works for Tran Huu Trang Theatre, one of the regions leading traditional art troupes, and has performed as a lead actress in dozens of quality plays. Suong and her colleagues will perform for free. All proceeds will be given to help poor artists, elderly artists and backstage workers. The show Ket Noi Thien Tam will begin at 8pm on June 29. VNS Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales Market Size, Status Opportunity, Upcoming Trends, Demand, Analysis and Forecast 2025 Market Research Hub https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1826065 https://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/global-monohydrate-and-hepahydrate-zinc-sulfate-sales-market-report-2018-report.html An up-to-date research report has been disclosed by Market Research Hub highlighting the titleGlobal Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales Market Report 2018 which provides an outlook for current market value as well as the expected growth of Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Market during 2018-2025. The report studies the casing heads market worldwide, especially in United States, Europe, Japan, China, and other regions (India, Southeast Asia, Central & South America, and Middle East & Africa) and other regions, with production, size, growth, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions..Get Access to Free Sample Report@This report studies the global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate market status and forecast, categorizes the global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate market size (value & volume) by key players, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top players in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia India and Other regions (Middle East & Africa, Central & South America).Zinc sulfate is the inorganic compound with the formula ZnSO4 as well as any of three hydrates. It was historically known as "white vitriol". It is a powder that is colorless and completely water-soluble that is a common source of soluble zinc ions.Monohydrate zinc sulfate and heptahydrate zinc sulfate have the same active components, but they differ on the number of water of hydration. Monohydrate zinc sulfate has one molecule of water in its molecular formula while heptahydrate zinc sulfate contains seven molecules of water in its molecular formula. As a result, monohydrate zinc sulfate contains higher active component of zinc which is about 35 36% as zinc while heptahydrate zinc sulfate contains about 20 22% as zinc. However, because of the difference in the number of water of hydration, heptahydrate zinc sulfate is less stable than monohydrate zinc sulfate because of its ability to absorb water is greater than the latter.Monohydrate and heptahydrate zinc sulfate are the main types of zinc sulfate. It can be widely used in many industries. Survey results showed that 57.92% of the monohydrate and heptahydrate zinc sulfate market is agriculture and animal husbandry industry, 16.40% is industry application, 12.81% is food industry, 5.62% is pharmaceuticals industry and 7.24% divided among other industries. With the development of economy, these industries will need more monohydrate and heptahydrate zinc sulfate. So, monohydrate and heptahydrate zinc sulfate has a huge market potential in the future.The major raw material for monohydrate and heptahydrate zinc sulfate is zinc oxide, sulfuric acid, zinc powder, etc. On the global market, supply of raw materials is full. Fluctuations in the price of the upstream product will impact on the production cost of monohydrate and heptahydrate zinc sulfate industry. We tend to believe this industry is an emerging industry, and the consumption increasing degree will show a smooth growth curve. For product prices, the slow downward trend in recent years will maintain in the future as competition intensifies. Besides, prices gap between different brands will go narrowing gradually. Also, there will be fluctuation in gross margin.The global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate market is valued at xx million US$ in 2017 and will reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of xx% during 2018-2025.The major players covered in this reportKronosOldbridgeAgrium Advanced TechnologiesZinc NacionalBohighXinxin ChemicalISKYHebei YuandaNewskyBest-selling ChemicalDaHua ChemicalLantian ChemicalGeographically, this report studies the key regions, focuses on product sales, value, market share and growth opportunity in these regions, coveringUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaWe can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeRest of Asia-PacificEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaTurkeyRest of Middle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoHeptahydrate zinc sulfateMonohydrate zinc sulfateOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, includingAgriculture and Animal Husbandry IndustryIndustrial ApplicationFood IndustryPharmaceuticals IndustryOthersView Full Report with TOC@Table of Contents1 Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate1.2 Classification of Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate by Product Category1.2.1 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Heptahydrate zinc sulfate1.2.4 Monohydrate zinc sulfate1.3 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.1 Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Industry1.3.2 Industrial Application1.3.3 Food Industry1.3.4 Pharmaceuticals Industry1.3.5 Others1.4 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Market by Region1.4.1 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 United States Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 Europe Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 China Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 India Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2025)2 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.2.2 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.3 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)2.3.2 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Revenue and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)2.4 Global Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate (Volume) by Application3 United States Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales and Value (2013-2018)3.1.1 United States Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2018)3.1.2 United States Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)3.1.3 United States Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales Price Trend (2013-2018)3.2 United States Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales Volume and Market Share by Players (2013-2018)3.3 United States Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales Volume and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)3.4 United States Monohydrate and Hepahydrate Zinc Sulfate Sales Volume and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)Read More@@About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports of different sector like chemicals Industry Research Reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of industry reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.com Bone Glue Market will Reach Nearly US$ 1,032.9 Mn in Revenues by 2024 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3720 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/3720 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com The reluctance of orthopedic patients towards the use of conventional cementing materials for surgical adhesion procedures is influencing the development of organic alternatives. Globally, the consumption of bone glue in hospitals is on an upsurge, owing to their widespread acceptance by both healthcare professionals and patients. The global market for bone glue is currently valued at US$ 600.6 million, and is expected to reach US$ 1,032.9 million in revenues by the end of 2024.Request Sample Report @Persistence Market Researchs report titled Global Market Study on Bone Glue: Rising Adoption of Bone Glue for Orthopedic Surgeries Expected to Boost Demand for Bone Glue over the Forecast Period, has estimated that the global market for bone glue will register a CAGR of 7.0% during the assessment period of 2016-2024. Prevalence of bone related disorders continues to be on a rise, urging manufacturers to come up with advanced glues. Preference to bone glue remains higher for adhesion procedures in arthroplasty surgeries. By the end of 2024, the application of bone glue in arthroplasty surgeries is slated to surpass 40% share of global market value, rendering it as the most prominent application for bone glue adhesives.Key end-use segments of the market include hospitals, specialty clinics and ASCs. High costs of orthopedic surgeries and growing number of accidents have increased the influx of orthopedic patients in hospitals. Since treating such patients requires the inclusion of bone glue as surgical adhesives, manufacturers are likely to concentrate their supply more towards hospitals and similar medical organizations. Specialty clinics are expected to be the second-most prominent end-user in the global bone glue market. On the account of their individual value share, specialty clinics and ASCs are projected to attribute to 17.9% and 10.9% share of the global bone glue market by 2024 end.Regional OverviewIn terms of value share, North Americas bone glue market accounts for half of the global market value, primarily due to advanced pharmaceutical production and robust healthcare infrastructure in the US. The bone glue market in the Asia Pacific region is expected to surge at the highest CAGR of 7.6% during the projected period. Latin Americas bone glue revenues are likely to surpass US$ 50 million by 2024, while bone glue sales in Middle East & Africa (MEA) region will expand sluggishly. On the other hand, revenues generated from bone glue sales in Europe are expected to be worth over US$ 150 million by the end of the forecast period.Higher Demand for Synthetic Bone GlueThe production of bone glue through synthesis of constituent adhesive elements becomes more cost-effective and practical for manufacturers. Over 80% of global revenues estimated in 2016 and beyond are projected to be accounted by synthetic bone glue over natural bone glue. Revenues from global sales of synthetic product called methacrylate will incur a rise of estimated US$ 23.8 million between 2016 and 2017, while global cyanoacrylate revenues are likely to surpass US$ 250 million by 2024 end.Request to View TOC @Ethicon & Baxter International: Key Market PlayersAs a manufacturer and supplier of bone glue adhesives, Ethicon, Inc. (US) is estimated to hold 40% revenue share of the global market. Baxter International Inc. is the other leading player in the global bone glue market. Companies such as Cryolife are expected to expand their market presence through increasing distribution. C. R. Bard, Inc., Luna Innovations Incorporated, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Cohera Medical, Inc., Tissuemed Ltd., Chemence Medical, Inc., Integra LifeSceinces Corporation, and DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc., are also some of the prominent companies participating in the growth of the global bone glue market.ABOUT US:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance. 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.Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Augmented Reality 2018 Market Segmentation,Application,Technology & Market Analysis Research Report to 2022 Augmented Reality Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3202889-global-augmented-reality-market-report-2018 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3202889-global-augmented-reality-market-report-2018 WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On Augmented Reality 2018 Market Segmentation,Application,Technology & Market Analysis Research Report to 2022.The Augmented Reality industry has also suffered a certain impact, but still maintained a relatively optimistic growth, the past four years, Augmented Reality market size to maintain the average annual growth rate of 55.66% from 1140 million $ in 2014 to 4300 million $ in 2017, The analysts believe that in the next few years, Augmented Reality market size will be further expanded, we expect that by 2022, The market size of the Augmented Reality will reach 39426 million $.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comThis Report covers the manufacturers data, including: shipment, price, revenue, gross profit, interview record, business distribution etc., these data help the consumer know about the competitors better. This report also covers all the regions and countries of the world, which shows a regional development status, including market size, volume and value, as well as price data.Besides, the report also covers segment data, including: type segment, industry segment, channel segment etc. cover different segment market size, both volume and value. Also cover different industries clients information, which is very important for the manufacturers.Sections:-Section 1: FreeDefinitionSection (2 3): 1200 USDManufacturer DetailGoogle, Inc.Microsoft CorporationPtc, Inc.Wikitude GmbhMagic Leap, Inc.Osterhout Design GroupDaqri LlcZugara, Inc.BlipparUpskillSection 4: 900 USDRegion SegmentationNorth America Country (United States, Canada)South AmericaAsia Country (China, Japan, India, Korea)Europe Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy)Other Country (Middle East, Africa, GCC)ContinuedComplete Report Details @Table Of Contents Major Key PointsSection 1 Augmented Reality Product DefinitionSection 2 Global Augmented Reality Market Manufacturer Share and Market Overview2.1 Global Manufacturer Augmented Reality Shipments2.2 Global Manufacturer Augmented Reality Business Revenue2.3 Global Augmented Reality Market OverviewSection 3 Manufacturer Augmented Reality Business Introduction3.1 Google, Inc. Augmented Reality Business Introduction3.1.1 Google, Inc. Augmented Reality Shipments, Price, Revenue and Gross profit 2014-20173.1.2 Google, Inc. Augmented Reality Business Distribution by Region3.1.3 Google, Inc. Interview Record3.1.4 Google, Inc. Augmented Reality Business Profile3.1.5 Google, Inc. Augmented Reality Product Specification3.2 Microsoft Corporation Augmented Reality Business Introduction3.2.1 Microsoft Corporation Augmented Reality Shipments, Price, Revenue and Gross profit 2014-20173.2.2 Microsoft Corporation Augmented Reality Business Distribution by Region3.2.3 Interview Record3.2.4 Microsoft Corporation Augmented Reality Business Overview3.2.5 Microsoft Corporation Augmented Reality Product Specification3.3 Ptc, Inc. Augmented Reality Business Introduction3.3.1 Ptc, Inc. Augmented Reality Shipments, Price, Revenue and Gross profit 2014-20173.3.2 Ptc, Inc. Augmented Reality Business Distribution by Region3.3.3 Interview Record3.3.4 Ptc, Inc. Augmented Reality Business Overview3.3.5 Ptc, Inc. Augmented Reality Product Specification3.4 Wikitude Gmbh Augmented Reality Business Introduction3.5 Magic Leap, Inc. Augmented Reality Business Introduction3.6 Osterhout Design Group Augmented Reality Business IntroductionSection 4 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Region Level)4.1 North America Country4.1.1 United States Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.1.2 Canada Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.2 South America Country4.2.1 South America Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.3 Asia Country4.3.1 China Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.3.2 Japan Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.3.3 India Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.3.4 Korea Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.4 Europe Country4.4.1 Germany Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.4.2 UK Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.4.3 France Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.4.4 Italy Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.4.5 Europe Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.5 Other Country and Region4.5.1 Middle East Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.5.2 Africa Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.5.3 GCC Augmented Reality Market Size and Price Analysis 2014-20174.6 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Region Level) Analysis 2014-20174.7 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Region Level) AnalysisSection 5 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Product Type Level)5.1 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Product Type Level) Market Size 2014-20175.2 Different Augmented Reality Product Type Price 2014-20175.3 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Product Type Level) AnalysisSection 6 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Industry Level)6.1 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Industry Level) Market Size 2014-20176.2 Different Industry Price 2014-20176.3 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Industry Level) AnalysisSection 7 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Channel Level)7.1 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Channel Level) Sales Volume and Share 2014-20177.2 Global Augmented Reality Market Segmentation (Channel Level) AnalysisContinuedFor more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028. Global Blood Plasma Market 2018 - Baxter, CSL, Grifols, Octapharma, Bayer Global Blood Plasma Market https://bit.ly/2MxsWwJ https://bit.ly/2yl0V8z www.apexmarketreports.com Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the Blood Plasma Market across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of Blood Plasma Market from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global PP Pipe industry, and estimates the future trend of Blood Plasma on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares Blood Plasma performance both in terms of volume and revenue.The market research report explores the Blood Plasma Market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of Blood Plasma Market. The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Blood Plasma Market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Blood Plasma. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Blood Plasma Market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportBaxterCSLGrifolsOctapharmaBayerBiotestKedrionCBOPRAASHualan BioTiantan BioShuanglin BioBOYAThe competitive landscape of the global market for Blood Plasma is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Blood Plasma Markets production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Blood Plasma Market globally.Inquire Before Buying @The Global Blood Plasma Market 2018 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Blood Plasma production volume, data pertaining to demand and Blood Plasma supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Blood Plasma along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Blood Plasma across the world.About UsApex Market Reports offers elevating market research globally. We have collection of various syndicated reports of different categories. Apex Market Reports provides you to best services, weather youre searching for new trends in market or competitive scenario in emerging market.Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezCorporate Sales Specialist155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606Phone: +17739042683Email id - sales@apexmarketreports.comWebsite - Mastercard Incorporated: Fintech Ecosystem, Payment Ecosystem & Opportunity for Future https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1830518 https://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/mastercard-incorporated-fintech-ecosystem-report.html http://www.marketresearchhub.com/ https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/ The market for Fintech Ecosystem is growing with the expansion of this Industry Sector Worldwide. Market Research Hub (MRH) has added a new report titled Mastercard Incorporated: Fintech Ecosystem which offer details about the current trends and analysis, as well as scope for the near future. This research study also covers information about the production, consumption and market share based on different active regions. Furthermore, an anticipated growth at a double-digit CAGR for the Fintech Ecosystem sector is highlighted in the report which indicates a prosperous future.Request Free Sample Report:SummaryMastercard is transforming itself from a focus on plastic to digitally enabled payment processes and tools. It is actively supporting development in fintech through in-house labs and various incubator and accelerator programs.To maintain a significant role in the payments ecosystem, Mastercard is actively investing in companies offering digital payments solutions for purchases of goods and services. Mastercards recent investments have focused on artificial intelligence and automation technologies as the sophistication and relevance of these technologies has become more clear.Mastercard is entering partnerships with technology companies to create seamless and flexible payments options that enhance the consumer experience. Mastercard has also made multiple acquisitions over the years to expand its e-commerce payments offering and deliver superior processing solutions to both financial institutions and consumers.This report provides information and insights into Mastercard's fintech activities, including -- fintech strategies- fintech investments covering investment size and technology- key investments including details on the company and its business description- details of various accelerator programs, partnerships, in-house launches, and acquisitions.Scope- In October 2017, Mastercard announced its plans to invest $750m in Indian fintech companies by 2020.- Mastercard has established nine labs globally, to ideate and experiment on future technologies and add innovative solutions to its business.- As of April 2018, Mastercard has filed over 30 patents related to blockchain and cryptocurrency.Reasons to buy- Gain insights into Mastercard's fintech operations.- Gain insights into its fintech strategy and investment portfolio.- Gain insights into Mastercard's product launches, investments, and partnership strategies.Browse Full Report with TOC:Table of Content:Table of Contents1. Key Facts2. Fintech Strategya) In-House Applicationsb) Investment Divisionc) Accelerator Programsd) Partnershipse) Acquisitions3. Investment, Partnership, & Acquisition Network Map4. Innovation Initiatives5. Appendix.. @@ ContinuedAbout Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of banking market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News at - New Research on Global Grease Cartridges Market Showcases Promising Growth During Forecast 2018-2026 https://www.mrrse.com/sample/16321 https://www.mrrse.com/grease-cartridges-market https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/16321 https://www.mrrse.com/ https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/ To Understand the Grease Cartridges Market Industry Status worldwide, MRRSE has included the latest Forecast report titled New Research on Global Grease Cartridges Market Showcases Promising Growth during Forecast 2018-2026, to its vast database. This study offers data about the prime regions operating in the Grease Cartridges Market, along with their production, consumption, revenue and market share details. Further, the intelligent report also anticipates that the market would grow at a constructive CAGR until 2025.See sample report @MRRSE examines the global grease cartridges market during the forecast period 2018-2026. The primary objective of the report is to identify opportunities in the market and present updates as well as insights about various segments of the global grease cartridges market. The report begins with an overview of the global grease cartridges market, evaluating market performance regarding revenue, followed by MRRSEs analysis of key trends, drivers and restraints witnessed in the global retail as well as grease cartridges market. Weighted average pricing analysis of grease cartridges market is based on product type is also included in the report.To compute the market size, in-depth secondary research is done. Data points such as regional splits and market split by capacity, material type and closure type have been assimilated to arrive at the market estimates. The report comprises the forecast of the global revenue generated by sales of grease cartridges across the retail industry. Market numbers have been estimated based on extensive secondary and primary research, average pricing of grease cartridges market by product type and the revenue is derived through regional pricing trends. Market size and forecast for each segment have been provided in the context of global and regional markets. The grease cartridges market has been analyzed based on expected demand. Prices considered for the calculation of revenue are average regional prices obtained through primary quotes from numerous regional grease cartridges manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors.All key end users have been considered and potential applications have been estimated on the basis of secondary sources and feedback from primary respondents. Country demand patterns have been considered while estimating the market for various end users of medical device labels in the different regions. Bottom-up approach has been used to estimate the grease cartridges market by regions. Global market numbers by capacity, by material type, and by closure type have been derived using the bottom-up approach, which is cumulative of each countrys demand.View for complete report @MRRSE triangulates the data via a different analysis based on the supply side, demand side, as well as dynamics of grease cartridges market. MRRSE not only conducts forecasts in terms of value but also evaluates the market on the basis of essential parameters, such as Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth. This helps providers to recognize the future opportunities as well predictability of the market. In order to understand and assess opportunities in this market, the report is categorically divided into four key sections on the basis of capacity, by material type, by closure type and region. The report analyzes the global grease cartridges market in terms of value (Thousand US$) and volume (Thousand Units).The market has been segmented as follows By Capacity3oz14oz14.1oz14.5ozBy Material TypePlasticHDPEPPFiberboardVital feature of this report is the analysis of the global grease cartridges market by region, product type, capacity and sales channel; and the corresponding revenue forecast in terms of absolute dollar opportunity. This is traditionally overlooked while forecasting the market.Enquiry process for given report @About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207 (United States)Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:Read More Industry News At: Network Monitoring Software: Market 2018 Global Analysis By Key Players ManageEngine, SysAid Technologies, Splunk, Deep Software, Webroot Software, Netreo, Black Duck, VictorOps, PagerDuty Qy Research Groups https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/935761 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/send-an-enquiry/935761 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/check-discount/935761 Network Monitoring Software Market Analysis to 2025 is a specialized and in-depth study of the Network Monitoring Software industry with a focus on the global market trend. 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It provides overview and forecast of the global Network Monitoring Software market based on product and application. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Network Monitoring Software market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM), which is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend and provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions.Inquire before Buying @Also, key Network Monitoring Software market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. The report also focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered, financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years.Reason to Buy- Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.- The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Network Monitoring Software market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.- Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.- Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.- Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.Inquire for Discount @Contact Us:Call: +1-888-236-2744Email: sales@qyresearchgroups.comAbout Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Room B1510, Shiji Kemao Building,No.66 Zhongguancun East Road,Haidian District, Beijing,100190, China. Portable Power Bank Market 2018 Global Analysis By key Players Samsung, Mipow, Sony, Maxell, RavPower, Samya Portable Power Bank Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3232764-global-portable-power-bank-market-research-report-2018 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3232764-global-portable-power-bank-market-research-report-2018 Portable Power Bank Market 2018Wiseguyreports.Com adds Portable Power Bank Market Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2025 To Its Research Database.Report Details:This report provides in depth study of Portable Power Bank Market using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization. The Portable Power Bank Market report also provides an in-depth survey of key players in the market which is based on the various objectives of an organization such as profiling, the product outline, the quantity of production, required raw material, and the financial health of the organization.This report studies the global Portable Power Bank market status and forecast, categorizes the global Portable Power Bank market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan and other regions.Portable Power Bank can be used to store the power supply device, commonly used for smartphone, tablets, portable media devices, and others applications.In the next five years, the global consumption of Power Banks will maintain a high annual growth rate; production value is expected toDemand is driven by the demand of smartphone and tablet. The profitability of individual companies depends on their ability to bid accurately, secure contracts, and control costs. Large companies enjoy economies of scale in financing and the ability to offer a broad range of services in many locations. Smaller companies can compete effectively by specializing in particular services or focusing on certain geography. The industry is fragmented.Despite fierce competition, due to the global recovery trend, investors are still optimistic about this area; more new investment will enter the field in the future.China domestic Power Banks industry developed fast, which accounts for almost 80% of total production capacity. Though Chinese companies have low price advantage, the quality of domestic products is relatively poor.Currently, there are many producing companies in the world Portable Power Bank industry, especially in Asia and North America regions. The production of Portable Power Bank is about 682599 K Units in 2015.China is the largest supplier of Portable Power Bank, with a production market share nearly 40.36% and sales market share nearly 35.21% in 2015. That is to say, there will be exports in China, while China region also is the largest consumption region.The second place is Europe, with the production market share of 24.38% and sales market share of 23.06% in 2015. North America is another important market of Portable Power Bank, enjoying 18.92% production market share and 21.72% sales market share in 2015.Portable Power Bank is used in Smartphone, Tablet and Media Devices. Report data showed that 52.77% of the Portable Power Bank market demand in Smartphone, 21.70% in Tablet, and 25.53% in Media Devices in 2015.There are mainly four kinds of Portable Power Bank, which the battery capacity range from 2000 mAh to more than 20000 mAh.The major manufacturers covered in this reportMophieSamsungMipowSonyMaxellRavPowerSamyaFSP EuropeXtormLepowHIPERPisenRomossSCUDYoobaoDX PowerPinengBesiterMIMiliKoeokPowerocksGP BatteriesXPAL PowerAigoRequest a Sample Report @Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaWe can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeRest of Asia-PacificEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaTurkeyRest of Middle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoLithium-ion Portable Power BankLithium-polymer Portable Power BankOn 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, includingSmartphoneTabletMedia DeviceKey StakeholdersPortable Power Bank ManufacturersPortable Power Bank Distributors/Traders/WholesalersPortable Power Bank Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Complete Report Details@Major Key Points in Table of Content:Global Portable Power Bank Market Research Report 20181 Portable Power Bank Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Portable Power Bank1.2 Portable Power Bank Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Portable Power Bank Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Portable Power Bank Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Lithium-ion Portable Power Bank1.2.4 Lithium-polymer Portable Power Bank1.3 Global Portable Power Bank Segment by Application1.3.1 Portable Power Bank Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Smartphone1.3.3 Tablet1.3.4 Media Device1.4 Global Portable Power Bank Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Portable Power Bank Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 EU Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 South Korea Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Portable Power Bank (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Portable Power Bank Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Portable Power Bank Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025).7 Global Portable Power Bank Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Mophie7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Portable Power Bank Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Mophie Portable Power Bank Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Samsung7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Portable Power Bank Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Samsung Portable Power Bank Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Mipow7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Portable Power Bank Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Mipow Portable Power Bank Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Sony7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Portable Power Bank Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Sony Portable Power Bank Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Maxell7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Portable Power Bank Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Maxell Portable Power Bank Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2018)7.5.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinued.Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Sales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRESS:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India 5G Services Market 2018 SWOT Analysis by Players: Cisco Systems, Samsung Electronics, Ericsson, Qualcomm, Intel Corporation 5G Services Market https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/382539 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/check-discount/382539 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/send-an-enquiry/382539 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com The report aims to provide an overview of Global 5G Services Market along with detailed segmentation of market by application and five major geographical regions. Global 5G Services market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period due to rising demands for speeds of the internet.5G Services Market is a particular analysis of the 5G Services industry with an attention on the worldwide market trend. The report intends to give a review of global 5G Services market with detailed market division by product, end users/applications and regional. The 5G Services market is required to witness high development amid the forecast period. This report provides in depth study of 5G Services market using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization.This report focuses on the top players in global market: Cisco Systems Samsung Electronics Ericsson Qualcomm Intel Corporation Verizon Communications AT & T Inc LG SK Telecom Nokia Networks NEC Corporation Huawei T-Mobile USA Korea Telecom China MobileGet Sample Copy of this Report @Market segment by Type, 5G Services can be split into Cognitive Radio Spectrum Sensing Techniques Multi-Technology Carrier Aggregation Massive MIMO OtherMarket segment by Application, 5G Services can be split into Internet of Things (IoT) Robotics & Automation Virtual Reality OtherMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers United States EU Japan China India Southeast AsiaReasons to Purchase this Report- Analyzing various perspectives of the market with the help of Porters five forces analysis- Identify the latest developments, market shares, and strategies employed by the major market players- The application that is expected to dominate the market- The region that is expected to witness fastest growth during the forecast period- The report helps in improving the decision making abilities and assists to create an efficient counter strategies in order to gain competitive advantage.Check Discount @Major Points Covered in Table of Contents Global 5G Services Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of 5G Services2 Global 5G Services Competition Analysis by Players3 Company (Top Players) Profiles4 Global 5G Services Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)5 United States 5G Services Development Status and Outlook6 EU 5G Services Development Status and Outlook7 Japan 5G Services Development Status and Outlook8 China 5G Services Development Status and Outlook9 India 5G Services Development Status and Outlook10 Southeast Asia 5G Services Development Status and Outlook11 Market Forecast by Regions, Type and Application (2017-2022)12 5G Services Market Dynamics13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Research Finding/Conclusion15 AppendixMake An Enquiry @About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:Email- sales@qyresearchgroups.comWeb- Aerospace Polymer Composites Market to Record Study Growth by 2026 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/aerospace-polymer-composites-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=42671 www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Light weight, high reliability, superior aerodynamic performance, stealth, and all weather operation are important requirements of aerospace structures such as spacecraft, commercial aircraft, business aircraft, and specific military aircraft. Composite materials are the ideal choice of materials that meet the demands of the aerospace industry. Recent advancements and developments in composite technology, which uses fiber reinforced polymer composites, have positively affected the aviation sector.View Report Preview:Fiber-reinforced polymer composites are technically advanced materials, which are resistant to fatigue and corrosion. They are also light in weight. Polymer composites provide high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios. Thus, aerospace engineers and aircraft designers increasingly prefer polymer composite materials over other composite materials, as these make aircraft much stronger, lighter, and more fuel efficient.Unfolding superior properties and advantages of strong and stiff reinforcements such as carbon fiber along with recent advancements in polymer research to manufacture high performance resins as matrix materials have helped overcome the challenges presented by the complex designs of modern aircraft. Advanced polymer composites are employed on a large scale in R&D initiations by major OEMs. Governments across the world are also increasingly funding the development of military fighter aircraft, general aviation, helicopters, satellites, launch vehicles, and missiles. This highlights the immense potential of polymer composite materials in the aerospace industry.Based on fiber, the aerospace polymer composites market can be segmented into carbon, glass, ceramic, and aramid. In terms of matrix, the market can be bifurcated into thermoplastic (PPS, PEEK) and thermosets (epoxies, phenolic, polyesters, and polyimides). Based on aircraft type, the aerospace polymer composites market can be segregated into general aviation, defense aircraft, space, and helicopters. In terms of structure, the market can be classified into laminate composites and sandwich composites. Based on application, the aerospace polymer composites market can be split into interior and exterior.Increased military expenditure across major economies such as U.S., China, Western Europe and UAE, is one of the major drivers for aerospace polymer composites market. And also the robust growth of aerospace industry due to increasing demand for air transportation are expected to drive the growth of aerospace polymer composites market in coming years. Technological advancements and significant investments in R&D by OEMs for the manufacture of aerospace structural parts are expected to boost the aerospace polymer composites market.In terms of geography, North America holds large share of the global aerospace polymer composites market due to the presence of major aircraft fleet such as AIRBUS, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. Growth of the fleet is anticipated to directly increase the consumption of aerospace polymer composites. Asia Pacific and Europe are also key regions of the market. The aerospace polymer composites market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand significantly during the forecast period owing to the expansion in the aerospace industry and rise in demand for various types of aircraft in countries such as India and China. Latin America and Middle East & Africa are estimated to account for relatively small share of the global aerospace polymer composites market.Key players operating in the global aerospace polymer composites market include AIRBUS, BOEING, Hexcel, and ATC Aerospace.Request to view Sample Report:The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reportsContact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: The controversial cybersecurity law was passed by the National Assembly (NA) on June 12 with 86.86 per cent approval. On the sidelines, NA deputies talk to An Ninh Thu o (Capital Security) newspaper on how the bill wont harm Constitution-mandated civil rights or initiate mass surveillance. The subjects of the bill are criminals, not common people, they stressed. Luu Binh Nhuong, permanent member of the National Assemblys Committee for Social Affairs: What is your take on the recently adopted cybersecurity law that has caused heated debate in the country? The law was passed with a high approval rate. Several internet websites and forums in recent times have slandered the purpose of the bill and opposed the Partys direction, stoking unreasonable public anger against National Assembly deputies like me. This has further consolidated us lawmakers conviction on the need to approve the bill. You are saying that recent developments have influenced your decision to pass the cybersecurity bill? There was an explosion of toxic content and information in recent days. My own Facebook profile was also tagged in posts sharing content that I find disagreeable. I believe NA deputies are particularly perceptive and the wave of misleading information on the internet just fuels their determination to pass the bill, especially those who felt ambivalent before. You are known as being quite vocal in your criticism of the draft cybersecurity law, do you think many will be surprised with your change of heart? I have reservations about certain articles of the draft law, its totally normal. Those are the opinions of an NA member while the draft law was being developed; its not that I oppose the law. What drives me and other lawmakers to quickly introduce this law is that it will help the fight against new types of criminals and ensure the countrys stability. Many people are worried that the cybersecurity law will curtail freedom of speech, and that is the source of opposition to the law. What do you think about this? I think the concerns are not justified. The civil rights law has already stated clearly that acts constituting violations of other peoples honour and dignity are violations of their civil rights. When violations of civil rights happen on a larger scale and pose serious dangers to society, then criminal intents are considered and fall under the jurisdiction of the penal code. The cybersecurity law simply gives authorities a tool to manage security issues in the cyberspace, its not meant to suppress freedom of speech. Such interpretations are a total misunderstanding. So what you are saying is that people should not be too concerned? I affirm that the cybersecurity laws targets are cybercrimes and cybercriminals, not the people. I have several times expressed my line of thinking to the NA National Defence and Security Committee. My stance has always been that the cybersecurity law must have its highest priority set on the suppression of hi-tech crimes; issues regarding social order and security are the concerns of several other laws, not just the cybersecurity law, as I have said before. Many said that some vague provisions in the cybersecurity law would cause difficulties for internet users, how do you comment on this? In my opinion, no law is perfect. Most laws must be reviewed some time after implementation for adjustments. The birth of a new law is a response to social demand. I myself was not entirely convinced before, but homeland security and the countrys interests must be prioritised above all else. Cybercrimes have become extremely sophisticated and I believe every deputy and every person would agree that the countrys existence and security is a number one priority. As long as the country remains, we still have chances to fix whats wrong and become better. Ebsteins Anomaly Market Global Prominent Key Players:Ge Healthcare, Gore Medical, Medtronic, Inc., Numed, Inc., Siemens Healthcare, St. Jude Medical, and Toshiba Corporation Ebstein's Anomaly Market www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5633 www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/5633 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/ebstein-s-anomaly-market-5633 Market Scenario:Ebstein's anomaly is a rare congenital disease that occurs due to improper development of the tricuspid valve in the first eight weeks of fetal growth. This disorder occurs when the tricuspid valve that divides the two chambers of the right side of the heart does not form correctly.Ebstein's anomaly may be due to many factors, including genetics and the environment. Children born in a family with a history of heart defects may be more likely to have Ebstein's anomaly. The mother's exposure to certain medications, such as lithium, can lead to Ebstein's anomaly in the child.View Reports Sample @The global Ebsteins Anomaly market is driven by the increasing number of congenital heart diseases and growing population; growing market players has increased the scope of Ebsteins Anomaly market. Technological advancements, owing to which new and advanced products are being launched in the market, is another factor propelling the growth of this market.However, varied stringency of regulatory procedures across the globe and the presence of complex regulatory procedures may hinder the growth of this market.The global Ebsteins Anomaly market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.0% during the forecast period.Intended Audience Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Suppliers Medical Research Laboratories Research and Development (R&D) Companies Market Research and Consulting Service Providers Potential InvestorsSegmentsThe global Ebsteins Anomaly market is segmented on the basis of treatment, diagnosis and end users.On the basis of the treatment, the market is segmented medications and surgical treatment. Surgical Treatment is further segmented into tricuspid valve repair, tricuspid valve replacement, closure of the atrial septal defect, and maze procedure.On the basis of diagnosis Ebsteins Anomaly market is segmented into echocardiogram, electrocardiogram (ECG) chest x-ray, cardiac MRI, Holter monitor, pulse oximetry, exercise stress test, electrophysiology study, and cardiac catheterization.On the basis of end users, the market is segmented into hospitals & surgical centers, and specialty clinics.Report with Discount Available @North America Ebsteins Anomaly market is rapidly growing in the American region. On a regional basis, the Americas is segmented into North America and South America. North America is segmented into the U.S. and Canada. Increasing number of congenital disorders and growing population has increased the scope for the Ebsteins Anomaly market in North America. According to CDC (Centre for Disease Control), it was estimated that about 1 million U.S. children and about 1.4 million U.S. adults were living with CHDs. Additionally, CHDs affect nearly 1% ofor about 40,000births per year in the United States.Europe is the second largest market and holds a healthy share in the global Ebsteins Anomaly market. The European market is expected to grow steadily during the forecast period owing to the skilled professionals and availability of advanced and accessible treatment facilities. Additionally, wide research and development activities for the treatment of rare disease and increasing government funding boost the market growth.Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market. Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes is the major driver for the market growth. India is the fastest growing region owing to the increasing population. Rising awareness about the health and availability of new treatment methods drive the market in this region. Rising healthcare expenditure and overall growth of healthcare diagnostic and treatment industry also drives the market.The Middle East & Africa is expected to show the least growth in the market due to some major factors such as lack of awareness, limited access and availability of treatment facilities. In the Middle East, United Arab Emirates is the largest market share owing to the development of healthcare industry and rising availability of specialty care centers.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Key PlayersSome of the key players in fungal eye infection market are Ebsteins Anomaly market are Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific Corporation, Cordis Corporation, Edwards Lifesciences, Ge Healthcare, Gore Medical, Medtronic, Inc., Numed, Inc., Siemens Healthcare, St. Jude Medical, and Toshiba Corporation among others.Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India LIMS Market Outlook 2024: Top Companies, Trends and Future Prospects Details for Business Development Laboratory Information Management Systems Market 2025 http://databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-laboratory-information-management-systems-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-laboratory-information-management-systems-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/speak-to-analyst/?dbmr=global-laboratory-information-management-systems-market http://databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-laboratory-information-management-systems-market/ http://databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-digital-health-monitoring-devices-market/ Trending research analysis of Global Laboratory Information Management Systems Market is expected to reach USD 1,155.67 million by 2025 from USD 650.70 million in 2017, at a CAGR of 7.7 % in the forecast period 2018 to 2025. The new market report contains data for historic years 2016, the base year of calculation is 2017 and the forecast period is 2018 to 2025.Looking for more information on this market? Get Free sample report @The Global Laboratory Information Management Systems Market highly concentrated to a few big players and rest to local players who cater to domestic markets only. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. dominated the Global Laboratory Information Management Systems market accounting for a highest market share in 2017, followed by McKesson Corporation Abbott and Siemens AG. Other players in this market include are Roper Technologies, Inc., IBM Corporation, Illumina, Inc., Shimadzu Corporation, LabWare, LABWORKS among others.Avail 10% Discount on Direct Purchase " Global Laboratory Information Management Systems Market " Or kindly send the email at sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comThermo Fisher Scientific Inc.:Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. founded in 2006 and headquartered in Waltham, U.S. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the provider of analytical instruments, equipment, reagents and consumables, software, and services for research, manufacturing, analysis, discovery, and diagnostics. The company operates in various segments namely life sciences, industrial & applied science, clinical & diagnostics, lab solutions and other resources. The laboratory information management systems market related products and services lie under life sciences.The company has its subsidiaries namely Dionex, Patheon Inc., FEI Company, Affymetrix, Phadia, Nalge Nunc International, Richard Allan Scientific Co., REMEL Inc., Core Informatics and among others. Core Informatics is also engaged in providing the products, solutions, software and services, the company operates in various segments namely Core LIMS, Core ELN, Core SDMS, Core Collaboration and Core Connect. The company has its global presence in many regions such as Sydney, Asia Pacific, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne among others.McKesson Corporation:McKesson Corporation founded in 1833 and headquartered in San Francisco, U.S. The company is engaged in healthcare supply chain management solutions, retail pharmacy, community oncology and specialty care and healthcare information technology. It has partnered with several pharmaceutical manufacturers, providers, pharmacies, governments and other organizations in healthcare to provide the precise medicines, medical products and healthcare services to the patients safely and cost-effectively. It operates its business through two reporting segments McKesson distribution solutions and McKesson technology solutions.Any Questions? Inquire Here Before Buying:The distribution solutions offers wide range of product portfolio including healthcare-related products, branded and generic pharmaceutical drugs, specialty pharmaceutical solutions for pharmaceutical manufacturers for hospitals. It works with health systems which meets both the clinical and business needs laboratory. Health systems offers laboratory solution an integrated laboratory information system (LIS).It has its wide network globally through its subsidiaries Celesio AG (Germany), PSS World Medical (Florida, U.S.), Uniprix (Canada), Per-Se Technologies (Georgia, U.S.) and others.Abbott:Abbott was incorporated in 1990 and headquartered in Illinois, U.S. The company is a diversified healthcare company focused in discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of broad line of health care products. It operates its business through four segments namely established pharmaceutical products, diagnostic products, nutritional products and vascular products.The company offers wide range of products for cardiovascular, diabetes care, diagnostics, neuromodulation, nutrition and pharmaceuticals. It offers the Global Laboratory Information Management Systems through Abbott Informatics product category which lies in the diagnostic products segmentsAbbott operates in more than 150 countries across United States, Europe, Western Hemisphere, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. It has its subsidiaries such as Abbott Administration Inc. (Delaware), Abbott Home Infusion Services, Inc. (New York), Abbott Laboratories International Co. (Illinois), Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd.(Australia), Murex Diagnostics International, Inc. (Barbados), Abbott S.A. (Belgium).Siemens AG:Siemens AG founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Munich, Germany. The company is involved in production and manufacturing of plants across the world. The company is involved in electrification, automation and digitalization technologies. Siemens AG works in following segments power and gas, energy management, building technologies, mobility, digital factory and process industries drives, healthineers and renewable energy. The Siemens Healthineers segment provides technology to the healthcare industry and, diagnostic imaging and laboratory diagnostics. Siemens AG provides medical maintenance services through imaging and therapy services. Its remote monitoring program can detect and corrects medical equipment before they need larger repair.The company has 377,000 employees and has global presence in more than 200 countries. It offers equipment services for medical equipment maintenance. It serves in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America and South America.Questions? Well Put You On The Right Path Request Analyst Call:TABLE OF CONTENTS GLOBAL LABORATORY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (LIMS) MARKET1. INTRODUCTION1.1. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY1.2. MARKET DEFINITION1.3. OVERVIEW OF GLOBAL LABORATORY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (LIMS) MARKET1.4. CURRENCY AND PRICING1.5. LIMITATION1.6. MARKETS COVERED2. MARKET SEGMENTATION2.1. MARKETS COVERED2.2. GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE2.3. YEARS CONSIDERED FOR THE STUDY2.4. CURRENCY AND PRICING2.5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2.6. PRIMARY INTERVIEWS WITH KEY OPINION LEADERS2.7. SECONDARY SOURCES2.8. ASSUMPTIONS3. MARKET OVERVIEW3.1. DRIVERS3.1.1. GROWING USE OF LIMS TO COMPLY WITH STRINGENT REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS3.1.2. RISING NEED FOR ADOPTION OF LIMS IN VARIOUS INDUSTRIES3.1.3. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS IN LIMS SERVICES3.2. RESTRAINTS3.2.1. HIGH COST OF LIMS PRODUCT AND SERVICES3.2.2. LACK OF INTEGRATION STANDARDS FOR LIMS3.3. OPPORTUNITIES3.3.1. GROWTH IN EMERGING MARKETS3.3.2. CLOUD-BASED LIMS OFFER GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES3.4. CHALLENGES3.4.1. INTERFACING OF LIMS WITH OTHER LABORATORY SYSTEMS3.4.2. LACK OF SKILLED PROFESSIONALS4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY5. PREMIUM INSIGHTS6. GLOBAL LABORATORY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (LIMS) MARKET, BY COMPONENT6.1. OVERVIEW6.2. SERVICE6.3. SOFTWARE7. GLOBAL LABORATORY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (LIMS) MARKET, BY PRODUCT TYPE7.1. OVERVIEW7.2. INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC7.3. BROAD-BASED8. GLOBAL LABORATORY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (LIMS) MARKET, BY DELIVERY8.1. OVERVIEW8.2. ON-PREMISE8.3. CLOUD-BASED8.4. REMOTELY-HOSTED9. GLOBAL LABORATORY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (LIMS) MARKET, BY INDUSTRY TYPE9.1. OVERVIEW9.2. LIFE SCIENCES9.2.1. PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOTECHNOLOGY COMPANIES9.2.2. CONTRACT SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS9.2.3. ACADEMIC RESEARCH INSTITUTES9.2.4. MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS (MDX) & CLINICAL RESEARCH LABORATORIES9.3. PETROCHEMICAL REFINERIES AND OIL & GAS9.4. CHEMICAL9.5. FOOD & BEVERAGE AND AGRICULTURE9.6. OTHER10. GLOBAL LABORATORY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (LIMS) MARKET BY GEOGRAPHY10.1. OVERVIEW10.2. NORTH AMERICA10.2.1. U.S.10.2.2. CANADA10.2.3. MEXICO10.3. EUROPE10.3.1. GERMANY10.3.2. FRANCE10.3.3. U.K.10.3.4. ITALY10.3.5. NETHERLANDS10.3.6. SPAIN10.3.7. BELGIUM10.3.8. SWITZERLAND10.3.9. TURKEY10.3.10. RUSSIA10.3.11. REST OF EUROPE10.4. ASIA-PACIFIC10.4.1. JAPAN10.4.2. CHINA10.4.3. INDIA10.4.4. SOUTH KOREA10.4.5. AUSTRALIA10.4.6. SINGAPORE10.4.7. THAILAND10.4.8. MALAYSIA10.4.9. INDONESIA10.4.10. PHILIPPINES10.4.11. REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC10.5. SOUTH AMERICA10.5.1. BRAZIL10.5.2. REST OF SOUTH AMERICA10.6. MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA10.6.1. SOUTH AFRICA10.6.2. REST OF MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA11. GLOBAL LABORATORY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (LIMS) MARKET, COMPANY LANDSCAPE11.1. COMPANY SHARE ANALYSIS: GLOBAL11.2. COMPANY SHARE ANALYSIS: NORTH AMERICA11.3. COMPANY SHARE ANALYSIS: EUROPE11.4. COMPANY SHARE ANALYSIS: ASIA-PACIFIC12. COMPANY PROFILES12.1. IBM CORPORATION12.1.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.1.2. IBM CORPORATIO :REVENUE ANALYSIS12.1.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.1.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.2. MCKESSON CORPORATION12.2.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.2.2. MCKESSON CORPORATION: REVENUE ANALYSIS12.2.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.2.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.3. LABWARE12.3.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.3.2. LABWARE: COMPANY SNAPSHOT12.3.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.3.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.4. ROPER TECHNOLOGIES INC.12.4.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.4.2. ROPER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.: REVENUE ANALYSIS12.4.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.4.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.5. SIEMENS AG12.5.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.5.2. SIEMENS AG:REVENUE ANALYSIS12.5.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.5.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.6. LABWORKS12.6.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.6.2. LABWORKS: COMPANY SNAPSHOT12.6.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.6.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.7. ILLUMINA, INC.12.7.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.7.2. ILLUMINA, INC.:REVENUE ANALYSIS12.7.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.7.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.8. ABBOTT12.8.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.8.2. ABBOTT: REVENUE ANALYSIS12.8.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.8.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.9. PROMIUM LLC12.9.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.9.2. PROMIUM LLC: COMPANY SNAPSHOT12.9.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.9.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.10. LABLYNX, INC.12.10.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.10.2. LABLYNX, INC.: COMPANY SNAPSHOT12.10.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.10.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.11. NOVATEK INTERNATIONAL12.11.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.11.2. NOVATEK INTERNATIONAL:COMPANY SNAPSHOT12.11.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.11.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.12. THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC.12.12.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.12.2. THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC.: REVENUE ANALYSIS12.12.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.12.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.13. SHIMADZU CORPORATION12.13.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.13.2. SHIMADZU CORPORATION: REVENUE ANALYSIS12.13.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.13.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.14. COMPUTER SOLUTIONS, INC.12.14.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.14.2. COMPUTER SOLUTIONS, INC.: COMPANY SNAPSHOT12.14.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.14.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.15. AGARAM TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD12.15.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.15.2. AGARAM TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD: COMPANY SNAPSHOT12.15.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.15.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS12.16. CLOUDLIMS12.16.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW12.16.2. CLOUDLIMS: COMPANY SNAPSHOT12.16.3. PRODUCT PORTFOLIO12.16.4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS13. RELATED REPORTSRead more about Report Visit @Related ReportGlobal Digital Health Monitoring Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Digital Health Monitoring Market By Product Type (Devices (Blood Pressure Monitors, Blood Glucose Monitors, ECG, Oximeters, Peak Flow Monitors, Multi Parameter Monitors, Sleep Apnea Monitors, Neurological Monitors, Others), Software (Healthcare Apps, Chronic Disease Apps, Personal Health Apps, Others), Services (Remote Monitoring, Consultancy Services, Treatment Services, Fitness and Wellness Services, Others), By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East & Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com Borehole Equipment Market Size Projected to Rise Lucratively during 2026 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/borehole-equipment-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=42734 www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Borehole equipment are special-purpose machines, particularly used for mud drilling and drill hole enlarging in several applications such as mining, oil & gas, water tube well drilling, and infrastructure. These are self-propelled as well as stationary machines and have a drilling rig installed over a truck, tracked vehicle, or structure. Borehole equipment plays a key role in construction industry, infrastructural projects, mining, and agriculture. These equipment are employed across a wide number of construction projects ranging from road construction to bridges and tunnels. Borehole equipment can handle several types of soil and rock configurations such as loose mud & silt, hard rock, and porous limestone.View Report Preview:The borehole equipment market is largely driven by the increase in spending on infrastructure. Countries such as the U.S., China, Japan, Italy, India, Australia, and Germany have vast infrastructure. Along with infrastructure, agriculture also requires borehole equipment for irrigation proposes by tapping into underground water sources. Mining and oil & gas industries also rely on borehole equipment to extract oil, gas, and other related fuels and derivatives. Laying of craters and holes for explosives and creating access to underground mines is primarily carried out using borehole equipment. Thus, borehole equipment is used in a project that needs to work below ground. This drives the market for borehole equipment.Based on type, the borehole equipment market can be segmented into portable, self-propelled, and stationary. Self-propelled borehole equipment are integration of a vehicle, usually a truck or tracked vehicle, which is mounted with a drilling rig. This makes self-propelled borehole equipment more versatile. It also offers ease of operation. Thus, self-propelled borehole equipment are largely preferred. Based on operation, the borehole equipment can be divided into hydraulic and pneumatic. Hydraulic borehole equipment is largely employed where drilling force and strata to be drilled is harder and deeper. Based on application, the market can be segregated into oil & gas, mining, infrastructure & construction, agriculture, and others. The mining segment can be further sub-segmented into coal mining, mineral mining, ferrous metal mining, and non-ferrous metal mining. Similarly, infrastructure & construction segment can also be sub-segmented into residential, commercial, industrial, and utility. Large number of borehole equipment is employed in the mining industry, as mining industry has repetitive requirement of boring holes for explosives and charge laying.In terms of geography, the global borehole equipment market can be classified into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is the key region of the borehole equipment market, due to the increase in government expenditure on infrastructure and extensive mining for resources in the region. China and India significantly depend on coal for their power requirements. These countries have vast coal reserves and carry out heavy mining for coal. Middle East & Africa is also a lucrative market for borehole equipment primarily due to the presence of large number of crude oil and natural gas reserves followed by infrastructure development in GCC and South Africa. North America is also a prominent region of the borehole equipment market, as the region is one of the largest producers of oil & gas. Its major source is tight oil and shale gas, which requires extensive drilling. This is driving the demand for borehole equipment.Key players operating in the global borehole equipment market include Dando Drilling International, Bohrmeister (Pty) Ltd., Borehole Machinery, Getech International, Shandong Xin Mei Mining Group, and Audie Steel & Engineering.Request to view Sample Report:The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reportsContact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Water Glycol Hydraulic Fluids Market Brief Analysis and Application Set to Attain Growth by 2026 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/water-glycol-hydraulic-fluids-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=42719 www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Hydraulic fluids primarily lubricate pumps and motors within the hydraulic system without impairing the function of other components. Hydraulic equipment uses hydraulic fluids and in case of oil leakage, especially if the fluid used is mineral oil comes into contact with heat source it may pose a great risk of a fire hazard. Fire resistant hydraulic fluids were developed to mitigate this risk. These fluids are widely used in various industrial equipment & machineries. As per the ISO classification, fire resistant hydraulic fluids are classified as HFA Type - Oil in Water Emulsions, HFB Type Water in Oil Emulsions, HFC Type - Water Glycol Fluids, and HFD Type - Anhydrous Synthetic Fluids. Of these, water glycol hydraulic fluids are commonly used fire resistant hydraulic fluids. The appropriate fire resistant hydraulic fluid should be selected by working closely with the fluid manufacturer for analyzing the system operation and matching the equipment needs with fluid capabilities.View Report Preview:Water glycol fluids offer an optimum combination of fire resistance and performance & cost economics. Water glycol fluids are widely used fire-resistant fluids because of the way they combine fire-resistant properties with lubrication performance to provide excellent value. Water glycol fluids (HFC) are made up 35% to 40% of water to provide resistance to fire; glycol, and water soluble thickener to improve viscosity. Water glycol fluids also contain additives to prevent foaming, rust, and corrosion; and improve lubrication. Additives are performance enhancing chemicals. They include corrosion inhibitors for vapor as well as liquid phase, viscosity index modifiers, anti-wear additives for lubrication, and metal passivators for copper, brass and bronze. These additives usually account for 10% to 15% of total fluid composition. Unlike mineral oils, water glycols do not degrade by heat or metal in the system that acts as catalysts. Thus, these fluids offer virtually an indefinite life with little maintenance.Based on region, the global water glycol hydraulic fluids market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is the dominating region of the global water glycol hydraulic fluids market, led by the presence of large number of steel mills, foundries, slag management, casting and forging, and machining plants. The region is followed by Europe. Demand for water glycol hydraulic fluids in China has been rising at a fast pace since the last decade. Production and demand for water glycol hydraulic fluids is expected to continue to increase in the country in the near future. The economy of China has been expanding at a rapid pace due to the increase in industrial output, imports & exports, consumer consumption, and capital investment. North America is among the major regions of the market owing to the high per-capita consumption of lubricants. The market in Middle East & Africa is also estimated to expand significantly during the forecast period owing to the growth in the industrial sector.Demand for water glycol hydraulic fluids is primarily driven by the rise in safety concerns in industries such as mining, steel production, marine, and chemical. Based on application, the water glycol hydraulic fluids and process oil market can be segmented into automotive, industrial machinery, marine, power generation, chemical, and others. On account of increase in industrial output and rapid industrialization particularly in the emerging economies the industrial machinery application segment dominated the market for water glycol hydraulic fluids in 2016.Key companies operating in water glycol hydraulic fluids market are Royal Dutch Shell Plc., IOCL, Castrol Limited, Exxon Mobil Corp., British Petroleum Plc., and LUKOIL Lubricants Company.Request to view Sample Report:The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reportsContact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Suture Needles Market 2018-2023 Top Key Manufactures: TNI medical AG, Unimed Medical Supplies Inc., Medline Industries, Inc., Ethicon US, LLC, Sutures India Private Limited Suture Needles Market www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/627 www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/627 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/asia-pacific-suture-needles-market-627 Market ScenarioSuture needle is used for the placement of the suture within the tissue by carrying the material with minimal residual trauma. An ideal suture needle should be rigid enough to avoid distortions, and flexible enough to bend before breaking. There are various types of suture needles used in a number of surgical procedures. They are made of steel, have blunt or sharp points, and can be curved or straight. Round-bodied needles pierce and spread the tissues with minimal cutting. They are used in easily penetrable tissues like the peritoneum and abdominal viscera. Blunt, and round body needles are used to dissect through friable tissues like liver and kidney.Get Sample Copy @Needles need to be strong enough to pass through tough tissues, causing minimal trauma to them and reducing tissue reactions. Thus, specific requirements for different type of needles set for a particular surgical procedure, has led to an increase in their demand in the hospitals. Most of the surgeons prefer specific types of needles based on their application, for instance needles required for suturing after laparoscopic and bariatric surgery are different from those required for an ophthalmic surgery. It is important for suture needle manufacturers to analyze the demand for various types of needles and then plan their quantity to be manufactured and supplied in order to avoid wastage of resources, time and money.Notably, increasing incidence of chronic diseases is the key factor driving the Asia Pacific suture needles market. As per a study published in the BMC Public Health in 2017, prevalence of type-2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease has increased rapidly in the recent years.Various other push factors such as, increasing advancement in technology, and rising adoption rate of new technology continuously contribute to the growth of the Asia Pacific suture needles market.Despite these drivers, lack of a proper sterilization system, low healthcare expenditure, and unfavorable taxation policies may hamper the growth of the market. Additionally, many healthcare professionals have started using surgical staplers for suturing, especially in super specialty hospitals and tertiary care centers which may pose as another restraint and may reduce the demand for suture needles.Report with Discount Available @The Asia Pacific market of suture needles is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 7.5% during the forecast period 2017-2023.Intended AudienceSuture Needles SuppliersSuture Needles manufacturersResearch and Development (R&D) CompaniesMedical Research LaboratoriesAcademic Medical Institutes and UniversitiesSegmentationThe suture needle is segmented on the basis of type, application, needle end type, and end-users.On the basis of type, market is segmented into round bodied needle, blunt point needle, reverse cutting needle, conventional cutting needle, spatula needle, tapercut needle and others.On the basis of needle end type, market is classified into eyed and eyeless needles.On the basis of application, market is classified into general surgeries, gynecological surgeries, others.On the basis of end-user, market is segmented into hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgical centers and others.Regional AnalysisThe Asia Pacific suture needles market consists of countries namely China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India, Australia and the Rest of Asia Pacific. Growing demand for outpatient surgeries, easy suturing using various types of needles according to intended medical specialty use and time saving technology, further tends to increase the demand of suturing needle in Asia Pacific.Japan is the largest market for suture needles. Increase in prevalence of chronic diseases that require surgical procedures and medical tourism in Asia Pacific region are favoring the growth of this market.Countries like China and Japan are focusing on exporting surgical equipments and surgical suturing material to countries worldwide. China is the second largest market followed by India. India is seen to be the fastest growing market for medical equipment manufactures. In India, the market of suture needles in increasing due to availability of low cost of raw material, better access to labor, increasing number of hospitals and healthcare centers. India is one of the top destinations for medical tourism, especially for orthopedic surgeries.There is steady growth of this market in Australia and the Republic of Korea.TABLE OF CONTENTChapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restrains4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & AssessmentChapter 5. Market Factor Analysis5.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis5.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers5.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers5.1.3 Threat Of New Entrants5.1.4 Threat Of Substitutes5.1.5 Intensity Of Rivalry5.2 Value Chain Analysis5.3 Investment Feasibility Analysis5.4 Pricing AnalysisRead Comprehensive Overview of Report @Key PlayersSome of key the players in the Asia Pacific suture needles market are 3M Health Care, Roboz Surgical Instrument, Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co., LLC, TNI medical AG, Unimed Medical Supplies Inc., Medline Industries, Inc., Ethicon US, LLC, Sutures India Private Limited, Dolphin Sutures, Karl Hammacher, and H&H Medical Corporation.Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India Bio-based Platform Chemicals Market Size to Expand Significantly by the End of 2026 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/bio-based-platform-chemicals-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=43019 www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Type of chemicals that can be produced through biomass origin and/or bioprocessing route is varied; examples include platform chemicals such as propane- and butanediols, isoprene, short chain olefins, ethanol, carboxylic acids, amino acids; vitamins; polymers such as xanthan gum and alginate; and the commercially important industrial enzymes used as additives in washing powder. Bio-based platform chemicals represent a group of twelve building block chemicals produced from sugar via biological conversions. The group contains molecules with different functional groups, holding the potential to be converted into various other high-value chemicals. The bio-based platform chemicals market has undergone rapid growth since the past few years. Increasing acceptance of bio-based platform chemicals in industries, stringent government guidelines on conventional petroleum-based chemicals, and consumer inclination toward environment-friendly applications are the drivers propelling the demand for bio-based platform chemicals. However, the bio-based platform chemicals market faces certain drawbacks such as the intense competition posed by fossil-fuel products.View Report Preview:In terms of type, the bio-based platform chemicals can be segmented into C-3 (glycerol and 3-hydroxypropionic acid), C-4 (succinic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, and aspartic acid), C-5 (levulinic acid, glutamic acid, itaconic acid, and xylitol), and C-6 (sorbitol, glucaric acid, and 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid). The C-3 platform chemicals segment is expected to account for the leading share of the bio-based platform chemicals market during the forecast period. This can be ascribed to the growth in end-user industries such as plastic, construction, and paints & coatings. Furthermore, the volume growth of the market is fueled by the increasing production of bio-diesel as C-3 chemicals are the resultant byproduct of bio-diesel.Based on application, the bio-based platform chemicals market can be divided into agriculture, bio-plastics, bio-fuels, industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and others. The bio-plastic segment is estimated to account for a significant market share during the forecast period. The major application area of this compound is in biodegradable plastics that are suitable for manufacturing of packaging products. Additionally, the attractive applications of bio-based succinic acid in the non-woven and fiber textile and automotive industries due to its lightweight and stability; food and beverages; polyurethane; coatings & pigments; and pharmaceuticals industries are expected to promote the growth of the global bio-based platform chemicals market during the forecast period.In terms of region, the bio-based platform chemicals market can be segregated into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is projected to dominate the bio-based platform chemicals market during the forecast period. The dominance of APAC in the global bio-based platform chemicals market can be attributed to the rising concerns regarding sustainability and effects of petroleum-based synthetic chemicals. Also, the expansion of the manufacturing industry in countries such as Japan, China, and India is supplementing the growth of the bio-based platform chemicals market in the region. Europe and North America contribute significantly in the overall bio-based platform chemicals market. Latin America and Middle East & Africa also account for significant market shares. This can be ascribed to the increase in demand for bio-based platform chemicals from end-use industries in these regions. The bio-based platform chemicals market is expanding, with production expected to increase by double during the forecast period. Several factors such as high oil prices, government mandates and support, and consumer preferences are driving the demand for bio-based platform chemicals.Companies have started investing in the innovation and development of bio-based platform chemicals. Prominent players operating in this market include BASF, Cargill Incorporated, Royal DSM, INNEOS, BioAmber Inc., Myriant Technologies LLC, Braskem, Lucite International Group, Itaconix Corporation, and Alpha Chemika.Request to view Sample Report:The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Epoxy Coatings Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2022 Epoxy Coatings Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2517945-global-epoxy-coatings-market-2017-2021 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/2517945-global-epoxy-coatings-market-2017-2021 WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On Epoxy Coatings Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2022.The analysts forecast the global epoxy coatings market to grow at a CAGR of 5.31% during the period 2017-2021.Epoxy coatings are manufactured by mixing a polyamine hardener and epoxide resin. They exhibit superior properties, such as corrosion resistance, flexibility, and enhanced adhesion. These properties have enabled the extensive use of epoxy coatings in a wide range of applications in various industries, including marine, industrial, automotive, and several other industries. Epoxy coatings are experiencing high demand from the automotive industry and have been touching new heights, and the industrial sector is flourishing in the APAC region.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comCovered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global epoxy coatings market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the retail selling price i as the average selling price of the product.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: APAC, Europe, North America, ROWThe report, Global Epoxy Coatings Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors Akzo Nobel BASF KANSAI PAINT PPG Industries The Sherwin-Williams CompanyOther prominent vendors Axalta Coating Systems Berger Paints India Nippon Paint RPM International TikkurilaMarket driver Increasing demand for water-borne epoxy coatings For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge High price of raw materials For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Growth of the coating additives industry For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space?Complete Report Details @Table Of Contents Major Key PointsPART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYPART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORTPART 03: RESEARCH METHODOLOGYPART 04: INTRODUCTION Market outlinePART 05: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market size and forecast Five forces analysisPART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY TECHNOLOGY TYPE Global epoxy coatings market by technology type Global water-borne epoxy coatings market Global powder-based epoxy coatings market Global solvent-borne epoxy coatings marketPART 07: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION Global epoxy coatings market by application Global epoxy coating market for construction Global epoxy coating market for transportation Global epoxy coating market for industrial application Global epoxy coating market for other applicationPART 08: GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTATION Global epoxy coatings market by geography Epoxy coatings market in APAC Epoxy coatings market in North America Epoxy coatings market in Europe Epoxy coatings market in ROWPART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORKPART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challengesPART 11: MARKET TRENDS Growth in coating additives industry Incresing adoption of halogen free epoxdy coatings Opportunities in regulatory regionsPART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Competitive scenario Other prominent vendorsPART 13: KEY VENDOR ANALYSIS AkzoNobel BASF KANSAI PAINT PPG Industries The Sherwin-Williams CompanyContinuedFor more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028. Hydrogen Cyanide Market Size will Observe Substantial Growth by 2026 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/hydrogen-cyanide-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=43061 www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Hydrogen cyanide, also called prussic acid, is a chemical compound having the formula, HCN. Hydrogen cyanide is available in the form of toxic liquid or colorless gas, which is highly poisonous. It is a linear molecule, with a triple bond between carbon and nitrogen. Hydrogen cyanide is found in the smoke of various tobacco products and is also released by combustion of nitrogen-containing organic materials. Although it is poisonous, HCN is used in several industrial processes and is a highly valuable precursor to various chemical compounds, ranging from polymers to pharmaceuticals. On the basis of structure type, the hydrogen cyanide market can be segmented into hydrogen cyanide liquid and hydrogen cyanide gas. HCN is obtainable from fruits that have a pit, such as cherries, apricots, apples, and bitter almonds, from which almond oil and flavoring are made. Hydrogen cyanide is extremely toxic in nature and hence, most of it is consumed at the production site. Thus, there is no trade or transport for hydrogen cyanide.View Report Preview:Hydrogen cyanide is used to manufacture sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide, used mainly in gold and silver mining and for electroplating of those metals. HCN is added to butadiene to produce adiponitrile, a precursor to Nylon-6,6. Hydrocyanic acid is primarily used to manufacture products such as acrylonitrile, adiponitrile, cyanogen chloride, cyanuric chloride, acrylates and methacrylates, cyanide, and ferrocyanide. It is also used as an insecticide and rodenticide, usually by fumigation. Furthermore, various chelating agents such as EDTA and NTA are manufactured using hydrogen cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide forms in limited amounts from many combinations of hydrogen, carbon, and ammonia. It is currently produced in great quantities through several processes and is also recovered as a waste product from the manufacturing of acrylonitrile.An important driver of the hydrogen cyanide market is the demand for manufacturing of sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide, used in the mining of silver and gold. Another key driver of the hydrogen cyanide market is its increasing use in production of adiponitrile, which is the precursor to manufacture nylon 66. However, a major restraint the hydrogen cyanide market encounters is the highly toxic nature of the compound, which makes it difficult for transportation or storage. Hydrogen cyanide is extremely poisonous to human, as it binds irreversibly to the iron atom present in the hemoglobin, disabling it from transporting oxygen to the cells or tissues of the body. It also interferes with ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the main energy storage molecule in the body. The combination of these two events rapidly brings the body's metabolism to a halt, resulting in death.On the basis of geography, the hydrogen cyanide market can be classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The hydrogen cyanide market in North America is driven by the moderate growth in the production of sodium cyanide and adiponitrile in the region. In Europe, the hydrogen cyanide market is projected to expand at sluggish pace during the forecast period. However, Asia Pacific is expected to exhibit steady growth due to usage of hydrogen cyanide in the production of adiponitrile in the region. In Asia Pacific, China is expected to emerge as the dominant consumer of hydrogen cyanide during the forecast period.Key manufacturers of the hydrogen cyanide market are the BP Chemicals, DuPont, and HINDUSTHAN CHEMICALS COMPANY, and Ascend Performance Materials.Request to view Sample Report:The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Future Scope of Drone Services Market | Top Key Companys (Sharper Shape Inc,Dronedeploy Inc,Prioria Robotics Holdings Inc,Phoenix Drone Services LLC,Airware, Inc,Aerobo) | Global Foreseen till 2025 https://www.businessindustryreports.com/sample-request/82251 https://www.businessindustryreports.com/enquiry/82251 https://www.businessindustryreports.com/buy-now/82251/single Global Drone Services Market 2018 Industry Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Global Drone Services industry. This report studies Global Drone Services in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2013 to 2018, and forecast to 2025.Get Sample Copy of this Report -The Global Drone Services market 2018 research provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Global Drone Services market analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.Complete report on Global Drone Services Industry 2018 Market Research Report is spread across 110 pages and provides exclusive vital statistics, data, information, trends and competitive landscape details in this niche sector. Inquire more or share questions if any on this report @Global Drone Services market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including Sharper Shape Inc Dronedeploy Inc Prioria Robotics Holdings Inc Phoenix Drone Services LLC Airware, Inc Aerobo Cyberhawk Innovations Ltd Sky-Futures Ltd The report also focuses on global major leading industry players of Global Drone Services market providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The Global Drone Services market development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.With tables and figures helping analyze worldwide Global Drone Services market, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Order a copy of Global Drone Services Market Report 2018 @Market segment by Type, the product can be split intoFixed Wing DroneMultirotor DroneMarket segment by Application, Drone Services can be split intoDisaster Risk Management&MitigationInspection & Environmental MonitoringProduct Delivery3D ModelingAerial Photography & Remote SensingData Acquisition & AnalyticsMapping & SurveyingOthersMajor Points from Table of Contents:1 Global Drone Services Market Overview2 Global Drone Services Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Drone Services Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 Global Drone Services Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2013-2018)5 Global Drone Services Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global Drone Services Market Analysis by Application7 Global Drone Services Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Global Drone Services Market Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Drone Services Market Forecast (2018-2025)13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixAuthor ListDisclosure SectionResearch MethodologyData SourceAbout 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 Global Palm Kernel Oil and Coconut Oil Based Natural Fatty Acids Market Analysis, Forecast to 2025 Market Research Reports Search Engine https://www.mrrse.com/sample/1597 https://www.mrrse.com/palm-kernel-oil-coconut-oil-based-natural-fatty-acids-market https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/1597 https://www.mrrse.com/ A latest research report titled as Palm Kernel Oil and Coconut Oil Based Natural Fatty Acids Market for Detergents, Personal Care, Plastics, Rubber, and Other End-users - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2015 - 2023 has been recently added to the vast portfolio of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) online research offerings. This report is a professional and in-depth analysis on the present state and future prospect for the global market. It provides valuable information to the industry insiders, potential entrants or investors. It includes an exhaustive enquiry with the reliability of logic and the comprehensiveness of contents.Request Free Sample Report @Natural fatty acids obtained from coconut oil and palm kernel oil are saturated, medium-chain oleochemicals which include myristic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, and caprylic acid. Non-toxic and possessing a long shelf life, these substances are expected to witness high demand across numerous applications on a global scale. The easy availability of palm kernel and coconut oil across several regions of the world has made the product a cost-efficient solution.Moreover, natural fatty acids obtained from coconut oil and palm kernel oil are not only biodegradable but also renewable. Consequently, the global market for natural fatty acids is likely to soar. However, presence of pricing issues and fluctuations in the prices of raw materials can restrict market growth. Some of the most widely used types of fatty acids are distilled fatty acids, fractionated fatty acids, stearic acids, and polyunsaturated acids.According to Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE), the global market for natural fatty acids was valued at US$5.32 bn in 2014. Steadily advancing at a CAGR of 4.6%, the global natural fatty acids market is expected to reach US$7.97 bn by the end of 2023.Impelled by Growing Demand for Personal Care Products, Asia Pacific to Command Largest ShareAsia Pacific held the largest share in the global market for natural fatty acids in 2014. It is expected to register the fastest growth over the forthcoming period. The increasing purchasing power of people, increasing awareness pertaining to personal care and well-being, and rising inclination towards natural ingredients across several industries have catapulted the region to the forefront of the global market. The easy availability of coconut and palm kernel oil across Southeast Asia is a key growth driver of the market. China, Malaysia, and India are likely to emerge as key contributors.While North America displays moderate growth, Europe ranked second in the global market for natural fatty acids in terms of revenue in 2014. The countries in the Middle East and Africa are slated to exhibit attractive opportunities thanks to the availability of raw materials, vast consumer pool, and widespread consumption of natural fatty acids. Nigeria and Turkey might surface as key contributors of the market in the Middle East and Africa.Browse Full Report With TOC @By End user, Detergents Expected to Gain a Place in the SunThe global market for natural fatty acids can be segmented into personal care, rubber, detergents, plastics, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, and textile. In 2014, detergents emerged as the dominant end-use industry segment of the global market for natural fatty acids. The notable growth of this segment can be attributed to the extensive use of natural fatty acids in households, fabric care, and institutional and industrial detergents as a surfactant.The personal care industry worldwide is another segment bearing vast potential for growth. It is likely to emerge as the fastest growing end-use segment in the forthcoming years. Numerous hair care and skin care product manufacturers are switching to nature-based solutions. As a result, to ensure superior biosafety and biocompatibility, a number of beauty product brands are adopting natural fatty acids.Natural fatty acids are also being increasingly used in the plastics industry as a lubricant and plasticizer. These acids also play a key role in the process of rubber vulcanization. Also, the pharmaceutical industry is acknowledging the potential of natural fatty acids as antimicrobial agents. Spurred by these factors the demand for palm kernel oil and coconut oil-based natural fatty acids will continue rising through the forecast period.Enquiry about this Report @About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite: The ultimate target of the Party is to serve the peoples interests, said General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Nguyen Phu Trong. VNA/VNS Photo Tri Dung HA NOI The ultimate target of the Party is to serve the peoples interests, said General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Nguyen Phu Trong. Trong made the statement yesterday when talking about the controversial Law on Special Administrative-Economic Units as he met with citizens in Ha Nois Thanh Xuan, Ha ong and Cau Giay districts. No one would be so unwise and naive to hand the land to those foreigners who can cause trouble in the country, he said. The meeting aimed to inform citizens about outcomes of the recent fifth meeting of the 14th National Assembly, which ended last Friday. The Party leader said the building of special administrative-economic units aimed to attract more foreign investors and pilot new mechanisms to spur economic growth. However, we should be cautious because it is a new, tough, sensitive, important matter, he noted, adding that the National Assembly had postponed the vote on the draft law until the next meeting. On people protesting the draft law, the Party chief said those taking advantage of the situation to sabotage the Party, State and regime, and harm national interests must be strictly punished. He called on voters and people nationwide to keep calm, be vigilant and trust the leadership of the Party, State and Government. On the cyber security law, he said many countries around the world have this regulation. He stressed the need to have the cyber security law to protect cyber security, the interests of the people as well as the regime amidst the development of technology. The National Assembly recently approved the cyber security law with 86.86 per cent of votes. On anti-corruption, the Party chief agreed with voters opinions that all people must be involved in this fight. The draft law on anti-corruption discussed at the fifth meeting of the 14th NA has two new points corruption in the private sector and asset declaration, he said, asking citizens to continue giving their opinions on the bill. The Party chief also agreed with the need to promote the role of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, increase supervision of people and the role of press in national building and safeguarding and the fight against corruption. During the talk with the Party leader, most citizens lauded the results of the legislative meeting, which, they said, reflected reform and democracy. They raised concerns over issues like traffic safety, firefighting, environmental protection, food safety and hygiene and salary and social insurance policies. Many agreed with the policy of building special administrative-economic units. However, they said, the process required cautious, comprehensive study. They applauded the NAs decision to postpone the adoption of the draft Law on Special Administrative-Economic Units, saying the decision reflected the legislatures response to public concern. VNS Live Cell Imaging Market Products, Technology and Application with CAGR ~9.0% Expected To Reach Till 2023 by Top Vendors Live Cell Imaging Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6075 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/live-cell-imaging-market-6075 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/6075 Live Cell Imaging Market Highlights:Live cell imaging is the technique to study live cells with the help of images obtained from imaging systems such as high content screening systems and microscopes. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and growing government funding in cell-based research are propelling the growth of this market. For instance, funding institutes such as Health Connexions, National Institute of Health, and W.M.Keck Foundation have granted funds to institutes such as Harvard School of Medicine, Perdue University, and Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering for the development of imaging technologies to be applied in the field of health, food, and environment. Furthermore, adoption of high content screening techniques in drug discovery and cell biology boosts the growth of the global live cell imaging market.Get Premium Sample Copy of Live Cell Imaging Market Report spread across 100 Premium Pages, 12 Companies and Supported with 42 Tables and 49 Figures is Now Available atLive Cell Imaging Market Segmentation:The global live cell imaging market is segmented on the basis of the product, technology, application, and end-user.On the basis of product, the market is classified as equipment, consumables, and software. The equipment is further segmented as microscopes, standalone systems, cell analyzer, and image-capturing devices. The microscopes are further sub-segmented as conventional microscopes, confocal microscopes, and advanced fluorescence microscopes. The consumables are sub-segmented as assay kits, reagents, media, and others.The global live cell imaging market on the basis of technology is segmented as fluorescence resonance energy transfer, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, high-content analysis, ratiometric imaging, fluorescence in situ hybridization, total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, multiphoton excitation microscopy and other technologies.On the basis of application, the market is segmented into cell biology, stem cells, developmental biology, and drug discovery.On the basis of end-user, the market is segmented as pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and others.Live Cell Imaging Market Regional Analysis:The American region holds the major share of the global live cell imaging market, owing to the existing well-established healthcare system, increasing prevalence of cancer cases, and technological advancements. According to the report published by the American Cancer Society, 2017, around 190,500 of the estimated 600,920 cancer deaths in the United States are likely to be caused owing to cigarette smoking. Moreover, factors such as high capitalization in imaging systems as well as intensive research and development to improve the imaging quality and data functionality fuel the market growth in this region.Europe holds the second position in the global live cell imaging market. It is expected that government support towards research & development expenditure and rising prevalence chronic diseases are likely to drive the European live cell imaging market. In addition, the presence of some key players such as Carl Zeiss AG, Leica Microsystems, and GE Healthcare in this region also facilitates the growth of this market. For instance, in November 2016, Carl Zeiss AG launched ZEISS celldiscover 7 automated microscope for live cell imaging. With this launch, the company expanded its product portfolio in live cell imaging.Browse Complete Report @The Asia Pacific live cell imaging market consists of countries, namely, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australia, and the Rest of Asia Pacific. Japan is the largest market for live cell imaging due to an increase in the prevalence of cancer and demand for live cell imaging techniques. In China, factors responsible for the market growth are rising geriatric population with chronic diseases and availability of low-cost diagnostic and treatment options.The Middle East & Africa holds the lowest share of the global market due to low development, lack of technical knowledge, and poor medical facilities.Global Live Cell Imaging Market Key Players:Carl Zeiss AG (Germany), Leica Microsystems (Germany), Olympus Corporation (Japan), Sigma-Aldrich Corporation (U.S.), Nikon Corporation (Japan), Molecular Devices, LCC (U.S.), PerkinElmer, Inc. (U.S.), GE Healthcare (U.K.), Becton, Dickinson and Company (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.), Danaher Corporation (U.S.), and BioTek Instruments (U.S.) are some prominent players in this market.Major Table Of Contents For Live Cell Imaging Market Research Report Forecast to 2023Chapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restraints4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & AssessmentChapter 5. Market Factor Analysis5.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis5.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers5.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers5.1.3 Threat Of New Entrants5.1.4 Threat Of Substitutes5.1.5 Intensity Of Rivalry5.2 Value Chain Analysis5.3 Investment Feasibility Analysis5.4 Pricing AnalysisTOC Continued.!Ask To Experts @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Chloroprene Rubber Market Research Report by Geographical Analysis and Forecast up to 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=31685 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/chloroprene-rubber-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Chloroprene is a colorless fluid which is utilized in the form of a monomer to produce polymer polychloroprene. Polychloroprene is a kind of synthetic rubber. The primary properties of this synthetic rubber are high flexibility, solvent resistance, heat resistance, perspiration, bond to various substrates, and weather aging. Chloroprene rubber is used in a wide range of applications such as the rubber and adhesive industries. Chloroprene rubber is employed to manufacture dipped articles such as gloves, to improve bitumen quality, and to manufacture molded foam.Request Report Brochure @The global chloroprene market has witnessed significant expansion due to increase in demand from the rubber industry, as raw material for adhesives and for various latex applications. Major demand for chloroprene rubber is witnessed from China, Japan, and the U.S. China, specifically, has a high consumption of chloroprene rubber and its utilization has increased due to the rise in number of manufacturing industries in the country. Developing countries in Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Eastern Europe witnessed robust demand for chloroprene. Economic growth, increasing automotive output, and emergence of manufacturing industries in these regions have led to the higher consumption of chloroprene rubber.In terms of application, the chloroprene rubber market can be segmented into industrial maintenance, automotive, food industries, sealing and bearings. Chloroprene rubber is employed extensively in industrial applications as hoses and belts in automotives, as architectural rubber products, and also as general industrial materials. Earlier the application of chloroprene rubber was limited to electrical wires and adhesives; however, the market has changed dramatically and currently experiences considerable demand from automobile and industrial sectors.In terms of geography, the global chloroprene rubber market can be segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is estimated to be a significant and rapidly expanding market for chloroprene rubber due to consistent demand from China in diverse automobile and industrial component applications. The market in North America and Europe is anticipated to expand due to the increase in population and rapid industrialization. New technology development for replacing smoked rubber suppression with vulcanization in the chloroprene manufacturing process has also led to the expansion of the North America and Europe market.Read Report Overview @Key players operating in the global chloroprene rubber market include Denka Group, Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation, DuPont Performance Elastomers, Dow Chemical Company, Showa Denko K.K., Lanxess AG, Chongqing Longevity Salt and Chemical Co. Ltd., Tosoh Corporation, Nairit Plant CJSC, Zenith Industrial Rubber Products Pvt. Ltd., and Shanxi Synthetic Rubber Group Co. Ltd.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Laboratory Thermometers Market to Observe Strong Development by 2024 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=13301 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/laboratory-thermometers-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com A thermometer is a device which is utilized in the measurement of temperature or temperature gradient of a body or a medium that finds its use in a wide number of applications, such as, scientific research, medicine, study of weather and various control and regulatory processes. Laboratory (lab) thermometers perform temperature measurement at a very high degree of precision, and include a variety of thermometers that find their specific usage in different laboratory applications.Laboratory thermometers are typically utilized in scientific and research applications, which includes maintenance of a sterile work environment, monitoring of experiments, calibrating laboratory instruments and testing materials. Some of the major types of laboratory thermometers that available on the market, include, dial thermometers, glass thermometers, infrared thermometers, digital thermometers and vaccine thermometers among others. These laboratory thermometers are available in different sizes, types and a wide temperature range to satisfy the needs of the customers globally.Laboratory Thermometers Market: Growth EnablersKey driving factors for the growth of the global Laboratory Thermometers Market include increasing use of laboratory thermometers in ever increasing number of research laboratories, academic institutions and other research based industries and rising demand for technologically advanced lab thermometers.At present, many global as well as local manufacturers are providing a wide range of laboratory thermometers that are portable, maintenance free, easy to use and produce accurate results. A wide range of laboratory thermometers are used in different processes in a research lab or an industry. For instance, dial type of thermometers are majorly used in the monitoring of temperature of asphalt, concrete, soil or any other material that are used in a laboratory. Technological advancement along with growing awareness and demand for advanced lab thermometers especially in the emerging economies of the world would further boost the growth of this market.Request to View Brochure of Report -Laboratory Thermometers Market: Region-wise InsightGeographically, North America dominates the laboratory thermometers market followed by Europe. Key factor driving the growth of the laboratory thermometers market in these regions include vast usage of laboratory thermometers in ever increasing number of research and development activities in these regions. The heightened use of the laboratory thermometers in various other industries due to the well-established infrastructure especially healthcare and manufacturing industries in these regions are also contributing towards the growth of this market in these regions.However, Asia Pacific is expected to be the most lucrative market for laboratory thermometers in future due to range of driving factors. Some of the key driving factors for the rapid growth of this market in the region include, increasing number of research and development activities, presence of a large number of developing economies, improving infrastructure especially healthcare and other manufacturing industries in the region. Improving healthcare infrastructure along with rising disposable income and awareness of the people in the region would contribute towards the growing demand for advanced lab thermometers. Rising number of research and development activities along with setting up of new manufacturing units in the region would increasingly utilize various laboratory thermometers, hence will contribute towards the growth of this market in the region.Laboratory Thermometers Market: Key PlayersSome of the major players that are operating in the global lab thermometers market include Amarell GmbH & Co. KG, B+B Thermo-Technik GmbH, Brannan, Camlab, Carolina Biological Supply Company, Elektron Technology, Glas-Col, LLC, OMEGA Engineering, Inc., Physitemp Instruments, Inc., Streck, Inc., The Lab Depot, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. and ThermoProbe, Inc.View Report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Sigmoidscope Devices Market to Witness Comprehensive Growth by 2024 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=16235 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sigmoidscope-devices-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com According to U.S. FDA, sigmoidoscope is a class II medical device used in a sigmoidoscopy procedure to examine the rectum and sigmoid colon. Generally, sigmoidoscope is a small tube-like device which consists light source to see the internal part of the rectum and sigmoid colon. Physician or nurse inserts this device into the colon through end part of the large intestine called anus and pushes slowly into the rectum and sigmoid colon. Over the last few decades, prevalence and incidence rates of gastrointestinal diseases (GIT) is increasing notably and is expected to drive the overall GIT diagnosis devices market including sigmoidoscope devices over the forecast period. There are two different types of sigmoidoscopes such as flexible sigmoidoscope and rigid sigmoidoscope are available in the market to cater the patients. Among all, flexible sigmoidoscope devices are commonly used. These devices allow a physician to see around bends in the colon and it provides prominent results in the lower colon examination. Rigid sigmoidoscope is used to check the rectum part and is used less often when compared to flexible sigmoidoscope. In the aforementioned devices, flexible sigmoidoscopes are expected to register robust growth in a CAGR over the forecast period.Generally, sigmoidscope is used to find the cause of abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea. Moreover, the device used to find the malignant polyps and benign, as well as early signs of cancer in the lower part of colon and rectum. By using flexible sigmoidoscope device, the physician can see inflammation, intestinal bleeding, ulcers and abnormal growths in the descending colon and rectum. The entire sigmoidoscopy procedure will take 20 minutes to complete and whilst performing the procedure, the patient may feel uncomfortable. Before performing procedure, patients rectum and colon must be empty. Moreover, patient has to take only clear liquids for 12 to 24 hours beforehand. Patient has to take edema before performing procedure, so that washes out the intestine.Request to View Brochure of Report -Increasing prevalence of GIT diseases is one of the major factor which is expected to drive the overall sigmoidoscope devices marker over the forecast period. Moreover, increasing technological advancements in the medical devices industry along with increasing awareness about healthcare is expected to drive the overall market demand for sigmoidoscope devices during forecast period. However, the cost of the procedure and dearth of skilled healthcare professionals in the under developed countries is expected to hamper the marker revenue growth over the forecast period. Moreover, availability of high end medical devices which offer multiple services including sigmoidoscopy is one of the key restraints for this market.This Sigmoidscope Devices Market can be categorized on three major bases such as product type, application, end user, and geography. On the basis of key products, the market can be classified into flexible sigmoidoscope and rigid sigmoidoscope. Based on the application, the market has been segmented into diagnosis, monitoring. Based on end user type the market has been segmented into hospital, ambulatory surgical centers, and gastroenterology institutes.Geographically, the sigmoidscope devices market can be classified into five regional markets such as North America (United States and Canada), Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, etc.) and Asia-Pacific (Australia, China, Japan, India, etc.), Latin America and rest of the world. The emerging markets in Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa are expected to register robust growth during the forecast period 2016-2024. This would majorly be attributed to increasing investments by the key players operating in these countries, increasing prevalence of Gastro intestinal track cancers. India, China and Brazil are expected to drive strong growth among the emerging countries, owing to the increasing investments by government bodies to enhance healthcare facilities.Key companies operating in the global sigmoidscope devices market are Anetic Aid, Parburch Medical Ltd., HIENE USA LTD. Welch Allyn, Jindal Medical & Scientific Instruments Company (Pvt.) Ltd., Pal Surgicals and Evexar Medical, GE Healthcare to name few.View Report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global Biological Indicator Market Analysis, Status and Business Outlook 2018 to 2023 https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=46513 https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=46513 https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=46513 A new study added recently to the repository of Absolute Markets Insights offers a comprehensive overview of the global market for Biological Indicator. The report, titled Global Biological Indicator Market Research Report 2018, takes the key trends and other significant factors that influence this market, into contemplation for this study.The key companies operating in the Biological Indicator market along with their revenues, market size, key business strategy, key technology strategy, and recent developments is mentioned in the report. In addition to this, valuable recommendations on the opportunities players in the market can tap on is presented in the report. This will help clients to gain a competitive edge in the Biological Indicator market.Moreover, aspects that affect the growth of the market, have been cleared out in the best possible manner to understand precisely this market. Each year in the forecast period is examined for better precise data with respect to every aspect affecting the market. This report is done on the competitive landscape of the global Biological Indicator market has been given, presenting insights into the recent developments, mergers & acquisitions, company profiles, financial status, product portfolio, and the SWOT analysis.Avail discount on this report:Global Biological Indicator Industry Report is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions of the Biological Indicator industry, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia) and the main countries (United States, Germany, Japan and China).The report firstly introduced the Biological Indicator basics: definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain overview; industry policies and plans; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, capacity utilization, supply, demand and industry growth rate etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.For Sample copy of this report:The report includes six parts, dealing with: 1.) basic information; 2.) the Asia Biological Indicator industry; 3.) the North American Biological Indicator industry; 4.) the European Biological Indicator industry; 5.) market entry and investment feasibility; and 6.) the report conclusion.The report on the global Biological Indicator market is a scrupulous piece of work and is assembled by conducting both primary and secondary research. The market dynamics such as market drivers, challenges, opportunities, and trends have been presented coupled with their respective impact analysis. The data comprised in the report has been taken by accessing case studies, and by taking contributions from top diligence leaders. The chief sections of the market have been highlighted. These segments have been presented by giving information on their present and prophesied state by the end of the forecast. This information would help the upcoming players to estimate the investment scope within the segments and sub-segments of the global Biological Indicator market.For more enquiry:After studying key companies, the report focuses on the startups contributing towards the growth of the market. Possible mergers and acquisitions among the startups and key organizations are identified by the reports authors in the study. Most companies in the Biological Indicator market are currently engaged in adopting new technologies, strategies, product developments, expansions, and long-term contracts to maintain their dominance in the global market.Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently, we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr,Houston, TX, Pin 77064,+1-8886316977, Automotive Fog Light Market Anticipated to reach US$2,699.2 Mn by 2022 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=30 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=30 https://www.factmr.com/report/30/automotive-fog-light-market https://www.factmr.com About Automotive Fog Lights MarketAccording to a latest report by Fact.MR, the global automotive fog lights market is estimated to reach revenues worth US$ 2,130.2 Mn in 2017. The market is projected to register steady CAGR, to surpass US$ 2,500 Mn in revenues by 2022-end.Get Sample copy of this Report @Fog lights, usually placed at front bottom side of automobiles, offer clear view for drivers to avoid accidents caused by reduced visibility while driving in dense fog or heavy rains. Commercially available in 3 colors white, blue and yellow, demand for fog lights is increasing on the back of surging production of automobiles globally. Increasing awareness about fog light solutions, soaring developments and technological advancements have sustained growth of the global market for automotive fog light.6 Estimations from the Global Automotive Fog Lights MarketWhite fog lights will continue to remain sough-after in the market, with sales anticipated to exhibit the fastest expansion through 2022. This is mainly attributed to reduction in glares by white fog lights, which in turn enables drivers in better viewing the obstacles on roads. Blue fog lights will remain the second largest color emission type segment, with revenues estimated to account for more than one-fourth market share in 2017.Get Discount of this Report @Based on positioning type, front fog lights are expected to remain preferred in the market during the forecast period. Sales of front fog lights will surpass US$ 2,000 Mn in revenues by 2022-end. However, adoption of rear fog light are expected to be comparatively lower than front fog lights, with sales poised to register a steady expansion through 2022. Rear fog light sales are estimated to witness a decline in market share between 2017 and 2022.Aftermarket will continue to be the largest sales channel in the global automotive fog light market, with sales expected to register the fastest expansion through 2022. Working span of fog lights being limited to few thousand hours, aftermarket tends to be the target for growth opportunity. Fog light sales in OEM are anticipated to exhibit relatively lower CAGR through 2022 than aftermarket.By technology, LED fog lights are expected to remain sought-after in the market. LED fog light sales are expected to account for nearly US$ 1,800 Mn by 2022-end. Revenue from LED fog lights is estimated to account for the largest market share in 2017. In terms of sales, halogen fog lights are anticipated to register the lowest CAGR through 2022. In addition, high intensity discharge (HID) are estimated to remain the second largest adopted technology for automotive fog lights in the market throughout the forecast period.Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) will continue to be dominant in the global automotive fog lights market, with sales expanding at the highest CAGR through 2022. North America is expected to remain the second largest market for automotive fog lights. However, demand for automotive fog lights in Middle East & Africa (MEA) is expected to be sluggish throughout the forecast period.Key market players profiled in Fact.MRs report include Flex-N-Gate Corporation, Phoenix Lamps Limited, Robert Bosch GmbH, Warn Industries, Inc., Magneti Marelli S.p.A., Koninklijke Philips N.V., HELLA KGaA Hueck & Co., OSRAM Light AG, General Electric Company, and Valeo SA.View Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.com Automotive Tubeless Tires Market will reach at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2022 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=103 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=103 https://www.factmr.com/report/103/automotive-tubeless-tires-market https://www.factmr.com About Tubeless Tire MarketPunctures might be trivial in terms of maintenance costs, but their undue incidence can even put heavy logistic operations, public transit facilities, and transportation of goods to a standstill. Regardless of the type of vehicle, the adoption of tubeless tires continues to gain traction across the automotive industry. Their ability to run at low pressures, rendering greater stability to the vehicle, and their lightweight, are serving as proponents for global sales of tubeless tires.Get Sample copy of this Report @Low friction, narrow air leaks, and presence of liquid sealants are also observed as key drivers boosting the adoption of tubeless tires. Fact.MRs recently published projects that the global market for tubeless tire, which is estimated to reach US$ 140 Bn value in 2017, shall soar robustly at 6.7% CAGR to bring in a little over US$ 193 Bn in revenues by the end of 2022. Following key market projections offer a detailed outlook on the future of global tubeless tire market during the forecast period, 2017-2022.Global Tubeless Tire Market Key ProjectionsWith more than three-fourth share, global sales of radial tubeless tires will procure highest revenues in the global tubeless tire market. While the report observes radials as top-selling products in the tubeless tire market, bias tires will also witness a steady growth in terms of demand.China, South Korea and India are among the key countries located in the Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region that are at the forefront of global automobile production. The demand for tubeless tires is anticipated to remain high in the APEJ region owing to the manufacturing presence of majority of leading automakers. The report anticipates that throughout the forecast period, the APEJ region will be observed as the largest market for tubeless tires.Sales of tubeless tires in the US and Canada is anticipated to gain traction pertaining to the positive attitudes of car owners towards performance driving. Towards the end of 2022, North Americas tubeless tire market will have soared at the fastest pace, recording a CAGR of 7.3%.The tubeless tire market in Europe will also witness steady growth through 2022. Considering the rising demand for performance vehicles across European countries, this region will witness a persistent growth in demand for tubeless tires.Get Discount of this Report @In 2017, more than two-fifth of revenues procured from global sales of tubeless tires will be accounted by passenger cars. By the end of 2022, over US$ 86 Bn worth of tubeless tires will be sold globally for their use in passenger cars.In terms of distribution, aftermarkets for tubeless tires will be observed as the largest distribution network in the global market. Compared to the aftermarket sales of tubeless tire, OEMs will translate lesser revenues. Customization needs of vehicle owners will instrument the dominance of aftermarket sales in global distribution of tubeless tires.On the basis of technology, powered tubeless tires will procure a relatively lower revenue share, compared to standard tubeless tires. By the end of 2022, over US$ 38 Bn worth of tubeless tires developed powered air filling will be sold in the global market.The report has also profiled key players in the global tubeless tire market, which include companies, namely Bridgestone Corporation, Michelin North America Inc., The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., The Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Company, Madras Rubber Factory Limited, Apollo Tyres Ltd., Pirelli & C. S.p.A., Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd., Continental AG, and Cheng Shin Rubber Industry Co.View Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.com Automotive Exhaust Muffler Market to expand at a CAGR of 2.7% by 2027 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=133 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=133 https://www.factmr.com/report/133/automotive-exhaust-muffler-market https://www.factmr.com About Automotive Exhaust Muffler MarketFunctionality of an automotive exhaust muffler is limited to reducing noise from the engine, however, in some cases, it can influence the vehicles fuel efficiency. The components limited scope of application has undermined the prospects of its global market. Also, sales of automotive exhaust mufflers is taking a hit due to rising cost of the component. The unavoidable backpressure remains one of the most severe drawbacks of exhaust mufflers and continues to be a major engineering challenge for manufacturers. While exhaust muffler sufficiently allow release of gases produced by a vehicle, it compromises on the engines firing frequency. Factors as such are expected to deter the global demand for exhaust mufflers in the medium term. According to the latest report published by Fact.MR, the global automotive exhaust muffler is set to reflect a miniscule CAGR of 2.7% over the forecast period (2017-2022).Get Sample copy of this Report @An automotive exhaust muffler (silencer) is an automotive component that reduces the noise emanated by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine. Automotive muffler is fitted within the exhaust system of a vehicle, though the component is not designed to assist any major exhaust function. There are two primary automotive exhaust muffler designs available in the market - absorptive mufflers and reflective or reactive mufflers. Most automotive exhaust mufflers comprise of a shell, baffle plates, non-perforated or perforated pipes, absorption materials and end plates. Exhaust muffler remains an indispensable soundproofing component in modern vehicles.Europe will Continue to Spearhead the Global Automotive Exhaust Muffler MarketIn terms of revenue, Europe currently accounts for the largest share of the global market and is expected to maintain its leading position in 2017 and beyond. The regions automotive exhaust muffler market is anticipated to witness a steady growth over the next couple of years. Meanwhile, the market in Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) is expected exhibit the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This is primarily owing to robust expansion of the automotive sector in China.Get Discount of this Report @Center Inlet Automotive Exhaust Mufflers will Remain Highly DesirableBased on product type, demand for center inlet automotive exhaust mufflers will continue to gain traction. Currently, the sales of center inlet automotive exhaust mufflers account for over 23% revenue share of the global market and the figure is expected to remain steady throughout the assessment period.Competition TrackingProminent players mentioned in the Fact.MRs report include Peugeot S.A. (Faurecia SA), Tenneco Inc., Eberspacher Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG, Futaba Industrial Co., Ltd., Benteler International AG, Friedrich Boysen GmbH & Co. KG, Yutaka Giken Co., Ltd., Sejong Industrial Co., Ltd., Bosal Nederland B.V., and Eminox Limited.View Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.com A new government decree stipulates that domestic and foreign teachers involved in integrated education programmes need to provide sufficient evidence of their qualifications. Photo dantri.com.vn HA NOI A new government decree stipulates that domestic and foreign teachers involved in integrated education programmes need to provide sufficient evidence of their qualifications. Under Decree No 86/2018/N-CP, foreign teachers must hold a bachelors degree level in their chosen subjects and teacher training certificates or equivalent. Vietnamese teachers are also required to meet standard qualifications for the grade they teach. All teachers involved in integrated education programmes must have foreign languages proficiency at level five out of six in accordance with Vietnamese law. The decree allows private kindergartens and schools in Viet Nam to link up with legal and accredited educational establishments abroad. Incorporated foreign educational programmes must be accredited by authorised agencies and organisations in their native countries. The programmes must ensure the objectives of Viet Nams education programme, while examinations must be in line with Vietnamese and foreign countries laws. Graduates of integrated curricula at senior high schools must be granted graduation certificates from Viet Nam and the foreign country involved. The education programme will be valid for five years and may be extended for a further five. The document will enter into force on August 1 this year. The issuance of the decree is seen as a move to tighten regulations on educational institutions that have foreign partners. In April, MOETs International Educational Co-operation Department asked Newton Grammar School in Ha Nois Bac Tu Lien District to end its relationship with George Washington International School (GWIS) in the US following the confirmation that GWIS was an unregistered school. After the incident, MOET reviewed all foreign-related educational institutions nationwide. Initial reports showed no similar cases. VNS Car Fuel Filter Market is on track to record a modest CAGR of 2.8% by 2017 to 2022 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=136 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=136 https://www.factmr.com/report/136/car-fuel-filter-market https://www.factmr.com About Car Fuel Filter MarketThe automobile industry is one of the most critical for any nations economic development which is why countries focus so much attention on it. Global carmakers have shifted their focus to emerging markets as the strong economic growth there has led to an increased desire for personal mobility. With a number of emission scandals dominating headlines in the last few years, customers would naturally be concerned with the quality of fuel used in their vehicles, making the car fuel filter market get its fair share of the limelight. Proactive customers, coupled with stricter governmental regulations pertaining to emissions, are expected to make the fuel filter market boom in the long term.Get Sample copy of this Report @The car fuel filter market is on track to record a modest CAGR of 2.8% and be worth approx. US$ 435 million by the end of the forecast period i.e. 2022.Highlights of the Car Fuel Filter MarketDiesel has had a reputation for some time now as the dirtier fuel which is why it is expected to comprise nearly 3/5th revenue share in the car fuel filter market by fuel type. Commercial vehicles in particular, both light commercial vehicles as well as heavy commercial vehicles often rely on diesel over gasoline and they would need fuel filters to ensure that their emissions are in-line with governmental norms. Diesel is much more popular in Europe as opposed to North America and the Europe diesel fuel filter market is on track to be worth almost US$ 64 million in 2022.Get Discount of this Report @Gasoline occupies the balance 2/5th revenue share in the car fuel filter market. Gasoline is generally considered cleaner than diesel which explains its popularity in the passenger vehicle segment. However, the fuel quality in emerging markets is often of an inferior quality when compared to developed countries for a number of reasons. If fuel filters are not deployed, there is a high probability that the combustion engine can get damaged with dust particulates. Thus, a market opportunity of just under US$ 180 million by 2022 exists in the gasoline fuel filter market as well. Companies could look at targeting North America over Europe as consumers there express an overwhelming preference for gasoline vehicles over their diesel counterparts.The premium passenger car segment represents a small market opportunity in the car fuel filter market in terms of vehicle type. However, it would be unwise to ignore a market of nearly US$ 50 million by end 2022 as rising disposable incomes would make consumers demand premium passenger cars in the long run. Europe and APEJ are neck-and-neck in the premium passenger car segment and it will be interesting to see if and when APEJ outpaces Europe.The compact car segment accounts for a third of the revenue share in the car fuel filter market by vehicle type and is especially important in emerging economies where the price-sensitivity is higher than in Europe or North America. The compact car segment is predicted to be worth roughly US$ 120 million in 2022 and companies in the car fuel filter market are advised to make their business strategies keeping this in mind.The mid-sized segment consists of a quarter of the revenue share by vehicle type in the car fuel filter market but is likely to lose market share to both premium and compact cars. Key stakeholders are advised to target Europe and APEJ as these are the only two regions that should push past US$ 28 million by the end of the study period.The car fuel filter market report has profiled prominent companies such as Champion Laboratories, UFI Filters SpA, Valeo SA, Hengst SE, Cummins Inc., and Sogefi SpA.View Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.com Car Oil Filter Market Europe region shows great potential and market share by 2022 end https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=139 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=139 https://www.factmr.com/report/139/car-oil-filter-market https://www.factmr.com About Car Oil Filter MarketGlobal car oil filter market is driven by many factors. The rising automotive industry is a prime aspect which drives the growth of the car oil filter market. Certain government regulations regarding the manufacturing of vehicles has forced the manufacturers to implement improvements in the design aspect of the engine and along with the technological changes and advancements in the oil filter domain, this has imparted support to the growth of the car oil filter market.Get Sample copy of this Report @As far as vehicles are concerned, the increase in the passenger cars has triggered the growth of the car oil filters. Moreover, public awareness regarding the safety of the engines of their vehicles and the benefits of oil filters such as removal of contaminants, ensuring good engine health and enhance the life of the components within the engine has spurred the growth of the global car oil filter market. However, the challenge faced by this sector is the introduction of the electric cars which do not need oil filters. Another challenge cum opportunity is the life of the filter. It has low life and has to be replaced but the opportunity aspect is that it needs to be changed frequently and this can be beneficial to the manufacturers of the filters. Europe region shows great potential and market share by 2022 end. The Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region shows higher growth rate during the period of forecast.The global car oil filter market is poised to reach about US$ 535 Mn by the end of 2022 and is anticipated to grow at a steady CAGR during the forecasted period of 2017 to 2022.Get Discount of this Report @5 Forecast Highlights on Global Car Oil Filter MarketThe luxury passenger car segment by vehicle type enjoys a higher market share by revenue and accounts for 36.5% share which is higher than all other segments during the period of forecast. The premium passenger car segment reflects a similar growth rate as the luxury passenger car segment but has less market share. The compact passenger car segment grows at a steady rateEurope region is on the vanguard as far as regional dominance is concerned. It has a higher market share by revenue than any other region and is poi9sed to grow at a steady growth rate. Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region reflects the highest growth rate to register a CAGR of 3.5% during the period of forecast. This can be attributed to the rising number of passenger cars in this regionCellulose segment by filter media has a high market share by revenue but experiences a not so high growth rate. However, the synthetic segment is poised to grow at a higher CAGR of 3.4% among other filter media segments during the period of forecastThe OEM segment is poised to grow at a slow rate during 2017 to 2022, with a low market share by revenue. IAM segment enjoys the highest market revenue share and is growing at higher rate to attain a CAGR of 3.2% along with a gain in the BPS by the end of 2022By product type, the anti-drain black seal has higher growth rate during the period of forecast and gains the highest BSP by the end of 2022. The base gasket segment has a high market share by revenue and accounts for 35.6%. APEJ region is a lucrative region for the base gasket segmentThe report has also profiled leading players in the global market for car oil filters, which would remain active through 2022. These include companies like Champion Laboratories Inc., UFI Filters SpA, Freudenberg & Co. KG, Hengst SE and Co. KG, Cummins Inc., Alco Filters ltd., Ahlstrom Corporation, K&N Engineering Inc., Hollingsworth and Vose Company, Mann Hummel GmbH, Sogefi SpA., Donaldson Company Inc., Denso Corporation, Robert Bosch GmbH and MAHLE GmbH.View Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.com Two-wheeler Lighting Market is anticipated to grow to a value of approx. US$ 440 million by 2022 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=143 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=143 https://www.factmr.com/report/143/two-wheeler-lighting-market https://www.factmr.com About Electric Lawn Mower marketLighting plays an extremely important role in automotive safety as it alerts the rider to the presence, size, and position of other vehicles, pedestrians, and obstructions. This is especially important in the case of two-wheelers as it can mean the difference between life and death. The future of the two-wheeler lighting market looks very bright indeed as manufacturers are experimenting with various new technologies that improve the light output while simultaneously reducing energy consumption. The two-wheeler lighting market is also poised to benefit from discerning customers that seek the perfect balance between form and functionality.Get Sample copy of this Report @According to Fact.MR, the two-wheeler lighting market is anticipated to grow to a value of approx. US$ 440 million by 2022 recording a modest CAGR of 2.8%.The 12V segment is estimated to account for a revenue share of more than 3/5th of the two-wheeler lighting market by volts segment in 2017. A value of just under US$ 1.4 billion at the end of the forecast period makes it far more attractive than its 14V counterpart. Europe alone represents a quarter of the regional contribution and is expected to remain a lucrative market. The 14V segment on the other hand, is much smaller by comparison. However, companies would be advised to target APEJ over Europe in the 14V segment of the two-wheeler lighting market as the former is likely to outpace the latter at the end of 2022.Get Discount of this Report @The motorcycle segment comprises a quarter of the revenue share in the two-wheeler lighting market by vehicle type in 2017 and it projected to become more prominent in the days ahead. This is because the motorcycle segment caters to a diverse set of use-cases luxury, economical, as well as sporty. While Europe is currently the largest region in terms of motorcycle sales, APEJ will record a much higher CAGR of 4.3% which will allow it be neck-and-neck with Europe by the end of the forecast period.A market opportunity exceeding half a billion dollars is enough to make key stakeholders in the two-wheeler lighting market look very closely at the moped segment. Mopeds are desired for their comfort, convenience, and ease of use and are particularly well-suited to teenagers, women, and senior citizens. Companies are advised to design stylish rear indicators, front indicators, side indicators, headlamps and tail lamps as moped customers desire the perfect combination of form coupled with functionality. The APEJ region can be considered a critical market for mopeds as the continent has a much larger younger population as compared to Europe and North America and these customers would be well-served by mopeds.Scooters contribute approx. half the revenue share in the two-wheeler lighting market in 2017 and companies are recommended to focus their attention on either Europe or APEJ as both these strategic regions are poised to exceed US$ 255 million by the end of the study. However, the CAGR of APEJ is nearly double that of Europe, making it a far more exciting prospect.The aftermarket channel is several times larger than the OEM channel in the two-wheeler lighting market and it would be understandable if companies decided to target it exclusively at the cost of OEM channels. A market opportunity of almost US$ 1.4 billion in 2022 is big enough for all companies to not only sustain, but thrive.The two-wheeler lighting market report has profiled leading companies in the two-wheeler lighting market. These are Koninklijke Philips N.V, Ichikoh Industries, Valeo SA, Stanley Electric, OSRAM GmbH, Magneti Marelli, Koito Manufacturing, Hyundai Mobis, General Electric, and HELLA KGaA Hueck.View Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.com Automotive Tow Bars Market Poised to Register 3.1% CAGR through 2022 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=151 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=151 https://www.factmr.com/report/151/automotive-tow-bars-market https://www.factmr.com About Automotive Tow Bars MarketNew technologies and advancements in material science have resulted in boom in the global automotive tow bars market. These developments have enabled the manufacturers to use metals or polymers with higher tensile strengths which could significantly improve the functionality of the tow bar as well as its operational life. The major factor driving the growth of the global automotive tow bar market is the rapid development in the manufacturing techniques o tow bars as well as their materials. Additionally, 3D printing has opened many paradigms which allow the key players to manufacture the extremely complex tow bar material with ease, enhancing their operational functionality. Moreover, the global automotive tow bar market growth is directly associated with the growth of the automotive industry, and as it grows, the use of tow bars increases, thereby impacting the market in a positive way. Europe region is the most lucrative for the tow bar market as it shows higher market attractiveness.Get Sample copy of this Report @The global automotive tow bars market is poised to reach a value of about US$ 6,800 Mn by the end of 2022 and is anticipated to grow at a steady CAGR during the forecasted period of 2017 to 2022.5 Forecast Highlights on Global Automotive Tow Bars MarketThe retractable tow bars segment by product type seems to be the largest segment compared to other segments in product type. It is anticipated to grow and reflect a value of about US$ 2 Bn by 2022 end. The key manufacturers are advised to focus on APEJ region owing to higher potential in this region, apart from Europe in this particular segmentThe detachable tow bars segment have started to gain popularity in the recent months. The APEJ region is poised to surpass Europe region in this segment and is expected to be a worth over US$ 440 Mn. Europe also shows good attractiveness in this respectGet Discount of this Report @IAM and OEM segments by sales channel show similar growth opportunities and both have a revenue share, approximately 1/3rd of the automotive tow bars market. This value is equivalent to almost US$ 2 Bn by the end of the forecasted period (2022). Along with Europe region, the key companies can also shift their focus on the North America and Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region which show good opportunities and a high potential in the automotive tow bars marketThe compact passenger cars segment by vehicle type experience higher growth rate and is poised to register a CAGR of 3.1% during the period of forecast. The mid-sized passenger cars segment reflects sluggish growth rate during the period of forecast and also has low market share by revenue as compared to the compact passenger cars segment. It is also expected by the compact passenger cars segment to gain additional BPS by the end of 2022Europe region shows higher market attractiveness and is more lucrative than other regions followed by Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region. The APEJ region is anticipated to show higher growth in the coming yearsThe report has also profiled leading players in the global market for automotive tow bars, which would remain active through 2022. These include companies like Brink Group B.V., David Murphy Towing Brackets Limited, Dixon Bate Limited, Thule Group, Westfalia Automotive GMBH and Bosal International N.V.View Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.com Automotive Curtain Airbag Market Projected to Register 5.5% CAGR through 2022 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=273 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=273 https://www.factmr.com/report/273/automotive-curtain-airbag-market https://www.factmr.com About Automotive Curtain Airbags MarketGrowing demand for security devices in vehicles has led to an upsurge in demand for the airbags in the automotive industry globally. In addition, government in various countries have imposed regulations regarding security devices in the automotive industry. These factors are expected to contribute towards growth of the global automotive curtain airbag market positively. A recently compiled report by Fact.MR reveals that the global market of automotive curtain airbag is projected to register a CAGR of 5.5% over the forecast period, 2017-2022.Get Sample copy of this Report @Factors Fuelling Growth of the Global MarketGrowth of the global market of automotive curtain airbag is bound to several macro and micro economic factors. Demand for strong automotive curtain airbags is mainly concentrated in the transportation, automotive and healthcare industry. Frictional resistance, wear and tear of the vehicles, and complex design of the vehicles result in the unexpected accidents globally. Attributed to unexpected accidents, the passengers could injure their necks and knees. Manufacturers prefer coating the airbags integrated in the vehicles with neoprene coating to ensure that the security devices are strong and resistant to heat. The automotive curtain airbag will continue to witness considerable adoption attributed to increasing demand for security devices in the vehicles.Moreover, government in several countries have imposed legislations regarding the security devices in the vehicles. As the government has imposed legislations regarding the security devices in the automotive industry, manufacturers are integrating advanced features in order to ensure security of the passengers during an unexpected accident.Get Discount of this Report @With surge in technological development, consumers prefer opting for automotive that are integrated with devices that ensure the safety and security of the passengers. Vehicles equipped with security devices offer secure, and flexible transportation system to the customers. These factors are likely to contribute towards growth of the global market of automotive curtain airbag positively.Neoprene to Represent a Dominant SegmentIncreasing demand for curtain airbags that are strong and resistant to ozone, oil, chemicals, and heat has led the manufacturers to coat airbags with neoprene. Sales of neoprene airbags is likely to remain high as compared to the other types of coating in the global market. Currently, the neoprene coat type segment is projected to represent around US$ 50 Mn by 2022-end.Nylon is projected to represent a significant revenue growth as compared to other yarns available in the global market. The nylon yarn type segment is projected to represent more than US$ 40 Mn in the global market by 2017-end. The nylon segment is projected to reflect a relatively high CAGR in the global market of automotive curtain airbag through 2022.By sales channel, sales of the automotive curtain airbags is projected to remain high through the OEM sales channel. The OEM segment is projected to represent more than US$ 50 Mn by 2017-end. However, sales of automotive curtain airbags continue to witness relatively faster growth through the aftermarket channel globally.Mid-sized passenger cars is likely to sell more than the other vehicle in the global automotive curtain airbag market. The mid-sized passenger cars vehicle type segment is projected to represent around US$ 15 Mn by 2022-end. On the other hand, the compact passenger car is projected to reflect a relatively high CAGR in the global market through 2022.Market PlayersMajor players in the global market of automotive curtain airbag are Takata Corporation, Autoliv, Inc., Denso Corporation, Daicel Corporation, Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd., Hyundai Mobis Co. Ltd., Kolon Industries, Inc., ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Delphi Automotive PLC, and Toray Industries, Inc.View Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.com Automotive Oil Filter Market Registering 5.4% CAGR during 2017-2022 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=288 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=288 https://www.factmr.com/report/288/automotive-oil-filter-market https://www.factmr.com About Automotive Oil Filter MarketAutomotive oil filters help to remove contaminants from the oil. Oil filter in an internal combustion engine in vehicle helps to eliminate wear particles, transfers heat to cool the engine, and lubricates internal parts. With the increase in a number of vehicles manufactured, the demand for the automotive oil filter is also rising. Hence, manufacturers are working on improving the filter design and technology to ensure it works with increased engine power. Manufacturers of automotive oil engine are also focusing on developing filters, eliminating the need to change the oil filter for a long time. Automakers are also moving towards constructing replaceable element filter, leading to minimizing waste with each filter change. Better filter efficiency is also one of the vital focus areas for manufacturers. They are offering improving filter efficiency to hold or capture even the smallest particles, ensuring better engine performance.Get Sample copy of this Report @According to the report compiled by Fact.MR, the global automotive oil filter market is likely to witness a steady growth, registering 5.4% CAGR during 2017-2022. Owing to the increasing number of cars manufactured globally, the demand for the automotive oil filter is also rising. With new car models and advanced engine, manufacturers of automotive oil filters are also using advanced technology to capture and hold particles, ensuring smooth engine function. Below given insights show how the global market for automotive oil filter will perform in the coming years.5 Forecast Highlights on Global Automotive Oil Filter MarketEurope is expected to remain dominant in the global automotive oil filters market. Europe automotive oil filter market is estimated to exceed US$ 1,000 million value by the end of 2022. Stringent emission norms and rising environmental awareness by the government is one of the factors driving the demand for automotive oil filters in the region.North America is likely to emerge as the second most dominating market. Due to the rise in new vehicle models, new technologies are being used in automotive oil filters. Moreover, new emission norms are also being imposed by the government which is further contributing to the growth of North America automotive oil filter market.Sales of automotive oil filters is expected to be highest through IAM. Towards the end of 2022, IAM is likely to surpass US$ 1000 million revenue. Meanwhile, OEM will also account for nearly two-fifth of the revenue share by 2017 end.Get Discount of this Report @The synthetic automotive oil filter is likely to be one of the highly preferred oil filters for vehicles. During 2017-2022, the synthetic filter is projected to create an incremental opportunity of more than US$ 200 million.Mid-sized passenger cars are likely to emerge as the largest users of the automotive oil filters. Mid-sized passenger cars are projected to bring in nearly US$ 600 million revenue towards 2022 end. Although compact passenger cars will also witness steady growth during the forecast period, 2017-2022.The report also provides a detailed profile of the various key players in the global automotive oil filter market, to remain active through 2022. These include companies such as FRAM Group IP LLC, Sogefi SpA, Donaldson Company, Inc., Mann+Hummel GmbH, Cummins Inc., Denso Corporation, K & N Engineering Inc., Champion Laboratories, Inc., Hengst SE & Co. KG, Mahle Group, UFI Filters Spa, Freudenberg & Co. KG, and Robert Bosch GmbH.View Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.com Intelligent Traffic Management Systems Market will reach a valuation of US$ 31,692 Mn by 2026-end https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=319 https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=319 https://www.factmr.com/report/319/intelligent-traffic-management-systems-market https://www.factmr.com About Intelligent Traffic Management System MarketA recent report published by Fact.MR projects that the global intelligent traffic management system market will reach a valuation of US$ 31,692 Mn by 2026-end. Shifting focus towards improving road networks in expected to reflect favorably on the global market. Moreover, increasing need for technologies that can effectively manage and monitor high-speed mobility is creating greater scope of application of intelligent traffic management systems. A technology as such can effectively ensure passenger safety and address some of grave issues of traffic management. In highways and busy roads, it is extremely important to install advanced traffic management systems to monitor various the traffic activities.Get Sample copy of this Report @Traffic regulatory bodies in various countries are introducing guidelines directed towards monitoring traffic movements proactively. Use of such cutting-edge traffic management systems also provisions quicker reactive measures to reduce the impact of unavoidable disasters. Companies are actively focusing on developing more comprehensive set of systems used for effective information apprehension and dissemination to passenger and drivers for safe and secure road travel. In addition, increasing investments in research & development programs is leading to introduction of superior intelligent traffic management systems.Some of latest intelligent traffic management systems come with cost saving solutions for maintenance and energy consumptions. The intelligent traffic management solutions are supporting the infrastructure development plans for smart cities and smart roads. Popularity of intelligent traffic management systems is growing among highway operators and traffic management bodies across the globe owing to their comprehensive road monitoring capabilities. Further, factors such as hyper urbanization and economic growth in emerging countries is expected to influence demand for intelligent traffic management systems.Get Discount of this Report @Highlights from the Report Include:In terms of revenues, North America is expected to dominate the global market for intelligent traffic management systems in 2017 and the trend is expected to continue throughout the assessment period. In addition, the regions market is projected to witness a sound growth over 2026. Rapid adoption of advanced traffic management solution in the U.S. and Canada is playing an important role in driving the growth of the market in the region.On the basis of product type, the integrated urban traffic control system segment will remain highly attractive over 2026. The segment currently accounts for more than 16% share of the global market for intelligence traffic management, which is expected to increase to nearly 22% share towards the end of assessment period, expanding at a robust growth rate. This segment is set to increase at over US$ 1,000 Mn annually over the course of the forecast period.On the basis of spennder type, the federal and provincial government segment is expected to retain its leading position over 2026. Currently, the segment commands for more 53% share of the market and is projected to exhibit an above-average CAGR between 2017 and 2026. This is primarily owing to increasing uptake of intelligence traffic management systems in public transits systems.Based on component, the detectors & sensors segment will remain dominant in 2017 and beyond. This segment is expected surpass a market valuation of US$ 4,500 Mn by 2026-end, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4%.Competition TrackingLeading players profiled in Fact.MRs report include Cubic, Q-Free, Siemens, Kapsch TrafficCom, Imtech, SWARCO, Kyosan Electric, Peek traffic, Baokang Electronic, Hisense TransTech, and Wantong Technology. Many of this companies are concentrating on improving product efficiency in order to gain greater market share.View Report @About usFact.MR is focused on offering transformative intelligence that inspires breakthroughs and innovation. We believe that the right decisions at the opportune time are integral to achieve extraordinary success. We are here to help you with your strategic decision making. And, how do we that? By tapping into the vast labyrinth of data to bring you intelligence that inspires.ContactMr. Rohit Bhisey11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852Tel: +353-1-6111-593Website:E: sales@factmr.com Pyrogen Testing Market to Reach US$ 1,840 Mn by 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=4583 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=4583 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=4583 www.transparencymarketresearch.com Transparency Market Research (TMR) has published a new report titled, Pyrogen Testing Market Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20172025. According to the report, the pyrogen testing market was valued at US$ 638.2 Mn in 2016 and is projected to expand at a high CAGR of 12% from 2017 to 2025 to reach US$ 1,842.8 Mn in 2025. The report suggests that rise in demand for pyrogen testing in various pharmaceutical and biological industry is anticipated to drive the pyrogen testing market between 2017 and 2025.North America and Europe are projected to dominate the pyrogen testing market. The market in North America is driven by highly structured health care industry and availability of well-defined FDA regulations for pharmaceutical and medical device product manufacturing. Europe is projected to account for 30% market share by 2025. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at a high CAGR of 14% during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market for pyrogen testing during the forecast period. The pyrogen testing market in Latin America is likely to grow at a moderate pace during the forecast period.Get PDF Brochure of Report:Increase in Public and Regulatory Concerns about Product Safety to Fuel Market GrowthPyrogen testing was introduced in pharmaceutical products such as drugs and immunological products. Presently, it is used in medical devices, implants, purification of water, and the food & beverage industry. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides testing recommendations to biological products, drugs, and medical device companies. However, there are concerns about the testing recommendations and acceptance criteria through the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). According to the European Medicines Agency (April 2016), the Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use (CVMP) developed a guidance report on quality, safety & efficacy, and environmental testing of medicinal, pharmaceutical, and immunological products. These factors demand more number of pyrogen tests of products for safety. According to the FDA, the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) has adopted the USP Endotoxin Reference Standard and limits for medical device extracts which are expressed in EU/ml (Endotoxin Units/ml). These improved and additional applications increased demand for pyrogen testing products.Pharmaceutical Companies and Medical Device Companies to be Highly Lucrative End-User SegmentsThe pharmaceutical companies segment accounted for the largest share of 32% of the pyrogen testing market in 2016, due to growing importance of these companies not only in the field of conventional research, but also in the development and production of vital biomolecules and therapeutics. A large number of toxic/immune-modulatory drugs are injectables; hence, pyrogen and endotoxin testing is a must before launch in the market. Discovery and launch of new products fuel the growth of the pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies segments. This, in turn, is projected to boost the pyrogen testing market during the forecast period.Get Sample Copy of The Report:High Adoption of Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (Lal) Test among End-UsersLimulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) is the most widely accepted and adopted test method for quality control of parenteral drugs, as it is an aqueous extract of blood cells from the horseshoe crab. LAL test is utilized for the detection of minute quantity of bacterial toxins or pyrogen in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and others. Increase in drug discovery and biological medical devices has driven the pyrogen testing market. The test is the first solution enabling adequate pyrogen testing of cell therapies, including blood transfusions and medical devices. This drives adoption of limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) test in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.Kits and Reagents Segments to Expand at Highest CAGRsKits comprise pyrogen-free test vials that already contain lyophilized LAL. These kits eliminate some of the tedious pipetting steps and are suitable for small labs with few samples. The kits segment is anticipated to witness relatively high growth rate in terms of revenue during the forecast period, owing to continuous innovation of new products by major as well as emerging players. Reagents used to perform pyrogen tests are limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL), endotoxin extracting solutions, etc. Kits and reagents are also available in a single pack. Most of the reagents are required in large quantity, and hence are available in different packing. The reagents segment held a major share of the market due to regular use of reagents for pyrogen testing. Reagents are also available in single packs because most reagents are required in large quantities.North America to be Highly Lucrative Market for Pyrogen TestingPresence of well-established players in the region and increase in research and development activities by these players are attributed to North Americas dominance of the pyrogen testing market. The U.S. held a major share of the market in North America as well as globally. Additionally, increase in awareness about animal welfare plays an important role in increasing expenditure on animal-free pyrogen testing in the region. Europe and Asia Pacific were the other regions that dominated the market. The pyrogen testing market is well-developed in regions such as North America and Europe; however, regions such as Latin America and Asia Pacific exhibit potential for high growth. The market in Middle East & Africa is growing at a steady pace due to increase in number research & development facilities in the region. The market in Saudi Arabia and South Africa is driven by increase in number of biotechnology companies.Get Discount Fragmented Market, with Presence of Several Local Companies; Small Players Strive to Penetrate the MarketThe pyrogen testing market is fragmented, with presence of several small scale and large scale companies. The report provides profiles of leading players operating in the pyrogen testing market. Key players operating in the pyrogen testing market are Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., Hyglos GmbH, Lonza Group, Merck KGaA, Associates of Cape Cod, Inc., Genscript, Wako Chemicals, Sanquin, and WuXi PharmaTech (Cayman), Inc. Merck KGaA dominated the pyrogen testing market in terms of revenue in 2016. The dominance of the company was majorly attributed to its products which are alternatives to rabbit pyrogen testing.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: A man suspected of drunken driving in a remote part of Clackamas County faces manslaughter charges after he crashed an SUV carrying his girlfriend and her three children, killing one of the youngsters, authorities said. Shane Richard Bremer was booked Saturday in the Clackamas County jail, records show. The Hubbard man also faces four counts of reckless endangering, one count of reckless driving, three counts of fourth-degree assault and one count of third-degree assault, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. Bremer, 34, was driving a 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe in the Molalla River Recreation Corridor when the crash occurred Friday afternoon, the sheriff's office said. Traveling with him in the remote wooded area were Bremer's girlfriend Jennifer Sanders, 29, and her three children, Rebecca Sanders, 10, and twin brothers Derick and Dylan Bedwell, both 6, authorities said. "They were way out in the boondocks," said Sgt. Brian Jensen, a sheriff's spokesman. Jensen said he did not know if the children were wearing seat belts. Someone from the injured party managed to eventually flag down another vehicle, whose driver loaded the two adults and three children into his car, authorities said. The driver stopped at a home on South Dickey Prairie Road -- about 15 miles from the crash scene -- and sought help when Derick stopped breathing, authorities said. The little boy later died. Jennifer Sanders, a Canby resident, was airlifted to a hospital, Jensen said. The spokesman did not know the woman's current condition. Bremer, who suffered minor injuries, rode to a hospital in an ambulance with Rebecca and Dylan, according to the sheriff's office. Jensen said he did not know the current condition of the two children. Authorities arrested Bremer after he was treated and released from the hospital. His bail is set at $282,500, records show. -- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh skavanaugh@oregonian.com 503-294-7632 II @shanedkavanaugh Walter, a golden eagle, sits on the glove of Curator for Wildlife Jon Nelson at the High Desert Museum Monday, in Bend. (Joe Kline /The Bulletin via AP) By STEPHEN HAMWAY , The Bulletin, via AP BEND On a Monday afternoon, a captive audience watched a 14-year-old golden eagle named Walter fly from branch to branch outside the High Desert Museum, gobbling up bits of dead quail as he went. The demonstration was not part of the museum's well-known Raptors of the Desert Sky show. Instead, it was part of an Oregon State University project using the museum's eagles to help model behavior and flight patterns. The goal is to develop technology that will reduce the number of golden eagles killed by wind turbines. "It is critical to help the species survive," said Roberto Albertani, associate professor of mechanical engineering at OSU's Corvallis campus. In May 2017, Albertani and his team received a $625,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Technology Office, aimed at developing a way to detect and deter golden eagles that fly too close to turbine blades. Albertani said the project will have three components. First, a sensor that can be mounted on the tower of the turbine can detect a nearby bird and determine if it is an eagle in danger of hitting a blade. If it is, the sensor triggers another component of the project: a deterrence system on the ground, designed to scare the birds away from the turbine. The final portion of the project is a series of blade-mounted sensors designed to confirm that a bird did not collide with them. Don't Edit Oregon State University graduate student Rahul Borkar checks a computer connected to a 360 degree camera to see the motion information captured as Walter, a golden eagle, flies to a perch. (Joe Kline /The Bulletin via AP) To develop the detection portion of the system, Albertani and his team, which includes two other OSU professors and several graduate students, needed data on how golden eagles look, fly and generally behave. Albertani reached out to the High Desert Museum last year about using its eagles. The team set up a 360-degree camera that can track an eagle as it flies, transmitting data to a computer in real time. While the sensor is only capable of detecting eagles, Albertani said, the software can be adjusted to respond to any species of bird. "The key point is to train the algorithm to automatically detect a certain species," Albertani said. If it's successful, the project will help solve one of wind energy's ongoing challenges: bird fatalities caused by turbines. A 2013 study found that at least 140,000 birds are killed by wind turbines every year. While energy-industry groups dispute that total, Albertani noted that the true total has likely increased in the past five years, as the industry has grown. Jon Nelson, curator of wildlife for the High Desert Museum, said wind turbines are relatively low on the list of human-caused dangers to golden eagles, behind power lined and uncovered windows. But he said the eagles, which tend to prefer open areas like the sagebrush fields east of Bend, often fly near ridges and other areas that receive a lot of wind. "And those are the exact types of places we like to build wind farms," Nelson said. Don't Edit Oregon State University associate professor Roberto Albertani photographs Walter, a golden eagle, as the raptor flies. (Joe Kline | The Bulletin via AP) While Albertani has worked with other eagles in other locations, he said working with the Bend museum has been a good fit, given the museum's collection of trained birds of prey and proximity to Corvallis. Dana Whitelaw, executive director of the museum, said the partnership with Albertani and his team dovetailed perfectly with the museum's goal to be a place for exploring areas of conflict within Oregon's High Desert. "It's hard to find another example of a project that so closely knits our mission to an area of research," Whitelaw said. Albertani said he plans to have a proof of concept for the entire system by next year, which can then be adapted for the commercial market. "Hopefully there are companies interested in picking up the system," he said. -- The Bend Bulletin LANG SON A total of 317 households have donated more than 102,000sq.m of land to conduct 29 projects related to advancing infrastructure in inh Lap District, in the northern Lang Son Province from 2013-18. Last year, two more communes in the district, Binh Xa and Bac Xa, were developed. Hoang Thanh am, deputy chairman of the inh Lap District Peoples Committee, said the committee joined hands with concerned organisations to educate to local residents on the benefits of a new lifestyle created by development to encourage them to volunteer to join the projects. Since the beginning of last year, local authorities held more than 70 talks about building a new rural lifestyle with the participation of more than 2,300 residents. Since being educated about the projects and grasping a better understanding of the targets of the programme many local people have volunteered to join. With the land donated from the residents, five schools and 18 roads were built. Duong Kim Tho, head of the Con Ang Village , inh Lap Commune, donated nearly 3,900sq.m of his land to build the Ban Chuong-Binh Chuong Road . He also gave encouraged 25 other households to join him. Be uc Toan, a resident in Po Mat Village in Binh Xa Commune, said that his family was aware of the importance and long-term benefits of infrastructure development. Building new rural infrastructure will creating good conditions for the localitys development, and will ultimately improve local residents lives, he said. So my family agreed to donate a part of our land for the communitys benefit, he said. Special Olympics Oregon announced Monday they will suspend the state level competition in 2018 and instead "concentrate on local programs." According to a press release posted Monday on the organization's website, "an internal financial review revealed the need to take an immediate temporary hiatus of the State Games in order to allow the organization to evaluate its current situation and opportunity to deliver on its mission." The Bite of Oregon, an annual food festival and Special Olympics Oregon fundraiser, has also been canceled for 2018. The Bite of Oregon is over 30 years old. Special Olympics Oregon "lost $325,000 on $4.5 million in revenue in 2016," according to a report from The Portland Business Journal. The organization fell short of revenue goals in 2018, according to the release, and an internal financial review undertaken after a new executive leadership team was assembled "revealed an over-statement of money owed to Special Olympics Oregon, specifically what is collectible in the current fiscal year, while accurately showing expenses due." "We have searched for every possible scenario that paints a better picture, but this is where we are," Chief Executive Officer Britt Carlson Oase said in the release. "It is important that Special Olympics Oregon be a good community partner to all stakeholders, including our athletes and their families, volunteers, schools, the many supporters we have in law enforcement, the corporate community, donors and vendors," she continued. "Currently, we don't have the funds available to pay for services we have used in the past, hindering our ability to carry out our 2018 schedule as planned." Though the statewide competition is suspended for the time being, Special Olympics Oregon "is committed to providing opportunities for local training and programming for athletes," according to the release. The 44-member Team Oregon will still compete in the 2018 USA Games, which take place in early July in Seattle. -- Lizzy Acker 503-221-8052 lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker MCALLEN, Texas -- They divided the young children who had been separated from their parents, placing 20 or more in a concrete-floor cage and providing foil blankets, thin mattress pads, bottled water and food. The migrant children, some confused or expressionless, watched as uniformed officials led the news media on a brief tour Sunday of a processing center and temporary detention facility here. Some 1,100 undocumented individuals were being held, including nearly 200 unaccompanied minors, according to estimates. Several Democratic lawmakers and the news media each got a firsthand look at the impact of President Donald Trump's "zero-tolerance" policy of separately detaining children and parents trying to cross the border, which has led to about 2,000 children being separated from their parents in the past 45 days. The lawmakers chose Father's Day for a trip to the southern Texas border to draw attention to the plight of divided families and demand that Trump end the policy. One lawmaker estimated that there were 100 children under the age of 6 at the facility. "The zero-tolerance policy means zero humanity and makes zero sense," said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, at a news conference following the lawmakers' tour. Merkley was in Texas a day after leading other members of his state's congressional delegation -- Sen. Ron Wyden, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Rep. Earl Blumenauer -- on a tour of the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan, Oregon, where 123 migrants are being incarcerated. The Texas detainees are being kept in bare-bones cells surrounded by tall metal fencing inside a sprawling facility with high ceilings. The facility resembled a large warehouse divided into cage-like structures housing different groups of people. The detainees had been sorted into groups - unaccompanied males 17 and under; unaccompanied females 17 and under; male heads of household with their families; and female heads of household with their families. Single adult males were also housed separately. Officials took away the shoelaces of the undocumented immigrants, fearful about the safety of those in custody. One woman fought back tears as she spoke to reporters touring the facility. One child clutched a water bottle and a bag of chips. Several of the detainees wrapped themselves in the foil blankets as they sat on benches, the ground, or on modest mattress pads on the floor of the cells. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and officials from the Department of Homeland Security have defended the policy as a necessary deterrent as the U.S. seeks to secure its borders. Clergy, mental health professionals and human rights groups have united in decrying the policy as inhumane. After a tour, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said the lawmakers spoke to a mother whose daughter was separated from her in the processing center. "She's being charged with illegal entry. Under the new policy, they will deliberately separate - deliberately separate - moms and dads from their sons and daughters," he said, adding: "This is a choice that the Trump administration has made. It is inhumane. It is cruel." Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, said, "When you have a mother tell you directly that she's in fear that she will never see her child again . . . then you know that what we are saying today is, 'President Trump, cease and desist.' " Trump has accused Democrats of promulgating "laws" that have caused family separation at the border - although there are no laws mandating that children be taken away from any adult arriving at the border. Democrats have argued that Trump can unilaterally end the policy, and absent that have pushed bills in Congress to end the separation. The measures have failed to earn any Republican support. Officials said detainees have been given access to potable water and food, including three hot meals. Portable restrooms and water fountains were visible in the climate-controlled facility. One official said the immigrants also were given access to showers and clothing. One member of Congress suggested that officials made things look presentable because of the planned visit. "It was in anticipation of a congressional delegation, so you've got to begin with that premise," said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, in an interview. "It was orderly, but it was far from what I would call humane," he added. In one sector of the facility, virtual processing terminals with video screens were set up for those detained to communicate with processing agents remotely. According to Carmen Qualia, the assistant chief patrol agent, some individuals would be separated from their children at this site. Individuals were supposed to be held at this centralized processing center for up to 72 hours, with a goal of getting most to their next location - likely another facility - within 12 hours, officials said. Outside in the 96-degree heat, a few dozen protesters held up signs in English and Spanish. "Stop Deportations" read one. "Resist Trump's hate," said another. "Si se puede!" they chanted. DHS officials gave reporters a brief tour. They did not allow photography or recording equipment during the walk-through. Lawmakers later were given a separate tour. It was far different earlier this month when Merkley traveled to Texas to see a detention center housing children who had been forcibly separated from their families after crossing the border. His request to view the facility was denied, and the private firm running it called the police to get him to leave. An official with the Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families said that Merkley had tried to enter the shelter unexpectedly, and "no one who arrives unannounced at one of our shelters demanding access to the children in our care will be permitted, even those claiming to be U.S. senators." "Members of Congress have top-secret clearances," Merkley said. "It shouldn't be secret as to how we're treating children inside our borders." A day later, the White House released a statement disparaging Merkley's trip. "Senator Merkley is irresponsibly spreading blatant lies about routine immigration enforcement while smearing hard-working, dedicated law enforcement officials at [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and [Customs and Border Protection]," said the statement from deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley. "No one is taking a public safety lecture from Sen. Merkley," it added, "whose own policies endanger children, empower human smugglers and drug cartels, and allow violent criminal aliens to flood into American communities." -- The Washington Post Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and a group of immigration lawyers on Sunday sharply criticized the detention of asylum seekers being held in an Oregon federal prison. The 123 individuals, who have been detained for escaping unsafe conditions in their countries and seeking refuge, are being held in a Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan, where they've been since mid-May. Wyden, who visited the facility Saturday with several immigration lawyers who weren't allowed to meet with detainees, was dismayed by the system in place to handle the asylum seekers, which he described as "sloppy at best." "What I saw yesterday was almost as if the rules were just being made up as they went along," Wyden said at a press conference Sunday. "There weren't any clear procedures. There was no rhyme or reason." Oregon's other senator, Jeff Merkley, visited the prison as well and was in Texas Sunday with several Democratic lawmakers to meet with U.S. border authorities and tour a facility holding asylum seekers. Wyden and Merkley took action against a backdrop of a national debate over the separation of families by immigration officials. Contrasting Sunday's Father's Day celebrations, Wyden talked about the families that have been separated because of immigration crackdowns happening throughout the United States. "I talked to a father whose 18-month daughter was essentially torn from him and he doesn't know where she is or how to be in contact with her," Wyden said. Wyden said he would like to work with the Bureau of Prisons and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to figure out a better way to handle this issue. He also plans to work with other Oregon representatives and the attorneys to draft a response to the situation for President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. "Donald Trump's grotesque trampling on human rights must have zero place in America and in Oregon," Wyden said. Wyden said he'd like a copy of the contract between the immigration enforcement agency and the Bureau of Prisons that "defines and allows ICE to put their detainees in federal prisons." Chanpone Sinlapasai, the state pro bono coordinator for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, wanted to make it clear what it means to be seeking asylum. "Asylum is when people at the border or in the United States are fleeing because they have been hurt, harmed or persecuted," Sinlapasai said. "They are fleeing because of the protective grounds that we established both in our federal laws and international law." Sinlapasai said that holding asylum seekers in detention facilities is not the only option under federal and international law. "We can parole these individuals to allow them to seek protections that due process requires and allows under our U.S. Constitution," Sinlapasai said. Stephen Manning, executive director of Immigration Law Group, said he was happy to see the support that has come from people throughout the state to help the detainees. "Within days of the announcement that there would be asylum-seeking men coming to this facility, more than 300 Oregonians have stepped up and we will be able to provide free lawyers for everyone detained in that facility," Manning said. Manning said despite the help and support, attorneys are still having issues getting access to their clients. "We have been told that we have one room, five days a week, three hours a day for 123 individuals," Manning said. "That math just does not work." Most of the individuals have been in federal custody since mid-May, however, it is unclear whether they came with their families or if they sought asylum alone, Manning said. They also still haven't been able to contact their loved ones. "There's not a lot of clarity on where families are now, there is a lack of information primarily because individuals have been denied their right to access of counsel," Manning said. Aside from not receiving proper legal representation or ways to contact their families, Wyden said some of the individuals are being denied medical help, too. "A gentleman described to me how he had been shot in the leg in the country he was fleeing, and as of yesterday, he still hadn't received medical attention," Wyden said. Wyden pointed out that Oregon residents have offered to aid asylum seekers to provide help and support. "We've got clergy members in this state that want to provide spiritual help and guidance," Wyden said. "We've got health care providers that want to provide medical care and we've got folks at the farmers' market who are raising money in order to facilitate phone calls." Mat dos Santos, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, said the U.S. Constitution provides protection to everyone, regardless of citizenship. "What the Trump administration is doing is accomplishing what other governments or local cartels and other evildoers have not been able to accomplish, which is to tear apart families, destroy and end lives," dos Santos said. "There can be no doubt that 123 of these men seeking asylum will go back to their countries and face persecution if not death." -- Kaitlin Washburn KWashburn@oregonian.com 503-221-8015 President Trump on Monday withdrew Northeast Portland native Eric Ueland's nomination for the third-ranking job at the State Department. Trump had tapped Ueland, 52, to be under secretary of state for management, a job that would install the Central Catholic High School grad as the day-to-day overseer of the entire federal diplomacy agency, working just under the secretary of state and his deputy. It's unclear why the president soured on Ueland, and Ueland did not respond to a request for comment Monday. The White House also did not return a request for comment. Though his nomination floundered, Ueland is one of the most powerful Oregonians who worked recently on Capitol Hill. He formerly worked on the Trump transition team and as the Republican staff director for the Senate Budget Committee. He was chief of staff to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Republican of Tennessee, a role which led him to play a key role in the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton. Ueland faced a confirmation hearing after his nomination for the State Department job in 2017 but was not confirmed by year-end. Trump re-nominated him in January. At the time, Sara Hottman, a spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Ueland had not been confirmed because committee members appeared to have "serious doubts about Eric Ueland's ability to achieve the tasks that the country needs in an Under Secretary of State for Management." -- Gordon R. Friedman 503-221-8209 A 34-year-old man who struck and killed a blind pedestrian in a North Portland crosswalk after running a red light was sentenced Monday to a traffic-safety course and 200 hours of community service. Investigators say Ryan Michael Gawick wasnt drunk or high on drugs when he drove his 2014 Ford Mustang into 61-year-old Rekey Agee in a marked crosswalk at North Columbia Boulevard and Interstate Place. Investigators also couldnt find any proof Gawick was using his cellphone or that he was eating. In fact, authorities found nothing to explain why Gawick wouldnt stop for the red light and instead blasted through the intersection at the posted speed of 45 mph. Prosecutors on Monday dropped their pursuit of felony criminally negligent homicide against Gawick and instead agreed to accept a guilty plea of careless driving from Gawick. Thats a Class A traffic violation and not a crime. Deputy District Attorney Elisabeth Waner said to prosecute Gawick for criminally negligent homicide, her office would have needed to prove that Gawick was doing something that he knew posed a risk of killing someone before he struck Agee. Authorities say that a momentary bout of absentmindedness isnt enough to prove such a crime. For a defendant such as Gawick, who has no criminal history, sentencing guidelines would have called for a prison sentence of about 1 1/2 years in prison for criminally negligent homicide. But guidelines also would have allowed the judge to sentence Gawick to probation. According to a probable cause affidavit, two other drivers who were traveling in the same direction as Gawick said they both saw the red light or Agee walking in the marked crosswalk with a white cane but they never saw Gawick slow down. One of the drivers said it was as if Gawick didnt even know it was red. Agee was wearing a yellow reflective safety vest at the time of the crash at 6:17 a.m. on Sept. 25, 2017. It was before sunrise. Both Gawick and Agee had been on their way to work -- Gawick as a truck driver and Agee to his job at a nearby industrial site. Gawicks defense attorney, Whitney Boise, said his client normally drives that route to work and the traffic signal almost always is green at that time of day. The light only turns red for pedestrians and the occasional car that turns off North Interstate Place, Boise said. He thought the light was green, Boise said. We all make mistakes driving. ... Its a tragedy. Agees widow, Mary Ann Agee, told Gawick that she has been working toward forgiveness. I just want you to know that I dont hate you, Mary Ann Agee said. In time I will forgive you. ... I will. I just need time. Time. She then said she forgave Gawick. Gawick nodded his head slightly and fought back tears as Mary Ann Agee spoke. "I'm just, just so sorry," Gawick said. "I don't know what else I can say." In sentencing Gawick, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Michael Greenlick told Gawick that he was following sentencing terms for careless driving that are outlined by state law. The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles has suspended Gawicks license for a year. He also likely will face a civil claim from Agees family. The family has hired an attorney but hasn't yet filed a lawsuit. The judge directed Gawick to do his community service in a field that increases traffic safety, such as public speaking engagements in front of high school students about the importance of safe driving. -- Aimee Green After weeks of demonstrations, a small but vocal group of Portland State University students say they will continue to demand that the school take action against a student accused of sexual assault. "We're not going anywhere," said Tess Carter, a member of the group who said she was assaulted by the student. PSU Students Against Sexual Assault has held five protests and rallies over the past few weeks, insisting the university expel a student who multiple women have accused of emotionally abusing and sexually assaulting them over the past year and a half. "Punish the abuser, not the accuser," read signs at demonstrations on campus. Carter said that she was emotionally and sexually abused by the student, who she used to date. Five months ago, she reported it to PSU's Office of the Dean of Student Life, the department that handles sexual assault cases between students. She was told she would hear back from them in 60 days, but she said she received no formal response when that time was up. After no response from administrators, three women affiliated with Carter and the others who accused the student of sexual assault decided to interrupt his class in late April to call him out, after which all of three were disciplined. One of the women, Zia Laboff, said she's on disciplinary probation for a year, meaning she can't break any rules in PSU's code of conduct. She had to pay a $20 fine, and she had to write a 1,500-word essay explaining why what she did was wrong, which was due during finals week. She must also complete 25 hours of community service over the summer. After the classroom incident, Laboff, Carter, other students and community members mobilized, many of them part of PSU's International Socialist Organization. What followed was the series of protests and rallies comprised of about 30 people that culminated into the latest demonstration on June 14. The group confronted Jim Fraire, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, and presented him with a petition with 3,500 signatures. The petition appealed the university's decision to discipline the women and called for the accused abuser's expulsion. Fraire accepted it without comment, thanking the protesters and then leaving. Carter said that since protests have gained momentum, she's had a meeting with university administrators. She was told her case was still open. Even though the accused student graduated on June 17, she said, the group's protests will continue. According to PSU's code of conduct, a student's diploma may be revoked within six months of graduation. PSU Students Against Sexual Assault plans on pushing for that. Julie Caron, PSU's Title IX coordinator, said her office couldn't comment on its cases. Title IX is in charge of handling reports of harassment and discrimination on campus, working with the Dean of Student Life on sexual assault cases. After recent protests, however, her office sent an email out to all students notifying them of resources available to them. She said the office encourages reporting, and she hopes the demonstrations don't have a "chilling effect" on future students coming forward. Caron said the university has generally followed Title IX guidelines laid out by the Obama administration in 2011, which say that investigations should be wrapped up within 60 days, barring extenuating circumstances. Though U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recently rescinded those guidelines, Caron said the university still tries to follow them. For privacy reasons, she couldn't confirm that the university was still looking into Carter's case, and she couldn't say why it is taking so long to investigate. "I'm empathetic with their position," Caron said. "And one thing I can say is that we investigate every matter that comes to us." Portland is installing 200 sensors along three high-crash corridors on the city's eastside, the first step under what it's calling the "Smart City PDX" project. The traffic sensors will provide real-time, 24/7 data to transportation staff, giving bureaucrats accurate information on the number of cars or pedestrians crossing a road at a given time and how fast people are driving. Portland expects to collect data for a year and a half. The transportation bureau has historically relied on volunteers or infrequent traffic surveys to tally traffic. The 200 sensors, installed by General Electric, are equipped with Intel technology. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler held a news conference Monday morning with transportation officials and representatives from GE, Intel, AT&T and PGE. "We are at the forefront of using advanced technology to make our cities safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, helping people more easily get around, save time and reduce the possibility of crashes," Wheeler said in a statement. "This pilot is a significant step in acquiring and utilizing data to make critical decisions." The $1 million project is paid for by city transportation dollars and corporate contributions. The companies are chipping in a collective $125,000 in in-kind contributions. The sensors are city-owned property. The sensors will be in place along street light poles in the following areas: o 122nd Avenue - Between Burnside and Duke streets o Southeast Division - Between 11th and 122nd avenues o Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard - Between 11th and 46th avenues Leah Treat, Portland's Transportation Bureau director, said the data will help city leaders "improve street design" and make streets safer for all. Portland is trying to reduce or eliminate all traffic fatalities by 2025, part of the global Vision Zero movement. As of last week, at least 17 people had died on Portland streets in 2018. The City Council will vote Thursday on its "Smart City PDX Priorities Framework," a broader initiative to bring more data and technology into city operations to "provide tangible benefits to the people of Portland." GE officials said the sensors are built to be refined and adapted over time to meet Portland's needs. Austin Ashe, Smart Cities general manager for GE, said the company will be working with city officials to "extract bicycle data to better understand the bicycle traffic volume and cyclists' interactions with vehicle and pedestrian traffic to improve safety for all." Portland was a finalist for the 2016 federally funded Smart City Challenge. Columbus, Ohio, won the $40 million contest, which came with a $10 million additional commitment from Paul Allen. -- Andrew Theen atheen@oregonian.com 503-294-4026 @andrewtheen A gunman who opened fire inside a Tumwater, Washington, Walmart and injured at least two people during carjacking attempts was fatally shot by one of two armed civilians confronting him Sunday evening, according to police. Police were still piecing together the full story of the events that began about 5 p.m. Pacific Time in the town just south of Olympia when they received a call about a possibly drunk driver heading the wrong way on a main road near a local high school, said Laura Wohl, Tumwater police public information officer. As police sped to the scene, they received a second call about a carjacking with shots fired. When officers arrived there, they found a 16-year-old girl with unspecified non-life-threatening injuries but no suspect. They quickly located the stolen car, but once again no suspect. At about 5:30 they started getting numerous calls of shots fired in and around a nearby Walmart. Wohl said they later confirmed that the man doing the shooting was the same person involved in the carjacking. She said the man entered the Walmart, fired shots at a display case and then went into the parking lot. There he attempted to carjack another vehicle, shooting an occupant in it at least twice. Apparently frustrated in his effort, the gunman then attempted a second carjacking. At that point, she said, two armed civilians in the parking lot confronted the suspect, one of whom shot the man dead. Police did not identify any of those involved in the incident or the type of weapons used, except to say they were handguns. The victim of the second carjacking attempt was in critical condition at Harborview Hospital. The action inside the store set off fears of a possible mass shooting. Indeed, local media reported that the fire department alerted them to a "mass casualty" incident. Kailani Bailey told the Tacoma News Tribune she was shopping inside the grocery section of the Walmart when a tall man in a T-shirt and jeans ran in and shoved people out of the way, ordering them to "move, move." Then she heard a popping sound from the other side of the store and someone yelling "run, run." When she got outside, she said she heard more shots. Caitlyn Wallner told the paper a similar story. She heard "pop, pop, pop," and a man yelling "there's a guy shooting. Everybody run." "There were all kinds of people running out," Robert Berwick, who was in the back of the store, told the Seattle Times. Darren Gossler told the News Tribune he saw a man with what appeared to be a handgun. The action then moved into the parking lot. Witness Brian Adams told KING5 TV that "this guy was randomly firing" both inside and outside the store. He said he heard about 15 shots. Witnesses told the Seattle Times that at least three civilians pulled guns in the parking lot. Police reported just two, one of whom fired at the suspect and killed him. "He is a hero," Brian Adams told KING 5. "If this customer hadn't done what he did, who knows what would have happened." Wohl said no other suspects were being sought. --The Washington Post Monday 18 June 2018 10:04am The University of Otago has been bolstered by two key appointments in the field of innovation and research. New Chief Executive Officer of Otago Innovation Ltd The new Chief Executive Officer of Otago Innovation Ltd, David Christensen. Photo: Sharron Bennett.. Following the departure of Pete Hodgson who has moved on to head the Dunedin Hospital rebuild advisory group, Otago Innovation Board Chair John Ward is pleased to announce David Christensen as the new Chief Executive Officer of Otago Innovation Ltd, a University-owned company responsible for developing and commercialising the Universitys intellectual property. Mr Christensen comes from within Otago Innovation where he has performed the role of General Manager to an extremely high standard over the last two years. Mr Ward says Mr Christensen will bring to the role a strong appreciation of how academics think and work, having been a highly-valued part of the commercialisation team since 2007. He is inclusive, and decisive, and well-connected in local and international markets. His strategic capability is a real strength that should see Otago Innovation perform well into the future, he says. "I have a vision for Otago Innovation to become more integral to the fabric of the University." As an Otago Alumni, Mr Christensens involvement with the University stems back to 2000, studying to complete a Bachelor of Commerce, and a Master of Tourism, receiving multiple academic scholarships in the process. Mr Christensen hopes to further enhance the reputation of the University and its relationship with Otago Innovation. I have a vision for Otago Innovation to become more integral to the fabric of the University. Successive governments have focused on and begun demanding translation of their investment into research. In the Otago context, some of that translation rests on the shoulders of Otago Innovation as we are the enabler or vehicle through which commercially oriented and commercially applicable opportunities must move, Mr Christensen says. New Director of Research and Enterprise The new Director of Research and Enterprise, Dr Martin Gagnon. Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Enterprise, Professor Richard Blaikie, is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Martin Gagnon as the new Director of Research and Enterprise, replacing Dr Gavin Clark who is moving into a new role actively supporting start-up companies from the university sector. Dr Gagnon is currently working as Chief Operating Officer of Exactis Innovation, a pan-Canadian clinical and molecular patient registry. Dr Gagnon has proven skills that are very well matched to Otagos strengths in biomedical and scientific research, as well as a background working with funding agencies supporting excellent research across all disciplines. We look forward to welcoming him and his family as they settle into New Zealand from Quebec, Professor Blaikie says. "I look forward to working for the great institution that is the University of Otago and helping it reach new heights." Dr Gagnon has a BSc in Biochemistry from the Universite de Sherbrooke as well as a PhD in Pharmacology & Therapeutics from McGill University, Montreal. In addition to an impressive professional work history, Dr Gagnon has also published numerous articles in high profile journals, including Nature Medicine in 2017. I am delighted to join the dedicated and passionate team at R&E. I look forward to working for the great institution that is the University of Otago and helping it reach new heights. Being new to the country will bring an added challenge but I am confident that together we will create many great success stories for the University. I wish to thank Professor Blaikie and all the staff at R&E for giving me this wonderful opportunity, Dr Gagnon says. Dr Gagnon will formally take up his post in early July. HA NOI A heat wave with a temperature of up to 39 degree Celsius is predicted to hit the north and central region between Tuesday and Saturday. The maximum temperature will range from 35 to 38 degree Celsius in the northern localities and from 36 to 39 degree Celsius in the central localities. The heat wave is likely to be triggered by a tropical low pressure system that formed in the northern part of the East Sea on Sunday afternoon and landed in Chinas Fujian by 1pm on Monday. The National Committee for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting has warned of heavy rains with thunderstorms in the northern and north-central provinces and cities during this time. Meanwhile, the northern mountainous localities of Lai Chau, Son La, Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Ha Giang are on high alert for flash floods and landslides, the centre said. VNS Chemical Bank has donated $50,000 to the MidMichigan Health Foundation to help build a premier Heart and Vascular Center on the campus of MidMichigan Medical Center - Midland. When complete, this project will provide world-class care for those patients served in the MidMichigan region suffering from the most complex forms of heart disease. The first phase of the three-year construction project is scheduled for completion in spring 2019. "We welcome adding our funding commitment to this important project that will positively affect so many people now and in the future. We remain committed to not only the health of our community, but the region. We've been a part of making our community better since 1917 and we continue that commitment," said Robert Rathbun, executive vice president - retail, East Region president, Chemical Bank. Previously, support from Chemical Bank played a pivotal role in the construction of the Gerstacker Building, which serves as a base for MidMichigan's Family Practice Center, the Family Medicine Residency Program and extensive health care education programs and services. "We are most grateful for the commitment and generosity from Chemical Bank toward yet another important project that will help so many," said Diane Postler-Slattery, president and CEO, MidMichigan Health. "We value their ongoing partnership with their most recent funding supporting our effort to ensure the best in cardiovascular care is available locally and throughout the region we serve." The new 160,000-square-foot building, to be located at the corner of Sugnet Road and Orchard Drive, will consolidate Midland's off-campus cardiology offices along with the non-invasive cardiovascular testing and interventional surgical heart and vascular services. An added expansion to the building will incorporate MidMichigan Medical Center - Midland's full-service diagnostic and support areas, including lab and imaging. MidMichigan is also collaborating with Michigan Medicine, the health care division of the University of Michigan, on the development of the remaining space in the new building. In addition to the funding commitment made by Chemical Bank, local foundations have provided support toward the Heart and Vascular Center. This support includes an $8 million pledge from The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, $3 million from the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation and a $1.25 million pledge from The Charles J. Strosacker Foundation. To date, nearly $13 million has been committed to this project. Those interested in more information on MidMichigan's comprehensive cardiovascular program may visit www.midmichigan.org/heartandvascularcenter Area residents want to stop or learn more about a companys permit request to the Environment Protection Agency to inject about 20,000 gallons of fracking brine daily into Sage Township in Gladwin County. A meeting on the topic is set Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Gladwin High School. There is an EPA public hearing immediately following the meeting, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. The EPA will accept public comments on the permit until midnight Friday. A concerned citizen is asking all movie houses showing Incredibles 2 to include a strobe-light warning because some scenes in the film may be harmful to people with epilepsy. Health Risks Of Strobe Lights Veronica Lewis, a blogger who goes by the name @veron4ic, started the warning thread in a series of tweets. In a spoiler-free post, she revealed that the sequel contains scenes involving strobe or flashing lights that could be harmful to people suffering from photosensitive epilepsy and other chronic illnesses. Likewise, the lights may also affect those who suffer from migraines, flicker vertigo, ADHD, autism, PTSD, seizure conditions, and vision impairment. Lewis cited the film's villain uses rapidly flashing lights to disorient people. One scene that involves the continuous strobe light lasts over one minute while the others last from five to 30 seconds. The scenes with the strobe lights are also found anywhere in the film. Lewis revealed that they often come without warning. She said her descriptive audio device alerted her about the bigger scenes. However, the light strobe lights appear out of nowhere for no reason. Strobe-Light Warning The health advocate clarified that she is not calling for a boycott of Incredibles 2 or for theaters to change the movie. She even praised the film for being "very well done" and acknowledged that the strobe lights are important to the plot in the story. However, Lewis is asking Disney/Pixar and theaters showing the movie to issue a warning about the strobe lights for viewers. She pointed out that even video games, some music videos, theme park attractions, live concerts, and even electronic products provide strobe-light warnings and its adverse effects and potential health risk for people suffering from seizures. Lewis is asking for the same warning from a movie aimed at kids, which she said can help parents make the appropriate decision involving their kids' health and safety. It also benefits those suffering from chronic illnesses since they are made aware of potential triggers. Disney has made the appropriate action in response to Lewis' health alert and asked theaters showing Incredibles 2 to issue a strobe-light warning for viewers. Movie houses posted the warning sign on ticket windows. Lewis thanked Disney and Pixar for the swift response and thanked other people for helping spread her warning. She said her goal of having signs posted in movie theaters has been reached. I wrote this during last weeks coverage of this new crime against humanity perpetrated by the Republican Party and Department of Homeland Security, but a big problem around these child concentration camps is that we have come to misunderstand the term. What the Nazis ultimately killed the Jews and other minority groups inside of were not concentration camps. They were extermination camps. The ghettos that Jews were initially concentrated inside were concentration camps. Weve been doing Nazi PR by calling early Dachau (the first concentration camp) and Auschwitz (where at least 1.1 million were murdered) the same thing. Our Nazi assist may seem preposterous, but its perfectly in line with our American values. Per Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf: There is today one state in which at least weak beginnings toward a better conception [of immigration] are noticeable. Of course, it is not our model German Republic, but [the US], in which an effort is made to consult reason at least partially. By refusing immigrants on principle to elements in poor health, by simply excluding certain races from naturalisation, it professes in slow beginnings a view that is peculiar to the Peoples State. While we deviated a bit from Hitlers vision in the years after he wrote that, we have now circled back around to it. This is America. Texas detention officer charged with "super aggravated sexual assault" of a 4-year-old girl after authorities say her mother, an undocumented immigrant, was being blackmailed to stay silent about the abuse or face deportation. https://t.co/v1QgyE7Z8X NBC News (@NBCNews) June 18, 2018 Infant ripped from mother's arms while she was breastfeeding the baby at border detention center; mother handcuffed for resisting https://t.co/vhbsGKrWLo Kasie Hunt (@kasie) June 13, 2018 SCOOP: Defense contractors making millions off of immigrant kids' detention.https://t.co/eJO65aYNWB Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) June 14, 2018 SCOOP: A fmr top CIA interrogator is training ICE's deportation agents in interrogation methods, documents show. He was hired 3 days after the Trump admin authorized its policy of separating undocumented families caught crossing the border.https://t.co/jyBzjhXbWXpic.twitter.com/pv3EQPclgy Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) June 15, 2018 .@RAICESTEXAS SAYS THERE ARE PARENTS WHO HAVE BEEN WAITING *FOUR MONTHS* POST-DEPORTATION FOR THE US TO RETURN THEIR BABY!!! THEY SKYPE ONCE A WEEK WITH THEIR **EIGHT MONTH OLD** WHO HAS BEEN EFFECTIVELY KIDNAPPED BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 14, 2018 AP story: officials scolded "a group of 5-year-olds for playing around in their cage, telling them to settle down. There are no toys or books." One boy was "quiet, clutching a piece of paper that was a photocopy of his mother's ID card" "IN THEIR CAGE" https://t.co/P3gUId1EVD Michiko Kakutani (@michikokakutani) June 18, 2018 At another shelter, a toddler "was crying uncontrollably and pounding her little fists on mat." Staff members tried to console the child, who looked to be about 2 years old. They gave her toys "but they weren't allowed to pick her up, to hold her or hug her to try to calm her" https://t.co/xYHiZ0Dr3T Michiko Kakutani (@michikokakutani) June 18, 2018 An account from an attendant aboard a flight transferring 16 unaccompanied children who were taken from their parents at the border. If you can read this without crying or feeling sick, unfollow me. pic.twitter.com/Z487f7I14s feminist next door (@emrazz) June 17, 2018 This 4-year old child was left to the care of other children for days: She was so traumatized that she wasn't talking. She was just curled up in a little ball." https://t.co/UnZPL1iD1Ipic.twitter.com/LspyxzfHKr Taniel (@Taniel) June 17, 2018 EXCLUSIVE: US could be holding 30,000 border kids by August: Officials https://t.co/JD80TEwDWZ Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) June 18, 2018 One month ago, I asked DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen about growing concerns that the admin was separating immigrant parents and children. Her response in a nutshell: "don't break the law." pic.twitter.com/ev4WmqIk5K Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) June 18, 2018 We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 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 This is a flyer from @DHSgov that outlines the steps a parent in Border Patrol or ICE custody can take to locate their child, once said child has been separated from them. Note: it only guides on how to locate a kid, not how to reunite. The truth matters. pic.twitter.com/0VedFJGkSc Todd Schulte (@TheToddSchulte) June 18, 2018 I saw chain link cages full of unaccompanied children. They sat on metal benches and stared straight ahead silently Rep. Peter Welch (@PeterWelch) June 17, 2018 She hasn't seen her daughter in two days and didn't know where she was. No one had told her that her daughter had been taken to a shelter. Rep. Peter Welch (@PeterWelch) June 17, 2018 Matt Drudge is using a photo of children from Azaz, Syria holding toy guns to depict kids fleeing Latin America as violent gangsters. Original photo here: https://t.co/rCDI9ycmHapic.twitter.com/Fw231u9LR7 Brian Tashman (@briantashman) June 18, 2018 These are concentration camps. Encyclopedia Britannica defines the term as an internment centre for political prisoners and members of national or minority groups who are confined for reasons of state security, exploitation, or punishment, usually by executive decree or military order. Our leaders are lying about a war crime, which may seem ridiculous, but againit is right in line with American tradition. We call Nazi extermination camps concentration camps, yet conveniently forget about our own concentration camps which imprisoned Japanese-American citizens during the same time. True freedom in America is a lie. Plenty of supposed respectful Republicans are cautioning us about being too hyperbolic and comparing these to Nazi war crimes, but that's not the point (the implication, as always, is that liberal hysteria is to blame for Trump, not conservatives making conscious decisions). In fact, arguing over the degree of awfulness misses the point entirely. Concentration camps sprung up in early 1930's Germany. Extermination camps soon followed. An employee at one of the shelters for migrant children says they're not equipped to handle things: kids are running away, throwing furniture, and attempting suicide. He quit in disgust. https://t.co/8fXEhf8z9zpic.twitter.com/pjpVTpkZYS Eric Umansky (@ericuman) June 17, 2018 Given that the Chief Nazi was encouraged by America's progress on his Final Solution, we don't need to travel that far to compare our child concentration camps to a piece of shameful history. We are repeating the madness we displayed during World War II (and before)except this time with a wholly invented global cataclysm to push back against. Americans interned around 120,000 of our own during World War II. Now that Trump has established that anyone branded as an MS-13 member is an animal (with a huge assist from some supposed respected conservativesagain, tone policing is all the powerless #NeverTrump GOP faction has left), we can easily eclipse that figure given our current political climate. We're expected to be imprisoning 30,000 CHILDREN BY AUGUST. Quinnipiac poll: Americans oppose the family separation policy for undocumented immigrants 66-27%. Republicans support it 55-35%. pic.twitter.com/ElrOCbiIUc Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) June 18, 2018 This is going to get worse. The president's son liked a tweet falsely accusing these children locked in cages of being crisis actors. Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Kirstjen We don't put children in cagesexcept we need to in order to enforce the law Nielsen, pushed a watered-down version of the same line this morning. Nielson warns that word of the get out of jail free card for people posing as families at the border has spread. Sam Stein (@samstein) June 18, 2018 Stop saying we are better than this, or this isnt America. This has always been Americawith this spirit enthusiastically embodied by the Republican Party of the last half-century, and being realized to its logical ends with the Trump Administration. We built a global superpower on the graves of the natives and on the backs of slaves. We have always been able to use rhetorical trickslike Manifest Destinyto justify our crimes against humanity. Heres Jeff Sessionsa ranking member on the Senate Budget, Judiciary and Armed Services Committees before becoming Americas most powerful lawman under Trumppraising the same racist Immigration Act of 1924 fawned upon by Hitler at the top of this story: When the numbers reached about this high in 1924, the president and Congress changed the policy, and it slowed down immigration significantly, we then assimilated through the 1965 [Immigration Act] and created really the solid middle class of America, with assimilated immigrants, and it was good for America. We passed a law that went far beyond what anybody realized in 1965, and were on a path to surge far past what the situation was in 1924. America is a democracy built on the principle of exclusion. Women have had the vote for 40% of our historyAfrican Americans for 61% at best. We have proven that we are capable of extreme fascism well before the word Nazi was a thing. Hell, even when we were doing good for the world by fighting the Nazis, we kept their dream alive by throwing over a hundred thousand Americans inside the very kind of camps we sacrificed American lives to liberate in Europe. In some ways, Hitler won before the fight was over. Not even a century later, as our last World War II veterans pass away, we are reconstructing prisons in subservience to the same ideology which buoyed the Nazis. Call these camps whatever you want. We spent the entirety of our post-WWII years proving that words dont mean anything (hence why we now call them internment camps, prison camps, etc). These crimes against humanity are emblematic of both Nazi and American World War II concentration camps. Anyone who believes they should exist is part of the problem. Jacob Weindling is a staff writer for Paste politics. Follow him on Twitter at @Jakeweindling. Lets just say it: Americans have a limited knowledge of Chinas government. Most of us know that a whole lot of our stuff comes from there and that if you say China three times into a mirror, Donald Trump will appear to yell about how theyre stealing our jobs, but thats about it. As John Oliver points out in this weeks Last Week Tonight, for a long time, that lack of understanding was intentional, but now, under the subversive influence of Chinese president Xi Jinping, China is expanding its influence on a global scale. Since assuming the presidency in 2013, Xi has quickly established himself as Chinas most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. His popularity stems largely from Chinas impressive economic growth (though that growth spurt started long before he took office). As Oliver notes, over the last 30 years, the expansion of Chinas economy has helped lift 800 million people out of poverty, and this new middle class backs Xi. In addition, Chinese lawmakers voted on March 11 to eliminate presidential term limits in Chinas constitution. The measure passed 2,958 to two, essentially granting Xi the opportunity to rule indefinitely and eliminating what Oliver calls any post-Mao guardrails. Xi has used his massive influence to develop his signature project, the Belt and Road Initiative. The $1 trillion (not billion, a trillion, the one with 12 zeros) project aims to reshape infrastructure and global trade routes to place China squarely in the center of that new network. China is no longer hiding its strength, as was the policy of previous presidents. Instead, the project has been openly advertised via a video of children singing cheerily about infrastructure expansion in English. Xi, nicknamed the cuddly Uncle Xi, depicts himself as a man of the people. He represents himself as Chinas equivalent of folksy; swap the I could grab a beer with him sentiments your one uncle harbored for George W. Bush with a pork bun. Oliver jokes that though Americans expect leaders to be pictured wolfing down junk food (as photographs of every president from Eisenhower through Trump eating ice cream are shown in the sidebar), this is unusual, but effective, behavior from a Chinese president. However, Oliver points out that, behind the scenes, Xis policies indicate a much more dangerous leader. Xi initiated a huge crackdown on corrupt politicians, which had the double benefit of pleasing Chinas populace and eliminating many of his political enemies. Many of those purged from the government were handed over to a secret, extralegal process through which they are tortured for confessions. Xi has also come down hard on dissent, banning the phrases personality cult and my emperor online, as well as images of Winnie the Pooh, whom critics have mockingly joked that Xi resembles. Additionally, Xi has begun to micromanage Chinese daily life by maintaining a list of untrustworthy people and categorizing citizens by their religion, resulting in 800,000 Muslims being incarcerated in religious reeducation camps. Over the next few years, Chinese citizens will be assigned a social credit score that increases through community service and purchasing Chinese goods, but decreases due to tax evasion or smoking in non-smoking areas. If their social credit score sinks too low, citizens are liable to lose their rights to purchase travel tickets, real estate, cars or even high-speed internet. Needless to say, these are all gross abuses of human rights, but little is being done to curb Xis actions. China has significant economic leverage and it has been using that to silence criticism, even when criticism is very much warranted, Oliver warns. He ends the monologue with a satirical propaganda video styled after Xis Belt and Road video, in which children sing about Chinas misleading self-representation. Watch the full segment from Last Week Tonight below, and check out Xis Belt and Road propaganda for yourself further down. ABIDJAN - Ivory Coasts Democratic Party, a member of the ruling coalition, Sunday rejected a proposal to form a unified party ahead of the 2020 presidential election, a plan which was supported by President Alassane Ouattara. "The political office of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), reassures members... of the determination of the party to regain power in 2020," the party said in a final statement after six hours of debate. The party also decided to postpone its 13th congress until after the 2020 polls. "The members are generally satisfied," party executive secretary and former commerce minister Jean-Louis Billon said. The PDCI meeting comes two weeks after Ouattara suggested he could seek a third term after his mandate ends in 2020. "The new constitution authorises me to do two terms from 2020. I will only make my final decision at that point, on the basis of the situation in Ivory Coast. The overwhelming priorities are stability and peace," Ouattara said in an interview with magazine Jeune Afrique. Ouattara came to power after a bloody five-month crisis in 2010-11. He ousted the then-president, Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to step down after losing elections and is now on trial in The Hague for war crimes. Violence between supporters of the two rivals claimed about 3,000 lives. Ouattarras RDR liberal party last month voted to back the formation of a large "unified party" with its allies but said there should be a primary to choose its candidate before the presidential polls. Transformation of the ruling coalition into a unified party has been a recurring theme in Ivorian politics over the past decade. Ouattara backs the plan, which has met resistence within the party and also from its allies in the PDCI, notably party leader and former Ivorian president Henri Konan Bedie, who attended Sundays meeting. One of the main stumbling blocks is the nomination of a candidate for the presidential election, since the PDCI believes it should now be its turn after having twice supported the RDR candidate. AFP Homeland Security Secretary and blatant liar Kirstjen Nielsen tweeted on Sunday that the Trump administration does not have a policy of separating immigrant children from their families at the border. This tweet comes in the midst of nationwide backlash against the separation of immigrant families and the virtual imprisonment of the children in special detention centers. We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 According to NPR, despite Secretary Nielsens claims, the Department of Homeland Security announced last week that around 2,000 children have been taken from their families and placed in detention centers in the past six weeks. Officials also acknowledge that the number may be even higher. This tweet was just one in a series of blatant lies concerning the inhumane zero-tolerance policy. Nielsen also tweeted: 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. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 You are not breaking the law by seeking asylum at a port of entry. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 This misreporting by Members, 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. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 Obviously, all of these are lies, but just for the sake of proving a point lets fact check a little. On the DHS website it states: The Attorney General directed United States Attorneys on the Southwest Border to prosecute all amenable adults who illegally enter the country, including those accompanied by their children, for 8 U.S.C. 1325(a), illegal entry. Children whose parents are referred for prosecution will be placed with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The website also includes a PDF flyer titled Next Steps for Families which details how a parent can locate their detained child, but doesnt supply any instructions on how to be reunited with the child. On Saturday, Stephen Miller, Trumps senior policy advisor, defended the policy to the New York Times.. He stated, 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. However, Nielsen obviously didnt read this article and tweeted away on Sunday denying the fact that the policy exists. She faced instant backlash on Twitter that revealed the truth she so blatantly denied. Here are the best, most clarifying responses. Did Trump pick @SecNielsen because she follows orders unquestionably no matter how immoral, or is it because he digs her Aryan appearance? https://t.co/aK2lpXo9JJ Greg Olear (@gregolear) June 18, 2018 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. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 Sessions already said the policy was the law and that the Bible says it was OK. Is Sessions lying or are you? Dan Wilbur (@DanWilbur) June 18, 2018 Then why do it? Why the cages? Why the inhumane conditions? What are you thinking??? The trauma inflicted on 1000s of children is unacceptable!Stop this right now. Andrew Zimmern (@andrewzimmern) June 18, 2018 YouAreOnTheWrongSideOfHistoryAnd you wont be remembered well for it.Stand up for decency. STORMY Newport (@ruckus2) June 18, 2018 Thank you for your moral leadership, Laura Bush. I hope the @realDonaldTrump, @SecNielsen and Jeff Sessions heed your words. These are children. #KeepFamiliesTogetherhttps://t.co/JmLQyUAFDc Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) June 18, 2018 You mean this policy? This, on your website, doesnt exist?https://t.co/If5TkHdpWa keithjgrant (@keithjgrant) June 18, 2018 This is a bald-faced lie. DD Adams for NC05 (@DDAdamsCongress) June 17, 2018 Wait. We thought @SecNielsen said separating kids from their parents wasnt a real policy. https://t.co/uHDhCMeOhi Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) June 18, 2018 pic.twitter.com/tftWioud0N I want a new president (@Vicious2707) June 18, 2018 Stephen Miller earlier this week: It was a simple decision by the administration to have a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry, period.@SecNielsen of @DHSgov tonight: We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. Kurt Andersen (@KBAndersen) June 18, 2018 Dear @SecNielsen: You are lying. Period. How do we know you are lying Sec Nielsen? Because Stephen Miller pushed for the policy change & AG Sessions gleefully announced it.Also, 2000 kids didnt voluntarily decide to leave their parents. You forced the separation. Get it? https://t.co/BNqyZa7P7D Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 18, 2018 This is not correct. I was at the ICE detention center in Elizabeth, NJ this morning and met with parents separated from their children when they entered the US seeking asylum. @SecNielsen should be honest about the Admins enforcement policies. https://t.co/Cvhp8Vh99G (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) June 18, 2018 .@secnielsen, this isnt true. I just met with officials at Border Patrol Processing Center in McAllen, Texas, who told me 1,147 children have been separated from parents at their facility. https://t.co/1Z5WXMClbJ David Cicilline (@davidcicilline) June 17, 2018 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. Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 One month ago, I asked DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen about growing concerns that the admin was separating immigrant parents and children. Her response in a nutshell: dont break the law. pic.twitter.com/ev4WmqIk5K Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) June 18, 2018 2000 children are willing to testify against your lies. Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) June 17, 2018 Edwin W. Jordan was 17 years old when he joined a group of Marines that invaded the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll in November 1943. The goal was to secure a base for continued U.S. operations against Japanese forces in the central Pacific, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which is part of the Department of Defense that accounts for missing military personnel. A Pittsburgh native, Pvt. Jordan was killed in the first day of the battle, which took place Nov. 20, 1943, and was buried on the island with other dead service members. Pvt. Edwin W. Jordan grew up on East Street in the Spring hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Over several days of fighting, about 1,000 Marines and sailors were killed and more than 2,000 wounded in a U.S. victory that provided the Navy's Pacific fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline islands. After the war, remains of those buried after the battle were recovered, but Jordan's remains weren't among them. Eventually, they were declared "unrecoverable," according to the DPAA. His niece, Nancy Erwin, said that her aunt said something that stuck with her, that "no one would ever know that her brother roamed the earth. And that bothered me, because she was right." It took more than seven decades, but Jordan was accounted for Sept. 27, 2017, after the Defense Department used advanced investigative techniques to locate further areas believed to contain remains. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on April 9, and PennLive was there to film the ceremony. More than a month later, PennLive caught up with Erwin in Pittsburgh. She drove two and a half hours from her home in Williamstown, West Virginia, to sit for the interview, where she talked about her uncle's time in the service, the angst at his remains remaining unidentified for so long and the ceremony at Arlington. Editor's note: If you are a Pa. veteran or know of one who has a story to tell, contact Paul Vigna at 717-255-8404 or send an email to pvigna@pennlive.com. While we are looking for veterans of all wars, we would like to increase the number of stories we have on veterans who fought in the Vietnam War and the wars that followed. Next: More on 100 Years of Heroes Back in May, amid much fanfare, the Wolf administration announced it was filing suit against a group of legal, professional and financial firms for their role in a controversial upgrade to the city's trash incinerator that nearly plunged Pennsylvania's capital city into bankruptcy. Among the defendants was the white shoe law firm Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney P.C. And in a statement, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said it was "time to hold those responsible for the failed incinerator debt scheme accountable and recoup the taxpayer dollars wasted by their negligence and deception." Still, about a month later, Wolf's re-election campaign held a $1,000-a-head fundraiser at Buchanan, Ingersoll's offices on Second Street in Harrisburg. PennLive obtained a copy of the invitation. It is reproduced in the photograph below: Wolf's campaign spokeswoman, Beth Melena, confirmed the authenticity of the invitation. The June 12 invitation is one of the more vivid illustrations of the Capitol's 24/7 fund-raising culture. Lawmakers and other elected officials hold scores of such events throughout the year. And it is theoretically possible for lobbyists and other parties to discuss a pending piece of legislation at a breakfast reception; see the bill acted upon in committee in the morning; to attend another fundraising luncheon at noon; have the bill voted on the afternoon, and then tip back drinks at still another evening reception at the bars and restaurants along Second Street in Harrisburg. But the clash is particularly vivid for Wolf, who enacted an executive branch gift ban for his administration, and who has made improving government accountability and transparency a cornerstone of his administration. In an email, Melena disputed that characterization. The operations of the administration and Wolf's re-election campaign are wholly separate. "It changes nothing in his efforts to hold all involved parties accountable to the people of the city of Harrisburg and Pennsylvania," she argued. The essence of Melena's argument makes sense. But it's hard to get around the fact that the optics of the event are terrible. Wolf faces former Republican Scott Wagner, a fellow York County resident, and a former state senator, in this November's general election. In an email, Wagner's spokesman, Andrew Romeo, said the cocktail reception makes clear that "Wolf always makes the choice that he thinks will get him re-eelected, not the one that is in the best interest of the people of Pennsylvania. If he thinks what [the law firm] did was so negligent, then he should grow a backbone and refuse their contributions." As of the beginning of June, Wolf held a 10-to-one fund-raising advantage over Wagner, the millionaire owner of trash-hauler Penn Waste. Wolf had $15.2 million in his campaign account as of June 4, compared to $1.6 million for Wagner, The Associated Press reported. Meghan Markle's father, Thomas Markle, made his first public comments Monday on "Good Morning Britain" since missing the royal wedding. In the interview, Markle said he has yet to meet Prince Harry in person but described him as a "very nice man," a "gentleman" and "very likable." In phone calls he said they talked about politics including President. Trump and Brexit. Thomas Markle is a 1962 graduate of Newport High School in Perry County, Pennsylvania. He was scheduled to walk his daughter down the aisle at her May 19 wedding at St. George's Chapel in Windsor but was unable to because he had heart surgery. He said he watched the wedding on television from California. "I was very upset it wasn't me, because the whole world was watching my daughter. The unfortunate thing for me now is I'm a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history rather than the dad walking her down the aisle," he said. Markle said the most important phone call was when Prince Harry asked for his blessing to marry Meghan. "My daughter has been a princess since the day she was born," he said. WILLIAMSPORT -- A man accused of being a serial robber in Virginia has been charged with holding up a credit union office in September claiming he had a bomb. Marquis L. Buckley, 41, was charged Monday in U.S. Middle District Court with armed bank robbery. His prosecution will be in Virginia, where he is facing other charges. Buckley is accused of robbing the SPE Federal Credit Union in Ferguson Township outside State College on Aug. 22. He and a man identified in the criminal information only as R.C. are alleged to have manufactured two fake explosive devices, one of which placed near the Research West Building on the Penn State campus and the other on the roof of the Wal-Mart on North Atherton Street. A phone card purchased at the Wal-Mart was used to call in bomb threats to 911 in an effort to disperse police, the charge states. Buckley is accused of handing a teller in the credit union office a bag and a note that stated: "If a dye pack goes off, the bomb will. If anyone walks out behind, then I will detonate bomb." Financial institutions are known to give robbers bills containing a dye pack that explodes when they leave. The robber got approximately $7,200, which was shared with R.C., according to the charging documents. Although R.C. has not been charged with a federal crime, Ferguson Township police charged Rodrequis Armanti Council, 32,of State College, with conspiracy, terroristic threats and receiving stolen property. He is awaiting trial in Centre County, accused of using the bomb threat to divert police resources from the Aug. 22 robbery. He is jailed in lieu of $300,000 bail. Buckley, reportedly from Georgia, is charged with several robberies in Virginia Beach area including one on Oct. 13 in which he allegedly wore a woman's wig, glasses and white lab coat, had a fake bomb and discharged a gun into the air while demanding money. He also has been implicated in another 2017 robbery and four in 2011, all in Virginia. Monday is going to be a scorcher for central and eastern Pennsylvania, according to forecasters. "The warm-up has begun across central Pa., but the core of the heat and humidity will arrive on Monday," according to the National Weather Service at State College. Heat index levels, the combination of the feel of temperature and humidity, will reach about 102 in the Harrisburg area on Monday. "Widespread temperatures near or above 90 are expected from Cleveland to Syracuse, New York, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania," according to AccuWeather. The heat advisory is in effect from noon until 8 p.m. Monday and includes Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Lancaster, Perry, Lebanon, Adams, Mifflin, Juniata, Franklin, Union, Snyder, Montour, Northumberland, Columbia, and Schuylkill counties. To the east, a heat advisory has also been issued on Monday for Berks, Lehigh, Northampton-Delaware, Philadelphia, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, Tioga, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Luzerne and Pike counties. Monday's high in the Harrisburg area is expected to be near 94. The low at night will be around 75. "This combination of high heat and humidity may cause heat stress during outdoor exertion or extended exposure," forecasters said. Drier and less humid weather is expected to make a brief appearance later this week, according to AccuWeather. You can see live weather updates via the National Weather Service and other Twitter sources below. Tweet us at @pennlive with photos of inclement weather at your place, incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com. WILKES-BARRE -- The beginning of the work week was far from business as usual for employees of 23 stores and restaurants damaged or destroyed in last week's EF-2 tornado in Wilkes-Barre Township. Officials here were still trying to get a handle on exactly how many retail and restaurant workers - people already on the economic margins - may have been put out of work for what could be weeks or months by the tornado that Wednesday night carved a swath through the Arena Hub Plaza with its 130-mph winds. Lucy Morgan, emergency response manager with Luzerne County, said the state Labor and Industry rapid response team was actively working with affected businesses, which range from retail behemoths like TJ Maxx and Barnes and Noble to the mom-and-pop Polish Pottery Pride. The line between those businesses that were back open on Monday versus the ones that could be closed for months was a thin one, indeed. All told, property damage from the tornado has been estimated at $18 million, with 23 business damaged or destroyed. By Monday, there were plenty of signs of cleanup and repair work at a number of the damaged businesses. At others where the destruction is too great to repair, owners were salvaging what they could before demolition crews rolled in. As many as nine structures have already been condemned, officials said. Much harder to calculate will be the lost business and employees' lost wages over the weeks and months to come. Diners and shoppers routinely swoop in from the summer-swelled Interstate 81 nearby. But with so many stores shuttered, all those people who rang up purchases, cooked and served meals and kept the stores and restaurants clean won't be drawing precious paychecks. As of Monday, no one here knew exactly how many workers have been affected, nor what kind of economic safety net will be available to these service workers, who could be a couple of paychecks away from their own personal financial disasters. At Ross Stores, which was spared from the twister's arbitrary and capricious path, 13-year employee Sheila Greco was breathing a sigh of relief but sympathizing with many of her fellow retail workers now out of jobs. "We were closed for two days," Greco said. "That was bad enough. I can't imagine being wiped out. Where do they go?" There was no good answer to that question in the tornado's immediate aftermath. The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce was reaching out to all tornado-affected businesses, be they members or not, to connect them with low-interest loan programs, temporary locations and other services in hopes of getting them back in business as quickly as possible and minimizing the economic fallout. "It's definitely going to have an impact," chamber membership director Ben Eaton said. "That was a major business district in the community. But I don't have any numbers. It is too early to tell right now." Eaton said the chamber had no programs targeted specifically at employees of the affected businesses. But, he added, the quicker the shops, restaurants and department stores can reopen, the sooner those workers can get back to work and begin collecting paychecks again. The line between those businesses that were back open on Monday versus the ones that could be closed for months was a thin one, indeed. For example, the path of the twister took out Pet Smart, Barnes and Noble and TJ Maxx, but spared Best Buy, Lowes and Five Below right nearby. At Polish Pottery Pride, roofs were torn off the building, but inside the mom-and-pop shop, nary a piece of pottery was cracked. "It's amazing. Not a plate got broken! Unbelievable!" Mike Vnuk exclaimed. Mike Vnuk and his wife, Basia, owner of Polish Pottery Pride, pack up their pottery on a muggy Monday as they go in search of a new business location in wake of the twister. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean his wife's business has been spared. The building housing the shop was so damaged that it will likely be torn down, Vnuk said. Now the thriving pottery business, buoyed by all that traffic from Interstate 81, must find another location. But not just any place will do, Vnuk added. "It's not just finding a place," he said. "It's finding a good location." As Vnuk and his wife, Basia, were packing up their pottery on a muggy Monday, that next location was still very much up in the air. So were the lives of so many more who came to this center, not just to shop, but to work. Even among those lucky enough to still have jobs to go to and paychecks to take home, things were different. Lunches at Panera and coffee at Barnes and Noble are off the schedule for the foreseeable future. So too could be all the extra customers that those big-name businesses brought in on a daily basis. Would business here ever be as good? "I'm not going to say it's normal," said Sheila Greco, stealing a smoke outside before returning to her post at Ross. "But it's nice to be working again." Far too many others can't say the same. President Donald Trump's White House continued Monday to falsely blame Democrats for its own hardline policy of separating families and children at the border. Meanwhile, bipartisan anger at the policy continued to build on Capitol Hill. Amidst all that, here's what most members of Pennsylvania's U.S. House delegation, and its two U.S. Senators, have to say about the debate. A quick inspection will reveal a pattern. Democrats have been vocally critical, while Trump's fellow Republicans have either been supportive or notably silent. In cases where we could not reach lawmakers for comment, we will update once we hear from them. U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa. The Pennsylvania Republican discussed the issue at length during an interview on WJET-AM in Erie on Monday morning. The short form: Congress needs to do something because "I don't think anyone wants to see the consequences that we've seen recently." Toomey also said the issue of separations had been "exaggerated." Listen to the full interview below: U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.: The Admin can stop this inhumane treatment of children right now. @SenateMajLdr & @SpeakerRyan can use the power only they have to bring legislation Im supporting to the floor to force the end of this practice as early as tomorrow. Its time to act https://t.co/Yy7VADC52Y Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) June 17, 2018 U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R): Barletta, who's challenging Casey this fall, made his comments during an interview with KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. "Should you or I commit a criminal act this afternoon after we're done with this interview, we're going to be separated from our families," he said. "So the laws of the country state that when you commit a criminal offense, children, you will be separated during the custody. I don't think we should have separate laws for people who come in the country illegally and other laws for American citizens." He continued: "Remember, why people come to the country illegally is because we're not enforcing the laws. So if people knew when they came here what would happen, we would not have this situation." Updated: Barletta, who's challenging Casey in this fall's U.S. Senate race, later released this statement through his campaign: My statement on the southern border crisis: pic.twitter.com/x0xBQQZUKi Lou Barletta (@louforsenate) June 19, 2018 U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D): While we celebrate #FathersDay make sure to take a moment and send prayers for the fathers being separated from their children by our government at the border. A policy that must and can be changed with a simple signature. Dwight Evans (@DwightEvansPA) June 17, 2018 U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R): Updated: Perry's office has just released this statement: "We must remain a kind and humanitarian country to those who seek freedom, but we're also a sovereign nation with laws that ultimately determine how we can best control our borders and protect our people. Poor policies from previous administrations have encouraged and exacerbated illegal activities on our borders that hurt our children daily and erode our ability to protect them and our American way of life. While illegal activities on our borders that exploit children and our resources aren't new, the enforcement of our laws is; and while the laws are enforced, we must do everything we can to ensure that all children are being cared for with the goal of the best possible long-term outcomes." U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D) To use a bible passage to justify separating children from parents to appease your base is disgusting & offensive. This is not who we are as a country. https://t.co/alaNAjLJxV Rep. Brendan Boyle (@CongBoyle) June 15, 2018 U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb (D): We could not locate any public comment by Lamb or a published interview. His office could not immediately be reached for comment. Updated: Lamb's office has released this statement: "Taking children away from their parents is wrong, it's cruel, and it doesn't make us any safer. This isn't how we treat people in America. "We can enforce the law without breaking up families and forcing kids to live in detention camps and tent cities. We are a country that respects and abides by the rule of law, and we are a country that treats human beings with dignity and compassion. "We can be both. We need to be both. We need to do our jobs in Congress and take bipartisan action to put an end to this policy." U.S. Rep. Glenn 'GT' Thompson (R): We couldn't find any public comment by Thompson on the border issue. His Twitter feed has focused on his recent work on the Farm Bill. Thompson Reminds Dairy Farmers: Enrollment Period Extended for Improved Margin Protection Program https://t.co/8MRczD8tDL Glenn 'GT' Thompson (@CongressmanGT) June 16, 2018 Updated: Thompson's office has released the following statement: "The House of Representatives is set to consider two immigration bills this week, both to secure our southern border. Each will contain a provision to reconnect children with their parents, while punishing bad actors who try to elude our nation's laws. I look forward to this debate and timely action on strengthening our country's immigration laws." U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R): The Bucks County Republican's office has not issued a statement on the border debate. Nor has he made any public comment on it that we could locate. Fitzpatrick's office was the site of a protest over the weekend, however. Updated: Fitzpatrick's office sent this statement to PennLive: "I ran for Congress to make a difference and to actually get things done. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I've seen firsthand the threats our nation faces from a porous border and a fragmented and broken immigration system. "I firmly detest the heartless and inhumane practice of separating children from their parents at the border. This extreme measure must end. It is an ineffective deterrent against illegal immigration, and children should not have to face traumatic ordeals given the actions of their parents. We have waited over a year and a half for Congress to resolve the crisis on our borders. Inaction is unacceptable. "I will continue to demand debate and a vote on legislative solutions to secure our borders, respect the rule of law, and protect the dignity and humanity of our children. The time is now to act. We cannot and must not allow partisanship and gridlock to prevent sensible fixes from being implemented. Our nation's security and our nation's children depend on us." U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R): Like other Pa. Republicans, the Erie lawmaker has so far not commented publicly on the border debate. Here's what he said in September 2017 as debate on DACA recipients roiled Capitol Hill: "I share that children should not be punished for the actions of their parents and that 'we are a nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.' I also applaud to upholding Congress's role as the law-writing body within our government and his readiness to craft legislation that deals with the complex legal, security, and humanitarian aspects of immigration" Updated: Kelly's office has released this statement: "As a father to four and grandfather to ten, the sight of any child being separated from his or her parents is deeply troubling to me. I want to get this problem solved immediately. For instances when the child is verifiably not being exploited or facing any danger, then I agree with President Trump that current policy should be changed to keep family units together. When dealing with the many facets of immigration and border control policy, numerous concerns must always be carefully weighed, including legal, economic, security, and humanitarian consequences. Responsibly debating this issue must begin with separating concrete facts from sensationalized rumors, half-truths, and falsehoods. As a lawmaker, I have an obligation to hear from all sides of this debate, including law enforcement authorities in the federal government who work hard to keep our country safe. As a representative, I have a duty to craft policies in the best interests of the safety and prosperity of all Western Pennsylvanians, including wage security for our workers. As I continue to review the facts of the current situation and listen to concerns from my constituents, I remain ready to work with my congressional colleagues to update our border policies in a way that is fully good for our citizens, tough on criminals, and humane to families looking for a better life." U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D): The Philadelphia congressman, who is retiring at year's end, has not made any public comment on the current border debate, his office said. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R): Smucker's office could not immediately be reached for comment. We could not locate any public statements by the Lancaster-area congressman. Updated. Smucker's office sent this statement to PennLive: "Reading reports of what's happening at our border and evaluating current policy, you can't help but have an emotional response. Like all of us, and as a father, I believe families should remain together whenever possible. But our immigration system is broken, and currently allows for families to be separated. Congress should address this issue, and the first step is having all the facts. That's why I'm contacting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to get more information from her about how Congress can prevent separating families while ensuring a strong and secure border." U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D): The notion that you must separate children from their parents to secure the border is just not true. This is a cruel way to try and deter illegal border crossings. I support border security, but now we must end the family separations and #KeepFamiliesTogether Matt Cartwright (@RepCartwright) June 18, 2018 U.S. Rep. Tom Marino (R): The northeastern Pennsylvania Republican has not made a public statement on the border debate. He posted this Tweet on the controversial question of sanctuary citie. AG Jeff Sessions: "Countless Americans would be alive today...if these policies of sanctuary cities were ended." pic.twitter.com/T11qkQezdn House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) March 27, 2017 U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle (D): The Pittsburgh lawmaker has apparently not issued public comment on the border debate. He has supported clean passage of DACA, however. Updated. Doyle's office has released this statement: "The Trump Administration's policy of separating families at the border is abhorrent, not to mention possibly illegal and unconstitutional. Families with children shouldn't be treated this way. "I strongly oppose the Trump Administration's policy of separating children from their parents. I'm outraged that the Administration would adopt this policy, and I'm angry that the Administration is trying to mislead the public about why so many children are being separated from their parents now. "The separation of children from their parents at the border began in May when the Trump Administration announced its 'Zero Tolerance' policy of arresting and prosecuting all adults who crossed the border without the proper papers. It's Trump's policy - and his policy alone - that's separating children from their parents. "At first, I think it was, as [former DHS Secretary and now White House Chief of Staff] John Kelly said, an attempt to deter the immigration of undocumented families by making the consequences of crossing the border harsher. "But now that there's been such a big backlash against the policy of separating children from their parents, it seems that the Trump Administration is trying to shift the blame for its own policy choices onto Democrats, and use the public outcry as leverage to force Democrats to accept a number of other harsh Trump anti-immigrant policies - just as it did earlier with DACA. "I'm a cosponsor of H.Res. 927, which condemns the Trump Administration's Zero Tolerance policy for separating children from their parents, and calls for keeping the families of immigrants and asylum-seekers together." U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello (R): Guess that means theres not going to be immigration reform anytime soon. Trump says he won't sign GOP's compromise immigration bill https://t.co/N8mepFuTxj Ryan Costello (@RyanCostello) June 15, 2018 U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R): We could not locate a public statement or published comments by the north-central Pennsylvania Republican. On his congressional website, Shuster, who is retiring at year's end, takes a hard line on most immigration issues. Here's language that's relevant to the matter at hand: "Instead of amnesty, immigration reform must start with heightened border security and end with the strict enforcement of our laws. A nation is nothing without total control over the sovereignty of its borders. I strongly support tougher laws against smugglers and drug traffickers. I also support the deployment of National Guard troops to our borders as well as increasing the physical fence along the border and the deployment of a virtual fence made up of sensors, UAVs and other monitoring technologies to truly secure our border." Updated: Shuster's office did not respond to an email seeking comment for this story. U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus (R): The western Pennsylvania Republican's Twitter feed is silent on the immigration debate. Though he did find time to mention last week's FBI Inspector General report critical of ex-FBI boss James Comey. On his congressional website, Rothfus has this to say about DACA: "President Obama himself asserted that he did not have the authority to change our immigration laws unilaterally, but then illegally implemented DACA anyway in an election year ploy to rally his base," said Congressman Rothfus. "The Trump Administration's action to end this unconstitutional program restores the rule of law and allows Congress to reclaim its constitutional authority to set immigration policy. Immigration reform begins with securing our borders and establishing a functioning entry and exit system. We can then begin solving the challenges of our broken immigration system, including addressing the status of children who were brought here through no fault of their own by their parents." Updated: Rothfus' office released this statement: "As a father of six, I am deeply committed to protecting the well-being and safety of all children," said Congressman Rothfus. "The best interests of any child should be considered as we deal with the challenge of minors who are intercepted while crossing our borders. I believe it is possible to uphold our nation's laws and ensure border security while taking steps to look out for the well-being of these children during a difficult situation. I will continue to work with my colleagues to find solutions that minimize the impact on the children involved during unlawful entry into the US including, where feasible, keeping families together. This is a complex problem that must be addressed thoughtfully with careful deliberation, but it is one that can be solved responsibly for the American people and affected children." 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. By Elizabeth Sherman Arizona Sen. John McCain - scion of Navy brass, flyboy turned Vietnam war hero and tireless defender of American global leadership - now faces terminal brain cancer. I am a scholar of American politics. And I believe that, regardless of his storied biography and personal charm, three powerful trends in American politics thwarted McCain's lifelong ambition to be president. They were the rise of the Christian right, partisan polarization and declining public support for foreign wars. Republican McCain was a champion of bipartisan legislating, an approach that served him and the Senate well. But as political divides have grown, bipartisanship has fallen out of favor. Elizabeth Sherman (The Conversation, photo) Most recently, McCain opposed Gina Haspel as CIA director for "her refusal to acknowledge torture's immorality" and her role in it. Having survived brutal torture for five years as a prisoner of war, McCain maintained a resolute voice against U.S. policies permitting so-called "enhanced interrogations." Nevertheless, his appeals failed to rally sufficient support to slow, much less derail, her appointment. Days later, a White House aide said McCain's opposition to Haspel didn't matter because "he's dying anyway." That disparaging remark and the refusal of the White House to condemn it revealed how deeply the president's hostile attitude toward McCain and everything he stands for had permeated the executive office. So McCain ends his career honorably and bravely, but with hostility from the White House, marginal influence in the Republican-controlled Senate, and a public less receptive to the positions he has long embodied. The outlier McCain's first run for the presidency in 2000 captured the imagination of the public and the press, whom he wryly referred to as "my base." His self-confident "maverick" persona appealed to a more secular, moderate constituency who like him, might be constitutionally opposed to the growing political alignment between the religious right and the Republican Party. McCain enthusiastically bucked his party and steered his "Straight Talk Express" through the GOP primaries with a no-holds-barred attack on Pat Robertson and Rev. Jerry Falwell. The two were conservative icons and leaders of the Christian Coalition and the Moral Majority. McCain branded Robertson and Falwell "agents of intolerance" and "empire builders." He charged that they used religion to subordinate the interests of working people. He said their religion served a business goal and accused them of shaming "our faith, our party, and our country." That message earned McCain a primary victory in New Hampshire but his campaign capsized in South Carolina, where Republican voters launched George W. Bush, the stalwart evangelical, on his path to a presidential victory in 2000 against Democratic nominee, Vice President Al Gore. By 2008, McCain saw the political clout of white, born-again, evangelical Christians. By then, they comprised 26 percent of the electorate. Bowing to political winds, he adopted a more conciliatory approach. McCain's willingness to defend America as a "Christian nation" and his controversial choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, an enthusiastic standard bearer for the Christian right, as his running mate, signaled the electoral power of a less tolerant, more absolutist "values-based" politics. McCain's about-face reveals a political pragmatist willing to make peace with the Christian right and accept their ability to make or break his last attempt at the presidency. His strategy reflected his tendency to abandon principles if they threatened his quest for the presidency. Having railed eight years prior against the hypocrisy of the right-wing religious leadership, McCain may have felt some personal discomfort kowtowing to the dictates of self-appointed moral authorities. But the electorate had changed since then, and McCain showed he was willing to shift his position to accommodate their beliefs. The primary that year also required an outright appeal to independents and even crossover Democrats. That would potentially provide enough votes to boost him past George W. Bush, whose campaign had already expressed allegiance to the conservative religious agenda. In 2008, Mitt Romney, a devout Mormon considered religiously suspect by many evangelicals, emerged as McCain's main rival for the nomination. Sensing an opportunity to establish a winning coalition, McCain jettisoned his former objections to the political influence of the religious right, shifting from antagonism to accommodation. In doing so, McCain revealed his flexibility again on principles that might fatally undermine his overriding ambition - winning the presidency. In fact, the incorporation of the religious right into the Republican Party represented but one facet of a more consequential development. That was the fiercely ideological partisan polarization that has come to dominate the political system. The lonely Republican Rough parity between the parties since 2000 has intensified the electoral battles for Congress and the presidency. It has supercharged the fundraising machines on both sides. And it has nullified the "regular order" of congressional hearings, debates and compromise, as party leaders scheme for policy wins. Fueled by highly engaged activists, interest groups and donors known as "policy demanders," partisan polarization has overwhelmed moderates in our political system. McCain was a bipartisan problem-solver and was willing to compromise with Democrats to pass campaign finance reform in 2002. He worked with the other side to normalize relations with Vietnam in 1995. And he joined with Democrats to pass immigration reform in 2017. But he was also one of those moderates who ultimately found himself on the outside of his party. McCain's dramatic Senate floor thumbs-down repudiation of the Republican effort to repeal and replace Obamacare turned less on his antipathy to Trump and more on his disgust with a broken party-line legislative process. On an issue as monumental as health care, he insisted on a return to "extensive hearings, debate, and amendment." He endorsed the efforts of Sens. Lamar Alexander, a Republican, and Patty Murray, a Democrat, to craft a bipartisan solution. Foreign and defense policy was McCain's signature issue. He wanted a more robust posture for American global leadership, backed by a well-funded, war-ready military. But that stance lost support a decade ago following the Iraq War disaster. McCain's 2008 presidential campaign slogan of "Country First" signified not only the model of his personal commitment and sacrifice. It also telegraphed his belief in the need to persevere in the war on terror in general and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in particular. But by then, 55 percent of registered independents, McCain's electoral base, had lost confidence in the prospects for a military victory. They favored bringing the troops home. Over the course of six months that year, independent support for the Iraq war fell from 54 percent to 40 percent. Overall opposition to the troop "surge" was at 63 percent. Barack Obama's promise to wind down America's military commitment and do "nation-building at home" resonated with an electorate wearied by the conflict and buffeted by their own economic woes. Advocate for global leadership McCain continues to assert the primacy of American power. He decries the country's retreat from a rules-based global order premised on American leadership and based on freedom, capitalism, human rights and democracy. Donald Trump stands in contrast. Trump, like Obama, promises to terminate costly commitments abroad, revoke defense and trade agreements that fail to put "America First," and rebuild the nation's crumbling infrastructure. In his run for the presidency, Trump asserted that American might and treasure had been squandered defending the world. Other countries, he said, took advantage of U.S. magnanimity. In Congress, Republicans have become cautious about U.S. military interventions, counterinsurgency operations and nation-building. They find scant public support for intervention in Syria's civil war. Seeing Russia as America's implacable foe, McCain has sponsored sanctions legislation and prodded the administration to implement them more vigorously. Accepting the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia, McCain repudiated Trump's approach to global leadership. He declared, "To abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history." McCain has spent his life committed to principles that, tragically - at least for him - have fallen from favor. The Conversation He faces great personal peril now - at the same time that the country's repudiation of the principles he's championed may put the nation at risk. Elizabeth Sherman is an assistant professor in the Department of Government at American University's School of Public Affairs. She wrote this piece for The Conversation, where it first appeared. By Marc A. Thiessen Well, that didn't take long. President Trump had barely departed Singapore when Democrats in Washington unleashed scathing attacks over his meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Marc Thiessen (Washington Post photo) "What the United States has gained is vague and unverifiable at best. What North Korea has gained, however, is tangible and lasting," Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) fumed. "In his haste to reach an agreement, President Trump elevated North Korea to the level of the United States while preserving the regime's status quo," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) protested. Please. Where were these complaints when President Barack Obama was enjoying peanuts and Cracker Jack with Raul Castro at a Havana ballpark? And a few months ago, Schumer was decrying Trump's "reckless" military threats and Pelosi was complaining about his "saber-rattling." Now, suddenly, Trump's gone from warmonger to the second coming of Neville Chamberlain? The criticism is premature and overwrought. Trump made no real concessions in Singapore. He did not lift sanctions, unfreeze North Korean assets or send secret planes loaded with hard currency to Pyongyang. He did not sign an agreement ending the Korean War or offer Pyongyang diplomatic recognition. All the president did was, as a goodwill gesture, suspend military exercises with South Korea -- a decision he can easily reverse. And the fact that the statementthe two leaders signed referred only to "complete denuclearization," not "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization," does not mean that Trump gave up verification or irreversibility in the deal, because there is no "deal" yet, only a "communique" that summarized what the two leaders discussed. We are at the start of the negotiating process, not the end. Trump's critics need to back off. He inherited this mess. Every other approach by his predecessors to stopping Pyongyang's nuclear drive has failed. So, the president and his team are trying something new; they deserve some latitude to see if this new approach can succeed. Will it work? Maybe not. The North Koreans are skilled liars. It will be incredibly difficult to reach a good deal that ensures the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of North Korea. But there is reason for hope Trump will not sign a bad deal. That's because the president set a very high bar for himself when he withdrew from Obama's nuclear deal with Iran. Any agreement with North Korea that he and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reach can't replicate the flaws they identified in the Iran deal. What were those flaws? The administration has identified five principal defects: 1. Weak verification. As Trump declared in his May speech on the Iran nuclear agreement, "the deal's inspection provisions lack adequate mechanisms to prevent, detect, and punish cheating, and don't even have the unqualified right to inspect many important locations, including military facilities." 2. No restrictions on ballistic missiles. The Iran deal "fails to address the regime's development of ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear warheads," the president said in the same May speech. 3. No nuclear dismantlement. "The deal doesn't even require Iran to dismantle its military nuclear capability," Trump said in a 2016 address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. 4. Front-loaded sanctions relief. "The deal lifted crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for very weak limits on the regime's nuclear activity, and no limits at all on its other malign behavior," Trump declared in his May address. 5. No congressional buy-in. During the congressional debate over the Iran deal, Pompeo complained that "instead of coming to Congress for approval of an Iranian deal, the President needs only to convince a handful of Democrats to not override a presidential veto." 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 North's compliance, the secretary said this week. The United States, he said, has assembled a team of more than 100 experts who will be charged with the task of "dismantling North Korea's weapons programs." Any agreement, Pompeo also said, will cover North Korea's "[chemical and biological weapons] program and missiles that threaten the world." And he assured that "until such time as we get the outcome that we're 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." That is an incredibly high standard that will be very tough to meet. "This administration will not repeat the mistakes of the past," Pompeo promised, adding that "a bad deal is not an option." We know what a bad deal looks like. We should all be pulling for Trump and Pompeo to negotiate a good one. Marc A. Thiessen writes a twice-weekly column for The Post on foreign and domestic policy and contributes to the PostPartisan blog. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush. His work appears frequently on PennLive Opinion. By Connie Schultz Last week, in a discussion thread on my public Facebook wall about the current political climate, a reader asked a question that's been needling me: "How do we keep from demonizing those who would demonize others?" Connie Schultz (Creators Syndicate photo) In attempting to answer her, I realized how much I've been wrestling with this since the 2016 presidential campaign. I am not isolated from Donald Trump voters. A close relative voted for him, as did some longtime friends. People I've trusted with everything from our home to our pets voted for Trump, too. It is impossible for me to demonize all of these people in my life and be done with them. We have too much shared history that forces me to remember all those other parts of them I loved and admired before they broke my heart. I wasn't raised to give up on people. Nearly 20 years after her death, I am still my mother's daughter. She was used to being underestimated by so many people who later told her she had changed their lives. It hurt her sometimes when people initially dismissed her, but she put her faith in God and second chances. Had she not been willing to wait out their growth spurts, she would never have known the magnitude of her impact. My mother would not have voted for Trump, not ever, but she also would not have cut out of her life those who did. I know her way is the high road, even when I've lost the map. Especially then, I suppose. I have reached the point, however, where I do not hesitate to tell people who voted for Trump that I do not need to hear why they thought he should be president. I tried, I really did, but I'm done. This administration is pulling hundreds of screaming children out of the arms of their immigrant parents, often without so much as a goodbye. I don't have a hot second for those who still think President Trump was a good idea. The news just keeps getting worse as the Republican majority in Congress refuses to stand for the lives of innocent children. And isn't that one hell of a punchline? Last week, the Des Moines Register reported that a teenager from Iowa who had lived in America since he was 3 was deported to Mexico and killed soon after his arrival. The Washington Post reported that after his 3-year-old son was ripped from his arms, 39-year-old Marco Antonio Munoz killed himself in a Texas cell. He was seeking asylum from Honduras after the murder of his brother-in-law, which Attorney General Jeff Sessions says is no reason at all. Ditto domestic violence, including rape, which Sessions likened to just another one of those "personal circumstances." Rep. Pramila Jayapal met with dozens of migrant mothers in a federal prison who described being forcibly separated from their children, many of them infants. In some instances, they could hear their children screaming in the next room. And now McClatchy is reporting that Trump "is looking to build tent cities at military posts around Texas to shelter the increasing number of unaccompanied migrant children being held in detention." One such tent city might hold between 1,000 and 5,000 children. So no, I am not interested in listening to why Trump "isn't all bad," and for the life of me, I can't imagine how anyone still says that out loud. I know that some regret their vote for him. I hear from them every week, sometimes in person. I do not need their confession. I try to maintain an impassive face and an open heart when they feel compelled to share it anyway, but I have no words left for them. I am not going to waste my energy on this. Nor am I going to spend any more time engaging those who still want to talk about how Hillary Clinton and Trump were just such horrible options that they either didn't vote or cast their ballot for someone who couldn't win. Each of us has only so much energy each day, and I'm not sparing one more ounce of mine on their exhausting lack of contrition. So many tell me lately that they're ashamed of this country. I don't feel that way, but it's because I am so regularly exposed to the goodness of fellow Americans. Just yesterday, I was making what I thought was small talk with a white 33-year-old construction worker, when he suddenly offered how the election had changed him. "I won't be an idle bystander anymore," he said. "I won't be that white person you see in those videos watching -- and doing nothing -- when a racist thinks he can bully somebody else. This is who I have to be." This is who we all have to be. If you're up for it, I'm all ears. Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and professional in residence at Kent State University's school of journalism. Her work appears on Mondays on PennLive. Legislation that would give low-level, non-violent criminal offenders a chance at clearing their record to rebuild their lives is moving closer to vote possibly before the end of the month. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday unanimously approved a House-passed version of the bill, known as "Clean Slate, that would automatically seal the records of Pennsylvanians who committed certain misdemeanors, served their sentence, and go 10 years without another arrest. Disclosure of a criminal record, however, would be permitted to law enforcement to perform their duties. Senate GOP spokesman Jenn Kocher said Republican leaders are still evaluating the timing on when the bill will receive further consideration. Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale said when he was growing up, it was a well-accepted concept that people who committed a crime and paid their debt to society deserved a second chance. "Somewhere along the line, that changed," he said at a Capitol news conference on Monday prior to the committee's vote. "We are returning to that basic American value that people deserve a second chance. Look, we all make mistakes. In this day and age with mass incarceration where they will throw you into jail for any kind of infraction almost. It's time that we pushed back and say enough is enough." The House bill, championed by Reps. Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland County, and Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, has the support of Gov. Tom Wolf, who in April called for the Legislature to send him the Clean Slate bill. The Senate previously passed by a 50-0 vote a similar version of this bill championed by former Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York County, and Sen. Tony Williams, D-Philadelphia. Along with the bipartisan support in both chambers, the measure enjoys the support of business, labor, district attorneys and criminal justice organizations. If enacted, Pennsylvania would become the first state to automatically seal the misdemeanor records of people who earn that right, Delozier said. "We have a number of people who are out there who made a stupid mistake when they are young," Delozier said at the news conference. Once enacted, this bill will give them "the ability to move on, get good housing, get a good job, and be part of our communities." Nearly 1 in 3 Pennsylvania adults has some type of criminal records, which can hold them back from going to college, getting a job or a place to live. Eighty-one percent of Pennsylvanians generally support the "Clean Slate" proposal, according to a 2017 poll commissioned by the U.S. Justice Action Network, which organized the news conference. Its executive director Holly Harris said, "Clean Slate acknowledges how hard it can be for someone to find a job or even spend time with their children simply because of something they did years earlier. People who choose to learn from their mistakes and want to live productive lives should be able to do just that. It is time to send this legislation to Gov. Wolf." Rep. Harris called the measure the next step for Pennsylvania to take after putting a law on the books in 2016 that allowed a person to petition the court to have their record sealed for certain non-violent misdemeanors as opposed to having their record automatically sealed as the "Clean Slate" bill would do. "It is the next step in helping us ensure that people who have rehabilitated their lives, who have changed, and who are on the right path, that we as a government are working with them to help clear their records so they can be gainfully employed," Harris said. "This is a jobs bill. This is about getting people back to work and helping them ... so that we can reduce our recidivism." Three Philadelphia Eagles players Torrey Smith, Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long and a representative from the Pittsburgh Steelers organization came to the Capitol in the fall to advocate for the bill. Smith shared the story of his mother who had a felony conviction that arose out of an abusive relationship she had with an ex-husband. He said because of criminal record, she was forced to hold several low-paying jobs working 14 to 15 hours a day to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. After 10 years, Smith said she was pardoned by then-Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, which opened the door for her to get a job that allowed her to earn nearly $100,000. Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry President and CEO Gene Barr noted the bill includes protections that the chamber sought. It would provide immunity to employers from civil liability for damages suffered as a result of criminal or unlawful conduct related to an employee's sealed criminal history information. So along with this bill helping to serve the business community's workforce needs, Barr called it the "humane thing to do. ... Let's make sure we get this done. This is important for the commonwealth and to the business community and it's certainly important for the people who will be positively impacted by this." *The story was updated to include the comment from Holly Harris of the Justice Action Network. Health official: 'It is sobering even one child has been directly impacted by COVID-19' Houston Ballet soloist Harper Watters has a good thing going on. Not only is he one of the companys rising young dancers, but hes also a ballet celebrity on social media, where he charts his life on Instagram and on his hugely popular YouTube series, The Pre Show (which he describes as tons of ballet, banter, boys and lots of backstage shenanigans). The Dover, New Hampshire, native, who seems just as comfortable in a pair of pink heels as he does onstage, trained at Walnut Hill School for the Arts and Portsmouth School of Ballet. While a member of Houston Ballet II, he landed an apprenticeship with the company after winning the Contemporary Dance Prize at the 2011 Prix de Lausanne. He joined the main company that same year and was promoted to soloist in December 2017. Known for his big personality, elegantly long lines and sensual flow in contemporary work, Watters, 26, is ready to take on the next phase of his career. He recently spoke with Pointe about his new rank and his mission to help others feel proud of who they are. What did your promotion to soloist mean to you? It was a huge accomplishment. I felt like I was dancing at my best, and its a way of letting me know that my director, Stanton Welch, was noticing that I was making the right choices, offstage and onstage. Its incredibly validating. Was there a threshold moment in your career when you knew things might change? In spring of 2016, I was dancing in all three pieces during our mixed rep. I was still in the corps and realized I was dancing with soloists and principals. I could either be extremely frustrated or focused. I chose to be focused and really pushed myself. I think Stanton was testing me. What was huge for you this year? Being a prince! It was during Nutcracker, right before my promotion. I was so nervous. You cant hide behind the role. I tend toward contemporary work because there seems to be more artistic choices, but I found that this was also true with the Nutcracker Prince. Stanton allowed me to be my own kind of princeI learned so much about making a role my own. Where do you want to grow artistically? I want to face the wall of pure classical ballet. I hope there will be many classical roles on my horizon. I am 50 percent excited and 50 percent nervous. Im learning Espada in Don Quixote. Hes all about machismo, so that will be new. Being a soloist will open up many more possibilities. How do you manage staying on top of your dance game and your tremendous Instagram following? I am obsessed with social media. I never find it a struggle. I am always on the pulse of whats happening in pop culture and the ballet world. I want to inspire my followers. All 147,000 of them? Yes! And keep them. I also want to share my life as a ballet dancer. I wish I had that when I was growing up. Watters rehearsing the role of Espada in Don Quixote Photo by Amitava Sarkar, Courtesy Houston Ballet Watters rehearsing the role of Espada in Don Quixote Photo by Amitava Sarkar, Courtesy Houston Ballet Watters rehearsing the role of Espada in Don Quixote Photo by Amitava Sarkar, Courtesy Houston Ballet Watters rehearsing the role of Espada in Don Quixote Photo by Amitava Sarkar, Courtesy Houston Ballet Watters rehearsing the role of Espada in Don Quixote Photo by Amitava Sarkar, Courtesy Houston Ballet Watters rehearsing the role of Espada in Don Quixote Photo by Amitava Sarkar, Courtesy Houston Ballet Does your celebrity status ever get in the way of your artistic goals? No. Also, I dont consider myself a celebrity. I consider myself a dancer first and that is never compromised. Describe your YouTube series, The Pre Show. The Pre Show highlights the Houston Ballet dancers as they prepare for shows, as shown through my eyes. Think Oprah and Beyonces love child, who joined one of the largest ballet companies in the U.S. Does it help with stress before a performance? Yes! I am loud and energetic, and when I get nervous I get mute. The Pre Show is really cathartic, and it helps me become grounded. So, yes, its entertaining to share what you love, but it also really helps me get on my leg before the show. Talk about your signature pink heelshow did they become a part of your persona? The shoes were a gift from a fellow company dancer. The first time I put them on I filmed my first treadmill video. I had the best time everI had no idea it would go viral and that people would have such a positive response to it. Its the confidence and attitude they give me that I think people connect to. You are obviously very comfortable as a gay man. Is part of your mission to encourage others to be themselves? One hundred percent. Entering this world at a young age, I told myself I had to fit a certain mold. My dancing suffered because of it. The second I started bringing Harper to class, rehearsal and the shows, my dancing began to improve and so did my opportunities. There is extreme power in being yourself. Two Charged with Endangerment of Child Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 14, 2018 | SYMSONIA By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 14, 2018 | 10:04 AM | SYMSONIA Two people face felony endangerment charges, after a Graves County deputy responded to a home to check on a young child. Graves County Sheriff Dewayne Redmon said a deputy went to check on a four-year-old child at a home in Symsonia on Wednesday after being contacted by the child's father, who told them his wife had been arrested in Ballard County, and his daughter had been left at the home. As the deputy arrived, the grandfather was there to pick up the child, who was alone outside the home. Deputies found 21-year-old Brandon Kyle Daniels of Castalian Springs, TN, asleep inside. A deputy was able to awaken Daniels after several attempts, and said Daniels appeared to be under the influence and could not remember who was supposed to be in the home with him. Daniels told deputies that the child's mother, 26-year-old Brittany Graves, of Westmoreland, TN, had left the child with him, and he was not aware that the child had gotten out of the home. He was arrested on a charge of 1st degree wanton endangerment. During a search of Daniels at the jail, deputies reportedly found a plastic baggie of meth. He was additionally charged with 1st degree promoting contraband and possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. Graves was also arrested and charged with 1st degree wanton endangerment. 549 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard In a new interview with the Washington Post, the person in charge of the Trump administrations zero-tolerance immigration policy in the Rio Grande Valley said that the number of children taken from their parents would likely double in the coming months. The Rio Grande is now the busiest segment of the U.S.-Mexico border as more refugees from Central America have attempted to enter the United States there. Manuel Padilla Jr., Border Patrol chief for the Rio Grande Valley, told the Post that his border agents had separated 568 parents from children but that figure was just half the number of parents who could have been prosecuted. According to Padilla, this means that as they step up enforcement under the zero-tolerance policy he thinks the number of children taken from parents will double. At least, that is what he is hoping will happen. We are trying to build to 100 percent prosecution of everybody that is eligible, Padilla said. We are not there yet, but that is our intent. According to national figures from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) nearly 2,000 minor children were taken from their parents during the six week period from April 19 through May 31, and many more have occurred during June. Padilla is a big supporter of the new policies which require all people to be arrested and requires separation of children. He said that many years of lax enforcement of U.S. laws had encouraged more attempts at illegal entry into the country. This zero-tolerance initiative changes that completely, he said. We cannot just have this surge of immigration without any consequences. While Padilla said he hopes the new policies will remain in place long enough to be 100% effective, many others disagree with him. There has been an outcry from religious groups, both Republicans and Democrats, and even the United Nations about the policies which are seen as both cruel and unnecessary. More importantly, advocates for the people detained have made clear that the factors which motivate families to attempt to enter the United States illegally are not going away. Wendy Young, president of a nonprofit group that provides immigrant children with free legal support said that the new policies wont stem the tide. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had said that the cruel approach is needed to stop people from coming. It doesnt matter how cruel we become. Families are going to take that risk, she said. 5.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has abandoned his scheme to kill Medicare as the GOP agenda suffers a crushing defeat. Politico reported, Republicans on Capitol Hill are giving up on what might be their last best chance to overhaul Medicare, just as theyre losing their leading champion on the issue, House Speaker Paul Ryan. The quiet surrender on a subject thats energized GOP fiscal hawks for the better part of a decade comes as new projections show Medicares trust fund in its worst shape since the recession, partly because of Republicans other chief obsession: their sweeping tax cuts. Ryan and the Republicans had planned on paying for their tax cuts for the wealthy with a massive gutting of Medicare, Medicaid, and other social safety net programs. Republicans have dreamed of killing Medicare for decades, and when they once again got control of the entire federal government they though they were about to achieve their dream of harming millions of seniors. As the tax cuts for the wealthy, and their unwillingness to do anything about gun violence has proven, Republicans dont care about public opinion. Before Ryan and the GOP could make their big move, the blue wave came along and terrified them. Republicans could be facing massive losses in the House, and they cant afford to enrage even more voters before the election. Paul Ryan got his tax cuts for the rich, but what he also wanted was to privatize Medicare. Paul Ryans dream is dead, and if Democrats win back all or part of Congress in November, the healthcare of Americas seniors will be safe for at least two more years. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. 3.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard China gave Trump $500 million to get rid of the ZTE sanctions, but the Senate voted to reimpose the sanctions 85-10 as part of the must-pass NDAA legislation. Politico reported, The provision targeting ZTE was part of the National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass defense spending bill that cleared the Senate by a vote of 85-10. It must now be reconciled with the House version of the measure, which takes a narrower approach to ZTE. The vote raises the stakes in Congress brewing confrontation with Trump over the Chinese company, which lawmakers of both parties consider a national security threat to U.S. networks. In a sign of the broad backing for the effort, Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Marco Rubio of Florida as well as Democrats like Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts pushed for the ZTE ban to be included in the defense bill. China isnt getting their moneys worth for their $500 million bribe The Chinese government gave Trump $500 million for a new project in Indonesia. At around the time that the cash was changing hands, Trump warmed to China suddenly telling French president Macron that the EU was worse than China on the issue of trade. ZTE is a national security threat to the United States, but after getting a cash infusion of a half of a billion dollars, Trump decided that he had to help save jobs in China and rescue ZTE. Unlike the president, the US Senate isnt for sale to the highest bidder. The level of bipartisan agreement on this amendment suggests that the White House is heading for a showdown with Congress that they do not want to have. Congress is correct. There is no way that the sanctions should be lifted. Only a corrupt fool could support such a reckless and dangerous move. The Chinese bribe failed, as Senate Republicans showed a rare bit of spine and that they are capable of doing something else besides rolling over and playing dead for Trump. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. 2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) told Donald Trump that Democrats arent going to do anything on immigration while he is holding children hostage. Video: Transcript: Katy Tur: Do you think the president, this administration, believes that ultimately the Democrats will back down in order to stop this, the Democrats will give him his border wall and will amend the Visa lottery program, et cetera? Sen. Klobuchar: I dont think people are going to do anything while hes holding children hostage. We are always willing to talk with him about immigration and Tur: Do you think this is holding them hostage? Klobuchar: I believe thats whats happening. I believe its leverage, yes. Leverage, hostage, you can call it what it is. No one should sugarcoat it. Trump has ripped these kids away from their parents and is holding them hostage until Democrats pay for his wall. Lets not kid ourselves, this isnt about changes to immigration law. Trump is getting desperate and he wants his wall. It is going to be mighty uncomfortable for Trump to run for reelection in 2020 with no wall to point to, especially since he promised that Mexico would pay for it. Democrats arent going to give in to Trump terrorism If Trump wants anything, he must release the child hostages, and provide full protection for the Dreamers. The pictures and the audio coming out of the detention centers arent hurting Democrats. Trump is being pummeled by the wall to wall coverage of children who are locked in cages and crying for their parents. Democrats arent going to cut a deal with a two-bit terrorist, and as long as Trump tries to take hostages instead of governing, he is going to continue to be a failed president. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. 344 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard On Sunday former First Lady Laura Bush published an opinion piece in The Washington Post in which she blasted the Trump administrations policy for separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. The normally soft-spoken wife of former President George W. Bush did not hold back in criticizing Trumps zero tolerance policy, saying it is cruel and immoral and breaks my heart. Here is how she began her opinion piece which fittingly appeared on Fathers Day: On Sunday, a day we as a nation set aside to honor fathers and the bonds of family, I was among the millions of Americans who watched images of children who have been torn from their parents. In the six weeks between April 19 and May 31, the Department of Homeland Security has sent nearly 2,000 children to mass detention centers or foster care. More than 100 of these children are younger than 4 years old. The reason for these separations is a zero-tolerance policy for their parents, who are accused of illegally crossing our borders. I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart. As many others agree, Mrs. Bush said that the border detention facilities in Texas were eerily reminiscent of the Japanese internment camps the U.S. built after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor during World War II. Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso, she wrote. Mrs. Bush then commented on that fact that Americans have always seen themselves as being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war. Echoing many other critics of Trumps policy, she then added, If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents and to stop separating parents and children in the first place. Concerning what to do about immigration policy, she said that she believed there are good people in Washington who can fix this. But, she said the injustice of zero tolerance is not the answer. Many Americans will be happy that a prominent Republican public figure like Mrs. Bush is standing up to the cruel practices of Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump. Hopefully this will be enough to awaken their consciences so they can see that what they are doing is not the right thing and is truly un-American. Her husband, although still very unpopular, also had the courage to speak up against Donald Trumps racism in February of last year. In People magazine he was quoted as saying, I dont like the racism and I dont like the name-calling and I dont like the people feeling alienated. And now it is clear that his wife agrees with him, as do the vast majority of the American people. By Angus McDowall BEIRUT (Reuters) Syrian state media said on Monday that U.S.-led coalition aircraft had bombed a Syrian army position near the Iraqi border, causing deaths and injuries, but the U.S. military denied it was responsible. The attack took place in al-Harra, southeast of the town of Albu Kamal, state news agency SANA said, citing a military source. SANA said the attack caused an unspecified number of deaths and injuries. A commander in the alliance fighting alongside Damascus told Reuters that drones which were probably American had bombed the positions of Iraqi factions between Albu Kamal and Tanf, as well as Syrian military positions. The commander, who is not Syrian and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the strike had killed and injured some Iraqi fighters, but he did not give any numbers. Iraqs Popular Mobilisation Forces, a grouping of mostly Iran-backed Shiite paramilitaries, said a U.S. air strike on the Iraqi border with Syria killed 22 of its members and wounded 12 others. At 22:00 last night a U.S. plane hit a fixed headquarters of the Popular Mobilisation Forces 45th and 46th brigades defending the border strip with Syria using two guided missiles which lead to the martyrdom of 22 fighters, it said in a statement. It demanded an explanation from the United States. 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 uses air power and special forces to back an alliance of Syrian Arab and Kurdish militia fighting Islamic State northeast of Albu Kamal. U.S. forces are also based around the Tanf crossing, southwest of the town in the Syrian desert near the borders of Iraq and Jordan. President Bashar al-Assads army, with the help of Iran-backed militias including Hezbollah and Iraqi groups, drove Islamic State from Albu Kamal and its environs last year, but the jihadists have since staged attacks there. The Popular Mobilisation Forces have been officially included in Iraqs governmental forces but many of them still maintain loyalties to their former leaders and political groups. They said the base that was hit was 700m into Syrian territory and the Syrian government was aware of their presence. OCCUPYING FORCES The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said unidentified planes had struck Lebanons Shiite Hezbollah and other allied foreign militias around Albu Kamal. The UK-based Observatory said the strikes had killed 52 people. Reuters could not independently verify the Observatorys report of casualties. Asked about the reported air strikes, an Israeli military spokeswoman said: We do not comment on foreign reports. Throughout Syrias seven-year war, Israel has carried out scores of strikes within the neighboring country against what it describes as Hezbollah or Iranian targets. Israel, alarmed about the clout of arch enemies Iran and Hezbollah, has pressed Russia, Assads other key ally, to make sure Tehran does not entrench its military sway in Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet he had repeated and clarified his Syria policy in weekend phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. First of all, Iran must clear out of all of Syria, Netanyahu said on Sunday, according to a statement from his office. Secondly, we will take action, and are already taking action, against the attempted military entrenchment of Iran and its proxies, both close to the border and deep within Syria. In an interview last week, Assad called Hezbollah a basic element in the war and said the need for these military forces will continue for a long time. He said the United States was an occupying power in Syria and that his state supported any act of resistance, whether against terrorists or against occupying forces, regardless of their nationality. (Reporting By Laila Bassam, Angus McDowall, Ellen Francis and Lisa Barrington in Beirut, Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington, Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Ulf Laessing and Ahmed Aboulenein in Baghdad. Editing by Gareth Jones, William Maclean) 2.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump spun off into a jealous rage because he thinks that America should love him like they love Obama. Trump tweeted: If President Obama (who got nowhere with North Korea and would have had to go to war with many millions of people being killed) had gotten along with North Korea and made the initial steps toward a deal that I have, the Fake News would have named him a national hero! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2018 Trump is jealous because America likes Obama more The American people saw right through Trumps North Korea publicity stunt. There is no deal. There are no first steps to a deal. What Trump did was give up massive concessions to North Korea in exchange for some vague language about getting a deal. Trump did not accomplish anything, but legitimatizing one of the most brutal dictators, which is something that Obama would have never done. The Obama administration did the Iran nuclear deal which was working before Trump destroyed it. Trump did a photo-op with Kim Jong-un and weakened the United States. Trump desperately wants to be loved like Obama, but Trump isnt half the human being that Barack Obama is. The Obamas were a loving first family and a role model. Trumps wife doesnt even want to live him because he has affairs with porn stars. Obama constantly appealed to Americas better angels. Trump dredges up our darkest demons. Obama used the presidency to try to make peoples lives better. Trump is using the presidency as a personal slush fund to enrich himself, his administration, and his family. Obama never betrayed his country by colluding with hostile foreign governments to win an election. Donald Trump cant say the same. Trump is so jealous of Obama that it is eating him up inside. The American people will think of Trump the way that they think of Obama. Obama was a trailblazing hero. Trump may go down in history as the biggest traitor to this country since Benedict Arnold. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. 1.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross failed to divest himself from his private company holdings upon entering government, according to a new investigative report from Forbes Magazine. After being nominated, Ross promised to divest from his investment holdings upon entering office. This earned him praise from senators in both parties, and he was easily confirmed. You have really made a very personal sacrifice, said Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut. Your service has resulted in your divesting yourself of literally hundreds of millions of dollars. In November of 2017, Ross sent a letter, confirming his divestments, to the federal Office of Government Ethics. In the letter he said that he had divested himself of everything he promised. But according to Forbes that was not true. In their investigation they found that: Ross still owns an interest in companies co-owned by the Chinese government, a shipping firm tied to Vladimir Putins inner circle, a Cypriot bank reportedly caught up in the Robert Mueller investigation and a huge player in an industry Ross is now investigating. Rather than dump them all, the commerce secretary sold some of his interests to Goldman Sachs and, according to Ross himself, put others in a trust for his family members. He continued to deal with China, Russia and others while evidently knowing that his familys interests were tied to those countries. Five days before reports surfaced last fall that Ross was connected to cronies of Vladimir Putin, through a shipping firm called Navigator Holdings, the secretary of commerce, who likely knew about the reporting, shorted stock in the Kremlin-linked company, positioning himself to make money on the investment when share prices dropped. Ross illegally submitted a sworn statement to federal officials in November saying he divested of everything he had promised he wouldeven though he still held more than $10 million worth of stock in financial firm Invesco, his former employer. He also continued to hold a short position in a bank called Sun Bancorp, a company he had promised to divest. Ross has maintained that he did not lie and he has not broken any laws. Concerning his failure to live up to his promises to divest himself of his investment holdings, the secretary and his office have made no comment. Although it is not completely clear that Wilbur Ross has done anything illegal, it is very clear that he has broken his promises to the U.S. Senate, and he is acting unethically. Since he is in business with both China and Russian companies, his independence as a government official is being called into question. This is critically important at a time when the U.S. is entering into a trade war with China. Once again, through his cabinet appointments, Donald Trump has shown that he is not draining the swamp in Washington but is actually restocking it with people who are more corrupt than ever before. I first discovered Tash Sultana while hunting for new music. This is rare for me. I am the person that listens to the same two artists on repeat for years, ( I love you, Avett Brothers, and Dr Dog). So for me, it seems like fate that I stumbled upon Tash Sultana, who broke my repeat habit to immerse me in a world of unexpected, yet perfectly placed, soundscaped rhythms paired with transcendental vocals. She has since held a steady spot on my "most played" list. She's Australian born and music raised. Tash plays over 20 musical instruments. I was fortunate enough to see her play many of them at Governor's Ball NYC. Photo By Megan Oots Her performance was incredible. I made sure to stay front and center while others chilled on the notorious Gov Ball Hill that faced the Bacardi Stage where she performed. No matter where were are when you first hear her music, it's sure to make your head turn. Photo By Megan Oots AND Thursday was Tash's 23rd Birthday! Giphy Follow Tash Sultana on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram POP DUST | Read More About Music... INTERVIEW | A Great Big World's Next Chapter #WomanCrushWednesday | Linda Bella RELEASE RADAR | Premiere from ELZ AND THE CULT Supposedly a parody of the Charlie Chan movies, Mastermind is a slapstick spoof in which Zero Mostel plays a Japanese police inspector who investigates crimes involving a toy companys prototype for a pint-sized android that knows karate. People are frozen by deadly darts, and theres a nightclub and a bath-house and a big chase before everyone goes home. What amazes me about this movie isnt that such a thing exists but that such a thing exists without my having heard of it. Ill explain my befuddlement. According to various sources, including Leonard Maltins Movie Guide, this movie was barely released in 1976 after having sat on the shelf since 1969. The year 1976 explains why the crude, cut-rate poster art, as reproduced on the Blu-ray cover, exclaims Smarter than the Pink Panther! and Mightier than the Mighty Kong! The Pink Panther series was in full revival, and the King Kong remake was another release that year. I presume the reference doubles as a pun on Hong Kong for a vaguely Asian joke. Chan was Chinese Hawaiian, but nobody seems to have been thinking about it too coherently. What Im getting at is that in 1976, this kind of knockabout offering would have been up my alley, for I was determined to see every comedy I could feast my orbs upon. Besides the aforementioned Pink Panther rally, Mel Brooks was king with multiple crudely humored spoofs, and Neil Simon was getting into the act with Murder By Death (1976 again) in which Peter Sellers of the Panther films played Chan-parody Sidney Wang. Sellers also starred in the spy spoof Undercovers Hero (1974) and The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980), the latter shortly before Peter Ustinov essayed Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981). Other slapstick actions of this era, as they come rushing back to me, would be The Black Bird (1975), Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976 yet again!), Silver Streak (ditto), The Big Bus (again ditto), Fun With Dick and Jane (1977), The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977), Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe (1978), Foul Play (1978), Movie Movie (1978), The Villain (1979) and Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981). Its a mixed bag to say the least. I couldnt always see these movies at the time, being many years from driving or shaving, but youd better believe I knew about them. So the fact that Mastermind is a blank in my memory bank indicates that it never played at a theatre near me nor was even advertised on TV. (Unlikely as it may seem, youngsters, there was a time when all major motion pictures and even the minor ones were supported by TV commercials that blanketed the airwaves the week before the film opened. The TV trailer often ended with a hasty list of local theatres showing the proffered item. This practice evaporated, as nearly as I can recall, sometime around the invention of HBO and Showtime.) I seem to have gotten away from the movie at hand, and if you ever sit through it, youll understand the impulse. I must acknowledge the species of schizo-affective nostalgia it induces for a movie Ive never heard of but that resembles so many others, for I know that my pre-discerning self would have been amused by much of its deliberately childish, brightly colored antics. With equal honesty, I must testify that nothing in it makes me laugh now, yet I stare at the thing in semi-bewildered fascination. As Inspector Hoku Ichihara, Mostel makes no special attempt to sound Japanese, or Asian or Oriental or anything except Mostel, beyond adopting the Chan style of speaking without pronouns or articles a quirk singled out for mockery in Murder By Death. We should be grateful for this, or there might have been gags about switching R and L in words. Were less grateful that he has no consistent characterization, as sometimes hes supposed to be brilliantly analytical and other times hes a bumbler. Now and then he imagines himself a samurai in scenes that spoof the miraculous swordfighters of many other films, as though thats the kind of movie hed rather be starring in and perhaps wed rather be watching. Hes at his lowest ebb when stalking and harassing a nightclub owner he idolizes and obsesses over, a swinging modern chick played by a very distinguished Japanese actress, Keiko Kishi. Among other roles, she played the heroine of Snow Country (1957), the ghostly Snow Woman in Kwaidan (1965) and the eldest of The Makioka Sisters (1983). Hollywood-watchers may recall her from The Yakuza (1974). Theres little point in discussing the ramshackle plot or the supporting characters played by Gawn Grainger (a British assistant), Frankie Sakai (a suicidal guard whos a kind of random chaos inducer not unlike the Pink Panthers Cato), Sorrell Booke (toy executive and ex-Nazi), Herbert Berghof (inventor and ex-Nazi), or Jules Munshin and Phil Leeds (Israeli agents eavesdropping on everything with electronic bugs, which feels slightly avant for 1969 but fits right in with 1976). Two figures, however, are worth noting. The android is played by diminutive Felix Silla, best known as Cousin Itt on The Addams Family and Twiki the robot on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. He can also be seen in the above-mentioned The Black Bird, dressed up like Hitler. Mastermind is among his few roles with uncovered face, although hes heavily made up like a kind of ventriloquists dummy. Tossed into the plot almost as an afterthought is the lone American character, a CIA agent no, thats CSS Agent called Jabez Link and played by Bradford Dillman. It may not be a consciously political statement that his character comes closer than anyone to outright villainy, but such a throwaway detail is at least unwittingly revealing of its era. Also, he spends the whole bath-house sequence dressed only in a towel, so theres that. What are the films best aspects? Its shot on location in Kyoto for authentic production value, so Mostel is surrounded by actual Japanese actors and extras. Its colorfully designed, occasionally even mod or groovy, so at least moderately pleasing to the eye. As for the ear, Fred Karlins score repetitiously evokes that jaunty, bouncy, jolly style (with Japanese touches) that goes with flat-out slapstick movies of the era and which really nobody composes anymore. The most amazing thing about Maltins review, if we dont count the three-star rating, is a stated running time of 131 minutes. That book is usually accurate about such details, but theres no reality in which that would have been tolerated. The movie runs under 90 minutes, and nothings obviously missing besides wit. Research reveals that the behind-the-scenes story of this movie may be more interesting than whats on screen. This film seems to have been a work-for-hire credit for Alex March, a TV director who didnt specialize in comedy and demonstrates why, but the project involves a very interesting name who did specialize in comedy: William Peter Blatty. Today, Blatty is famous for his novel and screenplay of The Exorcist, whose success occupied much of his attention in the 70s and 80s and got him labeled a horror specialist. Prior to that, he wrote humorous books and screenplays, including several collaborations with Blake Edwards most significantly A Shot in the Dark (1965), the second Pink Panther movie and a direct inspiration here, both for the bumbling inspector and for Blattys invention of Cato (played by Burt Kwouk) in that film. Cato was already something of a parody of the Green Hornets valet Kato, most famously played by Bruce Lee in the 1966-67 TV series. Blattys script for the exclamatory John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965), based on his novel, found humor in the U-2 incident involving pilot Francis Gary Powers. Instead of landing in the Soviet Union, Blattys hero landed in a fictional Arab country run by Peter Ustinov. The title can be perceived as a weird inversion of the phrase Yankee Go Home, popular in punchlines of the era. The same year as Mastermind, Blatty scripted a slightly less obscure Zero Mostel comedy, The Great Bank Robbery, which includes international factions in a Texas town. Both films were produced by Malcolm Stuart. Blatty objected so strongly to the rewriting of Mastermind that he signed it with the pseudonym Terence Clyne, nor can we fault his judgment. In another irony, that rewriter was Ian McLellan Hunter, who also used a pseudonym: Samuel B. West. Hunter acted as a beard during the blacklist era and picked up an Oscar for Roman Holiday (1953) that really belonged to Dalton Trumbo. And that reminds us of yet another ironical twist, ladies and gentlemen, for 1976 was also the year Mostel gave a flat-out great performance in Martin Ritts The Front, probably the best film ever made about blacklisted writers and their beards. Wikipedias entry on Mastermind claims Blattys original screenplay was published in 2013 as Five Lost Screenplays from Lonely Road Books. Further research reveals that, while its true that such an undertaking was solicited in 2013, it still hasnt surfaced, yet its officially sold out because of being printed on a kind of subscription basis. Surely it will be worthwhile for some scholar to compare the original screenplay with the finished result, and perhaps to search for geopolitical similarities to the satirical outlook in John Goldfarb or Blake Edwards Blatty-scripted What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966). Alas, it will have to be someone else, as we have only so much time, money, and masochism, with only the last in anything like lavish supply. The entirely unexpected and unlooked-for Blu-ray of this virtually lost item offers no extras. No matter, we must suppose a few more curious viewers will be able to see it now, and we wish them joy. 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. I sit on the banks of the river on a particularly orderly day holding a pocket watch that used to belong to my grandmother in the palm of my hand, attending to the fateful footfalls of the second hand as it marches its resolutely circular path around the face of the watch. The waves of water lap gently at the stone one which I rest my feet. These things establish (or better, I note) their own regular rhythm in a fascinating hemiola with the ticking of my grandmothers watchfor every eight seconds there are three waves knocking on the shore. Above, stray gulls pass overhead every 32 seconds (they are very precise gulls, indeed); to my right and slightly above my head, a sparrow chirps every 16 seconds. Everything seems to coordinate in a glorious symphony of recurrence and patterning and it all revolves around the assured conductors beat of the second hand of my grandmothers watch. Time orders all. Except theres no reason the watch should take pride of place. It doesnt own time or have any privileged access to it over and above the other oscillations and repetitions I have noted. One gull passing = 2 sparrow chirps = 24 waves lapping = 32 ticks of the second hand. Sure, we are accustomed to measuring other durations against the second hand but in this fantasy of a perfectly ordered day, I could just as easily measure the movements of the watch hands by the recurrence of the sparrow chirps or the lapping of the waves. In one sense, the appearances of the gulls are the conductors downbeats, the other oscillations mere subdivisions of their established tempo. These are equivalencies and thus theres no clear hierarchy in the same way that 566 colones (Costa Rican currency) equals one US dollar. Theres no value independent of these two things on either side of the equals sign; they are relative to each other. We might like to ground our sense of value in the gold standard but that just adds another relative (and ultimately arbitrary) value; it grounds nothing. The same applies to time. The second hand is not in a naturally privileged position with respect to the resounding repetitions Im hearing; its privilege derives from usits our favored tool, reliable according to our needs in part because we feel its more predictably regular in its oscillations than a sparrow chirp or other phenomena tend to be. But time doesnt run through the clock or watch. The clock isnt measuring time; its merely performing its set of oscillations that roughly correlate to the solar day (more or less, the interval from noon to noon)and its a rough approximation. Every four years we have a leap year to account for a slippage between our year and the actual interval involved in one revolution of the earth around the sun, and we also have, from time to time, a leap secondwe are not notified of these and probably never notice them. Time is a set of relations, sort of like filiation. Theres no thing I can point to that is fraternity as such; Brent and Wes Jenkins stand in a certain relation to me and are thus my brothers. Without the relationship, there is no brotherhood; without the set of relationships among moving things, there is no time. Except things are not even that simple, as we learn in a riveting and occasionally frustrating new book by the renowned scientist Carlo Rovelli, entitled The Order of Time. Rovelli has emerged into the popular consciousness in recent years owing to his publications on science for the general reading public. His earlier books, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (2016) and Reality Is Not What It Seems (2017), are widely celebrated and he has quickly become a public scientist along the lines of Stephen Hawking or Neil deGrasse Tyson. Unlike those luminaries, however, Rovelli has a strong fondness for philosophy, which he combines with an appealing humanist embrace of literature, popular culture, and wit in his writing. In The Order of Time, each chapter opens with an epigraph from the poetry of Horace; there are allusions to the lyrics of the Grateful Dead alongside references to ancient myth, Proust, Aristotle, Augustine, the Bible, the Mahabharata, and Martin Heidegger (Rovelli is just a tad disparaging toward the latter although he seems to recognize that they share many concerns and manners of approaching the issue of time). This eclectic and companionate manner of presentation makes the recondite subject matter both engaging and manageable for the non-specialist reader for whom the book is clearly designed. However, one of the discomfiting qualities of popular science writings is the fact that they appear to skeptical non-specialist readers to be rather similar in kind to science fiction writing. Throughout The Order of Time, Rovelli reminds us that it might seem natural to think we see the sun rising and setting but we know that in reality this is not the case; the earth is revolving while the sun is more or less stationary. Likewise, Rovelli claims, we experience time as a more or less uniform flow that pervades the universe and runs inexorably from the past toward the future but that doesnt mean that this accounts for what time is in reality, outside of our mere perception of it. Its a fine gambit, but as Rovelli himself acknowledges (which not all authors of popular science do), some of whats presented here has not been established as provable fact. Rovelli asserts that these claims seem the mostly likely explanations regarding time we have at the moment and thus they are not merely fiction. One might counter that good science fiction writers provide seemingly plausible explanations as well. The most one can hope for is an author that plays fair with his audience and this Rovelli most certainly does. We are always made aware of which qualities of time have been demonstrated and which involve well-founded speculation. The book is organized into three main sections. The first dismantles, one by one, our typical conception of time. The second attempts to construct an alternative view of time building on Rovellis own area of research. The third and final section rebuilds time as we perceive it in an attempt to come to grips with our relationship to it. If we have misconstrued time in its essence, why is that? What do we get out of such a misconstrual? Rovelli is a major figure in a subfield of physics known as Loop quantum gravity (LQG), which, like string theory but in a more modest (and Rovelli argues, more plausible) manner, attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and Einsteins theory of relativity. Einstein proposed that gravity operates in a quite different manner than the forces of the subatomic particles and the overarching problem since the formulation of quantum mechanics has been to bridge the operations of things on the large scale (the universe, solar systems, and gravity) with the operation of things on the small scale (the atom, electrons, and particles). LPG attempts to create a quantum theory of gravity and asserts, among other things, that space and time are quantized; that is, they are granular, they have particles and space-time is not some smooth, continuous field that pervades and constructs the universe. Space-time is composed of exceedingly small, discrete units. So heres another way in which time may not at all resemble what we think it to be. While most of us recognize that the clock somewhat arbitrarily chops time into semi-discrete units (minutes or seconds in most practical situations) and we assume that really time is an unending, indivisible stream (a flow), Rovelli suggests that it is indeed composed of discrete units. So, time is relative and composed of very small but indivisible units. We can easily recognize the former property and easily ignore the latter (because it is impossible to detect) and so the universe marches on. Except time is not the same everywhere. Rovelli opens his book with this concern. Time passes more slowly the nearer we are to large masses, such as Earth. Thus, your watch hands actually move faster when you are in the mountains than when you are near the sea. Its a fractional difference, but its there (and verifiable by examining atomic clocks). Also, moving objects age slower than objects staying still. (One apparent take-away from Rovellis book is that we should all live at sea-level and run everywhere we go if we aim for longevity.) While these are mere curiosities here on Earth (I wont live noticeably longer, despite my joke, by staying low and running constantly), they wreak havoc on any conception we might have for a Universal Time in the universe. When experience is stretched out across galaxies, there is no shared Now for those of us here and creatures living on a far-off planet. This is another way in which time is relative; its relative to our position in the universe and is not a shared property pervading that universe. Each thing moves in its own way from its past, through its present, and into its future. Except and this one is the hardest for me to digest, Rovelli claims that time in its own right has no directionality. It doesnt need to move from the past to the future. Rovelli discusses this subject in Chapter 2, Loss of Direction, and I will admit it felt a little early in the book for this counterintuitive claim. And yet, it had to be early in the book, because so much of what follows (even if only implicitly) relies upon accepting this revelation. Rovellis explanation is clever and admirable but I would be playing false if I proclaimed I fully understand it in the manner Rovelli clearly intends. Here is the argument in a nutshell. The elementary laws of mechanics fail to stipulate direction except those involving heat. Heat is always transferred in one direction (from the relatively hot to the relatively cold) and not backwards. This involves entropy, which always increases and cannot decrease; and entropy denotes disorder. The cool molecules were in a certain order, the heat agitates them and they become disordered. Fair enough. So, our belief that we are heading into the future depends upon our recognition of increasing disorder. But now, Rovelli instructs, imagine a deck of cards. I buy a new deck and the cards are grouped in numerical order and according to suit. I shuffle the cards and that order dissipates; the cards are mixed up; the past stands as an Edenic moment of order and the future fall to entropy (and we can further our debasement by gambling). But wait Look at the cards in the deck now and you are bound to notice a new order. It may be a more complicated order but it is an order all the same. Any order is an order. The initial one is privileged in part because it was first and because we are more accustomed to thinking of numerical ordering as a simpler, more rational ordering. But that has to do with us and our manner of perceiving the world, not with anything inherent in the cards. In our minds, time progresses from past to future because we are entropy-tracking machines. Our world crumbles ineluctably and we measure the inevitable alteration as declinethe falling away of what once was. This becomes a central concern in the third part of The Order of Time and it leads to some fascinating reflections on the human concern with time, aging, memory, and death. Theris something rather illuminating about human nature that becomes manifest in focusing on the vicissitudes of memory. We are born into a world with the deck ordered in a certain manner; events occur, reshuffling the deck. We recognize that reshuffling as a relative disordering. This is a wonderful way to account for nostalgia, elements of regret, the generation gap, and so many other deeply human aspects of our existence. In this manner, the fact that my opening scenario involved my grandmothers pocket watch reveals its significance. I dont simply measure time as a means of navigating the objective world. Rather my sense of time and the manner in which it belongs to me and to those I love (those living and dead; those whose time remains and those whose time is lost) suffuses the world; to say we live in a temporal world is to claim that we live in a world that is imbued with our subjectivity. I dont merely navigate the world, I populate it with forms of significance. I call on it to speaknot just its truth, but mine. And yet a nagging concern remainsand my readers will have to remember that Im among the target audience for this book, a non-specialist but interested reader (so any errors here may easily derive from my lack of knowledgebut, of course, this is a book meant for people with my relative lack). I can accept and welcome most of the insights laid out in Rovellis book (and to some extent in this review). I can comprehend and acknowledge the fact that time is relative, local, and discontinuous (although I guess the last one is not a fact but a hypothesis). I still cannot wrap my mind around the idea that it only moves from the past to the future because of our perspective on it. I can follow the brilliant notion that entropy is a relative term and that we see things moving from order to disorder when they are more appropriately understood as simply moving from one particular ordering to another. But since we cannot recover those past orders (thus reversing time), I dont see how Rovelli can claim that time merely is our emotion with respect to it. Indeed, Rovelli anticipates this complaint but anticipation is not answering and dismissing it in the manner that he does is, for me, the most frustrating and disappointing aspect of a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Rovelli ends the book with a brief meditation on death. He insists he personally looks toward death with equanimity and contends that the human fear of death is an evolutionary errorwe are designed to flee from terror and to predict the future based on our awareness of the world. Hence, we recognize the inevitability of our demise and it frightens some of us through an uncomfortable conflation of reason and emotion. Rovelli closes with a paean to the fairness of death and its relation to time (or its identity with time). This is perhaps the weakest passage of the book; his lyricism overreaches its grasp and what emerges is a rather confused utterance. I think our fear of death is far more than an evolutionary mistake or a category error. Moreover, I think its far more implicated in Rovellis narrative than he acknowledges. If we are entropy-tracking machines then we are deeply concerned with order; we seek perfection through order, which is why we so often wax nostalgic about a lost past where things were simpler (i.e., more ordered) and made greater sense (i.e., more rational, and hence more ordered). Any historian knows there never were any simpler timesthats an abstraction of convenience and a pernicious one at that. One aspect (a vital one) of our conception of ideal order is perfection and perfection comes from the Latin word for complete. Our fear of death, in this sense, may partly derive from the open-endedness of our existence. No matter how much we strive to get our house in order, there will always be work left undone. Our lives end but they are never completed. Thus, Rovellis use of Beethovens Missa Solemnis as his final image is a bit misleading. He describes the music of life as fading and then ceasing, implying that this music is open-ended in the manner in which I am describing death. A fade-out on a recording never resolves; we can imagine the music continuing into perpetuity. I get the impression Rovelli has something similar in mind with respect to our existence; the music (and our life) is beautiful and slips away, its beauty grounded upon its evanescence. But Beethovens piece doesnt just end, it is completed. It has a conclusion that fulfills its content and renders it complete. Our deaths, no matter how beautiful and no matter how full of days we may be, cannot do that. Theres always more, a yawning abyss of possibilities that lay in our wake. Our deaths cannot fulfill our lives. This warrants some negative emotion, and for many, that emotion is fear. If we are order-obsessed creatures, as Rovelli contends, insofar as we track our progress through the world by noting the increase of entropy, we also work to counteract it. We might see the world as slipping into disorder but we exert ourselves to provide some stability, some order for ourselves, the ones we love, our community. Our fear of death may derive from our realization of the beautiful futility of the effort (which is not to claim it ought to be disavowed as a project). Our fear of death (however muted it may be) provides the urgency to create, in full realization that our petty creations are never to be completed. It may be part of what is behind Rovellis writing of this book, behind our conception of time, behind my wrestling with Rovellis ideas. While time is localized, it is also (as Rovelli recognizes) shared locally. We share our timeour past and future, our hopes and fears, our very presence in all its temporal and spatial repletionwith others. To some extent, that time continues beyond our demise. Perhaps this constitutes a justification of hope. In some small way, our time transcends our existence. These thoughts are my own. They may or may not be worthy of Rovellis example. Rovelli strikes me as a patient and generous thinker. I admire the manner in which he approaches the thoughts of those preceding him, the manner in which he invites the reader into his own thinking, and the manner in which he makes room for more thinking in the space of the readers conception. The Order of Time is a little wonder of a book. It provides surprising insights into an increasingly mysterious world, offers warmly humane reflections on our existential condition, and sustains a virtual conversation that will continue long after the reading has ceased. Xavier Rudd believes in the interconnection of all earthly and celestial elements. Rudds new release, Storm Boy, explores the linkages between humans and the earth while endowing the listener with an impression of optimism. Like his previous endeavors, Storm Boy captures the need to maintain an environmental and human kinship. Yet this album adds to Rudds repertoire by showcasing his awareness of global terrorism, historical reconciliation, and racial injustice. Rudds musical power is his ability to call attention to these conditions. Storm Boys message of hope begins with the opening track Walk Away. The lyrics capture the political disunity and social inequity currently suffocating goodwill. Rudd illustrates [hes] seen people holding on to nothing / Broken dreams and broken cords. As the lyrics change from holding on to nothing to holding on to something, the track becomes more optimistic. Rudds vocal harmonies and instrumentation swell and personify an emotional uplift. Clearly, Rudd is not a glassy-eyed idealist as using holding on to something demonstrates the need to continue progressing. The 1976 Australian film Storm Boy inspired the title track and album. Rudd contextualizes this fact by the lyrics pelican drifting slowly looking for a feed / Like Mr. Percival the storm boy. Storm Boy reflects the eponymous coming-of-age films themes including the development of empathy for humans, animals, and the environment. For instance Gather the Hands pinpoints foolish, segregation scars deep beneath the skin / Of the black man and the white man and everyone in-between. Meanwhile Best That I Can specifically problematizes the cycle of disease multiplying from the shitty food / And pharmaceutical companies got it made. This track also mentions the President says science got it wrong. Considering Australia has a Prime Minister, this seems like a direct reference to Trumps incomprehension of scientific foundations while positioning himself as a hubristic climate-change denier. Storm Boy reiterates a definite sense of spirituality. In Times Like These, Rudd connects his spirituality to the natural world, I believe in the stories of the stars / And times like these, constellations carry me. Storm Boy excludes piousness and religious fervor, however, Rudd understands holy figures unevenly. Rather than seeing Jesus Christ as wrathful, Rudd contends I believe there was a man called Jesus Christ / And in times like these he said treat each other equally. Rudd omits admonishment of the zealots who use religion to support bigotry. Best That I Can specifically mentions holy, holy, Mother Teresa / Working her fingers to the bone in the slums of Kolkata. Here he fails to critique Mother Teresas tie to colonialism and coerced conversion. Whereas Rudd uses his albums to meditate on his spiritual ideologies, he lets these two figures stand as adulated symbols of mass-produced religion. Keep It Simple and Feet on the Ground have a distinct reggae vibe as Rudds vocals echo Bob Marleys lilting elocution. Rudd imbues both tracks with an overt political edge but avoids browbeating similar to the classic reggae style. In Keep It Simple, Rudd reminds of those often imprisoned by the mind and the fear of genocide / Now be it Hitler, be it ISIS, be it Taliban/Pick your crisis. Rudd doesnt dwell on the negative effects rather his music sketches an emboldened future. As he sings Keep your eye on the prize / And keep the messages alive / See the prescription for the people is the chance to keep it equal. Rudd uses the inherently political reggae to underscore Storm Boys credos. Rudd incorporates a didgeridoo in Feet on the Ground thereby maintaining his Australian musical identity. This tonality establishes a distinct indigenous sound against the reggae. The music throughout Storm Boy, however, lacks nuance and creativity. The albums majority consists of the basic instrumental setup with little variation or experimentation. But Rudds insufficient use of indigenous Australian instruments or influences does not align with his emphasis on cultural spirit. The music is safe, yet theres an opportunity for experimentation. But Rudd is a wordsmith with a musical proclivity and Storm Boys strength is the lyrics. The album affirms the spiritual connection between the earth and humans is dire. In a time of political dysfunction, Storm Boy offers a positive and uplifting perspective while critiquing the global systems that render social injustices. Food editor and chief critic Eating all of the chicken livers just as fast as I can. 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. South Carolina's solar industry, which is built on large installations, is expected to hold steady this year, but a trade group says it's likely to fall in the next few years if the state doesn't pass pro-solar policies. File 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. Hannah Alani is a reporter at The Post and Courier covering race, immigration and rural life across the Palmetto State. Before graduating from Indiana University and moving to Charleston in 2017, her byline appeared in The New York Times. For their third documentary on the civil rights movement, the teenage filmmaking duo of Ke'Von Singleton and Malik Hubbard focused on a defining moment for Atlanta's business community: The time when the Coca-Cola Co. threw its financial weight around to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Ke'Von, 16, is a rising senior at First Baptist School, and Malik, 17, is a rising senior at Palmetto Scholars Academy in North Charleston. Their 10-minute documentary titled "Atlanta: 'The City too Busy to Hate' " took second place in the documentary category at the National History Day competition in College Park, Md., last week. They won a $500 cash prize. Ke'Von and Malik have teamed up on two other documentaries before: One on the musical and activist career of Marian Anderson, and another on the so-called "Friendship Nine," who were arrested for holding a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter in Rock Hill. "We're trying to show a new side of the civil rights movement with every documentary," Malik said. Their latest project focuses on the early months of 1965. Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen was trying to arrange a dinner in honor of King, who had recently become the first Georgian to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Many white business leaders in the city refused to attend the integrated event. Coca-Cola was based in Atlanta, and both the company and the city had aspirations of international stature. Fearing damage to their reputation if the city refused to honor a peacemaking icon, the soft drink company brought in its CEO, J. Paul Austin, to intervene. A native of Georgia, Austin had lived for 14 years in South Africa and saw the economic damage wrought by apartheid. He threw down the gauntlet in a speech to the business elites of Atlanta, threatening to relocate the company if they didn't show up to the dinner. "The Coca-Cola Company does not need Atlanta. You all need to decide whether Atlanta needs the Coca-Cola Company," Austin said. Tickets for the event sold out in two hours. The theme of this year's National History Day competition was "Conflict and Compromise in History," and Ke'Von said he wanted to show how sheer economic interest played a role in some of the great compromises of the civil rights era. "At first we said, 'Oh, Coca-Cola is such a good company, theyre so amazing,'" Ke'Von said. "But then we did the research and we said, 'Did they really do that for Dr. King? They were kind of under a lot of pressure.' " The documentary is free to watch on YouTube. 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. Assistant Columbia bureau chief Adcox returned to The Post and Courier in October 2017 after 12 years covering the Statehouse for The Associated Press. She previously covered education for The P&C. She has also worked for The AP in Albany, N.Y., and for The Herald in Rock Hill. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster discounted growing criticism over the Trump administration's border policy that has separated thousands of children from their migrant parents, saying there will be "harsh remedies" as the nation works to secure its borders. When someone breaks the law, they dont take their children with them wherever they go, McMaster said following a news conference Monday in North Charleston during which he took a phone call from President Donald Trump. If you dont have borders, you dont have a country, the Republican governor said. We want to be careful on who is admitted into the country, and that is the direction in which the president is taking us." A South Carolina Army National Guard helicopter and nine-member team are in Texas supporting Trumps efforts to keep undocumented immigrants from surging over the Mexican border. They left last month at McMaster's request. The governor's stance came hours after his GOP counterpart in Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker, announced he was bringing back a National Guard helicopter from the border over what he called a cruel and inhumane policy. McMaster is touting Trump's endorsement as he seeks his first full term in the South Carolina governor's office. His primary runoff opponent, John Warren, said he too would continue sending troops to the border to assist the president. "President Trump is right," Warren said, adding that Democrats need to work with Trump to "stop the flow of illegal immigrants." He did not address specifically what he thought of the White House policy on separating children from detained migrants. Nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families over six weeks in April and May after U.S. 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. Republicans publicly criticizing the separations include former and current first ladies. "This zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," First Lady Laura Bush wrote in a guest column for The Washington Post on Sunday. Republicans in South Carolina said they hope the disheartening situation spurs Congress to adopt immigration reforms. "I think this is a terrible situation Id like to fix," U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who's worked on immigration reform for a decade, said in a CNN interview. Similar to McMaster, Graham said children being separated from parents who commit crimes is nothing new, as jails are full of parents. Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! While he doesn't like the border separations, he said ending the zero-tolerance policy would encourage more undocumented immigrants to cross into the United States. "I'm sure people will be less likely to bring their kids to America if they get separated than if they lived together and got released into the country. Our system is broken," he said. "Let's take this crisis and see if we can find something good for border security and ... stop separating families but also stop incentivizing people to bring their kids." 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 with key proposals supported by the president. The White House has said Trump would sign either one. U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-Rock Hill, said he plans on voting for both. "As a father of four and a grandfather of 16, I dont think any children should be taken away from their parents unless they are in danger," he said in a statement. "While families do need to be kept together, we also need much tougher border security. Although those two issues do not go hand in hand, I believe Congress can find the appropriate solution. Rep. Tom Rice, R-Myrtle Beach, said the separations reinforce Trump's stances on undocumented immigrants. "No one wants to see children separated from their parents, even if it's only temporary," Rice said in a statement. "The crisis at our southern border is the result of an immigration system that actually incentivizes illegal immigration. ... Congress needs to deliver on his longtime request to fix our broken immigration system." All six of South Carolina's GOP congressmen are co-sponsors of the stricter proposal up for a vote. It's unclear if Rice or the state's other Republican congressmen would support the compromise. They did not respond for requests for comment Monday. Rep. James Clyburn, the state's lone Democrat in Congress, said he will vote against both proposals, saying they fall "woefully short" of comprehensive reform. Taking innocent children from the arms of their mothers and fathers at the border is wrong," he said in a statement. "I strongly oppose the Trump Administrations cruel and unjust family separation policy and call on them to end it immediately." State Rep. Katie Arrington, who defeated Mark Sanford last week to be the First District's GOP nominee, criticized Congress as failing to "solve the problem of illegal immigration." Beyond calling the separations "heartbreaking," she did not say what she thought of the policy. Her opponent in November, Democrat Joe Cunningham, was critical of the Trump administration's handling of the border situation. "Children should not be used as bargaining chips in the immigration debate in DC," he said. "Ripping families apart and putting children in cages just to obtain some policy objective is cruel, inhumane and unAmerican. This White House policy must end and it must end today." The Associated Press and Jamie Lovegrove contributed to this report. At the direction of the Attorney General and the Guam Police Department, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Aurelio Espinola will not release any information about an autopsy conducted today on 15-year-old Timicca Jadean Nauta. The teen was found dead at her grandmothers home on Chalan Koda in Dededo early Saturday morning, according to Nautas family members who spoke with The Guam Daily Post. Espinola said police had told him they suspect the teens death was a homicide but could not provide further details. Criminal Investigation Division agents spent the weekend scouring through the home while forensic staff looked for answers and fingerprints. Police tape was draped around the area of the wood-and-tin house, which included an old bus, cordoned off by investigators. Nauta just completed her freshman year at Okkodo High School, according to family members. Police have confirmed that a death investigation was launched but have provided no additional details of the girls death. A taxpayer, community watchdog, former senator and former judge has sent a petition asking the Guam Department of Education to stop paying a candidate for lieutenant governor. Former Sen. Bob Klitzkie sent his written petition Monday to Superintendent Jon Fernandez, stating Fernandez should "stop the illegal spending." The petition states it's illegal for retired Air Force officer David Cruz, who's running for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate Sen. Dennis Rodriguez Jr., to continue to be under the employment of GDOE while he's campaigning. Cruz is a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor at John F. Kennedy High School. Just before he ran for public office, the status of his employment changed from being a direct employee of GDOE to a contractor who's paid under a professional service agreement. The attorney general's office approved the legality of the agreement. Klitzkie contends Cruz remains an employee of GDOE. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. 'The antithesis of a temporary employee' "Obviously Cruz, with a 48-month $124,180 per annum contract, is the antithesis of a temporary employee," Klitzkie wrote. "I bring this matter before you pursuant to the aforementioned ... requesting that you stop the illegal spending," Klitzkie's petition, citing relevant law, states. "I also bring this matter before you pursuant to 4 GCA Chapter 5 ... requesting that you stop using your official position for the purpose of affecting the result of an election." Klitzkie's petition adds, "The truth is that classified, unclassified, declassified, petrified or ossified matters not a whit as to who can be a candidate for public office while remaining a government employee." It's easy to understand that Guam Memorial Hospital's spending on travel nurses would spike in this COVID-19 crisis. Read more PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 23:00:18 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 372 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for AirIQ Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Toronto, Ontario (FSCWire) - AirIQ Inc. (TSX Venture:IQ). has issued a press release with the following headline:AirIQ Announces Appointment of Vice President of Reseller SalesTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on AirIQ Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/AirIQ Inc.Source: AirIQ Inc. (TSX Venture: IQ)Date: June 18, 2018Time: 5:00 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of AirIQ Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.) PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 14:27:01 Announces the launch of Malaysia Week in July to promote sale of quality Malaysian products and tourism to China consumers Alibaba Group Opens Office in Malaysia Alibaba Group Cathy Yan, +852 90125806 cathy.yan@alibaba-inc.com or Alibaba Group Rico Ngai, +852 97259600 rico.ngai@alibaba-inc.com Alibaba Group opened its national office in Malaysia today, marking a new chapter in the companys deepening strategic cooperation with Malaysia, which is the first eWTP hub outside of China. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180618005 Left to Right: Ambassador Bai Tian, China Ambassador to Malaysia, Jack Ma, Executive Chairman and Founder of Alibaba Group, YB Lim Guan Eng, Finance Minister of Malaysia, Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Communication & Multimedia (Photo: Business Wire) Located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur at The Vertical Bangsar South, the new office signifies Alibaba Groups continued endeavour to bolster the technology capability of Malaysian SMEs and young entrepreneurs, provide support and platforms to assist them to drive exports, as well as offering extensive training programs to help them take advantage of digital innovations and trade opportunities. Alibabas focus is on three areas when we partner with Malaysia as well as other countries to digitize our local partners and empower small businesses and young people to go global. Over the past 30 years, only large corporations have benefited from globalisation. Imagine if we can support 60 million small business around the world; this is Alibabas vision of an inclusive and sustainable economy, said Mr. Ma at the Alibaba office opening ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. Working closely with the Malaysian government, we will support and empower as many small businesses and young people as possible to use technology to become local kings and benefit from globalisation. This is the beginning of our story in Malaysia and I think Alibabas story will be long and we will make this story together, he added. Serving as a one-stop solution centre for local businesses, the country office is designed to engage with existing local partners, help Malaysian businesses identify global cross-border trade opportunities, as well as to support the countrys technology innovation through cloud computing services. I would like to congratulate Alibaba for the opening of its national office in Malaysia. We consider this a shining symbol of China-Malaysia friendship that is based on mutual respect and benefits that augurs well for the cooperation on the part of governments, businesses and people from both countries. We look forward to the opportunities this partnership will bring to Malaysian SMEs and I am confident that the eWTP together with the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ), will encourage more Malaysian SMEs to participate in ecommerce and increase their exports to other countries in Asia and beyond. said Minister of Finance Malaysia, Yang Berhormat Lim Guan Eng, told guests at the ceremony. China and Malaysia have enjoyed a profound friendship and flourishing trade over the centuries. The robust numbers we see about our bilateral trade proves the strength of our economic relations. The launch of Alibabas Malaysia office is yet another step to boost a mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Malaysia, said Mr. Bai Tian, Chinas Ambassador to Malaysia, at the ceremony. In November last year, Alibaba successfully launched its first international eHub in Malaysia under the eWTP initiative, with an emphasis on facilitating exports for Malaysian SMEs and creating the infrastructure to support global trade with services encompassing e-commerce, logistics, cloud computing, mobile payment and talent training. Since then, various initiatives have been undertaken by Alibaba Group in Malaysia in order to build inclusive and innovative global trading technology infrastructure for local SMEs, including the establishment of Alibabas first regional e-fulfilment hub in the KLIA Aeropolis DFTZ Park and the establishment of Alibaba Clouds internet data centre in Malaysia - Malaysias first global public cloud platform. Announce launch of Malaysia Week in China During the opening ceremony, the Company also announced the launch of Malaysia Week, a special online promotion initiative that seeks to attract Chinese consumers to buy all-things Malaysian from the 6th to the 12th of July 2018. The Malaysia Week campaign is set to showcase an array of Must-see, Must-eat, and Must-experience Malaysian products and tourism across Alibabas platforms. Malaysia Week is the first time Alibaba has promoted one country for an entire week. This symbolizes our commitment to introduce and promote Malaysian products, services, culture and tourism in China. We hope to continue to host promotional activities such as this in the long term to enable local Malaysian businesses expand their international exports in China and the rest of the world, Mr. Ma said. More than 50 Malaysian brands, featuring a wide range of product categories, will be showcased, in addition to a whole host of exciting promotional activities to be launched during the period. Malaysia week is the result of fruitful discussions between Alibaba Group and Malaysia since the launch of eWTP. Other milestones in the development of Alibaba Groups support for Malaysias digital economy, include: Logistics Commenced construction of a smart e-fulfilment hub in Kuala Lumpur under a Cainiao-MAHB joint venture to enable speedy storage, fulfilment, customs clearance and warehousing operations. Cloud computing Opened a local internet data center to provide Malaysian enterprises a local choice to build their businesses and run their applications on powerful, reliable and secure world-class global cloud platform. Training Trained thousands of individuals, entrepreneurs and cloud computing professionals under various programs in conjunction with leading Malaysian universities and government agencies to support Malaysias sustainable e-commerce development. E-commerce Launched Malaysia Pavilion on Alibaba.com to promote quality Malaysian products to global buyers. Established a one-stop platform to provide export facilitation with services ranging from marketing and customs clearance, to streamlined permit application procedures and tax declaration and more. Hosted March Expo with MDEC and MATRADE to connect Malaysian wholesalers with global sales opportunities. Held Access to China Consumers seminar to help Malaysian exporters enter the China market with participation of more than 500 Malaysian merchants. Announced the launch of Malaysia Week in July 2018 to promote a broad range of Malaysian products and services to Chinas consumers. About Alibaba Group Alibaba Groups mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts at least 102 years. About Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) The Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) initiatives goal is to build a more inclusive and innovative global trading platform for SMEs, young people and consumers. The eWTP was proposed by Jack Ma in 2016 and was accepted as a major policy recommendation of the Business 20 (B20) and officially included in the 2016 G20 Leaders Communique. Alibaba Groups first eWTP hub outside of China has gone live in Malaysia. The milestone follows Alibabas partnership with the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to work jointly to enable Malaysian small and medium-sized enterprises to benefit from global trade. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180618005 PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 12:00:17 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 379 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Banyan Gold Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Calgary, Alberta (FSCWire) - Banyan Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:BYN). has issued a press release with the following headline:Banyan Commences 2018 Exploration Program at Hyland Gold Project, YukonTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Banyan Gold Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Banyan Gold Corp.Source: Banyan Gold Corp. (TSX Venture: BYN)Date: June 18, 2018Time: 6:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Banyan Gold Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.) PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 18:19:08 Press Information InvestmentProperty.Loans 4425 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Ste. 250, Coral Gables, FL 33146 Zack North Owner 305-817-5106 email https://www.investmentproperty.loans/ # 437 Words 4425 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Ste. 250, Coral Gables, FL 33146Owner305-817-5106 MIAMI (June XX, 2018) Commercial Direct, a new division of Silver Hill Funding, a commercial mortgage lender, today announced its official launch of a new educational website InvestmentProperty.Loans to help reach potential real estate investors who are looking to obtain the right commercial loan for investment property purposes.For many real estate investors, securing the needed amount in funding with favorable terms presents a major obstacle between them and their long-term goals. As a result, more of these real estate investors are turning online to screen various lenders and do as much research as possible to ensure theyre making the correct decision when selecting a lender for their investment property. InvestmentProperty.Loans was launched as an avenue for Commercial Direct to reach these real estate investors as they turn to the internet to search for the best possible investment property loan. The website will provide potential investors with useful tips and insight via social media and other relevant, niche websites.Commercial Directs solutions help real estate investors as they seek funding for the following property types: Multifamily Mixed-Use Restaurant/Bar Office Retail Automotive Daycare Center Mobile Home Park Self-Storage Warehouse Duplex, Triplex, Fourplex PUDReal estate investors can learn more by visiting www.investmentproperty.loans About Commercial DirectCommercial Direct is a division of Silver Hill Funding, LLC, a direct commercial mortgage lender that provides investors and small business owners with customizable commercial mortgages tailored to fit their unique needs. Commercial Directs online loan customizer enables borrowers to adjust numerous aspects of their loans to finance commercial real estate or multi-unit properties starting at $250,000. More information and online Commercial Direct mortgage loans are available at www.CommercialDirect.com ###Silver Hill Funding, LLC is the proposed lender. Commercial Direct is a division of Silver Hill Funding, LLC.The information provided herein is intended for business users only, and is not intended for use by the general public or individual consumers. Programs may be cancelled or modified at any time without prior notice. Programs may not be available in all jurisdictions. These materials are intended to provide general information to the reader. This information is made available with the understanding Commercial Direct, a division of Silver Hill Funding, LLC, is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. Commercial Direct uses reasonable care in providing information but cannot guarantee accuracy or completeness. Information is provided with no warranty, express or implied, any and all such warranties are expressly disclaimed. Commercial Direct assumes no liability for any loss, damage, or expense from errors or omissions in these materials, whether arising in contract, tort, or otherwise. PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 17:30:18 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 398 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Eagle Plains Resources Ltd.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Cranbrook, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (TSX Venture:EPL). has issued a press release with the following headline:Eagle Plains/Roughrider Commence Exploration Activity on Brownell and Olson Projects, SaskatchewanTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Eagle Plains Resources Ltd., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Eagle Plains Resources Ltd.Source: Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (TSX Venture: EPL, OTC Bulletin Board: EGPLF, WKN: 588696, ISIN: CA2699062022, TSX Venture: REL)Date: June 18, 2018Time: 11:30 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.) PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 22:15:19 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 391 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Erin Ventures Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Victoria, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Erin Ventures Inc. (TSX Venture:EV). has issued a press release with the following headline:Erin Ventures Enters Strategic Partnership to Advance Its Boron ProjectTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Erin Ventures Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Erin Ventures Inc.Source: Erin Ventures Inc. (TSX Venture: EV, OTC Bulletin Board: ERVFF, WKN: A0CAFT, ISIN: CA29570H1010)Date: June 18, 2018Time: 4:15 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Erin Ventures Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.) PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 07:30:02 Fiskars Corporation Press release June 18, 2018 at 08:30 (EEST) Fiskars to arrange a Capital Markets Day on November 8, 2018 Fiskars Corporation will arrange a Capital Markets Day for investors, analysts and media on November 8, 2018 in Helsinki. The meeting will be hosted by President and CEO Jaana Tuominen and CFO Sari Pohjonen as well as other members of the Fiskars Group Leadership Team. At the event, Fiskars will give an overview of the company's business and strategic priorities. All presentations can be followed via a live webcast. A recording of the webcast will be available on the Group's website after the event. The presentations and presentation materials will be in English. Information on registration and invitations coupled with a detailed agenda will be shared closer to the date. Corporate Communications, tel. +358 204 39 5745, communications@fiskars.com Fiskars serves people around the world with globally recognized brands including Fiskars, Gerber, Iittala, Royal Copenhagen, Waterford, and Wedgwood. We are building a family of iconic lifestyle brands with the vision to create a positive, lasting impact on our quality of life. Please visit www.fiskarsgroup.com for more information. Attachment Global Palatability Enhancers & Modifiers Market Projected To Grow With Significant Cagr Over The Forecast Period Palatability Enhancers & Modifiers Market PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 16:00:31 Press Information Precision Business Insights Kemp House, 152 160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX satya marketing lead +1-866-598-1553 email https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com # 529 Words Kemp House,152 160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXmarketing lead+1-866-598-1553 Global Palatability Enhancers & Modifiers Market Projected To Grow With Significant Cagr Over The Forecast PeriodPalatability enhancers are used to make the taste, smell and texture of pet foods better so that the food becomes easily consumable by the pets. Palatability enhancers help in minimizing the effect of bitter taste of the feed additives added, and thus improving the food intake of animals. They do also improve the shelf life of the feed.Palatability enhancers not just add flavour to the pet food but, they do also enhance the texture of the food. They do also help in mould control and oxidation.Free sample of this report is available upon request @Global Palatability Enhancers & Modifiers Market Drivers and ConstraintsGrowth drivers: - Demand for healthy food, growing demand for meat, awareness about meat quality, growing demand for better quality pet food etcGrowth constraints: - bad effects of the ingredients added and high cost of the raw materials are the major restricting forces for the growth of the global palatability enhancers & modifiers market.Palatability Enhancers & Modifiers Market SegmentationGlobal palatability enhancers & modifiers market can be segmented on the basis of product, origin, type of livestock, and based on geography.On the basis of the product, the market can be segmented as below:- Flavouring agents Sweeteners TexturantsOn the basis of the origin of the product, the market can be segmented as below:- Natural SyntheticFree TOC of this report is available upon request @Among all the regions, Asia-Pacific is likely to dominate due to increase in demand for animal feed and growing concerns for animal health.North American region is likely to see a significant growth as the population is getting more concerned about their pet health.Growth seems to be more stagnant for the European region due to strict policies related to the use of palatability enhancers in animal feed.Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @Key Players in the Palatability Enhancers MarketFew major players in the palatability enhancers market are listed below:- Ensign-Bickford Industries Inc. (U.S) British Foods PLC (London) Kemin Industries (U.S) Ferrer (Spain) Kent Feeds Inc.(U.S) Tanke International Group (China) Kerry Group PLC(Ireland)Key Developments in the Palatability Enhancers Market April, 2015 - BRAIN and DIANA went for a strategic partnership to work on ingredients to improve taste for cat food.Get access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Contact to Precision Business Insights,Kemp House,152 160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com Industrial Starch Market Projected To Grow With Significant Cagr Over The Forecast Period Industrial Starch Market PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 16:01:17 Press Information Precision Business Insights Kemp House, 152 160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX satya marketing lead +1-866-598-1553 email https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com # 607 Words Kemp House,152 160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXmarketing lead+1-866-598-1553 Industrial Starch Market Projected To Grow With Significant Cagr Over The Forecast PeriodNow use of starch is not limited to just the food industry but, due to its adhesive properties starch is also finding its application in non-food industries like paper, textile, mining, building materials etc.Drivers and Constraints for the Industrial Starch MarketThe main growth drivers for the Industrial starch market are unanticipated growth in food processing industry, demand for pre-processed food, rising demand for adhesive products in various industries, and the unique property of starch that makes it the most suitable adhesive agent for various industrial applications.On the other hand, the high R & D cost, availability of alternative adhesive products like glue from resin etc, and a fast growing Arabic gum market likely to hamper the growth of the industrial starch market.Free sample of this report is available upon request @Industrial Starch Market SegmentationThe Industrial starch market can be segmented on the basis of type, application, source, form, and functions.On the basis of the product type, the industrial starch market can be segmented as:- Starch derivatives & sweeteners Native Starch Modified starchOn the basis of the application, the industrial starch market can be segmented as:- Food & beverage Textile industry Feed Paper OthersOn the basis of the source, the industrial starch market can be segmented as:- Wheat Potato Corn Cassava OthersFree TOC of this report is available upon request @Currently, North America and Europe together holds a major portion of the market share of the industrial starch market, and main reason being rapidly growing industrial packaging industry in both the regions.Among all the regions, Asia-Pacific is likely to show better growth rate due to high rate of starch consumption in the countries like India, China etc. China alone consumes 50% of the starch production in the region. Also, starch production in India, China, and Thailand is more cost effective as than most developed countries.Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @Industrial Starch Market Key Market PlayersFew key players in the industrial starch market are listed below:- The Tereos Group (France) Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S) Cargill (U.S), Ingredion Incorporated (U.S) AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG (Austria) Tate & Lyle PLC (U.K.) Roquette Freres (France) Altia Industrial Services (Finland) Grain Processing Company (U.S.) Royal Cosun (Netherlands)Mergers, acquisitions, investments, expansion to new regions and introduction of new products in the market are the strategies being adopted by major players.Key Developments in the Industrial Starch Market May, 2017 Introduction of seventeen non-bioengineered starches by Tate & Lyle, P.L.C which functions the same way as the earlier versions of starch. April, 2017 Introduction of new texturizer: Precisa Crisp 31 and Precisa Crisp 320 (native corn starch) and Precisa Crisp 130 and Precisa Crisp 151(Modified tapioca starch) for baked chips by Ingredion.Get access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Contact to Precision Business Insights,Kemp House,152 160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 08:37:01 IRIDEOS Enhances Recent Strategic Acquisitions With Purchase of Leading Italian-Based Network and Cloud Services Provider MILAN, Italy, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IRIDEOS, the new Italian ICT provider for Businesses and Public Administration, announces today the acquisition of Enter, a leader in network and cloud services based in Italy. This purchase is the most recent of IRIDEOS acquisitions as the company works to consolidate the cloud and data center market throughout Italy. "With this new acquisition, our growth path continues, focused on strengthening our assets and skills in the Italian ICT space," says Mauro Maia, CEO of IRIDEOS. "A wider portfolio of services is now available for our customers, with new cloud solutions and international connectivity." As a leading ISP focused on providing global network connectivity, Enter's IP backbone spans 35+ Points of Presence (PoPs) worldwide, providing a wide range of network services, including Ethernet, VPN and cloud interconnection. Enter also provides Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solutions, the first European, OpenStack-based service of its kind. This comprehensive solution provides customers with the computing, storage, network, DNS and CDN solutions they require to build an effective cloud solution. "This is an exciting time for the Italian telecommunications industry as IRIDEOS works to consolidate cloud, network and data center providers throughout the region," shares Ivan Botta, CEO, Enter. "We look forward to joining IRIDEOS as we work together to provide solutions that exceed customer expectations." As a result of this strategic acquisition, Enter will be part of a wider portfolio of services with a densified fiber footprint and additional colocation opportunities throughout the Italian market and will continue to deliver high-quality cloud and connectivity solutions to users around the globe. IRIDEOS' purchase of Enter follows the recent acquisitions of Infracom Italia, KPNQwest Italia, MC-link and BiG TLC. As a result of these purchases, the IRIDEOS technological platform now integrates 12 data centers across Milan, Rome, Trento, and Verona, the largest Italian private Internet exchange (Avalon) and 15,000 km of proprietary optical fiber along the major highways. For more information about IRIDEOS, visit www.irideos.it/en/. To learn more about Enter, visit www.enter.it/en/ About IRIDEOS IRIDEOS is the new Italian ICT provider for Businesses and Public Administration. 80% owned by F2i SGR and 20% by the European fund Marguerite, IRIDEOS aggregates and consolidates the assets and skills of four Italian operators focused on business customers: Infracom, KPNQWest Italia, MC-link and BiG TLC. IRIDEOS' solutions combine cloud, data center, optical fiber, security and managed services, leveraging a technological platform that integrates 10 data centers in Milan, Rome, Trento and Verona, the largest Italian private Internet exchange (Avalon) and a fiber-optic network of over 15,000 km along the major highways. About Enter Enter is a leading European network and cloud provider focused on providing connectivity, data center and internet solutions throughout Europe, the U.S. and Asia-Pacific. The company's IP backbone spans Europe's largest PoPs (Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Madrid, Stockholm, Brussels, Vienna, Prague and Budapest), as well as the U.S. (New York) and Far East (Hong Kong). In 2012, the company developed Enter Cloud Suite, the first European, OpenStack- based cloud IaaS service available in Milan, Frankfurt and Amsterdam, and is one of the official cloud platforms of 52 European institutions and agencies, such as the European Parliament and Court of Justice. MEDIA CONTACT: Giuseppe Sammartino External Relations IRIDEOS S.p.A. Mobile +39 335.3000.24 gsam.ext@irideos.it www.irideos.it iMiller Public Relations for Enter +1.866.307.2510 media@ente.eu This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: IRIDEOS via Globenewswire PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 08:02:02 Acquisitions expand C5 Capital-backed ITCs global reach and cyber advisory capabilities ITC Secure Unveils Enhanced Global Business and Advisory Portfolio ITC Secure Rob Lee rob.lee@itcsecure.com or Sophia Casimir sophia.casimir@itcsecure.com ITC Secure (ITC), the specialist cyber advisory and managed security service provider (MSSP) has unveiled its new business structure following recent acquisitions of advisory groups in London and Washington D.C. The three business groups are ITC Cyber Advisors, ITC Managed Security Services and US based, ITC Global Advisors. ITC Cyber Advisors is a specialist cyber security advisory group that helps organisations to understand and manage their security risks. The group focuses on delivering cyber assessments and outcome-oriented consulting that simplifies complex cyber challenges and supports investment choices. ITC Managed Security Services deliver comprehensive cyber threat intelligence, detection, management and response services by monitoring and managing networks through its UK-based Security Operations Centre. Washington D.C.-based SBD Advisors have relaunched as ITC Global Advisors. They will continue to focus on connecting private sector innovation to global and national security challenges as well as deliver new services in cyber security and crisis communications. ITC is a portfolio company of C5 Capital, the leading investment group focused on cyber security, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. ITC is backed by a unique team of individuals from intelligence, enterprise, national security, law enforcement and regulatory organisations. William Kilmer, Executive Chairman, ITC Secure said, The enhanced range of capabilities announced today, strengthens our ability to provide strategic information, advisory and managed security services to our customers. We are also broadening the companys geographic reach into the US market, enhancing our ability to serve existing global customers and to develop new opportunities and offerings for all customers. This breadth of services differentiates ITC from its peers and is instrumental in enabling the company to deliver services to some of the worlds biggest global brands --ENDS-- About ITC ITC Secure provides cyber threat advisory and managed security services to midsize and large enterprise clients. This includes cyber threat intelligence, insider threat analysis, network and user behaviour, vulnerability assessments and the increasing demands around compliance. With capabilities in on-premise, cloud-based and hybrid security, ITC Secure is first choice for some of the worlds biggest and best-known brands. https://itcsecure.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180617005 PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 08:00:19 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 380 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Jackpotjoy PLC--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---London, England (FSCWire) - Jackpotjoy PLC (LSE:JPJ). has issued a press release with the following headline:Jackpotjoy PLC Announces Final Earn-Out Payment Made For Botemania BrandsTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Jackpotjoy PLC, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Jackpotjoy PLCSource: Jackpotjoy PLC (LSE: JPJ, ISIN: GB00BZ14BX56, OTC Bulletin Board: JKPTF)Date: June 18, 2018Time: 2:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Jackpotjoy PLC and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.) PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 13:02:01 LEH Pharma Ltd (LEH Pharma or the Company) LEH Pharma announces first EyeMax Mono surgery performed in Argentina EyeMax now available in over 25 countries worldwide Argentina represents significant market opportunity with 5.7 million aged 65 years or older London, UK 18 June 2018 -- LEH Pharma Ltd, the leading provider of novel ocular implants for macular disorders, today announces that EyeMax Mono lens implant surgery for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been successfully performed for the first time in Argentina. EyeMax is now being implanted by close to 100 surgeons in over 25 countries around the world. The EyeMax Mono lens was implanted in both eyes by renowned ophthalmologist Dr Hugo Nano in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The EyeMax lens is the latest in LEH Pharmas AMD lens portfolio and is unique in its ability to improve vision in patients at all stages of both dry and stable wet AMD. The product is delivered through a simple cataract surgery and is CE-marked and approved for sale in 34 countries across Europe and internationally. AMD affects the central part of the retina and is the leading cause of blindness in people aged over 60, affecting nearly 200 million people worldwide. At present, only limited research has been conducted into the scale of AMD in Latin America, however available data suggests a high number of potential patients. Approximately 54 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean are over 65, and within this Argentina has one of the highest elderly populations in the region with up to 13.1% of the population, or 5.7 million, being 65 years or older1. The unique optics of the EyeMax lens optimises the quality of the image supplied across the macula, permitting patients to make use of functioning areas of retina that would otherwise receive a blurred image. It is the only adequate treatment for all types of AMD. Dr Hugo Nano said: It is wonderful to have brought the EyeMax Mono lens into Argentina for the first time. The operation was a success, and this patient will be the first of many to have their quality of life improved by LEH Pharmas technology. AMD is one of the main causes of vision loss in the Argentinian population, so it is exciting to see this new treatment option become available through such a straightforward, quick operation. Dr Bobby Qureshi, CEO and founder of LEH Pharma, commented: I am delighted that the EyeMax Mono lens will now be available to patients in Argentina, offering AMD sufferers in the country a chance for improved vision and a better quality of life. This expansion into an important new market underlines our focus on expanding the international reach of our products and services, and creating additional relationships with world-leading surgeons and ophthalmology specialists across the globe. Ends For more information, please contact: LEH Pharma Ltd Dr Bobby Qureshi contact@LEHPharma.com + 44 (0) 20 7060 2763 Consilium Strategic Communications Mary-Jane Elliott, Ivar Milligan, Chris Welsh LEHPharma@consilium-comms.com www.consilium-comms.com +44 (0) 20 3709 5700 Notes for editors: About LEH Pharma LEH Pharma is a leading provider of revolutionary ocular implants for macular disorders. Its disruptive lens technology, which is unique, proven and patented, is currently marketed internationally for the treatment of stable wet and dry AMD. The Company was formed in 2011 by a group of pioneering surgeons, and is supported by a network of world-leading ophthalmologists and scientists. For more information, please visit LEH Pharmas website at www. lehpharma.com About EyeMax EyeMax is a revolutionary breakthrough for AMD sufferers and is the only adequate solution for the treatment of both the stable wet and dry form of the condition. EyeMax can be used in both eyes and can be applied fast and easily. The innovative technology and unique optics of the EyeMax lens enhances the quality of the image supplied to the all areas of the macula permitting patients with AMD to make better use of the healthier parts of their retina. Advantages of the product include safer surgery, ease of implantation and significant improvement of vision for patients2. Currently, the only other surgical options available for patients result in sub-optimal vision with high rates of complications. EyeMax is CE-marked in Europe and is exploring FDA approval in the US. About age related macular degeneration (AMD) LEH Pharmas EyeMax product is aimed at improving the quality of life of patients with AMD, the western worlds biggest cause of blindness and the greatest unmet need in ophthalmology. AMD is a disorder affecting the central part of the retina, causing changes to central vision and making everyday tasks difficult. EyeMax is aimed at two main patient populations: those who require cataract (where 1 in 3 patients or more may have some form of macular degeneration) and the non-cataract population including patients with AMD prior to cataract surgery or sufferers of other macular diseases such as diabetic eye disease. 2 Published data from several European centres supports the effectiveness of EyeMax and can be found on the website here ( www.iolamd.com/clinical-data ). Most recently the European Journal of Ophthalmology found EyeMax safe and observed improvements after surgery above those of standard implants. 1 Risk factors of age-related macular degeneration in Argentina; Maria Eugenia Nano et al; April 2013 [Available here ] PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 16:27:18 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 388 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Miranda Gold Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, BC (FSCWire) - Miranda Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:MAD). has issued a press release with the following headline:Miranda Gold Signs Option Agreement on Advanced Gold-Copper Project in ColombiaTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Miranda Gold Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Miranda Gold Corp.Source: Miranda Gold Corp. (TSX Venture: MAD, OTC Pink: MRDDF, FWB: MRG, ISIN: 900 519, WKN: CA6046731031)Date: June 18, 2018Time: 10:27 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Miranda Gold Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.) Organic Tobacco Market, report categorizes global market by Product Type (Flue Cured, Fire Cured, Sun Cured and Air Cured), by Form (Snuff, Semi Processed, Chewing, Tobacco Extracts and Others), by Application (Smokeless and Smoking). Report includes, Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2017 2025 Organic Tobacco Market PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 13:55:21 Press Information Coherent Market Insights Mr. Shah Coherent Market Insights 1001 4th Ave, #3200 Seattle, WA 98154 Tel: +1-206-701-6702 Mr. Shah CEO +1-206-701-6702 email https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/organic-tobacco-market-1434 # 585 Words Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702CEO+1-206-701-6702 North America is expected to be the largest market in terms of revenue share, over the forecast period owing to growing consumer preference towards organic tobacco products instead of quitting tobacco completely is fueling growth of the market. This is also attributed to increasing smoking population. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 15 of every 100 U.S. adults smoked cigarettes and accounted for 36.5 million adult cigarette smoking population in U.S. in 2015. Furthermore, companies in North America are engaged in helping farmers to grow organic tobacco. Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company (SFNTC), promotes sustainable farming and provide US$ 190,000 as fund to farmers to grow wheat in rotation with organic tobacco in North Carolina in 2011.Ask for detailed Sample of the Research Report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/1434 Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in global organic tobacco due to its increasing consumption and its applications such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos. According to World Health Organization (WHO), India accounted for 84% of the worlds consumption of smokeless tobacco in 2015. Furthermore, the smoke from organic tobacco is considered as environmentally friendly, which is propelling growth of market.Additionally, the manufacturers in North America are focused on launching new organic tobacco products which are less harmful as compared to tobacco products. For instance, in October 2017, Japan Tobacco Inc. launched Natural American Spirit Organic Leaf One which is an additive-free tobacco leaf and was organically cultivated, accredited by USDA with its strict standards.Organic tobacco manufacturers are adopting various strategies such as partnerships and research & development, to sustain their market positions. For instance, in 2015, Japan Tobacco Inc., acquired Natural American Spirit brand name, which includes Reynolds American Inc. (RAI)s nine subsidiariesOrganic tobacco is processed and grown without using any chemicals or preservatives. These are surrounded with sunflower plants as trap crop for beneficial insects such as bugs. Organic tobacco products are available in various forms such as cigarette and organic flavored tobacco. The anti-tobacco activists claim that organic tobacco helps to quit smoking habit, as it does not contain ammonia, pesticides and bleach as that of tobacco is one of the key factor burgeoning growth of market. Organic tobacco products always possess United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certification.However, the high cost of organic tobacco is expected to hinder market growth. According to United States, Department of Agriculture (USDA), the average cost of conventional tobacco was US$ 4.11 per kg and that of organic tobacco was US$ 7.67 per kg in 2016, which is restraining the growth of the market. Furthermore, organic tobacco contains harmful substances such as carbon monoxide, heavy metal and tar leading to diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which may have negative impact on the growth of this market. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in America, nearly 15.7 million was diagnosed with COPD in 2014.Get More Information @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/organic-tobacco-market-1434 Among applications, cigarettes segment accounted for the largest market share in terms of revenue. The increasing consumption of cigarettes in emerging economies such as China and India, is expected to propel the growth of this segment. According to The World Health Organization, nearly 5.6 trillion cigarettes were consumed in 2013. China and Russia are the countries consuming cigarette owing to high smoking prevalence and high smoking intensity.Some of the major market players operating in the global organic tobacco market include Reynolds American, Inc., Mother Earth Tobacco, Seke S.A., Vape Organics, Hestia Tobacco LLC, R. J., and Quinnington Organic Tobacco Company Pty. PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 08:51:27 Press Information David Moffatt Unit 130 - 50 Eileen Stubbs Ave. Dartmouth, NS, B3B 0M7 David Moffatt Owner 902-482-9748 email https://www.4pillars.ca/ns/halifax # 437 Words Unit 130 - 50 Eileen Stubbs Ave. Dartmouth, NS, B3B 0M7Owner902-482-9748 Dartmouth, Nova Scotia- May 9, 2018- Paying debt down and being free from the burden of hefty monthly payments is one of the most challenging tasks an individual can go through. 4 Pillars Consulting helps clients understand all their options to deal with debt and help implement a restructuring plan that is proven to work.Debt relief specialist and valued member of the 4 Pillars Consulting team, David Moffatt leads the Halifax, NS office. Clients can receive a free consultation, and discuss the different options including restructuring, and consolidation as alternatives to bankruptcy.The plan David creates with his clients can help agreenew terms to repay the debt. In many cases, creditors will agree to reduce the amount owed, and reduce the monthly amount due that is affordable to the debtor. If a customer files for bankruptcy, they will very likely receive less and instead, creditors may be willing to make monthly payments more affordable, so they receive a higher return than a bankruptcy would provide.Divorce, job loss, or medical circumstances can all directly affect the ability to pay bills, and potentially add new debt to the existing problem. A person will never be able to get out from under debt if they incur more debt. With the right support and guidance when creating a restructuring plan, can get clients debt paid off over a five year period, provide the increased financial education to successfully complete the plan and through a comprehensive financial rehabilitation program rebuild credit worthiness and help ensure clients arent left vulnerable for future financial challengesFor those that struggle with paying off debts, or making the minimum monthly payments, a plan from 4 Pillars Consulting can help. The ongoing services provided after dealing with the debt also works to rebuild credit while paying down the debts and is a good alternative to bankruptcy.ABOUT 4 PILLARS CONSULTINGWith over 15 years in business, 4 Pillars has helped 10s of thousands of client realize their dream being free of debt through consolidation or restructuring plans. Through the Client ForLife Program, individuals receive budgeting assistance, help to rebuild their credit, and an individualized plan for paying off debt. The primary goal for 4 Pillars is to not only give their clients back their financial freedom but help them to achieve their future financial goals. 4 Pillars Consulting has over 60 office locations across Canada.To find out more about the restructuring plan from 4 Pillars Consulting visit the website at https://www.4pillars.ca/ns/halifax . To set up an appointment for a free consultation with David Moffatt, he is available by phone at 902-482-9748 or by email at halifax@4 pillars.ca Positive outlook for Egypt's Tourism in the second half of 2018 to 2019, local tour operator see increasing of foreign visitors for Egypt Western Desert tour and eco-tourism. A Paradise on earth and Magic of Egypt Western Desert PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 13:23:36 Press Information Egypt Western Desert Tours Bahariya Oasis,Bawiti, Egypt Pattra I. PR Manager +201222264711 email http://www.egyptwesterndeserttours.com # 513 Words Bahariya Oasis,Bawiti, EgyptPR Manager+201222264711 Positive outlook for Egypt's Tourism in the second half of 2018 to 2019, local tour operator see increasing of foreign visitors for Egypt Western Desert tour and eco-tourism. Renowned for its rich in culture and history dated back 4,000 years of Pharaoh and Pyramids, Egypt country also has a lot more to offer - a paradise on earth and magic of Egypt Western Desert.According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the country has received at least 730,000 tourists in February 2018, achieving a 35 percent increase compared to the same month last year.The positive outlook of Egypt tourism is expected to continue into 2018, according to Loly Gamal, Founder of local Egypt Western Desert Tours, who estimated this year visitors will increase by approximately 20-30% for Egypt desert and eco-tourism. We have seen increasing visitors from UK, Ukraine, Eastern Europe along with new markets from Asia; South Korea, China and Malaysia, since the last quarter of 2017. These foreign tourists, mostly and lately come as a group tour, are looking for more attractions to extend their holidays in Egypt after cultural and historic main sites visit of Cairo, Luxor or Aswan. With beautiful scenery and nature of Egypt Western Deserts Black Desert, White Desert, Crystal Mountain, Bahariya Oasis, Sand dunes and Siwa Oasis, Egypt has also rich in its nature, adventure and eco-tourism. Video: www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=rds7xiXRkzc According to the latest Oxford Business Group (OBG)s, the positive outlook for Egypts tourism is backed by the increase in visitors by 54% in 2017 to 8.3 million, while tourism receipts more than doubled to $7.6bn. Group travel jumped 66.5%, indicating resurgent interest from package tour operators, and the January-February period saw a 39% year-over-year increase in the number of tourists from the UKanother traditional source of arrivals.All visitors who experienced Egypt western desert have been impressed with stunning view of Sahara desert, golden sand dunes, campfire at night, local Egyptian and Bedouin food, swimming in hot spring, fun sand boarding etc. In the White desert, we can see fossil of seashell that prove the area was once be sea and watery area. With these amazing nature and different scenery of each area, plus professional desert tour service, we have welcomed several of repeated visitors, said Loly.About Egypt Western Desert ToursWith 21 YEARS of experience, we come from one of the oldest Bedouin families who support us with all the secrets of the ancient and historical Western Desert. We are the best team and with the professional equipment and supplies in order to clients feel comfortable. The cars are all 4X4 and the drivers are professionals! So, QUALITY is the word that describes our tours and we will always do our best to continuing be the FIRST ONE in this field!. For more information about Egypt Western Desert Tours, please visit website: www.egyptwesterndeserttours.com For all tours and services, please contact Email: ewd.tours@yahoo.com Video: www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=rds7xiXRkzc ***For media enquiry, please contact EWD Media Center,Email: info.ewdtours@gmail.com PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 08:43:04 R.C. Treatt Selects DSI to Improve Warehouse Efficiency DSI Steve OKeeffe, +44 1628 421740 Regional Vice President, EMEA steve.okeeffe@dsiglobal.com DSI announced today that R.C. Treatt will use DSI to boost warehouse efficiency with configurable apps for inventory management and data collection. R.C. Treatt are a trusted ingredients manufacturer and solutions provider to the global flavour, fragrance and consumer goods markets. With offices in the UK, US, China and Kenya, Treatt is committed to continuous improvement and making the world taste better. Treatt is planning to enter into their next phase of development, which includes a new purpose-built flagship office and warehouse facility in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Treatt chose DSI to integrate with their Oracle JD Edwards ERP and give them the mobile data collection capabilities and the end-to-end visibility they need. DSIs team showed excellent supply chain knowledge, fully understood our current processes and what needed to be done to get Treatt where we wanted to be, said Mark Rowland, Head of IT Development, R.C. Treatt. DSI will ensure that our existing and future operational processes can be accommodated within our complex manufacturing and warehousing flows. Treatt will use DSI applications within their warehouse and manufacturing facilities to update all of their transactions into JDE in real time. DSI will automate inventory flows as they receive and fulfil product throughout their supply chain. DSI will allow Treatt to easily configure apps to meet their exact business requirements, giving them the autonomy to adapt their future business processes themselves. DSI is excited to be a part of Treatts strategic development. By optimising warehouse processes with DSI, Treatt will boost their overall productivity and gain warehouse process efficiencies, said Mark Goode, Chief Operating Officer, DSI. About Treatt Treatt are a trusted ingredients manufacturer and solutions provider to the global flavour, fragrance and consumer goods markets from bases in the UK, US, China and Kenya. https://www.treatt.com About DSI DSI is the Digital Supply Chain Platform company that provides mobile-first and cloud supply chain solutions for the digital economy. Visit www.dsiglobal.com to learn more. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180617005 Biosimilars are almost identical copies of the originally approved drugs and can be manufactured only when the patent for the original innovator drug expires. Remicade Biosimilars PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 10:26:32 Press Information Coherent Market Insights 1001 4th Ave, #3200 Seattle, WA 98154 Mr.Shah CEO 2067016702 email https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ # 715 Words 1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154CEO2067016702 Biosimilar refers to biotherapeutic product that is similar in terms of quality, efficacy, and safety to an existing licensed reference therapeutic drug. Biological products are the fastest growing class of therapeutic products, as they offer additional treatment options and help in lowering healthcare costs. Biosimilars are almost identical copies of the originally approved drugs and can be manufactured only when the patent for the original innovator drug expires. These products are highly sensitive to smallest changes in manufacturing procedure, as these drugs possess high molecular complexity. Remicade (Infliximab) refers to a chimeric monoclonal antibody biologic licensed by U.S. FDA in 1998, as an innovative product indicated for the treatment of Crohns disease in adults and children. The monoclonal antibody drug was first developed in partnership by Janssen Biotech, Inc. and Merck & Co. The Remicade was later approved for its use in the treatment of ulcerative colitis, plague psoriasis, rheumatic arthritis, and spinal psoriatic arthritis in combination with methotrexate. Later, various pharmaceutical manufacturers developed biosimilars to infliximab, which lowered market share of Remicade due to cost-effective prices.Complete Report Details @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/remicade-biosimilars-market-1769 Market DynamicsIncreasing incidence of autoimmune diseases such as plaque psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis are expected to drive growth of the Remicade biosimilar market size. According to the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association, around 50 million American suffered from autoimmune diseases in the U.S. in 2017. Moreover, faster reaction rates of these biosimilars due to their availability in the form of intravenous mode of administration is further expected to increase the adoption of Remicade biosimilar over the forecast period. Furthermore, patent expiry of the branded versions is expected to increase the number of biosimilars for its branded counterparts thereby increasing the demand for Remicade biosimilar. However, stringent regulatory guidelines for development of these biosimilars as well as side effects of these drugs leading to risk of hospitalization are expected to restrain growth of the global Remicade biosimilar market.Regional InsightsOn the basis of region, the global Remicade biosimilar market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. Europe holds a dominant position in the global Remicade biosimilar market and is expected to retain its dominance over the forecast period, owing to the presence of top market players in the region, rapid entry of biosimilars in the European market as well as high adoption rate due low price of the biosimilars. For instance, in 2018, Sandoz, a Novartis division received European Commission (EC) approval for Zessly (infliximab) a remicade biosimilar for use in Europe. The successive research and speedy approvals by the U.S. regulatory authorities for market entry of biosimilars in North America is expected to drive growth of the market over the forecast period. For instance, in December 2017, Pfizer, Inc. received the U.S. FDA approval for second biosimilar, Ifixi to Janssens blockbuster drug Remicade to treat rheumatoid arthritis.Request Sample Copy Of This Report: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/1769 Competitive LandscapeKey players operating in the global remicade biosimilar market include Janssen Biotech, Inc., Merck and Company, Inc., Alvogen, Pfizer, Inc., Celltrion, Nippon Kayaku, Napp Pharmaceuticals, and others. Market players are focused on introducing maximum number of biosimilar for multiple indications to retain their position in the global market. For instance, in July 2017, Merck & Company, Inc. in collaboration with Samsung Bioepis introduced Renflexis (infliximab-abda), a biosimilar to Remicade for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohns disease, active ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other few disease indications.Market TaxonomyOn the basis of disease indication, the global Remicade biosimilars market is segmented into: Ulcerative Colitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Crohns Disease, Psoriatic Arthritis, Plaque Psoriasis,.On the basis of geography, the global Remicade biosimilars market is segmented into: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa,.Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/toc/1769 About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@ coherentmarketinsights.com Visit our news Website: https://www.coherenttimes.org PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 20:47:21 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 371 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Renforth Resources Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Toronto, Ontario (FSCWire) - Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE:RFR). has issued a press release with the following headline:Renforth Completes Private PlacementTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Renforth Resources Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Renforth Resources Inc.Source: Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE: RFR)Date: June 18, 2018Time: 2:47 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Renforth Resources Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.) PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 15:00:18 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 391 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for RESAAS Services Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - RESAAS Services Inc. (TSX Venture:RSS). has issued a press release with the following headline:RESAAS sees 63% Increase in RealTimeMLS Usage by San Francisco Realtors in 2018To view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on RESAAS Services Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/RESAAS Services Inc.Source: RESAAS Services Inc. (TSX Venture: RSS, OTCQX: RSASF, WKN: A1XBXH , ISIN: CA76083V1013)Date: June 18, 2018Time: 9:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of RESAAS Services Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.) PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 14:01:08 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 385 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Sokoman Iron Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Puslinch, Ontario (FSCWire) - Sokoman Iron Corp. (TSX Venture:SIC). has issued a press release with the following headline:Sokoman Iron Mobilizes Drill to Commence Phase I Drilling At Moosehead Gold Project, Central NewfoundlandTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Sokoman Iron Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Sokoman Iron Corp.Source: Sokoman Iron Corp. (TSX Venture: SIC)Date: June 18, 2018Time: 8:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Sokoman Iron Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.) PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 20:33:01 Creation of two new companies: Business Solutions Italia & Business Remote Solutions Italia A partnership completed by a 30m contract over 5 years. SOLUTIONS 30 Italia, leader in Solutions for New Technologies and Smart Devices, achieves today a strategic agreement with DXC Technology Italia, a service-sector company born from the merger of CSC and the Enterprise Services business of Hewlett-Packard, to provide local services for digital solutions. The company will offer higher added-value services and have access to cutting-edge solutions, iron-clad processes and use economies of scale hanks to the synergies between the two groups. And through this accomplishment, SOLUTIONS 30 consolidates its position in Italy. DXC Technology (DXC: NYSE) is a top-tier IT international group: its mission is to support innovation. Created by the merger between CSC and the Enterprise Services business of Hewlett-Packard, the Group is 6000 clients' strong in 70 countries. With its know-how, its teams and an extensive partner network, DXC offers a broad portfolio of services and next-generation IT solutions. The integration of DXC activities consolidates SOLUTIONS 30's position in Italy, as a business partner for IT services at a local level. SOLUTIONS 30 strengthens its teams with technical experts with a recognized background in a rich diversity of support activities. This team will be a significant growth driver for the Group. The two business units joining forces with SOLUTIONS 30 are specialized in counseling and support activities for a large panel of clients, with a solid expertise in services centers ("service desk"). "As part of this agreement, SOLUTIONS 30 signed a 30m contract over five years with DXC to manage activities for Key Accounts. These clients will be in the care of the Group's two new subsidiaries, Business Solutions Italia and Business Remote Solutions Italia, explains Ruggero Fortis, General Manager for Solutions 30 Italy. With this operation, SOLUTIONS 30 continues to replicate the French model at an international scale and reinforces its presence at the side of leading companies, to accompany their outsourcing and digital transformation operations." Going forward with its offensive but selective acquisition strategy, the SOLUTIONS 30 Group intends to continue to strengthen its position as a European leader and constantly seek opportunities for external growth in all the countries in which it operates. About SOLUTIONS 30 The SOLUTIONS 30 Group is Europe's leading provider of Solutions for New Technologies. Its mission is to grant individuals and businesses alike access to technological changes that transform our daily lives: computers and the Internet in the past, today's digital changes, and future technology that will make the world ever more connected in real time. Since its founding, the Group has handled more than 10 million service calls by drawing on a network of 6,000 regional technicians. SOLUTIONS 30 currently covers the whole of France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain. SOLUTIONS 30 S.E.'s capital comprises 24,179,812 shares, with an identical number of theoretical and exercisable voting rights. Solutions 30 S.E. is listed on the Alternext market (ISIN FR0013188844 - code ALS30), eligible for the PEA-PME share savings plan, and on the Frankfurt stock exchange on the Xetra electronic system (ISIN FR0013188844 - code 30L2) Indexes: MSCI Europe Small Cap | Tech40 | CAC PME For more information, go to: www.solutions30.com Contacts - Solutions 30 SOLUTIONS 30 EDIFICE COMMUNICATION Nezha Calligaro | CEO PA Samuel Beaupain | Relations Presse +352 2 648 19 17 06 88 48 48 02 | samuel@edifice-communication.com GENESTA Finance Herve Guyot | Listing Sponsor Nathalie Boumendil | Relations Investisseurs 01 45 63 68 60 | hguyot@genesta-finance.com 06 85 82 41 95 | nathalie@edifice-communication.com This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: SOLUTIONS 30 via Globenewswire PR-Inside.com: 2018-06-18 15:12:02 Winning Category for Second Consecutive Year Vela Wins Intelligent Trading Technology Award for Best High Performance Data Feed Handler - Software The Realization Group for Vela Melanie Budden, +44 7974 937970 Email: melanie.budden@therealizationgroup.com Vela, a leading independent provider of trading and market access technology for global multi-asset electronic trading, announced that it has won the Intelligent Trading Technology award for Best High Performance Data Feed Handler - Software for the second consecutive year. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180618005 The A-Team Groups Intelligent Trading Technology Awards recognize excellence in trading technology within capital markets, with the winners chosen by the Intelligent Trading Technology readership and technical community and presented at an Award ceremony in New York. Velas flagship Ticker Plant product, SMDS, is a software-based direct feed handling solution providing ultra-low latency, normalized access to over 200 markets. Velas Ticker Plant supports all major asset classes including its continued expansion into fixed income as well as ongoing investment in new features and performance. Delivered via a single, high-performance, flexible and unified API, all content is normalized to Velas Market Data Model and optimized for delivery to latency-sensitive trading applications. We are pleased to congratulate the team at Vela for delivering the Best High Performance Data Feed Handler-Software, as voted by our readership of senior trading technology executives, said Andrew Delaney, President and Chief Content Officer of A-Team Group, which hosts the Intelligent Trading Technology Awards. Jen Nayar, CEO at Vela, commented, We are very pleased that the trading community has voted for Vela in this category for a second year in row. Adding We are committed to developing and delivering high-performance market data feed handling software and continue to work with our clients to ensure that they are able to access a comprehensive inventory of global feed handlers for all major asset classes quickly, efficiently and cost effectively. About Vela Vela is a leading independent provider of trading and market access technology for global multi-asset electronic trading. Our software enables clients to successfully execute on their trading strategies and manage risk across multiple fragmented markets, liquidity pools, and data sources. We help firms successfully differentiate and innovate in an ever-changing, increasingly-regulated and fiercely-competitive landscape, while also reducing total cost of ownership. Velas ticker plant, execution gateways, trading platform, and risk and analytics software deliver a unique, ultra-low latency technology stack for electronic low-touch and Direct Market Access (DMA) execution and pricing. We leverage the latest innovations in technology to deliver cutting-edge performance, features and reliability. Our modular stack is accessed through a single set of trading, data and risk APIs and can be delivered as-a-Service from multiple co-location data centers globally. With access to more than 200 venues, Vela provides global coverage across all major asset classes. Clients are supported by an award-winning team of technical and business experts available 24x7 from our multiple offices in the US, Europe, and Asia. Velas clients include traders, market makers, brokers, banks, investment firms, exchanges, and other market participants. Visit us at www.tradevela.com. Follow us on Twitter @TradeVela. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180618005 Vela #wins Intelligent #Trading Technology Award for #Best High Performance #Data #Feed #Handler - Software The Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Stefanou Pontesilli, says no fewer than 1500 Nigerians are serving jail terms for various offences in Italy. Mr Pontesilli who made the disclosure in an interview with journalists in Abuja, said the number was huge. In Italy we have about 1500 Nigerians in jail for various offences. It is a big number. We sometimes send them back to Nigeria once they finished their terms because they have not behaved well, he said. He however denied reports that Italy sometimes send Nigerian migrants from Italy to Libya. Never, we never sent anyone not even one single person to Libya. Some Nigerians are stuck in Libya because they were never able to cross over to Italy, but all those who went to Italy no one, not even one was ever sent back. All Nigerians who have reached Italy and are behaving well have no problem. Not one of them not even one has heard of being sent back to Libya, he said. According to him, thousands of Nigerians unable to cross from Libya to Italy have been stuck in Libya. Thank God the government is doing a lot to repatriate them through chartered flights. Thanks for the help from the European Union and the International Organisation for Migrations that are slowly repatriating them back to Nigeria, he said. The envoy said the relationship between Italy and Nigeria remained stronger. That is why Italy has been doing so much on the migration by saving tens and thousands of the Nigerians lives when crossing the Mediterranean. Authority has been doing so much by taking them to Italy, feeding them, getting them jobs, giving them house and trying to give them a new life, Mr Pontesilli said. He said Italy had also done a lot in trying to help Nigeria maintain security and stability. This to Italy is very important, the stability and the security of Nigeria is our foremost consideration. We think that without a stable secure country there cannot be development. So thats why we stand strongly behind President Muhammadu Buhari trying to establish a strong, safe and stable Nigeria. This to us is the number one priority of the country, we are doing all we can to support this, he said. The envoy disclosed that the Italian government had been involved in training many Nigerian officials from the military, police and immigration. (NAN) Ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention, its appeal committee headed by Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, said 19 aspirants have been disqualified He also said 18 persons petitioned the committee. The governor, while addressing journalists during the panels sitting on Saturday, said petitions were received against positions of National Organising Secretary, National Women Leader and others except the positions of the National Chairman and the National Secretary. So far, we have about 18 petitions before us and we have 19 persons that did not make it at the screening level. These are the things we are looking (at) to see the merit or otherwise of their claims. If there is anybody who has been screened and there is a petition against him, we have power to uphold his qualification or disqualify him based on the merits of the petition. Of course, we have petitions against all other positions except that of the National Chairman and National Secretary. However, there is a general petition as to whether members of the NWC can be judges in their own case having supervised the congresses and now coming to present themselves for election. We are also looking at that. He said the screening committee report will be used as a major guide in the partys operations, but did not disclose the names of the disqualified aspirants. Speaking on the power of the committee to disqualify those already screened and who qualified, he said, yes, if you dont make the appeal screening, then you are disqualified because there is no other appeal after this. He said his committees report will be submitted on Monday and any other appeal will come after the convention. Meanwhile, the Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON) and chieftain of APC, Osita Okechukwu, has said Mr Okorochas committee has no powers to disqualify anyone or stop their re-election. Mr Okechukwu said this in a statement on Sunday while reacting to a rumour that the Imo state Governor may use his position as the chairman appeals sub-committee to disqualify three national officers from the South-east who were endorsed by the regional caucus for re-election. The officials endorsed are: Osita Izunaso; APC organizing secretary, Emma Eneukwu and George Moughalu; APC national auditor. I dont speculate, and I dont think so, more so Im aware that President Buhari canvassed for a waiver for members of the National Working Committee, which was upheld by the National Executive Committee on March 27, 2018. Governor Aminu Masari Screening Committee, to the best of my knowledge, didnt disqualify or recommend disqualification of any of them. Therefore, Governor Okorocha knows he has no powers to simulate petitions to disqualify them, for its trite law that you cannot build something out of nothing. It will be ingenious and unlawful for other members to allow him. The VON DG also allayed fears over the APC national convention, scheduled for Saturday June 23 saying he believes it would be hitch-free because President Muhammadu Buhari remains the presumptive consensus candidate of the ruling party for 2019 presidential election. Mr Okechukwu, who was elected as a delegate to the national convention, predicted most of the delegates would vote for former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshimole as the chairman of the party since President Buhari had endorsed him. To be honest, in spite of conflicting reports of parallel congresses, one envisages a hitch-free national convention of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on 23rd because we have President Muhammadu Buhari who from every index is the presumptive consensus candidate, come 2019 presidential election. Mr President is more like a guardian post for our great party. He is the canopy covering us all from bad weather. President Muhammadu Buhari speaking In addition those who lost in the congresses are not only loyalists to Buhari, but are aware of the truism that they were swimming against the tide of the provisions of APCs Constitution, which mandated the National Working Committee, subject to the approval of the National Executive Committee to make rules and regulations for nomination of candidates. Nobody has the right to reverse the national delegates list validly elected during the local government congress. He said that their collective support for Mr. President makes it easy for reconciliation and mending of fences before the 2019 general elections. At the mention of the words, National Library, one pictures a serene environment, with a well furnished, serene environment and all kinds of books ranging from some of the oldest to the most recent. But that is not the case of the National Library of Nigeria. Instead, it is a building overgrown with bushes around and spirogyra on the wall, nearly deserted as well as dilapidated offices. With a budgetary allocation of over N3.5 billion in 2017 and a proposed allocation of another N3.5 billion in 2018, the library has remained in the same deplorable state. Deserted Environment/Workplace Erected at the heart of Central Business District in the Federal Capital Territory, the library does not possess the kind of buzz one would expect to see at a national library. Outer view of the national library (Central Area) When PREMIUM TIMES visited the library, not one security guard was at the guard post to receive the reporter, let alone give directions. Upon gaining entrance into the building (after being directed by a soft-drink seller), the reporter was greeted by dark empty hallways as well as chairs and desks. An empty hallway. Yes, what do you want? said a deep voice from behind a partition. The reporter explains her mission. Its not always like this. Its because of the NASU strike, thats why the whole place is looking like this. You can see we are still trying; some of us still came to work despite the strike, he tried to justify the deserted environment, few minutes after formal introductions were made and after the man asked that he remain anonymous. That visit was during the three months strike embarked upon by non-academic workers of Nigerian universities. Library workers are part of the non-academic staff. Deserted entrance. Another staff, Vershima Orvell-Dio, who introduced himself as the Public Relations Officer, agreed to talk in the absence of the librarys director. He didnt tell a different story either. Actually, the only explanation for the empty offices is the NASU strike. Although some of us have to be here to attend to people like you and thats why you see few staff. However, subsequent visits to the library after the strike was suspended showed that apart from the presence of more staff at work, no other thing changed as the deplorable state of the library remained. An empty office. Mr Orvell-Dio explained that the library at the central area is not a conventional library but a repository one and hence, the expected population (of users) will not be there. This library is not a conventional library. It is more like reservoir. We are a repository library. So what we do is collect materials and keep it over a long period of time like decades. We have the mandate to collect these books. Theres a component of the law called the legal deposit which it is mandatory that every book published in Nigeria must be deposited in the National library, be it by an individual or the state government or the federal government and theres is a punishment for you not depositing. The punishment involves a fine of 50 pounds and has been so since 1974, but the law is being reviewed so as to enact a stiffer penalty, he said. He explained that another thing the repository library does, is to issue International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) and International Standard Book Number (ISBN) which renders a book valid. Dilapidated/ Unkempt Offices As it turned out, the empty hallways and offices are not the only flaws of the library as PREMIUM TIMES realised that electrical appliances and even the books of the library are unkempt. A lobby looking untidy. No. By then time you get to the main National Library at Area 10, youll see the difference, Mr Orvell-Dio emphasised. Ranging from the walls coming off, to the books littered on the floor (along the lobby) and to dirty, dilapidated furniture, one could only pray for divine intervention for this edifice. Books littered in the hallway. Low Quality/Outdated Books Following the very few books and newspapers dated four to five years at the repository library, PREMIUM TIMES decided to visit the conventional library located at Area 10, Abuja. And as expected, there were more books but definitely not the most recent books, which was one of the many complaints of a staffer of the library who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES (but asked to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation). A closer look at the books on the shelves (ignoring the worn-out and termite-infested shelves), shows that most of the recent books in the library are dated as far back as 2012, 2013. Layout of termite-infested books. The source explained that poor funding of the National library has crippled its ability to purchase current books. We are supposed to update our shelves yearly but because of the funds, it has not been so. We get our materials from gifts and exchange, book donations and hand purchases and most of our materials are outdated. Its not like they bring new books. They only bring the ones processed from the headquarters and the last time we received materials was last year, he said. New books recently donated to the library. Insufficient Funds, Abandoned Permanent Site With what has almost turned to a national anthem, the workers at the library have blamed the poor functional system of the library on inadequate funding by the federal government. A library official told PREMIUM TIMES that a little more funding from the government would change the entire operations of the library. He explained that the e-library which was funded by the United Service Provision Fund (USPF), has not been functioning optimally due to high cost of maintenance. It has not been functional due to logistic problems. The cost of maintaining generator is very high and we rely on what is given to the National Library headquarters. The overhead cost is not being regular. As a matter of fact, it was the USPF that funded the e-library. They gave us 50 computers, internet services and generator. To pay NEPA bill is a problem. To buy diesel to power the generator is a problem. Besides the fact that what is being allocated to us is not what is being released, it is not even coming as at when due. It is irregular, he said. Ceiling fans, ACs not working. Besides the issue of inadequate funding, theres also the abandoned proposed permanent site for the library. There have been several outcries from Nigerians including the federal lawmakers about a building that was started over 10 years ago and is yet to be completed. The Senate had in October last year, called on the government to prioritise the funding and completion of the permanent site of the National Library in order to mitigate losses accruable to the project, describing its delay as a national embarrassment. It also frowned at the fact that 57 years after independence and with trillions of naira sunk in the development of Abuja, the National Library still operates from a rented building because it does not have a permanent site. Outer view of the library at Area 10. What Should Be Done? PREMIUM TIMES spoke with some library users on the state of the structure. Adah Peter expressed disappointment at both the present and the past administration for not paying attention to the library. He explained that the deplorable state of the library does not speak well for the nation. He urged the Federal Government to do better. Another user, Olawale Gabriel, said libraries in some secondary schools are of higher standard when compared to the National Library. A national library where theres no electricity. No light, no fan, not to talk of AC; is nothing to write home about, he lamented. According to him, all this nation needs is divine help from above. He added that the attention of the government has been drawn to the matter several times and so theres no need to call on the government again. All we need to do is pray for God to intervene. Funmi Jegede, a psychologist, described the state of the library as a discouragement to the next generation of readers. It can be neglected for this long because there are no readers to complain. No one to protest. Our people dont read books anymore, we now rely on technology. Whenever any of the network providers flop for one minute, the internet explodes. You see different hash tags. Why cant we do same for the revival of our libraries? Even the government is not encouraging, its a pity. However, Stanley Uzochukwu said that he has not lost hope in the system. The government can do it. And they will do it, he said with optimism. He also admonished donors and partners to keep donating books and other necessary materials to the library in order to revive the reading culture of Nigerians. Admissions into law in Nigerian universities between 2011 and 2015 were led by Imo, Anambra and Delta states, according to JAMB figures. The three states were the most consistent of all top performers for the five years. They also dominated medicine and were amongst leading performers in engineering admissions the three courses being amongst the most competitive in Nigerian universities. Earlier analyses by PREMIUM TIMES, using data from the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, showed that medicine and engineering were dominated by mostly South-east, South-west and South-south states. North-central states of Kwara and Kogi also made a good showing. But for law, there is a new member of the pack: Benue state, which delivered a positive but brief performance in 2011 by coming fourth behind Imo, Anambra and Delta. That year, the four states were followed by Ogun, Rivers, Abia, Edo, Osun and Enugu. Ogun appeared thrice in the top cadre in the five years, coming fourth in 2011, third in 2014 and second position in 2015. Benue made it to the top three in 2011 before it dropped below the top 10, while Rivers made it to the top four in 2012, top three in 2013 before it dropped to eighth position in 2011 and 2014. It made the top seven in 2015. The data are for students admitted through test-based examinations conducted by JAMB. JAMBs admission process is guided by merit, university catchment area and gives advantage to educationally-less developed states. For law, while Imo had 739 students admitted into various universities in 2011, Anambra followed with 679 and Enugu was third with 593. Benue came fourth with 558 and Ogun was fifth with 488 students. In 2012, some of the states again made the top five. Imo emerged first with 551 students, Delta followed with 476 and Anambra came third with 469, Rivers came fourth with 447. That year, Abia placed fifth with 355 students admitted into Law. In 2013, positions changed significantly, with Delta taking the first position with 683 students. Imo dropped to second with 630, while Rivers came third with 569. Anambra was fourth with 490 and Edo , with 463, took fifth. Anambra jumped to first position 2014 with 452, Delta dropped to second position with 430, Ogun jumped to third position with 418. Osun was fourth with 381 and Edo took fifth with 373. In 2015, Delta again took the first position with 456 students. Ogun dropped to second with 419 while Imo dropped to third position with 415. Enugu was fourth with 363 and Osun took fifth. For the first time in five years, Anambra slumped to sixth position. Generally, the number of admitted law candidates fell compared to engineering and medicine. Hassan Soweto, who coordinates a civil rights group, Education Rights Campaign, suggested one reason why admission into law faculties in Nigerian Universities has been falling is cost. According to him, in most federal and state universities, students studying law are asked to pay tuition fees larger than what is charged for arts and social sciences. Mr Soweto said law education is gradually being commodified and commercialised. When the cost of law school is also taken into consideration, law education is rapidly becoming the preserve of the few rich. This ugly phenomenon will continue to be the case until public education is properly funded such that regardless of whatever course students apply for, access is opened to anyone whether they come from poor or affluent backgrounds, he said. The states with the least number of students admitted into law were FCT, Yobe, Zamfara and Jigawa. FCT had the smallest number for four years with only 29 students admitted into Law in 2011. It had 14 students in 2012, 27 students in 2013, 20 students in 2014 and 19 students in 2015. In 2011, Yobe had 25 students, followed by Zamfara with 39 students. Katsina had 50 while Gombe had 51 students. In 2014, Zamfara had 19 students, Sokoto had 32 students, Jigawa had 39, and Katsina had 41. In 2015, Zamfara had 28 students, Jigawa had 33 students, Kebbi had 45 and Bayelsa had 47 students. Ola Adeosun, a lawyer, said it is essential for the federal government and civil societies to sensitise people from the northern states on the need for quality education. You will recall that there was a time that people from the South Eastern part of the country did not go to school, they believed so much in learning a trade under a principal and getting settled but the advent of Nnamdi Azikwes Eastern region education revolution changed the story. Although it was not successful at first, but they were able to sensitise the young minds on the importance of education, Mr Adeosun said. He blamed the political leadership in the north. The thinking of the elite is that there wont be competition between their children and the children of the poor. Unfortunately, there has been a setback in the education sector especially with the incessant kidnapping of girls from that part of the country, he said. Hafsat Abiola-Costello, daughter of late Moshood Abiola, the acclaimed winner of June 12 1993 presidential election, has dissociated herself from an article being circulated online in which disparaging remarks were made against certain individuals. In a statement on Monday, Mrs Abiola-Costello, a gender rights activist, said she never authored the article which had her surname inappropriately spelt as Abiola-Castelo. President Muhammadu Buhari had on June 6 honoured the late Mr Abiola with the title of GCFR. Last Tuesday, the posthumous award was conferred on the late business mogul at a ceremony held at the presidential villa in Abuja. Mrs Abiola-Costelo had noted at the event that Mr Buhari brought reconciliation and healing to Nigeria by recognising her father. In a speech, she thanked the federal government for the conferment of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on the late politician, adding that the award to her father and other Nigerians meant so much to her. She had earlier penned an emotive essay in appreciation of the presidential gesture. Her comments have since gone viral, with many online contents presenting certain remarks she purportedly made as attacks on some public figures who did not recognise the June 12 struggle, notably former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has publicly disagreed with Mr Buhari on several national issues in recent time. In her statement on Monday, while thanking the president for the gesture, Mrs Abiola-Costelo said it was not her character to attack anyone opposed to the Buhari administration, which, according to her, the falsely attributed article did. I respect the right that each individual has to form his/her political opinion too much to do that, she wrote. My prayer is that we do that which is best for our country in the coming elections. May we have the wisdom to discern the sincere from the insincere; the committed from the unreliable; the doer from those who may say what we want to hear but lack the courage to act in our collective interests. Polio remains a threat in Nigeria as over 100,000 child are yet to be immunised against the disease in the northeastern part of country, Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, says. The minister said this is despite the government making considerable progress in immunisation programmes in the region. Mr Adewole stated this at the annual meeting of African Regional Certification Commission for Poliomyelitis Eradication, ARCC, in Abuja on Monday. The five-day meeting is being attended by participants from across Africa and development partners. They will be reviewing the progress and update reports prepared by Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Angola, South Sudan, Central Africa republic, Mauritania and Nigeria in polio eradication activities. This will include national preparedness and response plans to polio events/outbreaks; and updated reports on polio laboratory containment activities. The minister said in spite of the setback in Nigeria largely due to the Boko Haram insurgency that makes some areas inaccessible to health officials, Africa has made remarkable process towards eradicating poliomyelitis. To back up his claims, Mr Adewole said in 2012, the African region reported 128 wild poliovirus (WPV) cases, which accounted for more than half of the global burden. But in 2013, only about 76 cases were reported; 2014, about 17cases and no case was reported in 2015. Nonetheless, in 2016, after almost two years, four cases were confirmed from areas that were under Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State in Nigeria and the outbreak was successfully contained, he said. Mr Adewole explained Nigeria remains on the list of polio endemic countries because some areas in the northeast remain inaccessible to the polio programme. The last case of Wild Polio Virus (WPV) was reported 21 months ago in Monguno LGA, Borno state. Nigeria as at 2016 was on the verge of being certified polio-free by the World Health Organisation before the four new cases were reported. This has stalled the certification of Nigeria polio-free. Before a country is certified free, it has to have recorded no case of polio for three consecutive years. Before the last discovery, Nigeria went 23 months without any confirmed case of WPV1 between July 2014 and July 2016. However, the minister said following the outbreak, government declared a state of emergency and held a sub-regional emergency meeting of all governments in the Lake Chad Basin. A close collaboration with the military and civilian Joint Task Force in Borno has facilitated increased accessibility to immunisation programme. An estimated 71 percent of settlements in Borno have been accessed for vaccination at least once,he added. Also speaking at the event, the chairperson ARCC, Rose Leke, said to successfully eradicate polio from the region, there is a need to strengthen surveillance in most countries and high level of routine polio immunisation across boards. This, she said is necessary because polio can be imported across borders leading to a resurgence of cases in other countries, especially if their children are poorly immunised and have low immunity against the disease. Ms Leke said Nigeria can effectively eradicate polio with high surveillance and increased levels of immunisation across the country. In spite of the insecurity, Nigeria has done a lot. The northeastern area had vast risk but the government has been able to go in and little by little it is closing up. There are just about 100,000-200,000 children that are yet to be reached. We just have to be careful and cannot say anything for now on when the country will be polio free until we are certain we have covered up the remain region in the country, she said. Ms Leke also called on state governments to step up efforts in routine immunisation programme, saying current efforts are still very low in Nigeria. State governments need to collaborate with the (federal) government to achieve high immunisation coverage. Some of them have not been cooperative, this has to change. If the community immunisation is low, the tendency of being infected with the virus is very high. We can have importation of polio across the continent, so we want to have quality surveillance and strengthen routine immunisation in many countries that are not yet doing very well, she said. Speaking with journalists, a participant, Oyewale Tomori, said Nigeria cannot boast of eradicating polio until the high risk region in the North-east and borders are effectively covered with polio immunisation. He said though the government has been doing a lot, there are still challenges in the borders. Access to most of the children is still a major problem. Though the government is collaborating with the other governments of countries in the region, the challenge of insecurity and lack of resources on their part has been stalling progress. I cannot say when we will be certified polio free and there should be no rush to declare. Until we reach a zero case unit, we cannot relent, he said. Nigerians have been reacting to the decision by the Univeristy of Ibadan to suspend a student journalist over an article published in a national daily. Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) and groups of Nigerian student journalists asked the university to rescind the suspension of Adekunle Adebajo. The groups which joined the PTCIJ in making the request through separate statements are the National Association of Nigerian Campus Editors (NANCE), National Union of Campus Journalists (NUCJ) and the Free Campus Press Movement (FCPM). University of Ibadan suspended Mr. Adebajo for two semesters over an article he wrote two years ago about poor facilities at the university. In the article published by The Guardian newspaper in April 2016 under the title UI: The irony of fashionable rooftops and awful interiors, the student drew attention to the deplorable state of facilities at the Nigerian premier university. But PTCIJ appealed to the management of the university to reconsider its decision. In a statement signed by its Programme Director, Joshua Olufemi, the centre said the narrative around the matter suggested Mr Adebajo was being punished on account of his journalism. We want to appeal to the authorities of the University of Ibadan to take a second and kinder look at the matter by interpreting it within a freedom of expression framework. In doing so, we also urge the vice chancellor and the university administration to consider restoring Mr Adebajo to normal status that will allow him to proceed to the Nigerian Law School without losing out on his study progress. The centre urged the management to be mindful of the reputation of the University of Ibadan as Africas coveted centre of excellence in knowledge creation as well as in the promotion of academic freedom and the broad context of liberty as a condition for progress. PTCIJ appealed to the authorities to view the request to review Mr Adebajos case along the tradition of the university for tolerance, for investment in constructive dissent and contention, knowing full well that such an example carries the full promise of multiplier impact in a political season of tension and rigid positioning. It said reviewing the case and giving the suspended student a second chance would represent strength and character. Thanking the Vice Chancellor in anticipation of heeding its appeal, PTCIJ pointed out: We are strategic partners of the university in many programmes and again on this, we look up in pride and honour for your prudent assessment of this important decision. NANCE, in its statement signed by its president, Omole Isaac, noted that Mr. Adebajo was only exercising his right under section 22 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria. The section states: The Press, Radio, Television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government of the people. It lamented erosion of rights of students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria such that they now suspend students for minor offences such as refusal to go to religious ground, protest against poor welfare and articles revealing the ills and odds of authorities. The group urged the university management to review the report of its panel that investigated Mr. Adebajos matter. It further demanded that he be reinstated and all the damages he has suffered be remedied by the management of the university. NUCJ, on its part said sustaining the sanction on Mr Adebajo would amount to placing a seal on the voices of the people. The high-handed measure taken is not only an injury to Kunle Adebajo, but an injury to every campus journalist in Nigeria. We are, therefore, not going to keep calm until this unfair judgement is revoked until Kunle Adebajo is called back. The group said it was an irony that the University of Ibadan recently made the global list of outstanding tertiary institutions. The group called on journalists in Nigeria to join in ensuring that UI calls Mr Adebajo back. Do not let Kunle become another Dele Giwa that was sacrificed because of his action for the common good. His career is as important as his life. His blood must not be spilled on the altar of injustice. The FCPM, in an open letter to the Vice Chancellor of UI pointed out that the article over which Mr Adebajo was suspended won him many accolades. We wish to inform you that this same piece won Kunle Adebajo many awards. Are you then opining that those who awarded him locally and internationally did not want the best of the university? No sane judge will award a piece that is capable of jeopardising or defaming the reputation of an institution. If you demand to know some of the judges, we will gladly provide them, the student journalists group stated. The group said the university by its harsh sanction against Mr Adebajo was unknowingly killing campus journalism, which is dangerous for journalism as a whole. Former Vice President and 2019 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday visited Ekiti State for a meeting with Governor Ayodele Fayose. While in Ekiti, he rallied support for Kolapo Olusola, the PDP candidate in the state in the July 14 governorship election. A statement from the office of the Director General, Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCO), Gbenga Daniel, also disclosed that the campaign team will be in Yenogoa, Bayelsa State capital on Tuesday in continuation of Mr Abubakars nationwide tour. The statement noted that Mr Abubakar will be in Rivers State on a two-day visit between Wednesday and Thursday where he is expected to commission some projects executed by Governor Nyesom Wike in the State. The team will also pay courtesy calls on some major stakeholders in the PDP in Rivers State. The team will thereafter proceed to Lagos and Delta States on Sunday, 24th and Tuesday, 26th of June respectively where the presidential hopeful will hold consultative talks with leaders and chieftains of the party in both states. It will be recalled that Atiku had earlier visited Ekiti, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States meeting with the respective governors of the States before taking a break to observe the Ramadan fast that took him to Saudi Arabia to perform the lesser hajj. Atiku Abubakar visits Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose Other PDP states lined up for subsequent visits of the PDP presidential aspirant include Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Gombe and Taraba, the statement added. Barley two weeks after donating 150 cars to the Nigeria Police, in yet another philanthropic gesture, the Aliko Dangote Foundation Monday, launched the Dangote village built for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, Borno State capital. The Dangote village in Maiduguri is a self sufficient set of 200 housing units worth N2 billion, with school, hospital, irrigation farms and poultry farms among others, to enable the occupants eke livelyhood. Dangote also gave each of the beneficiaries N100,000 to start a new life. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote said about N7 billion has been donated to support displaced persons affected by the Boko Haram crisis in the North-east. Aside the N100,000 to start a new life, Dangote also pledged that the Foundation will take care of teachers emolument for five years and as well share in the burden of the ongoing educational revolution launched by the state governor. Mr Dangote commended the governor, Kashim Shettima, saying he is able to run the state efficiently and pay salaries despite the security challenges. A visibly elated Mr Shettima said the intervention was unprecedented and gargantuan by a single company, describing the Aliko Dangote Foundation as the fourth arm of government in the state. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Mr Shettima reminded that the Dangote Group is the single largest employer of labour outside government in Nigeria. In every clime and in every dispensation, there are three layers of governments: the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. I dear to add that the fourth layer in Borno State is the Aliko Dangote Foundation. For the past seven years the Foundation has been consistent and hearkening to the yearnings and aspirations of people of the state, the governor said. He said the Dangote Village provided by the Foundation, though very massive, is a tip of the iceberg compared to what the Foundation has done to support humanitarian relief in the troubled region. When Aliko Dangote came in 2016, he quickly pledged N2billion. We requested that half of the money should be used to supplying building materials and lo and behold within the span of two weeks all the materials were ready, he added. L-R. Borno state Deputy Governor Usman Mamman Durkwa, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, Managing Director Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, Chairman and Founder Aliko Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, Trustee Aliko Dangote Foundation, Halima Dangote, Borno state Commissioner for Reconstruction , Rehabilitation and Resettlement. Prof. Babagana Umara. L-R. Borno state Deputy Governor Usman Mamman Durkwa, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, Managing Director Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, Chairman and Founder Aliko Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, Trustee Aliko Dangote Foundation, Halima Dangote, Borno state Commissioner for Reconstruction , Rehabilitation and Resettlement. Prof. Babagana Umara. He said it was the support from the Foundation that enabled most of the displaced and malnourished victims of Boko Haram insurgency to survive. According to the governor, it was crucial to acknowledge the generosity of Aliko Dangote, adding that as far as he was concerned Mr. Dangote is the worlds biggest philanthropist. He revealed that most of the beneficiaries are widows and children. We call it Dangote village because it is a self-sustaining community with their own schools, clinics, mosques and livelihood, he added. He thanked all the donors, and added that Borno State is now opened for investors, saying it is more peaceful than Lagos and Abuja. Speaking also, Baba Umara said 95 per cent of the beneficiaries were widows whose husbands were killed by the Boko Haram terrorists. Mr Umara, a professor, is the chairman of the distribution committee for the new Dangote village. He said the criterion for allocating a flat to the beneficiaries is to be a widow and having no fewer than five children. While commending the president of the Dangote Group, he said the reconstruction effort was now on and that the infrastructural deficit was still huge. He said the EU, UN and World Bank had estimated that the infrastructural deficit caused by the insurgency in Borno alone was around $6.9 billion. He expressed optimism that with the kind of support from the likes of Aliko Dangote Foundation, the state will bounce back to normal before the year 2020. In her remarks, the chairperson of the State Emergency Management Agency,Ya Bawa Kolo, expressed appreciation to the Foundation on behalf of the Internally Displaced Persons. While commending the Foundation, she assured that only deserving persons are beneficiaries. Ten beneficiaries were selected for symbolic presentation of certificates of occupancy. Speaking, Managing Director/CEO of Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, said the foundation would not rest on its oars to support the victims of insurgency. L-R. Borno state Deputy Governor Usman Mamman Durkwa, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, Managing Director Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, Trustee Aliko Dangote Foundation, Halima Dangote, Chairman and Founder Aliko Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, Chairman and Founder Aliko Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote. Ms Youssoufou said during Ramadan food items were distributed to the IDPs. These include rice, sugar, salt, spaghetti, semolina, wheat meal, maize and millet. She said the philanthropic exercise was meant to complement the effort of both the state and the federal government. We are supporting government reconstruction and rehabilitation effort, she said. Hajara Ibrahim, 26, a widow, who is also one of the beneficiaries, commended Mr. Dangote, adding that since her husband, Sani Abubakar, was killed a year ago by the Boko Haram terrorists, it has been very difficult to cater for the needs of her three children and six orphans. Another beneficiary, Yagana MAdamu, 39, said the new village provided by Dangote will help her and her seven children start life again. The husbands of the two women were both members of the Multi National Joint Task Force(MJTF). After the ceremony, the governor, Mr. Dangote and their entourage toured the 200 housing units to assess the facilities. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Saturday night attacks in Damboa, Borno State by suspected Boko Haram insurgents targeting Eid el-Fitr celebrations. The UN chief expressed his condolences to the affected families and to the Government and people of Nigeria and wished those injured a swift recovery. According to reports, no fewer than 32 persons were killed, while 84 others were injured when six suicide bombers detonated Improvised Explosive Devices in Damboa local government area of Borno in northeastern Nigeria. The Secretary-General, in a statement by his Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, stressed that attacks targeting civilians violated international humanitarian law. The UN chief called for those responsible for the attacks to be swiftly brought to justice. Further, Mr Guterres reiterated the United Nations solidarity with the countries fighting against terrorism and violent extremism across Africas Lake Chad Basin and Greater Sahel region. Meanwhile, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Myrta Kaulard, has condemned Saturdays twin suicide attacks in Borno that left dozens of people dead and scores injured. The Damboa attack is one of the deadliest the town had ever witnessed, she said in a statement issued in Abuja by signed Abiodun Banire, the National Public Information Officer, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Our deepest condolences go to the families of the victims in Damboa and to the Government and people of Nigeria. We wish the injured speedy recovery, civilians consistently bear the brunt of the conflict. Over 200 women, children and men have now been killed in indiscriminate attacks in the North-East since the beginning of the year, including in the town of Mubi last month in Adamawa State. I urge the Government of Nigeria to further step up protection of people. Ms Kaulard said UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross had air-lifted 11 of the critically wounded persons from Damboa to Maiduguri by helicopter to facilitate emergency medical treatment. She noted that more than 90,000 internally displaced people were camped in Damboa local government area with 18,000 of them living in five camps in Damboa town. The area is one of the areas in Borno that hosts the highest number of internally displaced people, the UN official said, adding that 20 humanitarian organisations are providing life-saving assistance to the displaced persons on daily basis. The humanitarian crisis in Nigerias North-East that has spilled over into the Lake Chad region is one of the most severe in the world today, with 7.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2018. The worst-affected states are Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, with 6.1 million people targeted for humanitarian assistance, humanitarian aid which include the delivery of life-saving assistance and also supports people to kick-start their lives. (NAN) A former governor of old Enugu State and ex-national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Okwesilieze Nwodo, has declared Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as the best performing Governor in Nigeria. Mr Nwodo also described Mr Ugwuanyi as a humble, indefatigable, humane and outstanding manager of men and resources, for the development of Enugu State. Speaking during a Thanksgiving Mass and endorsement rally for Mr Ugwuanyi by his kinsmen from Orba Udulekenyi in Udenu Local Government Area, the former governor appreciated the various endorsements for the governors re-election in 2019 from all spheres of the society because of his performance and uncommon leadership style, describing it as a good omen for the state. He said: We will not be tired of commending your performance, pray for you and eulogise your uncommon leadership style. Mr Nwodo therefore, urged the people of Enugu State to ensure that they obtain their voters cards and join the winning train of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for them to continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy in the state. In his sermon, a reverend father, Emeka Ngwoke, thanked God for what He has been using Mr Ugwuanyi to do in the state, saying that good leadership is truly manifesting in Enugu State. The cleric appreciated the governors humble and peaceful disposition as well as his close relationship with the lowly and neglected, saying: For once, our state now speaks and thinks as brothers and sisters. He expressed delight that the political division in the state in the past had gone since the emergence of Mr Ugwuanyis administration. Mr Ngwoke also thanked Mr Ugwuanyi for tackling the economic challenges that confronted the state when he assumed office as a result of the states high debt profile and the drastic drop in the nations crude oil prices. He disclosed that the governors civility, decency, vision, respect for all and exemplary leadership qualities made it possible for his administration to record the unprecedented feats achieved in the last three years. He equally appealed to the people of Enugu State, especially adults who have not obtained their voters cards to do so as you are failing in your civic responsibility. Endorsing Mr Ugwuanyi for re-election in 2019, the people of Orba community through an address delivered by the President General, Orba Udu General Assembly, Charles Mbah, said they are proud of their illustrious son and a worthy ambassador. They maintained that the governor with his usual characteristics as a prudent, accountable and judicious manager of resources, has in spite of the nations economic challenges entrenched peace and good governance in Enugu State. Mr Ugwuanyis kinsmen added that the governor, when other states could not pay workers salaries and were consequently downsizing the workforce, was recruiting additional workers, paying salaries promptly including the peculiar 13th month salary, which was paid across the entire Enugu State including primary school teachers and local government staff. The jubilant people also listed other remarkable achievements of the governor in all spheres of development ranging from massive roads construction, rural development, empowerment, education, health, security, among others, stressing that Your Excellencys good governance status has resulted in your endorsement and blessing for your second term in office across the state. It is against this background that Orba Udelekenyi is today giving her unalloyed endorsement /blessing to her illustrious son, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Nwa Orba Udu) to go back at the Lion Building come 2019 and finish up the good work he has started in the state, they declared. Chief Udochukwu Ogbonna, the Executive Chairman, Abia Board of Internal Revenue, has said that the agency is targeting to make N1 billion internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by 2019. Mr Ogbonna said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Umuahia, the state capital. He said the board had introduced some reforms and measures to check the activities of illegal revenue agents and blocked all the leakages. He said the reforms included the harmonisation of revenue collection in the state and eliminating illegal revenue agents. According to him, the harmonisation has yielded tremendous result with more than 70 per cent increase in the monthly revenue profile of the state. Our target is to achieve about 300 per cent increase, which would give the state about N1 billion monthly. He said the state House of Assembly had passed a law which empowered the agency to solely collect tax for the state. Mr Ogbonna said all revenues collected by the board were paid into the state governments consolidated revenue account. He declined to disclose the current monthly revenue status of the state, saying that it was not in his powers to do so. He blamed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for issuing letters to agents to collect revenue on their behalf, in spite of the extanct law. He said the development was causing confusion and described the activities of illegal revenue agents as inimical to the interest of the state. He alleged that the monies the agents collected from unsuspecting residents did not get into the state coffers but private pockets. We have written to the police urging them to stop entertaining any letters from the agents, allegedly issued to them by the MDAs. Mr Ogbonna warned residents to desist from paying cash to agents, saying that every payment should be made to the states bank account. He said the agency had written to the commissioner of police to stop releasing his men to accompany the illegal revenue agents. He said the agency also planned to write to the Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to restrain his men from being used by the agents in their illegal act. He said the next level in the strategic efforts to achieve sanity and rid the system of agents would be to start arresting them. Mr Ogbonna said the two collection platforms created by the board made it easy for percentage sharing of taxes and rates among the MDAs, state and local governments. He said the automated system was programmed to share and remit simultaneously any money paid into the consolidated bank account to the three tiers, according to the agreed formula. He said the board was negotiating with one of the old generation banks to open pay points in the six major markets in the state for ease of payment of rates by traders. The BIR boss identified the negative attitude of the people toward tax payment as the major challenge confronting the agency. Tax is statutory but people lack the culture of paying tax. All over the world, people resist tax. He appealed to residents to imbibe the tax culture, saying that very soon, tax would become governments only source of revenue when solar energy replaced crude oil. (NAN) Despite protests by some members of the Oyo State butchers union, the state government said it will not rescind its decision to relocate all meat slabs to the central abattoir in Ibadan. Some butchers had protested against the relocation to Amosun Village, citing insecurity and the challenges of transportation. But the government assured that adequate security and transportation systems were in place for the sustenance of peace in the state, as well as to facilitate the ease of doing business. The Executive Secretary, Oyo State Bureau of Investment Promotions and Public Private Partnership, Yinka Fatoki, in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday explained the governments stance. He said the decision to relocate to the central abattoir at Amosun village, Akinyele Local Government Area, was reached after a series of meetings and deliberations which led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the government and the National Butchers Union of Nigeria (NUBN), the umbrella body of the butchers. Mr Fatoki said the state governor, Abiola Ajimobi, addressed various issues that were raised before the signing of the MoU. He said the petition written by a few members of the union on insecurity was uncalled for as the government has reassured them of adequate security and the MoU signed also addressed security issue. He noted that the state government was surprised by the actions of a few disgruntled and recalcitrant members of the butchers union and their resistance to government directives. He said the government would not be deterred by the fabricated excuses of insecurity to reverse its decision. According to Mr Fatoki, peace, security and safety are the foundations of the present administration in the state and the interest of the general public supercedes that of a few members of the union. He added that the decision to move all abattoirs in Ibadan to the central abattoir was hinged on sanitary and health welfare of the people of Oyo State. The State Ministry of Agriculture had unlicensed all slabs or abattoirs in Ibadan for about two years (since 2014) on account of unsanitary circumstances of the major slaughter slabs at Bodija, Aleshinloye and Gege area among others, he said. It was on this premise that the state government met several times with the butchers and the chairmen of the 11 Local Government Areas in Ibadanland to discuss the relocation to central abattoir and address issues raised. After the discussions, all parties agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that butchers in 11 LGAs of Ibadan should relocate to the central abattoir on the 4th of June 2018. On Monday, June 4, majority of the butchers moved amid fanrare and during the prayer session to commemorate the commencement of operations at the central abattoir, butchers represented by the South-west Coordinator of NUBN lauded the state government for the relocation, describing it as a welcome development and that the facility is the best both in Nigeria and Africa. It is now surprising that a few members of the union are proving recalcitrant. The present administration, being a responsible and responsive one, owes it a duty to protect its citizens against infection and diseases that can arise from unhygienic handling of meat. Hence, the steps to centralise abattoir operations by relocating them to the central abattoir with state of the art facilities that would be coordinated by professional veterinary officers to ensure that hygienic meat is produced for peoples consumption, he said. He also warned that government would not treat any individual who is bent on disrupting peace in the state with kid gloves. Olatunbosun Adeoti, a son of the Secretary to the State Government of Osun State, Moshood Adeoti, has been accused of spearheading violent attacks on various targets at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso. Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, the spokesperson for the school, Lekan Fadeyi, said the younger Adeoti, a 500-level student of Civil Engineering, led an attack on the Division of Students Affairs, as well as on other students and staff last Thursday. The Thursday violence, which involved deadly weapons and charms, according to Mr Fadeyi and various students, followed the Students Union elections held on the campus last Tuesday. The victims of the attack were said to have been rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Mr Fadeyi said: The truth remains that a certain group of students who are clearly in the minority wanted to start trouble in the aftermath of the students union election which held peacefully on Tuesday, June 13, 2018. The exercise held in the full glare of all students and security operatives and was pronounced, fair, transparent and conclusive. Though unrecognised by the university management, four political groups: Liberal Vanguard (LV), The Group, Democratic Social Movement (DSM) and National Liberty Vanguard (NLV), participated in the election in which ten positions were contested for while the remaining three were declared unopposed. The electoral committee was chaired by Amao Akeem, a 500-Level student of Transport Management, who is a member of the NLV, the group that is now behind what is now being termed fire. He did not only sign the results sheets, including the three positions in which his group was returned unopposed, in the presence of other students and security agents, but went ahead to announce other results aside that of the president which his group lost to LV and insisted on having through the back door. It therefore came as a surprise to other students and workers of the university when on Wednesday, June 14, another member of the NLV, who had actually served as the immediate past Speaker of the Students Representative Council, Olatunbosun Adeoti, also a member of the NLV, a 500-Level student of Civil Engineering, led thugs carrying guns and machetes to foul peace by invading the office of the Acting Dean of Students Affairs, on the university campus. Security reports had it that he had also laid ambushed along with other members of his group on the residence of the lecturer the previous night, threatening to kill him or any member of his family that comes to sight. He said the group had earlier laid ambush on the residence of the Acting Dean of Students Affairs, Sunday Adewale, on the night of the election threatening to kill him and members of his family. Mr Adewale also spoke with PREMIUM TIMES. They came to my office; and the previous night, I got information that they had laid siege to my house, Mr Adewale said. Because they didnt succeed in that, they now came to my office. Police actually took the picture of where they shot at the school gate before arresting them. They have been doing this for long and not limited to the university alone. There was a time they went to attack people at Bowen. To the extent that the university wrote to us and I went there to prostrate. He said the SSG, Mr Adeoti. is aware of his sons conducts and does not support him. The father through one of my friends called me on the day of the incident and he condemned that act. He is fully aware of his action. The man is a complete gentleman. However, when PREMIUM TIMES asked if the SSG has been written to officially, the Dean said the public holidays have not permitted them to do so. He called to condemn the act but the holidays have not allowed us to formally write him, he said. Many students alleged Mr Adeoti and his colleagues to be cultists. A student of the school, Akintunde Collins, said the violence ensued because Mr. Adeotis political group lost the presidential office. This whole violence ensued because his (Adeoti) political group (NLV) lost the presidential office to the other political group, he said. All efforts to reach the accused were unsuccessful as his mobile number has been switched off since the day of the violence. The Oyo State police spokesperson, Adekunle Ajisebutu, did not answer several calls placed to his phone. He also did not respond to our text message. However, students told this newspaper Mr Adeoti and others arrested had been released by the police. I saw him yesterday, a student said. He has been released. LAUTECH politics is a true reflection of the Nigeria politics. They could sacrifice the students at the altar of a few greedy individuals. A former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has told the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kayode Fayemi, to prepare for his defeat at the July 14 governorship election. Mr Abubakar, who spoke in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, on Monday, said the APC should be ready to accept defeat in Ekiti if it loses just as former President Goodluck Jonathan did in 2015. The PDP presidential aspirant was in Ekiti along with members of the PDP Governorship Campaign Council. He expressed satisfaction with the level of the preparedness of his party in the upcoming election. Other PDP leaders on the campaign train include the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu; former Senate President, David Mark; former Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau; a serving senator, Eyinnaya Abaribe; former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel , among others. We are satisfied that the PDP is prepared for this election. We hope that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will accept the outcome of the election, said Mr Abubakar They should be democratic for the first time. We have seen how democratic they are. But for the first time in 2015 we have opposition party taking over from the ruling party, we expect them to do the same. In his remarks, the state governor, Ayodele Fayose, said the PDP leaders were in Ekiti because they had the confidence that the PDP had already won the election. Everyone is on the same page with us. The only thing the APC is holding on to is to rig the election. We have told INEC that this is a pointer to the 2019 election. They should save their image, the governor said. The country is bigger than all of us. Let me tell them, if rigging has been tried elsewhere it wont work here. The people will defend this election. We are aware of plans to bring thugs here to disrupt the election; the people will stand up to them. The PDP leadership are in the state today to strengthen our hands and assured us of their support. I want to say that this election is about the people for the people and it must be so. Ekiti election is not only about Nigeria, the whole world is watching. However, Mr Fayemi, while speaking in Ijero Local Government Area, where some PDP members renounced their membership, said the PDP had become a desolate party that could not win any election in the state. He urged the voters to reject continuity agenda of Mr Fayose whose deputy, Kolapo Olusola, is the candidate of the PDP/ PDP is now empty in Ekiti, virtually all its viable leaders are now in APC. PDP is gone and I know it cant win elections here in Ekiti, because it has been abandoned, Mr Fayemi said. LAS VEGAS, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Award Winner Bryan Fogel, the director and writer of ICARUS, Clare Rewcastle Brown, the investigative journalist who helped bring the international 1MDB scandal to light and other experts will address more than 3,000 anti-fraud professionals gathering this week for the 29th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. The conference, which marks the world's largest gathering of fraud fighters under one roof, begins today at the Mandalay Bay Resort and lasts through June 22. More than 80 educational sessions and panels will be presented by leading experts in the anti-fraud field, focusing on subjects including cyberfraud, white-collar crime and ethics. It will also feature a panel on lessons learned after a crisis with former Chief Compliance and Governance Officer of Petrobras Joao Elek, former Chief Compliance Officer of Siemens and SNC-Lavalin Group Dr. Andreas Pohlmann and others. Fogel is an American film director, producer, author and playwright best known for directing the Oscar-winning 2017 documentary thriller ICARUS: The True Story Behind the Russian Doping Scandal and Corruption. Along with Russian doctor Grigory Rodchenkov, he exposed a state-sponsored doping scheme that had been ongoing in Russia for decades and which directly led to Russia being banned from the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. Rewcastle Brown is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Sarawak Report, which detailed corruption surrounding the Malaysian development fund 1MDB and linked it to the administration of the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak. Her reporting helped the story reach an international audience and subsequently launched investigations from regulatory bodies around the world. "Fraud is a continuing problem that affects all individuals regardless of location, age or part in society," said ACFE president and CEO Bruce Dorris, J.D., CFE, CPA. "Seeing anti-fraud professionals from around the world gather for this unmatched learning opportunity is a rare experience that I am proud to be a part of." Visit FraudConferenceNews.com for video clips, articles and live updates from the conference. About the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Founded in 1988, the ACFE is the world's largest anti-fraud organization and premier provider of anti-fraud training and education. Together with nearly 85,000 members, the ACFE is reducing business fraud worldwide. For more information, visit ACFE.com. SOURCE Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Related Links http://www.acfe.com CANNES, France, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A completely new African aviation exhibition, African Air Expo, was launched at this year's France Air Expo Paris Le Bourget, when Didier Mary, Managing Director of Airshow organizer, Adone Events, signed a protocol agreement to organize the show. The event will take place at King Shaka International Airport in Durban, South Africa, in collaboration with the government of KwaZulu-Natal, and will welcome exhibitors and delegates from across the African continent. Adone Events African Air Expo is aiming to attract a mix of General, Business and Commercial Aviation exhibitors who will come together on a static area of 50,000 sqm. The designated space will accommodate over 100 aircraft ranging in size from single and twin-engine models, turboprops, and executive jets through to commercial wide-body aircraft. The show format will reflect the approach taken at Abu Dhabi Air Expo and France Air Expo, also organized by Adone Events, which offers chalets and tents located next to the runway enabling manufacturers to present their entire range of aircraft and to facilitate and arrange demonstration flights. South Africa is the leading country in the African Continent within the aviation industry, as it has seen strong growth in terms of the number of pilots, aircraft movements and registered aircraft which have increased steadily over the last few years. This has positioned South Africa as a fertile market for the growth of General, Business and Commercial Aviation, providing the perfect platform to connect professionals across all areas of the industry with the South African market. King Shaka International Airport, one of Africa's busiest international airports, plans to host the first all-inclusive commercial, business, general aviation exhibition and conference in November 2019. This is in response to a huge demand from key industry professionals and in view of the fact that Africa, with a 6.2 percent growth rate, is the third fastest growing aviation region in the world. The event, which will be hosted annually for the next five years, will be held from 27th to 29th November 2019 and will bring together the world's aviation experts and industry players to South Africa. African Air Expo will have strategic exhibition dimensions which are segmented for each aviation business need. This will include an outdoor static display showcasing the latest aircraft the industry has to offer, dedicated exhibition areas focused on all segments of the industry and an international Aviation Conference. All of which will occupy approximately 50,000 square meters of space at King Shaka International Airport. Leading aviation companies will be targeted for the African Air Expo, alongside key local and regional industry partners and stakeholders such as the South African Civil Aviation Authority, South African Airports Company, South African Airways, and other prestigious aviation brands based in South Africa, one of the most dynamic aviation industries in Africa. The support and partnership with the government will allow for a world-class event for both exhibitors and attendees of the aviation industry. The Aviation Conference will provide an ideal platform for industry experts, partners and brands to highlight the challenges facing African and South African Aviation as well as to develop action plans for open sky policies, airport and infrastructure issues, airline and airport growth strategies, human capital development, technical challenges facing aviation in Africa and investment opportunities. The conference will run over the 3 days of the event and will take place at the King Shaka International Airport. About Durban The event will be staged in collaboration with the government of KwaZulu-Natal, one of the nine provinces in South Africa. Durban, with its pristine beaches and idyllic tourist destinations along with world-class hotels and shopping malls, is a leading South African Tourist destination forming part of the eThekwini Municipality where some of the world's premier exhibitions and conferences are hosted. It is a modern, vibrant, cosmopolitan city and its lifestyle, architecture and culture reflect and thrive on its warm sub-tropical climate presenting an ideal platform for industry leaders, tradesmen, investors, aviation experts and the public to gain insights, network, and develop business leads and opportunities that will benefit the aviation industry and the world's top brands who see Africa as a primary aviation destination. About Adone Events Based in Cannes, France, Adone Event's professional team are all experts in their domain. Our team's expertise includes event management, sponsorship sourcing, marketing management, design and corporate branding, public relation management and project management. For over 17 years we have organized prestigious events, in collaboration with some of the event industry's key players. Our worldwide shows include Abu Dhabi Air Expo, Middle East Aviation Conference, France Air Expo, African Airshow and the newly launched Saudi Airshow. www.africanairexpo.com Related Files AFRICAN AIR EXPO - DURBAN PRESS RELEASE.docx AFRICAN AIR EXPO - DURBAN PRESS RELEASE.pdf Related Images image1.png image2.jpg image3.jpg SOURCE Adone Events CANNES, France, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AKQA announced the winners of Future Lions, the official student awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Future Lions attracted more than 2,290 participants from 386 schools across 55 countries, making it the most successful year to date. The five winning ideas and teams are: Hush for Apple Team: Junggle Kim, Chaeyeong Seo, and Cristina Marquez Barreto School: Miami Ad School Hamburg; Miami Ad School Miami TrashScan for Google and Conversation International Team: Emily Alek and Jingpo Li School: Syracuse University, United States Truth Detector for Facebook Team: Felipe Latge, Davi Correia, Andre Pico, and Bruno Buhr School: ESPM, Rio de Janeiro; Miami Ad School, Rio de Janeiro Tittut for IKEA Team: Yerin Kim, Woo Jae Yoon, and Hyei Min Park School: School of Visual Arts, United States Financed by the Sun for Nationwide Team: Alexandre Oliveira, and Joao Muri, School: Miami Ad School, Rio de Janeiro Berghs School of Communication is named Future Lions School of the Year, having received more shortlisted finalists than any other school. This is the fifth year in a row that Berghs has won this recognition. Each winning team and Berghs School of Communications were awarded with the Future Lions trophy on stage in the Debussy Theatre at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes. The ceremony was hosted by AKQA Group Creative Director Michelle Lassman and AKQA Head of Technology Jo Hickson. Michelle Lassman said: "The new generation of talent has unprecedented power to shape the future, as this year's Future Lions winners demonstrate. These students boldly showcased inspirational and innovative thinking with ideas that have a positive impact on our world." Jo Hickson said: "Future Lions encourages students to embrace new technology and choose the most exhilarating and distinctive path for brands. This year's winning ideas rose to the challenge by applying technology with creativity to create a positive impact in the world." Snap Inc., and global youth empowerment organisation, MiSK Foundation were the official partners of Future Lions 2018. Now in its 13th year, Future Lions continues its global reach with the next generation, and has launched the careers of many of the world's celebrated creatives. Almost all Future Lions winners are now employed by many of the worlds most respected creative organisations. This year's theme encouraged those to create tomorrow and explore recent advances in technology. To learn more about the 2018 Future Lions winners, please visit: futurelions.com NOTE: Images and assets are available here: https://wdrv.it/2f8390506 About AKQA: Founded by CEO Ajaz Ahmed in 1994, AKQA is renowned as a global design and innovation agency. Honours include over twenty Agency of the Year awards, twice leading Design Week's most awarded table and winning the Queen's Award for Enterprise Innovation, the highest recognition for businesses in the UK. AKQA employs around 2,100 professionals in 23 studios. In March 2018 AKQA was positioned highest for its ability to execute in the Leaders quadrant in Gartner's 2018 independent evaluation that compares business transformation capabilities across consulting firms, agencies and systems integrators. AKQA announced in June 2018, a pioneering alliance with architecture and interior design practice Universal Design Studio and industrial design consultancy Map Project Office, in a move that redefines the concept of a 21st century design group http://www.akqa.com About the 65th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: The International Festival of Creativity, also known as Cannes Lions, is the world's leading celebration of creativity in communications. Founded in 1954, Cannes Lions is an 8-day programme of creative inspiration, celebration, education and networking. Over 15,000 delegates from around 100 countries attend the Festival, making it the only truly global meeting place for branded communications professionals to connect, share and discover. The most coveted creative accolades, The Lions, are also judged and presented at the Festival. Over 40,000 submissions from 23 categories are put through rigorous and impartial assessment by respected industry representatives, showcased in onsite exhibitions and screenings before being awarded during a number of ceremonies. Recognising and catering to specialisations within the industry, part of the Festival content and associated categories are also channelled into streams. Contact: AKQA Haley Hammerling Senior PR Manager [email protected] Haley Hammerling Senior PR Manager Direct: +1-973-747-4484 [email protected] , http://www.akqa.com, @haleyhammerling SOURCE AKQA SAN CARLOS, Calif., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alkahest, Inc. ("Alkahest"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and other age-related conditions, announced today the appointment of Michael Byrnes as Chief Financial Officer. "We are delighted to further expand our leadership team as we work to bring innovative medicines to patients with Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and other serious diseases of aging," said Karoly Nikolich, PhD, Alkahest's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "I am excited to join Alkahest's leadership team during such a transformational period for the Company. Alkahest's unique approach to the treatment of age-related diseases has the potential to positively impact millions of patients and their families around the world. I am pleased to be part of shaping the future for Alkahest and seeking to deliver value to our many stakeholders," said Mr. Byrnes. Michael Byrnes brings to Alkahest more than 15 years of experience building and leading financial organizations in public life science companies. His experience encompasses capital formation, strategic and financial planning, public company management and reporting, treasury and investor relations. Michael joins Alkahest from Ocera Therapeutics where he was Chief Financial Officer prior to Ocera's acquisition by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals; and he held previous positions of increasing responsibility with Maxygen, NeurogesX, Lipid Sciences, and ADAC Laboratories. Michael received his B.S.C. in Finance from Santa Clara University and his MBA from California State University. About Alkahest Alkahest is a privately-held clinical-stage company based in the San Francisco Bay Area developing treatments for age-related diseases, with an emphasis on neurodegeneration a key medical challenge for our generation. The company's breakthrough research has elucidated changes in the plasma proteome in healthy aging and age-related diseases, and demonstrated that factors in the blood plasma can be augmented or inhibited in order to reverse detrimental effects of aging in both normal aging and disease models in animals. Alkahest is developing novel plasma-based therapies in collaboration with Barcelona, Spain-based Grifols, a global healthcare company and leading producer of plasma therapies. For further information, see www.alkahest.com. Contact Information: Joe McCracken Vice President Business Development Alkahest, Inc. [email protected] SOURCE Alkahest, Inc. Related Links http://www.alkahest.com At the press conference, which opened with a mesmerizing light show and countdown, Aomygod CEO Liu Liping delivered a keynote speech, elaborating on the platform's new strategy for 2018 and beyond. She said that the platform will continue its commitment to the consumer experience which is expected to become one of the key factors behind an e-commerce business' success, as driven by the change in expectations among shoppers that is taking place across China and the response by businesses servicing those shoppers. As a result, the integration of the online and offline businesses is bound to set the direction of future trends for the e-commerce sector. Consolidating the online and offline business to create a new experience for retail customers With the growth of the Chinese economy thanks to the continued implementation of the supply-side structural reform in China, and the coming of age of the generation born after 1990 who are driving the trend that necessitated a restructuring of the industry, shoppers increasingly value quality of product and experience over price and their demands have become more diversified. Driven by the rapid growth of the e-commerce sector, the generational shift in buying habits and expectations, and the change of the demographic profile of mainstream consumers, the online-offline consumer-centric model is expected to become the standard bearer for the retail market. Cross-border e-commerce platforms have always been hobbled by their failure to deliver a scenario-based shopping experience. Ms. Liu emphasized Aomygod.com's plan to strongly promote the consolidated online-offline shopping model, to fashion a perfect shopping experience regardless of the scenario, and to do so through the application of advanced technology and the coordination between multiple shopping scenarios. Aomygod.com has built a new integrated online-offline system for its vast array of goods and its members that has been perfected for the four key shopping scenarios: the website, the mobile app, the store in the WeChat Mall and physical sales outlets, allowing online shoppers to have the same sense of enjoyment as they do when they make purchases at one of its brick-and-mortar stores. This system also assures online shoppers that the product, the price and the final point-of-sale experience are no different than that provided at one of the physical stores, in addition to offering a full range of delivery options, including concierge service, customer pick-up, free delivery within 3 kilometers and express delivery. Aomygod.com has already enhanced the shopping experience and improved operational efficiency by virtue of its integrated solutions for members, marketing, product and data. Aomygod.com optimized every step across the supply chain and order workflow to create a new shopping scenario The e-commerce firm has been unremitting in its efforts to improve the shopping experience. Besides the online-offline shopping model, the platform has also been hard at work on online solutions for products, technology, members and data, in a move to continuously improve the shopper's experience. Ms. Liu stated in her speech that the new shopping scenario provided by the firm not only helps to improve the experience but also assure the quality of products, giving consumers access to all the tools necessary to choose and purchase products that are most suitable for their needs. Aomygod.com has also built a comprehensive logistics system, laying a sound foundation for the integration of its online and offline businesses. Working with franchisees to create a better future At the event, a brand representative shared his insights about the brand's cooperation with Aomygod.com in the wake of Ms. Liu's speech. Aomygod.com, with a professional team having over ten years of experience in operations, an inventory of more than 100,000 SKUs, a network of over 3,000 service sites across China and a proprietary IP-based business model, is well positioned to create a unified, integrated marketing and operational approach for its franchisees, while providing premium services, including member integration, online-offline brand franchising services, a one-stop technology platform and consistent service standards, said the representative in his speech. Going forward, Aomygod.com plans to work closely with its franchisees to achieve a win-win situation and create a better future. Aomygod.com also signed agreements with franchisees across the supply chain at the press conference. Considering that integration is the defining trend of the moment for the e-commerce sector, Aomygod.com plans to continuously enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs by integrating and coordinating all segments across the supply chain, while delivering an immersive shopping experience to consumers via its online-offline shopping model. The launch of Aomygod.com's new strategy for 2018 will provide a path for the platform to be the vanguard in the new era of retail and help to achieve a win-win situation not only for the platform, but also for consumers and franchisees, enabling the three parties to create a better future together. SOURCE Aomygod BELTSVILLE, Md., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has awarded ASRC Federal subsidiary InuTeq LLC the NASA Advanced Computing Services (NACS) contract. The single award, hybrid contract has a one-year base, followed by nine one-year options with a total potential value of approximately $1.2 billion. As part of the contract, the company will provide a wide-range of high performance computing services in support of NASA's mission including high fidelity modeling and simulation, data analysis and visualization, network operations and emerging computing technologies evaluation. "We are excited and honored to further expand our work with NASA, working together to provide advanced computing services and solutions, solving mission-driven science and engineering challenges," said Mark Gray, ASRC Federal president and CEO. The NACS contract provides direct support the NASA Advanced Supercomputing division at the Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California and the NASA Center for Climate Simulation at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. About ASRC Federal ASRC Federal comprises a family of companies that deliver engineering, information technology, infrastructure support, professional and technical services to U.S. civil, defense and intelligence agencies. ASRC Federal companies have employees in over 40 states across the U.S. focused on providing reliable, cost-efficient services that help government customers achieve mission success. Headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland, ASRC Federal is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. For more information, please visit: www.asrcfederal.com Contact: Anton Pototski (301) 837-5512 [email protected] SOURCE ASRC Federal Related Links http://www.asrcfederal.com MIAMI, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of its christening voyage this August, Azamara Club Cruises announces Ellen Asmodeo-Giglio EVP, Chief Revenue Officer of AFAR Media and Lucy Huxley Editor-in-Chief of Travel Weekly UK as the Godmothers of Azamara Pursuit. At the forefront of the travel industry, Asmodeo-Giglio and Huxley are seasoned travelers who have dedicated their lives to seeking new perspectives. Their commitment to adventure and global travel, with almost 50 years of combined expertise from both consumer and travel trade perspectives, makes them the perfect Godmothers for Azamara. In addition, with the US and UK as two key markets for Azamara, Ellen and Lucy have been selected to represent the brand and vessel on both sides of the Atlantic. "Ellen and Lucy's fearless dedication to adventure, and respect and admiration for different cultures, aligns with Azamara's commitment and passion to Destination Immersion experiences," said Larry Pimentel, President and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises. "Both Ellen and Lucy are travel influencers in their own right, and we couldn't be more thrilled to have them christen our new ship, Azamara Pursuit." With decades of experience in consumer travel media, including a background as SVP, Publisher of Travel + Leisure as well as serving as the first publisher of the glossy WSJ. Magazine, Ellen Asmodeo-Giglio has a clear understanding of culture and the luxury landscape. She now overseas all revenue for AFAR Media, which has led the experiential travel movement and has focused on "Traveling Deeper," since 2009. AFAR Inspires, guides, and enables people to connect with the destination, and aligns with Azamara's Explore Further campaign. The new brand campaign launched in March 2018 features 900+ shore excursions that connect travelers to the destination through intimate experiences, such as cooking dinner with a Parsi family at their home in India. Asmodeo-Giglio took her first cruise at age 11 with her family, and appreciated the fact that she only had to unpack her bags once when traveling through multiple countries. Her favorite aspect of Azamara is the brand's commitment to Destination Immersion and the opportunity it gives cruisers to travel deeper. Asmodeo-Giglio is also intrigued by Azamara Pursuit's country-intensive voyage to Iceland, which includes six ports of call within the island nation as well as excursions, including visiting Iceland's largest volcanos and waterfalls. "I'm honored to be the co-Godmother of Azamara Pursuit. Azamara is committed to helping consumers connect with destinations, local cultures, and people, a mission that I am aligned with personally and feel passionate about as a traveler. The AFAR audience is hungry for more opportunities to travel deeper and the Azamara Pursuit will enable them to see the world and connect deeply with destinations in a way they haven't been able to before." Lucy Huxley has covered cruising for 20-years while also having the opportunity to sail on multiple cruise ships. Huxley is committed to encouraging her day-to-day contacts in the UK to educate their customers on all the amazing discoveries to be made while immersing themselves in the destinations they will visit, and has a personal passion for connecting with new places and cultures. Huxley is most excited about Azamara Pursuit's voyages to South America, as the vessel will venture to must-see destinations such as Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, while also traversing through the Chilean Fjords, a first for Azamara. Spearheading editorial content across Travel Weekly Group's market-leading UK portfolio in print and online, including Travel Weekly, Travel Weekly Business, Travolution and Aspire, Huxley joined the company in 2010 and has worked in the UK travel trade media as a journalist and editor for more than two decades. Involved in all aspects of the group, including Travel Weekly's extensive events portfolio, Huxley has an unrivalled reputation within the UK travel trade "My first role within the travel trade media was cruise reporter, and over the past 20 years I have covered and championed the growth of the cruise sector as it has developed into a much-loved holiday choice for British travelers and an area of specialism for many of our incredible travel agent readers. Azamara's commitment to exploring new destinations and offering guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in new cultures and experiences is a fantastic reflection of travel's ability to broaden horizons and connect people, and I am overwhelmed, delighted and honored to join Ellen as co-Godmother of Azamara Pursuit." The two Godmothers will christen Azamara Pursuit in Southampton, UK on August 28. Ship christening is a longstanding naval tradition that can be found in many cultures and dates back thousands of years. Following the naming ceremony, the vessel will set sail for an AzAmazing afternoon event in Cherbourg. Inspired by Azamara's signature AzAmazing Evenings, the complimentary excursion will offer all 690 guests the opportunity to debark the ship in the evening and experience an exclusive bespoke performance by allowing them to connect with the local culture and discover the destination's heritage. The voyage will conclude with a White Night celebration, an evening soiree where cruisers can enjoy a feast served poolside by Azamara's officers and crew before dancing late into the night. Azamara Pursuit will be the first ship in the fleet to have Godmothers. Departing for its maiden voyage in August 2018, Azamara Pursuit joins sister ships Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey in providing guests with one-of-a-kind curated experiences, with access to a selection of the most exotic destinations around the globe with country-intensive voyages. On its maiden voyage, the ship will travel from Southampton to Norway, visiting eight destinations in the Scandinavian country. Azamara Pursuit will visit 15 ports where Azamara Journey and Quest have yet to sail, including Seyisfjorur, Iceland and Maceio, Brazil; and it will be the first Azamara vessel to venture to the Chilean Fjords and Antarctica, furthering the brand's commitment to connecting travelers with hard-to-reach destinations. Learn more about Azamara Pursuit's Godmothers by visiting the brand's website or viewing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX55hmzf-hg&t=47s About Azamara Club Cruises Azamara Club Cruises is a boutique upmarket cruise line. Azamara's wide selection of Destination Immersion signature programming that delivers authentic cultural experiences across the globe. In 2018, as part of its Explore Further offerings, Azamara will take guests to more than 200 ports, in 70 countries, including 170 late night stays and 114 overnights. Azamara's commitment to Destination Immersion cruise experiences coupled with exceptional authentic service offers and inclusive amenities make for a unique cruise vacation experience. Additional information can be found on www.azamara.com . About Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) is a global cruise company that owns and operates three global brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. We are a 50% joint venture owner of the German brand TUI Cruises, a 49% shareholder in the Spanish brand Pullmantur. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on approximately 540 destinations on all seven continents. Additional information can be found on: www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com, www.azamaraclubcruises.com, www.tuicruises.com, www.pullmantur.es, or www.rclinvestor.com SOURCE Azamara Club Cruises Related Links http://www.azamara.com PETALUMA, Calif., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Business owners often wear many hats to get the job done, especially at the beginning. While some may have the confidence to appear like a natural born entrepreneur, every business owner needs some guidance at some point in their journey. Brandon Frere, CEO of Frere Enterprises and other ventures, recommends having a mentor or other avenues for non-traditional guidance. "CEOs are supposed to have all the answers in a company, but even they don't know everything," said Frere. "Sometimes, we also have questions that we might not be able to ask within our own company. That's when it's important to have other resources to get answers or guidance." Common advice for business owners is to have a mentor to help guide them through the complicated process of starting and running a business. However, not every entrepreneur has such a figure in their life. Thankfully, they may find a mentor program that can pair them with a mentor, such as one through the U.S. Small Business Administration and Score. Alternatively, if business owners would prefer some sort of connection with their mentor, they may decide to find one within their professional or personal network. They may even choose to network in order to find one, similar to how an individual might network to find a job. Finally, business owners may choose to find mentorship through digital means. Podcasts and YouTube videos may provide some general information and may be useful in keeping up with trends or getting a laugh. Forums can provide an outlet to ask questions on specific or unique situations that may not be addressed in pre-made content. "Having a mentor can be very useful, but having multiple resources can be invaluable," said Brandon Frere. "Simply keeping up with trends and opinions in the small business community through websites or podcasts can help you maintain an open mind and get ideas for your business that you might not have thought of otherwise. Those new ideas may have hidden potential for your business." About Frere Enterprises Brandon Frere is an entrepreneur and businessman who lives in Sonoma County, California. He has designed and created multiple companies to meet the ever-demanding needs of businesses and consumers alike. His company website, www.FrereEnterprises.com, is used as a means to communicate many of the lessons, fundamentals and information he has learned throughout his extensive business and personal endeavors, most recently in advocating on behalf of student loan borrowers nationwide. As experienced during his own student loan repayment, Mr. Frere found out how difficult it can be to work with federally contracted student loan servicers and the repayment programs designed to help borrowers. Through those efforts, he gained an insider's look into the repayment process and the motivations behind the inflating student loan debt bubble. His knowledge of the confusing landscape of student loan repayment became a vital theme in his future endeavors, and he now uses those experiences to help guide others through the daunting process of applying for available federal repayment and loan forgiveness programs. FrereEnterprises.com Related Images ceo-of-small-business-taking-notes.jpg CEO of Small Business Taking Notes from Computer Credit: fizkes/Bigstock image2.png Related Links Frere Enterprises home page SOURCE Frere Enterprises Related Links http://www.FrereEnterprises.com WASHINGTON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Students from Brooklyn, New York, will have the opportunity to talk with astronauts on the International Space Station this week as part of NASA's Year of Education on Station. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. NASA Expedition 56 astronauts Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel will connect with the Brooklyn students at 9:25 a.m. EDT Thursday, June 21. They'll answer questions about life aboard the space station, NASA's deep space exploration plans and conducting science in space. The Dag Hammarskjold School, or Public School 254, serves nearly 800 students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Media interested in attending should contact Miranda Barbot at [email protected] or 212-374-5141. The event will take place at PS 254, The Dag Hammarskjold School, 1801 Ave. Y, Brooklyn. Linking teachers directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). These in-flight education downlinks are an integral component of NASA's Year of Education on Station, which provides extensive space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators. Astronauts living in space on the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA's Mission Control Center on Earth 24 hours a day through the Space Network's Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS). In addition to the student event, all six space station crew members will gather to recognize the 50th anniversary of the U.N. Conference on Exploration and the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, June 20. The astronauts will connect with participants at an anniversary event on Earth in Vienna, Austria. The interactive portion of the event will air live on NASA TV and the agency's website. Follow the astronauts on social media at: https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts/ See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at: https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation/ SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov CHICAGO, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cabrera Capital Markets, LLC announces a partnership with Anand Rathi. Headquartered in Mumbai, India, Anand Rathi is one of India's leading financial services firms, offering Wealth Management, Investment Banking, Corporate Finance & Advisory, Brokerage & Distribution services in the areas of equities, commodities, mutual funds, structured products, insurance, corporate deposits, bonds & loans to institutions, corporations, high-net-worth individuals and families. Through Cabrera, Anand Rathi will provide unique research and execution services to U.S. institutional investors. This arrangement will also broaden the scope of investment options outside of the U.S. for Cabrera's institutional clients. "There is a lot of positive chatter concerning Cabrera in the 15a-6 space, so we decided to find out why. We were impressed to find that Cabrera has a strong knowledge of emerging markets, an amazing client coverage and have a lot of experience in the chaperone space. Therefore it made sense for us to partner with Cabrera, especially as their services provide us with the availability and flexibility of using our own Anand Rathi brand to speak, trade, and settle directly with the U.S. buy-side. It is an ideal partnership for non-U.S. brokers looking to access U.S. buy sides," added Vishal Laddha CEO at Anand Rathi. This union continues Cabrera's efforts to bring the highest quality research to the US institutional marketplace. "Cabrera is driven by our clients and as a result, we have been working on some niche 15a-6 partnerships over the past few months. Anand Rathi specializes in small and medium cap companies, something our clients have been asking for. This partnership not only enables Cabrera to offer research, but just as importantly local liquidity. This continued expansion benefits our institutional clients, pension funds, as well as our partners like Anand Rathi," added Paul Karrlsson-Willis, Managing Director of Equities Sales and Trading. By teaming up with Cabrera, Anand Rathi will increase visibility and business in the U.S. Alliances such as these have an added advantage of providing multiple opportunities and information-access under one roof, making them convenient and cost-effective. About Cabrera Capital Markets (http://www.cabreracapital.com) Cabrera Capital Markets, LLC founded in 2001 provides investment banking and full-service institutional brokerage services worldwide to a substantial and diversified client base that includes financial institutions, unions, governments, corporations, hedge funds, and foundations and endowments. At the core of the Cabrera businesses is our commitment to our clients. We have a highly qualified team of experienced professionals who are well-versed in using the firm's resources to manage significant transactions through our growing franchise. The areas of our business are: public finance; municipal bond sales and trading; debt and equity capital markets; domestic equity sales, trading and execution; international equity sales, trading and execution; preferred stock sales and trading; taxable fixed income sales and trading; directed brokerage; and global investment banking. About Anand Rathi The institutional equity arm of Anand Rathi focuses on mid-cap companies with strong fundamentals, existing/ potential client interest but substantial information gap between the company and institutional investors due to the lack of quality coverage by other brokers. Anand Rathi currently has an institutional equity team of over 60 professionals, more than half in research, covering nearly 200 companies. The coverage would go up to 250 in the near-term. Anand Rathi research offers deep understanding of business model and financials of coverage companies backed by domain knowledge, forensic analysis and interaction with company, partners, competition, suppliers, customers and other stakeholders. The firm provides end-to-end servicing objective research, corporate access, channel checks and stock sourcing/ placement on all these stocks. With large and diversified institutional clients base, corporate connect, synergies with other Group companies and experienced dealing team, Anand Rathi Institutional Equity has the unique capacity to source/ place relatively illiquid mid-cap stocks at low impact cost. SOURCE Cabrera Capital Markets, LLC Related Links http://www.cabreracapital.com HARRISBURG, Pa., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In its continued effort to provide convenient, affordable access to healthcare, Capital BlueCross today launched a new and expanded Virtual Care app. The app allows members to visit a physician at any time, via their smart phone, computer or tablet. The benefit is available in partnership with American Well (Amwell). Capital BlueCross has been the long-time leader in providing convenient and innovative options for consumers to access healthcare services, including its initial offering of telehealth benefits to the market three years ago. Usage of this benefit has increased 33 percent in the last year alone, with members being treated for many common illnesses. Visits for these acute conditions take approximately 10 minutes, with licensed physicians available on call anytime of the day, 365 days a year. With more people interested in using healthcare services remotely, and with the increasing need for access to behavioral health services, Capital BlueCross is also expanding our members' Virtual Care access to include counseling and psychiatry services. Members can now access certain behavioral health benefits from the comfort of their own home, or anywhere they choose. Appointments for these services, which are easily scheduled in advance using the Virtual Care app, are generally 45 minutes and can be scheduled to take place between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET. "As a leader in healthcare, we are proud to be able to add access to behavioral health services though our Virtual Care app. The ability to receive counseling from a place where a person feels most comfortable can make a tremendous difference," said Dr. Jennifer Chambers, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Medical Solutions, Capital BlueCross. "Virtual Care has the ability to reach so many people who may otherwise not be able to visit a physician or counselor, and is another example of Capital BlueCross' leadership in innovation." Virtual Care psychiatrists are board-certified in psychiatry and neurology, and counselors are licensed masters and doctoral-level psychologists. These providers are licensed to practice in the state in which a member is located. All are considered in-network for Capital BlueCross members as long as the services are covered under their health plan. The copay for Virtual Care varies depending on the member's benefit plan, but is generally less than a face-to-face physician visit. Virtual Care is offered to members in 21 different languages, including American Sign Language. The app can be found through the Apple and Google Play stores. To learn more, visit virtualcarecbc.com. About Capital BlueCross Capital BlueCross, headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa., is the leading health solutions and insurance company in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley. A partner in the community's health for 80 years, Capital BlueCross offers health insurance products, services and technology solutions that provide peace of mind to consumers and promote health and wellness for our customers. More than a health insurer, the company delivers innovative solutions through a family of diversified businesses that is creating a healthier future and lowering health care costs. Among these solutions are patient-focused care models, leading-edge data analytics, and digital health technologies. Additionally, Capital BlueCross is growing a network of Capital Blue stores that provide in-person service and inspiration to help people reach their health goals. Capital BlueCross is an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association. For more information, visit capbluecross.com. SOURCE Capital BlueCross Related Links http://www.capbluecross.com AUSTIN, Texas, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Catapult, a leading global modern digital solutions and services provider, announced today that it has been recognized as one of Austin Business Journal's "Best Places to Work in Central Texas" for 2018. This will be the fourth year that Catapult has earned this recognition in Austin, Texas. The final ranking of the "Best Places to Work in Central Texas" will be announced at a luncheon hosted by the Austin Business Journal on Friday, June 22 at the downtown Hilton Austin hotel. At the award ceremony, the Austin Business Journal will share what characteristics contribute to making these top companies such great places to work. In the past, Catapult has been awarded this designation in Austin and other cities based on factors including work/life balance, benefits, career mobility, compensation, as well as culture and values. "It's such an honor that Catapult has been named a Best Place to Work by the Austin Business Journal," said Catapult's Chief People Officer, Liam Collopy. "We strive to create a place where our employees can make a significant impact in our communities, for our customers, and are part of something bigger than themselves. After 20 years of being at Catapult, I love what we continue to stand for, and our people are the real reason we are a great place to work." ABOUT CATAPULT Catapult is a modern digital solutions and services firm that uses technology to solve complex business challenges, delivering exceptional value to our clients. As a 2017 Partner of the Year Finalist in Cloud Productivity and the 2016 Microsoft Partner of the Year (U.S.), Catapult specializes in digital transformation and cloud-based technologies. We work on behalf of our clients to imagine, build, and sustain IT-enabled business solutions that people love to use. Catapult has US offices in Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, Tampa, and Washington, D.C, as well as offices in China, Malaysia, India, Mexico and Western Europe. Interested in joining our team? To view Catapult's current job openings, click here. Contact: Jessica Cowan Marketing Communications Manager 512-605-3903 [email protected] SOURCE Catapult Related Links http://www.catapultsystems.com LOD, Israel, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Datum Dental, Ltd, leading provider of OSSIX brand innovative solutions for bone and tissue regeneration for dentistry, proudly announces major regulatory clearances for OSSIX Bone with CE Mark in Europe and Health Canada approval. Powered by the company's patented clinically proven GLYMATRIX core technology, OSSIX Bone received FDA clearance in July 2017 and was launched commercially during 3Q2017 in the USA. "This is a significant milestone," noted Dr. Arie Goldlust, Datum Dental CEO and Co-Founder, "the full GLYMATRIX-based OSSIX line - OSSIX Plus, OSSIX Volumax, and now OSSIX Bone - is available to clinicians across Europe and North America, and other key regions. OSSIX Bone is a mineralized collagen sponge with unique ossifying characteristics and texture that enable simplified dental procedures in challenging cases as well as routine care. Unlike alternatives on the market including allograft/xenograft materials, OSSIX Bone promotes true bone with no remnants, no migration of material - offering a viable, naturally derived solution for clinicians." Dr. Barry Levin, DMD, PC, periodontist and implantologist, publishes and lectures on topics pertaining to dental implantology, periodontics and bone regenerative materials. He has been using OSSIX Bone in his practice since the product received FDA clearance last year. Dr. Levin noted, "based on my clinical experience, this biomaterial has changed the way I approach crestal sinus elevations and grafting extraction sites. The easy handling of OSSIX Bone translates into precise and safe augmentation, with predictable ossification and osseointegration without the risks of graft migration. This gives patients and clinicians a better option - providing a simplified and predictable way to preserve alveolar ridge dimensions for ideal implant placement, with no need for a membrane. Having a material like the OSSIX Bone collagen sponge that readily absorbs the patient's blood, i.e. growth factors, and remains stable after placement, is a tremendous improvement over available grafting materials." Dr. Bach Le, DDS, MD, FICD, FACD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the USC School of Dentistry, integrated the product in his surgical practice and emphasized that "OSSIX Bone demonstrates good healing and bone formation." A published author and lecturer on dental implants and bone regeneration, Dr. Le has been using OSSIX solutions such as legacy OSSIX Plus in his clinical practice and educational endeavors for over a decade. Datum Dental's partner network is gearing up to introduce OSSIX Bone regionally. Mr. Chris Carriere, Managing Director of HMI (Hesira Med Inc.) added, "We are passionate about delivering the best-in-class OSSIX line of dental regenerative materials to Canadian clinicians. We are bringing these unique and innovative materials to Canada so that patients may achieve optimal treatment outcomes. We are pleased to offer a simpler solution to socket preservations and crestal / closed sinus lift techniques with the newly Health Canada licensed OSSIX Bone." "With proven science and clinical efficacy of the OSSIX product family, we are thrilled that OSSIX Bone has received CE Mark," noted General Manager of Salugraft Dental Spain, Juan De Dios Briones. He summarized, "Where regeneration procedures are required, European clinicians can now benefit from incorporating product innovations such as OSSIX Bone in clinical practice. Compared to commonly used bone graft substitutes such as xenograft and alloplastic materials, OSSIX Bone has the potential to provide predictable and sustainable results that will substantially benefit patient outcomes while reducing total treatment time and costs." OSSIX Bone to be Showcased at EuroPerio9 Amsterdam Datum Dental Booth#11.04a The company will showcase OSSIX Bone at the Datum Dental Booth#11.04a at EuroPerio9 in Amsterdam from June 20-23. Clinicians will have the opportunity to experience the product in the booth hands-on corner "Your Talent. Our Expertise." About Datum Dental Datum Dental Ltd., a subsidiary of Datum Biotech, provides innovative dental regeneration products to support and enhance the future of implantology and oral care. The company markets its products for dental professionals through its extensive global network of over 20 partners worldwide. The company uses its patented GLYMATRIX core technology, a sugar cross-linking collagen biomaterial, for guided bone regeneration (GBR) and guided tissue regeneration (GTR); the technology is clinically proven in over a hundred scientific publications. Powered by GLYMATRIX, the OSSIX product family has enabled clinicians in hundreds of thousands of procedures spanning almost two decades to safely provide predictable, long-term results to their patients. The OSSIX portfolio includes legacy OSSIX Plus ossifying collagen barrier membrane, OSSIX Bone mineralized collagen sponge, and OSSIX Volumax ossifying, volumizing collagen scaffold. Datum Dental's R&D pipeline continues to develop new products for GBR and GTR that simplify procedures and overcome major deficiencies in existing biomaterials through safe and transformational solutions. Contact: Ellen Fischl Bodner Director of Marketing Datum Dental [email protected] www.ossixdental.com SOURCE Datum Dental, Ltd. LOD, Israel, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Expanding OSSIX Line in Europe, North America Following Prior FDA Clearance Datum Dental, Ltd, leading provider of OSSIX brand innovative solutions for bone and tissue regeneration for dentistry, proudly announces major regulatory clearances for OSSIX Bone with CE Mark in Europe and Health Canada approval. Powered by the company's patented clinically proven GLYMATRIX core technology, OSSIX Bone received FDA clearance in July 2017 and was launched commercially during 3Q2017 in the USA. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/707016/Datum_Dental_Logo.jpg ) "This is a significant milestone," noted Dr. Arie Goldlust, Datum Dental CEO and Co-Founder, "the full GLYMATRIX-based OSSIX line - OSSIX Plus, OSSIX Volumax, and now OSSIX Bone - is available to clinicians across Europe and North America, and other key regions. OSSIX Bone is a mineralized collagen sponge with unique ossifying characteristics and texture that enable simplified dental procedures in challenging cases as well as routine care. Unlike alternatives on the market including allograft/xenograft materials, OSSIX Bone promotes true bone with no remnants, no migration of material - offering a viable, naturally derived solution for clinicians." Dr. Barry Levin, DMD, PC, periodontist and implantologist, publishes and lectures on topics pertaining to dental implantology, periodontics and bone regenerative materials. He has been using OSSIX Bone in his practice since the product received FDA clearance last year. Dr. Levin noted, "based on my clinical experience, this biomaterial has changed the way I approach crestal sinus elevations and grafting extraction sites. The easy handling of OSSIX Bone translates into precise and safe augmentation, with predictable ossification and osseointegration without the risks of graft migration. This gives patients and clinicians a better option - providing a simplified and predictable way to preserve alveolar ridge dimensions for ideal implant placement, with no need for a membrane. Having a material like the OSSIX Bone collagen sponge that readily absorbs the patient's blood, i.e. growth factors, and remains stable after placement, is a tremendous improvement over available grafting materials." Dr. Bach Le, DDS, MD, FICD, FACD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the USC School of Dentistry, integrated the product in his surgical practice and emphasized that "OSSIX Bone demonstrates good healing and bone formation." A published author and lecturer on dental implants and bone regeneration, Dr. Le has been using OSSIX solutions such as legacy OSSIX Plus in his clinical practice and educational endeavors for over a decade. Datum Dental's partner network is gearing up to introduce OSSIX Bone regionally. Mr. Chris Carriere, Managing Director of HMI (Hesira Med Inc.) added, "We are passionate about delivering the best-in-class OSSIX line of dental regenerative materials to Canadian clinicians. We are bringing these unique and innovative materials to Canada so that patients may achieve optimal treatment outcomes. We are pleased to offer a simpler solution to socket preservations and crestal / closed sinus lift techniques with the newly Health Canada licensed OSSIX Bone." "With proven science and clinical efficacy of the OSSIX product family, we are thrilled that OSSIX Bone has received CE Mark," noted General Manager of Salugraft Dental Spain, Juan De Dios Briones. He summarized, "Where regeneration procedures are required, European clinicians can now benefit from incorporating product innovations such as OSSIX Bone in clinical practice. Compared to commonly used bone graft substitutes such as xenograft and alloplastic materials, OSSIX Bone has the potential to provide predictable and sustainable results that will substantially benefit patient outcomes while reducing total treatment time and costs." OSSIX Bone to be Showcased at EuroPerio9 Amsterdam - Datum Dental Booth#11.04a The company will showcase OSSIX Bone at the Datum Dental Booth#11.04a at EuroPerio9 in Amsterdam from June 20-23. Clinicians will have the opportunity to experience the product in the booth hands-on corner "Your Talent. Our Expertise." About Datum Dental Datum Dental Ltd., a subsidiary of Datum Biotech, provides innovative dental regeneration products to support and enhance the future of implantology and oral care. The company markets its products for dental professionals through its extensive global network of over 20 partners worldwide. The company uses its patented GLYMATRIX core technology, a sugar cross-linking collagen biomaterial, for guided bone regeneration (GBR) and guided tissue regeneration (GTR); the technology is clinically proven in over a hundred scientific publications. Powered by GLYMATRIX, the OSSIX product family has enabled clinicians in hundreds of thousands of procedures spanning almost two decades to safely provide predictable, long-term results to their patients. The OSSIX portfolio includes legacy OSSIX Plus ossifying collagen barrier membrane, OSSIX Bone mineralized collagen sponge, and OSSIX Volumax ossifying, volumizing collagen scaffold. Datum Dental's R&D pipeline continues to develop new products for GBR and GTR that simplify procedures and overcome major deficiencies in existing biomaterials through safe and transformational solutions. Contact: Ellen Fischl Bodner Director of Marketing Datum Dental [email protected] www.ossixdental.com SOURCE Datum Dental, Ltd. INDIANAPOLIS, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Celadon Group, Inc. ("Celadon," the "Company," "we," or "us") (OTCPink: CGIP) today announced certain updates with respect to its previously disclosed refinancing process and a related amendment to its existing credit agreement. As previously disclosed, Celadon is in the process of pursuing $300 million of new financing, consisting of a $100 million revolving asset-based credit facility and a $200 million term loan and equity financing, which will refinance and replace the Company's existing credit facility. The Company is continuing to negotiate the definitive transaction documents and work towards satisfying the other conditions to closing the refinancing. In connection with the refinancing process, on June 15, 2018, the Company entered into a Tenth Amendment to its existing credit agreement (the "Amendment"). The Amendment extends the existing financial covenant relief through July 13, 2018. The Company expects to close the refinancing on or prior to this date and expects to have adequate operating liquidity through closing. The full text of the Amendment and required disclosures will be reported in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). About Celadon Celadon Group, Inc. (www.celadongroup.com), through its subsidiaries, provides long haul, regional, local, dedicated, intermodal, temperature-protect, and expedited freight service across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Company also owns Celadon Logistics Services, which provides freight brokerage services, freight management, as well as supply chain management solutions, including logistics, warehousing, and distribution. This press release contains certain statements that may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such statements are subject to the safe harbor created by those sections and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such statements may be identified by their use of terms or phrases, including "expects" and similar terms and phrases. Forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the Company's management and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, which could cause future events and actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. In this press release, statements relating our refinancing effort, the occurrence and expected timing of a refinancing, and the adequacy of our liquidity during the refinancing process, among others, are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risk that we are unable to refinance our existing credit agreement or do so on terms that are more detrimental to us or dilutive to our stockholders than the terms previously disclosed and the risk that we require greater liquidity than we expect during the refinancing process. Readers should review and consider these and other factors that could impact results as provided in various disclosures by the Company in its press releases, stockholder reports, and filings with the SEC. For more information: Thom Albrecht Chief Financial and Strategy Officer (317) 972-7030 [email protected] SOURCE Celadon Group, Inc. Related Links http://www.celadongroup.com "We can't think of a better way to kick off summer than celebrating National Smoothie Day," said Nicole Butcher, director of marketing for Planet Smoothie. "Not only can guests enjoy a free Lunar Lemonade smoothie during their visit, but they can join in on the fun with our personalized Snapchat filter!" Promotional Smoothie: 16 oz. Lunar Lemonade Lunar Lemonade features a mix of strawberries and bananas, blended with refreshing lemonade creating the perfect balance between sweet and tart. About Planet Smoothie Planet Smoothie, intent on redefining the smoothie category, is among the country's top smoothie concepts. The brand appeals to a demographic of loyal, active and occasion-driven customers who want to live a healthier lifestyle. Planet Smoothie offers real fruit smoothies with lower calorie, lower sugar, and higher protein options, giving customers a quick, portable snack or meal replacement. The brand's menu is organized into lifestyle categories to assist customers in finding the smoothie that helps them to achieve their personal goals, including protein, energy, and Planet Lite categories. The Planet Smoothie brand operates approximately 125 locations in over 20 states. In 2015, Planet Smoothie was acquired by Scottsdale, Arizona-based Kahala Brands, one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world with a portfolio of 27 quick-service restaurant brands and approximately 2900 locations in 28 countries. For more information about Planet Smoothie, Please visit: www.PlanetSmoothie.com. For more information about Kahala Brands, please visit: www.KahalaBrands.com. SOURCE Planet Smoothie Related Links http://www.planetsmoothie.com SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Chronicled, Inc. a smart supply chain solutions company based in San Francisco, CA, and OCEASOFT, a data logging company based in Montpellier, France, today announced a strategic partnership to cross-sell and integrate each other's platforms and solutions. "By partnering with Chronicled, we gain a solid blockchain strategy. As the pharmaceutical industry in the United States moves onto blockchain to meet its track-and-trace requirements, we can leverage our partnership to integrate these workflows and cold chain monitoring requirements to provide more value and better ROI for customers," says Laurent Rousseau, CEO of OCEASOFT. "We've discussed cold chain monitoring objectives with many of our life sciences customers," says Ryan Orr, CEO of Chronicled. "Our goal is to make best-in-class technologies available on our platform to meet industry requirements. With wireless connectivity, OCEASOFT data loggers solve many of the problems faced in the cold chain logistics industry, notably eliminating the need for USB plugs; automating data retrieval with BLE, LoRaWAN, and 5G gateways; and offering cross-site visibility of information via apps and a Cloud-based dashboard." When blockchain and cold chain come together, added value can be achieved with respect to conventional systems, including: Secure Data Logs for Audit - a decentralized blockchain offers improved security and resiliency properties for record-keeping over a central back-end database. Workflow Integration workflows for track-and-trace and temperature logging operations can be synchronized, thus reducing duplicate record-keeping and systems. Automated Financial Transaction when a temperature excursion occurs, a smart contract can generate an automated payment to redress impacted parties. About OCEASOFT OCEASOFT designs and develops wireless, connected solutions for monitoring and tracking critical physical parameters such as temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, and more, to ensure the integrity and compliance for sensitive products in storage and production phases, as well as during shipping. OCEASOFT provides a complete vertical offering, from sensors to data integration in customers' back-end information systems, with expertise in sensors and calibration, wireless data transmission, and related software for web, PC, and mobile platforms. See: http://www.oceasoft.com About Chronicled Based in San Francisco, Chronicled is a technology company leveraging blockchain and IoT to bring trust, efficiency, and automation to global supply chain ecosystems. The company is a pioneer in linking physical world economy workflows to blockchain systems and has developed a decentralized protocol and network for supply chain in order to extend trust boundaries and enforce cross-organization business rules without revealing private data. Currently, Chronicled's most active market verticals are Pharmaceuticals, Commodities, and Precious Metals and Minerals. See: http://www.chronicled.com Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Chronicled Related Links http://www.chronicled.com LONDON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Codewise, the industry's first provider of AI-powered online ad measurement and management solutions for digital marketers, announced today that Dr. Pawe Rzeszucinski, Data Scientist at Codewise, accepted the invitation to become a member of the European AI Alliance, a forum launched by the European Commission. Since Dr. Pawe Rzeszucinski will join the Alliance within his personal capacity, he will act independently and in the public interest, as per the rules set by the European Commission. Following the signing of the Declaration of cooperation on Artificial Intelligence by 24 EU Member States and Norway, the European AI Alliance, as announced by the European Commission on April 25 2018, is a multi-stakeholder forum engaged in a broad and open discussion of all aspects of Artificial Intelligence development and its impact on the economy and society. The European AI Alliance is aimed at seizing the opportunities of AI, reinforcing Europe's competitiveness and establishing the ethical guidelines on the development of the AI. Emphasizing the importance of the European AI Alliance, Robert Gryn, CEO of Codewise, said, "We are extremely proud to learn that Dr. Pawe Rzeszucinski, a key stakeholder of Codewise's Artificial Intelligence development team, is joining such a strategic initiative. AI is progressively transforming our economy and society and is increasingly contributing to many sectors of our economy. We feel very reassured by the European Commission's initiative to support the implementation of a European strategy on AI." The Commission will present ethical guidelines on AI development by the end of 2018, based on the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, taking into account principles such as data protection and transparency, and building on the work of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies. To help develop these guidelines, the Commission will bring together all relevant stakeholders at the European AI Alliance. "The mission of the European AI Alliance strongly resonates with Codewise's values and vision of transparency-led smart technologies," said Dr. John Malatesta, President and Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer at Codewise. "As any technology that has a direct impact on people's and businesses' lives, the emergence of AI also raises legitimate concerns. We fully endorse the elaboration by the European Commission of recommendations on future AI-related policy development and on ethical, legal and societal issues. In our daily efforts to develop AI technologies at the service of digital marketers, we are equally attentive to the right balance between business efficiency gains on one side and respect for privacy and transparency on the other. The definition of an AI strategy framework will help the entire software industry align to common standards." The foundation of the European AI Alliance represents a first step towards an EU-wide approach to AI. By establishing clear guidelines on AI ethics, the Commission seeks to increase consumers' trust in AI-driven products. Based on the recommendations enacted by the European AI Alliance, the European Commission and participating Member States will present a European plan on Artificial Intelligence by the end of 2018. About Codewise Founded in 2011, Codewise is the industry's first provider of AI-powered online ad measurement and management solutions for digital marketers. For years, Codewise has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in Europe, according to the Financial Times, Statista, and Deloitte. Codewise's solutions help thousands of businesses in 190 countries to track, measure, and optimize billions of dollars of advertising spend, boosting their efficiency and ROI like never before. Codewise is currently tracking over $2.5 billion of digital ad spend for some of the world's largest brands and ad agencies, including $400 million of ad spend on Facebook. To learn more about Codewise, please visit www.codewise.com. PR Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Codewise Related Links https://www.codewise.com DENVER, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- America's leading yoga studio CorePower Yoga announces a partnership with Yoga Foster, an organization dedicated to empowering educators with yoga and mindfulness resources to create healthier, happier classrooms. Through the partnership, CorePower Yoga will help raise money and awareness for Yoga Foster so that the organization can reach more educators and more students - nationwide with comprehensive yoga training programs. The initiative supports CorePower Yoga's mission of bringing the life-changing benefits of a yoga practice to as many people as possible. "We are thrilled to support Yoga Foster in bringing yoga and mindfulness resources to teachers and classrooms across the country," said Tess Roering, chief marketing officer for CorePower Yoga. "Now, the CorePower Yoga community can support bringing the benefits of yoga to kids in school, giving them lifelong tools to be happier and healthier." Over the past three and a half years, Yoga Foster has grown into a national movement by elevating the wellness community to make a meaningful impact with schools. Today, Yoga Foster provides 1,500 educators throughout 48 states the necessary training, mentorship, lesson plans, yoga mats and practice tools for students. CorePower Yoga will provide funding and build awareness to expand Yoga Foster's reach and help them achieve their goal of bringing yoga and mindfulness to 500 more classrooms for the 2018-2019 school year. "Since our start, our work has been powered by community fundraisers for schools across the country," said Nicole Cardoza, Executive Director of Yoga Foster. "By working with CorePower Yoga, we have an incredible opportunity to reach new groups of educators and make wellness elementary in more schools this year." The partnership will officially kick off on International Yoga Day on June 21, when CorePower Yoga will host donation-based classes in its 180 studios across the country in support of Yoga Foster's programs. On this day, CorePower Yoga is offering its student community of tens of thousands of yogis the chance to unite in one common intention, spreading the dedication beyond the studio and into the classroom to impact change. For more information on CorePower Yoga's partnership with Yoga Foster, and for studio locations and donation-class schedules, visit https://www.corepoweryoga.com/content/yoga-foster About CorePower Yoga CorePower Yoga strives to show the world the incredible, life-changing things that happen when an intense workout is rooted in the mindfulness of yoga. Through a variety of yoga classes, convenient times and more than 180 studio locations, CorePower Yoga provides a highly intense and incredibly mindful form of fitness. CorePower Yoga's passionate and encouraging certified instructors take a typical yoga practice and crank it up to 11, working every muscle and every emotion. The beautiful, spa-like studios are built to meet the highest standards of service and quality. For more information, visit corepoweryoga.com. About Yoga Foster Yoga Foster is a nonprofit that empowers educators with movement and mindfulness resources for the classroom. Through training, lesson plans, self-care resources, and yoga mats, Yoga Foster works with schools to create comprehensive yoga programs before, during and afterschool. Over the past three years the organization has supported over 1,500 teachers to create healthier, happier classrooms. For more information, visit yogafoster.org. Media Contact TURNER 212-889-1700 [email protected] SOURCE CorePower Yoga Related Links http://www.corepoweryoga.com Cowry Cabinets, a manufacturer and dealer of high-quality cabinetry, is launching an ingenious app that will allow users to shop for, design and purchase a kitchen all through one easy-to-use, smart AI platform. Cowry's goal is simple: extend the benefits of AI and Big Data to the renovation industry, and in the process, provide its customers with an easier, more affordable way to design and build kitchens. The AI Kitchen Designer app delivers on this goal in three key ways: Patented Advanced Intelligent Design Software The design process is simplified to the extent that anybody from a first-time renovator to a no-nonsense contractor could download the app and design a kitchen in a matter of minutes. It's as easy as entering your space measurements and selecting your cabinet and hardware styles. Cowry's 3D rendering technology will use this information to instantly generate a visual representation of your kitchen design. Easy Process from Design to Assembly Once you've ordered your kitchen through the app, your cabinetry will be conveniently shipped from Cowry's local Richmond warehouse within 24 hours and arrive pre-made and ready for easy assembly. Whether you're installing your cabinets yourself, or a contractor is doing it for you, the process is painless following Cowry's simple step-by-step instructions. Unbeatable Prices for Premium Quality By ordering your kitchen directly through the Cowry app, you will get prices as low as $999 USD for a standard 10'x10' kitchen. That's less than you would pay for a sectional sofa. In addition to the money you will save by designing your kitchen yourself, these types of prices will make kitchen renovations affordable even for those on the tightest budget without sacrificing on quality. We have seen how drastically new technologies have changed other industries, and today, Cowry is spearheading that change in the kitchen construction business. The AI Kitchen Designer is the first of its kind in an industry where, up until now, the only option has been to spend time and resources on a designer and a dealer. Cowry's vision is to develop the app into a professional kitchen shopping platform where users can go to purchase products from hundreds of kitchen suppliers. Suppliers will in turn benefit from this arrangement, by saving on marketing expenses and operating costs. In this way, Cowry will provide the most affordable and diverse selection of kitchen products on the market all in one place. Through this business model and the company's strategy of cooperation with local service suppliers across North America, Cowry is building a brand-new ecosystem which encompasses the kitchen renovation process from end-to-end and has the potential for exponential growth. To find out more about Cowry and the AI Kitchen designer app, visit: https://bit.ly/2l5x0aY About Cowry Cabinets Cowry Cabinets Inc., established in 2009, is a high-quality supplier of real wood cabinetry in North America. With over 25 dealers and thousands of satisfied clients served, the company has built a reputation for quality workmanship and exceptional customer service. About Cowry App The AI Kitchen Designer app, developed by Cowry, is a one-stop kitchen construction and renovation solution. The app enables users to shop for, design and purchase high-quality kitchen cabinetry and accessories all through one easy-to-use smart AI platform. SOURCE Cowry Cabinets Inc. CHICAGO and NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cressey & Company LP ("Cressey & Company"), a healthcare-focused private investment firm, today announced the closing of Cressey & Company Fund VI, LP ("Fund VI") on $995 million and a related co-investment vehicle on $105 million, bringing total new capital commitments to $1.1 billion. The new funds will continue Cressey & Company's focus on investing in and building leading healthcare services and information technology businesses in the North American healthcare industry. "We thank our investors for the trust they have placed in us and we are excited to capitalize on the attractive investment and value-creation opportunities we see in the services and information technology sectors of the healthcare market," said Peter Ehrich, Partner at Cressey & Company. "My partners and I are proud of the leadership position we have established for our firm and for the value we have delivered to our investors over the years." Fund VI launched in March 2018 with a target of $750 million and was almost immediately oversubscribed. Fund VI had a single close on June 8, 2018, at its hard cap, raising a total of $995 million. The firm also offered and closed a co-investment vehicle totaling $105 million. Cressey & Company's previous fund, Cressey & Company Fund V, closed in December 2014 on $615 million in capital commitments. Including Cressey & Company's Funds IV and V, the firm currently manages more than $2.0 billion in committed capital. Similar to prior funds, Fund VI will implement Cressey & Company's "Target, Partner and Build" strategy that focuses on providing capital and support to exceptional executives in high-potential sectors of the healthcare industry. As part of this strategy, which Cressey & Company and its predecessor firms have executed for over 35 years, Fund VI will focus on investing in leading platform businesses and accelerating growth both organically and through acquisitions. It generally seeks investments in companies with enterprise values at the time of investment of between $50 million and $500 million. Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel in the formation of Fund VI. No placement agent was used. About Cressey & Company Based in Chicago, IL and Nashville, TN, Cressey & Company ("Cressey & Company") is a private investment firm focused on building leading healthcare services and information technology businesses. With a history spanning more than 35 years, the Cressey & Company team has demonstrated a track record of experience and success in the healthcare private equity field. More information about Cressey & Company is available at http://www.cresseyco.com. SOURCE Cressey & Company LP Related Links http://www.cresseyco.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiya, leading maker of plant-based foods that are dairy, gluten and soy-free, today announced the retirement of CEO Terry Tierney from the company's top post, effective September 5, 2018. Tierney, a seasoned senior CPG veteran whose career in the natural products industry has spanned more than 30 years, has served as Daiya's chief executive since January 2014. Tierney will continue as an active member of the Daiya Board of Directors, and remains committed to helping the company achieve its long-term goal of bringing the incredible benefits of a plant-forward lifestyle to people around the world. Tierney, 56, first joined Daiya as a director in 2011 and has been instrumental in the company's growth and success. Over the years, he helped the company grow beyond its legacy line of dairy-free, gluten-free and soy-free cheese alternatives to feature a wide range of premium plant-based foods that appeal to mainstream consumer audiences. Today, Daiya can be found in more than 25,000 stores throughout North America, as well as several international markets, including Australia, Hong Kong and the U.K. Chairman of the Board of Directors William McHale voiced his support for Tierney over the years: "Thanks in large part to Terry's leadership and direction, Daiya has delighted consumers and graced tables with its line of great-tasting, plant-based foods for every part of the day. The company is on a strong path and we are poised to continue growing Daiya's portfolio from a position of strength," adds McHale. "We have a very talented team and solid infrastructure in place combined with a legacy of success that will continue to catapult the Daiya brand to new heights." Founded in 2008, Daiya was among the early pioneers in developing delicious, plant-based cheese alternatives. The company was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., in July 2017, and recently in March announced the expansion of its corporate headquarters and production facility to accelerate innovation of its signature plant-based foods. "I'm humbled by all the accomplishments that we share together at Daiya Foods. Over the last several years Daiya has made an important contribution to the plant-based food revolution and the passion of our team members to continue this mission enables me to step back to my singular role as a Director and continue to support the company in this journey. It has been a tremendous honor to have led the company through its incredible milestones," comments Tierney. "But this is no farewellI'm now simply coming full circle. I started as a board member and will continue to assist the company in this important role." Tierney's career in the natural, organic and conventional CPG industry spans more than 30 years, serving in previous roles as the president and CEO of MyChelle Dermaceuticals, a leading natural skin care company; president and CEO of Allegro Coffee, maker of premier specialty and organic coffee; chief marketing officer of Frontier Natural Brands, maker of Simply Organic and Aura Cacia; and founder, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Natural Foods. He began his career in marketing and brand management at Kraft Foods. About Daiya Daiya Foods was founded in 2008 out of a love for food and a commitment to healthy living. Today, as an industry leader and one of the founding members of The Plant Based Foods Association, Daiya remains passionate about celebrating delicious food that is dairy, gluten and soy-free. Its line of premium plant-based foods, like Burritos, Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts, Greek Yogurt Alternatives, Pizzas, Cheezecakes, Cream Cheeze Style Spreads and wonderful cheese alternatives, including Blocks, Shreds, Slices and, are available in the dairy case and freezer aisle. Daiya also recently expanded its offerings to include shelf-stable products like its Cheezy Macs, Cheeze Sauces and Dairy-Free Dressings. Daiya's selection of deliciously plant-based foods can be found in more than 25,000 grocery stores in the U.S., including Whole Foods, Kroger, Safeway and Publix, as well as most natural food retailers. Daiya's products are also available internationally in Australia, Sweden, Mexico, Hong Kong, and more. For more information about Daiya, please visit www.daiyafoods.com, become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. SOURCE Daiya Related Links http://www.daiyafoods.com DARMSTADT, Germany, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Not intended for U.S or U.K based media Post-hoc analysis of CLARITY study suggests consistent clinical and Magnetic Resonance Imaging efficacy in subgroups of both younger and older adults treated with MAVENCLAD (cladribine tablets) Using an EMA-recommended methodology to compare benefit-risk profiles of MS treatments, Mavenclad had the highest overall weighted preference value in patients with highly active MS Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced the presentation of new efficacy and benefit-risk assessment data for MAVENCLAD (Cladribine Tablets) at the 4th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), in Lisbon, Portugal. Results of a retrospective analysis of the Phase III CLARITY study showed benefits in patients with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) aged 50 and >50 years and treated with MAVENCLAD, with improvements observed in both relapse rate and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) outcomes when compared with placebo. The aim of the post-hoc analysis of the Phase III CLARITY study was to investigate whether the beneficial clinical and MRI effects of MAVENCLAD are consistent in both older and younger adult patients. The results highlight the improvements observed in annualized relapse rate (ARR) and MRI outcomes versus placebo in both subgroups of RRMS patients, 50 and >50 years; MAVENCLAD reduced relapse risk compared to placebo by 59% and 52%, respectively. In placebo treated patients, there were higher mean numbers of new T1 Gd+ and active T2 lesions for those aged 50 years compared to patients aged >50. Despite this, MAVENCLAD treatment demonstrated significant effects on MRI measures in both age groups (P<0.0001). These data have the potential to differentiate the efficacy of MAVENCLAD from that of other high efficacy disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) in the treatment of older patients with MS. "These data have provided further evidence, which confirms Mavenclad as an effective treatment for younger and older adults," said Prof. Gavin Giovannoni, a lead investigator in the CLARITY studies and Chair of Neurology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, UK. "This is something that we have not seen consistently across all clinical endpoints with some of the newer high-efficacy RRMS treatments and so provides a valuable insight into the treatment options available." Additional data presented at EAN 2018 provide the results of the first application of the EMA-recommended Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodology to assess the benefit-risk profile of MAVENCLAD versus other recently approved DMDs[*] in MS patients with high disease activity. Results of this systematic application of MCDA methodology indicate either comparable or more favorable benefit-risk profile for MAVENCLAD in patients with high disease activity when compared to that of other DMDs. Specifically, in patients with high disease activity, MAVENCLAD had the highest overall weighted preference value compared to the other DMDs evaluated, followed by alemtuzumab and natalizumab. In the overall RRMS population MAVENCLAD was very close to dimethyl fumarate in being ranked as having the best benefit-risk balance, with an overall weighted preference value of 62 versus 63, respectively. "The presentation of these data highlight our ongoing commitment to understanding the full benefit-risk profile of Mavenclad in a broad range of patients. Post hoc data from the CLARITY study, coupled with results from a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, which are based on expert physician assessment and practice-relevant treatment considerations, form a potentially useful tool for physicians considering therapy options for patients with high disease activity," said Luciano Rossetti, Head of Global R&D for the Biopharma business of Merck. "The MCDA methodology is one that is recommended by EMA, and we are pleased that Mavenclad performed well using this approach, compared with other disease-modifying therapies." Furthermore, additional post hoc data from clinical studies of patients treated with Rebif (subcutaneous interferon beta-1a) showed that the MAGNIMS score at Year 1 reliably predicted long-term clinical disease activity (CDA)-free status and disability progression. At Year 1 the median time to a CDA event was longer in patients with a MAGNIMS score of 0, versus those with score 1 or 2. Additionally, median time to Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) progression was found to be longer in patients with a Year 1 MAGNIMS score of 0 (7.5 years), versus those with 1 (4.0 years) or 2 (2.5 years). Additionally, a presentation from the Merck-sponsored MS in the 21st Century joint patient-physician steering group highlighted the results of an international unmet needs survey, suggesting a disconnect between patients' and physicians' perspectives of MS treatment decisions. The results of this survey indicate that MS patients have different perceptions of the current unmet needs in the disease area compared to healthcare professionals (HCPs). Whilst 87.7% of HCPs considered that they involved their patients in the decision-making process, only 38.9% of patients reported that they felt involved in that process. Addressing this disconnect between patients' and physicians' perspectives during treatment discussions could lead to an improved dialogue between HCPs and patients, an integral step towards finding appropriate individualised treatment approaches for each patient. All Merck Press Releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Website. Please go to http://www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service. About MAVENCLAD MAVENCLAD (cladribine tablets) is a short-course oral therapy that selectively and periodically targets lymphocytes thought to be integral to the pathological process of multiple sclerosis (MS). In August 2017, the European Commission (EC) granted marketing authorization for MAVENCLAD for the treatment of relapsing forms of MS (RMS) in the 28 countries of the European Union (EU) in addition to Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. MAVENCLAD is now available in over 10 countries in Europe, plus Australia, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates. MAVENCLAD is not yet approved for any use in the United States. The clinical development program of MAVENCLAD in MS comprises more than 10,000 patient years of data with over 2,700 patients included in the clinical trial program, and up to 10 years of observation in some patients. These clinical trials include the Phase III CLARITY, CLARITY extension and ORACLE MS trials, the Phase II ONWARD trial and the PREMIERE Long-term Safety Registry. EU Indication MAVENCLAD (cladribine tablets) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with highly active relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) as defined by clinical or imaging features. Important EU Safety Information Contraindications: MAVENCLAD is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to the active substance, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), active chronic infection (tuberculosis or hepatitis), active malignancy, moderate to severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance <60 mL/min), and those who are pregnant and breast-feeding. MAVENCLAD is also contraindicated in immunocompromised patients, including patients currently receiving immunosuppressive or myelosuppressive therapy. Special warnings and precautions for use: The most clinically relevant adverse reactions were lymphopenia and herpes zoster. Haematology Decreases in neutrophil count, red blood cell count, haematocrit, haemoglobin or platelet count compared to baseline values have been observed in clinical studies, although these parameters usually remain within normal limits. Additive haematological adverse reactions may be expected if cladribine is administered prior to or concomitantly with other substances that affect the haematological profile Lymphocyte counts must be determined before initiating MAVENCLAD in year 1, in year 1, before initiating MAVENCLAD in year 2, in year 2, 2 and 6 months after start of treatment in each treatment year. If the lymphocyte count is below 500 cells/mm, it should be actively monitored until values increase again. Infections Cladribine can reduce the body's immune defence and may increase the likelihood of infections. HIV infection, active tuberculosis and active hepatitis must be excluded before initiation of cladribine. The incidence of herpes zoster was increased in patients on cladribine. If lymphocyte counts drop below 200 cells/mm, anti-herpes prophylaxis according to local standard practice should be considered during the time of grade 4 lymphopenia. Interruption or delay of MAVENCLAD may be considered until proper resolution of the infection. Cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) have been reported for parenteral cladribine in patients treated for hairy cell leukaemia with a different treatment regimen. In the clinical study data base of cladribine in MS (1,976 patients, 8,650 patient years) no case of PML has been reported. However, a baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should be performed before initiating MAVENCLAD (usually within 3 months). About Rebif Rebif (interferon beta-1a) is a disease-modifying drug used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is similar to the interferon beta protein produced by the human body. The efficacy of Rebif in chronic progressive MS has not been established. Interferon is thought to help reduce inflammation. The exact mechanism is unknown. Rebif, which was approved in Europe in 1998 and in the US in 2002, is registered in more than 90 countries worldwide. Rebif has been proven to delay the progression of disability, reduce the frequency of relapses and reduce MRI lesion activity and area*. Rebif can be administrated with the RebiSmart electronic auto-injection device (not approved in the US), or with the RebiDose single-use disposable pen, or the manual multidose injection pen RebiSlide. Rebif can also be administered with the autoinjector Rebiject II or by manual injection using ready-to-use pre-filled syringes. These injection devices are not approved in all countries. In January 2012, the European commission approved the extension of the indication of Rebif in early multiple sclerosis. The extension of the indication of Rebif has not been submitted in the United States. Rebif should be used with caution in patients with a history of depression, liver disease, thyroid abnormalities and seizures. Most commonly reported side effects are flu-like symptoms, injection site disorders, elevation of liver enzymes and blood cell abnormalities. Patients, especially those with depression, seizure disorders, or liver problems, should discuss treatment with Rebif with their doctors. *The exact correlation between MRI findings and the current or future clinical status of patients, including disability progression, is unknown. Rebif (interferon beta-1a) is approved in the United States for relapsing forms of MS. RebiSmart, an electronic device for self-injection of Rebif, is also not approved in the United States. About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the central nervous system and is the most common, non-traumatic, disabling neurological disease in young adults. It is estimated that approximately 2.3 million people have MS worldwide. While symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms of MS include blurred vision, numbness or tingling in the limbs and problems with strength and coordination. The relapsing forms of MS are the most common. Merck in Multiple Sclerosis Merck has a long-standing legacy in neurology and immunology, with significant R&D and commercial experience in multiple sclerosis (MS). Merck's current portfolio includes two products for the treatment of relapsing MS, with a robust pipeline focusing on discovering new therapies that have the potential to modulate key pathogenic mechanisms in MS. Merck aims to improve the lives of those living with MS, by addressing areas of unmet medical needs. About Merck Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. More than 53,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life - from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2017, Merck generated sales of 15.3 billion in 66 countries. Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials. -------------------------------------------------- *. Recently approved DMDs available in European Union countries at the time of assessment (December 2015): alemtuzumab, dimethyl fumarate, fingolimod, natalizumab, and teriflunomide SOURCE Merck KGaA Related Links http://www.merckgroup.com/ WOODINVILLE, Wash., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning, a Redmond-based educational organization that works to provide kids worldwide with access to free educational activities powered by state-of-the-art eLearning technologies, this week released their Community Outreach Computer Program Season Two Report, covering May 14th to May 25th, 2018. Digital inequality is a pressing concern for entire regions around the globe. Access to the quality education is an integral part of life and basic human right. It affects human prosperity, education, social development, job opportunities, and commerce. One out of every four primary school aged children in Africa (over 30 million children) are no longer enrolled in school. Africa has the world's lowest secondary school enrollment rates, with only 28% of children enrolling in secondary school. As a result, over 90 million teenagers struggle to find employment. The employment these teenagers do find tends to be in a low-paid, informal sector jobs, which perpetuates poverty and a lack of education. Basic computer literacy is a foundational step towards educating a population and increasing access to higher skilled work.By exposing out-of-school local village children to computers, we can ignite their interest in learning. Distant Teaching and Mobile Learning continues to tackle the tech challenges of developing nations and focus its vision of creating pathways out of poverty by closing the digital divide. One the photo are the students participants of Community Outreach Computer Program Class in Shammah High School campus, Kasana Luwero Uganda On a mission to bring education to unreachable communities around the world today, the program presently utilizes the Shammah High School campus to provide computer training to the people of Kasana Luwero and surrounding areas. At the same time, the team behind Distance Teaching works to develop a reusable model and Artificial Intelligence based software system that can be scaled in every community, in every country. "As our world grows increasingly digital, it's hard to deny the fact that basic computer literacy is a foundational step towards educating a population and increasing access to higher skilled work," said Victor Katarangi, Community Outreach Computer Program Coordinator from Uganda. "With our proprietary program, we're demonstrating how accessible education can be if channeled through eLearning methods. Out-of-school local village children can finally enjoy a fair access to learning." The 10-day program employed four facilitators, attracting more than 250 students from surrounding communities as well as adults and parents. The report showed that the number of interested students was higher than those (142 students) of the previous program administered in January. To date, the syllabus covers all the relevant Microsoft Packages for the age groups, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Publisher. Facilitators were on standby for one-on-one sessions with students that were struggling to grasp the subject material. Taught for 8-days, the final 2-days were used to test what was learned and close out the program. "There is nothing more rewarding than watching students, who are so grateful for the opportunity to learn, walk away smiling and impacted by their newfound and critically important knowledge," said Katarangi. "Students left with open minds, and many adults, too, approached us about holding similar programs for their education as well. We look forward to designing future programs and increasing our enrollment every subsequent time." Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning will continue to reach marginalized groups of students and parents with technological tools to make an educational difference today. Based on the results of tests, a group of students was selected by the school to be considered for the educational grant from Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning. The grant will cover full year of educational cost and to allow grantee to attend the school. Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning (DTML) is a non-profit organization committed to student success by offering eLearning completely free of charge and free of annoying ads. Thousands of parents and teachers have already discovered DTML's incredible online games, designed to help students of all ages and abilities learn and grow. For more information, visit: our donors page to learn more about how you can help support DTML programs today . Contact: Nestor Jerez 425-948-0343 [email protected] SOURCE Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning (DTML) Related Links http://www.dtml.org SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Susan S. Wilder is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member in the Medical field in recognition of her role as Founder and Chief Executive Officer at LifeScape Premier and LifeScape Medical Associates. Dr. Wilder's professional title is Founder and Chief Executive Officer at LifeScape Premier and LifeScape Medical Associates, specializing in Concierge Family Medicine and Functional Medicine, addressing the root causes of chronic disease. "I founded LifeScape to provide a completely revolutionary kind of healthcare, one that focuses on the totality of you," Dr. Wilder said. "Our award-winning practice puts patients first. We go well beyond simply throwing prescriptions at a problem, and evaluate and attempt to eradicate the root causes of illness. We're committed to 'whole health for a whole life' at LifeScape." Dr. Wilder's personal expertise lies in the areas of functional medicine, clinical genomics, and highly personalized concierge family medicine to a very exclusive patient population. Her team provides concierge service to entire families, corporate executives, and individuals at every age and stage seeking collaborative, quality, proactive healthcare. Dr. Wilder capitalizes on over 25 years of experience as a Family Physician, educator and lifelong learner. Her "hole-in-one" is witnessing patients get healthier at every age and taking problems off problem lists rather than the standard of care of "managing chronic disease". As one of her patients noted, "all my other doctors just monitor my deterioration." Prior to starting her career in the medical field, Dr. Wilder earned her Medical degree from the George Washington University and completed her specialty training in the Air Force. She spent 14 years in academic medicine serving as Founding Director of the Family Medicine Residency at the Mayo clinic where she also served as Director of Clinical Genomics Education for primary care. To further her professional development, she is a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine as well as the American Academy of Family Physicians. In recognition of her outstanding accomplishments in the field, Dr. Wilder was named Phoenix Business Magazine's 2017 Outstanding Women in Business, Phoenix Chamber of Commerce 2017 Athena Finalist, Concierge Medicine Today's Top Doctors in Concierge Medicine for several years, a perennial Phoenix Magazine Top Doctor and a Arizona Foothills Best of Our Valley Family Physician for many years. She was also honored by one of her many community passions, Healthy LifeStars, as their 2016 inaugural LifeStar Honoree. LifeScape won the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce coveted Sterling Business award, the American Academy of Family Physicians Future of Family Medicine Model TransforMed participant. LifeScape's healing office design has been featured on the cover of Medical Economics Magazine and an international medical design showcase. Lifescapepremier.com was also named a 2014 Top 20 Best Website in Concierge Medicine. For more information, visit www.lifescapepremier.com. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who Related Links http://www.continentalwhoswho.com BERLIN, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced the latest cohort of European companies that have selected SAP SuccessFactors solutions for human capital management (HCM) to help attract, develop and retain top talent and empower them to succeed in an increasingly digital work environment. The announcement was made at the SuccessConnect event, taking place June 1820 at CityCube Berlin. "The global talent market has become extremely competitive, increasing business leaders' mandate to create outstanding employee experiences supported by consumer-grade technology that addresses our repeatable work and allows us to focus more on what we're passionate about at work," said Greg Tomb, President, SAP SuccessFactors. "SAP SuccessFactors solutions are designed with that employee experience in mind, but also with a global framework, because we know that in our ever-increasing legislative and regulatory environment around the world, our customers count on us to help keep them up-to-date and compliant." These European companies are among the latest to select SAP SuccessFactors solutions during the first quarter of 2018 to help digitalize HR and stay ahead of today's hypercompetitive talent market: Aker Solutions , a global products, systems and services provider in the oil and gas industry, has a mission to unlock energy safely and sustainably for future generations. The Norwegian company selected SAP SuccessFactors solutions along with SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud to enable its 14,000 employees across 52 locations worldwide to access and utilize data more effectively, helping them tackle the ever-changing needs of the business and the constant drive toward more digital services. , a global products, systems and services provider in the oil and gas industry, has a mission to unlock energy safely and sustainably for future generations. The Norwegian company selected SAP SuccessFactors solutions along with SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud to enable its 14,000 employees across 52 locations worldwide to access and utilize data more effectively, helping them tackle the ever-changing needs of the business and the constant drive toward more digital services. Apleona GmbH is a leading European real estate and facility manager based in Germany with 22,000 employees. The company selected SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting, SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding, SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals, SAP SuccessFactors Compensation and SAP SuccessFactors Succession & Development solutions to help attract and retain the right talent and simplify HR processes to support the company's growth strategy. By migrating from the on-premise SAP ERP HCM solution to cloud-based SAP SuccessFactors solutions, Apleona expects to increase operational efficiency, employee engagement and organizational agility. is a leading European real estate and facility manager based in with 22,000 employees. The company selected SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting, SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding, SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals, SAP SuccessFactors Compensation and SAP SuccessFactors Succession & Development solutions to help attract and retain the right talent and simplify HR processes to support the company's growth strategy. By migrating from the on-premise SAP ERP HCM solution to cloud-based SAP SuccessFactors solutions, Apleona expects to increase operational efficiency, employee engagement and organizational agility. Atotech Deutschland GmbH is a global leader in plating chemicals, equipment and services with over 4,000 employees. The German company selected the SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals and SAP SuccessFactors Learning solutions and the SAP Jam collaboration platform to help centralize HR processes, drive digitalization and build transparency in the workplace. The SAP SuccessFactors solutions enable Atotech to increase operational efficiency and competitiveness, and improve employee retention and loyalty. is a global leader in plating chemicals, equipment and services with over 4,000 employees. The German company selected the SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals and SAP SuccessFactors Learning solutions and the SAP Jam collaboration platform to help centralize HR processes, drive digitalization and build transparency in the workplace. The SAP SuccessFactors solutions enable Atotech to increase operational efficiency and competitiveness, and improve employee retention and loyalty. CaixaBank S.A. is the leading retail bank in Spain , with over 29,000 employees, 13.8 million customers and more than 5,000 offices. After benchmarking different HCM solutions, the company selected SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite, including SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central and SAP Jam, to increase operational efficiency and reduce development costs. CaixaBank will migrate from its on-premise SAP ERP HCM solution to the cloud to help improve talent management processes, provide a superior employee experience and foster a culture of innovation. With SAP SuccessFactors solutions, CaixaBank expects to benefit from a highly engaged workforce and improved employer branding to keep up in today's hypercompetitive talent marketplace. is the leading retail bank in , with over 29,000 employees, 13.8 million customers and more than 5,000 offices. After benchmarking different HCM solutions, the company selected SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite, including SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central and SAP Jam, to increase operational efficiency and reduce development costs. CaixaBank will migrate from its on-premise SAP ERP HCM solution to the cloud to help improve talent management processes, provide a superior employee experience and foster a culture of innovation. With SAP SuccessFactors solutions, CaixaBank expects to benefit from a highly engaged workforce and improved employer branding to keep up in today's hypercompetitive talent marketplace. HiPP baby food is one of the most popular brands in Europe . Based in Germany , HiPP GmbH & Co. Vertrieb KG is the largest processor of organically produced raw materials worldwide, with its baby food products exported to over 50 countries. HiPP chose SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite, including SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, to help implement state-of-the-art HR processes and to transform HR into a lean and effective resource for the organization's 3,500 employees. Among other things, HiPP hopes that SAP SuccessFactors solutions will enable HR to become a faster, more strategic business partner. baby food is one of the most popular brands in . Based in , HiPP GmbH & Co. Vertrieb KG is the largest processor of organically produced raw materials worldwide, with its baby food products exported to over 50 countries. HiPP chose SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite, including SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, to help implement state-of-the-art HR processes and to transform HR into a lean and effective resource for the organization's 3,500 employees. Among other things, HiPP hopes that SAP SuccessFactors solutions will enable HR to become a faster, more strategic business partner. Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. is the largest banking group in Italy , with over 96,000 employees, approximately 12.3 million customers and 4,700 branches. The company chose SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals, SAP SuccessFactors Compensation, SAP SuccessFactors Succession & Development and SAP Jam to help drive HR transformation while engaging employees in the process. With SAP SuccessFactors solutions, Intesa Sanpaolo expects simpler, faster, business-driven HR while reducing costs and decreasing administration to provide more time for value-adding tasks. These businesses join more than 6,400 global organizations around the world leveraging SAP SuccessFactors solutions to prioritize employees and empower them to succeed. As digital transformation continues to be critical to the success of today's increasingly global workforce, more organizations are depending on leading SAP SuccessFactors solutions to provide exceptional employee experiences and optimize HR strategies. For more information, visit the SAP SuccessFactors solutions Web site or the SAP News Center. Follow SAP SuccessFactors solutions on Twitter at @SuccessFactors and SAP at @sapnews. About SAP As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 388,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com. Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. 2018 SAP SE. All rights reserved. SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices. For customers interested in learning more about SAP products: Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24 United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727) For more information, press only: Geraldine Lim, SAP, +1 (415) 418-0945, [email protected], PDT SAP News Center press room; [email protected] Kate Lavoie-Mayer, PAN Communications, +1 617-502-4338, [email protected], EDT SOURCE SAP SE Related Links http://www.sap.com TORONTO, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Eyecarrot Innovations Corp ("Eyecarrot" or the "Company") (TSX-V: EYC) (OTCQB: EYCCF) is pleased to announce its participation at the 8th International Congress of Behavioural Optometry ("ICBO") held at the International Convention Centre Sydney, in Sydney, Australia. ICBO is a global optometric congress which holds events internationally every 4 years. The Congress presented an opportunity for Eyecarrot to officially launch the Binovi Platform in Australasia. At the show was the newly released Binovi Touch Saccadic Fixator, the updated version of the industry standard for over 40 years, as well as a product roadmap which was incredibly well received. Eyecarrot is working to develop collaborative industry relationships throughout the world, and the market in Australasia is a great opportunity to apply a unified content and data strategy. "We continue to showcase our Binovi Platform, and are enthusiastic about the opportunities presented in this market. The launch of our Binovi Touch has been widely anticipated, and we are now working to supply the region with a bulk shipment later this summer. More importantly, we are working to establish long term distribution partnerships, a local on-boarding support team, and alignment with the regional college, Australasian College of Behavioural Optometry ("ACBO")," commented CEO, Adam Cegielski. About the International Congress of Behavioural Optometry The International Congress of Behavioural Optometry is a community of like-minded organizations which believes that in working together we are stronger in supporting the behavioural optometry and vision therapy community worldwide. ICBO is not an entity in its own right, but a collective of international organizations with their own identities and structures. It will not seek to replace or compete with its member organizations. ICBO 2018 is supported by the ICBO partner organizations and their members. This partnership represents a network of approximately 3000 optometric professionals from countries around the world. The hosts for ICBO 2018 are the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometrists (ACBO) The Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF). About Eyecarrot Eyecarrot's BinoviTM platform is an innovative healthcare technology solution that integrates software, hardware, data and expert knowledge. Binovi helps Optometrists treat vision issues with in-office therapy as well as doctor led home based activities to better serve and increase the patient's experience and their therapy needs. The goal is to help transform vision performance for the 1 in 4 people worldwide that suffer from vision-related issues going beyond visual acuity. The company is transforming how vision healthcare services are integrated, while addressing key challenges in the health system. On behalf of the Board of Directors Adam Cegielski President | CEO Forward looking information Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations, and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events and that the Company obtains regulatory approval. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to prove not to be valid or reliable, that occurrences such as those referred to above are realized and result in delays, or cessation in planned work, that the Company's financial condition and development plans change, and delays in regulatory approval, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at http://www.sedar.com . The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contact: T: +1(416)943-6271 +1-855-416-7158 [email protected] SOURCE Eyecarrot Innovations Corp "Finding a recipient for the FCA US LLC National Sweepstakes remains a highlight of the job," said Jason Russ, Head of Experiential Marketing, FCA US. "It's great to see that the winner, Christian, selected the legendary Jeep Wrangler. He'll now join the countless Jeep brand enthusiasts and loyal owners who flash the 'Jeep Wave' for years to come." "I honestly still cannot believe that I am the winner," said Castro. "There were tons of attendees at the SEMA show so I never considered the possibility of winning a new vehicle. I am super excited and have never won anything of this nature before." As the winner, Castro received a $45,000 voucher to put toward his choice of any Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram or FIAT brand vehicle. Without hesitation, Castro selected the all-new redesigned 2018 Jeep Wrangler. Castro attributes his choice to his mother, a previous Jeep vehicle owner, and his memories of the vehicle as the family car. With even more legendary Jeep 4x4 capability, a modern design that stays true to the original, advanced fuel-efficient powertrains, more open-air options and loaded with safety features and advanced technology, the all-new 2018 Jeep Wrangler possesses all the capabilities Castro remembers and has since been equipped with many more. Castro's all-new 2018 Jeep Wrangler is pre-configured with a sleek black exterior and matching black interior, paired with red accents in the stitching and seat belts. Champion Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Downey, California, had the pleasure of delivering the prize vehicle to its proud new owner. FCA continues to hold its annual vehicle sweepstakes, making entry accessible at FCA consumer experiences held nationwide. At FCA vehicle experiences, consumers are fully immersed in information regarding Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram or FIAT brand vehicles and are encouraged to enter the National Sweepstakes onsite. Consumers engage with knowledgeable product specialists at branded stations and test drive vehicles from the FCA product lineup at no cost. Featured at one of the automotive industry's biggest trade shows, the 2017 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show (SEMA), Castro entered by chance at the FCA Mopar brand display. Castro's choice of the Wrangler was especially fitting, as the Mopar brand used the SEMA event to showcase the brand's new line of 200-plus parts and accessories available for the all-new Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep Wrangler was also named "Hottest 4x4-SUV" for the eighth consecutive year at SEMA, cementing Wrangler's position as a favorite for customization. The entries from 2017 were collected through a number of hands-on FCA brand initiatives that took place all over the country, including the Camp Jeep off-road drive course, Ram Truck Territory test tracks at auto shows, and numerous test drive and community fundraising events involving the FIAT, Chrysler and Dodge brands as well. Eligible consumers can enter the annual FCA US LLC National Sweepstakes for a chance to win $45,000 toward the cost of a new Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram or FIAT brand vehicle throughout 2018. Purchase is not required to enter or win. For the official sweepstakes rules and details on how to enter, please visit www.fcaentertowin.com. The 2018 sweepstakes ends December 31, 2018. About FCA US LLC FCA US LLC is a North American automaker based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It designs, manufactures, and sells or distributes vehicles under the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, FIAT and Alfa Romeo brands, as well as the SRT performance designation. The Company also distributes Mopar and Alfa Romeo parts and accessories. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler Corp., established in 1925 by industry visionary Walter P. Chrysler and Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (F.I.A.T.), founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli. FCA US is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. (NYSE: FCAU/ MTA: FCA). FCA is an international automotive group listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA." Follow FCA US news and video on: Company blog: blog.fcanorthamerica.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FiatChrysler.NorthAmerica/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/FiatChrysler_NA Twitter: www.twitter.com/FiatChrysler_NA Twitter (Spanish): www.twitter.com/fcausespanol YouTube: www.youtube.com/fcanorthamerica Media website: media.fcanorthamerica.com SOURCE FCA US LLC Related Links http://www.fcanorthamerica.com "Our advocates continue to change the federal funding landscape so new breakthroughs in pancreatic cancer research can be discovered and, in turn, allow more people to live longer," said Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA , president and CEO of PanCAN. Since the founding of PanCAN in 1999, the NCI's pancreatic cancer research investment has grown from $17.3 million to more than $152 million in 2016. The latest NCI data also revealed a 15 percent increase in the number of research grants awarded for pancreatic cancer, which could accelerate future breakthroughs. Overall funding for all cancers increased nearly 15 percent in 2016. Although the increase is laudable, the total funding for pancreatic cancer which has a five-year survival rate of just 9 percent pales in comparison to other cancer funding. Breast cancer, for instance, has a 91 percent five-year survival rate and received $516.2 million in NCI funding in 2016. And, pancreatic cancer incidence and death rates are on the rise, despite an overall decline in cancer death rates across the United States. In just two years, pancreatic cancer is expected to surpass colorectal cancer to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. This year alone, an estimated 55,440 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer equating to 152 mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends and colleagues receiving the devastating diagnosis each day. Ninety-one percent of them will not survive to see the year 2023. Advancements in pancreatic cancer have also proven challenging due to the complexity of the disease coupled with low clinical trial enrollment rates, lack of public awareness, doctors not having experience treating the disease and too few researchers studying the disease. These facts point to an urgent need for more resources and more researchers to make quick and meaningful progress to improve patient outcomes. There currently is no standard diagnostic tool or established early detection method. Despite this current reality and because of the urgency PanCAN's nationwide army of advocates continue fighting to change the future of pancreatic cancer. PanCAN's groundbreaking passage of the RCRA in 2012, which enlisted countless volunteer advocates to send 76,000 emails, make 14,000 phone calls and more than 1,300 visits to Congress, identified high-priority research initiatives for pancreatic cancer including RAS targeted therapy, studying the relationship between pancreatic cancer and diabetes, early detection and immunotherapy resulting in new initiatives and program announcements in these areas and more research dollars. The passage of the RCRA and the $27 million NCI funding increase in 2016, among many other achievements, are due primarily to PanCAN's advocacy efforts. The voices of these advocates broke barriers and helped propel the national conversation about pancreatic cancer and the importance of federal cancer research. "PanCAN will continue to privately fund leading-edge research across the country, but federal funding is especially critical to pancreatic cancer research now more than ever," said Fleshman. "We commend Congress for continuing to fund vital research; however, the survival rate shows much more must be done. We cannot improve patient outcomes and reach our goal to double survival by 2020 without it." The news comes as the largest national gathering of people committed to fighting pancreatic cancer, including more than 130 survivors, unite on the steps of Capitol Hill tomorrow for PanCAN's National Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Day, urging elected officials to continue to invest in cancer research. Learn more about how federal research funding improves patient outcomes by reading PanCAN's Impact Report or by visiting pancan.org. Follow the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) is dedicated to fighting the world's toughest cancer. In our urgent mission to save lives, we attack pancreatic cancer on all fronts: research, clinical initiatives, patient services and advocacy. Our effort is amplified by a nationwide network of grassroots support. We are determined to improve patient outcomes today and to double survival by 2020. Media Contact: Michael RosenChief Communications Officer Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Direct: 646-844-1227 | E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Related Links http://www.pancan.org LONDON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- GammaDelta Therapeutics Ltd, an emerging biotech company developing novel immunotherapies for cancer and other diseases announced today that it has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Michael Koslowski, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr Koslowski has more than 20 years of experience in the discovery and development of immunotherapeutic drugs within academia, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Most recently, Dr Koslowski was EVP Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer of Mission Therapeutics Ltd, where he was responsible for developing the company's pipeline of deubiquitinating enzyme inhibitors. Prior to Mission, he was VP Clinical Sciences & Early Development at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for leading all clinical activities. In addition, Dr Koslowski has managed the translational medicine initiative at Boehringer Ingelheim across all therapeutics areas and was also a Group Leader New Targets & Antibody Development at Ganymed Pharmaceuticals. Paolo Paoletti, CEO at GammaDelta said: "I am pleased to welcome Michael to GammaDelta, where his experience of leading the clinical development of immunotherapies will be invaluable. Michael's appointment is an important step for the business as we advance our pipeline of innovative immunotherapies based on unique insights into the biology of V1 gamma delta T cells." Commenting on his appointment, Dr Koslowski said: "I am very excited to join the team at GammaDelta Therapeutics and help lead its efforts to develop new therapies for patients with cancer and other critical diseases. Their expertise in the unique biology of gamma delta T cell has significant potential for off-the-shelf cell therapies in areas of high unmet medical need." About GammaDelta Therapeutics GammaDelta Therapeutics is working to develop improved immunotherapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The company's research and development is focused on exploiting the unique properties of tissue resident gamma delta () T cells, which are a unique and conserved population of lymphocytes that contribute to many types of immune responses and immunopathology. GammaDelta Therapeutics was founded in 2016 by Abingworth with support from Cancer Research Technology Limited based on research undertaken by Professor Adrian Hayday and Dr Oliver Nussbaumer at King's College London and the Francis Crick Institute. The company's offices and laboratories are located in London, United Kingdom. In May 2017, GammaDelta Therapeutics entered into a strategic collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. www.gammadeltatx.com SOURCE GammaDelta Therapeutics CHICAGO, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With oversold flights now a common phenomenon, it's no surprise that air travelers have widely divergent views on what might constitute fair compensation when asked to give up their seat and to take a later flight, according to respondents to a survey conducted by The GO Group LLC, an international ground transportation provider. "Perhaps the most surprising result of the survey," said John McCarthy, president of The GO Group, "was that only 22.6% of business travelers and 15.5% of leisure travelers were unwilling to give up their seats no matter how substantial the compensation. Given the complications of air travel today, we really expected more people to say 'Thanks, but no thanks' if asked to give up their seats." On the other hand, it was not surprising to find that leisure travelers were far more willing than business travelers to accept $750 or less in compensation, with 42.25% saying that amount would be adequate. Only 27.7% of business travelers felt the same way. At the other end of the spectrum, 14.5% of business travelers wanted at least $2,000 in compensation, while just 6.8% of leisure travelers felt entitled to that amount. More than 350 passengers took the survey. Many of the respondents noted that the level of compensation should be adjusted to reflect the degree of inconvenience that taking a later flight entailed. To do that, airlines would have to give their employees a substantial level of flexibility in determining compensation for bumped passengers. Another frequent comment by passengers responding to the survey was that if they give up their seat, the full cost of their ticket should be refunded. The GO Group LLC is the nation's largest airport transportation provider, offering shared rides, private vehicles, sedans, charters and tours, serving some 90 airports in North America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe and transporting more than 13 million passengers per year. SOURCE The GO Group, LLC Related Links http://www.goairportshuttle.com DUBLIN, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Pathology Consumables Market 2018-2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Pathology Consumables Market to grow at a CAGR of 6.85% during the period 2018-2022. Global Pathology Consumables Market 2018-2022, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the retail sales of pathology consumables such as reagents, probes, kits, buffer, dyes, and antibodies. One of the factors trending in this market is the increasing product promotion activities. Vendors are resorting to the use of digital media for enhancing the product awareness, project brand image, and product reach. Further, they are looking for alternative means to promote their products, in turn, boosting sales during the predicted period. According to the report, one of the factors influencing this market positively is the growing elderly population, leading to increased expenditure on healthcare for health checkups, disease diagnosis, and treatment. Further, the elderly population in the economies such as Japan has encouraged consumers to use pathology consumables for disease detection in the recent years. Further, the report states that one of the factor hindering this market is the shortage of trained pathologists. Owing to lack of technical knowledge and interest in upgrading their know-how of existing technologies, the full-scale adoption of pathology instruments in hindered. Market Trends Increasing product promotion activities Increasing M&A activity in molecular diagnostics market Government initiatives supporting molecular research Availability of ready-to-use reagents Key vendors Agilent Technologies Cardinal Health Danaher PerkinElmer Thermo Fisher Scientific Key Topics Covered: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT PART 03: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY PART 04: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 05: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2017 Market size and forecast 2017-2022 PART 06: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition PART 07: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION Segmentation by application Comparison by application Diagnostics - Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Drug discovery - Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Market opportunity by application PART 08: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 09: REGIONAL LANDSCAPE Geographical segmentation Regional comparison Americas - Market size and forecast 2017-2022 EMEA - Market size and forecast 2017-2022 APAC - Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Market opportunity PART 10: DECISION FRAMEWORK PART 11: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 12: MARKET TRENDS Increasing product promotion activities Increasing M&A activity in molecular diagnostics market Government initiatives supporting molecular research Availability of ready-to-use reagents PART 13: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 14: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9r6c4k/global_pathology?w=5 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/704588/Hawksford_Logo.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/694218/Hawksford_Acquisition.jpg ) P&P is a dynamic, full service corporate services business with a strong track record in supporting international corporates to expand their operations, including manufacturing and sales, into and across Asia. P&P provides flexible accounting, tax and corporate service solutions that help clients navigate the complexities of setting up and doing business in the region, particularly in China where P&P has five offices. P&P has enjoyed significant organic growth since its establishment in 2007 and has a multi-lingual talented team located across 10 offices who service international clients in English, Italian, Spanish, German, Mandarin and Cantonese. This is the sixth acquisition that Hawksford has made since it was backed by private equity house Dunedin. Hawksford's corporate clients will now have access to a greater depth of service across the major economies of Asia, while P&P clients will be able to utilise Hawksford's wider services in other locations. P&P's Partners Stefano Passarello, Dario Acconci and Giacomo Stoppa will become shareholders in Hawksford and continue in senior management roles ensuring continuity for P&P's longstanding client base. Michel van Leeuwen, Group Chief Executive of Hawksford, said, "Hawksford's acquisition of P&P fits our strategic aim of having a truly pan Asian services platform. Fifty percent of Hawksford's employees are now based in Asia, demonstrating the importance of the region to our business. We are particularly pleased to have secured our own wholly owned operating capability in China and we believe this will be a major growth driver in coming years. Increasingly, corporate clients want to have access to our services across all of Asia as they look to expand their own businesses throughout the region. "P&P is run by a team of entrepreneurs and professionals who share Hawksford's values and strategic goals, and are passionately client-orientated. We look forward to integrating P&P's staff and services into the Hawksford network. Clients of both Hawksford and P&P will see many benefits from this acquisition." P&P Partners Stefano Passarello, Dario Acconci and Giacomo Stoppa added, "This acquisition presents an exciting opportunity for P&P to gain increased access to the UK market and consolidate our European reach through the established and respected Hawksford brand, while P&P's reach across key Asian countries was particularly attractive to Hawksford. Under the Hawksford brand, we welcome the chance to provide scalability and new services to our established client base." P&P is a corporate service provider with 140 employees operating out of ten offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Changshu, Shenzhen, Tokyo, Milan and Barcelona. P&P provides back office and outsourcing support to a blue chip and SME international client base. Hawksford is an international corporate, private client and funds business. Hawksford established a presence in Asia in March 2014 through the acquisition of Janus Corporate Solutions in Singapore, and expanded its Asian operations through organic growth in Hong Kong and a MAS regulated private wealth business in Singapore. About Hawksford Group: http://www.hawksford.com Twitter: @HawksfordGroup Hawksford offers creative and pragmatic solutions for a wide range of institutional, entrepreneurial and high-net-worth clients across the globe. An international and award-winning corporate, private client and funds business, Hawksford consistently delivers impeccable service and is focused on thinking beyond tomorrow. With clients in 115 countries, we offer a comprehensive range of services and solutions to and for trusts, companies, foundations, partnerships, family offices and investment funds. Hawksford also provides listing services, wills and probate, succession planning and employee solutions. P&P http://www.pndp.net SOURCE Hawksford Tickets are available to the public and can be purchased at heffins.com/30th. Over $700,000 in sponsorship funds have been raised thus far in advance of the event from over 100 vendors, clients, and business partners, including several international and national brokers and insurance carriers. Notable benefactors include sponsors Zurich, AmWins, Bank Leumi, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, Blue Shield of California, The Hartford, Pacific Hospitality Group, Philadelphia, and Travelers. In addition, sponsor Lenore Heffernan contributed in honor of her late husband, Frank Heffernan. Michelle Lonaker, the Executive Director of Heffernan Foundation, said, "It's wonderful to see so many companies, clients, and friends come together to support Heffernan's 30 years in business and 30 years of giving back to the communities where we live and work." For a full list of sponsors, along with more information about the event, including details of the live auction and raffle showcase packages, visit heffins.com/30th. About Heffernan Insurance Brokers Heffernan Insurance Brokers, formed in 1988, is one of the largest independent insurance brokerage firms in the United States. Heffernan provides insurance and financial services products to a range of businesses and individuals. Employee-owned, Heffernan has been named a Top Places to Work, and Top Greater Bay Area Philanthropist, donating 15.6 percent of profit in 2017 and volunteering over 2000 hours at local nonprofits. Heffernan Foundation is the charitable giving program of Heffernan Insurance Brokers, the mission of the foundation is to change futures through access to education, reduce homelessness and food deficiency through relevant nonprofit collaboration; promoting community and employee engagement. FEIN 71-1010693 SOURCE Heffernan Insurance Brokers Related Links http://www.heffins.com DALLAS, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Helo Perspective, headquartered in Oklahoma, announces the launch of their newly designed website created by their Dallas, Texas, based marketing agency, The Time Group. Visitors are invited to explore and engage with the new website design which offers an extensive overview of Helo's services in a modern and user-friendly environment. Users will enjoy the fully responsive site with videos detailing their small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) services. Jake Carey, founder and COO for Helo Perspective, recently gave insight for a RCR Wireless article titled "The Emerging Role of Drones in Network Operations and Maintenance" by Susan Rambo. The article referenced Goldman Sachs Research which forecasts a $100 billion market opportunity for drones by 2020, with commercial and civil government sectors expected to spend $13 billion using drones by 2020. Helo Perspective is positioned to provide cutting edge services to various vertical industries, including telecommunication, transportation, oil and gas, real estate, construction and public safety companies, by providing a safer inspection alternative which can save lives and through offering highly efficient processes to capture data and processes to cut costs and increase profitability for its clients. The sUAS industry is the New Frontier in many industries and Helo Perspective has a nationwide network of Helo Certified Pilots prepared to quickly respond to clients' needs. Drones are becoming an everyday resource for how many companies do business. "Helo Perspective has anticipated this need within the market and is ready to meet this demand," states Johnie Johnson, President & CEO for Helo Perspective. The new site offers a fully integrated pilot network including online application portal. Clients can also request service and a quote directly from the site as well as staying informed of the latest news through the press area. Through utilization of their website and social media outlets, Helo Perspective is creating an enhanced customer communication environment that is informative and engaging. "We believe the new website, along with newly created marketing materials and social media channels created by our team, will establish Helo Perspective as the premiere provider of commercial drone services," stated Margaret McKoin, CEO The Time Group. For more information on Helo Perspective, please visit www.heloperspective.com. For more information about The Time Group, visit www.thetimegroup.net. Media Contact: Margaret McKoin, The Time Group [email protected] 817-403-0866 SOURCE The Time Group Related Links http://www.heloperspective.com ALBANY, New York, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report published by Transparency Market Research, the global high-voltage switchgear market is projected to reach US$ 18,898.7 Mn by 2026, expanding at a CAGR of 5.0% from 2018 to 2026. The global market is expected to be influenced by a range of macroeconomic and industry-specific factors during the forecast period. Demand for high-voltage switchgear is likely to be significant in Asia Pacific from 2018 to 2026.The market in the region is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/664869/Transparency_Market_Research_Logo.jpg ) Grid Modernization to Reform Electricity Transmission and Distribution Network Drives the Market Demand for high-voltage switchgear depends on expansion of the electricity transmission and distribution network. Hence, increase in government initiatives for the modernization of existing transmission and distribution network is expected to propel demand for high-voltage switchgears during the forecast period. Request a PDF brochure for Research Insights at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=45678 Global High-Voltage Switchgear Market: Scope of the Report The global high-voltage switchgear market has been segmented based on product standard, component, insulation, application, and region. In terms of product standard, the global market has been classified into IEC, ANSI, and Others. The ANSI segment is projected to account for the largest market share during the forecast period. The segment is driven by increase in adoption of ANSI standard electrical equipment. ANSI standard specifies sheet metal thickness, paint color, barriers, and other features to ensure consistency of equipment from various manufacturers. Based on component, the global high-voltage switchgear market has been categorized into circuit breakers, relays, and others. Demand for circuit breakers in developed as well as developing countries is driven by increasing electrification in countries in Asia Pacific and Africa. Circuit breakers is expected to be the largest segment during the forecast period. Get a PDF Sample for Industry Insights https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=45678 In terms of insulation, the global high-voltage switchgear market has been divided into air-insulated switchgears (AIS), gas-insulated switchgears (GIS), and others (oil and vacuum). Gas-insulated is expected to be the most preferred switchgear across the world. Air-insulated switchgears are expected to substitute gas-insulated switchgears in a few applications. However, gas-insulated switchgears have several benefits over air-insulated switchgears. The physical size and design of gas-insulated switchgears offer higher reliability and flexibility. Moreover, gas enclosed design makes GIS the most suitable solution for indoor and underground substations. The maintenance cost of GIS is also minimal, because the busbars and switching units are completely sealed, thereby limiting the need for insulation cleaning and user intervention. Usage of sulfur hexachloride (SF6) gas is expected to drive the GIS segment, as this gas has high dielectric property compared to air and acts as an insulating medium in high-voltage or extra high-voltage switchgear equipment. However, SF6 is a greenhouse gas and has a significant impact on global warming. It is one of the six gasses listed in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions across the globe. Get Multiple Chapters of this Report at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=MC&rep_id=45678 Asia Pacific dominated the global high-voltage switchgear market in 2017, with China accounting for majority share of 30.2%. The region's dominance of the global market is attributed to large population, increase in industrialization and urbanization, and growth in the utilities sector. In terms of country, India is projected to lead the high-voltage switchgear market in Asia Pacific during the forecast period. This is primarily due to increase in non-renewable grid modernization and rise in investment in renewable energy. India is the second most attractive market for renewable energy investment. Countries such as China, Japan, and Australia are also expected to be significant markets for high-voltage switchgears. The high-voltage switchgear market in India is likely to expand at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2018 to 2026. North America and Europe accounted for combined market share of 47.2% in 2017. Browse Research Release at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/high-voltage-switchgear-market.htm Global High-Voltage Switchgear Market: Competitive Dynamics The research study includes profiles of leading companies operating in the global high-voltage switchgear market. Market players have been profiled in terms of attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, and recent developments. Key players in the global market include ABB Ltd., Eaton Corporation, Fuji Electric Co. Ltd., General Electric, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation., Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, Crompton Greaves Ltd., Hyosung Corporation, and Toshiba Corporation. Companies are focusing on expanding business through strategic acquisitions and partnerships with several end-use industries. Market Segmentation: Global High-Voltage Switchgear Market By Product Standard IEC Standard ANSI Standard Others By Component Circuit Breakers Relays Others By Insulation Air-insulated Switchgears SF6 Non SF6 Gas-insulated Switchgears SF6 Non SF6 Others (oil & vacuum) By Application Power Generation Oil & Gas Utilities Sector Industrial Popular Reports by TMR: High Power RF Amplifier Module Market : https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/high-power-rf-amplifier-module-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/high-power-rf-amplifier-module-market.html Airborne Weapon System Market: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/airborne-weapon-systems-market.html About Us Transparency Market Research is a next-generation market intelligence provider, offering fact-based solutions to business leaders, consultants, and strategy professionals. Our reports are single-point solutions for businesses to grow, evolve, and mature. Our real-time data collection methods along with ability to track more than one million high growth niche products are aligned with your aims. The detailed and proprietary statistical models used by our analysts offer insights for making right decision in the shortest span of time. For organizations that require specific but comprehensive information we offer customized solutions through adhoc reports. These requests are delivered with the perfect combination of right sense of fact-oriented problem solving methodologies and leveraging existing data repositories. TMR believes that unison of solutions for clients-specific problems with right methodology of research is the key to help enterprises reach right decision Contact Transparency Market Research| State Tower 90 State Street Suite 700 Albany NY - 12207 United States USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Research Blog: http://www.techyounme.com/ SOURCE Transparency Market Research NEW YORK, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- IPsoft, the leader in Enterprise AI, today announced the launch of Amelia City, an interactive, artificial intelligence (AI) laboratory that will showcase the evolution of AI together with the industry's first available marketplace for off-the-shelf AI solutions specifically designed for the banking, telecom, hospitality, insurance and healthcare industries, among others. Amelia is the world's most human, AI platform, able to relay empathy as well as transform entire processes at scale, from intelligent front office conversations to back office execution. With Amelia's extensive experience and established track record of proven return on investments by many Fortune 500 companies, Amelia Marketplace is the first of its kind forum for procuring state-of-the-art AI solutions for any business or government organization. All Amelia Marketplace solutions can be experienced at the Amelia City Lab, which spans the entire 20th floor at IPsoft's headquarters located in downtown New York. Amelia City will demonstrate how Amelia, through automation, cognitive and emotional intelligence, and true machine learning, is benefiting enterprises and consumers alike. Guests will be able to interact with Amelia and experience how she as a digital colleague helps transform businesses. "We are proud to launch the first marketplace for advanced AI-solutions and with that, the opening of Amelia City," said Chetan Dube, chief executive officer, IPsoft. "We have developed an amazing setting for people to experience artificial intelligence and see for themselves how it will be contributing to and changing business operations as well as how consumers will interact with technology. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is well underway, and Amelia is leading the charge. Amelia City will show everyone how." Amelia Marketplace has industry specific roles for banking, insurance and healthcare as well as functional cross-industry roles for IT, Finance and HR. Amelia is pretrained to fulfill roles, like a real digital colleague. Amelia will get herself installed, customized to the client's online look and feel, and is trained in a selected role. She can handle full processes like making payments or doing an insurance quote, end-to-end. More information can be found on Amelia's ability to deliver ROI at scale and how she learns specific industry roles at the Amelia Marketplace. Members of the media who wish to tour Amelia City and experience how artificial intelligence done properly will be changing how people interact with businesses and each other, may request an appointment by contacting [email protected]. For more information about Amelia and IPsoft, please visit: https://www.ipsoft.com About IPsoft IPsoft is the world leader in Enterprise AI and the home of Amelia, the industry's most-human digital AI colleague. Amelia's ability to learn, interact and improve over time makes her the market's only AI that can fully understand user needs and intentions. Amelia can be trained to recognize words and phrases in more than 100 languages. She delivers real-life business benefits including lower operating costs, higher customer satisfaction and increased employee productivity. IPsoft was the first company to launch an end-to-end digital platform, 1Desk, to deliver shared enterprise services. By connecting front-office conversations to back-end systems, IPsoft automates business processes that serve employees, customers and citizens, resulting in rapid resolutions, satisfied users and substantial organizational savings. Headquartered in New York City, IPsoft has offices in 13 countries and serves more than 550 of the world's leading brands directly, including more than half of the world's largest IT services providers. Media Contact for IPsoft: Marie Angselius Global Head of Public Relations, IPsoft Phone: +1 737 247 3101 (US); +46 (0) 709 405 837 (EU) Email: [email protected] SOURCE IPsoft Related Links www.ipsoft.com NEW ORLEANS, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Proven independent production company, JeTi Films, premieres their new original anthology detective series, TALES FROM THE MURDER ROOM, available today for streaming on Amazon and Amazon Prime. The project was created-by and stars the multi award-winning Hollins brothers, King Jeff and Gorio, and chronicles the activities inside one specific Louisiana police interrogation room as Homicide Detectives listen to tales told by suspects, witnesses and other individuals related to various murder cases. "TALES FROM THE MURDER ROOM" New Original Anthology Detective Series from JeTi Films streaming on Amazon, Amazon Prime and Vimeo "TALES FROM THE MURDER ROOM" starring Gorio, King Jeff and Charlie Hollins, Jr; available on Amazon, Amazon Prime and Vimeo Each stylishly unconventional episode opens in present day with an individual reading from the popular crime anthology book, "Tales from the Murder Room." The storyline quickly shifts to a black-and-white flashback scenario of the Detectives involved in an interrogation of someone uniquely involved in a murder case. Then, as each examination concludes the story cuts back to present day and the chapter is closed. Season One consists of four 15-minute episodes centered around different interview subjects, ranging from an alleged mailman murderer, to a pompous pimp, to a hesitant hero and even a debate among the Detectives. Gorio shares, "I love the format of the show, because it allows us to go in any direction story and style wise." Based on characters from King Jeff's feature film, The Murder Men, the streaming series now delivers a fresh approach. King Jeff explains, "These four episodes are completely different from each other in regards to the guest characters, the plot and even the styles of filming. I think this is what will keep audiences interested and coming back for more. Every type of genre has been done before, but it's our job as creators to offer a fresh take on the detective story which is different from past shows -- and we have definitely accomplished that." About JeTi FILMS Based in Louisiana, JeTi FILMS is owned by multi award-winning siblings, King Jeff and Gorio Hollins. Together, they have created and produced numerous feature and short films, most notably Bang, The Murder Men, Grip: A Criminal's Story, Shallow Creek Cult and Zombie Bite. Their projects have earned a variety of filmmaking awards from countless film festivals, including Ocean Springs, Indie Gathering, Urban Media Makers, B-Movie, Action On Film, Eerie Horror and Terror Film Fest among others. In addition, King Jeff co-executive produced Lily Keber's documentary Bayou Maharajah, about the tragic life of New Orleans piano player James Booker and starring Harry Connick, Jr., Hugh Laurie, Dr. John, Irma Thomas and Allen Touissant. King Jeff was proud to be the first filmmaker inducted into the Louisiana Division of the Arts Artist Roster. He is also the recipient of a Certificate of Appreciation from New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial for his efforts teaching at-risk youth the art of filmmaking. For more about JeTi FILMS visit: www.JeTiFilms.com TALES FROM THE MURDER ROOM is available for streaming on Amazon and Amazon Prime Also available on Vimeo For more Info and to Watch the TALES FROM THE MURDER ROOM trailer visit: www.TalesFromTheMurderRoom.com Media Contact: Tammy Lynn, Spotlight PR Company 310-867-1952 / [email protected] SOURCE JeTi Films Related Links http://www.JeTiFilms.com WASHINGTON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bolstering the Firm's SEC regulatory, capital markets and public company advisory practices, international law firm Proskauer today announced that Karen Garnett has joined as a partner in the Corporate Department of the Washington, D.C. office. "As a senior officer at the SEC, Karen was instrumental in developing SEC policy. She is an accomplished securities attorney with decades of expertise in applying and interpreting federal securities laws and regulations, particularly those focused on public company registration, reporting and disclosure requirements. Karen is a valuable addition to our team and will further strengthen our comprehensive corporate and capital markets capabilities," said Pippa Bond, co-head of the Firm's Global Capital Markets Group. Ms. Garnett joins Proskauer from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where she served as an Associate Director in the Division of Corporation Finance for the past eight years. In that role, Karen led the Division's disclosure review program and oversaw the reviews of transactional and periodic filings by issuers in a wide range of industries, including REITs, commodity pools, life sciences, financial services and asset management. In addition, she provided senior leadership to the Division's Office of Structured Finance and Office of Capital Markets Trends. Her other roles at the SEC have included serving as the Assistant Director of the Division's Office of Real Estate and Business Services and as Special Counsel and Attorney Advisor in the Divisions of Corporation Finance and Investment Management. Ms. Garnett received her B.A. from Dartmouth College and her J.D. from the University of Texas. About Proskauer: Proskauer is a full-service corporate law firm. Its Global Capital Markets Group includes more than 60 lawyers across the U.S., Europe and Latin America. The Firm represents bulge bracket, middle-market and boutique investment banks, as well as private equity sponsors and public and private companies of all sizes and industries around the world, in a wide variety of public, Rule 144A and Regulation S, and private debt and equity transactions. Proskauer has been recognized for "Innovation in the Business of Law" by the Financial Times for our groundbreaking IPO and Global High-Yield Bond studies. Additional information about the Firm can be found at www.proskauer.com. *** Contact: Jennifer Talbott Proskauer Media Relations Manager [email protected] SOURCE Proskauer Related Links http://www.proskauer.com NEW YORK, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces it has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of the securities of LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC) from February 28, 2015 through April 25, 2018, both dates inclusive ("Class Period"). The lawsuit seeks to recover damages for LendingClub investors under the federal securities laws. To join the LendingClub class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-1328.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. or Zachary Halper, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. NO CLASS HAS YET BEEN CERTIFIED IN THE ABOVE ACTION. UNTIL A CLASS IS CERTIFIED, YOU ARE NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL UNLESS YOU RETAIN ONE. YOU MAY ALSO REMAIN AN ABSENT CLASS MEMBER AND DO NOTHING AT THIS POINT. YOU MAY RETAIN COUNSEL OF YOUR CHOICE. According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) LendingClub falsely promised consumers they would receive a loan with "no hidden fees"; (2) LendingClub's privacy policy did not comply with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act; (3) consequently, the foregoing conduct would subject LendingClub's business practices to heightened regulatory scrutiny by the Federal Trade Commission; and (4) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 2, 2018. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. If you wish to join the litigation, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-1328.html to join the class action. You may also contact Phillip Kim or Zachary Halper of Rosen Law Firm toll free at 866-767-3653 or via email at [email protected] or [email protected]. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm. Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 3 each year since 2013. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. Zachary Halper, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.rosenlegal.com SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. Related Links http://www.rosenlegal.com Founded by entrepreneurs Doe Deere and Mark Dumbelton in 2008, Lime Crime is a pioneering, digitally native beauty brand and a cult favorite among fashion-forward beauty aficionados. Through continuous creativity and innovation, Lime Crime stands apart by creating a magical world where beauty is redefined, and unabashed self-expression is encouraged. For years, Lime Crime has set trends that have taken the beauty industry by storm -- from its Unicorn Lipsticks in a rainbow of shades and Velvetines (starting the ultra-matte liquid lip craze), to its best-selling Diamond Crushers lip toppers and most recently, Unicorn Hair (with the name that says it all). The brand today has become an international phenomenon, with customers from Los Angeles to Singapore to London. Lime Crime is in high demand at leading retailers including Bloomingdales, Riley Rose and Ulta.com, where it ranks as a leading color cosmetics brand, and has recently launched in the UK, originally online with Cult Beauty, and recently with FeelUnique and Selfridges. The Tengram acquisition will support Lime Crime's growth strategy, creating more ways for its passionate consumer base to experience the brand's unique products and signature whimsical universe. A digital-first company, Lime Crime will continue to focus on its flagship Limecrime.com, while also pursuing select retail partnerships to make its beloved products available to more unicorns, wherever they shop. After listening to its consumers, the brand is creating a broader selection of products, introducing new categories and bringing its innovative formulations to further enchant the Lime Crime global community. Richard Gersten, Partner at Tengram, stated, "Lime Crime is truly unique among beauty brands, with a powerful following and a deep understanding of its consumers and their expressive approach to cosmetics. We have tremendous appreciation for what Doe, Sasha Valentine and the team have built over the past ten years: a revolutionary brand that empowers consumers to express themselves and inspires them to push past the traditional limits of beauty. In an era of beauty brand proliferation, Lime Crime's authenticity and innovation stands above the rest. Lime Crime is a tremendous fit in our strong portfolio of beauty brands, and we look forward to leveraging our experience to help the Lime Crime team achieve its growth prospects." Effective June 18, Stacy Panagakis will join Lime Crime as Chief Executive Officer, bringing invaluable industry experience and a proven track record of successfully scaling beauty brands. Most recently, Ms. Panagakis served as General Manager of Fresh, where she built the North America affiliate within the Global Fresh structure. Through cultivating and leading a high-performance team, Ms. Panagakis drove the brand's success and maintained the leadership position at Sephora through strong retail partnerships and a clear digital strategy to drive traffic. Ms. Panagakis reimaged the direct to consumer strategy to ensure the customer was at the center of Fresh.com and within Fresh retail stores by always focusing on the synergy of an omni model. Prior to that, she held executive roles at Origins Natural Resources, Stila Cosmetics, and Clinique. "I'm delighted to be joining the company at this pivotal moment," said Ms. Panagakis. "Lime Crime is a millennial brand with a message that resonates with women everywhere 'it's OK to be bold, experiment and have fun!' The partnership with Tengram is an important next step in the brand's evolution, bringing deep industry expertise and greater opportunities to offer unicorns and women everywhere the Lime Crime magical universe. As we expand the brand's footprint and offerings, Lime Crime will continue to be a brand that stands apart, fulfilling its mission to revolutionize makeup, empower women and smash traditional boundaries." Lime Crime's creative vision will continue under Ms. Panagakis, who will work alongside Chief Creative Officer Sasha Valentine, an eight-year veteran of the brand. Doe Deere, Lime Crime's co-founder and forever muse has transitioned out of day-to-day operations and has joined the Board of Directors, where she will continue to do what she loves: explore, dream and inspire unicorns around the world. Doe expressed her enthusiasm about the investment and growth opportunities for the business. "I founded Lime Crime on the belief that beauty is a form of freedom. We should all be allowed to express ourselves unapologetically. Over the last decade, unicorns all over the globe have taken that idea and made it their own, propelling us to where we are today. I am so proud of what we've built together and am confident Stacy, Sasha and the team will continue to build on this foundation to take Lime Crime to a whole new level!" ABOUT LIME CRIME We do beauty differently at Lime Crime. As a cult-status, digital-first makeup and hair color brand, we're here to unleash what makes you unique. Our mission is to create innovative, trend-setting products and experiences that transport you to a magical world where you can express yourself unapologetically, experiment with every color of the rainbow and escape from looking like everyone else. Our formulas are 100% vegan, cruelty-free, high performance and high pay-off, all cutely packaged in true unicorn fashion. A digitally native brand, we have a powerful social media following of 4.4 million followers from across the globe. For more information on the brand and its products, visit www.limecrime.com ABOUT TENGRAM CAPITAL PARTNERS Tengram Capital Partners is a private equity firm that focuses exclusively on leading consumer and retail companies that own strong recognizable brands. The team has a diverse background of consumer investing and operating expertise that assists and guides company management to unlock the true potential of their brand. Tengram invests in both traditional "growth" and "restructuring/turnaround" situations in either the public or private sectors. Current investments for Tengram include ReVive, el cap, Algenist, Cos Bar, This Works, Differential Brands Group, Zanella, Luciano Barbera, Tommie Copper, and Sequential Brands Group. Prior investments include Active Ride Shop, NEST Fragrances, DevaCurl and Laura Geller Beauty. Additional information can be found at: www.tengramcapital.com. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Lime Crime SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Limelight Health announced today it has been selected as a finalist for Red Herring's Top 100 North America award, a prestigious list honoring the year's most promising private technology ventures from the North American business region. The Red Herring editorial team selected the most innovative companies from a pool of hundreds from across North America. The nominees are evaluated on 20 main quantitative and qualitative criterion, which include disruptive impact, market footprint, proof of concept, financial performance, technology innovation, social value, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries. This unique assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the track record and standing of a company, which allows Red Herring to see past the "buzz" and make the list a valuable instrument for discovering and advocating the greatest business opportunities in the industry. "This year was rewarding, beyond all expectations," said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. "There are many great companies generating really innovative and disruptive products in North America. We had a very difficult time narrowing the pool and selecting the finalists. Limelight Health shows great promise and therefore deserves to be among the finalists. Now we're faced with the difficult task of selecting the Top 100 winners of Red Herring North America. We know that the 2018 crop will grow into some amazing companies that are sure to make an impact." Finalists for the 2018 edition of the Red Herring 100 North America award are selected based upon their technological innovation, management strength, market size, investor record, customer acquisition, and financial health. During the months leading up to the announcement, Red Herring reviewed over 1200 companies in the telecommunications, security, cloud, software, hardware, biotech, mobile and other industries that completed their submissions to qualify for the award. We are thrilled to be selected as a finalist to present at the Red Herring North America Forum this year," said Jason T. Andrew, CEO & Co-Founder of Limelight Health. "Our customer and market growth has been phenomenal over the past 12 months. Being recognized for our progress by others outside our organization is a tremendous honor." The finalists are invited to present their winning strategies at the Red Herring North America Forum in Marina Del Rey, June 18-20, 2018. The Top 100 winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony on the evening of June 20 at the event. About Limelight Health Limelight Health is reimagining employee benefits through innovative and integrated quoting technology. We help health insurance carriers, general agents and brokers achieve higher levels of sales and channel performance. Customers using our 'quote-to-enroll' platform reinforce their brand, promote their value-add, and simplify the user experience. Integrated API enables seamless connectivity with other carrier, agency and employer systems. Since its inception in 2014, Limelight Health has quickly captured the attention of the nation, winning HealthTech Capital's Most Promising Health Tech Company of 2015 and first place winner at Silicon Valley Innovation Center's Insurance Disrupted Conference. Limelight Health has offices in San Francisco and Redding, California. For more information, visit http://www.limelighthealth.com. Contact: Amber Moore, [email protected] SOURCE Limelight Health Related Links http://www.limelighthealth.com STAINES-UPON-THAMES, United Kingdom, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), a leading global specialty pharmaceutical company, recently reported preliminary interim data from ongoing H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) studies, including the company's Phase 4 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) clinical trial and its prospective observational registry for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) relapse. Details on both the RA (available here ) and MS (available here) data presentations were posted to Mallinckrodt's website. "We are pleased to see continued advancement of our evidence base to support the effectiveness of H.P. Acthar Gel and build on the decades of clinical experience for the product," said Steven Romano, MD, Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Mallinckrodt. "The progress of these studies may help prescribers and payers further understand how the drug may provide benefit to appropriate patients." ABOUT RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS RA is an autoimmune disease. It is a chronic condition that causes pain, stiffness, and swelling of the jointsall symptoms caused by inflammation. An estimated 1.5 million U.S. adults are living with RA.1 Treatment is aimed at stopping inflammation to put the disease in remission and relieve symptoms.2 Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to ease symptoms whereas corticosteroids, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and biologics are used to slow down the disease activity. ABOUT MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS MS is a neurologic disorder that affects the central nervous system (i.e., the brain and spinal cord).3 Symptoms can include fatigue, balance/coordination issues, numbness or tingling, vision problems, muscle spasms, tremors and emotional changes. More than eight in 10 people with MS will experience a relapse, or flare-up, that brings new or worsening symptoms.4 About H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) Indications H.P. Acthar Gel is an injectable drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of 19 indications. Of these, today the majority of Acthar use is in these indications: Adjunctive therapy for short-term administration (to tide the patient over an acute episode or exacerbation) in rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (selected cases may require low-dose maintenance therapy) The treatment of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis in adults. Controlled clinical trials have shown H.P. Acthar Gel to be effective in speeding the resolution of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis. However, there is no evidence that it affects the ultimate outcome or natural history of the disease Treatment during an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic lupus erythematosus Monotherapy for the treatment of infantile spasms in infants and children under 2 years of age Inducing a diuresis or a remission of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome without uremia of the idiopathic type or that due to lupus erythematosus Treatment during an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic dermatomyositis (polymyositis) The treatment of symptomatic sarcoidosis Treatment of severe acute and chronic allergic and inflammatory processes involving the eye and its adnexa such as: keratitis, iritis, iridocyclitis, diffuse posterior uveitis and choroiditis, optic neuritis, chorioretinitis, anterior segment inflammation IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Contraindications Acthar should never be administered intravenously Administration of live or live attenuated vaccines is contraindicated in patients receiving immunosuppressive doses of Acthar Acthar is contraindicated where congenital infections are suspected in infants Acthar is contraindicated in patients with scleroderma, osteoporosis, systemic fungal infections, ocular herpes simplex, recent surgery, history of or the presence of a peptic ulcer, congestive heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension, primary adrenocortical insufficiency, adrenocortical hyperfunction or sensitivity to proteins of porcine origins Warnings and Precautions The adverse effects of Acthar are related primarily to its steroidogenic effects Acthar may increase susceptibility to new infection or reactivation of latent infections Suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis (HPA) may occur following prolonged therapy with the potential for adrenal insufficiency after withdrawal of the medication. Adrenal insufficiency may be minimized by tapering of the dose when discontinuing treatment. During recovery of the adrenal gland patients should be protected from the stress (e.g. trauma or surgery) by the use of corticosteroids. Monitor patients for effects of HPA suppression after stopping treatment Cushing's syndrome may occur during therapy but generally resolves after therapy is stopped. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms Acthar can cause elevation of blood pressure, salt and water retention, and hypokalemia. Blood pressure, sodium and potassium levels may need to be monitored Acthar often acts by masking symptoms of other diseases/disorders. Monitor patients carefully during and for a period following discontinuation of therapy Acthar can cause GI bleeding and gastric ulcer. There is also an increased risk for perforation in patients with certain gastrointestinal disorders. Monitor for signs of bleeding Acthar may be associated with central nervous system effects ranging from euphoria, insomnia, irritability, mood swings, personality changes, and severe depression, and psychosis. Existing conditions may be aggravated Patients with comorbid disease may have that disease worsened. Caution should be used when prescribing Acthar in patients with diabetes and myasthenia gravis Prolonged use of Acthar may produce cataracts, glaucoma and secondary ocular infections. Monitor for signs and symptoms Acthar is immunogenic and prolonged administration of Acthar may increase the risk of hypersensitivity reactions. Neutralizing antibodies with chronic administration may lead to loss of endogenous ACTH activity There is an enhanced effect in patients with hypothyroidism and in those with cirrhosis of the liver Long-term use may have negative effects on growth and physical development in children. Monitor pediatric patients Decrease in bone density may occur. Bone density should be monitored for patients on long-term therapy Pregnancy Class C: Acthar has been shown to have an embryocidal effect and should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus Adverse Reactions Common adverse reactions for Acthar are similar to those of corticosteroids and include fluid retention, alteration in glucose tolerance, elevation in blood pressure, behavioral and mood changes, increased appetite and weight gain Specific adverse reactions reported in IS clinical trials in infants and children under 2 years of age included: infection, hypertension, irritability, Cushingoid symptoms, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, pyrexia, weight gain, increased appetite, decreased appetite, nasal congestion, acne, rash, and cardiac hypertrophy. Convulsions were also reported, but these may actually be occurring because some IS patients progress to other forms of seizures and IS sometimes mask other seizures, which become visible once the clinical spasms from IS resolve Other adverse events reported are included in the full Prescribing Information. Please see full Prescribing Information. For parents and caregivers of IS patients, please also see Medication Guide. ABOUT MALLINCKRODT Mallinckrodt is a global business that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. Areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics and gastrointestinal products. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com. Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website. CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELATED TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release includes forward-looking statements concerning H.P. Acthar Gel including expectations with regard to the study described in this release as well as future research plans. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: satisfaction of regulatory and other requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; changes in laws and regulations; issues with product quality, manufacturing or supply, or patient safety issues; and other risks identified and described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Mallinckrodt's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, all of which are available on its website. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law. CONTACTS Investor Relations Daniel J. Speciale, CPA Investor Relations and Strategy Officer 314-654-3638 [email protected] Media Rhonda Sciarra Senior Communications Manager 908-238-6765 [email protected] Meredith Fischer Chief Public Affairs Officer 314-654-3318 [email protected] Mallinckrodt, the "M" brand mark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners. 2018 Mallinckrodt. ARDUS/01-18/0618/0003 06/18 1 What is Rheumatoid Arthritis? Arthritis Foundation. Available at: http://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/rheumatoid-arthritis/what-is-rheumatoid-arthritis.php. Accessed June 8, 2018. 2 Arthritis Foundation. Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment. Available at: http://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/rheumatoid-arthritis/treatment.php. Accessed June 8, 2018. 3 Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Get Educated-Common Questions-Multiple Sclerosis. Available at: https://msfocus.org/Get-Educated/Common-Questions#What is Multiple Sclerosis. Accessed June 8, 2018. 4 National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). Available at: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Types-of-MS/Relapsing-remitting-MS. Accessed June 8, 2018. SOURCE Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Related Links http://www.mallinckrodt.com OM-Arts & Crafts 2018 This is the third instrument from Martin that pays homage to the Arts & Crafts design movement that dates back to the late 1800s and often presents in the form of romantic, folk, or medieval style decoration. The movement was thought to be anti-industrial and advocated for economic and social reform. This ornate orchestra model features Arts & Crafts inspired pearl inlay designs throughout, paired with German white oak back and sides and Adirondack spruce top with a Guatemalan rosewood headplate, fingerboard, and bridge. The tonewoods for this guitar were selected for their significance in the movement because they were used by craftspersons and designers as alternatives to traditional industrial materials and excel tonally in the voice of the guitar. The OM-Arts & Crafts includes a comfortable high-performance neck, a Vintage Tone System (VTS) top, and vintage copper open gear tuners. This model is limited to 100 instruments and includes an engraved plate label signed by Chris Martin IV. $13,999 D-28 Bigsby Martin partnered with Gretsch to debut a second Merle Travis inspired model that pays tribute to the artist and the guitar he made famous in the late 1940s. Merle Travis is one of the most important guitar players of all time and is known for his unique playing style that is still known by guitarists as "Travis Picking." The D-28 Bigsby is built on the foundation of a newly reimagined D-28 (2017) and is crafted with East Indian rosewood and features a maple high-performance taper neck fitted with the Bigsby headstock. The maple neck offers a unique tonal quality that adds sustain and brightness and pairs nicely with the warmth and depth of rosewood. The interior label is numbered and signed by Chris Martin IV and Fred Gretsch. $3,999 Jimmy Buffett Custom Legendary artist and chief Parrot Head, Jimmy Buffett, has used Martin guitars throughout his career, with multiple Martin signature models in his collection. Always looking for new and exciting instruments, Jimmy was inspired when he discovered Chris Martin's CEO-6 Black model from 2013. Along with his guitar tech Dan Cook, Jimmy worked with the Martin Custom Shop to create a version of this guitar all his own. The result is a striking, sloped shoulder dreadnought finished completely with black lacquer and Jimmy's signature mother of pearl palm tree swaying in the breeze on the headstock. The Jimmy Buffett Custom features a comfortable high-performance neck, a Fishman pick up, and a customized interior label bearing Jimmy Buffett's signature. The model is released as Jimmy debuts his theatrical production "Escape to Margaritaville" which is currently running on Broadway before setting off on a national tour. As one might imagine, the show includes a slew of Martin guitars and ukuleles. $5,999 D-16EPD Poker Dogs Inspired by classic Americana art from artist Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, this playful guitar features a 1903 painting called A Friend in Need, which is printed on a Sitka spruce top. The artwork is part of a series of 16 oil paintings that were commissioned by Brown & Bigelow in the 1900s to advertise cigars. The Style 16 Dreadnought guitar includes sycamore tonewoods, a high-performance taper neck, and comes equipped with Matrix VT Enhance electronics. $2,799 Konter Ukulele The Konter Ukulele may be the most valuable ukulele in the world. It was owned by Richard Konter, "Ukulele Dick," who joined Admiral Richard Byrd's famed expedition to the North Pole in 1926. During the expedition, he obtained signatures at every opportunity, including those of all 45 crew members of the Admiral Byrd expedition and the Admiral himself. It's the only artifact that traveled to the North Pole because it was smuggled under the seat of the airplane. The ukulele also made a trip to the White House and was signed by President Calvin Coolidge, along with the vice president, the secretary of state, the secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Amelia Earhart, Thomas Edison, and many, many more. The soprano ukulele contains more than 210 signatures. The replica includes all signatures, which have been carefully laser-etched into the beautiful koa wood. The soprano ukulele also features vintage style violin peg tuners and a replica of the original interior label. $2,499 To learn more about Martin's new models, please visit www.martinguitar.com/new. About Martin Guitars and Strings C.F. Martin & Co. has been inspiring musicians worldwide for 185 years with their superior guitar and string products. Martin guitars and strings remain the choice for musicians around the world for their unrivaled quality, craftsmanship, and tone. Martin guitars and strings can be seen and heard throughout the company's long history, across all genres of music, and in all segments of pop culture from concert and theater stages to television and movies. With an unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible manufacturing practices, Martin continually drives the acoustic guitar market forward, introducing innovative features that have become standards across the industry. These groundbreaking innovations include the introduction of X-bracing, the 14-fret guitar, and the "Dreadnought" size guitar. In strings, Martin has also led strings innovations, such as introducing the first high-tensile strength steel-string core wire, the first nickel acoustic strings (Martin Retro), and now their proprietary Titanium Core strings, which offer unmatched stability, tone, comfort, and longevity. Connect with Martin Guitars and Martin Strings on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube and via www.martinguitar.com. SOURCE C.F. Martin & Co. Related Links http://martinguitar.com ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon Business School has been ranked among the top ten business schools in the US for its Master in Finance program (pre-experience) by the Financial Times for the fourth year running. Simon is tied for 5th in the US in this year's survey and 42nd among the top 60 Master in Finance programs worldwide. The ranking is a weighted average of alumni career progress, school diversity, international course experience, and faculty research. While Simon performed well across multiple criteria, the school's primary areas of strength were the extent to which alumni fulfilled their goals, salaries increased, and percentage of international students. "Simon has long been regarded as one of the best business schools worldwide, and we are honored to again be recognized for our world-class MS in Finance program by Financial Times," said Andrew Ainslie, dean of the Simon Business School. "This news is a testament to our faculty, staff and students' hard work and dedication." The Simon Business Schools offers a rigorously quantitative, economics-based approach to decision-making in one of the most diverse student communities of any business school in America. Our degree programs inspire a new level of clarity: about how analytical frameworks drive success in business; about what it takes to collaborate and manage in the contemporary, global workplace; and about professional growth and goals. SOURCE Simon Business School WILSONVILLE, Ore., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mentor, a Siemens business, today announced Calibre RealTime Digital a new physical verification tool that works in concert with popular commercial place-and-route environments to ensure "Correct-by-Calibre" routing, and help design teams cut weeks off of IC signoff. Calibre RealTime Digital is the sister product to Mentor's multi-award-winning Calibre RealTime Custom tool introduced in 2011 for custom IC design flows. Targeting the full-chip and block-level digital market, the Calibre RealTime Digital tool is ideal for teams designing primarily ASICs and SoCs for a wide range of end-products including mobile phones, automobiles, wired and wireless infrastructure equipment, and a plethora of industrial and commercial applications. The new tool helps design teams solve a common problem in the last step of the design process. After performing placement and routing, design teams send their designs through a full DRC (Design Rule Check) verification run, which can take several hours for a billion-transistor design. Early runs often uncover problems in the design, which must be fixed to comply with foundry manufacturing rules. Design teams then go back into their place-and-route tools to fix the problems, and perform a full DRC run once again. They often find that their fixes created additional errors, leading to even more iterations and delays before finally converging on a correct design that's ready for manufacturing. The Calibre RealTime Digital tool helps solve these problems by working in concert with place-and-route tools. As design teams use place-and-route to fix violations discovered after full DRC runs, they can use the Calibre RealTime Digital tool to make minor changes, thereby resolving DRC violations without causing additional violations -- ergo "Correct by Calibre." The Calibre RealTime Digital tool achieves this by making the minor changes and performing customized, smaller and more localized DRC runs to help ensure the violations are removed. Shorter iterations during debug reduce the total number of full-chip pass iterations, allowing designers to dramatically shorten design cycles and get to market sooner. "Calibre RealTime Digital is an accelerator to our existing physical verification strategies that fits seamlessly into our design flows," said Weikai Sun, associate vice president of Engineering at Inphi. "We expect the tool will allow us to cut weeks off of our signoff schedule." "Calibre RealTime Digital is a solution that was driven by customer requests," said Joe Sawicki, vice president and general manager of Mentor's Design-to-Silicon Division. "The tool can save time and headaches for design teams developing system chips using any digital process. By working in tandem with the place-and-route tool, Calibre RealTime Digital helps correct physical violation errors that cannot be corrected using a place-and-route system alone. As a result, customers have the potential to get designs to market weeks faster." Customers, including Inphi, will be presenting their experience with the Calibre RealTime Digital tool at Mentor's booth (#2621) during the DAC Conference in San Francisco - June 24-28, 2018. Sign up for sessions at https://www.mentor.com/events/design-automation-conference/. The Calibre RealTime Digital tool is in production now. For more information about the RealTime Digital tool, visit: https://www.mentor.com/products/ic_nanometer_design/verification-signoff/physical-verification/calibre-realtime-digital. Contact for journalists Jack Taylor Phone: (512) 560-7143; Email: [email protected] Mentor Graphics Corporation, a Siemens business, is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services, and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronic, semiconductor, and systems companies. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. Web site: http://www.mentor.com. Mentor Graphics, Mentor and Calibre are registered trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owner. SOURCE Mentor, a Siemens business Related Links http://www.mentor.com SALT LAKE CITY, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- MGIS, a leading provider of disability insurance products designed specifically for group-practice physicians, today announced its new high-limits disability product backed by Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's (Lloyd's). This addition to the MGIS IncomeProtect product line strengthens the company's focus on providing best-in-class income replacement solutions for physician practices nationwide. "MGIS enjoys a strong reputation and rich history of providing high-value income protection for physicians," said Jeff Brunken, CEO of MGIS. "With our new high-limits product, we can now offer even higher replacement amounts complete with many of our market leading product features to physicians who need it. It's an honor to be working with Lloyd's to introduce this to the market." The company's new high-limits disability insurance product unites MGIS' experience and understanding of the physician disability insurance market with Lloyd's innovative environment and financial strength. The product has been designed specifically for physicians and reflects many of the product features fine-tuned for the group-physician disability market during the past 50 years. "Physicians understand the value of income-replacement protection," explained Kurt Meyer, MGIS Vice President of Sales, Group Benefits. "Their challenge is knowing where to acquire the right type of coverage and the right amounts. With this new product, we can provide that continuum of coverage. We're excited to offer this to our brokers and their clients." "MGIS is committed to offering only high-value, highly differentiated insurance products for physicians. We believe we offer the best combination of income-replacement insurance solutions for physicians," said Brunken. The IncomeProtect| HIGH LIMITS program will be available in most states nationally beginning June 18, 2018. MGIS is a leading national insurance program manager experienced in building and managing specialized programs for medical professionals. We partner with the highest rated insurers and focus on group disability and life for medical practices of all sizes, types, and specialties. Insurance policies managed by MGIS are backed by Sun Life Financial and Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's. We work exclusively through select brokers and benefit advisers. MGIS services are provided by MGIS affiliated companies: The MGIS Companies, Inc., Medical Group Insurance Services, Inc., and MGIS Underwriting Managers, Inc. (DBA as MGIS Professional Insurance Solutions in CA and MGIS Underwriting Agency in NY). Lloyd's is the world's specialist insurance and reinsurance market. With expertise earned over centuries, Lloyd's is the foundation of the insurance industry and the future of it. Led by expert underwriters and brokers who cover more than 200 territories, the Lloyd's market develops the essential, complex and critical insurance needed to underwrite human progress. Backed by diverse global capital and excellent financial ratings, Lloyd's works with a global network to grow the insured world building resilience for businesses and local communities and strengthening economic growth around the world. SOURCE MGIS Medical Group Insurance Services, Inc. SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The global microRNA (abbreviated miRNA) market size is expected to reach USD 626.27 million by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., posting a CAGR of 18.6% during the forecast period. A significant role of microRNAs in regulating gene expression. Their rapid adoption in development of diagnostic & prognostic tools for various cancer types is anticipated to provide a fillip to the market. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg ) Recent innovations in miRNA applications such as their use as potential biomarkers in advanced diagnostics have accelerated new product development. Based on existing technologies used in gene analysis such as microarrays, qRT-PCR, and sequencing, new products are being developed for better usage of miRNA. These are designed to overcome challenges faced when working with miRNA. Investments in development of therapeutics & diagnostic tests based on miRNAs have increased tremendously over past few years. Regulus Therapeutics, Rosetta Genomics, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, miRagen Therapeutics, and Mirna Therapeutics are some major companies involved in the development of RNA-based therapeutics. These players are involved in strategic partnerships to enhance their capabilities. For instance, in February 2018, STA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of technology platform for small molecule pharmaceutical development signed an agreement with Regulus Therapeutics to provide its manufacturing facility to the company. Academic & government research organizations are key revenue contributors as large number of microRNA research is carried out in these institutes. However, rising interest of biotech & pharmaceutical companies in miRNAs as biomarkers, especially in cancer screening, is providing a significant push to the market. MiRNA regulating gene expressions in Alzheimer's diseases, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Schizophrenia, and Parkinson's diseases have been identified. Soaring need for easy diagnosis of these diseases is projected to further increase demand for miRNA research tools. Instruments used in miRNA analysis, especially those based on advanced technology, are expensive. However, processes performed are available at reasonable prices through service providers. MiRNA analysis is a part of genomic analysis, thereby many service providers for the genomics market have extended their service offering to this market as well. Novel approaches for handling targeted delivery of miRNAs are being developed. Nanoparticle-based delivery and miRNA conjugation with other small molecules are few of the potential approaches being studied. Focus on development of approaches to overcome challenges in the delivery of miRNA therapeutics is estimated to propel the market over the forecast period. Browse full research report with TOC on "MicroRNA (miRNA) Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Research Tools, By Application (Cancer, Neurological Disease, Immunological Disorder, Infectious Diseases) By End-use, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/microrna-market Further Key Findings From the Report Suggest: Growing competition among miRNA-based therapeutic companies to develop tests & biomarkers for clinical use is likely to boost the demand for miRNA detection services Rapid high-quality results coupled with declining sequencing prices are poised to drive adoption of NGS services for miRNA functional studies. North America dominated the microRNA market owing to presence of large scale genetic research programs being conducted by universities in the U.S. and Canada . MiRNA profiling studies in these regions are supported by international public functional genomic data repositories such as Gene Expression Omnibus dominated the microRNA market owing to presence of large scale genetic research programs being conducted by universities in the U.S. and . MiRNA profiling studies in these regions are supported by international public functional genomic data repositories such as Gene Expression Omnibus Asia Pacific is projected to witness phenomenal CAGR owing to rapid progress in precision medicine & genomics. Owing to the immense potential in APAC, international players are adopting M&A strategies to consolidate their position in the region is projected to witness phenomenal CAGR owing to rapid progress in precision medicine & genomics. Owing to the immense potential in APAC, international players are adopting M&A strategies to consolidate their position in the region The market is moderately consolidated and competitive in nature due to presence of several multinational players Some key companies present in the market are Thermofisher Scientific (Life Technologies); Agilent Technologies; Merck KGaA; QIAGEN (Exiqon); and NanoString Technologies; Inc. The prominence of these players can be attributed to their well-established technical capabilities in other fields of biotechnology. Browse related reports by Grand View Research: Steam Autoclaves Market - Steam Autoclaves Market was valued at USD 1,452.9 million in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% over the forecast period. - Steam Autoclaves Market was valued at in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% over the forecast period. In-Vitro Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests Market - In-vitro colorectal cancer screening tests market was valued at USD 559.3 million in 2014 and is likely to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% over the forecast period - In-vitro colorectal cancer screening tests market was valued at in 2014 and is likely to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% over the forecast period Lung Cancer Diagnostics Market - The global lung cancer diagnostics market size was estimated at USD 1.63 billion in 2015. - The global lung cancer diagnostics market size was estimated at in 2015. Alopecia Market - The global alopecia market was valued at over USD 7.3 billion in 2015. Grand View Research has segmented the global microRNA market on the basis of research scope, application, end-use, and region: MicroRNA Research Tools Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Services Sample collection Whole Blood Serum Plasma miRNA cDNA Synthesis Profiling & Purification Detection Functional Studies NGS Microarray Real Time PCR Others Products Instruments Kits, Reagents, & Consumables Isolation & Purification Quantification & Detection Functional Analysis Others MicroRNA Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Cancer Infectious Diseases Immunological Disorder Cardiovascular Disease Neurological Disease Others MicroRNA End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Companies Academic & Government Research Institutes Others MicroRNA Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany UK Asia Pacific Japan China Latin America Brazil Middle East & Africa South Africa Explore the BI enabled intuitive market research database, The Grand Library, by Grand View Research, Inc. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: +1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. BOSTON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today's ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) to validate a pending ballot measure A Law Relative to Patient Safety and Hospital Transparency (or, the Patient Safety Act) is a vitally important step in an effort by nurses, health care advocates and hundreds of thousands of residents of the Commonwealth to improve patient safety in Massachusetts hospitals by setting a safe maximum limit on the number of patients assigned to a nurse at one time, while providing flexibility to hospitals to adjust nurses' patient assignments based on specific patient needs. "We applaud the SJC for their decision to allow the Patient Safety Act to go before the voters of Massachusetts, as this measure will positively impact the quality and safety of hospital care for every patient cared for in our state's acute care hospitals," said Kate Norton, spokesperson for the Committee to Ensure Safe Patient Care, a coalition of more than 100 health care, nursing and consumer groups promoting the measure. "Right now, outside of hospital intensive care units, there is no law limiting the number of patients assigned to our hospital nurses. Scientific studies show this lack of patient limits is eroding the quality of care patients receive. Without safe limits, patients experience longer hospital stays, an increase in medication errors and infections, preventable readmission of patients, longer ED wait times and higher health care costs in Massachusetts." A recent survey of the state's nurses found that 77 percent report they are forced to care for too many patients at one time, 77 percent report an increase in medical errors due to unsafe patient assignments and fully 90 percent of the state's nurses report not being able to provide the comfort and care patients need. Just as importantly, nearly 65 percent of nurses report that when they ask for hospital and nursing executives to adjust patient assignments to ensure adequate care for patients, those requests for additional resources are ignored. In fact, the Ballot measure, which was validated by the SJC today, was drafted by frontline nurses to ensure better care for their patients. "In an industry that is controlled by massive corporate health care networks and Wall Street hedge funds, the safety of patients is too often sacrificed for the bottom line and increased hospital profit margins," Norton said. "The legislature has tried to address this crisis for more than a decade, yet the powerful hospital lobby spends millions to defeat this common-sense patient safety measure. Since patients are those most impacted by these decisions, we believe they should have the ultimate say in the quality of their care, which the Patient Safety Act will provide." The decision comes on the eve of the deadline for proponents of the measure to submit the final round of signatures needed to place the question before the votes on the ballot in November. Tomorrow, members of the Committee to Ensure Safe Patient Care will deliver signatures to local municipalities across the state in support the Patient Safety Act. To ensure inclusion on the November 2018 ballot, a second round of 10,792 certified signatures must be submitted to the Secretary of the Commonwealth by July 3, 2018. Signatures must be submitted to local election officials by June 19, 2018, for certification. The Committee will be submitting a final round of approximately 26,000 signatures in municipalities statewide. In December, the Committee submitted more than 100,000 signatures to the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, per the Attorney General's Initiative Petition Process for two versions of the ballot measure, one of which included a requirement that the hospital industry report their financial holdings to the public. The SJC today rejected this second version of the question. "We submitted the alternative version of the question requiring hospital financial reporting because we believe Massachusetts patients and their families deserve to know how their money is being spent, at a time when the multi-billion dollar industry claims they can't afford to provide a safe standard of care," Norton explained. "The decision by the SJC not to approve the version of the safe patient limits ballot initiative, including a section covering hospital financial transparency, demonstrates how difficult it is to go up against entrenched corporate interests. Not only do hospital executives care more about profits than protecting and improving patient care, they also do not want the public to know how they are spending tax dollars." The Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, the main force behind the opposition campaign, receives millions of dollars every year from hospitals around the state, according to its 990 tax forms. Those hospitals are largely publicly funded by way of Medicare, Medicaid and state health care dollars. MHHA has spent public money on lawyers to keep the public from knowing how their money is being spent, and recently spent nearly $2 million on an advertising campaign against this measure, where every claim in the ad was patently false or misleading. "The millionaire executives making this decision hospital CEOs on MHHA's board claim they cannot afford to ensure the safe level of care that will come with enacting patient limits, even though studies show these limits will drive down medical errors, injuries and other expensive health care outcomes. How can hospital executives both claim a cost burden and refuse to be financially transparent? The hospital industry is posting profits in excess of a billion dollars each year and is stashing an additional $900 million in offshore accounts while spending several more billion dollars on new construction projects and to purchase hospitals in other states and in other countries. The public needs safe patient limits and deserves to know how hospital executives are spending their money." ABOUT THE PATIENT SAFETY ACT Today in Massachusetts hospitals, except in ICUs, there is no law and no limit to guide the number of patients that can be assigned to a nurse at one time. The Patient Safety Act will dramatically improve patient safety in Massachusetts hospitals by setting a safe maximum limit in the number of patients assigned to a nurse at one time, while providing flexibility to adjust nurses' patient assignments based on the specific patient needs. It also protects other valuable members of the health care team by preventing the reduction of other caregivers to meet the limits set by the law. Independent scientific studies have consistently found that the quality of care decreases dramatically when nurses are forced to care for too many patients at once, putting patients at increased risk for complications like pneumonia, bedsores, medication errors and an increased risk for costly readmissions. Evidence-based medical journals such as the Institute of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the New England Journal of Medicine have all written on the impact of the nurse-to-patient assignment and the quality of patient care. 14 years ago, California established maximum limits on the number of patients that could be assigned to a nurse at one time and the results have been universally positive. Recent studies have shown that patients in Massachusetts receive less time with their nurses, resulting in higher rates of complications and readmissions and longer wait times than in California, while costs in California remain below both the Massachusetts average and the national average. SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association Related Links http://www.massnurses.org WASHINGTON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on Monday's signing of Space Policy Directive-3 by President Donald Trump: "NASA strongly supports the White House's continued bold direction in forging a sustainable and focused space policy that strengthens American leadership. It was my honor today to represent the agency at the National Space Council, where the President announced Space Policy Directive-3 which will guide critical and much-needed progress for space traffic management. "SPD-3 builds on our continued progress implementing SPD-1, which is galvanizing American space leadership by returning to the Moon with commercial and international partners, and SPD-2, which will create regulatory certainty for entrepreneurs to raise capital to grow the American economy in space. "As we continue to thrive in space, we also have more people launching to orbit, and an increasingly complex universe of satellites overhead. SPD-3 provides guidelines and initiatives to ensure that America is a leader in providing a safe and secure environment as space traffic increases. Common sense space situational awareness and traffic management will be good for our economy and will help provide a more stable environment for the burgeoning space economy. "Reducing the growing threat of orbital debris is in the interest of all nations, and NASA looks forward to working with the National Space Council, the Department of Commerce and other partners on a path forward. SPD-3 and the directives that preceded it, along with the President's enthusiasm for our nation's innovative work, are providing a strong foundation for our nation to once again do the big things that will shape a bright future for all of us in space." For information about Space Policy Directive-3, visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-achieving-safe-secure-future-space/ SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov BRYN MAWR, Pa., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Nirag C. Jhala, M.D. is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member in the field of Pathology in recognition of his role as a Pathologist at Temple University Hospital. With longstanding success over the past century, Temple University Hospital has spent countless hours in investing in the lives of those they serve. With their prime mission to educate those who come through their doors, the hospital specializes in Medical Education, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Anatomic Pathology and Cytology. Dedicated to cultivating an environment to augment the health and wellness of their patients, Temple University utilizes the latest advancements in medical technology. With over twenty nine years of experience in the field of Medicine under his belt, Dr. Nirag C. Jhala is a well-regarded professional that is known for his outstanding contributions to the industry. Attributing his success to his motivation and mentorship, Dr. Jhala advises those going into the profession to not do so for money, but instead, "do it for the passion to be in it." Throughout his career, Dr. Jhala has attained extensive experience in the areas of Pathology, Cytology, and Laboratory Medicine. Early in his career, Dr. Jhala attained his Medical Doctor degree from Gujarat University, in Ahmedabad in 1989. Upon attending Allegheny University Hospital in 1997, Dr. Jhala completed his Residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Fellowship in Cytopathology in 1998. Thereafter, Dr. Jhala would then go on to complete his Fellowship in Nephropathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. In 1999, Dr. Jhala attended Baylor College of Medicine where he completed his Fellowship in Gastrointestinal Tract Pathology. In an effort to further enhance his professional development, Dr. Jhala is an influential member of several organizations including the International Society of Civilization Diseases and Environment; International Academy of Cytology; American Society of Cytology; and Roger C Haggit Gastrointestinal Tract Pathology Society. When he is not working, Dr. Jhala enjoys capturing photographs of landscapes and birds in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Dr. Jhala dedicates this recognition to his wife Darshanna, for her continuing love and support, in loving memory of his eldest brother Parag Jhala, his Dad, Chaudrakant Jhala and Mom, Tarulata Jhala, both in loving memory, and to his many good mentors over the years. For more information, please visit https://medicine.temple.edu Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who Related Links http://www.continentalwhoswho.com NEW YORK, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- KnowNow Health is celebrating the launch of its new Start-Up website and App: KnowNOWSTD.com. Sexual health is not easy. It is something intimate and private. When something does not go well "down there," it is an often uncomfortable and embarrassing trip to the doctor. We Are KnowNowSTD.com Homepage for website describing what KnowNOW STD offers. KnowNOW STD cuts to the chase and the discomfort and virtually brings you a doctor to your home or office via safe and secure video-conferencing that is also affordable. STDs have hit a record high in America, particularly in urban areas and minority communities. It is time for a cost-effective intervention. The KnowNOW platform offers online lab testing for all sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like HIV, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B. As part of the lab testing you can visit with an online doctor who can also prescribe treatment for any STD if necessary. KnowNOW has partnered with New York and New Jersey's largest and most cost-efficient labs like Quest, LabCorp, Sunrise, Bioreference and Enzo to make sure access is easy and affordable. KnowNOW has partnered with Athena Health as the electronic medical record (EMR) platform, eVisit as the telehealth platform and Klara for an encrypted medical texting platform. The team from medical providers to leadership is made up of majority Women, Black, Latino, Immigrant, and LGBTQ members, so we offer a distinct view on health that other companies may not. KnowNOW's doctors all have over 15 years of experience and most are Spanish speaking. The website is also available in Spanish. One of KnowNOW's founders and doctors, Dr. Diana Ramirez mentioned in a recent interview with a Spanish newspaper: "We need more women doctors and we need more health tech solutions from minority providers." KnowNOW is offering Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) one pill a day to prevent HIV/AIDS. PrEP has helped prevent the spread of HIV and has proven to be a cost-effective method. If taken daily, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 90 percent. KnowNOW offers a prescription for PrEP by visiting one of our doctors online and getting pertinent lab tests done. KnowNOW is offering women's sexual health care in treating simple and quickly treatable conditions like urinary tract infections (UTI), bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections. These conditions are very common in women and yet finding the time to see a doctor and getting a prescription is not easy and sometimes may lead to complications if not treated. KnowNOW's costs are low and simple: Half of the cost of an Urgent Care Center or Primary Care Clinic: $65 to be seen with a free follow-up if positive or $10/month for 12 months, with two visits included. To avoid waiting to see a doctor or paying an excessive fee to be seen, visit KnowNOWSTD.com for sexual health needs. About KnowNOW Health: KnowNOW Health was created by three women primary care physicians asking themselves: "Why is it so difficult for people to get access to medical care? And secondly: "What can we do about it?" They partnered with business and tech friends and the result was KnowNOW Health, started in 2017. 16 months in the making the team developed KnowNOW STD working with the tech software company Mobikasa. KnowNOW Health will be also offering traveler's medical care, opiate and tobacco cessation, and medical marijuana in 2018. The use of a virtual medical practice and the use of telehealth is definitely the future of medicine. The question KnowNOW Health and the team poses is: "How can telehealth be used to reach people who otherwise would not have access to healthcare?" The KnowNOW mission is simple: Access, Privacy, Peace of Mind. KnowNOW aims to play a role in reducing the severe health disparities in the U.S. The U.S. has one of the largest income-based health disparities in the world and spends the most on health care of all developed countries. KnowNOW Health aims to reach the Uninsured, Millennials, Women and the LGBTQ population. KnowNOW Health is available in New York and New Jersey and will be expanding to other states soon. Media Contacts: Name: Diana Ramirez, MD Title: Physician and Partner Phone: 917-882-7609 Email address: [email protected] Name: Ella Leers, MD Title: Physician Phone: 917-627-7924 Email address: [email protected] Name: Alice Ofori-Atta Title: KnowNOW Outreach Phone: 917-586-1664 Email: [email protected] Related Files Investor Pitch KnowNOW 2018.pptx cdc-hiv-us-ataglance (1).pdf Related Images knownow-std-website.png KnowNOW STD Website Homepage for website describing what KnowNOW STD offers. knownow-doctors-and-founders.jpg KnowNOW Doctors and Founders Left to right: Dr. Jean Burg, Dr. Ella Leers (middle), Dr. Diana Ramirez knownows-mission-access-privacy.jpg KnowNOW's Mission: Access, Privacy, Peace of Mind Promotional material used that also deliver's KnowNOW's Mission. KnowNOW is branded with the medical cross depicting a red heart suggesting care. KnowNOW is also available as an App (Apple and Google Play) under KnowNOW Health. knownow-at-the-nyc-aids-walk.jpg KnowNOW at the NYC AIDS Walk KnowNOW's team participated at the NYC AIDS WALK in Central Park on May 20, 2018. The AIDS Walk was a wonderful day coming together to help raise money for a needed cause. Related Links KnowNOW STD website KnowNOW Health website Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZNHCYbCaZQ SOURCE KnowNOW Health Related Links http://www.i-newswire.com HOUSTON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Oasis Midstream Partners LP (NYSE: OMP) (the "Partnership" or "OMP") has signed multiple third party agreements in the Williston Basin. These agreements span across all three of OMP's development companies ("DevCos"). OMP now has enhanced visibility on revenue and EBITDA growth across all product lines, including oil gathering and transportation, natural gas gathering and processing, produced water gathering and disposal and freshwater distribution. Substantially all of the EBITDA growth is underpinned by long term, fixed fee contracts. These third party projects in combination with robust growth at Oasis Petroleum position OMP to extend its runway of peer leading 20% annualized distribution growth. "OMP has a large and strategically located asset in one of the premier oil basins in North America," said Taylor Reid, Chief Executive Officer of OMP. "Due to OMP's symbiotic relationship with Oasis Petroleum, the Partnership has been able to invest in the future growth trends of the Williston Basin for the benefit of both Oasis and third parties. A great example of our ability to capitalize on opportunities is our investment in the 200 MMscfpd gas processing plant in Wild Basin. This investment was facilitated by our intimate understanding of both the subsurface and infrastructure environment within the Williston Basin. We identified a need for incremental processing capacity in the basin due to growing gas production and limited Williston Basin infrastructure to handle additional volumes. Additionally, OMP has leveraged its other assets to capture third party growth across our platform." Guidance Update OMP is updating its expectations for capital expenditures ("CapEx") in 2018 based on investment required to fulfill third party agreements and current views on CapEx to support Oasis volume growth. The third party agreements and the associated incremental CapEx are spread across all three DevCos, including CapEx in Bobcat to gather third party volumes to Gas Plant II, which continues to stay on time and on budget. OMP has already commenced investment of capital for third party projects during the second quarter of 2018. The following table provides OMP's updated CapEx expectations for 2018: 2018E CapEx ($MM) OMP February Guidance Updated Guidance DevCo Ownership Gross Net Gross Net Bighorn 100% $40 - 50 $40 - 50 $60 - 65 $60 65 Bobcat 10% $145 - 160 $14 - 16 $165 - 170 $16.5 - 17.0 Beartooth 40% $45 - 60 $18 - 24 $60 - 65 $24 26 Total CapEx $230 - 270 $72 - 90 $285 - 300 $100.5 - 108.0 The following table provides 2019 estimates including and excluding the impact of today's announcements. The estimates reflect current ownership that OMP has in each DevCo and do not include any impact from any future OAS drop-downs. The identified opportunities lead to a 14% increase in expected 2019 EBITDA and LP coverage of 1.5x vs. 1.3x excluding the new agreements. 2018 EBITDA guidance remains unchanged at $61-$65 million. 2019E ($MM) Net to OMP Excluding Growth Opportunities Including Growth Opportunities EBITDA $82 - 85 $94 - 97 Maintenance CapEx % of EBITDA 7-10% 7-10% Distribution ($/unit) $2.02 $2.02 LP Coverage Ratio 1.3x 1.5x Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Partnership expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, forward-looking statements contained in this press release specifically include the expectations of plans, strategies, objectives and anticipated financial and operating results of the Partnership, including the Partnership's capital expenditure levels and other guidance included in this press release. These statements are based on certain assumptions made by the Partnership based on management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, anticipated future developments and other factors believed to be appropriate. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Partnership, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied or expressed by the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, the Partnership's ability to integrate acquisitions into its existing business, changes in oil and natural gas prices, weather and environmental conditions, the timing of planned capital expenditures, availability of acquisitions, uncertainties in the estimates of proved reserves and forecasted production results of the Partnership's customers, operational factors affecting the commencement or maintenance of producing wells, the condition of the capital markets generally, as well as the Partnership's ability to access them, the proximity to and capacity of transportation facilities, and uncertainties regarding environmental regulations or litigation and other legal or regulatory developments affecting the Partnership's business and other important factors. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, the Partnership's actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made and the Partnership undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. About Oasis Midstream Partners LP Oasis Midstream is a growth-oriented, fee-based master limited partnership initially formed by Oasis Petroleum (NYSE: OAS) to own, develop, operate and acquire a diversified portfolio of midstream assets in North America that are integral to the oil and natural gas operations of Oasis Petroleum and strategically positioned to capture volumes from other producers. Oasis Midstream's initial assets are located in the Williston Basin area of North Dakota and Montana. For more information, please visit Oasis Midstream's website at www.oasismidstream.com. Contact: Oasis Midstream Partners LP Bob Bakanauskas, (281) 404-9638 Director, Investor Relations SOURCE Oasis Midstream Partners LP Related Links http://www.oasismidstream.com SALT LAKE CITY, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- OrthoGrid Systems, Inc., a leading innovator of radiographic assessment and alignment technology for orthopedics, today announced the commercial release of its new patent-protected HipGrid NINE System for outpatient total hip replacement. Featuring the same clinically validated technology utilized in the original HipGrid, OrthoGrid's HipGrid NINE system is designed to seamlessly integrate with C-arm systems commonly found at ambulatory surgical centers and hospitals. OrthoGrid's NEW HipGrid NINE OrthoGrid's NEW HipGrid NINE attached to a C-arm "Outpatient total hip replacement procedures are growing rapidly due in large part to the potential for added convenience, reduced costs, and quicker return to home for the patient," explained Edouard Saget, President of OrthoGrid Systems. "Increasingly, our customers have demanded to have a HipGrid that is compatible with 9-Inch C-arm systems commonly found in outpatient surgery centers, and so we are pleased to immediately commence shipments of this compelling new product." Designed with an innovative BOA Fit Attachment System and high contrast markings, the HipGrid NINE is controlled intra-operatively by the physician, integrates into the standard surgical workflow with no disposables or instrumentation, and can be fully utilized in conjunction with implant systems from all vendors. Orthopedic surgeon Erik Kubiak, MD, noted that, "as the healthcare system moves away from unconstrained spending and physicians and hospitals work together to deliver higher-quality care for a reasonable cost, OrthoGrid's HipGrid NINE hits the mark by enabling excellent clinical value at an attractive economic price. I will continue relying on OrthoGrid technologies for my total hip replacement patients." The HipGrid NINE System is available for sale in the USA through OrthoGrid's sales & service team. Please visit our website at www.orthogrid.com to learn more about our company and how to schedule a free product trial of any OrthoGrid Systems technology. About OrthoGrid Systems, Inc. OrthoGrid Systems is a rapidly expanding global leader in intra-operative radiographic assessment and alignment technologies for orthopedics, with specialized applications available or in development for hip arthroplasty, trauma, knee replacement, and other common procedures performed over 1 million times per year in aggregate in the USA and 3 million times globally. OrthoGrid helps to overcome the limitations of traditional low resolution, distorted imaging technology by revealing inherent image distortion, enhancing intra-operative decision making for physicians performing orthopedic procedures. Learn more about OrthoGrid and our products by visiting our website at www.orthogrid.com. Media Contact: Mark Carrico. Director of Marketing Email: [email protected] Phone: 801-703-5866 SOURCE OrthoGrid Systems Related Links https://orthogrid.com HOUSTON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- OTA Insight, the cloud-based data intelligence platform for the hospitality industry, today announced the launch of its latest development, Parity Insight. As the latest addition to its suite of revenue intelligence solutions, Parity Insight helps keep control of distribution costs so that revenue managers feel more empowered to make smarter revenue and distribution decisions. OTA Insight will be showcasing Parity Insight's key functionalities at HITEC Houston, from June 18 21 at booth #2303. Parity Insight's user-friendly dashboard helps hoteliers better control distribution and helps to manage their reliance on OTA business. The business intelligence solution tracks where hoteliers are losing valuable revenue and finds all discrepancies between their brand and third-party channels. Through Parity Insight, revenue managers are able to view historical parity issues to monitor the evolution of their performance, track future parity issues up to 12 months in advance, as well as monitor real-time updates on how rates are appearing on OTA and metasearch websites. In conjunction with the launch of Parity Insight, OTA Insight will be releasing key findings from its first Hotel Parity Report. This new report will provide a deep-dive into market trends affecting rate parity for hotels and will highlight: North American parity performance trends Parity performance of Major Chains versus Independents and Local Chains Rate variance breakdown Parity performance by channel Findings from Hotel Parity Report: Results from OTA Insight's first Hotel Parity Report have found that in North America, 48% of the time, OTA rates were more competitive than an Independent or Local Chain hotel's website rate, which is in contrast to Major Chain Hotels where this occurs 24% of the time. The report also reveals the Leading Channels where these parity issues occur, with SnapTravel topping the list for Independent Hotels and Local Chains as well as across Major Chain Hotels. According to Gino Engels, Co-founder and CCO of OTA Insight, "The goal of our integrated and intuitive solutions is to provide revenue managers with the tools to create prosperous revenue strategies. Through our Hotel Parity Report and Parity Insight tool, we are uncovering where and why parity issues arise while simultaneously supplying a solution that helps revenue managers control overall parity performance. We look forward to showcasing both the findings from our report and the new tool to our industry colleagues at HITEC Houston." HITEC Houston attendees can experience an exclusive preview of the Parity Insight tool at OTA Insight's booth, #2303. Parity Insight will be rolling out across the OTA Insight platform starting June 18. The Hotel Parity Report will be available to HITEC Houston visitors for download at: https://www.otainsight.com/hotel-parity-report About OTA Insight OTA Insight empowers hoteliers to make smarter revenue and distribution decisions through its market-leading suite of cloud-based business intelligence solutions including Rate Insight, Parity Insight and Revenue Insight. With live updates, 24/7 support from our customer success team, and a highly-intuitive and customizable dashboard, the OTA Insight platform integrates with other industry tools including hotel property management systems, leading RMS solutions and data benchmarking providers. OTA Insight's team of international experts are based all over the world, including the UK, US, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Peru, Mexico, Singapore, Australia and India, and supports over 30,000 properties in 140 countries. For more information, visit www.otainsight.com and follow us on Twitter @otainsight. Media Contact: [email protected] [email protected] 212-334-9753 SOURCE OTA Insight Related Links https://www.otainsight.com VALLEY COTTAGE, New York, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The US$ 2.5 billion packaging tubes market is slated to exhibit promising performance over the next decade. As indicated by a recent outlook published by Future Market Insights, the global market for packaging tubes will possibly thrive at 5.4% over 2028-1028, attaining a value of around US$ 4.5 Bn by 2028 end. During the course of assessment period, packaging giants are expected to concentrate on improvisation of existing formats of packaging tubes, which have been limiting the use of packaging tubes to pharmaceuticals, oral care products, and cosmetics. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/677274/Future_Market_Insights_Logo.jpg ) Laminated Tubes Are Most Likely to Outperform Aluminum Tubes in Terms of Adoption & Growth Rate Immense ease of use, convenience, and portability will collectively enable laminated tubes to witness healthy traction in near future. As consumers are moving away from rigid packaging formats such as plastic and aluminium-based packaging tubes, they are more inclined towards laminated tube packaging, which is expected to push the performance of laminated tubes in the packaging tubes market in next few years. However, the substitutes such as stick packs, pouches, and sachets may limit this growth, with an advantage in terms of price and convenience. Aluminum tubes, though account for the maximum revenue share, are expected to witness a heavy decline in near future. Request a Sample Report with Table of Contents and Figures: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6859 'Premium' Personal & Beauty Care Products Come in Laminated Tubes Laminated tubes, which were only considered for packaging of hand lotion, toothpaste, and a series of similar products till a decade ago, are increasingly being embraced by a number of beauty and personal care brands. To harness the most of structural, functional, and design flexibility of laminated packaging tubes, brands are using them for packaging almost every beauty and personal care product on retail shelves. 'Premiumization' has been a big trend in personal and beauty care industries, which manifests in a wide range of decorating possibilities and a number of material attributes such as texture. Moreover, it also enables manufacturers to include metallics on tubes and closures, and create virtually seamless, 360 degree decorated packaging tubes. Preview Analysis Packaging Tubes Market Segmentation By Product Type - Laminated Tubes: Plastic Barrier, Aluminum Barrier, Aluminum Tubes, Plastic Tubes; Capacity- Up to 50ml, 50 to 100ml, 100 to 150ml, Above 150ml; Closure- Stand-up Cap, Nozzle Cap, Fez Cap, Flip-top Cap, Others: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/packaging-tubes-market Technological Intervention to Benefit Laminated Tube Sales Recently, a beauty care brand introduced a range of products packaged in fully decorated plastic tubes, which are manufactured using the innovative digital print technology in mass scale. The tubes look vibrant and are include seamless structure, tactile embossing, photorealistic images, and cap-to-tube printing. These packaging tubes are likely to attract an exceptionally large female consumer base in near future. Brand owners are foreseen to innovate their existing product offerings with innovative digital print - direct-to-print technology. Also, growing adoption of flexographic printing technology by tube manufacturers is anticipated to contribute to the market growth through 2028. The shift of a growing number of pharmaceutical players to laminated tube packaging from plastic and Aluminum-based packaging, is conscious and marked, and has been attributed to several noteworthy anti-contamination properties possessed by this packaging tube type. The global market for packaging tubes is witnessing rapid uptake of laminated tubes in the pharmaceutical industry, especially for packaging of OTC products, which is expected to boost the market performance in near future.Our advisory services are aimed at helping you with specific, customised insights that are relevant to your specific challenges. Let us know about your challenges and our trusted advisors will connect with you: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-6859 More from FMI's Packaging Market Intelligence: Multi-Depth Corrugated Box Market Segmentation By Board Type - Single Wall, Double Wall, Triple Wall; By Capacity type - Up to 80 lbs, 80 to 180 lbs, 180 to 300 lbs, Above 300 lbs; By Strength type - Normal (Below 32 ECT), Standard (32 ECT), Heavy Duty (44 ECT), Heavy Duty Double Wall (48 ECT); By End Use - Food & Beverages, Consumer Electronics, Home Care & Personal Care, Textiles, Glassware & Ceramics, Automotive,Others:https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/multi-depth-corrugated-box-market Segmentation By Board Type - Single Wall, Double Wall, Triple Wall; By Capacity type - Up to 80 lbs, 80 to 180 lbs, 180 to 300 lbs, Above 300 lbs; By Strength type - Normal (Below 32 ECT), Standard (32 ECT), Heavy Duty (44 ECT), Heavy Duty Double Wall (48 ECT); By End Use - Food & Beverages, Consumer Electronics, Home Care & Personal Care, Textiles, Glassware & Ceramics, Automotive,Others:https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/multi-depth-corrugated-box-market Cluster Packaging for Beer Market Segmentation by material type - paperboard, plastic, wood and others; tier type - single and double tier type; packaging type - cluster sleeve, neck through wrap, over the top and other; printing type - flexographic printing, litho lamination printing, screen printing, digital printing, rotogravure printing; application type - bottle, cans and growlers: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/cluster-packaging-for-beer-market Segmentation by material type - paperboard, plastic, wood and others; tier type - single and double tier type; packaging type - cluster sleeve, neck through wrap, over the top and other; printing type - flexographic printing, litho lamination printing, screen printing, digital printing, rotogravure printing; application type - bottle, cans and growlers: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/cluster-packaging-for-beer-market Conical Bags Packaging Market Segmentation by end user base - food and beverage pharmaceutical, cosmetic, automobile, personal and healthcare, general industries, others; material type - polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), Cast polypropylene (CPP), Biaxial Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/conical-bags-packaging-market About Us Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights and an aerial view of the competitive framework and future market trends. Browse More: Packaging Market Insights Contact Us 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 T (UK): + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790 Sales: [email protected] Press Office: [email protected] FMI Blog: http://www.fmiblog.com/ Website: http://www.futuremarketinsights.com SOURCE Future Market Insights NUREMBERG, Germany and PALO ALTO, Calif., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leoni, a global provider of energy and data management solutions in the automotive sector and other industries, and the research and development company PARC, a Xerox company, providing cutting-edge innovation for nearly 50 years, today announced a strategic partnership that will enable Leoni's digitalization solutions. With the support of PARC's groundbreaking technologies in the fields of condition-based maintenance (CBM), system analysis, artificial intelligence (AI) and embedded sensor technology, Leoni will drive its digital transformation forward. Initial research work is focused on the enablement of Leoni's smart cable systems. Technologies such as predictive maintenance and condition-based maintenance with the help of intelligent data analysis are now regarded as important drivers of Industry 4.0 and digital mobility projects. These technologies can help prevent unplanned system outages and increase availability of systems by evaluating all system components throughout their life-cycle and identifying individual components for replacement well ahead of performance degradation or failure. CBM or service/replacement of the identified components during planned maintenance windows reduces cost and system downtime. The initial focus of this partnership will be to customize and demonstrate PARC's CBM and advanced system analytics for Leoni's smart cable systems. PARC's model-based approach delivers high predictive accuracy and negligible false alarm rates enabling Leoni solutions to support their customers with actionable data and design optimization, as well as the ability to smartly monitor and manage their systems. "PARC is a remarkable partner, who can lead us forward in our digital transformation," said Torsten Schierholz, Chief Solutions Officer at Leoni. "Because of their interdisciplinary expertise and vast experience in condition-based maintenance, system analytics, embedded sensors, and AI, PARC provides us with innovative insights into key aspects of this digital change. Together, PARC and Leoni are working intensively together with Leoni's customers and partners on a future, which allows us to incorporate new technologies in order to make energy and data transmission in cable systems even more intelligent, efficient and reliable." "As the internet of things (IoT) continues to develop and mature, every company needs to be thinking about how cutting-edge technologies will be deployed across software, hardware, and networking platforms," said Ajay Raghavan, PARC Research Area Manager. "As part of the transformation, Leoni will lead its clients and partners in embedding intelligence throughout the ecosystem, from intelligent cables, cable systems and components for the automotive industry, energy, and infrastructure. We are excited about our partnership with Leoni which is leading to a deeper understanding of complex systems and effective CBM solutions." Related illustration material can be downloaded next to this release at http://www.leoni.com/en/press/releases/details/partnership-between-leoni-and-parc-collaboration-supporting-digital-transformation/ About PARC PARC, a Xerox company, is in the Business of Breakthroughs. Practicing open innovation, it provides custom R&D services, technology, expertise, best practices, and intellectual property to Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies, startups, and government agencies and partners. The company creates new business options, accelerate time to market, augment internal capabilities, and reduces risk for clients. Since its inception, PARC has pioneered many technology platforms from the Ethernet and laser printing to the GUI and ubiquitous computing and has enabled the creation of many industries. Incorporated as an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Xerox in 2002, PARC today continues the research that enables breakthroughs for our clients' businesses. About the Leoni Group Leoni is a global provider of products, solutions and services for energy and data management in the automotive sector and other industries. The value chain encompasses wires, optical fibers, standardised cables, special cables and assembled systems as well as intelligent products and smart services. As an innovation partner and solutions provider, Leoni supports its customers with pronounced development and systems expertise. The group of companies, which is listed on the German MDAX, employs more than 87,000 people in 31 countries and generated consolidated sales of EUR 4.9 billion in 2017. https://www.facebook.com/theleonigroup https://www.linkedin.com/company/leoni https://www.xing.com/companies/leoniag Contact person PARC Contact person for economic press Marshall Hampson Sven Schmidt Lumina Communications Corporate Public & Media Relations On Behalf of PARC LEONI AG Phone +1 408 680 0561 Phone +49 911 2023-467 Fax +49 911 2023-231 E-mail [email protected] E-mail [email protected] SOURCE PARC MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- After more than 13,000 on-line votes in the Perkins Restaurant & Bakery 60th Anniversary Recipe contest, America has spoken and determined that the Monte Cristo Sandwich, ham and cheese dipped in batter and fried for a delicious classic, is the crowd favorite! The recipe, submitted by Debra Jo Wagner of Minneapolis, MN was one of nearly 800 entered in the competition. Always passionate about good food and satisfying the cravings of its guests, Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, celebrating its 60th Diamond Anniversary this year, launched the contest in April and invited consumers to have a seat at the table and submit an original recipe. Entries were judged by Perkins' Food Innovation and Culinary team based on originality, taste, ease of preparation and how well the item would complement and enhance Perkins' menu offerings. Ten finalists, including entries from Florida, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas and Wisconsin were selected and following a weeks-long voting process, Wagner's Monte Cristo Sandwich catapulted ahead as the clear winner. Wagner, a mom, proud grandmother and retiree, is a self-taught cook. She whips up meals based on what she craves and whatever her friends and family request. The Monte Cristo is Deb's own version of a dearly departed friend's favorite sandwich and she suggests that it's best enjoyed, "for lunch or weekend brunch." As the grand prize winner, Ms. Wagner will receive a $1,000 gift card and her Monte Cristo Sandwich will be featured as a limited time offering on a future Perkins' menu. Thomas Yun, Perkins' Vice President of Food Innovation and Culinary, comments, "We are thrilled with the level of participation in our 60th Anniversary recipe contest. As always, it is inspiring to have the opportunity to learn about consumers' taste preferences and preferred flavor profiles. We are particularly excited to recreate Deb Wagner's rendition of a Monte Cristo Sandwich and we congratulate her on having submitted the winning entry." About Perkins Restaurant & Bakery: Since it was founded in 1958 as a single pancake house in Ohio, Perkins today has nearly 400 restaurants in 32 states and Canada. Committed to delivering 100% satisfaction through service excellence and positive dining experiences, the brand embraces a "Kindness Served Daily" philosophy. SOURCE Perkins Restaurant & Bakery WASHINGTON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) today announced the formation of a groundbreaking partnership with InsureZone, Inc., based in Fort Worth, Texas. Through PIA's partnership with InsureZone, PIA members will be able to access over 50 national and specialty carriers plus real-time, online rating for personal and commercial lines. PIA Market Access, available at www.PIAMarketAccess.com, is a wholesale market access program that will help PIA members access personal and commercial lines markets from a number of admitted "A" or better-rated companies. Agents submitting applications through the platform can receive quotes from most of these companies through a technologically advanced comparative rater and lead management system. "As an agent, I know how difficult it can be to obtain appointments with companies while you are initially growing your book of business and to maintain those appointments once you've got them," said PIA National President Timothy Russell, CPCU, of Southport, Connecticut. "PIA Market Access enables agents to gain access to highly sought carriers by utilizing InsureZone's contracts." If agents already have their own carrier appointments but are seeking a comparative rater, the PIA Market Access "Best of Both Worlds" Program gives agents the opportunity to rate c/l and p/l business from their existing carrier contracts and InsureZone contracts within the same platform. "Our goal in this partnership with PIA is to provide technology to improve agents' ease of doing business," says InsureZone CEO John Pergande. "It's been our experience that the average independent agent can benefit substantially from minor improvements in the policy sales and servicing process, and our market leading insurance sales CRM and policy self-service portal, branded as the PIA Market Access Program, gives these agents the leverage they need in order to profitably grow their independent agencies." "PIA has negotiated a special offer for PIA members. Enrolled agents will receive two months free and thereafter an exclusive low monthly rate for the use of InsureZone technology and market access," said Alexi Papandon, PIA National's senior vice president of products and services. "PIA members can also expect to see competitive commission rates, and agents who use their own contracts within the platform as part of the "Best of Both Worlds" Program will receive 100 percent of the commission on those sales." PIA members participating in the PIA Market Access Program will retain ownership of their book of business, and if they should choose to leave the program, there are no exit fees. "PIA members have been asking for a market access program for some time and we are excited to be able to offer a program that will meet many of our members' needs," said PIA National Executive Vice President & CEO Mike Becker. "We are dedicated to helping agents grow their businesses. It's exciting to think that going forward many PIA members will start writing business with the carriers on the PIA Market Access platform and eventually qualify to have their own contracts with those carriers." Through the PIA Market Access Program, PIA members will have access to over 50 national and specialty carriers. For a current list of carriers available in each state, please refer to the Carrier page at www.PIAMarketAccess.com. The PIA Market Access Program is fully staffed with underwriters to answer agents' questions and make the sales process as smooth as possible. The underwriters are well trained and seasoned in underwriting new business and the risks associated with particular rate classes. In addition, the program provides insurance CSRs to make requested policy changes. The standard of service is to begin processing all requests the same business day. PIA Market Access is available to PIA members in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Carrier availability will vary by state. Agents interested in learning more about PIA Market Access should visit www.PIAMarketAccess.com. InsureZone, Inc., is a holding company with a distinct combination of software development and insurance services that is dedicated to implementing the best methods for selling and servicing an insurance policy and is used by over 35,000 agencies around the US. The InsureZone platform allows online submissions and real-time rating for personal, commercial and surplus lines. Visit: www.insurezone.com PIA, founded in 1931, is a national trade association that represents member insurance agents and their employees who sell and service all kinds of insurance, but specialize in coverage of automobiles, homes and businesses. PIA members are Local Agents Serving Main Street America SM. Visit: www.pianet.com This press release is online at: http://www.pianet.com/news/press-releases/2018/piapartnerswithinsurezonetolaunchpiamarketaccessprogram061818 SOURCE National Association of Professional Insurance Agents Related Links http://www.pianet.com/ NEW YORK, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network it's easy and free. Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform EXPERT ALERTS Using Tech Innovation to Increase Doctor Diversity and Tackle the Healthcare Worker Shortage Four Things That Will Get You Fired You Are an Expert MEDIA JOBS Deputy Editor AccountingWeb.com (NY) Energy Editor SmartBrief (DC) DJMG Reporter, Continental Europe Dow Jones ( Madrid, Spain ) OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES A Proud Community: LGBTQ Influencers Who Keep Us Informed Planing Ahead: What to Expect in the Next 12 Months in Sports Blog Profiles: Breakfast Blogs ------------------------------------------------------------------- EXPERT ALERTS Using Tech Innovation to Increase Doctor Diversity and Tackle the Healthcare Worker Shortage Dr. David Lenihan Co-founder Tiber Health Dr. Lenihan is available to discuss how technology innovation can remedy the lack of diversity among American doctors and the shortage of healthcare professionals around the world. He was quoted in TechCrunch last year as saying: "The human body is the same everywhere, yet there is a dramatic shortage of healthcare professionals in the places we need them most. Talent is not restricted to certain geographies, so innovative approaches must be employed to find and educate health professionals around the world." Based in St. Louis, Mo., Dr. Lenihan is the co-founder of Tiber Health and the CEO of Ponce Health Sciences University in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His mission is focused on innovating medical school education using a tech-driven approach; increasing racial diversity among doctors in the U.S.; and solving the global physician shortage. For more on Dr. Lenihan, please see his Contently page (link below), which features multimedia entries about his work, articles in TechCrunch, quotes in U.S. News & World Report, an interview on WCBS radio (NYC), and a TEDx video. Contently: https://drdavidlenihan.contently.com/ Website: www.tiberhealth.com Contact: Rafe Gomez, [email protected] Four Things That Will Get You Fired Dr. ArLyne Diamond President Diamond Associates A workplace consultant, Dr. Diamone is available to discuss activities that will get you fired: "1) Perpetual tardiness: It can immediately tarnish your reputation, regardless of how good you are at your job. This is an awful trait and can definitely limit your career prospects and money-making opportunities. 2) Dressing inappropriately: If you consistently pull a Casual Friday on a Monday in Corporate America, you'll get on HR's radar quickly and for all the wrong reasons. Also, if you dress provocatively, you could lose the respect of some co-workers. 3) Surfing the web and social media at work: Some employers keep records of all the web browsing and email activity of their employees. If you are caught searching highly inappropriate sites during business hours, you can get immediately terminated. This is a tough one to explain to your next potential employer. 4) Being a jerk: Berating or mistreating junior-level employees or fellow co-workers is setting the karmic wheels in motions for your pink slip to be delivered on a silver platter and a chorus of cheers as you are escorted from the building." Dr. Diamond is an internationally recognized leadership, management, professional development, and organizational development consultant specializing in people and processes in the workplace. Dr. Diamond's clients range from boards of directors and upper management to support staff in many industries, both public and private. She is also an author of several books about the workplace. Website: www.diamondassociates.net Contact: Mark Goldman, [email protected] You Are an Expert Russell Brunson Founder, CEO ClickFunnels "Congratulations! You are great at what you do. I know it may be hard to believe, but whatever you are in your life right now, you are an expert. You see, the most valuable thing you have is not the business you run or the stuff you have or the investments you make; it's what you know. That's the greatest investment you've ever made -- the blood, the sweat, the tears, the trial, the error, all the obstacles that you've had to go through to get to where you are right now." EY 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year Brunson started his online business when he was a student and wrestler at Boise State University. His first product was a DVD teaching people how to build a potato launcher. The Utah native became fascinated with online marketing and tried every product and course he could get his hands on before coming up with his own system. With $20 and a simple idea, he sold more than a million dollars of his own products and services within a year of graduating. Brunson's company, DotComSecrets.com, grew rapidly from a small one-man shop in his basement to a major online business with over 60 employees and more than $10 million in annual sales. Today, Brunson teaches tens of thousands of students from all over the world how to start, build and promote their businesses online through his company ClickFunnels. He has been featured on ABC, NBC and FOX news teaching beginners how to start their own online businesses. Brunson and his wife Collette have three young children and live in Boise, Idaho. Online Press Kit: http://clickfunnels.onlinepresskit247.com Website: https://www.clickfunnels.com Contact: Michelle Tennant, [email protected] **************** MEDIA JOBS Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/ Deputy Editor AccountingWeb.com (NY) Energy Editor SmartBrief (DC) DJMG Reporter, Continental Europe Dow Jones ( Madrid, Spain ) ***************** OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected] A PROUD COMMUNITY: LGBTQ INFLUENCERS WHO KEEP US INFORMED. This PRIDE month, we applaud these 10 influencers, who advance the LGBTQ story: https://prn.to/LGBTQinfluencers PLANING AHEAD: WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS IN SPORTS. Preparation is key for any successful sports reporter or editor. Planning allows you to research, outline your story, and look for a unique angle that will separate your content from the competition. Here's what should be on your radar for the next 12 months a month-by-month look at sporting events to cover: https://prn.to/sportingevents BLOG PROFILES: BREAKFAST BLOGS. Each week, we select a topic and handful of blogs that do a great job contributing to the conversation. This week, we look at breakfast blogs: https://prn.to/breakfastblogs **************** PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To contact ProfNet: [email protected] or 800-776-3638, ext. 1 SOURCE ProfNet Related Links http://www.profnet.com MIAMI, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rokk3r Inc. (OTC: ROKK), a provider of value-generating strategies and services using a technology platform enabling us to partner with entrepreneurs, strategists, creatives and engineers to design, build and launch organizations, announced a change in its trading symbol on the OTC Markets to "ROKK" and the CUSIP number to 77544L104, effective as of June 18, 2018. The change follows the recent corporate name change to Rokk3r Inc., from Eight Dragons Company, to reflect new business and branding efforts. The Financial Information Regulatory Association Inc. ("FINRA") confirmed receipt of the necessary documentation regarding the request to change the corporate name and trading symbol and their effectiveness. Led by board members, CEO Nabyl Charania and Head of Exponential German Montoya, along with Rokk3r Fuel ExO General Partner Jeff Ransdell, Rokk3r's new direction aims to leverage experience co-building startups and investing in promising entrepreneurs, with a portfolio spanning more than 40 companies, including AdMobilize and HYP3R. Rokk3r provides a risk-mitigated approach to company building and global expansion. Trading on the public markets provides Rokk3r direct access to the creative economy and enables its ecosystem's wide-scale expansion. Nabyl Charania, Rokk3r Chief Executive Officer stated "This change represents one in a gamut of shifts we have been leading to signal Rokk3r's arrival in the public markets. Our trading symbol is a first impression and first interaction for many. In concert with our global execution and vision, I am excited for what the trading symbol will aim to represent both internally and externally." ABOUT ROKK3R: Headquartered in Miami, FL, and with offices in Bogota and London, the Rokk3r Ecosystem is a hybrid network of human, and machine intelligence systems that enables frictionless, accelerated and comprehensive company building. Rokk3r takes into consideration modern economic theories (abundance), exponential organizations (ExOs) factors, exponential technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and the blockchain, increased global connectivity, and rise of a collective global genius to optimize rates of success in company building, unleashing the next generation of global entrepreneurship by providing access to education, idea validation, team creation and experts to crowd build successful ventures. For Inquiries: [email protected] | 1.888.3 ROKK3R | www.rokk3r.com Contact: Jared Shapiro (917) 553-4542 | [email protected] Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains statements that involve expectations, plans or intentions (such as those relating to future business or financial results) and other factors discussed from time to time in Rokk3r Inc.'s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These statements are forward-looking and are subject to risks and uncertainties, so actual results may vary materially. You can identify these forward-looking statements by words such as "may," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "plan" and other similar expressions. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors not within the control of the company. The company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The company disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. SOURCE Rokk3r Inc. Organized by Omaha-based non-profit Patriotic Productions, the Remembering Our Fallen exhibit is one of 15 state memorials representing 60 percent of U.S. service members killed in combat since 9/11. In addition to photo memorials, Patriotic Productions also heads up a number of other projects, including an annual speaker series presented to high school students that highlights stories of perseverance and a short film series that documents living history through stories told by World War II veterans. Over the last several years, Sandhills Publishing and Patriotic Productions have also collaborated to organize honor flights for World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veteransa project that, since 2008, has chartered almost 3,500 veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the Vietnam Wall and other memorials. Central to every project is Patriotic Productions' mission to honor U.S. military members and their families. "We must remember these American heroes and speak their names when we see their family members. We can never forget those who sacrificed everything for our freedom," said Patriotic Productions' Bill Williams in a statement. "While this memorial is about those who have died, it was created for the living to help families in their grief, while reminding all of us of the terrible price paid for our freedom by our current generation of military." For Sandhills Publishing, ongoing collaborations with Patriotic Productions are part of a larger commitment to honoring military members, veterans, and their loved ones. "The Remembering Our Fallen exhibit tells the stories of veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation," said Sandhills' Chief Administration Officer Nancy Paasch. "They are our family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and heroes, and we are humbled and honored to have the opportunity to support such an important tribute." The Remembering Our Fallen photo memorial is open to the public in the lobby of Sandhills Publishing's Cyber Center, located at 123 West Harvest Drive near the Highlands neighborhood in north Lincoln. About Sandhills Publishing Sandhills Publishing is an information processing company headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our broad range of products and services is aimed at gathering, processing, and distributing information in the form of trade publications and corresponding websites that connect buyers and sellers across the trucking, agriculture, construction, heavy equipment, aviation, and technology industries. Our integrated, industry-specific approach to hosted technologies and services offers solutions that help businesses large and small operate efficiently and grow securely, cost-effectively, and successfully. Sandhills Publishingwe are the cloud. Contact Us: [email protected] (402) 479-2181 SOURCE Sandhills Publishing ODESSA, Texas, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Saulsbury was recently awarded a contract to construct three cryogenic processing plants at Apache's Diamond processing facility, each designed with a capacity of 200 MMSCFD. Saulsbury will be responsible for the construction of the processing facilities to include liquid stabilization, slug catchers, gas treating, gas processing, and residue gas compression. These facilities will feature industry-leading technology that allows for higher recovery of valuable propane, ethane, and heavier liquids which maximizes natural gas liquids production. Work will begin in early June 2018 with the first train expected in the first half of 2019 and the remaining two trains expected to wrap up in the third quarter of 2019. For Saulsbury, this award supports the company's longstanding reputation as the premier oil and gas construction company in the Permian Basin. The company has contracted over 50 cryogenic processing facilities since 2006 and is well known in the industry for its successful project execution and world-class safety performance. Saulsbury has been strategically preparing for this surge in oil and gas activity in the Permian Basin for several years through continued development of its personnel and recently surpassed 5,500 employees, which means they have the capacity to meet the demands of their current and future clients in these ever-changing market conditions. "We are extremely excited to announce that Apache chose Saulsbury for this project," said Bubba Saulsbury, EVP, Corporate Strategy. "As one of the largest acreage holders in the Permian Basin, Apache has established itself as a strategic leader and world-class producer and we are delighted to contribute to their significant growth in the Permian Basin." About Saulsbury Industries Saulsbury Industries is a full-service Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC), and Maintenance contractor that provides engineering, general construction, electrical & instrumentation, and maintenance services to heavy industrial markets nationwide. Headquartered in Odessa, Texas, the company's national office footprint includes, Dallas; Houston; Port Arthur; Henderson; Abilene, TX; Greenville, SC; Baton Rouge, LA; Farmington, NM; and Denver, CO. www.saulsbury.com About Apache Corporation Apache Corporation is an oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, Egypt and the United Kingdom. Apache posts announcements, operational updates, investor information and copies of all press releases on its website, www.apachecorp.com, and on its Media and Investor Center mobile application, which is available for free download from the Apple App Store and the Google Play store. SOURCE Saulsbury Industries Related Links https://www.saulsbury.com Scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center report in Developmental Cell their data clarify the biological role of the gene CHD8 and its protein CHD8 in developing oligodendrocytes, cells that form a protective insulation around nerves. The sheath supports neuronal connections in the brain and manifest themselves in white matter. Although previous studies show disruptive mutations in CHD8 cause autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and abnormalities in the brain's white matter, the underlying biology has been a mystery. The current study, published online June 18, shows that disruption of CHD8 hinders the production and maintenance of nerve insulationharming the brain's neuronal connections and contributing to white matter damage. In laboratory mouse models genetically engineered to not express the CHD8 protein in the oligodendrocytes, the animals exhibited behavioral anomalies and seizures, according to lead study investigator Q. Richard Lu, PhD, Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology. "So far no treatment is available for autism patients with mutations in CHD8, one of the highest risk-susceptibility genes for autism," Lu said. "Current studies are still at a very early stage in terms of therapeutic agents, but our findings present a potential strategy to restore the function of faulty CHD8-dependent processes." Reversing Damage Scientists found the strategy by using a number of experimental procedures with mice, including ChIP-Seq analysis of specific DNA-binding sites in developing oligodendrocytes, which helped them unravel biological processes. Their data showed that CHD8 loss or mutation reduces the function of what is known as a histone methyltransferase, which helps activate target genes needed for oligodendrocyte development. They then figured out that using an experimental compound (CPI-455), which inhibits a different molecule linked to CHD8 called histone demethylase, rescued the development of oligodendrocytes. This reversed white matter defects in CHD8-mutant mice and reduced neurological problems in the animals. Lu said the findings suggest that modulating the activity of CHD8 and the molecules that control it has the potential to enhance the generation of neuronal insulation in people with ASDs. He also stressed it will be years before knowing if the research will translate to clinical care in patients. Additional studies are needed to verify the current study's findings, identify a suitable drug, and test its safety and effectiveness in laboratory models. Unlocking the Code CHD8 functions in the cell nucleus. It essentially unlocks the double-helix structure in the nucleus that contains DNA and RNA coding molecules. This allows changes to the helix's genetic and molecular composition that support the development of oligodendrocytes and nerve insulation by regulating levels of encoded gene products. When mutations or loss of CHD8 occur, it results in harmful remodeling of molecular components in the helix (referred to as chromatin). Funding support for the research came in part from: National Institutes of Health (R01NS072427, R01NS075243); the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (RG1508, NMSS RG-1501-02851); the CHARGE syndrome Foundation; the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81720108018); and the Fondation pour l'Aide a la Recherche sur la Sclerose en Plaques (ARSEP, 2014, 2015, 2017). The study included collaboration from co-authors at the Key Laboratory of Birth Defects, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Sorbonne Universite, UPMC University Paris and Inserm GH Pitie-Salpetriere, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epiniere, Paris, France; and the departments of Pediatrics and Human Genetics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. SOURCE Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Related Links http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org BOSTON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SHIFT Communications, an integrated communications firm, is proud to announce that it received 8 awards at the 50th Annual Bell Ringer Awards Gala at the State Room in Boston on June 13th. Sponsored by The Publicity Club of New England, the region's venerable networking and education organization for public relations and communications professionals, the Bell Ringer Awards honor superior work completed by PR and communications professionals across New England. The Publicity Club of New England recognizes SHIFT for excellence in client campaigns. Amongst the awards received, SHIFT earned a Gold Bell for a successful regional feature placement for Digital Reasoning which helped fuel the national fight against child trafficking. The firm also won a Gold Bell for its cause marketing campaign on behalf of EverQuote, which aimed to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving. The EverQuote campaign was also a finalist for a Super Bell award, which honors the best-of-the-best campaigns in our region. "We are thrilled to be recognized yet again by the Publicity Club of New England alongside our peers," said Amy Lyons, Managing Partner, SHIFT Communications. "We are proud of our teams and congratulate them on the validation of their hard work. Thank you to our clients for continuing to allow us to take bold approaches to your integrated communications strategies." SHIFT's 8 Bell Ringer Awards include: Gold Bell Cause Marketing for "The Road to End Distracted Driving" for EverQuote Gold Bell Regional or Local Publication Placement for Local Publication, "Big Story: How Digital Reasoning Used Local Media to Fuel the National Fight Against Child Trafficking" for Digital Reasoning Silver Bell B-to-B Publicity Campaign for "Sparking Consumer Debates to Drive Business Opportunities" for Limelight Bronze Bell National Publication Placement for "Upping the Ante: USA Today Crowns Foxwoods Resort Casino a Winner" for Foxwoods Today Crowns Foxwoods Resort Casino a Winner" for Foxwoods Bronze Bell Bylined Article for "Influencing Business in a Politically-Charged Climate" for Benefitfocus Merit Bell On a Shoestring Campaign for "Data-Driven Pitching Reigns Supreme: Putting Blink Home Security on the Map" for Blink Merit Bell Consumer Launch Campaign for "Char-Broil Takes the Lead with SmartChef" for Char-Broil Additionally, SHIFT Account Director, Julie Staadecker, was honored with the 2018 Ringer Award, given to New England's Mid-Level Practitioner of the Year. Staadecker joined SHIFT six years ago to help launch and expand the firm's consumer practice. Staadecker currently manages a multi-million-dollar revenue portfolio with a roster of strategic consumer brands such as Foxwoods Resort Casino, Hood, McDonald's and Simon Premium Outlets. "Julie Staadecker represents the epitome of reliability and professionalism. Her unwavering dedication to the Foxwoods Resort Casino account and her use of a properly-orchestrated team approach continues to produce significant, quantifiable results that positively affect our brand awareness and image. Julie's ability to produce successful, high-level PR campaigns for a resort of our size and scope is a tribute to her management skills, proficiency and knowledge of her craft." Adam Jalbert, Public Relations Manager, Foxwoods Resort Casino About SHIFT Communications SHIFT Communications is an award-winning integrated communications firm that represents some of the best-known enterprise and consumer brands, including Citrix, Demandbase, McDonald's, The Rockport Group, Red Hat, and RSA Conference. SHIFT Communications' 120+ employees are located in the Boston, San Francisco, New York and Austin metros. Established in 2003, SHIFT is an AVENIR GLOBAL company. For more information on SHIFT's data-driven approach to marketing and public relations visit http://www.shiftcomm.com/. About AVENIR GLOBAL AVENIR GLOBAL is a Montreal-based holding and management company with an active operations mindset and a hands-on approach to all its investments. With 550 staff and 17 offices in Canada, the U.S. and in Europe, it is considered one of the 25 most important public relations firms in the world. In Canada, AVENIR GLOBAL owns NATIONAL Public Relations, the country's leading public relations firm, servicing clients across a wide range of sectors, with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Saint John, Halifax and St. John's, and NATIONAL Equicom, the industry's foremost investor relations and financial services practice with offices in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary. The AVENIR GLOBAL network also includes healthcare specialists AXON Communications, with offices in New York, Toronto, London, Copenhagen and Zug (Switzerland); Madano, a strategic communications consultancy based in London; and SHIFT Communications, an integrated communications firm with offices in Boston, San Francisco, New York and Austin. CONTACT: Emily Mong, Senior Marketing Analyst, SHIFT Communications, phone: 617.779.1808, email: [email protected] SOURCE SHIFT Communications Related Links http://www.shiftcomm.com TORONTO, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Sierra Metals Inc. (TSX: SMT) (BVL: SMT) (NYSE AMERICAN: SMTS) ("Sierra Metals" or "the Company") is pleased to report the results of a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") regarding the Company's Cusi Mine, located in Chihuahua State, Mexico. The PEA is based on technical inputs from various independent consulting groups, including; SRK, Redco, Anddes, Kappes Cassiday and Flopac. Based on the technical work from the various independent consultants, the PEA was compiled under National Instrument 43-101 standards by Mining Plus Peru SAC. The full technical report will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this news release. Highlights of the PEA include: After-tax Net Present Value (NPV): US$92.2Million at an 8% discount rate at an 8% discount rate After-tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR): 75% After-tax Payback Period: 4.6 years Life of Mine Capital Cost: US$104.5 Million Net After-tax Cash Flow: US$150.6 Million Total Operating Unit Cost: US$41.36 /tonne /tonne Plant Processing Rate: Currently 650 tonnes per day (TPD) growing to 1,200 TPD by Q1 2019 and 2,700 TPD by mid-2021. Average Silver Recovery Rate 87% Mine Life : 9 years based on existing Mineral Resource Estimate : 9 years based on existing Mineral Resource Estimate Life of Mine Silver Production: 30 Million Ounces Igor Gonzales, President and CEO of Sierra Metals commented: "The Company is very encouraged by the results of this PEA as they support the plan to profitably develop and grow the Cusi Mine in sustainable and staged steps from 650 TPD currently, to 1,200 TPD by Q1 2019, and further, to 2,700 TPD in 2021 based on consensus metal pricing. Cusi will move to declare Mineral Reserves at the Mine, and this PEA represents the first step in that process. The Company is incorporating an aggressive Capex program into the PEA of US$11.5 million over the life of the mine, which includes exploration drilling to increase the mineral resources at Cusi as well as convert the existing resources to reserves. Additionally, the PEA reflects an aggressive development program designed to open a mineable reserve at depth and on strike. The Opex reflects yearly production development, definition drilling programs, and other operational costs. The current study focuses on the current Mineral Resource reported in the 43-101 Technical Report filed on February 12, 2018 and does not include any drilling completed after August 31, 2017. The Company is continuing with its successful brownfield exploration programs and expects to continue to grow the mineral resources at the Cusi Mine this year. We believe that this expansion not only provides additional value to the company, as the PEA quantifies, but could also leverage the value of future resource additions. New silver ounce discoveries would be incorporated into production plans earlier than if the Company maintained current capacity levels." He concluded, "We are continuing with our strategy to increase shareholder value and grow the reserve and resource base at the Company. We successfully completed brownfield exploration programs at all three mines and increased the mineral reserves and resources during the past two years. Additionally, we implemented a successful operational improvement program in Peru and have completed an effective turn-around program in Mexico, and we have already seen returns on this well-spent capital. Building upon these successes, we are working to complete, in addition to the Cusi PEA, scoping studies at both the Yauricocha and Bolvar Mines, which will maximize value and profitability through the implementation of automation and possible throughput increases which will further drive growth and benefit all shareholders in the future." Mineral Resource Estimate The Property is in the Cusihuarachi District of Chihuahua State, Mexico, approximately 135 km southwest of Chihuahua City. Epithermal mineralization has been mined in the area since its discovery in the early 1800's. Mineralization is bound between regionally significant northwest trending faults; Eight mineralized zones are recognized at the property, mineralized zones are up to 10 meters across and include; silicified faults, veins, and breccias. Seven epithermal veins are recognized at the property, veins typically range between 0.5 and 2.0 meters wide, dip steeply, extend 100 to 200 meters along strike, and extend up to 400 meters depth. Vein orientations range between northeast and northwest. This PEA considers depleted measured, indicated and inferred resources reported on February 12, 2018, by SRK and effective as of August 31st, 2017. These resources are not demonstrated to be economically viable. The results of this PEA are indicative of conceptual potential and are not definitive. Table 1-1: Summary of resource reported by SRK, February 12, 2018 (Effective August 31, 2017) Class Area AgEq (g/t) Ag (g/t) Au (g/t) Pb (%) Zn (%) Tonnes (000's) Measured SRL 268 225 0.13 0.55 0.68 362 Measured 268 225 0.13 0.55 0.68 362 Indicated Promontorio 241 213 0.08 0.37 0.44 1097 Indicated Eduwiges 293 198 0.26 1.35 1.32 928 Indicated SRL 296 242 0.32 0.62 0.64 1435 Indicated San Nicolas 195 176 0.13 0.21 0.22 414 Indicated San Juan 208 189 0.13 0.2 0.21 121 Indicated Minerva 222 198 0.4 0.09 0.05 57 Indicated Candelaria 386 366 0.14 0.17 0.28 46 Indicated Durana 224 219 0.06 0.05 0.02 97 Indicated 267 217 0.21 0.64 0.66 4195 Inferred Promontorio 218 185 0.1 0.35 0.62 308 Inferred Eduwiges 229 115 0.09 1.78 1.79 147 Inferred SRL 216 158 0.22 0.55 1.04 658 Inferred San Nicolas 181 161 0.14 0.21 0.23 340 Inferred San Juan 200 186 0.04 0.15 0.27 44 Inferred Minerva 149 143 0.05 0.08 0.06 5 Inferred Candelaria 185 125 0.16 0.62 1.17 128 Inferred Durana 124 115 0.01 0.17 0.09 3 Inferred 207 158 0.16 0.54 0.84 1633 (1) Mineral resources are reported inclusive of ore reserves. Mineral resources are not ore reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. All gures rounded to reect the relative accuracy of the estimates. Gold, silver, lead and zinc assays were capped where appropriate. (2) Mineral resources are reported at a single cut-off grade of 105 g/t AgEq based on metal price assumptions*, metallurgical recovery assumptions, mining costs (US$29.41/t), processing costs (US$18.3/t), and general and administrative costs (US$3.74/t). * Metal price assumptions considered for the calculation of the cut-off grade and equivalency are: Silver (Ag): US$/oz 18.30, Lead (US$/LB 0.93), Zinc (US$/lb. 1.15) and Gold (US$/oz 1,283.00). The resources were estimated by SRK. Giovanny Ortiz, B.Sc., PGeo, FAusIMM #304612 of SRK, a Qualified Person, performed the resource calculations for the Cusi Mine. ** Based on the historical production information of Cusi, the metallurgical recovery assumptions are: 84% Ag, 57% Au, 86% Pb, 51% Zn. Note: Mining has continued since the publication of this resource and resources have not been subsequently depleted. Sierra Metals commissioned various specialist groups (Table 1-2) to evaluate how, on a conceptual level, mining, mineral processing, and tailings management could be adapted at the property to achieve a sustainable and staged increase in mine production and mill throughput from 650 TPD, to 1,200 TPD by Q1 2019, and 2,700 TPD by mid-2021. Table 1-2: Groups involved in development for conceptual plan considered in the PEA Group Concept Report SRK Consulting (U.S), Inc. Resource Estimation SRK, 2017 Redco Mining Consultants Increase mine output to 2,700 TPS Redco, 2018 Sierra Metals (SM) Increase Mal Paso Plant Capacity to 1,200 TPD Sierra, 2018 Ingenieria Carillo (IC) Engineering associated with increased Mal Paso plant capacity Kappes Cassiday and Associates (KCA) Preliminary design of 1,500 TPD plant at Cusihuariachi KCA, 2018 Anddes Consulting (AC) Expansion of tailings storage capacity Anddes, 2018 Flopac Tailings Storage up to Q1-2020 Flopac Mining Methodology To determine how mine output could be increased, Sierra Metals commissioned Redco Mining Consultants ("Redco') to undertake a scoping study, considering; existing development and infrastructure, geotechnical characteristics, geological controls and mineralization style. The study (Redco, 2018) determined that mechanized bench and fill mining could be used to achieve sustainable production of 2,700 TPD. Improved productivity would be associated with improved safety as the requirement for man time spent in stopes is significantly reduced. Head-grades are expected to reduce from the current 201 g/t Ag to 161 g/t Ag @ 1,200 TPD and 145 g/t Ag @ (2,700 TPD). Redco estimates that a US$104.5 million capital investment throughout the life of mine is required to mechanize the Cusi Mine and achieve a 2,700 TPD production rate. As part of their scoping study, Redco considered plans for ventilation and dewatering on a very general scale. Sierra Metals recognize that further and more detailed ventilation and dewatering plans are required to support the overall conceptual mine design. Mineral Processing The Mal Paso Plant, located 44 kilometers from the Cusi Mine, uses a conventional crushing-milling-flotation circuit to recover mineral and to produce commercial quality Lead/Silver and Zinc concentrates. Mineral is delivered from the mine to the plant in 20-tonne trucks. Mineral processing and the recovery of the mineral is demonstrated, and silver recoveries are established at 87%. The Mal Paso Plant increased throughput from 450 TPD at the beginning of 2018 to 650 TPD currently. In line with proposed increases in mine output, the processing capacity at Mal Paso will increase to 1,200 TPD in 2019, and a new plant with a capacity of 1,500 TPD is proposed at Cusihuariachi, to come online mid-2021 which would bring total capacity to 2,700 TPD. The Company undertook an internal review to determine how the Mal Paso plant could be adjusted to increase throughput to 1,200 TPD. This study identified bottlenecks in the existing plant, how to overcome these bottlenecks, and how to achieve the desired throughput at Mal Paso. Sierra Metals have begun to purchase the pieces of equipment and project that the remaining pieces of equipment will be purchased and installed before Q1 2019. An independent processing plant of 1,500 TPD, operating complementarily to Mal Paso which currently runs at 650 TPD with planned growth to 1,200 TPD by Q1 2019, will be required to process 2,700 TPD. Sierra Metals commissioned Kappes Cassiday and Associates (KCA) to produce a conceptual design for a modular plant to process 1,500 TPD at Cusihuariachi from mid-2021. The modular plant is designed to be easily scalable in 1,500 TPD increments. The proposed plant at Cusihuariachi is significantly closer to the Cusi Mine than the Mal Paso Plant, KCA estimate that this would translate to an operational saving of US$4/tonne. A further saving of US$1/tonne, related to mineral processing, is envisaged by KCA. This combined US$5/tonne operational saving, the equivalent of US$2.7 million/year. (i.e. 1,500 TPD x 360 days x US$5/tonne) would be offset against projected Capital requirements of US$30 million. Tailings Capacity Tailings produced at Mal Paso are currently stored in two conventional tailings storage facilities. As of February 2018, planned and permitted raises to existing tailings facilities would provide 520,000 cubic meters of storage capacity, the equivalent of one year and seven months storage at a production rate of 1,200 TPD. Sierra Metals recognize that increasing tailings storage capacity is critical to achieving and sustaining increased rates of production. At the new Cusihuriachi site, Anddes Consulting (AC) has evaluated the merits of nine new potential tailings storage facilities as identified by Sierra Metals. Also, at the Mal Paso site, a further four sites were reviewed and based on preliminary work these sites are undergoing more detailed evaluation ahead of final selection and detailed engineering. The four sites at Mal Paso offer varying storage capacities between 600,000 cubic meters and 2.5 million cubic meters. The proposed plant at Cusihuariachi would require the development of a new tailings facility separate from those used at Mal Paso. A potential site for a dry-stack (>75% solids) tailings storage facility has been identified and is undergoing preliminary investigations. Conceptually, the identified site would provide storage for 5.4 million tonnes of tailings, the equivalent of 11 years capacity operating at 1,500 TPD. Economic Analysis The PEA calculates a Base Case after-tax NPV of US$92.2 million, with an after-tax IRR of 75% using a discount rate of 8%. The total life of mine capital cost of the project is estimated to total US$104.5 million. The payback period for the Life of Mine (LoM) capital is estimated at 4.6 years. Operating costs of the life of mine total US$259.3 million, equating to an operating cost of US$41.36 per tonne milled. PEA Highlights Base case of $1,283/oz Gold, $18.30/oz Silver, $0.93/lb. Lead, $1.15/lb. Zinc Unit Value Net Present Value (After Tax 8% Discount Rate) US$ M 92.2 Internal Rate of Return IRR 75% Mill Feed Tonnes (Mt) 6.27 Peak Mining Production Rate t/year 972,000 LOM Project Operating Period Years 9 Total Life of Mine (LoM) Capital Costs US$ M 104.5 Net After Tax Cashflow US$ M 150.6 Total Operating Unit Costs US$/t 41.36 LOM Gold Production (Payable) Oz 19,706 LOM Silver Production (Payable) MOz 30 LOM Lead Production (Payable) t 28,256 LOM Zinc Production (Payable) t 19,160 Quality Control All technical data contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by: Gordon Babcock, P.Eng., Chief Operating Officer and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Americo Zuzunaga, MAusIMM CP (Mining Engineer) and Vice President of Corporate Planning is a Qualified Person and chartered professional qualifying as a Competent Person under the Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. Augusto Chung, FAusIMM CP (Metallurgist) and Consultant to Sierra Metals is a Qualified Person and chartered professional qualifying as a Competent Person on metallurgical processes. About Sierra Metals Sierra Metals Inc. is Canadian based growing polymetallic mining company with production from its Yauricocha Mine in Peru, and its Bolivar and Cusi Mines in Mexico. The Company is focused on increasing production volume and growing mineral resources. Sierra Metals has recently had several new key discoveries and still has many more exciting brownfield exploration opportunities at all three Mines in Peru and Mexico that are within close proximity to the existing mines. Additionally, the Company also has large land packages at all three mines with several prospective regional targets providing longer-term exploration upside and mineral resource growth potential. The Company's Common Shares trade on the Bolsa de Valores de Lima and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "SMT" and on the NYSE American Exchange under the symbol "SMTS." Continue to Follow, Like and Watch our progress: Web: www.sierrametals.com | Twitter: sierrametals | Facebook: SierraMetalsInc | LinkedIn: Sierra Metals Inc Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian and U.S. securities laws related to the Company (collectively, "forward-looking information"). Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's operations, including the anticipated developments in the Company's operations in future periods, the Company's planned exploration activities, the adequacy of the Company's financial resources, and other events or conditions that may occur in the future. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be considered to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent that they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered if and when the properties are developed or further developed. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", "potential" or variations thereof, or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the mining industry including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected geological formations, floods, labour disruptions, explosions, cave-ins, weather conditions and criminal activity; commodity price fluctuations; higher operating and/or capital costs; lack of available infrastructure; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks associated with the estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits and the inability to replace reserves; fluctuations in the price of commodities used in the Company's operations; risks related to foreign operations; changes in laws or policies, foreign taxation, delays or the inability to obtain necessary governmental permits; risks relating to outstanding borrowings; issues regarding title to the Company's properties; risks related to environmental regulation; litigation risks; risks related to uninsured hazards; the impact of competition; volatility in the price of the Company's securities; global financial risks; inability to attract or retain qualified employees; potential conflicts of interest; risks related to a controlling group of shareholders; dependence on third parties; differences in U.S. and Canadian reporting of mineral reserves and resources; potential dilutive transactions; foreign currency risks; risks related to business cycles; liquidity risks; reliance on internal control systems; credit risks, including risks related to the Company's compliance with covenants with respect to its BCP Facility; uncertainty of production and cost estimates for the Yauricocha Mine, the Bolivar Mine and the Cusi Mine; and other risks identified in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which filings are available at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, respectively. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and the Company's actual achievements or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking information due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors. The Company's statements containing forward-looking information are based on the beliefs, expectations, and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, one should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Note Regarding Reserve and Resource Estimates All reserve and resource estimates reported by the Company are calculated in accordance with the Canadian National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Classification system. These standards differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC. The differences between these standards are discussed in our SEC filings. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. SOURCE Sierra Metals Inc. Related Links www.sierrametals.com NEWARK, N.J. and NEW HOPE, Pa., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Solbright Group, Inc. (OTCQB: SBRT), a multi-faceted energy services and technology company and M2M Spectrum Networks, LLC dba Iota, a company that provides comprehensive Internet of Things (IoT) communication solutions, today announced an agreement in which the two companies will work together to offer a comprehensive, next-generation Smart Facilities line of products and services called SF Net. Leveraging expertise and resources from both companies, SF Net combines a network and suite of solutions that will provide corporate and campus facility managers with a one-stop, turnkey-installed, facility-wide, carrier-grade network and applications platform with an extensive set of ready-to-implement applications. Pricing will start as low as 2 cents per square foot per month and will be maintained and monitored by Iota 24/7. Iota, with offices in New Hope, PA and Phoenix, AZ, provides comprehensive solutions for creating, connecting and managing communications for IoT. They created the first dedicated, national, carrier-grade wireless network system which standardizes and simplifies IoT network access for end-customers. Iota's network system connects standard Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and WiFi-based beacons and sensors to its Cloud Platform data store, from which any end-user application can access location, tracking, or sensor-based data for inclusion into end-user management systems. As part of their continuing rollout of nationwide wireless coverage, which will be a big benefit to SF Net, Iota also announced the region-wide rollout of its network system to fully cover Newark, NJ, Phoenix, AZ and Las Vegas, NV. Solbright, with offices in Newark, NJ and Charleston, SC, leverages their proprietary BrightAI IoT platform with energy efficiency services, such as automated Evaluation, Measurement and Verification (EM&V) LED lighting, solar PV, and predictive maintenance in order to increase efficiency and reduce cost. BrightAI is a converged IoT-based management platform that can monitor indoor air quality or mechanical sensors, meters, or building automation and control devices in a facility. It features energy management and predictive maintenance applications by way of a cloud control dashboard. BrightAI is ideal for many facility IoT applications including monitoring and alerting, demand response, demand control ventilation and predictive analytics. Together, the synergies of both companies provide the technological backbone for SF Net as the mobile-enabled end-user applications will include: Energy analytics and demand response Facility-wide micro-tracking of individual items or important assets down to 1 meter resolution Evaluation, Measurement and Verification (EM&V) Photo imaging capability for visual monitoring and control Predictive analytics, maintenance and early-warning fault notification for operating machinery Proximity-based alerting and response Remote temperature, humidity, light and air quality monitoring and control The Solbright-Iota team plans to launch SF Net with current Solbright partner, the Ying Wu College of Computing at New Jersey Institute of Technology as well as current Iota customer Arizona Christian University. Today's announcement is part of an ongoing business building approach by Solbright to create strategic partnerships and alliances with like-minded growth companies that complement their products and services in an effort to increase sales and grow their brand. About Solbright Group, Inc.: Solbright Group, Inc. is an industrial automation and energy management company providing Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) solutions that help commercial and industrial facilities increase efficiency and reduce cost. We deliver technology solutions for building and machine automation and energy conservation that complement our energy conservation services such as LED lighting retrofits, HVAC system retrofits and solar engineering, procurement and construction services. Our focus is towards the development and commercialization of an Internet of Things software platform that supports Big Data applications that complement our energy management services. More information is available at www.solbrightgroup.com About M2M Spectrum Networks, LLC dba Iota M2M Spectrum Networks, LLC dba Iota is operating the first licensed, nationwide wireless network dedicated to the rapidly emerging Machine-to-Machine industry. The company is developing a wide-area, ubiquitous coverage, data radio system based on licensed spectrum and proprietary technology; purpose-built and dedicated solely to M2M applications for the long-term. M2M Spectrum Networks has locations in Phoenix, Arizona, New Hope, Pennsylvania, and Jacksonville, Florida. To learn more Iota, visit their Website at https://www.iotacommunications.com. About the Ying Wu College of Computing at NJIT As the only college of its kind in New Jersey, the Ying Wu College of Computing (YWCC) builds on decades of dedicated computing education and research. YWCC is the largest computing program in the New York City region and graduates approximately 750 computing professionals each year, yet our classes remain small, averaging about 30 students. Our faculty are engaged in cutting-edge research in areas ranging from networking and computer security to big data analytics, to bioinformatics, gaming and virtual reality. Our students have access to mobile devices, high-end workstations, game development software, robots, and networking equipment both wired and wireless. Our students are groomed for a wide range of employment options, and most will end up working at the best companies, often before graduation. New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a leading public technological research university, focusing on the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, as well as architecture, design, and management. SOURCE Solbright Group, Inc. Related Links http://www.solbrightgroup.com DRAPER, Utah, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- StorageCraft, whose mission is to protect all data and ensure its constant availability, today announced new certified integrations with ConnectWise, a software company that connects technology teams to the solutions, services and resources necessary for success. StorageCraft PSA Integration and RMM plug-in are available immediately via the StorageCraft partner portal and Automate Solution Center respectively. MSPs will experience improved speed, scale and efficiency from the ConnectWise platform as they manage and run their data protection businesses using StorageCraft solutions. StorageCraft for ConnectWise Manage (PSA) Integration saves MSPs time and money. StorageCraft partners can sync StorageCraft licenses and cloud usage to their PSA accounts for automated billing. The PSA Integration maps the number of StorageCraft MSP licenses and Cloud storage usage to PSA customer accounts and agreements. It allows MSPs to push changes either on-demand or on a schedule from StorageCraft to their ConnectWise Manage system. It also generates a summary mapping report to detail which StorageCraft accounts have been mapped. StorageCraft Plug-in for ConnectWise Automate (RMM) increases operational efficiencies. Partners can manage and monitor all their data protection from within the ConnectWise Automate Control Center. The RMM plug-in allows MSPs to remotely install/uninstall, license and update the SPX backup agent on any machine. Backups can be easily configured remotely and on the fly. Status, errors and warnings are also remotely monitored all from inside the Automate Control Center. Supporting Quotes Douglas Brockett, President, StorageCraft "We have more than a thousand partners using StorageCraft PSA Integration and RMM ConnectWise plug-ins. It was very clear that this community expected more from StorageCraft in terms of the frequency and sophistication of updated plug-ins. Judging by the response from our Beta program, the community agrees that we have delivered. We have made significant investments in ensuring our partners experience the best possible integration with the ConnectWise platform. We will continue to invest and innovate with regular updates to our existing solutions as well as new product offerings." Jason Magee, COO, ConnectWise "StorageCraft has been a long-term DRaaS partner with ConnectWise. With these updates, our partners can now deploy, configure, manage and monitor the latest StorageCraft solutions with the Automate plug-in, while new automation features in the Manage integration give partners the speed and efficiency needed to scale their business unhindered by operational processes." Kenneth Varrone, CTO, Network Solutions & Technology "Participating in the StorageCraft beta program has been extremely rewarding. The responsiveness of the StorageCraft development team was excellent, and the results speak for themselves. The Automate plug-in to StorageCraft is radically improved. For example, the speed, ease and efficiency that we can now deploy, monitor and maintain our backups is exceptional. This means we can redirect considerable resources away from back-end issues into customer engagement that adds value, revenue and margin." About StorageCraft The StorageCraft family of companies, founded in 2003, provides award-winning backup, disaster recovery, system migration and data protection solutions for servers, desktops, laptops and SaaS applications in addition to powerful data analytics. StorageCraft provides business continuity and data management market services through software products that reduce downtime, improve security and stability for systems and data, and lower the total cost of ownership. For more information, visit www.storagecraft.com. StorageCraft and ShadowProtect are trademarks of StorageCraft Technology Corp. Other company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. 2018 StorageCraft Technology Corp. All rights reserved. Contact Information: Jock Breitwieser StorageCraft Technology Corp. +1 408.800.5625 [email protected] SOURCE StorageCraft Related Links http://www.storagecraft.com LONDON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sofidel reduces direct emissions of CO 2 into the atmosphere by 20.6% As the world turns its awareness to the protection of the environment, Sofidel, an industry leader and the 2nd largest company in tissue category in Europe, prioritises sustainability as a fundamental constituent in its value creation process. With more than 50 years of growth in the tissue category specifically in the UK with the Regina brand, Sofidel continues to have a positive impact on the environment through development and innovation for its hygienic and domestic tissue products. As of today, Sofidel has reduced direct emissions of CO 2 into the atmosphere by 20.6% by investing in energy efficiency including the use of cogeneration plants and renewable energy sources and sourcing pulp certified by independent third parties with forest certification schemes (FSC, FSC Controlled Wood, SFI, PEFC) which has reached a level of 100%. Sofidel operates to safeguard water resources, limiting consumption inside their production processes - an essential feature of their environmental sustainability strategy. The average amount of water now used in the production of tissue paper is distinctly lower than the industry benchmark (7.1 l/kg vs. 15-25 l/kg). The objective is to create products which contain lower levels of natural capital to have an ever-more reduced environmental impact and at the same time create products with an increasingly high level of efficiency. The Intertissue mill in Baglan, Wales, where a system for recovering rainwater has been activated, employs an area of 82,000 m[2] and allows a reduction in water consumption of more than 47,000 m[3] per year. Sofidel continues to achieve reduced water use through the philosophy of "Less is more", an orientation which characterises all of the Group's activity, and which translates into three fundamental precepts: Keep environmental impact to a minimum on all levels, from sourcing, to production, to logistics, to office life Reduce waste Promote responsible consumption Innovation as a strategic leverage Through innovation in production processes including an automated finished product warehouse, a frontier in innovation for Sofidel in Kisa, Sweden, the Group uses less amounts of natural resources to allow it to meet the growing demand for efficiency, functionality and sustainability from clients, consumers and society, contributing to "building an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future for people and planet", in accordance with the definition by the UN of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More generally, within the sphere of its activities, Sofidel follows a policy of responsible development, which is founded on five key points: Process/product innovation oriented towards economic, social and environmental sustainability Involvement and transparency in relations with business stakeholders (managers, employees, consumers and voluntary associations) Respect and appreciation of people both within and external to the company Protection of the consumer Attention to local communities In its business activity Sofidel believes that companies have the responsibility of playing a fundamental role not only in terms of the production and distribution of goods and services, but also in the guaranteeing of long-term social and environmental advantages for stakeholders at all stages of the value chain. WWF Climate Savers Sofidel has been the first tissue paper organisation in the world[1] to join the WWF Climate Savers project, the WWF international initiative dedicated to companies that prioritise the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by developing innovative strategies and technologies. The programme seeks to transform businesses into leaders of the low-carbon economy. Together with WWF Climate Savers, Sofidel, in its efforts to address climate and energy, is defining and broadening new reduction objectives in line with the company's growth since the partnership began. Currently, WWF collaborates with 28 global companies worldwide through the Climate Savers programme and the intention of the programme is to inspire a change in thinking about climate solutions in companies and as agents of change within their sphere of influence. This leaves member companies better placed to avoid carbon-related risks while realising opportunities within their long-term business strategies. The Sofidel Group The Sofidel Group, a privately held company owned by the Stefani and Lazzareschi families, is a world leader in the manufacture of paper for hygienic and domestic use. Founded in 1966, the Group has subsidiaries in 13 countries - Italy, Spain, the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Turkey and the USA - with more than 5,500 employees. With a consolidated turnover of 1,809 million Euros (2015), Sofidel is the second ranking group in Europe in terms of production capacity in the tissue sector (1,058,000 tonnes per annum - 2015). "Regina", its most well-known brand, is present on almost all the markets. Other brands include: Softis, Le Trefle, Sopalin, Nouvelle, Thirst Pockets, KittenSoft, Nalys, Cosynel, Yumy, Soft & Easy, Volare, Onda, Lycke, Nicky, Papernet, Heavenly Soft. A member of UN Global Compact and the international WWF Climate Savers programme, the Sofidel Group considers sustainability a strategic factor with regards to growth and is committed to promoting a sustainable development. References 1. Tissue paper for hygiene and household purposes SOURCE Sofidel SINGAPORE, June 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Tapad, the company reinventing personalization for the modern marketer, today announced the appointment of Abhay Doshi as the company's head of Tapad Asia Pacific (APAC). Doshi will lead Tapad's expansion in the region from the company's offices in Singapore. With 15 years of experience in product management and marketing for the telecom, analytics and marketing industries, Doshi will be responsible for driving Tapad's continued growth in the region. The company continues to see increased demand from global, as well as local, brands and clients, many of which have a strong market presence throughout the region. He will report to Sigvart Voss Eriksen. "We are thrilled to have Abhay Doshi join the Tapad team in Singapore," said Sigvart Voss Eriksen, CEO of Tapad. "With his extensive experience in the telecom, martech, and adtech sectors, Abhay offers great value to Tapad's APAC division. As we continue to expand our roster of world-class data partners, Abhay will be critical in ensuring that we meet the needs of our customers in the region." Prior to joining Tapad, Doshi was Vice President/Head of Applied Analytics at Tapad's parent company, Telenor Group, where he was responsible for deriving incremental business value through the application of advanced analytics to solve real life business challenges. He has worked in six different countries across four continents, including spearheading analytics, product management, marketing, and business development initiatives for Telenor, Flytxt, Huawei, and Reliance. Doshi holds a Masters in Computer Engineering from Florida International University. "Tapad has been at the forefront of solving the modern marketer's need to be more data-driven" said Doshi. "I am excited to be a part of the company's latest initiatives to push these boundaries in supporting modern marketers, and look forward to developing the APAC business even further." Tapad recently introduced the Tapad Customer Data Platform (CDP), a platform purpose-built to help marketers better connect and engage with new and existing customers. Initially available to global telco customers, the Tapad CDP offers telco marketers a highly personalized and privacy-safe platform to easily convert first and third-party data into actionable, results-driven campaigns. Recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in 2016 by Deloitte Technology Fast 500, Crain's NY Fast 50, Inc. 5000, and TMCnet's 2017 Tech Culture Award, Tapad continues to add exceptional talent to its roster across APAC, EMEA, and the U.S. For open job opportunities, visit the Tapad career page here: www.tapad.com/careers. About Tapad Tapad Inc. is the marketing technology company reinventing personalization for the modern marketer through its identity-driven solutions. The company's signature Tapad Graph connects millions of consumers across billions of devices. The world's largest brands and most effective marketers entrust Tapad to provide an accurate, privacy-conscious and unified approach to connecting with consumers across screens. In 2018, Tapad introduced its Tapad Customer Data Platform (CDP), purpose-built to offer marketers a highly personalized and privacy-safe platform to convert first and third-party data into actionable, results-driven campaigns. Tapad is based in New York and has offices in Chicago, London, Oslo, Singapore and Tokyo. Tapad's numerous awards include: Forbes' Most Promising Companies, Deloitte's Technology Fast 500, Crain's Fast 50, TMCnet Tech Culture Award and Global Startup Award's "Startup Founder of the Year." Tapad was acquired by the Telenor Group in 2016. Telenor Group is one of the world's largest mobile operators with more than 170 million subscribers across Scandinavia and Asia. Media Contact: Natalie Vegel Director of PR, Tapad [email protected] SOURCE Tapad Related Links http://www.tapad.com NEW YORK, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Financial Services Cares Gala (FSCG) will celebrate its 13th year on Thursday, June 21, 2018, at the New York Hilton Midtown. More than 700 industry executives will gather to raise funds to support the American Cancer Society's programs and mission. The event will feature the popular musical battle "Wall Street's Got Talent," where executives from participating banks and investment companies face off in a talent performance. To date, the Gala has raised more than $16.5 million. The event is Co-Chaired by Robert F. Arning, Vice Chair, Market Development, KPMG, LLP; Robert S. Kapito, President, BlackRock; and Richie Prager, Senior Managing Director, BlackRock. "When a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, it is such a devastating moment and affects a huge circle of people," said Mr. Arning. "The FSCG brings together the financial services community to help the fight against cancer, because cancer touches everyone and we must do our part to diminish it." This year's Eugene D. O'Kelly Award, in honor of Gene O'Kelly, former CEO of KPMG, will be presented to Dr. Michael A. Weiner. Dr. Weiner has served in leadership roles at Columbia University Medical Center for more than 20 years and presently occupies the Hettinger Professorship and is Vice-Chair for External Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Weiner is a visionary philanthropic leader in the fields of pediatric oncology and hematology and is founder of ed Hope & Heroes, which is dedicated exclusively to the support of pediatric cancer and blood disorder care at Columbia. A portion of the gala's net proceeds will be donated to Hope & Heroes. Dr. Weiner has worked tirelessly to raise tens of millions of dollars in support of Columbia's research enterprise, its clinical operations and its innovative programming to compliment care. Mastercard will receive the 2018 Financial Services Cares Gala Distinguished Service Award on behalf of its employees. Mastercard works closely with world-class organizations including Stand Up To Cancer, the American Cancer Society and The World Food Programme, as well as local organizations important to its employees. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact Jaime Kelly at [email protected] or (212-492-8402). You can also visit www.fscg2018.com. If you cannot attend but would like to make a donation click here. The Financial Services Cares Gala would like to show our appreciation to this year's elite sponsors: J.P.Morgan; BlackRock; Cabrera Capital Markets/ Cabrera Capital Partners; and Morgan Stanley. Stay informed : Twitter: @FinanceVSCancer LinkedIn: Visit Here About the American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of 1.5 million volunteers dedicated to saving lives, celebrating lives, and leading the fight for a world without cancer. From breakthrough research, to free lodging near treatment, a 24/7/365 live helpline, free rides to treatment, and convening powerful activists to create awareness and impact, the Society is the only organization attacking cancer from every angle. For more information go to www.cancer.org. PRESS CONTACT: Angela Byrne Director of Corporate Communications TPP Healthcare [email protected] Ph: (217) 493-7108 SOURCE KPMG LLP Related Links http://www.kpmg.com/us OSLO, Norway, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bellona Foundation and Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE: CUK), the world's largest cruise company with nine global cruise line brands, have signed an agreement of cooperation where the parties agree to work together to continue improving environmental and sustainability impact. The newly formed cooperation is based on the two parties' shared vision of an even more sustainable cruise industry in a future zero emission society. The recently adopted International Maritime Organization (IMO) strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, together with an increasing focus on continuing to improve the cruise industry's environmental impact in local communities and destinations, will provide an important framework for joint cooperation. Setting an aspirational goal of zero emissions in port and during operations in pristine areas will help to force breakthrough approaches in technology and operations to reach that goal. "Sustainable operations is a top priority for our business, and as the world's largest cruise company, our global cruise line brands have taken and continue to take a leadership role for sustainable tourism," says Michael Thamm, Group CEO, Costa Group & Carnival Asia for Carnival Corporation. "We are deeply committed to protecting the environment, and that includes the oceans and seas in which our vessels sail and the communities in which we operate. Working together with leading environmental NGOs such as The Bellona Foundation will help us to achieve our vision to provide our guests with extraordinary vacation experiences while meeting and often exceeding our environmental commitments." "We are grateful and highly motivated to be able to work together with a leading industry player like Carnival Corporation & plc," says Frederic Hauge, founder of The Bellona Foundation. "Bellona is committed to meet and fight the climate challenges through identifying and implementing sustainable environmental solutions in close cooperation with the industry. Our cooperation with Carnival Corporation will enable us to increase our impact in developing and promoting sustainable solutions for the rapidly growing cruise sector as well as international shipping." The agreement's overall purpose is to contribute to and promote sustainable operations in the shipping industry. The arrangement will focus on solutions, regulations and legislation favoring the use of environmentally friendly vessels for the benefit of the environment, local destinations and the travelers. The Bellona Foundation The Bellona Foundation is a highly acknowledged international NGO. Founded in 1986, Bellona is today involved in extensive national and international environmental work, with offices in Oslo, Brussels and St. Petersburg/Murmansk. Bellona holds professional competence across a wide range of sectors and has gained international attention within several disciplines. The foundation is one of few NGOs worldwide that has systematically attended all UN Climate Change Conferences (COP) meetings from the accredited inside, since the start in 1987. Norway holds a strong position in shipping and maritime technology, hence the maritime sector is a core focus area for Bellona. Bellona's work in the maritime sector spans across technologies, infrastructure, policies and regulations and bilateral dialogues with leading industry players. Bellona has also over the last years been heavily engaged in the public debate on sustainable tourism. Zero emissions in the fjords, in port and at the destinations is an integral part of Bellona's vision. About Carnival Corporation & plc Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of 10 dynamic brands that include nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard, as well as Fathom, the corporation's immersion and enrichment experience brand. Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 103 ships with 234,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 18 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2018 and 2023. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices. In 2017, Fast Company recognized Carnival Corporation as being among the "Top 10 Most Innovative Companies" in both the design and travel categories. Fast Company specifically recognized Carnival Corporation for its work in developing OceanMedallion, a high-tech wearable device that enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform capable of transforming vacation travel into a highly personalized and elevated level of customized service. Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.fathom.org, www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com, www.seabourn.com, www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com, www.pocruises.com.au, and www.pocruises.com. SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc Related Links www.carnival.com ROHNERT PARK, Calif., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The 40 million Americans who currently have student loans may not know how those loans came about. In 1944, veterans were the first main recipients of student loans and widespread financial support for college thanks to the GI Bill. Today, veterans can get loans discharged if they have a total and permanent disability from service. Any veterans who don't see enough benefit to completely avoid student debt can turn to a new loan repayment plan to help in repayment, such as an income-driven repayment plan (IDR) offered by the Department of Education. Ameritech Financial, a document preparation company that assists borrowers with federal repayment plan applications, suggests struggling borrowers look into IDRs as a potential method to help them alleviate the burden of their debt. Federal loans did not become widely available until 1958 with the National Defense Education Act (NDEA), which was created in part to remain competitive with the Russians, especially after Sputnik went into orbit and launched the space race. It is important to note that the GI Bill, officially known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, was passed for veterans prior to the NDEA. The GI Bill aimed to remedy consequences of not giving veterans from WWI enough support, financial or otherwise. Introduced shortly before the end of WWII, the GI Bill was very successful: 49 percent of college students were veterans in 1947, and almost half of all WWII veterans benefited from the GI Bill by 1956. In the past few years, veteran advocacy groups have complained about the newest iteration of the GI Bill because they still end up with student loan debt despite the support of the bill. Veterans who use the GI Bill and have student loan debt can learn about other options, such as potentially cutting down monthly student debt payments by choosing IDRs. "How do veterans have student loan debt if they also have the GI Bill? It is a complex situation, but the important thing is for veterans to know they have options," said Tom Knickerbocker, executive vice president of Ameritech Financial. "They may not know where to turn, which is why we recommend they examine their situation and become financially literate. Wherever they are in their student debt journey, it's not the end of the world. They could even be eligible for help through a federal repayment program." Other important factors to consider are that the GI Bill only covers $22,805.34 per year when veterans attend private colleges. This makes student loan debt especially inevitable, considering private colleges, on average, cost $34,740. Considering these two amounts, the remainder could be nearly $12,000 for veterans who want to pursue private institutions for higher education. Additionally, 41 percent of veterans hold student loan debt, which could be difficult to pay down depending on several factors. IDRs may help veterans in repayment because the payments are calculated based on their income and family size and can end in forgiveness after 20 to 25 years. "Companies like Ameritech Financial attempt to offer borrowers of all backgrounds, including veterans, a new and more positive perspective on student loan debt," said Knickerbocker. "Lowering monthly payments could increase savings if successfully enrolled in one of the government's federal student loan repayment plans." About Ameritech Financial Ameritech Financial is a private company located in Rohnert Park, California. Ameritech Financial has already helped thousands of consumers with financial analysis and student loan document preparation to apply for federal student loan repayment programs offered through the Department of Education. Each Ameritech Financial telephone representative has received the Certified Student Loan Professional certification through the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators (IAPDA). Ameritech Financial prides itself on its exceptional customer service. Ameritech Financial Newsroom Contact To learn more about Ameritech Financial, please contact: Ameritech Financial 5789 State Farm Drive #265 Rohnert Park, CA 94928 1-800-792-8621 [email protected] Related Images veteran-with-happy-family.jpg Veteran With Happy Family Credit: denisfilm/Bigstock image2.png Related Links Ameritech Financial home page Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRza8MbLvuM SOURCE Ameritech Financial PARAMUS, N.J., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, a global pharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration provided its first supplemental Abbreviated New Drug Application (sANDA) approval for the company's manufacturing facility in Monroe, North Carolina. The approval covers: Atovaquone and Proguanil Hydrochloride Tablets, 250 MG/100 MG and 62.5 MG/25 MG, a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline's Malarone (atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride) Tablets1. "This approval is an important milestone for our U.S. business, as the Monroe, N.C. site will expand our portfolio by providing the manufacturing foundation for future product approvals," said Robert Matsuk, President, North America & Global API at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals. "Additionally, we are pleased that the investment we've made in our site will continue to create new, high-quality jobs in the Monroe community, where we have a commitment to long-term growth and expansion." The Monroe, North Carolina facility is Glenmark's first manufacturing site in the U.S., designed to manufacture a variety of fixed dose pharmaceutical formulations. Glenmark has invested more than $100 million into the facility with plans for further expansion in the coming years. At peak capacity, the site is anticipated to produce 300-400 million tablets and capsules, 20-25 million vials and pre-filled syringes and 25-30 million ampoules for inhaled formulations. Globally, Glenmark has 16 manufacturing facilities in Europe, India and the U.S., operating under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to ensure quality and safety. About Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (GPL) is a global innovative pharmaceutical company with operations in more than 50 countries. Glenmark has a diverse pipeline with several compounds in various stages of clinical development, primarily focused in the areas of oncology, respiratory disease and dermatology. Glenmark has improved the lives of millions of patients by offering safe, affordable medications for nearly 40 years. For more information, visit glenmarkpharma-us.com. References: 1 MALARONE is a registered trademark of the GSK group of companies SOURCE Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Jun 18, 2018 | By Thomas HP has partnered with Guangdong (Dali) 3D Printing Collaborative Innovation Platform to open a new production-grade 3D printing center in China, the worlds largest manufacturing market. The new installations of HP Jet Fusion Printing Systems at the Lanwan Intelligence HP Multi Jet Fusion Technology Mass Manufacturing Center in Foshan, China. Credit: HP Inc. Operated by Guangdong Lanwan Intelligence Technology, the new Lanwan Intelligence HP Multi Jet Fusion Technology Mass Manufacturing Center, which opened Saturday, June 16, is located in the town of Dali, Foshan, a major manufacturing hub in Guangdong Province. The center will be powered by 10 HP Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing systems and will exclusively use HP technology to provide production-grade applications at scale for major auto, consumer goods and motorcycle customers in Foshan as well as for other industries in the Greater Bay Area of Southern China. This is HPs largest deployment of production-grade 3D printing in Asia Pacific and Japan. Senior representatives from the national and local governments, businesses and academia attended the Centers opening ceremony in Foshan. In addition, HP, Guangdong Lanwan Intelligence Technology and the Institute of Foshan, Nanhai Guangdong Technology University signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote the adoption of 3D printing technology in Southern China. L to R: Yang Haidong, Director of the Institute of Foshan, Nanhai Guangdong Technology University, Stephen Nigro, President of 3D Printing, HP Inc., and Luo Jun, Executive Director of China 3D Printing Technology Industry Alliance and President of Guangdong Lanwan Intelligence Technology. Credit: HP Inc. Everything starts with applications and digital manufacturing innovators are leading the transformation of the $12 trillion manufacturing sector by producing industrial-grade parts across industries on HP Multi Jet Fusion, said Stephen Nigro, President of 3D Printing, HP Inc. We are thrilled that Guangdong (Dali) 3D Printing Collaborative Innovation Platform is deploying HP Multi Jet Fusion technology at factory-scale to drive its business growth and accelerate industry innovation. HP is committed to helping our global digital manufacturing partner community expand and thrive. The demand for 3D-printed production-grade parts will grow exponentially over the next few years as we shift from analog to digital manufacturing, said Luo Jun, Executive Director of China 3D Printing Technology Industry Alliance and President of Guangdong Lanwan Intelligence Technology. By deploying HPs Multi Jet Fusion technology in our new digital manufacturing center in China, we can better and more quickly deliver cost-effective and production-grade parts to our customers. Posted in 3D Printer Company Maybe you also like: ST. LOUIS, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BraveIT organizers today announced the addition of three cybersecurity professionals to the Sept. 13 conference lineup in Chicago. Suzanne Magee, Jennifer Rathburn, and Michael Estevez will contribute their extensive experience and insights to a session titled, "Been Hacked? Now What? Lessons in Recovery." During the session, they'll review recommendations for organizations that, despite best efforts, are faced with a security system breach. Suzanne Magee is co-founder and Chief Evangelist Officer of Bandura Systems, which pioneered the Threat Intelligence Gateway, in part with the U.S. Department of Defense. Magee has received numerous honors, including a Women Entrepreneur Award 2009; National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Public Policy Advocate of the Year Award; Distinguished Woman Business Owner, and others. Jennifer Rathburn is a partner with the law firm of Foley & Lardner LLP. She counsels clients on data protection programs, data incident management, breach response and recovery, data monetization, and other privacy and security issues. She is one of the founders of the Midwest Cyber Security Alliance and has a deep understanding of the complex risk, operational, and legal issues that companies must address to maintain the confidentiality of, access to, and integrity of their data. A New York-based managing director in Burson Cohn & Wolfe's Public Affairs & Crisis practice, Michael Estevez advises clients on crisis and litigation communications, issues management and cybersecurity. His experience includes engagements on behalf of corporations, a U.S. defense contractor, an Ivy League university and an assortment of government entities. He has advised organizations on all matters related to cybersecurity crisis communications, including media relations, employee communications, customer and stakeholder engagement and public affairs. In addition to the session on post-breach recovery, BraveIT will offer a diverse, fast-moving array of other workshops, panels, interviews, and peer-to-peer sessions, covering business continuity and disaster recovery, artificial intelligence, cloud applications across verticals, the implications of edge deployments on data center design and operation, cryptocurrencies, and more. Additional details and registration information are available through the event website. About TierPoint With a unique combination of secure, connected data center and cloud solutions at the edge of the internet, TierPoint (tierpoint.com) specializes in meeting enterprises where they are on their journey to IT transformation. TierPoint has one of the largest customer bases in the industry, with approximately 5,000 clients ranging from the public to private sectors, from small businesses to Fortune 500 enterprises. TierPoint also has one of the largest and most geographically diversified footprints in the nation, with over 40 world-class data centers in 20 markets and 8 multi-tenant cloud pods, connected by a coast-to-coast network. Led by a proven management team, TierPoint's highly experienced IT professionals offer a comprehensive solution portfolio of private, multitenant, hyperscale, and hybrid cloud, plus colocation, disaster recovery, security and other managed IT services. Contact: Colin Maynard, 314-626-7079, [email protected] SOURCE TierPoint Related Links http://tierpoint.com TriStar Centennial strives to support its world-class surgeons through innovation that makes performing spine surgery easier. Traditional head positioning equipment uses multiple pins and supports to keep a patient's head and neck in a stabilized position. When a patient requires repositioning during a procedure, the process of readjusting typically involves using cumbersome mechanisms, often requiring the surgeon and an additional person to maneuver the head and spine at the same time. Without the ability to fully control a patient's spine and head, the patient is at a higher risk for injury. The Levo minimizes the complications of head positioning by providing surgeons with a new, streamlined level of control during spine procedures using innovative technology. "By incorporating the Levo into their operating room, TriStar Centennial can improve patient care through less time spent in surgery," said Dr. Brett Babat, orthopedic spine surgeon at Nashville Neurosurgery Associates and TriStar Centennial Medical Center. "During spine procedures, having precise control of a patient's head and neck is absolutely critical, which isn't always possible with traditional head positioning equipment. With the Levo, surgeons no longer have to rely on another team member to help with repositioning by restricting motion to one movement plane, miniscule yet critical adjustments are easily achieved." Designed to provide fluid, yet controlled motion, the Levo's functionality supports an improved surgical workflow and enhanced access during a procedure. This is achieved through key modules that support the efficient attachment of a skull clamp and control handles, which allow for intraoperative adjustments. Various interchangeable modules support the use of a skull clamp or face pillow, promoting a versatile platform that delivers optimal use within each practice. "We've enjoyed working with TriStar Centennial as the first spinal surgeries are performed using our state-of-the-art Levo Head Positioning System. The Levo is designed to meet the needs of a surgical team through hand-controlled technology that allows the surgeon to fully control a patient's head and neck," said Greg Neukrich, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Mizuho OSI. "We're proud to offer the Levo as part of our suite of operating room technologies that are designed to provide better patient care and improve surgical team workflow." For more information about the Levo System, visit the Mizuho OSI website. About TriStar Centennial Medical Center TriStar Centennial Medical Center is a 657-bed comprehensive facility offering medical and surgical programs including behavioral health, 24-hour emergency, heart and vascular, imaging, neurosciences, oncology, orthopedics, pediatrics, rehabilitation, sleep disorder, and women's services. An affiliate of TriStar Health, TriStar Centennial Medical Center's 43-acre campus is home to TriStar Centennial Heart & Vascular Center, TriStar Centennial Women's Hospital, The Children's Hospital at TriStar Centennial, Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at TriStar Centennial Medical Center and TriStar Centennial Parthenon Pavilion. About Mizuho OSI Mizuho OSI is a U.S. based company and the leader in the markets for specialty surgery and patient positioning. The company's portfolio includes specialty surgical tables for procedure-specific approaches that improves patient outcomes in spine and orthopedic surgeries, a range of general surgical tables, and consumable surgical patient care products. Mizuho OSI products are sold direct in the U.S. and Germany, and by the Mizuho Corporation in Japan. Both companies sell their products and solutions worldwide through authorized international distributors. Mizuho OSI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mizuho Corporation located in Tokyo, Japan, a leading surgical table manufacturer in Asia. The Mizuho Group also includes TRILUX Medical, a subsidiary of Mizuho OSI. TRILUX Medical is a provider and manufacturer of surgical lights, surgical pendants, operating room patient integration, and video management systems. TRILUX Medical products and solutions are sold direct in Germany and worldwide through authorized international distributors. More information is available at www.mizuhosi.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Media Contact Melodie Shubat (510) 298-2615 [email protected] SOURCE Mizuho OSI Related Links http://www.mizuhosi.com CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, Bob Hilliard filed a lawsuit on behalf of Nysla Trejo against gynecologist George Tyndall, MD and The University of Southern California for the alleged sexual abuse she suffered in the Spring of 2015. Nysla, a freshman at the time of the alleged abuse, was a recent rape victim, a fact she shared with Dr. Tydall. Despite that knowledge the USC gynecologist insisted that she remove all her clothes prior to the pelvic exam so that he could "check for moles" and once he began the exam with his fingers instead of a vaginal speculum he stated, "Your vaginal muscles are very tight, are you a runner?" 6 women have filed civil lawsuits against USC and Dr. Tyndall claiming similar sexual abuse at the hands of the USC gynecologist. Tyndall, 71, who worked at USC's student health clinic for almost three decades has not been criminally charged. USC has admitted to receiving detailed and severe complaints against Tyndall as far back as the early 2000's and acknowledged that the doctor should have been removed from the clinic years ago. Notwithstanding the knowledge of Tyndall's inappropriate and criminal behavior USC did not suspend the doctor until June 2016, after a supervising nurse, Cindy Gilbert, became frustrated by clinic administrators for not taking complaints against Tyndall seriously and reported him to the campus rape crisis center. He was placed on paid leave for nearly one year and barred from the clinic while an internal investigation was underway. Nysla Trejo's lawsuit, which brings claims against The University of Southern California and George Tyndall, MD, was filed today in the Superior Court of Los Angles, California. Hilliard states, "America has watched and listened in horror as young female victims recount their sexual assaults by doctors whom they trusted. Dr. Tyndall was funded and protected by USC and given absolute unfettered access to as many victims as his perverted psyche desired. USC wrapped Dr. Tyndall in an untouchable blanket of prestige while ignoring the complaints and the pleas of his victims, making it a knowing accomplice to numerous sexual assaults and rapes." ABOUT HMG http://www.hmglawfirm.com/ Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP (HMG) specializes in mass torts, personal injury, product liability, commercial and business litigation, and wrongful death. For over two decades, Bob Hilliard's firm has been appointed by Judge's in Texas and around the country to lead class actions, including the single largest litigation in US history, GM's ignition switch defect litigation. Bob Hilliard was tried over 100 jury trials and obtained the Largest Verdict in the country in 2012 and the #1 verdict in Texas. SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW WITH BOB HILLIARD Contact Lauren Gomez at 361-960-3146 Case No. BC709664 SOURCE HMG Related Links http://www.hmglawfirm.com PUNE, India, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report "Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) Market by Type (AC, DC, and Servo), End-Users (Industrial, Infrastructure, Oil & Gas, and Power Generation), Application (Pumps, Fans, Compressors, and Conveyors), Power Range, Voltage, and Region - Global Forecast to 2023", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is expected to grow from an estimated USD 20.73 billion in 2018 to USD 27.57 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 5.87%, from 2018 to 2023. Increase in industrialization and urbanization and rising need of energy efficiency across various industries such as oil & gas and power generation are likely to drive the VFD Market. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg ) Browse 87 Tables and 43 Figures spread through 167 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) Market" https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/variable-frequency-drive-market-878.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report The low-voltage segment is expected to hold the largest share of the VFD Market, by voltage, during the forecast period. The low-voltage segment led the VFD Market in 2017 and is projected to have the largest market share during the forecast period. Low-voltage VFDs are used in various industrial applications such as building automation, pulp & paper, power, water & wastewater, and oil & gas, and especially in process industries, which would drive the low-voltage segment during the forecast period. The pump segment is expected to hold the largest share of the VFD Market, by application, during the forecast period. The pump segment led the VFD Market in 2017. Pump is one of the most important equipment in most industries such as oil & gas, chemical & petrochemical, and pulp and paper as it provides huge potential for energy savings, improved performance, and reliability. Increase in oil and shale gas productions are driving the pump market. Ask for PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=878 The infrastructure segment of the VFD Market, by end-user, is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The infrastructure segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2018 to 2023. Rapid infrastructure development in the developing companies and growing concerns over energy efficiency in the developed countries are likely to drive the infrastructure segment. For instance, in December 2017, the government of Japan planned to invest USD 57.97 million on development projects, including housing and commercial facilities, as per Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation. Such investments toward the infrastructure activity would boost the VFD Market during the forecast period. Asia Pacific: The leading market (by volume) for VFD In this report, the VFD Market has been analyzed with respect to 6 regions, namely, Asia Pacific, North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Asia Pacific led the global VFD Market in 2017. China and Japan are the largest markets for VFD in the region. The government of China plans to invest heavily on clean energy production, which would drive the VFD Market in the country. In order to accomplish its target, the Chinese government planned to invest about USD 361 billion in clean energy by 2020, as China aims to supply 20% of power from non-fossil sources by 2030. Meanwhile, Japan is actively focusing on infrastructure development. For instance, as per the Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation, Japan planned to invest USD 57.97 million for development projects, including housing and commercial facilities. Therefore, factors such as increasing investments in renewable energy and infrastructure development in China, Japan, and India are driving the VFD Market in the region. To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes the profiles of some of the top players in the VFD Market. The key players include ABB (Switzerland), Siemens (Germany), Schneider Electric (France), Danfoss (US), and Rockwell (US). The leading players are adopting various strategies to increase their shares in the VFD Market. Know more about the Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) Market: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/variable-frequency-drive-market-878.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Salgarkar MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Visit Our Blog @ http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/energy-and-power Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets SOURCE MarketsandMarkets BETHESDA, Md., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Walker & Dunlop, Inc. announced today that it is expanding its multifamily investment sales platform to the West Coast with the addition of Senior Vice President, Javier Rivera, who is based in Los Angeles, California. Walker & Dunlop Investment Sales' footprint now includes 19 states across the nation. "We are thrilled to have Javier join our investment sales team as we open up our first investment sales office on the west coast. Javier's track record and market expertise will be extremely accretive to the financial services needs of our west coast client base," said Greg Engler, Executive Vice President of Walker & Dunlop Investment Sales. "Walker & Dunlop is one of the country's most active debt providers and the addition of Javier and future investment sales professionals will provide additional financial options for our clients." "I am pleased to join Walker & Dunlop's growing investment sales platform," said Mr. Rivera. "This is an exceptional team and I look forward to contributing to the company's already excellent reputation." Mr. Rivera was previously an executive vice president in Jones Lang LaSalle's Capital Markets Group, responsible for building the company's multifamily investment sales and finance business in Southern California. Prior to that, he was director of acquisitions and development manager with The Ratkovich Company, where he gained experience in real estate development, acquisitions and dispositions, contract negotiations, residential entitlements, and feasibility/valuation analysis. Before entering the commercial real estate industry, Mr. Rivera served in the United States Navy where he was a naval flight officer, accruing over 1,000 flight hours and 300 carrier landings. As the firm broadens its capabilities and reach, Walker & Dunlop Investment Sales continues to provide the best market execution, product knowledge, and integrity in the industry. In 2017, Walker & Dunlop's multifamily-focused investment sales business grew volumes by 18 percent, to $3 billion. Overall, Walker & Dunlop generated $28 billion in total transaction volume in 2017, finishing the year with 7.3 percent market share in total multifamily lending within the United States. About Walker & Dunlop Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is one of the largest commercial real estate services and finance companies in the United States providing financing and investment sales to owners of multifamily and commercial properties. Walker & Dunlop, which is included in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index, has over 650 professionals in 29 offices across the nation with an unyielding commitment to client satisfaction. SOURCE Walker & Dunlop, Inc. Related Links http://www.walkerdunlop.com VIENNA, Va., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A joint venture between certain funds managed by Westport Capital Partners LLC and certain affiliates of Galaxy Investments, LLC is pleased to announce that it has acquired Tavern Square, a 171,008 mixed-use project in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Developed in 1967, the property has 130,000 square feet of office space, 41,008 square feet of ground floor retail space and a 326-spot parking garage. The property is situated at the premier intersection of King Street and Royal Street. The project benefits from prominent exposure by virtue of its full block presence along King St. Tenants benefit from the property's proximity to the Potomac River and the redeveloped Old Town Waterfront, the King Street Metro station, a plethora of charming restaurants and trendy storefronts, as well as City Hall, and the Alexandria General District and Circuit Courts. The joint venture plans to revitalize the property through a modernization program of the lobbies, common areas and building exterior. In addition, the joint venture plans to add select amenities for tenants and is developing plans to re-activate the property's central courtyard. Cambridge has been retained to manage, lease and provide construction services for the property. According to Andrew J. Czekaj, III, Executive Vice President of Cambridge, "The acquisition of Tavern Square represents another successful 'value-add' investment structured by Cambridge. We intend to lease-up the remaining vacancy in the mixed-use property through a thoughtful reposition and rebranding program. The opportunity to acquire almost an entire city block on King Street and have an unbeatable walkable amenity base for future tenants was highly appealing." "We are pleased to partner again with Westport Capital Partners with this investment in Tavern Square," Randy S. Jaegle, CEO of Galaxy Investments LLC. "We will continue seeking investment opportunities in the greater DC Metro area to further our long-lasting relationship." "Cambridge looks forward to working with the new owners on the project and look forward to our return to Old Town Alexandria," says Benjamin R. Eldridge, Jr., Executive Vice President of Cambridge. "We are pleased to expand the working relationship with Cambridge/Galaxy through the Tavern Square property acquisition," said Russel Bernard, Managing Principal, Westport Capital Partners LLC. "Ownership has inventive plans for reinvigorating the interior plaza and when combined with the other renovation and repositioning initiatives it is expected to create a sense of vibrancy more fitting of a centrally located property in Old Town," said Noam Sheps, Senior Vice President, Westport Capital Partners LLC. Gerry Trainor of Transwestern represented Tavern Square, LLC, the seller of Tavern Square. About Cambridge Cambridge provides real estate services to institutions, investment partnerships and individual owners to comprehensively and effectively address the challenges inherent in the commercial real estate market. Cambridge integrates the functions necessary to meet the challenges of the dynamic real estate environment. Since 1983, Cambridge and its subsidiaries have successfully developed over 6.4 million square feet and structured the acquisition and/or disposition of in excess of 20.7 million square feet of commercial real estate as well as 390 acres of land with a total value exceeding $6.4 billion. In addition, Cambridge has been instrumental in the restructure of approximately $1.5 billion of CMBS and institutional debt on behalf of clients and partners. The firm also provides property management, leasing and construction management services to approximately 5 million square feet of office, R&D and industrial space. www.cambridgeus.com About Westport Capital Partners LLC Westport Capital Partners LLC is a real estate investment firm which provides domestic and international real estate related investment opportunities to institutional and private clients. Through its various funds, the firm invests in a wide variety of distressed, opportunistic and core plus real estate assets. The firm has offices in Los Angeles, California; Wilton, Connecticut; Bozeman, Montana; and London, England. For more information regarding Westport Capital Partners LLC, please visit www.westportcp.com. Media contact: Blicksilver Public Relations Caroline Luz 203-656-2829 [email protected] or Jennifer Hurson (845) 507-0571 [email protected] SOURCE Westport Capital Partners Related Links http://www.westportcp.com "At WOW MKTG, we are constantly evolving our capabilities, above and beyond what an agency is expected to offer. This strategic initiative uniquely positions WOW MKTG as one of the few agencies in the nation with the tools and expertise to successfully ferry consumers through a brand's story at every stage of its life cycle," said Jose Dans, president and founder of WOW MKTG. "We decided to take a pioneering approach to the concept of integrated services by adding WOW Global Retail, bridging marketing and merchandising, in order to create one seamless narrative." Led by seasoned merchandising experts, Vince Urrutia and Lenny Marrero, this new entity, will engineer results for all parties in the retail ecosystem, by using an omni-channel approach to drive growth, loyalty and brand equity within all major retail categories. WGR will provide consultation, brand development, merchandising, and marketing services - all under one roof. "This type of innovative, masterful storytelling through product, environment and messaging creates an experience which challenges the status quo and evokes an emotional connection with consumers," said Urrutia, managing partner of WOW Global Retail. Urrutia has significant experience developing tailored offerings for prominent retail brands. He also has led strategic teams charged with developing a meaningful, connected in-store shopping experience. Marrero, managing partner of WOW Global Retail, added, "By providing expert consultation, brand development, merchandising and marketing, we'll have the ability to create a narrative that is compelling and powerful to capture consumers at the moment of truth." His experience includes leading strategy and execution, and store format initiatives for notable consumer packaged goods and pharmaceutical brands and retailers. Marrero has worked to develop groundbreaking approaches and improvements to the in-store experience while streamlining costs to significantly improve return on investment. WGR will curate meaningful connections at every stage of the retail lifecycle for brands, retailers, and manufacturers. This type of innovative, powerful storytelling through product, environment and messaging challenges the status quo and develops strong loyalty between brands and consumers. Brands, manufacturers and retailers alike are all on a daily journey to deliver this very experience; WOW Global Retail makes this a vivid reality. Learn more about WOW Global Retail by visiting www.WOWGlobalRetail.com. You also can join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, search us @WOWGlobaRetail. For more information about WOW MKTG visit www.WOWMKTG.com. About WOW MKTG WOW MKTG is a minority-owned, multi-dimensional marketing agency, recognized for delivering measurable client success via an integrated suite of world-class in-house services. About WOW Global Retail WOW Global Retail (WGR) is a business innovation service connecting retailers, brands and distributors through relevant, collaborative, consumer-centric solutions. Media Contact: Diana Delgado Communications Director [email protected] C: 305.431.2691 SOURCE WOW MKTG Related Links http://www.WOWGlobalRetail.com (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/627518/XinFin_Logo.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/707073/Alan_Lai_University_of_Californai_Berkeley.jpg ) With illustrious forebears ranging from Nobel laureates, researchers, scientists, global leaders and entrepreneurs, University of California, Berkeley is the second most prestigious university known for its innovation conducive environment, a reason enough for XinFin to setup a lab in their premises. Through this association, XinFin intends to secure creative and bright talent from UC Berkeley, San Francisco Bay Area and other universities to work with XinFin Network and Hybrid Blockchain Protocol. While XinFin aspires to grow developer community in Bay Area, its final objective lies in evolving and developing Hybrid Blockchain architecture to make it more suitable for mainstream enterprise adoption and regulatory compliant environment. XinFin will soon be rolling out XDC Virtual Machine, an application far more efficient for mainstream enterprise adoption. XinFin will be working with enterprises and institutions in San Francisco Bay Area for Blockchain use cases pertaining to different business areas. XinFin is working towards frictionless adoption of its technology and will leave no stones unturned to elevate the awareness about global trade and finance DAPPs like tradefinex.org built over their hybrid blockchain network. XDC Wallet for enterprises and remittance for institutions are most selling uses cases that support local FIAT currency and are compliant with local laws. Alan Lai, Blockchain Developer at UC Berkeley said, "This will be a great opportunity for everyone in the bay area for they will get an opportunity to work with the revolutionary technology called XDC protocol." Kartikeya Bhargava, Senior Blockchain Developer for XinFin said, "It is a great coalition, considering the qualitative talent that UC Berkeley and SF bay area brings on table, which will immensely contribute to the forthcoming technological developments and global adoption of the XDC protocol and blockchain applications." About XinFin XinFin is a global open source Hybrid Blockchain protocol/platform with independent community contributors comprising of long term backers, network utility and tech developers. XinFin Network [XDCE] (https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/xinfin-network/) is a utility network that lets enterprises deploy real world applications on Hybrid Blockchain Protocol in a conducive, compliant and regulation friendly environment for diverse use cases in trade, finance, remittance, supply chain, healthcare and other industrial areas to improve business efficiency. Follow XinFin on Twitter (@XinFinF), Telegram (https://t.me/xinfintalk), Slack (https://xinfin-public.slack.com/) and contribute on their GitHub (https://github.com/XinFinorg) channel. About UC Berkeley, USA The University of California, Berkeley is a public research university in Berkeley, California. Founded in 1868, Berkeley is the flagship institution of the ten research universities affiliated with the University of California system. It is often ranked as a top-ten university in the world and the top public university in the United States. Reach out to them on Facebook and Medium. Media Contact: Rachna Baruah Tel: +91-9930290142 Email: [email protected] SOURCE XinFin Paris, June 18 : France is threatening to take the unusual step of fining General Electric if it fails to create a set number of jobs in the country. It is claimed the US industrial giant will renege on a pledge to produce 1,000 new jobs by the end of the year. Labour Minister Muriel Penicaud said GE would face a Euro 50,000 penalty for every job not created. The move could be a test of President Emmanuel Macron's bid to push through more business-friendly policies, reports BBC. GE had committed to create a net 1,000 new jobs by the end of this year when it bought the energy business of France's Alstom in 2014. The US company was in competition for Alstom with Siemens of Germany. But GE had created only 323 jobs by the end of April, the Finance Ministry said last week. GE chief executive John Flannery informed French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire last week that the target was now "out of reach" because of difficult market conditions. The minister urged GE to "take all necessary measures to comply to the best of its abilities". On Sunday, Penicaud went further, telling BFM television: "The [Alstom] contract called for a Euro 50,000 penalty for every job not created." According to Reuters, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux, added: "Sanctions must set an example. Euro 50,000 should be applied by the end of the year if GE does not stick to its commitments." While the sums involved are small for a company the size of GE - perhaps a total maximum of Euro 34m - the move runs counter to the government's bid to liberalise labour markets. Macron, a former investment banker, has vowed to make France more attractive to foreign companies, pushing through reforms to make it easier for businesses to hire and fire workers. The agreement to create the jobs was secured by France's previous Socialist government, and opposition parties are also now urging Mr Macron to apply the fine. GE agreed to the job creation as part of its purchase of Alstom's power and electrical grid businesses, including its prized gas turbine operations, for A12.4bn (A10.8bn). Shortly after the takeover GE announced plans to cut 6,500 power jobs in Europe because of falling oil and gas prices, and a further 12,000 job cuts in the sector were announced last December. GE could not be reached for comment. Melbourne, June 18 : Australian supermarket chain Woolworths says US artist Spencer Tunick can use a car park on top of one of its Melbourne stores for a mass naked photo shoot, reversing an earlier decision. In April, Woolworths turned down Mr Tunick's request to use the location in Prahran, saying it would be too disruptive on a Saturday. An online petition was launched. Now Woolworths says he can use the car park for an hour on a Monday morning. "It's a good outcome," said the store. The photo shoot is part of the Chapel Street Provocare arts festival in the upmarket district of Victoria's state capital, reported BBC. "In further discussions with the festival organisers, they indicated a willingness to be flexible with dates and times to ensure the shoot could happen without inconveniencing our customers during busy weekend trading," said a Woolworths' spokesperson quoted by the Melbourne Age. John Lotton, director of festival, told Reuters news agency: "We're over the moon." About 11,000 people have so far registered to strip off for the camera on 9 July, more than could fit onto the rooftop car park. "It is well and truly oversubscribed," said Mr Lotton. When proposing the event, Mr Tunick said about 500 people would feature in the shoot. "We will also be asking participants to use public transport to avoid the limited parking that is available in the area being unavailable to those shopping at Woolworths or other local retailers during this time," added Mr Lotton. New York-based Mr Tunick is famed for his pictures of naked crowds, sometimes at global landmarks. His previous artwork in Melbourne involved more than 4,000 volunteers covering a city river bank. Mr Tunick has produced more than 120 nude group installations in more than 30 countries, including a shoot at the Sydney Opera House in 2010. Patna, June 18 : Two Chinese nationals were arrested in a drunken state here for violating the liquor ban in force in Bihar, police said on Monday. The arrests took place on Sunday night. "We have launched a probe to find out how they got the liquor," Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said. The two were associated with the Chinese mobile phone company Oppo. Meanwhile, Oppo India said it had "deep regard and respect for the laws of the land". "The actions by the employees in question were undertaken in their personal capacities and in no way represent the company's views or intentions," a company statement said. "We are cooperating with the local authorities to ensure that the investigation can be done smoothly and will provide all possible information required. We will take necessary action and ensure that this kind of incident does not happen in the future." The guest house rooms where the Chinese were staying was booked in the name of Oppo Mobiles (DS) Pvt Ltd. More than 1.5 lakh persons have been arrested for violating the liquor prohibition in Bihar since it came into effect on April 5, 2016. Washington, June 18 : Five undocumented immigrants in a speeding sport utility vehicle (SUV) were killed when it crashed while being chased by border patrol agents in Texas town near the Mexico border, officials said. The fatal crash occurred on Sunday near Big Wells, which is about 100 miles southwest of San Antonio, ABC News quoted Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd as saying. Boyd said a total of 14 people were inside the SUV and several were ejected out of the vehicle when it rolled onto Highway 85. "Border patrol was pursuing a vehicle, a Chevrolet Suburban, and one of my deputies assisted and took over the pursuit just west of Big Wells," Boyd said. "The vehicle was travelling at 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." He said four people died at the scene, and several were flown by emergency helicopter to a hospital in San Antonio. One person died upon arriving at the hospital, reports ABC News. The driver of the SUV was taken into custody. The sheriff said it was just the latest in a series of police chases involving human and drug smugglers in the Big Wells area. Sunday's crash comes amid widespread protests over President Donald Trump's immigration policies that include separating undocumented children from parents caught sneaking them into the country. Kabul, June 18 : The Taliban on Monday resumed attacks on Afghan security forces after the armed outfit's three-day ceasefire ended the previous night, police said. Taliban militants launched early morning attacks on security checkpoints in Ghormach, Qaisar, Pashtunkot and Shirin Tagab districts and sporadic fighting has been continuing, Xinhua news agency quoted a police officer as saying. The Afghanistan government announced a ceasefire from June 12 to June 19 to encourage the Taliban to support the national reconciliation process. Reciprocating the step, the armed group announced a three-day truce from Friday, the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr, till Sunday midnight. On Sunday, an Afghan Security Council meeting chaired by President Ashraf Ghani extended the ceasefire for another 10 days. However, the armed outfit refused to extend the ceasefire and instead in an online statement released overnight Sunday asked its fighters to resume fighting against Afghan and foreign forces stationed in Afghanistan. Kathmandu, June 18 : Former Nepal Prime Ministers have expressed the hope that Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's upcoming visit to China will be instrumental in further deepening bilateral ties between the two countries. At a meeting summoned on Sunday evening by Oli, Sher Bahadur Deuba expressed happiness over the upcoming visit, reports Xinhua news agency. Deuba, who is also the leader of the major opposition party in Parliament, said the visit will be fruitful in serving the national interests of Nepal. Pushpa Kamal Dahal stressed the need to promote cooperation between China and South Asia. Jhalanath Khanal stressed the need to establish a strong railroad connectivity between Nepal and China. Madhav Kumar Nepal advised Oli to utilise the visit as an opportunity to push forward the multi-faceted ties between Nepal and China to a strategic level. Baburam Bhattarai was of the view that Nepal should seek support from China to develop railroad connectivity projects under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. Oli's visit will begin on June 19. It ends on June 24. This will be Oli's first visit to China since he came to power in February. New Delhi, June 18 : Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who was on hunger strike since June 13, was shifted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital here on Monday due to failing health, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said. "Sisodia being shifted to hospital," Kejriwal tweeted. Sisodia's ketone level reached 7.4, following which the decision was taken to move him to a hospital, party sources said. Late on Sunday night, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who was also on an indefinite hunger since June 12, was shifted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital due to deteriorating health. In another tweet on Monday, Kejriwal said that Jain "is doing well". Jain and Sisodia were camping in the Raj Niwas along with Kejriwal and cabinet colleague Gopal Rai since June 11 protesting against IAS officers on de facto strike and seeking approval to the Delhi government's proposal to supply ration to the poor at their houses. Phnom Penh, June 18 : Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh who was injured in a car accident, has been airlifted to a hospital in Thailand and his condition was now stable, an official said on Monday. Ranariddh, who is also the Funcinpec Party president, was injured in the accident on Sunday in Sihanouk province. His 39-year-old wife Ouk Phalla died on the spot. Funcinpec Party's Secretary General Yim Savy told Xinhua that "some of the prince's ribs were broken" and "one of his (right) leg's calf bones fractured". "But his condition is stable, he is conscious and can speak normally," Yim said. Both Ranariddh and his wife were in the fray for Cambodia's general elections, which is scheduled for July 29. Ranariddh is a son of late King Norodom Sihanouk. He 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. San Francisco, June 18 : Samsung is reportedly preparing to exclusively release a Galaxy Note 9 variant with 512GB onboard storage in certain markets such as South Korea and China, the media reported. "Android 8.1 Oreo coupled with the latest version of 'Samsung Experience' is set to ship straight out of the box, with all of this being backed by a 4,000mAh battery," PhoneArena reported late on Sunday. As of now, it is unclear if any changes other than the inbuilt storage capacity will be made to the top-end variant. The upcoming flagship Note device could make its way to other markets as well, according to tech website SamsungMobile.News. The device is expected to come with 6GB RAM alongside Samsung's own Exynos 9810 Octa-core chipset. When it comes to the camera department, a variable aperture sensor is likely to be included next to a secondary telephoto lens. An 8MP selfie sensor is rumoured to be placed on the front. Previous Samsung Galaxy Note smartphones have featured MicroSD slots so users can expect it to return this time. Notably, it is not known when the South Korean giant would host an "Unpacked" event for the smartphone's unveiling. The company is also expected to launch the Samsung Gear S4 smartwatch alongside. New Delhi, June 18 : Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who was on hunger strike since June 13, was shifted to a hospital here on Monday due to failing health as IAS officers accused of non-cooperation offered to talk to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Sisodia was taken to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital from the Raj Niwas after his ketone level reached 7.4, following which doctors decided to hospitalize him, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sources said. On Sunday night, Delhi cabinet Minister Satyendar Jain, who was also on indefinite hunger strike since June 12, was moved to the same hospital after his health too deteriorated. This left Kejriwal and his cabinet colleague Gopal Rai at the office-cum-residence of Lt Governor Anil Baijal where they began their unprecedented protest on June 11 demanding that IAS officers serving the Delhi government end their de facto strike. Jain's health is improving, doctors said on Monday. Meanwhile, in the first sign of apparent rapprochement, IAS officers in Delhi on Monday said they were open to formal discussions to end the impasse in Delhi, a day after Kejriwal assured them their safety and dignity. The IAS AGMUT (Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) Association said the officers looked forward to concrete interventions for their security and dignity. "The Officers... welcome Chief Minister's appeal. We reiterate that we continue to be at work with full dedication and vigour. We look forward to concrete interventions for our security and dignity. We are open to formal discussions with the Chief Minister," the Association tweeted. In response, Sisodia tweeted from his hospital bed: "That's precisely why we have been sitting at Raj Niwas for so many days requesting the LG to call all stakeholders and end this impasse. "The LG is head of both 'services' and 'security'. So, the meeting should take place in his presence so that assurances related to those subjects could be given," Sisodia said. On Sunday, Kejriwal said: "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." Kejriwal and three of his Ministers have been camping in the Raj Niwas since June 11 demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike and the Centre to approve the Delhi government's proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their houses. The issue has evoked sympathy for Kejriwal from the Chief Ministers of Kerala, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka as well as leaders of the CPI, CPI-M, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Shiv Sena, which is a BJP ally. Mumbai, June 18 : Actor Ashutosh Rana has completed shooting for four films in the past six months, making a grand comeback of sorts into Bollywood. He says it was high time he returned as people had started questioning him about "vanishing" from the industry. Ashutosh has been working a lot in the southern film industry for the past few years. Now he has seven big Bollywood releases in a span of the next two years. The projects include Dharma Productions' "Dhadak", Anubhav Sinha's "Mulk", Abhishek Chaubey's "Sonchiraiya", Tigmanshu Dhulia's "Milan Talkies", Rohit Shetty's "Simmba", Ismail Darbar's "Tigdum" and Shekhar Sirrin's "Chicken Curry Law". On working in back-to-back projects, Ashutosh said in a statement to IANS: "In a party, I met someone who said that I have vanished from the industry, and it wasn't like that. I have been working in the south industry and a film in Bollywood at regular intervals. "I guess that comment hit a nerve and I decided to make an imprint here again and I took up the projects. There is lot of work in the south, but I guess it was high time to jump back. So, I completed everything in one shot." Perhaps he found a comfort in southern film projects. "Directors in the south industry don't typecast you and let you explore as an actor. And along with us, they also think out-of-the-box and are keen on exploring and pushing you beyond the limit. Whereas here (in Bollywood), after doing larger than life characters in 'Sangharsh' and 'Dushman', people couldn't think of anything else for me," said the actor, whose last Hindi film was "Brothers". The Hague, June 18 : A van ploughed into a group of people attending a Dutch music festival, killing one of them on Monday. Police detained a suspect hours later. The pre-dawn crash took place near a camping site close to the famous Pinkpop festival in the southeastern municipality of Landgraaf in the Dutch province of Limburg, the BBC reported. The 35-year-old man who died in the incident was a festival volunteer, organisers said. Three other people were critically injured in the incident, hours after the three-day Pinkpop festival ended. Later, police arrested a 34-year-old man from Amsterdam on suspicion of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter. The van had been driven away from the scene prompting a search across the border into Belgium and Germany. It was several hours before police said they had found the vehicle abandoned on the street where the collision had happened. The organisers behind the festival said in a statement posted to Facebook that they were "deeply shocked" by the news. The head of Pinkpop Jan Smeets said it was the first death in the festival's 49-year history. "It's really terrible, that such a great party should come to such an abrupt end." Surat, June 18 : Strong protests have started emerging in Gujarat against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream project of a bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, with farmers in Surat district taking to the streets opposing acquisition of land for the purpose. More than 200 farmers from 15 villages drove down to the Surat District Collectorate in tractors and motorcycles against the notification to acquire their land for the project with as many as 14 objections. They submitted a detailed memorandum to the District Collector. Farmer leader Jayesh Patel told reporters that around 140 hectares of land across 21 villages were being acquired for the project, which is being opposed by the farmers. "The notification for land acquisition was issued without carrying out the mandatory environmental or social impact assessment," he said, pointing out that there had been no consultation with the local bodies before bringing out the notification. He went on: "Legally, the District Collector needs to declare the market rate of the land for which the acquisition notification is issued." This had not been done so far. The farmers, who gathered at the collectorate, said the government had already acquired enough land for the Delhi-Mumbai dedicated freight corridor. Patel said even Western Railways have sufficient land to take the project forward. "There is no reason why our land is being acquired now," he added. Besides Surat, hundreds of farmers in another South Gujarat district of Valsad are also strongly opposing the land acquisition in their fertile mango and chikoo region. Similarly, the National High Speed Rail Corp Ltd (NHRCL), the nodal body to implement the Bullet Train Project, is also facing resistance in Palghar in Maharashtra. "We are in touch with our counterparts in Palghar and like them we too don't want to part with our land," Patel added. New Delhi, June 18 : The Congress "strongly condemned" Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui's pitch on Monday for an India-China-Pakistan trilateral meeting under the SCO framework, and called on the government to do the same. The party also said that all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan will have to be resolved bilaterally in terms of the spirit of the Shimla agreement. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: "We strongly condemn the statement of the Chinese ambassador. We expect the government of India to strongly condemn this unwarranted suggestion which has been made by the Chinese Ambassador. "It seems that the Chinese ambassador is not cognizant about the India-Pakistan paradigm. We have maintained and continue to maitain that whatever issues or whatever outstanding issues there are with Pakistan have to be resolved in a bilateral format." "There is absolutely no place for any third party intervention in so far as India and Pakistan and its outstanding disputes are concerned. "This has been the consistent position of governments across different administrations from 1972 onwards when the Shimla agreement was signed. "There is absolutely no scope of any third party intervention and we stand by the spirit of the Shimla agreement as well as the resolution passed by the Indian Parliament in 1994 and 2013 respectively," he added. On the Chinese Ambassador saying bilateral ties between India and China can't take the strain of another Doklam episode, Tewari said: "Doklam did not happen in Pakistani territory. The stand-off happened in Bhutanese territory. How is the statement even relevant to what transpired in Doklam." Mumbai, June 18 : Reliance Energy on Monday warned that it would disconnect power supply to the Siddharth Colony in Chembur here for non-payment of bills. According to a spokesperson, the 3,250 consumers from the locality have defaulted on their electric bill dues for over 10 years which has now accumulated to Rs 63 crore. "Disconnection will be undertaken under the Electricity Act, 2003, Sec. 56(1), for non-payment of dues, probably within a day or so," the spokesperson said. The bills have remained uncleared as repeated warnings went unheeded, but supply was continued on humanitarian grounds despite the fact that 70 per cent of the economically weak but honest consumers are effectively subsidising such non-paying consumers. As a distribution licensee, Reliance Energy said it is empowered to disconnect power supply, but assured it would restore the electricity connections immediately after its outstanding dues are cleared. New Delhi, June 18 : Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday said that the government is taking all "significant steps", including filing a petition in the Supreme Court to reverse the mode of recruitment, to fill the vacancies of universities teachers across the country. "We are doing all things necessary to fill the teachers' posts in the Delhi University. Even today (Sunday) I met the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University to discuss how we can fill the posts of principals fast," Javadekar said at an event organised to brief the media on his ministry's achievements in last four years. The minister also said that the ministry has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court regarding on whether recruitment should be done university-wise or department-wise. "We have filed an SLP with the Supreme Court, which is due to be heard on July 2, to reverse the Allahabad High Court order which stipulated for department-wise recruitment. We believe university-wise recruitment to be a just method for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribe candidates," Javadekar said. The question of mode of recruitment has divided the university teachers, some of who prefer it to be done on the basis of total vacancies in a department while others advocate that it should be done on the basis of total vacancies in a university. This has also been one of the demands of the DU teachers on strike who demand the repeal of March 5 University Grants Commission's notice which prescribed the department-wise recruitment method. New Delhi, June 18 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with farmers across the country on Wednesday and address their concerns, an official statement said on Monday. "For the first time, the Prime Minister is going to have a direct dialogue with farmers across the country, in which various initiatives related to doubling the income of farmers by 2022 will also be discussed," Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh said. He said the Prime Minister will interact with the farmers of the country on Wednesday at 9.30 a.m. It will be broadcast directly by Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Common Service Centres (CSC), Doordarshan, DD Kissan and Aakashvaani from all over the country. "People will also be able to interact with the Prime Minister through 'Narendra Modi App'," he said. Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Gajendra Singh Shekhawat described the initiative as "historical". He urged the farmers across the country to ensure their participation in the event by visiting Krishi Vigyan Kendras and CCSs. Kolkata, June 18 : The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) here came across misuse of the ISI mark during a raid at three mineral water manufacturing units in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Monday, an official release said. The organisations in Sonapur area where the raids were conducted were Messers N Saha & Beverage of Joykrishnapur village, Messers Aqua Star of Boral, Dhalipara and Messers Prapti Beverage (Prapti Enterprise), Boral. During the raid, carried out by officials of Kolkata branch of BSI in association with Sonapur police station, misuse of ISI mark was found on large quantities with brand names of Nakshatra Aqua, Aqua Star and P.S. Green filled in 20 litre jars. The raids were carried out to prohibit misuse of the ISI mark and for consumer protection, the release said. Bhopal, June 18 : Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday said that all Hindu terrorists caught in the past have had been associated somehow with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). "All Hindu terrorists who have ever been caught have association with RSS in some way or the other. Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, was also part of RSS. "So, this ideology is spreading hatred, hatred breeds violence, and from violence is bred terrorism," he told a media channel. Asked to comment, Congress's spokesman Manish Tewari said he was not aware of Digvijaya Singh's remarks. Kolkata, June 18 : A number of rights organisations and radical Left groups questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on Kashimiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari's murder during their protest march here on Monday. The editor of Rising Kashmir, Bukhari was shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside his office on June 15. "It has been four days and the Prime Minister is still silent. The government, the military... none of them is out of the suspect list and we demand justice for the murder," said Basudev Basu, Vice President of Bandi Mukti Committee, after the protest march that started from the Academy of Fine Arts. According to him, the Indian government cannot shirk its responsibility. Some organisations said there was a need to investigate if the government was playing any role in the case. Refering to Bukhari's fearless voice on the Kashmir situation, Basu said: "The Centre had suspended truce in Jammu and Kashmir during the Eid festival but you all have read Bukhari's articles where he had clearly mentioned the way government is trying to tackle the situation in Kashmir will not satisfy them." "A few days back a BJP member of Parliament had said that stone pelters should be killed with bullets. Also, a man was tied to a military vehicle and taken around (to deter stone pelters). Bukhari had protested against all these and asserted that these problems ought to be solved as Kashmir cannot be isolated in this way," he added. The members of Bandi Mukti Committee, Friends of Democracy, All India People's Forum, South Asian Dalit Forum, Bastar Solidarity Network India and other organisations demanded punishment for all those involved in Bukhari's murder. The marchers condemnied the killings of all journalists who spoke out on sensitive issues like Dalit killings and Kashmir situation. "It is very sad that the writers who talk about peace are being attacked and killed. We want everyone to react against this injustice," said Indranil Biswas, member of Swaraj Abhiyan. New Delhi, June 18 : With some medical colleges run by the Bihar government found to be deficient in facilities and declared unfit for further admissions, the Supreme Court on Monday slammed the state government, saying: "You are going to treat human beings, not animals." "What would happen to the patients if you have an infrastructure like this? You are going to treat human beings, not animals. In a previous judgment, we have already said you are producing half-baked doctors," a bench of Justice S. Abdul Nazeer and Justice Indu Malhotra said while censuring the Bihar government. The governments of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand had approached the apex court against a Medical Council of India (MCI) order prohibiting this year's admission of students in medical colleges after they were found to be deficient in facilities. As the counselling for admission to MBBS course is set to begin from Tuesday, the state governments said they have taken various steps to remove or rectify all the deficiencies pointed out by the MCI and assured the bench that they were committed to take the measures and steps to rectify the remaining deficiencies as soon as possible. After the Centre asked the bench to let the colleges take admission of students and the MCI will inspect them again after three months, the court said: "We hereby direct that in view of the undertakings submitted by the Principal Secretary of each of the three states, permission is granted to the aforesaid government medical colleges for admission to the MBBS course for the current academic year 2018-19. "The seats in the aforesaid government medical colleges will be included in the seat matrix, for which counselling is scheduled to take place on June 19," stated the order. It added that the MCI will carry out an inspection after three months to "verify that the state governments have in fact carried out compliance to rectify the deficiencies pointed out". If the deficiencies are not removed within the period specified, "the Principal Secretary of each of the states will be held personally responsible for non-compliance with the orders passed by this court", said the bench. The court earlier asked the state governments to explain by June 18 the nature of deficiencies, pointed out by the MCI, if those are rectified or not, a clear-cut timeline within which those deficiencies will be rectified. The MCI had disallowed any admission in three medical colleges run by the Bihar government -- Government Medical College, Bettiah, Vardhaman Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), Pawapuri, and Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH), Gaya. Uttar Pradesh's four medical colleges which were denied by the MCI to admit students were Government Allopathic Medical College, Banda, Government Medical College (Shaikh-UlHind-Maulana Mohmood Hassan Medical College), Saharanpur, Government Medical College and Super Specialty Hospital, Azamgarh, and Rajkiya Medical College, Jalaun. M.G.M. Medical College of Jharkhand failed to get the MCI's clearance for admission due to lack of requisite facilities. New Delhi, June 18 : A day after the Central government decided not to extend the Ramadan ceasefire in the Kashmir Valley, Indian Army chief, General Bipin Rawat on Monday visited Jammu and Kashmir to review the security situation, an official statement said. Rawat, accompanied by the newly-appointed Northern Army chief, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, visited forward areas in the state and was briefed by Lt Gen Saranjeet Singh, GOC White Knight Corps, on the prevailing security situation, the statement said. Later, Rawat visited the village of rifleman Aurangzeb, who was abducted and later killed by militants in Gusoo village of Kashmir's Pulwama district. "Speaking to the father of the braveheart, he assured all possible assistance to the family. He also assured the family, that the supreme sacrifice rendered by the brave son of India will not go in vain." "The Army Chief, during his visit to forward areas, also interacted with the soldiers and complemented them for their professionalism, selfless commitment and loyalty...the Army Chief commended the synergy between all security agencies and civil administration in Jammu and Kashmir," the statement said. New Delhi, June 18 : Nirav Modi, the prime accused in a Rs 13,500 crore fraud at the Punjab National Bank (PNB), travelled multiple times to Britain, US, China, Cuba and France on a revoked Indian passport with additional booklets, despite his details shared on the "central database of Interpol internationally", according to inputs given by Britain to Indian agencies. Informed sources said that Nirav Modi travelled five times between these countries on his revoked passport No Z1781888, which has additional six booklets carrying different series, between February 10 and March 31. The Indian agencies said a June 5 letter, shared by Britain, revealed that the fugitive businessman travelled from US' John F. Kennedy International Airport to Britain's Heathrow Airport on February 10, from Frank Pais Airport in Cuba to Heathrow on February 15, from Heathrow to Hong Kong International Airport on March 15, from there back to Heathrow on March 28 and from Heathrow to Charles de Gaulle Airport in France on March 31. "Information about Nirav Modi was updated on central database of Interpol internationally on February 15 when we issued a diffusion notice against him and shared it with 192 Interpol member countries. His passport details was also updated just after it was revoked by MEA (Ministry of External Affairs)," Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson Abhishek Dayal told IANS. A diffusion notice is issued directly by an international entity to the countries of their choice to take their help in identifying location, physical description, photograph and fingerprints of an accused wanted in offence with which he or she is charged. The notice is issued through the Interpol, an international police organization, to facilitate international police cooperation. Interpol offices in Britain, US, France, United Arab Emirates, Belgium and Singapore were informed about revocation of Nirav Modi's passport but these Interpol member countries didn't inform India about his movements, said sources, adding they were shared the information about the fugitive more than four times since the diffusion notice was issued. Only Britain responded to India's diffusion notice issued to it on April 25, May 22, May 24 and May 28, but the response came in June, said the sources. "UK Interpol should have informed India Interpol (CBI) when Nirav Modi travelled from London to Belgium," said the CBI source, adding they still did not know the exact locations of the diamond merchant but the details of his further movements are supposed to be shared with them soon. Sources said "the details received from Britain authorities in response to the diffusion notice have been shared with other sister agencies in foreign countries". Further investigation and action in this regard is in progress, they said. But the sources did not throw any light on whether the British communication talked about the presence of the fugitive in that country. The CBI on June 11 also approached Interpol to issue Red Corner Notices (RCN) against Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, promoter of Gitanjali Group, also wanted in the PNB fraud. The RCNs were issued to help track Nirav Modi and Choksi and return them to India through official channels to face trial in the bank scam case in which the CBI recently filed two chargesheets. Letters Rogatory (LRs) in the cases lodged against Nirav Modi by the Enforcement Directorate, the CBI and the Income Tax Department were sent to the UK Central Authority (UKCA) on March 19, April 14 and April 15 respectively. Nirav Modi, his wife, his brother and Choksi fled the country before the PNB complained against their companies, saying it had been cheated through fraudulent issue of Letters of Undertakings and Foreign Letters of Credit. In its chargesheets filed last month, the CBI alleged that Nirav Modi, through his companies, siphoned off funds to the tune of Rs 6,498.20 crore using fraudulent LoUs issued from PNB's Brady House branch in Mumbai. Choksi swindled Rs 7,080.86 crore, making it possibly the biggest banking scam in the country, it alleged. An additional loan default of over Rs 5,000 crore by Choksi's companies is also being probed by the CBI. (Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in) New Delhi, June 18 : The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Monday declared the results of its 2018 MBBS entrance exam for the 800 seats at the hospital's nine campuses across the country. The top three ranks were bagged by girls. "The results of the AIIMS-MBBS 2018 Entrance Examination held on May 26 and 27 for 800 seats in AIIMS, New Delhi and other eight AIIMS were declared... This time the first three ranks went to females," AIIMS media and protocol division Chairperson Aarti Vij said. The results have been posted on the hospital's official website - aiimsexam.org. There are 100 seats each in AIIMS New Delhi, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh and for the first time, 50 seats each in AIIMS Mangalagiri (in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur) and Nagpur, the hospital said in a statement. The entire examination was held in computer based test (online) mode and for the first time in four shifts spread across two days. The examination was conducted in 316 centres in 154 cities across 29 states and three Union Territories in both Hindi and English. Of the 4,52,931 applicants, 3,74,520 appeared in the exam. The number of female candidates was 2,03,427, the number of male candidates was 1,71,077 and there were 16 third gender candidates. A total of 7,617 candidates have qualified (2,705 females and 4,912 males) and are eligible for online counselling session for admission in AIIMS, the hospital said. It said that in the first round of online counselling, candidates four times the number of seats available in each category will be exercising their choices. "If the seats remain vacant in the initial round of counselling, then the online counselling process will be opened to other eligible candidates," it said. From this year onwards, the counselling process will be conducted in online mode except in the open round, AIIMS said. Kolkata, June 18 : India and Russia are setting a target for $30 billion in bilateral trade by 2025 and the two countries are working towards developing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to facilitate that target, a Russian diplomat said here on Monday. "India and Russia have set a bilateral trade target of $30 billion by 2025. This includes the sales of defence equipment, civil nuclear energy apart from other commodities," Russian Consul General in Kolkata Alexey M. Idamkin said at a session on the current and future perspectives of Russia-India relations at the Bharat Chamber of Commerce here. "That bilateral trade volume, that saw some decline till 2016, has witnessed a steady growth in 2017 and exceeded the mark of $8 billion which is 21 per cent higher than the previous year," he said. Referring to the geographical factor that has been a principal hurdle in developing the trade relationship between the two countries in spite of their long-standing diplomatic relationship, he said that the International North-South Transport Corridor, a multi-modal network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia and certain European countries has a chance of starting within the next couple of years. "The North-South corridor would go through Iran and central Asia and it might have connection with some of the European countries. The nodal port will be certain Iranian ports like Chabahar to cut short the distance. Some test containers were sent successfully. It is not yet operational but it has a good potential to start in the near future. May be in a couple of years," Idamkin said. He said India and Russia are working together in research, development and production of advanced defence systems which is ably aided by India's 'Make In India' initiative, that provides unlimited opportunities of engagement between the Russian companies and India's private defence manufacturers. "In the pipeline are one of the best air defence systems, the fifth generation fighter jet project and the Kamov 226T helicopters which will also be produced under the Make In India initiative. One part of it is going to be exported from Russia while majority of it will be built in India. The other initiatives like Project 75I-class submarine and refuelling tankers are also on the way," he said. Idamkin also said the possibility of a maritime corridor between India's Chennai and Russia's Vladivostok is being discussed at an official level and has support from both the governments. However, he refused to give a specific time frame about when the project will commence. Asked about the impact of US-China trade conflict based on tariffs on Russian economy, he said it would hardly affect Russia as the country's economy is robust and has been growing at a stable rate in recent years. "I feel the Russian economy is robust enough to withstand all form of international commotion that may occur in the world economy. A trade war is not the best thing for the world economy. However, I do not see any danger to the Russian economy which is quiet stable since the last year. Though the projected growth is not very high, the growth rate is quite stable," he added. New Delhi/Bengaluru, June 18 : Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said on Monday that the state will soon send to the Centre the names of its nominees in the Cauvery Water Management Board (CMB) and the Regulation Authority but it will have to address certain issues first. Kumaraswamy told reporters in New Delhi that they have to abide by the Supreme Court judgement in the case relating to the sharing of Cauvery waters with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. However, the Chief Minister's office in Karnataka released a letter in Bengaluru urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to operate the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and its regulation committee till the issues related to cropping pattern were addressed. Kumaraswamy, who met Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari in the national capital, said later that the issues related to the Board were among others taken up during the discussions. "There were two or three technical issues regarding the setting up of the board which had to be sorted out before it starts functioning. I requested Water Resources Ministry to change two-three clauses and it has responded positively," he said. He said the state has expressed concerns over issues such as proposed revision of water quantity in the dams by the Board at the interval of 10 days, Board's directions on water release and to farmers on which crops to cultivate. "That is impractical. It is not plausible for farmers to implement the directions. These are the issues I raised objections to," he said. Earlier, he had reportedly said that Parliament should have discussed the matter and a resolution passed on the issue of setting up the Board. Karnataka has been opposed to the setting up of the Board and prefers a negotiated solution to the vexed water sharing issue. Kumaraswamy said his state had already released water to Tamil Nadu before it asked and he would have no problem in releasing Tamil Nadu its full share if the monsoon is good. On the issue of demand of 50 per cent share from the centre for farm loan-waiver, Kumaraswamy said: "I requested the Prime Minister. But there was no specific assurance." In a letter to Modi, released to the media in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said the Water Resources Ministry should be asked not to operate the CWMA till the issues related to cropping pattern were addressed. "I request you to direct the Ministry of Water Resources not to operate the CWMA till issues related to changing the cropping pattern in Karnataka or Tamil Nadu are resolved," he wrote. Asserting that there was no emergent situation in Tamil Nadu warranting an urgent meeting of the CWMA, Kumaraswamy urged the Prime Minister to keep the their functions on hold till the contentious issues were resolved. "Till the issues are resolved and a logical conclusion reached, enforcing the scheme for operating the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal Award be deferred to a later date," reiterated the letter Kumaraswamy gave to Modi at a meeting in Delhi earlier in the day. Noting that changes in the agricultural system could not happen overnight, the letter said farmers would take a long time to realise the value of water and to switch over to modern farming practices. "It is impractical to force a particular cropping pattern on farmers who have a method of operating over the centuries. Attempt to impose restrictions on farmers on the type of crop to be grown or their agricultural practices will result in protests by farmers, leading to law and order problem," the letter reminded. As directed by the Supreme Court on May 18, the Centre on June 1 notified the CWMA for implementing the Tribunal Award on sharing of the river water between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry in southern India. The CWMA will implement the 2007 Tribunal award as per the scheme formulated by the Union Water Resources Ministry as directed by the apex court. After 40 years of ownership, Aspelin Ramm has sold Alna senter shopping centre in Oslo to Joh Johannson Eiendom AS. The centre has five million annual visitors and an annual turnover of NOK 2 billion. Aspelin Ramm took over the logistics centre at Alna in 1978 and has developed it from 1995 to becom... [] Park Inn by Radisson plans to re-open the Park Inn by Radisson Danube Bratislava after an extensive renovation over the last two years. The hotel is located in the heart of the historic center, near to Bratislava Castle and the Danube River. The hotel features 240 rooms and suites, including [] The property at 1 Kilmore Road, Gisborne, has been listed for sale. The 2.1 hectare property comes with a dilapidated 1840s hotel. It is on the market for $1,395,000. Macedon House at 1 Kilmore Road is because it is a rare surviving example of an early Victorian hotel, according to Heritage Council Victoria. The rendered bluestone building retains a host of original features, including the hardwood-framed roof, chimneys, sash widows and timber mouldings. The building sits about 500 metres from the township. The property was at the gateway to Gisborne. It is offered through Rodney Morley agent Rodney Morley. The property is located in a road and rural conservation zone on two titles made up of eight allotments. It has 214 metre frontage to Melbourne Road. It has attracted buyers wanting to establish a retirement village, Morley noted. It is believed to have been built for Elizabeth and Thomas Gordon as the Mount Macedon Hotel. The hotel changed hands over the years, also including a blacksmiths business from 1863 to 1867. From the 1880s, it became a boarding and guest house for many years. During the 20th century it has been a private house, restaurant, reception centre, bowling clubhouse and school. Photo: Heritage Victoria The property also includes significant trees including monterey cypresses, an Irish strawberry tree and English oak trees. The funds management company Blue Sky Alternative Investments has decided not to complete the purchase of a large-scale farm on the Queensland-NSW border, according to the Australian Financial Review. Blue Sky held an option for the 1666-hectare Lochiel station on the Dumaresq River between Texas and Goondiwindi. It was for $8.7 million, but Blue Sky has informed the owner it is unable to complete the deal. The Lochiel deal included a host of water rights as well 697 megalitres of river water entitlements, 836 megalitres of bore water and 252 megalitres of overland flow. National property group CFMG Capital will launch a new residential community in the Brisbane to Gold Coast growth corridor after buying a land parcel in Ormeau Hills. The 5.4 hectare piece of land will be home to Elevate, CFMG Capitals latest lifestyle endeavour which will provide 100 residential allotments for home buyers and investors seeking entry into the highly-contested region. The site was bought for $7.6 million through Colliers International. CFMG Capital general manager Andrew Thomson said there was intense competition for quality sites in Brisbanes southern growth corridor. Strategically positioned approximately 25 kilometres north of the Gold Coast CBD and 45 kilometres south of the Brisbane CBD, he said the project site ticked all the boxes CFMG Capital used to assess project opportunities. As the future community Elevate, this new acquisition at Ormeau Hills will be developed among an abundance of already established lifestyle amenity, health and education facilities, outdoor living, public transport and major road networks. The project site currently has the benefits of an existing approval for a 96 lot residential community and is situated within a kilometre of the Ormeau Town Centre and the future North Ormeau town centre, which includes Woolworths, Coles and IGA supermarkets, petrol stations, cafes and specialty shops, he said. Sydneys residential vacancy rate has steadied, according to research from the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales. The REINSW Deputy President Peter Matthews said the May 2018 REINSW Vacancy Rate Survey saw availability fall just 0.1 percentage points at 2.4 per cent across the Sydney metropolitan area. We have seen a level of consistency for renters as we move into the cooler months, Mr Matthews said. In Inner Sydney vacancy rates are back on the upward trend with a rise of 0.2 percentage points to 2.4 per cent, while Outer Sydney fell 0.1 percentage points at 2.4 per cent and Middle Sydney fell 0.3 percentage points at 2.6 per cent. In the Hunter, vacancy rates fell 0.1 percentage points to 1.6 per cent, with Newcastle dropped 0.3 percentage points at 1.9 per cent. The Illawarra added 0.3 percentage points to 2.4 per cent with Wollongong falling 0.2 percentage points to 2.1 per cent. Across regional areas, New England and Northern Rivers remained steady at 1.9 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively, while Albury rose 0.2 percentage points to 2.0 per cent and the South Coast jumped 0.5 percentage points to 3.5 per cent. The Australian Financial Review Rich Lister Harry Triguboff has sued Fairfax Media complaining the newspaper had gravely injured his character and reputation, and he had suffered hurt and embarrassment, and will continue to suffer loss and damage. The matter complained of was an article headlined Developers offer stamp duty discounts as off-the plan apartment sales slow published last August. The article quoted managing director of CBRE Residential Projects, David Milton saying "developers who rely heavily on foreign buyers or sell poorer quality stock tend to revert to these tactics. Meriton have been selling stock overseas and havent focused on the local market and for property developers like Meriton, in order to sell lower quality products, they have to offer discounts, Milton said. The article added while Sydney apartment sales had slowed overall compared to the frenzied years of 2003 and 2014 given higher foreign buyer surcharges and cut in bank lending to investors David Milton said apartments were still selling at healthy levels, particularly those in good locations and are well developed. The article included an artists impression of a Meriton project in Pagewood and Meriton's Altitude apartments in Parramatta. Triguboff submitted that the defamatory condition attributed to him is his conduct in running a business that produces low quality products. He submitted that the "quote in the article from CBRE was the primary part of the article where the allegation of discounting by reason of low quality is made and is clearly capable of being carried." He submitted that an "allegation that a person who in the business of making something produces something that is low quality is clearly capable of being defamatory." But Triguboff's claim failed as the article didn't mention him by name but only made critical comments about his company, Meriton. Companies with more than 10 employees cannot sue for defamation. Triguboff's legal team, Ms S Chrysanthou with Mr N Olson assisted by lawyer Mark O'Brien argued that given his name was so synonymous with the Meriton brand, he could reasonably be personally identified as the target of claims about the company. He cited Matthew Lennartz; Andrew Hope; Tim Franzen; Nichola Malouf; and Walter Gordon as readers who who both read the matter complained of and identified the applicant, Harry Triguboff. It was submitted by Mr Triguboff that evidence would most likely not be required to establish, for example, that Mr James Packer was identified by a publication which referred to Crown Casino, because of the notoriety of his connection with that business. Fairfax Media lawyers argued that the pleaded imputations lack the necessary defamatory sting, because it was not defamatory of a company or its management to say that a company (and thus effectively, on this alternative argument, Mr Triguboff) produces something of low quality. Fairfax argued that the term used in the article was merely descriptive, and not a statement reflecting adversely on Mr Triguboffs conduct of his business. Fairfax was represented by Banki Haddock Fiora, with barristers, Mr A T S Dawson SC with Ms S Jeliba. he article suggested that developers such as Meriton sometimes address a slow-down in sales of poorer quality apartments by offering stamp duty discounts. Federal Court Justice Robert Bromwich noted t But he ruled that a reference to a company can't be seen as automatically a reference to those who run or own it, "however notorious the fact of that ownership". Former financial adviser, Gabriel Nakhl, was convicted in the District Court of New South Wales on 8 June 2018 on 8 charges brought by ASIC of engaging in dishonest conduct with investor funds. Mr Nakhl, of Illawong, NSW pleaded guilty to being knowingly engaged in dishonest conduct in relation to twelve investors. The conduct occurred between March 2009 and March 2011 while Mr Nakhl was an authorised representative of Australian Financial Services Limited (in liquidation) and from about March 2011 to about September 2013 while he was the sole director of SydFA Pty Ltd (in liquidation). Mr Nakhl pleaded guilty to 8 counts under section 1041G of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). The matter has been listed for a 3 day sentence hearing commencing on 11 March 2019. The charges were brought against Mr Nakhl following an ASIC investigation. The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions is prosecuting the matter. Background In February 2013, ASIC obtained court orders against Mr Nakhl preventing him from disposing of, dealing with or otherwise diminishing certain assets. See 13-023MR for more details. In September 2013, Mr Nakhl became a bankrupt and placed SydFA Pty Ltd into liquidation. In November 2013, ASIC accepted an enforceable undertaking from Mr Nakhl that permanently restricts him from providing financial services and restricts him from managing a corporation for 15 years. See 13-313MR for more details. Intelegencia announced earlier today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Microtech Global Solutions, a Manila based Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firm. Microtech started its operations with its main objective to offer a superior and consistent customer experience through its well established BPO service offerings. Microtech supports its customers with both voice and non-voice support. Inbound/Outbound Voice and Chat offerings include customer care, inside sales, lead generation and Helpdesk/Tech Support. Non-Voice offerings include Data Entry, Email and Finance/Accounting Back Office services. "I am excited to welcome Microtech to the Intelegencia family. Through Microtech, our expanded BPO portfolio now offers our customers wide array of 24/7 365 days business process continuity," said Perry Chaturvedi, Intelegencia Founder and CEO. "We are very happy and feel very fortunate to become part of Intelegencia, a company that shares our passion for providing superior customer care services and so much more. With Intelegencia's strong foundation and excellent leadership, we know that our collective portfolio is even more compelling to our customers," said Microtech's Founder and CEO, Mico Areglado. Mr. Areglado will assume the role of Country Head for Intelegencia Philippines operations. The Southern States Area Conferencean event hosted by the NARPM (National Association of Residential Property Managers)is slated to occur on June 27-29, 2018. Now, it can count on a new guest from a few states over: American IRA, a Self-Directed IRA administration firm from North Carolina, is slated to attend the conference. Said CEO Jim Hitt: the Southern States Area Conference is so vital to the southeastern region. And with the NARPM Atlanta chapter hosting this edition in Charleston, SC, it is just too good to pass up. That is why American IRA is sending some of our folks to attend. Those who attend the conference are expected to listen to classes such as Marketing for Residential Property Management, in which experienced speakers detail the best practices for maintaining and promoting real estate. Because the Self-Directed IRA allows for holding real estate within a retirement account, this information is highly pertinent to both American IRA and its clients who hold Self-Directed IRAs themselves. We are not looking to live in a bubble, said Jim Hitt. If there is good information out there, we want to know about it. Jim Hitt noted that while American IRA does not offer direct financial advice to its clients, thanks to its role as a Self-Directed IRA custodian, the firm does look to keep up on the latest trends by networking with area experts and connecting with other professionals in the same industry. It is really a great way for us to expand our horizons, said Jim Hitt. But what is even better is that we have such a great organization coming up to South Carolina and hosting this event. Not only will there be a lot of great people there from South Carolina, but we expect to see many of our neighbors from North Carolina there, too. For more information about the event, visit the NARPM website. Interested parties can contact American IRA at 866-7500-IRA or visit http://www.AmericanIRA.com. "About: American IRA, LLC was established in 2004 by Jim Hitt, CEO in Asheville, NC. The mission of American IRA is to provide the highest level of customer service in the self-directed retirement industry. Jim Hitt and his team have grown the company to over $400 million in assets under administration by educating the public that their Self-Directed IRA account can invest in a variety of assets such as real estate, private lending, limited liability companies, precious metals and much more. As a Self-Directed IRA administrator, they are a neutral third party. They do not make any recommendations to any person or entity associated with investments of any type (including financial representatives, investment promoters or companies, or employees, agents or representatives associated with these firms). They are not responsible for and are not bound by any statements, representations, warranties or agreements made by any such person or entity and do not provide any recommendation on the quality profitability or reputability of any investment, individual or company. The term "they" refers to American IRA, located in Asheville and Charlotte, NC." Alloy LED's ThruLine Under Cabinet Fixtures In Use As owners of a company headquartered in California that manufactures energy-efficient lighting, we at Alloy LED felt like we were in a unique position to help Habitat for Humanity in their mission to provide affordable housing and furnishings to families in northern California. Alloy LED has made a donation of the first generation of their ThruLine Under Cabinet LED Fixtures, worth over $60,000, to the northern California chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The Energy Star rating for this under cabinet light guarantees a superior combination of energy efficiency and quality of light for residential and commercial installations. ThruLines feature a high CRI value of 90+ CRI, which means they render colors, especially warm tones, accurately. Alloy LED Marketing Director Dan Nelson says, "As owners of a company headquartered in California that manufactures energy-efficient lighting, we felt like we were in a unique position to help Habitat for Humanity in their mission to provide affordable housing and furnishings to families in northern California. These fixtures not only provide great-looking light and have a long lifespan, they also ensure that energy savings are passed on to those who benefit from Habitats services. Theyre also a fixture thats familiar to most electricians, making it a fast installation for Habitats volunteers." This donation from Alloy LED is really appreciated. Its a big help in fulfilling our mission to build community, hope and homes in the Bay Area. said David Gray, a Business Development consultant for Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley. What well do with these fixtures is offer them for sale in our Oakland ReStore location. Here in the Bay area its really challenging to get families into affordable homes, and proceeds from sales at the ReStores help create affordable mortgages, and provide financial counseling and renovation costs. Items from the ReStores are also available to these families at a discount to make it easier to furnish their homes with what they need. These ReStores also help support Habitat initiatives like our new one to build bridge homes for the homeless in the South Bay and East Bay. ThruLine fixtures offer a variety of benefits for under cabinet LED lighting. These Energy Star-rated LED fixtures connect directly to AC house power, with no need for an external transformer, which makes installation quick and easy. The fixtures emit bright, warm light that can be dimmed using a common household dimmer switch, and with the diffuser cover, the LEDs emit a smooth, even light with no hotspots. Sturdy construction provides protection from dust, grease, and moisture and ensures years of use. Monster Tree Service, the nations first and fastest-growing tree service franchise, is expanding to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Recently featured by SUCCESS Magazine, Thrive Global, and Franchise Times, the Monster Tree Service franchise continues to build on its rapid three-year franchise system growth. Business entrepreneur Matt Motyka has purchased the rights to a Monster Tree Service territory in Lancaster. Motyka was recently awarded the territory and plans to launch in late June. Motyka is a Pennsylvania native, born and raised in northeastern Pennsylvania. He has experience both in small business ownership and in corporate banking. I am so excited to be on board with Monster Tree Service, says Motyka. Im looking forward to once again being a small business owner. Together with my wife, Nicole, and general manager, Bill Laporte, Im looking forward to giving back to my community through our wide array of services, including tree and limb removal, plant healthcare, tree maintenance and more. Josh Skolnick, CEO and Founder of Monster Tree Service, is confident Motyka will be a tremendous asset to the Monster Tree Service franchise. Matt is an ideal Monster Tree Service franchisee, says Skolnick. He has experience with small business ownership, a tremendous head for numbers and an entrepreneurial spirit that cant be stopped. He has a knack for understanding the needs of his community, and I am confident he will thrive as the newest member of the Monster family. We are thrilled to have him on our team. Monster Tree Service is the only franchise tree company capitalizing on the under-served $17 billion tree service industry. Monster Tree Service has achieved consistent year-over-year, five percent growth since 2009, resulting in a $10+ million business. Because its a high-upside opportunity, and a recession-proof business, Monster Tree Service expects to achieve $100 million in sales by 2021. Monster Tree Service is growing rapidly, and Im glad to be joining the team, says Motyka. This franchise is absolutely perfect for me. It combines my love of business with my love of nature. Im really looking forward to being able to work outside and get my hands dirty. I know Ive made the right choice in Monster Tree Service as the business model has proven to be profitable, and the franchise is full of hard-working, genuine people. I hope to build a business that my wife and I could one day pass down to our son. I cant wait to get started. For more information about Monster Tree Service, please visit http://www.whymonster.com/. For more information about Monster Tree Service franchise opportunities, please visit http://www.monsterfranchising.com/. To learn more about CEO Josh Skolnicks vision for Monster Tree Service, please visit https://www.monsterfranchising.com/vision-story. About Monster Tree Service Founded in 2008 in Fort Washington, PA by Founder and CEO Josh Skolnick, Monster Tree Service is the first and only national franchise brand serving the $17 billion tree care industry. Over the past decade, Skolnick has aggressively built Monster Tree Service into a thriving national franchise system working day and night to build the company into a $10+ million business with 26 franchise partners in 17 states operating 58 active territories (with dozens of others in development) throughout the country. Each Monster Tree Service franchised outlet offers full-scale tree pruning and removal services, including: tree pruning and trimming, tree removal, stump grinding, shrub maintenance, emergency services, plant healthcare, and various secondary services. In stark contrast to various mom and pop style tree service companies, all Monster Tree Service franchise owners are dedicated to Making the world a more beautiful place, one tree at a time by providing homeowners with unparalleled service completed by certified professionals. Monster Tree Service is committed to educating all customers on the natural conditions, diseases and infestations that impact the health of their plants/trees and treating all issues with an environmentally friendly, Do Not Harm approach. Its all part of the Monster Tree Service vision to partner with homeowners across the country to make their trees healthy, strong, and vital. For more information about Monster Tree Service, please visit http://www.whymonster.com/. For more information about Monster Tree Service franchise opportunities, please visit http://www.monsterfranchising.com/. If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move. The 2018 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals were awarded on Monday at a ceremony at the British Library in London hosted by TV presenter and author June Sarpong. U.K. author Geraldine McCaughrean won her second CILIP Carnegie Medal for Where the World Ends (Usborne), a dramatic middle grade historical novel set in the far north of Scotland. The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal went to Canadian illustrator Sydney Smith for his illustrations in Joanne Schwartzs Town Is by the Sea (Walker Books). The author of more than 160 books published in 61 countries, McCaughrean is frequently described as one of the U.K.s greatest writers. She won her first Carnegie Medal 30 years ago for A Pack of Lies and has been shortlisted for the Medal more times than any other author in the intervening years. She won the Guardian Childrens Fiction Prize for the same title and has been a three-time winner of the Whitbread/Costa Award. In 2008 she also won the Michael L Printz Award for The White Darkness, which she said for an Englishwoman was the most amazing, startling thrill. McCaughrean has also just won a new award, last week, for Where the World Ends, in the childrens category of the U.K. Independent Bookshops 2018 Book Awards. Speaking to PW of todays medal success, McCaughrean said: The Carnegie Medal is the prize every author wants. I am almost ashamed of how much I wanted to win it a second time, 30 years after the firstan affirmation that my talent had not waned, that I can still entertain. CILIP, who award the prize, are an awesome association of people who know books, and champion reading and ready access to books. Their motives are the same as such towering visionaries as Andrew Carnegie, who established the first free public libraries and allowed rich and poor alike to delight in books. Libraries are bookshops where the goods are free. They instil a love of reading which, in its turn, imparts all kinds of priceless gifts vocabulary, escape, empathy, excitement. The Carnegie Medal will mean that my story reaches thousands more people. A certain handful of barely-literate boys marooned on a Scottish rock 300 years ago would be astounded to find themselves centre stage, restored to life by the magic of fiction. At the ceremony McCaughrean gave a speech petitioning against the dumbing down of language in childrens literature and stressing the importance of children and young peoples right to language, expression and information. She praised her fellow Medals nominees for their unflinching look at difficult subject matter, from the Black Lives Matter movement to bullying and depression. Town Is by the Sea, for which Smith won the Greenaway Medal, is set in the coal-mining town Glace Bay, located on Nova Scotias Cape Breton Island, in the 1950s, and contrasts a childs life of play, in a bright world above ground, with an adults world of work, in the perilous subterranean world of a mining pit. Smith researched his illustrations at the Miners Museum in Glace Bay and took inspiration for his expressive brush work from Impressionist artists such as J.M.W. Turner. Previously winner of the 2015 Governor Generals Award for Illustrated Childrens Books for his illustrations to Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson, this was Smiths first nomination for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Accepting the Medal Smith said, Although this story is specific to a place and a time, the context of childhood is universal. There is something so beautiful about the universality of the complicated richness of youth. It is a dream come true to see my work, crafted from my heart, for family and my home to be honored by the highest of praises. There is no better feeling than to be recognized for something that was created with sincerity and joy. I regard this honor as a challenge to continue to work with such tools. In addition to their medals, McCaughrean and Smith each receive 500 worth of books to donate to a library of their choice and a 5,000 cash prize from the Colin Mears Award. Themes of empowering children to stand up for their beliefs and encouraging them to shape the world around them are celebrated in both the Amnesty CILIP Honour commendations. From the CILIP Carnegie Medal shortlist, the Honour went to U.S. debut author Angie Thomas for The Hate U Give (Walker Books). Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, it tells the story of 16-year-old Starr following the fatal shooting of a best friend by a white police officer. The Amnesty CILIP Honour from the Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist went to British artist and former Medal winner Levi Pinfold for his illustrations in The Song from Somewhere Else by A.F. Harrold (Bloomsbury). Not long after Ellen Archer took over as head of Houghton Mifflin Harcourts trade group in late 2015, she received a corporate mandate to cut costsan order that resulted in the elimination of more than 20 jobs in the trade division (and many more in the much larger education group). The cuts, coupled with Archer bringing in some of her own people, gave the HMH trade group a different feel by the middle of 2017, compared to when Archers predecessor, Gary Gentel, retired in spring 2016. Driven by e-book sales of The Handmaids Tale and 1984, print sales of the Whole30 series and Tim Ferrisss Tribe of Mentors and Tools of Titans, and sales of such backlist print title sales as The Polar Express and The Giver, revenue in the group rose 11.4% in 2017 over 2016, and the trade unit posted net income of almost $2 million compared to a loss of $7 million in the prior year. In a recent interview at HMHs New York offices on Park Avenue, Archer said she sees the transition as largely over. We have a great mix of talent, she noted. Some people have been here for over 20 years and bring great institutional knowledge, and some have been here for 10 years or less and bring different skills. Archer acknowledged that prior to joining HMH, she had little experience with childrens publishing; her last full-time publishing job had been as publisher of Hyperion, a position she left after Disney sold the unit in 2013. Getting involved with childrens publishing has been very energizing, she said. With her limited childrens publishing background, one of Archers most important decisions was naming Catherine Onder as head of the Books for Young Readers division; Onder took over for Betsy Groban, who left HMH in 2016 after 10 years with the company. Archer said that in hiring Onder, she was looking for someone to add more commercial and young adult titles to complement HMHs list of picture books and middle grade titles. Cat has a great eye, she added. Another new element to the childrens group is author Kwame Alexanders forthcoming imprint, Versify, which will release its first titles in spring 2019. Archer said that Alexander, who will be working with his longtime editor Margaret Raymo on the imprint, recently finished a long tour, during which he was spreading the incredible magic of books. She added, We think his addition will really enrich our list. Childrens books account for about 300 of the roughly 500 books that HMH publishes annuallya number Archer expects to stay relatively constant over the next few years. On the adult side, HMHs lifestyle and culinary titles have sold well. In addition to Melissa Hartwigs Whole30 series, titles in the Instant Pot line have sold about 500,000 copies. And in something of a Whole30 spin-off, HMH just released The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook by Whole30 contributor and blogger Michelle Smith. Archer said Hartwig will continue to look for talent to add to the Whole30 line. To expand the culinary and lifestyle category even more, HMH hired Deb Brody as editorial director, lifestyle and culinary, in October 2016. Deb is very driven and creative, Archer said, noting that not long after arriving at HMH, Brody commissioned the RBG Workout, which has sold nearly 40,000 copies since its October 2017 publication, according to NPD BookScan. With its sales of nearly $185 million last year, Archer considers HMH to be a mid-major publisher. She said HMH gets to see all the projects it is interested in and the relatively small trade staff (of about 200) lets the company move quickly in responding to trends. All parts of the organization, Archer said, work closely together. As an example of HMHs teamwork, she cited how in-house excitement and momentum built for Friday Black, a collection of short stories by debut author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Archer described Adjei-Brenyah as a protege of George Saunders, who, in a blurb for the fall release, wrote, "These stories are an excitement and a wonder." Mary Karr said the novel is the fiction debut of the year, and I cant cheer it loudly enough. Fiction only accounts for about 15% of HMHs adult list, and, as a result, e-bookswhich sell best in fictionhave never been as large a factor in HMHs sales as they have for the Big Five. E-book sales vary from year to year, Archer said, noting that though the format did very well last year with Handmaids Tale and 1984, it is unclear how it will fare this year. And unlike the Big Five, HMH does not have a separate audiobook divisionand even with the explosive growth of digital audio, Archer said conversations about possibly creating an audio unit are only beginning. One venture that Archer is extremely high on is HMH Productions. Founded several years ago by HMHs consumer group (which is now closed but had been overseen by HMHs education division), the unit recently joined the trade unit under the direction of Caroline Fraser, whose mandate is to exploit HMH trades intellectual property through different platforms. Its biggest deal to date has been with Netflix for Carmen Sandiego. A 10-part animated series is set to begin in January 2019, and another 10-part series is set for fall 2019. A live-action film starring Gina Rodriguez is also in the works. In addition to producing the series, HMH is developing a publishing program around the show and is also reaching out to other potential partners, such as toy companies, to develop related products. Another property that HMH owns is Oregon Trail, which HMH Productions is developing for TV and film. This fall, HMH will launch an Oregon Trail young readers publishing program with four choose-your-own-trail paperbacks. For adults, the company will publish a send-up titled And Then You Die of Dysentery: Lessons in Adulting from the Oregon Trail. Archer said that with Fraser spending lots of time in Hollywood, she is able to get a good sense of what the film and television studios are looking for, and she communicates that back to HMH editors in an effort to find properties that can transfer to the screen. Archer is eyeing the publishing opportunities opened by Amazon Studios release of its TV series of J.R.R. Tolkiens Lord of the Rings in 2020 or 2021. HMH has Tolkiens entire backlist, and although its publishing plans for the Amazon series arent firm, HMH is talking to the Tolkien estate and Amazon about possible companion titles and new editions. Im really thrilled by what we have accomplished since Ive been here, Archer said. It is a testament to the passion and pride the team has about the business. The nonprofit VIDA: Women in Literary Arts has released its annual VIDA Count, which analyzes gender parityor imbalanceat literary magazines. While the new report found some bright spots, only two of the 15 major literary magazines analyzed in the main VIDA Count published more women writers than men, and at eight of the 15 publications, pieces by women comprised less than 40% of all articles published. Among big-name magazines, the survey saw Granta, Poetry, and Tin House at the top in terms of representation for women, with at least 50% of each magazine's published pieces having been written by women last year. The New York Review of Books was the most skewed toward male writers; only 23.3% of pieces published in its pages last year were written by women. Representation at the Paris Review crept up by 8 percentage points last year even as its editor, Lorin Stein, departed the magazine in December following sexual misconduct charges. The Times Literary Supplement published the greatest number of pieces written by nonbinary writers, though this only accounted for 0.1% of the work they published in 2017, 4 pieces out of 3,748; only 36% of their pieces last year were written by women. Nonbinary writers have the greatest proportion of representation at The New Republic, where they contributed 1.4% of pieces published by the magazine last year. At small magazines, most surprising was the newly-relaunched Believer, where only 33% of pieces published were written by women, and zero books by women were reviewed. Further takeaways can be found on this chart (an abridged version of which is included here, above) or on VIDA's website. Following on from what is claimed as international success, Talpa talk show The Story of My Life has been recommissioned for a second season in Poland and the Middle East. The programme gives celebrity couples get a preview of how theyll look at two different stages of their future and show how they react to seeing their loved one age and what they think when they see the old version of themselves in the mirror? The format has already been sold to 10 countries worldwide since its debut in the Netherlands in 2017, ranging from Germany to Brazil to Russia.In Poland and the Middle East the second season is expected to air this autumn.In Poland, Poland, the first season on Telewizja Polsat scored good results with an average of 1.6 million viewers per episode and 12% market share in key demo (16-49) and received many positive reviews. People all over the world are the same: they are afraid of old age and passing time, they want to be loved and want their relationships to last for the rest of their lives, said Polsat TV programme director Says Nina Terenitew: We found a whole range of emotions in The Story of My Life and that is why we are continuing this extremely moving project.In the Middle East the show, licensed by Dubai Media Inc and locally produced by Talpa Middle East, the programme was said to have secured great ratings. It was the best performing show in the Dubai Media Inc line-up, according to Ziad Kebbi, CEO Talpa Middle East. Russia's energy major Gazprom has resumed talks with Seoul over the construction of a gas pipeline connecting Russia with North and South Korea. "The political situation has changed, and the South Korean side has contacted Gazprom regarding the resumption of this project. A series of talks has been held, and these negotiations are continuing," said Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee Vitaly Markelov. The project to unite the Korean Peninsula with a gas pipeline has been discussed for a long time, but official talks started in 2011. The negotiations were frozen after relations between Seoul and Pyongyang deteriorated. In March, Seoul announced that it is ready to resume the project. According to South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha if the North participates in talks on Northeast Asia energy cooperation, it would serve as a catalyst that helps ease geopolitical tensions in the region." Energy-hungry South Korea is currently forced to buy more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments. If the pipeline is built, it would halve the costs of gas coming to the country, analysts have estimated. The United States may impose tariffs on Canadian imports on what is commonly called newsprint. Remember, tariffs are sales taxes, pure and simple. The only thing worse than overt protectionism is protectionism that threatens the exercise of Americans First Amendment freedoms. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is undertaking an investigation of claims by a paper manufacturer in Washington State that Canada is unfairly subsidizing its paper producers. The company, the North West Paper Company, or NORPAC, alleges Canadas subsidy programs create an unequal playing field that presents a threat to the company and its employees. The ITC should conclude that, whatever competitive challenge Canadian newsprint exerts on NORPAC, tariffs will inflict far greater harm on U.S. publishers, printers, and the many companies that supply materials, parts and services to them. As many as 650,000 jobs could be in jeopardy if NORPAC is successful in getting import tariffs as high as 50 percent imposed. Few issues in the Trump presidency have prompted more debate and controversy than trade policy. If nothing else, Trump is forcing all stakeholders to revisit assumptions about trade and exposing some areas of common ground. For example, we should all welcome the Presidents tougher stance against Chinas disregard for U.S. intellectual property rights and its market access restrictions that hurt U.S. companies. But there is a difference between updating agreements such as NAFTA and upending a coherent U.S trade strategy by lurching into piecemeal imposition of tariffs to benefit individual companies. NORPACs petition is an example of protectionist cronyism. Among U.S. paper producers, the company is conspicuously alone in its petition for protective tariffs. The trade association that represents paper mills, the American Forest and Paper Association, opposes the tariffs. So do scores of newspaper and book publishers as well as printers around the country. They are rightly concerned that if the paper they use becomes more expensive, they will print less. That would be unwelcome news for ink suppliers, small manufacturers, plus the retailers who use inserts and flyers to advertise and promote sales. Higher taxes dont create prosperity. However compelling the economic rationale against the tariffs, their threat to the full exercise and meaning of the First Amendment is perhaps more urgent and troubling. The shift to online advertising in the last 20 years has shattered the business model of newspapers. Some have been able to reinvent themselves as online entities and developed new ways to bring in revenues. Still, in the last 15 years, some 2,000 newspapers, many of them small, regional dailies have been forced to consolidate or close. If they survive in an online format, they often offer fewer well-reported stories of interest to local readers. In such an environment, a sharp hike in newsprint, generally the biggest budget item after labor, could force dozens of additional publications to close or survive as mere shadows of their former selves. The killing of local newspapers by the imposition of tariffs guts a free press. It is the local newspaper, not cable news networks, which scrutinize how tax dollars are spent on schools, public works, and administration at town hall. Local newspapers are indispensable in uncovering corruption in government. They expose hospitals that mistreat patients and companies that dump chemicals into local streams. For many people of modest means or for those in rural areas, the newspaper is the chief source of community news and information. The Founding Fathers valued a free press. They understood it was essential in a democracy. If citizens could not read about issues, consider various points of view, and evaluate the performance of public servants, then American democracy could not succeed. Amid todays abundance of sources for information, the local newspaper has not become obsolete. Rather, it is playing a crucial by providing unique and essential information to millions of Americans. In a free market, all businesses must adapt to survive. Newspapers are no different. While the government has no responsibility to safeguard newspapers from market forces, it should not hasten their demise by shielding a single company from market forces. But what NORPAC wants is no more than sleazy cronyism - Washington politicians playing favorites by helping the few at the expense of the many. The newsprint tariffs NORPAC wants are simply a new tax on struggling businesses and an unjustified new burden on a cherished institution, the American newspaper. In the aftermath of a financial crisis that wasnt financial, various federal agencies levied all sorts of fines on banks and investment banks. It didnt matter that the crisis was wholly a creation of federal intervention (think bailouts) in the healthy decline of certain financial institutions. With the federal government desperate to shift the blame for its incompetence on others, already struggling corporations were forced to hand over tens of billions to that same federal government. Think about the above for a minute. As businesses died and people were laid off, and as financial institutions in particular struggled, an entity that is itself a massive weight on economic vitality decided to increase its size by force. Having erred mightily with its crisis-inducing interventions, the federal government decided to give itself a raise. Which brings us to President Trumps confirmation last week of tariffs to be imposed on Chinese exports to the U.S. The number that various media outlets reported was $50 billion. Translated, Trump raised taxes on the American people by $50 billion. Up front, Trumps actions are problematic. Frequent readers of this column are familiar as to why they are, but simple truths cant be repeated enough: the country most open to the worlds plenty is the country whose people are most advantaged. The latter is firstly true when we consider why people get up and go to work each day: its to get things in return for their work. Nothing could be simpler. Our work is an expression of a desire to import from either next door, or from some producer thousands of miles away. To work is to demand things, and this is true even if the worker saves every dollar earned. To save is merely to shift demand to others, and the shift of demand capacity could be to borrowers, children, grandchildren, favorite charities, or businesses that the saver invests in. The main point is that production is always and everywhere an expression of demand. Considering the above in terms of Trumps actions vis-a-vis China, hes raised the cost of work. Though hell defend the tariffs as an attempt to protect American jobs, the reality is that every American will pay for Trumps faux attempt at compassion. Indeed, assuming any jobs can be saved thanks to the tariffs, what Trump forgets is that there are 330 million Americans. And whether they work or not, their capacity to demand is an effect of work. By definition. In short, Trump is harming every American worker to protect a microscopic percentage of workers. Sadly, it gets worse. Forgotten by Trump is the simple truth that the division of labor is arguably the most powerful economic concept in the world. A division of labor doesnt put us out of work as much as it frees us to specialize in the form of work most commensurate with our talents. Picture a near-deserted island: if two people are dividing up work on the island, the arrival of eight more wont render the original island inhabitants unemployed. It will just mean that ten people will produce exponentially more than two simply because the addition of eight new able-bodied people will free all ten to specialize even more. What works among ten on a near-deserted island works even better among the worlds inhabitants. Our trade with China doesnt put us in breadlines as much as the addition of hundreds of millions of new hands to the workforce means that were increasingly able to shine in the workplace. Trade leads to job destruction only insofar as our work becomes more and more associated with our skills. Reducing all of this to the absurd, New Yorkers arent impoverished because they import food raised and grown around the world; rather their ability to import food and all manner of goods and services produced elsewhere means they can do the work that most amplifies their unique skills and intelligence. When we import were not being taken advantage of as much as were taking advantage of an opportunity to be expert in our chosen line of work. If Chinese imports harmed us economically, there would be very few Chinese imports. Remember, imports are a certain effect of production. That were the biggest market for Chinese production is the surest sign that it benefits us. So while $50 billion in tariffs is not likely to noticeably disrupt the global division of labor, it wont enhance it. And because it wont enhance it, workers wont be better off. Imports always improve us. Always. They do because they increase the rewards for work while enabling the specialization of it. About all thats been written so far, some will disagree. Even though the history of mankind has always been about heroic men making it progressively easier for us to serve each other while dividing up work with one another (think bridges, cars and airplanes, along with computers and WiFi), some will defend governmental attempts to figuratively dynamite bridges, cars, airplanes and computers. Theyre free to be wrong. Still, they might stop and think about how foolish tariffs are even if they disagree about the genius of labor division and import. Thats the case because in slapping tariffs on Chinese goods, Trump is creating yet another revenue stream for the federal government. A government that already spends $4 trillion per year to the economys detriment, will get an extra $50 billion. The taxes raised will give the feds even more control over the economys resources, including greater control over the most important economic resource of all: we, the American people. Forever unseen will be the companies never formed, the individuals never employed, and the life-changing advances that will not be funded so that Trump can strike at China. You see, in taxing our work and our ability to specialize, Trump is making sure to injure us in a third way through increased tax collections. All to allegedly harm China. Kanye West is not shy. As Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that followed disemboweled New Orleans in a frenzy of immutable destruction, West told the watching world that President George W. Bush had little motivation to help the city's mainly black denizens. George Bush doesn't I like the idea of ranked-choice voting. It works like this: You can vote for multiple candidates in ranked order. After all the first-choice votes are tallied, whoever comes in last gets eliminated, and supporters of that candidate have their second-choice votes counted instead. The instant runoff process continues until someone gets a majority of the vote. In this process, I get to share more information about my preferences, and the odds I will have some say in final outcome increases. Moreover, as with a traditional runoff system, in ranked-choice voting the final winner still has to attract the support of a majority, its just that the majority can be a coalition of first-, second-, and third-place votes. In electoral systems without any sort of runoff, the winner of a race with several candidates may have only plurality support, leaving the majority of the electorate in the cold. And yet, having seen ranked-choice voting in action this year, Ive concluded that the claims of both the systems biggest boosters and detractors are overblown. Supporters say it will diminish the influence of big donors. Critics say it is antithetical to basic democracy. But ranked -choice voting doesnt transform our politics, either for good or bad. Where it has been put in place, democracy looks pretty much like it looked before, albeit with a few extra quirks. This system is receiving a fresh wave of attention because Maine voters last week affirmed their support for it in a referendum, while also becoming the first American voters to use it in statewide primaries. How did it work? Not like its backers advertised. Maines Committee for Ranked Choice Voting, in an ad drumming up support for the referendum, argued the system gives candidates with the best ideas, not the biggest bank accounts a fighting chance. Yet in the gubernatorial primaries, the Republican who raised the most private cash, Shawn Moody, won in a landslide. On the Democratic side we dont have a final winner yet, but the top two finishers, state Attorney General Janet Mills and attorney Mark Cote, were also the biggest private fundraisers. Two of the more progressive Democratic candidates who also earned the backing of the economic populist Working Families Party, Mark Eves and Betsy Sweet, tried to work the ranked-choice voting system to their advantage. They endorsed each other on camera and encouraged supporters to rank them both in the top two slots. Presumably, these were the kind of idea-driven candidates that RCV advocates thought would get a fighting chance under the new system. (Also giving Sweet a fighting chance was Maines voluntary public campaign financing system, which gave her $700,000 in taxpayer funds and allowed her to outpace Mills in overall donations.) Yet in the first round of tabulation, Eves and Sweet came in third and fourth, each with less than half of the first-place votes that pace-setter Mills received, making it doubtful their progressive voters can band together and catapult one of them to the nomination. Mills and Cote, meanwhile, are considered moderates, and Mills who looks poised to claim victory comes out of the same state Democratic establishment that produced the last two gubernatorial nominees. Maine was not the only place this month where ranked-choice voting disappointed progressives. In San Francisco, another progressive duo former state Sen. Mark Leno and city legislator Jane Kim cut an ad urging their supporters to vote for the both of them, so the people would pick the next mayor, not the billionaires. That was a not-so-subtle swipe at London Breed, the candidate with the most financial backing from the technology and real estate sectors. (However, Lenos and Kims combined fundraising haul by the end of May -- $4 million -- was more than Breeds $3.2 million.) The strategy almost worked; Kim came in third place, and 80 percent of her second-choice votes went to Leno. But Breed, who had the most first-place votes, still got 20 percent of Kims haul, enough to beat Leno by a single percentage point. Despite San Franciscos left-wing reputation, Breed is just the latest in the citys long run of business-friendly Democratic mayors going back to 1992. The introduction of ranked-choice voting, beginning with 2007 mayoral election, didnt do anything to break the streak. These examples are not the basis of an argument for or against ranked-choice voting. They only show that an alternate voting system doesnt automatically alter the basic political dynamics of a city or state. Of course, there are a few historical examples of atypical electoral results thanks to RCV. Burlington, Vermont voters were so unhappy after an unpopular incumbent mayor won re-election in 2009 with only 29 percent of the first-place votes that they repealed the entire RCV system in 2010. And in a recent column, former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown was still grousing about a crowded 2010 city legislative race in which the eventual winner only won 12 percent of the first-place votes. These fluky outcomes might make you sour on RCV. But you can get fluky outcomes in any voting system like, say, the Electoral College. The point is that democracy remains intact. The whole premise of American democracy is to guard against a tyranny of the majority, and spread power diffusely so all political factions have some power and get some say. The occasional fluke election does not undermine our Founders vision. So let us not go overboard in the debate over ranked-choice voting. Wherever it may be used, democracy will still work as well as it can, in all of its imperfect glory. Got some scoop for our reporters or editors? Click on the link below to send us your information. Send your news Reedies Flourish With Fulbrights Bumper crop of Reed grads win Fulbright fellowships. By David James 19 | For the third time in Reeds history, six grads have been selected for Fulbright scholarships and will travel to countries including Russia, Morocco, and Latvia. The largest exchange program in the country, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers research, study, and teaching opportunities in more than 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students. Every year the program awards approximately 8,000 grants, with roughly 1,900 of those going to U.S. students. As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Dylan Holmes 17 will be a teaching assistant at a Moroccan university. He is also looking forward to volunteering at Moroccan film and visual arts cultural heritage organizations. Brandon Marrow 18, also the recipient of an English Teaching Assistantship, will be at the Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University in Novosibirsk, Russia. In addition to teaching English, he said, I will provide various lessons on American culture to Russian and international students who will go on to teach English themselves. Brandon said that he couldnt have applied and lasted the eight-month wait without the help of Michelle Johnson of the Center for Life Beyond Reed and fellow alum Erin McConnell 16. Timmy Straw 18 received a Fullbright Research Award along with the Critical Language Enhancement Award, given to Fulbright recipients to facilitate a greater depth of language learning in their host countries. Based in Moscow, Timmy will be researching the the role of poetry in contemporary Moscowin particular its relationship to Soviet and post-Soviet official and unofficial historiesand will be translating selected works of the contemporary Moscow poet Maria Stepanova. Stepanovas poems are particularly attentive to what scholar Marianne Hirsch calls postmemory, the afterlife of historical catastrophe in the cultural and private unconscious. Ophelia Vedder 18 received an English Teaching Assistantship in Madrid, Spain, and while there is looking forward to learning more about Spanish folk dancing. Aja Procita 18 will be journeying to Latvia to be an English teaching assistant. At Reed, she gained experience as a science and math teaching assistant and is excited to take those skills abroad. Latvia has a unique cultural history and language which I'm looking forward to learning more about, she said. Genevieve Ward 15 will head to Bulgaria to research Ottoman architectural legacies in Bulgarian historiography. More than 100 Reedies have received Fulbright scholarships since the program was founded in 1946, averaging about one and a half Reed students who teach or do research via a Fulbright each year. Six Reedies were previously awarded Fulbright scholarships in 2005 and in 2011. Tags: Alumni, Awards & Achievements, International, Life Beyond Reed, Students You are probably wondering One-Stop Workforce Operations, whats that? It is one of the best kept secrets in Connecticut regarding resources to employers! The American Job Center, also known as the One-Stop, is a network of organizations working as a team to promote a universal approach to provide effective workforce assistance to businesses. This collaboration of state and local organizations along with the regional workforce development boards is designed to provide a seamless delivery system of programs and services. Employers gain access to this network by registering on CTHires, www.cthires.com, the Department of Labors no cost online job bank. The American Job Centers (AJCs) provide a variety of employment-related services for Connecticuts businesses at little or no cost. Staff at the AJCs can provide assistance with services such as job posting on CTHires, recruiting and screening qualified applicants, guidance on reaching out to specific populations in employers recruiting efforts, job matching and labor market information. Employers in this region can contact Michelle Caffe, Business Services Specialist, at (203) 437-3308 or michelle.caffe@ct.gov. Along with recruitment and hiring assistance, AJC staff can also help employers to access available training grants and employer incentives that will assist with upskilling current employees and creating jobs to grow your workforce. Some of these programs include: Manufacturing Innovation Fund Incumbent Worker Training: The program provides training grants to Connecticut manufacturers for growing innovative and technology-based manufacturing businesses in Connecticut. Contact Michelle Caffe for more information. Apprenticeship Training: Apprenticeship programs in the State of Connecticut are administered by the Department of Labors, Office of Apprenticeship Training. Skilled consultants provide technical assistance, monitoring, and consulting services to qualified employers that take on the responsibilities of program sponsorship. Subsidized Training and Employment Program (Step Up): Step Up offers two programs: the Wage Subsidy Program, the Small Manufacturer Training Grant Program and the Unemployed Armed Forces Member Subsidized Training and Employment Program. Each offers employer incentives to hire new employees and create jobs. On-the-Job Training Program (OJT): The OJT program enables employers to build their workforce by hiring and training quality, pre-screened candidates with assistance of at least 50% or more of the employees starting wage for up to 800 hours. Contact Steve Gray at steve.gray@nrwib.org for more information on Step Up or OJT. The local AJCs and the NW Workforce Development Board also offer funding for a wide array of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) training options to eligible adult and dislocated job seekers. Those trainings on the Department of Labors Eligible Training Provider List can be funded up to $4,000. Some of these trainings include but are not limited to: Advanced Manufacturing, Culinary Arts, and Patient Care Technician. The goal of the training is to help to develop a high quality workforce. The NW Workforce Development Board also has several grant funded trainings available to eligible job seekers. These include: Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG): The Health Careers Advancement Project (Health CAP) provides opportunities for eligible participants to enter and advance along a career in the healthcare field. ITXpress Tech Hire Program: The Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board and our partners in South Central Connecticut have been awarded a $4 million TechHire Partnership Grant. The project will train unemployed and out-of-school young adults (ages 17-29) and upgrade skills of current workers for jobs in the IT Industry including software development, information system management, and computer programming. Brownfield Job Training Program: This program is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. The training offered under this program is a 40 hour per week, 8 week curriculum of instruction in the following: OSHA / EPA laws and regulations; OSHA Hazwoper Training; Underground / above ground storage tank removal; Blood-borne pathogens; OSHA hazard communications; Hazardous material handling; Confined space entry; Safety awareness in work environment; Personal protective equipment and respirators; Lead and asbestos abatement; and RCA / DOT hazardous and non-hazardous waste generation. Northwest Construction Careers Initiative: Northwest Construction Careers Initiative strives to reach out to Waterbury residents in the interest of recruiting individuals for career opportunities in the construction building trades. The system brings together community-based organizations, direct-services providers such as the American Job Center in Waterbury, the local school system, the building trades and other community groups to achieve specific goals. For more information regarding resources available through the American Job Center and the NW Workforce Development Board contact Pamela LaRosa, Director One-Stop Workforce Operations at pam@nwctchamberofcommerce.org. Check out our website at www.nwctchamberofcommerce.org for more Chamber happenings. *This institution is an equal opportunity provider* Currently Reading Mega yachts of the rich and famous Chancellor Angela Merkel accepted a two-week deadline to win agreement on tougher migration policy, a concession to her Bavarian coalition partner that eases an immediate standoff without removing the threat of further government tension down the road. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who heads Bavaria's Christian Social Union party, insists the chancellor reach a deal by the end of June with European Union governments facilitating the return of migrants to those countries where they were first registered. Merkel will now attempt to forge a deal by an EU summit on June 28-29, and will report back to her Christian Democratic Union on July 1. "Whoever knows Europe, realizes this is no easy task," Merkel told reporters in Berlin on Monday after a meeting of her CDU party's executive. But "the European project is at risk," and "we have a particular responsibility," she said. Seehofer, who heads one of three parties in Merkel's coalition, defied the chancellor with plans to order migrants turned away from Germany's borders as soon as Monday. In accepting the compromise, Merkel looks to be having a last throw of the dice to avert unilateral action by Germany that she argues would risk a "domino effect," collapsing the entire EU asylum process and unravel the bloc's already frayed unity. "By granting Merkel her two weeks, the CSU is ostensibly making effective bilateral deals their condition for staying in the grand coalition," said Mujtaba Rahman, managing director at Eurasia Group. For the the Bavarian party, however, "the real dilemma they face is between accepting the bilateral deals Merkel brokers, or enforcing their plan unilaterally with the risk of Seehofer being fired." Seehofer's party met in Munich to affirm its backing for his so-called migration masterplan comprising 63 measures, the most contentious of which is to start turning migrants away at the border. Merkel blocked the planned rollout last week, arguing that a bloc-wide solution is needed to what is a European problem. She said Monday she supports 62 of his 63 points. "We do not really have a handle on this whole issue of migration," Seehofer told reporters in Munich as Merkel spoke in Berlin. "The party executive believes that rejecting people at the border is an indispensable part of the reorganization of the asylum system." While the deal will allow each side some relief, both indicated it could well be temporary. Seehofer insisted on his right in the absence of a European deal to order police in Bavaria to start turning away migrants. For her part, Merkel said there would be no "automatic action" and issued a warning that she was in charge of implementing measures -- a thinly veiled threat that she can sack him if he goes his own way. The defiance by Merkel's smaller, more conservative Bavarian sister party is still a blow to the chancellor and will further embolden the hard-line stances of countries such as Hungary, Italy and Austria. Even with a sharp decline in the numbers crossing to Europe over the Mediterranean, migration has surged to the top of the political agenda, with the proliferation of unilateral measures fraying the bonds of EU unity. President Donald Trump, who is under pressure over the U.S. policy of separating immigrant children from parents who illegally cross the Mexican border, waded into the dispute in Germany with a morning Twitter tirade. "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!" - - - Bloomberg's Chris Reiter contributed. TORRINGTON The foot traffic near the corner of East Pearl and Main Streets has picked up considerably this month. One likely reason is the opening of the Bread From Heaven Bakery at 266 Main St. During a recent lunch hour, customers were six deep at the counter. Ivetteliz Cotto owns the bakery and her husband, Jose, is on hand when the bakery gets busy. They held their grand opening celebration on June 9 with a crowd of well-wishers, including Mayor Elinor Carbone. Customer favorites are Cuban sandwiches, which are made with pork, Swiss cheese, ham, mustard and pickles and the Mi Cielo (or, this is heaven) sandwiches, filled with pork, steak and pastrami. Patrons can also choose from two types of freshly baked loaves to take home: an Italian-style bread called Pan de Agua or Pan Sobao, a soft, sweet bread. Both cost $2.29 and weigh one pound, Ivetteliz Cotto said. The front display counter is full of desserts with intriguing names and plenty of variety. Popular desserts such as flan, a milk custard dish, are arranged next to round quesitos that have a cream cheese filling surrounded by soft, flaky pastry. Theyre like a cannoli, said Jose Cotto. Another favorite is the tembleque, made with cream of coconut and cinnamon. The Cottos have lived in Torrington for five years after having moved from Bronx, where they enjoyed the type of food they now sell in their bakery. To find similar cuisine, they traveled to Waterbury to the original Bread from Heaven Bakery at 1870 E. Main St. We went down to get the bread. You cant find it anywhere else, Jose Cotto said. After making the trek to Waterbury many times, the Cottos thought about opening a bakery of their own. They talked to the owners of their favorite panaderia, Ruben and Manny Da Cruz, who agreed to start a franchise business with the Cottos. Products sold in Waterbury are provided to the Torrington location as part of the business agreement, Jose Cotto said. He likes the busy Main Street location. Its the melting pot of the city. Demographically, it made the most sense, he said. There are Hispanic, African Americans and Caucasians here. Its like a New York corner. The bakery is open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and they deliver lunch items to Torrington locations. To reach the bakery, call 860-618-5058, or visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Maria-Maria-Bread-from-Heaven-Bakery-166470597378566/ The Northwest Connecticut Arts Council is presenting the ninth annual Open Your Eyes Studio Tour on June 30 and July 1 in the towns of Cornwall, Warren and Goshen, CT. The 2018 tour will feature 30 artists who have their studios in those towns. Participating visual artists and artisans will open their creative spaces and show their processes to the public during the two days of the tour. Free ticket packets can be ordered through the website and include a map, direction sheets, suggested itineraries and convenient sign-in stickers. The Studio Tour is free to the public, thanks to the support of Housatonic Heritage, the Republican-American, WSHU-FM, the Matthews Group, and the Kestrel Foundation, with additional support from the Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD, according to a release. This years tour artists include painters, photographers, sculptors, multi-media artists, ceramicists, textile artists, jewelers, printmakers, and woodworkers. The artists and artisans are Betsy Gentile, Brooke Bittel, Jacob Shichman, Christine Mitchell, Steve Soklin, Danielle Mailer, Lori Barker, Brendan OConnell, Constance Old, Natalie Randall, Bette Klegon Halby, Gary Halby, Tim Prentice, Richard Griggs, Catherine Noren,Neil Estern, Robert Andrew Parker, Don Bracken, Susan Fox, Magaly Ohika, Todd Piker, Peter Busby, Ellen Moon, David Colbert, Robert Pearl, Xenia Hodza, Amber Maida, Tyler Farmen, Jim Farmer and Linda Banks. Back by popular demand this year, a Toast the Tour after-party will be held on Saturday, June 30, hosted by Souterrain Gallery at The Wish House in West Cornwall. Tickets are $15 and support the Tour. Each year the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council selects groups of towns within its 25-town service area for the tour. In recent years the event has seen over 1200 visitors, with many returning annually. The aim of Open Your Eyes Studio Tour is to shine a light on the many artists who live and work in our region, to give the community a greater understanding and appreciation for the arts and the creative process, and to draw attention to the towns in which these artists live and work. The last time the Open Your Eyes Tour occurred in Goshen, Cornwall and Warren was in 2010, the first year of this event. This event gives the visitor an up-close experience to see how and where the artists do their work. The Arts Council knows that when the public learns first-hand from the artist about what is involved with the making of a work and the story behind it, a deeper connection and involvement with the art work happens. In addition, people going on the Open Your Eyes Studio Tour will discover truly beautiful sections of our region that they might not otherwise find, said Amy Wynn, Northwest Connecticut Arts Councils executive director. Maddie Stenson, program coordinator for the arts council, said, This years artist roster includes eight returning 2010 tour artists with new work, and 22 new artists that have never opened their studios for this event before. Among the 30 artists on this Tour, we have three patriarchs of the art world as well as two emerging artists who are our youngest to participate yet. Visitors will get a peek at all types of artists, working in various mediums, at various stages in their careers, she added. The mission of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council is to promote the arts and cultural resources of Northwestern Connecticut as integral contributors to the quality of life in the region, to assist all artists and cultural organizations in their efforts to thrive, and to inform the general public about, and give access to the arts and culture of the region. The Council serves Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Burlington, Colebrook, Cornwall, Falls Village/Canaan, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, New Milford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Plymouth, Roxbury, Salisbury/Lakeville, Sharon, Thomaston, Torrington, Warren, Washington, Winchester, and towns surrounding this service area. The Northwest Connecticut Arts Council is supported in part by the DECD/Connecticut Office of the Arts, the Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut, and the Connecticut Community Foundation. For more information about the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council, call 860-618-0075, email info@artsnwct.org or go to www.artsnwct.org. For information about Open Your Eyes Studio Tour, go to openyoureyestour.org or contact the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council at 860-618-0075 or maddie@artsnwct.org, or visit www.artsnwct.org. Now Seeking Community Support via Kickstarter, On the Footsteps of the Prince will Simply Follow the Footsteps of Prince Charles in Romania! On The Footsteps Of The Prince is an upcoming feature documentary film about the beautiful sights in Romania. The film reveals why HRH Prince Charles chose Romania for his holiday home and follows the majestic Romanian landscapes in his footsteps. Moreover, this documentary film is going to be a special treat for those who are planning a trip to Romania. In addition, seasoned UK based artist and filmmaker Nono Pirvu Lucian is the creator of this inspiring project and he has recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds and support for this feature documentary film. In a recently launched Kickstarter campaign, his goal is to raise a sum of GBP 20,000. In a nutshell, this documentary film will basically cover the other side of Romania, which is more tranquil and more beautiful than what is visible. This documentary film will be projected at cultural events in London, Paris, Milan and Madrid for promoting the reaches of Romanian culture and an online version of this movie will be shared on social networks and tourism websites. Said Nono Pirvu Lucian, while introducing this project to the Kickstarter community. The filmmaker is welcoming everyone to generously support this campaign on Kickstarter and help him in reaching his campaign goal for this project. The Kickstarter Campaign is located on the web at: www.kickstarter.com/projects/nonopirvu/on-the-footsteps-of-the-prince-feature-documentary and supporters from around the world can back this project by making generous pledges and donations. The project offers several exciting rewards and supporters can find out more about this project on the Kickstarter campaign page. About This Project On The Footsteps Of The Prince is an inspiring documentary feature film about Romania. The documentary film will follow the footsteps of His Royal Highness Prince Charles, as he first visited Romania in 1997 and decided to choose it as his holiday home. The documentary will show the other side of Romania, which is peaceful, serene and more beautiful than anyone has ever imagined. Media Contact Company Name: On The Feetsteps Of The Prince Contact Person: Nono Pirvu Lucian Email: Send Email Phone: 07804523139 City: Highbridge State: Somerset Country: United Kingdom Website: www.tripinro.com The report released by the inspector general of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday painted a vivid picture of the past. It shows that in 2016, James Comey, then the FBI director, inexcusably broke the rules in advertising his department's investigation into Hillary Clinton while simultaneously following the rules in keeping its investigation of Donald Trump under wraps. Trump has already mischaracterized the report, in the way Trump routinely does. But it's unclear, ultimately, how much all this history matters politically. For a more prophetic vision of the future, you should read the complaint against Trump, his children and his foundation by New York State Attorney General Barbara Underwood. Why prophetic? Because it's likely a preface to the report or complaint that special counsel Robert Mueller will bring. The alleged crimes described by Underwood are not similar to those being investigated by Mueller. But the behavior is. One stumbling block to public understanding of the Mueller probe, in addition to a steady stream of propaganda and lies designed to undermine it, is that it's hard for even a cynic to accept the premises of what is being investigated. U.S. history simply doesn't offer a lot of reference points for a major-party political candidate who so casually subverts the law and sells out the nation's highest values. How many Richard Nixons are there? To believe the accusations that Trump colluded with Russia, laundered vast amounts of money and/or put American foreign policy on the auction block in return for the enrichment of his family requires an awkward leap of faith. You have to believe this leader is both profoundly corrupt - far more so than Nixon - and staggeringly sloppy - again more so than Nixon. This is essentially the portrait that Underwood paints in the detailed accusations against the head of the Trump Foundation: that of a shady huckster who engages in "persistently illegal conduct" and is buffoonishly sloppy along the way. To give credit where it's due, the New York attorney general is building on the case built in 2016 by Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold, whose search for legitimate charitable activity by Trump's foundation consistently left the reporter comically empty-handed. What Fahrenthold detailed was Trump's utter disregard for the law in taking in tax-deductible contributions to his foundation and proceeding to spend the money on his personal and business needs: "New findings, for instance, show that the Trump Foundation's largest-ever gift - $264,631 - was used to renovate a fountain outside the windows of Trump's Plaza Hotel. "Its smallest-ever gift, for $7, was paid to the Boy Scouts in 1989, at a time when it cost $7 to register a new Scout. Trump's oldest son was 11 at the time. Trump did not respond to a question about whether the money was paid to register him." Take a moment to savor that last detail. A man claiming to be worth billions of dollars - and who certainly flaunted the lifestyle - appears to have illegally diverted $7 from a charitable foundation to pay his son's Boy Scouts registration fee. Trump's foundation is organized "exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational purposes either directly or by contributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code." Instead, as Underwood's complaint shows clearly, he used it to pay settlements incurred in business lawsuits and to advance his 2016 political campaign. The foundation took in millions in donations for veterans. His campaign then directed the foundation to issue checks to Iowa veterans groups in advance of the Iowa caucuses as he sought to curry political favor. How does Underwood know campaign personnel were involved in spending decisions? Because the Trumpsters are so recklessly contemptuous of rules that they left a trail of this blatant violation of campaign-finance law on their emails. At least one email thread included Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski weighing in on where he wanted the foundation's tax-deductible funds directed. The foundation also made a $25,000 contribution to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who subsequently determined that fraud charges against Trump's university were not a proper matter for her office. The foundation listed the contribution as going to a Kansas nonprofit with the same name as Bondi's political committee. "The Foundation has no credible explanation for the false reporting of grant recipients to the IRS and the State of New York," Underwood concluded. Trump will likely claim he was uninvolved and unaware. But Underwood's complaint has that covered, too: "Mr. Trump, who was the sole signatory on the Foundation's bank accounts, approved all grants and other disbursements from the Foundation. Accounting staff for the Trump Organization had responsibility for issuing checks from the Foundation, and issued the checks based solely on Mr. Trump's approval before presenting the checks to Mr. Trump for signature." Indeed, the foundation's board didn't provide much of a check on Trump's personal whims, owing to the fact that, in violation of the law, it "has not met since 1999 and does not oversee the activities of the Foundation in any way." It took the attorney general's office months to investigate this narrow corner of the Trump universe - even though the evidence was lying around in plain sight. Mueller's investigation is far broader and more consequential. His complaint may yet take a while. But it should be a doozy. A Mid-Century Modern glass house has landed on the market for the first time in 60 years. Designed by Eliot Noyes, one of the Harvard Five architects who settled in New Canaan, CT, the property is available for $2.75 million. Noyes, who died in 1977, was also known for his commercial designs at IBMhe designed the companys Selectric typewriterand became an industrial design curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Noyes left behind a handful of homes in the New Canaan area. While a new owner may want to embark on a restoration to modernize bathrooms and update the '70s-era kitchen, the glass box on 4.6 grassy acres is a timeless original. The walls facing the backyard are almost entirely made of glass and bring the outdoors in in almost every room of the house, says listing agent Amanda Bryan Briggs of Houlihan Lawrence. Its spectacular. Its not a surprise that lighting is a theme in this divine dwelling. The residence was originally built for Art in America publisher Lee Ault in the early 1950s. In 1959 Ault sold it to an artist whose family has inhabited the light-filled home ever since. The house appeals to artistic types for sure, Briggs says. Eliot Noyesdesigned home (realtor.com) Passageway with elongated skylight (realtor.com) Kitchen (realtor.com) Living room with fireplace (realtor.com) Guesthouse and art studio (realtor.com) The home includes custom details designed by Noyes, including an iron door leading to the courtyard. He also returned at the owners request to build an art studio, a miniature version of the main house, with glass walls, stone floors, and white brick. The studio includes a kitchen, living area, bath, sleeping quarters, and private patio. The one-level main house has five bedrooms and five baths. Its 3,692 square feet of interior space includes an entrance hall off the courtyard. A long passageway features an elongated skylight above. The main living space includes a living room with fireplace, family room, and kitchen. The living spaces look out to the patio and backyard through floor-to-ceiling glass. The property also comes with a pool, which is set back from the property. The estate of homeowner Joan Feick is selling the home. From what I understand, she walked in and simply had to have it. She loved the light and the design elements, Briggs says. We imagine her experience will be repeated by the next steward who walks through the door of this Mid-Century Modern marvel. The post Marvelous and Rare Mid-Century Modern Glass House on Market for $2.75M appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. When you're in an airport, you typically want to get out of there and on your way, fast. But if you're stuck waiting for a flight, at least you want the airport's free Wi-Fi to be fast. Ookla, which makes the popular Speedtest.net app for gauging Wi-Fi and cellular data speeds, gathered data on airports in the United States and Canada with free Wi-Fi between January and April of this year. The company did a similar survey in 2017, so they could also see which airports' Wi-Fi had improved in speed, and which had faltered. Drive time: PC Mag ranks Houston's 4G mobile networks Unfortunately, Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport didn't do so well, coming in at No. 16 with download speeds of 14.53 megabits a second. Its upload speed was faster, at 20.89 Mbps, which should make sending airport selfies a snap. Ookla IAH's download speeds were a slight improvement over 2017, when they were measured at 13.64 Mbps. (Hobby Airport wasn't included in the survey.) Even though those speeds aren't as fast as many other airports, they are actually faster than they are supposed to be. That's because the speed of the Wi-Fi networks at both IAH and Hobby is set at 8 Mbps for both uploads and downloads, according to Houston Airport System spokesman Bill Begley. That Ookla got significantly faster speeds two years running is a mystery. "We guarantee 8 Mbps to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to use the free Wi-Fi," Begley said. "For today's travelers, Wi-Fi is kind of like water. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity." He said the airport recent doubled the overall bandwidth at the airport to meet demand. "About the only thing you really can't do on our network is stream 4K video," Begley said. Ookla spokesperson Adriane Blum said the data comes from "real people" using the Speedtest app in airports. "For this piece, our analysis was isolated to Wi-Fi tests taken on the SSID [or Wi-Fi network name] identified as [IAH's] public network," Blum said. Tests run on cellular networks or private hotspots weren't included. Top honors in the survey went to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which had a whopping download speed of 103 Mbps, and an even more impressive upload speed 155.93 Mbps. How to: Improve the Wi-Fi reception in your home The most-improved was Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which went from a piddling 2.68 Mbps download speed in 2017 to 59.62 Mbps this year. That's a 2,124 percent increase. Ookla Dwight Silverman is the technology editor for the Houston Chronicle and the grillmaster for the TechBurger tech news site. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Get more tasty tech news at TechBurger. And follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe to the Chronicle for regular access to TechBurger stories and to be able to comment. (Front row L-R) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vietnam's President Tran Dai Quang, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo and Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev pose for photographs during the Belt and Road Forum, at Yanqi Lake, north of Beijing, May 15, 2017. Scientists and environmentalists are warning that Chinas vast Silk Road global infrastructure initiative could cause permanent environmental damage unless its carefully handled. Chinas President Xi Jinping proposed the concept of a new Silk Road Economic Belt five years ago. Since then its been recognized as Xis signature policy concept, and is therefore considered too big to fail, according to one expert on the subject, Randal Phillips, managing partner for Asia with the Mintz Group. But in an article published recently in the online academic journal Nature Sustainability, a team of European scientists argue that while the initiative promises to greatly influence global trade, it may also promote permanent environmental degradation. China has described the project as a revival of the ancient Silk Road, a system of land and sea routes dating back to the Han Dynasty that connected China to the Middle East and Europe. Also described as The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the project includes the building of new roads, railway lines, and ports in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the creation of oil and gas pipelines to Russia, Kazakhstan, and Myanmar. Nearly 70 nations in Eurasia, Africa, and the Middle East have so far endorsed the project, which upon completion would involve about two thirds of the worlds population while proposing more than $1 trillion in infrastructure spending. But in the online journal article published on May 15, the authors argue that changes in the ecosystem due to pollution, the spread of invasive species, restrictions on animal movements, habitat loss, and wildlife mortality are all risks posed by the scheme. Henrique M. Pereira, an author with the Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources in Portugal, argues that the exploitation of oil and gas reserves through the BRI will mean an increased dependence on fossil fuels and high greenhouse gas emissions. Raw materials and fossil fuels use, and increased oil and gas reserves exploitation constitute a scenario of an increasing dependency on fossil-fuel and high greenhouse gas emissions, Pereira says. Fernando Ascensao, an author from the same center in Portugal, says that large amounts of raw material will be needed to support the transport infrastructures expansion in environmentally sensitive areas. The articles authors note that since the 1990s, China has been strengthening its legislation in pursuit of an ecological civilization, which would require that environmental assessments precede major economic development activities. They argue that China can find the right balance between development and environmental sustainability if it implements in the BRIs foreign corridors the environmental practices already required within its own borders. The authors cite a recent report published early this year by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) showing that these corridors overlap with 1,737 Key Diversity Areas, or KDAs. The corridors also overlap with the habitat range of 265 threatened wildlife species, including 39 species that are critically endangered, the Swiss-based WWF says. Questions about implementation Problems in monitoring the BRIs implementation could arise, meanwhile, from a lack of transparency among some of the Chinese banks and state-owned companies which will be charged with financing and then building and servicing much of the infrastructure. In testimony early this year before the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), Randal Phillips with the Mintz Group noted that the China Development Bank (CDB) and China Export-Import Bank (China Ex-Im) will play central roles in financing of the BRI. Its precisely the central role of these institutions that is troubling to U.S. and other foreign officialsand companies seeking to get involvedgiven the very limited transparency in operations they provide , Phillips said. Chinas Action Plan for the BRI says that efforts should be made to promote green and low-carbon infrastructure. But as an analysis published by the Stockholm Environment (SEI) Institute notes, the BRI will be subsidizing inefficient and energy intensive, high-polluting state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Since the SOEs answer only to the government and enjoy state financing, there has been little incentive for these Chinese companies to carefully assess costs, benefits, and risks, the SEI report says. From the outset, BRI was in part designed to absorb Chinas overcapacity in steel and cement production to boost the domestic economy, the SEI report says. This perpetuates a carbon- and pollution-intensive model rather than helping the country wean itself from its dependence on heavy industry. According to Phillips, when Xi announced the BRI policy, China was wrestling with its desired response to the U.S. rebalance to Asia, and in particular to the proposed Transpacific Partnership (TPP). The relatively vacant space of infrastructure spending provided a ready-made and relatively benign path to do so, he said. The maritime road part of the plan fits with Chinas desire to build the infrastructure to diversify its energy supplies and reduce the risk of being strangled in a conflict with the United States, Philips said. Philips is referring here to long-standing Chinese military concerns that an adversary could easily block the Malacca Strait, a narrow, 500-mile-long trading route between the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia. More than 80 percent of Chinas oil imports pass through the strait. Phillips says that Peoples Liberation Army planning documents dating back over a decade suggest using alternative energy transmission routes through Myanmar, potentially building a canal through the Kra Isthmus in Thailand and ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and beyond. Environmental Impact on Myanmar The construction of roads planned for the BRI could have a major environmental impact in Burma, or Myanmar, according to the report posted on Jan. 18 this year by the World Wide Fund for Nature, known at the time as the World Wildlife Fund. Chinas Belt and Road Initiative in Myanmar highlights that while the BRI presents significant development opportunities for Myanmar it also brings substantial risks for people and Myanmars natural capital, including forests, rivers, land, biodiversity and oceans, the report says. The report quotes Hanna Helsingen, Green Economy Program and Policy Manager for the WWF in Myanmar, as saying that BRI road building could endanger wildlife and contribute to deforestation, landslides, and pollution. Through better planning and design, these risks can be avoided and mitigated, Helsingen says. The WWF report focuses on two proposed East-West and North-South road corridors. If these go as planned, the BRI will cut through parts of Myanmars vital Ayeyarwady, or Irrawaddy, River Basin and its surrounding mountains. The region is the home to some 24 million people. They rely on the Irrawaddy for drinking water and for silt to replenish one of the worlds major rice-growing areas, which is located along its downstream banks. Under the BRI, Chinese companies would build a deepwater port in Myanmar at Kyaukpyu, allowing them a trading corridor to the Indian Ocean via Myanmar. This would meet the Chinese militarys desire to find an alternative trade route should an enemy strangle Chinas trade through the Malacca Straits during a conflict. But according to a report from Yangon published on June 4 in the Financial Times, Myanmar is reviewing the deepwater port project over concerns that it is too expensive and could ultimately fall under Beijings control if Myanmar were to default on its debt. The World Wildlife Fund, meanwhile, is recommending that Myanmar civil society be included at all levels and stages of various project plans to avoid negative social and environmental impacts. The nongovernmental organization also recommends that more assessments be undertaken before BRI road building begins in order to better understand risks related to floods, erosion, and biodiversity. The BRI design, it says, should enhance environmental, social and economic benefits, including buffer zones, re-vegetation of slopes, and wildlife corridors. Dan Southerland is RFA's founding executive editor. QBL to Recommence Trading on Thursday 21st June Sydney, June 18, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Board of Queensland Bauxite Limited ( ASX:QBL ) (or "the Company") is delighted to announce that the ASX has approved the Company's Announcement to be released. The Company intends to release the announcement on Thursday 21 June 2018. QBL will recommence trading on the ASX following the release of the Announcement.The Board would like to thank our shareholders for their patience and support during this process. The Board also appreciates the guidance and assistance given to the Company during this period by the ASX.We hope that our shareholders will share our excitement about these significant acquisitions and milestones for our Company that the upcoming Announcement will present.The Board looks forward to QBL recommencing trading on the ASX platform.About Queensland Bauxite Ltd Queensland Bauxite Limited (ASX:QBL) is an Australian listed company focused on the exploration and development of its bauxite tenements in Queensland and New South Wales. The Company's lead project is the South Johnstone Bauxite Deposit in northern Queensland which has rail running through the project area and is approximately 15-24 kilometres from the nearest deep water port. The Company intends to become a bauxite producer with a focus on commencing production at South Johnstone as early as possible. The Company also pursues additional investment opportunities, and has agreed to acquire a 100% shareholding in Medical Cannabis Limited, an Australian leader in the hemp and Cannabis industries, and a 100% shareholding in Medcan Australia Pty Ltd, a company with an ODC cultivation and production License and a DA approved Cannabis production and manufacturing facility. Workers transfer soybeans at a port in Nantong in eastern China's Jiangsu province, April 9, 2018. China in June imposed tariffs on American products following a decision by US President Donald Trump to slap duties on US $50 billion worth of Chinese products. China has offered to scrap foreign investment limits on a long list of sectors in hopes of avoiding U.S. tariffs, but the opportunities would have little impact, analysts say. While the outcome of U.S.-China trade frictions is still unresolved, China has put a series of "opening-up" measures on the table as incentives for a deal to end the bilateral disputes. Last week, China continued to dangle new investment breaks following the U.S. decision to proceed with imposing 25-percent tariffs on U.S. $50 billion (320 billion yuan) of Chinese goods. The penalties on Chinese products containing "industrially significant technologies" will be imposed in light of violations of intellectual property rights (IPR) and "other unfair trade practices," President Donald Trump said in a statement Friday. China quickly vowed to take retaliatory measures, but an official statement was initially unclear about whether they would apply only to tariffs or also the investment offerings that China has made in recent months. "We will immediately take tariff measures of the same scale and intensity. All economic and trade outcomes of previous talks will now lose effect," a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said. Within hours, Beijing announced 25-percent tariffs on American goods valued at about U.S. $50 billion including agricultural products, vehicles, and seafood, the official Xinhua news agency reported. But the threat of tit-for-tat trade penalties was soon followed by renewed promises of "opening-up" to foreign investment. A statement by the cabinet-level State Council said China would press ahead with plans to widen market access by July 1. The government also pledged to strengthen IPR protection and raise limits on compensation for infringement. Investment breaks While the extent of the new opening remains to be seen, U.S. economists have questioned the value of the investment breaks that China has offered so far. On the surface, the potential opportunities appeared impressive. But analysts see the steps as restricted in scope and riddled with qualifications. "It's important to distinguish between modestly expanded market access for foreign companies and broader industry liberalization," said Scott Kennedy, deputy director of China studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "China has signaled some of the former but none of the latter," Kennedy said. Beijing's gambits began in April with an announcement from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) that China would gradually phase out rules that have limited foreign shareholding in the auto sector to 50 percent. The top planning agency said it would lift the cap for manufacturing special-purpose and new energy vehicles starting this year, eventually expanding the break to passenger cars in 2022. The change in the rule was initially welcomed because China's automotive joint ventures have been a primary conduit for forced technology transfers. IPR violations have been the major source of complaints from foreign companies in China for two decades or more. But within days, enthusiasm waned as the international auto giants said the break came too late following years of heavy investment in local partnerships and manufacturing. The opening for foreign makers of electric cars was also narrowed by Chinese subsidies and preferences for domestic batteries, The New York Times reported. "Now the cheering has stopped," it said. Similar reservations have clouded the responses to planned barrier-busting in industries including shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing. Morning-after disappointment also followed a Ministry of Finance (MOF) announcement on May 22 that China would cut tariffs on imported cars to 15 percent from 25 percent. The Times called it a trade gesture "that may barely register," suggesting that foreign cars from abroad might only compete with foreign joint venture models. Hoping for a deal Since then, China has loaded its opening-up menu with more offerings, hoping for a deal to end U.S. tariff and investment threats. On May 31, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said it would issue revisions to its "negative lists" of sectors that remain closed to foreign investment by June 30. The two separate lists for China's free trade zones and the national market would create new openings in "energy, resources, infrastructure, transportation, commercial and professional services," Xinhua said. But the report dimmed hopes for any immediate or blockbuster breakthroughs. MOC spokesman Gao Feng cited "a transitional period for some industries" and "specific opening-up measures that will be unveiled in the next few years." On the same day, the State Council announced tariff cuts on 1,449 consumer goods, ranging from foreign shoes to refrigerators. But based on the vague generalities of official statements, there has been little to suggest a sudden change in the preferential policies that have protected state-owned enterprises (SOEs) on their sluggish pace toward market reforms. "We need to aim higher in attracting foreign investment," said Premier Li Keqiang at a State Council meeting on the day of the MOC announcement. "We should raise our innovation capacity in the new round of opening-up and see that all intellectual property is fully protected." "No forced technology transfers will ever be imposed on foreign-invested enterprises, and IPR infringements will be penalized to the full extent of the law," Li said, seeming to imply that no infringements are taking place. On June 5, a Xinhua report said that China had achieved "remarkable success in IPR protection," citing the State Intellectual Property Office. The agency said that 192,000 cases of patent infringement had been investigated along with 173,000 cases of trademark infringement and counterfeiting in the past five years. The report made no mention of forced technology transfer complaints. A worker inspects imported cars at a port in Qingdao, eastern China's Shandong province, May 23, 2018. Credit: Reuters Little on offer Kennedy said that little was expected to come out of the opening-up promises. "We can expect gradual reductions in ownership caps and joint venture requirements and limited reductions in tariffs," he said. "These steps may lead to modest increases in inward investment and imports that redound to individual firms, but they will not fundamentally change the landscape of these industries." "That is because the party-state will remain deeply involved in every one of these sectors, using all sorts of policies to favor certain technologies and companies over others," he said. Derek Scissors, an Asia economist and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, also saw little on offer that would affect China's economy or economic policies. "I read the steps as diplomatic rather than economic," he said. In shipbuilding, for example, Scissors cited the State Council's decision in March to give preliminary approval for a merger of China State Shipbuilding Corp. and China Shipbuilding Industry Corp., the country's two biggest SOEs in the field. The combined company will dwarf its South Korean rivals, Bloomberg News reported. "That is not an action of a government wanting more competition," Scissors said. The proposed lowering of barriers in the financial sector was also seen as motivated by China's needs for fresh funds rather than an opening to international capital flows. "In finance, they have been seeking private and foreign money due to debt problems, not because they're going to change the way capital is allocated," Scissors said. Internationalization of the yuan Financial markets are still awaiting details of plans outlined in April by People's Bank of China (PBOC) Governor Yi Gang, calling for eased limits on foreign-owned institutions including banks, asset managers, investment firms, and insurance companies. So far, there seems to be little movement on a key pledge to speed the internationalization of the yuan by allowing convertibility on the capital account. Speaking at the annual Boao Forum for Asia in April, Yi said only that capital account liberalization would take place "on a gradual basis, while keeping the exchange rate of the yuan stable," the official English-language China Daily reported. Scissors said the statement offered nothing new. "Capital account convertibility has been speeding up for 20 years," he said. From the start of the latest round of offers, Chinese officials have stressed that the opening-up plans are part of China's existing development agenda and not a response to foreign pressure. "The measures are major strategic decisions made based on an accurate estimation of China's current development level," and "have nothing to do with the ongoing trade friction with the United States," said MOC's Gao on April 12, according to Xinhua. "I translate the claim that external pressure is not important as, 'We're not doing anything important, so external pressure is not important,'" Scissors said. Even so, China has ample reasons of its own for opening up, since the country's official statistics have shown a dramatic falloff in the growth of foreign direct investment (FDI) this year. Chinese reports have emphasized that FDI hit a record of 878 billion yuan (U.S. $139.9 billion) last year, rising 7.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). But the growth rate has been declining for years. The last double-digit growth rate was recorded in 2010, and FDI increases are now a shadow of the annual average of over 26 percent seen in 2004-2008, based on World Bank data. This year, FDI growth has slipped even further, rising only 0.5 percent in the first quarter. Growth turned negative in April with a 1.1-percent decline from a year earlier, the MOC reported, leaving four-month FDI with a scant 0.1-percent gain. Last week, the MOC announced that FDI in May improved with a 7.6-percent year-on-year gain, but five-month growth of 1.3 percent remained weak. The figures may be a testament to the closing of investment opportunities in China rather than the progress in opening-up that officials have been promoting, adding internal motivation to the pressures from abroad. But more of both may be needed to turn the FDI numbers around. "China is not experiencing any great leap in market opening. Call this a tiny hop, at most," Scott Kennedy said. Cambodias government on Monday dismissed a report by a regional election watchdog, which said that the countrys upcoming general ballot will be neither free nor fair amid a months-long crackdown on the political opposition, NGOs and independent media. On June 14, the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) released a report of its Pre-election Assessment Mission (PEAM)a team of five international observers who investigated Cambodias political situation in early May. A statement accompanying the report applauded progress on human rights norms in the lead up to the countrys 2017 commune elections, despite what it called a restrictive environment, but said that improvements had been effectively negated by the drastic events since then. It cited the September arrest of Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) President Kem Sokha and the Supreme Courts dissolution of his party in November over an alleged plot to topple the government, as well as a subsequent call by the CNRP for a boycott of the July 29 election, as having created a destructive political polarization in [the] country. These events have created a noxious pre-election environment characterized by impunity, threats and intimidation, ANFREL said, adding that civil society has also faced continued repression and independent media has been considerably weakened ahead of Julys ballot. Cambodian citizens interviewed by the PEAM team reported that they do not feel they will able to make a free choice on election day, it said. Merely going through the exercise of marking ballots does not constitute a free and fair election. The watchdog also noted that while the participation of the CNRP would enhance the competitiveness of the election, its failure to participate (regardless of reason) is not by itself the sole measure of electoral integrity for the forthcoming election. Other reasons it gave for why the election will be neither free nor fair included that fundamental civil and political rights are not protected, disinformation is rampant, threats and intimidation are being used to influence voter behavior, and that the electoral process favors only the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP). ANFREL called on domestic and international stakeholders to demand that the government make dramatic corrections to the course it is undertaking, lest the crackdown worsens as the election nears. Under current conditions, democratic elections will simply not happen in Cambodia, it concluded. On Monday, Cambodias Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan lashed out at ANFRELs report, telling RFAs Khmer Service that it did not reflect reality. I dont agree with what ANFREL stated in its report and the majority of Cambodians dont agree with it either, he said. The description neither free nor fair bears some political connotation. However, Cambodia is governed by lawwe shall follow the law and ensure that the upcoming election is both free and fair. Protesters hold signs calling on Japan to withdraw support for Cambodia's elections in New York, June 16, 2018. Credit: RFA Japan protests The governments reaction to the ANFREL report came after some 500 Cambodian-American supporters of the CNRP gathered at the Japanese Consulate in New York on Saturday to demand that Japan withdraw its support for Cambodias election until Prime Minister Hun Sen reinstates democracy in the country and allows their party to take part in the ballot. Rithy Uong, the president of CNRP-America (CNRP-A) and organizer of the protest, on Monday called the gathering a huge success, noting that supporters had come from all over the U.S. and Canada to take part. Japan continues to support the National Election Committee (NEC) and we urge it to reconsider such a position, he told RFAs Khmer Service, referring to Cambodias top electoral body. Supporting Hun Sens regime and an election that is neither free nor fair means that Japan is helping to maintain a regime of dictatorship in Cambodia. We call on Japan to freeze its assistance to Cambodia until Hun Sen releases Kem Sokha, reinstates the CNRP, and allows for a free and fair election. The group collected more than 3,000 signatures to affix to a petition its organizers delivered on Monday to officials at Japans Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Rithy Uong added, saying they had "promised they will bring our concerns to the Prime Minister of Japan [Shinzo Abe], who is very concerned about the political situation in Cambodia." A similar protest was held on Sunday in Tokyo, and was attended by nearly 1,000 mostly young Cambodian residents of Japan, according to Hay Vanna, who led the gathering. These young people are very determinednothing can stop them and they need a change, he told RFA, noting that Japan has called for a national reconciliation in Cambodia. There is still time for Hun Sen to reconsider his move. What we hope now is that Japan will withdraw assistance to the NEC and be prepared to call the upcoming election illegitimate if the CNRP remains banned from joining in the election. Hay Vanna said he had collected more than 1,000 signatures to affix to a petition he plans to deliver to Japanese officials by the end of the month. Major donor The CNRP received more than 3 million votesaccounting for nearly half of the countrys registered votersin Cambodias 2013 general election, and enjoyed similar success in last years commune ballot, making it the only legitimate challenger to the CPP ahead of July. The dissolution of the CNRP and the arrest of its president Kem Sokha are actions widely seen as part of a bid by Hun Sen to ensure that the CPP stays in power in Cambodia following Julys vote. Hun Sen marks 33 years in office this year. Amid the prime ministers crackdown on the political opposition, both the U.S. and EU have withdrawn donor support for Cambodias elections, citing government actions seen as limiting democracy in the country. But Japan, which along with the EU is the largest funder of Cambodias 2018 elections, has said it has no intention of pulling its electoral aid ahead of the July vote. Japan has already provided Cambodias NEC with computers to assist with its ballots and has faced criticism of its continued support from the NGO community, such as New York-based Human Rights Watch. The worlds fourth largest foreign aid donor with an annual budget of nearly U.S. $10 billion, Japan donated 17.3 billion yen (U.S. $153 million) in loans, 8 billion yen (U.S. $71 million) in grants, and 3.4 billion yen (U.S. $30 million) in technical cooperation to Cambodia in 2015. In addition to electoral support, Japan also provides Cambodia with a variety of aid for projects including infrastructure improvement, humanitarian assistance, and business development. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. The passage of proposals allowing mainland Chinese law to be enforced within Hong Kong city limits represents an erosion of the city's promised autonomy under the terms of the 1997 handover treaty between Britain and China, a U.S. based rights group said. Hong Kong's Legislative Council passed the proposals into law on June 13, creating a human rights black hole within the city's supposedly separate legal jurisdiction, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a blog post on Sunday. Under the plan, Hong Kong law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and other existing provisions for the protection of human rights, will not apply to part of Hong Kongs West Kowloon railway terminus, or any trains running between Hong Kong and mainland China, HRW China researcher Maya Wang wrote. "Instead, Chinese authorities will be able to enforce Chinese criminal law in the heart of Hong Kong," Wang said, adding that Chinese law includes vaguely worded and sweeping national security and public order laws commonly used by the Chinese government to charge its peaceful critics. Offenses such as creating a disturbance or inciting subversion are frequently used to target dissidents by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, Wang said. Hong Kong's status as a separate legal jurisdiction had until recent years protected its residents and visitors from arbitrary prosecutions carried out for political reasons. But student protesters, pro-democracy lawmakers, and "localist" politicians who want a greater degree of separation from mainland China have been jailed, disqualified, and stripped of office in recent years as Beijing's National People's Congress standing committee has staged a string of high-profile interventions in the city's political life. Last week, former colonial governor Chris Patten hit out at the jailing of localist politician Edward Leung, as being the latest in a series of "politically motivated" convictions in Hong Kong courts. City's status ignored Critics say the new arrangements for the West Kowloon rail terminus linking Hong Kong to the nationwide high-speed network ignores the city's status as a separate immigration, policing, and customs jurisdiction, enshrined in the terms of its 1997 handover to China, and in its mini-constitution, the Basic Law. The city's Bar Association (HKBA) has hit out at the arrangement, saying it constitutes an irreparable breach of the Basic Law. The city's lawyers say the Hong Kong immigration department, not the mainland Chinese border police, should be in charge of entry and exit control checks for passengers entering and leaving the city, citing Article 154(2) of the Basic Law. Chinese and Hong Kong government officials say the arrangement will streamline the immigration process, however. "This is yet another disturbing example of Chinas blatant disregard for Hong Kongs rule of law," HRW's Wang wrote. "This new arrangement, which will facilitate arbitrary detention and unjust prosecutions for exercise of fundamental rights in Hong Kongalongside these other encroachmentsshould be seen as a concerted threat to rule of law and basic rights by Beijing," she said. "They may not seem as dramatic as tanks rolling across the border, but the effect is likely going to be the same." The passage of the legislation has prompted calls for the resignation of Legislative Council (LegCo) president Andrew Leung, who set a 36-hour time limit on debating the bill before forcing a vote. Abuse of power Democratic Party lawmaker Au Nok-hin said Leung had abused his power as LegCo's speaker to push the legislation through. "It sets a very bad precedent for there to be a time limit to members' proceedings in LegCo," Au said. "Many LegCo members ... intended to speak, but [Leung] didn't give them enough time." "I feel that he has acted unreasonably and abused his power." Alvin Yeung of the Civic Party said that while a proposed no-confidence motion against Leung was unlikely to gain traction in a LegCo dominated by pro-Beijing members, it was important to register pan-democrats' protest on the record. "We all believe that he violated the rules of procedure," Yueng said. "We also none of us expect the motion to be supported by pro-establishment members, but we believe that everything that can be done, should be done." Reported by Lam Kwok-lap for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Chen Pan for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. China has resumed testing of a U.S.$8.3 billion French-built nuclear reactor at Taishan on its southern coast, according to a media report in neighboring Hong Kong. The U.S.$8.3 billion Taishan plant is among the first in the world to use European pressurized reactors (EPR) designed by French nuclear firm Areva, but has been plagued by delays and technical problems. Plant operator China General Nuclear (CGN) had previously postponed the opening of Taishan's Unit 1 from to 2017, but engineers said the plant still required a large amount of tests, and the earliest it could start was 2018. Hong Kong's crowd-funded investigative news agency FactWire reported at the end of last year that cracks had been found in some of the reactor parts. It said the authorities had decided to go ahead with a final test-firing of the reactor on , without making the move public, however. "This heralds the first formal operation of an EPR anywhere in the world," FactWire reported. It said the authorities had decided to go ahead with the first critical phase of the reactor in spite of cracks having been found in its cover. "The reactor will now be used with the [problematic] reactor cover in place until ," the report said. "In the meantime, methods will be developed for effectively checking the top cover while it is in use." It cited safety documents issued by China's Nuclear Safety Administration as saying that various mechanical and man-made problems had been identified prior to the first test run. "Between -25, the Nuclear Safety Administration conducted a nuclear safety inspection before Unit 1 went critical for the first time ... pointing out six issues," FactWire said. These included monitoring equipment failures, reactor protection system signal errors, as well as human error including operators not following correct procedure in response to system abnormalities. Transparency questions The power plant was ordered to "strengthen operator skills training to reduce human error," and to resolve a host of other issues including random restarts by the computer controlling the reactor, and the failure to ensure that high radiation areas can be locked down. The plant's operators have yet to comment on FactWire's report. But engineer and sustainability campaigner Albert Lai, who convenes the Hong Kong think tank Professional Commons, said China's Nuclear Safety Administration is notorious for lacking transparency. "Their transparency is very poor, and their relationship with China General Nuclear is too cosy," Lai told RFA on . "Personnel are frequently posted between the two organizations, which compromises their independence." "[They] have kept a very low profile throughout the [Taishan] project from commissioning to production," he said. "[They] seem to take the attitude that's it's best not to inquire too closely." "The most worrying thing is whether they are putting commercial considerations ahead of public safety," Lai said. Lai said it remains to be seen whether any or all of the safety issues have been resolved since the safety inspectors published their report last month. "Legally speaking, they have the power to order this reactor to shut down," he said. "It was highly irresponsible of CGN to fire up this reactor with no formal announcement, which would be the only way to comply with International Atomic Energy Agency guidelines." A resident living near the Taishan plant in Guangdong's Chixi township said he is concerned about safety at the plant. "Since the government has allowed a nuclear power plant to be built nearby, they should solve any safety issues," the resident said. "This isn't something ordinary people like us can bother our heads with." "I would hope that the government will hold a formal press conference when the nuclear power plant starts generating electricity normally ... so that everyone knows what is happening," he said. Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Detained Myanmar journalist Kyaw Soe Oo (C) carrying his daughter is escorted by police to his ongoing trial at a court in Yangon, June 12, 2018. A senior police officer for the prosecution involved in the case against two Reuters news agency reporters on trial in Myanmar for possessing state secrets told the court on Monday that he made copies of the testimony of other witnesses, while another officer failed to show up to testify. Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were arrested on the outskirts of Yangon on Dec. 12 shortly after they had dinner with two police officers who gave them documents related to a brutal military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state. They were formally charged on Jan. 10 and face up to 14 years in prison if found guilty. During a previous hearing, Captain Moe Yan Naing testified that the two were set up by a senior officer. He was sentenced to a year in Yangons Insein Prison under the Police Discipline Law for handing classified information to the reporters, and authorities ordered his wife and three children to move out of a police housing complex. At the final pretrial court hearing on Monday, Police Major Tin Win Maung told the court he had applied to obtain copies of statements given by all other witnesses in the case to learn more about it, Reuters reported. Lawyers for the defense said he was an unreliable witness because his request, though not illegal, violated police code. They also said the prosecution had failed to establish how the alleged documents had come into the reporters possession, Reuters reported. 'He was not there' Meanwhile, another witness, Police Corporal Khin Maung Lin, failed to show up in court and has been reported missing. Khin Maung Lin had previously been detained along with Moe Yan Naing in December for his involvement in the case and was later fired from the police force. The prosecutors lawyer said during the hearing that they looked for Police Sergeant Khin Maung Lin in Myeik township [of southern Myanmar's Tanintharyi region], where they were informed he could be, but he was not there, said Thant Zaw Aug, the reporters attorney. The prosecutors lawyer submitted a document saying that Police Sergeant Khin Maung Lin doesnt live at the address they have for him, he said. Khin Maung Zaw, another lawyer representing the journalists, said his clients had been interrogated by police at the Aung Thapyay interrogation center where they were deprived of sleep, though Police Major Tin Win Maung said Monday that he didnt know whether they had been sent to the facility. It seems they want to hide the part about sending the reporters to that interrogation center, he said. Meanwhile, Wa Lone expressed disappointment with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi who told Japanese broadcaster NHK last week that the two reporters were arrested because they violated Myanmars Official Secrets Act. We were sad to hear Daw [honorific] Aung San Suu Kyis interview with NHK, he told reporters outside the courthouse. It is very obvious that she was told the wrong information by relevant authorities. I would like to tell her to work for our justice and get true information, he said. After six months of pretrial hearings, the court will hear arguments from both sides on July 2 on whether the two reporters should be charged under the colonial-era act in what has become a landmark press freedom case. Reported by Htet Arkar and Kaung Theinkha for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Christine Schraner Burgener (C), the UN secretary-general's special envoy to Myanmar, visits the Myanmar-Bangladesh border in Maundaw township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, June 18, 2018. The new United Nations special envoy to Myanmar visited Rakhine states Maungdaw township on Monday where she toured repatriation facilities and villages affected by violence during a brutal military crackdown targeting Rohingya Muslims last year. Christine Schraner Burgener, who was appointed to her post on April 26 by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is spending two days in western Myanmars Rakhine state. On Monday, she visited the Taung Pyo Let Wae village repatriation center and the Hla Pho Khaung processing camp for Rohingya refugees who will return to Myanmar from Bangladesh to which they fled during the violence. She is tasked with enhancing cooperation between the U.N. and Myanmar to address the crisis in Rakhine, help bridge differences in the ethnically and religiously divided state, and assist the Myanmar government with its peace process efforts. Myanmar is in the process of repatriating Rohingya refugees who want to return to Rakhine state after fleeing the crackdown in response to deadly attacks on police posts by a Muslim militant group. Myanmar has denied credible evidence by rights groups and the U.N. which indicates that security forces committed widespread atrocities against Rohingya civilians, including indiscriminate killings, rape, torture, and arson. The U.N. has said that the campaign amounted to ethnic cleansing. The government has defended the campaign as a counterinsurgency operation against the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, the group that carried out the attacks on police outposts in August 2017 and smaller-scale attacks on border guard stations October 2016. More than 1,000 people in Maungdaw and two other townships in northern Rakhine died during the larger crackdown, and nearly 700,000 Rohingya fled their homes and sought shelter in displacement camps in southeastern Bangladesh. The earlier October 2016 security operation drove roughly 90,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh. When Tun Aung Kyaw general secretary of Arakan National Party (ANP), the dominant political party in Rakhine state that represents the interests of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists met Burgener, he disputed the reported number of Rohingya who fled the area during the violence. He said that Rakhine state's 13 townships had a population of about one million people, including both ethnic Rakhines and Rohingya, before the exodus, and that Muslim-majority Maungdaw and neighboring Buthidaung township together had about 700,000 residents. If everybody from Buthidaung and Maungdaw fled to Bangladesh, that would have amounted to 700,000 people, but more than half of the population is still living there, he told RFA. So I told her that what Bangladesh said about almost 800,000 people fleeing from the Buthidaung and Maungdaw area is impossible. We cant work here Shwe Maung, leader of the Thetkepyin internally displaced persons (IDP) camp for Rohingya in Sittwe, said he told Burgener about the difficulties of those who live in the camp. The room we are in is just nine feet wide for six to eight people, including a son, daughter, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law, he said. When we were in our old places, we lived in our own houses and we could work to survive, but we cant work here. The Rohingya, who are treated as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, are denied citizenship and access to basic services such as health care, education, and jobs, though many have lived in Myanmar for generations. About 1,000 households live at the Thetkepyin IDP camp and receive assistance from the World Food Programme, Shwe Maung said. Myanmar is working on closing down IDP camps in Rakhine, where tens of thousands of Rohingya ended up after they were displaced by communal violence between Muslims and Buddhists in 2012. Burgener also visited Kyein Chaung and Pandaw Pyin villages and met with the relatives of Hindus and Muslims who were killed during the upheaval in the multiethnic region. Almost all houses [here] were burned down during the crisis, and people moved out of the village, but 22 households didnt move out, said Annawa, the head of Pandaw Pyin village. The government built houses for these 22 households. The special envoy visited [the ones] inside this village. On Sunday, Burgener met Nyi Pu, chief minister of Rakhine state, in the state capital Sittwe. RFAs Myanmar Service was unable to reach Nyi Pu to ask him about their meeting. Burgener said she plans to open an office in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw to meet with the country's leaders, government officials, political parties, civil society organizations, and local residents. She met with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and parliamentary speakers last week. Myanmar has accused other U.N. officials of being biased in their assessments of the Rohingya crisis. A statement issued by Aung San Suu Kyis office on June 13 said the state counselor stressed the need for the special envoy to try to get to know the ground situation and its complexities in an objective manner and to stand up for the truth and convey the real situation to the international community. Zeid takes aim Also on Monday, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the U.N.s human rights chief, said in his final global update to the Human Rights Council that widespread violations have continued against the Rohingya with clear indications of well-organized, widespread and systematic attacks ... amounting possibly to acts of genocide. A U.N.-appointed fact-finding mission, representatives from the U.N.s Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar all of whom the government has refused to let into the country to probe the Rohingya crisis have conducted remote monitoring of the situation, he said. Zeid referred to a memorandum of understanding that Myanmar signed on June 6 with the U.N.s development and refugee agencies to assist with the repatriations of the Rohingya, saying, I reiterate that no repatriation should occur in the absence of sustained human rights monitoring on the ground, in the areas concerned. In March, Zeid asked the U.N. General Assembly to refer those who committed atrocities against the Rohingya to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution and called on the Myanmar government to allow independent investigators into northern Rakhine to probe suspected acts of genocide against the Muslim group. Reported by Wai Mar Tun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Chinese authorities in Tibet have launched a new loyalty campaign in the formerly independent Himalayan region, forcing ordinary Tibetans to learn songs praising the ruling Chinese Communist Party for performance at an upcoming national holiday, Tibetan sources say. The campaign is now under way in all parts of Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), and stiff fines have been threatened for those refusing to take part, one TAR resident told RFAs Tibetan Service. One member of every Tibetan family has been forced to perform the group songs in front of large crowds, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Tibetans are not willing to sing the songs, but the Chinese authorities grip on the people has tightened year by year, and though they can share their displeasure at the Chinese order among themselves, there is no one else they can complain to, the source said. Also speaking to RFA, another Tibetan living in the region said the new campaign was launched to prepare songs for performance on July 1, the anniversary of the founding in 1921 of the Chinese Communist Party. Every Tibetan family regardless of their status or condition is being forced to participate in the group trainings to memorize the communist songs, the source said, also speaking on condition his name not be used. Those who have perfected their performance are rewarded, but those failing to take part are fined from 100 to 500 yuan each [U.S. $16 to 78], with fines varying from place to place, he said. The Shigatse region is imposing the heaviest fines, he added. No right to refuse Our village head has ordered us to sing songs praising the Communist Party on July 1, another source, a native of Chushur county now working in Toelung Dechen, told RFA. But many of us are illiterate and we cant sing the songs, and we have asked the village head to exclude us from his order, RFAs source said, adding that authorities had denied their request and threatened them with fines of up to 500 yuan. Our income is very low, though, and these threats of punishment and the psychological pressure have become unbearable. Government officials have been specially assigned to teach these songs, he said. Their aim is to show the outside world how happy the Tibetan people are, and to project a false image of Tibetans patriotism and loyalty to the Chinese party. We have no right to refuse, he said. Reported by Dawa Dolma. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. Authorities in Vietnam beat and arrested several demonstrators who took part in a peaceful protest in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday against the governments proposal to grant special economic zone leases to foreign investors, according to witnesses, amid growing public dissent over the issue. The protest was among several held around the country in the last week and reflected fears that the 99-year leases will be snapped up by investors from neighboring China, with which Vietnam has had tense bilateral relations in recent yearsin part due to territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Ho Chi Minh City-based protester Nguyen Ngoc Lua told RFAs Vietnamese Service that she saw young men with blood covering their faces during Sundays demonstration in the citys downtown area. All we could do was pray, because [the security forces] would slap our faces if we dared say anything in protest, she said. Lua said that during the demonstration she could hear fellow protester Trinh Van Toan, who was being held by police in a nearby building, calling for help. I heard him yelling help me, the police are beating me, and it sounded like they were hitting him really hard, she said, adding that Toan suffered serious injuries. We called to them to stop beating him because he is one of us, and not Chinese, but when we stood up to do so, they used batons to beat us and shouted, sit down, dont you dare protest! Another protester told RFA that security personnel were out in force on Sunday to clampdown on the ongoing protests. I saw people in yellow and blue uniformsfrom both the security forces and the military, he said, adding that all the forces were represented. At least seven people have been arrested in Ho Chi Minh City for allegedly disturbing security and opposing officials since protests began there on June 10. Sunday also saw thousands of people demonstrate in central Ha Tinh province over the economic zone draft law and followed clashes earlier in the week in Binh Thuan province, when protesters wielded bricks and Molotov cocktails against police and damaged official buildings. Some of the demonstrations have also focused on a recently-passed cybersecurity law that protesters say will limit free speech in one party communist Vietnam, where dissent is rarely tolerated and public unrest is quickly suppressed. The official Tuoi Tre newspaper reported Monday that eight people had been arrested for disturbing public order, opposing officials and damaging state property during the Binh Thuan clashes. Meanwhile, Vietnams National Assembly, or rubber stamp parliament, has agreed to delay consideration of the draft bill on the economic zones until October to allow for additional research. Tuoi Tre quoted Vietnams Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong calling on the public to remain calm and have complete faith in the leadership of the Party and the government, while speaking to residents in the capital Hanoi on Sunday. Nobody is so naive that they would offer their motherland to foreigners, the paper reported him saying, addressing concerns that the lease terms threaten Vietnams national security. Trinh Van Toan receives treatment for a brain injury at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, June 17, 2018. Credit: Khanh Tran's Facebook page Call for probe On Monday, London-based rights group Amnesty International issued a statement calling on authorities in Vietnam to release those detained for their part in the protests and launch an investigation into allegations that some of them had been tortured while in custody. Amnesty claimed that around 150 people who took part in nationwide protests on June 9 and 10 against the proposed law on special economic zones had been arbitrarily detained, and said it had received reports that some of those held had been beaten with wooden sticks after refusing to disclose their mobile phone pin numbers to police. These reports of protestors being tortured are deeply disturbing, said Minar Pimple, the groups senior director of global operations. We urge the Vietnamese authorities to launch a prompt, thorough and effective investigation into the claims and to hold anyone suspected of being responsible to account. Pimple called the mass arrests over the weekend nothing more than retribution against people who had simply expressed their concern over a government policy. Viet Nams authorities cannot hide behind the excuse of maintaining public order as a license to persecute and lock up peaceful protestors, she said. Those detained have been denied their rights to liberty, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and due legal process and must be immediately and unconditionally released. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Bosnian border guards have stopped dozens of migrants seeking to cross into European Union member Croatia. The June 18 incident in northwestern Bosnia came amid a sharp increase in migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia seeking refuge in Western Europe. About 100 migrants had moved toward from the town of Velika Kladusa, where hundreds have been staying in makeshift camps, to the Maljevac border crossing, but police blocked them from proceeding. Many then staged a sit-in on the access road as police tried to persuade them to turn back. Peter Van der Auweraert, an official with the International Organization for Migration, posted a video to Twitter showing the standoff and wrote that the police move was a "very worrying development that risks" creating a backlash. Emina Buzinkic, a Croatian migration activist, told RFE/RL that some migrants had managed to cross earlier, but Croatian police refused to receive their asylum applications. She said some were roughed up by police and had their cell phones destroyed or money stolen. Sanela Dujkovic, a spokeswoman for the Bosnia-Herzegovina border police, told RFE/RL that the border crossing was functioning normally but could only be reached via a secondary route. In recent months, migrants have turned to Bosnia in order to avoid other routes through the Balkans, many of which are more heavily guarded. With reporting by AP CHISINAU -- A court in Moldova's capital has postponed a confirmation hearing for pro-European Mayor-elect Andrei Nastase, whose election two weeks ago has been challenged by opponents. Supporters of Nastase rallied outside as Chisinau City Court postponed the hearing on June 18 after the Chisinau District Electoral Council filed a motion to replace the judge. The court did not set a new date. It was the second postponement of the hearing for Nastase, an advocate of closer ties with the European Union and a self-described "anti-oligarch" politician. Nastase, the Dignity and Truth Platform candidate, defeated the candidate of the Moscow-friendly Socialist Party, Ion Ceban, in a runoff on June 3. Ceban won nearly 41 percent of vote in the first round on May 20 to 32 percent for Nastase, but a runoff was held because no candidate won more than 50 percent. On June 15, the court postponed the hearing to June 18 after the Socialist Party filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, alleging electoral violations. Nastase supporters demonstrating outside the courthouse accused the authorities of intentionally blocking Nastase from taking office. Early mayoral elections were also held in Moldova's second-largest city, Balti, where Nicolai Grigorisin, the candidate of the pro-Russia Our Party, won in the first round with 61 percent of the vote. The snap elections in Chisinau and Balti were called after Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca of the pro-European Liberal Party and Our Party leader Renato Usatii resigned to protest what they contend are politically motivated criminal cases against them. The new mayors will serve for one year, until regularly scheduled elections. Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, is divided between forces supporting pro-Russian President Igor Dodon and those backing the government, which is pushing for closer ties with the EU and the United States. TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Authorities say it appears that "neighborhood beef" is behind a fatal shooting that erupted at an all-night New Jersey arts festival. Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said Sunday morning that two additional victims came forward, bringing the injured count up to 22. Onofri said 17 of those were gunshot wounds. Four people remain in critical condition, including a 13-year-old boy. Two suspects opened fire around 2:45 a.m. Sunday during the crowded Art All Night festival in Trenton that showcases local art, music and food. Onofri said one suspect is believed to have been shot and killed by police. A second suspect is in custody. Witness Gennie Darisme said she heard gunshots as she was about to leave. She said she saw one person bleeding on the ground in handcuffs. A court in the Russia-annexed peninsula of Crimea has for the third time postponed a ruling on five Crimean Tatars charged with organizing an illegal demonstration four years ago. The Central District Court in Simferopol gave no explanation on June 18 for putting off the hearing until the following day. The five men -- Ali Asanov, Mustafa Degermendzhy, Eskendir Kantemirov, Eskendir Emirvaliev, and Arsen Yunusov -- were among a group who staged a protest outside the regional legislature in February 2014. The demonstration occurred as Russia moved to seize control of the Black Sea region following street protests in the Ukrainian capital that forced the countrys pro-Russian president to flee. The five were arrested and charged in late 2015. Akhtem Chiygoz, the well-known leader in the Crimean Tatars local assembly, was also charged for his participation in the protest. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in September 2017, but weeks later he was taken to Turkey and freed. He later moved to Kyiv. Moscows annexation of Crimea in March 2014 was vocally opposed by the Crimea Tatar population, who make up a sizable minority of the peninsula. BRUSSELS -- European Union agricultural ministers have prolonged the bloc's investment ban against Crimea for another year. The ministers extended the restrictive measures, which were adopted in 2014 in response to Russia's illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, during a meeting in Luxembourg on June 18. EU ambassadors had already approved the move earlier this month. The measures, which have been extended on a yearly basis, include an EU-wide ban on imports from Crimea unless they have Ukrainian certificates, a ban on cruise ships flying the flag of an EU member state or controlled by a member state to call at ports at the Black Sea peninsula, and a prohibition of the purchase by EU companies of property and companies there. Under the ban, goods and technology for the transport, telecommunications, and energy sectors also cannot be exported to Crimean companies or for use in Crimea. The EUs economic sanctions targeting Russias banking and energy sector are set to be debated by EU leaders when they meet in Brussels at the end of June. According to EU diplomats who were not authorized to speak on the record, the sanctions are likely to be rolled-over for another six months. Iranian authorities have executed a man convicted of killing three police officers during clashes involving members of a Sufi order, despite calls to stop his execution. The official website of Irans judiciary said Mohammad Reza Salas was hanged early on June 18. We are shocked and saddened to announce that Mohammad Salas was executed this morning, Amnesty International said on Twitter. The 51-year-old was convicted and sentenced to death in March following what the London-based rights watchdog described as a grossly unfair trial. In their haste to do justice, the authorities have trampled all over this mans rights, Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty, said in a June 17 statement. Luther cited Mohammad Reza Salass denial of access to a lawyer before and during his trial and the dismissal of "key defense witnesses who can testify that he was already in detention when the three policemen were killed. During the court hearings, Salas testified that he did not kill the police officers intentionally, according to local media. Three officers were left dead after they were run over by a bus during battles between security forces and followers of one of Irans largest Sufi orders in Tehran in February. Followers of the Nemattolah Gonabadi order, known as 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. 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. Rights groups have repeatedly called on Iran, one of the world's leading executioners, to abolish the death penalty. Amnesty International said in a report published in April that 507 people were executed in the country last year -- a 10-percent decline compared to the previous year. With reporting by AP Iranian President Hassan Rohani plans to visit Austria and Switzerland next month, the two European countries said on July 18, amid continued uncertainty over the future of the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers. Rohani's planned European trip comes after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the nuclear deal and moved to reinstate economic sanctions against Tehran. The other parties to the agreement -- Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany -- said they remain committed to the deal so long as Iran is honoring it. Tehran earlier this month announced it had launched the process of increasing its capacity to enrich uranium in case the accord that curbed its nuclear program collapses. Rohani is scheduled to stay in Switzerland on July 2-3 and have talks with Switzerlands President Alain Berset and other officials, the Swiss government said. Discussions will focus on the latest developments regarding the Iran nuclear deal to "find ways of preserving the progress made as a result of the agreement and of ensuring the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region," it said in a statement. It said the sides would also address the situation in the Middle East. Both the United States and Saudi Arabia have tasked the neutral European country with representing their interests in Tehran. On July 4, the Iranian president is to meet with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van der Bellen, and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in Vienna. Austria would "support EU efforts to save the nuclear agreement with Iran," the dpa news agency quoted a source in the presidential office in Vienna as saying. The Austrian capital is home to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN body that monitors Iran's compliance with the Iran nuclear deal. It also played host to the negotiations that led to the signing in July 2015 of the deal aimed at preventing Iran from building an atomic bomb. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for civilian use. With reporting by dpa A lawyer says a Russian blog editor accused of trying to extort a lawmaker in the Black Sea city of Sochi has been hospitalized after prosecutors reported he allegedly stabbed himself in the stomach. Aleksandr Valov, the founder and editor in chief of the site BlogSochi, was arrested in January, charged with trying to extort 300,000 rubles ($5,300) from Yury Napso, a member of Russia's lower house of parliament. Valov, who faces up to seven years in prison, has denied the charges and called them politically motivated retribution for him publishing a photo report of a beach property belonging to Napsos brother. Defense lawyer Aleksandr Popkov said on June 18 that a Sochi court had been scheduled to review new arguments to prolong Valovs detention. However, the prosecutor told the court that Valov had been hospitalized three days earlier after he had allegedly stabbed himself in the stomach, Popkov said. This all demands a careful investigation, he said. Despite his absence, the court ordered Valovs detention extended by another day. "And again, without any evidence of Valov's involvement in the crime," Popkov told RFE/RL. During his arrest in January, Valov live-streamed a video showing police breaking down the door to his apartment, cutting off the electricity, and beating him. Valov had clashed with authorities prior to his arrest. He and another BlogSochi reporter were sued by Napso for defamation, a case that Valov ended up losing. BlogSochi also reported extensively on local corruption in the run-up to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, which ended up being the most expensive Winter Olympics in history. The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists suggested the charges were politically motivated. "Exposing political corruption is an important function of an independent press, the organizations deputy executive director, Robert Mahoney, said in a statement. Valov should be released immediately and the charges against him dropped. With reporting by RFE/RLs Russian Service and Interfax SKOPJE-- Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in the Macedonia capital for a second night, as nationalists continued to vent anger over a landmark agreement to rename the country. Crowds gathered in the center of Skopje on June 18, waving national flags, chanting "Macedonia!" and calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. They also chanted the name of President Gjorge Ivanov, who has pledged to veto the deal if it is ratified by parliament. There were no immediate reports of arrests or violence. The Interior Ministry said that seven police officers and two other people were injured in violence a day earlier, which erupted on the day that foreign ministers from Macedonia and Greece signed the historic agreement. The deal, which changes the countrys formal name to the Republic of North Macedonia, ends a 27-year dispute between Athens and Skopje and paves the way for Macedonia to begin membership talks with the European Union and NATO. Nationalists in both countries bitterly oppose the change. Earlier in the day, the government of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev adopted a draft law on ratifying the agreement. Lawmakers are scheduled to start debating the text the upcoming week, before it goes to a referendum later this year. The name dispute 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. 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. CHISINAU -- Moldova has expressed concern over what it says were unauthorized movements by Russian military forces in the breakaway Transdniester region. The Reintegration Policy Bureau, a government department that handles the Transdniester issue and is led by one of Moldova's two deputy prime ministers, said on June 15 that the Moldovan government had notified the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) about what it called the unauthorized deployment of military trucks and equipment in the region controlled by separatists. A day earlier, Moldovan authorities filmed some 40 trucks and other military vehicles with Russian symbols and license plates moving along a main road linking the northern and southern parts of Transdniester, a sliver of land along the Ukrainian border in eastern Moldova, the statement said. The separatist government in Transdniester said it was not involved, while representatives of the Russian troops in the region said they would comment on the situation later. Also on June 15, Moldovan Foreign Minister Tudor Ulianovschi announced that the UN General Assembly will discuss the possible withdrawal of some Russian troops from Transdniester on June 22. "In the context of the crisis in Ukraine, the stepping up of military activity by Russian troops and Transdniester forces is fanning tensions in this European region," Ulianovschi said. Authorities in Moldova and other countries in the region have registered increased concerns about Moscow's intentions since Russia seized Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014 and threw its support behind armed separatists in eastern Ukraine, helping fuel a war that has killed more than 10,300 people and still continues. In 2014, there were concerns that Russian and separatist forces would seek to sweep across southern Ukraine to Transdniester and the rest of Moldova. Frozen Conflict Pro-Russian separatists in Transdniester declared independence from Moldova in 1990, amid concerns that it would seek reunification with Romania as the Soviet Union fell apart. In 1992, the separatists fought a war against government forces in which some 1,000 people were killed. The conflict has been frozen since Russian troops stationed in Transdniester during the Soviet era intervened on the side of the separatists. Transdniester's independence is not recognized by any internationally recognized country, but Moscow has been unofficially backing the separatists self-declared government. A 1992 cease-fire agreement established the presence of a contingent of Russian peacekeepers in Transdniester along with Moldovan and Transdniester counterparts. Separately, some 1,400 Russian troops remain in Transdniester guarding Soviet-era arms depots, although Russia pledged to withdraw them at an OSCE summit in 1999. The withdrawal proposed by Chisinau concerns those troops, which are known as the Operational Group of Russian Troops. Far fewer Afghans, Pakistanis, and Iranians sought asylum in the European Union in 2017 than in the previous year, part of an overall decrease that brought the total number of applicants well below 1 million, according to a new EU report.* he European Asylum Support Office said in its 2017 annual report, released on June 18, that the number of people seeking asylum in the 28 EU countries plus Norway and Switzerland dropped by nearly half compared with 2016. While almost 1.3 million applications for international protection were registered in 2016, the total number dropped in 2017 to just under 730,000 -- a 44 percent decrease, the report said. The decrease occurred despite continued pressure on the bloc's external borders. Provisional data for the first four months of this year also shows that the number of applications has stabilized at a monthly average of less than 50,000, the report said. Applicants from several countries continued to make up most of the new arrivals in the 30-nation grouping, which is known as the EU+. Syrians led with 15 percent of the total, followed by Afghans and Iraqis with 7 percent each. Of the total number, Pakistanis represented 4 percent and Iranians 3 percent. However, the total number of asylum applicants from Afghanistan dropped from more than 190,000 in 2016 to almost 50,000 in 2017. Applications by Pakistanis dropped from more than 50,000 in 2016 to fewer than 32,000 last year. The number of Iranians seeking asylum in the EU+ decreased to less than 19,000 last year from more than 42,000 in 2016. More than 108,000 Syrians sought asylum in 2017, compared to almost 342,000 during the previous year, the report said. Throughout 2017, migratory pressure decreased for a second consecutive year, mostly on the eastern and central Mediterranean routes. However, there was an unprecedented upsurge on the western Mediterranean route, the report said. Contrary to the general trend, the report says that citizens of Georgia, who, along with nationals of Venezuela, are exempt from visa requirements when traveling to most of the EU, sought international protection more frequently -- from just over 8,800 to 12,000. That's an increase of more than one-quarter in Georgia's case. The reports release comes as the European Union continues to struggle with the issue of migration as people from the Middle East, North Africa, and elsewhere surge into the bloc, fleeing war and seeking economic stability. The issue has sharply divided EU member states and helped fuel a rise of populist political movements, many of which are anti-immigrant and xenophobic. In Germany, the question of how the country should handle migrants has pushed the governing coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel to the brink of collapse. *CORRECTION: This article has been amended to state that the number of asylum applicants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran decreased in 2017 compared to 2016. Afghan peace activists have arrived in Kabul after trekking some 700 kilometers on foot calling for an end to Afghanistans nearly 17-year war. The Helmand Peace Convoy reached the Afghan capital on the morning of June 18 after traveling for almost 40 days, chanting slogans including "We want peace" and "Stop the war." The march kicked off in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province, which is largely under Taliban control. It began with a group of nine men and picked up around 40 supporters during the journey. The participants arrived in Kabul following a three-day truce between the Taliban and government forces coinciding with the Eid al-Fitr holiday that ends the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Kabul government extended its cease-fire by 10 days, but the Taliban said that they would resume their attacks. Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh said there had been fighting in nine provinces since the end of the Taliban's cease-fire, with 12 soldiers killed or wounded, the AFP news agency reported. In the eastern province of Nangarhar, gunmen shot and killed a district governor, said Attahullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Khogyani blamed the Taliban. Nangarhar Province was hit by two suicide bombings over the weekend that targeted gatherings of Afghan security forces, Taliban militants, and civilians who were celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday and the cease-fire. The Islamic State extremist group, which was not included in the government's cease-fire, claimed responsibility for one of the bombings. Also on June 18, Radmanesh told RFE/RL that several thousand Taliban militants who had entered Kabul and other Afghan cities during the three-day truce agreed to stop the fighting against government forces. With reporting by Tolo News, AFP, and AP Syrian state media say U.S.-led coalition aircraft have bombed pro-government forces near the border with Iraq, leaving a number of people dead. Citing a military source, the June 18 reports said the attack targeted a position in the village of Al-Huri in Deir al-Zor Province. It said several people were killed and others wounded in the strike. A coalition spokesman denied carrying out any strikes in the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 38 foreign fighters allied with the government of President Bashar al-Assad died in the bombing. Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, a grouping of mostly Shi'ite paramilitaries, said the strike killed 22 of its members and wounded 12 others. Pro-government forces, supported by Russia and Iran, and a U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters are both battling the Islamic State (IS) extremist group there. Thousands of Shiite militiamen armed and trained by Iran are reportedly fighting in Syria. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and the BBC 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. WASHINGTON -- Newly published satellite photographs suggest that Russia has rebuilt a weapons storage bunker in its Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad, suggesting that Moscow could be considering placing nuclear weapons there, according to a U.S. think tank. The photographs, published on June 18 by the Federation of American Scientists, were the latest source of concern for Western military observers about Russia's capabilities in the region wedged between Lithuania and Poland that is home to Russia's Baltic Fleet. Hans Kristensen, a respected nuclear expert and director of the federation's nuclear information project, said the images showed the weapons bunker, located about 50 kilometers from the Polish border, had been under major renovation since 2016. "It is to my knowledge the only nuclear weapons storage site in the Kaliningrad region," he wrote. "The latest upgrade obviously raises questions about what the operational status of the site is," he said. "The satellite images do not provide conclusive answers to these questions." According to Kristensen, Russia's publicly stated policy is that so-called "nonstrategic weapon systems" -- essentially small, short-range battlefield weapons -- are stored in a central facility within Russia's main borders. The renovation of the Kaliningrad site, at Kulikovo, means it could be supplied with such warheads during a crisis. Kristensen said it was unclear whether there were nuclear warheads already on site or if Russia is preparing to move them there -- a move that would drastically increase tensions with NATO. Alternately, the facility may be being upgraded so that nuclear weapons could be moved in at short notice. Kaliningrad's location makes it particularly problematic for NATO military planners. Even short-range weaponry based in the region could put NATO-member cities like Warsaw or even Berlin at risk. In late January, the top missile commander for the Kaliningrad region, Colonel Anatoly Gorodetsky, said that engineers had finished building the necessary infrastructure to host the advanced Iskander-M ballistic-missile system. Days later, Vladimir Shamanov, a former military commander who now heads the Defense Committee in Russia's lower house of parliament, echoed that remark, and said Iskander-M systems had, in fact, been deployed. Lithuania's defense minister also confirmed the deployment. U.S. and NATO officials have said the location of such missile systems is destabilizing. World powers slightly reduced their stockpiles of nuclear warheads to 14,465 at the start of 2018, driven by cuts by the United States and Russia, although modernization programs are continuing, a new report shows. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on June 18 said the overall number of nuclear weapons held by the nine known nuclear powers was down from 14,935 the previous year. The United States and Russia, despite the slight declines in their arsenals, still account for nearly 92 percent of all nuclear weapons, the group said in its 2018 yearbook. "Despite making limited reductions to their nuclear forces, both Russia and the USA have long-term programs under way to replace and modernize their nuclear warheads, missile and aircraft delivery systems, and nuclear-weapon production facilities," SIPRI said. "The USA's most recent Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), published in February 2018, reaffirmed the modernization programs and approved the development of new nuclear weapons," it added. It said the U.S. review emphasized expanding nuclear options to deter and, "if necessary, defeat both nuclear and nonnuclear strategic attacks." At the start of this year, the United States had some 6,450 warheads, down from 6,800 a year earlier, while Russia had 6,850, a decline from 7,000. The institute attributed the declines to the two countries' actions pursuant to the implementation of the 2010 Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START). Nine states are believed to possess nuclear weapons. In addition to the United States and Russia, they are Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea, SIPRI said. It is estimated that Pakistan has 140-150 warheads, while India has 130-140. North Korea, it said, likely has 10-12. Pyongyang, it said, continued to make technical progress in developing its nuclear weapon capabilities, "including the test of -- what was claimed to be -- a thermonuclear weapon." U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met on June 12 in a historic summit, with the leaders issuing a joint statement afterward committing the sides to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, although no details were expressed. The Sweden-based SIPRI, established in 1966, states it is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control, and disarmament. It provides research, analysis, and data based on open sources. A Russian artist who has faced pressure over works mocking nationalist lawmaker Natalya Poklonskaya says he left Russia earlier this year and plans to seek political asylum in France. Denis Lopatin told RFE/RL on June 17 that he left Russia in February and will seek asylum because he has received numerous threats. In one of Lopatin's artworks, Poklonskaya appears as a nun in a Russian Orthodox icon and is holding a bust of Tsar Nicholas II in the shape of a sex toy. Wording above the caricature reads "Find a man for a foolish woman." A former chief prosecutor in Russian-controlled Crimea and now a deputy in the State Duma, the lower parliament house, Poklonskaya has voiced monarchist views. Last month, Poklonskaya filed a lawsuit against the artist, saying his work offends her personally and Orthodox Christians in general. After the federal Investigative Committee declined to open an investigation, Poklonskaya used her right as a lawmaker to ask its chief, Aleksandr Bastrykin, to look into the matter. Last week, a monarchist group issued a statement on the social network VKontakte calling for a campaign to seek the prosecution of Lopatin on suspicions of "offending" Poklonskaya and the memory of Nicholas, Russia's last tsar, who was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000. President Vladimir Putin signed a law in 2013 criminalizing actions deemed to "insult the religious feelings of believers." Poklonskaya was one of the most vocal opponents of the 2017 film Matilda, which depicted an affair between a teenage ballerina and Nicholas II before he became tsar. In March 2017, she raised eyebrows when she claimed that fragrant myrrh was seeping from a bronze bust of Nicholas II. WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the creation of a new U.S. military branch that he says will ensure "American dominance in space." Trump unveiled the initiative at a June 18 White House meeting attended by former astronauts and heads of U.S. aerospace companies. He said U.S. policy in space is a national security issue, adding that he did not want "China and Russia and other countries leading us." "When it comes to defending America, it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space," Trump said in televised remarks. "We must have American dominance in space." No details about timing, cost, or composition of the force were released, although Congress was expected to have to pass legislation authorizing a new military branch. A jailed Turkish-Kurdish politician has broadcast a campaign pitch from his prison cell a week ahead of the countrys June 24 election. Turkish state broadcaster TRT on June 17 aired a 10-minute campaign speech by presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtas, allowing him to denounce the government's "repressive regime." By law, each presidential candidate is entitled to 20 minutes of free airtime on public TV. Demirtas is a former co-leader of the People's Democratic Party (HDP) and has been held since November 2016, accused of having links to outlawed Kurdish militants. The HDP denies involvement in any illegal activities and says the crackdown is meant to suppress opposition. Demirtas asked voters in the upcoming election to stop the "one-man regime" of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling Turkey's current situation just a "teaser" and warning that "the actual scary part of the movie has not yet begun." He recorded the speech from his prison cell in the northwest province of Edirne after the authorities denied his request to travel to the TRT headquarters in the capital, Ankara. "The only reason why I am here is that the AKP is scared of me," Demirtas, 45, said, referring to Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party. In April, Erdogan declared that presidential and parliamentary elections would be held on June 24, more than a year earlier than planned, a move that could help him solidify his power. Turkey is shifting from a parliamentary system to a presidential one in which the president will have more power. The changes will take effect after the elections. Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, and AP WASHINGTON The United States has called on Russia to release dozens of people it says have been identified by rights groups as political prisoners. The June 18 statement by the State Department said more than 150 people were being held in all, including Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov and human rights activist Oyub Titiyev. Sentsov was arrested in Crimea in 2014, after Russia seized the Ukrainian region. A Russian court in 2015 convicted him of planning to commit terrorist acts and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. He has been on hunger strike since May 14. Titiyev, who heads the Chechen office of the rights group Memorial, has been pretrial detention in Chechnya since his January arrest on drug charges that he and his associates say are fabricated. We call on Russia to release all those identified as political or religious prisoners immediately and cease its use of the legal system to suppress dissent and peaceful religious practice, the statement said. There was no immediate reaction to the statement by Moscow. In the past, the Foreign Ministry has responded with angry denunciations, accusing Washington of meddling in its internal affairs. The State Department also mentioned the case of a Jehovahs Witness who it said had been in pretrial detention for more than a year now. Other religious followers facing pressure include Church of Scientology followers and those of a Muslim Turkish theologian, the department said. A U.S. citizen who returned to visit relatives in Uzbekistan has been detained on suspicion of joining a terrorist group and fighting alongside Islamist insurgents in Afghanistan, authorities say. Zokir Aliev was detained on June 16, about an hour after he arrived in his native city of Qarshi in the southern Qashqadaryo Region, the Paris-based Fiery Hearts Club Human Rights Association says. The authorities gave no explanation to Aliev's relatives, but the State Security Service issued a statement on June 18 saying he was detained on terrorism-related charges. The statement alleged that Aliev joined the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) in 2000 and took part in attacks against Afghan armed forces and NATO-led coalition troops in Afghanistan. The IMU has been designated as a terrorist group and banned in countries including Uzbekistan, the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, and Russia. The Fiery Hearts Club said Aliev, who left Uzbekistan 25 years ago, works for a private tax-services company in the United States. Aliev, 46, had not seen his relatives in many years and decided to make the trip following President Shavkat Mirziyoev's call to Uzbeks who left the country in the years after the 1991 Soviet collapse to return, the group said. It said he entered Uzbekistan legally on a 90-day visa that he obtained at the Uzbek Embassy in the United States after receiving an official invitation from his relatives. With reporting by VOA's Uzbek Service, podrobno.uz, and gazeta.uz Aeromexico plane hit by lightening in La Paz La Paz, Baja California Sur An Aeromexico plane landing at the La Paz International Airport Saturday in Baja California Sur was struck by lightening. Jesus Castillo Reyes of the First Division of Civil Aeronautics, said the aircraft was hit by lightning as it prepared to land at La Paz International Airport. He said the plane was carrying 97 passengers, none of whom were injured from the strike. The plane, however, did suffer some damage. Castillo Reyes reported the some of the planes instruments were damaged from the strike of lightening. It was landing at La Paz airport. Apparently in its final phase it suffered a lightning strike, which happens. Some of the instruments on the aircraft suffered some damage, but it did not appear to be major. Nevertheless, the aircraft had to undergo a review and maintenance, explained Castillo Reyes. The plane was hit during the passing of Tropical Storm Bud, where in total, only two flights were cancelled at La Paz. In Los Cabos, a total of 14 flights were cancelled due to passing storms. Cancun, Riviera Maya slowly seeing blue skies again Cancun, Q.R. After nearly a week of intense rains, Cancun and Riviera Maya are beginning to see blue skies. The passing of two back-to-back tropical waves left most of the cost of Quintana Roo waterlogged as streets and homes flooded. Extreme wind gusts felled trees while nearly every port from Cancun to Tulum experienced closures at some point over the six days. The Nautical Association of Quintana Roo are reporting losses of approximately $1.2 million USD due to port closures. Ivan Ferrat Mancera, president of the Nautical Association, says the main cause for the closures were the intense rains and strong winds. He says that the bad weather began to affect nautical activities in Cancun Tuesday which lasted into Wednesday. The Harbor Master then decided to close navigation to tourist boats along the Mexican Caribbean, he explained. He says that on Thursday, Cancun had only partial closures, however, the monetary losses were still substantial as companies were forced to cancel numerous water activities. Unfortunately, the weekend again saw the complete closure of all water activities for tourists. The tourists themselves preferred to stay in their hotel or go out shopping, he added. More than 2,000 boats were left tied to their moors for at least four days along the Quintana Roo coast. There is no activity these days because of the rains, said Jose Gomez Burgos, president of Xaman-Ha fishing. More than 150 families in the southern area of Lazaro Cardenas were evacuated from their homes due to flooding from the relentless rains. Portions of the Tulum highway were also closed over the weekend as emergency personnel tended to the over-flooded roadways. Emilio Jimenez, mayor of Lazaro Cardenas said that One of the main roads was closed due to a 40-meter long area that was one meter deep. A section of the Tulum Felipe Carrillo Puerto highway was also shut down by the state government due to extensive flooding. Authorities of Lazaro Cardenas (Holbox) said that over the weekend, although tourists to the island were not evacuated, they were put on alert to be aware of the weather forecast and warnings from state authorities as the islands main tourist portion also suffered flooding. Due to the two slow-moving tropical waves that passed over the region, state governor Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez has declared a state of emergency for Quintana Roo. The wet weather that has finally left Mexico is now heading toward the US. Weather Underground meteorologist Bob Henson says Pockets of torrential rain will douse the western and central U.S. over the next few days, a result of the remnants of ex-Hurricane Bud and a slug of Caribbean moisture, adding that flash flooding is a distinct possibility. OROVILLE, Calif. - Butte County Cal Fire says a middle-aged man burning debris is to blame for starting the 40-acre fire in north Oroville Saturday afternoon. According to the PIO, authorities gave Tracy Hinton, 57, a citation for allegedly starting the Oregon Fire in the area of Oregon Gulch Road near Cherokee. Hinton was cited under burning lands of another without permission and burning during a burn ban. Cal Fire says burn permits were suspended on June 11, 2018, and added that debris burning has been banned due to the very real risk of a fire escaping. Eighteen engine companies, eight fire crews, two dozers, four water tenders, two helicopters, five air tankers, one air attack were all sent to battle the fire, adding up to 178 personnel used. The Oregon Fire as of Sunday is still 40 acres with 75 percent containment, authorities expect a full containment on Monday at 7 p.m. At least 31 people died in the blasts in the town of Damboa in Borno state, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the state capital, Maiduguri. The explosions were followed up by rockets fired from outside the town. The rocket grenades claimed most of the casualties. Boko Haram militants are suspected even if they were considered expeled from the area after a four-month military operation. Emergency after blasts in Nigeria Their vicious campaign to carve out a caliphate has killed thousands and displaced millions.It has destroyed our houses. We have also counted 31 innocent people including children and elderly killed in the attack,a local resident told to media. More than 40 people were injured in the attacks. The death toll is likely to rise as many of the wounded were unlikely to survive. Boko Haram uses suicide bombers, often young girls, to target civilians and soldiers. This attack is the latest blow to President Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected in 2015 vowing to eliminate the militant group. With elections approaching in February 2019, Buhari is under growing pressure to rein in the militants. The injured were located across a number of prefectures in the south of Honshu island, local officials said.The magnitude of the earthquake wa 5.3 according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) and 5.9 later revised upwards to 6.1 according the Japan Meteorology Agency. The shake have been severe enough to make it difficult to remain standing. It was the strongest shaking registered in Osaka under records which date back to 1923. There was no fear of a tsunami. Water pipes burst, sending water flowing onto streets in Takatsuki city where the biggest shock was felt. Debris in Osaka Nearly 700 people were in evacuation centers Monday morning in Osaka. Schoolchildren were also evacuated. 82 flights departing and arriving there have been canceled throughout the day at Kansai Airports. About 170,000 homes suffered temporary power outages, which were resolved within hours. Some fires erupted after earthquake. Trains were halted and many factories stopped work across region. The quake struck in one of Japans main manufacturing heartlands, home to companies including Panasonic Corp., Nintendo Co. and Keyence Corp. There were no reports of abnormalities at its nuclear plants in the region. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today said the practice of deploying junior policemen for the personal service of senior officials would be done away within the state. The assurance from the chief minister comes in the wake of alleged manhandling of a police driver by the 27-year-old daughter of an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP)- rank officer here last week. The incident had triggered widespread condemnation from various quarters. Kerala govt to stop orderly duty system in police force Advertisement Terming the practice of engaging junior officers as 'camp followers' for the orderly duty of top brass as "undesirable", Vijayan said the state government would not allow any such steps that amounted to a violation of human rights. He was replying to a submission by K Sabarinathan of Congress, on the alleged assault on Gavaskar by Snigdha, the daughter of ADGP Sudesh Kumar, who was later removed as the head of Armed Police Battalion. "Using junior officers for the personal service of top brass has been in practice in the state since several decades. It is a degrading practice handed over to us by the British rule. It is a serious issue," Vijayan said. "The practice will be stopped in the state completely," he asserted. Describing the police as a "disciplined force", the Left leader reiterated that no human rights violation can be allowed in the name of discipline. K Sabarinathan Advertisement Stringent action will be taken against any officer who acts against the directives of the government and the state police chief, he said. In his complaint, Gavaskar alleged that the ADGP's daughter had verbally abused him and hit him on his neck and shoulder with her mobile phone for the 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. "Crime Branch ADGP is investigating both the complaints lodged by Gavaskar and Snigdha," Vijayan said. DGP Loknath Behera had issued an order yesterday seeking various details of the menial workers, generally known as camp followers and deployed on orderly duties with IAS and IPS officers, judges etc in Kerala. The details include the camp followers' sanctioned strength, present headcount, their status as permanent or temporary workers besides their current status of deployment with senior officials. Crime Branch ADGP is investigating both the complaints Advertisement The Kerala Police Association had also come out against the alleged ill-treatment meted out to junior policemen by senior officers. Alliance for change New school behavioral health initiative aims to boost learning, solve mental health challenges From safety to teacher retention, some of the toughest challenges facing our schools today are tied to one commonality school behavioral health. University of South Carolina psychology professor Mark Weist uses the phrase school behavioral health on purpose to emphasize the importance of collaboration among clinicians, educators and entire communities when it comes to improving and addressing overall mental health issues in schools. Mark Weist, a clinical psychologist, has dedicated his career to improving behavioral and mental health in schools. He and his team are working with the South Carolina Department of Education and various other stakeholders across the state to streamline policy and programs. He is picture here speaking at the Southeastern School Behavioral Health Conference, which drew more than 500 educators, school psychologists, counselors, nurses, social workers and youth and adolescent advocates from 18 states. The collective intellect is smarter than the intellect of any single person or discipline, Weist says. The more we realize we are in this together and collaborate to build capacity, to strengthen our work within a multi-tiered system of support, we will help the work to be more efficient, effective and, hopefully, impactful on those important academic and health outcomes. Weist and his team in the College of Arts and Sciences psychology department recently received a $2 million grant from the South Carolina Department of Education to prevent and treat emotional and behavioral health issues in the states public schools. They will do this through the newly launched interdisciplinary S.C. School Behavioral Health Alliance. At a recent summit, Gov. Henry McMaster and I committed to work together to increase the presence of school behavioral health and school resource officers to support our students, teachers and families, wrote State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman in a letter announcing the alliance. Critical to our progress is working together across professional disciplines and systems, moving toward a shared agenda that builds effective programs and services in our schools to support the wellness and academic achievement of our students. As a clinical psychologist, Weist has dedicated 27 years to advancing school behavioral health policies and programs nationwide. Before joining the Carolina faculty in 2010, he helped found the Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the School Mental Health International Leadership Exchange. The statewide alliance will tap into those resources when working with seven South Carolina school districts during the initiatives first year. Participating districts will be recruited by the South Carolina Department of Educations Office of Special Education Services and receive intensive training tailored to the individual needs of their schools for one year, with new districts participating each year of the five-year program. S.C. Department of Education Deputy Superintendent John Payne, who has long championed partnerships with mental health, will lead the initiative from the public schools side. A lot of the challenges teachers face are behavioral, and we are looking at improving behavioral health as a way to retain good teachers, says Sonya Gayles, behavioral associate in the Office of Special Education Services. We are having to look at different approaches in how to support teachers and how to support students. The timing with this project is perfect as Dr. Weist is working with both students and teachers. When Weist moved to South Carolina, he reached out to educators and psychologists in all 46 counties with the idea of streamlining school behavioral health policy and programs. A series of small meetings led to a statewide conference in 2014. That event sparked a regional coalition called the Southeastern School Behavioral Health Community, which now sponsors an annual conference drawing educators, practitioners and advocates from 18 states. Critical to our progress is working together across professional disciplines and systems, moving toward a shared agenda that builds effective programs and services in our schools to support the wellness and academic achievement of our students. Molly Spearman, S.C. Superintendent of Education This network will also inform and assist the new South Carolina alliance, and the annual conference is a key element. The 2018 conference attracted more than 500 attendees including educators, school psychologists, counselors, nurses, social workers and youth and adolescent advocates. Our work is South Carolina-centric in that this conference is always going to be in South Carolina, and theres a strong South Carolina emphasis, but were drawing from this whole region with the notion of bringing in the best practices, taking each others ideas and supporting one another to try to escalate positive change, Weist says. Partners on the alliances leadership team include the South Carolina Departments of Mental Health, Social Services, Juvenile Justice and Vocational Rehabilitation as well as the University of South Carolina College of Educations special education department. In addition to guiding school behavioral health programs throughout the next five years, the leadership team aims to champion policy change including expanding the state-based mental health program so every public school has dedicated mental health clinician. The alliance will offer free resources on its website and host webinars for school teams on topics like classroom management for teachers, trauma and adverse childhood experiences for school resource officers, and problem-solving skills for students. If we can directly train teachers in mental health and also improve school environments thats a strategy that will help with teacher retention, which is a big policy issue as well, Weist says. Share this Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about [NAIROBI Kenya has launched 14 mobile applications to help farmers transfer technologies that enhance agricultural productivity and trade. The mobile apps target crops such as avocado, banana, cassava, maize, guava, cowpea and potato. According to experts, Kenya is transforming its agriculture given that old ways of delivering important services to populations are becoming obsolete as new knowledge become available to societies globally. Boniface Akuku, director of information and communication technology (ICT) at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), says that the applications are set to usher in a new revolution that will help lower prices for consumers, contribute to smart agriculture and motivate farmers to increase their production. We are digitalising our agriculture to help ease agricultural processes, boost electronic commerce and provide open data for future farm use. Mwangi Kiunjuri, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation It will help farmers acquire genuine information unlike the conventional models that are open to farmers receiving wrong information that lead to growing of fake and unrecommended seeds, he says. Akuku explains that the KARLO funded the creation of the mobile applications and the launch of the 14 apps follows three others launched in April 2017 that targeted indigenous chicken, range pasture and seed production and dryland crops. The platform will help improve research data democratisation and insights to inform policies particularly on improving smallholder farmers livelihoods, he explains. According to Akuku, the mobile apps launched last month (29 May). would help the youth to adopt farming as a business and replace elderly farmers. He notes that the apps are to help farmers identify and prevent crops pests and diseases that affect crops, and know the time for planting seeds. Semi-literate farmers who do not operate mobile phones would be assisted by their children and opinion leaders within their communities. The applications require use of the internet, and farmers will access them at their own cost, says Akuku. Mwangi Kiunjuri, Kenyas cabinet secretary for agriculture and irrigation, says that the digitalisation of agricultural value chain in Kenya will facilitate farmers access to markets. We are digitalising our agriculture to help ease agricultural processes, boost electronic commerce and provide open data for future farm use, Kiunjuri notes. Kiunjuri adds that ICT could be harnessed for overall agricultural and rural development. The launch has come at the right time and is good for the agricultural sector that has remained dormant for some time, says Bitange Ndemo, a senior lecturer, School of Business at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. According to Ndemo, the mobile apps will help farmers receive necessary information regarding land preparation, planting and climate change. We hope the new applications will help reduce post-harvest losses that is a big challenge in the country, he adds. Mary Indeche, a smallholder from Bungoma in western Kenya, tells SciDev.Net that the mobile applications will help reduce pest invasion by enabling farmers report new cases in good time. The mobile apps have come in handy in the absence of agricultural extension officers. It will therefore, provide us with the much needed information and reduce postharvest losses, she adds. This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa English desk. Ecologists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the US and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) studied a population of black-browed albatross at Kerguelen Island, part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, where 200 breeding pairs have been monitored annually since 1979. Reaching a wingspan of 2.5 metres, black-browed albatrosses breed on these sub-Antarctic islands during the austral summer, laying a single egg in October that will hatch in December. The chicks fledge in late March at a size similar to that of an adult. Climate affects this seabird species in complex ways. In this study, the researchers developed a matrix population model that takes account of the combined effects of climate variables and functional traits in order to understand the entire life cycle and how population growth may be affected in light of a changing climate. Functional traits such as body size, timing of breeding, and foraging behaviour all have an impact on demographic traits such as survival and reproduction. They found that changes in sea surface temperature during late winter cause the biggest variations in the population growth rate, through their impact on juvenile survival during their first year at sea. The effects of climatic conditions on seabirds generally occur indirectly. "Sea surface temperature is widely used as an indicator of food availability for marine predators because warmer temperatures usually result in lower primary productivity in marine ecosystems, ultimately reducing the availability of prey," said Dr Stephanie Jenouvrier, a seabird ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She added: "As our oceans are projected to warm, fewer juvenile albatrosses will manage to survive and populations are expected to decline at a faster rate." Among the functional traits, the researchers found that foraging behaviour during the pre-breeding period has a major impact on the population growth rate. For a population of individuals spending a high proportion of their time on the water, with few take-offs and landings (i.e. low foraging activity), the population growth rate is projected to decline up to 5.3% per year. The results suggest that changes in population size and structure are driven by the combined effects of climate over various seasons, multiple functional traits and demographic processes across the full life cycle of black-browed albatross. The study also unravelled the important role of the juvenile phase and wintering season, two understudied parts of the life cycle of this migratory species. "Albatrosses and other seabirds are long-lived predators that fly very long distances to forage at sea and nest on land. As a key indicator of ecosystem health, studying how seabirds fare in the face of climate change can help us predict the ecological impacts on the entire marine food web," concluded Dr Christophe Barbraud of CNRS, who co-authored this study. CHICO, Calif. - A protest in Chico was held Sunday afternoon to highlight child incarcerations as well children separated at the U.S Mexico border. Scott Huber, a candidate for Chico City Council, hosted the event at the downtown city plaza. Protestors held their signs on Main and Fifth Street. Huber said change begins at the local level. Small places, communities, cities, towns, thats where people get together and talk about issues and decide whats right or wrong. And they push that up a notch. They push it to their representatives so Doug LaMalfas got to know, Jerry Browns got to know," Huber said. According to prisonpolicy.org, 597 out of 100,000 people are incarcerated in California. While Time Magazine says 2,000 children were separated from their families from April to May of this year. Geologists have long thought that the central section of California's famed San Andreas Fault -- from San Juan Bautista southward to Parkfield, a distance of about 80 miles -- has a steady creeping movement that provides a safe release of energy. Creep on the central San Andreas during the past several decades, so the thinking goes, has reduced the chance of a big quake that ruptures the entire fault from north to south. However new research by two Arizona State University geophysicists shows that the earth movements along this central section have not been smooth and steady, as previously thought. Instead, the activity has been a sequence of small stick-and-slip movements -- sometimes called "slow earthquakes" -- that release energy over a period of months. Although these slow earthquakes pass unnoticed by people, the researchers say they can trigger large destructive quakes in their surroundings. One such quake was the magnitude 6 event that shook Parkfield in 2004. "What looked like steady, continuous creep was actually made of episodes of acceleration and deceleration along the fault," says Mostafa Khoshmanesh, a graduate research assistant in ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE). He is the lead author of a Nature Geoscience paper reporting on the research. "We found that movement on the fault began every one to two years and lasted for several months before stopping," says Manoochehr Shirzaei, assistant professor in SESE and co-author of the paper. advertisement "These episodic slow earthquakes lead to increased stress on the locked segments of the fault to the north and south of the central section," Shirzaei says. He points out that these flanking sections experienced two magnitude 7.9 earthquakes, in 1857 (Fort Tejon) and 1906 (San Francisco). The scientists also suggest a mechanism that might cause the stop-and-go movements. "Fault rocks contain a fluid phase that's trapped in gaps between particles, called pore spaces," Khoshmanesh says. "Periodic compacting of fault materials causes a brief rise in fluid pressure, which unclamps the fault and eases the movement." Looking underground from Earth orbit The two scientists used synthetic aperture radar data from orbit for the years 2003 to 2010. This data let them map month-to-month changes in the ground along the central part of the San Andreas. They combined the detailed ground movement observations with seismic records into a mathematical model. The model let them explore the driving mechanism of slow earthquakes and their link to big nearby quakes. advertisement "We found that this part of the fault has an average movement of about three centimeters a year, a little more than an inch," says Khoshmanesh. "But at times the movement stops entirely, and at other times it has moved as much as 10 centimeters a year, or about four inches." The picture of the central San Andreas Fault emerging from their work suggests that its stick-and-slip motion resembles on a small timescale how the other parts of the San Andreas Fault move. They note that the new observation is significant because it uncovers a new type of fault motion and earthquake triggering mechanism, which is not accounted for in current models of earthquake hazards used for California. As Shirzaei explains, "Based on our observations, we believe that seismic hazard in California is something that varies over time and is probably higher than what people have thought up to now." He adds that accurate estimates of this varying hazard are essential to include in operational earthquake forecasting systems. As Khoshmanesh says, "Based on current time-independent models, there's a 75% chance for an earthquake of magnitude 7 or larger in both northern and southern California within next 30 years." Scholars are expected to be drawn from areas of the UK considered to be relatively lacking in opportunity, and from homes where the income is lower than for median UK households. The WCI, which was granted Livery status in October 1979, has over 500 members drawn from professions across the insurance industry. It shares the rich tradition of Londons Livery Companies in promoting excellence within its industry, while working to help and contribute to the City Civic in London and the wider community. Master of the WCI, Tim Carroll, commented: The Livery movement has a long history of supporting apprentices as they learn their trade. The Cass MSc in Insurance & Risk Management provides a 21st Century equivalent. Through our Charitable Trust, the Worshipful Company of Insurers is delighted to offer sponsorship to two students who would otherwise miss out on this opportunity. Cass MSc graduates demonstrate a commitment to the business of insurance, and are a long way down the road to their professional qualifications through the substantial credits which they gain towards the examinations of the Chartered Insurance Institute, which itself has a long history of active collaboration with the Worshipful Company." Professor Christopher Parsons, Course Director of the MSc Insurance and Risk Management at Cass commented: "Our MSc Insurance and Risk Management degree is a long-established programme with an international reputation and hundreds of past graduates now in senior positions world-wide. We are delighted to have this generous support from the Worship Company of Insurers, which will further strengthen our links with the London Insurance market". Professor Marianne Lewis, Dean of Cass Business School, welcomed the news: The Cass Community thrives because of its deep connections with industry and the professions. It enables our research, graduate career paths and, of course, the education of our current students. I am delighted that Cass is continuing to develop its important relationship with the Worshipful Company of Insurers and I thank them for extending this opportunity to our future students. Those wishing to be considered for sponsorship should first apply for the scholarship through the WCI using their application form. Successful applicants will then need to apply to Cass following the standard procedure before the sponsorship can be confirmed. The deadline for submitting applications for the upcoming academic year is 31st July 2018. Further information is available here. With the average motorist inputting their details online 4 to 5 times to receive quotes for their insurance and increased shopping activity reported year on year[iii], tackling the problem of named driver quote manipulation and fronting as well as fraud by ghost brokers has become a major priority for the insurance sector. One insurance provider has recently reported a 14% increase in policies that have been ghost-brokered with named drivers being added to genuine policies. However, in a first for the UK insurance industry, LexisNexis Risk Solutions is now offering insurance providers a two stage approach to both flag if quotes have been manipulated and then build a picture of risk related to the named drivers on a policy as well as the main policyholder: Stage 1 Identify the risk of named driver fraud based on quoting behaviour at point of quote through a new Named Driver module on the Quote Intelligence quoting platform. Using quotation data from over 80% of the market, the system connects and compares thousands of quotes obtained in a 90 day time window. Specific Named Driver attributes help identify potentially fraudulent applications Stage 2 Build a picture of risk for the named drivers on a policy through Risk Insights, the insurance-specific customer verification and enrichment solution This offers over 200 public and proprietary data attributes combined with the ability to match and link disparate customer records. James Burton, Director of Product Management, Insurance, UK and Ireland, LexisNexis Risk Solutions said: Fronting is a real problem for the industry - our own research found 29% of people admitted to fronting[v]. At the same time, ghost broking is on the increase. IFED recently reported that over 850 reports of ghost broking had been recorded in the past three years.[vi] In some cases ghost brokers will add named drivers to a genuine policy without the policyholder being aware. The Quote Intelligence Named Driver module works by looking at the components of all individuals on a quote and making comparisons. One of these is comparing the surname of the proposer to see if it is different to the named driver. A potential fronting indicator could be where an individual has appeared as the policyholder for one quote then appeared as a named driver on a separate quote for the same vehicle. It also verifies other factors such as the number of drivers and how this changes through the quoting journey, potential family relationships between proposer and named drivers, and named drivers who have the same surname as the proposer. These factors are verified and combined to provide a risk assessment of the named driver as an addition to the risk assessment of the main driver. Burton continues: The Named Driver module and Risk Insights combined delivers insights around named driver risk that have simply never been possible before. We now have the volume of motor insurance quotation data, along with over 200 data attributes to put insurance providers on the front foot in tackling named driver risk. These powerful solutions will help to identify possible cases of fronting and enable insurers and brokers to ask the right questions at the right time, prior to policy inception to help determine potential fraud, and if the risk is right for their business. Posted Monday, June 18, 2018 2:12 pm David J. Avery Sept. 12, 1949 June 16, 2018 David John Avery of Seward passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 16, 2018, in Lincoln at age 68 after a long battle with multiple myeloma. David was born Sept. 12, 1949, in Cambridge to Ruby and John Avery. He received his associates degree at Central Nebraska Tech and was self-employed for much of his adult life as a lawn mower mechanic and sign maker. He loved his town of Seward, where he was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and was generally well-known and well-loved in the community. David will be greatly missed by his son and daughter-in-law, Vincent and Reagan Avery; his daughter and son-in-law, Jessica and Thomas Yarmer; his sisters, Jo, Linda and Mary; and his wonderful friends, Deb, Karen and Chris, all of whom were vital to his quality of life. He was predeceased by his father, John; his mother, Ruby; and his sister, Judy. At Davids request, no services will be held. There will be a celebration of life gathering from 2 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20, 2018, at Sparetime Lounge in Seward. Condolences may be sent to the family at 3242 North 52nd Street, Lincoln, NE 68504. Although memorial donations are unnecessary, any received will be donated to a charity close to Davids heart. Many San Francisco fatalities attributed to sudden cardiac arrest were actually from other causes, according to a study that reviewed nearly every death in the city over a three-year period. And of those that were correctly classified, nearly half were not arrhythmic involving an irregular heartbeat meaning that defibrillators or CPR would not have saved the person, the study found. The research was a collaboration between UCSF and the San Francisco medical examiners office. The whole reason to do this was to understand: What are the mechanisms that cause somebody to collapse and die suddenly? said lead researcher Dr. Zian Tseng, a UCSF cardiologist who specializes in heart arrhythmias. The point of our paper is we cant assume these deaths are cardiac. From February 2011 to March 2014, the researchers looked at more than 20,000 deaths in San Francisco. Each morning, Tseng and his colleagues reviewed all deaths reported to the medical examiners office the prior day, then read through paramedic logs. In total, they identified 912 deaths initially attributed to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. In all but 16 of those cases where family members objected for religious reasons Dr. Ellen Moffatt of the medical examiners office conducted a full autopsy, including a battery of tests. A panel composed of the assistant medical examiner, a cardiac pathologist, a neurologist and two cardiologists then determined a final cause of death. The researchers used medical records from all adult hospitals in San Francisco, three emergency medical service agencies, death certificates and more. It turned out that 40 percent of the cases were not sudden or unexpected, and did not meet the criteria to actually be considered sudden cardiac deaths. For those that were deemed sudden cardiac deaths, just over half were arrhythmic where devices like an automated external defibrillator can save someones life. Sudden death was the first manifestation of cardiac disease for more than half the arrhythmic cases, the study found, meaning the individuals had no prior warning sign to their condition. The autopsies uncovered the fact that the leading causes of the presumed sudden cardiac deaths were such conditions as coronary disease or an overdose that wasnt initially obvious. According to UCSF, it was the most comprehensive study to date on sudden cardiac death. The research is valuable because coroners typically do not perform full autopsies for people presumed to have died from cardiac arrest, Tseng said. Theyre busy with possible criminal deaths or unnatural deaths, he said. This kind of thing would be very impractical anywhere else. The study did not include deaths of people younger than 18 or older than 90. The mean age in the group that was found to have died from sudden cardiac death was 63, and 69 percent were men. African Americans had the highest rate of sudden cardiac death, and Hispanics had the lowest, the study found. The idea for the study came after Tseng was researching the genetics of sudden death and found that the medical literature seemed to have an imprecise definition of sudden cardiac death. 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. The finding that cardiac arrest deaths are overestimated calls into question the reliability of aggregate mortality data that form the basis for some clinical trials and research studies. Many of our big overall health care interventions the baseline of this denominator is really inaccurate, Tseng said. Tseng said the research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, will continue in a number of directions. Can we uncover new genes, proteins, expression patterns, biomarkers that might make someone more susceptible to sudden death? Tseng said. This is just the beginning. He said the research team has also contacted the vast majority of family members to help them identify specific, targeted health interventions they can take. The study will appear Tuesday in a special edition of Circulation, a journal by the American Heart Association. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov The idea of retiring on a Greek island conjures images of white sandy beaches and easy living. But for a group of educators from the Bay Area, retirement on the Mediterranean isnt exactly what youd expect. Former San Francisco State math Professor Cecelia Wambach decided to change her path two years ago and has been fishing for others to join her since. Her endeavor began as she watched the refugee crisis unfold on the Greek island of Lesbos from her East Bay community of Rossmoor. Lesbos, near Turkey, has been the destination of rafts overflowing with mostly Syrian refugees seeking asylum in Europe. When I saw it, I said to myself, I need to go there, said Wambach, 75. Lots of people go on cruises or they travel I wanted to do retirement differently. So she called her longtime Greek American friend Barbara Karvelis of Redwood City. Also a retired educator, Karvelis, 72, wanted to help as well, though her husband feared for her safety. I thought about it and decided I really wanted to do this, Karvelis said, and I didnt want Cecelia to go alone. The women persuaded three like-minded educators to join them on their first self-funded trip to Lesbos in September 2016, when they gained access to refugee camps by donating 50 loaves of bread and offering to cook. From there, the group connected with the nonprofit group Save the Children and began using their backgrounds to help unaccompanied minors in the camps. The kids were actually sitting down on dirt reading and learning grammar, Karvelis said. We werent really set up. We just went over there to see if we could help and it evolved. Courtesy Barbara Karvelis What started as an experiment in humanitarianism has grown into a structured pipeline for Bay Area retirees looking to make a difference in the lives of refugee children in Lesbos. The number of volunteers keeps growing, Wambach said, and some have made three or four trips. The volunteers have assisted Greek instructors in finding engaging classroom activities to teach science, math, technology and language. In one exercise, Karvelis said, volunteers used the cutout Styrofoam from discarded life jackets on the beach to create props for a math lesson. Mostly, the volunteers 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 camp was built to hold fewer than 2,000 refugees but now holds more than three times that, 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 dont 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 2016-17 school year, according to UNICEF, and refugee and migrant children have missed on average 2 years of school because of conflict and displacement. After the group of educators returned to the U.S. in 2016, they turned to San Franciscos Greek community. Wambach delivered an impassioned speech last year at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, persuading the churchs longtime priest, Father Stephen Kyriacou, to support her efforts. My hope is that we will partner with these people and help them along, Kyriacou said. While we cant 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. Kyriacous relatives were originally from northern Cyprus but were forced off their land when it was annexed by Turkey in 1974, a life-changing event that he said made him empathetic to the plight of refugee children. Most of my family there are refugees they lost everything, he said. This intensifies my desire to help children who have been deprived of their lives and their homeland. Kyriacou said he mentioned the project to the Greek consul general, who was somewhat guarded, arguing that well-meaning people can sometimes interfere with official Greek efforts. Wambach said she has heard similar criticisms in the U.S. 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. People say, Theres so much need here why do you go there? I feel that in this country, we are equipped to volunteer. But its not the same in Greece, she said. They are in a horrible financial crisis themselves. If they work, they need to get paid. The Bay Area volunteers have pledged not to step on toes. Instead of trying to dictate terms of classroom dynamics, Karvelis and Wambach said, they focus on providing support for overwhelmed Greek teachers, many of whom havent been paid in months. This includes techniques in dealing with a complex student body of children who speak neither Greek nor adequate English. Weve all taught in San Francisco, so we know how to work with multilingual and multicultural classrooms, Wambach said. She said she recently completed paperwork to form a nonprofit organization, Refugee Education and Learning International, or REAL, that will raise money and recruit volunteers to help teach refugee children in Lesbos. The group has more than 60 volunteers from around the world, including about a dozen East Bay residents, who travel to Lesbos at various times of the year, paying their own way. Wambach said she raised about $10,000 at a Rossmoor fundraiser in late May and that the groups next goal is setting up early childhood centers for mothers and their children. Meanwhile, Karvelis has set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for books and educational supplies. The group is making another trip to Lesbos this summer, with more retired Bay Area volunteers signing up. Its amazing the amount of people who want to help, Karvelis said. For us, the cruise ship is not the end of the line. Ted Andersen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tandersen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ted_d_andersen An effort to win back the internet protections known as net neutrality in California will move forward Monday when state Sens. Scott Wiener and Kevin de Leon amend bills they introduced separately into a comprehensive package forcing internet companies not to play favorites with websites or apps. The amendments to be announced Monday are an effort to assert Californias authority to require internet service providers, or ISPs, to treat all web traffic equally, protecting the right of consumers to binge-watch Netflix series but also allowing the state to provide online emergency notification alerts, electric grid management programs and smart transportation systems. Wiener, D-San Francisco, said he will amend his bill, SB822, so that it includes standards, protections and an enforcement structure that would work in concert with SB460 by de Leon, D-Los Angeles. De Leons bill would in turn be amended to say that any telecom company or ISP that doesnt comply with SB822 would be prevented from entering into public contracts in California. The idea, Wiener said Sunday, is to make the two bills work in tandem. Its really important that Sen. de Leon and I have joined into a team effort, because the internet and telecom companies, the ISPs, were trying to play us off each other, Wiener said. This is about protecting the internet and making sure the internet is equally available for everyone. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Wiener introduced his bill Jan. 3 in reaction to the FCCs Dec. 14 vote to overturn Obama-era regulations that required internet service companies to treat all web traffic equally. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the order, which recently took effect, is a return to a light-touch regulatory scheme that enabled the Internet to develop and thrive for nearly two decades. Opponents of Pais action fear that internet providers could charge some companies more than others, or introduce extra charges for faster service, though many broadband providers have denied such intentions. Pais supporters, which include many large ISPs, say existing consumer protections are sufficient and net neutrality regulations will discourage investment in broadband networks. Rob Tappan, spokesman for Broadband for America, said the organization supports net neutrality but stands by a previous statement opposing local legislation, which it says would stifle investment and discourage innovation. A state-by-state solution to a resource that impacts every single American is no way to govern, Tappan said. Instead, Congress should come together to pass legislation that makes net neutrality the law, protects consumers privacy, and allows the Internet to continue to flourish and empower communities across the nation. Wieners office worked with legal scholars and groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union to draft the details. Jae C. Hong/Associated Press De Leons bill originally made net neutrality violations subject to enforcement under Californias consumer-protection and unfair-business-practices laws. It also prohibited state agencies from contracting with internet service providers unless the ISPs certify under penalty of perjury that they are abiding by net neutrality rules. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes The Wiener bill was more comprehensive, matching the 2015 Obama-era rules that were rescinded. The FCC says individual states do not have the authority to pass their own net neutrality rules, but Wiener said California has broad powers to protect its residents and that he intends to enforce those powers. This is about protecting the internet and making sure the internet is equally available for everyone, he said. The internet is at the heart of our 21st century democracy. Its at the heart of our economy. Its at the heart of our lives. The core principle of net neutrality is that we as individuals get to decide where we go on the internet, not the telecom and cable companies. Bipartisan legislation by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., to reinstate federal net neutrality rules was approved by the U.S. Senate May 16. Corresponding legislation is now pending in the House of Representatives. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite More than 1,000 feet up at the top of Salesforce Tower, which rules San Franciscos skyline, Danny Murtagh is doing a mental calculation. Not how to sell more software, or how to fix a bug but, rather, how long it will take to clean the 14,550 panes of glass on the exterior of the citys tallest building. Three months, he says. Three months for a single go-round, with two people inside a basket the length of a van suspended by a crane high above the ground, scrubbing their way vertically from top to bottom so as to clean drips that roll down. And if the wind blows hard, as it is wont to do amid fog and storms, it will take even longer, because window washers in San Francisco cant work when wind speeds are above 25 mph. Our tenants who rent the building and keep it occupied enjoy those views, and they pay for those views, said Murtagh, a vice president of engineering at Boston Properties, the towers primary owner. Having clean glass for them is critically important. As gleaming skyscrapers keep rising in San Francisco and around the Bay Area, demand for window washers is soaring. Tech companies especially think Apples spaceship campus, Salesforce Tower and Facebooks new 43-story San Francisco office are increasingly seeking out glass, as workers demand light-filled offices and companies prioritize at least an aesthetic nod to transparency. Tech companies have a lot of money and want a nice environment and nice views, said Eric Huber, president of Capital Building Maintenance. Once they are installed, he added, tenants have an expectation that the building is being taken care of. Sales of window cleaning services at Hubers South San Francisco firm have risen 15 percent from January to May compared with a year earlier partly a result, he says, of the rising number of office buildings. Since 2012, office space in the Bay Area has grown by 13 percent with 33.6 million square feet added and 40 projects totaling 12.9 million square feet still under construction, according to CBRE, a commercial real estate services and investment firm. In the past, office buildings in San Francisco often featured glass boxed in by concrete or stone. But as glass got stronger and glare-reducing techniques improved over the past decade, glass buildings became more common, according to Murtagh. A glass exterior reduces the need for artificial lighting, cuts electricity costs and accentuates the view, he said. Murtagh projected that a full clean of the Salesforce Tower which hasnt yet been done will cost tens of thousands of dollars. Window cleaner Daniel Huntley, 38, has dabbled in computer programming and painting but always comes back to washing windows. He doesnt have to wear a button-up shirt, and he doesnt have to lift anything too heavy. I feel like I can be a free spirit, said Huntley, who commutes from Stockton to clean windows in San Francisco. And, of course, you cant beat the views. I look down, and you see all the people rushing around, going back and forth to work like ants, said Huntley, who works for Hubers company and recently helped clean 601 Montgomery St. I enjoy looking down and seeing that. Window washers can descend a skyscraper in various ways. A crane-like machine at the roof can rotate and lower a basket with workers and their equipment a method used, for example, at Salesforce Tower. Workers hook themselves to the baskets anchor system. Alternatively, washers can rappel down the building with ropes attached to rooftop anchors, almost like superheroes. Butch Chapman, president of the International Window Cleaning Association, said his companys cleaners dressed up as Spider-Man, Black Panther and Captain America last month as they cleaned the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. The kids that are sick and in the hospital, it brightens their day, he said. Window washers work on the side of 535 Mission Street, in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday May 31, 2018. Window washers work on the side of 535 Mission Street, in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday May 31, 2018. Photo: Michael Short / Special To The Chronicle Photo: Michael Short / Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Tech firms love glass skyscrapers. Window washers are cleaning up 1 / 5 Back to Gallery To catch excess water and avoid streaks, cleaners hold a mop under the squeegee. Seagull poop stuck to the glass can be removed with a scraper or steel wool, but its important to test a portion of the window first to make sure it doesnt scratch (though some cleaners simply recommend soapy water and a scrubbing pad to remove the poop). Biceps and shoulders get a good workout. Sometimes clients give a heads-up about where executives sit or where a major event is happening. Daniel Morales, CEO of Just Windows, said companies will let vendors know if the work is not up to par. If they see the glass is not clean, youre going to be called out with justice, Morales said. If I were to build a building full of glass, I want that glass to be clean. One glass building where Just Windows has worked is Apples new headquarters, which includes a vast circular building in Cupertino featuring large panels of curved glass. Its interior is cleaned by fewer than 100 window washers, Dan Whisenhunt, then Apples former vice president of real estate, told a meeting of the Rotary Club of Cupertino in January. Its just good old humans in there cleaning, and its a lot of glass, Whisenhunt said. I always put myself in their shoes when Im walking out and go, Where would you start? Curved glass can be tricky because a worker must rotate the squeegee to catch all angles. Morales estimated that whereas a regular window pane at a retail store might take 45 seconds, a curved piece of glass at Apple Park could take 1 to 2 minutes. So clean is the glass at Apple Park that several people walked into it in January and injured themselves. Still, Morales said hes thrilled when a customer says that the glass is pristine. It feels really nice, he said. You have to feel so proud of your job. Window washing wasnt always in high demand. Business slowed during the recession a decade ago, said Jim Sherry, president of Caledonian Building Services in Dublin. The buildings didnt disappear, but people stopped cleaning the windows because they were uncertain about the future or real estate values, Sherry said. Now, demand is booming, creating a new conundrum. Morales of Just Windows says he worries about finding enough workers. Window washers at his company can earn $17 to $22 an hour, much less than what some tech companies can pay engineers, he said. Facebook, for example, has a median annual salary of about $240,000. "I'm not Facebook," Morales said. Five notable San Francisco restaurants will play host to a series of vibrant pop-up dinners this week, which will feature menus created by refugee chefs from the countries of Bhutan, Iraq, Myanmar, Senegal and Syria. The collaborations are part of San Franciscos inaugural Refugee Food Festival from June 19 to June 23. The event was founded by French citizens in 2016 and further developed by the French nonprofit group Food Sweet Food an organization pushing to connect people through food and the United Nations Refugee Agency. The festivals goal: use food to cultivate conversations about issues facing refugees. Equally as important, the festival has the capacity to boost a refugee chefs professional profile. . This festival, it doesnt end with the last day. Many of the chefs want to have permanent positions with restaurants, said Sara Shah, a 23-year-old Bay Area resident who coordinated the festivals San Francisco debut. Most want to start their own catering companies or restaurants so this is a perfect platform for them. The two-year-old event coincides with World Refugee Day (June 20) and spans 13 cities around the globe. In the U.S, San Francisco is joined by New York. The festival is setting roots in a contentious U.S. political landscape regarding immigration. For context, the events first dinner Tuesday will take place just a day after President Donald Trump said he didnt want the country to turn into a migrant camp. His comments came at a meeting on Monday with the National Space Council and were in reference to the Department of Homeland Securitys policy of separating asylum-seeking families at the border. The children are being placed in detention facilities. According to data complied by the United Nations, 65.6 million people worldwide have been forced from their homes because of conflict and persecution. Nearly 23 million are refugees. Meanwhile under the Trump administration, California, which was once a haven for refugees, has seen its immigration numbers dwindle. The Refugee Food Festival, with its goal of integration and eventual employment for refugees, is reminiscent of the mission of Berkeleys 1951 Coffee Company, which opened last year and trains and hires a staff of refugees, asylum seekers and special immigration visa holders. I just felt like San Francisco would be the perfect place for the festival, said Shah. Here, people want to connect with the humanness of the refugee experience. The Refugee Food Festival lineup is as follows: Tuesday June 19 Myanmarese Cuisine by Pa Wah, Hog Island Oyster Co (dinner); One Ferry Building, #1 Wednesday June 20 Iraqi by Muna Anaee, Tawla (dinner); 206 Valencia St. Thursday June 21 Bhutanese Cuisine by Anu Mapchan, DOSA on Fillmore (dinner); 1700 Fillmore St. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Friday June 22 Iraqi Cuisine by Muna Anaee, Sons Addition (dinner); 2990 24th St. Saturday June 23 Senegalese Cuisine by Vito, Jardiniere (dinner); 300 Grove St. WeWork Private Event Thursday June 21 at 6:00pm Syrian Cuisine by Rawaa Kasedah Pop-Up Dinner hosted by WeWork (not open to the public) Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips The man who gained internet notoriety as Jogger Joe after dismantling a homeless mans encampment near Lake Merritt slipped quietly into a courtroom Monday morning in downtown Oakland and pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree robbery. Henry Sintay, 32, was arrested June 11, two days after a confrontation with a man videotaping him with his cell phone. Just a day prior to that incident, Sintay was filmed by bystanders after he paused during a run to throw away the belongings of a homeless man named Drew, who resides by the lake. The following evening, Sintay returned to retrieve some of the items that he said had fallen into the lake. The initial video sparked outrage online and showed the growing power of videos people share on social media in an effort to gain instant justice. Now Playing: A man dubbed "Jogger Joe" after video emerged on social media websites of him throwing a homeless man's belongings into Lake Merritt in Oakland last Friday has been charged with second-degree robbery for allegedly stealing the cellphone of a man w Video: KTVU The second video, which appeared to show a physical confrontation between Sintay and a man asking him why he had acted in such a manner a day prior, led to Sintays arrest. After some discussion, Sintay grabbed the mans phone, tussled with its owner and ran off as the phone continued to stream on Facebook Live, according to the footage. Sintay was out of custody Monday on $55,000 bail. Wearing a black shirt and black jeans, Sintay quickly left the courtroom after entering his plea. He avoided eye contact and declined to speak to reporters. The case is another example of how social media has become a tool people use to identify suspects in an effort to gain what they see as justice. In the Sintay case, the filming actually became part of the episode. Sintay allegedly received online death threats after the first incident, apparently prompting him to return to the lake the next day to pull some of Drews belongings from the water. That decision led to the second incident and Sintays arrest. Sintay works for a general contractor and confessed to the robbery of the phone, police said. The video of Sintay throwing away the homeless mans belongings struck a chord with the Oakland community, in part because it came after another video-recorded incident at Lake Merritt that went viral in early May. In that incident, a white woman called police on two black men, Kenzie Smith and Onsayo Abram, and reported that they were unlawfully grilling with charcoal. 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. To many, the episodes have reflected larger issues at play, as Oakland and the Bay Area at large confront issues such as gentrification, racism, homelessness and an overall gap in empathy. Manny Martinez, a 53-year-old high school English teacher interviewed at the lake Wednesday, said the incident speaks to a much deeper ailment of this country and our divisions, whether its social class or race. Some of Sintays friends said that while his actions were inappropriate, he did not deserve the online vitriol, which included people telling Sintay that he deserved to die and should kill himself. He can be a jerk, said a friend of Sintays, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. But hes not a monster. I guess he was just having a moment. Erin Stone is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: erin.stone@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Erstone7 A 58-year-old man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of assault in what appears to be two separate unprovoked attacks in San Francisco when he allegedly kicked a homeless man and broke the nose of another man on Muni, authorities said. Samuel Youmtoub of San Francisco was booked into San Francisco County Jail on two counts of aggravated assault in both cases, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The first incident occurred about 3:35 p.m. on May 24 near the intersection of Leavenworth and McAllister streets, police said. A 38-year-old homeless man was lying on the sidewalk when Youmtoub viciously kicked him in the face, authorities said. Surveillance from a nearby Muni stop captured the attack on video, police said. The victim, who was not identified, lay motionless after the attack and was transported to the hospital with serious injuries, police said. Youmtoub, meanwhile, walked to United Nations Plaza. Now Playing: The San Francisco Police Department is looking for help identifying a suspect seen kicking a sleeping man. The department released this video asking the public for help finding him. Video: SFPD Tenderloin Surveillance footage shows a man wearing a dark colored suit, a black beanie and glasses kick the man twice before walking away from the scene. The footage drew international attention. Attacks against homeless people like the one caught on surveillance footage May 24 are not uncommon in the Bay Area, said Kelley Cutler, a human rights organizer with San Franciscos Coalition on Homelessness. Folks that are forced to live on the street, its very risky. Its dangerous, Cutler said. So people are targeted pretty often actually. When you look at how our society treats people who ... experience homelessness, our priority is not valuing this population. Cutler added that its unclear whether the number of attacks against the homeless has increased in San Francisco specifically. The National Coalition for the Homeless released a report tracking the number of crimes against homeless people in 2014 and 2015. In 2015, nationwide, there were 77 victims of attacks against people experiencing homelessness 27 of the victims from those attacks were killed. After Youmtoub attacked the homeless man, he was captured on Muni surveillance video five days later at about 3:05 p.m. aboard a bus at Eighth Street near Mission Street, police said. The video footage allegedly shows him grabbing a 28-year-old man by his hair and repeatedly slamming his face into a steel handrail. The victim, who was not identified, apparently suffered a broken nose. He was a Muni patron, and authorities dont typically classify victims as homeless, said Sgt. Michael Andraychak, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department. 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. In the first attack, the victims status was apparent from the circumstances of the attack, he added. Youmtoub also fled the scene in the second incident, police said. Authorities said both attacks appeared to be unprovoked, and neither the victims nor the suspect knew each other. On Sunday, a Tenderloin Station police officer was walking on Market Street about 12:40 p.m. when he spotted Youmtoub walking near U.N. Plaza, police said. The officer and her partner recognized Youmtoub from the surveillance footage and immediately took him into custody. He is being held on a $120,200 bail. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani Live on the Curran stage on Wednesday night, June 13, as part of the Show & Tell series: Patti LuPone in conversation with Carole Shorenstein Hays, both just back from the Tonys. Hays professed nervousness at being a first-time interviewer, but LuPone is such a pro that probing wasnt needed to elicit passionate, funny and perhaps even frank (see below) tales. After a chin-up discussion of the value of failure (If you have success, said LuPone, you repeat that success. If you fail, you are forced to investigate yourself), Hays mentioned Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose production of Evita, starring LuPone, had made her a star. (At first, I did not like the music, she confessed, pinging her voice from note to note in musical parody of the opening song that made her yearn for Rodgers & Hammerstein.) Many productions later, in 1993, came Lloyd Webbers version of Sunset Boulevard, in which LuPone had starred on the London stage. It had been a happy company, she said, but upon reading rave reviews for Glenn Close in the role in Los Angeles, Lloyd Webber, who has a need for critical acclaim, said LuPone, decided that Close, not LuPone, would open on Broadway. LuPone walked away with a $1 million settlement, but He did incredible damage to my family and to me. ... Hes not a person I would ever be friends with because hes not comfortable in his own skin. Shed seen him at the Tonys, she said, out of the corner of her eye while she was greeting Chita Rivera, winner with Lloyd Webber of a lifetime achievement award. Her friendly greeting to Rivera was over the top acting it out, Chita! Chita! Chita! so she could pretend not to see Lloyd Webber. What can you do? she said. (A Vanity Fair story earlier this year quoted her as saying shed forgiven Lloyd Webber and theyd made up. Hey, its showbiz.) Botanist Matt Ritters new book, California Plants, landed on my desk with a thump, its heft augmented by scores of luscious photos. The introduction to the book is by Gov. Jerry Brown, who, while admiring our wonderful and indomitable native plants, warns of planetary emergency caused by climate change and rising waters. Its a serious warning for a serious and comprehensive book, but the minute you start thumbing through, youre struck by the informality of the prose. Its as though Ritter, a Cal Poly professor, is taking the reader on a walk through the landscape. So I put on my hiking boots and thumbed through, paying special attention, of course, to familiar plants. The California poppy, for instance, state flower and the most characteristic wildflower of California. It was named Eschscholzia californica by Adelbert von Chamisso, a botanist on a Russian ship exploring California in 1819, after Johann Eschscholtz, ship surgeon. Its first collected specimen is in St. Petersburg, Russia, writes Ritter. (Im counting on President Trump to get it back.) In other botanical news, this useful tip: Essential oil of fennel, a nonnative plant, is used in traditional Mediterranean medicine to help those who suffer from excessive flatulence. P.S.: So the subject is nature. This years Bohemian Grove gathering included a new camper: Conan OBrien. Loyal contributor Joe Mac and 35 fellow tenants (counting adults, children and animals) of his apartment building escaped safely from a recent fire. But their building was red-tagged, and they were told they had six days to leave. On the last of those six days, a stressed-out Mac wasnt much in the mood to participate in a focus group for which hed registered prior to the fire, but especially in need of the $125 hed make by participating. So he went. The session lasted for two hours, and each participant was given a debit card in payment. Chatting with another participant on the way out, he blurted out, This is really gonna help and told her about the fire, the necessity of moving and the uncertainty that lay ahead. She was sympathetic, and then asked him how to use the debit card, which had no name on it. When he explained to her that it could be used like cash, she gave him her card, despite his objections and attempts to refuse it. Listen, I have a job, she told him. They pay me well. I was just doing the focus group for something different to do. She gave him the card and her first name only, and he gave her a hug. Thank you, Jeannine, says Joe, who promises, someday I will return the favor to someone that needs it. PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING Your problem is there were four or five thousand votes, and you only got 47. Well-dressed man on cell phone, overheard in Manhattan by Stephen Lowens Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, 415-777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik Nearly a decade ago, one of my very first stories as a budding food writer for The Chronicle was about the ridiculous abundance of sweets the neighborhood has to offer. In the years since, even more treats have popped up alongside the neighborhoods ubiquitous panaderias and their pan dulce and thats not even counting the new age classics like Tartines morning buns, Humphry Slocombes Secret Breakfast ice cream and Foreign Cinemas house-made pop tarts. Here are more of our favorites. How many have you tried? Share your favorites to food@sfchronicle.com or via Twitter at @SFC_FoodHome See the Ultimate Mission District Dining Guide here. Sarah Fritsche, sfritsche@sfchronicle.com Orejas (elephant ear cookies) at La Victoria panaderia There are plenty of pan dulce to choose from at this 24th Street bakery, but these crispy curlicue cookies are the star. 2937 24th St., at Alabama Street St. Honore cake at Diandas Italian American Pastry This festive showstopping dessert made with rum-infused custard cream puffs may be synonymous with the holidays, but happily its available year-round at the Mission Street bakery. Honorable mention also goes to Diandas assortment of Italian cookies, which you can buy by the pound. 2883 Mission St., at 25th Street Single-origin chocolate tasting menu at Dandelion Chocolate At the Valencia Street chocolate nirvana there are plenty of sweets to choose from bars, brownies, frozen hot chocolate but the chefs tasting menu of petite chocolate desserts, including a Belize cacao spritzer, Liberian profiterole, Ecuadoran smores, Madagascar passion fruit macaron and Costa Rican cacao husk panna cotta, is both adorable and delicious. 740 Valencia St., near 18th Street Ice cream pies at Tartine Manufactory Elisabeth Prueitts desserts and pastries are all pretty much stunning, but her ice cream pies in particular the PB&J pie with its cookie crust thats filled with fior di latte soft-serve and strawberry sorbet, and garnished with candied peanuts are the dreamiest. 595 Alabama St., at 18th Street Walnut-chocolate chip cookies at Anthonys Cookies With contenders from Marla Bakery, Dough & Co. and B. Patisserie, San Franciscos chocolate-chip cookie game is strong, but were especially fond of cookies from Anthony Lucas Valencia Street shop. Any given day, youll find well over a dozen different cookies on the menu, but the walnut-chocolate chip remains a favorite. 1417 Valencia St., at 25th Street Gelato bars at Sixth Course Gianina Serrano and Bridget Labus gourmet desserts and chocolate confections are as beautiful as they are delicious, but theres something especially satisfying about their hand-dipped mini gelato pops, which come in decadent flavors like coconut-cashew, mango-chile-lime and the North Beach-inspired Sicilian pistachio with flecks of candied orange peel and chocolate flakes. 1544 15th St., near Mission Street Shaker lemon pie (or any seasonal fruit pie) at Mission Pie For the past decade, anyone with a craving for seasonal fruit pies makes the pilgrimage to this corner bakery. All of the pie shops flavors are solid, but the Shaker lemon pie is a true standout. 2901 Mission St., at 25th Street Tres leches cake at Dragon City Bakery This Mission Street bakery specializes in dozens of flavors of mooncakes and Chinese buns, but the tres leches cake is hard to beat and a favorite of several Chronicle writers. 2367 Mission St., near 20th Street Ice cream cakes at Bi-Rite Creamery Hordes of people may line up on sunny days for the scoops, but when it comes to festive celebration desserts, the 18th Street creamerys ice cream cakes run circles around Carvels. 3692 18th St., near Dolores Street Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Spiced chocolate doughnut at Dynamo Donut & Coffee The Bay Area loves its doughnut shops, and Sara Spearins 24th Street shop is a standout. Delicate, expertly fried and available in a rainbow of unique flavors (cornmeal rosemary cherry, anyone? Bread pudding made with the leftovers?), Spearins doughnuts are a modern pastry marvel, but we tip our hat to this classic combination featuring a chocolate doughnut tossed in chipotle-cinnamon sugar. 2760 24th St., near Hampshire Street Babka at Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen When ordered at the source, Wise Sons homey loaf of swirly sweet bread (available in chocolate and cinnamon) is near perfect though probably not as good as what your bubbe would make. 3150 24th St., at Shotwell Street Griddled banana bread at St. Francis Fountain Theres something incredibly comforting about eating a slice of banana bread. Throw that slice on a griddle to warm it up and top it with a generous dollop of butter. Well, thats the food equivalent of getting a great big bear hug. 2801 24th St., at York Street A sackful of glazed doughnut holes at the Jelly Donut Sure, you got your fancy doughnuts just down the street, but sometimes you just want a bag of old-school doughnut holes. 3198 24th St., at South Van Ness Avenue Pasteles from Pan Lido Salvadoreno Speaking from experience, its impossible to eat only one of these flaky Salvadoran pastries, which come in a variety of fillings, including tropical fruit jams like guava and pineapple, or sweet and creamy custard. 3147 22nd St., at Capp Street Before Olga Diaz Clark slipped into a coma and died in San Francisco General Hospital, she identified the man who would ultimately be charged in her killing: her ex-boyfriend. The 60-year-old womans dying declaration inside an ambulance was among the evidence presented by prosecutors in the case against Rickey Roberts, who was charged with murder and making criminal threats in Clarks December 2015 death. A Superior Court jury on Monday began deliberating after attorneys wrapped up closing arguments following more than a month of testimony from witnesses, investigators and medical experts. Roberts court-appointed attorney, Deputy Public Defender Phong Wang, argued that her client was defending himself from Clark in the early-morning hours of Dec. 13, 2015, and shoved the woman inside her cluttered Mission District apartment so he could get to the door and escape. The evidence shows this was a push and fall afterward, Wang said, outlining the centerpiece of her defense strategy in closing. He did not intend to kill her. He was reacting in self-defense. Roberts, 60, sat silently in court Monday, wearing a tan V-neck sweater over a striped collared shirt. Clarks quiet death at the hospital received little public attention and has gone almost unnoticed in the media in the years that followed. The case, though, has been a focus of many San Francisco domestic violence victim advocates, who, along with Clarks family, have sat vigil in the courtroom gallery. This is a tragic case, said Beverly Upton, executive director of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium. Were hoping for some justice and healing for the family and the community. San Francisco has several domestic violence-related homicides every year, and they often get very little coverage. Police showed up at Clarks apartment complex on the 1800 block of 15th street after she called 911, saying Roberts her former boyfriend who lived one floor below her had beaten her up, Assistant District Attorney Sam Totah said. Clark, who had a heart condition and was on blood thinners, was conscious and walking around when paramedics arrived that morning. While crying and shaking in the back of an ambulance, she told them she woke up to Roberts beating her in the head and back with closed fists as he yelled, I will fing kill you before choking her unconscious, Totah said. Paramedics noted Clark had a bruised face, cut lip, swollen jaw, red throat and pain around her body. She soon began to feel nauseous and was rushed in an ambulance to San Francisco General Hospital, where she went into a coma. Doctors tried to relieve pressure on her brain by removing a piece of her skull, but she went into a vegetative state and died three days later. The medical examiner determined she died from head trauma and ruled the death a homicide. Roberts told police in an interview that she kept pushing me, so I just went off, Totah said. The run-in was the latest in a series of disturbing allegations against Roberts, who prosecutors said had a history of abusing Clark. Totah played several voice messages Roberts left on Clarks phone in the months before her death and after they broke up. I might kill you on the fing street, Roberts said in one message. I got people waiting to kill your fing ass, he said in another. This explains the mindset when he eventually ended up beating her and killing her, Totah said. Prosecutors also showed that Clark filed for a civil domestic violence restraining order against Roberts the month before she died, and pointed to a November 2014 incident in which Roberts was arrested for beating Clark. The charges were later dropped after the victim declined to go forward with the case. Wang went after each piece of evidence, seeking to punch holes in the prosecutions case. 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. She called Roberts brother as a witness, and he testified that the couple had recently reconciled and the two had spent the night in Clarks apartment before the incident. The brother slept in Roberts downstairs unit that night. Wang also called on a medical expert to argue that Clark may have died from a hypertensive bleed in her brain, which would have been brought on by her elevated blood pressure and blood thinners. Many of the injuries on Clarks body, Wang said, happened after she bit Roberts and he shoved her out of the way while trying to flee the apartment. We cant say for certain that all of her injuries were from the same event, Wang said. Its reasonable this was a push and fall onto an uneven surface. Roberts attorney argued that he acted in self-defense and did not intend to kill Clark, adding that he should not be found guilty of murder. As for the phone messages, Wang admitted they are horrible and there is no excuse. But, Wang said, Roberts was clearly drunk and did not immediately follow up on the threats with violence. In her final plea to the jury, Wang underscored the self-defense argument while saying she was not trying to blame the victim. The Me Too discourse has its place, she said. But we cant politicize reasonable doubt. You dont reach a guilty verdict as an act of political will. Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Horrifying stories of children ripped away from their parents at the U.S. border have led to a public backlash against the Trump administrations new immigration policies that encourage family separation. New figures from the Department of Homeland Security, obtained Friday by the Associated Press, show that nearly 2,000 children have been taken away from their parents over a six-week period. The Trump administration continues to make strong efforts to defend the policy U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions even cited a biblical passage often used by Southerners to defend slavery during antebellum times. But within Congress, theres growing discomfort with the Trump administrations zero tolerance stance on immigrants who appear at the nations border. Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are looking at ways to curb the harsh policy preferably ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Thursday that he didnt want to see children being separated from their parents. On Thursday, House Republicans released a bill that would keep families together at the border. Now, Ryan faces the challenge of integrating that bill into the immigration legislation hes promised a vote on this week. Ryan promised to allow votes on legislation that will restrict legal immigration and potentially extend protections to the Dreamers, young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. The family separation issue complicates an already difficult situation for Ryan, as it was already unclear whether the conservative and moderate Republican groups in the House would be able to come to agreement on immigration legislation. Any larger solution on immigration the House produces, meanwhile, is unlikely to pass the more cautious U.S. Senate. But the Senate is also taking up the family separation issue, thanks to Californias Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein introduced a bill to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from taking children away from their parents at the border. Last week, she tweeted that 40 senators had signed on in support. Its distressing that such a bill didnt get immediate, overwhelming bipartisan support. Unfortunately, what it proves is that anything immigration-related is going to be an uphill battle in this Congress, especially ahead of a difficult election cycle. Both houses of Congress need to understand that the victims of their delay will be traumatized and suffering children. The cost of failing to do their job could not be more clear or more devastating. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. California Sen. Kamala Harris called for Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to resign Monday, citing her record of misleading statements about the Trump administrations separation of migrant children from their parents at the border and other issues. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, touring an immigration detention center near San Diego, also said Nielsen should step down. Harris, a Democrat who sits on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement that the government should have a commitment to transparency and accountability. Under Secretary Nielsens tenure, the Department of Homeland Security has a track record of neither. Nielsen has been at the center of the Trump administrations decision to institute a zero tolerance policy for migrants at the U.S. southern border, a change from the practice of releasing detainees who arrive with children as their legal cases proceed. As a result of the change, the government is holding at least 2,000 migrant children whose parents are being held separately in detention centers. On Sunday, Nielsen tweeted that We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. On Monday, she told the National Sheriffs Association in New Orleans, We will not apologize for the job we do, or the job law enforcement does, or the job the American people expect us to do. She said at a White House news conference later in the day that it was up to Congress to act on immigration if lawmakers dont want families split up at the border. Harris cited the separation of children from their families, along with other issues including Homeland Securitys failed response to hurricane damage last year in Puerto Rico, in calling for Nielsen to resign. I have, since March of 2017, repeatedly asked for complete data on the number of children separated and what training and protocol exists for carrying out such separations, Harris said. In response, the leadership of this department has routinely failed to provide complete answers to questions from me and my colleagues. The departments lack of transparency under Secretary Nielsens leadership, combined with her record of misleading statements including yesterdays denial that the administration even had a policy of separating children at the border, are disqualifying, Harris said. Pelosi echoed the call later in the day. Asked about Nielsen while touring a detention center with other lawmakers, Pelosi said, I think she should resign. Homeland Security representatives did not respond to a request for comment. Trapper Byrne is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tbyrne@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @trapperbyrne . That oceanfront property in Stinson Beach youve dreamed about may not be so perfect after all. A report published Monday finds that nearly 4,400 homes in Marin County might not make it beyond a 30-year mortgage because of encroaching seawater. According to the publication by the Union of Concerned Scientists, Marin County leads the state in the number of parcels that could literally be underwater by 2045 because of climate-driven sea level rise. Across California, more than 20,000 homes are at risk. The report, among the most detailed evaluations of property nationwide that may be routinely flooded within a generation, offers not only a startling look a how quickly the issue of rising seas could confront coastal communities but also a stern warning for the real estate world. Currently, the real estate market largely doesnt account for the near- and medium-term risk, which means a lot of coastal property is effectively overvalued, said Kristina Dahl, senior climate scientist for the Union of Concerned Scientists and a co-author of the new report. Some form of a market correction is inevitable as peoples perceptions of flood risk catch up with the reality. The findings are stark, in part because the authors use the federal governments high-end projections for sea level rise. Dahl noted that the intention is to present a worst-case scenario for residents, given the stakes. Your home is typically your greatest asset, and most homeowners are pretty risk-averse when it comes to damage, she said. The report finds that across the continental U.S., about 311,000 homes are at risk of being inundated with seawater by 2045, or about $135 billion of assessed property. Florida, New Jersey and Louisiana, with their low-lying seaboards and sprawling coastal development, have the most to lose. But California is not far behind. The 20,472 residential properties at risk over the next 30 years constitute more than $15 billion of assessed property. After Marin, where the bayfront cities of San Rafael, Corte Madera and Larkspur face some of the greatest danger, San Mateo County counts the most threatened homes of any California county, about 4,100 by 2045, according to the report. Orange County, Santa Clara County and Los Angeles County could also see significant losses. The report considers property to be chronically inundated, and essentially unlivable, when its in an area that floods at least 26 times per year, or once every two weeks. With this amount of flooding, roads routinely close and water seeps into basements. Most residents wont want to stick around, the authors said. The authors took their cues on flooding frequency from the 2014 National Climate Assessments extreme estimates for sea level rise. By this measure, Bay Area waters will be 1.7 feet higher by 2045. The high-end figures have become more popular with researchers as new studies suggest that oceans are rising more quickly than previously thought and many nations, including the United States, are doing too little to address the problem. The rising water is largely the result of ocean warming at the hands of climate change, which causes water to expand and glaciers to melt into the sea. The report also extrapolates how property losses will affect the bottom lines of city and county governments, projecting big financial hits. Tax bases will decline as homes decrease in value or drop off the rolls entirely. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle 2017 The more than 20,000 California homes at risk of flooding by 2045 contribute nearly $187 million in annual property taxes, according to the report. Communities with a large share of waterfront land, notably East Palo Alto, are likely to see the most significant losses. The Union of Concerned Scientists is a national coalition of researchers that uses its work to advocate for policy change. Alice Hill, a research fellow at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution who works on climate resilience and did not collaborate on the new report, said she agrees that coastal communities need a wake-up call. I do not think Americans are appreciating whats fully at stake here, she said. 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. Hill, whose experience includes working for the Department of Homeland Security and the White House on climate issues, likened the potential flooding of huge swaths of property to the real-estate market crash a decade ago. Home values tanked and countless property owners lost money, often defaulting on their mortgages. When we had the meltdown in 2008, people could stay in their homes and they did, Hill said. With this issue, they cant stay there. They will walk away and move, and those properties will be valueless. The report notes that quick action on climate change would significantly reduce the extent of property loss. States like California are taking steps to curb the heat-trapping gas emissions behind global warming while many communities are making preparations for higher water. Last week, San Francisco leaders agreed to put a $425 million bond on the November ballot for upgrading the three-mile seawall along the citys Embarcadero. Already, voters across nine Bay Area counties have approved a 20-year parcel tax that is raising money to restore coastal habitat and help buffer the impact of rising seas. Also, a handful of communities, including Marin and San Mateo counties, are suing many of the worlds largest oil companies for their role in climate change, hoping to win money to pay for the waterproofing. Chris DeNike, an agent with Zephyr Real Estate in Greenbrae, said sea level rise is not something he finds on the minds of home buyers and sellers. They may have more urgent concerns. In my 20 years, no one has ever brought that up, DeNike said. If it is a concern, its not being spoken about. Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander California College of the Arts shattered its previous fundraising records on May 23 as it honored board trustee Kay Kimpton Walker and raised a whopping $1.2 million for student scholarships. This stylish arts champion and former contemporary gallerist drew an artistically stellar crowd (including her husband, architect Sandy Walker, and daughter, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan) to this beloved annual dinner led by co-chairs and CCA trustees Cathy Podell and designer Stanlee Gatti. Chic in a black-and-white ensemble, Walker had no idea shed coordinate with Gattis decor beneath a clear tent, Casablanca lily centerpieces sat atop tables draped in white linen trimmed with black piping. Kays always so elegant, that palette was a natural choice, said Gatti. But more important, Kay is an amazing CCA trustee: a true leader and accomplished force on the board who understands arts education. Walker also holds a CCA gala record: Since 2006, shes organized and co-chaired seven such soirees, helping to raise more than $4 million for the scholarship program. CCA President Stephen Beal led the fetes tributes, noting the 111-year-old school is on the cusp of expanding its San Francisco campus with more student housing in a configuration that will also seed organic interactions among disciplines. Prior to a joyful announcement by emcee Liam Mayclem that CCA further honored the honoree by creating the Kay Kimpton Walker Endowed Scholarship, graduating seniors Daniel Ortiz and Arleene Correa Valencia shared their experience of pursuing an arts education, thanks to CCA scholarships. Coupled with critical study and freedom to experiment, that support equals more than just a degree. Correa Valencia now feels empowered to embrace her culture and take pride in being an undocumented Mexican artist. You and CCA have given me everything my parents believed they could give me by crossing the border. I am Arleene. I am undocumented. I am DACA, she declared. I am and continue to be a dreamer. But I couldnt have done that without every single one of you. Catherine Bigelow / Special to The Chronicle Food for thought: Before breaking bread at the St. Regis Hotel during MoADs Diaspora Dinner, Oakland theologian Marvin K. White mingled poem with prayer as he paid tribute to the culinary toils of uncelebrated African American women who faithfully fed their families for generations. He recalled his late grandmother, Bessie Lee Blow-Ford, who worked as a maid in the tony Oakland hills but lived in Section 8 public housing. I remember her getting up way before the sun even thought about it, to ride the bus from the flatlands of our public housing to the Oakland hills of theirs, he recited. Growing up, White sensed the emotional weight his grandmother felt with every ounce of aid she received or block of cheese she melted and, he said, it extracted a toll on her soul. Being a star chef, he declared, meant making the universe out of nothing and feeding a family off that. The evening also honored award-winning chef Tanya Holland, founder-owner of the beloved soul food spot Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland. And White gave a loving shout-out to Holland for breaking through the traditional kitchen patriarchy. You are the finger in the center of the cake springing back to life. Led by Bryant Terry, now in his fourth year as chef-in-residence, and museum director Linda Harrison, 100 guests savored Hollands menu of Southern specialties (Creole gazpacho, watermelon salad, blackened chicken, sweet potato gratin, black-eyed peas salad) executed by St. Regis Banquet chef Victor Parra. It was delectable food for thought. This dinner is for people to share a bite, and from that bite comes inspiration for our guests to share their world, their lives, connecting with each other over food, Harrison said. That leads to connection with someone you may not know and conversations about ourselves: Where is your world? Why do you eat what you eat? What do you do? Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Terry, a food activist and author, dreamed up this dinner to celebrate the history, diversity and complexity of African American cuisine. When people think about African American cuisine, they reduce it to comfort foods: the deep-fried fatty meats and sugary desserts, as if all black folks are eating fried chicken every day and red velvet cake for lunch, he said, with a laugh. Holland, elegant in a black cocktail dress, was delighted to join guests instead of working the stoves. She also participated in a conversation with social justice-food writer Shakirah Simley, who, among other topics, asked Holland about the #MeToo movement in the kitchen. The industry has been really slow to change, and I cant believe I still have to talk about kitchen inequity. Even though I was the darkest person in many rooms, I often felt invisible, recalled Holland. I was seeking acknowledgment by my male colleagues; I didnt intend to be an activist. Holland also feels a sense of responsibility to create a collegial community with her purveyors and mentor the women coming up behind her in the kitchen. Sometimes I feel the African American community is still, like, everyone wants to be the one, the only, the first. I got mine, now you get yours, Holland said. But Im just not about that I think theres plenty of room for everybody. Catherine Bigelow is The San Francisco Chronicles society correspondent. Email: missbigelow@sfgate.com Instagram: @missbigelow Police and fire officials are investigating 10 small grass fires they believe were set by an arsonist in Santa Rosa late Saturday and early Sunday. Three fires were reported shortly before midnight Saturday along the railroad tracks north of Hearn Avenue and south of Barham Avenue in southwest Santa Rosa. As firefighters were extinguishing those blazes, more fires were spotted along the Santa Rosa Creek Trail from Dutton to Fulton Road, said Paul Lowenthal, the assistant fire marshal for the Santa Rosa Fire Department. In all, 10 suspicious fires were reported. Although they were small the largest was just under a quarter acre they prompted a major response from firefighters still on edge after wildfires raged through Santa Rosa in October, destroying 5,143 homes and killing 23 people. NORTH BAY FIRES: With wildfire season at hand, California on slightly safer footing this year Its very obvious given the timing and the sequence that they were intentional, said Lowenthal, who believes the person responsible was on foot or riding a bicycle. This is obviously something we take extremely seriously given what our community went through. We need to catch this person. In all, 11 fire engines from the Santa Rosa Fire Department, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Rincon Valley Fire Department responded to the scene, along with a Sonoma County Sheriffs Department helicopter. The blazes were under control by 2 a.m. Sunday. No structures were damaged, and no injuries were reported. As of now, no arrests have been made in the investigation, said Sgt. Christopher Mahurin of the Santa Rosa Police Department, which is assisting the Fire Department with the arson investigation. AROUND THE BAY: Bay Area doctor suspended after incident with patient goes viral Anyone who saw anything suspicious between midnight Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday is asked to call the Fire Department at 707-543-3500. Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite Attendees at a Bay Area barbecue festival were not happy when protesters with a Berkeley-based animal rights group crashed the party. In a Facebook livestream of Saturday's event, a handful of Direct Action Everywhere members disrupted proceedings onstage at the King of the County BBQ Challenge & Music Festival in Martinez. One protester somehow commandeered the microphone and began talking about animal cruelty, as other members of the group joined onstage with "It's not food, it's violence" signs held high. That's when the boos and heckling began. "Get off the stage!" yelled attendees. The crowd of protesters were quickly escorted off the stage and began protesting a few feet away with megaphones, as festivalgoers began taunting the group. Several flipped off the camera, and another person shared a tray of meat with the non-protester crowd members, some of whom seemed to savor the chance to eat while defying the protesters. "We're not here to attack people or to tell them that they're bad people, we're just here to educate the public," a protester says into the camera. Off-camera, the animal rights group alleged that one of their members was shoved to the ground by festival attendees and another was punched, but SFGATE's calls to the Easy Bay Regional Police Department were not immediately returned to confirm those incidents. Direct Action Everywhere is an animal rights group known for its extreme style of protests. One activist recently covered herself in feces outside of a San Francisco Trader Joe's location, alleging the grocery store chain purchases eggs from a farm with cruel farming practices a charge Trader Joe's denied. The group has also disrupted dinner service at Chez Panisse, attempted to stop a cattle drive at the Alameda County Fair and held weekly protests at a Berkeley butcher shop. he owner of a San Francisco herb shop faces multiple felony charges after prosecutors say he funneled prescription and banned drugs through his Chinatown store. The charges against 67-year-old Vi Thieu Binh are the result of an investigation that spanned over three years, and a search warrant that allegedly uncovered hundreds of products that were prescription-only, contaminated, counterfeit, mislabeled or barred by the Federal Drug Administration, according to the San Francisco district attorneys office. Binhs store, Hue An Co., was flagged by the FDAs Office of Criminal Investigations following a broader probe into Anti Rheuma capsules. The anti-inflammatory drugs are intended to treat rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, but the ingredients were removed from the U.S. market after the FDA deemed them unsafe or ineffective. The investigation stemmed from an incident in November 2014, when a 73-year-old man was hospitalized after ingesting Anti Rheuma capsules. Prosecutors said the man purchased the pills from an unlicensed seller in Oakland. As part of this investigation, FDA officials received information that Hue An Co. was also a potential seller of the capsules. Regulations on who can sell prescription drugs exist to protect consumers, District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. In this case, someone became seriously ill as a result of acquiring drugs from an unlicensed seller. Special agents executed a search warrant at Binhs store in January and seized nearly 600 products that were either illicit or prescription only, according to the district attorneys office. Officials said Binh sold these types of drugs on multiple occasions between December 2016 and October 2017. Gascon urged consumers to contact the Food and Drug Branch of the California Department of Public Health if they suspect a retailer is unlawfully selling prescription drugs. Officials said consumers can spot an illegal retailer if the seller does not require a prescription from a doctor before completing the sale or fails to display a license to dispense prescription drugs. Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy John Streur remembers exactly where he was when he learned of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The CEO of Calvert Research & Management recalled standing in New Yorks Pennsylvania Station on the afternoon of Feb. 14, squinting at his iPhone in disbelief as he read that 17 teenagers and teachers had been shot dead. As chief of one of the worlds biggest responsible investing mutual funds, Streur was an activist on issues including climate change and equality, yet he said he felt powerless when it came to gun violence. Now he wanted to see if he could use Calverts financial clout to change the way guns most notably the AR-15 military-style assault rifle used in the massacre and weapons like it were sold in the United States. Two weeks after the shooting, he told his assistant: Get Kroger on the phone. But the management at Kroger, one of the nations largest grocery-store chains, was gearing up for an earnings release and wasnt taking investor calls. I told her to call them back and tell them I dont want to talk about earnings. I want to talk about gun sales, Streur recalled. (Kroger sold guns in 43 of its 133 Fred Meyer stores in Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, with the latter state selling the military-style assault rifle.) Calvert, which was acquired by Eaton Vance in 2016, has roughly $14 billion in assets and owns $2.6 million worth of Kroger shares. Streur wanted management to know if they werent going to stop selling guns to kids, he would file a resolution to take it to a shareholder vote. The morning after his call, Kroger said it would stop selling guns to those under 21. Two weeks later, the chain said its stores would stop selling firearms altogether, citing a slump in gun sales. When it comes to mass shootings, I think American society feels helpless about what can possibly be done to try and change the equation, Streur said in a recent phone interview from Washington, where he lives. To have the capital markets be part of a solution is meaningful. It is responsible investing at its best, he said. (Kristal Howard, a Kroger spokeswoman, said that while the company welcomed dialogue from stakeholders, it wouldnt be accurate to credit this policy shift solely to Streurs phone call.) Streur, 58, has long been a leader in whats called environmental, social and governance investing, starting in a boutique money management firm in 1991. But lately, his profile on Wall Street and beyond has been raised by the gun debate. After recent mass shootings, questions have been asked about what role investors might play in forcing companies to ask themselves whether they are complicit in gun violence, and whether businesses, banks or firearm retailers should set rules limiting gun sales or lending to gun manufacturers. Streur has been at the forefront of this discourse, taking Americas gunfight to the front lines of finance. Since the Parkland shootings, he has spoken about the importance of responsible investing on a panel in New York, at the Milken Institute annual conference in Los Angeles and at global investing conferences in Berlin and Melbourne, Australia. But Streur is not a newcomer to this cause. I was a lone wolf for a long time, Streur said. A lot of mainstream investors thought this was too radical, too political, too crazy. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Streur joined Lehman Bros. But the fiercely competitive, profit-hungry finance world was an uncomfortable fit, and he said he was quickly disillusioned by what he called greedy banking culture. In August 1990, Streur left Wall Street to become a partner in a small money management firm, the Burridge Group, in Chicago. It was there that Streur was first exposed to the idea of responsible investing when his clients asked if he could divest their money from unsavory companies, like those involved in tobacco, gambling or guns. Streur rose to become the president of Burridge, where he worked on divestment drives for 17 years. During this time, Streur became increasingly frustrated by the limited impact of socially responsible investing. He went door-to-door on Wall Street trying to convince some of the titans of investment banking that responsible investing matters and should be woven into their business strategies, but faced repeated rejection, he said. In 2007, he said, his own research showed that fewer than 15 responsible investing companies with more than $1 billion in assets were operating in the United States at the time. A year later, Lehman Bros. went bankrupt, triggering the global financial crisis of 2008. This proved to Streur that the financial system itself didnt know what it was doing. He resigned from Burridge Group, now known as AMG Funds, to devote himself completely to socially responsible investing. Until recently, corporate America was still questioning whether responsible investing could work: Did it hurt profits? Did anyone really care? Those questions were valid six years ago, Streur said. But no one asks them anymore. He has watched responsible investing move from the margins to the mainstream. In the United States, responsibly invested assets have been on an upward march since the mid-2000s, climbing to $8.7 trillion in 2016 from $6.6 trillion in 2014, according to the latest Global Sustainable Investment Alliance Review. The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, established in 2011, is pushing for a new social and environmental measure to be included in the annual reports publicly traded companies must submit to the government each year. And in January, Laurence Fink, chief executive of BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, said if businesses wanted his firms support, they must make a positive contribution to the world because society is demanding it. Streur says he is determined to maintain pressure on assault weapon manufacturers, wanting to provoke a sea change on guns before eventually returning to his ranch. I believe we are going to reduce the distribution of assault weapons and I believe we are going to make it more difficult for those companies to get capital, Streur said. The fight, he added, is by no means over. Olivia Jade Carville is a New York Times writer. Apple App Store monopoly case The Supreme Court will consider whether the purchasers of iPhone apps can sue Apple over allegations it has an illegal monopoly on selling them. The court said Monday that it will take a case from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which ruled in January that the purchasers of iPhone apps could sue Apple. Their lawsuit says that the App Store includes a 30 percent markup that goes to Apple. The Cupertino company had argued that it did not sell apps, but instead acted as an intermediary used by developers. Want to buy Elvis jet? A private jet once owned by Elvis Presley that has sat on a runway in Roswell, N.M., for nearly four decades is back on the auction block. Pleasantons IronPlanet announced this week that the identified unflying object with red velvet seats had returned to the market after its current owner bought it last year for $430,000. The red 1962 Lockheed Jetstar has no engine and needs a restoration of its cockpit. San Jose says, Hello, Kitty For four years, Sanrios Hello Kitty Cafe Truck has drawn scores of fans at its Bay Area stops during the trucks cross-country tours. Now the international peddlers of all things adorable are introducing a slightly more permanent dining option: On Friday, a Hello Kitty Mini Cafe will open in San Joses Santana Row. It will include cute themed pastries, cakes, drinks and, of course, plenty of Sanrio merch. While more permanent than the roving truck, the mini-cafe is a pop-up, with no end date set yet. Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. In the latest airport news, Uniteds Polaris Lounge at Houston Bush Intercontinental will open soon; Seattle wins the top spot in a new ranking of airport Wi-Fi speeds; Newark Liberty International could be totally rebuilt; travelers can try out a new consumer technology at JFK; and Dallas/Ft. Worth gets a new medical facility for passengers. Its only been a couple of weeks since United cut the ribbon on a new Polaris Lounge at its Newark hub, and a couple of months since it opened its San Francisco Polaris Lounge. Now, United has set June 29 as the opening date for the Polaris Lounge at its Houston Bush Intercontinental hub. The new facility is on the top floor of IAHs Terminal E. Its going to be smaller than its counterparts at other airports, but it offers a buffet called The Bistro, shower suites, and private resting areas that overlook the tarmac. (All Polaris Lounges sport more or less the same design features. What distinguishes them is the regional fare and specialty cocktails on offer.) Polaris Lounge access is restricted to international first and business class travelers on long haul flights on United and its Star Alliance partners. The first Polaris Lounge opened at Chicago OHare last year, and another is due at Los Angeles International in November. Related: Our review of SFO's new Polaris Lounge Newark Liberty International is already building a new Terminal A, but a new long-term proposal from the New York metro areas Regional Plan Association suggests that the entire airport might have to be totally redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up. The proposed four-stage, $20 billion project would take 40 years to complete but would greatly increase EWRs capacity and reduce a chronic problem of late arrivals and departures, planners claim. The plan calls for the demolition of the airports existing terminals one at a time, replacing them with three new mid-field concourses in between the two runways, all linked to a central head house that would handle passenger check-in, security screening and baggage. The plan also envisions a third runway for the airport and a new airport train station for New Jersey Transit, Amtrak and PATH trains. Seattle-Tacoma International has captured the number one spot in Speedtest.nets annual ratings of free Wi-Fi speeds at North Americas largest airports. Denver, which held the number one spot for the past two years, fell to second place. Testing at Sea-Tac found an average download speed of 103 Mbps, vs. 78.68 for Denver International. Rounding out the top five were Calgary International (67.23), Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (59.62) and San Francisco International (54.78). At the bottom of the rankings, in 23rd and 24th place respectively, were Toronto Pearson (7.14 Mbps) and Montreal Trudeau (6.41). You can see the full results here . Speedtest.net said the results suggest airports are not doing enough to provide passengers with decent Internet service: There are far too many airports on this list with a mean download of less than 10 Mbps. Free Wi-Fi is good. Free Wi-Fi thats fast enough to keep travelers happily entertained is even better. With leading electronics companies developing virtual reality products for consumers, have you ever wondered what the VR experience is like? You can find out if youre going to be passing through New York JFKs Terminal 4 over the next six months. A company called Periscape VR has just opened a pop-up Virtual Reality Experience Center in Terminal 4s retail lounge. It has 12 user stations where curious passengers can try out various VR options at a price of $1-$2 a minute for sessions that last from 5 to 10 minutes. As Periscape VR describes it: The widely appealing experiences are grouped into five distinct content categories: First Time, Experience, Create, Play, and Social Cause, and feature exclusive, best-of-class content from some of the most respected brands in virtual reality. The experiences have been carefully curated to appeal to a wide variety of air travelers and will instantly transport them to exotic destinations, and allow them to draw and create in 3D, personify a famous musician, play incredibly fun games, and more. If you have a medical emergency while youre at Dallas/Ft. Worth International, youre in luck: The airport just opened what is said to be the first freestanding emergency room and urgent care center on any airports property. Operated by Texas-based Code 3 Emergency Partners, the new 8,125-square foot facility is equipped with a CT scanner, ultrasound, x-ray, testing lab and pharmacy, as well as rooms for short-term patient observation and a 24-hour urgent care center. Its not in a passenger terminal the center is located on the south side of DFW at 2390 Innovation Drive, near the rental car center and the airport headquarters offices. The company also has a more modest urgent care center in DFWs Terminal 3 and in Las Vegas McCarrans Terminal 1. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis. A 58-year-old man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of assault in what appears to be two separate unprovoked attacks in San Francisco when he allegedly kicked a homeless man and broke the nose of another man on Muni, authorities said. Samuel Youmtoub of San Francisco was booked into San Francisco County Jail on two counts of aggravated assault in both cases, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The first incident occurred about 3:35 p.m. on May 24 near the intersection of Leavenworth and McAllister streets, police said. A 38-year-old homeless man was lying on the sidewalk when Youmtoub viciously kicked him in the face, authorities said. Surveillance from a nearby Muni stop captured the attack on video, police said. The victim, who was not identified, lay motionless after the attack and was transported to the hospital with serious injuries, police said. Youmtoub, meanwhile, walked to United Nations Plaza. Surveillance footage shows a man wearing a dark colored suit, a black beanie and glasses kick the man twice before walking away from the scene. The footage drew international attention. Attacks against homeless people like the one caught on surveillance footage May 24 are not uncommon in the Bay Area, said Kelley Cutler, a human rights organizer with San Franciscos Coalition on Homelessness. Folks that are forced to live on the street, its very risky. Its dangerous, Cutler said. So people are targeted pretty often actually. When you look at how our society treats people who ... experience homelessness, our priority is not valuing this population. Cutler added that its unclear whether the number of attacks against the homeless has increased in San Francisco specifically. The National Coalition for the Homeless released a report tracking the number of crimes against homeless people in 2014 and 2015. In 2015, nationwide, there were 77 victims of attacks against people experiencing homelessness 27 of the victims from those attacks were killed. After Youmtoub attacked the homeless man, he was captured on Muni surveillance video five days later at about 3:05 p.m. aboard a bus at Eighth Street near Mission Street, police said. The video footage allegedly shows him grabbing a 28-year-old man by his hair and repeatedly slamming his face into a steel handrail. The victim, who was not identified, apparently suffered a broken nose. He was a Muni patron, and authorities dont typically classify victims as homeless, said Sgt. Michael Andraychak, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department. In the first attack, the victims status was apparent from the circumstances of the attack, he added. Youmtoub also fled the scene in the second incident, police said. Authorities said both attacks appeared to be unprovoked, and neither the victims nor the suspect knew each other. On Sunday, a Tenderloin Station police officer was walking on Market Street about 12:40 p.m. when he spotted Youmtoub walking near U.N. Plaza, police said. The officer and her partner recognized Youmtoub from the surveillance footage and immediately took him into custody. He is being held on a $120,200 bail. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani TUMWATER, Wash. -- Tumwater police are investigating what looks like a wild crime spree that left two people shot and a suspect dead at in a Walmart parking lot on Sunday evening -- apparently killed by a bystander who pulled a gun and shot the suspect. It all started about 5:30 p.m. with a report of a drunk driver going down the road the wrong way near Crosby Road. As officers arrived on the scene, they received another call reporting an attempted carjacking and shots fired at Tumwater High School. There, officers found a wounded 16-year-old girl but no suspect. Her injuries were not life threatening and she was treated at a nearby hospital. SALIDA, Colo. We were warned. On June 23, 1988, a sultry day in Washington, James Hansen told Congress and the world that global warming wasnt approaching it already had arrived. The testimony of the top NASA scientist, said Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley, was the opening salvo of the age of climate change. Thirty years later, its clear that Hansen and other doomsayers were right. But the change has been so sweeping that it is easy to lose sight of effects large and small some obvious, others less conspicuous. Earth is noticeably hotter, the weather stormier and more extreme. Polar regions have lost billions of tons of ice; sea levels have been raised by trillions of gallons of water. Far more wildfires rage. Over 30 years the time period climate scientists often use in their studies in order to minimize natural weather variations the worlds annual temperature has warmed nearly 1 degree (0.54 degrees Celsius), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And the temperature in the United States has gone up even more nearly 1.6 degrees. The biggest change over the last 30 years, which is most of my life, is that were no longer thinking just about the future, said Kathie Dello, a climate scientist at Oregon State University. Climate change is here, its now, and its hitting us hard from all sides. Warming hasnt been just global, its been all too local. According to an Associated Press statistical analysis of 30 years of weather, ice, fire, ocean, biological and other data, every single one of the 344 climate divisions in the Lower 48 states NOAA groupings of counties with similar weather has warmed significantly, as has each of 188 cities examined. South central Colorado, the climate division just outside Salida, has warmed 2.3 degrees on average since 1988, among the warmest divisions in the contiguous United States. When she was a little girl 30 years ago, winery marketing chief Jessica Shook used to cross country ski from her Salida doorstep in winter. It was that cold and there was that much snow. Now, she has to drive about 50 miles for snow thats not on mountain tops, she said. T-shirt weather in January, that never used to happen when I was a child, Shook said. When Buel Mattix bought his heating and cooling system company 15 years ago in Salida, he had maybe four air conditioning jobs a year. Now hes got a waiting list of 10 to 15 air conditioning jobs long and may not get to all of them. And then theres the effect on wildfires, which now consume more than twice the acreage in the United States than they did 30 years ago. The AP interviewed more than 50 scientists who confirmed the depth and spread of warming. Since the 1800s scientists have demonstrated that certain gases in Earths atmosphere trap heat from the sun like a blanket. Human activities such as burning of coal, oil and gasoline are releasing more of those gases into the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide. U.S. and international science reports say more than 90 percent of the warming that has happened since 1950 is man-made. Overall, NASA satellites have shown three inches of sea level rise in just the past 25 years. With more than 70 percent of the Earth covered by oceans, a 3-inch increase means about 6,500 cubic miles of extra water. Thats enough to cover the entire United States with water about 9 feet deep. Its a fitting metaphor for climate change, say scientists: Were in deep, and getting deeper. Thirty years ago, we may have seen this coming as a train in the distance, NOAAs Arndt said. The train is in our living room now. Seth Borenstein and Nicky Forster are Associated Press writers. 1 Immigrant deaths: At least five people were killed Sunday and several others hurt when a sport utility vehicle carrying more than a dozen people crashed while fleeing from Border Patrol agents in south Texas. Sheriff Marion Boyd said the SUV went out of control at more than 100 mph and overturned on Texas Highway 85 near Big Wells, ejecting most of the occupants. Texas Department of Public Safety officials said four were pronounced dead at the scene and a fifth person died at a hospital. Most of the occupants were believed to be living in the country without legal permission. Boyd said the driver and one passenger are believed to be U.S. citizens and both were in custody. 2 Pipeline project: Minnesota regulators open two days of hearings Monday in St. Paul on whether they should approve Enbridge Energys proposal for replacing a deteriorating crude oil pipeline from Canada across the state. The plan has generated intense opposition from tribal and climate-change activists who are encouraging supporters to pack the hearing room. The Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to make its final decision late this month on whether the project is needed and, if so, what route it should take. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed an attempt to bypass the PUC and give Enbridge a green light. GENEVA The United Nations top human rights official on Monday entered the mounting furor over the Trump administrations policy of separating unauthorized immigrant children from their parents, calling for an immediate halt to a practice he condemned as abuse. U.S. immigration authorities have detained almost 2,000 children in the past six weeks, which may cause them irreparable harm with lifelong consequences, said Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights. Mami! the childrens voices cry out, between sobs. Papa! A recording of immigrant children calling out desperately for their parents after being separated from them by U.S. immigration authorities was released Monday by the investigative news site ProPublica. The recording, nearly eight minutes in length, added disturbing and intimate notes to the debate over the Trump administrations policy of separating children from their parents when families are detained at the border. MORE COVERAGE: Immigrant children seen held in fenced cages at border facility ProPublica said in an article accompanying the audio clip that it was recorded last week inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention center. Ten Central American children who were separated from their parents by immigration authorities are heard in the clip, along with some adults. MORE COVERAGE: Amid criticism, White House rejects narrow fix for border crisis The news service said the recording was provided to Jennifer Harbury, a civil rights lawyer, by a person who wished to remain anonymous. Harbury provided the recording to ProPublica. At one point, a child identified in the article as a 6-year-old Salvadoran girl is heard asking someone to call her aunt. My mommy says that Ill go with my aunt, she says in Spanish. And that shell come to pick me up there as quickly as possible. At another point, a voice belonging to a man identified by ProPublica as a Border Patrol agent speaks over the crying children. Well, we have an orchestra here, the man says. Whats missing is a conductor. MORE COVERAGE: Kamala Harris says DHS chief should resign over family policy This article originally appeared in The New York Times. HONG KONG An earthquake struck north of the Japanese city of Osaka on Monday morning, killing at least three people and injuring at least 217 others, the authorities and the local news media said. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the 6.1-magnitude quake was recorded at 7:58 a.m. local time in the northern part of Osaka prefecture in western Japan. NHK, the public broadcaster, said the dead included a 9-year-old girl who was struck by the collapsing wall of a swimming pool at an elementary school in the city of Takatsuki. The other two casualties were men in their 80s, one of them in Osaka. Many commuters were stranded at stations when the earthquake disrupted train service across western and central Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported. I saw the ceiling and the floor undulating, and I could barely stand, Katsufumi Abe, 64, who was at JR Osaka Station on his way to Kyoto when the quake struck, told Kyodo. I was very scared. Highways were closed across the Osaka area, NHK reported, but the regions airports were operating normally. Osaka is part of the Kansai region, which has a population of 22 million. NHK said no tsunami warning was issued. The Kansai Electric Power Co. initially said that more than 170,000 homes in Osaka and neighboring Hyogo prefecture were experiencing a blackout, according to the Kyodo agency. But electricity was restored later on Monday morning. At a televised news briefing, Toshiyuki Matsumori, an official at the meteorological agency, advised people in the area to be prepared for follow-up quakes of around the same intensity. Matsumori said there was an active fault close to the quakes epicenter, but that the agency had not confirmed if the fault had moved. The agency is going to analyze it further, he said. More than 6,000 people were killed when a 6.9-magnitude quake struck Kobe, a neighboring city, in 1995. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. This story appeared on KQED. If you fear shark attacks, you're not alone. Even though accidents involving toasters kill more people each year, there's something unnerving about the thought of being in the water with a predator. On Friday, November 24, a man spear fishing in Monterey Bay was attacked by a shark probably a white shark. He's expected to be OK. Each time a reported shark attack appears in the news, though, it can stoke panic. Take some comfort, then, in the knowledge that your risk of a shark attack is low, almost unbelievably low. What's more, the risk of shark attack has been in long-term decline. (We still advise due caution when in the water.) According to a study out of Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station, shark attack risk on the California coast has dropped by more than 91 percent since 1950. The study, published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, weighted the number of reported attacks in the last 60 years in the state against the number of people using the ocean for swimming, diving, surfing and other sports. While the number of statewide attacks has remained relatively steady (about one per year on average in the '50s to one-to-two per year now) the number of people in the ocean has ballooned. "So right now your chances to have a shark interaction is much lower than it was in the '50s," says Francesco Ferretti, a shark researcher who studies the human impact on ocean health. VIDEO: Here's why California is getting more sharks The best hypothesis for explaining this pattern, Ferretti says, is the amazing recovery of pinnipeds seals, sea lions, elephant seals in California. These animals were basically hunted to extinction at the beginning of the last century, exploited for fur and fat. Their recovery began in the mid-20th century. "Now they are skyrocketing in many places around California," Ferretti says. Ferretti and co-researchers suspect that since seals tend to live in large groups in predictable areas such as the Farallon Islands or Ano Nuevo, north of Monterey Bay, white sharks know where to go to get a meal. It's possible they're not spending as much time roaming up and down the coastline as they once did. As predators, sharks play key roles in ocean ecosystems. "The sharks are kind of the police of the ocean," says Ferretti. "They keep in balance things that [would] get out of control." The presence of top predators helps ensure stability and balance in fish stocks. For example, it's suspected that on the East Coast, killing sharks contributed to the collapse of a scallop fishery in North Carolina, because sharks kept the rays which eat scallops in check. ALSO READ: Remains of ancient sea cow unearthed on California island Ferretti's data is practical too. He says learning about the ecology and movement of sharks can do much more to decrease the risk of shark attack than culling sharks. Risk of shark attacks is highest, he says, in the months of October and November in Northern California. For surfers, for example, risk can be reduced 25-fold by surfing in March instead, and by more than 1,600-fold by surfing in Southern California, between Los Angeles and San Diego. Syndicated News Assyrian Candidate in Turkish Election Vows to Fight for Rights SANTA CRUZ (BCN) An electrical malfunction is being blamed for a two-alarm fire early Sunday morning that caused about $120,000 in damages to the Torch Lite Inn motel on Riverside Avenue near the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. The Santa Cruz Fire Department and the Central Fire Protection District responded to the fire, called in at 2:09 a.m. Firefighters arrived to see heavy smoke coming from the roof and eaves of the two-story motel. Santa Cruz police were rousing motel guests to evacuate them, according fire officials. Sixty-nine people were evacuated from the rooms there, and no one was injured, fire officials said. Firefighters cut holes in the motel roof to allow superheated gases to escape from the attic where the fire was confirmed to be located. It took firefighters about 45 minutes to put out the blaze. The American Red Cross is assisting motel guests with alternative overnight housing, plus food and water. All motel occupants were escorted back into their rooms to recover valuables and belongings, Coleman 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. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) The U.S. Coast Guard and San Francisco Fire Department officials saved a man in distress in the Bay waters near Lands End and also prevented a sailboat from capsizing this afternoon. According to fire spokesman Jonathan Baxter, around 2:15 p.m., fire officials received a report of a damaged sailboat with 4 people aboard nearly capsizing in the Mile Rock area. In addition, they learned that a man had been thrown overboard and was in distress, Baxter said. Coast Guard officials, with help from firefighters, were able to assist the man in the distress, as well as the rest of the boaters. DON'T MISS: Dead great white shark washes ashore on Aptos beach The man suffered injuries not considered life-threatening. He and the other boaters were taken to Marin County for evaluation, according to Baxter. The boat was brought upright and is being towed to safety. PITTSBURG (BCN) One person was killed and another seriously injured in a solo-vehicle crash on eastbound state Highway 4 in Pittsburg on Sunday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. The CHP said the driver of the vehicle - a Jeep Grand Cherokee - has been initially identified as a 25-year-old Antioch man who was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released. A female passenger in the vehicle was also ejected, but the CHP said she had been transported to a local hospital with major injuries. Another passenger seated in the back seat had minor injuries but was also transported to a hospital. According to the CHP, the Jeep was seen by witnesses driving at a high rate of speed in the No. 2 lane. Witnesses saw the Jeep veer right across all lanes of traffic, hitting a concrete curb on the shoulder and overturning several times before coming to rest just west of the Loveridge Road off-ramp. The CHP is investigating the cause of the collision. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Contra Costa CHP based in Martinez at (925) 646-4980. 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. PIGEON PASS IN ALAMEDA COUNTY By Bay City News Service Alameda County Fire Department, Livermore-Pleasanton and CalFire firefighters had 90 percent containment Sunday night on two separate grass fires this afternoon south of Pleasanton. The fires burned a total of about 60 acres along state Highway 84 between the Ruby Hills area southwest of Livermore and the GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Center about 2 miles to the west. Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department firefighters responded to the initial alarm at about 3:50 p.m., and were joined by firefighters from the Alameda County Fire Department and CalFire. The fire agencies mobilized 30 engines, two tankers, helicopters and two bulldozers to fight the fast-moving fires, and it took about two hours to achieve 90 percent containment, said Aaron Lacey, a battalion chief with Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department. The California Highway Patrol closed some lanes of Highway 84 in the Pigeon Pass area at the height of the firefighting work. No injuries were reported, and no structures were burned, but some PG&E power poles sustained damage, Lacey 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. One person died Sunday morning and another was seriously injured in a solo-vehicle crash on eastbound state Highway 4 at the Loveridge Road exit in Pittsburg, the California Highway Patrol said. The crash involving a Jeep Grand Cherokee was reported around 9:40 a.m. Sunday as an overturned vehicle, the CHP said. The driver, a 25-year-old Antioch man, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. A female passenger in the Jeep was also ejected and transported to a local hospital with major injuries, the CHP said. No further details were available. A fight at a parking lot in Antioch on Sunday morning led to a 58-year-old man being stabbed and hospitalized with critical injuries, according to police. Around 10:35 a.m., police learned that a fight involving two men was occurring at the parking lot of the Delta Fair Shopping Center, located at 2938 Delta Fair Blvd. As officers were responding, they learned that one of the men had been stabbed with a knife, police said. Upon arrival, officers found the victim on the ground, suffering from several stab wounds. He was taken to a hospital where he was reported to be in critical condition. Around the same time, officers near the scene saw the suspect running away and were able to catch up with him. The suspect, a 47-year-old man, complied with the officers' commands and was arrested on suspicion of felony assault. He was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility. Police did not release the suspect's name. Alameda County Fire Department, Livermore-Pleasanton and CalFire firefighters had 90 percent containment Sunday night on two separate grass fires Sunday afternoon south of Pleasanton. The fires burned a total of about 60 acres along state Highway 84 between the Ruby Hills area southwest of Livermore and the GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Center about 2 1/2 miles to the west. Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department firefighters responded to the initial alarm at about 3:50 p.m., and were joined by firefighters from the Alameda County Fire Department and CalFire. The fire agencies mobilized 30 engines, two tankers, helicopters and two bulldozers to fight the fast-moving fires, and it took about two hours to achieve 90 percent containment, said Aaron Lacey, a battalion chief with Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department. The California Highway Patrol closed some lanes of Highway 84 in the Pigeon Pass area at the height of the firefighting work. No injuries were reported, and no structures were burned, but some PG&E power poles sustained damage, Lacey said. A hit-and-run crash in Brisbane sent a San Mateo County Transit District bus driver to the hospital Saturday night, a transit agency spokesman said Sunday morning. The SamTrans 292 bus was struck in a hit-and-run around 11:10 p.m. while heading northbound in Brisbane, according to Dan Lieberman, a spokesman for the agency. The bus driver was taken to the hospital and has since been released, according to Lieberman. There were seven passengers on the bus, none of whom reported any injuries, Lieberman said in an email. A suspect has been located, Lieberman said, but further information was not immediately available. A motorcyclist who died in a crash in Santa Clara Saturday afternoon was changing lanes and lost control of his vehicle, police said Sunday morning. The motorcyclist, a 33-year-old San Jose man, was driving on northbound Lawrence Expressway north of Stevens Creek Boulevard around 4:15 p.m. and tried to change lanes, according to police. He lost control of the motorcycle, slamming into the curb, then the guard rail, then a tree, suffering major injuries, police said. The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, according to police. Two lanes of northbound Lawrence Expressway between Stevens Creek Boulevard and Pruneridge Avenue were until about 10 p.m. Saturday night while officers investigated. Four people were arrested after a brawl at a local park Saturday night, which involved dozens of people and prompted Brentwood police to seek help from nearby law enforcement agencies. During the incident at Veterans Park in the 3800 block of Balfour Road, officers used a Taser on one of the four people arrested, when the suspect allegedly failed to obey police commands to stop fighting, said police Sgt. Mark Misquez. That man, 20-year-old Freddie Davis of Antioch, was taken to a local hospital for examination, released to police and then taken to the County Jail in Martinez, having been arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer and in addition to fighting in public, Misquez said. The incident unfolded when several calls came in to 911 shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday describing a fight involving dozens of people. Misquez said the fight was apparently triggered when kids belonging to two families gathered at the park for separate cookouts got into an argument on a playground. The fight escalated to involve adult members of both families, Misquez said. "It was a very chaotic, unruly scene," he said. Officers from the Antioch and Oakley departments and from the Contra Costa Sheriff's Department were called to assist the Brentwood officers. Also arrested Saturday night and booked into jail were Sidney Jones, 27, of Oakland; Jeanae Lomackpratt, 23, of Brentwood, and Myesha Long-Agbodike, 42, of Oakland, all on suspicion of resisting/obstructing police officers and fighting in public. Jones was also arrested for a parole violation; and Long-Agbodike on suspicion of illegal use of pepper spray, police said. Mosquitoes caught in a limited area near the Santa Clara-Sunnyvale border have tested positive for the West Nile virus, prompting a planned Tuesday spraying in portions of four ZIP code areas. The Santa Clara County Vector Control District is scheduled to spray the mosquito control treatment from truck-based tanks beginning at 11 p.m. Tuesday in the affected areas, Santa Clara County officials said Friday. The spraying is expected to last a few hours. The affected area is bordered on the south by El Camino Real, East Arques Avenue on the north and South Fair Oaks Avenue on the west. The eastern boundary is far more jagged, with its easternmost point where the Caltrain tracks cross over Bowers Avenue. Door hangers with notice of the planned spraying are being distributed and notice is being made both through Nextdoor online networks and through AlertSCC notifications via cell phone, email or landline phone. On Monday and Tuesday, Vector Control staff will be available to answer questions, from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at (800) 314-2427. Questions also can be emailed, at vectorinfo@deh.sccgov.org. 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. Two lanes of southbound Interstate Highway 580 in Hayward are currently blocked due to a traffic collision early this morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. The CHP said the collision was first reported at 4:50 a.m. just south of the intersection with state Highway 92. At least one vehicle has overturned and is blocking the No. 1 and 2 lanes. No further information was immediately available. 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. SAN LEANDRO (BCN) An officer on patrol tracked down and arrested a suspect an hour after a robbery at the Chase Bank in San Leandro's Greenhouse Marketplace shopping center Thursday evening, police said. The case began when officers got a bank robbery call from the Chase Bank at 699 Lewelling Blvd. around 4:47 p.m., police said. A suspect gave a note to the teller demanding cash, but fled before getting any money, witnesses told police. Officers immediately began broadcasting the suspect and getaway car description and searching the area, police said. As officers searched, a neighboring law enforcement agency broadcast information on a similar robbery at a Chase Bank. The suspect and getaway car descriptions matched those of the San Leandro incident, according to police. About a half-hour later, around 5:45 p.m., a San Leandro police sergeant on patrol spotted the suspect vehicle on Bancroft Avenue near 90th Avenue in Oakland, police said. The sergeant stopped the vehicle and its driver, who matched the suspect descriptions. Witnesses later positively identified the suspect, police said. The suspect, an Oakland man, was arrested and booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. Police did not release his name or age. "This was an example of excellent teamwork by all involved, including the neighboring agency that assisted in the investigation," said Isaac Benabou, a San Leandro police lieutenant. Benabou credited the sergeant with finding a needle in a haystack. Police believe the suspect may also be responsible for as many as a dozen other bank robberies in the East Bay and detectives are working with other law enforcement agencies on these cases. 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. BRISBANE (BCN) A hit-and-run crash in Brisbane sent a San Mateo County Transit District bus driver to the hospital Saturday night, a transit agency spokesman said this morning. The SamTrans 292 bus was struck in a hit-and-run around 11:10 p.m. while heading northbound in Brisbane, according to Dan Lieberman, a spokesman for the agency. The bus driver was taken to the hospital and has since been released, according to Lieberman. There were seven passengers on the bus, none of whom reported any injuries, Lieberman said in an email. CALIFORNIA CRIME: Stockton man arrested after two carjackings in a row Assyrians in Iraq Are Hopeful, But Their Plight Continues Vice President Mike Pence announced two weeks ago that the United States would intensify efforts to deliver aid to Iraqi Christians. Last October, Pence told a conference hosted by the nonprofit In Defense of Christians that America "will work hand in hand with faith-based groups and private organizations to help those who are persecuted for their faith." "This is the moment, now is the time, and America will support these people in their hour of need," he said. "We have a proverb," Athra Kado told the Washington Free Beacon. "I will not believe it unless I see it with my own eyes." Kado is from Alqosh, a town in the Nineveh Plains of Iraq. He leads Alqosh's branch of the Assyrian Democratic Movement, a political party advocating for Assyrian rights in Iraq. He also directs the media center for the Nineveh Plain Protection Units, a military force allied with the Iraqi government that provides security in the southern region of the Nineveh Plains for predominantly Christian communities. Fewer than 250,000 Christians are estimated to still live in Iraq, a decline of approximately one million people since 2002. Most live in the Nineveh Plains and Iraqi Kurdistan Region. ISIS entered the plains in 2014, and tens of thousands of Christians fled. Many went to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, settling in churches and parks. They feared refugee camps run by the United Nations would not protect them from jihadists. Christians, says Edward Clancy of the nonprofit Aid to the Church in Need, "were given the ultimatum of paying the jizya [a tax levied on non-Muslims], being subjugated to that, or leaving." The last option was "staying and probably dying." Then-secretary of state Rex Tillerson declared ISIS's actions against Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq to be genocide in 2017. Rebuilding efforts have begun, but progress is slow and uneven. The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee states that over eight thousand families have returned to the Nineveh Plains--still less than half of the number of families living there prior to 2014. Moreover, less than 40 percent of all properties have been rebuilt. In some places, few Christians have returned. Only two families have come back to the town of Batnaya. Ines San Martin of Crux reported that "there's virtually nothing to go back to, raising the question of why any of its former residents would ever want to return." Other towns and villages offer reasons for hope. In Bakhdida, almost half of the Christian community has returned. Juliana Taimoorazy, president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, said when she visited Bakhdida in January, "life had not returned back to normal, as normal as one can get post-ISIS." "It looked dead, garbage piled up everywhere. It was just awful," she continued. Taimoorazy's assessment brightened after returning a few months later. "Life had returned to the streets of Bakhdida, shops were open, nightlife had returned to the city," she told the Free Beacon. Despite evident progress in Bakhdida, residents remain uncertain about the future. "A lot of hope is in their hearts and minds," says Taimoorazy. But new homes are not enough. "Providing food or building houses only goes so far because," she adds, "first and foremost, what is on their minds is security." Efforts by the U.S. government to provide aid to Iraqi Christians have thus far been stymied by bureaucracy. Soon after Pence announced that USAID administrator Mark Green would travel to Iraq on a mission to expedite the aid process, Green penned a piece for the Wall Street Journal. "I will assure [Christian and Yazidi leaders] that American assistance will soon turn from an inconsistent trickle into a steady stream," he wrote. "I will present President Trump with a comprehensive assessment of any roadblocks that prevented the speedy distribution of aid." Renewed promises of aid are welcome, but advocates for Iraq's Christian community remain skeptical. After Pence's speech in October, Taimoorazy spoke to colleagues in Iraq. "Whomever I spoke with, whether they were politicians or aid workers or lay people, they all laughed," she said. There is more hope following Pence's recent announcement, says Taimoorazy, but aid will be useless if it ends up in the wrong hands. The money must go to organizations that are "trustworthy" and have "proven track records on the ground." Christians need more than new homes and food, however, if they are to remain in Iraq. Clancy observes that infrastructure still needs to be rebuilt. Christians are "sitting there, waiting in the sun, for somebody to answer." They are, for example, lacking safe sources of water. "The Tigris River," notes Clancy, "has been somewhat poisoned by the effects of the war. In some places, Christian families can't even irrigate their farms because the water is so polluted." Christians also need a long-term political solution to ensure their security. Zina Kiryakos, president of the Iraqi Christian Human Rights Council, says Christians desire a strong, pluralistic Iraq that respects the rights of their community. "They want to be part of Iraq," she told the Free Beacon, but they also want greater self-governance. "There has to be something done to make sure Christians are not left in the cold, that there is representation in the government, that there is protection of them," adds Clancy. Beyond a political solution, it is also necessary to help individuals heal from the suffering of the past few years. "Building the human person" is essential to recovery, observes Athra Kado, since generations of Christians in Iraq have experienced severe challenges. Some individuals in the Nineveh Plains have begun taking steps to improve the mental health of Christians suffering from the trauma of ISIS. For the Christian community of Iraq, Kado says, it has been "like being in a tunnel without end." BERLIN Chancellor Angela Merkel averted an immediate collision Monday with her allies in Bavaria, getting two weeks to make deals on migrants with other European countries instead of turning them back unilaterally at Germanys border. In her fourth term at the helm of Europes largest economy, Merkel made it clear that she has no intention of being pushed around after an internal power struggle over immigration escalated into a threat to her government. She said she would report back July 1 on the results of her negotiations. She acknowledge its unclear what will happen if theres no European deal on the divisive topic. Her interior minister, Horst Seehofer, has been calling for Germany to turn back migrants at the border who have previously applied for asylum or registered as asylum-seekers in other European countries. Merkel opposes such a move, arguing it would increase pressure on Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Greece and weaken the entire 28-nation European Union. Seehofer heads the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union, the sister party to Merkels Christian Democratic Union. The CSU is determined to show that its tough on migration, arguing that this is the best way to cut support for the anti-immigration, far-right Alternative for Germany party ahead of a challenging state election in Bavaria in October. A CSU leadership meeting Monday in Munich unanimously backed Seehofers plan to give Merkel until the end of the month to find a solution with other EU countries. That banished if only for now the specter of Seehofer pushing through his proposal in defiance of the chancellor, which would risk bringing down her government. Asked in Berlin whether her government can work well until the end of its term in 2021 and whether she is still in full control, Merkel replied: Yes to both. Merkel said she would hold bilateral agreement talks during a June 28-29 EU summit. Her party will consider the results on July 1 and decide how to proceed in light of what has been achieved, she said. Hours later, Merkel met in Berlin with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, the head of a new, populist government whose interior minister has pledged to deport tens of thousands of migrants. The German leader noted that both Italy and Germany have been disproportionately affected by recent mass migration to Europe, where Italy is often the point of entry for new arrivals and Germany the hoped-for destination. Merkel said European nations need to work harder to help Libya and other points of departure to provide for refugees so they dont attempt the perilous trip across the Mediterranean. She also called for doing more to stop smugglers. Geir Moulson is an Associated Press writer. MANILA Philippine military air strikes and ground assaults targeted a group of Islamic State-linked militants in an offensive that reportedly killed five extremists and forced more than 5,000 villagers to flee to safety in the south, officials said Monday. Army Col. Romeo Brawner said the offensive Sunday sparked gunbattles between troops and the extremists in Tubaran town in a mountainous region of Lanao del Sur province. The military was verifying reports that at least of five militants had been killed. Troops captured a jungle camp where they found empty ammunition boxes, and were pursuing the militants, Brawner said. The offensive targeted about 40 militants led by Owayda Benito Marohombsar, who uses the nom de guerre Abu Dar. He was among those who led a five-month siege of Marawi city, not far from Tubaran, but managed to escape before troops quelled the uprising last October. More than 5,000 villagers from Tuburan and two other nearby towns fled when they heard the air strikes, regional assemblyman Zia Alonto Adiong said. He said more than 700 moved into evacuation centers while others stayed with relatives. Abu Dars presence in the hinterlands of Tubaran, where he has relatives, was confirmed last month when his men killed a village leader who resisted their plan to venture into town. The leaders relatives notified the military about Abu Dars presence and helped troops hunt down the militants, Adiong said. Abu Dar is the only locally prominent leader of the bloody Marawi siege who is confirmed to have escaped from the Islamic city after being wounded in the massive military offensive. He reportedly brought more than 30 million pesos ($577,000) in looted cash out of Marawi, which he could use for militant recruitment and to rebuild his battered organization, Adiong said. The Marawi siege, which began on May 23 last year, killed more than 1,100 people, mostly militants. It left the city in rubble, caused President Rodrigo Duterte to place the southern third of the largely Roman Catholic country under martial law and prompted fears that the Islamic State group was gaining a foothold in the Asian region. Sporadic offensives continue against militants in other southern provinces. Adiong said it would take an effective counter-radicalization program and other social programs to fight new generations of militants. The governments program against these terrorists should really be good, long-term and comprehensive, he said. It wont just take bullets to defeat them. Jim Gomez is an Associated Press writer. KABUL Avtar Singh Khalsa will represent Afghanistans tiny Sikh and Hindu minority in the next parliament, where he says he hopes to serve the entire country. Few Afghans are as invested in the governments quest for peace and stability as the dwindling Sikh and Hindu minorities, which have been decimated by decades of conflict. The community numbered more than 80,000 in the 1970s, but today only around 1,000 remain. Khalsa, a Sikh and longtime leader of the community, will run unopposed for a seat in the lower house of parliament that was apportioned to the minority by presidential decree in 2016. After the October election, he will be a solitary voice among 259 legislators, but hopes his 10 years of service in the Afghan army can help him secure a seat on the defense and security committee. I dont only want to serve my Sikh and Hindu brothers. I have to be able to serve all the Afghan people, no matter which ethnicity or group they belong to. Our services must reach everyone, he said during an interview inside a colorfully decorated temple in Kabul. The 52-year-old father of four, originally from the eastern Paktia province, has lived most of his life in Kabul. He also served as a senator representing the minority, which has long had a seat in the upper house of parliament. Sikhs and Hindus have been driven out of many areas by heavy fighting. They have suffered widespread discrimination in the conservative Muslim country and have also been targeted by Islamic extremists. Under Taliban rule in the late 1990s, they were asked to identify themselves by wearing yellow armbands, but the rule was not enforced. In recent years, large numbers of Sikhs and Hindus have sought asylum in India, which has a Hindu majority and a large Sikh population. We must try to save our people from this chaos, Khalsa said. By any means and at any cost we must ask for our rights from the government. Your rights will not be given to you, you must earn them. Khalsa will join parliament at a time when the Afghan government is struggling against a resurgent Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate. The Taliban have seized a number of districts across the country, and Islamic State has carried out a wave of attacks in recent months targeting the countrys Shiite Muslims, another embattled minority. Sikhs and Hindus would face renewed persecution under the Taliban and wholesale slaughter at the hands of the more radical Islamic State. But Khalsa said he will continue to fight for his communitys survival. I sacrifice myself for those of my brothers who have been through all kinds of pain and suffering, he said. Rahim Faiez is an Associated Press writer. Page Content CHICAGOFormer Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called for comprehensive immigration reform to ease the U.S. talent shortage in a wide-ranging speech to more than 17,000 HR professionals gathered here on Sunday. Speaking at the opening general session of the SHRM 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition, Bush also advocated for educational system improvements to address the growing skills gap and a second chance for ex-offenders by aiding their re-entry into the workforce. And, he called for greater civility in politics and in U.S. society in general. In a Father's Day tribute, he praised former President George H. W. Bush for committing his life to public service and treating people with decency and respect. "In this era of a lack of civility and hyper-partisanship, the life of my dad stands out as a beacon of where to go to make our politics work again," Bush said. "My dad has proven that you can strive to find common ground to get things done. You can disagree with an adversary and still be friends. You don't have to push someone down to make yourself look better." Bush, who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, currently serves as chairman of Dock Square Capital LLC, a merchant bank headquartered in Miami. Fill Talent Void Via Immigration To address the U.S. talent shortage, he urged comprehensive immigration reform. "For the first time in history, we have more job openings than people," he said. With Baby Boomers retiring and birth rates among U.S.-born parents declining, there will be 8 million fewer workers in 20 years if immigration is cut off. Legal immigrants have a higher workforce participation rate and form more businesses, he said. And, contrary to cable news pundits, he said, "immigrants commit fewer crimes." But to turn immigration into an economic driver, the U.S. government does need to control the flow of undocumented immigrants, which means better border security through the use of drones, GPS technology and fencing where appropriate. Another complication: 60 percent of immigrants in the U.S. illegally entered the country with a legal visa that has since expired. "It has nothing to do with border security," he said. Bush also pushed for a citizenship path for "Dreamers," the undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. Immigrants with higher education degrees should automatically receive a green card, he said. "Immigration can be a catalyst for economic growth. In my opinion, it ought to be depoliticized and stop being used as a wedge political issue on both sides," said Bush, receiving applause from the audience. "America's immigrant experience is part of our DNA." He advocated "rigorous civic education for all people who reside in the country to create a sense of unity once more about what it is to be an American." To help resolve the skills gap, he urged HR professionals to work with schools to ensure students are ready to join the workforce and are trained in STEM skills to fill jobs currently in demand. The negative atmosphere in politics today shouldn't be a surprise, because it reflects U.S. society as a whole, he said. "It's up to us to change the political culture that will change how the politicians interact with one another," he said. "Voters ought to penalize rather than reward vulgar or toxic acts and discourse." That also means calling out vulgarity or racist speech no matter which political party originates it, he said. HR professionals in the audience were pleased with his remarks. Michelle Moran, HR director at The Club at Ibis, a country club in West Palm Beach, Fla., liked his call for giving second chances and for being more empathetic and understanding. Mary Ellen Shaw, HR director at Windsor Mill, a manufacturing company in Williamsburg, Va., said that Bush covered issues she has faced in the workplace, specifically the skills gap and need for immigrant workers. "That's critical right now, if this country is going to expand and grow." Page Content CHICAGOA common fear among employees in the #MeToo era is that they will say the wrong words and upset a colleague or get in trouble. HR, it turns out, is afraid of that too. "One of the most challenging things for me is figuring out the right thing to say" when following up on a harassment complaint, said Donna Stevenson, an HR manager at Roplast Industries Inc. in Oroville, Calif. Stevenson attended a preconference workshop on investigating harassment claims at the SHRM 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition. She's not alone. "This may be the hardest task an HR professional does," said Jonathan A. Segal, a partner at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia and a member of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Select Task Force on Harassment. That's because the stakes in resolving a complaint can be so high. "These are people's lives," said Segal, who led the half-day session on June 16. [SHRM members-only sample policy: Anti-Harassment Policy and Complaint Procedure] Often, HR professionals focus too much on following the letter of the law without remembering that every caseand every personis different. "In my experience, there is way too much focus on the law," Segal said, and not enough on the human touch. He and the group worked through the following suggestions for what to say in several situations, including: When employees ask if you can promise confidentiality before they reveal their concerns. Your first instinct might be to give a flat no, citing your legal duty to report instances of harassment. Unfortunately, that may simply cause workers to shut down. "Seventy-five percent of employees don't raise concerns when they have them," Segal said, mainly due to fear of retaliation. Keeping that in mind, Segal led the participants to develop some better options. For example, these responses address the legal reality and employees' possible anxieties: "I don't know what you're going to tell me, but I want to make clear we don't tolerate retaliation." "I'm here to listen, but I can't promise absolute confidentiality. What I can tell you is that we don't tolerate retaliation." Avoid interjecting the word "harassment" into the conversation before you know what the problem is. "Think about your word choices," Segal said, beginning with how you characterize the process. "Sometimes the word 'investigation' scares people." You might instead ask if it would be OK for you to "look into it." When workers tell you they have experienced harassing behavior. "The first thing you should say is 'Thank you for bringing your concerns to me,' " Segal said. Then: "That's a very serious allegation, and I want you to know that we take that very seriously." Avoid characterizations like, "That doesn't sound like Jane " or "he didn't mean that," which make it sound like you're predisposed toward the accused. Nor should you say, "That's horrible!," which also implies you've drawn a conclusion. "We don't want to make any judgment on the validity of the concerns," Segal said. "Focus on them, not about how you feel." When employees ask how long an investigation will last. While you can't give a definitive timeframe, reassure them you'll stay in touch. "Radio silence is anything but silence," Segal said. Many legal cases have come about when people weren't kept abreast of what was happening with an employer investigation, he said. Try instead: "I can't give you an answer on that, but I will provide an update no later than Friday on where we are" or "I can't go into detail, but we're almost done with our interviews." When workers are uncomfortable providing details such as the use of a racial slur. Often, repeating racist or sexist words or phrases can feel embarrassing and hurtful. Yet you'll need that information to do a thorough investigation. Start by gently asking: "Are you comfortable sharing what they said?," Segal advised. If the employee isn't, you might try explaining: "Without knowing the word, it's hard for me to know what to do." Then give them ideas for how they might share the words in a way that feels safe for them, whether by writing it down, leaving a voice mail or spelling the first few letters. When your investigation reveals that the complaint does not indicate harassing behavior. "This is one of the hardest things you're going to have to do," Segal said. Remember that, in most cases, employees who come forward genuinely felt aggrieved, even if the facts don't bear out an infraction. For example, suppose an employee complained that he was uncomfortable when his supervisor, Jane, tapped him on his shoulder. Your investigation suggests that Jane simply wanted to get his attention. One possible response that Segal and the participants developed was: "I thank you for raising the concern. That's not objectively improper conduct. But we've also asked Jane not to tap you on the shoulder again." If the worker reacts defensively, perhaps reassure him with phrases like "I understand that was uncomfortable for you," "I believe you shared that in good faith" or "I'm not questioning how you feel." But do be clear about your conclusion. It's important for employees to understand what is and is not considered harassing behavior, both under the law and your company's policy. Because, at the end of the day, "feelings are not facts," Segal said. "If everything is harassing conduct, then nothing is harassing conduct." This column is written by the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com collegiate correspondent. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- More than half a million animal lovers from around the country have voted and chosen Frances from Staten Island as one of the 21 courageous canines to advance to the semifinals of the 2018 American Humane Hero Dog Awards. These heroic hounds were selected from a pool of 266 outstanding candidates. Sponsored by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation and Zoetis, this annual awards celebration is broadcast nationally on the Hallmark Channel. The seven finalists will be flown to Los Angeles to take part in the 8th annual Hero Dog Awards Gala on Sept. 29 at the Beverly Hilton, where one will be chosen as the 2018 American Hero Dog, the top honor a dog can receive. There are seven categories for 2018: Law Enforcement/Arson Dogs, sponsored by K-9 Courage from Zoetis Petcare (a U.S. business unit of Zoetis); Military Dogs, sponsored by K-9 Courage from Zoetis Petcare; Therapy Dogs, sponsored by Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food, the official pet food of the 2018 Hero Dog Awards; Service Dogs, sponsored by Modern Dog magazine; Emerging Hero Dogs, a category that pays tribute to ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things; Search and Rescue Dogs; and Guide/Hearing Dogs. In the Guide/Hearing Dogs category, Holly Bonner's dog Frances is a semi-finalist. Here is their story. At the age of 32, Holly Bonner lost most of her eyesight from a rare complication after battling breast cancer. Over the next six months, she had to relearn everything from crossing the street to sorting laundry. Then, the universe threw her the ultimate curveball when she found out she was pregnant! When people asked Holly how she planned on traveling with her baby, she responded, "I'm going to get a guide dog." In September of 2016, Guiding Eyes for the Blind matched with her with Frances, a female yellow Labrador. Since then, "Franny" and Holly have become partners in both parenting and advocacy work for visually impaired parents. Now the mother of two daughters, Holly depends on Frances to help guide her to pre-school, doctor's appointments and extracurricular activities. When "Franny" is not helping Holly meet the demands of motherhood, she accompanies her to help educate kids through our Visually Impaired Education Program (VIEP). Aimed at grades K-2, VIEP's mission is to engage school-aged children through classroom interaction with the blind/visually impaired community and to help diminish stereotypes associated with blindness. Frances attends every presentation, which serves as a beautiful reminder about the important work of guide dogs. Holly believes Frances deserves to be the American Hero Guide Dog because her partnership allows her to be the woman she wants to be. She helps her juggle everything that comes with being a working mom, while educating the community about living with vision loss. In the semifinals and finals, the winners will be determined by votes from the public and a celebrity judging panel. The judges for the 2018 Hero Dog Awards campaign feature a variety of celebrity dog lovers including: Miranda Lambert, Kristin Chenoweth, Carson Kressley, Carrie Ann Inaba, Erik Estrada, Jamie Chung, Michelle Beadle, Danielle Fishel, Mark Steines and Carlos and Alexa PenaVega. Returning judges include Lisa Vanderpump, Adrienne Maloof, Bailee Madison, Carolyn Hennesy, Ashlan and Philippe Cousteau, Laura Nativo, Lorenzo Borghese and 2011 Arson Hero Dog winner Jerry Means. The winning dogs in each category will be rewarded $2,500 for their designated charity partner and the winning 2018 American Hero Dog's charity partner will receive an additional $5,000 for a grand total of $7,500. Each charity partner is dedicated to advancing the role of dogs in people's lives and, as with American Humane, focuses on the importance of the beautiful connection between humans and animals. "For thousands of years, mankind has had a special relationship with dogs, and the American Humane Hero Dog Awards are our way of honoring the best of our best friends," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane president and CEO. "This unique awards show celebrates the unbreakable human-animal bond, which has been a core part of our organization's mission since 1877." "The Hero Dog Awards recognize some of America's bravest heroes on both ends of the leash," said philanthropist and presenting sponsor Lois Pope. "From those who defend our country to those who help us heal, guide us, protect us, and help find the lost, every single contender exemplifies the courage and heroism we seek to spotlight in this campaign. Our goal is not only to honor these magnificent dogs but to inspire America to reflect on the outsized contributions that animals make in our lives each and every day." You can vote for Frances and other remarkable dogs in the third round from July 25 - Sept. 5 on HeroDogAwards.org. All voting rounds open and close at 12pm Pacific Time. The 2018 American Humane Hero Dog Awards event will take place in Los Angeles on September 29th. -- Staten Island native Charista Mroczek is a freshman at Barnard College of Columbia University. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The probationary firefighter son of a former FDNY commissioner might soon be out of a job. City Council members and the president of the Vulcan Society called on the city to fire Joseph Cassano, who was recently suspended after being issued a summons in New Jersey on June 10. "He didn't just have some drinks at the Jersey Shore this past weekend; he drank himself silly and went on a stranger's property and passed out," a group of 12 council members, including Debi Rose (D-North Shore), said in a joint statement. "We know that his true colors is a poor, lack of judgment and a raging sense of entitlement and privilege." This isn't the younger Cassano's first time in trouble. In 2013, the son of Huguenot resident Salvatore Cassano, quit his job with FDNY EMS after his hateful tweets about black and Jewish people were uncovered. The younger Cassano, who lived with his parents at the time of the rants, later apologized for the posts. The president of the Vulcan Society, Regina Wilson, also called for Cassano to be let go. The Vulcan Society is an organization of black firefighters in the city. "We have expressed our concern of rehiring a person who has made vile statements toward people of color, the Jewish community and women in New York City," she said. Cassano was suspended the same day the FDNY released the results of the latest Firefighter Exam, a fact that was not lost on Wilson. "There are thousands of people in the City of New York that would love to take his place and honor the job of a FDNY firefighter," she said. "It's time to let Joseph Cassano go and make room for those who really want to protect and serve the city in a honorable way." The mayor's office, and the FDNY did not immediately respond to requests for comment. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Friends and family of the victim in a fatal Sunday morning DWI set up a small memorial outside the Stapleton apartment building he called home. David Bloomer, 32, was struck and killed near the intersection of Broad Street and Tompkins Avenue around 4:40 a.m. just three blocks from his home, according to a media release from the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. "He was a good guy," Bloomer's father, David Collins, 63, said outside 181 Gordon Street. "He was loved by everyone, and he loved everyone." Bloomer, who was struck and killed on Father's Day, leaves behind a son, a daughter, and two stepdaughters. Police arrested 25-year-old John Rudder in connection to the incident, and charged him with vehicular manslaughter and DWI, according to the release. Rudder, of Kristen Court in Clifton, was allegedly driving a 2015 Nissan Altima northbound when he swerved into the southbound lane of Tompkins Avenue, and struck Bloomer. "He should never have been behind the wheel," Bloomer's mother Darlene Bloomer said. She didn't know where her son was coming from, but said he was with four or five people when he was struck and killed. Pedestrian struck and killed on Stapleton street, driver in custody 6 Gallery: Pedestrian struck and killed on Stapleton street, driver in custody Rudder had not yet been arraigned in connection to Sunday's fatal crash, according to online court records. He was arrested in January for a domestic incident, according to a spokesman for the NYPD. Court records indicated he pleaded guilty to burglary charges in May for that incident, and was on probation. His lawyer in that case, John Murphy, declined comment in either case. He said he was no longer representing Rudder. Friends described Bloomer as a lover of music, and would always tell a joke. "He was the mayor of Stapleton," Bloomer's cousin Helen Collins said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality health advisory for Staten Island and the rest of New York City. Air quality is expected to be hazardous through 11 p.m. Air quality currently is in the moderate range on Staten Island, according to readings at Fresh Kills and in Port Richmond. The state Health Department recommends that young children and people with respiratory and heart disease limit strenuous outdoor activity. A high of 97 degrees is expected to bring unhealthy air quality to our borough, according to AccuWeather.com. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Two swastikas, drawn in black, mark the corner of Paxton Street and Homer Street in Tompkinsville. The Advance received a report that the swastikas were drawn onto the sidewalk of the secluded street and confirmed their existence on Monday. A resident of Homer Street, who wished to have his name withheld, said that the swastikas were drawn "maybe one, two months ago." "I've been here 40 years," he said. "That's never been done like that." The resident said that the woods behind Homer Street are frequented by individuals that he suspects are engaged in misconduct, as he has repeatedly found syringes and glassine bags on the corner of Paxton and Homer. "It's not right," he added. "This isn't Germany. It's the United States of America." Thinking back to past experiences, the resident said, "This used to be a nice place up here, but it's gotten so much worse." Councilwoman Debi Rose has reached out to Department of Transportation to ask that the swastikas be removed. "There is no place for hateful, racist symbols like this on the North Shore. I thank the constituent who has brought this to our attention via social media, and I have reached out to the Department of Transportation to have this removed," Rose said. Similar swastikas have appeared across Staten Island over the past year. In October, a swastika and a hateful slur were painted onto a garage door in Rossville. The crime led to the arrest of James Rizzo Jr., who pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal mischief as a hate crime. Then, in April, hateful etchings plagued the bathroom door of a Charleston restaurant. The anti-semetic drawings and language caused the establishment to replace the door shortly after the etchings were reported. 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! An ASIC commissioner has urged company directors to take seriously a leading barrister's opinion that they could face lawsuits for failing to consider risks related to climate change. As large corporations face pressure to tell their investors more about risks they may face from climate change, ASIC Commissioner John Price said in a speech on Monday directors "would do well" to carefully consider a 2016 legal opinion by Noel Hutley SC and Sebastien Hartford-Davis. ASIC commissioner John Price says the regulator is looking at climate change disclosure across the ASX 300. Credit:Ryan Stuart The legal advice, which was commissioned by the Centre for Policy Development (CPD) and the Future Business Council, said directors not thinking about climate change risks today could be found liable for breaching their duty of care in the future. "While matters such as this will, in the end, be determined by a court, we think the Hutley opinion is relatively unremarkable," Mr Price said in a speech to a CPD event in Sydney. Insurance Australia Group is set to be left with surplus capital that it may return to shareholders after selling three of its Asian businesses for more than half a billion dollars. The insurer on Tuesday said it would sell its businesses in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia to two different overseas buyers, which will deliver an after-tax profit of $200 million in its full-year results next year. IAG said the sale of the Asian businesses would boost its capital position. Credit:Bloomberg Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, part of Japan's largest property and casualty insurance group, would purchase IAG's Thai and Indonesian businesses for $525 million, IAG said. We believe Tokio Marine is an ideal owner given its experience in the region, and that this is a good outcome for the associated employees, customers and other stakeholders, IAG chief executive Peter Harmer said. Atlas Iron has given its first suitor Mineral Resources three days to respond to the $390 million play for the miner lobbed by Gina Rinehart on Monday. The deadline puts the ball firmly in the court of Chris Ellison's Mineral Resources to make the next move in the high-profile contest for the struggling junior miner that has turned into a three-way tussle between Mr Ellison and mining billionaires Mrs Rinehart and Andrew Twiggy Forrest. Gina Rinehart has made a $390 million bid for Atlas, seen here with Anthony Pratt. Credit:Wolter Peeters In a statement to the ASX on Tuesday, Atlas said the window for Mineral Resources to make a counter offer to the bid from Redstone Corp, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mrs Rineharts Hancock Prospecting, would expire on Thursday. Until MinRes has had an opportunity to make a counter proposal to the Hancock offer, the Atlas directors maintain their existing recommendation in favour of the MinRes scheme proposal, Atlas said. Mark Clothier, a spokesman for Audi, confirmed the arrest and declined to comment further because the investigation is ongoing. He added that the "presumption of innocence continues to apply" for Stadler. Munich prosecutors said in a statement that Stadler was detained out of concern that he would suppress evidence needed for their investigation. Rupert Stadler, 55, was detained a week after his home was searched and German prosecutors said he was a focus of their probe into any manipulation of Audi emissions controls. Stadler is the first member of Volkswagen's executive board to be arrested in connection to the diesel emissions investigation. In 2015, Volkswagen was discovered to have been using software during emissions testing to manipulate results. Volkswagen said three years ago that as many as 11 million of its vehicles were equipped with software meant to deceive emissions tests, including at least 2 million Audis. The company has pleaded guilty to fraud in the United States and charged $25 billion in fines, penalties and restitution for owners and car dealers. Martin Winterkorn, the former chief executive of Volkswagen, resigned after the car maker admitted to using the software. Last month, US prosecutors charged Winterkorn, 70, with conspiracy and wire fraud in relation to the diesel-emissions case. The indictment from the Justice Department accused Winterkorn of conspiring with other Volkswagen executives to defraud the United States and of lying to customers about the cars being marketed as "clean diesel." Winterkorn is believed to be in Germany, according to the Justice Department, where it is unlikely that he will be extradited. Winterkorn's charges followed those of at least six other Volkswagen executives who have been indicted in the United States. Some of Volkswagen's diesel engines had a "defeat device" that made it possible for them to pass emissions tests, even though the vehicles were releasing more than 10 times the permitted amounts of the nitrogen oxide, or NOx, a gas that is harmful to human health and the environment. German officials have been ramping up their enforcement of the diesel emissions regulations. Last week, German prosecutors fined Volkswagen one billion euros, for not supervising the employees who designed the testing software. The German government last year accused Audi of cheating on its emissions tests for high-end models. It was the first time it faced charges of this kind in its home country, according to Reuters. Audi was asked to recall about 24,000 A7 and A8 models that it produced between 2009 and 2013. The CSIRO has launched a new app aimed at citizen scientists, designed to understand how Australians use power at home to potentially prevent blackouts. CSIRO project leader Adam Berry said the Energise app will collect data during and after major energy events such as blackouts or during peak demand times and use it to forecast when they may happen again based on power usage patterns and weather conditions. The app is designed to help predict when a blackout or load shedding could occur based on typical energy usage and weather pattern data. Credit:AP One of the key objectives of this app is to reduce the likelihood of load shedding events, because if we have a better understanding of how people are using their appliances, air conditioning or heaters during very hot or cold weather then we can prepare for peaking events, Dr Berry told Fairfax Media. With this app we can ask important questions at critical points in time. Fridays OPEC meeting in Vienna is shaping up as the most critical, and potentially the most fractious, since the cartel agreed to production limits in response to the collapse in oil prices in 2014. Saudi Arabia and Russia, the original architects of the production ceilings that were triggered by the unintended consequences of OPECs ill-conceived market share war against US shale producers, will go into the meeting having already agreed to increase production. The Saudis, Russia and other producers on the Arabian Peninsula want to lift their output because they can. The nay-sayers are opposed because they cant. Credit:Bloomberg Opposed to the change in a strategy that has been in place since January last year are Iran, Venezuela and Iraq. The Saudis, Russia and other producers on the Arabian Peninsula want to lift their output because they can. The nay-sayers are opposed because they cant. As the banking royal commission gears up for its fourth round of hearings starting on Monday, small business owners are voicing their disappointment at the brief two weeks allocated to the sector. Elizabeth Furneaux was one of 630 people who made submissions to the royal commission relating to small and medium businesses' dealings with lenders. Mrs Furneaux and her husband Paul, were hoping for a chance to tell their story and are disappointed that chance has passed. NAB customers Elizabeth and Paul Furneaux made a submission to the banking royal commission. Credit:Joe Armao "We didnt hear anything back," Mrs Furneaux said. "I think there were too many submissions. It's been disappointing, we all know it should be going longer. There are so many people out there. I tell you what, a hell of a lot of people have had their lives ruined from all of this." "The data analyses what the concerns are, what is acceptable and why people act the way that they do. Terramin, a base and precious metal development company with advanced zinc and gold projects in South Australia and Algeria, have been working with CSIRO utilising the Reflexivity model. We wanted an independent understanding of our engagement effectiveness with the local community around the Bird in Hand gold project in the Adelaide Hills, we wanted to do this live or as regularly and independently as possible, Matt Daniel, Terramin environment and community superintendent, says. Terramin environment and community superintendent Matt Daniel Trust is critical for us. We need to say what we are doing and do what we are saying, as we are working close, within kilometres, to country towns and high value rural industries in the Adelaide Hills and our local communities, regulators and all of us within Terramin need to know that there is no unexpected negative impacts to the environment or people. There have been plenty of protests over the proposed project with 4000 locals signing an online petition in February of this year opposing the re-opening of the Bird in the Hand mine. The petition was started by the Inverbrackie Creek Catchment Group who believe the mine will create permanent damage to the local economy. There is also a dedicated Facebook page Keep Woodsie Mine Free established with 81 comments posted so far suggesting the company still has some way to go. One reads: "This particular mining project is ill-conceived and, if allowed, likely to be an environmental, economic and social disaster for the community of Woodside, the Adelaide Hills and South Australia." But still Terramin are confident that they have the bulk of the community onside and argue the petition contained false information. The company has spent the last four years understanding the environmental and the community values, the ground and surface hydrology and biodiversity values. They invested heavily in the things that the community told them they cared about and wanted more understanding of those issues, rather than what a mining company would typically invest in such as the drilling of the ore body. The company employs 55 people in South Australia and Algeria and has a turnover just under $500,000 a year. We are committed to an operation that fits with the current landscape and to this end we have used landscape architects Oxigen to assist designing the project site and CSIRO to support with independent understanding of community attitudes of the project, Daniel says. Trust is also a factor a business owner or representative first meets a potential client. Many years ago when we started our business, we turned away brands that came and saw us, Judy Sahay, founder of digital media agency, Crowd Media, says. We didnt align with them, we didnt trust them. Trust starts with open communication. Being honest and putting all the cards on the table. Its about understanding why things went wrong in the first place and being honest enough to critically analyse it. Crowd Media, a social media agency based in Melbourne, with a turnover of just under $5 million employing 15 staff, has, like all companies, had things go wrong. It can be very disheartening especially when you consider your clients as your partners, Sahay says. Weve had this incident before which ended up costing us a lot of money. The best thing to get out of this is to understand why this happened in the first place. What was the intent of the other party? Did they intentionally mislead you or was there a miscommunication? Every case is different, but I take every opportunity to learn from the situation." For Kurt Parziani, director Assure Digital, which focuses on supporting small and medium sized businesses through increasing conversions and improving customer retention, trust plays a big role in business relationships. Business is ultimately defined as an exchange of value and when trust breaks down, the ability to deliver on that value is damaged, he says. Every interaction takes place between people and our interactions with each other are built on relationships. If there is no trust present, it results in dissatisfaction, uncertainty and doubt, which ultimately will lead to the breakdown of that relationship. To sell god in the 21st century, the church turned to 10 internationally recognised architects, including Melbourne's Sean Godsell. Best known for the RMIT Design Hub, Godsell is currently part of the Holy See's first entry in the Venice Architecture biennale. "Sacred buildings are devoid of spirituality, beauty or an encounter with the big artistic and architectural languages," according to the Vatican's culture minister, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi. Architecture and art have long been a formidable component of the Catholic church's marketing arm. Michelangelo, Bramante and Borromini form the classical trinity, its architectural A-Team. Sean Godsell (centre) with Vatican officials at the opening of his contribution to the Venice Architecture Biennale. Credit:Earl Carter "It was a very daunting commission," Godsell says. "There's a rich history of patronage. In recent times [the patronage] waned a little bit. They see there's some potential there to rebrand themselves as patrons of architecture, which is fantastic for architects." Pritzker prizewinners Norman Foster and Eduardo Souto de Moura are among the architects curator Francesco Dal Co selected to build a temporary chapel on the island of San Giorgio in Venice. Collectively the chapels form the Holy See Pavilion, and capitalise on the island sanctuary's key feature, its wooded surrounds. The brief required a chapel be no more than 60 square metres. An altar and lectern were the essential components. The supplier was also selected on the architect's behalf, with Godsell required to use zinc a material he hadn't used before. In Godsell's chapel there are no lights to illuminate its gold interior. No bells to emulate the Venetian bell towers that inspired its simple vertical structure. He could, however, select the site on the island. Godsell's zinc-clad tower rises like the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Pews are laid out in the landscape. At first it appears as if the congregation is meant to contemplate the building. But the architecture soon gives way to a ceremonial unveiling. Hydraulic lifts raise the chapel's lower panels, revealing the altar. A rare May Gibbs painting, complete with a poem that may never have been published, made a special trip to Canberra last week, after a Canberra Times story connected the owners with May Gibbs expert Jane Brummitt. The painting shows a kookaburra carrying a little baby in a sling, set on a brilliant blue background dotted with stars. Jane Brummitt, left, and Geoff and Amanda Turville with their rare paintings. Credit:Elesa Kurtz Geoff and Amanda Turville, of Sydney, read the story I wrote 12 months ago and phoned me asking to be put in contact with Brummitt who might know more about their rare find. Brummitt, an Adelaide author and former teacher who has long held a fascination for the Gibbs legacy, stumbled across a similar find and donated her painting to the National Centre for Australian Childrens Literature, at the University of Canberra, last year. The pair told Fairfax Media exclusively last month that they planned to renew their vows in a New York Jewish synagogue, and Grecko has now revealed that she will write a rap song especially for the occasion. "I am going through a fast Judaism conversion right now, so we are able to marry there," Grecko said in May. "We had our first wedding in a post office [it was at a registry office in June 2015]. It wasn't very glam. It was like a Vegas wedding in Australia. We want to make it more pretty this time." In a story about them getting back together on Monday, an Australian tabloid described Grecko as an "escort" in reference to a New York corruption case she was named in after having group sex with two NYPD officers and three other men aboard a private plane to Las Vegas in 2013. An upset Grecko took to Instagram to slam the publication and to ask people to remove that part of her life from the narrative. He says he was gob-smacked when he first heard the word stereotype bandied about with respect to his movie, and it forced him to do some soul-searching. But in the end, he concluded that if it makes somebody uncomfortable to see somebody be that affected or flamboyant, thats something you should talk to somebody about. Thats internalised homophobia. Not to be indignant, but I feel like this is my truth and if it makes you uncomfortable, thats your problem. They may be both drawn from and larger than life, but Fleming insists his characters serve a strategic purpose too. Having such out-there leads was deliberate, he says, an antidote of sorts to a different type of gay stereotype that has emerged in recent years. I feel the cliche at this point is this really straight-acting guy who says, Oh, by the way, Im gay. Thats the trope you see on TV, because its easier to handle. But the truth is most gay men have some kind of affectation, and we were very clear that we didnt want to shy away from that. Because that is not what I see in the world thats not how the gay men I know behave. Jack Gore (left), as Bill, and Rudd in Ideal Home, which has drawn criticism from straight and gay people. Credit:Icon Its certainly not the way Paul and Erasmus behave. Theirs is a kind of pastel-hued dream of middle-aged responsibility-free indulgence. They have a luxurious ranch in New Mexico, eat and drink and travel fabulously, dabble in spiritualism and yoga, host raucous and occasionally drug-fuelled dinner parties, and have a comprehensive collection of gay porn movies on DVD, most of them hilarious riffs on the titles and subject matter of mainstream Hollywood films (Bareback Mountain hardly even counts since it is, as Erasmus concedes, merely a gay-themed play on a gay-themed movie). Their relationship, though, is far from rosy. They bicker endlessly, are professionally competitive and generally seem just one ill-advised remark away from breaking up for good. In other words, theirs is far from the ideal home in which to raise a young child. Again, Fleming was drawing from what he knew here. His own relationship ended shortly before filming began. It was difficult, but you use what youve got, he says. He remains close to the son of his ex-partner, and he and the ex share custody of a corgi. It was complicated for a while, but its worked out fine. Theyre family. Much has changed since Fleming first put a gay character on screen, in his 1994 movie Threesome, in which The Good Wifes Josh Charles played a college student who begins to look at his roommate (Stephen Baldwin) with more than mere academic interest even while hes involved with a female roomie (Lara Flynn Boyle). I remember screening that movie in middle America and it made people very uncomfortable to have a gay character checking out a guys ass, he says. The countrys attitudes to sexuality have evolved greatly since then, of course. Fleming tells me that his boyfriend is a teacher at a school whose most popular student is a boy who wears full make-up. Gay couples used to feel safe being out only in cities such as New York, San Francisco or LA, but now the places where they need to be cautious are the exception. The country changed so much over the course of the 90s, he reflects. Maybe its reductive, but I think Will & Grace really changed everything, more than any single movie or political rally or movement. That and Modern Family just having gay characters who are unapologetic in your house week after week, it really changed things. That said, making this movie was, in many respects, an eye-opener. It was a real struggle to make, it took a long time and once it was made I dealt with a lot of weird I have to say homophobic reactions to it. He cites the example of a well-meaning (straight) friend who asked at a preview screening, Is it maybe just a little too gay? I thought about that, says Fleming. Nobodys ever said to a director, Is it maybe a little too straight. American writer-director Andrew Fleming says 'being openly gay is a political act'. He suspects the question stemmed from the fact Erasmus and Paul are not exactly model citizens. Theyre fighting and theyre drinking and theyre engaging in irresponsible behaviour and theyre flawed and selfish and messy people. Theyre not noble, sterile, perfect, heroic gay characters. Theyre messes. And I think that makes some people gay and straight uncomfortable. Given that, and the ugly shift in civil society in the wake of Trumps election, does he see Ideal Home as an issues movie wrapped inside a comedy? Or is it a comedy pure and simple? There were a few scenes [in the screenplay] that had a whiff of a polemic in them, that were about me suggesting the idea of fighting homophobia. But I took them all out because I felt like we were in a post-homophobia world. But with a week of filming to go, a gunman opened fire in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others. And I was, What was I thinking? Of course its all political being openly gay is a political act. But theres nothing more boring than speechifying, he says. It was meant to be fun, I want to hang with those guys, even though theyre snarky. During Monday nights Q&A, host Tony Jones pondered the question: "Imagine Q&A in America. We'll leave that imagining to move on to another topic." Well advised. Because the notion of tossing this TV experiment in Australian democracy in the mix with American democracy does ones head in, as much as it might improve the US offering. American democracy, as you may have heard, has been experiencing some Russian-influenced challenges in recent times. The caffeinated Australian blend - usually made by a qualified barista, and therefore with a more insane Italian influence, as evidenced by our revolving door of national leaders - is less challenged but often more fragrant. Linda Reynolds questioned ABC funding... while appearing on the ABC on Monday. Credit:ABC There is, for example, the debate over the future of the ABC itself. The $13 billion Murray-Darling Basin plan is "a fraud on the environment" that may be unlawful, the South Australian royal commission into the basin has heard on its first day of hearings. Richard Beasley, SC, the counsel assisting Commissioner Bret Walker, said the plan and its related water act had been set up "to fix a dying system that has had too much water taken from it and ... has suffered environmental degradation". Water short: Ibis fly over the dairy herd of Daryl Hoey near Katunga in Victoria. Credit:Nick Moir However, the setting of water savings at 2750 billion litres a year - itself at the low end of scientists' estimates of what was needed - had been cut by supply measures that would not kick in for perhaps six years or longer, if at all, Mr Beasley said. Water savings, though, would take effect now. "That, in my submission, commissioner, is a policy that's a fraud on the environment," he said, adding it was "a fraud in a policy sense" rather than a criminal one, because the river was deprived of the water it needed. But if the government really wants to give NSW women a push present, maybe they should think about what parents really need in those first few months of parenthood. Now, I love a showbag as much as the next guy, and parents getting their own instead of having to steal a chocolate or two from their kids Bertie Beetle bag while theyre not looking is a nice change. Over the weekend, the NSW government announced that they would give the parents of every new child born in NSW a loot bag worth $150. Credit:Stocksy The "baby bundles", modelled on the baby boxes given to new parents in Finland , will contain items such as breast pads, nappy rash cream, a few nappies and a change mat. Over the weekend, the NSW government announced they would give the parents of every new child born in NSW a loot bag worth $150, at a cost of $13.5 million each year. As someone who had a baby 10 weeks ago, here are just a few things Id rather have than a few nappies, books and a sleeping bag. Id love enough funding for early childhood health centres so they can run groups for any parent with a new baby, not just first-time parents. We are just as isolated and bloody clueless as we were the first time, but I can no longer count on the support of people going through the same thing every Tuesday at 11am. Loading Id love a counselling session for every new parent mums and dads in the first three months following birth. Postnatal depression and anxiety (PNDA) affects more than one in seven mums and about one in ten dads. A convenient session at your local early childhood health centre, without the fuss of a GP referral, would be an awesome early intervention for those of us who may experience PNDA. And, lets face it, theres not a parent on the planet who wouldnt benefit from a counselling session: when youre sleep deprived and waist-deep in nappies, breastmilk and bottles, in addition to trying desperately to get your baby to read the baby book so she realises shes supposed to feed, then play, then sleep (for more than 15 minutes at a time), youre not okay. A little help finding some strategies to manage your mental health would be a gift to both parents and their children. Or how about a couple of hours with a mothercraft nurse? One who comes to your home and shows you strategies for feeding, settling and sleeping. Theyre worth their weight in gold (I was ready to propose to the one I saw). Seven crushed cars are buried beneath huge slabs of concrete and the sound of chainsaws fills the air as firefighters cut through the rubble to reach a trapped casualty. Thankfully, the collapsed multi-storey car park that confronted dozens of emergency service workers in Hume on Monday was not the real thing. Emergency services personnel work to secure a collapsed multi-storey car park as part of a disaster management training exercise in Hume. Credit:Karleen Minney The scene was staged at the Emergency Services Agency training centre as part of a disaster management exercise for specialist rescue workers from across Australia and New Zealand. Crews on the ground worked to shore up the structure and make it safe to enter, before using listening devices and cameras to search for trapped people and cutting through the concrete to clear a path to the casualty. Well-known Canberra developer Sotiria Liangis has proposed a seven-storey hotel for a prominent block of land in Manuka, but a protected tree that stands on the block still stands in the way. A development application lodged for the $11 million first stage of the project shows the hotel would be modelled on European neo-classical hotels, such as the Le Grand Hotel in Paris, with a second stage to replace the Capitol Cinemas. The Capitol Hotel, stage one and two, proposed for the block in Manuka bound by Franklin St and Canberra Ave. The application says the Cox Architects designed "Capitol Hotel" would be "an iconic and prestigious building that is commensurate with its prominent location along Manuka Circle", designed to "reflect the magnificence of premium European hotels". But the application also shows the project, if approved, would mean removing a protected London Plane tree, which was the subject of a long-running legal battle between Mrs Liangis and the ACT's Conservator of Flora and Fauna. ''Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable - the art of the next best. This notion, by the first German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, is also expressed in the more recent axioms that politics is the art of compromise, and indeed is more about art than science. Viewed through this prism, Australias energy policy has until recent months reflected both limited proficiency and an insufficient regard for science. Federal Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg. Credit:Janie Barrett In recent days, an update from the Coalition government on the National Energy Guarantee, a policy to establish a carbon emissions reduction guarantee in the electricity market alongside a reliability guarantee, has reignited issues across the political divide. Supporters of coal-generated power are in effect pushing for pushing a delay to the inevitable: the economically and environmentally responsible transition to a low-carbon economy. Such ideological intransigence has generated a decade of policy failure; the biggest impediment to the transition has been the lack of certainty. The lack of a clear and consistent policy has shackled the necessary investment in renewable energy. Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg thus has one of the most challenging and crucial tasks. The NEG is a painstaking attempt to find sensible compromise. It allows for flexibility should change be required by circumstance, evidence or politics, and yet substantially delivers the certainty the private sector has long needed. Mr Frydenberg has managed to forge bipartisan support for the policy, but continues to face mischievous opposition from within his own ranks. It is frustrating, not least of all because for the evidence shows that renewable energy sources are becoming the cheapest ecologically sustainable way to generate electricity for Australian households and businesses. Some climate scientists are becoming increasingly optimistic that the pace of technological change will facilitate the transition to renewable energy faster and cheaper than most people might think. Research published by the United States Stanford University argued renewable energy could generate the entire worlds power needs within the next 30 years. A NSW Coroner has recommended a probe be launched into the possibility that police caused evidence to be lost in the murder investigation of a Rebels bikie. Edin Smajovic, 23, was shot once in the chest soon after arriving at a Campbelltown car yard with associate David Meatuai at about 2.30pm on January 9, 2009. Edin Smajovic (left) was shot dead in 2009. Pictured here with his brother Kenan Smajovic. A recent statement by one of the original investigating officers, Detective Senior Constable Max Kral, has pointed the finger at Anthony Tan, one of two owners of the Macarthur Auto Centre, who was initially charged over the murder, along with his colleague Nathan Reddy. "From evidence and information available to me at this time I believe that sufficient evidence exists which identifies that Tan is responsible for the murder of the deceased Edin Smajovic," Senior Detective Kral said in the May 2017 document. While some may be content to tweet their discontent from the comfort of their couch via the #qanda hashtag, a group of dedicated Sydney University students braved the inclement weather to gather outside the ABC studios in Ultimo, protesting the appearance of their vice-chancellor Michael Spence on Q&A. With the panel set to address current debates around defence, diversity and higher education, protesters hoped their anger over the university's controversial negotiations with the John Howard-backed Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, would set the tone for the evening's discussions. While a few dozen were left chanting out in the cold, one questioner positioned herself in the audience, ready to unleash. Lily Campbell, education officer at the University of Sydney's student union, didn't pull any punches when she went off-script, describing former Prime Minister and Ramsay Centre board director Tony Abbott as an "infamous racist" and was dutifully pulled up by Tony Jones for the "defamatory" statement. A man whose "stupid loyalty" stopped him telling police about his brother's role in a plot to murder Sydney businessman Michael McGurk has been spared jail. Bassam Safetli, 50, received a suspended nine-month jail term and was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to two counts of concealing a serious indictable offence involving the plot and the subsequent murder in 2009. Bassam Safetli was given a suspended nine-month jail term. Credit:Ben Rushton In the NSW District Court on Monday, Judge Robyn Tupman accepted that Safetli led a blameless life before and after concealing the actions of his brother Haissam Safetli. Lawyers for Bassam Safetli told the Downing Centre District Court earlier this month that he hadn't believed Hassaim Safetli was capable of the killing and hoped the plot would "fizzle out". The developers say, "The Revy conjures up an era when architecture was truly built to last. A testament to the past, primed for the future - uniquely Sydney." There's more. "This Darling Island wharf echoes with stories that draw deeply on the citys identity." And predictably, "these exclusive residences will redefine waterfront living". The Royal Edward Victualling Yard. Credit:Australian War Memorial The 46 apartments were launched for sale in November 2015 . It was said at the time the cheapest two-bedroom apartment will have a $2.5 million price tag, and the top half-floor penthouse, with a private rooftop and pool, industry insiders estimate will be on the market for about $15 million. But there may be a few stories the new owners haven't heard yet. The building has a few to offer up. The 2018-19 financial year is yet to start but Brisbane City Council already has plans to make millions of dollars in revenue from fining residents. The latest Brisbane City Council budget showed the councils predicted spending for the next financial year and beyond, including the revenue it planned to make. Brisbane City Council has predicted revenue to be made from fining residents in its 2018-19 budget. During a budget information session on Monday, council lifestyle and community services chairman Matthew Bourke was questioned about how much of the $22 million in proposed revenue for 2018-19 under the customer service portfolio was to be made up of fines. Cr Bourke revealed the figure was about $7.3 million. The newly selected LNP candidate for the federal seat of Ryan, Julian Simmonds, has lost his position as Brisbane City Council's city planning chairman. On Monday a spokesman for the lord mayor's media team revealed a reshuffle of the leadership positions, which involved a new member, and former deputy chairman, being appointed to the civic cabinet, a committee member promoted to deputy chair and a reshuffle of the existing chairs and cabinet members. Brisbane City Council's city planning chairman Julian Simmonds will no longer chair the City Planning Committee. This follows weeks of pressure from opposition councillors for Cr Simmonds to step down from his role as city planning chairman. At the time, lord mayor Graham Quirk said he asked Cr Simmonds to stay in the role until the end of the budget. The former head chef at a Brisbane restaurant was in the habit of making pasta dishes, but he also knew how to supply a mean ragu known as cocaine. Ryan David McIver appeared in the Brisbane District Court on Monday where he admitted supplying the drug to customers on behalf of his boss on three occasions in 2016 and 2017. The 30-year-old did not make any money or receive any cocaine for his role in the operation. The court heard McIver received a phone call from his employer on October 1, 2016, where he was told a customer would be visiting the restaurant to receive a "full feed of ragu". Judge Paul Smith said ragu was code for cocaine. 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. The was no single stop button to halt Dreamworlds Thunder River Rapids Ride when four people lost their lives on October 25, 2016, a coronial inquest has heard in the Southport Magistrates Court on Monday afternoon. Coroner James McDougall is investigating any technical reasons why raft number five flipped, killing New Zealand expat Cindy Low, Canberra resident Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi, from Sydney. Forensic crash investigator Senior Constable Steven Cornish (left) leaves the Southport Magistrates Court after giving evidence at the coroner's inquest on Monday. Credit:AAP On Monday afternoon the inquiry heard evidence from the first two of 37 witnesses, who told of three buttons on a confusing control panel at the Thunder River Rapids Ride. Those two witnesses, Nerang Detective Sergeant Nicola Brown and Senior Constable Steven Cornish from the Yamanto Police forensic crash unit, said one button on one control panel stopped the two 350-horsepower water pumps and a second button stopped the conveyor system. An 800-year-old tree could bring a $660-million highway project to a standstill over Aboriginal heritage claims. Activists have set up a protest camp in Ararat, 200 kilometres west of Melbourne, to blockade the planned removal of trees of 3000 trees - including 260 large old-growth trees - along the Western Highway. VicRoads on Monday began work on the start of the highway-duplication route, which extends 12.5 kilometres from Ararat to Buangor. Activists say the trees, including one that is thought to be 800 years old, are significant to Djabwurrung Aboriginal women. The erosion damage at Tuxion Road car park in Apollo Bay. Credit:Sally Cannon Authorities have been accused of inaction as a car park in one of Victoria's premier tourist towns erodes "by the day," potentially threatening one of the state's major touring routes. Apollo Bay locals have watched for months as the Tuxion Road car park falls into the sand, bringing the sea ever closer to the Great Ocean Road. Pounding waves during the weekend's storm exacerbated the damage. Police have seized nearly half-a-kilogram of methylamphetamine after raiding a house in Beechboro last week. Major Fraud Squad raided the home as part of an ongoing investigation on Thursday. The man will appear in court later this week. Credit:Fairfax-Contributor Police found approximately 485 grams of meth, several rounds of ammunition and drug paraphernalia when searching the house. Officers charged a 27-year-old man in relation to their inquiries with a string of offences, including possession of a trafficable quantity of meth with intent to sell or supply, possessing drug paraphernalia and possessing a firearm and ammunition without a license. The Chinese soldiers were patient with the local kids and bore their taunts with smiles, he said. "In fact, they were paid silver coins to help them build the road. So there was a popular song during those days, it goes like this: Chinese are like our parents; when they come, they shower you with silver coins," the Harvard-educated lawyer recounted at the National Press Club in Canberra last year. The Chinese Communist Party built a road into Tibet and the Tibetans were excited - it was their first highway: "We were promised peace and prosperity with the highway, and our parents and grandparents joined in building the road," as the president of Tibet's government in exile, Lobsang Sangay, tells the story. "Then they built the road. Once the road reached Lhasa the capital city of Tibet first trucks came, then guns came, then tanks came. Soon, Tibet was occupied. So it started with the road." Beijing maintains that Tibet was peacefully liberated and developed."But this is the definition of peace - nearly 1 million people have died under various forms," says Sangay. "They've died of famine, they've died in prison, they've died in labour camps." The cultural and religious purge of Tibetan Buddhism is well known. The Chinese authorities razed more than 90 per cent of monasteries and convents. The Chinese Communist Party built roads into Xinjiang, the Muslim-majority lands just to the north of Tibet. "When the Chinese people first went to Xinjiang, we all thought, what nice people," says the voice of the ethnic Uighur people's independence movement in the region, Rebiya Kadeer. "We treated them nicely, we expected some investment and development," she tells me. "Initially they said 'we will help you with development but you will rule over the land," says Kadeer, once one of the richest women in China and a member of China's National People's Congress, now living in exile in the US. Clive Palmers new Senate ally, Brian Burston, has been accused of promising to find a billionaire mate two weeks ago in an attempt to secure the funds to fight an election in a massive falling out on the Senate crossbench. A letter from Senator Burstons former chief of staff, Peter Breen, reveals attempts to raise $350,000 to settle an explosive row within Pauline Hansons One Nation that led Senator Burston to quit her party. Mr Breen claims Senator Burston planned to contest the coming NSW state election for One Nation in a peace deal that would keep him in the party after he broke ranks over his support for the governments company tax cuts. Seantor Brian Burston with Clive Palmer at a press conference on Monday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Senator Burston quit One Nation last week and said he would sit as an independent but revealed on Monday morning that he had joined Mr Palmer to set up the United Australia Party. 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. Businessman Clive Palmer and senator Brian Burston leave their press conference after it was interrupted when the sprinklers. came on Credit:AAP 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. Labor is preparing to back more of the federal governments $144 billion income tax cut in a crucial decision that sharpens the fight in Parliament over a vote that could come as early as this week. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will ask the Labor caucus on Tuesday to sign off on the plan to accept some of the income tax reform while fighting key elements of the policy that go to wealthier workers. Labor MPs declared it unconscionable for the party to accept the third and final stage of the government plan, which costs $42 billion over 10 years and gives some of the biggest benefits to workers on the highest incomes. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison during question time on Monday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Labor accused the Coalition of abandoning all hope of budget repair in a Senate inquiry report tabled late on Monday, while stopping short of calling for outright opposition to the decade-long plan. Pauline Hansons One Nation is at risk of breaching electoral laws by using a structure that runs state branches by remote control from Queensland, according to an explosive letter that reveals growing pressure inside the troubled party. The concerns add to accusations of a dictatorship being run by Senator Hanson, as billionaire former MP Clive Palmer exploits the One Nation divisions in a new grab for power on the Senate crossbench. Fairfax Media can reveal One Nation wrote to the NSW Electoral Commission 10 days ago to admit doubts over the registration of the party branch in NSW because it did not have local balance sheets and reports to satisfy state disclosure laws. It was clear from our meeting on 22 May 2018 that operating the party by remote control from Queensland may be in breach of the NSW funding and disclosure laws, wrote Peter Breen, the secretary of the partys state division. A member of the conservative wing in Victoria, Ms Okotel was elected to the federal executive last year and has been named as a potential candidate for the Senate at the next election. Ms Okotel also moved a motion, passed unanimously, to seek a review into funding for SBS. The motion is an aspirational statement by the membership that in the 21st century the days of needing the government to fund a national broadcaster in metropolitan areas are over, Ms Okotel told Fairax Media on Monday. The private sector produces content faster, cheaper and more efficiently, and to ask them to compete against the government is completely unfair. The membership made a statement to the parliamentary party that, other than for rural and regional services which are in the national interest, in particular to have services in place to broadcast emergency warnings, they would like to see the ABC privatised. A screenshot from footage shows the strength of the vote to privatise the public broadcaster. Another vice-president, Trish Worth, told Fairfax Media she voted against the motion. I thought it would be political suicide to vote for it because it would be used by Labor against us, Ms Worth said. Loading Having lived for more than a third of my life in rural communities, I know how important the ABC is. I also enjoy many of the ABCs programs. Ms Worth, a former federal MP and a member of the partys moderate wing, attended the council meeting as a member of the federal executive but lost an election to maintain her position. In a narrow vote, the conservatives secured a victory for their candidate for vice-president, NSW member Teena McQueen. The footage of the media shows Ms McQueen voting in favour of the ABC sale. The strength of support for the ABC is a key factor in the growing political dispute over the outcome, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull vowing to keep the broadcaster in public hands. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is warning that Liberal Party members will put pressure on the Prime Minister and his cabinet to act on the call from the federal council members. Mr Collier told the meeting that high sentimentality was no reason to keep the public broadcaster in public hands and that taxpayers could save $1 billion a year by offloading it. Supporters of the ABC often say that if it were sold many of its investigative news programs would go away because the commercial networks for the most part dont offer them, Mr Collier told the meeting. If the public broadcaster were sold, these programs would not disappear, they would merely transfer to private stations. Now I understand that many Australians, including some in this room, despite the strong economic arguments, have a deep sentimental attachment to the ABC. And I must confess as a young boy growing up in the southern suburbs of Brisbane, some of my favourite programs were on the ABC Bananas In Pyjamas, Rugrats, The Ferals. Not so much Playschool I always thought that program was rubbish. But blind sentimentality is no justification for preserving the status quo. Mr Collier also told the meeting a media mogul was an obvious candidate to buy the ABC but that regional services could be protected by legislation. There are several ways we could privatise the ABC we could obviously sell it to a media mogul, or organisation, the government could sell it on the stock market, Mr Collier said before his motion was put to a vote. Communications Minister Mitch Fifield at the meeting. Credit:AAP No delegates stood from the floor of the council meeting to speak against the motion when invited by the party's president, Nick Greiner. The only Liberal who spoke against the motion was Communications Minister Mitch Fifield, who did so from his position on the federal executive at the front of the room. "Its not the position of the government to alter the ownership arrangements of the public broadcasters," Senator Fifield said. "But we do have a range of measures that were seeking to implement to enhance the efficiency, the accountability and the transparency of ABC operations which Ill just quickly go through. "In the budget, we announced an indexation pause for the ABC funding in its next triennium. We have paired that with an efficiency review to make sure that the ABC is being the best possible steward of taxpayer resources that it can be. "Ive also initiated something called a Competitive Neutrality Inquiry, which has the purpose of assessing whether the ABC and SBS are using their position as taxpayer-funded entities to compete in ways which are not fair with the commercial broadcasting sector. Many have questioned why I, as a regional member of Parliament, a former sheep farmer and someone who has spent more than half my life working in or advocating for Australias rural industries, has introduced a private member's bill which seeks to phase out the live sheep export trade. The reality is that producing food and fibre in the 21st century requires ethics and sustainability to remain globally competitive. The live sheep trade offers neither. Credit:Jessica Shapiro The electorate of Farrer is one of the most productive agricultural regions in Australia, representing the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Lower Darling valleys. The largest population centre is Albury, and from the front door of my electorate office I can see the building where Robert Menzies and others met in 1944 to agree on the structure and provisional constitution of a new political party the Liberal Party of Australia. The Liberal Party has a long tradition of members and senators crossing the floor. It was Menzies who declared Labor MPs were told what to do by "36 faceless men", taking aim at the opposition of Arthur Calwell and Gough Whitlam with the decree "no one could tell a Liberal how to vote". Reassuring though it is to know my party supports its backbenchers having freedom of expression, my stance is not about being a "rebel", more about persuading Liberals towards a sensible change of policy. A meeting of Liberals over charcoal chicken and kebabs in Sydney ended abruptly when police were called to deal with a brawl that broke out over a factional bunfight, leaving one man in hospital. Police said they were called to Naji's Charcoal Chicken & Kebabs eatery on Firth Street in Arncliffe just after seven o'clock on Monday night, following reports of a "brawl". The roast chook shop is owned by Michael Nagi, a Liberal councillor for Bayside Council. The brawl erupted outside a cafe in Arncliffe. Credit:Channel 7 The meeting is understood to have turned ugly after an attempt by the moderate faction, which includes Nagi, to allow into the Bayside branch a nearby area, Earlwood, which is controlled by the moderates and has never been a part of the Bayside branch. This would have constituted what those on the right of the party would class as a "hostile takeover" of their factional control, but a resolution was never reached because the disagreement turned violent. New laws in NSW could see someone jailed for hiding child abuse but clergy who hear admissions in the confessional will be treated in the same way as doctors, psychologists and social workers. The new criminal laws, to be voted on in Parliament this week, come as Deputy Premier John Barilaro warned the government had a responsibility to end the protection of confession. Under the bill, a new offence of concealing child abuse will be created but it will still require the approval of the Attorney General to prosecute professionals who have duties of confidentiality. The new criminal laws on confessionals will be voted on in Parliament this week. Credit:Michael Rayner This includes lawyers, doctors, psychologists, social workers, nurses and members of the clergy of church or denomination. "That is over $10 million a day or over $7000 a minute." Treasurer Jackie Trad says the state's debt bill will be stable and unsustainable. Credit:AAP Image/ Dan Peled LNP leader Deb Frecklington took aim at the debt forecast in her budget reply speech last week, describing it as a "big problem for Queensland". Treasurer Jackie Trad has defended her government's $83 billion debt bill, arguing borrowings were "stable" and "sustainable". Ms Frecklington also criticised the Treasurer for not using the word "debt" in her budget speech. But Ms Trad, who handed down her first budget on June 12, defended projections the state's total borrowings would reach $83.09 billion by 2021-22. "There has been a lot of commentary post-budget and a lot of that commentary has been about debt, about the state's balance sheet, and whether it's the right time to borrow to build," she said. Ms Trad said when it came to borrowings, it was important to acknowledge there were costs to inaction. "We can't allow our population to grow and not build the infrastructure to support it," she said. A 67-year-old man has been charged after City of Swan mayor David Lucas was injured at an electors' meeting that decended into "mayhem" on Monday night as tempers flared over a controversial plan to redevelop Midland Oval. City of Swan mayor David Lucas left bleeding after a special electors meeting over the Midland oval. Credit:Echo News Police will allege Cr Lucas was clocked with a microphone by an angry resident in an altercation after the meeting ended, leaving the mayor bleeding and his alleged attacker unconscious. The man reportedly wanted to deliver a deputation to the meeting, but ended up tackling the mayor and was knocked to the ground before being treated by paramedics who attended the scene. Councillor Andrew Kiely, who witnessed the incident, said he was disappointed the meeting had descended into chaos. Revellers could see more late-night bars, hotels and music venues pop up throughout the inner suburbs under proposals being developed by the City of Sydney. Green Square, Broadway and parts of Surry Hills were among areas that needed extended late-night trading hours, according to more than 10,000 residents and visitors surveyed on the city's nightlife. The feedback was part of the councils first review in more than a decade of the planning controls that determine trading hours and locations of night-time premises across Sydney. The City of Sydney asked for feedback on how it could revive the city's nightlife. Credit:Janie Barrett It showed strong support for more late-night venues in fast-growing parts of the city including Green Square, as well as more diverse late-night businesses including shops, restaurants, cafes, small bars, live music, performance spaces and cultural venues. Nairobi: In the fertile grasslands of central Nigeria, the roar of a motorcycle is enough to instill fear in the Christian cattle herders stalked by an increasingly bloody conflict. The rev of an engine is the first sign that gangs of kidnappers have emerged from the forest for their latest sortie in a battle over diminishing farmland that appears to be drawn along sectarian lines. Across Africa's most populous country, an undeclared war, triggered in part by climate change and fought over cattle, has turned Muslims and Christians against each other in a confrontation so bitter it threatens to tear Nigeria apart. A herdsboy leads animals to feed in the bush in Lafia capital of Nasarawa state, north-central Nigeria. Credit:AFP Fights over cattle have claimed thousands of lives in South Sudan and the Central African Republic, two states devastated by civil war. Militias raised by armed cattle herders have brought anarchy to parts of northern Kenya, killing farmers white and black. But nowhere are the consequences more potentially dangerous than in Nigeria, Africa's richest and arguably most important country. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes, while farms and villages in many states have been abandoned, raising fears of hunger, economic collapse and spread of disease in camps for the displaced. Berlin: Chancellor Angela Merkel's Bavarian allies were expected on Monday to decide how far to push in a dispute with the German leader over migration, a conflict that has escalated into a threat to her government. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is calling for Germany to turn back at its border migrants previously registered as asylum-seekers in other European countries. Merkel opposes unilateral action, arguing that it would weaken the 28-nation European Union. German Chancellor Angela Merkel sits in a car as she arrives for a leaders meeting of her Christion Democratic Union party at the party's headquarters in Berlin on Monday. Credit:AP Seehofer heads the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union, the sister party to Merkel's Christian Democratic Union. The CSU is determined to show that it's tough on migration as it faces a challenging October state election in Bavaria, and argues that that is the best way to cut support for the far-right Alternative for Germany. A CSU leadership meeting Monday in Munich is likely to authorise Seehofer to go ahead with his plan - but it's unclear at what point leaders want it to take effect. If Seehofer actually goes ahead and implements it unilaterally in defiance of Merkel, it could set off a chain of events that would bring down Germany's coalition government. London: Meghan Markle's father Thomas has revealed the contents of his first private phone call with Prince Harry, saying that the sixth in line to the throne urged his father-in-law to give Donald Trump a chance as President. Markle, who became a global news sensation after staging paparazzi photographs at the same time Kensington Palace was urging the media to respect his privacy, said he was jealous of Prince Charles for walking his daughter down the aisle at the royal wedding. Speaking to Britain's ITV, Markle said that on the day he first spoke to Prince Harry, who he has never met face to face, he was unhappy with the idea of Trump as President. "[Harry] said 'give Donald Trump a chance'. I sort of disagreed with that, I still like Harry, that was his politics, I have my politics," he said. Beirut: Syrian state media, citing a military source, is reporting that a US-led coalition aircraft has bombed "one of our military positions" in eastern Syria, leading to deaths and injuries, but the US military denies carrying out strikes in the area. Russian planes bomb Islamic State group targets in Syria last year. Credit:File The strike took place in al-Harra, south-east of Albu Kamal, Syrian state media said. There were no immediate details on casualties. Loading 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 on Sunday. Petro described himself as a left-wing moderate and Duque as a far-right warmonger who would reignite national tensions. Petro's backers said they sensed a major political upset brewing in a country that has long served as a bastion of conservative politics. "Colombia has never really had a democracy, but an oligarchy of the same upper-class families," said Fabrizio Guevara, a 26-year old graphic designer who voted in central Bogota on Sunday. "Petro offers a different way." Gustavo Petro, presidential candidate for the Progressivists Movement Party, centre, arrives to cast his ballot in Bogota. Credit:Bloomberg Duque and Petro were the top two vote getters in the first round of the election, held May 27. Petro energized 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 have long been stigmatized over fears of potential ties to guerrilla causes. "Perhaps as time passes people will be less scared about voting for left-wing politicians," said Jorge Gallego, a professor at Colombia's Rosario University. "Although with this result, it's proven that Colombia is still a right-wing country." Ivan Duque listens as a voter speaks outside of a polling station. Credit:Bloomberg Petro took his loss in stride, refusing to call it a defeat and saying that "for now" he and his supporters won't form a government - echoing the words used by socialist revolutionary Hugo Chavez following his failed 1992 coup against Venezuela's government. Six years later Chavez was elected president, setting the stage for a surge of the left throughout Latin America. He challenged Duque to break with his hardline allies and promised to transform his considerable following into a vocal opposition that would push for social reforms and stand by 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!" Colombia's peace process to end a conflict that left more than 250,000 people dead is considered largely irreversible. Most of the more than 7000 rebels who have 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 Duque inherits a growing problem: the National Liberation Army (ELN). The ELN was long Colombia's second-largest guerilla group, but now it is the largest, having muscled into many zones abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which signed a peace deal in 2016. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, front left, and the top FARC commander, Rodrigo Londono, known by the alias Timochenko, shake hands after signing the 2016 peace agreement to end 50 years of conflict. Credit:AP Duque has called for "structural changes" to the accord, for which outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize. Some fear this could deliver a deathblow to the fast-deteriorating peace process and spark a new wave of violence at a time when killings in Colombia's post-conflict zones are surging anew. Colombians backing Duque said they supported his tougher line. "The peace accord was a lie," said Rodrigo Pimentel, 72, a Bogota doctor who voted for Duque. "Internationally, everyone was in favour of it. But not here. How can the same people who killed so many, who were narco-traffickers, sit in our Congress?" 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. "The rebels are going to get 10 seats in congress without having made reparations to victims or turned over information on drug trafficking routes," said Felipe Ramirez, 29, a veterinarian who voted for Duque. "That's a bad precedent because other criminal groups will want the same." Duque's detractors warn that his victory could throw an already delicate peace process into disarray. "I think it will set up a big constitutional battle," said Cynthia Arnson, director of the Latin America program at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars. Duque is the son of a former governor and energy minister who friends say has harboured presidential aspirations since he was a child. 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 cultural division. Educated at Washington DC's American and Georgetown universities, Duque spent years living in Chevy Chase, Maryland. American officials see him as a reliable partner who may bring back the controversial practice of forced coca eradication with aerial spraying, which has been banned since 2015 because of its health risks. 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. With Uribe's backing, Duque was elected to Colombia's Senate in 2014. 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. Former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe casts his ballot, accompanied by his grandchildren on Sunday. Credit:AP Throughout 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. Colombia is Washington's leading ally in Latin America, making the stakes high for the United States. "You could call him a 'DC Colombian,' " said Juan Felipe Celia, a Colombia expert at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think-tank. PHILIPSBURG:---The Inspectorate of Public Health, Social Development and Labor informs that Kellogs company in the United States has issued a recall for Kellogs Honey Smacks Cereals. This recall has been issued following indications that the bacteria Salmonella Mbandaka has been detected in some brands of Kellogs cereal and has been linked to multistate outbreaks in 31 states as of last week. The Kellogs company is advising consumers to throw away cereal boxes with the following denomination: Name: Honey Smacks Cereal Best by date: June 14, 2018, through June 14, 2019 Size of boxes: 15.3-ounce and 23-ounce The Kellogs company also advices further to thoroughly wash any containers used to store the cereal. Similar products have been distributed to Curacao and Aruba. The Salmonella bacteria can cause illness within 12 to 72 hours after exposure by ingestion. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover within a week, but sometimes it may last longer and be more severe, according to C.D.C. Please consult your GP if needed. The Inspectorate has not received any complaint related to any Kellogs product yet. Library Director Monique Alberts President of the Caribbean Library Association PHILIPSBURG:--- Director of Sint Maartens Philipsburg Jubilee Library Monique Alberts received the presidents gavel of Acuril, the Caribbean Library Association for the year 2018-2019. The change of board took place on June 7th during the annual Acuril conference in the Dominican Republic. Monique Alberts represents the Dutch Caribbean Library association in the Executive council of Acuril. With the presidentship comes the privilege and responsibility for organizing several events, culminating in the 2019 annual Acuril conference. Alberts will organize the 2019 Acuril conference in Aruba from June 2nd and June 6th of next year. The conference will focus on the Sustainable Development goals (SDGs) which were adopted by the United Nations in 2015. The motto will be Access and opportunities for all: how can libraries contribute to Agenda 2030. At the event, Caribbean librarians and other information professionals will discuss how their institutions can contribute to the Sustainable Development of their societies. In her acceptance speech Mrs. Alberts memorized the important role played by the Dutch Caribbean libraries in Acuril since its inception in 1969, even though they represent by far the smallest language group in the association. She referred to the modest yet crucial role of their islands: We Dutch Caribbeans graciously gave up our right to have the ACURIL conference sessions translated in Dutch but that does not stop us from conversing in Dutch, Caribbean English and our two creoles Papiamento and Sranan Tongo among each other in between conference sessions. In spite of, or perhaps because of their small size, Sint Maarten, Aruba, Curacao and Surinam often play a moderating and cohesive role in the Acuril organization in the midst of the larger member states. The first Dutch Caribbean Acuril President was the late Maritza Eustatia from Curacao, followed by Arubas Alice van Romondt in 1987. Sint Maarten contributed its first president in 1992 in the person of Philipsburg Jubilee Library icon Blanca Hodge. Other presidents from Dutch Caribbean Library members are Astrid Britten from Aruba in 2006 and Surinams Jane Smith in 2015. Acuril, the association of Caribbean University, Research and Caribbean libraries was established in 1969 and brings together regional librarians, archivists and other information professionals. Under the slogan Unity in Diversity the association organizes yearly conferences for information professionals on the different Caribbean islands a well as other professional development and networking activities. What you should know about Uranium Posted by Publisher Internet Swiss Resource Capital AG (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9oXXmBy6FM ) from Herisau in Switzerland is one of the leading communication agencies for resource companies in Europe. Our commodity experts put a large and comprehensive series of Special Reports about Lithium, Cobalt, Silver and Uranium together. Our latest Uranium Report 2018 ?Update 2 is now out and waits for you to be download and get informed. All you should know about the future of powering e-mobility and having clean air while power generation without carbon emissions. The Special Uranium Report 2018 includes expert interviews, CEO interviews and lots of high quality information plus interesting companies. Get your free download at: Uranium Report 2018 ? Update 2 https://www.resource-capital.ch/fileadmin/reports/2018/en_DS_UraniumReport_2018-2.pdf All Special Reports: ?https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/reports.html Enjoy reading and stay informed ahead! Jochen Staiger CEO Swiss Resource Capital AG www.resource-capital.ch CH ? 9100 Herisau Switzerland This news release is only for personal information and without any warranty. The following Disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG should be read in the following and/or can be found at: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer-agb.html Disclaimer: Please read the complete disclaimer in the following pages carefully before you start reading this Swiss Resource Capital Publication. By using this Swiss Resource Capital Publication you agree that you have completely understood the following disclaimer and you agree completely with this disclaimer. If at least one of these point does not agree with you than reading and use of this publication is not allowed. We point out the following: Swiss Resource Capital AG and the authors of the Swiss Resource Capital AG directly own and/ or indirectly own shares of all companies mentioned and/or listed on our website and/or are described in the publication. Swiss Resource Capital AG has closed communication consultant contracts with Swiss Resource Capital AG and receives for their services compensation expenses. Swiss Resource Capital AG (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9oXXmBy6FM ) from Herisau in Switzerland is one of the leading communication agencies for resource companies in Europe. Our commodity experts put a large and comprehensive series of Special Reports about Lithium, Cobalt, Silver and Uranium together. Our latest Uranium Report 2018 ?Update 2 is now out and waits for you to be download and get informed. All you should know about the future of powering e-mobility and having clean air while power generation without carbon emissions. The Special Uranium Report 2018 includes expert interviews, CEO interviews and lots of high quality information plus interesting companies. Get your free download at: Uranium Report 2018 ? Update 2 https://www.resource-capital.ch/fileadmin/reports/2018/en_DS_UraniumReport_2018-2.pdf All Special Reports: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/reports.html Enjoy reading and stay informed ahead! Jochen Staiger CEO Swiss Resource Capital AG www.resource-capital.ch CH ? 9100 Herisau Switzerland This news release is only for personal information and without any warranty. The following Disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG should be read in the following and/or can be found at: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer-agb.html Disclaimer: Please read the complete disclaimer in the following pages carefully before you start reading this Swiss Resource Capital Publication. By using this Swiss Resource Capital Publication you agree that you have completely understood the following disclaimer and you agree completely with this disclaimer. If at least one of these point does not agree with you than reading and use of this publication is not allowed. We point out the following: Swiss Resource Capital AG and the authors of the Swiss Resource Capital AG directly own and/ or indirectly own shares of all companies mentioned and/or listed on our website and/or are described in the publication. Swiss Resource Capital AG has closed communication consultant contracts with Swiss Resource Capital AG and receives for their services compensation expenses. A composite image of Venus as seen by Japan's Akatsuki spacecraft. Venus' spin varies because of atmospheric waves over the planet's mountains, according to a new study. For years, scientists have been unable to agree on the length of a day on Venus, but one new study might put an end to this confusion. The planet Venus rotates very slowly, with a single revolution taking about 243 Earth days, and this rotation rate varies. Additionally, while the planet turns slowly, its atmosphere moves dramatically faster, making a complete rotation in only four Earth days, according to a statement about the new study. However, while we can follow the planet's changing rotation, until now, scientists weren't able to clearly explain why the rate changes. Thanks to images from the Akatsuki spacecraft of JAXA, the Japanese space agency, researchers think that they have finally found the reason behind these variations. In a new study, published today (June 18) in the journal Nature Geoscience, researchers showed how the interaction between Venus' fast-moving atmosphere and its surface, marked with volcanos and mountains, changes the speed of the planet's spin. [Japan at Venus: Akatsuki Photos of the Cloudy World] Recently, Akatsuki spotted a huge, bow-shaped atmospheric structure on Venus. The spacecraft noticed that the structure kept disappearing and reappearing, yet it remained in the same location above mountains on the planet's surface. When researchers first studied images of the planet from Akatsuki's mission in 2015, they suggested that the strange structure was actually a fast-moving mountain wave. A mountain wave is a type of atmospheric gravity wave created by topographical elements like mountains and the way wind flows over them. Over Amsterdam Island on Earth, a mountain wave disrupts clouds, resulting in a distinctive pattern. (Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. ) Venus' surface is difficult to image not only because of the planet's varying rotation, but also because the surface is "hidden behind a permanent, thick cloud cover," Thomas Navarro, study author and researcher at the University of California, told Space.com in an email. This has made it especially difficult for researchers to understand this phenomenon. However, by using pictures at various wavelengths from Akatsuki, the researchers in the new study were finally able to get a clear image of the bow-shaped structure and confirm the presence of a mountain wave. They also explained how mountain waves cause Venus to spin at varying speeds: Because of the different directions of the wind flowing upstream and downstream against the mountain, "Overall, a net force is exerted on the mountain, and the whole solid body follows," Navarro said. By learning about Venus' mountain waves, scientists can better "understand how angular momentum is transferred between the solid body [of Venus] and the atmosphere," Navarro said. In other words, because researchers have confirmed that the mysterious structure is a mountain wave, they can better study "how the atmosphere and the solid body affect each other, and why Venus is the way that it is," he said. Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her @chelsea_gohd. Follow us @Spacedotcom,Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. For nearly 200 years, astronomers have puzzled over the strange dimming process of the bright winter star Epsilon Aurigae. Now, thanks to precise distance measurements from the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite, scientists have pinned down the mass of the two stars involved in the process, and how their exchange of material has caused decades-long eclipses visible on Earth. Every 27 years, Epsilon Aurigae dims for a two-year period. Scientists have speculated about what caused the eclipse: a cloud of meteors, a black hole, another star or a disk of material. Before the most recent eclipse, in 2010, astronomers began to suspect that the system contained two stars surrounded by a cloud of gas and dust. But the nature of the pair of stars remained a mystery. "The debate for a long time astronomers the likes of [Gerard] Kuiper and [Otto] Struve have weighed in on it is, what the heck is this opaque, occulting thing," astronomer Robert Stencel of the University of Denver told the press during the 232nd annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society this month. Stencel and graduate student Justus Gibson, also of the University of Denver, used new data from Gaia to model stellar pairs that could produce the strange signals observed in the Epsilon Aurigae system. Thanks to Gaia, the pair found that the binary-star system is smaller than most previous estimates, and the exchange of material ongoing. [Photos: Gaia Spacecraft to Map Milky Way Galaxy] "This is a pretty active system," Stencel said. "The F-star is boiling off, [and] the companion is grabbing material, producing a big dusty disk." F-type stars are slightly larger and slight warmer than the sun. A two-century mystery In 1821, German amateur astronomer Johann Fritsch first noticed that Epsilon Aurigae had become 2.5 times less bright from Earth's perspective, a "magnitude" on the astronomical scale of brightness, over the previous year, then slowly returned to its previous brightness. Intrigued, astronomers studied the star in 1848 and 1876, and labeled the object an "irregular variable," a single star changing in brightness. In 1903, astronomers closely observed the star, tracking a six-month decline in brightness followed by a year-long constant state of dimness, then another six months to return to its original status. Astronomers determined the star had a radius 3,000 times as large as the sun, making it the largest known star in the universe. Measurements of the 2010 event revealed that the eclipse was caused by a monster-size disk passing in front of an F-type supergiant. A second, dimmer star lay in the heart of the disk. But scientists weren't ready to put the 200-year-old discussion to bed yet, and they continued to debate the supergiant star's nature. Supergiant stars are the largest stars in the universe, and they can weigh up to 100 solar masses. (A solar mass is equal to the mass of the sun). "The debate has been whether it is a supergiant we expect a 10 to 20 solar-mass star or whether it's some kind of phony supergiant," Stencel said. He explained that it could instead be "a little wimpy thing; that is, a core and a big envelope [of gas]." The so-called supergiant could actually be a star about the mass of the sun. "It has been impossible to prove," Stencel said. Observations with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the ESA's Herschel Space Observatory after the 2010 eclipse helped whittle down those numbers, but without precise distances, astronomers couldn't get the most accurate masses of the stars. Enter Gaia. Potential gravitational waves In 2013, the ESA launched Gaia, with the ambitious plan to map the billions of stars of the Milky Way in 3D. The ESA released Gaia's second batch of data on April 25, 2018, providing precise distances to a number of stars including Epsilon Aurigae. The new data revealed that the strange eclipsing system lay about 1,600 light-years away, Stencel said. Previous estimates ran as high as 6,400 light-years. The refined distance allows astronomers to determine the true sizes and masses of the stars, details that are critical to understanding the system. Previously, many researchers estimated the two stars weighed 15 and 12 solar masses, respectivelybut Gaia's precise distance measurements rule those numbers out. Using the ARCES instrument on the 3.5-meter telescope at Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, Stencel and Gibson studied the system during the 2010 eclipse. Their research confirmed the presence of a stream of material feeding the disk, revealing that the stars were still transferring their mass from one to another. According to their simulations, the dimmer star originally weighed about 10 times the mass of the sun, while the now-bright star was just under five times as heavy as the sun. The two stars circled one another every 100 days. Typically, higher-mass stars evolve faster than their lower-mass counterparts. However, in Algol binaries such as Epsilon Aurigae, the lower-mass star evolves faster as it gobbles up material from its companion. That's probably what happened to the strange dimming star, Stencel said. Over 20 million years, the more massive star dumped its material, most of which ended up on the companion. The once-larger star shrank while its companion expanded. Today, the once-larger star has become a 2.2 solar-mass cool F-type star, while its companion became a 5.9 solar-mass B-dwarf surrounded by a disk, according to the ArXiv.org blog Astrobites. Their research was published in March in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The strange mass-sharing Algol binaries may become even more interesting in the future if they collide. "Any number of these stars has the potential to grow up into a gravitational-wave source," Stencel said. Previously, scientists have identified gravitational waves produced by pairs of neutron stars sharing material, much like what Algol stars do. While astronomers will continue to pore over the data collected during Epsilon Aurigae's most recent eclipse, that doesn't mean they won't be looking forward to the next event. "It will be roughly in 2037, so mark your Daytimers," Stencel said. Follow Nola Taylor Redd at @NolaTRedd, Facebook, or Google+. Follow us at @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. President Donald Trump directed officials Monday (June 18) to establish a military Space Force before signing a new U.S. policy for space traffic control. The measure, he said, is another step forward in U.S. leadership in space. Trump spoke at the third public meeting of the newly-reinstated National Space Council, chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and hosted at the White House, and officially signed the council's third space policy directive. This document concerns monitoring objects in orbit and sharing the information so spacecraft can avoid collisions. But near the beginning of his remarks, Trump focused on the security implications of operating in space. "The essence of the American character is to explore new horizons and to tame new frontiers," Trump said in his opening remarks. "But our destiny beyond the Earth is not only a matter of national identity, but a matter of national security so important for our military. ... When it comes to defending America, it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space."[Presidential Visions for Space Exploration: From Ike to Trump] He then directed the Department of Defense and the Pentagon to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces. Next, he moved on to the directive of the day, whose goal is to reduce encroaching space debris. "I am instructing my administration to embrace the budding commercial space industry," Trump said. "We are modernizing out-of-date space regulations and today we're taking one more step to unleash the power of American ingenuity. In a few moments, I will sign a new directive to federal departments and agencies. They will work together with American industry to implement a state-of-the-art framework for space traffic management but don't let [the regulations] get too out of control, please." U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to the National Space Council in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. on June 18, 2018. (Image credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty) The administration's first space policy directive, signed Dec. 11, 2017, called for NASA to focus on returning humans to the moon. The second directive, signed May 24 of this year, called for new regulations for launch and re-entry that would encourage more commercial-spaceflight operations. Scott Pace, the executive secretary of the National Space Council, offered more details in an email about the directive and how it would be budgeted. "Each agency will continue to have their own budgets for space traffic management," Pace told Space.com. "In general, NASA will be doing supporting research, Defense will be doing more work related to national security, Transportation will be streamlining its licensing processes, and Commerce will be putting more resources into public and industry interfaces." "In general, I would expect Commerce to need more resources to carry out its new responsibilities," he added. "Any issues will be dealt with in the FY2020 [fiscal year 2020] budget process, so it's hard to say now what the final numbers will be." Trump echoed by others later in the meeting reiterated that the United States is heading back to the moon and emphasized that it will be for the long haul. (NASA's current next step for the moon, the Deep Space Gateway, would be an orbiting outpost for research and missions to the surface.) "This time, we will do more than plant our flag and leave our footprints. We will establish a long-term presence, expand our economy and build the foundation for an eventual mission to Mars, which is actually going to happen very quickly," he said. Trump mentioned that he'd be just as happy if U.S. private space industries reached Mars before NASA. "If you beat us to Mars, we'll be very happy and you'll be very famous," he said. During the body of the meeting, panelists discussed work on commercial remote sensing licenses, launch regulations that will stem from the second space policy directive, the best strategies to return to the moon and future exploration missions. NASA astronauts Eileen Collins, Terry Virts and Scott Parazynski also spoke, calling for a clear action-plan toward the country's space exploration goals. Virts also told the council that the Deep Space Gateway was the wrong approach for the agency; he said it replicated what the International Space Station had already achieved. They all emphasized the importance of international collaboration and a detailed long-term plan that can last beyond one administration. Trump's final words in the introductory speech addressed the space industry representatives and others in the room who are making spaceflight possible. "You will go out there, and you will take that frontier, which is largely unknown, by man or woman, and you will learn everything there is to know about it," he said. "What you're doing is so important, remember economically, militarily, scientifically, in every way, there's no place like space." Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. STAMFORD - Sheila Barney put two and two together and came up with 25. And it made sense. First, she got caught in traffic so heavy during a recent afternoon rush hour that it took 50 minutes to drive from Stamford Hospital to her South End home, a distance of less than 2 miles. There was gridlock on every corner, Barney said. Second, she watached on another recent afternoon as a neighbor rushed her 6-year-old son inside. His face was swelling so fast. She had to give him Benadryl right away, Barney said. It was asthma - a particular concern on her side of town, especially this time of year, when sunlight lingers longest, temperatures climb and humidity builds. They are the ingredients of smog, which Barney, a longtime South End resident and community activist, said has increased with the traffic in her neighborhood, site of a massive redevelopment. Still, she was surprised when she came across information on the Internet based on the American Lung Associations State of the Air 2018 report, which lists the 25 smoggiest metropolitan areas in the nation. Stamford made the list, Barney said. Twenty-fifth in the whole country. According to the report, the Stamford-Norwalk-Bridgeport metropolitan area has 24 days a year with high levels of ozone, an irritating gas that is a major air pollutant in the lower atmosphere. To make things worse, Stamford is sandwiched between two other high-smog areas - Hartford, which ranks 24th on the list with 27 high-ozone days a year - and New York, ranked No. 6 with 94 days. The area with the worst air pollution in the United States is Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., with 267 high-ozone days a year, the report found. But the Stamford area is no stranger to the top 25, said Ruth Canovi, director of advocacy for the American Lung Associations Connecticut chapter. The area has a lot of its own traffic, a lot of traffic from the New York City metropolitan area, and a lot of pollutants from power plants in other parts of the country that weather brings in, Canovi said. It all gets worse this time of year, she said. It begins with volatile organic compounds that are emitted into the air from cars, power plants, factories and other sources. Heat and sunlight cook up the molecules and make it bad for us to breathe, Canovi said. This latest report included data from 2016, which was one of the hottest years on record. With more heat, you get more ozone pollution. Things are worse in areas with a lot of traffic, especially traffic that stalls, Canovi said. Idling vehicles just pump pollution into the air, she said. Barney said she has known that asthma has been a serious concern in her neighborhood, which borders Interstate 95 on one of its busiest stretches, since 2004, when she became vice president of the South End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone. Programs were put in place back then to help people with respiratory problems, Barney said. But with all the added cars coming into the South End now, asthma rates are probably going to go up higher. You see so many people going to the hospital. The South End is the site of a redevelopment that has added hundreds of apartments, with more to come. More than 100 million Americans live in the 25 most-polluted metropolitan areas, and 8.5 million have asthma, about a quarter of them children, according to the report. The Stamford-Norwalk-Bridgeport area has a population of 944,200, and 100,600 people have asthma, it found. Canovi said its important to note that air quality has improved from 40 years ago, though theres a caveat. Overall, were doing better, she said. But with the hotter conditions of the last few years, we are concerned we will reverse some of that. Air pollution has the most effect from May to September, when sunlight is more intense and has enough energy to drive the chemical reactions that produce ground-level ozone, according to The Weather Network. High humidity, especially when there is little wind, exacerbates the effect. Ozone can irritate the lungs, resulting in shortness of breath; coughing; increased susceptibility to infection; and reduced ability to fend off microbes, dust, smoke and other harmful particles, The Weather Network reports. Barney said she wonders whether people understand that Stamford is in the bulls eye. Like me, they might be surprised to find out were No. 25, she said. acarella@stamfordadvocate.com. While working as the general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Istanbul for several years, Massimiliano Zanardi, known as Max, played a critical role in the hotel's opening and devoted a lot of effort to finding ways to improve the experience of customers. His efforts paid off: The hotel received the prestigious Business Destinations Travel Awards in 2015, was named Turkey's Best Luxury Hotel and was praised by Business Destinations magazine for its unique way of innovating, its unparalleled facilities and the passion and commitment the hotel's employees have for their jobs. Related: If It's Not Broken, Don't Fix It -- Break It When asked where their passion comes from, the employees often say it's due to the way that Zanardi encouraged them to always ask questions. Despite the hotel's success, Zanardi regularly challenged employees to think differently about luxury by asking "why?" and "what if?" questions. Take the employees' yearly ritual of planting flowers on the terrace right outside the hotel's restaurant. Employees get together at around the same time each year to fill the pots and choose what to plant. To assure that the usual way of doing things was questioned, Zanardi asked staff members, "Why do we always plant flowers? What else could we plant?" These questions raised the employees' curiosity and triggered some creative answers. Though the pots were generally used for flowers, they ended up becoming home to herbs and heirloom tomatoes that then were used in the hotel's acclaimed restaurant, Atelier Real Food. All of this from asking a few simple questions, rather than taking the usual way of doing things for granted. Zanardi's actions seem contrary to the popular adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." By deviating from customs, even successful ones, his behavior offers an example of rebellion that can bring about positive change in organizations. We generally think of rule-breaking in business as trouble. We picture people who rebel just for the sake of creating chaos or annoying others, and workplaces that risk spinning out of control. But, we have this wrong: Breaking rules, when done with the right intent, can generate rather surprising results. We, as well as our organizations, stand to benefit from more rebelliousness, not less. Related: This Entrepreneur Who Sold Her Company for $1 Billion Wants You to Throw Out the Unwritten Rules That Hold You Back When we break rules constructively by letting ourselves explore and wonder rather than just following existing procedures or processes, our ideas are more innovative. Curiosity and innovation go hand in hand, research finds. For instance, in a study led by Spencer Harrison of INSEAD, people selling their handmade goods online answered a survey about how much curiosity they experienced in their work. The researchers counted the number of new items each artisan listed online over a two-week period and used the number as a measure of creative productivity. The more curious the artisans felt, the greater their productivity. As was true for Zanardi, curiosity can be encouraged in the workplace by asking questions such as "What if ... ?" "Why?" and "How might we ... ?" Many innovations we know today were born out of such simple questions. The inspiration that led to the Polaroid instant camera, for instance, was a question that the 3-year-old daughter of its inventor, Edwin H. Land, asked in the mid-1940s. Her father snapped a photo, and she found herself having to wait impatiently to see it. When her father explained to her that the film had to be processed first, she wondered aloud, "Why do we have to wait for the picture?" Breaking rules is not only good for innovation. It also changes how much respect we gain in the eyes of others. Consider the successful 16th-century French pirate Francois Le Clerc. As a testament to his success, he nabbed the No. 13 spot on Forbes's list of highest-earning pirates. (Yes, Forbes came up with a list of top-earning pirates.) Legend has it that Le Clerc was a "lead from the front" pirate, often the first to board an enemy ship. This trait cost him a leg: That's why he became known as "Jambe de Bois" ("Peg Leg"). He went on to lead a fleet of 10 vessels and over 300 men. So many other pirates followed Le Clerc into battle, even after he lost his leg. Why? Because he fought beside them and gained their respect. Related: What You're Afraid Will Happen If You Break the Rules Probably Won't In a survey I conducted of over 700 employees, I found that the most respected leaders are those most willing to get their hands dirty. When I asked the employees to think about leaders they don't respect, they zeroed in on managers removed from the nitty-gritty. When talking about their success, rebels use "we" rather than "I." By breaking away from prescribed roles, rebels gain respect, and the relationships they develop with others are tighter as a result. There's another reason why breaking rules pays off. When we rebel, we avoid boredom, as we choose novelty over what's familiar and comfortable. And no matter how repetitive or rote a job may seem to be, there is always room to inject some novelty. At the fast-food chain Pal's Sudden Service, workers move from station to station throughout the day, and they're told the specific order they'll follow on their shift when they show up for work. A simple gesture, but one that injects novelty. How satisfied we are in our jobs, how creative we are and how well we perform depends on how much novelty we experience at work, research shows. My colleague Brad Staats (of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) and I analyzed data from transactions of employees who processed applications for home loans at a Japanese bank. Each employee engaged in 17 different tasks, such as scanning applications, inputting application data and conducting credit checks. After a worker completed a task, the system automatically assigned him or her a new one. Using two and a half years of data, we found that when workers were assigned a greater variety of tasks across a few days, their productivity (which we measured as processing time) got better. Variety provided novelty and motivated people in their work. Related: The Inherent Rebellion of Entrepreneurship Novelty also increases how much we grow in both confidence and ability. Psychologists Brent Mattingly (Ashland University) and Gary Lewandowski (Monmouth University) asked a group of participants to read a list of facts. Some of the participants received facts that came across as interesting, novel and exciting ("Butterflies taste with their feet"), while others received information that was duller ("Butterflies begin life as a caterpillar"). When participants read interesting facts, they believed they were more knowledgeable than when they read mundane ones. Thanks to the novel reading, they felt more like masters -- and more confident that they would be able to accomplish new tasks in the future. When presented with new tasks, they worked harder on them. By breaking rules, our ideas become more creative, our relationships become stronger and joy and excitement become common at work and in our lives. Though rebelling may seem risky, it clearly pays off. Related: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work How Women Entrepreneurs are Challenging Social Norms Should You Stick To The Rules As An Entrepreneur? Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Let's get something straight about that rock and roll sentiment, "money can't buy me love." First off, the guy who wrote that malarkey, Paul McCartney, is a now billionaire. And second, let's see how that line flies as an excuse for not spending any dough on your sweetie this Valentine's Day, shall we? The consumer forecast this Valentine's Day is a mixed box of chocolates. According to the National Retail Federation, Valentine's Day spending is expected to only modestly increase from 2012, by about 4%. But that still amounts to a staggering $18.6 billion total. Think of all the chocolates you could buy with that much cash. So whether you're a suave so-and-so who's got the limo, flowers, and champagne ready, or a lazy lover trying to turn a can of Pringles and a bowling alley trip into a romantic evening, here's how Valentine's Day breaks down by the numbers. And remember: While money can't buy you love, it can buy a very romantic night out. Overall Valentine's Day Spending: $130.97 Per Person That figure also comes to us from the National Retail Foundation, and represents a jump from 2012's figure of $126.03. And while that sets a record, it only does so slightly. In 2012, spending jumped almost 9% over 2011; in 2013 it's climbing by half as much percentage-wise. And while we can see the budget-conscious guys out there breathing a sigh of relief, keep in mind that while this figure covers cards, flowers, candy, and jewelry, it doesn't include that all-important romantic dinner. Valentine's Day Dinner: About $150 In 2012, Zagat conducted its first Valentine's Day survey, in preparation for what's one of the biggest dining nights of the year. They found folks were prepared to spend $147 on their romantic meal. Results for this year aren't in until next week, but if you apply the 4% increase to that number, the bill will jump to $153 this February 14. A quick check of big-city dining options shows that figure to be fairly reliable; at Chicago's Deleece, Valentine's Day has a prix fixe menu with chocolate fondue dessert that runs $100 per couple, and $130 with wine pairings. (Those prices, by the way, are up 25% from just two years ago, and you can expect to see similar price increases elsewhere.) A Dozen Roses: About $85 Everyone knows that roses go up in price every Valentine's Day, and while florists will always argue otherwise, the truth of the matter is that roses go up in price because no one's going to balk at a few extra dollars when romance hangs in the balance. In 2012, The Los Angeles Times reported that a dozen roses would set people back about $80, based on figures from the Society of American Florists. Expect that to rise a bit this year, to about $85. Of course, there are cheaper options if you're a careful shopper. Jewelry: $4.4 Billion Total Diamonds or gold? Hoop earrings or a pendant? As the ladies will tell you, these are great questions to ask, while whether to buy jewelry or pass is a non-starter. The National Retail Federation predicts that $4.4 billion or $12.75 for every man, woman, and child in America will be spent on jewelry, the choice of one in five gift givers. Now guys, let's go over this carefully: A power saw covered in rhinestones doesn't count. It has to be something she can wear, and not from the local pharmacy's costume jewelry section. Romantic Getaways: More Than $2 Billion Total Last year, travelers on romantic getaways for Valentine's spent an estimated $2.16 billion, according to PhoCusWright, which quoted figures from the industry research firm IBISWorld. That's likely to rise this year, with Valentine's Day falling on a Thursday, making for a nice long weekend jaunt. Given that winter has gotten nasty of late, the timing for a warm-weather break couldn't be better. If you're looking for a bargain, there's still time; be sure to check out our travel deals for excellent (and inexpensive) travel options. Men Will Spend $175.61, Ladies Will Drop $88.78 They say all is fair in love and war, but the numbers don't bear it out and any guy who wants to whine about it might as well ask for a skirmish of another kind. That said, look at it this way: The ladies have every right to expect a proper wooing on Valentine's Day, lest romance and chivalry be dead. What's more, if the ladies spend more than $80 a piece, that's a respectable showing. The NRF forecast suggests they'll spend on cards, clothing, chocolates, and more. But to a guy, nothing says love quite like power tools, a big-screen TV, or tickets to the big game. (Then again, clothing may be nice, only we imagine he'd appreciate something new and slinky for his lady rather than himself.) Of course, vacation getaways, a luxury hotel room, or some kind of all-out show of romantic derring-do will throw your budget in all sorts of multi-digit directions. On the other hand, you may be the resourceful type who's going to make a fine showing with a blanket under the stars, a reading of Keats' poetry, and a bottle of "three-buck-Chuck" from Trader Joe's. At either extreme, Valentine's Day can be done, and your honey's heart won. After all, the most important numbers in any February 14 celebration are the only ones that count in the end: two together as one happy couple. Photo credits, from top to bottom: Flickr, Sasha Palacio, Ilse Sommers, Stockanomics, Consumer Top 10, deviant art V oters were misguided and spun by the Leave campaigners in many ways during the fog of the Brexit referendum campaign. Remainers are supposed to forgive and forget all this you lost, so shut up, theyre told. But, some of the spin and falsehoods were so egregious as to make that hard to do. Im not talking about yesterdays re-emergence of the bogus Brexit dividend to fund extra NHS spending. Im referring to the behaviour back in 2016 of the business lobby, the British Chambers of Commerce. This was the group which, unlike the CBI, refused to take a Remain position despite only 30% of members being in favour of Brexit. Worse still, while claiming Swiss-style neutrality on the most important policy issue for its members in decades, it allowed its chief, John Longworth, to become one of the most vocal, high-profile Brexiteers. That weakened the line being rightly held by the CBI and practically every major chief executive and chairman prepared to speak up on the issue: that leaving the EU would be bad for business, bad for the economy and bad for the wealth of British households. It allowed the Brexit camp to point to the BCC and declare: Look, businesses arent really anti-Brexit its only the Davos elites in the CBI who are really opposed. Two years on, as the Brexit cliff looms nearer, look at what the BCC is predicting for the economy. In its downgraded Economic Forecast published today, it says Britains GDP growth this year will fall to its weakest since 2009; business investment growth will slow from 2.4% to just 0.9%; net trade will weaken in the coming years; the service sector will crawl to just 1.2%. As it concludes, the economy is in a torpor. Hmm just as the CBI and the rest of the business world warned it would be two years ago. If only the BCC had said something about it then. Im not suggesting this organisation could have swung the vote for Remain if it had acted on the majority of its members views, but it wouldnt have done any harm. Spain option for departing Jayne? So, Virgin Money founder Jayne-Anne Gadhia joins the growing ranks of female bigshots exiting top jobs in the corporate landscape this year. She follows Moya Greene at Royal Mail, Isabelle Ealet at Goldman Sachs Securities and Alison Platt at Countrywide. Its a fact that clearly rankles with Gadhia as she decides on her next move. You can see her fingerprints in the small print of todays takeover, stating Virgin had insisted CYBG beef up the number of women on its board. O il prices were under pressure on Monday as Saudi Arabia and Russia put aside their World Cup rivalry to push for an increase in production from the Opec oil cartel. Russia, whose national football team beat the Saudis 5-0 in the opening match of the football tournament, nicknamed El Gasico, is working with the desert kingdom to press for the rise when the producers meet in Vienna this week. Iran, Venezuela and Iraq are resisting the proposals, which could see oil production rise by as much as 1.5 million barrels of oil a day. Irans representative Hossein Kazempour Ardebili warned any increase in output requires unanimity. If the two want to act alone, thats a breach of the cooperation agreement, he added. The public spat dampened oil prices as Brent crude eased 40 cents to $73.64, retreating further from four-year highs close to $80 a barrel last month. That should ease the squeeze on consumer wallets caused by the biggest hike in petrol prices for seven years. But the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was under more pressure, down more than $1 to $63.98, as worries over an intensifying trade war also weighed. China is imposing tariffs on a variety of US goods, including crude and petrol, in a tit-for-tat response to Donald Trumps $50 billion levy on Chinese imports. The scene is set for a stormy Opec meeting following Trumps decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal in May, which will see significant sanctions reimposed within months. The floats are coming thick and fast at the moment. Brexit, what Brexit!!!!!!!. A barrister turned entrepreneur is in line for a 10 million payday today as Londons listing boom for legal firms shows little sign of running out of steam. Alan Sellers Anexo Group - which handles legal claims for drivers involved in accidents - is to float on the junior Alternative Investment Market in a launch valuing the company at around 110 million. Anexo has carved out a niche catering for less well-off drivers with basic insurance, who have been involved in crashes which were no fault of their own but have no access to a replacement vehicle. Anexo hires out cars to the drivers and claims back the costs from the opposing partys insurers. Anexo is raising 25 million in the float, with Sellers who will own 35% afterwards taking 10 million out of the business. He founded the company 20 years ago and will continue to operate as a barrister in the business as Anexo looks to grow in an UK accident claim market worth almost 4 billion. V irgin Money chief executive Jayne-Anne Gadhia will walk away with a 12.5 million paper fortune after clinching a takeover deal with Clydesdale and Yorkshire owner CYBG on Monday. Gadhia, highly regarded in the Square Mile for growing the bank over the past decade, is due to exchange her 3.4 million Virgin shares for stock in CYBG after both sides agreed terms on a 1.7 billion merger, worth 371p a share. The 56-year-old will step down and hand the reins to CYBG chief executive David Duffy, who will lead the combined group. It is unclear whether Gadhia will be free to sell her shares immediately after the deal completes or whether her departure will trigger an instant payout. Most of her shares are unvested, meaning she must hold them for a number of years under the current rules. More details are due in a shareholder prospectus, due later this month. As part of Gadhias departure, Virgin Money will also ask shareholders for approval to amend rules to give her the same redundancy package as other staff giving her a separate payout. The deal is designed to help Virgin Money challenge the dominance of the big four banks Barclays, Lloyds, RBS and HSBC by giving it more firepower on the products it can offer to households and businesses. The pair have 243 branches and more than six million customers. The offer reflects confidence in our strategy, our track record of delivery and the complementary strengths of the two businesses, Gadhia said. Sir Richard Branson will double the amount he receives in annual royalty payments for the Virgin brand from 6 million now to 12 million, rising to 15 million. CYBG will rebrand its SME lending arm as Virgin Money. The merger will lead to about 1500 job losses, cutting the combined workforce to 8000 with most of the roles in middle-manager positions. The combination is expected to save 120 million a year by 2021. The development of Virgin Moneys digital bank will also be shelved to save cash. Duffy said the deal signalled the end of Virgin Moneys reputation as a challenger bank. We will move outside of the challenger market. We have all the capabilities to compete, he added. Virgin investors will own 38% of the combined group, with shareholders in CYBG which is also listed in Australia owning the rest. Virgin Money shareholders will get 1.2125 CYBG shares for every one share they own. We see the combination as a classic all-British affair, with eminently deliverable synergy benefits... [this is] a cracking deal for CYBG shareholders, said Investec analyst Ian Gordon. Banks on the deal were Morgan Stanley, Macquarie Capital and Deutsche Bank for CYBG, and Goldman Sachs and Citi for Virgin. O ne of my favourite projects at Camberwell College of Art when I was there in 2001 involved me rummaging through the skips of Peckham for objets trouves aka any old bit of crap I could lug back to the studio and use as part of what I ambitiously called a sculptural painting. I got away with some pretty out-there interpretations of briefs on my Foundation Course, and happily didnt do one still-life drawing the entire time. Ive never had more fun or felt freer to express myself than I did that year. Coming straight out of secondary school into art college was eye- opening in every way. I met more gay people! I discovered performance art! I started a collective! I worked on a fanzine! We held flash mobs at pubs in Brixton and crashed private views in Cork Street. The capital was my playground like never before. This week Ill be going to the University of the Arts Londons final shows. Ever since I left Camberwell Ive tried to get to the exhibitions of student work, not just because its a great way of spotting up-and-coming talent but because it makes me recall so fondly the last time I was able to be creative without thinking about clients or budgets or having to sell my idea. I could just follow my instinct and make stuff and that was a real privilege. The tragedy of the Glasgow School of Art burning down again this weekend isnt just the work that has been destroyed, it is the loss for the people studying there of that unabashed, joyful freedom of being an art student. Because life as a creative in the real world is never that fun again. In pictures: Blaze tears through Glasgow School of Art 1 /21 In pictures: Blaze tears through Glasgow School of Art The fire broke in the city centre late out late on Friday night. PA Less than an hour later, flames and smoke were belching into the night sky - with more than 150 firefighters eventually deployed at the scene. Frie crews were met with "extremely difficult conditions", PA The fire spread to nearby buildings - although firefighters managed to prevent it taking hold any further. @bl4irrr/PA Wire The glow from the fire could be seen around the city. PA No casualties were reported in the fire. Douglas Barrie/PA Wire A bystander watching as the fire took hold. PA A scene from the fire in the early hours of the morning. Smoke billowed from the building as fire crews, including ten engines, battled the fire. REUTERS A fire officer said the blaze was a "devastating loss for Glasgow". Around 50 firefighters were still working to extinguish the fire at aroun 11am. A high volume pump was drawing water from the River Clyde to spray it onto the fire. Smoke rising above the city centre. Getty Images By midday on Saturday the fire service said the blaze had "now largely been contained" . PA But they added that the building had been "extensively damaged". Getty Images Before the fire, the building was undergoing restoration work. This followed another fire in 2014. The multi-million pound restoration had been due to complete in 2019. It was built in the late 1890's by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and is widely considered to be his masterpiece. Duke of Rothesay (right) and Liz Davidson at the Glasgow School of Art, after the historic Mackintosh building was damaged by fire in 2014. PA Wire Restoration Work On Glasgow School of Art Prior to the fire. Mum and Mummy, the new normal I wonder if once our baby is born in a few weeks time well celebrate Fathers Day, rebranding it Other Mother Day? Or will we both get gifts on Mothers Day? Im sure there will be all sorts of scenarios like this that come up as our child gets older, where we have to figure out our same-sex version of traditional parenting. My wife and I are contemplating what we want to be called Mum and Mummy, Momma and Umma, Mum One and Mum Two? And what if our daughter calls me Dada? Do I correct her? Its great making up our own rules but I like tradition. Were lucky to have so many LGBT parenting networks at hand. I hope we will create a new normal. As a woman with a penchant for menswear, Naomis my new icon Im going to need a polka dot bow tie, a pinstriped tuxedo and a wide-brimmed trilby hat immediately because Naomi Campbell just nailed all my lesbian power-dressing goals in one catwalk moment on Saturday when she and Monica Bellucci (who also gave good suiting) walked in Dolce & Gabbanas Spring/Summer 2019 Mens Fashion Week show in Milan. Naomi Campbell during the Dolce & Gabbana spring/summer 2019 collection / AFP/Getty Images As is the way with Domenico and Stefano, the runway was a cacophony of camp rappers and It-boys joined millennial social media stars and track-suited grannies plus every kind of diverse iteration of a couple you could imagine to showcase the new mens collection. But it was Campbell and Bellucci who really set the tone, schooling the other pretenders in attitude. As a woman with a penchant for menswear, I can tell you that if you dont lean in to the look a trouser suit can easily wear you. But after a weekend which also saw the video release of Beyonce and Jay-Zs Apes**t, in which the pair pose in front of the actual Mona Lisa in a pink silk and mint green double-breasted suit respectively, my How to power dress Pinterest board is now officially complete. T he recent summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un was a welcome first step. The outcomes have demonstrated the changing diplomacy and power politics in East Asia, particularly in Japan and South Korea. Before the summit, the attitudes of US allies significantly differed. However, Japan may now become increasingly keen to negotiate with North Korea to resolve the abductions issue, whereas South Korea is now debating how to stop Washington from promising too much to Pyongyang. The South Korean government, which has played a huge role in setting up this summit, now risks being bypassed, with the US and North Korea agreeing measures that are not in its national interests, such as halting joint military exercises. The US President must make sure that America maintains mutual trust with its long-time allies in East Asia. Hayato Hosoya Academy Fellow, Chatham House EDITOR'S REPLY Dear Hayato You are right. Attention has focused on Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un but behind that soap opera lie complex relationships between east Asian powers. None has an obvious interest in seeing it happen. China fears a strong, unified Korean neighbour within the Western orbit and with the possibility of US troops on its Yalu river border. Japan, with its painful history with Korea, would also be nervous. South Koreans fear the cost of embracing their cousins but, as with German unification 30 years ago, once the dynamic starts to reunite a country it is hard to stop. That is still a long way off and many obstacles to peace remain. George Osborne, Editor Unpopular views? Not with everyone CHARLOTTE Edwardes writes that novelists should be allowed to have unpopular views (Let our authors have unpopular views). Unpopular with whom? The thoughts of Ian McEwan about #MeToo and Lionel Shriver about diversity are widely held outside N1, W11 and other habitats of the bien-pensants. Sebastiaan Swarthoogt Do we really need straws for drinks? WHILE it is positive that many establishments (now including McDonalds) have replaced plastic straws with the paper variety, we should remember that no straw beats a paper straw, even if recycled. Marco V Pereira Opera carries an emotional punch I HOPE no one will be discouraged from going to the opera because of Jonathan Smiths letter warning that Wagner is long and Mozart difficult (June 14). Mick Jagger, 1977 Jane Bown often liked to have the full attention of her subject and to keep distractions to a minimum; however she would sometimes be instructed to capture her portrait while an interview was taking place. This iconic photograph of Mick Jagger, rediscovered in 2006, was taken on one such occasion. While working for The Observer, Jane always deferred to picture editors in their choice of image, meaning that her archive is full of hidden and unseen treasures. Jane Bown Estate Z ainab Ashadu is putting Nigerian leather on the map. Literally. When we meet in her atelier in Lagos, Ashadu has just taken delivery of goat skins imprinted with a world atlas. Excited, she points out Nigeria to me. She intends to use the leather to make a clutch bag that will sit on boutique shelves in London, Geneva, Dublin, Paris and Johannesburg, where her design brand, Zashadu, is stocked, and in Lagos, where she has a loyal following and a flagship store. Ashadu is not only the creative director of Zashadu, a sustainable luxury label that creates handmade leather pieces that retail for a minimum of 180, but is also one of the leading figures in Nigerias leather design scene. Its currently witnessing an explosive renaissance. Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was seen carrying a Zashadu purse when she attended the Vanity Fair Oscars party this year, while British leather designer Bill Amberg was recently invited to Lagos to teach masterclasses on leather production to harness the industrys burgeoning growth. Made-in-Nigeria goods are taking on a new shine, says Femi Olayebi, founder of the Lagos Leather Fair and the designer of an eponymous handbag label. In the past few years a surge of designers has conscientiously made grand efforts to offer beautifully made goods. Now everyone wants a piece. People. Fashion. Power. Delivered weekly. Email Sign up Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice {{message}} {{permutiveUid}} {{message}} Troubled past Fela Kuti, Nigerias most famous musician and political dissident, called the desire of many Nigerians to own European goods Colo-mentality: a legacy of colonial control where the colonised were made to believe all things West were better than whatever was produced locally. It wasnt common knowledge that the leather used by global luxury design houses such as Burberry and Louis Vuitton came from Nigeria. Skins of goats reared in Sokoto, north-west Nigeria, for instance, are among the most revered in the world, according to Ashadu, known for their strength, suppleness and easy-to-remove hairs. Sokoto State is in the dry Sahel region of Nigeria, surrounded by sandy savannah and isolated hills and near the border with Niger. Inside a Zashadu store These skins are produced in northern Nigerian tanneries that have stood for centuries, and the artisans working in them passed their knowledge down through the generations. Today the tanneries are not as prolific as they could be the reasons for the decline vary from obsolete production processes to ill-thought-out government interventions, which led to the industry being entirely export-focused. Thus, most tanneries are structured only to sell in bulk quantities the kind only billion-dollar design firms can afford while local designers cannot. But against all odds, resilient local leather designers have emerged, creating products catering to a foreign market as well as a domestic one. The art of leather Shem Ezeamaka is the creative director of Shem Paronelli, an artisanal line of shoes for men and women. We meet at his home, where a floor-to-ceiling arrangement of boxed shoes dominates the living room. Ezeamaka, a believer in the Zen philosophy of Wabi-sabi, challenges convention, drawing inspiration from architecture to create experimental designs made with leather sourced from Ghana, Ethiopia and a local market in Lagos. Where shanks should be covered, he exposes them. One of his latest designs a pair of sandals has no seams at all, with the leather entirely moulded. His shoes, which he calls hooves because of their strength, are constructed 100 per cent by hand. Local renaissance Determined to scale the problem of sourcing leather locally when she started her business, Ashadu took a 15-hour road trip from Lagos to Kano to find the right material. She now sources leather from the small, informal markets that feed off the larger tanneries and also works with a snake and crocodile farm to retrieve exotic skins. If Im only going to make one bag from a particular skin, then theres only one, Ashadu says. Ive noticed that the clients love that, because they want to feel that exclusivity. Ashadu, though trained at the London College of Fashion, uses local techniques and works with local artisans trained by leather masters from northern Nigeria. Shed trained using surgical Stanley knives but now uses local tools and works with artisans who go through leather like butter and know how to patch skins like magic. These artisans have been doing it before Westerners. It is we [Nigerians] who have the skins and we imparted the knowledge through trade. It seems the world is finally ready for Nigerian leather and Nigerian designers. It will create a fresh tale of something beautiful coming out of us as a people, says Femi Olayebi. You may not expect that to come out from Africa. Details: Lagos Ethiopian Airlines (ethiopianairlines.com) flies to Lagos via Addis Ababa from 512 return. A teenager has been left with potentially "life-changing injuries" after he was attacked with a knuckleduster and sprayed with a noxious substance in Greenwich, police said. The 18-year-old was left with serious facial injuries including a fractured eye socket and a broken nose following the "unprovoked" assault. The victim had just got off the bus at Bexley Road in the early hours of Saturday when he was approached by three men. The teenager tried to move out of their way but they began to harass him, and a verbal altercation followed, according to police. Police said one of the men pulled out a knuckleduster and repeatedly punched the victim in the face, while another pulled out a small bottle of clear liquid and threatened the victim before spraying it at him. The culprits are then thought to have run off towards Avery Hill Road. Detective Constable Dan Newbury, of Greenwich Borough, described it as "a truly vicious assault". "The victim was minding his own business on his way home when these three males have confronted him and left him with injuries that are possibly life changing," he said. The victim made his way to hospital where police were alerted at 12.50am on Saturday. The suspects are all described as ages between 18 and 25 years old and were all wearing tracksuits. According to police, the suspect who punched the victim had short blonde hair and was around 5ft 10in tall. The second and third suspects were around 5ft 8in tall and also had short blonde hair. T he victim of an agonising corrosive attack has been given hope his sight can be restored after 24 years, thanks to a stem cell procedure at a pioneering London hospital. James OBrien was 18 when he had ammonia sprayed in his face, blinding him in the right eye. Doctors at Moorfields Eye Hospital have learned how to take stem cells from his healthy eye and transplant them into his damaged one, hopefully allowing it to regenerate. The battle to restore Mr OBriens sight will be detailed in a TV documentary for BBC Londons Inside Out, celebrating the work of Moorfields. Mr OBrien, now 42, said: I was walking home from the cinema one night when I was approached by a couple of teenagers. One tapped me on the shoulder and as I turned around he sprayed a liquid in my face. It felt like my face was on fire. I thought I was going to die. Moorfields Eye Hospital is also treating the eye disease of Vicky Cerolini, six, pictured with mother Silvia / BBC A 15-year-old youth was later sentenced to four years in a young offender institution for the attack in Sutton. Mr OBrien, a father of two who works in music education and lives in Rotherhithe, received the stem cell transplant on April 25. Consultant ophthalmic surgeon Sajjad Ahmad said there was at least a 75 per cent chance of success. A check-up last month showed the eye starting to improve. The cells are doing what they are supposed to, Mr Ahmad said. The surface is almost normal, without any recurrence of scar tissue. In a years time we are really hoping James will be in a situation where we will be able to give him his sight back. Mr OBrien said the operation was the first thing that has come along in 24 years apart from a corneal transplant in 1998 that proved unsuccessful. He added: If it works, next year they will be able to do a corneal graft that will hopefully restore some vision in that eye Im happy to be the guinea pig in helping medical advances. Acid attacks in London have soared by 79 per cent in two years. There were 465 violent corrosive liquid offences in 2017, up from 260 in 2015. Moorfields, in City Road, runs a clinic treating such victims and Mr Ahmad typically sees three new patients each week. Inside Out also highlights pioneering work there using gene therapy in a bid to prevent children from losing their sight. Doctors have taken a skin sample from four-year-old Vicky Cerolini, who is registered blind, converted it into stem cells and grown replica eye parts in a petri dish to study her disease. Her mother Silvia said: Its tough to see her struggling and knowing that it will only get worse. Her retinal cells are dying and there is no cure. Dr Mariya Moosajee, a consultant ophthalmologist, said: Im quite confident that within three years we will identify a drug compound that should be able to help her and patients like her. F aith leaders today hailed the resilient response of Finsbury Park residents following last years terror attack, and insisted it had only made them stronger. The north London community was targeted during Ramadan almost a year ago tomorrow when Darren Osborne, 48, drove a van into a crowd of Muslims near a mosque. Jehangir Malik, chief executive of Muslim Aid, told the Standard: The attack has had the opposite effect of its purpose. Were now getting to know more people in the community. We wont cower, hide away in our homes and in our mosques or divide. Finsbury Park terror attack - one year on Immediately after the attack, Imam Mohammed Mahmoud shielded Osborne from the crowd before leaders from other faiths and residents rushed to the scene and began helping victims. One of them was Rabbi Herschel Gluck OBE, the founder of the Muslim-Jewish forum, who said: While there are people who want to show discord and sow hatred between different communities, most people enjoy and celebrate the diversity of our city and see it as a community of communities. An attack on one community is attack on us all. B ritain's values will not be broken by "vile extremism", Theresa May has said ahead of a memorial one year on from the Finsbury Park terror attack. A minute's silence will be held to commemorate the death of father-of-six Makram Ali, and for the dozen others who were injured on June 19 last year. Islington is holding a series of events to mark the anniversary of the attacks to pay tribute to those affected and celebrate the "strength and spirit" of the community. On Monday night into the early hours of Tuesday, the message "London United" was projected on to Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park. Finsbury Park terror attack - one year on Relatives of Mr Ali have been invited to gather alongside others affected by Darren Osborne's murderous rampage, when he ploughed a hire van onto a crowded pavement intending to kill as many Muslims as possible. Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan are expected to attend the event at Islington Town Hall on Tuesday, where a silence will be held at 9.30am. Finsbury Park attack: The scene at Seven Sisters Road where a van believed to be involved mounted the pavement / Jeremy Selwyn Osborne named Mr Khan during his nine-day trial at Woolwich Crown Court as someone, alongside Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, he had wanted to kill. Islington councillors, local faith and community leaders, and emergency services workers who helped victims in the aftermath of the attack are set to attend Tuesday's commemorative event. Ahead of the event the Prime Minister said: "Last year's cowardly attack which targeted innocent worshippers leaving Finsbury Park mosque is an attack on all of us. "As with all acts of terrorism the intention was to divide us but we will not let this happen. Emergency services staff treat victims after a vehicle hit pedestrians in Finsbury Park last year (Thomas van Hulle/PA) / Thomas van Hulle "We are a country of many faiths and freedom of worship and respect for those of different faiths is fundamental to this country's values and these values will never be broken by vile extremism." Mrs May commended the "bravery and spirit of the community that apprehended the attacker". Finsbury Park attack June 19 1 /25 Finsbury Park attack June 19 Treating the wounded: Paramedics and police at the scene of the crash in Finsbury Park James Gourley/Rex The suspect is pinned to the ground by brave members of the public Forensic investigators examine the van Jeremy Selwyn James Gourley/Rex Features Injured: Paramedics take one of the wounded away James Gourley/Rex Features Rescuers: Emergency services staff treat victims after a vehicle hit pedestrians in Finsbury Park Thomas van Hulle/PA Crash: The scene in Seven Sisters Road PA Response: An armed police officer mans a cordon on the Seven Sisters Road at Finsbury Park Yui Mok/PA Shock: Local people observe prayers at Finsbury Park Yui Mok/PA Emergency service workers at Finsbury Park in north London Yui Mok/PA Fears: Police officers talk with local people at Finsbury Park Yui Mok/PA Paramedics: Ambulances in Finsbury Park Jennifer Heape/PA Police on one of the cordons in north London Yui Mok/PA Patrol: Armed officers near Seven Sisters Road Yui Mok/PA Cordon: Police in Finsbury Park Yui Mok/PA People scuffle near a police cordon near Finsbury Park EPA PA Muslims pray on the street NIGEL HOWARD Armed Police at the scene in Seven Sisters Road Nigel Howard Finsbury Park attack: The scene at Seven Sisters Road where a van believed to be involved mounted the pavement Jeremy Selwyn Forensic investigators at Finsbury Park PA The suspect is put in the back of a police van after being restrained at the scene Police at the scene neat Seven Sisters Road Chloe Chaplain Aerial view of forensics at the scene of Seven Sisters Road Jeremy Selwyn Flowers are left near the scene at Seven Sisters Road Chloe Chaplain She added: "As we remember the victims of this attack, Makram Ali who tragically lost his life, we should take strength that it is London's diversity and multitude of communities that makes it one of the world's great cities." At a gathering earlier in June Mr Ali's daughter Ruzina Akhtar spoke of her family's gratitude for the support they had received from the community since her father's death. Ms Akhtar addressed those gathered at a street Iftar on what was the one-year anniversary of the incident according to the lunar calendar observed in the Islamic faith. She said: "We're very happy to be part of this community and to be in this country with such a loving, diverse community around us. "And we would just like to thank everyone for their support and the love that they've shown and hope they continue to do so." The phrase LondonUnited, which has been used in the wake of other terror attacks last year, was due to be displayed on the Muslim Welfare House on Monday evening and into the early hours of Tuesday, around the time Osborne committed his crime. The jobless loner, who had been radicalised by far-right material, is serving a jail sentence of at least 43 years, after being found guilty in February of murder and attempted murder. The Islington Faiths Forum will host a 'Great Get Together' on June 23 from 2pm to 3.30pm in the courtyard of Muslim Welfare Hours - to bring the community together in peace and mutual understanding. T hree people were killed today after being hit by a train in south London. Police were called to Loughborough Junction station, near Brixton, shortly after 7.30am after reports of multiple bodies being found on the track. The victims are understood to have been killed in the early hours, with their bodies only being discovered during rush hour. They are all said to be men in their 20s. One theory is that they were graffiti artists and the driver of the train did not spot them. Police and Network Rail engineers at the scene in Loughborough Junction, near Brixton, where the bodies of three people were found on the tracks / Barney Davis A source said spray cans were found near the site where the three men died. Rail industry sources said the paint was found nearby and the three people may have been killed overnight, when freight trains operate. Officers were seen taking photographs of graffiti as part of their enquiries. Police search the tracks where three people were killed by a moving train near Brixton and Loughborough Junction / Alex Lentati Detective Superintendent Gary Richardson from British Transport Police, said: My team are now working hard to understand what happened and how these three people came to lose their life on the railway. My thoughts are with the family and friends of these three people. At this time, we are treating their death as unexplained as we make a number of immediate enquiries. A police officer searches the tracks where three people were hit and killed by a train near Loughborough Junction I would ask anyone who was near to Loughborough Junction this morning, and saw something which they think might be relevant, please contact us as soon as possible. Officials are working to identify the victims and alert their families. Loading.... Their bodies were spotted a few hundred metres from Brixton overground station, with paramedics finally being called just before 9am. A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: We sent a number of ambulance crews but sadly three people were found dead at the scene. London Mayor Sadiq Khan added: My heart goes out to the families of the three people killed at Loughborough Junction station this morning. If you have any information about this incident please contact BTP. Police at the scene near Brixton after three people died when they were hit by a train Loughborough Junction station is between Herne Hill and Elephant and Castle and is served by Thameslink. The platforms and tracks are above ground level on a viaduct. The bodies are understood to have been discovered on the Catford Loop railway line, some metres from the station. Train services were delayed as a result of the incident, with customers asked to check with National Rail Enquiries before travelling. Images from the scene showed emergency services working to remove three bodies, A dog handler Jason, 44, who was working security on a building site next to the train track overnight, said he saw police climbing a ladder onto the tracks. Police said the deaths of three people who were hit by a train at Loughborough station were being treated as 'unexplained' / Barney Davis He told the Standard: There were so many cop cars whizzing by with sirens on you could tell it was serious. We thought only one person had died, three is just horrible. I could see officers climbing on to the track to get to them with train staff. The trains were still running but going so slowly. We chase off kids doing graffiti by the track all the time. I hope its nothing to do with that, that would be awful. A witness said: There were loads of vans and paramedics everywhere. British Transport police detectives were at the scene and said they would be dealing with the case from start to finish. Freight trains carry out a lot of the infrastructure work on Britains railways, usually overnight when the passenger pathways are clear. According to Network Rail, of the fatalities on the railway in 2016/17, six occurred on a level crossing, 28 involved people trespassing on the railway and 237 were suicide or suspected suicide. Anyone with information about the deaths was asked to contact BTP by sending a text to 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40. T he mother of a teenager stabbed to death following a trivial WhatsApp row today pleaded with young people carrying knives to think before you act. Jordan Wright, 19, had traded insults with Paul Akinnuoye, 20, over who was the least gay in a group chat before the pair agreed to fight in Blackheath. Mr Wright, who was due to start a construction apprenticeship, believed he was turning up for a fist fight. But Akinnuoye came armed with a small knife and, after a scuffle, stabbed the teenager repeatedly in a park near Hervey Road on April 19 last year. At the Old Bailey yesterday Akinnuoye, of Tunbridge Wells, was jailed for 21 years after being convicted of murder in February. Paul Akinnuoye has been sentenced to 21 years at the Old Bailey for fatally stabbing Jordan Wright in south London in 2017. / Metropolitan Police After the sentencing Mr Wrights mother Katharine Alade said she was at a loss to explain how a petty argument resulted in her sons murder. Speaking at her home in Catford, she told the Standard: My son is never going to have a life. He is never going to give me grandchildren. My son was supposed to be burying me, not me burying my son. People dont realise the impact of their actions. The youth are so different to how they used to be when I was growing up. I would say think before you act. This boy has destroyed his life the only benefit he has is that in 21 years time he is still going to have a life. The court heard that Mr Wright, the youngest of five siblings, and Akinnuoye were not friends but were members of the same WhatsApp group chat, named Ice City Boyz. The argument included Akinnuoye calling Mr Wright a batty boy, to which he retorted: On your mums life Im straighter than you. Jordan Wright / Metropolitan Police Wearing a pendant with her sons picture round her neck, Ms Alade, 55, said: I think about my son every day. My son is dead because of something trivial. Its unbelievable the influences and readily available rubbish on the internet seem to have made youngsters grow up before their time. In a victim impact statement she read out in court, Ms Alade said her sons autism meant he was not realistic and did not fully take on board the dangers on the streets these days. His father Neville said: Jordan was my son, his death has changed my life forever. I think of him every day... of what he would have achieved in life he is gone, but not forgotten. Mr Wright was the seventh teenager murdered in London in 2017. So far this year, 14 teenagers have lost their lives to violent crime in the capital. Sentencing Akinnuoye, Judge Philip Katz said Mr Wrights death had been the result of an utterly trivial dispute. He condemned Akinnuoyes friends who encouraged the fight on WhatsApp, adding: Jordan lost his life as a result of this pathetic goading on social media. Jordans death was as pointless as it was tragic. Detective Inspector Jo Sideaway said afterwards: This murder left Jordans family devastated and was a big shock to the local community. I hope todays sentencing will bring some closure for his loved ones. A bid was launched today to let Parliament reinstate the Brexit deal that was mysteriously dropped at the 11th hour by Theresa May last week. Peers were attempting to amend the EU Withdrawal Bill to reinstate the Prime Ministers promise that MPs could have a real say if Brexit talks collapse. There was shock last Thursday when the Government without explanation backed out of a deal with soft-Brexit supporters that would have given Parliament a vote on what happens if talks with the EU fail to produce an acceptable withdrawal agreement by March 27 next year. It was effectively killed when a line was added that said any vote must be in neutral terms in effect, meaningless. Some MPs blame Brexit Secretary David Davis for the change. Dominic Grieve speaking in a debate on Brexit legislation in the House of Commons / AFP/Getty Images Lord Hailsham, a former cabinet minister, was understood to be seeking an amendment that would lead to a showdown in the Commons when the Bill returns there on Wednesday. Former attorney general Dominic Grieve said: I very much hope that the Lords will be able to send back to the Commons an amendment that enables us to have a sensible debate on options for a meaningful vote. Government whips are banking on divisions in the soft-Brexit camp between MPs who think that winning the right to a meaningful vote is essential, and some others who think the campaigners should focus their efforts on winning votes expected in July on staying in a customs union or the European Economic Area. Under government plans, if MPs reject an agreement reached with Brussels, or if no deal is made by January 21, Parliament will be offered the chance only to vote on a neutral motion stating that it has considered a ministers statement on the issue. It will be unamendable, so that MPs cannot insert a requirement for ministers to go back to the negotiating table, extend the Brexit transition or revoke the UKs withdrawal under Article 50. T he so-called 'meaningful vote' amendment to the Brexit bill will be debated again in the Commons after it was backed by the House of Lords. The Government suffered another Lords defeat over the amendment on Monday evening. Peers decided that parliament should have a say on the outcome of the EU negotiations and voted in favour of doing so by 354 to 235. This will mean the issue will be sent back to the House Of Commons to be debated and voted on again on Wednesday. The change to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, tabled by Viscount Hailsham, would require the Government to allow MPs to vote on how it would proceed in the absence of a Brexit deal by January 21 next year. Theresa May had earlier warned against a rebellion / REUTERS It came after former attorney general Dominic Grieve warned that the Tory rebels he leads could "collapse" the Government if they disagree with the final outcome of withdrawal talks, and had the right to a proper say on Brexit. Prime Minister Theresa May has warned against any moves to "tie her hands" during negotiations with Brussels, saying on Monday that Parliament must not be able to "overturn the will of the British people". The Prime Minister said she had been listening to the concerns of critics but the legislation must not restrict her freedom in talks with Brussels. "As we keep faith with people who voted to leave the European Union, and many of those who didn't but are now saying 'let's just get on with it', we need to make sure we are putting this legislation into place," she said. "But as we do that, of course we have been listening to concerns about the role of Parliament, but we need to make sure that Parliament can't tie the Government's hands in negotiation and can't overturn the will of the British people." Under Government plans, 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 to vote on a "neutral motion" stating it has considered a minister's statement on the issue. Crucially, the motion will be unamendable, meaning MPs cannot insert a requirement for Mrs May to go back to the negotiating table, extend the Brexit transition or revoke the UK's withdrawal under Article 50. Mr Grieve insisted rebels would only accept a "meaningful vote" and not the "slavery clause" the Government was offering. Lord Hailsham said that Mr Grieve, who watched the Brexit Bill debate at the bar of the Lords, believed he had made an agreement with the Solicitor General last week but it appeared "senior ministers" had objected to it and it had now been "repudiated". The peer said he was asking the Lords to allow MPs to vote on what Mr Grieve believed was agreed with the Government. He added: "The Government's amendment not only fails to deliver the promised meaningful vote. M illions of families could be hit by tax rises totalling up to 10 billion to fund a cash boost for the NHS, economic experts warned today. They dismissed Theresa Mays claim that a 20 billion cash injection for the NHS could be partly paid for by a Brexit dividend as they expect Britain to be worse off as it quits the EU. They believe Philip Hammond will have to find additional funding either through higher taxes, more borrowing, or a tighter squeeze on other public spending. But the Chancellor already faces a battle to meet his target of eliminating the deficit by the mid 2020s. Carl Emmerson, deputy director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: If the Chancellor is taking his deficit target seriously, it would not be a surprise to see a 10 billion tax rise. A tax rise of that magnitude would lead to many working families paying more. Theresa May has claimed that a 20 billion cash injection for the NHS could be partly paid for by a 'Brexit dividend' / REUTERS The IFS has calculated that the Treasury could raise 5.5 billion by putting 1p on employee and self-employed National Insurance, 3 billion with 1p on employers National Insurance, and 1.8 billion in the first year of freezing the thresholds for the basic rate tax allowance and the higher rate, with the figure rising to 3.5 billion in the second year. Torsten Bell, director of think tank the Resolution Foundation, said: If the Chancellor wants to find the 20 billion he will have to rely on a fairly even split between higher borrowing and tax rises. Jeremy Hunt undermined Mrs Mays claim that part of the funding would come from a Brexit dividend by shying away from using the term. The Health Secretary instead repeatedly used the term EU subscriptions. But the lack of detail over how it would be funded left the Conservatives open to attack from shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, with suggestions that their economic plans are not credible. Britain already faces an EU divorce bill of around 40 billion, while Bank of England governor Mark Carney said households have lost out on average by 900 since the Brexit vote, and economic growth has slowed. The International Monetary Fund also rejected the Leave campaigns claim that Brexit would release billions for the NHS, or 350 million a week as written on its bus, saying that just a one per cent reduction in future growth would more than offset gains from lower EU contributions. When pressed on claims that the Brexit dividend is a myth, Mr Hunt said: What is not a myth is that the British people very clearly voted that they wanted their money to be spent on public services and not on subscriptions to our membership of the EU. He added that there was an argument about the scale of any Brexit dividend, insisting that the Government disagreed with the IFS. He stressed that there had been some very difficult discussions with the Chancellor which had gone to the wire over NHS funding. S ir Christopher Chope has admitted he did not know what upskirting was when he blocked a bill to create a specific law to criminalise it. LBCs Nick Ferrari quizzed Sir Christopher on his decision to single-handedly block the bill on Friday, asking if he was aware of what upskirting was. He replied: I wasnt familiar with it. Sir Christopher then went on to justify why he had blocked the bill, claiming he objects to all similar bills on principle as he disagrees with the idea of laws being passed without proper scrutiny and debate. Grilling: Nick Ferrari during the heated interview / LBC We should be welcoming this. As a result, the government is going to bring forward its own bill and that bill will get proper scrutiny and get on the statute books sooner than if the government had tried to rely upon abusing the Private Member's Bill procedure. "This should be a cause for celebration, rather than recrimination, he added. However, Mr Ferrari hit back at the Christchurch MPs defence during the fiery interview branding the move morally indefensible. He said: My listeners will be puzzled that you would object to something you don't understand. Barrister Sir Christopher said upskirting victim Gina Miller who campaigned for the bill to be brought to parliament "had not seen it (the objection) that way. The Voyeurism (Offences) Bill was all set to progress into law last week, having won support from the Ministry of Justice before it was brought before the Commons. But barrister Sir Christopher shouted "object" to the private members bill, prompting cries of "shame". The new law would have created a specific offence for upskirting allowing for sentences of up to two years. A senior female Tory has described Sir Christopher Chopes wrecking of the upskirting Bill as reputation-damaging for the Conservative Party. Former Cabinet minister Nicky Morgan said colleagues were left with their heads in their hands after the 71-year-old MP blocked a Private Members Bill that attempted to criminalise taking a photo up a womans skirt. One of the things about Brexit is it seems to have brought out the older male voice in the Conservative Party, Mrs Morgan told the Standard today. I think Theresa May has done her best to counter that but Im not the only one that feels despair about how many steps back the Conservative Party is taking at the moment. Frosty reception: Sir Christopher Chope / Getty Images Sir Christopher is set to receive a frosty reception from colleagues on his return to Westminster today after blocking the Bill tabled by the Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse on Friday by shouting object. Knickers protest against Chopes objection to upskirting bill The Bill had government backing and Theresa May has personally expressed her disappointment it did not pass. The Brexit-backing MP claims the incident has made him a scapegoat and he blocked it because he objects to Private Members Bills and has done so for his three decades in Parliament. However, Sir Christopher supports the ban on upskirting. Mrs Morgan, a former Women and Equalities minister, said on website Conservative Home that bringing the Conservative Party into the modern era remains uncompleted. She wrote: Christopher has managed to create a new fault-line by uniting the party (and pretty well everyone else) against him. It says it all, really, that an older male Tory MP should object to outlawing a sexual crime which makes use of 21st-century technology. Morgan piled pressure on the Government today to bring in a short piece of legislation of its own as quickly as possible to outlaw the practice. Former deputy speaker of the House of Commons Nigel Evans has written to the Commons Procedure Committee to demand a review of rules to stop MPs wielding this power. It only needs one MP to shout object to halt the progress of a Private Members Bill. A flying fire engine that can shoot hundreds of gallons of water and foam into the top floors of tall buildings could help prevent another Grenfell-style disaster, a major London safety conference will be told. The Skycannon system a water tank with a 7m-long nozzle carried on a Super Puma helicopter can tackle blazes at heights well beyond the reach of conventional ladders and is already in use in Tokyo. There are 600 tall buildings in Britain with cladding similar to the material that contributed to the ferocity of the Grenfell inferno. The highest ladder used in the blaze a year ago, which killed 72 people, could only reach the 10th floor of the 24-storey building. The helicopter can carry up to 600 gallons of water and 24 gallons of foam, sprayed from the belly of the helicopter. The Tokyo fire department also has a 10-person rescue gondola that can be attached to a helicopter. US fire-fighting business Simplex Aerospace will give a presentation about Skycannon at the Firex International conference at Excel in Docklands this week. T he battle over Brexit was set to dominate Parliament again today as the Prime Minister and Tory rebels squared off over whether MPs get powers to block a no-deal outcome. With the EU (Withdrawal) Bill returning to the House of Lords on Monday, Peers looked ready to launch a fresh round of parliamentary "ping pong" and send amendments back to the Commons which Theresa May has said would tie her hands in negotiations with Brussels. Tensions heightened after former attorney general Dominic Grieve warned that the Tory rebels he leads could "collapse" the Government if they disagree with the final outcome of withdrawal talks and had the right to a proper say on Brexit. Mr Grieve insisted rebels would only accept a "meaningful vote" and not the "slavery clause" the Government was offering. Leading the Tory rebels on Brexit: Dominic Grieve (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) Pro-Brexit MP Nigel Evans said he was "staggered" by Mr Grieve's remarks. He told BBC Radio 4's The Westminster Hour: "I don't want to fetter my Prime Minister while she's negotiating the best deal for Britain. "And part of that has got to be where, if Michel Barnier tries to give us a very bad deal, that she can turn around and say 'no, I'd rather not do that'." Under Government plans, 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 minister's 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 UK's withdrawal under Article 50. M eghan Markle's father Thomas broke his silence today about missing the royal wedding, revealing in a TV interview that he made Prince Harry promise not to raise a hand against my daughter. The Duchess of Sussexs father, 73, apologised for staging paparazzi photos and described his sadness at being unable to walk Meghan down the aisle and the mixture of jealousy and gratitude he felt when Prince Charles took his place. Mr Markle also said Meghan burst into tears when he told her he could not attend the wedding due to his heart operation. However, the most surprising part of the interview came when he spoke about Harrys views on Donald Trump, suggesting the prince was supportive of the US president, as well as Brexit. Revealing phone conversations he had with the prince, Mr Markle told ITVs Good Morning Britain: Weve had some interesting conversations on the phone. "Hes a smart guy. Hes an interesting guy. I was complaining I didnt like Donald Trump. He said give Donald Trump a chance. I sort of disagreed with that. When asked about Harrys views on Brexit, Mr Markle told hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid: It was just a loose conversation ... I think he was open to the experiment. Newlyweds Prince Harry and Meghan Markle joined the parade / Getty Images Members of the royal family can express views on world events but cannot be seen as partisan. Prince Harry phoned Mr Markle at his home in Mexico to ask for his daughters hand because the men have never met in person. Harry asked for her hand on the phone and I said, you are a gentleman, promise me you will never raise your hand against my daughter and of course I will grant you my permission, Mr Markle said. When asked how he felt about his daughters marriage, he said he was unfazed by Meghan becoming a royal: My daughter has been a princess since the day she was born, he said. Addressing the issue of missing the wedding in Windsor on May 19, Mr Markle said: I absolutely wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle. He said he was honoured that Prince Charles took his place and escorted Meghan part-way through St Georges Chapel, but added: I was jealous, I wish it had been me but thank God [Prince Charles] was there. He added: She was beautiful. I cried a little watching her. I was very proud and I couldnt see a better moment in my life. The unfortunate thing now is that Im a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history instead of a dad walking his daughter down the aisle. It was a very emotional moment. I regretted it because I really wanted to walk her down the aisle. But Im thankful for how it all went. Mr Markle had heart surgery shortly after he staged paparazzi photographs of himself preparing for the wedding. In the pictures he was seen, seemingly unaware, being measured for a suit, looking at pictures of his daughter and husband-to-be in an internet cafe, and reading a book about Britain. He explained that it was meant to be a way of improving my look, adding: Obviously that all went to hell. Mr Markle watched the ceremony on TV from the sofa of a B&B in California. He [Prince Harry] made a good pick, didnt he? he added. The only member of Meghans family to attend was her mother, Doria Ragland. Mr Markle said: My ex-wife is a beautiful woman. I thought she looked very good. I kind of wish she was sitting next to someone. Meghan Markle on her wedding day (Left) and father Thomas / Getty Becoming emotional when describing the moment he told Meghan and Harry he could not make it to the wedding, he said, They were disappointed, but they both said, and Meghan cried Im sure ... she did cry ... they both said take care of yourself, we are worried about you. They said the important thing is that I get better. Mr Markle said he expects his daughter and Harry will try for children soon. Shes wanted children for a long time and when she met Harry and she spoke about how much she loves him. Theres got to be a child in the making, somewhere soon, he said. As long as theyre happy and they have a great life and have some beautiful children and do good things in the world, I cant ask for more. Mr Markle, a former television lighting director, said that he was on the mend following surgery and hoped to come to London soon to meet his son-in-law and the rest of the royal family, including the Queen. I look forward to it, he said. I would certainly love to meet the Queen. Ive had respect for that woman since I was a child. I think shes one of the most incredible women in the world and Id love to meet her. Thomas Markle and his daughter / Daily Mail Im recovering from a heart operation but Im doing much better. Addressing the media storm after being caught staging photographs with the paparazzi, Mr Markle said: I spoke to them both [Harry and Meghan] and I apologised. I realised it was a serious mistake. Its hard to take it back. He added that if he not stayed in America to have surgery following a heart attack, which he believed was caused by the pressure he was under before the wedding, he could have died. Mr Markle said he told Harry and Meghan not to fly over when they offered to visit in the days after the surgery. I told them not to and to go on honeymoon, to have some time away from everyone. The press would have eaten them alive. It is not known if Mr Markle was paid for the ITV interview or if he informed Kensington Palace about his decision before appearing on air this morning. He said he chose to take part because he wanted people to know he is a normal guy and because he wants to have a good relationship with Meghan and Harry. Over the last few weeks, everybody has had different opinions, some people said I was faking my heart attack, some people said I was skipping out, all kinds of stories were coming out about me, negative ones, he said. Royal Wedding 2018: The best pictures you might have missed 1 /60 Royal Wedding 2018: The best pictures you might have missed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ride in an Ascot Landau along the Long Walk PA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex emerge from the West Door of St George's Chapel Danny Lawson/WPA Pool/AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ride in an Ascot Landau along the Long Walk after their wedding in St George's Chapel Yui Mok/PA Princess Charlotte sticks out her tongue as she rides in a car to the wedding at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle Andrew Milligan/PA Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George leave after the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel Gareth Fuller/WPA Pool/AP Zalie Warren arrives at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle PA Prince Harry and his wife Meghan wave as they ride a horse-drawn carriage after their wedding ceremony Damir Sagolj/Reuters Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ride in an Ascot Landau carriage up the Long Walk at Windsor Castle after their wedding teve Parsons/PA Royal fans in Windsor for the wedding celebration Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex exit St George's Chapel Neil Hall/WPA Pool/EPA Doria Ragland and the Prince of Wales leave St George's Chapel Brian Lawless/PA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Prince Harry's brother and best man Prince William, Duke of Cambridge wait in the chapel ahead of his wedding Owen Humphreys/WPA Pool/AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave Windsor Castle in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married at St Georges Chapel Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Students of Immaculate Heart High School and Middle School watch a live broadcast of the wedding of Meghan Markle, who graduated from Immaculate Heart in 1999 David McNew/AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walk down the steps of St George's Chapel Ben Birchall/PA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex leave Windsor Castle in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married at St Georges Chapel Phil Noble/WPA/Getty Images) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave St George's Chapel Jonathan Brady//WPA Pool/Reuters Prince Harry looks at his bride, Meghan Markle Jonathan Brady//WPA Pool/Reuters Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ride in an open-topped carriage through Windsor Castle after their wedding in St George's Chapel Aaron Chown/WPA Pool/Reuters Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave St George's Chapel Ben BirchallWPA Pool/Reuters Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex ride in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married Ben Cawthra/WPA/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ride in an open-topped carriage through Windsor Andrew Milligan/PA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex ride in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married Ben Cawthra/WPA/Getty Images Crowds at Windsor Castle before the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle Ben Cawthra/WPA/Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex ride in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married Jeff J Mitchell/WPA Pool/Reuters Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex ride in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married Yui Mok/WPA Pool/Getty Images Members of the Royal family watch as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ride in an open-topped carriage through Windsor Castle after their wedding in St George's Chapel Andrew Milligan/PA Pinky Ghelani and Suzzy Wokabi watch a TV broadcast of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding at the Windsor golf and country club in Nairobi Thomas Mukoya/Reuters Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex ride in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married Hannah McKay/WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex ride in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married Andrew Milligan/PA The Duke of Cambridge with Prince George leave St George's Chapel Andrew Matthews/PA Meghan Markle arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle Brian Lawless/WPA Pool/Getty Images Meghan Markle arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for her wedding Brian Lawless/WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle Jonathan Brady/WPA Pool/AP Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave St George's Chapel Andrew Matthews/PA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave Windsor Castle in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married at St Georges Chapel Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan (R), Duchess of Sussex exit St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after their royal wedding ceremony Neil Hall/WPA Pool/EPA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle after their wedding in Windsor Castle Jonathan Brady/WPA Pool/AP A town crier poses after watching the carriage procession Tom Nicholson/EPA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kiss as they leave St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle following their wedding. Brian Lawless/PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kiss as they leave St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle following their wedding. Brian Lawless/PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ride in an open-topped carriage through Windsor Castle after their wedding Victoria Jones/WPA Pool/Reuters Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex exit St George's Chapel Neil Hall/WPA Pool/EPA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex ride in the Ascot Landau carriage during the procession after getting married St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle Matt Cardy/Getty Images Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leaves Windsor Castle in the Ascot Landau carriage Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images The Prince of Wales leads Meghan Markle up the aisle of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle for her wedding to Prince Harry Dominic Lipinski/PA Prince William, Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of York, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, from let, during the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle Jonathan Brady/WPA Pool/AP Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex walk down the west steps of St George's Chapel Ben Stansall/WPA Pool/Reuters Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after their wedding. Owen Humphreys/PA Crowds gather ahead of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Bruce Adams/WPA Pool/Getty Images George Clooney and his wife British human rights barrister Amal Clooney (R) arrive for the royal wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle Toby Melville/WPA Pool/EPA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex exit St George's Chapel Neil Hall/WPA Pool/EPA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave from the West Door of St George's Chapel Ben Stansall/WPA ool/Getty Images Prince George leaves St George's Chapel Brian Lawless/WPA Pool/Getty Images The Duke of Edinburgh leaves St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle Gareth Fller/WPA Pool/Reuters Oprah Winfrey leaves St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle after the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Ian West/WPA Pool/AP Royal fans watch the wedding Peter Nicholls/Reuters The Duchess of Cambridge arrives with the bridesmaids at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor, Jane barlow/WPA Pool/Reuters Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kiss on the steps of St George's Chapel Danny lawson/WPA Poll/Getty Images Prince Harry gestures next to his wife Meghan as they ride a horse-drawn carriage Damir Sagolj/Reuters But I just want people to know Im a normal guy, Im a retired man and I was living a quiet little life and this happened, and lots of things happened around it, and Ive tried to survive through that, but more than anything I dont want my daughter or new son-in-law to be hurt by any of this. He added: I want to have a nice, normal relationship with my royal family as well now. Mr Markle said he hoped he has not upset his daughter and Prince Harry by appearing in the interview. I hope I havent offended them, I dont think I have. They know I love them and I hope the royals the royal family will understand my feelings as well, he added. Mr Markle split from Meghans mother Ms Ragland, 61, when his daughter was six years old. He has two other children, Samantha and Thomas Jr Meghans half siblings who were both frequently in the media ahead of the big day. Mr Markle said that Meghan had the sense not to invite any of her family members except her mother after up to 60 Markles came out of the woodwork asking for wedding invites. He also revealed how Meghan told he she had to keep the identity of her new boyfriend secret when they first started dating. Initially she said she had a new boyfriend, before dropping subtle hints about who he really was. Mr Markle continued: At that point she said its Harry and I said, Harry ... OK. She said well have to call him H so no one knows. I eventually spoke to him and he was a very nice man, a gentleman very likeable. Mr Markle said when she was a little girl he called Meghan bean. He said she loved the story Jack And The Beanstalk and their version subsequently become Bean and the Beanstalk. When Morgan asked if he called her Duchess Bean now. He replied: I dont have to call her duchess, shes my daughter. H undreds of royal fans lined the streets of Windsor to enjoy the pomp and ceremony of the Garter service today as the Queen was joined by members of her family for the historic event. Her Majesty attended with members of the order, including the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge, at St George's Chapel where Prince Harry and Meghan married in May. Dressed in lavish ceremonial gear, the Queen cheerily waved to waiting crowds from her open-topped carriage where she sat with Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. Camilla looked elegant in a black and white jacket and dress which she teamed with a matching hat. The Queen and Duchess of Cornwall leave in a carriage after attending the Most Noble Order of the Garter Ceremony / AFP/Getty Images Excitable crowds were treated to the sight of Garter Knights walking past wearing the traditional blue velvet robes and black velvet hats with white plumes. Guards of the Blues and Royals regiment and the military band march around the crowds at Windsor Castle / Getty Images Among them were Princess Anne, the Duke of York, Earl of Wessex, Duke of Gloucester, Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra. The appointment of Knights of the Garter is in the Queen's gift and is made without consulting ministers. The Queen leaves St George's Chapel / PA Recipients of the honour are chosen because they have held public office, contributed to national life or served the sovereign personally. Prince William, right, Prince Andrew, second right, Prince Edward, left, and Edward's wife Sophie Countess of Wessex leave in a carriage / AP Other members of the order include former prime minister Sir John Major, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, a past president of the Supreme Court, and Admiral Lord Boyce, a former head of the UK's armed forces. Princes Charles and William / Getty Images The Queen is sovereign of the order and a number of other British and foreign royals are additional knights of the order, including the Duke of Edinburgh, Charles and William. R yanair has called for a drinking ban before 10am at airports after drunk passengers forced an Ibiza bound flight from Dublin to divert to Paris. According to the Irish Times, a group of around 20 holiday makers were involved in the drink-fuelled disturbance and three passengers were removed from the flight which took off on Saturday morning. A spokesman for the airline said the pilot was forced to divert the plane after the passengers caused a ruckus on the flight. The aircraft landed normally in Paris and the disruptive passengers were handed over to the French Police. It is believed the passengers were drinking heavily before their flight was due to take off at 8.50 am at Dublin airport. A spokeswoman for Ryanair said: This flight from Dublin to Ibiza (June 16) diverted to Paris Beauvais after three passengers became disruptive in-flight. The aircraft landed normally and the passengers were removed and detained by police upon arrival, before the aircraft continued to Ibiza. 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. This is now a matter for local police. This 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. A defenceless puppy was tortured and had all its legs and tail chopped off before being left for dead in a forest sparking national outrage in Turkey. The dog was found abandoned in a forest in the Sapanca district in the northwestern province of Sakarya on Wednesday. Shocking images that showed the dog wrapped in bandages sparked fury across the country. A construction worker has been arrested on suspicion of torture, President Tayyip Erdogan told an election rally in Instanbul on Sunday. The puppy died during surgery on Friday Erdogan pledged that Turkey's animal rights laws would be amended after the June 24 vote in which he is aiming to win a second term. "Whether at home or on the street, we will take the law into consideration and evaluate it. This operator was arrested today. The authorities in Sapanca ordered his arrest," he said. "There is nothing acceptable about this, but it is very important to show this awareness." The incident prompted a rare show of unity among Turkey's political parties and presidential candidates, who have been trading barbs for weeks ahead of Sunday's parliamentary and presidential elections. As images and videos of the puppy drew outrage on social media, both government officials and opposition politicians condemned the act and have called for stricter measures against those mistreating animals. Animal rights groups say Turkey's punishments for animal cruelty are too lenient. An amendment to animal rights legislation has been on the parliament's agenda for months, but little progress has been made. I ndian students have expressed their anger after their country was excluded from a list of low risk countries eligible for easier visa application to the UK. The Home Office announced on Friday a relaxation of the Tier 4 visa category for overseas students from around 25 countries. The changes make it easier for international students to study in the UK and will come into effect from July 6. On a list already covering countries like the US and Canada, several new countries were added including Serbia, China and Bahrain, however India was not included. Many people expressed outrage at the decision to exclude India from the list. President of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) Lord Karan Bilimoria told the Press Trust of India that the policy change was an "insult" to India and an example of Britain's "economically illiterate and hostile attitude to immigration. He continued: "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." A number of people commented on the decision online. One woman called Viday Ram wrote: Why was India excluded from a relaxation of UK student immigration rules? UK points to large number of Indian students who come but there are more US and Chinese students who come here and relaxed rules already applied to US and will now apply to china. Ruth Arnold wrote: Talented Indian students and loyal graduates have consistently explained to their UK universities how important welcoming visa policies and post-study work are to Indian students. Crucial we listen and that universities are 'open to the world'. A controversial bill which proposed a filming ban on Israeli soldiers has been amended after the Attorney-Generals Office ruled it illegal. The initial bill proposed by the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition, made filming or publishing footage "with intent to harm the morale of Israel's soldiers or its inhabitants" punishable by up to five years in prison. It was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday under the provision that a number of changes were made to its wording before it is presented to parliament on Wednesday. The amended bill will call for the banning of interfering with Israeli soldiers while they are on duty prohibiting them from doing their job and will not totally prohibit filming as previously stated. It is anticipated that the amended bill will pass with the coalitions support. The bill appears to have been prompted by the filming of Israeli soldier Elor Azaria fatally shooting an incapacitated Palestinian attacker in the West Bank city of Hebron who was lying on the ground in March 2016. Mr Azaria was convicted of manslaughter and served nine months of an 18-month prison sentence. The case bitterly divided the nation. Israel's military pushed for his prosecution, saying he violated its code of ethics. But many Israelis, particularly on the nationalist right, defended his actions. The bill's sponsor, Robert Ilatov of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, insisted in a radio interview Monday that the bill "does not impinge on free speech." He said it only prevents obstruction of soldiers in the line of duty. Ilatov wrote on Facebook last week that the bill's aim is to prevent "left wing organisations from disseminating (soldiers') pictures for the sake of shaming them." Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beitenu party, praised the bill on Sunday for helping protect Israeli soldiers from "Israel-haters and terror supporters trying to denigrate, humiliate and harm them." The text of the bill specifically mentions B'Tselem, Machsom Watch and Breaking the Silence - Israeli advocacy groups critical of the West Bank occupation - as "anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian" organisations whose activity documenting the Israeli military the legislation seeks to combat. "Most of these groups are supported by foundations, organisations and governments with clear anti-Israeli perspectives and agendas, which use these tendentious materials for harming the state of Israel and its security," the bill reads. Jerusalem US embassy: Israel-Palestine tensions erupt in violence 1 /24 Jerusalem US embassy: Israel-Palestine tensions erupt in violence A Palestinian man uses a slingshot during clashes with Israeli forces along the border with the Gaza strip east of Khan Yunis AFP/Getty Images A Palestinian demonstrator kicks a burning tire during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border Reuters An Israeli border policeman fires tear gas at Palestinian demonstrators during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba in Bethlehem Reuters Palestinian protesters look at tear gas and smoke billowing from burning tyres, east of Gaza City AFP/Getty Images U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman is seen during a reception hosted by the Orthodox Union in Jerusalem ahead of the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem Reuters Palestinian demonstrators burn tyres near the Gaza-Israel border, east of Gaza City AFP/Getty Images A Palestinian man throws leaflets dropped by the Israeli military during a protest against the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem Reuters A Palestinian demonstrator drags a burning tire during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border, east of Gaza City Reuters Palestinians carry a demonstrator injured during clashes with Israeli forces near the border between the Gaza strip and Israel east of Gaza City AFP/Getty Images A Palestinian boy holds a leaflet dropped by the Israel military, east of Gaza City AFP/Getty Images A Palestinian demonstrator runs as smoke billows from burning tyres during clashes with Israeli forces near the border between the Gaza strip and Israel east of Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Palestinians carry tyres to be burnt during clashes with Israeli forces near the border AFP/Getty Images A Palestinian demonstrator injured during clashes with Israeli forces lies on the ground AFP/Getty Images A Palestinian man holding his national flag walks in the smoke billowing from burning tyres during clashes with Israeli forces along the border AFP/Getty Images Palestinians carry a protester injured during clashes with Israeli forces along the border AFP/Getty Images Palestinian demonstrators gather at the Israel-Gaza border during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, east of Gaza City Reuters A Palestinian woman walks through black smoke from burning tires during a protest on the Gaza Strip's border with Israel AP Palestinian protesters burn tires during a protest on the Gaza Strip's border with Israel AP A wounded Palestinian is evacuated during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba REUTERS Palestinian hold flames and signs reading 'We will return' during a rally in the West Bank city of Hebron ahead of the US embassy inauguration in Jerusalem EPA Palestinian protesters burn tires during a protest on the Gaza Strip's border with Israel AP A Palestinian demonstrator moves a burning tire during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem Reuters Israelis wave their national flags during a march at the Western Wall Getty Images People march with the body of Jamal Affana (15) as he brought through a Rafa, Gaza alleyway after he succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained during protests last Friday at the Gaza border fence with Israel Getty Images The bill is the latest in a series of legal measures passed or proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist government to curb organisations critical of Israel's occupation of the West Bank. Opposition lawmakers and rights groups said they were surprised the legislation made it this far. "If there is a problem with the reality that the occupation creates, we should change it, not try to hide it," said Tamar Zandberg, head of the liberal opposition Meretz Party. Talia Sasson, president of the New Israel Fund, a liberal advocacy group that supports groups that document rights abuses in the West Bank, called the bill "an arrow shot into the heart of the state of Israel." Israeli journalists also criticised the proposal, saying it would hinder their ability to work. Israeli photographer Ohad Zwigenberg said journalists must be allowed to "document reality as it is." "A world without real journalism that is free and neutral is an insane world," he said. N ew Yorkers have been urged to stay indoors as near record-breaking weather could see temperatures reach more than 90F (32C). The mercury could rise to a scorching high of 95C (35C) on Monday, the National Weather Service said. The city last experienced such sweltering temperatures in 1929. It comes as a heat advisory has been issued for much of Upstate New York, which will be in effect from 11am to 8pm on Monday. People have been urged to stay indoors amid the sweltering heat / Getty Images The weather service said a combination of heat and humidity could see temperatures climb to 100F (38C) in parts of the state. Forecasters warned outdoor exertion or extended exposure could cause heat stroke and heat-related illnesses. Experts urged New Yorkers to stay inside or in shaded environments to avoid extended heat exposure. "The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible," the National Weather Service said. Meanwhile Governor Andrew M Cuomo on Sunday urged people to take precautions against the heat. "With prolonged heat and humidity in the forecast, I urge New Yorkers to take necessary steps to stay cool,' Mr Cuomo said. "As temperatures continue to rise, I encourage everyone to check on your friends and neighbours who may need some extra help and to cool off at state parks pools and cooling centres." An air quality alert has also been issued for New York City as pollution levels are predicted to rise. The New York State Department of Environmental Conversation urged people to limit strenuous outdoor activity "to reduce the risk of adverse health effects". Meanwhile schools across Jersey City and Massachusetts are set to close early on Monday due to the hot temperatures. A photographer has shared the story behind a moving image of a crying two-year-old at a US border facility amid fierce criticism of America's zero-tolerance immigration policy. Under the new zero tolerance policy any adults who have been referred to Homeland Security for illegal entry into the US, now have their children taken away from them while their cases are adjudicated, which can take months or in some cases years. John Moore, a photographer for Getty Images followed US Border Agents for the day, when he came across the crying two-year-old. He said that the mother was told to set the child down to be body searched when the little girl began to cry. While its not uncommon for toddlers to feel separation anxiety, this would have been stressful for any child. I took only a few photographs and was almost overcome with emotion myself," he said. Border Patrol facility in Texas 1 /11 Border Patrol facility in Texas People sit in a cage at a facility after they tried to enter the US illegally AP A two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker cries as her mother is searched and detained near the US-Mexico border on June 12 Getty Images People taken into custody related to cases of illegal entry into the US sit in one of the cages at a facility in McAllen, Texas AP A Honduran mother holds her two-year-old as US Border Patrol as agents review their papers Getty Images A two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker cries as her mother is searched and detained near the US-Mexico border on June 12 Getty Images A two-year-old Honduran stands with her mother after being detained. The asylum seekers had rafted across the Rio Grande Getty Images A Honduran mother holds her two-year-old daughter in McAllen, Texas Getty Images People taken into custody sit in a cage at a facility in McAllen, Texas AP A US Border Patrol agent watches those taken into custody AP Those taken into custody stand in line at the facility. The 'zero-tolerance' policy was introduced on June 12 AP Protesters stand outside of the Rio Grande Valley Sector's Centralised Processing Centre AP "Then very quickly, they were in the van and I stopped to take a few deep breaths. Mr Moore said he found it difficult seeing the families detained. I could see on their faces that they had no idea what was about to happen, he said. During his day with border forces on June 12, he photographed asylum seekers crossing the border from Mexico and also captured agents chasing through sugar cane fields. He said: I doubt many of these families knew about the Trump administrations recent policy on separating parents from children at the border. Most of these families were scared to various degrees. "I doubt any of them had ever done anything like this before flee their home countries with their children, travelling thousands of miles through dangerous conditions to seek political asylum in the United States. The photographer also told of the moment he stopped to comfort a 10-year-old Honduran boy with special needs. He was terrified. To try and calm him, I showed him some pictures of the river, which I displayed on the back of my camera. I then told him something that was natural to say in the moment but that I immediately regretted. I told him not to worry, everything will be alright. I really wish I hadnt said that, because Im not so sure its true. Following the release of the photographs, Melania Trump's spokeswoman said that the first lady "hates to see children separated from their families". D umped Love Island stars Hayley and Charlie proved they really werent putting on an act when it came to despising each other after they refused to be interviewed together. The mismatched pair were voted out of the villa by the public at the end of last week, having been branded the least compatible couple on the island in a head-to-head with Dr Alex and Samira. After a showdown on spin-off show Aftersun on Sunday night, Hayley and Charlie fuelled their rocky relationship after they refused to share a sofa on Mondays Lorraine. As the Scottish host went to introduce the next guests, she said: They're both here this morning, but they don't want to be on the sofa together. Awkward! Single: Love Island's Charlie left the villa last week / ITV So we're going to talk to Charlie first and Hayley waits backstage. The camera then cut to a shot of the Liverpudlian model looking a bit lost while her former flame took his seat in the studio. Charlie said: We're fine, but it's frosty. I'm a bit annoyed to be honest. I'm bitter and angry but not to her. I'm gutted not to still be in there. They later gave separate interviews to This Morning forcing presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield to run back and forth across the studio. On Sunday night, the pair had sat as far apart as humanly possible during their exit interview, with Charlie blasting Hayley for not being liked. Later, Hayley said to him: You cant be so certain you wouldnt be in the bottom two when youre up against Alex! So have a little think on that one But Charlie hit back: I wouldnt have been in the bottom two if I was with someone else. Lorraine airs weekdays at 8.25am on ITV, while Love Island is nightly at 9pm on ITV2. D anny Dyer may soon be swapping Walford for Mallorca after he joked hes off to Spain for some cheeky tequilas with daughter Danis love interest. Dani has struck up a romance with fellow islander Jack who recently entertained viewers with his impression of Danny in the Beach Hut. The 40-year-old actor was clearly a fan and posted a picture of himself skydiving into the Spanish villa for some cheeky tequilas with the pen salesman. He captioned the shot: On me way to have a couple of cheeky tequilas with some slice of a geezer called Jack. Fans begged for Danny to make an appearance on the show with one posting: I cant wait for the episode when he goes in. Another wrote: OMG this gives me life. Kiss me quick: Dani and Jack share a kiss / ITV A third joked: Wouldnt it be TV gold if Danny Dyer turned up on Love Island while Dani and Jack were getting cosy in the hideaway. Jack won over viewers with his impression of the EastEnders star after imitating islanders Hayley, Eyal, Dr Alex, Georgia and Laura. Parental approval: Danny Dyer with his daughter Dani / Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images When tasked with the impression of Danny by producers, Jack initially refused before taking up the challenge saying: One of my favourite Danny Dyer lines is when he's in a film and he goes you alright girls, want a couple a tequilas? A little cheeky tequila? Shall we get on it? Jack has fallen head-over-heels for the actors 22-year-old daughter and voiced his intentions to date her as they enjoyed a night in the Hideaway. Love Island's Megan blasts Georgia for being fake Youre everything I would want in a girlfriend, he told her. Youre lovely, you dont think of yourself all the time and I dont like people like that. In my eyes Ive found what I wanted to find in a girlfriend. I wouldnt say anything I didnt mean. Love Island 2018: Series 4 - In pictures 1 /40 Love Island 2018: Series 4 - In pictures The islanders gather for the final dumping of the series ITV The final four couples learn to salsa Kaz and Josh Dani and Jack talk to Danny Dyer The islanders gather for the final toast ITV Dr Alex and Alexandra talk about their relationship as they cradle their 'baby' ITV Newborns: The baby challenge put the couples to the test ITV Megan asks Dani and Ellie whether she should ask Wes out Passion: Megan Barton Hanson and Wes Nelson are getting closer ITV Dani and Ellie go for afternoon drinks ITV Josh talks to Kaz ITV Caroline Flack arrives with some big news ITV The original islanders are about to get a shock ITV Here come the new girls... ITV ...and the new boys ITV Georgia kisses Sam during the Snog, Marry, Pie game. ITV Laura vs Wes ITV Wes kissing Megan during Snog, Marry, Pie ITV Megan and Eyal chat ITV The recoupling looms... ITV Eyal and Megan kiss. ITV Sam ruffles some feathers ITV The Islanders get to know Sam ITV Georgia and Josh ITV Laura and Wes ITV Ellie and Zara arrive ITV Wes admits he could chat to other girls ITV Eyal and Alex bicker over Megan ITV Jack and Dani take a walk ITV Dani and Jack give things another go ITV After the turbulence of the last recoupling, chill time awaits for the Islanders as a text arrives informing them that they will spend their morning in a couplesO yoga class. ITV Adam and Rosie get close ITV The original girls look on from the balcony ITV Dani Dyer uses a hairdryer on her eyelashes ITV Having spent a number of days trying to find a way forward with Hayley, Eyal is beginning to lose faith ITV The girls discuss developments in the vill ITV The Islanders party ITV The Boys chat ITV Wes, Adam, Alex and Niall chat ITV The Boys chat ITV Dani replied: I love that youre really open with me, I just dont want you getting ahead of yourself, thats all. Getting full in too quickly, for your own heart. Getting too excited. The girlfriend thing. Speaking in the Beach Hut about their night together, Dani said: Im sure he is frustrated. Its just proved to me that Jack is in it for the long run and he doesnt expect nothing from me. Hes really respectful and I do really have feelings for him. Jack is everything Ive ever wanted, so yeah Im lucky. W hile e-commerce has made it easier to shop from brands and countries across the world, the online world is severely lacking when it comes to independent offerings. This was the problem Trouva, a retail tech start-up founded in 2013, aims to solve with its online marketplace. Using Trouvas marketplace, independent stores can get online and access customers across the world much more easily. Trouvas technology provides inventory management, shipping logistics and operations, as well as customer support, to make the process of shopping independently online a whole lot better. After raising $10 million in a Series A funding round from the likes of BGF Ventures and Index Ventures, Trouva is now taking its successful marketplace global by expanding to include 20 independent Berlin-based boutiques. What were doing is unlocking the potential that was previously confined to the physical space, explains co-founder and CTO Alex Loizou. The owners of these shops have great taste and beautiful spaces; were giving consumers the choice of finding products they would not necessarily have access to. Its not easy for these small stores to access online customers. Say, an owner receives an online order. They would then have to shut down the store, take the parcel to the post office and ship it from there. Instead, Trouva has dispatch couriers that pick up items and ship it off to the customer. This is better for shoppers too. Using Trouva you can buy a backpack from a store in Manchester, a vase from Brighton and now clothes from Berlin. Purchases can be shipped to the UK, as well as globally with around 15 per cent of Trouvas sales coming from the US, Australia and other European countries. All of sudden you have a shop in Shoreditch which is selling products to New Zealand and Australia, Loizou tells the Standard. This shows the power that comes from being of Trouva. You can now shop from Berlin boutiques, like The Amazing Crocodile Design Store, from Trouva / Trouva Berlin was an easy choice for Trouvas first international expansion, as the city is what Loizou calls a creative capital. The 20 new stores added to the platform, including The Amazing Crocodile Design Store, were handpicked by Trouvas team, alongside recommendations from some of the platforms UK outlets. There is an incredible wealth of new inventory and new styles that are currently locked down in Berlin, he says. Alongside choosing the new stores, Trouva had to internationalise its platform, ensuring all the functionalities provided to the UK shops would be available to its European counterpart. And the website now offers new ways to shop online, such as a local area discovery tool so you can discover shops in a specific are. This is available now with the German capital city but will be opened up to the rest of the network in the future. To enable this growth, the start-up has expanded its team to 48 people across three cities: London, Lisbon and now Berlin. And it has no signs of slowing down; Loizou says the platform will be adding more destinations rapidly. Where will Trouva be going to next? Were looking at the usual suspects: Paris, Dublin and Amsterdam. We also love the Nordic countries. Stockholm and Copenhagen are beautiful cities that have a very special position in the design world. Its not just Europe that Trouva has plans to cover, but the whole world. G lobal co-working space WeWork wants to hire 1,500 refugee workers across the globe and is partnering with the UK-based charity Breaking Barriers to do so. In the UK alone there are 120,000 refugees with the legal right to work, yet more than 70 per cent are unemployed thanks to the cultural and language barriers in place. This tie-up between WeWork and Breaking Barriers, a charity that provides education and employment support to the UKs refugee population, will see the partnership offer training and professional support with the view to removing these barriers and arms refugees with the skills they need for future employment. At three of WeWorks London locations, Breaking Barriers will be hosting English language classes and workshops to increase access to opportunities for refugees. The workshops will focus on different skills such as customer service, so the charitys clients can improve their chances of employment. How the WeWork Refugee Hiring Initiative began The work WeWork is going to be doing with Breaking Barriers goes back to early 2017. The tech company, which is reportedly worth $35 billion, partnered with the International Rescue Committee to launch a pilot programme to employ refugees in New York. After six months, WeWork had successfully hired 150 employees in 10 cities, including Boston and London. It was this that made the company decide to expand out the programme to hire 1,500 refugees across the globe, as part of its Refugee Hiring Initiative. But, the initiative isnt just focused on growing WeWorks staff numbers. WeWork member companies such as Starbucks, Airbnb and Dropbox have all pledged their support to recruit refugee job seekers. Starbucks, in particular, is focusing on the recruitment aspect. Following US president Trumps travel ban in early 2017, the company announced it would hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years. At the time, Starbucks former CEO Howard Schultz said: We are doubling down on this commitment by working with our equity market employees as well as joint venture and licensed market partners in a concerted effort to welcome and seek opportunities for those fleeing war, violence, persecution and discrimination. Starbucks' Howard Schulz said the company will hire 10,000 refugees over five years / AP Tech is increasingly trying to find ways to tackle the problems faced by refugees when settling in new countries. The UK challenger bank Monzo recently launched a new financial inclusion initiative to expand the types of identity documents needed to get a bank account in the UK. Monzos head of community and marketing, Tristan Thomas, told the Standard: Its about getting people onto the ladder in the first place with an account number and sort code so they can get paid. As well as using its platform for good, WeWork says it makes good business sense to hire refugees. It is seeing an 80 per cent retention rate amongst its refugee employees. This is something Breaking Barriers is keen to stress too. Instead of supporting refugees solely through philanthropy, the charity is focused on creating a model that is more sustainable in the long term. As WeWork grows globally, so does its refugee employment mission. As part of World Refugee Week this week, it has announced it is expanding the initiative to Latin America, starting with Brazil and Colombia, as these are the countries seeing high intakes of refugees from Venezuela. Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe Deputy Prime Minister for Implementation of Romania's Strategic Partnerships Ana Birchall has announced that she met with Deputy Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, Wess Mitchell, to discuss the latest details on the Romania - US Annual Strategic Dialogue, which will take place on Tuesday at the Government headquarters. "Talking to Mr. Wess Mitchell, US Assistant Secretary of State, about the latest details of the Romania-US Annual Strategic Dialogue that will take place tomorrow at 8:30 am at the Government headquarters," Ana Birchall wrote on Monday on Facebook. She also posted some photos from the meeting with Wess Mitchell, which also includes US Ambassador to Romania Hans Klemm. Deputy US Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, Wess Mitchell, started on Monday a visit to Bucharest, where he will meet with Romanian officials and independent analysts to discuss regional security and economic cooperation issues, according to a US Department of Commerce's release.Wess Mitchell will head the US delegation at the sixth meeting of the US-Romania Strategic Partnership Dialogue and will deliver a speech at the University of Bucharest.Wess Mitchell's visit to Bucharest is taking place during a European tour from June 17 to 22 that also includes visits to Zagreb, Prague and Brussels. Oil companies operating in the Black Sea should employ Romanian companies, which, even if they do not currently have deep-water drilling installations, may buy them in the future, said on Tuesday Gheorghe Constantin, chairman of the Competent Authority for Regulation of Offshore Oil Operations in the Black Sea (ACROPO). At an energy conference, he was asked if the latest form of the Offshore Oil Activity law retains the obligation on investors to work with Romanian firms. "Why is that a bad thing? What is wrong with obliging or asking an investor to create a workforce, to use Romanian hands? This is happening all over the world, I'm telling you, as I have walked all over the world and it's the same everywhere else. Every country is trying to protect its workforce. Why should someone else come when there are so many unemployed people?," said Constantin.He also said that these projects could attract back Romanian specialists who went to work for the offshore oil industry abroad.At the same time, he was asked if there were Romanian companies to hold the equipment the Black Sea oilmen may need, who would drill deep down, to which he answered in the negative."At present, no, there aren't. Deep-water drilling means over 150 metres of water. We have no installations capable of reaching such depth; the only installations that are currently in the possession of a Romanian company, Oil Services Group, are installations that are jack-up platforms, which can be used for a maximum water depth of 100 metres. So, unfortunately, we do not have what it takes for farther down," said the ACROPO official.However, the development of this sector may cause Romanian companies to purchase such equipment in the future, he added: "If this area begins to develop, as expected, next year one or two Romanian companies can invest in the purchase of semi-submersible platforms or drill ships." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) organized an information and documentation visit in the counties of Iasi and Suceava for the heads of the diplomatic missions accredited in Bucharest, June 14-17, informs a press release issued on Sunday for AGERPRES. The foreign diplomats participated in the meeting hosted by the prefect of Suceava County, Mirela Adomnicai and the vice-president of the Suceava County Council, Viorel Seredenciuc, also attended by Mayor of Suceava, Ion Lungu, the President of the Suceava Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nicolae Troase and the University of Suceava's Rector, Mihai Dimian. "At the meeting facilitated by the Director General for Global Affairs, Radu Safta, the participants were presented the Suceava County, as well as the tourist and investment opportunities on the territory of the county. The foreign diplomats had the opportunity to admire landmarks of the cultural and tourist heritage of Bucovina: The Citadel of Suceava, which was part of the fortifications system built in Moldavia at the end of the 14th century, the Putna Monastery, as well as the Voronet Monastery, also known as the 'Sistine Chapel of the East', included in 1993 by UNESCO on the World Heritage List," reads the press release.The quoted source informs that the schedule also included a visit to the village of Marginea, where the diplomatic corps actively participated in a pottery demonstration offered by the craftsmen in the area."The last day of the documentary journey began with a visit to the village of Vama, which this year is celebrating 610 years since its attestation. It hosts the Egg Museum in Bukovina, which includes an exhibition that brings together over 7,000 painted eggs from Romania, as well as from other countries. At the end of the visit, the host invited the foreign diplomats to contribute to the museum's collection by painting eggs. The program ended with a visit to the History Museum in Suceava, which hosts historical collections and landmarks which prove Romania's multiculturalism, as well as the Romanian people's endurance in these lands," the MAE release reads.The visit of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited to Bucharest in the Iasi and Suceava counties was organized in the context of the events dedicated to the Centennial of the First World War and the Greater Union. In 2014, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs included as a priority on the public and cultural diplomacy agenda the Multiannual Programme (2014-2018) of actions and events dedicated to the Centennial of the First World War and the Greater Union in order to promote the history of Romania in the national and international context. The European Union Summit due to take place on 9 May 2019 in Sibiu represents a matter of pride for Romania, the International Theatre Festival of Sibiu Chair, actor Constantin Chiriac said. "It is important we focus now on what the assessment of this festival means, for the summit to come to represent a matter of pride not only for Sibiu, but for Romania, to place Romania where it actually belongs, in the big dialogue area, the intercultural one, at least in this area," Constantin Chiriac said on Sunday evening at the end of FITS. Constantin Chiriac talked in Sibiu, during the festival with the Culture Minister about an artistic programme for next year's meeting, worth 2.5 million euro."I am in charge with next year's cultural side of the summit. Rest assured that the European leaders will see such joy and such quality, they will see why this nation is special and sometimes it can be forgiven certain sins, but it needs to be sometimes stimulated in what the creativity part is concerned. The Summit stands as a landmark. (...) The festival is due between 14 - 23 June next year too. (...) I proposed something to dazzle Europe and the world. It is natural we think of something unique from our part for the 27 heads of state. (...) There will be a great display of forces, between 6 and 11 May, the actual interval being 8-9, when the head of states will be here," Chiriac announced on Friday evening at the end of FITS' first day.If Constantin Chiriac's project gets approved, not only Europe's heads of state will enjoy the shows, but also the tourists and the inhabitants.Basically, before the International Theatre Festival, Sibiu will host another mini-festival in May.FITS is the most important festival of theatre events in Romania and one of the largest in Europe. This year, over half a million spectators form the entire world have seen over 3,000 artists who played in 500 shows, for ten days, everything made possible with a 13 million euro budget, according to Constantin Chiriac. Minister-delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu stated that Romania's integration in the Schengen Area is a right, a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) informs. According to the quoted source, Negrescu met on Monday with Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Stella Ronner-Grubacic, in the context of the debates related to Europe's future, but also of Dutch PM Mark Rutte's recent speech delivered in the plenary of the European Parliament meeting held in Strasbourg. Negrescu reiterated Romania's wish to join the Schengen, mentioning that our country is already enforcing the provisions of the Schengen acquis, thus acting as a de facto member with a significant contribution, ensuring the protection of the European Union's external border by managing with responsibility and efficiency over 2,000 kilometers of border, the MAE release shows."The Netherlands is an important partner for Romania in the European affairs area and we want to promote together policies and solutions meant to ensure the durable development of the European project. Taking into account the current challenges, we reiterate the fact that our country wants to participate in all the cooperation formats meant to deepen the European integration. Romania has met, for many years, all the criteria to join the Schengen area, it is an example at European level in terms of security, border protection and the states that are still reluctant regarding our integration should know that they have just as much to gain from our membership to the common space. Romania endorses a 'Union of Law and Rights,' where European rules, norms and laws are observed by everybody. In this context, Romania's integration into Schengen is a right," the Minister-delegate for European Affairs stated.Within the discussion, there were tackled topical issues on the European agenda, with both parties establishing the need to identify new ways to strengthen the dialogue between Romania and the Netherlands in the European affairs area. Minister-delegate for European Affairs Negrescu highlighted the good existing relations between the two states, especially in the economic area, underscoring that there are points over which Romania and the Netherlands can identify elements of convergence, the MAE release informs. USA hopes that the Romanian Parliament will adopt a law on offshore to encourage investments, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell said after delivering a speech at the Faculty of Law in Bucharest, informs Agerpres. When asked his opinion on the delays in Parliament related to this matter, the US official said that Romania is blessed with plenty of natural resources and has a unique opportunity to support not only energy security of South-East Europe, but also diversification in Europe, in general - that is a part offshore, a part onshore. More than that, Mitchell spoke about our country's chance to become an important player in the energy security field. In his opinion, from Romania's perspective the prospect for the country to become a natural gas exporter is an enthusiastic one, and not just because of the impact it would have in Europe, but also considering the number of jobs and investments it would bring in Romania. According to the US official, the USA is watching closely all these developments, hoping that the Parliament will adopt a law on offshore that will encourage investments through tax related mechanics and by the manner in which such law will be structured. He also said that, in his opinion, in the long run, the solution for Romania was to systematically create an environment where its resources will support European energy in a broader sense. During the Second World War, British pilots were fighting more than the German Messerschmitts. They were also fighting against the weathermore specifically, with fog. Fog was responsible for a large number of losses of RAF aircraft returning from bombing missions over Germany. Since most of these raids took place at night, fog would often obscure large areas of the ground making it difficult for the pilots to see the airfields and the runways. In these cases, the pilot would point his airplane towards the sea and then, while still over land, the crew would bail out by parachute leaving the aircraft to harmlessly crash into the ocean. With bombing raids involving several hundred aircraft, a significant number of bombers were lost to fog this way. An Avro Lancaster of the RAFs No 35 Squadron takes off with FIDO petrol burners on either side of the runway at Graveley, Huntingdonshire in May 1945. Fog has always been and continue to be a serious hazard in aviation. Fog leads to poor visibility, and visibility is crucial for making a safe landing. Henry Garrett Houghton, an electrical engineer at MIT, the United States, considered fog the greatest hindrance to the development of aviation. He believed that combatting fog would be the first breakthrough for humans trying to use science to modify weather, and a stepping stone to controlling it. In 1934, Houghton demonstrated that fog could be removed appreciably by spraying the air with calcium chloride. For his demonstration, Houghton built an apparatus consisting of a 100-foot long pipe fitted with downward spraying nozzles that he suspended 30 feet in the air. When the fog rolled through, he sprayed the misty cloud with 2.5 gallons of calcium chloride solution per second. In just three minutes, Houghtons machine turned an area with visibility of less than 500 feet into one where buildings more than a quarter-mile away were visible. Houghtons methods, though successful, was less than practical for commercial use in airports because of the vast quantities of calcium chloride required. Besides, calcium chloride is corrosive against the aluminum-alloy bodies of airplanes. Houghtons research in fog dissipation, however, didnt go to waste. It morphed into a new research field called cloud physics, which explores atmospheric condensation and precipitation. Image credit: Popular Science Aug 1945 By the 1940s, it became apparent that the only proven method of dispersing fog on a massive scale is by heating. So Prime Minister Churchill called the Petroleum Warfare department, an organization originally tasked with developing various creative uses of fire to thwart enemy invasion, and instructed them to develop a tool to defeat fog. The weapon that bore out of it was called FIDOFog Investigation Dispersal Operations". When the apparatus proved a brilliant success, it was renamed Fog Intensive Dispersal Of, retaining the original code name. FIDO consisted of two parallel pipelines running along either side of the runway through which fuel was pumped and sprayed out of burner jets positioned at regular intervals along the pipeline. Before an aircraft was due to land, a ground personnel with a flaming torch would run or drive along the pipes lighting the gasoline or kerosene vapors. Flames would shoot up all along the pipes burning with a fierce white-yellow glare, and the heat they generated would evaporate the suspended fog droplets in a matter of minutes. The first successful trial of the FIDO system was in 1942 in Hampshire, when a dense fog of 50 yards' visibility was cleared by petroleum burners in an area about 200 yards square to a height of 80 feet. Before long large-scale FIDO systems were routinely clearing the air to a height of several hundred feet. The glow of the burners could be seen from a hundred kilometers away. A member of staff at Blackbushe airport, Surrey ignites burners in preparation for aircraft to take off in fog in November 1952 The first operational use of FIDO took place in November 1943, after a little over a year of experimenting. Four Halifaxes landed successfully after a bombing expedition to the Ruhr, on a night when the visibility was only 100 yards prior to the lighting of the FIDO system. The FIDO revolutionized the war. It enabled more than 2,500 Allied aircraft to operate from more than 15 fog-covered airfields throughout Britain, made possible the bombing of Berlin thirty-six nights in succession, and enabled Allied bombers to take to the air during the Battle of the Bulge in December when the entire Europe was enveloped in dense fog. After the war, there was a plan to install FIDO at Heathrow airport, but the idea was dropped because of the high operating costsFIDO used huge quantities of fuel, as much as 450,000 liters per hour, while longer airfields used twice as much. Today, a modern aircraft can land in practically zero visibility, thanks to onboard computers and modern inventions such as radar and GPS. FIDO pumps at RAF Graveley May 1945 Tom ENGELHARDT hink of it as the all-American version of the human comedy: a great power that eternally knows what the world needs and offers copious advice with a tone deafness that would be humorous, if it werent so grim. If you look, you can find examples of this just about anywhere. Here, for instance, is a passage in The New York Times from a piece on the topsy-turvy Trumpian negotiations that preceded the Singapore summit. The Americans and South Koreans, wrote reporter Motoko Rich, want to persuade the North that continuing to funnel most of the countrys resources into its military and nuclear programs shortchanges its citizens economic well-being. But the North does not see the two as mutually exclusive. Think about that for a moment. The US has, of course, embarked on a trillion-dollar-plus upgrade of its already massive nuclear arsenal (and thats before the cost overruns even begin). Its Congress and president have for years proved eager to sink at least a trillion dollars annually into the budget of the national security state (a figure thats still rising and outpaces by far that of any other power on the planet), while its own infrastructure sags and crumbles. And yet it finds the impoverished North Koreans puzzling when they, too, follow such an extreme path. Clueless is not a word Americans ordinarily apply to themselves as a country, a people, or a government. Yet how applicable it is. And when it comes to cluelessness, theres another, far stranger path the United States has been following since at least the George W Bush moment that couldnt be more consequential and yet somehow remains the least noticed of all. On this subject, Americans dont have a clue. In fact, if you could put the United States on a psychiatrists couch, this might be the place to start. America contained In a way, its the oldest story on Earth: the rise and fall of empires. And note the plural there. It was never not until recently at least empire, always empires. Since the 15th century, when the fleets of the first European imperial powers broke into the larger world with subjugation in mind, it was invariably a contest of many. There were at least three or sometimes significantly more imperial powers rising and contesting for dominance or slowly falling from it. This was, by definition, the history of great powers on this planet: the challenging rise, the challenged decline. Think of it for so many centuries as the essential narrative of history, the story of how it all happened until at least 1945, when just two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, found themselves facing off on a global scale. Of the two, the US was always stronger, more powerful, and far wealthier. It theoretically feared the Russian Bear, the Evil Empire, which it worked assiduously to contain behind that famed Iron Curtain and whose adherents in the US, always modest in number, were subjected to a mania of fear and suppression. However, the truth at least in retrospect was that, in the Cold War years, the Soviets were actually doing Washington a strange, if unnoted, favor. Across much of the Eurasian continent, and other places from Cuba to the Middle East, Soviet power and the never-ending contest for influence and dominance that went with it always reminded American leaders that their own power had its limits. This, as the 21st century should have (but hasnt) made clear, was no small thing. It still seemed obvious then that American power could not be total. There were things it could not do, places it could not control, dreams its leaders simply couldnt have. Though no one ever thought of it that way, from 1945 to 1991, the United States, like the Soviet Union, was, after a fashion, contained. In those years, the Russians were, in essence, saving Washington from itself. Soviet power was a tangible reminder to American political and military leaders that certain areas of the planet remained no-go zones (except in what, in those years, were called the shadows). The Soviet Union, in short, rescued Washington from both the fantasy and the hell of going it alone, even if Americans only grasped that reality at the most subliminal of levels. That was the situation until December 1991 when, at the end of a centuries-long imperial race for power (and the never-ending arms race that went with it), there was just one gigantic power left standing on Planet Earth. It told you something about the thinking then that, when the Soviet Union imploded, the initial reaction in Washington wasnt triumphalism (though that came soon enough) but utter shock, a disbelieving sense that something no one had expected, predicted, or even imagined had nonetheless happened. To that very moment, Washington had continued to plan for a two-superpower world until the end of time. America uncontained Soon enough, though, the Washington elite came to see what happened as, in the phrase of the moment, the end of history. Given the wreckage of the Soviet Union, it seemed that an ultimate victory had been won by the very country its politicians would soon come to call the last superpower, the indispensable nation, the exceptional state, a land great beyond imagining (until, at least, Donald Trump hit the campaign trail with a slogan that implied greatness wasnt all-American any more). In reality, there were a variety of paths open to the last superpower at that moment. There was even, however briefly, talk of a peace dividend of the possibility that, in a world without contesting superpowers, taxpayer dollars might once again be invested not in the sinews of war-making but of peacemaking (particularly in infrastructure and the well-being of the countrys citizens). Such talk, however, lasted only a year or two and always in a minor key before being relegated to Washingtons attic. Instead, with only a few rickety rogue states left to deal with like gulp North Korea, Iraq and Iran that money never actually headed home, and neither did the thinking that went with it. Consider it the good fortune of the geopolitical dreamers soon to take the reins in Washington that the first Gulf War of 1990-1991, which ended less than a year before the Soviet Union collapsed, prepared the way for quite a different style of thinking. That instant victory led to a new kind of militarized dreaming in which a highly tech-savvy military, like the one that had driven Iraqi autocrat Saddam Husseins forces out of Kuwait in such short order, would be capable of doing anything on a planet without serious opposition. And yet, from the beginning, there were signs suggesting a far grimmer future. To take but one infamous example, Americans still remember the Black Hawk Down moment of 1993 when the worlds greatest military fell victim to a Somali warlord and local militias and found itself incapable of imposing its will on one of the least impressive not-quite-states on the planet (a place still frustrating that military a quarter-century later). In that post-1991 world, however, few in Washington even considered that the 20th century had loosed another phenomenon on the world, that of insurgent national liberation movements, generally leftist rebellions, across what had been the colonial world the very world of competing empires now being tucked into the history books and it hadnt gone away. In the 21st century, such insurgent movements, now largely religious, or terror-based, or both, would turn out to offer a grim new version of containment to the last superpower. Unchaining the indispensable nation On September 11, 2001, a canny global jihadist by the name of Osama bin Laden sent his air force (four hijacked US passenger jets) and his precision weaponry (19 suicidal, mainly Saudi followers) against three iconic targets in the American pantheon: the Pentagon, the World Trade Center, and undoubtedly the Capitol or the White House (neither of which was hit because one of those jets crashed in a field in Pennsylvania). In doing so, in a sense bin Laden not only loosed a literal hell on Earth, but unchained the last superpower. William Shakespeare would have had a word for what followed: hubris. But give the top officials of the Bush administration (and the neocons who supported them) a break. There had never been a moment like it: a moment of one. A single great power left alone, triumphant, on planet Earth. Just one superpower wealthy beyond compare, its increasingly high-tech military unmatched, its only true rival in a state of collapse had now been challenged by a small jihadist group. To president Bush, vice-president Dick Cheney, and the rest of their crew, it seemed like nothing short of a heaven-sent opportunity. As they came out of the shock of 9/11, of that Pearl Harbor of the 21st century, it was as if they had found a magic formula in the ruins of those iconic buildings for the ultimate control of the planet. As secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld would instruct an aide at the Pentagon that day, Go massive. Sweep it up. Things related and not. Within days, things related and not were indeed being swept up. The country was almost instantly said to be at war, and soon that conflict even had a name, the Global War on Terror. Nor was that war to be against just al-Qaeda, or even one country, an Afghanistan largely ruled by the Taliban. More than 60 countries said to have terror networks of various sorts found themselves almost instantly in the administrations potential gunsights. And that was just to be the beginning of it all. In October 2001, the invasion of Afghanistan was launched. In the spring of 2003, the invasion of Iraq followed, and those were only the initial steps in what was increasingly envisioned as the imposition of a Pax Americana on the Greater Middle East. There could be no doubt, for instance, that Iran and Syria, too, would soon go the way of Iraq and Afghanistan. Bushs top officials had been nursing just such dreams since, in 1997, many of them formed a think-tank (the first ever to enter the White House) called the Project for the New American Century and began to write out what were then the fantasies of figures nowhere near power. By 2003, they were power itself and their dreams, if anything, had grown even more grandiose. In addition to imagining a political Pax Republicana in the United States, they truly dreamed of a future planetary Pax Americana in which, for the first time in history, a single power would, in some fashion, control the whole works, the Earth itself. And this wasnt to be a passing matter either. The Bush administrations unilateralism rested on a conviction that it could actually create a future in which no country or even bloc of countries would ever come close to matching or challenging US military power. The administrations National Security Strategy of 2002 put the matter bluntly: The US was to build and maintain a military, in the phrase of the moment, beyond challenge. They had little doubt that, in the face of the most technologically advanced, bulked-up, destructive force on Earth, hostile states would be shocked and awed by a simple demonstration of its power, while friendly ones would have little choice but to come to heel as well. After all, as Bush said at a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in 2007, the US military was the greatest force for human liberation the world has ever known. Though there was much talk at the time about the liberation of Afghanistan and then Iraq, at least in their imaginations the true country being liberated was the planets lone superpower. Although the Bush administration was officially considered a conservative one, its key officials were geopolitical dreamers of the first order and their vision of the world was the very opposite of conservative. It harkened back to nothing and looked forward to everything. It was radical in ways that should have, but didnt, take the American publics breath away; radical in ways that had never been seen before. Shock and awe for the last superpower Think of what those officials did in the post-9/11 moment as the ultimate act of greed. They tried to swallow a whole planet. They were determined to make it a planet of one in a way that had never before been seriously imagined. It was, to say the least, a vision of madness. Even in a moment when it truly did seem to them at least that all constraints had been taken off, an administration of genuine conservatives might have hesitated. Its top officials might, at least, have approached the post-Soviet situation with a modicum of caution and modesty. But not George W Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and pals. In the face of what seemed like the ultimate in possibilities they proved clueless when it came to the possibility that anything on Earth might have a shot at containing them. Even among their critics, who could have imagined then that, more than 16 years later, having faced only lightly armed enemies of various sorts, still wealthy beyond compare, still with a military funded in a way the next seven countries couldnt cumulatively match, the United States would have won literally nothing? Who could have imagined that, unlike so many preceding imperial powers (including the US of the earlier Cold War era), it would have been able to establish control over nothing at all; that, instead, from Afghanistan to Syria, Iraq deep into Africa, it would find itself in a state of infinite war and utter frustration on a planet filled with ever more failed states, destroyed cities, displaced people, and right-wing populist governments, including the one in Washington? Who could have imagined that, with a peace dividend no longer faintly conceivable, this country would have found itself not just in decline, but a new term is needed to catch the essence of this curious moment in what might be called self-decline? Yes, a new power, China, is finally rising and doing so on a planet that seems itself to be going down. Here, then, is a conclusion that might be drawn from the quarter-century-plus in which America was both unchained and largely alone. The Earth is admittedly a small orb in a vast universe, but the history of this century so far suggests one reality about which Americas rulers proved utterly clueless: After so many hundreds of years of imperial struggle, this planet still remains too big, too disparate, too ornery to be controlled by a single power. What the Bush administration did was simply take one gulp too many and the result has been a kind of national (and planetary) indigestion. Despite what it looked like in Washington once upon a time, the disappearance of the Soviet Union proved to be no gift at all, but a disaster of the first order. It removed all sense of limits from Americas political class and led to a tale of greed on a planetary scale. In the process, it also set the US on a path to self-decline. The history of greed in our time has yet to be written, but what a story it will someday make. In it, the greed of those geopolitical dreamers will intersect with the greed of an ever wealthier, ever more gilded 1%, of the billionaires who were preparing to swallow whole the political system of that last superpower and grab so much of the wealth of the planet, leaving so little for others. Whether youre talking about the urge to control the planet militarily or financially, what took place in these years could, in the end, result in ruin of a historic kind. To use a favored phrase from the Bush years, one of these days we Americans may be facing little short of regime change on a planetary scale. And what a piece of shock and awe thats likely to prove to be. All of us, of course, now live on the planet Bushs boys tried to swallow whole. They left us in a world of infinite war, infinite harm, and in Donald Trumps America where cluelessness has been raised to a new power. atimes.com With the United Nations warning that millions of civilians could die from violence or starvation from the ongoing military siege of the Yemeni port city of Hodeida, there is no other way to describe what is happening except as genocide. The more than three-year war on Yemen waged by a Western-backed Saudi coalition has been arguably genocidal from the outset, with up to eight million people facing imminent starvation due to the years-long blockade on the Arabian country, as well as from indiscriminate air strikes. But the latest offensive on the Red Sea city of Hodeida threatens to turn the worlds already worst humanitarian disaster into a mass extermination. Hodeida is the entry point for 90 per cent of all food and medical aid into Yemen. If the citys port stops functioning from the military offensive as UN aid agencies are warning then an entire country population of more than 20 million will, as a result, be on the brink of death. The Saudi coalition which includes Emirati forces and foreign mercenaries as well as remnants from the previous regime (which the Western media mendaciously refer to as government forces) is fully backed by the US, Britain and France. This coalition says that by taking Hodeida it will hasten the defeat of Houthi rebels. But to use the cutting off of food and other vital aid to civilian populations as a weapon is a blatant war crime. It is absolutely inexcusable. This past week an emergency session at the UN Security Council made the lily-livered call for the port city to remain open. But it stopped short of demanding an end to the offensive being led by Saudi and Emirati forces against Hodeida, which is the second biggest stronghold for Houthi rebels after the capital Sanaa. The port citys population of 600,000 is at risk from the heavy fighting underway, including air strikes and naval bombardment, even before food, water and medicines supply is halted. Since the Security Council meeting was a closed-door session, media reports did not indicate which members of the council voted down the Swedish call for an immediate end to hostilities. However, given that three permanent members of the council, the US, Britain and France, are militarily supporting the Saudi-led offensive on Hodeida, one can assume that these states blocked the call for a cessation. As the horror of Hodeida unfolds, Western media are reporting with a strained effort to whitewash the criminal role of the American, British and French governments in supporting the offensive. Western media confine their focus narrowly on the humanitarian plight of Hodeidas inhabitants and the wider Yemeni population. But the media are careful to omit the relevant context, which is that the offensive on Hodeida would not be possible without the crucial military support of Western governments. If the Western public were properly informed, the uproar would be an embarrassing problem for Western governments and their servile news media. What is notable in the Western media reportage is the ubiquitous descriptor when referring to the Houthi rebels. Invariably, they are described as Iran-backed. That label is used to implicitly justify the Saudi and Emirati siege of Hodeida because the operation is said to be part of a proxy war against Iran. The BBC, France 24, CNN, Deutsche Welle, New York Times and Washington Post are among media outlets habitually practicing this misinformation on Yemen. Both Iran and the Houthis have said that there is no military linkage. Granted, Iran politically and diplomatically supports the Houthis, and the Yemeni population generally, suffering from the war. The Houthis share a common Shia Muslim faith as Iran, but that is a far cry from military involvement. There is no evidence of Iran being militarily involved in Yemen. The claim of a linkage relies heavily on assertion by the Saudis and Emiratis which is peddled uncritically by Western media. Even the US government has shied away from making forthright accusations against Iran supporting the Houthis militarily. Washingtons diffidence is a tacit admission that the allegations are threadbare. Besides, how could a country which is subjected to an illegal Saudi blockade of its land, sea and air routes conceivably receive weapons supplied from Iran? By contrast, while the Western media repeatedly refer to the Houthis as Iran-backed, what the same media repeatedly omit is the descriptor of American-backed or British and French-backed when referring to the Saudi and Emirati forces that have been pounding Yemen for over three years. Unlike the breathless claims of Iranian linkage to the Houthis, the Western military connection is verified by massive weapons exports, and indeed coy admissions by Western governments, when they are put to it, that they are supplying fuel and logistics to aid and abet the Saudi and Emirati war effort in Yemen. Last week, the New York Times affected to lament the infernal conditions in Yemen as a complex war, as if the conflict is an unfathomable, unstoppable mystery. Why doesnt the New York Times publish bold editorials bluntly calling for an end to US government complicity in Yemen? Or perhaps that is too complex for the Times editorial board? The Washington Post also wrung its hands last week, saying: The worlds most dire humanitarian crisis may get even worse. Emirati-led [and Saudi] offensive underway against port city of Hodeida, which is controlled by Iran-backed [sic] Houthi rebels. In its report, the Post did not mention the fact that air strikes by Saudi and Emirati forces are carried out with American F-15 fighter jets, British Typhoons and French Dassault warplanes. Incongruously, the Post cites US officials claiming that their forces are not directly involved in the offensive on the port city. How is that credible when air strikes are being conducted day after day? The Washington Post doesnt bother to ask further. In a BBC report last week also lamenting the humanitarian crisis in Hodeida, there was the usual evidence-free casual labelling of Houthi rebels as Iran-backed. But, incredibly, in the entire article (at least in early editions) there was not a single mention of the verifiable fact that the Saudi and Emirati military are supplied with billions-of-dollars-worth of British, American and French weapons. In the final paragraph of its early edition of the report, the BBC editorializes: In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and eight other mainly Sunni Muslim Arab states launched a military campaign to restore [exiled president] Hadis government after becoming alarmed by the rise of the Houthi group which they see as an Iranian Shia Muslim proxy. Note the BBCs lame and unconvincing implication of Iran. This is a stupendous distortion of the Yemeni conflict by the British state-owned broadcaster which, astoundingly, or perhaps that should be audaciously, completely airbrushes out any mention of how Western governments have fueled the genocidal war on Yemen. At the end of 2014, the American and Saudi puppet self-styled president Mansour Hadi was kicked out by a Yemeni popular revolt led by the Houthis, but not exclusive to these rebels. The Yemeni uprising involved Shia and Sunni. To portray Iran as sponsoring a Shia proxy is a vile distortion which the Saudis and their Western backers have used in order to justify attacking Yemen for the objective of re-installing their puppet, who has been living in exile in the Saudi capital Riyadh. In short, covering up a criminal war of aggression with lies. In reality, the Yemen war is about Western powers and their Arab despot client regimes trying to reverse a successful popular revolt that aspired to bring a considerably more democratic government to the Arab regions poorest country, overcoming the decades it languished as a Western, Saudi client kleptocracy. For over three years, Saudi and Emirati forces, supported with Western warplanes, bombs, missiles, attack helicopters, naval power, and air refueling, as well as targeting logistics, have waged a non-stop bombing campaign on Yemeni civilians. Nothing has been off-limits. Hospitals, schools, markets, mosques, funerals, wedding halls, family homes, farms, water-treatment plants and power utilities, all have been mercilessly obliterated. Even graveyards have been bombed. Even during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Saudi-led coalition the supposed custodian of the two holy mosques of Mecca and Medina has continued to massacre innocents from the air. Elsewhere in the region, Western politicians and media have mounted hysterical protests against the Syrian government and its Russian ally when they have liberated cities from Western-backed terrorists, accusing Syria and Russia of war crimes and inhuman sieges. None of these hyperbolic Western media campaigns concerning Syria has ever been substantiated. Recall Aleppo? East Ghouta? The Syrian people have gladly returned to rebuild their lives now in peace under Syrian government protection after the Western terror proxies were routed. Western media claims about Syria have transpired to be outrageous lies, which have been hastily buried by the media as if they were never told in the first place. Yet in Yemen there is an ongoing, veritable genocidal war fully supported by Western governments. The latest barbarity is the siege of Hodeida with the callous, murderous objective of finally starving a whole population into submitting to the Western, Saudi, Emirati writ for dominating the country. This is Nuremberg-standard capital crimes. With no exaggeration, Western news media are a Goebbels-like propaganda ministry par excellence whose duty is to whitewash genocide conducted by their governments. The barefaced lies and sly omissions being told about Yemen is one more reason among many reasons why the Western media have forfeited any vestige of credibility. They are serving as they usually do Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, Syria among others as accomplices in an epic war crime against Yemen. Photo: Geopolitics Alert The scrutiny cell of Election Commission of Pakistan on Monday provided the entire details of candidates to returning officers. The scrutiny has restarted as the Eid holidays of ROs came to an end today. They are required to complete the inspection process of the papers till tomorrow. At least 11 percent of the candidates submitting nomination papers are defaulters. Among them 1500 are defaulters of Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL), 383 of bank and 310 are of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL). The ROs have also been informed of the dual citizenship of 122 candidates. Moreover, 2300 candidates out of 21000 have been termed as extremely dubious. The ROs will decide over the eligibility and non-eligibility of the candidates till tomorrow. According to Election Commission, a total of 21,482 nomination papers have been filed across the country for national and provincial assemblies. As many as 6063 candidates are contesting for 342 seats of the National Assembly while 15419 nomination papers have been filed for the provincial assemblies seats. As per the election schedule, appeals against rejection or acceptance of nomination papers can be filed by June 22. Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was cleared to contest elections from Lahores NA-125 constituency on Monday after the returning officer (RO) accepted her nomination papers. The decision came as RO Asif Bashir dismissed all objections raised during scrutiny of her nomination papers. Maryam is expected to contest on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawazs ticket to contest the July 25 general elections from Lahores NA-125 and NA-127 constituency. The NA-125 constituency, situated in the heart of Lahore, was the NA-120 constituency prior to the new delimitation of constituencies.NA-120 was bagged by former premier Nawaz in the 2013 elections and after his disqualification, by his wife Kulsoom Nawaz even though she did not take part in the campaign herself. Maryam had spearheaded the NA-120 by-election campaign for her mother in 2017 following Nawazs disqualification. At the time, Kulsoom had defeated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Dr Yasmin Rashid by over 14,000 votes. Addressing a public meeting in Umerkot, GDA leader Arbab Raheem withdrew his candidature from NA-220 in favour of PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Speaking on the occasion, PTIs Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the politics of Sindh would witness a wave of change in the upcoming general elections. He added that PPP has done nothing for the people of the province adding that PPP did politics of collusion in the province for ten years. A suicide attack in restive eastern Afghanistan on Sunday killed at least 14 people and wounded many others, officials said, in the second attack in as many days. The explosion happened outside the Nangarhar provincial governor's office in the capital Jalalabad, his spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP. 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. The attack came a day after a suicide bomber targeted a joint gathering of Afghan Taliban fighters, police and army personnel who were celebrating an unprecedented ceasefire and Eidul Fitr. Death toll from suicide bombing in Afghanistan climbs to 36 The death toll from a suicide bombing against a gathering of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan has risen to 36, an official said on Sunday. Najibullah Kamawal, director of the health department in the eastern Nangarhar province, said another 65 people were wounded in Saturday's attack. The bomber targeted a gathering of fighters who were celebrating a three-day truce coinciding with the Eidul Fitr holiday. No one immediately claimed the attack, but it was likely carried out by the militant Islamic State (IS) group, which was not included in the cease-fire and has clashed with the Taliban in the past. After the attack, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a nine-day extension of the cease-fire. The three-day holiday and cease-fire ends 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, according to photos and videos posted online that appeared to be authentic. Taliban leaders have at different times expressed interest in holding peace talks to end the conflict. But they have refused to meet with the United States-backed government, saying they will only negotiate with the US directly. They have also demanded the withdrawal of all foreign forces. Taliban say ceasefire will not be extended, fighting to resume The Taliban said on Sunday they would not extend their three-day ceasefire with Afghan security forces and fighting would resume, dashing hopes for the recent peace to continue. The comments by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid come after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced on 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. We have no intention to extend the ceasefire, Mujahid told AFP in a WhatsApp message. The first formal, nationwide ceasefire in the country since the 2001 US invasion had been met with jubilation across the country as Afghans Taliban, security forces and civilians celebrated Eid, the holiday that caps the fasting month of Ramadan. Suspected Boko Haram militants 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 Eidul Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Following the suicide bombings, the militants 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. 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 militant 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 militants 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 militants 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. The first group of the refugees who were rescued by a charity vessel but were turned away by Italy and Malta have arrived in Spain. The refugees disembarked in the Spanish port of Valencia just before 6:30 am (0430 GMT) on Sunday from the Italian coast guard ship Dattilo, which is one of two Italian vessels that took some of the 630 passengers who had been on board the charity vessel Aquarius before escorting it to Spain. The others will arrive on another Italian navy ship, the Orione, and the Aquarius itself by noon, regional authorities said. A huge banner was put up at the port that read Welcome home in various languages. The refugees comprise 450 adult males and 80 females including at least seven pregnant women as well as 11 minors under 13 and 89 adolescents, according to figures released by authorities in Valencia. They come from 26 countries, mainly from Africa but also from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Italys new Interior Minister and leader of the far-right League Party Matteo Salvini closed Italian ports to Aquarius last week. He also sent a letter to the island-state of Malta, south of Italy, threatening to close all Italian ports to Malta if the Maltese government refused to take the ship, which Malta did anyway. As a result, the refugees were stranded in international waters between the two countries with diminishing food and drink supplies and incoming bad weather. Spain finally stepped forward to accept the refugees. France to take in some of the refugees Meanwhile, Spain said on Saturday that it had accepted an offer from France to take in some of the 630 refugees from the Aquarius rescue ship. The French government will work together with the Spanish government to handle the arrival of the migrants, Spains Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said in a statement. France will accept migrants who express the wish to go there once they have been processed in Valencia. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for the offer, saying it was exactly the kind of cooperation Europe needs at this hour. The dispute between Italy and Malta had laid bare rare disunity among European countries. France rebuked Italy for irresponsibility by refusing to take in the refugees. Rome hit back hard at Paris, saying it needed no lessons from France. Europe has launched a string of schemes to tackle its worst refugee crisis since World War II. The continent has been hit since 2014 by an unprecedented influx of refugees who are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in North Africa and the Middle East, in particular Syria. Thousands of asylum seekers have perished at sea. LYSANDER, N.Y. -- A Baldwinsville man died this weekend, days after a pickup truck driver struck him on Route 31 in Lysander, Onondaga County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jon Seeber said. Donald Milazzo died at 7:06 p.m. Saturday at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. He was 27. The driver of a 2011 Nissan pickup truck struck Milazzo at 11:19 p.m. Wednesday on Route 31 in front of the CountryMax store, deputies have said. The pickup truck driver, Ryan Ziparo, 29, of Baldwinsville, was not injured and cooperated with the investigation, Seeber said. Deputies investigating the crash have said the victim appeared to have been walking in the westbound lane of Route 31 when he was struck by the pickup. Milazzo was unconscious in the road with life-threatening injuries when first responders arrived, Seeber said. Milazzo underwent emergency surgery after he arrived at the hospital, and was in critical condition until he died, deputies said. A portion of Route 31 near Willett Parkway was closed for several hours after the crash while members of the sheriff's Accident Investigation Team investigated the scene. Sunday night, Seeber described what happened as an "accident." No tickets have been issued, although the accident remains under investigation, Seeber said. Syracuse, NY -- A Mattydale man who ran a music studio pleaded guilty today to repeated sexual abuse of a child for giving a young girl foot rubs to please himself. Michael Waite's plea to course of sexual conduct against a child came after a jury failed to reach a verdict after two days of deliberations. But the jury did decide that Waite was guilty of endangering the girl's welfare, a misdemeanor. Waite, 42, had admitted to others that he gave the girl foot rubs for 7 1/2 years, starting from the period she was very young. The girl told authorities that Waite used her feet to touch his privates repeatedly during that time. This afternoon, County Court Judge Stephen Dougherty promised Waite a sentence of 10 years' probation if he pleaded guilty to the felony, which carries a possible prison sentence of 7 years. Waite, who ran an East Syracuse music studio, took the plea. He will also become a registered sex offender. The victim in this case was not a student at his studio. If Waite hadn't taken the plea, he likely would have faced a new jury trial. His guilty plea closed a heated court battle between prosecutor Jordan Aiello and defense lawyer David Zukher. In the midst of making allegations against Waite, the victim also accused Waite's wife of sex abuse, too, before taking back that allegation. Zukher, the defense lawyer, argued that the girl made up the sex abuse allegations to hurt Waite. He also lambasted the police investigation. Aiello, the prosecutor, argued the girl was worthy of belief and had not gained anything by coming forward. Waite had admitted to giving the girl foot rubs, she noted. There was no physical or forensic evidence used against Waite. He was not accused of any other sexual abuse other than using the foot rubs to please himself. Five Guys in Fairmount. Syracuse, NY -- A former manager of the Fairmount Five Guys Burgers & Fries was sent to state prison today after failing to repay a substantial portion of her $122,000 theft. Darcy Lyons, 48, of Fellows Avenue, Syracuse, pleaded guilty in July 2017 to pocketing nightly cash deposits from July 2015 to May 2016, which she apparently spent on routine household items, prosecutor Jeff Albert said. There was no indication she bought any fancy items -- like a house or car -- with the stolen money. Her elderly father took out a reverse mortgage on his house to help her repay $20,000 of the theft, Albert said today. But Lyons hadn't repaid much more of the remaining $100,000. "Your elderly father stepped up to the plate for you," County Court Judge Thomas J. Miller told Lyons today. "The last thing any father would want is to see his daughter go to state prison." But that didn't come close to repaying the company for the missing money. So after waiting nearly a year for repayment, Miller sentenced Lyons to 1 2/3 to 5 years in prison. The thefts took a big toll on the business, the judge noted. The owner, who controls six Five Guys locations -- from Watertown to Elmira -- under "Baldy Burger LLC," stopped taking a salary and borrowed from his children's college fund after the thefts, the judge noted, based on conversations with the victim. Plans to open another store were placed on hold, the judge continued. Lyons' lawyer, James Daley, had been pushing for probation, noting that the probation department had considered her a good candidate to make restitution. But Miller noted that would take a "substantial" amount of time to repay the remaining $100,000 not covered by Lyons' father. "Some repayment has been made due to your father's efforts," the judge said, but added later: "Your victim can't continue to wait that period of time." The prosecutor said the theft originally appeared to be $140,000. Lyons initially blamed her sloppiness for the missing money, eventually finding $20,000 in deposits sitting in a back room that had never been cashed. That brought the total theft down to $122,000. Lyons, who remained free on bail, was handcuffed and led away after sentencing today. The owner, who was not publicly identified in court, did not attend today's sentencing. He is not the original owner of the local franchises, but took over the business in 2014, according to state records. Heather Locklear hospitalized for suicide risk Heather Locklear has been hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation after allegedly threatening to kill herself. ET reports the 56-year-old actress was taken for treatment Sunday after a family member called 911, saying Locklear was acting erratically and at risk for suicide. According to TMZ, dispatch audio says the former "Melrose Place" star was trying to find a gun to shoot herself, hours after she got violent when her parents came over for Father's Day, choking her mother and hitting her father. It's the latest trouble for Locklear, who was arrested in February on charges of misdemeanor battery on a police officer and one charge of resisting or obstructing an officer during a domestic violence call. She entered a treatment facility in March after her 20-year-old daughter reportedly "begged" her to go to rehab. Don't Edit Getty Images Heather Locklear appears at left in a February 2018 mugshot provided by the Ventura County Sheriffs Office, and at right attending TNT's 25th Anniversary Party at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 24, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. Don't Edit Ann Coulter under fire Ann Coulter is under fire after claiming immigrant children being separated from their parents are "child actors" on Fox News. The conservative commentator turned to the camera to directly address President Trump with her claims, supporting his administration's zero-tolerance policy at the border. "I would also say one other thing, these child actors weeping and crying on all the other networks 24/7 right now -- do not fall for it, Mr. President," Coulter said, before adding that she "get[s] very nervous about the president getting his news from TV." Coulter's comments come as Melania Trump, former first lady Laura Bush and some Republican politicians have expressed concerns about the child separation policy, especially after photos showed young children locked in cages at a Border Patrol facility in Texas. Don't Edit Ann Coulter on Fox News calls crying immigrant children "child actors" and looks directly into the camera to warn Trump not to fall for it. pic.twitter.com/SIjrocmxKB Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) June 18, 2018 Don't Edit Sandy Hook parents are suing Alex Jones for defamation for calling their dead children crisis actors, rightfully so, and someone should do the exact same thing to Ann Coulter for her sickening conspiracy theory that innocent kids suffering in cages are actors. Adam Best (@adamcbest) June 18, 2018 Don't Edit Don't Edit John Oliver blasts Sessions' defense of immigration policy While we're on the topic, John Oliver used part of "Last Week Tonight" Sunday to criticize U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions for claiming the Trump administration's new immigration policy is an enforcing the law as written -- "there is no law that suddenly required separating parents from their children," the HBO host said. Oliver also blasted Sessions and Sarah Huckabee Sanders for claiming the Bible is a basis for the policy: "From a policy perspective, he might as well be citing Green Eggs and Ham, saying, 'We must keep children in a box/ We must keep children with a fox.'" Note: Video contains explicit language not suitable for younger viewers. Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Marvin Gaye biopic After sharing his own experience with N.W.A. on the big screen in "Straight Outta Compton," Dr. Dre is working on a new biopic about Marvin Gaye. Variety reports the rapper and hip-hop mogul has secured the rights to Gaye's music for a movie and is the first to receive permission from Gaye's family to tell the late singer's story. F. Gary Gray, Cameron Crowe, Lenny Kravitz and others previously tried to tell Gaye's life in a film, but Dr. Dre may finally get to make it happen. Gaye was the voice of hits like "Sexual Healing," "Let's Get It On" and "What's Going On" before he was fatally shot in 1984 by his father. There's no word yet on a possible cast or director. Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit 'DWTS' pros engaged Guess who'll be dancing down the aisle soon? "Dancing with the Stars" pros Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson got engaged in Italy. Val C shared a photo of himself getting down on one knee and proposing on Instagram, where he wrote that he "can't wait to make you my wife." Jenna wrote back: "I knew the moment I met you, you were the man of my dreams and I wanted to be with you forever." No word yet on a wedding date, but you can expect the guest list to include former "DWTS" contestants and pros alike. Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Nicole Scherzinger feels like a woman Former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger is joining in the fun on "Lip Sync Battle" with a performance of Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman." The 39-year-old singer and reality TV star goes for more of a country look than the outfits Twain wore in the 1999 hit's music video -- but that may be on purpose as Syracuse native Megyn Kelly did just that last year for Halloween Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert video Speaking of country, stars Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert team up for their first song together in over a decade. Rolling Stone reports the music video for "Drowns the Whiskey" was filmed at Springwater, a famed Nashville dive bar that's the oldest in Tennessee. The track appears on Aldean's latest album, "Rearview Town." Don't Edit Don't Edit More Buzz: 'Hunger Games' actress Amandla Stenberg comes out as gay ( BB Mindy Kaling says it's unfair so many movie critics are white men ( DN Ted Cruz beats Jimmy Kimmel in basketball showdown, will air tonight ( THR 'Real Housewives' star Tamra Judge poses nude selfies on vacation ( DM Chris Pratt is stoke about possible 'Parks and Rec' reunion ( ET Pitbull collaborating with Britney Spears, Marc Anthony next ( BB 'WOW: Women of Wrestling' TV series coming to AXS TV ( THR Julie Chen reveals cast for 'Big Brother' season 20 ( E! Jim James announces solo acoustic tour ( RS 'Captain Marvel' will feature first female composer for MCU movie ( DN Ariana Grande teases new interlude called 'Pete' ( BB Don't Edit AM BUZZ: Jay-Z, Beyonce surprise album; Matt 'Guitar' Murphy dies; Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin confirm they're dating; more https://t.co/fGa54xO2HQ Geoff Herbert (@deafgeoff) June 18, 2018 Don't Edit Don't Edit .@SyracuseU alum Ashley Iaconetti gets engaged on 'Bachelor in Paradise' (photos) https://t.co/mRFwvHqjWb Geoff Herbert (@deafgeoff) June 18, 2018 LISBON, N.Y. -- A 7-year-old Amish boy was critically injured last week when a pickup truck driver struck the back of a horse and buggy, state police said. Levi Miller was riding in the Amish buggy at 7:46 p.m. Wednesday on county Route 10 in Lisbon, about six miles from the Canadian border in St. Lawrence County, when the crash happened. Troopers say James J. Crobar, 28, of Heuvelton, was driving a Ford F-250 pickup truck west on county Route 10 when he didn't see the Amish buggy -- also traveling west -- in front of him. When Crobar's pickup struck the back of the buggy, the boy and 30-year-old John D. Miller, were thrown from the buggy, troopers said. John and Levi Miller, both of Lisbon, were taken to Canton-Potsdam Hospital. John Miller was treated and released. Levi Miller was then transferred to the Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where he was being treated for head trauma, state police said in a news release. Sunday night, a nursing supervisor at the hospital in Syracuse said Levi Miller's condition had improved from critical to serious. Crobar was evaluated at the scene, but did not want to go to a hospital. There are conflicting reports of the horse's condition. After the crash Wednesday, state police issued a statement that read: "A local ranch-veterinarian came to the scene due to the injuries of the horse, and was able provide treatment. The horse is expected to make a recovery." However, social media posts from the last day have questioned that report. One woman posted on Facebook that she had to "euthanize one of the nicest little hardworking Amish buggy horses" after this crash, which she described happened on a straight stretch of the road in daylight. State police have said the crash remains under investigation. Mike Pence is Vice President of the United States of America. By Mike Pence | Special to Syracuse.com When I visit Central New York Tuesday, I will deliver an important message to the hardworking men and women of the Empire State: Our agenda is working - and we're just getting started. Since Day One of our administration, President Donald Trump has taken decisive action to revive the engine of the American economy. We've been cutting regulations at a record pace, fighting for trade that puts America First, and last year, with the strong support of Republican majorities in Congress, President Trump signed into law the largest tax cuts and reform in American history. VP Mike Pence to visit Syracuse for Rep. John Katko's fundraiser Less than six months later, our tax cuts are already expanding opportunity and putting more money in the pockets of New York's working families. Under our tax plan, the first $24,000 of income for a married couple is income-tax free, nearly double what it was before. The child tax credit is twice as high, rising from $1,000 to $2,000 per child. All told, the typical family of four in Central New York will see a tax cut of more than $2,400 every year. We also cut taxes for businesses large and small, so they can compete - and win - with companies around the world. Job creators across New York are already responding by expanding their operations and investing in their employees - proving once again that a tax cut for business is a pay raise for workers. And as the economy continues to grow in response to our tax cuts, our administration estimates that annual wages for New York workers will rise by as much as $5,000 in the years ahead. But it's not just our tax cuts that are helping New York's working families. Across the board, President Trump has been keeping his promises to usher in a new era of security and prosperity in America. With the strong support of congressional leaders like Central New York native Rep. John Katko, we've been securing our borders, enforcing our laws and taking dangerous criminals and drug dealers off our streets. We're on track to partner with states and law enforcement as never before to invest nearly $6 billion to combat opiate addiction. And to empower New York job creators to grow and hire new workers, we've eliminated 22 job-killing regulations for every new one put on the books. We've also taken decisive action to crack down on unfair trading practices that threaten the hardworking men and women who are the backbone of Central New York's economy - from dairy farmers to steel workers. And President Trump will use every tool at his disposal to keep fighting for new trade deals that are free, fair and reciprocal. VP Mike Pence plans visit to Nucor steel plant in Auburn The results we're seeing in Central New York and across the country are nothing short of remarkable. Since Election Day 2016, when businesses began investing and making decisions based upon the president-elect's policy proposals, businesses have created more than 3.4 million new jobs nationwide, according to the latest jobs numbers. This includes more than 2,500 new jobs here in Syracuse, and all across New York, businesses of all sizes have created more than 174,000 jobs. Since our inauguration, the unemployment rate in Syracuse has fallen by nearly a sixth. But make no mistake: the best is yet to come, because under President Donald Trump, the forgotten men and women of America are forgotten no more. In the days ahead, we will continue to deliver on the promises we made to the people of Central New York, and together we will make America great again. VP's wife, Karen Pence, to visit Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital Update: After these letters were published, Rep. John Katko issued a statement opposing the Trump administration's policy of separating families. See story here. Immigration contrast: detaining 'illegals' we employ to pick our fruit To the Editor: Two articles in the Sunday Post-Standard offer an interesting contrast: "Strawberry season is ripe for the picking in Central New York" on Page I1, and "America is better than this" on page B1. Not only do the happy, strawberry-picking children contrast the crying Honduran child, but many of the "illegals" come to America to pick our fruit for us. Steven Chappell North Syracuse U.S. cannot be a 'free-for-all lifeboat for the whole world' To the Editor: Likely a great, great number of us American citizens are the descendants of folks who came here from distant lands for relief of some type. My dad's parents were full Germans and arrived here around the early 1920s. Like multitudes of others, they entered this country legally, had no outstanding criminal issues, came with good intent to abide by all our laws and become law-abiding, responsible, productive citizens, and that's exactly what they did. Some things to consider: America cannot be a reckless, free-for-all lifeboat for the whole world. The Titanic's lifeboats could only carry so many, or go down. The same could happen to America. Every person in a U.S. jail is separated from their family because of their own crime. If I stole your car and assaulted your wife or daughter, but otherwise stayed under the radar and had my own business, is that OK with you? True liberals want to throw out the laws that made this country the greatest it ever was, like rebellious, irresponsible teenagers. The "I'm OK, you're OK, leave me alone and I will you" mentality leads to the rampant lawlessness we see every day. One last truth for us all: The Creator of this universe who was the main character in the founding of this great nation has not changed His mind or laws. "Liberal" or "conservative," each answer to Him one day. Paul D. Grossman Vernon Using Bible to justify separating families is 'abhorrent' To the Editor: Attorney General Jeff Sessions' recent statement quoting a Bible passage to justify the current separation of children from their parents is abhorrent. When people use their religion to justify treating human beings as if they are not human, well, that just proves all the more how critical it is that we uphold the separation of church in state in this country. How far we have come from "Give us your tired, your poor." Ann Bliss Pilcher Jamesville Father's Day a good time for Katko to speak out To the Editor: Happy Fathers Day, Rep. John Katko. I hope you had the opportunity to spend time with your children and count the blessings of fatherhood. I, myself, enjoyed time with my own young children, but the day was marred by the knowledge that my member of Congress is sitting quietly while my government is tearing other families apart; while children are being detained in tents at the border after being forcibly removed from their parents; while your party proposes to "fix" this problem by detaining the children in worse conditions for a longer period of time; and while hard working fathers of your district are being deported away from the families they love and support. If you wanted to enjoy your day with your own family without being complicit with these violations of human decency and the teaching of your own faith, may I suggest that you have two choices. You could start speaking out against your party's immoral policies and work with others to end them. Or you could resign and let someone else do the job that needs to be done. Jeremy Zhe-Heimerman Syracuse History repeats itself with callousness toward persecuted children To the Editor: From 1938 to 1940, the British government rescued thousands of refugee Jewish children from Nazi Germany under the name, Kindertransport, after changing its immigration policy after Kristallnacht. Surprisingly, in 1940, many of these children were then placed in internment camps as enemy aliens. In February 1939, the U.S. Congress refused to allow the admission of 20,000 Jewish children from Germany. And on June 3, 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt denied admission of the 937 passengers, who left Germany on the infamous voyage of the ocean liner St. Louis, leading to the eventual murder of all but 278 in the Holocaust. Denying blame, President Donald Trump has ordered the removal 1,995 children from their parents when they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border over the past six weeks seeking refuge from violence, poverty and environmental change. In June 2018, Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions announced that the most common avenues to asylum would be permanently closed; those fleeing domestic violence and gang violence, although declared as a major danger in the U.S., would no longer qualify for safety in this country. Editorial comments are not needed. The parallels seem obvious that when societal morality breaks down in the name of election politics, ethical standards are trampled. People are permanently damaged or even killed and we, as a nation, hide behind false rhetoric, falsely quoting the Bible and touting our human rights to deny safety to others. We need to take a stand because our Congressional representatives remain silent. We must demand that our Congress stop this barbarism now. Dr. John L. Ghertner Wayne Action for Racial Equality Sodus Katko remains silent as administration perpetrates child abuse To the Editor: The Trump administration is engaged in a deliberately perverse abuse of power, separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. President Donald Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions (Department of "Justice"), and Kirstjen Nielsen (Department of "Homeland Security") have become perpetrators of child abuse. They pretend that they are required to separate families, but that is a deliberate distortion of the law. This country's immigration laws give them plenty of discretion to act humanely, but they choose to violate universal standards for keeping children and parents together whenever possible. This country's immigration laws recognize these families' right to seek asylum from persecution, abuse, violence and profiling in their home countries. This right is violated when minor children are separated from parents even though the children are clearly too young to themselves present their legitimate claims to asylum. It is shameful that the Trump administration perpetrates child abuse. It is equally shameful that Rep. John Katko remains silent while children are being traumatized as a ploy to "discourage" other desperate people from seeking shelter in our country: our country, which is made up of immigrants who so often came to the United States to seek refuge from oppression. Katko remains silent about treatment that he would never accept happening to his or his neighbors' families. Katko goes to church and pretends to be right with his Lord. Oughtn't he be nervous that his pastor and fellow parishioners will call him out for his moral and political cowardice? Paul Weichselbaum Syracuse Laura Bush: Separating children from parents at border 'breaks my heart' (Commentary) SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- U.S. Rep. John Katko was the most popular topic at Sunday's Democratic Congressional primary debate, and he didn't even have to show up. Democrats Dana Balter and Juanita Perez Williams chided Katko early and often in a 90-minute public debate at H.W. Smith Elementary School in Syracuse Sunday evening. Each is vying for a shot to challenge the second-term Republican in November. His name came up more than 30 times as the potential challengers chafed at his Congressional voting record. Katko and President Donald Trump were the most frequent targets in what was, overall, a very cordial debate. Balter and Perez Williams made no attempt to impugn or even strongly disagree with one another. They agreed on most major issues in the debate except one: Who is the best person to get the job done? They agreed that Katko needs to go, that President Donald Trump is unfit to make key military decisions, that separating children from parents at the border is reprehensible, that there's too much dark money in politics and that charter schools are no way to improve our public education system. "Dana and I...agree on all the big issues," Perez Williams said in her closing remarks. "She wants to hold Trump and the Republicans in Congress accountable and so do I. But this election is more than that. It's about who can get the job done..." "I agree the fundamental question is who can beat Katko, and that's why you should vote for me," Balter said. "I have been demonstrating how I can stand up to him, how I can go toe to toe with him." The only issue on which the candidates have publicly sparred is abortion. Balter has criticized Perez Williams for marching in a pro-life rally in Washington D.C. Perez Williams has repeatedly said she and Balter are on the same side of the issue. A moderator Sunday asked each candidate to offer their position on women's rights. "I support a woman's right to choose," Perez Williams began. "No you don't!" came a shout from the audience. "Yes I do," Perez Williams replied, before expanding on her answer. "It's not about whether I agree with [the choice] or not. It's about women having access to it. And I'll fight for it and be sure it's there for my daughters and granddaughters and all the women that come after us." Balter asked a moderator if she could respond to Perez Williams' answer. The moderator, 15-year-old Max Mimaroglu, said no. With few differences in policy, the candidates sought to differentiate themselves on experience, personality, style and motivation. Perez Williams often invoked her family (she has four children and a grandson) as a critical component of why she's in this race. Balter emphasized her steadfast opposition to President Trump since his election in 2016. Both said it's critical to protect Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and each criticized Katko for his relative silence on the issue. Both agreed Central New York needs to attract more good-paying jobs. Balter said she sees opportunities in green infrastructure and renewable energy. Perez Williams said she would support the Corporate Responsibility and Taxpayer Protection Act, which is intended to punish companies that don't pay employees a living wage. Each supports a federal $15 minimum wage. About 100 people attended the event, hosted by Syracuse Students for Change, a gun law reform group created in the wake of a school shooting in Parkland, Fla. The moderators were area high school students. Max Mimaroglu is a freshman at Jamesville-DeWitt. Zoe Curewitz is a sophomore at Nottingham High School. Acadia Gilchrist is a senior at Jamesville-DeWitt. Juanita Perez Williams and Dana Balter pose with members of Syracuse Students for Change, who organized a Democratic primary debate on Sunday, June 17, 2018 at H.W. Smith Elementary School. The debate Sunday was the first and only public debate in the primary. Balter and Perez Williams met last week for a discussion of issues on Spectrum News. WRVO's Grant Reeher also hosted both candidates on his radio show, the Campbell Conversations. The pair will meet for one more debate prior to the election, to be hosted by NewsChannel 9. That debate will not be open to the public. The 30-minute debate will air at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 23 and at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 24. NewsChannel 9's Dan Cummings will moderate. The primary election is Tuesday, June 26. The only public poll shows Perez Williams 13 points ahead of Balter. Each pledged Sunday to support whoever wins the nomination, insisting they're committed to seeing Democrats flip the 24th District. WASHINGTON -- Rep. John Katko on Monday urged President Donald Trump's administration to end a policy that has resulted in the separation of hundreds of immigrant children from their families at the U.S. border. "We must keep our borders secure, however, we must do so in a humane way that preserves family unity and keeps young children safe," Katko, R-Camillus, said in a statement. Katko's comment comes amid a growing national outcry over a "zero-tolerance" border policy that Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced last month in which migrant children entering the country are detained separately from their parents. Under the program, about 2,000 children have been separated from their parents. Some of the children have been detained in a concrete-floor cage, according to Democratic members of Congress who toured a detention facility in Texas on Father's Day. Katko, R-Camillus, has been among those leading a group of moderate Republicans trying to force a House vote this week on an immigration reform plan. "Over the past several weeks, I have been a key negotiator on a compromise bill which emphasizes keeping families together, enhances border security and provides status for Dreamers," Katko said. Katko's open split with the Trump administration on the border issue comes a day before Vice President Mike Pence is due in Syracuse to raise money for the two-term congressman and tout Trump's overhaul of the tax code. Trump last week cast some doubt on whether he would veto such a bill when he told Fox News he "certainly wouldn't sign" it into law. But he has since backed off that statement and plans to meet with House Republicans on Tuesday to rally support for the compromise. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Former Syracuse mayor Stephanie Miner says she decided to make an independent bid for governor because New York's political parties have been unwilling to deal with the state's rampant corruption. "The corruption in New York that has been ignored by both political parties can't be tolerated," Miner told syracuse.com in an interview Monday. She said the corruption, highlighted by the conviction of one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's top aides this year, has led to a state government that no longer functions properly. "You can see it from the broken water mains to the boondoggle economic development programs," Miner said. "We're seeing it all around with the broken political system." Miner said the decision to kick off her campaign Monday had nothing to do with the start of a state government corruption trial in Manhattan federal court. "It just happened to line up with when I made a decision," Miner said. "There are so many corruption trials in New York it's hard not to make an announcement and coincide with one of them." Syracuse executives from Cor Development are among those standing trial, along with Alain Kaloyeros, the former head of SUNY Polytechnic Institute who led some of Cuomo's biggest economic development projects in Upstate New York. Miner acknowledged she will be an underdog against Cuomo in a six-person race for governor. Cuomo has more than $30 million to spend on his campaign account, while Miner has about $200,000 left over from her campaigns for mayor. "There are easier ways to get elected to office than the path that I chose," Miner said. But she said a trend shows Americans are rejecting establishment politics and embracing those who want to change the system. "We've seen all across the country that money doesn't automatically guarantee wins," Miner said. "That money is a green badge of corruption. I think we have an opportunity here to use lots of different techniques, and to be very nimble with our message. We won't have as much money, but we'll have enough to get our message out." Miner plans to circulate petitions to appear on the ballot under a new party line, the Serve America Movement, or SAM. The former mayor said she did not consult prior to her announcement with her successor, Ben Walsh, who won his own independent bid for Syracuse mayor. The lifelong Democrat said other Democrats did not attempt to dissuade or intimidate her from running as an independent, and potentially playing a spoiler role against Cuomo. "That tactic failed with me years ago," Miner said of political intimidation. "It didn't work then, and it's not going to work now." Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner plans to launch an independent campaign for governor in a bid to upset Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November, the New York Times reported today. "I cannot be a silent witness to what I think is a corrupt political culture that is hurting real people every day," Miner told the Times in an interview. Miner served eight years as Syracuse's mayor, and could not run again in November 2017 because she was term-limited. Since then, she has considered running for Congress twice, challenging Cuomo in a Democratic primary and running for governor on the Working Families Party Line. She began considering an independent run for governor last month after Democrat Cynthia Nixon decided to challenge Cuomo in a primary. Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro has the Republican nomination for November. Miner's entry into the race sets up a potential six-way race for governor. Nixon has already secured the Working Families Party line for the general election. Syracuse's Howie Hawkins has the Green Party line and Larry Sharpe will appear on the Libertarian ballot line. Molinaro, aware that Miner could draw Democratic and independent votes from Cuomo, applauded her entry into the race. "Mayor Stephanie Miner has been an outspoken critic of Andrew Cuomo's reckless administration of this state, and I welcome her into the governor's race," Molinaro said today. "As yet another criminal corruption trial involving the Cuomo Administration kicks off in federal court today, it comes as little surprise that this is now a four-way contest." Miner told Syracuse.com in March that she wasn't concerned about the crowded field of candidates: "I think the more voices that are heard, the better off it is," she said. The former mayor served as vice chairman of the state Democratic Party in Cuomo's first term as governor, but the two had a falling out over the issue of state aid to Syracuse. Miner stepped down from her leadership post. She told the Times that her candidacy for governor will serve as a "rebuke of Andrew Cuomo's policies and a rebuke of where we are as a state." Miner told the Times she will run as the first candidate for a new independent political group, the Serve America Movement, formed by people unhappy with the existing structure of political parties. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 WASHINGTON -- Vice President Mike Pence is making plans to visit the Nucor Corp. steel plant in Auburn on Tuesday as part of a trip to Central New York to tout the Republican tax overhaul. Pence wants to tour the Nucor plant and meet with steelworkers to draw attention to the impact of the reforms signed into law by President Donald Trump in December, according to a source helping to plan the event. Pence will make the visit on the same day he stops in Syracuse for a $1,000-per-plate lunchtime fundraiser for Rep. John Katko at the Embassy Suites next to Destiny USA. It was not clear whether Pence would visit the Nucor steelworkers Tuesday morning or after the Syracuse luncheon, the source said. The vice president has not released his official schedule for the day. Nucor, based in Charlotte, N.C., is the largest steel producer in the United States with plants across the nation and in Canada. Nucor supported the sweeping overhaul of the U.S. tax code that lowered the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. The company said the tax changes would lead to new investments in its U.S. operations. Pence has been traveling across the country this year as part of the "Tax Cuts to Put America First" tour. Dan DiMicco, the former chairman and CEO of Nucor, was among those who spoke about the tax reforms when Pence visited Charlotte, N.C. in April. DiMicco served as a trade adviser to Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. Nucor supported Trump's decision last month to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports from the European Union, Canada and Mexico. As of Monday morning, it was unclear whether the public would have an opportunity to hear Pence speak or interact with him during his visit to Central New York. When Pence visited Columbus, Ohio on Friday, he was greeted by a gay pride dance party outside the hotel where he was speaking. Organizers said the event to kick off the Columbus Pride Festival helped draw attention to Pence's record on gay rights. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 WASHINGTON -- Second lady Karen Pence will visit Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse on Tuesday while her husband, Vice President Mike Pence, makes two stops in Central New York. Mrs. Pence plans to observe an art therapy session at the children's hospital and deliver coloring books to patients, her office said Monday. The coloring books feature two of the Pence family's pets, a dog and a cat. They also have a pet rabbit, Marlon Bundo, who is featured in his own children's book. Mike Pence will be in Central New York on Tuesday to attend a $1,000-per-plate fundraiser for Rep. John Katko at the Embassy Suites hotel next to Destiny USA and visit steelworkers at the Nucor steel plant Auburn. The vice president has been traveling around the country to promote the tax code overhaul signed into law in December by President Donald Trump. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 LONDON - Meghan Markle's father said that Prince Harry told him to give Donald Trump a chance and suggested that he was open about Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. In a lengthy interview with the British broadcaster ITV, Thomas Markle said Harry was an "interesting guy" and "easy to talk to." He said they had not yet met in person but had chatted on the phone about various issues, including Donald Trump and Britain's exit from the E.U., known as Brexit. "Our conversation was, I was complaining I didn't like Donald Trump. He said, 'Give Donald Trump a chance.' I sort of disagreed with that. But I still like Harry. That was his politics; I have my politics." Asked if he thought Harry was a Trump supporter, Markle said: "I would hope not now. But at the time, he might have been." Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex return in a horse-drawn carriage after attending the Queen's Birthday Parade, 'Trooping the Colour' on Horseguards parade in London on June 9, 2018. Markle said that when they spoke for the very first time, late last year, Harry asked him how we was doing. "He was asking me how I was feeling that day, and I was telling him how unhappy I was with the president, or with the idea of Trump, and that's how it began," Markle said. On Britain's decision to leave the European Union, Markle said of his talks with his future son-in-law: "It was just a loose conversation about something we have to try. There was no real commitment to it.... I think he was open to the experiment [of Brexit]." Party politics are a no-go zone for senior members of the royal family, and they are expected to steer clear of political issues such as Brexit, which remains deeply divisive in Britain. Markle also spoke about missing his daughter's wedding last month in Windsor. "I absolutely wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle," Markle told ITV's "Good Morning Britain." But he said his poor health meant that he could not make the wedding on May 19, which was watched around the world. Good Morning Britain tweeted "WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Thomas Markle says he feels like a 'footnote in one of the greatest moments in history' after he was unable to attend his daughter's wedding to Prince Harry." "Meghan cried, I'm sure, she did cry, and they both said, 'Take care of yourself, we are really worried about you,'" said Markle, 73, recounting the moment when he told his daughter he would not be able to attend the wedding. Markle, a mild-mannered former lighting director, said: "The unfortunate thing for me now is I'm a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history rather than the dad walking her down the aisle. That upsets me somewhat." But he was quick to add that he was "honored" that Prince Charles, Harry's father and heir to the throne, walked his daughter down the aisle at Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel. "I can't think of a better replacement than someone like Prince Charles," he told the program. In the lead-up to the royal event of the year, there was fevered speculation over whether Markle would attend the wedding. Just days before the event, Markle had heart surgery - he had three stents implanted - and said he would not be able to make it to the wedding. Palace officials announced the day before the nuptials that Prince Charles would walk Meghan down the aisle. Markle told ITV on Monday that he was recovering well from the surgery. Markle also spoke about the moment when Harry asked him for permission to marry his daughter. He said his daughter had told him about the engagement first, and then in a subsequent phone conversation, Harry joined Meghan on the phone and asked for his permission. "Harry asked for her hand on the phone, and I said: 'You are a gentleman. Promise me you will never raise your hand against my daughter, and of course I give you my permission.'" WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Daddy, I have a new boyfriend - Thomas Markle talks about his daughters romance with Prince Harry #GMB pic.twitter.com/rzASEpEsKf Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 18, 2018 He said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as the couple are now known, would likely try to have children soon. "She's wanted children for a long time," Markle said of his daughter. He also spoke about the brouhaha over his working with a photographer to stage photos that he had hoped would "improve my look." "This was a presentation to me to change my image because for the last year, photographs of me were always derogatory. They would take pictures of my hand grabbing a beer; they'd take pictures of me getting out of my car, taking the garbage out; they'd take pictures of me buying a toilet and making a big deal out of it. They take all kinds of pictures of me making me look negative," Markle said, choking up. "I thought this was a nice way of me improving my look. Obviously, that all went to hell. And I feel bad about it. I apologized for it," he said. He said that after that incident, he was still planning to attend the wedding, but then could not because of his health. He said he was not prepared for the global media attention on his family following his daughter's engagement to a British royal. But he said his daughter would "rise to that occasion." "My daughter is capable of anything," said the proud dad. "And she will certainly be a complement to the royal family." Kensington Palace is refusing to comment on Thomas Markles claims that Prince Harry told him to give Trump a chance and that the sixth in line to the throne was open to Brexit. Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) June 18, 2018 The Town of Onondaga Historical Society continues its commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the Split Rock explosion with a graveside remembrance at Oakwood Cemetery on Sunday, July 1, 2018. The list of names of victims of the Split Rock explosion carved in stone on the monument at Oakwood Cemetery. "The membership of our Society and the community at large are invited to attend this ceremony and, thereby, express their respect and appreciation for the individual and family sacrifices that ultimately affected our success in World War I," Society President Carl Wiezalis wrote. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Section B of Oakwood Cemetery. At least 60 workers were killed by the explosions and fires which ravaged the Split Rock T.N.T. plant in Onondaga on July 2, 1918. Dozens were injured. The news of the disaster made headlines across New York State and the nation. The disaster had an effect on the entire community. "In addition to the many individuals directly affected, countless family members and community members suffered the sacrifices of these dedicated workers," Wiezalis wrote. The public ceremony, part of the Society's "Year of the Rock," will take place at the site of the mass burial of victims at Oakwood. The program will include the reading of the names of the victims by public officials and officers and trustees of the Historical Society, a Benediction by Father Henry Pedzich of The Church of St. Michael and St. Peter, and a wreath laying ceremony. Richard Miller, "resident expert on all things Split Rock" and the author of four books on the subject, will also participate in the ceremony. Oakwood Cemetery is located off Comstock Avenue in the Syracuse University area. Parking along the cemetery's roads is permitted. There will be signage at the Comstock Avenue entrance directing attendees to the Split Rock monument. Visitors are asked to bring a lawn chair for the 30-minute ceremony. For more information of the Town of Onondaga Historical Society's Split Rock centennial events, which will continue through the rest of the year, visit its website at www.onondagatownhist.org. This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle: Email | 315-427-3958. Posted on: June 18, 2018 3:22 PM The Anglican mission agency CMS-Africa has appointed Canon Moses Bushendich as its new international director. Based in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, Canon Moses will succeed Dr Dennis Tongoi when he assumes the role in September. Dr Tongoi is retiring. Known simply as Canon Bush, the new international director has been an Anglican priest since 2002 and currently serves as the coordinator for the household and community transformation directorate of the Church of Uganda. He has held a variety of posts since ordination, including chaplain to the archbishop of the Church of Uganda, programme officer with responsibility for food and nutritional security programmes across the province, as well as serving as a parish priest. Prior to ordination he was an agriculture teacher in a secondary school. Dennis Tongoi has built a wonderful foundation for his successor to build on, the executive leader of Church Mission Society, Philip Mounstephen, said. With his strong background in community development and his desire to see every aspect of life transformed, I expect Canon Moses will take CMS-Africa on to even greater things. We look forward to building the closest possible partnership with him. Canon Bushendich is a strategic thinker and planner with considerable experience in programme development and implementation, CMS said. He is passionate about the relationship between social development and Gods mission. He holds a masters degree in organisational leadership and management, a bachelor of divinity (hons) and a diploma in education (agriculture). CMS-Africa will celebrate its 10th anniversary in October 2018 and has a vision to transform the lives of 50 million people across Africa by 2050. Through an extensive holistic training programme designed to impact all aspects of society from family life to business, from the arts to sports, CMS-Africas leaders believe they can bring about economic, social, political and spiritual change to millions and have made notable progress towards this goal, CMS said. Families are taught how to handle money, women are empowered and business people are encouraged to steer clear of corruption. CMS-Africas current international director, Dr Tongoi, summed up the programmes ethos by saying; We believe in church on Monday. CMS-Africa hopes to make the programme financially sustainable by 2020. A power outage and hot temperatures has caused officials to decide to dismiss Michael A. Maroun Elementary School students early this afternoon. Christopher Byrne, superintendent of the Phoenix Central School District, announced that dismissal for Maroun students will begin at 2 p.m. Dismissal for students of Emerson J. Dillon Middle School might be delayed so that the younger students can be transported home, he said. Byrne also reminded parents in the message that bus drivers cannot leave elementary students at home unless a responsible person is seen, especially in this weather, for the safety of the students. As of 2:23 p.m., National Grid reported more than 1,000 customers without power in the Phoenix area. The temperatures are in the high 80s but according to the heat index it feels like it is in the high 90s, according to the NYS Mesonet. Bottom line: It seems that Foxconn really likes Wisconsin. After choosing the state as the location for its $10 billion facility last year, the Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer is now set to establish its North American headquarters in Milwaukee. Best known for supplying Apple its components, Foxconn has purchased a seven-story building in downtown Milwaukee from Northwestern Mutual. In a statement, the firm said that more than 500 people would work at the new headquarters, which will also house an innovation center to help startups develop applications for the LCD panels that will be developed just 30 miles south in Racine County. Wisconsin tempted Foxconn to the state with a series of tax breaks that add up to $3 billion over the next 15 years. That's a lot of money, but the 20 million-square-foot factory its building, which is scheduled to open in 2020, could eventually employ over 13,000 people. As the worlds largest contract electronics manufacturer, Foxconn boasts more than one million employees. In another link between the state and the company, Foxconn has announced an internship program with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). It will see UWM engineering students travel to Taiwan to study at the Chung Yuan Christian University and work at a Foxconn facility, before returning home to complete their degrees. The program starts this fall when five students will spend time at Foxconn in Wisconsin before traveling to Taiwan in February, where they will work on projects at one of the company's facilities until June. Bringing thousands of jobs to Wisconsin will no doubt please local government and citizens, but environmentalists have expressed concerns over the effects of the manufacturing plant, which is set to drain 7 million gallons of water from Lake Michigan every day. The big picture: China is one the largest global markets that Google has little presence in due to censorship requirements. Instead of directly agreeing to filter search results for the Chinese government, Google is strategically partnering with other businesses already active in Asia. As parts of Google's strategy to become more deeply rooted in China, $550 million is being invested into e-commerce site JD.com. This places Google squarely as a competitor to Amazon in the online retail space. Investment into JD.com is only one part of a larger partnership with Google. Items listed for sale on JD.com will be promoted through Google's shopping search results. With some significant assistance from Google, there is opportunity for JD's expansion into European and US markets. Given that many of Google's traditional web services are blocked in China, their investment is yet another way to get a foot in the door. Other investors in JD.com include Tencent Holdings and Walmart. For Google's contribution, Alphabet will receive 27.1 million shares of newly issued stock. However, Google will still own less than one percent of the company due to its massive size. On the other side of the aisle, Alibaba remains a leader in Chinese e-commerce. SoftBank has been heavily investing into online ventures around the world and is one of the major backers of Alibaba. Google's analytics and market research information will be paired with JD.com's experience in managing inventory of physical goods and handling logistics. "This partnership with Google opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers throughout the world," stated JD.com's chief strategy officer Jianwen Liao. In this case, it appears that the greatest value within the partnership is the data that Google can bring to help JD.com grow outside of China. In return, Google is receiving indirect access to one of the world's largest markets without having to cave in to government imposed censorship. In context: VW and Audi management have been very protective of their executives thus far. Could the arrest of Stadler spur the company to distance itself from others suspected of involvement? Prosecutors in Munich have arrested Audi CEO Rupert Stadler on suspicion of his involvement in parent company Volkswagens ongoing emissions scandal. According to multiple reports, a German judge deemed it necessary to detain Stadler to prevent him from fleeing or hindering the investigation. Stadler is the highest-ranking Volkswagen executive to be taken into custody over the scandal. In September 2015, it was discovered that some Volkswagens sold in the US had been equipped with software to make them run more cleanly during emissions tests. When not under the scrutiny of strict tests, select vehicles were found to pump out up to 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxide. The fallout has cost the company nearly $30 billion and led to criminal charges being levied against several employees. Shortly after accusations were waged, former chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigned. He has been indicted by US authorities but is unlikely to face the charges as Germany doesnt extradite nationals to the US. In a statement to USA Today, Audi said it has no further comment to make on the matter, adding that the presumption of innocence continues to apply for Stadler. A spokesman for Porsche SE, which controls VW and Audi, told The Guardian that the arrest would be discussed at an upcoming supervisory board meeting. 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 Posted on: June 18, 2018 1:50 PM The organisers of the 2020 Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops have received a major boost with the announcement that Allchurches Trust owners of Ecclesiastical Insurance Group have made a 750,000 grant to help fund bursaries. Every active bishop in the Anglican Communion will be invited to the Lambeth Conference; but the costs of attending can be prohibitive for bishops from developing countries. The Chief Executive of the Lambeth Conference Company, Phil George, said he was bowled over on hearing the news. Our heart is in the Church, in the Christian religion, and in the Anglican Church in particular, the Chairman of Allchurches Trust, Sir Philip Mawer, said in an interview with ACNS. That is why we are deeply committed to making sure that the Christian voice is heard on the key issues of the day we believe that the Conference in 2020 will enable that to be delivered; it is increasingly important in a secular society and world that that voice is heard. And within that it is crucially important that the voice of the Global South and disadvantaged areas is heard too. And we really genuinely want to see the Conference achieve its objectives not only in terms of the voice of the Church be heard; but also ensuring that bishops are able to be developed in their leadership and can go back to their dioceses and provinces enthused and re-equipped to carry out the task of mission and their role in directing and leading the Church. Welcoming the Grant, the biggest so far received by the organisers of the Lambeth Conference, the events Chief Executive Phil George said: It is really going to mean a huge difference to so many bishops and their spouses to be able to attend the Lambeth Conference in 2020 as a result of their generosity. The cost of running an 11-day conference in Canterbury is not a cheap project, he said. We are very aware that many people around the Communion, including the spouses of course, will not be able to afford to fly across to England or, of course, pay the Conference fee. So this grant is going to go a long way to helping those who are on very low incomes to be able to afford to come and attend the Conference. Sir Philip Mawer added: The Anglican Communion is a vital international institution and the Lambeth Conference is central to its effectiveness. We particularly wanted to honour and recognise the part that bishops from the Global South will be playing at the Conference. And we wanted to ensure that those who, on their own, have limited resources themselves, and who live in very difficult circumstances, have the means to attend the conference. Bishops occupy such important roles within the Church that they need all the support and help that they can get in order to exercise their leadership and do so on the global level. This Conference in 2020 will be vital to the Communion in ensuring it addresses the issues and giving the Global South, as well as the North, a voice and say in policies and issues that affect us all. The Lambeth Conference 2020 will take place from 24 July to 3 August at the University of Kent in Canterbury. Invitations to bishops and their spouses will be sent out later this year. A problem gambler who lost more than $200,000 at the Raiders club in Belconnen is furious after the ACT's gambling regulator scrapped a record $120,000 fine that it imposed on the club for breaking poker machine laws. The decision has also sparked anger from territory and federal politicians, who have described it as "bitterly disappointing" and "a joke". Problem gambler Laurie Brown, who lost $226,050 at the Belconnen Raiders club over an 18-month period. Credit:Karleen Minney The ACT Gambling and Racing Commission penalised Canberra Raiders Sports Club Limited last year after finding that it had failed on eight separate occasions to record the signs that Professor Laurie Brown had a gambling problem. Clubs are required by law to keep a record of anyone showing signs of problem gambling - signs such as being unable to stop gambling, or making multiple ATM withdrawals. Police are appealing for information after an armed man allegedly stole a car that was found burning just minutes later. ACT Policing said a man believed to be armed with a weapon approached two people in a car park on the corner of Cowlishaw and Reed streets in Greenway, about 9.30pm last Monday. The man allegedly demanded the keys to a black HSV Club Sport sedan, with ACT registration YMN10S. After the alleged victims handed the keys over, police said the man drove away in the car and was last seen turning left on to Reed Street from Cowlishaw Street. About 9.45pm, police received a report of the car being well alight at Point Hut Crossing. To this day, a statement by the first chancellor of Germany, Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), has resounded throughout the world: Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable the art of the next best. This notion is also expressed in the more recent axioms that politics is the art of compromise, and indeed is more about art than science. Viewed through this powerful prism, Australias energy policy has until recent months reflected limited artistry and an insufficient regard for science. Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg: a powerful man with a power plan is having trouble getting colleagues to see the light. Credit:Dean Lewins In recent days, an update from the Coalition government on the National Energy Guarantee, a policy to establish a carbon emissions reduction guarantee in the electricity market alongside a reliability guarantee, has reignited internecine strife, with supporters of coal-generated power pushing, in effect, for a delay in the inevitable and economically and environmentally responsible transition to a low-carbon economy. Such ideological intransigence has generated a decade of policy failure; the biggest impediment to the transition has been the lack of certainty. The lack of a clear and consistent policy has shackled the necessary investment in renewable energy. Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg thus has one of the most challenging and crucial tasks. The National Energy Guarantee is a painstaking attempt to find sensible compromise. It allows for flexibility should change be required by circumstance, evidence or politics, and yet substantially delivers the certainty the private sector has long needed. Mr Frydenberg has managed to forge bipartisan support for the policy, but is now facing mischievous opposition from within his own ranks. It is curious, because the evidence is that renewable energy sources are becoming the cheapest ecologically sustainable way to generate the electricity upon which households and businesses rely. Some climate scientists of which an overwhelming majority warn that global warming is caused primarily by emissions of carbon dioxide are becoming increasingly optimistic that the pace of technological change will facilitate the transition to renewable energy faster and cheaper than most people might think. Research published by Stanford University has argued that renewable energy could generate the entire worlds power needs within the next 30 years. From her Victorian childhood home renowned for its wool, to the inner-city suburb of Glebe she later called home, journalist Deborah Cameron liked to knit. From the state-wide ABC knit-off, which she helped to instigate as a 702 morning show presenter from 2008 until 2011, to the woollen rugs that in the week since her death have kept her family as warm as the woman she was. Deborah, or Debbie as she was also known, not only knitted woollen garments, but could knit together people from all walks of life. Many of them gathered on Monday to say their final hoo-roo, her trademark sign off, to the 59-year-old who died of cancer on June 9. St James Catholic Church in Glebe was filled to overflowing. Mourners paid respect to former Fairfax and ABC journalist Deborah Cameron at St James Catholic Church in Glebe on Monday. Credit:Nick Moir A keen collector of textiles from her travels, she was sent to her grave with many she had collected: a kimono from Japan, placed on her coffin by her daughter Eleanor, and a Wool Pack brand from her father's sheep and cattle farm not far from Warrnambool on Victoria's south-western coast. The south pump at Dreamworlds Thunder River Rapids Ride had failed twice previously on the same day before a third incident in which four people lost their lives. The opening session of the formal inquest into the deaths at Dreamworld on October 25, 2016, has heard the sequence of events that led up to the accident. The pump failure caused the water level to drop in the channel that carried rafts through the ride. The inquests first witness, Nerang Detective Sergeant Nicola Brown, told how her team reviewed CCTV footage from Dreamworld and documentation at the Thunder River Rapids Ride to piece together what happened at Dreamworld about 2pm that day. Four people, New Zealand expat Cindy Low, Canberra resident Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi, from Sydney, died when "raft five" on the Thunder River Rapids Ride flipped. Some of the 30 victims of a charlatan who lied to women when he told them they were pregnant during fake fertility treatment have told of the humiliation and betrayal they felt at being conned by a man who promised they would become parents. One of his victims said her trauma was so great that she wanted to end her life. IVF fraudster Raffaele di Paolo outside court after an earlier hearing. Credit:Eddie Jim Raffaele Di Paolo dashed the dreams of dozens of people who were desperate to become parents between 2005 and 2015 when he posed as a gynaecologist and fertility expert, and performed internal examinations on women, injected them with unknown substances and told 19 women they were pregnant when they were not. The scam, which Di Paolo carried out from offices in Brighton and St Kilda Road by falsely claiming he had tertiary qualifications from Rome and Melbourne, also hurt his victims financially, as they were fleeced a combined $385,000. Two women paid him $40,000 apiece, the County Court heard. The WA Police Union president has described an incident that left a Mandurah cop bleeding after an alleged bite to the neck as absolutely disgusting, deplorable and completely out of line. A photo of the officer's injuries. Credit:WA Police Union About 11pm on Friday, the constable was taking an 18-year-old Halls Head woman to the charge room in the Mandurah Police Station when she was allegedly bitten on the neck. The officer has taken sick leave after the alleged attack. WA Police Union president George Tilbury expressed his outrage over the alleged assault. 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. A third youth has been charged by police after fire and vandalism at a Geraldton high school kept students home on Monday. Detectives on Monday charged a 12-year-old Glenfield boy and 13-year-old Rangeway boy over the incident, alleging the pair set fire to a room at John Willcock College before damaging windows, computers, photocopiers, projectors, CCTV cameras and several other items at the school. Police on Tuesday announced they had also charged a 13-year-old Rangeway girl over the fire and vandalism, which was estimated to carry a damage bill of more than $150,000. The trio have been charged with aggravated burglary, stealing, criminal damage and criminal damage by fire, and are all set to appear at the Geraldton Children's Court on June 26. Students were told to stay home on Monday after the incident caused about $150,000 worth of damage at the college. Canberra Hospital has asked GPs to rethink sending patients to the emergency department due to bed shortages at the hospital. The capacity issues come before peak flu season has even hit, which last year put unprecedented pressure on Canberra'a emergency departments. Canberra Hospital emergency department has been under pressure in recent months. Credit:Photo: Jamila Toderas A fax was sent to all Canberra, Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra, Bungendore and Braidwood GPs last week asking them to consider alternatives before referring a patient to the emergency department. Opposition health spokeswoman Vicki Dunne said it was a dangerous directive that showed a lack of planning from the government. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says the Turnbull government will compete with Chinas infrastructure development spree in Australias neighbourhood to help ensure small nations are not saddled with debt that threatens their sovereignty. Making some of the frankest remarks by an Australian politician about the swift expansion of Chinese construction of roads, bridges, ports, airports and buildings in the Pacific region, Ms Bishop said Australia needed to ensure countries in the region had choices and were not stuck with opaque development offers. Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop in her office at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Ms Bishop, in an interview with Fairfax Media about Chinas signature infrastructure-building Belt and Road Initiative, said Australia was concerned about the economic viability of small Pacific nations and did not want unsustainable debt burdens imposed on them. They are sovereign nations, she said. Nik Dow has called Melbourne's CBD home for the past 15 years. Credit:Jason South Flinders Lane resident Nik Dow lives at ground zero of Melbournes extraordinary population boom. Once disparagingly called a doughnut city where workers return to the suburbs, leaving behind an empty centre the CBD is now the most densely populated suburb in Australia. Home to 19,500 residents per square kilometre according to the latest census, the city has reached a level of density greater than New York City. Mr Dow, who has called the CBD home for the past 15 years, likes his many new neighbours for the vibrancy they create. A landmark study into how Australians decide who to vote for is hoping to sign up "people who hate politics" or think "voting is a joke" ahead of two WA federal byelections. The Voter Choice project is researching the kinds of information voters use when choosing how to vote in the hope political candidates and the media get a better idea of the issues people actually care about. The Voter Choice project is looking for young voters, and people who hate politics, or think voting is a joke. Credit:Andrew Meares Project director Raphaella Kathryn Crosby said the study wanted to hear from "haters and jokers" who are jaded by the politics and think "the whole system is stuffed". "They're my favourite voters of all time because they have the best comments and they're usually quite informed voters," she said. London: Us President Donald Trump attacked Germany's Angela Merkel via his favourite medium - Twitter, claiming the German people were turning against her tenuous political coalition over immigration. The jab came as the Chancellor struck a political deal to avert the collapse of her government. Trump has long been a critic of Merkel's open-door policy toward Syrian refugees fleeing the country's civil war. The ongoing fallout of that policy continues to dog Merkel, now in her fourth term, as anti-immigrant and populist pushes make headway across Europe, most recently in Italy. Writing on Twitter, Trump claimed that the influx of migrants had "violently changed" Germany's culture. "The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition," he said. 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: When British police were called to Loughborough Junction train station just after 7.30am on Monday, they found a scene they were left grappling to comprehend. After receiving a report of "multiple bodies being found," police say they discovered the bodies of three men, aged in their twenties, on the tracks. "Sadly, three men were declared dead at the scene," said Superintendent Matt Allingham from British Transport Police. "It is believed they died earlier in the morning and their injuries are consistent with having being hit by a train." US President Donald Trump has used the term "sick loser" to describe an FBI agent who was removed from the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign for sending anti-Trump texts. On Sunday, Peter Strzok, who was singled out in a recent Justice Department inspector general report for the politically charged messages, said in a letter from his attorney that intends to testify before the House Judiciary Committee and any other congressional committee. He would be willing to testify without immunity, and he would not invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in response to any question, his attorney, Aitan Goelman, said. Strzok has become a special target of Trump, who has used the texts to question the Russia investigation. "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, adding that Strzok "wants the chance to clear his name and tell his story". PHOENIX, June 18, 2018 -- Hyundai Hope On Wheels 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, celebrates its 20th year in the fight funding pediatric cancer research and will present Dr. Cynthia Wetmore of Phoenix Children's Hospital with a $100,000 Hyundai Impact Award. This institution is one of 21 recipients of this year's award, which is given to pediatric oncology departments at select children's hospitals nationwide. The $100,000 Hyundai Impact Award will be officially presented to Phoenix Children's Hospital Tuesday, June 19th at 10:00 a.m. In 2018, Hope On Wheels will award over $15 million toward pediatric cancer research and programs. This brings the organization's donation total to $145 million since Hyundai joined the fight against pediatric cancer 20 years ago in 1998. With this latest grant, Phoenix Children's Hospital has received more than $1 million in total grants since 2004 from Hope On Wheels. "Throughout the country, talented doctors are working tirelessly to help kids fight cancer by conducting research or providing bedside care," said Scott Fink, chairman, Hyundai Hope On Wheels Board of Directors. "Our goal at Hope On Wheels is to provide these doctors with the grant funds they need to perform their lifesaving work." During the event, children being treated at Phoenix Children's Hospital who are battling cancer will participate in the program's signature Handprint Ceremony, in which they'll dip their hands in paint and place their handprints on a white doctor's coat gifted to Dr. Wetmore. The colorful handprints represent their individual and collective journeys, hopes and dreams. For more information about Hyundai Hope On Wheels and to view a complete list of this year's grant winners, please visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org/research. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels, twitter.com/HopeOnWheels or instagram.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels. PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL Phoenix Children's Hospital is Arizona's only children's hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report's Best Children's Hospitals. Phoenix Children's provides world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. As one of the largest children's hospitals in the country, Phoenix Children's provides care across more than 75 pediatric specialties. The Hospital is poised for continued growth in quality patient care, research and medical education. For more information about the hospital, visit phoenixchildrens.org HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS Hyundai Hope On Wheels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for the disease. HHOW is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, and primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 835 U.S. dealers. Since its inception, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $145 million towards childhood cancer research in pursuit of a cure. HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through 835 dealerships nationwide. All new Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes a 5-year/60,000-mile fully-transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance. SOURCE Hyundai Hope On Wheels CONTACT: Hyundai Hope On Wheels, Zafar Brooks, ZBrooks@HMAUSA.com, or PR Agency, Nicole Garner-Scott, (770) 256-1800 Washington, DC The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today released a list of products imported from China that will be subject to additional tariffs as part of the U.S. response to Chinas unfair trade practices related to the forced transfer of American technology and intellectual property. On May 29, 2018, President Trump stated that USTR shall announce by June 15 the imposition of an additional duty of 25 percent on approximately $50 billion worth of Chinese imports containing industrially significant technologies, including those related to Chinas Made in China 2025 industrial policy. Todays action comes after an exhaustive Section 301 investigation in which USTR found that Chinas acts, policies and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation are unreasonable and discriminatory, and burden U.S. commerce. We must take strong defensive actions to protect Americas leadership in technology and innovation against the unprecedented threat posed by Chinas theft of our intellectual property, the forced transfer of American technology, and its cyber attacks on our computer networks, said Ambassador Robert Lighthizer. Chinas government is aggressively working to undermine Americas high-tech industries and our economic leadership through unfair trade practices and industrial policies like Made in China 2025. Technology and innovation are Americas greatest economic assets and President Trump rightfully recognizes that if we want our country to have a prosperous future, we must take a stand now to uphold fair trade and protect American competitiveness. The list of products issued today covers 1,102 separate U.S. tariff lines valued at approximately $50 billion in 2018 trade values. This list was compiled based on extensive interagency analysis and a thorough examination of comments and testimony from interested parties. It generally focuses on products from industrial sectors that contribute to or benefit from the Made in China 2025 industrial policy, which include industries such as aerospace, information and communications technology, robotics, industrial machinery, new materials, and automobiles. The list does not include goods commonly purchased by American consumers such as cellular telephones or televisions. This list of products consists of two sets of U.S tariff lines. The first set contains 818 lines of the original 1,333 lines that were included on the proposed list published on April 6. These lines cover approximately $34 billion worth of imports from China. USTR has determined to impose an additional duty of 25 percent on these 818 product lines after having sought and received views from the public and advice from the appropriate trade advisory committees. Customs and Border Protection will begin to collect the additional duties on July 6, 2018. The second set contains 284 proposed tariff lines identified by the interagency Section 301 Committee as benefiting from Chinese industrial policies, including the Made in China 2025 industrial policy. These 284 lines, which cover approximately $16 billion worth of imports from China, will undergo further review in a public notice and comment process, including a public hearing. After completion of this process, USTR will issue a final determination on the products from this list that would be subject to the additional duties. USTR recognizes that some U.S. companies may have an interest in importing items from China that are covered by the additional duties. Accordingly, USTR will soon provide an opportunity for the public to request the exclusion of particular products from the additional duties subject to this action. USTR will issue a notice in the Federal Register with details regarding this process within the next few weeks. Background President Trump announced on March 22, 2018, that USTR shall publish a proposed list of products and any intended tariff increases in order to address the acts, policies, and practices of China that are unreasonable or discriminatory and that burden or restrict U.S. commerce. These acts, policies and practices of China include those that coerce American companies into transferring their technology and intellectual property to domestic Chinese enterprises. They bolster Chinas stated intention of seizing economic dominance of certain advanced technology sectors as set forth in its industrial plans, such as Made in China 2025. (See USTR Section 301 Report here.) On April 3, USTR announced a proposed list of 1,333 products that may be subject to an additional duty of 25 percent, and sought comments from interested persons and the appropriate trade advisory committees. Interested persons filed approximately 3,200 written submissions. In addition, USTR and the Section 301 Committee convened a three-day public hearing from May 15-17, 2018, during which 121 witnesses provided testimony and responded to questions. The public submissions and a transcript of the hearing are available on www.regulations.gov in docket number USTR-2018-0005. Motor vehicles Motor vehicles w/diesel engine, to transport 16 or more persons, incl driver 8702.10.61 Motor vehicles w/diesel engine, to transport 10 to 15 persons, incl driver 8702.20.31 Motor vehicles w/diesel engine & electric motor, to transport 16 or more persons, incl driver 8702.20.61 Motor vehicles w/diesel engine & electric motor, to transport 10 to 15 persons, incl driver 8702.30.31 Motor vehicles w/spark-ign. IC recip. piston engine & electric motor, to transport 16 or more persons, incl driver 8702.30.61 Motor vehicles w/spark-ign. IC recip. piston engine & electric motor, to transport 10 to 15 persons, incl driver 8702.40.31 Motor vehicles w/electric motor, to transport 16 or more persons, incl driver 8702.40.61 Motor vehicles w/electric motor, to transport 10 to 15 persons, incl driver 8702.90.31 Motor vehicles nesoi, to transport 16 or more persons, incl driver 8702.90.61 Motor vehicles nesoi, to transport 10 to 15 persons, incl driver 8703.21.01 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/spark-ign. IC recip. piston engine, w/cyl capacity <= 1, 000 cc 8703.22.01 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/spark-ign. IC recip. piston engine, w/cyl capacity > 1, 000cc but <=1, 500cc 8703.23.01 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/spark-ign. IC recip. piston engine, w/cyl capacity >1, 500cc but <=3, 000cc 8703.24.01 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/spark-ign. IC recip. piston engine, w/cyl capacity >3, 000cc 8703.31.01 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/diesel engines, of a cylinder capacity <= 1, 500cc 8703.32.01 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/diesel engines, of a cylinder capacity > 1, 500cc but <= 2, 500cc 8703.33.01 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/diesel engines, of a cylinder capacity > 2, 500cc 8703.40.00 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/spark-ign. IC recip. piston engine & elec motor incapable of charge by plug to external source 8703.50.00 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/diesel engine & elec motor incapable of charge by plug to external source 8703.60.00 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/spark-ign. IC recip. piston engine & elec motor capable of charge by plug to external source 8703.70.00 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/diesel engine & elec motor capable of charge by plug to external source 8703.80.00 Motor vehicles to transport persons, w/electric motor for propulsion 8703.90.01 Motor vehicles to transport persons, nesoi 8704.10.10 Mtr. vehicles for transport of goods, cab chassis for dumpers designed for off-highway use 8704.10.50 Mtr. vehicles for transport of goods, complete dumpers designed for off-highway use 8704.21.00 Mtr. vehicles for transport of goods, w/compress.-ign. int. combust. recip. piston engine, w/G.V.W. not over 5 metric tons 8704.22.10 Mtr. vehicles for transport of goods, cab chassis, w/compress.-ign. int. combust. recip. piston engine, w/G.V.W. o/5 but n/o 20 metric tons 8704.22.50 Mtr. vehicl. for transport of goods (o/than cab chassis), w/compress.-ign. int. combust. recip. piston engine, w/G.V.W. o/5 but n/o 20 mtons 8704.23.00 Mtr. vehicles for transport of goods, w/compress.-ign. int. combust. recip. piston engine, w/G.V.W. over 20 metric tons 8704.31.00 Mtr. vehicles for transport of goods, w/spark.-ign. int. combust. recip. piston engine, w/G.V.W. not over 5 metric tons 8704.32.00 Mtr. vehicles for transport of goods, w/spark.-ign. int. combust. recip. piston engine, w/G.V.W. over 5 metric tons 8705.30.00 Mtr. vehicles (o/than for transport of persons or of goods), fire fighting vehicles 8705.40.00 Mtr. vehicles (o/than for transport of persons or of goods), concrete mixers Click here to view a fact sheet on the Section 301 product list. Click here to view a fact sheet on the Section 301 investigation. One man has been arrested and another man is being sought by police, after a stabbing in Steinbach on Saturday morning. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 17/6/2018 (1217 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. One man has been arrested and another man is being sought by police, after a stabbing in Steinbach on Saturday morning. About 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, police responded to a report of the stabbing on the 300 block of Hanover Street. RCMP HANDOUT Logan Antinozzi is being sought by police in connection with the stabbing. A 24-year-old Steinbach man had been stabbed during an altercation with two other men. The victim was transported to hospital and has since been released. Travis Daniel Nolin, 23, of Lorette has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. A warrant for arrest for aggravated assault and other weapons related charges has been issued for 28-year-old Logan Antinozzi of Tolstoi. Anyone with information is asked to call the Steinbach RCMP at 204-326-4452, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com or text "TIPMAN" plus a message to CRIMES (274637). The processing detention center in McAllen, Texas. Photo: RGV-FCB/Center for Border Protection As people have become increasingly horrified at the treatment of migrants at the border, especially the Trump administrations family separation policy, Border Patrol has something important to say: please dont use the word cages to describe the actual cages in which theyre keeping people. This statement comes after photos were released of the countrys largest immigrant processing center. Migrants are seen sleeping on floor mats and waiting on benches inside large, chain-link enclosures otherwise known as cages in the McAllen, Texas, detention facility. These images were just released by border patrol @CBP showing the McAllen, Texas detention facility that we were allowed to tour today. For now, we can only rely on what they give us. They will not allow us inside to film on our own. Why? Privacy; they dont want faces shown pic.twitter.com/laZAyEHwij David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) June 17, 2018 Border Patrol then took issue with the semantics. They are very uncomfortable in their words with his characterization of the word cages, Gayle King reported on CBS This Morning. They said its not inaccurate but theyre very uncomfortable with using the word cages. They said they may be cages but theyre not being treated like animals. This just in from @davidbegnaud: Border Patrol has reached out to @cbsthismorning and said they are "very uncomfortable" with the use of the word cages. They say it's not inaccurate and added that they may be cages but people are not being treated like animals. pic.twitter.com/0zSDqJszgK CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) June 18, 2018 To sum it up: yes, were keeping migrants in cages, but saying that hurts our feelings. What You Can Do Right Now to Help Fight Trumps Family-Separation Policy Officer Jose Nunez. Photo: Bexar County Sheriffs Office In Texas, Bexar County Sheriffs Deputy Jose Nunez, 47, was arrested Sunday night on charges of sexually abusing an undocumented womans 4-year-old daughter. He is also accused of threatening the woman with deportation if she reported him. Nunes, a detention officer who has served with the sheriffs department for ten years, is being held on super-aggravated sexual assault, a charge applied when the victim is under 6 years old. If he is convicted, he faces a minimum 25-year sentence. According to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, the girls mother brought her to the fire station on Saturday night after she cried out in pain. Investigators soon got involved, and Nunez, who was on administrative leave at the time pending an internal investigation, was arrested at 3 a.m. on Sunday. Salazar says Nunez touched the girls genitals and caused her pain, and that its possible the abuse went on for months, if not years. This suspect utilized to his advantage to place the mother in fear that she would be deported if she did report it, Salazar said. He added: I dont know that he was purposely targeting the undocumented community. Certainly what was appealing was the vulnerability of that community because they are less apt to report things. The sheriff also said there could be more victims in Nunezs case, and urged undocumented immigrants to come forward if they have been the victim of a crime. Victim of a crime or a witness to a crime to please come forward and report it. Just like were doing in this case, were filling out paperwork with this witness in question to make sure that shes given protected status pending the outcome of this case, Salazar said. And yet immigrants hesitation to reach out to law enforcement is understandable. As immigrant-rights groups have pointed out, Texass SB4, a law passed earlier this year that has been called one of the harshest anti-immigrant bills in the country, has created a chilling effect among immigrant communities in the state. Under SB4, police are allowed to question the immigration status of anyone they detain or arrest; they can also ask victims and witnesses about their immigration status if necessary. In addition, there have been increasingly disturbing reports about the treatment of migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the Trump administrations new zero tolerance family separation policy has resulted in more than 1,300 children being ripped from their parents and guardians. On Sunday, Texass Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) tweeteed Nunezs story at Texas governor Greg Abbott, saying, Congrats SB4 and your violent, racist rhetoric has terrified people into not seeking help when they need it. A baby plays around in the imported baby products section while his parents talk to a sales clerk in a supermarket in Beijing in 2013. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) 10 Years After Chinas Tainted Milk Scandal, Victims Continue to Be Silenced June 16 marks the 10th anniversary of Chinas tainted milk powder scandal, when milk powder laced with poisonous melamine sickened hundreds of thousands of infants and caused at least six deaths. Ten years later, Chinese authorities are still stamping out any mention of the incident to keep it from public memory. Jiang Yalin, whose 11-year-old daughter suffers from kidney stones as a result of consuming the melamine-tainted milk powder as an infant, is a member of Kidney Stone Babies, a group founded in 2008 to help parents seek legal redress for their childrens illnesses. She spoke to Radio Free Asia (RFA) about how the Chinese authorities have kept close watch over her activities. Recently, she wrote on her WeChat social media account that she planned to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2008 scandal in Hong Kong and take her daughter to the Disneyland. En route to Guangzhou, the southern Chinese city bordering Hong Kong, Jiang was stopped by police from her hometown of Jinhua City in eastern Chinas Zhejiang Province. They [police] told me that my visit [to Hong Kong] startled the Jinhua government officials, including the officials from the citys Political and Legal Affairs Commission, said Jiang, adding that the police took a flight to Guangzhou to chase me down. Chinas Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission (PLAC) is a security agency that has long been a tool of the Chinese regimes suppression of dissidents. The agencys political clout has been weakened under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who removed the head of the PLAC from being a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, the Communist Partys most powerful ruling body. Jiang said her family continues to struggle with the financial burden of treating her daughter, who has chronic pain in her kidneys. In the past 10 years, my child has not received any [financial] compensation or any promise of a medical cure, said Jiang. She explained that while the national health insurance system covered a portion of her daughters medical expenses, the Chinese authorities have not established any medical fund for tainted milk victims. Authorities have instead silenced many parents, most famously Zhao Lianhai, the founder of Kidney Stone Babies who has a son who became sick in 2008. In 2010, Zhao was given a 2.5-year prison sentence for disturbing social order after he took part in organizing a gathering of parents and accepted media interviews. Some parents have stopped fighting for compensation and justice after seeing their children recover from their illnesses, according to RFA, because petitioning to the authorities was such an unpleasant experience. One such parent was Mr. Dong, who explained to RFA that despite years of petitioning, the authorities have not responded to his pleas. He explained that, even now, he is concerned about the quality of domestic milk powder and instead feeds his second newborn child baby powder shipped directly from Australia. The phenomenon of Chinese traveling abroad and emptying store shelves of baby formula has been reported in many places, including Germany, Australia, Japan, and Hong Kong. At least 17 people were killed in a brawl and stampede at a nightclub in Venezuela on June 16, 2018. (Reuters/Screenshot) 17 Killed in Nightclub Brawl in Venezuela At least 17 people were killed in a brawl and stampede at a nightclub in Venezuela, according to reports. A tear gas canister went off during a brawl in the crowded nightclub in Caracas, the capital, on Saturday, CBS News reported. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said the incident at the Los Cotorros left 17 people dead and several injured. The establishment has been ordered closed, and we are investigating in coordination with the public ministry, which is directing the criminal investigation, he said. Seven people were arrested in the incident, including the person who is believed to have set off the tear gas canister. All I know is my son is dead, Nilson Guerra, 43, told reporters. According to Telesur, at least 500 people were inside the club when the fight broke out. The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, led by President Nicolas Maduro, deplores this regrettable incident a from our government we extend words of condolence for the families of the victims, and also the respective guidelines for parents and representatives to establish control measures on minors, as established by Venezuelan laws, Reverol added, reported Telesur. Julio Cesar Perdomo, a family member of a victim, told Sky News that the tear gas emitted from one of the bathrooms, prompting people to try and leave. The kids couldnt leave, Perdomo said. Local councilor, Jesus Armas, said that the interior ministry needs to explain how a civilian got ahold of a tear gas canister, which only police and security forces should have. Meanwhile, officials need to investigate whether the club had permission to house hundreds of people there. Thats not a big space and that should not be authorized, he said. 31 Dead, 48 Injured in Suspected Terrorist Attack: Boko Haram Blamed At least 31 people died and dozens more were injured after two suicide bombers and rocket-propelled grenades struck a northern Nigerian town, according to reports. The attacks took place on Saturday evening in Borno state as people were coming home after celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday. The Punch, a local newspaper, reported that 48 people were injured. One unnamed official said, The latest death toll is now 31 but it may increase because many among the injured may not survive. No organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, but its likely that Boko Haram, an ISIS-affiliated terrorist group, was behind it. The blast, according to reports, took place in the Damboa local government area in Borno, which is the at the center of a terrorist insurgency. It has destroyed our houses. We have also counted 31 innocent people including children and elderly killed in the attack, said local resident Modu Usman, son of a community leader, according to a Reuters news agency. Qatar-owned Al Jazeera reported that the attackers, after the blasts, fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that gathered at the scene of the explosions. There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured, Babakura Kola, from the Civilian Joint Task Force, told AFP on Sunday. Local militia leader Babakura Kolo said that the rocket-propelled grenades killed the majority of the people. No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram, he said, according to DW.com. Boko Haram, which means Western education is forbidden, has been waging a campaign in northern Nigeria for nearly a decade. Since 2009, some 20,000 people have been killed and around 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to Boko Harams activities, according to Al Jazeera. In 2014, Boko Haram triggered international outrage when terrorists captured 300 schoolgirls in Chibok. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has said that violence is gradually drawing to end, but the group continues to launch attacks in northern Nigeria. Boko Haram still maintains both the intent and operational capacity to launch mass casualty attacks in parts of northeastern Nigeria, Ryan Cummings, an Africa analyst at the Signal Risk consultancy in South Africa, told AFP. The Boko Haram insurgency is not showing any immediate signs of easing, he said, adding that the recent rocket attack is significant because it indicates that the sect continues to have access to military-grade weaponry. Watch Next: Why is Falun Gong Persecuted? Although its freely practiced in over 70 countries, doing this in China can lead to unlawful arrest, imprisonment, torture, or even death. British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at the Royal Free Hospital, London, on June 18, 2018. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool via Reuters) British PM Pledges Extra 20 Billion Pounds to Health Care, but Questions Remain LONDONBritish Prime Minister Theresa May said on June 18 that the 20-billion-pound ($26.57-billion) funding boost to the countrys National Health Service will be partly funded by a tax increase. The government also said that economic growth and savings from Britain exiting the European Union would help cover the cost. May first announced the funding boost over the weekend, timed to coincide with the National Health Service (NHS), which provides free health care to people living in Britain, marking its 70th anniversary. Speaking at the Royal Free Hospital in north London on June 18, May announced that British taxpayers would need to contribute a bit more but promised contributions would be calculated in a fair and balanced way. She also reiterated that the 20-billion-pound boost would be partly funded by the so-called Brexit dividend. There will be those payments that well be making over a period of time to as part of our withdrawal from the EU but there will still be more money coming back from the EU, and our priority for that is the NHS, May said. The prime minister said spending will increase by an extra 20 billion pounds by 2023-2024, which means the budget would increase by an average of 3.4 percent in real terms over the next five years. Details of what exactly the increase will be and where the taxes will come from are expected to be addressed in the Autumn Budget. The announcement comes as a row in Parliament over Brexit tested Mays slim majority. An Illusion The idea that a Brexit dividend actually exists is widely contested, even by some conservatives. Sarah Wollaston, conservative chair of Health & Social Care Select Committee & Liaison Committee, tweeted on June 17 that the idea of the Brexit dividend was tosh. Its a sentiment thats echoed by the head of health and social welfare at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Dr. Kristian Niemietz. The Brexit dividend so far is an illusion. There might be one in the future but for now we still dont know what the final financial arrangement with the EU will be, he said. [NHS] spending has always increased by real terms every year, but much less so than the historical average, far less than during the new Labour years. Its now going back to the roughly the long-term average rate of increase, he said, referring to the 3.4 percent increase in spending. Senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, George Stoye, said that the 20-billion-pound boost is just enough for the system to stand still, without taking into account any new pressures. Its not going to be enough if you want a much better system, he said. He also questioned where the money will be coming from. In five years time, we dont know exactly what will be happening. At the moment, the Office of Budget Responsibility [OBR] suggests that its about 6 billion pounds that could be spent on other things at that point, if we stopped paying to Brussels. About half that would probably be put towards services, or things that the EU used to pay toward, like farming subsidies, he said. The OBR reckons that tax revenues in the early 2020s are going to be about 15 billion pounds lower than they were in the absence Brexit, so if looking at minus 15 compared to plus three, obviously, thats not paying for much, he said. During the EU referendum campaign in 2016, Brexiteers claimed that by leaving the EU, Britain would save 350 million pounds ($463 million) per week, which could instead be spent on the NHS. The figure, however, didnt include the cost of the rebate or payments flowing from the EU to Britain. A paramilitary policeman stands guard in front of an emblem of the Chinese Communist Party at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 28, 2011. (Feng Li/Getty Images) China Requires All Publicly Listed Companies to Establish Communist Party Branches In its latest attempt to further entrench communist ideology in all facets of society, the Communist Party in China is now mandating that all of the countrys publicly-listed companies set up Party organizations for its employees. Party organizations are set up in the workplace to ensure staff and workplace decisions toe the Party line. Usually, they are also in charge of the employee labor union. The China Securities Regulatory Commission on June 15 issued a set of revised guidelines for company management of publicly-listed firms, which it calls companies with Chinese characteristics, a reference to how the Party refers to its rule as socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is often used to explain how China has allowed some aspects of capitalism and the market economy to exist despite textbook communism denouncing such bourgeois elements. These guidelines mandating that rules regarding party-building work be written into the company charter confirmed the fact that private companies in China are still privy to the Partys demands and are not truly private. Last year, Chinese state media estimated that roughly 70 percent of Chinas 1.86 million private firms have set up Party organizations. Even foreign joint ventures are subject to such rules. About 70 percent of foreign-funded companies, or 106,000, have established Party branches, an official from the Partys Organization Department, Qi Yu, said last October at the Partys critical conclave, the 19th National Congress. While companies are often eager to please the Chinese regime and do as it says in order to stay out of trouble, independent Chinese economist He Qinglian said pledging loyalty is not enough, as seen in the recent cases of several big conglomerates downfall after the Chinese regime went after it. For example, Wu Xiaohui, former chairman of Chinas largest insurance conglomerate, Anbang, was recently sentenced to 18 years in prison, amid the Chinese regimes campaign to reduce financial risk and curb capital outflow. Anbang had made several massive overseas acquisitions, including New Yorks Waldorf Astoria hotel. Meanwhile, billionaire and founder of Tomorrow Group, Xiao Jianhua, has gone missing, purportedly under investigation by Chinese authorities. Ye Jianming, former chairman of CEFC, one of Chinas biggest energy conglomerates, is also under investigation. All of these company executives purportedly have ties to key officials belonging to an opposition faction in the Communist Party. Its not just because you became a member of the Party, you wear a Red Army outfit, and tell the Party how loyal you are, youll be clear from investigations. When [the central authorities] want to investigate you, it will do it just the same, He Qinglian told Voice of America in a June 16 report. Ms. He was referring to recent headlines in Chinese media that Pony Ma, CEO of Chinese tech giant Tencent, and Liu Qiangdong, founder of JD.com, a top e-retailer site in China, appeared in the uniform of Cultural Revolution-era Red Guards while on a trip to Yanan, the headquarters of the Communist Party during the Chinese civil war. An attendee takes a close look at LG's 105-inch OLED TV at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 8, 2014. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images) Chinese Regime Threatens Technology Transfer in Order for South Korean Firm LGD to Open Chinese Factory Back in December 2017, when the South Korean government granted approval to LG Display (LGD), a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate LG Corp., to build a manufacturing plant in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou to produce its high-tech TV panels, South Korean authorities urged LGD to establish measures to protect its technology from theft. After all, the advanced technology, known as organic light-emitting diode (OLED), is considered valuable to the countrys economy and is typically restricted from export to protect domestic industry. LGD plans to invest 5 trillion won (about $4.5 billion) into the plant, according to a report by Business Korea, a South Korean magazine, seeing potential in the growing global demand for OLED television screens. Those precautions proved prescient, as South Korean media recently reported that the Chinese regime has pressured LGD to transfer its OLED manufacturing technology as a condition for approving the factorys construction. Chinese authorities also pushed LGD to establish an OLED research and development center in China and procure more Chinese-produced parts and materials, according to a June 4 report by Hankyung News, a South Korean business publication. Chinese screen display makers are currently able to produce OLED panels for smartphones, but have not yet developed the technology to produce large OLED panels for TV screens, Hankyung News added. LGD is also the worlds only mass manufacturer of large OLED panels for use in TVs, according to Business Korea. To establish the factory, which is slated to begin production in 2019, LGD entered into a joint venture with the Guangzhou city government, with LDG to take a 70 percent stakes and the municipality to take a 30 percent stake. The joint venture is awaiting approval by Chinas Ministry of Commerce, according to South Korean business news site The Bell. Forced Tech Transfer The persistent phenomenon of forced technology transfer in China has been one of the core issues U.S. President Donald Trumps administration has sought to tackle through trade sanctions on China. As in the case of LGD, foreign firms are often pressured to transfer their technology in exchange for market access. The U.S. Trade Representatives offices (USTR) investigative report on Chinas intellectual property theft practices, published in April, found that such forced technology transfers are often part of the Chinese regimes strategy to steal technology beneficial to the development of its domestic high-tech industries. The regimes Made in China 2025 industrial policy outlined how it seeks to catch up with foreign competitors and eventually supplant them via foreign acquisitions and technology transfers. The USTR report found that for U.S. tech companies, the pressure to transfer technology was particularly intense. According to the US-China Business Councils 2017 member survey, 19 percent of responding companies said that in the past year they had been directly asked to transfer technology. Of these, 33 percent said that the request came from a central government entity, while 25 percent said that it came from the local government. Precautions The South Korean government was also wary of Chinas tactics. Government authorities took five months to review LGDs factory plans before granting approval, proposing several conditions to LGD to prevent technology transfer. The conditions were: increase the proportion of materials provided by South Korean suppliers to about 70 percent; establish countermeasures to prevent tech outflow, including by setting up a task force with government authorities and allowing them to inspect the Chinese factory every six months; and ensure that the latest OLED innovations are to be developed within South Korea only, according to Hankyung News. When the deal was first approved, the news was seen as evidence of improving relations with China. For months, the Chinese regime blocked South Korean companies from conducting business in China and encouraged its citizens to boycott South Korean products, after South Korea agreed to host an American anti-missile defense system on its soil to counter North Koreas nuclear threats. China claimed the system could spy into its airspace and used economic measures to retaliate against South Korea. Now, the South Korean government faces a predicament whereby one of its core technologies is at risk of being transferred to Chinese counterparts if they go through with the deal. The HNA logo is seen on a building in Beijing on February 18, 2016. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images) Debt-Ridden Chinese Conglomerate HNA to Get Chinese Regimes Support for Fundraising Chinas top leaders have agreed to help debt-laden conglomerate HNA raise funds, Bloomberg reported on June 15, citing people familiar with the matter. A senior official at the Peoples Bank of China on Tuesday led a meeting with three regulators, the Hainan provincial government, HNAs co-chairman Chen Feng, and the companys biggest creditor, asking the attendees to support HNAs future bond issues, Bloomberg reported. The meeting also included representatives from Chinese central authorities and China Development Bank, a state-affiliated bank. HNA faces about $93 billion in debt, according to Bloomberg. In order to relieve some of its debt, the Chinese aviation-to-financial services has been unloading assets and its stakes in companies such as Hilton Worldwide, Park Hotels & Resorts, and Spains NH Hotels as part of a wider reorganization. It sold nearly $15 billion worth of its real estate properties, according to Bloomberg. Central authorities have asked HNA to stop diversifying via acquisitions and focus on its main travel business, the report said. HNA and several other major Chinese conglomerates were in the Chinese regimes crosshairs last June as it sought to curb high-risk financial investments and capital outflows. HNA had more than $50 billion worth of global M&A (mergers and acquisitions) deals over the years 2016 and 2017. Sources close to the central authorities told The Epoch Times at the time that the sweep was part of the current leaderships attempts to clean out corruption in Chinas finance industry. Founder of Tomorrow Group, Xiao Jianhua, and Wu Xiaohui, former chairman of Anbang, an insurance conglomerate, were both placed under investigation last year. Wu has since been sentenced to 18 years in prison for fraud and embezzlement. Chinese top leaders determined that HNA was unlike Anbang Insurance Group Co. and Tomorrow Group, according to the Bloomberg report, citing the anonymous sources. It was not clear how exactly HNA differed from them. HNA was not immediately available for comment. From Reuters. Epoch Times staff member Annie Wu contributed to this report. President Donald Trump holds a press conference directly following the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Santosa Island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Examining the Entrails of the Singapore Summit The June 1213 Singapore Summit is over. Now the partisan analysis begins. Is the glass half full? A quarter full? Contains just a few drops? Is there a glass at all? Certainly, there has been as much bloviating bombast as a hyperactive, 5,000-individual media contingent (complemented by thousands of critics/commentators/analysts around the globe) could possibly produce. The essential problem is that they are attempting to make a 12-course dinner from a few selected crumbs. Reporters have been limited to photo-ops, brief videos, and attempts to read body language. There is a reason for this: An essential element of negotiations is that one sees only the icebergs tip in comparison to what is actually in process. As a corollary, those who talk, dont know; those who know, dont talk. We have no idea what President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un discussed in their 30-minute tete-a-tete before team meetings began. Information on the full team meetings is largely unknown. We do not know the contents of multiple meetings between national leaders in the summit runup: for instance, Kims two trips to Beijing; his meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in; Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes meetings with Trump; U.S. Secretary State Mike Pompeos meetings with Kim; or any of the multiple pre-summit sessions. And Pompeos briefings with South Korean, Japanese, and Chinese leaders presumably were more than standard reassurance updates. So what do we have from the summit? A unique set of meetings between leaders who a few months ago were globally regarded as implacably hostile, exchanging slangy slurs ranging from rhetorical excess to blunt threats of nuclear annihilation; A number of second- and third-echelon, good faith actions, including the release of three U.S. citizens jailed on spurious charges, presumably to use as bargaining chips, and destruction of a Pyongyang nuclear test site; An amusing four-minute U.S.-produced video (done in North Korean propaganda style) to tell Kim of his countrys glorious future, should he denuclearize; A joint communique replete with BOMFOG (brotherhood of man; fatherhood of God) language but short on specifics of the what, when, or how that would comprehensively denuclearize the North Korean weapons and missile programwith full verification. As the 400-word communique has been much-parsed, the following are the operative points, minus the persiflage: The United States and North Korea commit to establishing new U.S.DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity. The United States and North Korea will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018, Panmunjom Declaration, North Korea commits to working toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The United States and North Korea commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified. And both sides commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously. Follow-on negotiations led by Pompeo at the earliest possible date will implement the outcomes of the summit. With over-the-top rhetoric, Trump has announced the end of the nuclear threat to the United States, praised Kim (in effect given him a tabula rasa and stared past Pyongyangs execrable human rights record), and invited Kim to the White House. Critics are urinating (not just raining) on Trumps parade. They have belabored the absence of verifiable and irreversible in describing denuclearization. (Pompeo testily termed the question ludicrous, emphasizing that such commitments were subsumed under complete.) They have questioned the indefinite suspension of joint military maneuvers with the South. However, one can easily hypothesize it is the quid for North Koreas suspension of nuclear and missile testing. An enormous amount remains to be done. Weve put the flagpole atop the skyscraper and now must complete the rest of the building. What can we expect? History says Kim will escape and evade real compliance with our objectives. On the other hand, prior to the INF Treaty, the Soviets had never adhered to an agreement with the United States. At best, we have taken the first step in a very, very extended process of painstaking tit-for-tat negotiation that draws down Pyongyangs nuclear, missile, and chemical capabilities. For example, Kim may return the USS Pueblo held now for 50 years. Or there may be some creative mechanism with multiple countries (China, South Korea, Switzerland, etc.) providing overwatch of facilities and weapons depots. And it also depends on Kims continued primacy in Pyongyang. Some of his entourage may be less interested in playing nice, preferring confrontation. Essentially, the Singapore summit was just the end of the beginning, and what was started there may conclude wellor badly. David T. Jones is a retired U.S. State Department senior foreign service career officer who has published several hundred books, articles, columns, and reviews on U.S.Canadian bilateral issues and general foreign policy. During a career that spanned over 30 years, he concentrated on politico-military issues, serving as an adviser for two Army chiefs of staff. Among his books is Alternative North Americas: What Canada and the United States Can Learn from Each Other. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray speaks to the media during a news conference at FBI Headquarters, on June 14, 2018 in Washington. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) FBI Rescued 1,305 Children From Predators, Youngest 7 Months Old In this year alone, the FBI has rescued 1,305 children from child predators, FBI Director Christoper Wray said in a June 14 statement. The youngest children rescued were just 7 months old. Each year, thousands of children across the United States fall victim to sexual abuse. Worldwide, more than 1 million children are currently being sexually exploited, according to estimates by the International Labor Organization. Countering the threat of child predators and the freeing of abused children have been key points of focus of the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Trump administration. Last week, the DOJ announced it had arrested more than 2,300 suspects of child sexual abuse and trafficking in a major nationwide operation. Any would-be criminal should be warned: This Department will remain relentless in hunting down those who victimize our children, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement following the arrest of the 2,300 suspects. Child sexual abuse has seen a sharp rise in recent years, in part fueled by the easy access children have to the internet. Predators win childrens trust through the use of personal information the children have posted on social media. Its an unfortunate fact of life that pedophiles are everywhere online, said special agent Greg Wing, who supervises a cyber squad in the Chicago Field Office, in an earlier statement by the FBI. The younger generation wants to express themselves, and they dont realize how vulnerable it makes them, Wing said. For a pedophile, that personal information is like gold and can be used to establish a connection and gain a childs trust. In recent months, the DOJ has also targeted American nationals who travel overseas to sexually abuse children. Among those convicted was Paul Alan Shapiro, 71, a retired auto dealership employee who lives in Los Angeles. Shapiro was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing minor boys in Thailand. FBIs Strzok Preempts Subpoena, Offers to Testify in Congress After Damning IG Report Peter Strzok, one of a few FBI agents in hot water over the handling of both the Clinton and TrumpRussia investigations, has volunteered to testify in Congress after the House judiciary committee chair announced on June 15 an intent to subpoena Strzoks testimony. Special Agent Strzok, who has been fully cooperative with the Office of Inspector General, intends to voluntarily appear and testify before your committee and any other Congressional committee that invites him, Strzoks lawyer, Aitan Goelman, said in a June 16 letter to the committee chair, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.). He thinks that his position, character and actions have all been misrepresented and caricatured, and he wants an opportunity to remedy that, Goelman told The Washington Post. Strzok was blasted for sullying the FBIs name, in a June 14 report by the Office of the Inspector General (IG), a Justice Department watchdog. While he was the lead investigator on probes concerning both presidential frontrunners during the sensitive leadup to the 2016 election, Strzok had an affair with a colleague, FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who was special counsel to then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. What more, the two used FBI-issued phones to conceal their affair and exchanged messages showing a strong bias against then-candidate Donald Trump, and for his opponent, Hillary Clinton. The damage caused by these employees actions extends far beyond the scope of the [Clinton] investigation and goes to the heart of the FBIs reputation for neutral factfinding and political independence, the report stated. One message even suggested that Strzok might be willing to take official action to impact presidential candidate Trumps electoral prospects, the report said. On Aug. 8, 2016, Page texted, [Trumps] not ever going to become president, right? Right?! Strzok replied, No. No hes not. Well stop it. The text was only discovered thanks to the thoroughness of the IG investigation. Congress had already been provided thousands of Page and Strzok messages, including those from Aug. 8. Pages text from that day was included, but Strzoks reply was missing. A Justice Department official speaking to The Daily Caller wasnt sure why. Strzok told the IG he was trying to reassure Page and didnt act on the text. He said that if the FBI wanted to damage Trump, they would have released their findings from spying on the Trump campaign. While the FBI officially refused to release those findings before the election, the findings were still leaked to media. However, the FBI didnt find any direct links between the Trump campaign and the Russian meddling, as The New York Times reported based on the leaks about a week before the election. The IG Report totally destroys [former FBI Director] 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, President Trump said in a June 16 tweet. It will go down as a dark and dangerous period in American History! 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. It will go down as a dark and dangerous period in American History! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2018 Clinton was investigated for mishandling classified information by using a poorly secured private email server. Comey exonerated Clinton on July 5, 2016, in a statement he drafted before interviewing Clinton and other key witnesses. The original draft of Comeys exoneration was edited by Strzok to change a reference from Clintons being grossly negligent, a legal term with criminal ramifications, to extremely careless. Strzok was also criticized for an Aug. 15, 2016, text to Page seemingly written after a meeting in McCabes office. I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andys officethat theres no way he gets electedbut Im afraid we cant take that risk, Strzok texted. Its like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before youre 40. The message suggested Strzok wanted to prevent Trump from becoming president. Strzok denied that and told the IG the discussion was about whether to compromise sensitive sources and methods investigating the alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. Strzok said he wanted to pursue it aggressively and bring things to some sort of precipitative conclusion and understanding just in case Trump would win. In contrast, when the FBI found a new trove of Clinton emails on the laptop of disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner in September 2016, Strzok didnt consider it noteworthy and expected to wait until the end of the year or even the following year to look into it, he told the IG. Strzok only pursued the emails after the District Attorneys Office in New York realized the agent working the Weiner case was getting agitated and might act out in some way prompting the office to urge the matter with the Justice Department headquarters, the IG found. When the FBI finally pursued a search warrant to get the emails, Strzok forwarded from his FBI account to his personal email a draft of the search warrant affidavit, which contained information from the Weiner investigation that appears to have been under seal at the time, the IG stated, adding in a footnote, The [Office of Inspector General] previously notified the respective U.S. Attorneys Offices about Strzoks actions. Strzok later continued the Russia investigation with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, but was taken off the team after his texts with Page emerged. 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. House to Vote on 2 Immigration Bills to Tamp Down Efforts to Employ Discharge Petition WASHINGTONTwo Republican immigration bills are set for a vote in the House this week in a move by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to tamp down efforts to employ a rarely used discharge petition procedure. The discharge petition, which was two votes shy of succeeding, would have gone around the speaker to force a vote on four bills, and the one with the most votes would passa big win for Democrats. Both bills up for vote this week would give some type of deportation protection to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients while addressing the administrations border security priorities that include closing loopholes and replacing chain migration with a merit-based system. The Securing Americas Future (SAF) Act, introduced in January by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), has not yet secured the required 218 votes, so the second bill, the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018, was introduced on June 14 as a compromise. Under the second bill, if funding for certain border security provisions is rescinded, the protections for the DACA population would also be rescinded. Both bills include provisions to stop the catch-and-release practice, which currently sees thousands of illegal immigrants being released into the United States with court dates years down the road. Both bills include strong border security, building a wall along the southwest border, and a narrowing of the criteria for a credible fear asylum claim. Currently, around 80 percent of credible fear claims at the border are accepted, whereas only about 20 percent of those go on to have their asylum cases approved by a judge. It is not clear whether any Democrats will support either bill. President Donald Trump said on June 15 that he backs both bills. He would sign either the Goodlatte or the leadership bills, Deputy White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said in a statement. Four Senate immigration bills failed to go anywhere in February, prior to the March 5 deadline Trump gave Congress to legislate a permanent fix for the DACA group. Watch Next: Trump Describes Border Wall With Mexico as a Military Asset Israeli Jets Bomb 9 Targets Over Explosive Kites and Balloons Israeli jets struck nine targets in Gaza on Sunday, according to the Israeli army, in retaliation for arson attempts and explosive kites and balloons that were launched at Israel. The [Israeli Defense Forces] attacked nine terror targets in two military compounds and a weapons manufacturing facility belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the northern Gaza Strip in response to the firing of kites and explosives and the burning of Israeli territory, the Israeli Defense Forces said in a translated statement. The IDF added that it treats the kite attacks as terrorist acts and will continue to retaliate against such threats. These are terror attacks that endanger the residents of southern Israel, the IDF said, according to YNet News. The Israeli strikes hit two military bases in Jabalia, Al-Shati, as well as a weapons production facility in Gaza City, YNet News reported. In recent days, the IDF warned and carried out several attacks near the cells responsible for the arsons and destruction of lands in Israel as well as infrastructure used by these cells, the army said. The IDF has intelligence information and the operational ability to further increase these strikes, and they will grow in strength as required. 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, until they stop, the statement continued. Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department, will suffer the consequences the IDF concluded. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Monday doubled down on the IDFs warnings. If anyone thinks we can carry on with daily (incendiary) kites and fires, he is mistaken, Liberman was quoted by the Jerusalem Post as saying. On Monday, one Palestinian man was killed and four others were injured when they tried to sneak into southern Israel. Thats when a security infrastructure exploded as they tried to cross the security fence border, the Jerusalem Post reported, adding that its not clear what caused the explosion. In response to the Israeli air strikes, Palestinians fired three rockets at southern Israel, prompting locals to flee to bomb shelters. Watch Next: People Gather to Protest Real Bodies Exhibition in Sydney There is reason to believe that the corpses on display have come from non-consenting Chinese citizens. The outcome of Italys latest national elections made it very difficult to form a government. Finally, an ostensibly shocking breakthrough occurred: Lega (formerly the Northern League), which is labeled as a right-wing movement, and the Five Star Movement (M5S), labeled as populists, agreed to form a coalition and picked Giuseppe Conte, a law professor, as prime minister. Both parties are euroskeptic, with one of them being more on the socialist side. Their program calls for tax cuts, which would make sense as the Italian economy is hindered by an excessive tax burden. Tax reductions, of course, would cause a short-term decline in government revenue, but in the long haul they increase revenues by triggering economic growth. The coalition, however, also plans to spend heavily on a guaranteed minimum income scheme. This contravenes the growth-inducing plan. Such chronic excessive spending is the cause of the precarious financial condition of many European governments, especially in highly indebted countries like Italy. A concern exists in European capitals that the new government may now ask the European Central Bank (ECB) to cancel big parts of Italys 340 billion euro debt. This possibility is seen as a threat to the stability of the common currency. But let us look realistically at the situation, in a businesslike manner. Italy will never be able to repay this debt. It is rather amusing that Mr. Conti, the prime-minister-designate, is being criticized as having no political experience. Experienced politicians put Italy in these dire straits. It is hard to imagine that a newcomer could make matters any worse. In an amusing last-minute twist, Italys President Sergio Mattarella refused to accept a nominee for the finance portfolio, and Mr. Conte initially gave up his bid to form a government. The prospect of a new election appalled the public, but it was soon comforted when the president accepted a Conte cabinet with a different finance minister. Regardless of how much sense or nonsense can be found in the new governments program, Italy needed to shake up its usual political process to start changing the status quo. It may prove painful or even dangerous, but a disruption is its only chance for eventual improvement. The coalition may provide just this. Prince Michael of Liechtenstein is the chairman of trust company Industrie- und Finanzkontor Ets. as well as the founder and chairman of Geopolitical Intelligence Services. This article was first published by GIS Reports Online. FBI Officials Claim No Recollection of Key Moments in Clinton Investigation, IG Report Reveals High-level FBI officials investigating Hillary Clintons mishandling of classified information claimed they had no recollection of key events when questioned by the Office of the Inspector General (IG), Justice Departments watchdog. Specifically, the officials were foggy on the month that followed a late September 2016 discovery of a large trove of Clinton emails on the laptop of disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner. The small team at FBI headquarters working on the Clinton investigation failed to examine the new evidence for about a month and later tried to explain themselves with unpersuasive justifications, according to a highly anticipated IG report on the investigation released June 14. The leading officials in the investigation said they couldnt remember at least a dozen communications regarding Weiners laptop. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe had a similar response at least five times. In two instances, not even seeing notes from the communications appeared to refresh his memoryeven his own notes, in one instance. Weiner was exposed for engaging in sexually obscene electronic communications with a minor on Oct. 21, 2016. On Sept. 26, 2016, the FBI field office in New York obtained a federal search warrant on Weiners devices, and his lawyer reportedly handed them over to the New York Southern District Attorneys Office, including the content of Weiners iCloud online storage. The FBI agent assigned to the case soon discovered hundreds of thousands of emails on the laptop, including between Clinton and Huma Abedin, Weiners wife, who left him just weeks before. Abedin was Clintons closest confidante. [I]f people wanted to get something to Clinton, theyd email it to Huma and say please print for the Secretary. And she would, she was a gatekeeper in that way, lead investigator on the Clinton case Peter Strzok told the IG. Weiners case agent also found Blackberry messages between Abedin and Clinton. Clinton used a Blackberry at the beginning of her tenure as state secretary, including a roughly two-month period from which the FBI was previously unable to recover her communications. The emails and messages reached back to at least 2007. The FBI agent who made the discovery then reported it to his supervisors and was told to stop looking at any emails involving Clinton and Abedin. The next day, the field offices Assistant Director in Charge William Sweeney broke the news at a teleconference with about 40 top FBI officials, including McCabe. It was like dropping a bomb in the middle of the meeting said Paul Abbate, then-assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office, who was present. [E]verybody realized the significance of this. McCabe, however, told the IG he didnt recall Sweeney talking about the laptop. The IG showed McCabe his own notes from that day, which included, NY Weiner atty took data off cloud 2007 emails. McCabe maintained that he did not recall this. After the teleconference, Sweeney then called McCabe and reported that they had found 347,000 emails so far. McCabe said he remembered this call and that he briefed Bill Priestap, assistant director of the FBI counterintelligence division, which ran the Clinton investigation. [Y]ou need to get somebody up to New York right away to take a look at what they have because it might be Clinton emails, McCabe claimed to have said. Priestap told the IG he had no memory of this conversation. That same evening, Strzok wrote via text message to his mistress, FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who was McCabes legal counsel: Got called up to Andy [McCabe]s earlier hundreds of thousands of emails turned over by Weiners atty to sdny, indudes a ton of material from spouse. Sending team up tomorrow to review. Strzok told the IG he had no recollection of that meeting with McCabe. He said he couldnt recall who first told him about the laptop, either. Strzoks notes from that day stated, NY invest Weiner sexting 15 yo. Weiner atty produces copy of everything Weiner has on iCloud to SDNY. Significant email from Huma [NFI their email vs. her independent email]? Relevance to MYE, Clinton Foundation? MYE go review. MYE refers to Midyear, a codename for the Clinton investigation, while NFI means not further identified. McCabe said he didnt recall the meeting with Strzok either. Sweeney said he also called then-Executive Assistant Directors Randall Coleman and Michael Steinbach as well as Priestap with the updated number of emails found. All three confirmed the calls. Coleman said he called McCabe right after. I said, Hey listen, I just got called by Sweeney. Here is what he told me. And I think Andy is like, Yeah, I already know. I got it, Coleman told the IG. [T]here was no doubt in my mind when we finished that conversation that [McCabe] understood the gravity of what the find was. McCabe said he did not recall the conversation. Colemans memo about the call didnt appear to refresh McCabes memory. Priestap said the information from Sweeney was explosive. He sent an email to Strzok and a few others that night, saying, Our agent and analyst should call [the New York agents]. Sweeney communicated to Priestap that the New York agents couldnt just show the emails to the Midyear team, because the New York search warrant only covered Weiners crimes and gave no authority to go through Abedins emails. On Sept. 29, 2016, Priestap tasked an FBI attorney to follow up on the matter. That day, people from the New York team had a conference call with some of Strzoks subordinates from the Midyear teamnine people in total. Priestaps lawyer also attended and told the IG that the New York agents werent sure whether or not [the laptop] had anything to do with the Midyear investigation. Everybody else, however, told the IG they understood the laptop was connected to the Clinton investigation. The Midyear Supervisory Special Agent said he knew right off the bat that those were Clintons emails and that his people understood they were going to need to get [another search] warrant to review this. The FBI attorney said she thought there was no need to get a warrant yet and that the New York team would follow up with Midyear later. When questioned by the IG, she said she couldnt say why she thought that. The attorney then briefed Strzok, who said he thought the matter could wait until the end of the year or the next year. Meanwhile, Coleman was asked by Associate Deputy Director David Bowdich to brief then-FBI Director James Comey on the laptop. Comeys calendar for Oct. 4 included a meeting with Coleman, who said he didnt remember this meeting. Coleman said it may have been about his upcoming retirement. His notes that day stated: (1) Anthony Wiener [sic] (2) [Unrelated] (3) Wiener [sic] texting 15 yo Sexually Explicit 9/26 Federal SW IPhone/IPAD/Laptop Initial analysis of laptop thousands emails Hillary Clinton & Foundation Crime Against Children Coleman said he may have told the FBI executives about it, but couldnt remember. Comey told the IG he didnt remember the meeting with Coleman either, but acknowledged it could have happened. The New York team finished processing the laptop around Oct. 4, 2016, finding about 675,000 emails in total. The case agent said he was anxious that nobody from Midyear was getting back to him. He went to one of the district attorneys prosecutors and asked her to talk to District Attorney Preet Bharara so maybe theyd kick some of these lazy FBI folks in the butt and get them moving. Bharara later told the IG that they decided to talk to the Justice Department headquarters on Oct. 21, 2016, because of the concerns and agitation of the agent. They talked to George Toscas, a high-ranking lawyer at the National Security Division, who then asked McCabe what was going on with the laptop case. Suddenly, the Midyear team seemed much more concerned. [M]any people in both FBI Headquarters and the New York Office were responsible for pushing the matter forward and failed to do so, McCabe told the IG, calling it a failure with many fathers, including many other FBI executives [beside McCabe]. When asked by the IG, Comey denied having any recollection of the matter, which was raised at two meetings on Oct. 25 and 26. On Oct. 27, 2016, the Midyear team met with Comey. Two people at the meeting, Priestap and Deputy General Counsel Trisha Anderson, said Comey asked whether the team could ignore the laptop and still claim they did a thorough job on the investigation. They told him it was too much to ignore. Comey then told Congress the investigation was resumingless than two weeks before the election. Watch Next: Comedian Gives Hilarious Rundown of Events That Led Up to Release of FISA Abuse Memo Chappel gained a huge YouTube following with a channel dedicated to exposing the truth about China. His foray into American politics is already proving to be a success. His channel, American Uncovered, can be found here. Lawmakers Threaten to Use Constitutional Weapons if DOJ Continues Stonewalling Document Requests House Speaker Paul Ryan told lawmakers and senior officials from the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) at a meeting on June 15 that he plans to take action on the House floor to break a longstanding impasse between Congress and the DOJ over two subpoenas for government records. Lawmakers and representatives from the FBI and DOJ met on June 15 to review the details of the two subpoenas, House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy told Fox News on June 17. The record request includes documents related to the allegations of surveillance and spying on the Trump campaign, the conduct of investigators on the Hillary Clinton email investigation and the firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Lawmakers have been demanding to see the documents for months, but the Justice Department continually refused to comply, citing the need to review each document for sensitive national security information. The full scope of the request encompasses more than 1 million records. Ryan said there will be action this week if the DOJ fails to comply. The full panoply of constitutional weapons available to the peoples House are are in play, including contempt of Congress, Gowdy told Fox News. I dont want the drama. I want the documents. During the monthslong standoff, House intelligence committee Chairman Devin Nunes threatened the deputy attorney general with impeachment hearings and contempt charges. The Justice Department gave ground by letting a limited group of lawmakers review batches of documents on at least two occasions. Under the heading of minor miracles, you had members of the House working on a Friday night, Gowdy said. Paul Ryan led this meeting. You had Devin Nunes, [House Judiciary Committee Chair] Bob Goodlatte, myself, and everyone you can think of from the FBI and the DOJ, and we went item by item on both of those outstanding subpoenas. And Paul made it very clear: Theres going to be action on the floor of the House this week if the FBI and DOJ do not comply with our subpoena request, he said. So, Rod Rosenstein, [FBI Director] Chris Wrayyou were in the meeting, you understood him just as clearly as I did. Were going to get compliance or the House of Representatives is going to use its full arsenal of constitutional weapons to gain compliance. The stand-off between Rosenstein and the committees conducting congressional oversight of the Justice Department has been heated for months. Last week, The Epoch Times reported that emails about a January 2018 closed-door meeting between the DOJ, FBI, and staffers from the House intelligence committee described a threat by Rosenstein to subpoena the emails and phone records of lawmakers and their staff. Nunes and Gowdy also claimed last week that top officials in the Justice Department are mounting a coordinated attack against a congressional staffer aiding their committees in investigating misconduct within the DOJ tied to a surveillance operation against the Trump campaign. Attacking staffers, planting false stories, and endangering national security by leaking sensitive information to the press, including information about intelligence sourcesthis is what the DOJ is doing, and this why trust in the DOJ is rapidly eroding in Congress, Nunes said at the time. The urgency of obtaining the documents intensified on June 14 with the release of the watchdog report by the Justice Departments Office of the Inspector General. The report is the result of an 18-month investigation into the FBIs handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe. The detailed document revealed a pattern of strong bias among the top investigators in both the Clinton email probe and the investigation into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. The inspector general concluded that the bias, though pervasive, did not impact the outcome of the Clinton email probe. Among the revelations in the watchdogs report was a text message between from the top investigator in both the Clinton and Trump probes, Peter Strzok, to his mistress, FBI lawyer Lisa Page, vowing to stop Trump from becoming president. Watch Next: Trump, Kim Sign Joint Statement During Historic Summit German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a leadership meeting of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party on June 17, 2018 at the party headquarters, the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus, in Berlin. (Photo credit should read KAY NIETFELD/AFP/Getty Images) Merkel at Risk as German Coalition Crisis Enters Critical Phase GermanyGermanys crisis over migration policy enters a critical phase this week with Chancellor Angela Merkels political future on the line and the ripples already being felt across Europe. Merkel met with senior members of her Christian Democratic Union at party headquarters in Berlin late June 17 to plan the response to an ultimatum set by her interior minister, Horst Seehofer, to order migrants turned away from Germanys border in direct contradiction of the chancellor. Seehofers party, one of three in Merkels coalition, is poised to hand Merkel a two-week deadline to get a European deal facilitating the return of migrants to countries in which they were first registered. The demand will be endorsed at a meeting of the Christian Social Unions executive in Munich on June 18, according to Bild newspaper. Merkel must meanwhile decide whether to sack Seehofer for insubordination and risk a rift with her Bavarian sister party. The upshot is the worst crisis of her almost 13 years in office for Merkel, said Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg in London. If the Bavarian CSU does not agree to any compromise on migration policy, her current government may fall apart shortly. He added, however, that he thought that scenario unlikely. Merkels Coalition Crisis Could Blow Up or Blow Out The deadline handed to Merkel by her smaller Bavarian ally shows how emboldened it feels as governments from Hungary to Italy, Austria and the UK adopt hardline stances on protecting national borders. Even with a sharp decline in the numbers crossing to Europe over the Mediterranean, migration has surged to the top of the political agenda, with the proliferation of unilateral measures fraying the bonds of EU unity. Migration is a European challenge that requires a European answer, Merkel said in her weekly podcast released June 16. I see it as one of the most decisive issues in holding Europe together. She insists that unilateral action by Germany would trigger a wider crisis, and will now use the run-up to a June 28-29 summit of EU leaders to try and forge some sort of agreement. Italy Refusal Italys Five Star-League government is already signaling its intention to defy international convention by refusing harbor to refugee vessels, in the process stoking tensions with France, Spain and Malta. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini upped the ante at the weekend, saying that Italy wont allow two ships allegedly carrying migrants and asylum seekers from Libya to reach its shores. The German chancellor will hold talks with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Berlin on June 18. Merkel will then discuss migration with French President Emmanuel Macron during a joint cabinet meeting at a government retreat outside Berlin on June 19. Failure to reach a deal that can be presented as a breakthrough at European level could precipitate a full-blown crisis in Germany that might topple Merkel after almost 13 years as chancellor. Her demise would likely further bolster authoritarian governments in eastern Europe, undermine the new Spanish governments humanitarian stance on migration and put at risk Macrons plans for euro-area reform. MS-13 Members Indicted for 15 Murders on Long Island WASHINGTONTwo dozen members of the violent MS-13 gang have been charged in a New York federal district court with three additional murders on top of 12 theyve already been charged with, according to a report by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Kevin Torres, the leader of the Sailors clique of MS-13 in New York, and Alexi Saenz, the leader of the Brentwood, Long Island, chapter of the Sailors clique, authorized the murder of Oscar Acosta because he was suspected of being a rival 18th Street gang member, the DOJ said on June 7. On April 29, 2016, Acosta was beaten with tree limbs and then tied up while other gang members were called. The gang members loaded Acosta into the trunk of a car, drove to a more isolated wooded area in Brentwood, stabbed and slashed Acosta to death with a machete and buried his body, which was not recovered until September 2016, the DOJ said. The two other murder victims, Javier Castillo and Dewann Stacks, were allegedly killed by the group in October 2016 because they were suspected gang rival members. The defendants are charged with 12 other murders spanning from 2013 through 2017, including the slayings of Brentwood teens Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens in September 2016. President Donald Trump brought the parents of the two girls to his State of the Union address in January. The president has been outspoken about MS-13, calling them animals in multiple speeches. MS-13 gang members are trulyand youve heard me say itanimals. And yet Nancy Pelosi and Washington Democrats continue to protect them and to push for open borders, Trump said on June 16 in his weekly address. Just weeks ago, an illegal MS-13 gang member was arrested for allegedly murdering a man and burning his body. The gang member reportedly entered our country through glaring loopholes for unaccompanied alien minors. Washington Democrats voted against Kates Law, they voted against legislation to deport gang members, and they voted for sanctuary cities where these violent criminals hide. Watch Next: What is MS-13? House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) speaks to reporters during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 22, 2017. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Nunes Threatens Rosenstein With Impeachment Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, has lost patience with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. The two have been locked in a battle for several months over documents regarding the Russia collusion investigation that Nuness committee has sought from the Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ and the FBI have stonewalled requests for information, slow-walked delivering documents, heavily redacted documents, and restricted access to unredacted originals. The breaking point for Nunes appears to have been the request for documents relating to a FBI and CIA informant who was employed to meet with three Trump campaign officials, including Carter Page. In a meeting on June 14, Rosenstein promised delivery of the long-sought documents by June 15. They didnt come. On Fox News Sunday Morning Futures, Nunes told host Maria Bartiromo that if the sought-after documents are not turned over by June 18, theres going to be hell to pay. Numerous press reports have identified the FBI informant as Cambridge University professor Stefan Halper. DOJ has taken the position, though, that providing documents about the informant would put his life at risk and compromise sources and methods. Independent experts have derided these claims. Nunes said: We cant force the resignation, but we can hold in contempt, we can pass resolutions, we can impeach. I think were getting close to there. When asked by Bartiromo if he is ready to impeach Rosenstein, Nunes answered, Absolutely. Nunes is not the only member of Congress who has lost patience with the DOJ withholding documents. In a June 6 letter, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, complains that the response to his request for information about the circumstances surrounding Lt. General Michael Flynns reported conversations with the Russian ambassador and FBI records related to those conversations is insufficient. The reply relies on improper excuses. Member of the Philippine Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) wave at residents and motorists while in a military truck as they travel their way back from their five-month combat duty against pro-ISIS terrorist groups, a few days after President Rodrigo Duterte announced the Liberation of Marawi city, southern Philippines on Oct. 21, 2017. (REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco) Philippine Troops Clash With Remnants of Defeated Islamist Group MANILAPhilippine troops have clashed with remnants of a pro-Islamic State militant group that held a southern city for five months last year, the army said on Monday. Colonel Romeo Brawner, the deputy commander of Joint Task Force Marawi, said security forces conducted air and ground assaults in the province of Lanao del Sur on Sunday in a bid to flush out Maute rebels and the groups new leader. Brawner said he could not confirm if there had been any casualties in military operations in two towns near Marawi City, which is now undergoing rehabilitation with some residents returning to their homes. The military was targeting Abu Dar, who the government believes is the new emir of Islamic State in Southeast Asia, Brawner said. It could not be independently verified if the Islamic State has chosen Dar as its new leader in the region. Islamic State-inspired militants seized parts of the southern city of Marawi in May 2017, raising concerns about the influence of the extremist group in Southeast Asia. The army ended combat operations after wresting control in southern Marawi in October, and has shifted its focus to the islands marshes where other pro-Islamic State militants operate. The siege of Marawi, the countrys biggest battle since World War Two, displaced some 350,000 residents and more than 1,100 people were killed, mostly militants. Military and security experts have said militants who escaped from Marawi are recruiting fighters using looted cash, gold and jewelry worth tens of millions of dollars. By Neil Jerome Morales Watch Next: Huge Crocodile Snags Fishermans Catch at Last Moment Pirates Strategies and Countermeasures in the South China Sea Except for a brief spike along East Africa that gained national attention with the capture of Captain Richard Phillipsand resulting Hollywood moviepirates remain active in the South China Sea and around the world. The South China Sea averages about 150 piracy incidents per year but can see spikes of activity that push it up to 550. The exact numbers are hard to decipher because victims want to avoid time-consuming investigations, bad publicity, accusations of lax security, and higher insurance premiums. The area is such a prime target for many of the same reasons there are disputes over islands. Almost 30 percent of worldwide maritime traffic travels through the area. This includes all of the European goods to China, and almost all of the oil from the Persian Gulf to South East Asia. The port of Singapore and its nearby strait sees a ship every four minutes. There are many small islands, narrow channels, and places to hide. Pirates like Blackbeard, Mary Reed, and Steed Bonnet used similar geography off the outer banks of North Carolina to the same effect. Territorial disputes in the region often hamper enforcement and coordination. Finally, automation means that incredibly large tankers can have crews as little as 15 people, meaning that very small pirate crews can capture entire crews and gain lucrative prizes. There are some differences in piracy based on regions. Around Indonesia and Nigeria, for example, most of them occur near ports. Malaysia witnesses attacks more on the high seas. The former two have a lower standard of living, so attacks usually come from poor fishermen seeking a little boost of cash and staples. Their targets are usually small ships with scrap metal, or small tankers with liquid fuel, as both are easier to sell on the black market. Under the cover of night, they use ropes and grappling hooks to climb aboard with knives and machetes. If alerted in time, the crews fight back, often with crowbars in nasty hand-to-hand combat. Malaysia has more wealth, larger ships, and defensive measures, which requires more sophisticated methods launched by crime syndicates. The pirates usually get tipped off by unscrupulous crew members, port workers, or the government itself, and they already have a buyer prearranged. The pirates operate faster boats and their crews are armed with AK-47s and even some heavier weapons like rocket launchers. They quickly board at night, seize the ship, and set the crew adrift. Their cargoes are often in high demand. Because they get the fuel for free, they can quote really good prices to the refineries who dont ask questions about the reason for the discount. Overall, piracy is thought to result in $6 billion in lost revenue due to higher insurance rates, disrupted logistics, and longer shipping times. The added speed needed to outrun the pirates, for example, burns more fuel and adds almost $100,000 in fuel costs per day to the journey. The ransoms for captured crew members or profits from black market sales become a vital part of economies that are often in shambles, and provide steady paychecks for youths that have few other options to support themselves and their families. There are countermeasures, such as stricter port security to prevent informants from tipping off pirates, as well as joint coast guard patrols. For instance, the Chinese have two ports in the Indian Ocean, near Pakistan and Djibouti. These are vital logistical hubs that can help their ships hunt down pirates. So their efforts are not simply sabre-rattling to scare the American public. It was a coalition of ships that vastly reduced piracy along Somalis craggy coastline. That being said, China often militarizes its coast guard, and given the multiplicity of territorial disputes, military missions would likely do more harm than good. The best line of defense is a crew that is properly trained in defending against pirate attacks. Companies have hired additional armed guards, which help decrease the threat. But with such small crews, large ships, and tight profit margins that limit additional arms and security measures, they often get fewer guards than the situation demands. Despite these measures, we are likely to see more attacks in the future as shipping remains important, but economic factors drive the desperate to the water. Morgan Deane is a former U.S. Marine Corps infantry rifleman. Deane also served in the National Guard as an intelligence analyst. He is the author of the forthcoming book Decisive Battles in Chinese History, as well as Bleached Bones and Wicked Serpents: Ancient Warfare in the Book of Mormon. This article first appeared in OpsLens. In this handout photograph provided by The Strait Times, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) with U.S. President Donald Trump (R) during their historic U.S.-DPRK summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island on June 12, 2018 in Singapore. (Kevin Lim/The Strait Times/Handout/Getty Images) Singapore and a Safer World The Singapore summit, attended by about 3000 international journalists, followed decades of an uneasy stability maintained in Asia in large measure because of American-led security structures. President Trump conceded much to chairman Kim and received virtually nothing concrete in return. Former Canadian diplomat in South Korea, James Trottier, noted that the rapprochement between Trump and Kim is useful for regional peace, but runs the risk of negative consequences should the relationship sour. For now, he adds, a resumption of last years bellicose bilateral threats seems unlikelyto the relief of South Koreans, Japanese, and the world. Trump announced in Kims absence at a post-summit media conference that he intends to end the annual joint military exercises by South Korea and the United States. The recent ones nearly derailed the South/North Korea summit; this initiative was hopefully a confidence-building initiative without undue risk. Read More Examining the Entrails of the Singapore Summit Trumps rationalethey cost too muchwas unconvincing, especially as the American Congress recently increased the U.S. defence budget to $716 billion, up 13 percent from 2017. The security of 50 million South Koreans living beside one of the most repressive regimes on earth is extremely important. On the key issue of verifiable and irreversible denuclearization, the joint leaders statement indicated only that North Korea agreed to follow-up nuclear talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other U.S. officials at the earliest possible date. Trump argued at his press conference that the 403-word statement with Kim was very comprehensive and (absolutely) plain in terms of language on denuclearization. He then added that U.S. officials had worked on the substance of the statement for months and that the document was far down the line. Asked why it lacked details on how the denuclearization process would work, Trump offered only, Because there was no time. Im here one day. Trump also told journalists that while he had agreed to something the North Koreans had long soughta meeting of their leader and the American presidenthe thought it was as beneficial to the United States as it was for North Korea. Economic sanctions on North Korea, he stressed, would come off when we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor. He then weakened his maximum pressure position of the past 18 months by adding, I actually look forward to taking them off and that it was OK that China had recently eased up on sanctions enforcement at its border with North Korea. The president hinted that he might eventually bring about North Koreas goal of having U.S. forces leave the Korean peninsula. At some point, he noted, I want to bring our soldiers back home. The previous day, U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis had told reporters he didnt believe that troop levels were on the agenda. When asked if he would know if such discussions were planned, he said, Yeah, I sure would. Trump claimed to have raised the issue of North Koreas egregious human-rights abuses but didnt focus on them. Kim, he said, is very talented, since taking over North Korea in his 20s. Completely overlooked was that if the hermit kingdom is finally ready to join the international community, it must for the first time offer human dignity to its citizens. Benedict Rogers, a British human rights activist specializing in Asia, notes, People have been jailed, tortured or executed . The atrocities committed by (the Kims) (must not be) swept under the carpet. The U.N. Commission of Inquiry has recommended that Kim Jong Uns crimes be called to account at the International Criminal Court (ICC). No evidence was cited by Trump for why he feels his nuclear negotiations with North Korea will produce a different outcome from the last 25 years of inconclusive talks and violated agreements by three generations of Kims. My whole life has been deals, Ive done great at it, Trump noted. The president gave the reason for this deal: If I can save millions of lives by coming here, sitting down, and establishing a relationship with someone whos a very powerful man, whos got firm control of a country, and that country has very powerful nuclear weapons, its my honor to do it. Ill do whatever it takes to make the world a safer place. Overall, the president appeared more willing to reach an agreement with totalitarian Kim than with G7 colleagues in Canada. He accepted significant compromises, including on his priority of denuclearization. As Human Rights Watch Advocacy Director John Sifton noted, the North Korean people might well suffer even more since the Kim-Trump deal might well burnish and entrench a despots rule. The hundreds of thousands of North Koreans being brutalized daily in prisons, labor camps and gulags in the mountains are not winners now and they wont be tomorrow. Nor are the millions of other North Koreans who are routinely subjected to forced labor and deprived of basic rights, ranging from freedom of speech and assembly to adequate food, housing, education, and health care. Kim Jong-un outmanoeuvred Donald Trump in Singapore. David Kilgour, a lawyer by profession, served in Canadas House of Commons for almost 27 years. In Jean Chretiens Cabinet, he was secretary of state (Latin America and Africa) and secretary of state (Asia-Pacific). He is the author of several books and co-author with David Matas of Bloody Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for Their Organs. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. South Korean marines participate in a landing operation referred to as Foal Eagle joint military exercise with U.S, troops on the Pohang seashore on April 2, 2017 in Pohang, South Korea. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) Suspension of USSouth Korea Joint Military Exercise Soon to Be Announced South Korea and the United States are expected to formally announce the suspension of large-scale joint military exercises this week, in accordance with President Donald Trump announcing that he would cancel the provocative war games after his June 12 meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in Singapore, according to South Koreas Yonhap News Agency. 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 reported, quoting an unnamed source. This week, the South Korean and U.S. defense ministries will jointly announce the results of their discussions. After his historic summit with Kim, Trump described the long-established joint military exercises with South Korea as provocative, inappropriate and expensive, and said that he will stop them. The joint exercises, which have been maintained for decades, are based on a series of contingency plans that sought to prepare American and South Korean forces to confront North Koreas aggression in a wide range of scenarios, from limited attack to full-blown war. Trumps decision to stop military exercises with South Korea has received mixed reactions. While some experts describe it as a necessary gesture in facilitating denuclearization negotiations with North Korea, others say that it could derail the longstanding U.S. alliance with Seoul and could potentially embolden Kims aggression. Yonhaps source also said, however, that there will likely be a snapback clause allowing the exercises to resume should the Kim regime fail to deliver on its denuclearization commitment. In a joint statement with Trump following the summit, Kim promised that he will commit to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, though no specific details such as timeline or method for disarmament were given. Taiwans Communist Party Dissolved Six Months After New Political Party Law Went Into Effect The Taiwanese government officially dissolved the Communist Party of the Republic of China on June 4. More commonly known as Taiwan, the self-ruled island passed the Political Party Law in November 2017, which prohibits political parties from investing in businesses, or possessing party names and logos that have a hidden discriminatory or hateful meaning. Additionally, parties that fail to elect a candidate for public office or hold a party representative meeting for four consecutive years will have their registered status with the government revoked. Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News reported that Taiwans Ministry of Interior announced that the 24 parties, including the Communist Party of the Republic of China, have been dissolved. The week prior, on May 23, Communist Party members made the decision to self-dissolve at a representative meeting. On Taiwans popular social media platform, PTT, several netizens welcomed the news. One netizen with the moniker aftercome86 wrote, Good. Any party that jeopardizes Taiwans sovereignty should be eliminated. Some netizens were surprised that a Communist Party could even be legally registered in Taiwan. After being defeated at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during Chinas civil war, members of Kuomintang, also known as the Nationalists, retreated to Taiwan. While China is under an authoritarian one party rule, Taiwan is a multi-party democracy with its own constitution, legislature, currency, and military. Relations between China and Taiwan are fraught because Beijing considers the island nation a renegade province that must someday be reunited with the mainland, with military force if necessary. Before Taiwan transitioned to become a true democracy with the first direct presidential election in 1996, it was ruled by the Kuomintang. The spreading of communism, the enemys ideology, was thus forbidden in the island. Any communist organization or party was considered illegal under Article II of Taiwans organization law. In June 2008, Taiwans judicial court ruled that Article II was in violation of the freedom of assembly and speech guaranteed by the islands constitution, which paved the way for the Communist Party of the Republic of China to legally register with the Taiwanese government on July 20, 2008. In recent years, the Chinese regime has tried to infiltrate Taiwanese society and spread its Communist agenda, angering many Taiwanese who disagree with the authoritarian regimes actions. In October 2017, four students of National Taiwan University were beaten by members of two pro-Beijing Taiwanese organizationsthe Chinese Unity Promotion Party and the Patriot Alliance Association. The students were protesting a concert to be held at the university that was organized by a mainland Chinese reality television program. The concert was later canceled amid mounting public pressure by locals who considered the concert to be propaganda by the Chinese Communist Party. Chang An-lo, the leader of the China Unity Promotion Party, is an infamous local gang boss who advocates for the countrys capitulation to China. U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order during a meeting of the National Space Council at the East Room of the White House June 18, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Trump Will Create New Military Space Force President Donald Trump said on June 18 that he would be directing government departments to create a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces. In the East Room of the White House, Trump said the newest military branch would be separate, but equal to the Air Force. Current military wings include the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. We must have American dominance in space, Trump said Monday afternoon during a meeting with the National Space Council. Very importantly, Im hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish the Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces. Thats a big step. The surprise announcement comes amid Trumps push to re-establish the United States as a leader in the final frontier. The president called on Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to create the new force. The creation of a military branch that would deal with national space security has been a topic of discussion for many years, although the idea only gained traction after Trump took office. Vice President Mike Pence was in attendance, as were members of Congress, industry leaders, astronauts, and others. No other information was released on the Space Force, such as its proposed budget or a timeline of its implementation. That same day, Trump signed a new policy directive that furthers safety and security in space, as traffic from commercial and civil parties increases. Its the third such policy directive in its class and will help the Department of Defense to focus on protecting U.S. space assets and interests, especially as competition in the space domain continues to ramp up. The policy aims to reduce the growing threat of orbital debris, a common interest for all nations, and will shape policy to pursue and utilize both government and commercial sector technology to track and monitor the debris. Watch Next: Trump Wants to Create a Space Force Why Mister Rogers Message of Love and Kindness Is Good for Your Health Rogers's simple but profound message echoes long after his passing as science adds to its validity The release of the Mister Rogers documentary, Wont You Be My Neighbor? calls to mind the essential message of Rogers long-running childrens program, Mister Rogers Neighborhood. Fred McFeely Rogers, who died in 2003, was also an ordained Presbyterian minister. Over the course of three decades on public broadcasting, he brought to millions of children what his faiths General Assembly referred to as unconditional love. In preaching love, Rogers wasnt just attending to the moral character of his youthful audience, he believed that he was also promoting their health. As he said in 1979, My whole approach in broadcasting has always been, You are an important person just the way you are. You can make healthy decisions. Maybe Im going on too long, but I just feel that anything that allows a person to be more active in the control of his or her life, in a healthy way, is important. Since Rogers death, evidence has mounted that he was on to somethingnamely, that love and kindness truly are healthful, and people who express them regularly really lead healthier lives. Simply put, people who are generous and volunteer their time for the benefit of others seem to be happier than those who dont, and happy people tend to have fewer health complaints and live longer than those who are unhappy. Love Gave Rise to a Calling Born in Pennsylvania in 1928, as a young minister Rogers regretted the messages television was conveying to children in the 1960s. He said, I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought theres some way of using this fabulous instrument to nurture those who would watch and listen. Mr. Rogers Neighborhood debuted nationally in 1968 and won its creator and host many accolades, including a Presidential Medal of Freedom, two Peabody Awards, and over 40 honorary degrees. Rogers believed that the need to love and be loved was universal, and he sought to cultivate these capacities through every program. In a 2004 documentary hosted by actor Michael Keaton, one of his former stagehands, Rogers said, You know, I think everybody longs to be loved, and longs to know that he or she is lovable. And consequently, the greatest thing we can do is to help somebody know theyre loved and capable of loving. Love and Health As it turns out, there are many ways in which love and kindness are good for health. For one thing, they tend to reduce factors that undermine it. Doing something nice for someone causes the release of endorphins, which help to relieve pain. People who make kindness a habit have lower levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. Intentionally helping others can even lower levels of anxiety in individuals who normally avoid social situations. Carrying out acts of kindness, or even merely witnessing them, also increases levels of oxytocin, a hormone with such diverse health benefits as lowering blood pressure, promoting good sleep and reducing cravings for drugs such as cocaine and alcohol. That oxytocin should have so many health benefits is not so surprising when we recall its central role in stimulating uterine contractions during birth, the letdown of milk during lactation, the pleasure associated with orgasm and pair bonding. Acts of generosity and compassion also appear to be good for mood. A 2010 study showed that while people with money tend to be somewhat happier than those without it, people who spend money on others report even greater levels of happiness, an effect that can be detected even in toddlers. When people give money to others, areas of the brain associated with pleasure are activated, and this response is greater when the transfer is voluntary rather than mandatory. Such happiness can have big benefits on longevity. For example, a review of 160 published studies concluded that there is compelling evidence that life satisfaction and optimism are associated with better health and enhanced longevity. Another study of older people showed that, even after correcting for other factors such as age, disease and health habits, those who rated their happiness highest were 35 percent less likely to die in five years than those who were least content. What Would Mister Rogers Say? Of course, Rogers would remind us that there are reasons to be committed to love and kindness that extend far beyond their health benefits. Rogers was, after all, not a physician but a minister, and ultimately he was ministering to an aspect of human wholeness that cannot be analyzed by blood tests or visualized with CT scans. In a commencement address at Dartmouth College in 2002, he focused less on the body than what he might have called the spirit: When I say its you I like, Im talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed. When Rogers encouraged children to be kinder and more loving, he believed that he was not only promoting public health but also nurturing the most important part of a human beingthe part that exhibits a divine spark. As Rogers indicated in a 2001 commencement speech at Middlebury College, I believe that appreciation is a holy thing, that when we look for whats best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, were doing what God does; so in appreciating our neighbor, were participating in something truly sacred. In expressing such deeply religious sentiments, Rogers was not trying to undermine a concern with bodily health. In fact, he regularly encouraged his viewers to adopt healthy life habits, and Rogers himself was a committed vegetarian and lifelong swimmer who maintained a low bodyweight his entire life. Yet he also believed that health alone does not a full life make, and he regarded the soundness of the body as but part of the wellness of whole persons and communities, which may explain why he was able to face his own mortality with such equanimity. Just a few months before he died, Rogers recorded a message for the many adult fans who had grown up watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood. In it, he practiced what he preached, saying: I would like to tell you what I often told you when you were much younger. I like you just the way you are. And whats more, Im so grateful to you for helping the children in your life to know that youll do everything you can to keep them safe. And to help them express their feelings in ways that will bring healing in many different neighborhoods. Its such a good feeling to know that were lifelong friends. Richard Gunderman is a chancellors professor of medicine, liberal Arts, and philanthropy at Indiana University. This article was originally published on The Conversation. In the past five years, technology consulting firm GIBC Digital has opened offices in Boston, Hong Kong, London, Singapore and Tampa. Now, the firm is turning its focus to new markets. In its largest year of growth to date, the Stamford-based company has expanded to the Bahamas and is gearing up for a launch in West Africa. The new locations reflect GIBCs confidence in the potential of developing countries, where it sees an opportunity to help develop worker skills and tackle major quality-of-life challenges. Weve really done a good job of differentiating ourselves from some of the bigger consultancies, Greg Wood, GIBCs founder and CEO, said in an interview earlier this month at GIBCs main offices, in the downtown Stark Office Suites, at 243 Tresser Blvd. Its really by taking that roll-up-our-sleeves approach to the work we do and driving change. In the Bahamas, GIBC is launching a training center in the Grand Bahama islands main city, Freeport. It plans to employ about 50 there by the end of this year, with the intent of supporting the development of the Bahamian workforces technology capabilities. GIBCs mission in the Caribbean nation will focus on helping professionals use technology to bring down costs and improve health care access. Development of airport infrastructure will also be a priority. One of the things that really attracted us to that region was the desire of the current (government) administration that just came in last year to make some changes that would facilitate Grand Bahama becoming a tech hub, Wood said. Because of the way we approach markets we enter, by coming in and training people, it seemed ideally suited for that market in particular. Following the Bahamas expansion, GIBC plans to open an office this summer in Nigerias largest city, Lagos. About 50 people would staff that center. Some of the changes were talking about making have a profound impact on the quality of life of people who live there, Wood said. By driving process improvements, automation and digitization of paper records, we can make a big difference to reduce (hospital stays) from two or three days to two or three hours. GIBC also plans to open offices later this year or next year in Johannesburg, Dublin and Toronto. The firm would benefit in its overseas expansion from the strong reputation U.S. technology companies enjoy overseas, said Niam Yaraghi, an assistant professor of operations and information management at the University of Connecticut and a non-resident fellow in the Brookings Institutions Center for Technology Innovation. But he also cited significant challenges in entering emerging markets. When it comes to health care, countries like Nigeria have their own requirements, just like the U.S. has its own, Yaraghi said. They cant just use the technologies already developed here and roll it out in other markets. Theyll have to make significant adjustments in order to make sure theyre responding to customers needs and government regulations. The move into health care delivery and emerging markets complements GIBCs work in financial services. Its clients include Bank of America, Barclays, Bridgewater Associates, Citibank, J.P. Morgan, Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS. Founded in 2011, the firm last year relocated its main offices from Brooklyn, N.Y., to Stamford, where about 15 are based. Its letters stand for governance, infrastructure, business change and compliance. Stamford has proximity to New York and Boston, and we have a lot of people who live in Fairfield county and prefer to not have to commute, Wood said. This is a great place to do business without the expense and time it takes to get to Manhattan. pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; Twitter: @paulschott Weeks after billionaire Carl Icahn extricated Xerox from a planned $6.1 billion sale to Fujifilm Holdings, the Japan-based company is suing Xerox in New York federal court for $1 billion for having broken off the deal. After winning a board proxy contest last month, Icahn and fellow Xerox investor Darwin Deason had forced the exit of Bob Keegan and Jeff Jacobson from their roles of chairman and CEO of Norwalk-based Xerox, respectively, arguing the deal they reached with Fujifilm undervalued Xerox shares compared to how the technology giant could fare on its own. Deason had sued Xerox in New York state court to block the deal, with the Xerox board acceding only after a judge scheduled a September hearing on the case over Xeroxs arguments at the time for an immediate resolution. Leading into their proxy contest and after, Icahn and Deason have also raised the possibility of ending the half-century-old Fuji Xerox joint venture that holds sales rights to the Asia-Pacific region, arguing that a Fuji Xerox accounting scandal allows Xerox to scotch the partnership. In a statement forwarded by an external publicist firm, Fujifilm argued Xerox did not have legitimate cause to terminate the merger agreement unilaterally, and that the companies negotiated at arms length and in good faith to arrive at the $6.1 billion valuation. Fujifilm is seeking additional punitive damages and payment of a $183 million merger termination fee. Fujifilm is confident that the (court) will agree that all Xerox shareholders ought to decide for themselves the operational, financial and strategic merits of the transaction, Fujifilm stated. It is inconsistent with shareholder democracy to allow Carl Icahn and Darwin Deason, minority shareholders with only 15 (percent) of Xeroxs shares, to dictate the fate of Xerox. In a blanket statement issued to press outlets, Xerox stated it would pursue any and all remedies available ... arising from Fujis mismanagement and misconduct. Separately Monday, Xerox announced the hiring of Mary McHugh as chief delivery officer, responsible of global delivery of Xerox products and services from manufacturing to delivery and customer service. McHugh previously worked for Oracle and earlier in her career for HP and IBM, where Visentin also was a senior manager prior to his appointment to lead the Pitney Bowes spinoff Novitex Enterprise Solutions. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman Westport resident Stefanie Buchalter and her partners want to stretch peoples understanding of yoga along with their limbs at their new studio Black Rock Yoga. Buchalter opened the studio at 3064 Fairfield Ave. this month with her husband, Darin, and business partners David and MaryEllen Tortorello of Bridgeport. I think that many times the assumption is that you have to come to yoga ready with your practice and be really great about it, and thats not the case at all, Buchalter said. The yoga studio was built and opened in a former residential property that was zoned for mixed use. David Tortorello owned the building along with the neighboring structure occupied by BRYAC Restaurant & Raw Bar. With a love for practicing yoga between them, Buchalter said she and her partners wanted to bring a yoga studio that mirrored its neighborhood. We felt like Bridgeport, Black Rock in particular, is a location that was ready for a yoga studio of this type, Buchalter said. There are definitely a lot of yoga studios in the area, but we felt that we have a unique place in that neighborhood. Black Rock Yoga offers a cozy and welcoming studio with a spa-like setting designed to offer a lighthearted atmosphere that is reflected throughout the studio, particularly in class offerings. The studio features a yoga room that accommodates a mix of classes throughout the week for varying experience levels based in the Vinyasa-style yoga. A team of 11 teachers provide a batch of uniquely named classes including the The Rock, Grit and Grace and Big Kahuna. BRY offers yoga classes daily with a variety of levels, from brand new beginner, to advanced practitioners. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturday and Sunday are heated days, when the studio is warmed to 95 degrees. Friday evenings at 5.30 p.m. will be live music Vinyasa flow taught by Judy Orr with live acoustic guitar played by local musician John Torres. Fun names make it lighthearted because people are intimidated, Orr said. If youve never done yoga, (youd be) intimidated. Its scary. You dont know what to expect and how much you can do. Orr brings 10 years of practice and five years of teaching to the mix as she looks to educate and break common misconceptions, including that a person must be at a certain level of flexibility to practice yoga. For people with no background in yoga, or less flexibility than most, the Black Rock Yoga tries to accommodate with classes that focus on students with less mobility. The studio is also ADA accessible. Come as you are, Orr said, adding that students dont need to bring their own mats or props. Black Rock Yoga also offers massage therapy. While the studio welcomes all interested parties, most of BRYs student base is coming from nearby, which Buchalter said she and her partners had hoped to see as they look to create a hub for the community to come and interact while getting in shape. With more than two weeks since opening the studio, Buchalter said Black Rock Yoga has received a positive reception from the community, which they have tried to amplify with different promotions like free introductory courses and 25 days of yoga for $25, to attract first-time students. The whole idea is to have it feel like a community base, Buchalter said. Jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com SHELTON Two pets were killed, a dozen residents were displaced and two firefighters were evaluated in a late Saturday night fire that damaged a mixed-use building on Howe Avenue. The fire also affected four businesses, City Stylez Barber Shop, Little Petting Zoo, M&T Nail & Spa Salon and Formal Massage, in the building, Chief Fran Jones said. About 30 animals, including snakes, lizards, rabbits and birds, were rescued from the building, but a chinchilla and parakeet could not be saved, Jones said. He said VCA Shoreline animal clinic sent the surviving animals to its North Haven facility. Jones said the fire started a few minutes before midnight and took several Shelton crews and Derby firefighters until around 12:30 a.m. Sunday to extinguish. But firefighters stayed throughout the night to complete overhaul and assist residents, he said. Red Cross is helping the 12 tenants whose apartments were damaged, Jones said. The two firefighters who were treated by emergency medical services are O.K. and were released, he said. The building was built between the 1870s and early 1900s, making it more difficult to knock down the fire, Jones said. Shelton and Derby firemen did a tremendous job, he said. The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, but a majority of the damage was in a common basement used by the stores, Jones said. The first, second and third floors suffered smoke damage. The building is inhabitable and does not have power or gas, he said. What does a property manager do? If you own a rental property and want help, a property manager can relieve you of a whole bunch of headaches. A property manager works for landlords, handling the day-to-day details of running a building. If you dream of collecting income from rental property but cringe at the idea of collecting rent or getting calls from tenants about burst pipes, a property manager could be well worth the money. Property management isnt a glamorous business, says Dana Anderson, president at Bay Management Group, a property management company in Philadelphia. Tenants can be difficult, landlord-tenant laws are complicated, and property maintenance can be stressful. Having someone handling those problems for you gives you peace of mind. Let's explore what property managers do, how much they cost, and how you can find a reputable one. What does a property manager do? Property managers provide a range of services to rental owners. Generally, they will do the following: Price your rent. Property managers will help you determine what rent to charge by looking at what comparable rentals are leasing for in your area. An experienced property manager also relies on their experience and instinct to set rents that move properties, says Peter Lohmann , CEO at RL Property Management Group in Columbus, OH. Property managers will help you determine what rent to charge by looking at what comparable rentals are leasing for in your area. An experienced property manager also relies on their experience and instinct to set rents that move properties, says , CEO at RL Property Management Group in Columbus, OH. Market your property. Property managers do more than just post your rental on Craigslistthey generate leads through social media, advertising, and the multiple listing service so that real estate agents can show your place to their rental clients. Property managers do more than just post your rental on Craigslistthey generate leads through social media, advertising, and the multiple listing service so that real estate agents can show your place to their rental clients. Vet tenants. The best way to reduce turnover is to find great tenants, and a good property manager is going to use state-of-the-art screening to find responsible renters, Lohmann says. So, in addition to running a credit check, property managers screen tenant applicants by checking their criminal history, verifying their income and employment, and contacting their previous landlords, says Stephanie Witko , director of business development and leasing at Nest DC, a boutique property management firm in Washington, DC. The best way to reduce turnover is to find great tenants, and a good property manager is going to use state-of-the-art screening to find responsible renters, Lohmann says. So, in addition to running a credit check, property managers screen tenant applicants by checking their criminal history, verifying their income and employment, and contacting their previous landlords, says , director of business development and leasing at Nest DC, a boutique property management firm in Washington, DC. Protect you from lawsuits. Property managers stay up to date on the latest landlord-tenant laws, rules, and regulations, which can vary by city and state, Anderson says. This protects you from housing discrimination claims. Property managers stay up to date on the latest landlord-tenant laws, rules, and regulations, which can vary by city and state, Anderson says. This protects you from housing discrimination claims. Handle emergency repairs. Most property managers retain a small amount of cash from the landlord for emergency repairs such as a broken fridge or leaky washer. This money is typically held in whats called a maintenance reserve fund, which generally ranges from $500 to $1,000, Witko says. Most property managers retain a small amount of cash from the landlord for emergency repairs such as a broken fridge or leaky washer. This money is typically held in whats called a maintenance reserve fund, which generally ranges from $500 to $1,000, Witko says. Create monthly income and expenditure reports. These reports help you track your money so that you know how much is coming in and going out every month. These reports help you track your money so that you know how much is coming in and going out every month. Provide important tax filing documents. Every year we send out 1099s to rental owners so that they can report their rental income and expenses to Uncle Sam, Witko says. Every year we send out 1099s to rental owners so that they can report their rental income and expenses to Uncle Sam, Witko says. Perform house visits. Most property managers do quarterly or biannual property inspections. The big things to check are furnace filters, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors, Lohmann says. Well also make sure the tenants arent damaging the unit. How much do property managers charge? Most property managers charge one months rent to procure a tenant and then charge a monthly management fee, either as a percentage of the rent or a flat fee per unit. Fees can vary widely depending on the housing market. In general, though, management fees are 5% to 10% of a months rent. However, if a client is bringing us multiple rental units, well often offer a discount of 1% less each month, Witko says. Many property managers also charge a lease renewal fee of up to 50% of one months rent to cover the paperwork of preparing a new lease and other administrative fees, Anderson says. How to find the right property manager for you To start, you want a property manager that aligns with your needsin particular how involved you want to be. Some property managers are going to involve the owner with a lot of decisions and some arent, Lohmann says. You may want to be a more passive owner, or you may want to be involved in the decisions. It depends on what youre looking for. You also want a property manager with experience managing the type of property you own. Renting out a condo is more complicated than renting out a house. One way to narrow your pool is to search for property managers in your area through the National Association of Residential Property Managers. (Members have to complete a code of ethics training and abide by professional standards.) Lohmann recommends contacting five property management companies before deciding which firm you want to use. How quickly you receive a reply is a good indicator of the companys response time with tenants. Find a company that gets back to you within 24 hours, Anderson suggests. Unfortunately, scam artists abound. To find a property manager who's reputable, do your research by contacting several of the company's current clients for feedback and looking up its rating on the Better Business Bureau website. Don't just go with the cheapest optionyou get what you pay for. Questions to ask a prospective property manager Aside from asking the basicshow much do you charge, what services do you providedo your due diligence by asking potential property managers these questions: When theres an emergency from a tenant, how do you respond? Some will hire a third party to deal with these issues, others respond in-house (the latter is preferred). Some will hire a third party to deal with these issues, others respond in-house (the latter is preferred). How many house visits do you perform every year? A lot of companies will say they do home visits periodically, but Ive found thats often not true, Anderson says. (Pro tip: Make sure the contract that you sign states how many home visits the company will perform annually.) A lot of companies will say they do home visits periodically, but Ive found thats often not true, Anderson says. (Pro tip: Make sure the contract that you sign states how many home visits the company will perform annually.) Whats your occupancy rate? A lot of property managers arent going to know this number off the top of their head, but they should be able to pull it for you, Lohmann says. Generally, a property management company should have a 92% to 95% occupancy rate, adds Lohmann. The caveat? Occupancy rates are going to vary depending on the time of year, he says, with vacancy rates climbing in the winter. Nonetheless, if a company has an occupancy rate of below 90% during the summer, thats a red flag to me, Lohmann says. The post What Does a Property Manager Do? Run Your Rental So You Don't Have To appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. 7 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 Grand Palace touts nabbed BANGKOK: Almost 90 people have been rounded up in a joint operation to restore law and order around the Grand Palace following complaints about foreign visitors being pressured to purchase services they do not require. crimepolicetransporttourism By Bangkok Post Monday 18 June 2018, 09:01AM The Grand Palace tourist scam typically involves a guide, a tuk-tuk and a jewellery store. It is the best known fraud scheme in Thailand (373,000 Google hits) and has operated for decades. Photo: Screengrab via Journey and Explore / YouTube The blitz, led by the Tourism Police Bureau, was launched with authorities patrolling the areas surrounding the Grand Palace looking for vendors and tuk-tuk and taxi drivers pressing foreign visitors to souvenir shops, tailor shops, or river cruises. A total of 87 people were arrested in the operation of which 68 were booked for violating traffic regulations and 19 others were charged with creating a nuisance in public areas. Another group of 52 people were also detained and warned to stay away from the unruliness and not to engage in fraudulent activities that could tarnish the countrys image and possibly hurt the tourism industry. Scores of tourists at the Grand Palace have complained about gangs preying on them by lying about opening hours of venues and luring them to shop or take river cruises with high commission fees. According to authorities, some tourists also complained about vendors blocking or grabbing them to buy goods. Some vendors were also accused of selling overpriced and substandard items. There were also complaints about tuk-tuks and taxis parking in prohibited areas and causing traffic headaches to tourists and pedestrians. The joint operation is being enforced by the Patrol and Special Operation Division or 191 Patrol, the Traffic Police Division, Chanasongkhram Police Station, Phraratchawang Police Station and City Hall. Read original story here. Laguna Phuket holds anti-bribery, anti-corruption training PHUKET: Laguna Resorts & Hotels (LRH) last Thursday (June 14) held an Anti-Bribery and Corruption Training at the Angsana Laguna Phuket that saw 270 LRH executives together with Laguna Phuket associates taking part. tourismcorruption By The Phuket News Monday 18 June 2018, 11:41AM More than 270 LRH executives together with Laguna Phuket associates took part in the training. The anti-bribery and corruption training was held with the objective of educating Laguna Phuket associates on an overview of anti-bribery and corruption, LRHs zero-tolerance anti-corruption policies and corruption-related red flags. The anti-bribery and corruption training was held with the objective of educating Laguna Phuket associates on an overview of anti-bribery and corruption, LRHs zero-tolerance anti-corruption policies and corruption-related red flags. The training was held in two sessions: a morning session in English language for expatriate associates, and a Thai-language session in the afternoon. The anti-bribery and corruption training was held with the objective of educating Laguna Phuket associates on an overview of anti-bribery and corruption, LRHs zero-tolerance anti-corruption policies and corruption-related red flags. The training is also in compliance with the Thai governments anti-corruption policies and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) measures against bribery and corruption. There was a post-training test to evaluate participants knowledge. The test results will be recorded for future reference. In November 2017, LRH signed the declaration to join Thailands Private Sector Collective Action Coalition Against Corruption (CAC). The training is part of LRHs self-evaluation tool and supporting evidence as required by CAC. Lifeguards warn of Portuguese man-o-war at Phuket beaches PHUKET: The Phuket Lifeguards Service has today issued a warning for beachgoers after Portuguese man-o-war have been found at three of Phukets west coast beaches. accidentshealthweatheranimalsmarinetourism By Matt Pond Monday 18 June 2018, 11:36AM The Phuket Lifeguard Service put out its warning after Portuguese man-o-war were sighted at Nai Yang, Mai Khao and Patong beaches. Photo: Marcio Cabral de Moura / Flickr Posting on their Facebook page earlier today (June 18), the Phuket Lifeguard Service said, Warning to all beach swimmer Portuguese man-o-war found on Nai Yang beach, Mai Kaow Beach and Patong Beach. If you feel painful on your skin. It may caused by their sting. Please see Lifeguard for Treatment. (See post here.) During the southwestern monsoon season, Portuguese man-of-war, or blue bottle, are often found along Phukets west coast. Their venomous long tentacles deliver a painful sting, which is powerful enough to kill fish. Stings usually cause severe pain to humans, leaving whip-like, red welts on the skin that normally last two or three days after the initial sting, though the pain should subside after about one to three hours (depending on the biology of the person stung). However, in some rare cases the venom can travel to the lymph nodes and may cause symptoms that mimic an allergic reaction including swelling of the larynx, airway blockage, cardiac distress, and an inability to breathe. Other symptoms can include fever and shock, and in some extreme cases, even death, although this is extremely rare. Treatment for a Portuguese man owar sting usually begins with the application of poured salt water to rinse away any remaining microscopic nematocysts. Salt water is used as fresh water has been shown to cause nematocystic discharge. Phukets B4bn The Residences at Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay enjoying strong sales PHUKET: The Residences at Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay, B4-billion mixed-use, low-density development located at Ao Por, on Phukets east coast, is enjoying strong interest with 70% of units already sold to Thai and international investors, developer Apex Development Public Company Limited announced today (June 18). constructiontourismproperty By The Phuket News Monday 18 June 2018, 06:50PM The main infinity pool at The Residences at Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay. Located on 66 rai of hillside land with a 650-metre long coastline and a 220m sandy beach, the development comprises 103 pool villas and suites and a 183-key five-star resort managed by Sheraton. Our focus is mixed-use developments in high growth tourism provinces in prime locations, with international brand management that generates a good value for buyers, and The Residences at Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay is a perfect example of this, said Aekkachai Na Ranong, Apex Vice President International Affairs & Development. Phukets east coast offers something special, the views are unmatched and Phang Nga Bay is just minutes away by yacht. This is a true investment in lifestyle where owners can use their units 30 days per annum as well as place them in an optional rental program to be managed as part of The Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay Resort, Mr Aekkachai added. The low-rise design incorporates five unit types; Pool Villas (Type A, B, C) which range from 90sqm to 137.5sqm; Pool Suites are 84sqm in size; and Suites at 53sqm. Prices range from B9.8 million to B36.7mn, with an option for either sea or mountain views, and units are available with freehold condominium title. Located on the northern and southern sides of the site, The Residences at Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay surrounds The Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay Resort, which will feature a host of five-star facilities for guests and villa owners to enjoy, including all-day dining, specialty restaurants, lobby lounge, swimming pool and pool bar, spa and fitness center, business center, 24-hour room service and housekeeping and laundry facilities. Playing key roles in creating The Residences sees the architecture by The Office of Bangkok Architect; contemporary interiors using natural stone and timber, with a hint of blue to reflect the seaside setting, by Leo International Design Group; while landscaping is by the multi-award-winning Thai landscape specialists Shma Co Ltd. We believe in delivering the best quality for our customers. Working with experts in their respective fields ensures the end product is of the highest quality, which means guests will enjoy the best possible five-star experience and residence owners will get the best value for their purchase, said Mr Aekkachai. The construction completion date for The Residences at Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay is scheduled for Q3 and Q4/2019, while the construction completion date for The Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay Resort is scheduled for Q3 2020. Of note, property development company Apex Development PCL specialises in mixed-use developments in Thailands tourism and business sectors, such as residential properties, commercial buildings, hotels, retirement and medical care resorts, and shopping complexes. Hotel and residential projects the company has in the pipeline, include Movenpick Residences & Pool Villas (Na Jomtien, Pattaya), Four Points by Sheraton Pattaya, Jomtien Beach, Jomtien Bay Residences (Na Jomtien, Pattaya), Sheraton Phuket Grand Bay Resort and Residences (Phuket), Nai Yang Phuket Resort and Residences (Phuket), Club Med Krabi (Krabi) and Krabi Long Beach Resort and Residences (Krabi). Phuket taxi driver dodges flee the scene, drunk driving charges PHUKET: The Phuket taxi driver whose Toyota Forturner went off-road in a single-vehicle accident in the early hours of June 4 will not be charged for fleeing the scene of an accident and will not be charged for drunk driving. Monday 18 June 2018, 12:16PM The Phuket taxi driver of this Toyota Fortuner will not be charged for fleeing the scene of an accident. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub / file The news follows Capt Eakkasak Kwanwan of the Thalang Police confirming to The Phuket News this morning (June 18) that the driver, who police have not named, will face only one charge: reckless driving causing damage to property. The accident on June 4 saw the white Fortuner, registered as a Phuket taxi, end up buried in undergrowth in a field in Thalang after the vehicle wiped out a roadside sign and came to rest after hitting a power pole. The wreck was noticed by passers-by, and when rescue workers and the police turned up, the driver was nowhere to be seen. (See story here.) Regardless, Capt Eakkasak today said, He did not flee the scene. The driver did not escape. He went to the police station after the incident. However, Capt Eakkasaks description of events today did not include that Capt Eakkasak himself had confirmed to The Phuket News earlier that the driver did not present himself to Thalang Police Station until the next day (June 5). (See update to story here.) Yet Capt Eakkasak also today said, He was not at the scene because he had to arrange for his passengers to be picked up and taken to their destination. Apparently, no people were injured in the accident, Capt Eakkasak said. Regarding the standard threat that police will charge any drivers who refuse to give a breath test to police when testing for alcohol, for this Phuket taxi driver that will not happen. Capt Eakkasak told The Phuket News today that the driver was tested for alcohol and drugs, but the test results were negative. When the drug and alcohol tests were conducted was not clarified. Storm-struck Jungceylon reopens after all-night repairs PHUKET: Staff at the Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong have confirmed that the sail shade covers and support pylons damaged by the strong gusts of wind yesterday (June 17) have been removed and that that no people were injured in the incident. weatherpatong By The Phuket News Monday 18 June 2018, 04:27PM One of the sail shades at Jungceylon in tatters after strong winds yesterday tore the shade apart. Photo: Supplied The front of the Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong today (June 18) without the sail shade covers. Photo: Supplied The front of the Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong today (June 18) without the sail shade covers. Photo: Supplied The winds yesterday, now bring reported as gusting up to 35km/h, tore the shade covers apart, while elsewhere on the island the strong winds felled large trees and wreaked other forms of havoc. Due to the situation yesterday and after our hard work all last night, we are pleased to kindly inform you that no serious damage or injuries have been reported and that all the broken structures have now been removed. Jungceylon is completely back to usual operating again, The Phuket News was told. As evidence that the popular shopping mall is back to usual, Jungceylong held its event Thailand Amazing Durian and Fruit fest at the Port Arena today, with all-you-can eat durian and over 20 kinds of tropical fruits. We do not have a plan to fix the sail shade, but we plan to replace it with a new one with a new design soon, one representative at Jungceylon told The Phuket News. On Demand We have a new story every day on the front page of thephuketnews.com. Also like us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/thephuketnews) and be the first to watch all the new stories. Finally you can watch any segment, any time by going to thephuketnews.com/tv where all the stories are listed for you to enjoy. All our programs can be enjoyed in High Definition when watching on the internet. In-Room VDO 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. BERLINGerman authorities on Monday detained the chief executive of Volkswagens Audi division, Rupert Stadler, as part of a probe into the manipulation of emissions controls. The move is an extension of the emissions scandal that has rocked Volkswagen since 2015 and led to billions in fines, the arrest of executives and the indictment in the U.S. of its former CEO. Stadlers detention follows a search last week of his private residence, ordered by Munich prosecutors investigating the manager on suspicion of fraud and indirect improprieties with documents. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was provisionally arrested this morning, the company said in a statement. It said shortly afterward that a judge had ordered him kept in custody pending possible charges at prosecutors request. The company said that it couldnt comment further due to the ongoing investigation, but stressed that the presumption of innocence remains in place for Mr. Stadler. German news agency dpa reported that prosecutors decided to seek Stadlers arrest due to fears he might try to evade justice. A former head of Audis engine development unit is already in investigative detention. Read more: Head of Volkswagens Audi division investigated in emissions scandal Volkswagen reinstates controversial lobbyist who tested diesel fumes on monkeys Diesel is finished in Europe amid push for electric cars, EU regulator says A total of 20 people are under suspicion in the Audi probe, which focuses on cars sold in Europe that were believed to be equipped with software that turned emissions controls on during lab testing and off again during regular driving to enhance road performance. Audi said in a statement last week that it was co-operating with the authorities in the probe. Volkswagen first admitted in 2015 of using software to cheat on U.S. emissions tests. That has cost it $20 billion in fines and civil settlements. Volkswagen has pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the United States and nine managers, including former CEO Martin Winterkorn, were charged there. Two are serving prison terms; Winterkorn and the others remained in Germany and are unlikely to be extradited. German authorities this month fined Volkswagen $1.2 billion as part of their own investigation. They are also investigating Winterkorn and 48 others. The arrest of the Audi CEO comes just weeks after Volkswagen tapped a new CEO to move the company past the scandal. Herbert Diess was given the top job in April and he said that besides focusing on new technologies, like electric cars, he wanted to build a more open, values-based culture to avoid the cheating that led to the emissions scandal. Volkswagen shares were down 2.1 per cent at 157.66 euros in Frankfurt trading. Read more about: Shares of Baytex Energy Corp. and Raging River Exploration Inc. dropped after the intermediate oil and gas producers announced a $2.8-billion deal to merge Monday. The combined company, which will operate under the Baytex name, is expected to have production of approximately 94,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from a diverse portfolio of oil assets that includes the Viking, Peace River, Lloydminster and East Duvernay Shale regions in Canada and the Eagle Ford region in Texas. This is a truly compelling combination that creates an even stronger company, said Neil Roszell, executive chairman and chief executive of Raging River, in a call announcing the deal. It is a better position for value creation that is well beyond what either of our companies could do on a stand-alone basis. Roszell will become chairman of the merged company and Baytex chief executive Edward LaFehr will be CEO. Raging River said they consider the merger to be a win-win combination because it expects the deal to be a boon for providing scale to advance East Duvernay Shale operations, diversifying its asset portfolio to include a free cash flow generating asset in the Eagle Ford and to enhance the companys size and trading liquidity Meanwhile, Baytex said it adds a free cash flow generating asset in the Viking, increases operatorship, and gives the company exposure to emerging East Duvernay Shale oil activity. Investors werent so keen on the deal though. Baytex shares were down 62 cents or 12.16 per cent to $4.48 in mid-afternoon trading, while Raging River was down 61 cents or 9.71 per cent to $5.67. Under the agreement, Raging River shareholders will receive 1.36 common shares of Baytex for each Raging River share owned. A statement from the companies puts the market capitalization of the new entity at $2.8 billion. TD Securities analyst Menno Hulshof said in a note that the deal represents about a 2.5 per cent premium to Raging Rivers 10 and 20-day volume weighted average share price, while Desjardins analyst Kristopher Zack noted the deal was about a 10 per cent premium to Raging Rivers Friday closing price. Zack said the deal checks the right boxes for Baytex as it should help rejuvenate investor interest, add more profitable production in the Viking light oil area in Saskatchewan, and add the scale needed to expand in the East Duvernay shale play. Hulshof said he thinks the deal will prove a strategic win longer-term despite the share dilution. He noted this was the second recent substantial oil and gas deal covering Saskatchewan assets, after Vermilion Energy Inc. announced in mid-April it was buying Spartan Energy Corp. in a $1.23-billion all-share deal to increase exposure to the province. Baytexs LaFehr said he has talked a lot about diluting Eagle Ford, but he thinks the deal puts the potential for such dilution on the back burner. We are very cored up . . . All of these oil assets have growth potential, said LaFehr. Our strategy going forward would be to essentially run the Viking and the Eagle Ford for free cash flow and maximize those returns, focus on capital efficiency and then the grow the Canadian heavy business as well as the East Duvernay oil play. LaFehr also said this is not a merger where there is a strong overlap of assets and workers, so he expects the majority of staff to be part of the deal. The board of directors of the combined company will include six members of the Baytex board and four members of the Raging River board. The deal, which requires approval by Raging River and Baytex shareholders, is expected to close in August. Remember when 69-year-old Dr. David Dao refused to give up his seat on a United Airlines flight in Chicago and was dragged off the plane to make room for airline employees? A video of the bloodied man went viral in April 2017, leading many Canadians to ask about their rights as airline passengers. What rights? In Canada, airlines can make their own rules and enforce the rules. The only requirement is to disclose the rules in a legal document called a tariff. Canada lags far behind the European Union and United States, which introduced an airline passenger bill of rights more than a decade ago. But while we dont have a bill of rights, we do have a route to get there. Last month, the Transportation Modernization Act (Bill C-49) came into force, allowing the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) to define airlines minimum obligations to passengers and, in some cases, minimum levels of compensation with respect to: Flight delays and cancellations Denied boarding, including bumping Tarmac delays of three hours or more Lost or damaged baggage The seating of children under 14 years old The transportation of musical instruments The communication of passengers rights and their recourse options The CTA, an independent regulator and adjudicator, wants your help in developing the rules. Youll find a discussion paper and questionnaire at a new Air Passenger Protection site. In a three-month consultation that ends on Aug. 28, the CTA will ask the public, consumer groups, airlines and other interested parties to share their views. The agency will conduct in-person sessions at eight Canadian cities (starting with Toronto on June 14), do random surveys at 11 major airports across Canada and run a web-based consultation on July 5. You can submit feedback at consultations@otc-cta.gc.ca. Or if you prefer, you can send a video. Just write to the same email address with the subject line video to co-ordinate your submission. This is the first time Canadians are being asked for their input on the details of air passenger protection regulations. To date, discussion has focused on broad concepts, not specifics, said CTA chair and CEO Scott Streiner in a June 4 speech to the Canadian Automobile Association. Share your thoughts Take the infamous case last year, in which United Airlines bumped a passenger for reasons that were in its control. Imagine how you feel when you reach check-in with a confirmed reservation, only to find youve been moved to a later flight without your consent. The airline, which expected a number of no-shows, has sold more reservations than there are seats on the plane. Were considering whether the minimum compensation in such a scenario should be particularly high, creating incentives for airlines to work hard to find volunteers willing to take a later flight, Streiner said. Maybe someone heading off for her gap year trip will be happy to wait a few hours in exchange for compensation that covers a significant percentage of her ticket price avoiding the need to bump a senior on the way to his grandsons graduation or an athlete on her way to a major competition. What if the seniors luggage is lost and he has to buy a new suit for the big event? Or the athletes skis are damaged? What compensation are they entitled to? What if the gap year students plane is delayed on the tarmac for three or four hours? At what point should the airline have to let her and the other passengers off the plane? In the case of a tarmac delay, how frequently should airlines update passengers? What should be the minimum standard of treatment when it comes to water, food, heating and cooling, functioning bathrooms, proper ventilation, medical attention and the ability to communicate with people outside the aircraft? What if the athlete is travelling with her 8-year-old son and they want to be seated together? Should the airline have to give them spots next to each other, in the same row or within a few rows? Should the maximum acceptable seating distance between the child and a parent or guardian depend on the childs age? There are also questions about the types of compensation payable to passengers. Should cash be the only option for airlines? What about offering travel vouchers valued at more than the cash price, frequent flyer points, upgrades or complimentary tickets? It should be cash only or a refund to the customers credit card, said John Lawford, executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. We prefer actual compensation that people can use for hotels, food and other flights. Elliott Silverstein, a CAA spokesperson, said its reasonable for airlines to offer vouchers or upgrades, as long as cash remains one of the options. The challenge with a voucher is that it may have a limited lifespan or be challenging to use. I often hear from customers who cant enjoy their reduced-fare flights within the prescribed six months or one year. Requests to extend the deadline rarely work. My vote: Cash rules. After an incident of causing inconvenience to a passenger, lets not give airlines a chance to inconvenience them again. LONDONThe Bank for International Settlements just told the cryptocurrency world its not ready for prime time and as far as mainstream financial services go, may never be. In a withering 24-page article released Sunday as part of its annual economic report, the BIS said Bitcoin and its ilk suffered from a range of shortcomings that would prevent cryptocurrencies from ever fulfilling the lofty expectations that prompted an explosion of interest and investment in the would-be asset class. The BIS, an 88-year-old institution in Basel, Switzerland, that serves as a central bank for other central banks, said cryptocurrencies are too unstable, consume too much electricity, and are subject to too much manipulation and fraud to ever serve as bona fide mediums of exchange in the global economy. It cited the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and its imitators are created, transacted, and accounted for on a distributed network of computers as a fundamental flaw rather than a key strength. In one of its most poignant findings, the BIS analyzed what it would take for the blockchain software underpinning Bitcoin to process the digital retail transactions currently handled by national payment systems. As the size of so many ledgers swell, the researchers found, it would eventually overwhelm everything from individual smartphones to servers. The associated communication volumes could bring the Internet to a halt, the report said. Read more: Bitcoin pushes ancient gold market to try digital Bitcoins price was artificially inflated last year, researchers say In the world of cryptocurrency, even good projects can go bad Researchers also said that the race by so-called Bitcoin miners to be the first to process transactions eats about the same amount of electricity as Switzerland does. Put in the simplest terms, the quest for decentralized trust has quickly become an environmental disaster, they said. The BIS is weighing in at pivotal moment in the cryptocurrency story. Even as Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the New York Stock Exchange, and other institutions take steps to offer clients access to the new marketplace, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is cracking down on the offerings of new digital tokens, which it has found are rife with rip-offs. At the same time, cyber-attackers are hitting crypto exchanges regularly just last week, Bitcoin nosedived after a South Korean exchange reported it was hacked. The report may also revive concerns that for all its ingenuity, blockchain transactions will get harder and harder to protect as it scales up. When this decentralized anonymous system was introduced in 2009, it quickly proved it could secure purchases by computer enthusiasts, networks of friends, as well as criminals in the digital black market, says a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a non-profit organization in Cambridge, Mass. Yet with supporters pushing to make it a mass market platform utilized by companies and governments, it may become too expensive to secure, concludes Eric Budish, the papers author and an economics professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The value of the cryptocurrency market has plunged 53 per cent this year to $280 billion (U.S.), according to CoinMarketCap. The BIS did say that blockchain and its so-called distributed ledger technology did provide some benefits for the global financial system. The software can make sending cross-border payments more efficient, for example. And trade finance, the business of exports and imports that still relies on faxes and letters of credit, was indeed ripe for the improvements offered by Blockchain-related programs. Still, the institution concluded that Bitcoins great breakthrough, the ability of one person to send something of value to someone else with the ease of an email, is also its Achilles heel. Its simply too risky on a number of levels to try and run the global economy on a network with no centre. Trust can evaporate at any time because of the fragility of the decentralized consensus through which transactions are recorded, the report concluded. Not only does this call into question the finality of individual payments, it also means that a cryptocurrency can simply stop functioning, resulting in a complete loss of value. Read more about: CALGARYThe city councillor responsible for Calgarys Chinatown intends to work with community organizations after some residents protested two cannabis store applications in the neighbourhood. Councillor Druh Farrell of Ward 7, which includes Chinatown, said shed heard concerns from representatives of the Calgary Chinese Community Service Association and the Chinatown District Business Improvement Area. Were now aware of their concerns and were looking at ways to address it, she said on Sunday. About 50 Chinatown residents rallied on Saturday to protest the citys decision to allow two applications for cannabis stores in their neighbourhood. The group also collected signatures for a petition that asks the city to consider the Chinese communitys culture before signing off on cannabis shops in the area. Community members said on Saturday that the establishment of cannabis stores goes against traditional Chinese values, and the city never properly consulted with them before allowing the applications. Talking about business, we dont think a cannabis store is aligned with all the other businesses in Chinatown, said May Han of the Calgary Chinese Union. We dont assume (cannabis) will bring unsavoury elements, but we do propose no cannabis stores because it does not align with our culture. Calgarys city council has already established local bylaws to regulate the distances between cannabis stores and other buildings such as schools or liquor stores. Most neighbourhoods have a minimum separation distance between cannabis stores, Farrell said, but Calgarys downtown, where Chinatown is located, as well as the East Village, do not. Both areas are asking for stricter regulations, the councillor added. Regulating cannabis is new for Calgary, and its discretionary, she said. So we can certainly look at their concerns. With the Senate and House of Commons still wrangling over the legislation in Ottawa, a date has not yet been set for cannabis legalization. But Calgarys city administration has already established bylaws governing where cannabis businesses can set up and where the drug can be consumed. Any prospective cannabis business owners must apply to the citys development agency for a permit. Farrell pointed out that opening a cannabis business in Chinatown would require a land-use change application, which might make the process more complicated for anyone trying to set up shop in the area. They need to jump through more hoops, and it might be just easier for a potential retailer to look elsewhere, she said. Part of this application process will include public consultation meetings for Chinatown residents, Farrell added. It isnt clear when the first meeting will be, but the councillor said shes in favour of a careful approach to regulating cannabis businesses in Calgarys neighbourhoods. We have a new law in front of us. We dont know how it will work. Were more prepared than many cities, Farrell said. Well have to look at each (of the concerns) as they come forward. With files from Mary Getaneh Brennan Doherty is a work and wealth reporter with StarMetro Calgary. Follow him on Twitter @Bren_Doherty Read more about: CALGARY In a campaign-style speech to party supporters, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley labelled the opposition United Conservatives self-serving and determined to take the province backward. Notley, in an address Saturday, noted that UCP party members, at their recent founding convention, voted to expand private health care, scrap the progressive income tax and have parents told when their child joins a gay-straight alliance at school. She also pointed out that the U-C-P caucus members walked out of the legislature chamber 13 times in the last session rather than vote on a bill to better protect women and staff from being harassed at abortion clinics. She said calls from the UCP to get spending under control will lead to mass layoffs for teachers and nurses, and called the entire platform a vision for Alberta out of step with reality. Its a UCP fantasy concocted by the very narrow special interests that have taken control of what was once the PC party, said Notley as supporters chanted Rachel, Rachel, Rachel and NDP, NDP, NDP. We are going to make sure that they never get to act on that fantasy. Read more: Opinion | Can Alberta have it both ways on carbon pricing? As pipeline feud intensifies, B.C. business leaders meet with Alberta premier UCP resolution targeting teens rights to access healthcare potentially dangerous, pro-choice advocates say She suggested health care may be a defining wedge issue in the upcoming election campaign, telling supporters: Let me assure you very clearly, this premier, this caucus, under no circumstances will we ever, ever invite American two-tiered health care into our province. The PC party merged last year with the Wildrose party to form the United Conservatives under former Conservative MP Jason Kenney. Kenneys party is still hashing out its policy platform, but Kenney has said the multibillion-dollar budget deficits being run by Notleys government are unsustainable and that taxes such as the carbon levy are hindering economic growth. Kenney promises the first act of a UCP government will be to axe the tax. Notley told the crowd her government is making progress diversifying the economy and reducing waste and high salaries in government agencies, boards and commissions. She said jobs are returning and the economy, decimated by the extended slump in oil prices, is bouncing back too, but urged caution. Many people are still struggling and we have much, much more work to do because for us a recovery that doesnt reach every Albertan is not a recovery at all, she said. Notley said the recent purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline by the federal government means construction on the project resumes in earnest this summer and ultimately means a better price for Alberta oil. Notley criticized Kenney for initially endorsing the idea Alberta and Ottawa use public funds to rescue Trans Mountain, but later saying it should only be done as a last resort. When the federal government announced last month it was buying the line, Kenney blamed Ottawa and Notley for letting the situation deteriorate to the point the feds had to purchase the project to save it. With Mr. Kenney, its never quite clear, said Notley. Remember that movie Twister, the one about the storm chasers? If you come across it on iTunes I would suggest to you dont bother spending the five bucks to watch the movie again. Just turn on the legislature TV channel and watch Jason Kenney twist for free. On the abortion clinic bill, Notley said, These people (in the UCP) actually believe that they can run the province, but when it comes to making a decision on something as basic as protecting women from harassment, they run for the hills. Alberta needs their leaders to lead. Kenney is anti-abortion but has said he wont legislate on his beliefs. He and his caucus refused to engage on the bill, saying its an issue for civil courts, and called the bill political game-playing by Notley. Albertans go the polls in a general election next spring. by Dean Bennett in Edmonton Read more about: EDMONTONFatherhood doesnt come with a manual, but Derek Dicks, a family outreach worker in the Services for Young Dads program at Terra Centre in Edmonton, often finds himself answering the question, what does it mean to be a dad? as he helps teen parents navigate their transition into fatherhood. Theres a narrative around teen dads, its the deadbeat dad, theyre not involved, but its not true. I work with them every day, and theyre quite the opposite, said Dicks. It is about helping them navigate that world of being a parent, because if they dont know what its like and theyve never seen it before, going into it blind can be really intimidating, he added. In 2017, the Terra Centre more widely known for their programming supporting teen mothers in Edmonton helped teach 95 teenage dads what it means to be a father through their Services for Young Dads program, the only home-visitation program for teen dads in Western Canada. Many of the dads that participate in the program, Dicks said, come from histories of trauma and childhoods where they may not have had role models to teach them good parenting behaviours. But that doesnt stop dads at the Terra Centre from wanting to be meaningfully involved in their childrens lives. Theres tons of research that says that the more caring and loving adults you can have in a childs life the better the outcomes are for that child, and there is even more research that active and involved fathers compounds on that, said Dicks. Its trying to break that cycle and giving their children a better life than they had when they were kids, Dicks added. Teenage dads face many of the same challenges teen mothers do, including struggling to finish their education and difficulties finding meaningful employment. Tyrone Makowski, 22, admits he was in not in a place in his life where he was ready to be a parent when he became a father at 18. Like most teen dads, it was a surprise. I hadnt planned it. The initial reaction was surprise, but it was instantly followed by a sense of purpose, said Makowski, I felt driven. Having come from a complex family situation and involved in gangs and criminal activity from a young age, Makowski said Dicks helped him become a better man so he could be the father his daughter needed him to be. I definitely had a lot of challenges I had to overcome first. I had to recover, I had to heal, I had to get in touch with myself and then give my daughter my best version of me, Makowski said. Now, Makowski says his life revolves around his three-year-old daughter Rosabelle. My daughter is going to have me in her life for the rest of my life, that is a magical feeling because I come from a place where I did not have a mom in my life, and my dad was there but he was not present, Makowski said. Ive been faced with enough challenges, and Ive been turned away from, let go of so many times that I think its so important for my daughter to know that will never happen to her, Makowski added. His transition into fatherhood was made possible with ongoing support from Dicks. He said the most valuable lesson he has learned about being a father is that he doesnt have to have all of the answers. I always wanted to have all the answers for my daughter, but things changed. As I become a dad I need to reach out, I need to ask for support, I need to ask for feedback, I need to continue learning, I cant just know everything, Makowski said, adding he is glad to have someone like Dicks to call whenever he needs support. Dicks says most of the young fathers he works with work hard to be meaningfully involved in their childrens lives, but what that looks like can vary drastically. For fathers working on getting custody of their children, Dicks says the centre works on developing their identity as a father so they are ready to fill the role when they do get the chance. The time that you do get to spend with your children, its making the most of it, said Dicks. Talking to your kid, playing with your kid, reading to them, feeding them, doing the day-to-day things that any parent would do. At the heart of their programming, Dicks said, is the emphasis that a good father is one that does the best he can in the interests of his child. We like to focus on the kids and the positive impact it has for them, Dicks said. It also has a really positive impact for young men who are fathers and are supported in that fathering roll. As statistics show, fathers are taking a more active role in their homes and with their families. Dicks is hopeful young dads like Makowski can play a part in a change for the better. Read more about: EDMONTONA fire at a mosque in Edson on Saturday night has Albertas Muslim population concerned about rising anti-Islamic sentiments in the province. On Sunday, Edson RCMP announced it was investigating the incident as an arson. Adil Hasan, vice-president of civic engagement with Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council in Edmonton, said that after first feeling shock from news of the fire, he was concerned that something like this could happen so close to home. This is part of an unfortunate trend that were seeing of Islamophobic and racist events increasing, Hasan said. Its all testament to the fact that events like this are on the rise. Read more: Police suspect fire at Edson mosque was deliberately set Sentencing arguments begin for Quebec City mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonnette Opinion | We must overcome Islamophobia in 2018 A figure was seen on surveillance video leaving the Edson mosque shortly after the fire broke out on the night of June 16, 2018. (Supplied by Jocelyn Pettitt, a board member of the Islamic Society of Edson.) Security footage from the incident showed a figure with a bag walking away from the mosque moments after the fire broke out, and Toufik Baterdouk, vice-president of the Islamic Society of Edson and Masjid, said that the mosques front door, where the flames ignited, smelled of gasoline. The fire, which broke out on the second day of Eid al-Fitr, a three-day Islamic holiday celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan, caused damage to the mosques entrance, but no one was injured. The National Council of Canadian Muslims has registered the fire as an anti-Muslim incident on its website, which tracks and maps similar incidents across the country. The website recognizes the Edson incident as the 10th in Canada this year, and the fourth in Alberta. According to the websites map, anti-Islamic incidents have been on the rise since 2013, when it started keeping track. Last year, the website logged 70 incidents across Canada. Hasan, who visited the mosque in 2016, said the incident immediately reminded him of the Quebec City mosque shooting in January 2017, which saw six people die. Sentencing arguments for Alexandre Bisonette, the man who pled guilty to six charges of first-degree murder in connection to the incident, are expected to begin Monday. However, Hasan said, he was appreciative of the political support from all levels of government that have spoken out against the fire, including Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, federal Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale, and Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara. On Monday, Zahara told StarMetro Edmonton that he was thankful the fire was an isolated incident in the town, located about 200 kilometres west of Edmonton. Were all troubled by the incident, but luckily this was the only incident in the last five years since the mosque has been opened, Zahara said. I know that everybody will band together and support our Muslim community. Theyre our friends, theyre our neighbours, theyre highly involved in our community and we really value their contributions. As a society, as a community, we need to figure out how to combat racism, discrimination, Islamophobia, in a more upfront manner, Hasan added. Leadership like that will help us move this forward and help start the conversation in terms of what next steps can happen. With files from The Canadian Press Read more about: EDMONTONA Wood Buffalo Mountie is facing a charge of sexual assault after a complaint of inappropriate touching at a work Christmas party last year. Two female RCMP officers reported a staff sergeant inappropriately touched them at an off-site Christmas party on Nov. 26. In addition to the offences, workplace harassment is not tolerated at the RCMP, said Chief Superintendent Wendell Reimer of Eastern Alberta District in a news release on Monday. The member in question has been charged, and suspended. We have ensured that support processes are being made available for all concerned. The complaint was sent to be investigated by the RCMPs general investigative section in Lloydminster, with help from RCMP based in Edmonton. Investigators sent a report to the Crown prosecutors office in May and on May 29, the Crown recommended one count of sexual assault. The charge includes conditions not to contact the complainant and not to consume intoxicating substances. Jason Keays has been charged with one count of sexual assault and is scheduled to appear in provincial court in Fort McMurray on July 11. Read more about: HALIFAX A Halifax-based military police officer has pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual assault. Sgt. Kevin MacIntyre entered the plea today at the beginning of a court martial proceeding in Halifax. MacIntyre, who is stationed at Canadian Forces Base Halifax, faces one count of sexual assault in connection with an alleged incident in 2015 in Glasgow, Scotland. The Department of National Defence has said MacIntyre and the alleged victim, also a member of the Canadian Forces, were participating in a training exercise at the time. The charge was laid by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, the military police unit responsible for investigating serious crimes. Read more about: I once sat in on a negotiating class at a business school and learned about ZOPAa bizspeak acronym for zone of possible agreement. If you and the person you are negotiating with are in this zone, whether its your salary or a free trade agreement, a deal is possible. If youre not in the zone, you are negotiating in vain. I have always thought knowing about ZOPA gave me extra negotiating smarts. The only trouble is, many people I ask do not have a clue what ZOPA means. Even a guy I know with an MBA thought it might be an Italian soup. Never mind, most people reach for the ZOPA instinctively. Not Donald Trump. I thought of this last weekend, while doing my grocery shopping. We needed ketchup. Naturally I went, not for the American brand name, but for the bottle with the generic label that screamed 100 % Canadian tomatoes. In light of failed negotiations over Canadian-U.S. trade, I was sticking it to Donald Trump, the most impossible negotiator Canada has ever dealt with. Just buying a bottle of ketchup, I felt like I was standing up to a bully, or as entertainer Bette Midler mischievously tweeted #Canada is livid! Theyreouching us in our most vulnerable spotsour wallets!! Hell hath no fury like a Canadian dissed.!! I wish. But we have to start somewhere. The U.S. president has of course petulantly imposed tariffs on our steel and aluminum exports. He also viciously slagged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as very dishonest & weak in a series of now notorious post G7 tweets after Trudeau dared to restate publicly that we Canadians will not be pushed around, and would be imposing retaliatory tariffs. Following Trumps outburst, he famously went on to an historic but not too substantial summit in North Korea where he openly admired Kim Jong-un, the dictator who has murdered family members and imprisoned and impoverished vast numbers of his people. Then the U.S. president made sure to threaten us again, sneering that Trudeau rising to defend his country was going to cost Canada a lot of money. Then Trump turned to another shocking domestic matter and lied publicly claiming it was a Democrat law--in defense of his governments cruel and outrageous action happening right now at the Mexico-U.S. border where authorities are forcibly separating the children of illegal immigrants from their parents and placing them in makeshift wire holding stations. It is a sickening mess. Even normally reticent former first lady Laura Bush denounced Trumps actions as immoral in an op-ed piece in the Washington Post. All of this non stop drama continues to unfold at exhausting speed, week after week. Trudeaus trade stance has received support from all Canadian political parties . The most recent polls show most Canadians approve of his actions and want him to take a hard approach against the U.S. in trade negotiations. Meanwhile love letters to Canadians from Americans are pouring in, as well as profuse apologies for the actions of their erratic president. The two most hopeful developments for me were a terrific speech Canadas Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland made in Washington last week as she was receiving the Diplomat of the Year award from Foreign Policy magazine. Calm, measured, informative, her words offered both a history lesson on liberal democracies, and just a smart way to behave. "Facts matter. Truth matters. Competence and honesty, among elected leaders and in our public service, matter," Freeland said without naming Trump. She vowed: Canada knows where it stands, and we will rise to this challenge. The second positive development came from journalists covering Trump, one of whom decided last week to ask the president directly in a press conference, regarding a government report that Trump falsely said totally exonerates him of collusion with Russia: Why are you lying about it, sir? This opens a bold new chapter in the battle of facts-based journalism against a dishonest president, giving the office itself full respectsir-and yet stating the obvious: Sir, you lie like a rug. How can we negotiate with such a person? Donald Trump changes his mind constantly and capriciously. Trump is also very emotional, having failed to keep a lid on his id. He has no idea or doesnt care what the norms are in dealing with people morally, fairly or calmly. Trudeau can also be an emotional guy remember in May 2016 when he rushed over and manhandled a male opposition whip and elbowed a female MP in the House of Commons? But he is now exercising admirable self-restraint to stay firmly on message. I have wondered whether Trudeau might have an edge dealing with Trump because he grew up with an erratic parent. Through no fault of her own, his mother Margaret Trudeau suffered from mental illness. She has since done much to try to lift the stigma around it with her best selling books and speeches. Around Trump, Justin Trudeau seems preternaturally watchful, as if making a concentrated effort to stay one step ahead of any irrational action. Theres now a third emotional guy who will have a say in our destinyOntarios newly elected Conservative Premier Doug Ford, who aims to defend Ontarios economic interests. As Ford gave his victory speech, his voice quavering, I was reminded of how emotion-ruled he and his brother the late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford were during their tempestuous tenure. They have always gone for simple slogans and simplistic solutions. Ford too has been accused of being a bully and many bullies when you scratch their surface, are ruled by emotion. With all these complex personalities, what will happen next in our ongoing trade negotiations? I havent a clue but I do foresee another bottle of 100 % Canadian ketchup in my future. Judith Timson is a Toronto-based writer and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: is a Toronto-based writer and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @judithtimson Read more about: VANCOUVERThe Trans Mountain pipeline expansion may run into more obstacles that could cause serious delays, according to analysis by environmental law organizations. Experts say the timeline for the pipelines completion could be pushed back by as much two years, with over 1,000 permits unresolved, no determined basic route and as many as 25 hearings yet to be conducted. Roadblocks include the 157 conditions that need to be satisfied to obtain permits, community hearings to approve a safe route and handling roughly 40 pre-construction conditions still under review a dozen of which apply to the Burnaby terminal, which is slated for construction within a week, states a news release from route communities and West Coast Environmental Law. The collaborative analytical document is set for release on Monday. Community representatives and legal experts are concerned that the federal government which announced last month that it will buy the Trans Mountain pipeline from Kinder Morgan for $4.5 billion may bypass the process and impose a route. They are calling on Ottawa to uphold its commitment to the National Energy Board (NEB) process to ensure the projects safety. Chilliwack resident Ian Stephen, who participated in NEB hearings in his community, said the current proposed route cuts through the citys lone supply of drinking water, enters two of the regions most significant salmon habitats and moves across an elementary school while creeping as close as eight metres to homes. Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau has repeatedly said he wouldnt have approved the pipeline if it wasnt safe and that communities grant permission, Stephen said. It will be interesting to see if our own government opposes community efforts to move the pipeline to a safer route or imposes a route that has not been deemed safe. Chilliwack route hearings arent scheduled to end until October. As of April, nearly 66 per cent of the detailed route was approved by the NEB, according to its website, which states that prior to beginning construction, the builders must satisfy all applicable conditions. Meanwhile, there are other significant delays. The Stkemlupsemc te Secwepemc of the Secwepemc Nation have proposed two possible re-routes. The shorter one is expected to take two years to build and the longer option up to four years. In Burnaby, a hearing to move an old pipe into a tunnel must be completed by Sept. 21 before the NEB can deliberate and make a decision. And theres the Coldwater Indian Band request for an alternative route that would steer clear of an aquifer for drinking water, which is awaiting a decision from the NEB, according to the release. The National Observer recently reported that the First Nation has alleged that Kinder Morgan submitted evidence that was tampered with to avoid the costly route change. A resolution is expected in early July. The allegation comes on the heels of admissions from both Trans Mountain and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) that the company repeatedly violated environmental laws during recent construction work in Burnaby. Read more: Kinder Morgan admits non-compliance with Fisheries Act, CEO dodges questions First Nation chief discusses Trudeau B.C. meeting, divisions Protests target Liberal MPs countrywide over feds Trans Mountain buyout There are serious concerns about resolving that issue, said Eugene Kung, an environmental lawyer who questioned how or if the DFO would prosecute the federal government in such instances. Canada bought a project under a regulatory review process. The idea that construction can start in full immediately is just not the reality on the ground, Kung said Sunday, noting there are currently 14 legal challenges before the Federal Court of Appeal. But the NEB process was incredibly flawed, and although it was inherited by Trudeaus government, it was not fixed in a meaningful way, Kung said. Much remains unknown about the federal governments next steps once its taken ownership of the project, expected in August. For instance, cabinet could issue directives to the NEB to add conditions or make changes, Kung said. The argument that delays in the project make it far less economically lucrative is a concern, he continued, questioning the underlying business case. Thats public money and that risk is being transferred to the public, he said. Bypassing the federal regulatory process, in place for nearly five years, would place the government above the rule of law, Kung continued. The idea that the government is excusing itself from these already relatively weak conditions concerns people in terms of due process and built-in checks and balances, he said. It would start to look more and more like a petro state. Read more about: OTTAWAEmerging big data and artificial intelligence technologies have the potential to dramatically reshape Canadas economy. Now, Ottawas trying to catch up. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains will announce Tuesday the government is launching a national study into digital and data transformation. The summer-long study will eventually inform a national strategy to grapple with the varied challenges the data age presents to governments, Bains told the Star in an interview Monday. The ambition is that this will require and engage different departments this is really going to be all hands on deck, said Bains. Data (use) has so many aspects, from global affairs to trade to national security to how we interact with our fellow citizens, to the economic opportunities that we are looking at. Big data has become a bit of a buzz term in recent years. It commonly refers to the collection and analysis of massive amounts of information to draw out conclusions or make predictions. The economic implications are immense data, especially personal data, has been referred to as the new oil. Companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Google collect massive amounts of personal information about their users, and have made billions commodifying that information. Read more: Facebook reorganizes into three divisions after user data criticism Opinion | Ensuring Canadians are helped, not harmed, by big data But big datas use has also piqued the interests of political parties and governments. Sometimes that can happen in positive ways, such as government efforts to streamline and offer better services to citizens. However, the Cambridge Analytica scandal involving the use of millions of Facebook users personal information to attempt to sway elections shows there are more nefarious uses for big data in the public realm. There are concerns that Canadian public policy has lagged behind the rapidly evolving digital world. Teresa Scassa, the chair of Information Law at the University of Ottawa, said releasing a data strategy in 2019 means Canada is late to the party and significantly underdressed. There have been reasons why Canada, on a lot of these things, has taken a wait-and-see approach. Part of it, I think, is we have a smaller population and a smaller market than the U.S. or the E.U., so things move a little bit more slowly and develop a bit more slowly Scassa said in an interview Monday. (But) we had to deal with it for a long time, and there just hasnt been an appetite. The deficiencies in the law have been clear for a long time, there have been all kinds of studies, (the House of Commons ethics committee) has reviewed the law, there have been studies, reports this is nothing new. We know there are problems with the law and they need to be addressed. Despite the well-established issues around data protection and governance, Bains said it was important to go out and hear directly where people stand on the issues including companies who deal with data, as well as those concerned about privacy and data ownership issues. Rohinton Medhora, president of the Centre for International Governance Innovation think tank, agreed that in an ideal world Canada would have begun working towards a national data framework years ago. But better late than never, Medhora said in an interview. We at least have to have a framework which then prioritizes what the national interest is, and then says, These are the areas where there are opportunities, lets seize them, Medhora said. OTTAWAFinance Minister Bill Morneau did not violate any conflict of interest laws in sponsoring a pension bill last year, the federal ethics commissioner said Monday. Morneau found himself in political hot water when he introduced the pension-reform legislation, which critics insisted would benefit Morneau Shepell, his family company. The finance minister rejected the allegations, which were among a series of ethical questions he faced late last year. The ethics watchdog received two requests for an investigation into Morneaus involvement in the bill. Ethics commissioner Mario Dion said in his report that neither request met the standards required for an investigation, but the allegations were worrisome enough that his predecessor decided to open a full probe anyway. Dions ruling concluded that since the bill affects all federally regulated private-sector employers, certain Crown corporations and all pension plan administrators, it is of general application in the words of the conflict of interest law. That wording meant that Morneaus stake in the company and those of his relatives, dont fall under the scope of the law, Dion said. Morneau didnt place himself in a conflict of interest or contravene the law, the report found. In a statement, Morneau thanked Dion and the commissioners office for their diligence and hard work in bringing the matter to a close. I have always and will always hold myself to the highest standards, the statement said. That is why since being elected I have worked with and sought guidance from the ethics commissioners office at every turn. Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre called the conclusions surprising, arguing that Morneaus decision to introduce the bill was bad judgment, even if it didnt violate conflict of interest rules. For a minister to introduce a pension bill while he owns a significant stake in a pension company, is very problematic even if, as it turns out, its not illegal, Poilievre told reporters outside the House of Commons. Toronto police have made an arrest in the fatal stabbing of a man in the Midland Ave. and St. Clair Ave. E. area over the weekend. Police found two men with critical stab wounds just after 2 a.m. Saturday. Both were immediately taken to hospital, where one of the men was pronounced dead, police said. The deceased has been identified as Paul Spilchen, 29, of Toronto. Spilchen was just three weeks away from getting married. A fundraiser for his family was launched on June 17 by the brother of Spilchens fiancee, and raised $13,000 of its $15,000 goal within its first day. The money will go toward covering funeral expenses and costs from Spilchens wedding. The second victim, 25, from Toronto, is still in hospital. Michael MacKinnon, 42, of Toronto, was arrested Sunday and charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477. More than 1,000 contract faculty at York University are returning to work Monday morning. CUPE Local 3903 union members have been on strike since March 5, citing issues such as job security, the ability for contract faculty to achieve tenured positions and protecting funding for teaching assistants as some of their concerns. After a vote and re-vote due to discrepancies in ballots, the roughly 1,100 staff represented by Unit 2 of the union decided Friday to return to work. Units 1 and 3 are still on strike, so about 1,900 teaching assistants and graduate assistants remain on the picket line. Last week, the Star reported that Premier-designate Doug Ford will recall the legislature next month for a brief summer session to end the York University strike. In a news release Friday, the school said they it will take a few days for remediation plans to be finalized and that in-class lectures will not be starting right away. The first convocation ceremonies for the class of 2018 got underway Friday despite the strike. York spokesperson Barbara Joy said that around 500 students had to postpone their graduation for a variety of reasons attributable to the strike. Federal ridings with the most child and family poverty in Canada are also home to the highest proportions of Indigenous, visible minority, immigrant and single-parent families, according to a new study. These ridings are also more likely to have high unemployment, low rates of labour force participation, more renters and people paying more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, says the report released Monday by Campaign 2000, a national coalition of more than 120 organizations dedicated to ending child poverty. The findings, based on the latest 2016 census and 2015 income tax data, suggest poverty is linked to persistent discrimination and systemic inequality, rather than luck, or poor individual choice, adds the report. Area single mother Jane Syvret, 27, who is of Indigenous and Black heritage, says her family is the face of the Campaign 2000 report. She and her three young children live in Moss Park, part of Toronto Centre, the riding with the fourth highest child poverty rate in the country. The analysis comes in advance of Ottawas long-awaited national poverty-reduction strategy, expected later this month, and urges the federal government to act decisively. After decades of waiting for federal action, the first poverty-reduction strategy must ensure Canada stops only tallying the number of children in poverty and starts to number povertys days instead, said Anita Khanna, Campaign 2000s national co-ordinator. Given Canadas wealth, no child should go to bed hungry. No parent should be forced to choose between paying rent and buying medication or miss out on work or training for lack of quality affordable childcare, she added. Read more: Toronto launches next phase of poverty reduction efforts From barely surviving to thriving: Ontario basic income recipients report less stress, better health Report says Indigenous people in Toronto are far more likely to be homeless, unemployed and hungry The coalition, which has been documenting the failure of good intentions to end child poverty in Canada for almost 30 years, wants Ottawa to set aggressive poverty-busting goals and timelines and is calling for federal anti-poverty legislation before the 2019 election to hold future governments to account. Twenty-six ridings with the highest child poverty rates are in Ontario and half are in the city of Toronto, according to the report. Syvrets riding of Toronto Centre includes large tracts of social housing as well as pricey Bay St. condos, and is home to many visible minorities and recent immigrants. A troubling 40 per cent of children in the riding are growing up poor. Although she grew up in poverty in Regent Park as one of nine siblings in a family with working parents, Syvret says she never felt poor. We were a big loving family and we never wanted for anything at home, she said in an interview. There were always programs available to local kids, with mentors and people who cared about us. But as Regent Park redeveloped, community programs closed in favour of new facilities that draw kids from across the city, leaving many local families shut out, said Syvret, who pays market rent and is struggling to survive on welfare with a newborn and two other daughters ages 2 and 9. Although she has worked since she was 15 in recreation and food preparation, she knows minimum-wage jobs wont pull her young family out of poverty. But adult education and skills upgrading programs are difficult to access, she said. Why is everything always full? she said. These are supports that are put in place to help. But if they are always full, that means there is not a lot of help. As Campaign 2000 noted in its annual report card last fall, more than 1.2 million children 17.4 per cent were living in poverty in 2015, including a staggering 38 per cent of Indigenous children. Children are considered to be poor if their families are living below the Low Income Measure, after taxes, or 50 per cent of the median Canadian income. In 2015, that was about $24,500 for a single parent with one child and about $36,400 for a couple with two kids. The coalitions latest analysis shows 162 of Canadas 338 federal ridings have child poverty rates at or above the national average and include both rural and urban communities represented by MPs from all political parties. In the 66 ridings with the highest rates of child poverty, an average of 30 per cent of children or more than 400,000 are growing up poor. Ridings with the least child poverty are still home to more than 90,000 low-income families and nearly 150,000 low-income children, the report notes. ChurchillKeewatinook Aski in northern Manitoba has the highest rate of child poverty at more than 64 per cent, while the Quebec ridings of Montarville, in the southwest end of the province and Levis-Lotbiniere, near Quebec City, have the lowest, at just 4 per cent. In ridings with the most child poverty, an average of 16 per cent of residents are recent immigrants and about 37 per cent are visible minorities. An average of 45 per cent are renters. In ridings with the least child poverty, an average of 6 per cent are recent immigrants, 14 per cent are visible minorities and just 21 per cent are renters. Khanna says fighting child poverty requires a combination of financial and social supports to help families like Syvrets. Universal child care, drug and dental coverage, affordable housing, improved employment insurance and support for workers are all needed, Khanna said. With every riding affected by poverty, every riding will benefit from a strong federal strategy. Campaign 2000s recommended goals and timetables for national anti-poverty plan Reduce child and family poverty by 50% by 2020, using 2015 as the base year. Reduce Canadas poverty rate by 50% in five years, and by 75% in 10 years. Reduce deep poverty by 50% within four years, and by 75% within a decade Ensure the poverty rate for children and youth under 18, female lone-parent households, single senior women, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, recent immigrants, and racialized people also declines by 50% in four years and by 75% in 10 years in recognition that poverty is concentrated within these populations. Ensure every person has an income that reaches at least 75% of the poverty line in two years. Ensure there is enough affordable and supportive housing for all in 10 years. Reduce by half the number of households who report food insecurity within four years. Reduce income inequality by lowering the share of after-tax income held by the wealthiest 10% of Canadians in four years. Other elements needed include: Universal, affordable, high quality child care with long-term funding equal to OECD benchmark of 1% of GDP; $15 minimum wage in federally-regulated industries with future increases tied to inflation; National pharmacare, dental care and rehabilitation services for those not covered by workplace plans; Increased employment insurance benefits and reduced entry requirements to better serve workers in low-wage precarious jobs along with improved maternity and parental leave benefits; Ensure social assistance funded through the Canada Social Transfer lifts those receiving it out of poverty and eliminates hunger; National housing benefit, youth homelessness strategy, supportive housing for people with mental, physical and intellectual disabilities. *Unless otherwise specified, the base year for evaluating the success of the targets above should be the year prior to implementation of the federal strategy Source: Campaign 2000 Think of it as frosh week for rookie MPPs. Monday was orientation day for Ontarios 73 new members of provincial parliament, who had a chance to hear from veteran politicians about the job, as well as find out everything from how to set up a constituency office to getting a place to live in Toronto. And on Tuesday, Progressive Conservative MPPs who are forming the majority government at Queens Park will have their first caucus meeting at the legislature. Amanda Simard, elected in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, was one of three new PC members who got a bit of an advance on learning about life at Queens Park, travelling by train to Toronto with veteran Eastern Ontario MPPs Lisa MacLeod, Randy Hillier, Steve Clark and Jim McDonnell a trip arranged by MacLeod who tweeted their adventures under #torytraintoToronto. It was a great time, said Simard. It was good to have the experience. We chatted, and my neighbour Jim McDonnell gave me alot of good advice, because we have rural ridings. Its always good to learn from the more veteran members. Premier-designate Doug Ford on Monday tweeted a welcome to all the newly elected members of provincial parliament! I look forward to serving alongside all of you at Queens Park. Together, we will deliver a government that works for the people. New Democrat Sandy Shaw, who was elected in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas, said the best advice I got (Monday) morning was from (Interim Liberal Leader) John Fraser, he just said slow down, take the opportunity to enjoy the grandeur of this place and the honour that youve had to appreciate this. Really, the magnitude of this has hit me this morning, she added. ... I almost felt all choked up when walking up the front steps to the legislature. Christine Hogarth, the incoming PC MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, said she liked the very positive atmosphere at the legislature. The NDPs Bhutila Karpoche, elected in Parkdale-High Park, said one of the first things I did Id already met the MPPs from the NDP side I went to the Conservative side (in the house) and started introducing myself to everybody. This is something we all share. We are new to this its our first day and so I just wanted to get to know everybody and start in a good way. We were here last week and your heart is racing, added incoming MPP Sara Singh (Brampton Centre). Its very exciting to know you are here ... its a humbling, humbling experience to walk the halls. TIJUANA, MEXICOThe 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 (U.S.). Aparicio is undeterred by a new directive from U.S. 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 U.S. 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 United States. The directive announced Monday could have far-reaching consequences because of the sheer volume of people such as Aparicio fleeing gang violence, which is so pervasive in Central America that merely stepping foot in the wrong neighbourhood 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 levelled similar criticism over the asylum changes, which the White House says are necessary to deter illegal immigration. Read more: U.S. practice of separating migrant children from parents called vicious and cruel White House adviser Kellyanne Conway says nobody likes family separation policy Trump administration adopts border policy previously spurned as inhumane 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 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. Read more: At least five people dead in SUV crash after trying to flee border patrol agents in South Texas Separation of children from parents at U.S.-Mexico border causing rift between GOP leaders, White House 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. Read more about: Greece and Macedonia signed an agreement Sunday to end their dispute about the name Macedonia, paving the way for the former Yugoslavian republic to join NATO and approach EU membership but also infuriating nationalists on both sides. The decision will mean Macedonia will officially be named the Republic of Northern Macedonia, appeasing Greece, which has a province called Macedonia and considered the other countrys use of that name an affront and imposition. But the decision is not universally supported. Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov said he would veto the deal, and protests against the name change turned violent late Sunday in Skopje, the capital of the nation of Macedonia. Injuries were reported as police deployed flash grenades and tear gas to disperse demonstrators opposed to the new name. Several demonstrators complained of breathing problems. Some of the demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at police securing the countrys parliament, prompting the response, A1 TV reported. The crowd chanted Macedonia: We wont give up the name. They also called out Ivanovs name and sang patriotic songs. Earlier in the day, several thousand Macedonians also rallied, in an event organized by the nationalist VMRO party. It was not clear if that would be enough to undo the deal signed by the Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov in Psarades, on the shore of Lake Prespa, which is divided between the two countries and Albania. This is a historic step, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said at the ceremony. Our countries are leaving the past behind and are looking to the future. What a beautiful, glorious and historic day, his Macedonian counterpart, Zoran Zaev, said before the signing. Greece and Macedonia have been at odds regarding the latters name since Macedonia emerged from the disintegrating former Yugoslavia in 1991. Negotiations took place under United Nations auspices beginning in 1995. Greece insisted that the name Macedonia belongs to its northern province and accused Skopje of usurping Hellenic history, and even accused it of harbouring territorial aspirations. Under the new deal announced Tuesday by 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 end its opposition to an invitation for Macedonia to join NATO. Greece will also allow the European Union to open membership talks with Skopje. Macedonia now needs to ratify the deal in its parliament and confirm it with a referendum, presumably in September, and put the name change into its constitution. Only after that will Greece also ratify it, as well Macedonias membership in NATO. Both Tsipras and Zaev have faced an uphill struggle to get the deal this far, with the Greek premier undergoing and surviving a no-confidence motion launched by the opposition over the name deal. Macedonians are not the only ones enraged by the deal. Greeks had been protesting in Athens since Friday. On Sunday, Greek police fired tear gas at a crowd protesting on their side of the border, not far from the signing ceremony. The name deal has also polarized Macedonian society. According to Simonida Kacarska, head of the Skopje-based European Policy Institute, around 45 per cent of Macedonians would sacrifice NATO and EU membership for the name, while nine out of 10 Albanians would not. Macedonians are the ethnic majority, but Albanians make up between one-quarter and one-third of the 2.1 million inhabitants. The dispute is perceived as touching on issues of identity and self-determination and is highly polarizing and charged with emotions, Kacarska said. Read more about: OTTAWAA Somalian man found guilty in the kidnapping of Amanda Lindhout has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Smith handed down the sentence for Ali Omar Ader today. Smith ruled in December that Ader, a 40-year-old Somalian national, was a willing participant in the 2008 hostage-taking of Lindhout, who was working as a freelance journalist near Mogadishu at the time. The judge found much of Aders testimony unbelievable and did not support his claim that he was forced into serving as a negotiator and translator on behalf of a gang which threatened to harm him and his family. Lindhout, raised in Red Deer, Alta., and photographer Nigel Brennan of Australia were snatched by armed men while pursuing a story, the beginning of 15 months in captivity. The RCMP lured Ader to Canada on the pretext of signing a lucrative book-publishing deal, leading to his arrest in Ottawa in June 2015. Ader acknowledged to undercover officers that he had received $10,000 for his role in the kidnapping. Samir Adam, one of Aders lawyers, said at a March sentencing hearing that 10 to 12 years in prison would be appropriate. The Crown was seeking a term of 15 to 18 years. In sentencing Ader to 15 years, Smith said he would receive six years credit for time already spent in custody. As negotiator for the gang, Ader held many long-distance telephone conversations with Lindhouts mother, Lorinda Stewart, who told him the family was selling possessions and scrambling to raise ransom money. Read more: Man convicted in Lindhout kidnapping loses bid for information to help possible appeal Sobbing Amanda Lindhout tells of her abduction at gunpoint as kidnapping trial begins At one point Lindhout was driven at night into the desert, where a knife was held to her throat. While Ader was not present, he helped the gang connect a phone call to Stewart so she could hear her daughters hysterical screams. Delivering a prepared statement at the sentencing hearing, Lindhout said the confinement in squalid conditions left her with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, the inability to sustain friendships, insomnia, nightmares, digestive problems and broken teeth. For years after my release I couldnt really believe I was free. Brennan also read a victim impact statement, saying he, too, has suffered from post-traumatic stress, panic attacks and nightmares. Being forced to hear Lindhouts screams from torture in an adjoining room is a memory that will mentally stay with me for the rest of my life, he said. Ader expressed remorse at the March hearing, saying he was human and therefore flawed. I am sorry, I apologize and ask you for forgiveness, he said, requesting freedom so he could care for his family in Somalia. WASHINGTONFirst lady Melania Trump hates to see families separated at the border and hopes both sides of the aisle can reform the nations immigration laws, according to a statement from her office. Stephanie Grisham, a spokesperson for Mrs. Trump, said Sunday: She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart. She said Mrs. Trump hopes both sides can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform. While the statement suggested the matter was an issue for Congress, Democratic lawmakers and others have pointed out that no law mandates the separation of children and parents at the border. A new Trump administration policy, which went into effect in May, sought to maximize criminal prosecutions of people caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally. More adults were being jailed as a result, which led to their children being separated from them. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is citing the Bible in defending the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant parents from their children after they enter the U.S. illegally. (The Associated Press) A former first lady, Laura Bush, joined the debate, calling the separation policy cruel and immoral and said it breaks my heart. In a guest column for the Washington Post, she compared the separation of the children to the internment camps for Japanese-Americans in Second World War. For both, it was an unusual entry into a fierce political debate. Mrs. Trump didnt refer specifically to the Trump administrations no tolerance policy, which was leading to a spike in children being separated from their families. Government statistics indicate that nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families over a six-week period in April and May. Mrs. Trumps spokesperson issued the statement after several days of images of crying children appearing on television and online. President Trump said Friday, I hate the children being taken away, but he also falsely blamed Democrats for a law requiring it. Read more: White House adviser Kellyanne Conway says nobody likes family separation policy Hundreds of children wait in large metal cages with foil blankets at Texas Border Patrol facility U.S. practice of separating migrant children from parents called vicious and cruel Read more about: MCALLEN, TEXASInside an old warehouse in South Texas, hundreds of immigrant children wait in a series of cages created by metal fencing. One cage had 20 children inside. Scattered about are bottles of water, bags of chips and large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets. One teenager told an advocate who visited that she was helping care for a young child she didnt know because the childs aunt was somewhere else in the facility. She said she had to show others in her cell how to change the girls diaper. 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 administrations zero tolerance policy and resulting separation of families. TOP STORIES. IN YOUR INBOX: For the days top news from the Stars award-winning journalists, sign up for our daily headlines newsletter. More than 1,100 people were inside the large, dark facility thats divided into separate wings for unaccompanied children, adults on their own, and mothers and fathers with children. The cages in each wing open out into common areas to use portable restrooms. The overhead lighting in the warehouse stays on around the clock. The Border Patrol said close to 200 people inside the facility were minors unaccompanied by a parent. Another 500 were family units, parents and children. Many adults who crossed the border without legal permission could be charged with illegal entry and placed in jail, away from their children. Reporters were not allowed by agents to interview any of the detainees or take photos. Nearly 2,000 children have been taken from their parents since Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the policy, which directs Homeland Security officials to refer all cases of illegal entry into the United States for prosecution. Church groups and human rights advocates have sharply criticized the policy, calling it inhumane. Stories have spread of children being torn from their parents arms, and parents not being able to find where their kids have gone. A group of congressional lawmakers visited the same facility Sunday and were set to visit a longer-term shelter holding around 1,500 children many of whom were separated from their parents. TOP STORIES. IN YOUR INBOX: For the days top news from the Stars award-winning journalists, sign up for our daily headlines newsletter. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is citing the Bible in defending the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant parents from their children after they enter the U.S. illegally. (The Associated Press) Those kids inside who have been separated from their parents are already being traumatized, said Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who was denied entry earlier this month to childrens shelter. It doesnt matter whether the floor is swept and the bedsheets tucked in tight. In Texas Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for people trying to enter the U.S., Border Patrol officials argue that they have to crack down on migrants and separate adults from children as a deterrent to others. When you exempt a group of people from the law ... that creates a draw, said Manuel Padilla, the Border Patrols chief agent here. That creates the trends right here. Agents running the holding facility generally known as Ursula for the name of the street its on said everyone detained is given adequate food, access to showers and laundered clothes, and medical care. People are supposed to move through the facility quickly. Under U.S. law, children are required to be turned over within three days to shelters funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. Padilla said agents in the Rio Grande Valley have allowed families with children under the age of 5 to stay together in most cases. An advocate who spent several hours in the facility Friday said she was deeply troubled by what she found. Michelle Brane, director of migrant rights at the Womens Refugee Commission, met with a 16-year-old girl who had been taking care of a young girl for three days. The teen and others in their cage thought the girl was 2 years old. She had to teach other kids in the cell to change her diaper, Brane said. Brane said that after an attorney started to ask questions, agents found the girls aunt and reunited the two. It turned out that the girl was actually 4 years old. Part of the problem was that she didnt speak Spanish, but Kiche, a language Indigenous to Guatemala. For more than a year, the old Walmart along the Mexican border here has been a mystery to those driving by on the highway. In place of the supercenters trademark logo hangs a curious sign: Casa Padre. Read more: U.S. practice of separating migrant children from parents called vicious and cruel At least five people dead in SUV crash after trying to flee border patrol agents in South Texas Immigrants fleeing gang violence take their chance on U.S. asylum She was so traumatized that she wasnt talking, Brane said. She was just curled up in a little ball. Brane said she also saw officials at the facility scold a group of 5-year-olds for playing around in their cage, telling them to settle down. There are no toys or books. But one boy nearby wasnt playing with the rest. According to Brane, he was quiet, clutching a piece of paper that was a photocopy of his mothers ID card. The government is literally taking kids away from their parents and leaving them in inappropriate conditions, Brane said. If a parent left a child in a cage with no supervision with other 5-year-olds, theyd be held accountable. Dr. Colleen Kraft, the head of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that she visited a small shelter in Texas recently, which she declined to identity. A toddler inside the 60-bed facility caught her eye she was crying uncontrollably and pounding her little fists on mat. Staff members tried to console the child, who looked to be about 2 years old, Kraft said. She had been taken from her mother the night before and brought to the shelter. The staff gave her books and toys but they werent allowed to pick her up, to hold her or hug her to try to calm her. As a rule, staff arent allowed to touch the children there, she said. The stress is overwhelming, she said. The focus needs to be on the welfare of these children, absent of politics. Read more about: LONDONThe father of the former Meghan Markle says he wishes he could have walked her down the aisle during her wedding to Prince Harry. Thomas Markle told broadcaster ITV on Monday that his daughter cried when he told her he wasnt well enough to attend the ceremony last month, but was honoured to be replaced by Prince Charles. The 73-year-old Markle, who watched the wedding from California, says he was very proud but that the unfortunate thing for me now is Im a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history rather than the dad walking her down the aisle. He says the couple, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will probably seek to have children soon. Markle says Shes wanted children for a long time. Thomas Markle also said that Prince Harry told him to give Trump a chance and suggested that he was open about Britains withdrawal from the European Union. Markle said Harry was an interesting guy and easy to talk to. He said they had not yet met in person but had chatted on the phone about various issues, including Donald Trump and Britains exit from the EU, known as Brexit. Our conversation was, I was complaining I didnt like Donald Trump. He said, Give Donald Trump a chance. I sort of disagreed with that. But I still like Harry. That was his politics; I have my politics. Asked if he thought Harry was a Trump supporter, Markle said: I would hope not now. But at the time, he might have been. Read more: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to visit Australia, Fiji Howie Mandel explains why Meghan Markle never caught his eye on Deal or No Deal Meghan Markle and monarch dishing dirt: Stargazing Harry and Meghan have been pronounced husband and wife after marrying in a fairytale ceremony in St George's Chapel on May 19. (The Associated Press) Markle said that when they spoke for the very first time, late last year, Harry asked him how we was doing. He was asking me how I was feeling that day, and I was telling him how unhappy I was with the president, or with the idea of Trump, and thats how it began, Markle said. On Britains decision to leave the European Union, Markle said of his talks with his future son-in-law: It was just a loose conversation about something we have to try. There was no real commitment to it ... I think he was open to the experiment (of Brexit). Party politics are a no-go zone for senior members of the royal family, and they are expected to steer clear of political issues such as Brexit, which remains deeply divisive in Britain. In the lead-up to the royal event of the year, there was fevered speculation over whether Markle would attend the wedding. Just days before the event, Markle had heart surgery he had three stents implanted and said he would not be able to make it to the wedding. Palace officials announced the day before the nuptials that Prince Charles would walk Meghan down the aisle. Markle told ITV on Monday that he was recovering well from the surgery. Markle also spoke about the moment when Harry asked him for permission to marry his daughter. He said his daughter had told him about the engagement first, and then in a subsequent phone conversation, Harry joined Meghan on the phone and asked for his permission. Harry asked for her hand on the phone, and I said: You are a gentleman. Promise me you will never raise your hand against my daughter, and of course I give you my permission. He said he was not prepared for the global media attention on his family following his daughters engagement to a British royal. But he said his daughter would rise to that occasion. My daughter is capable of anything, said the proud dad. And she will certainly be a complement to the royal family. Read more about: BERLINChancellor Angela Merkels allies in Bavaria averted an immediate collision Monday with the German leader, giving her two weeks to make deals on migration with other European countries instead of turning them back unilaterally at Germanys border. In her fourth term at the helm of Europes largest economy, Merkel made it clear that she has no intention of being pushed around after an internal power struggle over immigration escalated into a threat to her government. She said she would report back July 1 on the results of her negotiations, and that as far as shes concerned its not yet clear what will happen if theres no European deal on the divisive topic. Her interior minister, Horst Seehofer, has been calling for Germany to turn back migrants at the border who have previously applied for asylum or registered as asylum-seekers in other European countries. Merkel opposes such unilateral action, arguing that it would increase pressure on Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Greece and weaken the entire 28-nation European Union. Seehofer heads the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union, the sister party to Merkels Christian Democratic Union. The CSU is determined to show that its tough on migration, arguing that this is the best way to cut support for the anti-migration, far-right Alternative for Germany party ahead of a challenging state election in Bavaria in October. A CSU leadership meeting Monday in Munich unanimously backed Seehofers plan to give Merkel until the end of the month to find a solution with other EU countries. That banished if only for now the spectre of Seehofer pushing through his proposal in defiance of the chancellor, which would risk bringing down her government. Asked in Berlin whether her government can work well until the end of its term in 2021 and whether she is still in full control, Merkel replied: Yes to both. Merkel emphasized the need for Germanys conservative parties to stick together, but she and Seehofer may only have delayed a head-on clash. It is in Germanys interest to achieve the regulation of migration in a good partnership with our European neighbours, Merkel said after her CDUs leadership met. We think that turning people back without consultation at our borders, as a country at the heart of Europe, could lead to negative domino effects that could also hurt Germany and ultimately lead to the questioning of European unity. Merkel said she will hold talks on bilateral agreements with other European countries at and around a June 28-29 EU summit. She said her party will consider the results on July 1 and decide how to proceed in light of what has been achieved. There is, she insisted, nothing automatic about what happens next. It wasnt immediately clear what she might offer other countries in talks. Merkel said she will have to discuss what is important for others; I cant say today what that is. In Munich, Seehofer said his party would be happy to see European or bilateral solutions this month that achieve the same that we can achieve by turning people back at the border. We wish the chancellor success in this, he said. But we stand by our position that, if this does not succeed, turning people back immediately at the border must be possible. Seehofer said he had told fellow leaders that were not out of the woods yet. He said he would go ahead with preparations to block some asylum-seekers at the border. He said, if Merkels negotiations on getting other countries to take back migrants dont bear fruit, he will talk with her party but I want be able to put this into effect. The spat over immigration has laid bare the deep tensions in a fractious German government that took office only in March, after nearly six months of postelection haggling, and exposed the limits of Merkels authority. The two conservative parties govern Germany in a coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats. Seehofer and Merkel have long had an awkward relationship. In his previous job as Bavarian governor, Seehofer was one of the leading critics of Merkels decision in 2015 to leave Germanys borders open as migrants streamed across the Balkans. Most first arrived in Bavaria, which borders Austria. More than 1 million migrants came to Germany in 2015 and 2016, though numbers have since dropped sharply. In Brussels, the EU asylum office said Monday the number of people applying for international protection in Europe plunged last year but remains higher than before 2015, when more than one million migrants entered, many fleeing the war in Syria. The office said 728,470 application requests were made for international protection in 2017, compared to almost 1.3 million applications the previous year. Around 30 per cent came from conflict-torn countries such as Syria and Iraq. Read more about: The desperate sobbing of 10 Central American children, separated from their parents one day last week by immigration authorities at the border, makes for excruciating listening. Many of them sound like theyre crying so hard, they can barely breathe. They scream Mami and Papa over and over again, as if those are the only words they know. The baritone voice of a Border Patrol agent booms above the crying. Well, we have an orchestra here, he jokes. Whats missing is a conductor. Then a distraught but determined 6-year-old Salvadoran girl pleads repeatedly for someone to call her aunt. Just one call, she begs anyone who will listen. She says shes memorized the phone number, and at one point, rattles it off to a consular representative. My mommy says that Ill go with my aunt, she whimpers, and that shell come to pick me up there as quickly as possible. An audio recording obtained by ProPublica adds real-life sounds of suffering to a contentious policy debate that has so far been short on input from those with the most at stake: immigrant children. More than 2,300 of them have been separated from their parents since April, when the Trump administration launched its zero tolerance immigration policy, which calls for prosecuting all people who attempt to illegally enter the country and taking away the children they brought with them. More than 100 of those children are under the age of 4. The children are initially held in warehouses, tents or big box stores that have been converted into Border Patrol detention facilities. Condemnations of the policy have been swift and sharp, including from some of the administrations most reliable supporters. It has united religious conservatives and immigrant rights activists, who have said that zero tolerance amounts to zero humanity. Democratic and Republican members of Congress spoke out against the administrations enforcement efforts over the weekend. Former first lady Laura Bush called the administrations practices cruel and immoral, and likened images of immigrant children being held in kennels to those that came out of Japanese internment camps during Second World War. And the American Association of Pediatricians has said the practice of separating children from their parents can cause the children irreparable harm. Still, the administration had stood by it. U.S. President Donald Trump blames Democrats and says his administration is only enforcing laws already on the books, although thats not true. There are no laws that require children to be separated from their parents, or that call for criminal prosecutions of all undocumented border crossers. Those practices were established by the Trump administration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has cited passages from the Bible in an attempt to establish religious justification. On Monday, he defended it again saying it was a matter of rule of law, We cannot and will not encourage people to bring children by giving them blanket immunity from our laws. A Border Patrol spokesperson echoed that thought in a written statement. In recent days, authorities on the border have begun allowing tightly controlled tours of the facilities that are meant to put a humane face on the policy. But cameras are heavily restricted. And the children being held are not allowed to speak to journalists. The audio obtained by ProPublica breaks that silence. It was recorded last week inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facility. The person who made the recording asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation. That person gave the audio to Jennifer Harbury, a well-known civil rights attorney who has lived and worked for four decades in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border with Mexico. Harbury provided it to ProPublica. She said the person who recorded it was a client who heard the childrens weeping and crying, and was devastated by it. The person estimated that the children on the recording are between 4 and 10 years old. It appeared that they had been at the detention centre for less than 24 hours, so their distress at having been separated from their parents was still raw. Consulate officials tried to comfort them with snacks and toys. But the children were inconsolable. Read more: Hundreds of children wait in large metal cages with foil blankets at Texas Border Patrol facility First lady Melania Trump hates to see families separated at border, spokesperson says Trump administration adopts border policy previously spurned as inhumane The child who stood out the most was the 6-year-old Salvadoran girl with a phone number stuck in her head. At the end of the audio, a consular official offers to call the girls aunt. ProPublica dialed the number she recited in the audio, and spoke with the aunt about the call. It was the hardest moment in my life, she said. Imagine getting a call from your 6-year-old niece. Shes crying and begging me to go get her. She says, I promise Ill behave, but please get me out of here. Im all alone. The aunt said what made the call even more painful was that there was nothing she could do. She and her 9-year-old daughter are seeking asylum in the United States after immigrating here two years ago for the exact same reasons and on the exact same route as her sister and her niece. They are from a small town called Armenia, about an hours drive northwest of the Salvadoran capital, but well within reach of its crippling crime waves. She said gangs were everywhere in El Salvador: Theyre on the buses. Theyre in the banks. Theyre in schools. Theyre in the police. Theres nowhere for normal people to feel safe. She said her niece and sister set out for the United States over a month ago. They paid a smuggler $7,000 to guide them through Guatemala and Mexico and across the border into the United States. Now, she said, all the risk and investment seem lost. The aunt said she worried that any attempt to intervene in her nieces situation would put hers and her daughters asylum case at risk, particularly since the Trump administration overturned asylum protections for victims of gang and domestic violence. She said shes managed to speak to her sister, who has been moved to an immigration detention facility near Port Isabel, Texas. And she keeps in touch with her niece, Alison Jimena Valencia Madrid, by telephone. Mother and daughter, however, have not been able to speak to one another. The aunt said that Alison has been moved out of the Border Patrol facility to a shelter where she has a real bed. But she said that authorities at the shelter have warned the girl that her mother, 29-year-old Cindy Madrid, might be deported without her. I know shes not an American citizen, the aunt said of her niece. But shes a human being. Shes a child. How can they treat her this way? Has your family been separated at the U.S., Mexico border? Are you a worker at a detention centre or do you aid families who have been affected? Tell us more at border@propublica.org or 347-244-2134. Read more about: Hurt; angry; chastened. Thats the space many Ontario Liberals are in as Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives prepare to govern and the NDP assumes the role of official opposition. Meanwhile, many Liberal voters and partisans, current and former, are still unpacking the question: How and why did the party and Premier Kathleen Wynne, despite their achievements, become so unpopular? There are many possible explanations duration in office; scandal; disconnectedness from the public; major policy decisions; misogyny and the double-standards imposed on women leaders. The path forward for Liberals could be informed by the leadership candidate who has the most persuasive answer to that question. But there are other ways to begin talking about the rebuilding of liberalism. We could ask what aspects of its values or political organization need to be preserved or changed, and to see the question not through the needs of a party, but the needs of the public. These questions are being asked by centrist and liberal political parties under stress in democracies around the world. On values, expect a debate around the size of government an important but classic left/right fight. A different way to think about these kinds of debates is to prefer bold ideas over old ones. Liberalism (the philosophy, not the party) is at its best when it brings forward ambitious policies for more empowered people and more prosperous, clean and healthy communities. McGuinty and Wynne-era reforms as wide-ranging as the Greenbelt, an improved Canada Pension Plan spurred by provincial advocacy, and a more generous, revamped OSAP regime all show you dont necessarily need more spending to be ambitious. Boldness and ambition must continue at the core of the liberal story, but better informed and in response to neglected threats. A feeling of economic insecurity exists not just in some regions or demographics but in people and families across the province. A more ambitious liberal response would have an unyielding commitment to education that is both accessible and of a high quality, available in any community at all ages and stages in life. Bold ideas that seize the imagination will flow from this focus on the economy and educations role in growing it by empowering people and communities. And more generally, liberals need to be bolder in developing and telling their story about what is needed to grow the economy that benefits the many, and the planet. There are other areas where liberals could take some bold stands in response to the publics needs. There is growing evidence that concentrations of power stifle innovation and leave people and communities vulnerable to decisions made by others. Liberals could go back to the wellspring of their values with fresh eyes to see where those concentrations of power exist, and to provide new solutions. In all of this, the ambition must come through conversations and hard work. Ambition that is cooked up in a bubble or overly reliant on gurus will not resonate. Rather, liberals need to reconnect to people and communities who will develop and champion those ideas. That requires an ability to discern situations where powerful stakeholders put forward ideas that do not represent the public interest or liberal values. It also requires the cultivation of a culture of dissent and a willingness to learn in public, a necessary condition for growth and for the ability of a new generation of liberal leaders to question the assumptions they have inherited even as it generates some hard feelings and negative headlines along the way. Finally, the party itself could be reimagined, so that it becomes an attractive option to be engaged beyond leadership or nomination contests. Political parties of all stripes need to evolve into more civic-minded organizations where the focus is on peoples ability to rally around a set of values and make change in their communities. Where the facts on the ground change, liberal political philosophy calls for new leadership and new solutions. An opportunity will soon exist to articulate a new space where the majority of the population still sits, and to develop new ideas and ways of thinking and working to respond to their needs. Karim Bardeesy is a distinguished visiting professor and co-founder of the Ryerson Leadership Lab at Ryerson University, and a former senior adviser to Ontario premiers Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty. is a distinguished visiting professor and co-founder of the Ryerson Leadership Lab at Ryerson University, and a former senior adviser to Ontario premiers Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty. Read more about: (by Aldo Baquis) CAESAREA - Two thousand years since its construction as the main port of the region - one of the many monumental projects built 2,000 years ago by King Herod thanks to an advanced Roman technology - Caesarea is going through a period of growing prosperity and is vying to become Israel's main archaeological site. In this area - which is visited each year by a million Israeli and foreign tourists - a new attraction has just been inaugurated. A walk on the walls built in 1251 during the visit of the King of France Louis IX. Visitors will be able to walk through the ancient market and a secret tunnel used during sieges to ensure the city had enough food and ammunition. ''Caesarea represents a particular model of success among Israeli archaeological sites'', Shaul Goldstein, the director of Israel's nature and parks authority, told ANSA. ''First of all because archaeological remains here were preserved in an excellent manner'', starting from the Roman period until the Crusaders. Moreover, the archaeological park of Caesarea also has restaurants, coffee shops and stores. Due to its perfect acoustics and location right in front of the sea, the Roman theater attracts thousands with its concerts and musical performances. ''A bit like the Acropolis in Athens, here too - said Goldstein - it is possible to spend relaxing hours inside structures that date back to an ancient past''. The development of tourist attractions in Caesarea is supported, along with the Israeli government and other agencies, also by the Foundation Edmond de Rothschild which over the past decade invested 150 million shekel, or 40 million euros. The objective, said Ariane de Rothschild during the inauguration of the walk, is to strengthen the social network between Caesarea and two neighboring cities. While the first has a high life style, in the Jewish area of Or Aquiva and Arab Jisser a-Zarka there are also more low-income households. A little port for fishermen that will be connected to the site of Caesarea is being planned for Jisser a-Zarka. A small part of the Roman aqueduct will also be renovated in the area. The expansion of tourism in Caesarea should thus reflect on the economy of neighboring areas. ''Our vision - concluded Israel Hasson, director of the Israeli authority of antiquities - is to give back to Caesarea its glory days, when it was a vibrant port offering visitors cultural experiences''. If Donald Trump says NAFTA is the worst deal ever, it must be good. Right? Not necessarily. Before Trump came on the scene, Canadians were evenly split on NAFTA. Every time he speaks or tweets, Canadians love NAFTA more. Its popularity probably jumped over the moon after Trumps drive-by, virtual shooting of the prime minister at the G7 summit. They may like it, but Canadians dont know whats in NAFTA. They think its about free trade no tariff barriers among the three North American countries. Wrong. Tariffs between Canada and the U.S. were very low before the 1989 Canada-U. S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 1994 NAFTA began. Tariffs have since fallen for Canada, the U.S., Mexico and many other countries under the most-favoured-nation rules of the World Trade Organization. If NAFTA dies, tariffs between Canada and the U.S. would remain at zero for many items and very low for the others. Unless, of course, Trump finds a flimsy excuse to impose them. But he does that under NAFTA. NAFTA is a corporate rights agreement, not a free-trade agreement in the original sense. Have your say Opposing view: Should Canada give up on NAFTA? No Trump is causing such turmoil with tariffs, anti-Trudeau tirades, and weaponizing uncertainty that NAFTAs future is in doubt. Creating chaos may be more effective than slapping on tariffs in bringing investment and jobs back to the U.S. NAFTA gave corporations the impression they could put plants in Canada and Mexico to ship their products to the big enchilada the huge U.S. domestic market. Trump shows that NAFTA provides no such assurance. So, what does Canada give up under NAFTA? NAFTAs chapter 11 gives foreign corporations the right to sue Canadian governments for passing laws that hurt their anticipated profits. Its rigged against Canada. Its ironic that, although the U.S. has not lost a single case, Trump wants to end chapter 11, while Trudeau fights to keep it. Wealthy foreign corporations have sued Canada successfully eight times, mainly over environmental protection and resource management laws. Canadian taxpayers bill is $314 million so far. Canada sought free trade to overcome unfair U.S. trade laws, like those that limit Canadian softwood lumber exports. If a law is bad, change it. Instead, NAFTA changed the judges. In NAFTA they arent even judges. Theyre secret tribunals run by exorbitantly paid corporate lawyers to decide what Canadian laws hurt U.S. corporate profits in this country. NAFTAs biggest flaw is chapter 6 its energy proportionality clause. It obliges Canada to make available for export three quarters of our oil and half our natural gas to the U.S. even if Canadians are shivering in the dark in an international oil crisis caused by a major Middle East war. Chapter 6 hinders Canada from reducing oil exports in the West to ship the oil to Canadians in the East, who rely on oil imports. Even worse, chapter 6 prevents Canada from reducing the proportion of fuels exported from Albertas tarsands and fracking. Two research reports I wrote show that retaining proportionality would lock in an additional 1,488 megatonnes of greenhouse gases between now and 2050 and likely torpedo Canadas Paris climate promises. Proportionality enforces a continental, fossil fuel policy and hinders Canada from pursuing a national eco-energy one. NAFTA has so integrated our economy with the U.S. that Canada is very vulnerable to every U.S. lurch and tirade. In response, Canada should diversify its trading partners and develop a more inwardly directed, environmentally friendly economy where Canadians buy more local goods and services. More trade is not win-win if we export raw resources and import manufactured goods and high tech services. Under NAFTA Canada has regressed to hewers of wood and drawers of bitumen. NAFTA ended Canadas ability to enforce the auto pact. That gutted auto production in Ontario. Canada can build more high tech and industries of the future if we are freed from NAFTAs corporate rights shackles. Why should Canada remain bound by NAFTA when Washington can capriciously act against Canadian imports at any time? We can build a prosperous, low-carbon future without NAFTA. Dr. Gordon Laxer is a political economist and founding director of Parkland Institute at the University of Alberta and co-author of NAFTA 2.0: For People or Polluters? Read more about: The Ontario Liberals fell one seat short of official party status and have asked the new Progressive Conservative government to lower the threshold. It would be a generous gesture for incoming premier Doug Ford to make that change. And it would show that hes serious about his stated intention to lead a government for all the people. More than 1 million Ontarians nearly 20 per cent of those who cast a ballot voted for Liberal candidates. That should be enough to merit the right to regularly ask questions in the legislature and the budget for staff and research that comes with official party status. Ford has, quite reasonably, said hell talk to his team about it before making any decision. Its New Democrat leader Andrea Horwath who has taken the strongest stand against making such a move. The people gave the Liberals seven seats, thats what they have in the legislature and thats what theyre going to have to deal with, Horwath has said. Actually, no. It doesnt have to be that way. Provincial governments routinely lower the threshold after an election, so theres plenty of precedent for what the Liberals are asking for. Its churlish of Horwath to pretend otherwise. Ontarios current standard to qualify for official party status is one of the highest among all the provinces. Its also far higher than the House of Commons, which requires just 12 of 338 seats to take on the designation. In Ontario, former Progressive Conservative premier Harris lowered the minimum from 12 to eight seats following the 1999 election. That was done to allow the NDP, which had won nine seats, to retain its official party status. And when Harris made that change the NDP had received a much smaller portion of the overall vote than the Liberals did on June 7. When the NDP again fell short in the 2003 election, this time by one seat, it was former Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty who made concessions to let the NDP retain some funding and an enhanced presence in the legislature. True, he didnt agree to lower the threshold to give them full status. (They regained that in a by-election a year later.) But that doesnt mean Ford shouldnt do it in this case. What a thing it would be if Fords PCs prove to be more magnanimous to the Liberals than McGuinty was to the New Democrats. Official party status is an important tool in our democratic system. It was introduced in the 1960s to redress an imbalance: the ruling party of the day had access to staff and research that opposition parties did not. The funding, as well as the ability to sit on committees and hold the government to account in Question Period, helps to strengthen the opposition. And vigorous opposition is part of what maintains a health democracy. So theres plenty of public interest in granting the Liberals the status. And it would honour the wish of a substantial portion of the electorate. If thats not enough to sway Ford, theres another more partisan reason to do it. Certainly the New Democrats see little self-interest in doing anything to help the party theyre constantly in battle with for the progressive vote. But Ford may. From the PC perspective, two vigorous opposition parties splitting the anti-Tory vote is good for business. The last thing he wants is a single strong party to the left of his. As it is, the Ontario Liberals have gone from majority government to a handful of MPPs who can hold caucus meetings in a large SUV. Its a long road back for them, regardless of party status. But granting it would be a welcome sign of civility in public life after a particularly nasty election campaign. 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. As the last national assembly sitting before the Oct. 1 provincial vote was winding down last week, a brief encounter with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard yielded an unsolicited prediction. I have a secret for you, he told me on his way out of a Radio-Canada studio. I will win the election. Perhaps that was his way of saying that, come what may, he has no intention of following in outgoing Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynnes footsteps and delivering a pre-emptive concession speech. In any event, the conviction that he will win should it amount to more than bluster on his part is one Couillard should keep to himself between now and the vote. The winds of change in Quebec may not have the reached the full-gale force that delivered Doug Fords Tories a majority government in Ontario earlier this month, but they are certainly blowing hard enough to sweep a presumptuous incumbent out of office. Published last week, the latest Leger poll showed the Coalition Avenir Quebec solidly in first place, 26 points ahead of the ruling Liberals among the francophone voters who will determine the outcome of the vote, and nine points ahead province-wide. The Quebec Liberals have played defence in the past and, as often as not, ended up on top on election night. But the dynamics of the upcoming campaign bear little resemblance to the battles of the past. It is lining up to be a watershed election for reasons that are only indirectly related to Couillards record in government and circumstances that are partly beyond his control. It has been more than 40 years since a new party came to power for the first time in Quebec. Over the decades that followed the Parti Quebecoiss first election victory in 1976, Quebecs main federalist and sovereigntist parties took turns in power. It seems that cycle is coming to an end. The re-election odds Couillard is facing pale in comparison to the apprehended fate of the PQ. If the election had been held this month, the sovereigntist party at less than 20 per cent in voting intentions would not have won enough seats to be officially recognized in the national assembly. The PQs problem is also Couillards. To win next fall, he needs a better split in the opposition vote. The Liberalss best re-election cards should have been a booming economy, operating at full employment, and the delivery just in time for the campaign of a provincial budget surplus. But these are aces that CAQ Leader Francois Legaults business credentials, combined with his experience with economic portfolios as a former senior PQ cabinet minister, have so far trumped. The latest Liberal hope is that once voters factor in the uncertainty arising from a potential Canada-U. S. trade war, more of them will question the wisdom of taking a risk on a party yet untested in government. That message would probably resonate if the PQ armed with a pro-sovereignty agenda were still the main alternative to the Liberals. Whether it could do the trick in a one-on-one battle against the business-friendly CAQ is an open question. With a pre-election lead such as the one enjoyed by the CAQ, most parties have to contend with an overabundance of would-be candidates fighting divisive riding battles for nominations. But Legaults party is not big on grassroots politics. Its candidates are, for the most part, hand-picked by the leader. Legault is gambling that his partys momentum will make up for the paucity of boots on the ground that inevitably results from his top-down approach to appointing candidates. In 2011, the NDP orange wave showed that it is possible to sweep Quebec with a less than optimal election machine. A stronger team is what Couillard has yet to assemble. More than half-a-dozen ministers are not running again. The Liberals have been trying to make lemonade out of lemons by talking up the wave of departures as a great opportunity for renewal. But the premiers most prominent recruit to date is someone who will not actually be running. Instead, under the title of campaign chair, entrepreneur Alexandre Taillefer has taken on the (safe) role of party mascot. Of the three main Quebec parties, the Liberals are ultimately the least likely to be severely damaged by a defeat this fall. Their non-Francophone base should ensure that they are not reduced to a rump. Unlike their sovereigntist rivals, they are not struggling to sustain the cause that is the very reason for their existence. Unlike the CAQ, whose fate is inextricably tied to Legault, the Quebec Liberal party would not miss a beat if it had to find a replacement for Couillard to lead it in opposition. Candidates for his succession are already lining up at the post-election gate. Chantal Hebert is a columnist based in Ottawa covering politics. Follow her on Twitter: @ChantalHbert Read more about: No one is quite sure what U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un agreed to last week. But it doesnt seem to matter. The theatrical peace gambit orchestrated by these two flamboyant impresarios appears to be paying off. Did the two agree that North Korea would completely, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle its nuclear arsenal before economic sanctions are lifted as the U.S. has long demanded? U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says they did. North Koreas state news agency says they didnt. Im not sure it matters who is right. The bottom line is that sanctions will almost certainly be loosened. According to Trump, China has already done so. Was Trumps decision to suspend joint U.S.-South Korean war games a hint that the president is willing to pull American forces out of the peninsula? Maybe. Trump justified his surprise move in part because he said it would save money. That echoes the language he used in his presidential campaign when he accused South Korea and Japan of being military freeloaders. Is Trump willing to sign a peace treaty with North Korea to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War? Again maybe. The language used in the joint communique released after the summit suggests that but doesnt specify it. Still, the summit was crucial. By winning Trumps endorsement of a process already begun by Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, it removed a roadblock on the way to a rapprochement between the two Koreas. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday on Sentosa island, Singapore. It is the first summit between a sitting U.S.S president and a North Korean leader. (The Associated Press) The two began military talks Thursday. The summit also put into play the geopolitics of the region. China, which used to treat North Korea as a nuisance, is actively wooing Kim, fearful that he might get too friendly with Washington. Japan is unsettled by Trumps embrace of Kim. Even before the summit, its foreign policy establishment had been quietly debating Tokyos relationship with Washington, with one former ambassador even calling for Japan to acquire its own nuclear weapons. Now Japan will have to decide how to deal with Trumps new best friend. Some in the foreign policy establishment argue that North Korea cannot be trusted. But Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he will begin talks with the Kim regime in an effort to resolve the issue of 12 Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korea in the 70s and 80s and forced to work as translators. When Trump brags that North Korea no longer poses a threat to America, he isnt entirely wrong. Kim was never interested in starting a war he could only lose. His threats to do so in past years were empty bombast designed to keep his adversary unsettled. Rather, the dictators aims were more practical: a guarantee of security for his regime (hence the drive to acquire nuclear-tipped missiles) and economic development (hence the need to improve relations with the South). In his own self-absorbed way, Trump seems to have recognized that. Indeed, he seems to have seen something of himself in Kim, whom he praised as a very talented negotiator. Now these two have set in motion something that will be difficult to reverse. In South Korea, Moons pro-peace party swept local elections last week. The Trump-Kim summit was certainly not typical. At some level it bordered on the absurd, particularly when the U.S. president showed Kim a fictionalized video of what his country could look like if it embraced peace. Like Trump himself, the summit was exaggerated and ostentatious. It produced a communique that was vague, thin in content and maddeningly open to interpretation. It involved more theatre than statesmanship. But it worked. It cleared the log jam and got things moving. South Koreas Moon and the Norths Kim deserve considerable credit for this success. Yet so does that shameless showman, Trump. Thomas Walkom is a Toronto-based columnist covering politics. Follow him on Twitter: is a Toronto-based columnist covering politics. Follow him on Twitter: @tomwalkom Read more about: VANCOUVER In an attempt to boost supports for caregivers, the Ministry of Health said Monday it is investing $75 million more to help both seniors and their loved ones, by expanding respite care and adult day programs. Roughly one million family-and-friend caregivers in the province help seniors with daily activities, ranging from grocery shopping to assistance with yard work, managing finances, or helping with medical treatments while providing personal care, such as bathing. These caregivers are often also managing families of their own and working full-time, a government release stated. Caregiving without adequate supports can impact the whole family, particularly a persons ability to live at home, which is what most seniors and their loved ones want, said Health Minister Adrian Dix. The August 2017 report from the Office of the Seniors Advocate estimates that 31 per cent of seniors had a primary caregiver in distress. This was related to government decisions in the past, Dix insisted, pointing to cuts in respite beds over the last five years, and fewer adult day programs available. New services will assist caregivers in reducing stress and exhaustion, he said. Funding rolls out over the next three years to increase the number of respite beds, overnight care at home, and number of adult day program spaces, where hours of operations will be extended to provide services on evenings and weekends. Adult day programs and respite services assist seniors and adults with disabilities to continue living at home by providing community services and activities, including; rehabilitation, nutrition, bathing, foot care and caregiver support, the release stated. Dix said the approximate cost of a day program is $120, while respite services are roughly $200 and noted its up to the health authorities to decide if theres additional funding for day programs. Often seniors end up in long-term care prematurely or emergency room services become overwhelmed as result of caregiver burnout, said Queenie Choo, executive director of social-services agency, SUCCESS. People dont have anywhere to go because many services are closed on the weekend or off hours, she explained, noting the cost to the system is far greater in these cases than staying home. Choo encouraged federal incentives of tax shelters for those that quit their jobs to be full time caregivers, because that would help the system tremendously. Health authorities are developing plans to meet localized needs of family-and-friend caregivers and seniors in their regions, according to a government release. But new programs should properly meet the needs of different communities, Choo urged. We want to make sure it is culturally sensitive and culturally appropriate, she told StarMetro. Its not just the physical and emotional, but also the cultural needs of individuals. These clients represent the most vulnerable seniors, who without caregivers would likely need to move to residential care, said Isobel Mackenzie, provincial seniors advocate, who said help is finally arriving. Mackenzie noted the funding will allow 3,000 distressed caregivers to have a respite bed for a week every month and more than 5,000 families will get programming not currently available. If youre struggling at home with loved ones and youre frustrated beyond belief, she said at the announcement. That can mean the difference between I can keep my mom living with me and I cant take it anymore. This will keep family members soldiering on to maintain their loved ones dignity of life living in their own home, she added. Family-and-friend caregivers in British Columbia provide more than 80 per cent of home care, said Barb MacLean, executive director of Family Caregivers of British Columbia. Thats why caregivers need the confidence that theyre included as a partner in the health care system, she added. Having access to the right support, at the right time, is absolutely essential for caregivers to be able to continue to care without burning out or becoming a patient themselves, MacLean said. The Ministry of Health allocated $768 million over three years for investments in primary care, home and community care, residential care and assisted living, according to the release. A further $249 million will be provided by the federal government under the Canada/British Columbia Home and Community Care funding agreement. Read more about: VANCOUVERB.C.s housing minister is drawing a direct line between the scarcity of housing on reserves and the high rate of homeless people in Metro Vancouver who are Indigenous. Selina Robinson announced Monday that her government is taking the unprecedented step of funding new housing on reserves, something that has up to now been firmly in the jurisdiction of the federal government. The idea is to make sure there are housing opportunities wherever people are, Robinson said. The latest data shows that 34 per cent of homeless people in Metro Vancouver are Indigenous, despite Indigenous people being just 2.5 per cent of the general population. If youre from the north, and one of the reasons you dont stay in the north is because theres no housing for you, if there was housing, you may be more likely to stay and create a life for yourself, Robinson said. So that you dont end up in an urban centre, disconnected, alone and isolated and that brings on other problems. The B.C. government is committing to spend $550 million to build and operate 1,750 units of both on and off-reserve housing over the next 10 years. Its the first time any Canadian province has agreed to fund on-reserve housing, said Terry Teegee, regional chief of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations. He called the need for more funding severe. The federal government hasnt kept up with the pace of growth, Teegee said, highlighting that 60 per cent of B.C.s Indigenous population is under age 25. As a consequence, there is severe overcrowding in on-reserve housing, and some buildings are in poor repair. Many First Nations children live in deplorable conditions, Teegee said. To have a healthy community, you need good housing. Shayne Ramsay, the CEO of BC Housing, said the provincial housing agency has done a series of on-reserve pilot projects on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. Those projects have included building new housing projects, assisting with capital plans and construction procurement, and a program to train community members in carpentry, plumbing and drywall skills so members of the nation can conduct basic repairs on existing housing. BC Housing has put out a call for proposals for the new funding and will be ready to announce specific projects this fall, Ramsay said. The B.C. funding program could be a model for the rest of the country, Teegee said. This is part of the rebuilding of our communities, he said. A lot of our people do want to live at home. Read more about: BEIRUT - At least 40 people including government soldiers and pro-Iranian Shiite militias have been killed in air raids attributed to the US-led international coalition in eastern Syria at the border with Iraq, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday, quoting local sources. Previously, Syrian government media and pro-Iranian outlets claimed that the Coalition carried out air raids in the border district of Abukamal, speaking about an unspecified number of victims. The reports cannot be independently verified on the ground. Uganda ChristianUniversity was founded when the historic Bishop Tucker Theological College waspromoted as a university in 1997. Bishop Tucker Theological College trainedclergy and educators during its 84-year history from 1913-1997. The localchief, Hamu Mukasa, granted land for the college to operate in Mukono.International partnerships were part of the Colleges missionary history. TheChurch Mission Society teamed with Ugandan leaders and others to assure theCollege had the necessary intellectual and other capital. By the late 1990s,the Church of Uganda sought to have a broader impact on society through thehigher education not only of clergy but of other professionals as well.Uganda Christian University was established in 1997. Catholic ReliefServices (CRS) is an international non-profit organization which implements thecommitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor andvulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission andoperations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of allfaiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment toserving those in need. The Office of theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14,1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCRs mandate under the Statuteof the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to leadand co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanentsolutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights andwell-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness,as it is given a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on theReduction of Statelessness. A master distiller and a crop scientist who specialises in corn breeding are working on a project they hope one day will help bring local identities to American whiskeys. Seth Murray, a top corn breeder at Texas A&M University, and Rob Arnold, working on a doctorate at the school while making whiskey for a Fort Worth distiller, are trying to develop commercially viable strains of corn with identifiable flavours, in the same way as specific grapes define the taste of wine from Californias Napa Valley or a Bordeaux produced in southwest France. If the project proves successful, it might not be until the middle of the next decade that it will produce a commercial whiskey. So far, Arnold and Murray have produced about 50 test products. In the next several months, they will plant thousands of non-genetically modified seeds on a commercial farm to ramp up production. Soon in the whiskey world is kind of relative. Everything for us is years and years down the road, Arnold said. Frank Coleman, a senior vice president at the Distilled Spirits Council, an industry group, is not quite ready to say the project is a game changer. But it is indicative of the innovations that are going on throughout the distilled spirits industry, he said. At present, most major American distillers make their whiskeys with similar types of yellow corn grown from seeds developed in the Midwest and designed to produce high yields. We were missing all the unique flavours that can live in corn varieties, said Arnold, top distiller at Firestone & Robertson, which bills itself as the biggest whiskey distiller west of the Mississippi. The distiller is financing the project. In 2017, over 23 million nine-litre cases of American whiskey were sold in the United States, generating over $3.4 billion in revenue for distillers, according to the spirits council. Seth Murray, an associate professor at Texas A&M University in the Department of Soil and Crop Science, displays yellow corn seeds (R) from commercially planted corn originating from the Midwest, next to corn seeds (L) planted for whisky in College Station, Texas | Reuters Bourbon is one of the most popular kinds of American whiskey. Stored in charred oak barrels, bourbon is made from a grain mash that is at least 51 percent corn, though most brands are about 70 to 80 percent. With similar strains of corn used in most mass-produced bourbons, most brands derive their distinct flavour from yeasts used in fermentation and ageing barrels. Murray and Arnold are mixing and matching corn varieties from Latin America and heirlooms from North America. Some small batch producers and even major distillers have already tried making whiskey from heirloom corns, grown from seeds of varieties that appeared generations ago. But Murray said while heirlooms can produce interesting taste compounds, crop yields can be about an eighth of a modern hybrid, calling into question their commercial potential. -Reuters Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said schemes like Mudra Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana and Stand Up India are helping in greater financial inclusion. Addressing the fourth meeting of Governing Council of NITI Aayog at Rashtrapati Bhawan, the prime minister stressed on the need to tackle the issue of economic imbalances on a priority basis. He said that under the Center's Ayushman Bharat scheme, around 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres are being constructed and about 10 crore families will be provided health insurance worth of 5 lakh rupees every year. He further said that the Indian Economy has grown at the rate of 7.7 percent and it is now a challenge to take this growth rate to double digits for which many more important steps have to be taken. Raising concern on the condition of the farmers, the prime minister said one of the major agenda of the meeting is doubling farmers' income. Apart from that, he said the government will also focus on the development of aspirational districts, Ayushman Bharat, Mission Indradhanush, Nutrition Mission and celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The prime minister also assured the Chief Ministers from flood-affected States to provide all assistance. The Kerala Crime Branch is set to book national award-winning actor and BJP Rajya Sabha member Suresh Gopi and actress Amala Paul on charges that they evaded taxes running into several lakhs by registering their luxury cars in Puducherry. Crime Branch sources said the chargesheets will be submitted in court within a month. Actor Fahadh Faasil was also accused of such tax evasion, but since he paid the penalty of Rs 17.68 lakh, the government will consider if the proceedings need to be pressed. The police team have found that Suresh Gopi and Amala produced fake proof for vehicle registration in Puducherry. It is clear that both of them registered vehicles in the union territory with the intention of evading the Kerala taxes, which are higher, the police insist. The MP's arrest was recorded earlier, but he was let off after two people stood as sureties and a bond of Rs 1 lakh was furnished. The case against him is that he evaded taxes to the tune of Rs 30 lakh by registering two cars at a fake address in Puducherry. One of these cars was bought in 2010 and the other after he became an MP. Suresh Gopi had claimed that he owns agricultural land in the union territory and that the address provided for registration was that of his rented accommodation there. However, the Crime Branch says the claim has been found to be false. Amala, who hails from Aluva in Kerala, was also questioned by the Crime Branch earlier. The police also found that she too used a fake address for the registration. Amala had claimed that she had rented a house in Puducherry so that she could stay there when she goes there for shooting, and that the address provided was that of this accommodation. However, the Crime Branch sleuths had checked on the address earlier, and reached the conclusion that the house is not given on rent regularly. It is a three-storey apartment complex where several families live. Some others have also registered their cars in the same address. Neither has the actress produced any document that substantiates her claim. The state motor transport department had allowed time for tax-evading vehicle owners to pay a penalty and transfer vehicles to the Kerala registration. The action is being considered against those who failed to utilise the provision. To sample a heady mix of European cinema, head to the European Union Film Festival (EUFF) which begins on Monday in New Delhi and will travel to 11 other cities till August 31. With a selection of 24 European films from 23 EU member states, the festival is a veritable feast for world cinema enthusiasts. Organised by the Delegation of the European Union and embassies of EU member states in partnership with the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the festival will also hold master-classes, conversations and discussions with visiting European filmmakers. While the award-winning Slovak film Little Harbour will open the festival, THE WEEK curates a list of must-watch others. Tiger Theory (Czech Republic) In this comedy, Jan Berger, a successful veterinary surgeon touching 60, feels trapped in a marriage with a controlling partner. His father-in-law had committed suicide after facing similar issues with his own wife and Berger suspects this destructive streak of marital partnership is something his wife has acquired as family inheritance. He fears he too is destined to die and so he devises ways to escape the fate that befell his father-in-law. The road that Berger eventually decides to take to slip out his wife's tyrannical rule is absurd and daring at the same time. The Man Who Looks Like Me (Estonia) This is a tragicomedy in which a father and son are pitted against each other to impress the same woman. A music critic son is depressed post his divorce. He begins to rebuild his life when his jazz musician father suddenly appears out of nowhere and demands to be taken care of in his twilight years. When an attractive psychotherapist enters the scene, hearts are set aflame and the scheming older man comes up with pranks aplenty to frustrate his son's romantic overtures. Who wins this generational conflict? Kills on Wheels (Hungary) This dramedy on disability doesn't take itself too seriously. Two wheelchair-bound roommatesZoli and Barbaat a care facility collaborate on a graphic novel and create a protagonist in a paraplegic former firefighter who is called Rupaszov. The ex-fireman is also an ex-convict who offers his services as a hitman to a Serbian crime lord. Their adventures together on paper soon acquire intriguing dimensions as reality and fiction blur to produce a trippy whirligig of gangsters and gunfights, physical agility and emotional turmoil. Land of Mine (Denmark) Nominated for the best foreign language film at the 89th Academy Awards last year, Land of Mine is a historical drama war film about a controversial period in Danish history right after the Second World War. In the sanitised version of events, Denmark is credited as the only occupied country that actively resisted the Nazi regimes attempts to deport its Jewish citizens. But in this film, the Scandinavian country is made to confront its difficult past which may have involved a war crime. The film takes place right after the end of World War II. The question of clearing some two million land mines, lobbed by five years of German occupation, arises. The task is undertaken by a group of German Prisoners of War. The film prods at the innocence of these young, emaciated soldiers who risked their lives for this de-mining operation. This is a difficult, essential watch. 9 Month Stretch (France) A Europe trip is piteously incomplete without France. In this award-winning black comedy, an uptight and stubbornly single magistrate, Ariane Felder, gets pregnant under mysterious circumstances. The gag-laden film stumbles and bumbles along in its bid to nail the father of the child, which is eventually revealed to be a dim-witted criminal charged with assault and battery. With subtle barbs pointed at the French legal system, this is a neat little fare full of boisterous wit and charm. The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite... Syria: US-led coalition raid in East, Syrian State TV Coalition spokesman denies raid in the area (ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, JUNE 18 - Syrian State television on Monday reported that a US-led coalition raid struck a military position in the East, killing and wounding a number of soldiers. The air raid took place at around midnight in the village of al-Hari, near the city of Boukamal, according to the report. Colonel Sean Ryan, a Coalition spokesman, was quoted by the AP news agency as saying that no raid was carried out last night in the area. Al-Hari is in the eastern province of Deyr az Zor, where ISIS still controls part of the territory. Syrian government troops in the area are carrying out military operations against the Islamic State west of the Euphrates river, while the Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces backed by the US-led coalition are carrying out an offensive on the eastern bank. Syrian government news agency Sana, reporting about the alleged attack, claimed that the coalition's ''new aggression'' occurred three days after Damascus' forces gained control of an area some 2,000 square kilometers in the region of Al Mayadin. (ANSAmed). Faced with criticism that the Narendra Modi government is stalling appointment of judges to the higher courts, Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said the present regime has appointed as many as 315 judges to the High Courts and 17 judges to the Supreme Court in the last four years. A total of 315 judges were appointed to the high courts, and 247 additional judges in the high courts were made permanent judges. And 17 judges were appointed to the Supreme Court, Prasad said at a press briefing on the achievements of the ministry in the last four years. He said a total of 116 judges were appointed to the high courts in 2016, which is the highest number in the last 30 years. What is being said about appointment of judges is not true. The numbers speak for themselves, he said. A total of 34 appointments have been made to the high courts till June this year, the minister said. This may not compare well with 115 judges appointed to the high courts in 2017. However, Prasad expressed confidence that by the end of 2018, the record number of 116 appointments to the high courts will be crossed. He reminded that it was under the Modi government that the sanctioned strength in the high courts has been increased from 906 to 1,079, and the sanctioned strength in the subordinate courts has been enhanced from 19,518 to 22,525. The government has received flak for delay in clearing recommendations from the Supreme Court collegium for appointment of judges to the higher judiciary. Senior members of the judiciary, too, have questioned why the government should be sitting on recommendations for months even as the higher courts reel under severe shortage of judges. To a question on whether there will be any deviation from the norm of the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court being appointed as the Chief Justice of India, considering that Justice Ranjan Gogoi is next in line to occupy the post, Prasad said the intent of the government should not be doubted. It is the prerogative of the CJI to nominate his successor, and the government does not have a role to play in it. Gogoi was one of the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court who had held an unprecedented press conference earlier this year to complain about the manner in which Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra is administrating the top court. Asked about the delay in the finalisation of the Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of judges to the higher judiciary, the minister said that discussions are on with the Supreme Court to finalise it. Our vision is that the norm of screening of possible candidates should also be laid down in the MoP itself. So the high courts would be required to specify on the basis of which norms candidates have been proposed to be appointed as judges, he said, adding this was being discussed with the SC collegium. On the Triple Talaq Bill, which seeks to operationalise the Supreme Court's judgement declaring the practice of Triple Talaq as unconstitutional, Prasad said the government will pursue the proposed legislation in all earnestness. The bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha and is pending in the Rajya Sabha, where it has run into stiff opposition from rival parties. I want to appeal to (UPA chairperson) Sonia Gandhi, (Trinamool Congress chief) Mamata Banerjee and (BSP supremo) Mayawati on the issue of the Triple Talaq Bill. On this issue, we need to go beyond the political divide, Prasad said. ANSAmed - Today's events in the Mediterranean (ANSAmed) - ROME, JUNE 18 - These are the main events scheduled in the Euro-Mediterranean area for today: BRUSSELS - EU, Annual EU-G5 Sahel meeting, with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini and EU Commissioner Neven Mimica. MADRID - Exhibition entitled 'Russian Dadaism 1914-1924', (until October 22) at the Reina Sofia museum. (ANSAmed). Greece and Macedonia set aside three decades of dispute on Sunday as they agreed on a new name for the former Yugoslav republic, paving the way for its possible admission to the European Union and NATO. The foreign ministers of the two countries signed an accord to rename the former Yugoslav republic the Republic of North Macedonia, despite angry protests on both sides of the border over a deal seen as a national sellout by some on both sides. In the idyllic setting of Prespes, a lake region that borders Greece, Macedonia and Albania, leaders from the two countries embraced and shook hands in the presence of European and United Nations officials. 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. Very few believed we would be able to leave behind 26 years of unfruitful dispute, said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who survived a no-confidence vote mounted by the opposition in parliament on Saturday. We have a historic responsibility that this deal is not held in abeyance, Tsipras said as he and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev received a standing ovation. In the Macedonian capital Skopje, police fired stun grenades and tear gas on Sunday night to disperse a protest rally by several hundred nationalists. A Reuters witness saw protesters pelting police with stones, chanting Macedonia, Macedonia we will give our lives for Macedonia. Some of the demonstrators were arrested. Across the border, up to 70 percent of Greeks object to the name compromise, an opinion poll by the Proto Thema newspaper showed on Saturday. In Psarades, the tiny lakeside community where the deal was signed, the church bell tolled in mourning, draped in a Greek flag. Some 30 km (20 miles) away in the Greek village of Pisoderi, about 3,000 people rallied against the deal and at least six were injured in clashes with police who fired tear gas to disperse an angry crowd on a hillside. We dont accept anything, we dont recognise anything. For us none of it is valid, said Costas Venetikidis, a protester. Macedonia is in our soul, thats why were here. Not far from the Greek border in the Macedonian city of Bitola, thousands protested draped in national flags, chanting This is Macedonia. This shameful deal will not pass. We will defend Macedonias name and pride, said Petre Filipovski, 40. We have moved mountains Following the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991, Greeces northern neighbour took the name Macedonia. Athens refused to accept it, saying it implied territorial claims over the Greek province of Macedonia and an appropriation of ancient Greek culture and civilisation. Zaev, who arrived from across the lake on a speedboat, said the two neighbours had moved mountains by reaching the accord. It was a dignified solution acceptable to both sides, he said. Veteran UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, who has overseen talks for a quarter-century, described the agreement as a fair and 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, 79. I told my family this year I dont need any gifts because two prime ministers are going to give me a big gift. Athens had blocked Macedonias hopes of joining the EU and NATO, objections it must now lift under the deal. Others might still object. One big concern is Russia. Moscow has noticeably refused to endorse the agreement, said James Ker-Lindsay, senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. It knows that this will see Macedonia join NATO, he said. Given recent allegations of Moscows involvement in other elections and referendums, this will be a real concern for NATO and the EU. -Reuters The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. 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Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc., ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics. BERLIN - Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte is meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Monday with the pressing issue of migration among the subjects on the agenda. German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said the leaders will also discuss other matters, including the "economic issues of the eurozone and unemployment". He said that the chancellor was "pleased to meet Conte (again) after their first meeting at the G7 in Canada". Conte will propose the allocation of special EU funds to combat poverty in Europe during the meeting, government sources said. This could make it possible for the new Italian government to use European funding to help finance a basic income benefit - the so-called citizenship wage - that it has pledged to introduce, the sources said. Schodack After months with town officials and developers remaining tight-lipped on who would fill a 1 million-square-foot distribution center, Amazon was identified as the tenant Monday evening. The revelation came during a Schodack Town Planning Board meeting where tenant representative Eric Murray confirmed Amazon is working with Scannell Properties - the Indiana developer of the project - to build a 1,015,740-square-foot space for a fulfillment center on 116 acres between Interstate 90 and Route 9. It just so happens that many Amazon fulfillment centers built in recent years around the northeastern U.S. and in other states were built to that exact same specification: 1,015,740 square feet. Amazon's fulfillment centers across the country have sprung up in similar fashion, with a developer proposing to build a 1- million-square-foot distribution center with an unknown tenant. Tax breaks are often sought as well, and the designs are similar in nature to the Schodack building designs produced by Scannell. The Schodack project is already lined up with tax breaks through Rensselaer County and potentially New York state. When contacted to inquire about the square footage of the project and how it matched up perfectly with other Amazon distribution centers, Scannell Properties spokeswoman Andrea Martone told the Times Union: "It's too premature in the process to comment. They just don't want us to comment." Murray's admission of representing Amazon as the tenant for the distribution center was met with applause from the crowd that packed Schodack Town Hall, but it did little alleviate the concerns nearby residents have. "If the project does go forward, Amazon is very careful to work with community partners," Murray said. Amazon operates fulfillment centers that are the exact same size as the Schodack proposal in Fall River, Mass., Palmer Township, Pa., which is near Bethlehem, Pa., Middletown, Del., Baltimore, Spartanburg, S.C., and Redlands, Calif. Another huge warehouse - again proposed for 1,015,740 square-feet - is in the planning stage in the Orange County town of Montgomery near Newburgh. Lawyers for that project have described it as hosting an "e-commerce" tenant, although they have not revealed if it is Amazon that they are referring to. The Montgomery warehouse plans were code-named Project Sailfish in plans submitted to the town. Scannell's marketing materials show the distribution center broken up into either one large 910,000-square-foot building and a smaller building or four similarly sized buildings connected to by a road rotary in the middle. Last week, the Rensselaer County Industrial Development Agency, which said it was keeping the prospective tenant under wraps, said it planned to offer the developer a 50 percent cut on its property taxes over a 10-year period, a deviation from its typical property tax incentive plan. Scannell, the developer, says in its marketing brochures that the site will not only receive Rensselaer County IDA benefits but state incentives as well through Empire State Development, New York's economic development arm. Scannell has been involved in developing other sites for Amazon across the country. "The numerous economic benefits of the site include a cooperative business-friendly community, various economic incentives from both Rensselaer County Industrial Development Agency and Empire State Development, and minimal municipal economic impact fees," the brochure says. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Many of the residents who spoke in opposition to project as it's currently proposed pleaded with the Planning Board to call for a environmental impact study, which they said would ensure an unbiased assessment of the impact of the project to the area. Scannell has done its own assessments, but residents want more. "If they're doing such a great job, they have nothing to lose in doing a Type 1 (Environmental Impact Study)," resident Barbara Spink said. "It's less about providing jobs, and more about a rich corporation making money off the rest of us." Developers project the facility will create 800 full-time jobs with collective annual wages at $22 million. However, many of them would be at minimum wage, which residents say isn't going to economically infuse the community. Amazon is proud of its fulfillment centers and actually offers tours of them to the public to show off the innovation that it uses inside. The company says it has 75 in North America with 125,000 employees. Amazon also says the jobs pay 30 percent better than a traditional retail job, and job opening fliers for the Fall River, Mass., Amazon fulfillment center say that the jobs pay $12.75 to $13.25 an hour. Other area residents are welcoming the project, saying that it's needed in a town that's seen little growth. "By letting this project go forward, you're improving this town," Eric Leonard said. "It's a start - for some a very difficult start. I think in the very end it's going to lift everything up for the town." Schodack is already home to a Hannaford supermarkets distribution center, so the town is viewed favorably as being able to handle the industry. "Other distribution users find this corridor attractive because of its proximity to highways, tandem trailer access and a readily available labor force," the Scannell Properties brochure states. Jose Luis Garcia was watering his lawn and drinking his morning coffee outside his home in Southern California last Sunday when federal immigration authorities showed up. Garcia a 62-year-old Mexican immigrant who has been a legal resident since the 1980s, according to his family shouted for help. He spilled his coffee on the sidewalk as agents arrested him, said his daughter Natalie Garcia, who ran outside and saw her father handcuffed. She said authorities told her they had a warrant for his arrest related to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge that was resolved nearly two decades ago. They are kidnapping people from their home, starting with my father, who has the legal status, said Garcia, 32. A week later, Jose Garcia was still being held by immigration officials, and his family was preparing to spend Fathers Day without him. Garcia and his family are among those who have been swept up in the Trump administrations immigration policy, which cracks down not only on unauthorized immigrants but also on legal residents. The administration makes it a priority to remove those who have pending criminal charges or any convictions in their past. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 162 people during a three-day roundup in the Los Angeles area last week. In a news release, the agency emphasized that the operation targeted immigrants who posed a safety risk, such as one Mexican who was a known gang member and had been convicted of rape. But Garcias case appears to show just how sweeping ICE can be in making arrests regardless of an immigrants legal status or how long ago their criminal case was resolved. An agency spokeswoman said ICE did not exempt any class of removable aliens from potential enforcement as it seeks to uphold immigration law and protect public safety. Mackenzie W. Mackins, an immigration lawyer representing Garcia, said it was a waste of taxpayer money to target her client. 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. 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, Natalie Garcia said. In 2001, Jose 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. Natalie Garcia said that her father completed probation. It was a domestic dispute they settled years ago, and they are still married to this day, Natalie Garcia said. A spokeswoman for ICE said in a statement that Jose Garcia was arrested because he has past criminal convictions that make him amenable to removal from the United States. The spokeswoman would not specify the convictions, citing privacy rules. Natalie Garcia said she was not aware of other convictions in her fathers past. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Today, she said, he is a husband, a father to his five adult children and a jolly grandpa to his nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Natalie Garcia, a single mother who works full time in public relations, said her father is helping to raise her 6-year-old daughter, Marley, who calls him Dad. Garcia often calls upon her father to pick up Marley from school or to help cook dinner. The family had planned to celebrate Fathers Day with a barbecue, and Garcia had gifts already picked out. Marley planned to give him a photo of the two of them, with the words Best Dad! in a heart. Garcia said she bought her father what she gives him for every occasion: clothing with the logos of his favorite teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and the University of Southern California Trojans. Instead, Jose Garcia will spend Fathers Day at the Theo Lacy Facility, a maximum-security jail complex in Orange, California. His first court appearance is scheduled for June 29. Its killing me, Natalie Garcia said. Im a daddys girl. I miss him so much. This article originally appeared in The New York Times New York A black man has been president of the United States. So why, then, do so many find it hard to believe that a black woman owns a yarn shop in brownstone Brooklyn? That is a question that Felicia Eve, the owner of the yarn shop, String Thing Studio in Park Slope, has confronted regularly. "It's along the same lines of, 'Oh, you live in Park Slope?'" Eve said. "Or, 'Oh, you own a brownstone in Park Slope?' Or, 'Oh, you have three kids in private school?'" On hand to hear Eve's story were Cynthia Gordy Giwa and Glenn Alan, who run the website Black-Owned Brooklyn. They brought The New York Times along on a recent Saturday morning as they visited a handful of shops in Brooklyn. Giwa, 36, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, had a career as a White House correspondent and political reporter for black-focused publications including Essence and The Root; she is now marketing director for ProPublica. Alan, 30, of Crown Heights, is a regional operations manager for a popular fast-fashion chain. They run the blog in their free time, traveling through the borough on weekends to interview shop owners. Since its February debut, the site has risen quickly in popularity. A year-end goal of 1,000 Instagram followers was achieved in 22 days, and include filmmaker Ava DuVernay and comedian Wyatt Cenac. The blog has become an unexpected barometer of a black renaissance in Brooklyn, rewriting a narrative of blackness in the borough that has been largely untouched since the heyday of Spike Lee films in the 1990s. But it is just part of a broader revival of black pride and economic self-awareness citywide, including Brooklyn's Afropunk and Juneteenth festivals; Harlem Capital Partners, which invests in minority-owned startups; and All-Star Code, which trains black boys in computer programming. "We're in a sociopolitical moment where there's greater acceptance of black people having pride in themselves. It sounds silly or sad, really. It should be normal. But we live in a world where saying 'black lives matter' is controversial," said Jacob William Faber, a sociologist at New York University who studies racial economic disparity. "It's a rebuttal to the idea the false choice that if you want investment you have to accept displacement." Giwa said the blog offers a way to present a more complete story. "It's so often a story of displacement or loss when you're talking about black Brooklyn," she said. "I don't want to downplay that, because it does happen and it is a serious concern, but it's also not the whole picture." After years of watching business ownership slip away from black residents in Brooklyn, Latisha Daring, owner of Greedi Vegan, a cafe in Crown Heights, decided to take advantage of the borough's recent economic growth. "Don't be angry. It's about what you do with it," she said. "It's about asking: Are you prepared for it? To be a part of the change?" 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 mayor's office and the Department of Small Business Services were unable to provide comparative data on black-owned businesses in Brooklyn or citywide. "We don't 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 Mayor's 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," Contreras said. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The players in Brooklyn aren't necessarily local. "I came over here on purpose, because of all the gentrification that's happening," said Cindy Morris. She owns Camera Ready Cutz, a self-described "LGBT-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 can't we do that? Why aren't 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 it's amazing that you can go to Beyonce's hairstylist, in Bed-Stuy, or Erykah Badu's hairstylist. Or Carmelo Anthony's 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, 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," Combs told the magazine, adding: "This is not about taking away from any other community. We'll still go to Chinatown. We'll still buy Gucci! But the application will make it possible for us to have an economic community. It's about blacks gaining economic power." Asked about the app, 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! I'm right here! Say hi! I'm ready for you!" (By Cristiana Missori.) ROME - Italy is Algeria's main trading partner, with commercial exchange totaling nine billion dollars, according to Italian Ambassador to Algeria Pasquale Ferrara, currently visiting Rome for a conference on migration organised by LUISS University. "It's a solid relationship," Ferrara said. "There are 180 Italian companies in Algeria, but in constant transformation" due to the Algerian government's economic diversification policy, he said. Ferrara said Italy can grow even more in Algeria, with potential in the areas of renewables and agrobusiness, as well as the traditional sectors of energy, technology, and large-scale construction. He said that to facilitate trade, a new Italo-Algerian entrepreneurs' association will be formed, as the first step towards creating an Italo-Algerian Chamber of Commerce. Thus far, new partnerships have been limited by Algeria's 51/49 rule, which reserves for Algerian businesses at least 51% of capital of new businesses started with foreigners. This limit reduces momentum for Italian businesses, above all small businesses. "The association will serve to create trust between the parties," Ferrara said. He said that while "economic sovereignty will remain important in strategic sectors such as defense, telecommunications, and energy", at the same time things in other sectors should become simpler for foreign investors. Despite this, competition in the Algerian market remains ruthless. China is continuing its expansive policy throughout Africa and in the Maghreb, buying up important market share in the sectors of infrastructure and large-scale construction, a main example of which is the Chinese-built Djamaa El Djazair mosque. Ferrara noted, however, that Italian companies carried out the interior decorations, which he said is a sign that "when Italy does Italy, and works on partnership and quality, it has nothing to fear from the competition". FBI agents are actively investigating Crystal Run Healthcare, a Hudson Valley company whose officials have made $400,000 in political donations to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Times Union has learned. The agents are being assisted by personnel from the Orange County district attorney's office, and have sought information about the political donations to Cuomo as well as $25 million in grants awarded to the company by the state Department of Health. The competitively bid grants in March 2016 went to build two Crystal Run health care facilities, which had already broken ground six months earlier without the assistance of a taxpayer subsidy. The Times Union reported in May that the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office was investigating Crystal Run, and that company employees had received grand jury subpoenas seeking testimony. On Friday, the Orange County district attorney's office declined to comment. A Crystal Run spokesman told the Times Union in May that while the company had been subpoenaed for documents in 2017, company officials did not believe that Crystal Run was actively under investigation. A spokesman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo says that administration has not been subpoenaed by law enforcement concerning Crystal Run. But the administration has had an unusual response to Freedom of Information Law requests concerning the company. The Times Union in April filed FOIL requests seeking any law enforcement subpoenas concerning Crystal Run issued to the governor's office and several state agencies. Earlier this month, the Cuomo administration and those agencies stated that even if they had been subpoenaed, the agencies would not have to provide copies of subpoenas concerning Crystal Run. Whether or not the agencies had actually been subpoenaed was not addressed in the FOIL responses. The Cuomo administration argues that such records "would" be exempt from disclosure because they "would have been" compiled for law enforcement purposes and publicly releasing them "would" interfere with an investigation. The apparent rationale: If the administration confirmed or denied the existence of subpoenas concerning Crystal Run, then in the future state open records law could be used to ferret out whether or not the administration had been subpoenaed in other matters. In justifying this determination, the Cuomo administration cites the precedent of the Court of Appeals's March decision in the case of Abdur-Rashid vs. New York City Police. The state's highest court concluded that the NYPD could simply decline to respond rather than acknowledge that records concerning police surveillance of Muslim groups existed. Robert Freeman, executive director of the Committee on Open Government, disagreed with the Cuomo administration's logic. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "I would argue that it is not 'most evident that revealing the existence of records would damage a pending investigation,'" Freeman said, quoting from the administration's response. "Again, if a person or entity is the subject of the investigation and it possesses the records sought, how could the person or entity prove that disclosure would damage an investigation, unless the investigator indicates that would clearly be so?" Of the $400,000 in Crystal Run donations to Cuomo, $250,000 came from a series of $25,000 donations handed over at a Cuomo fundraiser in October 2013. Seven of the 10 donors had not given to a campaign in a New York election in at least a decade before their $25,000 contributions were made to Cuomo. Cuomo's campaign has refused to answer questions about details of the fundraiser, including where it took place, who attended, whether it was an exclusive event for Crystal Run associates, and how the donations were arranged. Among those subpoenaed by a federal grand jury are six Crystal Run doctors who filed a lawsuit against Crystal Run in December accusing the company's top management of "self-dealing." Their civil complaint referenced the donations to Cuomo. An attorney for the physicians who filed the lawsuit told the Times Union in December that he would seek information about whether the $25,000 donations made by individual Crystal Run executives were paid using "pooled" company funds. The Crystal Run spokesman, Loren Riegelhaupt, has declined comment on whether the Cuomo donations were made in that manner. It's illegal under state law to give a campaign donation using a "straw donor" to conceal the true origin of a contribution. The civil lawsuit has been settled. A major contractor on both Crystal Run projects was Joe Nicolla of Albany-based Columbia Development. Nicolla recently agreed to a cooperation deal with the state attorney general's office in exchange for its dropping a bid-rigging charge unrelated to the Crystal Run projects. ALBANY Candidates for governor and critics of his economic development programs are seizing on the second "Buffalo Billion" bid-rigging trial that began Monday in Manhattan, calling for campaign finance reform and increased oversight over the state's economic development programs. The federal criminal case focuses on the role of SUNY Polytechnic Institute founder Alain Kaloyeros in directing nearly $1 billion in contracts to donors of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's re-election campaign. Executives from two upstate New York real estate development firms that benefited from the government business are on trial alongside Kaloyeros. Republican gubernatorial hopeful Marc Molinaro blasted Albany's culture of corruption outside the Manhatatn courthouse Monday morning, calling on Cuomo to return millions of dollars in "dirty donations" given to him in pay-to-play schemes over the past eight years. Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive, has pledged to ban all pay-for-play donations as governor. He was joined by Republican lieutenant-governor candidate Julie Killian, and Reform Party Chairman Curtis Sliwa. "Follow the money," Molinaro said. "Look at all the corruption -- then look at Andrew Cuomo's obscene campaign account. Do that and everything else makes sense. It's very simple: Mr. Cuomo placed a 'For Sale' sign on his office eight years ago, people are going to jail for it, but the corrupt Cuomo cash continues to roll in. This has to end." Democratic candidate Cynthia Nixon took the message a step further, introducing her agenda to curb the corrupting influence of big money in politics at a press conference at noon at the Tweed Courthouse, the same location where eight years ago Andrew Cuomo announced his inaugural run for governor on a promise to clean up Albany. Nixon, an actress, noted that Cuomo has financed his campaign entirely from big donors, with just 0.2 percent coming from small donors, while 90 percent of Nixon's donors gave $100 or less. "The unchecked influence of big money in state politics isn't just the root cause of corruption - it's also why our state government currently serves corporations and the rich, and leaves the rest of New Yorkers behind," Nixon said ahead of the release of her plan. Former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner announced her independent ballot line bid for governor Monday morning in the New York Times, citing persistent corruption in state government as her inspiration to run. "I cannot be a silent witness to what I think is a corrupt political culture that is hurting real people every day," Miner told the paper. Democratic attorney general candidate Zephyr Teachout attended the trial to hear Monday's opening statements, and later spoke to reporters outside the courthouse. Government watchdog groups also gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse to demand that Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie allow a vote on key transparency and oversight legislation that has already passed the Republican-controlled Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. The measures were included in the Assembly's one-house budget. The legislation, which would create a "database of deals" and return pre-approval authority to New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, is co-sponsored by dozens of Assembly Democrats, but advocates say Cuomo won't allow Heastie to bring the legislation to the floor. The attention around the federal criminal trial stands in contrast to the start of January's bid-rigging and bribery trial involving Cuomo's close friend and former top aide Joe Percoco, who was convicted of corruption for accepting bribes. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. At the Percoco trial, Sen. John DeFrancisco, then a Republican candidate for governor, stood alone demanding increased oversight, including the passage of the procurement reform bill, which he sponsored in the Senate. DeFrancisco dropped out of the race when Molinaro was endorsed by a majority of county Republican party leaders across the state. ReInvent Albany executive Director John Kaehny said the increased attention around this trial was warranted given the sheer scale of the Buffalo Billion scandal and its direct ties to the governor, who he said is actively working to thwart the passage of the transparency and oversight bills in the Assembly. "This an exercise in raw political power by the governor. At the last trial, you could plausibly claim it was about Joe Percoco going rogue, but at this trial, campaign contributions to the governor are front and center," Kaehny said. "It is mind-boggling to see an incumbent governor with a reputation for micromanagement and being big into the mechanics of government, preventing the state Assembly from voting on this." A spokeswoman for Cuomo's campaign, Abbey Fashouer, said the governor has long pushed for an overhaul of the state's campaign finance system, but blamed the Republican-controlled Senate for stalling the legislation. "Despite others' attempts to politicize, the US Attorney and Judge have repeatedly said that campaign contributions were not unlawful and were not part of the alleged criminality," Fashouer said. "We thank Ms. Nixon for her support for our reforms. Unlike others who claim to be good Democrats, the governor is 100 percent focused on flipping the State Senate to pass these important reforms to increase government transparency and accountability." NEW YORK A federal prosecutor told jurors Monday that private emails will prove SUNY Polytechnic Institute founder Alain Kaloyeros and three co-defendants lied, cheated and secretly schemed to rig the bids of state contracts worth more than $850 million to favored developers in Buffalo and Syracuse. Kaloyeros, 62, sat in a large and packed 26th floor courtroom in federal District Court in Manhattan as Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zhou painted him as a crook whose motivation was to curry the favor of lobbyist Todd Howe whom he needed to remedy a "rocky relationship" with Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "This is a case about lying and cheating to get huge construction contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars, all paid for by the taxpayers of New York," Zhou said, pointing to each defendant. "Those contracts were supposed to go to the winners of a fair and open competition, but that didn't happen. It didn't happen because this man, Alain Kaloyeros, made sure the fix was in. Kaloyeros rigged the competition to make sure that the companies he liked would win those massive state contracts." Zhou later said: "Emails will prove this crime beyond a reasonable doubt." Prosecutors also appear to have evidence alleging Kaloyeros deleted emails between himself and Howe in October 2015 and December 2015, according to a defense motion. Zhou was prepared to highlight the allegation in his opening statement, but the judge delayed its mention for now. Kaloyeros' attorney, Reid Weingarten, speaking softly, portrayed a man who came to the United States from war-torn Lebanon, describing him as "first and foremost a scientist" and "hero in Albany" with a number of patents to his name, who went on to build a thriving high-tech university. He said Kaloyeros can be volatile, paranoid and secretive and was "no saint." But, Weingarten said, he committed no crime. Rather, he said, the man known as "Dr. K" was duped by Howe whom he and other defense lawyers called a master criminal whose words in emails cannot be believed. "There are two sides to every story, and boy are you going to hear another one right now," Weingarten said. "He's had remarkable success in economic development." Weingarten repeatedly referenced the success of SUNY Poly as a "miracle." Kaloyeros, Syracuse-based COR Development President Steve Aiello, 60, COR General Counsel Joseph Gerardi, 58; and Louis Ciminelli, 62, chairman and CEO of LPCiminelli of Buffalo, are charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Gerardi is also charged with lying to federal officers. Judge Valerie Caproni said the trial is expected to last four weeks. The packed courtroom on Monday brought out observers who included attorney general candidate Zephyr Teachout and U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, whose office is prosecuting the case. Zhou said Kaloyeros sent advance copies of request-for-proposals (RFPs) to executives at COR Development and LPCiminelli that would be tailored to those companies. The prosecutor said Kaloyeros sent one email on his private Gmail account to Ciminelli asking the businessman to "fine-tune the developer's requirements to fit." Zhou said Gerardi's handwritten note showed he was involved in bid-rigging. In one note, he said, Gerardi wrote that an RFP looked "too telegraphed" and "too obvious." The contracts were approved through the Fort Schuyler Management Corp., a nonprofit development arm of SUNY Poly that receives state funding. Zhou said members of its board of directors, who were deceived, would testify. The first of those witnesses, Dean Fuleihan, the former chair of the board and now a top assistant to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, was still testifying as court concluded for the day Monday. He will resume his testimony Tuesday. "Kaloyeros agreed with Howe to rig the competition for their friends in Buffalo and Syracuse," Zhou said. "Kaloyeros decided the rules didn't apply to him so he lied and he cheated to get the results he wanted." Weingarten said the drafts of RFPs were generic and in no way benefited the developers. If Kaloyeros wanted to hook up Ciminelli, he said, he did not even need to go through the RFP process. Former LPCiminelli executive Kevin Schuler, who pleaded guilty in May and is cooperating with the government, will testify and is expected to walk jurors through the alleged scheme. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "You'll learn that Kaloyeros did not have the power to pick his favorite construction company," Zhou said. Steve Coffey, Aiello's attorney, told the jury the government's version of events was fiction. He said his client had nothing to do with Ciminelli, adding, "What they have in common is they're developers and they're Italian." Milton Williams, the attorney for Gerardi, said there was no evidence his client committed any crime. He turned his ire toward Howe, a former aide to the late Gov. Mario Cuomo and later his son, Andrew, when he was the federal housing secretary under President Bill Clinton. Howe was the star witness at the trial earlier this year of Joseph Percoco, a former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was convicted of federal charges. Aiello was convicted of wire fraud conspiracy at that case, while Gerardi was cleared of all charges. The U.S. attorney's office does not plan to call Howe this time in the wake of his arrest during the earlier trial for bilking his credit card company for the $600 cost of a night's stay at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. One of the first witnesses to testify Monday, Andrew Kennedy, now CEO of the Capital Region's Center for Economic Growth, who worked closely with Kaloyeros and Howe when Kennedy was a top aide in the Cuomo administration. Kennedy testified the administration had reservations initially about Kaloyeros. Weingarten asked if it was because his client wasn't a political hack or was independent. "I can't speak to what they were thinking. I just know they met him with skepticism," Kennedy said. Weingarten asked Kennedy if Howe ever mocked Kaloyeros. Kennedy hedged, then said that Kaloyeros had a "larger-than-life personality." "Todd Howe made fun of him?" Weingarten pressed. "He did," Kennedy testified. BALLSTON SPA The first of a dozen heavy shipments of equipment for the refueling of a West Milton nuclear reactor crawled away from the Eastern Avenue rail yard Monday morning. The slow caravan of police, utility workers and state Dept. of Transportation vehicles accompanied the supersized nuclear container that rolled along at about 3 to 5 miles per hour, arriving about three hours later at the the Kenneth A. Kesselring Site. The eight-mile journey took the procession along High Streets, Middleline Road and west to the site on Galway Road. So far, no nuclear fuel has passed through the area. It is unclear when the nuclear fuel will arrive as future shipments have yet to be scheduled. There will be no more shipments this week, a spokeswoman for the Naval Nuclear Laboratory said. The spokeswoman did say that care was taken to observe all safety precautions and that residents and business owners should not be concerned by the convoy. She insisted the shipment was safe and posed no public danger. Carl Zeilman, the director of Saratoga County Emergency Services, said that the state and counties emergency crews trained together to ensure that if something went wrong they would be prepared. "We had full-scale training with fire, police, EMS to test our communications so that we can respond at a moment's notice," he said on Thursday. "We feel we are ready to go." Warren Jones, who lives on Eastern Avenue, could see the loading of the equipment onto a Lucia Specialized Hauling rig from his yard. He said he has lived in the neighborhood for more than 40 years and he too has no concerns about the transport. "I've seen this several times," Jones said. "I think it's fine. I don't glow in the dark." The last time the Kesselring nuclear reactor was refueled was about 20 years ago, the spokeswoman said. But the site has used this rail yard before for other shipments. The last time was 2004, she said. Dates have not been determined for remaining shipments from the rail yard to Kesselring. The refueling will begin in the fall. Six shipments to the site will make the return trip to the Ballston Spa rail yard in this winter, starting in early 2019. Each shipment will creep through the village after rush hour on weekdays. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Some of the shipments traveling from the site will be of spent fuel and be radioactive. The largest will weigh 600,000 pounds. A fact sheet from the Naval Nuclear Laboratory notes that the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program has successfully completed 450 refuelings without incident. This will be Kesselring's 11th refueling, the fact sheet indicated. Charles Raymond, a 16-year-old who lives on Chapman Street, said he's not worried about the equipment or the refueling. But he said his mom questions it. "She thinks it's unusual to have nuclear fuel being shipped and unloaded in a residential neighborhood," Raymond said who was on his bike headed for his Spanish Regent's exam. The biggest impact, said President of the Ballston Spa Country Club Paul Steves, will be on the traffic. "I think if you have an 11 o'clock tee, you might have to wait a few minutes to pull in," Steve said. "Other than that, I don't think it will have a big impact." GOTHIC, Colo. (AP) David Inouye is an accidental climate scientist. More than 40 years ago, the University of Maryland biologist started studying when wildflowers, birds, bees and butterflies first appeared each spring on this mountain. These days, plants and animals are arriving at Rocky Mountain Biological Lab a week or two earlier than they were 30 years ago. The robins that used to arrive in early April ago now show up in mid-March. Marmots end their winter slumber ever earlier. "If the climate weren't changing, we wouldn't see these kind of changes happen," Inouye said while standing on a bed of wildflowers that are popping up on the first day of May as marmots snoop around nearby. It's been 30 years since much of the world learned that global warming had arrived. On June 23, 1988, NASA scientist James Hansen testified before Congress, explaining that heat-trapping gases spewed by the burning of fossil fuels were pushing temperatures higher. But it turns out climate isn't the only thing that's changing: Nature itself is, too. That's the picture painted by interviews with more than 50 scientists and an Associated Press analysis of data on plants, animals, pollen, ice, sea level and more. You don't need a thermometer or a rain gauge to notice climate change, and you don't need to be a scientist to see it. Evidence is in the blueberry bushes in Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond, the dwindling population of polar bears of the Arctic and the dying corals worldwide. Scientists have documented 28,800 cases of plants and animals "responding consistently to temperature changes," a 2008 study in the journal Nature said. "Nature is extremely sensitive to temperature and nature is reacting to the warmer temperatures," said Boston University biologist Richard Primack. "The dramatic change is happening right in front of us." In the 1850s, Thoreau charted when Walden Pond's highbush blueberry first flowered. At the time, it happened around May 16, on average. In the past 10 years, it's averaged April 23. Primack started tracking blueberries there in the 2000s, so he can't specifically say how much of the earlier blooming was due to warming temperatures in the last 30 years, but he figures about a third of it is. In 1983, mail carrier John Latimer started keeping track of when the birds, chipmunks and butterflies emerge, when the trees and plants bloomed and when they changed colors and dropped leaves in northernmost Minnesota. Spring is coming earlier, he found. But it's not consistent; there are some really late years interspersed, creating a roller-coaster effect. Starting about 30 years ago, the growing season in general around the Northern Hemisphere "rather abruptly changed to a new normal," with earlier springs and later falls, said Mark Schwartz, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee geographer. In the Lower 48 states, 2012 was the earliest growing season on record until it was edged out by 2017, he said. In the U.S., fall's first frost is happening about nine days on average later since 30 years ago, while the last frost of spring is happening almost four days earlier, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That means the growing season in between is nearly two weeks longer. And some of the stuff that's growing is making us sneeze and suffer. High ragweed days across America swelled from 1990 to 2016, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Lewis Ziska. In Kansas City, the number of high pollen days jumped from 58 to 81. "Allergies and asthma are on the rise. Climate change isn't the only reason, but it contributes," said Dr. Howard Frumkin, former environmental health chief at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and now at the Wellcome Trust in London. Frumkin said ragweed and poison ivy trigger more powerful allergic reactions with higher carbon dioxide levels. Some of the hardest-hit places on Earth are underwater. Coral reefs are sensitive to warmer water, and there isn't a reef on this planet that has gone unscathed by global warming, said Mark Eakin, coordinator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's coral reef watch. "If you look at coral reefs around the world, they've suffered a great deal of damage," Eakin said. "Many of them are shadows of what they've been before 1998." There had been no global mass bleaching of coral when they go white because of heat stress and frequently die until 1998. Another hit in 2010 and then from 2014 to 2017 was the biggest global mass bleaching of them all, devastating the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Eakin said. Melting ice has made polar bears the poster animal of climate change. Studies show that their survival rates, reproduction rates and body weight are going down in most parts of the Arctic, said Steven Amstrup, formerly U.S. Geological Survey's top polar bear researcher and now chief scientist at Polar Bear International. In parts of Alaska, Amstrup found a 40 percent population drop since the mid-1990s. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. When Amstrup first started studying polar bears in Alaska he was tracking the resurgence of the animals from widespread hunting in the 1950s and 1960. But starting in the late 1990s they started losing their habitat and "we weren't seeing as many big old bears." Ornithologist George Divoky, on his 47th summer in Cooper Island, Alaska, to study shore birds, is another accidental climate scientist. "In 1988, things started getting strange," Divoky said. In the years that followed, seabirds like the black guillemot started arriving earlier, laying eggs earlier and not surviving as well, he said, blaming warming. In 1989, Divoky counted 220 pairs of birds. Last year, there were 85 pairs, and two-thirds of the chicks died. "I was just studying birds," Divoky said. "I don't take any pride in that I may be documenting the end of an Arctic seabird colony." Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech, has heard non-scientists accusing the government or researchers of manipulating temperature data to show warming. There's no cooking the books, she said; nature is broadcasting a clear signal about climate change. "If you don't trust the thermometers, throw them out," Hayhoe said. "All we have to do is look at what's happening in nature." ___ AP data journalist Nicky Forster contributed to this story from New York. Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears . His work can be found here . ___ The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Migrants: '56% of French polled against welcoming Aquarius' According to survey by OpinionWay (ANSAmed) - PARIS, JUNE 18 - The majority of French nationals interviewed for a poll said the French government was right when it refused to open one of its ports to migrant-rescue vessel Aquarius, contrary to Spain, and let it offload over 600 migrants. According to the survey carried out by polling institute OpinionWay for Public Senat, Les Echos and Radio Classique, 56% of those surveyed said they were in favor of the choice made by the administration of President Emmanuel Macron, while 42% said France should have opened its ports and 2% preferred not to express an opinion on the matter. Although it refused to open a port to the vessel operated by Sos Mediterranee which was not allowed to offload the migrants at an Italian port on June 10 by Premier Matteo Salvini, France however offered Spain to welcome part of the 630 migrants who were on board. Paris, said yesterday the government's spokesman Benjamin Griveaux, will examine the dossiers on a ''case-by-case'' basis but for the moment it deems ''impossible'' to determine their number. The Aquarius docked yesterday at the port of Valencia after crossing the Mediterranean. (ANSAmed). A study ordered by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recommends that the state legalize and regulate marijuana for recreational, adult use, the state's top health official announced Monday. That study has not been released to the public yet, but will be "soon," said state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, who revealed the news Monday morning to a small group of reporters in Brooklyn. In the same meeting, he announced the state would also be expanding its medical marijuana program to patients on prescription opioids a move designed to reduce reliance on highly addictive opioids as New York battles rising overdose rates amid a nationwide opioid epidemic. But that news was quickly overshadowed by his announcement about the recreational marijuana study, which was undertaken by the state Health Department on Cuomo's orders in January. The Democratic governor has in recent months shifted his public stance on marijuana, a drug he once lambasted as a "gateway" to other, more dangerous drugs. In January, citing legalization in neighboring states, he said "facts have changed" on marijuana and that, as a result, state policy may have to, as well. The state-led study examined the effect that legalization in neighboring states would have on New York, as well as the impact legalization here might have on public health, safety and the economy. It also looked at how recreational marijuana would be taxed, where it would be grown, how it would be distributed, the age of use, and the potential for drugged driving. "There's a lot of variables there," Zucker said Monday. "We weighed them. We looked at the pros, we looked at the cons. And when we were done we realized that the pros outweigh the cons." Should the governor and lawmakers act favorably on the study's recommendation, New York would be the 10th state to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Nine states, as well as Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational use of the drug, including nearby Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine. New Jersey is also exploring the possibility, and Canada is on the verge of legalization. With just two days left of the 2018 state legislative session, however, it's highly unlikely legalization will occur in New York this year. For starters, the report itself hasn't even been finalized. Zucker said he is still "crossing t's and dotting i's" before he sends a final report to the governor. Asked Monday what its next steps would be, Cuomo's office said only: "We will review the report when we receive it." Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who sponsored a bill with Sen. Liz Krueger to legalize recreational use among adults in New York, told the Times Union that although the Democrat-led Assembly is likely to pass her bill, it's highly unlikely it will make it to the floor in the final jam-packed days of session. "To do an eight to nine hour debate, first in conference then on the floor I'm not counting on that happening," she said. "But if it does I can tell you that I'll be ready." By all appearances, the Republican-led Senate remains firmly against legal, recreational marijuana use, though it does support expanding the state's medical marijuana program as a way to wean people off opioids. "With only two days left in the legislative session our focus is on issues related to affordability, opportunity and security, and working with Senator (George) Amedore and others to utilize medical marijuana as an alternative to heroin and opioids," said Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif, about a bill the Senate passed Monday that would allow the use of medical marijuana for the treatment of substance use disorder or as an alternative to opioids for the treatment of pain. "We will take a look at the (DOH) report whenever it's made available to the public but our focus is on helping the people who really need it," Reif added. Amedore, a Republican, agreed, adding that legalizing marijuana for anything beyond medical use is "a bridge too far." "It's a gateway drug," he said. "We all know that." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Whether it happens this year or not, legalization will undoubtedly come up in this year's governor's race. Actress Cynthia Nixon, a Democratic rival of Cuomo's, campaigned on the issue, saying it presents an opportunity for social justice reform and reinvestment in communities of color that were hard hit by the war on drugs. Stephanie Miner, the former Democratic mayor of Syracuse who joined the race Monday, has also publicly expressed support for marijuana legalization. A campaign spokesperson for Republican candidate Marc Molinaro, meanwhile, released a statement Monday couching Zucker's announcement as political maneuvering by the governor. "Shocking: Andrew Cuomo, who's sprinting to the left because he's terrified of Cynthia Nixon and, now, Stephanie Miner, just had his hand-picked 'Doogie Howser' rubber stamp another decision that has less to do with science and everything to do with politics," said spokeswoman Katy Delgado. "There are serious questions to be answered about marijuana; they should be answered by serious people without a political agenda," she added. David Lombardo contributed. A Templemore manufacturer of tempered glass is to let go of some 15 workers in what is being described as a "devastating blow" to the to mid-Tipperary town. Taylor Made Glass & Systems employ about 80 people, making glass products, windshields, windows and doors for a myriad of markets, including tractors. It's understood 15 jobs will be axed, but local Councillor David Doran sounded a note of optimism by saying that many of the layoffs may be temporary. Cllr Doran, who works nearby in Tipperary Glass, said he knew many of those involved and expressed solidarity for the affected employees. "We are neighbours." Taylor Made specialise in glass for tractors, and boats, in what is a "very specialised market," said Cllr Doran. The company is reliant on international demand for exports of their glass products, and it's understood weak international demand may be behind the decision. "It's a devastating blow to Templemore. But traditionally, Taylor Made have let go of people and taken them back again," said Cllr Doran. Taylor Made Group first acquired the Templemore facility back in 1987. Over 25 years later, the operation "continues to enhance and expand upon those capabilities" states its website. "It's the uncertainty," added Cllr Doran. "As co-workers, and as neighbours, it's devastating. It puts the spotlight on Templemore and Thurles - we need a big injection of employment." Cllr Doran called on the IDA and local TDs to focus their energy now on Templemore. Comedy Capers by the Fionn Mac Cumhaill Players will host two comedy plays in Clonacody House Fethard this June 21 - 23. About the play: Daisy and Gerry meet for the first time when they join a dating agency. While opposites in every way, what will happen when the D4 actor meets the more upbeat Daisy? Alice and Henry Smith married very young and now ten years later find life boring and dreary. Henry finds a way to get away from it all by fantasising about other women and imagining he is many different characters while Alice too has a few dreams of her own. Where will it all end? Don't miss this fantastic show Comedy Capers with Noel Clancy, Holly Jean Williamson, Brian Clancy and Debbie Duggan. For a good laugh come along and enjoy a night of fun in the beautiful Clonacody House Fethard. To book tickets call 086 0834208. Tickets 20, includes refreshments. Comedy Capers comes to the unique concert venue Croc an Oir at the foot of Slievenamon on Sunday 24th. For bookings call 086 8907329. [June 18, 2018] Leviticus Cardio Announces Successful Animal Trial Demonstrating Wireless Power to Jarvik 2000 PETAH TIKVA, Israel, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leviticus Cardio, inventor of wireless technology for certain medical devices, announces the successful animal implantation of the world's first Hybrid Wireless Fully Implanted Ventricular Assisted System or "Hybrid FILVAS." The new cardio device, designed for human patients with chronic heart conditions requiring an implanted heart pump, can be powered wirelessly or with back-up power through a conventional driveline exiting the patient. Leviticus, which has previously announced other successful wireless LVAD animal trials, conducted this trial with the Jarvik 2000. Leviticus invented the versatile transcutaneous Coplanar Energy Transfer ("CET") system, which permits LVADs to be powered wirelessly. Presently, LVADs are powered by a driveline exiting the patient's body. That driveline restricts patient lifestyle and can cause lethal infections. Leviticus's CET technology has been developed to solve that problem. New York based Jarvik Heart is an early LVAD innovator that provides LVADs in key medical markets globally. Jarvik heart pumps are highly regarded for their technical excellence, small size, and unique behind the ear cranial pedestal based drive line, which has been shown toresult in fewer infections. Tel Aviv based Leviticus Cardio, backed by the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA) and venture capital investors in Israel, Europe and the United States, is widely respected as the innovator of wireless power for LVADs, a multi-billion-dollar medical device category that has long relied on powerlines that typically enter the patient's chest or abdomen. Dr. Jiri Maly, MD, Ph.D. from the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM), Prague, Czech Republic conducted the surgical implant in the clinical laboratory of the Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium. Dr Maly commented, "I am honored to be involved with a study using the wireless CET to accelerate the use of full implanted LVAD." Michael Zilbershlag, BSc, MBA, CEO of Leviticus Cardio, said, "This is a very important milestone for us. We are proud to include the Jarvik 2000 among the pumps supported by Leviticus Cardio's wireless CET system and in this particular case, to demonstrate a new hybrid prototype for an implanted VAD to be powered by either wireless or wireline power." About Leviticus Cardio Leviticus Cardio (Leviticus-cardio.com) is a medical device company founded in 2008 dedicated to improving the clinical outcome for patients implanted with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) for impaired cardiac function. Major investors include The Trendlines Group, Israel's foremost seed and early-stage investment group, a consortium of acclaimed cardiovascular physicians, private investors and the IIA. See http://leviticus-cardio.com/ About Jarvik Heart Jarvik Heart, Inc. is a private company that develops miniaturized heart assist devices for the treatment of severe heart failure. The company, formed in 1988, is located in Manhattan, where it conducts development and manufacturing activities. The Jarvik 2000 Ventricular Assist Device has successfully sustained and improved the condition of patients awaiting transplants as well as those who have chosen the device for lifetime use. See www.jarvikheart.com. For information contact Michael Zilbershlag, CEO: Michael@leviticus-cardio.com Carmel Halevy, IR: Carmel.h@leviticus-cardio.com Phone: +972.3.629.2820 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leviticus-cardio-announces-successful-animal-trial-demonstrating-wireless-power-to-jarvik-2000-300667590.html SOURCE Leviticus Cardio [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 17, 2018] INEOS Styrolution's K-Resin Grade Chosen by Tibet Qomolangma for Mineral Water Bottle Cap Packaging Application SHANGHAI, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- K-Resin KR03 selected for excellent clarity, good toughness, processability and design flexibility KR03 selected for excellent clarity, good toughness, processability and design flexibility K-Resin KR03: Compliant with food contact regulations INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, offers a wide range of customized high quality solutions for the packaging industry INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, announces today that its K-Resin KR03 material has been selected by Tibet Qomolangma for the packaging of its Qomolangma Glacier mineral water bottle cap packaging in Tibet, China. Excellent clarity, good toughness, ease of processability and high surface gloss are some of the key properties of KR03, an SBC (styrene-butadiene-copolymer) grade. Tibet Qomolangma Glacier Water Resources Development Co., Ltd., is a mineral water development enterprise in the "12th Five-Year Plan" of the Tibet Autonomous Region, with sole mining rights to exploit drinking water in the Everest region. It prides itself as a green industry enterprise in the Tibetan Plateau and aims to supply high quality glacier water to the world through its Qomolangma Glacie Water. INEOS Styrolution's K-Resin KR03 was selected as the material of choice for Qomolangma Glacier mineral water bottle cap packaging when it was first introduced to the China market. K-Resin KR03 provides excellent clarity, good toughness and processability, which is an ideal solution for the bottle cap application. These key features not only project the high quality aesthetics of the mineral water but also serve as a protection against dust and product counterfeiting. It is also compliant with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union (EU) food contact regulations. "We selected K-Resin KR03 for its clarity and toughness. Also, it is nicely suiting our moulding processes," said Yinguang Lu, General Manager, Material Purchasing Department, Tibet Qomolangma. "We enjoyed a good working relationship with INEOS Styrolution since 2015 and we look forward to extending this partnership with interesting solutions that meet our needs." "We are extremely pleased that Tibet Qomolangma has chosen INEOS Styrolution for their mineral water bottle cap application and we look forward to our continued partnership," says Sven Riechers, Vice President, Specialties Business Management, Asia Pacific, INEOS Styrolution. "INEOS Styrolution's range of crystal-clear thermoplastic SBC, namely K-Resin, Styrolux and Styroflex offer an impressive combination of high transparency, brilliance and impact resistance is suitable for use in applications across various industries including healthcare, packaging and toys." About INEOS Styrolution INEOS Styrolution is the leading, global styrenics supplier with a focus on styrene monomer, polystyrene, ABS Standard and styrenic specialties. With world-class production facilities and more than 85 years of experience, INEOS Styrolution helps its customers succeed by offering the best possible solution, designed to give them a competitive edge in their markets. The company provides styrenic applications for many everyday products across a broad range of industries, including Automotive, Electronics, Household, Construction, Healthcare, Packaging and Toys/ Sports/ Leisure. In 2017, sales were at 5.3 billion euros. INEOS Styrolution employs approximately 3,300 people and operates 16 production sites in nine countries. More information: www.ineos-styrolution.com Contact Hui Boon Kwa Senior Communications Manager, Asia Pacific INEOS Styrolution APAC Pte Ltd. 111 Somerset Road #14-16 to 21 TripleOne Somerset Singapore 238164 Phone: +65 69338373 Email: huiboon.kwa@ineos.com Website: www.ineos-styrolution.com Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20180611/2159377-1 SOURCE INEOS Styrolution [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 18, 2018] BullGuard Research Reveals 72 Percent of the U.K. Fear Theft of Their Personal Data From Company Hacks LONDON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer survey highlights the scale of concern over private data breaches Almost three quarters of the nation fear their personal details will be stolen every time they hand over bank details and email addresses to companies, it has emerged. Two thirds are concerned that their data may have been stolen without their knowledge. The general distrust of organisations and web-based stores emerged in a study of 2,000 adults, which also revealed around one in five have already had their personal data stolen. Almost a third of these victims had been left out of pocket as a result. It also emerged 65 per cent of those who had their data stolen as a result of a company hack worry that their data could still be used maliciously. Commissioned by cybersecurity company, BullGuard, the research found the typical adult believes their personal details are held by 40 businesses on average. Paul Lipman, CEO at BullGuard said: "As the results show, the way companies use data really is a huge concern for customers. "This has particular relevance in the wake of the Dixons Carphone hack in which millions of customer records have been compromised. "And clearly these worries are justified because the number of people who are victims of identity fraud is worryingly high. "While the emphasis should be on companies preventing fraud, realistically we as customers have to be vigilant and careful about whom we give out our data to." Among those polled, the most concerning repercussions of a company being hacked are identity fraud (71 per cent), theft of their credit card details (69 per cent) and stolen bank details (64 per cent). The research also found just under half of respondents have even stoppd or avoided using a particular site or service because they don't trust that company to protect their personal data. One of the reasons for this could be that 48 per cent don't believe businesses do enough to protect their customers' personal data. A further 45 per cent think companies do not consider security to be a priority in the slightest. In fact, most of those polled by BullGuard - an incredible 85 per cent - believe companies put profits before the security of customers. Amid this, almost one fifth do not believe potentially huge fines of up to 20 million imposed by the Information Commissioners Office are significant enough. Of those who have had their personal data compromised, one in five said they had to contact the company to inform them - rather than being informed of the breach. Astonishingly, firms that did make contact after their customers' data was compromised took 11 days on average to finally get in touch. A third didn't feel the company involved was helpful in dealing with the problem when they made contact. And, forty per cent of those said the communication was 'unsympathetic' or 'blunt'. Shockingly around 80 per cent believe companies have been hacked - but have covered it up. The BullGuard research also found five per cent have even had their kids accounts hacked. And a quarter know someone who has had their details stolen or misused. Paul Lipman, CEO at BullGuard added: "The response from companies to data breaches simply is not good enough as far as customers are concerned. "They want to be reassured and want to see quick and decisive action - but this is not the experience of many of those polled. It's really important companies accept their responsibilities in protecting customer data. "Despite the recent introduction of GDPR in which customer data is supposed to be securely locked down by law, people are still clearly concerned about their personal data being stolen and compromised." About BullGuard BullGuard is a market leader in consumer cybersecurity. We make it simple to protect everything in your digital life - from your data, to your identity and your smart home. The BullGuard product portfolio extends to PCs, tablets and smartphone protection, and includes internet security, comprehensive mobile security, 24/7 identity protection and social media protection. BullGuard released the world's first IoT vulnerability scanner and leads the consumer cybersecurity industry in providing continuous innovation. Dojo by BullGuard is an award-winning intelligent cyber defense system and service that provides the highest level of protection to consumers across all of their connected devices and smart homes. Dojo is the cornerstone of a smart home, ensuring a connected world where every consumer in every home, is smart, safe and protected. Privately held, BullGuard is based in Bucharest, London, Silicon Valley and Herzliya, Israel. Follow us on Twitter @BullGuard and @DojoSafe, like us on Facebook at BullGuard and Dojo or learn more at https://www.bullguard.com. SOURCE BullGuard [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 18, 2018] Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning Releases Season Two Report on Community Outreach Computer Program Highlighting Program's Strengths WOODINVILLE, Wash., June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning, a Redmond-based educational organization that works to provide kids worldwide with access to free educational activities powered by state-of-the-art eLearning technologies, this week released their Community Outreach Computer Program Season Two Report, covering May 14th to May 25th, 2018. Digital inequality is a pressing concern for entire regions around the globe. Access to the quality education is an integral part of life and basic human right. It affects human prosperity, education, social development, job opportunities, and commerce. One out of every four primary school aged children in Africa (over 30 million children) are no longer enrolled in school. Africa has the world's lowest secondary school enrollment rates, with only 28% of children enrolling in secondary school. As a result, over 90 million teenagers struggle to find employment. The employment these teenagers do find tends to be in a low-paid, informal sector jobs, which perpetuates poverty and a lack of education. On a mission to bring education to unreachable communities around the world today, the program presently utilizes the Shammah High School campus to provide computer training to the people of Kasana Luwero and surrounding areas. At the same time, the team behind Distance Teaching works to develop a reusable model and Artificial Intelligence based software system that can be scaled in every community, in every country. "As our world grows increasngly digital, it's hard to deny the fact that basic computer literacy is a foundational step towards educating a population and increasing access to higher skilled work," said Victor Katarangi, Community Outreach Computer Program Coordinator from Uganda. "With our proprietary program, we're demonstrating how accessible education can be if channeled through eLearning methods. Out-of-school local village children can finally enjoy a fair access to learning." The 10-day program employed four facilitators, attracting more than 250 students from surrounding communities as well as adults and parents. The report showed that the number of interested students was higher than those (142 students) of the previous program administered in January. To date, the syllabus covers all the relevant Microsoft Packages for the age groups, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Publisher. Facilitators were on standby for one-on-one sessions with students that were struggling to grasp the subject material. Taught for 8-days, the final 2-days were used to test what was learned and close out the program. "There is nothing more rewarding than watching students, who are so grateful for the opportunity to learn, walk away smiling and impacted by their newfound and critically important knowledge," said Katarangi. "Students left with open minds, and many adults, too, approached us about holding similar programs for their education as well. We look forward to designing future programs and increasing our enrollment every subsequent time." Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning will continue to reach marginalized groups of students and parents with technological tools to make an educational difference today. Based on the results of tests, a group of students was selected by the school to be considered for the educational grant from Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning. The grant will cover full year of educational cost and to allow grantee to attend the school. Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning (DTML) is a non-profit organization committed to student success by offering eLearning completely free of charge and free of annoying ads. Thousands of parents and teachers have already discovered DTML's incredible online games, designed to help students of all ages and abilities learn and grow. For more information, visit: our donors page to learn more about how you can help support DTML programs today . Contact: Nestor Jerez 425-948-0343 197279@email4pr.com View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/distance-teaching-and-mobile-learning-releases-season-two-report-on-community-outreach-computer-program-highlighting-programs-strengths-300667649.html SOURCE Distance Teaching and Mobile Learning (DTML) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 18, 2018] Agosto Inc. Named to CRN's 2018 Solution Provider 500 List MINNEAPOLIS, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Agosto Inc., a cloud services and development company and tier 1 Google Cloud Premier Partner, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named the company to its 2018 Solution Provider 500 list. The Solution Provider 500 is CRNs annual ranking of the largest technology integrators, solution providers and IT consultants in North America by revenue. Agosto also made the list in 2017. Agosto Inc. is on the CRN Solution Provider 500, CRNs predominant channel partner award list, serving as the industry standard for recognition of the most successful solution provider companies in the channel since 1995. The Solution Provider 500 is CRNs predominant channel partner award list, serving as the industry standard for recognition of the most successful solution provider companies in the channel since 1995. The complete list is published on CRN.com, making it readily available to vendors seeking out top solution providers to prtner with. Agosto continues to have good momentum, with strong year-over-year growth, said Agosto President Aric Bandy. Were gratified to be recognized by CRN again in 2018, and proud to be named alongside our accomplished peers. CRNs Solution Provider 500 list spotlights the North American IT channel partner organizations that have earned the highest revenue over the past year, providing a valuable resource to vendors looking for top solution providers to partner with, said Bob Skelley, CEO of The Channel Company. The companies on this years list represent an incredible, combined revenue of $320 billion, a sum that attests to their success in staying ahead of rapidly changing market demands. We extend our sincerest congratulations to each of these top-performing solution providers and look forward to their future pursuits and successes. The complete 2018 Solution Provider 500 list is available online at www.crn.com/sp500 and a sample from the list will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine. About Agosto Founded in 2001, Agosto is a cloud services company that helps organizations leverage Google Cloud products in the private and public sectors, providing technical solutions, change management and training, custom development, migration and deployment from legacy systems, ongoing admin support, and product development. Agosto is one of the largest Cloud Platform Partners globally, and was named Google Global Partner of the Year for Cloud in 2013. The company has been included in the Inc. 500 | 5000 four times. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., and with offices in Toronto, Ontario, Agostos clients include 1-800-Got-Junk?, the State of Wyoming, Unilog, Groupon, Jaguar Land Rover, and the Library of Congress, among others. For more information visit www.agosto.com. Follow Agosto: Twitter | Blog | LinkedIn. About the Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com. Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook Any forward looking statements are based on certain assumptions and assessments made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Media Contact Elisabeth Grant Branch Out Public Relations egrant@branchoutpr.com 612-599-7797 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0f14e5ae-bb30-4155-85d3-256a65721a87 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 18, 2018] DFLabs to Present Session on State of Security Orchestration, Automation and Response at NXTAsia 2018 Conference DFLabs, the pioneer in Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR), today announced that Vice President of Engineering Andrea Fumagalli will present a session at NXTAsia 2018 on advances in security operations and incident response. The company is also exhibiting at the conference in booth #5H2-08. WHO: Andrea Fumagalli, Vice President of Engineering at DFLabs, has over 20 years of experience in information security and incident response. He has served on the faculty at the University of Milan, teaching courses in IT Systems and Network Security and Cyber Security Incident Management. Previously, Andrea served as head of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Engineering for managed services provider InterVision and Technology Executive for The Nielsen Company. He began his career in IT systems analysis and consulting for Deutsche Bank and Accenture (News - Alert) . WHAT: In February, analyst firm Gartner (News - Alert) released a seminal report on Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) that highlights the importance of having a well-grounded strategy for managing the increasing complexity of IT and emerging cyber threats. Andrea will use real-world cases to illustrate how SOAR, when enhanced with machine learning, frees Security Operations Center (SOC) and Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) personnel from routine, manual tasks so they can more effectively investigate and respond to cyber threats and protect mission-critical systems. WHEN: Thursday, June 28, 2018 at 3:15 PM SGT WHERE: NXTAsia 2018, NXTAsia Theatre, Level 5, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore HOW: To schedule an in-person meeting at the conference or a phone conversation with Andrea Fumagalli, contact Marc Gendron at marc@mgpr.net or +1 781.237.0341. For more information, visit: https://www.nxtasiaexpo.com/the-exhibition/activities-partner-events/nxtasia-theatre/ About NXTAsia 2018 The newest addition to the ConnecTechAsia family is NXTAsia. Launched as Asia's definitive showcase for specialized solutions that can help enterprises in their digital transformation journey, NXTAsia will spotlight emerging technologies and enterprise solutions, including AR/VR, Big Data, Cloud, Cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. NXTAsia, together with BroadcastAsia and CommunicAsia, form ConnecTechAsia - a mega event is the region's answer to the converging worlds of Telecommunications, Broadcasting and Emerging Technologies. Follow on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. About DFLabs DFLabs is a recognized global leader in security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) technology. The company's management team has helped shape the cyber security industry, which includes co-editing several industry standards such as ISO 27043 and ISO 30121. Its flagship product, IncMan, has been adopted by Fortune 500 and Global 2000 organizations worldwide. DFLabs has operations in Europe, North America, and EMEA. For more information, visit www.dflabs.com or connect with us on Twitter (News - Alert) @DFLabs. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180618005140/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 18, 2018] The perimeter intrusion detection systems market is estimated to be USD 10.73 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 21.75 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 15.2% LONDON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Increasing installations of video surveillance for security systems is one of the most significant factors projected to drive the growth of the perimeter intrusion detection systems market. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4801482 The perimeter intrusion detection systems market is estimated to be USD 10.73 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 21.75 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 15.2% during the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to the increasing installations of video surveillance for security systems and rising demand for remote access through the cloud and wireless technology in security systems. However, False Alarm Rates (FAR) have become a concern for the perimeter security industry and thus, acts as a key factor restraining the growth of the perimeter intrusion detection systems market. Based on component, the solutions segment is estimated to lead the perimeter intrusion detection systems market in 2018. Based on component, the solutions segment is estimated to lead the perimeter intrusion detection systems market in 2018. The growth of this segment can be attributed to the rise in demand for integration of visual alarm verification in video surveillance systems and video analytics. Based on deployment type, the open area segment is estimated to lead the perimeter intrusion detection systems market in 2018. Based on deployment type, the open area segment is expected to lead the perimeter intrusion detection systems market in 2018. Increased terrorist activities and rise in demand for perimeter intrusion detection systems from the transportation sector facilitates the deployment of security solutions in open areas, such as airports and railways. The perimeter intrusion detection systems market in the Middle East & Africa is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Based on region, the perimeter intrusion detection systems market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), the Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Latin America.This growth can be attributed to the increased terrorist activities and the rise in government funding. The Middle Eastern & African region has witnessed a massive amount of infrastrucural development over the past few years, which has contributed to the increased need for security solutions. These solutions secure tangible and intangible assets from security threats and risks that might hamper operational functionality of the company. This study has been validated through primaries conducted with various industry experts, globally. By Company Type: Tier: 17%, Tier: 33%, and Tier: 50% By Designation: C Level: 35%, D Level: 60%, and Others: 5% By Region: North America : 39%, Europe : 29%, Asia Pacific : 14%, Middle East & Africa : 11%, and Latin America : 7% Key vendors profiled in the report: 1. Honeywell International (US) 2. FLIR Systems (US) 3. Johnson Controls (US) 4. Anixter (US) 5. Axis Communications ( Sweden ) 6. Schneider Electric ( France ) 7. Senstar Corporation ( Canada ) 8. RBtec Perimeter Security Systems (US) 9. Southwest Microwave. (US) 10. Advanced Perimeter Systems (UK) 11. Fiber SenSys (US) 12. CIAS Elettronica ( Italy ) 13. UTC Climate, Controls & Security (US) 14. Future Fibre Technologies ( Australia ) 15. SORHEA ( France ) 16. DeTekion Security Systems (US) 17. Jacksons Fencing (UK) 18. Harper Chalice Group (UK) 19. SightLogix (US) 20. PureTech Systems (US) 21. D-Fence ( Israel ) 22. Heras ( Netherlands ) 23. Aventura Technologies (US) 24. Godrej Security Solutions ( India ) 25. Detection Technologies (UK) Research Coverage The perimeter intrusion detection systems market has been segmented on the basis of component, deployment type, organization size, vertical, and region.Based on component, the market has been segmented into solutions & services. The solutions segment has been further classified into sensors and video surveillance systems, whereas, the services segment has been further classified into professional services and managed services.Based on deployment type, the market has been segmented into open area, fence mounted, and buried. Based on organization size, the market has been segmented into large enterprises and Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).The vertical segment covers critical infrastructure, military & defense, government, transportation, industrial, correctional facilities, commercial, and others (educational facilities, townships, and residential apartments). Key regions covered in this report include North America , Europe , Asia Pacific , the Middle East & Africa , and Latin America . Key Benefits of Buying the Report: The report will help market leaders and new entrants in the perimeter intrusion detection systems market in the following ways: The report will help market leaders/new entrants by providing them the closest approximations of revenues of the perimeter intrusion detection systems market and its subsegments.It will also help stakeholders better understand the competitor landscape, gain more insights to position their businesses, and implement suitable go-to-market strategies. The report will assist stakeholders to understand the pulse of the market and provide information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4801482 About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: sarah@reportbuyer.com Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904 Website: www.reportbuyer.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-perimeter-intrusion-detection-systems-market-is-estimated-to-be-usd-10-73-billion-in-2018-and-is-projected-to-reach-usd-21-75-billion-by-2023--at-a-cagr-of-15-2-300667681.html SOURCE ReportBuyer [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 18, 2018] EventTracker and Continuum Team Up to Empower MSPs with Cybersecurity Solution COLUMBIA, Md., June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EventTracker, a Netsurion company and leader in security information and event management (SIEM), today announced a strategic partnership with Continuum, the exclusive provider of the only service-enabled technology platform that enables MSPs to scale rapidly and profitably, to provide Managed IT Service Providers a complete set of managed security services to meet the advanced threat protection and compliance needs of their end-clients in the small-to-medium business sector. According to the 2017 Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report, 61% of breaches targeted SMBs, up from the previous years 53%.1 These cyberattacks cost small businesses anywhere between $84,000 and $148,000.2 Within six months of such an attack, 60% of small businesses go out of business.3 It has become apparent that in addition to traditional perimeter-focused defenses such as firewalls and signature-based endpoint protection like anti-virus, advanced threat detection and response is needed to protect against modern cyber threats. Delivered as Detect & Respond Network & Compliance under the Continuum Security product line, Continuum is making it practical and profitable for MSPs to deliver advanced threat protection and compliance management. The new offering is a cost-effective, hosted implementation of the EventTracker SIEM tailored specifically to the business needs of SMBs and the multi-tenant management needs of MSPs and integrated with Continuums 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC) staffed by dedicated expert security analysts. Were very excited about our partnership with Continuum and the momentous impact this has on the cybersecurity industry. Weve long understood that our SIEM technology, SOC service and process is a must-have to effectively protect SMBs from todays threats, says Guy Cunningham, EventTracker vice president of Alliances. This partnership brings the power of our EventTracker SIEM platform to the capable hands of managed service providers world-wide. The EventTracker platform, recognized 10-consecutive years on the Gartner Magic Quadrant for SIEM, enables threat hunting and simplifies compliance auditing. In addtion to more powerful endpoint threat detection, it improves productivity instantly with a modern interface that is intuitive and customizable; enhances common workflows with more efficient storage and search technology; and expands its capability to scale to the very large and diverse data sets needed for todays enterprise IT infrastructures. Tweet This: EventTracker and Continuum team up to empower #MSP businesses with advanced #cybersecurity and compliance capabilities http://bit.ly/2LPkDv2 DattoCon 18: EventTracker personnel will be onsite in Austin at DattoCon with Continuum to showcase the new SIEM-based offering for MSPs. Resources SIEMphonic Enterprise SIEMphonic Essentials SC Magazine Product Group Tests Gartner Magic Quadrant for SIEM About EventTracker EventTracker, a Netsurion company, empowers organizations to successfully predict, prevent, detect and respond to cybersecurity threats. The EventTracker SIEM platform unifies machine learning, behavior analytics and security orchestration, and has been recognized for 10 straight years by Gartner on the Magic Quadrant for SIEM. EventTracker offers a suite of SIEM solutions built for any size company or budget. More and more organizations are seeking SIEM-as-a-Service to realize optimal security results. SIEMphonic builds on the EventTracker platform by delivering a Co-Managed SIEM service complete with 24/7 global Security Operations Center (SOC), powered by threat intelligence. www.netsurion.com/eventtracker Twitter: @EventTrackerSec ? CONTACT: Deb Montner, Montner Tech PR (203) 226-9290 dmontner@montner.com About Continuum Continuum empowers managed IT service providers, giving them the technology platform, services and processes they need to simplify IT management and deliver exceptional service to their small and medium-sized clients. Continuums vertically integrated service delivery model combines an unmatched SaaS-based technology suite with a world-class NOC, SOC and Help Desk, allowing them to not only remotely monitor, manage, secure and backup their clients IT environments from a single pane of glass, but scale rapidly and profitably. Continuum employs more than 1,400 professionals worldwide and monitors more than 1 million endpoints for its 5,800 partners, including IT service providers servicing more than 65,000 SMB customers and web hosting providers protecting more than 250,000 servers with Continuums BDR product line. For more information, visit www.continuum.net and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @FollowContinuum. For media enquiries regarding Continuum, please contact Alex Jafarzadeh March Communications +1-617-960-9900 continuum@marchcomms.com Sources 1 Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report 2 The Guardian 3 Internet Privacy in the Digital Age, Champlain College [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 18, 2018] QPAGOS Selects Crane's Cash Management Solutions for its US Kiosk Project MEXICO CITY, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QPAGOS (QPAG: OTCQB), a leader in self-service electronic payment solutions, today announces that it has selected Crane Payment Innovations (CPI), the world-wide leader in providing cash payment solutions and a Crane Co. company, to integrate CPIs cash management technology into QPAGOS kiosks to be deployed in its recently announced joint venture Innovative e-Payment Solutions, LLC. Through this partnership, CPI becomes the technology of choice for QPAGOS initial 1,000 kiosks planned to be installed in California. CPIs CashCode one is a universal banknote validator offered in a singular universal design regardless of the country, currency, mounting or protocol helping reduce logistic and inventory costs. This unit includes value-added product configurations and extensions such as sleep mode, a bulk note loader option and a 3,000-note cashbox, which is optimum for bill breaking machines. "We have been working with Crane in Mexico for the last 4 years and selecting Crane for this critical component of our solution as we plan to expand our footprint into the United States should assure the highest level of reliability in our kiosks," said Gaston Pereira, President and CEO of QPAGOS. "Our experience with Cranes excellent customer acceptance rate, security against counterfeits, field-proven reliability, and built-in unique service support features give us great confidence in this selection." We are very excited in partnering with QPAGOS in this important milestone as they seek to expand into the U.S., added Boris Guitline, CPI Director of Financial Services Americas. We have been very impressed at QPAGOS evolution in the Mexican market, for which we have been their exclusive supplier of similar solutions and look forward to being the vendor of choice for their US expansion. ABOUT CRANE PAYMENT INNOVATIONS: CPI provides a full range of unattended payment solutions for Gamng, Retail, Transportation, Vending, and Financial Services applications. CPI is built upon the technological heritage and market expertise of the NRI, CashCode, Telequip, Money Controls and, most recently, MEI and Conlux brands. CPI works in partnership with valued customers to enhance its portfolio of high-quality payment solutions from coin and bill processing to cashless systems and asset management software. CPI is headquartered in Malvern, PA with additional offices, manufacturing facilities, distribution and service centers worldwide. The company holds one of the worlds largest installed bases of unattended payment systems. For more information, visit www.CranePI.com. ABOUT QPAGOS United States based QPAGOS offers cutting edge digital payment services for consumers and service providers in Mexico where 60% of the adult population does not have a bank account and where 95% of consumer purchase are made in cash. It operates a network of self-service kiosks and applications offering alternative payment more convenient for consumers and a more efficient billing platform for service providers. (www.qpagos.com ) SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statement of historical fact contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some case, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "can," "continue," "could," "estimate, "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," or "will" or the or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology and include statements regarding our plans to install an initial 1,000 kiosks in California and our expectation that selecting CRANE should assure the highest level of reliability in our kiosks. These forward-looking statements are based on expectations and assumptions as of the date of the press release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations and assumptions from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectation include, among others, our ability to close our recently announced joint venture with DPW Holdings, Inc. and expand our footprint into the United States, our ability to assure the highest level of reliability in our kiosks and the other risks outlined under "Risk Factors" in QPAGOS' Current Report on Form 8-K dated May 13, 2016 and its other filings with the SEC, including subsequent periodic reports on Forms 10-Q, 10-K and 8-K. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and QPAGOs does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. For investor inquiries: (888) 238-1466 (+1-881-238-1466 for international callers) investors@qpagos.com For business inquiries: (844) 470-5531 info@qpagos.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 18, 2018] HTK Powers New, Highly Personalised Loyalty Program for Texaco IPSWICH, England, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Retention marketing software provider HTK has announced a new contract with Valero - one of the world's largest independent petroleum refiners, and managers of the Texaco brand in the UK - to accelerate their existing Texaco Star Rewards program. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/707194/HTK_Logo.jpg ) The program is currently offered at around 800 sites in the UK, providing points in exchange for litres of fuel purchased, which can be redeemed for gift vouchers from a range of popular retailers. From Q3 2018, Star Rewards will be powered by HTK's Horizon Retention Hub, a cloud platform for personlised, insight-driven loyalty marketing. The Horizon platform will provide Texaco with relevant insights into their customer base, in the moment, allowing them to rapidly innovate and adapt the loyalty program in response. Marlon Bowser, CEO of HTK, commented: "The loyalty landscape is changing and that means that generic, transactional programs are no longer as effective. Brands must shift to programs which create emotional loyalty and deeper, more valuable customer relationships. We're thrilled to be working with a globally-recognised brand like Texaco, to deliver highly personalised experiences to their members." About HTK HTK is a UK-based software-as-a-service vendor, providing highly personalised loyalty solutions to clients across industry verticals, in both Europe and North America, through their Horizon Retention Hub. Horizon delivers deep customer insight, advanced personalization and unbeatable flexibility. This helps marketers understand, nurture and reward their best customers to grow profitable, emotional loyalty. More information can be found on HTK's website: http://www.htk.co.uk Contacts: Jade McFarland, jade.mcfarland@htk.co.uk, 0870 600 2311 [June 18, 2018] Route1 Announces Investment by Bench Walk Advisors in its Lawsuit Against AirWatch for Patent Infringement TORONTO, June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Route1 Inc. (OTCQB:ROIUF) (TSX-V:ROI) (the Company or Route1), a leading technology solutions innovator dedicated to delivering secure data protection technologies and mobility solutions for government and the enterprise sector, today announced that an affiliate of Bench Walk Advisors LLC (Bench Walk) has made a US $1,000,000 non-recourse investment directly into Route1s lawsuit against AirWatch LLC (AirWatch) alleging that AirWatch is infringing Route1s U.S. Patent No 7,814,216 (the 216 Patent). Key terms of Bench Walks investment are as follows: The US$ 1,000,000 investment will be paid by Bench Walk to Route1 as follows: (a) US $152,510 to be paid within 10 business days after signing, representing 40% of the patent litigation expenses incurred to date; and (b) thereafter 40% of the amount of each invoice paid by Route1 in connection with legal costs and out of pocket expenses incurred in bringing the lawsuit. Bench Walk is entitled to a share of any proceeds awarded to Route1 from the lawsuit equal to: (a) the sum of all investments advanced by Bench Walk; plus (b) the greater of (i) US $2,000,000 (US $3,000,000 if the lawsuit proceeds to trial); and (ii) 10% of the award from the lawsuit. Provided that Route1 is not in breach of any of its obligations under the agreement, Bench Walk will have no recourse to any other assets of Route1. If Route1 pursues any follow-on lawsuit and does not seek to sell a portion or to engage in a transaction having substantially similar economic effect, then Route1 shall pay to Bench Walk 5% of the gross proceeds awarded to Route1 from that follow-on lawsuit (subject to a maximum aggregate payment to Bench Walk under this provision of US $1,500,000). We are very pleased to have a third party invest alongside us in our patent infringement lawsuit against AirWatch. We have strongly believed since the start of the action that our 216 patent is valid, AirWatch has infringed on it and that the damages are material, said Tony Busseri, CEO of Route1 Inc. We were approached by multiple parties after the March 2018 PTAB denial of AirWatchs IPR motion and we ultimately selected Bench Walk. Their track record of working with companies like Route1 and realizing positive patent infringement outcomes marries up well with our IP realization strategy. Busseri continued, The next milestone in the litigation process is the Markman hearng to be held on July 2, 2018 after which the court will determine the way in which the claims in the 216 patent will be interpreted by a jury at trial. The Lawsuit Route1 filed a lawsuit against AirWatch in federal court in Delaware on March 27, 2017, alleging that AirWatch is infringing Route1s U.S. Patent No 7,814,216 (the 216 Patent). The civil action number is 1:17-cv-00331-RGA and was assigned to the Honorable Richard G. Andrews. On September 22, 2017, AirWatch filed an IPR petition with the Patent and Trial Appeal Board (PTAB) seeking a determination that the claims of the 216 Patent are invalid. Route1 filed its preliminary response to the IPR petition on December 22, 2017. The PTAB issued its decision on March 20, 2018 determining that AirWatch had not demonstrated a reasonable likelihood that it would prevail in establishing that any claims of the 216 patent are invalid and, accordingly, denied the IPR petition. A calendar of events related to the lawsuit can be found at: www.route1.com/investors/patent-litigation/. The information provided approximates how the process for the patent lawsuit has unfolded and may continue to unfold. About Route1 Inc. Route1 Inc. is a leading technology solutions innovator dedicated to enabling mobility for government and focused enterprise vertical markets by delivering secure data protection technologies and mobility solutions. The Companys suite of patented enterprise security solutions, which includes MobiKEY, ActionPLAN, Powered by MobiNET, MobiENCRYPT and DerivID, delivers best-in-class authentication, data security, data analytics and secure remote access, running on a proven, trusted infrastructure, which meets or exceeds the highest security standards for government and industry. Route1 has earned a Full Authority to Operate from the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of the Navy, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and other government agencies. The Company is proud to be a trusted solutions partner in the banking, healthcare, legal, education, public sector, manufacturing, logistics, field service and warehousing industries. Through Route1s wholly owned subsidiary, Group Mobile Intl, LLC, the Company is a trendsetter in the enterprise technology space by providing expertise in building mobility solutions and deploying complete offerings into vertical markets through specialized hardware, software and our expanding services capabilities. Route1 is a pioneer in IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) through the delivery of our ActionPLAN, Powered by MobiNET technology, which not only captures data from electrical inputs including sensor data but takes it to the next level by interpreting, analyzing, transforming the data to deliver strategic business intelligence. The diverse but complimentary technologies our Company provides, along with the level of experience and expertise of our team, uniquely positions us as the pre-emptive leader in secure and complete mobile technology solutions. Route1 remains focused and dedicated to serving the needs of our business partners; to positively influence their profitability, contribute to their longevity and share in their success. With offices and staff in Washington, D.C., Boca Raton, FL, Phoenix AZ, Chattanooga TN and Toronto, Canada, Route1 provides leading-edge solutions to public and private sector clients around the world. Route1 is listed on the OTCQB in the United States under the symbol ROIUF and in Canada on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ROI. For more information, visit: www.route1.com . For More Information Contact: Tony Busseri CEO, Route1 Inc. +1 416 814-2635 tony.busseri@route1.com This news release, required by applicable Canadian laws, does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. 2018 Route1 Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted or otherwise used in whole or in part or by any means without prior written consent of Route1 Inc. See https://www.route1.com/terms-of-use/ for notice of Route1s intellectual property. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 18, 2018] Brooklyn Students to Link Up with NASA Astronauts on Space Station WASHINGTON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Students from Brooklyn, New York, will have the opportunity to talk with astronauts on the International Space Station this week as part of NASA's Year of Education on Station. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. NASA Expedition 56 astronauts Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel will connect with the Brooklyn students at 9:25 a.m. EDT Thursday, June 21. They'll answer questions about life aboard the space station, NASA's deep space exploraton plans and conducting science in space. The Dag Hammarskjold School, or Public School 254, serves nearly 800 students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Media interested in attending should contact Miranda Barbot at mbarbot2@schools.nyc.gov or 212-374-5141. The event will take place at PS 254, The Dag Hammarskjold School, 1801 Ave. Y, Brooklyn. Linking teachers directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). These in-flight education downlinks are an integral component of NASA's Year of Education on Station, which provides extensive space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators. Astronauts living in space on the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA's Mission Control Center on Earth 24 hours a day through the Space Network's Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS). In addition to the student event, all six space station crew members will gather to recognize the 50th anniversary of the U.N. Conference on Exploration and the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, June 20. The astronauts will connect with participants at an anniversary event on Earth in Vienna, Austria. The interactive portion of the event will air live on NASA TV and the agency's website. Follow the astronauts on social media at: https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts/ See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at: https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation/ View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brooklyn-students-to-link-up-with-nasa-astronauts-on-space-station-300667875.html SOURCE NASA [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 18, 2018] Insight Schools of California to Celebrate Class of 2018 More than 300 high school students will celebrate their graduation from the online public charter schools Insight Schools of California this week. ISCA helps high school students who struggled to find success in a traditional brick-and-mortar school setting get back on track. Due to the large graduating class, ISCA will hold four in-person commencement ceremonies, with two in Brea on June 19, one in Riverside on June 20, and one in Tracy on June 21. ISCA serves students in grades 9-12 who reside in many counties in California, including Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Orange (News - Alert) , Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Tulare and Ventura. The experienced California-credentialed teachers and professional school counselors at ISCA assess where students are academically deficient, then work closely with them and their parents to create individualized learning plans that map to each student's unique academic needs, personal interests and college and career goals. "The Class of 2018 is proof that education is not one-size-fits-all," said Kimberly Odom, head of schools at Insight Schools of California. "Our graduates have shown amazing perseverance in reaching this goal, and I am so proud that we were able to play a role in their lives to help them achieve this milestone." Student speakers Stephanie Jimenez and Rebekah Lehrman will address their classmates at the morning ceremony in Brea on June 19, while Raylene Trujillo and Emily Carillo wil deliver remarks in the afternoon. On June 20, Aaron Fuentes and Naomi Gutierrez will speak in Riverside, and finally, Michelle Cruz and Nia Ruth will address their fellow graduates on June 21 in Tracy. All of these students have overcome obstacles to reach graduation. Jimenez suffered an injury in a car accident which prevented her from taking stairs in her brick-and-mortar school. After enrolling at ISCA, she discovered that she learned better in the distraction-free environment of her online classroom. Gutierrez and Lehrman are both graduating early as juniors. Gutierrez intends to enter the U.S. Marine Corps, where she hopes to follow in her father's footsteps to become a military police officer. In addition, Richard Matulia, CEO of HighMark Digital and board member for Burning Bush Moments, will serve as the keynote speaker in Tracy. Students choose online school for a variety of reasons, including a safe learning environment, advanced learning options and the ability to support extracurricular pursuits or medical needs. Media is welcome to attend the commencement ceremonies. Details are as follows: Insight Schools of California Graduation Ceremonies in Brea Tuesday, June 19, 2018 - 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Brea Community Center 695 E. Madison Way Brea, CA (News - Alert) 92821 Insight Schools of California Graduation Ceremony in Riverside Wednesday, June 20, 2018 - 11:30 a.m. Cesar Chavez Community Center 2060 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92507 Insight Schools of California Graduation Ceremony in Tracy Thursday, June 21, 2018 - 11 a.m. Teranishi Event Center 31400 S. Koster Road Tracy, CA 95304 About Insight Schools of California Insight Schools of California (ISCA) are full-time online public charter schools for students in grades 9-12 who are behind in their education or need additional support to graduate from high school. The schools are available for students in Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Tulare and Ventura counties. ISCA uses the curriculum provided by K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), the nation's leading provider of K-12 proprietary curriculum and online education programs. Families do not pay tuition for a student to attend an online public school. Common household items and office supplies like printer ink and paper are not provided. Our enrollment consultants can help address your technological and computer questions and needs. Learn more at http://ca.insightschools.net. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180618005975/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 18, 2018] Paul Simon Says Farewell with a Gift for Oregon's Kids Friends of Outdoor School is thrilled to announce a major contribution from legendary performer and philanthropist, Paul Simon. After playing his last concert in Portland, Paul Simon left behind a lasting legacy for the kids of Oregon with his donation to the local nonprofit, Friends of Outdoor School. "As I'm embarking on my Farewell Tour and playing in these cities for what will be the last time, I felt strongly that I'd like to be able to, in a sense, say thank you to the people and communities who have supported me and my music for all these years," said Paul Simon. "The conclusion I came to was that I could define one, or a couple, organizations doing work on the ground in each place I visit on tour, and offer some financial gift that will hopefully have some lasting impact. In each town and city, there are so many organizations doing great work, including the invaluable work you do. Keep it up!" Kim Silva, Friends of Outdoor School's Executive Director, was thrilled by the news. "When he played his last tour date here in Portland, Paul Simon didn't just leave memories for his concert-going fans-he left behind a gift for the thousands of cildren who are served by our organization each year. We are grateful for his generous support and vote of confidence in our work." Friends of Outdoor School, one of two Oregon organizations receiving such a gift, will immediately put the funds to use gathering resources and engaging networks for Oregon's Outdoor School. Outdoor School unites Oregonians with a shared experience and connects kids to their land and heritage through residential, outdoor education. Special thanks to The Nature Conservancy of Oregon for its steadfast support of Outdoor School in Oregon, and for facilitating this generous and exciting gift. Photo available upon request, or download here. About Friends of Outdoor School: Since 1957, Outdoor School has engaged Oregon students in hands-on, field-based science. Friends of Outdoor School is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing student access to the Oregon Outdoor School programs that contribute to educational development, inspire youth, and promote personal growth. Friends of Outdoor School envisions a time when every Oregon student may attend a week of Outdoor School, and accomplishes its mission through advocacy, fundraising, and community engagement. The organization is the key connection between Outdoor School and the larger community of individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies that support Outdoor School programming. friendsofoutdoorschool.org View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180618006215/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] How would you feel knowing that every time you took your car out, the government knew where youre headed to? Would it feel like an invasion of privacy? Well, the Chinese government thinks otherwise. The government is developing a program that will make it possible to track citizens cars using Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) chips. The main motive behind this is to study and improve the traffic congestion on roads, which in turn will help reduce pollution. We hope its limited to just that! Certain Measures Need To Be Taken According to the Wall Street Journal, this program will be voluntary at first, but mandatory for new vehicles starting in 2019. The program is being put in place by Chinas Ministry of Public Security, and the ministrys Traffic Management Research Institute. RFID chips will be installed on the windshields of new cars, and the receiving devices on the side of the roads will help to study the traffic congestion. This will enable the government to work around it, and in turn help reduce air pollution - which is a major concern for Chinas president, XI Jinping. On one hand, the government says that, unlike the GPS, this system wouldnt be able to track the location of a car at any given point. On the other hand, they say this system will help reduce the risk of vehicular terrorist attacks. So, apart from storing the license plate number and color of the car, were not sure how much information they plan to collect. The Senior Vice President at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, James Andrew Lewis, thinks that the RFID system will become another one of these tools that the government uses to monitor citizens. The Chinese government has gone all out to create a real surveillance state. [Theres] social credit, and facial recognition, and internet and telecom monitoring, he tells The Verge. Its part of this larger effort to create total information awareness in China for the government. Not The First Of Its Kind The Chinese Government already recognizes and tracks license plates with security cameras in some regions. In countries like India, Dubai, and South Africa, RFID chips are used for paying tolls, parking, etc,. So, the use of RFID chips is not something uncommon; however its never been implemented in this fashion. On a different note, China has been pretty strict with policies that concern the citizens in other scenarios as well. Facial recognition is common over there, whether its being done by smart glasses or mounted cameras. The government has been rolling out a social credit system, where citizens are rated by their finances, criminal behavior, and other factors. This is just another step for this kind of overarching control. [Any] positive benefits are outweighed by the intrusiveness of the whole thing says Lewis. Our Take China sells tens of millions of cars every year, and this is a really good initiative by the government; only if they manage to do this without intruding any individuals privacy. Given their history where theyve had conflicts with the citizens over such systems, it is a little hard to believe that the data collected will only be used to "improve the congestion." The Chinese government has been a penchant for surveillance and monitoring the citizens. Hence, there are security concerns. Nevertheless, if they successfully implement this, other countries could follow suit as well, as this is a global problem that every country will face, sooner or later. Further reading Read more technology news. Ford and professional drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. are joining forces to create a one-off Ford Mustang that will be auctioned off at the Experimental Aircraft Associations AirVenture Gathering of Eagles event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on July 26. The new creation, called the Eagle Squadron Mustang GT, will make its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 12 where it will be driven by Gittin Jr. One-off Mustang follows a long line of creations that have been auctioned off for charity The inspiration behind the one-off Mustang are the fighter pilots who served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War,specifically the P-51 Mustangs Its been 11 years since Ford started building custom one-off Mustangs for the Experimental Aircraft Associations annual AirVenture Gathering of Eagles. This year, the inspiration behind the one-off Mustang are the fighter pilots who served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, specifically the P-51 Mustangs that were particularly crucial in U.K. history We still dont know the full details behind the Eagle Squadron Mustang GT, but we do get a teaser from Ford showing a birds eye view of the dressed up Stang. From this angle, we can see the fighter-style paint scheme that was used on the car. The body is rocking a military camouflage livery with white strips and yellow highlights spread throughout the car. An RAF roundel is clearly visible on the hood of the Mustang, slamming home the point on which Ford drew its inspiration from. Beyond the aesthetics, the Eagle Squadron Mustang GT also gets an extensive carbon fiber widebody kit from RTR, elements of which we can see on those wide - theyre really wide! wheel arches. An upgraded suspension kit from Tactical Performance was also installed, but its really the Ford supercharger that helps elevate this particular Mustang into a bonafide, bogey-chasing, 700-horsepower muscle car. The Eagle Squadron Mustang GT will eventually be auctioned off at the EAA event in Wisconsin like all other custom Mustangs before it. "The Eagle Squadron Mustang GT build with Vaughn, and the Ford design team is a great way to honor our heroes and keep the spirit of aviation alive for the next generation of American pilots," Ford Mustang design chief Darrell Behmer said in a statement. The Eagle Squadron Mustang GT will eventually be auctioned off at the EAA event in Wisconsin like all other custom Mustangs before it. But before that, its going to make its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the company of drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. Whoever ends up winning the one-off Mustang will also receive an all-inclusive trip to the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit for a handover ceremony, complete with a signed plaque from Gittin and Fords own design team. Further reading Read our full review on the 2018 Ford Mustang. Read more Ford news. The Economic Commission for Africa, Southern Africa Office (ECA-SA) in partnership with the African Union, Southern Africa Office (AU-SARO) are organising two major anti-corruption meetings from 18-22 June 2018 in Gaborone, Botswana. The first is a regional conference on the theme Corruption and the Challenge of Economic Transformation in Southern Africa from 18-20 June 2018, and the second is a Consultative Meeting of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in Southern Africa from 21-22 June 2018 in Gaborone, Botswana. The keynote address at the regional conference will be delivered by Professor Amos Sawyer, the former President of Liberia, and forty-five (45) academic papers will be presented at the conference. The conference will be attended by scholars, policymakers, research institutions, civil society organisations, regional and international institutions and the media. The three-day event will be marked by robust and intense discussions on the problem of corruption including the scourge of illicit financial flows in Southern Africa, its sources and dimensions, the role of key actors in addressing it, and how national policies can be strengthened in addressing it. The Consultative Meeting will be attended by heads of national anti-corruption institutions in Southern Africa, selected civil society organisations and experts, development partners and regional and international institutions. The objective of the meeting is to provide a platform for anti-corruption institutions in the region to share knowledge and experiences, lessons learned, best practices, and discuss challenges, opportunities and prospects. The meeting will consider establishing a network of national anti-corruption institutions in Southern Africa through which the anti-corruption institutions can effectively network, strengthen their capacity and enhance their fight against corruption in the region. Corruption no doubt retards the socio-economic progress of Africa countries. It increases the cost of doing business, discourages potential investors, leads to misallocation of scarce resources, affects the delivery of social services, and promotes rent-seeking behaviour that is not productive in African countries. Reflecting on this background, the AU 30th Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in Addis Ababa from 22nd 29th of January 2018 launched 2018 as the African Anti-Corruption Year themed Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa's Transformation. Both meetings are expected to upscale the fight against corruption in Southern Africa by creating an increased knowledge base, understanding and policy options on the problem, and also strengthening the capacity of national anti-corruption institutions in the region. The meetings are being hosted by the Government of Botswana. Project on Corruption and the Challenge of Economic Transformation in Southern Africa Background and context The African Union has designated 2018 as the year of anti-corruption. This is not only timely but of imperative necessity. Corruption has been the bane of development and a major challenge to the goal of economic transformation in Africa. While the Continent from the 1980s has developed economic development blueprints like the Lagos Plan of Action and the Final Act of Lagos, the African Alternative Framework to the Structural Adjustment Programme (ALF-SAP), the NEPAD Document, and currently Agenda 2063, with national development plans by the different African countries, however, the goal of economic transformation remains quite elusive. Issues of policy inconsistency, governance challenges, leadership inertia, and more importantly, corruption have stalled Africas efforts at radical economic transformation. The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in its African Governance Report IV (2016) noted that economic transformation in Africa is being undercut by compromised governance with corruption as a key variable. The report observed that weak governance breeds corruption and corruption is amongst the major costs and obstructions to economic transformation in Africa. In its varied forms (state capture, grand and petty corruption), there is mounting evidence labeling corruption as the root of gross hemorrhage and misallocation of resources in Africa. Reports of state capture in South Africa, political and electoral corruption in the DRC, Zimbabwe and Uganda, mining tender scandals in Guinea, the passport printing tender scandal in Kenya, the Cashgate scandal of Malawi (exchequer lost nearly $15.5 billion) and numerous shady mining deals in mineral and oil-rich DRC and Nigeria are just but a few African corruption incidences. Corruption has delayed growth and socioeconomic development via missed investment opportunity, retarded growth and worsening inequalities in Africa. Corruption is heinous to development and economic transformation. It weakens the state and its capacity, encourages the misallocation or misapplication of scarce resources, promotes economic rent seeking, rather than productive activities and affects the delivery of social services. It is everything antithetical to socio-economic progress and development (Adejumobi, 2015). There is a renewed commitment towards the goal of economic transformation in Africa. Backed by the African Unions Agenda 2063, economic transformation is being progressively adopted by African countries to direct the deployment of factors of production to more productive sectors (industrialization). This shift is a growth strategy meant to accomplish the African dream for integration, inclusive development and prosperous communities in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this realm, Southern African Development Community (SADC)s Heads of State and Government endorsed the pdf SADC Industrialization Strategy (2.34 MB) in 2015 demonstrating their readiness to spearhead economic transformation in the subregion. Economic transformation in Africa requires massive investment in human capital and infrastructure development. However, Africas investment has succumbed to corruption-induced illicit financial flows. Estimates by the African Union (AU) and the ECA in the 2016 Report of the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa shows that, illicit financial flows in Africa over the past 50 years exceeds $1 trillion (an amount nearly matching the total ODA received by Africa over the same period). Additionally, approximately $50 billion is lost from Africa annually through illicit financial flows. These leakages are worrying given the reduced ODA directed to Africa, sluggish growth and disturbing poverty levels. Notably, research has shown that a surge in corruption by a point on a scale (calibrated 10 (very clean) to 0 (very corrupt)) reduces production by 4% of GDP and lowers net annual capital inflows by 0.5% of GDP. On account of corruption, the average African growth rate of 5% per year since 2000 remains below the 2-digit growth rate which transformed Asian economies. Unfortunately, the poor are afflicted disproportionately by corruption through the diversion of investment resources, limiting governments capacity to offer public services, propping inequality and injustice and undermining foreign aid and investment. Currently, about 40 percent of the population of the Continent still lives below the poverty line. Noting the grievous welfare and economic effects of corruption, the United Nations enacted the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). At a regional level, AU has set in motion a number of initiatives meant to combat corruption (African Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC), AU Advisory Board on Corruption (AUBC), the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG)). At sub-regional level, SADC introduced the pdf SADC Protocol against Corruption (31 KB) in 2001 as a way of preventing, identifying, penalizing and stamping out corruption. At national level, nearly all Southern African countries have established bodies, institutions and legislatures meant to eliminate corruption. Despite the concerted effort, corruption in Southern Africa has continued unabatedly. A 2017 study on the effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies in Southern Africa conducted by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) noted that corruption in Southern Africa continues to worsen and is getting sophisticated too. OSISA reports that corruption in Southern Africa obstructs transparency in government revenues and in mining contracts, allows illicit exploitation of minerals and militarization of mining, the smuggling of minerals, political patronage and clientelism, as well as political and electoral corruption. Transparency Internationals Perception Index of 2016 shows that Southern African countries have dropped in their corruption rankings. Against this background, average growth for SADC has continued to fall in the recent past (2.3% in 2015 and 1.4% in 2016). Also, the manufacturing sector which is tipped to be the engine behind economic transformation in SADC has been sliding since 2010 (4% in 2010 and 2.6% in 2016). This evidence confirms that endemic corruption in Southern Africa is linked to the poor showing of the economy thus more need to be done to spur economic transformation through addressing corruption. The war against corruption in Southern Africa requires unified effort from RECs, Governments of Member States, Civil Society Organizations(CSOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the judiciary and legislature, corruption agencies, political parties, academia, research institutions and the private sector. As such, the two broad dual objectives of the two key activities are; to through the regional conference promote knowledge, policy debate and recommendations on addressing the problem of corruption in Southern Africa; and to through the meeting of national anti-corruption institutions promote the sharing of experiences, lessons, best practices and establish a Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in Southern Africa. The 24th ARSO General Assembly events, to be hosted by the Government of the Republic of South Africa, through the South African Bureau of Standards will be held on the 18th to 22nd June 2018 at the Hilton Hotel Durban. The 24th ARSO General Assembly follows the 57th ARSO Council events which were hosted by the Government of the Republic of Sudan through the Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organisation (SSMO) in November 2017. ARSO members and Stakeholders engaged in round table discussions on the Strategies for ARSO Sustainability within the Strategic Plan 2017-2022, and heard a lecture by the Secretary General on the Role of Quality Infrastructure and Standardisation in facilitating Trade and sustainable Development within the African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). The ARSO President Dr. Eve Gadzikwa in her official address to the delegates highlighted the importance of ARSO and its standardisation programmes in achieving the Africas Industrialization Agenda and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Dr. Gadzikwa made reference to the celebrations of African Industrialization Day on 20 November, with the 2017 theme being African Industrial Development: A Pre-Condition for an Effective and Sustainable Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), which focused on the industrial challenges faced by Africa, with a special emphasis on industrial development as a foundation for the implementation of the AfCFTA. This also happened at a time when the global focus on Africas industrialization with the need for the sustainable industrialization in Africa captured by the unanimous adoption of a resolution proclaiming the period 2016-2025 as the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa on 25 July 2016 by the United Nations General Assembly and by the initiative by the G20 to include in their Action Plan, support for Industrialization in Africa and Least Developed Countries, upon the proposal by the Chinese Presidency in September 2016. UNECA, in its Economic Report on Africa 2015, highlights the importance of such institutions as PAQI (ARSO) in addressing the TBT issues: [S]tringent standards and sanitary and phytosanitary measures, due to Africas lack of quality-assurance and easily accessible standard setting and monitoring bodies, increase costs for African producers, particularly in developed country markets. Given these bodies large fixed setting-up costs, the case for a coordinated regional action including strengthening the African Organisation for Standardization (ARSO) and PAQI institutions by extension, is self-evident. USAID (2016) warns against underestimating the importance of metrology, accreditation, standards, certification, and quality (MAS-Q) in the development of economic policies as understanding the link between global trade, industrialization MAS-Q and export competitiveness is at the forefront of trade policy. UNIDO (2016) further highlights that Setting up a Quality Infrastructure System is one of the most positive and practical steps that a developing nation can take on the path forward to developing a thriving economy as a basis for prosperity, health and well-being. Experts (including Jensen and Sandrey, 2015) have indicated that to benefit from the CFTA, Africa must focus on reducing technical barriers to trade as major inconsistencies among countries and Regions (RECs) standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment regimes, as a major obstacle for trade, remain, and this can only be underpinned by an effective and better quality infrastructure. NTMs, especially the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBTs Standards, technical regulations and Conformity assessment regimes) are still prevalent across Africas regional groupings, despite positive efforts made in reporting and monitoring mechanisms. The 24th General Assembly is scheduled to take place three months after the signing ceremony of the Framework Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by the AU Head of States during their Extraordinary Summit on 21st March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda. The elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers called for by the AfCFTA, under an effective Quality Infrastructure initiative offers African countries a great long-term opportunity and greater challenge (political, economic, legal and functional under the WTO TBT/SPS Agreement) to improve industrial capacity and trade. Due to their mandate and influence on the establishment of the legal and institutional framework, Quality Infrastructure governance structures in Africa, such as ARSO, NSBs and the PAQI institutions have a decisive influence on how the regional economic integration and the challenges of the TBTs presents a stepping stone or rather a stumbling block towards the liberalization of trade within the AfCFTA. Blue Ridge Community College is nearly half way to raising $2 million, which, among other things, will provide scholarships for high school gradates In May, Dr. Laura Leatherwood, president of Blue Ridge Community College, along with Trustee John McCormick, announced a new annual campaign to raise $2 million by June 30, 2019. A quarter of the $2 million raised will go toward 500 new scholarships for Henderson and Transylvania high school graduates from the class of 2019. Another quarter of the funds will address critical student and programming needs, and or $1 million will fully fund the Pay It Forward Endowed Chair position started by Ellen Perstein in 2006. Last week, Dr. Ivan Sutherland, executor of Persteins estate, presented a check in the amount of $750,000 toward the Pay It Forward Endowed Chair Fund, bringing the endowment total to more than $961,000. The overall campaign has raised $975,512. At the colleges graduation ceremony in early May, Leatherwood shook the hands of 243 students receiving their degrees, diplomas and certificates, many of whom would not have been able to reach their educational goals without the colleges support. Leatherwood and her husband, Ron, have also pledged a gift of $10,000 to establish an endowment. For those interested in supporting the Impact Campaign or have any questions, contact Ann Green, executive director of the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation, at (828) 694-1710 or by emailing anng @blueridge.edu. Additional information about the campaign is available by going to http://www.blueridge.edu/impact. John and Helen Barker, of Pisgah Forest, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary June 22, 2018. They first met in California in 1966, when he was stationed at George Air Force Base, and she was employed at Weber Aircraft Corporation, in Los Angeles. The couple moved to Tallahassee, Fla. in 1985 following his retirement from the United States Air Force. After he retired from his second career with the Florida Department of Community Affairs, and she retired from the Florida Department of State, they moved to Transylvania County in 2001. They greatly enjoy the natural beauty of Western North Carolina, the wholesomeness and charm of small-town living, and the wonderful friends they've made. Their son, John, also lives in Pisgah Forest, while their daughter, Charlotte, and her family, live in Greenville, S.C. They have three grandsons, Benton, Jackson, and Rivers. While not exactly kidnapping, a report of a stolen goat in February on Limousine Lane in Pisgah Forest led to the arrest of an animal rights activist, 36-year-old Wayne Hsiung, on June 7 at the Asheville Regional Airport. Hsiung was arrested for one felony count of breaking and entering, one felony count of larceny after breaking and entering, and one misdemeanor count of first-degree trespassing, with a bond of $25,000. According to a Sheriff's Office report, the goat's owner, Curtis Burnside, went out to check the animals on his farm at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 11 and noticed the gate on the goat pen was not closed, and that a goat was missing. When checking on the goats, Burnside reported finding a California driver's license belonging to Wayne Hsiung. In the report, Officer Tyler Snipes stated that after the scene was investigated, Burnside did his own research and found that Hsiung is an animal rights activist. "We were able to find the group Mr. Hsiung is involved with, Direct Action Everywhere, and we located Mr. Hsiung's Facebook Page," Snipes reported. "I was able to locate a video that was live, which shows what appears to be the missing goat, Mr. Hsiung holding the goat, and Mr. Hsiung with mud on his pants and shoes." In Snipes' narrative, he stated that, while watching the video, he observed Hsiung describing how he took the goat, as well as observing that there were three other males involved in the incident, two of whom could be identified as Ben Yu and Lewis Finn. In the video, which can be found under the organization name Direct Action Everywhere, Hsiung said this was the first time he had live streamed what he called "open rescue," and that the purpose was to take the goat "out of harm's way" to prevent what he says will be an eventual inhumane death. "It's criminal animal cruelty to take an animal from her mother, drag her across a slaughter house floor and kill her," Hsiung said in the video. "There are millions of goats killed every year in the U.S., and it's one of the fastest growing types of meats, and the reality is the goats are constantly being taken from their mothers and being hit on the head with a captive bolt." On the video, Hsiung and his crew communicated with viewers through the live streaming, and with their participation, they named the goat "Rain" because it was raining the night of the incident. Hsiung said he was going to take the goat to "an undisclosed location." Hsiung was arrested when he landed at the Asheville Regional Airport in June. According to reports, Hsiung, co-founder of the San Francisco-based organization Direct Action Everywhere, and an environmental advocacy lawyer, was coming to Asheville to speak at Asheville Vegan Fest. Hsiung has to return to Transylvania County to appear in regular District Court on July 5. "Apparently he goes all over the country, I guess in his mind rescuing animals," said District Attorney Greg Newman. "I don't know how many states he may have things pending in, but if the evidence supports a larceny charge, then we will prosecute him for that because I don't think anyone in the court system should be encouraging any kind of vigilantism, and if there is a problem with the animal, then there are legal channels to pursue that way." In her recommended budget for the 2019 fiscal year, County Manager Jaime Laughter said all future school system capital projects at $50,000 or more will require school officials to submit draft contracts or purchase orders and then the county would issue a check. This change in the funding process for certain school capital projects has upset school board members, saying it undercuts their authority, while county officials deny this, saying it just provides a paper trail and more transparency. In the public hearing during the Board of Commissioners June 12 meeting on the pr... The public is again asked to come out on June 30 to Pack Square to show its support. Our VOICE, Buncombe County's incorporated rape crisis center, announces its Walk a Mile event, to be held Saturday, June 30, at Pack Square. At Walk A Mile Asheville the community gathers for a one-mile walk through downtown Asheville in support of all people who have been impacted by sexual violence. Our VOICE serves all people ages 13 and up who have been impacted by sexual violence or human trafficking, offering counseling, court advocacy, case management, hospital accompaniment and a 24/7 crisis line. "Walk a Mile is important to the Asheville community because every 2 minutes in th... Criticism of President Trump for meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un last week in an attempt to resolve a potential nuclear conflict is somewhat misguided. Many prior presidents have made similar overtures: Richard Nixon talked with the Communist Chinese and Ronald Reagan met with leaders of the Soviet Union. If we are to attain peace, no matter how uneasy, we need to negotiate with our enemies. As President John F. Kennedy said, Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. As for a lasting peace and nuclear disarmament, that question is still... There is always part of a person that wants to take off their bikini and just sunbathe without it. The good news is there are numerous nude beaches to do just that. All beachgoers need is sunscreen and they're all set! Just be careful because chances are, sand will go in places it's not meant to be in. In nude beaches, people are not just feeling free, they're also getting a taste of the unique cultural experience. Black's Beach, La Jolla, California Located in the high cliffs of Torrey Pines, Black's Beach has been a famous place in California for getting the best tan. It has been around for 50 years and is the only legal nude beach in the country. Wreck Beach, Vancouver Canada Just when Canada visitors thought nudist beaches aren't a thing in the country, they discover the Wreck Beach. With a shoreline that stretches to 4.8 miles, this nudist beach is the largest in the continent. While visitors have to walk up and down the stairs to reach the beach, they'll be greeted by the stunning view of the ocean. If distracted by something, just keep in mind that it's not about the people, it's about the experience. Elia Beach, Mykonos Greece Greece is home to many nudist beaches. Elia beach, also known as Paradise beach, is the longest beach in Mykonos which boasts fine brown sand and flat waters. This gem is packed with umbrellas and beach chairs for everyone to use. It is also very popular with the LGBTQ crowd. Feeling a little thirsty? Head over to the two beach bars on the area. Additionally, the beach has a full moon party every month so make sure to prepare because it's as wild as people expect it too. Plage de Tahiti, St. Tropez, France There is no shortage of nudist beaches in Europe as it is known for topless sunbathers. Plage de Tahiti stretches 2.4 miles and is popular with celebrities including Brigitte Bardot, and Eva Green. Little Beach, Maui, Hawaii Known as one of the best places on earth to visit for getting bronzed skin, Hawaii also boasts some nudist beaches. In Little Beach, tourists won't only expect to see tourists tanning topless, they'll also see hippies gathering for fire dancing or drum circle sessions on Sundays. Orient Beach, St. Martin Orient Beach, St. Martin looks like it was taken out straight from a magazine. This famous Caribbean spot is packed with hotels by the beach, restaurants, bars, lounges, and vendors. Although it is quite busy, tourists will definitely be entertained by the vibrant vibe of this place. Adventurous souls can head over to Club Orient, also known as Club O. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Fireflies are one of the most enchanting creatures. Usually seen in romantic movies and fairytales, these glowing shimmering insects light up the dark sky with little flashes. However, not all fireflies glow. Most glowing bugs can only be found in the Eastern part of the country and are common in national parks. To experience the magical scene of looking at thousands of fireflies lighting up at once, head over to these states. Tennessee: Great Smoky Mountains People traveling to the Great Smoky Mountain located in the North Carolina-Tennessee border from the end of May until June will be treated to the magical sight of fireflies mating. Although the activity depends on the air and soil temperature, tourists will see fireflies light up the national park. The synchronized flashes of these bugs happen in bursts of around five to eight every few seconds. The park also has firefly shuttles to help people witness the scene. Pennsylvania: Allegheny National Forest Pennsylvania's only national forest is home to P. Carolinus and 15 more species of fireflies. Here, tourists can witness the incredible mating ritual of the fireflies and will make them feel as if they're part of a Disney movie. The forest celebrates its Firefly festival every fourth Saturday of June. Aside from the fireflies, tourists will also be entertained by games and music. South Carolina: Congaree National Park Thirty minutes from Columbia, Southern Carolina lies one of its gems the Congaree National Park, where tourists will see synchronous fireflies. To witness this, visitors have to go to the spot between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and stay at the viewing area, which is elevated by a boardwalk trail near the Harry Hampton Visitor Center. "Visitors come from literally all over the world to marvel at the splendor of nature as showcased by the fireflies," said chief of interpretation and at Congaree National Park park ranger Scott Teodorski. Florida: Blue Spring State Park It comes as no surprise that fireflies swarm at this national park in Central Florida because of its humid weather. Visitors planning to see Florida's firefly spot should come on late March until early April and is advised to get a special pass to stay in the park even after it closes. Arizona: Cajon Bonito Aside from the humid weather, Fireflies also thrive in environments near the water. Those who want to see this great sight, just head over to the Cajon Bonito, the home of male fireflies that light up three times per second. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Located in the east of Shanghai, China is the small island of Shengshan, home to the green village of Houtouwan. Make no mistake, the vibrant village used to be inhabited by over 2,000 fishermen is still beautiful. However, its enchanting beauty is now mostly because of the eerie vibe that it gives off. Perched on top of a cliff, this picturesque village was taken over by the lush vegetation on the island. Creeping vines have made way into what used to be the brick homes of its people before it was abandoned in the 1990s. What Happened To The Village? Wang Yi, who left the island when he was 5, recalls fond memories in his old home. "I dream of playing here, and it looked like it did when we played here when I was young," he said, while pointing at what used to be his family's three-story home, which is now filled with vines and has a broken front door. The 27-year old now goes to the island to gather honeysuckle to make a fragrant tea, which also reminds him of his childhood. His mother, Zhu Mandi, still vividly recalls memories from her colorful village's festivals, a memory which seemed to happen a lifetime ago. Migration of Chinese residents in coastal towns and other provinces is not uncommon in the country. To search for a better life for them and their family, they've left their homes to take a chance in the country's thriving big cities. Chinese families also left the island in order to access better facilities. Tourism In Houtouwan Because of its unique appeal, the misty village by the sea has drawn tourists from the mainland who were curious about its one of a kind case. While vines shroud most of its buildings, magnificent roof tiles still appear over its broken verandas. To view the creepy village, visitors have to take a boat going to Shengshan and hail a taxi to go up the cemetery overlooking the village. They must then go through steep footpaths that are filled with ivy to see the village up close. "It feels like this place belonged to nature from the very beginning, and the old invaders finally left, and nature finally made it back," said Huang Dan, a student visiting over the weekend just to photograph the island's houses and other structures. Houtouwan Fame Houtouwan rose to fame in China after a series of photographs of the beautiful village went viral on social media in 2015. Shengsi Island officials said that their telephone lines had been taken over by countless calls from tourists asking how to visit the village. The officials are cautious about the effects that the tourist surge might bring to the place. "Houtouwan of Shengshan hasn't been equipped with the conditions to open to tourists. We urge visitors to preserve its tranquility for now," Chen Bo, a Shengshan Island official said. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Castello di Meleto is an 11th-century castle that belonged to the Benedictine monks of the Badia di Coltibuono in the splendid countryside of Tuscany. It is immersed in the soft hills of Gaiole in Chianti between Florence and Siena. Over the centuries the castle has changed identity and ownership from a military post to a noble country home but its original structure remained. Between noble families and military troops in periods of different wars, the castle withstood time and harsh elements. In 1968, the Tuscan Viticulture Society purchased the castle along with 1,400 hectares of its surrounding land. It is immersed in the soft hills of Gaiole in Chianti between Florence and Siena. Over the centuries the castle has changed identity and ownership from a military post to a noble country home but its original structure remained. Between noble families and military troops in periods of different wars, the castle withstood time and harsh elements. Presently, Castello di Meleto has been converted into a hotel with Tuscan-style rooms and apartments. It also has a couple of swimming pools, large green areas and a restaurant. Castello di Meleto also produces wine and oil as well as breed Cinta Senese, an Italian breed of pigs whose meat is used for some Tuscan cured meats. It also has a couple of swimming pools, large green areas and a restaurant., an Italian breed of pigs whose meat is used for some Tuscan cured meats. The society managed to revive the castle and the forests as well as plant olive trees and vines primarily for the production of Chianti Classico DOCG in 160 hectares of the land. In the 160 hectares dedicated to the cultivation of vines, five distinct macrozones with unique characteristics were identified for production of more varieties of grapes. Castello di Meleto, San Piero in Avenano, Vigna Casi, Poggiarso and Moci. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are the two international grapes that are being cultivated in the vineyards. Later on, they moved towards the restoration and protection of the native grapes in Tuscany: Trebbiano, Canaiolo, Vermentino and Malvasia Nera. Castello di Meleto produces ten kinds of wines, some of which that I tasted are: Rainero Spumante Brut Rose Metodo Classico is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes and stayed in contact with selected yeasts for 36 months. It has a soft rose color and a very good perlage of fine, numerous and persistent bubbles. The nose and mouth are equilibrated and complex with a dominance of bread crust, floral and fruity aromas with a noted freshness. Borgaio Vermentino IGT Toscana is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks for 4 months which giving the wine a refreshing aspect. Fresh, with good sapidity, a pleasant and easy wine to drink with simply cooked fish dishes. Borgaio Rosato IGT Toscana is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes, fermented and aged in steel tanks for 6 months. It has a lively cherry rose color with a lovely nose of berries especially strawberries and a palate of freshness and sapidity. A must drink in summer! Camboi IGT Toscana Rosso 2014 made with 100% Malvasia Nera of Chianti. The name Camboi is the acronym for Campo dei Buoi, an area of Meleto that was used for the breeding of oxen from the Middle Ages to the early 1960s. In the 1970s, the Malvasia Nera of Chianti vines were planted in this same area. 2014 is the first vintage of Camboi and it's also not so common to find single-varietal Malvasia Nera of Chianti wines because usually it is a variety that is used in blends. This is quite an interesting wine with a ruby red color, complexities in the nose and palate with red stone fruits, berries and floral notes. Persistent in the mouth with soft tannins. Being aged in barrique of third and fourth usage, the wood is not so evident in the nose. Meleto Chianti Classico 2016 made with 100% Sangiovese grapes cultivated in the Meleto macrozone. It is considered as the soul of Meleto as the Sangiovese expresses itself purely and is a true embodiment of the territory from which it comes from. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, malolactic fermentation in cement tanks and the aging in big Slavonian oak barrels. Ruby red in color with floral and fruity notes of cherries, plums and violet with accents of dried tobacco leaves. Vigna Casi Chianti Classico 2013 is the expression of Sangiovese grapes cultivated in Vigna Casi, a single vineyard. It is an elegant, supple and fascinating Riserva where the ample range of aromas are balanced with each other. Fermentation takes place in 53 Hl wooden casks, malolactic fermentation in cement tanks. 50% of the wine ages for 18 months on large Slavonian barrels while the other half ages in barriques of 2nd or 3rd usage. It is ruby red in color with garnet red edges. It has a long persistence in the mouth and intensity in the nose. Complex with red stone fruits and flowers like violet and accents of spices. Castello di Meleto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2012, also made with Sangiovese grapes and has a garnet red color. It has an ample complexity of aromas of mature and confeture dark red fruit, flowers, balsamic and spices. The mouth is equilibrated with a long persistence. The wine ferments in truncated oak vats. After the maceration it is transferred directly into barriques where the malolactic fermentation occurs and frequent batonnage is performed. Aging takes place in barriques of second and third usage. The maturation period varies from 24 to 30 months according to the vintage. The well-known Yosemite National Park is not just home to towering rocks and pristine bodies of water, it also boasts giant sequoias. The enchanting forest of larger than life sequoias has been reopened to the public for the first time since 2015. The restoration project, headed by the National Park Service and the Yosemite Conservancy, costs $40 million, with $20 million donated by an environmental group in San Francisco, and the rest provided by the Yosemite officials. In the Yosemite National Park's Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, people can see over 500 gigantic trees. The redwood coniferous tree is known to be one of the largest living organisms on the planet. The 4-acre park, situated near Yosemite's southern entrance, has amazed visitors for over 150 years. Sequoias found in one of the country's most famous park date back 2,000 years and reach up to 285 feet tall. Mariposa Grove Restoration The restoration project did not only aim to bring back the forest, but also protect it in the years to come. The parking spot in the grove has been removed to make people explore the forest on natural pathways. To protect the roots and aid the better flow of water to the colossal trees, crews removed asphalt and built 4 miles of trails, which include bridges and boardwalks over sensitive wetland areas of the Mariposa Grove. The trail will take visitors through the popular California Tunnel Tree and Grizzly Giant, which is one of the biggest sequoias in the grove. It stands 209 feet tall and is around 1,800 years old. Aside from the new path walks, the project also includes new ways to teach tourists about the history and ecology of the area. President of the Yosemite Conservancy and former Yosemite ranger Frank Dean said that they wanted to provide a more tranquil experience to the park's visitors. Dean added that although the trees are very strong, the last thing they want is for it to fail on their watch. The restoration project's goal was to correct the sins of the past. Instead of taking a drive into the forest, Yosemite visitors are now advised to head over to the Welcome Plaza and take the free shuttle bus ride that runs every 10 minutes from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the summer to reach the Grove Arrival Area. Yosemite Spokesperson Scott Gediman also reminded visitors of the grove's important history as it was included in the Yosemite Land Grant which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on 1864. It was the first land set for preservation by the government. As one of the most visited parks in the country, Yosemite gets over a million visitors every year. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 The restoration of Mariposa Grove, which harbors 1,800-year-old trees, included replacing asphalt with walking paths and removing commercial activities from the grove. In 1864, when land must have seemed plentiful and trees didn't generate the advocacy they do today, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, protecting an ancient grove of giant sequoias and Yosemite Valley in general. Even before the establishment of the national park system, this act was the first in the nations history created to ensure that "public use, resort, and recreation" of this natural wonder could endure. The collection of trees that inspired it all is the iconic Mariposa Grove. Located in the southern part of Yosemite, this exquisite spot plays home to 500 ancient giant sequoias. And giant sequoias, Sequoiadendron giganteum, are some of the most remarkable organisms in the world. They can live up to 3,000 years and while they are not the tallest trees known, they are the largest by cubic volume. One old-timer in Sequoia National Park, the General Sherman, is not only the largest living tree, but the largest living organism, by volume, on the planet. At 2,100 years old, it weighs 2.7 million pounds, is 275 feet tall and has a 102-foot circumference at the ground. It has branches that are almost 7 feet in diameter. Francesco Carucci Unfortunately for the grove, its popularity drew tourists from the world over. In the earliest days of tree tourism, to attract visitors holes were tunneled through giant tree trunks for cars to drive through. Nowadays, more than 7,000 cars can infest Yosemite on the busiest summer days, many of them carrying people intent on reveling in the wonder of the giants. Which means roads were built, gift shops were inserted, and exhaust-spewing trams were sent scuttling through the trees. The shallow root systems were feeling the strain of all that asphalt; they were having trouble getting the water they needed. Seriously, there's only so much assault a several-thousand-year-old tree can take. Enter the Mariposa Grove Restoration Project. The Mariposa Grove Restoration Project Final Environmental Impact Statement helped lay the formal plans in 2013; work began in 2015. The goals were to improve giant sequoia habitat and improve visitor experience. After $40 million dollars and years of work, the Mariposa Grove reopened on June 15, 2018. As the largest protection, restoration and improvement project in park history, this milestone reflects the unbridled passion so many people have to care for Yosemite so that future generations can experience majestic places like Mariposa Grove, said Yosemite National Park Superintendent Michael Reynolds in a statement from the park. These trees sowed the seeds of the national park idea in the 1800s and because of this incredible project it will remain one of the worlds most significant natural and cultural resources. National Park Service describes some of the project highlights: Restoring giant sequoia and associated wetland habitat Realigning roads and trails that were located in sensitive sequoia habitat Constructing a welcome plaza near South Entrance, which allowed for the relocation of the parking area from Mariposa Grove Adding a shuttle service between the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza and Mariposa Grove Arrival Area Building accessible trails to allow for improved access without impacting sequoias and other sensitive areas Restoring natural hydrology Improving orientation and wayfinding Removing commercial activities from the Grove such as the gift shop and tram tours And what a heartening thing it is to see. We have been utterly wretched in our treatment of trees. Take the coast redwoods the giant sequoia's siblings and the tallest trees in the world. Before the 1850s, coast redwoods lived amongst 2 million acres of Californias coast. After the Gold Rush and unabated lumber lust, now only 5 percent of the original old-growth coast redwood forest remains, fewer than 100,000 acres dotted along the coast. All of these ancient giants have stood ground for thousands of years and will live long after we do ... as long as don't kill them first. Hats off to the Yosemite Conservancy and everyone who made this restoration project happen. 37 species under national protection have been observed in the Ziwuling area, thanks to massive reforestation efforts. A few months ago I wrote about how China is planting 16.3 million acres of forest this year alone, with plans to increase forest coverage to 23 percent of its total landmass by the end of the decade. And you know what happens when you coax a forest back into being? Creatures great and small find a place to call home ... and begin to thrive again. If anyone was looking for proof of this simple equation, they may need look no further than the Ziwuling Forest Area in Yan'an, Shannxi province. After two decades of "massive reforestation projects" in the area, the payoff is becoming evident. Researchers from Beijing Normal University have been using infrared cameras to check in on Ziwuling's wildlife, and they have photographed all kinds of rare species. From golden pheasants and red foxes to roe deer, the menagerie of threatened animals adds to an earlier discovery of the largest-ever population of North-Chinese leopards in the area. "The nature reserve has a large population of wild boars and roe deer, as well as small and medium-sized carnivorous animals such as ocelots and red foxes. If it was not for environmental protection we've undertaken, it's likely none of these animals would have survived," said Feng Limin Feng, associate professor from Beijing Normal University. The researchers say that so far they have catalogued a whopping 263 different species in Ziwuling, including eight endangered species under critically endangered first-class national protection, and another 29 under second-class national protection. It's really not rocket science. Animals the world over are being threatened with extinction because of habitat destruction. Stop that destruction, put some effort in refurbishing the natural landscape, and give the animals a fighting chance at survival. And if we're all lucky, they may even thrive. via China Plus Remember Bisphenol A? A few years ago everyone was getting rid of their polycarbonate bottles because there was so much fear that Bisphenol A (BPA) was leaching from them. SIGG, a company that sold aluminum water bottles, was almost run off the market when it was found out that it lined its bottles with an epoxy made with BPA. People were returning them in droves and its North American distributor ended up in bankruptcy. BPA, in small doses, has been linked to obesity, early onset of puberty, diabetes, heart disease, reduced penis size, growth of male breasts, and even mean girls. Yet once again we read that more people are drinking canned beer, every single one of which is lined with BPA-laden epoxy to keep the beer from tasting like aluminum. Beppi Crosariol writes in the Globe and Mail that it is a major wave in brewing. In the trend-setting U.S. market, cans in the craft-beer segment grew to 28.5 per cent of packaged production last year, up from about 12 per cent in 2012, according to the Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association, which represents more than 4,000 small and independent producers...Elsewhere in the craft world, from Europe to South America to Australia, aluminum is on a roll. In Britain, where the metal cylinders go by the slang term tinnies, sales of craft beer in cans shot up 327 per cent between January, 2017 and August, 2017, according to market tracker Nielsen. Cans in Britain now represent a quarter of craft beer sold at retail. BPA-Tainted Craft Beer This is all possible because of the invention of "microcanning" equipment mobile canning lines that can be rented to small breweries. Now everybody is buying canned beer, even in countries with strong bottle recovery and refilling systems. It's nonsensical; people who would spit out water from a polycarbonate bottle will drink BPA-tainted beer. Even sources like Beer Advocate note that this could be a problem the stuff is a hormone that was once considered for birth control, really, what are people thinking? BPA has a dark side. Biologically speaking, the compound looks eerily similar to estrogen, meaning it can act like estrogen, a powerful hormone, if it gets into the body. When ingested, tasteless and odorless BPA can disrupt biological processes and interfere with the reproductive and nervous systems as well as behavioral development, especially in infants with underdeveloped digestive systems that insufficiently metabolize the chemical. Thats why the US Food and Drug Administration has banned BPA from baby bottles, sippy cups, and packaging for infant formula. The BPA industry and beer companies all say that BPA is safe. The industry says that the amount one gets from drinking beer "is more than 450 times lower than the maximum acceptable or 'reference' dose for BPA of 0.05 milligrams per kilogram body weight per day established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency." And we all trust the EPA! Sierra Nevada beer repeats this EPA stuff on its website that "some studies show that youd have to eat and drink the contents of roughly 450 cans per day, every day, to ingest enough BPA from a can liner to reach unsafe levels." But they conclude that, "in our opinion, the benefits of cansportability, lower carbon footprint, recyclability, and absolute protection from light and oxygenoutweigh the risk." Back at the Globe and Mail, Beppi Crosariol lists the reasons that cans have become popular. Producers list a litany of other advantages that have struck a chord with millennials in particular, including, not least, the extra space on cans for punchy graphics, which also offer brewers a point of differentiation in the crowded craft-beer market. Some, playing the virtue card, boast that metal is infinitely recyclable and that lightweight aluminum results in a smaller carbon footprint as beer gets trucked to market. Don't Choose Canned Beer Government of Canada/Public Domain This is wrong on so many levels. Ignore the fact that refillable bottles, as you can get in most of the world outside the USA, have a lower carbon footprint and greater recyclability; there is no virtue card. And face the fact that by drinking beer in a can, you are getting micro-doses of BPA (a Canadian study proved it) and that because it is a hormone, some studies have shown that it only takes a few molecules to cause trouble. Millennial moms-to-be are consuming an "ovarian toxicant" that could cause their sons to get prostate cancer. Joe Mohr There is no viable alternative to BPA epoxies at this time. The science still is not clear about how bad BPA is for adults, but there are good reasons that it has been banned for some uses and that nobody buys polycarbonate bottles anymore. But as I keep asking, until there is an alternative, why does anyone take the risk of drinking canned beer? Why would people who threw away their Nalgene bottles because of BPA willingly get the same stuff from their beer? I will never understand this. You should not be drinking canned beer. Period. Deputy Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob has been appointed the accounting officer for the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS). This was announced by Finance Minister Colm Imbert in a statement yesterday evening. The A330neo, Airbus newest widebody aircraft, has embarked on a worldwide tour to demonstrate its readiness for airline operations. As final step in the aircraft certification phase these function & reliability tests, also known as route proving will include ETOPS missions, landing at diversion airports and testing airport handling services. After a fly past over Airbus European sites, the A330neo will head for 15 major airports worldwide over five continents, aiming at achieving 150 Flight Test Hours in three trips. The route proving tests are performed with the first A330-900 production aircraft, fully equipped with an Airspace by Airbus cabin and flying in launch operators Tap Air Portugal colours. The aircraft first flew on 15th May 2018 launching flight-tests to check cabin systems such as air conditioning. The route proving tests form part of the last trials required for aircraft Type Certification scheduled for summer 2018. Today two A330-900 flight test aircraft and the TAP customer aircraft are involved in the intensive flight test programme, which will reach 1000 flight hours during the tour of the Airbus plants. Launched in July 2014, the A330neo family is the new generation A330, comprising two versions: the A330-800 and A330-900 sharing 99% commonality. It builds on the proven economics, versatility and reliability of the A330 family, while reducing fuel consumption by about 25 percent per seat versus previous generation competitors and increasing range by up to 1,500nm compared to the majority of A330s in operation. The A330neo is powered by Rolls-Royces latest-generation Trent 7000 engines and features a new wing with increased span and new A350 XWB inspired Sharklets. The cabin provides the comfort of the new "Airspace" amenities. 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. Emirates has launched a new daily service from Dubai to Auckland via Bali, reflecting increased interest in the attractive Indonesian island destination and improving connectivity to New Zealand. The new service offers global travellers a total of three daily services to New Zealand, complementing Emirates existing non-stop daily A380 service between Dubai and Auckland and its current daily A380 service between Dubai and Christchurch via Sydney. Travellers will now also enjoy a choice of three daily services between Dubai to Bali in the summer (northern hemisphere)*, as the new flight adds to Emirates two existing daily services which are currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER in a two-class configuration. On board the inaugural flight, which was welcomed at both Denpasar and Auckland airports with a water cannon salute, was a group of special guests and media. Emirates new Dubai-Bali-Auckland flight provides the only year-round non-stop daily service between Auckland and Bali, giving passengers an opportunity to visit and/or stop over in one of the most popular islands in Indonesia. The airline is operating a 777-300ER on the route, offering eight seats in First, 42 seats in Business and 304 seats in Economy class, as well as 20 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity. The new service will also be the first Emirates Bali flight to offer passengers the airlines award-winning First Class product. Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, said: We are very pleased to see the interest this new route has created since it was announced in mid-February, reflected in strong bookings from Auckland to Bali and beyond, as well as southbound from our global network. Markets such as the UK, Europe and the Middle East have all responded keenly to the new option provided by us opening up this route. Bali and Auckland are both desirable destinations in the eyes of our customers. From New Zealand, most interest in the new route is from leisure travellers of all ages, among them visitors seeking to explore the cultural side of the destination and surfers keen to try Balis waves. Tourism is also expected to drive strong interest from Indonesia to New Zealand, as well as travel by students attending learning institutions such as AUT University which last year opened an Indonesia Centre - and the University of Auckland which enjoys a high international ranking. The number of Indonesian students attending courses in New Zealand grew 20% last year. With its spectacular mountains, picturesque beaches and cultural appeal, Bali is considered to be a world leading tourist destination, welcoming more than 4.5 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2016, including over 40,500 New Zealanders. Emirates new service will add to Balis global connectivity, further stimulating the islands economic and tourism growth. Auckland is a vibrant, cosmopolitan community of more than 1.6 million people New Zealands biggest city, containing a third of the countrys population. Located on an isthmus between two harbours, the city has a wide range of attractive beaches, including popular surfing spots; has a global reputation as a city of sails with an extensive variety of yacht and motor vessel marinas; and a selection of bush walks within easy reach; as well as numerous award-winning vineyards. Emirates has been operating to Auckland since mid-2003. Cargo carriage supports trade opportunities The new route also supports increased demand for trade between Indonesia and New Zealand, and will enable Emirates SkyCargo to offer up to 20 tonnes of cargo capacity on the aircraft per flight. According to recent statistics, it is estimated that the total two-way trade between New Zealand and Indonesia exceeds NZ$1.5 billion. The flight will provide opportunity for Indonesian exports, imports and transhipments through Denpasar as well as exports from New Zealand including cut flowers, fresh produce and chilled foods including fish. 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. Re: Australia and New Zealand - how to plan around best weather? 1. Re: Australia and New Zealand - how to plan around best weather? -:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:- This post has been removed at the author's request. The author may repost if desired. Posts on the Tripadvisor forums may be edited for a short period of time. Once the edit period has expired, authors may update their posts by removing and reposting them. To read more about editing your posts, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/help/how_to_edit_your_posts Hello, I'm going to be traveling solo to Melbourne from USA. I'll be landing in Melbourne February 1st and then fly from Melbourne to Auckland February 20th, heading back to USA on March 4th My goals for my time: 1) explore the nightlife at Melbourne. I'm LGBT so any suggestions would be great 2) Make friends there. I'm solo backpacking and planning to stay in hostels 3) See the outback. I would probably fly into Uluru for several days. I'd greatly appreciate any suggestion for where to find the cheapest tickets / how long I should spend / must-sees 4) Great barrier reef. Again, any advice for how to get there cheap would be great / how long I should spend Otherwise, I'm completely open to anything. I'm in my last year of med school and it's my last hurrah before I have no time. I'm not hung up on having to see everything in any city I'm in. I like art, love outdoors (hiking, biking -- I want to do both but I guess NZ would be better for biking?) I need to travel cheap and I will be staying in hostels, and I'll have just a backpack on me. I don't want to rent a car and would be willing to do excursions if they don't become pricey. I also love hiking, but I don't want to spend too long consecutively doing so because I'm going solo and want to have my time alone spaced out with city scene between so I can meet people too. I can only imagine how much I will be missing in the short amount of time I have vs what I want to see, but I know I won't be able to do anything like this again for a very long time. Any advice is greatly appreciated Here is another beach that looks good for snorkeling right off the shore. It's called Playa Blanca (there are a few Playa Blancas in Costa Rica) and this one is located south of Tamarindo between Playa Negra and Playa Junquillal. This person has seen "octopus, eels, sea snakes, lots of fish, yellow star fish, blue star fish, puffers, parrot fish, a small shark once". This looks like a nice place to stay nearby: As for Tamarindo, some people love it. Compared to other beach towns, there're lots of people (tourists), shops, restaurants etc. If you want that, you'll like it. Even if you don't like it, there are lots of quieter and nicer beaches nearby to spend your days, and then have plenty of options for the evening. Another good option is Samara. It is not a surfing beach (Tamarindo is) so there is no threat of rip currents so swimming is possible. It's about an hour farther from the airport but well worth it as a nice beach. As mentioned in this video about Samara, you can go to nearby Playa Carillo if you want fewer people. You can snorkel there too, so overall, it could be the best place, even though it's a bit farther from the airport. We went to the area twice, for 3 wks. We stayed in Manzanillo and Cahuita, walked to Punta Uva, took public bus to Puerto Viejo. We would not want to stay in PV itself. The beach right there is not the best. But it is good for visiting places to eat and doing grocery shopping, as the supermarkets in PV are bigger and we found certain things cost less than in Cahuita smaller stores, for ex. The better option to buy food on the way toward that coast would be if you stop at Hony Creek on the way. Punta Uva has nice beaches, but it is not really a town. All the beaches had waves when we were there. Some bigger than others, but definite waves, not calm water. From your description, it does not seem that you will enjoy Manzanillo - a tiny fishing village, 2 sodas, 1 restaurant, 2-3 tiny tiny tiny stores, mostly deserted during the week beach, and lots of local families park on the beach right in the village, behind Maxi's, and stay for the day on the wknds, even when it starts raining, but only on the wknds. We prefer Cahuita, because we can be within a walking distance from the National Park, places to eat on the main st., a few stores, the only ATM by the bus terminal. We had wildlife on property. We went to the park a lot of times (admission by donation). The front of the park is the main beach, which gets busy in the wknds, but there are smaller beaches deeper inside, too. We saw lots of wildlife there when it was not raining. and are good sources of info, incl. lodging options on that coast. Edited: 3 years ago Hi I am looking for tips & suggestions for my upcoming trip to Vietnam. I arrive in Hanoi on August 7, leave again on August 25. At this stage I will stay in Hanoi for a few (??) nights then work out where to go next. I would like to visit the following; Halong Bay, Sapa, Hoi An, Danang, Hue, HCM plus anything else that grabs my attention If there is somewhere to meet other travellers I would be interested in knowing that.... I am a bit over the age limit for staying in Hostels Thank you Thanks for the responses, they are really helpful. For Saigon, will the Mekong Delta tour and Cu Chi Tunnels tour will take up 1.5 days? Just wondering if doing this, and having 1.5 days in the city for exploring the main sites, is cramming too much into a small amount of time. I don't really want to rush around if 1.5 days in the city is not going to be enough time. I've found a company that travels to Cu Chi Tunnels by speedboat for half days, which seems to take us out of Saigon for the least amount of time. We have 4 nights in Saigon, but really only 3 full days to play with. Is Halong Bay for a day trip pointless? Wonder if anyone's visited in this way. Edited: 3 years ago If you're going to Pu Luong, then you can probably give Mai Chau a miss. Mai Chau is in a valley, and while it's incredibly scenic, the rice terraces of Pu Luong are probably more so. It would be nice to find some extra time so that you can incorporate a day around Ninh Binh. At least an overnight. If you're able to do that, then doing a loop with Hanoi / Halong Bay / Ninh Binh / Pu Luong would save a bit of time with the back and forth to Hanoi. So perhaps something like - Hanoi to Halong Bay. Get Toan to arrange transport to Ninh Binh from HB for you. Spend the next day and night in NB, before starting your Pu Luong trip the following day. Ask Toan to then drop you back in Hanoi, either for one extra night, or perhaps straight to the airport. The amount of luggage you're carrying (as in you may have left some of it at your Hanoi hotel) may decide that. Just an idea, and one you can play around with in regards to the order of things. Several variations will work. Scott Edited: 3 years ago Seeing Japan by cruIse ship is a terrible way to tour, but you have already done the bookings. I sort of understand your motivation. I used to live in a Kobe suburb (Nishinomiya) and had lots of visitors, including family, and traveled all over the Kansai and further. But one of my house guests wanted to ride the Shinkansen even though you can get anywhere in the Kansai pretty quickly, but I relented and showed him and another how to take the Shinkansen from Shin-Kobe to Shin-Osaka--they already knew how to get back to Nishinomiya. So for you. You need to take the Portliner to Sannomiya, which is downtown Kobe. There you need to take the subway up to Shin-Kobe. From there you can take the Shinkansen to Kyoto Station. Having gotten to Kyoto Station, it would be a terrible wasted opportunity not to look around at least a little bit of the most popular tourist destination in Japan....but I'll leave it to you to decide on what if anything you want to see in Kyoto. Hi just after some advice for an upcoming 3 week trip to Japan in October. Unsure if it is worth getting the 21day JR pass or just getting a 14day pass to use between major cities. The 1st week I am there, I am staying in Tokyo and will do a day trip to Mt Fuji and use the Tokyo loop to get around. The following two weeks will be travel to Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and possibly sapporo. Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you The Oman Aviation Academy is expected to start operations soon as it gears up to produce future generations of pilots for the Gulf region. Alan Dron reports. The new airport at Sohar, in the north of Oman, is a relatively quiet location. Currently, just three airlines operate into it. That may make it a one of the quieter airports in the Gulf but the relative lack of airliner movements brings other benefits. It makes it an ideal place for Oman Aviation Academy (OAA), with uncrowded airspace allowing plenty of room for local training flights. Having signed an initial shareholders agreement last July to establish the OAA, arrangements have been moving forward behind the scenes to put in place the training infrastructure. It is understood from sources close to the project that the establishment is very close to being finalised. The project is being overseen by the Oman Authority for Partnership for Development (OAPFD), in partnership with Airbus Helicopters, Oman National Investments Development Company (TANMA), Al-Hosn Investment Company and the Ministry of Defence Pension Fund. In a statement last December, the OAPFD said that it expected the academy to be operated by Canadian training and simulator specialists CAE; its UK branch, CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, will handle the actual training. OAA will provide training for both Omani and regional trainees, with the aim of enabling them to obtain a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) frozen air transport pilot licence, which qualifies them to be pilots with regional and international carriers. The academy will also be able to provide basic flight training for military pilots destined for Omans armed forces. Graduates from the academy will also go on to become the next generation of local flight instructors. OAAs facilities will include a 3,000sqm hangar, plus a further 4,000sqm of estate on the airport for a tower, taxiway and student accommodation. It will be able to handle up to 150 students a year. The academy will be the final part of Airbus Helicopters offset commitments from earlier contracts with Oman. CAE is also undertaking some remaining offset commitments after having supplied the Royal Air Force of Oman with two simulators for the AgustaWestland Super Lynx 300 helicopters some years ago. Airbus has always prided itself on its long-standing relationship with Oman [and] our partnership with Oman Aviation Academy is a direct reflection of our efforts to support Oman and be part of its growth vision, said Ben Bridge, Airbus Helicopters executive vice-president, global business. We are keen to help shape the future of Omans fast-growing aerospace sector by fostering innovation and talent development. As part of this aim of increasing the capabilities of the aerospace sector, OAA has signed a training agreement with national carrier, Oman Air, to provide training for 48 pilots annually, instead of sending them abroad for their flight training. This will aid the airlines Omanisation plans. Shortly before retiring late last year, Oman Air CEO, Paul Gregorowitsch, said that the airlines involvement with the new OAA would bring significant benefits, not just for the airline but the nation as a whole: The national carrier synergises seamlessly with OAPFD to achieve comprehensive and sustainable economic development in the sultanate. The academy is also expected to attract trainees from throughout the Gulf, with CAE marketing the new establishment both regionally and globally. The OAPFD has also signed a cooperation agreement with Omans Sultan Qaboos University for the first students to undertake a special foundation course before moving on to their flying training. The types of aircraft to be utilised by the academy have not yet been formally announced, but the fleet is expected to consist of nine piston singles and four piston twins, together with the appropriate simulators. The academy will play a part in developing the Sultanates wider economy, through the development of the local aviation sector; more than 30,000 pilots are expected to be needed in the Middle East over the next 20 years. OAAs presence will also enhance the operational role of Sohar Airport, attracting foreign investments. -:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:- This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one. To review the Tripadvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason. Do more of your revised plan and consider skipping the rail pass as it may be cutting it very close as to its cost-savings. You'll have to add up the actual expenses since it would cover essentially only two shinkansen trains (the expensive tickets) and some small train rides (inexpensive tickets). I think your idea of 5 days in Kyoto is a good one; 1 day in Osaka, part day in Nara. There is just so much to experience and explore in Kyoto. The focus of various days, depending upon your stamina, can roughly be broken down with various combination of choices: (1) the temples along the northeastern area, (2) the Philosophers Path, (3) Kyoto Station and nearby temples; (4) the Shijo shopping district with grande dame department stores, covered arcades, and streets with small shops; (5) Arishiyama with the moss temple (reserve tickets weeks ahead of time) and bamboo forest and monkey park among other things; (6) Fushimi Inari; (7) a magnificent little hike in the north up Mt. Kurama through the mystical woods and temple complex.... I could go on. It is a city dense with things to see and do. I personally would pass on Hiroshima as I think it provides less "bang" for the effort to get there than you would get from an additional day in Kyoto. (Note that the Peace Memorial Museum is closed for renovations and only a somewhat limited exhibition remains open for now.) On my first trip I spent 5 full days in Kyoto and wanted more. On a more recent trip I spent another 3 days there and was still frustrated I had to leave. I have visited Hiroshima and am glad I did, but I felt it was a place to see if it fell easily into an itinerary where you were essentially passing through for a day as opposed to making it a destination in itself. It was a large one (seismic intensity scale Shindo 6 lower in north of Osaka Prefecture). *About Shindo, which is more important than Richter's magnitude scale 6.1 to the actual people on the ground at various points (an earthquake can be big but far away and deep underground): It claimed three lives, who will be mourned by friends and loved ones (one schoolgirl trapped between falling block walls, another volunteer elderly patrolling the area for the safety of schoolchildren, and a person who was trapped by a falling bookshelf). Gas was cut out intentionally and temporarily to prevent fire. Water and electricity were out in some areas in Osaka Prefecture, but are resuming. Transport around Kansai Region are resuming, although some train lines are still temporarily suspended due to inspection. Delays, cancellation, and congestion is expected for this afternoon, which will continue until this evening. Schedules will be probably back to normal tomorrow. Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen have resumed operation. Edited: 3 years ago Trying to get to Tarrytown fr Melville without driving Trying to get to Tarrytown fr Melville without driving I have a rental car in Melville but would rather not drive to Tarrytown, ny during the week. My friend suggested I drop the car off at JFK vs LgA (construction) and then get to Grand Central Station GCS) to take my train to Tarrytown. 3 trains from JFK to get the GST? There must be a better way to get up there without driving. Any thoughts? Thanks everyone for all your comments and advice. This is really appreciated. There seem to be a few hotels in the Upper West Side in Manhattan that would meet that price range if we booked now; I assume these are "late availability" type sales at prices below the norm. But to get the room configuration we want it looks like it's another $300-$600 on top, which I'm not keen on. (Our initial budget was originally more like $1400 and increased when we discovered that was totally unrealistic). One final thought - any advice whether it's sensible to come later in the year, perhaps October or November? What type of weather would we expect? And are the prices any cheaper - hotels I've seen for (example dates 7-17th October were even more expensive than the Aug-Sep dates we're looking at). To clarify regarding the synagogue - it is for daily services hence why a subway would be acceptable. However the Sabbath poses a whole separate range of questions - e.g. if I could get by subway tot he synagogue in 10 minutes but it would take 45 minutes to walk there... then perhaps we'd have to look at staying somewhere else just over the Sabbath. I was using synagogues partly because this itself is important and partly as a marker for where the areas are with concentrated Jewish communities e.g. if there's one synagogue in the area the chances are the community is less concentrated there than if there are 5 on the same block... But we don't have to necessarily stay in the middle of the most densely packed community as long as we can reach the facilities we need when we need them. Meanwhie that's reminded me of another reason why AirBNB is preferable from our point of view asides from cost - hotels normally have electronic room keys which are a difficulty for us on the Sabbath.. Bottom line - thanks so much everyone for your input, so much appreciated. I think our proposed trip in its current form might be just slightly out of the budget especially as flights have now gone up in price since we started looking too. - The MPs from Mt Kenya say Raila has bad manners - They said Raila will not be allowed to kill Jubilee like he to his NASA alliance - The MPs also said Raila will not behave as if he is Jubilee Partys spokesperson - Raila, they say, will not be allowed to transfer NASA confusion to Jubilee Jubilee leaders on Sunday, June 17 accused ODM party leader Raila Odinga of intending to derail the party with his constants attacks on Deputy President William Ruto. Despite the handshake which all but changed the Kenyan political landscape in March 2018, the only loophole has been the strained relationship between Ruto and Raila. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Huyu ndiye afisa wa polisi mrembo zaidi Afrika? DP Ruto has been backed by a section of Jubilee leaders who accused Raila of trying to confuse Jubilee. Photo: Ruto/Twitter READ ALSO: Leave Ruto alone, he is not your wife - Mt Kenya MPs tell Raila The two leaders have not met eye-to-eye and have differed on several crucial points of national interest. As TUKO.co.ke reported, Raila during the Eid Baraza in Mombasa, once again defied Ruto by insisting a referendum was on the cards. Ruto during a church service attended by Jubilee leaders. Photo: Ruto/Twitter READ ALSO: Muthama ready to oust Kalonzo, lead Wiper to State House He also discredited the DPs 2022 presidential credentials, saying the fact that Ruto received massive endorsements countrywide did not make him a favorite. Barely hours after Railas sentiments and Jubilee leaders hit back, accusing the NASA leader of attempting to bring confusion to the ruling party. They spoke at the Pentecostal Church of East Africa (PCEA) and St Benedict Catholic Church, Thika, Kiambu County where they questioned Railas real intentions after making amends with Uhuru. You wont sink Jubilee like you did to NASA - Ruto allies tell Raila. Photo: Ruto/Twitter READ ALSO: At least 8 security officers feared dead in Wajir following suspected al-Shabaab attack The leaders, led by Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu, accused Raila of being an insincere politician due to his constant attacks on Ruto a Jubilee party member since Uhurus first term in 2013. Senate deputy speaker Kithure Kindiki warned Raila against meddling in Jubilee party affairs, adding that the party was very stable prior to the handshake. I want to tell Raila Odinga not to extend the confusion and wrangles that have made Nasa to be in tatters to Jubilee because we are organized as far as leadership is concerned, he said. Kindiki urged Ruto to keep up his tours across the country. Photo: Nation READ ALSO: Ex-NTV reporter to make a come back barely months after landing top county job He further defended Rutos alleged loitering, saying the DP was not campaigning but simply looking to solve the common mwananchis issues from ground level. As Jubilee, we are not campaigning for 2022 or any other year but touring the grassroots to explore ways of addressing challenges facing the people as well as launching water, health, churches among other projects," he went on. Kikuyu lawmaker Kimani Ichung'wa also took on Raila by claiming he was intimidated by the DP hence the constant attacks. I dont know why Raila Odinga panics when William Ruto devolves the recent handshake to benefit all Kenyans at the grassroots, Ichungwa said. Ruto also got an unlikely defender in his alleged campaigns on Sunday as embattled Miguna Miguna took to twitter to accuse Raila of being dishonest with his attacks on the DP. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. NYS Scam probe | Tuko TV: Source: Tuko - Gichuhi had been caught up in a corruption scam after she flew in two relatives for her birthday party - The legislator was forced to pay back the public money totaling KSh 216, 327 (USD 2139) - Gichuhi is now under more scrutiny after a video emerged of her claiming the salary she earns is not enough - Kenyan born Gichuhi made history after being elected as the first black African to the Australian Senate Seems things are not going well for Kenyan born Australian legislator Lucy Gichuhi down under. Fresh from a corruption scam that forced her to pay back public funds, Gichuhi is now under more scrutiny from the Australian public. According to Australian media ABC news, the legislator has been criticised after a video of her surfaced online claiming her salary was not enough. READ ALSO: First Kenyan elected senator in Australia found in corruption scam, forced to repay public funds Fresh from a corruption scam that had forced her to pay back public funds, Gichuhi is now under more scrutiny from the Australian public. Photo: Herald Sun READ ALSO: After Obama, Kenyan born woman elected Senator in Australia In the video, Gichuhi was asked how much she earned as a senator in Australia. "My salary here it is on the website, I don't look at it because it comes to the bank, but it's not a lot of money by the way, politicians and I mean Australia politicians work so hard, 24/7, nobody can compensate them for the work they do,'' she is quoted in the video. Her comments instantly angered Aussies who felt she was being shameful and outright ungrateful after earning 200,000 Australian dollars (KSh 15.6 million). READ ALSO: Meet Lucy Gichuhi who is set to become 1st Kenyan-born Senator In Australia (photos, video) Her comments instantly angered Aussies, who felt she was being shameful and outright ungrateful. Photo: SBS Gichuhi was elected on a Liberal Party ticket to represent South Australia, becoming the first black African in the Australian senate. On Sunday, June 17, she was forced to pay back KSh 216, 327 (USD 2139) after she flew two relatives for her birthday party. Gichuhi defended herself by claiming the expenditure was brought about by an administrative error. In 2015, Bronwyn Bishop, one of the longest serving female members of the Liberal Party was forced to resign after public outrage when she was 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 Newspaper - The eight included police officers and reservists who were on patrol - Their vehicle hit an explosive device leading to their deaths - Suspected al-Shabaab terrorists also stole the security officers' rifles and ammunition It has emerged that terrorists who shot dead eight security officers in Wajir County on Sunday, June 17, afternoon also stole six AK47 and two G3 rifles as well as 600 rounds of ammunition. Despite the delicate security situation in the area, the officers were patrolling in a Ford Ranger, and not the armoured vehicles bought by the government for billions of shillings. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens "All the eight rifles including six AK47 and two G3 rifles and all their ammos were taken away by the suspected militants," read a report to the Service headquarters. READ ALSO: Mkenya wa kwanza kuchaguliwa kuwa seneta Australia ahusishwa na ufisadi The vehicle registration number GK B918H was extensively damaged by the blast. The police headquarters has released the identity of the officers as follows: Sergeant Abdiaziz Ali, Constable Abdulahi Hirab, and Constable Ahmed Ali who were all armed with AK47 rifles and 90 rounds of ammunition each. The other officers are Constables Thomas Mchere and Ali Mohammed who were both armed with G3 rifles and a total of 120 rounds of ammunition. READ ALSO: Kirinyaga Woman Rep's brother caught up in sale of contraband sugar Three other officers were reservists who were armed with a total of three AK47 rifles and 180 rounds of ammunition. The reservists are Abdulahi Sheikh Yusuf, Daudi Ibrahim Ahmed, and Muhumed Yakub Abdi. Reports indicated that one of the officers did not die on the spot and had the response team arrived in good time, Constable Mchere's life could have been saved. "AP Constable Mchere was found injured but in a critical condition. He succumbed to the injuries while being rushed to Wajir County Hospital," the report read. READ ALSO: Kenyan born Australian Senator Lucy Gichuhi says her KSh 15.6 million salary a year is peanuts The officers booked on patrol duties at 12.15pm from Tarjab when their vehicle was hit by a landmine, about 20km from Kotulo. Immediately, a joint operation led by Tarjab AP commander was launched but no arrests nor recoveries were made. By Lucky Omenda, Tuko correspondent Nairobi 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. Source: Tuko Kenya Its a great day at the International Spaceship Launch Station in Kampala, Uganda. The East African sky is clear blue, and the conditions for sending a crew of three to Mars are perfect. It has taken years of planning to get everything just right: the three astronauts Carolyn, Habibi and Laura have trained hard, and the best route to Mars has been calculated. But something is still missing the Python code that youre about to write. This post will teach you how to create the perfect Flask app to support the space travelers as they make their way to the red planet. In case youre unfamiliar with Flask, its a micro web framework for Python. Well be using Contentful and its API-centric content infrastructure platform to fill the app with content, Twilio Programmable SMS to send text messages and a little Flask to wash it all down. Installing modules for Twilio Contentful, Flask and Flask-Markdown Once airborne, the crew will use a web app to receive instructions and friendly reminders from ground control. To accomplish this well first need to install the necessary modules with pip pip install contentful Flask Flask-Markdown twilio Creating the Flask app Well then create a small but efficient Flask app with four routes in a file called space.py . The file space.py is our entry point, so when running the app locally during development you will need to configure Flask by first running the command: export FLASK_APP=space.py And in case you need to turn on Flasks development server debugging feature, run: export FLASK_DEBUG=ON And to fire up the Flask server: flask run The Flask app will have four routes: @app.route('/') @app.route('/exosphere/') @app.route('/spacemap') @app.route('/fanmessage') Lets walk through the routes one by one. @app.route(/) This root route is used to give the astronauts some basic information as they are about to be rocketed to Mars. @app.route('/') def hello_space(): space_crew_info = get_general_information.get_general_information() return render_template('index.html', space_crew_info = space_crew_info) @app.route(/exosphere/) It will only take a matter of minutes before the spaceship reaches the exosphere, many hundred kilometers above earth. This route is designed the give each crew member instructions in their native language.

@app.route('/exosphere/') def exosphere_info(username): localized_instruction = get_exosphere_instruction.get_exosphere_instruction(username) return render_template('exosphere.html', localized_instruction = localized_instruction) @app.route(/spacemap) The third route is used to display a map of space in case the spaceship gets sucked into a black hole and needs to get back on track. Since bandwidth is always an issue when traveling to Mars, this route and its corresponding function show_spacemap will make sure to keep the payload as small as possible. Well be digging into the Contentful Image API later to learn how to work with image quality reduction and get the image size just right. @app.route('/spacemap') def show_spacemap(): spacemap = get_spacemap.get_spacemap() return render_template('spacemap.html', spacemap = spacemap) @app.route(/fanmessage) Shortly after takeoff, the space crew will send an SMS to all their fans using Twilio Programmable SMS. This is done in two steps: first the get_fan_message_content function will grab the message body from Contentful, and then the send_fan_message will connect to Twilios SMS API to deliver the message. @app.route('/fanmessage') def send_message_to_fans(): fan_message = get_fan_message_content.get_fan_message_content() send_fan_message_to_space_fans = send_fan_message.send_fan_message(fan_message) return 'nothing' The Flask code looks like this in its entirety: from flask import Flask, render_template from flaskext.markdown import Markdown import get_general_information import get_exosphere_instruction import get_spacemap import get_fan_message_content import send_fan_message from flask import Flask, render_template from flaskext.markdown import Markdown import get_general_information import get_exosphere_instruction import get_spacemap import get_fan_message_content import send_fan_message app = Flask(__name__) Markdown(app) @app.route('/') def hello_space(): space_crew_info = get_general_information.get_general_information() return render_template('index.html', space_crew_info = space_crew_info) @app.route('/exosphere/') def exosphere_info(username): localized_instruction = get_exosphere_instruction.get_exosphere_instruction(username) return render_template('exosphere.html', localized_instruction = localized_instruction) @app.route('/spacemap') def show_spacemap(): spacemap = get_spacemap.get_spacemap() return render_template('spacemap.html', spacemap = spacemap) @app.route('/fanmessage') def send_message_to_fans(): fan_message = get_fan_message_content.get_fan_message_content() send_fan_message_to_space_fans = send_fan_message.send_fan_message(fan_message) return 'nothing' But before we can run any of the four functions mentioned above, we need to create the apps content, and later the HTML / CSS files. Creating content using Contentful To get data into the Flask app, and to subsequently display it to the space crew, well create a solution based on Contentfuls API-infrastructure. This way the content that we want the space crew to see is always just an API-call away. The concept is rather simple: well send a GET request to Contentful and get our content back as JSON quick and platform independent all rolled into one. Compared to pre-populating our app with static content, the Contentful APIs allows us to update the apps content from Earth whenever we want, without having to re-deploy the app itself. You can think of this a separation between presentation layer and the content layer. But before we dive into the Python code that makes all of this possible we need to create something in Contentful called a content model. Content models Much like you design classes to create a certain kind of object, a content model acts a mold for your content. And you can use a single content model to create many content entries. To create a content model, and to later fill it with content, you will need to create a free Contentful account. First, we need to create a space. In Contentful, a space is container that holds both content models and content. To create a new space: log into to Contentful and click Add space. Give it a name (like SpaceTravel), and ensure Create an empty space is selected. Now that weve created a space called SpaceTravel , well go ahead and construct a content model. Click Add content type. Well name it AstronautGreeting. Well then add three fields: greetingTitle , greetingSender and greetingMessage . Set the first two fields, greetingTitle and greetingSender , to Short text, and greetingMessage to Long text so that we can include GitHub-flavored Markdown when creating a piece of content based on this content model. The finished content model should look like: Create content Lets add content to our model. Select Content in the navigation menu and click Add AstronautGreeting Fill in the fields, and dont forget that the greetingMessage field can be formatted using GitHub-flavored Markdown. Hit publish and then the Info button in the upper right corner. This will reveal the entry ID that we will now use to pull this specific piece of content into our Flask app. Mine is 23VKMX8Q0Eeks6W0gIC4AM , but entry IDs are always unique. When you create your own entry based on the AstronautGreeting content model, your entry will get a different entry ID than the one shown above. Call the Contentful Content Delivery API The Contentful Content Delivery API, or CDA, is a read-only API backed by a global content delivery network. One way to authenticate against the API is to generate and use a personal content delivery token. Generate your token by selecting APIs and Add API key from top navigation bar. This will display your access token along with your space ID like so: Well use both of these values together with the Contentful Delivery API SDK for Python to authenticate against Contentful and get the data we need. As you saw earlier, the root route in the Flask app connects to a function that in turn calls a method in get_general_information.py : from contentful import Client import os SPACE_ID = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID') ACCESS_TOKEN = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_ACCESS_TOKEN') ENTRY_ID = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_GENERAL_INFORMATION') def get_general_information(): client = Client(SPACE_ID, ACCESS_TOKEN) entry = client.entry(ENTRY_ID) greeting_title = entry.greeting_title greeting_message = entry.greeting_message greeting_sender = entry.greeting_sender return ({'greeting_title':greeting_title, 'greeting_message': greeting_message, 'greeting_sender': greeting_sender}) The get_general_information() function will primarily do three things Set up the connection to Contentful using the SPACE_ID and the ACCESS_TOKEN as parameters. Grab the piece of content we want (the astronaut greeting) by its ENTRY_ID Extract the entries we want using entry.fields().get() . For example: greeting_title = entry.greeting_title The dictionary data structure that the get_general_information() function returns will then be rendered by Flask using the index.html template. In short, index.html is used to display the information we got from the get_general_information() function. Well also use index.html to build the interface that the space travelers will use to receive instructions as well as interacting with their fans. Space

Space

{{ space_crew_info.get('greeting_title') }}

{{ space_crew_info.get('greeting_message') | markdown }}

{{ space_crew_info.get('greeting_sender') }}

Get Exosphere Instructions





And the CSS file to go with that, style.css : body{ font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Space Mono', monospace; } a { text-decoration: none; background-color: black; color: white; padding: 10px; } Notice that {{ space_crew_info.get('greeting_message') | markdown }} will be rendered to markdown. This is because markdown-formatted greeting_message we got from Contentful in the JSON response contains markdown. And the result is like so: Localization support Tests have shown that astronauts tend to prefer instructions in their native language once they reach the exosphere. Thats why well design the get_exosphere_instruction() method to do just that. When a member of the crew clicks their name in the GUI shown above, they will be sent via @app.route('/exosphere/') , which then runs get_exosphere_instruction.py : from contentful import Client import os SPACE_ID = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID') ACCESS_TOKEN = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_ACCESS_TOKEN') ENTRY_ID = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_EXOSPHERE_ENTRY_ID') def get_exosphere_instruction(username): client = Client(SPACE_ID, ACCESS_TOKEN) if username == 'habibi': entry = client.entry(ENTRY_ID,{'locale': 'sw'}) elif username == 'laura': entry = client.entry(ENTRY_ID,{'locale': 'de'}) else: entry = client.entry(ENTRY_ID) exosphere_instruction = entry.exosphere_instruction return ({'exosphere_instruction':exosphere_instruction}) So when crew member Habibi, born and raised in Tanzania, clicks the instruction button with her name on it she will see the instructions in Swahili. Laura on the other hand will see the same instructions in German since the locale is set to {'locale': 'de'} . To configure localization support we must create a new content model and populate it with content. This time well create a content model called ExosphereInstruction with only one field, exosphereInstruction, and set it to Short text. And finally well check Enable localization of this field under settings. Then head over to Space settings and Locales to configure the locales we need: And then create the translated instructions. You can use the following translations: English: Double-click Swahili: Bonyeza mara mbili German: Doppelklick So now the crew will receive a translated Double-click when the click the instruction button. The JSON returned from Contentful looks like so: { "sys": { "space": { "sys": { "type": "Link", "linkType": "Space", "id": "2xk5j5tx9byz" } }, "id": "4ZENDXV0R22Y8wsugCaGQ0", "type": "Entry", "createdAt": "2017-11-03T16:07:11.651Z", "updatedAt": "2017-11-03T16:07:11.651Z", "revision": 1, "contentType": { "sys": { "type": "Link", "linkType": "ContentType", "id": "exosphereInstruction" } }, "locale": "sw" }, "fields": { "exosphereInstruction": "Bonyeza mara mbili" } } And the rendered result for each supported language looks like so: Saving bandwidth with the Image API Bandwidth is always an issue, especially when going to Mars. And while the mission is well-planned, it cant hurt to give the astronauts access to a map in case they get lost. Save this image to your computer so that you can upload it to Contentful: But the map is stored as one big clumsy JPEG so how can we control the payload size from our Flask app going to the spaceship? The answer is the Contentful Image API. Well add the map JPEG by selecting Media, followed by Add asset(s): Once weve added the image well have to click the Publish button to make sure that our images asset is reachable from our app. The code that will grab the JPEG from the Image API, called get_spacemap.py and later display it to our space explorers looks like so: from contentful import Client import os SPACE_ID = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID') ACCESS_TOKEN = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_ACCESS_TOKEN') ASSET_ID = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_SPACEMAP_ASSET_ID') def get_spacemap(): client = Client(SPACE_ID, ACCESS_TOKEN) asset = client.asset(ASSET_ID) return asset.url(q=50, w=300) The are two things worth highlighting in the code above. The first thing is the ASSET_ID variable. This variable allows us to point out the specific asset that we want to grab in this case our JPEG spacemap. The ASSET_ID is unique for every asset you add to Contentful. You can view the ASSET_ID of every asset you add to Contentful by clicking the info button: The other interesting thing is the method asset.url(q=50, w=300) . The two parameters allows us to set the quality and the width of the image that the API call will return. This allows us to reduce the image size from its original 571 KB down to 8.2 KB, for a reduction of 562.8 KB: Using Twilio to message space travel fans Sending people into outer space is spectacular, and the project has created a large fan base. As a token of appreciation, the space crew will send out an SMS to all the projects supporters right after take-off. We first need to create the content type that will contain the fan message: Well create a content type with a single text field that will hold the SMS message. Name it FanMessage and specify Short text, exact search. Next step is to create a Message to our fans entry. Well then add the SMS message body. After clicking publish, look up the entry ID by selecting the info button. For me, the entry ID for the fanMessage was 6ccyHZLN7O2wwacaY4KeGM. As before, yours will be unique. To grab the message body from Contentful, well create get_fan_message_content.py like so: from contentful import Client import os SPACE_ID = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID') ACCESS_TOKEN = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_ACCESS_TOKEN') ENTRY_ID = os.getenv('CONTENTFUL_FAN_MESSAGE_ENTRY_ID') def get_fan_message_content(): client = Client(SPACE_ID, ACCESS_TOKEN) entry = client.entry(ENTRY_ID) message_to_fans = entry.fan_message return (message_to_fans) We then need to create a function that delivers the SMS text body we grabbed from Contentful and sends it out to fans. Lets create send_fan_message.py with the following content: from twilio.rest import Client import os def send_fan_message(fan_message): ACCOUNT_SID = os.getenv('TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID') AUTH_TOKEN = os.getenv('TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN') client = Client(ACCOUNT_SID, AUTH_TOKEN) client.api.account.messages.create( to="+4917689272359", from_="+4915735989263", body=fan_message) To call the send_fan_message() function and send out the SMS via Twilio, the space crew will click the Send message to fans at the bottom of the GUI: This will trigger a JQuery .click function that sends of a GET request to be received by the /fanmessage flask route. $("#fanMessage").click(function() { $.get("/fanmessage", function(data){ alert("Message sent to fans"); }); }); To Infinity...and Beyond! Weve had a quick look at how to build a Flask app that utilizes the Contentful content delivery API and the Contentful Image API. We also saw how to integrate localization to your project together with utilizing Twilios Programmable SMS API to send text messages. If you want to tinker on your own, the repo for this code can be found at github.com/robertsvensson/spaceTravel. Safe travels! The share of Ukrainian goods exported to the Russian Federation in January-April 2018 made up 7.7% of total Ukraines exports. The State Statistics Service of Ukraine released the relevant report on the geographical structure of foreign trade in January-April 2018. In particular, over the reporting period, the top export destinations of Ukraine were Russia (7.7%), Poland (7%), Turkey (6.1%), Italy (6.1%), India (5.7%), Egypt (4, 2%), China (4.2%), Germany (4.1%), Hungary (3.7%), and the Netherlands (3.4%). The leaders in terms of the dynamics of growth of exports from Ukraine in January-April 2018 (compared to the same period last year) were Latvia (+84%), Morocco (+ 67.8%), Moldova (+ 66.7%), Slovakia (+ 65.7%), Serbia (+ 57.5%), Bulgaria (+ 46%), Hungary (+ 48.8%), Germany (+ 37.4%), Iraq (+ 37.8%), and the Czech Republic (+ 33.8%). At the same time, the largest drop in exports over the reporting period was recorded to the following countries: Iran (-43.7%), Japan (-26.7%), Republic of Korea (-23%), Egypt (-21.5%), Saudi Arabia (-20.7%). Exports to the Russian Federation decreased by 6.4%. In general, in January-April 2018, Ukraine exported goods for the amount of $15,456.9 million or 112.8% compared to the same period last year, while imports made up $16,879.8 million or 115.1%. The negative balance totaled $1,422.9 million (in January-April 2017 negative balance made up $968.6 million). Foreign trade operations were carried out with partners from 210 countries. iy Norwegian company Scatec Solar plans to enter the Ukrainian market and build two solar power plants in Cherkasy region. "Norwegian company Scatec Solar, which has installed 322 MW of solar power plants in the Czech Republic, South Africa and other countries and has more than 1,092 MW in the pipeline, intends to enter the Ukrainian market," the press service of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine reports. It is noted that the company plans to install two solar power plants with a capacity of 33 MW and 50 MW, respectively, in Cherkasy region. The plant will produce about 106 million kWh per year. The total cost of the project is EUR 85 million. At the same time, Scatec Solar expects to participate in the EBRD project. "Ukraine is working actively to increase the share of renewable energy. We hope that the installation of two plants will be the first step in developing a large portfolio of green projects in this country," commented CEO of Scatec Solar Raymond Carlsen. ol State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert has called on Russia and military forces under its control to stop shelling the OSCE observers in the occupied territories in eastern Ukraine. "Im seeing reports Russia-subordinated personnel fired a weapon to intimidate unarmed OSCE SMM monitors in eastern Ukraine. OSCE SMM risks their lives to protect civilians. Russia should stop this deplorable behavior before more SMM personnel are killed and get out of Ukraine," she wrote on Saturday. Earlier, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) reported that militants in Pikuzy (Volnovaskyi district) opened fire in the direction of SMM patrol members on June 14. ish On July 18-19, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin will be on a working visit to the State of Israel, where he will participate in a meeting of the joint Ukrainian-Israeli Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. This was reported by the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine. "On June 18-19, 2018, in Jerusalem, the 11th session of the joint Ukrainian - Israeli Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation will be held under the -chairmanship of Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin," the report reads. The Israeli side of the Commission is headed by the Minister of Environmental Protection of Israel, the Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, Zeev Elkin. The Commission will discuss the key issues of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, in particular, the prospects of interaction in the fields of trade, investments, tourism, agriculture, innovations, energy, communications etc. During the visit, Klimkin is planning to meet with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III. ish President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko says he will not allow revising the decentralization policy as it is in the interests of Ukrainian citizens and is one of the most efficient reforms. "I will not allow revising this policy as decentralization is in the interests of the communities, the interests of the residents. It is in the interests of all the citizens of Ukraine," the Head of State said at the XIV Ukrainian Municipal Forum, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Poroshenko emphasized that decentralization had drawn the authorities nearer to people and had turned out to be an effective vaccination against federalization. According to him, the reform of decentralization promotes settlement of many infrastructure and social problems in the best way, complies with the European integration plans, being fully synchronized with the European Charter of Local Self-Government. In addition, decentralization is an effective part of Ukraine's anti-corruption strategy, since it reduces the influence of the state on the distribution of monetary resources, demonopolizes and disperses the financial power, the President said. "Time has shown that we were right in our calculations. This policy is absolutely correct, and decentralization has proved to be efficient," he stressed. l Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova, who now is making visit to Russia, has been denied access to Roman Sushchenko and other political prisoners to conceal the information about their health status and exert psychological pressure on them. This opinion was expressed by First Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Gerashchenko. "Despite the agreements reached at the highest level, Liudmyla Denisova, who has been in the Russian Federation for five days already, has been denied access to Ukrainian political prisoners (she was not allowed to visit Oleg Sentsov, Mykola Karpiuk, Roman Sushchenko). Concealing the truth about the prisoners, denial of access to them, is most likely to indicate the deterioration of health of Ukrainians, psychological pressure on them," Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook. She added that today Denisova would meet with her Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova. Ukraines human rights commissioner will raise the issue of Russia's non-compliance with the agreements of the presidents on access to persons in the custody. ol President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has welcomed the decision of the European Union to extend "Crimean" sanctions for one more year. Poroshenko wrote this on his Facebook page. "I welcome the decision of the EU Council to extend for another year the "Crimean package" of sanctions against the Russian aggressor. We are counting on the EU's rigid position on new security challenges from Russia in the Black and Azov Seas," Poroshenko wrote. He added that he will discuss this issue with the EU leaders during the summit on July. As reported, on June 18, 2018, the EU Council extended the restrictive measures until June 23, 2019 in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia. The measures apply to EU persons an EU based companies concerning their activities in Crimea in trade, economic, financial and investment spheres, energy, and tourism. ish Flamingos have returned to Lake Syvash in Kherson region, southern Ukraine. Last year, three flamingo couples nested along the shores of a salt lake on the island of Churiuk near the Azov-Syvash National Nature Park. "A few days ago, another flamingo couple was noticed several hundred meters away from last year's nests. Entire flock of ten birds of this species appeared simultaneously on Syvash near the village of Henhirka, Henichesk district," a local website Khersontsi reports. Employee of the Azov-Black Sea Ornithological Station, Candidate of Biological Sciences Yuri Andriushchenko says that new nests of flamingos have not been found in this locality so far. They have not been built yet or are simply hidden, he added. ol The Monash University in Melbourne will host the international conference "Ukraine and the World: Culture, Politics, Society" on July 12-14. The scientists from Australia, Ukraine, Belgium, Italy, Canada, New Zealand and the US will discuss the role and place of modern Ukraine in the world, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "In order to understand the modern world, we need to understand Ukraine. The challenges Ukraine faces now preservation of sovereignty in the context of war and hostile economic and cultural pressure; strengthening democracy against the global trend towards authoritarianism; combating corruption in the public and private sectors; providing all the citizens with decent living standards are the challenges that the whole world community faces. During our conference, the scientists from different countries will consider these and other relevant issues," said Mark Pavlyshyn, director of the Mykola Zerov Centre for Ukrainian Studies at the Monash University. Apart from the Mykola Zerov Centre for Ukrainian Studies, the conference co-organizers are the Ukrainian Studies Association of Australia and New Zealand and the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Australia. The conference will be held with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in Australia. ol The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed the presidential draft law "On the High Anti-Corruption Court" in the second reading on Thursday, June 7. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hopes on Tuesday, June 19, to submit a bill on the launch of the High Anti-Corruption Court to the Verkhovna Rada. "I will do everything so that a new anti-corruption court is created this year. I hope on Monday the High Council of Justice will pass my bill on the launch of the High Anti-Corruption Court, and on Tuesday I will be able to register it as urgent in the Verkhovna Rada," he wrote on Facebook. Read alsoDangerous "loophole" revealed in Ukraine's new law on Anti-Corruption Court - NGO As UNIAN reported earlier, the Verkhovna Rada passed the presidential draft law "On the High Anti-Corruption Court" in the second reading on Thursday, June 7. The document stipulates that the High Anti-Corruption Court is a permanently acting high specialized court in Ukraine's judicial system. On June 11, the president signed the law, and it came into force on June 14. After its publication, it became known that appeals against the decisions of the first instance courts on cases transferred by the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) prior to the creation of the High Anti-Corruption Court will be challenged in the courts of appeal of general jurisdiction rather than in the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court. On June 14, NABU Director Artem Sytnyk said the draft law had initially provided for the decisions of the first instance courts, even those made before the creation of the High Anti-Corruption Court, to be challenged in the Appeals Chamber of the High Arbitration Court, but this rule was changed before the vote. On Saturday, June 16, during an interview with Ukrainian TV channels, Poroshenko said he considered it expedient to transfer all corruption cases to the Anti-Corruption Court after its creation. The Lefortovo administration issued a no-go despite a relevant request for the visit produced by the Ombudsperson, along with a court decision. Over the past 5 days, since Ukrainian Parliament's Human Rights Commissioner Liudmyla Denisova went to Russia to visit Ukrainian political prisoners held in Russian prisons, she has already been denied access to Oleh Sentsov, Mykola Karpiuk and, today, a Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko, according to Iryna Gerashchenko, First Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The administration of Moscow's notorious prison, Lefortovo, issued a no-go despite a relevant request for the visit produced by the Ombudsperson, along with a court decision. "I was just informed that Liudmyla [Denisova] was denied access to Lefortovo where R.Sushchenko and other Ukrainians are being held. Her request for a visit and the relevant documents were forwarded for consideration to the federal penitentiary service, although the issue should be considered and decided on at the level of the prison chief," Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook. The Vice Parliament Chair noted that despite a valid court ruling granting Denisova a visit to Sushchenko, she was not allowed to see the Ukrainian prisoner after waiting for hours for a relevant access to be granted. According to Gerashchenko, despite the agreements reached at the highest level, Denysova, who has been in the Russian Federation for 5 days already, was not admitted to any of the Ukrainian political prisoners held there. Read alsoKremlin fails to explain access denial as UA Ombudsperson not allowed to visit Sentsov "Today, a meeting should be held between L. Denisova and her Russian counterpart T. Moskalkova. The Ukrainian obmudswoman will raise the issue of non-compliance by the Russian side with the agreements of the two presidents on the access of authorized persons to the detainees," the Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada said. As UNIAN reported earlier, an Ukrinform correspondent in France, Roman Sushchenko, was arrested by the FSB upon his arrival in Moscow September 30, 2016. Security agents claimed he was in fact a Ukrainian military intelligence operative and charged him with "espionage." On March 27, 2018, the Moscow court began a closed-doors trial in the Sushchenko case. The prosecution requested a 14-year sentence. On June 4, the Moscow City Court sentenced Sushchenko to 12 years in a high-security colony. The Head of State welcomes the decision of the EU Council to extend the ban on European companies to invest in Crimea. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko says he expects from the European Union to take a strong stance toward new security challenges Russia is now posing in the Black and Azov Seas. "I welcome the decision of the EU Council to extend for another year the "Crimean package" of sanctions against the Russian aggressor," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook. "We are counting on the EU's rigid position on new security challenges from Russia in the Black and Azov Seas. We will discuss the issue with the EU leaders during the Summit on July 9," the president wrote. Read alsoEuropean Parliament condemns Russia's violation of human rights in occupied Crimea As UNIAN reported, today, June 18, the Council of the European Union extended for another year, until June 23, 2019, a set of sanctions prohibiting European companies from investing in the Russian-occupied Crimea and importing goods from the peninsula. Earlier, Petro Poroshenko stated that the priority of the Ukraine-EU summit, scheduled for July 9, would be the need to integrate Kyiv into the EU's energy, digital, and customs unions and the Schengen zone. Another call was also voiced, to cease the use of the legal system to suppress dissent and peaceful religious practice. The U.S. Department of State has called on Russia to release the illegally sentenced Ukrainian nationals, Oleh Sentsov, Stanislav Klykh, Oleksandr Shumkov and Volodymyr Balukh, that's according to a press statement by spokesperson Heater Nauert titled "Political and Religious Prisoners Held by the Russian Government." The United States is deeply concerned by the growing number of individualsnow more than 150identified by credible human rights organizations as political and religious prisoners held by the Government of the Russian Federation, according to Nauert. "We are especially concerned about the welfare of four Ukrainians unjustly imprisoned who are currently on hunger strikeOleh Sentsov, Stanislav Klykh, Oleksandr Shumkov, and Volodymyr Balukh," the spokesperson said. Read alsoUkrainian Ombudspeson denied access to journalist Sushchenko "We are likewise troubled by the case of Oyub Titiyev, a human rights activist prosecuted on trumped-up drug charges in Chechnya, whose pre-trial detention was recently extended. In retaliation for peaceful religious practice, Russian authorities have detained Jehovahs Witness Dennis Christensen without trial since May 2017. Five Church of Scientology leaders have also been subjected to detention without trial since June 2017, as well as over a dozen Muslim followers of Turkish theologian Said Nursi," reads the statement. The U.S. State Department calls on Russia "to release all those identified as political or religious prisoners immediately and cease its use of the legal system to suppress dissent and peaceful religious practice." The Hungarian Foreign Minister announced negotiations with Ukraine on the resolution of conflict around the Ukrainian law on education. At the end of this week, a high-level intergovernmental meeting will be held between representatives of Ukraine and Hungary over disagreements that arose after the adoption in September 2017 of a new Ukrainian law on education, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday, speaking at a conference on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional Languages in Strasbourg, Deutsche Welle reports. The Hungarian minister noted that this will be the first meeting at such a level since the dialogue between Kyiv and Budapest has worsened as a result of an ongoing dispute over the Ukrainian legislation, but did not specify the details of the upcoming talks. Szijjarto insists that the right of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine are being violated. According to him, more than 150,000 Hungarians residing in Ukraine until recently had the right to receive education in their native language, but after the adoption of the new law on education, "they lost such right." Read alsoMFA Ukraine says "constructive negotiations" launched with Hungarians on education law Szijjarto criticized the Council of Europe for the fact that the European Union is more concerned about the situation with migrants than Zakarpattia-based Hungarians. The minister demanded that the Council of Europe exert pressure on Ukraine to ensure implementation of the Venice Commission's recommendations. He also criticized the Venice Commission, accusing its members of putting forward requirements concerning the Hungarian Stop Soros legislative package, "which is aimed at protecting Hungary, but is less active with relation to the already valid Ukrainian legislation." At the same time, Szijjarto stressed that the protection of rights of national minorities remains in the major focus of Hungarian foreign policy. Read alsoSzijjarto hails U.S. role in efforts to settle Hungary-Ukraine language row UNIAN memo. In September 2017, Ukraine adopted a new education law, where Article 7 states that children from families belonging to ethnic minorities will be taught in secondary schools in their native language from first to fourth grade starting in 2020, after which the language of instruction will be Ukrainian, the only state language in Ukraine. The language provision has caused some international criticism, in particular, on the part of Budapest. Hungary said that it would block Ukraine's efforts toward rapprochement with NATO and EU if Kyiv fails to postpone the implementation of the education law. The relevant agreement was reached with the Turkish president, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister noted. President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to help Ukraine in freeing its hostages and political prisoners from Russian captivity, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin. "It was very important in the case of Ilmi (Umerov) and Akhtem (Chiygoz). We talked about it for a long time. It was very difficult. I think that Erdogan himself might one day speak about it, maybe after the elections, but now it's better to work on a new liberation," Klimkin told TV Channel 5. "Of course, you can tell things, but it's always a very sensitive issue. It's better to have more people released. And he said he will help us. We talked about it. I'll say nothing more, deliberately," the Foreign Minister stressed. Read alsoPoroshenko calls on Erdogan to help Ukraine free Ukrainian hostages held in Russia As UNIAN reported earlier, on June 12, Klimkin, alongside Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, participated in the opening ceremony of the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP) stretching from Azerbaijan to Turkey. On October 9, 2017, Poroshenko announced the agreement with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to coordinate actions to protect the rights and freedoms of Ukrainian citizens in the occupied Crimea. On October 25, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, People's Deputy Refat Chubarov said that Russia had handed over to Turkey his deputies Ilmi Umerov and Akhtem Chiygoz. Chubarov noted that in the liberation of Umerov and Chiygoz from Russian captivity, the Ukrainian president, leaders of other countries, Mejlis and lawyers had been involved. Ukrainian nationalists on May 14 caught a Brazilian mercenary, Lusvarghi, who fought on the side of Russian-led forces in Donbas. The Investigation Department of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine has opened criminal proceedings against the Ukrainian nationalist organization C14 (Sich) over the detention of Brazilian mercenary Rafael Lusvarghi, who earlier confessed in fighting on the side of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Repiblic" in Donbas. Lusvarghi's lawyer Valentyn Rybin posted a copy of the SBU's response to his request. As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian nationalists on May 4 caught a Brazilian mercenary, Lusvarghi, who fought on the side of Russian-led forces in Donbas. First he was put on his knees and forced to apologize before Ukrainians for participating in military aggression against Ukraine, and then he was taken to the SBU. The SBU went on to carry on procedural actions with the Brazilian national. The foreigner was supposed to be part of a December 2017 exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war, therefore a Ukrainian court had released him despite his 13-year imprisonment sentence. Lusvarghi's lawyer Valentin Rybin says his defendant was unable to return to Brazil because "the Ukrainian authorities had not given the passport and travel documents back to the Brazilian." Lusvarghi's retrial was expected to begin on June 6, but after the incident, it was rescheduled for May 7. On May 7, Pavlohrad district court of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region took Lusvarghi into custody. He will remain in custody for the next 60 days. According to intelligence reports, five occupiers were wounded in the last day. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 20 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as wounded in action (WIA). Read alsoDay in Donbas: Militants fire small arms at Lebedynske "There was an activation of Russian occupation troops in the evening and at night. In the Luhansk sector, at about 19:00 and at midnight, the occupiers opened fire from mortars at the Ukrainian positions near the villages of Krymske and Novotoshkivske. One Ukrainian soldier was wounded during the shelling in Krymske," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on June 18, 2018. The enemy also used proscribed weapons in the Donetsk sector near the villages of Pisky and Starohnativka, and the town of Volnovakha. In the Mariupol sector, fighting continued with the use of small arms near the villages of Pyshevyk, Hnutove, Vodiane and Shyrokyne. "The proper engineering equipment of our positions and an adequate response of the Joint Forces prevented the loss of personnel and more activation of the enemy. According to intelligence reports, the enemy suffered losses in the last day: five occupiers were wounded. There have been no casualties among our troops over the past day," reads the report. The inland quake did not trigger a tsunami and no nuclear power plants in the vicinity reported abnormalities, but dozens of fires were reported in Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto and Mie prefectures, according to local authorities. A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 hit Osaka and other parts of western Japan on Monday morning, leaving at least three people dead and more than 200 injured, disrupting rush-hour traffic and cutting off power, water and gas in the area. The 7:58 a.m. quake occurred at a depth of about 13 kilometers in the northern part of Osaka Prefecture, where it registered lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, according to Kyodo News. The inland quake did not trigger a tsunami and no nuclear power plants in the vicinity reported abnormalities, but dozens of fires were reported in Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto and Mie prefectures, according to local authorities. In a quake with an intensity of lower 6, it is difficult to remain standing and unsecured furniture may move or topple over, according to the agency. Read alsoBig Mexico quake cuts power and damages homes, two dead in crash media Although its magnitude was relatively small, the quake is believed to have led to high-intensity tremors because of the shallow epicenter. It is the largest seismic intensity the western Japan prefecture has registered since the agency started full-fledged observations in 1923. The agency revised the quake's magnitude and depth from the initially announced M5.9 and 10 km. Rina Miyake, a 9-year-old girl, died on her way to school after a wall several dozens of meters long around a swimming pool collapsed in Takatsuki, while Minoru Yasui, an 80-year-old resident of Osaka's Higashiyodogawa Ward, was killed after a wall collapsed over him. Motochika Goto, 85, was crushed by a bookcase and died in Ibaraki in the Osaka suburbs, according to local police. "The government has united to respond (to the disaster) under the policy to put top priority on people's lives," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said as the government set up an emergency response team. The weather agency warned that a strong quake with a similar size could jolt the Osaka region within a week, but dismissed concerns that Monday's temblor could trigger a megaquake that is projected to occur in the future off western Japan with massive tsunami. Many commuters in the morning rush hour were left stranded at stations and on streets as the quake disrupted operations of shinkansen bullet train and other railways in western and central Japan. Kansai and Kobe airports in the region temporarily closed but resumed operation after confirming no abnormalities to the facilities. Osaka Gas Co. said it suspended gas supply to 108,000 households in Osaka Prefecture following the quake, while more than 170,000 homes in Osaka and neighboring Hyogo Prefecture are suffering a blackout, Kansai Electric Power Co. said. No abnormalities were reported at the Takahama, Mihama and Oi nuclear plants in central Japan, according to Kansai Electric. An elevator operator said there were at least 70 cases of people being temporarily trapped inside elevators in Osaka Prefecture and nearby areas, while the police said a water pipe on a road in Takatsuki burst and flooded the area. Public services were also suspended due to the quake. Court sessions scheduled for the day were all canceled in Osaka district, high and summary courts, while hundreds of public schools in the affected areas were also closed. In a 1995 deadly quake in the region, which had a magnitude of 7.3 and recorded 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, 6,434 people were killed. Monday's temblor was the latest in a string of quakes over the last few days. A magnitude 4.6 quake hit southern Gunma, north of Tokyo, on Sunday, and a magnitude 4.5 temblor struck Chiba, near Tokyo, on Saturday. German automaker and Audi's parent company Volkswagen confirmed the detention. CEO Rupert Stadler was detained on Monday on suspicion of fraud, according to prosecutors in the city of Munich. German automaker and Audi's parent company Volkswagen confirmed the detention. Stadler was under investigation for malpractice in the emissions cheating scandal at Volkswagen, Deutsche Welle wrote. "The arrest warrant is based on concealment of evidence," Munich prosecutors said. Stadler has denied any involvement. Read alsoSales of new cars in Ukraine grow by 4% in May Audi has been accused of having sold at least 210,000 diesel-engine cars fitted with cheat software in the U.S. and Europe, starting in 2009. The luxury carmaker is also being investigated for allegations of fraud and illegal product promotion. The investigation is looking into 20 Audi employees. Munich prosecutors announced on June 13 that the Audi CEO and another unnamed board member were now part of the investigation. Authorities then carried out a search of Stradler's home. Stadler has been an Audi board member since 2003 and has held its top managerial spot since 2007, two years prior to the alleged emissions-cheating activities. Volkswagen (VW) admitted in 2015 that it had used illegal software to cheat on emissions tests in diesel engines. Audi followed its parent company's admission two months later. VW has not commented on his alleged involvement, but in its 2017 annual report, the carmaker said that the decision to install illegal "defeat device" software was made by individuals below the management board level in 2006. The Dieselgate scandal has prompted a lengthy investigation, heavy fines, profit losses and numerous recalls. Consumer confidence has suffered, with diesel cars seeing a decline in sales. Adding to the industry's woes, a landmark ruling by a German court deemed it permissible for cities and communities to implement bans on old diesel. Hamburg became the first city last month to implement such ban. (@ChaudhryMAli88) KUWAIT, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 18th Jun, 2018) Air traffic at the Kuwait International Airport was back to normal Sunday after a few hours of disruption due to unstable weather, said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The DGCA resumed traffic at the airport after the improvement of the visibility level, head of the Air Aviation Department at the DGCA Emad Al-Senosi told KUNA. He, however, forecasted that the unstable weather might continue over the coming four days, but could relatively improve as of Tuesday. MANAMA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 18th Jun, 2018) The Kingdom of Bahrain has condemned the terrorist attack that targeted a gathering in Rodat District, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, which resulted in the death and injury of a number of security forces and civilians. Bahrain news Agency, BNA, quoted a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as affirming that the Kingdom stands by Afghanistan in its fight against terrorism, reiterating the position of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which rejects violence and terrorism in all its forms, regardless of its motives and justifications. The statement also stressed the importance of strengthening international efforts aimed at eliminating terrorism that threatens international peace and security. The Ministry expressed sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and wished the injured speedy recovery. (@ChaudhryMAli88) RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jun, 2018 ) :Like other parts of the country, Eid-ul-Fitr celebrated here with great religious zeal and fervor marking the culmination of the holy month of Ramazan amid tight security arrangements as over 4000 cops were deployed to guard the city. The Eid day dawned on Saturday with special Eid sermons where Ulema stressed for unity of Muslim Ummah and prayed for the prosperity and well being of the country. On this occasion, special prayers were also offered for the progress and prosperity of the country, unity of the 'Ummah', solution of their problems and liberation of Muslim territories including occupied Kashmir and Palestine. All important public and private buildings, including shopping centres were decorated and illuminated. Main Eid congregations were held here at Liaqat Bagh and Eidgah sharif. Hundreds of thousands of believers thronged the mosques and Eidgahs to offer Eid prayers in the town on Saturday. A number of big eid congregations were held here where special arrangements were made to offer eid prayer. Ulema and khateebs from different schools of thought delivered special sermons to highlight the significance of the day. Following the Eid prayers, Muslims spent their time feasting with family and friends and feeding those who are less fortunate. Sweets and other special dishes were prepared for serving the guests. People also exchanged gifts on the occasion. Meanwhile, over 4000 police personnel including Elite police, ladies police, special branch personnel and volunteers were deployed to guard the lives and properties of the public on Eid ul Fitr. City Police Officer Rawalpindi Afzaal Ahmed Kosar had ordered foolproof security for Eid ul Fitr prayer congregations. Police holidays were cancelled to ensure the security of the citizens in the city while additional cops were deployed for sensitive areas, grave yards, mosques, Eidgahs, Imam Bargahs and picnic points as part of a special security plan for Eid. All out efforts were made to avoid any untoward incident on Eid ul Fitr, said police spokesman. He further informed that over 2500 police officers and Jawans were deployed in all the sensitive places including bazaars and shopping malls to maintain law and order situation on Chand Raat. Similarly, enhanced number of law enforcers guarded public on Eid, he added. Officials of Special Branch, Elite Force Commandos, Ladies Police, Muhafiz Force and Police Qaumi Razkars also performed security duties. Eid prayers were offered at 875 mosques, 50 Imam Barghas and 63 prayer grounds in the district. Main mosques of the city were especially covered by armed police personnel. The security plan continued throughout the days of Eid al-Fitr under the supervision of City Police Officer (CPO), said the spokesman. City Traffic Police (CTP) also made special arrangements for Eid ul Fitr and traffic wardens were deployed to control traffic near Eidgahs, mosques and Imam Bargahs. Talking to APP, CTP spokesman informed that two Deputy Superintendents of Police, 41 Inspectors, 507 Warden Officers and 137 Traffic Assistants performed field duties to regulate city traffic on Chand Raat and Eid ul Fitr. 400 Rescuers remained on special duties in the district control room, emergency rescue stations with 30 fully equipped emergency ambulances, nine fire vehicles, five rescue and recovery vehicles, two water bowzers, two special vehicles and 45 motorbike ambulances during Eid holidays to provide emergency cover to the citizens in case of any emergency. In Murree, 150 rescuers also remained on high alert at different points with eight fully equipped ambulances and three fire vehicles. Special rescue posts were established at key points of the city. District Control Room remained functional round the clock for provision of effective emergency services to the public and leaves of rescuers were restricted in this regard. Rescue 1122 was on high alert in the district for effective response and management of emergencies in case of any flash-flooding during Eid holidays, claimed the spokesman. PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jun, 2018 ) :Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Dost Muhammad Khan has directed the heads of public sector institutions to remove obstacles in holding of smooth, timely, impartial and transparent elections in the province. The departmental heads should indicate the problems obstructing smooth elections in the province and make all-out efforts to remove them, he added. The chief minister assured the redeployment of Frontier Constabulary in FR Bannu because of the sensitive nature of the area in order to provide foolproof security for the smooth conduct of general elections. He was presiding over a meeting of the heads of government departments of Bannu Division during his day long visit to the area on the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr. During the visit, he also met the people of the area. The caretaker chief minister was given a comprehensive briefing by the administration. The Deputy Inspector General of Police Bannu presented his security plan on the occasion, which was appreciated by the chief minister. Justice Dost Muhammad Khan gave a comprehensive security plan to all the administrative officers of different departments and directed them to play their active role to make the peaceful and transparent conduct of elections a "success story". The chief minister also assured provision of vehicles to the officials of Election Commission for their election duties. He further assured to arrange ambulances to meet any emergency in the elections. Dost Muhammad Khan reaffirmed his commitment that his government would fulfill its constitutional obligation of holding transparent and impartial elections. He expressed the hope that the public sector institutions would come up with the high level of preparedness. All the departments should follow the guidelines laid down by the Election Commission. They should never allow anyone to influence the general election but remove all the obstacles providing an enabling environment to the people to exercise their right of vote, he added. He called upon the administration to be impartial in order to make the general elections 2018exemplary. "Our mandate is to hold of transparent elections and we have to ensure that we are doing justice to our constitutionally mandated role," he stressed. The chief minister directed the administration to give relief to the people. He himself was working round the clock and wish the administration to follow suit. (@ChaudhryMAli88) PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jun, 2018 ) :A commander of banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was arrested before boarding a flight for Dubai from Bacha Khan International Airport Peshawar late Sunday night, a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) spokesman said. FIA personnel arrested TTP commander Maulvi Bahadar Jan during checking of his documents as his name was included in the Exit Control List. Maulvi Bahadar Jan belongs to Bannu district and is required to the law enforcing agencies for his involvement in a number of terrorist acts. As expected, right of center candidate Ivan Duque, has won the Colombian Presidential Election second round runoff. James Blears reports that he could now alter, amend and toughen the fabric of the 2016 Peace Agreement, which ended more than half a century of civil war. By James Blears With almost all of the votes counted, Ivan Duque of the Center Democratic Party, has 54 percent of the vote, while Gustavo Petro of the Humane Colombia Movement has almost 42 percent. Petro has already conceded defeat. Duque, a protogee of former President Alvaro Uribe, must now move out of and away from his giant encoraching shadow. Pro investment, mining and petroleum, Duque staunchly opposes the 2016 Peace Agreement. He's promising to make hard line structural changes to it, calling for courts to deliver proportional punishments for war crimes. He says there will be no impunity, which means The Colombian Military as well as the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia...the FARC, must be held more fully accountable for a litany of crimes against humanity, during 52 bitter years. The youngest President Elect in Colombia's history, 41 year old Ivan Duque has prematurely gray hair. The responsibility, problems and issues he now faces could turn that to snow white. The vice president of the Funcinpec party has called for a thorough investigation into the causes of the car crash that killed the wife of party leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh on Sunday. Ouk Phalla, Ranariddhs wife, was killed in the accident in Preah Sihanouk province that also left the prince seriously injured. Ranariddhs car was reportedly hit head on by a taxi as the former prime minister traveled to visit supporters ahead of next months elections. You Hok Kry, Funcinpec vice president, said at Phallas funeral that the prince had been involved in three car accidents since 2015 which he found really suspicious. We leave it to the authorities because the driver was detained, he said. We can only wonder why it keeps happening to the prince. Cambodias roads are notoriously unsafe, holding one of the highest accident rates in the region. Hok Kry said Ranariddh was being treated in a Bangkok hospital and was as yet unaware of his wifes death. Choun Narin, Preah Sihanouk police commissioner, said the driver of the car that hit Ranariddhs was under investigation. We know the taxi driver was wrong. We will send him to court, he said. Two passengers in the taxi were also reportedly badly injured in the crash. Just days ahead of the United Nations-designated World Refugee Day (June 20) hundreds of migrants have landed on the Spanish coast. Three ships brought more than 600 migrants to Spain's port of Valencia on Sunday after Spain's coast guard on Friday and Saturday saved more than 900 migrants in the Gibraltar Strait. Southern European countries are calling for a solution to the crisis caused by huge waves of migrants arriving on their shores. VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports. An attack by a suicide bomber killed 19 people and injured 65 others in eastern Afghanistan. Most of the victims are believed to be civilians celebrating the cease-fire between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The deadly attack in Jalalabad city happened on the third and final day of the Taliban armistice. After the attack, the Afghan government, however, called for a 10-day extension of the cease-fire, but the Taliban said they would not agree to it. Zia Urrahman reports. The Afghan Taliban attacked security forces in at least nine provinces Monday, making good on a threat to resume fighting, even as the government extended by 10 days a unilateral cease-fire. The cease-fire was violated in some parts of the country, during which 12 of our soldiers were martyred by Taliban, Gen. Mohammad Radmanish, spokesperson for the Afghan defense minister, told VOA. At least 30 Taliban insurgents were either killed or wounded during the skirmishes, he said. The Taliban had warned in a statement that the initial three-day cease-fire would end Sunday. Cease-fire extension The three days of cease-fire made it clear that the Afghan people are supporting the armistice and the peace process that is also backed internationally We are looking forward to Taliban's responding to it positively and ending the violence, Shah Hussain Murtazawi, spokesperson for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, told VOA. The NATO-led Resolute Support Mission and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan supported Ghani's extension of the cease-fire with the Taliban and offer to begin peace talks. A NATO-led Resolute Support statement quoted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as saying, 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. A period of 10 days does seem considerable, said Afghanistan expert Walter Dorn, a professor at Royal Military College of Canada & Canadian Forces College. Cease-fires will help to fracture the moderate and extremist elements within the Taliban. Dorn told VOA. They are worth pursuing. The government gains the ethical advantage and shows some flexibility, while the hard-liners in the Taliban show that they cannot pursue the more challenging task of making peace. Some Taliban fighters abused the cease-fire, but the overall Taliban movement might shift toward peace, Dorn added. Direct talks While the Afghan government is still trying to bring the Taliban to the negotiation table, the insurgent group has once again called for direct talks with the United States. If the American officials believe in a peaceful end to the Afghan conflict, then they should present themselves at the table of direct talks so that the illusion of aggression be ended, which harms the Afghan and American people, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said in a statement issued on June 12. U.S. officials have always denied engaging in any talks with the Taliban; however, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham said he believes the U.S. should talk with the Taliban but not exclude the Afghan government. I personally think we should talk to them. We have an obvious role to play in Afghanistan. We need to make clear to the Taliban what that role is, what our vision to the future is, but not at all to the exclusion of or instead of the Afghan government. They must talk to the Afghan government. Cunningham told VOA. The necessary interlock to end the conflict is the Afghan government, not the United States or the coalition. But I think we open a discussion with them in complete transparency in Kabul because our views and our voice are going to be an important part of the discussion, he added. The Afghan High Peace Council (HPC), the body tasked with bringing the Taliban to the negotiation table, welcomes all the support for an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process. We ask the Taliban to respond to the Afghan peoples peace call and to engage in talks with the Afghan government before asking any other country for talks, Syed Ehsan Tahiri, HPC spokesperson, told VOA. Any measure that undermines the Afghan leadership and ownership of its peace process is unacceptable to the Afghan High Peace Council, he added. Najiba Khalil of VOA Afghan Service contributed to this report. Eight Kenyan security personnel were killed in an attack by al-Shabab fighters Sunday in northeastern Wajir County. The area has been a frequent site of attacks by militants crossing the border from Somalia. The security personnel were on patrol when they were attacked near the town of Bojigaras. Authorities said the car the security officers were traveling in ran over an improvised explosive device. After the explosion, al-Shabab fighters opened fire. "[Al-Shabab] started shooting at them and killed all of them, only to leave one who was still alive," said Issa Ahmed Abdi, a member of the Wajir county assembly, "but when we were bringing him to Wajir referral hospital, he succumbed to the injuries on the way." Authorities said the militants fled toward the Somalia border. Locals had expressed concern about an impending attack, and the information was passed along to security forces, but to no avail, according to Ahmed Abdi. "It could have been prevented, because the public have actually given firsthand information that these elements were there and that these elements themselves said they are going to do an action that the people will regret," he said. Northeastern Kenya has been the site of some of al-Shabab's most deadly attacks. In December 2014, the group killed 38 non-Muslims at a quarry in Mandera. In April 2015, gunmen stormed the Garissa University College, killing 148 people and injuring more than 100. This is the second al-Shabab attack in the county this year; in February, militants killed three people at Qarsa Primary School. Al-Shabab has targeted Kenya in retaliation for the country's involvement in AMISOM, the African Union force in Somalia that backs the federal government. Residents of Hawaii's Big Island are being warned to stay indoors and keep windows closed after another eruption early Sunday of the Kilauea volcano generated a massive ash plume. Lava from the volcano, which began to erupt more than a month ago, has covered more than 2,400 hectares of land and destroyed 467 homes, including a vacation home of Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim. Video images show a raging river of lava flowing through a channel from Fissure 8 into Kapoho Bay. Health warning have also been issued due to the creation of "laze," a mixture of lava and haze that forms when hot lava hits the ocean, sending a combination of hydrochloric acid and volcanic glass particles into the air. But residents say perhaps Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes, is trying to make amends for the havoc created by the eruption. Along with toxic gas, ash, volcanic glass and lava, Kilauea has also begun spewing gemstones. The green stones are olivine crystals, a mineral commonly found in Hawaiian lava. When large and clear enough, the crystals are turned into jewelry and the gem is called peridot. Big Island residents have reported collecting them from beaches and along roadsides. But experts say Hawaii residents should not get too excited about Pele's gift, as olivine is one of the most common minerals on the upper mantle of Earth. As the House of Representatives prepares for expected votes on major reforms to U.S. immigration law this week, the Trump administration defends the separation of some undocumented immigrant children from their parents, Once a rare practice, federal agents now routinely separate families seeking asylum or attempting to enter the United States illegally. Roughly 2,000 minors had been separated from their families over a six-week period ending in May, administration officials said last week. Video released by the U.S. government shows what appears to be humane conditions at a shelter site for children. But furor over the Trump administrations zero-tolerance policy for unauthorized border arrivals is growing. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said Monday that seeking to deter parents by inflicting abuse on children is "unconscionable." "Mr. President, people do not lose their human rights by virtue of crossing a border without a visa," Zeid said. "I deplore the adoption by many countries of policies intended to make themselves as inhospitable as possible by increasing the suffering of many already vulnerable people." Defend policy Trump continues to view America's immigration debate through the lens of public safety, often pointing to foreign-born members of a vicious Central American gang as he seeks stricter policies. The president has also repeatedly blamed Democrats for the separations, falsely claiming they are responsible for the situation. Trump's administration put in place the policy to arrest all migrants who illegally cross the U.S. border, including those seeking asylum, and because children cannot be sent to the same detention facilities as their parents, they are separated. "The Democrats should get together with their Republican counterparts and work something out on Border Security & Safety," Trump tweeted late Sunday. "Don't wait until after the election because you are going to lose!" Trump's Republican party holds a majority in both houses of Congress. He is scheduled to meet with House Republicans on Tuesday to discuss two competing Republican immigration reform bills. Both bills would provide legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, make sweeping changes to legal immigration, and boost U.S. border security. It is unclear if either will attract enough votes to pass. "We said from the beginning we want the House to debate immigration reform in a serious, meaningful way. And it looks like that is happening for the first time in nearly a decade," Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo said. Trump's advisers, both past and present, also continue to defend the separation policy. "Nobody likes'' breaking up families and "seeing babies ripped from their mothers' arms,'' said Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to the president. But she, too, placed the blame on the Democrats. Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, also defended the policy saying, "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.'' Immigration experts and many legal scholars, however, said the administration is interpreting U.S. immigration law as no other administration has. Democrats have condemned both the policy and Trump's rationale for pursuing it. "In the world, there is a recognition that people can seek asylum, except, apparently not in the United States," House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said. Texas protest Over the weekend, several protests were held across the country as lawmakers, religious leaders and American citizens decried the family separation policy. Democratic Texas state Congressman Beto O'Rourke led hundreds of people on a march Sunday in Tornillo, Texas, where the government is holding some of the children. The purpose of the march, he said, was to "help this country to make the right decision, and part of that is knowing what's going on in the first place." Watch related video by VOA's Michael Bowman: O'Rourke, who is seeking to unseat Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, was joined by U.S. Congressman Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts, also a Democrat. Evangelical leader Franklin Graham, a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, also spoke out against the policy. "It's disgraceful, and it's terrible to see families ripped apart and I don't support that one bit," he said on the Christian Broadcasting Network. Miami (Florida) Archbishop Thomas Wenski said, The policy is designed to frighten the parents by taking away their kids, traumatizing the kids. And they [federal agents] think that will serve as a deterrent for people exercising a basic human right, which is to ask for asylum. First lady Melania Trump released a statement that appeared to oppose her husband's policy. "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," her office Sunday said. "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." Former first lady Laura Bush wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that the policy is cruel and immoral." "Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso," she said. "These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese interment camps of World War 2, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history." Also Sunday, officials say at least five people died after an SUV fleeing Border Patrol agents crashed in southern Texas. Texas public safety officials said many people in the vehicle might have been living in the U.S. without legal permission. The driver and at least one other person, believed to be U.S. citizens, are in custody, the state officials said. VOA's Michael Bowman contributed to this report. German authorities have arrested the chief executive of Volkswagen's Audi division, Rupert Stadler. He was arrested Monday as part of an investigation about cars Audi sold in Europe that are believed to have been equipped with software that turned emissions controls off during regular driving. Last week, Munich prosecutors raided Stadler's home on suspicion of fraud and improprieties of documents. Volkswagen Audi said "the presumption of innocence remains in place for Mr. Stadler." Volkswagen has pleaded guilty to emissions test cheating in the United States. CEO Martin Winterkorn was charged in the United States, but he will unlikely face those charges since Germany does not extradite its nationals to countries outside the European Union. A long-standing dispute over sand mining spawned violent clashes Monday in Gambia, with two people killed and others including police officers critically injured. The Julakay engineering and construction company is at the center of the dispute amid allegations of environmental exploitation in Faraba Banta village, about 50 kilometers from the capital, Banjul. Villagers want the mining site relocated. In addition to the casualties, officials said vehicles at the site were vandalized, and the scene remained tense and chaotic after the clashes. Sand mining is a growing business worldwide, filling a critical need for concrete in construction projects ranging from roads to high-rises. But it also is blamed for a wide range of environmental issues, such as coastal erosion and degradation of river systems. Interior Minister Ebrima Mballow points out that Julakay has a government license to engage in sand mining at Faraba. He urged villagers to mount a legal challenge if there are problems. "My message is let people not take the law into their own hands," Mballow said. "Let them have dialogue with the government. If they have grievances, there is court. There is rule of law." The minister said he has dispatched security forces to the village to keep the peace. Lamin Conteh, a native of Faraba who teaches accounting in the United States, told VOA that villagers are particularly concerned because mining in a neighboring village caused salt contamination in its rice fields. "This mining, to us, is an environmental disaster," he said. Three former U.S. first ladies have criticized President Donald Trump's controversial policy of separating children from their parents who have crossed the border illegally. In an op-ed column published in Sunday's Washington Post, former first lady Laura Bush called the separation policy "cruel" and "immoral," and said "it breaks my heart." Former first lady Michelle Obama retweeted Bush's message Monday, adding, "Sometimes truth transcends party." Former first lady Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, said Monday the situation at the southern U.S. border is "a moral and humanitarian crisis," and what is happening to families there is "horrific." "Every human being with a sense of compassion and decency should be outraged," Clinton said. First lady Melania Trump appeared to oppose her husband's policy and issued a rare public policy statement Sunday through a spokeswoman. "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," the statement read. On Monday, President Trump said the separation of children from their parents trying to enter the United States illegally is "so sad," but showed no signs of changing the policy. "A country without borders is not a country at all," he said. "We want safety and security for our country ... and it starts with the border." Trump blamed opposition Democratic lawmakers for the impasse over U.S. immigration policies, even though Trump's Republican party controls both chambers in Congress, and the family border policies were set by his administration. "I say it's very strongly the Democrats' fault," Trump said. He said border policies "can be taken care of very quickly" if Democrats "come to the table" to negotiate with the majority Republicans, who themselves are divided over immigration issues. Roughly 2,000 minors have been separated from their families over a six-week period ending in May, administration officials said last week. A joint military force to fight jihadists and organized crime in the Sahel has chalked up successes but promised funding is slow to materialize, the foreign minister of Niger said on Monday. "The strength of the G-5 Sahel force has become a reality even if not all the funding has been disbursed," said Kalla Ankourao, whose country is assuming the rotating presidency of the group. The force also includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania. Originally intended to become fully operational in mid-2018, the G-5 Sahel force operates alongside France's 4,000 troops in the troubled "tri-border" area where Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso meet. As well as fighting militants, the G-5 tackles smuggling and illegal immigration networks that operate in these vast, remote areas on the Sahara's southern fringe. The success of these operations has become pivotal to the EU, where divisions are deepening on how to address the flow of African migrants trying to illegally enter Europe. The group also works alongside the UN's 12,000-strong MINUSMA peacekeeping operation in Mali. "The force has already had clashes with jihadist groups in the area," said the Nigerien minister. Ankourao spoke at a press briefing in Brussels with European foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, who regretted that some non-EU donors were slow to deliver on their commitments. "The European Union has disbursed its 100-million-euro share of the 414 million euros" ($480 million) that were pledged at a donors' conference in February, Mogherini said. European funding had made it possible to launch operations, she said. She did not identify the payment laggards. Major contributions so far have been pledged by the Saudi Arabia (100 million euros / $119 million); the G5 members (50 million euros, consisting of 10 million euros apiece); United States ($60 million) and the United Arab Emirates (30 million euros). The G-5 Sahel force is scheduled to ultimately pool 5,000 troops from the five countries. A European source said soldiers of the joint force had already tightened controls on remote desert routes used by migrant smugglers to reach Libya. This had pushed the traffickers to a new road towards Algeria and Spain, the source said. Intercepted migrants were mostly from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Guinea. Burkina Faso and Niger are transit countries. But populations in northern Niger are involved in trafficking, the minister said. "We must help the people of the Agadez region [in the north of Niger] who do not want to go into terrorism or migration activities to find income," the Nigerien minister said. A high school for girls in Kenya's Narok County is closed indefinitely after students walked out Tuesday to protest alleged sexual harassment by a staff member. Earlier this month, another school was closed after a teacher was accused of rape. The incidents have left the government scrambling to deal with the problem behind the protests. Nearly 1,000 students were reported to have walked out of Maasai Girls High School at 4 a.m. local time Tuesday. Parents arriving at the school demanded immediate investigations into the matter. Narok District Education board chair Samuel Sankale confirmed the incident and said authorities are taking action. "We have decided to close the school," Sankale said, adding, "We are investigating a teacher who was forcing girls to love him, to have sexual intercourse with him." More than a week earlier, a rape was reported at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi, forcing that school to be shut down as well. The school's executive board was disbanded by the cabinet secretary for education, Amina Mohammed. Mohammed said the Education Ministry was concerned about the increased cases of sexual assault being reported from schools. "I wish I could say conclusively that the safety of our children in schools as it should actually be is guaranteed," she said. "I cannot tell you that because these schools, as you know, are part of our society and, as you know, in all societies, things happen. Bad things actually happen. I think the saving grace is this: We have laws and those laws must be enforced when these bad things happen." Police are also investigating an alleged attempted rape at a school in western Kenya. A man is said to have been hiding under a bed in a girls' dormitory, and escaped after being spotted by a school staff member. Mohammed has appointed a team to develop a policy to address sexual abuse in schools. "As a ministry of education, we are going to put policies in place, we are going to take measures that are necessary to ensure that the schools are as safe as they can be," she said. "But we all have to play our role parents, teachers, neighbors, everybody because, you know, it's not only happening in our schools. It's happening in our homes, it's happening in our neighborhoods, it's happening everywhere." Guatemala has ended its search for the nearly 200 people missing since a volcano erupted earlier this month. Officials have confirmed the deaths of 110 people in the eruption of the Fuego volcano. The country's disaster agency CONRED said Sunday it has called off searches in San Miguel Los Lotes and El Rodeo because the area is "uninhabitable and high risk." The volcano continues to generate four or five weak explosions an hour, sending a column of ash more than 1,000 meters into the air. Disaster officials said the eruption Sunday affected more than 1 million people, with 3,265 evacuated from areas around the volcano. Meanwhile, Guatemalan authorities have opened an investigation into whether emergency protocols were followed properly. Opposition politicians are accusing CONRED of being slow to order evacuations, leaving villagers vulnerable. Fuego is located about 44 kilometers southwest of the capital, Guatemala City, and is close to the city of Antigua, which is a popular tourist destination. Israeli Cabinet ministers have proposed legislation that seeks to outlaw photographing Israeli soldiers for the sake of shaming them, a ban rights groups say would amount to government censorship. Facing criticism and questions about the proposal's legality, the government already appeared to be taking steps to water down the bill before it goes to a parliamentary vote. But rights groups said that even preliminary support for the legislation was a stain on the country's democracy. A ministerial committee, headed by Israel's justice minister, approved the proposal on Sunday. It says anyone who films, photographs or records soldiers while performing their duty, with the intent of undermining the morale of Israeli soldiers and residents or anyone who disseminates such materials, would face five years in prison. The bill appears to have been promoted by the filming of Israeli soldier Elor Azaria fatally shooting an incapacitated Palestinian attacker in the West Bank city of Hebron who was lying on the ground in March 2016. Azaria was convicted of manslaughter and served nine months of an 18-month prison sentence. The case bitterly divided the nation. Israel's military pushed for his prosecution, saying he violated its code of ethics. But many Israelis, particularly on the nationalist right, defended his actions. The bill's sponsor, Robert Ilatov of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, insisted in a radio interview Monday that the bill does not impinge on free speech. He said it only prevents obstruction of soldiers in the line of duty. Ilatov wrote on Facebook last week that the bill's aim is to prevent left wing organizations from disseminating [soldiers'] pictures for the sake of shaming them.'' Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beitenu party, praised the bill on Sunday for helping protect Israeli soldiers from Israel-haters and terror supporters trying to denigrate, humiliate and harm them. Legally problematic The text of the bill specifically mentions B'Tselem, Machsom Watch and Breaking the Silence - Israeli advocacy groups critical of the West Bank occupation - as anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian organizations whose activity documenting the Israeli military the legislation seeks to combat. Most of these groups are supported by foundations, organizations and governments with clear anti-Israeli perspectives and agendas, which use these tendentious materials for harming the state of Israel and its security, the bill reads. The bill is the latest in a series of legal measures passed or proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist government to curb organizations critical of Israel's occupation of the West Bank. Deputy Attorney General Raz Nazari, who was present at the ministerial meeting, said the bill was legally problematic. He said that ministers had agreed to draft a lighter version that would instead penalize photographers only if they hinder a soldier from doing his job, similar to existing law that bans people from interfering with police officers in the line of duty. But opposition lawmakers and rights groups said they were surprised the legislation made it this far. If there is a problem with the reality that the occupation creates, we should change it, not try to hide it, said Tamar Zandberg, head of the liberal opposition Meretz Party. Talia Sasson, president of the New Israel Fund, a liberal advocacy group that supports groups that document rights abuses in the West Bank, called the bill an arrow shot into the heart of the state of Israel. Israeli journalists also criticized the proposal, saying it would hinder their ability to work. Israeli photographer Ohad Zwigenberg said journalists must be allowed to document reality as it is. A world without real journalism that is free and neutral is an insane world, he said. At least three people are dead and 90 others are injured after a strong earthquake struck western Japan Monday. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the magnitude 6.1 quake struck just north of the country's second-largest city of Osaka around 8 a.m. local time, just as commuters were beginning the rush hour to work. Train service was halted after reports of damage in several stations. The quake collapsed walls and triggered water main breaks and building fires. Japanese news outlets say a 9-year-old girl and an 80-year old man were killed when they were buried under collapsed walls. An 84-year old man died when he war trapped under a fallen bookcase in his home. No tsunami warning was issued after Monday's quake, which struck seven years after a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami killed thousands of people and triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant in northwestern Japan. The Trump administration at least since April has been separating children and parents who enter the United States illegally at the border that much is supported by the numbers. But much of everything else surrounding the practice has become mired in confusion. Here is what we know: In recent weeks, news stories of children in detention centers have circulated more widely, and the numbers of detained children have grown. Department of Homeland Security officials told reporters Friday that between April 19 and May 31 of this year, nearly 2,000 (1,995) children were separated from their parents or other adults with whom they were traveling. A video released Monday by Customs and Border Protection shows what appears to be humane conditions at a shelter site for children, but this video is the only video that has been released from within one of the detention centers. Later Monday, the news outlet ProPublica released an audio recording that appears to capture the disturbing sound of Spanish-speaking children crying out for their parents at a U.S. immigration facility. A policy or a law? As criticism over the separation of parents and children at the border grows, the Trump administration has struggled to explain the policy. Trump, himself, said the practice is the result of a law passed by Democrats, which has forced his administration into separating parents and children. Trump tweeted last Friday: But there is no such law. Rather in May, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a zero-tolerance policy, which means that those detained entering the United States illegally would be criminally charged. This approach generally leads to children being separated from their parents because the law requires it. On Sunday, senior policy adviser to the Trump administration Stephen Miller told The New York Times that the crackdown was a simple decision by the administration to have a zero-tolerance policy for illegal entry. Period. Administration officials, including Miller and Sessions, have defended the separation of families, saying that having children does not exempt anyone from the consequences of breaking the law. If you cross the border unlawfully, even a first offense, were going to prosecute you. If you dont want your child to be separated, then dont bring them across the border illegally, Sessions told a gathering of the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies. The administration has said the new practice is directed at combating a surge of unlawful border crossings. But the surge appears to be numbers marking a return-to-normal after a dip last year. Not a new idea Though the practice of treating all people who cross the border unlawfully as subject to criminal prosecution is new under the Trump administration, it is built on existing policies from the Bush and Obama administrations. Amid a surge of unlawful migration from Central America to the United States in 2014, the Obama administration considered many plans to deter illegal border crossings, including separating parents and children. Ultimately, Obama decided against separations but did expand the detention of immigrant families. New facilities were opened along the border, which held women and children for long periods of time before their cases were processed. Following widespread criticism after photos of detained women and children, accompanied by testimonies of people being held for extended periods, a federal judge in Washington effectively ruled that asylum-seeking mothers could not be held for longer than 20 days, leading to what has been called a catch and release system where adults were released with GPS ankle monitors tracking their movements until their cases could be heard in court. But this catch and release system has been heavily criticized by Trump and his administration. This get out of jail free card for families and groups who pose as families has spread, said Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. The word of this has spread. The smugglers and traffickers know these loopholes better than our members of Congress. I'm sad to say that from October 2017 to this February, we have seen a staggering 315 percent increase in illegal aliens fraudulently using children to pose as family units to gain entry into this country. This must stop, she said. Europe's latest immigration crisis was at least temporarily defused Monday as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would hold talks with neighboring countries on migration issues after hardliners in her conservative governing bloc gave her a two-week deadline to tighten asylum rules. Merkel said she does not want to see Germany unilaterally turn back migrants at its border, but Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has advocated the migrant ban in defiance of her, possibly threatening the 70-year alliance between the two conservative parties. She said that unjustifiably turning away migrants from the German border could have a domino effect elsewhere in Europe. Merkel accepted an offer from Seehofer's Christian Social Union in Bavaria to delay until July the ban it wants to block migrants who have previously been registered in other European Union states from entering Germany. She also agreed to a CSU demand for a ban on admitting people who earlier had been expelled from Germany. Merkel said she hopes to forge immigration agreements with other European countries before and at the upcoming EU summit late next week. U.S. President Donald Trump, himself facing a growing outcry over his administration's policy of separating children from migrants illegally trying to enter the U.S. along its southern border with Mexico, weighed in with support for a tough European pushback against an unrestricted flow of immigrants to the continent. "The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition," he said on Twitter. "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!" He added, "We dont want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us!" In another tweet, Trump contended, "Children are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country. Has anyone been looking at the Crime taking place south of the border. It is historic, with some countries the most dangerous places in the world. Not going to happen in the U.S." He blamed opposition Democrats in Congress for the conflict over U.S. immigration policy, saying, "It is the Democrats fault for being weak and ineffective with Boarder [sic] Security and Crime. Tell them to start thinking about the people devastated by Crime coming from illegal immigration. Change the laws!" Trump has given no indication that the U.S. plans to shift its stance of separating parents from their children if they try to enter the country illegally, even as numerous lawmakers and political figures have decried the effort as inhumane. From mid-April to the end of May, immigration authorities have sent nearly 2,000 children to mass detention centers or foster care. Former first lady Laura Bush said Sunday in a Washington Post opinion article, "I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart." Trump's wife, first lady Melania Trump, said in a rare public policy statement through her spokeswoman that she "hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the [political] aisle [in Congress] 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." In 2015, Merkel famously said Germany was open to people fleeing wars and looking for better lives. Since then, a million asylum seekers have been admitted to Germany. With Seehofer's conservative Christian Social Union calling for turning away some migrants at the country's border, Merkel faces tough decisions on how to cope with the influx. Merkel wants the EU to find an equitable solution to the migrant crisis at its June 28-29 summit, although the EU has struggled to contend with the massive flow of refugees looking to its shores for better lives. Europe's migrant situation received worldwide attention last week when Italy and Malta refused to allow a ship with hundreds of migrants aboard to dock at their ports, with Spain stepping in to accept the migrants. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez 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." Discarded life jackets on a beach in Greece inspired artwork by a teenager who wanted to learn more about the refugee crisis. Achilleas Souras, the 17-year-old creator of the artwork, titled SOS: Save Our Souls, hopes his project prompts others to learn as well. Souras was 15 and living in Barcelona when the flood of refugees from places that include the Middle East and Africa landed on the beaches of Lesbos, Greece, and created a humanitarian crisis. The idea for the project came to him after he learned about the crisis in school. Souras reached out to the mayor of Lesbos, the first stop for thousands of seaborne migrants who undertook their desperate voyage in the Aegean Sea. The islands beaches were littered with debris from their journeys. It culminated in me reaching out to get actual life jackets, Souras recalled. The mayor of Lesbos responded. Souras said the vests still had the smell of the sea. When I touched them, I realized that every one of these life jackets represented a human life. Searching for a theme, Souras, who is of Greek-British heritage, was inspired by what the migrants were seeking - shelter. He used the vests -- to build igloo-shaped enclosures modeled on the temporary homes indigenous peoples build of snow and ice in the far north. The installation struck a chord, and Souras has been invited by museums, design fairs and refugee organizations to show his work around the world. Different versions of the project have been displayed in Spain, Italy, South Africa, Brazil, Thailand and Canada. There is now an installation in Byblos, Lebanon. Souras brought a small version of the installation to Los Angeles for the four-day LA Design Festival that ended June 10. The exhibit consisted of miniature life jackets made with fabric from the real ones. He said the point of the exhibit is not political, and isnt really meant to influence somebodys point of view. "Its really just meant to make somebody feel more inspired to explore more about the crisis like I did," he said. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 65 million people worldwide have been displaced from their homes, and more than 22 million are refugees - people forced to flee because of conflict or persecution. Souras said that is something he wants those who see his art to think about. Colombian President-elect Ivan Duque has promised to unite a divided country behind his plans to toughen a peace accord with Marxist rebels and rekindle economic growth, but he will face major challenges when he takes office in August. The right-wing former senator comfortably won Sunday's election with 54 percent of votes against leftist rival Gustavo Petro, who garnered 42 percent with his pledge to shake up Colombia's economic model and tackle inequality. Both the Colombian peso and local Treasury bonds fell Monday due to external factors, analysts said, though in the medium term, investment flows are expected to increase based on support for Duque's business-friendly policies. The peso was down 0.95 percent to 2,923.05 per dollar while the yield on local Treasury bonds, known as TES, coming due in July 2024 rose to 6.17 percent from 6.14 percent Friday. It was the first presidential election since a 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which ended its part in a five-decade conflict that has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions. Duque, 41, pledged in his victory speech to unite the polarized Andean country and tackle corruption, improve security and increase educational opportunities. "Peace is something all Colombians yearn for, and peace means that we turn the page on the fissures that have divided us," Duque told cheering crowds at his celebration party Sunday night in Bogota as confetti rained down. Duque, a protege of hard-line former President Alvaro Uribe, first grabbed attention railing from Congress against the peace deal, which he believes is too easy on former rebel leaders. Striking a conciliatory tone Sunday, he promised to guarantee justice for victims and the reintegration of rank-and-file rebels into Colombian society. His aim of revamping the agreement to impose tougher punishment on FARC leaders for war crimes will face considerable opposition from the Constitutional Court and Congress, where most parties favor implementing the existing accord. The FARC has invited Duque to discuss the accord. "He is going to have a harder time passing reforms to the peace agreement than he would have his supporters believe," said Sergio Guzman, Colombia lead analyst for consultancy Control Risks, singling out the Constitutional Court, which has already ruled that the deal cannot be changed. The nine-judge court is responsible for deciding whether laws passed by Congress are in line with the constitution. Duque needs to include politicians from centrist parties in his cabinet if he wants to unite the country, Guzman said. He is likely to reveal the names of some ministers this week. Duque will face no shortage of security challenges. Crime gangs allied with Mexican drug traffickers, the National Liberation Army (ELN) the remaining rebel group as well as FARC dissidents who have refused to demobilize, have moved into territory left behind by the FARC. Only 19.3 million people, just over half of eligible voters, participated in the election, suggesting some centrists did not like either choice. 'Safe pair of hands' Duque has promised to bolster Colombia's $324 billion economy with tax cuts and support for extractive industries such as oil and coal, the country's top exports. The government expects the economy to grow 2.7 percent this year. "With the election of Ivan Duque, the business sector made up of both local and foreign investment will see fiscal reforms that will seek a reduction of the tax burden for businesses and the simplification of administrative processes," said Ciro Meza of law firm Baker McKenzie. Some economists are concerned that Duque's proposed tax cuts may worsen the budget deficit and force him to push through unpopular reforms, including a pension overhaul, to preserve Colombia's investment-grade credit rating. Ratings agency Fitch said on Monday that Duque's victory signals a continuation of economic policies but added that a fiscal consolidation and encouraging growth are his government's key challenges. While oil has been the main driver for peso movements, the election has added to the currency's volatility according to Kenneth Lam, a New York-based Latin America foreign exchange strategist at Citigroup. "Now that we got the [electoral] outcome we expected, oil reverts to be the main driver" for the peso, which has been outperforming other Latin American currencies, he said. Alberto Carrasquilla, who served as finance minister during Uribe's first term and was Duque's economic adviser during the campaign, could reprise the finance minister role, Capital Economics said in a note, and would be "a safe pair of hands." Duque has said he will curb ELN attacks on pipelines and invest in state-run oil company Ecopetrol's refineries to allow exports of more higher-value crude derivatives. Although Petro, a former M19 rebel, won a majority in only eight provinces and the capital Bogota, the fact that a leftist received 8 million votes, versus 10.3 million for Duque, is historic in traditionally conservative Colombia. The fractured left has failed for decades to come close to winning Colombia's presidency, overshadowed by right-wing contenders who promised security. Yet the FARC deal has shifted priorities for many of Colombia's more than 50 million people. Voters are interested in tackling inequality, corruption and inadequate social services, which could create opportunities for the left. "If Duque is not able to get moving on his promises and see concrete results, and if he doesn't look for reconciliation, the left could win in 2022," said Andres Pardo, head of investment holding company Corficolombiana. A grocery store with a new concept to help low-income people recently opened in Baltimore, Maryland, in a diverse neighborhood that's home to some of the poorest people in the city. The Salvation Army, a worldwide Protestant charity group, converted one of its warehouses into a full-service grocery store called DMG Foods, stocking it with quality, nutritious food at affordable prices. DMG stands for the groups motto doing the most good. The Salvation Army is known for its thrift shops and food pantries in the United States. There used to be other grocery stores in this part of Baltimore, but they all left, creating a vacuum known as a food desert, a neighborhood without stores that provide fresh produce and meat. Making a difference A number of factors seem to contribute to the lack of supermarkets in poor, inner-city neighborhoods in general, including poverty, crime, security issues and lack of economic development. Some store managers said they had to close because they were not making a profit. But having a grocery store in a neighborhood can make a big difference in what people eat, said Major Gene Hogg, Salvation Armys central Maryland commander who came up with the idea for the organizations first grocery market. Typically, many low-income people have been raised to buy frozen chicken, and heat it up, or they stop by McDonalds for fast food, Hogg added. We want to encourage them to buy good, healthy food they can afford. Affordable and close As in other low-income neighborhoods in Baltimore, most of the residents here do not own a car, and have to take public transportation to get to grocery stores several kilometers away. JoAnn Weaver likes that she can walk to the DMG store. This is the first time I havent had to ride more than 4 miles (6 kilometers). I usually go all over the place to shop at the stores, Weaver said. She added that she is impressed with the selection and the lower-than-average grocery store prices at DMG, which helps stretch her food budget. The Rev. Samuel Lupico, a Catholic priest who used to serve in a church in this neighborhood, said he comes weekly to shop. He thinks the supermarket will help people who usually cannot afford to make healthy meals. Neighborhood resident Aran Keating came to check out the store. I just wanted to see what it was like since I shop at Salvation Army for secondhand clothes sometimes, Keating said. To see any company moving in that has a charitable mission is a good thing for the neighborhood, and if that mission is to supply food for people for a cheap price, Im for it, Keating added. Stretching dollars But since many people in the neighborhood associate the Salvation Army with thrift stores and food distribution for the poor, store manager Jim Farace said some of them are embarrassed to come in or think DMG Foods is second-rate. Hes hoping business will pick up once the word gets out that DMG is a typical grocery store, which has good food at good prices. Most of the customers are receiving food aid from the federal governments Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. The store also has a loyalty program, which gives users a free item each month. Free chicken, free light bulbs, whatever we have to help them stretch their dollars, Hogg said. The store also provides food tastings and free fruit for children. There are meal-planning ideas and a nutritionist on hand as well. The store also hires employees who live in the neighborhood, and teaches them skills that can be used to work at larger chain grocery stores. Doing the most good In keeping with the Salvation Army tradition, DMG Foods also delivers meals to homeless shelters. We make 150 meals a night, so DMG is a grocery store, yet also has a social service aspect to it," store manager Farace said. And that reflects the major difference between DMG Foods and other supermarkets. Our business model is really to break even, Major Hogg explained. If we do better than that, then the proceeds will go to support our local program called Catherines Cottage, a home for women who have been rescued from human trafficking. Hogg is hopeful that his vision will be successful, and Salvation Army grocery stores will open in other disadvantaged neighborhoods in Baltimore and put in across the United States. A joint fishing agreement reportedly being discussed between China and the Philippines would further calm an old maritime sovereignty dispute while deepening friendship that was once thought all but impossible, experts in the region say. Governments from the two Asian countries are talking about a tentative deal now after Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte agreed to pursue it during a meeting in April, according to media outlets in Manila. If it will be actually reached, signed, implemented, that will signal not a milestone but a significant step forward in the relations between the two countries, said Fabrizio Bozzato, a Taiwan Strategy Research Association fellow specialized in East Asia and the Pacific. Sharing resources is not a light matter, light issue. The Philippines formally disputes Chinese fishing boat, coast guard and naval use of the South China Sea within its 370-kilometer-wide coastal exclusive economic zone. But months after Duterte took office in 2016, the two leaders met to form a friendship that has seen both sides set aside the maritime dispute. As part of those stronger relations, China is rolling out pledges of $24 billion in aid and investment to help the Philippines develop. Bitterness behind them? China cites historical maps to back its claims to about 90 percent of the sea despite competing sovereignty assertions from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Beijing and Manila sparred from 2012 to 2016 over fishery-rich Scarborough Shoal. The more militarily powerful China ended up taking control. When Duterte visited China in late 2016 to break ice, Xi called for stronger bilateral cooperation in fisheries among other sectors, Chinas official Xinhua News Agency said in October that year. But a fishing deal may go too far, some scholars say. The Philippines hands are legally tied constitutionally when it comes to signing formal fishing cooperation deals, said Jay Batongbacal, a University of the Philippines international maritime affairs professor. Any deal might be just a modus vivendi, he said. If it is within our EEZ (exclusive economic zone), its not an agreement, it should be a fishing permit, said Antonio Contreras, political scientist at De La Salle University in the Philippines. Ideally, he said, its not an agreement between equals, but its more like Im giving you permission to fish under my terms. A more formal agreement might say which side can fish where, including access for both to disputed waters. Because theres no actual agreement, then well have the potential for flare-ups again, Batongbacal said. Elsewhere in East Asia, the Philippines signed a fisheries-related law enforcement agreement with Taiwan in 2015. Vietnam and Malaysia were working on a fishery deal last year. Message to other countries China may hope the agreement shows goodwill to the other Southeast Asian countries with maritime claims, said Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan. It has angered the others by building up small disputed islets, in some cases for its own military use, and by declaring annual fishing moratoriums in the northern part of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer waterway. Probably China wanted to set up some kind of precedent so other countries can take reference to or think about those, Huang said. I dont think [a Philippine deal] will be anything thats related to the settlement of [a] sovereignty dispute. It will be seen as dispute prevention measures. China lost world court arbitration in 2016 to the Philippines over the extent of its claims. But it rejected the ruling. Since then it has sought peace with other claimants through bilateral deals and economic aid. A deal with the Philippines would mean China gets access to resources, they can send their people there and they look good nationally and regionally, Bozzato said. Risk of a raw deal? As many as 1.6 million vessels from all countries combined fish the South China Sea, according to research under the China Program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. But Filipino fishing boats generally stay inside the 370-kilometer line and in the nearby Spratly Islands as traditional fishing grounds, Batongbacal said. Their boats are often too small or weak to test more distant seas. Boats from China, Taiwan and Vietnam regularly fish farther out. A fishing deal might effectively let Chinese vessels use the Philippine maritime claim without risk, even while no Filipinos venture into waters closer to China itself, some scholars fear. The remains of fascist dictator Francisco Franco could soon be removed from a state-funded mausoleum under a plan by Spain's new socialist government to transform the monument into a place to remember the civil war rather than glorify the dictatorship. This would be the latest of a raft of high-profile measures launched by Spain's new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to cement his power and lure left-wing voters ahead of a general election due by mid-2020. Sanchez, who toppled his conservative predecessor Mariano Rajoy in a confidence vote last month, controls less than a quarter of the seats in parliament. "The decision about exhuming Franco's remains is quite clear," Oscar Puente, a senior member of the socialist party who is close to Sanchez, told a news conference. The civil war still casts a shadow over the country nearly eight decades after its end. Lack of accountability for the war has left wounds unhealed, and pressure has grown to turn the site into a memorial honoring those who died on both sides. Puente said the government's plans were to transform the state-funded Valley of the Fallen mausoleum into "a place of recognition and memory of all Spaniards." The 150-meter cross of the monument, built by prisoners of war, towers over the Guadarrama Sierra, a mountain range just outside Madrid. Opened by Franco himself in 1959, the Valley houses a Catholic basilica set into a hillside, where the founder of Spain's fascist Falange party, Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, is also interred. It has long been a site of pilgrimage for far-right groups in Spain. The conservative People's Party has opposed attempts to exhume Franco's body when they were in power, saying it would only stir up painful memories more than four decades after his death and nearly 80 years after the end of the war. The Spanish parliament, however, passed a motion last year to remove Franco's remains as well as those of tens of thousands of other people buried at the mausoleum. Many of those interred there fought for the losing Republican side and were moved to the monument under Franco's dictatorship without their families' permission. A state of emergency has been declared in Papua New Guinea after rioting in the remote Pacific island's Southern Highlands province. Angry demonstrators looted and set fire to several buildings in the provincial capital of Mendi last week, including the residence of governor William Powi, after a court dismissed a legal challenge to Powi's 2017 election. Rioters also torched an airplane belonging to the national air carrier. Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has declared a nine-month state of emergency, deployed troops to the province, and suspended the provincial government. He has granted Thomas Eluh, a former policeman, constitutional emergency powers. Iraqi Shi'ite forces and Syria accused the United States on Monday of targeting their troops inside Syria with an airstrike, a charge the U.S. denied but that ratcheted up tensions in the area. Iraq's Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, the units' umbrella organization, said in a statement that U.S. aircraft late Sunday night fired two missiles that hit a group of its fighters deployed along the Iraq-Syria border to prevent breaches by the Islamic State group. The statement said the attack left 22 fighters dead and 12 wounded, adding that Iraqi and Syrian authorities were aware of their deployment. "We demand that the American side issues a clarification for what happened," the Iraqi group said. Syrian state media had reported earlier that the airstrike against pro-government forces in the far east of the country had caused casualties, while Iraqi officials said it had killed at least 25 Shiite paramilitaries and was just across the border from its own territory. Syrian state TV report blamed the attack on the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State group, saying it occurred around midnight in the village of al-Hari, to the southeast of the border town of Boukamal. But a coalition spokesman denied that it had carried out any strikes in the area. The state TV report, quoting an unnamed military official, gave no breakdown of the casualties other than saying there ``were several martyrs and others were wounded.'' In Baghdad, Iraqi officials said state-sanctioned Shiite paramilitaries came under attack south of the town of Qaim, just across the border from Boukamal. They said 25 fighters were killed, three are missing and about 30 were wounded. But did not give details into how the attack was carried out, saying only that investigations were underway, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The officials said the dead were mostly members of Iraq's Hezbollah Brigades, which have been active in Syria's civil war fighting alongside government forces. Also killed were some members of the Sayyed al-Shuhada Battalions, they said. In Syria, an official with the so-called "Axis of Resistance" led by Iran, which includes Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and other groups fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's forces, told The Associated Press that the attack on Syrian and Iraqi positions on both sides of the border had been carried out by American drone aircraft. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy of information, added that the troops had been part of a push against IS extremists in the area. U.S. military spokesman Col. Sean Ryan said the coalition was looking into the reports. "We are aware of the strike near Boukamal, however there have been no strikes by U.S. or coalition forces in that area," he said. "We're looking into who that could possibly be, but it wasn't the U.S. or the coalition." The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the airstrike killed 52 foreign fighters allied with the Syrian government, mostly Iraqis. Shiite militias fighting alongside government forces in Syria include large numbers of Iraqi, Lebanese and Afghan fighters. Last week, IS launched a major offensive against Boukamal, reaching the outskirts of the town before being pushed back by government forces. The loss of the town would deal a major blow to Iran-backed forces on both sides of the border, who have established a corridor through eastern Syria to link Iran to the Mediterranean Sea. Syrian and Iraqi forces have driven IS from virtually all the territory it once held in both countries, but the militants still control some remote areas along the border. Syrian troops and allied militias, backed by Russian airstrikes, have been conducting operations west of the Euphrates River, while the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia, is operating on the eastern banks. The U.S.-led coalition has struck pro-government forces in the past when they have tried to cross the river. The overnight attacks took place on the western side. Meanwhile in the country's north, a deal reached between Turkey and the U.S. to have Kurdish forces withdraw from a town appears to have gone into effect. Turkey announced its troops began patrols on the outskirts of the key northern Syrian town of Manbij following a recent deal struck with the United States. The army tweeted Turkish and American troops began patrols Monday along the outskirts of Manbij and an area controlled by Turkey-backed forces. It said the move was part of the Turkish-U.S. deal reached in early June, aiming to secure the town and push out a Syrian Kurdish militia. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that the patrols had begun in a speech Monday in northern Samsun province. Manbij has been a source of tension between the two NATO allies after an American-backed Syrian force took the town from the Islamic State group in 2016. The Syrian Kurdish YPG forms the backbone of that force but Turkey considers the group terrorists and has been demanding the U.S. cease its support. YPG announced it would leave the strategic town. The Trump administration's move to separate immigrant parents from their children on the U.S.-Mexico border has grabbed attention around the world, drawn scorn from human-rights organizations and overtaken the immigration debate in Congress. It's also a situation that has been brewing since the week President Donald Trump took office, when he issued his first order signaling a tougher approach to asylum-seekers. Since then, the administration has been steadily eroding protections for immigrant children and families. "They're willing to risk harm to a child being traumatized, separated from a parent and sitting in federal detention by themselves, in order to reach a larger policy goal of deterrence," said Jennifer Podkul, director of policy at Kids in Need of Defense, which represents children in immigration court. To those who work with immigrants, the parents' plight was heralded by a series of measures making it harder for kids arriving on the border to get released from government custody and to seek legal status here. Backlash The administration says the changes are necessary to deter immigrants from coming here illegally. But a backlash is mounting, fueled by reports of children being taken from mothers and distraught toddlers and elementary school age children asking, through tears, when they can see their parents. About 2,000 children had been separated from their families over a six-week period ending in May, administration officials said Friday. Among the parents caught up in the new rules is 29-year-old Vilma Aracely Lopez Juc de Coc, who fled her home in a remote Guatemalan village after her husband was beaten to death in February, according to advocates. When she reached the Texas border with her 11-year-old son in May, he was taken from her by border agents, she said. Her eyes swollen, she cried when she asked a paralegal what she most wanted to know: When could she see her son again? "She did not know what was going on," said paralegal Georgina Guzman, recalling their conversation at a federal courthouse in McAllen, Texas. Similar scenarios play out on a daily basis in federal courtrooms in Texas and Arizona, where dozens of immigrant parents appear on charges of entering the country illegally after traveling up from Central America. More than the legal outcome of their cases, their advocates say, they're worried about their children. Since Trump's inauguration, the administration has issued at least half a dozen orders and changes affecting immigrant children, many of them obscure revisions. The cumulative effect is a dramatic alteration of immigration policy and practice. The measures require a senior government official to sign off on the release of children from secure shelters and allow immigration enforcement agents access to information about sponsors who sign up to take the children out of government custody and care for them. The crackdown expanded in April, when the administration announced a "zero tolerance" policy on the border to prosecute immigrants for entering the country illegally in the hopes they could be quickly deported and that the swift deportations would prevent more people from coming. Parents are now being arrested and placed in quick federal court proceedings near the border. Since children cannot be jailed in federal prisons, they're placed in shelters that have long existed for unaccompanied immigrant children arriving on the border alone. The administration insists the new rules are necessary to send a message to immigrants. "Look, I hope that we don't have to separate any more children from any more adults," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last week. "But there's only one way to ensure that is the case: It's for people to stop smuggling children illegally. Stop crossing the border illegally with your children. Apply to enter lawfully. Wait your turn." Immigration on the southwest border has remained high since the zero-tolerance policies took effect. Border agents made more than 50,000 arrests in May, up slightly from a month earlier and more than twice the number in May 2017. About a quarter of arrests were families traveling with children. Asylum seekers In addition to those trying to cross on their own, large crowds of immigrants are gathered at border crossings each day to seek asylum. Some wait days or weeks for a chance to speak with U.S. authorities. On a Texas border bridge, parents and children have been sleeping in sweltering heat for several days awaiting their turn. Under U.S. law, most Mexican children are sent back across the border. Central American and other minors are taken into government custody before they are mostly released to sponsors in the United States. The arrival of children fleeing violence in Central America is not new. President Barack Obama faced an even larger surge in border crossings that overflowed shelters and prompted the authorities to release many families. Nearly 60,000 children were placed in government-contracted shelters in the 2014 fiscal year. Obama administration lawyers argued in federal court in Los Angeles against the separation of parents and children and in favor of keeping in family detention facilities those deemed ineligible for release. Immigrant and children's advocates said the new measures are not only cruel but costly. They argued that children fleeing violence and persecution in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras will continue to come to the United States and remain in government custody longer, costing taxpayers more money. The government pays more than $1 billion a year to care for unaccompanied immigrant children, Sessions has said. In May 2014, the average length of stay for children in custody was 35 days. So far this fiscal year, it's taking 56 days for children to be released to sponsors -- in most cases, their own relatives. Many children were released to sponsors who did not have legal immigration status. That's yet another concern child advocates now have since the Trump administration is requiring fingerprints of sponsors and their household members and will turn that data over to the immigration agency in charge of deportations. Advocates say the new information sharing might lead some parents to shy away from sponsoring their own children and ask others to do so, a situation that can lead to cases of trafficking or neglect. Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, legal director of the immigrant advocacy program at the Legal Aid Justice Center in Virginia, said he's never worked with immigrants who said U.S. policies influenced their decision to move. They are fleeing violence and persecution, and he doesn't see that changing even if the government deports parents. "Look six months out from now," he said. "Are these moms going to stay in Guatemala? Hell no, they're going to come back looking for their kids." U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to focus on peace and prosperity as he makes his case for congressional Republicans in this years midterm election campaign. Although the president is not on the ballot this year, the stakes in November are enormous for him. Republican control of both the Senate and House of Representatives is at stake, and the loss of one or both chambers could have profound implications for Trumps re-election bid in 2020. Opposition Democrats expect to gains seats in the House this year and need a pickup of 23 seats to claim the majority. The odds are a bit longer for them to win back control of the Senate, since Democrats are defending many more seats than Republicans, including several in states that supported Trump in 2016. Defying history Trump is hoping to turn the tables on history this year by helping Republicans limit their losses and retain majorities in both chambers. Midterms traditionally have been unkind to presidents just two years in office, and depending on the presidents approval rating, the losses can range from 20 to 30 House seats. Trump has been quick to hail the strong U.S. economy at most of his speaking events, and he is counting on the pictures from his recent summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to convey the image of a peacemaker. China has been terrific. President Xi has been terrific. President Moon, everybody. We are all working together because of me, Trump said in an unusual freewheeling exchange with reporters outside the White House last Friday. He was referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Immigration outcry Staying on the peace and prosperity campaign track will not be easy, however. In recent days, Trump and his administration have been on the defensive over their zero tolerance approach to illegal immigration across the U.S. southern border, including the separation of children from parents. The issue has sparked a firestorm of criticism from Democrats and some notable Republicans, as well. These are the misdeeds of an administration speaking in our name that appears to lack a moral compass, said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat from New York. Nadler was one of several Democrats who visited a detention center in New Jersey on Sunday. Other critics include former first lady Laura Bush, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the Rev. Franklin Graham, one of the presidents early evangelical Christian supporters. The president, along with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, all defended the tough approach on Monday. The United States will not become a migrant camp, Trump said at a White House event. Nielsen told a sheriffs meeting in New Orleans that her department will not apologize for enforcing the law. We have to do our job. We will not apologize for doing our job. We have sworn to do this job. A new Quinnipiac University poll found that Americans oppose the Trump policy of separating children from parents by a margin of 66 percent to 27 percent. The survey found that Republican voters support the policy by a 55 percent to 35 percent margin. Trump front and center Trump is expected to be perhaps the central issue in this years congressional election campaign, and Republican candidates such as Katie Arrington in South Carolina are eager to embrace him. We are the party of President Donald J. Trump, Arrington told supporters after defeating Republican Congressman Mark Sanford in a recent primary. Sanford has been critical of some of the president's policies. It was the latest sign that crossing Trump could have severe consequences within the Republican Party. A few Republicans are chafing under the urgings of Republican congressional leaders to be careful about taking on the president, especially retiring Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker. It is not a good place for any party to end up with a cult-like situation as it relates to a president, Corker said last week. Poll numbers Trumps historically low poll ratings have improved of late, but he remains politically vulnerable as the midterms draw near, said Gallup pollster Frank Newport. So, Trumps ratings are not great by any means. Any president wants to have above-50 percent approval ratings, majority approval, and Trump doesnt at 42, 43 percent. But he is not that far out of sync with several presidents after one year in their presidency. The latest weekly Gallup Poll has Trump with 45 percent approval and a 50 percent disapproval rating, his highest marks in that poll since March of 2017. Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama also suffered midterm election setbacks in their first terms, a pattern that could repeat for Trump, this year. The evidence is that Democrats as a whole are more enthusiastic about the midterms than Republicans are, said Brookings Institution analyst William Galston. And also, you have history. Typically, the presidents party loses ground in the elections that come the first two years after his election. Trumps expected focus on peace and prosperity for the midterm campaign is likely a trial run for his re-election bid in 2020. The top U.N. human rights official called on the Trump administration on Monday to halt its "unconscionable" policy of forcibly separating children from migrant parents irregularly entering the country via Mexico. 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 as the Trump administration implements stricter border enforcement policies. Administration officials say the tactic is necessary to secure the border and suggest it will act as a deterrent to illegal immigration. But Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the policies "punish children for their parents' actions." "The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable. I call on the United States to immediately end the practice of forcible separation of these children," Zeid said in his final speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council before his term in office ends. The U.S. delegation, led by Geneva-based diplomat Jason Mack, did not refer to migration issues in its subsequent speech upholding LGBT rights and denouncing violence and discrimination against homosexual and transgender people. Reuters quoted activists and diplomats on Thursday as saying that talks with the United States over how to reform the main U.N. rights body have failed to meet Washington's demands, especially over its treatment of Israel, suggesting that the Trump administration will quit the forum. Standing ovation Britain's foreign secretary Boris Johnson praised the council for shining a light on appalling violations worldwide, saying it was part of the rules-based international system. But Britain shared the view with the United States that maintaining a permanent agenda item focusing solely on Israel and the Palestinian territories was "damaging," Johnson said. Zeid said that "longstanding, grave and systematic" human rights violations continued in North Korea and urged Pyongyang to cooperate with the U.N. investigator on the isolated country whose mandate it does not recognise. He cited clear indications of "well-organized, widespread and systematic attacks" continuing against Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar, "amounting possibly to acts of genocide," while conflict has escalated in Kachin and Shan states. The Myanmar government's efforts to prosecute perpetrators have lacked credibility and human rights monitors must be on the ground before Rohingya refugees return from Bangladesh, he said. Myanmar has denied nearly all of the allegations, saying its security forces have been waging a legitimate counter-insurgency operation against what it calls Rohingya terrorists. Zeid accused China of preventing independent activists from testifying before U.N. rights bodies and voiced concern that conditions were "fast deteriorating" in the autonomous regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. Yang Zhilun, of China's Foreign Ministry, did not directly address his remarks, but said that all citizens exercising their right to assembly and demonstration must abide by the law and not harm "national, social and collective rights." Zeid urged the 47-member forum to set up international commissions on alleged violations in Venezuela and Nicaragua. Zeid, whose four-year term finishes at the end of August, received a standing ovation at the end of his remarks. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein warns the rise of extreme nationalism is threatening global peace and security. Zeid spoke at the opening of the U.N. Human Rights Councils three-week session in Geneva. Delegates attending the U.N. Human Rights Councils 38th session gave Zeid Raad Al Hussein a standing ovation as he finished his last speech before he leaves his post at the end of August. The end of his mandate seemingly freed the rights chief to be even more outspoken than usual. Zeid particularly deplored the rise of extreme nationalism promoted by what he described as self-serving, callous leaders. Only by pursuing the opposite to nationalism - only when states all work for each other, for everyone, for all people, for the human rights of all people - can peace be attainable. For only by speaking out can we begin to combat the growing menace of chauvinistic nationalism that stalks our future. Zeid expressed deep concern about recently adopted migration policies by the United States in which children are forcibly separated from parents who cross into the U.S. illegally. He said the policies punish children for their parents' actions. The American Association of Pediatrics has called this cruel practice government-sanctioned child abuse, which may cause irreparable harm, with lifelong consequences. The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable, Zeid said. The high commissioner condemned human rights abuses by the governments of Syria, Myanmar, Venezuela and Nicaragua, and singled out the human rights situations of several African countries, including Burundi, Cameroon, Egypt, and Rwanda. He expressed deep concern about South Sudan, where a pattern of rapes and killings by government forces in Unity State has been taking place since April. Human rights officers have documented the rape of children as young as four years old, and numerous cases of women, elderly people and others being hanged or burned alive in what appears to be a deliberate scorched-earth policy. Zeid also criticized Israeli violations in the occupied Palestinian territories. The United States reportedly is planning to quit the council because of what it sees as bias against Israel. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who also addressed the session, agreed with this U.S. assessment. We share the view that a dedicated agenda item focused solely on Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories is disproportionate and damaging to the cause of peace and unless things change, we shall move next year to vote against all resolutions introduced under Item 7, Johnson said. Agenda Item 7 is a permanent fixture on the council's agenda, dealing with Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Johnson then switched to the main focus of his speech, which was to urge all countries to promote girls education as the best way of achieving sustainable development. He called it a disgrace that 130 million girls worldwide do not get an education and denounced fanatics who fight to stop girls from going to school. A group of numbskulls called Boko Haram, who raid schools, abduct children, inflict any atrocity in order to deny girls an education. When I visited Borno State last year, I met girls who had been told they would be shot if they dared learn to read as the Taliban shot Malala, he said. Johnson was referring to the attempted assassination in 2012 of Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, who had been advocating for the rights of girls to have an education. "The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility," President Donald Trump vowed Monday amid growing outrage over his administration forcibly separating children from parents at the U.S. border with Mexico. Trump, speaking in the White House East Room during a National Space Council meeting, warned that "what's happening in Europe we can't allow that to happen to the United States not on my watch." WATCH: Trump on Immigration Earlier in the day, on the Twitter social media platform, the president inaccurately linked migration in Germany to a rising crime rate. In actuality, the latest German government statistics show reported crimes at the lowest level in 30 years. Tough border enforcement in the U.S. has led to the family breakups, with nearly 2,000 children being sent to mass detention centers or foster care from mid-April to the end of May, according to government officials. The regular White House briefing was delayed several times Monday amid the furor as officials huddled with Trump in the West Wing. 'Zero-tolerance' policy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders finally introduced Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen after 5 p.m., and she defended the administration's "zero-tolerance" policy that is breaking up families at the southwestern U.S. border. Nielsen forcefully pushed back at the negative media coverage, asserting that what U.S. authorities are doing is properly enforcing the law. "What has changed is that we no longer exempt entire classes of people who break the law," she said. Asked about critics accusing the administration of using children as "pawns" to demand legislative actions from Congress, the DHS secretary replied, "I say that is a very cowardly response," adding it is clearly within Congress' power "to make the laws and change the laws. They should do so." Trump's Republican party controls both chambers in Congress, and the family border policies were set by his administration. In a tweet displaying photographs of a detention facility, showing children sleeping on mats with foil blankets, Democrat Senator Tim Kaine wrote: "The real Trump Hotel." Kaine, a member of a subcommittee on children and families, was his party's vice-presidential nominee on the ticket with Hillary Clinton, which lost to Trump and Mike Pence in 2016. Kamala Harris, one of the two Democratic Party senators from California, the country's most populous state, called Monday for Nielsen's resignation. Harris, mentioned as a likely presidential candidate in 2020, said that under Nielsen's watch "our government has committed human rights abuses by breaking up families along the southern border. And she has failed to be accountable and transparent with the American people." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also added her voice to those calling for Nielsen to quit her post. Both Nielsen and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in speeches to a law enforcement group in New Orleans earlier Monday, defended the administration's stance. Sessions said that while the Trump administration does not want to separate children from their parents, "we cannot and will not encourage people to bring children by giving them blanket immunity from our laws." U.N. rebuke In a rare rebuke of the United States, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said migrant children should not be separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. "Children must not be traumatized by being separated from their parents. Family unity must be preserved," a spokesman for Guterres said in a statement. "This is a manufactured crisis. It is not necessary to separate parents and children to effectively enforce the nation's immigration laws," said Doris Meissner, who was commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service for seven years during the Clinton administration. "Earlier administrations have grappled with comparable issues and their responsibility for enforcing the same laws," she added. "They have made different choices on how best to enforce the laws because they have understood and recognized that the practices we are witnessing today are at odds with fundamental American values and principles." The House of Representatives is preparing for expected votes this week on major changes to U.S. immigration laws. Trump is scheduled to meet with House Republicans on Tuesday to discuss two competing Republican immigration reform bills. Sanders on Monday told reporters Trump is willing to sign either bill. Both would provide legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, make sweeping changes to legal immigration, and boost U.S. border security. However, it is unclear if either will attract enough votes to pass. "The degree to which the president seemingly believes and continues to equate immigrants and refugees with crime and danger contributes to heightening fear and opposition to immigration," Meissner told VOA. "This makes it very difficult for members of Congress to reach agreement on important legislative measures that the country should be taking to manage immigration challenges more effectively." Officials in Seoul are reacting cautiously to the expected suspension of U.S.-South Korea military exercises, but an influential presidential adviser sees it as an important step in the North Korea denuclearization process that is beginning to take shape. An announcement could come this week to put on hold the major joint exercises that entail bringing in troops, fighter jets, war ships and other military assets from U.S. bases around the world, according to the South Korean Yonhap news agency quoting unnamed government sources. But routine joint training would continue, said Yonhap. Flexible approach On Monday the South Korean Defense Minister said the issue is still being negotiated. We are still discussing about it. Nothing has yet been decided, and it is still in discussion, said Choi Hyun-soo, the National Defense Ministry spokesperson. On Sunday U.S. President Donald Trump said in a tweet that it was his idea to cancel what he called the war games conducted by U.S. and South Korean troops, while Washington and Pyongyang are engaged in good faith negotiations to implement the denuclearization agreement he reached with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at last weeks Singapore Summit. Neither the South Korean government nor U.S. military officials were given advance notice that Trump would call for an end to the joint drills. However, South Korean President Moon Jae-in asked for cooperation on this issue and emphasized the need to be flexible on possibly easing military pressure on North Korea if denuclearization progress continues. Reciprocal and anticipatory Critics of the broad denuclearization agreement reached between Trump and Kim say it lacks any specifics over the extent of nuclear weapons to be included, the deadline for dismantlement, and outside verification requirements. And they oppose the presidents decision to end major joint military exercises, without gaining any major concrete concession in return from Kim. But Moon Chung-in, a special adviser to the South Korean president, and a strong proponent for increased engagement with North Korea, sees Trumps friendly embrace of Kim and the unilateral concession he made as parts of a more nuanced diplomatic plan that is beginning to emerge. His remarks on the possible suspension of the R.O.K. (Republic of Korea)-U.S. combined military exercises in August, I think the remarks are extremely strategic. It is reciprocal as well as anticipatory, said Moon, who is also a distinguished professor emeritus of political studies at Yonsei University. Suspending the military drills, Professor Moon said, is an appropriate response to the Norths seven month suspension of nuclear and missile tests, its agreement to engage in denuclearization talks, and its unilateral closing of a nuclear teat site. Ending the joint drills, Moon said, also puts pressure on Pyongyang to be reasonable in return as the two sides discuss the process ahead; allowing in outside inspectors, agreeing to eliminate the Norths nuclear arsenal, and imposing limits on ballistic missiles and other threatening weapon systems, and dismantling the weapons of mass destruction. And U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the tough United Nations sanctions that block 90 percent of North Korean trade will remain in place until there is concrete denuclearization progress. Trumps goodwill gesture on ending the joint drills may help nuclear negotiators bridge the gap between Pyongyangs incremental approach linking sanctions relief to dismantlement progress, and Washingtons demand for complete denuclearization before providing further concessions. I think the two will reach a compromise, with certain characteristics of the one shot deal that is mentioned by President Trump, as well as the gradual and synchronized exchange from North Korea. I believe that they will find a midway point, said Prof. Moon. Many North Korea security analysts doubt Kims intention to completely give up his nuclear deterrent that has long been seen as vital to the survival of his family led rule of the country. But Kim Jong Un is not his father, say many who support Trumps outreach. The young leader seems to want to focus more on economic development and has said there would be no need for his country to hold onto nuclear weapons, if trust can be established through a peace treaty and engagement. Both Trump and President Moon are cautiously testing that proposition, their supporters say. South Korea has also been engaged in talks with the North to ease tensions along the heavily militarized border, to possibly field a joint team at the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia, and to organize reunions in August for families that have been separated since the division of Korea at the end of World War II. Lee Yoon-jee in Seoul contributed to this report. The U.S. Supreme Court Monday has ruled against state Democrats in a case concerning partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin, sending it back to a lower court for a decision. Gerrymandering is the process of redrawing lines of a states electoral districts in order to gain an electoral advantage. Gerrymandering on racial and ethnic grounds was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1993, in the case Shaw v. Reno. The Wisconsin case, Gill v. Whitford, concerned the boundaries of the states legislative districts. The plaintiffs in the case argued the districts drawn by the state's Republican-controlled legislature following the 2010 midterm elections unfairly favored the party. The court said that while its decision expresses no view on the merits of the plaintiffs case, they would send the case to the lower courts in order for the plaintiffs to present evidence "that would tend to demonstrate a burden on their individual votes. In October, during oral arguments, Chief Justice John Roberts dismissed attempts to discern partisan gerrymandering as sociological gobbledygook. Yet another delay Todays decision is yet another delay in providing voters with the power they deserve in our democracy, said Chris Carson, president of the League of Women Voters of the United States, in a statement. Partisan gerrymandering is distorting and undermining our representative democracy, giving politicians the power to choose their voters, instead of giving voters the power to choose their politicians. Separately, the U.S. Supreme Court also sidestepped a definitive ruling in a similar case in Maryland. The court did not immediately block congressional district lines drawn by Democrats to maximize the party's advantage. The high court could soon decide on whether to take up a similar case from North Carolina. Redistricting in the U.S. happens every 10 years, and Mondays decision is regarded as especially important, coming ahead of the next round of redistricting in 2021. Earlier this year, Pennsylvania's Supreme Court ordered the state to redraw its federal congressional districts, breaking a Republican gerrymander of the state. The United States has begun coordinated but independent patrols with Turkey near the volatile northern Syrian city of Manbij, the Pentagon confirmed to VOA on Monday. We are patrolling on one side and they are patrolling on the other, defense spokesman Eric Pahon told VOA on Monday. These patrols are not joint. Turkeys armed forces confirmed the American and Turkish independent patrol activities via Twitter earlier in the day. Pahon said the patrols were located west of the city near the forward line of troops, which separates Turkish-controlled areas from Manbij. The city is housing Kurdish militia fighters who Ankara says are anti-Turkey terrorists. Pahon said the purpose of the patrols was to support long-term security in Manbij and uphold its commitments to NATO-ally Turkey. Earlier this month, Turkey and the United States endorsed a road map to overcome months of dispute over the city. The two countries have disagreed over U.S. support for the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara views as a terrorist organization. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters on June 11 that collaboration between the United States and Turkey along the forward line of troops would first include patrols on each side saying, Yes, I see you. You see me. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. After two consecutive years of decline, remittances, the money migrant workers send home, increased in 2017 according to figures released by the World Bank. Remittances are a significant financial contribution to the well-being of families of migrant workers. User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale 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! Translate Lake Atitlan / Moderate shaking (MMI V) San Bartolome Milpas Altas, Sacatepequez (41 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Antigua, Guatemala (34.7 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) It scared the hell out of us. We ran out of the house and into our yard. It seemed to last about 30 seconds, maybe longer. We felt a few mild aftershocks. (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Guatemala city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Guatemala, zona 9 (43.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Guatemala city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Guatemala city / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Nothing much, just felt a,slight movement while watching tv Guatemala City (47 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : I was sitting on my sofa and felt it move like in a burst Santa Tecla, La Libertad (158.1 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Muy suave y largo (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Chimaltenango (51.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Posada San Sebastian, antigua, Guatemala (9.6 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Smooth shaking. Not a jolt. Did not see anything move. Definitely could feel it and jumped under the furniture. San Miguel Petapa (35.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) So so nate, salvador / Light shaking (MMI IV) : First ever felt tremer! First one wasn't too strong second was pretty long and scary! San Salvador (166.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) Antigua Guatemala (36.7 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Palencia, Guatemala (56.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Guatemala, Guatemala (42.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) san salvador / Moderate shaking (MMI V) San Pedro de la laguna Guatemala / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Sounded like many concrete blocks falling. Shook casa for 2 seconds. Deep rumble. Everyone in town stopped what they were doing for 20 minutes. Guatemala City (42.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) Mixco, Municipio de Mixco, Guatemala (48.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala (40.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) San Jose Villanueva, La Libertad, El Salvador (164.2 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Guatemala City / Weak shaking (MMI III) Carretera a El Salvador, Guatemala / Light shaking (MMI IV) Villa Nueva / Strong shaking (MMI VI) mixco (46.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Mixco (41.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) 22 ave B zona 15 Guatemala City (43.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Malacatan, San Marcos, Guatemala (169.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Guatemala city (33.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Good (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Santiago Atitlan (77.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) Guatemala Capatal / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) Guatemala City, Zona 10 / Light shaking (MMI IV) : My very first earthquake! Hope everyone is ok. Metapan, Santa Ana (130.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad (163.6 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad (164.4 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) San Lucas Sacatepequez (42.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Antigua (36.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) Villa Nueva, Guatemala (29.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Coban, Alta Verapaz / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Estaba en Coban, a 250kms Guatemala City (49.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) Guatemala Ciudad (48.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) San Pedro, zone 1 / Light shaking (MMI IV) Gua (44.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Very light..here in Guatemala City. San Marcos La Laguna (83.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Guatemala Villa Nueva (33.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Soleil Pacifico San Jose / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Villa Nueva, Guatemala. (32.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) Muy fuerte, tenemos en mi pais 3 volcanes activos en este momento, el de fuego, el pacaya y santiaguito. (reported through (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) Santiago Atitlan / Light shaking (MMI IV) : I was sleeping but it woke me up, it felt long. Guatemala City zona 10 (43.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) guatemala city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) San miguel. El salvador (260.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Eindows cracked and moderate shake. Everebody in my house alarmed We thought that was in the volcano chaparrastique (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) near Panaba, Yucatan (836.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) Guatemala City (43.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) antigua guatemala / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : started with a mild earth movement, then sort of stopped, then came on with moderate shaking. it was enough to get up and get into a safe doorway. so far no news or internet reports. Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez (37.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) San Pedro Sacatepequez, San Marcos (146.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) (reported through our app / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) Antigua, Guatemala / Strong shaking (MMI VI) Antigua Guatemala / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Lasted for what felt like 15 seconds. Shook the house, floor and walls. Made a long rumbling sound. Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez (38.4 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala (44.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez (37.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez (36.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Muxbal (40.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Antigua guatemala (37 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Zona 15 / Weak shaking (MMI III) Mixco, Municipio de Mixco, Guatemala (44 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) El Rosario, Departamento de La Paz (191 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) San Antonio Palopo, Solola (73.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Felt it in San Pedro Antigua, Guatemala / Strong shaking (MMI VI) San Antonio Suchitepequez (88.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) (reported through our app / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) GUATEMALA City (44 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Guatemala City Guatemala / Light shaking (MMI IV) La esperanza, Villa nueva / Moderate shaking (MMI V) San pedro la Laguna (77.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Panajachel / Moderate shaking (MMI V) San Lucas Toliman / Light shaking (MMI IV) San Pedro La Laguna (84.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) San Jose Pinula, Guatemala (43.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Antigua, sacatepequez / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) : It was long and since the very first second the movement was very strong until the last second. I was able to get my 72 hours emergency backpack, put on shoes and get a jacket and still the earth was moving.. We are save. Nothing happened luckily. San Pedro La Laguna, Solola (84.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Guatemala City, Guatemala / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Sitting on couch and it started shake. Tv was swaying and walls were making sounds. Guatemala City (47.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Tecpan / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) Guatemala city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Panajachel / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Antigua Guatamala / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Felt like a truck drove by Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez (37.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) San Lucas, Guatemala / Light shaking (MMI IV) Antigua (24.5 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Lasted only a few seconds Guatemala city (48.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : It felt long Petapa / Weak shaking (MMI III) Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala (41.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) it was long although being in a 3rd floor probably had to do with it (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Guatemala City, zone 14 (45.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : just felt a few initial jolts, then just heard creaking Villa canales (29.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) Movimiento pequeno hasta un poco mas extendido, sensacion suave, movimiento agua en pila. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala (44 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) 12th floor building shaking/rumble...light swaying (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Panajachel / Light shaking (MMI IV) VILLA NUEVA, GUATEMALA (34.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Panajachel / Weak shaking (MMI III) Escuintla, Escuintla / Weak shaking (MMI III) Antigua / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : It was only 2 seconds or so Ciudad Vieja, Sacatapequez / Light shaking (MMI IV) Mixco, Municipio de Mixco, Guatemala (48.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Se sentido moderado en zona 4 de mixco (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Chimaltenango (53 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Escuintla (16.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Fraijanes, Guatemala (31.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Jocotenango, Sacatepequez / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Chinautla, Guatemala (51.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) (reported through our app / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) Guatemala City Zona 4 / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Hey shaking of back-and-forth lasted less than 10 seconds San salvador (168.5 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Movimiento de desplasamiento lento de magnitud moderada (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala (42 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala (42.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) Si se sintio en ciudad de Guatemala, se movian las ramas de los arboles, pero no tan fuerte, gracias a Dios. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) Antigua Guatemala (35.2 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Mixco, Guatemala / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Excitment, neighbors felt it. Guatemala City, Guatemala / Light shaking (MMI IV) Mixco, Municipio de Mixco, Guatemala (48.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) Quetzaltenango (116.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Suave sacudida!!! (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Villa Nueva, Guatemala (38 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Guatemala City (47.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala (42.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Escuintla (15.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala (36.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) (reported through our app / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) Guatemala City (Guatemala, 44 km N of epicenter) Acostado en la cama. Se movio un poco (reported through (reported through EMSC San Salvador (El Salvador, 163 km E of epicenter) San Salvador, El Salvador. (reported through (reported through EMSC Salina Cruz (Mexico, 558 km W of epicenter) Lo senti ligero...cuidence mucho tomen precauciones. (reported through (reported through EMSC Tapachula de Cordova y Ordonez (Mexico, 212 km W of epicenter) Tapachula (reported through (reported through EMSC San Salvador (El Salvador, 149 km SE of epicenter) Movimiento percibido (reported through (reported through EMSC San Salvador (El Salvador, 141 km SE of epicenter) Bastante fuerte en San Salvador (reported through (reported through EMSC San Pedro La Laguna (Guatemala, 103 km NW of epicenter) very jerky motion (reported through (reported through EMSC Santa Ana (El Salvador, 98 km E of epicenter) Se movio la tierra suave, el agua de mi pecera se movio fuerte. (reported through (reported through EMSC San Pedro Las Huertas (Guatemala, 45 km NW of epicenter) Se sintio bien fuerte y duro varios segundos (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala (Guatemala, 44 km NW of epicenter) Was horrible (reported through (reported through EMSC La Libertad (El Salvador, 141 km SE of epicenter) It was sensible in El Salvador, some kilometers Form Guatemala city. (reported through (reported through EMSC San Cristobal Totonicapan (Guatemala, 138 km NW of epicenter) Felt rolling motion. Heard noise. (reported through (reported through EMSC El Barillo (El Salvador, 136 km SE of epicenter) Muy extano se sintio fuerte en zaragoza El Salvador para que haya sido de de 5.6 (reported through (reported through EMSC Ciudad Vieja (Guatemala, 53 km NW of epicenter) Pretty scary lasted almost 30 seconds (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala (Guatemala, 52 km NW of epicenter) Un jalon fuerte (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala (Guatemala, 50 km NW of epicenter) Si. Fue sensible pero sin mayor novedad. (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala City (Guatemala, 48 km NW of epicenter) Felt a soft swaying from a high rise hotel here in Guatemala City. As a California resident I am fairly used to quakes. This lasted a while but was not jerky. (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala City (Guatemala, 48 km NW of epicenter) To long (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala City (Guatemala, 48 km NW of epicenter) Felt the bed shaking and floor moving beneath us. 7th floor of Hotel Barcelo. Pool water was highly agitated. (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala City (Guatemala, 48 km NW of epicenter) Duro bastante tiempo, aproximadamente unos 20 segundos, balanceo de macetas, agua en recipientes. (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala City (Guatemala, 48 km NW of epicenter) We have a very active volcano right now. Fuego Volcano (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala City (Guatemala, 48 km NW of epicenter) I was reading in my room and the house (concrete) started shaking pretty strong (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala City (Guatemala, 48 km NW of epicenter) Long shake, about 20-30s (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala (Guatemala, 47 km NW of epicenter) Felt in Guatemala City (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala (Guatemala, 46 km NW of epicenter) Lo acabo de reportar. Se movieron las lamparas. (reported through (reported through EMSC (Guatemala, 45 km W of epicenter) I might it was for the continuously vulcano eruption (reported through (reported through EMSC Guatemala (Guatemala, 44 km NW of epicenter) 20 seconds shake (reported through (reported through EMSC News about an eruption on Ferdinandina Island in the Galapagos archipelago turned out to be wrong. After an earthquake with a 5.2-degree Richter Scale on Tuesday, ash plumes were believed to have originated from a new eruption. As an overflight revieled, the ash plume had been caused by a large rockfall from the inner rim of the caldera and not by an eruption. ... 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 If youre an old-school cook and have made consomme, you probably started with a rich stock that you clarified with a raft of egg whites and ground meat. These coagulants attract all the impurities in the stock, which you then skim off, leaving the clear broth. Fining works the same way, using proteins such as albumin from egg whites, casein from milk, or isinglass from, well, fish guts. Way back in the day, ox blood was used. Bentonite a clay, and therefore vegan can also be used. The fining agent and whatever it extracts from the wine fall out of solution, so they arent in the bottle you take home. But if youre a purist, theres no way to guarantee there is absolutely no residue from the fining agent in the wine. So vegans often look for wines labeled as unfined. Kosher wines are also vegan by definition, as kosher rules prohibit the use of animal products in wine production. Stadlers arrest would be discussed at a supervisory board meeting on Monday. The head of Volkswagens luxury arm Audi was arrested on Monday, the most senior company official so far to be taken into custody over the German carmakers emissions test cheating scandal. Frankfurt: The head of Volkswagens luxury arm Audi was arrested on Monday, the most senior company official so far to be taken into custody over the German carmakers emissions test cheating scandal. Munich prosecutors said Rupert Stadler was being detained due to fears he might hinder an ongoing investigation into the scandal, plunging Volkswagen (VW) into a leadership crisis. News of the arrest comes as VWs new group CEO Herbert Diess is trying to introduce a new leadership structure, which includes Stadler, and speed up the groups shift towards electric vehicles in the wake of its emissions scandal. As part of an investigation into diesel affairs and Audi engines, the Munich prosecutors office executed an arrest warrant against Mr Professor Rupert Stadler on June 18, 2018, the Munich prosecutors office said in a statement. A judge in Germany has ordered that Stadler be remanded in custody, it said, to prevent him from obstructing or hindering the diesel investigation. Audi and VW confirmed the arrest and reiterated there was still a presumption of innocence for Stadler. Stadler himself was not immediately available for comment. A spokesman for Porsche SE, the company that controls VW and Audi, said Stadlers arrest would be discussed at a supervisory board meeting on Monday. VW admitted in September 2015 to using illegal software to cheat U.S. emissions tests on diesel engines, sparking the biggest crisis in the companys history and leading to a regulatory crackdown across the auto industry. The United States filed criminal charges against former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn in May, but he is unlikely to face U.S. authorities because Germany does not extradite its nationals to countries outside the European Union. The Munich prosecutors said Stadlers arrest was not made at the behest of U.S. authorities. The executive was arrested at his home in Ingolstadt, in the early hours on Monday, they said. Distributed by Elite: Available in the District at Arrowine and Spirits, Streets Market and Cafe (14th Street); on the list at Bindaas (Pennsylvania Avenue), Bistro Aracosia and Castello. Available in Maryland at All View Liquors and Wine Bin in Ellicott City, Dawsons Market and Gillys Craft Beer & Fine Wine in Rockville, the Happy Grape and Wine Source in Baltimore, Old Line Fine Wine, Spirits & Bistro in Beltsville, the Perfect Pour in Elkridge, Sniders Super Foods in Silver Spring; on the list at Hudson Coastal in Fulton, Fells Point Tavern, Penny Black and Water for Chocolate in Baltimore, Rips Country Inn in Bowie. Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese in Arlington, the Bottle Stop in Occoquan, Cheesetique (Alexandria), German Gourmet in Falls Church, Streets Market (Alexandria); on the list at 1836 in Lovettsville, Brine in Fairfax, Mele Bistro in Arlington, Trellis in Williamsburg. The United States wants to send robotic explorers to the moon as soon as next year as a step toward sending astronauts there for the first time since 1972, a NASA official said Monday. I think if all of us stand up and make a movement out of saying, Enough is enough about being treated differently because were conservative, she says. It almost sounds a little bit like a political Me Too movement. But I think if the liberals can stand up and say Me Too about sexual harassment and assault, why cant we stand up and say Me Too about being disenfranchised as conservatives? Hell do it for more than three hours on this muggy day, more than six hours on others, staying until the last veteran has gone on by to see the grand columns and fountains behind him. They pump his left hand the one with some numb feeling left and squeeze his shoulders, and sometimes he gets home not just tired but gently battered by humanity and humidity alike. Voters in the District go to the polls on Tuesday for a primary election in which Democrats will be asked to choose a mayor and an attorney general, and to fill about half the seats on the D.C. Council. The drug, known by the brand name Truvada, lowers the risk of HIV infection from sex by more than 90 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The daily pill is recommended for people at high risk of getting the virus, such as those in a relationship with someone who has HIV or gay men who have had sex without a condom. Four people suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and three were seriously injured, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the county fire and rescue service. All were taken to hospitals, he said. Four vehicles were involved in the crash, he said. In the early weeks of January 1942, relying on an old Worlds Fair guidebook to find his way, Reinhard Hardegen brought his German U-boat near the mouth of New York Harbor. A Kapitanleutnant at the time, holding the equivalent rank of a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, he was close enough to shore that, standing on his submarines bridge in the dark of night, he could watch the Ferris wheel turn above Coney Island, spot the headlights of cars and see the distant glow of skyscrapers in Manhattan. Luo further emphasised on 5Cs- communication, cooperation, contacts, coordination and control that can help promote China-India relations. Luo Zhaohui on Monday proposed a trilateral summit between three neighbouring countries of China, India and Pakistan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). New Delhi: Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on Monday proposed a trilateral summit between three neighbouring countries of China, India and Pakistan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Addressing media at the Institute of Chinese Studies, he said, "If China-Russia-Mongolia trilateral is possible then why don't we try working China-India-Pakistan out." Luo further emphasised on 5Cs- communication, cooperation, contacts, coordination and control that can help promote China-India relations. "Now I want to share with you the fields of priority with #5Cs to promote #China-#India relations, namely #communication, #cooperation, #contacts, #coordination, and #control," he tweeted. He concluded by encouraging cultural exchange mechanism in fields of movie, sports, tourism, museum, youth. "China will continue to promote religious exchanges, arrange pilgrims by Indian Yatris to Kailash Manasarovar in China's Tibet," he added. In April this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Wuhan to discuss bilateral issues and narrow down the differences between two Asian giants. They later met at sidelines of SCO and decided that the second round of informal meeting will be held in India next year. After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit sided with another transgender teen, Gavin Grimm in Virginia, in his battle to use the boys restroom, the Talbot County, Md., superintendent announced that the school board had to follow the courts directive. That allowed Max to use the boys restrooms but not the locker room. In all, Metro concludes, hundreds of thousands of riders annually had been charged the wrong fare some paying up to 35 cents too much and others paying up to 55 cents too little per trip, while the majority of fares were off by 5 to 10 cents. Metro lost $124,000 because of the issue during fiscal 2016, when more than 14 million trips were calculated with incorrect fares, according to the report. Woman strangles bobcat: A 46-year-old woman strangled a rabid bobcat to death after the animal attacked her in her front yard in northeastern Georgia. The Athens Banner-Herald reported that DeDe Phillips of Hart County went outside on June 7 to take a picture and the animal lunged at her. She 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, so she knew something about the animal's behavior. She said she was afraid to call for help because her 5-year-old granddaughter was in the house. Phillips is being treated for rabies exposure and recovering from a broken finger and bite and claw wounds to her hands, arms, chest and legs. A more definitive answer will come with future experiments, including one called IsoDAR, proposed by Conrad and many of her colleagues. Rather than counting the number of neutrinos of a given flavor at the end of a beam, it will catch sight of neutrinos wiggling back and forth between different flavors as they travel, which will give a fuller picture of the oscillations. I am not ready to bet my money yet because the excess is kind of a blob on a plot, Conrad said. What if something else can make a blob? To be really convinced, I want to see, with high significance, this predicted wiggle. Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Sanjay Dutt were all geared up to begin shooting soon, but it now appears unlikely. Ashutosh Gowariker had announced his next project Panipat some time back. Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Sanjay Dutt were all geared up to begin shooting this one soon, but that now appears unlikely. Ashutosh has become a forgotten name post his disaster film Mohenjo Daro. His lead actors, Half Girlfriend actor Arjun Kapoor, Raabta actress Kriti Sanon and an actor who is trying hard to hog limelight with a biopic and doing a multi-starrer Kalank, Sanjay Dutt, too might have pinned some hopes from the project after giving flops, but none of their dreams seem to be taking off, atleast not anytime soon. According to a close source of the film, "Panipat is facing a lot of financial trouble. The film which was supposed to go on floors soon is now on a back burner. The cinematographer Kiran Deohans has quit the film and is in no mood to join the crew back." With Kirans exit from the film, time will now be able to tell who can replace him, or if the crew can talk out with Kiran and make him come back on the film. But it appears highly unlikely that the film would go on floors soon, like most people are made to believe. Because the hip is a much simpler joint than the knee, and the surgery much more straightforward, its generally easier to recover from hip replacement and may not even require formal physical therapy, says Daniel Riddle, a professor of physical therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Normal activities such as bathing, cooking and climbing stairs often provide enough hip movement to keep your recovery on track. Most people will be about 90 percent recovered within six to eight weeks after surgery, with more small improvements over the next year. The system is built against us, because the more you use these products like Facebook and Google, the more money they make, said Nick Fitz, a behavioral researcher at Duke University. Its like playing chess against a billion-dollar company. For every one of us trying to fix the attention economy, they have 20 researchers trying to suck you further into it. A childs sense of what safety means depends on that relationship. And without it, the parts of the brain that deal with attachment and fear the amygdala and hippocampus develop differently. The reason such children often develop PTSD later in life is that those neurons start firing irregularly, Fortuna said. The part of their brain that sorts things into safe or dangerous does not work like its supposed to. Things that are not threatening seem threatening, she said. Fire ravages historic Glasgow School of Art for second time: A huge fire gutted one of Scotland's architectural gems, the Mackintosh building at the Glasgow School of Art, which was still being restored after a major blaze in 2014. Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, said the damage to the 1909 masterpiece by Scottish designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh was "much, much worse" than four years ago. The area was quickly evacuated. No casualties were reported, and the cause of the fire has not been established. The Mackintosh building had been due to reopen next year. Three people have been injured in a firing in Delhi's Burari area. New Delhi: Three died while five others have been injured in a case of gang war between members of Gogi gang and Tillu gang at Sant Nagar in Delhi's Burari area. Raju, a member of Tillu gang has been shot dead. Three people, including a woman, have been injured in the firing. In Frederick, we do not want tax dollars funding violations of human rights and dignity. ICEs alleged assault of Gbohoutou adds to a growing and well-documented narrative of abuse within the detention and deportation system across the country. Furthermore, research conducted by the RISE (Resources for Immigrant Support and Empowerment) Coalition of Western Maryland estimates that Frederick Countys 287(g) program expenses exceed ICEs reimbursement by $1 million, meaning that it costs taxpayers to house unjustly detained immigrants. A lack of transparency shrouds the Frederick County Sheriffs Office as it refuses to provide any details on the program budget. Finally, Bannonism encompasses contempt for the government itself. Trump has served this well with his constant disparagement of the Justice Department and the FBI; his at times insultingly unsuitable appointments (such as his personal physician to head the mammoth Department of Veterans Affairs); and his generally cavalier attitude toward staffing. Even today, 17 months into his first term, fewer than half of the 667 key positions tracked by The Post in collaboration with the Partnership for Public Service are filled, and for almost 200 there are no nominees. We are far from the first independent schools to eliminate the AP designation. Many excellent boarding and day schools around the country have embraced this change and seen students thrive and teachers flourish without any negative impact on college placement. What is unusual about our decision is that we came to this conclusion together and are announcing it jointly. We hope that by adding our collective voice to the conversation, we will make it easier for other schools considering a similar change to follow the same path. The many flaws in the attorney generals decision may lead to it being reversed, and there are other avenues that allow some women fleeing domestic violence to prevail despite this ruling. Still, thousands of women will be turned away in the meantime, denied refuge and sent back to their fates beatings, rapes and for some, death. For too many, safety is now beyond their grasp. Instead, the U.S. government has revoked the refuge once offered to women who dared to demand that their worth be recognized. These women rejected the premise that they were their husbands by fleeing their home countries. They fled because their home country governments looked on while they suffered. Now the United States too looks on, undisturbed, unmotivated to intervene, unwilling to protect them. Mr. Comey was in a near-impossible position in the investigation. He had concluded that Ms. Clinton was grossly negligent (or extremely careless, as he ultimately said) in her handling of classified information, which would be a felony under Section 793 of the federal criminal code. But conviction is never a certainty, and indicting her would essentially be deciding the outcome of the presidential election. It is understandable that he didnt want that to be on his shoulders. But if he remained silent, he would be giving her chances a big boost, because the implication would be that grounds for prosecution werent present. So his idea of justice was to refrain from recommending criminal action, although the facts could have supported it, but to disclose the facts to the American people. This violated policy, but the situation was unique. Ms. Clintons supporters, who ran the Justice Department, wouldnt have condoned Mr. Comeys compromise if he had told them what he planned to say, but on balance his decision was a boon for Ms. Clinton. It certainly was better for her than being indicted while in a presidential campaign. AAP leaders accompanied by thousands of party workers on Sunday marched towards Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence on Sunday. This is the first time that the Congress chief has reacted to AAP's protest which began last week. (Photo: ANI/Twitter) New Delhi: As the Aam Aadmi party's sit-in protest at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's residence continues, Congress party president Rahul Gandhi on Monday took to Twitter to call the protest a 'drama' and said that the real victims were the people of Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and Delhi Development Minister Gopal Rai have been camping at Anil Baijals waiting room since June 11, refusing to leave until the L-G makes IAS bureaucrats in the Delhi government end their strike. Rahul Gandhi's tweeted saying: Delhi CM, sitting in Dharna at LG office. BJP sitting in Dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences. PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos & disorder. People of Delhi are the victims, as this drama plays out. Delhi CM, sitting in Dharna at LG office. BJP sitting in Dharna at CM residence. Delhi bureaucrats addressing press conferences. PM turns a blind eye to the anarchy; rather nudges chaos & disorder. People of Delhi are the victims, as this drama plays out. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 18, 2018 This is the first time that the Congress chief has reacted to AAP's protest which began last week. AAP leaders accompanied by thousands of party workers on Sunday marched towards Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence on Sunday in support of their ministers protest. Also Read: AAP's Manish Sisodia hospitalised after hunger strike at Delhi L-G's office 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 have also backed CM Arvind Kejriwal. The case began with the conviction of Adaucto Chavez-Meza, who was sentenced in 2013 to 11 years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. A year later, the defendant asked the court to lower his sentence after the Sentencing Commission changed its drug-offense guidelines for Chavez-Mezas type of crime. Lozman in an interview called the ruling a really big day for citizen-activists and said it makes clear that municipalities are not immune to the law. He said he would be willing to settle the case in exchange for an apology from the city council now very different from the one he initially sued and reimbursement for legal fees. The lower court concluded that the districting plans were drawn to eliminate swing districts and create ones favorable to Republicans. That court found that the shape of the districts could not be explained by nonpartisan reasons and that the advantage given to Republicans would be enduring through the decade even if Democrats outperformed Republicans at the polls. Returning to the high courts docket is the case of an Alaskan moose hunter and his hovercraft. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Anchorage businessman John Sturgeon in 2016, but it did not answer the question of whether he would be able to use his hovercraft to travel through shallow rivers within federal land to his favorite hunting spot near the Canadian border. I say, very strongly, its the Democrats fault, Trump said. Theyre really obstructionist . . . The United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility. It wont be. You look at whats happening in Europe; you look at whats happening in other places. We cant let that happen in the United States, not on my watch. Shortly after Comey was fired, an FBI review determined that some of the information in two of his memos was classified, said a person familiar with the matter, prompting the FBI to retrieve those documents from two people with whom Comey had shared them. The information was marked confidential, the lowest category of classified information, another person said. Earlier, the Justice Departments inspector general had privately assured lawmakers that he would that he will review the handling of the memos, according to people familiar with the matter. Delhi CM confirmed that his colleague has been hospitalised even as tug-of-war between AAP and L-G refused to die down on the seventh day. The Health Minister was taken to the LNJP Hospital, officials said. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday night 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 L-G refused to die down on the seventh day on Sunday. "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 the doorstep ration delivery scheme. Jain had gone on strike on Tuesday, and his sugar level had further dipped on Saturday, 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. On Saturday, a team of medical specialists had examined Jain and Sisodia, who is also on indefinite fast at the L-G 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. On Saturday, the sugar level had dipped again to 40 units. His blood pressure reading was 110/70. Administration officials, led by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, have defended the policy as a necessary deterrent as they try to secure the border. Trump has argued that Democrats can fix the laws that cause family separation at the border even though there are no laws mandating that children be taken from any adult arriving there. Seehofer said in his own news conference Monday which began even as Merkel was still taking questions that he hoped for a European solution but would be forced to act if one is not reached. We wish the chancellor much success, he said. But we are sticking with our position. But some are getting through. At the Beeri nature reserve, damage to woodland and wildlife is extensive, said Daniel Ben David, regional director of the Israeli Jewish National Fund, which takes care of the reserve. About 1,000 acres have been destroyed, and more than 450 fires have been started in the past two months. Remnants of the kites, their long tails made from shreds of paper with Arabic writing, lie strewn on the burned ground. Prakash Raj asked if PM could spare a minute to instruct bureaucrats to work with Delhi CM 'who is actually doing a good job'. Actor Prakash Raj, one of the sharpest and most vocal critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP, often takes to social media to express his views. (Photo: File) Mumbai: Taking a dig at "supreme leader" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fitness challenge video that turned into several memes on social media, actor Prakash Raj asked if he could spare a minute to instruct bureaucrats to work with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal "who is actually doing a good job". The actor, one of the sharpest and most vocal critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP, often takes to social media to express his views. On Sunday, Prakash Raj came out in support of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, who is on a sit-in protest at Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's official home, demanding a meeting with him. The chief minister along with three of his colleagues -- Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai and Satyendar Jain who had gone to meet the Baijal last Monday to discuss a host of issues, including the "strike" by IAS officers haven't left the orange couch at the Lt Governor guest room since. On Twitter, 53-year-old actor Prakash Raj wrote, "Dear supreme leader.. we know u r busy with Fitbit challenge..yoga n exercise..can u spare a minute and take a deep breath.. look around ...and instruct bureaucrats to work with Chief Minister Kejriwal...(who is actually doing a good job ) and exercise your duty too..#justasking." Dear supreme leader.. we know u r busy with Fitbit challenge..yoga n EXERCISE..can u spare a minute and take a deep breath.. look around ...and instruct bureaucrats to work with Chief Minister Kejriwal...(who is actually doing a good job ) and EXERCISE your DUTY too..#justasking Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) June 17, 2018 Most of Prakash Raj's tweets targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the BJP in Karnataka are accompanied by the hashtag "justasking", which gradually took shape of a campaign. I hope to produce the outrage and the public pressure to force those in power to do the right thing, said ORourke, who is challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in November. This is inhumane. Id like to say its un-American, but its happening right now in America. 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. Trump on Twitter Monday echoed that point. Children are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country, he wrote. Has anyone been looking at the Crime taking place south of the border. It is historic, with some countries the most dangerous places in the world. Not going to happen in the U.S. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in a speech to the council Monday, sided with the United States in urging the council to stop reflexively criticizing Israel by keeping an agenda item devoted to human rights abuses in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a permanent item on the schedule. Calling it disproportionate and damaging to the cause of peace, he said Britain will vote against it every time it comes up. US presidential candidate and cryptocurrency firebrand John McAfee will use a soon-to-be launched Perth blockchain technology in his bid for the White House in 2020. ClearPoll, which was developed using the same technology that underpins Bitcoin, allows users to anonymously create and vote on opinon polls and is pitched at replacing the opinion surveys commissioned by the news media during election campaigns. US presidential candidate John McAfee is using a technology developed in Perth to help him win the White House in 2020. Credit:AP Photo/Ambergris Today Online-Sofia Munoz ClearPoll director and co-founder Daniel Abela said the technology would allow polls to be created then stored on a blockchain, which would be accessible by any user and prevent results being hidden or altered. He said the technology would create a system more trustworthy than current methods of opinion polling. Kashif Jameel is presently undergoing treatment in the King Georges Medical University in Lucknow. Lucknow: Dr Kafeel Khan, the doctor who was suspended last year following the death of children due to oxygen shortage in BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, on Sunday, blamed a BJP MP for the murderous attack on his brother on June 10. He has sought a CBI inquiry into the attack on his brother. Dr Khan told reporters in Lucknow that the state police had promised to arrest the culprits within a week but no action has been taken. He claimed that BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan, who represents the Bansgaon constituency, and Satish Nagalia, owner of Baldev Plaza, had hired shooters. BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan and Satish Nangalia, owner of Baldev plaza, had hired shooters for this. Paswan has no personal enmity with my brother. My uncle has a piece of land which Kamlesh and Satish had encroached upon in February. An FIR was lodged but they had sought stay order from the high court on arrests. Dr Khans brother Kashif Jameel was shot at on June 10 when he was returning home on his bike near JP Hospital in Humayunpur north area in Gorakhpur. One bullet had hit him in the neck and two on the upper arm and shoulder and he underwent surgery at a private hospital in Gorakhpur. Kashif Jameel is an engineer by profession and is involved in real estate business. He got married just a year ago. Dr Kafeel Khan has accused police of unnecessary delaying medical assistance given to his brother after the shooting incident. The police, however, have denied the allegation and SSP Gorakhpur Shalabh Mathur said that the district hospital referred the injured to the BRD Medical College but the family members insisted on carrying out the surgery at a private hospital of their choice. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had recently written to Dr Khan, expressing concern over a recent attack on his brother. In a letter to the paediatrician, who is now on bail, Mr Gandhi said, the attack on his brother Kashif Jameel exemplified the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh. Kashif Jameel is presently undergoing treatment in the King Georges Medical University in Lucknow. WESTPORT On Monday, June 18, the Westport Police Department will host a Cones with a Cop event to celebrate the end of another school year. Join the men and women of the Westport Police Department for an ice cream cone from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Jesup Green, in front of the Westport Public Library. The event is free. Residents can sit down with officers, ask questions and discuss community issues. Local trails included in state challenge HARTFORD A local state park and state forest are included in this years The Skys the Limit hiking challenge, which encourages residents to get outside and take advantage of Connecticuts trails. This years challenge focuses on lesser-known trails. Hikers who complete 10 of the 14 listed trails receive a medallion or pin. Those who complete all 14 are entered for a chance to win a hand-carved hiking staff. The Seth Low Pierrepont State Park Reserve on Barlow Mountain Road in Ridgefield and the lower block of the Paugussett State Forest on Great Quarter Road in Newtown are included. For a complete list and for information, visit ct.gov/DEEP/SkystheLimit. Notes From the Field is conceived, written and performed by Anna Deavere Smith, playwright and West Wing and Nurse Jackie actress. Yet anything further from an ego trip is hard to imagine. Instead, she puts herself on the stage and doesn't just play some of the 250 people she has interviewed in the course of her research, but becomes them impersonating their speech, their movement, their delivery in an extraordinary feat of verbatim theatre. It is something she has done before in Fires in the Mirror, about the 1991 Crown Heights riots and Twilight: Los Angeles which dealt with the issues arising from the 1992 riots that tore the city apart. Notes From the Field, which is playing at the Royal Court as part of this year's LIFT, is even more ambitious, seeking to examine the "school to prison pipeline" that afflicts and affects the black population of the United States. But it is powered by the same fury, by a clear-eyed view of a system that is constructed to keep people in their place, and by the violence used to enforce that injustice. The testimonies she has gathered are chilling in the directness of their impact: the boy in Stockton, California who tells its mayor that he regards it as a life ambition to be alive at the age of 25; the Native American who is sucked into a life of crime by constant barring from school; the story of Freddie Gray, who died at the age of 25 from a spine that was severed during his arrest because he dared to look a police officer in the eye; the girl thrown to a floor by a white police officer because she talked back in class. Anna Deavere Smith in Notes from the Field Joan Marcus In Leonard Foglia's sensitive, imaginative direction, these are framed by a mixture of effects: the videos of actual incidents streaming across the brick back wall, the sudden, shuddering impact of the brutal acts in shocking close-up; chairs and tables brought on for Smith to use as props; a double bass player (Marcus Shelby) arriving, to accompany the monologues with his own music, and to provide a sympathetic chorus to what he hears. The piece moves through many moods, bound together by its theme. Its first half, broadly, is outrage a description of the terrible state of things, with a highlight in the words of Jamal Harrison Bryant, preacher at Gray's funeral, who quivers with righteous anger at the young man's death. The second half examines the trauma caused by the way poverty and prison are used as new forms of enslavement, the nihilism engendered, the cruelty promoted. "Why do we want to hurt broken people?" asks Smith in the guise of Stephanie Williams, an emotional support teacher, who has witnessed the effects on children of violence and lack of love. It's a question that resonates loudly in Trump's America, in days when migrant children are being separated by force from their parents. It's a question that sounds in Britain too, where investment in education that will protect and promote the poorest children is being cut in the name of austerity. That relevance makes the conclusion, when Congressman John Lewis, veteran of the civil rights movement, recalls a moment of forgiveness and grace and encourages the audience to sing "Amazing Grace" seem oddly muted. There are other problems with the form. The difficulty of verbatim theatre is that you never know quite where an interview will take you and one that dwells on the horrific treatment of a baby by a sex offender seems an odd discursion into a different kind of evil. What holds it all together the power of the research, and Smith's performance. She doesn't vanish into the characters; she is always present behind their voices. But that makes the effect all the more telling. By changing her shoes, slipping on a jacket, extending her vowels, slumping in a chair, she conjures the people she has listened to so carefully. By telling us their stories, she makes us share the plight of those abused and violated by a system that should protect them. Joel Gillman, who played the role of McMurphy in Javaad Alipoor's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, has withdrawn from the production with immediate effect due to ill health. Actor Harry Egan, currently playing Warren in the show, will now play McMurphy, with actor Paul Tinto joining the show to fill Egan's space. The venue's artistic director Robert Hastie said: "We are sorry that Joel was unable to continue in the show and wish him well...I am so pleased that we can continue to tell this important story thanks to Harry Egan stepping in to the role of RP McMurphy and Paul Tinto joining the company." The performance on Tuesday 19 June will be cancelled in order to accommodate the casting changes, and the production will resume on Wednesday 20 June with the 2.30pm performance. Last week, another actor Lucy Black had to drop out of the show due to an injury days before opening night. In his review of the production, WhatsOnStage reviewer Ron Simpson said: "Alipoor's production commands the vast Crucible stage." The production runs for another week. A new feel-good summer musical, Club Tropicana, will tour the UK next year. Written by Michael Gyngell (who co-wrote the stage version of Summer Holiday!), the production bills itself as the "80s' answer to Love Island" with all manner of classic tunes featured. The show will open at Churchill Theatre Bromley on 24 January before touring until 13 July, visiting cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, London, Sheffield, Norwich and Brighton. More dates and casting are to be announced. It is co-directed by Samuel Holmes and Nick Winston, with Winston also choreographing the show. Set and costume design is by Diego Pitarch with lighting design by Tim Deiling, sound design by Ben Harrison and musical supervision by Greg Arrowsmith. Producer Mark Goucher said: "What a time the '80s were: great dancing, great bands, great music, funny clothes... but mostly really bad hair! But I look back with such happiness remembering going to gigs for the first time. Club Tropicana The Musical is a celebration of the '80s with a lorra lorra laughs!" Stephen Daldry's version of JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls will tour the UK and US from September. The production, which was recently seen in the West End, first ran in 1992 at the National Theatre (where it won three Olivier Awards) and has since been seen by over 4 million people. Priestley's classic thriller explores the hidden crimes of a wealthy family at a dinner party. Daldry's other directorial credits include The Crown, Skylight and Billy Elliot, and he directed The Jungle, which is currently running in the West End, as well as Matthew Lopez's The Inheritance, which recently announced its West End transfer. Opening at York Theatre Royal on 14 September, the show will then tour to Cambridge, Wimbledon and Cheltenham, before hopping over the Atlantic to perform in Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. It has design by Ian MacNeil, with music by Academy Award-winning composer Stephen Warbeck and lighting by Rick Fisher. Casting for the tour is to be announced. The students coordinate on a WhatsApp group titled 'Swachh Bharat Mission', on which they decide the time and the location for cleaning. 32 students from Karnataka's Kalaburagi spend three to four hours every week to clean the city. (Photo: ANI) Kalburagi (Karnataka): Striving to raise awareness against the use of plastic, as many as 32 students from Karnataka's Kalaburagi spend three to four hours every week to clean the city. The students coordinate on a WhatsApp group titled 'Swachh Bharat Mission', on which they decide the time and the location for cleaning. This adds to the number of cleanliness drives initiated across the nation since the announcement of the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014. Among the most notable ones is a lawyer and activist Afroz Shah-initiated clean-up drive in Mumbai's Versova beach, which started in October 2015 and has reportedly removed over five million kilograms of trash from the beach. On June 7, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interaction with beneficiaries of various central healthcare schemes, stressed on the role of the Swachh Bharat Mission in creating a healthy India. Also, in May, as many as 8000 toilets were constructed in the Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district in compliance with the Swachh Bharat Mission. The 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan', launched in 2014 on Gandhi Jayanti, aims to clean up the streets, roads and infrastructure of smaller towns, cities and rural areas. Further, the objectives of the mission include construction of household-owned and community-owned toilets, to make India open-defecation free. OTTAWA The federal government has heeded Premier Brian Pallisters call to construct a pair of outlet channels to prevent flooding around Lake Manitoba, the Free Press has learned. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/6/2018 (1217 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA The federal government has heeded Premier Brian Pallisters call to construct a pair of outlet channels to prevent flooding around Lake Manitoba, the Free Press has learned. In a deal to be revealed today, the federal government will contribute about $250 million, and the province will pay $290 million, to bolster Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin flood measures. The cost of the project is $540 million. Pallister will join Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr at the announcement today in St. Laurent, 90 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. In 2011, a devastating flood displaced several communities, swamped farmland, ruined cottages and businesses and cost governments hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation payments. A flood in 2014 added to demands for channels to link the two lakes and improve Lake St. Martins connection with Lake Winnipeg. Currently, the Dauphin and Fairford rivers connect all three lakes, but they dont have the capacity to handle a large amount of floodwater. The two new outlets will run separately from those rivers. Approximately 60 Evacuees from the 2011 flood left their city based Lake St. Martin First Nation government office on Berry St. in Winnipeg Friday morning and marched to the Federal office on Hargrave St. and the Manitoba Legislative Building. Alex Paul story Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press May 8 2015 The project will almost triple the capacity of the existing Lake St. Martin outlet to 11,500 cubic feet per second from 4,000 cf/s. The Lake Manitoba outlet channel will be new and will be able to handle 7,500 cf/s. Carr will attend the announcement on behalf of federal Infrastructure Minister Amarjeeet Sohi. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The federal funding will mark the first time Ottawa dips into the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, which the Liberals launched in May to build or improve infrastructure that protects from floods, fires and storms. Todays announcement will account for one-eighth of the $2-billion national fund. Lake St. Martin Feature Clint Beardy steps on sand bags as he makes his way to one of the flooded homes on the reserve that is full of toxic mold. Beardy refused to leave his land during flooding last spring and fought hard on his own to save it. He never plans on leaving this land-which he believes belongs to his ancestors and has deep roots-no matter what the band or federal government decide to do. See Alex Paul Story. April 05, 2012 (Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press) Ottawa will reimburse Manitoba when it receives a request, though provinces and municipalities tend to leave claims for promised infrastructure funding until those projects are completed. In April, Pallister wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking Ottawa to designate the outlet as an emergency construction project and speed up an environmental review. A month later, the federal assessment agency completed its probe, avoiding a full-blown review that would have delayed construction by months. The project has been in the works for years, with an access road planned and consultations completed with Indigenous communities. Residents have largely asked for the flood-prevention project to be built as soon as possible, but others have questioned the proposed route for the Lake Manitoba outlet, out of concern their land would be expropriated. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca According to TMC sources, Patel's visit indicates interest of Cong and importance of WB CM in cobbling together a coalition of oppn parties. Patel, who had come to meet Banerjee with flowers and a big fruit basket, was warmly invited inside the Banga Bhawan II in Chanakyapuri by the West Bengal chief minister. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Despite having difference of opinion on the Delhi government's standoff with the Lieutenant Governor, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Sunday met TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. Patel, who had come to meet Banerjee with flowers and a big fruit basket, was warmly invited inside the Banga Bhawan II in Chanakyapuri by the West Bengal chief minister. According to Trinamool Congress insiders, 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 Lt Governor 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 criticised Kejriwal for his "theatrics". Kejriwal's campaign against the Lt Governor, 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 of Lt Governor's residence, protesting against what they call a strike by Delhi government IAS officers. The IAS officers have denied that they are on strike. OTTAWA The Manitoba Metis Federation wants Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr to intervene in its feud with the Pallister government over its decision in March to shelve a deal signed by Manitoba Hydro. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/6/2018 (1217 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA The Manitoba Metis Federation wants Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr to intervene in its feud with the Pallister government over its decision in March to shelve a deal signed by Manitoba Hydro. "I had the letter for the prime minister; Im now changing it for minister Carr," federation president David Chartrand said after meeting Friday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several cabinet ministers. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Metis Federation, is asking Ottawa for financial and legal assistance. The federation is suing the Manitoba government because it ordered Hydro to kill a land-entitlement deal with the Metis thats worth $67.5 million over 50 years. That agreement, which the government argues was just a proposal, hinged on the federation not opposing a proposed $453-million hydro transmission line to Minnesota. "What is going on? And is it right, whats going on? Thatll be the questions we need to ask (Carr)," said Chartrand, who last week said hed be writing to Trudeau, but now says he doesnt want to distract the prime minister from helping to tailor social programs for Metis people. Chartrand claimed when he raised the issue with Trudeau on Friday, the prime minister spoke generally about provinces not following constitutional laws, without citing Manitoba specifically. "Trudeau said there will be times where people stray away from the Constitution, stray away from the law, for their own political reasons. He didnt say it in those words, but Im using, as best I can, laymen forms to (convey) the message." David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Metis Federation, takes part in a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday March 8, 2013. The Manitoba Metis Federation has followed through on a promise to launch legal action against the provincial government over hydroelectric development. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick The Prime Ministers Office did not dispute Chartrands account. A senior government source said the Liberals prefer the two sides resolve their differences. Chartrand has said the provinces decision to renege on the deal violates Indigenous rights under the Constitution, and threatens the Crowns ability to consult and negotiate in good faith, especially because the province ignored its own lawyers. Chartrand has asked Ottawa for financial assistance or representation by Justice Department lawyers, or even Ottawa applying for intervener status in the lawsuit. Hes now appealing to Carr, the only Manitoba cabinet minister, whose portfolio includes the National Energy Board. Premier Brian Pallister has characterized the agreement as a bad deal for future generations, including Metis people. But he riled up Indigenous leaders when he called the deal "hush money" for a "special-interest group." Chartrand specifically noted Trudeau instead calls the Metis a "rights-based people" under the Constitution. Crown-Indigenous Minister Carolyn Bennett said shed discuss the issue with Chartrand on an unrelated visit to Manitoba Thursday, but said Ottawa prefers to avoid weighing in on matters outside its jurisdiction and those that are in court. "Obviously, this is very complex," she told the Free Press, "but Im certainly prepared to have a conversation." The Hydro deal was intended to avoid a Metis land claim, which would be the first major test case after a 2016 Supreme Court ruling, and would likely delay the transmission-line project for years. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Bennett said the government is working to establish a "rights-recognition framework" is partially motivated by projects that touch on treaty rights, the role of the provinces and land entitlements. Her hope is to give "the kind of certainty that we need to go forward as a country." The Liberals aim to introduce a bill that will clarify and bolster treaty rights and Crown agreements, though critics worry the project could have the opposite effect. Meanwhile, a Winnipeg judge will consider the federations request for a judicial review of the deals cancellation at a hearing on June 25. Its unclear whether that will affect a separate energy board hearing about the project, which is scheduled for today. The federation plans to file a breach-of-contract lawsuit against the government. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Business consultant Jenny Motkaluk launched her mayoral campaign Monday morning with repeated attacks on the man who currently has the job. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/6/2018 (1217 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Business consultant Jenny Motkaluk launched her mayoral campaign Monday morning with repeated attacks on the man who currently has the job. Calling Brian Bowman an "accidental mayor" who is preoccupied with his public image, Motkaluk said Winnipeggers want a civic leader whose priorities match theirs. Aligning priorities, she said, means abandoning efforts to reopen the Portage Avenue and Main Street intersection to pedestrians. Motkaluk said Bowman's focus on Portage and Main is reflective of "how an accidental mayor lost track of Winnipegs real priorities... Im against Brian Bowmans plan to open Portage and Main, and the Winnipeg I lead will not spend another single minute or dollar talking about that issue." She also attacked another key Bowman commitment: building rapid transit corridors. Motkaluk said she would put the focus on faster, more reliable transit and left open the possibility she would stop construction of the southwest transit corridor: the $467-million dedicated route linking the University of Manitoba's Fort Garry campus to downtown. City documents show as of the end of October, city hall had awarded $37.1-million worth of contracts. The roadway through the U of M campus is complete and construction on other areas is in progress. The corridor is expected to be operational by 2020. "Will you stop the project mid-way, is that what you want to know? The short answer is: I dont know," Motkaluk told reporters. "I need to take a closer look at that." Motkaluk said she wasn't prepared to say how she would improve transit. "I will commit to having a focus making sure we have better service, more often," she said, explaining she'll consider adding more vehicles to the Winnipeg Transit fleet, improving maintenance and route scheduling. "Everything is on the table. Were not going to build rapid transit roadways and, instead, were going to put our efforts into making sure the system we have today works." A formal public campaign launch was planned for Monday night at Canad Inns Polo Park. Attending an earlier event at the Norwood Hotel were two former city councillors who also unsuccessfully ran for mayor: Peter Kaufmann and Garth Steek. Kaufmann said he is endorsing Motkaluk, and Steek described her as a candidate with "lots of potential." "Jenny brings a new perspective and she's going to tackle the hard issues and not worry so much about how it looks in the media, or the flavour of the day," Kaufmann said. Steek said he believes Motkaluk has a strong social conscience, a character he said is missing from the leadership at city hall today. "How ironic that we're talking about opening Portage and Main but you can't open splash pads in Bridgwater Lakes," Steek said. Motkaluk identified six campaign priorities she's going to focus on: infrastructure, public safety, economic development, public transit, reconciliation, and better service -- promising to release detailed policy statements on each of the priorities over the next four months, with the first to come "in a matter of days." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Her comments Monday on the need to reconcile with the city's Indigenous community was a deviation from an earlier news release, where the topic wasn't even mentioned. Instead, she had listed "community pride" has one of her five priorities. Motkaluk explained her repeated reference to Bowman as an "accidental mayor" by saying voters had chosen him in 2014 not based on his platform but rather because of "what he wasn't." "Brian Bowman wasnt an NDP candidate, he wasnt Judy," Motkaluk said. "He also wasnt Gord Steeves, bringing a legacy forward from a council and mayor (Sam Katz) that Winnipeggers had started to grow suspicious of. "So when he became mayor of Winnipeg, he did so with a reasonably limited amount of commitment and vision to grow the city, and now here he is in that role and, in my opinion, hes been struggling to fill it." Motkaluk dismissed the record amount of spending on roads achieved by the current council, explaining that too often city hall seems to be rebuilding the same roads year after year whereas she would ensure roads are built "better." aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca Almost three weeks after the rain on grain didn't stay mainly in the drain, the sweet smell of baked goods will be wafting across Wolseley again. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/6/2018 (1217 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Almost three weeks after the rain on grain didn't stay mainly in the drain, the sweet smell of baked goods will be wafting across Wolseley again. The Tall Grass Prairie Bread Co., a Wolseley staple on Westminster Avenue, will reopen on Tuesday at 7 a.m. Torrential rain on May 30 leaked through the roof and caused damage on the first and second floors. Tabitha Langel, one of the bakery's four owners, said the damage caused by the deluge forced them to rip out drywall on the ceiling of the main floor, as well as walls and the linoleum on the two floors of the business. Langel said they also had to have electrical work done, "tweak" their baking oven, paint walls and clean the entire business from top to bottom. "I'm excited," Langel said about the reopening. "I'm so happy it is all done. We even had to have the oven pipes dismantled and put back together. Now the last people are here (Monday), the painters upstairs." Until the rain, Winnipeg had been experiencing one of the driest springs in the city's history. So much rain fell during a few hours that day, that some areas of the city received about 57 millimetres what might fall during an average month of May. Langel said the Tall Grass Prairie owners had insurance but she was still glad it was "clean rain water" and not sewer backup. She said because she had to go to the business every morning to oversee the restoration she also met many customers who all told her they missed the bakery. "The best story was when I met a couple from Madison, Wisconsin, who came with their four-year-old because they were told our bakery is a must tourist stop," Langel said. "When I said the bakery was closed, the four-year-old started crying. They said she was heartbroken because she was told they are the best cookies ever. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "I left some free cookies for her at the counter of our bakery at The Forks." Similarly, to thank their customers, Langel said everyone who visits the bakery Tuesday will walk away eating a free cookie. But while the bakery, which opened in 1990, was busy baking cookies on Monday, before preparing to fire up bread production on Tuesday at 7 a.m., Langel said they will have the whole realm of baked goods available for sale including rolls and pitas, croissants and muffins, and pies, cakes and squares. The bakery will even have deli items for takeout. "It'll be good to get back to baking," said Paul Langel, another of the bakery's co-owners, in a statement. "We're looking forward to welcoming back our regulars, our neighbours and our customers from across the city." kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca A significant amount of ink is being dedicated on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border to the trade conflict U.S. President Donald Trump precipitated at the end of the G7 meetings in Charlevoix, Que. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/6/2018 (1217 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion A significant amount of ink is being dedicated on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border to the trade conflict U.S. President Donald Trump precipitated at the end of the G7 meetings in Charlevoix, Que. Trump wants a better trade footing for the United States, pointing out that tariffs of around 270 per cent are slapped on American dairy goods entering Canada. The principle of freer trade matters to Trump and he has decided to go full tilt to defend it by upending the principle with more tariffs. Lost in the hyperbolic reaction from Washington this week is the fact that Trumps protectionism is not all that different from Canadas. The conditions of the current dispute are similar to a trade conflict in the 1860s between Canada and the United States, just before Canada was created. The American protectionist backlash against Canada at the time was sparked by Canadas protective Cayley-Galt Tariff of 1858, which imposed a 20 per cent tariff on manufactured goods and 10 per cent on partially manufactured goods coming into the country. Canadas industrial base needed sheltering, we argued. Interestingly, the desire to create a nation out of British North American colonies was in part fuelled as this trade conflict with the United States heightened around 1865. At the time, our neighbour was swept by a protectionist wind similar to todays and internal political pressures led to the abrogation of the Reciprocity Treaty in 1866. The treaty had been in place since 1854 between the United States and the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the Colony of Newfoundland. The treaty removed tariffs on natural resources crossing the border and our exports to the United States soon doubled. It sparked a boom for Nova Scotias coal, for example. Canada and the United States would then have to wait well over a century to work out a free-trade agreement between our two countries. Now, instead of protecting the industrial base of Montreal in the 1800s, todays supply management system protects the large agricultural dairy base of Quebec. Supply management is protectionism by a different name and that should be the centre of our attention. Canadian dairy quotas not only exclude Americans, they also exclude other Canadians and hurt consumers. Our own protectionism (supply management and all other forms of interprovincial obstacles to commerce within Canada) costs the Canadian economy up to $130 billion every year. Supply management and interprovincial restrictions are both problematic on the grounds that they restrict trade. This very large cost should be the main subject of our trade conversation in Canada, perhaps more so than trade with Europe ($30 billion) or China ($2.65 billion). Its not that diversifying our economic fortunes when it comes to trade and exports is a bad idea, nor that greater trade with Europe and China is a bad thing. But if international trade is so important because of the economic benefits that it brings, we ought to have a very hard look at how we willingly, inside our own country, walk away from jobs and economic activity worth $130 billion. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Im not suggesting that the North American Free Trade Agreement should be left to die or that its renewal isnt worth the effort. But we should also develop as much anxiety, and care to relieve it, about the myriad rules and regulations, barriers and obstacles that prevent us from realizing fully developed trade within Canada. It is, after all, the dream at the heart of the creation of the Dominion of Canada. In May, the Supreme Court of Canada indirectly but wrongly upheld the network of barriers that protect narrow interests in Canadian provinces at the expense of the principle of freer trade within our country and at the expense of consumers. Now the trade conflict sparked by Trump should remind us that an important field of trade within our country is not being actualized, very much in contradiction to the spirit that animated the creation of Canada. Its high time that an equal if not a greater effort from our governments be made to fulfil this unrealized promise for Canada. We are one country and we should be one unobstructed market. Marco Navarro-Genie is president and CEO at the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies. Troy Media As any driver can attest, Manitoba needs to invest billions of dollars in its provincial roads and bridges, just to bring them to good condition. How many billions? The Manitoba government knows, but is refusing to say. We know that, because we asked. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/6/2018 (1217 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion As any driver can attest, Manitoba needs to invest billions of dollars in its provincial roads and bridges, just to bring them to good condition. How many billions? The Manitoba government knows, but is refusing to say. We know that, because we asked. Thats a problem. In fact, its a huge risk to our provinces fiscal and economic health. This government has worked out how large the gap is between what it does invest, and what it must invest, in our transportation system. So why wont it share that dollar figure with taxpayers? Until taxpayers know the facts, how can there be any informed discussion about how and over what time frame to fix the problem? For years, the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association asked the previous governments and now this administration to release the number, referred to as the infrastructure investment deficit. In April, the association submitted an access-to-information request for all records on the valuation of the investment deficit. This month, Manitoba refused to release the information, citing discretionary powers in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. (Under Sec. 23, a department may refuse to disclose information that could reveal advice, analyses or pending policy or budgetary decisions.) Well then, edit out any "advice" and just give Manitobans the facts: how many billions of dollars will it cost to bring the provincial transportation system up to good condition? Its the publics asset. The public has paid for it and it will be asked to pay more for it. But frankly, why should any Manitoban have to apply to its government to see this information? Such information is basic to any discussion of how the province sets investment priorities. Recently, the association and eight other leading Manitoba organizations expressed support for a long-term trade-enabling transportation infrastructure investment strategy, noting its key role in economic growth. The organizations (representing mining, trucking, manufacturers and exporters, municipalities and small to the largest Manitoba businesses) stressed that efficient, seamless trade transportation routes are foundational to economic growth. Trade supports 53 per cent of Manitobas GDP; strategic investment in transportation infrastructure is basic to our provincial economic health. A strategy would address the need to fix our roads and build the new transportation assets necessary for Manitoba to capitalize on shifting trade realities. As protectionist sentiment rises in some countries, we cannot afford to miss opportunities appearing in new, rapidly emerging markets. But first, we have to know what it will cost to ensure our trade corridors and arteries the highways and roads can move greater volumes of goods and commodities to their markets. We know its in the billions: we understand the transportation infrastructure investment deficit is in the range of $6 billion. So it will take decades to address. Taxpayers have shown they will accept necessary solutions when they are given the facts. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Winnipeg has published four successive reports about its own infrastructure investment deficit since 1998. In response, city council voted in 2013 and 2014 to levy an annual property tax (total two per cent) to dedicate revenues to its streets-renewal program. Taxpayers accepted this decision. The city demonstrated leadership. It trusted the electorate, engaged it in an informed discussion and now is working on its transportation infrastructure deficit. Manitobans need the province to begin the same discussion now, not later. Manitobans have first-hand experience with potholes and bumpy rides, but the discussion has to expand to demonstrate the clear link our roads have to trade and economic growth. The process has to start with trusting taxpayers with information. The public is entitled to be informed, so it can weigh in on policy and investment decisions to ensure our highways system can safely move people to jobs, efficiently move products to market and help grow our economy. Its time the provincial government released its transportation investment deficit report so we can develop a long-term, multi-year strategy to build the transportation system our economy needs. Our future fiscal and economic health is riding on it. Chris Lorenc is president of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association. In retrospect, Anthony Bourdain warned us how his story might end. All the many times he wrote about his past flirtations with suicide, every time he joked about his own death, he was trying to tell us something about hurting. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2018 (1220 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In retrospect, Anthony Bourdain warned us how his story might end. All the many times he wrote about his past flirtations with suicide, every time he joked about his own death, he was trying to tell us something about hurting. All these years, I read and heard those things, lingering like minor chords strummed underneath a brighter song. Still, it seems I never really listened. So when he died, I could not write, reduced instead to sobbing in my bed. It's been a week since then. News sped by in breathless patches: Trudeau, Trump, a "special place in hell." North Korea, Trump again, children in border detention. With each headline, I wondered what Bourdain would have said. Maybe I can write now. For all he gave to me, from a distance, maybe I can do this one thing for him. My affinity for Bourdain began the same way his unlikely media career did, in print. In 2001, a chef friend loaned me her copy of Kitchen Confidential, a smeary, bleary-eyed memoir about life in New York's restaurant business. At the time, I had no particular interest in a chef's life. But I was captivated by Bourdain's razor-sharp prose, relentlessly unpretentious, drenched with just the right amount of rock 'n' roll. I devoured the book in one day. What I saw then, and still see now, was that Bourdain had a rare sort of voice. He saw the world as it was, and embraced its rawest edges. I would follow him through his subsequent books, and then his early forays into TV. Yet when Parts Unknown debuted in 2013, I couldn't resist making a snarky comment about the show's title. Something about how strange it was that all these unknown parts seemed to be known by millions of people. The assumption I made then, which I regret now, is that Parts Unknown bankrolled by CNN would be yet another travel show that traipsed through the world as an outsider, flattening lives into the other, the "exotic." Gaela Solo, of Brooklyn, is reflected on a window as she pays her respects to Anthony Bourdain at a make shift memorial outside the building that once housed Le Halles restaurant on Park Avenue, Friday, June 8, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) I should have had more faith in him. For the last five years, and 11 seasons, Parts Unknown was the favoured ritual of my weekends. "There's a new Bourdain" became the most romantic thing my partner and I could say. What made Bourdain special was not just his talent as a storyteller, which was significant, but his instinct for compassion. Food was the heart of his work, not because he was a cook, but because it is the most human. It's instructive, perhaps, that he did not become famous until he was in his 40s. For most of his adult life, he had lived on the fringes: broke, working long nights, sweating it out alongside a cadre of undocumented immigrants. This experience, and a natural comfort with what is honest, imbued Bourdain with an affinity for the people and places unloved by power. He treated grandmothers with the respect others accord mostly to world-class chefs. In his most recent trip to Hong Kong, he hung out at a restaurant frequented by asylum-seekers in limbo. In Houston, he went not to cowboys, but to diasporic cultures thriving in a deep-red state: Vietnamese, Indian. Over the years, his shows took him to Cambodia, and Libya and Laos. He went to the places Western media typically write off as too dangerous, too dark, too fraught; the Bad Places, filled by not-quite-human people. Bourdain went to those places. He had beers on porches and ate fried fish and swapped jokes that withstood translation. He asked people about the past and the present, and their hopes for the future. And he listened. Consider his 2014 episode in Iran. At the time, virtually no Western news media was making a compassionate argument against sanctions; coverage of the country still bears the whiff of the Bush-era epithet, an "axis of evil." In one hour of food and friendly conversation, Bourdain peeled back the cruel artificiality of that division. He joined families for dinner, and shared their laughter. He ate take-out pizza with fashionable kids in the hills above Tehran. CHARLES SYKES/INVISION/AP Bourdain attends "On The Chopping Block: A Roast of Anthony Bourdain" in New York in this Oct. 11, 2012 file photo. Name one show in mainstream Western media that treats Iran as a real place, populated by normal people. People who go bowling, have friends over for dinner and eke out a life within the limits they are given. What Bourdain understood, intensely, was that every story has two critical components, and one cannot be told without the other. There is news, the natural or political typhoons that storm through; and then there are people. People, navigating through gusts of news, their lives a boat on an angry sea. People who have somewhere between little and no power to change events around them, only to hold onto the ropes, desperately trying to stay afloat. And people are, for the most part, the same everywhere. They work, they raise their kids, they try to keep their families safe. They gather with friends to share cold drinks on hot nights. That is our shared heritage; that is life. That this message was carried on CNN issued a tacit challenge to how news too often describes the world. The message was not always heeded, but the contrast between Bourdain and the news around him was unmissable. Try our Dish The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. Dish arrives in your inbox every other Friday. See sample. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Every day on cable news, a small army of talking heads is mixed and matched for maximum political friction, then trotted out to sell their side's vision. Who we should trust, who we should fear. Who we should bomb or sanction. And every time the news uncritically repeated the escalating political rhetoric of dehumanization about "illegals," about Muslims, about who to blame for all our problems the refuge Bourdain scraped out became more clear. What he called us to remember, both in and outside of news media, comes down to a simple question: whose side are we on? Do we swear fealty to the news, repeating it without thought? Or do we cast our lot with fellow people? When Bourdain died, grief poured out from all corners of the world. Eulogies from Gaza and Iran and Vietnam. From the Philadelphia 'hood and the Canadian North. All of them, in different words, expressed the same feeling. Thank you for showing us as we are, they said, in one way or another. Thank you for letting us be seen. This is Bourdain's legacy, and what we ought to learn from his example. He warned us that his voice would not stay forever, or even for very long; but first, he showed us that we cannot tell the truth of things if not with love. Muthalik said that Parshuram Vaghmare, who allegedly pulled the trigger on Gauri, is not associated with his organisation. 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? Mr 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? Mr 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. 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. Later, his bullet-riddled corpse was found lying in Guso village of neighbouring Pulwama district the same evening. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat meets the family members of late rifleman Aurangzeb at his village in Poonch district of Jammu on Monday. (Photo: Asian Age) Srinagar: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday visited Salani, a remote village in Jammu and Kashmirs frontier district of Poonch, to meet the family of rifleman Aurangzeb who was killed by militants after kidnapping him from the Valley's Shopian district on June 14. The Army Chief spent some time with the bereaved family to condole his death, Colonel N.N. Joshi, the Udhampur-based spokesman of the Northern Command, said. He added, While speaking to the father of the brave-heart, Gen. Rawat assured all possible assistance to the family. He also told it that the supreme sacrifice rendered by the brave son of India will not go in vain. Rifleman Aurangzeb, belonging to the Armys 44 Rashtriya Rifles, was posed in southern Shopian. He was abducted by militants while going home for Id on June 14. Later, his bullet-riddled corpse was found lying in Guso village of neighbouring Pulwama district the same evening. The police sources had said that the Army jawan was travelling in a private car which was intercepted by gunmen. at Kalampora in Pulwama. The car had been earlier at around 9 am on that day stopped by the soldiers outside the 44 RR camp at Shadimarg in Shopian and asked the driver to drop the soldier at a bus stand in Shopian town. The slain soldier was the personal security guard of Major Shukla who suffered grievous injuries during an encounter with militants in which top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Sameer Tiger was killed along with another militant on April 30. Meanwhile, the Army Chief has visited forward areas in J&K and was also briefed by Lt. Gen. Saranjeet Singh, GOC White Knight Corps, on the prevailing security situation in the State. Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, Army Commander, Northern Command accompanied the Army Chief during his visit, defence spokesman Col. Joshi said. He added that the Army Chief, during his visit to forward areas, also interacted with the soldiers and complemented them for their professionalism, selfless commitment and loyalty. The spokesman further said, He exhorted the troops to continue to work with zeal and dedication to overcome the challenges posted by weather, enemy and terrorism. He also commended the synergy between all security agencies and civil administration in Jammu and Kashmir. Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a marine fuel logistics company that markets and supplies refined marine fuel and lubricants to vessels in port, at sea, and on rivers worldwide. The company offers fueling services to ocean-going and a range of coastal vessels, including oil tankers, container ships, drybulk carriers, cruise ships, reefers, LNG/LPG carriers, car carriers, and ferries, as well as to marine fuel traders, brokers, and other end-users of marine fuel and lubricants. It also markets and distributes marine lubricants under the Alfa Marine Lubricants brand; and provides a range of shipping services, such as technical support and maintenance, insurance arrangement and handling, financial administration, and accounting services. As of December 31, 2016, the company owned and operated a fleet of 46 bunkering vessels, including 45 double hulls and 1 single hull special purpose vehicle; 15 double hull bunkering vessels with an aggregate carrying capacity of approximately 292,400 deadweight ton (dwt); operated 10 land-based storage facilities with an aggregate storage capacity of approximately 1,075,000 cubic meters; and operated 2 vessels as floating storage facility with a cargo carrying capacity of approximately 86,800 dwt. Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.: 2235158 Alberta Limited, A.J. 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New Delhi: Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohui on Monday said Sino-Indian ties cannot take the strain of another Doklam and mooted a trilateral China-India-Pakistan dialogue, on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference, to resolve regional issues and maintain peace. Mr Luo floated the idea of trilateral, with China playing the mediators role between India and Pakistan, at a seminar organised by the Chinese embassy on Beyond Wuhan: How far and fast can China-India relations go. Last year, the Indian and Chinese Armies were engaged in a face-off at Doklam in Bhutanese territory for more than two months before the issue was resolved. China regards Doklam as its territory, but Bhutan claims it to be within its boundary. Referring to the precedence of a China-Russia-Mongolia trilateral, the Chinese envoy said, Why not Pakistan, China and India together hold another trilateral summit? He said that the trilateral suggestion had been made by some Indian friends and that it was a constructive idea. Indian government sources reacted cautiously to the trilateral dialogue suggestion while an official said it was the personal view of the Chinese envoy. Mr Luos comment is also being seen as an attempt by China to play a more balanced and even-handed approach while dealing with India and Pakistan. Yet, it also makes is clear that Beijing cannot abandon Islamabad just to further ties with New Delhi. Observers say that China is nudging the Pakistan Army subtly to drop its hostile attitude towards India and adopt a more conciliatory approach. Any offer of trilateral dialogue with both China and Pakistan will have its benefits and pitfalls. China could act as a moderating influence on Pakistan and encourage stopping hostilities against India at the Line of Control (LoC) but India may come under pressure from the two all-weather friends on issues such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which New Delhi has been resolutely opposing since it passes through Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. To the best of our knowledge, this is a personal view of the Chinese ambassador. We have no knowledge that this is an official Chinese proposal, said a Indian official source. Referring to last years border flareup, the Chinese envoy said that bilateral ties between India and China cant take the strain of another Doklam episode and emphasised the need to find a mutually acceptable solution on the boundary issue. We cannot imagine what would have happened to the bilateral relations if the Donglang (Doklam) issue had escalated last year. We (the Sino-Indian relationship) cannot stand another Donglang incident, he said. The two countries need to narrow differences but this does not mean that differences will be ignored, he said. Mr Luo also suggested that India and China should think about signing a treaty of friendship and cooperation whose draft was given to the Indian side about 10 years ago. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held consultations at an informal summit in the central Chinese city of Wuhan a few weeks ago, in an effort to repair the post-Doklam ties. The Chinese envoy said Mr Modi and Mr Xi are also likely to meet on the sidelines of the Brics Summit and G20 Summit later this year. Mr Luos comments on Doklam are being seen as a message from Beijing that ties may not be repaired again if there is a similar military stand-off in future. Both India and Pakistan had become members of the SCO last year, a central Asian regional grouping, and attended their first meeting as members of the grouping in the Chinese city of Qingdao recently. The suggestion on the trilateral dialogue is being seen as an effort by China to broker peace between India and Pakistan whose bilateral ties have deteriorated sharply over the past two years. Wall Street analysts have given MFS High Yield Municipal Trust 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 MFS High Yield Municipal Trust wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. Its Otis segment designs, manufactures, sells, and installs passenger and freight elevators, escalators, and moving walkways; and offers modernization products to upgrade elevators and escalators, as well as maintenance and repair services. 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Read More Students from Blackstone Valley Prep High Schools Class of 2018 cheer as they listen to speakers during Saturdays graduation at the high schools gymnasium. The defence ministers of all NATO member states met in Brussels on June 7 and decided to take all necessary steps over the next two years to be able mobilise a total of 90 military, naval and air force combat units at short notice and at any time. To this end, two new headquarters will be built, with one of them located in Norfolk, Virginia. According to the US Defence Department, the Norfolk centre will organise the rapid deployment of combat units across the Atlantic, so that the entire spectrum of transatlantic missions can be successfully carried out. The return of the major powers and a resurgent Russia demand that NATO focus on the Atlantic to ensure a capable and credible deterrent, Pentagon spokesman Johnny Michael declared in early May. The new NATO command will be the linchpin of transatlantic security. The second new Joint Support Enabling Command (JSEC) will be built in Ulm, Germany, following a proposal made by the German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen. It will be a new NATO command tasked with coordinating all military troop movements within Alliance territory in the event of a crisis, von der Leyen said at the NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels. The construction of the new command is to be based on the Multinational Command Operational Command operating in Ulm. This unique centre is already carrying out NATO, UN and EU tasks and, according to the German army (Bundeswehr), has already begun preparations for the JSEC. The JSEC should reach full operational readiness by 2021. Already by 2020, 90 units from all three military branches (army, navy, air force) are to be upgraded so that in case of emergency they can be sent into action within 30 days. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that 30 army battalions (30,000 troops) would be available for this purpose. In addition, 30 aircraft squadrons, and 30 large warships as well as submarines should be able to mobilise within 30 days or less. In the future, these units will strengthen the already existing NATO Response Force (NRF). Up to now, the NRF has consisted of 20,000 rapid deployment troops and a reserve pool of another 20 battalions. In addition, Stoltenberg announced an increase in the number of positions in NATOs multinational planning and management staff from its existing level of 1,200 to 8,000. The German army has made no secret of the fact that this massive rearmament is aimed at preparing for a major war. This is basically about preparing for intervention, von der Leyen said. It must be possible to keep troops in high operational readiness, so that they can be deployed quickly. According to a report from the army command, In the event of an attack on an ally, the Command Center will be responsible for troop and material transports within Europe and coordinate their protection. Already on the way to the operational area and well in advance, planning can be centralised and the tasks of protection harmonised. The possible area for intervention extends to the area of responsibility of SACEUR [Supreme Commander of NATO in Europe], ranging from Greenland to Africa, Europe and its coastal waters. The preparations for war are specifically directed against Russia, a nuclear power. Just a few days before the meeting of NATO defence ministers, the European Commission announced that it would invest 6.5 billion euros to build new roads in Europe by 2027 to enable troop-carriers and military vehicles to reach the Baltic countries at short notice. Currently bridges and rail networks are often not designed for the heavyweight tracked vehicles. The preparations for war in Eastern Europe are already in full swing with Germany playing a key role. It is already central to the strengthened NATO presence in Lithuania, with 4,000 soldiers on the eastern border of the NATO. In addition, the Bundeswehr will take over leadership of the NATO Spearhead VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force) in 2019 and 2023. Since May there have been large transfers of NATO forces through Germany to Eastern Europe, which will continue until the end of June. As part of the operation Atlantic Resolve III, 3,500 US soldiers and about 1,400 vehicles, plus supplies, are to be transferred to Poland and the Baltic states. In addition, massive exercises are already underway with German participation. The NATO exercise Saber Strike is currently taking place in Lithuania, with the Bundeswehr leading the eastern flank reinforcement. According to the US Army, about 18,000 soldiers from 19 countries are taking part in the exercise. Among other things, the operation includes the simulated storming of the Russian Kaliningrad exclave through the Suwalki gap between Lithuania and Poland. The Bundeswehr is participating in NATO exercises this year with about 12,000 troops, a tripling of its commitment compared to last year. Under conditions of growing conflicts between the NATO powers themselves, the German Defence Ministry sees the NATO offensive against Russia as a means of increasing its own military clout. The leadership of the VJTF must invest and modernise certain units to bring them up to their best, von der Leyen said. This will be high up on the agenda for the upcoming NATO summit in July. French President Emmanuel Macron is escalating his the offensive against immigrants and refugees in Europe after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Friday in Paris. After briefly criticizing the Italian government earlier this week over its cruel and sadistic refusal to allow the Aquarius and its 629 refugees to land in Italy, Macron called on European Union (EU) countries to make profound reforms in order to toughen EU asylum law. Every sign indicates that the European powers are preparing enormous new attacks on immigrants across the continent. The clash came after last months installation of a new Italian government dominated by the far-right Lega party of Matteo Salvini that has pledged to deport a half-million immigrantsmass deportations that would require a police crackdown without precedent since the end of World War II. At the same time, French police are intensifying their illegal persecution of refugees, including unaccompanied children, along the Italian-French border. Three days before the Paris summit meeting, Macron had attacked Rome for refusing the Aquarius permission to dock in Italian ports, accusing it of cynicism and irresponsibility. This provoked a diplomatic spat with the Conte government, which summoned the French Ambassador to Italy, Catherine Colonna, to protest. Italian Economy Minister Giovanni Tria canceled a planned trip to Paris, and Salvini as interior minister sharply denounced Macrons statement. The problem is that our history in terms of generosity and voluntarism does not deserve to be lectured so severely by French government representatives who, I hope and believe, will present official apologies as soon as possible, Salvini said. If official apologies are not forthcoming, Prime Minister Conte would do well not to go to France. The spat between Paris and Rome took place as a major crisis erupted inside the German government, also triggered by the issue of immigration. Meeting with both Salvini and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer threatened to defy Chancellor Angela Merkel and close German borders, risking a collapse of the German government. In the event, however, Conte went to Paris on Friday and held a friendly press conference with Macron, where both men laid out their plans for attacks on refugees. Both called for changes to the Dublin accord, which mandates that the EU country where an asylum seeker first arrives handles his or her asylum application. While Conte said Italy is opposed to the system, Macron said he wanted a refoundation of the system to better adapt it to the realities of each country. While Macron called for reinforcing the EUs Frontex border agency, Conte called for a bilateral Franco-Italian summit meeting in the autumn in Rome. There are growing signs that the upcoming EU summit at the end of June will feature new attempts by the various EU powers to change EU asylum rules and drastically step up attacks on migrants. The Macron government has passed a draconian asylum law that effectively gives police veto power over asylum applicants files, as France mounts mass deportations of tens of thousands of refugees each year. However, Rome and Paris are clearly pressing to step up these fascistic attacks. Macron and Conte both urged to EU to create more so-called hotspot camps, that is, concentration camps in North Africa where hundreds of thousands or million of refugees can be detained. Conte said, We should create European centers in the countries of departure to block an exodus of migrants towards Europe. Macron supported Contes reactionary plan, calling on branches of our asylum agencies to tackle this question on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, the centers proposed by Conte and Macron are hellish, EU-funded prison camps set up in Libya after the 2011 NATO war to detain masses of Middle Eastern and African migrants fleeing imperialist wars and grinding poverty. After UN officials reported on the mass resort to torture, sexual violence and murder in Libyan camps and CNN broadcast a video of African migrants being sold as slaves in the camps, Amnesty International published a harrowing report on them last year. It confirmed that the EU is funding camps where these atrocities are committed. Further camps are being set up in Chad, Niger, Morocco and in countries across North Africa, to block masses of refugees from attempting the hazardous Mediterranean crossing to Europe. The row between Paris and Rome reflects bitter struggles erupting inside the European ruling class over the fate of the EU and its global policy. The refugee question plays an enormous role in this crisis. Decades of US-led imperialist wars have devastated entire countries and regionsfrom Iraq to Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Mali, Burkina Faso and beyondkilling millions and forcing tens of millions to flee their homes. Ten to fifteen thousand refugees have drowned in the Mediterranean, provoking horror and outrage among millions of workers across Europe. The deepening crisis of relations with the United States, the recent collapse of the G7 summit talks with Washington, and initial US trade war measures against Europe are accelerating these political conflicts inside the European bourgeoisie, as it seeks to fashion a new, militarist and anti-immigrant politics in order to push through European militarist policy. The European powers are haggling over how to divide the limited numbers of refugees and asylum seekers they will admit. At the press conference with Conte, Macron said that if Austria, Hungary and some others, thanks to these special contacts, can provide more of the solidarity that Italy needs, its very good news for Italy and for everyone. Seehofer, for his part, called on Austria and Italy to ally themselves with Germany to work at the interior minister level on security and immigration. Macrons anti-immigrant stance and his ties with the far-right Italian government are a further vindication of the Socialist Equality Party of Frances stance in last years presidential elections. It insisted that workers could not support Macron as a lesser evil than neo-fascist candidate Marine Le Pen, based on claims, for example, that Le Pen would be more hostile to immigrants than Macron. Rather, the SEP insisted that the task was to mobilize independent opposition to both candidates and give revolutionary leadership to the movement in the working class that would erupt againas indeed it has, with masses of strikes and protests particularly since the beginning of this year. Similarly, neither the more explicitly nationalist Italian government nor the Macron government, which seeks to coordinate its persecution of immigrants more broadly through the institutions of the EU, have anything progressive to offer to masses of workers and youth. One indication of this are the terrible reports about French police abusing immigrants, including immigrant children, that are emerging along the Franco-Italian border in the Alps, as refugees try to flee across the border from Italy to France. The Italian government protested to the French government earlier this year that French police had violated Italian sovereignty by crossing over into Italy to dump refugees back on the other side. Last week, new reports emerged from Oxfam that French border guards along the Italian border in the Alps near Ventimiglia are abusing, detaining and illegally deporting back to Italy children as young as 12. They are also cutting the soles of childrens shoes, stealing their mobile phones SIM cards, and refusing shelter, schooling, and access to clean water, toilets and medical care to minors, including pregnant teenagers. Children, women and men fleeing persecution and war should not suffer further abuse and neglect at the hands of the authorities in France and Italy, commented Oxfams Elisa Bacciotti, adding, Children should never be kept in jail cells or subjected to cruel abuse. The Grenfell Fire Forum, initiated by the Socialist Equality Party, held its monthly meeting Sunday, just three days after commemorations to mark the first anniversary of the inferno. Seventy-two people died as a result of the fire at Grenfell Tower, West London on June 14, 2017the worst high-rise fire in British history. The entirely preventable tragedy was the outcome of the deregulatory policies carried out by successive Labour and Conservative-led governments, which left residents living in a death trap. Yet, still no one has been charged, let alone prosecuted. As a statement by the SEP on the anniversary pointed out, The refusal of the ruling elite to pursue the real criminals guilty of the Grenfell atrocity is also in stark contrast to their determination to silence anyone fighting to establish the truth about events. Those speaking out about responsibility for the fire have been subjected to hysterical witch-hunts. The aim is to silence the truth and shield the guilty. The statement drew the connection between this campaign and the vindictive persecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange by the US and British governments. Tomorrow marks six years since Assange was forced to take shelter in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to prevent efforts to extradite him to the US on espionage charges, which carry the death penalty. The embassy lies just four miles from Grenfell Tower and in the same Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. For almost three months now, Assange has been denied contact with the outside world, save his lawyers. He cannot speak to his family and is unable to receive visitors, make phone calls or access the Internet. There is the real and imminent danger that this is the prelude to his expulsion from the embassy as part of Ecuadors attempted rapprochement with Washington. The forum discussed the imminent dangers facing Assange and passed the following resolution endorsing the campaign to demand his freedom: The Grenfell Fire forum endorses the campaign to free Julian Assange and support vigils being held around the world on June 19 and the public demonstration in Sydney on June 17, organised by the Socialist Equality Party. Assange is a courageous journalist who has been persecuted and forced to seek shelter in the Ecuadorian Embassy because he and WikiLeaks exposed the war crimes of the United States and its allies in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria and their conspiracies against the people of the world. We condemn the involvement of the British authorities in his persecution including threats of immediate arrest should he try to leave the embassy. We note that Assange is being effectively held captive, and incommunicado, just four miles from Grenfell Tower, in the same Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea where 72 people died as the result of an entirely preventable fire on June 14, 2017. To this day, no one has been held accountable for their deaths. While those responsible for commissioning illegal wars of aggression and condemning working people to live in death traps walk free, their victims and those who speak in their name are smeared, persecuted and abandoned. As an important political step in challenging this anti-democratic situation, this meeting calls on the British government to immediately end Assanges involuntary confinement and guarantee him safe passage to a place of his choosing. A complaint was filed by the victim's family last evening following which the man was arrested late Sunday night. The man is a resident of Suchak Naka in Kolsewadi. (Representational Image) Thane: A 65-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl in a public toilet in Kolsewadi in Thane district's Kalyan area, police said on June 18. Police said that Kamundas Samarudas Manickpure raped the 8-year-old girl when she went to a public toilet in Kolsewadi locality in the afternoon on Sunday. A complaint was filed by the victim's family last evening following which the man was arrested late Sunday night, a Kolsewadi police official said. The man is a resident of Suchak Naka in Kolsewadi, the official informed. "A case has been registered against the man for rape and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have also been invoked," the official said. He said the man would be produced in court on Monday and added that further investigation into the incident was underway. The Socialist Equality Party (UK) has concluded a series of public meetings in England, Scotland and Ireland titled War, lies and censorship: For the building of a socialist anti-war movement. The meetings were attended by a cross section of workers, youth and students and were followed by lively question and answer sessions. Addressing the meetings in Sheffield, London and Manchester, SEP Assistant National Secretary Julie Hyland reviewed the escalating war drive by the imperialist powers from the standpoint of the analysis developed by the Trotskyist movement, the International Committee of the Fourth International, over the past three decades. Hylands address included a slide show presentation that was used to highlight key passages from David Norths 2016 book A Quarter Century of War: the US Drive for Global Hegemony 1990-2016. Hyland explained that the attack on WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange and the censorship campaign against the World Socialist Web Site and other socialist, progressive and anti-war websites was the spearhead of efforts to suppress popular opposition to war and social inequality. Julie Hyland speaking at the Manchester meeting These meetings were called immediately after the April 14 missile strikes on Syria by the US, UK and France. The strikes, which took place with no discussion in parliament, let alone a vote, were presented as a limited measure in retaliation for a supposed chemical attack by the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad on Douma. This is an attribution that is highly dubious and for which, like the Skripal affair that preceded the air strikes, there is still no coherent, let alone plausible, account. You will remember the comments of Theresa May and others that the strikes were simply to send a message to the Assad regime and nothing else. That wasnt just the line of the government, but also of the so-called left. The Stop the War Coalition, for example, spoke of the major powers not really having the stomach for a war, as did Alex Callinicos of the Socialist Workers Party. We took a very different approach. In the advert for these meetings we warned that the Syrian air strikes were not the end, and that the imperialist powers will not be satisfied without further bloodshed. A campaign is growing in the political and military/intelligence establishments in the UK and US for a wider war that would threaten a nuclear conflict with Russia. Even before our first meeting was held, the Trump administration announced its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear accord and the re-imposition of crippling economic sanctions, and Israel mounted air strikes on Iranian personnel in Syria. Simultaneous with this, Israel launched its fascistic outrage on the border with Gaza, killing more than 100 Palestinians protesting their forced exile from their homeland and injuring thousands. Amongst the dead were children and women. How were we able to anticipate this escalation? We dont have a crystal ball. What we do have is an analysis informed by a Marxist understanding of the contradictions of American and world imperialism, one that examines events not as a sequence of isolated episodes, but as moments in the unfolding of a broader historical process. Let me draw attention to the following book by David North: A Quarter Century of War: The US Drive for Global Hegemony 19902016. This is a collection of essays, news analyses, commentaries and statements produced by the World Socialist Web Site and the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) that covers the period of: The first Gulf War in 1991 The NATO intervention in Yugoslavia and brutal restructuring of the Balkan states The US military interventions in Somalia and Haiti and bombing of Sudan The response to 9/11 with the invasion of Afghanistan The 2003 invasion of Iraq The launching of the open-ended war on terrora propaganda slogan that provided an all-purpose justification for military operations throughout the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa and for an assault on democratic rights at home The regime-change operation in Libya in 2011 The start of the civil war in Syria in 2011, which began as a regime-change operation by US-armed and funded Islamist proxy forces fighting to overthrow the pro-Russian and pro-Iranian government of Bashar al-Assad This quarter century of war, it explained, was the outcome of broader historical processes that, due to time constraints, I will condense into three essential elements: First, it rooted this drive to war in the collapse of the Stalinist regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989-1990 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The end of the USSR, along with the rapid restoration of capitalism in China following the Tiananmen Square massacre of June 1989, was seen by the American ruling class as an opportunity to repudiate the compromises of the post-World War II era and carry out a restructuring of global geopolitics, with the aim of establishing Washingtons undisputed hegemony in a new unipolar world. As North explained: Notwithstanding the criminal nationalistic policies pursued by the Soviet bureaucracy on the basis of its programme of socialism in one country, to the extent that the Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China, established in 1949, provided limited support to various national liberation movements, they deprived US and world imperialism of unrestricted access to and exploitation of the human labour, raw materials and potential markets of a large portion of the globe. For the US and the other imperialist powers, capitalist restoration in Russia, China and Eastern Europe opened up vast new areas of the globe previously sealed off to capitalist penetration by the October 1917 revolution. This included some of the greatest untapped oil reserves in the world, especially in the former Soviet republics bordering the Caspian Sea. More importantly, it opened up the possibility of establishing control over the Eurasian land mass, the focal point for two world wars. Second, the International Committee rejected the claims that the restoration of capitalism represented the collapse of communism and the triumph of liberal democracy. We insisted that the same economic processesthe developments in technology and globalised productionwhich had undermined the nationally isolated Stalinist regimes had also shattered the post-war arrangements that had stabilised global capitalism after the world wars of the last century. In its drive for hegemony, the US would have to take into itself all of the immense pressures and contradictions of world capitalism. But the US already was in a deep-rooted and protracted crisis. Above all, it was riven by massive social inequality. Thus, it was being forced onto the path of becoming the worlds policeman not from a position of strength, but from a position of enormous weakness. North wrote, An objective observer, examining the conditions of both the United States and the Soviet Union between 1960 and 1990, might well have wondered which regime was in greater crisis. Third, the shattering of the post-war arrangements opened up a new period of convulsions that could find no resolution under capitalism without the violent restructuring of political and economic relations. In the aftermath of the first Gulf War of 1990-1, the ICFI explained that the end of the post-war era means the end of the post-colonial era. The period in which the colonial and semi-colonial countries were allowed a veneer of independence was over. They were being returned to the type of unrestrained domination by imperialism that existed prior to World War II. The ICFI warned that the US, far from establishing its supremacy, would increasingly come under challenge from both allies and new competitors alike, to which it would respond with increased bellicosity and aggressiveness. Thus, while the immediate target of the US was Russia and China, its striving for global domination would also bring to the fore latent and potentially explosive tensions with its allies in Europe, especially Germany. This analysis is now being confirmed. All of the old inter-imperialist rivalries that led to two world wars have been rekindled, threatening a full-scale war between nuclear-armed states. North wrote: The progressive development of a globally integrated world economy is incompatible with capitalism and the nation-state system. If war is to be stopped and a global catastrophe averted, a new and powerful mass international movement, based on a socialist program and strategically guided by the principles of revolutionary class struggle, must be built. In opposition to imperialist geopolitics, in which national states fight brutally for regional and global dominance, the International Committee counterposes the strategy of world socialist revolution. As Trotsky advised, we follow not the war map, but the map of the class struggle. If we view these latest events as part of this continuum, certain essentials become clear. The present crisis does not arise simply out of the personality, however obnoxious, of President Donald Trump or any other individual politician for that matter. The billionaires fascistic rants epitomise the realities of American imperialist policies that produced under Bush and then Obama Abu Ghraib, Fallujah, CIA secret prisons, Guantanamo Bay and drone assassinations. That accounts for why the Democrats protests are not over attacks on migrants or corporate tax cuts for the rich, but are focused instead on tactical differences over military strategyexpressing their position as the most strident political representatives of the military-intelligence establishment in its drive against Russia. We can also understand that Washington is not simply reacting to events. Trumps decision to break up the 2015 nuclear accord, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, which was reached between Iran and six major powersthe US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russiahas nothing to do with a supposed Iranian nuclear threat. Tehran has no bomb and never initiated any real program to produce one, while Israels own arsenal includes an estimated 200 to 400 nuclear warheads. Rather, Iran is regarded as a regional impediment to the drive by US imperialism to assert its hegemony over the oil-rich and strategically vital Middle East. As the World Socialist Web Site warned in a perspective published in April 2015 in response to the announcement that Iran and the great powers had reached the framework for a nuclear accord: In a broader historical sense, the deal is not worth the paper it is written on. If and when it is expedient, the US will shred the agreement, as has happened many times in the past. The Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi cut a deal in 2003 to give up its WMD [Weapons of Mass Destruction] programs only to find itself the target of a NATO-led war for regime-change in 2011. Amid its own economic decline, US imperialism will stop at nothing in its reckless drive for global domination at the expense of its major rivals. The reality today is that Washington is at the epicentre of worldwide geopolitical and financial instability. Speaking at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland at the start of this year, US Defence Secretary James Mattis unveiled a new National Defense Strategy by stating, Great power competitionnot terrorismis now the primary focus of US national security. In the last months, behind the chaos and scandals engulfing the Trump administration, a war cabinet has been assembled in Washington, signalled by the elevation of John Bolton to the post of national security adviser and Mike Pompeo as secretary of state. Before his appointment, Bolton, who always opposed the 2015 accord, wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Times calling for regime-change under the heading, To Stop Irans Bomb, Bomb Iran. In the US and here in the UK, in the last months especially, we have seen a ferocious campaign against Russia. But these threats are only a prelude to an intended military confrontation with China, deemed to be Washingtons most dangerous rival. In addition to provocations against Syria and Iran, the US has launched a trade war against China. Financial Times chief financial analyst Martin Wolf writes: That the US will be judge, jury and executioner, while China will be deprived of the rights to retaliate or seek recourse to the WTO, is crazy. No great sovereign power could accept such a humiliation. For China, it would be a modern version of the unequal treaties of the 19th century. The US is rapidly building up its naval forces in the region and setting up missile defence systems and other military installations to encircle China, which is responding with its own military build-up. At the same time, there is the threat of trade-war measures against Europe, with Trump preparing to impose tariffs on German and French steel and aluminium exports. This is the other side of military threats against Iran, because with the upending of the accord any foreign firms doing business in Iran face massive US sanctions and even legal action. If Britain and others are critical of Trumps moves it has nothing to do with concern for the Iranian people or international law. Vast economic interests are at stake. The European Union is the third largest trader with Iran, and European interests such as the French oil conglomerate Total have signed lucrative agreements. Next to Germany and France, Britain has extensive interests. Bilateral trade has increased nearly 50 percent since the signing of the nuclear deal. In 2016, this was worth 171.5 million euros. Thats relatively small, but there is the promise of more to come. Iran resumed its oil and gas exports to Britain in 2015, while the two countries signed a number of contracts in other fields. The biggest, worth more than half a billion euros, was made in renewable energy. Under a deal signed in September 2017, British investor Quercus is to build a 600-megawatt solar power plant in central Iran, which, once completed, will be one of the largest in the world. Such deals are critical under conditions where Brexit has produced a political crisis that is set to be matched economically. For all the talk of free trade, long-standing alliances are being ripped up, with Trumps pursuit of an America First, or rather America Alone, policy cutting across vital British interests. One moment, the US, Britain and France are launching a joint missile strike against Syrian government facilities. The next, President Macron, Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson are pleading and cajoling Trump not to abandon the Iran deal and impose sanctions on the EU. While stating that Iran is in compliance, they also made clear they were prepared to go along with demanding further measures. And all rushed to endorse Israel's military strike against Iran as self-defence. But these entreaties fell on deaf ears. In Europe, there is immense dissatisfaction and fear of US recklessness, but all are uncertain that they can do anything to effectively restrain Washington. That is why the debate over how to respond to Trumps trashing of the Iran nuclear accord is bristling with calls for Europe to accelerate rearmament and develop an independent military intervention force. As we said in the announcement for this meeting, these war preparations are propelled by more than soldiers and missiles: they are powered by lies. The first casualty of war is truth. All the major news outlets are working overtime to sell the public a re-hash of the weapons of mass destruction narrative used to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq. This propaganda exhibits contempt for both the truth and the intelligence of the public. After 25 years of endless war, millions of people have become inured to the hysterical and hypocritical allegations used by the imperialists to dress up their designs against weak countries as a saintly mission for the liberation of mankind. As we have explained, the distinction between journalism and state propaganda has been obliterated. While journalism seeks to question and probe, propaganda seeks to sensationalize, simplify and incite. Journalism sees all claims as suspect, propaganda treats the statements of the government as sacrosanct and everything else as lies. Along with propaganda comes increasing censorship. We now know that D-notices were imposed on the Skripalsan affair that resembles not so much a le Carre spy novel as Alice in Wonderland, with its six impossible things to believe before breakfast! The real target of the censorship campaign is not fake news, but true newsthat is, genuine journalism and independent reporting, which by its very nature contradicts the lies of the warmongers in Washington, London and Paris. Thats why WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange has had to shelter in Ecuadors embassy in London for almost six years now and why he was stripped of any communication with the outside world over a month ago, coinciding with the air strikes. Assange is presently in immense danger. Ecuador is under huge pressure to kick him out. This would be a prelude to his being arrested and then extradited to the US, where he faces trial and imprisonment for WikiLeaks exposures of Washingtons war crimes. Last year, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated that putting Assange on trial for espionage was a priority. Then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo, now secretary of state, asserted that WikiLeaks was a non-state hostile intelligence service. By November 2010, the Obama administration had convened a secret grand jury and had a warrant issued for his arrest on charges of espionagecharges that can carry the death sentence. The relentless attack on Assange and WikiLeaks was and remains a spearhead in the drive by the ruling elite and capitalist governments around the world to crack down on freedom of speech and impose strict control and censorship over the Internet. Defending him, demanding his freedom, is the spearhead of the fight against this offensive. Our speaker from the International Youth and Students for Social Equality will give details on how this is developing on the campuses, but I want to draw attention to the efforts of Google and Facebook and the campaign against fake news and Russian interference. We drew attention last year to a discreetly worded blog post by Google in which it claimed that it had taken measures to improve its search system to help people find what they were looking for. These measures would be implemented, as the company subsequently told a reporter, in such a way as not to reflect political bias. That was a lie. Rather than helping find what people were searching for, the company carried out a far-reaching revision of the way it evaluated every one of its millions of search terms, severing connections between popular topicssuch as inequality, war, democratic rights and socialismand leading left-wing websites. The WSWS was especially impacted. In the year running up to this announcement, our site had received nearly 10 million visits. The month before, over 900,000 individual users visited the WSWS, reflecting a 25 percent increase in just four months. Within a matter of days, we would go on to publish our first video that received more than one million views. Within three months of Googles announcement, every single one of the WSWSs top 45 search terms no longer linked users to the site. As a result, search traffic from Google fell by more than three quarters, far more than any of the numerous other left-wing, anti-war and progressive websites affected by the companys measures. On August 25, the WSWS published an open letter declaring that Google is manipulating its Internet searches to restrict public awareness of and access to socialist, anti-war and left-wing websites, and adding, Censorship on this scale is political blacklisting. This is being significantly expanded. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivered testimony before Congress in April in which he outlined the companys plans, through the power of artificial intelligence, to evaluate and police all the content posted on the worlds largest social network to block the dissemination of fake news. Measures are being taken to limit the reach of oppositional publications or shut them down altogether. We are witnessing a historical transformation of leading technology companies: from the disseminators of information to its censors. They are being directly incorporated into the military-industrial complex, as witnessed by Googles admission that it is helping the Pentagon develop artificial intelligence for use in its drone programme. The turn to censorship, under the cover of combating fake news and Russian meddling, is aimed at suppressing and criminalising resistance to war and austerity. The ruling elite know there is mass opposition to their criminal designs. The first months of 2018 have seen an immense escalation of class conflict around the world in opposition to the relentless assault on workers jobs, living standards and democratic rights. There has been a wave of strikes and struggles: US teachers, UK lecturers, in France a mass movement against rail privatisation. These are only the initial expressions of a re-emergence of class struggles similar to 1968. This time, however, the ruling class is not able to make any accommodations to placate mass opposition. Billions are being squandered on the military. Global military spending is at a record $1.7 trillion, the highest level since the Cold War, according to figures published Thursday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The US is the largest spender, with $700 billion, but it has risen especially sharply over last decade in Central Europe (20 percent) and Eastern Europe (33 percent). According to SIPRI, just 13 percent of annual world military spending would be enough to end world poverty and hunger; four percent would guarantee food security for the worlds population; five percent would meet health needs; 12 percent would provide everyone with an education; three percent would provide clean water and proper sanitation. Far from spending on such necessities, social budgets are being slashed. Ten years after the 2008 economic crash, another economic crisis is building. This will erupt after a decade of wage cuts and social austerity that have gutted essential provision and living standards. The Grenfell fire showed the extent to which everything has been plundered. Yet, one year on, still no one has been charged. Workers have been through the longest wage squeeze in 200 years, with pay stagnating. Real wages are worth 24 less per week than in 2008 and are not expected to return to pre-crisis levels until 2025. By then, the average worker is expected to have lost 18,500. In contrast, there are now 145 billionaires who reside in the UK and, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, the top 1,000 people have 724 billionout of the countrys total wealth of 12,778 billion. In virtually every instance, those listed significantly improved their riches over the last year. Globally, 42 people own as much wealth as 50 percent of humanity. There is massive opposition to this state of affairs. But the role of organisations such as the Stop the War Coalition (STWC) is to politically demobilise popular anti-war sentiment. The coalition directed all public protests by workers and youth against the bombing of Syria to making futile appeals to parliament andabove allbacking Jeremy Corbyns personal protests against war made as leader of the pro-war Labour Party. The pseudo-left groups claim that all will be made well by a Corbyn Labour government plays the same role as a lullaby. It soothes people to sleep. The drive to war arises not as a result of individual proclivities or policy decisions. It is rooted in the character of imperialism. What the STWC and the pseudo-left present is, in reality, an alternative policy for British imperialism. They believe that the UK should distance itself from the US, which is now too undependable, and rely more on soft power and negotiated alliances with the European powers. It is striking how all these supposedly socialist organisations keep the question of war completely separate from fight against austerity and social inequality. Nor do they say anything about growing censorship and they are silent on the persecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been silenced and whose health and life are in immediate danger. The most important political allies of Washington and London are the nominally liberal Guardian and the pseudo-left milieu, such as the Socialist Party and the Socialist Workers Party. They play the key role in demobilising support for Assange and justifying his persecution. Not only are they silent on what is being done to him, but they have even demanded he face justice regarding bogus claims of sexual improprietyeven after Swedish authorities last year formally closed their trumped-up investigation. We insist that the critical task is to merge the working class movement in opposition to social inequality with the struggle against imperialism itself. As the world witnesses a new upsurge of imperialist barbarism, the International Committee of the Fourth International reaffirms the critical principles it first advanced in its February 2016 statement, Socialism and the Fight Against War: Build an International Movement of the Working Class and Youth Against Imperialism! The struggle against war must be based on the working class, the great revolutionary force in society, uniting behind it all progressive elements of the population. The new anti-war movement must be anti-capitalist and socialist, since there can be no serious struggle against war except in the fight to end the dictatorship of finance capital and put an end to the economic system that is the fundamental cause of militarism and war. The new anti-war movement must therefore, of necessity, be completely and unequivocally independent of, and hostile to, all political parties and organizations of the capitalist class. The new anti-war movement must, above all, be international, mobilizing the vast power of the working class in a unified global struggle against imperialism. Despite what one participant called a lot of concern in the room at the unions last staff meeting at Sydneys Macquarie University, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) is still pushing managements job families proposal. This plan could force huge teaching workloads onto at least a quarter of the universitys academics. A May 31 NTEU industrial brief, issued for the next enterprise bargaining meeting on June 19, also praised Macquaries management for matching a 2 percent annual pay rise recently imposed by the union at Western Sydney University. The rise is, in effect, a pay cut, compared to the soaring cost of living. Again, defying clear expressions of opposition at the last meeting, the NTEU is presenting it as a fait accompli. Intensive NTEU-Macquarie management talks have been underway for months on a new enterprise agreement (EA). According to the industrial brief, the focus of the most recent discussions has been on academic workloads and job families. Without elaborating, the brief boasted of some important developments in these areas. The NTEUs partnership with management is a graphic example of the unions role nationally. Last December, the Liberal-National government inflicted another $2.2 billion cut over the next four years on universities, which will mean even worse conditions for students and staff alike. Far from fighting the multi-billion dollar cuts, which the NTEU claims to oppose, the union is imposing their consequences on staff, via EA deals with individual universities. These agreements provide each university with the cost savings and flexibility it is demanding in order to implement the cuts. With funding for domestic students shrinking, the universities are competing with each other to survive. The job families plana euphemism devised through union-management collaboration, in order to appear user friendlywill allow Macquarie to impose 80 percent teaching loads, as opposed to the traditional 40 percent teaching, 40 percent research and 20 percent admin loadonto 25 percent of academic staff, thus creating a two-tier workforce. Teaching-only academics will bear the brunt of the extra work demanded by ever-increasing class sizes. The NTEU and management claim that this new mode of employment will be voluntary. In reality, low-paid and casualised academics will be placed under enormous pressure to take such positions. The NTEU is working with management via Interest Based Bargaining (IBB), where the parties identify and set out to achieve their common interests. Since 2012, major employers and unions have used IBB, supervised by the federal governments Fair Work Commission industrial tribunal, to impose closures, mass retrenchments, wage reductions and sweeping cuts to working conditions. Through IBB, union officials and delegates are assigned the task of reporting and suppressing any employee opposition to these attacks. How IBB works was demonstrated in a May 25 letter, sent by NTEU industrial officer Lance Dale to Macquarie Universitys employee relations manager Leah Angrisano, about the elimination of paid student consultation time for casual teachers at the universitys law school. Casuals carry out an ever-increasing portion of teaching in law, as elsewhere. Scrapping their pay for often-crucial consultation with their students will mean additional unpaid work, and is likely to significantly disadvantage their students. Dale warned Angrisano that the unions law school members are overwhelmingly united in their opposition to the proposed cuts. He suggested a plan to prevent industrial action by convening a roundtable meeting to let off steam and devise alternate strategies to achieve managements goals. Dale wrote that a process of joint problem solving and collaboration was far superior to a unilaterally imposed cut that is causing deep concern and aggravation among the unions law school members. The NTEU is trying to keep a lid on employee discontent across the country. The May 31 industrial brief reported that major pitched battles are continuing over EAs at other NSW universities, including University of New South Wales, University of Wollongong, Charles Sturt University and University of New England. Far from unifying these struggles in a fight against funding cuts, the NTEU is striving to sign retrograde deals at each institution, as it has already done at University of Sydney, Western Sydney University and Murdoch University. Once again, the NTEU is seeking to channel hostility to the funding cuts into support for the return of yet another pro-business Labor government. The union is backing, and will be represented in, Labors proposed review of post-secondary education, to be launched within 100 days of it taking office. This review will seek to further transform the universities into corporate entities, tied closely to the needs of business, and churning out graduates tailor-made for major employers. Labors deputy leader, Tanya Plibersek, recently announced that the review panel would feature business leaders, including Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott. Last year, Westacott delivered a National Press Club speech demanding an integrated university-vocational college tertiary education system joined at the hip to industry. Labor began the creeping privatisation of the tertiary sector under the Hawke government, which reintroduced student fees in the 1980s. With the support of the NTEU, the Rudd and Gillard governments education revolution set up a competitive market for student enrolments, accelerating the exploitation of low-cost casuals. Then the Greens-backed Gillard government cut $2.7 billion from tertiary funding in 2013. This year has seen school teachers, university lecturers and support staff engage in a rising strike movement in the US, Britain and elsewhere, against ever-worsening conditions and the ongoing assault on public education. While, in each case, they mounted courageous opposition to the unions pro-business agenda, the unions nevertheless managed to betray them in the end, imposing virtually the same conditions their members had rejected. To fight the ever-deepening corporate restructuring at Macquarie University and every other campus, academics and university staff need to draw serious lessons from the past. Nothing less than a decisive break with the NTEU and the establishment of rank-and-file committees, totally independent of the unions, is necessary. The task of these committees will be to join in struggle with students and other sections of the working class facing similar attacks. Such a struggle requires a political perspective that is entirely opposed to the NTEUs pro-capitalist agenda; in other words, a socialist program that regards a fully-resourced, high quality education as a fundamental social right, and sets out to reorganise society in the interests of the vast majority, not the ultra-wealthy privileged minority. To take forward this perspective, the following resolution will be moved at the June 19 Macquarie meeting. This meeting: (1) Opposes the NTEUs pro-business partnership with management. (2) Opposes the splitting up of university employees, via individual EAs, and calls for a unified national struggle against the Liberal-National governments latest multi-billion dollar cuts, and the overturn of all previous cuts imposed by both Labor and Coalition governments. (3) Demands that billions of dollars be poured into education at all levels, from pre-school to tertiary, to guarantee the social right of all young people to a free, first-class education and the social right of all staff to decent, well-paid and permanent positions. The author also recommends: Joint email signals union-management partnership at Australias Macquarie University [24 May 2018] Australia: Melbourne university staff strike to defend academic freedom [7 May 2018] Build rank-and-file committees! Prepare a nationwide strike to defend public education! North Carolina and the next stage of the teachers revolt [16 May 2018] Australian unions launch campaign to re-elect an anti-working class Labor government [19 April 2018] On Thursday, June 7, the Russian Museum of the History of the GULAG reported that archival material about people who were kept in the Soviet forced labor camp system and were subsequently released has been systematically destroyed, on the basis of a secret decree from February 2014. The extent of the destruction of archival material is not yet clear. It is estimated that up to 12 million people fell victim to the Great Terror, unleashed by the Stalinist bureaucracy in the second half of the 1930s: they were either shot, or sent to prison and forced labor camps (GULAGs), where many died or were disabled for life. Up to 7 million people were imprisoned in the Soviet GULAG system. In 1937-1938 alone, 1.7 million people were arrested on political grounds. The vast majority of them were accused of being part of the Trotskyist-Zinovievite center or other presumably terrorist organizations, allegedly inspired by Leon Trotsky, the leader of the Russian Revolution and anti-Stalinist Left Opposition. The Great Terror, which the Soviet historian and sociologist Vadim Rogovin described as a political genocide, resulted in the physical destruction of the Soviet Left Opposition, which had up to 30,000 members, as well as tens of thousands of dedicated Communist workers and intellectuals, both from the Soviet Communist Party and international sections of the Third International (Comintern). Stunning in its scope, the terror also swept away millions of people who were not actively engaged in politics, let alone the opposition, at all. As the Soviet writer and sympathizer of the Left Opposition Varlam Shalamov observed, the Stalinist terror was directed against all those who remembered the wrong part of Russian history that is, the historical truth about the Russian Revolution, its leaders, and the inner-party struggle of the 1920s. It was aimed, in other words, at wiping out, not just politically but also physically, the historical consciousness and memory of the Soviet and international working class. In many cases, archival material, especially the personal files or even only minor biographical archival cards, remain the only testimony left of the very existence of a victim of the terror. As Roman Romanov, the head of the GULAG Museum, explained to the Russian newspaper Kommersant : When someone died in prison or perished in a camp, his personal file was sent to be kept indefinitely in an archive. But when someone was released, his [personal] file was destroyed. However, there remained an archival card, which included information such as the name, date and place of birth, the camps in which this person had been, as well as the date of his or her release. Precisely these cards have been systematically destroyed since 2014 on the basis of a decree issued by several Russian state agencies. The very existence of this decree, criminal by all measures, has only been revealed more or less by accident due to the work of a Russian historian, Sergei Prudovsky, who collaborates with the GULAG Museum. When requesting information about a peasant, Fedor Chasov, who was repressed during the Great Purges of 1937-1938 and sent to a notorious Magadan camp in Russias North East, he found out that the archival card about Fedor Chasov had been destroyed. Prudovsky told the Russian newspaper Kommersant: I issued a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Magadan Oblast. They responded that the personal file of the arrested had already been destroyed in 1955 according to a decree from this period. It also became clear that the archival card was destroyed as well. When Prudovsky asked why the latter had been destroyed, Mikhail Seregin, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs responsible for the Magadan oblast told him that the legal basis had been a decree for purposes from February 12, 2014. This decree was signed by virtually all significant Russian state institutions: The Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry for Extraordinary Situations, the Defense Ministry, the FSB, a number of other federal secret services, as well as the Main Prosecutors office and the State Courier Service . The head of the GULAG Museum, Roman Romanov, has since written a letter to Mikhail Fedotov, an advisor to the Russian President and the head of the Council of the President for human rights. In this letter, Romanov indicated that the GULAG Museum had received information from the Interior Ministry that confirmed that these cards of convicted victims of the terror had been destroyed. This is not the first time that the destruction of this kind of archival material has come to public attention. According to the Kommersant report, in 2014, a resident of the Moscow oblast tried to find information about her relative who was convicted and sent to Magadan in 1939, only to learn that his archival card had been destroyed. The woman appealed to the Higher Court of the Russian Federation and eventually the Constitutional Court, but lost the case both times. Fedotov told Kommersant that he was looking into the issue and stated, in glaring contradiction to what is going on in reality: We [the Russian government] will always defend the preservation of archival material, it contains very important historical information When there is a document, it is virtually impossible to falsify it. But when there is no document, anything can be made up. But this is precisely the purpose of this decree which, in this sense, is in line with the aims of the Stalinist Great Terror itself. While important archival material has been made available since the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, access to Russian archival material often remains notoriously difficult, especially when it comes to the Soviet period. Over the past 25 years, collections have been opened and closed at the behest of the government, with countless files still being withheld from public view, often without clear reasoning provided. The access to personal files, in particular, is difficult. Many of them are accessible only through the FSB archives, and work on them always requires the approval of blood relatives, who in some cases may not even exist. With all these restrictions, and despite a climate of extreme reaction and political confusion that has prevailed in Russia since 1991, important historical documentary collections have come out that shed new light on important aspects of Soviet society and history, and not least of all the struggle of the Left Opposition. This kind of work is directly threatened by the secret workings of the Russian state to withhold and destroy archival material, as well as the ongoing political and financial pressure exerted on all those working on this history. The 2014 decree is a clear warning of the dangers posed to serious historical research into the crimes of Stalinism by the control of the Russian state over the archives. Much like state operations such as last years major television series to slander Trotsky, this decree is a sign of an ongoing state conspiracy and determination of the Russian oligarchy to falsify history and cover up the crimes of Stalinism. 25 years ago: Supreme Court rules against Haitian refugees Haitian refugees on a boat On June 22, 1993, in the case of Sale v. Haitian Centers Council, the US Supreme Court upheld the Bush and Clinton administrations policy of intercepting fleeing Haitians at sea and returning them to Haiti without asylum hearings, where many were imprisoned, tortured and even murdered by the US-backed military dictatorship. The decision was particularly significant because it came by an 8-1 margin, overriding the usual liberal vs. conservative divisions, with only Justice Harry A. Blackmun dissenting. The majority ruled that neither US law nor UN resolutions applied to actions taken by agents of the US government in international waters. In effect, they declared that the Coast Guard could have sunk the boats filled with refugees and allowed them to drown, and there would have been no legal recourse. President George H. W. Bush initiated the policy with the Kennebunkport Order of May 1992, decreeing that the US Coast Guard should intercept boats filled with refugees while they are still at sea and force them back to Haiti. This overturned a previous policy in which the Coast Guard conducted interviews on board the ships and allowed those with seemingly valid refugee claims to proceed to Florida. In just the first month, more than 11,000 refugees were sent back to Haiti by US forces. In his presidential campaign, Democrat Bill Clinton condemned Bushs policy as cruel and shameful. But his first policy decision, announced even before the January 20 inauguration, was to reaffirm the blockade, and his Justice Department continued the defense of the quarantine in the courts. The Haitian Refugee Center and civil liberties groups had argued that the Bush-Clinton policy violates both US law, which requires a hearing before an immigrant claiming political refugee status is deported, and a United Nations convention on the treatment of refugees. In his scathing dissent, Justice Blackmun pointed out the flagrant contradiction between the court ruling and the past legal norms on the democratic rights of immigrants. What is extraordinary in this case, he wrote, is that the Executive, in disregard of the law, would take to the seas to intercept fleeing refugees and force them back to their persecutors and that the Court would strain to sanction that conduct. In a speech given only three days before the decision, Clinton sounded a populist note, presenting his vicious assault on helpless refugees as a defense of American workers. He said, under the pressures that we face today we cant afford to lose control of our own borders or take on new financial burdens at a time when we are not adequately providing for the jobs, the health care and the education of our own people. 50 years ago: Police assault shuts down the Poor Peoples Campaign Police close down Resurrection City On June 24, 1968, after six weeks of protest, Resurrection City, the encampment created by the Poor Peoples Campaign on the mall in Washington DC, was forcibly shut down by police. More than one thousand police were mobilized for the action, ordered by the Democratic Party administration of President Lyndon Johnson. Resurrection City was no small project. With a population high of about 3,000 residents, the city offered its citizens many amenities including day care, a barbershop, mess hall, and a city hall. Architect John Wiebenson designed the citys shanty buildings to be sturdy but simple so the many unskilled volunteers could quickly make homes for thousands. The city sat on the iconic lawn of the Washington mall where it served as a counter capital. When Martin Luther King, Jr. conceived of the project, he envisioned Resurrection City as headquarters from which the Poor Peoples Campaign could lobby Congress to pass an Economic Bill of Rights. After Kings assassination on April 4 the movement was delayed, but eventually carried out under the leadership of Reverend Ralph David Abernathy. Some senators and congressmen visited the camp in a gesture of sympathy, largely for show. Even Vice President Hubert Humphrey remarked that the Poor Peoples campaign was, going to produce results and that I think we can learn a lot here. But President Johnson was hostile, as was the bulk of Congress. One Democratic senator from Arkansas, John McClellan, went as far as to say the city was a premeditated act of contempt for and rebellion against the sovereignty of government. The largest event in the campaign around Resurrection City came on June 19, when 150,000 people gathered to rally in support of Poor Peoples Campaign and hear speeches from the movements leaders. But the population of the city fell to about 500 as the June 24 expiration date for the protests permit approached. Abernathy, however, remained committed to the project and said Resurrection City would remain regardless of a permit. When June 24 arrived, the local authorities in the District of Columbia deployed 1,000 police to tear down Resurrection City. Using tear gas and wearing masks and body armor, police arrested 288 people, including Abernathy. Later that night, the mayor declared a curfew and deployed the National Guard to enforce martial law. The Poor Peoples Campaign was an attempt to connect the struggles of the most distressed sections of the working class across racial lines and to mount a peaceful and democratic protest against poverty and inequality. The response from the US government was tear gas and jail cells. 75 years ago: Fascists instigate race riots in Detroit Race riot aftermath in Detroit On June 22, 1943, violent clashes took place in Detroit, Michigan, as a result of racist agitation by the Ku Klux Klan and other fascistic groups, whose activities had been tacitly endorsed by the police and government authorities. Within the space of three days, 32 people were killed and over 400 were injured. The vast majority of them were African-American workers and youth. The violence in Detroit followed pogromist rampages at the beginning of June in Los Angeles, California. US military personnel and right-wing groups attacked Mexican-American young people and workers. Some individuals were targeted because they wore Zoot Suits, on the absurd pretext that the amount of fabric required to manufacture them was impacting upon the American war effort. The June 22 attacks in Detroit followed protracted racist agitation by the Ku Klux Klan, and other fascistic tendencies. They sought to divert widespread anger among workers over a deepening social crisis into attacks on African-American workers who had moved to the north in search of employment. A feature of the Detroit riots, and attacks over the previous months, were false claims by right-wing organisations that African-Americans were sexually assaulting white women. When African-American workers and youth fought back against the attacks, and the unrest threatened to unleash a broader political crisis, the US administration of President Franklin Roosevelt dispatched 6,000 federal troops, along with national guardsmen and inter-state police reinforcements. They imposed a curfew and virtual martial law, and were responsible for the majority of black deaths and injuries. The Socialist Workers Party (SWP), then the American section of the world Trotskyist movement, stated that the riots were a result of the attempts of the US ruling elite to divide the working class. The SWP warned that the deployment of federal troops was a test-case for the suppression of growing opposition to social inequality and the war. A June 26 editorial in the SWPs paper, T he Militant, called for the working class to come to the defense of the Negro people. It stated: The Ku Klux Klan and similar groups have long been active in Michigan and their members have worked hand in glove with the superintendent personnel of the auto barons to incite white workers against black. It warned that the inevitable consequence of this racial antagonism will be to divide the working masses; to sap the strength of organized labor; and to weaken the unions. The editorial concluding by declaring, Solidarity forever! between white workers and colored must be the watchword of the hour. 100 years ago: Bolshevik leader Volodarsky assassinated in Petrograd Volodarsky On June 20, 1918, V. Volodarsky, a leader of the Bolshevik Partys Petrograd Committee and the editor of the popular Krasnaya Gazeta (Red Gazette), was shot to death. The assassin was a member the Socialist-Revolutionary Partys (SRs) Battle Group, a small terrorist organization, which, later in the summer, would assassinate Bolshevik leader M. S. Uritsky and seriously wound Lenin. This faction of the SRs had previously had many followers, particularly among the peasantry, but had dwindled in influence for its continued support for the imperialist war and its hindrance of land redistribution. It was opposed to Soviet power and had become one of the main organizers of counterrevolution. Volodarskys murder came at a moment when the revolution was in mortal danger. Since the winter, the Germans, with whom the Bolsheviks had made a humiliating peace at Brest-Litovsk in March, threatened to occupy Petrograd. The revolt of the Czech Legion of the former Tsarist army had helped to set up a counterrevolutionary government (Komuch) led by the SRs in Samara, and a hostile Menshevik regime had existed in Georgia since May. Famine reigned throughout the territory controlled by the Soviets. The Allied powers were preparing a military intervention in Siberia. Volodarsky, whose real name was Moisei Markovich Goldstein, was born in 1891. He joined the Jewish Socialist Bund in 1905 and participated in revolutionary activities. He was imprisoned by the Tsarist government in 1908, released in an amnesty in 1911, and emigrated to Philadelphia in 1913. He worked as a tailor and was active in the American Socialist Party. At the outbreak of the First World War, he took an internationalist position. After the February 1917 Revolution, Volodarsky returned to Russia and joined the Mezhraiontsy (Inter-District) organization led by Leon Trotsky, which fused with the Bolsheviks in July. He immediately played a prominent role in the Bolshevik Party and in the Petrograd working class. Trotsky remarked in his History of the Russian Revolution of Volodarskys role as an agitator in the massive Putilov works in Petrograd: Volodarsky was a magnificent mass orator, logical, ingenious, and bold. His American intonation gave a unique expressiveness to his resonant voice, ringing out concisely at meetings of many thousands. Anatoly Lunacharsky, the first peoples Commissar for Education, wrote in Revolutionary Silhouettes: It was, however, after October that Volodarsky really came into his own. Then his personality made him to some degree the most striking representative of our party in Petrograd. He owed his position to his outstanding talent as an agitator, to his courageous rectitude, his absolutely superhuman capacity for work and finally to the fact that he combined truly colossal achievements as a speaker with his exemplary work as editor of the Red Gazette . A workers leader with gifts like this was roundly hated by the upper classes and the SRs in particular. Lunacharsky again: Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of workpeople followed him to his grave on the Field of Mars. What did his SR murderers feel then? Did they know against whom they had raised their hand? Did they admit to themselves how at heart the entire Petersburg proletariat was on his side, on ours, the side of the Communist Party? Webcam hosting service will be discontinued on October 21, 2021. Read more about our decision here. According to the complaint, Khanna alleged induced her to part with huge sums of money to make profitable investments in properties with his help. Mumbai: A sessions court has rejected the bail application of the businessman, Sarfaraz Ahsan alias Amar Khanna, who was arrested for allegedly raping and cheating veteran actress Zeenat Aman. The court refused to grant bail, observing that the witnesses concerned have not been able to support the claim of the accused that he and Ms Aman got married. The court also took into the consideration an investigation by Mhada (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) that revealed that the accused had allegedly cheated Ms Aman by fraudulently transferring two of her flats on his name. According to the complaint, Khanna alleged induced her to part with huge sums of money to make profitable investments in properties with his help. The accused allegedly extracted money as well as ornaments and bank savings as well as made Ms Aman sell a flat that was in her mothers name for such purposes. Later, Ms Aman came to learn about offences registered against Khanna at Versova police station and Bangur Nagar police station from two women. Following this, she started asking him for her money and properties. She has further alleged that when she started demanding her belongings back, Khanna allegedly raped her and gave her papers that he claimed were marriage documents between them. Ms Aman claimed that all the documents, which included a nikahnama (marriage certificate) in Urdu, Mhada flat allotment letters and notarised agreements of flats in Santa Cruz, were bogus. According to Ms Aman, the accused had cheated her of more than Rs 15 crore. Khannas lawyer had contended that he had been falsely implicated in the case due to vengeance. He further claimed that Khanna and Ms Aman are husband and wife, had been staying together since 2012 and the allegations of rape are false. However, judge Shayana Patil rejected his bail plea. Mike Parr, 73, fasted during his time underground, with oxygen pumped into the container to keep him alive as traffic drove on overhead. The performance was billed as a tribute to victims of totalitarian violence. (Photo: AFP) An artist has emerged from three days entombed in a steel box under a busy Australian road in a performance billed as a tribute to victims of totalitarian violence. Mike Parr, 73, fasted during his time underground, with oxygen pumped into the 1.7-metre (5.5-foot) by 2.2-metre container to keep him alive as traffic drove on overhead. He had bedding, water, a waste bucket, a sketchpad and pencils for the stunt in Hobart, part of Tasmania state's annual Dark Mofo festival, which celebrates darkness through large-scale public art, food, film and music. "The anxiety of the artist's disappearance is the point of the piece," organisers said. It was also an attempt to highlight "the shadow cast by the genocidal violence of 19th century British colonialism in Australia", they added. Parr, who had been buried with only a small light, clambered out of his prison on a ladder late Sunday after heavy machinery carefully removed the asphalt that had sealed him in. He exited without saying a word or acknowledging a crowd that had gathered in the rain. He is expected to detail his experience in a public forum on Tuesday. "He is an endurance performance artist and he's been doing this for many years, so his body is quite used to doing this," Dark Mofo curator Jarrod Rawlins told reporters. While some welcomed the feat as thought-provoking, others were left baffled. "People work a lifetime underground. This goose spends three days in a box doing frig all, calls it art and it makes the news," an unimpressed Rodney Gibbison said on Facebook. James Hank de Ridder added: "If I could only get the last five minutes of my life back after watching this absolutely pointless exercise." Parr is no stranger to controversial performances, having once used an axe to hack off his prosthetic arm, which he had filled with minced meat and blood, in front of a shocked audience. Dark Mofo, produced by Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art, has sparked controversy elsewhere this year, drawing the ire of some Christians when inverted crosses were erected on the city's waterfront. 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. In the three years since Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign with so much controversial bombast in 2015, Laura Bush has steadfastly kept her counsel about the polarizing first Republican in the White House since her own husband George W. Bush served two terms. Trumps treatment of migrant children is what broke the former First Ladys resolve. As images flooded social media this weekend to show how the Trump administrations migration policy was tearing families apart at the border, Mrs. Bush took the unusual step of writing an opinion piece for the Washington Post that was published on Fathers Day. In it, she spoke out about the nearly 2,000 children who were separated from their families during a six-week period in April and May as the Trump administration adopted a zero-tolerance policy for illegal entry into the United States, TIME reported on Saturday. I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart, Bush wrote. Her fellow former first lady, Michelle Obama, gave Mrs. Bushs words a simple but ringing endorsement: Sometimes truth transcends party, Obama, a Democrat tweeted later on Monday. And by Monday evening, all four of the nations former first ladies had spoken out. The practice and policy today of removing children from their parents care at our border with Mexico is disgraceful and a shame to our country, Rosalynn Carter said in a statement from Georgia. And Hillary Clinton, at a womens forum in New York, called whats happening a moral crisis. Bush, in her op-ed saw similarities with the period of Japanese internment during World War II, which she said is now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history. Laura Bush She also recalled when former First Lady Barbara Bush, her late mother-in-law, cuddled a dying baby while visiting a home for children with HIV/AIDS. She, who after the death of her 3-year-old daughter knew what it was to lose a child, believed that every child is deserving of human kindness, compassion and love, Bush wrote. Story continues Sometimes truth transcends party. https://t.co/TeFM7NmNzU Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) June 18, 2018 Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war, said the former first lady. We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents and to stop separating parents and children in the first place. She continued, People on all sides agree that our immigration system isnt working, but the injustice of zero tolerance is not the answer. I moved away from Washington almost a decade ago, but I know there are good people at all levels of government who can do better to fix this. Bushs brother-in-law, Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, joined her protest on Monday, tweeting that children were being used as a negotiating tool and Trump should end his heartless policy. Children shouldnt be used as a negotiating tool. @realDonaldTrump should end this heartless policy and Congress should get an immigration deal done that provides for asylum reform, border security and a path to citizenship for Dreamers. https://t.co/OOjv0vNeVg Jeb Bush (@JebBush) June 18, 2018 Melania Trump In another surprising move from the first-lady realm, current First Lady Melania Trump, on Sunday released a statement about her husbands controversial immigration policy. Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families, her communications director, Stephanie Grisham, told PEOPLE. Grisham added that her boss calls on Democrats and Republicans to fix the nations immigration crisis. [She] hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform, Grisham said, adding that Mrs. Trump believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart. The spokeswoman did not immediately respond to follow-up questions from PEOPLE on Monday about what Mrs. Trump is doing to help change her husbands policy. Clinton, speaking at a luncheon of The Womens Forum of New York, said: I warned about this during the debates and on the campaign trail, that Trumps immigration policies would result in families being separated, parents being sent away from their children, people being rounded up into trains and buses. And now, as we watch with broken hearts, thats exactly whats happening. Seth MacFarlane attends a Fox network event in New York City on May 14. (Photo: Roy Rochlin via Getty Images) Seth MacFarlane isnt afraid to say what he thinks, even to the people who sign his checks. MacFarlane, who has produced Family Guy, American Dad! and The Orville for Fox, ripped into the company Saturday after Fox News host Tucker Carlson made a particularly egregious comment on his show. Carlson told his viewers Thursday night that they should assume every network but Fox News is lying to them. If youre looking to understand whats actually happening in this country, always assume the opposite of whatever theyre telling you on the big news stations, Carlson said. CNN host and correspondent Brian Stelter drew attention to the comment in a tweet Friday. MacFarlane, whose shows appear on a network owned by the same parent company as Fox News, followed up on Stelters tweet by calling out the fringe shit being peddled by his employer. In other words, dont think critically, dont consult multiple news sources, and in general, dont use your brain. Just blindly obey Fox News. This is fringe shit, and its business like this that makes me embarrassed to work for this company. https://t.co/kC7MPYxdgZ Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) June 16, 2018 In other words, dont think critically, dont consult multiple news sources, and in general, dont use your brain. Just blindly obey Fox News, MacFarlane said. This is fringe shit, and its business like this that makes me embarrassed to work for this company. MacFarlane has been with the Fox network for two decades, starting with Family Guy in 1998. This week, cable giant Comcast offered to buy 21st Century Fox for $65 billion, perhaps entering into a bidding war with Disney, which had previously offered $52.4 billion. MacFarlanes creations would be included in that deal, but not Fox News, which would remain under the control of corporate boss Rupert Murdoch. Story continues Judging from his comments, MacFarlane is probably cheering the sale, regardless of who ends up with the highest bid. Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Amanda Bostic remembers the harrowing moments when she was tossed more than 30 feet from a roller coaster that had just derailed. "I remember falling through the air and I remember hitting the ground," she said during an exclusive interview with "Good Morning America." The 34-year-old mother of two sons said she was "knocked out" from the fall. But when she she woke up, she heard cries for help and saw the roller coaster hanging off the rails. "I will never forget that in my life," she said. "People on the ride were screaming; one [car] was dangling." Bostic, of Knott County, Kentucky, was one of 10 people aboard the Sandblaster Thursday night in Daytona Beach's boardwalk amusement park. She and her friend -- who were in the first car -- were pitched 34 feet to the ground when the roller coaster lost control. They were considered "trauma alerts" and rushed to the hospital. Nine other passengers were transported to hospitals, officials said. PHOTO: Officials inspect the sandblaster roller coaster at Daytona Beach's boardwalk. (ABC News) Bostic -- whose boys are 11 and 13 years old -- was visiting Daytona Beach with co-workers. Their holiday trip came to an end Thursday evening when she and her friend hopped on the Sandblaster, its first car detailed in red with hot, yellow flames. She said nothing seemed out of sorts: There were seat belts that clicked, and she said a worker "pulled on them" before the train took off. Yet Bostic said the ride didn't feel right. "It seemed to be going a lot faster than I felt comfortable with," she said. "As we went around the turn it felt like it wasn't completely attached to the tracks. ... The car was leaning to the side and into the curve. "I was scared and I was praying it was over." PHOTO: Amanda Bostic told 'Good Morning America' how she survived with only bruises and a concussion after falling 34 feet from the sandblaster. (ABC News) (MORE: 2 people fall 34 feet to the ground after roller coaster derails) (MORE: Two riders plunge to ground after roller coaster derails) Those fears were compounded when the train suddenly slipped off its tracks sending Bostic and her friend out of the car. Story continues All she can recall are the sounds and flashes of the plunge. "I remember hearing a lot of screeching. A lot of metal. A lot of sounds that just weren't right," Bostic said. "I closed my eyes and held on." Daytona Beach Fire Department officials confirmed that 911 calls started flooding their dispatchers at around 10 p.m. on Thursday. Once arrived, responders found that eight passengers were still trapped on the derailed Sandblaster roller coaster and had to be rescued. Upon arriving at the chaotic scene, firefighters found the first car of the Sandblaster -- where Bostic and her friend were seated in before ejecting -- "completely off the track and dangling front end towards the ground." She says she suffered a concussion, deep bruises "from head-to-toe" and several cuts. Still, she saw the dangling car positioned over her friend. That's when she crawled over to try to help her friend. "I was afraid it was going to fall on her," she said. PHOTO: Firefighters work to rescue riders trapped in a derailed roller coaster car in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Daytona Beach Fire Department) Bostic learned later from her co-workers stuck on cars hovering over her and her friend that she "bounced from support beam to support beam like a pinball." Miraculously, she limped out with the aid of a walker from the Halifax Medical Center on Friday night -- one full day after her and other roller coaster riders' brush with death -- to mend from bruises all over her body and broken teeth. DB Firefighters working as fast as they can to rescue 2 riders that are in a dangling rollercoaster car pic.twitter.com/v0UrChJdHC DaytonaBeachFireDept (@DaytonaBeachFD) June 15, 2018 Bostic's friend remains in the hospital with numerous fractured bones. Update: 10 riders rescued. 6 taken to hospital. DaytonaBeachFireDept (@DaytonaBeachFD) June 15, 2018 PHOTO: Rescue crews sprang in to action after a roller coaster derailed dropping two riders 34 feet to the ground, in Daytona Beach, Fla., June 13, 2018. (SplashNews.com) Maintenance records logged by the Florida Department of Agriculture reviewed by ABC News verify the Sandblaster was tended to and that "deficiencies were corrected." The roller coaster's record is rife with records of numerous repairs going back to 2016. The Sandblaster was serviced for "excessive corrosion," "bracing cracked" and "track cracked," according to the agency's event report dated May 17. Since the derailment, the roller coaster has been halted pending an investigation, the most recent report confirmed. Upon learning the roller coaster was serviced the same day of the derailment, Bostic is concerned the effort was incomplete. "Something had to be missed," she said. As she recovers from the visible and internal pain after an agonizing ride, she is swearing off roller coasters for good. "I will never be on a roller coaster," she vowed. "My family will never be on a roller coaster." ABC News' Kate Hodgson, Douglas Lantz and Kristyn Caddell contributed to this report. The author is a noted media academic and columnist, and former Dean of Symbiosis and Amity Universities. Paradoxically, despite leaning towards a broad united front against BJP, the Congress continues to treat AAP as a political untouchable. The agitation in Delhi is less for the immediate reasons and more for Delhi statehood. (Photo: Twitter) The agitation in Delhi is less for the immediate reasons and more for Delhi statehood and for a non-Congress non-BJP federal front. The sit-in dharna of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his three colleagues in Raj Niwas, demanding Lt Governor's intervention to end the undeclared non-cooperation of IAS officers serving in Delhi government with the ministers and to kick-start the door-step delivery of ration and other government services, is not just for optics and immediate losses and gains. The CM and the AAP machinery have gone into full-scale campaign in social media, on these issues, which has now spilled into the streets with more than 25 thousand people marching to the PM house on Sunday last, and four chief ministers, those of Kerala, West Bengal, Andhra and Karnataka, coming on the streets and addressing press conference in Delhi denouncing the apathy of the LG and the "mistreatment of a historically elected Delhi government" by the Centre. From the source of the impasse to the turn of the events, the twin goals of pushing statehood for Delhi and Federal Front for India are writ large on it. The complexity of Delhi statehood: The Delhi state is governed by elected state government, nominated Lt Governor, Delhi Development Authority under LG, SDMC under Centre, all land under Central Urban Development Ministry, Delhi Police under Central Home Ministry, services of all staff under Central Home Ministry, Delhi Cantonment under Defence Ministry, and civic affairs under other Municipal Corporations. This maze of multiple agencies, with overlapping authorities as well, is a natural breeding ground for mis-governance, miscommunication, and non-cooperation stalling work. The petition of the AAP government pending before the Supreme Court with regards to demarcation of rights, responsibilities and authorities of the elected state government and the nominated LG may hopefully see some action now. The issue needs to be settled once and for all to enforce rule of law and avoid chaos. There cannot be a democracy where an elected government has no right to governance in accordance with its promised measures and policies. It must also be noted here that the approach of the AAP government from the beginning has been one of confrontation and not find a middle-path solution. Delhi has always been looked upon by AAP as a spring-board for a national political role. Failing to come to power in Punjab and to win even one seat in Goa Assembly had chastened and restricted the party over the last one year. Till this agitation again. Delhi Statehood, once a manifesto item of BJP and Congress and now vociferously demanded by AAP, has a logic in the light of the governance complexity here. But the prevalence of central government and foreign embassies etc in New Delhi and its dependence on peripheral Delhi makes the issue more complicated than it is made out to be. There needs to be an depth study of Washington, Brasilia and Rome models to create the strategy for Delhi Statehood. Boost to the Federal Front: This may well turn out to be a significant moment for the AAP to ramp up the Centre-state battle, transforming it into a full-fledged political and constitutional confrontation under the banner of a Mahagatbandhan of sorts of non-BJP non-Congress parties. Interestingly, unlike the last time around when AAP CM had gone for a dharna in 2014, this time, a plethora of regional parties, significantly SP, BSP, RJD, JDU, JDS, RLD, NCP, TMC, TDP, TRS, DMK, CPI and CPM have expressed complete support to the agitation of AAP, and the Congress is interestingly seen on the same side of BJP. Former BJP Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has actually joined the protest of AAP and expressed full solidarity, apart from a few disgruntled BJP leaders like Shatrughan Sinha, and also cadre of the left parties in Delhi, along with four Chief Ministers. Once upon a time, in a cold January night of 2014, the maverick Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sat on dharna outside the Rail Bhawan protesting against Police non-cooperation & erstwhile UPA government's recalcitrance in punishing policemen who refused to act on issues of a minor rape, and suspected drug peddling and prostitution in two different cases of that time. Detractors, including many regional parties, termed it 'anarchy'. The AAP government later resigned on the ground of Janlokpal Bill not being allowed by the Centre, and returned to power with a thumping 67-03 majority. Today, in the summer of 2018, Kejriwal and colleagues are back to square one, resorting to a dharna at the house of the Lieutenant Governor. And fight against LG is virtually a fight against the NDA, as the appointed LG is the agent of the Centre in case of the peculiar legal status of Delhi ruled by multiplicity of agencies. And this time around, the entire Opposition sans Congress is with Kejriwal. Federal Front mooted by Mamata Banerjee of TMC, supported by Kejriwal in the past, has just got another boost. However, a motley group of regional parties, with even conflicting ideologies, and no accepted national leader and neither a Common Minimum Program, may find it near impossible feat to challenge the Narendra Modi government in Lok Sabha polls. Congress turning irrelevant in Delhi: Paradoxically, despite leaning towards a broad united front against the BJP, the Congress continues to treat the AAP as a political untouchable. This stems from the fact that AAP has decimated Congress to come to power, is the major challenger of Congress in Punjab, and is focussing on building its organization bottoms-up in states which are bipolar between Congress and BJP and is hence a short-term adversary for Congress first there. But, the current stoicism of Congress would rather make it suspect in the eyes of various regional parties and is not in the interests of its 2019 plans. Congress is the biggest loser in the ongoing drama. Neither the people of Delhi has a reason to look at it, and its stakes with regional forces also going down. Congress has also failed to stand for complete statehood of Delhi, which Sheila Dixit so vociferously demanded, and BJP also promised earlier in its manifesto. The author is the School Head, School of Media, Pearl Academy, Delhi & Mumbai. Views expressed here are personal. Photo credit: Getty Images From Town & Country It happens like clockwork. Shortly after Meghan Markle, the newly named Duchess of Sussex, makes a public appearance, social media is flooded with Tweets and headlines describing exactly how she's "broken royal protocol." "Meghan Markle's Messy Bun Actually Breaks Royal Protocol" reads one article. "13 and Counting: All the Times Meghan Markle's Outfits Broke Royal Protocol," reads another. There are thousands of them. And while Meghan's alleged infraction changes slightly every time, the churn of critique of the Duchess of Sussex remains predictably the same. I get it. "Breaking royal protocol" is a buzzy phrase that drives clicks and stops your eye as you're scrolling social media. But it belies a fundamental misunderstanding about what protocol is-because it has nothing to do with fashion or hair styles. Photo credit: Getty Images "When it comes to the royal world, protocol is a code of conduct. Its etiquette; its custom; it has nothing to do with clothes," royals commentator and expert Victoria Arbiter tells Town & Country. Arbiter's irritation with the rampant misuse of the phrase prompted her to take to Twitter earlier this week. "The phrase 'in a break with protocol' really needs to be reined in," she wrote. "There is no royal fashion police, Meghan is not breaking any rules & if common sense prevails it should be clear that Harry is there to guide her 100%." The phrase in a break with protocol really needs to be reined in. There is no royal fashion police, Meghan is not breaking any rules & if common sense prevails it should be clear that Harry is there to guide her 100%. - Victoria Arbiter (@victoriaarbiter) June 11, 2018 Of course, Meghan is hardly the first royal bride to be publicly dissected and called out for the way she's dressing. "People are quick to forget, but Kate was heavily criticized for her shorter hemlines, for dresses that flew up," Arbiter recalls. Story continues "She had a number of times on the tarmac where her dresses hems werent weighted down and they flew up, revealing maybe a little more than they should have." Photo credit: Getty Images But the social media landscape is quite different now than it was in 2011, when the Duchess of Cambridge was finding her bearings as a new royal. More people are on Twitter, and the conversation is harsher. Everybody's a judge, everybodys got an opinion, everybody wants their voice heard, Artiber says of the crowds on social media. Unfortunately so often theyre misguided about what protocol means. In Meghan's case, the misuse of the phrase "breaking royal protocol" has been co-opted by both the Duchess's critics and her fans. Those who dislike Harry's new bride see it as a way to call out her every "misstep," even when she's done nothing wrong. And her admirers, who want to see her pushing boundaries, use the phrase as a way to amplify the ways she's shaking up a staid institution. I dont care how accommodating the Queen is being, Meghan continuously breaking protocol and tradition isnt going to endear her to anyone except those who like to break the rules. It will catch up at some point. #royalfamily #tradition #protocol - Tracy Guzzardo (@tracy_4571) June 9, 2018 She's a beautiful woman. She's breaking so many barriers and I love that! While I respect the Royal Family and it's protocol, it's so refreshing to have someone bring change to it. It's long overdue. Meghan reminds me of Diana more than Kate. She's ready to get to work!!! - Lexus (@Lexus0089) June 9, 2018 "Meghan already ticks a number of boxes that in the past would not have been acceptable. So I think people are looking to her to be this revolutionary," Arbiter says. "Yes, she catapulted the royal family into the 21st century just by the nature of who she is and what she represents, and thats very exciting, but this is an institution that has been around for a thousand of years. Shes not about to go in there and unseat it." Photo credit: Getty Images I can't help but think there's another element to it-let's call it the princess trap. Meghan Markle has joined the British royal family by marrying into it, following the loose narrative of a thousand fairy and folk tales. It's a role girls are supposed to want to play because it means they can go to balls and dress in beautiful clothes and live in palaces. Markle does, in fact, get to do all those things now, but she is also clearly intent on doing more with her influence-like many working royals, her family obligations are also a career path, a call to service. As an actress she made a similar choice-to use her platform to speak about the causes she cares about. "With fame comes opportunity, but it also includes responsibilityto advocate and share, to focus less on glass slippers and more on pushing through glass ceilings. And, if I'm lucky enough, to inspire," Meghan wrote in 2016, before her relationship with Harry was public. Arbiter points out that now that she's a royal, Meghan isn't likely to use her platform to challenge the status quo around hemlines-she has her eyes set on something else. "She is very respectful of the institution, and when shes ready to make her mark, it wont be what shes choosing to wear to Trooping the Colour," Arbiter continues. "Itll be the causes she decides to support or the charities that she champions or the people she gets behind." Arbiter is alluding to the blush pink dress Meghan wore to Trooping the Colour in early June. The off-the-shoulder neckline, many people and publications claim, "broke protocol." It didn't. "There was nothing offensive about her outfit," Arbiter says. "Last year Princess Eugenie wore a sleeveless dress. In the past, Sophie Countess of Wessex has worn a dress that didnt quite go off the shoulder, but it was rather revealing on the top. There are no set rules, other than being dressed appropriately for the occasion, which Meghan was. I think she looked rather lovely." Photo credit: Getty Images The "breaking protocol" narrative also implies, subtly, that Meghan is naive or even incompetent. She's not. And she has people to assist her with her sartorial choices to ensure that she is dressed appropriately for every occasion. "Meghan will have been surrounded by people that are there to offer guidance and support, in particular Samantha Cohen, who has been working for the Queen for a number of years." Arbiter says, "and Camilla and Kate are there to offer any number of questions." "But ultimately, theres Prince Harry, and hes not about to throw his new bride under the bus. She would have asked him, and he would have said 'Yes, thats fine.'" At their worst, these headlines isolate the new Duchess of Sussex, minimizing her substance as a person and reinforcing her differences in subtle but unmistakable ways. It's certainly true that Meghan is changing the royal family and that her presence in itself is revolutionary. And, in time, she will hopefully continue to break boundaries with the causes she chooses to influence. So stop trying to other her, when there's no controversy to be made. "Lets keep mindful of what protocol actually is. Its beyond stockings and handbag styles and messy buns," Arbiter says. Rather, protocol is how Meghan conducts herself with diplomats, with the Queen, and when she's representing the royal family out in public, something she's done with grace and poise so far. "Shes one person thats really just trying to do her best. Its only been a month. Lets cut her a little slack," Arbiter says. "We dont want to destroy her before shes even had a chance to get started." You Might Also Like Come on, Sarah, youre a parent. Dont you have any empathy for what these people are going through? They have less than you do. Seriously, Sarah, seriously. These people have nothing, Brian Karem asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the press briefing on Thursday. His fiery inquiry was met with icethe press secretary did not even blink. When it came to the subject to which Karem was referringthe forced separation of immigrant children from their parents at the borderthe president, on the other hand, was quite talkative. I hate the children being taken away. The Democrats have to change their law. Thats their law, he spouted absurdly on Friday during an impromptu press conference in the White House driveway. (He did not, however, have anything to say when more than one reporter cried out in response, Why are you lying?) Even Trumps attorney general, Jeff Sessions, doesnt argue that the internment of children can be blamed on the opposite party. In fact, the AG seems fine with the policy, going so far as to quote Scripture to justify these forced separations and citing a Bible passage that in the past was used to excuse slavery. At this same free-for-all, the president alleged that Barack Obama was responsible for the Russian invasion of Crimea; that parents of fallen soldiers from the Korean War have asked him to get their sons remains back (these moms and dads would have to be more than 100 years old); and that he feels bad for former national security adviser General Flynn because hes lost his house. Hes lost his life. And some people say he lied, and some people say he didnt lie. (The people who say he lied actually include Flynn himself, who is now cooperating with the Mueller investigation.) Believe it or not, it was less than a week ago that Kim Jong-un strolled the streets of Singapore, the American flag hung next to the colors of North Korea, and the president called the dictator smart and talented, and declared that he loves his people. Trump even allowed himself to fantasize about the future of North Korea: They have great beaches. You see that whenever theyre exploding the canons into the ocean. I said: Look at that view. Wouldnt that make a great condo beyond that? he mused. He and the supreme leader also signed a document that the president says means that the nuclear threat is over, a historic memo that, at 300-odd words, is far shorter than this Vogue post. Story continues And speaking of documents: You think your job sucks? At least you dont have to spend your days piecing together the papers that the president routinely shreds in defiance of the Presidential Records Act, which directs that the White House preserve all memos, letters, and emails that the president touches and send them to the National Archives for safekeeping. In other document news, the judge in the Paul Manafort case metaphorically ripped up the former Trump campaign managers bail agreement, due to alleged witness tampering, and sent him to the big house, where he can sit on his nasty little cot and think about flipping. Who will cave firstManafort or Michael Cohen, who has just fired his whole legal team? I always liked Michael Cohen. I havent spoken to Michael in a long time, the president said at that driveway presser, hardly a ringing endorsement of his former attorney, a guy who once said he loved Trump so much he would take a bullet for him. In other legal developments, on Thursday the New York State attorney general filed a lawsuit naming the president and his kids (well, not Tiffany and Barronthe other three), alleging that the Donald J. Trump Foundation violated both federal and state laws and was a veritable cesspool of mismanagement. That same day, the Department of Justice released its long-awaited report on former FBI chief James Comeys handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. Trump apparently didnt even glance at this thing: I think that the report yesterday, maybe more importantly than anything, it totally exonerates me, he offered. There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. In fact, the document does not deal with Trumps collusion or obstruction, one way or the other. But so what if the answer doesnt have anything to do with the question? Why are we even asking about this, when, according to the commander in chief, our role is to express unwavering fealty to the supreme leader? Asked what he meant when he told a reporter from Fox, [Kim] speaks and his people sit up for attention. I want my people to do the same, the president responded, I was kidding. You dont understand sarcasm. But it certainly didnt seem like a joke, and it is not the least bit amusing. (TRENTON, N.J.) An all-night arts and music festival turned deadly Sunday morning when gunfire erupted in a crowd, sending people stampeding and leaving one suspect dead and 22 people injured, authorities said. Seventeen people were treated for gunshot wounds, said Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri. Four of those, including a 13-year-old boy, remain in critical condition late Sunday morning. Two suspects opened fire around 2:45 a.m. during the Art All Night Trenton festival that showcases local art, music, food and films. One of the suspects, a 33-year-old man, was killed, authorities said. Onofri said he believes police killed him. Another suspect is in custody. Onofri said neighborhood beef is behind the shooting inside the historic Roebling Wire Works Building. On Sunday, there was crime scene tape surrounding the site of the old warehouse that now shares a parking lot with a supermarket, bank and laundry facility. Police are also investigating an attempted carjacking that occurred in an alley close to the crime scene. Onofri said police are working to determine if its connected to the shooting. Gennie Darisme was at the festival when the shooting occurred, getting ready to leave 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 ceased, 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. 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. Ive never seen this happen. Its bad, I feel bad, especially on Fathers Day, Rivas said. Theresa Brown said shes 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. Story continues I thought it was a car backfiring, she said. She returned to the scene around 7 a.m. and saw the police. Art All Night Trenton began Saturday afternoon and was scheduled to conclude Sunday afternoon. The remainder of the 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. 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. They were in various stages of being released, she said. One man with a gunshot wound was transferred to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. Capital Health Systems spokeswoman Kate Stier said they have at least 16 patients there, including the 13-year-old boy in critical condition. That total may not include people treated and released. Trenton Mayor Eric E. Jackson said the violence cant be discarded as just random violence; this is a public health issue. Kyle Mizokami Security, An aircraft carrier like no other. The 1 Picture That Makes Russia and China Cringe in Fear The carrier air wing will form the carriers primary means of deploying both offensive and defensive firepower. The Ford class will embark two squadrons of ten to twelve F-35C Joint Strike Fighters, two squadrons of ten to twelve F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, five EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets, four E-2D Hawkeye airborne early-warning and control aircraft, and two C-2 Greyhound carrier onboard delivery (COD) planes. It will also carry eight MH-60S Seahawk helicopters. Down the road, it will embark the MQ-25 Stingray refueling and intelligence collection drone, the eventual planned sixth-generation fighter to replace the Super Hornet, and, if Sen. John McCain has his way, a new long-range strike drone. The V-22 Osprey tiltrotor is also set to replace the C-2 Greyhound in the COD role. In 2009, the U.S. Navy finally began construction of the first new type of aircraft carrier in nearly thirty-five years. Named after former president and naval aviator Gerald R. Ford, the USS Ford fully takes the nuclear supercarrier into the twenty-first century. The technological innovations built into the new ship, while causing the inevitable delays involved in building a first-in-class vessel, will keep the Navys unique fleet of super flattops the largest and most advanced in the world for the foreseeable future. Recommended: Stealth vs. North Koreas Air Defenses: Who Wins? Recommended: Americas Battleships Went to War Against North Korea Recommended: 5 Places World War III Could Start in 2018 USS Ford follows in the steps of the highly successful Nimitz-class carriers. Construction began in 2009 at Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginiathe same location where the Fords predecessors were built. Indeed, the Ford class resembles the Nimitz ships in many ways: they measure 1,106 feet long versus the Nimitzs 1,092 feet. Both classes weigh the same: approximately one hundred thousand tons fully loaded. Layout is similar, too, with an island on the starboard side, four catapults and an angled flight deck. Story continues The ship is powered by two new-design AB1 nuclear reactors. The reactors are manufactured by Bechtel, which beat out longtime naval reactor giants General Electric and Westinghouse for the reactor contract. Together, the two reactors create six hundred megawatts of electricity, triple the two hundred megawatts of the Nimitz class. Thats enough electricity to power every home in Hampton, Virginia; Pasadena, California; or Syracuse, New York. Ford is going to need that power, not only to reach its estimated top speed of thirty-plus knots but also the new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), which uses electric currents to generate strong magnetic fields that can quickly accelerate an aircraft to takeoff speeds. The system is touted as easier on aircraft, extending their service lives, easier to maintain in general and capable of generating up to 25 percent more sorties than the older steam catapult system. (This first appeared in early 2017.) The new carrier will also use a new system to land aircraft. The new Advanced Arresting Gear uses a water turbine and induction motors to halt the momentum of landing carrier aircraft. Like EMALS, the AAG is expected to be more reliable than the existing aircraft arresting system on Nimitz-class ships and easier on airframes. Ford will also have the most modern radar systems in the fleet. The Ford will have the new Dual Band Radar, which combines both the X-Band AN/SPY-3 Aegis radar and the S-Band Volume Surveillance Radar. DBR is capable of search, track and multiple missile illumination, detecting enemy aircraft and missiles and then guiding Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM) to intercept. For self-defense, Ford will have two Mk. 29 missile launchers with eight ESSM each, and two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers. It will also have four Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems for point defense against aircraft, missiles and small ships, and four M2 .50 caliber machine guns. Fords generous electrical capacity means that the ship could someday mount laser self-defense weapons. Powered by the ships nuclear reactors, such a system would have a virtually limitless ammunition supply, vastly increasing the ships defensive capability. The carrier air wing will form the carriers primary means of deploying both offensive and defensive firepower. The Ford class will embark two squadrons of ten to twelve F-35C Joint Strike Fighters, two squadrons of ten to twelve F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, five EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets, four E-2D Hawkeye airborne early-warning and control aircraft, and two C-2 Greyhound carrier onboard delivery (COD) planes. It will also carry eight MH-60S Seahawk helicopters. Down the road, it will embark the MQ-25 Stingray refueling and intelligence collection drone, the eventual planned sixth-generation fighter to replace the Super Hornet, and, if Sen. John McCain has his way, a new long-range strike drone. The V-22 Osprey tiltrotor is also set to replace the C-2 Greyhound in the COD role. Fords entry into active service will once again raise the Navys carrier force to eleven ships. The Navys carrier fleet is unique in having a congressionally mandated minimum force level: U.S. Code 5062 states, the naval combat forces of the Navy shall include not less than 11 operational aircraft carriers. For, now the Navy is operating with a waiver. More ships will follow. USS John F. Kennedy, the second aircraft carrier to bear the name of the thirty-fifth president of the United States, is under construction at Newport News and expected to enter service in 2020. The third carrier, Enterprise, is expected to begin construction next year and will join the fleet in the early 2020s. The current push by President Donald Trump and the chief of naval operations to a 350355-ship fleet will likely include at least one additional Ford-class carrier in the near term. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in the Diplomat, Foreign Policy, War is Boring and the Daily Beast. In 2009, he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami. Read full article Abidjan (AFP) - Ivory Coast's Democratic Party, a member of the ruling coalition, Sunday rejected a proposal to form a unified party ahead of the 2020 presidential election, a plan which was supported by President Alassane Ouattara. "The political office of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), reassures members... of the determination of the party to regain power in 2020," the party said in a final statement after six hours of debate. The party also decided to postpone its 13th congress until after the 2020 polls. "The members are generally satisfied," party executive secretary and former commerce minister Jean-Louis Billon said. The PDCI meeting comes two weeks after Ouattara suggested he could seek a third term after his mandate ends in 2020. "The new constitution authorises me to do two terms from 2020. I will only make my final decision at that point, on the basis of the situation in Ivory Coast. The overwhelming priorities are stability and peace," Ouattara said in an interview with magazine Jeune Afrique. Ouattara came to power after a bloody five-month crisis in 2010-11. He ousted the then-president, Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to step down after losing elections and is now on trial in The Hague for war crimes. Violence between supporters of the two rivals claimed about 3,000 lives. Ouattarra's RDR liberal party last month voted to back the formation of a large "unified party" with its allies but said there should be a primary to choose its candidate before the presidential polls. Transformation of the ruling coalition into a unified party has been a recurring theme in Ivorian politics over the past decade. Ouattara backs the plan, which has met resistence within the party and also from its allies in the PDCI, notably party leader and former Ivorian president Henri Konan Bedie, who attended Sunday's meeting. One of the main stumbling blocks is the nomination of a candidate for the presidential election, since the PDCI believes it should now be its turn after having twice supported the RDR candidate. A 2-year-old Honduran cries as her mother is searched and detained near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018, in McAllen, Texas. (Photo: John Moore / Getty Images) The children separated from their parents at the border are experiencing something so traumatic, the American Academy of Pediatrics president said Monday, that it affects their brain chemistry in a way that amounts to child abuse. In an appearance on CNN, AAP President Colleen Kraft gave her medical opinion on the Trump administrations zero-tolerance policy of separating children from their families along the U.S. border. These children have been traumatized on their trip up to the border, and the first thing that happens is we take away the one constant in their life that helps them buffer all these horrible experiences, she said of the nearly 2,000 children affected by the crackdown. Thats child abuse. "This does amount to child abuse." That's from the President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr Colleen Kraft @AAPPres on families separated at the border. https://t.co/ycEU6uf9qJ Kate Bolduan (@KateBolduan) June 18, 2018 Kraft has recounted to several media outlets what she saw when she recently visited a shelter for migrant children near the U.S.-Mexico border. Even though children were screaming in fear, pounding their fists on the ground in frustration or sitting in unusual silence, neither she nor the shelter workers were allowed to touch or console them, she said. Those types of conditions produce toxic stress that, when gone unchecked, inhibits development of their brains, Kraft told CNN. It disrupts their brain architecture and keeps them from developing language and social emotional bonds and gross motor skills and the development that they could possibly have, she continued. Krafts stance is backed by the American Medical Association, which adopted a resolution last week stating that a policy of separating children from their caregivers after crossing into the U.S. will do great harm to children and could create negative health impacts that will last an individuals entire lifespan. Story continues Related Content 2,000 Kids Separated From Parents Under Trump Border Crackdown Migrant Separations Blame Game Pat Toomey Says Migrant Family Separations Not So Bad, Then Admits He Has No Clue Democratic Lawmakers Call On DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen To Resign Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Sundays Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown featured Bourdain, who was found dead on June 8 from an apparent suicide, experiencing Cajun Mardi Gras. CNNs Alisyn Camerota made a heartfelt introduction to the penultimate episode. Anthony Bourdain had a way about him, a way of making us all want to be him, Camerota began. He had a lust for life and the coolness to own it. His appetite for adventure was infectious. He had this way of making you want to go to exotic lands that you never before considered. And revisiting places in your own backyard youd never paid attention to until he revealed them through his unfiltered lens. We then went on another fascinating journey with Bourdain as he glided through a part of Louisiana that remains steeped in classic traditions yet is largely unknown to most outsiders. Cajun Mardi Gras is a one-day celebration that occurs every year on the day before Ash Wednesday. Its similar to the more commercialized version that lasts for a week in New Orleans, in that people are in costume and consuming large amounts of alcohol. And even though Cajun Mardi Gras looks as though it has a parade, its more a caravan of debauchery that travels through town. After making an early-morning yet drunken stop at the local nursing home, participants paused to competitively catch chickens for that evenings ritual gumbo feast. Then the party headed back to town, where all the local businesses have boarded up their windows to protect their property from the ensuing festivities. And whether it was the food, the injuries, the people or the vibe, Bourdain perfectly captured Cajun Mardi Gras and made you glad that he, and not us, was there to see it in person. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on CNN. See why Mel B got so emotional during a performance on Americas Got Talent: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook,or Instagram. While the report attempts to appear balanced, criticising Pak actions in the parts of Kashmir that it occupies, the real target is clearly India. A 49-page and first-ever United Nations report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Jammu and Kashmir, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit and Baltistan took India by surprise last week and elicited an extremely strong reaction from New Delhi. With a three-week session of the 47-member UN Human Rights Council beginning in Geneva on June 18, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an extremely tendentious report focusing on the situation in J&K is bad news. Currently, India is not a member of the council while Pakistan is till 2020. High commissioner Zeid Raad al-Hussein, of the Jordanian ruling family, said he will urge the Human Rights Council to consider establishing a commission of inquiry to conduct a comprehensive independent international investigation into allegations of human rights violations in Kashmir. This is a serious challenge for India. Indias debunking of the report is justified due to its many inaccuracies and dependence on the media or other one-sided reports as well as the treatment of UN-listed terrorist outfits like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba/Jamaat-ud-Dawa or Hizbul Mujahideen as fighters. But India too cannot escape blame for adopting, since the death of Burhan Wani in July 2016, tactics that have been severely criticised even by Indian commentators and analysts. For instance, the use of pellet guns without properly training the security forces, or specifying their safe range, caused injuries, particularly to the eyes of stone-pelters, disproportionate to the provocation. Although India eventually obtained a sullen calm in the Valley, recent reports about militants killed or apprehended indicate most joined the militancy due to rough treatment by the security forces. The goodwill generated by the relief to the common man by the Ramzan and Id ceasefire announced by the Union government has been negated by the killing of well-known and balanced Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari as well as Indian soldier Aurangzeb of Kashmiri origin. With the Ramzan period over, the Centre has also called off the ceasefire. The aim of the handlers of Pakistani militants was to provoke the security agencies to resume strong counter-measures as the Human Rights Council convenes in Geneva. India would need considerable diplomatic heft to keep the council from acting on the high commissioners call for an investigation. India would argue that such inquiries are not undertaken, as per guidelines of the council, where avenues exist within a country for recourse to the courts to settle complaints of misuse of power by the security agencies. Moreover, the four-yearly Universal Periodic Review of the Indian record on human rights was undertaken last year, and India is now examining the suggestions of members for suitable action in Kashmir and elsewhere. The latest report is, however, Kashmir-specific and looking at the period July 2016 to end March 2018. The high commissioners apparent ire may be due to Indias refusal over the past two years to allow any UN team to visit Jammu and Kashmir for assessment. India has traditionally held that J&K is an internal issue outside the UNs purview. After 1971, India has not even allowed the United Nations Military Observer Group (UNMOGIP) access, arguing that the Shimla Agreement now defines bilateral dealings. While the report attempts to appear balanced, criticising Pakistani actions in the parts of Kashmir that it occupies, the real target is clearly India. Strongly condemning the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), the report alleges that in the 28 years of its existence there has not been a single prosecution of armed forces personnel granted by the Central government. The use of a human shield by Maj. Gogoi, for which he was unwisely given an award by the Army Chief even before an inquiry into the episode was complete, is seen as an example of overreach by the security forces. The Ajit Doval-Narendra Modi doctrine of zero tolerance of terror has thus hit an international wall by virtue of its purely strongarm approach to counter terrorism. India should be able to stymie any inquiry by the council as even some council members like Saudi Arabia and the UAE will not automatically align behind Pakistan, both due to bilateral closeness with India as well as their own serious concerns about Pakistani-sponsored terror. Of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, France and Russia are not members of the Human Rights Council. Even Pakistans ally China and a member has a far worse record than Indias over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, where artificial intelligence-based surveillance totally breaches the privacy of ethnic minorities. Pakistans own record in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa escapes this UN report as it is Kashmir specific. The reports biggest weakness is the creation of moral equivalence between the Indian security forces and UN-listed militant outfits sponsored by the Pakistani state. The Modi government now faces a conundrum as it cannot revert to a pure iron-fisted approach, unaccompanied by a hearts-andminds outreach, as its actions will be closely watched in Geneva. Nominating a former Intelligence Bureau director as J&K interlocutor proved only partly successful as people want a Donald Trump-type initiative from a much higher level. India must thus change both the substance and the optics of its approach. Prime Minister Modi did not even meet senior statesman Yashwant Sinha, who had before resigning from the BJP in April led an outreach to Kashmiris. Thus, someone with gravitas is required, as the PDP-BJP alliance has run its course and lacks the moral authority to bridge the divide, which would be a condition precedent to any dialogue. Otherwise, the Pakistan Army, now fully in charge of that country till the elections in July, will create provocations in the Valley and along the Line of Control and play the victim at the UN. High commissioner Zeid has fallen for this operatic ploy while the Modi government has been mired in a one-trick Kashmir policy. Seated inside a canoe shaped like a giant mythical creature, rowers thrash their oars into the sea, racing to the beat of a drumming captain. Mondays colorful Google Doodle celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival, a holiday observed across parts of Asia and beyond with elaborately decorated vessels, delicious dumplings and offerings. Also known as Duanwu in Mandarin and Tuen Ng in Cantonese, the festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the traditional Chinese calendar and marking the summer solstice, ushering in a new season of health and well-being. Why do people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival? As legend has it, the holiday commemorates an exiled Chinese poet-official named Qu Yuan who is believed to have committed suicide. During Chinas Warring States period, an era of division and conflict more than 2,000 years ago, China was divided into several kingdoms. Qu, a royal adviser in the state of Chu, tried warn the king of impending danger, only to be exiled. When Qu heard of the eventual invasion into his country, he drowned himself in despair in the Miluo River. In a bid to save him, locals paddled frantically through the water, beating drums to warn fish away from his body and tossing rice dumplings into the water as spiritual offerings. These rituals inspired the most popular holiday traditions today. June 18th marks the beginning of the Dragon Boat Festival. How is the festival observed? Rowers train for weeks, sometimes months, in the lead-up to the festival, when they load up on boats and race to a watery finish line. Others often sit on the sidelines and enjoy traditional sticky rice dumplings called zongzi. Wrapped in bamboo or lotus leaves, the rice is mixed with flavors that vary by region. In northern China, zongzi are typically sweet, filled with a red bean paste or taro. In the south, theyre usually made savory with cured pork belly, sausage and mushrooms. In Taiwan, some are made with salted eggs, peanuts, chestnuts and squid. Where do people celebrate? While the Dragon Boat race is a longstanding Chinese tradition, China only reintroduced the holiday in 2008 after a major hiatus following the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), when Chairman Mao Zedong banned many cultural traditions that predated his New China. Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is a public holiday in many parts of Asia, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, while traditions are also observed in Macao, Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere. Troy Stangarone Security, Asia U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un leave after signing documents that acknowledge the progress of the talks and pledge to keep momentum going, after their summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Even if North Koreas willingness to denuclearize this time is sincere, that does not mean it wont seek to maintain a nuclear option for the future. Here's How to Stop North Korea from Cheating on Denuclearization Now that North Korea has agreed at the Singapore summit to work towards denuclearization certain elements will need to be in any nuclear deal for the agreement to be effective. For example, without a strong snapback provision, any deal might not be worth the paper it is written on. Despite North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns more recent suggestions that he is open to denuclearizing if the United States were to provide security guarantees for the regime, North Korea has a significantly longer history of arguing that it would never do so. This is compounded by North Koreas spotty record of following through on prior deals. When the Clinton administration concluded the Agreed Framework in the 1990s, it only covered North Koreas plutonium-based nuclear program. While North Korea kept its end of the bargain on plutonium, it covertly pursued a highly enriched uranium program that was not explicitly covered. After Kim Jong-un came to power, the United States and North Korea concluded the Leap Day Agreement, which called for a North Korean moratorium on nuclear and missile tests and for the United States to provide food aid. Shortly after reaching a deal, North Korea conducted a satellite launch. Furthermore, the recent destruction of North Koreas nuclear test tunnels may have been only for show. Even if North Koreas willingness to denuclearize this time is sincere, that does not mean it wont seek to maintain a nuclear option for the future. In the case of Iran, the real story behind the recent Israeli intelligence coup was not that Iran had lied about the nature of its program prior to the Iran Deal (known as the JCOPA), but that it had retained the research needed to restart its program. Story continues Whether North Korea chooses the Iran route of keeping detailed plans or stows away a few undeclared devices, any agreement on denuclearization should build in the ability to quickly re-impose sanctions if the process unravels. Also, this is especially important if the process takes upwards of fifteen years, as some have suggested. For this, U.S. negotiators need to look no further than the Iran nuclear deal or the Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) for potential models that could be adapted for this purpose. To ensure that Iran followed through on its commitments under the Iran Deal, the United States and its partners needed a tool to restore economic pressure on the regime if backsliding occurred. Under the JCOPA, if there are concerns that Iran is not fulfilling its commitments or any of the other parties are not meeting their commitments to Iran, there is a dispute resolution process. If the complaint cannot be resolved through negotiation in thirty days, the UN Security Council has thirty days to vote to continue lifting sanctions. If it does not actively vote to do so, the sanctions snap back into place. This ensures that no permanent member of the Security Council can protect Iran from renewed sanctions with a veto should a violation occur. The KORUS FTA has a similar provision for trade in automobiles as that trade has long been a contentious issue in the U.S.-Korea economic relationship. For instance, U.S. auto producers have struggled to gain a foothold in the South Korean market despite prior agreements to address non-tariff barriers (NTBs). Because of concerns that future NTBs could similarly undermine the benefits of the FTA, a special dispute settlement process was put in place that would allow either party to re-impose their tariffs if future measures were found to have impaired or nullified the benefits of the agreement. While the process under the KORUS FTA is longer than under the Iran nuclear deal, there are general principals in both agreements that would be beneficial in emulating for any snapback provision in a nuclear agreement with North Korea. There should be a process to confirm and resolve a violation of the agreement, but that process should be time-limited. Instead of removing sanctions on North Korea, the deal should suspend sanctions at least until complete dismantlement is verifieda process should not be able to be vetoed by other parties. Lastly, using the KORUS FTA as an example, the dispute process should address violations of the agreement, but also violations that would have the effect of impairing or nullifying the agreement. In the early years of any agreement, trust will be lacking on both sides. While a successful dismantlement process could in time lead to mutual trust, that will depend on how North Korea reforms internally after denuclearization and how the relationship between North Korea, the United States, and South Korea evolves. But even in the best of circumstances, genuine trust will take years to develop. Therefore, a strong snapback provision will help build that trust and protect against North Korean backsliding. Troy Stangarone is the Senior Director for Congressional Affairs and Trade at the Korea Economic Institute of America. The views expressed here are the authors alone. Image: U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un leave after signing documents that acknowledge the progress of the talks and pledge to keep momentum going, after their summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Read full article - AFP The 629 migrants of the Aquarius finally reached a safe harbour in the Spanish city of Valencia on Sunday, bringing to an end their eight-day maritime ordeal that has drawn consternation across Europe and beyond. Applause and singing rose from the three ships in the flotilla as, one by one, they approached the docks in Valencia, where aid and medical teams, emergency workers and interpreters awaited. The migrants - among them up to nine pregnant women and 100 unaccompanied minors including seven children under the age of five - were whisked into field tents for medical assessment and processing by the Spanish authorities. Eighteen people, including six minors, were taken to local hospitals, while others were transferred to a local reception facility. NGO workers said the migrants were jubilant to have reached Spain more than a week after they were pulled from the waters of Mediterranean by the rescue ship Aquarius. Many had feared they would be forced back to Libya after Italy denied the Aquarius permission to dock, its new populist government insisting the move would make Europe listen to its complaints that it has been abandoned to shoulder much of the crisis alone. Karline Kleijer, head of emergencies for MSF, one of the two NGOs operating the Aquarius, described an atmosphere of happiness and relief. During those horrible days in front of the Italian coast, people were extremely desperate, she told The Telegraph, describing how one man threatened to throw himself overboard. People say they would rather die at sea than die in Libya, and a lot of them are just happy to have escaped. With some 600 accredited journalists from across Europe, the arrival of the #Aquarius convoy is surely one of the most closely watched in the course of the crisis pic.twitter.com/ZNzKF5vS0K Hannah Strange (@hannahkstrange) June 17, 2018 The plight of the Aquarius has become a rallying cry for coordinated European action to properly address the migration crisis that, three years after its peak in 2015, continues apace - if now largely ignored by all but those on the blocs southern borders. The secretary general of the International Federation of the Red Cross, Elhadj As Sy, told the Telegraph he hoped Spains actions would become not the exception but the rule. Abandoning those who were seeking European values of help for those in need amounted to a betrayal of Europe itself, he said. Story continues But while the ships fate was closely watched by governments and media from around the world - with some 600 journalists stationed at Valencias port for the convoys arrival - far less attention has been paid to the almost 1,000 migrants who landed on the coastline of Andalusia in just 48 hours this weekend. Immigrant relations map An Aquarius every week, declared the front page of the Diario de Cadiz newspaper on Sunday, noting that so far this year more than 8000 migrants had arrived in Spain by sea so far this year and claiming that for them, there is no response. Some critics have suggested that the decision of Spains new Left wing prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, to welcome the Aquarius is a mere publicity stunt. Rafael Hernando, parliamentary spokesperson for the recently ousted Popular Party, last week accused Mr Sanchez of using the Aquarius to score points and propagandise. Far-right wing protesters hold Spanish flags and a banner reading 'Solidarity but in order' as they demonstrate against the arrival of migrants in the Aquarius ship at the port of Valencia Credit: Getty Officials from the Spanish Red Cross, which managed the arrival operation, said they had never experienced such media attention around a single vessel. But the NGOs president in Valencia, Rafael Gandia Balaguer, told The Telegraph that the treatment of other migrants arriving in Spain was no different, and that he welcomed the focus on the Aquarius case. When people arrive and there is not the repercussion like there is here, a government can look the other way and not look for fundamental solutions, he said. But when there is this repercussion, I think its very difficult to look the other way and not consider that you have to take on this problem. A California school board has voted to name a new elementary school after Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and activist Jose Antonio Vargas, who is an undocumented immigrant. The Mountain View Whisman School District board voted to dedicate the new public school to Vargas, who grew up in the Mountain View area, last Thursday, according to Define American, the immigration advocacy group Vargas co-founded in 2011. GettyImages-682136344 Jeff Hahne/Getty Images for Define American Trending: Kirstjen Nielsen Accused of Lying For a Racist by Mika Brzezinski Over Defense of Trump Policy Separating Families Calling the move a "historic" decision, Define American said it comes "at a time of rising anti-immigrant hate and a record number of detentions" in a statement on its website. Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, Laura Blakely, the president of the districts school board, said Vargas was not only a "product of our school district" but has also "been the face of the American dream for so many students who came here as children, and really grew up as Americans without having citizenship." Vargas, who revealed his status as an undocumented immigrant in a 2011 article for the New York Times Magazine, was brought to the United States by his family from the Philippines at the age of 12. I never imagined or wished or dreamt of this. Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School is dedicated to all undocumented students and their parents and families. We are here. We are an intrinsic part of every community __ https://t.co/SyuvaoDdTh Don't miss: Hunt for Alien Life: Everything We Know About Photosynthesis Could Be Wrong Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) June 15, 2018 In his article for the Times, titled "My Life As An Undocumented Immigrant," Vargas described his fear and confusion after finding out that his Green Card was fake as a 16-year-old after trying to get a driver's permit at the D.M.V. Story continues "Some of my friends already had their licenses, so I figured it was time. But when I handed the clerk my green card as proof of U.S. residency, she flipped it around, examining it," Vargas wrote. "'This is fake,' she whispered. 'Don't come back here again.'" Since then, Vargas has gone on to become a celebrated journalist, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for his work covering the Virginia Tech shooting for the Washington Post. He has also gained prominence for his activism, co-founding Define American, a nonprofit that uses storytelling to give a voice to undocumented immigrants, the same year he penned his piece for the Times revealing his undocumented status. Most popular: The Fastest Cars in the World, From Tesla to Ferrari And More "Were not always who you think we are," Vargas wrote about undocumented immigrants in the U.S. "Some pick your strawberries or care for your children. Some are in high school or college. And some, it turns out, write news articles you might read. I grew up here. This is my home. Yet even though I think of myself as an American and consider America my country, my country doesnt think of me as one of its own." In a statement shared by Define American, Vargas said he was "overwhelmed by this totally unexpected and deeply meaningful honor" as a "proud product of the Bay Area's public school system." Thanking members of the school board and Superintendent Ayinde Rudolph, he said: Education is the most sacred gift we give to our countrys future." "I am who I am because of teachers and school administrators who nurtured and encouraged me. Their care went beyond papers and beyond grades," Vargas continued. "This school will be a living testament to the powerful influence that an educator can have in a childs life. It is my hope this school will be a welcoming institution of learning for all students and their families," he said. The Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School is set to open in August 2019. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Ottawa (AFP) - Canada is set to become the first G7 country to legalize cannabis after lawmakers on Monday passed a bill that would allow free consumption of the mind-altering drug. Passed by 205 votes to 82 in the House of Commons, the legislation must still pass the Senate -- which could delay, but not block it -- and receive royal assent by the governor general before becoming law, likely by September. Legalizing weed was a 2015 campaign promise of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has acknowledged smoking a joint with friends "five or six times" including since being elected as an MP. The Liberal government's pointman on the pot file, Bill Blair, said at the weekend it was "probably looking at a date of implementation somewhere toward the beginning of September, perhaps mid-September." Uruguay approved the recreational usage of marijuana five years ago and nine US states and the capital Washington have done so too, but Canada will be the first G7 country to take the step. An initial July 1 target was set for ending the pot prohibition that dates back to 1923, although it was effectively legalized for medical use nearly two decades ago. Despite setbacks, Trudeau has insisted his government would move to legalize the production, sale and consumption of the psychoactive drug before facing the electorate again in 2019. Last week, the government rejected 13 out of 46 amendments to the bill proposed by the Senate after several months of study, with Trudeau's health minister rising to defend home cultivation of cannabis and branded pot swag. "Canadians are allowed to make beer at home, or wine," Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said at the time. "It is already possible for Canadians to grow cannabis for medical purposes and we absolutely believe the legislation should be consistent when it comes to recreational cannabis." The government, she said, would follow its expert panel's recommendation to allow at-home cultivation of up to four pot plants for personal use. Story continues As for the proposed advertising restrictions, she said the bill already contains limits such as a requirement for plain packaging. - Cannabis trendsetter? - Once the law is enacted, Canadians over the age of 18 (19 in some regions) will be able to buy a gram of pot for about Can$10 or less, from a patchwork of authorized private and public retail stores or by mail order, with each province and territory responsible for setting up distribution. Personal possession will be limited to 30 grams (one ounce). Statistics Canada has estimated that the market will be worth Can$5.7 billion ($4.5 billion US), based on last year's consumption data. Finance Minister Bill Morneau estimated the cannabis tax haul will be about Can$400 million, but Ottawa has agreed to retain only 25 percent of these monies, with the rest going into provincial government coffers. In an interview with AFP last month, Trudeau said the world was closely watching Canada's pot plans and predicted other countries might follow suit. "There is a lot of interest from our allies in what we're doing," he said. "They recognize that Canada is being daring... and recognize that the current regime (of prohibition) does not work, that it's not preventing young people from having easy access to cannabis." The prime minister argued that creating a regulated market would take the drug out of the hands of crime groups and "better protect communities and children." Yet he added the allies he spoke with ahead of a recent G7 summit in Quebec "are interested in seeing how things go... before they try it," without specifying which nations. Bogota (AFP) - Ivan Duque comfortably beat his leftist rival in Sunday's election but his determination to change a historic peace agreement with the FARC and Colombia's ceaseless drug war signal problems ahead for the inexperienced young president, analysts say. Mobilized by a powerful right-wing coalition which controls the Congress, more than 10 million voters backed Duque, the first-term senator largely seen as a protege of former president and senator Alvaro Uribe. But from August 7 when he is sworn in to succeed Juan Manuel Santos as his country's youngest president in modern times, 41-year old Duque will face challenges in four key areas overshadowing Colombian politics. - 1. Fragile agreement - Buoyed by his clear victory in the second round, Duque lost no time in reminding everyone of his election promise to revise a fragile 2016 peace agreement with FARC signed by Santos. Under the pact, 7,000 FARC rebels disarmed and began to rehabilitate to civilian life, the rebel movement transforming itself into a political party. In his victory speech, Duque pledged "corrections" without giving details. During the campaign he said former guerrillas guilty of serious crimes -- currently benefitting from what he says is an over-lenient peace deal -- would go to prison and be banned from sitting in Congress. "It's one thing to say this during the campaign speeches, another when you have taken office. I think it would be very costly to backtrack," on the agreement, said analyst Fabian Acuna from Javeriana University. The FARC party, which has ruled out a return to arms, called on Duque to exercise "good sense" in modifying the deal. For the moment, he has pledged to change the deal without tearing it up, while his beaten leftist rival, Gustavo Petro, has promised to mobilize the opposition to fight for it. Duque has also pledged to take a tougher line in talks with National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas, the country's last active rebel force. Story continues - 2. Uribe's shadow - The question has come up often during the campaign: Is Duque a puppet of Uribe? Can he be truly independent as president when he owes much of his success to his political mentor? "Duque has always profited by doing what Uribe tells him, so Uribe's ghost is real," said Acuna. Uribe has been omnipresent in Colombian politics since his 2002-2010 presidency, and the majority of Colombians have paid little heed to a series of investigations embroiling the 65-year-old former president over alleged links with far-right paramilitaries, bribery and witness tampering. "He's the most important political personality of the 21st century in Colombia," said analyst Nicolas Liendo. Uribe's influence was largely credited with steering his then-foreign minister Santos into power in 2010, and his re-election four years later. In 2016, he led the "No" campaign in the referendum on the FARC peace deal. Duque is expected to lead Latin America's fourth-largest economy with the same principles as his mentor, showing a firm hand in dealing with former and current guerrillas, supporting investment and championing the defense of traditional family values. Meanwhile he can count on Uribe's political support from the Senate, where he leads the dominant conservative bloc. - 3. Drugs and the United States - Despite billions of dollars spent in trying to eradicate it, the world's largest producer of cocaine is seeing an increase in coca production, much to the alarm of the United States -- a close ally as well as the main market for the drug. Duque, who wants a good relationship with US President Donald Trump, has pledged to resume aerial spraying of coca plantations, which many say could revive tensions with farmers. He has pledged to fight rampant drug-trafficking in former FARC strongholds along the Ecuador and Venezuelan borders, at a time when Mexican cartels are financing FARC dissidents. - 4. Pressure on Maduro - A committed opponent of President Nicolas Maduro in neighboring Venezuela, Duque wants to lead international pressure against what he has called a genocidal dictatorship. "Going by the campaign speeches, we can expect the relationship with Venezuela to be terrible," Acuna said. Although he gave no details about his foreign policy, he has threatened to join efforts to take Maduro to the International Criminal Court, and force a "transition" to democracy in Venezuela with the backing of the Organization of American States. Colombia has faced an unprecedented influx of migrants fleeing the economic and political crisis in its neighbor, with which it shares a 2,200 kilometer (1,370 mile) border. More than one million people have flooded into Colombia over the past 16 months as Venezuela's economic crisis worsened. China's state news agency mocked President Donald Trump this week as tensions between Beijing and Washington mounted amid fears of an escalating trade war. Trump announced Friday plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese products in retaliation for what he described as China's intellectual copyright theft. Washington warned it would go further if Beijing reacted harshly to its decision. Trump said the tariffs were "essential to preventing further unfair transfers of American technology and intellectual property to China, which will protect American jobs." China, in return, said it would impose an additional 25 percent tariff on certain U.S. products worth $50 billion. The dueling announcements sent stock markets tumbling. The tariffs will hit products including aircraft tires and commercial dishwashers. Trending: Several Undocumented Immigrants Dead After SUV Flips in Texas Border Patrol Car Chase Unsurprisingly, China was not happy about the tariffs, the BBC reported. "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," said an editorial in Xinhua news agency. "The wise man builds bridges, the fool builds walls," it commented. "With economic globalization there are no secluded and isolated islands. No country can lightly build fences to stop the tides of history. Don't miss: Dinosaurs After Jurassic Park: Paleontologists on Whats Changed, 25 Years Later The unflattering words didn't end there, the New York Times noted. Official Communist Party newspaper the People's Daily said Trump's administration had an "obsession with playing the disgraceful role of global economic disruptor." From the time of its first trade provocations until now, capricious behavior has become the norm from America. It not only wears away and squanders the countrys reputation, but it also allows China to see more clearly the face of the Trump administration, one that is rude, unreasonable, selfish and headstrong, an editorial read. Story continues Meanwhile, the English-language China Daily said it wasn't sure Trump would follow through, given his penchant for sweeping threats. "Given the frequent flip-flopping of the Donald Trump administration, it is still too early to conclude that a trade war will start," it said. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Tripoli (AFP) - Libya's National Oil Company said on Monday that it suffered "catastrophic losses" when two storage tanks were destroyed during fierce clashes in the country's northeastern oil crescent. Armed groups on Thursday attacked the Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra terminals held by forces loyal to Libyan strongman's Khalifa Haftar around 650 kilometres (400 miles) east of Tripoli. On Sunday, Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army launched an offensive to push the militias -- loyal to rebel leader Ibrahim Jadhran -- out of the oil crescent. The NOC said it had lost "storage tanks 2 and 12 at the Ras Lanuf port terminal following Thursdays armed assault by militia in the Oil Crescent, led by Ibrahim Jadhran". Ras Lanuf's storage capacity -- at 950,000 barrels of crude before the attack -- has now been reduced to 550,000, the NOC said. A photo published by the firm showed large columns of black smoke billowing from a destroyed reservoir. Jadhran's Petroleum Facilities Guard controlled the terminals for years following the 2011 ouster and killing of longtime Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi, but were eventually forced out by the LNA in September 2016. "This incident will result in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in construction costs, and billions in lost sales opportunities", the NOC said, adding it would take years to rebuild amid the country's current security circumstances. 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". 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 the dictator saw production fall to about 20 percent of that level, before recovering to over one million barrels per day by the end of 2017. By Julia Symmes Cobb BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President-elect Ivan Duque has promised to unite a divided country behind his plans to toughen a peace accord with Marxist rebels and rekindle economic growth, but he will face major challenges when he takes office in August. The right-wing former senator comfortably won Sunday's election with 54 percent of votes against leftist rival Gustavo Petro, who garnered 42 percent with his pledge to shake up Colombia's economic model and tackle inequality. Both the Colombian peso and local Treasury bonds fell on Monday due to external factors, analysts said, though in the medium term investment flows are expected to increase based on support for Duque's business-friendly policies. The peso was down 0.95 percent to 2,923.05 per dollar while the yield on local Treasury bonds, known as TES, coming due in July 2024 rose to 6.17 percent from 6.14 percent on Friday. It was the first presidential election since a 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which ended its part in a five-decade conflict that has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions. Duque, 41, pledged in his victory speech to unite the polarized Andean country and tackle corruption, improve security and increase educational opportunities. "Peace is something all Colombians yearn for, and peace means that we turn the page on the fissures that have divided us," Duque told cheering crowds at his celebration party on Sunday night in Bogota as confetti rained down. Duque, a protege of hard-line former President Alvaro Uribe, first grabbed attention railing from Congress against the peace deal, which he believes is too easy on former rebel leaders. Striking a conciliatory tone on Sunday, he promised to guarantee justice for victims and the reintegration of rank-and-file rebels into Colombian society. His aim of revamping the agreement to impose tougher punishment on FARC leaders for war crimes will face considerable opposition from the Constitutional Court and Congress, where most parties favor implementing the existing accord. The FARC has invited Duque to discuss the accord. "He is going to have a harder time passing reforms to the peace agreement than he would have his supporters believe," said Sergio Guzman, Colombia lead analyst for consultancy Control Risks, singling out the Constitutional Court, which has already ruled that the deal cannot be changed. The nine-judge court is responsible for deciding whether laws passed by Congress are in line with the constitution. Duque needs to include politicians from centrist parties in his cabinet if he wants to unite the country, Guzman said. He is likely to reveal the names of some ministers this week. Duque will face no shortage of security challenges. Crime gangs allied with Mexican drug traffickers, the National Liberation Army (ELN) - the remaining rebel group - as well as FARC dissidents who have refused to demobilize, have moved into territory left behind by the FARC. Only 19.3 million people, just over half of eligible voters, participated in the election, suggesting some centrist did not like either choice. 'SAFE PAIR OF HANDS' Duque has promised to bolster Colombia's $324 billion economy with tax cuts and support for extractive industries such as oil and coal, the country's top exports. The government expects the economy to grow 2.7 percent this year. "With the election of Ivan Duque the business sector, made up of both local and foreign investment, will see fiscal reforms that will seek a reduction of the tax burden for businesses and the simplification of administrative processes," said Ciro Meza of law firm Baker McKenzie. Some economists are concerned that Duque's proposed tax cuts may worsen the budget deficit and force him to push through unpopular reforms, including a pension overhaul, to preserve Colombia's investment-grade credit rating. Ratings agency Fitch said on Monday that Duque's victory signals a continuation of economic policies but added that a fiscal consolidation and encouraging growth are his government's key challenges. While oil has been the main driver for peso movements, the election has added to the currency's volatility according to Kenneth Lam, a New York-based Latin America foreign exchange strategist at Citigroup. "Now that we got the (electoral) outcome we expected, oil reverts to be the main driver" for the peso, which has been outperforming other Latin American currencies, he said. Alberto Carrasquilla, who served as finance minister during Uribe's first term and was Duque's economic adviser during the campaign, could reprise the finance minister role, Capital Economics said in a note, and would be "a safe pair of hands." Duque has said he will curb ELN attacks on pipelines and invest in state-run oil company Ecopetrol's refineries to allow exports of more higher-value crude derivatives. Although Petro, a former M19 rebel, won a majority in only eight provinces and the capital Bogota, the fact that a leftist received 8 million votes, versus 10.3 million for Duque, is historic in traditionally conservative Colombia. The fractured left has failed for decades to come close to winning Colombia's presidency, overshadowed by right-wing contenders who promised security. Yet the FARC deal has shifted priorities for many of Colombia's more than 50 million people. Voters are interested in tackling inequality, corruption and inadequate social services, which could create opportunities for the left. "If Duque is not able to get moving on his promises and see concrete results, and if he doesn't look for reconciliation, the left could win in 2022," said Andres Pardo, head of investment holding company Corficolombiana. (Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Additional reporting by Nelson Bocanegra, Steven Grattan and Dylan Baddour in Bogota and Rodrigo Campos in New York; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Helen Murphy, Jeffrey Benkoe and Cynthia Osterman) There must be many more if India is to shake off the shameful sobriquet of Lynchistan. People offer funeral prayers of veteran journalist Shujaat Bukhari at Kreeri in Baramulla district of north Kashmir. Bukhari and his two PSOs were shot dead by gunmen soon after he boarded his car from his office in Press Enclave in Lal Chowk on Thursday. (Photo: PTI ) Manmohan Singh had called the Maoist rebels the single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by our country. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi were equally realistic about the state of the nation as his predecessor, he would recognise not just that the assassination of Shujaat Bukhari, editor of Srinagars Rising Kashmir newspaper, highlights Indias rapid descent into the violence and anarchy captured by the term Lynchistan, but also an increasing narrow-mindedness that refuses to tolerate opposing points of view combined with the belief that brutality in certain causes is condoned. Since Bukhari was a sober middle of the road journalist, his death was probably the handiwork of separatists, backed by Pakistani terrorists. Theres always a reason of sorts for the most heinous of the spate of lynchings that are reported almost daily. Violence begets violence. What we are suffering from today is the resurgence of primitivism nourished, paradoxically, by sophisticated technology and indirectly by official tolerance of barbarity in selective cases. The dream of Digital India has been foisted on people who cannot count. They are running before they can walk. The mind of India cannot rise above ignorance and superstition if myth and legends are invested with far-fetched significance involving plastic surgery and artificial insemination in Vedic times. This bondage to the past which official citing of the epics tacitly encourages explains the mob frenzy and lynchings in Haryana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana. Such bogus boasting mocks the scientific temper which Jawaharlal Nehru had sought to instil in people. Rumour plays a large part in disseminating information where poverty and the low level of education restricts access to more reliable sources. Indians long ago had refined the last clause of the old English joke that the three fastest ways of communicating are telephone, telegram and tell-a-woman to tell anyone, man or woman. The 1857 upsurge was instigated by word of mouth and the mysteriously circulating chapati. Indians learnt of the Emergencys Turkman Gate demolitions and coerced nasbandi without a single word appearing in print. Videos and text messages warning of attacks accounted for the panic-stricken exodus in 2012 of Northeastern students and workers from Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune and elsewhere. The circulation on WhatsApp the following year of an old lynching in Pakistan fanned the flames of communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, in which at least 62 people (mainly Muslims) were killed and more than 50,000 were displaced. Technology played an equally important part in instigating the three-day Gujarat pogrom of 2002. Nowadays, the Internet and cellphones accelerate rumours. Millions of people who are mentally still in the Middle Ages share Facebook postings. Theres the mobile where no other form of social media is available. As Martin Kampchen, a Santiniketan-based German scholar once wrote in Kolkatas Telegraph, the mobile is the fulfilment of a primeval Indian desire of being connected any time with ones family, community and neighbourhood, ones friends and also with nature and the divine Never to be alone. People learn through these insidious, ubiquitous but anonymous channels that are the gift of modern technology that someone somewhere has killed or stolen a cow. They hear that someone knows someone who has heard that children have been kidnapped from a nearby village and either been circumcised and converted or sold into prostitution or slavery. Both fears loom large in the national subconscious; both speak of the atavistic horrors that haunted our pre-urban pre-British, Nirad C. Chaudhuri would have said existence. Seven villagers were beaten to death in Jharkhand last year on suspicion of child-lifting. Two innocent young men, Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath, were battered to death on June 8 in Assams Karbi Anglong district. Behind the fear of kidnappers lay a complex history of local interests and grievances. Karbi Anglong is where rhinoceroses take refuge from floods, and killing them for the horn is big business. There are reports, too, of friction with the police over illegal stone quarrying. Ancient ethnic conflict between Ahomiyas and Karbis, the latters dormant but not dead statehood demand, Assamese neuroses about outsiders and infiltrators, the divide between the rich and the poor, and the long dreadlocks that one of the victims sported, may all have contributed to their being singled out as the Other. For whatever reason, the police always seems to be far away and slow to arrive. Theres another category of crime that is more directly connected to folk faith and practices where the official machinery is even more negligent. Twenty-six-year-old Parashuram Waghmore from Pune, who is accused of shooting Gauri Lankesh, the determinedly secular editor of Gauri Lankesh Patrike magazine, on September 5, 2017 reportedly confessed to the police that he knew nothing about his victim except that she was the enemy of his religion which he wanted to save. The sensational killings of rationalists like Narendra Bhabholkar, Govind Pansare and M.M. Kalaburgi, all well-known in leftist intellectual circles, are attributed to the same fundamentalist network that is said to have indoctrinated and used Waghmore. The angry mob that lynched two Muslim men suspected of stealing cattle in Jharkhands Godda district last week may have drawn encouragement from two factors. First, legal exaltation of the sanctity of cattle like the Gujarat law that punishes cow slaughter with 14 years in jail. Second, police indifference and the laws delays create the impression that no matter what Mr Modi might say, gau rakshaks enjoy official protection. A Jharkhand fast track courts conviction three months ago of 11 men, including a district BJP leader and local gau raksha samiti members, for killing Alimuddin Asgar Ansari, a meat trader in Ramgarh, marked a first. Its the only such conviction. There must be many more if India is to shake off the shameful sobriquet of Lynchistan. With 99.9 percent of the vote in, Ivan Duque of the center-right Democratic Center party won Colombias second presidential runoff Sunday in a postwar electoral process after more than 50 years of internal conflict, defeating left-leaning candidate Gustavo Petro of the Colombia Humana coalition. This is also the first time the South American country has chosen a female vice president. Duque, alongside running mate Marta Lucia Ramirez, clinched the presidency with more than 10.3 million votesor 53.98 percentwhile Petro and his vice presidential pick, Angela Maria Robledo, obtained over 8 million votes, or 41.80 percent. After both campaigns emerged victorious in the first round of elections on May 27, hundreds of thousands of Colombians who supported losing candidatessuch as Humberto de la Calle, German Vargas Lleras and Sergio Fajardoremained undecided and preferred to cast their votes for voto en blanco (none of the above), an option that was seen in Sundays election with more than 800,000 votes, or 4.2 percent. Trending: California Wildfires: Elon Musks Flamethrower Toy Could Be a Problem GettyImages-969835884 LUIS ROBAYO/AFP/Getty Images Although Colombians went to the polls in droves this year, compared with previous elections, the results indicate the countrys ideological rift. The presidential races were mired in political polarization, fake news and heated exchanges among the candidates. They had different views on the economy, national security and the 2016 peace treaty reached between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). While Petro pledged to uphold the accord, Duque has become a staunch critic of the agreement because former guerrilla members were allowed to run for office without facing a trial for past crimes. GettyImages-970002882 LUIS ROBAYO/AFP/Getty Images Story continues A father of three, 41-year-old Duque, 41, has become one of Colombias youngest presidents. In 1999, he started his professional career as a consultant for the Andean Development Corp. and later became an adviser to then-President Andres Pastranas Ministry of Finance. Between 2001 and 2013, he worked at the Washington, D.C.-based Inter-American Development Bank and served as senator from 2014 to 2017. He has written four books and co-authored a fifth publication. In December 2017, he was elected to represent the Democratic Center party in the presidential race after an internal survey. In March 2018, he consolidated his candidacy after winning a primary election with more than 4 million votes, defeating Ramirez, who gained over 1.5 million votes, and Alejandro Ordonez, who got 385,000 votes. During the first round of elections last month, Duque became the front-runner with 39.1 percent of the vote, followed by Petro who obtained 25.09 percent. Both candidates received the most votes but did not surpass the 50 percent threshold to win the presidency, meaning they had to compete in a second runoff. Here are some of the biggest challenges Duque will face when he assumes power on August 7. Alvaro Uribe Velez: Will He Influence Duque's Administration? GettyImages-960644070 RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images Duques win is not necessarily attributed to his experience as a politician. Unlike Petro, De La Calle, Fajardo or Vargas Llerasand even RamirezDuque has never led a ministry or assumed the vice presidency or the mayors office of a large city. Rather, his triumph was highly influenced by the unrelenting support of one of Colombias most influential political figures in modern history: Democratic Center party founder and former President Alvaro Uribe Velez, who currently serves as senator. In fact, Duque even recognizes Uribes leadership when he introduces the former leader as the eternal president in almost every speech. Don't miss: Soccer Has an Intolerance Problem? After Mexicans Yell Anti-Gay Slur, FIFA Opens Investigation Although Uribe is still popular among Colombians, he has been linked to several political scandals. His administration was forced to close the Administrative Department of Security in 2010, following accusations of the wiretapping of journalists and members of the judiciary branch. His democratic security policy, which engaged members of the population to fight crime, reportedly exposed locals to the dangers of an internal conflict and led to the killing of 4,382 civilians, who were later presented as members of organized crime, between 2002 and 2008. These deaths are known as false positives. For some, Duques triumph suggests a return of Uribes policies. Ivan Duque has two options here: whether he chooses to be Uribes puppet or stand up to his boss. I dont think its the latter, Senator Aida Avella, who is part of a coalition that supports Petro, told Newsweek. Uribe has left a complicated history in Colombian politics, tied to war and extermination. Colombians, and even some Uribe supporters, do not forget the false positives. Nevertheless, for some analysts, it remains to be seen whether Uribe will wield authority over the Duque administration. We really don't know. Remember, [President Juan Manuel] Santos was also a protege of Uribe and yet broke with him. Duque is a little less of an independent figure up until now, with a more limited political trajectory. But once in power, we never know how someone will grow into the position, Christopher Sabatini, a lecturer in international and public policy at Columbia University, told Newsweek. Some legislators in the Democratic Center party say Duque will have autonomy in his presidency. You have to know Duque. Hes a man of character who thinks by himself and makes his own decisions, Senator Paloma Valencia told Newsweek. Uribe is one of the most respectful men Ive met in politics, and in the four years Ive been working alongside him, he has never given me an order. A Duque government will help Colombians appreciate, in retrospective, how significantly good Alvaro Uribe was for Colombia. Senator Maria del Rosario Guerra, also from the Democratic Center party, told Newsweek that our partys founder is Uribe, so people cant expect a complete breaking off, because Duque belongs to our party. Youll see a man who will respect the principles of his cohort, and Im sure Duque will consult Uribe with respect to topics he deems important. GettyImages-977078810 LUIS ROBAYO/AFP/Getty Images National Security and Drug Production Duque has previously proposed draconian legislation regarding child abusers and murderers and has pledged to prohibit the possession of drug substances regardless of quantity. Even though he may propose the strengthening of law enforcement in Colombia, internal security is not likely to improve. Most popular: Kirstjen Nielsen Accused of Lying For a Racist by Mika Brzezinski Over Defense of Trump Policy Separating Families Crime is going to get worse, at least for a while. Homicides were already up 11 percent in the first four months of 2018 over the same period in 2017. A big reason is fragmentation of armed/criminal groups into smaller, competing groups, Adam Isacson, director of offensive oversight for the Washington Office on Latin America, told Newsweek. Another is the Colombian governments failure to take advantage of the accords, reintegrating ex-fighters and being more present in the countryside. Theres still a vacuum in the conflictive and coca-growing areas. Ive heard little in Duques proposals about how hed fill it, other than an old-school iron fist approach. Duque has proposed a stronger stance against guerrillas and changes in the 2016 peace treaty. Some of his supporters say this does not necessarily mean he will tear up the agreement. We cant conceive the idea that a drug trafficker or a rapist will not face justice, Guerra said. There have to be modifications in the peace treaty to let others know that it doesnt pay off to become a guerrilla member. With respect to a peace accord with the National Liberation Army, they must cease all kinds of criminal activities so that the Duque administration can reach an agreement. For Valencia, coca production control should be one of Duques main priorities. According to the Los Angeles Times, production has increased 50 percent in each of the past two years, and nearly 247,000 acres have been used for crops. A lot of regions depend on the business of illicit drugs, and that begets violence, she said. Such violence is gaining a foothold because it has the money for bribes and to resist law enforcement. The Colombian state must have control over those territories. What Lies Ahead for Duque Colombia is grappling with a stagnant economy, rampant corruption, social inequality and a crippling health care system. For some, things will not get any better in the next four years. Colombias economy is bad and is going to get worse. Fiscal deficit is on the rise, and the health care system is on the brink of collapse because of corruption cases, Senator Jorge Enrique Robledo of the Alternative Democratic Pole, who chose not to support any candidate, told Newsweek. I see myself pessimistic about our country. This is why I cast my none of the above vote because none of the options convince me. The current Santos administration has left us with a disastrous economy since the 1990s. Avella said the support Duques presidential run received from old-guard politicians such as Liberal Party leader Cesar Gaviria raises questions about true changes in Colombian society. Now that Duque is the president-elect, Colombia will not see any progress, and this is all the more worrisome because hes a young man but controlled by the old political establishment that has enjoyed all kinds of privileges at the expense of disadvantaged Colombians, she said. Nevertheless, members of the Democratic Center believed that Duques youth will be his greatest asset. Duque represents the advent of a new generation of politicians who have ruled this country for the past two decades, Valencia said. He will not be subject to any sort of cronyism from those who support him. Duque will assume the presidency free from any strings, and this will help him push anti-corruption measures. Guerra said Duque will pay attention to critical sectors like agriculture and will return trust to our defense forces. He will also focus on sports, quality education and healthcare, and he is going to be closer to the population. She later added that Duque will also rely on the Democratic Center group in Congress, led by Uribe, to push our legislative agenda. Some analysts believe the Colombian presidential elections stoked fear and division within a sector of the population, but some legislators indicate that this is the time for Colombians to coalesce. "I prefer not to fear a [Duque] administration, and I hope Colombians should not be frightened," Senator Antanas Mockus, former mayor of Bogota, told Newsweek. "We must search what unites us because we all have economic, environmental and foreign policy challenges, and we must confront them." This article contains updated information. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Colorado fire officials continue to battle the destructive 416 fire outside of Durango, Colorado. The wildfire has spread to more than 34,000 acres, with containment rising to 25 percent. The 416 fire, which first ignited on June 1, was measured at 34,161 acres on Sunday morning. More than 1,100 fire crew are working to contain the fire, which is expected to be fully contained by July 31, InciWeb reported. The cause of the wildfire remains unknown. Screen Shot 2018-06-17 at 10 INCL Trending: Google 4 Doodle 2018: National Winner for Competition Announced Officials at La Plata County announced that U.S. Highway 550 is fully reopened between Durango and Silverton with normal traffic operations. On Friday, county officials announced that residents and business owners on both sides of U.S. Highway 550 from mile marker 46.5 north to the San Juan County line were allowed to return to their homes and businesses. This area continues to be under pre-evacuation orders. La Plata County officials said Friday that 143 residences are still evacuated due to the fire, with 2,513 homes and businesses under pre-evacuation notice. The affected area received a quarter of an inch of rain on Saturday, with remnants of Hurricane Bud expected to continue pushing through the Four Corners region unitl mid-day Sunday. The fire area is expected to receive rainfall totals of one-half to one inch, InciWeb noted. Don't miss: Donald Trump Could 'End' Korean War If Kim Jong Un Gives Up Nuclear Weapons Officials said temperatures will hit the upper 60s on the 416 fire, according to KDVR. Relative humidity values will remain high with excellent recoveries Saturday night with minimums on Sunday in the 30-35 percent range, authorities said in an update. A drying trend is set to begin on Monday. Meanwhile, the Burro Fire near Rico, Colorado has spread to 3,715 acres and 12 percent containment. The wildfire, which began on June 8 about 14 miles south of Rico, is expected to be contained on July 15. Officials said the fire appeared to grow Friday due to the high winds from the Hurricane Bud-related storm system. Story continues According to InciWeb, Highway 145 to Rico and over Lizard Head Pass was open Saturday, with no closures listed for Sunday. The Dolores/Norwood road is also open. San Juan National Forest remains closed as fire crew continue to battle the wildfires. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek A high-flying couple tied the knot on a Southwest flight Sunday night in front of fellow passengers, who participated in the crowdsourced ceremony. Renee and Michael (whose last names are unknown) boarded a flight from Las Vegas to Baltimore decked in wedding attire she wearing a white gown with a sparkly belt and a veil, and he a tux. With 45 minutes remaining in the five-hour trip, the couple rose from their seats and headed toward opposite ends of the plane. Photo: Facebook/Skylee Campbell Then, holding a yellow floral bouquet, Renee began walking down the aisle toward her groom to the Ed Sheeran song Perfect. The pilot officiated at the wedding, announcing over the intercom, They met each other four years ago and this weekend decided to make it at least another four years. They met on a Match.com date and yes, ladies and gentlemen, it really does work. The pilot asked Michael to repeat the vows, which read in part, I Michael, take you, Renee, to be my wife, my partner in life, and my travel companion After the ceremony, the couple danced down the aisle to Chris Browns song Forever. Cant think of a better way to spend a late-night, 5 hour flight other than watching a wedding happen on the plane! #southwestairlines Posted by Skylee Campbell on Sunday, June 17, 2018 Our crew jumped at an opportunity to wow two customers with an in-flight wedding surprise, a representative from Southwest Airlines tells Yahoo Lifestyle. It was adorable, passenger Skylee Campbell, who filmed the ceremony, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. They had us all turn on our call lights to light up the aisle and play music. Campbell also said the couple was presented a makeshift cake consisting of straws, toilet paper, and napkins bearing scrawled-out marriage advice from other passengers. Surprisingly, Southwest Airlines has hosted its share of in-flight weddings. In August, couple Taylor and Mikaela Flowers were on their way from Texas to Riviera Maya, Mexico, for their honeymoon when a flight attendant re-created their nuptials after the husband ordered a celebratory whiskey and Coke, according to ABC News. Story continues The bride wore a veil and carried a bouquet made of toilet paper, and they repeated the vows, We vow to love each other, only fly Southwest, and to always put our small carry-on bags underneath the seat and not in the overhead bins. It was awesome, Mikaela told the network. The #NonstopLove newlyweds have landed! Help us congratulate @sacwoo & @dottiecoven with a tweet of your own! pic.twitter.com/Vzrd5qYukq Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) November 2, 2014 In 2014, CNN reported that Indiana couple Dottie Coven and Keith Stewart enlisted the help of Southwest for their in-flight wedding from Nashville to Dallas, along with 30 of their loved ones and 100 random passengers who received wedding invitations and peanuts from a flower girl. If anyone can show just cause why they might not be lawfully joined together, said the officiant, per CNN, let them push their flight attendant call button now or forever hold your peace. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. ProPublica, the nonprofit investigative news site, has obtained an audio recording of children crying for their parents at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility. A border patrol agent is heard saying Well, we have an orchestra in here. Whats missing is a conductor. According to ProPublica, the recording captured 10 Central American children ages 4 to 10 who had been separated from their parents and brought to the unnamed facility within the previous 24 hours. The article describes the children crying Mami and Papa over and over again, as if those are the only words they know. My mama says that Ill go with my aunt, one young girl says. And that shell come to pick me up there as quickly as possible. Children whove been taken into custody rest in one of the cages at a facility in McAllen, Texas, on Sunday. (Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protections Rio Grande Valley Sector via AP) The audio was recorded last week by someone who heard the childrens weeping and crying, and was devastated by it, according to the ProPublica article. That person, who asked to remain anonymous, gave the recording to Jennifer Harbury, a civil rights attorney. The Trump administrations policy of separating children from their parents at the border has drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum, including former first lady Laura Bush and evangelist Franklin Graham, who has defended Trump on many issues. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who put into effect the zero tolerance policy of arresting and jailing adults who cross the border illegally, spoke at the National Sheriffs Association Annual Conference in New Orleans on Monday. He said the administration doesnt want to separate children from their parents. Within hours, the children are turned over to the Department of Health and Human Services, Sessions said. Theyre not put in jail, of course, they are taken care of. They remain in the country even though they dont have a lawful process to be here and enormous cost that is being incurred by our government. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Prague (AFP) - Czech billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis on Monday rejected the European Commission's multi-year draft budget as "completely unacceptable", lashing out at spending priorities imposed by Brussels. While the commission has earmarked funds for workforce training and requalification, Babis believes more should be spent on investment. "Brussels is again trying to impose its ideas when we need to direct money towards investments," said the chemicals, food and media mogul, listed by Forbes as the second wealthiest Czech citizen. European funds "should be used for investment, so that it can bring tangible results so that we can see where it goes... and not get lost in professional training courses," Babis said, quoted by the Czech CTK news agency. "The draft budget is completely unacceptable." The EU has proposed spending more on Greece, Italy and other member countries hit by the economic and migrant crises and less on increasingly wealthy eastern states in its post-Brexit spending plans for 2021-2027. European sources have said that Poland and Hungary would receive more than 20 percent less in cohesion funds in the next budget, compared to the current 2014-2020 spending plan. The Polish government has already denounced as "unacceptable" the proposed reduction, a stance echoed by other eastern EU members including Latvia. EU officials deny the cuts are aimed at punishing eastern EU countries like Hungary, Poland and Slovakia for refusing to admit migrants. The commission's May proposal foresees a seven-percent cut to cohesion funds in a 1.279 trillion euro budget to help make up for the loss of Britain's contribution after Brexit in 2019. Cohesion or development policy aims to bring economic conditions in the 28-nation bloc's traditionally poorer eastern countries up to the higher western levels. Funds for agriculture, which with development funds account for the biggest share of the budget, are facing a five percent cut. Heavy storms moving across the Upper Midwest this weekend created hazardous flooding that resulted in many road closures and a dam failure. Some of the worst damage occurred in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on Sunday morning. The hardest-hit areas included the towns of Houghton, Lake Linden, Dodgeville and Hancock, where over 60 sinkholes were reported, according to MLive.com. Many roads that were not washed out were impassable and covered in debris, officials said. On Monday, Gov. Rick Snyder declared a state of disaster for Houghton and Menominee counties in response to the flood damage. On Monday afternoon, local law enforcement reported that the Radigan Flowage Dam near Dairyland, Wisconsin, had failed. This dam is located on the Tamarack River. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency in five northwestern counties due to the flood damage. Getting our first aerial views of a breeched dam in NW Wisconsin. Believe this is on the Tamarack River near the Minnesota border. Causing lots of worry in communities downstream. Latest live reports from @CPalladinoFox9 at 9 on @FOX9 pic.twitter.com/scgAcu8SO2 Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) June 19, 2018 Water flowing down the Tamarack River will empty into the St. Croix River and may lead to flooding along that river south of Markville, Minnesota. haughton flooding This photo was taken along Michigan Highway 26 at the base of Mont Ripley ski hill in Hancock, Michigan. (Photo/Michigan Department of Transportation) Houghton County Emergency Management and law enforcement requested that residents should shelter in place in Houghton County and should not attempt to travel on area roadways. Some of the flood damage was reported to be "historic" across northern Houghton County. Up to 7 inches of rain fell in the area between 11 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday. Story continues In Marquette, Michigan, on Sunday, 2.57 inches of rain fell, breaking the previous daily rainfall record of 0.86 inches from 1978 and also claiming the second highest daily rainfall total for the month of June. Michigan Technological University closed its campus on Sunday due to the flooding. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Houghton County. Heavy rain has caused flooding, making travel dangerous. Campus is closed. Please do not try to drive to campus until further notice. More information can be found at https://t.co/VEQsvxA4bY. pic.twitter.com/Ej3o91cxrZ Michigan Tech (@michigantech) June 17, 2018 Aerial surveys of the flooding were conducted on Monday by the Michigan State Police. Residents are being told to avoid contact with floodwaters because they can be contaminated by hazardous liquids. .@MichEMHS is monitoring flooding across the western Upper Peninsula and our staff remain in contact with local emergency managers. The MSP helicopter has been surveying the flood in the affected area. These pictures are from the survey of Houghton Co. #flooding #smem pic.twitter.com/s1KIeF3eZQ MichEMHS (@MichEMHS) June 18, 2018 Here are photos from the MSP helicopter survey of the #flooding in Houghton Co. Remember, avoid contact with flood waters b/c they can be contaminated by hazardous liquids and may contain sharp debris. pic.twitter.com/hi2gGvszVI MichEMHS (@MichEMHS) June 18, 2018 flooding minnesota 6/17/18 (Photo/Minnesota Department of Transportation) Rain washed out part of Highway 23 in northeastern Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. severe flooding minnesota 6/18/2018 This photo provided by the Carlton County Sheriff's Office shows damage to Highway 23, southwest of Duluth, Minn., Sunday, June 17, 2018. (Carlton County Sheriff's Office via AP) In northwestern Wisconsin, the Bayfield County Sheriff's Office told residents that travel was not advised in the area on Sunday morning and also warned motorists not to drive around barricades. A stretch of U.S. Highway 2, a major thoroughfare in that part of the state, was completely lost. The threat of heavy thunderstorms is expected to continue in the Upper Midwest into Sunday night. However, a stretch of dry weather will unfold across these hard-hit areas through the middle of the week, which will help with cleanup efforts. Our co-workers from State Patrol provided these scary pics of US 63, near Drummond. pic.twitter.com/SDg5RpzrRy WisDOT NC Region (@WisDOTnorthcent) June 17, 2018 25 years ago, on June 11, 1993, Jurassic Park premiered in theaters across the United States. The film was indomitable from release, its financial success and enduring place in the culture assured. Princess Diana attended the London premiere. A thousand products made by a hundred companiesvideo games, figures, sleeping bags, fanny packswere timed to the release, at the time the second widest ever, with only Batman Returns shipping more prints to theaters. Despite opening like a monster moviean armored crate emerges from the fog, the mysterious monster inside screeching and snortingJurassic Park was conceived, from its origins as the latest in a long line of Michael Crichton technothrillers (I was writing the most expensive movie ever made, Crichton would jokingly tell people before Steven Spielberg bought the movie rights for $1.5 million), with scientific fidelity in mind. Spielberg wanted to show people real dinosaurs, as they lived in the Mesozoic Era. This isnt The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, you know? Spielberg said from the London premiere red carpet, referencing a 1953 movie about a city-stomping lizard awoken by an atomic bomb test. This is really a movie that I think is really happening as Im watching it. Trending: California Wildfires: Elon Musks Flamethrower Toy Could Be a Problem He wasnt alone. A whole generation of paleontologists can describe just where they were when they first saw Jurassic Park and just what it meant to them. Kristi Curry Rogers Ph.D., Professor in the Biology & Geology Departments of Macalester College, was an undergraduate at Montana State University in 1993. Her advisor: Jack Horner, a paleontologist who discovered the duck-billed Maiasaura and described its nurturing nesting habits, part of a wave of revisionist research that dramatically recharacterized animals once seen as slow, dumb lizards. A technical advisor on Jurassic Park, Horner secured a Bozeman premiere for the movie. It was some of Jacks discoveries of dinosaur nesting sites in Montana that really prompted my first interest in paleontology as a kid, Rogers told Newsweek. Story continues I was a first-year college student, Rogers said. I got to see the movie with Jack. That same summer, Rogers began fieldwork at Egg Mountain, the bonebed where Horner made some of his most consequential discoveries. The dig site became the basis for Snakewater, Montana, where Jurassic Park founder John Hammond (Richard Attenborough, who Spielberg convinced to take up acting again after a 15-year hiatus) first invites Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) to inspect his biological preserve and maybe even pen a wee testimony. Egg Mountain 1993 courtesy Kristi Curry Rogers It was the first time in a long time a pop culture venue actually seemed to take the science seriously and take the animals seriously. And they accomplished that with very little embellishment, Thomas Carr Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the Carthage Institute of Paleontology told Newsweek. When Jurassic Park came out, Carr was working on a senior thesis focused on Tyrannosaurus growth, a subject that continues to animate his work. He remembered one shot in particularthe escaped T.rex stepping in front of a Jeep, its immense body visible through the windshieldas a magical moment. It carried me away, Carr said. It does the animals justice. I think most of us felt our hearts flutter when we saw the scene with the Ornithomimus running across the field, said Karen Chin Ph.D., Associate Professor and Curator of Paleontology at University of Colorado, Boulder. Weve been working on dinosaurs for so long and well never see them in their natural habitat. Thats a scene you would expect to see if you were transported back in time by a time machine: a herd of dinosaurs, perhaps startled by something. Others were still a bit too young. I was not liking the scary dinosaurs, Caleb Brown Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at Canadas Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller, Alberta, recalls of his first viewing. A lot of people in paleontology who are my age or slightly older were almost all influenced to get into the field because of Jurassic Park. Im kind of the opposite. I liked dinosaurs before that, but it almost put me off them because it was so scary. And Jurassic Park didnt get everything right. The Brachiosaurus was too big. So were the Velociraptors (that annoying kid who compares the predator to a six-foot turkey would be closer to the real scale, if only he dropped the six-foot). Its not true that T.rex visual acuity is based on movement, as Grant says. (That poor kid, one paleontologist commented. If that were a real T.rex that kid would have been sensed and eaten instantaneously.) Even that pile of poop was too big. When I first saw that scene I just burst out laughing, I think what they meant was they had kind of shoveled it all together? Chin said. An expert in coprolites, or fossilized feces, the largest dung mass Chin has seen was between 7-9 liters in volume, just enough to overflow a dutch oven. Its quite possible the sauropods produce a larger fecal mass, she said. But Jurassic Park wasnt going for perfect realism, nor would perfect realism have been possible. Technical advisers like Horner and Robert T. Bakker, an early proponent of swift, warm-blooded dinosaurs, were able to offer the most up-to-date science, but theres a limit to our understanding. There was no way to get everything right, and in some ways it wasnt supposed to, something Spielberg knew. Theres a mystery about dinosaurs. I think thats why the uncovering of bones in Montana or in Canada or wherever they find dinosaur bones today, is like a great mystery. What we did with this was, we sort of fleshed them out, Spielberg said at the London premiere. At a certain point, choices become more about storytelling than scientific extrapolation. The sauropod eyes look like cow eyes and the Velociraptor eyes look like lizard eyes. And T.rex eyes kind of look like the eyes of a lion, Rogers said. There are all of these subtle things, if youve seen Jurassic Park as many times as I have, there are all these subtle hints of how we are supposed to feel. (Rogers said shes seen Jurassic Park 10 times, but after some reflection upgraded to 12, maybe more.) Where some dinosaurs were designed to remind us of more familiar animals with anthropomorphic associations, others were tweaked to feel more alien, particularly the Dilophosaurus that kills Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight). dilophosaurus-jurassic-park Universal Pictures A little hopping creature that spits venom and has a big neck frill: that was created for the movie, John Scannella Ph.D., the John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman said. Its so fantastical, but that helps raise questions about what possible things could these animals have going on that we wouldnt necessarily know about? How would we find evidence of that in a fossil? I love the film, Im not going to sit and nitpick about it, Stephen Brusatte Ph.D., an Associate Professor in the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh and author of the recently released The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs told Newsweek. "Jurassic Park is probably the best thing that ever happened to paleontology. Don't miss: Soccer Has an Intolerance Problem? After Mexicans Yell Anti-Gay Slur, FIFA Opens Investigation But while Jurassic Park depicted dinosaurs as close to the true state of paleontological understanding in 1993, the field has changed a lot in the intervening 25 years. New technology, new research and new discoveries have expanded our understanding of not just individual dinosaur species, but an entire ancient ecosystem of astounding diversity and complexity. Feathers Though feathers have yet to infiltrate the Jurassic Park sequels, the connection between dinosaur and birds was in the series from the very beginning. When Grant speculates, maybe dinosaurs have more in common with present-day birds than they do with reptiles, he was voicing a growing consensus in the field, Jurassic Park once again situating itself right on the frontier of the science. And though a narrow clade of feathered species, including Archaeopteryx, pointed to the evolutionary continuity between dinosaur and birds, widespread dinosaur feathers were still just a supposition. That changed in 1996, when Li Yumin, a farmer and amateur fossil hunter, uncovered Sinosauropteryx in Chinas Liaoning Province, where volcanic ash from Mesozoic eruptions preserved spectacular fossils. Sinosauropteryx was a bipedal predator and close relative of the Compsognathus (seen in Jurassic Park sequel The Lost World killing Peter Stormare), smaller than a house cat, believed to feed on small lizards and mammals. It was also covered in short feathers, close to the thickness of fur, but likely coarser. We even have an idea what color it was: reddish-brown, its tail striped with chestnut and rust. Sinosauropteryxfossil Sam / Olai Ose / Skjaervoy CC BY-SA 2.0 Sinosauropteryx was just the beginning. Further discoveries made in Liaonings Yixian Formation included dinosaurs with not just feathers, but wings. They probably couldnt fly, but instead used them for display, Brusatte said. What had once been theoretical now has extensive fossil evidence. New research even pointed to feathered, fully-plumed Velociraptor. Now its almost a common occurence to find feathers on dinosaurs and it further strengthens the link between non-avian dinosaurs and birds, Scannella said. Meateaters, by and large, had feathers, but not all of them, Carr said. Things like T.rex were actually scaly, not feathery. And that was normal for dinosaurs. The big theropods (bipedal predators, including the raptors), Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus. But while not all dinosaurs were feathered, Carr pointed out an essential difference in our new understanding: unfeathered dinosaurs likely represent evolutionary reversals from their feathered predecessors. Carr pointed to the discovery of a feathered tyrannosaurid, once again in Liaoning Provincenot Tyrannosaurus rex, but Yutyrannus huali, which was only 30 feet long and 3,000 poundsas evidence toward large, featherless predators having reversed from feathered forebears. yutyrannus-huali-t-rex-jurassic-park-tyrannosaurus Eden, Janine and Jen under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) The conversation has essentially flipped, with dinosaurs now often discussed as presumptively feathered, with a deepening fossil record pointing to the evolution of feathers in a common ancestor to pterosaurs (winged reptiles) and dinosaurs. Which means, as much as Jurassic Park sequels may not want to embrace the feathers, the fuzzy, plumed dinosaur isnt going away. Instead, theyve become as central to our modern understanding of dinosaurs as was the warm-blooded, nurturing animals of Bakker, Horner and John Ostroms Dinosaur Renaissance in the decades leading up to Jurassic Park. Why not show accurate dinosaurs? Carr asked. Hell, Id say a feathery Velociraptor that could do a short glide, thats a scary animal. Why not? Dinosaurs are like Birds Dinosaurs are like Crocodiles Dinosaurs are like Dinosaurs While modern-day birds are dinosaurs, theres another category of living vertebrates that also bear comparative similarities to dinosaurs: the crocodilians. Rather than evolving from dinosaurs, like birds, the evolution of crocodilians split off early in the Triassic, to form a clade known as Pseudosuchia. They were doing a greater range of body sizes and behaviors. There were crocodiles the size of buses, some that ate plants, some covered in armor and spikes and some that walked on two legs, Brusatte said. The dinosaurs were playing second fiddle to them. But 200 million years ago, at the end of the Triassic, there was another mass extinction eventprobably a combination of factors, including supervolcanoes, the resulting runaway global warming and the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaeathat wiped out the Psuedosuchia, all except a narrow group of crocodilians. The close evolutionary lineage of the crocodiles makes them a useful comparison point for understanding dinosaurs. Modern techniques, like high-resolution CT-scanning, have enabled paleontologists to reach astoundingly specific behavioral conclusions. Tyrannosaur facial skin is highly innervated, and we know that because the entire snout is shot through with really tiny holes that allowed nerves through to skin to bring the sensation of touch back to the brain, Carr said, comparing the complex weave of nerve canals running from its brain to facial skin to the snouts of alligators, crocodiles and caimans. With facial skin more sensitive than human fingertips, Tyrannosaurus likely used its head for far more than scent and a powerful bite. Like crocodiles, high facial sensitivity would have made them sensual animals, prone to communicating by touch. Its not hard to imagine that tyrannosaurs would have used their snouts in the same way, Carr said. They will be rubbing snouts with each other, they will be monitoring their nest, they will be touching carcasses theyre feeding on. With birds in their direct lineage and crocodilians as close cousins, a diagnostic practice known as extant phylogenetic bracketing has deepened our understanding of dinosaurs since Jurassic Park. In extant phylogenetic bracketing, an extinct taxon is compared to, and bracketed by, its nearest living relatives. The method, introduced in 1995 by Lawrence Witmer, Professor of Paleontology at Ohio University, allows researchers to infer traits to an extinct species, by looking for traits common to the living relatives that bracket it. Extant phylogenetic bracketing provides a common framework and set of standards for paleontologists extrapolating from the present for insight into these distant past. These inferences can be scaled to various confidence-levels based on the strength of bone or soft tissue evidence available and whether a proposed trait, such as warm-bloodedness, matches with one or both bracket taxons. We always try and frame our arguments, especially about things that arent so easy to preserve in the fossil record, using this comparative model, Rogers said. Sometimes dinosaurs are more like crocodiles than they are like birds, and sometimes more like birds. We really need to think about dinosaurs as dinosaurs. Most popular: Kirstjen Nielsen Accused of Lying For a Racist by Mika Brzezinski Over Defense of Trump Policy Separating Families Rogers offered dinosaur growth rates as an example. All dinosaurs grow faster than living reptiles, some of them grow more than 50 times faster than living reptiles, she said. Yet, no dinosaur growth rate has been discovered that matches the much-faster growth rate found in birds. The slower and faster growth rates on either side of a dinosaurs phylogenetic bracketing form theoretical bounds. Comparative method helps us find the places where they are uniquely dinosaur, Rogers said. Dinosaurs are different, theyre doing their own thing. Which means theres always room for the unexpected. CAT Scans and the Rise of Molecular Paleontology Jurassic Park had its own vision of the future of paleontological fieldwork. A few more years development and we wont even have to dig anymore, a technician says in the film, excited at the prospect of sonar imaging in the field. But that never really came to pass. Its still pretty basic, its still jackhammers, we dont use any fancy sonar, Rogers said. But mapping techniques have gotten more specific. GPS is really important to people in the field. jurassic-park-dinosaur-dig courtesy of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology But if digging up dinosaur bones remains low-tech, the same cant be said of lab analysis techniques developed since 1993. CT scans, which computer-process multiple X-ray measurements into virtual slices of a 3D object, like a dinosaur skull, have become a major driver of new discoveries. "If we CAT scan the skulls of dinosaurs we can build digital models of the brain, of the ear, of the blood vessels and all the things that are hidden in the head, explained Brusatte. From dinosaur cochlea, paleontologists can extrapolate the sound-space in which individual dinosaur species existed. Their immense olfactory bulbs have granted researchers insight into the primacy of smell in the lives of raptors and tyrannosaurs. In 2007, Prof. Mary Higby Schweitzer and her colleagues announced the discovery of proteins recovered from the fossilized femur of a Tyrannosaur rex. Paleontologists had previously believed fossilization didnt preserve cellular structures. Now a variety of biochemical markers can be extracted from dinosaur fossils, including protein fragments called peptides, amino acids and nucleotides. We are learning things about dinosaurs we thought we would never be able to tell for certain, Schweitzer told Newsweek. We have learned a lot about how things preserve, what kinds of information fossils can yield at the molecular level, and new ways to analyze dinosaur tissues. Its opened up a whole new field of, basically, biochemistry for dinosaurs, Carr said. She just thought about fossils in a different way. A Quick Aside About Cloning The Jurassic Park scenariorecovering dinosaur DNA from mosquitoes trapped in amberno longer seems viable. The blossoming of molecular-scale paleontological research has lead to a disappointing conclusion: DNA and RNA strands simply dont survive for millions of years. Horners 2009 book How to Build a Dinosaur proposes an alternate strategy: awakening dormant genes in modern birds and reversing evolution, trait-by-trait. In 2015, scientists identified and activated a gene in chickens that matched ancestral fossil forms, creating a chicken embryo with a dinosaur-like snout instead of a beakthe first step toward a chickenosaurus. Its still uncertain whether enough of these atavistic genes can be found and activated within the chicken genome to fully recreate an extinct species. Growing up Dinosaur Studying microscopic structures in dinosaur bones, known as histology, has become a commonplace paleontological practice, a change from the more anatomical and taxonomic focus of generations preceding Jurassic Park. One particularly promising new technique is microscopic examination of what Brown described as lines of arrested growth, where minute variations in the cellular structure of a dinosaur bone seem to correlate to annual growth cycles, giving deeper insights into how dinosaurs grew and what they looked like at various life-stages. Theres been a lot more research looking inside bones to examine the microstructures and see how bones are remodeling and transforming as these animals grew, Scannella said. Now its clear dinosaurs underwent very dramatic transformations as they grew from babies to adults. A baby T.rex probably looked very different than the adult. Combine this refinement in research with an ever-deepening fossil record and youll find the basis of the several headline cases of multiple dinosaur species collapsed into a narrower grouping, most famously Triceratops and Torosaurus, now believed to be younger and older examples of the same genus. TriceratopsTyrrellMuseum1 Mathknight / Royal Tyrrell Museum under CC BY 3.0 license The International Dinosaur Headline-grabbing finds in Liaoning Province have made China the epicenter of global paleontology. China is the place where the most and the most exciting discoveries are happening right now, probably half, if not more. But people are finding dinosaurs all over the world now, Brusatte said. One species a week, which is just nuts. Its a crazy pace. Major finds in Mongolia, Argentina, Brazil, even north of the Arctic Circle have made paleontology more international, resulting in both a widespread collaborative network of researchers and a large enough data set to better understand the total Mesozoic ecosystem, which could provide insight into some of the biggest unanswered questions in paleontology. For example, was the boloid that struck Mexicos Yucatan peninsula solely responsible for the death of the dinosaurs? While an asteroid or meteor striking the Earth at the same time the dinosaurs went extinct seems like more than coincidence, there are many different possible interpretations of the catastrophic event. Were they already on the way out? Or were they moving along just fine and then KABAM, theyre done? Brown asked, characterizing the open questions that remain. RTMP-KPg-boundary courtesy of Royal Tyrrell museum of Palaeontology There are still so many things to do and so many things to discover. The field is far from finished, Rogers said. Im constantly struck by how many exciting, new things we learn every time we ask a new question or use a new tool. Paleontology Survived Jurassic Park In a 1993 issue of The New York Review of Books, Stephen Jay Gould, the paleontologist and popular science writer, fretted over the potential downsides of over-popularizing a scientific field. He writes: For paleontologists, Jurassic Park is both our greatest opportunity and our most oppressive incubusa spur for unparalleled general interest in our subject, and the source of a commercial flood that may truly extinguish dinosaurs by turning them from sources of awe into cliches and commodities. Will we have strength to stand up in this deluge? Goulds concern was not entirely unfounded. There have been downsides, notably a sprawling black market for dinosaur fossils. In 1997, the largest and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex ever discovered, nicknamed Sue, was auctioned by Sothebys and sold for $8.3 million to Chicagos Field Museum of Natural History. However, many specimens wind up in private hands and inaccessible to researchers. 1920px-Sues_skeleton Connie Ma from Chicago, CC BY-SA 2.0 Dinosaur fossils on private land in the United States do not have any legal protection, Carr said, oftentimes they make it to market. Despite dedicated efforts by countries like Mongolia to repatriate fossils smuggled out of the country and sold in black markets, theres only so much paleontologists can accomplish against buyers who have transformed dinosaurs into luxury market items. Fossils are information and when they buy fossils theyre depriving humanity from learning about dinosaurs. Because we dont know everything! Carr added. I can get 11,000 data points from a single Tyrannosaurus skull. So theres a dozen privately-owned T.rex, so I lose 132,000 data points because those fossils arent in real museums. While Jurassic Park has helped transform dinosaurs into objects of private desire, Goulds more spiritual concernsthat our awe will fadenow seem unfounded. A generation later, paleontology is more vibrant than ever, thanks in part to the influx of new scientists whose imaginations were set aflame by the movie. More jobs, more funding, that came from Jurassic Park, Brusatte said. I dont think we can overstate how important that was to paleontology. I probably wouldnt have my job and a lot of my colleagues wouldnt either. And though theyve been extinct for tens of millions of years, understanding dinosaurs could help us understand ourselves. They were enormously successful. They survived periods of global warming and global cooling, changing CO2 levels, continental shifts, changing food sources and changing habitats. They adapted to a range of conditions humans have not yet seen, Schweitzer pointed out. It behooves us to use every method and tool and source of information at our disposal to see just exactly how they rose to these challenges." This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Hurricane Maria was followed by societal collapse. A portion of the blame must lie with the islands own government A child shines a light on hundreds of shoes at a memorial for those killed by Hurricane Maria, in front of the capitol in San Juan. Photograph: Ramon Espinosa/AP Hurricane Maria would have killed my mother. I know that for a fact. She was dependent on oxygen and on medications that would have run out. Her house would have flooded. With no way out, her heart would have succumbed to the stress. Gasping for air, she would have died. Maybe she would have died in my arms if I was lucky enough to get there in time. Most probably, she would have died alone. The thought haunts my sister and I. It pains us both to admit we are grateful she died before Maria devastated Puerto Rico. My mother would have been one of Marias fatalities and as with so many others her death would have blamed on natural causes. This is how the true extent of Marias devastation has been hidden. A Harvard study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine estimates that at least 4,645 deaths are linked to Maria and its aftermath. According to the study, many people, probably thousands, died in the weeks and months after Maria, when the island struggled without electricity and the local government did next to nothing to fight the indifference and negligence of the Trump administration. Local officials initially estimated the number of dead at 16. Who can forget when Trump congratulated Governor Ricardo Rossello for the fact so few had perished? Trump went on to rate himself a 10 out of 10, as is his fashion, for a job well done. He called it a good news story. (Although he did scold the Puerto Ricans for unbalancing his budget as he gifted us paper towels, lobbed high in the air.) After Trumps plane took off, the death toll rose to 64. We knew the number was wrong. We heard stories about families burying their dead beneath patios, patients drawing last breaths because they had no more oxygen or access to dialysis machines, people who died from pneumonia, from respiratory or kidney failure, or who were just simply swept away by the flood waters. The infirm and the aged, those were the victims. Story continues Local journalists and those of us in the diaspora asked the question, again and again: how many died? We asked: how are you counting them? What is the methodology? Why do you continue to hide the truth? We were accused of being conspiracy theorists, of trying to discredit the Rossello administration, of being anti-American. There was little, if any, transparency in the counting of the dead. Only vagueness and cliche and half-truths disguised as fact. There is one particular instance that sticks in my mind. A Puerto Rican journalist, Julio Ricardo Varela, of Latino Rebels, asked Puerto Ricos commissioner of safety and public protection, Hector Pesquera, if the death toll would rise. Pesqueras answer? In the land of possibilities, everything is possible. We did more than scratch our heads. We kept on asking. Rossello has welcomed the Harvard study and says he looks forward to studying it. How do you study the dead? How do you measure the desperation and the fear? How, governor, can someone have closure when they have every reason to believe their loved one did not die in peace? How many of the 4,645 died alone and scared? Can you count them now? Rossello has failed his people. We want the truth, and have yet to receive it. San Juans major, Carmen Yulin Cruz, the lone voice demanding the truth, has called for the resignation of the officials in his government who wilfully peddled misleading numbers. I will go one step further. I believe Rossello needs to go too. He is a cowardly accomplice to Trumps false narrative. At least 4,645 souls died on his watch. They need justice to be served. Meanwhile, Trump, who tweets about everything, has been silent about our dead. In his eyes, Puerto Rican lives do not matter. They only drain a budget. Donald Trump has responded to the labor dispute between Washington Post employees and publisher and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. I think a really long strike would be a great idea, Trump tweeted. He continued, Employees would get more money and we would get rid of Fake News for an extended period of time! Is [the Washington Post] a registered lobbyist? His response comes after over 400 Washington Post staffers signed an open letter to Bezos asking for better pay and benefits. The signees included editorial, advertising, production, drivers and managers, as well as such prominent staff as White House reporter Ashley Parker and politics reporter Dave Weigel. The labor dispute between Bezos and the union that represents roughly 880 editorial and business side employees has been going on for the last year. Bezos bought the Washington Post in 2013. Although the employees express gratitude for Bezoss patronage, it notes, In the past year alone, the Post has doubled the number of digital subscriptions and increased its online traffic by more than half; its advertising team has met or exceeded all its targets. All we are asking for is fairness for each and every employee who contributed to this companys success: fair wages; fair benefits for retirement, family leave and health care; and a fair amount of job security. Washington Post employees want to go on strike because Bezos isnt paying them enough. I think a really long strike would be a great idea. Employees would get more money and we would get rid of Fake News for an extended period of time! Is @WaPo a registered lobbyist? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2018 Video: Amazon Paid No Federal Income Tax in 2017 Story continues For more news videos visit Yahoo View. Related stories Washington Post Staff Issues Open Letter To Jeff Bezos As Labor Dispute Heats Up President Trump Tweetstorm: "IG Report Totally Destroys James Comey" Donald Trump Blasts Judge's "Very Unfair" Decision to Revoke Paul Manafort Bail Over Witness Tamper Charge Baghdad (AFP) - More than 20 fighters from an Iraqi paramilitary force key to the battle against the Islamic State group were killed in an eastern Syria air raid the United States linked to Israel. The bombing raid hit Al-Hari, a town controlled by regional militias fighting in Syria's complex seven-year war alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Both Syrian authorities and Iraqi forces pointed the finger at the US-led coalition, which denied it was involved in Sunday night's attack. "We have reasons to believe that it was an Israeli strike," a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity on Monday. The raid slammed into a regime-controlled position in the border town and left at least 52 fighters dead, according to a Britain-based monitor. Among them were fighters from Iraq's powerful Hashed al-Shaabi military alliance, some of whom have crossed into Syria to fight against IS. The Iran-backed Hashed claimed that "US planes fired two guided missiles at a fixed position of Hashed al-Shaabi units on the border with Syria, killing 22 fighters and wounding 12." The bodies of three Iraqi fighters killed in the raid were returned to their hometowns for burial, said AFP's correspondent in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a total of 30 Iraqi forces were among the dead in Al-Hari, as well as 16 Syrian forces and six unidentified fighters. - 'No strikes' - The attack was first reported by Syrian state media, which cited a military source accusing the coalition of bombing one of its positions in Al-Hari. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number or their nationalities. A military source in Syria's Deir Ezzor province where the targeted area lies later said coalition warplanes hit "joint Iraqi-Syrian positions in Al-Hari". The coalition's press office said it had received reports of a strike in the area that had killed and wounded Iraqi fighters, but denied it was involved. Story continues "There have been no strikes by US or coalition forces in that area," it said in an email. Hashed said its fighters had been deployed along the porous frontier with Syria on the orders of the Iraqi authorities. However, late Monday the Iraqi military command denied it had positioned forces in Syrian territory, implying the dead fighters had acted without its consent. Regretting the deaths, the command said it had been assured by the coalition that it was not responsible for the strikes. Hashed is vital to the fight against IS in Iraq, but has also battled the jihadists across the border in their eastern Syria bastions. Al-Hari is in oil-rich Deir Ezzor province where a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters and Russia-supported Syrian regime forces are carrying out separate operations against IS. The jihadists have lost most of the territory they controlled in Syria and Iraq but remain in pockets of the eastern desert area including Deir Ezzor. The US and Russian-backed forces have mostly avoided each other thanks to a de-confliction line that runs across the province along the winding Euphrates River. - 'Highest toll' - Syrian troops are battling IS on the western river bank, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fight on the east. Iraqi warplanes also have occasionally bombed IS positions in eastern Syria. Al-Hari lies on the western side, close to the river and the de-confliction line. The buffer has largely been successful in keeping the two offensives apart, but there have been exceptions. The deadliest incident was in February, when US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in Deir Ezzor province, including Russians. "The strike on Al-Hari produced the highest death toll for regime forces since the February incident," Observatory head Abdel Rahman said. Syria's conflict began in 2011 with protests against Assad, but then spiralled into a full-blown war that has drawn in world powers and given rise to jihadists like IS. The strike on Al-Hari came a day after the US-backed SDF announced it had ousted IS from Dashisha, a village to the north in Syria's Hasakeh province. The village had been one of the last IS-controlled areas in a corridor linking Syria with Iraq. "For the first time in four years, Dashisha, a notorious transit town for weapons, fighters and suicide bombers between Iraq and Syria, is no longer controlled by ISIS (IS) terrorists," said Brett McGurk, the US president's special envoy for the war against IS. burs-sl/oh/mtp/amz Software platform GreyMatter from GreyOrange uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to optimise complex operations. GreyOrange and GROUND announced the deployment of its Butler robotics operations at the Ichikawa logistics centre of Daiwa House Industry Co. Ltd (TSE: 1925). The Butler robotics system operates in a 7000sqm facility offering total logistics solutions that are shared and used for multiple shipper companies. At this site, named Intelligent Logistics Centre PROTO, the Butler goods-to-person solution automates material movement to deliver higher throughput and productivity. The robotics systems claim to handle a variety of items, reducing the time for order fulfilment and cost per shipment, thus enhancing the productivity for each of the shared users. The Butler system is powered by GreyMatter, a software platform from GreyOrange that uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to optimise complex operations. It integrates multiple automation systems to synchronise material flow to gain the highest efficiencies. The users include airCloset, a subscription-based online fashion rental service for women, Tokyo Otaku Mode; an e-tailer for Japanese Pop Culture and Waja, an e-commerce site which operates three marketplaces Worldrobe for imported brands, Reason Outlet and Fashion Charity Project. GROUND, the Japan-exclusive distributor for the Butler goods-to-person robotics system from GreyOrange, in mid-2017 formed a business alliance to jointly develop with the Daiwa House Group a new generation of Intelligent Logistics Centre to significantly improve the productivity of logistics facilities. The Butler system enables high-speed operations by automating inventory storage (put away) and order fulfilment. It has been deployed in distribution centres in Japan, Hong Kong, India, Europe and the Americas for industries such as 3PL, e-commerce and retail. AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A 34-year-old Dutchman turned himself in to police hours after driving a delivery van into concert-goers, killing one and critically injuring three others, prosecutors said on Monday. Prosecutor Daniela Weymar told journalists the man, who had driven away from the scene of the incident, had turned himself in to police in the capital, Amsterdam, and was taken into custody. Police said earlier that it was not clear whether the van driver had hit the group at the Pinkpop event intentionally or by accident. (Reporting by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Catherine Evans) Menuf (Egypt) (AFP) - Egypt's shrinking freshwater "Pharaonic Sea" has residents in its nearly 50 surrounding fishing villages worried. The thin 10-square kilometre stretch of water just north of the capital was once part of the Nile River, but shrivelling shorelines have left it separated from the country's main water source for nearly 50 years. Since then, inhabitants in the surrounding villages have referred to it as the "dead sea". And while its surrounding lush vegetation remains, the steadily declining water levels have fishermen on edge. The worry has fuelled anxious meetings regularly held by fishermen. In the village of Kafr Fisha, families live in rhythm with the "sea" in houses built along the water's edge. Like dozens of other fishermen, Sherif, 41, and Khaled, 55, are out of the house and onto the water before dawn. They spend their day on a tiny wooden boat, casting handmade nets into the brownish green waters of the "sea". Dressed in jeans and a sleeveless shirt under the hot summer sun, Sherif carefully frees fish from the nets, placing each one into a small plastic crate. As the sun begins to dip below the horizon, Khaled sits at the water's edge and prepares a traditional Egyptian salad that will accompany their dinner of fresh grilled catch. They make tea as night falls, lying on the ground and enjoying a respite from the day's heat. The Nile's steadily dipping shorelines have both villagers and officials worried. The country relies almost entirely on the river for irrigation and drinking water, and authorities are worried a controversial upstream dam underway in neighbouring Ethiopia could dramatically reduce its flow. Brussels (AFP) - The EU on Monday said "only a European solution" can solve a row over asylum rules that is threatening to throw Germany into political crisis and conflict with the bloc. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative coalition partners have delivered her a two-week ultimatum to find a European deal to tighten asylum rules or turn back migrants at the border. The row comes with EU countries once again at loggerheads over immigration after Italy and Malta refused to let a rescue ship carrying 630 migrants dock, sparking a major dispute before Spain stepped in to take the new arrivals. Margaritis Schinas, spokesman for the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, said he was hopeful that a collective solution could be found at the EU summit of June 28 and 29. "The commission shares the view that only a European solution and a European agreement can address this issue, we have seen that in the past," he told a briefing. "We are very confident that we have on the table all the elements that would facilitate an agreement in the European Council." German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer of Merkel's Bavarian coalition partners CSU warned that if no solution was found at the summit, he would order border police to turn back migrants. EU countries have been trying for two years to agree on how to reform the bloc's rules on asylum and had set the summit as a target date to find a solution. The main bone of contention has been the so-called Dublin rules, which put responsiblity for dealing with asylum seekers on the country where they first arrive in the EU -- a protocol that has put a huge burden on Italy and Greece, where most migrants land. The commission has proposed a quota system to share asylum seekers around the bloc, but Poland and Hungary have rejected this outright. (Reuters) - The federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and potential collusion by Donald Trump's campaign has targeted - directly or indirectly - a growing group of presidential associates. As Special Counsel Robert Mueller presses on with his Russia probe, the following is a list of people who have been indicted or are being investigated. The court documents related to Mueller's investigation are at https://www.justice.gov/sco . Trump has denied any collusion by his campaign and has long denounced the Mueller probe as a witch hunt. Mueller told Trump's attorneys in March he was continuing to investigate the president but did not consider him a criminal target "at this point," the Washington Post reported in early April. Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime personal lawyer, is being investigated by federal prosecutors in Manhattan. Cohen's lawyer, Stephen M. Ryan, said U.S. prosecutors conducted a search on April 9 that was partly a referral by Mueller's office. Federal prosecutors are investigating Cohen for possible bank and tax fraud, and possible campaign law violations in connection with a payment to a porn actress and perhaps other matters having to do with foreign support to Trumps 2016 campaign, a source familiar with the investigation said. Michael Flynn, a former national security adviser to Trump who was also a close campaign aide, pleaded guilty in December to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russia and agreed to cooperate with Mueller's investigation. Paul Manafort, a former Trump election campaign chairman, is facing two indictments in different federal courts brought by Mueller. Charges against him include conspiring to launder money, failing to register as a foreign agent in connection with his lobbying for the previously pro-Russia Ukrainian government, bank fraud and filing false tax returns. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all charges and argued that Mueller has overstepped his authority. On June 15 a judge revoked Manaforts bail and sent him to jail to await trial, citing new charges that he sought to influence the testimony of two government witnesses. Rick Gates, a former deputy campaign chairman, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy against the United States and lying to investigators, and agreed to cooperate with the Mueller probe. George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign adviser, pleaded guilty last fall to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russia. According to documents released with his guilty plea, Papadopoulos offered to help set up a meeting with then-candidate Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has been cooperating with Mueller. Alex Van der Zwaan, a lawyer who once worked closely with Manafort and Gates, pleaded guilty in February to lying to Mueller's investigators about contacts with an official in the Trump election campaign. Van der Zwaan, the Dutch son-in-law of one of Russia's richest men, was sentenced on April 3 to 30 days in prison and fined $20,000. Thirteen Russians and three Russian entities were indicted in Mueller's investigation in February, accused of tampering in the 2016 election to support Trump. The Russian government has repeatedly denied meddling in the election. Richard Pinedo, who was not involved with the Trump campaign, pleaded guilty in a case related to the Mueller probe in February to aiding and abetting interstate and foreign identity fraud by creating, buying and stealing hundreds of bank account numbers that he sold to individuals to use with large digital payment companies. Pinedo "made a mistake" but "had absolutely no knowledge" about who was buying the information or their motivations, his lawyer said. Sources familiar with the indictment said Pinedo was named as helping Russian conspirators launder money as well as purchase Facebook ads and pay for rally supplies. Konstantin Kilimnik, a Manafort aide and political operative with alleged ties to Russian intelligence, was charged on June 8 with tampering with witnesses about their past lobbying for Ukraines former pro-Russian government. (Compiled by Frances Kerry; editing by Tom Brown and Jonathan Oatis) President Donald Trump continues to falsely blame Democrats for an administration policy that has led to more than 2,000 children being separated from their parents at the U.S. border. Speaking at a White House event on space Monday morning, Trump again said that the policy is the Democrats fault because they will not work with Republicans to revise immigration laws. The family separations began earlier this year after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new zero tolerance policy of referring all border crossings for federal criminal prosecution, which leads to children being separated as their parents are sent to jail. If the Democrats would sit down instead of obstructing, we could have something done very quickly good of the children, good for the country, good for the world, he said. We have the worst immigration laws in the entire world. Nobody has such sad, such bad and actually in many cases, such horrible and tough. You see about child separation, you see whats going on there. That echoed remarks from Friday, when Trump also blamed his own administrations policy on Democrats, who are in the minority in both chambers of Congress. I hate the children being taken away, he told reporters at the White House. The Democrats have to change their law thats their law. Heres a closer look at the facts behind the family separation policy. What is the family separation policy? In May, Sessions announced that the U.S. would take a stricter stance on illegal crossings at the Mexican border which would result in parents and children being separated, rather than keeping them together in detention centers. If you are smuggling a child then we will prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you as required by law, Sessions said at a law enforcement event in Scottsdale, Ariz. If you dont like that, then dont smuggle children over our border. From April 19 to May 31, some 1,995 children were separated from roughly as many adults at the U.S. border, officials announced on Friday. Story continues The children are being held in facilities run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the Department of Health and Human Services, such as a converted Walmart in Texas which houses young boys that was recently opened to reporters. While the the Trump Administration has released photos of young boys being held at detention centers, it so far has not released any images of young girls. Migrant rights groups told TIME they are concerned about the risks that girls and young women face in the facilities, citing issues such as pregnancy and psychological trauma from assault and rape they faced in their home countries. Especially young children, such as toddlers, are being sent to tender age shelters in South Texas. At least one of the makeshift facilities was previously a warehouse. What has the White House said about the family separation policy? The Trump Administration has sent mixed messages about the policy. While Trump has repeatedly and falsely blamed Democrats for the policy, other staffers have either denied there is a policy or argued that it is a positive. On Friday, Trump tweeted that the Democrats are forcing the breakup of families at the Border with their horrible and cruel legislative agenda. The Democrats are forcing the breakup of families at the Border with their horrible and cruel legislative agenda. 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! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2018 Meantime, White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller defended the policy, arguing that it shows that no one is above the law. It was a simple decision by the administration to have a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry, period, he told the New York Times. The message is that no one is exempt from immigration law. At the same time, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen tweeted on Sunday that there was no family separation policy. We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period, she wrote. Instead, she argued that it was a continuation of previous administrations policies of separating children if the adult has broken a law. But on Monday, Nielsen defended the policy while speaking before the National Sheriffs Association and suggested that people were fraudulently using children in order to pose as families and cross the border. Illegal actions have and must have consequences, she said. No more free passes, no more get out of jail free cards. How have past presidents handled families that crossed the border? The Trump Administration is not the first to face surges in migrants crossing the border nor is his the first to have to address the issue what to do about of families crossing the border. The Bush Administration aggressively pursued prosecutions of illegal entrants under a similarly zero tolerance policy in response to upticks. A Bush-era Inspector General report from DHS found that family separations happened when a parent is criminally charged or if family shelters and facilities lacked space. And according to the Bipartisan Policy Center, in response to Congressional pressure over the separations, the Department opened a family detention center in Texas to expand its capacity only to face more backlash due to the fact that the facility was a former medium-security prison. The Obama Administration dealt with a major surge in migrants and primarily detained families together in administrative facilities or released them, according to the Migration Policy Institute. It also faced fierce backlash over its family detention policy, including from Congressional Democrats and advocates who criticized officials who said detentions could serve as a deterrent, and faced a number of legal challenges over it. What does the law say about family separation? There are laws and court precedent governing how children are treated at the border, however, but none mandates the separation of parents and children. Under a 1997 legal agreement known as the Flores Settlement, there are limits on how long children can be detained and requirements that the government releases them to parents, guardians, or licensed facilities as quickly as possible and houses them in the least restrictive setting possible if that cannot happen immediately. The law that established the Department of Homeland Security, the Homeland Security Act of 2002, also addressed the fate of unaccompanied minors by establishing the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees the care of unaccompanied kids. That office adheres to standards outlined by the Flores Settlement and anti-trafficking laws that also govern how children in U.S. custody are cared for, including screening to determine which placement facility would be deemed the least restrictive depending on any particular needs they might have. In fact, the Office of Refugee Resettlements website states that under most circumstances, ORR places siblings together and unaccompanied alien children who are parents with their children, although there are instances when that does not happen. Under a 2008 anti-human trafficking law, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush, federal official are required to screen unaccompanied minors for trafficking and in most cases, refer them to ORR at least 72 hours after they are determined to be alone. Most are guaranteed an immigration hearing. That law has come under fire during previous surges of unaccompanied minors crossing the border because children who are nationals of contiguous countries, like Mexico, can be quickly returned to their home countries once federal officials determine they are not a victim of or at risk for human trafficking if they go home and that they do not have a credible fear of persecution, or a solid case for asylum. Children from other countries, however, are not immediately returned and thus trickle through the backlogged immigration court system. Trump Administration officials have often characterized these policies as loopholes that are exploited by those seeking to enter the U.S. Some administration officials have suggested that the zero tolerance policy could serve as a deterrent for other migrants who are seeking to come to the U.S. So far, that hasnt been the case. Data obtained by CNN show the exact opposite: the number of people caught illegally crossing the border has increased approximately 5% when compared to figures from April. This statistic includes a substantial increase in unaccompanied children. What will happen next with the family separation policy? President Trump has suggested that the policy could be revoked if Congress passes an immigration bill. The House of Representatives is set to vote on legislation this week: a hardline bill that limits some forms of immigration as well as a moderate bill that could address the issue of family separations. According to polls, the majority of Americans are against the policy, but Republicans are much more supportive. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 66% of Americans are opposed to the policy and 27% support it. But some 55% of Republicans are in favor of the policy and 35% oppose it. A Daily Beast/Ipsos poll of 1,000 people found that 56% of respondents thought it was not appropriate to separate families in order to discourage others from crossing the border and 27% thought it was ok. About 46% of Republicans in that survey said it is appropriate. Correction: The original version of this story misstated the percentage of Americans in support of the zero tolerance policy that has resulted in family separations, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll. Twenty-seven percent of respondents support it, while 66% oppose it. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN envoy for Yemen hopes to relaunch talks on a peace plan next month despite an offensive on the key port city of Hodeida that threatens to escalate the war and trigger a humanitarian disaster, diplomats said Monday. Speaking by videoconference from Sanaa, Martin Griffiths briefed the Security Council behind closed doors on his framework for peace talks even as the Saudi-led coalition pressed on with an assault on the city. A first round of preliminary talks could take place next month to restart negotiations on a political transition, Griffiths told the council, according to two diplomats in the chamber. Following the meeting, Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said council members renewed their call for the port at Hodeida, the entry point for vital aid deliveries and commercial goods, to remain open. "We hope that nothing terrible happens in Hodeida," said Polyansky whose country holds the council presidency this month. Fierce fighting this month has displaced 5,200 families mostly from districts south of the city, UN officials said, adding that the number of those fleeing the violence was expected to rise. The Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive on June 13 to drive out Yemen's Huthi rebels from the Red Sea port city of 600,000. - No deal on Hodeida - Griffiths has been in talks with the Huthis and the coalition about the fate of Hodeida but there has been no breakthrough in the intense negotiations. The coalition has insisted that the Huthis must fully withdraw from the city and turn over the port to UN supervision, but the rebels have so far only agreed to shared control with the United Nations of the port. After days of talks with the Huthis in Sanaa, Griffiths told the council that he was consulting with the coalition on the next steps in his efforts to avoid an all-out battle in Hodeida, diplomats said. The United Nations has warned that an attack on Hodeida port could cripple deliveries of commercial goods and humanitarian aid to millions of people in Yemen who are on the brink of famine. Story continues UN aid chief Mark Lowcock told the council that so far, the humanitarian impact had been limited because there had been no large-scale fighting in the city, diplomats said. On Sunday, however, coalition air strikes hit close to an area where the World Food Programme is operating, Lowcock said, according to the council diplomats. The aid chief warned that current food stocks will run out in two months and that it would be "catastrophic" if the fighting lasted longer. More than 22 million people are in need of aid, including 8.4 million who are at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations, which considers Yemen to be the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has been leading a military campaign to push back the Huthis and restore the internationally recognized government to power. The conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead in Yemen, already the Arab world's poorest country. With just about every vehicle manufacturer coming up with a steady stream of new SUV models, it could be easy to forget that Suzuki was producing and selling affordable SUVs long before it became fashionable. The Japanese automaker is now looking to reassert itself into the conversation with a new generation of its small, tough off-roader, the Jimny. And it's ramping up the anticipation with the release of the first official images of the all-new model. It's entirely possible Suzuki wasn't planning to reveal any official images at this point, but after a set of unofficial images from a presentation were leaked on the internet last week the company has now put these official renderings on its global website. Although the website doesn't reveal much that wasn't already known by the public after the recent leaks, it does confirm the fact this is something of an evolutionary redesign and not a radical overhaul to take the Jimny in any sort of new direction. In fact, some observers might revel in the fact the new Jimny will be a slightly retro design when compared to much of the competition. Although there will be an extensive palette of funky, youthful exterior colors, the unashamedly boxy shape remains and it will also be one of very few SUVs to still store the spare wheel on the rear tailgate. On the inside there's plenty of similarity with the current model, but there will be at least one or two very important changes. Amid the refreshed switchgear and new instruments housed in retro, boxy binnacles, there will now be a touchscreen infotainment system sitting on top of a new center console. Back in 2015 Suzuki announced it was going to be introducing five new vehicles in five years. Time is now getting on and it's clear the new Jimny will be the first of the proposed five, so the company will have to get a move on if the other four are to come to fruition inside that timescale. Although full details such as engine specifications are yet to be revealed, it's clear the new Jimny will stay true to more than two decades of tradition of being a rugged, compact, capable and affordable SUV and not be morphing into some sort of soft-roader. Damaged SUV is seen on Texas Highway 85 in Big Wells, Texas, after crashing while carrying more than a dozen people fleeing from Border Patrol agents, Sunday, June 17, 2018: David Caltabiano/KABB/WOAI via AP Five people have been killed and several others injured after an SUV suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants crashed while fleeing from Border Patrol agents in South Texas, authorities said. The driver of the car, who was transporting 13 other people, lost control while travelling at around 100 mph. The vehicle overturned on Texas Highway 85 and most of the occupants were thrown out of the vehicle, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said. From what we can tell the vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to re-correct, Mr Boyd said, adding that caused the vehicle to turn over several times. Four victims were found dead at the scene and a fifth was pronounced dead after being airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio, Mr Boyd said. A sixth person was in critical condition with potentially life-threatening injuries, he added. The Border Patrol said in a statement that two other vehicles had been travelling alongside the SUV earlier in the day. An agent suspected they were conducting a smuggling event, according to the statement. The border agent stopped one of the vehicles and another agent stopped a second one. Multiple people from both vehicles were arrested. The third vehicle did not stop when asked, and a sheriffs deputy took over the chase prior to the fatal crash, the border patrol said. The incident comes amid increased tensions over the treatment of immigrants at the southern border. Donald Trumps administration has said tougher immigration policies even separating children from their parents are needed to deter immigrants from coming to the country illegally. Over a six-week period ending in May, about 2,000 children had been separated from their families, administration officials said Friday. Most of the occupants in the SUV were believed to be in the country without legal permission. Mr Boyd said the driver and one passenger were believed to be US citizens. A deputy who assisted the Border Patrol with the chase found the driver sitting upright in his seat and took him and the passenger into custody. The driver was also taken to hospital. Story continues This, I think, is a perfect example, of why our borders need to be secured, Mr Boyd said. Some injured were taken by helicopter to San Antonio. Dimmit County is directly north of Webb County and east of Maverick County, which border Mexico. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who died in the crash, Border Patrol said in the statement. Associated Press contributed to this report Washington wants to extend tariffs to 284 more Chinese product types. Beijing is set to respond with counter duties worth USD 50 billion. Google inks deal to invest US$ 550 million in Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com. Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) The trade war between China and the United States continues. Last Friday the Trump administration drew up a second list of 284 Chinese product types on which to impose import levies worth US$ 16 billion, which will undergo further review in a public notice and comment process. In April the administration proposed a list of more than 1,300 Chinese product types that could be subject to new import tariffs. But this was whittled down to 818 following a review process, worth USD 34 billion in additional duty starting 6 July. The two lists will cover mostly high-tech products from industries like aviation, advanced rail systems, new energy vehicles and other high-tech areas like communications and robotics. Some products, such as televisions and their components, mobile phones, pharmaceuticals and price-sensitive products were taken off the list. Reacting to the US move, Chinas Commerce Ministry said tariffs on about US$ 34 billion of imports from the US will start 6 July, covering 545 product lines, including agricultural products, automobiles and seafood goods. An additional US$ 16 billion in tariffs on of US product lines, including chemicals, medical equipment and energy products, will be announced at a later date. These new duties will be applied only if the United States imposes duties on the second list of Chinese product types. US duties focus on industrial goods that contribute to or benefit from Beijings Made in China 2025 industrial policy. These include industries such as aerospace, information and communications technology, robotics, industrial machinery, new materials, and automobiles. Chinese companies in the list receive government funding, tax breaks, low-interest loans and other state subsidies. According to Washington this represents unfair competition. Meanwhile, whilst the trade war escalates, some US high-tech companies are looking for business deals in Asia. Internet giant Google announced plans to invest US$ 550 million in Chinese e-commerce powerhouse JD.com, in an effort to increase its presence in fast-growing Asian markets and battle rivals, including Amazon.com. The new partnership will include the promotion of JD.com products on Googles shopping service. This could help the latter expand beyond its base in China and Southeast Asia and establish a meaningful presence in US and European markets. Google officials said the deal would not involve any major new Google initiatives in the Peoples Republic, where the companys main services are blocked over its refusal to censor search results in line with local laws. For JD.com, the agreement with Google is first step towards a new global alliance to compete with Chinese e-commerce arch-rival Alibaba Group Holding. Stockholm (AFP) - One person was killed and five wounded in a shooting in the centre of the southern Swedish city of Malmo on Monday, police said, ruling out a terrorist link. "An 18-year-old man has died in hospital," Malmo police said in a statement, adding that four others were hospitalised. A police spokesman told AFP that the possibility of a terrorist link to the attack had been discounted. According to the Aftonbladet daily, the victims were attacked as they left an internet cafe in the middle of the town. Witness were quoted as saying that at least one attacker was armed with an automatic weapon. The police refused to comment on the identity of the possible attacker or attackers. They also declined to give any detail of the victims although reports said several of them were well known to the police. While Sweden has relatively low levels of crime, neighbourhoods in Malmo, Stockholm and Gothenburg have seen a rise in violence attributed to gangs fighting over drug trafficking and prostitution. Tripoli (AFP) - The bodies of five migrants were recovered while more than 100 were rescued after their boat sank off the coast of Libya on Monday, an officer from the country's navy told AFP. Libyan rescuers took three hours to reach the sinking rubber dinghy, officer Rami Ghommeidh said. A survivor said they had been close to an Italian vessel which had refused to save them. "When we got closer to the Italian rescuers, they wouldn't rescue us so we waited there" for the Libyan navy, he said. Panic ensued as the passengers sought to clamber on board the Libyan ship as their own boat was quickly filling with water. "While trying to climb up the side of the rescue boat, three women and two little boys fell into the water and drowned," he said. Ghommeidh did not identify the victims, confirming five people died and the 117 survivors included women and children. They were taken to the capital Tripoli after being rescued "around eight nautical miles off the coast of Abu Kammash", an important petrochemical complex and oil terminal close to the Tunisian border, the officer said. Libya is a key departure point for thousands of migrants hoping to reach Europe, although hundreds drown each year attempting the sea route. So far this year around 40,000 people have survived the crossing, while more than 800 are recorded as dead or missing by the United Nations refugee agency. In this file photo taken on April 22, 2004, former Israeli energy minister Gonen Segev appears at the Tel Aviv district tribunal - AFP A former Israeli government minister, once imprisoned for trying to smuggle drugs, is back behind bars after being charged with spying for archenemy Iran, the country's internal security agency said Monday. The Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency, said Gonen Segev was extradited from Guinea and arrested upon arrival in Israel last month on suspicion of "committing offenses of assisting the enemy in war and spying against the state of Israel." It said Mr Segev, a former energy minister, acted as an agent for Iranian intelligence and relayed information "connected to the energy market and security sites in Israel including buildings and officials in political and security organizations." Lawyers representing Mr Segev issued a statement that did not reject or accept the accusations, only saying that the indictment "portrays a different picture" than what the Shin Bet says. Mr Segev, who served in the Cabinet under Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the mid-1990s, was arrested in 2004 for attempting to smuggle 32,000 Ecstasy tablets from the Netherlands to Israel using an expired diplomatic passport. Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin speaks with former energy minister Gonen Segev Credit: REUTERS/GPO A former doctor whose medical license was revoked, Mr Segev was released from prison in 2007 and had been living in Africa in recent years. The Shin Bet said Mr Segev met with his operators twice in Iran, and also met with Iranian agents in hotels and apartments around the world. Mr Segev was given a "secret communications system to encrypt messages" with his operators. The statement said that Mr Segev maintained connections with Israeli civilians who had ties to the country's security and foreign relations. It said he acted to connect them with Iranian agents who posed as businessmen. Israel and Iran are bitter enemies, and the allegations against Mr Segev are extremely grave. Israel considers Iran to be its biggest threat, citing Iranian calls for Israel's destruction, Iran's support for hostile militant groups like Hezbollah and its development of long-range missiles. Paris (AFP) - Hindered by strikes and outdated equipment, French air traffic control is responsible for a third of aviation delays in Europe, Le Parisien said Monday, citing a senate finance committee report. Between 2004 and 2016, French air traffic controllers were on strike 254 days, while second-placed Greece only had 46 days of stoppages, Italy 37 and Germany four, according to the report seen by the daily. "Every day of a strike in France has a much bigger impact on European traffic than (strikes) in other European countries", the report's author, senator Vincent Capo-Canellas, noted after six months of work including numerous field visits. In addition to frequent industrial action France is also the champion for delays, linked to obsolescent equipment, the report said. "Our country is responsible for 33 percent of delays due to air traffic control in Europe," Capo-Canellas said, representing 300 million euros in annual losses for airlines. "In France, the control equipment is outdated," and maintenance costs are high at 136 million euros a year, added Capo-Canellas. "We are way behind our neighbours," the senator complained, despite France having spent more than two billion euros to modernise air traffic control since 2011. The report also noted that the 4,000 French air traffic controllers have to cope with a sharp increase in traffic each year. They controlled more than 3.1 million flights in 2017, up four percent from 2016 and 8.6 percent from 2015. (Reuters) - A suspected gunman was shot dead and 22 people were injured on Sunday after a dispute among rival gangs erupted into gunfire at an all-night arts festival in Trenton, New Jersey, officials said. One of the shooting victims was a 13-year-old boy who was in extremely critical condition, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri told a news conference. Three others were in critical condition. At least two people opened fire around 2:45 a.m. at the annual Art All Night event in Trenton, about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of New York City. The dead suspect was identified by police as Tahaij Wells, 33, and another suspect, Amir Armstrong, 23, was in police custody. Of the 22 people injured, 17 people of them were shot, Onofri said, and multiple weapons were recovered from the scene. Officials believe the suspect was killed by police, and the case was being treated as an officer-involved shooting, Onofri said. More than 1,000 people were believed to have been at the festival when the violence started. "It absolutely could have been worse, given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired," Onofri told a news conference. "The shooting appears to be related to several neighborhood gangs from here in the city of Trenton having a dispute at the venue," Onofri said. Organizers canceled the remainder of the event, billed as "24 hours of community, creativity and inspiration." The festival typically draws more than 30,000 visitors to view work from more than 1,500 artists as well as exhibitions of glass blowing and woodwork, The Trentonian reported on its website. About 50 bands also play on three stages. "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," the organizers wrote on Facebook on Sunday. "Our sincere, heartfelt sympathies are with those who were injured." Story continues The New Jersey shooting occurred amid a debate about U.S. gun laws that was given fresh impetus by the massacre in February of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida. "It is 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," Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson told the news conference. "This isn't just a random act of violence. This is a public health issue." New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy spoke at a Trenton church on Sunday, noting that he signed six gun control bills into law on Wednesday but saying the proliferation of guns required a national solution. "Congress needs to act," Murphy said. (Reporting by Daniel Wallis and Daniel Trotta in New York; Additional reporting by Rich McKay; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg) President Donald Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani has commented that the FBI agents and prosecutors investigating the president were wackadoodles who belong in a psychiatric ward. Speaking at a campaign rally for Republican Dan Donovan on Saturday, Giuliani slammed the ongoing Russia investigation, suggesting the officials involved in the investigation into alleged collusion between Trumps campaign team and Russia were cruel. I'm very proud because he's got that spirit," Giuliani said, speaking about Trump, CNN reported. Trending: Laura Bush Says Trump Putting Immigrant Children in 'Cages' Is Like World War II Internment Camps "My God, nothing gets him down. But what they've been doing to him is heartless, it's cruel, he added. Giuliani, who has made a series of outlandish comments since taking up a position at Trumps lawyer, also said the investigation was "made up of a bunch of distorted human beings who cried," when Democrat Hillary Clinton was beaten by President Trump. "Imagine FBI agents and prosecutors crying when Hillary Clinton wasn't elected. I think if I could get those pictures of them crying he added in what may have been a reference to a report from the Inspector General of the Justice Department, released on Thursday. Don't miss: Assassins Creed Odyssey Aims for Weekly Content Updates Ahhhhh we want Hillary, whats going to happen? I need a psychiatrist, Giuliani said, mocking the FBI. Instead of investigating President Trump, they should go to Bellevue, he added, making a reference to a psychiatric ward in New York, The Hill reported. Wackadoodles. The report from the watchdog released this week found former FBI chief James Comey did not follow protocol in the investigation into Clintons emails, although it concluded there was no political bias in the investigation, The Independent reported. Most popular: WWE Money in the Bank 2018 Results: Who Will Win Both Ladder Matches? Story continues The report also revealed that an FBI employee had written in an email I can't stop crying following Clintons election defeat an incident that Giuliani appeared to reference in his comments on Saturday. Giulianis nod to a psychiatric ward comes shortly after he suggested former vice president Joe Biden was a mentally deficient idiot who could not beat Trump in 2020. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek By Karolina Tagaris and Aleksandar Vasovic PRESPES, Greece/BITOLA, Macedonia (Reuters) - Greece and Macedonia set aside three decades of dispute on Sunday as they agreed on a new name for the former Yugoslav republic, paving the way for its possible admission to the European Union and NATO. The foreign ministers of the two countries signed an accord to rename the former Yugoslav republic the "Republic of North Macedonia", despite angry protests on both sides of the border over a deal seen as a national sellout by some on both sides. In the idyllic setting of Prespes, a lake region that borders Greece, Macedonia and Albania, leaders from the two countries embraced and shook hands in the presence of European and United Nations officials. 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 Macedonia's president has vowed to block the deal. "Very few believed we would be able to leave behind 26 years of unfruitful dispute," said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who survived a no-confidence vote mounted by the opposition in parliament on Saturday. "We have a historic responsibility that this deal is not held in abeyance," Tsipras said as he and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev received a standing ovation. In the Macedonian capital Skopje, police fired stun grenades and tear gas on Sunday night to disperse a protest rally by several hundred nationalists. A Reuters witness saw protesters pelting police with stones, chanting "Macedonia, Macedonia we will give our lives for Macedonia." Some of the demonstrators were arrested. Across the border, up to 70 percent of Greeks object to the name compromise, an opinion poll by the Proto Thema newspaper showed on Saturday. In Psarades, the tiny lakeside community where the deal was signed, the church bell tolled in mourning, draped in a Greek flag. Story continues Some 30 km (20 miles) away in the Greek village of Pisoderi, about 3,000 people rallied against the deal and at least six were injured in clashes with police who fired tear gas to disperse an angry crowd on a hillside. "We don't accept anything, we don't recognise anything. For us none of it is valid," said Costas Venetikidis, a protester. "Macedonia is in our soul, that's why we're here." Not far from the Greek border in the Macedonian city of Bitola, thousands protested draped in national flags, chanting "This is Macedonia." "This shameful deal will not pass. We will defend Macedonia's name and pride," said Petre Filipovski, 40. 'WE HAVE MOVED MOUNTAINS' Following the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece's northern neighbour took the name Macedonia. Athens refused to accept it, saying it implied territorial claims over the Greek province of Macedonia and an appropriation of ancient Greek culture and civilisation. Zaev, who arrived from across the lake on a speedboat, said the two neighbours had "moved mountains" by reaching the accord. It was "a dignified solution acceptable to both sides", he said. Veteran UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, who has overseen talks for a quarter-century, described the agreement as a fair and 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, 79. "I told my family this year I don't need any gifts because two prime ministers are going to give me a big gift." Athens had blocked Macedonia's hopes of joining the EU and NATO, objections it must now lift under the deal. Others might still object. "One big concern is Russia. Moscow has noticeably refused to endorse the agreement," said James Ker-Lindsay, senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. "It knows that this will see Macedonia join NATO," he said. "Given recent allegations of Moscow's involvement in other elections and referendums, this will be a real concern for NATO and the EU." (Additional reporting by Michele Kambas, Phoebe Fronista and Kole Casule; editing by Andrew Roche and Ros Russell) Maronite bishops call for a safe and dignified return of refugees. But the bases for peace and security are still missing. Lebanon risks economic and social collapse. For the UN, a repatriation plan is still premature. Fr Karam wants the international community to promote a peace process in Syria that respects everyone involved. Beirut (AsiaNews) Lebanon "can no longer bear the burden of welcoming" Syrian refugees fleeing the war, said Fr Paul Karam, director of Caritas Lebanon, speaking to AsiaNews. Involved in the humanitarian crisis for more than seven years, he explains that the Lebanese are "becoming increasingly impoverished" in their small compacted country. Unlike Jordan and Turkey, it has suffered "major losses in economic and social terms, so much so that that the whole system could collapse." To solve the emergency and guarantee a future to the country and the entire region, "it is necessary for the international community to promote a real peace process", one that is "dignified and sincere" because those who always pay are the weak. We must work responsibly for peace, respecting everyone." In January, a Lebanese minister said that the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon had declined to under a million. However, according to UN data, the situation is more complicated than that, and today refugees are "more vulnerable than ever". Three quarters live with less than four dollars a day, and money is not enough to buy the basics, like food and medicine. Nine refugees out of ten have borrowed money and are now overwhelmed with debt. Each household spends on average US a month, US on food. According to UN figures, 84 per cent of the worlds refugees are in poor countries, such as Turkey (2.9 million), Pakistan (1.4 million), Lebanon (over one million in a country of four million), Iran (979,400 migrants), Uganda (940,800) and Ethiopia (761,600). At the end of the annual Synod in Bkerke (11-15 June), the Maronite Church called for a "safe and dignified" return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon. The bishops hope for an "unequivocal position" and that the matter not be used by various political factions against each other. Likewise, the international community must not use the weapon of "fear" to block a plan to return to areas deemed safe. Still, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees recently noted that any talk of a return of Syrian refugees is premature. Many of the latter also fear the violence they might encounter once they go home. What everyone wants is a political solution to the war in syria as a precondition to repatriation. "We too hear stories of refugees who want to return to Syria, said Fr Paul, but we have no definite data on how many have actually returned. From personal observation, we can see the same number in the country. A few hundreds might leave, but they are replaced by more number coming in. and the needs remain the same. For this reason, the international community must make an effort to guarantee that the return takes place in security, peace and the possibility of rebuilding a life, a home. For Lebanon, the refugee problem has led to the economic and social weakening of the country, which is already on the brink of collapse. In the past few years, the country has done a lot to protect, promote and integrate the refugees as Pope Francis advocates in his Message on the occasion of the 2018 World Day of Migrants and Refugees. "Lebanon responded to the pontiffs appeal but now the whole system is at risk, explains the Caritas director. Reports suggest that 80 per cent of Syrian territory is stable, but there are still no serious plans for return. This is why we once again encourage the peace process [in Syria] as the only way to solve the problem. (This version of the June 17 story corrects academic institution of expert in penultimate paragraph) By Karolina Tagaris and Aleksandar Vasovic PRESPES, Greece/BITOLA, Macedonia (Reuters) - Greece and Macedonia set aside three decades of dispute on Sunday as they agreed on a new name for the former Yugoslav republic, paving the way for its possible admission to the European Union and NATO. The foreign ministers of the two countries signed an accord to rename the former Yugoslav republic the "Republic of North Macedonia", despite angry protests on both sides of the border over a deal seen as a national sellout by some on both sides. In the idyllic setting of Prespes, a lake region that borders Greece, Macedonia and Albania, leaders from the two countries embraced and shook hands in the presence of European and United Nations officials. 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 Macedonia's president has vowed to block the deal. "Very few believed we would be able to leave behind 26 years of unfruitful dispute," said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who survived a no-confidence vote mounted by the opposition in parliament on Saturday. "We have a historic responsibility that this deal is not held in abeyance," Tsipras said as he and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev received a standing ovation. In the Macedonian capital Skopje, police fired stun grenades and tear gas on Sunday night to disperse a protest rally by several hundred nationalists. A Reuters witness saw protesters pelting police with stones, chanting "Macedonia, Macedonia we will give our lives for Macedonia." Some of the demonstrators were arrested. Across the border, up to 70 percent of Greeks object to the name compromise, an opinion poll by the Proto Thema newspaper showed on Saturday. In Psarades, the tiny lakeside community where the deal was signed, the church bell tolled in mourning, draped in a Greek flag. Some 30 km (20 miles) away in the Greek village of Pisoderi, about 3,000 people rallied against the deal and at least six were injured in clashes with police who fired tear gas to disperse an angry crowd on a hillside. "We don't accept anything, we don't recognize anything. For us none of it is valid," said Costas Venetikidis, a protester. "Macedonia is in our soul, that's why we're here." Not far from the Greek border in the Macedonian city of Bitola, thousands protested draped in national flags, chanting "This is Macedonia." "This shameful deal will not pass. We will defend Macedonia's name and pride," said Petre Filipovski, 40. 'WE HAVE MOVED MOUNTAINS' Following the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece's northern neighbor took the name Macedonia. Athens refused to accept it, saying it implied territorial claims over the Greek province of Macedonia and an appropriation of ancient Greek culture and civilization. Zaev, who arrived from across the lake on a speedboat, said the two neighbors had "moved mountains" by reaching the accord. It was "a dignified solution acceptable to both sides", he said. Veteran UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, who has overseen talks for a quarter-century, described the agreement as a fair and honorable deal. It was, he said, an example of "how neighbors can solve a problem if they really work at it". "Today is my birthday," said Nimetz, 79. "I told my family this year I don't need any gifts because two prime ministers are going to give me a big gift." Athens had blocked Macedonia's hopes of joining the EU and NATO, objections it must now lift under the deal. Others might still object. "One big concern is Russia. Moscow has noticeably refused to endorse the agreement," said James Ker-Lindsay, senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. "It knows that this will see Macedonia join NATO," he said. "Given recent allegations of Moscow's involvement in other elections and referendums, this will be a real concern for NATO and the EU." (This version of the June 17 story corrects academic institution of expert in penultimate paragraph) (Additional reporting by Michele Kambas, Phoebe Fronista and Kole Casule; editing by Andrew Roche and Ros Russell) By Karolina Tagaris and Aleksandar Vasovic PRESPES, Greece/BITOLA, Macedonia (Reuters) - Greece and Macedonia set aside three decades of dispute on Sunday as they agreed on a new name for the former Yugoslav republic, paving the way for its possible admission to the European Union and NATO. The foreign ministers of the two countries signed an accord to rename the former Yugoslav republic the "Republic of North Macedonia", despite a storm of protest over a deal seen as a national sellout by some on both sides. In the idyllic setting of Prespes, a lake region that borders Greece, Macedonia and Albania, leaders from the two countries embraced and shook hands in the presence of European and United Nations officials. 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 Macedonia's president has vowed to block the deal. "Very few believed we would be able to leave behind 26 years of unfruitful dispute," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said. "We have a historic responsibility that this deal is not held in abeyance," Tsipras said as he and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev received a standing ovation. Tsipras survived a no-confidence vote mounted by the opposition in parliament on Saturday. But up to 70 percent of Greeks object to the name compromise, an opinion poll by the Proto Thema newspaper showed on Saturday. In Psarades, the tiny lakeside community where the deal was signed, the church bell tolled in mourning, draped in a Greek flag. Some 30 km (20 miles) away in the Greek village of Pisoderi, about 3,000 people rallied against the deal and at least six were injured in clashes with police who fired tear gas to disperse an angry crowd on a hillside. "We don't accept anything, we don't recognise anything. For us none of it is valid," said Costas Venetikidis, a protester. "Macedonia is in our soul, that's why we're here." Story continues Not far from the Greek border in the Macedonian city of Bitola, thousands protested draped in national flags, chanting "This is Macedonia." "This shameful deal will not pass. We will defend Macedonia's name and pride," said Petre Filipovski, 40. 'WE HAVE MOVED MOUNTAINS' Following the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece's northern neighbour took the name Macedonia. Athens refused to accept it, saying it implied territorial claims over the Greek province of Macedonia and an appropriation of ancient Greek culture and civilisation. Zaev, who arrived from across the lake on a speedboat, said the two neighbours had "moved mountains" by reaching the accord. It was "a dignified solution acceptable to both sides", he said. Veteran UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, who has overseen talks for a quarter-century, described the agreement as a fair and 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, 79. "I told my family this year I don't need any gifts because two prime ministers are going to give me a big gift." Athens had blocked Macedonia's hopes of joining the EU and NATO, objections it must now lift under the deal. Others might still object. "One big concern is Russia. Moscow has noticeably refused to endorse the agreement," said James Ker-Lindsay, professor of politics and policy at St Mary's University in London. "It knows that this will see Macedonia join NATO," he said. "Given recent allegations of Moscow's involvement in other elections and referendums, this will be a real concern for NATO and the EU." (Additional reporting by Michele Kambas and Phoebe Fronista; editing by Andrew Roche) Madrid (AFP) - Almost half of the 630 migrants that were rescued from the Mediterranean and arrived in Spain's port of Valencia at the weekend want to seek asylum in France, the Spanish government said Monday. The migrants arrived in Spain on Sunday in three vessels, including the rescue ship Aquarius, after being turned away by Italy and Malta last week. France has said it will work with Spain to deal with asylum applications. "Almost half the migrants have shown their willingness to seek asylum in France, which offered to welcome some of the people travelling on the ship," Spain's new socialist government said in a statement. Pascal Brice, director-general of France's refugee protection office Ofpra, told AFP that one of his teams would travel to Valencia soon. "As soon as the Spanish authorities have informed us of the number of people concerned, a team from Ofpra will go on site to conduct the interviews and ensure that people are covered by the right to asylum," he said, adding that the process should take place this week. The majority of the 630 migrants are from Africa, including 450 men and 80 women, of which at least seven are pregnant, as well as 89 adolescents and 11 children under the age of 13, according to the Valencian authorities. The Aquarius rescued them off Libya's coast on June 9 and Italy and Malta's refusal to let the ship dock led to an international outcry before Spain stepped in to help. Eat This, Not That! Browsing the supplement aisle at your local drugstore or supermarket can feel overwhelming. In front of you are countless supplements claiming to provide everything from better heart health to improved cognitive function to weight loss. And while some supplements do deliver on their promises, many fall short. Worse yet, some could do more harm than good.In fact, there's one supplement that has so much potential to cause harm that experts recommend you avoid it entirely. According to Courtney D'A 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. 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. Story continues Were marching to Tornillo, where kids are being sent after theyre separated from their parents. Join us tomorrow morning. https://t.co/eFNCC3jjU4 pic.twitter.com/2q5hANIIZ8 Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) June 16, 2018 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) 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. 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. 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. On Fathers Day, hundreds of protesters descended on a Texas border outpost where a new tent city has been erected to detain immigrant children, according to NPR. The Trump administration announced the new facility would be opening in Tornillo, Texas just outside of El Paso last Thursday. By Friday, the center was reportedly operational and already housing dozens of unaccompanied children, some of whom were separated from their parents at the border. In response to the facilitys sudden appearance, lawmakers called an impromptu march on Sunday amid escalating backlash against the Trump administrations policy of separating families at the border. Led by Democratic Rep. Beto ORourke and former El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar, protesters convened at the border crossing from Mexico and marched along a road near the Tornillo facility. We're marching to Tornillo, where kids are being sent after they're separated from their parents. Join us tomorrow morning. https://t.co/eFNCC3jjU4 pic.twitter.com/2q5hANIIZ8 Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) June 16, 2018 Marco Covarrubias, a U.S. citizen who was born in Mexico and attended the rally with his three-year-old daughter, said he felt morally obliged to take part, according to NPR. Before I am an American or anything else I am a dad, and I just couldnt imagine anyone, let alone the federal government, separating me from my daughter when all I want is just a better shot at life, he said. Nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their families between April and May, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Announced in April, the administrations zero-tolerance policy criminally prosecutes adults for undocumented entry, but since U.S. protocol prohibits detaining children with their parents, the practice results in the division of families. Story continues Ultimately, the reason you have to go to this extreme is because of a failed policy of separating kids, Republican Rep. Will Hurd told Texas Monthly after touring the Tornillo facility. Journalists have been denied entry. ORourke, who is running for Senate against Ted Cruz, live streamed the march on Facebook. We decided there wouldnt be a more powerful way to spend Fathers Day than with children who have just been taken from their fathers, children who have been taken from their mothers, children who wont be able to be with their family, he told the Texas Tribune. 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. Story continues 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. Baghdad (AFP) - An Iraqi paramilitary force Monday accused the United States of killing 22 of its fighters in an overnight air raid just inside Syria's border with Iraq that a monitor said left dozens dead. "US planes fired two guided missiles at a fixed position of Hashed al-Shaabi units on the border with Syria, killing 22 fighters and wounding 12," said the Iran-backed Hashed (Popular Mobilisation Units). It said the raid took place "700 metres (yards) inside Syria", adding that an investigation had been opened and the results would be passed on to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said earlier that more than 50 fighters allied to the Damascus regime, most of them foreign, were killed in Sunday night's raid on Al-Hari in eastern Syria. It did not say who carried out the attack. Syrian state media, citing a military source, accused the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State jihadist group and said the attack left several dead and wounded, without giving precise figures. The coalition's press office said it had heard reports that a strike in the area of Al-Hari had killed and wounded members of a pro-regime Iraqi group, but denied it was responsible. The Hashed said its fighters were deployed inside Syria north of the Albu Kamal border town "because of the desert nature of the zone and for military imperatives to prevent terrorist infiltration into Iraq". The bodies of at least three fighters of the Hezbollah Brigades, part of the Hashed coalition fighting IS, have been repatriated to the southern Iraqi province of Zi Qar, an AFP correspondent said. by Shafique Khokhar The case of little Tayyaba became public in 2016. In 2017 a court sentenced the childs employers to one year in prison. On 11 June, another Court upped their sentence to three years. For activist, violations of children's rights are not 'news' in Pakistan. Islamabad (AsiaNews) The High Court of Islamabad last Monday rejected the appeal filed by the lawyers of District Court Judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife Maheen Zafar to dismiss charges of torturing Tayyaba, their 10-year-old little maid. Instead, the court confirmed the conviction for both spouses and increased the sentence to three years, in addition to the payment of two fine, one of 50,000 rupees (about US$ 420) and the other of 500,000 (US$ 4,200), to the victim. In April, a lower court had sentenced the defendants to one year in prison, but the verdict was never enforced. The case came to light in December 2016, when it was reported that the judge's wife had punished the child because she had lost a broom. "While I welcome the court's decision to increase the sentence, activist Bilal Warraich told AsiaNews, I am sorry that a judge (and his wife) meted out torture and inhuman and degrading treatment. In theory, they should be guardian of fundamental rights and freedoms. "This case is just the tip of the iceberg, he added. There are many others that go unreported, with poor children subjected to torture and conditions of slavery. All this speaks volumes about the failure of the criminal system in Pakistan." According to Bilal, "legislation should criminalises child labour and child slavery. The whole nation needs to stand up and the justice system needs a complete overhaul. Naveed Walter, president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), laments the fact that "in Pakistan, violations of children's rights are not 'news' but common practice. Indeed, Rape, torture, violence, homicide, child labour and sexual abuse are on the increase due to the lack of legislation and the non-application of existing rules." The activist notes that "every day 11 children are abused, and in the last five years we have had recorded 17,862 cases. Still, The recent case in Kasur, where the lifeless body of 7-year-old Zainab was found in a landfill, has opened eyes of many: 129 cases of sexual violence against children in 2017, 141 in 2016 and 451 in 2015. Even homes, religious places, schools and workplaces are not safe for children." Arbil (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraq's only Kurdish airline launched on Monday with a flight to Sweden, after years of delays owing to the Islamic State's offensive in the country. Officials hope Fly Erbil's take-off is a sign of changing fortunes in the autonomous region, which has suffered from the jihadists onslaught and a failed independence bid. "IS delayed our project but today, we mark real progress," said the airline's chief executive, Laund Sheikh Mamundi, explaining the three-year delay since Fly Erbil first announced its launch. The airline currently has three planes and hopes to increase its fleet to 10, administrative director Ahmad Jamal told AFP. The company advertises flights to five European countries including Germany and the UK, targeting destinations with large Iraqi communities and investors who operate in Iraq, Jamal said. Dressed in a navy blue uniform with golden buttons to match the airline's logo, flight attendant Nisrine Rachid was thrilled the crew would be working in the Kurdish language. "I think that makes them happy and we are delighted to serve them in Kurdish," she said, ahead of the Boeing jet departing from Arbil airport. Iraqi Kurdistan benefitted from an economic boom after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, while the rest of the country descended into violence. But the lightning offensive of IS in 2014 -- with the jihadists coming to within around 40 kilometres (25 miles) of Arbil -- led to a signficant fall in investments. According to a 2015 World Bank study, the economy of Iraqi Kurdistan was hit by the influx of people fleeing violence from within Iraq and Syria. The region's poverty rate more than doubled from 3.5 percent to 8.1 percent, the World Bank said. Last year, a controversial referendum on Kurdish independence led to a series of retaliatory measures by Baghdad which ruled the vote illegal. Disputed areas and their oil fields were retaken by the central government -- a massive hit for the region -- while a nearly six-month air blockade was imposed on Arbil and Sulaimaniyah airports. Kurdistan has relied on its oil wealth to pay back its debts, having borrowed more than $3 billion over three years and paying up with monthly instalments of oil barrels. Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli warplanes on Monday conducted strikes against nine Hamas "military targets" in the northern Gaza Strip in response to incendiary kites being sent into Israeli territory, the army said. The attacks targeted two Hamas military sites and a munitions manufacturing site, the military said in a statement, without specifying whether the raids had resulted in casualties. "Fire balloons" and kites carrying flammable material have become symbols of the Palestinian border protests in recent months. The Israeli army on Saturday wounded two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip attempting to launch incendiary balloons across the border into Israel, officials said. Since major border protests broke out at the end of March, more than 300 fires have devastated several thousand hectares of fields and shrubland, the Israeli fire service has said. According to Israel's Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, 400 kites have been intercepted from some 600 launched since the start of the recent protests. At least 130 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire in the same time span. No Israelis have been killed. Palestinians are calling to return to the homes their families fled or were forced from in 1948 during the war surrounding the creation of Israel. The Gaza Strip is controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas which Israel considers its chief enemy. The two sides have fought three wars since 2008 and observe a tense ceasefire. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman on Monday to discuss ways to advance regional peace, Netanyahu's office said in a statement. The two leaders "discussed regional developments and advancing the peace process and bilateral relations," the statement said. Jordan made peace with Israel in 1994. It is one of two Arab countries, along with Egypt, to have treaties with Israel and both countries have been involved in efforts to reach a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has been working on a long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, but it has yet to be made public. White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, the U.S. envoy to the Middle East and Trumps son-in-law, and Jason Greenblatt, Trumps Middle East peace negotiator, are expected in the region this week to discuss their peace plan. Abdullahs Hashemite dynasty is also custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. "Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated Israel's commitment to maintaining the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem," the statement said. The last round of U.S.-led peace talks collapsed in 2014. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; editing by John Stonestreet and Jane Merriman) Rome (AFP) - A notorious Italian mobster, Roberto Spada, was sentenced Monday to six years in jail for violently assaulting a journalist during an interview in 2017, the video of which immediately went viral. The assault, which shocked Italy, occurred last November in the seaside town of Ostia, near Rome. Daniele Piervincenzi, who works for the Rai national television broadcaster, was asking the brother of a jailed mafia boss about his political allegiances when he was set upon while a camera was rolling. Questioned on his ties to the far-right CasaPound movement, Spada suddenly lunged and headbutted the reporter, breaking his nose, before pulling out a cosh, hitting him and chasing him down the street. Spada was arrested for assault aggravated by mafia-style violence, with prosecutors saying his behaviour was typical of methods used by organised crime groups to control territory. Spada's accomplice in the assault Ruben Nelson Alvarez del Puerto was jailed for six years. The sentence is slightly less that the eight years and nine months called for by the public prosecution. According to Italian media, the sentence also calls for one year's probation at the end of the prison sentence and compensation to be paid to Piervincenzi and his cameraman Edoardo Anselmi who was also targeted in the attack. The Spada clan is notoriously violent. Seven members of the family were sentenced to a combined 56 years in jail in October 2017, and Roberto's brother Carmine was ordered to serve 10 years in 2016 for extortion and mafia association. Ottawa (AFP) - The world's sixth largest wheat producer sought to reassure trading partners on Monday that genetically modified wheat plants discovered on an Alberta farm were few and posed no food safety risks, after Japan and South Korea halted Canadian wheat imports. Wheat sales contribute about Can$11 billion (US$8 billion) to the Canadian economy each year. The temporary import bans were another blow to Canadian farmers who faced costly delays in getting grains to markets this year due to a disruption in rail shipping to ports blamed on winter storms. "South Korea and Japan have initiated a temporary suspension of trade in wheat while they undertake a review of the comprehensive investigation and testing already completed by Canadian officials," trade department spokesman Jesse Wilson told AFP. "That testing concluded that this wheat is not in the food supply, it has never been approved or used in trade and that the wheat was isolated to a few plants along an access road," he said in an email. Ottawa, he added, "is working with foreign trading partners to ensure they have all the necessary information to make informed decisions and limit market disruptions." The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced on June 14 that a genetically modified (GM) wheat plot was discovered last summer by a farmer in Alberta who was surprised to see wheat resist after a Roundup spray. Canadian authorities determined the herbicide-tolerant wheat was a banned Monsanto GM wheat line (MON71200), which had been used in several confined field trials two decades ago in Canada and the United States. The stray GM wheat was found about 300 kilometers (185 miles) from one of those testing sites. Unauthorized GM wheat was also found in US states of Oregon in 2013, Montana in 2014 and Washington two years ago. But these were not the same strains as those found in Canada. Lets check out the Yahoo Finance charts of the day. JD.com (JD): Shares are up in early trade, at around 3.4%. Google is buying a $550 million stake in the Chinese e-commerce firm as part of a strategic partnership between the two companies. Unilever (UN): Shares are down here, at around 1.1%. The consumer-goods company said they will no longer work with social media influencers, who buy followers on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Chevron (CVX): Shares are up here, at around 2.1%. The energy producer was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Raymond James, saying that Chevron is in a better position than its peers to benefit from increased oil prices. For more on todays big stock movers check out the Final Round, live at 3:55 p.m. ET, right here on Yahoo Finance. by J.B. An Dang Mgr Michael Hoang uc Oanh tells President Tran ai Quang to respect the popular will in the name of social harmony. People carry Vatican flags and banners saying "No leasing land to Chinese communists for even one day and Cybersecurity law kills freedom. Last weeks demonstrations ended with thousands of arrests across the country. Now the government threatens even greater repression. Hanoi (AsiaNews) Mgr Michael Hoang uc Oanh, bishop emeritus of Kontum, slammed President Tran ai Quang for approving new restrictions on Internet use. The prelate calls on the authorities to respect the will of the people and the rights of citizens, urging them to release protesters arrested in recent days. Whilst large number of police have been deployed in the countrys main cities and provinces, thousands of Catholics (pictures) took part in peaceful demonstrations in Ha Tinh and Vinh (Central Vietnam) against the new cyber security law and new special administrative-economic units that for many represent a sell-out to China. Mgr Hoang uc Oanh published a letter dated 16 June addressed to the Vietnamese president. In it, the prelate condemns the statements of some members of the government and urges a more moderate tone in order to promote social harmony and respect for the rights of citizens. Commenting on what happened in the last days, the bishop says: "The purpose of the new cyber security law is to deceive people, that of the bill on special administrative and economic units is to sell the country to China. "On Sunday 10 June, when people expressed their opinions against the two laws, the government attacked them in a barbaric way instead of listening to them. Later, the authorities ordered mass arrests in Binh Thuan and elsewhere. People are still being arrested." "I urge you, Mr Chairman, to release all those arrested, publish a new law on protests, as prescribed by the Constitution, and respect the popular will," the prelate wrote. In a video posted online, the bishop emeritus also rebukes priests who sit in the National Assembly for voting in favour of the new cybersecurity legislation. "These priests betray their faith and their country for the money and prestige bestowed on them by the communists", the prelate says. The law, which will come into effect on 1st January 2019, has already caused a sharp decrease in visits to Catholic sites. "Users have to reduce their activities on the Internet, for fear of prosecution," said Fr Paul Van Chi, spokesman for the Federation of Vietnamese Catholic Mass Media. In a press release published a few days ago, he criticised the lack of adequate protection of privacy. "The provisions of the cybersecurity law could make it easier for the government to identify and prosecute people for their peaceful online activities," the priest warns. Fr Joseph Nguyen, of the archdiocese of Hanoi, fears that from now on the faithful will rely more on Catholics and the Nation, a magazine financed by the state and controlled by the Communist Party. "It seems to be rich in content. But beware, things have always been, are and will be distorted through the prism of communism. Do not be so naive as to think that the communists will fund Catholics to evangelise, "the priest told AsiaNews. Founded in 1975 by the communist government, as part of its attempt to create a state church, the magazine is edited by Fr Phan Khac Tu, a member of the Party and vice-president of the so-called "Committee for the Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics", a body set up to split the Church from the Holy See. Fr Tu has lived with a woman for decades and is the father of two children. Canon law forbids the clergy from holding public offices, except in exceptional circumstances and subject to approval by Church authorities. In an open letter to Church leaders, many priests, including Fr Nguyen Van Ly, a dissident who spent 15 years in prison, reiterated that membership in the Communist Party is unlawful. The signatories of the letter therefore ask the bishops for disciplinary action against priests deemed guilty. "They do not contribute to the improvement of the conditions in which the Church operates, says Fr. Nguyen. They never raised their voices against repression and forced expropriation." Furthermore, whilst violations of religious freedom increase in the country, like attacks on dissident priests, priests close to the Party have called for "harsher punishment towards their brothers and sisters in faith". "Their presence in the government undermines the credibility of the Church and the effectiveness of her mission", the priest noted. Meanwhile, videotaped by police cameras, yesterday thousands of Catholics marched through the streets of various cities praying the rosary. The demonstrators carried Vatican flags and banners that said "No leasing land to Chinese communists for even one day and Cybersecurity law kills freedom. The violent protests of last week ended with hundreds of arrests. Never in the history of Vietnams communist regime have there been so many arrests, especially in the South, where the repression of the government is greater. In recent days, the government has promised to punish protesters, calling them "extremists". Three days ago, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, speaker of the National Assembly, condemned the "abuses of democracy, distortions of truth, provocations and social disorder" by the defendants. State media reported direct violent threats by police Major-Colonel Tran Anh Huy who promised to "blow the brains of anyone who dares to take part in demonstrations against the cybersecurity law, passed last Tuesday. Ms Bush has rarely spoken out about politics since her husband left the White House: Rex Former First Lady Laura Bush has launched an attack on a controversial Trump administration policy that splits up families who illegally enter the US at the Mexican border. Ms Bush, who is married to George Bush, branded the zero-tolerance immigration cruel and immoral saying it breaks my heart. The 71-year-old compared it to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II which she branded one of the most shameful episodes in US history. Penning a scathing guest column in the Washington Post, Ms Bush said: "I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart. "Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso," she continued. "These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II. Ms Bush, who has rarely spoken out about politics since her husband left the White House, added: We also know that this treatment inflicts trauma; interned Japanese have been two times as likely to suffer cardiovascular disease or die prematurely than those who were not interned." In 2018, can we not as a nation find a kinder, more compassionate and more moral answer to this current crisis? I, for one, believe we can, she concluded the article by saying. Her comments come after mounting controversy over Donald Trump's zero-tolerance immigration policy. Earlier Melania Trump said she hates to see children separated from their families in what was a rare political intervention from the current First Lady amid an immigration crackdown launched by the Trump administration. 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, her communications director, Stephanie Grisham, told CNN. Story continues She added: She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart. This is the first time Ms Trump, who has made helping children the core of her official Be Best platform as First Lady, has weighed in on the issue which has dominated headlines for days. Since May, the Trump administration has charged every adult caught crossing the border illegally with federal crimes, instead of referring those with children mainly to immigration courts in the way that former administrations did. On Sunday, Democratic legislators joined hundreds of protesters in New Jersey and Texas to demonstrate outside immigration detention facilities for young people. Top White House adviser Kellyanne Conway has also criticised the family separation policy. Nobody likes breaking up families and seeing babies ripped from their mothers arms, she told NBCs Meet the Press. 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. Moscow (AFP) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart Mike Pompeo have discussed North Korea by phone less than a week after a historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Moscow said Monday. Lavrov and US Secretary of State Pompeo discussed the "task of consolidating efforts towards a solution to problems of the Korean peninsula," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on its website. The exchange comes six days after Trump and Kim made history held a summit in Singapore in an unprecedented encounter that saw the two leaders shake hands. The Kremlin welcomed the meeting, with President Vladimir Putin saying it was "without doubt just the first step towards a full-blown settlement." "Thanks to this meeting a possible negative scenario has been cast aside," Putin said. On Thursday the Russian leader reiterated a invitation for Kim Jong Un to visit Russia as he was hosting North Korea's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam. Putin said he would be happy to welcome Kim to Russia, suggesting they meet during an economic forum in the far eastern port city of Vladivostok this September. Lavrov and Pompeo also discussed "the calendar of political contacts between Russia and the US in the near future," according to the foreign ministry statement. On June 10, Putin said he was ready to meet his US counterpart as soon as Washington was ready, adding Vienna could be a possible venue for such a summit. The last, brief meeting between Putin and Trump took place in November 2017 in Vietnam during an APEC leaders summit. London (AFP) - Britain's House of Lords inflicted another defeat on the government Monday over its flagship Brexit bill, sending it back to MPs and setting up a fresh showdown between Prime Minister Theresa May and her pro-European rebels. Unelected peers in the upper house voted by 354 to 235 to support a rebel amendment on the role parliament should play if the government fails to secure a deal with the European Union before Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019. "I want to ensure that parliament does have a meaningful vote and I don't want to see that left to chance," said Lord Hailsham, the member of May's Conservative Party who proposed the motion. The amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill was drawn up in consultation with pro-European MPs in the lower House of Commons, who will have a chance to vote on it themselves on Wednesday. They had threatened to rebel on the same issue when they debated the bill last week, but held off following personal assurances from May that she would heed their concerns. However, her compromise amendment fell short of their expectations, and peers agreed to back an alternative so the MPs could vote again when the bill returns to them, in a process known as "ping-pong". May earlier warned that any attempt by parliament to take control of the Brexit negotiations would weaken her hand. "Of course we have been listening to concerns about the role of parliament," she told reporters. "But we need to make sure that parliament can't tie the government's hands in negotiation and can't overturn the will of the British people." Despite the stuttering progress in the talks with Brussels, both sides still hope to reach a deal in October. The government has promised lawmakers a vote on the final deal, but the issue at stake is what happens if they reject it. Pro-Europeans want to ensure there is some way of holding the government to account in what would be a crisis situation. Story continues - Cold sweat - The EU (Withdrawal) Bill would formally end Britain's membership of the bloc and transfer more than 40 years of European law on to the British statute books. May is on a tightrope as her Conservative minority government relies on the backing of 10 MPs from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party for a slim majority in the 650-seat elected Commons chamber. Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general who heads up the pro-European faction, told BBC television that a future vote on a Brexit deal could see May tumble. "We could collapse the government, and I assure you I wake up at 2:00 am in a cold sweat thinking about the problems that we have put on our shoulders," he said. An added risk for the rebels is that if May does fall, it could open the door for an arch-Brexiteer to take over. - Brexit dividend - May risked stirring the pot further on Monday by announcing new money for the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) based on a "Brexit dividend". She said part of the A20 billion ($27 billion, 23 billion euros) injection would be funded by "the money we no longer spend on our annual membership subscription to the European Union". The promise to divert money from the EU to the NHS was a key tenet of the pro-Brexit campaign in the 2016 referendum, but highly controversial. Independent experts warn the figures do not add up, arguing the economy is already slowing as a result of Brexit, which will cost far more than membership fees. May admitted some of the money would be funded by taxation, risking provoking the Brexit-supporting right wing of her party, who favour reducing public spending. Ever since the news broke that Prince Harry was dating Suits actress Meghan Markle, her entire family has been plunged into the media spotlight. SEE ALSO: Harry and Meghan's royal wedding gets weird with a Bad Lip Reading Her father, Thomas Markle, has perhaps felt this attention more than anyone else. In the weeks before the wedding it was reported that he had been working with a paparazzi photographer to stage photographs of himself, and in the run-up to the big day he suffered a heart attack. Two days before the royal wedding, Meghan Markle issued a statement to say he would not be attending. Well, now he's opened up about what exactly took place. In a 30 minute interview with Good Morning Britain on Monday, Thomas spoke about a number of things from his early conversations with Prince Harry to the way he felt watching his daughter walk down the aisle... On his conversations with Prince Harry Thomas described Prince Harry, who he's only ever spoken to over the phone, as a "very nice man, a gentleman, and very likeable." "We've yet to see each other face to face," said Thomas. We've had interesting conversations on the phone [...] He's a smart guy." Thomas went on to say that they'd spoken about Donald Trump and Brexit in the past. "I was complaining I didn't like Donald Trump, he said, 'Give Donald Trump a chance'," continued Thomas. "I sort of disagreed with that, but I still like Harry. That was his politics, I have my politics, so..." And did he think Prince Harry was a Trump supporter? "I would hope not now," replied Thomas. "But at the time he might have been." WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Daddy, I have a new boyfriend - Thomas Markle talks about his daughters romance with Prince Harry #GMB pic.twitter.com/rzASEpEsKf Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 18, 2018 On his decision to work with the paparazzi Story continues "This was a presentation to me to change my image, because for the last year photographs of me were always, like, derogatory," Thomas explained. "They would take pictures of my hand grabbing a beer, they'd take pictures of me getting in my car, taking the garbage out, they'd take pictures of me buying a toilet and making a big deal out of it, they'd take all kinds of pictures of me making me look negative. "So I thought this'd be an nice way of improving my look. Well obviously that all went to hell and I feel bad about it, I apologised for it, and that's all I can do." Thomas described the decision as a mistake, and said he'd spoken to both Meghan and Harry about it after the news broke. "I spoke to them both and I apologised," he said. "Both Harry and Meghan were very forgiving about it." On the wedding Thomas explained that he was ultimately unable to attend the wedding due to his health. He told Meghan and Harry shortly before going in for heart surgery. "They were disappointed but they both said and Meghan cried, I'm sure, she did cry and they both said take care of yourself, we're really worried about you," he explained. "They said the important thing was that I get better." Thomas went on to say he was "honoured" that Prince Charles walked his daughter down the aisle. "I can't think of a better replacement than someone like Prince Charles," he said. "He looked very handsome, and my daughter looked beautiful with him. I was jealous, I wish I'd been there, I wish it'd been me, but thank God he was there. "[...] The unfortunate thing for me now is I'm a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history, rather than the dad walking her down the aisle. So that upsets me somewhat." Meghan Markle rarely makes a wrong fashion move. Of course, it helps that the 36-year-old wife of Prince Harry has a team of advisers and the worlds greatest designers scrambling to dress her. But the Duchess of Sussex may have taken her first major sartorial misstep this weekend, when she wore a dress that has garnered some negative opinions from fashion experts and the public. Meghan Markle wore Oscar de la Renta to a family wedding over the weekend. (Photo: Geoff Robinson) The look in question was a blue-and-white floral-print frock from Oscar de la Rentas Resort 2019 collection. Meghan wore the dress to the wedding Saturday of Prince Harrys cousin Celia McCorquodale and George Woodhouse. She paired the dress with Aquazzura heels, a Carolina Herrera Scala Insignia clutch in white (believed to be bespoke) and a pillbox bow fascinator from Marks & Spencer. Many thought the outfit swamped Meghan, while others took swipes at the floral pattern. Her white fascinator also divided fans. Oh no sorry #MeghanMarkle this is not you way too big!! Where has your lovely style gone ? pic.twitter.com/rr7uuQLpen rattycastle (@rattycastle) June 17, 2018 Not criticising Meghan Markles dress from the wedding yesterday in any way but literally have her dress as my bed sheets from @IKEAUK pic.twitter.com/8O3yBJUAAr Michael Pearson (@MPJourno) June 17, 2018 When you get a last minute invite to a wedding and dont have a hat so you grab the nearest thing and go#MeghanMarkle pic.twitter.com/LO2eWWXDzC Katie (@CilloMurphy) June 17, 2018 #Meghan Markle looks like she re-inacted the Gone with the Wind scene where Scarlett makes a dress from old curtains. Megan only had a M&S duvet to work with. pic.twitter.com/sc369pBBlE Kitty Air (@kittyair) June 17, 2018 However, there were some people who loved the dress Story continues That dress is so magnificent. I love Meghans style so much. Always sleek & classic. vampiresa en tu novela (@bettyhonest) June 16, 2018 The model wears it the same way as Meghan did its the style plus who wants to out dress the Bride love Meghans choice of dress its a country wedding and a country style she looks beautiful in it. I love it! Patricia Jones (@jonespatjones1) June 17, 2018 The Oscar de la Renta number is a far cry from the look Meghan normally goes for which may be why it generated so much scrutiny. Her style is usually minimalist and elegant; florals and prints tend to be more the Duchess of Cambridges vibe. Weve recently seen Meghan wearing a caped Givenchy dress for her visit with the queen, as well as a custom pink Carolina Herrera skirt suit and Philip Treacy hat worn to her first Trooping the Colour. Both looks were well received by fashion experts and fans alike. Meghan Markle with the Duchess of Cambridge at Trooping the Colour. (Photo: Getty) Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. A two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker cries as her mother is searched and detained near the US-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas - Getty Images North America Melania Trump waded into a debate over children being separated from their families at the Mexico border, saying the United States should "govern with heart". In a rare intervention the first lady's spokeswoman said she wanted Republicans and Democrats to work together to achieve "successful immigration reform". Her comments were taken by some as an implicit criticism of her husband's recently introduced "zero tolerance" policy at the border. A two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker cries as her mother is searched and detained near the US-Mexico border on June 12, 2018 in McAllen, Texas Credit: Getty It was also possible she was backing the president's recent claim that Democrats in Congress were responsible for the situation. Her remarks were followed by a strong statement from former first lady Laura Bush, who called the policy "cruel" and "immoral" and said "it breaks my heart." Melania Trump said she wants an end to children being separated from their families at the Mexico border Credit: CARLOS BARRIA/Reuters More than 2,000 children have been removed from their parents over the last six weeks since Jeff Sessions, the US attorney general, introduced the new approach. Under the policy adults are being detained and prosecuted with their children taken away and sent to separate shelters. Previously, many illegal immigrants were allowed to remain at liberty while they awaited proceedings. Children who've been taken into custody related to cases of illegal entry into the United States, rest in one of the cages at a facility in McAllen, Texas Credit: AP A spokeswoman for the first lady said: "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." A mural at a former Walmart where illegal immigrant boys are being held Credit: Reuters Mrs Trump, who immigrated to the United States legally from her native Slovenia, campaigns on behalf of children. The comments came amid a growing uproar over the detention of minors, including hundreds being held at a former Walmart superstore in Texas. On Monday night Hilary Clinton also condemned the situation, calling it a "humanitarian crisis". Whats happening to families at the border right now is a humanitarian crisis. Every parent who has ever held a child in their arms, every human being with a sense of compassion and decency, should be outraged. Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) 18 June 2018 Despite what this White House claims, separating families is not mandated by law. That is an outright lie, and its incumbent on all of us journalists and citizens alike to call it just that. Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) 18 June 2018 Laura Bush writing a guest column for The Washington Post on Sunday compared the policy to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Story continues "I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel," the wife of George W Bush wrote. She said "the US government "should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso." The US Border Patrol on Sunday allowed reporters to briefly visit the facility where it holds families arrested at the border. The cages in which people are held in cases of illegal entry into the United States Credit: AP Inside an old warehouse in South Texas, hundreds of children wait in a series of cages created by metal fencing. One cage had 20 children inside. Scattered about are bottles of water, bags of chips and large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets. One teenager told an advocate who visited that she was helping care for a young child she didn't know because the child's aunt was somewhere else in the facility. She said she had to show others in her cell how to change the girl's diaper. Behind the Shutter: US-Mexico border Mr Trump himself has also said he "hates to see separation of parents and children" and has accused Democrats of pursuing a "horrible and cruel legislative agenda". On Sunday Kellyanne Conway, his counsellor, tried to further distance the White House from responsibility. Mrs Conway said: "As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody whos got a conscience, I will tell you that nobody likes this policy. "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." Democrats and some Republicans in Congress also criticised the policy, blaming the White House. Illegal immigrant boys are allowed two phone calls a week at a shelter Credit: Reuters Susan Collins, a Republican senator from Maine, accused the White House of trying to send a message "that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you". She added: "That's traumatising to the children who are innocent victims and it is contrary to our values in this country." Democrats suggested Mr Trump was using the separation of families as a negotiating tool to secure funding for his proposed border wall in future immigration legislation. Adam Schiff, a Democrat congressman, said the administration was "using the grief, the tears, the pain of these kids as mortar to build the wall. It's an effort to extort a bill to their liking in the Congress". Mr Trump is due to meet with Republicans in Congress on Tuesday and there is expected to be a vote on an immigration bill next week. Steve Bannon, Mr Trump's former chief strategist, defended the separation of families at the border. He said: "We ran on a policy, very simply, stop mass illegal immigration and limit legal immigration, get our sovereignty back, and to help our workers. "And so he went to a zero tolerance policy. Zero tolerance, it's a crime to come across illegally, and children get separated." Munich (Germany) (AFP) - Hardliners in Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc on Monday gave her a two-week ultimatum to tighten asylum rules or risk pitching Germany into a political crisis that would rattle Europe, as US President Donald Trump poured fuel on the fire. A defiant Interior Minister Horst Seehofer warned that he would give Merkel a fortnight to find a European deal to curb new arrivals by a June 28-29 EU summit, failing which he vowed to order border police to turn back migrants. Merkel immediately rejected the threat, saying there would be "no automatism" if no European deal was found, and warned Seehofer and his Bavarian CSU party that she is ultimately in charge of government policy. A top CSU official, Markus Soeder, insisted: "For us it is clear there will be automatism" and added that the results of the EU summit would be reviewed by Seehofer. Wading into the crisis, Trump tweeted: "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!" The sharp escalation of tensions between Merkel and her long-time Bavarian allies came 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. Arriving for talks with Merkel on Monday evening, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stressed that his country cannot be left alone to deal with the influx. "Italian borders are European borders. We must act together on several fronts rather than accept divisions in Europe on responsibility and solidarity," he warned. Merkel therefore needs to balance Seehofer's demands to turn away migrants who have been registered in another EU country -- often Italy or Greece as their first port of call -- with the frontline nations' call for solidarity. Story continues - 'No grip' on migration ' Popular misgivings over the 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 in September's election handed veteran leader Merkel her worst score ever, giving seats for the first time to the far-right anti-Islam AfD. Several high-profile crimes by migrants have also fuelled public anger. They include a deadly 2016 Christmas market attack by a failed Tunisian asylum seeker and the rape-murder in May of a teenage girl, allegedly by an Iraqi. Seehofer has been one of the fiercest critics of Merkel's liberal stance under which over one million asylum seekers have been admitted into the country since 2015. Stressing that Germany must change direction on immigration, Seehofer said: "I cannot say that we have a grip on the issue." Seehofer, who took on the interior ministry portfolio less than 100 days ago, said he had only recently learnt that migrants who had already been denied asylum by Germany and been issued re-entry bans were still being allowed back in. "In essence, that is a scandal," he said, promising to reverse the practice immediately. 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. But Merkel says Seehofer's unilateral measure would leave countries at the EU's southern periphery alone to deal with the influx. Instead, she wants to find a common European solution at the EU summit in Brussels. "Turning away migrants at our borders at the heart of Europe will lead to negative domino effects that could hurt Germany, and put into question European unity," she warned. - 'Almost a miracle' - Merkel now faces the challenge of persuading EU governments to sign up to a common plan on 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, and Austria has also taken an uncompromising stance. Merkel will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Germany on Tuesday. 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 EU summit. "It would be almost a miracle if she emerges a winner from the next EU summit," Welt daily said. But the chancellor may have no choice, given Seehofer's vow to launch the nuclear option of shutting Germany's borders in defiance of her -- an act of rebellion which would force his sacking. That, an unnamed CDU source told Bild daily, "would be the end of the government and the alliance between CDU and CSU". Angela Merkel speaks to the media following two days of talks about migration among her party's leadership - Getty Images Europe German Chancellor Angela Merkels Bavarian allies gave her a two-week reprieve today to set tougher border controls in the EU, saying if she didn't meet the deadline they would start automatically rejecting asylum seekers at the German border. The news came as that populist Italian Minister of the Interior pledged to start expelling Roma gypsies. Following days of tense talks in Munich over Interior Ministers Horst Seehofers migration masterplan, the Chancellor was given until an EU summit in late June to find a solution, also granting her her time to speak with other countries affected by the move such as Italy, Greece and Bulgaria. Mr Seehofer, leader of the CSU, which formed a coalition with Mrs Merkel's CDU party, said he wants to shut the borders to all asylum seekers who have already been registered in other EU countries en route to Germany. "In addition to the functioning of a constitutional state, it is also about the credibility of my party, he said on Monday. The CSU is in favor of a European solution, but if this is not possible, there must be rejections at the German border. If the EU negotiations were to fail, Mr Seehofer said he would go ahead with turning away asylum seekers at the German border as early as the first week of July. His desire to do so puts him in fundamental dissent with Mrs Merkel, he added. About | League Mr Seehofer has said he wants to ensure that any asylum seeker with a barriers to entering Germany are not permitted in if they dont fulfil the requirements of Article 6 of the Schengen Borders Code. They include, among other things, the requirement of holding a valid travel document and visa. For 70 years, Merkels CDU has formed a close alliance with the CSU, but the 2015 refugee crisis in 2015 triggered tensions between the two sister parties. At a press conference in Berlin today, Mrs Merkel said that the CDU and CSU have the common goal of reducing the influx of refugees. Story continues Breaking up the longstanding alliance between the parties would cost Mrs Merkel her majority in the Bundestag. Some hardliners within the CDU have also called on Merkel to drastically take measures to reduce immigration to Germany, seeking to win back disenchanted voters which the party has lost to the far-Right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). German Interior Minister and Chairman of the Christian Social Union party Horst Seehofer Credit: Peter Kneffel/dpa via AP Matteo Salvini, Italy's populist Interior Minister on Monday, called for a census to be carried out of Roma gypsies in Italy, saying that he would expel any who did not have the legal right to be in the country. As part of its election campaign, his party, The League pledged to shut down and bulldoze illegal Roma camps, many of them found on the outskirts of Italian towns and cities. Many Roma people are Italian citizens who have been in the country for generations, while others come from Eastern Europe. Mr Salvini said ideally he would like to get rid of all of them. "Unfortunately, you have to keep the Italian Roma at home," he said. Civil rights groups said the idea of a nationwide sweep of Roma people was against the law. "The interior minister does not seem to know that a census on the basis of ethnicity is not permitted under the law," said Carlo Stasolla, the head of Associazione July 21, which defends the rights of Roma people. He said most Roma gypsies had the right to live in Italy and the few that did not were "effectively stateless, and therefore cannot be expelled." Maurizio Martina, the head of the centre-Left Democratic Party, said the idea of a census was "abhorrent". Mr Salvini was fueling "a spiral of propaganda that is very dangerous," he said. by Mathias Hariyadi Yahya Cholil Staquf, a leader in Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), travelled to Tel Aviv on a "private mission". According to extremists, he is undermining Indonesian support for a Palestinian state. Israels decision to stop issuing tourist visas to Indonesians remains controversial. Jakarta (AsiaNews) The visit to Israel by an important Islamic cleric has sparked criticism from the radical movements in the worlds most populous Islamic country. Yahya Cholil Staquf, a leading figure in Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesias most important moderate Muslim organisation (with more than 60 million members), travelled to the Middle East last Thursday. In Israel, he gave a presentation at a Jewish Forum and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv (picture). Radical groups have slammed Staqufs presence in Israel. He is a member of the president's advisory council. According to extremists, he is undermining Indonesian support for the creation of an independent state for the Palestinian people. Reactions have also been exacerbated by the latest spat between the two countries over travel permits. At the end of last May, Israel stopped issuing visas to Indonesian visitors, as of on 9 June, which was later delayed to 21 June. The decision came after Indonesia apparently began denying entry to Israeli citizens travelling to the Asian country in response to the violence in Gaza. Indonesia had harshly criticised the killing of more than a hundred Palestinians during the protests that followed the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem. Citing his meeting with Staquf, Netanyahu expressed satisfaction that more and more Muslim countries have good relations with Israel. In a statement, Indonesian authorities said that Staqufs trip is unrelated to Indonesias commitment to a Palestinian state. NU secretary general Helmy Faishal Zaini issued a statement saying that Staquf is on a private mission and has nothing to do with the organisation. He added that in Israel Staquf echoed the Palestinian hope of independence. NU has always supported the Palestinians, Zaini stressed. In 2000, the visit to Israel by another NU cleric also divided Indonesians. Before becoming the fourth Indonesian president, Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid accepted an invitation of the LibforAll Foundation and the Simon Wiesenthal Center to visit the Jewish state. In December of that year, as a member of the Shimon Peres Foundation, Wahid also met with Peres himself. At home, he was criticised for not being "tolerant" with the Palestinians. Former first lady Michelle Obama just weighed in on the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy, and she's calling on members of all parties to wake up and take action. Over the course of a six-week period, nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents at the border due to strict immigration policies. Now, immigrants who cross the border, including refugees seeking asylum, must be detained, which means their children are taken from their custody and sent to detention centers. SEE ALSO: 7 activist groups supporting families at the border that need your help right now On Sunday, former first lady Laura Bush published an op-ed in The Washington Post to address her concerns with the harmful policies, titled, "Separating children from their parents at the border 'breaks my heart.'" "I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zeo-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," Bush tweeted alongside her op-ed. Sometimes truth transcends party. https://t.co/TeFM7NmNzU Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) June 18, 2018 On Monday afternoon, Michelle Obama retweeted the article, adding, "Sometimes truth transcends party." Obama joins many political figures who've publicly spoken out to condemn the negative effects of the zero-tolerance policy, including Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton. No words seem sufficient to describe this inhumanity: https://t.co/DUsJac5Pas Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) June 13, 2018 Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter also weighed in: Story continues Another first lady heard from: Rosalynn Carter releases statement saying "The practice and policy today of removing children from their parents' care at our border with Mexico is disgraceful and a shame to our country." Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) June 18, 2018 First lady Melania Trump addressed the controversial zero-tolerance policy on Monday, providing a statement that stands in stark contrast to those from Obama and Bush. Melania's communications director, Stephanie Grisham, told CNN: "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." President Trump, meanwhile, spent Monday morning tweeting to reinforce his incorrect assertion that the Democrats are to blame (while also misspelling the word "border"). It is the Democrats fault for being weak and ineffective with Boarder Security and Crime. Tell them to start thinking about the people devastated by Crime coming from illegal immigration. Change the laws! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2018 For more information on how to help families at the border, check out our guide. Former first lady Michelle Obama neatly criticized the Trump administrations child separation policy on Monday, breaking from the Obamas practice of (mostly) staying quiet about the current president. Sometimes truth transcends party, she wrote, pointing to former first lady Laura Bushs Washington Post op-ed in which Obamas Republican predecessor criticized the practice of separating immigrant children from their undocumented parents at the border. Sometimes truth transcends party. https://t.co/TeFM7NmNzU Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) June 18, 2018 Former President Barack Obama retweeted his wifes post shortly afterward. Former first lady Hillary Clinton also backed up Bushs criticisms against the Trump administrations controversial immigration policy on Monday. Whats happening to families at the border right now is a humanitarian crisis, Clinton said. Every parent who has ever held a child in their arms, every human being with a sense of compassion and decency, should be outraged. Despite what this White House claims, separating families is not mandated by law. That is an outright lie, and its incumbent on all of us journalists and citizens alike to call it just that. Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 18, 2018 We should be a better country than one that tears families apart, turns a blind eye to women fleeing domestic violence, and treats frightened children as a means to a political end. Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 18, 2018 Former first lady Rosalynn Carter spoke out as well, calling the practice disgraceful and a shame to our country. Statement from former U.S. First Lady Rosalynn Carter on children separated from their parents at the border: pic.twitter.com/WVg91SWutl The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) June 18, 2018 Democrats and Republicans alike have voiced opposition to the child separation policy, which the Trump administration has defended as a method to crack down on illegal entry into the country. Story continues Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war, Bush wrote in her op-ed. We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents and to stop separating parents and children in the first place. This article has been updated to include comments from Clinton and Carter. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. Related Coverage Melania Trump Hates Family Separation, But Doesnt Directly Call Out Zero Tolerance Policy John Oliver Condemns Separation Of Children From Parents At Border Some Prominent Conservatives Call On Trump To Stop Separating Migrant Parents & Children This article originally appeared on HuffPost. 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 Monday, June 18, 2018 What to watch today In the week ahead the economic and political calendar should be relatively quiet with OPECs latest meeting on Friday in Vienna likely to be a major mover in the commodity markets. In a note to clients last week, analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said they expect OPEC to announce a modest increase to its oil production targets. West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices, the U.S. benchmark, settled just below $65 a barrel last week while Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trading near $73. Monday comes with the monthly NAHB homebuilder sentiment index. Homebuilders equity prices and mortgage applications have slipped slightly since mid-May, and we expect similar concerns to be reflected in a small decline in this measure of homebuilder confidence, UBS economists said. Read More Top news REUTERS/Aly Song Google to invest $550 million in JD.com: Google (GOOG, GOOGL) will invest $550 million in Chinese e-commerce powerhouse JD.com, part of the U.S. internet giants efforts to expand its presence in fast-growing Asian markets and battle rivals including Amazon.com. The two companies described the investment as one piece of a broader partnership that will include the promotion of JD.com products on Googles shopping service. [Reuters] Xi to counter Trump in unwanted trade war: The first punches in a trade fight that China didnt want have been thrown, and now Xi Jinping is poised to match Donald Trump blow for blow. The next flurry of jabs may be imminent. In his announcement of tariffs on Chinese goods on Friday, Trump vowed additional duties if China retaliated which Beijing immediately did. An announcement on U.S. restrictions on investments from China will follow in the next two weeks, according to Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. [Bloomberg] Unilever takes stand against digital medias fake followers: Consumer goods giant Unilever (UL, UN), the worlds second-biggest advertiser, is cutting ties with digital media influencers that buy followers, saying it wants to help make advertising more transparent. [Reuters] Story continues The bigger cryptocurrencies get, the worse they perform: BIS: Cryptocurrencies are not scalable and are more likely to suffer a breakdown in trust and efficiency the greater the number of people using them, the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) said on Sunday in its latest warning about the rise of virtual currencies. [Reuters] For more of the latest news, go to Yahoo Finance People participate in the 36th annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island on June 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images) Yahoo Finance Originals A plain-English era at the Fed has begun GOLDMAN CEO: The opportunities for young people are better today How self-driving cars will take to Chinas roads A father-son duo is revolutionizing this $20 billion industry one BBQ at a time Like what you just read? Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. And feel free to share it with a friend! The Morning Brief provides a quick rundown on what to watch in the markets, top news stories, and the best of Yahoo Finance Originals. By Thu Thu Aung and Poppy Elena McPherson YANGON (Reuters) - A police witness in the case against two Reuters reporters accused of possessing state secrets in Myanmar is "unreliable," the reporters' lawyer said on Monday, because he obtained testimony from previous witnesses, in violation of police code. Prosecution witness Police Major Tin Win Maung, a senior officer involved in the inquiry into the journalists, told the court he had applied for copies of statements made by all other witnesses. (Follow latest updates on detained reporters: https://www.reuters.com/subjects/myanmar-reporters) The court in Yangon is set to hear arguments from both sides on July 2 on whether Wa Lone, 32, and his Reuters colleague Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, will be charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The pre-trial hearings, which have been going on since January, drew to a close on Monday as the prosecution presented its last witness. During cross-examination, Tin Win Maung said he had copied the statements because "he wanted to know more about the case" as an investigating officer. Defense lawyer Khin Maung Zaw said the police officer's actions were not illegal but violated a clause from the Burma Police Manual, a set of rules governing police behavior. "He is not reliable because he has breached those police regulations," the lawyer told Reuters after the proceedings. "The would-be witness must not know what the previous witness has testified because he will prepare himself according to the statements of the previous witnesses," he said. The code says when an officer is a witness in a case, "he will not be present in the court while the inquiry or trial is proceeding", otherwise the magistrate may object to his evidence "on the ground that he has heard all that the other witnesses have said, and will naturally adapt the details of his narrative to theirs". Prosecutor Kyaw Min Aung declined to comment. Police spokesman Myo Thu Soe did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay was not immediately available for comment after Monday's hearing. Previously, he has said Myanmar courts were independent and the case would be conducted according to the law. 'TRUTH WILL COME OUT' At the time of their arrest in December, the reporters had been working on an investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys in a village in western Myanmar's Rakhine State. The killings took place during a military crackdown that U.N. agencies say sent nearly 700,000 people fleeing to Bangladesh. The reporters have told relatives they were arrested almost immediately after being handed some rolled up papers at a restaurant in northern Yangon by two policemen they had not met before, having been invited to meet the officers for dinner. On Monday, defense lawyers said the prosecution had failed to establish how the alleged documents had come into the reporters' possession. "In the law, in the Official Secrets Act, it is said that these documents, those official secret documents, must be obtained," Khin Maung Zaw said. "They cannot prove that they were obtained." In April, Police Captain Moe Yan Naing testified that a senior officer had ordered his subordinates to plant secret documents on Wa Lone to "trap" the reporter. Senior police officials have dismissed the testimony as untruthful. After his court appearance, Moe Yan Naing was sentenced to a year in jail for violating police discipline and his family was evicted from police housing. Police have said the eviction and his sentencing were not related to his testimony. Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Wa Lone said he was hopeful that "fortunate things" might happen at the next hearing. "I completely believe the truth will come out," he said. Press freedom and human rights activists around the world have rallied on behalf of the imprisoned reporters, with the United Nations and several Western countries calling for their release. Diplomats from Germany, Australia and the United States, observed the proceedings on Monday. (Reporting by Yimou Lee, Poppy McPherson; Editing by Robert Birsel) By Oswaldo Rivas and Alonso Soto MANAGUA, Nicaragua (Reuters) - A shooting and fire in Nicaragua early on Saturday left eight people dead and shattered a truce struck hours earlier between President Daniel Ortega and protesters after two months of political unrest that has caused at least 170 deaths. Loud bursts of assault rifles were heard in the morning, apparently emanating from makeshift roadblocks near a university campus, according to a Reuters reporter in the capital city of Managua that has been the epicenter of protests since mid-April. The violence flared hours after Ortega and civic leaders agreed on Friday to cease hostilities, remove roadblocks and allow for a foreign inquiry into the country's bloodiest confrontations since a civil war ended in 1990. Despite the breakout of violence, both sides resumed talks to address the Catholic Church's proposal to anticipate general elections and implement political reforms. Local media reported that police and pro-Ortega masked gunmen had fired at protesters guarding the roadblocks. The government did not reply to a request for comment on the reports. The national police in a statement attributed the gunfire to protesters, and said two men had died. A police spokesman reached by phone declined to comment. Investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Amnesty International have condemned the government crackdown and documented excessive use of force by police and government forces. Amid the morning's unrest, a building near the university caught fire, killing six people including two children, the police said in a statement. Local television showed images of firemen carrying two toddlers from the burning building. Firefighters battling the blaze came under attack from masked "delinquents," the statement said. Police said they would investigate the cause of the fire. Jose Maria Hernandez, 63, uncle of the building's owner, said his nephew and nephew's wife died in the blaze that had resulted from a confrontation with police. "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," Hernandez told Reuters outside the building, which had spewed thick black clouds of smoke. Ortega's surprise decision in April to slash pension benefits to cover a widening social security gap triggered the demonstrations that quickly turned fatal and led to demands for his resignation. The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights, which has monitored the violence, said at least 170 people were killed in the eight weeks of clashes between pro-Ortega forces armed with assault rifles and pistols and protesters armed with rocks, slings and homemade mortars. Ortega, a former guerilla, has accused protesters of trying to undermine democracy in one of the Western Hemisphere's poorest countries. Violence has ground the economy to a halt. Juan Sebastian Chamorro, a civic leader who agreed with Ortega to halt hostilities, told Reuters civil society leaders would soon make a pronouncement about the flare-up of violence. (Additional reporting by Delphine Schrank in Mexico City; Editing by Daina Beth Solomon and David Gregorio) Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Deadly weekend attacks by suspected Boko Haram jihadists using young girls as suicide bombers killed 43 people in northeastern Nigeria, officials said Monday, updating the toll. 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. "About 43 lost their lives, 12 individuals who are desperately injured" are being flown by helicopter to the Maiduguri with help from the ICRC, local official Kaumi Wakil told AFP, referring to the capital of Borno and the birthplace of Boko Haram. Wakil said 35 others were injured and were in the "process of referral to the ICRC clinic" in Biu. Another local official confirmed the new death toll, which had initially been reported as 31. 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. "Civilians consistently bear the brunt of the conflict and over 200 women, children and men have now been killed in indiscriminate attacks in the north-east since the beginning of the year," the UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria Myrta Kaulard said. "I urge the government of Nigeria to further step up protection of people." 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 deadly violence, which has claimed more than 20,000 lives in nine years, has put Buhari under pressure as elections approach in February next year. Jared Kushner with Donald Trump - AP Jared Kushner was partly responsible for setting up a diplomatic back channel with North Korea that led to the Singapore summit. Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser was approached by an American businessman based in Singapore last year, the New York Times reported. Gabriel Schulze, whose family made a fortune in the mining business, told Mr Kushner that a highly placed North Korean official was seeking to speak with him to look into the possibility of a meeting between Mr Trump and Kim Jong-un. The approach came as tensions heightened between the two countries, and Mr Trump and Kim exchanged threats. Senior North Korean officials wanted to get in touch with Mr Kushner because of his family relationship to Mr Trump. Hidden trillions: What if North Koreas economy opened up? They reportedly felt that, amid a rapid turnover of senior White House staff, Mr Kushner would continue to have influence with the president. Mr Kushner reported the possibility of a diplomatic back channel to Mike Pompeo, who was then the Director of the CIA, the New York Times reported. It might have been expected that Mr Kushner would tell the US State Department instead, but he did not have a good relationship with Rex Tillerson, then the Secretary of State. Mr Pompeo took the lead in negotiations with North Koreans and subsequently replaced Mr Tillerson as Secretary of State. The White House and the CIA declined to comment on Mr Kushner's role. Mr Schulze told the New York Times: "I do not discuss the nature of my business or personal relationships." Mr Kushner was also said to have been involved in the setting up a diplomatic back channel between Mr Trump's administration and China early in the presidency. Mr Kushner reportedly set up a diplomatic back channel through Cui Tiankai, Chinas ambassador to Washington, which helped lead to Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, visiting Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida retreat in April last year. Story continues Meanwhile, it emerged that a former confidant of Mr Trump met with a Russian individual who offered "dirt" on Hillary Clinton for $2 million (1.5 million). Roger Stone, the confidant, told the Washington Post he rejected the offer in May 2016, telling the Russian: "You dont understand Donald Trump. He doesnt pay for anything." It also emerged that the Russian had previously been an FBI informant. Mr Stone, who met the man at a restaurant in Florida, said he appeared to have been the target of an "FBI sting". Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday he expects to meet with Kim Jong Un soon to flesh out details of the North Korean leader's promise of nuclear disarmament. As Washington's top diplomat, Pompeo laid much of the groundwork for last week's historic summit between Kim and President Donald Trump, and is now planning follow-up talks. Addressing business leaders at the Detroit Economic Club, Pompeo said it was "hard to know" if and when the two heads of state would hold another summit to finalize a deal. But more discreet diplomacy is continuing. "There's a lot of work between here and there. My team is already doing it. I'll likely travel back before too terribly long," Pompeo said. "We still need to flesh out all the things that underlay the commitments that were made that day in Singapore." Before the Singapore summit, Pompeo had met twice with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, once secretly in his previous post as director of the CIA. Many experts and Trump critics have suggested Kim came away from Singapore having won cheap US concessions in exchange for a vague promise of future disarmament. But Pompeo insisted that Kim is serious. "He has made very clear his commitment to fully denuclearize his country," Pompeo said. "That's everything, right? it's not just the weapon systems, it's everything. "In return for that, the president has committed to making sure that we alter the armistice agreement to provide the security assurances that Chairman Kim needs." Separately, Pompeo's office said, the secretary spoke to his South Korean counterpart Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha "to discuss next steps in the wake of the historic Singapore summit." Earlier, Kang had said that sanctions against North Korea could be eased as soon as it takes "substantive steps towards denuclearization," seemingly setting the bar lower than Washington. But Pompeo's office said both allies remain "committed to the goal of complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization." According to the Russian foreign ministry, Pompeo also spoke about North Korea by telephone with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. George Little, a former Pentagon Spokesman, said Sunday that President Donald Trumps immigration policy of separating families who attempt to cross the border illegally undermines First Lady Melania Trumps Be Best campaign. I think its safe to say that if there was any shred of substance or meaning left to the #BeBest campaign, it disappeared instantly with the forced separation of parents from their children, Little tweeted Saturday. Trending: 'Fallout 76' Beta Releases on Xbox One First, All DLC Will Be Free The Be Best campaign, which was introduced in May as an initiative to promote the well-being of children, with a specific focus on cyber-bullying and drug use. "I will also work to shine a spotlight on the people, organizations and programs across the country that are helping children overcome the many issues they are facing as they grow up," the First Lady said in an announcement of the campaign. The Trump administration introduced a heightened zero tolerance immigration policy earlier in May designed to deter Central American families from crossing the border illegally. One of the new provisions, as outlined by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, allows children to be separated from parents who are apprehended for trying to cross the border. If you are smuggling a child then we will prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you as required by law, Sessions said while outlining the Trump administrations stricter immigration stance. If you dont like that, then dont smuggle children over our border. Don't miss: Donald Trump Approval Rating on Immigration Hits All-Time Low Amid Family Separation Policy Outrage As a part of the policy, charged adults get sent to federal court while children are sent to the Department of Health and Human Servicess Office of Refugee Resettlement. In April, members of the Trump administration testified that they lost track of nearly 1,500 undocumented minors that had been taken into custody. Story continues The policy has seen sharp criticism from multiple political and religious groups. Last week a Catholic Bishop in Arizona suggested canonical penalties for Christians who help carry out the immigration policy. Congressman Ted Lieu of California said in May the policy was evil and would shock Jesus. ...I think the most appropriate way to describe it is this: The policy is evil, he tweeted. Most popular: Israel Says It Won't Attack Palestinians Using Kite Bombs The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that Democrats are responsible for the policy. Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change, he tweeted Saturday. Democrats have repeatedly pushed back on Trump's claim that they are responsible for families being separated. Any notion that this bill ends family separation is a boldfaced lie, Representative Bennie G. Thompson, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee said. The Trump administration is brutally separating families at the border because they choose to as a deterrent. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Marchers walked under the scorching sun whilst fasting for Ramadan. Of all ages, they share the pain of the violence they witnessed and a desire for peace. The Taliban refuse to extent the truce and announce new attacks. The Islamic State group never stopped the attacks. Kabul (AsiaNews/Agencies) After more than 700 km and almost 40 days under the scorching sun of Afghanistan, the Peace Convoy has arrived in Kabul with a clear message to the government and the Taliban: end the war. The convoy started in May in Helmand province, following a suicide attack in March that claimed tens lives. At the beginning eight people set off on foot. This morning, 90 people arrived in Kabul, recognisable by the blue bands worn on the chest. They range in age from 17 to 65, and all fasted during Ramadan. All of them were united by the violence they have seen and by a desperate desire for peace, their demand made in a strong voice amid crying and visible emotion. Some left their jobs to join the march, appealing to people and young people to speak out for peace. "We are calling on the Taliban to stop the bloodshed, one of them told Tolo News. We want peace and even if we lose our lives, we will continue this movement." The youngest marcher, 17-year-old Mohammed Tahir, usually led the file, pushing a stroller packed with emergency necessities a pair of crutches, umbrellas, a plastic rug, some spare sandals and a solar panel to charge their phones. Another marcher, Bahlul Patyal, is a pharmacist who joined the caravan in Lashkar Gah (south of Afghanistan, more than 600 km from Kabul). Every time they stopped for break at a mosque, he treated wounds and stomach aches with gauze, pharmaceuticals (see picture 3, left) and good humour. You know, he said, my wife told me that I shouldnt even dare coming back through the door if I dont lose weight on this march. The members of the convoy pushed their demand for peace during Eid celebrations (15-17 June), marked by an historic truce between the government and the Taliban. The unprecedented three-day break is now at an end. The Islamist rebel group rejected the appeal by the marchers and the Afghan government, to extend the truce. After sharing selfies and celebrating the end of Islams holy month with Afghan soldiers, the group announced that it will soon go back to fight. For Afghans, caught between the Taliban and the Islamic State group (which did not observe any truce), peace remains a far away goal. On 16 and 17 June, during the Eid celebrations, suicide bombers hit Jalalabad, killing 36 and 19 people respectively. The victims include Taliban, government troops and civilians. The Islamic State claimed responsibility only the first attack and is suspected in the second as well. U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international benchmark Brent crude oil futures are trading sharply lower early Monday, pressured by expectations that OPEC and other major Non-OPEC members are preparing to raise output. At 0246 GMT, August WTI Crude Oil is trading $63.59, down $1.26 or -1.94% and August Brent Crude Oil is at $72.62, down $0.82 or -1.12%. Daily August WTI Crude Oil Mondays early weakness comes on the heels of a steep 3 percent drop on Friday that was fueled by concerns over rising production, a surge in the U.S. Dollar and renewed trade tensions between US-China. After withholding output since January 2017, a cartel of consisting of OPEC and major non-OPEC producers like Russia appear to be ready to announce that they will be increasing output at OPECs meeting in Vienna on June 22-23. The major market players are expecting production to rise, they just arent sure about the timing and the size of the boost in production. Some early guesses are for a 1 million barrel per day increase. The increase in production is expected to be in response to lower output from Venezuela and lost output due to upcoming sanctions against Iran. However, traders are now saying that a threat by China to slap a duty on U.S. oil imports in response to announcements by the Trump administration of new import sanctions on China is also pressuring prices. Some analysts are saying this move would take the trade war to a new level of seriousness. Daily August Brent Crude Theres nothing in the news today as far as supply and demand is concerned so traders are likely to respond to any new production increase estimates from OPEC. The bogie is 1 million barrels so any forecasts of greater than this number will lead to further downside pressure. Talk of less than 1 million barrels could lead to some position-paring and short-covering. The 1 million barrel figure is rumored to be the amount the United States asked Saudi Arabia to consider. According to the charts, August Brent crude oil is currently testing a key technical retracement zone at $73.33 to $71.63. August WTI crude oil is in a freefall with $62.99 the next major downside target. Story continues This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Managua (AFP) - For days, Maria Magdalena Saldana has hooked a gold chain encircling her waist to the gate bulwarking one of Nicaragua's most notorious prisons. And she vows to stay there -- consuming nothing but water -- until President Daniel Ortega's government releases her son, who was detained last week without explanation during a police raid on his house. "As a mother, I am desperate," Saldana pleas, her voice cracking through streaming tears as several security guards observe across the fence. "Let the world know what a Nicaragua mother suffers," she says, clutching her son's release order from a Managua appeals court, which she says has gone ignored. "My heart hurts," she says. "My soul hurts." On June 12, police forcibly arrested her son Wilder Octavio Garcia Saldana, 37, and took him to the infamous El Chipote prison, shrouded in lush vegetation high atop the capital Managua. The institution's reputation for brutality is as deeply entrenched as its underground cells, which reach far beneath a rugged hill in the city's center. Saldana is one of an estimated 2,000 people who have been incarcerated at El Chipote since the start in April of a popular uprising against Ortega, a former leftist guerrilla who since 2007 has gripped power for three consecutive terms. His mother has joined dozens of people protesting the sudden imprisonment of their relatives and friends. "The only 'crime' I think my son has committed is to march," she said, referring to mass anti-government demonstrations that have been met with a bloody crackdown, leaving at least 178 people dead in two months. "He raised the flag of Nicaragua, the patriotic symbol of our country" she cries. "We want liberty." - 'Clear signs of torture' - The compound now known as El Chipote once served as a nerve center of military dictatorship under the Somoza political dynasty, where the primary means to squash rebellion was torture. Story continues Ortega himself was held at the complex, while fighting with guerrilla forces that ultimately toppled Somoza. But upon assuming power, Ortega opted to keep the infamous prison open. They baptized it El Chipote after the headquarters of the revered Augusto Sandino, a revolutionary who fought US occupation during the 1920s and 1930s, inspiring Ortega-era rebels decades later. But among Nicaraguans today, the detention center with dark cells the size of closets still stirs fears equal to those that reverberated under Somoza rule. And the allegation from families of detainees and human rights lawyers that Ortega is allowing thousands of his political opponents to be imprisoned has left a particularly bad taste. In just one day, Braulio Abarca, a lawyer at the influential Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH), says his agency received dozens of cases denouncing "illegal detentions with beatings; with cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, and with clear signs of torture perpetrated by the National Police." Some of the detainees, Abarca said, are as young as 15 years old. "The crime in Nicaragua is to be young and defend your homeland," reads one of several signs protesters hoist outside the prison fence. A few feet away from the chained Saldana, 96-year-old Anastacia Morales Centeno clutches her face in her hands, sobbing for her grandson Bernardo. The tiny woman, her face riven with wrinkles, says he was thrown into a truck early one morning by groups of armed paramilitaries loyal to the president. "I cannot rest easy because I didn't resist" the forces who arrested him, she says, as a relative uses an umbrella to shield her from the relentless sun. - 'State of terror' - In the early days of the anti-Ortega protests that began April 18, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said it documented "a pattern of massive and arbitrary arrests." Detainees were sometimes stripped of their belongings and deprived of food and water, the agency said, with some "shaved, handcuffed with rigor and subjected to asphyxiating blows." The legal director of the CENIDH, Gonzalo Carrion, was 18 when the Sandinistas ousted Somoza, and now expresses shock when describing the "tragedy" of the past months. "This police force is at the service of family and power," he says. As Nicaraguans grapple with what Carrion calls "a state of terror," the government refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing. When the Central American country's Catholic bishops moved to rekindle mediation talks, Ortega's foreign minister balked at laying blame on pro-government forces. Late Friday, the bishops announced that rival government and civil delegates had struck a deal to create a "verification" commission, and invite groups including the IACHR to probe the violence that almost daily ends in bloodshed. But Saldana has more immediate concerns. "I will not leave until he gets out of that prison," she says. "We are constantly under attack," she adds, weeping as relatives chant "freedom" behind her. "I'm disappointed in my beautiful Nicaragua." In an interview with Pittsburghs KDKA-TV on Friday, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) argued that the separation of children from their parents on the border serves as a deterrent to unauthorized immigrants. (Photo: Bloomberg / Getty Images) Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), the GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), defended President Donald Trumps new zero-tolerance immigration policy that has resulted in thousands of children being detained and separated from their parents on the U.S.-Mexico border. Should you or I commit a criminal act this afternoon after were done with this interview, were going to be separated from our families, Barletta said in an interview with Pittsburghs KDKA-TV on Friday. So the laws of the country state that when you commit a criminal offense, children, you will be separated during the custody. I dont think we should have separate laws for people who come in the country illegally and other laws for American citizens. The Trump administration has separated nearly 2,000 immigrant children from parents or guardians at the border in six weeks, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Many of those children are being held in juvenile detention centers where they are kept in chain link cages, sometimes with 20 or more to a cage, according to The Associated Press. Trump and his aides have defended the new policy despite overwhelming bipartisan criticism, using the controversy as leverage to press Congress to pass stricter enforcement measures, fund construction of his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall and even cut legal immigration. They have also suggested that parents of children separated at the border are criminals. We do not have the luxury of pretending that all individuals coming to this country as a family unit are, in fact, a family. We have to do our job. We will not apologize for doing our job, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Monday at a National Sheriffs Association event. Dont believe the press. They are very well taken care of, she said of children separated from their parents at the border. Here are photos of undocumented immigrant children at a U.S. Border Patrol processing center in McAllen, Texas. Photos provided by Customs and Border Patrol. pic.twitter.com/l7kEvwWrWM Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) June 17, 2018 Barletta is a staunch supporter of Trump and has echoed his rhetoric on immigration. Barletta served as mayor of Hazleton, a small coal-mining town in rural Pennsylvania, where he pushed for a 2006 law to crack down on unauthorized immigrants; a federal court found the measure unconstitutional in 2010. As a U.S. representative, he later spearheaded opposition in Congress to a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform effort. Story continues In his interview on Friday, Barletta argued that the separation of children from their parents on the border serves as a deterrent to unauthorized immigrants. Remember, why people come to the country illegally is because were not enforcing the laws. So if people knew when they came here what would happen, we would not have this situation, he said. Casey spokesman Max Steele blasted Barletta for his comments about the policy, accusing him of defending the indefensible. Congressman Barletta is embracing this inhumane policy of separating children from their parents because he is an ideological extremist and one of President Trumps most loyal lapdogs, Steele said in a statement on Monday. Other Republicans, meanwhile, had more critical words for the Trump administrations policy on family separation. Family separation is wicked, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said in a statement. The administrations decision to separate families is a new, discretionary choice. Anyone saying that their hands are tied or that the only conceivable way to fix the problem of catch-and-release is to rip families apart is flat wrong. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Planned Parenthood is being called hypocritical for a tweet protesting President Trumps zero tolerance immigration policy of separating families at the borders. Planned Parenthood is being criticized for protesting the presidents zero tolerance policy for immigration enforcement. (Photo: Getty Images) In our hearts and minds today: all of the fathers and parents who have been separated from their children at borders. Keep families together, read the tweet sent by the nonprofit health organization on Sunday. The caption was accompanied by an illustration that read, You deserve to be together regardless of immigration status. Keeping families together is reproductive justice. In our hearts and minds today: all of the fathers and parents who have been separated from their children at borders. Keep families together. #FathersDay art: Repeal Hyde Art Project pic.twitter.com/7NPiyXlL7z Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) June 17, 2018 Bill Mitchell, the host of the pro-Trump media company YourVoice America, wrote in a now-deleted tweet, Really? Planned Parenthood advocating for keeping kids with their parents? Others joined in to blast Planned Parenthood. Thats rich coming for you!! How many babies are murdered each https://t.co/V5eBkUwYIw dont consider that as being separated from a parent??? Brenda Hill Skylstad (@BSkylstad) June 17, 2018 Both are terrible injustices. PPFA has no right to post this though with the millions they kill each year. William Henrich (@henrichw63) June 18, 2018 Planned Parenthood knows nothing about keeping families together. Main goal is to destroy families. Especially African Americans. One of the most racist organization on the planet chad henderson (@DontBlameDaChad) June 18, 2018 wow such hypocrisy Jarod Smith (@jarod_smith) June 18, 2018 The country is dramatically divided over the presidents immigration enforcement policy, which entails detaining and criminally charging people who enter the country illegally and separating them from their children. On Monday, reporters entered the McAllen, Texas, detention facility that houses more than 1,100 detainees, where people were sleeping on mattresses under foil blankets. Story continues We did see the children who were held inside here, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who visited the facility earlier this month, told CNN. In wire-mesh, chain linked cages that are about 30 by 30, a lot of young folks put into them. I must say, though, far fewer than I was here two weeks ago. I was told that buses full [of children] were taken away before I arrived. According to CBS News, in similar cases, the George W. Bush administration made concessions for parents accompanied by their children, and under former President Barack Obama, families were kept intact while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Many have decried Trumps policy as a human rights issue. On Sunday, former first lady Laura Bush, the wife of former President George W. Bush, wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post, saying, I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart. Former first lady Michelle Obama shared Laura Bushs tweet, saying, Sometimes truth transcends party. Sometimes truth transcends party. https://t.co/TeFM7NmNzU Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) June 18, 2018 Hillary Clinton has called the policy an absolute disgrace, and celebrities Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, and Chrissy Teigen have all protested. The American Academy of Pediatrics released an open letter to President Trump that read, Based on empirical evidence of the psychological harm that children and parents experience when separated, we implore you to reconsider this policy and commit to the more humane practice of housing families together pending immigration proceedings to protect them from further trauma. On Sunday, first lady Melania Trump said in a statement to CNN through her spokesperson Stephanie Grisham, 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. And on Monday, the president tweeted that the policy is the Democrats fault for being weak and ineffective with Boarder Security and Crime. People in both the anti-abortion and pro-abortion-rights communities have accused the other of hypocrisy regarding immigration. "Illegal aliens do not have a right to have an abortion in the United States" Interesting how a group who calls itself "pro-life" disparages said life by calling a human being "illegal." #Immigration #abortionrights https://t.co/00SY8dZHyj Jose Soto (@therealjosesoto) June 4, 2018 Yes, to the tweet I just read and can't find this is an opportunity for the pro-life movement to step up. Religious groups, immigration, left and right, Republican/Democrat. No one wants a child ripped from his mother's arms and lost. #WhereAreTheChildren Julianna Baggott (@jcbaggott) May 26, 2018 pro-life people who only speak out on abortion need to rename their group;immigration is pro-life, sanctuary cities are pro-life; helping refugees is pro-life, gun control is pro-life, right 2 clean water is pro-life, ending police brutality is pro-life; equal rights are pro-life elizabethh (@eliz18mcdermott) March 25, 2018 Over the weekend, Charles C. Camosy, a board member of Democrats for Life, published an article in the New York Times titled You Cant Be Pro-Life and Against Immigrant Children, in which he stated that being pro-life, pro-family is not a euphemism for opposing abortion and same-sex marriage. It acknowledges that protecting children, including ones not yet born, often requires protecting and supporting their mothers and families too. We are in the midst of a serious crisis for vulnerable children and families, though, and these pro-life, pro-family organizations have been largely silent. Last week, Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, which opposes abortion, issued a statement that read in part, these persons, our brothers and sisters, need ongoing protection, independently of whatever migrant status they may have. Their fundamental rights and their dignity need to be protected and defended. Particular concern must be shown for migrant children and their families, those who are victims of human trafficking rings, and those displaced due to conflicts, natural disasters and persecution. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he would likely travel back to North Korea "before too terribly long" to try to flesh out commitments made at a landmark summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore last week. Pompeo, who has traveled twice to North Korea this year and met Kim for a third time at the June 12 Singapore summit, told an audience in Detroit that Kim had made "very clear his commitment to fully denuclearize his country," but there was a great deal of work to do. When asked after delivering a speech to the Detroit Economic Club if there would need to be a second summit involving Kim and Trump, Pompeo said it was "hard to know." "There is a lot of work between here and there. My team is already doing it. Ill likely travel back before too terribly long," he said. "We still have to flesh out all the things that underlay the commitments that were made that day in Singapore." On his part, Pompeo said, Trump had committed in Singapore to alter the existing armistice agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War and to providing security assurances Kim needed. "And if we can get those two done in a way that matches, we will have reduced a global threat that has bedeviled the United States and the world for decades," Pompeo said. At the Singapore summit, the first meeting between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader, Kim reaffirmed a commitment to "work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula", while Trump said he would end "provocative" joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises. A U.S. official said on Monday the United States and South Korea had agreed to suspend a joint military exercise scheduled to take place in August code-named "Ulchi Freedom Guardian," in line with Trump's comments. The official said an official announcement was expected in the coming days. Pompeo told reporters on a visit to Seoul last Wednesday he would take the lead role in driving the North Korea negotiation process forward and that he anticipated that the two sides would resume engagement "some time in the next week or so." He said Washington hoped to achieve "major disarmament" by North Korea within the next 2-1/2 years, within Trump's current presidential term, which ends on Jan. 20, 2021. On a visit to Beijing last week, Pompeo said tough sanctions would remain on North Korea until its complete denuclearization, apparently contradicting the North's view that the process agreed at the summit would be phased and reciprocal. Earlier on Monday, South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam told Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank that sanctions relief would only be possible once there was "substantial progress" in denuclearization. The United States had led an international sanctions drive to press North Korea to abandon development of nuclear weapons capable of reaching the United States. Although Trump has hailed the Singapore summit as a success, skeptics have questioned whether he achieved anything new, given that Pyongyang, which has rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, appeared to make no new concrete commitments. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by James Dalgleish) President Donald Trump called for a new Space Force to be added to the U.S. military as an armed service separate from the Pentagons five traditional uniformed branches. When it comes to defending America, it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space, Trump said Monday at a White House event on space policy. We must have American dominance in space. Trump has been considering creation of a Space Force for months over resistance from the Air Force, which currently oversees military space programs. He announced his support for the idea at a White House meeting of the National Space Council as the administration presented a directive for setting a goal for a new moon landing within 10 years. Congress would have to approve a new military service, and lawmakers have been divided on the idea. Russia, China Much of the push to formalize an off-planet branch of the U.S. armed forces is motivated by space investment by Russia and China, the latter of which is eager to establish itself as a superpower with plans for an orbiting space station and a permanent outpost on the moon. Russia under President Vladimir Putin has become increasingly aggressive, annexing Crimea, deploying more sophisticated nuclear weapons and waging conventional warfare in eastern Ukraine and Syria. He, too, has aspirations for a military role in space. Robotic Explorers On peaceful space exploration, the administration announced a directive setting a goal to send robotic explorers to the moon as early as next year and do another human lunar landing within 10 years. The push could result in the first Americans stepping foot on the moons surface 55 years after doing so for the first time. The directive also calls for better tracking and monitoring of space debris as commercial and civil space traffic increases. The 1960s-era Apollo program to land U.S. astronauts on the moon was driven by President John F. Kennedys famous challenge and zealously funded by a Congress motivated by the Soviet Unions perceived existential threat. That goal was achieved by the crew of Apollo 11 in 1969. Story continues NASAs current planning for Mars isnt driven by any such urgency. The agencys priorities tend to change depending on the administration: Under President George W. Bush, NASA was directed to return to the moon, while President Barack Obama set Mars as the longer-term priority. The Trump administration aims to do both, planning a lunar gateway orbiter and landings on the moons surface with heavy assistance from commercial firms and then using those outposts as a leaping-off point for Mars. Bush proposed in 2004 sending robotic probes to the lunar surface by 2008, with a human mission as early as 2015, with the goal of living and working there for increasingly extended periods of time. NASA estimated in 2005 that the Bush program to return to the moon, canceled by Obama, would cost $104 billion. The Trump administration didnt immediately provide a cost estimate. The Trump administrations first crewed lunar gateway mission is planned for 2023 under NASAs current plans, with humans heading to Mars in the 2030s. More Republicans broke ranks with the White House this weekend over the Trump administrations policy of separating parents who cross into the United States illegally from their children. The White House has refused to budge on its new zero tolerance policy that, by referring all cases of illegal entry into the U.S. for criminal prosecution, splits migrant children from parents taken into custody. The policy resulted in the separation of nearly 2,000 children from their parents at the border in a six-week period from April to the end of May. Here are the Republicans who have joined Democrats across the board in speaking out against the policy. Melania Trump The First Lady made a rare statement Sunday criticizing her husbands administration over the policy. A spokeswoman said: 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. Laura Bush In one of the most strongly-worded statements from a Republican so far, former First Lady Laura Bush called the policy cruel and immoral. I live in a border state, Bush wrote in The Washington Post on Sunday. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart. Laura Bush compared the zero-tolerance policy to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, which she called one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history. She added: People on all sides agree that our immigration system isnt working, but the injustice of zero tolerance is not the answer. Susan Collins Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said on CBSs Face the Nation Sunday that separating children from their parents is traumatizing to children and contrary to our values in this country. Story continues What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you, she said. Thats traumatizing to the children who are innocent victims, and it is contrary to our values in this country. From the experience of previous administrations, it does not act as a deterrent to use children in this fashion, she said. Anthony Scaramucci Anthony Scaramucci, a former advisor to President Trump, said Saturday he believed the policy was not humane and called on Trump to [fix] this problem. However, he said the issue was a bipartisan problem, saying whats happening right now is the President is pointing at the Democrats and the Democrats are pointing at the President, the administration theres culpability on all sides here. Critics of the policy, however, argue that Trump has the power to end it whenever he so chooses. Paul Ryan House Speaker Paul Ryan came out on Thursday to oppose the policy, but blamed the courts rather than the Trump administration, and urged Congress to fix the problem through legislation. We dont want kids to be separated from their parents, Ryan told reporters in Washington. He continued: This is because of a court ruling. We believe it should be addressed in immigration legislation. So whats happening at the border with the separation of their parents and their children is because of a court ruling, and so thats why I think legislation is necessary. Critics have argued that families are being separated because of the Trump administrations decision to criminally prosecute all those who enter the U.S. illegally, leaving any children they brought with them as unaccompanied minors. Kellyanne Conway Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway tried to distance the Trump administration from responsibility over the growing scandal on Sunday. Nobody likes seeing babies ripped from their mothers arms, Conway said. As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody who has got a conscience I will tell you that nobody likes this policy. But she rejected criticism that the White House was attempting to use the policy as leverage to pass an immigration bill in Congress, and disagreed that Trump should reverse the policy. If the Democrats are serious, theyll come together again and try to close these loopholes and get real immigration reform, Conway said. He was traveling from Kampot to Preah Sihanouk for election engagements. A taxi travelling in the opposite direction crashed head on with the royal motorcade. Prime Minister from 1993 to 1997, the prince was overthrown by a coup led by forces loyal to Hun Sen. In recent years he has reconciled with his former enemy, now a political ally. Phnom Penh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Prince Norodom Ranariddh, second son of the late monarch Norodom Sihanouk and half-brother of the current king Norodom Siham, was involved in a car accident that yesterday caused the death of his wife, Ouk Phalla (photo 1). The couple was traveling in the province of Preah Sihanouk, when a taxi travelling in the opposite direction crashed head on with the royal motorcade (photo 2). Ranariddh and his wife were immediately taken to the hospital. Phalla died in a nearby hospital. Ranariddh, 74-year-old leader of the Funcinpec Party , was airlifted to a Phnom Penh hospital (photo 3). Ranariddh was traveling from Kampot to Preah Sihanouk for some election engagements. His party will take part in the controversial national elections, scheduled for July 29th. They will take place months after the Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of the main opposition political formation, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). In the absence of a significant rival for Cambodia's People Party (CPP), of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in government for 33 years, activists have called the next election "meaningless". They have asked voters to abstain, to undermine the legitimacy of the premier. Ranariddh is linked to Hun Sen by a rather complicated relationship. The prince served with the strong man as prime minister from 1993 to 1997; was then overthrown by a bloody coup led by forces loyal to Hun Sen. Expelled from the Funcinpec almost ten years ago, Ranariddh returned there only in 2015, after several attempts to re-enter the country's political life. In recent years he has reconciled with his former enemy, obtaining one of the CNRP parliamentary seats, redistributed after the dissolution of political formation. Marco Rubio and Chris Christie during a GOP debate in 2016. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Ida Mae Astute/ABC via Getty Images, David Goldman/AP) WASHINGTON The Republican Partys ideological compass is gone, said veteran GOP operative Terry Sullivan, who ran Marco Rubios 2016 presidential campaign. Sullivan, in an interview for The Long Game, a Yahoo News podcast, leveled his critique at both Republicans and Democrats, but said as a Republican he was more authorized to speak about that partys drift. He blamed the deeper problem on a shift away from ideas-based campaigns. The campaigns are much more about personality than they are about issues, Sullivan said. Issues are only seen as a vehicle to determine somebodys personality. We see that with the current president. And Sullivans comments come on the heels of a surprising result in a Republican congressional primary in South Carolina, where Sullivan has worked in politics for much of his career. Rep. Mark Sanford lost last week to a primary challenger who faulted him for speaking out against President Trump, despite the fact that Sanford has voted with Trump 72 percent of the time. But Sanford had criticized Trumps cult of personality, and that ended up being more politically damaging to him than the 2009 scandal involving his extramarital affair when he was the governor of South Carolina. Sullivan also talked with Yahoo News about the moments that led to Rubios damaging performance in a GOP presidential primary debate days before the New Hampshire primary in 2016. Rubio had finished ahead of expectations in Iowa and was gaining a head of steam in the days leading up to the debate. He was primed to consolidate the mainstream wing of the Republican Party and take on Donald Trump with a strong performance in New Hampshire. But New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who would end his candidacy just a few days later, wanted to take Rubio down on his way out. He mocked Rubio for repeating the same talking points, to devastating effect. It reinforced the central critique of Rubio, then 44 years old, as too young and inexperienced to be president. Story continues He was a young guy who like, Wait a minute, is he really ready for this? He seems way too out of central casting, Sullivan acknowledged. It fit right in there. We walked into a punch. The Rubio campaign knew that Christie who never took on Trump during the primary was gunning for their candidate. Look at the guy, hes undisciplined. He cant control himself, and he was telegraphing his punches all week long what he was going to do, how he was going to go after [Rubio], Sullivan said. Were getting calls from reporters: Christie says this. Sullivan blamed himself and other advisers for Rubios game plan going into the debate. Marco got a little bit of bad advice beforehand, myself included, Sullivan said. What our data showed was look voters dont want the answer to Trump is dont be a bully, dont be a jerk, dont attack other Republicans. Focus on Obama. Thats what a large majority of voters wanted, Sullivan said. And so the advice that Marco was given and hes his own guy and did his own thing but the advice he was given by me and others was dont take the bait on Chris Christie. In 72 hours hes going to be the guy who used to run for president. Hes going back to Jersey. So dont engage him, dont take the bait. Dont punch down to a guy whose race is completely over. Download or subscribe on iTunes: The Long Game from Yahoo News But Sullivan also blamed the media for focusing on Rubios exchange with Christie to the point that it defined Rubios candidacy. That night, Marco finished a clear second of people who were watching the debate. There were some great moments in there that really animated folks. There was an interaction about that Marco gave a great answer, a pro-life answer that the base got really wound up about, things like that, Sullivan said. Two weeks after the New Hampshire primary, and after he had exited the primary, Christie shocked the political world by endorsing Trump. He was the first major establishment member of the Republican Party to throw his support to Trump, which made it easier for others to do so as well. In return for Christies support, Trump named him chair of his transition effort two months later. But after Trump won the fall election against Democrat Hillary Clinton, Christie was unceremoniously pushed aside and replaced by Vice President Mike Pence. Rubio, meanwhile, changed his mind about not running for reelection and won a second term last fall as U.S. senator from Florida. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Video footage emergeed over the weekend showing Yemeni pro-government forces firing a heavy machine gun at the south of Hodeida airport - AFP Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition carried out five airstrikes on the Yemeni city of Hodeidah on Sunday, on the fifth day of a major assault to retake the port city from Iran-aligned Houthi militants. The attack came as the UNs Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, was in the capital Sanaa for negotiations aimed at convincing the Houthis to withdraw from the port and cede control to the UN. The port of Hodeidah is a lifeline to millions of Yemenis, and Hodeidah itself is one of the countrys most densely-populated areas. According to the UN, nearly 5,000 families have been displaced in Hodeidah this month. For the Houthis, who control just this one Red Sea port, Hodeidah is a vital bargaining chip. The group is alleged to have mined the port, and there are fears that, should they choose to employ scorched earth tactics, they could destroy the port and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia and ally the United Arab Emirates say their goal is to dislodge the Houthis from Hodeidah and thus sever their supply line to Sanaa. The Red Sea port city of Hodeidah is at the heart of a crucial battle in the Yemeni civil war Credit: ABDULJABBAR ZEYAD/ REUTERS Riyadh has accused the Houthis of using the port to smuggle Iranian-made weapons, and dozens of Saudi civilians have been killed by Houthi fire into Saudi Arabia. For Yemenis living in and around Hodeidah, there is a sense of being stranded in their own homes. Abdulmajeed, a 27-year-old worker at a local medical charity who did not want his last name used, has not left home since the offensive began. My relatives are in a small area outside Hodeidah, but we cant flee there as we have to cross the battlefield to reach it. I cant go to Sanaa or Ibb as I cannot pay 200,000 Riyals (3,000) for transportation, he told The Telegraph from his home in central Hodeidah. As warplanes sliced across the sky, residents of Hodeidah reported panic buying at local supermarkets by those who can afford it an increasingly small slice of Yemens population. According to UN figures, 70 per cent of humanitarian supplies and 90 per cent of basic commodities for northern Yemen enter the country through Hodeidah. The loss of the port or the severe restriction of access could quickly spin out of control in a country where 8.5 million people are on the brink of starvation and another 10 million are vulnerable to food shortages. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the war in Yemen. By Mohammed Ghobari ADEN (Reuters) - 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. 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."About 20,000 troops, mostly Yemenis from various factions led by United Arab Emirates forces and backed by warplanes and Apache attack helicopters, have been fighting to dislodge the Houthis since 2015. The coalition wants to restore an internationally recognised government in exile and thwart what Riyadh and Abu Dhabi believe are arch-foe Iran's ambitions to dominate the region. As air raids pounded Houthi fortifications in the airport, Houthi fighters blocked the main road from Hodeidah to Sanaa with mounds of earth and chunks of asphalt to prevent coalition troops from advancing. "The air strikes and missiles are shaking the city's houses," said resident Khaled Sharaf. People living near the airport said bullets were hitting their homes as fighting raged. The battle for Hodeidah could drag on, creating more suffering for civilians who have already endured air strikes, port blockades, hunger and a cholera epidemic. The offensive could also have ramifications further afield due to Yemen's role in a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran that has fuelled instability across the Middle East. Story continues U.S. President Donald Trump's withdrawal from Iran's nuclear deal and his embrace of nuclear state North Korea have added to Tehran's isolation and put pressure on the Islamic Republic to preserve its interests in Yemen and other Arab states. SANDAL-SHOD FIGHTERS The Houthis, mountain fighters who seized Sanaa in 2014, gained valuable experience in a series of guerrilla wars with Yemen's national army and a brief border war with Saudi Arabia. Armed mostly with AK-47 assault rifles, they have advanced on sandal-shod feet and by pickup trucks in battles across Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries. That may give them an advantage in street-to street combat if fighting extends to the densely populated neighbourhoods of Hodeidah, a city home to around 600,000 people. Riyadh has accused the Houthis of using Hodeidah port to smuggle Iranian-made weapons, including missiles used to target Saudi cities -- accusations denied by the group and Tehran. On a road overlooking the desert outside of Hodeidah, Yemeni members of the coalition piled into pickup trucks, their cheeks bulging with the mild narcotic plant qat, to form a convoy. Others walked past armoured vehicles and took up positions in the sand. One casually fired mortar bombs into the distance. Houthis rule the most populous areas of Yemen, a chronically unstable country, where many parties have been competing in a messy civil war, from loyalists of the late President Ali Abdullah Saleh to southern separatists to al-Qaeda. The United Nations says the assault on Hodeidah could trigger a famine imperilling millions of lives. Many residents are bracing for more hardship as the warring sides dig in. The meagre income that Yehia Sohail generated with occasional work at Hodeidahs port could soon vanish. "I take the money to cover the needs of one day and thats it, its done," he said, speaking outside his shack, built from corrugated metal, palm fronds and torn blankets. "Now if the port closes, where will I go to work? When this siege comes and this disaster happens, where am I going to find work?" His wife, Um Ahmed, said the family had no cooking gas. A motorcycle, their only means of transportation, had broken down. Sometimes strong rains and wind batter their tiny home. "I have a young daughter whos exhausted and sick and we cant get her medication or anything, only the necessary food. If a war happens, what are we going to do?" she said. (Additional reporting by Katie Paul, Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Dale Hudson, Larry King and Raissa Kasolowsky) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has backed President Donald Trumps decision to impose tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods, stating China: needs us more than we need them. Speaking in an interview with John Catsimatidis on 970 AM-N.Y. on Sunday, Schumer commented that the tariffs should be imposed because China did not treat the U.S. fairly. Its going to take a little bit of toughness at the beginning. 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, Schumer said. Trending: Royal Family Will Hold First-Ever Gay Wedding With Queen Elizabeth's Cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten RTX68P7L Reuters Explaining why he believed Trumps decision was the right one, despite Beijing pledging it would retaliate over the decision to impose 25 percent tariffs on $50bn of Chinese goods, Schumer said the U.S. had previously been taken advantage of, The Hill reported. China takes total advantage of the United States. They steal our intellectual property using cyber theft," Schumer said. Don't miss: WWE Announces NXT UK Show, Two New Championship Belts Not only do they steal our intellectual property, they keep our good companies out, and say the only way youre going to be able to sell your American products in China is if you come to China, make them there, and give us the techniques and intellectual property, he added. His comments came as a number of Democrats appeared to back Trumps announcement on tariffs, while some Republicans remained skeptical about the issue. Indeed, Business Insider reported Republican Rep. Kevin Brady commenting: My message has been consistent: we need to hit our target, which is China and its deceptive and harmful trading practices. But I am concerned that these new tariffs will instead hurt American manufacturers, farmers, workers, and consumers." Story continues Despite Schumer backing Trumps decision on China tariffs, he did warn in the Sunday interview against making war with U.S. allies, including Canada, over trade. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Otesevo (Macedonia) (AFP) - An historic deal between Greece and Macedonia to rename the small Balkan state the Republic of North Macedonia is crucial for the whole volatile region, Skopje's foreign minister said on Sunday. "We have made history today to open up our future," Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov told AFP in an interview just hours after signing the agreement with his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias. The accord should help disentangle one of the world's longest diplomatic disputes, which began 27 years ago when Macedonia declared itself independent, but whose roots date back centuries. "This will have a very calming influence in the Balkans. Geopolitically, it's bigger than the two countries involved," Dimitrov said. "And this is the major breakthrough, essentially. Two Balkan countries are proving that this is a region that is part of Europe, because we deal with our issues on our own in a European way." 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. Both Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev have bucked strong hostile reactions at home to push ahead with the deal. 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 the accord. Macedonia was admitted to the United Nations in 1993 under the provisional name of the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". However, more than 120 countries including Russia and the United States have recognised the Balkan country under the name of "Republic of Macedonia". "The best thing that the EU can do now is to recognise (the deal) and help us by opening the door," Dimitrov said. Skopje hopes to secure a date to begin European Union accession talks at a bloc's summit in late June and an invitation to join NATO in mid-July. The signing ceremony on the Greek side of Lake Prespa, was attended by Tsipras, Zaev as well as other officials including longterm UN negotiator Matthew Nimetz and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini. By Idrees Ali and Christine Kim WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea have agreed to suspend a joint military exercise scheduled for August, South Korean and U.S. officials said on Monday, following President Donald Trump's pledge to end "war games" after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week. "South Korea and the United States have agreed to suspend all planning activities regarding the Freedom Guardian military drill scheduled for August," according to a South Korean defense ministry statement. A Pentagon statement confirmed the suspension and added that there would be a meeting between the secretaries of defense and state as well as Trump's national security adviser on the issue this week. "We are still coordinating additional actions. No decisions on subsequent wargames have been made," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said. Last year, 17,500 American and more than 50,000 South Korean troops participated in the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills, although the exercise is mostly focused on computerized simulations rather than live field exercises that use weapons, tanks or aircraft. The U.S.-South Korean exercise calendar hits a high point every spring with the Foal Eagle and Max Thunder drills, which both wrapped up last month. The decision to halt military exercises in South Korea has bewildered many current and former U.S. defense officials, who only learned about it when Trump made his remarks. COST OF DRILLS? The Pentagon has yet to publicly release the cost of previous and future joint military exercises with South Korea, a week after Trump cited their "tremendously expensive" cost as a reason for halting them. Spending data for previous military exercises in Korea and elsewhere, however, suggest that the cost of a single exercise would be in the low or perhaps tens of millions of dollars in a U.S. military budget this year of nearly $700 billion. In response to repeated requests for cost data, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan, said :"We are currently evaluating the costs of the exercises." Calculating the cost of military exercises is a complicated process, often requiring data from different branches of the military and spread over several budgets over different years. Troops who would have been involved in the exercises would still require training and certification, which would still cost money, said Abraham Denmark, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia under President Barack Obama. "To me, the idea of this as a cost saving measure doesn't really make much sense," Denmark said. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by James Dalgleish) By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) - 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 denuclearise, 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. U.S. 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. Immediately after the announcement, U.S. 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 his government would need to be flexible when it came to applying military pressure on North Korea if it was sincere about denuclearisation. 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 30 to 40 kilometres away from the heavily fortified military demarcation line that divides the two countries. The South's defense ministry denied it made such a request, Yonhap said. The talks, the first in more than a decade, held in the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone (DMZ), followed an inter-Korean summit in April at which leaders of the two Koreas agreed to defuse tensions and cease "all hostile acts". Story continues North and South Korea failed to reach any concrete agreement during those talks, officials said. North Korea proposed to Seoul to disarm, on a trial basis, the Joint Security Area in Panmunjom, the only site in the DMZ where both countries' soldiers stand almost face to face, the South's presidential spokesman said on Friday. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the Korean War, which ended in 1953 in an armistice that left the two Koreas technically still at war. Trump said via Twitter on Sunday that it was his initiative to suspend the military drills - a step North Korea has long sought. "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," the U.S. president wrote. "Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen!" At a Senate hearing on Thursday, Trump's nominee to be ambassador to South Korea, retired Admiral Harry Harris, backed the idea of a "pause" in major military exercises. He said his understanding was that any suspension would involve only major military exercises and that regular training of U.S. forces in South Korea would continue, although final decisions were up to the Department of Defense. The U.S.-South Korean exercise calendar hits a high point every year with the Foal Eagle and Max Thunder drills, which both wrapped up last month. 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 the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills, although the exercise is mostly focused on computerised simulations rather than live field exercises that use weapons, tanks or aircraft. (Reporting by Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Warren Strobel in Washington; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Sam Holmes) Madrid (AFP) - Spain's new Socialist government is determined to remove the remains of Francisco Franco from a vast mausoleum near Madrid and turn it into a place of "reconciliation" for a country still coming to terms with the dictator's legacy. "We don't have a date yet, but the government will do it," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said late Monday during his first television interview since being sworn in on June 2 after toppling his conservative predecessor Mariano Rajoy in a confidence vote. He recalled that a non-binding motion approved last year in parliament called for Franco's remains to be exhumed from the massive Valley of the Fallen mausoleum some 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Madrid and the site turned into a "memorial of the victims of fascism". "Spain can't allow symbols that divide Spaniards. Something that is unimaginable in Germany or Italy, countries that also suffered fascist dictatorships, should also not be imaginable in our country," Sanchez added. Earlier on Monday Socialist party spokesman Oscar Puente said the mausoleum should be transformed into a "place of reconciliation, of memory, for all Spaniards, and not of apology for the dictatorship." Franco ruled Spain with an iron fist from the end of the country's 1936-39 civil war until his death in 1975, when he was buried inside a basilica drilled into the side of a mountain at the Valley of the Fallen, one of Europe's largest mass graves. Built by Franco's regime between 1941 and 1959 -- in part by the forced labour of political prisoners -- in the granite mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama, the monument holds the remains of more than 30,000 dead from both sides of the civil war, which was triggered by Franco's rebellion against an elected Republican government. Franco, whose Nationalist forces defeated the Republicans in the war, dedicated the site to "all the fallen" of the conflict in an attempt at reconciliation, but only two graves are marked -- those of Franco and Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, the founder of the far-right Falangist party which supported Franco. Story continues - 'Uncomfortable past' - The mausoleum features a 150-metre-tall (500-feet) stone cross and other symbols of Franco's National-Catholic ideology, and is seen by many as a relic of the dictatorship. Fresh flowers can still be found on top of Franco's and Rivera's tombs. Many on the left are repulsed by its existence, comparing it to a monument glorifying Hitler. Others, often on the right, insist the Valley of the Fallen is an innocuous piece of history whose critics have twisted its true meaning. The Socialists included the removal of Franco and Rivera's remains in a proposed law they presented in December 2017 when they were in opposition. The proposed law also called for the creation of a truth commission and for politically motivated court rulings taken during Franco's dictatorship to be annulled. Sanchez unveiled it at a highly symbolic spot near the eastern port of Valencia where more than 2,000 Republican supporters are believed to have been shot dead by Franco's forces. "If we ignored an uncomfortable past, we can't build a comfortable future," he said at the time. - 'Genocidal dictator' - Rajoy's Popular Party, a successor to the Popular Alliance founded in 1976 by former Franco ministers, accuses the Socialists of needlessly raking over the past. It opposed attempts to exhume Franco's remains when it was in power. "The Socialist party has accustomed us to leading these cultural battles" which "do nothing to help coexistence," said Andrea Levy, a top Popular Part official. Centrist party Ciudadanos said it was open to moving Franco's remains, while anti-establishment party Podemos, which supported the no-confidence motion that brought the Socialists to power, hailed the initiative. Top Podemos official Pablo Echenique said it was wrong for the remains of a "genocidal dictator" to rest "in a giant mausoleum while there are tens of thousands of dead in mass graves". He was referring to the estimated 114,000 bodies of the victims of Franco's forces during the civil war and the first years of his rule that are still in unmarked graves across Spain. MADRID (Reuters) - The brother-in-law of Spain's king turned himself in to authorities on Monday to serve nearly six years in jail for crimes including tax fraud and embezzlement, a prison spokesman said. Inaki Urdangarin signed himself into the Brieva prison in Avila at around 8:00 am (0600 GMT). He had been given a five-day deadline last Tuesday to appear at a penal institution of his choosing for the five-year 10-month sentence. The 162-cell mostly-woman's prison has a small separate area for men and was chosen for its proximity to Madrid to ease visits by his wife, Princess Cristina who is the sister of King Felipe VI, newspaper El Pais reported. Urdangarin was found guilty in February last year of using royal connections to win public contracts to put on events through his non-profit organization, the Noos Foundation. He then overcharged for the events and hid millions of euros in proceeds abroad. Princess Cristina, who lives in Geneva with their four children, was acquitted of being an accessory to tax fraud after a year-long trial of 18 defendants in the probe of the charity run by her husband. Cristina was the first member of the Spanish royal family ever to stand in a dock. Some of the foundation's money was shown to be transferred to a private company and used to pay for family holidays, home furnishings and theater tickets. Public support for the Spanish royal family waned during the around five-year economic slump but it slumped after it emerged that then-King Juan Carlos had gone on an elephant-hunting expedition in Botswana at the height of the crisis. Juan Carlos, 80, abdicated in 2014 in favor of his son Felipe, 50. When he ascended the throne and as part of efforts to modernize the monarchy, King Felipe removed his elder sisters, Elena and Cristina, from royal duties. The following year he stripped Cristina of her title of Duchess of Palma. Urdangarin, a retired Spanish handball player, appealed the sentence before the Supreme Court, which cut the sentence slightly after overturning a part of the original ruling by the Mallorcan Court. He may appeal the Supreme Court's ruling before the Constitutional Court. (Reporting by Raquel Castillo; Writing by Paul Day; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg) The Saudi coalition offensive to conquer the port of Hudaydah continues. Dozens of victims, and aid at risk. Msgr. Hinder: the pontiff calls to dialogue "important". But the situation is worrying, the danger of an "even greater catastrophe". Pessimism shrouds dialogue. Sana'a (AsiaNews) - The Pope's appeal for peace "is the only one that can still have a certain influence", this is why his call to dialogue and reconciliation is "always important". The hope is that his words will be heeded by "those who are in charge of making decisions", says the Apostolic vicar of southern Arabia (United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen), Msgr. Paul Hinder. The prelate closely monitors the escalation of violence in the Arab country. "On Saturday 23 June he adds - I called a day of prayer in the Vicariate for Peace in Yemen. Not to forget the victims of this conflict and the martyrs that are counted even within the Christian community, including the four sisters of Mother Teresa" killed in March 2016 in Aden. Yesterday at the Angelus, Pope Francis launched a new appeal for peace in Yemen, which is close to a "humanitarian catastrophe". The pontiff renewed his invitation to the international community to "spare no effort to bring the parties involved to the negotiating table urgently and avoid a worsening of the situation". For days an offensive by the Saudi forces has been underway in the Arab country. The Saudi led coalition is seeking to wrest the port of Hudaydah from the control of the Houthi militias, supported by Iran. The area is of great strategic importance, as it is the only point of docking for humanitarian aid, destined for a population prostrated by over three years of war. The life of at least 250 thousand people is now at risk, added to the 10 thousand victims caused so far, including many children. The blockade imposed by Riyadh in November has worsened an already dire situation with seven million people relying totally on aid and humanitarian assistance to survive. Yesterday there were heavy clashes for the fifth consecutive day. The pro-government forces, supported by the Saudis, exchanged mortar rounds with the Houthi near the airport. The military continues the advance from the south and west, conquering more and more portions of the territory. Medical and military sources speak of at least 139 fighters killed. However, the Houthi militias deny official versions and claim that resistance continues. The eventual conquest of the port of Hudaydah would represent the most important victory for the Saudi coalition in this war. Commenting on the situation of violence and tension, Msgr. Hinder emphasizes that the assault of these days in Hudaydah is "a strategic and vital area for the country". It is the entry point for help and basic necessities "essential for the survival of part of the population, especially those living in the highlands and in the mountainous areas. If the aid stops, it will be an even greater catastrophe ". For the near future and the evolution of the situation, the vicar of Arabia does not hide "a certain pessimism: everything depends on how the winners of the offensive will act. What is certain is that the brunt of the outcome will be born by the people. The best way forward- he concludes - would be dialogue and reconciliation but, to date, no one has shown any intention to pursue this path. The logic of head-on collision prevails, all or nothing, that certainly does not favor negotiation. Beirut (AFP) - Nearly 40 foreign fighters allied to Syria's regime were killed in an overnight bombing raid near the country's eastern border with Iraq, a monitor said on Monday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike was one of the deadliest on forces allied with Syria's government. "Thirty-eight non-Syrian fighters from regime loyalist militias were killed in the night-time raid on Al-Hari, on the Syrian-Iraqi border," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Syrian state media reported the attack overnight, citing a military source and accusing the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group of carrying it out. It said several people were killed and wounded but did not give a specific number. The coalition did not respond to requests for comment, and the Observatory could not immediately identify who carried out the Al-Hari attack. US-backed fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against small pockets of IS-held territory in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Al-Hari lies. Both sides have mostly avoided running into each other and a de-confliction line exists to avoid such incidents, but there have been exceptions. In May, a dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian army positions that the Observatory and Syrian state media said was carried out by the coalition. The Pentagon denied responsibility. Deadly clashes also broke out in April, but the bloodiest incident yet was in February, when the US-led coalition carried out air strikes that killed at least 100 pro-regime fighters in eastern Syria. Moonrise over Stonehenge in Wiltshire - Patrick Eden / Alamy It may feel like summer has definitely arrived: deckchairs are out in parks, holidays are booked, there's mention of firing up the barbecue and in true British fashion we've no idea what to wear to our air-conditioned offices. But technically speaking astronomical summer doesn't actually begin until today, when Britain enjoys the longest day of 2018. Read on below to find everything you need to know about summer, the solstice, traditions, the significance of Stonehenge and how to celebrate it. When is the longest day of the year? In the northern hemisphere, summer solstice, or longest day of the year, takes place between June 20 and 22 each year. This year it falls today - Thursday, June 21 - when the UK will enjoy 16 hours and 38 minutes of daylight. The sun rose at 4.43am and will set at 9.31pm, according to weather.com. The crowd cheers as the sun rises through the stones on the longest day of the year. Happy #SummerSolstice! pic.twitter.com/sNhNKEGExR English Heritage (@EnglishHeritage) June 21, 2018 The solstice officially marks the beginning of astronomical summer which ends when the autumn equinox falls on September 23. Day and night will be at almost equal length on this day, as the sun crosses the celestial equator and moves southward into the northern hemisphere. What happens during the summer solstice? There are two solstices each year - one in the winter and one in the summer. The summer solstice occurs when the when the tilt of Earth's axis is most inclined towards the sun and is directly above the Tropic of Cancer. Traditionally, the summer solstice period fell between the planting and harvesting of crops, leaving people who worked the land time to relax. This is why June became the traditional month for weddings. Story continues It might seem like a day to celebrate, but it actually signals the moment the sun's path stops moving northward in the sky, and the start of days becoming steadily shorter as the slow march towards winter begins. Summer solstice 2017, in pictures However, we won't notice the days becoming shorter for a while. The shortest day of the year isn't until Thursday, December 21, known as the winter solstice; it lasts for 7 hours 49 minutes and 41 seconds in Britain, which is 8 hours, 49 minutes shorter than the June solstice. At the winter solstice, the Earth's axis is tilted furthest away from the sun directly over the Tropic of Capricorn bringing only a few hours of daylight. In the southern hemisphere the dates of the two solstices are reversed. The winter solstice occurs on the same day in June and the summer solstice the same day in December. The term 'solstice' derives from the Latin word 'solstitium', meaning 'sun standing still'. Some prefer the more teutonic term 'sunturn' to describe the event. Astrologers say the sun seems to 'stand still' at the point on the horizon where it appears to rise and set, before moving off in the reverse direction. Equinox and solstice explainer graphic Summer solstice traditions: why is Stonehenge so significant? Stonehenge in Avebury, Wiltshire is the most popular place for Pagans to celebrate the longest day because it famously aligns to the solstices. The rising sun only reaches the middle of the stones one day of the year when it shines on the central altar. Built in three phases between 3,000 B.C. and 1,600 B.C Stonehenge's exact purpose still remains a mystery. The stones were brought from very long distances the bluestones from the Preseli Hills more than 150 miles away, and the sarsens probably from the Marlborough Downs, 19 miles to the north. The day marks the ancient middle of summer It has significance for pagans who have always believed that midsummer day holds a special power. Britain's most mysterious stone circles Midsummer's eve was believed to be a time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest, and when fairies were though to be at their most powerful. Over the centuries, the June solstice has inspired many festivals and midsummer celebrations involving bonfires, picnics, singing, watching the sun rise and Maypole dancing. Many towns and villages across Britain still mark the day. One ritual was the lighting of fires, heralding the start of shorter days, although this doesn't really happen anymore. The idea was that flames would keep the dark away. Where can I celebrate the summer solstice? Stonehenge always welcomes an influx of garland-wearing hippies, druids and curious tourists who head to the mysterious stone circles and wait for the sun to appear. Crowds of around 20,000 greet the moment dawn breaks with a mixture of cheers and silent meditation, and the strawberry moon added extra excitement this year. The solstice car park opened on Wednesday at 7pm ahead of the sunset at 9:26pm. Crowds cheered the rise of the sun at Stonehenge as thousands gathered to celebrate the summer solstice. Dawn is breaking over Stonehenge at #SummerSolsticepic.twitter.com/OXyLhHcffX English Heritage (@EnglishHeritage) June 21, 2018 Those who observed the spectacle at the neolithic Wiltshire monument were blessed with clear skies as the sun glinted over the horizon at 4.52am. Moonrise over Stonehenge in Wiltshire Credit: Alamy It's slightly quieter at the Avebury stone circle, Britain's second greatest prehistoric site, about 20 miles from Stonehenge. In Penzance, the Golowan Festival celebrates the summer solstice from June 23 to 28. If you're in London, watching the sunrise from Parliament Hill will give you great views of the capital. STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - One person was killed and four others wounded in a shooting in the coastal city of Malmo in southern Sweden on Monday night, police said. All five were taken to hospital after the shooting. "An 18-year-old man died during the night," said police spokesman Stephan Soderholm. Police were questioning witnesses after sealing off the area where the shooting took place. No arrests had been made, and police said there were no signs the incident was related to terrorism. (Reporting by Johan Sennero; editing by John Stonestreet and Tom Brown) By Angus McDowall BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian state media said on Monday that U.S.-led coalition aircraft had bombed a Syrian army position near the Iraqi border, causing deaths and injuries, but the U.S. military denied it was responsible. The attack took place in al-Harra, southeast of the town of Albu Kamal, state news agency SANA said, citing a military source. SANA said the attack caused an unspecified number of deaths and injuries. A commander in the alliance fighting alongside Damascus told Reuters that drones that were "probably American" had bombed the positions of Iraqi factions between Albu Kamal and Tanf, as well as Syrian military positions. The commander, who is not Syrian and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the strike had killed and injured some Iraqi fighters but he did not give any numbers. Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces, a grouping of mostly Iran-backed Shi'ite paramilitaries, said a U.S. air strike on the Iraqi border with Syria killed 22 of its members and wounded 12 others. "At 22:00 last night a U.S. plane hit a fixed headquarters of the Popular Mobilisation Forces' 45th and 46th brigades defending the border strip with Syria, using two guided missiles which led to the martyrdom of 22 fighters," it said in a statement. It demanded an explanation from the United States. An Iraqi military statement later said no Popular Mobilisation Forces or other Iraqi troops tasked with securing the Iraqi-Syrian border had been hit by the air strike, and it had taken place inside Syria. "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 uses air power and special forces to back an alliance of Syrian Arab and Kurdish militia fighting Islamic State northeast of Albu Kamal. U.S. forces also are based around the Tanf crossing, southwest of the town in the Syrian desert near the borders of Iraq and Jordan. President Bashar al-Assad's army, with the help of Iran-backed militias including Hezbollah and Iraqi groups, drove Islamic State from Albu Kamal and its environs last year but the jihadists have since staged attacks there. The Popular Mobilisation Forces have been officially included in Iraq's governmental forces but many of them still maintain loyalties to their former leaders and political groups. They said the base that was hit was 700 meters into Syrian territory and the Syrian government was aware of their presence. A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the U.S. military was concerned that Popular Mobilisation Forces could retaliate against American forces in Iraq. The official said the Pentagon was going out of its way to publicly make clear that it was not involved in the strike in order to minimize the risk of retaliation. The United States has about 5,200 troops in Iraq that are part of a coalition fighting Islamic State militants. "OCCUPYING FORCES" The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said unidentified planes had struck Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah and other allied foreign militias around Albu Kamal. The UK-based Observatory said the strikes had killed 52 people. Reuters could not independently verify the Observatory's report of casualties. Asked about the reported air strikes, an Israeli military spokeswoman said: "We do not comment on foreign reports." Throughout Syria's seven-year war, Israel has carried out scores of strikes within the neighboring country against what it describes as Hezbollah or Iranian targets. Israel, alarmed about the clout of arch enemies Iran and Hezbollah, has pressed Russia, Assad's other key ally, to make sure Tehran does not entrench its military sway in Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet he had "repeated and clarified" his Syria policy in weekend phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "First of all, Iran must clear out of all of Syria," Netanyahu said on Sunday, according to a statement from his office. "Secondly, we will take action, and are already taking action, against the attempted military entrenchment of Iran and its proxies, both close to the border and deep within Syria." In an interview last week, Assad called Hezbollah "a basic element" in the war and said "the need for these military forces will continue for a long time". He said the United States was an occupying power in Syria and that his state supported "any act of resistance, whether against terrorists or against occupying forces, regardless of their nationality." (Reporting By Laila Bassam, Angus McDowall, Ellen Francis and Lisa Barrington in Beirut; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington, Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Ulf Laessing and Ahmed Aboulenein in Baghdad; Editing by William Maclean and Bill Trott) A Chevrolet Suburban believed to be carrying a dozen undocumented immigrants crashed in Big Wells, Texas, on Sunday, killing at least five people. (Photo: KSAT 12) At least five people were killed and several others injured when an SUV believed to be carrying undocumented immigrants crashed in southern Texas after being chased by Border Patrol agents. The Chevrolet Suburban rolled over several times on a highway in Big Wells, Texas, around 12 p.m. local time on Sunday following a high-speed pursuit, officials told reporters. The SUV was carrying 14 people 12 of whom were ejected upon impact. Officials said they believe the driver and passenger are both U.S. citizens. The driver was not seriously injured and taken into Homeland Security custody, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd told reporters. The vehicle was traveling around 100 miles an hour, Boyd said. The vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to recorrect and then caused the vehicle to turn over several times. Four people believed to be undocumented immigrants were pronounced dead on the scene with a fifth pronounced dead after being transported to a San Antonio hospital. Officials have not yet released information about the immigrants countries of origin. Boyd said such an incident was not unusual at all, adding that his deputies are involved in high-speed pursuits related to human smuggling or drug trafficking on a daily basis. Weve seen this many, many times and not only in this county but other counties along the border, he said. This is I think a perfect example of why our borders need to be secured. It endangers American lives as well as those people from Mexico or other countries coming here for whatever reason theyre coming. It is a major problem. Representatives for both U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Dimmit County Sheriffs Office did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment. CORRECTION: A previous version of this story referred to Border Patrol as Border Control. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Mr Nunez has been charged and faces charges that carry a minimum of 25 years in prison: Brexar County Sheriff's Department A Texas sheriffs deputy has been accused of sexually assaulting an undocumented immigrants child, and blackmailing the mother with potential deportation to keep her quiet about the attacks. Jose Nunez, 47, is being held on charges of super aggravated sexual assault after the mother sought help at a fire department for her 4-year-old child, who had reportedly been crying out in pain. The details of the case are quite frankly heartbreaking, disturbing, disgusting and infuriating all at the same time, Javier Salazar, the Bexar County Sheriff, said during a press conference announcing the charges and circumstances. Mr Salazar disclosed that the girl had made an outcry after feeling the pain, and indicated that Mr Nunez may have familial ties to the family. It was not immediately clear what familial ties he may have had, though. The sheriff said that the assaults may have taken place over a span of several months, and that it is possible there are other victims. This suspect utilised to his advantage to place the mother in fear that she would be deported if she did report it, Mr Salazar said. The little girl now is safe. The sheriffs department is now petitioning for the undocumented woman to be given protected status as a conclusion to the abuse charges is sought. The felony charge filed against Mr Salazar carries with it a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison. It was not immediately clear if he had hired a lawyer to represent him. I don't know that he was purposely targeting the undocumented community, Mr Salazar said. Certainly what was appealing was the vulnerability of that community because they are less apt to report things. The potential blackmail in the case highlights one of the dangers of stiff immigration policies that have been implemented during the Trump administration, and in Texas in general. Story continues In response to the charges, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services tweeted, blaming Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the anti-immigrant policies passed by his government for your violent, racist rhetoric has terrified people into not seeking help when they need it. Related Video: What is Happening at the Mexico Border? Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View. On May 7, the Trump administration announced a policy of systematically separating child migrants from their mothers when they cross the border illegally as a group. It wasnt a secret. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, standing alongside Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thomas Homan, announced the change at a press conference in San Diego, California, clarifying that the federal government would now prosecute mothers who bring their children to the United States on criminal immigration charges, while routing their children into the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. It was a profound change that marked a clear break from previous administrations. Shortly afterward, stories flooded the national press and state newspapers from reporters at federal criminal courts across the border, detailing the ramifications of a policy designed to split parents from their children. Public opinion responded accordingly a poll conducted on behalf of The Daily Beast found that just 27 percent of 1,000 respondents supported the family separations at the border. To beat back the steady stream of negative press, President Donald Trump, administration officials and a few hapless Republicans in Congress rattled off a series of talking points wildly untethered from reality. Heres a roundup of the bogus lines. Our Hands Are Tied Because Of A Court Order U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan speaks to reporters at an enrollment ceremony for several House bills on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 24, 2018. (Photo: Toya Sarno Jordan / Reuters) House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) got the ball rolling on Thursday when he said at a press conference that he personally disagreed with the family separations at the border, but implied that the Trump administrations hands were tied because of a court order. There is no court order mandating family separations at the border. The ruling to which Ryan was referring, a HuffPost reporter confirmed, was U.S. District Judge Dolly Gees 2015 order requiring the federal government to release children from family immigrant detention centers within 20 days. The only thing the ruling does in the ongoing litigation over the 1997 Flores settlement which in part regulates how child migrants are detained is to keep immigration authorities from detaining migrant kids with their mothers indefinitely. Story continues Others have embraced Ryans flagrantly false assertion. In a less-noticed interview with Dallas public radio station KERA last week, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) accused the media of getting the story wrong. Theres actually a court order that prevents keeping the kids with the parents when you put the parents in jail, Cruz said. So when you see reporters, when you see Democrats saying dont separate kids from their parents, what theyre really saying is dont arrest illegal aliens. No such court order exists. The policy change enacted by the Trump administration exposes families who cross the border without authorization to criminal charges that historically they had been exempted from as a matter of policy. Its those prosecutions typically for the petty misdemeanor crime of illegal entry that result in family separations. Its been standard practice not to jail children over criminal charges brought against their parents. The Trump administrations innovation is to manufacture criminal proceedings by reducing prosecutors power to decline to prosecute mothers who cross the border with their children. The Bible Made Me Do It Despite the obfuscations from Republicans seeking to deflect the blame for family separations, Attorney General Jeff Sessions remains a champion of the policy. And unlike some of his contemporaries, Sessions openly takes credit for it. But facing criticism from church leaders, Sessions on Thursday delivered one of the policys most head-scratching defenses, insisting that it was somehow justified by the Bible. First, illegal entry into the United States is a crime as it should be, Sessions wrote in a statement last week. 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 them for the purpose of order. Although the comment may reflect honest spiritual beliefs, it could be used to justify quite literally any law or policy the Trump administration chooses to enforce and it does so on the basis of personal religious opinion rather than an appeal to rationality or the reasonable use of limited prosecutorial resources. Actually, Its the Democrats Fault Then came Trump himself, who on Friday inexplicably cast the blame for the family separation policy he enacted on Democrats. I hate the children being taken away, Trump told a group of reporters in Washington. The Democrats have to change their law. Thats their law. Thats the Democrats law. We can change it tonight. We can change it right now. You need their votes. Trump once again tries to blame Democrats for his own administration's policy of separating immigrant families at the border. "The Democrats have to change their law." Note: It is not a law. It is his administration's policy. (via FOX) pic.twitter.com/cnP56UarbV Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 15, 2018 The claim was patently absurd. The family separations which numbered nearly 2,000 in the six weeks since Sessions officially enacted the policy result exclusively from a choice made by the Trump administration. Democrats have nothing to do with it. And without control of either house of Congress or the White House, their role in the policy is limited to publicly airing their opposition. That obvious fact didnt stop First Lady Melania Trump from weighing in on Sunday. She also said she hates to see children separated from their families. But instead of laying the blame squarely on her husband, who is ultimately responsible for the separations, she said she hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform. Nevermind, There Is No Family Separation Policy Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen participates in a the U.S. Coast Guard Change-of-Command Ceremony on June 1, 2018. (Photo: Handout via Getty Images) Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen added her voice to the mix Sunday night, insisting in a tweet that we do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. This statement can only take on the faintest hue of truth if the reader is willing to accept the strictest definition of the term policy. The DHS policy under Trump is to refer 100 percent of illegal border crossings for criminal prosecution a step that previous administrations had refused to take. The logic undergirding Nielsens contention is that family separation is not the goal; attaining a 100 percent rate of prosecution for immigration violations is. Because DHS doesnt have a blanket policy of separating families at the border, the agency insists that Nielsens statement is truthful. Nielsen continued to defend that position at a press conference Monday. Asked by a reporter whether DHS implemented the zero tolerance prosecution policy specifically to split up parents traveling with kids, the secretary acted as if the thought had never occurred to her. I find that offensive no, Nielsen said. Why would I ever create a policy that purposely does that? But theres no reason to follow Nielsen and DHS into that logical cul-de-sac. Last year, then-Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly openly discussed the possibility of splitting up families at the border as a way to deter would-be Central American asylum-seekers. And the officials who crafted the prosecution strategy did so with the express intent of splitting up families to deter others from crossing, according to The New Yorkers Jonathan Blitzer. Systematically spouting off falsehoods is nothing new for this administration. Trump has made some 3,251 false or misleading statements since taking office, according to The Washington Post. But the craven dishonesty about a signature policy change to rebut widespread criticism marks an increasingly high watermark for the level of deceit that the Trump administration is willing to inject into the public debate. The only charitable explanation for systematically peddling these falsehoods is that the officials charged with carrying out this policy, along with prominent Republicans who dont want to share the blame for it, simply have no idea what theyve done. Perhaps they dont actually understand the implications of the court order in the Flores settlement, or they honestly believe that Democrats passed some unspecified law that forced the White House to crack down on families who cross the border without authorization. Maybe the teachings of the Bible tied their hands, as Sessions asserts. But the simplest answer is the most plausible: President Trump, House Speaker Ryan, Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen and the other prominent Republicans seeking to deflect the blame over family separations at the border know exactly what theyre doing, and they know its unpopular. And to shield themselves, theyve resorted to flagrant dishonesty and cast themselves as victims of the press. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. A boy and father from Honduras are taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents near the U.S.-Mexico Border on June 12, 2018, near Mission, Texas. The asylum-seekers were then sent to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing center for possible separation. (Photo: John Moore via Getty Images) This article originally appeared on HuffPost. President Donald Trumps Art of the Deal ghostwriter said that the president would murder as many enemies as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if he had the same power and lack of consequence. Speaking to MSNBC's AM Joy on Saturday, Tony Schwartz said he believed Trump would act like a dictator if he thought he could get away with it. "If Trump had the power that Kim Jong Un does... and the lack of consequence if he, quote, 'breaks the law,' I believe that Trump would be murdering as many enemies as Kim Jong Un does," Schwartz said. Trending: Video: Thomas Markle Made Prince Harry Promise Never to Hit Meghan, He Says in First Ever TV Interview The writer also suggested the president had the "inner sense of emptiness" and "sociopathy" to become a dictator. His comments came in the wake of the long awaited meeting between President Trump and the North Korean leader in Singapore at the beginning of the week. Both leaders spoke highly of the meeting, with Trump stating he believed the pair were going to have a terrific relationship. Don't miss: Walmart Gunman Fatally Shot By Bystander After Attacking Two People A really fantastic meeting. A lot of progress. Really very positive. I think better than anybody could have expected. Top of the line. Really good, President Trump said following the sit-down, while Kim also spoke highly of the meeting. RTX68MNQ Reuters The old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward, but weve overcome all of them, and we are here today, he said through a translator. And asked in a separate occasion about Kims record on human rights, and why he had failed to challenge the leader on the topic, Trump told Fox and Friends: Hes the head of the country. Most popular: Bad Influence: Unilever Shuns Social Media Stars Who Buy Fake Followers I mean he's the strong head, don't let anyone think anything different. He speaks and his people sit up in attention. I want my people to do the same, he added. Story continues And The Hill reported that Trump had brushed off questions about North Korea's human rights record in prior interviews. I mean, this is what we have, and this is where we are, and I can only tell you from my experience, and I met him, I've spoken with him, and Ive met him, Trump said in an interview with ABC, explaining he could only speak about his own experiences with the North Korean leader. Will I come back to you in a year, and youll be interviewing me, and Ill say, Gee, I made a mistake? Thats always possible, he added Updated | This story has been expanded to include additional information about Trump's comments on North Korea. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Donald Trump has defended his controversial zero tolerance immigration policy, saying he will not allow the US to become a migrant camp even as activists claimed separating children from their families was nothing short of torture. The president has been been under mounting criticism after it emerged that at least 2,000 young people had been taken from their families since the introduction last month of a new immigration policy, under attorney general Jeff Sessions, that criminally charged everybody apprehended illegally crossing the border. This has been the policy adopted even for those people seeking asylum. Over the weekend, images emerged of the facilities where these migrant children, mostly from Central America, are being held. One facility near El Paso, Texas, was a tent city, while photographs from another camp near McAllen, also in the Lone Star State, showed chain link fences, mattresses on the floor and families queueing to be processed. Speaking at the White House, Mr Trump was defiant, saying the United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility. It wont be. He added: You look at whats happening in Europe, you look at whats happening in other places we cant allow that to happen to the United States, not on my watch. The weight of criticism against the policy, which Mr Trump has wrongly sought to blame on the previous administration, has included former first lady Laura Bush and numerous religious leaders. Mr Sessions church in Alabama has condemned the policy as unjust, while over the weekend Mr Trump wife, Melania, said she hates to see children separated from their families. Critics of Mr Trump, who made a crackdown on immigration a central theme of his election campaign, say he is using the young people as a bargaining chip. They claim he is trying to persuade Democrats in Congress to release sufficient funds to enable him to construct a wall along the USs southern border with Mexico, another of his campaign promises. Story continues The president is set to travel to Capitol Hill later this week to discuss options for new immigration. In the meantime, Mr Trump and his top officials have defended the policy of separating young people, and the conditions in which they are being held. Theyre not put in jail, of course. Theyre taken care of, Mr Sessions said at the National Sheriffs Association convention in New Orleans. Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told the same conference the administration had nothing to say sorry for. We have to do our job. We will not apologise for doing our job, she said. This administration has a simple message: if you cross the border illegally, we will prosecute you. At the same time, the barrage of criticism has been widespread and appears to be growing. The United Nations top human rights official called Mr Trumps policy unconscionable. Speaking at the opening of a regular Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Zeid Raad al-Hussein urged the US authorities to end a zero tolerance policy that has seen almost 2,000 children taken from their families in the past six weeks. The thought that any state would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable, said Mr Hussein. Amnesty International claimed the images that emerged over the weekend would leave an indelible stain on the reputation of the US. This is a spectacularly cruel policy, where frightened children are being ripped from their parents arms and taken to overflowing detention centres, which are effectively cages. This is nothing short of torture, said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty Internationals Americas Director The severe mental suffering that officials have intentionally inflicted on these families for coercive purposes means that these acts meet the definitions of torture under both US and international law. Top Trump administration officials have defended the immigration policies amid scrutiny: AP President Donald Trump has defended his administration's "no-tolerance" immigration policy that has led to the separation of immigrant families seeking shelter in the United States, saying that America "will not be a migrant camp" to house the world's immigrants. "The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility," Mr Trump said Monday during a meeting with his space council in the White House. The president's defiant comments come amid increased scrutiny of a recent policy change announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, which instructs American immigration forces to prosecute undocumented immigrants arriving at the US border illegally to be slapped with criminal charges even in instances where those arriving immigrants claim credible fear as a qualifier as they seek asylum from dangerous and violent circumstances in their own country. The concerns around those policies have been heightened recently after it was reported that as many as 2,000 immigrant children were taken away from their parents by immigration officials, and put into shelters that in some cases have been described as cages for the detention of the children. In some cases, immigrants were misled by US officials and told their children were being taken for naps, baths, or a change of clothes before later realising that heir children had been taken without notice. Mr Trump, during his remarks Monday, cast blame for those circumstances on Democrats, even though the president's administration unilaterally announced the new "no-tolerance" policies, and even though previous administrations have practised discretion in their approaches to family detention and charging migrants who cross the border claiming credible fear in their home countries. "I say it very strongly, it's the Democrats' fault," Mr Trump said. "If the Democrats would sit down instead of obstructing, we could have something done very quickly," Mr Trump continued later in his remarks, arguing that Democrats are using their votes in Congress to push back on immigration votes even though Republicans control both chambers of Congress. "Good for the children, good for the country, good for the world." Story continues As immigrant groups and advocates cried foul about the treatment of families at the American border, top members of the Trump administration have circled the wagons alongside the president in recent days, and have argued that the new policies are a reflection of American law, and that the US does not have standing policies promoting family separation. "We will not apologise for the job we do or for the job law enforcement does for doing the job the American people expect us to do," Kirstjen Nielsen, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said Monday. "Illegal actions have and must have consequences. No more free passes, no more get out of jail free cards". Separately, Ms Neilsen tweeted Monday that immigrants arriving at American ports of entry and seeking asylum will not face any change in policy, and that children will only be removed from their parents in those instances if it is believed that the child is at risk if they remain with the adult who they were with when they arrived at the border. Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey on Monday said it had started military patrols in an area around the Kurdish-held city of Manbij in northern Syria, in line with an agreement with the United States to scale down tensions in the region. The Turkish army said in a statement that "patrol activities had begun" between Manbij and an area it controls after a 2016-2017 military incursion. The state-run Anadolu news agency said that Turkish armoured vehicles were patrolling "on the Manbij frontline". It said US forces were also patrolling the area but "independently". Manbij, formerly held by Islamic State (IS) jihadists, is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group dominated by a Kurdish militia Turkey considers to be a terror group but that is supported by the US. The issue of Manbij had become a major flashpoint between the two NATO allies. But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed a roadmap on the future of the city to ease tensions earlier this month. The move comes as Turkey prepares for tight presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday. Many analysts say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants a major foreign policy success to give him a final boost. Erdogan hailed the move by the army around Manbij in two campaign rallies on Tuesday in comments loudly cheered by supporters. Cavusoglu said that Turkish soldiers would "bit by bit" move inside Manbij and the People's Protection Units (YPG) would move out. "We can say we have started to implement the roadmap" agreed with the United States, he added. A commander with Syrian rebels fighting with the Turkish forces told AFP that the area where the troops had been positioned "is a front line between the opposition and the SDF, according to the road map that was agreed." Sherfan Darwish, spokesman of the Manbij Military Council which rules the town, confirmed that "Turkish forces did not enter our areas in Manbij and have not crossed the front lines." He added that "American forces are carrying out patrols on our forces' side". BANGKOK (Reuters) - Britain and France should highlight deteriorating human rights in Thailand when its prime minister visits this month and they should make clear there will be no "business as usual" until he holds a fair election, a rights group said on Monday. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief who ousted an elected government in a 2014 coup, has promised to restore democracy but has pushed back the date for a vote several times, while refusing to tolerate dissent. British Prime Minister Theresa May and President Emmanuel Macron of France should "strongly express their deep concerns about the deteriorating state of human rights", Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, Brad Adams, said in a statement. "They should make clear to General Prayuth that there will be no return to business as usual until Thailand holds free and fair elections, establishes a democratic civilian government, and improves respect for human rights," he said. A general election is now due in February, the government says. Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd defended Thailand's record, saying authorities were very respectful of rights. "Right now, Thailand respects human rights no less than any other country," Sansern told Reuters. Thailand's Western allies criticized Prayuth's 2014 coup, which followed a decade of political turmoil that has brought two coups and bloody street protests. The military banned political gatherings and protests after it took power and has taken tough action against dissent. The European Union put relations on hold after the coup but in December resumed political contact "at all levels". The EU is Thailand's third-biggest trading partner after China and Japan. Thailand is the EU's third-largest trading partner in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Prayuth will meet May in London on June 20, before he heads to France for a trip that includes a stop at Airbus in the city of Toulouse. Prayuth and Macron are due to preside over the signing of an agreement between Thai Airways and Airbus to open an aircraft maintenance and repair hub at the civil-military U-Tapao Airport, southeast of Bangkok, Prayuth's office said. Thailand will also finalize the purchase of a $215 million observation satellite from Airbus, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak told Reuters. The satellite will have multiple uses, the government has said, including for agriculture and national security. (Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Robert Birsel) Sanaa (AFP) - UN ceasefire efforts in Yemen appeared to have fizzled on Monday, raising fears for civilians as Saudi-backed pro-government forces press an offensive to retake the key rebel-held port city of Hodeida. After two days of talks in the capital Sanaa, UN envoy Martin Griffiths was due to brief the Security Council later Monday on his efforts to end the crisis over Hodeida, a key entry point for desperately-needed aid in a country on the brink of famine. But the Iran-backed Huthi rebels said the talks had failed, and the head of their unofficial government rejected a ceasefire under current conditions after meeting Griffiths on Sunday. Abdulaziz Saleh bin Habtoor accused Saudi-led forces of "escalating their attacks on the western coast when they felt there were serious moves towards a solution". The Saudi and Emirati-backed assault has seen thousands of families displaced as loyalist forces battle towards the Red Sea port city. The Huthis, Zaidi Shiite tribes linked to Iran, seized control of the area along with the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014, sparking an intervention by a Saudi-led alliance the following year. The war for control of the Arab world's poorest country has since killed at least 10,000 people and triggered what the UN says is the world's largest single humanitarian crisis. Some 22 million people need aid, while 8.4 million are on the brink of starvation. More than 70 percent of Yemen's imports flow through Hodeida. - 'Not at our expense' - Yemen's military, backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, last week launched a major offensive aimed at retaking Hodeida, home to 600,000 civilians. The Saudi alliance imposed a near-total blockade on Hodeida port earlier this year, alleging it served as a major conduit for illicit arms deliveries to the Huthi rebels by Riyadh's regional arch-rival Iran. Multiple rounds of UN-brokered talks have failed to reach a deal between the internationally-recognised government and the Huthis. Story continues The Huthis' bin Habtoor was defiant on Sunday after meeting the UN envoy. "The peace sought by the people of Yemen will not come at the expense of our martyrs' blood," the rebels' Saba news agency quoted him as saying. The capture of Hodeida would be the Saudi-led coalition's biggest victory of the war so far. Loyalist forces in recent days closed in on areas south and west of the port, advancing on a disused rebel-held airport just south of the docks, according to sources in the Yemeni army. The UN has warned the Hodeida offensive could spark a fresh humanitarian crisis in a country already ravaged by war. The 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. Rights groups, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and Norwegian Refugee Council, have said they were forced to suspend their work near Hodeida last week. Civilians deaths have not yet been confirmed in Hodeida. The conflict has killed at least 139 fighters, mostly rebels, according to medical and military sources. Washington (AFP) - Democratic and Republican lawmakers upped the ante Sunday on the thorny issue of the separation of migrant children from their parents at the US border, as First Lady Melania Trump made a rare political plea to end the deeply controversial practice. The "zero-tolerance" border security policy implemented by President Donald Trump's administration has sparked outrage on both sides of the political aisle and took on particular resonance as America celebrated Father's Day. Trump has said he wants the separations to end, but continues to blame opposition Democrats for the crisis, which critics say is one of his own making. His wife, who does not often wade into the political arena, did not denounce his administration's policy, but instead called for bipartisan immigration reform to fix the issue. "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," her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN. "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." Immigration is one of the most divisive, hot-button crises plaguing the Trump administration. During one recent six-week period, the government said nearly 2,000 minors were separated from their parents or adult guardians -- a figure that only stoked the firestorm. The number of separations has jumped since early May, when Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that all migrants illegally crossing the US border with Mexico would be arrested, regardless of whether the adults were seeking asylum. Since children cannot be sent to the facilities where their parents are held, they are separated. Some of Trump's fellow Republicans have said the policy must end. Video: "What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you," Senator Susan Collins told CBS television's "Face the Nation" news program. Story continues "That's traumatizing to the children who are innocent victims, and it is contrary to our values in this country." Amid deep divisions, congressional Republicans have struggled to craft a viable immigration plan. The Republican-led House of Representatives may vote this week on two immigration measures -- a hardline bill and a compromise measure that would limit legal immigration while also ending family separations. After touring a processing center in McAllen, Texas on Sunday, a group of Democratic lawmakers warned of the "irreparable harm" caused by the separations, repeating a phrase used by the American Academy of Pediatrics. "This new policy of the Trump administration... is undermining the founding values of this country," said Representative David Cicilline. "We saw the fear in the eyes of these children who are wondering when they will see their parent ever again. It's a disgrace, it's shameful and it's un-American." Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump vowed Monday that the United States would not become a "migrant camp," as he faced soaring pressure to end the separation of immigrant families on America's southern border. While top administration officials stood by Trump's policy of "zero tolerance" towards unauthorized border crossers, and insisted children were being held in humane conditions, criticism swelled from rights groups and within the president's own Republican Party. With the US border crisis shaping up as a critical challenge of his presidency, Trump stood defiant even as Democratic lawmakers accused authorities of keeping children in "cages" separate from their incarcerated parents and Amnesty International likened the practice to "torture." "The United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility," Trump said at the White House. "You look at what's happening in Europe, you look at what's happening in other places, we can't allow that to happen to the United States," he said. "Not on my watch." Earlier, Trump barged into an immigration row rocking Europe, where countries have clashed on the issue, saying the continent made a "big mistake" by allowing in migrants. The US leader has repeatedly stoked fears of migrant-driven crime to advance his anti-immigration agenda. On the home front, Trump has said he wants family separations to end, but has refused to take responsibility -- instead blaming Democrats, the minority party in Congress, for blocking legislation on the broader issue of illegal immigration. "CHANGE THE LAWS!" Trump bellowed on Twitter. New Department of Homeland Security data shows that 2,342 children have been separated from their parents or guardians since early May, when the administration said it would arrest and charge all migrants illegally crossing the Mexican border, regardless of whether they were seeking asylum. Story continues Since children cannot be sent to the facilities where their parents are held, they are separated from them. In heartbreaking audio released by transparency group ProPublica, several Central American children separated from their parents are heard desperately sobbing and wailing, some so hard they almost cannot breathe. "Mommy! I want to go with dad," a young girl is heard crying out. The United Nations slammed the practice as unconscionable, while rights group Amnesty International blasted a "spectacularly cruel" policy which has resulted in frightened children pried from their parent's arms and taken to overflowing detention centers. "This is nothing short of torture," said Amnesty's Americas director Erika Guevara-Rosas. US public opinion appears divided along partisan lines on the family separations, with two-thirds of all American voters opposed, but 55 percent of Republicans supporting the policy, according to a Quinnipiac University National Poll. - 'Utter atrocity' - A Republican-led Congress is drafting legislative options to address the crisis, with possible votes later this week. "Some in the administration have decided that this cruel policy increases their legislative leverage. This is wrong," said Republican Senator Ben Sasse, an occasional Trump critic. "Americans do not take children hostage, period." A disgusted Republican Senator John McCain tweeted: "The administrations current family separation policy is an affront to the decency of the American people, and contrary to principles and values upon which our nation was founded. The administration has the power to rescind this policy. It should do so now." And Democrats stepped up their opposition, as lawmakers conducted a second straight day of visits to processing and detention facilities, including a converted Walmart supermarket in Texas housing some 1,500 immigrant children. Lawmakers spoke of children being held behind chain-link fencing inside the centers. "I went into these facilities yesterday. They are cages," House Democrat Mark Pocan said Monday. The Democratic fury was loud and unsparing. "President Trump's family separation policy leaves a dark stain on our nation," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. "Ripping vulnerable little children away from their parents is an utter atrocity that debases America's values and our legacy as a beacon of hope, opportunity and freedom." Pelosi was among 14 House Democrats who visited Casa San Diego, a southern California facility housing 62 children, many of whom had fled gang violence from Central American nations like Honduras. "President Trump, do the decent thing, pick up the phone, stop this unconscionable policy," congresswoman Judy Chu said. Amid the outcry, independent investigative news organization Pro Publica published audio obtained from inside a US Customs and Border Protection facility in which children are heard wailing. "I don't want them to stop my father," a distraught girl's voice can be heard, as others cried in the background. "I don't want them to deport him." - 'Not' controversial - Immigration is one of the most divisive issues roiling American politics. Trump's own wife, First Lady Melania Trump, said she hates to see families separated -- although she stopped short of criticizing her husband's policies. Democratic former president Bill Clinton and Trump's 2016 rival Hillary Clinton each denounced the practice, as did Laura Bush, wife of Republican ex-president George W. Bush, in a poignant message retweeted by her successor as first lady, Michelle Obama. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen insisted that "we do not have a policy of separating families at the border," but warned that anyone crossing the border illegally would face prosecution, with the result of their children being taken away. "What has changed is that we no longer exempt entire classes of people who break the law," she said. "This is not a controversial idea." Washington (AFP) - Democratic lawmakers vowed Sunday to end the "evil" separation of migrant children from their parents at the US border, as First Lady Melania Trump made a rare political plea to end the deeply controversial practice. The "zero-tolerance" border security policy implemented by President Donald Trump's administration has sparked outrage on both sides of the political aisle and took on particular resonance as America celebrated Father's Day. "They call it 'zero tolerance,' but a better name for it is zero humanity, and there's zero logic to this policy," said Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, after leading a group of Democratic lawmakers to the Mexican border. "It's completely unacceptable under any moral code or under any religious tradition to injure children, inflict trauma on them in order to send some political message to adults somewhere overseas." After touring a converted Walmart supermarket that is now housing about 1,500 immigrant children, Merkley said "hurting kids to get legislative leverage is unacceptable. It is evil." The government has said that during one recent six-week period nearly 2,000 minors were separated from their parents or adult guardians -- a figure that only stoked the firestorm. Trump has said he wants the separations to end, but continues to blame opposition Democrats for the crisis, which critics say is one of his own making. Amid deep divisions, congressional Republicans have struggled to craft a viable immigration plan. The Republican-led House of Representatives may vote in the coming days on two immigration measures -- a hardline bill and a compromise measure that would limit legal immigration while also ending family separations. - 'Massive child abuse' - Representative Sheila Jackson Lee accused Trump of lying by claiming he was simply following to the letter a previously existing law. "The president is not telling the truth. There is no law, there is no policy that has allowed him to snatch children away from their families," she said. Story continues "I can assure you we'll be fighting to the end to stop this ugly, vile program that is harming children and creating massive child abuse." Earlier, Representative David Cicilline said the policy was "undermining the founding values of this country." "We saw the fear in the eyes of these children who are wondering when they will see their parent ever again. It's a disgrace, it's shameful and it's un-American," he added. - Melania weighs in - Trump's wife, who seldom wades into the political arena, opted to call for bipartisan immigration reform to fix the issue, rather than denounce the policy. "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," her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said. "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." The president himself later tweeted: "The Democrats should get together with their Republican counterparts and work something out on Border Security & Safety. Don't wait until after the election because you are going to lose!" he tweeted. Immigration is one of the most divisive issues plaguing the Trump administration. The number of separations has jumped since early May, when Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that all migrants illegally crossing the US border with Mexico would be arrested, regardless of whether the adults were seeking asylum. Since children cannot be sent to the facilities where their parents are held, they are separated, which the American Academy of Pediatrics has warned causes "irreparable harm" to the children. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen insisted, however, that "we do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period." "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," she wrote on Twitter. - Republican criticism - Some of Trump's fellow Republicans have said the policy must end. "What the administration has decided to do is to separate children from their parents to try to send a message that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you," Senator Susan Collins told CBS television's "Face the Nation." "That's traumatizing to the children who are innocent victims, and it is contrary to our values in this country." Laura Bush, the former first lady and wife of Republican ex-president George W. Bush, was unflinching in her rejection of the policy. "I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," Bush, who lives in Texas, wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece. Ex-president Bill Clinton, a Democrat, also weighed in. "These children should not be a negotiating tool. And reuniting them with their families would reaffirm America's belief in & support for all parents who love their children," he tweeted. In one incident that highlighted the crisis, five immigrants died and several others were injured after a high-speed chase with Border Patrol agents in Texas ended in a crash, US media said. Bucharest (AFP) - Romania is a model for combating corruption in eastern Europe, a senior US official said Monday, as its left-wing government tries to dismiss the country's top graft fighter. "The US supports your anti-corruption institutions, through them you are a role model to the region," US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell told a University of Bucharest audience. "You have made significant progress and now is not a moment in history when we would want to see Romania take a step back from there," Mitchell added. Romania's left-wing government has made fighting corruption a priority since taking office in January and it wants to sack the head of the anti-graft office Laura Codruta Kovesi for "harming the image of the country". In May, the constitutional court ordered President Klaus Iohannis to dismiss Kovesi. The centre-right opposition says such moves undermine anti-corruption efforts in a country were graft is endemic. Many judges have denounced what they say are politically motivated "attacks" against the judicial system by the left-wing government which has organised demonstrations against corruption. The high court of appeal is due to rule on Friday on the case of Liviu Dragnea, a leading left-wing figure, over a fake jobs scandal. Trump pledged to end war games at summit with Kim Jong-un but drills could restart if North Korea fails to denuclearise Trump surprised South Korea with his pledge to end military exercise following the North Korea summit. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP South Korea and the US are expected to announce the suspension of large-scale military drills next week, with the provision that they will restart if North Korea fails to keep its promise to denuclearise, a South Korean news agency said on Sunday. Citing an unnamed government source, the Yonhap agency said the suspension was likely to affect only major joint exercises, not more routine military training. Donald Trump surprised officials in Seoul and Washington after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore last week, when he pledged to end war games. Immediately after the announcement, 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. At a Senate hearing on Thursday, Trumps nominee to be ambassador to South Korea, the retired admiral Harry Harris, backed the idea of a pause in major military exercises. He said his understanding was that any suspension would involve only major military exercises and that regular training of US forces in South Korea would continue, although final decisions were up to the Department of Defense. Trump said via Twitter on Sunday that it was his initiative to suspend military drills a step North Korea has long sought. 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, the US president wrote. Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen! Trump also tweeted a defence of widespread criticism of the summit, his apparent concessions to Kim and his praise of the authoritarian leader. 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, the president wrote. 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! Story continues He added: 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! About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the Korean war, which ended in 1953 in an armistice that left the two Koreas technically still at war. The US-South Korean exercise calendar hits a high point every year with the Foal Eagle and Max Thunder drills, which both wrapped up last month. The next major drill, Ulchi Freedom Guardian, is planned for the end of the summer. Last year, 17,500 US and more than 50,000 South Korean troops participated in Ulchi Freedom Guardian, an exercise mostly focused on computerised simulations rather than live field exercises that use weapons, tanks or aircraft. Moon Jae-in, the South Korean president, said on Thursday his government would need to be flexible when it came to applying military pressure on North Korea if it was sincere about denuclearisation. Moon said South Korea would carefully consider joint military drills with the US and asked his officials to cooperate with Washington on the issue, his office said in a statement. 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 30km to 40km away from the heavily fortified military demarcation line that divides the two countries. The Souths defense ministry denied it made such a request, Yonhap said. The talks, the first in more than a decade, were held in the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) and followed an inter-Korean summit in April at which leaders of the two Koreas agreed to defuse tensions and cease all hostile acts. North and South failed to reach any concrete agreement, officials said. North Korea proposed the disarming, on a trial basis, the Joint Security Area in Panmunjom, the only site in the DMZ where both countries soldiers stand almost face to face, the Souths presidential spokesman said on Friday. Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected two major claims challenging partisan gerrymandering, dealing a blow to reformers seeking to end a practice they say undermines democracy. Judges issued rulings citing procedural grounds for dismissing the claims by Democratic voters in the state of Wisconsin and Republicans in Maryland. Many had hoped the court would end once and for all the re-drawing of voting districts by incumbents to disadvantage their opponents. "The Supreme Court missed an opportunity today to lay down a firm marker as to when partisan gerrymandering is so extreme that it violates the constitutional rights of voters," said Dale Ho, director of the Voting Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. The Wisconsin case was started by a 77-year-old retired academic, Bill Whitford, who was tired of his state legislature going solidly Republican for decades, even in years when Democrats won greater shares of the vote. But the Supreme Court ruled Monday that Whitford and his co-complainants lacked standing to challenge the entirety of the Wisconsin electoral map. The judges also cited procedural grounds to dismiss the Maryland case. Paul Smith, the lead lawyer for the Wisconsin case, said the ruling left room to maneuver. "The basic bottom line is there will be plaintiffs with clear standing," he told reporters. "There will probably be more added. And when we get back to the district court we should be in a position to win very substantial relief." At the heart of the gerrymandering is the issue of what political scientists refer to as "wasted votes" in winner takes all, first-past-the-post voting systems. Whitford, the professor, added: "I'm both kind of encouraged and discouraged by this decision. I'm encouraged because there's no reason to think that we can't present the evidence" the court requires. "The discouraging thing is just the delay, this case was filed in 2015," he said. "I think it's important for Wisconsin to have new legislative districting before the 2020 election. Those are very important elections because that legislature will participate in redistricting after the next decennial census." Story continues The US constitution envisaged that, in order to account for population growth, legislature boundaries would be redrawn every 10 years. But the centuries-old text makes no mention of independent commissions as seen in other countries. The task therefore falls to whichever party is in power and those wishing to tilt the playing field in their favor have two major tools at their disposal. The first is heavily concentrating their opponents' likely voters into districts that allow them to win those areas by heavy margins -- thereby wasting every vote above the 50 percent mark -- known as "packing." "Cracking" on the other hand involves spreading opponent voters across districts where the favored party maintains a slim majority, thereby ensuring the losers' votes are wasted. Central American immigrants waiting to be transported by American immigration forces: John Moore/Getty Images The Vatican and Mexico have released a joint statement claiming that children are the ones suffering the most from forced migration, just as the Trump administration comes under increased scrutiny for policies that have separated children from their parents when arriving in the United States seeking shelter from violent and dangerous conditions in their home countries. The statement, which was released after the second Vatican-Mexico conference on international migration, did not explicitly reference the US policies that have led to that family separation, but did insist on the centrality of the human person in every political act ... reaffirming the inviolability of human rights and the dignity of every human being on the move. Children are the ones who are suffering the most from forced migration. We must respond effectively to the challenges created by these flows, balancing the principles of solidarity, subsidiarity and co-responsibility, the statement read. The Trump administration has been under scrutiny since it was reported that as many as 2,000 children were separated from their families over a six-week period in April and May, following a change in immigration policies announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that dictates a zero-tolerance policy that refers all cases of incoming immigrants for criminal prosecution. That policy even impacts individuals arriving in the United States seeking asylum from violent and dangerous conditions at home in countries like El Salvador, where violence and gang crime have ravaged communities, according to lawyers and advocates. Asylum seekers now face, in some circumstances, at least two simultaneous paths forward. While they may file credible fear concerns with US immigration services to seek asylum in the US, the zero-tolerance policy requires that their cases also run through a criminal procedure for illegal entry. Facing those secondary charges, the immigrants are taken to facilities where children are not allowed. Story continues Numerous reports have found that children are being kept in mass detention centres run by US agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services. In some instances, reports have indicated children are being held in large metal cages, surrounded by metal fencing in conditions that put as many as 20 minors together in a single cage. Before the separation, US immigration forces have told parents in some instances that their children are being taken away for a bath, nap, or to be given fresh sets of clothes. The parents are not told immediately that their children are being taken away for separate detention, according to lawyers who have been working on cases in Texas. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen has refuted reports that agencies operating under her department's umbrella are unnecessarily prosecuting immigrants seeking asylum, and has said that the US is committed to ensuring children are safe. "This misreporting by Members, 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," Ms Nielsen said in a tweet Sunday. "DHS takes very seriously its duty to protect minors in our temporary custody from gangs, traffickers, criminals and abuse," she continued in a follow-up tweet. GettyImages-931535746 Police have launched an investigation after a video emerged appearing to show a Border Patrol vehicle hitting a Native American man at a reservation on the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona. The video shared on Facebook and Twitter appeared to show a Border Patrol vehicle hitting a man in the Tohono Oodham reservation around 60 miles southwest of Tucson, on Thursday, causing him to fall to the floor. Trending: NXT Takeover Chicago: Match Results and Everything That Happened They ran me over, bro, the man is head saying in the video. The man was later identified as Paulo Remes, a member of the tribe. He claimed to The Arizona Daily Star the vehicle did not stop after hitting him. U.S Border Patrol ran over an Oodham man today on the Tohono Oodham Nation. This is an example of the fear Oodham have to face everyday because BP ravage our communities & are careless with our lives. pic.twitter.com/ZEbVlIe5cl Indivisible Tohono (@Indivisible_TO) June 15, 2018 Tohono Oodham Police Department is investigating the incident with the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office according to a statement by Tohono Oodham Nation. Don't miss: White Woman Honors Selena By Singing in Spanish, Faces Backlash For 'Cultural Appropriation' The Border Patrol did not respond to a request for a comment. The agency said in a statement seen by KVOA.com: The United States Border Patrol, Tucson Sector is fully cooperating with the Tohono Oodham Police Department as they investigate a Border Patrol agent involved vehicle incident that occurred late Thursday evening on the Tohono Oodham Nation. 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. Story continues Robert G. Daniels, a spokesman for the Arizona Border Patrol, told The New York Times the agency could not reveal the identity of the agent involved in the incident. On Friday, Tohono Oodham Nation Chairman Edward D. Manuel labeled the video disturbing in a statement. Most popular: Thai King Given $30 Billion for Being Born Into Royal Family He said a 34-year-old member of the tribe, whom he didnt identify, had visited a health care facility for non-life threatening injuries and had since been released. The safety and wellbeing of the general public is the Nations top priority, and the Nations leadership is monitoring this issue closely, Manuel said. The incident comes amid a climate of tension between the federal authorities and the Tohono Oodham, a federally-recognized tribe with around 28,000 members populating land in Southwestern Arizona, according to its website. The reservation is the second largest in the state, both in terms of population and the 2.8 million acres of land it controls. In March 2017, members of the tribe protested outside the Tucson offices of Senator John McCain against President Donald Trumps planned border wall which would cross tribal lands. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Israel Air Force jets attacked nine Hamas targets in two military bases and a weapons production facility in the northern Gaza Strip early Monday, in what the most significant strikes in the fight against the incendiary kites and balloons terrorism. 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. During the strike, three rockets were fired at the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, with one apparently falling inside the strip. Israel Air Force jets attacked nine Hamas targets in the northern Gaza Strip early Monday, in what were the most significant strikes in the fight against the incendiary kites and balloons terrorism. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The strikes hit two military bases in Jabalia, Al-Shati and a weapons production facility in Gaza City. During the strike, three rockets were fired at the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, with one apparently falling inside the strip. They were accompanied by Code Red rocket-alarms at 4:40am and again at 5:13am, with the latter one heard in the city of Ashkelon's industrial area as well. IAF bombs Hamas targets in Gaza (: ") X No casualties were reported from the rockets or air strikes. The IDF Spokesman's Office said the strikes were in response to the incendiary and explosive balloons and kites being launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip. "These are terror attacks that endanger the residents of southern Israel," the IDF said in a statement. IAF strikes in the strip X "In recent days, the IDF warned and carried out several attacks near the cells responsible for the arsons and destruction of lands in Israel as well as infrastructure used by these cells," the army added. "The IDF has intelligence information and the operational ability to further increase these strikes, and they will grow in strength as required. 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, until they stop," it went on to say. "The Hamas terror organization is responsible for everything that happens in and from the Gaza Strip, and it will suffer the consequences," the statement concluded. (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office) In recent days, the IDF has taken measured steps in the Gaza Strip, firing warning shots from the air and destroying property belonging to the kite launchers but has refrained from targeting them. Some Israeli ministers have called for those launchers to be targeted directly. The kite terrorism has been plaguing the Gaza border communities for two and a half months now. Palestinians have sent kites dangling coal embers or burning rags across the Gaza border to set fire to arid farmland and forests, others have carried small explosive devices in a new tactic that has caused extensive damage. Israel has drafted in civilian drone enthusiasts as army reservists, instructing them to fly their remote-controlled aircraft into the kites, an Israeli general said, but an effective means to stop the kites has yet to be found. Seventeen fires broke out on Sunday as a result of the incendiary kites and balloons, with hundreds of turkeys suffocating to death in Ein HaShlosha from smoke inhalation. Earlier, police sappers were called to a home in the moshav of Beit HaGadi in south Israel after two balloons carrying objects suspected of being incendiary devices landed in a residential backyard tree. 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 balloons in Beit HaGadi (Photo: Israel Police) 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. BEIRUT - Syrian state media, citing a military source, reported on Monday that US-led coalition aircraft had bombed "one of our military positions" in eastern Syria, leading to deaths and injuries, but the US military denied carrying out strikes in the area. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The strike took place in al-Harra, southeast of Albu Kamal, Syrian state media said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 40 pro-regime fighters were killed, while some reports indicated the fatalities were Iranian militia fighters. File photo: US strike in Syria A commander in the military alliance backing Syrian President Bashar 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 US-led coalition carried out strikes near Albu Kamal," Major Josh Jacques, a US Central Command spokesman, told Reuters. The US-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. US forces are also based in Tanf, southwest of Albu Kamal in the Syrian desert near the borders of Iraq and Jordan. The Syrian army, alongside 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. 'Occupying forces' The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said unidentified planes had struck Shi'ite Hezbollah and other foreign militias allied to the Syrian state around Albu Kamal. Asked about the reported air strikes, an Israeli military spokeswoman said: "We do not comment on foreign reports." Throughout Syria's seven-year war, Israeli officials have disclosed scores of air strikes within the neighboring country against suspected arms transfers to Hezbollah or Iranian deployments. Israel, alarmed about the clout of arch enemies Iran and Hezbollah, has been pressing Russia, Assad's other key ally, to make sure they do not entrench their military sway in Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet he had "repeated and clarified" his Syria policy in weekend phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "First of all, Iran must clear out of all of Syria," Netanyahu said on Sunday, according to a statement from his office. "Secondly, we will take action, and are already taking action, against the attempted military entrenchment of Iran and its proxies, both close to the border and deep within Syria." In an interview last week, Assad called Hezbollah "a basic element" in the war and said "the need for these military forces will continue for a long time." He said the United States was an occupying power in Syria and that his state supports "any act of resistance, whether against terrorists or against occupying forces, regardless of their nationality." Once again, the Right has proved that its love for the IDF and security forces is conditional. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Education Minister Naftali Bennett were unfazed by the fact that 11 policemen were hurt in the evacuation of an illegal outpost on Saturday night and Sunday morning. The prime minister and the right-wing ministers silence over the serious incident that took place near Tapuach in the Samaria region is deafening and troubling, and this isnt the first time it happens. Netanyahu, Shaked and the clashes in Tapuach. A deafening silence (Photos: Alex Kolomoisky, Ehud Amiton/TPS, Reuters) I feel so sorry for the policemen. If only they had been attacked by Arabs rather than by Jewish settlers, everything could have been so different. If it were Arabs, the orders would have allowed the use of counterviolence and even live fire, the policemen would have been required to use counterviolence and attack the rioters, and the government would have stood by them and awarded citations to those fighting terror. But when the rioter is a settler, the violence is tolerable, the stone is no longer considered a weapon, and you have to know how to contain, show understanding and forgiveness. Justice Minister Shaked, who sponsored legislation to ramp up punishments for stone throwers, is silent. Internal Security Minister Erdan, who rushes to slam and point an accusing finger at the Arab sector following every incident, is silent. Defense Minister Lieberman, who made his political capital from his incitement against Arab Knesset members, is silent. And Prime Minister Netanyahu has already learned that he shouldnt get into trouble with the hard core of the right-wing support base. The Tapuach settlers are immune. One doesnt have to go too far to understand the extent of hypocrisy here. Only seven months ago, the whole country was shocked by the documentation of teenager Ahed Tamimi confronting and slapping two soldiers. The incident was met with endless condemnations from the Right, and although she didnt physically wound anyone, the demand for her arrest was loud and clear. Ahed Tamimi. In today's Israel, a Palestinian teen will rot in prison for eight months, while an Israeli teen will be reprimanded (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg) I wonder what will happen to the dozens of Ahed Tamimi settlers who physically resisted the outposts evacuation on Saturday night. Its safe to assume that none of them will spend more than a few hours in detention, and that the increased penalty for stone throwers wont apply to them. In todays Israel, a Palestinian teen who didnt wound a soldier will rot in prison for eight months, while an Israeli teen will be reprimanded and get a note to take home to his parents. The police officers and soldiers should be praised for their restraint: Shooting is only allowed in a life-threatening situation, and only moderate force should be used in the dispersal of protesters. But this policy is required not only when the rioters are settlers with connections in the corridors of power. Everyone deserves fair treatment during protests and disturbances, including Arab protestors. The Californian's Robert Price answers your questions and takes your complaints about our news coverage in this weekly feedback forum. Questions may be edited for space and clarity. To offer your input by phone, call 395-7649 and leave your comments in a voicemail message or email us at soundoff@bakersfield.com. Include your name and phone number; they wont be published. While the IDF has been taking steps to deter Palestinians launching incendiary kites and balloons from Gaza to Israel, Cabinet Ministers Gilad Erdan and Naftali Bennett have been calling to target those launchers directly. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The IDF has been firing warning shots from the air and destroying property belonging to the kite launchers but has refrained from targeting them. This is because the incendiary kites and balloons have not been defined an immediate threat or danger that must be eliminated with an accurate strikelike a terrorist trying to cross the border armed or a cell launching rockets or mortar shells. Palestinian preparing an incendiary kite (Photo: AFP) The IDF therefore focuses on deterrence. Since most of the incendiary kites and balloon come from deeper inside the strip, they are not in the direct line of sight for IDF machineguns and snipers. Instead, drones spread all across the Gaza skies aid in locating and identifying cells launching incendiary kites and balloons in real time. Upon positive identification, a small rocket is launched from a nearby aircraft aimed at hitting near the cell members. Scorched agricultural land in Kibbutz Re'im (Photo: Barel Efraim) On one side were Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who supported the defense establishment's position that argues it would not be wise to target incendiary kites and balloon launchers directly, because dozens of children and teenagers were also in the line of fire. Fire near Kibbutz Nir Am (Photo: Gal Goltzman) The defense establishment also believes targeting kite launchers directly could lead to an escalation of violence in Gaza, something Israel is not interested in amid the threats from Iran and Hezbollah on the northern front. Fire in the Be'eri area (Photos: Roee Idan) The IDF wants to avoid a situation in which fatalities on the Palestinian side would lead to revenge rocket barrages that could escalate into a war, particularly in light of the relative quiet on the Gaza border over the past two weeks as "March of Return" protests have petered out, and behind-the-scenes efforts mediated by Egypt and Qatar to reach an understanding with Hamas that would lead to long-term calm. IAF targets property of kite launchers (Photo: EPA) Furthermore, while the incendiary balloons and kites cause financial damage and create fear and distress among Israelis living in the Gaza border communities, it has not caused the loss of lives. Fire caused by incendiary balloons in Eshkol (: ") X On the other side is Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who argues that one who launches an incendiary balloon or kite should face the same fate as one who launches a rocket. Bennett believes the IDF should shoot to kill, and that Israel must not accept the new equation created by Hamas, according to which the Palestinians can send incendiary kites and balloons at Israel, while the IDF can't hurt them. An incendiary kite According to Bennett, by not directly targeting kite and balloon launchers, an escalation would be inevitable as Israel would not be able to continue showing restraint. He believes directly targeting the kite and balloon launchers would deter the Palestinians and put an end to the new trend. Despite the disagreements, the ministers were left with the impression the IDF's fire policies are slowly changing, with warning shots at kite and balloon launchers, but also airstrikes targeting Hamas. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Monday that "if anyone thinks we can carry on with daily (incendiary) kites and fires, he is mistaken." The defense minister was visiting an Israel Aerospace Industries factory to mark the signing of an agreement with the German Defense Ministry, which is leasing drones from Israel. Some 100 bus drivers from across the country demonstrated Monday morning outside the government building in Tel Aviv in protest of authorities' inaction against the wave of violence against their fellow bus drivers. The demonstrators blocked the Azrielly Junction on the corner of Begin Street and HaShalom Road. Five Palestinian terrorists were wounded and another, killed on Monday after an explosive device planted along the Gaza border by the IDF exploded as they attempted to infiltrate into Israel. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The man killed is believed to be 24 years old. The military has studded the security fence with explosive booby traps designed to deter in light of the upsurge in the number of attempted crossings of the border fence by Palestinians and frequent sabotaging of the security apparatus. (Photo: Roee Idan) Since the weekly Friday protests began in the Gaza Strip under the banner of the March of Return, dozens of attempts by terrorists have been made to damage the security fence and IDF equipment, much of which is needed for the ongoing work on a stronger security barrier being placed at the border. Aware that the equipment and work crew constituted a target for the Palestinians, the IDF decided to lay traps for the would-be infiltrators. In January last year, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman approved a budget allocating NIS 3.34 billion for the construction of a barrier on the border of the Gaza Strip and Israel, which is meant to block Hamas from tunneling underground into Israel. In August the same year, the IDF announced that it was accelerating the construction of its subterranean barrier on its southern border. The project is one of the biggest and most expensive undertaken and is meant to be combined with several other measures along the 64 kilometer border. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Photo: Roee Idan) A "smart" fencesimilar to the fence on the border with Egyptwith concrete walls penetrating underground, will also be able to detect tunnels and will be equipped with offensive and defensive capabilities. A concrete barrier will also be dug dozens of meters underground. Every single kilometer of the barrier costs the state NIS 41.5 million. Earlier, Lieberman warned terror organizations in Gaza that he will not accept a daily routine of incendiary kites and balloons and fires in border communities. "If anyone thinks we can carry on with this daily routine of kites and fires, he is mistaken," he said during a visit to an Israel Aerospace Industries factory. Israel Air Force jets attacked nine Hamas targets in the northern Gaza Strip early Monday. The strikes hit two military bases in Jabalia, Al-Shati and a weapons production facility in Gaza City. File photo (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office) The IDF Spokesman's Office said the strikes were in response to the incendiary and explosive balloons and kites being launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip. During the strike, three rockets were fired at the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, with one apparently falling inside the strip. They were accompanied by Code Red rocket-alarms at 4:40am and again at 5:13am, with the latter one heard in the city of Ashkelon's industrial area as well. No casualties were reported from the rockets or air strikes. Amnesty International accused Israel of "cruel and illegal" transfers of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers in a report released Monday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter In the absence of a clear plan for the deportation, the government uses "voluntary" departures to a "third country" to reduce the number of African refugees in Israel. Amnesty International's report is based on interviews with 30 asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan who "voluntarily" left Israel for Uganda over the past year, which indicate the agreement they signed with the Israeli government was misleading and the promises and guarantees they received were empty. (Photo: Barel Efraim) According to the report, instead of receiving a residence permit upon their arrival in Uganda, the asylum seekers received an irregular migration status with no possibility of work and the risk of detention or forcible return to their country of origin. While they were promised by Israel to receive 30-day visas to enter Uganda, some of the asylum seekers interviewed by Amnesty International received no such document. Instead, their papers were taken from them and they were left with no visa or other document to show legal entry to the country. In addition, a letter issued by the Israeli government promises that "a local team will be waiting for you at the airport to accompany you in the first few days. The team will take you to a hotel arranged for you in advance, where you will have an orientation and introduction meeting with the local representatives, during which they will inform you of your options and help you in your first steps in the country." Instead, according to the report, the asylum seekers received an "intimidation talk," as Ibrahim, a Sudanese asylum-seeker deported to Uganda in 2017, told Amnesty International. "They told us that Uganda is dangerous because people know that we arrive here with money and they will try and steal from us. They told us that they wanted to help us because we didnt have documents, and without an ID card we wouldnt even be able to get a SIM card for our phone," Ibrahim recalled. "They also told us that we would not be able to get (asylum) papers here because we came from Israel. They acted like they wanted to help us and told us not to worry." Some asylum seekers reported that the "representatives" they met with offered to arrange to smuggle them out of Uganda upon payment, or otherwise promised documents that would allow them to stay in Uganda, but took the money and disappeared. (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch) According to the report, representatives of the Israeli Administration Population, Immigration and Border Authority were in constant contact and were cooperating with the local "representatives" in Uganda who took money from the asylum seekers promising to smuggle them out of the country or provide them with visas, but disappeared without fulfilling any of the promises they made. The Israeli government told the Supreme Court in April 2018 that it had a post-transfer monitoring mechanism in place to ensure the implementation of the agreement with Uganda, including follow-up conversations with the deportees via phone calls and emails during the first 30 days after their arrival, to verify that they had received papers, had a place to stay and all other matters were in order. The government also reported that the Population, Immigration and Border Authority had contacted 95 percent of the deportees who left Israel in 2017, none of whom had reported "unusual events." Despite that, only two of the asylum seekers interviewed for the report had been in contact with Israeli officials after arriving in Uganda and appeared to have received no help at all. Saharonim Prison (Photo: Reuters) "A few hours after we arrived at the hotel, 'Michael,' an Eritrean man, came to the room. He said he worked with Israeli immigration and took our pictures with his phone to send them to Israel as proof that we had arrived. Then he called 'Shishai,' an immigration officer in Israel, from his phone and let me speak to him. Shishai just wanted to make sure that we had reached Kampala. I never spoke to him again," said one refugee. Another received a call from an Israeli immigration official. "I told him its very bad: I have no job and no papers," he said. He too received no help. Moreover, the report claims that asylum seekers departure from Israel to Uganda were not voluntary, even in the instances in which they formally agreed to leave the country. (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch) According to the report, an agreement by a migrant to leave the country was often forthcoming due to a combination of coercive or manipulative factors, among them a dysfunctional absorption apparatus, indefinite arrests or the threat thereof, violent declarations, discrimination by government officials, vague information, and the provision of false and misleading promises about the fate that awaits them after their departure. Among other things, the report provides two pieces of testimony from inside Saharonim Prison where asylum seekers were held, which point to the prevalence of mental abuse which was deliberately employed to break the asylum seekers will until they leave at will. Chen Baril Agari from Amnesty International Israel said that the report highlights that under the dysfunctional asylum seeker apparatus, together with legislation that was intended to make the asylum seekers lives more difficult and false promises that were given to themthis is expulsion and not a willful departure. (Photo: Barel Efraim) A spokesman for the organization, Gil Noah, also lamented Israels secret deals with other countries to absorb the refugees, even though those countries were significantly worse off economically. The report sheds light on the way in which secret agreements between states made it possible for Israel to turn its back on responsibility for the joint global refugee crisis, Noah said. It is inconceivable that Israel should refuse to provide refuge to a tiny number of refugees in its territory and instead to pass the responsibility to a country that is dozens of times poorer than it is and which has already taken into its territory millions of refugees. On Sunday night, the IDF moved from concrete deterrence of terrorists dispatching incendiary kites and balloons from Gaza to general deterrence against the government responsible for this activity in the Hamas-ruled strip. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Not only did the army step up the severity and extent of its response, it basically adopted a demand made by some cabinet ministers to treat the kite terrorism as the high-trajectory terrorism of rockets and mortar shells fired from the strip by the Palestinian organizations. IDF strike in Gaza, Sunday night The IDF responded to the launch of dozens of kites and 17 fires sparked by incendiary kites and balloons on Sunday just like it responds to the rocket fire by rebel organizations. In this case too, the idea is to target military assets of the strips sovereign and ruling force, although the kite terrorism isnt operated by Hamas. It is mostly performed by rebel children and youth. If Hamas is the strips sovereign power, it must also take responsibility for the actions of children and youth who are allegedly unrelated to the terror organization but receive encouragement and inspiration from Hamas. Their activities cause damage and, in some cases, could even threaten lives in Israel. (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office) The Palestinian Islamic Jihad fought back with measured and intentionally inaccurate rocket fire. At the moment, both Hamas and the other Palestinian organizations have an interest in containing the event. So does the IDF. The army doesnt want to bring about an escalation that would eventually force it to launch a major battle in Gaza. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, in their current situation, have no incentive to enter a battle from which they will emerge with no achievement and with major destruction in the strip and might even lose control of Gaza. The IDF has no interest in assuming responsibility for the welfare and economic and public administration of two million Palestinians in this case. The coalition parties electorate The Israeli government is facing quite a difficult problem right now. The public pressure is increasing, and although the real damage caused by the kite terrorism is still relatively small and there have been no casualties so far, the Israeli public is mostly the electorate of the coalition parties. That same public basically accepts Ministers Naftali Bennett and Gilad Erdans claim that the kite terrorism has a dangerous potential of deteriorating and eventually leading to fatalities as a result of fires that will spin out of control, as well as small explosive devices that are occasionally attached to the incendiary kites and balloons. Ministers Naftali Bennett (R) and Gilad Erdan, who are leading the hawkish line in the government (Photos: Alex Kolomoisky, Moti Milrod) The gradually escalating retaliation policy adopted by the defense establishment, led by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, isnt enough as far as they are concerned. The IDF responded to the kite terrorism by sending warplanes to carry out an airstrike just like it responds to the firing of rockets or mortar shells from the strip, but the hawkish ministers who spoke at the cabinet on Sunday wont settle for that. Minister Bennett, for example, is rightly saying that if the IDF detected a group of 16-year-olds planning to fire a Qassam rocket at Sderot, it would immediately attack them from the air and from the ground with the purpose of killing them. The education minister is demanding an identical policy towards kite launchers. To clarify this point, its important to distinguish between the IDFs response policy, which began with concrete deterring fire, and escalated on Sunday night to airstrikes against Hamas military facilities. Later on, if the kite terrorism continues, the IDF will move to a more serious retaliation policy, in which key kite terrorism and Hamas operatives will pay with their lives for this terrorism, which is seriously affecting the economic security and the Gaza vicinity residents sense of security. IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot (R)and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Photo: Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry) But this policy, which is accepted by Defense Minister Lieberman, fails to satisfy Ministers Bennett and Erdan. They are demanding a change in the rules of engagement against the balloon and kite launching cells, and not just an overall deterrence policy in the strip which is supposed to make Hamas catch the kite launchers and stop them from carrying on instead of encouraging them, as Hamas and Islamic Jihad are doing right now. Hamas is definitely capable of doing so, and Israel is specifically saying to the organization: You must prevent the kite launches just like you gained control over the rebels firing rockets. Otherwise, we may deteriorate into a comprehensive battle which you, Hamas, stand to lose. Now, we have to wait and see how Hamas and Islamic Jihad will respond. If the kite terrorism continues, its quite possible that the IDF will decide to directly target adult key operatives who are inciting the children to dispatch the kites, as well as the teenagers launching the kites. IAF bombs Hamas targets in Gaza (: ") X As we all know, the IDF doesnt want to kill children who are participating in the kite launches for moral humanitarian reasons and because it is banned by international law. Those who kill children could be sued in the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes. The IDFs intelligence measures, mainly unmanned aerial vehicles, have the ability to detect who is about to dispatch a kite or who is holding onto a string of a gas balloon attached to an explosive device, and selectively hit them. There is no doubt that intentionally targeting the young Gazans who are inciting the children and providing them with material to build the kites will eventually achieve the required deterrence, but that will all happen down the road. At this time, we must wait and see whether the change in the IDFs response will make Hamas prevent the launching of incendiary kites and balloons. If that doesnt happen, people will start being targeted in the strip. Labor Party leader Avi Gabbay said Monday his party will vote against the proposed draft bill. "We want every young man and woman to either do (military) service or national service. But the proposal does not include equality in carrying the burden of service nor real reward for serving soldiers," he said. Former minister Gonen Segev was indicted last week for spying on the State of Israel for Iran, the Israel Police and the Shin Bet said Monday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Segev was charged with espionage, aiding an enemy in war time, as well as providing information to the enemy. Segev, the former energy and infrastructure minister, is suspected of providing Tehran with information on Israel's energy industry, security sites in the country, different facilities and political and military officials, among other things. Gonen Segev (Photo: Niv Calderon) The former minister, who has been living in Nigeria in recent years where he worked as a doctor, tried to enter Equatorial Guinea in May 2018, where he was refused entry because of his criminal past and consequently transferred to Israel. He was arrested and interrogated by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police after intelligence gathered on him raised the suspicion he was in contact with Iranian intelligence and aiding them in their activities against Israel. The investigation found that Segev was recruited and was operated as an agent of the Iranian intelligence. He was first contacted by Iranian embassy officials in Nigeria in 2012, and at a later stage traveled to Iran twice for meetings with his handlerswhile being fully aware they belonged to Iranian intelligence. Segev did not deny the allegations leveled against him during his investigation, but claimed that he attempted to help Israel by obtaining information. Over the years as an Iranian agent, Segev met with his handlers in apartments and hotels around the world, which he told interrogators he believed are used for covert Iranian activity. Gonen Segev, 2004 (Photo: Yariv Katz) He also received an encrypted communications system to conceal the exchange of messages between him and his handlers. To obtain the information he was asked for by his Iranian handlers, Segev maintained contacts with Israelis who have ties to Israeli security, defense and foreign relations. He worked to put the Israeli officials in contact with Iranian intelligence elements, while trying to deceive them and present the Iranians as innocuous businessmen. Segev was indicted on Thursday at the Jerusalem District Court. The court accepted a request by the Shin Bet and Israel Police to release some details about the case, while the rest are under gag order. He remains under arrest until further notice, with his next court hearing scheduled for July 9. Segev's attorneys, Eli Zohav and Moshe Mazor, said that the details released "make matters appear very grave, even though the indictmentthe majority of which is still under gag orderportrays a different picture." Who is Gonen Segev? Segev was first elected to the 13th Knesset in 1992 as part of Rafael Eitan's Tzomet party, where he served as an opposition MK and a member of the Knesset's Finance Committee. In February 1994, Segev and two other MKs split from Tzomet and formed the Yiud faction. In January 1995, Segev became the minister of energy and infrastructure in Yitzhak Rabin's government and continued holding the post in Shimon Peres' government after Rabin's assassination. Gonen Segev, 2007 (Photo: Gilad Kavalerchik) After his political career, Segev became a businessman. In 2002, Israel's security services uncovered a Hezbollah plot to kidnap Israeli citizenswith Segev among themto Lebanon to be used as bargaining chips for negotiations on prisoner swaps. Qais Hassan Kamal Obeid, an Israeli citizen from Taybeh who moved to Lebanon, tried to lure the Israelis to travel abroad by promising them easy money for criminal endeavors. At the time, Segev said he received a warning from the Shin Bet about the plot, claiming he didn't know why he was being targeted. In November 2003, he withdrew NIS 20,387 worth of cash from ATM machines in Hong Kong using an Isracard credit card. He called Isracard and reported his card stolen, claiming he did not make the withdrawals. Security cameras on the ATMs showed he was lying. He was convicted of attempting to fraudulently obtain benefits and of credit card fraud. He was given probation and was the choice between paying a NIS 50,000 fine or serving three months in prison. He appealed the decision to the district court, which rejected the appeal of the conviction but decided to cancel the fine. He was arrested in April 2004 for attempting to smuggle 32,000 ecstasy tablets from Amsterdam to Israel, claiming he thought they were M&M's. He was also charged with illegally extending his diplomatic passport with a pencil to avoid being subjected to a search by Dutch airport authorities. Gonen Segev, 2005 (Photo: Yariv Katz) In March 2005, he was convicted of forgery and attempted drug smuggling in a plea deal and sentenced to five years in prison, two years of probation and a $27,500 fine. He was released in June 2007 after having a third reduced for good behavior. As a result of his conviction, Segev had his medical license revoked in February 2007. Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) criticized Prince Williams itinerary for his upcoming visit to Israel where the Western Wall tour will be included as part of his visit to the Palestinian Authority. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The British Prince will arrive in Israel on June 25, as part of a three day visit to the Middle East which also includes Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. Elkin was especially enraged by Kensington Palaces official statement which said The program in the Occupied Palestinian Territories will begin with a short briefing on the history and geography of Jerusalem's Old City from a viewing point at the Mount of Olives. Prince William (Photo: AP) Its regrettable that Britain chose to politicize the Royal visit. Unified Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for over 3,000 years and no twisted wording of the official press release will change the reality. Im expecting the princes staff to fix this distortion, Elkin said. Prince Williams intentions to include the tour of the Western Wall and other sites holy to the regions three religions as part the visit to Palestinian Territories and not Israel, were announced last week. It will allow His Royal Highness to understand and pay respect to the religions and history of the region, said the official statement. While the palace has yet to announce which sites the prince will visit on the last day, Ynet has learned he plans to visit the Temple Mount, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Church of Saint John the Baptist and the Western Wall. As the tours of these sites have been scheduled in advance, its unclear why Kensington Palace has failed to include them on the official itinerary. According to sources in Jerusalem, the palace intentionally avoided mentioning these sites in a bid to prevent a politicization of the visit. Williams visit to the holy sites was scheduled a long time ago, says a knowledgeable source. William is expected to become the king of the United Kingdom one day, and he will also serve as supreme governor of the Church of England as part of his position. So, clearly, these sites were included in the visits itinerary to begin with. Why isnt the palace announcing them yet? Theyre likely trying to avoid a political war over the issue of control of the holy sites. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which planned the visits itinerary, is afraid to include the Western Wall in Palestinian Authority leg of the visit, so they are postponing this problematic obstacle and trying to find a solution that will satisfy everyone. The police chief superintendent in south Tel Aviv told the Knesset Internal Affairs Committee on Monday that the number of violent incidents has soared among the African migrant community in the area under his command since the closure of Saharonim Prison and Holot detention facility , where many were being held. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter In the first half of 2018 there has been an increase in dozens of instances of violent crime, robbery and serious attacks among the infiltrators in south Tel Aviv when compared to the corresponding time frame the previous year, Chief Superintendent Tzachi Sharabi said. Sharabi suggested that the phenomenon could mainly be attributed to the closure of Holot and Saharonim and the release of illegal African migrants Violent riots among African migrant community X In the past, illegal migrants who committed violent offenses could be taken to one of the centers for administrative reasons following the failure to produce a valid residency permit even if they could not be convicted in a court of a crime. It is clear to any reasonable person that getting to a criminal procedure is a far more complicated matter and that we are not discussing here Israelis with blue identification cards or regular enforcement abilities when each side testifies normally, the officer said. Today, many times we find ourselves with our hands tied. There is a lot of enforcement in the field and arrests are carried out within minutes, but unfortunately the majority are released after a few days and they realize that there is no ability to enforce the law at an administrative level, Sharabi complained. At the same time, the officer pointed to a silver lining in the gloomy news, citing a drop in the number of drug-related offenses among the African community in south Tel Aviv. The committee also discussed riots that took place two weeks ago that lasted several days between Eritreans who support and oppose the regime back in their home country. There are thousands of asylum seekers here who support the regime and they can go back to Eritrea. We have said that many times, said Emanuel Yamana, himself an asylum seeker from Eritrea. Every year they celebrate with the Eritrean embassy and every year we go there and demonstrate and there is violence, but this year we decided not to demonstrate at the request of the police, he continued. MK Yoav Kisch We have names and we have proof. They pay 2 percent tax to the regime in Eritrea and thats how they can be recognized. MK Dov Khenin from the Joint List attacked the Israeli government for its diplomatic relations with the dictatorial Eritrean regime, asking representatives of the Israeli Administration Population, Immigration and Border Authority and the police: What are supporters of the Eritrean regime doing here and who has any interest in them staying? According to a lot of evidence, the violence against the Eritrean regimes opponents takes place with the backing and support of the Eritrean embassy, he noted. The chairman of the committee, MK Yoav Kisch (Likud) said that he was less concerned with violent skirmishes between supporters and opponents of the Eritrean regime. The violence itself and the corrosion of deterrence is extremely concerning. I ask the Immigration Authority: We have pictures of regime supporters. Why are they here? he asked. We dont know about this notion of supporting or opposing the regime. We havent gotten into the matter. We are not aware of this kind of division, responded Yossi Edelstein, who heads Enforcement and Foreign Affairs in the Population and Immigration Authority. Holot detention facility (Photo: Motti Kimchi) Also present at the committee meeting was Sheffi Paz, who has led the "South Tel Aviv Liberation Front" against the influx of illegal African migrants. The level of violence on the streets this year has exceeded all other previous years. A narrative of supporters and opponents of the regime is beginning to develop. Its a bluff, she said. There are a few hundred regime opponents and a few hundred supporters. All the rest are work migrants I dont want them conducting a civil war in our neighborhood. They can do it in their own country. Shlomo Maslawi, chairman of the Tikvah Neighborhood Committee in south Tel Aviv, bemoaned what he described as the worst situation it has been throughout the years. If we continue in this situation in which policemen need to accompany elderly people to supermarkets or any other place, the situation is truly dire, he said, before adding a warning that the violence could spread. Unfortunately, I see here a perpetuation of a situation that might be good for the country, whereby all that happens in south Tel Aviv stays in south Tel Aviv, because it is easy to control what goes on here. If the infiltrators spread out across the country, so will the crime and the violence, he said. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. An owner of a business which sells fireworks from Kiryat Ono was recently arrested on suspicion of selling more than 20,000 fireworks to a resident from eastern Jerusalem, which were likely intended to be used against Israeli security forces. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The deal was allegedly conducted despite the fact that the owner was aware of the buyers intention, which was also to harm Jewish residents in East Jerusalem. The intermediary in the deal was also arrested during a police operation. In total, the three men, including the buyer, were arrested after a months-long undercover police investigation. 690 firework packs (Photo: Police spokesperson's office) The supplier is said to be a 70-year-old man, while the the buyer and the intermediary are both residents of eastern Jerusalem. The arrest of the three suspects was initially extended but the court ordered that they be released and put under house arrest. The three were apprehended by the police during the transaction, with 690 packs containing 20,700 fireworks worth NIS 103,500. 690 packs of fireworks (: ) X The Ministry of Labor has revoked the stores business license following the arrest. The suspect in the case is known to the police and has purchased fireworks from a Jewish-owned business before for the same purpose. The seller, in that case from Ashdod, also admitted to knowing the client's intent. Shooting fireworks at security forces has become a regular occurence in east Jerusalem, prompting in many cases police to conduct waves of arrests in order to catch the suspects. In the latest incident, the police arrested not only the perpetrators but the suppliers as well. Yehuda Shushan, the attorney of the suspected intermediary said, Were talking about a legal affair which has been blown out of proportion by the Israel Police. My clientwho doesn't have a criminal record, bought the fireworks legally for personal use. The accusation that he allegedly was involved in an illegal explosives trade are unfounded. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Jordans King Abdullah II in Amman. The two leaders discussed developments in the region, advancing a political peace process and economic relations between their respective countries. Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to upholding the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Jordans King Abdullah II in Amman on Monday, in what was their first encounter since a diplomatic spat erupted following a deadly incident last year involving an Israeli security guard and two Jordanians at the Israeli embassy in the Hashemite Kingdom. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter According to a statement from the Prime Ministers Office, the two leaders discussed regional developments, advancing the peace process and bilateral relations." The statement also said that Netanyahu "reiterated Israel's commitment to maintaining the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem. PM Netanyahu and King Abdullah II (Photo: AFP) In March, Jordan accepted Israel's choice of a new ambassador for the kingdom, another sign of improving ties after a months-long crisis. Government spokesman Mohammed Momani said at the time that the envoy, Amir Weissbrod, "can start his mission any time now." Last month, Weissbrod landed in Amman where he officially took up his post as the Israeli ambassador, nearly nine months after his predecessor Einat Schlein, along with her entire diplomatic staff, was forced to leave Jordan due to the shooting incident that ruptured the two countries relations. The incident began last summer when a security guard at the Israeli embassy in Jordan shot and killed two Jordanians , alleging one attacked him with a screw driver. The Israeli guard and Schlein were given a hero's welcome by Netanyahu, infuriating Jordan. L to R: Former Israeli Ambassador to Jordan Einat Schlein, PM Benjamin Netanyahu and security guard Ziv Moyal (Photo: Haim Zach/GPO) Jordanian authorities say they suspect the shooting was unprovoked but could not investigate the guard due to his diplomatic immunity. A senior official confirmed after the incident that Schlein would not be returning to Amman. "The Jordanians don't want her back, and this has been a big obstacle in patching things up." Israel has shown no sign of meeting Jordan's demand that it launch criminal proceedings against the guard, who was identified, much to Israel's chagrin after the shooting, by the Jordanian daily Al-Rad as Ziv Moyal, 28. His diplomatic identity card was also published, delivering a blow to Israel which had censored the publication of his details. A White House official told CNN Monday evening that Israel is responsible for an airstrike that was carried out against Syria overnight Sunday which left scores of pro-regime fighters dead. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Syrian state media, citing a military source, reported earlier that US-led coalition aircraft had bombed "one of our military positions" in eastern Syria, leading to deaths and injuries, but the US military denied carrying out strikes in the area. File photo: US strike in Syria The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group originally said that 40 fighters loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad were killed, but later stated that the death toll had risen to 52. Other reports indicated the fatalities left by the strike were Iranian militia fighters. The strike took place in al-Harra, southeast of Albu Kamal, Syrian state media said. A commander in the military alliance backing Assad also told Reuters that drones, "probably American," had bombed positions of Iraqi factions between Albu Kamal and Tanf and Syrian military positions. Attack in Syria X The claim, however, was flatly denied in the US. "No member of the US-led coalition carried out strikes near Albu Kamal," Major Josh Jacques, a US Central Command spokesman said. The US-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. US forces are also based in Tanf, southwest of Albu Kamal in the Syrian desert near the borders of Iraq and Jordan. The Syrian army, alongside 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. Youngsters in east Jerusalem were filmed last Thursday violently abusing a horse during the Eid al-Fitr festival, which is celebrated by Muslims worldwide at the conclusion of the month of Ramadan. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter During the celebrations, several horses were placed on the lawn next to the Damascus Gate in the Old City to enable children and youngsters to enjoy rides on them. Horse repeatedly whipped by east Jerusalem youths X However, the attraction turned into one of cruelty when one youth began to violently whip the horse as it attempts to flee. The act was also repeated on Saturday. At the same time, another youth is recorded trying to hold the defenseless horse in place as the attacker dishes out several lashes on its body. Assim Jabar, a resident of east Jerusalem who was passing by when the incident occurred described what he saw. The Jerusalem Municipality also weighed in on the matter after viewing the distressing footage. After complaints were made to the veterinary services last Thursday about abuse of a horse, inspectors of the municipal and veterinary services arrived at the scene, tended to the horse and transferred it to a veterinary compound, a statement said. On any matter related to animals, the municipality should be contacted at once on hotline number 106 so that inspectors can arrive as quick as possible at the scene and tend to the animal, it continued. "Offense of abusing animals are criminal and complaints can be filed with the police. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the postponement of the demolition of five illegal Palestinian buildings in the village of Susya in South Mount Hebron. The demolition was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, but was postponed following international pressure on Netanyahu. It is the third time that the evacuation of the area has been called off. The decision to delay it this time comes ahead of a visit this week by US President Donald Trumps son-in-law and Middle East advisor Jared Kushner and the presidents special Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Monday, George Alonzo Renteria, 30, of Sacaton, Arizona, and a member of the Gila River Indian Community, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to life imprisonment for first degree murder, with a consecutive sentence of ten years for committing the murder with a firearm. Renteria had previously been convicted at a jury trial of first degree murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence. On Feb. 17, 2014, Renteria shot and killed a fellow member of the Gila River Indian Community. Renteria encountered the victim in Chandler, Ariz., and convinced him to get into a car Renteria was driving. Renteria then drove the victim to a deserted field on the Gila River Indian Community and shot him to death with a handgun. Renteria was in the midst of a violent crime spree, having perpetrated a vehicle theft and an armed home invasion in the hours leading up to the murder. During the trial, the victim was described by fellow community members as a gentle, well-liked, and kind-hearted man who went out of his way to help those around him. Renteria, on the other hand, is a longtime member of a street gang with a violent criminal history. At the time he murdered the victim, Renteria was on federal supervised release for a prior robbery conviction. The investigation was conducted by the Gila River Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine D. Keller and William G. Voit, District of Arizona, Phoenix. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Monday, Frank Junior Young, 23, of Page, Ariz., and a member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Stephen M. McNamee to 144 months in prison, followed by a term of 15 years of supervised release. Young had previously pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse. On Feb. 19, 2016, Young sexually abused the victim by using force and threats. The victim is also a member of the Navajo Nation and the assault occurred on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Law Enforcement. The prosecution was handled by Christina J. Reid-Moore, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix. Health News Dallas, Texas - Flavor additives used in electronic cigarettes and related tobacco products could impair blood vessel function and may be an early indicator of heart damage, according to new laboratory research in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association journal. The health effects of combustible tobacco products including traditional cigarettes and hookah are well-established, but the potential dangers of e-cigarettes have not yet been extensively studied. E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid including tobacco-derived nicotine, flavoring and other additives and produce an aerosol that is inhaled. Nine chemical flavorings menthol (mint), acetylpyridine (burnt flavor), vanillin (vanilla), cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon), eugenol (clove), diacetyl (butter), dimethylpyrazine (strawberry), isoamyl acetate (banana) and eucalyptol (spicy cooling) which are widely used in e-cigarettes, hookah, little cigars and cigarillos were tested for their short-term effects on endothelial cells, the cells which line the blood vessels and the inside of the heart. Researchers found all nine flavors were dangerous to cells in the laboratory at the highest levels tested and all the flavorings impaired nitric oxide production in endothelial cells in culture (outside of the body). Several of the flavorings menthol, clove, vanillin, cinnamon and burnt flavoring resulted in higher levels of an inflammatory marker and lower levels of nitric oxide, a molecule that inhibits inflammation and clotting, and regulates vessels ability to widen in response to greater blood flow. Increased inflammation and a loss of nitric oxide are some of the first changes to occur leading up to cardiovascular disease and events like heart attacks and stroke, so they are considered early predictors of heart disease, said lead study author Jessica L. Fetterman, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine in Massachusetts. Our findings suggest that these flavoring additives may have serious health consequences. Endothelial cells were collected from volunteers (nine non-smokers/non-e-cigarette users; six non-menthol and six menthol cigarette smokers) and tested in the lab. Researchers found that both groups of smokers had a similar deficit in nitric oxide production when stimulated by a chemical called A23187. Nonsmokers cells that were treated with menthol or a clove flavoring also had impaired nitric oxide production, suggesting those flavorings cause damage like that found in active smokers. The team also exposed commercially-available human aortic endothelial cells to the flavorings. Burnt flavor, vanilla, cinnamon and clove flavors impaired nitric oxide production and boosted an inflammatory chemical called interleukin-6 (IL-6) at all concentrations tested, suggesting the endothelium is particularly sensitive to these flavors. Menthol applied to the cells increased IL-6 at high concentrations and reduced nitric oxide even at low doses. In smokers, scientists dont see differences in heart disease between menthol and non-menthol users probably because cigarette smoke is overwhelmingly toxic, Fetterman said. But menthol is certainly not a benign player, based upon our work. At the highest levels tested, all nine chemicals caused cell death, while at lower levels cinnamon, clove, strawberry, banana and spicy cooling flavor did. Dimethylpyrazine/strawberry flavor had that effect even at very low levels, suggesting endothelial cells are especially sensitive to it. Vanillin and eugenol also increased oxidative stress in the cells. Three flavorings were tested when heated, to mimic what happens in e-cigarettes. Nitric oxide production was impaired with vanillin and eugenol, but not with menthol. Our work and prior research have provided evidence that flavorings induce toxicity in the lung and cardiovascular systems. Flavorings are also a driver of youth tobacco use and sustained tobacco use among smokers, Fetterman said. A key strength of the new research was that it directly tested effects of just the flavorings, at levels likely to be reached in the body. Limitations include the fact that testing did not heat all the flavorings or include other chemicals used in e-cigarettes. Also, the study gauged just the flavorings short-term effects and captured these with cells outside the body, not inside. We still dont know what concentrations of the flavorings make it inside the body, Fetterman said. Most adult e-cigarette users are current or former combustible cigarette smokers who may use e-cigarettes as an aid in smoking cessation or as a harm-reduction tool. In addition, e-cigarette use by youth is rising rapidly with 37 percent of high schoolers reporting they have had an e-cigarette in 2015. Flavored tobacco products are a major driver of experimentation among youth. The American Heart Association cautions against the use of e-cigarettes, stating that e-cigarettes containing nicotine are tobacco products that should be subject to all laws that apply to these products. The Association also calls for strong new regulations to prevent access, sales and marketing of e-cigarettes to youth, and for more research into the products health impact. Co-authors are Robert M. Weisbrod, M.S.; Bihua Feng, M.D.; Reena Bastin; Shawn T. Tuttle; Monica Holbrook, M.S.; Gregory Baker; Rose Marie Robertson, M.D.; Daniel J. Conklin, Ph.D.; Aruni Bhatnagar, Ph.D.; and Naomi M. Hamburg, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products and the American Heart Association funded the study. Yuma News Yuma, Arizona - This morning, at approximately 4:46 a.m., officers were dispatched to a vehicle versus pedestrian collision that occurred in the 2300 block of Virginia Drive. The investigation showed that 30 year old Skyler Smith was driving a 2004 GMC Yukon southbound in the 2300 Block of S. Virginia Drive. Smith was distracted by his cell phone and veered off the road to the east, striking a 20 year old male who was walking northbound on the sidewalk on the east side of South Virginia Drive. The pedestrian was taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center and later flown to a Phoenix hospital, where his condition is unknown at this time. There were no other reported injuries. Skyler Smith was arrested and booked on multiple charges. It appears alcohol may also be a factor in this case. The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please call the Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous. Remember if your information leads to an arrest you may receive up to a $1,000 cash reward. Learn more Watch the series Subscribe to receive related content We begin our journey in an airplane hangar in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There, ONE Aviationa maker of very light jetsuses digital manufacturing technology with the power to potentially revolutionize design, production, and the supply chain. We call it the digital thread. At its most fundamental level, the digital thread is a reimagined version of the manufacturing value chain one powered by data and advanced analytical power, and optimized for the digital age. Each stage of the digital thread is, itself, comprised of and enabled by an integrated ecosystem of digital technologies that work in concert to tackle a particular challenge in the production process. And like other breakthroughs, the true value proposition of the digital thread may reside in the influence it could have in driving the entire organization well beyond productionservices, operations, supply chain management, aftermarket supportjust to name a few. Indeed, the digital thread cannot exist on its own; its true value proposition could be realized when it is interwoven with other business processes that drive an organization. It has the potential to create a wave of change in long held management strategies. In this eight-part series, well explore the many facets of the digital thread through its application in ONE Aviations bell cranka critical component that enables the opening and closing of the aircraft wheel doors in sync with gear movement. Well journey through each of the digital threads four stages: scan/design and analyze, build and monitor, test and validate, and deliver and manage. Well examine the various analysis and computing tools that power the digital thread, from finite element analysis to topology optimization, and more. Along the way an array of subject matter experts from America Makes, M7 Technologies, Siemens PLM Software, and Youngstown State University, will join the series host, Mark Cotteleer, research director for Deloittes Center for Integrated Research, Deloitte Services LP. But this really isnt a story about just one company or one product or even one industry. It is a story about the profound effect that the digital thread could have on companies and products around the world, across sectors and applications every day. It is about how manufacturingand the manufacturing organizationcan be transformed by advanced digital technologies. As with any revolutionary new technology or process, there is much to learn. Beating burnout at work Stories of experiencing burnout at work arent uncommon. For some, the experience can eventually lead to some positive life changes, like discovering your true passion, defining your well-being goals, or even changing your career path. But you shouldnt have to go through the struggle of burnout to accomplish those things. With self-awareness, strong social connections, and resilience skills, you can avoid burnout and be your best self in work and life! On this episode, Deloitte chief well-being officer Jen Fisher talks with Paula Davis, founder and CEO of the Stress & Resilience Institute and the author of Beating Burnout at Work: Why Teams Hold the Secret to Well-Being and Resilience. - Okyehene Osaagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II was involved in a car accident over the weekend - It all happened when a tipper truck crashed into one of the vehicles among the convoy - The chief is believed to be fine after the incident The Okyehene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II suffered a car accident over the weekend while returning home after meeting the president at the Head of State International Gulf Tournament. YEN.com.gh has learned that the Okyenhene's convoy, experienced the incident along the main Kumasi-Accra Highway close to the Chad Mortuary. READ ALSO: Gospel musician OJ reveals why he scrubs the bathroom at home It all happened when a tipper truck crushed into the last vehicle of the convoy leaving it to veer off the street into the shoulders of the highway.Fortunately enough, there were no casualties involved as the Okyenhene is believed to be doing well. Okyenhene is the title of the king of Akyem Abuakwa (also styled Okyeman), an ancient kingdom in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Meanwhile, the Okyenhene's meet-up with the president and the Asantehene has shot down suspicions of a rift between the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu ll and the Okyehene, Amoatia Ofori Panin ll on Ghanas chieftaincy system. READ ALSO: Sarkodie speaks in latest video; calls on fans to vote for Kwesi Arthur The Accra-Kumasi highway remains one of the most dangerous highways in Ghana today with most ghastly road accidents occurring on that lane. There are calls for the road to be expanded into a dual-carrier road so as to prevent future happenings of crashes. This is the first time a chief of this calibre has suffered a crash on the said lane. Check out some of the trending news in Ghana in YEN.com.gh's video below: Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now. Source: Yen Newspaper Hawaii Lava Flows are Look at Oregon Coast Millions of Years Ago Published 06/17/2018 at 5:42 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Portland, Oregon) If you want to get glimpse of what some parts of the Oregon coast looked like 15 million years ago, or maybe even 40 million years ago, look at the volcanic disaster in Hawaii right now. (Above: Depoe Bay pillow basalts). Its there where Mt. Kilauea is coughing up tons of hot molten rock every minute and gushing out rivers of lava that are marching their way across the land and into the sea. Its here on the Oregon coast which was actually part of a sea bed until about ten million years ago where the same scene played out. Especially fascinating to watch in Hawaii right now are the lava flows hitting the ocean with that rather acidic and dangerous steam, yet still grippingly dramatic. The heated masses explode upon contact with the sea water, which then in turn cool to become something you see in many places on Oregons coastline. This is how the pillow basalts of Depoe Bay and Yachats were formed. In many ways, watching that gnarly lava take a dive into the sea is watching how those areas were formed. Those puffy, rounded and smoothed out shapes you see, especially in the Depoe Bay area, are called pillow basalts. There are some examples around Yachats although some of these could just be wear and tear by 40 million years of tidal action. Hawaii right now is like a live scene from these beaches millions of years ago, said Dr. Martin Streck, head of geology at Portland State University. When basalt lava flows into water, like a lake or into the ocean, thats when its these so-called pillow basalts, Streck said. They make these nice forms that are really rounded. In other ways, those lava flows burning and disintegrating across Hawaiian forests and homes were just what you wouldve seen at other points in time inland from the coast. Silver Falls State Park and its basalts are a good example of that, while major landmarks on the beaches such as Tillamook Head or Cape Meares are the result of hundreds, maybe thousands of such flows. Streck said what you see at Depoe Bay and in Hawaii may be similar in composition, in that it requires certain kinds of magma to form basalts. Other kinds of lava / magma wont form that. Also, the pillow basalts are much, much older than other black rocky areas of the region. One has to go back 40 million years ago, maybe 45 million years ago, Streck said. It depends on what youre comparing with lava formations underwater. Photo USGS: Hawaii right now: this is how pillow basalt is formed. One of the major factors along the prehistoric Oregon coast were the eruptions from what is now northeast Oregon some 18 million years ago. For several million years these raged across the landscape. Just like Kileuea, these flows were sometimes 10 to 20 feet high as they marched along. Other basalts along the Oregon coast are much older and are locally derived, Streck said. These are usually the pillow basalts, but not always. A handful of local volcanoes including Cape Perpetua were responsible for much of the basalt in and around the Yachats area. However, as an interesting side note, before all that something really surprising happened, adding to the volcanic action to come. About 50 million years ago an island like Hawaii was added to the North American continent, and this ocean plateau had a lot of similarity with the island of Hawaii, Streck said. Exactly all this came together to create the Oregon coast we know is extremely complex. It goes far beyond even several million years worth of lava flows, set 20 million years apart. But you can see elements of it by watching the flows on television searing their way across Hawaii. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours Above: Hawaii right now, courtesy USGS. Lava flowed like this covered Oregon 18 million years ago. Below: more pillow basalt from the Oregon coast. More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted For Immediate Release, June 18, 2018 Contact: Patrick Donnelly, (702) 483-0449, pdonnelly@biologicaldiversity.org Conservation Groups, Citizens Oppose Clark County Effort to Gut Desert Tortoise Protections LAS VEGAS More than 3,300 citizen letters have been sent to Clark County commissioners opposing an effort to allow real estate developers to destroy desert tortoise habitat, which is protected under the Endangered Species Act. The letters include one in opposition from nine local and national environmental groups. Clark County is pursuing a public lands bill in Congress that would auction almost 40,000 acres62 square miles of public land for sprawling development, give away land to utilities, and gut Endangered Species Act protections for desert tortoises. The commission is expected to vote on a resolution Tuesday in support of the bill. This bill will be a disaster for desert tortoises just so developers can make another quick buck from desert sprawl, said Patrick Donnelly, Nevada state director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Clark County is also peddling a dangerous precedent that would allow politicians, rather than scientists, to decide the fate of endangered species around the country. Thats not what the public wants. Current federal law calls for any proposal for expanded development surrounding Las Vegas to undergo a rigorous environmental review from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with input from the additional scientific experts. The review would evaluate potential harm to the desert tortoise and require public input and disclosure of those harms. The review would enumerate the countys responsibilities to make up for harm from development to ensure it does not unduly impact the viability of the desert tortoise. The county instead wants to cut the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service out of the equation, specifying its own inadequate measures to allegedly make up for the habitat destruction. The purpose of the countys resolution is to enshrine this attack on desert tortoise protections into federal law by convincing the Nevada congressional delegation to introduce and pass the bill in Congress. This resolution, like numerous bills that have been proposed by congressional Republicans over the past year, subverts the Endangered Species Act through exemptions and carveouts. Clark County is pursuing a reckless course of action which threatens not just the desert tortoise, but the Endangered Species Act itself, said Donnelly. This is a bill straight out of the Donald Trump playbook designed to gut bedrock environmental laws and enrich developers and polluters. Groups signing the letter include the Desert Tortoise Council, the Endangered Species Coalition, the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of Sloan Canyon, Friends of Gold Butte, Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians, Basin and Range Watch, and the Amargosa Conservancy. The Clark County commission will vote on the proposal on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas. For Immediate Release, June 18, 2018 Contact: Abel Valdivia, (510) 844-7103, AValdivia@biologicaldiversity.org Death Brings Endangered West Coast Orca Population to Lowest in Decades Trump Administration Stalls Protections as Southern Resident Killer Whales Drop to 75 SEATTLE This weekends announcement that another rare West Coast orca has died lends new urgency to a recent demand for the Trump administration to protect the whales habitat and stop ignoring this imminent threat of extinction. On Saturday, the Center for Whale Research announced that L92, a Southern Resident killer whale also known as Crewser, was missing and presumed dead. That would bring this critically endangered population down to just 75 orcas, its lowest level since 1984. On June 6, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a legal notice pressing the Trump administration to protect Southern Resident habitat off California, Oregon and Washington. The notice pointed out that the administration has unlawfully delayed critical habitat designations sought by the Center in a 2014 petition under the Endangered Species Act. Crewsers sad death demonstrates how urgent it is for this administration to act. These beloved orcas cant keep waiting for the protections they need and legally deserve, said Abel Valdivia, an ocean scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. Rather than pushing unpopular offshore oil leases on the West Coast, the Trump administration needs to save these orcas from extinction. We shouldnt have to go to court to force federal officials to do the right thing. Endangered Southern Residents live along the Pacific Coast and are starving for lack of their preferred prey, spring chinook salmon. Other threats to these orcas survival include oil spills, water pollution and vessel noise. Responding to the Centers petition in 2015, the National Marine Fisheries Service said it would expand habitat protections in 2017 to safeguard key foraging and migration areas off the West Coast. Yet the Trump administration has failed to act, despite broad public support. These incredible orcas are spiraling toward extinction as officials ignore the scientifically established need to protect their habitat, Valdivia said. The clock is ticking, and its going to be on Trumps watch that Southern Residents pass the point of no return. While spending their summers in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea, areas protected as critical habitat in 2006, these killer whales travel extensively along the West Coast during the winter and early spring, congregating near coastal rivers to feed on migrating salmon. The Center petitioned in 2014 to protect areas off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California as critical habitat (see map). The Centers June 6 notice, which typically precedes the filing of a lawsuit, outlines how the Fisheries Services failure to act on the Centers 2014 petition violates federal law. The letter asks the agency to propose habitat protections by August 6. Media Advisory, June 18, 2018 Contact: Tanya Sanerib, (206) 379-7363, tsanerib@biologicaldiversity.org After Trump Blasts Elephant Killing, Biased Trophy-hunting Panel to Meet in Atlanta ATLANTA The national controversy over trophy hunting for elephants and lions comes to Atlanta on Tuesday with the second meeting of a new federal wildlife advisory committee that the Trump administration stacked with trophy hunters and gun-industry representatives. A representative of the Center for Biological Diversity, a national environmental group that opposes wildlife trophy hunting of imperiled species, will attend the meeting. The Trump administrations so-called International Wildlife Conservation Council is composed almost entirely of hunters and people affiliated with the National Rifle Association. Fifteen of the councils 16 members have ties to trophy hunting or guns. On Twitter Trump has blasted trophy hunting as a horror show. Yet the council was created by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke specifically to advise the Trump administration on the removal of barriers to trophy imports, documents show. This panel was stacked with trophy hunters in defiance of Trumps elephant-killing concerns, and we cant trust these foxes to guard the henhouse, said Tanya Sanerib, international program legal director at the Center. To give elephants a shot at avoiding extinction, the president should shut down this biased thrill-kill council. We cant leave wildlife import decisions in the hands of hunters with a vested interest in gunning down imperiled species. What: Meeting of the International Wildlife Conservation Council, a federal panel advising the Trump administration on the removal of barriers to wildlife trophy imports. When: Tuesday, June 19, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Where: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region Headquarters Building, 1875 Century Boulevard NE, Atlanta. Who: A representative of the Center for Biological Diversity will attend to offer comment. Background In November 2017 Zinke formally reversed an Obama administration ban on importing elephant trophies from Zimbabwe. Zimbabwes elephant population continues to decline as a result of poaching, and the Obama-era ban came in part because of a lack of evidence that trophy hunting was contributing to conservation. Zinkes U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently decided to begin approving trophy imports on a case-by-case basis. Botswanas President Ian Khama criticized Americas case-by-case importing approach, saying it will encourage elephant poaching. The Great Elephant Census recently documented that poaching claimed the lives of 140,000 elephants over seven years. Diversity is good for business, especially creative business, so little wonder that diversity is an increasingly hot topic at Cannes. With the 2018 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity kicking off later today, if you're covering the festivity from afar, you're likely to see the #MoreLikeMe hashtag trending on your timeline, in addition to #SeeitBeit and more. The first ever #MoreLikeMe Cannes Lions attendees. SOUTH AFRICA #CannesLions2016: The importance of agency culture SOUTH AFRICA Diversity dialogue with FCB Global CEO Carter Murray Rarely seeing other diverse professionals, despite knowing that, although underrepresented, we are there, contributing to the creative economy of the world and winning awards. Inspiring the next generation of global creatives SOUTH AFRICA FCB copywriter off to Cannes as global correspondent The facts are in. Study after study confirms it. Diversity is good for business Join @HP's Antonio Lucio, @thandienewton, @Edward_Enninful and @DiverStar as they discuss how to drive change in the creative industry #CannesLions Full programme: https://t.co/LBMxgrwacE pic.twitter.com/WdzRieQ5Tu Cannes Lions (@Cannes_Lions) June 14, 2018 Introducing the 18 participants for #MoreLikeMe, selected by @HP's roster agencies and Facebook... The programme will give 18 ethnically diverse rising stars from UK, US and Mexico an immersive experience at #CannesLions https://t.co/ZSFrMYY15Y pic.twitter.com/N8SMS3pAXf Cannes Lions (@Cannes_Lions) June 1, 2018 The idea is that each person will go on to inspire change and champion diversity within the industry. Taking #MoreLikeMe beyond Cannes Lions The year before, none of the HP films were directed by women. After the diversity challenge, nearly 60% of HPs global campaign films have been directed by women all Free the Bid directors. Read more SOUTH AFRICA Bizcommunity leading with the news from Cannes Let's take a step back and reflect on last year's Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity before we dive into this year's creative insights. Forbes adds a reminder of Vita M Harris, chief strategy officer and EVP at FCB who highlighted diversity at Cannes Lions last year with the launch of the #CreativityInColor movement and social media event.Its aimed at celebrating people of colour in marketing and advertising, after Harris noticed a lack of multicultural representation at Cannes Lions a few years ago, after sharing what its like for people of colour to attend the festival with FCB global CEO, Carter Murray. Harris explains:According to CNBC , diversity was the big talking point at Cannes Lions 2017 with the launch of the Unstereotype Alliance, with big brands focused on just the importance of diversity of race in advertising but also gender, sexuality and disability.In this regard, CNBC interviewed actor Sir Ian McKellen at his first ever Cannes Lions on the topic of diversity more specifically, his drive to push for more authentic, representative storytelling:Where age is concerned, expect a fresher perspective on Cannes Lions than before in 2018. In addition to the country Young Lions winners who will battle it out for best of the globe, this years FCB Global Cannes FCBsocialEye is SAs own Yenani Madikwa, copywriter at FCB Joburg.And if youve already touched down and downloaded the app, youll have seen that the Cannes Lions Good track on Tuesday sees HP and Omnicom present a 45-minute panel on diversitys power to drive business results for brands through bold action.Itll feature Britisheditor in chief Edward Enninful,actress Thandie Newton, Omnicom chief diversity office and Adcolor founder and president Tiffany R. Warren, as well as HP marketing chief Antonio Lucio.This comes as an extension of the overall HP diversity drive, in which the brand goes so far as to ensure that each agency it works with consistently focuses on improving the number of women and people of colour working on the HP business, with diversity scorecards aimed at upping those figures each year. AdWeek confirms HPs new programme will add to the youthful sparkle of the industry, in helping develop talent in sending more diverse creatives to Cannes. A total of 18 young creatives up from the initial 15, as Facebook has since partnered on the programme and selected three of the 4As Multicultural Advertising Intern Programme interns to join the group.Chosen from across the US, UK and Mexico to attend Cannes Lions, there will be a particular focus on the mentoring and networking events but also beyond the Festival itself, by developing a post-festival plan for each participant.For this pilot year, the participants were selected from HPs roster of agenciesBBDO, Edelman, Fred & Farid, Giant Spoon and PHD but HP intends to extend the programme in future years.The first-ever #MoreLikeMe programme will doubtless inspire the industry at large while inspiring for the next generation of global creatives. AdWeek adds that HP will be the first brand to partner with The Female Quotient group dedicated to championing diversity in the workplace another programme set to kick off at Cannes. The Drum adds that HP was also the first to sponsor the Free the Bid non-profit initiative, spearheaded by director Alma Harel. Free the Bid asks agencies to include a female director on every triple-bid project.Seems well see lots #MoreLikeMe post #CannesLions2018, keep your eyes peeled!Well be live reporting from Cannes Lions ourselves, watch this space! The Cannes Lions Titanium shortlist has been released... The Titanium Lions celebrate game-changers. Work in this category breaks new ground in branded communications; it is provocative, boundary-busting, envy-inspiring and marks a new direction for the industry.Colleen DeCourcy, CCO at Wieden+Kennedy is the 2018 Titanium Lions jury president.All the winners will be announced during the Cannes Lions Titanium track award ceremony from 7pm on Friday, 22 June. You can view the Titanium Lions shortlist in full. Digital media and technology specialists, NMPi and DQ&A, have announced that they are to acquire US digital creative specialists, Joystick. In doing so the global marketing group will comprise 340 employees across 16 offices globally. The forward-thinking acquisition will allow the global marketing group to bring together media, technology, and creative, enabling brands to achieve high quality customer experience and improve customer loyalty.The announcement was made during the first day of The Cannes Lions Creative Festival , where the industry comes together to celebrate creativity in advertising and technology. It also follows NMPis 2017 global expansion into six new markets, including two offices in the US, as well as their recent acquisition of US boutique paid social specialists, MediaPact. With DQ&A also launching in South-East Asia, Australia, Africa and Italy, this only serves to strengthen the marketing groups international presence and localised expertise.As data gives us a better understanding of the consumer and their online journey, we are seeing a rapid shift in the digital ecosystem. Its no longer about choosing channels to run your marketing activity; now the spotlight is on creating a flawless experience for the consumer. This is exactly why we are focused on reinventing what it means to be a digital marketing specialist, and joining forces with Joystick is a major step in that journey, allowing us to offer a more complete service focused on end-to-end customer experience, commented Luke Judge, CEO of NMPi.Originally founded in the US, Joystick has a team of over 90 digital creative experts across five international offices, who focus on building digital creative advertising solutions and innovations. They bring with them an extensive clientele that includes Google, HBO, Disney and Kroger, adding to NMPi and DQ&As clients such as, LOreal, Papa Johns, Hanes, Freeview, Melia Hotels, and Samsung.Joysticks entire leadership team, including Sara Francis and Dave Rosowsky, will be remaining on post-acquisition. Sara and Dave have been elevated to CEO and COO respectively.Sara Francis, CEO of Joystick commented on the agreement: This is an exciting time for our businesses to come together as one strong force. The alignment could not be more perfect with what we do and where we want to go. We look forward to leading the way in digital innovation and collectively creating a compelling offering for clients.DQ&A is Google DoubleClicks largest EMEA partner in the technology and professional services field. When combined with Joysticks DoubleClick Creative Partner status, the acquisition forms a strengthened DoubleClick relationship, further solidifying its strategic offering and authenticity within the digital industry.CEO of DQ&A, Mike Ossendrijver, added: We saw a significant gap in the market for a solution that will enable our clients to enhance all aspects of the customers online media journey, and we couldnt be more excited to finally close the marketing loop by combining technology, data, media, and now industry-leading creative services. Digital innovation is at the heart of NMPi and DQ&A, and this acquisition will bring further opportunities for us to drive development with the use of Joysticks Innovation lab and its deep creative industry knowledge and partnerships.Owen Jenkinson, Marketing Director at Freeview commented, The way we work as an industry has always been particularly siloed and segmented, which is often reflected in the consumers experience. If you reach them at the right place and at the right time but with the wrong creative, it just wont work. That is why the acquisition of Joystick is so exciting for us as a business. It will allow us to deliver a creative online experience from the start of their journey to the end goal.This acquisition, which is being led by NMPi and DQ&A UKs parent company, Net Media Planet Ltd., will take NMPi, DQ&A, and Joystick s business size to over 340 people in 16 locations including London, New York, Los Angeles, Cape Town, Singapore and Madrid. The acquisition is subject to standard completion procedures and is expected to complete within the month.NMPi is an international, digital marketing agency with offices in the UK, US, Australia, Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Singapore, and Malaysia. NMPi has more than 15 years of experience delivering market-leading, global digital marketing strategies across Paid Search, Display, Paid Social and Analytics.Having worked across a wide range of industries including fashion, retail, financial services and travel, NMPi experience offers advertisers advanced marketing strategy and implementation, informed by data and insights. NMPis impressive list of clients includes Harvey Nichols, Papa Johns, Samsung and Bonds.The holistic approach to digital advertising combines innovative technology and a talented team of data-driven strategists and analysts, helping ambitious brands grow by unlocking opportunities by aligning channels to realise their true value.For more information, visit their website: https://nmpidigital.com/ With over 16 years of experience helping advertisers, agencies and publishers with making advertising technology work for their business, DQ&A specialises in implementing and maintaining digital marketing solutions and infrastructures for clients.DQ&A helps clients to improve their digital marketing strategies by creating a blueprint for excellence in digital marketing. It has deep expertise in helping its clients with ad tech infrastructure, data management and integration , analytics and training and providing them with best-in-class digital marketing services and consultancy Originally a Dutch company, its digital marketing specialists have now spread across the globe, serving clients locally in 14 markets. Its empowers our partners with a truly global approach and a local touch.Joystick has been producing digital ads for over a decade. It believes that quality is key and efficiency is fundamental. The creative agency has refined the production process to give its clients the most flexibility while being as efficient and cost-effective as possible.Driven by its desire to become masters of the latest ad technology, it constantly pushes the limits by collaborating with partners who share its excitement for cutting-edge digital experiences. This company article has been removed. Power utility, Eskom, and labour unions have agreed to go back to the negotiation table to bring an end to protest action, which has disrupted the supply of electricity. On Friday, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan convened a meeting with the Eskom board and management and the three labour unions -- National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and Solidarity -- with the intention of getting all parties to engage on the issues around the employee salary negotiations.The parties agreed that the current disruptions at Eskom, which resulted in load shedding as of Thursday, are not beneficial to any party [and] the country and the economy, said Gordhan.According to the minister the spirit of the meeting was to get all parties to get back to the negotiation table, to normalise relationships and to normalise operations at Eskom.It was agreed that the 0% offer from Eskom is off the table [and] to normalise operations immediately to restore normal production in order to ensure the security of electricity supply; to engage on other key issues that impact on the future sustainability of Eskom such as coal costs, the impact of policy, including IPPs and building trustworthy relationship between the parties as part of the process post negotiations, said Gordhan.Prior to implementing load shedding, Eskom on Thursday announced that the generation and distribution of electricity across its network was constrained due to acts of sabotage and intimidation as a result of protest action.There had been several incidents of road blockades, attacks on staff, and wilful damage of electricity infrastructure.On Saturday evening, the power utility implemented stage 2 load shedding between 5pm and 9pm. The Committee to Protect Journalists will honour journalists from Sudan, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Vietnam with its 2018 International Press Freedom Awards. The journalists have faced legal action, physical attacks, threats, and arrests in retaliation for their work. Amal Khalifa Idris Habbani, a freelance journalist and contributor to the Sudanese news outlet Al-Taghyeer. CPJ's 2018 IPFA awardees are: Amal Khalifa Idris Habbani, a freelance journalist and contributor to the Sudanese news outlet Al-Taghyeer, who during her decade-long career in Sudan has faced physical attacks, imprisonment, and threats by the authorities in connection with her coverage of protests and official wrongdoing. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, one of Vietnam's most prominent independent bloggers, who is best known by her pen name, Mother Mushroom. She has been imprisoned since 2016 on charges connected to her coverage of sensitive issues censored by the state-controlled media, including official land-grabbing, environmental degradation, and police brutality. Luz Mely Reyes, a Venezuelan investigative reporter and co-founder of the independent news website Efecto Cocuyo, who has covered politics in Venezuela for more than 25 years amid increasingly dangerous and repressive conditions for journalists. Anastasiya (Nastya) Stanko, a journalist and TV presenter who is a member of the "Stop censorship" movement, an anti-censorship group made up of journalists and media organisations in Ukraine. A co-founder of the independent media channel Hromadske, in 2014 she covered the Russian annexation of Crimea and was taken hostage in eastern Ukraine. Journalists are under attack all over the world. Learn more about how CPJ is fighting back: https://t.co/UqzmaEhIUO Committee to Protect Journalists (@pressfreedom) June 17, 2018 CPJ is also honoring Philippine journalist Maria Ressa , founder and chief executive officer of the news website Rappler, with the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award."At a time when journalism is being vilified, mocked, and undermined by so many political leaders, CPJ is recognising some of the world's most courageous and dedicated reporters for their contribution to informing their communities and the world," said CPJ executive director Joel Simon. "These journalists put their lives and liberty on the line every day just to do their job. There can be no greater affirmation that journalism matters."CPJ's Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award will be presented to Maria Ressa , who in 2012 founded Rappler, a Philippine news website renowned for its unflinching coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte's controversial policies and actions. Ressa has been a celebrated journalist in Asia for more than 30 years, most of them as CNN's bureau chief in Manila, then Jakarta."Maria is the pioneering leader of an inventive organisation that aggressively reports news in the Philippines and constantly innovates to keep audiences engaged," said CPJ Board chair Kathleen Carroll. "Her bravery in the face of personal and professional attacks is inspiring. We are proud to present her with this award."Winners will be honored at CPJ's annual award and benefit dinner. This year's dinner will be chaired by Meher Tatna, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The evening will be hosted by veteran CBS journalist and "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker. The event is at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York City on November 20, 2018. reports that social media users are questioning why Google Images show images of white squatter camps when searching for 'squatter camps in South Africa'.The search results stand in stark contrast to the millions of black South Africans who live in such conditions.Click here to read more on this story.